The Day the Music Died | Jegulus, Wolfstar

The Glistering Mirror

Hey (hey) what's the matter with your head, yeah.
Hey (hey) what's the matter with your mind and your sign and oh.
Hey (hey) nothin' the matter with your head.
Baby, find it, come on and find it.
Bear with it, baby, 'cause you're fine.
And you're mine, and you look so divine.

James didn't remember climbing stairs that quickly since he was in Hogwarts, emotion spread till the tip of his fingers, he couldn't understand why, but he'd missed him, so much. When he got to the top of the astronomy tower, Regulus was waiting for him, dressed in his black robes, his hair falling on his face like a cascade, but he didn't look any better than the last day he saw him.

Their eyes met, Regulus looked like he was about to tear up, but he just gazed at James and motioned him to come closer, his presence was warm and unsettling at the same time.

"We don't have much time, James. Barty must be out there looking for me."

"What do you mean we have no time? For what?"

Regulus stared at him sternly, but didn't answer. His eyes were droopy, pushed downwards by his heavy eye-bags.

  "Regulus," James gently said, but his eyes didn't soften.

  "I'm fine," he breathed.

  "You don't look fine."

  "Then stop looking," he broke their eye contact and caressed his face, messing around with his hair. "Listen James, something dark is happening, inside and outside Hogwarts, the Dark Lord wishes to recruit me, I... I don't want to, but my family will punish me if I refuse."

James had heard rumours about the Dark Lord, of course, everyone did. Him and his followers were murdering thousands of muggles, Regulus, he sounded scared, for the first time since he'd known him.

He spoke again.

"I did... bad things, but I promise I didn't mean to," his eyes were glassy, James caressed his shoulder, but the sudden interaction made Regulus flinch, "I just want you to know, I'm not evil."

"I don't think you're evil, Reg, I never will," James grinned, the younger Black returned his smile feebly, he looked utterly exhausted.

"He's planning something, anyone has ever seen a thing like it before, I want to stop him, I still don't know how," Regulus was engulfed in his thoughts, apparently trying to sort things out, trying to turn all those words into a rational explanation.

"Regulus, this is bigger than yourself, you could get hurt."

"I could get killed," he sighed and lowered his eyes, "I don't care, I've got to do something about it."

James' world had stopped with Regulus words, losing him wasn't an option.

"Let me help you, Reg, I'll do anything."

Regulus shock his head, he grabbed both of James' arms.

"This is why I asked you to meet, it was too dangerous to speak to you with Barty and the others slithering around me. You must stay out of this, for our safety."

"What do you mean for our safety, Regulus?" James fussed, "I can't let you do this alone, if you die..." he couldn't finish the sentence, that just wasn't viable

"James! Listen to me!" He bawled, but quickly calmed himself, running both hands through his raven hair, "you don't know what you're getting yourself into, you can not promise something like this."

James grabbed Regulus' hand without noticing and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"I'll make the unbreakable vow if I have to."

Regulus raised his jaw and tore his hand away from his.

"I can't let you do such a thing."

"You can't stop me. Just... here, take this," James took the twin mirror out of his pocket, he'd carried it since Sirius gave it back to him, hoping he might want it once again, "if you ever need my help, talk to me, yeah?"

Regulus gazed the silvery item glittering in James' hand, and finally took it.

"Alright. Time's up, Potter, I must return, or they'll suspect of me."

"Please Reg, take care," he said, looking at him as much as he could before he left.

"I will. Oh, and wait a few minutes after going down, for precaution," James nodded, and Regulus vanished by the stairs, leaving the Gryffindor boy alone under the stars.

***

Last day in Hogwarts, James was packing along Sirius, Remus and Peter, the tension had increasingly diminished through the last two days, there was no meaning in keeping the distance when you wouldn't see each other for nearly a month.

  "If you want to, you can give my mirror back, James," mumbled Sirius nonchalantly.

James gazed at him, and immediately remembered he no longer had it in his possession, but did this mean they were mates again? He couldn't tell him what Regulus confessed, it wasn't in his place to do so.

  "I rather keep it, for the holidays, otherwise I'll try to speak to you all day long, Pads," nice one, James.

  "Alright, if you say so," Sirius gave him a suspicious peek, but went back to smashing all of his stuff in the luggage.

After the packing, the marauders —altogether, headed to the great feast, the poshest, last dinner of the term, but Remus stopped them right in the door, the three friends gave him confused looks, he grinned.

  "Almost forgot, I've got the portable swamp all ready, reckon we should place it before the feast," he casually said.

Sirius jumped on him, everyone did.

"Moony! You're a bloody genius!"

"Oh, I'm definitely not, simple enchantments as I said"

James grinned, puffing his chest.

"Alright lads, let's prank this old school!"

And so they did, cheering Remus all the way to the entrance, once there they followed Moony's instructions, and then briefly, a rotten-swamp with some nasty frogs in it clogged the entrance, blocking every single spot on the floor, making it unable to pass through.

  "Finite incantatem!" Bawled Sirius, but nothing happened.

They tried a few more vanishing spells, but none worked.

"I think this is good enough mates," smirked James.

"Not bad," shrugged Remus, "kind of lame for us, though."

"I've got to agree on that one," added Peter.

James shock his head.

"Not at all Moony, thanks to you, we've got something."

He nodded, but suddenly, a very proud Peter got his wand out, and after a small explosion of sparks and colours, up in the wall, was written:

THE MARAUDERS WERE HERE.

He grinned at his creation, while the other marauders smiled in awe.

"I think I can safely say this is a last-term-worth prank, sn't it?" Sirius amused, pointing the creation with that classic Sirius Black grin imprinted on his flawless face.

  "Pretty much," agreed Remus while the others nodded, and after a few minutes admiring the swamp, they headed to the feast, and ate like pigs, James frequently tried to lock eyes with Regulus, but it was more than evident that he was avoiding his stare. Around the Slytherins, he seemed like a whole other person, cold, angry, rude, his expression was glued into a permanent scowl, but his aura remained eerie, impossible to read. He was still as beautiful, though. James surprised himself thinking of this, and went back to his food, trying to evade his thoughts from his Star-boy.

He would be okay.

***