Velvet Bond

They returned home in no time, Regulus was excited about the diary and he had to show that to Barty and they had to start planning how to get the most from this fucking fantastic discovery.

"So? What are you so excited about?" Barty inquired him and he grinned viciously.

"Look here" Regulus said pointing at the diary in his hand and Barty shrugged, watching skeptically at the brown old thing that he had in his hands.

"I thought that Voldemort was more stylish than this, how old is this thing? I can see that it has even some fleas on it."

"I think that it's from his childhood, but it's not everything dumbass, open it." Regulus said, he couldn't contain the fact that he was almost excited, little thing could do that to him.

"What?" Barty opened it and flip through the pages. "They are empty Reg, everything's alright?" He moved to taste his forehead but he scooted away rolling his eyes. Why didn't he think of it sooner? Obviously it would disappear, he was one of the most powerful wizard so it was like a game to him, and to make Regulus appear like a crazy.
"But I can feel the dark coming out of here, so I'll give you the benefit the doubt"

"How nice of you, really" Regulus scoffed, he hated being wrong, he didn't imagine it, it had not been the side effect of the loss of blood, it considering the drop that fell on the ground loss of blood. He had worse and without side effects.
No- there was something else.
Did he need blood to activate it?
Did he need to cut himself open to demonstrate his point?
But it was a diary, and Voldemort probably had used that thing like that so- maybe a simple pen would be enough?

"Reg? Seriously are you okay? You went in this thoughtful mood and it's quite scaring- I'm not used to your thinking."

"Bitch" Regulus grinned, glaring at his best friend who smiled at him.

"Asshole"

"Shut up, idiot"

"Is this the best you can do?"

"I'm trying to think here"

"Just try not to hurt yourself too much" he just gave him the middle and took the diary between his hands.

"You're useless" Barty flip him a kiss and Regulus rolled his eyes again.
What an idiot. Really.
Barty was one of the smartest person alive but if one counted the time in which he really tried to do more than the necessary- well- they were few.

He went at the kitchen table and took a pen.
He didn't think very much at was he was going to write, he just wan to make a point.

Hi Tom Riddle, I'm-
He stopped himself, he didn't think about that- he- he probably shouldn't use his real name, he didn't know if Voldemort could track his diary or the person that was writing inside it but it was better to prevent that form happening.
"A name Barty, I need a name-"

"A name?"

"Yes, quickly!" But the ink was already disappearing and Regulus watched how the page absorbed his words.

Who are you? How did you find my diary?

"Fucking hell- it's brilliant!" Barty exclaimed and Regulus smiled triumphantly.

"See! I told you!" And Barty mocked him with his hands.

"Quickly! Write a name stupid!"

"I don't really know!"

"How useless can you be?"

"You're the one to talk!"

"I'm getting anxious, please answer to the gentleman"

"The gentleman? Are you stupid Barty?"

"Dora!"

"Dora? Like Pandora?"

"Yes! And it's Dora not Pandora, shut up"

"Why a woman?"

"Regulus I swear to Merlin that if you don't write it right now-"

"Alright! Alright! I'm Dora form now on"

"Nice to meet you Dora."

I'm Dora, I find this diary in a library, I thought that I could use it to talk about everything that burden me- but maybe I'm disturbing you

"What things Regulus?" Barty interrupted him and Regulus cursed under his breath.

"I don't know! I just want him to open up to me, I'm not that good at- talking." Regulus grimaced he didn't really know what he was doing.

"You cold, old, emotionless man-"

What things?

Barty looked at him like 'see? This is what I was talking about' and Regulus rolled his eyes for the tenth time that night.
"Are you sure that he's Voldemort?"

"I don't know, but he said that his name is Tom Riddle" Regulus shrugged and- well- maybe they were neared than they thought? Maybe Tom Riddle was the final piece to Voldemort identity? But what if he was wrong? What if instead Voldemort was just a kid who found the diary like 'Dora' and talk with this Tom too? What if he caught it wrong? Were they losing their time?

I don't know if I can tell you

Barty snorted but then he returned serious."Wait-" he opened his mouth and the he closed it again.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, just wait- you said Tom Riddle right?"

You can tell me everything, we're safe here

"Fuck, fuck, fuck" Barty cursed and Regulus almost jumped.

"What Barty? What?"

"I know it- I know- I've already seen a Tom Riddle- but where? Where? Where?" Barty took his head between his hands and Regulus started to watch him expectantly. "Just- where?"
This- this was good- if Barty just-
"Shit- I need to put everything in order- but I'm there- almost- I can feel it grabbing my mind-"

"Barty I swear to Merlin that I'll kiss you like in this moment if you remember something remotely useful-"

"Ew- no- retreat that- immediately" Barty snorted and Regulus smiled.

"Alright, I'll not kiss you if you remember it-"

"I can and I will Regulus- everything to make this easier. Give me two hours." Barty closed his eyes and he knew- Barty was going to resolve the puzzle. Barty was going to give him the key to finish this war.

"Alright Barty, I'm trusting you"

--------------------------

January 1978

Pandora felt that something that day was bad.
She was like that, she sometimes could predict something, feel something, tell that something was not going where it had to.
And that morning it was the same.

And she knew that something was wrong with Regulus. She saw that something was off in those days, since they returned from the holidays Regulus was acting strange, weird, lost in his mind, they all knew that something had happened - like always- but they always let Reg took his time, they always let Reg work his things straight, because the boy hated to be cornered, he hated to be questioned, it made him feel trapped like when he was at home, and they didn't want to scare him off, so they let him do his things without asking too much. He was smart, intelligent, too much for his own good, and he could take care of himself.

Most of the days.
Not that day.

Regulus was usually very good at hiding his emotion, those grey eyes of his were capable of saying nothing and everything, and it was unsettling for a lot of people, but not for her.
She had learnt to read those eyes.
And what she found that morning was not very good, but she didn't thought of it too much.

And this is why Pandora felt so guilty.
Because she saw that something was bound to happen but she didn't do anything to prevent that, she could have asked him, have stopped him between one lessons and the other, but she didn't, too caught up with her things, Xenophilous and their homework.
They just returned from the Christmas holidays and she had a lot to do, so she said to herself that she would talk to him that evening at dinner, that everything would be good even if they waited for some more hours, that Regulus was always fine so it shouldn't matter too much, he must be just tired, nothing else.

Nothing else.

Nothing else.

But when neither of them saw him in the Great Hall for dinner- she knew.
She knew that something didn't go as planned, that she made a mistake, that everything was wrong, wrong, wrong..

"We have to go" Pandora said hurriedly, getting up from the table and almost running to the Slytherin common room and the other followed.
They did understand very early to not question her when she was this agitated.

"What?" Evan was able to manage, between one breath and another.

"Something is bad, Regulus is bad. I can feel it" Pandora said and Barty cursed, going faster. "I know, I know, I know, I just know" she started to hum under her breath.

"We'll- he'll" Dorcas tried to say "Be okay- right?" She wanted to sound convincing but she wasn't.

"Regulus" they called when they arrived in their room and they didn't expect to find him rolled up in a ball of black fur on his mattress, his head hidden between his legs, his ears down, maybe sleeping, maybe not.
He transformed himself.

"He transformed himself" Dorcas said voicing her thoughts.
This was worse than bad.
Regulus used to transform in his animagi form only when he wanted to gain something, go for a walk at night or when he wanted to stop feeling, because it was easier that way, because he felt less when he was a cat than in his human form.
And- And when that happened- it meant that Regulus was near to the cliff, ready to jump in and never resurface again.
It meant that they were near to lose him into his own head.

"Pandora- can you go- can you get him?" Barty whispered. "Please- tell me-"
Barty couldn't do that.
He wasn't very capable of being kind.
He was the best at giving advice, at being the rational guy who found solutions, but other than that- it wasn't his area of competence.

"I'll-" Pandora started to say, the eyes of her friends on her back, watching her expectantly and she breathed in, trying to calm herself down, because she couldn't- she didn't- Regulus needed her at her best. "I can try-" she whispered at them.

"Ari-" he patted the cat on the head and he lazily spot her, his tail unmoving, his body froze on that spot he craved for himself.
Even in this form Regulus couldn't stop his mind from racing and pacing.
It could go terribly wrong.

She sat next to him, his head still between his toes but his eyes were watching every move she made, ready to jump away? What was he expecting from her?
"Ari- please- come back to us" she whispered again.
And again.
And again.
She only prayed for him to come back, nothing else, no talk, no hug, no things to do, only to come back, because if he didn't- well- he was lost forever.

The hours passed and he was not turning back.

So she tried hard.
But she failed.

And she tried again.
And when she failed again, and gain, and again she started to panic, because ti was not good when one couldn't or didn't want to go back, he could remain trapped like that forever and if this was what Regulus wanted right now there was nothing they could do to to reassure him.

So she tried harder and harder.
She was not ready to gave him up.

They went restless, no one could move, they only watched.
"Ari please, turn to us, we are here for you, we are here, I swear that everything will be good. We are here, we are here, we are here for you. It's okay, alright? Everything will be fine, it's alright"

And finally- finally the cat moved.
Ari's tail wiggled a bit, helping his body to move, he was trembling a bit, his paws unsteady under his weight, because he didn't move for a long time.

But it was okay.
Because little by little the cat moved.
Little by little he posed himself in her lap.
Everyone breathed for the first time that night.
Everyone knew that this was an improvement.
And they were clinging on every move he did towards her, their breath came out lightly every time Regulus moved his head to watch them, to acknowledge them, to gaze at them.

"Right- you are right, like this Ari. I know you can. Ane we are here and we are proud of you." And maybe that was what he wanted to hear.
Because Regulus transformed back.
Finally he gave in.
Finally he posed his head on her lap and she could took a deep breath.
Regulus was there. Regulus was with them. His head was touching her tights and his curls were tickling her hands.
This was enough.
They would think of anything else later, when he was ready.

But no.

They weren't ready.

They weren't ready for his sobs, for his broken cries, for his trembling body.

And everyone was still on edge. Again.
Because what the fuck?
What happened? Who could reduce their boy light this? Their golden boy?

"Ari- Ari please, talk to us- what's wrong? You're with us, you're okay, we're here, we're here for you." She said and Dorcas nodded along, but she stayed away, like she didn't want to interrupt them. And right now Pandora didn't even know if regulus knew that they were all here for him. He seemed so lost.
So gone.
Far away.
Like he turned back but he didn't really.
Like he turned back but he wanted so hard to be a cat again.

"Please- please honey- you're going to choke, you can't go on like this you need to breathe." She started massaging his shoulders, caressing his back. "Like me, in and out, in and out." But Regulus didn't stop, he couldn't stop, something was keeping him down there, down the cliff, making him sob, cry his eyes out and it wasn't gone.
He needed to free everything he felt inside but she was so scared, she was so afraid for him, for her boy, for her best friend.

"I don't know anymore. I don't know, I don't know, i don't know. I just want everything to stop, please, stop, stop, stop. Make it stop. Why can't I be normal? Why do I jave to ruin everything? Everyone? Why? Why? Why? What's wrong in me?" Regulus was having an hysterical attack and they didn't know what to do, they didn't know that regulus could be like this, they didn't even see Regulus like this, and it was very wrong to think of him as impeccable and always put together but regulus was that, they saw him like that.

"Ari- you didn't ruin anyone. Why- what?" She felt a lump in her throat.
What was he saying?
Why now?
What had happened in those holidays?
Regulus' holidays were always bad, and with bad she meant the worst but nothing- nothing like this ever happened.

"I do! I ruin everything around me! Because I'm weak and stupid and fool and- and- I'm the worst man alive, the worst thing on this world. I don't deserve to live!" Regulus cried and cried and Pandora stopped her hand for a solid minute.

"Regulus, please don't- don't- no-" Barty was there, froze, watching the brother he never had having the worst breakdown one person could have.

"First Sirius goes away a leave me like that, making me think that maybe, and I mean maybe there is something wrong with my perception, with my parents" Everyone watched him because, there was indeed something wrong with that family but for Regulus it had ever been all bullshit, every family had to be crazy, mad and abusive, he grow up like that so it must be like that for everyone else.

"And then- then when I was questioning everything about myself Voldemort came to our house, you know?"
No. They didn't know. He never said that. But Regulus didn't always said everything. He was like that, they liked to thing to know him but they didn't, they knew that best part of him, he always left out what his parents did or what they asked him for or anything else.
"And-" Regulus sobbed into Pandora's lap while she stroked his hair, she tried to say that it was okay, but Regulus was so not okay that it was hard to lie like that.

"And- and you didn't see him okay? You didn't meet him. But he was so- he was so fascinating that I believed him. I believed in everything he said. I believed in what he said because for the first fucking time in my life someone was seeing me okay? He looked into my fucking eyes, I was scared shitless, Sirius just got away, my parents beated me to a pulp, I was miserable and weak but he looked into my eyes and he smiled at me! At me! Someone smiled at me like he was proud of me! And then he said that I was better than Sirius!" Regulus was trying to scream so hard but his voice came out like a whisper, barely there like he was there but he wasn't really, like he went there again and witnessed his meet with Voldemort for the first time again and again and again.

"He said that I was better, because I didn't escaped, because I wasn't weak, that I was brave, that I was intelligent and that he wanted me as his soldier because he saw something in me that no one else had." Regulus cried, his sobs were making him hard to breath and she was afraid that he would collapse, he would faint like there, in the middle of a panic attack, and they couldn't do anything to prevent that, Regulus needed them and they couldn't do anything for him.
Regulus was always there when they need him and the only time he needed them they made him panic even more.

But what triggered that?
What was the cause?

"And I had been a fool! A fucking idiot, worse than that! Because I believed him, I drank his words, I eat his words like I was an hungry man and I find a fucking banquet. And all of this because I liked that he saw me, because for the first time someone saw me for who I was, not the little brother of Sirius Black, not the weakest member of the family black, not the fucking black sheep, but he saw regulus Arcturus black! He saw me and he chose me!"

"I- I get it- okay- Regulus- you were a child- you were fourteen and in an abusive household, it was normal for you to believe in him, fuck everyone would have gone to someone that finally recognized him. It was normal. You- you just wanted to be appreciated." Dorcas tried to say but their friend went on like she didn't spoke, lost in memories of someone dark, something that he wanted to forget so bad but he couldn't, something that he wanted to rip off his own skin but he wasn't able to.

"He played with my mind and I let him, he played with my emotions and I let him. I was happy to let him take everything from me. He was using me, he was abusing of my weakness, of my brother's escape, of my abusive family and I fell into his trap. I would have done everything that he asked me. Everything. You don't even know." Regulus laughed between his sobs, like he was making fun of himself, and maybe he was.

"And at the end" Regulus watched his arm, and they didn't need to understand what he was going to say.
At the end he got him.
He took the mark, even though in the last period he showed insecurities, even though he told them that's he was changing his mind, that he saw that everything was wrong, that he didn't want to join him anymore, but they made him took the mark nonetheless.

They had been stronger.

But it didn't mean that it was completely his fault.
He tried to fight them. He tried to understand better, he was just weaker than his parents. He didn't deserve all that. He didn't deserve to fell bad for someone that his abusive parents made him do.

"At the end he took away everything I had, my brother, the person I loved the most, and probably all of you-" she frowned because they wouldn't go anywhere.
They were a group.
They backed each other.
"Because I was a damn fool, because I saw the truth too late in ruined everyone around me. But I understood, I swear I do!" Regulsu cried, talking Pandora's face into his hands and watching her, like he was trying to make her understand that he was not bad. That he was normal.

But there was no need.
Not with them.
They had each other's back. Always.
He didn't need to make them understand anything, they were there, they saw everything about him, they were there, they knew how Sirius' run made him broke, how he collapsed under the weight of hysterical duty.

"I swear I didn't hate them, the muggleborns, I understand now. I don't want to kill them, I don't want, I swear, I swear, I swear, I swear, I swear, please believe me, please, please, please, please, please, please. I understand now, I swear that I don't believe him, that I didn't want this that I tried to fight back but I couldn't. Please believe me, please." He was pleading and begging like a thirsty man that couldn't reach the waterfall in front of him.

"Alright Reg, I believe you, I swear. We all believe you."
But he was Like he didn't her again. And the question was the same.
Who cause this?
Why?

"No- no you have to be live me, you have to, please- I changed, I changed, I know now, please don't hate me, don't leave me, don't- just don't- please James, James, James, James, James" Regulus said again and again and again and the room froze.

The room literally froze.

Their breath was suspended, nobody could talk about this, nobody could wrap their minds about this twist of fate because- how did they get acquainted? What- who-? Pandora could have sworn that he talked about Sirius not- James?

"James?" Evan said first.
A clear question in his voice because- what the fuck?

"Why did you leave me? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm not bad, I swear, I swear, I'm not bad anymore, I changed, I changed." Pandora took regulus' head and she posed it on her shoulder, she went on caressing his curls

"What the fuck did that fucker?" Barty said, venom in his words and Dorcas had to stop him from goin there and fight with him.

"It's okay Regulus. I won't leave you." Pandora said instead even though she knew she wasn't the one who Regulsu wanted right now.
Even though she finally put the pieces together.

"Maybe you are right, maybe I do deserve to rot with them" Regulus said at the end, his face buried in her hair and she felt so sick she could almost throw up. Regulus whispered those words but the silence in their room was so strong that they almost echoed.

And right now-

Right now, for the first time in her life, she felt hate.
It was not James' fault, the bloke was just like that, the golden boy, the golden retriever, the kind puppy, the one who didn't ever do anything wrong, so she understood that, she understood that James couldn't accept- couldn't accept- the mark, Voldemort and everything that came with him.

But he hated him nonetheless.

Because his best friend was like this, and no one knew how difficult it was for him.
It wasn't his fault, he- just he- he was his Reg. He had changed.

She heard Regulus's breath calm down and she knew he felt asleep on her lap.
Only then she decided to watch Barty, Evan and Dorcas who paled.
"We should let him sleep a bit" Pandora said at a certain point, it was a dumb statement after the panic attack he just had but she needed to broke that silence that was heavy on their head.
They were all thinking.
They were all trying to understand what to do with Regulus, what to say-

"I'll go with him" Barty said suddenly and Dorcas shrugged her eyes but Pandora understood perfectly what he meant.
"I'm not abandoning him there, he'll kill himself in two days. I'll take the mark with him but I'm taking the mark not because I'm loyal to the Dark lord or whatever but because I'm loyal to Regulus Black." Dorcas watched him with wide eyes but Oandora understood him well.

"I'll go too" Evan said, his voice was a whisper but decisive.
"I'm sorry Pan, I know you'll go with Xenophilous and- it's okay. I don't want you at war, and you don't want me either- but I should go with him. I want to stay with him." She felt her heart break, she knew that she couldn't oppose to that, it was his brother choice and well- their parents' too, but she was worried nonetheless.she closed her eyes, trying to keep her tears away form her eyes, just form now, just for a bit, because they didn't need other tears, they didn't need other scream. But she wanted to scream.
Because they were going at war.
And it would end bad.

"I'm-" Dorcas said and Pandora knew that she wasn't going to join them. And it was okay. Regulus would be okay. "I- I can't guys" she whispered low at the room and they all smoothed their gaze at their friend's admission. "I- I want-"

"It's okay Dorcas. You'll always be our best friend. We can't ask you this. You can't fight against Marlene and your reasons. No one asks you to." Evan said, placing a hand on her shoulder, hugging her tightly a minute later. Dorcas nodded but she saw the tears in her eyes.
"Everything will be okay" she heard her brother's whisper.

They would fight opposite sides at war.
But that was okay, everything would be okay, this was what Pandora kept repeating in her own head.
Everything will be fine.

But Pandora knew better.
She already knew that she was asking for a hopeless thing.
The war finally arrived even to them, in the wall of the school they thought to be safe, and they weren't ready for it.

-------------------

Pandora sometimes thought of that time, when they were all still together, sharing Regulus and Evan's room for their sleepovers and talking animatedly until late.
She missed that.
She missed Regulus, Barty and Dorcas.
She missed her younger self, when she was calmer, when she didn't have to be scared of her own shadow, when she didn't have to pray everyday for Luna's safety.

"Hi sis" Evan kissed her head and she leaned into his arms.
The only thing that remained the same was Evan and his presence in her life.

"Hi Evs, didn't you have Orion's funeral?"

"Well Reg didn't care nor do I" Evan smiled and Pandora smiled with him. He was right and under the strict gaze of his father was hard for Evan to sneak off to see her.
But she was happy.
"Where is my girl?" His brother asked and she gave him Luna who was giggling happily.

"How are things with you lot?" She asked, she heard sometimes from Dorcas but never from Barty or Regulus, not because they cared less but because it was safer that way. Even Evan found coming there difficult sometimes.

Evan hummed a bit and that picked her interest.
"Well-" he started to say before stopping. "They're improving, Voldemort tried some shit to the Potters and you know how Reg becomes when you touch one of his person" and Pandora knew.
Pandora knew too well to not touch Regulus's possessions.
He was so possessive at times but he was the best at protecting them.

"Alright so? What happened? The Potters are safe right?"

"Yes! Sure- So uhm- well Voldemort is- uh"

"What Evan? Are you in danger? Did he know that you are-" traitors?, she bit her lips and Evan smiled a little.

"No- nothing like that- he's currently off- like in a sort of a coma? And Regulus is trying to find these things called Horcruxes and-"

"Wait what? Voldemort is out?" Pandora opened her mouth like a fish, he was fucking out of the games and Evan told her that like ti was nothing?

"For now Panda, do not jinx it please."

"Wow- just- wow- and Regulus did that because- of the Potters? He- he must have been very- very angry with him."

"Well he wanted to kill their baby"
Pandora forze, her breath stilled in her throat, she watched at Luna and she saw her eyes sparkle with joy, trying to play with Evan's ring.

"To kill- Harry?"

"Yeah- fucking shit- but they're safe and- well now Regulus is like bonded with their child?"

"WHAT? O my God Evan what the fuck?! What did that idiot do? Bond? It's serious shit that-" she couldn't believe that they didn't talk for like two months and they were able to do all of that. How crazy must they be?

"I don't literally know what to say to you, it's- it's all confusing and- a lot to take in- and- well we don't know really- it's just- we are just going on." And she could understand that.
Just keeping on and on. Because the world was gong on and it wouldn't stop for them.

"So maybe now it's not the time to say this-" she bit her lips again- Evan would not be happy. Neither of them would. And she was sorry. But she had decided.

"Fuck" Evan cursed "What? Pandora what happened?" And she saw that his brother was tired, so so tired, so she felt guilty to drop that bomb but better now than never.

"Xenophilous is sick."
Evan was speechless for some time.

"Like- like-"

"Yeah- it's- it's not good. The healer says that- well- he don't have a lot-" she stopped herself in the middle, she didn't want to cry. She didn't want to. Really.
It was okay. They were going to be okay.
She knew this for quite some time. A bit of months. And they still have some time.
She was sorry that Luna couldn't- she was going to-

"Fuck" Evan passed a hand on his face. "Fuck Pandora- fuck I'm sorry- Merlin-"

"It's- it's-"

"It's not okay, don't say it-" Evan got up and hugged her tightly, Pandora still in his arms, she was playing with his necklaces.

"Yeah- It's not okay. It's- it's not." She shook her head but she felt better because fuck- her brother was still the same and she loved that, he would be with her through all of that. She loved so much Evan that- fuck- she didn't know what to do without him. "We are trying our best right now, we still don't know but- it's like this so- we are really trying-"

"Yeah right- you are right- fuck- he's such a good man- I'm sorry." She nodded along her brother, trying to calm down her breath.

"But- well- hum- I'm not finished"

"This was not the thing? Did it get worse?" He groaned and no- Pandora just started.

"Well- it was half- Xenophilous want to enter in the war. He want to help to- to finish it all- it's not much but- he didn't want Luna to grow up in- in this." she explained quickly and she saw the gaze in his brother eyes turn dark.
He was not happy about this.

"And you want to go with him?"

"Yes" she said convinced. She wanted to help. She was smart and quick. They could be useful to the Order. She was in class with some of the current death eaters, Mulciber and Avery did a lot of shit during that days and she knew a bit about it. She could help the Order.

"Are you kidding Pandora?" Evan stood up, giving Luna back and walking back and forth for the kitchen. "Tell me you aren't serious right now, you can't- you don't want to- to kill or to fight- or- you don't want that."

"Nobody wants that obviously, but it is what we got so- I made my mind, you cannot convince me otherwise. I need to do this."

"And you don't think about Luna?"

"I'm doing this for her Evan! I'm tired sick of seeing everyone fight and- and work and be useful for this war and us that are hidden here and- I want to finish it all!"

"You are a bit megalomaniac if you think that-" Evan sneered and-

"It's not the point and you know that! I can and I will be useful!"

"I know that you can be useful but you have a fucking daughter Pandora!"

"As the Potters and a lot of other people!"

"In fact if it wasn't for Regulus they wouldn't be still here!" Pandora widened her gaze and Evan shut himself up. "That- that- sorry- it wasn't necessary. Sorry- just-"

"Yeah it wasn't-" she said. "But I understand you. And believe me- I thought about this- I cannot- I have to help- I need to help. So I can watch into my daughter eyes and say to her that- that we were part of this that we helped- that we did this for them-"

"She would be proud of you nonetheless, you don't need to go-"

"I know. But I want to." Evan was quiet for a bit of time, his mind racing, he was biting the inner of his cheek and she knew that he wasn't happy by that.
But at the end he would gave in. Because he knew that it was her choice and that she was convinced. They were twins so they knew each other better than themselves, sometimes they could feel the same thing, share the same emotions, be the same person, so she knew that Evan would soon understand why she was doing this, why she had to do this.

"Okay." Evan finally gave in like she had planned.
She had made her decision but seeing that Evan supported her was- well- it was warming her heart.

"Thanks"

"You did the same for me, you did- okay- okay right- alright- fuck- do this if you want to do it- it's heartbreaking but- but we'll manage to keep you safe. We have to." she smiled because watching him taking the dark mark had been the worst thing alive, so she could understand what he was feeling right now.
But sure- she did the same for him.
For them.

"Yes, I know that you'll be here for us. We have you now. Barty is the smartest person alive and Regulus the most deranged one out there. Just be sure to keep them out of troubles."

"You don't know what you're asking me" Evan snorted. "So-" he stared again and Pandora watched him with an arched eyebrow.
"I have to ask you something and- I don't know when we'll see each other again-"

"What?"

"About Luna and his father- I want you to do something for me."

Later that night, when Evan went home he found his boys still studying a diary on the kitchen table and he grinned at them.
He kissed his boyfriend's head lightly and he loved how Barty gave up at his touch, surrendering completely under his arms, Regulus near him did a verse of disgust but he knew better, he was happy for them.

Evan was going to save all of them.
Evan was going to save his sister, because Luna would grow up without her dad but not without her mother.

"Well guys- we have a war to end" their gaze interlocked and yeah- why not?