Cheers,
As soon as he felt his feet touch the ground, he spun toward Regulus. “What the hell are we going to do? That elf saw us; we're so screwed.” He ran his hands through his hair, tugging on it and glancing around wildly.
Regulus just looked at him. Mouth twitching for a few moments before he couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. Letting loose his loud, full belly laughter.
“What the hell is so funny?" He could hardly believe it; his brother had cracked. Completely lost the plot.
Reggie was bent over, holding his knees as he tried to catch his breath. “Your face! Salazar's balls. Sirius, it was just Pell who caught us. It's fine.”
Sirius dropped his hands from his hair, surely leaving it in a state of complete disarray. “We got caught! How is that fine?” he said, throwing his arms wide.
Reining himself in, Regulus finally got himself back under control. Wiping tears from his eyes as he responded. “Pell is a friend and he's Krecher's nephew. He won't tell anyone unless they specifically ask him, which they have no reason to do.”
“You're sure of that? How do you know it's not going to go straight to Bellatrix and tell her everything?
"He," Regulus corrected coolly.
“What?”
“How do I know he’s not going to go straight to Bellatrix?" Regulus rephrased the question, eyebrow arching, clearly challenging Sirius to disagree, “Pell is a he, not an it. And to answer your question, I've helped Pell out several times over the years. We have a good relationship. He won't tell a soul he saw us – as he said.”
He couldn't help but stare at Regulus for a moment. “Are you just friends with all house-elves?"
“All that I come into contact with. They are remarkable creatures, and when treated properly, they are very sweet, not to mention useful.” He turned on his heels and started to walk away, stopping and turning back after a few feet. “Are you coming?”
“I don't understand you," Sirius said, watching Regulus's face.
Hurt flashed in his eyes, “I know.” He said, releasing a heavy sigh. They didn't have time to unpack that right now. “Let me get the polyjuice ready and we can go to Gringotts.”
Sirius watched as Regulus turned back to the forest. Oh. They were in the middle of a forest, a small meadow surrounded by towering trees. His brother disappeared behind some bushes, and he rushed to keep up.
Behind the bushes, there was a small game path. It was easy enough to follow, especially when he could see Regulus again. They walked in silence for about 10 minutes; only birds chirping and the rustle of leaves could be heard over their footsteps.
Then his brother stopped next to a large, odd-looking oak and held out his hand.
Sirius walked up beside him and looked between his brother and the extended hand.
Regulus sighed, “I have disillusionment charms and wards up, you idiot. You can take my hand and I'll let you through the wards, or you can feel free to stand out here alone for the next hour.”
He took his hand.
They walked through the buzzing magic. Once past the wards, he could see they were standing in another small clearing. A rickety shack propped up in the middle.
Regulus dropped his hand and walked straight to the shack; Sirius followed.
The inside of the shack looked much nicer than it did on the outside. A small fireplace roared (or rather, grumbled) to life in the corner. A shabby chair sat in the center next to a table that was covered in papers and books. The perimeter of the room was filled floor to ceiling with shelves covered in more books and scrolls.
He turned to look back out the still-open door to the sleepy forest beyond. “Where are we?”
“Can't tell you where exactly, but this is where I do my research for our little Dark Lord problem.”
Sirius stepped further into the room, running his fingers along the spines of the books on the table. “Merlin, please tell me you don't live here, Reggie.”
Regulus rolled his eyes as he watched his brother. “No, I don't live here. As I said, my research is here. I got a new flat after your unannounced and uninvited visit to my last one.”
“Where?”
“I'm not going to tell you that either.” He said as he turned to sort through vials on what appeared to be a potions station.
Sirius flopped down in the chair, causing it to emit a concerning creak. “Why?”
“Because you don't need to know.” Reg pulled the hair strands out of his pocket and deposited them into two small cauldrons.
“Why?”
Sighing, his brother put the vials down, “Because you helping me has nothing to do with my current living situation. I want to keep it separate.”
“Why?”
This time he was met with a bland stare; clearly, Regulus was done entertaining his inquiries.
He didn't know why Reggie was trying to keep things separate. When they had briefly talked about — well, their family issues, he had seemed just as interested as Sirius in reviving their relationship.
—
The potion didn't take long. Regulus had two flasks ready to go, filling them with the finished Polyjuice potion before walking across the room and handing one to Sirius.
“Which one is it?” he asked as Regulus brought the other flask to his mouth.
“You have Rudolphus. I took Bellatrix.”
“Yuck. Why do you get to be— No, never mind. I don't think there is a better option in this situation.” Sirius shuddered.
“Great. Then drink up and let's go.”
They both paused for a long moment before reluctantly downing their respective potions.
He had forgotten how unpleasant Polyjuice potion is. Not just the taste, which is horrendous in its own right, but the feeling of your body shifting into someone else. Sure, he shifts regularly into Padfoot, but that is a second skin that is his own. This, on the other hand, growing taller and slightly broader in the shoulders, was overall uncomfortable. Just the slight changes to his frame were enough to make everything slightly disorienting, but this would get the job done.
When they were done changing, Regulus got to work transfiguring his clothes to something Bellatrix would wear, so he did the same. He opted for the most basic formal wizarding robes he could do, best to keep things simple and not attract attention. Reg did something similar, choosing to make a long, simple black dress with some sheer fingerless gloves.
“Stand still.” He turned to see Regulus looking like Bellatrix and pointing his wand directly at his chest. Fuck if it didn't make his heart jump into overdrive. Regulus was scary good at copying their cousins' manic expressions.
“Why?” He held up his hands. “What are you going to do?”
A sharp chill shot through him when Regulus laughed, a perfect replica of Bella’s maniacal cackle. “Oh. Are you nervous, brother? I promise I’m not going to hurt you.”
“That's confidence-boosting."
“If you don’t want our disguises to wash away in the Thief's Downfall, then I will need to cast some protective wards.”
“Will that work?”
“I’m casting warding charms that should act as a constant shield. The water should roll off the without touching us, so the disguises should hold. The wards will keep any magic from touching us, though, so try not to get too close to anyone.”
He lowered his hands and held out his arms so Regulus could start casting, “Alright then.”
It took about 15 minutes for Regulus to finish casting the wards on them both.
“Alright, since I can’t touch you, you will have to apparate yourself to Gringotts. I’ll meet you on the steps and we will go in together. Do not speak to anyone. Clear?”
“Why?”
"Have you spent a lot of time with our lovely cousin in the last decade?”
“Obviously not.” Sirius grimaced.
“Exactly, I may be dead, but I was with them far more recently. I will have a better chance of bypassing any concerns that anyone has.”
“Why are you not Rudolphus then? It’s his family's vault.”
Regulus sighed, “Because Bella is the one who deals with everything, Rudolphus is practically useless. Now come on, this is wasting time. When we are back out of Gringotts again, you will apparate somewhere out of sight to wait out the potion and then get yourself home.”
“Can’t I come back here to wait it out with you?”
His brother looked away and shook his head, letting Bella's long dark curls fall in his face. “I think it will be better if we go our own way afterward. I have some work I’ll need to do. I won't be good company.”
He decided not to push it; instead, he nodded to let Regulus know he was ready to go.
—
He landed in an alley not far from the bank and started walking out into the crowded streets of Diagon Alley.
When he reached the steps to Gringotts, Regulus was already there waiting for him. As soon as they were side by side, they turned to the doors and walked into the building.
They made their way to the tall desk in the center of the room. A small, stern-faced goblin behind the counter looked up to greet them. “How can I be of assistance, Mrs. Lestrange, Mr. Lestrange?” He nodded in their direction.
Ah, so Regulus was right. Bellatrix did seem to be in charge, seeing as the goblin acknowledged her first.
“I need to be taken down to the Lestrange vault.”
“If you would like to make a withdrawal, I would be happy to send someone down to do so.” the goblin demurred.
“Did you not hear me the first time? I want to be taken down. As in, I want to go down myself," Regulus snapped in Bellatrix's haughty voice.
"Indeed, Mrs. Lastrange. Apologies. I will send for a vault assistant to take you down.”
“Fabulous.” He turned away from the goblin, a clear dismissal.
It took everything in him not to shiver violently. Regulus was far too good at mimicking Bellatrix. He stood there with his head held high and his eyes flicking around the room, watching everything. Bellatrix’s eyes were slightly darker than Sirius's and Regulus’s. Darker than Narcissa’s too, but the same as Andromeda.
Merlin, he missed her. It had been far too long since he had gone for a visit. Dromeda’s little girl was, what? Six or seven now? Generally Sirius isn’t a big fan of kids, but little Nymphadora was one of two exceptions to that rule.
Sirius felt his mind snap back to the present as a small and even grumpier-looking goblin approached them. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Lestrange, Mr. Lestrange. If you would be so kind as to come with me, I will take you down to your vault.
Regulus let out a demeaning scoff and started to walk toward the vault cart the goblin must have come from. Climbing onto the cart, he sat and adjusted his skirts before looking back expectantly at him; the look was ice-cold, making his skin itch.
He was finding it difficult to even look in Regulus's direction. Instead, he tried to remember the matching set of those eyes, ones that held warmth rather than chills. Dromeda may share Bella’s dark gray eyes, but the difference couldn't have been more glaring. Hers were dark pools filled with happiness and laughter, while Bella's were cold and sharp.
He was beyond glad Andromeda had found Ted and escaped their family. Instead making one of her own filled with joy and hope. Not for the first time, he thought he understood why Bella and Rudolphus hadn't had any children yet. You would have to be insane to want to do that with her.
Subtly shaking himself, he strolled forward and took the seat next to Regulus.
The cart lurched into motion the moment the Goblin was seated, rushing off down the tracks into the bowels of the bank. Speaking of bowels, that's precisely where his stomach has gone in his own body. Dropping further with every turn they took.
He could hear the waterfall before he could see it, the water crashing loudly in the caverns below. Then a sudden turn brought him face to face with the biggest threat to their lives at the moment.
He turned to look at Regulus as they sped toward the water, feeling it wash over the outside of the wards on his body. Nothing. He watched the water roll off Regulus without any change to his appearance as Bellatrix.
He let himself relax slightly after that, and a few minutes later, the cart slowed in front of a vault with a sickly-looking dragon chained in front.
The goblin got off first and walked over to the dragon, waving it off with his hand and a toss of something in the direction he wanted it to go, likely food.
Regulus stood and sauntered over to the vault door that the goblin was now working to open.
When the door opened, the goblin stepped aside to allow Regulus to walk in. As soon as he had crossed the threshold, he turned back to the goblin, “We would like some privacy.”
“Certainly, I will be just down the way. Use the call bell by the cart track, and I will return for you.”
Bella– Reggie nodded and walked further into the vault.
Sirius followed, just about to step into the vault behind him when Regulus swung around to face him. “No. Stay out there.”
“You cannot be serious; you really won't let me help you?”
“I don’t know what precautions they have in here, so no. I don’t think it's safe.”
Sirius grumbled to himself but stayed outside. He could hear Regulus searching, metal clanking, and soft thuds reaching him through the open door. The sound of the dragon patrolling a few vaults down on his other side. It was making him nervous. This whole situation was making him nervous.
“Uh, Re– Bella?” He called into the vault.
The movement inside paused. “What?”
“Do you– I mean, I know you do. But do you regret it?”
“Regret what?”
“All of the Death Eater stuff.”
He could hear the shuttered sigh his brother released. "Yeah, Sirius, I do, but I had my reasons.”
“What were they?”
Regulus didn’t respond; he could hear him starting to move through things again.
Sirius thought about dropping it, letting the silence stretch. He couldn't, though; it was making him itch. Walking back to the vault door, he looked inside, watching as Regulus bent down over a chest he was looking through. “What were your reasons?”
His brother stopped moving again but didn’t look up. “Please, not now.”
Sirius walked into the vault, crossing the threshold into the densely filled chamber. “I just want to know what would have made you join them. If I was wrong and you weren't like them, like I thought, then why would you join them?”
Regulus dropped the items in his hand, looking up at Sirius. “To save you.”
“What?” He felt his heart skip a beat.
“Sirius, you left. If I had left too—if I went to you, and the Potters, to Remus, to James– They wouldn’t have let me leave. They would have forced me to stay by other means, or they would have found a way to force you back into the fold. I couldn’t let that happen. You got out; you were safe.”
Oh. “R– We could have figured it out. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I did, and even now I wouldn’t change what I did. It was my turn to protect you. I was glad to do it—” He paused for a moment, looking back at the piles of stuff in front of them, “actually, there is one thing I would have changed." He spoke softly, starting to sort through the objects again.
“What would you have changed?”
Regulus closed his eyes and Sirius felt his stomach twist at the pain etched on Bellatrix’s face. It shouldn’t be there; he wished he could be looking into his brother's face for this conversation.
“I wouldn’t have hurt James.” Sirius took another step further into the vault, causing Regulus to look up sharply. “Stop. Don’t touch anything.”
The fear in Reggie's tone was cutting. Without another word, he stepped back, carefully removing himself from the vault. The sounds of the dragon coming back to him– as well as something else.
Sirius turned around, hearing the cart track rattling with the approach of another cart. It came around the corner and slowed in front of the vault. “Shit.”
Regulus stilled again. “What is it?”
Sirius didn’t respond, watching as one of the last people he wanted to see got off the cart and walked toward him.
“Brother? I thought you were out with the Dark Lord this afternoon discussing plans for—” Rabastan cut himself off. He got closer and lowered his voice to a whisper, “The plans for the Ministry attack?”
Shit. The fucking what?
He had to think fast, “The Dark Lord required us to complete a small assignment before we could continue. Why are you here?”
His heart was racing, and honestly, he was just moments from spilling his stomach on the floor between him and Rabastan. Fucking Rabastan, one of the few people who would be able to tell he isn’t really Rudolphus without much trouble. Moron or not, they were brothers.
If it were him and Regulus, he would be able to tell— no. Actually, he wouldn't; he didn’t. Regulus was right in front of him under Polyjuice Potion and he had no idea until the mask started to fade. And thank God it did or he wouldn’t be here with his brother now. But this wasn’t the same. He didn’t recognize his brother as someone else, but surely Rabastan would notice that his brother wasn’t himself.
Rabastan looked at him with an odd expression, “You asked me to come down here today to deposit this.” He held out a box that Sirius hadn’t noticed at first.
Just one look at the box told him that it was what they were looking for. The dark magic rolling off of it was enough to make his bones vibrate with the need to flee.
“Ah, right.” He turned and started to walk back to the vault entrance. He made eye contact with Regulus, who had stopped rummaging to listen to their conversation. He tried to give him a look, anything to convey do something without using words. “Bellatrix is already in there looking for what the Dark Lord requested; feel free to go tuck that away.”
He stepped aside to let Rabastan walk into the vault.
“Oh, and Rabi?” he said lightly, getting him to turn back to him once he was inside.
Thankfully, Regulus picked up on his cue, shooting off a curse at Rabastan’s back. He dropped to the floor with a sickening thud.
“Is he dead–” He asked before flinching at the words, bile rising at the revelation– that he knew his little brother could so easily kill someone.
Regulus shook his head. “No, just unconscious.”
Sirius mimicked his nodding head, swallowing to relieve the burn in his throat. “I think he has what we're looking for in that box.” He pointed down at where it had fallen on the ground.
“I think you are right; it feels the same as the other ones.”
“Okay, we should go then.”
“We cannot leave him here like this. The vault assistant will know we aren't who we say we are.” Regulus's voice was smooth and calm, nothing like the panic he could feel rising in his chest.
Shit. They couldn’t leave him here unconscious. They couldn’t wake him up and let him out; he would know they aren’t who they look like. They couldn’t take him with them like this. Fuck.
Regulus walked over to Rabastan's prone body. “Go call the cart back, and then come and help me carry him out there.”
“WHAT!”
His brother shot him a look, clearly annoyed. “Shut up! Salazar, if we're calm about this it will be fine. We just need to get him out of here while he's still unconscious.”
“You don’t think the fucking goblins are going to have something to say about us carrying an unconscious man out of the belly of the bank?” It sounded like the fastest way to get Aurors called on them.
“Not if we tell them he touched something he shouldn’t have. With all the dark objects in here, it's not only possible, it's probable.”
Oh. Well, that makes sense. “Alright.” Sirius turned quickly on his heels and walked out of the vault and over to call the cart back to them.
Making his way back into the vault, he was careful not to touch anything as he helped Regulus lift Rabastan between them. The cart was pulling up to the vault as they made their way out.
Seeing them carrying Rabastan, the goblin jumped off the cart and hurried over. “What happened? I’ll call security!” He reached for a button on the side of the cart.
“No! Wait.” Regulus raised his voice, keeping it cold and controlled. “He touched an object he shouldn’t have; he will be fine, but we just need to get the idiot home.”
The goblin looked unsure for a moment before he nodded and helped them secure the unconscious Rabastan to the cart. They took their seats on either side of him as the goblin closed the vault and returned to the cart.
When they reached the lobby, Sirius cast a quick disillusionment charm over the three of them. That way, they could make their way out of the bank with fewer people noticing them. Some people still did, giving them odd looks before they went back to their own business. Clearly assuming that if it was a problem, the bank's security would have done something about it already.
They carried Rabastan back to the alley they had apparated into, setting him down for a moment.
Sirius spoke first, “What do we do? If we let him go, he will know that it wasn’t his brother and sister-in-law that he saw in the vault. They will know we stole the cup– Shit! Did you grab the cup?”
“Shhh! Yes you moron, of course I grabbed the damn thing.” He glared at Sirius, “We can’t let him go, you're right. We will have to take him back to the shack while we wait for the potion to wear off. If we keep him unconscious then you can take him back to the order when you look like yourself again. Tell them he attacked you and you knocked him out. Let them deal with him after that.”
He nodded, “That’s a good plan, let's go then.”
Regulus shook his head, “Need to undo the wards first; they will block my magic. Once they are gone, I can apparate you both back with me.”
—
They landed heavily back in the meadow Regulus had taken him to last time.
Lifting Rabastan together, they took him to the shack, leaving him outside of the wards. Best not to risk him waking up and seeing the shack. Instead, they waited outside with him, leaning against some trees.
Regulus kept looking off into the forest, anywhere but at Sirius.
“Reg. What did you mean when you said you hurt James?”
He heaved a sigh. “What do you think I meant, Sirius?”
“I don’t want to assume Reggie. I did that about you before and I fucked everything up.”
That made him look up, locking eyes with Sirius. “I broke his heart. He tried to get me to leave our family, to come home with him. To come back to you. I pushed it off, told him I would think about it. Until I took the mark and then I couldn’t be saved. I made him walk away. I hurt him and it kills me, but I can’t see how I could have done it differently.”
“Do you wish you had never gotten together with him?”
Regulus's eyes sharpened, “Never. I regret hurting him, but I am selfish and I will never regret the time I spent with him. The time I got to be his, and he was mine.”
“Ew.”
“Grow up,” Regulus rolled his eyes. Oh. His eyes, not Bellatrix's.
Sirius looked down at himself to see his own body start the uncomfortable shift back into his own form.
The silence held for a few minutes; Sirius didn’t know if he should say anything about James to Regulus. He had shut him down when he tried before, but this conversation had gone well so far. “He misses you, you know.”
“I hope not," Regulus said, closing his eyes.
“When you died I didn’t know about you two, but looking back at his behavior – certain things make a lot more sense. He was devastated, and not very good at hiding it. I was devastated too; that's probably why I didn’t think more about what that meant.”
“Well, he has someone else now, so–”
Sirius whipped his head around to look at his brother, “How do you know that?”
He could see the blush spread over Regulus’s face. “I checked in on him a while ago. He didn’t see me but I saw him– With Evans. I knew he liked her before we ever got together, so it makes sense.”
“Reggie–”
“I really don’t want to talk about it anymore, and you should get going. Take Rabastan to the Order and get yourself home.” He stood and brushed himself off.
Sirius didn’t know what else to say. Probably best he doesn’t say anything, “Okay Reg. Should I wait for your letter or should I just show up here the morning of the next full moon?"
“Here at 10 a.m. is fine.”
Sirius nodded. Hoisting Rabastan onto his shoulder, he apparated away to an Order safe house. One that he knew would be secure enough to hold their captive while he summoned Moody to deal with it.