Reading Time: 102 Minutes

Title: Roots to Ground You
Author: WestWind
Fandom: Harry Potter
Genre: Fantasy
Relationship(s): None
Content Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Hate Crimes/Hate Speech, Violence – Domestic and/or Against Children, Child abuse – mentioned: failed imperious curse cast by Walburga on teenage Sirius and Walburga’s bad parenting, Minor Character Injury and death, Canon Level Violence, Hate Crime – Death Eater attacks – nothing graphic
Word Count: 83,413
Summary: Regulus stops and questions his plan to retrieve and destroy the locket which leads him to seek help and down a different path.
Artist: CoCo

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Chapter 6 – The Return

January 1980

“We’re to translocate into the British DoM at 1 AM tomorrow,” Regulus said to the purple flames of the InterMyst secured floo network.

“Marcus has a place set up for you, Nephthys, and Joseph to stay,” Arcturus said.

Regulus shifted his legs so his feet were tucked under the stool he was sitting on. “It will be nice to be home, even if I can’t be myself… It might be better if I’m not myself.” He scrubbed his fingers into his hair. “Bella’s been sending me owls asking about Mom and Dad’s location and asking when I’ll be done. She wanted to know if I could let her fellow ‘crusaders’ into whatever property I’m at to provide them someplace to operate from.”

“Your response?”

“That it takes longer than six months to learn everything, and no, I can’t let them in because I don’t have any control over the wards. I keep emphasizing that I’m the equivalent of an apprentice. It will take years before I am granted such control.”

“She’s sent letters with tracking charms to your parents. You would think she would remember the wards detect and deactivate such spells.”

“Unless she’s using it to hide her true spell,” Regulus said.

Arcturus shook his head. “Any spelled mail gets sent through the entire gauntlet of testing by the Unspeakables before being delivered.”

“Do my parents know about the charms?”

“I made sure they did. It convinced Walburga to stay where they are. Before the letter, she was talking about returning home for New Years.”

“I wonder if Tom is targeting them or if it’s all Bella trying to earn his favor?”

“Hard to know.”

Regulus looked at the clock. He still had hours before they left. He had all but his essentials packed.

“Go take a nap before you travel!” Arcturus said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Grandfather.”

~~~~

Regulus met Nephthys and Joseph at the DoM international translocation doorway. Each DoM associated with InterMyst had a corresponding doorway in their most secure levels to allow easy travel for those who had responsibilities in their home country or needed to keep their work for InterMyst or the DoM secret.

Nephthys handed Regulus an amulet. “Put this on!”

Regulus took the choker-style silver amulet and secured it around his neck. He felt a wave of magic move from his head to his feet. He looked at his body. Nothing looked different at first glance.

Joseph cast a spell and a mirror appeared before Regulus. Now the difference was evident. The major changes were to his face. His dark eyes were now a dark blue. His hair was a light shade of brown, maybe dark blond with more waves to it. It was the same style. There were modifications to his chin and nose.

Nephthys appraised his new look and nodded. “Some will probably find you familiar but not connect you with Regulus Black.”

“Thanks,” he said. His voice was changed as well. It would take getting used to.

“It can be deactivated with a tap of the wand and a spoken ‘deactivate.’ I recommend you only do so when assured of your privacy and security.”

Regulus nodded.

“Time,” Joseph said. He tapped the runes on the doorframe programming in their destination. A pale blue glow started on the inside of the frame and moved inward until the doorway was filled. The runes flashed then turned green. “We’re off!” Joseph stepped through with his things.

Nephthys motioned for Regulus to go next. Regulus adjusted his satchel, took a breath, and stepped into the light. He stepped out into a new room as if he walked through a standard door. There was no vertigo or discombobulation like floo or port key travel had.

The new room was plain and not large. It reminded him of the room they used to enter the InterMyst the first time. He assumed there were verifying spells and defense wards on the room to keep unauthorized individuals from passing into the restricted areas.

Nephthys stepped through and the light blinked out. Regulus blinked his eyes a few times as his eyes adjusted to the lower lighting in the room.

“Marcus!” Joseph exclaimed as he hugged the figure waiting for them.

Marcus returned the hug before stepping back to examine all of them. “Welcome to London. I have a home secured and set up for you to stay in. I’ll take you there now and the tour of the London DoM will be tomorrow.” Marcus handed out bracelets that they put on when instructed. “That is your access key to all DoM levels and the shared InterMyst areas. More specific access will be added when needed.” Marcus led them out of the room and down a hall.

One hall looked like another to Regulus. He had learned that was one of the safety features often employed by many Department of Mysteries. They went up a lift and exited into the back room of a store.

“Your bracelets will get you past the storefront and into the elevator.” Marcus led them through the darkened shop. “Pull your hoods up. We’re headed into Knockturn Alley.”

They all did so. The door opened at the tap of Marcus’ wand and locked behind them once they were all through. For almost two in the morning, there were more people in the ally than Regulus expected. They all had hoods drawn over their heads and their faces hidden in shadows. No one obviously paid them any attention. Regulus was sure they were aware of their presence.

Marcus led them out at a purposeful pace to what Regulus knew was an apparition point in the area. Marcus held out a length of rope for them to all grab on to. The portkey was activated, and they all vanished from the spot.

Regulus fought to stay upright when they were deposited at the front gate of a home in the middle of fields.

“Welcome to Leahathen,” Marcus said. “You are already keyed into the wards.”

They followed him in. A house-elf greeted them and popped their luggage into their rooms.

“I’ll leave you in Elle’s capable hands and meet you in reception at 1PM tomorrow. Give you time to rest and settle in.”

Marcus gave them a wave and headed home.

Regulus was grateful to be shown his room. He stripped, cast his clothing into a chair, and climbed into the welcoming bed. Only the briefest of concerns for the task they planned to accomplish this year managed to cross his mind before he fell asleep.

~~~~

Regulus did not wake until the sun was fully above the horizon. It was after nine in the morning when he checked the time. He got out of bed and found his things had been unpacked and put away while he slept.

He got ready for the day and headed down to the kitchen. Joseph and Nephthys were already at the table eating their breakfasts. Regulus sat down beside Nephthys, and Elle set a plate of food before him.

“Thanks, Elle,” he muttered and dug in.

Joseph was reading a letter. “The local head of DoM wants us to get my detection arrays up in the DoM ASAP and branch out into the rest of the Ministry. He wants them in the shopping areas by the end of the month.”

Nephthys sipped her Turkish coffee. She set her cup down and sighed. “That will delay our search for the other pieces.” She tapped the side of her cup three times. “However, knowing who is marked may be beneficial in our search.” She shrugged and lifted her cup. “It is what it is. We will make it work.”

“Wonderful attitude, my dear,” Joseph said.

“I do try, my dear boy,” she snarked back.

Regulus knew she hated Joseph’s use of endearments and that was her way of reminding him.

Joseph laughed and put away his letter. “Marcus has been assigned to aid us, so that should make the work go faster. You and he can continue to refine the ritual to find the pieces while Reg and I set up the arrays.”

Nephthys snort was the only concession she gave.

Regulus soaked up their interaction and the information. After studying under Nephthys for six months, he knew more than he had before about runes, rituals, and soul magic. He had a better understanding of how much he did not know. Being part of Nephthys’ research on Tom’s Horcruxes was an experience he had never dreamed of. He was pleased that it provided him a unique path for his future if he lived through Tom’s reign of terror.

“I’m going to check out the shopping areas for the best locations for the detection arrays,” Joseph said. “Reg, will you show me around?”

Regulus activated the disguise amulet. “Sure, but we should probably start calling me something else to avoid drawing unwanted suspicion.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. What do you think of Reagan Evander?” Nephthys asked.

Regulus nodded. It was close to his name so he would remember to respond to it. “Joseph’s penchant for calling me Reg would fit.”

“That’s what I thought.”

With that agreed on, they set off for their morning tasks.

~~~~

Regulus walked around examining their assigned workspace in the London DoM. There were workbenches and movable chalkboards around the room and a separate room for ritual work. There were all the supplies Nephthys and Joseph requested in the storeroom and cupboards. The director had given them everything they would need which told Regulus that he was serious about dealing with Tom and his followers.

Joseph had his own research room off of a central shared room. If you took a conference room, a kitchen, and a Hogwarts’ common room and mixed them together, you would have the access room to their research labs. Regulus found it surprisingly relaxing.

“Marcus and I are going to set up the first array to see how it goes before Reg and I dive into it,” Joseph said. Without giving them time to respond the two men were out the door.

Regulus turned to his mentor. She was directing her spell and ritual diagrams to stick to the wall with her wand. She liked to see things laid out together when possible instead of shuffling from one group of papers to another. It helped her see things that she missed or needed to be tweaked. He stepped up beside her.

“I don’t think the ritual as we have it will find all the parts at once,” she muttered.

“But will it find them?”

“It will find them, but I think it will be the closest one first.”

“Will it find a different one if we do it again or will we have to change locations? Can we exclude the known location from the ritual’s search area?” Regulus asked the questions as they came to mind. He had learned that his mentor appreciated his questions as they had often led them to approach the problem in a different and beneficial way.

She tapped her wand against her hand and hummed. “Excluding known locations might be the answer. We will have to run calculations and figure out what rune sequences will need added.” She turned to face him. “It will mean performing the ritual again and again until we get no new location. That will require rest time between casting.”

Regulus nodded. “Better that than what would be required to find them all at once.”

They had calculated the magic required to search an unknown area for an unknown number of soul pieces and it would require a conclave of fifty magic users. The higher-ups did not want to involve that many magicals into the secret. Regulus did not blame them. The fewer people who knew the better. That was why their team was Joseph, Nephthys, Marcus, and himself with his grandfather as an auxiliary member if needed.

“Let’s start on figuring out the sequences needed and their calculations,” Nephthys said.

~~~~

By the third week of January 1980, they had placed Joseph’s dark mark detection arrays in five well-traveled locations in the DoM and twenty in the Ministry. At the end of the first week, they started placing the rune arrays on paper or thin planks of wood that could be affixed to a surface – wall, door, floor – and activated. It cut down on the amount of time they spent at the application site and allowed them to craft the runes in the privacy of their workrooms.

The book tied to the arrays was slowly gathering names. Augustus Rookwood was the first one to be recorded and was additional proof that the arrays were working. Lucius Malfoy’s name appeared once they expanded to the Ministry due to his frequent visits to various officials.

Another group of Unspeakables, placed under Marcus, were tasked with tracking and researching the people named. The gathered information would hopefully help the DoM leaders plot how to dismantle and hinder Tom’s plans.

Regulus was placing the arrays on the back of posters that would be placed in the magical alleys. They figured any magic detected from advertising posters on alley walls would be inconspicuous or ignored by anyone sensitive enough to detect the rune work. They would think it was part of the ad.

They were almost done and planned to place them over the next two days. They would be done four days before the deadline.

“Looks good,” Joseph said, assessing Regulus’ work. “You have a great hand for rune work.”

“Thank you,” Regulus said.

Joseph rubbed his hands together. “This will be an interesting test of the arrays. The distance between them and the number of people passing between will give them a workout.”

“That’s why we are putting several up in each location.” Regulus looked up from his work.

“Yes, yes. I can write up a paper on the application method for a broader application even if the exact array research will be restricted to within InterMyst. This will prove its robustness.”

Regulus rolled his eyes and returned to his work. Joseph was smart and inventive, but his heart was in research, creating new magical items, and testing magical limits. He agreed that Tom needed to be stopped and was happy to help. However, his main focus would always be the research.

Regulus had met many like that in the InterMyst halls. Those that were not research-focused were part of the information gathering branch. He mentally called them what they were – spies.

The mandate for the Department of Mysteries was to research and report any danger that needed to be addressed on a community level. InterMyst set the standards of what was considered dangerous magics for the entire world’s wizarding community. They viewed not only magic research to be part of their mandate but how it was being used in the world. That required their people living and interacting outside of their halls to gather information and to be aware of what was going on.

Collecting and destroying the Horcrux fell under their mandate, but stopping Tom directly did not. That fell to the Ministry and their Aurors. Reading through their records, Regulus realized that they often walked close to, if not over, that line in very Slytherin ways to appear above board. He suspected that was why they were collecting information on the marked Death Eaters. It was easier to sidestep and counter an issue when you knew where the triggers were.

~~~~

Regulus, dressed in what he now knew was acceptable muggle clothing for the decade and waited on a park bench for Arcturus. He watched the muggles bundled up in their winter coats pass by.

Arcturus walked up along one of the paths. His clothing blended in with them easily. His bearing made him stand out as a confident and in-control man. He mastered the usual tells that the average wizard always gave off when in the muggle world.

Arcturus stepped up to the bench. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Grandfather.” Regulus stood and took his spot beside the older man. “Where are we going?” Arcturus had not told Regulus the purpose of this outing other than it would be educational.

“To have breakfast.” Arcturus set out. Regulus followed.

The two walked in silence. The London muggle area was different from the muggle areas his mentor had taken him to in Egypt and France. It was also a larger city in a colder climate.

“You come to the muggle area often?” Regulus asked.

“More than most wizards.”

“Why?”

“In my youth – curiosity. Later on as part of my work.”

It was obviously his Unspeakable work and probably the reason for their outing. That left the question of why Regulus was with him. Did it have something to do with Regulus’ future in the Unspeakables?

Regulus followed him into a restaurant. Arcturus was greeted as a well-known customer and shown to a table. At the table, an older man was already seated. He studied Regulus as they approached.

“This is a bit out of character for you Art,” the man said and tipped his head at Regulus.

“My grandson has recently joined the business,” Arcturus said as he sat down. “And I’m introducing him to various facets of it.”

Regulus followed his lead. He studied the man. There was something familiar about him. The man studied him back.

“The older one?” the man asked.

“Actually the younger one.”

The man’s eyes widened at the news.

A waitress brought them tea and took their orders before leaving them to their conversation.

“How’d that happen?” the man asked.

He must be very informed about the family. That made Regulus question who he was. He looked to his grandfather. Arcturus tapped out a pattern on the table and the tingling of magic flashed for a moment around them.

“Anti-eavesdropping rune array carved in the table,” Arcturus said. “This is my cousin and your Great Uncle Marius.”

That made everything click into place. Regulus knew InterMyst had squibs working for them. He had not met any in the England division. Maybe the squibs worked for InterMyst and not the DoM or maybe they only met in muggle areas or maybe they were provided disguises as witches and wizards when they visited. The only difference visually at a distance between magicals and muggles was the way they dress. If they wore robes in the offices, no one would know the difference in passing.

Regulus extended a hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you.”

Marius shook the offered hand but still seemed wary of him.

“Surprised you’d shake my hand knowing who I am.”

“I’ve spent some time in France and had my eyes opened to a few things.”

Marius chuckled. “Threw you into the deep end, have they. No working your way up through the local departments for you.”

“No, sir. I sort of got myself mixed up with the wrong crowd, and it was the only way to fix it.” Regulus wondered how much Marius knew of what was going on in the magical world.

“Walburga’s influence got you there, no doubt,” Marius derisively said.

“My upbringing did lead me to see the world a certain way,” Regulus said.

“If you’re here with him,” Marius jabbed his thumb at Arcturus, “then you’ve seen past it.”

“He had his eyes opened to true motives,” Arcturus said.

Their food was delivered. Regulus ate and kept silent while the older men caught up over the meal.

“How’s your family doing?” Arcturus asked.

“All good. Charles is doing well at Uni. Rebecca is getting married in the spring. She’s driving her mom crazy with the planning.”

“I would think Carol would be in her element,” Arcturus said.

“They are too much alike and have different ideas for the event.”

Arcturus chuckled knowingly. “Not a household I would want to be in.”

“I avoid it myself. Just tell me when and where to show up.”

The talk of family naturally came to an end and turned to business. Marius handed over a large envelope.

“Rob’s report is interesting. Not worth action yet, but I can see the line of research leading to the things they currently consider science fiction. That level of technology could catch you lot out and make it harder for us squibs to slip in.”

Arcturus tucked the envelope away. “You are not the only one reporting that. Those at the Caverns are watching and aware. The improving satellite image quality is at the top of their list currently.”

Marius nodded. He obviously understood what Arcturus was talking about, but Regulus was clueless.

“They would see things like Hogwarts from space. I don’t see the spells hiding it from the muggles on the ground would work on the tech.”

“That is a concern. The Caverns have a mixed group testing it with the most advanced muggle cameras. They are flying over warded areas and taking images at different altitudes.” Arcturus shook his head. “They are not conclusive but point to possible discovery.”

“Solutions?”

“Presented to the IWC, but they are dragging their feet,” Arcturus said.

“And keeping the knowledge from everyone else, as always,” Marius said.

“Exactly. We will probably have to do some maneuvering behind the scenes to force the issue to protect the global magical community.”

“I have a feeling that is going to get harder for the coming generation.” Marius looked Regulus in the eye. “Technology is advancing faster than in the past. The slow to adapt wizarding world can not imagine the rate of advancement and change of the muggles and will never understand how quickly their way of life will be threatened.”

Regulus had been surprised at what the muggles had done and were doing when he started looking into it. He did not believe that they had sent a man to the moon when one of the muggle-born students at Hogwarts mentioned it. It was a laughable idea at the time, but he knew it to be true now. Muggles were creating faster ways to travel and communicate. He also knew they were researching new ways to use and make their technology better. He was only just understanding what muggles were capable of.

“I fear you are correct,” Regulus said.

“Then you’ve got a good head on your shoulders,” Marius said. “Make sure it stays that way.”

“It is my goal.”

Arcturus placed several bills on the table and stood. “Good seeing you again, Marius. Take care.”

They all shook hands with their farewells. Arcturus and Regulus walked one way out of the restaurant and Marius the other.

“Answers once back at the manner,” Arcturus said.

“Yes, Grandfather.”

~~~~

Regulus sipped his tea waiting for Arcturus to return from passing Marius’ information on before his own curiosity could be settled. Being in his grandfather’s sitting room felt more like home than Nephthys’ French villa, no matter how nice it was. He missed England.

Arcturus entered and took his seat. A cup of tea was made to his liking.

“Before I answer your questions, update me on your projects,” Arcturus said.

“Joseph’s project is set up in the desired locations.” Even in the privacy of Arcturus’ home, Regulus would not mention specifics of their projects. Arcturus knew enough about them to follow. “We started on the rune circle for Nephthys’ project. Hope to give it a test run at the beginning of February. Nephthys said she would let you know if we need your help.”

“You have worked the kinks out?”

“We think so. The new arrays we put in should take care of it.” Regulus closed his eyes and absorbed the atmosphere. “I never realized I would miss England so much. You would think I would be happy to be rid of the cold and damp.”

Arcturus chuckled. “The things you miss are never the ones you expect.”

Regulus opened his eyes and looked around the room. “I’ve been so busy on the projects that I still don’t feel like I know what’s going on in England.”

“Not a lot has changed,” Arcturus assured. “Tom’s people are still getting involved in skirmishes. All they seem to be doing is stirring up fear and property damage that last few weeks.”

Regulus rested his chin on his fist. “Seems like a change in direction for him.”

“It could be or it could be a move to keep the Aurors off their trails. It could also be a fear tactic to bring more people to his service in hopes to be spared.”

Regulus nodded and sighed. He glanced at his sleeve-covered arm and was relieved that they were able to modify the brand to their advantage and freed him from the shifts of a madman’s whims. He looked forward to when they would remove it for good.

“Are the Aurors doing anything?”

“Nothing effective.”

“Typical.”

They both sipped their cups. Regulus rested his cup on his lap.

“How long have you been in contact with Uncle Marius?”

“I volunteered to ‘make the problem disappear’ when Uncle Cygnus voiced his concern about Marius’ lack of magic to my father.”

It was a smart move. It made Arcturus appear to agree with their beliefs and allowed him to recruit his cousin for InterMyst while protecting him from being murdered by his family. Regulus wondered how often squibs were rescued under such deception.

“Did they think you killed him?”

“Cygnus thought so because that was how he would have done it. My father knew me well enough to know I would choose to place him in the muggle world. Neither of us dissuaded Cygnus of his belief.”

“The tapestry – it would have shown he was alive…”

“Not if someone tampered with it during its crafting at his cousin’s request.”

Regulus realized that he never truly knew his Uncle Alphard. The more he learned, he understood why he left his things to Sirius over other family members.

“I used my InterMyst contacts to find other squibs living in the muggle world to place him with. They helped him adapt to the world. I stopped by when I could to make sure he was doing well.”

“When did he start working for InterMyst?”

“About twenty years ago. He knew there was contact between some squibs and the magical world. However, he didn’t care until one of his grandchildren was magical.”

“Do I know the grandchild?”

“No, they did not want the attention that sending her to Hogwarts would bring and sent her to school abroad.”

“How extensive is InterMyst’s information network in the muggle world?” Regulus was suspecting it was bigger than he realized.

“Broad. We help squibs and muggle-born who return to the muggle world get positions in government and industry. They report to someone like Marius and that person passes the reports to their contact in the magical world.”

“You’re a spymaster.” More pieces fell into place for Regulus. “You’re grooming me to be one as well.”

Arcturus tipped his teacup toward him. “Good deduction. I hope to do so once the Horcrux business is completed. Sirius is my heir for the Black seat and you for my InterMyst role.”

“Are they hereditary?”

“No,” Arcturus shook his head. “Often family members are brought into InterMyst, but they take on jobs that they want and that fits their skills.”

“You think I fit the job of spymaster?”

“I see the potential if you want to take it on. You have grown and adapted in your six months away. You have taken facts, pieced them together, and come to conclusions you would not have a year ago. You have a sharp mind and are learning to adapt. All of those are traits I look for in my trainees. Yes, given training, you will be an excellent spymaster in time.”

Regulus dragged his hand down his face. He felt like he had just been hit with a Bombarda. Working in the shadows, was that something he wanted to do for the rest of his life?

“What… If Sirius has the seat… what power would I bring… or what will others see me doing?”

Arcturus waved his hand. “You don’t need to worry about any of that. It will develop as we go. Depending on how the thing with Tom ends and what story we spin about your involvement, the steps we take forward will vary. You may be revealed as working for a branch of the government or continue with the story of you learning estate management.

“I am leaving you an estate or two when I pass. Not everything is going to Sirius. You will have something to keep you occupied in the eyes of polite society.”

“What’s Sirius’ view on being your heir?

“Mostly he doesn’t think about it, but he continues to come for dinner on Sundays.”

Regulus sipped his tea. “Is he still following the headmaster?”

“Doubt has crept in. He’s questioning the old man’s motivations. Wasn’t too pleased to learn Dumbledore would use Legilimency on him.”

“He believed it?” Regulus was shocked. He assumed Sirius would be trotting behind the headmaster’s lead until the day he died.

“Yes. I think the charming Mrs. Lily Potter has something to do with it. She was helping him research Albus’ past.” Arcturus grinned like the cat with the cream.

“You know this how?”

“Correspondence and the Potters came to Christmas dinner.”

Regulus was surprised.

“We had a very nice time.” Arcturus shifted and crossed his legs. He looked pleased.

Regulus set his cup on its saucer. “What have you and Mrs. Potter been corresponding about?”

“She found interesting trends in the voting records. It seems despite Dumbledore’s verbal support of creature rights, his faction never seems to pull together to support creature right bills especially when they would win.”

“Interesting,” Regulus slowly said. “Who’s meddling?”

“My guess is Dumbledore.”

“Really? Are you sure it’s not the other side dealing underhandedly?”

“Not with who is missing the meetings.”

“How did you find out about her research?”

Arcturus told him how Sirius had brought the information to him seeking a better understanding of the inner workings of the Wizengamot for Lily.

“It was well researched. We have been exchanging correspondence. She holds no love for the old coot.”

“Yet I’d say her husband is a firm supporter of him,” Regulus said.

“He is, but they are planting doubts in him. They are digging up secrets… secrets that Dumbledore hoped would stay buried.”

“I never thought of him having secrets. He’s been a public figure all my life…”

“I remember when he wasn’t so revered.”

“So you set them on the hunt.”

“I did and am glad of it.”

They both took sips of their beverages.

“She has a unique way of looking at the world and piecing things together. I’d recruit her for the DoM if not the InterMyst if I could get away with it. With her muggle background, she would be an ideal candidate for the network if she wasn’t married to James.”

They were interrupted by the chime indicating that dinner was ready.

Chapter 7 – Pressure

February 1980

Arcturus swept into their office after a perfunctory knock.

“Hello, Arcturus,” Nephthys said. “You appear to be a man on a mission.”

Regulus moved research material from the extra chair with a spell. The items floated to the desk and settled on it. His grandfather gave him a nod of thanks before sitting.

“I am.”

“Your mission?” Nephthys folded her hands on top of the papers she had been reading.

Arcturus held his hand palm up with a flourish. Sitting on his palm was a small item. Regulus leaned closer for a better look. It looked like an insect, but one that he could not identify.

“What is it?” Regulus asked.

“A bug.” Mischief danced in Arcturus’ eyes the same way it did in Sirius’ when he was up to something.

“So it appears. I’m sure because you brought it to us, it is more than its appearance.” Nephthys tilted her head then smiled. “Does it function like a bug in the muggle meaning of the word?”

Arcturus smirked in amusement. “It does indeed.”

“That is?” Regulus asked, not understanding the reference.

“Muggles have devices they plant on people or in places so they can overhear what is talked about without physically being there. They call these devices bugs,” Arcturus explained.

Regulus saw the usefulness of such an item to a person doing what Arcturus did and those under him. He did not know why he brought it to them.

“So you have developed a magical equivalent.” Nephthys leaned forward. “Why? What do you plan to use them for?”

Arcturus tossed the bug into the air and caught it before setting it on the edge of Nephthys’ desk.

“Marcus and I want to start using them on the Death Eaters you’ve identified.”

“For what reasons?” Nephthys asked. To Regulus, she appeared more curious than opposed.

“For your project, it could lead to identifying more Death Eaters. For Marcus and me, it is a way to get intel and gather evidence.”

“How does it work?” Regulus watched the bug crawl across the desk to the quill holder. It climbed up the side and vanished.

“Invisibility or obscuring?” Nephthys inquired.

“They tried both, but I don’t know which one that particular bug has. Marcus, please join us.” Arcturus motioned to the hall. “He’s down the hall with the other part of the device and listening in.”

A few minutes passed before Marcus joined him. Regulus freed another chair.

“Actually, we ended up creating a chameleon charm for the project,” Marcus said as he sat down. “Arcturus came to me with the idea at the end of last year. The team assigned it has done great work and incorporated many of the original ideas he brought us to make a magical version of what muggles use.”

“Was this something one of your muggle contacts mentioned?” Regulus asked.

“It is Lily Potter’s idea,” Arcturus said. “We were talking one day and she mentioned her hobby of designing and creating magical items. She shared some of her ideas with me. Many are based on the current level of muggle technology and a few on their futuristic stories. She let me take a couple of her ideas to a few friends of mine for assessment.”

Marcus raised his hand. “I’m one of those friends.”

“Our department wanted the bug for obvious reasons. A team was assigned the project based on her notes. Now we have the first ready for field testing.”

Marcus jumped in after Arcturus. “I figured bugging Death Eaters was a great way to run them through their paces.”

“How do they work?” Nephthys poked at the spot the bug had vanished.

“They are a type of golem. They follow a set of instructions – preset or given via the control device and receiving orb.” Marcus held up an orb that reminded Regulus of a small crystal ball. “We hope to be able to see what they see in this, but for now it’s just sound.” He tapped a sequence on the ball. “Mission end. Inactive Mode.”

The bug became visible at a different location on the desk. Marcus leaned forward and plucked the bug off the paperweight. He put both items into a pocket.

“The plan is to drop a few of these onto various Death Eaters and set the receivers to record on our end. We can test how far and under what conditions they work.”

“What happens if they are discovered and examined?” Regulus asked.

“If someone casts magic on them without the correct precursor, a self-destruct is activated. Nothing is left.”

Nephthys nodded approval. “It should prove interesting to run them through their paces. But why bring it to us? You don’t need our direct involvement.”

Marcus answered her question. “Director Tanner has moved all those working on anything dealing with the Dark Lord and his minions into their own department with me as the head.”

“That includes us,” Nephthys said, “even though we already were under your supervision – if loosely.”

“That’s not going to change,” Marcus assured. “I do want you to know how things are changing and what new resources we may have available. Plus, I don’t see keeping Joseph away from tinkering on the project now that his main two objectives are accomplished. He’s been poking around the labs for a while now trying to learn what we were doing.”

So true. Joseph had been asking questions about some research. He was increasingly spending time in the testing rooms. Regulus was often the one who had to go retrieve the man to go home. That was not going to stop anytime in the near future.

~~~~

Flashes of spell light cut through the Magic Hat’s dining room. Sirius peaked over the table he, James, and Frank Longbottom were sheltering behind and shot off a spell chain. James followed with his own attack, and Frank cast shield charms to protect them and those they had gathered in their small corner of the restaurant.

Only two other groups had followed their lead and fought back. The rest of the patrons had tried fleeing when the Death Eaters entered and started casting. Some got away before the Anti-Disapparition Jinx was fully operational, but many were scattered around the room out or dead due to a spell. Sirius knew better than to focus on the wellbeing of the fallen at a time like this. That sort of distraction would add him to the number of fallen.

A ghostly European wildcat darted out the wall behind them. Frank returned his attention to the fight.

“I sent for help.” Frank flicked his wand and cast to block the projectile jinx headed their way. Shards flew in several directions when the two spells met.

James ducked down behind their transfigured stone wall. “Good. Hopefully, it will be here soon.” He rolled upward and clipped one of the five Death Eaters in the shoulder with a bone-breaking hex.

The injured Death Eater stumbled backward grasping at his injured wand arm. One of the other black-robed figures stepped over to protect the injured while releasing a volley of nasty spells their way. The spell chain and movements seemed familiar to Sirius. He was pleased when he fell into casting the proper counter chain.

Each successful counter enraged the Death Eater more until she screamed in anger. That was when it clicked in Sirius’ battle consumed mind. The spell chain was one taught in the Black family. He and Arcturus had reviewed it a few months ago in a practice duel before dinner.

That was Bellatrix. He recognized that scream at being denied even if it was magically modulated to prevent the Death Eaters’ voices from being identified. Magic could not hide the enraged tone Bellatrix put into her screams. Sirius realized what would come next.

“Pavimetium Glacius when I cast,” Sirius told James.

James gave a sharp nod and readied to cast the spell with no questions asked. Sirius cast the counter they had created to Bellatrix’s favorite spell. She did not disappoint. In her anger, she let ingrained habits overtake her and cast her finger removing jinx at them.

Bella’s first move as a teen was to remove the fingers of her opponent’s wand hand. The jinx could be removed, but it had to be countered by someone with medical training. It was also hard to block and made it past the most common shield spells. She had used it once on Sirius. He swore to find an effective defense against it. James helped him create a counter during their last years of school.

The counterspell worked and deflected it back at the caster. While Bellatrix momentarily took in the fact that her spell failed, James’ spell turned the ground under all their feet to a sheet of ice. Sirius followed it up with a wind-gusting charm causing anyone standing to slide and fall. They struggled to get to their feet.

“You’re too predictable, Bella,” Sirius called.

Frank elbowed him and whispered, “Don’t taunt them unless it gives us an advantage.”

“Traitor!” she yelled. “Worthless blood-traitor.”

One of the Death Eaters, probably one of the Lestrange brothers, tried to rein her in. Another Death Eater cast a heating charm to melt the ice. The remaining uninjured Death Eater had cast a bubble shield around them as the other defenders in the room took the opportunity to attack.

The ice melted, and the Death Eaters regrouped. Instead of disappearing as Sirius expected, they renewed their attack and moved as a group into the room.

“There’s something or someone they’re after,” James said after another five minutes of spell battle.

The Death Eaters took out one of the defending groups with a Bombarda.

“They broke the wards,” one Death Eater yelled over the sounds of battle.

Bellatrix looked at Sirius’ location. Sirius knew she was scowling at him. She pointed a gloved finger at him. “I will kill you!”

A group of red-robed Aurors burst into the restaurant. The Death Eaters all vanished. The lead Auror cursed. She looked around assessing the damage.

“Get medical staff in here to tend to the injured!” she barked out.

Frank stood up and waved to gain the woman’s attention. “Amelia.”

“Start taking statements,” she ordered before turning to them. “Frank,” she greeted. She assessed their corner and nodded to Sirius and James. “Any injuries?”

The three men exchanged looks and shook their heads.

“Nothing but scratches,” James answered.

“I’ll need statements from each of you,” Amelia said.

“I’ll submit the memory,” Frank said.

“I will too,” Sirius said. “I know you can glean more from my statement in conjunction with my memory. Also, I believe one of them was my cousin Bellatrix.”

Amelia nodded to him. “Even with that, it will not be valid proof that she was under the mask.”

“I realize that, but you never know when they will slip.”

Amelia gave them all a tight but appreciative smile. “I’ll get one of my team to take statements and collect the memories.”

~~~~

Lily greeted them when they returned to the Potter home. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her foot tapped an impatient rhythm. “Why was Alice the one to let me know you were in a fight with Death Eaters?”

James rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish look. “Sorry.”

“Sorry! That’s it?” Lily said. Magic crackled along her strands of hair making them float as if in a breeze.

“I didn’t want to worry you.” James cupped her elbows and looked into her eyes. “I wanted to tell you in person so you could see I’m fine.”

Sirius knew when to make an exit. He left James to deal with his upset pregnant wife. He turned and apparated to Arcturus’ home. The door opened when he knocked.

“Evening, Rolby. Is Arcturus in?” Sirius asked.

“He is in his office. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

Sirius waved his hand in dismissal. “I’ll go. I know the way.” Sirius walked past the elf and through the halls to the office. He knocked on the door.

“Enter!”

Sirius did. The large oak desk was the centerpiece of the room and the first thing you saw on entering. Arcturus sat behind the desk with a stack of papers before him.

“Sirius, have a seat.” Arcturus stood after putting the papers away in a drawer. “I’m pleased to see you.”

Sirius sat in the chair grouping. There was a fresh tea tray already waiting for him. He snagged a peach-filled biscuit and popped it into his mouth. Arcturus joined him, taking the second seat.

“What brought you to visit?”

“Bellatrix promised to kill me tonight,” Sirius said to open the conversation.

“Not the first death threats she has made against you. I assume that there was a confrontation.”

Sirius snagged a second biscuit and took a bite. He nodded his head while he chewed. “Death Eaters attacked the restaurant that I met a couple friends at for dinner. I recognized a Black spell chain and her angry cry – the one she has when denied something.”

“It is rather distinctive.”

“I know it was her even if the evidence is considered circumstantial. I’m betting Rodolphus and his brother were there too.” He waved his half-eaten biscuit in the air. “She came to the aid of the Death Eater James injured too swiftly for him to not be important to her. I don’t see her going out of her way to help even those following the mad man unless it helped his cause.” He took another bite of the biscuit.

Arcturus handed him a cup of tea.

“Sounds like you had an eventful evening. Do you want something stronger?”

Sirius accepted the tea and took a sip to follow the last of the biscuit.

“I won’t refuse.”

Arcturus walked to the sideboard and filled two tumblers with two fingers of firewhisky. He handed Sirius a glass before retaking his seat. Sirius sipped the burning liquid. He was not going to guzzle down a top-shelf whisky. That would be a disservice to the whisky. He did not need to get drunk and let Arcturus witness one of his drunk rantings.

“What happened?”

Sirius told him about that attack in more detail and finished with, “I made sure James got home and skipped out while he tried to pacify an angry pregnant woman.” He gestured with his now empty tumbler. “Don’t anger a pregnant woman, I tell you. You will not win.” He shook his head. “He hasn’t learned that yet.”

Arcturus’ eyebrow lifted. “How did you learn it?”

Sirius waved his finger at Arcturus. “Not the way you’re thinking. I may have found ways to visit Andromeda after she was married. Some of those times were when she was pregnant with her daughter.” Sirius shook his head remembering a very pregnant and hormonal Andromeda yelling then crying almost in the same breath.

Arcturus tapped his chin with his index finger. “You would have been in your first or second year when she was pregnant.”

“I visited when I was home. Between muggle transport and the night bus, it wasn’t hard to get to her place. Their home wasn’t far.”

“How’d you learn to use muggle transport?”

“Lily.” Sirius grinned. “She explained it to me when I asked. She even showed me the currency so I would know what it looked like. When Walburga got too much, I would take off and ride the muggle bus around London for hours. Figured she would never look for me in muggle London.”

Arcturus shook his head. There was an uptick at the corners of his mouth. “I believe I remember her ranting about you going missing now that I think about it.”

“Yet, she never put a tracking charm on me. I figure she wanted me out as much as I wanted to be out. If I stayed, we would just continue to fight until wands were drawn.”

“Point. And it gave her something to complain about.”

Sirius barked out a laugh. The clock chimed ten PM, and Sirius realized how late it had gotten. He pushed his hair out of his face. “I should be going.”

“If you must. Do take the floo home.”

Sirius nodded and left.

~~~~

Regulus waited behind the false wall for Grandfather to return after seeing Sirius to the floo. He did not want to step out too soon and get caught by his brother after avoiding him due to the wards warning Grandfather when Sirius entered the property.

The door to the hidden room swung open.

“He’s gone.”

Regulus exited and pushed the disguised door shut behind him. “Nice to know he can still push Bellatrix’s buttons.”

“One of his many talents.” Arcturus handed Regulus a fresh cup of tea as he sat down. “The question is where on her priority list does killing him fall?”

“Do precautions need to be taken to keep them apart or run interference?” Regulus snagged his favorite biscuit from the tray.

Arcturus shook his head. “They cross paths socially very infrequently. He’s more likely to cross her path like he did tonight.”

“She will try to kill him then.” Regulus ran a hand down his mouth and chin then sighed. “He’s never known when to leave things alone. He’s always had to push and agitate. It’s like he wants them to come after him.”

“He does on some level.”

“Why?”

“Adrenaline rush, to be contrary, to prove his defiance to the “family values,” to prove he matters enough to get a reaction, to carve his own path, to win his freedom.” Arcturus took a sip of his tea and set the cup down. He folded his hands over his stomach. “Or all of the above with a dash of if he’s a target other’s might not be.”

Regulus groaned. “So Gryffindor of him.”

“He was always destined for that house. I saw that when he was a child but did not know if other pressures would override it.”

Regulus rested his head against the chair back and thought back to their pre-school days. Sirius was always the first to do something new or daring. He never met a daring act he would not attempt especially when challenged. That’s how he ended up covered in mud, in the middle of the lake, or drenched with paint. He rubbed his eyes.

“Yes, looking back it is obvious.”

“I had not realized how deep his rebellion to the family was until recently, but I believe it solidified his place with the lions.”

“Him coming to you to tell you about Bellatrix and the attack is proof that your dinners with him are productive.”

“Yes, I do believe they are.”

~~~~

Sirius, James, and Albus emerged from the memory of the attack into the upper room in the Hog’s Head. Sirius flopped into one of the chairs. James’ memory did not show anything different from Sirius’. Yet, Albus had them watch both three times.

Albus stroked his beard as he stood by the table. “Interesting.”

James sat in the chair beside Sirius. He rolled his eyes so only Sirius could see. Sirius bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing.

“I do believe you were right, James, and their goal was more than just disruption.” Albus paced across the floor. It made Sirius feel like he was back in a Hogwarts classroom. “We have to assume they did not accomplish their objective by the time the Aurors arrived. They would have left before if they had.”

This was nothing new to Sirius. He and James had come to the same conclusions before Albus called them to this meeting and without having to look at either memory once. Sirius knew intel was important to fight against Voldemort and his Death Munchers. He did not understand why they needed so many viewings. What was Albus looking for?

Albus gestured grandly at them. “If it was something in the restaurant, they could have come after hours or when it was less busy to retrieve it with a better success rate. They came in the evening when it was busy.” The waving hand dropped to stroke his beard as he turned and faced them. “If they just wanted to cause the greatest devastation, that time would be an optimal choice.” His finger punctuated the next point by jabbing into the air. “However, their actions do not support that. They wanted someone or something someone in the restaurant had. The question is which person was their target.”

Sirius nodded along with the string of points. Still nothing new to him or James.

“First we narrow down the list of people there.” He summoned quill and parchment then sat at the table. He started writing out names. “There were a few I did not recognize. But we can start with these.” He finished the list and tapped his lip with the feather. He put a mark by several of the names. “It will not be unusual for me to visit with this group and get their side of things. James, you see young Mr. Jackson Kelly?”

“On occasion,” James answered.

“Next time you see him, bring up the attack and obtain his story. If you can, inquire about his reasons for being there. Sirius, the same for Miss Beth Dupont.” He marked the list and rolled it up. “Let me know what you learn. Good evening.” He tucked the parchment inside his robe, collected the Pensieve, and left the room.

The door shut. Sirius switched his gaze from the door to James. “That was rather abrupt.”

“I’m sure he has a lot to do,” James said. “Running a school and the O….”

Sirius shushed James by placing a finger to his lips. “Names,” he hissed. Even if the room had been cleared by Albus, it was a public space.

Trusting public spaces to be free of eavesdroppers was a bad idea. The number of times Arcturus’ stories had him learning interesting things in public spaces that the speakers thought were secure were eye-opening for Sirius.

He suspected Arcturus of nudging aside the protections to aid in him “overhearing” the conversation. Arcturus was probably not the only one to do so. From the stories, politics sounded more cutthroat than the spell battle he had with the Death Eaters.

“The caster who secured the room has left,” Sirius reminded.

James’ eyes widened. He nodded understandingly. He stood and clapped Sirius on the shoulder. “Let’s head home. Lily will be expecting me home soon.”

~~~~

Sirius stood beside James at Tiberius Pine’s funeral. Lily stood on James’ other side dabbing at her eyes with a lacy handkerchief.

Tiberius had been an Order Member and four years ahead of them in school. He had been killed in the most recent Death Eater attack. Sirius recognized many of the people in attendance.

Final words were said and the coffin was lowered into the ground. Sirius did not see who cast the spell, but that was appropriate for the situation. Dirt filled in the hole, and the grass settled in on top like it had not been disturbed. Only the marble marker was a testament to the recent disturbance.

The woman beside him blew her nose which was more like a goose honk. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” she sobbed out to anyone who would listen.

Everyone began to move away from the grave. Some stopped and gathered in clusters along the way out, talking in soft tones. Sirius was stopped by people he knew for brief exchanges as he passed. Most of them were along the same lines of lamenting Tiberius’ passing. A few brought up the attack that killed him.

A heavy hand on his shoulder put him on edge, but he did not respond since Venessa was smiling at the newcomer.

“Headmaster, it’s nice to see you,” Venessa said.

Sirius strengthened his mental barriers and forced himself to not step out from under the hand.

“You as well, my dear. Do you mind if I borrow young Sirius for a brief conversation?”

Venessa waved a dismissive hand. “Of course not, sir.”

“Good of you.”

He steered Sirius to a more private area. It was a high-handed action that Sirius would not have been bothered by several years ago. However, he was a student under the man’s tutelage then. Now he was an adult, doing adult things like working and fighting a war. The move felt demeaning. His own grandfather treated him more like an equal than Albus often did.

“Just a moment of your time, my boy,” Albus said. “Are you still seeing your grandfather?”

“We have meals occasionally,” Sirius answered.

“What have you learned about his goals?”

“He keeps his own counsel on that.”

“What do you talk about?” Albus cajoled.

“He tells me stories. I’ve learned a lot about the troubles he got into right out of school.”

Albus chuckled. “Ah, I do recall a few instances of mischievous trouble that he was a part of. I had forgotten that.” Albus’ eyes twinkled. “Something the two of you have in common.”

“So I’ve learned.”

“What news about your brother? Last I heard, he had moved out of the country for a tour of the estates.”

Sirius shrugged. “That’s as much as I know. I don’t ask, and Arcturus knows I don’t care for news about my immediate family.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to ask, my boy. He could be recruiting for Voldemort. If we know his movements, it might give us insight into his plans and opportunities to counter them. Let me know what you learn.”

Albus patted his shoulder and left. Sirius wondered if he was always so high-handed and how he missed it.

“What’d he want?” Lily asked, slipping up beside him.

“What do you think?”

“Information, for you to do something for him…, probably both.”

“Both. He wants me to get information on Regulus from Arcturus.”

“Why?”

Sirius surveyed the graveyard noting where key people were and who was in a position to listen to their conversation.

“Thinks it might give insight into things going on here.”

Lily huffed. “Right. Probably so he knows where all the pieces are.”

Sirius nodded. “That too. He just didn’t say that was the reason.”

Lily watched the people move about. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing. He doesn’t need to know Black family business.” Sirius slipped his arm through Lily’s and escorted her toward James. He lowered his voice. “Whatever Arcturus is doing, it’s not to support Voldy, but he’s not supporting Albus either.”

“I knew that,” she snorted. “He’s sharp and sees things we don’t. He’s very gray and could never work with Albus.”

“You like him,” Sirius accused and laughed softly to not break the somber atmosphere.

Lily punched his arm. “You know I do. I’m learning a lot from him. It’s stuff they should have taught us in school… or at least taught the muggle-born. They bring us into the world, and we think we know what’s going on but we don’t! There is so much you learn as children…”

Sirius rested his free hand on her arm. “I know, Lily. We’ve had this discussion before, and I agree. James agrees. What can we do about it at the moment?”

Lily sniffed then sighed. “I know.” She rested a hand on her belly. “I want a better world for our children.”

“Me too, Lils. Me too.”

~~~~

Sirius was once more at the door of Black Manor. Arcturus answered the door. Instead of letting Sirius in, he stepped out and closed the door behind him. He was wearing a long overcoat.

“Walk with me! I’m headed out to inspect the grounds.”

Sirius fell into step beside Arcturus. “It’s February. Why are you walking the grounds in the cold?” He secured his coat against the wind.

“Heating charms are a thing, and I like to make sure everything is running well.”

They walked around the house and down the slope to the first set of barns. Sirius had forgotten that there were animals on the estate. A Granian trotted among the standard horses in the paddock. He had always wondered what kept the winged horses in the paddock. Was it a spell on the paddock or on the Granian or did the Granians stay because they liked it here?

Sirius stopped wool-gathering and looked over the grounds seeing it as he had as a kid. He looked forward to visiting so he could run free, climb trees, and ride his broom without the restrictions of London.

“I forgot how much was out here,” Sirius said.

“It’s time for you to be reminded then.” Arcturus cast a warming charm on Sirius and himself.

They walked along the cleared path between the buildings. It had snowed enough to cover the ground with white.

“How was your day?” Arcturus asked.

“Attended a funeral of a friend today.”

Arcturus sighed. “You are too young to be attending friend’s funerals, however, war is harder on the young.”

“I think it’s hard on everyone no matter the age.”

They walked in silence until they got to the paddock. The Granian nuzzled the hand Arcturus extended.

“Dumbledore approached me after the funeral services to inquire about you again.”

Arcturus snorted. He ran his hand down the Granian’s nose. “Not surprising.”

“He also asked what I knew about Regulus as well.” The look was all Sirius needed to know his grandfather wanted him to expound on the statement. “He said he heard that Regulus was touring the out-of-country estates. I told him that I knew no more than that.” Sirius shook his head and sighed. “He implied that Regulus was working for Voldy while out there and how beneficial knowledge of his movements would be. Before he walked away, he made it sound like me getting the information for him was a forgone conclusion.”

“To him, you still hate your family and don’t want anything to do with them,” Arcturus said. “You do hate most of your family. Why would he not expect you to do something to work against them and the madman? Also, he does not know you are my chosen heir.”

“The more I learn, the more I feel like I’ve been a pawn.” Sirius dropped his head to his crossed arms that rested on the fence.

“To some people, that is all we are.”

“I believe Albus is one of them. The more information Lily and I find on him…”

Arcturus rested a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. It was warm and supportive. “Realizing that is the first step to not being his pawn.”

“Then don’t I become someone else’s pawn?” Sirius turned his head to look at Arcturus with weary eyes.

“Some people seek allies and partners over pawns. Find those to work with. I think you have one such person in Lily.”

Sirius could not help but smile at the reminder of Lily’s support and help. She was in her element researching and putting pieces together.

“You don’t see me as a pawn but not exactly an ally either.”

Arcturus chuckled. “You are right, but do you see clearly what I’m wanting from you?”

Sirius looked back out over the grounds. He breathed in the crisp air. “First is as an heir.” He looked back at his grandfather and arched an eyebrow. “I realize you are teaching me to be your successor through your stories.”

“You always respond better to stories and facts than dogmatic instruction, and you are smart enough to grasp the lessons in time.” He waved his hand toward Sirius. “Your view on Dumbledore as an example.

His questioning Dumbledore started with one of his first talks with Arcturus and learning new things about Dumbledore. He might have been pointed in the direction to look, but all the reasons for his changing opinion of the Headmaster was from his own conclusions and not someone telling him how to think.

The more he learned and the more he really examined things, the more he felt like Dumbledore was no different than his mother in dictating what to think and what to do. He just hid it better and made you think it was reasonable and what you wanted to do… no… what you must do for the greater good.

He pushed those thoughts aside and continued to answer Arcturus’ question. “Second to continue your political plans, and third to change the family. You told me that at our first dinner. That was the bate you dangled to get me to agree.”

Arcturus nodded. His eyes twinkled with mirth and encouraged Sirius to continue verbalizing his conclusions.

Sirius leaned back against the fence post and studied Arcturus. There were so many layers to the man and they were hard to parse out. As a child, Sirius wanted the world to be simple and one layer. Nothing in life had only one layer or one motive. It made making choices more complicated, but it was something Sirius was coming to appreciate.

“A benefit, not a goal, of approaching me is pulling me out of Albus’ thrall.”

Arcturus inclined his head. “I prefer that you are learning to question and come to your own conclusions.”

Through all of this, Arcturus had been making him do just that. Made him question things he believed were true – good and bad.

“I hope you continue to do so.” Arcturus stroked the gray muzzle nosing his chest.

“Me too, but I’m hot-headed and often react first before thinking in the heat of the moment. I’ve only managed to not snark at Albus because he has his reasons, his plans…” Sirius pushed his hands into his pockets and looked out over the grounds. “…I don’t want to be blindly pulled back into them. Letting my temper get the best of me… I don’t want to tip my hand. The more I learn about him… it’s a fight to not get angry in his presence.”

“That is part of life. You learn and refine skills based on knowledge and experience. You learn the benefit of waiting, how to wait, and when to act. Even with time, you will make mistakes. We all do.”

Sirius pulled his wand out and renewed the warming charms. They continued along the path.

“What is Regulus doing? Based on our talks, you would not be supporting him if he was working for Voldy on the side. Yet, I heard rumors a while back that he took the mark, and I did not doubt them to be true at the time.”

Arcturus raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Walburga would be thrilled if he was,” Sirius sneered. “He would do it to please her.”

“What are your theories?”

They walked in silence for several minutes before Sirius answered.

“I don’t know. You appear to have taken him under your wing. Everyone thinks you are grooming him to be your heir. I know differently. So it is a cover to keep them from realizing I am and trying to take me out.

“That is one benefit of what the public knows.”

Sirius mulled things over as they walked. What if he was protecting Regulus instead of him? Why would Regulus need protecting? Why teach him estate management?

“Will I have to get along with Regulus when you pass?” Sirius asked.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now, he’s where he needs to be and doing what he needs to do.”

The answer stuck in Sirius’ mind as odd, but he could not put his finger on why. It was something for him to think about.

“When I was a kid, my brother Regulus and I would play in the woods,” Arcturus said. “One time we found a nest of pixies.”

Sirius winced at the thought of tangling with pixies. They were nasty and bit.

“What did you do?”

“Did a lot of yelling and running. Jumped in the pond over there until Koley, one of our house elves, came and banished the lot. Mother had several things to say and questioned how the pixies got onto the property. She hired a warder to examine the wards and added several more layers of pest control.” Arcturus let out a wistful sigh. “Father was not happy with the expense.

“It was a good investment. Those wards are still working and keeping pixies off the property.”

“What other wards are on this place?” Sirius asked now curious what sort of protections the Black family had layered over the property through the years. Could some of them be used to protect him and his friends?

They talked about the wards and their maintenance while they walked. Arcturus shared other antidotes from his childhood as they passed the sites of the stories. Sirius felt calm and at peace walking the grounds with Arcturus. The stories reminded him of some of the better times between his Regulus and himself. He had not let himself think about those in a long time because it was easier. It was easier to walk away from his brother if Regulus hated him as Walburga did.

Sirius remembered playing in the nursery with Regulus. They laughed and had good times. He remembers reading to Regulus once he learned how. Regulus was happy for any attention he would give him. Then Walburga drove a wedge between them. She pitted them against each other when Sirius would not bend to her will.

When given an opening, Sirius ran. He ran from the house. He ran from Walburga. He ran from Orion. He ran from his little brother. He justified it all because they were wrong and his sorting into Gryffindor proved it.

Sirius sighed and rubbed his head. “I’m still doing the same thing. I’m letting my preconceived ideas color how I see Regulus. I assume he’s following Walburga’s path for him just because he was in Slytherin and because of her letters.”

“She will twist the truth if it suits her needs. What do you know about Regulus?”

“Nothing that’s not ten years out of date.” Sirius shook his head as if that would make everything settle into place. “I shut him out. He tried to talk to me, but I turned it into an argument because I saw him as part of the problem.”

“Now?”

Sirius shrugged. “I can’t say. I don’t know him. I don’t know what he decided. Did he go along with it until he could slip away…” He stopped and stared at Arcturus. He pointed his finger at the older man. “You provided the way.”

“He is where he needs to be.” Arcturus continued walking and took the path back to the house. “Let’s get something warm to drink.”

He was right. He might not know the details or timing, but he was right about Arcturus protecting Regulus from the rest of the family. That explained why Regulus was shipped out of the country. He was probably behind very strong wards on one of the Black properties.

Part of Sirius thought that was the coward’s way out… but if Arcturus was involved, there was more to it. First, it got a piece off the board and on Arcturus’ side. It did not raise any flags alerting the family of the desertion. It provided a deception to hide his true heir, as he said before. Those were only the basic reasons he could think of. All of it was very Slytherin maneuvering on his grandfather’s part, so there were layers of reasons and plans involved. He would unravel it all in time. For now, he was ready for a warm drink.

Chapter 8 – The Prophecy

February 1980

The group, dedicated to finding the soul containers, gathered in their ritual workroom ready for another attempt of finding the items. The first time they tried the spell fizzled out before it could locate the nearest container. Knowing when the error occurred, they found the problem section of the spell and modified the rune arrays.

The four of them each took up a point on the compass on the casting circle. Nephthys pulled her wand and started chanting and weaving the magic needed over the locket and mirror. Joseph to her left did the same at the second repetition, adding his magic into the casting. Marcus and Regulus joined in at the appropriate times.

The magic flowed through the runes etched into the mirror, lighting them up. They flashed various colors. Regulus ignored that and followed the magic through the runes on the floor as they activated around the locket. They flickered then became a steady soft green indicating everything was working as it should. He was relieved. Last time this was the point the spell failed.

They stopped their chanting and carefully moved into the circle so they all could see the clouded mirror. The smoke slowly cleared giving them an aerial view of London. The mirror’s view circled the city growing closer and closer to the ground and homing in on a specific location. The images sped past making Regulus feel like he was on an out-of-control broom.

Diagon Alley was recognizable from the air between Gringotts gleaming white building and the wizards and witches moving through the streets. The image spiraled down and blinked to black as it passed through Gringotts’ roof. It moved past the tellers in the lobby and into the underground caverns to finally stop on a golden cup on a shelf in a vault.

“Hufflepuff’s cup!” Marcus whispered in awe.

Nephthys was jotting down the readings scrawling across the surface of the mirror on her notepad.

“Why not,” Regulus said. “He used Slytherin’s locket. I bet the others will be similarly valuable and historic items.

Joseph sighed. “Such a desecration.”

Nephthys finished writing and focused on the mirror’s image. “I’ve got the coordinates, but we don’t know whose vault it is.”

“You don’t think it’s his?” Joseph asked.

Nephthys shook her head. “No, too easily located. Such things are hidden to keep them safe.”

“One of his followers,” Regulus said. “It belongs to a follower he trusts.”

“That would be?” Marcus prodded.

“Only a handful of people that I know of,” Regulus answered. “There may be others I was not introduced to.”

Marcus shook his head. “So far you have known all the affluent Death Eaters we have identified.”

“That would be a bad assumption to work from, even if it is true,” Nephthys warned. “We’ve seen enough.” She tapped the mirror with her wand and released the spell.

The mirror became hazy before the surface reflected the room before it. The rune light faded leaving them lifeless markings. The power in the air vanished. Regulus suddenly felt tired. His stomach growled.

“I had refreshments delivered to your common room,” Marcus said. “Casting always takes a lot of energy.”

The four relocated to the table loaded with finger foods and a tea service. Regulus bit into a sandwich quarter and forced himself to consume it at a proper rate as hunger gnawed at him.

Nephthys summoned the list of verified Death Eaters and the one Regulus had given Marcus before heading for France. She studied them before handing them to Joseph.

“Even if we figure out who the vault belongs to, how are we going to get it?” Marcus asked. “Gringotts won’t just give it to us.”

Joseph nodded in agreement. “Goes against their interests.”

“We will just have to figure out how to get it within their interests,” Nephthys said. She picked up a scone and added a dollop of jam. “We start by finding out who the vault belongs to.” She looked to Marcus. “What resources and contacts do the DoM have within Gringotts that can get us the owner’s name?”

Marcus leaned back in his chair. “I’m not sure. Let me ask around.”

She nodded. “Next we exclude the location from the search area before repeating.”

“When are you aiming to try again?” Joseph asked. He added another cube of sugar to his tea.

Regulus could tell she was running calculations in her head. He had seen that stance often over the months of working closely with her.

“No sooner than the beginning of next week. Depleting our magical reserves by casting too frequently is inadvisable. Rest of at least four days between is a must.”

The men nodded their heads at her wise council.

“Maybe we will have a lead on the owner by then,” Joseph said. He looked to Regulus. “Who would be your top suspects? It will give us a place to start and may lessen the time.”

“My cousin Bellatrix is a fanatical and devoted follower. She worships the ground he walks on and will do anything to please him.” Regulus wobbled his head in indecision. “I don’t know if he would trust her with a Horcrux.”

“Wouldn’t her vault be accessible by her husband?” Joseph asked.

“Depends on the vault and how it’s set up,” Nephthys responded. “Others?”

“Walden MacNair, Lucius Malfoy, Corban Yaxley, one of the Carrows,” Regulus listed.

Marcus jotted down the names. “Once we have a name, we can figure out a plan of attack.”

They all agreed on the plan. They finished the sandwiches before shifting to working on other projects to reach their goal.

~~~~

The door bounced against the wall when Marcus rushed in with a sheet of paper in his hand. Regulus jumped and pulled his wand at the sudden entrance. Joseph looked up over his magnifying glasses. Nephthys glared at the excited newcomer.

“Important information from the bugs!” Marcus gasped and leaned heavily against Regulus’ workbench.

Joseph pushed his glasses to rest on the top of his head. “Did you run here from your recording room?”

Marcus nodded his head while trying to get his breathing under control. He flapped the parchment at them. “Prophecy reported to Tom,” he managed to get out.

Nephthys moved to Regulus’ table. “About him, I assume.”

Marcus nodded his head. His breathing was slowing. “A prophecy about the birth of someone who will defeat him.”

Nephthys huffed and took the parchments. “Prophecies are often misleading and have many interpretations. Do you have the exact wording?”

“No. We only have Tom throwing a fit about the news because one of the bugs made its home in the hallway outside the room he was in. The Death Eater who overheard the prophecy reported it to Tom behind closed doors. Once he left, the doors were not properly closed, and we caught him ranting about someone being born as the seventh month dies.”

“Doesn’t the Hall of Prophecies keep records of every prophecy?” Regulus asked.

“Yes. I’ve already inquired.” Marcus tapped the paper now on the table so all could see. “The orb has already been shelved and behind the security wards.”

“S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D, Dark Lord and (?)” was written on the paper.

“Only those who the prophecy is about can access it.” Marcus ran a hand through his hair. “If we can figure out who it is about, we can have them listen to the prophecy and tell us.”

“Depends on their view of prophecies if they will do that,” Joseph said, joining the group. “What do those letters mean?”

“The first one is the initials of who gave the prophecy. The second set is who heard it,” Marcus answered.

“Who has so many initials?” Joseph shook his head.

Regulus clicked his tongue at the series of letters. “Albus, too many names, Dumbledore.”

Marcus chuckled. “Yes. I don’t know who S.P.T. is yet, but not everyone remembers the prophecy when they give it. That’s part of why they are recorded in the Hall.”

Regulus pulled the transcript to him to see what was said that sent Marcus on the hunt for the prophecy. There were enough out-of-place phrases to make Regulus believe it was only part of the prophecy Tom was ranting about. It was clear that the person who would threaten Tom’s position was not yet born. Regulus found that disheartening. Would Tom be around for another twenty years before they were free of him? Will it take them that long to find and destroy all of his Horcruxes?

Something must have shown on his face. Nephthys placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Don’t read too much into it. That causes problems… it might fulfill them but often by the more devastating path. Prophecies are a tricky business and never play out the way you think they will.”

“What will Tom do with the information?” Joseph asked.

“From this and knowing him, he’ll want to kill them before they are born or young and defenseless” Regulus slowly said. He tapped his lip thinking about the players involved. “If Dumbledore knows about it… he will act to make sure it happens. The actions of both will be dictated by it. Dumbledore will try to protect… or hide the individual while Tom seeks his or her destruction.”

Nephthys clucked her tongue. “In doing so, they will make the events of the prophecy come true… most likely. That’s what happens with many prophecies. Look at Oedipus.” She poked the air to emphasize her point.

Joseph agreed with her. “The more those involved tried to avoid fulfilling the prophecy, the further they walked its twisted path. Without them knowing of the prophecy, Oedipus would not have been abandoned as a child, fled his homeland and who he thought were his parents, and killed his biological father and marry his mother.”

“That’s just a story,” Regulus said.

“Maybe,” Marcus said, “but there is a dark prophecy orb in Rome with the appropriate initials listed.”

Nephthys said, “The story we know is possibly embellished, but the bones have substance. It’s not the only instance I know. Divination is a valid magical branch. It is confusing and wispy on purpose and not easily studied and easily misinterpreted.”

“People see what they want to see,” Marcus said. “I’ve seen an old written prophecy be applied to many instances over history. Each person interpreted it to fit the situation of the day.” He shrugged. “We don’t know if any of them or all of them were correct in their interpretation.”

“All fuzzy business,” Joseph muttered. “I’ll stick to my exploration of rune magic.”

Regulus read the words of prophecy they recorded and contemplated them. “This means that he will be ‘defeated,’” Regulus slowly said. “That does not mean dead or gone.”

“He can’t be truly killed as long as his Horcruxes exist,” Marcus hissed.

“Makes us finding them all that more important.” Nephthys tapped her chin in thought.

“It also gives us a deadline,” Regulus pointed out. “If it’s self-fulfilling… wouldn’t that mean that whatever Tom does to take out this child will lead to his defeat?”

The others consider his words before agreeing with his assessment.

“How do we know when the deadline is?” Marcus asked.

Nephthys looked thoughtful before speaking. “We know one date – end of July assuming it is referring to the current calendar. Maybe we can figure out who the child is based on that. It also gives us almost five months to locate the pieces. If we perform the ritual once a week and if he made six Horcruxes, we can easily be done by the middle of April.”

“We can make a list of all the pregnant witches, but how do we know which one is carrying the prophesied child?” Marcus asked. “We don’t even know if the child will be born to a British witch. They could be muggle-born or born in another country.”

Regulus chewed the inside of his lip while he took in the debate his co-workers had about identifying the prophesied child and needing the full prophecy. “Would the mother be able to remove the orb so we can learn the entire prophecy?”

The three went silent for several moments at his question.

“That is a good question,” Marcus said. “I can ask the head Keeper.”

“Depends on how the protections are set up,” Joseph muttered.

“It is worth exploring,” Nephthys said. “But our focus must not be pulled from finding and collecting the Horcruxes.”

They all agreed with her. Their objective was to find the magical blights Tom had created and hidden. They would focus on the prophecy second to that.

~~~~

Regulus’ mind kept returning to the prophecy as he lay in bed that night. It felt important. If they knew and could use it to their advantage…. It would help them. The issue was how to get it and use it without others knowing.

How did they find out who was pregnant and due in July or August? They could not wait until after the child was born if they wanted the mother to pick up the orb. Could the baby pick up the orb? Would it count if they used the baby’s hands to pick it up?

Regulus shook his head. This line of thinking was getting him no place. He needed to sleep. How would he know who was pregnant? He did not interact with anyone outside of his team and his grandfather. Maybe Grandfather would know how to figure it out.

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep despite his mind seaking answers.

~~~~

Regulus deactivated his disguise pendant once he stepped into his Grandfather’s estate. It was one of the few places that he could be himself outside of their workrooms. He was thankful for that. He headed for the stables with plans on taking one of the horses out on a ride, hoping it would aid in seeing a solution to the prophecy issue.

“I just finished getting her ready,” Arcturus said to him when he entered the stable. He patted the chestnut’s neck.

“I would have done that,” Regulus said. He noticed the second saddled horse.

“Thought I would join you.”

The two Blacks mounted and headed for a ride around the property. Regulus breathed in the early spring air and let his mind clear. He took in the grounds. The crocuses were blooming and the daffodils would be soon.

They rode with minimal comments for almost an hour when Arcturus asked, “What is eating at you?”

“Did Marcus tell you about the prophecy?” Regulus asked.

“Only in passing.”

Regulus sighed and gave Arcturus a look declaring how unhelpful that comment was. “In passing, he told you it exists or in passing he told you the bits we think we know?”

“The first.”

“A child born ‘as the seventh month dies’ is prophesied to vanquish Tom, but we only know part of the prophecy. We wondered if the mother of the child can pick up the prophecy orb while pregnant. The Head Keeper said it had not been tried before but had a 50/50 chance of working.”

Arcturus hummed. “That leaves identifying who is expecting close to that time.”

Regulus shifted his grip on the reins. “And not raising questions or drawing unwanted attention when trying to find them. Joseph suggested running a contest for expectant witches. They sign up for a chance to win diapers or something. It’s not a bad idea, but no guarantee that the one we need will sign up. Marcus and Nephthys are holding it in reserve.”

“You all are in the wrong social circles to get the information.”

Regulus snorted. “None of us are active in any social circles – except maybe Marcus.”

“That’s why you need a contact or two who are in the right places to hear about such things… although… how many children are born in a month?”

“Saint Mungo’s records show two to five births a month.”

Arcturus brought his horse to a stop. Regulus followed. He was ready to question his grandfather but was halted by the thoughtful look he had.

Slowly Arcturus spoke, “That’s not many. I know one witch who is due at the end of July-first of August.”

Regulus was shocked that a possible solution to their prophecy issue was so easily found. “Who?” He tried to keep the word even and calm but a hint of his eagerness slipped through.

Arcturus met his eyes. “Lily Potter.”

“Oh…” She was close to his brother. “Would she try if asked?”

“I’m sure she would,” Arcturus said. “She will need a reason to be in the ministry if others ask. Better she’s given one than having to come up with one on her own – not that she is incapable of it – quite the opposite, but it’s best to have such things worked out beforehand. Best when everyone is on the same page.”

Regulus nodded. He shifted signaling for his horse to continue forward once more. Arcturus moved up beside him.

“I’ll have to inform the team. What would be the best way to approach her?”

“There are a few possibilities, but probably the one to draw the least amount of attention is for me to invite her over for tea to talk in person about one of her ideas. One of your team can present your case.”

“Potter or Sirius won’t come with her?”

“Most likely not, especially if it’s a morning meeting.”

Regulus poked at the idea. He concluded it was reasonable and the least to draw attention. Lily was not someplace unreasonable or unusual for her to be at. It gave them a secure location to ask.

~~~~

Regulus sat with Nephthys in Arcturus’ study. His thumb stroked the choker while they waited for Arcturus to return with Lily Potter. It had become an unconscious action of reassurance whenever he was out in public, and he knew he needed to break himself of it.

Nephthys placed a warm hand over his and patted it offering reassurance. They had talked the plan over with their entire group. They believed it was worth bringing Mrs. Potter into the DoM to work with Joseph and support Markus’ group even if she was not the mother of the prophecy child.

Arcturus was a must for the meeting. She knew and trusted him. They selected Nephthys in hopes that having another woman there would make Lily more comfortable. Regulus was included since he was Nephthys’ apprentice. Regulus was doubtful on what his presence would add to the meeting but did as asked.

The door opened admitting Arcturus and Lily. She gave the room a dismissive glance and honed in on Nephthys and Regulus. Regulus shifted under her intense scrutiny. He could feel her assessing them. It was not hostile but curious and cautious.

“The team members I mentioned.” Arcturus escorted her to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

Lily nodded to them then slipped into the seat. Arcturus took his. He pulled his wand out and cast the security spells. He must have explained them to Lily prior to entering, or she had a better game face than Regulus had suspected. No surprise or questions were visible on her face or body language at the magic being cast.

Arcturus slipped his wand into its holster. “Now we can talk about the offer we have for you.”

Lily’s sharp green eyes scanned them all once more. “I would like to hear more. What you hinted at has caught my attention and curiosity.” She focused on Arcturus. “You have laced many things into our conversations which leads me to believe not all is as it seems.

Arcturus smirked. “Things often are not.” He gestured to Nephthys. “May I introduce Nephthys Hatem and Reagan Evander, her apprentice. This is Lily Potter.”

Lily inclined her head. “Nice to meet you.”

Nephthys smiled warmly. “You as well. Arcturus has shared some of your ideas. You are very creative and innovative. It’s a pleasure to see.”

“Thank you.” Lily’s eyes were guarded. She offered no more commentary on the issue and waited calmly. It was reminiscent of a predator waiting for an opening.

Regulus tried to remember if she appeared so perceptive and patient at Hogwarts. He could not answer that. She was not someone he concerned himself with then.

“As I implied, there were several reasons we wanted to talk to you,” Arcturus verbally stepped into the breach. “First, I presented your bug plans to a friend of mine in the DoM. A team was able to create them. They are being field-tested.”

Nephthys took her turn. “Your work has impressed one of my colleagues.”

Lily cocked her head. “You did not mention who you worked for.”

Nephthys smiled. “I did not. Currently I am on loan to the English DoM.” She waved a hand in the air. “I am sure you can make appropriate implications from that.”

Lily’s eyes widened briefly. “Makes sense considering the secrecy,” she said.

“My colleague is interested in working with you on your ideas,” Nephthys said.

“Why is your colleague not making the offer in person?” Lily asked.

“As head of our sub-group, I felt it was best to extend the invitation especially since there are several topics we want to consult with you on.”

Lily leaned back in her chair and locked eyes with Nephthys. “What are the other topics? Let’s get them all on the table and stop wasting everyone’s time with the cloak and dagger routine. You have already vetted me and deemed me trustworthy to get this far.”

That was more of the attitude Regulus expected from her. The cloak and dagger reference went over his head, but his two companions seemed to understand it.

“True.” Nephthys laughed. “Very well. Your bugs are being field tested on Death Eaters.” She paused, gaging Lily’s reaction.

“Fitting. And…”

There was something in the air between the two women. It was not hostility but it was palatable. Regulus did not know how to interpret it. He glanced at his grandfather to get a reading on him. The man had his calm mask up. There may have been a bit of amusement in his eyes, but Regulus was not sure of that.

“One of the Dark Lord’s followers overheard a prophecy about the one to defeat his lord. Your bugs allowed us to get bits of it.”

“Is it a true prophecy?” Lily asked.

Nephthys shrugged. “We know there is a new orb in the halls assumed to be about Voldemort. What it says in full, we do not know. We fear the Dark Lord will take actions based on what bit he does know.”

“You think I can help with this how?”

“We know the prophecy says that the one who can defeat him will be born as the seventh month dies.” Nephthys’ eyes focus on Lily’s belly.

Lily placed a protective hand over her swelling belly. “Oh, and you think…”

Nephthys waved a hand and clicked her tongue. “We don’t know. Only the ones the prophecy is about can access it. My apprentice wondered if the mother of the child could access the orb while pregnant. You are the first we knew of that fit the current criteria.”

Lily’s hand had not moved and her eyes were on her middle. “If I try, would it hurt me or my baby?”

“The Keeper said as long as you heed any warnings you feel, you will be fine,” Arcturus assured. “The danger is only if you continue to take the orb once warned.”

“Defeated is not dead,” Lily said.

“No, it is not,” Nephthys agreed.

“It does not mean he won’t try again. Prophecies never work out the way people want them to.”

Nephthys let out a heavy sigh. “No, they don’t. Personally, I would not be pursuing this action if… if I didn’t see it as a vitally needed opening to find a permanent end to him.”

Lily looked up. Her eyes seemed to blaze. “I know of one other who fits the criteria – Alice Longbottom. She is due the same time I am.”

“Would she be willing to try and to keep it secret?” Nephthys asked. She looked between Lily and Arcturus about Alice’s character.

“She would,” Lily assured.

“From what I know of the woman, I agree,” Arcturus said.

“Then we will reach out to her. Will you help?” she asked Lily.

“Yes. Now tell me more about the job offer.”

~~~~

Sirius followed James into his home. They were greeted with the smell of cooking food. James headed for the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Lily’s waist.

“Smells great,” James said and kissed her neck.

She tried smacking him over her shoulder while she tended to the dishes on the range. “I’m going to burn it if you don’t release me!”

James freed her and stepped out of the way but still close. He was as besotted with her now as he was in Hogwarts. Sirius found immense pleasure in teasing his friend about it.

“Hi, Sirius.” Lily waved her wand floating the food to the table. “I thought the others were coming with you.”

The three sat at the table.

“Remus is on another errand, and Peter wasn’t feeling well,” Sirius said.

“Hope he feels better soon,” Lily said. “He seems to be ill a lot. Is that usual for him?”

“He often had headaches in school,” James said. “A trip to the infirmary would take care of it.”

They filled their plates and passed dishes.

“He did have to stay a few hours on occasion,” Sirius pointed out.

“How was your day?” Lily asked.

James gave her the highlights of his day. Sirius added his two sickles in.

“How was your time with Alice?” James asked.

“We swapped pregnancy stories,” Lily answered. “I also met with someone interested in my inventions.”

“Really?” Sirius asked. He knew Lily was creative and often jotted down ideas for new items and spells.

“Who?” James asked. There was concern in his voice.

“Mr. Joseph Cartier. I met him through Arcturus.”

“My grandfather?” Sirius was surprised at that news. He should not be. Over the past nine months, he had seen a different side of Arcturus. He knew his childhood impressions were not correct.

“I don’t recognize the name,” James very neutrality said.

“He’s from France. Currently, he is in England collaborating with a local team on a new invention that I, unfortunately, can’t tell you about.” Lily grabbed a roll. “He likes my ideas and wants to help me develop them.”

James shot Sirius a concerned look. Sirius signaled it should be fine. Arcturus liked Lily. He would not put her in contact with someone who would take advantage of her.

“He has a project he wants my collaboration on as well. Fresh creative eyes and all that.”

Lily was happy. Not that she was unhappy before, but this was a happiness gained from reaching a personal achievement. Sirius contemplated their time since graduating and realized that there was not much challenge in Lily’s life at the moment. With her pregnancy, she wasn’t going out on any missions for the order. She spent most of her time at home while James took care of his estate, government responsibilities, and Order projects.

James set his fork down. “What sort of project?”

Lily clicked her tongue and flicked her fingers in dismissal. “I will only be reviewing the runes and spell components. I won’t be in any active workroom. He’s aware of my condition and is as protective as you are. He does realize that my mind still functions despite my condition.”

Sirius kicked James before he said anything. James sputtered and glared at Sirius. Sirius signaled ‘danger, proceed with caution.’ James now noticed his disgruntled wife.

“Sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Tell me more,” James said.

Lily was appeased. Sirius was relieved. One foot in mouth moment averted.

– – –

James walked Sirius to the door. It was not unusual, but Sirius often left on his own. James ran his hand through his hair repeatedly.

Sirius clasped James’ arm. “What’s got you riled up?”

“This thing with Lily…” James trailed off. “I’m not sure it’s the right thing for her.”

Sirius crossed his arms and stared at him. “If you continue, I’ll punch you.”

James’ head shot up and his eyes were wide. “What?”

“I get that you want her to be safe. This war has everyone on edge. We don’t know when or where the next attack will come from. We don’t know who will be targeted. It has put all of us on edge for years now.” Sirius leaned against the doorframe. “That does not give you the right to decide what is best for her. You get upset when she cautions you about something. What would you feel if she told you to stop doing things for the order because it was putting your family in danger?”

James slumped against the wall and buried his face in his hands. “I would be pissed.”

Sirius rested a hand on James’ shoulder. “I don’t know the man she’s working with, but Arcturus likes her. He wouldn’t connect her with someone who meant her harm.”

“But things happen in research. I’ve heard the stories from Roxanne. She tells me about the mishaps in the broom development group when we meet about the factory.”

Sirius tightened his hold briefly. “It sounds like she won’t be in situations like that. Her employers are aware of her logical restrictions and are taking precautions.”

“The baby….”

“Will be fine.” Sirius jostled James until he looked at him. “Did you see how happy she was when telling us about it?”

James shook his head. “I was too busy imagining worst-case scenarios.”

“What has she had to challenge her since getting pregnant?” Sirius asked.

“She has… there’s… um… she’s worked a lot on her inventions.”

“My point. Now she’s taking the next step in a safe environment with people around to help if needed. You don’t want her doing those things when she’s home alone?”

James’ eyes widened. “No.” He nodded. “You are right. This is a good opportunity for her.”

Sirius laughed. “Glad you see that.”

“Thanks.” James sighed and shook his head. “After losing my parents, I can’t lose her or our child. It makes me a bit nuts when I think about it.”

“I know.”

“Are we doing the right thing?” James asked him.

“What thing?”

James ran his hands through his hair again. “Working for the Order? You pointed out how that could put us in danger.”

Sirius settled into the spot on the wall beside James. “You and Lily could be in danger for other reasons. The fact that she’s a muggle-born is enough to put you on some people’s hit lists. I’ve alienated most of the pureblood bigots out there over the years, so I know I’m on their lists.” He waggled his eyebrows at James which got the desired chuckle.

“We could leave the country… but that feels like running away from my problems.”

“If it kept your family safe, it would be worth it,” Sirius offered. “You have more responsibilities than when we were fresh out of school and joined the cause. I know it’s only been a few years, but…” Sirius scratched his cheek as he sought the correct words. He sighed. “Talking with Arcturus… I’m seeing a different side to things.” He waved his hands. “Not so different as to agree with people like Bellatrix, but I realize I was just as guilty of being blinded by what I believed. What I thought was black and white, isn’t always. Shades of gray exist.”

James rested his head against the wall. “Yeah. Why’d we want to grow up?”

“We thought we would have more freedom,” Sirius answered.

“Unfortunately, it comes with more responsibilities.”

They both stood quietly in the entry for several minutes.

“Thanks, for watching my back and setting me straight,” James muttered.

Sirius bumped his shoulder against James. “That’s what I’m here for.”

~~~~

Once more they were all gathered around the mirror and watching as it showed them the second Horcrux. They flew west of London. The houses and roads flew past their window into the world. It slowed and homed in on a familiar estate.

“Malfoy’s home,” Regulus whispered.

They passed through the roof and through several rooms to end in Lucius’ private study. The image froze on a section of a bookshelf. Several of the book spines had no title, but that was not unusual.

“One of the books then.” Nephthys recorded the new set of readings the mirror gave so they could exclude it from their next search.

“And another location that will be difficult to get into,” Marcus said.

Nephthys released the spell. The image vanished from the mirror.

~~~~

Lily, Alice, and the rest of their small team were in the hall of prophecies among the rows and rows of shelving. All of the team were wearing their Unspeakable robes to conceal their identities from Alice. Marcus led them to the orb. Both pregnant women read the plaque.

“Dumbledore heard the prophecy!” Alice said full of derision. “He knows we both fit and hasn’t told us a thing. He’s had weeks to tell us.”

“Maybe he’s working on a plan,” Lily said, but doubt was clear in her voice.

“Keeps it to himself until the last minute,” Alice muttered.

Lily gave the other woman’s hand a quick squeeze before turning to the group. “What now?”

“Just try picking it up,” Marcus instructed.

The women looked at each other.

“I’ll go first,” Alice said.

Lily stepped back to stand beside Nephthys. Alice took a deep breath and let it out. She stood straighter and took a step forward. Her hand extended toward the glowing orb. She paused. Her hand dropped back to her side.

“It doesn’t want me to take it,” Alice announced. “Your turn, Lily.”

Alice stepped away so Lily could take her place. Lily reached out without hesitation. Her fingers wrapped around the orb. She pulled it towards her. She blinked down at the orb in her hand.

“How do you hear it?”

“Wish it to play,” Marcus said.

The full prophecy played from the orb. Marcus had quill and parchment in hand and was writing it down.

“Again, please, so I know I have it correctly,” Marcus asked.

Regulus listened to the words tying an unborn child’s fate to Tom and felt sick. He knew what Tom would do, just not when. He suspected that the confrontation between them could not be stopped.

Alice offered comfort to Lily. She looked like she was in shock. Probably for the same reasons as Regulus. Then she transformed before his eyes. She looked ready to take on the world for her child.

“We can use this,” Lily demanded of them.

“Yes,” Marcus said.

Lily put the orb back on the shelf.

“I want to help,” Alice said. She cut off any protests. “Just because we know who the subject is won’t keep him from coming after either of us. He doesn’t know which child is the one.”

Joseph, who had been silent until now, huffed and spoke, “This just gets more complicated.”

“Let’s go someplace where we can talk about it,” Marcus said.

He led them out of the hall and into a secure room. It took them less than thirty minutes to come to an agreeable arrangement. Alice would continue her work as an Auror, but they would keep her in the loop regarding her family’s safety and the prophecy and provide protection when needed. She would be a new resource for them inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as long as what they wanted her to share was not illegal.

Alice was brought under Marcus’ purview.

Chapter 9 – The Ring

April 1980

“How much do we let her know?” Regulus asked his co-workers. “How closely will she be working with us on things?”

Joseph shrugged. “She has great ideas. I think she could aid us, but… I’m not convinced it’s needed for the Horcruxes. Her ideas will be helpful in other areas as we move against him. However, I want to work with her before I make any decision on what we share. I’ve already arranged for a separate workroom for her projects.” He pointed to the new door connected to the common room.

Nephthys finished filling her mug and joined them at the table. “Currently the five of us fully in the know is sufficient. At this time, I also don’t see her impacting our search.” She took a sip of her mug. “Marcus should be taking Lily through the introduction process today.”

Joseph nodded. “I’ll spend time with her tomorrow. Today she’s getting the lay of the land and talking with the team that made her bug a reality.”

“I understand why Grandfather wanted to bring her into the Unspeakables. She has creative ideas that would aid the agents if they can be made,” Regulus said.

“There’s several that I’m sure will work.” Joseph wrapped his fist on the table. “She has the arithmancy, runes, and spell parts laid out on them. She’s just missing a few connecting pieces.” He was vibrating with excitement in his chair.

Joseph lived to create new ways to use magic and that made him one of the top magical artificers inside and outside of InterMyst. Arcturus was pleased that Joseph took her under his tutelage while he was in England despite wanting Lily’s talent for the England division.

Regulus fingered the medallion at his throat. “Will you need me to help much?”

“Depends on how your project’s going,” Joseph said. “I never say no to skilled help.”

Nephthys bumped shoulders with Regulus. “We have the Yorkshire location for the Horcrux to check out soon. Joseph and Lily can continue to create ways to identify and spy on the Death Eaters while we do that.”

“Did you figure out the significance of the area?” Joseph asked.

“Both his mother and father are from there,” Regulus answered. “His father’s family were wealthy landowners until his uncle Gaunt killed them.”

“Tom doesn’t fall far from the tree then,” Joseph commented. “I’m off to do my thing.” He waved as he left their common room.

“I’m going to have to start wearing my glamor around here with Lily working with Joseph.”

Nephthys rested a hand on his back. “Yep.”

“It’s been nice knowing our suite was secure.”

“It’s still secure. We will just have an occasional visitor. She won’t be in our lab without prior warning. I promise.”

Regulus nodded.

~~~~

Regulus entered Joseph’s workroom. Excited voices pulled him to where Lily and Joseph stood in front of a chalkboard full of equations.

“We could make them seek out those marked by including your detection array.” Lily tapped a circled section of the board.

“It would be too big,” Joseph argued.

“We could make it smaller and join a few runes.” She wrote something out.

“Yes.”

Regulus cleared his throat drawing their attention.

“Reagan,” Lily greeted him.

“Afternoon.” Regulus nodded to each of them. “You’re late for the meeting.”

Joseph looked at his watch and clicked his tongue. “So we are.” He waved his hands to shoo them out. “Good news, we have an advancement that will allow the bugs to home in on Death Eaters to share.”

~~~~

Another meeting with nothing new or significant being reported. Sirius sighed as another member updated them on their lack of information. Where it once felt like a chance to strike back at the Death Eaters, it was feeling like a waste of time. It felt like they were doing nothing to stop the madness. Maybe he should have joined the Aurors.

He and James had both thought about it. Sirius had even started filling out an application until Albus convinced them working with the Order and putting their backing behind it was the better course of action. The Order would not be hindered by politics and all that…

Sirius was unsure if it was the best choice. What had the Order done? Sure they skirmished with a few Death Eaters. Maybe they have kept things from being worse than they could be here or there, but they have not dealt any major blow to the other side either.

However, the Aurors did not seem to be doing any better. It was hard to fight an enemy when you did not know where or when they would attack. The members could not be arrested because their identities could not be proven or prove that they had broken the law. That did not account for any corruption within the ministry that aided and protected them.

Sirius studied the expressions of the other members. It was a mixed bag. Some, like Mundungus, looked bored. The Prewett brothers were more interested in writing notes to each other than the current report. There were only a few that appeared to be invested in what was being said.

Ron’s fussing broke the monotony of Price’s report. Molly mollified the six-week-old baby before excusing herself to tend to him.

Lily watched Molly leave the room. Her hand went to her belly. He could only guess what she was thinking but probably had something to do with holding her own child. He had been present for a few conversations between James and Lily on what their life would be like once the baby was born. She caught him watching her and got a sheepish grin. He rolled his eyes and offered a small shrug.

James caught on to their exchange. He was curious but let it slide. He took Lily’s hand in his and entwined their fingers to rest on her lap.

Finally, the meeting concluded with no action plan in place. They were to continue to keep their eyes open and gather information. Sirius jumped from his seat and was ready to leave when Dumbledore approached Lily. The action was very direct, which was unusual for the older wizard.

Sirius nodded to those he passed that greeted him, but he steadily moved toward them. James was in conversation with Owen while Dumbledore talked to Lily. She was not happy about whatever he was saying.

“…wise in your condition,” Sirius heard Dumbledore say when in range.

Sirius did not need to know what the topic was, but those were fighting words for Lily. Sirius derailed her retort by slipping beside her and wrapping an arm around her back.

“Lily’s an intelligent, capable witch. She knows her limits. Being up the duff doesn’t mean she’s lost any of that.”

Lily smiled at him. “Thank you, Sirius.”

“It’s true. I find it shameful that some people still believe a witch’s place is the home. I put that up there with all the pureblood nonsense. Don’t you agree, Albus?”

Sirius looked at Dumbledore’s face but not in his eyes, having taken his grandfather’s warning to heart. The creases between his eyes briefly deepened at Sirius’ interruption, which pleased Sirius.

“Of course, dear boy,” Albus said.

Sirius forced his hackled down at the placating tone. Was that new or was it always there and he did not notice it? Any attention Albus gave them while in school, Sirius saw in a positive light. Admittedly, Albus’ interference worked in their favor most of the time. He was the hero in their world. Once more, Sirius questioned his preconceived ideas and tried to see what was truly going on.

“Didn’t you want to stop by that place with the teas before the store closed?” Sirius said to Lily. “Let’s grab James and Remus and get a move on. If you’ll excuse us, Albus.”

Sirius whisked her away before Albus could do more than open his mouth.

“Thanks,” Lily whispered.

“You didn’t look happy. It was my turn to play the knight. You can do the saving next time.”

Lily laughed and accepted his offer.

“What did he want?”

Lily huffed and gave the impression of an angry cat. “He was asking about my new job and if it was a wise course of action for someone in my condition. I don’t even know how he knows about it.”

“Not me,” Sirius said.

“Not you what?” James asked when they joined him and Remus.

“Told Albus about my job.” Lily locked a focused stare on the two of them.

Remus shifted and rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I might have let it slip.”

“Let it slip?” Lily coldly asked.

James seemed lost by the animosity between them. “It’s not a secret…”

“No,” Lily huffed. “But I don’t appreciate my business being spread around so everyone and their mother can tell me what a bad thing I’m doing by not staying home and sitting on my ass until the baby’s here. Heaven forbid that a pregnant woman has any say in her life.” Her words were low and filled with venom.

Remus stared at his shoes like they were the center of his world. James placed a hand on Lily’s arm in concern.

“You always have a say,” James reassured.

“Tea,” Sirius reminded.

James shot him a confused look.

“Yes, we must go before the store closes,” Lily insisted.

James caught on, and they exited the room. Remus followed along behind. Sirius bumped his shoulder to try and pull him out of his funk.

“What happened?” Remus asked Sirius.

Sirius waved his hand in the air. “Just old ideas conflicting with the new and people being too invested in lives that aren’t theirs.”

Remus considered Sirius’ words then nodded. “I only told the Headmaster…”

“Some concepts learned as a child are hard to shake as times change,” Sirius pointed out. He did not want to appear accusing of the old man’s actions. That could draw unwanted attention to himself. He hoped framing it as he had would make it seem he saw it as a generational thing.

Remus’ sigh was long. “Well, I guess.”

Sirius made sure there was space between them and James and Lily. “I learned long ago that if you value your life don’t piss off a witch – especially a pregnant one.”

That got a chuckle from Remus.

~~~~

Sirius paced the sitting room while Arcturus sipped his tea as regally as a monarch. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up in the process. His grandfather just watched him pace and did not say a word. Sirius stopped and let his hands fall to his side.

“I don’t know what’s going on. I’m seeing shadows within shadows!” Sirius threw his hands into the air. “I’m beginning to question my own history and sanity.”

Arcturus inclined his head acknowledging his statement, but the bastard did not say anything.

Sirius huffed and plopped into the chair. “Nothing to say?”

“Questioning often brings new insight,” Arcturus said.

Sirius wanted to blow a raspberry at the older man but refrained.

“What is bothering you?”

“Dumbledore.”

“Ah.” Arcturus set his teacup down. “What about him is troubling you now?”

Sirius’ head fell against the chair, and he looked up at the ceiling. “After talking with you and the information that Lily and I’ve found… it’s making me question his actions in my life.”

“You have stated that in the past. But in what way this time?”

“In school, I always saw him as a hero.”

“Why?”

“If we were in trouble, he would always dismiss it or make the punishment less.”

“Did you deserve to be in trouble?”

Sirius thought back to their time in school and all the things they got up to. It had been great fun, and they made the Slytherins suffer. A part of him still felt glee at that. That was also the same part that thought all his family were evil and should die. Maybe that was not the part of himself he should be listening to. He tried to look at those times through a different filter. If he saw them as children who were no better or no worse than any other…. What would he feel if someone did the things they did to him or to his future godchild?

Sirius groaned at the answer. He flung his arm over his eyes. “We were little terrors with no understanding of the pain we inflicted on others… so yes, we deserved to be in trouble. We should have been punished more severely for a few things we did.”

“Why did he champion you and your friends?”

That was a question that Sirius kept rolling over and did not like some of the answers he came up with. Sirius peaked out from under his arm at his grandfather sitting unruffled across the room.

“It can be as simple as he favors Gryffindors and as complex as he wanted to curry favor with us for future reasons.”

“It could be both of them,” Arcturus said.

Sirius shifted to sit properly in the chair. “That’s one of the answers I don’t like. It makes me question why I do things. It also makes me question how far does his manipulation go?”

Arcturus smiled, a small one, at Sirius’ words. “Your conclusions.”

Sirius ran his hand through his hair again. “I got checked for compulsion spells and potions. Nothing current was evident.”

“There was something?” Arcturus leaned forward.

“Walburga,” Sirius answered. “It appeared she tried to spell me into acting the way she wanted me to.”

Disappointment was surprisingly visible on Arcturus’ face. “I had hoped she had not gone that far, but…” He shook his head. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Especially after… someone mentioned an attempt with Imperius… by her.”

That source had to be Regulus. He did not see either of his parents sharing the true events of him leaving with anyone.

“I wasn’t surprised either,” Sirius said. “Compulsions are still the common everyday ways to influence people.”

“You see them in your past from Dumbledore?”

Sirius nodded. “Mild ones at least – I suspect. Any traces of low-level compulsion spells would have faded by now unlike the stronger ones Walburga used.

“Having a position of authority gives him an opening to influence many… depending on their leanings. It would not have taken much given our situation. He was someone we felt was on our side because of his support.” Sirius rubbed his jaw. “We are inclined to support him now because of it.”

“A favor for a favor. Not uncommon in life.”

“Yeah, but I’m trying to figure out where or how an unwavering trust or belief in him comes from.”

“Masterful image cultivation,” Arcturus answered. “He has used the defeat of Grindelwald to his greatest advantage over the years. Each little thing he did for you further cemented that image for you. He would only need a few minor compulsions to set you on the path. He reinforced it with actions. It is easier to influence children than adults given the right circumstances.”

“I’m beginning to see that. Were we the only ones? Were we singled out because of our families, because we were Gryffindors, or because of some other reason?”

“Does it matter other than you realize that it happened and know that it affects your actions now?”

Sirius ponders the questions. “No… but yes… if I know why then I can protect myself from that angle of attack.”

“True, but it also can blind you to other avenues. Don’t let preconceived ideas and beliefs hinder you from seeing what’s going on.”

Sirius sighed. “I’m learning that. Why did I think everything was so simple… life was black and white?”

Arcturus’ chuckle was indulgent and fond. “Simplicity of youth.”

“I wish it was that simple, but once my eyes were opened…”

“What has once been seen can not be unseen.”

“Exactly. Now I’m trying to sort out things for myself and it sucks.”

~~~~

Regulus, Marcus, and Nephthys traipsed through the wooded area homing in on the coordinates they had found during their last Horcrux finding ritual. They had seen the deteriorating shack in the mirror, but they did not know what sort of protections were on it.

They all agreed that there had to be magical protections on and around the ring… otherwise Tom was leaving it in the open for anyone to take. That was not in his character. Just look at what he set up for the locket’s protection.

Marcus motioned for them to stop when they emerged into the clearing around the shack. He cast a series of diagnostic spells, much as he had at the cave. Now, that seemed like a lifetime ago to Regulus. Nephthys studied the results that hovered in the air. She clicked her tongue several times. Marcus cursed under his breath.

Regulus only understood parts of the results. That was better than ten months ago. He had learned much in the months of studying under Nephthys, but there was so much yet to learn.

“Not sure what it is, but the curse on the ring is nasty,” Marcus said.

Nephthys pulled out her wand. “Reminds me of something I’ve seen in the pyramids. May I?”

Marcus slashed his wand through the floating readings dismissing them. “Be my guest.”

Nephthys chanted in an Afro-Asiatic based language. Her wand swooped through the air until she thrust it toward the hovel at the end of her chant. Spell light zipped through the air, through the wall, and, Regulus assumed, through the floor to where the ring was hidden. Symbols circled her wand. More appeared and arranged themselves in concentric rings.

“A withering curse,” she announced. “Definitely nasty. Regulus, take notes, please.”

Regulus snapped to attention. He pulled out the pad he started carrying around with him and a writing implement. “Ready.”

“It’s of the tenebarium class, sub-category debiliusinferm. We will need to research the counter charms of the family of curses before entering.”

Regulus recorded the information with quick swift strokes in the notation used by the Unspeakables. He wrote down all the findings that Nephthys and Marcus identified that they would have to counter before retrieving the ring.

An hour later, they were sure they had identified everything. Marcus stared at the hovel like he could get through the protective spells by glaring at it.

“Obviously the muggle repelling ward has kept the locals away,” Nephthys said.

Marcus nodded. “Otherwise we would be out here poking around because of muggles being cursed.” He shook his head. “It would take a bit for us to catch on, but we would eventually.”

Nephthys tapped her wand against her leg. “Not as bad as what you described for the cave.”

Marcus huffed. “No, but none of the curses are better than what was in the cave. All terrible ways to die. I think I’m seeing a pattern to the way he layers them though.”

“Will the others have such protections given their locations?” Regulus asked. “I don’t see Lucius allowing such dangerous spells just laying around in his home where his family could run afoul of it.”

“And the book was in plain sight,” Nephthys said.

Marcus grunted in agreement. “He’s probably relying on his minions to protect them. The wards on Malfoy Manor are strong and not easily breached. I think the fact it is a book with other books is a defense.”

“I would not trust that there are no protective magics within the book,” Nephthys pointed out.

Both men agreed with her. They needed to be cautious when dealing with the items.

“Back to the office.” Nephthys clapped her hands. “We have research to do before tackling this.”

“At least there are no wards to alert him of breaches of his protection,” Regulus commented. “That seems like an odd oversight.”

Nephthys placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him away from the small clearing. “Not really. That would require a connection that could give away the location.”

On the walk out to a safe apparition point, Regulus was the recipient of a lecture on ward notification structure, power requirements, and the pros and cons of them.

~~~~-

The three returned to the shack in Yorkshire armed with spells and dragonhide robes. Regulus carried a case with a variety of antidotes in case something went wrong with their planned avenue of attack.

“Ready?” Nephthys asked.

“Yes,” Marcus said.

They pulled their wands and began chanting to create a tunnel through the defenses without tearing them down. Regulus watched from the sideline. His job was to get help in case something happened. Joseph and Arcturus were waiting nearby for his signal in case they were needed.

Magic flowed from their wands, entwined, and formed a doorway in the perimeter wards. They stepped through and cautiously approached the porch and the door with a snake skeleton. Nephthys hit the door with a freezing spell to keep the snake from attacking when they entered. Marcus cast the next defensive spell they planned. The two entered.

Regulus could not see them, but he could hear them casting and moving through the small room. Regulus chewed on his lip as the seconds ticked by. He listened for any sign of distress or hint that things had gone wrong. Everything seemed to be going well. He checked his watch to see how long they had been in there. Only four minutes had passed.

He resisted taking a step forward or sideways to get a better view into the building. He did not want to disturb the magic they had cast. He shifted his weight between his feet and checked his watch again. He fingered the item in his pocket that would summon help when broken. He was careful to not put pressure on it.

They were still moving around from the sounds. Their chanting drifted out the door telling him things were fine. Finally, they emerged from the shack. Nephthys carried the box they had brought for the ring. It was secured shut. Marcus set things back in place as they exited.

“We got it,” Nephthys said once they were on the outside of the wards.

Marcus cast the spell to remove any trace of them or their magic from the area. Regulus held open the acromantula silk bag. Nephthys pulled it over the box and secured it.

“We were able to levitate it into the box without touching it.” She pushed the hair away from her eyes. She glowed with success. “We can tackle the curse in the security of the ward circles in our lab.”

“The others are waiting.” Marcus herded them once more into the wooded area to retrace their steps.

~~~~

The box with the ring was levitated into the center of their workroom ward circle. Marcus stood between the first and second rings. The rest of them took up their positions at the cardinal points on the third.

“Begin,” Nephthys said.

They started casting the required wards to activate the protective fields between them and the item. Marcus would have only one layer between him and the ring while they would have two. One dome, a one-way ward, formed over the box. It would allow Marcus to cast on the box while keeping any magic from the box from him. The second formed over Marcus and the first dome.

Regulus felt the pull on his magic as they formed. It was a significant power loss. He could not imagine how Nephthys felt after the earlier spell work. A quick glance at her showed her as steady as ever.

Marcus started the counter to the curse once they were secured. Everything went as planned until it did not. Marcus finished. The curse visibly crackled and fought against the counter until there was a flash and boom. The inner circle contained the majority of the backlash but broke in the end throwing Marcus to the ground. He slid across the floor until he hit the section of the second dome between Arcturus and Nephthys.

Nephthys dropped the dome. Arcturus was at Marcus’ side casting health diagnosis spells. Joseph focused on the box to see if they were successful.

“Pain potion,” Arcturus ordered.

Regulus fetched the item from the case that was now on the worktable and gave it to his grandfather.

Marcus groaned. “I feel like I was hit by a flock of Quaffles.”

“Flung across the floor.” Arcturus helped Marcus sit up and handed him the potion. “Just bruising. Nothing broken.”

Marcus accepted the bottle and downed the potion. He laid back on the floor with a sigh while the potion did its job. “That’s good. I hate Skele Gro.”

“The curse has been removed,” Joseph said as he joined them around Marcus. “It is now only as dangerous as any other Horcrux.”

“That’s a statement I never expected to be glad to hear,” Nephthys said.

Chapter 10 – Planning

May 1980

Lily eased down into the chair across from Regulus in their common room. The fragrance of her herb tea drifted across the table.

“Hey, Reagan,” she said. “How’s your research going?”

Regulus cast a mixed support, heating, and cushioning charm on her chair.

“Oh, nice.” She relaxed into the charm. “I need to learn that one. Thanks.”

Regulus waved it away and focused briefly on the table. “You’re welcome. Research is research. Has its ups and downs.”

“I’m learning that. It feels like more downs and roadblocks than forward movement.”

“At times, but when you find a way…”

She grinned at him. He could see in her eyes that she knew the thrill of finding how to create a new discovery, spell, or item.

“Nothing like it.” She sighed then took a sip of her tea. Her shoulders slumped as she leaned forward, and she propped her head up with her hand. “Right now I’m at the “can’t move forward” stage.”

“The bugs?”

She toyed with the teacup. “No, got that figured out. The newest models are in production for testing now. I want to create an Avada Kedavra proof vest.”

Regulus must have made a face because Lily laughed at him. It was a light laugh without malice.

“I forget sometimes that you don’t have the same frame of reference. Muggle law enforcements have bulletproof vests they wear when engaging in dangerous situations to help protect them from standard guns.”

She succinctly explained what a gun and bullet were and how the vests stopped bullets from entering the officers by layers of kevlar. She wanted to create something similar to stop the Avada Kedavra.

“It can’t be stopped. That’s why it gets used,” Regulus objected.

“It can be stopped by a physical object. That’s the only known way at this time to stop it.”

“But that has to be something solid like a stone block.”

She hummed. “They’re testing materials for me. The problem currently is that it only blocks the curse if it hits the vest. If they aim for the head or legs…” She shrugged indicating the obvious result of the curse. “And it can’t cover the entire body because it hinders movement or blocks view even when transparent and is heavy despite lightweight charms. It’s just not practical and only good for one hit.”

Regulus nodded. Those were all understandable obstacles to her idea.

“If there was a better understanding of how the spell worked or how any spell affected you. Why do spells affect you through clothing? Is it because they are in contact with your skin or what they are made of? If clothing blocked spells, everyone would aim for the head. Wouldn’t they?”

“It seems logical,” Regulus slowly said, thinking through her rambling. “I admit, I have never considered spells in that way.”

She sighed. “Most don’t. You are used to magic doing amazing things without question. I think it is a blessing and a curse.”

“How so?”

“As a group, you expect amazing things to be possible. On the other hand, magic allows things to come easily, and as a society, you fumble when it doesn’t or something doesn’t fit into your ideas of how things are. When something does challenge it, you are ill-prepared to handle it.”

“Like the current situation?”

She shrugged again and waffled her hand in the air. “Yes and no… Guerrilla warfare is hard to combat.”

“Guerrilla warfare?”

“Muggle term for hit and run attacks. It creates destruction and unrest with no obvious way to make it stop.”

Regulus agreed that was an apt description of Tom’s methods.

She rubbed her temple. “But it is probably rooted in human nature rather than muggle vs. magical. It just comes out differently in the wizarding world than in the muggle one.”

They spent the next half hour talking about the difference between muggle and wizarding society, their blind spots, and their positives.

~~~~-

“That’s Ravenclaw’s lost diadem,” Regulus gasped out as the mirror focused in on the silver tiara and stopped. He could see the famous quote inscribed on it.

“What?” Joseph asked.

“All signs point to that possibility,” Marcus said.

Nephthys tapped the mirror with her wand to bring up the coordinates. Instead of the expected set of numbers that had appeared in all other situations, it was a jumble of numbers and runes.

“Odd,” she muttered. She tried again. The same happened only the string was different. She crossed her arms and tapped her finger against her lips. “Would the school’s wards do this?”

“They shouldn’t,” Marcus answered. “The transition through the building to the location was different as well.”

Nephthys hummed and studied the image. “It was fuzzy at one point. None of the others have been that way. Did either of you recognize the areas it did take us through?”

“It took us in through the astronomy tower,” Regulus said.

“If I remember correctly, that tapestry was in a seventh-floor hall someplace,” Marcus added.

Regulus tried to remember seeing the odd tapestry. “It’s still there. I don’t remember a room in that section… if I’m remembering it correctly.”

Nephthys tried again. A third set of numbers and runes appeared. She jotted them down on her notepad with the other two.

Joseph looked thoughtfully at the mirror. “Using both Horcruxes probably wouldn’t make things clearer.”

“I don’t see any reason it should,” Nephthys said. “It didn’t have problems finding it. Giving coordinates to its exact location seems to be the issue.”

“Maybe there’s a pattern if we have enough data.” Marcus stepped closer to the mirror to look at the readings. “Try again.”

She did several more times. “There is a pattern… the numbers are the same….”

“A reference within the room?” Joseph proposed.

“Maybe,” she slowly said. “What else did you notice about what we watched?”

“The mirror didn’t show any door in the hall or go through any,” Joseph said.

Marcus clicked his tongue several times. “Was it just me, or did it home in on that hall instead of heading through the nearest wall like the past?”

Regulus nodded his head. “All the others took a straight path from the sky down.”

Nephthys released the spell and turned to face them. “Yes. I believe you are onto something. Why would it not pass through the roof or wall of a more convenient location?”

“Magically secured,” Regulus tentatively offered.

She tapped her chin with her finger. “Secured how? Why?”

“Expanded space,” Marcus voiced.

Joseph walked to a worktable and scribbled something out on a scrap of paper. “Or a hidden space with only one attachment point.”

Nephthys put her wand away and met each of their eyes. “We have a puzzle. Think about it! We will try again in a week for more clues.”

They all nodded.

Marcus let out a huff. “I’ll have to be the one to get info on Hogwarts to not draw attention.”

“Foreigners asking about Hogwarts’ defenses and hidden rooms would catch people’s attention,” Regulus said.

“It wouldn’t take long for the headmaster to hear about it either.” Something on him dinged. “I must be off for my next meeting.” Marcus sketched an exaggerated bow to them and took his leave.

Regulus started straightening things up while Nephthys put the locket into their secure vault storage.

~~~~

A few days later, they were gathered in Nephthys’ workroom for the end of the week recap. On the chalkboard was a list of the identified Horcrux items and locations. The estimated percent of soul was beside the ring and locket. Marcus’ initial readings were around an eighth for the locket and a quarter for the ring.

“Three of the five are founders’ items,” Regulus muttered as he took in the list. “What’s special about the other two items?”

He felt the air shift as Nephthys stepped up beside him.

“We don’t know what book it is or what value it holds to him or others,” she said.

Marcus tapped the picture of the ring with his finger. “I bet there’s something about it, but I don’t know what yet. Too many other things going on to think about it.”

Joseph pulled a chair over to sit in instead of standing like the rest of them. “We need to learn more about Tom before we can understand why these items.”

“I’ve got a team digging into his past. That’s how I know that shack was where his mother grew up.” Marcus summoned a chair for himself and sat. “They are still digging up information on his life after Hogwarts.”

“Any new information on the cup?” Nephthys asked.

“Discovered the vault the cups in belongs to Bellatrix,” Marcus said. “Used to be her Black trust vault.”

“Not surprising.” It was one of the names Regulus had given them as a possibility. Regulus rubbed his temple. It had been a long, magic heavy week. “It will be hard to get it without tipping our hand.”

“Who can access her vault?” Nephthys wrote “Bellatrix” beside the cup’s location.

“Not me,” Regulus said.

“Couldn’t get that information.” Marcus shrugged.

Regulus claimed a chair and let his head fall over the back. He stared at the ceiling reviewing what he knew about that branch of the family’s practices. If it was her trust vault, Uncle Cygnus, Aunt Drucilla, and Bella’s names would have been on the account originally. Her parents’ names could still be on there, but knowing Bella, she probably removed them as soon as she got full control of the vault. The question was if she put her husband’s name on it.

“My guess is that her name is probably the only name on the vault.” Regulus looked up at the small group.

Marcus rubbed his eye. “That… well doesn’t do anything one way or another. We can’t access it without pretending to be her… which has a low probability of success… or gain power of attorney over her. Once more, low probability of that happening.”

“Power of attorney would fall to her parents or Narcissa,” Regulus pointed out.

Joseph huffed. “I assume chances of getting any of them on our side is nil.”

“My aunt and uncle would not help.” Regulus paused thinking about the Malfoys. Narcissa too was pregnant. If he remembered correctly, she was due at the end of this month or in June. She looked forward to being a mother even when young. What would she do to protect her child from Tom? Slowly he said, “Given the right situations… Narcissa may… possibly help us.”

“We’ll keep our eyes on it and wait for an opportune moment,” Nephthys said. “We don’t want to rush.” She erased the board. “Now, prophecy planning.”

“Shall I call in Lily now?” Joseph asked.

“Yes.” Nephthys pulled two chairs into the now formed circle.

Regulus activated his disguise pendent.

Lily looked around as she entered and joined them in the circle. She cast the charms Regulus had taught her on the chair before sitting.

“Joseph said you wanted to talk about the prophecy,” she said.

Nephthys took the lead. “Yes. You know that we are trying to work within our mandate to find a way to stop the man calling himself Lord Voldemort.”

Lily nodded.

“The prophecy falls into that, but we do not want to rely on or act only because of a prophecy.” Nephthys shook her head and a sorrowful look passed her face. “I’ve seen tragic results for those that try to force or avoid a prophecy.”

Lily crossed her arms. “Are you saying we should do nothing about it?”

Nephthys smiled at Lily. “Of course not. We need to be smart about it. I want your thoughts on it since you had time to think about it if you are willing to share them.”

Lily’s posture eased. “I have been thinking about it and the wording. Vanquish isn’t dead, but does imply a major defeat.” She rubbed her belly. “I don’t see him stopping without being killed… no matter what some people think about giving people chances to redeem themselves.”

Regulus wondered who she was referring to.

“I agree,” Marcus said. “All the information I’ve gathered on him points to him being a psychopath.”

“You know who he is?” Lily gasped in surprise.

“We do,” Nephthys said. “But, releasing that information provides no true advantage at this time.”

Marcus scratched his neck. “It would probably result in more frequent and vicious attacks from him.”

Lily cocked her head then nodded after a moment of compilation. “I know my bugs are being used to spy on him and his. Does he know who the prophecy is about?”

Marcus fielded the question since he oversaw those teams. “Not that we have heard. Since your upgrades, we have better coverage for information gathering.”

A light blush colored Lily’s cheeks. She smiled wide at the compliment. “I’m glad they are useful.”

“We figure he’s waiting for the end of July to see who is born before acting,” Marcus continued. “We don’t know how quickly he will act. We’re hoping to get a heads up before he does.”

“Then what?” Lily asked.

“That’s what we need to come up with,” Regulus said. “We can make plans and contingencies based on knowing he will come after you and your baby at some point.” Regulus lifted a finger to keep Lily from interrupting. “What I find interesting is that it says, ‘the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal.’ Marking is not the same as killing. In fact, I think it implies surviving,” Regulus shrugged, “but I could be wrong.”

“Good point.” Nephthys waved her wand and both his point and Lily’s appeared on the chalkboard. On another, she placed the prophecy.

“What the hell is the power he knows not? Is it something hidden from him or some mystic archaic magic he doesn’t know about or understand?” Joseph pondered.

“I wondered the same thing,” Lily said.

They pondered the wording for a while before getting to planning.

“I do have a few ideas,” Lily admitted. “I don’t know how well they will work with what you are working on.”

She shared her thoughts and spells she had found references to that might help them. Marcus took notes as possible plans took shape.

~~~~

Regulus examined the envelope that had been passed through the InterMyst screening process and forwarded on to him at his London office. He recognized the writing as belonging to Bella. He took a deep breath which caught Nephthys’ attention. She looked from him to the envelope.

“That’s not promising. You haven’t even opened it yet,” she said.

“It’s from my cousin Bellatrix.”

Receiving a letter from her should not be a surprise. She had sent him a few over the past year. Each one was more demanding for results for “their cause.” Would this be the one summoning him to a meeting? His hand began to shake at the thought of being in the madman’s presence once again.

“Shhh…” Nephthys soothed and wrapped an arm over his shoulders. “It will be fine. We have been preparing you to see him if that is a summons.”

Regulus regained control over his breathing and body. “Old experiences…”

“Are often ingrained and require intentional actions to counter,” she completed.

Regulus nodded. He read through the attached note of the spells that had been on the letter. Most were to keep other people from reading the letter, but there had been a tracker that they fed his supposed location in Europe. He slid his letter opener under the flap and opened it with a quick flick of his wrist.

“Let’s see what she has to say.” He pulled the letter out and began reading.

 

Dear Cousin Regulus,

Hope you are well. It has been a while since we have heard from you. We have missed your presence in the past year and hope you will be coming home soon. Let us know of your future plans.

There is someone who is anxious to see you and learn what you have been up to. Be sure to come to see us when you are back in London.

Love,

Cousin Bella

 

“Good thing we’ve modified your mark and fine-tuned your Occlumency.”

“They’re only at level 8,” Regulus said. “Most undercover InterMyst agents have to master level 10 before they go out.”

“But you are not most. Level 8 provides you with enough skills to fool Tom, especially if he sees what he expects.” She tapped the letter that was now on the table. “You better take that to Marcus so plans can be made.”

Regulus refolded the letter and put it in its envelope. “Yeah. I’ll go there now.” He saluted her with the envelope and exited the room.

The trip to the office did not take long. They would have to call his grandfather in because he would have to be part of the plan. To his surprise, Arcturus was in the office with Marcus watining on him. Nephthys must have called ahead.

Regulus handed Arcturus the envelope. He pulled the letter out and read it with Marcus reading over his shoulder.

“We figured something like this would happen,” Arcturus said. He stuck the letter on the workboard so they could reference it while they planned. “The best excuse for you to return to England would be to attend a Wizengamot session.”

Marcus nodded in agreement. “And it would further the image that he’s grooming you as his heir.”

“But our reply letter can’t make it seem that it is a sure thing,” Arcturus pointed out. “That may lead to my early demise.”

Regulus sighed. “He would want me to have access to the galleons to put to his cause as soon as possible.”

“But it will have to appear that he is gaining your favor,” Marcus said.

“Yes,” Arcturus agreed. “And it wouldn’t hurt to make sure everything is set with his mark. Not that I don’t trust Joseph’s work, but it’s my grandson’s life. I will not let him go into this without him having every advantage we can give him.”

Those words warmed Regulus in a way he had never thought possible. His parents had never shown such care for his well-being. It was always about him making them and the family look good. Not once did they make sure he was protected or had mastered the magics he should. Their idea of training was to load him down with dark arts texts and walk away.

“He’s progressed well in his studies,” Marcus assured. “He’ll have a rescue portkey on him that will auto-activate if he’s in danger. It will bring him here through any wards he may find himself in. I plan on double-checking everything, rest assured. He will be as safe as we can make him.”

“Won’t that ruin my ability to gather information from Voldemort if it’s found on me?” Regulus asked.

“Doubt it will be found,” Arcturus said. “But if it is, you can claim that you didn’t know about it when asked and I was the one who planted it on you.”

“If it’s triggered, I can’t go back,” Regulus pointed out.

“I wouldn’t let you in that event,” Arcturus said. “They would not trust you. If activation is required, their trust has already been lost. We’ll hide you within InterMyst. Fake your death if needed and remove the mark. It won’t be the end of the world.”

“You disappear from his board and continue working against him as your InterMyst identity,” Marcus assured.

Regulus found he was reassured. Part of him would prefer doing just as they suggested and varnish off Tom’s board and work fully behind the scenes. However, he was in a position that no one else in their group was.

“You going to a meeting will give us a chance to plant bugs within Tom’s meeting room,” Marcus said.

“We don’t have any there yet?” Arcturus asked.

“Distribution has not gone as quickly as we would like and the first few versions were not as robust as the ones we have now. Eventually, we will get enough into strategic areas to provide us with crucial information…,” Marcus shrugged, “…but we’re not there yet. If Regulus can plant one on the man himself it would be spectacular, but we would be thrilled with a canister released during a meeting. They can disperse and travel from there. It will also give us a location to insert more.”

Regulus had to agree it was worth being outed as a traitor to the cause if he could get the bugs Lily had designed into sensitive locations. The information would help them in taking out Tom and his forces.

Marcus clapped his hands together. “Let’s get this letter composed. We have a lot of things to do to get ready for this. Don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

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