Survival's Edge

"No. No way in hell, Potter."

Regulus Black stood with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the ancient-looking video game in James’s hands. The dim light of the dusty storage room cast long shadows across the worn wooden table, making the box look even more ominous. It was old—too old to be anything normal—and if there was one thing Regulus had learned in his seventeen years of life, it was that anything remotely mysterious had a high probability of being cursed.

James, however, was undeterred. "Oh, come on, even Lily agrees with me," he said, holding up the cartridge like it was some sort of priceless artifact.

Lily Evans let out an exaggerated scoff, fixing James with the kind of pointedly unimpressed look she usually reserved for his worst ideas—which, to be fair, were frequent and often catastrophic. She crossed her arms, weight shifting onto one hip as she leveled him with a glare.

“First off, Potter, let’s not twist my words just because your brain conveniently filters out anything that doesn’t stroke your ego. I did not ‘agree’ with you. What I actually said was that I’d rather do literally anything other than scrub years of dust and probable rat droppings off the floor of this disgusting basement. That is not the same as saying ‘yes, James, let’s play whatever cursed nonsense you just dug up from the depths of hell.’”

She huffed, then jabbed a finger in his direction for emphasis.

“Second off, I’m actually siding with Black on this one—Regulus, not your idiot partner-in-crime over there.” She threw a vaguely irritated gesture toward Sirius, who clutched his chest dramatically, as if personally wounded. “Because for once, he actually has a point. This is obviously a bad idea, and I am not in the mood to be collateral damage for whatever absolute mess you three are about to create.”

Sirius smirked, leaning against a stack of old desks. "See, Prongs? Even Evans has common sense for once. This is clearly a horrible idea."

James sighed dramatically, as if the entire world had decided to inconvenience him all at once. "You lot are so paranoid. It’s just a video game."

Regulus scoffed. "Right. And what was the last 'just' anything that ended well for you three?" He gestured vaguely between James, Sirius, and Peter. "Because I seem to recall that it's your collective fault that Lily and I are even in detention right now."

Lily let out an exasperated noise. "Thank you! Finally, someone says it."

Peter looked sheepish. "To be fair, we didn’t mean to get you two caught up in it..."

"Oh, I’m sure," Regulus said dryly. "And yet, here we are, locked in a dusty basement instead of anywhere else I could be on a Saturday afternoon."

James waved a hand dismissively. "Look, we all know Filch isn't letting us out until three., so we might as well entertain ourselves. Or would you prefer to sit here in awkward silence for the next four hours?"

Sirius huffed, kicking a stray piece of parchment across the floor. "I’d prefer to annoy Moony for the next four hours, but seeing as he’s not here, you’ll have to do, Prongs." He clapped James on the shoulder with a dramatic sigh. "I promise to make it as irritating as possible."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "You do that anyway."

James groaned. "Jesus, you lot are impossible." He turned to Peter with an expectant look. "Wormy, back me up here. We might as well give it a try."

Peter hesitated, glancing between James and the others. "I mean… it’s just a game, right?" He nudged the old console with the toe of his shoe. It looked harmless enough. A little dusty, sure, but nothing that screamed 'cursed artifact waiting to consume your soul.'

Lily sighed heavily. "You realize that’s what people in horror movies say right before they die, right?"

James grinned. "Good thing we’re not in a horror movie, then."

Sirius looked down at the console, considering. "Alright, let’s say we play. What’s the worst that could happen?"

Regulus stared at him, deadpan. "Death. Permanent disfigurement. Losing all sense of reality."

Peter shifted uncomfortably. "Bit dramatic, don’t you think?"

Regulus did not blink. "Not even a little."

James, meanwhile, was already crouching, placing the cartridge into the console. The old screen flickered to life, an eerie green glow illuminating their faces. The title appeared in bold, golden letters.

"JUMANJI."

Sirius let out a low whistle. "Huh. That’s a bit ominous, actually."

Lily groaned. "That’s it. We’re all going to die."

James ignored her, grinning as he pressed ‘Start.’

CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTERS, appeared brightly and boldly on the old, dusty tv. 

Below the words, five character names appeared, each one paired with a small pixelated avatar that bore an unsettling resemblance to each of them.

James squinted at the first name. "Jaxon Wildheart?" His face split into a grin. "Oh, that’s definitely me."

Regulus, who had crossed his arms in pure disinterest, leaned forward slightly, frowning. "That’s… a weird coincidence, actually."

Lily, brows furrowed, tilted her head. “Wait. Look at the others.”

Jaxon Wildheart - a cocky-looking guy with windswept hair, a roguish smirk, and what appeared to be a glowing sword strapped to his back.

Regal Shadowfang - a brooding, dark-haired character in sleek black armor, his cape fluttering dramatically behind him.

Rogue Stormrider - a tall, wild-looking guy with shoulder-length hair, tattoos, and a leather jacket, looking far too smug for someone about to embark on a dangerous quest.

Squeaky McRunfast - a short, scrawny, nervous-looking man wearing ill-fitting armor, who seemed to be holding a map upside down.

Emerald Strike - a fierce-looking redhead in a green and gold combat suit, her arms crossed like she was already judging them.

There was a long pause.

Sirius squinted at the screen. “…Okay, is it just me, or do these characters look exactly like us?”

James grinned, pointing at Jaxon Wildheart. “This one has ‘James Potter’ written all over it.”

"Tragically," Regulus muttered.

James ignored him and selected his character with a smug flourish. The game let out a low hum, and next to Jaxon Wildheart, the word LOCKED IN flashed in bold letters.

Sirius clapped his hands together. “Well, obviously, I’m taking Rogue Stormrider. He looks cool as hell.”

Regulus raised an eyebrow. “He looks like a knockoff biker version of you.”

“Exactly.” Sirius pressed the button before anyone could argue.

The screen pulsed again. LOCKED IN.

James turned to Peter. "Alright, Wormy, your turn."

Peter squinted at the screen. “I feel vaguely insulted by my options.”

Sirius glanced at Squeaky McRunfast, then back at Peter, then at the screen again. “…Yeah, I see it.”

Peter grumbled something under his breath before reluctantly locking in his character.

Then, the attention shifted to Lily and Regulus.

Lily stared at the screen like it might bite her. "No. Absolutely not. I refuse to be part of this."

Regulus was equally unimpressed. "For once, I agree with Evans. This is clearly a trap."

James sighed dramatically. "Look, we need five players. It won’t start without all of us. And honestly, at this point, we’ve already committed."

Lily turned to Regulus. “You’re the smart one. Say something convincing.”

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, you assume I have any influence over these morons? That’s adorable."

Sirius clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. "Reggie, if we die, I’ll take full responsibility. Except not really, because technically James started it."

James beamed. "See? We have a scapegoat. It’s fine."

Lily threw up her hands in exasperation. "Oh, for Christ sake—fine!" She pressed the button, locking in Emerald Strike.

Regulus stared at the screen, expression flat and unimpressed. "No."

James groaned, already losing patience. "Black."

"Potter," Regulus mimicked in the same exasperated tone, arms still firmly crossed. "This is exactly how I end up getting dragged into all of your idiotic schemes—against my better judgment, might I add. I am not about to tack on another detention just because you have the impulse control of a toddler."

Lily pointedly gestured to herself. "I’d like to remind everyone that I, too, do not want another detention. But here we are."

Peter scratched the back of his neck. "To be fair, what are the odds Filch actually comes back down here before three? If we finish before then, it’s like we were never even off task."

Regulus scoffed. "Oh, sure. Because history has shown that James Potter’s plans always work flawlessly and without consequence."

James looked deeply offended. "That is unfair. At least half of my plans work. Roughly."

Sirius hummed. "Eh. Closer to a third."

Lily rolled her eyes. "More like a fourth."

Regulus gave James a slow, unimpressed look. "I was going to say a fifth, but I was being generous."

James held a hand over his heart, mock-affronted. "You lot have no faith in me."

Sirius grinned, elbowing him. "It’s well earned."

Regulus sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, I do not need another detention. I would actually prefer to be allowed outside at some point in the next month."

James, sensing his window of opportunity, grinned. "Then you should play. If we finish before Filch checks on us, it’s like nothing ever happened."

Regulus stared at him, deeply unconvinced. "That is the flimsiest logic I have ever heard."

James waved a hand. "And yet, you’re considering it."

Regulus scowled, but James wasn’t exactly wrong. Getting caught slacking off detention was a guaranteed way to get even more of it, and Filch would jump at the chance. If they just played the game quickly, they could be done before he even noticed.

Still, he didn’t trust this.

With a long-suffering sigh, Regulus finally reached out and pressed the button under his name.

The screen pulsed again. LOCKED IN.

Sirius grinned, clapping him on the back. "Welcome to the dark side, little brother."

Regulus grimaced. "I already regret this."

The characters locked in, and the screen shimmered with the LOCKED IN message beneath each name. Regulus stared at the glowing characters, his expression unreadable, but his brow furrowed slightly, as if questioning his life choices.

“Regal Shadowfang,” he muttered under his breath, the words heavy with disdain. He glanced sideways at James. “Sounds like a name you'd find in a cheap fantasy novel,” he added dryly, though his tone gave away no real conviction—just mild annoyance.

Lily chuckled under her breath, shaking her head at the name and the look of frustration on Regulus’s face. “It’s a little much, isn’t it?” she asked, only half-seriously.

Regulus didn’t respond immediately, his arms still crossed tightly across his chest, though his eyes lingered on the screen as if he were hoping it would just disappear. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly unwilling to let the situation drag on longer than necessary.

James grinned. “What, you don’t think Regal Shadowfang has a certain ring to it?”

Regulus glanced at his brother but didn’t engage. His gaze flickered over to Sirius, who was admiring his own character, “Rogue Stormrider.”

Sirius caught Regulus's gaze, sensing the unspoken irritation. “It’s not that bad. Besides, ‘Rogue Stormrider’ is obviously the most badass name here.” He grinned, clearly proud of the choice.

Regulus’s only response was a small, unimpressed sigh, but his reluctance to argue further was clear. He stared at the screen again. He could already tell this was going to be a disaster, but there was no way out now.

With a slow exhale, he pressed the button and locked in his character. "Let’s just get this over with," he muttered under his breath, though his words were more resigned than anything.

Sirius, still grinning, slapped him on the back. “There we go, Reggie! Welcome to the game.”

Regulus didn’t reply, instead rubbing his temple like he could somehow relieve the mounting headache already forming.

James moved his hand to the START button, pressing on it lightly.

Nothing happened. 

James frowned and pressed the button again, this time with more force. "Come on," he muttered under his breath. "What's the hold-up?" He pressed it a third time for good measure, and when the screen remained stubbornly at the character selection screen, he turned to the others with a scowl.

"It's not working," he said, his voice incredulous. "Why isn’t it starting?" He hit the button once more, practically slamming it this time, but the game remained silent, unyielding.

Lily raised an eyebrow, her arms still crossed. "Maybe the game’s not actually powered on, genius."

James shot her a glare. "Of course it’s on, Lily! The screen is—" He gestured to the glowing, still image on the screen, which was, indeed, clearly on.

Regulus watched the exchange with a sort of detached amusement, his arms still crossed, his mouth curving into a barely noticeable smirk. "Maybe it’s not working because it knows this is a terrible idea."

Sirius leaned forward, squinting at the screen in ‘seriousness’. "Maybe it’s waiting for you to admit that you’re all secretly in love with these wonderful character names."

Regulus groaned. "I swear, if I hear one more word about how ‘cool’ these names are, I’m going to lose it—”

“Holy shit!” Peter’s sudden shout cut through the air, and everyone turned to him in alarm. His face had gone white as he pointed frantically at James.

“James!” Peter screeched, his voice cracking. “You’re turning to—what is that—green ash?!”

James’s eyes widened in confusion, looking down at himself just in time to watch his arms slowly dissolve into greenish, powdery ash. The ash flaked off him in wisps, almost as though he were being pulled apart. Panic spread across his face. “What the hell—?!”

Before anyone could respond, the light from the screen grew brighter, blinding them for a moment. With a sharp, sudden tug, James’s body was yanked forward as if by an invisible force, and he was sucked straight into the screen. His hands grabbed at the edges of the monitor, but it was useless. His entire form vanished in a blink, leaving only the hum of the now-blank screen behind.

“James?!” Sirius shouted, eyes wide in shock. He lunged forward, but it was too late.

“Fuck,” Regulus muttered, the disbelief clear in his voice, though he couldn't look away from the spot where James had just been standing.

“W-What just happened?” Peter stammered, backing away from the screen, his face pale as death.

Lily’s eyes darted between the now-blank screen and the empty space where James had been. “This was a horrible idea!” she hissed, rubbing her temples.

The air around them seemed to still for a brief second, the only sound their collective breaths and Peter’s quiet whimpers.

But then, without warning, Sirius’s body jerked forward, and with a yelp, he was sucked into the screen just like James. His voice echoed slightly as he disappeared. “I knew this was a terrible—”

“ Sirius! ” Peter reached his hand out in vain.

He backed up again, eyes wide. He looked over at Regulus. “What do we do now?”

Before Regulus could answer, the screen pulsed, and Peter was pulled forward, screaming as his legs scrambled for anything to hold onto, but it was no use. With a final desperate cry, he was yanked into the game as well. The screen was silent now, the only trace of their presence being the low hum of the console.

Lily stood frozen, eyes flicking between the screen and Regulus. The air in the room felt thicker now, charged with an invisible force that pressed against her chest. Her mind raced, heart thumping in her ears as she tried to make sense of what was happening. With a deep, steadying breath, she turned to Regulus, her voice coming out calm but with an edge of urgency. "Call someone. Anyone. Now."

Regulus hesitated, his eyes flickering to the screen, then back to Lily. His fingers twitched against his phone before he pulled it out, gaze darting between the device and the screen as if calculating whether sending a message would make a difference. His thumb hovered over the keyboard for a moment, uncertainty clouding his features. His mind screamed at him to stay, to resist whatever strange pull was in the air, but his body was already betraying him, tightening, as if the very room itself was conspiring to drag him closer.

Lily’s voice broke through his hesitation. "Please, Regulus. Hurry."

He sighed heavily, cursing under his breath as he typed a quick message: Basement , help. His fingers shook slightly, but there was no time for second-guessing. He hit send with a grimace, shoving the phone back into his pocket just as the hum from the screen grew louder, more insistent.

Regulus could feel it now—the draw, the almost imperceptible tug that had started in his chest, pulling him toward the glowing screen. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath, but the pressure was mounting, overwhelming him with each passing second. The others were already gone—James, Sirius, Peter—and Lily was still standing there, eyes fixed on the screen, her expression one of quiet determination.

“Regulus,” Lily said, her voice low, filled with an urgency that matched the fear beginning to knot in his stomach. “We’re next.”

Regulus didn’t respond immediately. His chest tightened, the pull of the screen growing stronger by the second. He felt it in his bones, this strange, magnetic force that dragged at his very being.

But just before he could act—before he could even fully process it—Lily was sucked in. It happened so fast that Regulus didn’t have time to react, only to watch in a stunned silence as Lily’s body jerked forward, feet lifting from the ground. Her hands reached out, but they didn’t find anything to grasp. In an instant, she was gone, swallowed up by the blinding light from the screen, as if the room had simply blinked her out of existence.

For a moment, all Regulus could do was stand there, his breath caught in his throat. A cold rush of panic washed over him, and he felt the overwhelming sense of being utterly alone. His heart hammered in his chest, and for the first time, he questioned whether he’d made the right decision—whether he should have just walked away from the madness altogether.

But there was no time for indecision. He felt it again—the pull, stronger than before, relentless. He had to move, had to do something.

“Lily…” His voice was barely a whisper, but it echoed in his mind like a warning. Without thinking, he pulled out his phone once more, quickly tapping the keys. His mind raced as he typed another short message: Detention. Game. Inside.

He barely hesitated before he sent it. His fingers trembled slightly, the weight of the situation pressing down on him as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. The pull was too strong now, and his body was already moving on its own accord. He glanced at the screen once more, but there was no avoiding it. The force tugged at him like a current pulling a ship out to sea.

Regulus’s body lurched forward, his feet leaving the floor, and in that moment, he knew there was no turning back. The pull was too overwhelming, too powerful. He didn’t have time to scream, didn’t have time to think about anything but the fact that he was being drawn toward the light. The world around him blurred as his vision went white, the sensation of being yanked into the screen far stronger than anything he’d felt before.

And then, just like that, the room disappeared.

For a long moment, there was nothing. No sound. No light. Only an endless, suffocating darkness.

Regulus’s breath hitched, and his heart raced as he fought to make sense of what was happening. He tried to move, to speak, but the darkness seemed to close in on him, an oppressive weight that made it impossible to focus. All he could feel was the cold rush of air surrounding him, the feeling of falling—or maybe being sucked into something far more unknowable than he’d ever imagined.

And then… nothing.

______________________________

“Shit, I think Potter got to Regulus’s head,” Barty cackled loudly, glancing at his phone. He tilted the screen towards Evan, who raised an eyebrow at the message.

"Basement. Game?" Evan read aloud, frowning. "What the hell does that mean?"

Barty’s grin only widened. “Your guess is as good as mine.”