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Where Regulus and James Went


Sirius, Remus, and Peter stood in the entrance hall by the doors to the Great Hall, waiting for James to catch them up. “Hello, welcome to Che’ ‘ogwarts,” Sirius was saying to each person who passed by into the Hall, his voice curving into a horrible impression of a French accent. “Oui, zarr eez lozz of deeleeesheees food to be sarrrved t’night!” He grinned and bowed and got loads of odd looks from people passing by.

“He’s positively mental,” a girl whispered as she passed.

Remus’s stomach growled. He looked down at it then ‘round at the other two.

“Dinner’s going to start and we’re going ot miss all the good stuff!” Peter whined.

“So go in then, you great duffer, if you can’t wait for your bloody mate!” Sirius snapped.

Peter flushed.

“Sirius,” Remus scolded him.

“What? We’re all hungry!” Sirius said, “Just because he’s fat doesn’t make him anymore hungry than the rest of us!”

Remus rolled his eyes.

“I’ve lost a spot of weight this year, thank you, actually,” Peter said in a disgruntled tone.

“Where from?” Sirius demanded, “You’ve still got it on your arse.”

“Sirius,” Remus snapped. “Be nice.”

Sirius looked ‘round at Remus, sighed, then back to Peter, “I’m only takin’ the mickey out of you, mate,” he said.

“Hello Sirius,” came a silky, low voice from behind him suddenly. Sirius turned around and found himself face-to-face with Severus Snape.

“What do you want, Snivellus?”

“Just saying hello,” Severus replied as he passed by into the Great Hall. He shrugged, “No need to bark at me.”

Sirius stared at him for a long moment. “Fuck off, Snivelly.” And he turned back ‘round to face his friends. Poor Remus was pale white and wide-eyed. Afraid the expression on his face might encourage Snivellus to keep on, Sirius stepped between Remus and Severus. “When you wash your hair, does it cause an oil slick in your bath tub?”

“Oh ha-ha, you’re very clever, aren’t you? I bet you just always have all your ickle friends howling with laughter, don’t you?” Severus grinned wickedly.

“How about you mind your own business instead of shoving your fat nose into everyone else’s?” Peter demanded, stepping between Sirius and Severus, adding a second line of defense for Remus.

Severus’s lips twitched with the threat of a smirk and he turned toward the Great Hall. “One misstep, Black, and I’ll have you sent to the pound!” and he was off, disappearing among the clusters of Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors pouring in for their supper.

Peter turned around to look at the other two. His cheeks were brlliantly flushed from the act of being brave and he shivered as the moment passed. Sirius high-fived Peter and then turned to look at Remus, “Ignore him, he’s a fucking arrogant little twatwaffle.”

“He’s a fucking arrogant little twatwaffle who knows,” Remus said.

Sirius laughed at the fact that Remus Lupin had said all those curse words. Sirius said them all the time, sure, but they were stil funny in that dirty-joke sort of way when Remus said them.

“It isn’t funny!” Remus said, “What if he gets pissed off at us and he decides to tell the whole school?”

“Don’t be going off on that long tangent again,” Sirius said.

“I can’t help it. I’m scared. It isn’t you whose entire life is effectively over if he tells, it’s mine!” Remus said.

“Guys, it’s been like a half an hour and still no James,” Peter complained suddenly.

Ignoring Peter, Sirius said, “Moony, you can’t possibly think that if your life was over mine would be just hunky-dory?” He rolled his eyes. “Your life and my life are sort of linked, remember?” He held up his hand and pointed at the ring. “You gave it back to me, despite my vile attempts to hand it in so now you’re not just stuck with me but you’re double stuck with me.” He flapped his arms ar himself, “You’ve made this choice twice now.”

Remus stared at him. “Bloody hell, I must be mad.”

Sirius’s eyes twinkled.

“Guys?” Peter asked, “You don’t reckon something might’ve happened to James, do you?”

Remus looked up the stairs, “We could go find him, I s’pose.”

And so the three of them trooped along back up the stairs, although Peter did look longingly back at the doors of the Great Hall with a lustful sort of expression, rubbing his belly as he went. They were on the stairs on the way back to Gryffindor Tower when they ran into Lily Evans on the stairs. She was with Jasper Odair.

“Odaaaair you are!” cried Sirius, grinining.

“Were you looking for me?” Jasper asked.

“Always am,” Sirius said. He looked at Lily, “Oi, when’d you want to do the next Remedial Potions class?”

Jasper looked ‘round at Lily, too, “It’s Sirius Black you’re teaching at those classes? You made it sound like it was some stupid little firstie.”

“Nope, just a stupid little fifthie,” Sirius said. He grinned at Jasper, “Are you jealous, then, mate? Ohh, don’t worry, Odair, I’m gayer than Liberace. And even if Lily somehow managed to become a boy, you might have also noticed I’m rather taken by this one over here and I’m sorry, I’m just not into gingers. Although it does suit you nicely, love.” He patted Lily’s hair.

“I’m not jealous... Please.” But Odair flushed.

Lily rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to ask Slughorn on when the next one is, he hasn’t told me yet himself.” She looked Sirius and the other two over, “Where are you lot off to in such a hurry? Dinner is back that way.” She pointed down the stairs the way they’d come.

“Is it?” Sirius said, “Blimey, spin me ‘round once --”

“We’re going to find James,” Peter interrupted whatever bout of foolishess Sirius was about to deliver.

Lily narrowed her eyes, “Where is he?”

“Dunno, that’s the point of going to find him, isn’t it?” Peter said.

“Didn’t you pass him on your way from Gryffindor Tower?” Remus asked, concern in his tone.

Lily shook her head.

“Didn’t see my toadstool brother, either?” Sirius asked.

“No… did you see anyone on your way up?” Lily asked, turning to Jasper Odair. Jasper shook his head. “Was he with Regulus?” Lily questioned.

“Last we knew…” Remus answered.

“You don’t think he might’ve heard something about Maryrose?” Peter said, looking up at Sirius and Remus.

Sirius looked nervous now. “He would’ve come to get us if he had done…”

“Unless he didn’t want to upset you, our local drama queen,” Remus said pointedly.

Sirius’s brow furrowed.

Lily’s face had a funny tinge to it.

“We’ve got to help him if he did go alone,” Peter said, his voice wobbling with fear, trying to be brave.

“How? We dunno where they’ve gone,” Remus pointed out.

Sirius grit his teeth and looked about. “Here. C’mon.” He pulled all of them along into an empty classroom down the hall - even Lily and Jasper Odair - and he pushed the door shut behind them and he said, “KREACHER!”

There was an exceedingly long pause.

“Kreacher! I’m still your master whether you like it or not! You answer me right this moment or I’ll command you to ruin Regulus’s things and --”

CRACK!

Kreacher stood before Sirius, a stewing, horribly disrespectful sort of look about his face. “Kreacher comes to his Master Sirius,” he muttered lowly, his ears flat with displeasure, “But he doesn’t like it.”

“Pleased to see you, too, you little wart. Now, listen, where did Regulus go?”

Kreacher stared up at Sirius, “Kreacher isn’t telling on his Master.”

“I command you to tell me where Regulus and James went,” Sirius said heavily.

“Don’t be so harsh with him, maybe that would help,” Lily hissed.

Kreacher’s eyes turned toward Lily. “Filthy mudblood,” he whispered.

Lily blinked in surprise, then turned to Sirius, “On second thought…”

“Don’t you ever say that to her again,” Sirius commanded. He stared at Kreacher. “I mean it, Kreacher, you tell me where Regulus and James are! They could be in trouble.”

Kreacher looked spooked by this statement. He stared up at Sirius, clearly weighing whether he was going to believe him or not. Then he said thickly, “If Master Regulus was in trouble, he would be calling Kreacher to him for help… Surely Master Regulus would call his Kreacher…”

“Unless he couldn’t.”

Kreacher’s eyes flashed.

“But if you’d rather keep your blast little secret than bring me to Regulus, guess it’s just blood on your own damn hands if he’s dead. No skin off my nose!”

Suddenly, faster than a blink of an eye, Kreacher jumped forward and grabbed Sirius’s hand and Sirius instinctively reached out and grabbed the first person his fingers could touch and there was a great CRACK! and Kreacher, Sirius, and Lily Evans disappeared.

Remus blinked in surprise as Jasper Odair grabbed at the air, trying to catch Lily before she disappeared but she was gone before he could even react. Peter stared, wide-eyed, at the spot where they’d been just moments before. “Oh no,” Remus whispered.

Jasper snapped, “WHERE DID HE TAKE THEM?” and lokoed at Remus, as though Remus knew.

“I DUNNO!” Remus said, and he was panicking just as hard as Jasper was, his heart in his throat. “I dunno!” he looked terrified. “They could’ve gone anywhere. Oh bloody hell.”




Sirius landed on the floor of the cave with a great thump as Kreacher let him go the moment they’d apparated. Lily landed on top of Sirius and quickly rolled off, looking perplexed. “How in the -- where are we? Merlin’s beard!” They were on the rocks just outside the cave and the waves were crashing on the jetty some ways out, a fine, ice-cold salty mist falling around them and Lily looked at Sirius, “What the hell is this place?”

“I dunno,” Sirius said. He looked ‘round as the elf leaped from the stones and disappeared into the cavern beyond. “Wait a second! Kreacher!” he drew his wand and Lily drew hers, too, and they both lit them up and rushed after the elf, sliding over the stones and into the cave. The water seemed to simmer ever so slightly along the edge of the black pool within, but Sirius was far too busy chasing Kreacher, waving his wand about, looking for James.

Lily followed, wary of the water, and clutching her wand near to her heart. “Sirius,” she whispered, “There’s something in the water.”

“JAMES?” Sirius yelled, ignoring Lily.

The sound of his yell disturbed what seemed like a hundred billion bats and they suddenly all went flying out, shrieking and flapping, a moving cloud and Lily screamed, waving her arms over her head, her hair getting caught up in their wings as they flew, and she danced about, trying to dodge them, “NO! NO! NO-NO-NO! MERLIN”S BEARD!! GET’EM OFF ME!” she cried.

Sirius waved his wand, trying to fend them away with light - or else to hit them like they were bludgers - but his wand light caught something else instead and he choked on his own air as he tried to tell Lily to come, couldn’ get out the words, and finally simply grabbed her and yanked her away - just before a cold, grey hand had grabbed onto her ankle from the water.

LIly stumbled and nearly fell, her foot catching on a rock and she tripepd forward, slamming into the wall…. But the wall gave way and the big stone door that she’d pressed herself against opened and she fell through into a small stone tunnel, rolling down a short walkway, right to the very edge of another black pool of water…