Ultimatums

Chapter 19

The boys placed Hermione in her bed, Sirius going to fetch water, a towel and a change of clothes for Narcissa to put her in when she came back and Avery starting to gather anything she might want when she woke up, if she woke up.

That was the thing on everyone's mind. If.

Bellatrix stood guard outside, or rather sat guard. Any nosy Slytherin who wanted details were soon scared away when they saw her, so she supposed the effect was working. Potter, however, came barging into the Slytherin common room, not caring about his blood traitor status at the moment.

"Black! Tell me how to get up these bloody stairs" he shouted, and his worry must have been enough to cloud his common sense.

"Did you just demand something from me Potter?" Bellatrix hissed, but even that wasn't enough to knock some sort of good judgement into him.

"I want to see my sister, I need to know how she did that, if she's okay, so let me up there or so Godric help me..."

"So Godric help you what? You can hear from Sirius when he comes back to your dorms. But now we're working on your sisters well-being, so bugger off" Bellatrix spoke in a deadly soft voice, and James honestly didn't want to be on the end of her wand. She would've hexed him infinitely more than he'd ever been hexed before if Nita hadn't asked for her restraint against her brother.

He retreated, with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

☏

A few hours later, Narcissa was hurried into the room with Remus and Regulus, Regulus being laid into the bed to the left of Hermione's.

"How is he?" Sirius asked, moving from Hermione's bedside to his brothers.

"Fine, he'll wake up some time tomorrow..." Narcissa looked to the ground guiltily, settling on another bed next to Remus.

Avery raised a brow from the other bed where he was cuddled up with Rosier "So what happened when we left, Cissa. You're acting suspicious"

"Well we got Dumbledore to get everyone out, and then I looked at the curse Nita performed. It's an ancient type, one that people perform accidentally. Ninita cast a spell that would suspend Regulus in the air, but it also meant that she was the only one who could lift it" Narcissa was taking the long route of the explanation, hoping to skip over what she did.

"So how did you do it?" Rosier asked.

She sighed "I bonded their magics together"

"You what?" Sirius hissed from across the room "Cissa do you know what that means? How could you do that?"

Remus cleared his throat slightly "Is this pureblood magic? Because I've never heard of magic bonding?"

Avery was gaunt "When two people bond their magic, they're bonded for life. Severing the bond would mean death, and if they're ever with a different romantic partner, it won't feel right because they're already bonded to someone else. Purebloods do it with marriage often"

"And you can feel the pain the other person goes through too, emotionally and physically. It's rather scary actually, because if one dies, as does the other" Rosier added.

"Why did you do this, Cissa? It'll ruin their lives" Sirius glared at her.

"Would you rather him being stuck outside until she wakes up, without getting treatment because the spell would reject any sort of contact with him?" Narcissa snapped "that would surely mean death in this weather with those injuries"

Sirius looked as if he wanted to argue, but he couldn't. He knew he would've done the same.

"Now, Sirius, write to the Potters and Andromeda and explain everything that happened in intricate detail. Nothing left out. Lupin, go to Madame Pomfrey and get the enough potions required for broken bones, blood replenishment and some pepper up to last a few months."

When the boys left, Narcissa continued "Rosier, explain to Slughorn that the other residents of this dorm need to be relocated. Avery, go get everyone enough food for when they come back to feed a group of Giants, we're going to be here for a while"

☏

The next day, while Remus and Avery were playing chess on the floor, a groan was heard.

Avery rushed over to Regulus, whisper shouting to Remus, "go fetch Sirius and Cissa"

Regulus sat up, but then immediately fell back onto his pillow, a piercing headache over coming his senses. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

"You fell off your broom mate. Mione saved you" Avery said, glad the curtains were shut so Regulus couldn't see his friend.

"How?"

"With her uhm purple magic. The whole school saw." before Avery had a chance to continue, or repeat what he said as it seemed Regulus hadn't heard, Sirius rushed into the room with Narcissa hot in his tail.

"Reggie" he cheered, pulling his brother into a bone crushing hug.

Narcissa thrust loads of potions into his arms and listed the order to drink them from, but Regulus wasn't really listening "where's Nita, why isn't she at my deathbed?" he asked, hoping to mask the sadness he felt with a joke.

"Drink up, and we'll explain everything" Sirius prodded.

With one look at everyone, Regulus knew he couldn't possibly find anything out, so one by one he drank the foul smelling liquids. They burnt down his throat, and he gagged after each one. "So?"

"Reg, Hermione... well she hasn't woken yet" Avery said.

Even though the tone was dismayed, Regulus had to believe nothing was wrong "So she's having a lie in?"

"Hermione used her powers to save you, Reg. You were really high up, and the whole uhm the whole school saw. She went full Ueni, eyes purple, and she was flying kind of... well more levitating" Sirius explained, and winced as he saw his brother's horrified expression.

"And... and you let her? You.. you..." he was at a loss for words, and a tear rolled down his pale cheek.

"Regulus you could've died. And she never would've lived with herself, she loves you more than anyone. Hermione made her choice, and if she believed it the right one, then what are we to say?" Avery sat on the end of his bed by his toes.

Masking his face to look blank, Regulus spoke in a cold, monotonous voice that eerily reminded Sirius of his mother's before she did something torturous " I would've died. I would've died, rather than see her life... her life is... is ruined. And I... should've died"

"You don't mean that Reg, you can't mean that" Sirius searched his brothers face for something, anything to show him that his brother was okay. "Nita'll wake up, she always wakes up, and we'll deal with this. But stop saying you'd have rather die, because that makes what she did useless"

"You should've stopped her"

As the days went on, the room was transformed drastically.

One corner was full of medical supplies and equipment. It surrounded a bed in which whoever was keeping watch over the pair would sleep at night, so that they were on hand. Another corner was filled with get well cards and gifts, which was an overwhelming amount.

Regulus wouldn't leave the room, not even after he was fully healed. He was guilty beyond belief, blaming himself for everything. Hermione being exposed changed everything, and was potentially a life ruining event that he caused.

He still didn't know about the bond, Narcissa couldn't tell him after that reaction. Regulus wouldn't eat, or sleep and knowing that would drive him over the edge.