Chapter 2
Boring. America is simply boring.
Walking around in the hot weather, boring.
The bartender that asks you your order three times before understanding you and still getting it wrong, annoying.
People constantly smiling without a reason, fake.
Having to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to get from Boston to New York for a meeting with Mcgonagall, unbearable.
Regulus was not enjoying he’s stay in the United States, but at least he was early for lunch with his boss and he liked having a little bit of time for himself to explore his surroundings.
After exploring the patio of the restaurant, that seemed to have been reserved so that they would be the only two people in a two hundred metres radius, he headed for the inside. After assuring that no one but staff was around, Regulus went to the toilet to wash his face and wake up a little bit more.
Entering the toilet he heard the sound of flushing and became iper-aware of the presence of a second person in the small confined space.
Walking forward he came across a bound of messy hair he could have hardly forgotten. He had thought that the messy state of that hair was due to inclining oneself out of a car window to have a better aim, but apparently it is a natural feature.
Regulus went to the other man’s back and got him swiftly into a chokehold, as expected this one was going to put up a fight.
With the other man walking backward, Regulus got slammed into one of the walls, taking down with him a mirror that shattered to the ground.
‘God seven years of bad luck’ the messy haired man sighted while distancing himself from Regulus that was still seated down.
With a kick of his leg he brought the stranger to his own level, but that started a series of rolling over between the two that were trying to strangle one another at the same time. The other man got a couple of good punches in and Regulus could feel the blood spilling from his broken lip, the metallic taste was not as bothering as the man’s smug smirk.
‘Red suits you’
With a headbutt to the nose Regulus got upright while leaving his opponent with blood pouring from his nose in a pond of blood on the pavement, yes definitely fractured.
Carrying him from his hair Regulus pushed his head in the toilet forcing him to inhale water and sitting on top of his back, while his arms where trying to hit him in any way they could.
Regulus had always considered drowning such a beautiful way to go, the image of a huge mass of water that absorbs you, as if you were nothing, is peaceful for him.
He almost considers himself merciful at giving such a pure death to this stranger.
Not that dying with your head shoved into a toilet is the same as floating away in the ocean, but you get the parallel.
‘Boys’ The voice of Minerva Mcgonagall echoed in the small bathroom.
Untightening the hold Regulus had on the stranger’s hair and remaining seated on said stranger’s back, he turned around looking through the door of the stall and finding Mcgonagall and an old man with the longest beard standing side by side.
From the look Mcgonagall was giving him, it was clear she wasn’t impressed with his attempted murder. Sliding off of the guy’s back and standing up, Regulus faced the two new people in the room.
The awkward silence between the three of them was broken by the man spluttering for hair and removing his head from the toilet.
He looked at Regulus with a bewildered look that morphed into a confused one when he moved his eyes to the people on the other side of the bathroom.
‘Mr Potter, Mr Black you can join us at our table outside when you’re done composing yourself’ Mcgonagall said before following the old man outside, leaving the two of them alone.
‘You almost drowned me’ said Potter as if he was expecting an apology.
‘You almost shot me yesterday’ answered Regulus courtly.
‘What? You were the one following us in the car yesterday?’ the look in Potter’s eyes was angry.
Answering stupid questions had never been something Regulus lost his time on, the question wasn’t deserving of an answer so he headed outside. While walking away he heard a scoff from the other man and some muttering that sounded a lot like ‘fucking moron’.
^^^^^^
‘Good afternoon gentlemen, thank you for joining us. I think it’s time for introductions. Mr Black, I am Albus Dumbledore and this is James Potter CIA, delighted to make your acquaintance. James these are Minerva Mcgonagall and Regulus Black KGB’ Dumbledore opened the converstion as soon as all four of them were seated.
Nobody answered the polite greeting, Regulus ayes shooting to Mcgonagall the same way as James’ shot to Dumbledore.
The thing is, it sounded a bit unusual: two Russian agents seated with two American agents at a restaurant, during the Cold War.
It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke or a massacre, and James was sure everyone at the table was holding their guns waiting for something to happen.
This time was Mcgonagall to talk first,
‘Dumbledore and I met yesterday night and found out we have a common interest. As you both know we suspect that Germany is trying to buy some nuclear weapons in order to build their own atomic bomb. This is something that neither America nor Russia want and we were given the order to choose two agents that will work together to prevent those weapons from getting into Germany’s territory’.
The situation wasn’t ideal, and neither of the two were ecstatic about working together but it made sense, joining their forces against a common enemy and then go their separate ways.
‘This means we don’t want to hear anything about attempted murders between the two of you, you are partners in this mission and will have each others' back’ continued Dumbledore.
‘Mr Black the killing order of Lily Evans has been revoked, she is a CIA informant, she is to be kept safe and you will probably work together in the near future’ the tone in Mcgonagall voice wasn’t admonishing but James felt smug at knowing that he made a good job of protecting Lily and she was out of risk now.
‘Are we done here?’ asked Regulus with a sour expression.
‘Yes agents you are excused’ answered Dumbledore.
Regulus nodded stiffly and stood up leaving the three of them with no parting words.