The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

The Resurrection Stone, Part One

(Author's Note: This sequence, spread over several numbered chapters made up of one-shot style flash scenes was originally written as a short story that I never ended up publishing before realizing  that with a few tweaks, I could have a very interesting way to weave it into the narrative for The Marauders story and explain a bit of true canon that was never satisfactory to me.. in the original series. Because it was originally written entirely as a standalone, this story line arch is a little long, but I think that adds an interesting twist to the Marauders' story as well as giving closure to Regulus's story. Hopefully this does him the justice he deserved, our brave little snakey. ~ H.G.M.)

James apparated in the mouth of Fingal's Cave, catching himself on the rickety old bannister that ran alongside an almost vertical cliffside. Steps - small stones that had been cut into the rock face - ran like jagged teeth down toward the sea. He moved carefully, picking his way down the stairs.

At the bottom, he found himself on a tiny outcropping of rock, waves crashing just feet from where he stood, the water crashing violently at high tide. He pressed his back to the cliff face and inched along carefully toward the mouth of the cave. Moonlight turned everything silver and the darkest blue-green. It was terrifying and beautiful equally.

He reached the cave mouth and James started to step inside.

"James Potter."

He stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of his name and turned around.

Kostos Mopsus stood behind him.

Anger flashed through James as he stared at the bent frame of the Blind Seer, coming up over the rock toward him. "You --" James choked. "You. Where the bloody hell have you been? All day I've been begging in my head for you to show up and now you're here when it's already too late? Why weren't you there when Regulus needed you to be? When I needed you to be?" James demanded. He didn't know why he felt so offended by Mopsus's lack of presence in the whole ordeal with Regulus. He didn't know exactly when it had become his place to expect the Blind Seer to show up and save the day... It just seemed as though every time something came up, Mopsus's name was being mentioned, there were stories cropping up all over James's life of things the Blind Seer had done. And then there had been Lily, Lily drawing connection between James and the way he felt about things that happened and the way the Seer's presence was ever looming... 

Somewhere in there he'd started to think Mopsus was alright.

Somewhere in there he'd started to have a bit of faith in the old man.

And here he was, the first time since trusting Mopsus to help, and he'd been failed.

Mopsus stood and listened as James lashed out.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" he screamed. His voice caught on the wind and was carried into the cave, echoing about the chamber within. "YOU, ALWAYS RUNNING ABOUT TAKING SECONDS FROM EVERY BODY, ORCHESTRATING GREAT OUTCOMES AND MANIPULATING TIME LIKE YOU DO, GIVING PEOPLE ASSIGNMENTS AND SECOND CHANCES AND SUCH, WHERE WERE YOU THIS TIME? HE WAS JUST A KID! AND NOW HERE YOU ARE, TOO LATE! ARE YOU HERE TO TAKE AWAY PRECIOUS HOURS PERHAPS? REWRITE THE WHOLE DAY?"

The Seer did not move, did not flinch, his milky white eyes did not shift. If it were not for the rise and fall of the man's chest as he breathed, James might've thought him an utter illusion.

But what good was it that he was real anyways? It wasn't like he was going to do anything.

"He was just seventeen years old," James gasped. "And look how much Voldemort took away from him!" His voice trembled as he spoke. "It's bad enough Voldemort's gotta be part of any of our lives, but bloody hell. Regulus.... I mean, choices were just made for him, and he got strung along and groomed and forced into a life he never asked for, and --"