O Beija-Flor - Regulus Black (Complete)

XLVII -

ANGST AND ROMANCE + DUMBLEDORE BASHING. WHAT MORE A MARAUDERS' ERA FAN COULD WANT TO WRITE? I HAD FUN IN THIS CHAPTER AND IT'S CLEAR TO SEE. WELL, NOW, HONESTLY, THE PLOT IS FINALLY MOVING ALONG QUICKLY ENOUGH. WE'RE ALREADY DEEP IN THE SIXTH BOOK, SO WE ALL KNOW WHAT WILL COME SOON.

ONE MORE EXAM AND TWO MORE WORKS AND THE SEMETER IS OVER, THANKFULLY

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Dumbledore's strong presence on the Grimmauld Place's dining room made everybody there very tense. It was different now. In the Order meetings, he was mostly quiet, leading the meeting only when needed, but otherwise letting the other people share the information that they had found. Now, he was silent and just staring at them as if he wanted one of them to start talking for long enough for them to forget that he was there – perhaps he was expecting an argument to start.

But Cecilia was staring right back at him and she was terrified of what she was seeing.

Long gone was the well-humoured man that made soft jokes and laughed at the children's ideas with a grandfatherly chuckle of amusement, never making any of them feel stupid when they had a doubt. The man sitting in front of her was a war-chief that knew exactly what to do and what to say to get out of an uncomfortable situation if he truly tried and if nobody was expecting it – and she promised herself not to let herself forget that she had no power against him. She couldn't let herself forget that he would dominate her if given the chance.

"I believe that I should start by apologising," Remus said, voice calm and careful. He didn't seem to know what type of men he was going up against, but he knew that this time things were different – he had always been good in reading a room. "We were sharing information in between ourselves without clearance."

"We don't owe him an apology, Remus," Regulus said. "We talked about our own theories, which information that was passed off differently to us came to light. We are allowed to discuss it."

"You are," Dumbledore said, almost sounding condescendingly supportive.

Cecilia narrowed her eyes. His blue eyes went back to her. He seemed to know she was hesitant. She tensed up, taking a breath to say something to him, but she didn't have a chance.

"I'm talking to you, please, look at me," Regulus said. He looked away from her and to the man. "Sir, I was the one to tell you of the Horcrux that I got and I helped you with research and yet I was left on the dark about the next one that you found until I asked if you had found a way to destroy them. You told me you found another one and that you had destroyed them. But there are more."

"There are more," he agreed.

"Why did you tell me?" Regulus asked. "I can help you get them."

"I don't know where they are or what they are," Dumbledore said. "How could you help?"

"Because if you don't know, nobody else will?" Cecilia guessed his thoughts. "You're wise and powerful, but he knows him a lot more than you do... or at least, he knows this... version of his."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkle in interest as he leans in. She had said something important and she didn't even know she was saying.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"The age... his age. You were already a professor when he was in Hogwarts, weren't you? Ginny commented that you were the one responsible for muggleborns and muggle-raised children, like McGonagall was to Hermione," she said. "He was muggle-raised. You were the one to bring him into the school, weren't you?"