All in the Family

Chapter 64: The Portkey

James' eyes began watering at once upon trying to take in his surroundings, his hand came up automatically to shield his eyes from the bright sun just cresting onto the hilltop he found himself on.

It was a marvelous view to be sure. Deeply sloped, promising a challenging climb, the grass thick and springy making him wonder if he could take his shoes off and bounce on it. Perfect Quidditch conditions, he grinned at once, remembering the coming Cup and more than pleased if this is where they'd hear it from, he felt on top of the world.

Beyond the sunrise he could make out a few more sparse details, more rolling hills in the distance, and even farther off what could possibly be the Burrow, or a giant rook, it was hard to be sure.

Not everyone seemed as happy with the surroundings.

Evans was muttering a charm to get the grass stains out of the knees of her uniform, Longbottom and Smith and somehow slid down half the length of the hill and were now having to nearly crawl back up, and Sirius' little brother was as far at the boundary as he could go glaring down into the grass.

At least Remus and Sirius were still getting into the spirit, as they all but bounded over to him snickering at some joke, the three quickly breaking into an argument over who would get to read the chapter.

"So you're just never going to speak to them again?" Regulus demanded of the long bald tail, only just visible for his eyes in the keen grass. He still got no response, and Sirius' voice pitched even louder, it sounded like he was whining about not getting the opportunity to read.

"I don't understand," Regulus snapped again, though this time without even expecting a response. "You're supposed to be his friend, how are you not standing up for yourself?" He stamped his foot at the end more to release his own frustration he seemed the only one who was even acknowledging anything was wrong lately, still watching the only visible part of him now worm about on the ground.

He kept going just for himself now as Potter began reading about his prodigy having an early rising. "I don't understand any of this," he plopped down into the grass and began pulling out fistfuls of tufts, feeling he may as well be talking to himself now. "Why's all of this happening? When did we start going along with this rather than trying to find a way out? What's going to happen when we do?"

The last one had burned out of him as he finally spoke what he'd been stuck on since he found out the Dark Lord was a half-blood. More than Sirius, more than all of this, what was he going to do?

"We find out, how inevitable it is, I suppose."

Regulus startled at Peter's quiet voice finally appearing, the boy beside him finally. His watery brown eyes were back up the hill though, where his friends were all boisterously laughing about finding the boot now, the book apparently abandoned as they found a new way to spend their energy.

"That's why I'm avoiding them, like Prongs asked me to," he continued, rubbing absently at his nose. "I, don't want to go back, if it's going to be true anyway."

Regulus scowled in confusion. "You're rewriting the problem than already. If you lot never become friends again, then he'll never use you as Secret Keeper and won't die."

"Exactly," Peter whispered.

Regulus' frown only deepened. "But then, because you don't want that to happen, you're already proving you're not the same bloke who did it to him."

"But I could turn into him, if I go back," Peter insisted.

"But, now you won't," Regulus repeated.

Peter shook his head slowly, still rubbing at his nose which was starting to drip a bit.

Regulus' blood boiled. He wanted to grab Sirius and make him see how miserable someone who had defended him for so long was. He didn't understand how those three could just pretend like their long-time friend no longer existed, how he was allowing it to happen. Sirius had called him a coward and Peter hadn't denied it, but Regulus had always known it took more than a solid will to tackle a problem.

Evans seemed to have grown impatient at being stuck up here, the sun didn't seem to be rising any farther in the sky, they were apparently frozen in their little bubble with the sun permanently in all their eyes no matter which way they turned until they got out of here. She scooped up the book and continued, pausing every now and then to laugh with Alice and Frank about how their travels were somehow tied into Portkeys and spitballing ideas on how it all worked again.

Regulus glanced to the side, seeing Peter had vanished again as the chapter wound down. It shouldn't really surprise him, he'd always worked best alone.