Chapter 9
This guy had to be getting on everyone elses' nerves. Sirius knew there was just no way that his smug face wasn't grating on everyone else. He was laughing at them, despite the fact that they had saved him from dying not hours ago. Perhaps that was why he was so damn happy. So unwilling to talk. Maybe if they had just waiting a bit longer then he would be less tight lipped, but they all knew that was impossible. Despite everything, they were lucky that they had managed to find him in the first place, and it was incredibly humbling that it was the newest addition that had told them were to find the killer in the first place. Now, knowing that this could be some part of an even bigger threat, they were all eager to get behind the crux of the case, but it was hard with this idiot refusing to talk, and Regulus going almost catatonic everytime someone mentions his time in the gangs. Not that Sirius could blame him, it was horrible and htat was just what they had heard, and all implied none of it truly concrete fact. Still, it was obvious enough what had happened to Regulus when he was still under this gang's thumb.
No. Who Sirius truly blamed was Bartemus Crouch. IT was horribly manipulative of him to coerce Regulus into this case, and then use his past to damn him further. It got Sirius angry, and now that he knew that was what Barty was doing, he had to wonder how much the director even truly cared for Regulus, even though it was obvious that Regulus cared for the director. Whatever was going on, Sirius did not really want to know, because he had a bad feeling it was something that would just make him angry, and what he had ato see was bad enough. He could not believe the audacity. Their own, acting like the bad guys. He supposed it happened, he just had hoped that it would not happen during his own time. The manipulation made him feel sick to his stomach.
"Bien sûr." (of course). The french caught SIrius off guard, though he supposed it should not. It was whispered under Regulus' breathe, with his forehead pressed against the glass and a sigh on his lips. It was just, Sirius had not realized how long it was since he had heard french, and despite his own rusty capabilities, he knew fluency when he heard it. This person was fluent. The words curled off his lips effortlessly, and with no trouble. Something that was wrought from years and years of agonizing practice. It was something SIrius hadn't pracitced in a long time. Probably two dozen years now, maybe less, maybe more, he did not really know how long. Just that he had not spoken it for such a long time, and had heard it even less. His brother's soft singing was the last thing in french that he had heard that he could remember, the screams and pleas having been wiped from his mind, thankfully.
"qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?" (what is wrong?) Sirius' own french was so obviously rusty that he cringed as he spoke, though it was clear enough that the other could understand. He only rose one judgemental brow, which Sirius counted as a win in his book.
"L'idiot ne veut pas parler. Nous devrons l'interroger, et je déteste vraiment les interrogatoires." (The idiot will not speak. We will have to interrogate him, and I truly hate interrogations) Sirius had not really been expecting a response, so he was quite surprised when Regulus had given him one. Though he was happy, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
"Are you sure you want to go in there?" Sirius asked, switching from french back to english. He had embaressed himself in the language of his native tongue enough, and he was not willing to continue to do so. Especially not with Regulus' effortlessly beautiful pronunciation. It made him almost regretful that he had not kept up with the language, but he just had not had the heart.
The sigh the echoed through Regulus' next words left Barty wanting to talk to Remus. He was getting more and more angsty about the two's relationship. "À vrai dire, je n'ai pas trop le choix. Barty va l'exiger, et je n'aurai aucune force pour m'opposer à lui." (I don't have much choice truthfully. Barty will demand it, and I will have no strength to stand against him.)
"I can stop him from forcing it if you truly don't feel comfortable. There is no point in you going in there if you don't think you'll be at your best...I...
"Je n'apprécie pas votre prédiction selon laquelle j'échouerai." (I do not appreciate your prediction that I will fail.) the words came out faster then Sirius could translate them immediately, taking a few seconds to actually understand what he was saying.
"I did not mean to imply that, Regulus, truly, I am just..."
"Je ne parle pas. Il vaut mieux que tu te taises maintenant." (No speaking. It is best for you to silence yourself now.) The statement hurt Sirius, but he did as Regulus asked, huffing as he did so, deciding to go to Remus instead.