Upside Down Mirror: Free Falling (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Awaits

A loud pop followed by the loud thud of something crashing into his study made him look up from the paperwork he pursued on his desk. From where Arcturus Black sat, he at first only saw the ear tips of a House Elf, yet he couldn't tell which part of the family said House Elf came from simply from the tips of their ears. He pulled himself up from leaning over the papers on his desk and instead leaned into the rather large chair.

It was then that a panicked child scrambled to her feet, resulting in Arcturus Black raising a dark eyebrow while the corner of his mouth twisted in curiosity, for what he saw in front of him wasn't what he expected. After all, the child was not from his knowledge any relation to the House of Black, but his first assumption when a House Elf visited was that one of his family members wanted something, or something wasn't going their way.

Even more striking was how the girl wore pajamas, a rather bright blue color with some kind of cartoonish character splattered across the fabric. A Muggle design, the head of Black family presumed, which made the situation slightly amusing given the family's stance regarding anything Muggle related ranged from the kill them dead attitude of Bellatrix and the foul language which came out of Walburga's mouth.

There were of course the ones Walburga blasted off the tapestry, yet he didn't expect any of them to show up, particularly since none of them had access to a House Elf, nor would anybody not of the Black family be seeking his attention so late at night. His eyes narrowed, taking in the way her pajamas were soaked and how she held her arms around her as she attempted not to shiver. However, it was the item clutched in one of her hands which caught his real attention.

"What are you doing with my grandson's wand welp?"

"I..."

"Elle..." A voice Arcturus recognized broke out into a coughing fit.

Arcturus stood up from his chair, hearing the antique piece of furniture creak as he looked over the edge of his desk, confused regarding why he didn't see the person speaking standing in front of him which in turn sent an alarm bell off in his head, but before he could say anything the girl spoke up. "My name is Lyra. Not Elle, or Ella."

This made his head twist abruptly, making the child jump and move backward, obviously frightened by him. Closing his eyes, he spoke. "Regulus?"

"Master Regulus requires medical attention," the House Elf chimed in, making Arcturus open his eyes, grinding his teeth ever so slightly. Kreacher was definitely out of place, for usually Walburga or Orion would either come with the House Elf or send a letter with whatever they wanted to discuss. Kreacher wasn't just obedient but was also good at keeping out of sight and out of mind. "Please help Master Regulus."

Arcturus stood up, his old bones creaking before taking his walking stick from beside the desk. The girl still shivered where she stood, still holding onto his grandson's wand and still looking at him as if he were some kind of monster. Slowly, he walked out from behind his desk, not at all knowing what he would find. What he saw made him let out a sigh of frustration he normally reserved for one Sirius Black, while his eyebrow went up again.

"Regulus."

One of the first thoughts crossing Arcturus' mind was how the boy's mother would have a complete conniption fit at the sight. After all, the clothing she so carefully picked out so Regulus would look the role of a proper Pureblood was torn to shreds. Regulus' pale skin was paler than Arcturus ever remembered seeing and marked with nasty red welts. Bruises were also beginning to form, looking rather nasty against the pale skin. The boy was also soaking wet, the water pooling around him and into the antique rug he now lay on.

That certainly provided enough of an explanation regarding why the House Elf brought Regulus here and not to Grimmauld place, but then there was also the strange girl holding onto Regulus' wand who would most definitely not have been met with a positive reception.

"'Pépère." Regulus acknowledged him. He'd never grown out of the childish nicknames for family members, not that Arcturus minded. In fact, Walburga adored the fact her boy still called her maman whereas Sirius refused now to acknowledge her as a mother.

"The girl."

"El..."

"Speak slowly so you don't have another coughing fit," Arcturus commanded. "Take your time."

Regulus took a deep breath, breathing most likely being hindered by fluid in the lungs. However, he spoke slowly as Arcturus wanted. "Elle m'a sauvé."

"I see." Arcturus looked up at the girl, wondering how such a small thing came to save his grandson. "Kreacher. What happened to my grandson?"

He'd not expected the creature to begin to wail, sobbing like any other House Elf when they'd done something wrong. "Kreacher is sorry, but Kreacher can not say!"

As such, he found himself looking credulously at the House Elf when he heard his grandson speak. "Mes commandes."

"Really?" Arcturus turned and glared at his grandson. He didn't like how Regulus' mouth pressed together in determination, the Black family's stubborn streak kicking in. He turned his head, looking at the girl. He pointed at his grandson. "Girl." The girl in question still shook which meant he might not get answers from her either. "What did this to my grandson?"

"Infiri."

Arcturus let out air through his nostrils, far from pleased at that revelation. He walked over, poking Regulus lightly in the chest with his cane. He needed more answers. "And what per se came over you that you wanted to mess with those creatures of all things? Huh?"

Regulus simply glared at him, his mouth closed tightly. The girl, however, was more forthcoming. "Horcrux."

Hearing that word sent shivers down his spine, nor did he like the panicked look on his grandson's face. "Comment?"

"There's more than one."

"Putain de merde! Je suis foutu!" Regulus words resulted in a coughing fit from the young wizard while Arcturus raised an eyebrow.

"Language!" A smile twisted across his face non-the-less. "I was wondering when you'd have the guts to rebel as your brother did."

"Pas Sirius." Regulus snapped, the look in his eyes saying he didn't like being compared to his brother, but then, being compared to Sirius rather than the other way around was normally not a compliment.

"No. You're definitely not Sirius. You're smarter than him, more rational than him, but we'll discuss that later." No, as Kreacher pointed out, Regulus was definitely in need of a good Healer and he had just the right one in mind, one who wouldn't go blabbing to the wrong sort of people.