BRUTALITY
She decided to go to Muggle London for no real reason besides the fact that no one she knew would be there. She wandered the streets, past street performers and food stands where vendors worked tirelessly to sell food and drinks, past shops and cafes still serving patrons late into the night. She was blissfully numb throughout it all because the wave of her tumultuous emotions hadn’t hit her yet and she was still in that place of still numbness where nothing quite mattered or hurt, she relished in the feeling and found it easier to hold that state for longer.
She received a few interesting looks for her robes but she had at least managed to siphon the blood off of her cloak. Regulus and Snape had stayed behind in the aftermath, both ready for her to collapse or start crying but really, she felt nothing at all and so she just walked out past them and out the main doors.
When she arrived at home a few hours later, the house was silent and she figured no one must’ve been home yet but when she reached the foot of the stairs, she looked over just past the doorway to the sitting room and found James sat there, staring right back at her as if waiting for her with Lily off to the side chewing on her nails anxiously.
She sighed and walked over, placing both hands on either side of the doorway, leaning in just slightly, “And what’s wrong with you three?”
“Vera where the hell have you been?” James spoke, angrier than she had ever heard him.
“Out, why?” she said rather monotonously.
“Caradoc is dead” he said with a frown and a bit of oomph in his words as if he had just proved a point.
“That’s unfortunate” was all she managed to say and Lily froze, looking at her in disbelief. “What?”
“What is up with you? No one has seen you for days, you come back from wherever the fuck with whoever the fuck and now Dearborn is dead and you just don’t give a shit?” he said accusatorially.
“What I do is none of your business” she stated with no room to argue.
“Vera, we're just trying to understand what you’ve been up to, we’re a bit concerned, we saw your room and-” Lily said lightly.
“You were in my room? And what made you think you had the right to snoop on me like I’m some criminal and second of all I was with Madam Pomfrey working on-.”
He cut her off, “Madam Pomfrey was with us. The entire night.”
“Okay well I was out and I don’t fancy telling you where I’ve been” she huffed.
“Why are you lying?” James asked incredulously.
“Why are you interrogating me?” she whipped around.
“We just want to check in with you, you’re clearly not doing well” he said standing up.
“Yeah no shit James! I’ve been home for days, and no one gives a fuck. I hear you all downstairs and no one even remembers that I’m here. You only care now because fucking Caradoc is dead but last time I checked, this is a war, more people will die, I’ll probably die soon too so just fuck off” she spat each word with venom and as each word left her lips, she saw their faces drop more and more until all that was left was raw shock.
“We just…” he trailed off.
“I’m leaving” she said, turning on her heel.
“Vera please” James said, all anger gone, leaving behind only an expression akin to despair as he grasped her arm tightly.
“Let go of me” she gritted her teeth.
His grip remained iron clad on her and it began to hurt as he seemed to forget his own strength. His eyes were blazing now and he looked at her as if he let go she would disappear into thin air. She realized distantly that he likely needed comfort right now, needed to hold on to her as he felt the loss of Caradoc deeply but she couldn’t bring herself to care because she couldn’t bear his touch. She felt claustrophobic with all eyes on her and James’ grip on her, she needed space and silence.
“James. Now” she said once more to no avail.
She whipped her wand out of her sleeve quickly and aimed it right at James. It was instinct at this point, to target whatever was causing her issues.
His face dropped as he dropped her arm and took a slow step back and she felt her own face drop in horror as she realized her actions. Lily stood in the room just a few paces behind with equal shock written across their features.
She marched out instantly and ended up at Snape’s who welcomed her with a sigh and a cuppa, feeling pity for her once more.
________
She received a summons from Dumbledore a few days later to an Order meeting which was highly unusual but she accepted the invite despite it being held at her home and she knew she’d have to face James and Lily for the first time since her breakdown.
She arrived early to smooth out some of the rough edges she had left behind and she loosened the Occlumency just a smidge so that she could force herself to feel something to appear sincere.
She walked into the main area where James, Lily, and Sirius waited. She connected eyes with James and she inclined her head quickly to motion him to follow her into the kitchen which he did immediately.
Reaching the counter, she turned around to face James immediately rattling, “I’m sorry James, I was out of line and I lashed out and I shouldn’t have done that.”
He considered her words for a moment but he just analyzed her as he always seemed to do, his eyes burning a hot trail on her skin and she felt like he thought if he stared long enough, he might be able to burrow into her soul.
Then he did what he knew best, he stepped up to her and hugged her and she didn’t know how much she really missed him until that moment.
His form was solid and warm, unlike so much of her life that she held on tightly, fisting her hands in his shirt as if to keep him there. He rubbed the back of her head, smoothing her hair, “It’s okay” was all he said.
She pulled back slightly, “It’s not.”
“We were just worried about you is all…you don’t talk to anyone anymore” he whispered despite them being the only ones in the room.
“I’m just scared, James. Caradoc just vanished, you all go out every night and I lose my mind just sitting at home alone or going to Madam Pomfrey. I started going out to London, I don’t even do anything but I just take some time away from everything and I didn’t tell you because I knew you would just tell me not to” she half-lied.
“Vera, I’d feel better if you just told me the truth instead of lying. The muggle world isn’t safe either, you never know what could happen to you out there and if you sneak out, none of us would even know where to look.”
“I know…I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” he let go, digging around in his pocket, “Because I have something for you,” he grinned widely.
“Oh no, what is it?” she eyed him warily.
He produced a small gold ring, it had slight carvings along it and she realized that it was their mothers ring. Their father had given it to her one of the first times he met as a promise ring.
“James…” she whispered in awe. She stored it away when the hospital gave it to her in a sterile hospital bag. It was so cold to the touch that she couldn’t bear to put it on or look at it without remembering her mum’s body.
“And, look, put it on.”
She did and it molded to her left ring finger.
James held up his own hand where their father’s ring sat, his also a family ring.
He tapped it with his other finger and the ring on her hand warmed significantly.
She gasped in awe, “James, when did you do this.” She remembered doing this for Sirius with the necklace she gave to him a few years ago. She had charmed it in similar fashion so if Sirius ever wanted or needed to get in contact with them but it wasn’t safe to, he did so. She wore the same necklace around her neck, unable to take it off. Whenever it warmed, she alerted James and they immediately jumped on their charmed twin mirrors to talk.
“Last night,” he said a little sheepishly,
“Thank you James” she said, jumping on him once more.
“Listen Vera, I know there’s a lot going on but I could never forget about you…I don’t know where I’d be without you” he said in a rare display of emotion.
“Probably stuck somewhere in the dungeons of Hogwarts” she murmured and felt his shoulders shake as he laughed, probably remembering the one time that actually happened in a prank gone wrong sort of situation.
“Let’s spend some time together soon, yeah? Just you and me.”
She nodded and felt lighter after it all.
She sat in the living room with him just as people funneled through the floo and Vera enjoyed the opportunity to get reacquainted with everyone.
Peter and Sybill were still doing quite well since they had made their relationship official a bit ago. Alice and Frank are both healed and doing well, ready to go back into the field. Mary, Emmeline, and Marlene were all good, excited for another girl’s night they’ll surely have soon, and Remus and Sirius seem to be doing well, sure;y better since the attack happened and they fell into an odd lull after Remus told him what might have happened.
All in all, everyone was okay.
Dumbledore headed the meeting as per usual, “I’d firstly like to thank everyone for coming and their continued support. I wanted to discuss the loss of our dear friend, Caradoc Dearborn. The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. He was posted at a new Order safehouse, the location of which had not been revealed to anyone yet but he was kidnapped and his captor moved him to another location upon finding him there.”
“Captor?” Marlene piped up. They must not have been aware of how exactly he died.
“We were unable to retrieve his body at the scene or otherwise. There were indications of an intrusion and a physical altercation but he was not present. His wand trace has gone silent and he is confirmed to be dead, unable to be located by spell or other magical avenues.”
Everyone looked down at the table, some holding hands, others wiping stray tears.
Vera stared emotionless at the table, locking it all up again like a dam holding back a rush.
“I advise all of you to proceed with extreme caution. The loss of Caradoc will be felt throughout the community but we must also not lose hope nor let him die in vain. Let us use this moment to fuel the fire of the Order of the Phoenix and be an organization to be proud of” he said more forcefully this time while everyone nodded along to his empty words of motivation. Vera fought to roll her eyes.
“Only with teamwork will we be able to win this war” Dumbledore finished and she felt his eyes linger on her for just a second longer than necessary and she just nodded once.
After the meeting when everyone was chatting, Dumbledore pulled her aside as calmly as ever, “Were you aware of what would happen?” he asked bluntly.
“I overheard his plan moments before it happened. He sent orders to marked death eaters to catch a direct member of the Order- he was disappointed in them, saying they were cowards and not producing real results” she repeated her practiced script.
Dumbledore nodded along.
“Rodolphus caught him and killed him.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure, he never said though Voldemort rewarded him for it, gave him the dark Mark. Though it was likely he had been planning that for a while. I think he will start marking more of his followers in an effort to strengthen his forces.”
“And you? What have you been doing?” he asked, eyeing her.
“He assigned me to Bellatrix who’s been training me, mostly combat and wand casting really, she’s more cruel than anything but it’s fine,” she downplayed what was happening, not necessarily telling Dumbledore the details that she knew he didn’t care about.
He nodded and that was that, she found her excuse in talking with the others.
As everyone left, she told James she’d be going out with the girls and left just after they did but she went somewhere else entirely- Regulus’. As she walked in, she realized quickly the scene was much tenser than she expected.
Regulus stood on one side of the living room, Barty and Evan on the other, and Dorcas on the third. Pandora sat square in the middle of the room, her head in her hands. Vera paused as eyes turned on her and she saw Dorcas’ were red whereas Regulus’ were ice cold.
“What’s going on?” she asked slowly.
“They killed Caradoc,” Dorcas yelled, raising a finger towards the three men in the room. Pandora's shoulders just shook violently.
“What…How?” she questioned, walking closer to Pandora, wanting to understand her feelings that were so at odds with the others in the room.
“It was Rodolphus' Pandora looked up, her eyes bloodshot and cheeks puffy from crying, “I know it was, they didn’t do it, I Saw it” she defended them to Dorcas. She knew Pandora was a Seer early on and her visions were often only decipherable to her and though Vera had never questioned her accuracy, she was surprised that this was a straight shot.
“I don’t care who it was Pandora, they were there! The death eaters killed him!” Dorcas yelled. “You know Marlene was almost there but Caradoc changed their postings, what if it was her instead?”
She suspected that was the true reason Dorcas was bringing this up now. Thus far, the war was mostly rogue death eaters attacking safe houses and muggles and that but now they were growing bolder, picking off members of the Order. It was impossible to ignore Dorcas and Marlene’s growing relationship and their divide as she began to side more with the Order than her friends.
“Dorcas, listen, we didn’t think they were actually going to do it, it was just a game-” Barty tried to console her.
“A game? Barty be fucking serious, you’re talking about people’s lives, how can you just be okay with this?”
“I’m not! I didn’t ask to be here, none of us did. It was either we join or die and none of us wanted to die at fucking 16!”
“You knew, you could have warned us, said something!”
“And what? If it wasn’t Caradoc, it was going to be someone else, just like you said. I couldn’t warn you, if anyone found out we’d be killed off too,” he retorted.
Dorcas looked at them like she didn’t know them, she seemed disappointed and disgusted all the same.
“Dor, we didn’t know what would happen” Evan said pleadingly, as he stepped up trying to close the distance.
“I just- Where do we go from here? I can’t keep going between you two, not if this is how it’s going to be” her shoulders slumped in defeat as she gestured between everyone.
The room came to a standstill as they all looked at eachother, the tension being pulled taut between all of them.
“Well Dorcas, we don’t have a choice, not anymore. You can still leave now if you’d like” Regulus intoned seriously.
She paused in disbelief before nodding. She looked at Vera and shot her a questioning glance, as if wondering if she’d be leaving with her too after this argument. She just looked down at Pandora.
A crack and she was gone. Everyone in the room slumped.
Pandora looked at her with wet eyes, the blue in them shining like Larimar crystals, “I Saw it…I saw Rhodey with him that night…I knew he was cruel but when I saw him, he was just black, his soul was charred.”
Hearing the nickname only a little sister could give to her big brothers was shocking, so unfitting for the man she now knew. Rhodey was an innocent name for a horrible man.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Evan sighed, sitting down.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Regulus said stonily.
“We have to fix this somehow” Evan reasoned.
“And how do you suggest we do that Evan? I want to fix this as much as you do but this is how it’s going to be.”
“He used to be good,” Pandora murmured.
After a look of approval from Regulus, Vera just led her upstairs, to the exact room she had been in once where their roles were reversed and she was the one in need of help. She led her to the bed and tucked her in. Pandora seemed to be stuck in a bit of a trance, neither here nor there as she thought about Rodolphus. She hadn’t spoken to her family in quite a while, living with Dorcas ever since they had left Hogwarts as she didn’t agree with their pureblood and extremist values. Today must’ve been a sharp reality check.
She shut the door behind her and saw Evan and Barty had left together as well.
“I’m sorry” she apologized.
“I thought we agreed you shouldn’t apologize for things that aren’t your fault.”
“This is my fault.”
“It’s Rodolphus’.”
“Regulus…what did Barty mean? About none of you wanting to do this…dying at 16?” she asked, wondering what he might have to say.
“When Sirius left that night, I was so angry,” he began on an entirely different topic. “I hated him for leaving but I realized after I wasn’t just mad…I was jealous. When he left, all of his responsibilities fell to me, including being the Heir. When he left, he not only earned the disfavor of my parents but of the dark Lord as well. To win his approval, they offered me up to get the mark despite not being of age. I never wanted it.”
She never would have known he felt that way, that he resented the duty and responsibilities that had been thrust upon him. She had heard about Regulus entirely through Sirius who described him as being just as their parents and just as evil and fanatical as them.
“Why didn’t you leave with him?” This was the question that they all had asked, including Sirius. She wondered constantly, especially looking at Regulus’ behavior immediately after they all went back to school, how sickly and miserable he looked without Sirius. They always had problems throughout school but it seemed like that was a breaking point.
“If I left, what do you think would’ve happened? If I left, they would’ve dragged us both back but they could survive without Sirius because they had me. I was the spare and I accepted it because I knew at least Sirius would get a chance at a normal life. I knew what I was doing when I let him leave alone that day.”
Hearing these words was like a weight lifted off her chest that she never knew was there. She wished she could run to Sirius right now and tell him everything but she knew it would be too much trouble. She hoped maybe once this was all over, they could reconcile.
“Thank you” she whispered genuinely. She had no idea where she would be without Sirius, who was basically her other brother at this point. Sirius was such a stabilizing feature in her life that she could never take for granted though he also provided her with enough love and laughter for a lifetime, “for saving him. I know no one told you, so I will.”
Regulus just nodded looking away, “he deserved it.”
She reached over slowly, placing her hand atop his, “You deserve it too Regulus. You don’t deserve the life that was forced upon you.”
He looked at her as a variety of emotions flitted across his face but his mask was secure once again.
She knew she was treading a very thin line into how she was supposed to present herself. It was only a matter of time before her true loyalties were called into question but she’d just have to keep going until that moment comes because if she started to really think about the future, she’d just break down.
She fell asleep on the sofa that night only waking just slightly to feel a blanket being thrown over her to protect her against the cool evening.
_____
“You need to be quicker than that girl” Bellatrix leered as they circled each other in the gardens once more.
Vera shot at her but Bellatrix only dodged her again. They danced around a moment more, Vera putting her dance lessons to use, twisting and moving fluidly across the clearing, avoiding each and every one of Bellatrix’s hexes.
She shot one out and it sliced just at Bellatrix’s side and she felt satisfaction course through her and a smile tugged at her features as she found it easier to dig into her well of magic.
Bellatrix resembled a feral animal in times like this, when vera overpowered her. She knew it grated at her as if she was mad that she had done her job at teaching her a little too well.
Vera fired again and she sent a hex to clip Bellatrix’s ear and she was pleased to see blood drip down her profile. Her aim was getting much better as well.
“You are out of line!” Bellatrix shrieked, “What if you marked my face you insolent child.”
“Isn’t that the point?” Vera drawled, turning her wand in her fingers, pleased to be finished.
Bellatrix marched right up to her, smoke practically funneling out of her ears and with a wave of her wand, she immobilized Vera. The point of this exercise was for them to practice dueling until one of them drew blood, this was not part of the activity.
Her heart rate increased infinitesimally as she watched Bellatrix who clearly only saw red in this moment.
“You think you can do whatever you want just because you’ve earned some favor with the dark Lord. You are nothing but a brat” she gritted and Vera didn’t think this was at all fair considering she was petrified and Bellatrix was on a rampage.
“Let’s see if you’re so smart now” she crowed before hitting her with a hex that burned at such a close range, it was the same electrified whip she used to kill Caradoc. “Think you’ve killed someone and you’re strong now? You are weak, I can see it in you.”
She hit her again and again and Vera could do nothing but stand there and take it despite feeling her bones practically shake in her extremities. She clenched her teeth and was practically gnawing down to her gum line.
She stepped back, seeming to consider what she wanted to do as Vera could feel blood dripping down her body and seeping into her thick clothing.
“You have a problem talking back with that sharp tongue of yours, let’s see what can be done about that” she mused and shot.
Vera didn’t feel anything at first until she felt a pinching sensation that slowly intensified and she was grunting and rasping, breaking through the petrification on her face until the only sound that came out was a weak scratching sound.
Bellatrix had ripped her vocal cords and nothing could replace the sick glee that spread across her features. She seized the moment and hit her with Legilimency and Vera could barely focus on keeping up. She managed to block out most everything but she managed to sneak a few looks at her memories spent with Regulus and Snape where they did activities that were not strictly business.
“Does the little Potter have a crush?” Bellatrix crooned in Vera’ face, wiping a stray hair that had been plastered to Vera’s face.
She reached a hand lower onto Vera’s bleeding shoulder and pressed in slightly to smear it across her cheek before throwing a punch right atop it.
Vera couldn’t believe the sheer brutality Bellatrix was attacking her with and she had a feeling Bellatrix must be frustrated about more than just her because this was just unprecedented. This kind of foul treatment was more than she could believe possible and Vera felt herself just close in on herself, shutting herself off from what was happening to her physical body.
“Not so pretty are you now?”
She kicked her behind the knees and Vera’s knees burnt as she buckled and fell, atleast free from one of the curses.
“We will see eachother again soon and do not delude yourself into believing you have any worth beyond being my bitch.”
She left Vera there with a final Crucio.
She had absolutely no options besides apparition and though she was sure to splinch herself and had no idea if he would be home, it was a risk she was willing to take.
She closed her eyes, turning her body slightly and then she was squeezed into the abyss and she could remember herself screaming, her frayed vocal chords producing no sound at all.
She landed on the floor of Regulus’ home with a thump and the pain of hitting the floorboards made her teeth clack against each other painfully. It was practically nothing against the pain in the rest of her body and Vera could do nothing but wait there, bleeding out, just as Caradoc did.
Regulus wasn’t home and she was out of options as she felt her eyes beginning to shut. She knew Snape wouldn’t be home today as he had to go on a mission and Regulus was the only person she knew and she distantly felt bad that she would be an intrusion but she figured these were extenuating circumstances.
She was also unable to produce sound which made everything worse, unable to send a message…Holy shit, Biscuit.
After a lot of research and practice, Vera managed to use the Accio spell on him. Accio is generally used to summon indirect objects yes but it was possible to indirectly affect living objects and guide them to you so it isn’t a perfect method by any means but it helped Biscuit when he got confused every once in a while in the past.
She wandlessly cast an Accio to Biscuit, hoping to Merlin and Hecate that he somehow received the message. As she waited in what might be vain, she took stock of her injuries. She had gashes along her shoulder, abdomen, and foot from both Bellatrix and likely splinching herself, a bruise blossoming over her face and arms, her knees burned from when she hit the ground, and of course, she didn’t have a voice. The final Crucio had left her with a tremor that she noticed with a start as she didn’t even realize that her left arm had been twitching nonstop.
She closed her eyes slowly and decided to just see what would happen. Maybe she’d never open them again and maybe she was okay with that.
_______
Her face burned when she came to and she realized she needed to add that to the list of injuries.
Or rather, it was just Biscuit nipping at her to wake her up.
Vera practically cried tears of joy at seeing the owl, however long after she had called for him. She couldn’t say anything so she just wrapped her arms around the owl who allowed her to, likely only because she looked so mangled.
She cast a trembling arm out and summoned a quill and parchment.
With a shaking hand she wrote,
cotage
help
need evn rosr
V
She wrapped it loosely to Biscuit’s leg and rasped, “Regulus.”
The owl hooted and shot away without delay and Vera just fell back again as she used the last of her energy to scribble that horribly incomprehensible letter.
The allure of sleep pulled her under again as her ring glowed warmly against her finger.
________
The front door of the cottage slammed open and there was a cacophony of footsteps filling the room. The floor vibrated under Vera’s head and she heard the quick exchange of voices before she was being lifted into the air and jolting with her every step.
She felt her head bob up and down before it was secured by a hand and she was laid on a much softer surface this time.
She couldn’t bear to lift her head nor her eyelids so she just drifted out of consciousness.
________
A small wheatish owl tapped incessantly at his window. When Regulus turned to look at it, it looked manic, darting around wildly and almost breaking the window as it pecked and rammed into it.
Regulus got up exasperatedly after another long day of dealing with his lovely family and opened the letter attached to its leg, “Calm down” he whispered though it did not heed his words.
It took him a moment to decipher what he was even reading but once he did, he jumped up and apparated directly out of his room, going straight to Evan’s.
He landed on his porch and knocked on the door wildly as he heard his blood rush through his ears and his heart beating wildly in his chest like a trapped bird.
A small elf by the name of Dotty opened the door and Regulus just blurted out, “Where’s Evan?”
“Young master Rosier is in the garden with Mr. Crouch” the elf answered humbly.
Regulus barged past her and made his way to the garden on a path he knew by heart. When he reached the door, the two were cuddled up on a chair, his father must not be home.
He turned around with a smile, “Regulus” but his smile faltered when he saw his face, “What is it?”
“You need to come with me now, and bring a medi kit.”
They were off in a heartbeat.
When they all landed in the cottage, Regulus was practically about to explode. The lack of information in the letter was terrifying but so was the way it was written with the half formed letters and strange blots of ink and other dark liquid.
When he threw the door open, he felt his heart lurch into his throat at the sight of Vera, who was normally so lovely, looking like she had just been attacked by a manticore and left for dead. He lunged for her, picking her up off the ground and taking her upstairs while Evan bustled, trying to think of how to tackle it all and Barty just stared on in horror.
________
Vera lurched when she felt her foot snap and burn. Her eyes shot open and she saw Regulus above her, his attention focused on something in front of her. His face was creased in concern but from her angle she didn’t make out much beyond tense features and his veins popping out of the column of his throat.
She shifted slightly and Regulus snapped down to look at her, his face upside down in her current view.
“Is she awake?” She could tell it was Barty that said that.
He nodded and the relief in his features was almost palpable and he shifted so that he was now right side up to her. Seeing his face like this broke something in her and she felt herself start to cry soundlessly, the dried blood on her skin painfully pulling and creasing as her face contorted.
“What happened to you love” he whispered, running a hand along her cheek in an effort to console her but it only made her cry harder. She could feel the pain distantly along her body as Evan continued to heal but in an instant, potions were being forced down her throat. He was likely waiting for her to wake up to administer them.
She choked as she got them down but Regulus encouraged her throughout it all and Barty held on to her other hand.
One of the potions must have had a sedation agent because her vision blackened and she was instantly out again, drawn to the allure of the abyss that wrapped around her like a starless night.
_______
When she woke up the sun was shining brightly, filtering through shut curtains in the room Vera was all too familiar with.
She turned her head just slightly to see Regulus curled up in a chair right beside her. His head was angled oddly over the back of the chair and his arms were folded across his midsection.
She realized that she must’ve been out for the entirety of yesterday and last night as she scanned Regulus’ face, all the noticeable marks of exhaustion clearly written there. Though despite the bags under his eyes and the pale skin, he was as alluring as ever. His hair unstructured and curling freely down to his temples, his smooth skin unblemished and at rest when it was usually pulled into a frown or grimace. His eyelashes graced his cheekbones lightly and his lips were parted ever so slightly as he slept.
She felt a slow smile pulling across her face.
When she turned her head, she saw the bed next to her was empty but Evan had transfigured a chair into a sort of bench that he laid across, clearly there to monitor her. His head rested on Barty’s chest whose arms were protectively wrapped around him. She found it a bit funny since they were both clearly too wide and tall for the bench but they made it work.
The sheer thought and care they put into her made her heart practically burst because she felt like she didn’t deserve any of it.
She couldn’t do much more in regards to mobility and her voice was still out so she did what she did best and fell back asleep.
________
“What do you think happened?” a voice murmured.
“It had to have been Bella, she’s been training with her and she showed up to the Malfoys yesterday in a rampage, screaming and breaking shit until Cissy calmed her down.”
“Shit she’s been with her?”
A sound of affirmation.
“When is she going to wake up?” She took that as her cue to shift and open her eyes and they all turned to her.
“How are you feeling?” Evan asked lightly.
“Does anything hurt?” Regulus inquired tenderly.
Vera just nodded, unable to do anything more.
“What hurts?” Evan prodded as she felt him fiddle with the wrappings around her leg. She noticed with a start that she was wearing different clothes and looked up to see her robes were torn in a pile on the floor.
Evan looked back at her expectantly but Vera had nothing to offer him.
“Vera?” Barty asked slowly.
She raised a weak trembling hand to her throat.
He offered her a glass of water but she only shook her head. She slowly clenched her knuckles, creating a claw shape with her hands, and dragged them from her jaw down her neck in a hope of conveying the message.
“Sore throat?”
“Your throat burns? Hurts? Did she give you a potion?” Evan rattled off.
She shook her head again and did the motion again, opening her mouth slightly and only a slight hoarse rasping sound came out.
Evan realized then, “She tore your vocal cords…”
Regulus and Barty were in disbelief as she just nodded slowly.
“I am by no means a healer but I was able to stabilize the rest of your injuries as well as give you some potions. I’m going to ask you some questions so I can do some research, yeah?”
She nodded.
“Did she Crucio you?”
It felt like a stupid question at this point really and she nodded.
“Before or after you got the other injuries?”
She jerked her head to the right to indicate the second one. He scribbled something down.
“There were lashes on your body, were those caused by any sort of slicing hex?”
She shook her head.
He looked unsure of how to proceed into the specifics and Vera turned to Regulus, trying to convey her thoughts somehow. She cast her thoughts outward and used a modified form of Legilimecy where she was able to project a specific thought and Vera sent him the image of the whip she had conjured to use on Caradoc. His eyes widened in realization at the intrusion and as he explained it to Evan.
“Okay erm, there was a gash on your leg, do you remember what caused that? It was different from the others.”
She brought a hand up and pointed with a finger before clenching her hand and moving her arm to the side before pointing again.
“Apparition?”
She nodded.
“And your hand?”
She looked confused then and she raised her arm. On her right hand she had a lightning shaped scar originating on her middle finger that trailed upwards, across the top of her hand up to her mid forearm. It was raised and red, as it flared and she looked in horror at such a gruesome scar. She felt herself starting to shake and her panic set in as she just stared and stared at it and she was completely unable to express herself.
Regulus brought his smooth hands over hers and brought her hand to rest back down on the bed.
“I think that’s enough, I’ll be back soon to check on you and see what we can do about some of these injuries okay?” Evan said sympathetically with a face full of concern.
She nodded at him, making a mental note to thank him once she gained the energy to do so.
He left with Barty behind him as they already began to speak in low tones about research, slowly closing the door behind him.
When the door was firmly shut, she saw Regulus’ face soften more than it had before, revealing more emotion to her than he did to any of the others.
"Biscuit is a manic” he laughed wetly.
Vera smiled weakly but flinched at the bruise on her face pulling at the motion.
“How did you get here? How’d you get that owl to me? I just don’t understand how this all happened…”
Vera didn’t attempt to answer despite the possibility of mind speaking. She assumed it was more rhetorical than anything as he just reeled at the situation.
“I saw her yesterday, you know. We had dinner at the Malfoys and she was furious. Came in all bloody and angry, the elves right behind her to mop up her trail. Did you do that to her?”
Vera nodded and Regulus just shook his head, “Brutal Vera. I must say I’m impressed though, I rarely got a hit on her.”
“When I saw you on the floor, I felt like my heart was stopping…I can’t believe…” his voice broke off. She cherished this moment, knowing he was only being so open because she couldn’t necessarily respond and his emotions were running high. She could listen to him speak forever. “And all the blood…gods.”
She mind spoke then, “ Sorry if I ruined your carpet.”
He laughed heartily then, “fuck the carpet” he mused.
“ She was so mad at me…I don’t even know what happened but she went off, there was some jealousy in there as she yelled about the dark Lord and I. She saw my memories, some with you in them, which earned me the punch to the face and blood. The rest was pure anger…”
“I think the dark lord’s anger transfers to her sometimes and he’s been very displeased lately. He tends to take it out on her who in turn, takes it out on others.”
He nodded and suddenly, Kreacher came through the doors and Vera was surprised to see the elf enter in with a tray of food. Regulus must’ve secretly summoned him here.
“Thank you Kreacher” Regulus said as the elf peered at her on the bed.
“Yes Master Regulus, Miss Potter.”
She nodded with a smile, hoping to convey her gratitude.
The porridge within was warm and sure to soothe her but one of her hands was still trembling and the other was scarred.
Regulus picked up the smooth silver spoon, scooping a small portion and bringing it up to her lips. He fed her the rest of the bowl and once she was finished, he held a glass of water up to her.
He was about to stand up from his chair and leave but Vera moved quickly, pulling him back down with a scarred hand.
He immediately gave him, following her direction until he was level with her. She glanced at his lips and he read the signs, dipping his head down to place a tender and chaste kiss on her lips.
It was soft and lovely and exactly what she desired. She had no energy for heat and passion at the moment, she only needed love and care and that is what Regulus offered her.
He pulled away and placed another kiss on her forehead before stepping to leave and she was already beginning to fall asleep.
Another day completed under the service of Lord Voldemort.
______
Vera,
I have not received an update from you in a while, I’m sure you’ve taken some time off of your work so I do hope it was restful though I hope you have not forgotten our arrangement. Please update me on the progress of your work as we may both mutually benefit from the results.
Do talk to your superiors about arrangements that can be made to return to work as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Albus