Inferius | Regulus Black

Anything

"Bring her back." Said Annabelle. Dumbledore took the sack of disembodied eyes she had retrieved for him.

"Who, Annie?"

"Olivia. You, could, you could do it couldn't you? I mean most powerful warlock in the world and all?" There was a tremor in her voice, and she could not seem to stand still. Her weight shifting from one foot to the other, and her hands touching nearly every knick knack on Dumbledore's desk.

"I cannot revive a corpse." He said calmly, he lifted one eye from the sack. "He had a seer with him?"

"Aye. a proper one. The eyes were in the palms." Said Annabelle. Dumbledore nodded and set it aside.

"Moody will take this one." He said, setting the eye in a box and closing the lid. He set a small potion beside it.

"Sir, I- I- I asked for one thing, when I," Annabelle could hardly get through it. She could not look him in the eye. Her eyes flickered to all the other head masters of Hogwarts passed on the wall. Her eyes were stinging.

She did not know how Regulus went about feeling everything all the time. It was horrid.

The portraits were all asleep due to the late hour. There was one portrait awake. She could not quite make out the name of it.

"Lemon drop, Annie?" asked Dumbledore, Annabelle was picking at her nails, still rimmed with blood, he glanced at the runes she drew on her wrists. Dumbledore was acutely aware of how much she needed him. He had convinced her of it.

Annabelle shook her head.

"Would you like to sit down?" He asked. Annabelle's hands were shaking.

"I've killed a lot of people for you- for the greater good I mean." She said, tucking her hands behind her back so he could not see her cast a small warming charm on them.

"You have. And I am proud of you."

Her breath caught in her throat, and Annabelle furrowed her eyebrows wondering if she could press this any further.

"Sometimes I look at you and I forget you're all grown up. I keep expecting to see the ten year old girl from Plockton who was very taken with my plum coloured suit." He continued. Annabelle twisted one of the rings around her finger.

"It was a grand suit, sir." She whispered. "I just-"

"What is it?"

"I want my sister back."

A cold silence hung between them. 

"There is a price to war." He said calmly. Annabelle did not like the answer. He watched her eyes harden and flame of the candle on his desk grew.

"I know that." Said Annabelle. "It's just, when I-" Annabelle's voice broke and she wondered how she was meant to get through this. "You said you would protect her."

"Annabelle there is a whole wizarding world to protect. No one person can be a priority." Said Dumbledore. Annabelle's eyes clenched shut as she nodded. "I am sorry you lost your sister. This is your family now."

"A year ago, when you asked me to join the order- you said you would keep her safe." Said Annabelle. It was barely there. Every bone in her body rejected the idea of defying him.

"I made no such promise." Said Dumbledore.

"You did. You said you would protect her. Did I not do enough to make, to make you want to keep it?" She asked. Annabelle had never refused Dumbledore. Not once. He had brought her into the magical world, he could kick her back out. "Couldn't- why can't-"