Fractured paths

What must be faced

Severus trudged through the snow, Lucy, and Regulus behind him. It was hard going, but safer than apparation—which could be tracked.

Lucy and Regulus chattered to each other, mostly making fun of Severus. He ignored them.

When Lucy told Regulus stories about her parents, Regulus listened, interested now, and asked questions. As Lucy's prattling became too much, Regulus would stop her. And when Regulus was rude, Lucy told him so. A strange relationship, but it seemed to work.

"So, ye sit around the table for hours, not sayin' a word?" Lucy said to Regulus. "That sounds like a borin' party!"

"When Sirius was still there, he'd bother everyone so much Mum and Dad would send him to his room. Then the hours of pretentious talk began." He looked up at the sky. "As an eleven-year-old, having to sit as listen to that... it was horrific!" He cleared his throat and made his voice nasally in his best impression of one of his relatives. "Have you heard what the Ministry did? Hiring half-bloods. Half-bloods, I say. Outrageous!"

Lucy burst into laughter.

"And that was in spite of none of them ever having real jobs—least of all at the Ministry," Regulus said.

"I feel for ya, honestly, I do!" She clapped Regulus' shoulder. "When this is over, I'll throw ye a real party. Ye deserve it. Merlin, didn't ye ever have fun growin' up?"

"Only watching Sirius run around in circles as a mutt—then being tossed in the cellar for an hour for it." Regulus smirked.

"And I thought ye hated havin' a brother." Lucy chuckled.

Severus grumbled under his breath, "Kids!" What do they think this is? Some children's playground? It's below freezing out here, and if we're discovered, we're all dead. We don't have proper shelter or food. Everything we know could be destroyed, and we'd be none the wiser, and still those two dimwits would manage to chuckle together. How? How does that make any sense?

Evelyn broke pace with Severus and hung back long enough to take up with Lucy and Regulus. Half an hour she walked with them before she spoke. "What are you doing?"

Lucy smiled. "We're havin' a wee bit a fun. It's either that, or givin' into depression. I think we've learned, in cases like this, havin' fun might be a good thing."

"Trying to spread the knowledge of the oh-so-great full-blood gatherings." Regulus rolled his eyes.

"The people who're so much better than everyone else," Lucy said. "Better sticks in the mud, that is. Though, there's stiff competition." She glanced toward Severus, who replied with an annoyed sneer.

"What are you doing?" Evelyn said, tone carrying the weight of someone far older than her.

"What do ya mean?" Lucy said.

"This... silly talk." The frustration in Evelyn's voice grew.

"What else would we be doing? There's not much else," Lucy said.

Regulus shook his head. "We realize how serious things are, but nothing's happening right now, so we're just trying to make it through to the next battle. Besides, tomorrow could be a terrible day, so we might as well make the best of this one. Self-hate can destroy you, believe me."

Lucy's eyes shone with pride. Both Lucy and Regulus had grown so much on this journey together, and she was proud of them both.

"We want ta be the best we can be." Lucy took Evelyn's hand. "Ye're far too young ta be an adult. If anyone should be allowed ta laugh, it's ye."