𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 - regulus black

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏

16th December 1978

A noise resonated in the middle of the night and it was enough to wake up the tenants of this apartment with a jump. Sirius Black read 3:23am on his watch. He grunted, feeling annoyed about being already awake as he had just come back from a three-day mission for the Order of the Phoenix and all he had been wanting was a good night of sleep. He grabbed his wand laying on his bedside table and got up. Walking out of his room, he was not surprised to meet with his roommate as the latter was a light sleeper. He could read the worry on Remus Lupin's face. This wasn't normal. He too had his wand in hand, ready for any circumstance. They crossed the corridor silently, on the watch for any more out-of-the-ordinary sounds but they heard nothing. They had imagined and expected to face many different things but what they saw when entering the living-room was definitely not one of them.

"The hell are you doing here?" barked Sirius. "Aren't you supposed to be in my dear mother's hous-"

He stopped mid-sentence, in shock, as his eyes went from his former house-elf, Kreacher, to the silhouette laying behind him.

"Who's that?" wondered Remus, in a small worried voice.

The little house-elf started shaking suddenly.

"Kreacher, who's that!" exclaimed Sirius, a mix of terror, impatience and anger now twisting his features.

"This is Master Regulus!" squeaked the elf.

"What are you doing here? What's wrong with him?" asked more calmly Sirius his eyes now fixed on his visibly unconscious brother.

"Master Regulus is dying! P-please help my master!" plead the house-elf to Sirius, despite all the hatred he could feel toward him.

"Couldn't you bring him to your dear Mistress?"

"No! My mistress and master should not know about this! Never!"

"He seems in a pretty bad state," said Remus, his voice calm despite the anxiety running through his veins. "Should I get Valentina?"

"I think so. I'll put him on the couch while you're away," replied the other boy.

Remus disappeared in their fireplace right after. With his wand Sirius brought the body of his brother to the couch. He cursed when noticing he was completely drenched and had soaked his carpet but then shock hit him when he discovered how badly injured he was. Other than his face, pale like he was dead, there were multiple bleeding cuts on his body, especially the top part of it. But before he dared coming closer, Remus and their friend appeared one by one in the fireplace.

"Remus wouldn't tell me anything. What happened?" wondered the girl, a frown of worry on her face.

Her ginger hair was mess and her glasses were barely straight on her nose, showing she had only woken up some moments ago.

"Come see this," said Sirius, from the other side of the couch.

She walked around until she was by his side and gasped with shock at the sight.

"Is that Regulus?" she blurt out.

"I wish it wasn't," he sighed.

She approached the unconscious boy without wasting time but before she could even check on him, a voice from someone she had yet to notice let out a screech.

"No! Don't let a Mudblood near my master!" exclaimed Kreacher.

"Shut up you stupid elf!" replied Sirius right away. "Do you want your beloved master to stay alive? If so don't bother Valentina."