RISE OF THE FALL | R.B.

LVIII.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter World belongs to J.K. Rowling.

*

CHAPTER LVIII.

"Where did you take her?" Regulus snarled, furiously wiping his angry tears away, "Malfoy, where is she?"

Lucius looked genuinely scared as Regulus pressed his wand to his throat.

"I don't know!" Lucius insisted, shaking a little, "I took her to Grimmauld Place—and when I went back to see if she was alright she was gone and I don't know where she went! Please, Regulus, believe me!"

"Why should I?" Regulus yelled, releasing Lucius, "I shouldn't have trusted you, I shouldn't have!"

He turned on his heel and with a deafening crack, he was gone, leaving Lucius behind.

***

"Professor," Regulus burst into Dumbledore's office, "Where's Reia? Please tell me you know where she is..."

Regulus was allowed access to Hogwarts when he became a spy for Dumbledore—to pass information on to the old wizard, as well as for the Headmaster to keep in contact with Regulus.

"I have not seen her," Dumbledore said, turning to him, his expression one of worry, "She did not return from the mission that was assigned to her."

"What mission?" Regulus demanded, "She—she was captured, by Death Eaters, and—and I told Lucius to help her escape and now she's gone."

"Mr Black," Dumbledore said calmly, "Are you certain that she is not still with the Death Eaters?"

"I checked," Regulus said hoarsely, refusing to cry in front of the Professor, "S-she can't be gone...she can't be. I refuse to believe it—,"

"You have children to take care of," Dumbledore told him, "Go to them. I will inform the Order of her disappearance. We will try to find her. I promise you."

"What if she doesn't come back?" Regulus whispered, "I...I can't..."

"Just remember that the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end," Dumbledore said, "if not always in the way we expect."

***

On October 31st 1981, Lily and James were murdered by the Dark Lord, and their son, Harry Potter, survived.

Lord Voldemort was defeated by the little boy, and the Wizarding World celebrated and rejoiced.

The day before, the McKinnon family had been murdered.

Sirius Black was arrested and sent to Azkaban for killing Peter Pettigrew and several muggles, which Regulus didn't hear about until he read the Daily Prophet the next day.

Every witch and wizard seemed unbelievably happy.

But Reia still wasn't found. She still didn't return.

And Regulus sat alone in 12 Grimmauld Place on the 11th of November, feeling unbelievably alone.

Dumbledore would excuse him of crimes—Regulus had never killed anybody.

He had gone to a trial the day before, and he would spend five days in Azkaban.

He knew that that was extremely lucky, considering Bellatrix and the others, except for Lucius, who had lied about being under the Imperius Curse, had received life-sentences.

Ariel and Caelum were asleep upstairs, and Regulus felt tired after spending hours awake at night trying to put the children to sleep.

The Order had searched for Reia for over a week now, and they had not found her, or any evidence that they could follow.

It was yesterday that Dorcas Meadowes had arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place to deliver the news that Reia was probably dead.

He didn't cry—because he had cried all his tears already for the past week that he didn't have any left to cry.

Rather, he didn't reply—he couldn't speak, couldn't move as the words echoed in his mind, and then Dorcas had left, and he'd sat there for hours until Caelum had come up to him and pulled him out of his seat and dragged him out of his thoughts.

The children had been confused, too, as to why their mother had disappeared, and Regulus had no answer. He felt drowned in guilt—because maybe if he had gone to help Reia escape himself rather than letting Lucius take her, she would still be here today.

Maybe if he had been strong enough to fight the Imperius Curse, Reia would be by his side right now, and they could have rejoiced and celebrated along with the rest of the Wizarding World, together, with their children.

But he was too weak. He didn't fight the Imperius Curse.

He had let it consume him.

And he would never forgive himself.

Reia will be back, he told himself, she will be.