LOVE + WAR
cxxviii||undercover
That beautiful sense of normality didn't last, as per usual. The group of young adults are currently out, Diagon Alley to be more specific. They're separated, which automatically made their plans for the day seem less and less amazing by the second.
Despite Regulus' protests, Maria is sat outside a small coffee shop across the street from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, sipping a steaming cup of tea with a silk bandana tied over her hair and dark sunglasses covering her face. She had told Sirius that it was way to cliché but he'd insisted on the glasses for everyone. She's wearing a black jacket and heels that make her look much taller.
The aim is to identify more death eaters to be able to alert the ministry of potential dark wizards. Maria sighs, placing the tea cup down onto the table and standing up, her eyes narrowed on two men dressed in dark robes with suspicious expressions on their faces.
Her heels clatter against the cobblestone as she walks with ease towards them, her shoulder colliding with the taller one's and he grunts.
"Oh! I am terribly sorry." Maria feigns a polite and innocent tone, gently squeezing his arm with a sweet smile on her face and she can practically feel the dark magic oozing from his forearm. He glares at her for a moment before nodding and she smiles, wandering away and quickly turning down a side street, scribbling the two names down on her list.
It's funny that so many death eaters decide to hide in plain sight. Maria sighs, stuffing the small piece of parchment into her pocket and leaning back against the brick wall that feels uneven against her spine.
The Potter brings a hand to rest upon her stomach, pursing her lips and tapping her fingers gently. At first, she and Regulus were fighting for each other and then for their friends. But now they're fighting for something more pure than all of that, and it's currently nesting inside her womb.
Maria had never seen Regulus speak so passionately about her protection like he did the previous night when they discussed their plan. He was adamant that he wanted her to stay home, but knowing that she wouldn't settle for that he at least wanted her by his side.
But they all knew that would be too obvious.
What if the death eaters that knew them were lurking around? Seeing Maria and Regulus looking incredibly intimidating in their black jackets and sunglasses would probably raise some question. They would be found out immediately.
Regulus is stood against a wall beside Olivanders, his arms folded as he taps his foot in anticipation. He also thought the sunglasses were a stupid and useless attempt of coverup but he had eventually obliged simply to shut Sirius up. He has a list of four people stuffed in his leather jacket pocket, knowing that each of the others would have around the same — maybe more.
He hopes that this will really let the truth sink in for the order of the phoenix, he hopes that they realise just how big Lord Voldemort's army of minions really is.
"Regulus."
His eyebrows furrow as he quickly leans up off of the wall, hearing a yell from across the street yet he seems to be the only one who hears as everyone continues with their actions.
"Regulus help me!"
"Maria?!" Regulus calls out, shoving through the crowds of witches and wizards, an urgent look on his face. "Maria?! Where are you?"
"Regulus please help me!"
"Maria?!" He shouts, looking around frantically, his wand clutched in his hand.
"Maria." Maria's head whips to the side when she hears Regulus' voice. "Maria!"
"Regulus?" Maria calls out, quickly continuing down the alleyway and pushing past the older wizards outside an eerie pub. "Regulus where are you?!"
"Maria! Help!"
"Regulus?!" Maria yells, stumbling slightly over a bucket on the ground and she takes in a deep breath, realising where she'd stumbled down to in her frantic search. "Reg?" She calls, looking around her and feeling eyes on her as she continues down Knockturn Alley.
"Watch yourself love." A man cackles from where he's sat beside another man who chuckles along with him as they smoke and drink on the step of an ominous building.
What Maria doesn't realise is that all of her friends have been drawn further and further away from the alley in the same way she has. And that nobody will hear them if they cry for help anymore. They'd all been tricked, and none of them know it yet.
"Ria." Regulus mutters, hearing his shoes against the dirty ground down the unnamed alleyway. "I'm here, honey, just. . ." He frowns, seeing a group of women sat against a wall.
Maria's heels clack against the uneven ground as she ventured further, the voices of the sketchy witches and wizards becoming fainter and the alley becoming darker.
Taking out her wand, the tip of it lights up, illuminating the path before her and she holds it out. She feels liquid under her heel and she frowns, pointing the light down and she stumbles back slightly, seeing thick crimson blood splattered on the ground.
Her eyes are wide and her skin decorated with goosebumps, her ears suddenly picking up every slight sound within her proximity. Maria lifts her wand up slightly, following the blood until she sees a pool of it near the brick wall beside her.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly looks up and she can't seem to even scream at the sight. It's a man, strung up against the wall like someone was displaying his dead body as though it was a masterpiece. There were tears in the skin of his neck that seem to have been bitten by a serpent, his body torn and pale and she feels her back hit the wall behind her as she trembles.
Letting out a yelp, Maria feels something against her leg and she looks down to see around a dozen snakes at her feet, her breath trembling with terror.
"They won't hurt you unless I tell them to." A familiar voice states and Maria swallows thickly, looking to her left and seeing Tom Riddle accompanied by Bellatrix and Lucius. "I won't have to do that, will I Maria?"
"Why did you do that?" Maria whispers, looking up at the man and Tom chuckles, walking towards her and flicking his hand at Bellatrix and Lucius, gesturing for them to leave. Bellatrix hesitates, gazing at Maria Potter in fear before Lucius grabs her arm that is instantly thrashed from his grip as the duo exit the darkness of the narrow alleyway.
"Because I need to prove to you that you can not beat this, Maria." Riddle sighs, shaking his head as one would go to a child when they disobey them. "You should stop trying, you're going to get yourself and your friends killed. Your boyfriend. . .that child." He points at her stomach with a clenched jaw and she lets out a breath at his close proximity. "That child will die because of you if you continue to try and interfere with my plans. Do you understand me?"
"Why won't you just kill me?" Maria says to him, deciding to test his boundaries and stepping forwards, glaring up at him. "I don't understand. Not one bit."
Riddle stares down at her, tilting his head to the left curiously. "You should leave. Go home, worry about that child rather than saving the day." He says quickly and she scoffs, stepping back and leaning against the wall. "And keep yourself safe, don't come out risking your life. You don't want that child to end up an orphan, Maria."
Maria's eyes harden as she stares at him, subconsciously placing a hand over her stomach protectively.
"You're a coward." She mutters, going to walk away and he grabs her arm, wrapping his hand around her throat and pressing her against the brick. His palm pushes against her windpipe and she struggles to get the much needed oxygen into her lungs.
"Don't ever call me a coward again." He says, grabbing her chin whilst still pressing against her windpipe. "Or I will kill you."
He roughly pushes off of her and she coughs, finally allowing the air to enter her lungs. He stands there for a moment, watching her compose herself before clenching his jaw and walking away, suddenly disappearing in a mess of black smoke.
Regulus had located most of his friends, all of them having come to the mutual conclusion that them hearing things had been the death eaters doing. What concerned them the most is that Maria was yet to return.
"You want to split up again?" Dorcas asks, rubbing her temple.
"Maria could be dead!" Regulus snaps and Sirius shakes his head.
"I don't think she's dead."
"Why?! It's a very high probability." Regulus scoffs, running his hands through his hair stressfully.
"No, I'm like 100% sure she's not dead." Sirius nods and Regulus looks at him incredulously, muttering a why? under his breath. "Uh, because she's right there."
Regulus quickly whips his head around and sees her trudging towards them and rubbing her neck painfully.
"Maria." He mumbles, rushing towards her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders desperately, as though making sure she's real and he feels her wince as she hugs him back tightly. "What happened? Ria, tell me what happened?"
Maria grips onto his jacket, the image of that man strung up like an art display flashing through her mind and she squeezes her eyes shut as she presses her face further into his chest.
"There was—I heard you shouting so I followed the sound and—" Maria's heart races and Regulus presses his hand against her chest, feeling the fast beating of her heart. "It was him. It was all him."
"Calm down, I need you to calm down." He says softly, gripping her hand and pressing her palm against his chest so she can feel his heartbeat. "Focus on my heart, okay? Just breathe." He feels her heartbeat slow gainer his palm. He sighs in relief, pulling her against him once more.
"What the hell happened?" Peter asks her and she slowly pulls away from Regulus' chest, looking at her friends with a small sigh.
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"I'm gonna get a shower." Maria mutters when she and Regulus arrive back at the Potter Manor and she removes the bandana from her head and enters the bathroom, pulling off her clothes. Looking in the large mirror whilst the water heats up, she gently runs her hand over the small baby bump on her stomach.
It's situations like the ones of that day that sometimes make her wonder whether it's right. To bring a life into a world of war and chaos. Despite always wanting a child of her own, she feels guilt for suddenly hoping that strip hadn't turned pink. Not because she doesn't want her baby, she wants it desperately, but her baby deserves a better life, one that isn't in a war zone.
That alone makes her want to fight harder for what's right, to give her and Regulus' child a better future. She wants their baby to grow up feeling safe and know that it's mother and father will always be able to protect it. But in such an unpredictable situation as war, how can she promise such things for the baby inside of her?
"Hey." Regulus mutters gently, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently digging his thumbs into the muscles near her neck making her let out a soft moan of relief as she leans her head back against his chest. "Want some company?"
"How kind of you." She whispers, stepping into the water and she feels Regulus step into the shower a few moments after.
"Relax." He mumbles, feeling her tense muscles and the way her shoulders tense when he touched her. "Just relax, Maria."
Maria sighs, leaning her head back against his shoulder as he gently trails his fingertips up and down the curve in her waist.
"You're not helping." She smiles, feeling his finger tips gliding across her skin and he chuckles softly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and she grabs his hand, slowly sliding it down her body.
Regulus' hand is guided down her lower stomach and to her clit that's been untouched for a good while. Maria lets out a soft moan as his fingers spooky pressure beneath hers that control his movements gently.
"You okay?" He whispers and she nods, letting out a soft whimper when his fingers move in a circular motion over the sensitive nerves.
Her other hand moves up to wrap around his head and grasp at the hair at the back of his neck. Regulus smiles against the side of her head, continuing the rhythmic movement of his fingers and she allows a quiet whine to slip from her throat, her eyes fluttering closed at the sensation.
"Don't stop." Maria gasps, feeling a familiar knot in the pit of her stomach and he shushes her softly, bringing his other hand to tentatively stroke her hair as she squirms slightly in his arms.
A few more minutes of his torturously slow movements and she let out a loud moan, grasping at his thick hair and he presses a long kiss against her exposed neck.
After finishing showering, the pair are slouched on the sofas of the living room, the flames of the fire hot before them as they drink hot chocolate. They'd been discussing baby names and decided that whatever the gender is they'd try and name it after a star.
"Oh my god." Maria says suddenly, placing her mug down on the coffee table and looking at Regulus with wide eyes.
"What? What's the matter?" He asks her quickly, shifting in his seat to face her with a concerned expression on his face.
Maria grabs his hand and presses it on her slightly swollen stomach and he frowns in confusion until he feels the slightest movement beneath his palm and he looks at her in amazement.
"Did you feel that!?" Maria asks excitedly and he nods, placing another hand on the other side of her stomach. "Oh my god." She smiles, quickly lunging forwards to hug him tightly.
Regulus returns the ecstatic embrace, smiling into her shoulder, knowing that Maria Potter's dream was finally coming into sight.
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