arcane | regulus black

p e b b l e s

"Lyra! You're home!" James exclaimed, shaking off his mittens and excitedly giving her a bear hug as she stepped out of the fireplace.

Sirius gave her a side hug and Remus did too. They all were extremely eager to hear stories from her and she told them what she could without them never letting her out of the house again.

They updated her on their lives too. Every once in a while at Hogwarts she would receive letters from them but with the Voldemort situation going on, it was too risky to communicate with each other in a way that would leave paper trail.

Remus and Sirius had their own apartment a floor below Lily and James, but they were at James' and Lily's place more than their own.

At James and Lily's, after catching up with Lyra, James and Lily went to the kitchen to make dinner. James couldn't cook but he insisted he was important in the process as well, so Lyra let him be.

Sirius and Remus told her about the things her brother didn't want to her to know. James was delusional in believing he could protect her from the death eaters and their wrath even though she was closer to it than any of them realised.

Lyra got up to go get an orange from the kitchen and left Remus and Sirius to themselves. "Oh this smells absolutely delicious. What are you two making?"

"You'll see." James grinned excitedly at her. Lyra rolled her eyes at him and reached for the orange in the fruit bowl. As she saw her hand, she realised that she was still wearing the ring. "Now why ever are you wearing the Black family ring?" Lyra's heart stopped, but then James continued. "Sirius hasn't had this ring out of his locker for years."

"No, I just thought it was pretty. Hey James, we should have a signet ring for our family. That would be so cool." James, being James, was easily distracted and keenly started suggesting ideas and discussing what the Potter family ring should look like.

Lily joined in the conversation and made comments on how stupid some of what James said was. When they were busy arguing, Lyra subtly slid the ring into her pockets and made an excuse to leave. "I really should go take a unpack and change before your entire house is dusted with floo powder."

*

"When are you going back to Hogwarts?" Remus asked her as they all sat at dinner.

"I might go back sooner than expected. Day after tomorrow evening. I'd come for a short visit anyway so it's alright."

"That's so soon but it's best to not miss any classes now. The NEWTs are important this year, even with everything going on." Lily remarked.

They all agreed with her and continued their conversation till they decided it was too late to carry on. Lyra slept in her own room, just down the corridor from the kitchen and James and Lily's room.

It was around 3 in the morning when a light tapping on her window woke her up. She was confused about what must have happened at that time of the night to be awoken so randomly. Owls don't deliver so late.

Cautiously, she lit her wand slightly to draw the curtains. Her heartbeats resonated through her but she still drew the curtains, unsure of what to expect.

James and Lily stayed on the third floor of their building so the view to the gardens below was clear, but still not quite so visible at night.

There was nothing at the window. Beginning to think she'd imagined the sound, she almost drew the curtain but then another series of pebbles struck her window.

Ever careful, she waited a few moments before opening her window and peering down to see where the pebbles were coming from. Her heart nearly stopped. "Regulus." She breathed out. Shaken in utter disbelief, she apparated down to the garden to his side without a second thought.

She fell to her knees as she held him in her arms, looking at the scars and cuts and bruises all over his face and body. He smiled up at her weakly as their foreheads touched. She didn't care about the blood that seeped through from his body onto her clothes, or the grime that came on her hands as she touched him.

To the best of her abilities, she apparated them both to her room and laid him on the carpet. She was trying her best not to panic as she stared down at the blood flowing out him.

She rushed to get the tissues from her bathroom and found the first aid box from under the sink. Sitting down beside him, she slowly peeled away his blood-soaked clothing- the overcoat, the waistcoat and black shirt first.

As she unbuttoned his shirt, she nearly gasped at the sight of the deep gnash in his abdominal area. Calm as she could be, she cleaned the wound and the area around it. It was too risky now to use magic- the risk of worsening the damage was not at all something she was willing to take.

Regulus kept slipping in and out of consciousness as she worked on him. With compression bands wrapped, his worst injury of that night had found hope of recovering. "My darling." He said as she kissed him, smiling against her lips.

"I'll clean you up now, alright?" She spoke softly as she dabbed his face with the water and wiped off the dirt.

"Anything you want." He looked up at her with glimmering eyes, shutting them peacefully as his dazed state continued caused by the loss of blood.

Slowly she sewed up the wounds with her wand, using his for light in the dark room. She lit a candle on her bedside table and led him up to the bed. It was a struggle to support him up to the bed but she managed well enough.

Before getting into bed, she washed herself and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. She discarded his clothes and made them disappear along with any blood on the carpets. She made sure her door was locked and then got into bed beside him.

"Thank you." He said in a voice that was barely audible. He kissed her cheek and pulled her in by the waist closer to himself. Despite the night he'd had, he slept just fine.