RISE OF THE FALL | R.B.

LXIV.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter World belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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CHAPTER LXIV.

"It's some sort of joke, I tell you," Debbie said, as she had for the past several days, "The instructions they left in the envelopes—it's nonsense...doesn't seem official at all."

But Reia didn't answer, because she wasn't so sure, about the 'Hogwarts letters' being jokes.

She had told the boys the day Debbie had given her the letters, and they had been intrigued and excited, especially when Reia had promised them that she'd follow the instructions that somebody had left in the envelope—just to see what was going on.

Because there was a chance that the letters weren't just pranks...right? Who would target a prank towards Atlas and Archie?

"Don't take them," Debbie said, "There's no need to waste your time."

Reia sighed, "Fine, fine."

After Debbie had gotten up and left the living room, Reia remained sitting on the couch, and a few moments later she pulled out the two envelopes that she'd been staring at and rereading endlessly for the past week and a half.

Just to make sure that they were real, that she wasn't going insane.

Witchcraft and Wizardry. Why did magic seem so...possible in Reia's head?

Out of each of the boys' envelopes, she pulled out three pieces of paper; the actual acceptance letter itself, the list of items the boys needed, along with a set of instructions that apparently would take her to where she could get all of the things her sons needed to attend the 'school'.

The handwriting triggered emotions she couldn't name, and memories she couldn't see properly in her mind—the harder she tried to recall anything, the blurrier the images became in her head.

With a sigh, she slipped the paper back into her pocket and went up the stairs.

The boys were asleep already, maybe it was time for Reia to get some rest, as well.

***

"Wake up," Reia shook her sons awake, "We're going to follow those instructions today."

Atlas awoke first, rubbing his eyes and yawning, "I thought Debbie said we couldn't go?"

"She's not here, she's at work," Reia responded, "And we'll be back before she suspects much. I'll leave a note for her. But I'm too curious to just forget about the letters. I'm sure you two are the same, aren't you?"

"I mostly just want to live the dream of being a wizard," Archie murmured as he stirred, "Wouldn't that be cool? Having magic, I mean."

"But could it be real, though?" Atlas said back, sitting up.

"I guess we're about to find out, aren't we?" Reia said with a light laugh, "Get dressed. We're going on an adventure."

Reia held onto her sons' arms to make sure they wouldn't get lost in the crowd as she made her way through the people around her, trying not to bump into too many of the strangers and occasionally muttering a quick, "Sorry."

She hadn't been to this place before, as far as she could remember—that was to say, not very far.

But it was foreign to her; the crowds, the business of the streets, because Reia had grown accustomed to Debbie's generally calm neighbourhood and the quiet streets.

It had taken hours to get to the place, with the instructions she'd been following first directing her to catch a train to a station far from Debbie's house. Atlas and Archie had both fallen asleep, and Reia almost had, so the three of them almost missed their stop.

Almost.

After they'd gotten off, they'd followed the instructions that Reia had found in the envelope, only to come to a halt in front of a tiny shopfront—a little pub called 'The Leaky Cauldron'.

Nobody else seemed to see the place, and Reia almost walked right past it. She would have, too, if Atlas had not pointed it out.

"I suppose we better go in, then," Reia said, exhaling.

"Do you think it's real?" Archie whispered eagerly, "Magic, and Hogwarts?"

"I don't know," Atlas replied, but he pushed the door to The Leaky Cauldron open anyway, "Come on!"

He went in first, and Reia and Archie quickly followed.

Inside, the air was cold and the lighting was dark, though there was the constant sound of chatter and the clinking of glasses and plates from inside the kitchen, as well as from the people sitting at the tables, eating and talking amongst themselves.

Again, there was the distant feeling that this place was familiar, that she'd seen this same pub before...

"This is strange," Reia murmured, pulling her sons closer to her, "Stay close. I don't really know—,"

But her train of thought abruptly came to a screeching stop as she saw somebody standing at the other end of the room; a teenage girl who looked oddly similar, with black hair and grey eyes, talking animatedly to an olive-skinned, golden-haired boy who was slightly taller than her, gesturing wildly while the boy laughed.

"—and I couldn't believe it, because then Jane finished the whole plate and I could barely eat half—,"

"Sounds exciting," The boy remarked, "Ari, calm down, it's only a story about Jane eating more cupcakes than you can count, it's nothing particularly new. She has a talent for eating cupcakes, but I can't blame her—they're very delicious."

"I know, Cae, but it was funny at the time—,"

"Are you both talking about Jane again?"

Reia was certain that she almost stopped breathing.

Suddenly, it was as though a heavy weight fell onto her shoulders as the dam that was once blocking her memories from her was released and immediately she was overwhelmed with infinite thoughts, feelings and emotions—so much so that her eyes began tearing up and she started to cry.

She must've looked insane, standing in the middle of The Leaky Cauldron with two eleven-year-old boys at each of her sides, but at that moment she didn't care.

Because the man that had spoken—the man who was now laughing alongside 'Ari' and 'Cae', was Regulus Black.

She knew him.

It was a combination of relief and confusion and so many other emotions she couldn't describe with words that caused her tears to start falling, streaking down her cheeks.

The memories...she felt like a different person—as if the past eleven years had been a dream.

"Reg?" She whispered, so softly that most wouldn't have heard it over the noise of the bar, but Regulus whipped around and his eyes widened at the sight of her. He was older now—but just as handsome as she remembered.

Upon hearing the whisper of his name at the other end of the room, Regulus Black turned and froze.

Author's Note:

So I got too excited and I had to post this...