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Author: Wings Story: Heart of Gold Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-DH Status: WIP Reviews: 2 Words: 121,987
Regulus made sure that he arrived at work earlier than usual Monday morning. He wanted to know as soon as possible whether or not he had the job, and there was not a minute to spare. This job could mean the jump start of both his career in the Ministry of Magic and in the service of the Dark Lord. He did not want it to pass by without his taking full advantage of it. He bounded through the office doors with a bounce in his step and walked over to Lily’s desk. “Good morning!” he said brightly and she looked up in surprise. “Someone is a bit cheerful,” she said with a smile. “Did you have a good weekend? Meet any nice girls at a pub?” He laughed and explained, “Well, yeah, I had a good weekend I suppose, though I didn’t meet any girls. Funny, my father has been pestering me about that, too. We had dinner on Friday night. But, I’m just really looking forward to today. I finished the cataloguing system last week so I know that I’ll be moving on to a new project.” She brightened and exclaimed, “Congratulations! Why didn’t you tell me last week?” He shrugged. “Too excited, I suppose. I wanted to get out of the office as soon as possible. Anyway, Jacks said he was going to try to put me on something more experimental, so I’m really excited to see what it is.” “I’m so happy for you,” Lily said sincerely. “I really hope it all goes well.” “How are things going with your house hunt?” he asked. “Did you lot go check out the Potter house?” She nodded. “We did. We’re considering it, like I said before, but there are several other places that we’re considering as well. There’s a lot to think about when you’re starting a life together, and that’s really what we feel like we’re doing. We’re going to live in the place where we’ll spend the rest of our lives.” “Well, that seems like an awfully long time,” Regulus admitted. “I don’t really think about the rest of my life very often. I have a hard enough time trying to plan what’s going to happen next week.” “You’ve also just left school,” she pointed out. “Once you’ve been out for a little while, you’ll get that same feeling. You’ll start getting older, you won’t be a teenager anymore, and then you’ll start feeling like the rest of your life can’t come soon enough.” He was a silent for a moment, thinking about what she had said, before he realized that she was waiting for a response. He smiled and answered, “That’s a lot to think about, Lily. You always make me think about things. Why do you do that?” “Oh, that’s pretty much my goal in life,” she joked. “To get people to think. You’d be surprised at how easy, and how much fun, it can be. I do it to James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all the time. Sometimes it drives Sirius up the wall.” Regulus laughed shortly. “Yeah, I bet it does. Well, I’m going to go to my desk. I’ll catch up with you later.” “Hope your day goes well, and hope your next project is exactly what you want for yourself,” she said before she turned back to her work. Regulus had half been expecting to have his acceptance letter waiting on his desk when he arrived, but there was nothing there. It looked exactly as it had when he left it late Thursday afternoon. He sighed inwardly and sat staring at the same walls he had looked at all summer while he was cataloguing spells. Not even Alec had arrived yet, so he had no one and nothing to occupy his time. The thought had come too soon. Alec swept into the room a minute later, panting a little. “Morning, Regulus,” he gasped, voice full of air. “Alec, hi,” Regulus replied. “What’s going on? Why are you so out of breath?” Alec sat for a moment and collected himself before he responded. “There was some Death Eater activity near my house. I had to get Anna and the little ones out and safe before I left for work. They’re staying with some friends down the road, but I’m still trying to process what just happened,” he explained, eyes glazed and staring into nowhere. Regulus felt his heart sink and his breath catch as he saw the fear written across Alec’s face. “Well, I’m sure they’re all right,” he said in an attempt to comfort him. “I’m sure that they weren’t coming after you, I mean, what would You-Know-Who want with your family?” Alec sighed and looked down at his hands. “Anna isn’t a witch, and neither of our children has ever shown any sign of magical ability. I’m worried that we’ll be targeted simply because I didn’t stay within the confines of the wizarding community when I chose a wife. She was a girl that I grew up with, family friend, you know? I love her, Regulus, she’s my life, but he could never understand that.” Regulus put a hand on Alec’s shoulder and consoled him, “I’m sure everything is fine at your house, and I’m sure that Anna and your children are safe. I’m sure that whoever was causing a disturbance was only trying to play a sick joke because they were bored. I doubt that there was any massive attempt on your life just because you married a Muggle.” “I’m half-blood, too,” Alec insisted. “And my job here exposes me to highly sensitive material. He would have every reason to come after me, if he knew all of that.” “Not if he had someone on the inside that had more access to those kinds of things than you do,” Regulus said without thinking. It was all he could do to not look horrified at himself after he realized what he had said. Alec looked at him curiously. “Do you think there is someone in the department, or higher up in the chain of command, who is working for You-Know-Who? Do you suspect someone who might have access to personnel files and the like and who might be delivering those kinds of things to him?” “No, of course not,” Regulus said quickly, trying to maintain the volume of his voice and appear collected. “I mean, if that’s really the kind of thing that he’s looking for, well, it would be a good idea. But I have no reason to expect anyone in this department or in the Ministry with that kind of activity. Really, who do you think it would be? I can’t think of anyone here who would do a thing like that.” Alec shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what to do anymore. All I want to do is live my life, do my job, love my wife, and take care of our kids. I know that there is a lot more that could be done to improve our government, but honestly, it’s not much better than Muggle government. And this man, I don’t even know if I can call him a man, this being is threatening all of that. I want to be able to stand up against him, but I don’t want to put my family in danger.” He stared down at his hands again and shook his head. “I’m going to go to the loo and wash up. Have you heard from Thomas yet?” Alec asked. “Not yet, but I should sometime this morning,” Regulus insisted. “Go catch your breath and calm yourself down. I’m sure Anna will take the children to the park or a museum. She’ll find something to keep them amused.” Alec nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Regulus alone with his thoughts again. Had the Dark Lord targeted Alec’s family? Regulus had never once said anything to Severus about Alec. Did the Dark Lord know that Alec was one of Regulus’ co-workers? In all likelihood, he admitted to himself. The Dark Lord seemed to know everything and everyone. It seemed like his spies were all around at all times. Would he be angry to know that Regulus had never said anything about Alec if Alec was a target? But why would the Dark Lord target Alec Kingston anyway? Sure, he had access to important files, but it wasn’t like he really paid much attention when he was reading them. He only checked to make sure that the witches and wizards weren’t breaking the law. There really was no reason that Alec was so important to the Dark Lord’s mission that he be attacked. Unless he was actually committed to eradicating anyone who wasn’t a Pureblood. Regulus pushed the thought from his mind and tried to look for something else in the room to distract him, but found nothing since he still had no idea what his new assignment was going to be. He decided to rearrange his desk to keep his mind off of the morning’s happenings and had just begun organizing his ink wells when Jacks came into the room. “Good morning, Regulus. Ready to get started on something new?” he asked, full of energy as always. Regulus spun around in his chair and nodded eagerly. “Yeah, definitely. What do you have for me?” Jacks smiled and said, “First off, you’ll be pleased to know that Richard accepted you as a member of his team. Congratulations.” Joy filled Regulus’ body at this news. He was going to get to do experimental work for the department! He was going to get to work with one of the most accomplished wizards involved in spell and charm creation and adaptation, and he was going to do work in a field that he was interested in. Could it get any better than that? “That’s brilliant. I… I really don’t know what else to say besides that,” Regulus stammered. “What do I do now?” “Well, the names of the entire team are listed on a bulletin board out in the hall, right by the staff room. I think you’ll notice some familiar ones, so that should make you very happy,” Jacks explained. “The first team meeting will be this morning at half-past ten, so that gives you a little while to get ready for it. Be prepared to offer ideas and participate fully from the very beginning. This may be your first major assignment, but you’re still expected to be as involved as any of the other witches and wizards who have been here longer than you have. “I know that you’ll do a good job, and I have every confidence that you’ll contribute just as much to this project as anyone else on the team. See you later then?” “Yeah, I’ll see you later. Thanks so much again,” Regulus said gratefully. He shook Jacks’ hand and sat back in his chair, soaking in the feeling. He was going to contribute to something special that would benefit all kinds of people, and he was going to get more credibility in the eyes of the department and in the eyes of the Dark Lord. It was all of his dreams rolled into one package, and he could barely contain his energy. He bounded over to the bulletin board and read through the list of names, stopping suddenly at one toward the middle: Lily Potter. “Lily?” he whispered softly to himself. Lily had applied for this job? But she was just the secretary. She had charms and spellwork ability? Why hadn’t she applied for this kind of job previously? But more importantly, why hadn’t she told him that she was applying? He did not recognize most of the other names, with the exceptions of Richard Thomas and Tobias Jackson. A few he thought he had known while at school, but he could not be sure. He would have to wait for the meeting to find out. He strolled by Lily’s desk on purpose to see if he could grill her about her involvement in the project, but she was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, he returned to his own desk and gathered together some parchment and quills to take to the meeting. Alec still had not returned from the loo, though he suspected that he may have gone to talk to Camden about the morning’s events. The time passed quickly and soon he was off to Room 207 for the first meeting of the Spell Defence Team. The room was already filled with half a dozen witches and wizards, including Thomas and Jacks. There were eight people on the team including him, so the only person still missing was Lily. He found a chair and scanned the room, assessing the ages of each person there. Besides Jacks and Thomas, there were three more men and a woman. The woman looked like she was in her late thirties, as did one of the men, while another man looked to be around Jacks’ age and the third looked closer to Regulus’ and Lily’s ages, but not quite as young. Lily hurried into the room at one minute to ten thirty and took a seat across from Regulus, not looking him in the eye. Thomas gave her a smile and a nod before calling the meeting to order. “Thank you all for being here so promptly. I can tell already that we’re going to work well together,” he began. “Some of you may not know the two youngest members of our team, so let me introduce them to you now. You’ve probably seen or said hello to Lily here at least once, as she’s worked as Malinda Camden’s secretary for the past year and a half or so. Lily showed a lot of promise for spell and charms work while at Hogwarts, and we knew that when she came in, but before now she had not taken much interest in applying for an experimental job. We’re very pleased that she’s taken an interest in this project.” Lily smiled at everyone and greeted them with a meek, “Hi, I’m really happy to be here.” Thomas gestured to Regulus next. “And this is Regulus Black, a recent addition to the department. He’s responsible for the excellent spell catalogue that we’ve all been using at the back of the offices. He spent the entire summer and most of this month working on it, so take a look if you haven’t yet. He left school in June and had some of the highest marks in his class. We’re very glad that he took an interest in our department and especially in experimental work from the beginning, so I hope you’ll welcome him warmly.” Regulus nodded a hello as well and waited while they all turned back to Thomas. “Regulus and Lily, you’ll catch on to everyone else’s names pretty soon but I’ll introduce them quickly just so you know who they are. This man to my left…” he gestured to the older man. “…is Oliver Prewett, formerly involved with Jacks in law enforcement and a specialist on defensive spells. The man next to him is James Finch, a spell creator who has worked in this department since he left school as well. The lovely lady next to him is Hestia Jones, also a spell creator with a particular interest in espionage. Finally, the young man between Lily and Jacks is Frank Longbottom, representing the Auror division. He’s going to guide us on the kinds of spells and charms they are in need of for their work. “Well, I’ve been doing a lot of talking,” he noted. “I was hoping to have some discussion on the kinds of things we’re looking for. Let’s start with Frank.” The young man with blonde hair nodded his thanks and then looked around at everyone else. “I’m really excited to be a part of this. It will be a welcome change from feeling like a sitting duck trying to figure out what might go wrong next,” he said sincerely. “In all honesty, I feel like we’re going to be at war soon, and I’m not the only one. The Aurors have been called to battle dark magic much more often in recent months, since the late July attack on Diagon Alley. Just this morning we had to go out to High Wycombe to ward off a couple of Death Eaters who were terrorizing a Muggle neighbourhood. “I’m not sure if there is a way that I can really describe the gravity of this situation effectively. It’s important that each and every one of you be on your guard and ready to face whatever comes your way, be it a Death Eater trying to attack you or someone outside of our team trying to glean information. You-Know-Who will do anything to get a hold of our plans, and we have to be ready for him.” Hestia broke in, “So you’re saying that we need to be coming up with various ideas to protect both Muggle and wizarding communities, as well as ways to help our Aurors and other law enforcement fight back?” “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Frank agreed with a nod. “There’s nothing really specific that I have in mind, but that’s where your brilliant minds come in. I’m more of a consultant to say whether or not what you think of will meet our needs. I may be young, but in the past six years I’ve seen more than I thought I would see in a lifetime. I want to create a world that’s safe for my family, and I think that our work will aid in doing just that.” “Thanks for your input, Frank. We’ll definitely take it to heart while we’re thinking of answers,” Jacks stressed. “Other thoughts? Oliver?” “Well, I definitely concur with Frank, though I’ve been out of the field and haven’t seen as much as he has lately,” Oliver said in a thick, Midlands accent. “But I remember fighting Grindelwald and I have some ideas for maybe a stronger shielding spell that could be cast among a few people rather than just covering one. I think that it’s something the newest team members could work on, but I don’t have my notes on it with me at the moment.” Thomas assured him, “That’s fine; this is just to get ideas. I’m glad that you’ve been thinking of things that we can work on. Put it together in written form and we’ll take a look at it over the next couple weeks.” “What can Regulus and I be doing to help out, since neither of us has really worked in law enforcement of any kind nor have we ever really worked on spell creation?” Lily asked carefully. Regulus had been wondering the same thing, but he just had not wanted to be the one to voice the question. “Just listen and think for now,” Jacks told her. “We don’t expect you to be coming up with all sorts of brilliant ideas right off the bat, but we do expect you to take in what is being discussed and to think of ways to make it happen and make it better.” “Are we going to create new spells or find ways to improve old ones?” Regulus asked. Thomas fielded the question. “Hopefully, a little bit of both. You know the Shielding Spell, I’m sure. Well, I’m hoping that with Oliver’s notes we’ll be able to create an auxiliary spell that would be a stronger version that multiple people might be able to use to create a secure area by meshing their shields together.” “Do you think you’d be able to create that kind of spell to have the same effect over an area?” Regulus asked curiously. “Probably,” Oliver answered. “I don’t see why not. We’d have to work on it, though. That’s a good idea, Regulus. I can see that you are going to be a great addition, as will you, dear.” He turned to Lily and gave her a smile. Lily blushed. “I’ll do my best. This is all so fascinating to me,” she said. “Lily is just being modest,” Jacks insisted. “She’s a very powerful witch. You’ll see her skills soon enough, I’m sure. James, do you have anything to add?” James had been sitting back and absorbing everything quietly. He leaned forward and rested his chin in one of his hands. “I think that these are all great ideas and I’m really annoyed that I didn’t come up with them myself,” he said with a laugh. “Seeing as I’m supposed to be the resident spell creation expert. But that’s all right; I’ll put my two Knuts in soon enough. I really like Regulus’ and Oliver’s ideas. Those are definitely possible. We’ll just have to take some time and thought to work on them. I’m really excited to see what this team can do together.” Thomas nodded his agreement and took charge again. “Brilliant, I’m glad to see that this team is going to work out. I was quite positive that everyone would get on fairly well, but you’ve all exceeded my expectations. Well done. I wish we could sit down and really start working on these ideas, but I think everyone should take some time to think them over and come back with some practical possibilities. “Lily and Regulus, I know that you’ve never worked on spells before so please don’t feel bad if the creation aspect does not come easily to you at first. It will come in time. Take to heart the things that you’ve heard here today and on previous occasions about spell creation and maybe look over some of your notes from school.” “If you need any help, I’d be glad to talk through ideas with you,” James offered. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Regulus answered. Lily nodded her agreement as well. “Great, I’m glad that we’re all on the same page. I’ll keep you each updated on our next meeting. Just about time for lunch, so I’ll let you lot go for now,” Thomas ended. “I hope you all have a great day.” Regulus turned to say something to Lily before she left, but she got up quickly and left the room. Determined, he gathered his things together and pursued her through the hallways, grabbing her elbow lightly and turning her around. “So how come you didn’t mention this to me, eh?” he asked her, crossing his arms. “I mean, I thought we were becoming best mates, and then you don’t tell me that you’re applying for a research job? Shame, Lily.” She opened her mouth to protest but then seemed to notice the slight grin on his face and shook her head as she narrowed her eyes at him. “You git. I have as much right as you do to apply for this job. It’s something that I can do while I’m sitting here bored anyway,” she pointed out. “I’m really quite brilliant, you know.” “Well, don’t get cocky or anything,” he cajoled with a laugh. “I guess I never really bothered to look up your marks from Hogwarts, and I didn’t know you then. I’m sorry for being surprised that you were on the list.” Lily waved his comment away. “It’s nothing. You can’t really have been expected to know. But why didn’t you say that you were applying for this job? You could have told me about it this morning, or last week, but you didn’t. I think I should be the one deeply hurt by the situation.” “Aww, well, I didn’t know if I was going to get it, see?” he insisted. “I didn’t really want to get my hopes up so high that I was telling everyone about the great job before I even got it. I don’t know what I would have done had I decided to do that and then not have gotten the job.” “Well, you have now. Are you ready to contribute and pull your weight?” she teased. “I think I can manage,” he said lazily. “But what about you, Miss Secretary Extraordinaire?” Lily laughed and assured him, “I think I can handle it. You really should consider using your charm on girls without husbands.” “Yeah, right, my charm,” Regulus quipped. “More like lack thereof.” “Well, true, you were a bit rusty at first. But I think you’re really getting better at it now,” she said sincerely. “James and I are meeting Sirius, Peter, and Remus at a pub in Bloomsbury later tonight. Why don’t you join us?” Regulus sighed and gave her what he hoped was a gentle, but firm look. “Lily, you know that would be a bad idea. Sirius and I aren’t ready to be in that type of situation, and it could jeopardise my future. I can’t do that,” he said resolutely. “I’m trying to think of how I can explain this better. We just can’t.” She looked sad and said softly, “Well, I’m not giving up. This whole thing is just stupid. I don’t understand why families can’t just make up and live together in peace, even if they have differences of opinion and different personalities.” “I don’t expect you to understand, you don’t have the question of your life inheritance burning at your back,” he noted with a shrug. “If I have the opportunity, I might do it one day. Maybe I’ll even let you be in on the planning. How does that sound?” She examined him for a moment and then urged him, “Don’t wait too long.” “What is it with everybody lately and Doomsday messages?” he grumbled. “You, Frank, Alec, my father – everyone seems so concerned with making sure I get the right thing done before it’s too late.” “Perhaps it’s a warning sign to you. Maybe there’s something that you need to be changing and if you don’t do it soon, it’ll be too late,” Lily suggested. “I don’t know. I feel like everything I’m doing right now is so perfect, so right. Everything seems to be going well. I can’t think of anything that I shouldn’t be doing,” Regulus replied, ignoring the annoying little voice in the back of his head that reminded him of Liam from time to time. “I can’t tell you what it is you’re supposed to be doing,” she reminded him. “That’s for you to figure it out. All I can do is urge you to figure it out quickly. Well, I need to get back to work. If you do want to stop by tonight, please do. We’ll be in Bloomsbury, like I said. Not near where your parents live at all. There’s a little pub off of Bloomsbury Road near the intersection with Shaftsbury. You can’t miss it.” “You’re really into central London, aren’t you? Last time it was Covent Garden, this time it’s just a few streets over,” he noted. “Well, it’s near where James and I live,” Lily explained. “We tend to stick around there. It’s a good place to be because it’s in the middle of everything and there are lots of Muggle universities in the area, so lots of people our age. However, it is quite expensive because it’s in central London. But I’ve found some of my favourite places to eat there.” He decided to indulge her and said, “All right, I’ll think about it. Have a great day, Lily.” “You too,” she said with a smile. ~~~~~~ Regulus was looking over some of Thomas’ past research that he had found in the department library when he heard a knock at his flat door. Curious at who would be calling upon him at home, he walked over and opened the door cautiously. “Good evening, may I come in?” Severus asked as soon as he was visible. Regulus kept one hand on the door and leaned on the doorframe. “Well, yeah, I guess. What brings you here?” He stepped back to let Severus in and motioned at the table and chairs in the small kitchen and living room of the flat. “I’m here to congratulate you on your work,” Severus said simply as he took a seat. “The Dark Lord is pleased at your job promotion.” Regulus froze as he turned around to close the front door and felt his face flushing. “How does the Dark Lord know already?” he asked incredulously, waiting for his face to cool so that he could turn around again. “I mean, I was going to tell him, of course, but I wasn’t sure how to go about sending him a message directly.” He turned around to see Severus leaning back in the chair at the head of the table, resting an elbow on its surface. “You know the Dark Lord has many followers. Besides, he’s not angry with you. He’s very pleased that you were able to gain access to this project. Well done.” Regulus beamed and stammered through a response, “Uh, th-thanks! Thanks so much. Yeah, I’m rather pleased about it myself. And pleased to offer the Dark Lord my service in doing this work, naturally.” “Naturally,” Severus agreed. “I’d like to get a report from you on your various assignments, but firstly I was to tell you about the Dark Lord’s pleasure and invite you to a special meeting tomorrow night.” “A special meeting? What kind of meeting?” Regulus asked as he walked toward the table and sat down beside Severus. “A meeting to let you in on one of our more involved projects,” Severus replied. “There are several groups that are planning for the Fawkes mission.” “The one in November?” “Yes, of course,” Severus said in annoyance. “Only we aren’t referring to it by date just in case someone is listening in. We call it the Fawkes project to make it easier. The point is that we want you to be involved in this project now because we feel that you have demonstrated your loyalty to the Dark Lord.” “You mean that I wasn’t trusted before?” Regulus asked, feeling somewhat hurt. They hadn’t trusted him? But he had been working so hard for them the entire summer. “It was not you as much as Merric,” Severus explained. “The Dark Lord was concerned that your close ties with him might render you unable to handle sensitive material at home. As we discovered, this was certainly the case.” “But it wasn’t because he’s of Muggle parentage, was it?” Regulus asked carefully. “Of course not,” Severus said lightly. “He might be a Mudblood, but a lot of us have some ties to Muggles. It’s very rare to find someone who is completely Pureblood like you are. But Merric had been spewing threats that were directly counter to the Dark Lord.” Regulus agreed softly, “That’s true. I tried to convince him of the truth, but he just wouldn’t hear it.” “It’s not something we have to worry about now,” Severus said. “So you’re going to be on a team along with myself and several others whom I think you will recognize. I don’t want to reveal their identities now because that could endanger the team if you decide not to come to the meeting tomorrow, but I can promise you that you know of most of them.” “I would be honoured, truly,” Regulus said quickly. “Where and when is the meeting?” “Be ready around five o’clock. You’ll feel the mark, and you’ll know where to go. Trust me,” Severus replied. “Now, to business. What have you found? What is this project about?” Regulus grinned and gloated, “Oh, so you know that I’m on Richard Thomas’ research team, but you don’t know what the project is about?” “Of course not, that’s why you’re on the team,” Severus pointed out. “Do you really think any of the others would be Death Eaters? Half of the team are either Aurors or in law enforcement! Incidentally, that means that you have to be very careful not to use dark magic when you’re around them. Some of them seem to be able to sense it.” “Right, of course. I knew that,” Regulus muttered. Severus always had a way of making him feel less than adequate. Sometimes he felt that Severus’ expectations were even greater than those of the Dark Lord. But then he remembered that Severus was a competitor and subservient, just as he was, to the Dark Lord’s whims. All it would take was Regulus proving that he could somehow do the job better, and he would be the one in charge. He mentally shook himself out of his thoughts and smiled at the incredulous look on Severus’ face. “Right, then. The project Richard Thomas is working on has to do with enhancing offensive and defensive battle spells to aid law enforcement personnel, including the Auror division. One of the members of the team, Oliver Prewett, brought up the possibility of extending shield spells for several people, which the whole team thought was a good idea. The point is, this is a team developing spells that we can use,” Regulus finished, hoping that his voice sounded strong and authoritative. Severus seemed pleased as he replied, “That sounds fascinating, and very useful, indeed. Who is on this team?” “Well, Richard Thomas, Oliver Prewett, Tobias Jackson, and myself, of course,” Regulus said, leaning into his right palm as he tried to remember all of the names. “Then there was a middle-aged bloke named James Finch, a witch named Hestia Jones, another bloke not much older than us named Frank Longbottom, oh, and Lily Potter.” “Lily Potter?” Severus leaned forward and looked interested in the conversation for the first time, hair falling into his face and eyes narrowing. “What interest does she have in this assignment?” Regulus shrugged. “Apparently she got really good marks in school for charms. You were in her year, do you remember that?” “Yes, she always was very adept at spell work, though I attributed most of it to her lovely wand,” Severus replied haughtily. “I assume she has personal interest in the project as well, seeing as Potter is a trainee Auror and they’re both involved in Dumbledore’s secret society.” “She’s been an interesting one to talk to. Lovely girl, and very opinionated,” Regulus noted with a smile. “Yes, her opinions are well-known,” Severus said in a low voice. “Have you learned anything new? Obviously you’ve learned things about her past that you didn’t know, but the Dark Lord probably already knows all of that. Anything personal and recent?” “She and James are thinking of moving out of London,” Regulus offered. “They’ve decided that the city is a bit too dangerous for their liking, but they aren’t sure where they are going to move to just yet.” “They’re not going to inhabit Potter’s inherited house?” Regulus shook his head and explained, “Apparently he still feels odd being there without his parents. They’re looking at other places around the countryside, but I think they might try to stay relatively close to London.” “That’s a good thing to know. Good work,” Severus replied. Regulus flushed. “Well, thanks. All I really do is talk to her, and she does most of the talking anyway.” “Well, women are apt to do so,” Severus joked. “I suppose so,” Regulus said with a small laugh, noting that his mother rarely let anyone have a word in a conversation. Lily was nothing like that. She asked him questions and allowed him to offer his opinion as well. She really was very unlike most girls he had ever met. The only girl he could think of who was somewhat similar was Liam’s sister Aislinn, though remembering her brought a pain that was almost too much to bear. “Can I ask a question?” Regulus asked suddenly, trying to get his mind off of the past. “Of course.” “Was the action this morning in High Wycombe directed at Alec Kingston and his family?” Regulus questioned carefully, examining Severus’ face for any trace of a lie. “Not directly, no,” Severus said smoothly. “We have no reason to attack Kingston. True, he has access to information within your department, but I’m sure that anything he would have access to would be something our other agents, including yourself, would be able to get their hands on as well.” “He gets to look at all of the spell patents before they become law,” Regulus blurted. “He has access to every single spell that could potentially be used against us.” “Are you trying to get us to seize him for questioning?” Severus queried and raised an eyebrow. “I thought you and Kingston were colleagues, and that you got on fairly well.” “We do, and we are, and no I am not trying to get him into trouble. I just wanted to make sure that he was not being targeted because of his position because I could probably obtain access to any of his files, if I really needed to,” Regulus boasted. “It’s just, he’s been a good mate to me, and his wife and children seem to be very nice people.” “Though Muggles,” Severus noted. Regulus nodded. “Anna is at least. They don’t know yet about the children. I understand that they’re still quite young.” “Fear not, Regulus. Your friend is safe,” Severus assured him. “Though I will have to store this information for the Dark Lord. You, better than anyone, understand that while a person is one day your friend, the next day they can become your worst enemy. Do be mindful of that in the months to come.” “Of course, I am mindful of it always,” Regulus stated. “I am pleased that I have been able to fulfil so many of my missions with just this one opportunity.” “No one is more pleased than the Dark Lord, I can assure you,” Severus said. “Will he ever call me back to his side? I have not seen him in months,” Regulus complained. Severus shook his head. “Patience, remember? Do well, and you will be rewarded. Perhaps you will even get to see him tomorrow, I do not know. Though, do not be so eager to always be in his presence. Often those he calls, he calls for a grim purpose.” “You mean he generally only calls people because they’ve disappointed him?” “That, or worse,” Severus said darkly. “But as long as you serve him faithfully you will have nothing to fear. I must leave you. I fear that I have already spent too long here.” Both men rose and Regulus extended a hand to shake, which Severus took. “You’re always welcome here, of course,” Regulus said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Severus nodded, and Disapparated. ~~~~~~ A/N:A very big thank you, as always, to Arnel and Cygnus for their beta skills. Let the speculations begin…
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