The final mission
If you'd asked them how they got their plan to work, they'd have told you that they have no idea.
It was all a blur for a few months leading up to Voldemort's but also Dumbledore's death. Everyone did their part hoping that everything would go well.
Voldemort had taken Regulus' request seriously, if the boy wanted that old wizard dead he'd make sure of it.
Regulus convinced the dark lord that he'd be able to get Dumbledore alone, at the same time he promised Dumbledore the same thing.
It was a set up to get rid of both wizards.
Only a few weeks earlier both Regulus and Lily come home practically shaking. James and Mary did their absolute best to console Lily. She'd been feeling unwell most mornings for the last couple of months, throwing up and she'd started disliking foods she'd loved before.
Lily had found this suspicious and had taken a pregnancy test just to be sure. It was positive.
Sure, she was happy but right now was barely a good time to have kids.
"But Alice and Frank are also expecting. You're not alone in this?" James tried to soothe.
"What if the war goes on for all their life?" Lily cried.
"Hunny, you'll be a great mother none the less." Mary assured.
"I'll have failed as a mother before the child is even born. This isn't the right time." She was so worried.
James and Mary continued to assure Lily that everything would be well. Regulus, even though he looked like he would fall apart any second, kept quiet. He seemed to pull on his left sleeve continuously.
"Lily?" He asked.
"Reggie, what is it? Oh God I'm sorry, you wanted to say something as well." Lily replied.
"Nevermind that." Regulus swallowed hard, "You'll be a great mother to the child. We will give it a loving family, yeah?"
Lily nodded.
It was only hours later when James and Regulus were alone in the kitchen, making dinner, that Reg told him what had happened. Regulus had gotten the dark mark, he felt so incredibly ashamed.
"Oh Reggie." James sighed, somewhat worried but somewhat disappointed that he hadn't told him earlier.
"I'm sorry" Regulus sunk on to the floor.
"No, no don't be." James sat down next to him.
"James what will I do now? This is permanent!" Reg was ugly crying, he was hysterical.
Something that bothered James was that even though Regulus was absolutely frantic, he made barely any sound. James thought that if he didn't see the tears streaming down Reg's cheeks and his chest rising quickly and unevenly, he wouldn't know that his boyfriend was crying at all.
"This is fine. I promise." James smiled.
Regulus sank deeper into himself.
"Well tell the girls, you know they'll understand." James pulled Regulus upright.
As always James was right. They'd talked about the fact that Regulus would most likely get the mark at some point, before. Everyone understood, they knew what Reg did for them and that he'd still be the same.
Lily felt guilty, she had announced her pregnancy and taken away an opportunity for Regulus to tell them about his problem. Yes, she couldn't have known but she still felt somewhat bad about it.
The plan was clear. Dumbledore and Voldemort meet, Voldemort kills Dumbledore and then the Aurors/Order members, depending on who could come, placed around the perimeter kill Voldemort.
James and Regulus had spent months searching for all of the horcruxes and destroying them.
The only issue was making sure none of the Aurors/Order members acted before Dumbledore was dead.
During the past months they'd gotten many to join their cause. Dumbledore had become more paranoid about members of the order, he started sending people to secret missions that endangered their lives just a little too much.
He even sent Peter Pettigrew to join the death eaters a few months back. Dumbledore claimed it was for Regulus' safety but everyone knew he simply didn't trust the Black brothers.
The old wizard, to his disadvantage, hadn't known that Peter was in on the mission. Pete, a life long friend and part of the marauders, did of course support his friends all throughout. No one would've thought that Peter could betray Dumbledore.
Dumbledore had always taken little Wormtail for weak. He only followed behind the other three marauders, always had some sweets with him. Peter was nothing like that, he was strong willed and even if it didn't always seem like it, he made plans lots of them actually. He was sweet but not to be underestimated.
So because Dumbledore had become worryingly reckless about his followers, many joined the marauders in their mission to get rid of him. Many just wanted to make a statement, but many wanted that man dead.
"He's lived long enough!" They said, "He sends people to their deaths!" They cried, "He doesn't care about our safety anymore!"
Many Aurors were also part of the Order anyway, and many of those supported the marauders' cause. But there were the ones that didn't. The people who hadn't joined in didn't actually know about anything other than what Dumbledore told them. They couldn't act out of line.
Regulus asked James to speak to the team, he feared that they wouldn't trust him or dislike him.
James climbed on top of a table and spread his arms.
"Hey guys." James smiled, it was the same smile he always had.
The room fell silent. This was moments before both The Dark Lord and Dumbledore would be set up to die or everything would fail. They were preparing to leave to the meeting ground.
"Thank you. We will leave soon to hopefully stop He-who-must-not-be-named once and for all. For this I need you to listen carefully and closely." He announced.
James' smile was charismatic like he knew whatever he was telling was the truth. Even when he was lying he spoke with such confidence that you would question your own reality.
"Dumbledore is required to go alone, therefore he'll leave before we do. We will follow shortly after. We can't go there beforehand as we suspect that deatheaters are on the premises." James explained.
"It is incredibly important that no one acts before you are told to. Not even if you see it fit, Dumbledore has said it himself, no one does anything until they are told to. We need you all to be attentive and calm about this situation." He added, "Any questions?"
The room was silent again. James assumed no one has any questions, he thanked them and claimed back down from the table.
"I love you James." Regulus lent his head against James' chest.
"Ew, not here." Mary chuckled.
"You're just jealous because you're alone here." James defended.
"Just because Lily is pregnant. She's too far along for a mission this dangerous." Mary pouted.
"I know, I know." James admitted.
"Hey my fellow gays." Dorcas walked up to them.
"Dorcas don't leave me here." Marlene came running after.
James' expression shifted, "You ready?"
Marlene and Dorcas looked at each other, Marlene grabbed her girlfriend's hand. "I'm so nervous and scared but I'm ready."
"You two take care of anyone who looks trigger happy. Just temporarily paralyzing, no permanent stuff." James sort of asked, but it did seem more like an order.
Everyone nodded.
It was a dark scene. Many were shaking, in anticipation as much as in fear. Regulus was sat next to James, Mary had joined Marlene and Dorcas. They were simply spectators at this point. They'd done everything they could, now it was only waiting and hoping, praying for religious people.
Voldemort was standing on one end, his wand pointing at Dumbledore who did the same thing to him. They were talking, maybe arguing, no one could really tell.
Dumbledore was waving with the arm that wasn't holding his wand, Voldemort simply raised his right hand with his wand in it. Everything was silent, even James froze.
Some words could be heard from the dark lord, "I didn't want.....he told.....good reasons.... should've payed.....attention.....good...bye."
Regulus had requested Lord Voldemort not to do any torturing, to kill the old man quickly and make sure he stayed dead.
He-who-must-not-be-named complied with Reg's request. He hit him with the killing curse, a swift and quick death.
"Almost too good for him, after everything he put us through." Regulus thought.
That's when all of a sudden nothing was silent anymore. People began screaming, some were crying, people fired curses at deatheaters that emerged behind trees and debris.
A few people shot killing curses at Voldemort. In the end no one could actually tell who killed the man, but it would be better that way.
A slim green curse hit the dark lord right in the chest. His eyes became wide, he looked sort of shocked. Then he laughed, he laughed as if he was immortal and we just didn't know. Seconds later he realized that even he, Voldemort himself, wasn't immortal. At least not anymore.
The smile was wiped off his face. His eyes darted around to find help, anything. The last thing the man, who was so dangerous that people feared speaking his name, saw was a young man. He was wearing a pair of nice black jeans, his black hair in a small bun nothing out of the ordinary for him, but he was also wearing a shirt borrowed from James. Gryffindor themed.
The man was Regulus Potter, né Black.
For a moment, just a short one, Voldemort felt hope. That was one of his followers after all, but Regulus smiled, no grinned at him. And then he knew that he had been betrayed.
That was it. No more Voldemort, no more Dumbledore.
What now?