All in the Family

Chapter 100: The Order of the Phoenix

Extra chapter this week, I'm so excited to be halfway done! You can all thank Tiffany Smithi for this fic's continuation! She not only co-authored this chapter with me but will continue to do so for the next five. Hope you enjoy!

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There was more coughing and pain-filled groans going on than usual, and that was really saying something. Remus lay miserably and awkwardly on his side on top of something, but as he didn't feel any immediate pain and nobody was shouting he was about to die, he couldn't care enough to find out what as he licked his lips and let his mind linger just a few moments longer on his brief euphoria of his stolen moment with Sirius.

Regulus looked around balefully as he realized he'd gotten his wish in the end regardless, luck be kind he even seemed to have found himself in the exact spot he would have placed himself in. A nice little dark patch set up under a tottering pile of clothes in the family attic. Surprisingly though, the place didn't seem as much in disuse as the rest of the house.

There were distinct footprints all around, too old to be from anyone in here who were all still getting their bearings and hadn't even moved yet. The place did reek though, the stillness in the air lingering even more up here, but it didn't seem to be clogging his throat anymore. Then he snorted at himself in disgust and got upright, scolding himself. That was just because he liked this place the most, nobody had any reason to frequent up here, least of all Sirius, no matter why he was back in this house. Even Kreacher, who snuck him up food here from time to time when his parents were arguing, had even less reason to be up here if Mother wasn't having him fetch things.

Apparently he wasn't the only one curious about this though, he would have summoned the book to himself to find out what Sirius of all people was doing back here if Lupin hadn't done it himself and read out the chapter title. Thank Merlin, they were hopefully going to get more answers on whatever this Order of the Phoenix was aside from whatever a couple of teenagers had pieced together.

He did incline his head curiously when Harry received about as warm a welcome as he himself would have, it was at least a new experience to see his brother being surly to someone else besides him for a change.

He gave a rather surprised start, however, when the Sirius in the book said he was the last Black left. He and Sirius exchanged startled glances, and Regulus saw a moment of unguarded concern in Sirius's eyes before his older brother looked back to the book, clearly intent on dismissing such a thing until there was proof of that. It wasn't an unsound idea, considering the last person presumed dead was decidedly not, so Regulus said nothing either, for now.

Nothing of note was happening though, people were apparently just milling around in the kitchen and a few conversations struck up, so Regulus kept listening with one ear while watching the others explore, carefully.

Frank had landed closest to the trap door and quickly tried to make his way to Alice, who had landed in the farthest, dustiest corner, too quickly. He'd knocked over several old boxes, and the two were now curiously going through a few. They were holding an old stuffed dragon head Uncle Arcturus had supposedly slain, and avoiding looking it in the eye as if it were a basilisk instead.

Evans was flipping through a dusty old book with a pinched look on her face, but whatever she held kept her flipping to the next page in fascination. It was too dark in here for him to make out the title, but from where she was, he'd guess it was one of Uncle Alphard's rarer collections.

The four Marauders stood off to the side, Potter holding his lit wand aloft for Lupin to keep reading, none of them seemed to be talking much. Peter kept looking around more than at them really, like he was waiting for something else to happen. His eyes landed on Regulus several times and he smiled warmly, but gave him his space, which he appreciated right now. He'd wanted to come up here for some quiet after all when they'd been thrown up here regardless.

The preparation of dinner was underway, and Sirius struck up an immensely moody conversation with Harry; Potter and Peter were throwing him concerned looks, and Lupin opened his mouth several times to say something, but thought better of it.

Lupin paused for a moment over Sirius's bitter mention of Wormtail serving Voldemort and spilling their secrets; there was an awkward silence for a long moment before Lupin rushed on, and the topic was changed quickly. Peter didn't even have time to back away from them again even if he were going to.

Dinner was served and things seemed to be going all at peace for once, both for Harry now that he wasn't yelling at his friends and in here as no one was looking to start any more yelling, a blessed relief for Regulus. He was just beginning to relax back and let his eyes flutter shut, Lupin's calm voice reading this was hardly welcome, but at least peaceable enough as some old cod named Mundungus Fletcher regaled a tale about some old con of his, but then Lupin's voice took a bit of a hard change when Molly Weasley and Sirius started talking to each other, and Regulus immediately sat back up as well in concern.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who could feel the fight brewing when Molly snapped that Harry wasn't James.

"I would never!" Sirius protested.

"The you in the future doesn't know Harry as well as we do by this point," Frank reminded him quietly.

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but then stopped, looking confused and uncertain. He cast a guilty look at Potter, who motioned Lupin to read on.

It only escalated from there, as any conversation with Sirius was want to do, Regulus began looking around the room carefully, curiously, while Molly and Sirius began verbally questioning whom was best to be making this decision for Harry and expecting at least someone in here to chastise Sirius for his future self.

To his complete astonishment, no one seemed to be. Evans was frowning at him for certain, but she didn't even seem to be biting her tongue, and it's not as if she didn't have a weighted opinion on the subject, even she wouldn't deny that now, he was sure, with how much she'd been paying attention to Harry lately.

Potter was beaming at Sirius. "That's my Padfoot," he said. "Go on, Remus!" he added impatiently when Lupin paused for a moment.

All eight of them listened, as Sirius actually seemed to win the fight. Molly, for all her kind declaration in stating Harry as good as one of her own, found herself with no ground to stand on to usher anyone else except her only daughter out, neither of whom gave in with grace. All distractions set aside temporarily as Sirius outlined Voldemort's current status, relying on what he'd done back then, as in their time.

"An army?" Regulus asked slowly. "From right now, in our own timeline?"

The Marauders exchanged excited looks, and Regulus knew what that meant - the moment they got out of this... place... the four of them would take off on another one of their adventures to figure out every secret even hinted at, and the rest of them would be left to go back to their old lives as if nothing had happened.

But Regulus couldn't do that. Sitting here, in the attic of his home, he realized nothing would ever be the way it was before - not for him, not for Peter, and certainly not for Potter and Evans, however much the fiery girl might try to deny it. All their lives, beyond a doubt, would be forever changed, but whether they would go through it together... Regulus shook his head and tried to focus on Lupin's voice reading out what Regulus can't help but think of as the gloomy dark of their futures - or, at least, most of theirs. He, Potter, Evans, Longbottom and Smith aren't even alive in the future apparently.

All Regulus was concerned about was getting back home, figuring out his life, and getting a straight answer from Sirius about whether or not they'll be involved with each other.

Lupin warned that the chapter was about to be over, and read the last line before they were all whisked away to their next destination.

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This fic is officially half done! Technically, as there's an odd number of chapters, it'll never be 'half', but semantics!