"What happened to you two? You look a mess," Aoife asked, currently bent over Regulus. She was no doctor, but had enough experience the treat a person. Especially if they were not critically ill.
"Nothing much," Sirius said shiftily. "The usual. Same old, same old."
"I don't think getting your abdomen split open counts as 'same old, same old,' " Aoife said, slightly mocking.
"He was er ... cutting potatoes! Yeah, Reg was cutting potatoes and the knife ... slipped. Accidentally of course," he looked quite proud of himself.
"Cutting potatoes in the middle of the Scottish highlands? You've got to be joking," Aoife snorted. "As for your brother, I have a way to make him wake up."
Sirius watched her curiously as she picked up a glass of cold water, and dumped it on his brother face. Barely concealing a laugh, he watched Regulus shoot up as if the bed was on fire, and look around wildly. On spotting Aoife, he relaxed a bit, but seized by paranoia, he thrust his hand in his pocket for his wand, quite sure she was a Death Eater of sorts.
"Who sent you here," he demanded, finding no wand in his pocket. "Was it Bellatrix?"
Out of the corner of her mouth, Aoife whispered to Sirius, "did he hit his head? Who is this Bellatrix?"
"I'll deal with him," Sirius whispered back. "Hey Reg!" He cheerfully hugged his brother. Regulus winced in pain.
"Oop, sorry," Sirius was still grinning brightly. "I don't think that's any way to greet a host, little brother. This charming young lady," he shot a wink at Aoife, who rolled her eyes, "just patched you up."
Regulus muttered a quick thank you for her and turned his attention solely to Sirius. "Where is my wand?" he hissed.
"I'm sorry," Aoife asked, bewildered. "Did you just say 'wand?' "
Regulus didn't even acknowledge her. Sirius just made an apologetic face and signalled for a private conversation. Aoife was quite vexed, but left the brothers alone. Not quite. She was listening at the door.
"Sirius," Regulus (she assumed) said in a dangerous voice. "Did you lose my wand?"
"Not quite," the hesitant voice of Sirius Black reached her. "I have it right here, you see."
There was a bit of silence, the wand was probably bring handed over to its rightful owner.
"Who is she? Where are we? Do you have the scroll?" Regulus's voice came again.
"She's a Muggle, Reg," Sirius said patiently. "No harm done. She doesn't know you're a man on the run."
Aoife's breath hitched. She was harbouring criminals. The 'wands' were probably guns, but what did 'Muggle' mean? It did not sound very nice. Oh, and that also explains why the younger one was cut up and bleeding. They were criminals, sweet Lord up above save her.
Hiding criminals in a chapel probably wouldn't convince God the save her, she thought wryly.
"What is this place?" Sirius asked this time.
A knock came on the chapel's locked door. Aoife reluctantly opened it, and muffled her scream when she saw the caller. Quickly barging into the two brothers, who were both visibly annoyed, she gasped breathlessly.
"Anyone of you called guests? Just for your information, I'm too young to have a criminal record."
"What did it look like?" Regulus asked.
"Um, it is a big cloaked person. I think. Do you know magic?" The random question slipped of her tongue.
Sirius looked quite alarmed, while Regulus just surveyed her coolly. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you'll need it to deal with that bloke."
Just then, the doors of the hall were broken down by guess who?
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INFERI (REGULUS BLACK)
قصص الهواة"If you ever need me, I'll be at the Potter's." These were the words that kept on rolling around Regulus' head. His brother's last words before he left the house, bloodied and bruised. He didn't blame him of course. It must've been hell living as th...
