Diptych

Chapter 33

"Can we eat something now?" Potter was whispering, but Regulus didn't know why. For a start, it was possibly the loudest whisper he had ever heard, and he had lived with both Sirius Black and Carmen Ollerton, so he was well acquainted with what might be described as a 'stage whisper'. There was also nobody around to hear his whisper, or at least no more reason to think they would be overheard than at any point prior. Perhaps the whispering was brought on by the fact that it was hours past sundown and they hadn't yet found anywhere to rest. The ground wasn't dry enough to sleep on or to start a fire and if he was honest, Regulus was pleased they were making up for the time they'd lost in the village.

"Only if you're going to eat and walk."

"Who put you in charge of the fucking rations?" Sirius asked, pausing a moment until Regulus caught up with him, and then began pulling at the satchel.

"Get off, will you? It's my bag, if you wanted to carry some of it, you should've—"

"I don't want to bloody carry it, I just want you to give it us! What difference does it make who's carrying it?" Still, they pulled the satchel this way and that, Sirius' elbow digging up into Regulus' stomach, and Regulus genuinely considering head-butting his brother to fend him off. Potter stood by and watched, arms folded and exasperation clear.

"I was going to give you some of it before you started acting like a child!" Regulus managed through gritted teeth, knuckles white as he clung onto the strap.

"Oh, I'm acting like a child?"

"You're both acting like children, and I'm hungry!" Potter whined, not completely unlike a child himself. Regulus and Sirius both huffed, glared at one another and then separated, Sirius' hands diving straight into his pockets while Regulus fumbled around for something they could eat without stopping any longer than they already had. He pulled out two packets of crisps, throwing one to Potter, who caught it rather effortlessly, and then to Sirius, who did not.

"Aren't you having anything?" Potter asked, voice returned to normal, as Regulus fastened the satchel and hurried ahead.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Not hungry."

"But you've got to eat something, we're going to be out here for—"

"He said he's not hungry, just leave him to sulk." Sirius managed through a mouthful. Regulus was sure he'd be happy to let him starve, would probably rob his corpse and leave him to rot if he got the chance. Not that he planned on dying. He just thought that one of them ought to keep an ear out, given that they couldn't see as well in the dark and neither of them had found a place to stop yet. He'd eat later on, preferably while those two were sleeping and he could do it in peace and quiet.

"How much longer until we get to Alphard's?" Potter asked, clearly not being familiar with the concept.

"Hard to tell, it's all a bit..." Sirius gestured around them. "Don't reckon we'll be there before sunrise, though."

They weren't there before sunrise. And nor did they find anywhere they could stop. Regulus wondered briefly if Sirius or Potter might be able to fashion something to lay on the ground, or else cast some charm on it to temporarily harden it and make it suitable to sleep on, but he didn't want to be the one to suggest it. If neither of them were going to say that they were too tired to go on, then he certainly wasn't. Instead, he did his best to block out their mindless chatter and thought about what Willa and Edwin would be doing at that exact moment. Willa would've posted the letter to Carmen, so they probably would have stayed in the village long enough to receive the response (which was unlikely to be a particularly long wait, knowing Carmen). Then they would have been walking together, but to where? Had they encountered anybody on their way? Were they safe?

Edwin hadn't wanted them to go straight on to Alphard's house, had suggested they put it off, just in case he or Willa were accosted by Bellatrix or somebody she'd told about them. Sirius and Potter paid that no heed. Potter said that if they managed to worm their plans from them, they were just as likely to know that they'd changed them. Sirius said that their Uncle Alphard would be able to handle it if Bellatrix did show up. Regulus didn't know what he thought, but he knew he was very uncomfortable about the whole thing.

"There!" Sirius suddenly cried out. Regulus' eyes had been falling shut even as he walked, and the sudden noise jolted him to alertness. His brother was pointing, up on tiptoes and craning his neck so that he could see whatever it was he was pointing at better, and Potter had one hand on his shoulder, squinting as he followed Sirius' eye line.

"That's it?" Potter asked.

With some hesitance, Regulus moved closer to the two of them so that he might see it too. The landscape didn't look any different to him than it had for the last eight hours. Frozen dew glistened in the early daylight, the sky painted orange between the branches of barren trees, but there was no second village tucked away between the hills, no band of wizards heading towards them as Regulus cast his eyes towards the river in the distance. Overhead, a robin flew by, another sign of morning. Its breast was so red that it reminded Regulus of the Christmas cards Edwin had attempted to hand out during their first year, said everybody did it at his 'primary school'.

The fact that he hadn't seen whatever they were looking at yet must have been apparent just from looking at his face, because Sirius grabbed him roughly by the arm, pulling him in so close that Regulus really didn't remember the last time he'd stood so close to him. Well, the last time he'd stood so close to him and not felt the need to throw his hands up in defence.

He looked to where Sirius was pointing, angled his head the same way so that their cheeks almost touched, so that he could see what Sirius saw. There, nestled in a valley and covered mostly by dried up shrubs was a small but steady stream of smoke rising to the sky. That might have been cause for panic, if it hadn't struck Regulus with such familiarity as it clearly did Sirius. His brother's finger moved slowly to the right, pointing out the path of the river, a deep curve cutting into the hillside and laden with rocks fallen from above. Sirius had once told him those rocks had been thrown down by a giant in an almighty outburst. If Regulus had been asked to describe in any detail the area surrounding Alphard's house, he would have doubted his ability to, and yet staring out at it with still-bleary eyes, he just knew.

"I'll race you there," Sirius said, detaching himself from both his brother and Potter. Regulus wasn't entirely sure he was serious until he took off down the sloping hill they'd stood atop, arms out for balance as his feet and gravity carried him faster and faster. Potter wasted no time in hurrying after him, leaning forward as he would on a broom to garner speed and in the process almost sending himself tumbling headfirst. Regulus told himself that he wasn't going to run; that he was too tired, that it was reckless and somebody ought to keep an eye out for danger. But Potter and Sirius were both whooping and laughing so loudly, euphoric in finally reaching their destination that any oncoming danger would have been impossible to avoid. Besides, Regulus was willing to believe that he was faster than Sirius, more active from Quidditch practice and from the lack of cigarettes (something his brother had complained about not bringing at least four times since they'd left the village). All at once, he found himself listening only to the thud, thud, thudding of his feet striking the ground, felt only the stretch of the muscles in his legs and the cold winter air on his face as he made after the other two, determined to be the first to reach Alphard's.