Nyctophobia - Sirius Black

Chapter 34

        "Please, I can't lose them too. Help!" Ruby cried, falling to her hands and knees. She was tired, so tired, but the magic didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. She couldn't let herself fall asleep; not until she had her magic back under control. Who knew what havoc it might wreak while she was asleep.

Another wave of magic shot out and the building was burning down around. Just like in the woods, the flames didn't touch her. She could only hope Severus and Sirius had made it out in time.

Despite her best efforts, Ruby felt the darkness closing in.

12 Grimmauld Place was silent. This wasn't unusual in itself. In fact, this was normal, if only for this house. The people in the houses on either side were the opposite, televisions on high volume and children shouting and laughing. Still, since Sirius had left, 12 Grimmauld Place was more silent than ever.

Walburga's screech wasn't heard nearly as often, now that the eldest son was gone. It was only directed at the house elf and the younger son, and both of them made sure to keep as far away as possible.

Regulus was reading quietly in the back corner of the library, a Lumos spell lighting up the page. There was no other light in the library, and even that was dim. He had been there since the night before, pouring over books on immortality.

He stopped suddenly, and looked up. All was silent in the library. He strained his ears, but couldn't even hear Kreacher, the house elf, muttering or his parents moving around the house. He sighed in relief, remembering that they were at the Nott household for the day.

He rubbed the fatigue from his eyes and stood up.

'Please! I need you to save him!' He jumped as he heard a voice in his head. The voice was familiar, he realized, but he wasn't sure who it was.

'Who are you?'

'You need to save him! Please! He's going to kill himself!'

'What? Who?'

'Sirius!' The voice, which had only been worried before now gained an element of panic. Regulus was shocked. He didn't know what was going on, or who the voice was, but he knew that he knew it, and it was telling him his brother was committing suicide.

"Kreacher!" He shouted.

"Yes, Master Regulus?" The elf appeared immediately.

"Take me to Sirius. Now." The elf didn't argue. He took hold of his master and disapparated. They appeared just in time to see Sirius disappear in the muddy water. It only took a few seconds for Regulus to find the right spell and pull his brother from the swirling waters.

Sirius coughed and spluttered, brown water spilling onto the dirt.

"Sirius?" Regulus hated how broken his voice sounded. Still, it was hard, seeing his brother like this. Sirius had always seemed so strong and brave. He looked like the person who would never break no matter what life threw at them. It was something Regulus had always admired.

That light was gone now. His brother lay on the ground, refusing to look up.

Ruby woke to two crippling waves of emotion, one full of self-hatred, the other panic and sadness. Sirius and Severus. She wasn't in the factory, or surrounded by ash. Actually, she had no idea where she was.

It was a grassy field. There were a few trees here and there, but not many. There were a few scattered flowers.

Ruby tried to push calm emotions to the pair, but found she couldn't. She could feel her panic rising. Why couldn't she help them? She needed to. She could feel that Sirius was teetering on the edge of a cliff, ready to jump. She couldn't let that happen, but she couldn't seem to be able to send any of her magic to him.