The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Protect Her

Protect Her

Regulus had stood there on the dock with the fake Sirius, watching the real one climb the stairs with James Potter, his heart racing as he tried to think of some way to prove to his brother he wasn't trying to turn him in to the Dark Lord. He watched until the door at the top of the steps closed behind them, and then he turned to the fake Sirius, his eyes searching the grey eyes that stared back at him. His nose flared with emotion. There was only one person he knew who could change how they looked like that. "It's you, isn't it, Maryrose?" he asked quietly.

He watching in awe and horror as the features of his brother changed slowly, the hair growing out, turning a shade of blue, her eyes warming to honey coloured irises, the nose tucking up into a little button of a feature... She stared up at him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Regulus drew a deep breath and shook his head. "How very Slytherin of Potter... I bloody should've seen it coming. Real Sirius doesn't wanna see me, and so he uses a decoy to get what he wants..." Regulus shook his head. "I just wanted Sirius bad enough to fall for it." He looked at Maryrose for a long moment. "And so what was it you got out of deceiving me? What was in it for Maryrose, then?"

"Nothing!" Maryrose replied hastily, "He said Sirius needed to know what you wanted of him and that once James knew your intentions were pure he would get the real Sirius. I was just trying to prove to him your intentions were pure, Regulus. That's all. I just wanted you to have your brother back." She looked at him with sad eyes. "I felt terrible deceiving you. But I thought if - if it would help you get Sirius back... then it would be worth it in the end. But that was horrible. Sirius was horrible."

Regulus shook his head, "I can't blame him for hating me. I did sort of deserve it... I've treated him and his boyfriend terribly in the past." He looked down at his trainers and shoved his fists into his thick wool coat pockets. "He doesn't know I've changed since then."

Maryrose looked down at the too-large Gryffindor robes and said, "I'm sorry, Regulus. He doesn't know how wonderful a person you are or else he would be clamoring to be close to you again." She paused a moment, her eyebrows stitching together. "Can you ever forgive me for what I've done?"

Regulus sighed. Maryrose was the only person in the whole castle he knew would never hurt him on purpose. And the only one that he felt any sort of connection to. He could not imagine what life at Hogwarts castle would be if Maryrose was not around him. Dismal and quite horrid, he imagined. Being angry with her hardly even seemed an option. He looked up at her and nodded. "I can't be mad at you, M'rose," he said, and a careful smile crossed his lips, "Reckon it's impossible to be."

She leaned forward, intending to hug and kiss him but before she could there was a terrific crack! and there stood the house elf, Kreacher.

Regulus, who had taken a step closer to Maryrose when she'd leaned in, jumped back and stared in surprise. "Kreacher!" He exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Kreacher had to tell Master Regulus -- right away! Like Master Regulus asked him to. The Minchum girl -- the Dark Lord is coming to collect her! To take her away from Kreacher's Mistress!" The elf looked distraught, "He is there now, talking to Kreacher's Mistress! Kreacher heard them talking in Mistress's parlour room and he was sent to get tea and Kreacher came to tell Master Regulus before he went for the tea so that Master would know! But Kreacher must hurry or Kreacher will have to punish himself for taking too long to serve the Mistress her tea!"

Regulus looked at Maryrose, panic in his eyes. "Taking her away? Why? Where to?"

"Kreacher isn't knowing! But they is saying that something has happened at the MInistry! They is saying they is having to take the girl. The Dark Lord is being taking her with him!"