Chapter 7
Did Regulus plan to end up in the Gryffindor dorms, asleep beside a messy haired green eyed idiot he had grown fond of over the past few weeks? No. Was it a situation he was going to struggle to explain in the morning? Yes.
But it seemed easier these days to sleep beside Jem instead of alone. Be it the dog or the man, it was safe and comforting. He woke up in the morning with his head on the brown haired man's chest, listening to his heart, legs tangled together. A moment of calm before the storm to come.
"Jem?"
"Hmm?" A soft vibration that made Regulus smile.
"We're gonna be okay, right?" A silencing charm had been put around the bed shortly after they both collapsed onto it.
"Yeah, we're gonna be okay." There was no promise in those words, just hope.
- - -
Regulus, Barty and Evan walked in together, taking their seats without a word. Regulus had never been more surprised by the younger Potter brother than the moment he strutted in a spitting image of James, all arrogance and grace, "Mr.Potter thank you for joining us."
He smiled easily falling to a knee, head tilted down, "My pleasure, my lord." His hair was tied back by his wand there and he didn't flinch when Voldemort pulled it from the curls, making them fall around his face, curious Regulus reached out mentally, tapping against Jem's walls and feeling them crumble letting him in.
His thoughts, barely contained, I'm going to be a force that you will dread. You bastard set me on fire, I'm still alive. Bet you didn't think that I'd come back to life. On the outside he remained relaxed, kneeling, head dipped low, his wand in Voldemort's hand.
The same wand that Voldemort slipped under Jem's chin tilting his head up, "It's been too long."
"Agreed, my lord. It's good to be back." Calm, not a waver in his voice as he let that pressure under his chin guide him back up from his knees.
"Sit beside me."
"Of course," he moved out the chair and sat down, fluid, easy, all lies. Voldemort laid down the wand.
"This is what you all shall be one day." A gesture around the table before he asked Jem a question, "What do you think of our new order?"
Jem's eyes skimmed over us, and Regulus saw the open pain in his eyes before it was shut out and he looked over the rest of the group. "I think they'll be lucky if they're half the wizard I am. I doubt even one of them could beat me in a fight."
"Which kind?"
"Either I suppose, I have been inching for a good brawl." When he leaned back he looked rather bored, "It was so much easier to find fighting pits in Paris."
"Was it?" Jem nodded, pulling a knife from somewhere and using it to pick at his nails. Voldemort didn't even bat an eye. "A shame you haven't found anything now that you're home. I have an idea, if you would be so kind as to humor me." Worded as a kind request, a hard order beneath it.
"Of course my lord, anything you have in mind." His voice was sickly sweet, promising compliance.
"I have been wanting to see what some of our newest members can do, would you mind?"
"Of course not, fists or wands?" Voldemort smiled and Jem continued to look utterly bored.
"Fists." Jem nodded standing up, not even moving to pick up his wand from where it laid by Voldemort's hand. "Regulus, Evan and Bartemius."
"Three against one? Hardly seems like a fair fight." It was Jem who spoke a glimmer of amusement there.
"They need the challenge." Voldemort motioned for the three to get up as Jem moved away from his chair, shrugging out of his jacket. Regulus poked into his mind again, now unsure, two words repeated over and over and over again, Trust me. Trust, he could do that, for Jem. But the man he had gotten to know was not the one who smiled wickedly as he rolled up his sleeves. "Do try not to permanently damage them, they seem promising."
"I'll do my best. Rules?"
"No one dies, and try not to break anything important."
"We go until?"
"I say."
"Magic?"
"If they know any without their wands I suppose." The rest of the group stayed at the table, Evan and Barty a step behind Regulus one on each side, now unsure as to how to react with the man they had enjoyed hanging out with. Jem looked to Voldemort who smiled, "Go."
One moment he was in front of them the next a dog had slipped between his legs and the man was pushing Regulus forward by a firm grip on his hair, "Trust me," it was a whispered plea in his ear. "We're not getting out of this until I break something, on one of you." Still whispered pulling just hard enough to get a visible wince. "That's only if we're lucky. He might feel like dragging this out, putting on a show."
Regulus was suddenly back in the Gryffindor common room with Sirius, "-he lives for it, the unpredictability. It's the same way he fights." There wasn't going to be any sense to his moves, none that Regulus could find a pattern in, not if Sirius's words were true.
He could see Evan and Barty just standing there a little unsure about how to react, "Lucky for whoever gets the broken bone, I can heal it just it's gonna hurt like a bitch, same thing if I dislocate something. Any preferences?"
"Dislocate, my right shoulder?"
"Sure?" A nod and then he was pushed away, stumbling forward as Jem stood between him and his two friends, arms spread wide, a lazy grin on his face, "Are we all just going to stand here or is someone going to make the first move?"
"Julian," his eyes flicked to Voldemort, who nodded in a general direction, something Regulus couldn't follow but Jem seemed to understand.
He lunged, a blur of silver and curly brown and gold hair but paused right before the hit would land, his fist hovering over Barty's stomach, with that momentum it would've cracked if not broken at least one rib. "You have no training in this, do you?" Barty just shook his head. "A shame," then he did let a hit land, Barty leaning forward and coughing and Evan was on the ground seconds later. "All due respect my lord, this is no fun." A lazy tap to Evan's ribs with the toe of his boot. "Give me someone I can actually fight, they don't know what they're doing," it was like a whine as he danced over to Regulus something he wasn't expecting and then found himself on his knees with a soft pop sending pain jolting up the right side of his body. "My bad, might've dislocated that." He seemed almost careless but Regulus was still in his head, Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry.
"Leave them Julian." He could feel Jem's reluctance to let go of his good shoulder before he did, sitting down at the table once again.
"That one, Evan's pretty sure I sprained his ankle. The other one, Bartemius just got bruised ribs. Dislocated the Black's shoulder."
"This is why you all should be trained in both ways of combat. If you can only fight with magic what good are you without a wand?" Voldemort gave Jem back his wand, which he used to tie up his hair. Evans was groaning as he tried to get up and Jem huffed, "Is something wrong, Julian?"
"No, I just...I guess I'm bored."
"You're going to Hogwarts once again, yes?"
"Yes."
"What year?"
"Fifth my lord."
"Same as them." A new train of thought, Shit shit shit shit shit shit-
"I would assume so. But I was sorted into Gryffindor with my brother and I haven't seen them around so really I wouldn't know." The lie was flawless, Regulus hadn't found his tell yet, hadn't tried to but something told him that if he was content with blatantly lying to Voldemort he was damn good at hiding it.
"Well then let's get started, are you three going to join us or just continue lying on the ground?"
- - -
Jem's hands were shaking as he fixed the three Slytherins. Barty's and Evan's were pretty straight forward, Regulus however he had sat down and told to relax, said this was gonna sting. He had closed a hand on both sides of his right shoulder and with an almost practiced movement it popped back into place, Regulus letting out a colorful swear a few moments later.
Then he vanished after telling him to get a tonic from the nurse for the soreness. Which was how Regulus got here given up on searching the hallways and just going to the Gryffindor common room. He was met with the Marauders in the common room, minus one. "Do you know where Jem is?"
James instantly looked worried. "He's not with you?" Regulus shook his head.
But Lupin was calm when he spoke, "Try the Field or the Astronomy tower. He's not great at handling things around this time every month, and he tends to go up there, I was gonna bring him chocolate in an hour."
"An hour?"
"Give him enough time to cool off and not snap at me." Lupin answered with a shrug tossing Regulus a bar of chocolate. "Just ignore most of the things he says, he's got a sharp tongue, will have it for about a week, then he'll go back to normal."
"You sure?"
"Yeah it happened before he left. I wouldn't be surprised if it's still a thing." Regulus nodded thanked the sandy haired man his brother was laying on and headed down the stairs out of the Gryffindor dorms.
He tried the field first, nothing. So the Astronomy tower it was. Jem sat there, shirt mostly unbuttoned, legs over the edge, hair down, boots beside him, a cigarette in his left hand and smoke escaping his lips as he tilted his head back. "Go away Moony." Jem had caught the scent of chocolate and immediately assumed it to be the werewolf.
"I'm not Lupin, and I'm not sure if I should be more offended you're ignoring and avoiding me or that you mistook me for my brother's lover."
He sighed, "Go away, Regulus."
"At least you called me the right name this time." He sat down on the ledge beside Jem who was watching the trees while smoking. "Those are gonna kill you."
"We all have to die sometime."
"We're not mad at you. Barty was probably more surprised that you could move that fast then actually put off about temporarily bruised ribs." Jem didn't speak, didn't look at him just watched the trees as smoke curled out of his nose. "So Julian huh?"
"Call me that and I'll throw you off this tower." The reaction was quick, the reply sharp with a promise woven in, but it was a reaction.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Nope."
"So you're just gonna sit here, smoke and feel bad?"
"Sounds like a good plan." He answered exhaling more smoke.
"Very healthy."
"I've done worse." He replied pulling the cigarette from between his lips.
Wanting to keep him talking and maybe get on friendly ground Regulus asked him a different question. "Why does he call you Julian?"
"Because he knows it pisses me off." A lie, and not a decently hidden one.
"Why are you up here?"
"Why not? You can see everything, and no one comes up here at night."
"Come back inside?"
"No."
"Why not?"
He wanted to get that reaction, he wanted to push Jem to the edge and let him snap so he'd get it out. So when he saw his body go taunt he knew he was close, "Just no."
"Why?"
"Because I don't bloody trust myself enough!" There it was, the sharp edge, the cold tone as he moved quickly, Regulus's shoulders pressing uncomfortably to the edge he had been leaning again, as Jem's arm pressed on his chest. His eyes weren't that bright beautiful green but rather a chilling silver, hard and unyielding. His breath came out in harsh movements.
"Does James know?" Jem shook his head moving back till his shoulders collided with another wall. Putting plenty of space between Regulus and himself. "Anyone?"
"Remus is catching on," he whispered, that silver held firm in his eyes and he pressed his body harder into the wall behind him as Regulus walked over.
"When'd it happen?"
"A month before I left for Paris. Please stop moving," Regulus paused and Jem exhaled slowly, "He called in insurance."
"Who?"
"Voldemort." Regulus swore under his breath.
"Does this happen often?"
"Only after meetings." A blood oath. One he took as a kid, he couldn't have known any better. But not done properly, now Regulus could see it now, some other spell or many were woven into it. "And that damned rush I get from fighting doesn't go away until these do." He waved towards his silver eyes.
"You don't want to hurt anyone." Jem nodded, tensing when Regulus took a few steps closer. "You're not gonna hurt me."
"How do you know that? I did an hour ago."
"We both know you had to, and I'm fine now. Good as new. You're not gonna hurt me, Jem." He didn't relax but didn't move any when Regulus got closer. "Come here," he didn't give him a moment to protest just hugged him, it took a moment before he relaxed into the touch, arms wrapping around Regulus and holding him just as tightly as Regulus was holding onto him. "See?" A soft hum. "Come on, let's get you into something more comfortable." Jem paused when Regulus took his hand and started walking towards the door back inside. "If it makes you feel better I can start a fight with Sirius and you can jump in to protect my honor."
"You're a dick."
"You love it, come on." Another tug and he was grabbing his boots and following Regulus inside. "Yours or mine?"
"They stay for a few hours and I really don't want to explain that to James and Sirius."
"Okay, mine then."
"You're gonna put me in a room full of Slytherins while I'm inching for a fight?"
"I could put you in a room with copies of my brother?"
"Merlin, no." Regulus smiled and pushed open the door after saying the password.
"I found him, but we've got a problem." Barty and Evan were the only ones still up, waiting to see if Regulus had any luck. They both stood up when Regulus walked in, Jem in tow. Each taking a moment to take in the silver replacing the green eyes, before waving tentatively. "Sit down and stay put."
"I'm not a d-" he cut himself off, he was kind of a dog. And it seemed to dawn on him when he went to say it. "Okay." Regulus walked away and came back with a few bottles, to see Barty once again telling some story while Evan and Jem listened. All having settled down in their respective places, Barty in the arm chair, Jem and Evan on the couch.
"Okay," they all turned to Regulus who sat down the vials, "I've got an idea but you're not going to like it." An eyebrow raise as Regulus picked up one of the glass bottles, "This will give us time."
"And putting me in a position where all I want to do is punch something for a longer period of time is smart because...?"
"Because," Evan picked up catching onto where Regulus was going with it, "if we have enough time, we can take it apart, see what charms and or curses were wound into the oath-"
"And destroy it," Barty finished.
"You three are insane." Jem muttered before opening his hand, "What's first?"