All in the Family

Chapter 85: Padfoot's Return

It was not a large cave, but they'd been in much, much tighter situations too. This place was the Taj Mahal compared to Aragog's cupboard. Despite the sun coming in through the entrance, they each lit their wand tips to be sure every corner was thoroughly explored so that no surprises could jump out at them, though only the hippogriff seemed present.

He seemed to have recognized them from last time, or he was too invested sniffing about for more bones to really care about who had joined him. A few bread crumbs and an empty flask of what smelled like pumpkin juice were all that remained of Sirius's current hideout, this place was somehow even more barren and depressing than the island he'd been on. The book was simply lying in the middle of the floor, open to reveal the large black dog's still image and the chapter title showcasing this very fact, there wasn't even a mock bed to mess up this time.

Sirius watched his friends' faces draw tight at this miserable place, still shaking slightly in their cold and muddied clothes, and grit his teeth. No way was he going to let them wallow like this about his future while he was in this place helping Harry. He jumped for the book, then smiled very smugly as he proudly read the chapter title.

"Padfoot, you have to actually leave first before you can return," Remus told him mock pleasantly.

"And stop talking about yourself in third person, idiot," James added with a forced smirk.

Sirius pleasantly stuck his tongue out at them, they'd both known full well what he meant, as he went off for the next part of Harry's story, ignoring the slight shivers of the drafty cave. He'd turn blue before he admitted he already wished he had a shirt back on.

The first thing of note did indeed implicate Sirius into getting more trouble, nothing new for him, but the note he sent was confirmation these caves were the ones beyond Hogsmeade and the remnants of the meal promised all this came to pass soon in this chapter.

First though they had to deal with yet another insufferable potions class.

Regulus had not spent any particular time with Severus, one on one anyways outside of their group in the dormitory, and hearing of how he interacted with these students wasn't endearing him. If Snape found him as incompetent as he found everybody else, he didn't really understand how the guy managed to have any friends. Why was Evans the Muggleborn always standing up for him? He'd yet seen evidence explaining that, and things weren't going better for him as he humiliated Potter's kid once more with Skeeter's latest drivel of an article over the Granger Muggleborn. What exactly did Severus get out of the exchange?

The only slight answer forthcoming was when he then separated the trio and taunted Harry about a rather interesting exchange, Severus did indeed blame Harry for breaking into his office, when they all knew it to be Crouch. The guy couldn't really be that clever if he only considered the one suspect, a student. Even if Regulus hadn't known better he'd think it foolish not to consider more options. He watched in silent fascination as Evans the Muggleborn stewed in silent fury about her supposed friend threatening to poison Harry with Veritaserum, and the current Potter very loudly protesting this fact.

Sirius kept going in a very jerky sort of reading way as he alternately shouted about what their school enemy continued to do and agreeing with Potter, he seemed to be barely paying attention as the really interesting part of this went on, Karkaroff showing up.

Regulus frowned when he heard Snape make such a familiar gesture that no one else seemed to understand, even Sirius. That's because Bella hadn't even bothered trying to talk to him this summer, but she had to Regulus. The stories she'd told with such reverence, brushing the exact spot on her right arm as well, her dark eyes glittering with more to come. She'd promised him if he continued doing right, unlike his idiot brother, he'd go far. She'd never showed him what was on under her sleeve to prove as much, but he believed her, then and now. The problem was, what would Bella say now if she knew about the Dark Lord like he did? That he was a liar, a half-blood, that he'd be defeated by a baby and a Muggleborn, and no one quite knew why except some magic tied in with love.

His parents would throw him in the bin if he dared come home and say such things to them now that he knew the truth, Bella would probably rip his tongue out while laughing he must have not heard right, but Regulus had. Over and over again, Harry Potter continued diving into the magical world and uncovering these secrets. The real question was, what was he going to do about it?

Peter watched alternately as everyone continued gripping their wands, itching to start a fight with Snivellus for one reason or another, even Smith and Longbottom though nothing had happened to Neville this particular time; all the while Regulus got completely worked up over something else. He knew that for a fact, he just wasn't sure what that something else was. Whatever Harry managed to overhear via Snape and Karkaroff was sending him back to biting on the inside of his cheek once more though.

He knew, possibly better than anyone at this rate, what it felt like to be torn in two over this future they kept hearing about. Yet Regulus hadn't shared these fears with anyone, not really, even though they'd all known in an unspoken way from the very beginning which side Sirius's little brother had placed himself on. Now here they were once more, hearing of his allies in this future, and nobody to speak to about them. If Peter asked, would he answer? In this space, probably not. One on one again, possibly, but then, did Peter want an answer for that? If he kept inquiring into his life, did that make him any better than a wannabe Death Eater himself? He cast an anxious look at Prongs and Padfoot, both of whom were ignoring him in general, but at least they weren't shooting him side-eye, suspicious looks when they thought he wasn't looking this time. He'd liked talking to Regulus, but both of them had already been inquiring as to why. If they were really, finally going to overlook a transgression he himself couldn't see past, should he really keep trying to put that in jeopardy?

Lily sighed in relief as Harry was finally released onto the Hogsmeade grounds, to this tiny dark cave, which was somehow more welcoming in presence with an escaped Azkaban convict in it than her favorite classroom. She ran her hands down the smooth plumage of the hippogriff as her stomach twisted painfully, it was getting harder all the time to keep her best friend back at school separated from Professor Snape. It's not like Sev would miss an opportunity to humiliate James Potter with that article and then turn around to one of his freaky Slytherin friends and hold some whispered conversation. She wrapped her arms tight around herself and tried to pretend the burning feeling all around her face was all in anger, even a bit of shame for this display of her friend while Alice and Frank watched her, and not mostly tears of frustration for all of this having no end in sight.

Remus sighed as he watched Sirius read through his catch up with Harry, none of what they were discussing particularly pleasant. He supposed the two chatting about the insanity of Harry's life was marginally better than if Sirius had been trying to reminisce about James or something, what with him standing right here, would be kind of awkward. He sighed audibly as the idiot shivered slightly in the sharp breeze that still managed to get inside this little spot, Sirius really was the most impulsive idiot alive, a fact he would never seem to grow out of as he spoke of his time in and out of Azkaban and then finished it up by still asking Harry to keep him informed rather than telling him to stay out of it. He read through it all with his usual superior tone, making Remus wish once again the other four hadn't even been dragged along on this little self discovery. He could see what Sirius was fighting with every word to hide, how scared he was this was his mirror into the future.