Losing Game/// James Potter

Chapter 74

The air was still, silent as the two lovers' increasingly loud words echoed through the kitchen. Their eyes were locked onto each other's with looks that could kill, but had caring emotions flooding through them. Their words sounded angry, but that's the farthest from what they were. Their loud words were hidden declarations of love, begging the other to hear what they're trying to say.

He took a step towards her with a shaky breath and tear-filled eyes, shooting her a look so vulnerable that it broke her heart for what she knew she needed to do.

"Don't leave me, Elsie," James begged her, gripping tightly onto her hand, "It's not safe, please don't go."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she shot James an apologetic look and casted the Stickfast Hex, "Colloshoo."

"Elsie, don't do this. Don't you dare fucking do this," James pleadingly seethed as he tried moving his feet, but couldn't because they were firmly stuck to the ground, "Elsie if you do this-,"

A sob escaped her lips as she watched tears free fall down James' face, his body angrily writhing while trying to get out of the hex she casted. She didn't let him finish his sentence, knowing that if she heard his voice break her defenses would come crashing down. She knew James was hurting, but Regulus was at risk of dying. She had to chose between a love and a life. And even though her entire heart, mind, body, and soul were begging her to run into James' arms and tell him everything was okay, her own words that she told Reggie himself pulled her in the opposite direction because there was something bigger at stake here. Sometimes we have to make choices that go against everything we know...

"I'm sorry, James. I love you," she whispered to him as she apparated out from his sight, landing right on the doorstep of the Black manor.

She felt as if she pounded on the door for an eternity before it creaked open, a small house-elf with naturally furrowed eyebrows revealing himself.

"I'm Elsie Figg, I just needed to know-," her sentence was cut off when the door was slammed in her face.

Frustrated, she kept knocking on the door until it opened once again, "Go away. Master refuses any visitors at this time."

The door began to shut once again, but Elsie rammed her foot into the doorway to stop it. She ran a hand through her messy hair as she tried to muster up the right words to say.

"I know I'm not welcome here and I know those two prats would consider me closer to garbage than a visitor. And honestly, I wouldn't exactly want to speak to them either, especially after what they did to Sirius," she rambled on until she remembered what she initially came for, "I'm just worried because Regulus-,"

"Master Regulus Black?" The house-elf's ears perked up at the sound of Regulus' name, and he shuffled around before holding out another letter for the girl, "Master left this for Elsie Figg."

Elsie quickly grabbed the letter as the door, for the third time, shut in her face. She knew it wasn't safe to be loitering around the Black manor so she quickly flooed to the place where she knew she needed to be next. She apparated into a nearby pub that she knew was connected to the floo network and flooed straight into Dumbledore's office, a wand being held up immediately to her throat as she appeared.

"Alastor, wand down if you may," Dumbledore wistfully spoke as he walked back and forth around his office casually, "Ms. Figg, or should I say Mrs. Potter now, is no threat to me."

Moody nodded at Elsie and removed his wand before she quickly began speaking, "It's Regulus Black, sir. I believe him to be in danger."

"Yes, I was just made aware of the accusation that Mr. Regulus Black has been missing for the past two days," Dumbledore noted with a small, apologetic look, "Why don't you take a seat? I have aurors tracking him down as we speak."

Elsie nodded hesitantly and sat down in a chair off to the side of the room, pulling her legs up to her chest as her arms pulled her shins in closer. The letter was tucked into the waistband of her pants unread and forgotten about until 3 hours later when the 5 words just told to her unlocked a tsunami of emotions brewing inside of her.

Regulus Black was found dead.

There were details about what happened and where he was, but Elsie didn't hear anything beyond those 5 words. She hadn't moved from her position, her body freezing from shock and pain. An 18 year-old boy was dead. A child died while trying to escape an adult's war. She numbly gazed away from everyone in the room and kept her fury and anger to herself. Regulus was dead and yet all she could do was stare out the window, watching the rain droplets trickle down from view. And that's why she was mad. Because she was right all along. Elsie would always know where to find Regulus as long as it was raining. Regulus Black was dead.

She didn't know how long she stayed in the same position until her hip grew sore and she slightly moved, the letter tucked into her pants crinkling while doing so. She slowly pulled it out and forced herself to read the last words he ever wrote to her. The last words of an angel that thrashed down the devil himself.

Elsie,
I wanted to say thank you for showing me that I didn't have to be the bad guy. You, Elsie Figg, saved my life in a way no one ever has.
You made me become a hero in a story I was destined to be a villain in. And not many people I know could be so stubborn, so persuasive that they have destiny willingly mold for them. Maybe I'm not the one who's most like Sirius, maybe that's you.
Elsie, you once told me that we always have a choice, that we can either be good...or not good. And here I am, proving to you that you're right. I choose good.
The Slytherin boy with a colorful bracelet,
R.A.B.

The string bracelet she knew he wore on his wrist fell out of the paper and into her hands. And that's when she lost all control. Elsie broke down right then and there, her tears flooding the world around her. Her body shook uncontrollably, only breaking when another shaking hand fell onto her shoulder. She looked up and locked eyes with the pained boy in front of her, both of them reaching for each other at the same time.

Sirius Black and Elsie held each other for the remainder of the day, not daring to let go of the only thing keeping them from falling apart. A few people flooed into the office to check up on them once in a while, but this only broke Elsie even more.

Because none of those people were James.

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AUTHORS NOTE:

I didn't think it was humanely possible to cry this much until I finished this chapter BDJEMDOEMDOSMD

What do we think is going to happen next? James and Elsie aren't talking, The Potters are sick...all I have to say is buckle up because things are about to get even wilder

Hey guys quick appreciation note, I just wanted to thank everyone for sticking with me and patiently waiting for chapters even tho I know my schedule is fucked up. I love you guys ur literally the bestest<3