Reggo My Eggo

Chapter 38

When Druella went off on her own to the restroom someone should have noticed that it was a bad idea. Both Walburga and Orion had died when unsupervised and Cygnus had died when Druella didn't have her guard up. Based on the pattern, no matter the hell of an evening she had put the lot through, they shouldn't have let her walk off on her own. 

Druella had gone to the washroom located upstairs, it was the main guest bathroom and so when there was a large crash heard from that direction, it couldn't have been good. 

"What are the chances that were just the wind?" James asked no one in particular. 

"I'd say very slim," Remus commented. 

The four boys quickly ran up all the stairs and to the washroom whose door was no longer on its hinges. Instead of being where it was supposed to be, it was now lying on the floor. 

The washroom itself was empty with no trace of Druella Black ever being present, the only sign of disturbance being the door that had been broken off its hinges. 

"She's gone," Regulus said in a quiet voice. 

"Aunt Druella!" Sirius yelled into the silence of the overly large house, earning a light slap from Remus. 

"Just light a flair gun, will you?"

"Whoever is doing this clearly knows we're here already," Sirius shrugged, giving his boyfriend a look. 

"She's probably dead anyway," Regulus scoffed, breathing heavily. 

"Don't say that," James whispered. 

"It's true, she stepped away from us for one second and now she's as dead as the rest," Regulus commented bluntly. 

"What about when her husband dies, he was right next to her when it happed," James gave the younger boy a pointed look. 

"Yeah but she had just apparated into the house, she had her guard down for a few seconds, the four of us haven't left each others sides, probably harder to get to a group of four than a pair or a singular person," Remus reasoned. 

"Can we not talk as if we're a target," Sirius said what they were all thinking. So far the four adults who've died were death eaters meaning plenty of people had motives to kill them but Kreacher was still missing, possibly dead and the reasons for killing the five owls or shutting the floo systems in unknown unless it was to keep everyone inside the manor. Besides, their wands were missing and it was not a coincidence. 

"We have to look for her," Regulus sighed. 

"I mean we don't have to-" Sirius was interrupted before he could finish his thought. 

"Sirius, this is further than your hate for your family," Remus spoked. 

"She also had a wand when she arrived, so-" Regulus shrugged. 

"Regs, no-" James mentally face-palmed. 

"Actually she did," Regulus replied sarcastically. "Besides, we find here we may find the murderer," 

"And then what, we get murdered?" 

"Very possible," 

"Will you two stop it?" Remus asked in worry about his boyfriend and his boyfriend's brother.  

"Ooh, better listen to your boyfriend, Siri," Regulus commented, using his old childhood nickname for his brother. 

"I seriously hate you, we're risking getting murdered for you," Sirius mumbled, making Regulus scoff. 

"Okay, I think the past two days have gotten to your heads, as you two have both gone bonkers," James exclaimed. 

Although on any other day it may look like regular bickering by the brothers but after seeing the dead bodies of three family members and having one missing, bickering as they used to when they were kids was more of a distraction from reality.

The boys soon got themselves together and slowly left the scene and quietly ambled down the hallways, listening for movement and watching for a possible sign of Druella or someone else who could be wandering the halls of the manor. 

All doors in the Black manor were kept closed which is why when they came upon a door left open amongst many closed doors, they stopped and carefully peered inside, looking for a sign of destruction but the room looked as normal as possible. 

James was the first to decide to enter the room but when he did, he was met with a bright colour-changing paint-like goop spilling all over him. 

"Huh-" James shrieked in shock. 

"Pft-" Sirius tried to stop himself from bursting out with laughter eight there and then. 

"I think the killer-person is stealing prank ideas from the 'marauders'" Regulus chuckled as James glowed a bright lime green colour. Sirius' laughter had lightened up while Remus portrayed a grin on his face. 

"Or-" Sirius burst out in laughter once again. "Prongs just set off one of our pranks that we set up during the gala,"

"Of course he did," 

James was dripping in the goopy substance but he didn't really have an option to go and clean off at the time so they had continued down the hallway with James leaving a trail that could easily lead the killer right towards them. 

They walked around for only half an hour but there were no signs of anyone, minus the two more opened doors that they passed but they had now learned that the doors that were opened were a set up for a prank and that they should avoid them. 

"Can't we go and stand guard somewhere for the night? I'm exhausted and if we keep walking I'm going to pass out before anyone gets a chance to murder me," James complained. It was true that they hadn't slept since the three members of the marauders arrived at the Black manor and they were mentally and physically exhausted so they needed to rest soon. 

"The best thing we could do right now would be to hide out in some random room," Remus agreed, he was also very much tired and drained. 

The group opened the door to the closest door to where they were which appeared to be an office that Regulus recognized to have belonged to Orion. It wasn't the best room to stay the night or to get comfortable in but they couldn't afford to be wandering around searching for a room that best suits them. 

Sirius took a seat in the chair that was found behind the wooden desk while Regulus took the chair that was next to the door, both boys leaving their friends to sit on the floor where there was a rug but that didn't give them much comfort. 

They spent hours like that. Regulus was the first to fall asleep. He was sleeping in the uncomfortable chair, sideways with his legs dangling over the armrest. 

Soon after Remus had fallen asleep on the floor, he was leaning against the wall, hunched over. 

Next James fell asleep, he had moved from laying on the hard floor to laying on top of Orion's desk, ignoring the pages of parchment that was beneath him. 

Sirius also fell asleep in the chair behind the desk in a similar position as Regulus, laying sideways, sprawled out in the chair. 

From being so exhausted and drained, none of them had completely woken up for hours. There were a few points throughout their slumbers where one of them would wake up with a crook in their neck and a sore back from the positions they fell asleep in but they'd quickly fall back asleep before they could comprehend anything from the days before. 

The four boys were startled awake sometime on Friday the 24th of December. It was Christmas eve but that's not what awoke them. What woke them from their slumbers was the overly loud footsteps walking down the hallway, the footsteps appeared to be walking towards the office. The person must have been wearing large, bulky boots to be so auditable yet compared to their rushing heartbeats, it was silent. 

No one said a word, they were much too terrified of being heard to say anything. 

Regulus slowly got off of the chair that sat next to the door and silently stepped further into the room so that there was the desk between him and the door. James carefully followed his lead and got off the desk and stepped behind Sirius for protection, Sirius didn't really process what was happening but Remus had pulled himself off of the ground and also went behind the desk. 

The footsteps seemed to have stopped in front of the office door, making the group of four hold their breathes, having to wait in anticipation for the disaster that was about to unfold.