Mischief Managed Y2 Part 2: The Truth of the Tournament

Chapter Seventy-Four: Second Guessing

Summary: Reg handles the aftermath and makes an important decision while Sirius contemplates murder...again.

Song: No Apology by WAAX

Since I was young I held back and second guessed

From my first step

Up 'til now I been a wreck

/

I know I'm supposed to say something

I can't figure it out for myself

I can't figure it out

Sometimes I wanna scream down the city

AN: The tone of the song fits Sirius more than Regulus. But the words work well for the youngest Black brother, and poor Sirius deserves a forceful song with what he has to deal with in this chapter. ^^'

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Regulus convinced himself that he only followed after his friends to ditch his infuriating brother, not because he worried about their treatment of Ryan. Stupid Sirius had no idea what he was talking about! Mum didn't put the pressure of redeeming the entire Black name on Sirius' shoulders anymore; no, it was all on Regulus'. It didn't take long to catch up with his friends...and Ryan. Lucinda had decided it was time well spent to halt their pursuit and start shouting at the poor, mistreated Slytherin, demanding an explanation for why he was involved.

"Lucinda, stop it. We have a job to do," Reg pointed out, figuring the reminder would end the abusive onslaught of condemnation and insults hurled at Ryan.

Instead of calming down and listening as she ought, she rounded on him. "A job given to us by your brother! Decide to listen to the Gryffindors, did you, Reg? Got tired of being our leader, so you gave in to precious big brother instead?" She sneered.

Regulus partly recognised the fear and guilt behind her rage, far too familiar with the expression on Sirius. But with his mounting frustration and stress, a reminder of Sirius, who never cared or listened, proved the last thing he needed. "That's rich coming from an almost murderer who couldn't come up with a single helpful suggestion this whole damn time." The cruel retort wasn't like him. But it did the trick at shutting her up, hurt blossoming on her face as surely as if he'd slapped her. He convinced himself he didn't care; she was being a prick anyway.

"I don't think we should be fighting," Emma interrupted pleadingly. "Who created the plans doesn't matter; we must find the orb. We have been following these students for most of the year. If anyone can figure out where they have disappeared, it's us."

"W-we know they would be going to their healers. So...what is the fastest way to get outside by the lake?" Ryan spoke up quietly. Regulus nodded, trying to map out the route in his mind.

There was a high chance the thieves were smart enough to avoid the most obvious route, but Reg needed to do something. "Come on, follow me!"

Lucinda's tearful and reproachful eyes met his before she glanced away. Regulus led them with a strength he didn't have, cutting through one hallway to jump on the sliding staircase that would drop them off at an angle towards the lake four floors down. Regulus hadn't been anticipating catching up with the thieves, even with them weighed down by someone injured. Nor had he envisioned turning a corner to find the headmaster pleasantly standing there. The old man looked like he'd been waiting for them to arrive all day. Four voices frantically rushed to explain, a jumble of words and emotions twisting and twirling incoherently around each other in a race to the finish line.