Chapter Text
“We’ll apparate to Hogsmeade.”
“We can’t apparate to Hogsmeade. We can’t apparate.”
“We don’t know that we can’t apparate. Harry seems to have done the accidental magic version of apparition a few times before. I don’t see... I don’t see how it could be that difficult...”
“Ah, yes, how wonderful. Let’s use the boy who defeated the Dark Lord as our model for what shouldn’t be that difficult. Regulus, please do calm down and think.”
“I’m perfectly calm. And I’m perfectly thinking.”
“Thinking perfectly, you mean.”
“Yes, I’m thinking perfectly.”
“You appear to be having some sort of episode.”
“Well, I’m not!”
“The rate at which you are breathing is making me very nervous, Regulus.”
“Why is there a cursed mirror at Hogwarts, Theo? Whose bright idea was that?”
“How should I know?”
“First that dog, and now this... Next we’ll find out they’re harbouring the Dark Lord himself.”
“The dead one?”
“How do you know he’s dead? Perhaps he isn’t dead! He just went up in smoke, didn’t he?”
“I’m not sure of the precise circumstances of the Dark Lord’s death, Regulus. Draco has always been more invested in the tale of Harry Potter than I.”
“Would you stop pacing?”
“If you stop breathing like that, I’ll stop pacing.”
Regulus stopped breathing like that.
“No, Regulus, I didn’t mean stop breathing!”
Regulus started breathing again – or maybe it would be better described as heaving. “They’re going to die. What if they die? Merlin, they’re going to die... James is going to... Merlin...”
Theo had proven unable to stop pacing. It was likely he’d forgotten the promise. “Oh! Kreacher! Kreacher could apparate us to Hogsmeade, couldn’t he? And then we could make a run for the school, and...”
“Yes.” Regulus nodded his head vigorously. “Yes. Yes, good thinking. Let’s go, come on.”
“Should we leave a note for-”
“There isn’t time! Kreacher will tell Aunt Narcissa what happened.”
The boys grabbed their warmest cloaks and sprinted down the stairs.
“Kreacher,” Regulus called breathlessly, “could you please apparate us to Hogsmeade because there’s been a situation with some sort of mi- Oh. Hello, er, Aunt Narcissa.”
“Mrs. Malfoy.” Theo shot a frantic look Regulus’ way. “Er. Hello. How good to see you here. Have you come round for tea? Is Draco here as well?”
Draco stepped out from behind his mother. “What’s wrong with you two?”
“Nothing is wrong with us,” said Regulus.
“No, nothing at all.” Theo’s eyes darted nervously to the fireplace. “We were just going to step out. Regulus and I were, that is. We were going to, er, floo to Hogsmeade.”
Regulus couldn’t believe he’d forgotten that flooing to Hogsmeade was an option. “Yes,” he said. “We were.”
“We’ve never really had the chance to see it,” Theo went on. “Er... Is Kreacher in, Mrs. Malfoy? Do you know?”
“Kreacher has gone to the shops,” said Aunt Narcissa. “You will recall you had previously agreed to spend the evening at Malfoy Manor. If there is an emergency calling you away, however...”
Theo and Regulus shared a rather loaded glance.
“Draco, my darling,” said Aunt Narcissa pleasantly. “Do run along upstairs and play in the guest room. I should like to interrogate your cousin.”
“But mother-”
“No buts, my little dragon. And don’t even think of eavesdropping. I shall know if you do.”
Scowling, Draco ran along to play. Or possibly eavesdrop. Except that he did not so much run off as he did stomp off.
Aunt Narcissa led Regulus and Theo, both pale and sweating and still absolutely stuck in quiet mortified panic, into the drawing room.
“Kindly have a seat,” she said, as she set about waving here wand at the walls and entry points. “As I assume discretion is of the essence, I shall ensure Draco does not overhear us. Should you like to share what has happened with him later, you are of course free to do so – so long as there is no risk of him coming to harm from it. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Mrs. Malfoy,” said Theo. He then elbowed Regulus, who had neglected to answer.
“What?” Regulus looked at him. “What is it?”
“Your aunt was-”
“I was asking,” Aunt Narcissa explained, cutting Theo off, “that you abstain from sharing whatever has you both in such a panic with Draco if there is any chance it may bring him to harm. Do you agree, Regulus?”
“Of course,” said Regulus.
“Good.” Aunt Narcissa took her own seat then, apparently satisfied with the warding she’d done. “Now. What is the matter?”
The boys shared another loaded look.
Should we? Theo mouthed.
Regulus took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Alright,” Theo said, more to himself than anyone else in the room. He then turned to Aunt Narcissa. “Our friends may be in trouble. Another friend of ours – he shall remain nameless, but we trust him in matters of Harry Potter – has written to warn us that Blaise, Harry, and James all may be in thrall of a cursed mirror.”
“He didn’t quite put it like that,” Regulus said, and then he winced at how loud his voice – which had not been very loud at all – sounded in the room. The wards his aunt had set must have changed the acoustics.
“And how did he put it?” Aunt Narcissa asked.
“He said that they were being driven mad by it,” said Theo.
Aunt Narcissa nodded thoughtfully. “And how did they come by this mirror?”
The boys looked at each other.
“We don’t... know,” Theo said slowly, as if it were just now occurring to him – which was true of Regulus as well. “We had assumed it was just... there at Hogwarts.”
“It’s a strange old castle...” Regulus murmured.
“With many hidden things,” said Aunt Narcissa. “I have seen, and heard tell.” She stood. “I shall escort you to the castle under the guise of a personal call. I shall then make the excuse that you would like to show your aunt around the grounds, Regulus – not that I am unfamiliar with them, but at Yule we shall let children have their folly. We will find your friends, and ensure that they are safe and well. If it is true that they are not, we will act accordingly. It is better this way – you will be spared the walk from Hogsmeade, and an adult will be present should anything go wrong.”
“Thank you, Aunt Narcissa,” said Regulus. “Can we leave now?”
“I think it best we do.” With a wave of her wand, she vanished the wards she’d set. “Remain here while I appraise Draco of the situation.”
She left the drawing room, presumably to do as she’d said.
There was a long beat of silence.
Theo was the one to interrupt it. “What will she ask in return, Regulus?”
Regulus didn’t know. But he could guess.
“She’s done it for House Black,” he told Theo. “She is still a Black.”
“Ah.” Theo stared at the floor. “Naturally.”
Aunt Narcissa was true to her word. After she had collected Draco – who kept glancing at Regulus and Theo as if he were under the impression that the two boys were in a great deal of trouble, which, Regulus supposed, would have been a useful impression for Aunt Narcissa to impart – she ushered the three of them through to Malfoy Manor, and then Draco was ushered up to his room. Aunt Narcissa then sent word to Hogwarts – to Snape, Regulus realized with horror, as he watched his aunt address her patronus, which appeared to be a fledgling dragon, to Severus – but instead of waiting for a message to come back via patronus, Aunt Narcissa simply waited ten minutes before ushering Regulus and Theo through the floo ahead of her.
“Snape’s office,” Regulus said, as he had been instructed, before hurling his handful of powder down.
Snape was waiting. He did not acknowledge Regulus, nor Theo once Theo had come through, but he did greet Narcissa – in a manner that, coming from Snape, was almost warm.
And then Snape and Regulus’ aunt began to chat, but it was taking too long, and Regulus was too distracted thinking of James and Blaise and Harry to even really catch what they were saying, and kept shooting desperate glances at the door, and beseeching looks at Aunt Narcissa.
Aunt Narcissa, perhaps realizing it would be more difficult to follow the plan of requesting a tour of the grounds unimpeded – Regulus wondered if that might have something to do with whatever was being guarded by Fluffy, though on further inspection that made little sense given who Aunt Narcissa was talking to, unless Hagrid was in fact right about Snape having nothing to do with attempts to steal it – paused her conversation with Snape after she caught one of Regulus’ beseeching looks, and to Snape, said: “I do believe Theo and Regulus should like to run along and play with their friends. Perhaps we shall let them. And perhaps you might send for tea.”
“Of course,” said Snape.
“Run along, children,” said Aunt Narcissa.
They did, in fact, run, though of course they stopped when Snape shouted after them: “No running in the halls!”
“Very sorry, sir!” Theo called back. He and Regulus slowed to a more reasonable pace until they were out of both Snape’s line of sight and his earshot, and then they broke into a run again.
Of course they checked the Slytherin common room and dormitories first, but they could find neither hide nor hair of James and Blaise – and, naturally, Harry – there. They had been about to sprint up to the Gryffindor common room – they knew, by now, vaguely how one might get in, and planned to bother the portraits up there until someone passed word to Ron – but then it registered what time it was now, and they ran instead to the Great Hall.
“There they are!” Regulus cried, for he’d just spotted the Weasleys all in a line at the Gryffindor table – a difficult thing to overlook – and on the end, on the other side of Ron, there was Harry, and then James, and then Blaise, each appearing more despondent than the last.
Regulus and Theo, who were now well out of breath but couldn’t care less, ran to them.
James was the first to spot them. “What are you doing here?” he said as he stood up, wide-eyed. “Did something happen at Grimmauld?”
Regulus gaped at him. “What do you mean did something happen at Grimmauld?”
“What I said, obviously,” said James, his arms crossing over his chest as he squinted at Regulus and Theo as if looking for evidence of harm that had come to them. “I knew Hermione seemed worried – and for good reason, I’ll bet.”
“It had nothing to do with that, James,” said Theo softly.
Regulus, for his part, was now glaring at Ron. Ron, who looked mightily shifty.
“Could I please have a word, Ron?” Regulus asked, positive that the Weasley held all the answers, but that his tongue was tied up in his present company. “In private?”
“Er, yeah.” Ron scrambled up from the table, his too-long limbs making it less dignified an exit than he might of liked. He winced when he bumped a knee. “Er... Where?”
“This way,” said Regulus. To the rest of the lads, and particularly Theo, he said: “We’ll be right back.”
He then stalked off without checking to see if Ron was keeping up. Ron had to be keeping up, as he took longer strides and had to know better than to not follow Regulus.
“Alright,” said Regulus, as soon as he’d shut them both in the chamber where they’d once waited for their sorting. “A moment, please.” And he cast silencing charms on the doors. “Now,” he said, “what’s this about a cursed mirror?”
Ron made the same expression he had when he’d caught his knee on the Gryffindor table. “So, er, our owl is really slow...? Errol, I mean, er...”
Regulus blinked. “Do you mean to tell me, Ronald, that your owl is so slow that by the time it got to Theo and I, the cursed mirror was already old news?”
Ron nodded. “Er, yeah. Gave me a fright, but Dumbledore’s moving it tonight. James and Blaise and Harry are... I dunno, they say they’ll be alright. They said they wouldn’t go looking for it again.”
“What...” Regulus had begun, without really registering he was doing it, to pace. “What, pray tell, does this mirror do?”
“It shows people things. I looked in it and I was... I was alone, but I looked older, and I was Head Boy. And we’d won the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup too, and...” Ron shrugged, looking about as despondent as James and Blaise and Harry had at the table. “I didn’t feel the need to stare into it. Not half as much as James and Blaise and Harry did. James and Harry especially. And they’ve got that bloody cloak now, can go wherever they want at night without Filch and Peeves and Mrs. Norris to worry about, and...”
Regulus gasped. “He meant an invisibility cloak?”
“He did.” Ron looked guilty for a moment. “James didn’t tell you?”
“He told me there was a cloak that was their father’s,” said Regulus with a roll of his eyes. “I suppose he just expected me to intuit that it was an invisibility cloak. Although... I suppose he did include enough information that Theo and I ought to have done just that.” For what other cloak could one use to break into Azkaban? Certainly not one off the rack of Madam Malkin’s.
“Well, they got all... weird. After.” Ron kicked at nothing on the ground. He had stooped over slightly, with his hands shoved in his pockets. “Harry even told me I sounded like Hermione when I tried to get him to stop going back to it. And don’t get me wrong, mate, I like Hermione as much as the next man, but I do not sound like Hermione.”
“You don’t,” Regulus agreed. He had stopped pacing at some point, but had hardly registered that either. “What did they see in the mirror?”
“I dunno if I should tell,” said Ron. “It’s theirs to tell, you know? Well, Harry’s to tell – dunno what James and Blaise saw. They wouldn’t bloody talk about it.”
“I see.”
“But I think if it was really bad...” Ron looked nervously at the door, and then at Regulus. “I mean, don’t you think that if it were really an emergency, Dumbledore would’ve sent them to the hospital wing? Or Mungo’s?”
“Wait, do you mean to say that Dumbledore caught them? But... But I just assumed they’d just overheard him talking about moving it. They didn’t... get in trouble?”
“I reckon he didn’t think it was their fault, getting caught up in it. But he told them not to look for it again. Knew it’d drive ‘em mad if they kept looking at it.”
“Gods,” Regulus breathed. “I never thought I’d say this, but thank Circe for Dumbledore. But... do you think they’ll be alright?”
“They’re already seeming a bit less mad,” said Ron reassuringly. “Not that I’m not still a bit worried, mind, but I’ve been keeping an eye on them.”
“Could you keep me updated, please?” Regulus asked. “Use one of the school owls, or Noctua, or perhaps Marlene if her and James are amenable to the idea. If it’s an emergency, that is – I don’t mind waiting a day or so more for news, so long as nobody’s cursed or injured or dying.”
“Reckon I can do that, yeah,” said Ron.
“Thank you,” Regulus told him. “Oh, and... unrelated, but when’s your birthday?”
“March,” said Ron, now looking a bit suspicious. “March 1st. Why?”
“No reason,” said Regulus innocently, though really he’d been looking for an excuse to buy the Weasleys another owl. “Well, anyway, I suppose that’s all. Oh, how is the chess set treating you?”
“Falling in line,” said Ron, as Regulus lifted the silencing charms he’d placed, and the two first years walked back out to their friends. “They approve of my strategic instincts, on the whole.”
“You should try playing Theo,” said Regulus. “He won against my aunt. Well, only one game, and they played a few, but she’s really quite good, so...”
“Could be nice,” said Ron. “Long as he doesn’t get all Slytherin and start cheating.”
Regulus snorted. “Theo isn’t that sort of Slytherin, Ron. I’d be more careful around Blaise and James. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
When they arrived back at Gryffindor table, Regulus left Ron with the others and pulled Theo to the side.
“It’s alright,” he whispered to Theo. “Dumbledore intervened. The mirror is being removed. They aren’t in trouble.”
“They look a fright,” Theo whispered back. “And they wouldn’t tell me why. They all just shared a look, as if...”
“Perhaps they didn’t want to subject you to a cursed mirror,” Regulus reasoned, though he was worried too.
“Do you think we could bring them all back to Grimmauld with us?”
“What are you two muttering about?” said Blaise from behind them, and they both gave a start.
“Merlin,” said Theo, clutching his heart. “We’re muttering for the joy of it, Blaise. Go finish your pumpkin juice.”
But Blaise was undeterred. “Are you lot staying?”
“I don’t think so,” said Regulus. “Aunt Narcissa is having a visit with Snape.”
“Eugh,” said Blaise, his nose wrinkling. “Whatever would possess her to want to do that?”
Theo and Regulus shared a look. It was a rather exasperated look – not that this was Blaise’s fault, really. A cursed mirror was a cursed mirror. It was going to do cursed mirror things.
“What?” Blaise demanded. “I know they’re friends, but I just don’t understand how.”
And that was fair enough. “Neither do we,” said Regulus with a shrug.
James had, by then, grown curious enough to come over as well. “You lot staying at Hogwarts? Good to have you back, by the way.”
“They probably aren’t,” Blaise relayed to him. “Reg’s aunt’s visiting Sniv.”
“Bloody hell,” said James, with a grimace. “And here I was thinking you two would at least be spared Snape exposure over Yule...”
“We have been, for the most part.” Theo sighed. “Though we should probably go back and find her. She didn’t say how long she’d be.”
“Tell me about what you found at Grimmauld first,” James said.
Blaise glanced over his shoulder at the Gryffindors, and then said: “We’ll walk you to the dungeons. You can tell us on the way.”
Regulus was not sure he was ready to tell them – or at least not ready to tell James about the letter – but he couldn’t very well object. Theo had already nodded, and Blaise was already calling over his shoulder to tell Harry and Ron that they’d be back in a bit.
“Right,” said James, as soon as their little gang had exited the Great Hall, “so what’ve you got? We haven’t really found anything. We were, er...” He trailed off.
“Got a bit busy,” said Blaise. “But we’ve no reason to be now. No harm done.”
It was at that point Regulus realized he was angry with them both. The emotion had been buried so far under first panic, and then relief – but now Regulus was full of anxiety and a different, more aching worry, and it was easier to feel, just beneath all of that, something that hovered between resentment and hurt. What reason could Blaise and James possibly have for keeping the mirror from Regulus and Theo?
Theo, who had not been rendered speechless by emotion, gave James and Blaise a rather clinical list of all they’d discovered. “Apart from what we’ve included in our letters, there isn’t much – we didn’t have the time to gather everything to show you, as this was rather spur of the moment. We have found a text on you-know-what which suggests that you-know-who – of House Black, that is – may have had the same idea we did. Either he did not succeed, or we can surmise that being a you-know-what does not guarantee escape from you-know-where.”
“Or he doesn’t want to leave,” said James. “Godric, why wouldn’t he?”
Theo tilted his head. “Ah. Yes. Hadn’t thought of that.”
Regulus glanced up at his friends. Blaise was watching Theo, and Theo was lost in thought, but James was staring right at Regulus.
“What is it?” Regulus asked him blankly, unwilling to let his emotions filter into his voice.
The corner of James’ mouth twitched up. “I dunno, Reg. I missed you.”
Regulus frowned, and looked away. “I missed you too,” he said.
It would have been lovely if they’d had a longer walk to the dungeons, with ample time for Regulus to adjust to the events of the day and how he was now feeling towards his friends, and ample time for the truth to out. Before they knew it, however, they had come upon Aunt Narcissa, who had just stepped out into the hall with Snape at her side.
“Ah,” she said. “What remarkably good timing.” To Regulus, Theo, and Blaise, she added: “You must introduce me to your friend.”
“This is James,” said Regulus. “James, this is my aunt, Narcissa Malfoy.”
“A Potter,” said Aunt Narcissa. It wasn’t a question.
“Guilty as charged,” said James. He stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy. Regulus has had lovely things to say about you.”
After appearing to hesitate for the barest of moments, Aunt Narcissa shook James’ hand, her expression unreadable. “James Potter is your father, surely.”
“So it would seem,” said James. “I’m afraid Lily Potter was not my mother, however.”
Regulus looked at James sharply, wondering when he’d found that out. Then again, perhaps it was a simple matter of math. If Harry and James were not twins, and were the same age...
“So it would seem,” said Aunt Narcissa, in an echo of James. “Strange to see a Potter in Slytherin. I must say I approve.”
James grinned at her. “I appreciate that, Mrs. Malfoy.”
Aunt Narcissa offered a thin smile in return. Then, to Regulus and Theo, she said: “I fear we must take our leave – if you have no pressing business to attend to.” The unspoken question, of course, was: Is all well?
“Of course, Aunt Narcissa,” said Regulus. “Farewell, Blaise. James.”
“Farewell,” said James. The performance he was putting on for Aunt Narcissa was still going strong, but there was something uncertain in his eyes when he looked at Regulus. “Don’t do anything Theo wouldn’t do.”
“In fact,” said Blaise, “only do things Theo would do. No more overt smiling, and you are no longer to raise your voice above-”
“Come off it,” said Theo quietly. “Goodbye, you two. Stay out of trouble.”
“Yes. Do that.” Regulus sighed. “I would greatly appreciate it if you did.”
They took their leave. Professor Snape bid Aunt Narcissa farewell before they stepped through his fireplace to the manor.
“Now,” said Aunt Narcissa, as soon as they’d all come through, “is that the end of it?”
“It has been dealt with,” said Regulus. “Discretely, by a member of staff. They didn’t believe that our friends were at fault for coming across the object, so they won’t be in any trouble for it.”
“Very well,” said Aunt Narcissa. “You may go. I suggest you join Draco in his room.”
“Thank you, Aunt Narcissa,” said Regulus.
“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Malfoy,” said Theo.
“Do not mention it,” said Aunt Narcissa. “Truly, do not. I will have food sent up to the three of you. I believe I shall turn in early – it has been quite a day.”
Tell me about it, thought Regulus. “Sorry about that, Aunt Narcissa.”
“It is quite alright,” she said. “Now, my dear, run along.”
Regulus and Theo ran along.
Draco was in his room watching his new and rather ambulatory model Ukrainian Ironbelly battle an equally ambulatory set of toy wizards and witches. The Ukrainian Ironbelly was winning – but that was no surprise. When Theo and Regulus knocked on his door, he called them inside, but did not move from his spot on the floor.
“So,” he said, “getting expelled, are you?”
“No,” said Regulus. “We thought we were in trouble, but we weren’t.” It was true enough. “We can’t really talk about it, though. But it’s boring, anyway. You wouldn’t care about it if we did.”
“I assumed it was boring,” said Draco. “Though I’ve been dreadfully bored all day. Do you think we’ll be allowed out to play quidditch tomorrow?”
The weather was not quidditch friendly, and both Regulus and Theo shook their heads. Regulus was as disappointed as Draco, but Theo seemed relieved.
“Whatever,” sighed Draco. “Let’s have... I don’t know, a chess tournament, or something like that.”
This was fine by Theo and Regulus. The chess tournament began, while in the background Draco’s Ironbelly continued its assault on the weaker models in his collection.
Food was indeed sent up, and they paused the tournament to devour it – but it left them quite drowsy. While between games, Draco nodded off entirely.
“Is there a library here?” Theo asked Regulus sleepily, after he’d noticed that Draco was dead to the world.
“There is,” said Regulus. “But I don’t know if it would have anything on Nicolas Flamel either.”
“Flamel?” Draco opened his eyes and stared at his two fellow Slytherins blearily. “From the chocolate frog card?”
“Merlin,” breathed Reg. “Are you joking?”
“Not Merlin, you fool,” Draco scoffed. “Dumbledore.”
“What?” Theo sounded utterly baffled.
“Dumbledore’s chocolate frog card mentions his work with Nicolas Flamel.” Draco said, very slowly and condescendingly. “And to think I thought you were observant, Theo... I’ve shown you my collection before, haven’t I? Both of you, come to think of it.”
“But you didn’t read out every individual card,” Regulus argued.
“Well, no, of course not.” Draco gave a particularly impressive roll of his eyes. “That would be very obnoxious.”
“Draco,” said Regulus very seriously. “I don’t care what the Gryffindors have been saying about you. You’re brilliant. Thank you. We owe you one, really.”
Draco preened. “Oh, yes. I know. And you owe me two, actually, Regulus – you still haven’t backed up a fantastical story of my choosing.”