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Regulus’s Request


Regulus was in the library, pouring over a book, doing research for his History of Magic assignment when he heard James Potter, who was sitting a few tables away, yell out, “Oi! Evans! You can study with us if you fancy!”

He looked up to see the ginger-haired witch coming up the main aisle between shelves, hugging a load of books to her chest. “That’s quite alright, Potter, I plan on actually studying.” She eyed Sirius, leaning back in his seat, his feet up on the table, the chair balancing on two legs. Beside him, Remus was staring down at his book looking quite agitated as Sirius’s hand ran over his shoulder, walking his fingertips along his shoulder blades. Peter, who had been in the middle of talking to James when he’d interrupted him to invite Lily over, looked about, confused.

Lily walked past the Marauders’ table, followed by Marlene McKinnon and Emmaline Vance, and found a table across the room from them. James hesitated in turning back, even after Peter had resumed his talking, but finally tore his eyes off Lily.

Regulus turned to Barty, who was sitting next to him, reading, too, and said, “I’ll be right back.”

“Alright,” Barty murmured, without even looking up.

Regulus got up and he crossed the room, his heart slamming in his chest as he glanced about to be sure there weren’t any clusters of Slytherins about that might witness what he was about to do… When he was sure there wasn’t anyone around, he approached Lily’s table, coming to a stop at the head of it. None of the girls looked up. He cleared his throat, and they all looked up in unison.

“What do you want?” Marlene McKinnon asked. She’d heard plenty about Regulus from Sirius in the brief conversations they’d held when they were together. She might not be with Sirius Black anymore, but that didn’t erase the rubbish she’d heard about his brother.

Regulus looked at Lily, ignoring the tone to Marlene’s voice. “May I speak with you in private?”

She raised an eyebrow, “The pureblood wishes to speak to me, a filthy little mudblood?”

Regulus took a deep breath, “Yes.”

“Sod off,” Emmaline snapped, “You don’t deserve to talk to Lily after the things you’ve said to her.”

Regulus’s voice was persistance. “Please. It’s important.”

“Go away, Black,” snapped Marlene, “She doesn’t need to be wasting her time, consorting with arrogant little toadstools the likes of you.”

Regulus kept his eyes squarely on Lily. “It’s about Severus.”

Lily, who had looked away now turned back to look at Regulus. There was something in his voice that made her worried. “What about him?”

“In private?” Regulus repeated.

Lily stood up.

“Don’t be daft, Lily!” Marlene said, “He could hex you and --”

“We’re not going far. Just over there. Where you can see.” She looked at Regulus. “Good enough?”

He nodded.

“I’ll be right back,” she said to Marlene and Emmaline, and then Lily followed Regulus to where she’d pointed - a few feet away by the chest of drawers that contained records of all the books that were in the library on little cards. Lily stood and stared at Regulus when they’d come to a stop by the windows. “Talk,” she said.

Regulus couldn’t believe he was taking this sort of attitude from a mudblood like Lily Evans. He took a deep breath, counting to ten, then said, through grit teeth, “Severus needs you.”

“I’m not speaking to him.”

“His mother’s dead.”

Lily froze. “You’re not serious?”

“No, he’s my brother,” Regulus replied - an impulsive instinct from years of playing the joke about the Black house, back when he and Sirius had been friends… back before everything started.

Lily’s hand twitched toward her wand pocket.

“Yes, yes, I’m serious, I’m serious,” Regulus said quickly. “I’m very serious. Eileen Prince is dead. The Dark Lord killed her. I dunno why, but she’s dead and Professor Slughorn told Severus and he’s been locked up in his dorm since. He hasn’t come out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The only reason he’s been getting any food is I’ve asked Kreacher, my house elf, to bring things for him… He needs a friend and… well, I’m not exactly that. I’m sort of… the nuisance he’s stuck with. You -- you could make it all better. So… please. Maybe you’ll consider talking to him.”

Lily closed her eyes.

“I’m afraid for him. You know I wouldn’t have come to you if I wasn’t.”

She knew.

Lily knew, too, that he wasn’t lying, only because she knew how Severus Snape felt about his mum. She could only imagine the agony etched onto his face and she hated the idea that it had happened. She wondered when, she wondered why. Severus had been horrible to her and to her friends, he’d broken her heart in a myriad of ways, but through everything he had never, ever done anything so horrible that he deserved to feel the pain that was sure to be consuming him over the loss of his mother… and he certainly didn’t deserve to feel it all alone.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll talk to him,” she said quickly.

Regulus’s face lit with relief and a touch of -- was that excitement? “Really?”

“Yes.”

“If you come downstairs with me to the dungeons, I’ll go and get him,” Regulus said.

LIly nodded. “Just let me tell Marlene and Emmaline.”

“Alright. I’ve got to tell Barty,” he agreed.

Lily walked numbly back to her table.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Emmaline said.

“I suppose in a way I have. Or will be… I’ve got to go and talk to Severus.”

“What?” snapped Marlene. “No. No. You’re not talking to that horrible, two-faced, sneaky little --”

“His mum died.”

Marlene and Emmaline exchanged glances.

“I gotta go,” said Lily. She ignored it as Marlene and Emmaline both called after her in an attempt to stop her from going, and found Regulus in the corridor outside, waiting, having muttered an excuse to Barty Crouch and they hurried off down to the dungeons.




Marlene and Emmaline stared at each other for a long moment after Lily had left. “We can’t let her go about seeing Severus,” Marlene whispered, “It’s not good for her.”

“I know, but - but if his mum’s died --”

“I hate to say it, but… but do we know she’s died?” Marlene whispered, “He might be just saying that to get her to talk to him.”

“Lie? About something like that?” Emmaline gasped.

“We’re talking about a person who’s used potions to force her to fancy him - who has creeped about this castle more times than once chasing after her - and knows more curses than everyone else in our year combined.”
“What do we do?” Emmaline whispered.

Marlene stood up, “Go after her, of course.”

Emmaline got up, too, and they started for the door. “Hey - hey Marlene,” called Sirius as they passed by the Marauders’ table. “Oi. Marlene.”

“I’m in a hurry, Sirius,” Marlene replied.

“Yeah, I see that. But I got a question. What was Evans doing with my idiot brother?”

Marlene looked at Emmaline, then back to Sirius. “That’s what we’re going to find out about.”

“He’s brought her to talk to Severus Snape,” Emmaline injected.

“Snape?!” James turned around, “What the bloody hell’s she going to talk to that prat for?”

“Says his mum died,” said Marlene.

Sirius stiffened. Remus glanced over at him.

“We’re going to make sure she’s alright,” Marlene continued, not noticing the change in Sirius’s posture.

James stood up, “I’m going with you.”

“What? Are you mad? After what happened at the Yule Ball?” Marlene demanded.

James nodded, “Especially after what happened at the Yule Ball.” He looked around at the other three Marauders. “You lot coming with me?” he asked, fully expecting Sirius to leap up and declare his allegiance to the cause. When he didn’t, James asked, “Sirius?”

But Sirius kept his eyes averted.

James looked at him with a furrowed brow, “Rey? Peter?” he asked, turning to them.

“It’s not a good idea, James,” Remus said as he bit his lower lip… Peter shook his head vigorously.

“Fine. You lot stay here, then. I’ll go myself…” and with that, he abandoned his textbooks and parchments and followed Marlene and Emmaline out the door.

Peter whimpered, “He’s mental.”

Remus put his hand on Sirius’s back as Sirius stared at the table. “Yeah,” Remus muttered.

“Severus is probably lying anyhow,” Peter said. “Merlin knows he’s a great git when it comes to Lily Evans.”

Remus looked at Sirius, who shook his head slightly, keeping his eyes very carefully on the grain of the wood table top.