Black Rose [Regulus Black]

40 - mad men & cursed rings

"Regulus?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm kinda fucking scared."

"That sums it up pretty well," he replied, his voice hoarse from disuse. He grasped Alessandra's hand and squeezed, willing himself to have a little bit of courage for once in life. His stomach lurched along with the boat, which was moving across the choppy seas. The wind was howling around them, cold and unforgiving, feeling like tiny ice shards against his face. There was a concerning amount of creaking, as though the boat was barely held together by magic. Yet, the possibility of the boat capsizing and making them just another wreck in the middle of the ocean wasn't terrifying, because the scariest part hadn't even begun yet. No, it wasn't just breaking into a high-security prison. It was breaking into the high-security prison, the one nightmares were made of.

What had his life come to? He, who could barely create a Patronus, was currently sailing to the most terrifying prison of all time instead of Apparating directly in, to see a criminal who was probably insane at this point. Not to mention, he technically belonged there, thanks to the tattoo on his forearm.

Was it too late to turn back and run away? Somehow, the cold in Antarctica was more reassuring than the chills here.

"You're contemplating running away, aren't you?" Alessandra asked knowingly, the ponytail she'd made doing nothing to stop her blonde hair from flying about in her face. Her eyes were watering, and he wasn't sure if it was because she was crying or because of the wind.

Honestly, he wasn't sure about the cause for his own tears either. "Perhaps. You're judging me right now, aren't you?"

"No. I'm too busy concentrating on how uncomfortable my feet feel."

"Imagine how I feel in this cramped bloody boat," he grumbled. "Why Dumbledore stuck us with this nonsense, I will never know."

"Out of spite?"

"Wouldn't put it past the old bat."

She laughed. "You truly hate him, don't you?"

"With the passion of a thousand suns."

"If only you could bring those thousand suns right about now to warm us up."

"I can do other things to warm us up."

"Jesus." She paused, considering it. "No, there isn't enough space on the boat."

They both sighed, and silence ensued.

"Should we drink the juicy- whatever the fuck it is?" Alessandra asked, rubbing her hands. She wanted a drink right about now, maybe it would help her feel less cold.

"Polyjuice, and not yet."

"But we might get caught."

"Yeah, but we don't have much and it lasts only for an hour."

"Isn't an hour enough?"

"You never know what may happen. It's better to put it off until the last moment."

"You're the first one who's ever said that to me," she mumbled.