Some Day | Wolfstar

Eighty-one

(This chapter is dedicated to _thirstae )

Remus knelt down next to Sirius, trying not to cry. Sirius didn't look up, just kept crying into Regulus. His cries were so loud. Loud and raw and excruciating as they pierced the night and Remus' heart. Next to them, James stood, wiping his tears with his palms. Severus was watching the two brothers, pale-faced and shaken.

Everyone loved Regulus. But that's not what mattered.

Regulus loved everyone.

Remus' placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. Small fires were still dancing on the edges of half-burnt trees, and bodies -dead and alive- were still lying crumpled around them.

Sirius shrugged Remus' hand off of himself. Remus bit his lip, unsure of what to do. His heart was weeping as he stared at Sirius helplessly, unable to comfort him.

Severus turned his face towards the sky, making Remus follow his gaze upwards. Something was flying towards them. Not something. Things.

Remus scrambled to his feet, pulling his wand out of his pocket. He looked at James. They were all tired and weak, physically and emotionally drained. Not ready for another fight.

But they stood up straighter, ready to do whatever they had to.

As the flying figures drew closer, Remus realised that they were actually winged horses. Two of them, and also a flying car. Sirius didn't even look up when the horses landed just few feet away from them, their hooves thundering along the ground before they came to a stop. The car circled them before flying away, to where Remus assumed to be the clearing they had buried Orion in. There wasn't enough space for it to land, especially with the fire.

Each of the two black horses was ridden by a man. One of them dismounted his horse before it even stopped, and was running towards them. "Sirius?" He shouted. Remus and James looked at each other and stepped in front of Sirius, their wands at the ready. Sirius finally looked up.

"Uncle," he said softly. His voice was low and hoarse as he spoke. Remus turned to look at him, and moved away, letting the man get to Sirius. James pulled Remus aside. "I think," he took a shaky breath, "-it's Alphard Black." His voice trembled as he spoke. Remus nodded. Sirius had told them about Alphard, the only adult who had treated him with kindness during his childhood after his parents realised how deviant he was.

"Sirius," Alphard said gently, hands on Sirius' shaking shoulders. "He's dead," Sirius sobbed. "Regulus," his voice left him for a moment. "Regulus is... is dead."

Alphard placed a hand on Regulus' neck, looking for a pulse that he was way too late to find. The man who had arrived on the other winged horse joined them, frowning. Alphard shook his head at him sadly. The man, whom Remus would later find to be Cygnus Black, sighed.

Alphard gently moved Sirius away from his brother's dead body, fighting to pry Sirius' hands from Regulus' robes. "No!" Sirius cried, reaching for Regulus. Alphard had to drag him away amidst his screams. Remus looked away, unable to stop his tears. "No, please," Sirius' shouts turned into a soft plea as he gave up trying to fight. Cygnus conjured up a stretcher on which he carefully placed Regulus.

"James? James!" Another voice cut through the trees. It was Fleamont Potter, followed by Remus' own father, Lyall Lupin. Behind them were five or six more people, whom Remus assumed to be Aurors or employees of the Ministry.

James and Remus found themselves pulled into their respective fathers' arms. The men tended to their cuts and bruises as well as they could.

Sirius relieved himself of his uncle's almost suffocating grip. He looked around him through the tears blurring his vision. He could see Cygnus kneeling over his mother and patting her cheeks, James and Remus with their fathers, a group of Aurors loading wizards either dead or unconscious on to stretchers -stretchers just like the one they had left Regulus on. His eyes finally landed on Severus, standing by himself as he held on to his side. His fingers were dark with blood, just like Sirius'.

James pulled Sirius into a tight embrace, holding him close for a long time before releasing him. Sirius didn't make a sound as Fleamont cast a bandage over his cut. He freed himself from them. He didn't want to be touched. Sirius slowly walked over to Severus, who watched him approach with worry evident in his usually unreadable face.

Sirius grabbed the end of his sleeve and led him back to Fleamont, who winced at the deep gash spilling blood on to Severus' hand. "There are mediwizards waiting at the Rosier Manor," Fleamont said. "The what?" James asked him, voice thick after crying. "The place you've been staying at." Fleamont replied.

Remus joined them, limping slightly. It was only then that he saw Kreacher, standing next to Walburga, who had been laid on a stretcher to be taken home. Sirius didn't meet Remus' eyes. Remus tried not to dwell on the hurt that rose up in his chest when Sirius jerked his hand away from his.

"I'm taking the boys home," Alphard announced. He cast a worried glance at Sirius who seemed to be in a daze of some sort. When Alphard placed a hand on his back, he shuddered and stepped away as if the small touch burned his skin.

Sirius had never been in a car before. But it didn't really matter. The boys gave him the passenger seat and piled into the back. The drive back home was quiet. James was crying quietly again, his face hidden in his hands. Remus rubbed his back, letting his own tears fall. Still holding on to his side, Severus fell asleep.

They had trouble finding the Manor in the night. "The house-elf showed us the way. We've only taken the fireplace in Orion's study to get here. Not that we needed to very often," Alphard explained. "He wouldn't tell the Aurors, so they called us."

After some turning and diving, they reached the Manor, where two mediwizards tended to them. The rest of the Aurors started bringing the injured and the dead in soon. They carried Regulus to where Orion had laid until the night before, and placed him on the same bed. When Sirius brushed his hair back from his eyes, his skin was no longer warm.

"Sirius," Alphard said gently, "Go to bed, son."

Sirius raised his head to look at him. He stayed like that for a minute, as if his mind was buffering, and raised himself on to his feet. His fingers were caked with dried blood, which had cracked at the joints but still stuck to his skin. Remus followed him out of the hall.

Sirius walked into Regulus' room. He looked at Remus before closing the door. "I want to be alone," he said softly. Remus wanted to refuse. He wanted to be with him, wanted to help him navigate the horrors of his own mind which had been bad enough without the pain Regulus' death had brought. But before he could even bat an eye, Sirius had quietly closed the door.