thirteenth lotus leaf

"So, how are you alive?" Draco asked, tossing a stone into the water. No sound came from the lake.

"I mean, you were dead in the previous timeline, and all," he felt compelled to add. A wind, devoid of warmth, tousled Regulus's hair.

Regulus gave a small chuckle. "Don't tell me you regret meeting me," he teased.

"It's too early to say, and, well, talking to someone in my dream is still pretty weird," he admitted, a grin spreading across his face despite the strangeness.

"Our dream," Regulus corrected, causing Draco to pause, his hand still hovering over another stone.

"Our dream?" Draco echoed, surprised.

"Yes, I'm asleep right now, talking to you," Regulus confirmed, a smile playing on his lips at Draco's bewildered expression. Draco's eyes widened.

"We're in a dream, they can't hear us. Ask me anything," Regulus invited, picking up one of the imaginary stones himself.

"Well, there's this whole cursed death thing, the ceiling clock incident, time travel, and then you being alive – I don't even know where to begin," Draco confessed, throwing his hands up in a gesture of bewilderment.

Regulus flicked his stone, watching it skip twice across the lake's surface. Despite the stones making a faint splashing sound, the lake itself remained eerily silent.

"The ceiling clock? So, that's how it spoke to you," Regulus mused.

"Did it speak to you too, that lunatic?" Draco asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Regulus chuckled again. Draco snatched up another stone, hurling it into the lake with a surge of frustration. This one didn't skip at all, sinking immediately.

"It appeared to me as a pocket watch. Seems to have a thing for timepieces," Regulus remarked.

"Oh, that's just perfect," Draco muttered sarcastically, glancing around at the indistinct, almost entirely white forest surrounding them.

Regulus sighed. "The truth is, I came back when it told me that my being alive was of no consequence, that Death simply fancied me and would therefore accept me later. I wasn't as fortunate as you. I came to my senses before embarking on my suicide mission."

Draco froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The stone in his hand suddenly felt heavy, almost alive. Regulus took the stone from his hand and threw it into the lake. This one skipped three times.

"I realized at that moment that Death was on our side. There was no way out of there," Regulus explained.

"What happened next?" Draco asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The curse took hold," Regulus replied simply.

Draco's gaze drifted towards the ripples spreading across the water's surface. He felt a strange tightness in his chest, as if he couldn't quite catch his breath.

"I thought you were, you know, alive," he murmured.

"Death's fondness for me is quite convenient. I am alive, in a way, but I'm also in a deep sleep. I have no idea how long I'll remain like this. I suppose I'm waiting for Death to summon me," Regulus said, his tone matter-of-fact.

He skipped another stone across the water, adding, "At least until my dear cousin's son arrives." He met Draco's gaze, a hint of something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

"Regulus, you're really something, but you're practically dead right now. You can't even help yourself, let alone me," Draco exclaimed, his voice rising in frustration. He couldn't seem to break the eye contact.

"Oh, don't underestimate your uncle, you little snake," Regulus retorted, a playful glint in his eyes.

Draco wrinkled his nose, picking up a few stones from the ground and fiddling with them absently.

"I don't like that nickname," he grumbled.

"I noticed," Regulus replied dryly.

"Good," Draco said.

They lapsed into silence for a moment. Draco found it incredibly difficult to process the situation. He was with his cousin, who was neither dead nor fully alive, in a dream.

"What about the curse?" he finally asked.

"I have no idea," Regulus admitted.

Draco, his frustration boiling over, hurled another stone into the lake. This one plunged straight down, sinking without a trace. With a groan, Draco threw himself back, lying on the ground with his arms outstretched. Regulus remained silent, seemingly unfazed by Draco's outburst. The sky above them was a dismal gray, mirroring the bleakness of their conversation. Neither of them could even conjure up a pleasant setting for their dreams.

"And what about those black figures?" Draco asked, his voice muffled by the ground.

"Same here," Regulus replied.

"You're being incredibly helpful, you know," Draco said sarcastically. From his prone position, he couldn't see Regulus's face.

"That doesn't mean I'm completely devoid of theories or information, you little snake," Regulus retorted, adopting a scolding tone that was eerily reminiscent of his mother's. The Blacks, always dramatic.

"It's clear that the curse was inflicted upon the Black family, and those masked figures are the ones who cast it," Regulus stated.

"Oh, really? Thanks for the enlightening information," Draco drawled, throwing his arms open in a gesture of mock gratitude.

"Show some respect to your elders, Draconis," Regulus chided.
Draco let out a groan of exasperation.

"Whatever this curse is, it leaves a mark on the body, like a tattoo," Draco explained.

"I'll check when my body wakes up," Regulus replied.

"How do you plan on waking up?" Draco asked, unable to resist a touch of sarcasm.

"With a kiss from my dear blond prince, of course," Regulus answered, feigning a dreamy expression and puckering his lips in Draco's direction.

Draco stuck out his tongue. "This prince has no desire to kiss you," he retorted.

"Such a shame, you wound me," Regulus replied, his voice dripping with mock sorrow. Draco relaxed slightly, sensing the shift in the conversation's tone.

"Another thing I've gathered is that the people we see in our dreams seem to have figured out that we're traveling back in time somehow," Regulus added, his voice turning serious again.

Draco sat up, his eyes widening in alarm. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"That's why we're in danger. They've awakened the curse. I knew I was going to die after I received the Dark Lord's mark. The curse had already taken hold of me. I had nothing to lose, no time to try and reclaim anything," Regulus explained. He picked up another stone, throwing it into the lake. This time, it skipped eight times across the surface. No matter how many stones they threw, the imaginary water remained stubbornly silent.

"And they've noticed us. Thank goodness they don't know who we are yet. But they'll catch us before it's too late. At least they believe I'm dead," Regulus said, a shrug accompanying his words.

Draco's thoughts raced to his mother, the last remaining Black besides himself. A chill ran down his spine.

"Death is just a few steps away, and if you don't wake me up, I might not even be able to convince him to let me live," Regulus said mockingly, as if he had some special insight into the workings of death.

"You're a wonderful uncle," Draco deadpanned.

"You're a suck-up," Regulus retorted.

"What else do you know?" Draco pressed.

"A great deal, but time is running out. Take this, it will protect you," Regulus said, placing a pocket watch in Draco's hand. The surroundings were growing grayer, as if the dream world itself was fading.

"But we're in a dream, aren't we?" Draco protested.

"That's precisely why I'm giving it to you. Don't die before tomorrow evening, you little snake," Regulus replied.
The mist swirled around them once more, and then Draco woke up. He realized that he was clutching his hand tightly. When he opened it, he saw something that didn't belong there. Regulus's pocket watch was real, solid in his hand.

Regulus was truly alive. This was undeniable proof. A grin spread across Draco's face.

........

"Is it you again?" Regulus spoke without looking at him.

"You seemed to want me to come quite a bit last night," Draco replied playfully.

This time Regulus was sitting alone on the cliff. Draco thought he preferred the previous pale forest. The wind here seemed more alive. And the strong gusts would normally be very dangerous for sitting on the edge.

"I like the pajama detail," Regulus teased, referring to the silk pajamas he was wearing.

"Thanks, I worked on it," Draco said, looking down at the blue furry slippers he was wearing. He wiggled the pom-poms back and forth.

"Successful," Regulus gave him a thumbs up.
Draco felt a little embarrassed. He wasn't going to complain now that he was joining his dead cousin's dream in his pajamas. He chuckled lightly at his own embarrassment.
He sat down next to Regulus. He would normally be afraid of such a height, but he was in a dream. They couldn't die. At least, that's what he assumed.
He turned gently towards Regulus. He seemed calmer tonight.

"What do you plan to share with me today?" Draco nudged him with his elbow, but Regulus didn't react. He kept his eyes fixed on the dark sky. Disappointed that he couldn't get any more information, Draco looked up at the sky. There wasn't a single star. There was only one constellation, Canis Major. Sirius. It was shining brightly as always.

"Do you miss him?" Draco whispered.

"Always," Regulus confirmed, wiping away a tear that dared to roll down his cheek.

"You know what, let's not look at Sirius at all right now."
The dog-like constellation in the sky changed. It was replaced by the Draco constellation and the Regulus constellation.
The dragon and lion constellations were side by side. Regulus's star was very difficult to see. It was very dim. The opposite of Sirius.

"How are you?" Draco asked without waiting for an answer. His voice was slightly trembling. Regulus didn't respond, his gaze was focused on something in the distance. Was he even listening? Draco wondered, a unease growing on his skin. There was something... wrong about Regulus's calmness.

"I'm fine, I guess I'm starting to get used to always being in a dream, I'm even starting to be afraid of going back to reality," Regulus said as if it was something very unimportant.

Draco's face was gradually falling. He bit his lip and started to gnaw on it. "I can't imagine it," Draco's smile faltered, his eyebrows furrowed in a frown. He took his lower lip between his teeth; this was a nervous habit he hadn't realized he'd picked up again. Draco mumbled, but the lie felt like ash in his mouth. He could imagine it all too well. The cold fear that had settled in his stomach the night he first saw the Dark Mark resurfaced, a chilling reminder of his own mortality. Was this what awaited him too? An endless dream, a pale imitation of life? He had similar thoughts as he waited for death in his bed. It felt like everything would be over for him if he got out of that bed. That's probably why he died sooner than his mother.

"Regulus?"

"Yes?"

"The tattoo on my arm, what is it for? What does it mean?"

"Excellent questions."
A rustling sound made him look at Regulus again.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked irritably.

"Preparing for my drama," Regulus grinned at him, popping another cracker into his mouth. Annoying chewing sounds came from his mouth.

Draco looked at him as if he had been betrayed. Regulus popped another cracker into his mouth and chewed.

"I take back what I said. You're the worst uncle."

"The only uncle you've ever talked to," Regulus corrected him with a grin, chewing another cracker.

"And the worst one," Draco crossed his arms. He was acting sulky. Let him act like a little kid. He was talking to his only uncle right now.

The wind's intensity decreased. The wind, which was not felt last time, was very cold this time. But he couldn't feel the rock. Even though it looked jagged, it was like sitting on a sponge.

"I see you like the rock," Regulus offered him the cracker packet.

Draco waved his hand to indicate that he didn't want it. "You seem to have worked on it."

"A lot, I put it through different textures until it was comfortable," Regulus said, chuckling towards his hand. He pulled the packet back.

"The cracker doesn't taste good, does it?"

"No."

They sat quietly. Draco made a mental note to put something on before going to sleep. Regulus's winds were abundant where he came from.

"It's probably not a mark, have you seen it glow before?" Regulus broke the silence.

"Yes, at the Yule celebrations," Draco replied.

"There's more magic in it than before, all the magic from your previous body may have passed into your body. Maybe you should think of it as a special spell," Regulus seemed to be trying to comfort him a little.

"You can't call a rainbow-like glowing tattoo a spell, you brute," Draco replied in a bland voice.

"Maybe you haven't discovered its power yet, how do you know? You little snake," Regulus teased him again.

"What color did it glow the most?" Regulus asked.

"White and pink?" Draco said hesitantly. He was wondering what this had to do with color.

"Proof that I'm right, or maybe death just wants to be cruel and left a mark on you, and when you notice this mark, it will take your life in a more painful way," Regulus kept his voice in a fake seriousness.

Draco shivered with the cold winds passing through him. He looked down. Nothing was visible. It was pitch black.

"Don't say such things," Draco said, rubbing his arms. Regulus chuckled.

"Regulus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we'll survive?"

Regulus didn't answer. Draco continued to stare into the void.

"Can we die in dreams?"

"I haven't tried it, I have no desire to die, unlike you," Regulus said, seeming to joke.

"Hey! I don't want to die," Draco said, feeling like he was constantly ruining the mood. Regulus started looking at the stars again. Draco heard a small "me neither" whisper.

"Do you know the Black God?" Draco finally asked the question he had been wondering for a long time.

"Of course, all Blacks know him," Regulus answered effortlessly. He was still watching the sky.

"Let me answer before you ask. Black God was a nickname given to him. He was a very great wizard. He is known as the first Black family member. They even say he was called Merlin with a wand. But he died when he got old. He's about 700 years old, and I'm telling you, it seems like that man really wanted to live, I think he was killed by someone."

Before Draco could process the new information, he asked another question. "Toujours pur?"

"Ah, you've read the 'Always Pure' book, I see. Throw that book away."

"What! Why?"

"It doesn't tell you anything other than all the pure-blood nonsense."

"I'm glad I read other books too," Draco couldn't help but feel proud of himself. After all, he had been reading books about the subject for months.

"That's my clever cousin's child. I can't tell you how glad I am that you're not like Lucius."

Draco chuckled.

"So how do you think this 'god' died?"

"I'm not sure, I didn't do much research on this subject when I was alive."

Draco bit his lip. "You're still alive."

"I tend to forget sometimes," Regulus shrugged.

"I think he had an enemy. Someone who harbored a grudge against him for centuries and killed him when his power waned. Blacks are brave," Regulus said. With the same indifference.

"More like gray though," Draco said.

Regulus laughed at his clumsy attempt at a joke.

"We really have gray eyes, don't we?" He laughed again at his own question. The warmth of the wind seemed to have warmed up. Draco put his hands on the soft rock. It feels like a sponge, he thought. The dream realm is really weird.

"So how do we undo this curse?"

"I don't know what you expect from me, Draco, but I'm just as knowledgeable about this as you are."
Draco sighed at Regulus's answer.

"Next time, focus on bringing me a book instead of your pajamas and slippers," Regulus grinned at him.

"Haha, that was so funny, don't do it again," Draco rolled his eyes.

"The first thing to do to undo the curse is to find the one who started it," Regulus answered his question, frowning.

Draco couldn't help but look at him in this state. He held out his fist. Regulus looked at him in surprise.

"I saw a few Muggles doing this, you have to hit your fist against mine," Draco started explaining to him.
Regulus was still looking at him with those dreamy eyes.

"You look a lot like Sirius sometimes," Regulus said in a low voice, looking at his clenched fist.

"No, I'm definitely not planning on going crazy," Draco shook his head playfully.

Regulus smiled at him. "You never know, madness is in our blood." He hit his fist against his.

"Together?" Draco's smile became more sincere.

"Together," Regulus's smile grew too.

This was Draco's farewell to Regulus before waking up. Because they were on vacation, Draco was constantly sleeping now. Every time he closed his eyes, he would take it back with the hope of seeing Regulus. But Regulus never took him into his dream in the mornings. In the mornings, he would see more masked people, black figures. They were saying one word.
Solis.

Draco was eager to ask Regulus about it. It was as if he was becoming detached from reality like Regulus. His friends asked him a few times what was wrong with him. They knew that Draco always slept a lot, but the boy had started sleeping almost non-stop except for breakfast. Even Blaise wasn't trying to wake him up anymore. He would wake up, have breakfast, and go back to sleep.
Draco, on the other hand, wasn't focusing on his friends at all. He hadn't seen Potter and his gang at all. He wasn't even going down to the library with Hermione anymore. It couldn't even be said that he noticed these things. With the excitement of the question, he entered the dream again. If he remembered correctly, this would be his fourth time spending time with his uncle.

"Draco," Regulus said, indicating that he acknowledged his presence even though his back was turned.
Draco wanted to jump with joy.

"Looks like you want to get straight to the point," When he looked closer at Regulus, he noticed that there was a deer next to him. It was a horned deer. Instead of being afraid, the animal had tilted its head and was freely allowing him to pet it.

This time, their surroundings looked a lot like the forbidden forest. If it weren't for the fireflies flying around, Draco would have had a hard time even seeing Regulus.

"What do you know about Solis?" Draco was sure that Regulus definitely knew about it.

"Solis?" Regulus asked. Draco nodded quickly, forgetting that Regulus couldn't see him.

"Solis is not something to be known," Regulus replied as he moved his hand towards the animal's nose. Draco was confused.

"Sol means Sun. Solis is probably a country or something. Or didn't the Malfoys teach you any language skills?" Regulus's voice was too serious and cold for a joke. Draco was a little offended by his attitude. Yet, last night, no matter what they talked about, they managed to laugh.

"Of course, a dead person has the right to ask if my language skills are sufficient. Good night, Regulus," Draco bit his lip again. He didn't want to be his cousin when Regulus was like this. This stone-cold person was not the person he was talking to. Draco didn't care how cruel he was being.

He turned around to leave. Frankly, he could have disappeared into the mist immediately if he wanted to, but he wanted to add some drama. He had such habits. A few lights wandering in the forest fell to the ground. The fireflies looked like they were dead. Draco didn't want to look at Regulus at all anymore. He pulled his shoulders towards himself. He didn't like this Regulus.

"I'm sorry, it was just a joke. Why don't you sit down and we can come up with theories?" Regulus couldn't see him, but he could feel his gaze. And he didn't like it. His voice wasn't suitable for an apology either.

"You know, if you wanted to cry in your dream, you could have just told me. I wouldn't have minded if you didn't let me in. At least don't ruin the Uncle Regulus role that's stuck in my head." As Draco said this, he felt like a 12-year-old child again. Like before, he was in need of attention and love.

"I'm sorry, I know how purebloods are in training, it's just... A lot is happening." When Draco looked at him, Regulus looked very distraught. 'Apparently, even for dead people, some days can be difficult,' Draco thought to himself. Without any hurry, he sat down next to Regulus. Regulus continued to love the deer.

"You can't just focus on me, you should spend time with your friends." Regulus gave advice without looking at him.

"You're getting into the uncle role too quickly," Draco said jokingly. But for some reason, Regulus didn't seem to be smiling.

"I just don't want to disappoint you. Don't do the same to your friends." Regulus seemed to be muttering. Draco couldn't help but smile at this. Still, when he realized that he had neglected his friends a lot, his heart ached. He had a dreamless sleep that night. He was sure that his uncle had helped somehow.

....

Draco, after going through so many emotional changes in a short time, started hanging out with his friends again. He didn't even need to read as many books anymore. Regulus had given him enough information. And Draco was very ashamed of his outburst at Regulus at that moment. He even avoided his dreams for a few days.
That day, he met Hermione at the library and studied for fun. He watched Weasley and Blaise play chess. (Blaise lost miserably.) He joined Pansy and Daphne talking about fashion. He even lent Theo a book.
These events made him feel better. But Potter still wouldn't let go of that friendship issue.

"So why don't we become friends, our friends are friends," he said, picking up a stone from the ground and skipping it on the water, much like Draco's dreams.

"I promised myself I'd stay away from you."

Harry seemed quite surprised by this sentence.

"Well, why? Everyone practically worships me anyway because I saved them from the most evil wizard when they were babies," Harry complained without thinking about what his words meant.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You want me to worship you?"

Harry was first surprised and then angry. "Of course I mean be my friend."

"Why are you insisting so much anyway? I'm just an ordinary kid."

"First of all, you're not an ordinary kid, you're very beautiful. And you're the first wizard kid I've ever seen. You're also the first person who was kind to me without knowing me."

Draco wasn't sure if the last part was quite true, but he had stopped being cruel and bullying people like before, and was talking to them as gently as possible and ignoring them.

"You're the first kid I thought I talked to and became friends with. But you keep refusing," Harry pouted, sticking out his lower lip.

"You know what, Potter," Draco began to ask questioningly, like conditioning.

"Harry," Harry corrected.

"Potter," Draco repeated with a grin. He couldn't help but tease that innocent green-eyed boy. Besides, he had already broken the vow he made to himself in the first place. He almost always broke his vows. I guess he does these things when he realizes he doesn't really want to.

"If you want me to be your friend, you have to impress me first," Draco said arrogantly. The Potter of his time would have wanted to punch him after this word.

"I thought you were an ordinary kid," Harry said with the same playful mockery.

This was what Draco didn't expect, and he kept judging this little Potter according to the previous Potter.

"But I accept, you'll be terribly impressed by me," Harry said with a big, bright smile, extending his little finger. His eyes seemed to be waiting for him to do the same.

"Be careful, Potter, you're talking like you want me to fall in love with you," Draco said, trying to keep up with the grin, and raised his little finger.

Harry wrapped his little finger around his little finger. Draco realized that this was a Muggle thing. Anyway, it seemed like a vow or a bet. Something inside him squirmed with joy.
Despite all these years, the child inside him was still screaming for the attention of his savior. He was so happy that he missed what Potter said when he let go of his finger and stood up.

"For some reason, I think I prefer this, Malfoy," the boy grinned impudently and walked away.

Draco's face flushed. He was writhing on the ground. His cheeks were burning. This damn Potter, seriously, where did a little kid like this learn such things? Draco realized that somewhere inside, he preferred it too.