INFERI (REGULUS BLACK)

58

"Are you even going to tell me what happened?" Aoife asked, panting for breath. They were nearing the library, but the bloody Manor had so many stairs that it took them about fifteen minutes to get there.

"Sirius'll tell you," Regulus breathed out, leading her into a smaller library, one she hadn't seen till now.

Inside, Sirius was pacing, impatiently waiting for them. He had a tightly furled scroll suffocating in his grasp.

He stopped abruptly as soon as he saw them, and passed the parchment to Aoife. The seal was broken, the parchment crumpled due to his firm grasp. She smoothed it out, and began to read.

Regulus Arcturus Black

We do not wish to threaten you but due to the bond which has taken place, it is imperative for you to come meet us a week hence, the address shall be shared a day before. We do not wish for anyone else to interfere, especially the Quirods you have associated yourself with, but bring the girl with you. If not, you will have blood on your hands. Again, we do not wish to threaten you, so you must come.

There was no doubt who had written this, and Aoife felt anger boil within her. She glanced at Sirius, who looked furious, and at Regulus, who looked quite complacent. The former was shooting the latter quite harsh looks, probably because Regulus had already decided what to do, and Aoife was sure Sirius didn't agree. That's why they'd called her, to get the deciding vote.

Her musings were confirmed when Sirius spoke up. "Regulus here is saying that you should go," his voice was trembling a bit from anger. "Those stinky corpses think that they can threaten us and we'll come like puppies?" he swore violently. Regulus looked coolly indifferent.

"That's your Gryffindor ego talking, Sirius," Regulus said in a calm, measured voice. "Think about it with a clear mind. The Inferi want to gain out of this bond. If we go, we'll get an idea about what the Dark Lord is planning to do now, because they are in league with him. We sympathise with them, help them, and the more we find out about the Inferi and their magic, the closer we come to eradicating them. Rushing head-first and acting rashly will only cause us to lose."

Sirius snorted violently, but said nothing else, his eyes on Aoife.

"I agree with Sirius," she said. Regulus looked mildly surprised, while Sirius fist pumped triumphantly, shooting Regulus a smug look. "If we want to fight, we'll fight in the open. We don't like them, so there's not need to keep up a fake show of friendship and empathy. Who can they kill to scare us? My dad's dead, Witch is also here. Your friends are safe, and I'm sure you won't care if they killed your family." Regulus nodded, while Sirius exclaimed in glee. "That'll be perfect! Two birds with one stone," he nudged Regulus, who smiled begrudgingly.

"Who's Witch?" he added after an afterthought. "I don't think there's anyone with that name here."

"It's her mother, you tosspot," Regulus rolled his eyes. "It's quite an accurate name," he smirked slightly. "She had quite a repulsive nature."

"Quite an accurate guess," Aoife said. "So, we're not going, right?"

Regulus looked obstinate as he opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius cut him off, "of course!"

Both the brothers started to bicker when Belladonna came in. "Aoife," she said quietly. "I found this in the meadow."

She took it. It was the scroll which she had dropped in a hurry, the seal unbroken. The brothers hadn't noticed Belladonna, so she silently slipped out, smiling softly at Aoife.

Cracking open the seal, the very short letter almost gave her a heart attack.

"Guys," she said, her voice cracking a bit. "We have to go. Regulus is right."

Sirius looked betrayed, while Regulus looked confused. "Just now you didn't want to go? What happened. Is it because of that letter," he motioned to  her hands.

She handed it to him silently, a tear falling.

This is just a precaution. We have Malcom McGonagall, and if you both don't come, we have no qualms about killing him. This is not a threat. Just a precaution.

*****

"How do you think people can be so mean?" Aoife and Regulus were sitting together in the big library. He had pestered her to start reading the Wizarding history books he'd given her. They'd finally decided to go vist the Inferi, against Sirius's wishes. He'd stormed out of the library at their decisions but Regulus was confident that he'll understand. She was quite anxious about the meeting. After all, Aoife did not want McGonagall trapped with such villains. Who knew what they'd do?

"It's a natural human instinct," Regulus replied, locking eyes with her. It felt nice just sitting there, the cool wind coming from the window dancing around them and fluttering the pages.

"But why?" She persisted, staring out of the window. They were lounging on the neglected sofa, which was aligned with it. The cold December wind stung her face.

"They get jealous, the want the upper hand, just like the Inferi," he replied. A sudden gust of wind forced itself inside, rattling the windowpanes. Regulus quickly grabbed the flying parchment.

"Why couldn't life be simple? Just me and the people I love the most, all together and living happily. No magic, no troubles, no Inferi, no Quirods," she sighed. Her hair danced around her like a fiery halo. The wind was even stronger now. A few drops of rain fell on Regulus's hand.

"I've thought about that ... alot," Regulus said quietly. It felt nice sitting there, even though the wind was was howling outside now. The rain gained ferocity, and was well on its way to drench both of them. Neither closed the window. "But it's not always possible, is it? There was one thing I never understood about life -- how it could change everything for us in a moment. It's a bit off tangent but, if life was simple, we wouldn't be who we are right now. We're shaped by our life, and all things present in it."

Aoife turned to face him. Regulus reached out and softly took hold of her hand. Slowly, they inched closer, and they're lips met just as lightning illuminated the sky, and the rain reached a crescendo while thunder rolled grudgingly.