Tenebrous ❆ Sirius Black [2]

Chapter Thirty Eight

Nadia sat at the dining table, hunched over a whole lot of Muggle books as she used her free weekend to do some research for work. Sirius and Marlene had gone out to take care of some grocery shopping, giving her the perfect atmosphere to study up a bit. Aside from Tybalt's soft purrs coming from the sofa, there was nothing to disturb her concentration.

However, for a moment the hope for peace and quiet seemed futile as she heard the familiar pop which always accompanies the act of apparition right in front of the door. Expecting it to be either Sirius or Marlene who may have forgotten something, she stood from her seat and moved to open the door. She didn't even check through the peephole to make sure it was them before opening the door.

That resulted in shock and surprise hitting her as soon as she realized who stood on the other side of that door. It surely wasn't Sirius or Marlene. Even though the person bore an uncanny resemblance to the former.

"Regulus? What are you doing here?" Nadia questioned in surprise as her wide eyes meet his own. He too looked at her with a similar expression on his face. Regulus was expecting to have the choice to debate on whether he actually wanted to knock on that door, whether he actually wanted to talk to the people he might find inside of the flat.

"Uh... I... I can't stay long." He informed her, unsure of what he wanted to say really. He hadn't planned it. He was expecting himself to chicken out and never let them know he was there. But now that he was caught and couldn't escape, Regulus wasn't really sure on what to say.

"Sirius isn't here." Nadia told him in a regretful tone. She hoped he could stay long enough to see his brother, after all, Sirius was most likely the reason Regulus came there in the first place.

"That's alright. You can tell him I came. You can tell him I finally understand what he had been saying all these years." Regulus commented making Nadia's brows furrow in confusion. Before she could say anything, Regulus tried to turn around and walk away. He knew whatever he had to say would be met with questions; ones he couldn't answer without putting his brother and Nadia in danger. However, Nadia wasn't about to let him walk away so easily. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of the back of his coat and pulled him back towards the door, releasing him once he was in front of her again.

"Wait, hold on Reg. Please come in, we can talk about this." She tried to reason with him. His words were vague and she couldn't understand much from them, but she did understand the main message. Regulus had turned sides, but of course, it wasn't as easy as just changing and being done with it. Not in his situation.

"No, I need to fix everything I've done. Or at least try to..." He tried to make her let him go, continuing on in an attempt to make her see it wasn't wise to have this conversation. Not now. "If anyone discovered I even came here they'd come, not only for me, but for the two of you as well. I can't let that happen."

"You don't need to be afraid of that, we can help you, we can protect you. You know Sirius would say the same thing if he were here." Nadia pointed out in a soft voice. She could see the guilt he felt when he spoke of fixing what he had done in the past, but he didn't have to do it alone. Not when there were people willing to help him.

"I know, and perhaps that's why it's better that he's not here. He would stop me from going, even by using force if necessary." Regulus let out a small chuckle, and Nadia did too. That most certainly sounded like something Sirius would do.

"You do know I can do that too." Nadia pointed out with a raised eyebrow. And right now it was seeming like a great idea in her mind. At least she should try keeping him here until Sirius returned.

"But you won't." He replied in a knowing tone. Nadia wasn't the type of person who would prevent someone from making their own decisions. She wouldn't stand in his way. "This is something I have to do Nadia, or this war will go on forever, until He wins. What I must do will help your side win, it'll help you kill him."

"Then tell me what it is you're doing, we can help you. You don't have to do it alone." Nadia tried again, her voice growing slightly desperate. The more Regulus told her, the more this all sounded dangerous for him. She didn't feel right just letting him go off.

"Tell Sirius I love him, tell him I love my brother." Regulus voice held a tone of finality as he smiled down at her, a smile which didn't really reach all the way up to his eyes. He was determined, and Nadia wasn't sure if there was anything she could do to change his mind.

"Regulus please wait." Nadia pleaded, grabbing his arm as she caught on to what he was about to do. This time she kept her hold on him, preventing him from turning from her again. Regulus looked down at her hand in slight surprise, but soon found himself smiling, and this time it was much more genuine.

"Congratulations. I hope I'm invited to the wedding?" He asked in a slightly joking tone, making Nadia let out a small chuckle as she too looked down to the ring on her finger.

"Only if you promise you'll come." She said. She knew how happy Sirius would be to have him there, and if Regulus was asking to come gave her hope that maybe he knew what he was doing. That he would be able to come despite whatever he faced right now. Regulus didn't reply to her ultimatum, not wanting to make the promise he was very sure he'd be unable to keep. So instead he just nodded lightly, slowly moving his arm out of Nadia's grasp.

"Please be safe, and don't hesitate to owl us if you need help." Nadia said, knowing she couldn't keep him any longer, not if he didn't want to stay. So instead she threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a hug.

For a moment Regulus didn't know what to do. Stiffening in her hold, it took him a moment to figure out where his own hands should go, and even then the way he returned the hug still seemed awkward and uncomfortable. It was why he pulled away so quickly, and without another word he turned away from her. And this time she let him. She couldn't keep him, not when she knew he'd find a way to get out of there no matter what she tired. So she watched as he waved his wand through the air and disapparated from the hallway. Nadia could only hope she'd see him again.

Published: 18th November, 2019

Gaaaah! I love this whole chapter so much and I've been waiting for so long to publish it! I hope you guys like it too, and I will leave you with just one more parting message...

HEHEHE!