the gentle moon / george weasley

it's better this way, i promise.

"Get up!"

"Leave me alone." She pulled the blanket over her face, trying to disappear into the cracks of the sofa. She wanted to become Alice at that moment and fall into the rabbit hole and keep falling. She wanted to fall into the void, and disappear. Maybe, she thought, her mother would be falling with her.

"I said get up!"

"And I said leave me alone." Her voice was muffled under the covers. Sirius was watching from the sidelines, scoffing and rolling his eyes when Regulus stormed out of the room. When he started to give it a shot himself, Regulus was storming back into the living room with a pail in one of his hands. With his free hand, he ripped the covers off August and before she could protest, she was soaked in freezing cold water. She shot up from the couch, in soaked, week-old clothes, trying to catch her breath.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" She yelled.

"Is this it?!" He yelled a vein popping out of his forehead. "Are you doing it?"

"Doing what?!" She yelled, wiping her face. "What are you on?!"

"ARE YOU GIVING UP? DID I DO ALL OF THAT FOR YOU OUT THERE, FOR YOU TO JUST GIVE UP!"

August stared at him in disbelief, her chest rising and falling trying to catch her breath from the sudden artic dunk.

"Are you?" He asked, in a much calmer tone, "You have a husband, you have a life. Why are you sleeping on your dad's couch?! Why are you giving up?"

"I didn't stop it." She hissed through her teeth.

"No one could have stopped it! But you saved him! Get over yourself, and get up!"

"I am up!" She yelled back.

Harry came up behind Sirius, watching this whole dynamic fall into place.

"Does he know what he's doing?" Harry whispered, "When has anyone ever won in a screaming match with her?"

"He can." Sirius hummed, "He can..."

Regulus grabbed August by the ear and pulled her out of the house by her ear, causing her to yelp and stumble after him.

"Let go of me!" She yelled.

When they got out to the garden, he threw on the ground and motioned his hand in the air as the garden hose came snaking around the house, and started drenching her.

"STOP!" She yelled, "REGULUS STOP!"

"Get up!" He yelled.

Every time she tried to charm the hose to turn off her, he turned it back on her. He was growing angrier and angrier as she stayed sat on the ground.

"GET YOUR ARSE UP!"

"Why are you doing this to me!" She sobbed.

"You reek and your hair is a rats nest! Your husband misses you, and you think it's fair to ignore Bill? The way you're acting is almost as if you regret saving him."

There was a blast of power over the garden, knocking Regulus over. The men in the house heard the window pains shake and when they reached outside, the garden hose was lifeless by her feet and Regulus was pushing himself off the ground.

"I DO NOT REGRET IT!" She screamed, causing Harry to back up into Sirius at her furry. "DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!"

"Then why are you giving up?" Regulus breathed out, "Why?"

"Why do I need a reason!?" She cried, "Look around Regulus, the world is ending!" She threw her hands up in the air in defeat. There had been so many times August was about to give up, so many looks that scared everyone who saw her. This was different, she was different. She stood soaked in the middle of the garden, her hair stuck to her face and tears streaming down her face. "It's give up now, or watch first hand as it all comes crumbling around. And I for one, do not want to witness it. I'm done, I'm done fighting. The player is dead, so there is no more need for pawns. This is it Regulus, it's over. We lost! Checkmate, game over!"