The Search Is Over

Chapter 39

Snape sat beside a slender red haired young woman, and the two were talking quietly. A large white owl sat on the edge of the table, greedily snatching food from Snape's plate.

A very tall big boned man with short reddish blonde hair and perfectly tailored gray dress robes sat beside a tall wide shouldered young woman with long dark hair that was swept up on the sides with jeweled combs.

"There is Wolfgang Adler," Sabra said, nodding at the gray robed wizard. "Come, we shall introduce you."

"Thank you," Regulus said, following behind Sabra and her husband.

"Wolfgang, Millicent, this is Regulus Black and his elf..."

"Kreacher," Regulus supplied, and Sabra gave a grateful nod. "Yes, very good. Regulus is interested in helping us in any way he can, so of course we thought you'd like to meet him directly."

Wolfgang flashed Regulus a smile full of straight white teeth as he extended a hand. His shake was firm and brief, his blue eyes steady and honest.

"Severus has already mentioned you, in fact," he said. "It is a true honor to meet you, Mr. Black...Kreacher."

Kreacher drew himself up in pride at the acknowledgment, and nodded, extending a hand that Wolfgang Adler also shook.

"This is my lady, Millicent Bulstrode."

Regulus nodded to the dark haired young woman, recognizing her family name as being among the Sacred Twenty-Eight. "It is lovely to make your acquaintance, Ms Bulstrode," he murmured.

"Come and sit with us," Millicent invited with a friendly smile at both Regulus and Kreacher. As she spoke, she gestured to the line of empty chairs to the other side of Wolfgang.

"Yes indeed," Wolfgang agreed with a smile. "I am eager to speak with you on how we can work together against Voldemort."

Regulus returned the German's smile with a ready one of his own as he and Kreacher sat down. "Thank you for having me...That is for being willing to work with me," he said, not fully realizing his feelings on the matter until he spoke them aloud to Adler. "I was concerned that I may not be trusted, considering my past."

Wolfgang arched his brows and Millicent gave Regulus an honest look of surprise.

"I hardly see why," Wolfgang said. "You are a hero!"

"Not to mention you didn't let the fucker get you down! You survived," Millicent said and Kreacher beamed proudly, nodding at Ms. Bulstrode in a way that plainly said she'd just won herself a new friend.

"I hardly believe myself to be a hero," Regulus said, lowering his gaze in something more akin to shame than embarrassment. "I failed at everything and ruined the lives of many people...all of them better than me."

Kreacher frowned as the table filled with plates of food. "Master Regulus really must stop that sort of talk," he snapped.

"Kreacher must eat," Regulus said, giving the elf a soft smile. No matter how dark his thoughts got, Kreacher made them retreat with a mere look or word. Thinking of Kreacher, focusing on him, made things easier to handle.

Kreacher nodded, studying the food with a skeptical eye before lifting his fork with a sigh and stabbing it into a piece of fish with a single business like motion. "Kreacher will eat, but Master Regulus must stop saying such things on the instant," he muttered darkly.

"I promise," Regulus said, unable to stop the smile from playing around the corners of his mouth as he struggled not to chuckle.

"We are happy to have you on our team," Wolfgang told Regulus. "You had the gall to do what few others would have done in your place and you are respected for it, even if you do not yet respect yourself." Regulus was humbled.