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Chapter Text

Saturday 31st of July 1976

Kreacher pops into existence, setting a tray of tea and biscuits down on the small table next to him. 

“Master Regulus should eat something.” He says, brandishing a plate of sweets under his nose.

“Thank you, Kreacher.” he replies with a small smile. It doesn’t have much effect as Kreacher regards him with worry, so Regulus makes the effort to pick up a madeleine, taking a bite out of it and making an exaggerated face to show that he is enjoying it.

“Kreacher is supposed to tell Master Regulus that his cousin, Miss Lestrange, will be coming for dinner. The Mistress asked to put on dress robes. Kreacher has put them ready.”

Regulus tenses up. He thought he would have managed to dodge his cousin this summer but apparently his mother had other plans. Nerves prickle at his spine at the idea of spending the length of a dinner with her and her idiot husband. “Very well, thank you Kreacher.”

Kreacher nods and pops back out of the library. Regulus sets the madelaine down next to his steaming cup of tea and closes his book. He walks the stacks, to go and put it back when he nearly trips on a small velvet box sticking out from between two books at the bottom of the shelf. He picks it up, frowning as he opens it for it to reveal a pendant with a strange stone. He pulls it up to eye level, his gaze drawn to the small stone which seems to twirl and shift in colour, like looking at a constantly moving milky way, little stars shining around a darker center. He feels hypnotized when he hears a sort of buzzing like an old radio trying to tune itself on the right frequency. It almost sounds like words in his ears as it starts getting clearer.

“ We know all and see all. ” The strange voice seems to whisper. 

He gets startled by someone calling his name and turns, hiding the box and its content behind his back. His brother stands in the entrance of the library, leaning against the fram with his hands in his pockets. Effortlessly Sirius.

“Have you heard Bella is coming to dinner?”

“Uh? Er━ Yeah. Yes. I was about to go and get ready.”

Sirius watches him with an assessing gaze. “Are you alright, Reggie?”

Regulus doesn’t want to answer. He doesn’t want Sirius’ concern. He wishes he would just look away. 

“Fine.”

His brother’s eyes linger a second too long on him but in the end, he just nods, exiting the room. Regulus blows out a breath of relief and sets back the box where he found it, glancing back one last time. He hurries back to his bedroom and reluctantly gets ready for the evening. 

At six o’clock on the dot, he stands downstairs in the drawing room waiting next to his brother. Not a hair out of place, posture straight and hand clasped behind his back. Neat, tidy . The hearth roars to life and a cackling Bellatrix comes almost stumbling out, quickly followed by her husband. She sobers up though as she spots her aunt watching her with a stern look. 

“Aunt Walburga.” She curtsies. 

“Bella. I hope your mother is doing well?”

“Yes, thank you for asking.”

Walburga barely acknowledges the presence of Rodolphus as she strolls away in the direction of the salon. Bellatrix turns to her cousins, a mad smile splitting her face. 

“Hi there, little Reggie!” She’s grabbing his cheek and pinching hard. Regulus forces himself to stay impassive, knowing that any reaction he gives her will automatically make it worse. “Sirius.” She turns, her smile immediately falling as she regards his brother with disdain. 

“Bella. You look lovely, as always.” Sirius smirks, definitely not meaning the compliment. Bella just lifts a thin brow before getting back to her husband, hanging off his arm and guiding him through the house.

Sirius shoots a smirk at Regulus which he reciprocates and for a second, it’s like they are back to normal but it is quickly forgotten as Sirius heads to follow the rest, leaving Regulus behind. There’s an awful repetitive ticking sound coming from the grandfather clock in the corner of the room and it puts Regulus on edge as they all sit on the lush velvet chairs while Kreacher serves them drinks. Bella is prattling on about some non-sense face to face she had with a goblin when she last visited Gringotts.

“And as I told him, there was simply no way we could accept such blatant insults on our house, really. I’m sure you would have agreed, Aunt Walburga.” Bella jabbers on, the drink in her hand swishing and swirling around, spilling a bit over the edge. She goes to take another sip only to find it near empty. “What does one have to do to get a drink in this house! Really, Aunt Walburga, you should employ a younger elf. Where is that filthy rag ?! Kreacher!” Their house elf who had been taking care of dinner in the kitchen pops back into existence, a decanter of wine in his hand. 

“Miss Bellatrix has called?”

“Yes I called, you disgusting bottom-feeder. And it’s Mrs, not Miss!” She practically shrieks at him, kicking him right in the chest. Kreacher topples backwards, spilling half of the decanter on the carpet. Regulus almost jerks forward to help the elf back up but stops himself at the last second. His eyes flick to Sirius who looks on at the scene expressionless.

“Bella, the carpet, really.” Walburga says, an air of disgust on her face as she sips her glass.

“Sorry, Aunt, you’re right. Clean it!” She commands Kreacher who casts a non verbal spell at the burgundy stain. “I’m starving, let’s eat, shall we?” Bella gets up, abandoning her glass, heading to the dining room. Everyone follows without objection and Regulus shoots an apologetic glance at Kreacher as he passes him. He can already see a bruise which has started to bloom, peeking out of the dish towel that Kreacher is wearing.

The dinner drags on for an excruciatingly long amount of time and if he wasn’t on high alert, Regulus would have been bored out of his mind already. Sirius doesn’t seem the least bothered, joining and adding to the conversation every now and then. Regulus berates himself, wondering why he cannot be a bit more like his brother. He tunes back in the conversation, trying to follow what is being said when he catches Bella saying something about a recent attack on a family of Muggle-born.

“Honestly, you should have been there!” She laughs maniacally. “In fact, I’ve heard you might be joining soon, cousin?” She shoots a challenging look at Sirius who lifts his glass in lieu of an answer. “It’s about time, if you ask me. You’ll be turning seventeen this November, right?”

“Indeed.” Sirius answers without so much as a glance.

“I expect you to be at your best, cousin, to show the strength and values of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Do not embarrass me in front of the Dark Lord.” She tells him pointedly.

Sirius keeps his focus on his plate, slicing a perfect bite size piece of steak, bringing it to his mouth and chewing, taking his time before answering. “Well, you’re not exactly a Black anymore, now, Bella. Now that you’ve taken a husband, that is.” He says with a glint of amusement in his eyes as he looks at Rodolphus who is nearly choking on a chicken drumstick.

Regulus tenses as he sees his cousin rise from her seat, her silver fork clutched tightly in her fist. “How dare you?! I am as much of Black as you are, you insolent little━”

“Bella, let’s try and keep our composure at the dinner table.” His mother tells her in a bored tone. 

Bellatrix’s bulging eyes are shooting daggers at Sirius and Regulus cringes at the sight. She blows a long breath out when her husband’s hand comes to rest lightly on her forearm and her well-bred aristocratic mask slips back into place as she smiles a bit too broadly for her face.

“What about you, Reggie?” She asks in a honey dripping voice. “Will you be joining our ranks soon enough?”

Regulus recoils, looking with panic between his brother and mother. Before he can open his mouth to answer, his mother speaks up. 

“Regulus hasn’t quite proven himself yet. We are prioritizing our heir joining the cause and serving the Dark Lord, it is the most important.”

Regulus shrinks back in his seat, staring at his plate. It takes a great effort for him to continue eating without lifting his gaze back to his brother who he knows is currently staring. His attention is however brought back to his cousin a moment later.

“You stupid elf!” Bella shrieks, her glass now spilled onto the table. Regulus watches as Kreacher backs away from her with a terrified look on his face, the carafe of wine still clutched in his bony hands. “Have you no shame?! You are supposed to serve from the right!” Bella kicks him hard with her boot and the elf falls to the ground.

“K━Kreacher is sorry, miss.” He implores. 

“I told you, it’s Mrs!” She screams, getting her wand out and pointing it at Kreacher. “Crucio!”

Regulus cannot help what comes out of his mouth when he sees the elf’s frail body falling onto the ground, twisting in pain. “No!”

Bella stops immediately and the whole room falls silent, everyone staring at Regulus. His mother and cousin regard him with an air of disgust while his brother just seems worried.

“What did you just say?” Bella asks, enunciating every word.

“Regulus.” His mother’s dark look makes him cower in fear. 

“Why don’t you come here, Reggie dear?” Bella beckons him with a mean smile. Regulus is frozen in place but his mother directs him around the table with one flick of her wand. Suddenly, Regulus is standing next to his cousin with Kreacher at his feet. “I think now is the perfect opportunity to prove yourself. Wouldn’t you agree, Aunt?”

Their mother nods, waiting for Regulus to do as he’s told. Regulus looks down at Kreacher as his big eyes fill up with heavy tears. Regulus doesn’t want to, he can’t.

“Get your wand out, Regulus.” His mother orders. 

Regulus grabs his wand with a trembling hand, lifting it up to point at the elf in front of him. He tries to slow his heart down, calm his breathing as he is filled with panic. “C━Crucio.” Nothing happens. Regulus closes his eyes, exhaling a shaky breath.

“You have to mean it, Reggie! Come on!” Bella says, coming to stand behind him, one arm snaking around his waist, the other alongside his wand arm, grabbing his wrist harshly. He tenses, smelling the wine on her breath as she whispers in his ear. “Go on, Reggie, do it.”

Regulus tries to let the spell out again. He really tries. But he can’t. 

“Really, you shouldn’t ask a child to do the job of a man.” Rodolphus cackles behind him, still sitting at the table, leisurely sipping on his own glass. Regulus is trembling, he can feel his legs threatening to collapse under him any second.

“Crucio.”

Regulus’ head snaps, looking straight at his brother who is standing from his seat, his wand trained on Kreacher who screams under the force of the curse. Regulus just watches on, shocked at the cold expression on Sirius’ face as he tortures their house elf, the only being who has cared for them since their birth. He seems so detached that Regulus doesn’t recognise him. He wants to scream at him to stop but the words won’t come out. After what feels like an eternity, his mother declares that it’s enough and orders Kreacher to serve dessert. Regulus slowly makes his way back to his seat in silence. The rest of dinner goes on without any acknowledgement of what just transpired and Regulus is hopeful when his cousin and her husband finally leave. He’s about to go up to his room to make himself be forgotten but his mother seems to have another idea.

“Regulus. Follow me.”

As always, Regulus searches for his brother’s gaze as he leaves the room, but this time, he comes back empty handed. His heart clenches in his chest as he follows his mother to the drawing room. She sits in her highback chair, and he stands in front of her like he knows he’s supposed to. A few seconds pass during which his mother brushes invisible lint off her pristine robes.

“You disappointed me again tonight, Regulus. In front of company, no less.”

Regulus knows not to answer, he just keeps his eyes on his shoes, giving her one nod.

“Tell me, Regulus, what use will you have to this family, besides being a constant burden?”

“I━”

“Crucio.”

His legs do finally give out and his knees hit the hard wood floor with a thud. He feels like he’s on fire, his nerves flare up, his limbs lock and it seems as if all of the tendons and muscles in his body tear. He loses sense of time, and can taste blood in his mouth, pretty sure he has bitten his tongue. Then, just as it had started, it stops out of nowhere. The pain is no longer all consuming but it feels more like echoes, running through his veins, making his body spasm. He’s conscious, and even though his vision is blurry, he can see his mother’s shoes. He doesn’t dare to move, too scared of triggering her again, not knowing if he could take it once more. He just stays in a fetal position on the floor, trying not to move. There’s a loose thread on the corner of the carpet. He wants to pull it. So he focuses on that.

“Maybe this will finally teach you a lesson. Stop being so weak, Regulus.” A second later, he hears her step out of the room. Still, he doesn’t dare to make a sound. Each breath burns and Regulus wonders distantly if breathing will always feel like that from now on. He sees another pair of shoes come into view and recognizes them as his brother’s. He came after all. 

“Come on Reg, let’s get you up.”

Sirius tries to put an arm under him to get him off the ground and with much difficulty, Regulus gets up slowly. He looks down, only to notice he has soiled himself. Shame washes over him quicker than he had expected it possible. He tries to get out of Sirius' hold but cannot stand on his own so he gives up.

“I’ll get you to your room.” Sirius says and Regulus doesn’t answer, just lets himself be guided. The walk up the stairs feels like the most difficult thing he’s ever had to do, but still, he puts one foot in front of the other, his body shaking every now and then. They reach his bedroom and Sirius lowers him down to his bed. “Kreacher!”

The small elf pops in and Regulus immediately wants to cry. He doesn’t want Kreacher to take care of him. He feels so much shame.

“He needs a Dreamless Sleep potion and a pain relieving one as well.”

“Yes, Master.” Kreacher disappears and Regulus finally takes a look at his brother. His eyes are hard when he looks down at him.

“It was stupid. What you did.”

“I━ I know.” Regulus replies through clenched teeth as another shiver goes through his body. 

“I won’t always be there to take care of you, Regulus. You need to toughen up.”

And this hurts more than the Cruciatus curse. It hurts more than the words spoken by his mother. Because Regulus expects them from her, but he doesn’t expect them from Sirius. His brother isn’t cruel, he isn’t spiteful. Regulus doesn’t understand why Sirius chooses to hurt him by saying that. He just looks at him as the tears start to spill, another wave of shame crushing him and making it hard for him to breathe. So he does what he does best, he turns around, hiding himself from the judgmental look his brother is giving him, wishing he could disappear. 

━━━

Wednesday 5th of November 1980

“This is stupid.”

“It’s not, it's actually quite fetching on you.” James tries not to laugh, applying some more glue on Regulus’ upper lip to try and make the fake beard stick properly. He tries to focus on what he’s doing rather than let his thudding heart distract him. He’s so close to Regulus, he can see the specks of honey in his green eyes, the curve of his dark lashes and the smallest scar right on the bridge of his nose. James straightens up, admiring his work with pride and goes to wash the glue residues off his hands. Regulus is sitting on the toilet, fidgeting in place. 

“What if it doesn’t work?”

“It will. Wizards have always underestimated Muggles. Makeup is Muggle glamour. And it’s impervious to magic."

Regulus gets up from his seat, looking at himself in the mirror, standing next to James. 

“I look weird.”

“You don’t look like yourself.” James offers him a smile. “And that’s the whole point. Okay, ready?”

“I want to go over everything again.”

“Reg, we’ve done it, like a thousand times. We’re ready.”

Regulus nods at him, getting up and grabbing a small pouch containing the essentials they will need to break into Nurmenguard.

“Remember, listen to what I tell you and just keep your focus, that’s the most important.” Regulus tells him.

“Will do.” James tells him. He feels the adrenaline coursing through his veins as Regulus takes his hand and in one loud crack, Apparating them to the high Austrian mountains.

They land on top of a ridge covered in snow. Regulus immediately casts a warming charm on them both and James is grateful for it seeing as he’s dressed less warm than Regulus. He looks around him, the sky looks heavy with large cumulus, signaling an approaching snow storm. They’re hoping that the weather might be on their side. The wind is howling between the snowy peaks and James spots the famous prison in the distance. He looks back at Regulus who’s staring at him intently. 

“You got this.”

“Of course.” James jokes to try and diffuse the tension.

“Cocky bastard.” Regulus says, shaking his just as he takes a step back. 

James takes a deep breath in, closing his eyes and relaxing into it. He focuses on the nature around him, the feel of the crunching snow beneath his feet, the cold air entering his lungs. He feels himself slip away and when he reopens his eyes, his vision is sharper and he’s on all four, standing tall. Prongs looks at Regulus whose face is full of amazement, just like when he had seen James’ Patronus . He approaches the stag, a hand coming up to stroke at his imposing head, down to his nuzzle. Even in his Animagus form, Regulus’ touch ignites something within James.

“So beautiful.” Regulus whispers and if it wasn’t for the fact that James has excellent hearing as a stag, he would have missed it, words lost in the wind. He could stay like this forever, enjoying the feel of Regulus’ hand on him but he knows distantly that they have a job to do. He nudges at the pouch hanging off Regulus’ belt who understands his meaning, getting the small glass bottle out and uncorking it. 

“Just keep your focus, alright?” He says one last time before bringing the vial to Prongs’ mouth, tilting the liquid in the mouth of the stag. There’s a strange sensation that goes through his body, at first it’s like a tingle, then he feels himself shrink, smaller and smaller. He tries not to panic but the sight of the world around him getting bigger makes it feel oppressing. But thanks to Regulus' quick thinking, Prongs immediately calms down as he is scooped up in his hands, now just a staglet. Regulus lifts him up to his face, a big smile splitting his face. 

“You did it, James.”

Prongs huffs, preening under the praise. He enjoys the warmth of Regulus’ hands, now being about three inches tall, the cold seems to sip under his usually thick fur. Regulus strokes him with a finger and James shivers a little. 

“I’ll put you in my pocket now, alright? I left you something in there.” He tells him with a wink.

James is engulfed in Regulus’ warm wool coat pocket, happily surprised when he finds a square of chocolate wrapped in a tissue. He pokes his head back up when he starts to feel Regulus move. The trek is about a half hour to the entrance of the prison which gives plenty of time for Prongs to relax into his new size, content in the warmth of the pocket, munching on the piece of chocolate. Suddenly, Regulus’ hand appears, coming to stroke lightly at his antler, signaling that they have arrived and for Prongs not to move.

“Good afternoon. Unspeakable Atkinson, I owled in advance.” He hears Regulus talk with a stern voice. There’s some weird static, then he hears a nasal voice come through and it reminds James of his parents' old horn turntable. 

“Yes, Unspeakable Atkinson, come in.”

James feels the grounds shake as the great doors of the Nurmenguard castle shift open. Regulus steps through and James can feel him walking with a brisk confident pace, completely immersed in his character. Through the opening of the pocket, James can see the great glowing arches meant to check for any concealment magic and Regulus passes through them without a hitch. He hears a guard asking for identification and holds his breath, knowing that this is it, the moment Regulus has been working for.

“Of course. Here..” Regulus presumably shows them the locket around his neck which belonged to an aunt of his who was an Unspeakable in the forties. Kreacher had managed to get it from Grimmauld for them a few days prior to their arrival in Austria and from then on, Regulus had worked tirelessly on it, able to tweak its magical signature and replacing it with his own in order to fool the security measure of the prison. Thankfully, the fact he was blood related to said aunt had made it easier.

“You may proceed.”

“Thank you.” Regulus' voice sounds assured and James blows out a breath of relief. It seems like their plan has worked perfectly so far, Regulus had made it through and thanks to his Animagus form, James’ magical signature wasn’t detected.

“Ah, Unspeakable Atkinson, what a pleasure to have you here.” A female voice says. “My name is Lucinda Wolf, I am the governor of Nurmengard. You said in your letter that you were here to study ancient Germanic runes from our security wards?”

“Indeed. Specifically those on your high tower.”

“I see… The prisoner inhabiting the high tower is a dangerous one, as you must know.”

“Of course, I know. We know all and see all.” Regulus replies, truly sounding as mystical as an Unspeakable.

“Indeed.” The lady clears her throat. “Well, Unspeakable Atkinson, I will have to accompany you to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

This is less than ideal but they had counted on it. Regulus’ hand appears in the pocket once again and Prongs licks the back of it as a comforting gesture. He can smell the nerves on him but knows Regulus will do whatever is necessary. 

“Of course. Lead the way.” He says, walking again with a determined step. 

Prongs hears the sound of screaming prisoners, many who have seemed to have lost their minds, hearing the incoherencies coming out of their mouths. The smells are no better, the damp, urine and molding food… The conditions here are probably as deplorable as in their own prison in England. But Prongs just tries to focus on the task at hand and nestles inside Regulus’ palm to try and give him as much courage as he can.

“Here we are. Will you be needing my assistance with anything else?”

“Uh…” Regulus’ hand exits his pocket and Prongs pokes his head out to better gouge the situation. “I need to access the cell.”

“I’m sorry, that won’t be possible.” The governor tells him. “Regardless, the runes you wanted to study are at the entrance of this level. No one accesses the cell, it is closed at all times.”

Regulus huffs and mutters an apology before casting the spell. “ Imperio .”

Prongs watches as the woman’s eyes glaze over and her body relaxes. 

“You will lead me up to the cell without alerting anyone.”

“It’s impossible. There are security wards and curses protecting the entrance that even I do not know how to disarm, set in place by a very powerful wizard. I have never gone further than this point.”

“Fuck.”

Prongs starts moving around in the pocket, trying to catch Regulus’ attention who ends up reaching and taking him out of there. Prongs stands on his open hand, pawing at it with his hoofs and shaking his antlers. 

“What?” Regulus asks with a confused look. “Ow! James that fucking hurts!” He says when a frustrated Prongs pokes his thumb with a sharp antler. “Okay, okay, give me a second.” Regulus pulls out the vial of growing potion, putting a drop on his palm in front of Prongs who immediately comes to drink it up. Regulus quickly puts him down, and goes to stand a few feet away from the slowly growing stag. The corridor is narrow and just about accommodates the full sized cervidae.

“Merlin’s balls.” James says as he shifts back into himself, cracking his neck. He shakes all of his limbs, feeling the tingling after effects of the potion still in his body. “It’s the last time I’m doing this.”

“Great, and how the fuck are we going to get back out without being seen, now?” Regulus asks, irritated. 

“Well it’s not like it was going great right now!” James defends himself. “Anyway, I figured two wizards is better than one if we have to take apart some complicated wards.”

Regulus glares at him but relents after a couple of seconds. “Fine. You.” He says, pointing his wand back at the governor. Now that James is back to his human form, he can see the woman better: she is short and plum with a blond bob and wearing a dark green uniform. “Take us as far as you can.”

She turns around, opening the heavy wooden doors they had stopped in front. At the contact with her palm, the handle glows a soft blue hue, seemingly accepting her magical signature for her to go beyond. She leads the way to the high tower and they slowly walk up the spiral staircase before she stops in front of an iron door without a word. Regulus casts a detection spell, one layer of runes glowing golden while another glows red. 

“That doesn’t look great.” James provides. 

“Shh. I’m thinking.” Regulus swats at him.

James knows to let him, seeing his expression shift into focus. After a couple of seconds, Regulus starts drawing intricate patterns on the door with his wand, so fast that James cannot follow. He can see that whatever Regulus is doing, it’s exerting. He wants to help but doesn’t know how and won’t disturb him, scared of actually making it worse. After what feels like the longest minutes of James’ life, Regulus blows a breath of relief when the door groans open. Regulus orders the governor to stay behind and peers through the entrance.

“This isn’t ominous at all…” James says as he steps inside the long narrow hall and torches on the wall start illuminating their surroundings. The whole place is silent to the point of eeriness, making James nervous. Regulus has the presence of mind to cast another detection spell before they go any further which shows up blank. 

“Alright, let’s go.” Regulus says, grabbing him by the sleeve. They walk carefully, taking slow steps, both on high alert. They go on for a few minutes without coming across anything. 

“This doesn’t make any sense, where are the curses, the wards?”

“Maybe that was it? The first door?”

“No way, you heard her, she said it had been set up by a powerful wizard. There has to b━” Regulus stops dead in his tracks, an arm stretched out to block James from going any further. James looks at him in confusion before spotting the reason for their sudden stop. In front of them as if carved directly into the wall, is a figure, pacing back and forth. It’s such a weird sight that James doesn’t directly notice when the sphinx’s eyes shift and it stops. 

“Reg… Is that a━”

“Mmhmm.” 

Neither move, too afraid the sphinx will pounce and tear them to pieces. But nothing happens. Eventually, James takes a step forward even though Regulus is silently pleading with him not to move, pulling on the back of his clothes. 

“Uh… Hello?”

He looks back at Regulus who mouths “ Hello?” back to him with an incredulous look. James shrugs, gazing back at the creature. 

“We uh… We need to visit the prisoner.”

The sphinx stares right into James’ eyes and he feels a shiver run through his spine before the beasts open its mouth, a deep cavernous voice coming out of it.

“ Only the worthy may pass. ”

“Okay…” James replies. “And how is one worthy?”

“ Answer or die. ”

Regulus gets closer to James whispering urgently “Are we sure this is worth it? James, I don’t think━”

“It’s fine, we got this, you and I.” He tells him, smiling down and squeezing his hand in reassurance. “Let’s hear it.” He tells the sphinx.

“ You can't see me, but you know when I’m there.

I linger suspended in the air.

I ask for your trust, but flourish with chance.

Kings cannot buy me, and liars can't fake me.

I turn fools into poets.

I am a force, most powerful. 

Who am I? ”

There’s a silence during which James ponders the riddle, Regulus fidgeting next to him. 

But the answer is already in his mind, lodged in a corner of his mind. It comes to him naturally, as if he has known it his whole life. He looks at Regulus whose panicked face stares back at him. “James, I don’t━”

“It’s okay, I know.”

“You do?”

James turns back to the sphinx, standing tall, a secret smile pulling at his lips. 

“Love.” He says with his full chest.

The wall parts with a shudder, letting them pass, the sphinx disappearing like he had never been there in the first place. James feels elated and he walks on, not even aware of the way Regulus is staring at him. They are faced with another corridor and James wonders how much longer they have to go on. He’s pretty sure the whole place has been magically extended because the architecture of the place makes no sense for the size of the tower. Thankfully though, this hallway is not as long as the previous one. They come face to face with another iron door, not unlike the first one. Again, ever the cautious one, Regulus waves his wand in front of it, revealing another set of wards.

“These ones are different.” Regulus says, looking unsure. 

“How so?”

“I can’t just crack them, we need a key.”

“What type of key?”

Regulus seems to hesitate before telling him but James presses on. 

“Blood. They’re blood wards. They require a willing sacrifice of blood. The runes that keep appearing say ‘pure’ ,‘blood’ and ‘heart’ .”

Without a single hesitation, James steps forward, taking his wand out and slicing his palm open. Next to him, Regulus gasps in shock, grabbing at his forearm. 

“What are you doing?! Are you mad?!”

“It’s okay, Reg.” James tells him. He knows, he feels it, this is what needs to happen. He puts his bleeding hand on the door, the many locks clicking and whirring. James feels himself get drained of all of his energy, the same feeling he used to get after coming back from an intense raid with Order, completely magically depleted. His knees wobble and he feels the dire need to sit down.

“James? Jamie?!” Regulus follows him down to the ground where they sit right in front of the now cracked open door. 

“ M’okay.” He says weakly. “Go on.”

“I’m not leaving you here like this, are you insane? No.” Regulus grabs his arm, passing it over his shoulder and propping him against the wall to lift him up with his own arm around him. If it wasn’t for the circumstances, James would have enjoyed every second of the closeness they are now sharing. “Come on.” Regulus says, walking them through the door slowly. He casts a Lumos in the otherwise dark cell, the only other source of light coming through are from the torches outside in the hall. James’ glasses are slightly crooked on his nose but he’s still able to look around and notice that they are no longer in a corridor. They stand in a small room with a tiny window that resembles more of a slit than an actual window. In one corner there’s a cot with a dirty tattered cover. In the other sits an old man in ripped grimy robes. There’s a foul smell in the air, one of unwashed bodies and staleness. The man appears to be asleep, folded onto himself. James tears himself away from Regulus, supporting himself against one of the walls.

“Reg, I think that’s━”

Regulus approaches the old man with his wand in front of him. “Sir? Mr Grindelwald?”

In a fraction of a second, the man lunges forward, narrowly missing Regulus who has the good reflex to leap back, his wand aimed right at the throat of his attacker. Regulus breathes hard, obviously startled and James realizes he’s grabbed onto Regulus and pulls him closer to his chest protectively.

“Wer sind Sie?!” says the man with a croaky voice he obviously hasn’t used in a long time. Grindelwald looks tired and jaded, his face covered in dirt, his icy blue eyes striking. There are deep lines on his shallow face that make him almost look grotesquely old.

Regulus straightens up without putting his wand down. “Mein Name ist Regulus Arcturus Black, Sir, ich bin gekommen, um Ihnen einige Fragen zu stellen. It is of the utmost importance that you tell us what you know.”

Gellert Grindelwald backs up, sliding with his back against the wall to the floor where he sits with his knees drawn up to his chest.

“Are you from the Ministry?” He asks in perfect English. “I do not wish to talk, leave.”

“Sir, it’s important. We need to know about the Elder wand.” Regulus presses on. 

Grindelwald lets out a loud cackle, exposing his rotting teeth. “The Elder wand… Long lost.”

“We know. But we need to find it. It could alter the course of the war.”

At this, Grindelwald's eyes snap up to Regulus’. James looks on with surprise as the man before them, one of the most powerful wizards there ever was, cowers in fear.

“No, no, no…” He starts muttering, his hands coming up to grasp at what little white hair he still has on his head. “Does he know? Does he? Has he found it?!” He asks, panicked, looking from Regulus to James. 

“No, sir.” Regulus answers, catching his meaning, “But we believe he is looking for it already. We need your help, please.” he pleads, crouching down to look at the old man. 

“I didn’t━ So much regrets,━ I━” Grindelwald eyes are unfocused, and watery. James wonders how much he actually regrets. He remembers enough of his History of Magic class to know the pain Gellert Grindelwald had inflicted in the prime of his life. 

“I know about hurting people, I know about doing things, horrible things that you regret and wanting to wipe it out of your mind. Believing in something, for it to be ripped away and thrown back in your face. Realizing how wrong you were. Trying to atone for the hurt. Please, help us stop him.” Regulus says and James’ heart squeezes at the confession. He wonders what Regulus is talking about, why he thinks he has hurt people.

Grindelwald’s gaze softens, “I was like you once…” he tells Regulus, a ragged breath leaving his chapped lips, “Young, in love…” James could swear his eyes flick to him for a moment. “I felt invincible. But he betrayed me and what we believed in. He left and I━” His head slumps down, and he traces patterns on his calloused hand with a finger. “I loved him. So much.” With an air of determination, he lifts his chin up and looks out of the window. 

“Albus Dumbledore.”

It takes a second for James to compute what Grindelwald has just said. Regulus looks back at him, about to say something before a loud scream resonates around the walls of the prison. All three of them cover their ears, the shriek so loud it feels like it’s making James’ ears bleed. He sees Regulus react quickly, grabbing him off the floor. 

“Caterwauling charm!” He yells. 

Regulus aims his wand at the small window before billowing “BOMBARDA MAXIMA!”. The spell hits the wall with such force, James needs to cover his face. He lowers his arm, feeling the cold mountain air hit him and filling up his lungs. “Do you trust me?!” Regulus screams over the alarm charm. James acquiesces, holding on tight to Regulus, immediately understanding his meaning. They take a couple of steps back together, charging forward and jump into the void. James just has a second to look back and see Grindelwald stepping off the ledge, engulfed in the darkness of the night as he falls down before Regulus and him Dissaparate .