The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

In the Tunnel

In the Tunnel

Kreacher dropped them outside the Shrieking Shack, at Sirius's request. First he brought Lily, leaving her on the stoop of the Shack. Then James, who was still carrying Maryrose's body, his arms wrapped about her, holding her close to his chest, his hands shaking from the cold and the weight of her. And finally, Regulus and Sirius themselves. And the elf bowed low before his two masters.

'Thank you, Kreacher," Regulus said, "Now go home before Mother notices you're missing. Speaking to no one of what we've just done, no matter what. Even if you are directly questioned about the cave."

"Yes Master Regulus," Kreacher nodded eagerly... and with a crack, he had gone.

Sirius hurriedly turned to James. "We should leave the body here in the Shack and go and get Dumbledore or Minnie and tell them what's happened. They'll come and fetch it."

Jame shook his head, "I'm not leaving her."

Sirius looked frustrated, "We can't very well go carrying a dead body into the castle. That's madness. The rumors it would start!"

James said again, "I'm not leaving her."

"I'll stay with James," Lily offered, "You two go ahead and tell Dumbledore and we'll wait here for you."

Sirius looked surprised. Lily Evans, volunteering to be alone with James Potter? On purpose? Would wonders never cease? He nodded, though, and he put his palm on James's shoulder. "Is that alright, mate?"

"Yeah, it's fine, whatever works," James answered.

Sirius knew then that he was far too caught up in protecting Maryrose to realize the significance of Lily Evans's offer.

Sirius opened up the front door of the Shrieking Shack. Regulus was the only one who had never seen it and his eyes were wide with nervousness. "What about the ghosts?" he asked as Sirius held wide the door for James to duck through with Maryrose. Regulus stared at his brother with wide, questioning eyes. "They're said to be particularly hostile..."

"Oh yes, very hostile," Sirius's mouth curved into a smirk. "Luckily, the ghost happens to be my boyfriend, so we'll be alright."

Regulus's eyes were confused.

Sirius stared at Regulus, "C'mon. Don't act like you don't know about Remus. I know you know."

Regulus blinked a moment, still confused, and Sirius pushed him through the door gently and closed the door behind them, relocking it from the inside. Regulus stumbled in over the dusty floorboards and looked around. There were great scratches through the wall paper and marks from claws and torn up blankets and with loads of fur matted into them. His stomach knotted. "This is where Remus changes," he whispered to Sirius.

Sirius nodded.

Reguuls shivered. He was in the lair of a werewolf - the thought terrified him. He walked gingerly into the room, looking around at the dark fireplace with crumbling bricks, and the dilapidated staircase that was missing several steps and the old couch that sunk in the middle and was coated with a fine mist of fur - grey and black fur sort of mixed together and woven into the floral pattern of the couch's fabric. Broken furniture about, and, peculiarly, great gouges in the wood in the ceiling. He pointed, "How did the wolf do that?"

Sirius looked up. "He didn't... a, uh, dear friend did that."

Regulus stared up, "What with like an ax or something? Why?"

Sirius stared at Regulus, and said, very levelly, "An ax? Merlin, no. His antlers."

Before Regulus could ask anything more, Sirius stepped past Regulus to help Lily spread a blanket over the couch - one that had relatively fewer clumps of fur stuck to it, and James slowly lowered Maryrose onto the couch. James knelt beside her and gently smoothed her hair and Regulus stepped up tremulously and stared down at her from over James's shoulders and his fingers climbed instinctively to his medallion and clutched the pendant in his fist.