Safe & Sound

Remus is leaning against his car, arms crossed over each other. His heart is hammering in his chest. A week ago, he requested a trial for Sirius. He felt like he betrayed himself by actually believing that Sirius would murder James. He can’t imagine how Sirius must feel. They’ll need to start all over with trusting each other after this. Remus thought about telling Sirius that he never believed that he did it, but he would be lying. That would make things worse. 

He’s relieved that people believed him and that he was able to convince Sirius to take veritaserum without telling anyone that James is actually still alive. He obviously doesn’t want people to know where he is, otherwise he would have reached out a long time ago. 

When Remus looks up, he almost jumps. Sirius. He looks tired. His eyebags are dark and cold, he’s grown a stubble and he just overall looks dirty. Sirius’ eyes soften when they fall on Remus. He feels a wave of relief wash over him as he strides over to Remus. Tears are gathering in his eyes, blurring his vision. 

When he collides with Remus, their arms immediately wrap around each other. Sirius lets out sobs as tears are streaming down his face, staining Remus’ jumper. He breathes in that familiar scent and his legs almost give up from exhaustion and relief mixed in one. 

“What happened to James?” His voice is hoarse and it breaks on the delicate syllables of his best friend’s name. There are still guards standing at the entrance so Remus moves close to Sirius’ ear. “He’s still alive, but I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing.” He whispers. Sirius lifts his head suddenly, looking at Remus, his gaze questioning. 

Before Sirius can say anything, Remus signs to him to get in the car. A shiver rolls over Remus’ back as warmth in his body returns when they get further away from the ministry. He feels Sirius’ eyes burn into the side of his face. He lets out a shuddery breath before finally caving to turn his head and meet those familiar light eyes. “James is alive.” Remus forces out. 

Sirius lets out a deep sigh and relaxes in the passenger seat. “We thought he was dead. We had a funeral and everything. But like a month ago, I ran into R-” He pauses. “Someone and they told me that James was still alive. They made James send me a patronus. It was really him. But right now, Effie, Monty and us two are the only people who know he’s still alive.” 

“Do you know where he is or what he’s doing?” Sirius’ voice trembles. Remus shakes his head. “No,” 

The car falls silent again. 

Sirius turns to look out of the window and is determined to find James and bring him home. 

☆☀︎︎☆☀︎︎

The whole Black family will be at The Lestrange Manor for one of those pretentious gatherings Regulus was always forced to go to, which means that the Malfoy Manor will be completely empty. Regulus and James have spent the past day coming up with a plan. They’ve gone over every possible situation, perfecting the plan.

They are now waiting for the perfect time to go inside. Lucius had always taken a liking to arriving late to draw more attention to himself. So they’re now waiting to see Lucius, Narcissa and their son Draco to leave for the gathering. James is tapping his knees to make a beat, probably to calm himself. Regulus rolls his eyes before nudging him with his elbow, almost knocking him over. “Quiet,” He hisses at James. 

When they hear the wards warping, Regulus hastily grabs ahold of James’ knee, trying desperately to ground himself. They hear Lucius and Narcissa bickering about god knows what. Their son, Draco, is happily babbling nonsense. After a few seconds, they apparate away to The Lestrange Mansion. Regulus almost jumps up from the floor in anticipation. 

“Alright, go in and get out as fast as you can.” James assures Regulus, but he feels like James is just assuring himself which is adorable. James isn’t going into the manor due to the wards. Regulus nods and makes his way to the manor.

He sneaks to a side door that is closest to the grand staircase. He points his wand at the doorknob and casts the spell. “Alohomora,” he whispers as he waits for the door to open. Within seconds, the lock gave way with a soft snick. Regulus glanced over his shoulder to ensure no one was following him, then slowly pushed the door open.

The house greeted him with that familiar Malfoy Manor smell. The interior was bathed in darkness, a soft glow from the moonlight outside. He moved inside, easing the door shut behind him.

Regulus paused, listening intently. The house was still, no sign of anyone stirring. He made his way down the hallway, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. Every creak of the floorboards set his nerves on edge, but he pressed on, guided by the mental map he had constructed.

The diary was in the study, a room on the second floor. The stairs creaked under his weight, each step a potential alarm to the house elf. He reached the top and turned left, the hallway stretching out before him like a tunnel into the past. Family portraits lined the walls, both of the Black family and the Malfoy family. In one portrait, he recognised himself. Along with his brother, Narcissa, Andromeda and Bellatrix. Their faces are barely visible in the dim light. Regulus averted his gaze, focusing on the task at hand.

The study door was slightly ajar, just as he had hoped. He slipped inside, closing it quietly behind him. The room was filled with old furniture and books, the scent of aged leather and paper filling the air. The fireplace lit up the room with a soft golden glow. The diary—a book with a black leather cover—sat on the large mahogany desk in the centre of the room.

Regulus' pulse quickened as he approached the desk. This was it. The diary held something valuable, a part of Voldemort’s soul, something that could change everything. His gloved hand trembled slightly as he reached out, lifting it from the desk.

Just as he was about to leave, a faint creak sounded behind him. Regulus froze, his breath catching in his throat. He slowly turned his head, every muscle tensed.

In the doorway stood a shadowed figure, barely discernible in the darkness.

“Regulus…” Narcissa whispered, her voice trembling.

She stepped further into the room, her eyes meeting his. He was older now, his features sharper, and there was a weight in his expression that hadn’t been there before. But he was alive. He was here.

“Cissa,” Regulus replied softly, his voice familiar yet tinged with something deeper, something broken. Narcissa closed the door behind her, the sound echoing in the quiet room.

For a moment, neither of them moved. They simply looked at each other, taking in the reality of the moment, the years that had passed since they last stood together. The fire crackled, filling the silence between them.

Then, in a rush of emotion, Narcissa crossed the room and enveloped Regulus in a tight embrace. The years of worry and grief, the fear that she had lost him forever, all melted away as she held him close. Regulus hesitated for a brief second, then returned the embrace, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“I thought you were gone,” Narcissa murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “We all did.”

“I was,” Regulus said quietly, pulling back slightly to look at her. His dark eyes were haunted, filled with memories he wished he could forget. “But I couldn’t stay away. Not forever.”

Narcissa searched his face, noticing the shadows under his eyes, the lines of stress etched into his features. She had always known Regulus to be strong, but now, she saw something else in him—a depth of pain and experience that made her heart ache.

“What happened to you, Regulus?” she asked gently, her hand still resting on his arm, as if afraid he might vanish if she let go.

Regulus hesitated, his gaze drifting away from hers. The truth of what he had done, what he had seen—it wasn’t something he could easily put into words. But he owed her that much. He owed her the truth.

He paused, struggling to find the words. “I saw what the Dark Lord truly was, what he was doing. I couldn’t be a part of it anymore. I have to try to stop him, to make up for what I've done… But it almost killed me. It should have killed me.”

Narcissa’s grip tightened on his arm, her eyes wide with concern. “But you’re here,” she said, her voice firm. “You survived, Regulus. That’s what matters now.”

Regulus nodded, but the haunted look in his eyes remained. “I did. But there’s so much I have to make right, Cissa. I’ve been in hiding, trying  to find a way to finish what I started. But I’m running out of time. The Dark Lord—he won’t stop until he’s destroyed everything.”

Narcissa’s heart ached for him, for the burden he carried alone for so long. But she also felt a surge of determination, of resolve. “You don’t have to do this alone anymore,” she said firmly. “We’re family, Regulus. We fight together.”

He looked at her, a flicker of gratitude passing through his dark eyes. For so long, he had thought he was alone in his fight, but here, in this small room, with Narcissa by his side, he felt a glimmer of hope.

“Why are you back here, you just left for the gala.” Regulus had a questioning look on his face. Narcissa sighed. “I saw you through the hedge, and I got a silent alarm from Dobby. I just had to come check if it was really you.” She moved her hands to hold Regulus’ face in her hands. 

“I really have to leave though, James is waiting for me.” Regulus sighs. “James Potter? So he really isn’t dead?” 

“He’s been with me the whole time. He’s the reason I’m still alive.” Regulus sees Narcissa’s gaze change. As if she knows something Regulus doesn’t. He chooses to ignore it. “Do you have a way to destroy it?” She asked him. 

“Not yet, I’m searching for a way,” He replies. She nods once and starts to let go of Regulus before he pulls her in for another hug. “I really needed this,” He sighs. “Me too, Reg. Me too,” She whispers. Regulus feels his eyes well up. He closes his eyes and tries his hardest not to cry.

“I need to get back to the gala or Draco will throw a tantrum,” Narcissa chuckles. Regulus nods once and they both head downstairs in a comfortable silence. Regulus holds Narcissa’s hand in his, longing for her warmth and presence. He looked around the house once more when they reached the front door. “Before you go, Bella has one in her Gringotts vault. It’s the cup of Helga Hufflepuff I know where she keeps the key to her vault. I will try to get it and send Dobby over to bring it to you, you can trust him..” 

Regulus nods, makes a mental note and begins to brainstorm about how they’re going to be able to get into the vault. He supposes that because he is her cousin, he can just tell them that he’s there to retrieve something for her. He hopes it will work. 

When they exited the wards, Regulus indeed saw James very clearly through the hedge. He rolled his eyes over how obvious they were hiding. “James,” He abruptly says, scaring him. He let out a laugh at James’ reaction before turning to Narcissa again. 

“Thank you for everything,” He smiles. She waves her hand to dismiss him and smiles at him in return. Their eyes meet one last time, it’s like looking in the mirror. Her ocean blue eyes are even colder than Regulus’ but they fill him with such indescribable warmth. Her eyes are the last thing he sees before she apparated away.

“So she could see us the entire time we were here?” James asked, still behind the hedge. “Yeah, she could,” Regulus rolled his eyes before reaching through the hedge for James’ hand and apparating away. 

They land in the forest and begin their path back to the tent. “Did it go well?” James begins. “Yes it did. I spent the most time talking to Narcissa, which was really nice.” Regulus softly smiled at the ground while they were walking. 

“You know, when this is all over, we could start a career as robbers, that went really well.” James chuckles.

“Oh really, how do you know we’re good at robbing?” Regulus looks sceptically at James. “I don’t know. I just have a feeling we could pull off a heist really well,” James answers him honestly. 

“And what would we steal?” Regulus laughs. “Art, I think. Paintings and everything.” James proposes. “Oh yes, definitely.” 

Their tent stood in a small clearing, nestled between tall pines that swayed gently in the evening breeze. When they tread into the tent, Regulus dropped the diary on the table and sat down with a loud sigh. James follows in his footsteps and rubs his hands together once he’s seated. “Who’s this Dobby anyway?” James asks.

“He’s their house elf, the nicest house elf I’ve ever met if I’m being honest.” Regulus responds, not looking up from the diary. 

Silence washed over them again and James tried desperately to come up with something to talk about. “So… What do you think Voldy-moldy wrote in his diary?” He tries. Regulus finally looks up from the diary to look at James and raise his eyebrow due to the nickname. “I have no idea, let’s find out.” Regulus gets up from the bench and moves to the other side where James is seated. 

Regulus opens the diary and doesn’t know what to expect. Maybe there’s a way in here to destroy the horcruxes. Where he expects dark ink on the pages, he is met with nothing. All of the pages are empty. 

He skips through the diary in a rush, desperately trying to find a clue. Trying to find anything. He closes the book quickly in frustration and sighs loudly, supporting his head with his hands. 

His head snaps up as he hears their temporary wards warping. Before them, stands Dobby, holding a key. “Master Regulus, Mistress Narcissa wanted me to give this to you.” He softly smiles. “Thank you, Dobby. It’s good to see you again.” Regulus smiled politely at the house elf. 

“Likewise, Master Regulus.” Dobby bows his head to Regulus. “Dobby, I want you to meet James Potter.” He gestures to James. “Nice to meet you, Dobby.” 

He bows even lower for James than for Regulus. “A pleasure to meet you, Mister Potter.” He politely smiles at the dumbfounded boy. “Just James is fine,” He assures. 

Regulus feels the tension grow as no one dares to speak up. “I must head back, Master Malfoy is summoning me.” Dobby eventually shudders out. Regulus wants nothing more than to help the elf get out of that house. But he can’t do anything. In a way, he knows that Dobby will be a free elf at one point in his life. 

Dobby presses the key into the hands of Regulus and smiles politely up at him. “Thank you Dobby. I owe you.” Regulus nods. Dobby waves his hand as a dismissal and waves one last time to him and James before apparating back to the Malfoy manor. 

“He’s nice,” James breaks the silence. 

“Yes, he really is.” Regulus breathes.

Once they’re sitting at the table again, they start planning to retrieve the cup. Regulus wants to get it as fast as they can but James tells him that he needs to rest properly first. Regulus snaps back at him that he doesn’t need to rest and that he’ll be fine without it. James quite bluntly tells him that he looks “bloody tired” and Regulus takes offence to it. He storms off to his bed and doesn’t come out for the rest of the night. 

Yet, he feels the urge to go back out there and apologise to James. 

He doesn’t.