Borrowing a Pan
12:13 A.M. Saturday, 14th October 2022
There was banging on the elevator doors. Remus and Lily had no idea what to do. They couldn’t be involved, but they had already witnessed the worst of it.
Pressing the button to open the doors, Remus prepared himself for what was to come.
It was Sirius on the other side in a complete distraught state with his arm raised to hit the doors that had gone away. His expression softened when he recognized Remus. “You can’t tell anyone about this.” Was all he said.
James was behind Sirius, presumably to keep him underwraps. “Stop saying that! We already called the police. This isn’t your fault!”
“We have to get out here.” He turned back to James. “We have to go!”
“You’re not going anywhere okay! Let the police do their job!”
Sirius at that slumped on the floor wall, heaving into his knees while James decided to address Remus and Lily still standing in the elevator. “Get out there already.” He huffed with his hands on his hips.
The two of them finally took a couple steps forward, truly getting into the horror scene.
“Listen, we’re so sorry.” Lily started.
James raised his arms in anger. “Are you kidding me! What are you guys doing here!”
“We’re bored people entering their late twenties and thought something interesting was happening! Not this!”
Remus let them bicker as he leaned against the wall, a few feet away from Sirius to keep distance, but the hallway was small. It was only the Blacks that lived on this floor. Sitting on the only sliver of black tile that wasn't coated red, Remus remained quiet.
The ball of a human that was Sirius, lifted his head slowly with a deep frown, locking eyes with him. “Here’s to first impressions.”
This broke something inside Remus. “It happens.” He tried to smile.
“I thought you didn't care about the Black family.” Sirius mumbled bitterly. “What were you doing chasing the story?”
“No it wasn’t like that!”
“You really are an author aren’t you?” His eyes latched on.
Gulping down a pile of shame, Remus whispered. “I’m sorry.”
He doesn’t know what he said, but Sirius immediately broke into tears, almost hyperventilating. Choking on his breaths, Sirius fell into Remus. Burying his head in his arms. Remus held by the waist and at the hair, holding him tight, as Sirius stained his shirt.
Not knowing him very well, Remus didn’t know what to say. All he could say was, “it’s gonna be alright.” In a hushed tone that did nothing to calm him.
That’s how the police found them. The picture was frozen and they had seen enough. All were taken in for questioning.
Sirius and Regulus were taken in first as the rest waited outside for their turn.
“So Sirius, how did you find your parents?” The officer searched his eyes.
Pursing his lips, he tried to remember. “Uhh… I was going to borrow a pan from them and then I… uhhh… I saw the door open and Regulus was a complete wreck. He was the first person to find them and I think he was in shock.”
“What was he doing?”
“He was… was on the floor. Sobbing and gripping the ground a bit. I tried to get him to stand.” Sirius closed his eyes in thought.
The officer tilted his head to the side. “Is that why he was covered in blood?”
“Yeah, well it was everywhere. The - the blood was- it wasn’t stopping. It got on my shoes, on his pants. On his face when he touched it… it was everywhere.”
“Was there already blood on his hands when you got there?”
Sirius opened his eyes. “No. No, his hands were clean when I got there. He was just in a bit of shock.”
“And what were you doing getting a pan from your parents at midnight?”
“We’re just close like that.” He lied.
“You know…” The officer put his hands on the table. “I don’t think I buy that.”
Sirius met his eyes defyingly. “Why? Are you not close with yours? What a pity.”
“No, just… your reaction doesn’t seem a whole lot like grieving. If my parents died I would be weeping till the sunrise.”
Raising his chin, he asked. “What are you trying to insinuate?”
“I don’t think that’s the real reason you were there.” He put it bluntly.
“What’s your name, officer?”
“Alastor Moody.”
“Well… I want a lawyer, Alastor.”
In Regulus’ room they weren’t getting much further. It had been twenty minutes of the same conversation.
“What were you doing up there?” His officer asked again.
Regulus stared at her reluctantly and yelled again. “Lawyer!”
“You don’t want the mess of a lawyer.” She waved off. “It would be easier if you just told us what was happening Regulus… or is that not your real name? Because I can’t find you anywhere in the system.”
He stayed quiet.
“I’ve heard of you guys.” His officer continued. “My girlfriend lives in the building, so I’ve heard the stories. But what’s weirder, is that on file, you don’t exist.”
“I’m under Regina Black.” He muttered.
She paused, staring at him, before she abruptly left the room. In short moments she came back with a file and slapped it on the table in front of his handcuffs. “You were right.”
“Obviously.”
“It’s funny you chose a star for your name.” His officer mused. “Considering your parents didn’t want to include you in that. Must have bugged you growing up with the three of them having that connection, and you on the outside.”
Regulus jiggled his handcuffs.
“I know it bugged you. Because when you changed your name, you tried to get in on it. Be included.”
“Lawyer! Now!”
While they waited for his lawyer, Barty, to show, the police had decided to take statements from the rest that were still waiting on metal chairs.
“If you guys could please write down your information.” A policeman started.
However, Mary cut him off. “Where are they?”
“Ma’am we’ve taken them in for questioning and we’re waiting to get word if we’re going to bring you guys in as well. That most likely won’t be the case if-”
“Why are they getting questioned? Their parents just died, can’t you just report that without having to torture them!” She argued loudly.
He stopped, taking in a breath. “Are you aware of the nature of the death?”
Remus’ eyes could have bulged out of its sockets and he wouldn’t have noticed. “Are you saying they were murdered?”
“There’s been no ruling yet, but there seems to have been some foul play.”
James stood, knocking his chair back a few inches. “And you think they did it?!” His face was completely scandalized.
The policeman put his hands out, surrendering. “That’s not what we’re saying. We are just questioning them.”
Everything was a haze of burnt emotions. After a while, everyone just wanted to go to bed. At around three in the morning, Remus was severely regretting his nosiness. He wasn’t ever like this. Even as an author, he never chased a story.
Lily had been passed out on his shoulder for half an hour now, and his eyes were starting to droop when James asked, “Why did you come up?”
There wasn’t any trace of malice in his tone and Remus could only bite the inside of his mouth.
"Sorry for biting Lily’s head off earlier. I’ve never gotten that hot headed before, but I am still curious.”
“I don’t know.” He lied. “I met Sirius today, or yesterday I guess. Maybe it made me feel like I knew him… but I don’t.”
James smiled softly. “Yeah, I heard about that.”
“I knew it wasn’t Lily who talked about me!”
“He went on and on about you.”
“Really?”
“Are you kidding me? You were the guy from the twenty seventh floor.”
Remus laughed, despite himself. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”
“Had to keep it that way.” James sighed. “His parents are a bit ruthless.”
From down the line of chairs, Evan peaked his head up. “Were.”
He blinked. “Sorry?”
“Were. Not was. They were ruthless.” Evan said under his breath.
“Right.” To James’ right, Mary was snoring with her mouth open. He patted her hair away from his shoulder and leaned on it.
Everyone except Remus was asleep when a man in a suit walked in. He was fixing his collar and walking towards a random officer. “Hello, I’m Regulus’ and Sirius’ lawyer, Bartemius Crouch Junior.”
“Hello, yes, right this way.” He was escorted into a hallway, presumably where the two brothers were stored away, but when no one was looking, Remus saw him peek into the file on the desk.
He didn’t randomly select that officer at all.
“If you could give me and my clients a few minutes alone that would be great. Preferably together at once.”
“Sir, we can’t do that.”
“You can and you will.” Barty narrowed his eyes on him. “Who do I have to fight over this?”
Long dreadful moments later, the three of them were finally in a room together with the door locked shut.
Sirius was just about to start, with his mouth wide open and eyes lit with fury, when Barty stopped him. “Lower your voice, everything here is recorded.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah shit alright. Do you know what it is to be woken up at one thirty in the morning to hear I need to be a lawyer at this god forsaken hour because the Black parents are dead? God.”
Regulus and Sirius shared quick glances before huffing out apologizes.
“No, I’m sorry, your parents died. I should be more sympathetic…” Barty rolled his head on his neck, loosening his tie.
Lowering his head from the camera’s, Regulus whispered. “What are we going to do? There’s no reason not to believe it was me.”
“God, when I told you to kill your parents I didn’t mean literally!” He whispered back.
“I didn’t!”
“He didn’t!”
Both Regulus and Sirius spoke over each other.
Barty took a seat in the chair across from them, and propped his hands on the table. “Tell me everything you’ve told them.”
“They know I’m trans.”
“That I was there to borrow a pan.”
Rolling his eyes, Barty sighed. “Borrowing a pan? Sirius, that is the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”
“No it is not.”
“When was the last time you ever cooked anything?” He cocked his head. “Or how about the fact that your parents don’t cook, they use private chefs. Or the fact that literally everyone in the building knows you and your parents can not stand each other, much less borrow kitchen supplies.”
Sirius bit his lip, watching the mirror behind him. “Okay there’s a few holes in the story.”
“Where did you even get that idea? What healthy parental relations have you been seeing?” Regulus chimed in.
“Not you too.” He grumbled.
“Okay guys let’s calm down.” Barty tried. “I saw some things in the file while they weren’t looking.”
The two of them nodded for him to continue.
Lowering his voice and leaning forward, Barty gave them a stern look. “They have the murder weapon. It’s a Compact 9mm.”
“English?” Regulus frowned.
Sirius hit the back of his head. “That’s a gun you moron.”
Turning in an instant, he pointed at him accusingly. “Don’t even start with me.”
“Okay, so clearly it’s not ringing any bells.” Barty stifled a yawn. “They’re probably going to want to run fingerprints. It takes a couple of days for those to go through, so let’s see if I can get you out of here within the hour.”
Fixing his tie and collar, Barty left the room with the two brother’s. Where they sat and refused to make eye contact. It was long awkward silence for what could have been years before Barty came back in with an officer by his side, ready to unlock their handcuffs.
“Come on, we’re leaving.”
4:36 A.M.
They all stumbled in the empty streets towards Grimmauld. As everyone groaned, reaching the grand arches, Barty’s hand grazed Regulus’ shoulder. “Can we talk?” The red and blue lights clouding their vision.
Watching everyone else walk inside, Regulus nodded.
“Are you okay?”
“Mmhh?”
“Regulus, are you okay?”
Raising his chin, Regulus tried to keep his reaction cold. “I’m good.”
“No you’re not!”
He picked his thumb. “Just because you liked me ten years ago doesn’t mean you know everything about me. I’ve clearly changed.”
“Please.” Barty waved off. “You’ve always been Reg.”
“I’m serious.”
“No, you’re Regulus.”
“God!” He snapped. “What is wrong with you? I obviously don’t need any help, I am fine.”
Barty threw his hands in the air with no caution and all casualness. “Fine, suit yourself.” Starting to walk backwards, he waited for Regulus to cave.
He was standing in front of the door, but making no effort to go inside.
“Why don’t you try going in?” Barty maliciously suggested.
“I am.”
“What’s the problem?”
Regulus’ face made no movements, trained in place. “I live right under them.”
Cupping a hand around his ear, he screamed. “What?”
“I can’t go inside alright!”
Barty’s asehole persona dropped, along with his hand. He stared at him intensely before giving a sad smile. “C’mon. Let’s go to my place.”
Defeated, Regulus walked towards him. “Okay.”