Crystal Clear | REGULUS BLACK //

4.11 - Runaway

James laid there on the cold floor. His eyes wide open.

Crystal choked on a sob, putting her hands over her mouth. She walked up to him and knelt on the ground, by his side.

His skin was pale, on the verge of turning purple. His open eyes had lost its vibrant, mischievous hazel glow. She touched his hand and he was cold. But his expression was so paradoxically heartbreaking. The face he made at that moment, where time stopped and his life left him was of a profound sadness and of a calm peace. He must have known what would happen to him the second he jumped in front of the killing curse.

Crystal closed his eyes gently. She planted a gentle, respectful final kiss on his forehead and bowed.

She would make the time to mourn for him. To remember him. To be there for his son. But now she needed to asses Lily's situation and go back to the others, so they could take Harry to safety.

Crystal went upstairs. She thought she would've a solemn, brief parting time with Lily too, but she was alarmed when she heard a masculine voice coming from the room where she had last seen Lily. The whispers were soon followed by sobs. Crystal realized this must've been someone Lily knew and found out about what happened, but she dared not enter the room. Rather, she stalled around the end of the hallway.

After a long while, Crystal decided she could come back later, since the person wasn't leaving anytime soon. She was leaving the house with a heavy heart when a strong wind appeared. It came from inside the house and ran through its rooms until it exited it through the front door. Crystal looked behind her to see the strange gust of wind seeming to go towards the fire and make it worse.

Remus, Regulus and Sirius, along with baby Harry approached her.

"What is that?!" Remus spoke, panting a little, he was still recovering from the blows he sustained.

Regulus and Crystal exchanged a knowing look.

"Tom can't die by normal means..." Crystal spoke, trying to think of how to explain the mess they were in.

"He has split his soul." Regulus completed, staring with a serious gaze at Remus and Sirius. "He might just be back some years into the future."

"Or become a shitty cursed wind that tried to kill even more people in fires. That is awful, too." Crystal completed, her tone melancholic, despite her casual wording.

"What? You mean he can come back for Harry?!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Possibly." Regulus nodded. "We know he split his soul, we just don't know how many times and with what. That's the tricky part of it all."

"He'll go after you." Remus spoke, face contorted into deep frown. "He was sidetracked trying to kill you... The only reason he couldn't..."

They all stared at the ground.

"But there's nothing we could possibly do." Crystal exclaimed.

They stared at each other for a long while.

"There is one possibility." Crystal gently whispered, under her breath, as if hoping they wouldn't hear her voice.

It has already piqued their interests.

"I've heard of something..." She looked sideways. "A false memory charm. But certainly we aren't at that level yet, right?"

They all went silent after she spoke. They were considering options.

"No, that's what we all must do. Especially you, Crystal." Remus spoke.

"Peter must have planned this, too." Sirius seemed thoughtful. "Do you remember how some people were wary of you because of your powers? He escaped..."

"He'll probably tell everyone you had a meltdown and lost control of your powers, causing an explosion that killed a lot of muggles and his parents." Regulus completed the line of thought, gesturing towards the sleepy Harry towards the end of his sentence.

"Maybe we should wait and see if he'll actually do that?" Crystal asked, unsure of what they should do next.

"It's too risky."

They all exchanged stares again.