She Traitor

Sarah was furious. The rage was pulsing through her veins so hard she felt like she was going to burst. Of course, Barty was unusually quiet beside her. Of course, that meant only one thing – he knew.

He knew that the Death Eaters were recruiting underage people. He knew that Voldemort was expanding his ranks to include students. And he hadn’t said anything to her.

Her gaze fell to Mary McDonald, who was lying on a bed in the medical wing. She was pale, her lips cracked, her chest heaving shallowly and irregularly. Sarah clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging painfully into her palms.

She and Barty had found her in the corridor. They had arrived only seconds after the attack. The shadow of the departing figure was still rippled across the stone floor. Sarah had seen him. She had recognized him. And even now she wanted to pull out her wand and go confront the person.

And honestly, she was surprised that Snape wasn’t there with him.

Sarah clenched her jaw and felt her hands shake. She knew Mulciber. He had been an idiot since she was a child, when she had met him at the Malfoy Yule galas her father had sometimes taken her to. Mulciber had always tried to appear important, but even then he was a poor shadow of the truly powerful. And now? Now he had attacked a student. He had tortured her. Just because she was Muggle-born.

Her gaze slid back to Mary, whose breath was becoming shallower. Disgust had caught in her throat, but it was mostly the anger that burned in her veins. What the hell had happened over holidays? What had changed her friends so terribly?

Suddenly it all made sense. Pandora was distancing herself from her own twin. The distance between her and Evan that Sarah had noticed on the first day on the train was no coincidence. It was a consequence. The consequence of something big and dark.  Something neither of them dared to say out loud.

And Evan had to be involved. So had Regulus. So had Barty.

Sarah took a deep breath. She didn't know exactly what had happened, but she knew enough. Enough to make her stomach churn with icy anger.

Barty knew it was wrong. The moment Sarah looked at him with that look—eyes full of betrayal and anger—he knew this wasn't going to end well. It was like a cold blade running down his spine. The tension between them thickened, and before he could draw a breath to defend himself, Sarah turned sharply and strode forward.

She angrily walked down the stone corridor toward the dungeon, toward their companion, her steps quick, hard, and determined. Barty followed her silently.

He didn’t know exactly what she was planning, but he knew she was going to confront someone. Evan? Maybe Rabastan. Maybe even Regulus. Probably everyone.

“Sarah, wait,” he tried to address her, but she didn’t even turn her head.

“I don’t want to hear anything, Barty,” she snapped, and he noticed how tightly she was gripping her wand.

This wasn’t Sarah he knew. She was sarcastic, smart, and could make fun of herself even in tense situations. But now? Now it was different. Pure, unadulterated malice.

And that scared him.

Barty swallowed and tried something else. His voice was calm, almost soothing. “Sarah… they had no reason to trust you.”

She stopped so abruptly that he almost bumped into her. He felt his heart sink.

There was a moment of silence.

Then she nodded slowly.  “You’re right,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm. “The boys don’t know me well enough to believe me on this. And besides… my brother is a strong supporter of Dumbledore and the light side.”

Barty narrowed his eyes. He expected an explosion, not a cold agreement. But before he could speak again, Sarah frowned. And then—

She drew her wand in a flash and before he could move, she slammed him against the cold stone wall.

An unexpected force gripped his chest. He gasped.

“If you mention this to Evan, Rabastan, or Regulus…” her voice was quiet but sharp as a knife. “Then I will destroy you.”

Barty didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. She knew he understood.

She glared at him for a moment longer before releasing him, turning on her heel and walking back to Gryffindor Tower without another word.

Barty stood there.

He took a deep breath.

He didn't know what was going through her mind. He was afraid of what it could be.

•••

Regulus had only learned about what Mulciber had done late that evening. About how Mary McDonald had ended up in the medical wing. And it made him sick. He didn't know the girl and, honestly, didn't really care, but it seemed cruel and unnecessary.

At that moment, he was walking quickly down the corridor towards his Slytherin common room. He heard quiet, short footsteps behind him and before he could turn, a flash of light stopped him.

Reflexively, he reached for his wand, but it was too late. The spell hit him and sent him flying backwards. He hit the stone wall hard, his hand suddenly empty.

Disarmed.

Regulus hissed and was already preparing to defend himself without wand. He had spent months practicing offensive and defensive spells in Grimmauld Place, but before he could do anything, a calm, icy voice spoke. And he knew that voice damn too well.

"Don't use magic. It's useless now anyway," she said. "It's not like I'm going  to kill you."

He recognized her. He recognized her voice.

"Sarah," he breathed, his gaze meeting hers.

She stood a few feet away from him, her wand still pointed. She was calm. Scarily calm.

"What the hell are you doing?" he blurted out before he could control his tone. He felt the tension settle in his shoulders.

Sarah just raised an eyebrow. "We're talking."

Regulus straightened, trying to regain some control, but it was hard when he had her in front of him. When he read her face not as usual as amusement, but something much sharper. It was beautiful.

Sweet Nightmare

"You've changed lately," she said quietly. "You've all changed."

Regulus clenched his jaw. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Sarah smiled bitterly. “Come on, Reg. I’m not stupid. I’m not blind. I noticed.”

“Noticed what?” he challenged her with a hard look, but he knew better. Sarah had never been afraid of him, and the look that usually made people cringe only invited her to be impudent.

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes piercing him like daggers. “The way you’ve distanced yourself from me.”

Regulus felt his throat tighten.

He couldn’t say anything because Sarah continued, “It’s not like we’re really close, is it?” Her voice was cold. “But still… it’s noticeable.”

Regulus took a breath, wanting to find some way to get out of it, to shake it off like he did with anyone else. But it wasn't working with her.

It never worked with her.

She was different. She was smart. And most of all… he cared about her too much. But she was right, they weren't that close. It hurts.

He was silent, but she interpreted his silence in her own way. She nodded slowly, as if confirming something.

"I thought I would at least expect more discretion from someone who had chosen a side," she said finally.

Regulus froze.

For a second his breath stopped. His heart was pounding in his chest.

She knew.

All his thoughts were in chaos.

Sarah studied him. Every nuance in his expression, every slight twitch of muscle in his face. And then, perfectly calm, she flipped both wands over to one hand.

"I had a suspicion," she said quietly, almost indifferently. "But thanks for the confirmation."

Regulus balled his hands into fists and straightened slowly, carefully. Every movement he made was deliberate, calculated. He knew that if he did anything rash, she might take it as an attack. She thought he was a Death Eater.

But she really didn't know that it was because of her that he hadn't become what she despised.

Thanks to her, he could see clearly.

Now he was standing right in front of her, aware of his height difference. She knew it too.  She had to lift her head to meet his eyes, but she didn't look intimidated. Quite the opposite.

There was a challenge in her gaze.

Regulus felt like he was standing on a knife's edge. That one wrong sentence, one wrong move, could turn everything upside down.

And he hated how much this all drew him in.

He wanted to do something rash.

"You're doing it for him," she accused him sharply. Her voice was calm, but her eyes burned with anger. "For that murderous monster. Not just Muggles, but wizards and half-bloods too. He murders everything under the guise of saving purebloods."

Regulus felt a hot wave of rage rise inside him. He took a sharp step toward her.

Sarah realized it unexpectedly late and didn't have time to react—her wand, and Regulus's, were suddenly gone.  Regulus knocked it out of her hand with one swift movement. Both wands rolled down the corridor and disappeared into the shadows.

Before she could respond, he had his other hand on her shoulder and pinned her against the stone wall. It wasn’t rough, but it was strong enough to show her that this time she wasn’t in control. She had lost control and now, now he was in charge. And if this was any other situation, he would enjoy it.

Sarah gasped, but before she could recover, his touch was gone.

Regulus took a step back and pulled up the left sleeve of his robes.

“See?” he growled, his voice now full of raw frustration. A storm raged in his eyes.

Sarah took a quick breath.

His wrist was clean.

“I have no sign.”

His words floated between them, heavy and charged with tension.

"Not only am I not marked," Regulus continued quietly but dangerously, "but I don't do it for him either."

Sarah slowly looked up and fixed her piercing eyes on him. "But you know."

Regulus laughed a short, tired laugh. It was a bitter, quiet laugh that Sarah had never heard from him before. It wasn't a laugh of amusement, more like the laugh of a man who had long since given up hope.

Sarah's eyes widened in shock. She had never heard him laugh like that. She had never seen a hint of fatigue in him. Regulus Black had always been precise, cold, controlled.

But now? Now she saw the exhausted boy, bound by the shackles of name, blood, and duty.

"Of course I know." His voice was quiet, almost indifferent. "Every one of the dark families knows that. And he wants me in his ranks."

Sarah was silent for a long time. There was nothing to say.

Then she took a deep breath, her chest touching his as it did so.

It was barely noticeable, almost accidental, but it meant everything to Regulus.

It was warm.

And he suddenly realized how much he missed it.