ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛʜ ᴡᴀʟʟ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀꜱ ᴇʀᴀ

xlii. the battle

A number of witches and wizards dropped to the ground. And almost immediately, both parties, the Aurors and the Death Eaters alike were pointing wands against one another.

Aurors kept coming in and in and so were the Death Eaters that Sirius couldn't keep track of how many were they. Too many to count, too many to see Callie, but he did hear James and Remus, and wait did he hear Dorcas?!

That shouldn't matter. Not yet at least. With the chaos going around, he used that as an opportunity to pick up Regulus.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

Sirius breathed out in relief. Regulus managed to respond and get on his feet, walking with him. That meant the curse did affect him just not too much. That didn't change the fact that he wanted to fight Bellatrix so bad though. First was Callie, then his friends, and most especially his brother. He didn't care if they were cousins. He never cared about his "family" except for his brother.

"They're here."

"Callie? Is she here?" He sat Regulus behind a pillar.

"Yeah. She came with Dumbledore. But I haven't seen her since then."

Regulus opened his eyes and pushed himself up. But Sirius pulled him back.

"What are you doing?"

"Callie, I have to get to her-"

"No."

When Regulus tried to get up again, Sirius pulled him down once more.

"I have to see her," he insisted through gritted teeth. He needed to see her. That was the only way he could make sure they were both safe despite the lights and spells thrown on the battlefield, causing the house to crumble with every hit and dodge.

"You will see her. But you need to rest for now. We both know how much pain that wretched curse can give. You can't expect me to allow you on that battlefield with your legs limping."

"But Callie... wand... their wands..."

"I have it. I can give it to them."

"The locket?"

"I have it too. I would have destroyed it but that Death Eater took my fang."

Regulus shifted his weight and took the fang that he had from his back. He gave it to Sirius, panting and trying to regain everything he lost under Cruciatus Curse.

Before his brother could move, a rat came to their side and transformed back into Peter. He, too, was panting. But it was because he was running away from Bellatrix after what he did to Voldemort. And at that point, he lost his heart somewhere in the manor.

"Everyone's here!" he said, looking around and spotting Lily saving James from almost getting attacked.

"Every Aurors?" Sirius asked.

Then, a familiar laugh rang. "Barty?" Regulus guessed, looking around for any sign of his friend.

"Not just Aurors. Even his friends," Peter pertained to Regulus, "and Lily, Mary, and Marlene!"

"What?!" the brothers asked at the same time.

"Idiots," Regulus muttered under his breath. He had no time to believe that his friends really wouldn't rest if they didn't follow him in danger.

"Why are the girls here?" Sirius asked.

Peter merely shrugged. "I just saw them. But other than them, no one else's here."