origami. . . REGULUS BLACK

two.

CHAPTER TWO
Regulus Black
January 14th, 1979

Mallory didn't know when she got home or how she even did. Months had passed, she had become an Auror with outstanding scores and she found herself loving to go on missions for the Order; killing was never fun but she did it anyways. It felt like she ought to. That night, she had been summoned by Moody with a few others: Sirius, Dorcas, Frank and others she hadn't quite see. Or maybe her brain was just fuzzy from the fight. Hexes, jinxes and unforgivable curses had been blasted off everyone's wand.

To her dismay, blood had been spilled. The Death Eater was young, probably the same age as the twins and Mallory had killed him. He must had felt clearly enraged to see she had killed him with blades and not her wand. The last thing she remembered was the surprised face he had when his body fell on the floor in front of her—the wide eyes and the pale face. Frank had been slightly injured but nothing a good Healer could heal in no time.

Mallory was so knackered that she didn't realise her lights were still home and Pen, her kneazle, wasn't waiting for her at the large living room window. Walking through the door, she released a shaky breath as she closed her eyes taking her time to realise she was home. Home and alive. The blood on her hands and face wasn't hers, it was someone else's. Sometimes, she had to remind herself that she was doing this for the good side, to protect the ones she loved and to help whoever she could to return to their family. Mallory didn't know if she would find sleep tonight, she probably wouldn't...Ah, yes. The nightmares.

One of the few things she had grown to hate because of the missions for the Order was the recurring nightmares. Most of them were black, nothing to see but everything to hear. Screams filled her mind, they were coming from everywhere; there was begging from people she had killed before, cries from friends when someone got hit and they were unable to hold their tears in any longer. It was a true nightmare.

"Mallory," a soft voice made her open her eyes as she felt a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Mal, hey," Was it Gideon? Or Fabian? She really couldn't tell.

"Fab?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's me," his voice grew closer and she felt herself being pulled back entirely. Finally, she could see his freckles and red-hair. Mallory had to reach for his cheek to make sure he was real. "Hey, are you alright?"

Mallory tried to smile, "Tough mission, that's it," she replied nonchalantly. "What are you doing still up?" She frowned.

Fabian nor Gideon were still awake when she returned from the night missions. They were usually too worn out from their own day to even try to stay awake to see her, she didn't mind though. They needed all the rest. And so did she.

"Moody came through the floo," he explained, wincing. "You should come in the living room," he finished saying as she hummed. "Gid, pass me a towel, please," his voice echoed as she followed blindly.

Gideon cupped her face, frowning, "Are you hurt? Whose blood is this?"

"Not mine," she whispered. "Killed someone today," she confessed, loud enough for Moody to hear. The Auror hummed satisfied. "He was a Death Eater. Not so aged, he must had been your age."

"Have you identified him?" Moody queried, watching her closely.

Mallory sighed, shaking her head, "Nope. Sirius did, I think...I'm not very sure, though."

"Who was he?" An unknown voice reverberated through the living room, though she had heard a few times. Moody shushed him, still focusing on Mallory who seemed more than awake now. "No, I have the rights to know who it was!"