Reggo My Eggo

Chapter 35

"Someone stole our wands!" Sirius exclaimed. 

"We would have noticed if someone did so, there has to be a reasonable explanation," Remus reassured. 

"What reasonable explanation? First Walburga gets murdered, then the floo system is locked and now our wands are missing, someone doesn't want us to leave," James panicked.

"One of my parents probably locked the floo after they heard you three enter the manor, we can just go and check the west wing floo system and the back floo system, while we're at it we'll check if I left my wand in my room," Regulus reasoned. "If all fails we find my father, he may have his wand,"

The four boys dragged themselves back up the overly long staircase, grimacing as they passed the large bloodstain once again. The walk to Regulus' room felt long but it only took a minute. 

Regulus last remembered his wand being over on his dresser because he used it to shrink his luggage. The wand was still nowhere to be seen. 

"Where else did you have your wand?" Sirius asked. 

Regulus sighed. "I only used it to shrink my bags, you were there,"

"Is it in your bags?" 

"Yes Sirus, my wand is in my bag that I shrunk with my wand," Regulus said sarcastically.

"Okay, sorry, I was just asking," Sirus replied defensively.

"Let's go check the other fireplaces, if it was Walburga or Orion who locked the fireplace they wouldn't have time to go around to each system," Remus pondered before deciding it was best to try. 

The four dragged themselves to the back floo entrance next, it was the same fireplace that Barty and Regulus had used to escape after the gala. 

That floo system was also locked. The next floo was in the west wing of the manor. The west wing was also considered the guest wing and was only used when they had guests, those guests mostly being death eaters or family. 

As they arrived in the west wing they immediately saw the bars over the fireplace. 

Sirius kicked the wall in frustration. "I always knew I was going to die in this house," He sighed. 

"We're not going to die, there should be another fireplace in our parents' wing," Regulus briefly remembered there being a floo system there. 

 "Do you even know where their wing is?" Sirius asked. 

"Yeah, it's downstairs, do you not?" Regulus asked, amazed. Sirius was completely lost when it came to anywhere besides finding his own room. 

"Why would I ever go down to their wing of the house? I try to avoid running into them at all costs," 

"Fair enough"

"Were you two like never held as children?" James' mother's senses were kicking in.

"I think I may have been dropped a few times and for that to happen I must have been held for a second or two prior," Sirius offered. 

"Sirius!" James exclaimed in a worried manner. 

''Oh please, him being dropped as a child should be the least of your worries about him," Regulus scoffed. 

"That's probably true," Remus agreed.

"Remus! That's mean," Sirius complained. 

Throughout their conversation, they had been following Regulus back down the overly large staircase and then down the hall to the left of the entranceway before they turned and went down an additional staircase that led to the dungeons. 

Regulus led the three through the dungeons and to another door before stopping. 

"The floo system should be through here," Regulus opened the door that led to what looked to be a sort of common room and four closed doors. 

Regulus walked straight to the furthest door and opened it. The room appeared to be a bedroom. Inside the bedroom was a king-sized bed, floral wallpaper, a dresser and a locked floo system. 

"Well, that was pointless,"  James grimaced.  

"Do you have an owl around the house? We could owl the school, I'm sure Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore would be able to help," 

"The owls are all upstairs," Regulus told the boy.

"We already ran all over the house, let us rest for a minute, will you?" James panted, hands on his knees. It was already the middle of the night and considering the day they've had it made sense to be exhausted. 

"Fine, I'll go talk to my father, you all wait here," Regulus walked out of the room and to the room across from Walburgas since she and Orion sleep in different rooms. 

Regulus knocked on the bedroom door and waited for an answer. The door was swung open revealing Orion. His eyes were bloodshot red and he had major eye bags from staying up past hours and exhaustion from what the day's events held. Luckily, this time when he saw his father, he was no longer covered in blood. Although he must have showered, there was still blood all on the floor that Kreacher would have to clean up later.  

"Regulus," Orion paused. "Was there something you needed?" 

"Well, neither myself, Sirus, nor his friends can find our wands and all the floo systems are locked," Regulus explained to the older man. 

"Sirius? He's still here?" Orion looked a bit out of it but Regulus decided to continue. 

"Yes, the floo systems... they're locked, we can't get back to school," Regulus repeated. 

"Oh, yes, of course, I'll get my wand," Orion shut the bedroom door right in Regulus' face as he left to find his wand. 

Regulus could hear shuffling inside the room and a few grunts of frustration before the door opened back up. 

"I've seemed to have misplaced my wand, no worries, you can just stay the night and floo back tomorrow," Orion went to close the door back up in Regulus' face but he stopped the man before he could.

"Our wands are missing too and the floo systems are all locked, we can't get back now and we won't be able to get back tomorrow," Regulus huffed in frustration. It was quite clear that his father was too out of it to comprehend anything tonight. 

"Ah, yes. Ask Kreacher or your mother, she'll know what to do," Regulus was done talking with his dad so he took a step back away from the door, letting Orion close the door in front of him. 

"The old man's taking things well," Sirius commented.

"He's grieving," Regulus excused. 

"Nah, he didn't seem much different from usual, so what now dear brother?" 

"Let's go find owls," Regulus mumbled. It was almost midnight and he had seen a lot of blood, he just wanted the day to end so he could sleep. 

The trip to find the owls was not a success, to say the least. Once the four boys arrived in the attic, -where the five family owls were kept- all five of the owls were found lying on the floor dead with their heads cut off, lying next to the bodies just like Walburgas was earlier. 

It was now in their trip that they had finally admitted to themselves that something wasn't right. Whoever had murdered Walburga was clearly still in the house and keeping them from leaving. 

They ended up leaving the attic pretty quick before calling Kreacher who didn't appear. At first, they had thought that maybe he didn't pop into the room because it was Sirius who had called for him but then Regulus tried and even Remus but he still was AWOL. 

Safe to say, no one slept that night. They had retreated back to Regulus' room and sat in thick silence for hours.