The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

The Power and the Weakness of Love

Love was between Minerva McGonagall and Elphinstone Urquart. She sat by his bedside in St. Mungo's, clutching his hand, and trying not to look at the disfigurment of his leg, but loving him none the less for it - perhaps even more. Elphinstone stared at Minerva with love making his eyes mist over, and his heart grow over and over as he thanked the gods and the stars for bringing her back into his life after all the years they'd spent apart. He'd never make the mistake of letting her go again, he thought, and he redoubled his grip on her hand, and she squeezed his right back.

It was love that had Florean Fortescue back at the ice cream parlor after taking Minerva to Mungo's, healing Jasper of the injuries he'd suffered at the battle. Love had driven Jasper to go in the first place - not even a fully trained wizard, and the boy had gone because he had heard that his friends were there, and known that every wand would count in saving them... 

Likewise, it had been love that had driven Alastor Moody out of hiding, screwing on his wooden leg and taking up his cane to go to Fallengunder and do battle against the Death Eaters. Minerva McGonagall had urged him, and he'd come - it was all that he'd needed to know, that he was needed by his old mates... and once he was there, once he'd had a taste of the fight again, it was love of the work that would bring Alastor Moody back to the Auror's office - with a stack of Death Eaters for identifying, trying, and incarcerating... It was love for the good to win over the bad, for the bad to be sent to Azkaban where they belonged, that would at last  have Moody asking to come back on full time. 

It was love that had James, Lily, and Marlene running the path on the mountainside in Hogsmeade, desperately - not entirely sure what they were looking for because the Death Eaters would have left with them, if Wendy Brighton was telling the truth...  but James searched just the same, for anything - any clue - any sign... But all they found was Maryrose's wand, rolled under the thickness of a bit of bush on the side of the pathway. He held it, trembling, looking into the woods, his eyes wide with worry... It was love that made him cry for fear of where she was, and love that had Lily holding him and Marlene hugging them both from the side, a triangle of love and worry...

It was love that driven Remus Lupin to the brink of nearly finishing off Voldemort following Ned Veigler's death. He had been overwhelmed by it and it had exploded out of him in a ferocious manner, giving him power beyond what he'd ever dreamed of possessing - even as a top student at Hogwarts, even as brilliant as Remus Lupin was, the determination theorm had bolstered him and given his wand the strength to perform in such an unyielding way as he had earlier...

Love sent Frank and Alice to Hogsmeade, made Frank carry Remus down the mountainside to the castle afterwards, when the cave had nearly killed him. It had been love that send Edgar Bones diving in, for he'd thought of is own daughters at home - just babes. He had thought of his little sister, Amelia, who was at Hogwarts now. Any one of the Order members could've been in that cave, they all could've been. Hell, Amelia herself could've been for all he knew - he could picture her joining something like how the Order had been described to him by Dumbledore... He had dove into the cave, not sure he could produce a shield and repelling spell strong enough to keep himself from being crushed, bu he'd done it anyway because that's what he would hope that someone else would do for the ones he loved - because somebody somewhere loved whoever was in that cave.

And that somebody somewhere was Sirius Black, who loved Remus Lupin, who had disapparated away from a battle, scratched and bruised and worn out, who had run all the way down the tunnel of the Shrieking Shack at top speed, been knocked down by the Whomping Willow in his haste to get inside, rushed up the stairs and into the hospital wing. "Moony?" he'd shouted, "Moony?"

"Sirius?"

"Moony!" 

"Sirius!" 

He was laying in a hospital bed, his knee propped up and his eyes as emerald as they could be, face stained with the tears, a cut across his nose. Sirius ran to his side as he opened up his arms and Sirius pushed aside Alice and Frank, climbed up onto the bed and dropped beside Remus, pulling him into a hug so that Remus's head pressed to Sirius's chest. Sirius petted his hair and held him tight, even their skin and bones seemed too thick, as though even the atoms that made themselves up were too far apart.

And in a library in London, at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the Dark Lord stood before Regulus Black, empty of love. He stared at Regulus with cold, dark eyes. "Do you know what love is, Regulus Black?" the Dark Lord asked quietly.

Regulus had stared at Maryrose Jenkins - trying to determine what to do, his mind blinded by the thought that he might lose her - a thought so strong and so terrible that Voldemort could see it for the fear of losing her outweighed his fear of the Dark Lord, and the fear had spilled over the edge of every wall that Regulus had put up. It was love driving that fear. Deep, unparalleled love so strong that it made the Dark Lord recoil with distaste, as though he'd been burned by even the thought of it radiating from Regulus's mind...

Voldemort circled Regulus and the bound form of Maryrose, coming up behind the frozen body of Regulus, as he stared wide-eyed at her. The Dark Lord leaned in close, his voice in Regulus's ear. "Do you know what love is? Answer me boy."

Regulus was forming a plan, or trying to, but the Dark Lord's hand on his shoulder was strong, the long fingers biting into his muscle tightly. He could feel the Dark Lord's wand, pressed against the top of his spine, forcing him to stand straight and tall. The wand pressed into his back, precisely where his heart was slamming inside of him...

"Love, Regulus, is a weakness," Voldemort whispered, hissing like a snake into Regulus's ear. "It's what killed your father and what will kill your brother and your mother and, if you do not kill love, you, too, will be killed by love."

Regulus felt a chill settle over him. Voldemort had cast a spell, and the cold radiated from his back, through his veins, turning his blood to ice, making his muscles slow and stiff. "In cold blood, they say," whispered Voldemort, and he slid his hand over Regulus's shoulder, down his arm, so that their hands overlapped on Regulus's wand, Voldemort's fist closing over Regulus's fist. Voldemort pulled Regulus's hand up, like a puppet, like an imperio but not, which was so much worse because he could not fight it - this could not be thrown off by sheer will, like the imperius could be.

"Please," Regulus whispered. "Please, my Lord, have mercy," his teeth chattered as he spoke, as he stared at Maryrose, whose eyes were wet. She stared up at him, silenced by the charm Greyback had put on her in the woods... but Regulus could see that she was mouthing words - she was saying It's okay. I love you. It's not your fault. I understand. I love you. But Regulus felt tears - so hot compared to his ice-cold temperature. "Please," he begged, "Anything. I'll do anything, Master. Please."

Voldemort whispered, "See, Regulus? Weakness. You beg me for mercy - just as my enemies do. But I do not need another beggar in my army of Death Eaters. I need strength. I need ruthlessness. I need to know that you love nothing more than you do me." 

Regulus closed his eyes... he couldn't watch this, he couldn't see it because if he did, the sight would never, ever leave him... but then he realized that if he closed his eyes that Maryrose was alone, and he opened them again, stared right into hers. I love you he mouthed the words through shaking, frosted lips, using all of his strength to do it.

And Voldemort's grip on his wand hand tightened.

It was the Dark Lord that spoke the words, but Regulus felt the magic leave the wand, as clearly as if it had been his own. 

"Avada Kedavra."