"My friend should write me back by the time dinner is over," Albus told Regulus and Kreacher as he rose from his chair. "I shall visit the owlery to send it off right now."
"Thank you so much, Headmaster," Regulus said. He was grateful, but at the same time he wished it wasn't too risky to stay with Dora. They already knew her, she didn't mind them being there, and things were comfortable between all involved. He and Kreacher did not know Dumbledore's friend and Regulus couldn't help but feel they'd be putting him out when they had somewhere else to go. That didn't change the fact that Dumbledore was right, though, so he did not voice any of his objections.
"Feel free to wait in the Great Hall as Adler often comes early," Albus said. "Or the library. I'm sure you would enjoy that. If I recall, you did enjoy your passes to the restricted section as a student."
Regulus nodded. "Indeed I did."
"Let's visit the library," Sabra said with a friendly smile. Regulus smiled back, feeling much better about wandering Hogwarts with others as it should draw less attention to he and Kreacher if they were part of a group.
"That sounds wonderful." He looked at Kreacher who nodded.
"Very good," Albus said. "Do enjoy yourselves, and we shall meet again for a wonderful dinner!" The little group left Albus's office together. Albus headed for the owlery, while Regulus, Kreacher and the Zabinis meandered toward the library. On the way there, Sabra spoke a bit about her son, which Regulus found interesting. The youth was good enough to work closely with Grindelwald, so he was curious to know more in order to understand why.
"We are only here at Hogwarts at this particular time because of the Dementor attack on my son," Sabra divulged as they walked toward the library. "He is such a brilliant boy, he wasn't even affected by their disgusting abilities! As a result, he didn't even notice until they were literally upon him in Knockturn Alley. He escaped them easily, of course, but as it stands we don't feel safe because they somehow knew his name. They used it directly when questioning him about Potter."
Her lip curled in open disdain. "Of course he had no answers for them, because he does not socialize with the likes of Potter. Harry Potter deals with Mudbloods and Blood Traitors as a rule, and my Blaise is properly selective when it comes to his friends. The Dementor business is a true concern in itself, though. We've spent so much time avoiding Voldemort's notice that we don't know what to think at this point...How would they know his name? What are they doing away from Azkaban anyway?"
Regulus nodded. Those were good and reasonable questions.
"They are an abomination I have never figured out," Regulus said with a shudder, casting her a look of honest sympathy. "In truth, though, the things are so dangerous that I never tried, my plan being simply to avoid them at all cost."
Sabra nodded, giving him a strained smile. "Wise man."
Regulus and Kreacher spent a few pleasant hours in the library with the Zabinis and their elf, Bramble. Being back among the stacks was both pleasant and disconcerting because so very much time had passed since he was last there. All the unpleasant years made the time away seem even longer somehow.
When Sabra pointed to the huge hour glass on the far wall and said that it was time for dinner, for once Regulus was eager to put down a book. He very much wanted to meet Adler. The more people who wanted to strike back against the Dark Lord, the better. Having true allies in this really felt good. Having more support really felt good.
When they entered the Great Hall, Regulus was surprised to find the staff table rather full.
Dumbledore was already present, seated beside a young brunette in extremely low cut dress robes who looked positively young enough to be his granddaughter. For all Regulus knew, she was. The man had to have family, after all. Everyone did.
Snape sat beside a slender red haired young woman, and the two were talking quietly. A large white owl sat on the edge of the table, greedily snatching food from Snape's plate.
A very tall big boned man with short reddish blonde hair and perfectly tailored gray dress robes sat beside a tall wide shouldered young woman with long dark hair that was swept up on the sides with jeweled combs.
"There is Wolfgang Adler," Sabra said, nodding at the gray robed wizard. "Come, we shall introduce you."
"Thank you," Regulus said, following behind Sabra and her husband.
"Wolfgang, Millicent, this is Regulus Black and his elf..."
"Kreacher," Regulus supplied, and Sabra gave a grateful nod. "Yes, very good. Regulus is interested in helping us in any way he can, so of course we thought you'd like to meet him directly."
Wolfgang flashed Regulus a smile full of straight white teeth as he extended a hand. His shake was firm and brief, his blue eyes steady and honest.
"Severus has already mentioned you, in fact," he said. "It is a true honor to meet you, Mr. Black...Kreacher."
Kreacher drew himself up in pride at the acknowledgment, and nodded, extending a hand that Wolfgang Adler also shook.
"This is my lady, Millicent Bulstrode."
Regulus nodded to the dark haired young woman, recognizing her family name as being among the Sacred Twenty-Eight. "It is lovely to make your acquaintance, Ms Bulstrode," he murmured.
"Come and sit with us," Millicent invited with a friendly smile at both Regulus and Kreacher. As she spoke, she gestured to the line of empty chairs to the other side of Wolfgang.
"Yes indeed," Wolfgang agreed with a smile. "I am eager to speak with you on how we can work together against Voldemort."
Regulus returned the German's smile with a ready one of his own as he and Kreacher sat down. "Thank you for having me...That is for being willing to work with me," he said, not fully realizing his feelings on the matter until he spoke them aloud to Adler. "I was concerned that I may not be trusted, considering my past."
Wolfgang arched his brows and Millicent gave Regulus an honest look of surprise.
"I hardly see why," Wolfgang said. "You are a hero!"
"Not to mention you didn't let the fucker get you down! You survived," Millicent said and Kreacher beamed proudly, nodding at Ms. Bulstrode in a way that plainly said she'd just won herself a new friend.
"I hardly believe myself to be a hero," Regulus said, lowering his gaze in something more akin to shame than embarrassment. "I failed at everything and ruined the lives of many people...all of them better than me."
Kreacher frowned as the table filled with plates of food. "Master Regulus really must stop that sort of talk," he snapped.
"Kreacher must eat," Regulus said, giving the elf a soft smile. No matter how dark his thoughts got, Kreacher made them retreat with a mere look or word. Thinking of Kreacher, focusing on him, made things easier to handle.
Kreacher nodded, studying the food with a skeptical eye before lifting his fork with a sigh and stabbing it into a piece of fish with a single business like motion. "Kreacher will eat, but Master Regulus must stop saying such things on the instant," he muttered darkly.
"I promise," Regulus said, unable to stop the smile from playing around the corners of his mouth as he struggled not to chuckle.
"We are happy to have you on our team," Wolfgang told Regulus. "You had the gall to do what few others would have done in your place and you are respected for it, even if you do not yet respect yourself." Regulus was humbled.
"Thank you. I shall do anything in my power to help...So long as Kreacher approves, of course...He is a bit in charge of things."
Kreacher nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food as he gave Regulus a stern look. "Master Regulus cannot endanger himself. He has promised Kreacher."
Millicent gave the elf a reassuring smile. "Oh don't worry. All of us are about keeping our own sweet asses safe!" Kreacher snickered and Millicent grinned back in appreciation.
"As a vampire, what are you comfortable doing...against Voldemort," Adler asked, tone polite yet direct. Considering what he'd heard about Adler taking Death Eaters out, Regulus felt comfortable enough with the man to tell him of the one he'd discovered and disposed of the previous night.
As he spoke, Gellert Grindelwald entered the Great Hall with Sabra's son, Blaise at his side. They took a seat at the table across from Severus and the red head, and the four began talking.
"Perfect," Wolfgang said, nodding in approval to Regulus's accounting. "That's exactly what I'm looking for. "The less Death Eaters Voldemort has in the end, the better. I'll show you one of my favorite haunts in Knockturn Alley for tracking them down. It can be your new feeding ground, perhaps." He winked and Regulus smiled, nodding readily.
Of course he would have to consider a disguise in order to avoid the risk of being recognized. As if reading his mind, Adler spoke. "Perhaps you do not require it, but I have a few cloaks of invisibility, and if borrowing one would make your hunting easier, you are more than welcome to it."
"That truly would, as a matter of fact," Regulus said eagerly. "Thank you!"
"I'll get it to you tonight after the meal is over," Wolfgang promised enthusiastically.
Dumbledore cleared his throat then and the room fell silent.
"As everyone seems to be present," he began, "I'd like you all to meet Miss Bera Karkaroff."
He nodded to the young woman at his side. "Her father was Headmaster of Durmstrang before he was killed by Voldemort. She is Headmistress now in his stead. Miss Karkaroff has come to speak with me about an alliance between our two schools which I think is a fine idea."
"I am glad to meet all of you," Miss Karkaroff pronounced in heavily accented English.
Though she addressed the table at large, her eyes mostly remained on Dumbledore's face and her hand lay lightly on his arm. Was she flirting with Dumbledore, Regulus wondered. Hopefully not because...that was Dumbledore and...well that would just be too odd...Regulus's mind did not wish to travel into any sort of territory that involved pure Albus Dumbledore with anyone.
"Will Hogwarts students be able to take classes at Durmstrang if the schools are allied," Blaise asked.
His obvious hopes were dashed when the headmaster shook his head of bushy white hair in negation.
"Not at this point, I am afraid. There is far too much going on to arrange what would likely be a complicated matter with it involving two boards of education. The alliance is merely to combine defensive measures in order to keep both schools safer."
"Well the idea certainly makes me feel better," Sabra Zabini spoke up.
Regulus supposed she was thinking of her son and the Dementors, and hoping two schools would serve better than one to fight them off if it became necessary.
"I was thinking about the Dementor incident of yesterday, and I wonder if the one that spoke to me knew my name because it was able to take it out of my mind," Blaise speculated, and Regulus felt his ears perking up in interest. That thought had never occurred to him. It was probably a poor oversight on his part to consider such abilities only to belong to vampires, he realized.
"We know so little of Dementors and their abilities," Blaise continued. "If they can suck out a person's soul, though, it only stands to reason that they can read minds as well if they wish to. Obviously it didn't kiss me, but it was touching my arm. If my speculation is correct, and they can read thoughts, that contact would be enough to allow it a connection to my mind. It was brief, though, so I doubt it got much."
"That is a brilliant thought, my boy," Gellert said, turning to Blaise, eyes alight with pleased approval at his deduction. Pleased approval and something more...intimate, Regulus couldn't help but notice. Blaise gave him a warm smile, obviously pleased at the blonde's recognition. The two locked eyes, both of their expressions softening as they gazed at one another.
Millicent rolled her eyes and said something under her breath to Wolfgang about Grindelwald and Zabini being ridiculous.
Wolfgang nodded in agreement, giving Millicent a sardonic smile before looking at Blaise with a more serious expression. "I agree, the thought is a good one and hopefully true," the half giant said. Steady blue gaze moving to Gellert, Wolfgang added, "Sabra and Geo wrote to me earlier about allowing you to remain in their care. I have no problem with that as long as you remember that your loyalty lies with our cause and getting rid of Voldemort."
Though Wolfgang's words were mild enough if firm, Gellert Grindelwald's gaze dropped as though he had been strongly reprimanded by someone dangerous. He nodded hastily. "Yes, of course," he murmured. "Thank you."
The nearly fearful way Grindelwald treated Adler was a surprise to Regulus until he considered the fact that long years in prison had to change a person. Being brought low by getting captured in the first place had to have truly struck Grindelwald where it counted most...in his confidence.
Noticing Grindelwald's reaction just as Regulus had, Blaise Zabini leaned close to Gellert then, lightly touching his shoulder as he murmured something into his ear that caused the blonde to smile.
The two kept their heads close throughout the meal, murmuring to one another as they ate and laughing out loud more than once. Regulus found himself glad that Blaise seemed able to raise Gellert's spirits. He'd felt unpleasant for long enough not to wish it on anyone else, at least if he did not dislike them.
When next he glanced up from encouraging Kreacher to eat more, Regulus noticed with some surprise that Filius Flitwick was also present. He quite liked the little Charms master, but found himself too embarrassed to say hello. What Flitwick must think of him after all he'd probably heard when Regulus vanished.
(Dear Reader,
If you wish to read more of Grindelwald's story, where Regulus and Kreacher are featured, it is also uploaded here, and called In The Dark.)