Thin White Duke

A few minutes past midday Regulus was waiting at what he assumed was the portkey - an old fashioned tin bin lid - with Peter Pettigrew in tow. Pandora had kept Peter sedated with potions in the food Remus had been giving him. As far as Peter knew Remus was his gaoler. The problem was he couldn’t be kept unconscious while they teleported him back to England. The sounds of happy chatter alerted Regulus to the others’ approach. He instantly cast a silencing spell around his prisoner, and stepped out of the shadows. A light snowfall had begun a little while ago adding a vaguely romantic air to the whole situation which amused Regulus, though he would deny it if anyone asked. 

‘Ah Jamie, you are having a very strange effect on me.’ Regulus thought wryly. ‘I will miss this side of myself, but there’s no place for it at home.’ 

“Hey Sexy.” 

“Sirius”  Regulus replied 

James smiled. Very little had been said as Regulus had watched him pack after breakfast. They both knew it was the end of the ‘holiday romance’ as James had put it. They exchanged a long bittersweet kiss. 

“See you next time, Kitten.” James had whispered. 

“Take care Helios.” Regulus had whispered back allowing himself to get lost in the warm honey brown eyes. 

James had chuckled. “One day you’ll have to tell me why you call me that,” 

“You could look it up.” Regulus had suggested 

“I could. But I’d rather hear it from your lips.” James had responded and kissed said lips, pouring into it all he felt for the man in his arms. He knew he couldn’t say it without wanting to hear it back and Regulus wasn’t there. Yet. 

They had parted when Regulus went to get Peter and James had joined the others to finish the process of checking out.  Now they all stood together around the tin can lid. 

“Thank you for your help Regulus and Pandora.” Tara said. “We’ll see you next month.” 

Impulsively Pandora hugged Willow and Tara. “I’ll see you way before that.” She said brightly. “After all there’s Christmas next week, and New Year the following week. And we have to do all the traditional English winter things while we can. It will be heaps of fun,” she beamed at them all. 

Willow smiled as she hugged Pandora back. “I look forward to it.”

“Alright everyone. Reggie, bring forth the prisoner. It’s time to take the reprobate back to his impending doom.” Sirius announced. 

Regulus rolled his eyes, but did as he was bid. He gave James one final look, who returned it with so much promise it made his heart ache. 

“To infinity and beyond.” Tara said, one hand on the tin lid the other holding Willows. 

And then they were gone. Pandora reached out. Regulus took her hand in his. “You okay?” She asked after a moment. 

“Surprisingly, yes.” Regulus answered honestly. 

“Did you talk?”

“Enough. You?”

“Oh yes.” Pandora smiled dreamily. The week with Lily had been everything she had seen and more. Conversations, laughter, resolution. 

“Did she say yes?” 

“You’ll have to come to the party to find out.” 

Regulus huffed. “That’s unlikely to happen and you know it.” Then drew Pandora into a hug. “Congratulations to you both. I promise not to say anything.” 

Together they walked back to the hotel where they had left their own bags. 

“Is there anything else you need to do while we’re here?” Pandora asked as they came in sight of the Black Cathedral. 

“Not at the moment. I won the dual, but it was the first of many. Most of them will try something over the coming months, but I have time.” 

“Good. Does that mean we get to keep this Regulus?” 

Regulus shook his head. “This Regulus is only at the cottage now.” 

Pandora stopped and tilted her head. Then smiled. 

“What did you see?” 

“Can’t tell you.” 

“Alright. Where shall I drop you off? The cottage or Lily’s?” 

“The cottage. Lily’s staying at the Potters tonight.” 

—— 

Even after a week of emotional highs and lows, traveling by portkey was still the worst. “We’re totally apparating next time we go outside the UK. I hate portkeys.” James declared as he bent over trying not to throw up. 

“What's the problem with them?” Remus asked with a grin. “You should try shapeshifting. That would stop your complaining.”

“You have the constitution of a wolf.” Sirius groaned 

‘True. Superior.’ The Wolf said to Remus who simply grinned. 

“How’s your passenger?” Came a voice from the tree line 

“Hey Dad.” James said, and went to check on the man silently screaming on the ground. “He doesn’t seem so good.” 

“Good spell work if he traveled and it didn’t break. Perhaps whoever cast it would care to lift it?” Monty raised his brow as they looked at each other. 

“Bollocks.” Sirius muttered. “I’m going to murder him.” 

James burst out laughing. “I can do it.” He said and released the spell Regulus had taught him that morning. 

“You….you …..” stuttered Sirius and flung himself at James. 

 “How did the rest of you fair?” Monty said, stepping around his sons rolling on the muddy ground.  

“I definitely prefer airplanes. They might take a lot longer but at least you don’t feel like your insides are attempting to swap places with your outsides.” Tara said, still a little green around the edges. Willow nodded vehemently. She totally agreed. 

Monty handed them both some dark chocolate. “This will help. Good for encounters with Dementors as well. Remus if you could carry our guest please. He doesn’t look or sound as though he can walk. Lily, if you would bring the lid you used, that would be great. The village kids like to play here and I don't want one of them to accidentally end up in another country. That would be embarrassing.” 

Monty looked over at James and Sirius who were still wrestling. “When you two are finished, your Mum has hot chocolate waiting. Provided we don’t drink it all.” He said and set off down the hill back to the house. 

Remus flung Peter over one shoulder and cast another silence spell on him. Lily grabbed the tin lid and together with Willow and Tara, they followed Monty, only to be beaten to the back door by James and Sirius who raced each other all the way. 

The six of them were greeted with the aroma of freshly baked bread and biscuits as well as huge mugs of rich not chocolate. 

“Welcome back. How was your week?” Effie asked, giving Lily, James and Sirius a hug in turn, before handing out mugs. 

“Eventful.” James said, grabbing a couple of biscuits off the tray. 

“Clearly.” Effie said as she eyed the muddy James and Sirius before casting a cleaning spell on them. “You’ll have to make sure you wash your clothes properly but that will do for now.” 

“Yes Mum.” James and Sirius said in unison. 

“Good. Take your drinks into the sitting room, and give me and Winnie a chance to finish prepping lunch.” Effie said as she shooed the group out of the kitchen. “You can then take your bags up to your rooms and unpack before we eat. Remus please put our guest in the study. Monty will take it from there.” 

Everyone grinned and did as they were told.  

 Several hours later the six friends were back in the sitting room with cups of tea in hand, after a filling lunch and long ramble through the village. James wished that he could show Regulus his part of England, which this year was looking remarkably like the Christmas cards being sold in the village shops. ‘Maybe next year’ he thought, always the optimist. 

“What will happen to Peter now?” Lily asked, taking another sip of tea to quiet her agitation. 

James met his fathers dark blue eyes. Before the trip to Budapest they had spoken briefly about what the ministry would do if they came home with a perpetrator. It had never occurred to James that the person would be someone he’d grown up with. Been best friends with. Peter’s betrayal hit not just as a member of the Order but as a member of the Potter’s extended family. In the whirlwind that was Regulus, James had not taken the time to process what it meant to him, to his family, to his friends. Looking around the room, he realised that this was a conversation they had all avoided. 

“What would you like to happen?” Monty asked. 

“We .. we haven’t actually talked about it.” James admitted. “At least I haven’t.” 

Effie raised a brow. James talked about everything. Or nearly everything, she amended. Something had changed in the last few months. He was keeping something back. Probably a good thing, she decided. He needed to learn when and where to overshare. 

Remus and Lily exchanged a look. “We have. You were preoccupied so we didn’t want to bring it up.” Lily said to James. 

“How was he preoccupied?” Sirius asked. Remus raised a brow, Lily stared at him. Tara threw a cushion at him. “Oh. Right. Yes. True.” 

“Would anyone care to explain that statement?” Effie asked into the awkward silence. 

James looked at his friends. His call. “No. Not yet anyway.” 

Effie nodded. James would talk when he was ready. “How are you feeling towards Peter and what he did?” She asked instead.

“Betrayed. I still don’t get why he did what he did.” James answered. 

“He talked about power and recognition. He wanted more of both.” Remus said

“But he was a good wizard. He did well at school. He was brilliant at chess. And he came up with our best pranks. We always told him that.” James argued “He had nearly as many girlfriends as Sirius. Some were even quite nice.” 

“Girlfriends? I though you were all about the chase, not the catching.” Willow stared at Sirius. “Hmmm. I can see that. Weird but doable.” 

“Thanks. I think.” 

“So why would Peter turn on us? When did he turn? What could Voldemort offer that we couldn’t if he’d only asked?” James continued

“How often did Peter ask for things?” Lily asked

The boys looked at each other.

 “Not of me. I always got the impression he wasn’t fond of my furry nature, maybe even scared of it, and he was smart enough to not need help with homework.” Remus replied. ‘Right to be scared.’ The Wolf remarked. 

“We were more likely to go to him, than him to us.” Sirius acknowledged. “Even after we left school, we’d ask Peter to do stuff we didn’t particularly want to do by ourselves.” Sirius looked thoughtful. “He was always so eager to please. I know I took advantage of that sometimes, especially when I was bored or there was a crises at home I was avoiding.” He sighed “I don’t think I was a particularly good friend after all.” And lapsed into a brooding silence.  

“Peter came here all the time. As kids we played in his garden or in mine. His mum would make us soup and sandwiches after primary school, and bite sized pies to take on rambles through the fields and woods. Winnie always had a flask of hot chocolate or iced lemonade for me to take to Peters if his mum was at work.” Tears rolled slowly down James’s face. Sirius and Remus had moved to sit leaning on either side of him. Lily sat in front, holding his hands. James smiled gratefully at them. “From the highs to the lows and back again. Twice. This week has been one hell of a ride.” He whispered. ‘I wish Reg was here.’ He thought.  

“Which begs the question. What do you want to happen to Peter?” Monty’s soft voice cut through the stillness and grief. 

The marauders held each other's gazes and nodded as one. “Whatever would happen if he had not been one of us.” James said sadly. 

“Even if it means Azkaban?” 

“Even Azkaban.” James acknowledged 

“I’m not sure Pete has much happiness left to lose to the dementors.” Sirius remarked a long moment later. “I think he must have hated us in the end to have fallen so heavily for Voldemort's lies of power and glory. I just wish he’d talked to us first. Told us how he felt. Maybe we could have helped.”

The room fell silent. Effie refilled the teapot and poured fresh tea for those who wanted some. Winnie came in sometime later with a tray of small cakes.

 “It felt like sunshine was required.” She said in her quiet voice before leaving again. 

Tara smiled at the bright yellow cakes. She could feel the magic infused into the colour. How the House Elf managed to make something so simple feel like a warm day full of joy and love was beyond her. And it didn’t matter as the whole room brightened up. 

“Winnie, these are amazing.” Willow sighed with content. “I’m going to miss this.” 

Tara nodded. ‘I wonder if Winnie will teach us how to make magical cakes like these. They would be good for Dawn and Xander too.’ She thought, mentally adding it to her list of questions for the Elf. 

They ate in silence. Each lost in their own world. “When will we hear what happens?” Lily ventured after a while. 

“The trial is scheduled for January 15th. You may need to attend to give your statements. I will need official statements in the next day or two to submit to the ministry, but I know you have plans for the next couple of nights.” Monty replied 

“What plans do we have?” Sirius asked confused 

‘Idiot.’ The Wolf growled. Remus growled as well. 

“Oh. Shit. Moony. I forgot. I’m a terrible boyfriend.” Sirius abandoned James and threw himself at Remus. 

“Oof! You have your moments.” Remus grinned, returning the enthusiastic hug.

“In that case, I suggest you boys have a nap and we’ll see you for dinner. Girls, you're welcome to stay here and play games or read if you prefer.” Effie said as she stood up, her tall presence galvanizing the others to action.  

——

Regulus sat on the roof of his top floor flat and watched the moon rise. It had been a difficult interview with his parents. His mother had tried to invade his mind at least twice, only to be kicked out snarling. The third attempt was far more subtle, so Regulus let her see the handsome young witch she had sent to spy on him hanging upside down from the rafters where he’d left her on his first night in Budapest. And then her second spy lying sprawled by the edge of the river as though dead on his second night. She hadn’t sent a third one. He smiled evilly at Walburga who didn’t know whether to be horrified by or proud of her son. The fact that both spies were alive with no knowledge of him, he didn’t bother to let his mother see. Regulus sighed as the interview replayed in his mind. He had decisions to make. 

“The board reported that you have been difficult. That is disappointing.” Orion had stated when Regulus entered the study. 

“I’m fine. Thank you Father. How is your health? You’re still looking somewhat under the weather.” Regulus had replied. 

“Regulus Arcturus Black! That is no way to speak to your Father.” Walburga admonished icily. 

“Good evening Mother. My apologies. It’s been a long week.” Regulus said politely. 

“The board?” Orion insisted. 

“Do not agree with the change in leadership.” Regulus said 

Walburga narrowed her eyes, her sharp features becoming more predatory. “How did you handle that?” She thrust her mind at Regulus. He threw her out instantly. 

“I gave them some options to consider.” 

“You then disappeared for almost three days. There was chaos. Our finances suffered. What happened?” Orion asked coldly 

“I needed to deal with intruders in the family vault. They caused a massive explosion from which I barely escaped with my life. It has taken several days to recover.” Regulus replied just as coldly. 

Thrust number two. A more violent retaliation. Walburga paled further. 

“When I had recovered enough, I went and dealt with the board, some of whom knew the intruders were there. I’m assuming they had not informed you or you would have told me.” Regulus continued as though nothing had happened. “Mother? One was claiming to be the Dark Lord, and we know he is dead.” 

Walburga stared stonily at her son. He grew more like her everyday. A worthy heir indeed. “At the time we were contacted there was no proof of the Dark Lord's death. Sources verified the claim he was still alive, and so we fulfilled our obligation to provide shelter and sustenance.” 

“And so you chose not to tell me?” 

“You did not need to know.” 

“Yet there were senior wizards in Budapest who did.” Regulus waited. Orion and Walburga remained unmoved. He allowed a sigh to escape. “It took a while for them to admit what they knew. Such a pity. They could have been useful allies.” 

‘Got you.’ Regulus thought as a flicker of concern passed between his parents. He felt Walburga try to enter his mind again. Time to give her something or it would start to become annoying.

“I am your son after all.” Regulus said and went to take a seat by the painting without being invited to do so. A cardinal sin at any other point in his life, but he was beyond caring now. His power, magical and mundane, was growing stronger and faster than expected and they all knew it. 

The conversation after that was almost genial. Walburga stayed out of his head and he tested the veracity of her words at every turn. Orion watched amused to see the battle of wills between mother and son. His eldest never had this much fortitude. Business concluded. Regulus rose. 

“Am I required for any family engagements in the next two days?” He asked politely. 

“We are dining with your fiance and her family tomorrow evening at their town house. You are free until then.” Walburga had informed him. 

And now he sat on the roof watching the moon and staring at the stars. Thinking about James. Regulus knew that James and Sirius would be out with Remus tonight. He’d known for years the four of them escaped the castle on the full moon, though it took a while to work out how. He had then taught himself to become an animagus, following the marauders at a distance one full moon to see if his suspicions were correct. And they were. So he continued to follow them when he could. Regulus had almost been caught on several occasions. Indeed once he had been but he’d escaped quickly. 

Regulus smiled at the memory. It turned out his animagus was a black cat. Over the years he’d managed to be able to vary its size, but at fifteen it was an average house cat. He’d been following along trying to work out where they were going, when all of a sudden Moony and Padfoot had taken off after a misguided rabbit. Wormtail had jumped down off Prongs’ back and gone scurrying around in the bushes. Rather than going after the others as Regulus had expected, the stag had turned to face him as he hid in the shadows.  

Curiously Regulus had approached, his heart beating wildly. This was James in animal form. Would he be recognised? Would James say anything to the others if he was? It was thrilling. To stand there in a clearing, deep in the forbidden forest with the moonlight shining down on them. Noses touching. ‘Did that count as a first kiss.’ Regulus wondered as he remembered the gentleness of the touch. The same gentleness James displayed as a man, he realised wistfully. The moment had been broken when Padfoot had come bounding back, terrified rabbit in mouth, bursting with doggy pride, followed by Moony who had a dead rabbit in his. Surprised Padfoot had dropped his rabbit, and Regulus had dashed away before the dog gave chase. From a safe distance he watched as Prongs had stared at where the cat went before turning back to his friends. Regulus had never gone that close again, though he had a feeling Prongs always knew he was there, and had kept Moony and Padfoot from chasing him.  Maybe one day the four of them could be together under a full moon. Or he and James at any other time. Regulus shook his head. It wouldn’t work. He couldn’t walk both paths. Not if he was to continue to keep Sirius safe from their Mother’s wrath, which had never abated. 

It was almost dawn before Regulus made his way back into his flat. He hadn’t tried to sleep yet but knew he had to if he was going to get through the evening with his mother watching every word he said and move he made. With an exaggerated sigh, he crawled into bed and pulled out the t-shirt he had been given. 

“Take this.” James had said, handing a vaguely clean Hungarian quidditch team t-shirt to him. “Dan gave me a couple when we trained with them. So you can remember me.” 

“I’m hardly likely to forget you. I have the bruises to remind me.” 

James had blushed. “Ummmm. Sorry?”

Regulus had grinned “Not sorry.” 

“Take it. Maybe it will help you sleep a bit better. You could pretend it’s me.” James had said somewhat shyly. 

Regulus had held up the top. “Hmmm. A little flat for my taste. Not enough …… chest or …. muscles.” 

James had laughed and pulled Regulus into a hug. “Use your very wicked, thoroughly delightful, imagination to fill in the blanks.” 

Regulus smiled as he remembered their exchanges and drifted off to sleep holding the t-shirt close.