Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A knock on the door sounded and I knew it was her. Only she always tapped to the rhythm of some song she had stuck in her head. I guess she really expected me to let her in. After she broke my heart.

Her knocking echoed through the empty apartment. She knew very well that my parents wouldn’t be home until evening, and that my sister still had dance class. It was becoming clear to me that she wouldn't give up until I opened the door. All right. At least she'll be able to take all the things she cluttered my room with. She used to spend as much time in this flat as in her own, on the other side of the hall. Until about a month ago, when she disappeared. Her grandfather died, so her whole family went to the nearby town for the funeral. I wanted to come with her, but I had some responsibilities at work, so I couldn't. Was this why she resented me?

When I saw her parent's car pull into the parking lot after the funeral, I ran towards them. But she wasn't with them. I was told that she had decided to stay with her aunt and uncle. Since that day, she hadn’t answered a single call or message.

Her grandfather's funeral must have been difficult for her, but I… It was my job to reassure her and protect her from bad thoughts, as I had done a million times before. If she told me she needed space, I would have understood. But instead, she vanished. We dated for six months. And maybe I was naive, but I really thought we would last longer. Like forever.

I opened the door. She stood there, dressed all in black. Oh, how it didn't suit her. At least her candy-pink hair remained unchanged. I wanted to touch her hair, it was always so soft…

"What do you want here?"

I had to try so hard to sound impassive. All I wanted to do was beg her to come back to me.

"Promise me you'll hear me out," she said, even having the audacity to reach out to me.

That's when I noticed it.

"What's that on your hand?"

A gold bracelet tightly encircled her wrist. On the bracelet was a strange ornament, a triangle with a small letter “h” engraved inside.

"I'll explain everything..."

"H as Hanna? Hubert? Harriet? Did you manage to replace me already?"

"Let me in please."

I should have just slammed the door in her face and forgotten all about her. But I, the idiot, let her in. She stepped inside carefully, as if it were her first time here. I vividly remembered how I entered her apartment for the first time. Everything that led up to it.

If we hadn't shared a couple of very awkward elevator rides together, I wouldn't have known she existed, let alone that she lived across the hall. I invited her to my seventeenth birthday party. I can’t even remember if she showed up. Honestly, I remember practically nothing from that day. The first meaningful conversation we had took place by the mailboxes. She was looking inside her family mailbox, me and my sister had just walked inside the building.

“C’mon, promise you will go to the cinema with meeee?” my sister whined, being annoying as usual.

“Which movie are you going to see?” she asked shyly. Her pink hair was new then, the shade wasn't quite right yet.

“Fantastic beasts and where to find them,” I answered and gave my sister a subtle nudge. Thankfully, she got the hint and wandered off.

“Oh, nothing for me. I have never seen Harry Potter,” she said guiltily.

I had no idea where my self-control went at that moment. I should have said something casual. Something cool. But no. Instead, I blurted out:

“How could you not have seen Harry Potter? You have to watch it, it's the most legendary work of our time."

I was afraid that my speech would frighten her, but she laughed.

"Okay, I'll check it out. My parents went to my grandfather's for the weekend, I’ ve got nothing to do anyway."

I figured this was the end of our conversation, but she added:

"Wanna watch it with me?"

I am pretty sure my brain short-circuited at that moment. Was this gorgeous girl inviting me over?

"You know, I might play it in the wrong order..."

"I'd love to come," I said.

That night I found myself sitting on the couch in her apartment, popcorn in one hand and the remote control in the other. She sat next to me, at a respectful distance. The opening credits rolled. She started to hum the tune. I looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Is this a bad time to tell you that I've seen this like a million times? I just needed an excuse to talk to you?"

I managed to kiss her before Harry found out he was a wizard.

I suppressed all the memories and focused on the present. We were in my room, she was pacing nervously, and I sat on the bed.

"What I'm going to tell you is not easy,” she began. “It's a secret, so first of all, you have to promise me that even if you decide to hate me, you'll never tell anyone.”

I spent weeks trying to hate her. It was not in my power. I gave her my word.

She took a deep breath and said:

“The past isn’t real. It's all made up.”

Was this some very bad joke? No, she looked serious.

“Did you start using drugs?” I asked the only logical question.

"No, listen to me. What proof do you have that the history we learn is true?”

This is just a bad dream, I thought. Or maybe I've gone completely crazy and this conversation was a figment of my imagination.

"As far as I know files, skeletons, artefacts, castle ruins..."

"Now imagine how easy it would be to fake it," she said, deeply convinced of her truth.

"Have you joined the Holocaust deniers?"

Honestly, I was out of my depth.

"No! I’m not denying any recent past. Just prehistory, middle ages... well, that's not important, you don't believe me anyway.”

I nodded. The girl standing across from me was seriously scaring me. She was always a little off, but that's why I liked her. But now, I was sure that I was sitting opposite a case for a psychiatrist.

“Anyways, you need to know that there are Guardians of the past. Two people must always know the truth. My grandfather was one of them. He left me two bracelets and a letter in which he explained everything to me. I didn't believe him any more than you don't believe me now. Well, here's a clear proof," she said, reaching into her pocket.

I expected her to pull out a knife or something. Instead, another bracelet, the same as the one on her wrist, only in silver, glinted in her palm.

"Put it on your hand," she ordered, looking at me with such intensity that I didn't dare refuse.

When I put the bracelet on, something very strange happened. I'm pretty sure I screamed at that point, because the bracelet turned by itself so that the sign with the letter h was on the inside of my wrist. In addition, the bracelet tightened itself to fit me perfectly.

"Put the symbol to your temple," she said, amused by my terrified expression.

I wanted to run away somewhere very far. I could have sworn that the bracelet was warmer than my skin. I slowly raised my wrist to my head.

"Please, please, I don't want to die," I thought and put the strange symbol on my temple.

And suddenly I found myself inside the head of a boy from a very, very different time.

Chapter Text

Regulus’s eyes nervously flitted from his watch, which wasn’t just a watch, to the door of the lift he was inside. It was tragically early in the morning, but he was buzzing with energy because today was the most important day of his life.

But first, he had to take his dog, Kreacher, outside. He stepped out of the lift and exited the building, using the back door, followed by the tip-taps of Kreacher’s paws right behind him. Once outside, Regulus rechecked his watch, although he knew he had plenty of time. The bus that would take him to Burgen school, the best school in the whole city — in the whole world — would not leave in the next half hour. Regulus had to take a few deep breaths. Because he was about to take entrance exams to that school today. Just being allowed to apply was nearly miraculous. Only students with the best results from the end-of-year evaluation qualified for a place at Burgen school. Regulus was one of them because he studied to the point of collapse, to the point of insanity.

His current school provided basic education, which every citizen of Burgensis was required to complete. Higher education, however, was reserved for a select few. Several institutions offered it, but only Burgen School completed its program in four years instead of five. Every person in Burgensis received their own apartment the moment they got employed. This meant Regulus would be able to move away from home in just four short years when he would be twenty years old. But first, he had to succeed today.

Kreacher nudged him with his nose, signaling that he was ready to return inside. Regulus’s apartment building was on the edge of the city of Burgensis, so they were near the forest, and Kreacher wasn’t the biggest fan of the woods. To be honest, neither was Regulus. He looked at the dense trees in the distance and shivered. To step inside meant certain death. Dangerous animals lived there, the forest was not mapped, no signal. To go into the forest was forbidden and Regulus wasn’t about to break this law in his lifetime.

Back inside, Regulus unlocked the door by putting his thumb to the fingerprint sensor and collapsed onto the couch. Stress hit him like a wave, so he tried to focus on something else. Opposite of him was a table with a touchscreen and he could also see his map of the world. The map was hand-drawn. There were the continents, Regulus remembered their old names just like his father taught him. No one lived there after the Last War. The government sent out exploration teams to the outside world, but they never discovered anything. No one lived anywhere else but in Burgensis, marked by a red dot on a map. Next to the dot was a detailed city map. Having an architect as a father ensured that Regulus had a ton of knowledge about the structure of Burgensis.

The basics were: Nine zones A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3 in a perfect 3x3 square. The C zones were farming zones, the most important ones, ensuring there was enough food for the citizens of Burgensis. Regulus’s grandmother used to live there. He had a few bright memories from the house in C2, but he hadn’t been there in years. On the map near the house were written two numbers, 9 and 22. They were a mystery to Regulus. The map was a from his father.

“Look how big the world is Reggie. One day, you are gonna make it better.”
That was before his father’s drinking started, of course.

Sirius was soooo jealous back then.

And no, Regulus will not be thinking about his brother. Even though it was especially hard in the room which led to Sirius’s bedroom as well as his own. The rooms were connected through the shared bathroom. Regulus was now in the common area, with an enormous table and couch. This room was connected with the rest of the apartment, with the kitchen closest.

Regulus desperately wished Sirius was there. His brother would call him pathetic and make fun of him for caring so much about school, but Regulus wouldn’t mind. It’s been almost two years since their mother kicked Sirius out. Since he disappeared. Regulus allowed himself one more second of missing his brother, then he got up, grabbed his bag with shaky hands, and went to the bus.

It was already waiting for Regulus, so the moment he sat down, the bus took off. It lifted into the air and when they gained the right height, the bus flew forward. The buses were the only means of transport in the city. The only other vehicles existing were police cars.

Regulus shook his head to regain focus. The entrance exam he was about to take wasn’t really an exam at all. Regulus had read the Burgen school website so many times that instructions for applicants were forever etched into his brain:

"...a 16-year-old interested in studying will appeal before a three-member committee and present his project. It must be the student's original work, either theoretical or practical execution. Burgen's school accepts those who have new ideas and can present them..."

They will choose only the best thirty from all the applicants. Regulus was determined to be among them. There was only one tiny, tiny problem.

His project was a weapon and he had to convince the committee that it wasn’t.

Regulus thought it was a great invention; he only felt sorry that the real inventor could not present it herself. He didn’t feel guilty for lying, though. Dorcas would want him to do exactly what he was about to do.

He got off the bus and, like in a dream, managed to find his way to the waiting room, violently suppressing the memories of Dorcas. And Marlene. Now he had to concentrate. In addition to him, five other people were sitting there, who alternately fixed their nervous eyes on him, and one boy was only staring at the ground. Regulus had to make a lot of effort not to run away, cry, pass away, or do all of these things at once. But he couldn't let the other applicants think he couldn't handle it, so he didn’t show any emotions. He forced his attention to something else. He noticed the door. It had to lead to the committee. Regulus broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly moved his gaze to the left of the door and spotted the large Burgen school logo. Beneath it was a small inscription:

In honor of Jonathan Burgen.

As if it wasn't enough that the whole of Burgensis was named after him. Although considering that he was the greatest hero that ever lived, he probably deserved it. The story about him was told to children as often as scary stories about the forest. Regulus’s father used to tell it to him when he was small, and even now, he remembered it perfectly.

The world used to be a disastrous place. Due to nature or human fault, it was only possible to live on two continents. There were fights, democracy was a long-forgotten concept, and the air was polluted because of the cars, the dominant transport method at that time. It led to war. Years passed, people died, but the fighting continued. Nuclear weapons came next. Most were stationed in Cadmia, a city not far from Burgensis. The order for them to go off was given, but Jonathan Burgen led a team that managed to destroy the rockets before they went off and save the world.

This marked the end of the war and also the foundation of the city of Burgensis south of Cadmia, with about 2000 citizens and Jonathan Burgen as the president. During his reign, the first buildings were built on the territory that today belongs to zone A1. Jonathan wanted the past to be left behind, so the years started to be counted anew. Now it was year 216. Family surnames were removed so that people would not have anything to remind them of the family members they had lost.

Jonathan Burgen also named the war that nearly destroyed humanity The Last War as a sign that nothing like it must ever happen again. Thus, the world got a second chance. Jonathan Burgen lived to a great age and was president until his death. It is said that his last wish was to establish a school that would teach young people the right values (this was the beginning of the tradition of last wishes — the wish of a dying person was almost a law). Burgensis has changed a lot since then. A system of living in zones was devised. Buses began to be used. Who knows what the first president would say to all this?

“It’s your turn,” an unknown voice snapped Regulus out of his thoughts. It belonged to a girl sitting next to him. Regulus shuddered.

“Don’t worry, you can do it,” added the girl.

She had blonde, almost white hair and big earrings. She seemed nice, so Regulus immediately thought she was faking it. He slowly got up from his chair and entered the door. He found himself in a back room. Regulus could see what was happening on stage, but no one could see him.

“Welcome to the entrance exams of the Burgen School, the best higher school in Burgensis.” A female voice said from behind Regulus. Speakers, not a real person. “You will appeal before the committee right after the applicant who is currently speaking. Please prepare.”

Regulus watched, barely breathing. The spotlight illuminated only the stage, so he could only see a boy—a potential student—not the committee. But he heard them quite clearly.

“Please introduce us your project.”

“I called my project Thought Bracelets,” said the boy standing on the stage, the one who was looking at the ground the whole time in the waiting room.

Regulus recognised him by his dark hair, styled as if every strand had its place. He was standing with his back to Regulus, so he couldn’t see his face. But he could see two small bracelets in his hands, shimmering in the light.

“These bracelets can record thoughts or memories, which can then be sent from one bracelet to another.”

The boy fell silent and shifted from foot to foot. He was probably waiting for some reaction from the committee. Regulus was sure they were just as shocked as he was. Did this guy even realise what he’s invented? This could be a whole new way of communication.

“We’d like to see your bracelets put to use,” said a female voice, less enthusiastic than Regulus would have expected.

“Of course,” the boy said with confidence in his voice and walked off the stage.

The spotlight followed him. He walked over to the table where the committee was sitting. Regulus could finally look at them. Three people. An unknown woman was sitting completely on the left, she had short hair and looked very serious. Regulus recognised the person sitting next to her. It was Albus, the current headmaster of the Burgen School. He looked at the boy with great interest—definitely because he couldn’t wait for him to become a student at his school.

The last member of the commission was a girl in a black dress, who was sitting not far from Regulus a moment ago in the waiting room. Regulus closed his eyes for a while and opened them again, but the girl was still sitting there. What was she doing there?

“Would you like to try the Thought Bracelets for yourself, sir?” the boy asked the headmaster directly.

Regulus had to admire his courage. He must have been extremely confident in his invention. The director hesitated, clearly not expecting such an offer. Finally, he extended his hand towards the boy.

The boy attached a bracelet to his wrist. Regulus couldn’t see it very well, he could only say for sure that the bracelet was golden and had some kind of symbol on it. The bracelet suddenly moved on its own so that the symbol was on the inside of the headmaster’s wrist.

The boy just nodded and went back to the stage. Regulus saw his face for a while. He had no distinctive features, his face white from stress. The boy turned back to the committee and pulled another, silver bracelet from his pocket.

This was when Regulus saw that there was no symbol on the bracelet, but an ordinary letter h. Well, not exactly ordinary. It didn’t look like the letters on the keyboard. No, such letters were used before the Last War when people wrote on paper. No one used them today.

The boy fastened the bracelet on his wrist so that the letter h was on the inside. It fit him perfectly, as if it were a part of his skin.

“Now I’m going to record some thought and send it to you,” he said, raised his hand, and put the letter h to his temple.

He held it like that for about three seconds, then dropped his hand.

“Just put the letter h to your temple to allow neural impulses to your brain,” said the boy to the headmaster.

The headmaster carefully raised the bracelet to his head. He had an enthusiastic twinkle in his eyes. Everyone, including Regulus, gasped as the bracelet—the letter h, to be exact—touched the headmaster’s temple.

“My name is Albert,” the headmaster voiced the thought the boy sent him.

The boy, Albert, nodded. Regulus thought it was an unusual name.

“Now you can send me a thought, Mr. Albus. Bracelet systems can record not only current thoughts but also ancient memories. Feel free to send me all your thoughts from the whole year.”

Albert was staring at the headmaster pointedly.

“That really wouldn’t be appropriate. But I would like to send you a thought,” said the headmaster.

His brow furrowed in concentration.

“I would like to learn more about how the Thought Bracelets work,” Albert said aloud the thought the headmaster had sent.

He sounded a bit disappointed.

“Of course,” said Albert and started a long lecture about the function of Thought Bracelets.

Regulus tried to listen and understand how the bracelets worked, but he didn’t understand about a third of the words Albert used, so all he remembered were phrases like brain waves, short and long-term memory, nerve impulses, and brain centers. And at the same time, he realised that he couldn’t handle this.

How can he get on that stage in front of the committee after Albert’s performance?

Towards the end of Albert’s presentation, Regulus didn’t even try to concentrate anymore, he just leaned his back against the wall and thought about how to get out of there. He slowly slid down to the ground and hid his head in his hands.

"Why did you choose the letter h as the bracelet design?"
The voice of the headmaster snapped Regulus out of his stressed thoughts. He was quite interested in the answer to that question, so he rose to his feet and turned to face the committee and Albert.

"It's h like history. Bracelets remember history," said Albert, and Regulus was sure that he had rehearsed the answer to this question.

The director was about to say something else, but the woman sitting next to him was faster.

"Thank you for your presentation," he looked at the girl in the black dress, "Now you will give the applicant points, from 1 to 10. They will count towards the overall rating and can decide whether we accept the applicant."

So that's why she was sitting there the whole time.

"I give ten."

"Okay, thank you for participating in Burgen School's entrance exams."

The girl got up from her chair as quickly as possible and left. Just before she went out, she smiled discreetly at Albert, who was still standing on the stage.

"Albert, please sit with us. You will be able to give points to the next potential student."

As if embarrassing himself in front of the committee wasn't enough, Regulus thought. Even the most brilliant inventor of today will be watching him. Albert has already managed to take a seat on the commission.

The voice from the speaker said:
"You will appeal before the commission at 10, 9..."

No, no, he will not appeal before any commission.

"8, 7"
Regulus ran to the door through which he had entered. They were locked, and it was impossible to leave the backstage area.

"6, 5"
He had no chance. How could he think he would get into the best school ever?

"4, 3"
He looked at his hand, at the watch. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He had to climb that stage. Not for myself. For Dorcas. For Marlene. For Sirius.

"2, 1"
Regulus walked on the stage.

He headed straight for the centre of the stage, trying to hit the spot where Albert was standing before. His steps echoed in the silence on the unnaturally clean stage floor. The spotlight shined directly on him. He forced his expression to remain calm even though his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

The members of the commission and Albert were staring at him. He wasn't fine, but as long as he could pretend to be fine, everything was... fine.

Regulus forced himself to look directly at the commission.

"Please introduce us to your project."

"My project is called Electric shield," began Regulus.

His voice was unnaturally calm, he didn't sound like himself at all. It was probably because he had practiced these words in front of the mirror about a million times.

No one on the committee showed any emotion.

Regulus raised his left hand, realising that his fingers were shaking with stress. He quickly clenched them in a fist and pointed to his watch with a finger on her other hand.

The watch was black, with a silver buckle and a single button on the edge of the screen which showed the time.

"This watch looks ordinary, but it was designed to protect the wearer."

Regulus pressed the button. Suddenly a circle of clear electricity extended from Regulus's elbow to twenty centimetres above his clenched fist. The screen of the watch was now black, and around it electric field that looked like tiny lightning bolts shot out in every direction. However, the core of the watch attracted the fibres of electricity as soon as they got further than 30 centimetres. The shield thus kept its perfect shape.

The fibres intertwined with each other, covering every millimetre of the circle. The shield was impenetrable.

All the hairs on Regulus's arm stood up. It had been a long time since he had turned on the shield, let alone used it. He had almost forgotten how great it felt to feel pure electricity copying every movement he made. A feeling of invincibility, and security. He couldn't help but smile.

He certainly got the committee's attention. Everyone's eyes were wide open, Albert was even leaning forward as if he wanted to get a better look at the shield.

Regulus took a deep breath and launched into his perfectly rehearsed speech:

"The idea behind the electric shield demonstrates that there is a way to make sure a person is protected in an evolved way. My invention could make life easier for example for policemen, who came into contact with dangerous criminals. It is an idea which could reduce violence and help with the prosperity of society."

Regulus felt like throwing up when he said those words. The police took his favourite people from him. He would rather cut off his hand than give them the shield. But he had to make the committee believe that he was representing peace.

Regulus turned off the shield, being careful not to touch the electric circle. It had happened to him a few times. It was not pleasant.

"As you can see, you can wear a shield in the form of a watch that weighs no more than an ordinary watch every day."

Regulus turned on the electric shield again, this time moving it with more confidence, showing its perfect functionality.

Regulus always considered the shield to be colourless, only stronger electric shocks could appear blue. Under the spotlight, the committee could only see occasional sparks. They couldn't feel the retreating air like Regulus.

He pulled out an electrical voltage meter from his pocket and began moving it just past the shield while talking about the shield core and positive protons.

Finally, he moved the meter closer, about a centimetre from the electric shield.

"20500 volts," Regulus read the number that appeared on the display of the voltmeter.

"20500 volts paralyze a person but do not leave any lasting effects. Upon touching the shield, the person loses control of all muscles for 22 seconds. That's enough time to capture the person or move to safety."

Everyone was looking at him, their expressions hard to read.

"I believe my invention can help to make Burgensis a little bit safer," Regulus finished his presentation in one breath.

Silence.

"Your invention is a great idea in theory, but we haven't seen it in practice," the woman said in a monotone voice.

"But you saw the volt meter..." Regulus tried to defend his project, although his voice did not completely cooperate.

"That doesn't prove anything. The committee has no proof that your device works, that it won't hurt the person more than you think."

Regulus felt like telling her that she could test the shield if she wanted to. 20500 volts would only benefit her. He wanted to say so much but remained silent.

"Is there a way to prove that your shield actually works?" the headmaster asked, "if not, I must ask you to leave the school building."

Regulus was going to do so as quickly as possible. He could feel the tears already prickling in his eyes. How had it gone to hell so fast?

He felt like the biggest disappointment. Bitterly he thought: At least no one will know how badly he failed because every single person he cared about was gone.

"Is there a way I can help?" asked Albert louder than necessary.

Everyone, including Regulus, looked at him in confusion.

"You could help with the presentation," said the headmaster, clearly looking for entertainment.

Regulus still did not understand what was happening. Why would Albert want to help him? He was already getting up from his chair.

"It is not allowed for a candidate to help another candidate," said the woman, who was now frowning alternately at both candidates.

"Show me where such a rule is written," retorted Albus.

Albert had just climbed the stairs and was heading straight for Regulus. The woman pursed her lips angrily, but she remained silent.

Regulus's brain and body went into emergency mode. No feelings, only focus and analysis of his next steps.

As Albert was walking towards him, Regulus noticed his eyes. They were green, but they didn't look natural, not even a little bit. The spotlight strangely reflected off them, as if the eyes did not belong to his face.

Albert looked at Regulus for a while, then turned to the committee.

"Can we have a few minutes to agree on how the presentation will go?"

The woman pursed her lips even tighter.

"I'm afraid we don't have enough time for that. Just try to simulate an attack," said the headmaster.

"I don't know how to fight," Regulus and Albert blurted out at the same time.

Both too fast for it to be true.

Regulus, with false calm, quietly asked Albert:

"Are you okay with being electrocuted?"

He nodded. His weird eyes never left Regulus’s face.

"Okay, try to punch me. Don’t worry, I will deflect you."

Regulus did not wait to see how Albert reacted. He turned on his heel, took a few steps away from Albert, and turned to him again. Regulus turned on the shield, but he did not raise it, he left his hands down by his body. He couldn't help but forget for a moment that this was just a simulation and saw Albert as a real opponent. He was not nervous. Regulus was sure that Albert had been in such a situation before. His feet were placed far apart, stance just right. Muscles tense. Back straight. And those unnatural eyes fixed on Regulus. He knew the look, Albert was looking for weaknesses the same as Regulus. Albert was undoubtedly bigger and had more muscle mass. Still, Regulus had skill and knew how to fight dirty, and yet something about Albert screamed fighter. If they were on the street, Regulus would not fight if he had a choice.

Running and hiding were the first things Marlene and Dorcas taught him.

"The only glory is to stay alive. If you can disappear in the middle of the fight, do it," Marlene used to say.

But now Regulus had no choice but to nod and signal for Albert to attack. He moved faster than Regulus expected. In a second Albert had his hand pulled back and was ready to break Regulus’s nose. However, Regulus's reflexes were faster. Before Albert could land a blow, he raised his shield. A small spark appeared where Albert's fist collided with the shield.

He was thrown about a meter from Regulus and landed on his ass. The electricity paralyzed the muscles moments after the touch, so Albert remained sitting on the ground, managing to support himself with one hand. The following 22 seconds were the longest of Regulus's life. All eyes were on Albert, whose eyes wandered restlessly around the room at first, then settled on Regulus. He tried to wordlessly reassure him that everything was fine. From a rational point of view, Regulus knew that the electricity would not harm Albert in any way. He had paralyzed quite a few people, but he had never been afraid like this before. He would not forgive himself if anything happened to Albert, the boy who selflessly offered his help.

Regulus's heart was beating faster and faster. When he was sure that something had gone wrong, Albert finally moved, using both his hands to stand up.

"Amazing," he articulated with his lips only for Regulus.

"I hope this is enough of a presentation," Albert said and walked away to his seat.

He put on a brave face, but Regulus could see the relief in his face when he slumped into a chair.

"I think we can consider the presentation complete with this demonstration of the electric shield. Albert will now give you points," said the headmaster enthusiastically.

"It's not fair for him to give her points, because..." the woman began with furrowed brows, but Albert didn't let her finish.

"Ten points. Can I leave now?"

"Yes, but don't forget to fill out the questionnaire at the exit," said the headmaster.

Albert left, his legs shaking only a little.

"Come and sit with the committee, you will give points to the next potential student."

It took Regulus a moment to realise that those words were meant for him. He walked down the steps from the stage and sat down in a chair on the right. It was simple, grey, with four steel legs. But Regulus has never been more grateful for an ordinary chair in his life. The moment he sat down, all the stress that he had tried to hide today hit him at once. His hands shook under the table. Fortunately, no one on the committee could see it. Neither could the next candidate, the blonde girl with big earrings.

Her parents were journalists and she created the Camera, an invention that could convert analog input to digital output. What that meant, Regulus had no idea, but the Camera was supposed to be able to create a Video and that was supposed to be multiple images moving. You could attach it to the article in the newspaper so that the reader would have a better reading experience.

Regulus thought that the newspaper - the series of articles that informed the citizens of Burgensis about what was going on - was quite enough, but he still tried to pay attention to the girl. Even though for a while he only watched her blue dress and how strangely it flowed around her.

The girl then showed the jury some random blurry squares she called pixels on the tablet. It was certainly very interesting and beneficial, but Regulus's brain could not process a single piece of information anymore. All he wanted to do was leave. At the end of the presentation, Regulus awarded the blonde girl ten points as an apology for not paying much attention. In the next room, he filled in his details: name, zone, house number, phone number, parent's names, and finally a fingerprint.

After that, he was only aware of the door through which he got out. Regulus could finally go to his apartment. He took about three steps and spotted Albert on the opposite side of the street. He wanted to walk on, but Albert noticed him. They looked at each other awkwardly, then Regulus took a deep breath and headed towards him.

"I...I just wanted to thank you for helping me," stammered Regulus.

He noticed Albert’s fists were clenched. He had the same look as in the middle of their fight.

"It's alright. You would do the same for me," Albert said.

Regulus doubted it but nodded.

Dorcas taught him another great thing, literally reading people. Albert's eyes darted from place to place or stared at Regulus in an almost crazy way. His shoes were pointing a little to the side. He didn't want to talk, he wanted to leave. Regulus decided to respect that.

“Well, I hope I see you at school.”

“You too. Take care,” said Albert and they parted.

When Regulus came home, he could barely stand from exhaustion. He scratched Kreacher (he was never too tired after that) and collapsed into bed.

And just then he heard: "Regulus, are you home?"

His mother, Walburga, talked to Regulus very rarely and it never meant anything good. Regulus, tired as never before, got out of bed and went to the living room, where his mother was sitting. Legs crossed, lips puckered, perfection itself. Regulus collapsed on the couch next to her and realised that he had to tell her about his interest to study at Burgen's school. He hadn't told his mother about it until now, but he had a feeling that it was about time. But how will he tell her, how, how...?

"Can you explain to me why I was informed that you took part in the entrance exams at a higher school?"

That should do it, thought Regulus.

"Because I did," he replied, too tired to think of a more intelligent answer.

"I don't understand why you would go there. Do you really think you are smart enough to attend the best higher school in Burgensis?”

No, I'm not, said the voice in Regulus's head. Why was mother telling him that? Why couldn’t he go to sleep? He never realised how comfortable this couch was. If he just closed his eyes and...

"I don't want you to attend that school."

This woke Regulus up. Not that he expected any extra support, but even taking part in entrance exams was a great achievement. He thought his mother would at least acknowledge that.

"Why?" Regulus asked.

His mother hesitated. And that was unusual because hesitation wasn’t one of her character traits. She blinked a few times and said:

"Can you imagine how embarrassed I'll be when you get expelled after a few months?"

"Don't worry mother, that won't happen."

Regulus was sure of that.

Silence. That was even weirder because his mother never let him have the last word. They just looked at each other for a while, neither of them looking away. Then Walburga got up and left the apartment without saying goodbye. Regulus’s mother was always a bit cold, but lately, she was getting weirder and weirder. Regulus fell asleep on the couch, confused by this conversation.

Chapter Text

Regulus really did see Albert in two months. They were both accepted. When Regulus stood before Burgen school on his official first day, he believed he could do anything. He touched his watch about a hundred times. It calmed him down.

When he found out he was accepted two weeks back, Regulus cried, then he laughed, then he sat on the ground, holding Kreacher’s head in his hands and saying over and over: I made it.

He had been standing with the other accepted candidates in front of the school for about half an hour now, and still nothing was happening. Regulus was bored, so he discreetly observed his future classmates, trying to estimate how intelligent they were. He was surprised to see everyone he saw in the waiting room before the entrance exams. They were lucky. Albert stood far from Regulus, right by the door. No one was talking to anyone, no one was even moving. The door finally opened and a woman appeared in it, the one from the committee.

"Welcome, students of Burgen school. I will be your class teacher, follow me," she said.

All the students followed her inside the school grounds. The corridor through which they were walking was unnaturally lit and there were a lot of doors. They stopped in front of one just now.

"This is your class, please sit down."

The students pushed in and everyone was looking up, so Regulus did too.

The entire ceiling was made of glass. He had never seen anything like it. The rest of the class was more ordinary. White walls, a long table turned into a semi-circle, 30 chairs that didn't look very comfortable, and a teacher's desk in the front. Similar to his former school. Regulus automatically headed to the place where he used to sit, in the middle. Then he stopped halfway because someone was already sitting there. He was starting to get anxious (well, more anxious than usual. His mind liked to maintain a certain anxiety level, you know, just to keep things interesting), so he sat down on the chair he was standing next to. Chairs on both of his sides were empty.

Regulus spotted Albert, making his way toward the empty chair next to Regulus. Then something weird happened. Albert was walking towards the chair next to Regulus but then stopped abruptly. He looked at Regulus, immediately broke eye contact, and went to sit somewhere else. Ehm, what? It was Albert who offered to help Regulus first. Of course, he did not expect to become Albert’s best friend, but total ignorance didn’t fit Albert’s personality. Or maybe he was just pretending to be nice before the committee. That would explain why he didn’t really want to talk to Regulus after his presentation. Well, if Albert wanted to pretend they never even met, that’s what they would do. Regulus sat straight, his gaze forward, hands elegantly placed on the table. He didn’t bat an eye when someone sat beside him. The teacher soon walked back and started a lesson on integrals and derivatives. Regulus could barely keep up. He was relieved when the lesson ended.

Then biology (lecture on cells and chlorophyll), break, politics (fairly manageable), and lunch. Regulus expected that they would have to go to the cafeteria but here the food appeared in front of them. Not literally - as soon as class ended, an opening appeared in the table in front of each student, and food on a tray came out. Chicken and rice, a glass of water. Nothing extra. About 5 seconds before the start of the lesson, the empty plates went down again. They continued with physics (electricity, Regulus understood that), break, and chemistry (formulas Regulus had never heard of). Regulus’s head was about to explode from the amount of information he was trying to absorb. For a moment his vision went blurry. He knew this school was the best and most challenging, but he thought he could do better. Regulus was in a class with 29 of the smartest kids in the world, but he didn’t feel like one of them. On the other hand, Albert, who was sitting on the edge of the table, looked absolutely fine, as if he had been preparing for this all his life. Not that Regulus was looking at him. Regulus was looking forward to being able to leave after classes ended, but they still had to choose lockers for the upcoming year.

The lockers were blue and white, alternating colors. Each had a small letter B with a number and a small screen below it. Students were supposed to type in a numerical code that would allow them to access the locker in the future. They all did it. It worked for everyone. Except for Regulus. When he entered his code, four numbers, the entire screen turned red. Everyone turned to him. Only then he noticed that Albert had chosen the locker next to him. He gave Regulus a pitiful look. Regulus wanted to electrocute him again.

"Try another locker," said the teacher simply.

Regulus felt like an idiot. Why did he always have to screw something up? He went to the locker at the very end of the row and tried the same code. This time it worked, thankfully. The teacher also showed them where the Experiment room was. The Experiment room was legendary in Burgensis. It was supposed to have every chemical, substance, and tool any scientist might need. Many students wanted to go to Burgen school only to gain access there. The teacher told them they had to book the room in advance, and Regulus could see everyone around him make a mental note to do exactly that. Albert especially seemed very interested in the room.

After the first day, Regulus really didn't think much about Albert anymore. The only thing he devoted himself to was trying to understand the subjects they covered. He had to make Dorcas proud. He spent a few minutes a day with Kreacher, but otherwise, he just studied, studied, and studied. It had been more than two months since he became a student at Burgen School. The hope that something would improve, which he had at the beginning, was completely lost. He expected that now that he had managed to get into the school he wanted, he would be... happier. More satisfied with his life. But Regulus had the feeling that it was the other way around.

In an attempt to make himself look forward to something, he booked the Experiment room. He didn’t have anything to improve on his electric shield, but he figured he could at least check the room out. On the day of his reservation, he walked into the classroom in the morning and immediately realized that something was wrong. The seat at the edge of the table was empty. Albert always came to school before Regulus. Every day for two months he sat on the edge of the table right in Regulus's field of vision. It was strange, but Regulus ordered himself not to worry about it.

Albert didn’t show up for the whole day. A student of Burgen school could only be absent three times a year, after which he was at risk of expulsion. The only two days when students didn’t go to school were the 1st holiday and the 2nd holiday.

Holidays, or more often called Celebrations, were both remainders of the Last war and the founding of Burgensis. The first Celebration was very glamorous and quite boring. The second one was better. All the lights were turned off for one hour in the whole Burgensis. The people lit candles and celebrated the fact that Jonathat Burgen managed to save the world.

Regulus blinked to come back to reality. Maybe Albert was sick. Not that Regulus cared. When the last period ended, he went straight to the Experiment room. It wasn’t what Regulus expected. It was messy. The floor, ceiling, and tables were white and impersonal like the rest of the school. But on the tables were the most peculiar things. Various devices, some of them with manuals, some musical instruments, books, some circular mechanisms, a chandelier were just a few examples of weird things. The room seemed endless, Regulus was a bit worried that he would not find his way back. He walked around, trying to absorb everything around him. He tripped on something that looked like a diadem. After a while, he finally walked to the end of the room and almost walked head-first into a glass barrier. It was built around the corner of the room, stretching from floor to ceiling. On the wall, Regulus noticed a small screen that read: "Isolation corner." Probably used when working with chemicals. Regulus steered clear from that and retraced his steps a bit, when he noticed a device near which were placed plastic balls, and if Regulus was right… of course he was! The device could shoot the plastic balls and Regulus just found himself a great new toy. He had to move some things around mostly the books which were lying on the ground too. Seriously, did no one clean around there? Finally, the space around him was clear. Regulus pressed start on the device and walked to stand opposite of it. He pressed the button of his watch and smiled when he felt a surge of electricity.

The first ball flew past Regulus, so he waited a while to check the rhythm and trajectory of plastic balls and when he was ready he moved and deflected the ball coming straight for his face. Also the next one. And another one. Showing off the shield at entrance exams was one thing, this was quite another. The shots were strong, but Regulus did not mind one bit. He was in a trance. After a while, he felt an ache in his shield hand and cursed for letting himself get so out of shape. A year back he could do 100 pushups anytime. But that was because Marlene teased him that he was a princess and he had to show her that she was wrong.

He wasn’t running on the streets all day and night now, so it made sense that he was a little bit rusty. Regulus shook his head, focusing only on his movements.

Deflect, side step, twist, deflect, get down, spin.

Regulus even tried a few turns. If a ball had hit him, he could have been seriously injured, but it didn't bother him one bit. He enjoyed every second. When he was so tired that he couldn’t breathe anymore, he took a step forward, deflected the ball, threw himself to the ground, rolled over his shoulder, holding the shield away from his body, and turned off the device, without missing a single ball. Regulus turned off the shield. And heard an applause.

A girl who wore a pale blue dress during entrance exams stood in the door of Experiment room. She looked unsure whether she could come in. Regulus noticed her every day, but never spoke to her. He noticed that her outfits had gotten more colourful and complicated as time progressed. She wore long yellow skirt and white top today. With her almost white hair, she looked like she just jumped out of a dream. Regulus glanced at his watch.

He was in the experiment room already 10 minutes longer than he should have been. He quickly walked to the girl.

"Sorry, I completely forgot about the time. I'll leave right away."

He was already heading for the door.

"It's OK. Wow, this room is quite something,” she said looking around starry-eyed.

Regulus also thought this room was quite something, but more in a derogatory sense.

“Did you know that every project or invention, no matter if good or completely useless is kept there to inspire the people who come after?” asked the girl.

Regulus did not know that, but he nodded. At least it was an explanation. Although he only felt inspired to clean here a bit.

“I will be on my way.”

Regulus wanted to leave. He had no business being here.

“Your shield looks good in action," she said.

Regulus felt embarrassed, because he realised this girl saw his entire shield presentation at the entrance exams from behind the scenes.

"Thank you," Regulus replied simply.

"Quite brave of you to train to fight like this, especially today, after Albert..." she didn't finish her sentence and nervously glanced around the room.

Leaving was suddenly the last thing on Regulus’s mind.

"Do you know why he wasn't at school today?"

The girl looked like she would prefer to avoid the answer, but Regulus gave her a look that indicated that it wasn’t an option.

“You know, both of my parents are journalists, and... well... there are rumours. About someone who wants to take control of Burgensis by force. A secret group that has spies. My parents learned from a reliable source that yesterday the police took someone away from the dormitory in handcuffs, and there is a high probability that that person is a part of that association," the girl’s voice was merely more than a whisper.

Regulus was speechless. He had never heard of such a thing.

"It still may not be true. Maybe something else happened to Albert or he just fell asleep. That's why journalism is such a tricky profession. Not all information is correct and then it is difficult to distinguish the truth from a lie.”

Regulus wanted to find out more, but the girl didn't look like she was going to reveal anything more about Albert. She was looking somewhere behind Regulus like she could see something that wasn’t there.

"I really have to go now, enjoy the Experiment room…?"

"Pandora. And you are Regulus, right?"

Regulus nodded and smiled, not the most sincere, and left the room. Could Burgensis really be in any danger? And could Albert have something to do with it? These questions had been swirling in Regulus’s head all day and although he tried to focus on his studies, his mind kept returning to the conversation with Pandora.

Albert didn't show up at Burgen's school for over three months. His chair was removed, his locker turned up unlocked and empty one day. As if he never existed. Sometimes Regulus exchanged a few words with Pandora, trying to get something new out of her, but he did not succeed. Everything stayed the same, until one day their class teacher said:

"There will be a school trip tomorrow. We will visit Burgensis prison, which is a great example of order and justice."

Regulus felt his heart stop. The teacher then walked out of the classroom, followed by the other students. The school was over for that day. Regulus remained seated in his place, unable to move.

"Are you OK?" asked Pandora, who was already standing in the doorway.

Regulus didn't answer. How could he go to the prison for a trip, when he was supposed to sit there like a prisoner? Only Pandora’s presence made him regain his composure and go to his apartment. It wasn't fair that he was walking free and his friends were in prison. How will he be able to look at the prisoners when he knew he was one of them? He didn't sleep that night, he just sat on the couch and stroked Kreacher, who was sleeping on his lap.

A bus was already waiting in front of the school. All first-year students boarded in an organised manner. Their class teacher explained that as an escort, three other people would be coming with them, to ensure safety. Regulus did not pay them any attention. During the bus ride, a few people talked quietly, but most stayed silent, like Regulus. A girl and a boy, who were sitting in front of Regulus were unfortunately talking and they were very excited about the trip to the Prison. They said, "They will see the establishment of justice and order with their own eyes." Prison took away Regulus's only two friends, what kind of justice was that supposed to be? His stomach was clenched the whole way. They arrived at the place at 9. The prison building was U-shaped, not very tall, with sharp edges. There was only one door, no windows. The building had a pale blue colour that was peeling off.

Regulus felt sick.

The class teacher walked up to two policemen, a man and a woman, who were standing in front of the entrance. They had a black uniform. High black boots, pants, and shirt, all made of thick, bulletproof material. Regulus noticed how the teacher tried to hide her nervousness while talking to the police officers. Regulus really sympathised with her. To this day, Regulus still panicked whenever he saw a policeman or a police car. He was sure that this fear would never go away. The policeman and woman let them in and led them to a small room with a large screen. There were chairs set up in a circle, already prepared for them. While they were sitting down, another policeman arrived, a little older. He sat down on the only free chair, next to the class teacher. He didn't introduce himself, he just started talking. About what an honor it is to be a police officer. Catch dangerous criminals. To defend justice. How important it is to follow rules and laws. Regulus would summarize his entire lecture in a few words: If you make any mistake, we will find you and you will end up here. The visit to the prison did not end with the lecture. A tour followed. Fortunately, the police officers were aware enough to not take the children inside the prison (although Regulus would not be surprised by that today either) and went outside to the yard. Regulus did not notice the fresh air filling his lungs.

He caught part of the policeman's explanation: “The security of the prison consists of the tiny electrical tapes that you see on the hands of the prisoners. If the prisoner enters somewhere he is not supposed to, he gets an electric shock. If one prisoner touches another, they both receive an electric shock. That's the system that makes the Prison so safe.”

The yard they were walking along was supposed to "allow prisoners to move freely on the outside." The prisoners didn't seem too thrilled with this option. They were just walking or sitting on the concrete floor. They looked away from passing students. Regulus looked carefully at everyone, hoping to recognise Dorcas or Marlene. In vain. The fence around the yard was made of thick iron wire that ran both horizontally and vertically. The wire even formed the roof of the yard and was, of course, under an electrical current. The spaces between the individual wires were a maximum of 5 by 5 centimeters. From there the prisoners could see the beginning of the forest, the same one that grew behind Regulus's house. He came up with a more fitting name than the yard: Cage. Between it and the pavement where Regulus was standing, there was a meter-long, so-called danger zone where no one was allowed to step. There was only dried clay, no security. Electric tapes and an electric fence were more than enough. The concrete path along the yard that Regulus walked on seemed endless. He couldn’t bear it anymore, his legs threatened to give up any second, so he slowed down until he was a good distance behind his class and could hyperventilate in peace. No one seemed to notice.

"Regulus," a voice he recognised called his name.

At first he thought it was someone from his class, calling him to catch up. He wanted to run to them, but then he realised whose voice it was. He slowly turned his head to yard with prisoners. Albert was standing there. Regulus almost screamed.

“Psssssst, we don't have much time. I need your help,” said Albert.

Regulus recognised his voice, but otherwise, the boy Regulus was looking at had very little in common with Albert. He wore white prison clothes. His hair was cut very short, he probably had his head shaven. His dark curls were completely gone, but that wasn't the worst part of his appearance. Albert's eyes were wide and irritated. Regulus could see the red veins in the whites of his eyes. It must have hurt him because he kept blinking. Albert wanted to reach for Regulus but he stopped at the last moment. Touching the fence would kill him. Regulus slowly came to his senses, ignoring the danger zone, and approached the wires.

"Why are you in prison?" whispered Regulus, keeping a safe distance from the fence.

"I will explain everything to you. I need your watch. I need an electric shield,” said Albert frantically.

"What?!"

"Thanks to the shield, I will escape. I promise to return it to you," explained Albert.

A few prisoners looked at them, but none of them did anything. They just watched.

Regulus hesitated. He still couldn’t believe this was happening.

"See that building over there?" Albert pointed to a structure resembling a warehouse, a short distance from the forest.
"Sometimes they take a prisoner there and leave without him. Regulus, if you don't give me that watch, I'm dead and so are other people. Please."

Regulus believed that he was telling the truth, but also… Albert was a stranger to him. And he was asking him to give up an electric shield, his best means of protection and the last thing he had left of Dorcas and Marlene.

“I am not sure I can give you the watch,” Regulus said, trying to stall.

“For Sirius,” Albert whispered.

Regulus stared at him. A second later he was unfastening his watch. No one had said his brother’s name in two years. He didn’t care about explanation.

"Be careful," Albert whispered.

“No really?” Regulus retorted sarcastically.

The hole between the wires was big enough to put a watch through. Theoretically. Regulus held the strap and gave it to Albert. Now each of them held one part of the watch, the round screen was in the middle. The fence sparkled a little. Regulus had no desire to find out what would happen when the core of the electric shield connected with the wire.

"On three," said Regulus. Albert looked into his eyes, understanding.

On three, Regulus let go of the strap and Albert jerked the watch towards him. Nothing exploded. Regulus was still alive. Albert quickly put the watch in his pocket. The prisoners around him gasped quietly. They did it.

"What is your address?" Albert asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Zone A1, street 10, apartment block 23, 20."

Albert nodded. Regulus ran away from the danger zone.

He caught up with his class, trying to look as innocent and nonchalant as possible.
Not one of his classmates paid him any mind. Regulus was about to exhale when he noticed one of the people who came as an escort for students was watching him intently. It was a dark-skinned young woman. Regulus would have sworn that she looked directly at his wrist, but she did not say anything. The students left the prison through the same door as they entered, boarded the bus, and returned as if nothing happened.

But something did happen. Regulus's mind raced all the way to the apartment. What had he done? He was so stupid. The shield was his most prized possession and he gave it away. What if Albert really managed to escape? And what if he didn’t? Regulus did not like either option. What if he never got back his electric shield again? Albert promised to return it, but they were just words. His brother’s name.

The moment he got to the apartment and closed the door behind himself, Regulus fell to his knees. The prison and Albert triggered everything in him. He couldn’t fight the memories anymore, so he let his brain win and went back two years, to the day their mother kicked Sirius out.

Chapter Text

Regulus came home from school and was welcomed by screaming Sirius and his mother. The alarms in his head went immediately off because their mother never raised her voice. She was mostly cold, in extreme cases vicious, but Regulus never heard her lose her temper like this. He walked to the living room and heard the end of an argument.

“Get the hell out of this apartment Sirius and never come back!” Walburga screamed.

She was shaking with anger.

“Mother, you have lost your mind!” Sirius shouted back.

He would always shout back.

“If that’s what you think, fine. But you will still do as I say, do you know why? You have no other option. Understood?” their mother spat out.

Sirius was about to say something, but Walburga did not let him.

“Do you understand me, Sirius?”

“No I don’t!” screamed Sirius in frustration.

“How about I explain it to you in terms you will understand? You are no longer my son. So pack your stuff and leave right now!”

Sirius was ready to say something back, but he noticed Regulus standing in the living room, speechless. He shot their mother one last hateful look, then grabbed Regulus’s hand and pulled him to their room.

“Reggie, listen carefully right now. Don’t go near mother, it would be for the best if you didn’t leave the room. I’m going to check something out and I am gonna come back for you, okay?”

“Where are you going?” asked Regulus in a small voice. Everything about this situation was wrong.

“I am going to see if the place where I want to take you is safe. We will live together, just you and me.”

Regulus liked that idea very much. But he could see Sirius was scared.

“I will come with you,” Regulus said.

“No, I need to make sure… I will be back before sunset. The sooner we leave this apartment, the better. Just wait for me, okay?”

Regulus nodded, and in a second Sirius was out of their room. He didn’t even take anything, no clothes, no food. Regulus decided to fix that and started to pack. He had everything ready in about an hour. There was no sign of Sirius, but Regulus didn’t mind waiting. He sat on the corner of Sirius’s bed because he felt the safest in his brother’s room. The hour passed, and the sun set. Sirius still didn’t show up. Their mother left the apartment. It got dark outside. Regulus moved to the window and looked out for Sirius, but after some time he lost hope that Sirius would return that day. Maybe he decided to sleep over at the place he was talking about. That made sense, the streets were dangerous at night. Yes, Sirius was safe and sound somewhere and would come for Regulus tomorrow morning.

But he didn’t. Regulus went to school because he didn’t know what else to do. He was sitting on his chair and he kept staring at the door because he expected Sirius to burst out of them any second and take him away. But he didn’t, and he wasn’t at home when Regulus came from school. Regulus paced the room back and forth. Something terrible had to happen to Sirius. What if he was hurt? Regulus couldn’t stand to be in their room and do nothing. He walked out of the apartment building and started walking in random direction, looking for Sirius. He didn’t stop when he was hungry, when he was tired, when the sun started to set. He only stopped when he noticed the street lamps were on. The lamps were very scarce because according to the government, it was a waste of electricity and no respectable person had any reason to be outside after dark. But for the first time, Regulus now was. He was scared, but he didn’t want to go home, not without Sirius. He kept on walking and as time progressed, he started meeting some people. Most of them avoided Regulus. Some tried to say something, but Regulus kept on walking. He had no idea where he was, but that didn’t matter to him. It hit him that Sirius could be gone for good. That Regulus may never see him again. Sirius would never lie to him so something bad had to happen to prevent him from coming back for Regulus. Regulus found himself on a bridge, and because the river flowed only through the small part of Burgensis, he had to be in zone A3. He sat down on the ground, crushed.

He didn’t know how long he sat there till a set of tall boots and a set of sneakers walked up to him.

“Hey, are you okay?” a female voice asked him.

Regulus didn’t bother lifting his head. He thought whoever the woman was, she would leave him alone after a while.

“Aren’t you cold? Do you want to come to our place for a bit?” the same voice asked Regulus.

The woman sounded kind, but Regulus stubbornly kept his head down.

“Listen you little jerk, if you stay here someone is gonna mug you, beat you, or kill you, so get the fuck up and come with us,” said another female voice.

This statement made Regulus lift his eyes. Two young women were standing opposite him. The one with boots and a kind voice had dark skin, golden rings on almost every finger, and a leather jacket. The one with sneakers wore an oversized hoodie with a hood covering most of her face, with only a few blonde strands peeking out. Regulus had never before in his life been more scared than in that moment. He was probably shaking from fear, shivering from the cold, but he still barked:

“Leave me alone.”

The girls looked at one another.

“I like this one,” said the one with sneakers.

She walked closer to Regulus, grabbed him by T-shirt and lifted him up to standing position, before he even noticed what was happening. Then she let go of Regulus and outstretched her hand.

“The name is Marlene.”

At the same time, the other girl commented under her breath: “Like a mother cat to her kitten.”

Marlene rolled her eyes.

“And that one who thinks she is very funny is Dorcas.”

Dorcas smiled.

“We don’t live far,” she said.

The other one, Marlene, looked ready to drag Regulus if necessary, so he gave up and followed. He could feel the cold in his bones now and he refused to return home, so this was his only option. Later, he couldn’t believe he followed two strangers like the biggest idiot alive, but that night he was in hell and didn’t want to leave.

Dorcas’s we don’t live far turned out to be fat lie because they walked for eternity and then some. Finally they arrived to apartment building. Dorcas put a small device to fingerprint sensor (all apartment building doors would unlock when the sensor recognised the fingerprint of a person who lived there) and the doors opened. Regulus was shocked. He never heard or saw anything of sorts. Marlene saw him staring and grinned.

“Cool right? Dorcas invented this little magic thing.”

“Pssst,” Dorcas shushed them, which was probably a smart thing, considering the fact that they were breaking in.

They walked the steps to the first floor and repeated the process of opening the door with the device. Regulus stepped inside the apartment with the girls. Marlene turned on a small lamp. They were standing in an ordinary apartment, albeit a bit empty. There were no coats on the rack, and no shoes near the door. Regulus followed Dorcas into the living room, while Marlene disappeared in the kitchen. Dorcas took off her jacket and threw it mindlessly on the sofa. Regulus sat next to it. In the weak light, he could see that Dorcas had long hair intricately braided around her face. She also looked young, maybe only a few years older than Regulus. When Marlene came to view, Regulus could see that she was also younger than he anticipated. She couldn’t be older than 20, but that was still old in Regulus’s eyes. Marlene threw some chips and pastries on the table.

“So what’s your deal?” Marlene asked.

Regulus stared at her, not understanding her question.

“Dead parents? Kicked from home? Got a bad mark at school and freaked out?”

Regulus couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.

“I never knew you had such skill at dealing with children,” Dorcas said and at the same time kicked her legs and crossed them on the table, only barely missing the food.

“Yeah, that's children’s home for you,” said Marlene.

Her eyes darkened a bit.

“You still didn’t tell us your name,” Dorcas addressed Regulus, clearly trying to change the theme.

“My name is Regulus and I was looking for my brother.”

“Okay, now we are getting somewhere. Does he owe you money or—?” asked Marlene.

“Marlene the kid is like 12,” Dorcas sighed.

“So?”

“I am 14!” Regulus corrected.

Dorcas and Marlene laughed. Marlene moved to sit down next to Dorcas. She sat as close as possible to her and took her hand in hers. Regulus didn’t think much about it. He explained his situation to the girls. He held on to the small hope that they might help him. They clearly knew the streets and Regulus would never admit that out loud, but he thought they were the coolest people he ever met. Plus, he was tired of dodging their questions.

“So let me get this straight. You have a perfectly fine home and yet you decided to go on a night trip, because your brother didn’t show up for a day and a half?”

Marlene barked out a laugh. Dorcas stayed quiet, watching Regulus carefully. He wanted to scream from frustration, but he was out of fight. He wanted Sirius.

“I have had enough for one day. We should go to sleep and try to make sense of this situation tomorrow,” said Dorcas, stood up, and left the room, with Marlene on her heels.

Regulus laid down on the couch he was sitting on and turned his back to the room.

He woke up to someone gently touching his shoulder.

“Me and Marlene need to leave now,” said Dorcas gently.

Regulus opened his tired eyes. She already had her leather jacket on.

“Go to school Regulus and then go home,” she added and wasted no time leaving the apartment.

Marlene was already nowhere to be seen. Regulus took a bus to school, not caring that he was wearing yesterday’s clothes. He stopped by at his apartment. Sirius wasn’t there, but Regulus wasn’t surprised by it. Dorcas and Marlene thought he was overeating, but they didn’t understand his bond with Sirius. In Regulus’s head, the fact that Sirius didn’t show up before sunset like he promised, meant something was wrong, and sitting around waiting for him made no sense. Regulus wrote a handwritten note to his brother: “Call me if you come back. I am looking for you.”

It was Sirius who made Regulus learn how to write with pen on paper even though it was theoretically useless knowledge because everyone in Burgensis used some kind of electronic device. Regulus only took his phone and a hoodie, because he was really cold yesterday when he left the apartment. He took a bus in front of an apartment building where Dorcas and Marlene broke in, sat down on the stairs, and waited. He stopped checking the time around midnight, worried about the battery on his phone. Just when he was about to lose hope, the two girls showed up.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Marlene exclaimed when she saw Regulus.

The girls looked the same as yesterday, only difference was a big bag in Dorcas’s hands.

“Kiddo, what are you doing there?” Dorcas asked, her eyes nervously flitting around.

“I need to find my brother and you two know your way around Burgensis, so I was thinking you could help me?” Regulus tried his best to sound convincing.

Dorcas and Marlene stared at Regulus like he was from a different planet.

“Maybe you got the wrong impression, but we are not babysitters,” Marlene said.

“I know my brother is out there somewhere, I just need to look for him, maybe ask around…”

Dorcas shook her head and made a dissatisfied noise with her tongue.

“When you want to find something out, you don’t ask around. People will lie to you, or try to exchange the information for money. No, when you need truth, you listen.”

Regulus thought Dorcas sounded a bit pretentious, but he really needed their help.

“Great, so take me with you so I can listen.”

“Regulus, do you know what we do?” Marlene asked in an annoyed tone and gestured between her and Dorcas.

Regulus shook his head. Marlene grinned. She had a chipped tooth.

“The answer is anything. We steal, beat up people, and smuggle alcohol if the situation is bad. We sleep on the street if we have to. We are the bad guys your parents warned you about.”

“I don’t care,” Regulus said, not very convincingly.

“Oh you don’t care, okay! We have a job tonight. Wanna come help? Quick warning: when the police comes, we will leave you behind without batting an eye,” Marlene said, still grinning like a maniac.

Regulus stood up.

“Okay, which way?” he asked.

He wasn’t scared, because he didn’t understand the gravity of crimes and danger of spending time with Dorcas and Marlene. That came later. Back then, when Marlene showed him how to remove a code from item so it could be stolen and when they actually managed to pass scanners and get away, he was fearless. He learned to be afraid soon enough.

Dorcas and Marlene allowed him to stay with them, under the condition that he will keep going to school and stay on top of the class. Regulus had no trouble with that.

It was spring when they first met. Dorcas and Marlene told him to meet them if he wanted to and acted genuinely surprised when he showed up every day. Some days Dorcas and Marlene had something to do on the streets, and despite acting so dangerous, their jobs were mostly delivering packages or messages. Sometimes they let Regulus come with them, sometimes they forbade him to come which would ensure Regulus taking offense and long speeches about how he was capable enough and that they were underestimating him. Somehow they concluded that they should teach Regulus how to fight or at least as Dorcas put it, Regulus should be able to:

“Pretend to know how to fight and be able to protect himself for at least three seconds.”

As spring rolled into summer, they spent more and more time outside, on borders of zones where no one would bother them. Dorcas taught Regulus basics and now he was practicing with Marlene, while Dorcas was watching and correcting him.

“If you drop your hands one more time we are done!” Dorcas shouted.

This threat worked best on Regulus because all he wanted to do was practice. He felt that if he could learn how to fight, he could start looking for Sirius properly.

“Keep on moving, but no useless movements!”

Regulus threw a punch, but Marlene dodged him effortlessly. The thing was, no one bothered him much when he was with Marlene and Dorcas, so he didn’t feel like the streets were extremely dangerous, but he knew his sense of security was a result of the girl’s reputation. Sure sometimes a man with yellow eye whites would try to sell them drugs, or a girl begged them for money, and when it didn’t help she drew a knife. Mostly it was men making passes at Dorcas, Marlene, or both of them. They all wound up with broken noses, ribs, or at the very least egos. But many more crossed a street when they saw the girls. They were known, so Regulus felt like the streets weren’t so bad but at the same time, he knew he would be dead many times if he was walking alone. So that's why he needed to learn how to fight.

“Side step Regulus, always side step.”

It’s been months and there were no news of Sirius whatsoever. Marlene sometimes even asked around but without any result.

“Try jabs Regulus.”

And at the very least, fighting helped with his frustration. Marlene faked kick and punched Regulus in the stomach instead. He fell on his hands and knees. Marlene always ended her lesson like this. Then she always offered Regulus hand and picked him up.

“Oh, I am too old for this,” Marlene sighed, shaking her hands, “mark my word Regulus, enjoy your body while it works.”

“You are literally 20,” Dorcas said.

“And my back hurts when I sit too long so explain that to me,” Marlene retorted.

Dorcas just shook her head.

“Hey Dorcas, will you still love me when I need a back brace and crutches?”

“I will love even when you need a wheelchair.”

Marlene smiled and kissed Dorcas.

“Wait, you guys are together?” Regulus wheezed because he still didn’t manage to catch his breath after the practice.

The girls laughed.

At the beginning of autumn, Regulus was becoming a decent fighter, progressing fast because he spent every free moment doing push-ups and what Dorcas called mobility exercises. At first, Regulus thought it was bullshit but he stuck to a routine and soon he could feel he moved differently. Once, when fighting, Dorcas kept telling him to try high kicks, but Regulus couldn’t figure the movement out. It was frustrating, because around this time the movements came to him quite easily, and then he drilled them over and over till they felt natural. But kicks felt wrong for Regulus, he kept on losing his balance, so he nervously spat at Dorcas:

“Why don’t you try it.”

Marlene laughed at that, so after she knocked Regulus down, he asked her about that.

“Kid, if Dorcas had one training with you, you wouldn’t be able to walk for a week,” Marlene answered.

Regulus found it hard to believe. When you looked at Marlene you saw fighter: biceps bigger than Regulus’s calfs, broad shoulder, six pack Regulus was secretly extremely jealous of. Dorcas looked more ladylike, with long hair and lean body. She was a bit taller than Marlene, but that was the only advantage Regulus could think of. Marlene smiled and added:

“Dorcas was living on the streets before me. When they kicked me out of the children’s home on my 18th birthday, I stayed with some of my friends for a while, but then I met Dorcas. She taught me to fight.”

Regulus filed this information in his head. He knew a lot about Marlene by now. Strangely, half a year back he thought Dorcas was the nicer one, but now he was undoubtedly closer to Marlene. They would joke together, talked shit about people they saw, and recently Marlene started to mess with Regulus’s hair which he interpreted as a sign of affection. Dorcas on the other hand, remained a closed book. They talked of course, but it was mostly Dorcas explaining stuff to him, teaching him how to fight, think, even talk. She forced him to expand his mind, so he could see the world a bit more clearly.

“Marlene, why did Dorcas end up on a street?” Regulus asked a question he never dared to before.

Marlene stayed silent for a while.

“I am sorry Regulus, but she will have to be the one to tell you that,” said Marlene and her eyes got a little bit sad, so he dropped it immediately.

He found out two months later when they were spending the night on the street.

Sometimes, for reasons unknown to Regulus, they couldn’t come to the apartment. The girls refused to tell him why. The only explanation Regulus could come up with was that on these days the original owner used the apartment. Or someone else. When such a situation arose, the girls always sent Regulus home, but today, Regulus refused. The argument went something like this:

“Go home you idiot, we don’t have anything interesting to do anyways.”

“No.”

“Regulus you have school tomorrow, you know the rules.”

“I am on top of class.”

“Whatever, we don’t have time for this, let’s go meet Alice.”

“Fine.”

“Fine. Wait, who is Alice?”

They had to walk to B1 to meet Alice. While they walked, Dorcas briefly explained that Alice was their old friend. She wasn’t homeless like the girls. Alice was the head of food produce administration in C zones. Together with her boyfriend Frank, who took care of the implementation of technology in C zones, the two of them formed the voice of C zones. If there was some issue, it inevitably reached Alice or Frank, and it was up to them to deal with it. They were relentless when it came to dealing with problems, they called ministers, argued with people at the bank, and made peace if there was some dispute between farmers. Dorcas didn’t speak with admiration about many people, especially not men, but Regulus could tell she admired those two. When Regulus asked how the girls met Alice, they didn’t offer any explanation.

Their meeting point was near the Burgen school, which area was so huge that it was possible to disappear in the shadows of tall walls. Alice was already waiting for them, she smiled and waved when she saw them. She wore a knitted jumper with flowers. The shops didn’t sell clothes with such decorations, so she had to make the jumper herself. The jumper was oversized so it made impossible to guess Alice’s build. Maybe that was the point.

The girls hugged each other. Regulus never saw Dorcas or Marlene hug somebody else. Alice’s eyes stopped on Regulus. Even in the dark, Regulus could tell she had kind eyes. She introduced herself:

“Hi, my name is Alice.”

“I am Regulus, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“So you two have already managed to adopt a kid?” Alice asked with mischievous smile.

“More like he adopted us,” Marlene snickered.

“I am fifteen!” Regulus corrected.

Alice laughed. They all sat down. The concrete was cold, so there was a bit of shuffle while everyone found something to sit on.

Dorcas joined the debate:

“He is our friend, you can speak freely Al.”

“Okay then. The Burgensis is going to shit and it’s gonna start in C zones,” said Alice without missing a beat.

“Would you mind adding maybe a bit more information,” prompted Dorcas.

“Burgensis’s minister of agriculture is asking for more of a produce,” began Alice.

“Again?!”

“Yea Marls, again. The thing is, people from C zones already think they are stretched thin, and they are right. It is impossible to produce more food and it’s not really an issue of funds — like we have enough seeds and stuff — it’s an issue of space. There is not enough soil.”

Regulus knew about the issues with C zones because there were always issues with C zones. The reason for this was mostly the fact that the zones were the most technologically advanced and people who managed to deliver given rations of food were compensated quite generously. When Burgensis was founded, food was priority and the C zones people still carried themselves with sense of self-importance that was almost palpable. The farmers with the inventions that defied imagination were almost unable to stay silent if something bothered them.

“There is a talk about protest, a serious one,” continued Alice.

She was playing with strands of grass that managed to find their way through the concrete.

“But I don’t know what will it achieve. The truth is the only solution would be to add new soil, but there isn’t enough space in Burgensis. The only thing that could solve this would be to take down the southern part of the forest, but the parliament won’t even consider this. Soon, there will not be enough food for everyone.”

Alice finished talking with such absolute certainty that Regulus had made a mental note to make a big food purchase the next time he went to the shops.

“Do you think protest will help?” asked Marlene.

“To actually make governments notice that there is a problem? No. To make people feel better. Definitely,” answered Alice.

Dorcas nodded, then asked: “So are you gonna lead it?”

Regulus thought it was a joke, but no one laughed.

“Frank wanted to, but I told him not to. There are many people in line for our jobs, waiting for a single mistake. The situation on the whole is not gonna get better anytime soon, so I think we have to do everything to keep our jobs. I want to keep on helping people and I think me and Frank can do more good from our positions.”

Regulus listened intently to Alice. She sounded so reasonable, so clever.

“Plus, there is someone else for the job of leading the protest. He is just a kid really, not much older than Regulus here. He showed up kinda from nowhere, but he’s got a spirit.”

Regulus froze. Sirius, Sirius, Sirius was all he could hear in his head, but he stayed silent. Dorcas taught him to never ask his questions straight away.

“Not sure if he isn’t a bit too harsh, but he consults everything with me or Frank, so that has to count for something. I met his mom the other day, she begged me to not let him get in trouble,” Alice chuckled.

Regulus’s heart sank. Definitely not Sirius. Dorcas made eye contact with him and smiled sadly. She didn’t miss anything. The girls kept on talking, but Regulus was too lost in his self-pity to really listen. After like half an hour Alice had to return home.

“I will tell you the exact date of the protest when I will know it, so you’ll be ready if shit goes down,” said Alice as a goodbye.

The girls hugged each other again and this time Alice went and hugged Regulus too. Since Sirius disappeared, the closest Regulus came to comforting touch were Marlene’s punches. Sirius was a touchy-feely person and Regulus would often have to wiggle out of his hugs or fix his hair when Sirius would mess it up. He hadn’t realised how much he missed that until Alice was hugging him. He sank into the hug and Alice hugged him tighter, sensing he needed it. When they let go, Regulus was embarrassed, but Alice just smiled without malice.

“Marls, darling, will you walk Alice to the border?” Dorcas asked.

Marlene of course agreed and they set on walking. Dorcas sat down again, so Regulus did too.

“There is something seriously wrong going on,” Dorcas said, not really addressing Regulus.

“Are you so worried about the protest in C?” Regulus asked.

Dorcas stayed silent for a while and only wind could be heard.

“I am not worried about the protest, I just don’t understand it.”

“Understand what?”

“We have thousands and thousands of citizens now, and the number is only going to grow. But the people already have nowhere to live and soon they will have nothing to eat. But thats not what’s scary. The scary thing is that the officials, the parliament, the president are not doing anything with it. They have to know. So Regulus, why aren’t we expanding Burgensis?”

Regulus thought hard. He came up with nothing.

“Exactly,” Dorcas said, “nothing is stopping them, so why are they letting people be homeless?”

“I thought you became homeless because you couldn’t get a job,” said Regulus.

“You get the apartment the moment you get a job, that’s right. But every year, almost a quarter of absolvents don’t land a job, simply because there are more people than work position. Again back to the problem that Burgensis is simply too small. Some of them marry someone with an apartment. Some of them stay living with their parents. But half a year after you finish your studies, your home address ceases to be valid. No address means no healthcare, no healthcare means no vaccination, and no vaccination means you can’t be accepted to any job. Do you see? If you don’t get the job right after you graduate, you are basically done for.”

Regulus didn’t know. Marlene often said that getting a job was hard but Regulus assumed she was content with the way she was living and she didn’t try that hard. Guess he was wrong.

“This leads to one simple question. Why would parliament make laws that make it almost impossible to find a job?”

Regulus had no answer, but he had one question:

“Is that what happened to you?”

“Not really,” Dorcas answered.

“Then what-“

“You only have a year and a half of basic education left, right?” Dorcas asked out of nowhere, changing the theme completely.

“Yeah, why?” Regulus answered carefully, not sure about the turn of this conversation.

He wanted to see where Dorcas was going with this question but he wasn’t letting her of the hook that easily.

“You could go to Burgen school in a year,” said Dorcas quietly.

Back then Regulus had only a vague idea about Burgen school and it wasn’t appealing.

“Why would I?” Regulus scoffed.

“Because I checked and you really are on top of your class, by far. I have never since I met you seen you study. All you do is fuck around with us, you sleep for like four hours and still somehow manage to surpass your classmates.”

Regulus never gave school much thought. Sirius was a firm believer that school was dumb waste of time and their mother was always telling them not to disappoint her, so Regulus always did his homework fast and efficiently in order to appease them both. These days he wrote his homework during breaks and studied only during his bus rides. Dorcas once told him to stay on top so he did.

“It’s not that hard. My classmates are idiots,” Regulus said finally said.

Dorcas shook her head, bewildered.

“You are smart Regulus, much more than you realise.”

He was about to protest, but Dorcas didn’t let him.

“You have an advantage so fucking use it. After you finish Burgen school, you will have plentiful job offers. Stupid laws will not be your problem. You get a nice apartment and you become untouchable. Don’t you want that?” Dorcas was speaking with such passion and drive that Regulus had trouble formulating an answer.

“I am not sure, I mean - isn’t it extremely hard to get to Burgen school?”

The wind blew again, colder this time. Regulus shivered and almost missed when Dorcas said:

“I wanted to go to Burgen’s”

“Say what now?”

Dorcas looked like the last person who would want to go to a prestigious school.

Dorcas sighed.

“I grew up with my father. He was a lawyer, a successful one. But then he got sick. He was always tired, couldn’t eat, on the verge of passing out daily. But he kept working because he had a ton of people under him and refused to lose even one client. But then one morning he couldn’t get up. He was bed-bound for like five days, writhing in pain. If I had known better, I would have taken him to hospital. I didn’t know, I was 13. When he got better he went to work only to find out they fired him. There was nothing he could do. We lost our apartment, but we went to live with his brother and his family, so it was fine. He couldn’t go to the hospital, because they will not admit you if don’t have a job, did you know?”

Regulus shook his head, not daring to utter a word.

“My uncle took care of my brother, got him painkillers and everything. He and his wife never made us feel unwelcome, even though we stayed for almost three years. I studied hard because I wanted to go to Burgen school. My dad was my biggest supporter. I could only ever learn something if I was able to tell him about it. For my entrance exam project, I choose pharmaceutical science, with the hope of finding a cure. I studied diseases, I ground his pills to study them under a microscope. My father’s pain got worse and worse every day. Ordinary painkillers stopped working, my uncle couldn’t get him anything better. But I could. I went out and asked around. Becoming a drug smuggler is harder than you would guess. It took me weeks to find someone, but I did. The shit I did Regulus, the shit I saw…”

Dorcas’s voice broke and for a moment Regulus thought she might start crying. But she swallowed and continued.

“Anyways, I stole stuff for my father and it actually helped him. I fucking managed it, used the knowledge in my project too. Went to an entrance interview in Burgen school, and with the shakiest voice ever told them how in theory we could use different inhibitors in medicines than we use now. They were impressed, I could tell they were impressed. I got home all hopeful. I wanted to tell my dad. But he wouldn’t wake up. They had to drag me away. Then I got a message from Burgen school. It said that my address was invalid, so they had to disqualify me. In all that stress I didn’t even think about the fact that my home address wasn’t mine anymore.”

Regulus couldn’t breathe. She lost everything in one day.

“To be honest I have no idea what I did right after, but I know I left and stayed on the street. The dealers found me, said they knew I stole some stuff. They beat me. I was hoping that they would kill me. I have blanks in my memory, from that time, moths are missing - but I remember how concrete felt against my cheek and I was just glad I will never have to feel anything again.”

Dorcas stopped talking for a while. Regulus wouldn’t have asked her to continue the story, but she did.

“But they didn’t kill me. They said I can take a punch so they sent me to Fenrir. He ran illegal fighting rings in C3. He taught me to fight. I became his champion. But then Alice and Frank ruined it.”

She chuckled, then almost choked, then continued.

“The general population of C wasn’t in favor of our fighting, so Frank pretended to be a potential recruit of Fenrir. He learned names and inner workings and then called the police. Fenrir and a bunch of guys were arrested. I ran. I was alone for a while and finally gained back a bit of sanity. I tried to come back to my uncle, but he found the pills I had stolen, said I was a junkie, and kicked me out. I never touched any of that shit, but after this, I probably would, if I hadn’t met Marlene.”

Dorcas smiled. Regulus thought his eyes were lying to him, but Dorcas was really smiling, so softly. Even the wind stopped blowing, only silence sounded.

“Let me tell you Regulus, the moment I kissed her, all that pain, all that suffering felt like it was worth it just to get to that moment. When I am dying, I will be replaying the memory of how she smiled after that kiss in my head.”

Regulus didn’t know what to say, and thankfully he didn’t have to, because Marlene came back. When she saw them, she ran to them and sat down too.

“What are you guys talking about?” Marlene asked as she was snuggling into Dorcas’s side.

Dorcas put an arm around her and answered:
“I think Regulus should go to Burgen school.”

“No fucking way,” reacted Marlene, “then he is gonna study day and night and will not have time for us.”

“I will always find time for you,” Regulus said truthfully.

Marlene cooed and then launched herself at Regulus to tackle him. In a few seconds, they were all laughing so much that their stomachs hurt.

On one especially cold January day, Regulus dragged himself to Dorcas’s and Marlene’s apartment in a shitty mood, because his mother was making him accompany her to the celebration.

Marlene welcomed him grimly: “Dorcas is fixing something again.”

Regulus sighed. Dorcas made quite a lot of money fixing stuff, anything that she got her hands on. She could also make things from scratch, like the device that could open the locks. Regulus and Marlene learned the hard way that Dorcas was not to be disturbed when she was working on something. She was also irritable, very sensitive to noise of any kind, and wouldn’t eat or sleep until whatever she was working on was finished.

Marlene went to take a nap and Regulus decided he might as well study to pass the time. He still wasn’t sure about going to Burgen school, but he also wasn’t completely opposed to the idea. He was deep in maths problems when Dorcas burst out of the door, almost knocked down a shelf next to the door, and tripped all while shouting:
“Holly shit it works!”

Marlene ran out of her bedroom, her hair disheveled like Regulus had never seen them before.
“Sweetheart, what the fuck?!” Marlene asked while rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“Look I fixed it,” Dorcas said grinning, and waved her wrist before Regulus’s eyes.

Marlene came closer to get a look. It was a watch, quite ordinary with a small round display showing time. Regulus supposed it was great that she fixed some watch, but didn’t really understand all the excitement. But then Dorcas pressed a small button on the watch and a shield of pure electricity appeared. Marlene jumped on the sofa to get away. Regulus felt his mouth hanging open but he didn’t bother to close it. His brain was absolutely clueless in registering what his eyes were seeing. Dorcas was grinning like a maniac.

“I need one of you to touch it,” Dorcas said.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Regulus agreed with Marlene but his mouth was still open so he couldn’t say anything.

“It’s perfectly safe. 100%. Well 99%, but-“

Regulus took a few steps closer to examine the shield. He could see the sparks from up close.

“Regulus don’t you dare to touch that,” Marlene said sternly.

Regulus wasn’t really about to but Dorcas moved and absolutely on purpose touched Regulus’s shoulder with the shield. He fell to the ground. Marlene screamed. Regulus couldn’t move. He briefly thought that this was such a stupid way to die, but then began to feel his limbs and managed to get to a sitting position.

“Not even four seconds, I have to fix that,” Dorcas said to herself while Marlene knelt in front of Regulus and frantically patted him over, checking for injuries.

“I am sorry Regulus, I just had to-“

Dorcas began, but Marlene interrupted her:
“Are you crazy, you could have hurt him!”

Dorcas flinched but answered calmly:
“I tested it on myself like 20 times before this.”

“You could have said that before,” Regulus said in annoyance. He stood up slowly.

“I thought you two knew I would never hurt you two,” Dorcas said in a small voice.

Marlene’s eyes softened. Dorcas turned the shield off.

“Bet we will get so much money for this,” said Marlene and waved to the watch.

“Oh, I am keeping this. I will tell them I couldn’t fix it.”

Regulus for the millionth time wondered who “them” Dorcas and Marlene did so many jobs for. By now he knew he would not get any answer.

“And what exactly will you do with it?” Marlene asked.

Dorcas turned to Regulus: “What do you say we make your fighting lessons a bit more interesting?”

She took the watch off and threw it into Regulus’s hands.

The evening Regulus lost them both began as any other would. They had to steal some compartments from the shops. Regulus was on the lookout as always, making sure no one saw Dorcas and Marlene. The girls signaled him clear so that meant they had everything and were ready to head out. Regulus moved to see them pass the scanners. He held his breath when they passed, but no alarm sounded. Regulus now only had to wait for a while to not raise suspicions that he was with them. After a minute or two, he headed out of the shop. He walked out without any issues. He thought about how to persuade Dorcas to have a fighting lesson with him. Dorcas couldn’t move well with the shield because the movements without it were deeply etched in her muscles and the shield was bothering her more than helping her. But Regulus had no such problem so Dorcas often lent him the shield and fought him. It usually took him an hour to even touch her. Then he thought Marlene could make them pancakes. He took the corner to their meeting point.

“Regulus run!” Marlene screamed.

Both she and Dorcas were backed up against the wall with hands raised because at least 8 policemen were pointing their guns at them. Regulus couldn’t move, couldn’t think. One of the policemen pointed the gun at him. Dorcas was already being ushered to the car. Regulus could hear her telling the police that she was the only one stealing and that she had never met Marlene or Regulus. They didn’t believe her of course. The police took them all in separate cars. The drive didn’t take more than 3 minutes. Regulus was shaking the whole drive, feeling only utter terror. All three cars arrived at the same time. They took Marlene first because she was trashing and spitting angry words. Dorcas and Regulus met at the door to the police station. He felt Dorcas slip something in his pocket, but didn’t dare to check what.

“Make me proud kiddo,” Dorcas whispered so softly Regulus thought he was hallucinating, but then their eyes met and Regulus could see she meant it.

That was the last time he saw Dorcas and Marlene. They pushed him inside, locked him alone in a small room. He waited for what felt like hours. Then the doors opened. Regulus was ready to deal with policemen, but he sure as hell wasn’t ready to see his mother. She managed to clean Regulus from all charges and took him home. When they arrived home she raised hell but Regulus didn’t even remember what she said. It didn’t matter.

He stayed in bed for a week, unable to process what happened, holding the watch Dorcas slipped him in a white-knuckled grip. After a week, he got up. He had less than a year to get ready for Burgen school entrance exams and he sure as fuck wasn’t about to disappoint Dorcas.

Chapter Text

5 days passed, then 10 days. At two weeks Regulus slowly gave up hope that he would ever see the shield or Albert again. He refused to get used to his wrist without a watch. Sometimes he would even raise his hand to look at the time only to find himself staring at an empty arm. Regulus forced himself to focus on school, he created a solid routine. He stuck to it mercilessly, not allowing himself a single weakness. Today, like every day, when the school finished, Regulus dragged himself home. He had just exited the elevator and was walking towards the apartment, thinking about the lectures he would have to cover when he heard footsteps behind him. Was he so tired that he didn't notice someone riding the elevator with him? No, of course not. And no one would walk up the stairs to the twentieth floor. So why was someone behind him? That someone was getting closer, so Regulus could draw only one conclusion: Someone was waiting for him there. He was about to turn on the shield but realised he didn't have one. Regulus felt that someone was already right behind him. Panic and instincts took over. He stopped abruptly, clenched his hand into a fist, twisted, and punched the stranger with all his might.

"Ouch, Regulus, calm down, it's me."

It was Albert, standing right in front of him, bleeding from his nose.

"Sorry," Regulus croaked.

He had so many questions, but could only stare at the boy in front of him. Albert squeezed his nose with one hand, but it didn't stop the bleeding. A few drops of blood fell on his white T-shirt, a few on the ground. Albert's white prison pants were torn on the left calf. His shoes were dirty. He looked better than in prison, his hair was messy but washed, green eyes still looked unnatural, but they were no longer red. Physically, he looked better but at the same time, he was shaking and had a haunted expression worse than in prison. Albert unclasped the watch and placed it in Regulus's hand, squeezing it.

"Thank you, you saved my life. You can’t tell anyone what happened, understood?" Albert said, his voice serious.

Regulus nodded, still pretty much in shock.

Albert let him go and took a step back towards the elevator, still holding his nose.

"Hold on, where do you think you are going?" Regulus spat out.

"I don't know, I have to hide somewhere."

Albert sounded devastated, but Regulus didn’t care much about that. There was only one thing he cared about.

“You said Sirius’s name. If you think you are leaving without explaining that you are sorely mistaken.”

And also Albert was bleeding because of him and clearly had nowhere to go.

“I can’t tell you…” Albert began, still backing away to the elevator.

“Ou trust me, you can. You have no other option really,” Regulus said slowly.

He didn’t mean to make it sound like a threat, but well it did. Regulus spent all that time with Dorcas and Marlene looking for Sirius but he never even came close. And now Albert knew something about his brother, but he wanted to leave. Fuck no.

“I just ran away from the prison. I am a wanted criminal,” Albert rambled.

His face was all bloody now.

“Explain why you said my brother's name and you can go do whatever is it the wanted criminals do.”

Regulus was getting tired of this conversation.

“Aren’t you scared?” Albert asked quietly.

Regulus looked him up and down. He had seen scary, but this boy tiptoeing on the verge of a breaking point wasn’t it. Albert found an answer in Regulus’s eyes.

"It's too dangerous. Your parents...”

Albert was just grasping at straws. He was the scared one.

"No one is home,” Regulus said bitterly.

He grabbed Albert's wrist, opened the door, and dragged him inside. Albert kept muttering about the risk Regulus was taking, but he just pointed to the door next to his bedroom.

"The bathroom, take care of your nose. Maybe take a shower."

Kreacher, who had been sleeping on the couch until now, raised his head and looked at Albert, unapprovingly. He growled, just quietly, but decided that there was no need to move from the couch and continued sleeping.

Albert took a breath, ready to protest, but then hesitated. He looked at Regulus, at the bathroom door, at Kreacher. He went into the bathroom. Regulus had to sit down. The shower started running. A boy who escaped from prison was taking a shower in his bathroom. And he was so proud of his routine. He fastened the watch on his hand, which he was squeezing in his palm this whole time. That helped him. The shock was over, now he wanted the answers about Sirius. But he had to take care of some things before. First, he took a rag from the kitchen and wiped the blood stains off the corridor. This made him realise that Albert would need clean clothes. He was taller than Regulus and broader, so he couldn’t give him anything he owned. Sirius’s clothes might have fit him, but Regulus sure as hell wasn’t about to step into his room. He had no other choice but to run up to the second floor of the apartment, to his father's bedroom. As quickly as he could, he took out several pieces of clothing from the closet. Because of the alcohol, Regulus's father had lost a lot of weight and Albert was quite, uhm, well built. The clothes should fit him. When Regulus had already selected a decent pile, he took the clothes down.

“Albert, I left you clean clothes on the couch!” he shouted at the bathroom door. The shower had just stopped running.

"I'll be in the kitchen!" added Regulus, very quickly left his room and started cooking dinner.

Since Albert did not come, he put the finished food on a tray and brought it into the room. Albert was standing in front of his map of Burgensis with his finger on some building in zone B2. When he realised that Regulus had entered the room, he lowered his hand but still kept his eyes on the map.

“Where did you get this?” he asked.

He was wearing the black T-shirt now and traded his prison pants for sweatpants.

"From my father," Regulus replied shortly.

“Do you know that if the police found out you had it, they could arrest you? It contains information about the world beyond Burgensis, it is forbidden. And you also have an animal outside the C zones, that is also prohibited."

Regulus put the food on the table and poured water into his forbidden animal's bowl. He knew very well that having a dog in the apartment was forbidden. According to the law, there was no point in the dog outside the farming zones.

"I'm not sure if you should be teaching me about the laws of Burgensis," Regulus couldn’t help but say.

Albert turned around, about to say something, but he saw the eggs.

"Did you make me dinner?"

Regulus nodded.

"Eggs... why?"

"Is there any other food that should be served to escaped prisoners? This situation is quite new to me.”

Albert smiled. Or the corners of his lips turned up, but the rest of his face stayed without change. He quickly stopped smiling, as if he couldn’t allow it to himself.

"I thought you might appreciate a warm dinner," added Regulus, taking his plate and sitting on the couch.

Albert hesitated for a moment but soon followed his lead. They ate in silence. Albert wolfed down his food in less than two minutes, even though Regulus gave him much more than himself.

“So Sirius?” Regulus asked, still eating.

He was trying to act cool, but he was freaking out. The adrenaline left his body. Albert knew something about his brother, whom Regulus had not seen for two years. Who promised to come back for Regulus but lied.

“I can’t tell you. Not-“

Regulus wanted to punch him again, but Albert quickly added,

“Not because I don’t want to, but because more lives and the safety of many people would be at risk.”

Sirius, what the hell did you put yourself in? Regulus thought. Out loud he said:

“I don’t care about some people. Tell me if my brother is alright.”

Albert exhaled, at war with himself. He wanted to do what was right but lately, he had no idea about that.

“Last time I saw Sirius he was okay. He was safe, sad about me leaving, but I left him in good hands.”

Regulus tucked every piece of information he received into his brain. He will dissect them later. At the same time, he was secretly thanking the universe for the fact that Sirius was alive. He could have been dead and Regulus wouldn’t even know. He forced himself to come back to reality. Regulus thought hard about what to ask Albert, willing to do anything in order not to scare him and get more pieces of information.

“Are you his friend then?”

“Yes, you could say that. And I am not telling you anything more. The safety of my people is at stake.”

Regulus nodded, internally freaking out about who were Albert’s people. He wasn’t going to let Albert leave anytime soon, so he dropped the Sirius theme. The fact that he was safe was good but the fact that he wasn’t alone was even better. It was enough for Regulus. For tonight.

“How did you escape?” Regulus asked another thing he was very curious about.

Albert thankfully had no problem answering this one.

“Thanks to your electrical shield. The security of the prison depends only on the electric tapes. If you move outside the allowed area, you receive an electric shock, fairly simple. That is the only security. I just needed a strong enough electric field that would interfere with the bracelet's signal. After that, I just waited for an opportunity, and when the cops went to deal with some crisis, I ran away. I left through the main entrance.”

While Albert was talking, he was looking somewhere behind Regulus. It certainly couldn’t have been as easy as he described.

"You are the first person to escape from Burgen Prison."

Regulus couldn't believe that he helped him do this.

"I'm so not."

Regulus's confused look followed, to which Albert responded:

"If you were in a position of commanding the state, would you want people to think that you have a prison from which no one has ever escaped or a prison from which someone occasionally breaks out? Running away is not the hardest thing. No one has been able to run for long."

"Why?" asked Regulus.

"I shouldn't tell you that, for your safety."

Regulus really wanted to punch him, but he chose emotional manipulation this time.

"I gave you the shield to get you out without any guarantee that I will see it again, but I choose to trust you. You promised you would explain everything.”

Albert sighed. Regulus had to try hard to hide his smug smile.

"Cameras," Albert finally said.

"What kind?"

“Burgensis’s security system. It is all based on a camera system. If you ever commit a crime, your name and picture are put in the system. Cameras are all over Burgensis, they don't cover it completely, but they focus on important places, street intersections, zone boundaries, shops. If you are a criminal with the record in the system, and the camera records you, the Ministry of Security and the police immediately know where you are."

Regulus was shocked, speechless. Albert was no longer staring into space, but straight at him. Although he was sitting on the couch with an empty plate on his lap, Regulus saw that he was still running away from the cameras. It took him a moment to organise his thoughts. His brain was racing. Albert’s explanation about the camera system sounded true, but…

"If there are cameras all over Burgensis, how did you get here from C1?"

Albert looked a little taken aback by this question, but answered honestly:

"Through the forest."

"You did not."

Did Albert really think Regulus would buy such nonsense?

"You believe that there are cameras all over Burgensis, but you don't believe that I spent 2 weeks in the forest?" Albert asked, confusion written all over his face.

"Forests are dangerous," said Regulus emphatically.

Every time Regulus looked at the forest, he felt utter fear.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone knows that forests are dangerous. It is not allowed to enter the forests. There are dangerous animals and plants, the forests are not mapped, and it is impossible to survive there, especially at night..."

“And who told you that?” Albert interrupted Regulus's speech, “It’s not true. They just want people to think that, so they can't leave Burgensis. Like a prison.”

This was becoming too much for Regulus. He needed time to absorb it. He took Albert’s and his empty plate and left the room under the pretense of going to wash them. He really washed the plates slowly and put them away in the cupboard, replaying every word that Albert said, analyzing. He realized he hadn't asked one crucial question. Why did Albert end up in prison? Determined, he returned to the room, but Albert wasn’t in the state to answer.

He had fallen asleep.

His feet were on the ground and his entire upper body was splayed on the couch. Regulus briefly thought that he was faking to escape the questioning, but one of his hands was sticking out of the couch, the other was somewhere under his body and it didn't look like a comfortable position, nonetheless faking position.

Regulus was sure that Albert was more comfortable than in the forest, so he let him sleep.

Kreacher, who had already finished his dinner, sat just a short distance from the couch and watched Albert. Regulus pulled a blanket from the closet in his bedroom and carefully covered him. Regulus was worried he would wake up, but Regulus was good at moving quietly, and Albert slept soundly. He did not look relaxed, as if even in his sleep he was preparing to escape.

Regulus still did not believe that he slept in the forest. He had no idea why Sirius was friends with this guy. He still didn't know what Albert had done. He did not believe that the boy sleeping on his couch was a criminal. Regulus hoped that he wasn't lying about Sirius and he also hoped he wasn't someone trying to overthrow the government, like Pandora said. Regulus went to his bedroom together with Kreacher, when one thing hit him. Important thing.

Albert hadn't, not once, claimed that he was innocent.

Before Regulus fell asleep, he prepared a list of questions, that he needed to get the answers to, tomorrow.

The alarm woke Regulus up in the morning, and as if he hadn't even slept, the thoughts and questions in his head continued smoothly where they left off yesterday. He was already impatient for the answers. But first, he headed to the bathroom.

It was extremely lucky that there were 3 doors leading to the bathroom. From Regulus's room, Sirius’s room, and the common area. That way, Regulus could use the bathroom, put on some clothes, and only then seek out Albert. He couldn't believe it, but his criminal (weird thought, Regulus blamed early morning) was still sound asleep on the couch. The only change from yesterday was that Albert had lifted his feet from the ground. He had to bend his knees to fit on the couch. Regulus took Kreacher for a walk, had breakfast, and got ready to go to school. Albert was still asleep, although Regulus walked past him many times, closed and opened the door, called Kreacher. Albert didn’t even stir. Regulus debated waking him up, but he had to leave for school so he left. He had no idea what happened at school that day, for which he cursed himself internally while he hurried back to his apartment.

He took a deep breath before entering. He walked in the room, momentarily forgetting about Albert and everything around him because Kreacher ran up to him. Wagging his tail, he welcomed him home.

"Hi... yes, yes, I missed you too," Regulus bent down and scratched his dog's head.

"Did you tell anyone about me?"

Albert's voice was rough. Regulus didn't see him at first, only after he moved a little, because Albert was standing next to the map of Burgensis. A tall cabinet by the map obscured the view.

When Regulus did not answer, Albert continued with questions:

"Did you call the police on me?"

Albert somehow looked even worse than yesterday. Like yesterday was just one absurdity after the other but today reality hit him, and it was much harder punch than Regulus’s.

"Calm down, I haven't told anyone anything about you," Regulus finally blurted out, "why would I?"

Until now, Regulus did not believe that Albert could be dangerous. But now, there was something about him that Regulus recognised. From before, from the streets. Dorcas and Marlene had taught him to avoid exactly such people. But Regulus still took a few steps towards Albert.

"I'm a criminal who escaped from prison. You should have called the police," rambled Albert.

Albert ran both hands through his hair, lowered his head, and said quietly:

"I have to go. I'm sorry I stayed here so long, you should have woken me up and kicked me out."

And he immediately went to the door.

"Wait," Regulus exclaimed, but Albert ignored him.

Regulus moved to stand in his way. Albert stopped in front of him, refusing to even look at him.

"You still haven't explained everything to me," said Regulus louder than necessary.

"Why do you care so much? You have no proof I am telling the truth. I escaped from prison..."

"You don't have to repeat it, I helped you," Regulus snapped.

Albert's eyes shoot up.

Regulus looked at Albert, and although he tried, he couldn't see the criminal. He only saw a boy who selflessly helped him with the entrance exams.

“And my brother is somehow part of this so I will not just leave it alone,” added Regulus, for good measure.

“Well too bad 'cause I am not telling you anything,” said Albert angrily.

“Why?”

“Because Sirius didn't want you to know!”

Regulus took a step back which allowed Albert to walk around him. He began to put on his shoes. Sirius would tell him everything. Every stupid thing that went through his messy head. Albert had no idea what he was talking about because his brother would not keep secrets from him.

Regulus was furious. Albert was already reaching for the door handle, but Regulus moved in front of him again.

“I don't care what you think Sirius wants. You think you can have him? Too fucking bad. He is mine. And I don't care what you did, but you will tell me because it somehow relates to Sirius,” Regulus spat.

“Regulus, move,” Albert said calmly.

"They'll catch you again."

"I have to try," said Albert.

It wasn’t hopeful. It was pure resignation. Regulus almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"You will end up in prison again. Who will help you then?"

Regulus was upset not only about all the stuff Sirius related, but he was also angry that Albert was willing to throw away his freedom, after Regulus practically got him out.

Albert was now somewhere between anger and panic.

“Get out of my way Regulus. Pretend none of this happened. Please.”

"Not until you tell me what you did."

Regulus stood his ground. Kreacher, who was watching from a safe distance growled in support.

“You really think I will let you go before I find out whom I helped escape from prison?!” Regulus full-on shouted.

Albert was getting under his skin but Regulus refused to let him leave.

"How would you like to stop me? Really Regulus, thank you for everything, but I have to go,” Albert said, choking, Regulus would swear he was fighting tears.

"If you don't back up, I'll electrocute you," warned Regulus.

For now, Regulus left his left hand with the watch down. Albert was standing close and Regulus swore that even without a shield he felt electricity cracking in the air. Sparks flying.

"You wouldn't do that," said Albert.

He didn't sound condescending or mocking, but Regulus wasn't exactly in a calm state. Albert took a step forward. And he got an electric shock. Regulus did not hesitate for a second. Albert fell to the ground, almost the same way as at the entrance exams.

"I'm sorry, but you deserved it," Regulus said and sat down on the floor opposite him, leaning his back against the door.

Kreacher came and lay in Regulus's lap, watching Albert with a careful and grumpy look. Twenty seconds passed quicker this time. Albert remained sitting on the ground, blinked a few times, and looked at Regulus.

"You want to know who I am? Fine, I'll tell you and then you'll be happy to let me go."

There wasn't much venom in his voice. Certainly less than a pain.

Bending one leg to sit more comfortably, Albert leaned towards Regulus.

“I am a member of an organisation called Phoenix. It's more complicated, but we have always been someone who watched over justice and respect for people's rights. As a control of the government. Whenever something bad happened in Burgensis, the Phoenix was there,” began Albert.

He waited for Regulus's reaction. He just nodded, satisfied that he finally learned something, even though it didn't make any sense at all.

"How come I've never heard of the Phoenix?" Regulus asked.

"We used to be an official part of the government, but now we are a secret organisation. But all the important people in Burgensis have at least heard of us."

There was silence for a while, then Albert continued:

"Things haven't been quite right in Burgensis for a long time now. I don't mean just the crime in the streets, something bigger. The Minister of Security is responsible for this. Bartemius. We found out he was developing some sort of weapon. And he has started to gather people around him."

"Why?" Regulus blurted out.

"I do not know."

Regulus gave him a skeptical look. He didn't believe Albert, although he sounded genuine. He was ready to argue, but Albert wouldn't let him:

"You don't need this information anyway, you just wanted to know why I ended up in prison."

"Then tell me already," Regulus tried not to sound too eager.

"I was a spy. All the Phoenix knew was that the minister was working on some kind of weapon, probably chemical. You need a laboratory to create such a weapon.”

"The Experiment room," Regulus said without hesitation.

"I became a student at the Burgen school just to find out if something was going on there."

"And what did you find out?"

Regulus’s heart was racing.

"We suspected that the headmaster Albus has been cooperating with the minister and his people. This I found out to be true. I also found out that the headmaster had records of the location of the cameras on his computer. We have some at the base of Phoenix, but they are out of date. I thought the new records might help us, so I downloaded them to the USB flash and stole them, even though I was told not to do it.”

Regulus had to interrupt Albert, because the more he talked, the less he understood.

"Who told you not to do that?"

Albert hesitated, realising that he shouldn't have said this, but continued anyway.

"Thought bracelets, remember them? I had one, one is at the base. That's how we communicated. Now I can't even tell them I'm fine."

Regulus was proud of his brain, which had not yet exploded. Albert was indeed a member of a secret organisation, but he did not want to overthrow the government, but to protect justice.

Albert looked very depressed, so Regulus, trying to be nice after Albert finally told him something, said:

"I don't think you did anything too bad."

It wasn't the right thing to say.

With emphasis, Albert said:

"Nothing too bad? Regulus, I'm a member of an illegal organisation, I spied on one of the most important people in Burgensis, I stole records of the location of cameras that shouldn't even exist to help the people who have the record avoid them.”

Albert's expression became more and more sad, as if every word hurt him, but he still continued:

“I ended up in prison, I lied at the interrogation, I refused to tell them where the USB stick was. I escaped from said prison. Most of the guards were gone, but there were still two. In front of the main entrance.”

Albert's voice began to shake. Regulus wasn't even breathing.

"It took them both a long time to understand what was going on. I was pretty close when they drew their guns. I electrocuted one, but the other shot at me. I knew his face, he was nasty to all the prisoners. In my right hand, I had a knife from my fellow prisoner. I slashed him somewhere in the chest. You know, where the heart is. I remember that it was a long cut, but I don't know how deep. He immediately collapsed to the ground. And I kept the bloody knife and ran into the forest."

Albert tried to suppress his crying, but he couldn't. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and Regulus almost wanted to reach out and wipe them off.

"So no, I didn't do anything that bad at all. I'm just a thief, a spy, a liar, a brute, and maybe even a murderer!"

Albert roughly wiped his tears with his palms. His eyes still looked weird, almost emotionless, even though the rest of his face showed pure agony. Regulus had no idea what to do, even though he knew most of Albert's feelings all too well. He got a little lost in thought.

"How can you just sit here? I just told you I am a murderer and you…"

"If you wanted to hurt me, you would have already done it,” said Regulus.

Maybe if he hadn’t spent around a year with Dorcas and Marlene, he would be begging Albert to leave right now. For a while, they just sat in silence. Regulus knew Albert had to take a few breaths. It was probably the first time Albert said it out loud to someone.

“Thank you for telling me the truth,” Regulus said quietly.

Albert scoffed:

“You don't even know my name."

"What?"

"Did you really think that Albert is my real name?"

Regulus sighed in annoyance:

"So what's your name?"

"My name is James."

Regulus said the name in his head a few times, maybe even moved his lips a bit. It was getting late and Regulus was just about to leave Al—no—James alone because Regulus thought he might want a bit of time for himself after all the emotional turmoil. Too preoccupied with James and thinking about how he could help him with what clearly was a trauma, Sirius came to his mind as an afterthought. He had almost forgotten about his brother, because of James. He scolded himself internally.

Sirius liked to play the hero. It made sense he would want to be part of something like Phoenix. He had a bit of a saviour complex, always putting himself in front of Regulus to protect him when his father started drinking. Still, Regulus couldn’t fathom the reason why Sirius would leave him behind without any explanation.

“So James, I take it my brother joined the Phoenix, and that's why he disappeared?”

James stayed silent for a long time.

“Yeah, something like that,” he finally answered.

Regulus could feel that there was much more to the story, but James looked miserable, so Regulus decided to leave him alone. Sirius was more or less safe, working with secret organisation which probably wasn’t evil, but at least he was alive.

James was sitting on a floor in such a pitiful way that it made Regulus say the next words:

“There is a room which used to be Sirius’s. You can go there to lie down for a while if you want to.”

Regulus pointed to the door. Strangely, he heard his mother’s voice in his head, saying something along the lines of: how can you send a guest to a room that has not been dusted for two years.

Regulus will not step foot in that room but that did not mean Albert couldn’t. In his recent state, Regulus took a chance that he would not mind the dust. Albert deserved privacy and he wasn’t in a state to leave anytime soon. Regulus did not wait for Albert’s reaction, instead, he picked himself up from the floor, waking up Kreacher who had fallen asleep during their conversation. He grabbed his school tablet and moved to his bedroom, although he hated to study there. But he was still a student of the Burgen school. So what, major things he knew about the world were lies. He still had a test tomorrow. He heard James open the door to Sirius’s room. James did not emerge from the room that day and Regulus decided it would be better to leave him alone and eventually went to sleep.

Chapter Text

Regulus jerked awake. Someone pounded on the door. A much quieter sound would have been enough to wake him up and this was quite a blow. Someone knocked – or more like punched – the door about three more times. Regulus hurried out of his bedroom and almost collided with Albert, no! James, who was heading towards him.

"I have to run quickly..." whispered James frantically.

In his panic, he grabbed Regulus’s arms.

"No, hey, calm down," Regulus didn’t bother whispering.

"But to your apartment..."

"I'll take care of it," said Regulus, more determined than he felt.

He gently removed James’s hands from himself. The boy probably had no idea he was touching Regulus. Ignoring James's horrified expression, he walked from his room to the living room. In the centre of the room, he saw the silhouette of a man. He closed the door to the room behind himself. James didn't need to hear this. The man looked at him and furrowed his brows.

"Hi dad," Regulus said and walked up to him.

Father was drunk, as he always was when he came home. Regulus had learned over the years to tell how drunk he was just by his eyes. He didn't look so bad now.

"Come on dad, you have to go to bed."

Regulus grabbed his shoulder and tried to pull him. His father gave him a confused look.

"Don't tell me what to do!" he shouted and, trying to break free, he wobbled and almost fell over. Regulus had to take his father to the upstairs bedroom. If he fell asleep in the living room and mother found him there, it wouldn't turn out well.

"Come on dad," Regulus said and was about to grab his father again.

Orion didn't like it and to show his disapproval, he raised his hand to Regulus. Because of the alcohol, he probably didn't even know he could have hurt his son. Well, Regulus managed to duck.

"You don't have to take care of me! I'm supposed to take care of you. I was supposed to take care of you."

After this statement, his father no longer tried to fight and let himself be taken to his room. There he just collapsed into bed. Regulus went down the stairs and saw James, peeking out of the room.

"Your father was drunk," James said, even more horrified than before.

It was clear to Regulus that he had never come close to a drunk person in his life.
Regulus sat down on the couch. He wouldn't be able to fall asleep now anyway, he saw no reason to go back to his bedroom. There was only half an hour left until the alarm was supposed to go off anyway. James, who was in a worse state than Regulus, sat down next to him.

"Since when is your father... like this?" James asked quietly. Carefully.

Regulus had to think about the answer, to count years.

"Since I was 10. That's when my grandmother died," and although he had no idea why, he continued, "Grandma was a favourite member of my family. My father was also very fond of her because she raised him alone. My grandfather left them when my father was still a little kid. When grandma died, dad couldn't handle it. He started drinking because it helped him overcome the pain. Now, I think he's forgotten what it's like not to drink."

"Aren't you afraid of him?" James asked after a moment's pause.

"No," answered Regulus honestly.

He was never afraid of his father, even when he was little (which he couldn't say about his other parent). For Regulus, his father was always the safe parent, who read him and Sirius bedtime stories, took him to school, and helped him with homework. And what a great cook he was! Orion always took care of him and Sirius. Sirius resented his father when issues with alcohol started. He would protect Regulus if their father was too drunk, but it was always Regulus who took care of Orion. His dad probably didn’t notice Sirius leaving. It broke Regulus's heart to see his dad like this, but he couldn't hate him.

Regulus didn't want to talk about his family anymore, so he turned the question to James:

"What about your parents? Do they know you are a member of the Phoenix?”

James smiled, that smile – which seemed to hurt him – again.

"My father is the commander of the Phoenix and my mother is also a member."

Regulus did not expect such an answer. He thought James had run away from his parents or something. He didn't know that Phoenix included adults, he only imagined a few teenagers.

"Do you like them?"

It was a rather personal question, but Regulus really wanted to know the answer. After all, his parents sent him to spy on the headmaster of Burgen school and were indirectly responsible for everything James had to experience and commit.

"Yes, they are the best people in the world," answered James, and Regulus knew he wasn't lying.

"If only I could contact them, they must be afraid..." James sighed.

"How about you call them from my phone?" thought Regulus.

"The phones of everyone known to be members of the Phoenix are being tracked."

"How?"

"The Minister of Security has it under his thumb. He can eavesdrop on calls and read messages from any cell phone he chooses. When you are in the system, your only option is to throw your phone in the river."

James spoke as if it was a known thing. But on the other hand, at least it explained why each person had to have only one phone number in their entire life. That was the law.

"How about I go to the Phoenix base and tell them you're okay?"

"Only those who are members can get to the base. The system wouldn't let you go. And if you just stood near the entrance the doors wouldn’t let anyone out. There are more ways to exit the base, but only one way to get in.”

Regulus was sure that James had already thought about this and every other possibility. His expression said only one thing: hopeless. Regulus refused to just give up.

"What if you went by bus? Then the cameras wouldn't record you."

"There is a camera at the entrance to every bus. Have you never noticed the light that shines right at you when you get on the bus? It's a camera.”

Regulus continued to think about the possibilities of getting James home. Suddenly Kreacher came out of Regulus’s bedroom. He jumped onto the couch between Regulus and James, at whom he bared his teeth slightly.

"Pet him," said Regulus.

"I'd rather not, he doesn't like me," answered James and pulled away a little.

"He just doesn't know you. Come on, try petting him.”

Regulus was quite amused by the fact that James was afraid of his tiny dog.

“Oh, he knows –" James didn’t finish his sentence, to stop himself from talking he literally bit his tongue.

"What?" Regulus asked, confused.

"Just that animals know the character of a person somehow and I don't feel like risking it," James said in one breath.

This was the moment Regulus decided to believe James about the Phoenix and everything he said before. Because James was lying right now and it was clear as day. In his breathing, in the eye contact. The girls taught him how to read people, and James was really easy. How was he a spy? How did he not end up in prison sooner was a mystery to Regulus. Regulus didn't have time to ponder James’s lie, because he finally dared and ran his fingers over Kreacher's back a few times. Regulus doubted the dog felt it, but it was still progress.

"How did you get him?" James asked.

It took Regulus a moment to understand that he was asking about Kreacher.

"My grandmother's last wish was that we take care of Kreacher. But shortly after her death, he disappeared."

This was one of the reasons why Regulus's father started drinking. He was unable to fulfill even his mother's last wish. The fulfillment of last wishes was a tradition, a rule, a law in Burgensis.

"After about 5 years, Kreacher was found again, quite miraculously," continued Regulus.

Regulus did not know what to do next back then. At the time, Sirius had been missing for almost a year, Regulus realised he would never see Dorcas and Marlene again because they were rotting in prison. Regulus was studying hard to make Dorcas proud, but at the same time, he couldn’t stay away from the streets. He soon found out the girls owed money to practically everyone, and they all knew Regulus, so he was screwed. The smart thing would be to lay low and stay home, but Regulus was fifteen and desperate. This was the time he learned how to properly fight with the electric shield, and he fought dirty.

One day, he was just walking home at around 3 a.m., when Kreacher appeared out of nowhere. The dog just came to him. Regulus immediately recognised the dog, because he grew up with him at his grandmother's house. He played with him often, but he didn't like him that much. Regulus brought Kreacher home that day.

Because of this, mother and father started probably the biggest argument that Regulus could remember. Mother refused to break the law and have an animal in the apartment, while dad wanted to fulfil grandma's last wish. Finally, they concluded that the dog could stay if Regulus's mother would never see him. Thus, a new door was created in Regulus's room so that he could leave the apartment and return unnoticed.

It was all arranged by his father, which was probably the last sober action he managed. However, right after the reconstruction was finished, he disappeared for about a month. But James didn't need to know any of that.

Instead, Regulus said:

"Since then, Kreacher has been living with me."

He didn't even notice when James started stroking Kreacher's head. The dog turned its head towards him and looked very pleased.

"See, he already likes you," Regulus said with a smile.

BANG came from above. James flinched a bit, Regulus didn't even care.

"Don't pay attention to that, father will leave in like two days."

James sighed, had some internal debate with himself, then said:

"You see, Sirius told me about your father. He told me that he wanted to take you away from here, but that it wasn’t so bad. He also said your mother is the head of the Burgen Hospital. That she's rarely at home. Was that also very much a watered-down version?"

Regulus sighed. When Sirius left, it was true. His brother had no idea about the insanity that was going on with their mother because it got crazy after he left.

And about his father… maybe Sirius felt at least a bit guilty for leaving Regulus. Maybe in his brother’s mind, leaving Regulus alone was fine. Leaving Regulus alone with a drunk father was not fine.

James looked almost betrayed. Regulus tended to forget about the fact that James knew his brother and it always came to him as a shock. Was it possible that they were that close with Sirius?

"I don’t want to talk about that," Regulus said, defensively, because his control was slipping and he didn’t like that.

"Then you can tell me what the hell happened to you after Sirius left because – honestly? Sirius never told me any details about you, but he said something along the lines of worrying about you every day. He painted you as helpless. And there you are now, carrying a shield with the electric field and actually knowing how to fight with it. Also not scared of murderers."

Regulus stayed silent. All he heard was Sirius worried about you Sirius worried about you Sirius worried about you. Then he felt shame, because the person Sirius was worried about was long gone. While Sirius was working with some secret organisation that made sure laws were fair, what was Regulus doing? Breaking law.

"Regulus, I was not born yesterday. When I came to return the shield to you, you hit me harder and more accurately than most trained people of Phoenix could."

James wouldn’t leave it alone so Regulus snapped:

"Do you want to know what happened to me? My brother left without a word. So I had to learn how to take care of myself."

James bought him a new fear and a very real one. If he ever saw Sirius again, Sirius might actually not recognise him. Sirius might not even like him. Sirius, who took care of him for 14 years and did everything in his power to ensure Regulus did not become exactly what he is now.

For the first time, Regulus wished he never met James.

Silence stretched.

"Where did you get the electric shield from?" James asked Regulus in a small voice.

"How do you know I didn’t make it myself?" Regulus stalled. He forced himself to calm down.

"Let's say I have seen this shield before."

"At Phoenix?"

Regulus hated how easily he spoke of the secret group. James didn’t answer, so Regulus yielded his piece of history. He supposed James earned it.

"I got it from my friend. She was supposed to fix it for someone but—"

Regulus froze. He was the dumbest person alive. How had he not made that connection immediately? He couldn’t seriously be this stupid. It made perfect sense.

The secret jobs Dorcas and Marlene did.

Who they delivered messages for.

Who they stole for.

Who they went to prison for.

"Regulus, you have gone a bit pale, are you okay?" James sounded worried.

Regulus’s world came crumbling down. One would guess he would be used to the feeling by now but it took him by surprise. He tried to put the pieces together, but he was still missing a lot of them. The only thing he knew with certainty was that he had to tell James about them, in order to find out something.

Maybe they were hiding at Phoenix and Regulus could see them again. He never told anyone about Dorcas and Marlene, nor about his life on the street. James stole to help people and hated himself for it. What would he think of Regulus? And why did it matter so much to Regulus what James thought of him?

Regulus took a deep breath and began his story. He thought it would hurt to talk about them, but it wasn't so bad, and since James was listening eagerly, Regulus briefly told him about Dorcas and Marlene. How they found him, took care of him, and taught him to fight and run and steal. How he loved them.

And also how it all ended, after a year.

When Regulus finished speaking, James just looked at him with those strange eyes.

"Listen to me very closely James, if you know something about them, if you saw them at the Phoenix or in prison, you will tell me now, because if not, you’ll wish you never left the prison."

A spark of hope ran through Regulus, against his better judgment. James, to his credit, thought hard before answering.

"I don’t know anyone by that name. But Phoenix has connections with lots of people. Many people do jobs for us, but they have never set foot in the base. Most of them actually. It would make sense for the two of them to work for us, but I can’t say for sure."

"Dorcas has dark skin and long black hair and Marlene has a chipped tooth and blonde hair," Regulus had to try.

James shook his head.

"I don't know, I haven't seen anyone like that in Phoenix. And I didn’t pay attention to the prisoners."

Regulus didn't even try to hide how much James's answer disappointed him. This all seemed like too big of a coincidence. It wasn’t statistically possible for Sirius to join Phoenix and Regulus to meet Dorcas and Marlene probably from Phoenix. James wasn’t completely honest about something, but Regulus had no idea what.

They sat in silence for a while. James kept stroking Kreacher, which made Regulus notice...

"What happened to your thought bracelet?" he asked.

James always had the bracelet on his wrist, every day at Burgen school. And now he didn't have it. Regulus noticed it on the first day James showed up, but he had forgotten about it.

James replied:

"I hid it just before I was arrested."

Regulus realised another thing:

"Along with the USB stick?"

James nodded.

"Where did you hide it?" Regulus felt that this question was very important.

"At the Burgen school. Do you remember the locker that you chose on the first day that wasn’t working, the one next to mine? It's right there."

"But how? It was broken."

"I know, I messed it up on the day of the entrance exam. Then, on the first day of school, I picked the locker next to that one, broke the side wall, and the stash was born."

Regulus felt like scolding James for embarrassing him on the first day. But a more pressing matter was:

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"What for?” James asked idiotically. “I just need to bring you your thought bracelet from Burgen School and you can contact your family.”

It was that simple. Regulus did not understand why James looked so horrified.

"You absolutely can not. If anyone saw you, if you were caught…"

Regulus could see him pale even in the dark.

"You'd end up in prison at best, or much worse."

Regulus decided to try to convince James logically.

"I would have ended up like that anyway if they found you here. It's not such a big risk."

"The headmaster of Burgen school is working with the Minister of security. If you open my locker he will know. So no," James decided, "to get into that locker you need my code and I'm not going to tell you."

Regulus saw that James had made up his mind.

Well, Regulus also made his. He would be damned if he let James tell him what he can and can’t do. He will get into that locker if it's the last thing he does.

The alarm went off in his bedroom. It woke up Kreacher who was sleeping between them.

Friday morning began.

Chapter Text

Regulus spent the whole day thinking about how he was going to get into James's locker. When the final class ended, Regulus remained seated in the classroom while his classmates left. Pandora shot him a strange look, but thankfully, she left right away.

After ten minutes, he got up and moved to the lockers. He waited for a couple of older students to pass by, looked over his shoulder one last time, and then started trying all the number combinations. First the basics — 1111, 0000, 1379. He tried 0109, like the start of the school year (Regulus wanted to set this code himself, but thought it would be too easy to guess). Then he started entering all the combinations in order:

0001
0002
0003...

while he thought.

James wasn’t the type of person to choose something impersonal. He was all heart. It would be something like his mother’s birthday.

Regulus was on combination 0063 when it hit him. He could try the code he chose for his own locker.

Sirius’s birthday.

His hands shook a bit as he entered the numbers. James's locker opened! Regulus laughed out loud. He quickly regained control of himself and pursed his lips. He put his hand into the locker and pushed against its left wall. It took him a while to figure it out because he had to push on the lower part of the inner wall, which gave way. Regulus could not see what was in the next locker, so he just put in his hand and tried to feel around. He bumped into something soft. He managed to pull out a grey backpack, ordinary, not big. He quickly threw it over his shoulder. It was very light. Regulus returned the false wall to its original state, closed the locker, and took the fastest way out of the school. He didn't slow down the whole way home.

It wasn't until he reached his room that he calmed down a bit. If he could hide James here, surely no one would find one backpack.

James was sitting at the table, reading something on the screen.

"Hello," Regulus greeted him cheerfully.

James looked up from the screen and said:

"You're in a good mood today."

He was about to turn back to the screen but stopped himself. He kept his eyes on Regulus and blinked a few times.

"You didn't."

James's expression was frozen. Regulus smiled even more and nodded. He took the backpack off his shoulders and placed it on the table.

"How? Did you just guess it?"

Regulus had never seen anyone as surprised and confused as James was at that moment, and because he was having fun, he said:

"I won't tell you that, for your safety."

James gave him a look, which was probably supposed to convey disappointment but failed a bit.

"Seriously, Regulus, did anyone see you?"

James looked offended, which only emboldened Regulus.

"You don't need this information."

James shook his head, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth down. Regulus laughed.

"I don't sound like that," James said, trying to keep a straight face.

"You really do."

Regulus had to take a few breaths to stop laughing.

"Yes, I guessed it. No, no one saw me. Now contact your family," Regulus said, still smiling a smug smile.

James did as he was told. He unzipped the backpack and pulled out a thought bracelet. He quickly put it on his wrist, placed the letter h to his temple, and sent a thought. During this, he did not stop looking into Regulus's eyes gratefully. James had hope, for the first time in a long time, and Regulus hadn’t felt this good about himself in quite some time. But the answer did not come.

"Something happened," muttered James.

Regulus barely heard him.

"Why isn’t he answering? Something must have happened..."

"You need to calm down."

This sounded stupid to Regulus himself, but he didn't know what else to say.

"It connects to my dad, Regulus."

Well, James didn’t need to add anything more.

Regulus looked into his eyes, but he couldn't read anything in them.

"Maybe there's just something broken, a loose cable... yeah, that could be it," James said, then added in one breath, "Regulus, do you have some tools I could use?"

Regulus just pointed at the right drawers of the table. There was some stuff Regulus used to tinker with his shield, and also some of his father's architectural tools, which James was so happy with that he almost cried.

James began to work and didn't say a word for the rest of the day. Regulus understood his desperation, so he left him alone, hoping he would figure it out. James was still working when Regulus went to sleep and also when he woke up, although on something else. The golden thought bracelet lay disassembled on the edge of the table, but a small object was glinting in James's hands.

"Good morning," Regulus said to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Hello," James said, still not taking his eyes off the object in his hand.

Regulus walked closer to see what he was holding.

USB stick.

"It is a..."

"Yes," sighed James, "the reason I ended up in prison, the cameras of Burgensis."

Just a silver flash key, in the shape of a regular rectangle.

"Can you use it to find the location of the cameras and get home?" Regulus asked.

The cameras James had to avoid to get home did not cover the whole of Burgensis.

"There are only coordinates on the key," James explained.

He kept his eyes on the stick.

"Couldn't you use my map somehow?" Regulus tried.

"I wouldn't be able to determine the coordinates on your map."

It was obvious that James had already thought about it.

Suddenly, something occurred to Regulus:

"What are they worth? The coordinates?"

"Various," James said, plugging the USB stick into the desk's software.

Two columns of numbers appeared on the screen. Couples.

"Don't you happen to have 11 and 23 there?"

James looked for a moment and then said:

"Yes."

"If you knew where that was, would you be able to determine the rest?" Regulus asked, moving in front of the map.

"It would take some time, but in theory, yes."

"Here," said Regulus, placing his finger on the map.

Numbers written near grandma's house that never made sense. James almost fell off his chair — so quickly he stood up to look at the map. The numbers were indistinct, unnoticeable if you didn’t know where to look for them, but it was clearly 23 and 11.

Regulus could not believe his luck. Now James could determine the coordinates of all the cameras by simply scanning the map into the desktop software.

Which wasn’t as easy as the two had assumed. The map was about three by two meters in size, while the screen was barely fifty centimeters long. They had to scan it piece by piece, and Regulus was afraid the map would tear or be damaged otherwise. He made it very clear to James that if that happened, he would be extremely unhappy.

When they finally managed to place the first part on the screen, they discovered it would take ten minutes to scan each piece. That seemed like a short time — until you had to press one part of the map onto the screen, staying completely still (James), while someone else had to hold the rest of it so it didn’t crumple or rip (Regulus). Even ten minutes felt like forever.

"You have to tell me where you got that map," James declared after about two minutes of awkward silence.

He didn’t dare look up from the part of the map he was scanning.

"I already told you," Regulus sighed. "I got it from my father."

"Then where did he get it from?"

"I don’t know, but it used to be hung at my grandmother’s house," Regulus remembered.

James nodded and fell silent. Regulus was almost disappointed that he didn’t ask more. It was unlike James not to snoop into Regulus’s past.

Their eyes met, just fleetingly — but Regulus noticed right away.

"Your eyes."

Something was wrong with them. They were still green, but no longer the same green. Not darker, not paler, just... different.

"What’s wrong with my eyes?" James asked, though he didn’t sound confused or shocked.

"Your eyes have always been strange, but now they are... still strange, just different," Regulus answered honestly.

"How weird?" James now sounded like this was the most important question in the world.

"They’re so unreal."

It was the best he could do. He couldn’t explain it better.

James said:
"When I was younger, the cameras got me. I was with my parents, so they put me in the system. I would’ve had to stay hidden forever if it hadn’t been for contact lenses. Our tech expert at Phoenix invented them. Lenses are small circles made of flexible plastic that can change the color of someone’s eyes so that the cameras don’t recognize them."

Regulus was speechless.

"I have two sets of lenses. One I’ve worn the whole time since we met, the other pair was in my backpack. I changed them yesterday. They should’ve been identical," James explained.

Which also explained why his eyes had been so red in prison. He must have worn the lenses constantly. With them, he was just some random thief. Without them, he was the son of the commander of Phoenix.

But Regulus had something else on his mind.

"Can you take those lenses out?"

He wanted to see James’s real eyes. Wanted to know if they were really that emotionless.

"Sure I can. I just didn’t want to freak you out by suddenly changing my eye color. And also, I can’t see that well without them. Our doctor thinks wearing them too much messed up my vision. At Phoenix, I wear glasses. But I didn’t bring them on the mission because that might’ve raised suspicions. Getting laser surgery to fix eyesight is mandatory, after all."

James was talking way more than before. Three days ago — Regulus could hardly believe it had only been three full days since James showed up.

"The lenses have to be immersed in solution or they’ll harden," James said.

He switched places with Regulus, went to the backpack by the couch, and pulled out a small white box.

He had his back to Regulus while removing the lenses — which Regulus was grateful for, because he couldn’t even imagine how that process looked. One by one, James placed the lenses into the box, closed it, and set it on the table.

Then he turned to Regulus.

His eyes were brown. Dark brown — much darker than his skin. They were extraordinary. Regulus had grown used to James’s eyes having no depth, but now they looked endless. He couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to.

James also looked at him — but eventually lowered his gaze.

"Shall we continue?" Regulus broke the silence.

James just nodded, obviously uncomfortable without his lenses.

They began to scan another piece of the map.

Regulus wanted to take advantage of the fact that James was in a talkative mood.

"So... when you were a kid, you didn’t leave the base?"

"Of course I did. I got basic education like everyone else, except I stayed with relatives and only came home on weekends, after dark. It was fine, but it was impossible to really make friends because I had to be careful. My first real friend was…"

James didn’t finish the sentence.

Regulus finished it for him:
"Sirius."

James nodded. Regulus felt a sudden urge to cry — which would be unacceptable — so he changed the subject fast.

"Tell me more about the Phoenix."

"You know I can’t," James almost snapped.

"Tell me something that isn’t dangerous," Regulus insisted.

He had to make use of the fact that James couldn’t move — not while he was holding the map.

James resisted at first, but eventually, the dull task of scanning map sections wore him down.

"I can tell you about the founding of the Phoenix. Their... history."

Regulus smiled and nodded.

So James began, only pausing whenever they needed to scan a new part of the map.

"The first president was, of course, Jonathan Burgen, who saved the whole world and all that. The presidents after him built Burgensis brick by brick. Farming, buses, schools, hospitals, everything.
After a while, Burgensis was fully developed, and each zone had a good number of residents. The president at that time — I think his name was Timothy — started off ruling well.
But toward the end of his life, he started making these weird changes. He banned literature, said it was useless. Raised prices in shops. That kind of stuff.
A handful of politicians didn’t like it. Timothy told them he was doing it to ‘make the future worth it.’ The others didn’t buy it. They said he’d regret his decisions, and that they’d make sure ‘history wasn’t forgotten.’
They founded a party called History. Timothy didn’t take them seriously — but a lot of people did.
When Timothy died, the History party thought they’d take over.
They couldn’t have been more wrong. President Umbridge came to power instead.
He declared himself the sole legislative body and stripped ministers of almost all their powers.
More people joined History. Umbridge declared them illegal. Anyone connected to them faced prison. So they started hiding.
They couldn’t use the name History anymore. That’s when the Phoenix was born.
There was some metaphor behind the name, but I don’t remember it.
Umbridge kept trying to secretly change laws, so Phoenix started sending in spies.
And informing people.
There were always a few higher-ups — scientists, business owners — who stood up publicly against Umbridge.
Thanks to them, he was sometimes forced to back off. Like when he tried to censor the press.
When his daughter took over eight years ago, Phoenix withdrew. She hasn’t done anything wrong. She’s still very young, after all."

When James finished speaking, only the last part remained to be scanned. Regulus did not interrupt him the whole time, he liked the way James talked. He sounded like he was used to speaking a lot, and used to people listening to him. Was James normally outspoken, or not at all? If he was friends with Sirius, he had to be chatty. And funny and loud. Regulus wondered why it mattered so much to him.

James added:
"Phoenix are no longer fighters for justice, ready to rise against the government. Now they rather calm down protests and hide people who were charged unjustly. I suppose the only thing that's left is the symbol h."

The one on the Thought bracelets.

"Never seen it before,” Regulus said.

"If someone agreed with History, then Phoenix and wanted to join, they wrote a small letter h on their wrist around which they drew a triangle. But when people with the letter h started disappearing without a trace, a better system had to be devised. But the h in the triangle on the wrist remained.”

Regulus glanced at James's wrist, although he knew very well that no letter was written there. James noticed his look and the corners of his mouth lifted.

"I'll show you when we finish scanning."

James did so. After the scan was done, Regulus hung the map back on the wall while James wrapped his hand around his left wrist and held it for a moment. He then loosened his grip and showed Regulus the inside of his wrist. There was indeed a small letter h in a triangle. Its colour was grey, matte. In a worse light, it would be impossible to notice.

“Does it respond to touch?” Regulus asked.

"No, to the heat. It is tattooed with a special chemical substance. All members of Phoenix have this tattoo.”

Regulus watched the tattoo slowly disappear from James's wrist.

"I know of people who would pay you hundreds, maybe thousands of gold for this information,” James said.

Regulus very much did not care.

“Does Sirius have one?”

James’s eyes sparkled. Regulus was sure he would never get used to them.

“Yes. He also has a few more.”

“Why?”

“Thought it would be cool,” James answered with a smile.

“Sounds like him,” Regulus said and wondered what his brother had tattooed.

Suddenly James’s face darkened.

“I also know a lot of people who would kill for the information about the tattoos. Hope you understand you can never tell anyone…"

"It still hasn't dawned on you that I will not put you or Phoenix at risk?" Regulus asked because James still didn’t manage to grasp this very basic concept.

"You have to care about Sirius very much," James said looking at Regulus with those goddamned eyes.

"Yes, that I do," he answered honestly.

What he didn’t add was that this whole situation stopped being about his brother a while ago. Because when Regulus looked at James, he did not see Sirius’s friend or member of some secret organisation. He just saw James.

A warning suddenly popped up on the desk screen that all parts of the scan had been successfully adjusted and connected. James sat down and showed Regulus a black-and-white map on the screen, he could zoom in, and rotate it. He entered coordinate 23 11, where the camera was located, just a short distance from Regulus’s grandmother's house. Then he plugged in the USB stick and started working. James had to select every single coordinate, sync it with the map, and then add it to a panel that, in his words, "calculates where it is on the map." After a while, Regulus stopped watching this mind-numbing process, so he sat down on the couch and started studying on the school tablet.

"No no no!" James blurted out of nowhere and slammed his palms on the table.

Regulus, who was immersed deep in his physics notes, flinched. He hadn't heard James raise his voice since the day he was about to leave. Many catastrophic scenarios ran through his head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," James apologised.

"What’s wrong?" Regulus asked, already standing up.

James turned away from the screen and said in disappointment:
“The computer system has evaluated that I can violate Burgensis's private information with this. If I want to continue, I have to file a request and wait for the investigation."

"And you can't do that?"

Regulus was now standing behind James, looking at a screen.

"All requests go through the Ministry of Security. The minister would find my request and track me down."

Now Regulus was also disappointed.

"I could work around it, the Phoenix head technician taught me to hide my activity, but that would take too long."

James turned to face Regulus. His eyes were sad. Heartbreakingly.

"How long?"

Regulus refused to let all their efforts go to waste.

"For about a week.”

"Do it," Regulus said without hesitation.

"It's not that easy. Once I start it, it can't be stopped or undone. If the minister manages to track me down, you will end up in prison.”

"What are the chances of him noticing it?"

James only mumbled something, from which Regulus concluded that chances were not very high.

"Do it,” Regulus repeated.

James hesitated.
“We never talked about me staying that long. We never talked about me staying here ever,” James said in a small voice.

It was true. Regulus probably had all the information about Sirius James was willing to share. James was physically fine and mentally… better. Regulus didn’t owe him anything else.

Yet he couldn’t bear the thought of James leaving, so he said:
“I begged you not to leave. I literally forbade you to leave.”

“That's not the same as asking me to stay.”

Regulus had no idea what to say to that.

“I wouldn’t want you to feel like you have to hide me there, because I know Sirius. I know I used your brother in the first place to manipulate you to help me, and I am so sorry for that,” said James earnestly.

“James you couldn’t manipulate me if you tried. Run it, or I will never get rid of you,” Regulus said in a flat voice.

"As you say," said James, still not convinced.

He didn't want to risk Regulus's safety, but he really wanted to get home. It took James a while but soon:

7 days, 3 hours, 25 minutes until the end of the process,

could be read on the screen. It felt very official.

Chapter Text

Living with James was easy. Regulus thought that after months of solitude, the company would be a problem for him, but it was not true. When Sirius still lived in the apartment, their common room was a mess. His brother used to talk his ear off constantly and walk around practically naked. James, thankfully, was nothing like that. Not that Regulus wouldn’t wish to live with Sirius again. He would gladly pick up Sirius’s dirty clothes from the couch every day.

Days of waiting for the countdown were filled with James working on something. He used tools that Regulus lent him and also some that he took out of his backpack. He was no longer working on his bracelet, he declared that it was working perfectly. They didn’t talk about what it meant. When Regulus asked James what he was working on now, he always brushed him off and said he would see soon.

One morning, Regulus fell asleep and was late for school, so James offered to take Kreacher for a walk. It became a thing. Since then, James took Kreacher out every morning and Regulus usually joined them. They always went just a short distance behind Regulus's apartment, where no cameras reached. Neither of them minded. Both Kreacher and James kept on pretending that they were not very fond of each other, but Regulus sometimes noticed James stroking his dog when, for example, he was cooking in the kitchen. Each day that passed Regulus could see James becoming better. His eyes (he no longer wore lenses, ever) were no longer wild and frantic, but calm. He no longer looked over his shoulder every five minutes while working at the table. He still didn’t smile much though. Regulus left him alone mostly. He imagined after prison James wanted a bit of peace and quiet. His mother appeared at home only once. James was immediately ready to run into the forest, but Regulus convinced him that it was not necessary. Mother shut herself in the office as if she had no son. Regulus saw how it made James sad, probably because he missed his family very much.

After school, 3 days before the map with cameras was finished, Regulus was about to unlock the door to his room, when James just opened them. They both startled each other and took a step back. About 5 days ago, Regulus added James's fingerprint to the door lock of his room, so he could come and go as he pleased. When Regulus offered this to James, he looked at him like he put the stars in the sky.

"Where are you going?" Regulus asked though he knew the answer.

"To the forest," answered James, and immediately added, "Do you want to come with me?"

"Not a chance."

"Don't you want to see for yourself if what you've been told about forests all your life is true?” James asked, then raised eyebrows at Regulus.

James had been living with him for barely a week and he already found out what worked on Regulus. He would not back down from a challenge, ever. Plus, James's eyes had a strange sparkle and Regulus couldn't resist. He threw the bag with school things into the room, promised Kreacher that he would come back soon, and followed James.

James walked quickly, nervous about being out in the open. He stopped just before the edge of the forest, Regulus next to him. He did not understand why anyone would want to enter the forest voluntarily. It was dark, even though the sun was still high. The trees reached majestically towards the sky. James stepped into the forest and Regulus slowly followed him. He walked about eight meters and stopped. The forest was so loud. He felt like every single step he took could be heard for miles. Twigs of tall conifers were still moving and rustling. Regulus didn't like it. Dorcas and Marlene taught him to listen and categorise every sound, from footsteps to breathing. Any unfamiliar sound means danger. And Regulus was now surrounded by foreign sounds.

"Are you okay?" James asked him.

He took a few steps back towards Regulus. Regulus thought he would make fun of him for being scared, but James said:

"One word and we can turn and go home.”

Twigs rustled, trees creaked.

"I don't like it here," answered Regulus honestly.

He didn't want to go home, but he was afraid to move forward. That's when James grabbed his hand.

"Don't worry, we will go together," he said and they continued.

Their palms seemed to fit perfectly. James held his hand like it was the most ordinary thing to do, while Regulus felt like discovering a new world. But Sirius was all about physical touch, so maybe James assumed the brothers were the same and didn’t think about it at all. But Regulus hated it when people touched him. Except… he didn’t mind now. Not one bit. Regulus felt that as long as James was holding his hand, nothing bad could happen to him.

Whenever there was a louder sound, he squeezed James's hand and he squeezed his back to let him know there was nothing to fear. Regulus was still immensely glad when he saw the end of the forest. And he heard another sound, more familiar this time. The river.

"The river is a little to the east," said James, sensing Regulus's curiosity.

"Are we going to see it?" Regulus asked.

He wondered what the river looked like when it was unregulated.

"The river is really impressive, but I want to show you something else. Come on, we're almost there."

They continued for a while until they reached the edge of the forest. The grass here was very tall, but luckily James had a well-walked path. He was walking in front but still holding Regulus's hand, who had to look under his feet to avoid tripping over twigs that were not visible in the tall grass. James suddenly stopped and Regulus almost bumped into his back.

"We're here," James said, then he leaned against the nearest tree so that Regulus could see.

He gasped.

In front of him was a vast space, on which there was nothing. The important thing could be seen in the distance. The river that flowed out of the forest a few meters north from them wound like a ribbon through the void to the ruins of something that was in front of them. It must have been a huge beautiful city in the past. Now there were just dark remains of the buildings. And the structure in the middle. It was a Dome made of bricks and glass, next to which was a tower, also made of glass, taller than the trees behind Regulus. The top of the tower was broken, with sharp glass sticking out like a crown. The dome, undoubtedly with a circular base, stood to the left of the tower and was even more destroyed - 2 huge holes were gaping on the walls, one on the left, the other near the top. Regulus could not imagine what kind of weapon caused this. None of this was all that amazing though. The important thing was that the sun in the west was now shining directly on the Dome. The light was reflecting off the glass parts. The whole thing looked like some light play. As if the building was shining, and yet it was only a ruin. Rays of light reflected all around. Some were ricocheting the sky, some were falling to the surface of the river.

"Quite stunning, isn't it?" said James.

"Beautiful," stated Regulus, still staring at the Dome.

Compared to the uniform, simple blocks of flats in Burgensis, this building looked like it was from a fairytale.

"What is it?" Regulus asked.

"Think," said James, sitting down on the ground, his back against a white-barked tree, "What is north of Burgensis?"

Regulus immediately realised the answer:

"Cadmia."

It was strange to see the former capital of an old world, which everyone knew only from stories. War, nuclear missiles, almost the end of human civilisation. Regulus had always seen it as a story, but now it felt all too real. He sat down next to James, the tree was wide enough for both of them to lean against.

"What are you going to do when that map downloads?" Regulus asked after a while.

"I'll go home without any cameras," James answered and closed his eyes, enjoying the last rays of the sun.

Regulus allowed himself three seconds to watch him, then asked:

"I meant later. What are you going to do at the Phoenix base?”

The air was different here. Smelled good.

"I will help them fight for what is right. The Minister of Security is now the biggest threat."

James kept his eyes closed, but his brows furrowed.

All Regulus knew was that Minister Bartemius was working on some kind of weapon. James refused to tell him more when they first talked about that and in all the mess Regulus forgot about it completely. Minister Bartemius was the reason James was sent to Burgen school in the first place. The Minister was indirectly responsible for James’s imprisonment. Yet Regulus knew nothing about him. He scolded himself internally and decided to fix his mistake immediately.

"Why is he so dangerous?" Regulus asked nonchalantly.

James thought about the answer for a long time. He slowly opened his eyes.

"The Minister of Security has held his post for a very long time. He knows best how, hmm, rotten Burgensis is. Thieves, murderers, alcoholics, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The President completely ignores her role. The rich rob the poor. People are afraid to go out into the street at night. The Minister wants that to change."

"And that's bad?" Regulus asked, confused.

"In essence, no. The only problem is that he probably wants it violently. Overthrow the president, maybe."

"But he can't do it," said Regulus.

He believed that the things James told him – Minister working on some kind of weapon, him wanting power – were true. But also… the Minister couldn’t just walk up to President Dolores and take her place. Sure she wasn’t the strongest figure, a young ruler who was yet to do something worth at least mentioning, but the police and the rest of the ministers would not just stand and watch. But at the same time, Regulus’s gaze rested on the ruins of Cadmia.
The past was proof that unimaginable things like this could happen.

James continued:

"The Minister has the support of a few high-ranking individuals and also of many poor people."

"Why would the poor...?"

"The Minister promised them that no one would oppress them under his rule. Just look at how many people live on the street. If there were a fight, they could win.”

Regulus was shocked. Fight. Fighting meant war. He was also mildly pissed at James.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

James replied guiltily:

"I was afraid that you might agree with the Minister."

"What?!"

"You lived on the streets, then your two best friends were arrested for stealing to survive. Phoenix, the number one enemy Minister Bartemius is going to have, is the reason your brother isn’t with you now. You know all too well how unfair this world is. Wouldn't you like that to change?”

James looked at him seriously, as if he still wasn't sure if he should have revealed this. Regulus understood his worries. Had he not met James, in the near future he could have found himself fighting on the opposite side of war than his brother without even knowing.
Regulus would have liked for Burgensis to be led by someone competent, someone who knew what the situation was and would try to solve it. However, if the Minister gained power by force, would he be able to definitively desist from violence later? Regulus wished Dorcas were here, so she could tell him what’s right and wrong. He tried to figure out whose side she would take, but he was clueless. Dorcas didn’t care about sides, she only cared about Marlene and for a while Regulus. She probably wouldn’t fight for anyone, but Regulus didn’t have the luxury of remaining neutral because Sirius had already chosen his side, which made Regulus’s choice laughably easy.

"I want the situation to improve, as does the Minister, but I don't agree with his ways," Regulus said.

James was visibly relieved.

"Did the Phoenix ever try to talk to the Minister? After all, you want to achieve the same thing," added Regulus.

"The Minister never allowed it. He considers us enemies.”

Neither Regulus nor James had anything to say after this. They sat on the ground for a while longer, watching the play of the sun's rays, but then Regulus asked James to take him home so that the darkness would not surprise them in the forest. Although the journey to the apartment did not take them more than 10 minutes.

The remaining three days passed unexpectedly quickly. One morning Regulus woke up and realised that James would leave tomorrow. The sadness that this knowledge caused him was overwhelming. The school that day dragged on forever.

As soon as Regulus returned and opened the door to the room, James greeted him with:

"Come look, I have something for you!"

Regulus walked over to the table. He woke up countless times during the night because James put the screwdriver down on the table loudly, or some part fell on the floor. He finally found out what he had been working on all day and night.

It was a thought bracelet. Silver. Except for the colour, it was an exact copy of James's.

"You have to put it on your hand yourself, it has a built-in fingerprint sensor. Only the one who put it on can unfasten it," said James enthusiastically.

Regulus carefully took the bracelet in his hands.

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"Take it as a parting gift. I wore it before this one," he showed his wrist with a gold bracelet, "but it broke. I fixed it."

Regulus carefully fastened the bracelet so that the letter h was on the inside of his wrist. The bracelet chain suddenly tightened on its own so that the bracelet fit him perfectly. He held his hand out in front of him and twisted it, admiring the bracelet. It was beautiful and more importantly, James put so much effort into fixing it just so he could give it to Regulus. He was just about to ask James how the bracelet worked so he could try it, but James said:

“This one has one more special feature."

The faint smile disappeared from James’s face.

“It can erase memories.”

Regulus stared at James open-mouthed.

James's expression hardened even more, but he continued:

"If you turn the letter h the other way around and press it to your temple, the bracelet will send out a weak pulse and the thing you were thinking about will suddenly cease to be important. You will still have that memory hypothetically, but it will be clouded, like in a fog."

Regulus had no idea what to say. Deleting memories couldn’t be real.

"I thought it would be better for you to forget about, uhm me," James said, his voice shaking.

Regulus still couldn't think of an answer.

"It would be much safer this way, after all, you could accidentally reveal something about Phoenix…"

And suddenly Regulus knew exactly what he wanted to say to James:

"And how exactly do you imagine this?! Should I erase all memories from these two weeks? Since the time I helped you escape from prison? Or should I just delete the parts about Phoenix and live with the fact that some guy just happened to be staying with me?!"

Regulus risked almost everything for him and James still couldn't trust him. James couldn't be serious about this.

Well, maybe he was:

"You might be confused for a while, but it wouldn't leave any lasting effects, I promise—"

James took a step back. Regulus took a step toward him.

"You would allow someone to erase your memories?!" cried Regulus, determined not to let James say another word.

“I had to fight every day not to erase them myself.”

Regulus did not expect this and his lack of reaction gave James a window to say:

“You have been mostly ignoring me for the past week and I have only brought confusion and pain to you. I am simply offering you a way out of this mess and also ensuring the safety of Phoenix.”

Just a few minutes ago Regulus was so happy. No one had given him a present for more than a year. But this gift wasn't about him, it was just about James's mistrust. Regulus even thought that James wanted to stay in touch after he left. He could send him just a few thoughts a week, make sure James was alive and well. Regulus even dared to hope…

“And you didn’t think that better use of the bracelet would be to let me talk to Sirius through it?” Regulus asked through gritted teeth.

The bracelets were a perfect option for brothers to communicate after being apart for so long.

“Sirius would want you to forget about the Phoenix and live your life without danger, peacefully,” James said.

And honestly? Fuck James. Fuck him for thinking he knew Sirius better than Regulus.

He didn’t want to hear another word from James.

Regulus pushed away all the emotions that were bubbling to the surface and declared with a stony face:

"No one touches my memories."

He tore the bracelet off his hand and slammed it on the table next to James, who mumbled something along the lines of trying to do what was right, but Regulus had already closed the door to his bedroom.

He was shaking from anger and he felt tears in his eyes. But he was much more angry than sad, so he didn't cry. He sat on the bed, digging nails into the covers.

Slowly, he began to consider James as his friend, but clearly, he meant nothing to him. Deleting memories was too much for Regulus. This gave cutting of loose ends new meaning. The outside door of Regulus’s room opened and closed, and James left.

After a while, Regulus wanted to have something for dinner, but the fridge was empty. He opened the notebook on the touch screen and began to write down what he wanted to buy tomorrow. He always tried to cook something that James would like, not experimenting like he used to. But that was over.

He had never tried cooking mushrooms before, guess tomorrow he will give it a shot. He finished his list and purposely let it cover James's countdown. If only it could be covered like that in Regulus’s head too.

17 hours, 14 minutes, 33 seconds.

James did not return that day, nor the next morning. When Regulus went to school, there were less than 5 hours left until the map was downloaded. Regulus's school would finish more than 2 hours after the countdown. The thought that Regulus would never see James again weighed heavily on his heart all day.

He hardly took his eyes off his watch during the whole day: Two more hours to download, 1 hour, 10 minutes, done, now James is probably planning his way to the base, James had probably left, James might already be home.

As Regulus walked back to his apartment after class, he was irrationally sure that James would be there. But he was greeted only by Kreacher, and for the first time, it didn’t feel like enough.

He looked at the touch screen. There was nothing on it except his shopping list.

And then it dawned on him.

James really left without saying goodbye. James only used him to get what he needed and then left him. Regulus took a few steps back and sat down on the couch. Kreacher, sensing that something was wrong, jumped up and curled in his lap. Regulus couldn't believe it.

How could James?

No, how could Regulus be so stupid?

He felt tears streaming down his face. Sirius left him and now James did too. What was it about him that made leaving him so easy? If he only knew. He scratched Kreacher, staring into space through tears. And he probably would have sat like that until the next morning if he hadn't heard a police siren. He hated that sound the most in the world. He stood up and walked over to the window to look. That's when he noticed James's backpack. It was placed behind the cabinet, as always.

His thoughts suddenly took a completely different turn. James would never leave without his backpack.

What if James needed to get away quickly? What if the police found him here? Something bad must have happened to him.

The police sirens died down. Maybe he got caught. Maybe they'll go after Regulus now.

He was leaning out of the window hoping to see something. Thoughts raced through his head until there was a knock on the door.

Regulus almost fell out of the window.

It sounded like someone was kicking the door. And again.

His blood froze in his veins. James would not betray him after all Regulus had done for him. He wouldn’t… Even if they promised to let him go? The police used to do it, they promised the criminal that they could walk free if he revealed someone else's crimes. This way, they could arrest two people easily. Regulus was determined not to open the door. He knew that he would not be able to escape because he could barely stand on his feet. No, he will deny it, they have no proof.

Suddenly, the door was unlocked and James opened it.

His hands were full and he struggled to hold a lot of… mushrooms??

"What…?" Regulus gasped, still tense.

James was just standing in the doorway, looking at Regulus sheepishly.

"I wanted to... apologise to you for yesterday.”

James proceeded to drop about 20 mushrooms in various sizes on the table. Regulus looked at him with clenched fists.

“I picked them in the forest. You don’t have to worry, we eat them at base all the time. My dad taught me which are poisonous and which are not. These are 100% edible. Well 99%,” James rambled nervously.

“I noticed your shopping list. I obviously couldn’t go to the shops, but I could at least do this,” James went on, standing awkwardly by the table. He did not dare to step further into the room or close the door behind him.

He took a deep breath and said:

“Asking you to erase your memories was stupid of me. I just wanted to protect you, after everything you've done for me. I am sorry.”

Regulus didn't realise it, but all the time he was moving closer to James, and by the time he finished speaking, he was standing right in front of him.

James looked at Regulus and added:

“Are you alright? You look…”

"Apology accepted," Regulus said and hugged him without warning.

He had his arms around James’s body, head on his chest. Regulus hid his face so that James couldn't see how one last tear rolled from his eye.

"I thought you just left. After our argument... And then I heard a police siren..."

Regulus’s voice was merely a whisper.

James finally put his hands around Regulus and hugged him back. He was gentle, barely touching Regulus.

"Did you really think I would just walk away from you?" James asked in disbelief.

Instead of answering, Regulus just hugged him tighter. He slowly came to his senses and forced himself to gain at least a bit of composure.

With a deep breath, Regulus pulled away from James and asked:

“So the map download was successful?”

James pulled a USB stick from his pocket and inserted it into the screen system. A map of Burgensis appeared (right next to mushrooms) with about sixty red dots. It didn't seem like much at all to Regulus. However, when he looked at the placement of the cameras, he understood that more would not be needed.

There were three cameras on Regulus’s street—at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end—and that was only because the street bordered the forest. On other streets, there were only two cameras, placed at either end. The apartment buildings were right next to each other, so it was impossible to get from one street to another and avoid being seen. There were significantly more cameras at the borders between zones. The cameras were also at every important building, shopping centre, and bridge—not always directly in front of entrances, but positioned so that it was impossible to arrive or leave unnoticed.

Looking at the map was devastating. All parts of Burgensis were covered, perhaps the only exception being the outskirts of the city. Regulus remembered how the forest used to scare him. Fear was a sufficient guarantee that none of the inhabitants of Burgensis would run away there.

"I would have been filmed by at least eleven cameras along the way," James said.
"I got out of prison thanks to the forest, but it won't help me now, since the base..."

James stopped mid-sentence, barely realising what he was about to reveal. Regulus shot him a look that quickly reminded him why they fought.

"...is located in zone B2."

Regulus continued to maintain eye contact and raised an eyebrow to indicate to James to continue.

"Here," he resigned and pointed a finger at the building located in the south of the B2 zone.

Not so far from Burgen's school.

"According to the official plans, it is a warehouse. Some Phoenix member bought it from the person who was in charge of it, and when the owner changed, the warehouse was forgotten."

James marked the base with a green dot. Regulus tried to find a way to get there, but James was right. It was impossible without passing many cameras.

"How much time do you have before the police come after you are caught on camera?"

“Five minutes, maybe less.”

Regulus kept staring at the map, hoping some miraculous solution would reveal itself. But he came up with exactly nothing. He also noticed how distraught James was. His gaze kept returning to the door. He wanted to try it—Regulus was sure of it. He was also sure that James would fail.

"How about you take these,” Regulus pointed at the mushrooms, “into the kitchen and help me figure out what to do with them?"

"Yeah, good idea," replied James absentmindedly.

He had every right to be sad—after all, he had to give up hope of getting home anytime soon. Instead, he was still stuck in Regulus's apartment, with no idea what to do next. But Regulus knew he’d made a mistake before. He gave James space, but that wasn’t what he needed. James felt ignored, and while that wasn’t Regulus’s intention, it may have come across as if James was bothering him. As if James brought him troubles, not hope and sunlight.

So Regulus followed him into the kitchen and talked to him. Taught him how to peel potatoes. Tried to make him smile—without much success. Made him try the mushrooms to see if they were edible, secretly scared out of his mind for James’s health.

The whole time Regulus felt like an idiot, because of course, he couldn’t make James feel better—but he tried. With everything he had.

They made semi-edible fried mushrooms and a dip for tomorrow when Regulus would buy the rest of the stuff from the shopping list. When they were eating together, Regulus almost couldn’t believe he would have let James leave today—if the cameras could be avoided.

This was the first time Regulus thought he could go with James. To see Sirius, of course. How had he not thought of this before?

When they finished eating, they had an argument which basic outline was:

“I can't just stay here.”
“That’s exactly what you will do.”

James went to sleep in Sirius’s room, and Regulus spent the rest of that day studying.

When he woke up in the morning, James was nowhere in the apartment. However, all his things were in place, so there was no reason to worry. Suddenly, Regulus heard the sound of a chair moving from the upper floor of the apartment. Mother was at home. That was probably the reason for James's absence. Without further ado, Regulus went to school.

Before the class began, their class teacher came in and announced:

"Vaccination will take place today. Form pairs. Our bus leaves for the hospital in 10 minutes.”

Vaccination always took place in the middle of March, but Regulus had completely forgotten about it. It was mandatory for all the citizens of Burgensis, as it kept them healthy for a whole year.

Vaccination didn't mean much to Regulus. He was not afraid of needles, because since he was little, he used to watch his mother work. After the vaccination, the bus took all the students back to school again. They were warned that the vaccine serum may cause temporary confusion, fever, or drowsiness. Then they were sent home.

James was still not in the apartment, although Regulus's mother was no longer there. He was petting Kreacher when his gaze wandered to the silver Thought Bracelet lying on the table. Regulus felt a pang of guilt when he remembered how he’d slammed it down yesterday. Thankfully, the bracelet did not look damaged.

Regulus could not resist the temptation and fastened the bracelet on his hand. The magnetic clasp clicked, and the letter h vibrated faintly, proving that the bracelet was working. Regulus pressed h to his temple, feeling extremely strange and embarrassed, and thought:

James, where are you?

He pulled the bracelet away from his head and pressed the letter h with two fingers to send the message. Nothing happened for a while, but suddenly the bracelet vibrated. Regulus pulled his hand away at first, but immediately pressed the letter h to his temple and listened to James's message.

In the woods. I didn't want to risk meeting your mom.

Hearing James's thoughts in his head was the strangest feeling Regulus had ever experienced. It was as if James’s voice echoed throughout his mind, like he was talking inside Regulus’s head. He could hear the tone of James’s voice—not really happy. Regulus sent him another message.

Come back. Mother had already left.

After a while, James appeared in the doorway, his gaze fixed on Regulus's wrist, and said:

"The bracelet suits you."

Regulus nodded because he had no idea what to say to that.

James sat down at the table and looked at the map, but his gaze was empty. He looked worse than yesterday. The fact that he couldn't go home was eating him alive.

“What are you doing back so early?” James asked.

He must have been keeping tabs on Regulus, because he usually came from school only about an hour later than he did today. And James noticed immediately.

“We had vaccinations,” Regulus answered.

James just nodded.

"How does vaccination work for members of Phoenix? I assume you're not going to the hospital?” Regulus asked, genuinely curious, but he also wanted to distract James a bit.

“We have a serum sample set aside, and Poppy, a medic from the hospital, can create a vaccination serum for everyone each year. Poppy doesn’t live at the base, but she always comes around and helps us selflessly.”

Regulus wanted to say something, but he yawned instead. He was deadly tired.

“You should go lie down,” James told him.

“I need to study maths.”

Regulus was surprised when he heard James ask:

“Want some help?”

Regulus never asked anyone for help with his studies—not even Sirius. He always managed everything himself. But James was offering, and Regulus would do anything to keep him from spiralling, so he agreed.

They both sat down on the floor, Regulus placed the school tablet in front of him, and showed James what he didn’t understand. James began to explain effortlessly. Regulus discovered that James had already mastered the curriculum from the first two years of the Burgen school, so he could devote himself fully to spying on the headmaster. Regulus rather suspected that he had nothing to do at the base.

Together, they went back a few lessons, because James found out that Regulus was quite lost. Well, school wasn’t the priority in his mind these days.

The boy with dark eyes was.

Regulus remembered the times when he studied late into the night to pass exams, how he stressed before entrance exams, and how he studied all day and night after being accepted to Burgen school to catch up on subjects he didn't understand. Of course, he still worked hard and went to school prepared, but it didn’t feel that stressful anymore. Maybe it was because Regulus had someone waiting at home for him. Someone to whom it didn’t matter how many percent he got from a test. Someone to whom Regulus didn’t have to prove he was good enough.

James kept on explaining, rarely sending a thought to Regulus. On the other hand, Regulus sent him mostly thoughts— that way it was easier to convey what he didn’t understand.

Regulus tried to convince James to send him his knowledge through the Thought Bracelet, but James the righteous replied that it didn’t work that way. After Regulus had learned everything he needed to in maths—and then some—James asked if he needed help with anything else.

Regulus opened his biology notes and let James give him a lecture. James talked about animals that lived in different natural conditions than Burgensis. He was actually excited about this, describing weird creatures in great detail. Regulus did not understand why he should learn about animals that he would never come across, but James seemed to be enjoying himself, so Regulus listened.

After two hours—although listening to James's voice was pleasant—Regulus's brain was slowly shutting down. He had to lean against the couch to keep himself upright. James, whose gaze was fixed on the notes, did not notice at all how hard it was for Regulus to stay awake.

He continued:

"Amphibians are animals that are adapted to move in water as well as on land... the most famous example are frogs... they are suited to the climate of Burgensis, but because of the people, the buses, and the lack of standing water, they live further south... Regulus, are you sleeping?!”

James finally noticed, scandalised.

Regulus was startled—he had to grab onto the couch so he wouldn't fall to the floor completely.

"Of course not.”

He had been sleeping ever since James had talked about those long-necked creatures. Giraffes? Giffares? Hard to say. He rubbed his eyes to focus on James.

"If you haven't been sleeping, what can you tell me about frogs?" James asked him, amused.

Regulus’s eyes kept closing on their own accord.

“Regulus?” James tried again.

Regulus yawned. It was the vaccine working through his body, making him so tired. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but he would swear James laughed.

Regulus didn’t mind one bit if it was at his poor state. It was the first time he heard James laugh—fully laugh—and his exhausted mind came to the last conclusion of that day.

He needed to hear this sound again.

Then he fell asleep.

He woke up very late in the morning. In his bed. He had no recollection of getting there, and remembering his embarrassing behaviour yesterday, it could only mean that James picked him up and put him to bed.

He felt very strongly about that—just had no idea what he felt.

Chapter Text

"You shouldn't wear that bracelet to school," James told him on Monday morning.

"Why?"

"What if someone notices it and connects you to the Phoenix or me?"

"Nah, that won't happen. I will cover it with a shirt," Regulus shrugged.

And Regulus was right. For the first three days.

On Wednesday, around lunchtime, Regulus’s class teacher stopped by his desk and said:

"Student Regulus Arcturus, you are to go to the Headmaster’s office immediately."

Regulus thought he was done. The looks of his classmates pierced him. Regulus had no choice but to stand up and go to the Headmaster's office. Before he left class, his eyes found Pandora, who gave him a thumbs-up and a smile.

All the way, Regulus’s hands were shaking uncontrollably. He nervously knocked on the door of the Headmaster's office. No reaction. Regulus wanted to turn on his heel and run but that would raise suspicions, so he forced himself to knock once more and entered.

The office was unnecessarily large. The only thing there was a desk where the director was sitting and three tall cabinets. Regulus recognised that he was on the edge of the school's circular complex because the window was on the wall, not on the ceiling. The director was sitting with his back to him and was looking out of that very window. Regulus's footsteps echoed so loudly on the polished floor that it was impossible not to be aware of his presence. So why did the Headmaster ignore him?

"Uhh, Mr. Albus, did you ask to see me?" Regulus asked, ready to play innocent.

The Headmaster didn't react for a moment, then turned sharply on a chair with wheels. He spun the chair so hard that he had to hold on the table to keep from falling.

Regulus barely recognised the Headmaster. He looked devastated. The shaking of Regulus's hands was faint compared to how much the Headmaster was shaking. His eyes were bloodshot. When Regulus had seen him at the entrance exams, he would have guessed him to be 40 years at most, but now he would guess 60. There was another thing Regulus noticed immediately.

The Headmaster was drunk. Very much.

"So you're supposed to be a member of the Phoenix?" Albus said and laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," answered Regulus quickly.

He was troubled by the Headmaster’s drunken state. Drunk people were unpredictable.

"You should learn to lie - lie - better. Did you seriously think no one would notice the bracelet?" the Headmaster blurted out.

Regulus couldn’t believe that someone would notice the tiny bracelet. He had never heard about the Phoenix before he met James and yet the Phoenix was so important that one bracelet was enough to condemn Regulus.

Albus said something else, and definitely used words: work, spy, and help, but between his drunken slurring and fits of laughter, Regulus was unable to understand what he was trying to tell him.

The bell rang, signaling the start of a lesson. It seemed to wake the Headmaster up. He leaned on his elbows on the table and began to roll up his shirt sleeve. He rubbed his forearm a few times, and the mark of the Phoenix began to appear.

Small written h in a triangle.

"You didn't expect that, did you?” Albus laughed.

Regulus probably had his mouth hanging open.

“Who do you think sent you to prison on a school trip to allow members of Phoenix to get there? Who do you think covered your tracks when you opened his locker? Oh boy, you have so much to learn,” Albus rambled.

Regulus didn’t understand anything.

“Only one person at the base knows. I've been playing the role for years. Well, not anymore. My school... not anymore. I don't think I'll live to see tomorrow. Well, I can delay them. Oh yes, I can… I don't care anymore!”

The Headmaster seemed to be angered by his own last sentence, but luckily he quickly calmed down and continued:

“I hope that the boy that gave you the bracelet is very, very, very hmm, very far away from you. As soon as they finish me off, they'll go after him. Just so you know."

Regulus forgot how to breathe. He thought James was safe in his apartment.

“I let them use my school because I thought I could keep an eye on them. Keep them in check,” the Headmaster said and burst into tears, sobbing heavily.

So the Order of the Phoenix were right when they sent James to spy in Burgen school.

"I wasn't entirely sure what they were working on until now. It's… terrible,” Albus sobbed.

Regulus was afraid that the Headmaster wouldn't be able to say anything more, but he added:

"It's a bomb. The Minister will blow up all of Burgensis."

Despite the Headmaster's condition, Regulus believed him fully. Footsteps sounded in the corridor.

"We mustn't take any more risks," the Headmaster said to himself rather than to Regulus.

He stood up slowly, walked around the table, and walked over to Regulus.

"I also sent a message about a bomb to the base, it should have been delivered by now.”

The Headmaster was already opening the door and pushing Regulus out.

"Don't tell anyone and don't trust anyone,” said Albus.

He was about to close the door to Regulus’s face but at the last second he said:

“Say goodbye to your grandfather from me."

Regulus didn’t have time to ask the Headmaster what he meant because the door had been slammed, leaving Regulus alone in the corridor.

What the hell? This was too much. Regulus had no idea why, but he was sure he had to run.

Within a minute he was out of the school. There was still plenty of time left until the end of lessons, but after a short thought, Regulus decided that his psyche would not be able to handle the return to class.

He hurried home. He could see the ruins of Cadmia before him as clearly as if he were standing at the edge of the forest.

It's a bomb... it's a bomb... it's a bomb...

James and all of the Phoenix thought that the Minister wanted to gain power over Burgensis. That he wanted to rule.

They were wrong.

When Regulus finally arrived at the apartment, he found James sitting at the table. He looked bad. If Regulus had not been convinced of the opposite, he would have thought that James had just learned about the bomb.

When James sat at the desk, he usually had a map open and was memorising the location of the cameras. But now he had the Newspaper, the online news, open. On the screen was a classic format, text aligned to the centre, with a large title.

Regulus did not have time to read it because James shot to his feet and asked:

"What are you doing here?"

"The Headmaster..." started Regulus, but he didn't know how to tell him.

This information would destroy James. And also Regulus couldn’t catch his breath.

"Does this have anything to do with the protest?" he asked, looking desperately at Regulus.

"What protest?"

"Come read it," James sighed, letting Regulus sit down, while he leaned against the table.

Regulus knew that the information he had just learned was a million times more important than any article but he was a coward.

So he read.

PROTEST OF PHOENIX, THE MINISTER IS INTERVENING

Earlier today, an open protest took place for the first time in the 200-year history of Burgensis.
The participants of the protest identify themselves as The Order of the Phoenix. They declare that with the protest they want to alert the President and ministers of what is happening behind their backs.
As a formation, they slowly moved towards the Residence, the home of the President. All along the way, they shouted various rebellious opinions, publicly questioned the leadership of Burgensis, and without evidence accused officials and ministers of various invented crimes.
According to the protesters, the reason for all the problems in our city are the actions of the Minister of Security, who is said to be conspiring against the President herself and the entire government.
Minister Bartemius, who is very uncomfortable with the whole situation, gave us his statement. Read what the Minister of Security, who assumed this position at the age of 21 and during his entire time in the office did not disappoint Burgensis even once, thinks about this situation.

Regulus didn't even have time to take a breath, he was already clicking on the arrow that would take him to the Minister's statement. The page on the screen flipped over like a real paper newspaper would and Regulus read.

**“I cannot express how much I am sorry that the people of Burgensis, over whom I have held a protective hand for more than two decades, were able to accuse me in this way.
I allowed the police to check the allegations and they confirmed that none of them were based on truth. Fortunately, my name is cleared.
It is now my duty to investigate the protesters, the so-called Phoenix. I will not allow their behaviour to go unpunished.
Today, I am establishing the Watch, the only legal organisation in Burgensis. Anyone who wants to contribute to a better future for Burgensis can become a member. Members will be admitted unconditionally, and once they pass the trial period, they will be assigned housing.
They will become part of law enforcement, whose main goal will be to find and bring the Phoenix to justice.
As a minister, I cannot allow such rioters and traitors to move freely around Burgensis.
With the approval of the President, a new law will take effect: Anyone who has any information about the Phoenix, either about an individual or about their entire “order”, is obliged to report it immediately.
It is now illegal to be or become a member of the Phoenix.
Anyone who is proven to be cooperating with or helping the named group will be prosecuted.
The sentence is life imprisonment in Prison.
There is no possibility of appeal...”**

The text continued with several threats from the Minister, which Regulus did not feel like reading. James, who was standing motionless next to him, had tears in his eyes.

When he noticed that Regulus had already finished reading the article, he pursed his lips, swallowed, and started:

"Something had to happen. My father would never allow this."

James started pacing the room, running his hand through his hair.

"I don't understand how they could openly protest as Phoenix. After all, it gave Minister Bartemius the perfect reason to officially admit that he is building an... army around himself. Moreover, he made us criminals while he is the hero, the saviour.”

James was right. The article definitely painted the Minister in a much better light than the Phoenix. Plus there was the housing part, which would persuade every single person without a home to join. Today it became a thousand times more dangerous to be a member of the Phoenix.

“It was definitely Remus's idea," James spat angrily.

Regulus perked up because this was a new name. James never mentioned the name of someone from Phoenix. Until now.

"Who is Remus?"

James shut his mouth almost violently. He didn’t mean to reveal this name, but there was no way to take it back now.

“He was no one until he organised the biggest protest in C zones. When I left the base he had all of the C zones under his thumb,” James said in a tone that made it clear that he wasn’t the biggest fan of Remus.

Regulus remembered when he met Alice that one night. She mentioned the protest too and it was probably the same one James was mentioning now. Dorcas and Marlene never talked about it again though.

More importantly, James had no idea that Regulus knew anything about it, so he asked:

"What protest?”

"About a year ago, the first big protest took place. It was organised by people from C2 and C3 zones because they were unable to grow as many corps as they were asked to.”

This was old news for Regulus.

"Of course, the police showed up. It escalated. People died. Lots of them are still staying at the base, occupying the rooms. Remus only made it out thanks to… anyways, Remus made it out alive and has been kicking up a fuss ever since. He cooperates with Phoenix, is one of our most important people, but he is stubborn and hard to deal with.”

This was new. And very interesting.

James sat down on the couch, hid his face in his hands and said:

"And now this. Something is happening. I have to go home right away."

Regulus knew he would say that. And he knew he couldn’t keep James, no matter how badly he wanted. It was time to let him go.

"Wait, before you go," said Regulus, moving from the table closer to him, "I have something to tell you."

At first, Regulus wanted to use the bracelet, but his thoughts flowed too fast, confused, uncontrollable. He had to rely on words.

"The Headmaster called me to the office today," he began.

James looked up at Regulus sharply.

“Why would..."

"Please don't interrupt me.”

Regulus was sure that if James asked worried questions, he would not be able to get anything out. James fell silent and Regulus finally told him what he had learned.

Every centimetre of James's face and body showed only one thing: shock. This information changed everything. It was no longer just about who would rule the people. It was the fate of the whole world.

“No, no, no,” James whispered.

His breathing was erratic.

“No!” James screamed, losing control completely.

Regulus reached out to touch him but didn’t dare.

James tried to stand up but his knees buckled and he fell back on the couch.

"The Headmaster also said that he sent a message, so they probably already know everything at the base. The protest was the answer," Regulus tried to comfort James.

“I am still leaving. Right now,” James said and he would do just that, had the doors to the flat not opened.

“Regulus, I need to talk to you. Now!”

Walburga’s voice sent shivers down Regulus’s spine.

James stood frozen.

Regulus’s mother’s timing was horrible. The most important thing right now was to make sure Walburga didn’t find out about James.

Regulus hated to leave him alone in the state he was in, but he had no other choice. Without even looking at James, Regulus walked out of his room, closed the door, and faced his mother.

“As you know, the Celebration will take place in a week,” she said, skipping greetings like usual.

Regulus had honestly forgotten about it.

“Because your father is unable to attend, you will come with me. I would prefer it if you brought a girl with you, but I don’t expect miracles.”

Regulus forced his face to remain neutral, to hide his annoyance. Honestly, the First Celebration was such a waste of time. Everyone pretending to be the most glamorous one, while they were all rotten.
But at least after that, Regulus could look forward to the Second celebration – when the lights go off because the electricity is turned off for an hour.

He always loved how the world got quiet. No electricity meant no constant buzzing and… also no cameras!

Regulus’s heart almost leaped out of his chest. His mother was still talking, but Regulus’s brain was working harder than ever before.
An hour for which the cameras would be down would be more than enough time for James to get home. Regulus thought hard, looking for mistakes in his plan, but he didn’t find any. It was even relatively safe.

His mother finished her speech and left for her office on the upper floor.
Regulus hurried back to the room. He hoped James didn’t leave in the meantime.

Regulus almost hit him in the face when he opened the door. James was listening to their conversation, but Regulus couldn’t care less now. Maybe the interruption their mother caused wasn’t so bad, because it distracted James and he managed to get a grip. A bit.

James was about to say something, but Regulus beat him to it:

"If they turn off the electricity for an hour on the Second holiday, does that mean the cameras won’t be working?"

James had to blink a few times to at least register what Regulus was saying. But it clicked in his brain soon.

Regulus was almost jumping from excitement. He always found the Second celebration nice, but a little pointless. Now it could be James's salvation.

"You might be right. But I am still going now," James said, but he didn’t sound as sure as before.

Regulus could see him pondering all the possibilities. After so many disappointments, he couldn't afford to get his hopes up.

“James, they already know at the base, why would you risk it?”

"But the Second celebration is more than two weeks away," James sighed.

Regulus just nodded. That was a fact. Nothing could be done about it. The price for a safe journey was time.

"What if the Minister activates the bomb before then?" asked James.

Regulus also thought of that.

"I do not think so. They could soon be finished with development, but now the Headmaster is ready to slow down the whole process, so it will take some time."

Regulus had no idea if his words were true, but if he could keep James safe for a while longer, he didn’t mind lying.

"Moreover, the Minister has to focus on the Phoenix more now. I think he is afraid of the Order. And you especially. Even the Headmaster said that."

"Did the Headmaster mention me?" James asked.

Regulus realised that he shouldn't have said that, but there was no point in denying it now. He sent a thought to James, of the Headmaster saying they were coming for them.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? This is important!” James cried.

"It didn't sound that important compared to Burgensis going up in the air in any moment!" Regulus replied honestly.

It felt so unreal to Regulus. The phase of shock had passed, Regulus now struggled to grasp the actual meaning of the situation around him.

"Don't you realise the danger you're in?" James asked angrily.

Regulus yawned. James was so dramatic for no reason sometimes.

“I need to think. I am gonna take a walk in the forest,” James said.

Regulus didn’t believe him for a second. James was about to go to the base.

“Take Kreacher for a walk instead. But not into the forest, you know he hates it,” Regulus said.

“But I…”

“James, I am too tired to take him. Please.”

So what if Regulus lied a bit? He really was tired, although not that much. And if he learned one thing about James, it’s that the boy was a helper, through and through. Regulus felt almost bad for manipulating him like this, but it was for his own good.

James agreed, of course. Regulus hoped he would not steal his dog and return to the base. He didn’t. He came back.

"I can't stay here, it's too risky, although going during the Second celebration is undoubtedly the safest way..."

James talked to himself like this all morning. He still wasn't sure if he should wait for two weeks or risk it.

Regulus was secretly thankful for every minute James decided to stay. He wanted to keep this selfless boy safe for as long as he could.

But Regulus was also quite glad he didn't have to listen to James reasoning with himself all day and hurried off to school.

Everything was going on as usual until their class teacher entered the classroom and announced in a monotone voice:

“Students, I have sad news for you. The Headmaster of our school died tragically.”

That was all.

None of the students showed much emotion, except for horrified Pandora, who looked like she might start crying any minute. Classes continued normally.

When Regulus came home, James was sitting at the table and he miserably showed Regulus the newest news:

THE DIRECTOR OF THE BURGEN SCHOOL IS DEAD, ARE PHOENIX TO BLAME?

"We regret to announce that the Headmaster Albus was found dead in his office yesterday, 23. March. The cause of death is currently unknown. The Minister of Education has the task of finding a new Headmaster, although the vacancy left by Albus will not be easy to fill.
We would like to honour his memory by figuring out what happened to him. The death could have been caused by natural causes, but the family, the police, and the public refuse to believe it.
Suspicions, of course, point to a new radical group called the Order of Phoenix. After the open protest, it would not be surprising if they resorted to another violent act.
Citizens of Burgensis are asked to provide police with any information about the Headmaster's death or the Phoenix…"

Regulus didn’t feel like reading anymore.

He refused to accept that this was real, both the Minister's bomb plan and the Headmaster's death. Nothing made sense. Did Albus take his life to slow down the Minister or because the information about the bomb was too much for him or was he killed?

The only thing Regulus knew for sure was that the Headmaster sacrificed himself for his school, for all of Burgensis.

The bracelet on Regulus’s arm seemed to grow heavier.

“Tell your grandfather goodbye from me."

Regulus had completely forgotten about the Headmaster’s last words until now. Because now they weren’t just words, but the Headmaster’s Albus last wish. But there had to be some misunderstanding. Albus had to mistake Regulus for someone else because he had no grandfather.

The Headmaster must have been more drunk than Regulus realised.

“They are calling us radical criminals now,” James said and it brought Regulus back to reality.

And no. James couldn’t be thinking about this. Regulus knew just how to take his mind off those thoughts.

“I was thinking, the event I am going to with my mother is the biggest event of the whole year. Won’t Phoenix have some spies there?”

“Probably,” James answered absentmindedly.

He wasn’t paying Regulus complete attention and that was just unacceptable.

“If I could find someone from Phoenix there, I could tell them you are alright,” Regulus said nonchalantly like it was an idea off the top of his head, not something he thought through carefully during a chemistry lesson.

James turned to him, eyes wide.

Full attention acquired.

“You absolutely can’t do that. Did you forget about the danger you are in now? And you want to risk even more?”

James was getting so annoying with all his worrying. Regulus would swear every day James found a way to be concerned about him.

“I could do it subtly,” Regulus said.

Maybe writing a note would be a good idea.

“Don’t even think about it Regulus. I don’t know who we can trust now.”

He stood up from the chair to face Regulus fully.

“You can’t think of a single person?” Regulus pushed.

James hesitated. Regulus knew he won.

“Mary,” James whispered, his lips barely moving.

“Great. Who’s Mary?”

James sighed.

“She used to be a teacher, but she was too curious. Studied history, and collected books. They fired her only after a year of working. She had nowhere to go, so she went to Phoenix. She has quite a talent for spying.”

Regulus carefully catalogued the pieces of information about Mary right next to the ones about Remus.

“Show me some memory of Mary then. If I find her I will slip her a note,” Regulus decided.

He wasn’t about to let James’s worries get in the way of a great plan.

“You can write on paper?” James asked like this was what mattered the most.

“Of course.”

Sirius taught him. And when Regulus writes a note now, his brother will be able to read it at the base.

“Regulus I can’t ask that of you,” James said softly.

He kept his eyes on Regulus, who was slowly getting used to them. Could even read them a little. There was a bit of pain, but also gratefulness and wonder.

“Good thing you are not then. It was my idea,” Regulus stated.

James sighed.

He did quite a lot of sighing, especially when talking to Regulus. Figures…

James took a few steps away from Regulus. They got quite close. Regulus didn’t even notice when.

“Then I also have an idea,” James said.

Regulus knew this would not be good. He quite suspected James put some distance between them in case Regulus reacted badly to his idea.

“No thank you,” Regulus deadpanned.

James rolled his eyes.

“When you are at Celebration, I will show my face on the camera somewhere south.”

Yep, just as Regulus thought.

“And why exactly would you do this stupidity?”

Regulus couldn’t see one good reason for this.

“Because they think you are helping me, so this will make it look like I have been hiding in the south,” James explained.

“You are so dumb.”

Regulus honestly had nothing more to add.

“If you want the memory of Mary, then you will have to agree with me that this is a great idea and be supportive,” James said.

Since when could he bargain like this?

They argued a while longer, going in circles until Regulus didn’t have any more mental energy to explain to James that showing himself on camera just to make sure no one suspected Regulus was idiotic.

They agreed to take some time to think about it.

Chapter Text

Regulus realised he had a more pressing matter on his hands than James’s shenanigans. The dog food for Kreacher was running low, and because Regulus wasn’t a citizen of C zones, he couldn’t order or buy it because having a dog outside C zones was illegal. Regulus became aware of this soon after getting Kreacher, and the only solution was to steal the dog food from a shop in C. James wasn’t a fan of this solution.

“James, we went over this six hundred times already. I have to do it.”

Regulus was so thankful that Dorcas and Marlene taught him how to.

“But what if they catch you? Call the police? What if you end up in prison?” James went on and on.

“Then I will say hello to all of your friends there,” Regulus said, and it shut James up quite effectively - for about five minutes.

Regulus went over the plan in his head. He planned the theft on Friday. Planning had always been his favourite part. He had to go by a bus. The ride will take only a few minutes. One bus will bring him to zone C3, a street away from the shop, to not attract attention. In 10 minutes another bus will be waiting for him right in front of the shopping centre. This was the easy part. Bypassing the detectors in the shop was the part where it could go wrong.

Each item in the store had a specific code that was deactivated after being scanned at the checkout. If this did not happen, the item would be recognised by the anti-theft sensors located right behind each cash register. Many people didn’t even know that sensors existed. If the system caught an unscanned code, it would start an extremely loud siren. The security guard, usually a police officer in training, was ready to immediately arrest the suspected person.

Regulus saw how this happened only once in his life. It was at a store in his zone. He was just paying for his stuff when the alarm sounded. The man, much older than Regulus, tried to run but had no chance. The security guard caught him and ignored his desperate cries that his children were starving at home.

Regulus was sure that the man did not manage to properly remove the entire code and that is why the sensors caught him. Because that's how stealing worked. The code simply had to be removed. Sometimes it was not possible. Bottles of mineral water, detergents, or anything with hard packaging could not be stolen. Most of the food was just packed in a plastic bag, that was fine. It was not easy to cut the code on the dog granules, but it was possible.

There was no point in stressing as Regulus reassured James. On Friday evening he threw his backpack with all the necessary things over his shoulders and in a moment Regulus was already entering the shopping centre. It was located in the very north of the C3 zone. Regulus saw orchards and fields in the distance. The southern zones always seemed like a different world to him. Sun was just setting. The asphalt roads contrasted sharply with the green areas. The fields were already overgrown with various crops. There were no high apartment buildings here, only one-story houses, most of which could not even be seen because of the tall trees.

Regulus walked into the store with a focused expression. The tall shelves were perfectly organised, it took Regulus no time to find the dog food section. He waited for a family with two children to pass around the corner. Then he was able to reach into his backpack and pick out the two most necessary things. A knife and a tape. The granules were in a plastic package with a code on it. It was easy to cut it out, but of course, this caused the granules to start spilling out. That's why he needed duct tape.

And skill.

Regulus turned the package over so that the granules did not spill out completely. He found the beginning of the wide tape and taped it under the code. Then, with a quick movement, he cut out part of the package with the code, which he dropped on the ground and kicked under the shelf. He taped over the empty square, from which one or two granules fell out and rolled on the floor. Regulus quickly looked both ways, although he knew thanks to his trained hearing that no one was there, and stuffed the package of granules into his backpack.

Acting as calmly as possible, Regulus took out the cheapest chewing gum and went to the cash register. The lady who blocked the chewing gum looked quite nice, she even wished Regulus a nice day. Regulus smiled at her with his practised angelic smile and passed through the sensor. He knew the alarm wouldn't go off, but his heart was still ready to jump out of her chest. He quickly walked through.

Nothing happened. Regulus allowed himself one sigh of relief.

He hopped on a bus. He had to wait for three minutes, although he was the only passenger. Buses were weird like this, not allowed to set off one second sooner or later than they were supposed to.

Regulus was restless. It was already pitch dark outside. He wanted to get to the apartment because James was surely worried and… James didn’t need more stress than he was already dealing with.

Regulus finally arrived at his stop, he just had to walk a short distance down a street lit by tall lamps. Across from him, five figures emerged from the darkness. They walked close together and fast, probably afraid of being outside in the dark.

One boy from the group of five bent over to tie his shoelaces. Another stood to his left, waiting. The others continued on their way. When they passed Regulus, they stopped.

Oh no.

James was going to have to wait a while longer. Regulus knew what was happening even before the five teenagers formed a circle around him and surrounded him.

"Do you have any money that you would like to donate to us?" asked the boy who was standing just out of the area the lamp kept lit, so Regulus couldn't see his face at all.

Neither could he see the one who stood next to him. Regulus quickly scanned the others. The youngest boy could have been only around 12 years old, extremely thin, and holding a knife in his slightly shaking hands. Next to him stood the only girl of the group, around Regulus’s age. Her teeth looked very bad, one was growing crooked and pushing all the others away. She certainly wasn't doing this for the first time, but she looked flustered and unfocused. She looked anxiously at the boy standing next to her. He was the tallest and biggest of them all. Broad shoulders, definitely stronger than Regulus. A threat.

"I don't have any money," Regulus answered.

It was relatively true. His parents were rich beyond most people’s imagination, but the allowance Regulus got was below average.

"What's in that backpack?" asked the boy in the dark.

"Dog food," Regulus answered into the darkness, "do you want a taste?"

He didn't feel like playing games today. The boys finally stepped in the light. One looked like a rat. The other had longish black hair, which looked like it had been washed maybe last month. Maybe never. He was clearly in charge.

"Avery, how about you do something useful for once and bring me that backpack," he said to the tall one.

Avery started to approach Regulus from his side, but Regulus kept his eyes on the boy in charge. He didn’t need to care about the rest of the group.

"Don't do it," Regulus told the leader.

"Getting scared?"

He didn't understand that Regulus didn't mean it as a plea but as a warning. Avery was walking so loudly that Regulus didn’t need to turn to him at all. He kept eye contact with the one in charge, memorising his face. When Avery was close enough, Regulus turned on the electric shield with a quick movement and electrocuted Avery without even looking. Avery fell to the ground.

The youngest boy screamed, and the girl rushed to Avery and shouted at Regulus:

"What have you done?!"

Regulus didn't even look back, his gaze locked on the slick-haired boy. He was eyeing the shield hungrily and didn’t seem to care about the wellbeing of Avery at all.

"He'll be fine in a few seconds."

Regulus was surprised by the coldness in his voice. They all looked at each other until Avery took a sharp breath and sat up. Regulus looked over quickly just to check if he was okay. He looked fine, that is, no worse than before. With the girl's help, he managed to get to his feet.

"I think we should say our goodbyes," Regulus said.

The girl took off running. The little boy followed her immediately. Regulus was left alone against three, one of them now personally offended. Bad odds. For them.

But then the leader pulled out a gun.

He aimed it straight at Regulus, who really fucking hated guns, but showed no emotion.

"I should warn you, you are in danger of being hit by a bullet that bounces off my shield," Regulus said.

"You're lying," said the shorter one.

"Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not."

Regulus didn't want to admit it, but he was having fun. He felt fifteen again, ready to take everyone who dared to oppose him down. He felt Dorcas and Marlene by his side. When it was three of them against the world, and the world did not stand a chance. The adrenaline was pumping in his veins and it felt good.

The leader with the gun aimed, probably bluffing anyway, but Avery stopped him:

"Don't be stupid Severus, they might like this one."

Severus reluctantly put down his gun.

Their other friend said:
"What if I told you that the regime and system in Burgensis are about to change? For the better. Wouldn't you like to be a part of it? You might have noticed it in the Newspaper. There will be a need for people who have sufficient skills. If we succeed, we will end up on top for a change. We have an army. Wouldn't you like to create a better future for yourself?”

Regulus almost electrified himself. Did these boys have any idea that the Minister was going to destroy all of Burgensis? Maybe they didn’t, but Regulus would easily believe that they knew. And they still supported him without care.

Regulus was surprised at how easy it would be to join. That scared him the most. It would be so simple. James might have actually saved him, not the other way around.

"Thank you, but I am not interested," Regulus said coldly.

The boys frowned.

"In that case," said Severus, "we'll at least take the shield."

Avery and the other boy both started getting closer. Severus stood unmoving, totally useless. Regulus should have just turned and run, but he wasn’t sure he could outrun them both plus Severus still had a gun. And Regulus maybe wanted to see if he still got it. He heard Marlene chuckle into his ear.

He raised the shield in front of him and clenched his right hand into a fist. He claimed the first blow—or rather faked it—and at the last second changed it to make a wide arc with the shield. His opponents had to duck.

Neither of the boys would have stood a chance alone, but together they were dangerous because Regulus could hardly defend himself from two sides with the shield.

For a long time, the boys just tried to get closer and circled around. After a few minutes, it was clear to all three of them that if Regulus didn't make a mistake, they would be standing here until morning. He realised that the longer he defended himself, the greater the chance that something would go wrong. And more importantly, even if he managed to take the two of them down and run, Severus could just shoot him in the back. He looked like a type to do just that.

So Regulus made a mistake.

He had to swallow his pride, but he allowed the rat-like boy to grab his arm, just above the shield.

Avery stepped behind Regulus and pulled him to his chest, which Regulus did not see coming, but had to admit was effective. One of Avery’s big hands easily covered almost all of Regulus’s stomach. He held Regulus in place with all he had. Regulus hit him with his right hand, somewhere between the ribs. And once more for good measure. He was prepared to give him another blow, but Avery managed to grab his right hand and twist it behind Regulus’s back. Avery’s nails were digging into Regulus's stomach more and more painfully. He was sure that if there was any bone there, he would have broken it by now.

The other boy was holding Regulus’s shield hand, making sure he couldn’t electrocute anyone.
Regulus kept thrashing around, mostly to annoy the boys.

Suddenly a fist appeared in front of his face and he had no chance to defend himself. The nameless boy hit him well. Marlene used to hit harder. She had a philosophy that Regulus needed to know how it felt to be punched, so when he was in a real fight, it wouldn’t surprise him. His head was clear now but his vision was blurry, from the tears that filled his eyes.

Only after all this did Severus proceed to walk near him.

"Okay, enough games," he said.

His skinny fingers reached for the shield. Regulus let out a shaky breath.
He felt a trickle of blood run down his side, but that didn’t matter now.
He subtly shifted all his weight to his left leg and stopped fighting so the boys thought he gave up.

When Severus’s fingers were almost brushing the watch, instead of pulling away, Regulus leaned back against Avery, using him to stabilise himself, and kicked up with all his strength. He was aiming for the chest of the nameless boy who was holding his shield hand.

The kick landed true, his target fell on the ground. Regulus immediately electrified Severus, twisted around, freeing himself from Avery's grip, and electrified him too. He fell to his knees this time.

The kicked boy started to rise from the ground, so Regulus didn’t waste time catching his breath and ran.

He saw nothing but the door to his building.

He had no idea whether someone was running after him or not until he reached the main door and placed his thumb on the opening sensor. The door took a moment to read his fingerprint, so Regulus quickly looked around. The rat-like boy was running after him, and although he didn’t have the body of an athlete, he was closing on.

The door finally opened and Regulus slammed it after himself. The boy crashed into the doors with all his might. He beat his hands on the glass door, a madly determined look in his eyes.

Regulus did not wait and ran.

He needed to get to the apartment as quickly as possible. The pain was spreading from his right hip to his whole body. He wasn't sure how long he could stay on his feet. Plus the knee on the leg he used to kick his opponent started to hurt him really bad. He hoped none of the ligaments in the knee were torn.

Fortunately, the elevator was already going down to the ground floor.
There was a clank, the elevator opened, and Regulus, in a hurry to get into it, collided with James.

It took them both a moment to realise who they had bumped into.
James mumbled something as Regulus pushed him into the elevator, tripping over his own exhausted legs. He had to lean against the wall to keep himself standing.

James finally found the words and asked in one breath:

"How did you manage to escape?"

He looked at Regulus as if he was out of this world.

"In the apartment..." he was about to add, "I'll tell you," but his voice broke.

Regulus wanted to tell him everything, but he just couldn't.
He began to really feel his injuries, adrenaline leaving his body.
The elevator finally reached the top floor.

Regulus peeled himself off the wall and managed to take about two steps before his knees buckled and gave out.

Regulus prepared himself for a hard impact with the floor, but James caught him from behind and helped him stand up straight. He did not let go of Regulus and slowly led him into the room.
Regulus let him take all his weight. He was unable to stand on his leg with a hurt knee.

He looked up to James once.

James didn’t seem to mind Regulus’s weight at all. He had a focused look, but his eyes were worried, maybe even scared. But he had to be used to injuries and danger from Phoenix, so Regulus would expect him to be calmer.

They limped to the couch, on which Regulus collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Kreacher was right by his side, obediently sitting at his feet as if he understood that he should not be in James’s way.

"Hold on," said James and ran to the bathroom.

He came back with a towel and a bowl of water. Regulus realised his face had to look horrible. He felt dried blood.

But more importantly:

“Did you seriously bring a white towel for blood, James?”

Every word hurt Regulus, because when he was speaking he felt muscles in his stomach, but he had to say this.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” James sighed and went back to the bathroom for a dark blue towel.

Regulus reached for it, but James just shook his head. He knelt down.
Regulus had to let him wipe the blood off his face.

He was sure no one had touched him this gently before.

James worked in silence, his face showing only concentration.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" James asked when he was done with Regulus’s face.

Regulus remained silent, but his gaze dropped to his stomach.
Honestly, he didn’t feel much pain on his face, but his abdomen felt like Avery had ripped off a solid piece of it.

James noticed where Regulus looked and also noticed a small spot of blood on his T-shirt. James reached for the hem of his shirt but hesitated. He looked up to Regulus, silently asking for permission. Regulus rolled his eyes and nodded. James lifted his shirt.

Regulus hoped it wouldn't be so bad, however, James physically winced at the sight of his stomach, his focused expression disintegrating and replaced with something between horror and anger.

"How did this happen to you?!" cried James, still looking at the wound, "Why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"

James’s reaction made Regulus scared to look at the wound.

“I knew this was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have let you do it,” James whispered.

He wasn’t even able to look at Regulus.

"As if you could have stopped me," Regulus laughed bitterly.

He immediately regretted it, because the muscles on his injured stomach tensed painfully.
With a grimace, he forced himself to look at the wound.

It wasn't as bad as he imagined. The entire left part of his abdomen, from the lowest rib to the hem of his pants, had a blueish colour, but apart from four wounds, he did not see any deeper injuries. The four wounds, which were undoubtedly left by the boy's fingers—or rather his nails—were inflamed, but only bled because the boy had scraped off the top layer of skin. Regulus was sure that it would heal without any problems.

He did not understand what James was freaking out so much about. James really wasn’t cut for the whole illegal organisation thing. Now he was mumbling something about taking Regulus to the hospital.

"No, no hospital," he blurted out quickly.

Involving his mother was the last thing Regulus needed.

James finally shut up, realising that his monologue wasn't helping anyone. Without saying anything more, he dipped the towel into a bowl of water and began to clean the wound.

Regulus clenched his teeth to keep from showing how much it stung.

After James removed all the blood, Regulus was ready to get up and move to his bed, but James held him back.
He walked over to the table and pulled something out of his backpack.
He knelt before Regulus again and showed him the ointment he held in his hands.

"This should help," James said.

Only doctors had access to pharmaceutical products like this. Even Regulus’s mother didn’t keep anything stronger than regular painkillers in the apartment. But Phoenix probably had good suppliers. There was not much ointment left in the tube, but James still squeezed out most of it and rubbed it into Regulus's skin.

It was uncomfortable at first, but after a while the ointment began to cool and the pain subsided a little.

"Do you need anything else? A painkiller pill, a glass of water...”

"A water," Regulus said and looked at James.

He wanted to tell him how much he appreciated that James took care of him and that he shouldn't worry about him and that he shouldn't blame himself for what happened, but he could only say:

"Thank you."

James looked into his eyes and Regulus was sure he understood.
He went to the kitchen for water.

Only then did Regulus realise how tired he was. He slowly laid down on the couch and immediately fell asleep.

Regulus woke up and couldn't immediately remember where he was. He sat up quickly—too quickly. Pain shot through his entire body and he groaned, the memories of yesterday slamming back into him.

He rolled up his shirt to examine his stomach. It looked worse than yesterday. The bruises had darkened, and the four fingernail indentations were now deeply etched into his skin. He was so thankful it was Saturday.

Kreacher lay on the floor beside the couch. Regulus was sure he hadn't moved all night.

"How are you?"

Regulus flinched. He hadn’t expected James’s soft voice.

"I'm fine," he said quickly, though he wasn’t sure it was true.

James looked awkward, tension hanging in the air like fog.

"Yesterday, you left the apartment," Regulus said suddenly, the memory hitting him. "You went down by the elevator… Where...? How did you know?"

"I saw you from the window," James answered, already understanding what Regulus meant, "I saw how they surrounded you, and how you electrified the big one. I thought they’d leave you alone after that, but then one of them pulled out a gun. That's when I finally came to my senses and ran to help."

"But, but..."

Regulus furrowed his brows in concentration.

"There's a camera. There’s a camera near the front entrance to this building."

"I know," James said, like it was no big deal.

Regulus stared. James wasn’t making any sense.

"It would have gotten you," he pressed.

James met his eyes, calm.

"I didn't care. What was I supposed to do, watch from the window?"

Yes, exactly, Regulus wanted to say. James had risked everything. He could go back to prison—for him.

Regulus suddenly couldn't have this conversation sitting down. He began to get up slowly. James was immediately at his side.

Regulus didn’t understand why he was making such a big deal out of a few bruises and scratches. Even yesterday, James seemed more horrified than he had been. He ignored him and got to his feet. He took a few cautious steps. His knee still hurt, but not nearly as much. He was limping, but it was manageable.

He also learned that if he didn’t make any sudden movements, the pain in his stomach could be ignored—mostly. But if he engaged those muscles, it felt like fire. He touched his face. The nose was intact. His teeth were all there.

He was, perhaps, the luckiest person alive. James was still watching him, his eyes lingering on Regulus’s face.

Right—he probably had a nasty bruise.

Regulus went to take a much-needed shower. Just a quick one, so he wouldn’t irritate the wound. Even with cold water, it stung. He washed the dried blood from his hair and stepped out. Moving in front of the mirror, he studied his reflection.

His lip was split, but already healing. Fortunately, it hadn’t swollen much. However, a huge bruise covered his right cheek. He considered covering it with Sirius’s makeup. He knew how to do it well. But in the end, he decided to let his face breathe. James was the only one who’d see him, and Regulus didn’t care what he looked like around him.

He gave himself a stern look in the mirror and walked out of the bathroom.

James refused to let him make breakfast, so Regulus sat back and watched him struggle to cut tomatoes while talking nonsense.

Later, in the room, Regulus sent James a thought—what the boys had said about recruiting him into the Minister’s army. He focused only on their words, not on how he’d been punched, not on the near-shooting.

After seeing the memory, James didn’t look surprised.

"Shouldn’t the Minister be against people like that?" Regulus asked, "After all, he’s supposed to care about security. How can he cooperate with them?"

"He doesn’t care about security anymore," James said, "He’s convinced Burgensis is lost—irredeemable, I think. Maybe that’s why he works with the bad guys—to convince himself he’s right."

Regulus sat down on the couch. His whole body hurt. Talking hurt. But he had a lot to say, and pain wasn’t going to stop him.

"More and more people are going to join the Minister because they don’t have all the facts. Can’t Phoenix do something?"

"The Phoenix is a secret organisation. We help people hide. We tip off some officials if something’s unfair… Well, not so much anymore after the protest."

James paused. He kept forgetting that they weren’t hiding anymore. The protest had changed things. Looking back, maybe it hadn’t been such a bad idea.

"I’m sure Phoenix is working on getting the truth out," James added,
"But it won’t happen overnight."

"But… how do we stop the Minister before he destroys all of Burgensis?" Regulus asked quietly.

James didn’t answer.

Regulus quickly sorted through the facts in his head. The Minister was gathering people—an army. But why? It didn’t take an army to blow up a city. People thought the Phoenix were the bad guys now. The Minister was seen as the protector. The President refused to act.

And also… what would the Minister do once he succeeded?

Something clicked in Regulus’s head.

"How do you know all this?" Regulus asked, looking at James.

James tilted his head, confused.

"I mean… how did Phoenix find out what the Minister was planning? Not the bombing—before that."

The Phoenix couldn’t have just stumbled upon information like this. Bartemius wouldn’t share his plans. So how did they know?

"The Minister has a child," James said, "Did you know that?"

Regulus shook his head.

"It was a very important mission—three years ago. And it’s top secret, so all I’ll say is: we placed a spy on the child. He found out everything—about the Minister’s ambition for power. But the mission went wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"The spy didn’t come back. We haven’t heard from him in years."

James’s voice was serious, and Regulus felt the weight of it.

He added the story to the growing puzzle in his head. He wanted to ask more. Probe deeper. But he was exhausted.

So, for now, he let it go.

Chapter Text

The day of the Celebration crept up on James and Regulus faster than they expected.

“Tell me the rules again,” James ordered.

Regulus rolled his eyes in the mirror, knowing very well that James was watching him. He was applying makeup to his face to cover faint remnants of the bruise, while James was sitting at the table and clearly had nothing better to do than stare at Regulus through the open bathroom door. He was trying to be subtle, but their gazes met constantly in the mirror.

Regulus recovered from the injuries he suffered the night of theft quite nicely. Muscles in his abdomen didn’t hurt when used and his knee was as good as new. The only reminder that the incident really happened was a fading bruise on Regulus’s face and the fact that James’s eyes lingered on him in a softer way than before. Like he cared.

Regulus said:

“I will keep the thought bracelet hidden under my jacket and use it only if I need to contact you in case of emergency. I will slip Mary the note but only if I am one hundred percent sure no one can see me and it’s safe. I will not talk to Mary.”

Regulus was sure that if the situation called for it, he would break every one of these rules twice.

“And?” James asked.

It was getting harder to fool him.

“I will not reveal my name or my connection to you.”

This was the most problematic rule. Regulus’s first draft of note was: “Tell my brother his best friend is coming home soon. R.A.”

No one except Sirius would be able to decipher the note. It was genius. But of course, James didn’t want Regulus to involve himself. He was visibly on edge, so Regulus, against his better judgment, compromised and together they devised a new note. Not as elegant, but good enough. Plus Sirius will recognise Regulus’s handwriting anyway, not that he bothered telling James this.

The other thing Regulus reluctantly agreed with was James’ plan to show his face on camera.

They carefully chose the exact camera, and then planned the escape routes and the back-up escape routes, for good measure. The only thing that kept Regulus calm was that James would be near the forest the whole time and no one would be able to catch him there.

In return, James showed Regulus many memories of Mary. Regulus rather suspected that the woman was a shapeshifter because she looked different in every memory Regulus was shown. In one memory she had long blonde hair and was aiming a gun in a dark room, in the next she was brunette and was laughing at something with scrunched nose.

Her appearance was so confusing that it took Regulus embarrassingly long to realise that he met her. She was the woman who was part of their escort when they went on a school trip to prison. The one who noticed Regulus’s watch was missing.

When he told James about this it sent him into two days long spiral. They both tried to understand what it meant. All they figured out was that Albus sent them on a school trip to prison with the sole purpose of giving the Phoenix a chance to rescue James, but Regulus beat them to it.

“I thought they didn’t try to save me,” James whispered in a way that broke Regulus’s heart.

Of course they tried to save him. If there was someone worth saving, it was James, although he was acting strangely for the whole week leading up to the First Celebration.

Three days back, for example, James asked:

“So, who are you taking with you?”

“What?”

Regulus had no idea what James was referring to. The question came out of nowhere.

“To the Celebration. Your mother said you should bring a girl,” James explained.

Regulus didn’t consider this very important issue. He thought briefly about asking Pandora to come with him. She was quite beautiful and with her Regulus might actually have a decent conversation but now, when he will have to keep his eyes open for Mary and let her know about James somehow, he supposed he better go alone. He wasn’t worried that the idiots attending might notice Regulus was up to something, but Pandora might. She had those eyes that could see everything.

“I will go alone,” Regulus said to James, who was waiting for an answer quite eagerly.

He will have to listen to his mother berate him for it, but he will live. James looked at him disbelievingly.

“All the girls will be disappointed,” James said.

“Yeah right,” Regulus scoffed. James was even making jokes now.

James’s brows furrowed. He added:

“Bet most of the girls from Burgen’s school would like to go. I heard Celebration is a once-a-lifetime experience. And also to go with you.”

“With me?”

“Of course, the girl that goes will you will have the most gorgeous partner,” James said, like this was something people said normally.

The worst thing was that James looked deadly serious about his words. And no. Regulus was blushing. No, no, no.

Regulus felt a blush creeping on his cheeks even now, so he closed the bathroom door and went to change. Although his mother was dreadful in almost all aspects imaginable, the clothes she chose for Regulus were splendid. Black trousers, black jacket, black shoes, black tie. And sparkly silver button-up. When he first saw the clothes he thought he would look stupid, but when he tried it on, he had to admit his mother did a good job. Everything fit perfectly, the silver brought out Regulus’s blue eyes and his face in general. Regulus lifted his cheekbones even higher with makeup and made sure every curl was in place. He had like 3 minutes till he had to go.

He knew he would not care if anyone at Celebration looked at him twice. But his heart was threatening to jump out of his chest when he was opening the bathroom door. James’s eyes were on him immediately. He didn’t say a word and Regulus realised he probably looked stupid to him, because James had never seen the creations which people wore to the Celebration.

“I got to go,” Regulus said quickly and went to the door.

But he couldn’t leave without saying one last thing. He turned to James, who was still looking at him speechless.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Regulus told him.

“You too,” James answered in a choked voice.

What was wrong with him? Stress? Regulus didn’t have time to think about it, he had to go. He looked at James once more and left.

An awkward limousine ride with his mother ensued.

Regulus was so glad when they reached The Sala, where the First Celebration took place. His father actually helped to design some parts of it, when he was an esteemed architect.

The building was white with huge windows that were all tinted black, which resulted in an eerie effect.

The inside gleamed in black too, but the harshness was a bit muted by luxurious carpets - blue, silver, and golden mostly. Regulus caught his and Walburga’s reflection in the mirror. His mother wore a black dress with golden details on a long skirt. They looked like they belonged to no other place than the Sala. Their clothes matched the carpets and Regulus was sure this was on purpose. His mother looked stunning, in a way that made you think twice if you dared to come close. Regulus refused to admit it, but he looked the same.

They walked the ornate steps and sat down.

Walburga wasn’t really friendly with anyone from her family, but every year, without failure, she was seated next to her three nieces - her brother’s daughters - Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Andromeda.

Their father wasn’t there, because he wasn’t an important citizen of Burgensis at all. It was Narcissa, who married no one else but the Minister of Finance, a man named Lucius. He never attended, it was always Narcissa and her sisters.

Regulus only ever saw them a few times in his life. Before alcohol issues it was always only his mother and father going to the Celebration, then it was Sirius and mother, then, as a last choice, Regulus.

He liked Narcissa best. She had smart eyes. Today, she wore a dark green gown, which didn’t catch your eye immediately, but once you noticed her, you couldn’t look away.

Bellatrix on the other hand, was noticed immediately. She wore a dark red dress, which left very little to the imagination, and with her voluminous curly black hair, no man walked around her without turning his head.

Bellatrix worked as a scientist and had a whole team under her. It was said about her that she was a genius. It was also said that she was insane. Regulus didn’t know whether it was true, but he knew that when Bellatrix smiled, her eyes had a crazy spark. Or maybe it was just Regulus’s imagination.

The last sister, Andromeda, wore a light blue satin dress and she looked much older than Regulus remembered her. He searched his brain for a long time, till he remembered she was a final year student of higher school, with a law specialisation.

Walburga politely greeted them and pushed Regulus to the seat next to Andromeda, while she sat next to Regulus.

The sisters began to bombard him with questions, but luckily the concert saved Regulus.

The musicians headed for their instruments, which were already waiting in the corner of the room. One piano, and three violins, as always.

Most people paid them no attention as they crossed the dance floor and sat down on tiny chairs. The violinists took the instruments in their hands, the pianist opened the sheet music on the tiny screen on his piano. Three low piano notes rang out, which finally silenced the audience.

Only once a year, now, on this day, could the citizens of Burgensis listen to live music. Otherwise, it was considered a waste of time.

There was a school for musicians, in the south of Zone B1. It accepted only three students per year, of any age. They studied for a year, at the end of which they composed their main work, which was recorded and stored on a record. And the three promising artists went either to some “real” school or to work. Most of them never stopped hoping that the computer system would choose them and that they would have the honor of playing at the First Celebration. An honor that would bring them so much money that they would never have to do anything else except music.

Regulus looked at the 4 chosen ones. The violinists were all in their thirties or forties, but the pianist did look younger, he was probably in his mid-twenties.

He was thin, his limbs unnaturally long, his hair also longer and incredibly disheveled. He had achieved what all artists dreamt of this young. Regulus did not understand how he had managed it until he started playing.

The performed piece was usually slow, with some kind of finale at the end. This piece started as a finale and only escalated. Each violinist played something a little different, two at a slower tempo, one at a faster one. And then there was the pianist, who (Regulus didn't understand how it was possible) seemed to play notes of both faster and slower tempos. His fingers moved faster than it was possible to follow.

And the music...

Sometimes, long before Regulus met James, he used to just lie in bed and feel absolutely nothing. Now he seemed to feel everything. He stopped perceiving the pianist and the violinists, he stopped perceiving the entire Sala and focused only on the music.

He felt joy and pain and hope and every single note touched his heart.

It shouldn't have been possible for them to play so fast, but they kept speeding up. Finally, out of nowhere, the violinists stopped and three of the most real notes Regulus had ever heard rang out in the silence.Then there was applause. Regulus knew that he was the first to start clapping and the last to stop.

The musicians just stood up and bowed. The violinists had neutral expressions. But the pianist was smiling broadly, and Regulus was sure that he had composed this piece.

Regulus wished James was here, so he could hear it too.

The dance music sounded, but this came from the speakers. It felt hollow.

As the musicians were packing their instruments, Andy sighed:

“The pianist was gorgeous, wasn’t he?”

“As if our parents allowed you to date a musician,” scoffed Narcissa.

“I would like to see them try to stop me,” said Andy with a determined expression.

The sisters laughed together.

This isn’t a story about them, but isn’t it nice to know that they are all right?

Regulus shook his head and forced himself to focus. He had a mission and her name was Mary. He scanned the room carefully, knowing that Mary could have different features than James showed him.

James, who was probably running from the police right now. Regulus had to take a deep breath to calm down. As the evening progressed, Regulus was slowly losing his mind. He wanted desperately to go home, but his mother would not allow that. Plus, he had to find Mary.

“Regulus, sweetheart, you seem nervous,” Bellatrix said innocently.

“I guess it’s just pressure from school,” Regulus answered.

He hoped Bellatrix would leave him be. She did not.

“Maybe. Do you know what might help you? A dance.”

Bellatrix smiled. The crazy spark was definitely there.

“Oh actually I-“

Regulus didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence.

“Andromeda, Regulus would like to have this dance with you,” Bellatrix declared, grabbed Regulus’s hand, and forced him to take Andy dancing.

Regulus stood up from his chair with a groan and together with Andy took to the dance floor. He could hear Bellatrix and Narcissa cackling behind.

Regulus didn’t particularly enjoy dancing, but he knew what he was doing. Andromeda was the same height as him and she let him lead her with ease. Regulus knew they looked good. He spun Andromeda around only to get to every corner of the dance floor to look for Mary.

“Regulus, are you even listening to me?”

Regulus knew she had been talking for quite some time, but he was too focused on his mission to pay attention to her.

“Sorry, what?”

“There is the pianist and he is… talking to some girl. Ugh,” sighed Andy.

Regulus looked at the pianist, not having the faintest idea what Andy saw in him. He was talking to some girl in a pink dress and… it was Mary!

Regulus would have never noticed her if it weren’t for Andromeda. The dress she wore was light pink, contrasting with her dark hair but there wasn’t anything that made your eyes linger on her.

Regulus had a plan immediately.

“Andy, you have to go talk to him,” Regulus said, gesturing to the pianist.

“Are you insane?” Andromeda said in a high pitch. She almost tripped, but Regulus held her steady.

“Don’t you like him?” Regulus pushed. He tried to act as if this really mattered to him.

“I mean he is cute but I was just…” Andy mumbled.

“You can’t let a chance like this pass you by.”

Regulus felt like throwing up after this sentence.

“But I can’t just walk up to him.”

Andromeda’s eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets.

“Tell you what,” Regulus said, “I will help you, just follow my lead.”

Regulus didn’t wait for Andromeda’s answer, he cut across the dance floor straight towards the pianist and Mary.

“Good evening, would you be so kind as to accompany my lovely cousin on the dance floor?” Regulus said to the pianist, trying his best to seem genuine.

Andromeda squeezed his hand so hard she definitely broke some bone. Bones.

“It- it will be my pleasure,” the pianist stammered and took Andromeda’s hand.

They took to the dance floor whispering.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ted. And yours?” was the last thing Regulus heard the pianist say to blushing Andy.

He turned his attention to Mary, who was already backing away, ready to disappear into the crowd.

“May I have this dance?” Regulus asked her, outstretching his hand to her.

He was worried she might refuse him, but she nodded and followed Regulus. She gave no indication that she remembered him from the school trip.

“I thought you wanted to leave the dance floor since you almost showed your partner to that guy’s arms,” said Mary. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Regulus smiled with the most charming of his smiles.

“You see, my lovely cousin thought he was a sympathetic young man, so I made sure to introduce her. Do you know him?” Regulus asked.

He had to focus to keep his voice from shaking. He placed his hand on Mary’s waist and they danced. Mary knew the steps, but Regulus could tell she didn’t have much practice.

“We were classmates before he went to music school. He was a good guy back then, but I haven’t really talked to him in the last five years. It’s nice of you to care so much about your cousin,” answered Mary without hesitation.

Regulus had no idea whether she was lying or not.

“Yeah, I am all about good deeds,” said Regulus.

He spun Mary away from him, reached into his pocket, and took the note into the hand with which he gently touched Mary’s back when she spun back to him.

“I would like to ask your name,” Regulus said, his voice low. He was enjoying the game.

“It’s Tamara. And yours?” Mary asked with a polite smile.

“Sirius.”

And there.

Mary kept on dancing without stumbling and her face stayed unchanged, but there was a flicker of something real in her eyes.

At least Regulus was now sure that it was her. And that James wasn’t lying about knowing Sirius.

“Nice to meet you, Sirius,” Mary said, her voice even.

Regulus just smiled.

They danced quietly for a while, Mary trying to put as much distance between them as possible as subtly as possible. Regulus let her have as much space as she wanted. He wanted to ask Mary more questions, but the song was nearing the end and Regulus had to act.

At the last beats of the song, Regulus dipped Mary — not even down to the ground, just a bit — but she tensed so much that Regulus almost felt sorry for her. As he was pulling her back up, he slipped her a note. She tucked it into the sleeve of her dress without even looking at him. He led her away from the dance floor and watched her disappear into the crowd. Then he slumped back into his chair and waited for about half an hour until his hands stopped shaking.

He endured another hour of his cousins giggling after Andromeda returned from the dance floor, and then his mother finally wanted to go home. By that, she meant the hospital, of course, where the limousine dropped her off and finally took Regulus to the apartment.

Regulus rushed home because James should already be there, and if he weren’t...

He unlocked the door — and James was sitting on the sofa. In one piece. No visible injuries. Waiting for him. Regulus exhaled roughly. He had been so worried, but there he was, with wet hair, probably fresh out of the shower. Regulus had thought about him all night, but now he didn’t quite know what to say.

"How was the Celebration?" James asked, his eyes scanning Regulus from head to toe.

"I found Mary. Gave her the note," Regulus answered. His heart was still hammering from all the stress, but he felt calmer now.

"Really?" James beamed, then his eyes darkened. "And no one saw you? Are you sure?"

Regulus rolled his eyes. He ignored the question and asked, "How about you?"

"Everything went according to plan," James answered, but he couldn’t quite meet Regulus’s eyes.

"Don’t lie to me, James."

"The police came. I had to take a detour and then hide for like an hour," James admitted guiltily.

"What?!" Regulus was about to kill him.

"Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. They showed up, I hid, they left. My biggest problem was that it was cold as hell. Tell me about Mary."

Regulus scanned him from head to toe again. James looked fine, so Regulus decided to believe him and said, "I need to take a shower but then I’ll tell you everything, okay?"

James nodded.

Regulus was sweaty from nerves; he could feel the makeup caked on his face, his hair sticking to his neck, and his shirt was too tight. He really needed that shower.

Later, he was sitting next to James on the couch, talking about his night. He could have just sent James a memory, but because all he thought about during the First Celebration was how much he missed him, he decided against it.

"...So I spun her away, grabbed the note, then dipped her and—"

"Wow, that sounds like you’re quite a dancer, Regulus," interrupted James, who had been quietly listening until now. He wasn’t teasing — it was a genuine compliment.

"Well, I heard I’m not bad," Regulus said. "How about you?"

James stood up abruptly and offered him his hand. Regulus stared at him.

"Only one way to find out," James grinned, already tapping on the touch screen. Music filled the room.

Regulus stood up reluctantly, not sure what was happening. James immediately took his hand and started moving. He had a good rhythm, so Regulus let him lead.

The room was small, but they managed just fine — until Regulus thought James would go right and he went left, and Regulus stumbled, crashing face-first into James’s chest. Regulus cursed himself. He could dance perfectly with the most dangerous spy of the Phoenix, but he was tripping now.

James laughed and changed his hold, wrapping Regulus’s hands around his neck while he held Regulus’s waist. There were no thoughts in Regulus’s head. Not a single one.

"There was always a lot of free time at the base, so my mother taught me how to dance," James said.

"Maybe she already knows you’re alive and safe," Regulus managed quite a coherent sentence, thank you very much.

"I hope so," James sighed.

Regulus thought about the wording of the note they decided on — Tell Padfoot Prongs will be home soon. James had explained those were their nicknames.

"Are you sure they’ll understand the note? Did you actually use that nickname at the base?" Regulus couldn’t help asking.

James was holding him steady without hesitation, while the music played softly.

"Yeah, we did. Sirius will understand."

"Anyone except him?" Regulus raised his eyebrows. They weren’t really dancing anymore, just swaying.

James stayed silent, but just as Regulus was about to groan, he blurted triumphantly, "Moody will know. He did my tattoo."

"The 'h' in a triangle?" Regulus asked, confused. He wasn’t sure if he was going crazy, but he felt James rubbing small circles on his waist and back.

"That one too. But me and Sirius got matching tattoos symbolizing those nicknames."

Regulus’s knees felt weak. He wasn’t sure he heard him right.

"You have something else tattooed?" Regulus croaked.

"Yes. Did I never tell you that?"

Regulus shook his head.

James had mentioned Sirius had some tattoos, but failed to mention himself. James let go of his waist, and Regulus stepped away immediately. Before he could blink, James pulled his T-shirt up and caught the fabric between his teeth.

Regulus looked away at first, then cursed himself — James was clearly just showing him the tattoo, and there was no reason to freak out. He forced himself to look. His eyes ran over James’s six-pack, and he prayed for strength.

The gods clearly hated him, because James placed both hands on his lower abdomen and slowly moved them down — under the waistband of his boxers — lower.

Because the Phoenix tattoos reacted to heat, James had to touch his skin. When he removed his hands, Regulus saw antlers on each side of his stomach. It was a big tattoo, intricate and detailed. Regulus felt his mouth hanging open and snapped it shut.

James, like the good friend he was, pulled his pants a little lower so Regulus could see even more of the tattoo. But he still couldn’t see where the antlers began.

He. Still. Couldn’t. See…

Regulus had to sit down. He backed into the sofa and finally let his knees give up. James took the T-shirt from his teeth into his hand. The tattoo was already fading to grey, but Regulus wanted to touch it. To touch him. No. He had to get the hell away because he wasn’t sure he was even breathing anymore.

"It looks eeeh, great. Oh, by the way, did you take Kreacher outside this evening?" he asked, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Thanks. And no, didn’t manage to. Should I?"

"No no, I’ll take him," Regulus said and jumped up from the sofa. He grabbed his dog and, without looking at James, left the apartment on shaky legs.

Kreacher was half asleep and not excited to be outside. It really was cold. Regulus sat down on the stairs leading from his building to the pavement. He was shivering, but the cold helped him regain a bit of sanity. He took a deep breath.

He wanted James. There were no better words.

He could pretend James was just someone who showed him kindness, so he felt grateful. Who helped him when he got beaten, so he felt safe. Who listened and told him the truth, so he felt important. But none of it explained what Regulus had been feeling around him lately.

The dancing, the tattoo — there was no excuse, no explanation.

Regulus wanted him so bad he cried. Kreacher licked his wrist to soothe him. Regulus snorted and wiped his tears away with his sleeves.

So what if he felt something for James? The important thing was to get James home, to make sure Sirius was alright. His feelings didn’t matter. He had no chance.

After some time, Regulus took Kreacher home. James wasn’t anywhere to be seen, probably already asleep. Regulus must have freaked him out with his weird disappearance.

He went to bed too, hating himself.

The next day, everything went to hell.

Chapter Text

When Regulus woke up in the morning, James was nowhere to be seen. Regulus didn’t know whether he was in the forest or Sirius’s room. Whether James was avoiding him or overslept. Regulus guessed the former.

He took Kreacher for a walk and when he came back there was still no sign of James. But he heard some sound from Sirius’s room, so James had to be there. Regulus considered knocking on the door of the room but decided against it. He hadn’t stepped foot inside since Sirius left and didn’t feel like changing it now. Plus, he was already late for school.

It got bizarre the moment Regulus returned from school and James still remained closed off. Why was James avoiding him this cruelly? It was James who wanted to dance with him yesterday. Unless he could read Regulus’s mind without a thought bracelet, there was nothing James could hold against him. He decided to wait a while, but soon he was close to jumping out of his skin, so he knocked on the door of Sirius’s room.

“James, are you alright?” Regulus asked through the closed door.

There was no reaction for a while, but then, finally:

“Yeah, I am sorry but I am kind of tired.”

James’s voice sounded weak and raspy. Regulus touched the door to Sirius’s bedroom, wishing it would vanish.

“Maybe it’s just exhaustion from all the running you did yesterday, sleep it off,” said Regulus, not sure about this explanation, but he didn’t have a better one.

James mumbled something that sounded like agreement.

“Do you need anything?” Regulus asked, his hand still touching the door.

“No thanks, just leave me alone,” James said coldly.

Regulus obeyed. He studied, made dinner, and took Kreacher for a walk. While he was walking around with his dog, a realisation hit him. James told him to leave him alone but James never wanted to be left alone. Regulus spun around and rushed back to the apartment.

He knocked on James’s door sharply. He heard James say something, but couldn’t understand him. Suddenly, it didn’t matter that Regulus was about to walk into Sirius’s room. The only thing that mattered was that James was there. Regulus opened the door.

The room was smaller than he remembered which was stupid because their rooms were the same size. It was dark inside and smelled quite bad. James was lying in bed and for a while, Regulus could only see the green bedding, Sirius’s favourite colour, even though he often lied that his favourite colour was red for some reason. Regulus got lost in memories of his brother but then James made a pitiful moaning sound that brought him back to reality.

James was lying on his back with his eyes closed and sweat coating his face. The scene in front of Regulus felt wrong because James looked weak, and even when he first got to the apartment straight from prison, he never looked weak. Even at his lowest, James had a halo of strength and hope around him. But not now.

Regulus walked to him and carefully put his hand on James’s forehead just to confirm what he already knew.

“You have a fever, James,” Regulus whispered, fear lacing his words.

James opened his tired eyes and blinked a few times.

Slowly, he put his hand to his own forehead and said:

"I don't think so. I am just deadbeat, that’s all."

Worries clouded Regulus’s judgment but he knew James was wrong.

“Maybe you caught something on the street,” Regulus thought out loud.

It would make sense. Half the people he encountered with Dorcas and Marlene were sick and suffered terribly because they were unable to get vaccinated…

“You are not vaccinated!” Regulus exclaimed, reaching the state one would describe as panic.

James’s organism had no defense system. But that wasn’t the end of the world. Whatever James caught, his body could probably deal with it with a little help.

"You have to eat and drink something, your body needs energy and..." Regulus went full-on doctor mode.

It came naturally to him.

"I am not hungry," James croaked.

"You haven't eaten anything all day," Regulus said, knowing it was true.

James never, not once ate anything if Regulus wasn’t eating too.

"I'm fine," James insisted.

He was pale, barely keeping his eyes open, definitely in pain, but he was still pretending nothing was bothering him. What was wrong with him? Did he really care so little about himself?

Regulus forced him to drink some tea and went to make him soup for dinner. It was unbelievable how James became a shadow of himself in the span of a few hours. No jokes, no talking about everything that came to his mind, nothing. He fell asleep soon after he finished the soup. Regulus kept on obsessively checking on him every ten minutes until he decided to move to Sirius’s room. He sat down on the chair next to the bed. He had no thermometer and couldn’t find any painkillers, which was very ironic considering his mother was the director of the hospital. He measured James’s temperature by placing a hand on his forehead and was sure it was rising every hour.

Regulus simply had to do something about that. He soaked a piece of cloth in cold water and placed it on James's forehead. He heard somewhere that it helps. James didn’t even stir from his sleep, but his features softened a bit, so Regulus hoped it at the very least felt good.

The fabric always warmed up in a few minutes, so Regulus had to keep soaking it in cold water.

James mumbled something now and then, but nothing that made any sense.

Around ten pm, James began to sweat so much that Regulus took the covers off him. But after a while, he realised that James’s hands were as cold as ice, so he covered him back.

Around midnight, when Regulus was already falling asleep sitting on a chair with his legs on the bed, James woke up.

"It hurts," he said.

"What? What hurts you?" Regulus asked, got up from the chair, and moved closer to him.

"Everything,” James said, and immediately fell asleep again.

Regulus's heart broke. He held James’s hand all night, trying to cool him down.

At half past three in the morning, James began to shake uncontrollably, as if from the cold, which made no sense because he was literally on fire. The scariest part of the evening followed right after.

James woke up still clutching Regulus's hand and asked:

"Where am I?"

And again. And again. And again...

Regulus kept answering him, explaining that he was safe.

And then James asked:

“Who are you?”

Regulus had no idea how to answer that. Who was he to James? A friend. An extension of Sirius. Or maybe…

“I am someone you will get better for. I am someone you stay alive for,” Regulus said, fighting tears.

James nodded and fell silent, so Regulus thought the worst was over, but in a few minutes, James started to ramble once again.

He repeated for about 10 minutes straight that he was innocent. Later, he asked who the voice he heard belonged to. Regulus was shaking with fear for another hour. He couldn't think of anything else but the fact that he had no way to help James.

But then the sun came out and Regulus realized that he had a plan. And he had to act now. He forced himself to release James's fingers. James muttered something but fortunately, he didn't wake up. Regulus needed him to sleep a little longer.

He crouched down next to him and whispered:

"I'll be right back."

Regulus quickly left the bedroom, ordering Kreacher to stay. Then he took the bus to the hospital.

Regulus walked into the hospital with his head held high. He felt no fear, only icy calm. It wasn't about him now, but James. He passed a couple of doctors dressed in white and medical staff dressed in grey, but no one paid him any attention. He took the elevator to the top floor and stopped in front of his mother's office door.

Next to the door was a window from which Molly, mother's receptionist, was eyeing Regulus curiously. She had short curly hair and could be aged anywhere between 25 and 45. Regulus knew her since he was a little kid and he would swear she still looked the same. He didn’t understand how Molly could work for his mother, because she was the stark opposite of Walburga - kind and trusting. Regulus was about to take advantage of those traits.

"Hello Molly, I need to talk to mom, is she in the office?" he asked, calmly, like nothing was out of the ordinary, even though he hadn't shown up near his mother's office in years.

"She's not here at the moment, she's dealing with something downstairs," answered Molly without a hint of remembering Regulus.

But he knew she remembered. Molly tried to be a tough professional, but she never succeeded.

"Oh, that's okay, can you please let me into her office?"

"You know I can't let anyone in here without your mom's permission," she replied, a strict expression on her face.

If Regulus didn't know her, maybe he would believe her.

"Of course, but listen, last night I was studying with my mom and I must have left my school tablet in her things. When she left for work in the evening, she must have taken it by mistake, because I haven't been able to find it since," Regulus said, swallowing bile, but smiling sweetly.

Molly's stony expression began to loosen a little.

Regulus took a breath and continued with a bit of panic, which he absolutely did not have to pretend:

"I set my alarm for this early so that I could get my tablet before school. Did mom tell you I got into Burgen’s school? Today I have a test and I need to read the notes, and I must not be late."

Regulus put on his best angelic face.

Molly said: “I really shouldn't let you in. Security is on high alert lately. We could both get into trouble.”

Regulus nervously looked at his watch, checking whether he would make it to “class”. Molly, as harsh as Walburga’s orders were, didn't stand a chance.

"For you to get into the office without her presence, I would have to add your fingerprint to the database. Your mother specifically forbade me to do that," Molly said in the last futile attempt to stop Regulus.

"Of course. But Molly, I'm her son."

Regulus felt like he had to claw each word from his throat, but he forced himself to say it. He had no idea how Molly could believe it, but she let Regulus put his finger on the sensor, added his finger to the hospital database and in a moment the door opened.

Thanking Molly far more than necessary, he entered the office and closed the door behind him. He didn't allow himself to hesitate for one second.

Regulus quickly opened one of his mother's cabinets, where the vaccine samples were located. He wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but the Vaccination Serum was easier to duplicate than to make anew. Every year before the Vaccination, as much vaccine as needed was created plus a few extra samples, for the following year. Regulus hoped that if one of the six vials with the Vaccine disappeared, it wouldn't have catastrophic consequences. He had no choice anyway.

He quickly threw the vial and a syringe into his school bag. Before he left, he opened the bottom drawer of his mother's desk and took a few gold coins from there. He needed to give his mother a reason why he was here. She would eventually find out about the missing vial, but that was a problem of future Regulus.

Present Regulus walked out of the office, thanked Molly again, and walked out of the hospital. He allowed himself one deep exhale and hurried to James.

James was asleep and wouldn’t wake up even when Regulus shook him. His breathing was shallow. Regulus wanted to scream, to panic, to beg, but he didn't have time to spare. He quickly poured the Vaccine serum into the syringe, his hands shaking so much that he spilled some.

Regulus needed to inject the serum into James’s vein. He knew where and how, he had seen his mother do it several times, but his hands were still shaking uncontrollably, and Regulus only had one attempt to try. He tried to take deep breaths, but it didn't help at all. James stirred and tried to say something, but his voice failed him and his head hit the pillow.

Regulus burst into tears, cursing himself because now he was shaking all over. Desperate, he pushed the lamp from the bedside table to the floor. It shattered, but Regulus didn’t care. He placed James's hand on the small table.

He had to help James, even if it was with shaky hands.

He got James out of prison. Hid him in his apartment from the police.

He wasn’t about to let him die from fucking cold.

Regulus put his elbow on the table to stabilise it a bit and aimed the syringe at the most prominent vein. He held his breath and injected the serum. James must have felt it because he jerked his hand, just a little, but Regulus didn’t expect it so the syringe fell out of his hand. It fell to the ground and broke, but it didn't matter. Most of the serum was already traveling through James's bloodstream.

Now Regulus could do nothing but wait. James slept all day long. Then all night.

Regulus was going crazy. The silence was terrible. He hadn't realised how quiet the apartment was when James wasn't around until now. How quiet it will be again when he leaves. He was supposed to leave in five days. Five fucking days. It didn't matter how Regulus felt about him, James had to go. He belonged to Phoenix, to his family. Regulus had no idea where that left him. Was he supposed to just forget about everything?

But Sirius… Sirius chose Phoenix over him. Regulus could accept his choice, except though he couldn’t believe Sirius would choose to leave him. And no matter how many times Regulus tried to pry something about Sirius from James, he still knew nothing. James talked about his parents, about Phoenix, but he remained very secretive about Sirius and Regulus didn’t like it one bit. He was missing something.

Regulus couldn't bring himself to do anything but sit next to James, even though the sight of him was heartbreaking. He fell asleep sometime after midnight, sitting on a chair.

On Wednesday morning Regulus woke up with a stiff neck, an absolutely destroyed back, and a numb hand. And yet, it was the most wonderful morning of his life, because when he put his hand on James's forehead, it was cold. James still wasn't waking up, but his breathing sounded fine, and Regulus figured his body simply needed to rest after battling the fever.

He faced a difficult decision. Go to school or stay with James? He had already skipped the day the Headmaster called him into the office and yesterday. If he skipped school today, he would be expelled unconditionally. And he couldn't risk that. Not yet. Plus, James would want him to go to school.

He ordered Kreacher to look after James and left with a heavy heart. He hated himself for that decision and counted down every second until he could go home.

Kreacher barked when he opened the door to the apartment. His dog never barked. Regulus ran to Sirius’s bedroom. Something must have gone wrong. Maybe he failed to inject the serum properly and poisoned James's blood even more. He thought James's peaceful sleep meant he was recovering, but what if his condition had worsened? How could he be so stupid and leave him alone?

He ran into the bedroom and found James sitting on the bed. Awake, truly awake. He still looked tired, but his eyes were bright.

"Hi," Regulus said, not trying to hide his relief that James was okay.

He walked closer to the bed.

"How long have I been out?" James asked, weariness still lacing his voice.

He was leaning against the wall behind the bed to keep upright, was a bit pale, but the improvement was significant.

"It's Wednesday afternoon."

"Really? I thought it was…," James shook his head.

Regulus sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. He fought the impulse to touch him.

“Wait,” James said suddenly, “if… if it began on Monday, I was sickest on Tuesday.”

“Yeah, and?”

Regulus didn’t understand what James was so worked up about.

“You were here. All the time, I remember," James said.

Regulus just shook his head, unable to believe that after James nearly died of fever, he was bothered by Regulus missing school.

"You don't realize how bad you looked. I was afraid that... you would die.”

Regulus kept his eyes on James to remind himself that he was alive and well because the terror of losing him had not gone away.

"It wasn't that bad," James tried to placate Regulus, but he was having none of it.

"You wouldn't survive another night in such a fever.”

"But the fever has gone down and I am okay now. Just had to endure it,” James said, sounding completely clueless.

It clicked in Regulus’s head that James didn't remember anything about the Vaccine and he was ready to hide from him what he had done. He knew it would only upset James. But after a series of such shitty moments, Regulus’s stony expression crumbled and James knew right away that something was wrong.

"What happened?" James asked in a stern voice.

Regulus gently took James’s hand and showed him the scar from the injection of the Vaccination Serum.

James demanded an explanation, so Regulus told him about his trip to the hospital and the theft of the serum. Until he got to the part where he was going to inject James with the serum, he talked like it was nothing. But then he broke down.

"You should have seen yourself, James, you were completely incapacitated, and my hands - my hands were shaking and… I almost didn't manage to give you the injection..."

Regulus breathed in sharply. The panic was still there.

"Now listen to me," James, who had been listening attentively until now, jumped in.

Regulus knew that one of his traditional speeches about how he shouldn't have taken so many risks was coming.

"You saved my life. You should be proud of yourself. I... thank you.”

James was looking at Regulus with those eyes and Regulus could see the gratitude in them. His body took control and Regulus threw himself around James’s neck and hugged him as carefully as possible. He was so happy that James was okay. That would always be enough for Regulus.

Regulus refused to let James get out of bed that day unless it was absolutely necessary. James was worse than a small child, insisting that he needed to read the paper, but Regulus was certain it would give him a headache. They bickered for half an hour before Regulus relented, bringing his tablet and sitting next to James in bed to read every single word from yesterday's and today's papers. There was nothing interesting or new about the Phoenix, as usual. Kreacher, though well aware that it wasn't allowed, jumped up and settled beside James on the bed, dutifully watching over him.

Regulus left James for a while to cook the same soup he made three days ago, because that was all he knew how to make. He even found a tray to bring the soup to the bed. When he returned, he was afraid that James wouldn’t be able to eat, but to his surprise, the soup disappeared almost immediately.

"You're going to be sick," Regulus commented.

"Worth it," James replied with a grin, placing the empty bowl on the bedside table. His eyes fell on the broken lamp, still lying on the ground, but he said nothing.

Regulus watched him carefully, knowing that if James wasn’t doing well, he wouldn’t miss it this time. He’d never make that mistake again.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” James reassured him.

“I believe you now, but if you ever lie to me or send me away when you’re hurting, I will kill you,” Regulus said, his voice firm. He meant it.

“Noted,” James said with a small smile.

Silence stretched between them. Regulus was about to stand up and take the empty bowl to the kitchen, but James spoke up almost shyly:

“Talk to me.”

And who was Regulus to refuse him?

He began telling stories from his childhood and the times with Dorcas and Marlene. He only shared the nice ones, of course. He’d already told the story about how the girls taught him to swim in the river under the bridge. Marlene had said it was an important skill, but now, looking back, Regulus realized they must have been messing with him because swimming seemed like the most useless skill imaginable.

Now, Regulus was telling an older story:

"Me and Sirius were just sitting in the garden under the tree at my grandmother’s house when Sirius pointed out the biggest apple we’d ever seen. It was at the very end of the branch. We had to have that apple. He hoisted me up the tree, and I climbed. I was almost touching the apple when the branch below me snapped, and I fell to the ground. I broke my right arm. The bone was sticking out. Sirius fainted when he saw it. I had to wear a cast for a month, and I couldn’t do anything. So, since then, I hate apples."

James seemed entranced by every word Regulus said.

"I've never had anything broken before," James said.

"Your life must be pretty boring," Regulus teased.

It wasn’t true, of course. Regulus had learned a lot about what happened at the base. James didn’t talk about any missions or secret plans, but shared stories of their lives—how people had ended up with the letter “h” stuck to their temples during the first experiments with thought bracelets, and how James used to hide in the kitchen and sneak sweets from his mother. He also talked about how Remus drove him mad by always questioning everything, and how much he missed his parents. James referred to all the Phoenix members as “his family,” and Regulus found that adorable.

It was Regulus’s turn to share a story now, but instead, he asked:

“Do you remember anything from… from those two days with fever?”

This question had been gnawing at him. A sick part of him just needed to know.

"Not really," James answered, not meeting Regulus’s eyes.

“Just...” James hesitated before continuing. “The feeling. As if my body weighed several tons. I couldn’t move, couldn’t talk. I didn’t think that feeling would ever go away.”

Regulus said nothing, but James wasn’t finished.

"After that, everything was a blur. I heard voices. And I had a lot of dreams, and they were all so real."

There was fear in James’s voice. Fighters hated realizing that there were limits to their bodies.

“It will never happen to you again. Even if I have to Vaccinate you personally every year,” Regulus declared, his voice resolute.

“That might be a bit problematic,” James said seriously.

“Why?”

Regulus expected James to say something about never seeing him again after four days, but instead, James replied:

“Because I’m scared of needles.”

Regulus burst into laughter, shaking his head. He wanted to tease James, but instead, he said:

“When I was little, I used to be scared of storms. But Sirius told me that if I hid my head under the covers, the storm couldn’t find me and couldn’t hurt me.”

Regulus would never admit it, even if someone held a gun to his head, but he still hid under the covers when his fears were too much to handle.

Without warning, James grabbed the covers and pulled them over both of them.

"Like this?" he asked, a playful smile on his face.

Regulus laughed. They both had to lie on their sides to see each other. Slowly, Regulus’s eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Yes, exactly like this. Now I’m not afraid," Regulus said with a smile.

He forced himself to remember this moment, a snapshot of James under the covers. Happy memories like this weren’t easy for Regulus to find.

"Of anything?" James teased.

"Anything at all."

Regulus laughed again, because, for a brief moment, it was true.

They continued to talk about storms, of all things, until it became impossible to breathe under the covers. They finally emerged and continued the conversation. James remained lying on his side, facing Regulus, while Regulus sat up with crossed legs.

The storms usually came in the eighth month. The weather in Burgensis was controlled by machines. The entire city ran on solar energy, so clouds couldn’t just appear at will. Rain and snow were impossible. The weather had been regulated for about 70 years. At the borders of the forest, machines released gases with chemicals that kept clouds outside the city’s limits. Once a year, at the end of summer, a lot of clouds gathered at the borders. A warm air current collided with a cold one, and storms would form. They lasted a week or two, long enough for the rain to dissipate. But the rain never reached Burgensis. The only way residents on the edge of the outer zones knew a storm had arrived was by the thunder.

Regulus hated this period. He couldn’t sleep during the storms because the booming thunder jerked him awake every time. James had never been outside the B2 zone during this time, so he’d never heard the thunder. Regulus envied him. Sometimes his brain wouldn’t recognize what was happening, and he’d think someone was shooting outside. During the period of storms, he did not feel a moment of peace. Not that he felt it at some other time of the year. Regulus didn’t even know what peace meant. Well, no that wasn’t true.

When he was looking at James and saw him smiling, he knew.

Chapter Text

The next morning Regulus woke up in a soft bed with green sheets… cuddling James. There was absolutely no gap between them. It took him a while to realise he must have fallen asleep in James’s bed while they talked yesterday.

Well, it wasn’t even James’s bed.

It was his brother’s bed.

Regulus cursed so loudly in his head that he was surprised that it didn't wake James up. Thankfully, he still had some time until the morning alarm sounded. This situation could be salvaged.

Slowly and carefully Regulus removed his hand from James’s chest and moved to the other side of the bed. James looked like he would wake up any second, but luckily he continued to sleep.

Regulus lay down as far from him as possible and waited for the longest 11 minutes for the alarm to ring. When he heard a faint sound from his room, he jumped out of bed. James muttered something but did not fully wake up.

Regulus allowed himself one look at him, all sleepy with extremely disheveled hair. He was leaving in four days, Regulus reminded himself.

With a sigh, he went to school.

When Regulus returned, James was awake but said he still felt weak from sickness, so they holed up in bed again, abandoning childhood stories in favour of games.

James came up with a lot of ideas. Regulus guessed the members of the Phoenix were more bored than they were willing to admit.

They ended up playing a game where Regulus had to figure out what James was thinking just by asking questions that James only answered with yes and no.

In the first round he thought of a dog, which was quite easy to figure out, but gradually James came up with more and more stupid things.

"So, let me sum it up. I'm very close to a thing but I'm not a thing, I've more or less seen it and you're not sure if you can touch it?" Regulus summed up everything he had learned in the last quarter of an hour.

James nodded and said: "You're one good question away from figuring it out."

Regulus sighed and asked: "Is it something that can be used somehow?"

"I don’t think so."

"Does that thing have anything to do with me?”

"Not really."

"Have I come into contact with that thing yet?"

"Not much."

"Is it green?" asked Regulus hopelessly, throwing up his hands.

James just laughed.

“This is really fucking stupid game,” Regulus mumbled.

“No, c’mon it’s fun. Me and Sirius got the nicknames because of this game,” James said in a light tone.

And no - because thinking about nicknames meant thinking about the tattoos and Regulus was not thinking about the tattoos. No. Definitely not. He needed to change the subject immediately.

"What if I pressed my thought bracelet to your temple and recorded what you were thinking? Could thoughts be… stolen?” asked Regulus.

The idea just popped up in his head, but it stuck.

"I don't know, no one's ever tried," James said, then quickly added, "and won't," because he saw Regulus sizing him up.

Regulus decided to drop it. For now.

"I give up. Tell me what it was,” Regulus said through gritted teeth.

It was just a silly game, but he still hated losing.

"A star," James told him.

Regulus stared at him for one second, then burst out:

"A star is not a thing!"

"So what is it? An animal?" James teased him.

"It's mostly gas - well plasma if you want to be precise. Celestial body. Not a thing!” Regulus cried out and to punctuate his words, grabbed a pillow and threw it at James’s head.

James's face grew serious and Regulus realised his mistake the moment the pillow hit him straight in his face. Their eyes locked and at the same time they both grabbed one pillow.

The fight ensued, it was mostly about trying to hit one another. Regulus had so much hair in his face that he couldn't even see James. He drew back for a moment to push his hair away.

As soon as he did, he saw that James had tensed up and was about to hit him - full force. Regulus instinctively pulled on the duvet they were both sitting on.

Regulus did not expect that James would lose his balance so much that he would fall from the bed to the floor, but that’s exactly what happened.

James knew he was falling, so he managed to catch the side of the bed and soften his fall. But that didn't stop the whole situation from being hilarious, so Regulus laughed and laughed.

He knew he should check on James, but his laughter was soon joined by James's, so Regulus was sure that he was okay.

When Regulus regained some awareness, he lay on his stomach and leaned over the bed where he found James sprawled on the floor and laughed again.

"And here we can see a huge criminal and enemy of Burgensis, danger itself," Regulus joked.

James was all red in face and disheveled and Regulus was sure he himself looked even worse.

James's face was within reach, and for the first time, Regulus thought he could kiss him.

The idea seemed so preposterous but at the same time, he was staring at James’s lips.

Regulus leaned closer.

Swallowed.

“Don’t,” James whispered and in a blink of an eye he was on his feet.

Regulus put on a puzzled expression and asked: “Don’t what?”

He felt his heart break but he still could save himself a bit of dignity, although he wasn’t sure he could fool James.

“It's late,” James said, took a few awkward steps away from Regulus, and added, “and you have school tomorrow. You should get some sleep. I'm just distracting you."

Regulus had to use every last fibre of energy he had to stand up and leave James’s room.

His hands were shaking. He hoped James will not notice.

Their eyes met. For the first time Regulus hated that he could read James emotions from his eyes, because he saw pity there.

He felt like throwing up.

“Goodnight,” James had the nerve to say.

Regulus didn’t answer, because he didn’t want James to hear his voice breaking.

He crawled to his bed and cried quietly, stifling his sobs to not let James know.

Regulus blamed Dorcas and Marlene. They ruined his perception of love.

He thought what he and James had was special because James sometimes looked at him in a way the girls looked at each other so maybe that’s why Regulus got a wrong idea.

Maybe James was completely straight. Maybe he even had a girl back at the base.

Regulus wanted to punch himself. He had known James for barely three weeks and he was drowning in feelings, losing his mind.

He kept on crying till he fell asleep.

When he woke up, James was nowhere to be found. Nothing changed when Regulus came back from school, so he just sat around, unable to do anything, because he was supposed to lose James in three days, not right now.

But then something in him snapped.

Not like this, echoed in his head. Not like this, not like this, over and over. He and James couldn’t end up like this. Like all their time spent together meant nothing. Regulus fucking got him out of prison, healed him when he was sick and risked everything for him over and over. And James did the same for Regulus.

He refused to be just a footnote in James’s life. The least he deserved was a proper goodbye.

Regulus grabbed a jacket and walked out of the apartment. There was only one place James could be.

Regulus stood on the border of the forest. It was a stupid fucking idea. The sun was setting already, soon it will be dark. Only sheer frustration and spite propelled him to step inside a forest. It was much darker inside. He wanted to turn away but he remembered how he was waiting uselessly on Sirius two years back, how all he could do when he was losing Dorcas and Marlene was to stand and stare. Not again. He knew he would regret it forever if he let James go that easily.

The path James walked in the forest was visible, so Regulus didn’t have to worry about getting lost. Still, he was shaking from head to toe and it wasn’t from cold. Every second he had to fight the urge to run back, but anger was one hell of a motivator. Finally, he got to the clearing, but he couldn’t see James. He didn’t know what to do, but then he heard:

“Regulus, what are you doing here?”

Against his better judgment, Regulus immediately felt a bit calmer when he saw James. The sun had already set, but the sky was still shade of orange and James looked beautiful against such a background. He was walking towards Regulus, his expression cloudy, but not angry.

“One of us has to be able to communicate like a normal person. You don’t fucking get to just disappear like that!” Regulus shouted.

James stopped in his tracks, taken aback, hurt almost. But he wasn’t far from Regulus now, maybe two meters.

“I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” James said.

His eyes were sad. He took one step closer to Regulus but kept a safe distance.

“Certainly looked like it,” Regulus retorted, not holding back on his anger.

“Well, I am sorry about that. But I am still leaving in three days so what difference does it make—”

Regulus wasn’t about to listen to James straight up lying because if he knew one thing, it was this: James was a good person through and through. Always trying to do what’s right, sometimes failing, but never the one to hurt someone intentionally, not taking into regard how the other person might feel. James had to know this situation was hurting Regulus, but he still acted all nonchalant, so Regulus was about to make him eat his words.

“And you didn’t think, not once, that you might take me with you? You know how much I miss Sirius. After everything I have done for you, you wouldn’t think to at least offer?”

Regulus didn’t know his words would take this turn, but honestly, it was just as well. The fact that James never even mentioned the idea that Regulus might go with him was gnawing at his insides. It hurt.

“Offer you what, Regulus? The life of constant hiding outside the law?” James asked, frustration dripping from his words.

“A chance for a new beginning,” Regulus said softer.

James ran his hand through his hair.

“I was so worried you might get this idea. But I thought you were smarter,” James spat.

“Why is it such a horrible idea then? Are you that horrified you might have to spend some more time with me? I thought you liked to talk to me. I thought you liked cooking with me, studying with me, laughing with me.”

Regulus was losing control.

“Of course I did but—”

“It was all just torture for you I guess. Were you secretly counting down the days you get to be free of me?”

Regulus could realise in the back of his head that he was being a little too dramatic, but he didn’t really care.

James shook his head almost violently.

“Of course not. When I first came to you from prison, all I wanted to do was go home. And now I am dreading it because you will not be there. But I would never ask you to come with me.”

James finished his last sentence with a hand on his chest. Regulus didn’t expect this.

“Why?” he asked sharply.

“You are a student of the most prestigious higher school in Burgensis. You are a son of the director of the hospital. You have a whole life in front of you, and I will not let you ruin it because of me. Do you think I could live with myself?”

Regulus wanted to say something, but James wasn’t done:

“Before I met you, I refused to even entertain the idea of leading the Phoenix one day. Now I want to. Because I want to make this world better for you.”

The intensity of James’s words could be felt in the air, but Regulus wasn’t about to back down.

“Fuck the world, James. If you want to play a hero, go ahead, but don’t try to act as if you are doing me a favour by leaving me.”

James was looking at Regulus in a desperate way for a while, then said:

“You are gonna survive me leaving, sure you will miss me for a while, but then you will realise you are better off.”

James’s throat bobbed. Was he fighting tears the same way Regulus was?

“What about Sirius then? Will you go back to the base and tell him you refused to let me go to him? You are not the only one in this equation,” Regulus said, arguing viciously.

Like mother like son, he supposed. James’s eyes suddenly grew cold.

“I think we can both stop pretending that any of this is about Sirius. Or are you gonna tell me you went to the hospital and stole the serum purely because I am a friend of your brother?”

Regulus was speechless. James was right of course, Sirius was the last thing on Regulus’s mind when James was sick. He just didn’t know James had him so figured out.

“If you wanted to go to base just because of Sirius I could take you and live with myself. But you would go because you would be following me,” James took a deep breath and looked into Regulus’s eyes, “Tell me I am wrong, I dare you.”

He didn’t expect James to fight with such cruelty. There was so much light in James that one might forget he wasn’t a stranger to darkness either.

“Who do you think you are, deciding my future for me? The minister is planning to bomb this city and you want me to sit around and wait when you know what I am capable of doing. I could help Phoenix.”

Regulus briefly thought of Dorcas, who always taught him to only care for himself and his people. But James was his person now.
And if protecting him meant going to the war then so be it.

“Oh, you suddenly wanna help Phoenix. Let me make you a deal then. I will take you to the base with me. You can become a part of the Order of the Phoenix. But I will never, ever, say another word to you the moment we enter the base. Do you still want to go?”

Regulus had some sharp retort on his tongue but he swallowed it and thought. James wasn’t his to keep anyways but he could protect him from base. Ensure that the Phoenix didn’t make any stupid decisions endangering him. Sirius was there. Plus the world was about to be blown to pieces and Regulus would much rather be near people who had at least faint idea what was happening.

“Yes,” Regulus said.

He was never more sure of anything. James looked ready to collapse on the ground.

“You aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” Regulus spat for good measure.

“I would never want to be rid of you,” James said, trying to soothe him.

Unsuccessfully.

“Bullshit. You could have at least pretended. You could have told me how to get to the base and I would visit only from time to time. Or maybe just once, to make sure Sirius is well. But you couldn’t even give me that.”

Regulus was far from done. He realised they were moving in circles and argument lead nowhere, but so what.

“The base is not some apartment you go visit your friends to. Once you step in, you will forever be a part of the Phoenix and the moment someone finds out, you are as well as dead,” James said in a tight voice.

His fist was clenched at his side.

“But it’s a risk I am willing to take, so I don’t understand why won’t you take me with you?” Regulus repeated himself, not really believing something would come out of it, just to level out his frustration.

“I fucking want to take you!” James shouted.

His control slipped just a bit, but it was like a dam breaking. No one could stop the words coming out of James’s mouth now. His voice cut through the space between them like a knife.

“And I may be criminal and murderer but I would never be so selfish to ask you to come with me. My fate is already decided, but you are free to make your own choices. I can’t let you waste it!”

If James wasn’t holding back, Regulus wasn’t about to either.

“Don’t you understand there is nothing left for me there?! Sirius — gone. Dorcas and Marlene — gone. For the last year, I tried to do something with my life but it was nothing but misery. Until you.”

Regulus’s posture grew rigid because this was the truth. Painful truth.

“Regulus no, you don’t understand—” James wasn’t willing to back down, Regulus saw it in his eyes.

“I know what I want now. It’s you, and even if you never speak to me again, I don’t care. The world can burn to ashes but nothing touches you. I will make sure of that,” Regulus declared.

He didn’t need to shout. These words were James’s last straw.

“You don’t know what you are saying,” James accused Regulus.

“I am telling the truth. The question is what are you going to do with it.”

Regulus’s voice was hoarse, his throat on fire.

“I can’t…” James was choking on his own words.

“Can’t fucking what?” Regulus asked, in his last desperate attempt to be heard.

“Be this selfish.”

James sounded exhausted.

“I don’t understand. Be selfish to do what?” Regulus demanded to know.

He watched as James's chest rose and fell in a deep, defeated sigh.

Then James took one step closer to Regulus and pulled him to his lips.

It happened so fast that Regulus had no time to even register the kiss. James let go of him immediately. His eyes were terrified as if he couldn’t believe he really did it.

“Do you understand now?” James whispered, not meeting Regulus’s eyes, and fuck no.

It wasn’t enough.

Regulus grabbed James’s shirt and pulled him closer and kissed him again. The world around Regulus faded into nothing, there was only James and his lips — soft, intoxicating, electric. Regulus let go of his shirt only when he felt James’s hand on his lower back, pushing him even closer. Regulus moved his hands to James’s face, and just gently held him, willing his fingertips to memorise every detail.

James felt like home.

"Now what?" Regulus asked when they pulled away and looked at each other.

"I have no idea," James said, breathless and dazed. "Let's sit down."

At first, Regulus didn’t understand where he wanted to sit because it was quite cold and the ground didn’t look exactly inviting, but James led him to a tree with a wide trunk next to which were blankets. James must have planned to sleep there, but Regulus couldn’t even be mad because holy fucking shit he had just had his first kiss. With James. He couldn’t believe it.

They sat down and covered themselves with the blankets, their backs against the tree. They kept a respectful distance.

"I can’t believe we did this," James began.

"Did you not want to?" asked Regulus, terrified he somehow misinterpreted the entire situation because it made no sense.

"Fuck Regulus, of course I wanted to."

Regulus's heart skipped two or three beats. But he still needed an explanation.

"Since when?" Regulus asked timidly.

James sighed.

"I only helped you at the Burgen school exams because it was the right thing to do, and when I borrowed your shield in prison I was only thinking about myself. But ever since I lived with you... You helped me even when you didn't have to. You made me tell you the truth. And you weren't afraid of me. I was afraid of myself and you were sleeping peacefully in the next room. And then I saw the five of them surround you that night. I thought I knew what fear was, but I was wrong. All I had in my mind was that I had to save you, like an instinct. But you didn't need me. You saved yourself. I didn't sleep that whole night because I blamed myself for not being there. The Celebration followed, and I still didn't understand why the mere possibility of you going there with someone other than me made my blood run cold. When I saw you in that suit…"

James shook his head. Regulus remembered that James was looking at him strangely back then. He felt his cheeks blazing red. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, even though he couldn’t see anything but dark.

James wasn’t done:

"I wanted to keep my distance from you, but it just wasn't possible. That's why the dancing and the pillow fight and the games happened, just because I was selfish. Even when I was sick, all I was aware of was your presence. I was determined not to tell you anyway."

Don't tell me what? Did you realise what? Regulus wanted to blurt out, but he knew he shouldn't. He wouldn’t force James to say anything he wasn’t sure about.

"How about you?" James returned the question.

"I fully realised when you were sick. But I—oh, James, look! I can see the stars!"

Regulus meant to say something more, but he noticed faint twinkling on the dark sky. He had never seen the stars before because of the light pollution of Burgensis.

They could see only a few stars because the rest were hidden behind clouds, but that was enough for Regulus. They both ended up lying on their backs (Regulus covered with a blanket because he was cold), with their heads together looking up at the night sky. Regulus first chose the brightest stars, then came up with a name for each one, and finally began to combine them into shapes.

"I'm telling you, if you connect those four with the two little ones below them, you'll get a dog," Regulus said, wildly pointing at the sky.

"No, if you combine the four with the two, you will get a hexagon at most," corrected James with a laugh.

"You're an idiot," Regulus declared.

James smiled at him. Mischief crinkled in his eyes. He rolled from his back to his side and before Regulus had time to blink, James was looming over him, supporting himself on his elbows. Regulus felt James’s breath on his face. But it wasn’t enough.

"Can I kiss you?" James whispered.

Regulus swallowed and nodded. James lowered himself down and kissed Regulus, gently this time. It was a torturingly slow kiss, but Regulus was glad because he had time to let his hands roam. James’s back was a delight but then Regulus discovered his biceps. He felt the muscles strain with the effort it took James to hold himself up. Regulus shivered.

"Are you cold?" James broke the kiss to ask.

Regulus shook his head, but James had his worried look on already.

"We should head back to the apartment," James said and was already getting up.

Regulus was so high on the fact of what just happened, that even the walk through the dark forest seemed bearable. His lips tingled the whole way home. James held his hand all the way through the forest and when they walked out, he still didn’t let go. They walked into the apartment building and to the lift. As soon as the lift door closed, James pulled him closer. Regulus thought he might kiss him again, but James just hugged him and put his head on top of Regulus’s. They stayed like that the whole ride up.

Once in the apartment, panic seized Regulus. What now? Was he supposed to follow James to his bedroom or did they just go to sleep? But Regulus couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to.

"I’m gonna take a shower," James said and disappeared into his bedroom.

Regulus remained standing in the middle of the room like the pathetic idiot he was. What was that supposed to mean? Regulus forced his legs to cooperate and walked to his bedroom. He quickly changed his clothes too. He heard the shower running. Regulus sat on the bed, out of his wits.

A knock on his bedroom door sounded. James poked his head inside the room and asked:

"Can I come in?"

Regulus smiled and nodded. James sat next to him on the bed.

"Do you want to talk for a bit, or shall I give you some space?" James asked almost shyly.

Was it possible that he was as nervous as Regulus?

"Please stay," Regulus said in a small voice.

"It’s just that the time is... not on our side," James sighed.

How true that was. Tomorrow was Saturday, the day after Sunday, and then on Monday, it was the second Celebration. Regulus decided that it didn’t matter. James kissed him and stupid things such as the passing of time were irrelevant.

"Can we not talk about it? We can plan everything on Monday morning, the lights go out at 7 p.m., we will have enough time," Regulus said his idea out loud.

"But—"

"Can we just pretend none of it is happening and it’s just us for two days?" Regulus begged.

He was sure James would say no. James was duty personified, that’s why Regulus couldn’t believe it when he said:

"Yeah, okay. But what I said about not ever talking to you if you decide to go to the base still—"

Regulus kissed him only to shut him up. He refused to think about that. He had James now. The universe gave him two days with him, which was already more than he deserved, so he was about to make them count. He kissed James till his lips were swollen, forgetting to come up for breath from time to time. James’s hands found their place on Regulus’s waist and it was maddening. Regulus played with James’s hair, and if the small sounds James made were any indication, he liked that very much.

Regulus could realise that they were moving too fast. But they spent months as classmates, both pretending not to notice one another. Then they spent almost a month literally living together, becoming each other’s lifeline. The last week was just a bubble of feelings ready to burst, so it wasn’t really a surprise they went from first kiss to making out like this in a span of hours. Yeah, the timeline was a bit fucked, but Regulus wouldn’t have it any other way.

Regulus wanted to see what else he could get away with. With confidence he didn’t know he possessed, Regulus pushed James back on the bed. His head hit the pillows. His eyes were a bit shocked but soon settled into contentment when Regulus climbed up on the bed and straddled James’s lap. He continued kissing James and James gave as good as he got. After a while Regulus couldn’t tell where he ended and James began. They were both breathless and Regulus wondered how far they would go. It’s not like he would say no to anything James asked now. But he had no idea what he would do.

Suddenly, the worst thought possible popped into his head. It was a memory of Marlene, holding a lesson of sex-ed for Regulus. It was a punishment for something, he didn’t remember what for. Marlene took the lesson very seriously, but Regulus couldn’t find anything useful in his memories. Maybe it was because Marlene began and finished the lesson with the words: men are disgusting.

"Hey, you okay?" James asked because of course he noticed Regulus’s mind was on something. His worried eyes were scanning every inch of Regulus's face.

"Yeah, I am good. I—just—" Regulus felt his face grow red, "I don’t know what else I should do."

Regulus wanted to make it so good for James. They had two days. So what if Regulus wasn’t ready, he wanted to make James feel good. He was so underprepared.

"I just want to do this, if that’s alright with you?" James said softly.

Regulus felt much calmer after that. They kissed a bit more, but soon the yawns began to interrupt their kisses, so they settled to sleep. James hugged him from behind and it was the best sleep Regulus had since Sirius left.

Chapter Text

When Regulus woke up James’s arms were still enveloping him. He got briefly lost in space and time because yesterday he woke up in James’s bed by accident but today… holy shit. Regulus hoped yesterday wasn’t a dream. His doubts were silenced when James stirred and pulled him closer.

“We should get up,” Regulus whispered after checking the time on his watch.
It was late.

“Uhm, no,” James said and snuggled him even closer to his chest.

Regulus felt like reality shattered before his eyes and a new one built itself. This one was better, of course, but also fragile. Unattainable.

But James agreed to ignore all their problems for two days, and Regulus wasn’t complaining.

They eventually got up, and as the day progressed, Regulus realized James was the clingiest person on the face of the earth. James followed him everywhere and kissed him any chance he got. Regulus never believed someone could be so happy to spend time with him. And for James, it was effortless.

They were cooking (Regulus was cooking, James was sitting on the counter), when a terrible, terrible thought popped up in Regulus’s head. A while back he thought James might have a girl back at the base. But what if…

“James, you said… you and Sirius are friends - but - you’ve never… right?”

To no one’s surprise, James didn’t manage to make sense of this. Regulus tried again.

“I am asking you if you’ve ever been involved with Sirius?” he asked through gritted teeth.

If James wanted him because he was a good substitute for his brother… that would be the last nail to Regulus’s coffin. Because if James had some feelings for Sirius and Regulus was just the next best thing… that would be too cruel, right? Although James was always secretive about Sirius, reluctant to reveal tiny details and it would explain why James was reluctant to bring Regulus to the base. Oh, it made so much sense. Regulus’s mind kept coming with torturous details until James’s laughter rang out.

“Oh, trust me, Sirius and I are totally platonic,” James managed to say through the fit of giggles.

Regulus looked for any signs that James was lying but found none.

“And there is no one else?” Regulus asked carefully.

Technically, James owed him nothing, it’s not like they would ever be dating or something, but Regulus at least wanted to know.

“No of course not. I wouldn’t… kiss you if there was,” James said, blushing, actually blushing.

“Oh. Okay.”

At night, they snuggled in Regulus’s bed. They were talking, then they were kissing and then James smiled.

Regulus must have studied his smile for too long because James asked:
"What is it?"

"It’s just... When you showed up a month back, I never thought that you would be able to smile like that," said Regulus, perhaps too sincerely.

James had been dealing with severe trauma, the kind that people took years to get over, but Regulus could see he was getting better. And he was about to go back. To the base, to lead the Phoenix alongside his father. Regulus realised that this messy time with him was the only experience James ever had and probably will have to just exist, to be without any expectations.

"Me neither. After prison..."
James tensed.

"Tell me about it. About prison. You never told me about it," Regulus gathered the courage to ask.

He already knew almost everything about James's life, but he knew absolutely nothing about his time in prison. James’s eyes grew sad and Regulus regretted his question immediately.

But James was already taking a deep breath and saying:

“If you really want to hear it... I was arrested in the dormitory. The police just knocked on my door in the evening and I couldn't do anything. They took me to zone C1. Nobody saw it. They interrogated me for three days straight and kept me locked in the interrogation room. They changed my clothes to prison clothes, cut my hair, and gave me that electrical tape. Then I was transferred to prison. I honestly don't remember exactly what happened there. At first, I thought someone from Phoenix was gonna show up and save me. I knew we didn’t do actions like this but I still hoped my dad would make an exception for me. But no one came. I often did not notice whether I was outside or inside. I didn't care, I gave up until I saw you with the watch, well, an electric shield on your hand. The whole time I couldn't believe it was actually happening. Even when I had your watch, I still didn't believe I was going to get out. I didn't even know what I was doing, my body just reacted and I started running. But when I went after the guard with the knife, I was fully aware of my actions.”

James was now lying on his back, one hand under his head.

"You don't know if he died," said Regulus.

James sighed.

"For the weeks I spent in the forest, I saw no point in being free. The moment I would have returned the shield to you, I wanted to try to return to the Phoenix, and I was sure they would catch me again. I was kind of hoping for that. I was sure I deserved it.”

"You're lucky that you stayed here," said Regulus, thanking all the higher forces.

“The luckiest,” James said and what else was Regulus supposed to do than kiss him after that?

Regulus, in months to come, often thought about those three days with James and he always found them so surreal. He remembered the soft sunset with harsh words in the forest, James sitting on the kitchen counter, and conversations in bed in great detail, but he struggled to grasp that it was reality. Those days felt more like they were cut from some other universe and haphazardly placed there.

Still, Regulus appreciated every second he was given with James. Even on Sunday evening, he was not thinking about the future, he was just basking in James’s sun. But of course, Regulus’s mother had to ruin it.

He was in his bed with James, mid-bite (James’s lips were very biteable, he discovered) when the door to the apartment opened and Walburga shouted:

“Regulus, come here!”

He and James both momentarily froze, but Regulus regained his composure and walked out to meet his mother. With everything else going on, Regulus had completely forgotten that he stole the money from his mother’s office to cover that he stole the vaccination serum. He hoped his mother found out about the money.

Walburga stood in the middle of the kitchen. She made the room look smaller. Feel smaller. She made Regulus feel smaller too.

“Can you explain to me what were you doing in my hospital?” Walburga asked, venom dripping from her words.

“Just visiting,” Regulus answered.

He spent so much time trying to placate his mother, to keep her calm. But he didn’t have to anymore. He was leaving tomorrow, whether James liked it or not. He didn’t mind leaving on bad terms.

“Let me make myself clear. You will not set foot in my hospital again,” Walburga spat out.

“Well, what about vaccinations next year?” Regulus prodded.

He wanted to find out if this was about the serum or money. He truly did not expect that Walburga would lose it after this question.

She was seething and then screamed:

“Shut up! Shut up!”

Her hands flew to her head and she made a groaning sound. She began to mutter some words and Regulus wondered if Walburga was insane, like medically. It would explain some things. She was hyperventilating now and the last thing Regulus wanted to witness was his mother having some sort of panic attack.

“Mother, calm down,” Regulus said in his best soothing voice and took a step closer to her.

That was a mistake. Walburga, like a prey backed into the corner, lashed out and struck Regulus. Her palm collided with Regulus’s cheek. For a while they both just stared at each other, heavy breathing, trying to understand what just happened. Ironically, the only thing Regulus thought was: I hope James didn’t hear any of this.

Then Walburga regained her composure and stood up unnaturally straight.

“Get the hell out of my sight, Regulus. Your brother was always smarter. I never wanted to see him again and he listened. You should do the same,” she said in a terrifyingly calm voice.

This wasn’t angry like when Walburga kicked out Sirius. That was a fight, a battlefield. This was more like an execution. Regulus’s cheek burned.

Walburga left to the upper floor of the apartment. Regulus returned to his room, expecting to find James at the door, but he was still in bed, still frozen. Judging by the look in his eyes, the walls were too thin and he heard everything. But what he heard was so incomprehensible to him that he didn’t even manage to move. Thankfully.

“Are you okay?” James asked in a sad voice.

Regulus snuggled to him.

“Good thing I am leaving tomorrow,” Regulus said instead of answering.

The pretending was over. They were back in reality.

“Yeah, good,” James whispered and held Regulus tight.

When Regulus woke up, James was already waiting for him in the room and he meant business. They sat down, James at the table, Regulus on the table, with his legs dangling in the air, and although it cost them two hours and a lot of nervous whispering (Regulus had no idea why they were whispering, his mother was long gone), they managed to come to an agreement. Their plan was so simple and low-risk that Regulus found it funny that it took them so long.

The only disagreement they faced sounded like this:

“You can’t bring the dog.”

“I am absolutely bringing the dog.”

They of course agreed to take Kreacher with them. But James still said that if Regulus chose to come with him, they were done. Regulus truly didn’t understand the mental gymnastics James did in his head to figure this condition out, but he decided to accept it for now. Sirius was at the base. After two years Regulus might get to see his brother, and this alone was enough for him.

He didn't want to take anything from the apartment but soon realised that would be stupid. Regulus started packing by throwing out his entire closet and picking out a few pieces of clothing to take with him. When he added some bathroom stuff, dog food, and any technological scraps lying around that could be useful, he filled his backpack to the brim. He wondered whether to take something from Sirius’s room, but finally decided against it.

On James’s insistence, he faked the doctor's note, stating he was sick, so he could come back to Burgen school if something went wrong. Regulus wasn’t sure if it would work, because the Burgen school had pretty strict rules about absences, but it helped James to sleep at night, so why not? Two hours before leaving Regulus frantically cleaned the entire apartment, because he had to do something with his nervous energy. James was making fun of him at first. When the nerves got to him too, he joined Regulus.

Lastly, Regulus downloaded everything from his touch screen, most importantly the map with the location of cameras, notes from Burgen school, old newspapers, and information about the electric shield. Then he wiped the touch screen database clear, deleting everything.

Only then did Regulus realise that he was leaving. Something in him stirred. He tried to hide behind Sirius’s shadow for his entire life. Then he tried to blend with the walls. Quiet, always quiet. But he wasn’t a ghost, not anymore.

He set the screen to note mode and wrote, in the biggest letters possible:

“Goodbye.”

He wanted it recorded, remembered, noticed at least. And in the back of his mind, he hoped that his father or mother would worry about him enough to find this and understand that he left willingly.

James had already left a few minutes back. He wanted to take the path from the eastern part of the forest through the zone and B3. It was the shortest way with the least cameras, but if the cameras would still be working despite the power outage, James would get caught no matter which route he took. Regulus didn’t dare to mention this.

"You can still change your mind," James told him when he was leaving. He had his backpack on and was ready to go.

Regulus just shook his head. His mind was made up the moment James said Sirius’s name.

James sighed and said:

"We will meet..."

"On the corner of the Phoenix base, because no camera covers it there. It's at coordinates 65 and 22, near the apartment building number 36," Regulus finished.

"Be careful," James said.

It wasn’t an order. It was a plea.

"You too."

Regulus had no idea who moved first but suddenly they were kissing, despite James’s rule. But before Regulus opened his eyes, James was gone.

Now, the time had come for Regulus to leave too. Soon the electricity will go out, everything will fall into the darkness and the candles will be lit, and then fireworks, like each year. Regulus always liked to watch the crowds, he hoped he would have few seconds to spare today to do so.

“C’mon Kreacher,” Regulus said and placed a big cardboard box in front of his dog.

Kreacher couldn’t be seen in zone A2 or B2, so the only solution James and Regulus came up with was to put him in a box, which Regulus could carry. It wasn’t the most elegant idea, even Kreacher understood that and was very reluctant to get inside. It took a lot of treats and coaxing, but Regulus managed to put Kreacher in the box, which he picked up.

“You got fat,” he told Kreacher, whose head was sticking out, because the box was damn heavy.

Regulus closed the lid of the box, but not fully, just enough to hide the dog. He hesitated for a moment, but immediately walked out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him. The apartment was never his home, not after Sirius left.

At first, Regulus walked at a fast pace and did not allow himself any doubts or considerations, but as soon as he got beyond the border of zone A2 to zone B2, he slowed down, because his arms were burning with the effort it took to carry the box.

“The moment we get to the base I am putting you on a diet. There is no reason for a small dog like you to weigh this much,” Regulus complained the whole way.

He wasn’t afraid someone might hear him, because the streets were brimming with sound and movement.

They were many people on the streets today, rushing to the square, looking for family members and friends, ready to celebrate. A few of them looked at Regulus, but no one paid him special attention. He wondered how he would be remembered. Not by these people but by his acquaintances. Classmates, teachers, neighbors. It would probably depend on what kind of lie his mother will make up. Maybe she'll just say that Regulus ran away from home, like she did with Sirius. Maybe she'll claim that someone kidnapped him. Or that he got drunk and drowned in the river…

Regulus expected this evening to be the biggest adrenaline rush of his life. That it would be difficult to leave his apartment and school and the zone and go completely into the unknown. He went to join a secret organization. It was all too easy. He just had to walk down the street.

The number of people kept increasing until it became unbearable. Regulus wanted to turn on his electric shield and make his way. From the street he just passed, Regulus could see the square. All the people were heading there, some already had candles lit. In zone B2, this was probably a bigger deal than in A1, because Regulus was sure that absolutely everyone was there. Some people were dressed in T-shirts, others in jackets because the weather in this month was unpredictable.

Regulus watched teenagers his age laughing loudly at something as the lamps went out. There was a collective ooooo, many candles were lit, and then some more.

Perhaps Regulus would have watched it from the side street for a long time if the family standing next to him had not set their candles on fire. One of the candles illuminated the face of the boy who had attacked Regulus weeks ago.

Regulus didn’t even know his name, but it was definitely this boy who chased him all the way to his apartment, the one who had a face like a rat. It was the face with a crazy expression that Regulus saw through the glass door to his apartment building. Now he just stood there, holding the candle by the plastic handle in one hand and the little girl's palm in the other. Their parents stood beside them, smiling at each other. Regulus did not understand how the boy who grew up in such a family could become a criminal. On this night the boy looked happy. Maybe he just didn’t know what was going on or he hanged with the wrong crowd.

Regulus couldn’t help but think if this boy met James, he wouldn’t be on the wrong side of things now.

The boy looked in Regulus’s direction. Their eyes met and Regulus saw the hatred in them.

He turned on his heel and ran away, which must have looked really awkward because he was carrying the box with Kreacher.

Thankfully, the boy did not follow. Regulus kept on walking, maintaining his pace. He had only 15 minutes left.

He arrived at the place where he was supposed to meet James 5 minutes later than they agreed. James said he wouldn't wait for him if he wasn't there on time. But Regulus could see his silhouette from far away, recognised James’s shadow better than his own by now. Of course, he waited. And it worked! James was there. The cameras must have been off.

“You came,” James said, even acting surprised as if Regulus had not been clear about his intentions.

Regulus wanted to throw himself around James's neck, but they still had one last bit to go. Although the cameras could no longer capture them, it would still be better if they were already inside the base after the electricity came back on.

"You didn't have any problems?" Regulus asked, not looking anywhere else but at James.

He looked fine, Regulus couldn’t see any injuries, but then again, he couldn’t see much in the dark.

"None at all. The cameras were definitely off,” James said and started to walk.

Regulus had never seen him happier and more nervous. Today was easy for Regulus because he had nothing to lose. James, on the other hand, was shaking with excitement. He could lose everything. Or gain everything.

They finally arrived at the entrance of the Phoenix base. Regulus wouldn't have even realised it if James hadn't stopped. The entrance, exactly as James had described it to him, was almost completely covered by a metal pallet. It looked like someone had left a useless piece of metal at a forgotten warehouse. Not like a whole defense system.

“Last chance to turn back,” James said.

Regulus’s mind couldn’t comprehend how even in this situation James was thinking about him. It hit Regulus that he could see Sirius in a few minutes. He was so worried about James, that he forgot about his brother completely. But now Sirius was within his reach, and Regulus wasn’t about to let him slip through his fingers this time.

“Never,” Regulus answered James.

James moved the palette with ease. They both knew that he started a countdown, two minutes. If they didn’t get inside in two minutes, the spot they were standing on would be gassed and they would both wake up 5 streets away very confused.

The pallet covered the alcove. They stepped there and James moved the pallet back to its original position to cover them. It was not a very spacious place. Regulus finally put the box with Kreacher on the ground. His dog stuck his head out but didn’t move from the box. Regulus had to lean against the wall so that James had enough space to stand next to him. They were surrounded by walls on three sides, behind them was a palette, and above them the night sky.

The only thing that mattered was the door directly in front of Regulus. Plain, white, similar to the entrance door to any apartment building but quite dirty. On the left was the fingerprint sensor. Regulus found it funny that such a small device would decide their fate.

"Come on James," prompted Regulus.

James assured him a million times that his fingerprint was still in the system. His parents wouldn't erase it. That wouldn't make sense. Even if they thought he would never come back, they would still leave his fingerprint in the system. Only now did Regulus realize that when James was telling him this, he was reassuring himself. The sensor of course didn’t work without electricity, but luckily they only had to wait for two minutes. Then fireworks exploded above their heads, signaling that the electricity was back on. Kreacher whined and hid in his box. The scanning device was now on, but James was just staring at it.

Regulus lost his patience after like 10 seconds. He grabbed James's hand and brought it to the sensor. The sensor vibrated and Regulus was sure no finger scan ever took longer.

And then the sensor turned green.

The door opened.

Tears glistened in James's eyes while fireworks kept on exploding in the sky.

The second the door opened, Kreacher sprinted out of his box and ran inside. Regulus shouted at him to stop, but the dog ignored him and disappeared into a dark corridor that didn't look like much.

Regulus was about to enter, but James, whose hand was Regulus still holding, stood transfixed. He looked like he was going to explode with happiness. Their eyes met and in a second James had Regulus pinned against the wall and was kissing him feverishly. Because they made it. And this was the only way to release the adrenaline and tension that had accumulated in their bodies. James needed it more than Regulus because he was intense, almost desperate. Both of James’s hands were on each side of Regulus’s head, keeping him locked in one spot. Not that Regulus would wish to be anywhere else. More fireworks exploded above. James stole one last kiss from Regulus and then together, they stepped inside the base.

Fireworks were still ringing in Regulus's ears even as the door closed behind them. They walked down a dark corridor, very dimly lit. This was on purpose to make it harder to notice the door that actually led to the base. Regulus would have bypassed it and continued down the dark corridor which ended up in a dead end. But James stopped him and opened the door that led inside the Phoenix. Here the lights were shining almost aggressively. Both Regulus and James had to wait a while to let their eyes adjust.

"We'll go to the dining room, everyone will probably be there at this time," said James, pulling Regulus behind him.

He was smiling like crazy. Regulus, on the other hand, was nervous as hell. They both spent so much time planning and risking everything to get here. He was sure that something was going to go wrong now. But Sirius was there. Even if everything else failed, even if they refused to let Regulus stay for some reason, at least he would get to see his brother.

James was wrong about people being in the dining room. The people were everywhere, filling the halls, which were reverberating with countless conversations. The strange thing was that no one noticed James, or more precisely paid him any attention. When the first person met their eyes, Regulus expected they would scream with joy at seeing James. But the person just walked on. The one after that too. And the next...

“I don’t know any of them,” James whispered, confused.

His joyful expression was nowhere to be found now. James was gone from the base for around six months. That was a long time, but still, everyone should be able to recognise the son of leader of the Phoenix. It could only mean that all those people were new to the base, which meant bad news.

They were almost at the dining room when a young man with a scar running through his whole face stopped and stared at them. He was tall, wore dark clothes, and looked quite intimidating. James sighed.

“Hey Remus, could you-“ James didn’t even get to finish his sentence, because Remus, who was not looking at James but at Regulus, interrupted him.

“Are you Regulus?”

There was such an urgency in Remus’s voice that Regulus barely managed to choke out the affirmative answer.

“Oh, thank FUCK,” Remus cursed, then laughed, then sent some thought through his bracelet.

He looked Regulus up and down, laughed again, and still completely ignoring James said to Regulus: “You are the dumbest motherfucker alive.”

Regulus just stared, speechless, because he truly did not see this coming. James moved closer and looked ready to punch Remus.

“Explain yourself or I swear I will get my dad to kick you out if it's the last thing I do,” James barked.

Remus took a sharp breath and looked at James for the first time. There was pity in his eyes.

“Someone tell Effie her son is back. We are going to the infirmary,” Remus told no one in particular and immediately started walking away.

The thing Regulus noticed immediately was that Remus addressed no one in particular, but he spoke with confidence that his order would be carried out.

“Wait,” Regulus spoke up. He was scared, but still asked: “Where is Sirius?”

Remus did not react.

Regulus and James had no other option than to follow him.

Chapter Text

They entered the infirmary, a spacious room with 8 beds and various medical devices, but still incomparable to the high-tech equipment of hospital rooms. The lights were low because the room was empty - no patients. Remus, James, and Regulus would not be overheard there.

“Would you finally explain yourself?” James said harshly to Remus.

Regulus knew James wasn’t a fan of Remus, because he was always stirring things up, things like protests. Still, it was weird seeing this side of James, the answers-demanding, confident son of the leader of Phoenix.

Remus not surprisingly completely ignored his question and turned once again to Regulus.

“Why would you write goodbye on your table? Do you fucking realise it looks like a suicide note?” Remus asked.

He looked ready to jump out of his skin.

Regulus was honestly so tired of not understanding anything at this point.

“What is going on?!” James demanded and finally, finally Remus started talking.

“Sirius went to you. He has waited a whole year for a chance to get to your apartment. To find you, to explain. Now imagine he actually manages it and knocks on your door. Nothing. Breaks into your room. Finds goodbye in bold letters.”

James’s hand flew to his mouth and Regulus felt sick. Could it be true?

“The last thought he sent me was borderline crazy, then he stopped answering. I already sent him the thought that you are here, but I don’t know if he saw it. If something happens to him, if he doesn’t make it back in time I swear I will…”

Regulus needed to sit down. He sloped down on the closest bed. Remus was still talking, but Regulus couldn’t hear a thing. He did it all to get to Sirius, not really sure if his brother wanted to see him and now he found out Sirius wanted to see him just as badly. They both had a great idea, but horrible timing.

The sound of doors opening pulled Regulus out of his thoughts. A middle-aged woman walked towards them and Regulus knew who she was even before she broke down crying and threw her arms around James.

Effie collided with her son with such force that they both stumbled a bit. James hugged his mom and even though Regulus couldn’t see his face, he knew James was crying, because his whole body was shaking. Effie let go of James only to take his face into her hands and look at him.

“My boy, my darling boy,” she stuttered, staring at James, not even blinking, scared her son would disappear if she dared to close her eyes for one moment.

“How did you- Where-?” Effie tried to ask, but she kept on choking on her words.

James turned around and stretched his hand to Regulus.

“Mom, this is Regulus. He saved me.”

Effie stared at Regulus, her eyes showing so many emotions that Regulus wasn’t able to decipher a single one. He wanted to say so many things to Effie, for example: Sorry for keeping him so long, I know his place is here I just wanted to protect him, I will keep on protecting him, he is the best person who had ever walked this earth and I am sure he gets it from you, I tried to help him heal but he is still shattered at some places, please don’t hate me I did the best I could.

But he said nothing because Effie stepped away from James and hugged Regulus. She squeezed him so tightly it was almost painful. Regulus wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hug her back, so he opted to touch her shoulders the gentlest way possible.

“Thank you,” Effie whispered softly, only for Regulus to hear.

Before Regulus could say anything, Effie let him go and looked Regulus up and down.

“We got the note you gave to Mary, and Sirius said he recognised his brother’s handwriting. I didn’t believe him back then, but you look a bit like him. But Sirius wasn’t in contact with you and…where is he anyway?” Effie spoke, talking very fast, looking from James to Regulus to Remus, trying to make sense of this situation.

She was clever, Regulus noted, the kind of clever that ensured you survived on the streets.

“He will be there soon,” Remus said quickly, only answering the last of Effie’s questions, covering for Sirius.

So Effie had no idea his brother left the base. Was Sirius not allowed to leave? Regulus’s mind was running through all the facts, possible scenarios, escape routes, until James spoke up.

“Where is my dad?” he asked.

The whole room fell silent. Effie couldn’t meet James’s eyes and Regulus felt his blood run cold.

Remus, thankfully, managed to say something sensible:

“Effie, you and James should go to talk somewhere private. I will wait here with Regulus for Sirius.”

The way Remus spoke betrayed that he was used to dissolving problems. Regulus didn’t feel he could trust him, not really, but Remus was competent, and Regulus respected that. That’s why when James looked at him, silently asking if it was okay to leave, Regulus nodded. James and Effie left the infirmary wordlessly.

When the door closed behind them, Regulus asked Remus:

“What happened to James’s dad?”

He knew there was something wrong the second James first asked about his father. The sheer fact that Effie came to hug her son and Fleamont didn’t meant bad news. That much was clear to Regulus, but he still hoped the news would not be that bad.

“He is gone,” Remus said quietly.

He sat down next to Regulus with a sigh. For a while none of them spoke. Regulus’s chest was caving with worry for James. He loved his father. All the thoughts in Regulus’s head always circled back to this. He loved his father.

“Who leads the Phoenix now?” Regulus asked because he couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

“No one officially, but me and Sirius are holding it together,” Remus answered.

Regulus gasped. So his brother wasn’t just a member of an illegal organisation. He was running it.

“I suppose James will take the lead now that he is back. It’s good, it will boost the morale,” Remus added.

“You don’t mind he will take your position?” Regulus asked.

“I guess I will be a little bit pissed, but honestly, I like fighting the fights, not planning them.”

Regulus had more questions, for example about the protests Remus organised, especially the first one, the one Alice told him and the girls back then. But before Regulus got the words out, Remus tensed. He put the bracelet to his temple, then he exhaled and stood up.

“He is here.”

Remus didn’t have to add anything more. Regulus felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

“I will give you some privacy,” Remus said and began to walk away.

He acted cool and collected, but Regulus noticed that his hands were shaking a bit. Remus barely managed to close the door behind him, when Regulus heard a breathless voice he immediately recognised.

“Please tell me you did not lie to me.”

Remus’s answer was barely a whisper: “It’s true darling, he is here, I promise.”

Before Regulus had time to think, Sirius was busting through the doors. His frantic eyes scanned the whole room before they landed on Regulus, who was already getting up from the bed, and walking towards his brother. Regulus imagined the moment he would see his brother again a million times, in countless scenarios, but now… it was real.

“Your hair is longer.”

Regulus did not mean to say that out loud, but it was true. Sirius’s hair curled past his shoulders, a few strands falling into his eyes.

“I thought I lost you,” his brother said in a small voice. So unlike him.

“Never,” Regulus said.

That seemed to get to Sirius because he finally moved and hugged Regulus. At first, Sirius held him gently, like he was scared to hurt him, but soon he squeezed Regulus tight.

All the pain, confusion, and fear weren’t pointless because Regulus managed it. He found his brother.

He had forgotten about how it felt to be around Sirius. Safe. After two years or so, Regulus felt safe. There were other feelings, of course. Regulus was still hurt that his brother left him. Confused about why. But that could wait for now.

“How did you get here Reggie?” Sirius’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

He was still holding Regulus, even tighter than moments ago.

“I will tell you everything but first Sirius are you alright? Are you in any danger? Because James did not tell me any details about why are you here and even Remus was acting all secretive,” Regulus said in one breath.

Sirius’s hand rested on his shoulder and Regulus was clutching his brother's shirt, but they pulled back a bit. Not to breathe but to see each other. Regulus would not hesitate one second to leave the base if Sirius wasn’t happy here. But after checking his brother head to toe multiple times, Regulus did not find anything distressing.

Sirius’s shoulders were broader than Regulus remembered, and muscles on his arms peeking from his white shirt had definitely not been there before. In Regulus’s opinion, the black pants Sirius was wearing were a bit too tight, but he kept that to himself. Multiple rings glinted on his fingers, one with the crescent moon, and on his wrist was a silver bracelet similar to Regulus’s own. He did not look the same, but it wasn’t changing for the worse.

“Yeah, I am good. Listen, about me and Remus, he - well…” Sirius began saying something, stumbling through his words, but then his eyes bulged and eyebrows flew up and he asked, “Hold on, did you say James?”

Regulus smiled. “I came here with James. Did Remus not tell you?”

Sirius’s eyes widened even more. Then a huge grin appeared on his face. He pulled Regulus in again, squeezing him even tighter.

“He is my best friend,” Sirius said almost reverently.

“I know.”

“What do you mean you know? And where is he?”

Sirius looked around as if expecting James to leap out from somewhere.

“I got him out of prison, then I hid him in our apartment, and we came here together,” Regulus explained casually.

Sirius let go of Regulus and stepped back.

“What?!” he exclaimed.

Clearly, Sirius’s dramatic flare did not disappear during the two years. Regulus was glad that at least something stayed the same.

“He is with Effie now. About his dad,” Regulus added.

Sirius sighed heavily. Regulus did not remember him making that noise before. In that moment he realised that explaining everything would take ages, so he downloaded the memory of James behind the bars, saying Sirius’s name. Regulus reached his hand towards his brother in the offering. Sirius accepted.

“I have even more questions now,” said Sirius after watching the thought.

Regulus couldn’t even figure out where to begin the story. But luckily, they had thought bracelets.

“A memory for memory?” Regulus proposed.

“Deal.”

Regulus sent James a thought to come and see him and Sirius when he was done talking to Effie. Sirius looked ready to jump out of his skin. His brother, actually there. Regulus couldn’t wrap his head around it. Sirius was now sitting on the bed next to Regulus, squeezing the sheets, moving his foot at alarming speed. Yet something was making him stay and not go to see James, even though he clearly wanted to.

Regulus was eager to see everything Sirius was willing to show him. They lost years that should have been spent together, and Regulus wanted to make up for it, even a little bit.

Sirius was already reaching for his brother, ready to show him a piece of their lost past. It was a memory from when their mother kicked Sirius out, two years back.

Sirius could recognise his mother’s footsteps entering and walking around the apartment. He stayed quiet, hiding in his room. He expected Walburga to leave soon, but suddenly the screaming started. Sirius froze for one second, but in a heartbeat, he was sprinting out of his room. His mother was standing in the middle of the kitchen, holding her head in both hands, bent forward like she was in pain, shouting. Sirius knew Walburga wasn’t a picture of mental stability. She would explode if she noticed even a small misstep from Sirius or Regulus. When she got into it, her words cut worse than knives. She was cold and cared more about her job than about her sons. If Sirius sensed her bad mood, he would say something improper, for the sole reason of directing his mother’s anger to him, away from Regulus.

Still, most days Walburga was acting perfectly fine, complimenting Regulus when he did well at school for example. Earlier this week Sirius saw her cleaning the apartment while humming some tune. But when he watched her now, heard how her voice turned hoarse from screaming, he somehow could tell that even the scarcely good days were over. Walburga noticed him. Sirius knew the look in her eyes would haunt him forever. They were empty. Insane.

“Sirius,” his mother whispered and outstretched her hand to him.

She was clutching her chest with the other one, her whole body language suggesting pain or injury, but Sirius could see no signs of physical harm on her body. He didn’t dare to move closer.

“Sirius! You need to leave,” Walburga shouted.

Sirius felt like she was looking through him, not at him. She opened her mouth, probably wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Walburga clawed at her neck like she might drag the words out but to no avail.

“What do you mean mother, what’s happening?” Sirius asked.

His voice shook.

“I can’t, I - protect -“ Sirius’s mother couldn’t get any more words out and screamed instead.

She had to hold on to the kitchen counter to steady herself. She looked on the brink of collapse.

“Mom, what’s going on?”

Sirius took a careful step closer. In the back of his mind alarms blared that Regulus would soon come back home from school and Sirius really didn’t want him to witness this, so he had to deal with his mother quickly.

“Do you remember your grandmother’s house?” Walburga asked through gritted teeth.

Her eyes were pleading one second, confused the next, empty then angry.

Sirius didn’t answer the question, but his mother continued regardless.

“Go there. Stay away from this apartment. Take your brother with you and keep him… safe.”

Walburga exhaled like saying this sentence was the hardest thing she had ever done.

“Mother I don’t understand,” Sirius said.

He tried to make sense of this situation, but he failed.

Walburga looked at Sirius for a long time. She seemed to be in some internal battle with herself, when suddenly, she righted herself. She stood tall, her body and mind in agreement and took a few steps towards Sirius. There was resolve in her eyes. Sirius breathed out, thinking she came back to herself, to normal, but her next words proved opposite.

“What don’t you understand? You were always so slow.”

This time, she wasn't acting crazy, fighting the words. No, she was perfectly in control.

“I am telling you to get the fuck away from my apartment. You don’t live here anymore,” Walburga spat out.

“Why?” Sirius choked out.

She couldn’t mean it, right? His mother hesitated, but only for one second.

“Because you are a waste of space, good for nothing son. Do I need any other reason?”

Sirius was speechless. Sure he wasn’t the best at school stuff and he couldn’t cook to save his life but that couldn’t mean he deserved to be kicked out.

“Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Pack your things, get your brother, and leave this apartment now,” his mother said, her voice devoid of any emotion.

“Mother, you can’t just-“ Sirius’s voice broke.

“Leave and if you ever try to come back, I will make you regret it. Now get out!” Walburga ordered.

Sirius would try to argue some more, but he heard a noise behind and noticed Regulus, standing in the doorway. Sirius didn’t spare his mother one more look, he grabbed his brother and pulled him to their room.

The memory moved quickly past Sirius telling Regulus to wait for him, trying to act calm while he was secretly scared out of his mind.

Sirius left the apartment and took the bus to C2. He found his way to his grandmother’s house. The thoughts in his head were a bigger mess than usual. Was he homeless now? Did he still have to go to school tomorrow? He wasn’t sure leaving Regulus home alone with their mother was the right move. Was it better to leave your brother alone with a crazy person or take him to the place the crazy person sent you? Sirius was about to find out. The door was unlocked.

Sirius quietly walked in. He knew the layout of the house, which floorboards creaked, where the light switches were, even though he hadn’t stepped foot inside for years. Immediately, he heard voices from the living room. He knew he should get the fuck away from there, but curiosity got the better of him. He took a few steps closer to the voices, leaned against the wall, and listened.

“Think about my offer. You do so much, and the government barely notices you. The protests are quite impressive, but aren’t you ready to be part of something bigger? To take things to the next level, Remus?” asked a male voice.

The voice was familiar, but Sirius couldn’t place it. The person talking sounded quite old, so Sirius was surprised when the answering voice sounded much younger.

“I already told you, I only take my orders from Frank and Alice. They know about your secret organisation, Order of Phoenix or whatever, but want no part in it,” the younger man said, trying to hide his fear behind his arrogance.

“And you will just obey? You have the loyalty of many people, you don’t have to ask for permission,” the older man said.

“That may be true, but my loyalties also lie somewhere, and it sure isn’t with you. Why doesn’t your organisation help with the rations and amount of food they are asking us to deliver? Why do we have to risk our necks to protest when you claim your Order is so powerful?” Remus asked, trying to keep his temper in check.

“You have no idea about the reach The Order of Phoenix has. There are bigger things in motion,” the man said, his voice cold.

“I heard you tunnel money from the bank. That you have spies and assassins,” Remus said accusingly.

“We do everything to protect Burgensis. We offer a safe place for people to hide. Couldn’t you use a place like that? Soon, the protesters will have to hide somewhere. Ever thought of that?”

Maybe Remus did, maybe he didn’t, but he never got the chance to answer because a small dog suddenly appeared before Sirius, looked him straight in the eyes, and barked.

Before Sirius had time to react, a young man, boy really, busted through the door, spotted Sirius and pointed a gun to his head. Sirius was terrified. The dog sat down like nothing was out of the ordinary. Sirius looked into the eyes of the boy with the gun, ready to plead for his life, but he couldn’t get a single word out. Could these light brown eyes be the last thing he sees before he dies?

“Put the gun down. That’s my grandson,” said the older man.

Remus whipped his eyes to him and Sirius did the same. The man, standing in the doorway, bent down and picked up the dog. He gently petted his head. And Sirius realised he knew this dog. It was his grandmother’s dog. That alone was enough proof that the man was telling the truth. Also, he was the spitting image of Sirius’s father. Remus put the gun away.

“Sirius Orion, explain to me what are you doing there?” the man - Sirius’s grandfather asked.

“I… eh… got kicked out of my apartment,” Sirius answered.

He heard Remus chuckle.

His grandfather looked at Remus like he just remembered that he was there too and said to him:

“We will finish our discussion some other time.”

“But-“

“Goodbye Remus,” his grandfather said and it left no room for argument.

Remus huffed, spared Sirius one last look, and then left. Sirius faced the man. He whacked his brain for any information he had on his alleged grandfather. He left his grandmother, so she had to raise Orion - Sirius’s and Regulus’s father - alone. That was about the extent of Sirius’s knowledge. Oh, and his brother was named Regulus Arcturus after him. Arcturus.

“What are you doing there? What secret organisation? And who was that-?” Sirius fired the series of questions.

“Let’s sit down,” Arcturus said.

They walked to the kitchen. Arcturus put the dog down and sat at the table. Sirius decided to sit opposite of him, putting the table between them for safety measures. Because this man, whatever he was, it wasn’t good.

“You heard something you weren’t supposed to. You don’t understand much probably, but you still can’t say a word about what you heard,” his grandfather began.

Sirius could feel the intensity of Arcturus’s words. He was curious about the secret organisation, but he had more pressing matters to deal with.

“Look, I am not sure about what is going on, but I kinda need this house for me and Regulus, so if you could just… move your secret meetings elsewhere?” Sirius asked.

Arcturus stared at him with raised brows for a while, then he sighed and said:

“Why don’t you explain to me why exactly can’t you stay living in your apartment?”

“Why don’t you explain to me where were you all those years?” Sirius shot back because if he was good at something, it was avoiding answering the questions he didn’t want to answer.

His leg was shaking under the table because he was supposed to be getting Regulus away from home by now.

“I can’t tell you-“

The memory sped up abruptly there. Sirius told Arcturus that his parents were the owners of the house, Arcturus told Sirius that he was a disrespectful brat and they argued in circles for about half an hour. Finally, Sirius told his grandfather about how Walburga kicked him out and he wasn’t leaving Regulus in that apartment. There, the memory slowed down to normal speed again.

“I am bringing my brother here, I don’t care about your weird organisation,” Sirius decided.

He already wasted way too much time trying to make Arcturus understand. It was pointless.

“If you care about him, you will leave him alone. This house is not used only by me but by the entire Order. Keep him as far from the Phoenix as possible and let him live his life,” Arcturus said, his voice sad.

“Why?” Sirius asked petulantly.

“Cause the past cannot repeat itself,” Arcturus said dramatically.

“I really don’t give a shit about your riddles.”

Arcturus sighed.

“I can show you what happens when you involve a family. Perhaps that will make you understand.”

The memory abruptly ended there. Regulus found himself back in the infirmary. He had to steady himself on the bed. He couldn’t even begin to untangle this mess.

“Then Arcturus - you are named after him by the way - explained all about thought bracelets and showed me his memories. You will understand it all then. But now, your turn,” Sirius said in one breath.

Right, it was Regulus’s turn to show Sirius some memory.

Regulus showed him Dorcas and Marlene, how they lived and stole, and how they had been caught. He showed him Kreacher and then his entrance evaluation to Burgen school.

When Sirius finished with the memories, he looked like he was hit by a bus.

“Reggie… I didn’t know - I didn’t know you were looking for me.”

Sirius tried to say more, but he couldn’t. Regulus hadn’t even shown him the really bad parts, just enough to get the whole picture, but he could see that his brother’s heart was breaking. And they didn’t have time for that.

“Have you ever met those two girls?” Regulus asked, trying to snap Sirius out of his sad spiral.

Sirius shook his head, then asked:
“Why?”

“Cause they were working for the Phoenix,” Regulus explained.

“What, that’s a crazy coincidence,” Sirius exclaimed.

“Yeah, it most definitely isn’t.”

A general idea was already forming in Regulus’s head, but he needed more pieces of information to get a complete picture.

“What?”

Sirius was clearly missing a lot more pieces.

“Let it go for now. Your turn,” Regulus said, almost ordered.

They couldn’t start dissecting this unimportant stuff when there was so much more to cover.

“Right, I will try to show you the thoughts Arcturus showed me back then. Hope it works,” Sirius said and began showing Regulus memories of their grandfather.

At first, memories came in flashes.

A beautiful woman was laughing while she jumped the fence, running away from the police.

Then there was the same woman, except now she was sitting on a terrace with her hand on her belly, visibly pregnant.

In another memory, she was holding a child, a small boy around three years old on her hip and she said:

“Be careful sweetheart.”

“You know I always am.”

The answering voice belonged to younger Arcturus. He was about to go on a relatively safe mission, his wife had nothing to worry about.

“But you have to be extra careful now,” Melania, the love of his life, said and smiled smugly.

“And why is that?” Arcturus asked.

“Because I have a hunch that this time you are going to have a daughter,” said his wife.

Arcturus felt joy in his whole body.

Another memory, this time of a boy around eight years old, a focused look on his face, walking behind a small girl, taking her first cautious steps.

Their mother Melania was watching them and she said:

“Who would have guessed Orion would be such a good older brother.”

Arcturus looked at his children, not believing he got this lucky.

Some time passed between this memory and the next because when Arcturus ran, his body hadn’t moved like when he was 30. He managed to hide, but the cameras got him.

"When will you come back to me?" Melania’s tearful voice asked into the phone.

Arcturus replied:

"There are cameras everywhere and I'm already in the system. I can't risk bringing them to you."

His wife just repeated her question.

"I promise I'll find a way to get to you. Don't call me until then. I think they can track phones.”

Arcturus caught his image in the bathroom mirror and, gritting his teeth, poured an entire bottle of hydrogen peroxide into his hair. It stung. It hurt. With tears in his eyes, he walked out of the base and stopped in the middle of an empty street. He looked straight into the camera and waited. A moment later, police sirens sounded. Arcturus ran away. After returning to the base, he broke all the things he could get his hands on, letting his anger take control. He was a scientist, but he could not find a solution to his most important problem. His wife and kids were out of his reach. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He ran into the bathroom and looked at his reflection again. He tried the hair, couldn’t do much with the skin. There were still eyes. Arcturus laughed at the stupidity of his own idea.

He worked for more than a year. Every night. Until he created contact lenses. The leader, commander Fleamont wanted him to patent them and make a lot of money. Arcturus didn't care, he was just glad he could go home. The memories of him returning to his wife at night when the children were already asleep were blurred as if so much happiness could not be captured.

"Will you stay?" Melania asked as she sat in her husband's arms in the backyard.

"I can’t. It's too dangerous. If someone saw me, if the children betrayed me..."

Arcturus felt his heart clench with fear.

"Then we will also go to the Phoenix," his wife said.

"No, love. I don't want that kind of life for you."

Arcturus would never have asked that of her. She loved nature and blue skies.

Melania wiped a tear from her cheek and said:

"Then I'll be waiting for you tomorrow night."

This was Arcturus's life for several weeks, months, years. During the day he worked with Phoenix, and at night he ran home to his wife. He didn't miss a single night. When his son finished school at 17, he got an apprenticeship in an architectural firm which came with an apartment, so he moved away from home. Lucretia, his younger daughter, slept through every single night when her father came back home and if she felt a caress on her cheek when she was in between dreams, she thought she just imagined it. She slept through every single night except the one.

The sun was almost rising when a voice behind Arcturus said:

"I knew it."

Arcturus turned around to find his daughter standing in the doorway.

"Mom said you left us to make the world a better place. Orion hates you. Well, I don't. I want to help too. Take me with you," Lucretia demanded.

She was only 12 years old, but Arcturus liked her courage. She was just like her mother.

"You are too young to make such a decision," Arcturus said softly.

He knelt in front of her.

Lucretia began to protest loudly, but Arcturus continued:

"When you finish school, you can contact me and come to me.”

Lucretia nodded eagerly and quietly made her way to her room, hoping that the next day would come as soon as possible. After this, Arcturus limited his night visits, coming only two or three times a week. He thought his daughter would forget the night's experience and everything would be fine. But on the day she finished basic education, Lucretia packed her things and went with Arcturus to the base. Melania told everyone that her daughter got married and moved to live with her husband. She also told this lie to Orion, because what other option was there?

Lucretia was stubborn and passionate, and Arcturus secretly thought there was not blood in her veins, but fire. She was also a great writer and wrote some memorable speeches. The base became Lucretia’s home, but she was always happy when she and Arcturus went to visit Melania, who remained living in the house in zone C2. She found her peace there. She also found a stray puppy which she took in. She named him Kreacher. Arcturus and Lucretia’s visits took place during the week because their son was always there on the weekends. Arcturus wanted to talk to Orion many times, but he always lost his courage. Orion had his own life, after all, wife and two sons. Arcturus knew everything about them from his wife’s stories, but he still hoped he could meet them sometime.

One evening, Arcturus was sitting on the terrace, Lucretia was playing with Kreacher, and Melania was in the kitchen preparing dinner for them. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Orion entered. Arcturus hardly recognized his son. His dark hair was already turning grey, and the scars near his eyes showed that he had already had surgery to improve his vision.

"Hey Mom, I just stopped by to bring you..."

Orion spotted his father. His expression clouded. He didn’t see Lucretia, who was in the garden.

He coldly asked Arcturus: "What are you doing here?"

"Orion..." Arcturus began, but he had no idea how to continue.

Did he really deserve all the hatred in his son's eyes?

“Where were you all those years?” Orion asked viciously.

“It’s secret-“ Arcturus began, but his son interrupted him.

“Are you with the Phoenix?”

“How do you know about them?” Arcturus asked, worried.

His son wasn’t supposed to have the faintest idea about the Order.

“I am one of the main architects of Burgensis, which you would know if you ever bothered to find out. Your precious order is always bribing us to build a secret passage here, not mention this room in the plans there. It’s tiring honestly, checking all the people in my firm to make sure no one is doing anything illegal. You are a criminal,” Orion said, his words sharp.

Arcturus was secretly pleased with his son. He looked like the kind of man who didn’t let anyone walk over him. He had strong morals.

“I assure you me and Phoenix are doing everything with good intentions. To help people,” Arcturus tried to explain.

Orion wasn’t persuaded.

“You are a criminal. I am calling the police,” Orion said. He took the phone from his pocket and began to dial.

“Are you gonna call the police on me too?” Lucretia asked as she walked into the room.

“Lu, what are you doing there? You-”

Orion looked from his sister to their father. Arcturus could see the moment he figured out what exactly was going on.

“You are with him?” Orion asked Lucretia.

She just nodded. Orion’s whole world shifted, deviated from its axis, irreparably.

“I practically raised you. Not him. How could you choose him?” Orion asked, betrayed.

Arcturus couldn’t believe the coldness his son was showing to Lucretia. Not when he always loved her so much.

Lucretia kept on explaining, but Orion interrupted her:

“I don’t care. Go hide, Lu. The only name I am giving to the police is his.”

It was just a quick phone call: "There is a member of the Order of Phoenix at my address."

That’s all it took. Lucretia didn’t go to hide. Instead, she tried to explain to her brother how things really were, but Orion's judgment was clouded with fury.

"You should go," Melania said, not specifying who she meant. She was crying.

Arcturus turned to his son: “If you wish to talk, we can meet up.”

He didn’t have time to say anything else because the police car siren sounded. Arcturus locked eyes with Lucretia. Police weren’t supposed to arrive so soon. But Arcturus and his daughter were prepared for a situation such as this one. Lucretia ran to the garden without even looking at her brother. Melania followed her.

“I promise I will explain everything to you,” he said to his son.
He tried to touch his shoulder, but Orion sidestepped. The only thing left for Arcturus to do was run.

Voices of policemen could already be heard when Arcturus opened the front door. He waited until the police noticed him and then took off running. He quickly searched his mind for all the safe places where he could hide for a few days so he wouldn't accidentally lead the cops straight to the base. Arcturus wasn’t worried about Lucretia until the gunshot sounded.

And another.

And another and another.

He turned around for a second and noticed that there was not one, but three police cars parked near his house and that not all the policemen were running after him. He heard Orion scream but he didn’t stop and instead he rolled under the fence, through some bushes. The grapes were growing there. Arcturus knew this part of the zone better than the back of his hand and managed to reach the warehouse where the grapes were stored, which, as he expected, was empty. He hid inside, not daring to breathe too loud. No one found him, but he still felt needles under his skin poking him mercilessly, spelling his daughter’s name. He left the warehouse the next day, he had to find out what happened.

It was impossible to come close to his house, so Arcturus simply stood on the corner of the square and listened:

"Allegedly someone from Phoenix came to Melania and held her hostage, the police didn’t make it in time... Don't you remember? In addition to her son, Melania also had a daughter. She was supposedly killed there... Her husband must have been involved in something terrible and she paid the price... I saw Orion, he's devastated, poor boy... In my opinion, all those Phoenix assholes... Melania’s funeral will be on Saturday... funeral will be on Saturday... funeral will be on Saturday.”

There was a whirl, pain so intense it turned physical and Arcturus could feel it in every cell of his body. He welcomed the feeling.

Another memory, a funeral. Arcturus tried to go unnoticed, and disguised himself, but his son recognised him, even though he was drunk.

"You have no right to be there!" Orion shouted as Arcturus pulled him aside.

"What happened to Lucretia?"

Arcturus hoped she would simply return to base one day. But she never did.

“When you very bravely took off,” Orion said through tears, not sparing Arcturus anything, “the police rushed into the house. They found Lucretia. Mom - Mom tried to defend her. But - they shot her. Mom. Then Lucretia. Her - her body is gone. I don't know where they took her. They called her en - en - the enemy of the state."

Arcturus forgot how to breathe.

Orion wallowed:
"She was my little sister. I - I was supposed to... I was supposed to protect her...”

Arcturus couldn't stand it anymore. He walked away and fell apart. The dog, Kreacher, who for some godforsaken reason was there, followed him.

Blank until:

"What about your sons?" Arcturus asked his son one night when he found him drunk.

Too drunk. He was splayed in the middle of the street, barely conscious.

"My wife will take care of them. Don’t you dare come near them!”

Arcturus respected his son’s wish. He was ready to be the last member of Phoenix from his family. Until a scrawny boy with black hair showed up at his house in C2.

Regulus blinked and he was back in reality. He had to take a few breaths to calm down.

“Yeah, you can imagine how I felt when Arcturus showed me those memories back then,” Sirius said, “That’s why I decided to leave you. But Reggie, if I had known, I wouldn’t-“

Sirius kept on talking but Regulus didn’t have the capacity to receive any more information.

His head was about to burst. His grandfather? The fact that his father was an alcoholic? Regulus was very close to losing his shit.

“This is certainly a lot,” Regulus commented, trying to sound at least sensible.

And to stop Sirius’s rant.

“Arcturus is there, at the base - still the main technician. You should talk to him,” Sirius said, like you know, no big deal.

“Yeah, I will.”

Regulus had nothing else to say. He needed at least two weeks to digest these pieces of information.

Instead, he showed Sirius prison and the day James came to return the shield.

Sirius was smiling after finishing with that one.

“You decked him pretty hard,” Sirius evaluated Regulus’s and James first meeting.

Regulus smiled, not feeling the need to correct his brother. He expected another memory, but Sirius was hesitating. He proceeded to have some inner monologue with himself, came to the decision that definitely sounded something like fuck it, and downloaded a memory.

“This is a long one, takes place a few weeks after Arcturus showed me the memories,” warned Sirius.

Sirius would be so content living in Grandma’s house had it not been for the fact that he was worried about Reggie constantly. He wanted to keep him safe but he also missed him terribly. The loneliness he didn’t mind, but the not being able to talk to Regulus was soul-crushing. Kreacher kept him company. Sirius found out the dog operated on his own terms, sometimes following Arcturus, sometimes staying with Sirius.

His grandfather Arcturus visited twice a week. He also enrolled Sirius into school in zone C2, under a fake identity. Sirius was thankful, but he had better things to focus on. His grandfather randomly gave him an electric shield, which was the coolest thing ever and made Sirius feel invincible. Well, in the first two weeks, when he was learning how to use the shield, it made him feel like a useless idiot, but then it made him feel invincible.

The other thing Sirius set his mind to (mainly because he was bored) was to walk as much of the forest as possible to map it. At first, he used to tie a cotton string to the tree where he entered, so he would not get lost, but a few weeks later it was not necessary. The dog Kreacher sometimes went with him. Sirius liked the forest, with constant sounds and colours. Breathing was easier there.

After some time Arcturus bought him an even better distraction.

“I am testing if our connection on the base is private and untraceable, do you want to help me with that?” his granddad asked one day.

Sirius of course agreed, but he definitely did not expect a computer with a video call to the base. To James.

He had the messiest hair Sirius had ever seen. Brightest eyes too. Arcturus explained something about the computer in Sirius’s lap and how it had special settings and whatnot. Sirius was supposed to call base at least once a day and it was James’s job to answer so that Arcturus could run some tests. He said that it didn’t matter if they talked, he just needed to check the connection and left. Sirius and James talked till the midnight that day. And the next day. And the next…

Sirius always slept on the sofa in the living room. He had some weird dislike towards the upper floor of the house, he did not go up there more than once a week. He had just finished talking with James. During the call, the boys came to the conclusion that Arcturus wasn’t really checking the connection or anything, he simply wanted two boys to be less lonely.

Sirius was already falling asleep, when a figure jumped through his opened window, tripped, and fell to the ground right in the middle of the living room.

Sirius jumped to his feet and turned on the shield.

Figure groaned and stood up slowly. Sirius only had a small lamp on, but he could see the boy who fell through his window well enough. It was the same boy whose talk with Arcturus Sirius interrupted a few weeks back. The one who had him at gunpoint. Remus. Back then Sirius didn’t have time to properly look at him, but now he did.

He had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and had freckles. Many many freckles. Sirius wanted to count them, for some reason.

Remus was breathing hard, barely catching his breath, but still managed to say:

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

Like his jumping in the house through the window was completely normal and Sirius was weird for being here. He did not lower the shield. If Remus was intimidated, he did not show it.

“I live here. What are you doing here?” Sirius asked in a sharp voice he barely recognised.

He stood his ground, acting braver than he felt. The other boy didn’t flinch.

“Are you with the Phoenix?” Remus asked right back, changing the tone of the conversation.

“No, that’s just my grandfather. Are you still against Phoenix?” asked Sirius, recalling Remus’s conversation with Arcturus.

“Yes,” Remus said without hesitation, “Hope that’s not a problem.”

“I really couldn’t care less. But I would like to know who are you and what exactly are you doing there,” Sirius inquired.

He took a cautious step closer, his eyes never leaving the boy by the window.

“They call me Remus, but you can call me anytime.”

Sirius thought he misheard but Remus had the nerve to grin and lean back on the windowsill.

The full moon was shining right on him when he sat on a windowsill and explained how his friends, Alice and Frank, and a bunch of other people working in C zones wanted to organise a protest because of unfair produce requirements. Remus was just trying to persuade some people to join, but it had not gone according to his plan, so when they started chasing him, he had to hide and Sirius’s window looked like the perfect option because he knew Arcturus only used the house from time to time and no one lived there. Only then Sirius turned off his shield.

“Well, I should be on my way, I would advise you to start closing windows, you know, as a precaution,” Remus said, the grin still plastered on his face.

Sirius nodded but knew he would never close that window again. It was spring, almost summer - warm weather. The window could stay open forever.

Sirius didn’t notice how it happened, but suddenly they were almost face to face, Remus still sat on a windowsill. He did not look away from Sirius once.

“Will you be alright? I mean the people chasing you…” Sirius said, he wasn’t sure why.

“Don’t you worry your pretty head about me. See you around.”

Remus gave Sirius one more smile and threw himself back from the window.

How he landed on his feet Sirius had no idea. When he reached the window, Remus was already sprinting away. Sirius ran to his computer and called James. After the longest three seconds, he picked up.

“Tell your parents that there is going to be a protest in the C2.”

Sirius was genuinely disappointed when Remus wasn’t sitting on the windowsill when he woke up. He didn’t show up for days so Sirius spent his nights looking at the moon, hoping it would summon the boy somehow. He couldn’t explain the need to see Remus again, he just knew it was there. The feeling of warmth when he thought of Remus was there also. James told him over and over that he was pathetic, and truer words had never been spoken.

It took nearly a week for Remus to show his face again. Sirius was just eating his lunch and reading a book (an actual paper book, there were tons of those hidden around the house), when he heard a light knock on the window. He had to count to 10 to stop smiling like an idiot before he walked to the living room. Remus was standing outside, behind the window, waving.

“Can I come in?” he asked when Sirius opened the window.

“Of course. Hi,” Sirius said and he expected Remus to walk to the door, but instead he lifted himself up on his arms and gently eased himself inside. How was he so strong? Literally how?

“So, what brings you to my humble abode?” Sirius asked, recovering quickly as Remus landed on the floor with a soft thud.

Kreacher was sleeping on the couch, so they walked to the kitchen and sat down there.

Remus didn’t waste any time.

“You see,” he began, his voice serious, “when I met you I made a huge mistake.”

Sirius listened tentatively. His heart rate picked up.

“I did not ask you what your name was. And it’s been bothering me ever since,” Remus said with a smile that was borderline flirtatious.

But that couldn’t be right. Sirius was probably just imagining it. He realised he was supposed to answer about three seconds ago.

“Sirius. Not as in are you serious but Si-ri-us. That’s my name,” he said, stumbling through his words.

How did he manage to sound awkward saying his own name he had no idea. Remus raised an eyebrow, clearly amused, but didn’t comment further.

“Do you always eat from plastic boxes Sirius?” Remus asked and gestured to a half-finished meal on the table.

Sirius just nodded. His grandfather brought him food from the base twice a week. If the food did not last he lived on crisps and stale bread.

“I can bring you my mum’s food sometimes, she loves to cook,” Remus said nonchalantly.

“Would not guess you are mama’s boy,” Sirius said, fighting a smile.

“The biggest,” Remus answered proudly.

Sirius indeed ended up eating food Hope, Remus’s mother, cooked at least once a week. And Remus would show up even more often. Usually just to pick Sirius up and take him for a walk, cause Remus loved being outside. He did not go to school, instead, he worked on the huge farm his family owned. Although Remus never mentioned father and Sirius didn’t ask.

At first, Sirius would just politely answer Remus’s questions, but soon he would talk his ear off, shutting up only to take a breath. He talked about the forest, about Kreacher, but mostly about Regulus - how Reggie deserved to live his life without all the secrets and danger. Without him. How Sirius wanted to see him, wanted to talk to him so badly, but he knew Regulus would never let him go without explanation or he would simply figure it out. No, Sirius would never allow that.

Sometimes they discussed the Order of Phoenix always concluding that they didn’t want anything to do with them. Sirius decided he would finish his education the next year, he’d get a job, and an apartment and move in with Regulus. But the apartment would have to be close to C2 so Remus could come to visit every day.

He promised he would.

One day they were sitting on the grass under the cherry tree. Well, Remus was sitting, cross-legged, and Sirius was lying flat on his back with one arm tucked under his head. Remus was saying something, but Sirius wasn’t listening. His brain had short-circuited the moment sunlight hit Remus’s face at just the right angle. All he could think was that Remus was beautiful.

Sirius knew what he felt then. He also knew he couldn’t say a word about it. In theory, people like them could be together in Burgensis—many were—but not officially. Every citizen was still expected to marry, to have children. You could love who you wanted, sure, but that meant you would have to lie, or hide, or compromise. And Remus deserved better than that. So Sirius decided it was enough to have him as a friend. As long as Remus was near, Sirius could survive on fantasies.

The night before the protest, Remus lingered at the door, because he used doors now.

“Here’s an idea,” Sirius said, too quickly. “Don’t go. They won’t even notice you’re not there.”

Remus just smiled. Sirius wasn’t a mess around him anymore. He didn’t stammer or sweat or say the wrong thing, not most days. Around Remus, he could just be.

“I have to be there, Sirius,” Remus said softly. “I want to.”

And Sirius got it. Of course he did. Remus loved this place, and he wanted to make it better.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sirius said, trying to sound casual, like his insides weren’t crawling. “Bet you won’t even notice me.”

“I’d have to go blind. You’re brighter than all the stars above,” Remus said.

Sirius felt the weight of those words hit his chest. But at the same time, it felt strangely normal—Remus said things like that all the time.

“You’re one to talk, Moony,” Sirius said, without thinking.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Sirius recovered fast, surprised by the nickname, but it felt right. Like something he’d been calling him for years, not just sometimes in his head.

Remus raised a suspicious brow but didn’t press.

“I’ll explain tomorrow when you return safely to me,” Sirius said, heart pounding now.

Maybe, tomorrow, he’d tell Remus everything. One couldn’t live on fantasies forever.

“Okay, you drama queen,” Remus grinned. “I promise I will. Good night.”

“Night,” Sirius said, closing the door before he could see Remus walk away. The protest was meant to be peaceful, harmless even. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.

Sirius’s memories of the protest were blurred, smudged at the edges. Panic painted over everything.

It had started peacefully enough. But when the police arrived, the mood shifted. Shouts turned into shoves. Then someone threw the first punch and everything went to hell.

Sirius saw Hope in the crowd and ran toward her, but before he could reach her, the gunshots started. And Remus went down.

“My house! I’ll get him!” Sirius shouted at Hope, praying she understood.

He charged forward, electric shield up. Unconscious bodies trailed behind him. The makeshift podium was a chaos—Frank was in chains, Alice on the ground, unmoving. And then Sirius spotted Remus.

He was already on his feet again, wild-eyed, throwing a punch at a cop. Sirius thought it was hot. The policeman didn’t share his opinion—he pulled a gun.

Don’t. Please don’t do anything stupid, Sirius begged in his head.

But of course, Remus readied his fist for another blow.

He would’ve made it too—if the other cops hadn’t arrived. They didn’t shoot. They kicked. They used fists and elbows and boots. Sirius watched Remus go down, watched his body curl in pain.

And then something snapped.

Sirius saw red. He didn’t remember getting there—just the aftermath: unconscious policemen on the pavement, Remus gasping on the ground, blood on his lips.

“Let’s go,” Sirius said, already pulling Remus up.

Remus tried to protest, but Sirius didn’t give him the chance. They slipped through the chaos, somehow unnoticed. Sirius knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

They barely made it through the front door before Sirius lowered Remus to the floor. He dropped to his knees in front of Remus, heart hammering in his chest.

“I—can’t—breathe,” Remus wheezed. Then he went still.

Sirius froze. No. No no no—

“Remus, wake up. Moony. Don’t you dare, don’t you—please,” Sirius whispered, cupping his face with shaking hands.

The pounding on the door sounded.

“Police. Open up!”

Sirius flew to his feet. He wasn’t thinking, just acting on instinct. He dragged Remus by the arms, pulling him into the narrow hallway closet. It must have hurt but there was no time. He shut the door to the closet, not looking at Remus’s broken body.

He was still breathing. That was all that mattered.

Sirius didn’t even have time to say goodbye. He ran through the back door, not looking back.

“Come and get me!” he screamed at the policemen.

He had learned from his grandfather’s mistakes—he made damn sure every last cop followed him. Then he ran, drawing them away from Remus, from the house, from everything that mattered.

They caught him fast, cornering him in a narrow alley. He raised his hands, pretending to surrender.

“Name,” said the policewoman with gun pointed right at his head.

Sirius knew the moment she wrote it down, he’d be in the system. Never free again.

He smiled with his most charming smile.

“I’m sure we don’t need guns to get to know each other. How about you tell me your name first?”

The policewoman blinked. She wasn’t much older than him, hair white-blonde and pulled back in a ponytail.

“No need to be shy,” Sirius added, wondering if he’d finally tipped over the edge into full-blown madness—or if he was just that good at acting.

He could flirt with literal death. Remus? Not a chance.

The policewoman fired the gun.

Pain exploded in Sirius’s thigh. He went down on one knee, jaw clenched, refusing to look away.

“That was a warning shot. Your name. Now,” the policewoman said in annoyed tone.

I’m so, so sorry, Reggie, Sirius thought as he said his full name out loud. There was no other choice.

“The protest was my idea,” Sirius added quickly. “All mine.”

He condemned himself and prayed it would be enough to save Remus. The pain in his thigh was sharp and hot. But all he hoped for was that Hope had found Moony by now.

The police - four of them - moved closer, closer… and too close.

Sirius took them all down with the electric shield , leaving the woman for last.

“Bye-bye,” he said to her, smiling grimly—hoping they’d never meet again because next time, she’d probably shoot to kill.

Then he ran.

He limped through streets and alleyways, bleeding, until he saw the trees. The forest was his safe place. No one would follow him here.

Sirius collapsed by the roots of a tree, head spinning. The adrenaline drained from his body as if someone had pulled a plug.

He buried his face in his hands and cried. Ugly, shaking sobs that tore out of him with no control. He looked at his leg and vomited. Then he cried again, harder this time. Because he was alone. No one would follow him in the forest but also… no one would find him there.

And worse—if he lost Remus today— Sirius cried until he lost consciousness.

A wet touch pulled him from the darkness.

“Good boy, Kreacher,” said a voice—Arcturus.

The dog licked his face. Warm, real. Then Sirius passed out again.

He woke up in a strange bed. James’s head was on his chest. He was asleep, half sitting on a chair near the bedside. Sirius tried to move without waking him up, but failed. James blinked the sleep away form his eyes. For a second the boys just stared at each other.

“You’re real,” Sirius whispered.

“Right?! So weird you’re actually here.” James said, understanding what Sirius meant immediately.

“Can I touch you?” Sirius asked.

James grinned and nodded. Sirius poked his side. James touched his forehead. Sirius poked again. James tapped his nose.

“So,” James said eventually. “Wanna tell me what happened?”

Sirius started crying again. It took time, but he told James everything.

The next day, Monty explained the rules: he could leave the base only with special lenses, and only with approval. Monty was calm and kind about it. Sirius nodded to everything.

Then he went straight to Arcturus.

“I need to borrow the lenses,” Sirius demanded.

“You can’t borrow them,” Arcturus replied.

Sirius exploded. “What do you mean I can’t?!”

“They’re made specially for each person’s eyes. You’d go blind,” Arcturus explained in that calm, condescending tone he always used when he thought he was being wise.

“So what?!” Sirius snapped.

He would still feel Remus in his arms, he didn’t need eyesight that badly.

Arcturus then launched into a fifteen-minute lecture about recklessness, stupidity, and how lucky Sirius was to still be alive. Sirius barely held it together.

“It takes months to make a new pair, and others are waiting,” Arcturus added.

Sirius took a deep breath.

“What about the computer at grandma’s house. Can we call there?” Sirius tried.

“I disconnected it when I brought you in,” Arcturus said coldly.

“Of course you did,” Sirius growled and turned for the door.

“One more thing,” Arcturus added. “They took off your watch when patching you up, but it’s broken. The electric shield’s core was overloaded. Want to tell me how that happened?”

That’s what Arcturus cared about? No wonder Orion hated this man.

“Not really,” Sirius deadpanned and walked out.

The shield was never mentioned again.

Sirius walked past James without even saying anything and hid himself in a infirmary bed. He spent days just lying down, his foggy mind trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Kreacher kept him company and Sirius spent hours just holding the dog close to have at least some tether to reality.

He would stay like that till the end of time, had it not been for James. Who coaxed him out of the bed. Locked him in the bathroom and refused to let him out until he took a shower. Talked about base gossip and everything the spies found out.

The time passed. Sirius learned how to shoot a gun, because the shield could protect him but was useless when it came to protecting people he cared about. James also taught him basic combat and a bit of knife throwing. He was willing to try anything if it meant distraction from his mind, which loved to remind Sirius of everything he lost.

He didn’t spend much time with his grandfather, because he would say weird shit like:

“When you’ll have a bit of free time, say goodbye to Kreacher.”
“Why?”
“He can’t stay at the base. I am gonna send him to Regulus.”

Sirius laughed about how stupid it was.

He got used to living at the base, but there was always an empty place, where Regulus was supposed to be, but never was. Sirius wondered what Reggie thought about him now, after being gone for more than a year. He hoped Regulus didn’t hate him. The fact that Sirius left him alone with their mother haunted him most nights.

Also, no one knew anything about Remus. After a few weeks, Sirius had to remind himself that it really happened, because his time with Remus started to feel like a fever dream. Sirius would climb up to the roof of the base and spend hours looking at the moon, because if it summoned Remus back then, maybe it would work once more.

Recently, Sirius spent a lot of time helping his best friend study for Burgen school entrance exams. James was leaving in few weeks, because he had to be living alone, out of the base even before entrance exams, so no one would be able to connect him with the Phoenix. It made Sirius want to scratch the walls, but James was already worried sick, so he tried his best to be supportive.

They were just in the dining room, working on some maths problems. Footsteps echoed down the corridor, which was weird because at this time no one was supposed to be there.

“Your security is pretty shit.”

Sirius froze. A shiver ran through his whole body because he knew that voice. Slowly - so slowly - he turned.

Remus stood a few meters from him, eyes wide. Remus. His face was covered in scars, one huge from his mouth to his forehead. Moony. Alive.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you,” Remus said, his voice trembling slightly.

Sirius ran to him.

As fast as he could, hoping his miracle would not disappear before he reached him. He slammed into Remus, at full speed. Remus only had to take one step back to balance them. Sirius placed his hands on Remus’s chest and looked up.

“How?” Sirius whispered his question.

“I promised I would come back to you, didn’t I?” Remus replied softly.

Sirius kissed him. He didn’t care that James was watching. All he cared about was that his Moony was here.

Sirius hoped he didn’t misinterpret the situation and Remus came back to him in a romantic way and not in a best pals way, but when Remus grabbed his waist with one hand and his neck with the other, and kissed him back, Sirius’s doubts were silenced. He could feel Remus’s heartbeat beneath his palms. He wanted to listen to this sound for the rest of his life.

When they pulled apart, Sirius briefly noticed that James had quietly cleared away.

Still, he pulled Remus into a nearby corridor, away from prying eyes. Remus didn’t look away from him once. Sirius, for the lack of a better word, draped himself over Remus.

“What happened to you?” Sirius asked and gently traced the scar near Remus’s mouth.

If the one who caused them ever got under Sirius’s hands, he would be left in shambles.

“After you saved my life-“ Remus started.

“I didn’t save your life,” Sirius interrupted.

“Shut up sweetheart.”

Sirius could feel himself blushing. His brain was still catching up to the fact that he kissed Remus. Holly shit, he actually -

“Mum found me and I took me to the doctors, but someone arrested during a protest gave my name to the police. I had to hide. For a while, I kept an eye on things from afar, but that wasn’t sustainable,” Remus explained, but Sirius failed to grasp what he was talking about.

“Hold on, what things?”

Remus sighed.

“The whole mess. Alice died in the protest, Frank was arrested. It used to be about raising awareness, getting the government to listen. But now? People are angry and they want someone to pay for Alice’s death. Streets are almost impossible to walk at night if you are not carrying a knife. There is an actual talk about dividing C2 and C3 from the rest of Burgensis, forming a new autonomous city, leaving Burgensis to starve without their food supply. Last week, I had to stop them from storming the Presidential palace. I am trying to stop the protests now, could you believe that?” Remus said bitterly.

Sirius, who had to try very hard to actually listen to Moony’s words and not just stare at his lips, tried to understand. He got that the people were angry but Burgensis was too small to begin with. The Last war had barely ended, and the C zones already wanted to spark another. Because the dividing of Burgensis would most definitely have to be a violent act.

“Something’s going on as if the whole world is crumbling,” Remus said, his tone heavier than Sirius remembered.

“I didn’t know about any of that,” Sirius admitted.

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

There was an edge in Remus’s voice. Maybe he was angry that Sirius didn’t care? But Sirius wasn’t even mentally present since he came to the base. Barely regained his sanity.

Remus said:
“Your grandfather found me once again, and he kept on telling me over and over how I should join the forces with The Order of Phoenix, but I kept on refusing, because that would mean losing the last sliver of control I had over the situation. But then Arcturus said he had you, and if I wanted to see you again, I would cooperate.”

Sirius’s breath hitched. “Don’t tell me you actually-“

Sirius never liked his grandfather much, but at this moment he decided he was done with him.

“Of course I did. I tried to find you by myself unsuccessfully for weeks. Anyway, I am now a pawn of the Phoenix. It’s not the worst deal. We both want the situation under control, only sometimes Phoenix forbids me to interfere. And anyone from my people gets to use the base as a safe house, which is nice,” Remus said in a tone that one used when talking about weather.

“I can’t believe you. You say you are a pawn, but you might as well call yourself general,” Sirius said, and he truly believed his words.

Because even though Remus was under the Phoenix, the masses would still answer to him. Follow him.

“I just want my home to be safe again,” his Moony whispered, and at that moment Sirius knew he would follow him too, for the rest of his life.

Sirius wanted to kiss him again, but Remus still didn’t answer the question.

“Who did this to you?” Sirius repeated his question, his hand gently tracing the scars.

Remus hesitated and looked away from Sirius.

After a moment of silence, he said:
“I did. I had to find a way to work around the cameras.”

Sirius dropped his hand from Remus’s face, horrified. Of what the circumstances made him do. Of what Remus had to do to be free. To be with Sirius right now. He felt like his heart might burst.

“I know it looks gnarly, but I had to do it, Sirius. It’s a shock but I hope - maybe - you will get used to it and you can look past it…”

It took Sirius a moment to register what Remus was saying because this self-deprecating tone didn’t sound like him at all. Sirius never wanted him to use it again because there wasn’t a universe in which he didn’t find Remus attractive.

He looked Remus straight into the eyes and said:
“Stop right there. You are the most beautiful man walking the earth. Now, if I may, I am gonna kiss every single inch of your face.”

Sirius stayed true to his word and when he tasted a bit of salt he didn’t say a thing. They moved to his room, Sirius dropped on his knees and Remus was indeed left in shambles.

Regulus came back to himself slowly. There were many important things in the memories Sirius showed him. Alice, the girl he met back then was dead. Remus was the role figure in the politics of C zones. Also, the way Remus was practically forced to join the Phoenix. But the most prominent thoughts and the ones jumping around in Regulus’s skull now were about Remus and all the sinful things Sirius wanted to do with him.

“I am going to bleach my eyes,” Regulus said, exasperated.

“Okay, I got a bit carried away. But what about the rest of the story?” Sirius tried to placate him, unsuccessfully.

“I don’t know, bleaching first.”

Regulus got on his feet, not sure where he was going but he couldn’t stay there. He had to push back Sirius’s thoughts and figure out his own.

“I left all the dirty thoughts out, c'mon,” Sirius said.

“You lost the thought bracelet privileges.”

Regulus left the infirmary only to walk a few steps in one direction, then turned around and walked back. During his two-minute walk, he came to three conclusions:

1. He will never be able to look Remus in the eye now. And it was a shame, he kinda liked him.

2. He had to talk to Arcturus.

3. Sirius could have gone back to him and explained everything during his stay in grandma’s house. He decided not to, to keep Regulus safe. While it wasn’t the best thing to do, Sirius was 16 and scared. And today Sirius tried to go to him, that had to count for something.

Regulus came back to the infirmary with his head a little bit clearer. Sirius was sitting on a bed with his head in his hands.

“Do you know what’s ironic?” Sirius asked when Regulus walked in and closed the door after himself.

“Our grandfather lied to keep his family away from the Phoenix. Didn’t work out, Lucretia and Melania died. Then he tried to keep me safe, but I ended up shot and stranded here. I tried to keep you away only for you to hang out with criminals, being miserable and going to base anyway. All that fucking misery and we still ended up here,” Sirius said with a bitter laugh.

Regulus thought about that. Sirius’s words certainly offered a new perspective. Regulus didn’t remember him being so insightful. Maybe it was Remus’s influence. And Sirius was right - maybe it was stupid to try and avoid this situation. The Phoenix was always a part of them, written in their DNA.

“I think we can agree to stop keeping stuff from each other,” Regulus said because the dishonesty only put distance between them, a distance that almost killed them both.

Sirius nodded eagerly and said:
“At least we are together now.”

“Yeah, let’s see what happens,” Regulus smiled.

Chapter Text

The brothers stayed in the infirmary and kept on talking. Sirius asked about their mother and Kreacher, but Regulus could tell these weren’t the questions he really cared about. After beating around the bush for about half an hour, Sirius finally asked:

“Just to be clear, before - the memories with Remus - you were disgusted because I am your brother and not because you are a homophobic asshole right?”

Sirius tried to sound lighthearted, but Regulus could hear the slight tremor in his voice. He understood why his brother was afraid to show him those memories but was immensely glad he did. They lost years of time together and Sirius’s complete openness was only proof that he wanted to make up for it.

That’s why Regulus said:

“I am in love with James.”

He did not expect his brother to freak out, but that was an understatement on his part.

“What?!” Sirius jumped to his feet, “Reggie you are practically a baby, what is this nonsense?”

“I am almost seventeen, Sirius.”

His brother paled. Probably realised he was 16 when met Remus.

“I am gonna kill James,” Sirius muttered under his breath.

“Really?” Regulus deadpanned.

“Yeah. I can see how it was. He is a charismatic prick, Reggie. You helped him like any good person would and he was all nice to you promised you that if you came with him you would live happily ever after, right?” Sirius asked, outright appalled.

Regulus almost laughed at him, but instead, he said:

“Yeah almost exactly. Few details though. Sirius, the James you showed me in your memories isn’t the James I know. He’s been to prison. He has killed. He begged me to leave him alone and let him go. He told me that if I came here with him, we were done.”

It broke Regulus’s heart to say it, but it was true. Sirius remembered James as the joy and love incarnate. Regulus’s James had bad days and sometimes couldn’t even muster a smile. He was still caring and so kind, but there was a thread of darkness running through him. Regulus thought he wouldn’t love the James from before. James, on the other hand, would love him, but he wouldn’t understand him.

Sirius blinked a few times, then sat back down next to Regulus. After a beat of silence, he said:

“We had a terrible argument after Remus came to base,” Sirius began, “Because James knew - about Remus and the protests he did. He didn’t tell me because his dad told him not to and he didn’t want me to worry.”

Regulus remembered how James offered to delete his memories and understood. He also understood that this must have made Sirius extremely angry and was glad he didn’t have to witness this argument.

“Is that why you won’t go see him now?” Regulus asked.

“No, we made up before he left for his mission.”

Regulus stayed silent, ready to wait Sirius out and get his answers. They were both stubborn, but Sirius couldn’t shut up for his life, so eventually…

“I was there when the attack on prison happened,” Sirius said quietly,” “of course I went to help get James out. I was supposed to die.”

Regulus looked up sharply.

“Monty showed me away, and got shot instead,” Sirius’s voice cracked,
“I can’t look him in the eye Reggie.”

Sirius looked smaller than Regulus had ever seen him.

“That’s exactly what you have to do. Get up now and go,” Regulus said firmly.

He knew James had already forgiven Sirius, but his brother needed to see it for himself. He needed to feel it. Regulus practically showed his brother out of the infirmary, with a few more threats.

Then he collapsed back onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling and tried to make sense of things. He left only two hours ago. Regulus allowed himself a few minutes to rest, to breathe, but he had one important stop to make. With a knowledge of the base that was contained in Sirius’s memories, Regulus set off to find his grandfather.

He wanted the element of surprise more than anything, so he hurried down the corridors until he found the room where the main technician of the base resided. Regulus didn’t hesitate and barged in. The place was cramped, big wooden tables sagged under the weight of materials and devices. The floor was cluttered and one corner looked like something exploded there.

Regulus located Arcturus - his grandfather - quickly because there was his dog sitting at his feet. No wonder, Kreacher was practically home at the base. Arcturus was looking at computer screen, focused look on his face.

“Hello grandfather,” Regulus said.

His voice came out a little shakier than he’d planned, but he swallowed his nerves.

Arcturus turned around slowly. He was a man who wasn’t caught surprised easily, so Regulus felt a small bit of satisfaction seeing the shock clearly written on his face.

“What are you doing there?” Arcturus asked, his voice flat.

Regulus felt nervous. The man in front of him silently demanded respect. He had lived through so much and had scars on every part of his soul, but that didn’t break his spirit. But losing his wife and daughter made him into something cold, distant. His eyes were calculating, and behind his politeness was a lot of poison.

Well, honestly, fuck him.

For manipulating Sirius to stay away from Regulus. For manipulating Remus to join the Phoenix. For ruining Regulus’s family.

Regulus had a list of questions in his head. Decided to start with the lower-priority ones.

“The director of Burgen school, Albus, says hi,” said Regulus instead of answering, bypassing any formalities.

The last wish of the deceased director was carried out. Arcturus’s breath hitched. Regulus saw a brief flicker of something - regret maybe.

The silence that ensued was so thick Regulus felt like suffocating so he said:

“Albus let the base know about the bomb and figured out a way to get members of Phoenix to prison to find James. That helped a lot. Were you friends?”

Arcturus sighed. He leaned back against the cluttered table.

“We were classmates and stayed friends after school. He never really understood why I joined the Phoenix but he was always ready to help me. We helped each other. He was a good man,” his grandfather said, his voice tight.

Regulus felt like there was more left unsaid because you don’t waste your last wish on a school friend, but he didn’t pry. There were more important things to discuss anyway.

"Does the world map my father has in possession belong to you?” Regulus asked.

"Yes. Why?" Arcturus blinked, confused, probably still lost in his memories.

"On the map are the coordinates of the camera near your house. That's how James and I pinpointed the location of the other cameras and got here."

Arcturus looked at Regulus with sad eyes.

“You made it to Burgen school and you threw it all away. I thought that at least you would be smart enough to stay away.”

Regulus didn’t need to hear this. His grandfather didn’t need to waste his breath on empty words.

Regulus steeled himself for the most important question. The one that haunted him since he found out there was a connection between the girls, Phoenix, and his grandfather.

“Did you send Dorcas and Marlene to find me two years ago?”

Arcturus didn’t need to answer, his eyes betrayed the truth. Regulus’s whole world shattered.

“How did you know where I was?” he asked, his voice colder now.

When he left home that night to look for Sirius, he just randomly collapsed to the ground at one point and the girls found him there.

“The day Sirius showed up at my house I started to track your location through your phone. When I saw you were outside at night, I sent them to find you.”

A wave of nausea washed over Regulus. His blood ran cold, but he still asked:

“Did you make them take care of me? Paid them?”

“I paid them to get you home that night,” Arcturus answered.

Regulus felt like crying. Those girls were everything to him back then. And it was all a lie.

“They took care of you, I thought that was the end of it. They didn’t inform me about anything else so I thought you were sleeping peacefully every night.”

Regulus took a deep breath. So the first night was all Arcturus’s work but the rest… Dorcas and Marlene kept it to themselves that Regulus stayed with them. So that meant they let him stay because they wanted to. Despite their false start, the friendship was real.

Regulus thought this was the end of the conversation with Arcturus, but he was wrong.

“Oh, I remember now. One of the girls was very talented with technology, so after your brother broke the shield during the protest, I sent it to her, to fix it. She couldn’t manage it, or so she told me. Imagine my surprise when I found out not only had she fixed the shield, but she and the other girl were dragging you through night streets, taking the stupidest risks possible,” Arcturus said.

Regulus felt his stomach twist. Because if it was so easy for Arcturus to send the girls to him on the first night, it would be just as easy to…

“When we were arrested after Dorcas and Marlene went to steal something, we didn’t make any mistake. But the police still showed up,”
Regulus’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

Never in his life had Regulus hoped that he was wrong more than now.

Arcturus met his eyes, almost with a hint of appreciation, as if he were impressed.

“It seems to me that you are much smarter than your brother. Yes, I gave the police the tip that day. How else was I supposed to ensure that you will stop traipsing the streets? Plus, the girls weren’t that important to Phoenix,” Arcturus said matter of factly.

Regulus felt a flash of rage, hot and fierce, like nothing he’d ever felt before. His hands balled into fists, his vision blurred. But he forced himself to stay still, to hold it together.

“But they were very important to me,” Regulus said through gritted teeth and stormed out of the room.

Kreacher followed him.

Regulus walked back to the infirmary because he had no idea where else to go. Sirius would probably need a lot of time to catch up with James, which left Regulus out of the equation.

He expected to find the infirmary empty and planned to have a nice mental breakdown there, but sitting at a table, there was a woman in nurse’s clothes, ferociously tipping something on a computer.

“Hello there,” she said when she noticed Regulus.

She could have been in her forties. Her face was bright, decorated with many laugh lines.

“I am sorry, I-“ Regulus honestly had no idea what to say next.

“Oh, dear, you must be hungry,” she said and rushed out of the infirmary.

Regulus remained standing in the middle of a room like a total idiot. He didn’t know if the woman was aware that he arrived today and hadn’t eaten anything, or if she just randomly saw him and wanted to feed him. Regulus didn’t feel hungry before, but now that the nurse mentioned it, his stomach growled. It was dinner time.

The woman came back soon with a tray full of food. Meat, potatoes, vegetables, quite a generous portion. The nurse set the tray down next to the computer she was using, so Regulus had no other choice but to sit next to her. She kept on click-clacking on the computer while he ate. He wolfed down the food in few minutes.

“What’s your name dear?” she asked Regulus.

While he answered, the woman closed some tabs and turned her full attention to him.

“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Poppy,” she introduced herself.

Every word and every gesture she made was laced with kindness.

“I just need to wait for James or Sirius here, if that will not bother you,” Regulus said carefully.

The last thing he wanted to be was a nuisance.

“Oh, they have their hands quite full now. It’s Commander James now,” Poppy said in an excited tone.

Regulus’s breath hitched.

James’s father always wanted his son to lead The Phoenix one day, and his wish came true now. James had - Regulus didn’t even know how many people were part of the Order but he would guess hundreds - under his command now.

“But he never wanted this,” Regulus didn’t mean to say that out loud, it just slipped between his lips.

Poppy either didn’t hear him or pretended not to.

“You can stay here, it’s no trouble. I am about to go through our inventory now that there are no patients, you can just relax,” Poppy said and she was already getting up.

“I could help you,” Regulus offered because he refused to just sit around and wait for James.

Poppy smiled at him.

“That’s very sweet of you dear, but you would need some basic knowledge of medical terms.”

Regulus felt a shiver of self-satisfaction when he said:

“That will not be an issue. Where do we begin?”

At three am. Regulus began to think his offer to help could have been thought through better. Because Poppy failed to mention that she not only wanted to start doing an inventory but also to finish it.

The memories of Dorcas and Marlene played on the loop in his head, his eyes burned from reading all the expiration dates and active ingredients. But he was willing to suffer all of this, because while they worked, Poppy talked, so after six hours or so, Regulus knew everything about everyone who even crossed the base.

He was just rummaging through one of the thousand boxes when James walked inside. Regulus’s heart skipped a beat because James was wearing glasses.

He. Was. Wearing. Glasses.

They framed his gorgeous eyes and it took Regulus a long while to remember he couldn’t call James his now. All that he could do was to commit the way he looked to his memory.

Poppy quietly excused herself and left the two of them alone.

“I don’t know what to do,” James whispered, his voice raw.

He became the commander of the Phoenix the same day he found out his dad died, after all the hell he had to go through to return home in the first place. Regulus had no idea how James was still standing, but he was. With shoulders slumped, exhaustion written all over his face, and red eyes from crying, but managing somehow.

Regulus didn’t know where they stood, but he knew James needed comfort and he would never deny him that. The talk they will need to have about their relationship will be postponed until James deals with his grief at least a little bit.

Regulus gently guided him to sit down on one of the beds.

He wanted to touch James, only to comfort him, but he wasn’t sure he was allowed.

James spoke again, barely audible:

“I didn’t even have time to think about it. About him. Everyone wants something from me and I have nothing to give them. I just wanted to come home,” James said with a quiet desperation.

Regulus’s heart broke for him.

“You can do it. Day by day.”

When Regulus turned into a motivational speaker he had no idea, but anything for James.

“My head doesn’t even register that he is -“ James paused, swallowing hard, “is gone. All day I kept expecting him to pitch in with some idea, but he isn’t there.”

Regulus pulled him into a tight hug because he was worried James might shatter right before his eyes. James let himself be held, but he didn’t cry, his body was probably still too tense to release any emotion.

“You should try to get some sleep,” Regulus said because there was nothing else to offer, nothing more to help James.

“Yes, I didn’t mean to bother you, I just-“

“You are never bothering me,” Regulus interrupted, his words coming out more earnestly than he intended.

“Where will you sleep?” James asked.

Regulus shrugged. “Here probably.”

He didn’t give it much thought, but James seemed horrified.

“I didn’t even manage to give you a room.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Regulus said quickly because the last thing James needed to burden his mind were Regulus’s sleeping arrangements.

“I owe you everything. I said I will make this world better for you, remember?” James said, his voice low.

Regulus felt his heart clench. For a second he thought James might kiss him, but then the moment passed.

“The base is at maximum capacity, even my room was given to someone else. I am now staying with my mother.”

Was James excusing himself, explaining why he couldn’t sleep with Regulus or was he just stating facts?

“It’s okay James,” Regulus replied, his voice steady, “I will stay there.”

A moment of silence passed.

“Sirius said he will give you the tour tomorrow. I said I’d do it first but he insisted,” James said.

Regulus nodded. He didn’t know what else to tell James, and James took his silence as a cue to leave. Regulus watched him go and then went to sleep in one of the infirmary beds, desperately wishing he didn’t miss James’s presence as much as he did.

Sirius indeed showed up in the morning. The brothers' interactions were a little bit awkward because you can’t just ignore two lost years. In the past, when Sirius breathed in, Regulus knew the precise second he was going to breathe out. He had to learn his brother all over again, but he didn’t mind putting in the work, especially when he felt Sirius putting in the same amount of effort. Regulus still couldn’t believe he really found his brother and what is more was allowed to stay with him.

“So, have you talked to James?” Regulus asked when there were no people in earshot in the corridor they were walking, heading for breakfast.

“Yeah, for quite some time but… he’s in so much pain,” Sirius said, his voice heavy with guilt.

“I know. But we will help him,” Regulus said, putting as much conviction in his words as possible.

Sirius nodded.

“Me and Remus have so many plans, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell any of them to James,” Sirius said, his eyes downcast, “I don’t know how to talk to him anymore. He hugged me yesterday but I felt like I deserved to be punched.”

Sirius’s words were laced with pain. Regulus knew he could try to dissolve his brother from guilt and fail, or he could try to make him laugh. He opted for the latter.

“I can punch you,” Regulus offered.

Sirius scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.”

Sirius entered the dining room holding his biceps, where a faint bruise was already forming.

The dining room had an impossibly high ceiling. The wall opposite the entrance was lined with several doors and windows, leading to counters in the kitchen. The tables, however, were arranged without any clear logic. Right by the entrance, a long rectangular table was pushed against the wall, with a small round table for two beside it—though at that moment, five people crowded around it. Along the wall stood three bar stools, randomly. The tables seemed as if they had been dropped into the room haphazardly, yet each one was fully occupied.

It was only now that Regulus truly understood the scale of the Phoenix’s numbers. There were the old and the young, children, men, and women—lawyers, farmers, clerks, cooks—all working side by side. This group could change the world.

Regulus would have preferred to stand still and take in everything around him, but Sirius was dragging him to the table in the middle of the room. There was nothing special about that table, except that Remus was sitting there, waiting for them.

“Sit down, I will grab us some food,” Sirius said to his brother and took off.

Regulus still wasn’t able to look Remus in the eye, so after a polite hi he turned around to watch Sirius.

His brother walked over to the window and a second later James’s mom handed him two portions.

"I didn't know Effie was a cook there," Regulus said, not bothering to turn to Remus.

"I thank for that every day, without her we would all starve," Remus declared.

Sirius put a tray of food in front of Regulus and sat down. He must have heard what they were talking about because he said:

“Once Monty said…” Sirius sighed, “There used to be a joke that while he commanded the Phoenix, Effie made sure they survived. He himself claimed that we would be perfectly fine without him, but without Effie, the Phoenix wouldn’t last a day."

Monty was right, but no one dared to say that out loud.

“Where is James?” Regulus asked to break the silence. And also he wanted to find out since he opened his eyes.

James should have been there, eating breakfast. They always ate breakfast together at the apartment, but Regulus supposed that belonged to the past now.

“Dealing with some commander stuff,” Sirius answered with his mouth full.

“And can’t you two help him?” Regulus asked, trying to keep his temper in check.

Remus and Sirius shared a look, communicating without words.

“It’s not hard, it’s just boring. We are helping where we can. For example,”
Sirius’s eyes widened as if he just remembered this, “I was supposed to find a room for you and I did. There is an empty room in the complex with Lily.”

Remus choked on his drink. He coughed and asked:
“That’s your brilliant idea?”

Sirius nodded, looked very proud of himself, while Remus didn’t try to hide his disappointment.

“Who is Lily?” Regulus asked. James never mentioned her, Poppy didn’t either.

“She is scary,” Remus said.

Sirius at the same time said: “She is a perfectly fine girl.”

Remus pointed in the direction of a woman sitting alone at one of the barstools. She looked around Regulus’s age, a bit older maybe. Wore an oversized hoodie with a hood covering her head. Regulus couldn’t see her face but her body language suggested that she wished to be anywhere else but here.

“She can’t speak,” Sirius said, trying to not stare at Lily.

“She can speak, it’s just not our language,” Remus corrected him.

“It’s weird sounds,” Sirius felt need to add.

Regulus tried to understand what Remus and Sirius were saying but failed miserably.

“Look at her hair Reggie. She always tries to hide it but have you ever seen a hair with a shade like that?” Sirius said.

Regulus didn’t pay attention to the girl’s hair, because it was almost completely hidden under her hood. But a few strands were peaking out and the colour was really curious - orange, almost red. Fiery.

“She isn’t from around there.”

Remus didn’t mean the B2 zone. He meant Burgensis.

“And we can’t find out anything about her because we don’t understand her. She also doesn’t let anyone near her,” Remus finished explaining.

Regulus tried to wrap his head around this.

“But the room is great!” Sirius exclaimed, “It’s complex of two rooms with shared bathroom which is luxurious for base conditions. Me and Remus are sharing a room that used to be cupboard.”

“I have never once heard you complain,” Remus teased.

“Complain about living in close quarters with you? Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sirius answered sweetly.

Regulus rolled his eyes. Sirius blinked and returned to the previous conversation.

“Anyway, we didn’t want a stranger living with Lily so this is the perfect solution.”

Regulus looked at the girl in question. She was eating, barely chewing before swallowing the bites, eager to leave the dining room.

“If she can’t speak, how do you know her name?” Regulus asked.

“Mary told us. She is the only one Lily allows near her,” Remus answered between bites.

Regulus tucked the piece of information about Lily and Mary for later and asked:

“Is Mary here?”

Regulus wanted to meet her - the spy who noticed when he gave his shield to James in prison, the girl who danced with him at First celebration.

“No, she is trying to infiltrate the Watch as we speak. So far, no success,” Sirius replied and leaned back in his chair, pushing his empty plate aside with a quiet scrape.

The small clatter of utensils in the room was the only sound for a moment.

“I should go to check how things are going,” Remus said, already standing up.

He looked expectantly at Sirius, but he remained seated.

“Don’t you have to go too?” Regulus prompted his brother.

“Yeah, I do but I thought I would spend some time with you. I owe you a tour of the base,” Sirius said with a half-smile.

“You can come find me when you have time. I have to help Poppy anyways,” Regulus replied, not wanting to be inconveniencing Sirius.

“Reggie, I thought I lost you two days back. By some miracle you showed up here, but I’ve barely spent an hour with you.”

Regulus’s throat tightened. He had not just shown up. He crawled through hell and back to be there.

“It’s not like you are ignoring me on purpose,” Regulus murmured, his voice low but firm, attempting to ease the tension.

“Doesn’t matter,” Sirius said, more to himself than anyone else, “I will just deal with one small thing, and then I will come find you in the infirmary, okay?”

Regulus agreed. He noticed Remus, whose presence he briefly forgot, smiling softly.

Sirius and Remus turned to leave together. They didn’t hold hands, weren’t even touching. But the softness, reserved especially for Sirius, was written all over Remus’s face. They really were together. And at that moment, Regulus realised that he could live with that.

To his credit Sirius found him soon and really gave him a tour of the base. The place was colossal. Regulus’s gaze darted around as they walked through winding corridors. Considering the fact that most of the base was underground it was fascinating that the whole thing held together.

The gym piqued Regulus’s interest the most. He hadn’t expected such a fully equipped facility, but there it was—brightly lit, with rows of punching bags, weights and the sharp scent of sweat. There was a shooting range too, tucked into the far corner, the target boards a stark contrast against the dark walls. Sirius, ever the enthusiastic guide, explained that they had shooting lessons regularly.

When the tour was done, it was moving time.

Sirius knocked on the door of Regulus’s potential room without hesitation. The door creaked open just enough for Lily to peek out—only her face, sharp and unreadable.

The moment she saw Sirius, the door swung open fully, though her expression remained wary. Her eyes flickered between him and Regulus.

“Regulus will live there now,” Sirius said, slowly, like it might help Lily to understand.

Sirius pointed at the door next to the Lily's room. Lily noticed Regulus’s backpack and understood what was going on and disappeared in her room.

“That went well,” Sirius muttered, content.

Regulus felt so guilty for invading Lily’s privacy like this, for causing her any discomfort. Sirius tried to lift his mood by saying that they would only share a bathroom and hypothetically never have to meet at all. He told Regulus that Lily would not bother him. What his brother failed to understand was that Regulus didn’t want to bother her. She had an aura of someone hurt, someone who needed space.

Objectively, he knew he wasn’t much of a nuisance roommate, because he only came to his room to sleep. Remus and Sirius quickly came to an agreement that no missions or anything significant will take place until James had time to process the death of his father, so day by day Regulus had figured out his routine.

Each day he would have breakfast with Sirius and Remus, still trying to adjust to the fact that his brother was actually there, in the flesh. Then he always headed to the infirmary.

One day he found himself listening to Poppy explain how to fix a dislocated shoulder and realised he had been getting medical lessons for some time now. He never asked Poppy to teach him anything. The nurse simply decided that Regulus would be her pupil. It was good for him because he used to spend at least five hours a day studying for Burgen school, so when Poppy showed up with books, actual books on anatomy, Regulus was grateful. Until he opened one of the books.

Still, the people he cared about tended to end up in dangerous situations. Any knowledge about how to heal them could have been useful, so Regulus studied.

When he wasn’t in the infirmary, he was at the gym, punching the bag so hard his knuckles bled, thinking about Dorcas and Marlene.

After dinner Regulus always returned to infirmary, not because there was much to do, but because James would always show up. Sometimes right after dinner, sometimes well past midnight, but Regulus always waited. It didn’t take long for him to get used to base and it’s inner working, but he couldn’t get used to absence of James. It was too quiet.

James had become a ghost.

Sirius said that during Order meetings, James was his old self - charming and focused, but the moment his presence wasn’t necessary, he would disappear. He stayed in his room, only allowing his mum inside, much to Sirius’s displeasure. When his brother wasn’t too busy taking care of the Phoenix, he would sit outside James’s room and talk for hours. Sometimes, Regulus joined him.

But Regulus never mentioned their meetings in the infirmary to Sirius. James would often just sit wordlessly next to Regulus, sometimes close enough that their shoulders touched, sometimes curled in on himself like he was trying to disappear. One night he cried—silently, shoulders shaking, his face buried in his hands. The next day he talked like nothing was wrong. James's eyes remained hazy like he wasn’t really there. Like some part of him had been irredeemably lost.

“Fascinating that you found a way to be a nerd even there,” Sirius said as a way of greeting.

Regulus wanted to tell him off for rudely interrupting his study session, but then he noticed the tray in Sirius’s hands. Regulus’s stomach grumbled. He hadn’t even noticed that lunchtime passed. Time sure flew by when one was trying to memorise every single artery in the human body.

“I have to maintain my status as the smartest,” Regulus answered, feigning annoyance but already reaching for the food.

The real reason he studied so hard was that every time he opened some medical text, he heard Dorcas in his ear saying: “This is how you protect your people.” Then immediately the memory of James with fever played in his mind. He almost failed back then. He will make sure that will not happen again.

“I have to dash, but I wanted to tell you we have shooting in the evening. You should come check it out.”

Regulus’s breath hitched. The last thing he wanted was to come near guns, but Sirius kept on pestering him until he agreed to show up.

The gym was buzzing with excitement, every inch cracking with movement and noise. Regulus’s eyes had to adjust to the harsh fluorescent lights as he walked inside. He struck close to the wall, hoping to blend into it.

He showed up late, with the sole purpose of remaining unnoticed. Not that he wanted to be there at all. The training was already well in progress. In the centre of the gym were about 15 people, Sirius, Remus, and James included, all of them holding guns like they were extensions of their hands. Regulus already began to feel a pressure on his chest. But he could deal with it. With the terror. With the memories. He had to.

James was laughing. Regulus’s heart ached at the sound. But the moment James’s eyes met his across the gym, Regulus knew it was all an act. The people came to see the fearless leader of the Phoenix and James wasn’t about to disappoint them, even though it probably hurt him to exist.

Sirius and Remus, on the other hand, were having a time of their life. His brother was jumping around with chaotic energy, trying to distract James because… oh, it was his turn.

James stepped up, took his stance, and aimed, completely unfazed by Sirius. When James pulled the trigger, Regulus actually yelped. No one noticed, thankfully, because the gym erupted with whistles and appreciative whoops. James’s aim was flawless. He kept on firing. One bullet after another hit dead center, his arms steady, his face unreadable.

And after a few deep breaths, Regulus managed to calm down and actually appreciate the way James’s muscles (quite visible in the tank top he was wearing) twitched when he pulled the trigger. Sweat dripped down James’s face to his neck and Regulus wanted to… no. Not now.

James finished his round and received applause and Regulus thought he could survive this.

But then his brother, mischief written all over his face, had to point a gun at Remus.

“Your lunch or death?” Sirius asked with a straight face.

Even though he was clearly joking, Regulus’s blood ran cold at the sight. Remus just rolled his eyes at Sirius, but played along, acting like he was considering his choices.

“Death, definitely,” Remus decided.

Sirius pulled the trigger. The gun went off, the sound echoing of the walls. Remus didn’t even flinch, just sighed in annoyance.

There were no bullets inside of course, Regulus his mind was aware of that, but his body went into full on panic mode. His heart pounded, his vision blurred, and his legs moved before he could stop them. He shoved past the crowd, ignoring the startled exclamations. He stumbled out of the gym and ran.

When he managed to get to his room, he collapsed on the bed and broke down completely. He hadn’t cried since James was sick. But the sobs racked his whole body now, tears streaming down his face. After a while, he wasn’t crying about a stupid gun anymore. He cried because he had no idea how to help James deal with his grief. About the fact that the whole Burgensis could have been blown to pieces, they had no idea how to stop it. Because everything was falling apart, and Regulus didn’t know how to fix it.

He felt like he was drowning.

The door to his room creaked open. Regulus expected James of Sirius, but it was Lily who carefully stepped inside. Her eyes were wide and she was looking at Regulus like she was scared he might hurt her. He remained lying on his bed, trying to get his crying under control. He fought to swallow the sobs still clinging to his throat.

Lily slowly made her way to him and crouched down beside his bed. She reached out and gently took Regulus’s hand to her own. That was all she did, she just held his hand. At first, she kept her gaze lowered, but after a few heartbeats their eyes met and Regulus saw understanding in them. Lily was sorry he was hurting and while she couldn’t offer any words of encouragement, she could still share his pain. She stayed only a few minutes before leaving the way she came—quiet, quick, like she’d never been there. But something had shifted.

At that moment, Regulus realized Lily wasn’t as indifferent as she pretended to be. Regulus desperately wanted to find out more about her, and he got his chance a few weeks later when Mary showed up.

Chapter Text

Regulus was about to go to dinner, but his plans were interrupted by an emergency in the infirmary. When he arrived, he saw a woman lying on one of the beds while Poppy pressed a blood-soaked bandage to her calf.

The strangest thing about this situation was that Poppy looked annoyed (Regulus wouldn’t have believed she was capable of such emotion had he not seen it), and the woman was laughing.

"Hello there dance partner," the woman exclaimed cheerfully, as if her blood wasn’t currently dripping onto the floor.

Mary looked different than when they met at the Celebration. It wasn’t just the fact that she was wearing sweatpants and not a dress. She wasn’t acting now, pretending to be someone else.

"Mary was shot on a mission,” Poppy explained, her tone clipped, “I've already removed the bullet. Now the wound needs to be stitched up. And I wondered if you would like to learn it?"

Sutures. On a gunshot wound. Which was bleeding. Right now. Without any preparation. When one mistake could have disastrous consequences. Of course. Why not?

"Come on, Regulus, make me a nice new scar," said Mary without a care in the world.

Mary's calm demeanor irritated Regulus immensely. Poppy had already managed to disinfect the bent needle.

"To begin is always the hardest, I'll do that, and you can continue," said Poppy to Regulus.

Mary sighed, not fearful, just bored. But she still hissed when Poppy made the first stitch.

"What happened?" Regulus asked, rooted on his spot.

Mary took a sharp breath, trying not to show her pain, and said: "When you take over the needle, I'll tell you."

During Celebration Regulus tried to make her uncomfortable, so he supposed this was a payback. Mary even smiled, despite the tears in her eyes.

Regulus put on a pair of rubber gloves and carefully took the needle from Poppy, who had already done two stitches. The wound on Mary’s leg was not large, but it was still an unpleasant sight. Fortunately, she was no longer bleeding, although blood would probably bother Regulus less than fleshy exposed muscle.

He swallowed hard and pressed the bent needle to Mary's skin.

"That's it, you don't have to worry," Poppy said in a calming voice.

"Don't be a pussy," Mary added her encouraging words.

Regulus felt his hands shake a little. He knew that if he hesitated for a moment longer, he wouldn't be able to do it. That's why he took hold of Mary's loose skin and stuck the needle into it as sensitively and carefully as possible.

"At this rate, we'll be here until tomorrow," complained Mary.

Regulus felt like scolding her, but he controlled himself and dragged the needle with the strong thread through Mary's skin. Without saying a word, Poppy handed him the pliers so he could hold the thread, pull the stitch, and make a knot. Regulus tried to imitate Poppy's technique that he observed. He managed to tie the thread pretty quickly and finish the stitch.

He continued without pause.

On the third stitch, Mary said: “I noticed you in Burgen prison. You beat me in my job to save James.”

Regulus didn’t answer, too focused on stitching Mary’s leg. His hands shook less now.

“When you asked me to dance at the Celebration I recognised you, but I thought it was a coincidence. When you said Sirius’s name, I knew it wasn’t,” Mary continued, not bothered by Regulus’s lack of response.

Insert the needle. Gently guide the thread. Tie a knot. Regulus’s brain ached from concentration.

“Regulus, I swear if you stick that needle that deep again, I will hurt you back,” Mary spat out suddenly.

Regulus muttered an apology. Tried to do the next stitch a bit shallower. Mary didn’t cuss him out, so he supposed he was getting better.

"You still hadn’t told us how did this happen to you?" Poppy asked, nodding at Mary's leg.

Mary answered, not sparing them any details:

“My last mission was to infiltrate the Watch - Minister’s little club. Which I did. But those idiots don't know anything. The Minister of Security promised them that he would transform society so that they would be at the top. They don't know that Bartemius wants to blow it up here. Newspapers write nonsense about Phoenix to make people afraid. Minister kills whoever he wishes and then throws the blame at us. Plus, if it comes to a fight, the police plus the Watch have a lot more people than Phoenix. We have to do something as soon as possible."

Regulus knew she was right, but he had no solution to offer. Instead, he pursed his lips even tighter than before and cut the excess thread from the last stitch he made. Both Mary and Poppy carefully examined his work.

Poppy concluded that Regulus's stitches were good enough for a first try.

Mary spoke up:

"I have to go to James, tell him... actually, I don't have anything new for him. So I just have to repeat to him what he already knows."

Mary was about to get out of bed, but Poppy stopped her.

"You won't even move from here today. You can talk to the commander tomorrow.”

Mary tried to argue with Poppy some more, but soon it was clear that the nurse would not let herself be swayed, so Mary had no other choice but to remain in bed.

Regulus went to have his dinner. He was two hours late, the dining room was almost empty - except for his brother, who waited for him.

“We have to do something about James,” Sirius said as Regulus sat down next to him with his food. He took a few bites before answering because he was starving.

“I don’t know… nothing’s helping,” Regulus sighed.

The thing was, no one expected James to just bounce back after the death of his father. But it seemed to Regulus that he was getting worse each day and Sirius agreed. James had stopped showing up at Order meetings altogether, and what broke Regulus’s heart the most, he stopped coming to the infirmary every day. He still dropped by occasionally, always asking Regulus if he was alright, but the visits were becoming rarer and rarer. It was like at first, he kept on an act, but now, he couldn’t even muster the energy to pretend.

Sirius and Regulus bounced ideas on how to help James back and forth but didn’t come to any miraculous solution.

When Regulus finished his dinner, he said goodnight to Sirius and made his way back to the infirmary to check on Mary.

He expected to find her sleeping, but she was just getting out of bed. She froze when she heard the door open but exhaled with relief when she saw Regulus.

“Mary, do you need something?” he asked, stepping further into the room.

She managed to stand up straight. She tried to mask the pain, but Regulus could see the tension in her jaw and the slight tremble in her legs. Gritting her teeth, she made a few steps towards him. No, towards the door.

“If you want to talk to James, you can just wait there. He usually comes around.”

Regulus immediately regretted saying this, because Mary wasn’t the type to miss the meaning of such words. But what words were needed? James came back with Regulus. That alone spoke volumes.

Mary ignored him completely and kept on walking. Regulus, in a last desperate attempt to stop her, asked:

“Are you going to see Lily?”

Mary stopped dead in her tracks. Regulus was just guessing, but now he knew he was right. Duty to tell James about the mission wouldn’t be enough to get her out of bed. But the girl with fiery red hair would.

“It’s none of your business,” Mary spat out. Her hands were clenched.

“Of course. It’s just that they gave me the room next to her,” Regulus said smoothly.

Mary turned to him slowly.

“Then stay the hell away from her,” she growled, and even though she had a bullet wound in her thigh and was barely standing, Regulus was sure she could still beat his ass.

“Of course. I would never hurt her,” Regulus said sincerely, “But I would like to know a bit more about my roommate.”

“Why?” Mary asked sharply.

“Curiosity,” Regulus replied simply, “I was told you are the only one she lets near her.”

“And you expect me to tell you because…?” Mary asked, not hiding her annoyance.

“Because if you do, I might consider spending the night here in the infirmary.”

It wasn’t much on an offer and Regulus would do so anyway, but he had no other leverage on Mary. Still, he thought Mary might appreciate the privacy. She kept her eyes on Regulus, weighing his words.

“Where did James find you?” Mary muttered to herself.

“How do you mean?”

“The sheer audacity of trying to manipulate me to get the answers… If you weren’t Sirius’s brother, I would thought the Minister sent you.”

Regulus was left speechless.

“Don’t look so worried, there is a compliment there somewhere,” Mary said, her voice softened slightly.

She shifted her weight and continued:

“To answer your question - around the time Sirius came to the base, a year and a half ago, we received information that there was a strange girl, homeless, speaking in words no one had ever heard before. I was sent to check it out. I brought Lily to the base. That’s all I am willing to tell you.”

Mary paused, eyeing Regulus sharply.

“Is it good enough for you to spend the night there?” she added.

Regulus nodded slowly. He felt that there was much more to the story, but he didn’t want to keep Mary any longer.

She limped out of the door without saying goodbye. Regulus hoped Lily would be happy to see Mary walk into the room instead of him.

He stayed in the infirmary and waited for James, but he never showed up.

Time passed. Mary’s wound healed nicely. James refused to leave his room.

The whole base was held in suspense, waiting for something - anything - to happen. At the end of June, a thread of passivity finally snapped. It began with Sirius busting to Regulus’s room with a tablet in his hands.

"Regulus. Regulus! I've been looking for you for an hour!” Sirius rolled inside like a hurricane.

Regulus jerked awake, blinking against the early morning light. He was sound asleep just mere seconds ago.

“It’s 6 am, Sirius,” Regulus groaned. He didn’t bother to try to get out of bed.

Sirius paced the room with frantic energy.

"You have to look at this! Maybe it's nothing but... Have you read today's newspaper yet? I have it here with me...”

Sirius was talking so fast Regulus had no idea what he was saying until Sirius showed the tablet with the newspaper right into his face.

The headline said: New Hospital Ward Opening Tomorrow – President Dolores and High-Ranking Ministers to Attend.

Regulus read on until his eyes found a name he was looking for. Minister of Security Bartemius was supposed to be at the hospital too.

"It probably doesn't mean anything, but... I've never heard of the President visiting a hospital, and a new ward doesn't seem like such a big event to me. And the Minister of Security? Why would he be there?" Sirius said.

He had a crazy gleam in his eyes, like a scientist on the verge of a big discovery.

Regulus thought it was weird too, but not as much. Rather, he didn't understand why the hospital would need a new ward when they already had the best laboratories and equipment in Burgensis.

"Sirius, I don't think that-" Regulus stopped mid-sentence.

How could it take him so long? He had the answer right in front of his nose for months.

"What is it? Sirius asked quickly.

Regulus had to take a deep breath.

Then he stated: “The Phoenix thought that Minister Bartemius was using the laboratories in Burgen’s school to develop his weapons. His bomb. That’s why James was sent to spy there. But Burgen’s school doesn’t have the best labs in Burgensis. The hospital does.”

There was understanding in Sirius’s eyes immediately.

“But Albus was sure they were using the school. He died because of this,” Sirius said slowly.

“Maybe they were really using the Burgen school, but after James got too close, they moved. Or maybe they were using both institutions since the beginning,” Regulus reasoned.

Sirius’s brows shot up. After a few seconds of processing, he said:

"The laboratories in the hospital are used only during the vaccination period. The Minister and his people could easily work there."

Regulus remembered what Molly told him back then - about how the security of the hospital was on high alert. The longer he thought about it, the more sense it made.

"Well, President’s visit might be a problem for Minister. Do you think he is afraid? Or does he want to show her what he is working on?" Regulus thought out loud.

“The President and the Minister,” Sirius said darkly, “both in the same place the bomb might be? That’s not a coincidence.”

Regulus agreed. His stomach twisted.

“Sirius, there are chemicals in the hospital that can mess with your head so much that you forget your own name. What if the Minister wants to do something to the President?"

Both Regulus and Sirius could not control themselves. They shouted out theories, becoming more certain that they were right with each passing second. One thing was certain. If they could show President Dolores what was going on behind her back, they won.

And they will never, ever have a better chance than tomorrow.

"Our mother runs the hospital though," Sirius said, his excitement faltering, "there is no way she will let us in."

Regulus laughed.

“We don’t need her help. My fingerprint is in the hospital's system, so I have access to the director's - well our mother’s - office. I can get us inside.”

"How?" Sirius couldn't believe it.

Regulus quickly explained. He'll never forget how Molly allowed him to put his thumb on the sensor, so he could steal the serum and save James. And now it might help save the whole world.

"We have to call a council, we have to tell everyone," Sirius blurted out right after Regulus finished speaking.

"No, we have to tell James first," stated Regulus.

The excitement that was encompassing them like a cloud dissipated. James still couldn’t manage to leave his room, not that anyone blamed him. It’s just that Regulus and Sirius couldn’t do this without him.

As usual, James didn’t open the door. So the brothers stood outside, explaining their plan through the wood, voices urgent and hopeful. But as they talked, they discovered they had a huge problem, a mistake in their perfect plan. How were they supposed to get from the base in Zone B2 to the hospital in Zone A1?

Nevertheless, Regulus expected James to finally come to his senses and step up. But he didn't react. James gave up and it broke Regulus’s heart.

Sirius was still determined to act:

"We have to find Mary and Remus, one of them will surely figure out how to get to Zone A1. Then we can tell everyone our plan at dinner."

“Sirius, wait,” Regulus had to physically stop his brother, “If James won't help us, I don't know if you can ask people to do something like that."

Sirius’s brows furrowed.

"Me and Remus were running the Phoenix for months before James showed up. They respect me," Sirius said in a defensive tone, his jaw tight.

"Phoenix respects your kitchen service schedules, but asking them to risk their lives is another matter," Regulus explained his concerns as gently as he could.

Sirius's eyes sparkled dangerously.

“I'm not going to wait until James decides we're worth the effort,” he snapped, “I will announce my orders in the evening. Some will follow me. The others..."

"Are complete idiots," came from behind the door.

Then the door swung open and James walked out, his face more determined than Sirius's.

Both Regulus and his brother just stared while James said:

“We don't have much time, we have to plan fast. I have been communicating with Arthur - he is a bus driver, who managed to disconnect the camera on the bus. This means that once we board the bus, we can go anywhere in Burgensis, without worries. So-“ James took a deep breath, “We will call the bus, drive to the hospital, find the Minister, steal his thoughts with thought bracelet and maybe show them to the President. Any questions?"

Sirius’s mouth hung open.

"I have one,” Regulus said, “All this time we were worried about you and thought you were drowning in misery, but you were doing… what, exactly?”

He still couldn’t believe James was standing in front of him, looking more powerful than ever.

"I couldn’t face the Phoenix- I couldn’t give them orders until I managed to figure out at least something useful,” James admitted, “Transportation is our biggest issue, the reason it took me so long to come home. I wanted to fix it. But I had no idea about the President’s visit to the hospital, I just added what I already had to your plan.”

Sirius beamed.

"So you agree? Hospital? Tomorrow? I have to tell Moony, he is going to be ecstatic!”

Sirius immediately bolted down the stairs. Regulus took a step to follow him, but James gently caught his arm.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you in. I couldn't look you in the eye until I… figured out a way to make my dad proud,” James said in a small voice.

Regulus swallowed hard. He had no doubt Fleamont would be so proud of his son.

James was looking into his eyes now. The deep gaze still took Regulus’s breath away just like the day James took off his lenses for the first time while copying the map. Selfishly, Regulus wanted to go back in time and spend one day in the apartment, when it was just them in their little capsule.

The reality was harsh. Regulus knew he would die for James, but had no idea what to say to him when they bumped into each other in the corridor. And Regulus hadn’t seen him in days, wondered if James hadn’t given up, which sounded so stupid now, because he would never abandon the Phoenix.

Regulus still hadn’t figured out how to gain back the ease, trust and intimacy they shared once. Now, there was a distance between them, physical and emotional also. It wasn’t James’s fault, not in the slightest, it was just what the fact that they had a fate of thousands people’s lives on their shoulders.

“You still shouldn’t have locked me and Sirius out. We missed you,” Regulus said.

James nodded.

“I am sorry. I know you were thinking I decided to leave you when things got rough, but I want you to know… I am all in now. I am the leader of the Phoenix, for better or worse. No more excuses about how I didn’t want any of this. I promise I will not hide anymore.”

Regulus knew he meant it, and was so proud of James because in that moment, he burned brighter than the sun.

“And when it’s all done,” James continued softly, “When Burgensis is saved, or at least safer, we can just… be together? How does that sound?”

Regulus’s heart skipped a beat because clearly, he wasn’t the only one who missed how things were between them before.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” he said, smiling.

“Okay,” James whispered, leaning closer, “I will meet you on the other side of the war then.”

Talk about motivation. Regulus kissed him instead of answering.

All their moments, since day one, were not supposed to happen. The entrance exams, Burgen’s prison, the apartment, the nights James showed up in the infirmary, these were stolen moments. But Regulus didn’t want to be a thief anymore. He would finish this insanity with bombs and an evil Minister and then, he would learn, day by day, how to love James right.

But in the meantime, they could still kiss like this, again and again, tasting the future they were both ready to fight for.

Chapter Text

By the evening, the plans of infiltration of the hospital were more or less finalized. Find Minister. Steal his thoughts. Show them to President Dolores. Only a handful of people were needed for the mission, which simplified things, but the whole base was still turned upside down, because finally something was happening.

The last thing they agreed on before going to sleep was that Mary will go to the hospital now, to scout the layout, because while Regulus knew his way around the hospital, his knowledge was limited.

He was the one to see Mary off.

“Be careful,” he told her, as she was leaving the base.

“Awww Regulus, don’t go soft on me. I will just check where the entrances are, then I will take a stroll through the hospital and I’ll be back before you know it,” Mary grinned and disappeared into the night.

Regulus knew she should be fine, but his heart still clenched with fear. He spent some time in the infirmary, pretending to check supplies, but decided to call it a night soon, even though he knew he would not get much sleep.

When he stepped into the shared part of his room, something unexpected happened. Lily walked out of her room, then stopped dead in her tracks.

Right, she must have been expecting Mary. Regulus figured Lily would retreat into her room, but she stayed rooted on the spot, looking at Regulus pointedly. There was a question in her eyes: a worry, a fear.

“Don’t worry, she is safe,” Regulus said, even though he knew Lily will not understand him.

But… she was looking at his lips with a focused expression, almost like she believed she might find meaning in the shape of Regulus’s words.

He wanted to explain to her that Mary will return soon, because Lily had definitely noticed the base was buzzing with action. She must have assumed that Mary left for mission without saying goodbye to her.

Regulus had to tell her somehow. Or show her.

Lily turned her back to Regulus and was about to leave the room. Her hand was already on the doorknob, but she hesitated. And that was enough for Regulus.

"Please wait,” he said, taking a step forward, “I can show you Mary."

Lily probably understood only one word from that sentence. But it was enough for her to turn back around.

In that moment Regulus had exactly one second to wonder: In what language were his memories? And if he understood them, would Lily too?
One second wasn’t enough time for him to figure it out.

Lily was looking at him expectantly, so he raised the thought bracelet to his temple, downloaded the memory from just a few minutes ago - of Mary leaving the base - and outstretched his hand to Lily. She gave him a skeptical look.

She had no way of understanding how the thought bracelets worked, probably never seen them being used. Regulus kept his hand with bracelet outstretched and with his other hand he pointed to his head, then at Lily’s head.

He wasn’t stupid, he knew she was hurt in the past. The pain, the mistrust, it radiated from her.
Solely the fact that she was standing there, alone with him, a stranger she didn’t understand, made her brave as hell in Regulus’s eyes.

And then she took one step closer. Anytime after this moment when Regulus needed to be brave, he thought back to this moment and borrowed a bit of bravery from Lily.

Regulus slowly, oh so slowly put his wrist to her temple and showed her the memory.

When the memory was over Regulus stepped back and gave Lily space.

She was shocked, her eyes were jumping from the bracelet to Regulus’s face. But then she smiled, softly. She understood.

Regulus was about to go to his room, but Lily’s smile changed into tight-lipped concentration. Out of nowhere she reached out and grabbed Regulus's hand. Her grip was firm, almost painful, and Regulus stiffened, caught off guard. But he didn’t pull away. Instead, he waited until Lily raised his hand to her head.

"You want to record a thought for me," Regulus whispered, still stunned, and adjusted his wrist.

Lily furrowed her brows in concentration. She had no way of knowing how exactly the memory downloading worked, but she managed it.

Regulus was very nervous when he put his own bracelet to his temple.

Nothing could have prepared him for what came next.

“It’s a secret, i am not sure if you can keep it,” said Petunia, Lily’s big sister in a hushed voice.

The sisters were sitting on the carpet in their shared room, surrounded by the mess made of toys, clothes, blankets and pillows. It was way past their bedtime.

“Of course I can!” Lily insisted, leaning in, her green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Well, I don’t know…” Petunia teased.

“Pleeeeease,” Lily drew out the word in a dramatic pout.

“Fine,” Petunia said, unable to resist. She always let Lily have her way. Except for the time Lily wanted to borrow her dress but her sister said no. Lily was still mad about it.

“But you have to swear you will never tell anyone.”

Lily did and Petunia, although she was only 10 years old, began to tell a story with a flare of a much older storyteller.

“A long time ago, there was a war in the north, but luckily the good guys won. Some of them stayed there and built a new city called Burgensis, but some of them left and came here - founded our Colony. Lived completely without technologies, until one man from Burgensis showed up, 50 years ago.”

“The Inventor,” Lily interrupted.

“Yes,” Petunia nodded, “and with his help, we built a lot of things, defense systems and planes called hovercrafts. He brought some people with him, to help run things when he had to go back north. Like our dad. And the Inventor said he will help us become the best country ever!”

Lily didn’t understand much of what her sister was saying but she knew it was important.

Before Petunia could continue, the scariest thing happened - the floor creaked and…

“Girls, I hope you are not awake!” their mother called from the hall.

The girls scrambled from the floor, dove to their beds, and pretended to sleep. Luckily, their mother just walked past their room, without entering. Relief washed over both the girls.

“Tuni, can I tell you a secret too?” Lily whispered softly after a moment.

There was no answer, but Lily said anyway:

“One day, I am going to be the best pilot ever.”

Petunia snorted in the dark.

Lily was offended by such a reaction. But she couldn’t blame her sister, because she knew Petunia was scared of hovercrafts - said they were too big and nosy. Lily, on the other hand, loved them. She couldn’t wait to be old enough to learn how to fly.

Lily stayed true to her words.

At fifteen, she became the youngest pilot in the history of Colony. It was the happiest day of her life.

“I just thought you will be happy for me!” Lily shouted at her sister, while tears fell down her face.

“Oh, sorry I am not in awe of you like everyone else,” Petunia spat in her face. She folded her arms and stepped forward, eyes blazing.

“I got a job offer from Minerva herself, and the first thing I did was run to you to tell you the good news, and you tell me to not take it?”

The Inventor, who stopped visiting Colony and remained in the north because he was too old now, appointed Minerva as his representative. She was the most important person in Colony - the head of the airforce and she was the coolest.

And now Lily could work for her, but her sister was all weird about it.

“I am just saying it is shady,” Petunia said in a tight voice, “All the secrecy. And Vernon says-“

“I am actually begging you to not start about Vernon,” Lily sighed exasperated.

This Vernon was Petunia’s fiancé. Lily wasn’t a big fan of the man. There wasn’t anything extremely wrong with him, except for the fact that he was excruciatingly boring and Petunia was only 18.

“You are unbelievable Lily! The youngest pilot, straight-up magically talented flyer, adored by everyone. But then I have one -one- great thing going on, my wedding and you do everything to ruin it. And now you blame me for not jumping in the air that you got a job? Fuck you, Lily.”

Lily’s breath caught. She turned sharply and left.

She reported to Minerva the next day and received her orders immediately.

"A lot of people don't know about this,” Minerva began, her voice low and measured, “but the prisoners of Burgensis, the city of north, are being sent to the island near our territory.”

Lily didn’t dare to say a word. Minerva stood up and walked closer to her. She wore a pilot’s uniform, standard black with red detailing.

“Just so you understand, Burgensis is small, so there isn’t enough space for prisoners. Around the city, there is only a forest, impossible to survive in. So as an act of mercy, prisoners are sent there,” Minerva explained to wide eyed Lily.

She just nodded, trying to wrap her head around this. And around the fact she was trusted with this information.

“I am sure a clever girl like you is asking how the prisoners are transported to the island,” Minerva continued one eyebrow lifting, “The answer is by Underground. You only have to understand that is it a vehicle which connects Burgensis with the island close to our Colony.”

Lily stood perfectly still, mind racing. She still had trouble believing what she heard.

"Prisoners get a chance to live out their lives on the island without any harassment, with enough food and water and everything they might need. But we have to keep the safety of our Colony in mind.”

Minerva’s face grew serious as she continued:

“The prisoners are quite high in numbers, but we don’t have to worry about them as long as they stay on their island. Your job will be to check on them, twice a day, just fly over, and make sure there is no sign of escape attempts. That will not be your only duty, you will also deliver messages, maybe even fly to Burgensis to do so. And we will work on perfecting your piloting skills, in case of… well, you have to try to improve every day.”

Lily was shaking, equally from fear and excitement. She had a million questions, but she was only 17 with a job she never even dreamed about having. So she obeyed the orders perfectly.

Minerva was pleased with her and Lily was pleased with herself also. She learned to fly on the 2000, the largest hovercraft in the world. She was part of something bigger than herself—protecting her home, living her dream.

Lily wasn’t sure when the atmosphere changed, but it sure did. The security doubled. Messages became encoded. Lily even once saw Minerva crying in her office. But it wasn’t her job to ask questions, so she simply did her job.

Soon, she became Minerva’s right hand. She followed her orders perfectly. Until, under cover of darkness, a man she barely recognized showed up in her room.

Vernon looked almost the same as when Lily last saw him, except that he gained some weight.

“What the fuck are you doing there?”  Lily hissed as she scrambled to her feet.

“I am saving your life. Now, come with me. Quietly,” Vernon said, already opening the door.

Lily narrowed her eyes. “I am not going anywhere without you.”

That’s when an explosion ripped through the silence. The ground shook. An alarm wailed.

“Oh, for god’s sake,” Vernon cursed, grabbed Lily’s hand, and pulled her out of the room.

Lily, who trained rigorously in the gym to be able to keep up with flying lessons, was definitely stronger than Vernon. But she was so stunned - by the noise, the fact that he was there - that Vernon actually managed to drag her to the hallway.

They rounded a corner—and Lily noticed Minerva on the other side of the hallway. Alarm blared, people were shouting. Lily was sure she had some job to do and was ready to receive orders.

But Minerva looked Lily right into the eyes and then walked away.

Lily’s breath caught in her throat. She was clearly being forcibly taken by a strange man and the person she trusted the most let it happen.

So Lily stopped fighting and let Vernon lead her. They walked wordlessly, then boarded a hovercraft that Lily didn’t recognise. She was ready to take her seat as pilot but Vernon beat her to it. He fired up the engine and soon they rose high into the sky.

The worst part was… he wasn’t half bad at flying.

“Your pressure is low in the right chamber,” Lily said even though it wasn’t that low, still quite in a normal range. Vernon actually pressed the right buttons to fix it.

“Now, can you explain why would you kidnap me from the Flying centre,” Lily demanded coldly.

“Because your sister told me to,” Vernon answered without taking his eyes off the horizon.

Lily’s breath hitched. “And why-?“

“Because tomorrow morning, that building will not be standing anymore,” Vernon said.

Lily stared at him in disbelief.

Vernon explained:

“They are saying Minerva was lying about being in contact with Burgensis, with the Inventor. People want her gone, but they want to keep their hands clean. So they will help the prisoners from the island to get there and deal with her. It’s happening right now. They will stay blameless and claim she failed at her job to keep an eye on prisoners and got what she deserved.”

“How can you know all this?” Lily asked in disbelief.

“I am an owner of the hovercraft manufacturing firm. I know exactly where every machine we make goes. Plus you wouldn’t believe how much men like to boast,” Vernon said.

Lily couldn’t believe this.

“You could have warned Minerva,” she said accusingly.

Vernon shrugged. “I don’t owe her anything.”

Lily was sure Minerva knew anyways. Knew they were coming for her, so she let Lily escape.

“Where are you taking me?” Lily asked.

She looked out the window. They were over water now. The dark sea stretched beneath them like ink, so Lily was already sure she knew where they were going. To Burgensis.

“You are in Minerva’s inner circle, they will be looking for you,” Vernon said.

“But I don’t know anything.”

“Do you think they will believe that?” Vernon asked, not meeting her eyes.

Lily swallowed hard. Did she have enemies now?

“I have a safe house in Burgensis,” Vernon continued, “Where you and Petunia can wait a few weeks, while the situation calms down.”

The fact that Vernon - a man Lily called the most boring on the planet - had a safe house was actually crazy. But more importantly:

“My sister is there?” Lily asked. She hadn’t seen Petunia in years. She missed her, even though she would never admit that.

“No, she is still at Colony. I didn’t want to risk taking her with you. I will leave you at the border of Burgensis, turn around, and fly her to you. Then you two can go to the safe house,” Vernon said.

His plan was solid. Lily was actually beginning to feel a spark of respect for this man and she didn’t like it one bit.

Vernon really landed near the forest of Burgensis. The air was different here - heavier. It was still dark, although dawn couldn’t be too far.

“Wait here, I will be back before you know it,” Vernon said and took off immediately.

Lily didn’t manage to say goodbye. Or thank you.

She waited.

He never came back.

Lily’s thoughts and therefore memories were soon overtaken by panic. She recalled what happened only in flashes.

She was running through the forest, tripping on branches, thinking she would never find a way out.

She was standing in the middle of the street, shaking, breathless, when it hit her - she had nowhere to go.

She realised the people here spoke a different language.

She was starving.

A woman with braided hair offered her a piece of bread and was speaking in a low, soothing voice to her. But when Lily said something in her language, woman turned away and left.

Days passed.

She slept in alleyways, scavenged for food.

When Lily thought it couldn’t get any worse, a group of men surrounded her. She didn’t need to speak the Burgensis language to understand their taunts. She saw the hunger in their eyes. Terror surged through her, but she hoped that they would leave her alone. She kept her gaze downwards, trying to not provoke them.

One of the men walked closer to her. He raised his hand and touched a strand of her hair. Lily felt sick. The man took a step closer. His tight now brushed against Lily and in that moment she knew: they wouldn’t leave her alone.

She only had one option. To fight.

She drew her hand back and punched the man with every ounce of strength she had. Her fist connected with his jaw and a satisfying crack sounded.

For a fleeting moment, Lily thought she might survive this, but when all of them attacked her, she knew it was hopeless. They were much stronger than her. But still, she fought. She screamed, called for her sister, but neither Petunia nor anyone else came to her aid.

Soon, one man had her pinned on the ground. He was sitting on her stomach to hold her down, crushing the air from her lungs, while the others grabbed her limbs and held her still.

Lily managed to free one of her hands and elbow one man, but then a foot stomped down on her free arm.

She felt the bone break. She screamed.

The man smiled. Then brought his foot down on her hand again. And again.

Lily’s vision had gone white from the pain, but she kept on trashing around. She felt a cold hand on her waist, reaching for the hem of her pants. One of them slapped her across the face.

Lily stopped fighting, because it was clear she was done for. She always thought she would die in a hovercraft crash, not like this. She was sorry she didn’t get to apologise to Petunia.

That’s when a gunshot sounded.

An angry female voice echoed down the street.

Soon, the pressure on Lily’s stomach disappeared. When she heard the men scrambling away, her body gave up and she lost consciousness.

She opened her eyes and saw a woman kneeling in front of her. An angel, perhaps? She certainly was beautiful enough, but her deep brown eyes had a worried expression, not peaceful like Lily expected angel to have at all times.

Her lips were moving, so Lily willed her ears to listen. But she didn’t understand the words, because the woman spoke in the Burgensis language.

Lily’s arm throbbed. She looked at it and saw that her arm was bound tightly with a white cloth, stained with blood. She wasn’t dead. It wasn’t over.

The woman moved closer to Lily and put her arms under her. Before Lily’s slow brain realised what was happening, the woman lifted her into the air. It should not have been possible but the woman actually managed to stand up and walk with Lily in her arms.

Lily tried to help, tried to loop her good arm around the woman’s neck, but before she could, her head spun. Everything went black again.

She woke up in a hospital bed. A strange woman who saved her was right by her side. She was murmuring soothing words Lily didn’t understand. She raised her voice only when some people showed up and made them promptly leave.

After some time, a female doctor arrived. The procedure of realigning her bones was quick but brutal. When the bone fell into place with an audible crunch, Lily cried out.

The woman took hold of her other hand. She was Lily’s tether to earth.

Once the procedure was finally over and Lily’s hand was secured in a cast, she received some pills which made her promptly fall asleep.

Lily woke up in the middle of the night and lay awake, trying to figure out what to do.

She had no idea where she was, or on whose side these people were. Minerva was supposedly receiving orders from the Inventor, who was from Burgensis, but Lily had no idea whether that was true.

Lily admired Minerva, trusted her - she refused to believe that this woman would lie to seize power over Colony. But Minerva watched her being dragged away by Vernon, and walked away.

Why would she let her leave? And why Vernon hadn’t come back?

Lily had no way of communicating with the people of Burgensis, and they had no way of finding out she was the best pilot of the Colony.

Lily heard a rustling sound on her left and tensed immediately, ready to fight. But it was only the girl who brought her here, her angel.

She was asleep in one of the hospital beds, the one closest to Lily. Her heart swelled at the thought that the girl decided to sleep here, to stay with her. Minerva lied to her, Vernon left her, the people on the streets of Burgensis were mostly terrible… but this girl right there?

She was pure goodness.

And in that moment the only reason Lily decided to not lose faith in humanity and keep going.

Regulus had to sit down. He felt as if a door to another world had just opened for him. People without knowledge of the Colony and Lily's life lived in one world and Regulus floated somewhere above them. So many new possibilities, so many problems, ideas... Regulus's view of the world changed once again, perhaps even more dramatically than after meeting James.

Lily took a step back and was about to retreat to her room, but Regulus couldn’t let that happen.

"What happened in the South? Who is the Inventor?" he blurted out.

Lily made a gesture and face which Regulus translated as “no idea.” The memories she shared were the only knowledge she had.

“Thank you,” Regulus said softly.

Because Lily had just risked her safety in a way he couldn’t even comprehend. All because she saw that something was going on, that they were preparing for an attack so she offered Regulus all the information she had, to help them.

Lily just nodded and left. Regulus retreated to his room, sat down on the bed, and thought.

Months and months had passed since Lily left the Colony. Regulus quickly did the math - Lily was taken to Burgensis a few months after Dorcas and Marlene were arrested. That was so long ago - the situation in Colony could have changed drastically.

And more importantly, Lily gave Regulus her memories because she thought they were about to do something big, not just infiltrating the hospital. All they were planning was a simple mission. But Regulus had a bad feeling that much bigger things were in motion around him.

Another thing - could Minister Bartemius be the Inventor?

The island prison could have been his way of getting rid of the people who knew too much. Regulus remembered what James told him when he was behind the bars in Burgen prison: “See that building over there? Sometimes they take a prisoner inside and leave without him.” This checked out.

Regulus’s head spun.

What if the Minister of Security was planning to destroy not only Burgensis but also the Colony?

Regulus decided not to tell James or anyone else. First, they were probably sound asleep, and second, they needed to focus on the present tomorrow, not on theories about Colony.

They would deal with informing the President about the whole situation tomorrow and after that, Regulus will have a lot of research to do.

He needed to find out if the thought bracelets could be used to learn the whole language.

Because there was a city in the South, maybe even bigger than Burgensis, maybe in the middle of the war, maybe looking for allies. Or maybe they were allies the Phoenix so desperately needed -  and Regulus wasn’t about to risk not understanding them if they ever met.

Plus, he had to get Lily home somehow.

Chapter Text

The bus that was supposed to take them to the hospital arrived right on time. Mary, James, Sirius, Remus, Regulus, and two other people, whose names Regulus hadn’t bothered to learn, stared at the vehicle parked only a few meters from them.

Arthur, their driver, promised that the camera inside the bus was definitely disconnected, but no one was eager to leave the safety of the base.

Finally, James took the lead and got on the bus. Everyone waited a few suspenseful seconds, but nothing happened, so they followed their commander aboard.

The bus took off immediately.

While they were gaining the right altitude, James went straight to Arthur, thanking him profusely.

Arthur didn’t even glance at him.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t waste your breath boy, just make sure I receive the money I was promised for this,” he said, even though he couldn’t be much older than James.

Regulus didn’t blame Arthur for his approach. Dorcas and Marlene would have acted exactly like him. Ordinary people didn’t care about being heroes but about day-to-day survival.

“And tell your people not to pull out those guns near the windows,” Arthur added.

James cursed under his breath and made his way to the back of the bus. The team promised to keep their guns hidden and not use them unless absolutely necessary.

The tension hung in the air. Even Sirius wasn’t cracking jokes, he just sat quietly, holding Remus’s hand. Regulus had to promise his brother that after he unlocks the entrance to the hospital, he will clear away, to safety.

Regulus made that promise, but he and Sirius both knew how easily things like this could go wrong.

Thankfully, the drive was quite short - only a few minutes. When they neared the hospital, Arthur slowed and descended a street away from the main entrance, to not raise suspicions.

Regulus's role was quite simple - use his fingerprint to get into Walburga's office and let the Phoenix in through the back entrance.

"Good luck," Sirius muttered, gripping Regulus's arm briefly. The brothers locked their eyes. They didn’t need words to communicate, the message was clear - If you get hurt, I will kill you.

Regulus was about to go when James grabbed his hand. He was about to say something, but Regulus knew they didn’t have time for his “be careful speech”, so he kissed James fiercely and jumped out of the bus without looking back.

The doors closed behind him and the bus took off again. Arthur will quietly circle around the hospital until Regulus lets James know the entrance is unlocked through though bracelets. The rest of the team had walkie-talkies, but Regulus didn’t need one.

The area around the hospital was crowded not only with civilians but also with reporters and policemen.

Regulus managed to get to the side entrance, where he was stopped by a female police officer.

“I'm sorry, there is a special event here today, unless your case is acute, I can't let you in,” she said in a tight voice.

All of Regulus's instincts told him to put his head down and get out of there quickly. In his head, he could hear Dorcas yelling "Run!" just like the night they were arrested.

His voice trembled despite his best effort to sound casual:

“I'm sorry, I guess they didn't tell you I was coming. I am the son of director Walburga. I brought the USB stick she sent me for."

The policewoman’s eyes narrowed, skeptical. She quickly whispered something to her colleague, who just shrugged his shoulders.

"The USB stick with the important presentation, they are all waiting for," Regulus added smoothly.

He liked how true his words sounded. He just hoped he wouldn't have to show them the non-existent USB stick.

“I'm sorry, but this door must remain locked until the President leaves the building. I couldn't open it even if I wanted to," said the officer, waving her hand towards the fingerprint sensor, at which Regulus was looking from the corner of his eye this whole time.

He nodded. "Oh, the sensor won't be a problem, my mother had already given me access for today, so I can bring her the USB key.”

Without waiting for a response, Regulus stepped forward and pressed his finger to the scanner.

He had a nagging feeling that the officer was going to pull out a gun and shoot him in the back just for trying to approach the door, but he forced himself to look confident.

He told all of the Phoenix that his fingerprint was 100% in the system, but his mother could have easily removed it whenever she wanted. It was highly likely that she did.

A few seconds passed and Regulus thought the mission was over.

But then the sensor turned green and the door unlocked with a soft click.

Regulus exhaled quietly, casting a glance back. The police officer simply nodded and turned away. Regulus slipped inside before she could change her mind and headed straight for his mother's office.

He was only a few steps away from Walburga’s office when a couple of doctors came out from around the corner. Regulus quickly hid in the first place he saw - a storage room - and shut the door behind him just in time. He really didn’t want to risk that someone might inform Walburga about his presence.

He waited until the doctors' footsteps died down and then he got out of his hiding place and tiptoed to his mother’s office doors.

The seat where Molly, mother's former assistant, always sat, was empty.

What if Molly lost her job because of me? Regulus thought and a wave of guilt hit him.

The quilt was so intense that he pressed his thumb to the sensor and walked inside the office without even knocking.

Idiot, he thought to himself a second later. What if someone had been inside?

Regulus could not believe that he had done something so stupid, but he was lucky. The office was empty. He moved quickly. In a few seconds, he unlocked the back entrance via the security panel and at the same time sent James a thought that they could proceed.

"We're in," came a thought from James about 5 minutes later.

Relief washed over Regulus. He slumped into Walburga’s chair, letting the tension in his body dissipate.

All that was left for him to do was get out of there and wait at the back entrance where Arthur would pick them up.

The office door suddenly opened.

Walburga walked in.

Regulus wanted to throw himself onto the floor and hide under the table, but his mother noticed him immediately.

They stared at each other for an endless time.  Walburga’s expression was unreadable, her eyes hazy, confused.

Then she spoke:

"I have to prevent anyone from getting to the control panel at all costs. I have to neutralize the one who let the Phoenix in here.”

Before Regulus had time to register those words, Walburga pulled out a gun - a fucking gun - from her purse and aimed it at her son.

Fear exploded in Regulus’s chest. His body locked up. He was scared even if he was in the vicinity of guns and now one was being pointed to his forehead.

"I have to kill... I have to prevent..." muttered Walburga, her voice fractured and distant.

Her fingers moved mechanically, removing the safety notch from the weapon.

"Mother, what are you doing?" Regulus cried out.

He stood up from the chair and backed away slowly, trying to get away from Walburga and her weapon. He had completely forgotten he had an electric shield that he could use.

He knew there was something deeply wrong with his mother for quite some time, but still, it couldn’t be real that she was pointing a gun at him, could it? Even he still felt some sort of loyalty, a duty towards his family. He would never…

"I have orders. Do I have to obey orders? Yes," Walburga said to no one but herself, her voice rising in all the wrong parts of the sentence.

And then she fired.

Regulus screamed.

But the bullet missed.

Regulus noticed that the moment his mother pulled the trigger, she jerked her hand to keep the bullet from hitting him. Maybe it was a coincidence, but now he finally took a good look at his mother. Her whole body was shaking, not from stress, but like some invisible force was twitching her muscles. And tears. Tears fell from her eyes, mixing with the drops of sweat that ran down her forehead.

"I have to, I have to, I have to..." Walburga repeated to herself as if the words didn't even belong to her.

"Mom, what's going on?" Regulus asked, voice cracking.

Walburga threw the weapon on the ground and immediately bent down and picked it up.

"I know you don't like me much but you can’t kill me!” Regulus said quickly.

Walburga shouted: "They control me!”

Subsequently, her knees buckled. She nearly collapsed, but caught herself and began to reload the weapon with terrifying efficiency.

"Who controls you?”

Regulus’s mind raced. Someone was controlling his mother. How?

"You don't have to kill me, we'll figure something out. Are they blackmailing you?” Regulus tried.

Maybe it was just a random muscle twitch, but he thought Walburga shook her head.

His mother was ready to shoot, and something told Regulus that she wouldn't miss this time. Suddenly, Walburga turned the gun at her chest.

And she really didn't miss.

Regulus watched, frozen in place, as his mother slowly sank to the ground. A small red spot began to form on her blouse. It got bigger and bigger and bigger.

Regulus was paralysed by the horror of it. Walburga gasped, struggling to stay conscious.

"They were controlling my brain, but… I think it’s over,” she said.

Walburga wanted to touch her chest but hesitated and put her hand on the ground.

"What the hell?" asked Regulus in a shaky voice.

Was his mother genuinely talking about mind control? It sounded like some trick to Regulus, but he still dared to kneel next to her.

Walburga coughed, and tried to say something, but only wheezed horribly. She must have been in a lot of pain, but after a few seconds, she managed to whisper:

"Listen to me Regulus, we don't have much time."

His mother reached for his hand and squeezed it and Regulus… let her.

"Sirius - is he alright? Is he alive?” Walburga asked in a desperate voice.

“Yes mother,” Regulus replied softly, “he is.”

Walburga exhaled. Her face still showed pain, but also a bit of relief.

“Good, good. You were both supposed to get away from me... but you stayed and I - I couldn’t…” she trailed off, voice barely audible, “but you got to Burgen’s school! I was so proud of you, but I was also scared because I knew they were using labs in the school as well as the ones in the hospital. But I couldn’t tell you anything.”

Regulus’s breath hitched. “What do you mean you couldn’t tell me?”

“They took control of me two years ago, on the day I sent Sirius to your grandmother’s house. They inject something into the back of your neck and after that… they give you commands. And you follow them, whether you want to or not. I only had two orders:

Allow them access to the hospital, and to all the equipment. And to distance myself from my family so that no one would find out.”

Walburga’s breathing grew labored, but she continued:

“Most of the time I could function normally and I was in control of everything I did. But in the presence of you, Sirius, or your father, my brain did not allow me to say and do certain things. I only had certain options and they were all horrible, so horrible Regulus.”

Coughing fit seized Walburga again. She leaned onto one side and coughed up blood. When she noticed it, she sobbed.

"So many lost years... so many things... but I am glad you got away Regulus. I am glad you are on the right side,” Walburga’s voice broke.

Regulus was only able to nod silently, his throat too tight to speak. Tears restricted his view. When did he start crying?

"I am sorry for all those years. I'm not asking you to forgive me, I just want you to know,” Regulus’ mother gasped, "And one more thing... last wish. I don't know if I have the right, but I have one last wish. Tell your brother the truth and tell him I love him. I love you both.”

Regulus had to turn away from his mother's face and look at the ceiling. He tried to organize his thoughts, but it just wasn't possible. He looked back at his mother, ready to ask who they were, who gave her orders, who was cooperating with the Minister.

He wanted names. He wanted revenge.

But it was too late.

His mother couldn't answer anymore, even if she wanted to. Walburga’s eyes were open but unseeing. Her chest no longer rose.

Regulus stayed there, holding her hand, because what else was he supposed to do?

Dying was terrifying and his mother must have been scared. And maybe Regulus needed someone to hold him too.

The next thing Regulus became aware of was the vibration of the thought bracelet. He was not in his right mind. The reality felt… fractured because there was his mother’s body at his feet and that was just wrong.

Instinctively, he put the bracelet to his temple: "Regulus, we have to run, the police are almost here. Go to the back entrance immediately.”

Only the fear of the police forced him to his feet. It would be bad - very bad - if he was found standing over a dead body with a gun in his hand.

Why was he holding a gun? Oh yes, he took it from his mother, because it looked wrong in her hands.

Regulus looked at her one last time, lying unnaturally still. He wanted to say he forgave her, but he wasn't sure it would be honest. Instead, he whispered, “I love you too,” because he knew that was true.

He closed the office door behind himself and ran away. Near the back entrance, he nearly collided with Mary.

"Regulus, finally! Everyone except James is already on the bus.”

Regulus opened his mouth, but Mary quickly added: "Don't worry, he's fine. He ran into the President and convinced her to listen. She told him that the police were on their way so we should leave. Said there is no point in us dying. It looks positive."

Regulus barely registered her words.

"How will James get to the base?" he asked.

"Arthur will come back for him,” Mary answered quickly.

"So he'll pick me up too then.”

It was clear to Mary that Regulus wasn’t going anywhere without James, so she just told him to be careful and disappeared through the door.

Regulus had no other choice but to wait. He couldn't let his thoughts go back to his mother, so he thought about everything else instead.

Firstly, he went back to Lily and replayed her story about Colony in his head. It didn’t add up. Minister Bartemius could not be the Inventor because he simply wasn’t old enough.

And today... just the fact that the President and the Minister of Security were in the same building was too much of a coincidence. Almost like… a trap. And the fact that President Dolores just let the members of the Phoenix go was even weirder. Regulus tried to find some connection or logic in those pieces of information, but nothing made sense.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of running footsteps. At first, he was happy that James was finally there, but then Regulus realised that more than one person was running towards him. And then the gunshots rang out.

James appeared at the far end of the corridor, running at full speed. He fired blindly behind him, pursued by two men in dark uniforms—not the police. The Watch, maybe. They ran after James and kept shooting at him. The bullets ricocheted off the walls and Regulus was terrified.

"Run, Regulus!" James shouted.

Definitely not, thought Regulus.

He looked at the gun in his hands. The thing repulsed him, but somewhere in the back of his mind were Sirius’s memories - and for him, the gun was a way to protect the people you cared about. Plus Sirius knew how to use it.

Regulus got into the right stance and aimed the gun at James's pursuers. They started shooting at him as well, but he still refused to run.

He couldn't lose James. And he supposed he was a member of the Phoenix. He had to fight.

He aimed to the left, hoping that James would understand and keep out of his line of fire. He pulled the trigger.

The feeling was terrible and unsurprisingly, he missed.

Regulus inhaled, held his breath, and forced himself to fire again. At that exact moment, James spun and fired as well. Both pursuers fell to the ground.

James ran to Regulus, who couldn't believe that he had really hit the man. Killed him. He killed...

His surprisingly steady hands began to shake. The gun slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground. James finally reached him.

"Don't look at them," he ordered, grabbing Regulus by the shoulders and turning his back to the two dead people.

Regulus threw himself into James’s arms and held on tightly.

When they pulled apart, Regulus asked: "Did you manage it?" Does the President know the truth? Did we win?"

James was about to answer him, but suddenly he looked somewhere behind Regulus and froze.

Then Regulus heard two shots. Then he felt them.

Pain exploded through Regulus’s chest. The ground slipped from under his feet. James managed to break his fall. Regulus lost consciousness for a moment, but the sound of the gunshot brought him back. James finished off whoever hit him.

Everything hurt.

"Did… we… win?" Regulus repeated his question.

James was beside him, kneeling.

"Yes, yes, we won," he answered.

Regulus sighed, partly in relief, partly in agony.

His vision was beginning to blur. He blinked a few times to look at James one more time. There was pain and terror written all over his face, like Regulus never saw before and he was covered in blood. His blood. James was moving his lips, but Regulus only heard some rustling.

James's hand was pressing down on his chest, so he figured that's where he'd been hit.

"You'll be fine," Regulus caught James’s words after all.

His voice was usually soothing or commanding. Regulus did not like this desperate voice. This voice assured him that he was dying.

But... he couldn't die.

There were still too many things he had to do. Too many last wishes would die with him. And James - Regulus had so many things to tell him.

But Regulus felt that he had run out of time. The floor stopped being solid and he began to fall somewhere and it was not within James's power to reach him there.

With the last embers of his strength, Regulus put the thought bracelet to his head.

"Record all the memories since entrance exams and sent them to James," Regulus willed silently.

He wanted James to know everything. How he didn't regret a single thing. James had to survive his death, and had to make the world a better place. Regulus was about to make sure James had all the information - about Colony, for example - that he might need.

The ground beneath Regulus suddenly returned and began to vibrate. Steps. Someone was running towards them.

"Run… James," were Regulus's last words.

But his last thoughts were: “Tell Sirius he was the best brother I could ask for. Make sure Lily sees her sister again. Tell everyone at the base that I'm going to miss them. I love you."

Footsteps, many of them, were very close now. James held Regulus tight until he didn’t and then he felt himself falling. His head hit the concrete and then - there were no more thoughts.

Chapter Text

I came back to reality - my reality - slowly. My head throbbed. I had to grab the edge of the table to make sure I was really in my room. In my head. And most importantly alive, unlike Regulus.

Surviving death was definitely not a pleasant feeling.

My gaze drifted to the clock. Less than 5 minutes had passed. That couldn't be right. I felt like I lived through months.

“Are you okay?” she asked me, her deep eyes filled with worry.

There had to be a logical explanation for what just happened to me.

"Is this some new game?” I asked. “A higher level of virtual reality?'

She shook her head.

I seriously began to consider that this could be real. I tried to recall some details from Regulus's story, but my skull felt like it was splitting open. Putting thoughts and memories from someone else into your brain in 5 minutes couldn't be healthy.

Despite the protests of my tired brain, I realized one thing: "The story doesn't add up."

She smiled at me, like she’d been waiting for me to notice.

“If this were the past—which of course it isn't, but if—then we'd know something about it, wouldn't we? James managed to tell the President the truth and prevent the destruction of Burgensis.”

I hated talking about those people as if they were real.

I continued: "If the story was true, Burgensis would still exist, or at least would have been mentioned somewhere."

"You are right. But James lied,” she said.

I frowned. "How can you know that?"

"This wasn't the end of the story," she said, waving her bracelet in my face, “This one contains James’s memories.”

"Show me!" I exclaimed.

"Not today,” she said firmly, “you can't live through that much in one day.''

I wanted to object, but I had no arguments. This wasn't like watching a movie. I lived through that time with Regulus. I knew his soul as well as my own.

"It could seriously harm your health. My grandfather warned me about it in a letter. Some of our predecessors have gone mad,” she added quietly.

I wasn't surprised at all.

Chapter Text

"Show it to me already!"

I hadn’t slept all night. The silver bracelet on my hand had already become a part of me. Despite her warnings, I had pressed the letter “h” to my temple at night and relived months of Regulus’s life. Twice. I needed to verify and confirm some parts of the story.

"Hold on a moment," she said seriously.

When she had left the evening before, I was afraid she would disappear again. But she came back the next morning. Well, she arrived at 9:44, but that was still very early for her. She had the habit of sleeping until lunch.

"If I show you this part too, there’s no going back. You’ll become the Guardian of History."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"At the very least, you must protect the bracelets and their secret. But it’s become a rule that the Guardians of History try to help humanity and make this world a better place."

Did this girl just tell me that I was supposed to make the world a better place? Me, without any particular talent…

"Whatever you just thought is not true," she said harshly.

I had no idea how she was able to read my mind.

"No one is asking you to invent a cure for cancer or something like that. It’s enough if the world doesn’t fall apart while we’re Guardians."

"Well…"

She rolled her eyes at me, shook her head, and sat on the bed.

"The whole time I spent at Grandpa’s house, I wondered if I should tell you everything. I didn’t want to drag you into this mess, but I realized that I couldn’t handle this secret alone. That’s why I’m asking you: Will you help me?"

There was nothing I could do but agree. I probably should have thought it through more carefully, but I really needed to know what happened after Regulus died.

"Are you going to show me the second part?" I asked, not trying to hide my impatience.

I watched as she rolled up her sleeve and lifted her hand to me.

"Wait," I blurted out.

"Seriously?"

"I have one more question."

It had kept me up all night.

"Since when is history real? I always thought Napoleon was a bit over the top,” I said.

She sighed. "Napoleon is real. And you’ll find out the answer to your question in James’s memories."

I nodded, ready. She reached out to me. I felt her warm hand and the pressure of the bracelet. The feelings that came over me after that were no longer mine.

Chapter Text

James felt the vibration of the thought bracelet.

“Doors are open, proceed,” Regulus’s voice rang in his head.

He had done it. Relief washed over James—Regulus was okay and no longer in immediate danger. The rest of the team was looking at him expectantly.

“Arthur, take us to the back entrance,” James ordered quickly.

He noticed Sirius’s relieved sigh.

James couldn’t wait to get off the bus. He hadn’t driven in one in ages, and he had forgotten about the nauseating swaying motion.

“Does everyone know what the plan is?” James asked, turning to face the group.

The silence was thick with nerves until Remus spoke up.

“Sure,” he said dryly. “We’re going to rob a bank. Or storm a prison?”

James shot him a glare. At times like this, he really did feel like strangling Remus. But, to be fair, his terrible joke eased the tension in the bus a bit. James decided to let him live—for now.

“Use weapons only if absolutely necessary. We can’t afford to let the Phoenix get blamed for any more murders,” James continued. “Whoever locates the Minister or the President, report it to me immediately over the walkie-talkie.”

That was all James wanted to say, but Arthur was still circling, trying to land the bus.

“Be careful. The fate of over two hundred thousand people is on our shoulders. Failure is not an option,” James added, trying his best to sound like a commander.

Sirius leaned over to whisper to Remus, “Where did he learn to talk like that?”

James didn’t bother listening for the answer. His insides were clenched with fear. He was supposed to be their fearless leader, just like his father, but in reality, he was just a scared boy who hadn’t the faintest idea what he was doing. And if something went wrong, if his team got hurt… it would be all his fault.

With a jolt, the bus landed. The back entrance was only a few meters away—and so was a policeman stationed right in front of it. Just one, thankfully. He had already noticed the bus and was squinting suspiciously at it.

“I hope Regulus and Poppy were right about the chloro-something,” came Mary’s voice from behind.

James sighed. He often had no idea what to do next—but thankfully, those closest to him usually did. Sometimes, they were even right.

“Chloroform,” Sirius supplied helpfully.

Regulus, with Poppy’s help, had spent hours researching a common medical anesthetic—chloroform. He’d discovered that with a few additional compounds, he could concentrate it enough to put anyone who inhaled it to sleep within minutes.

“Remus, Mary—can you handle this?” James asked, eyeing the policeman.

After they nodded, Arthur opened the bus doors. Remus and Mary stepped out, calm and focused.  The pair of them walked over to the policeman, who couldn’t have guessed that Mary had a vial of chloroform in one pocket and a handkerchief in the other.

Remus approached the policeman and with an exaggeratedly friendly tone said:

“Excuse me, I think we’re lost. We’re looking for the way to the bank. No, wait. To the Burgen prison. We’re going to rob it—or rather, storm it…”

The policeman, more confused than ever before in his life, reached for his belt and was ready to draw his gun. Before he could do so, Mary’s fist collided with his face.

“Very elegant,” Remus muttered.

“Can you hold him so he doesn’t get away, or do I have to do that myself, too?” Mary snapped.

Remus didn't have to be told twice. He pinned the stunned officer against the wall, while Mary deftly poured chloroform onto a handkerchief and not very gently covered the policeman's nose and mouth with it. The officer regained his consciousness and fought. Hard. Just like Regulus and Poppy had warned, it took a full two minutes until the chloroform knocked him out.

James winced, watching him struggle. How many more innocent people would stand in their way?

Finally, the officer sagged to the ground.

Mary stepped over him and tried to open the back door. It unlocked without trouble. Regulus really did it and James could feel the corners of his mouth turning up in a proud smile.

Remus dragged the unconscious officer inside as the rest of the members of Phoenix, including James, ran out of the bus and into the hospital. They found themselves in a wide, low-ceilinged room stacked with crates and medical equipment. Some kind of storage unit, probably.

“We’re in,” James sent a thought to Regulus.

He hoped he was safe. If anything happened to him…

“Sirius,” Mary said, frowning, “why are you undressing the policeman?”

James turned around.

“Someone might notice he’s not at his post,” Sirius replied, tugging the uniform off the officer’s body. “Someone should stand in his place. Can I pleeease? I always thought I’d look good in uniform, you know.”

Remus took a long breath and said nothing. No one dared tell Sirius no.

“Okay. Mary, you are with me. Everyone else, wait,” James ordered.

They knew their roles. Mary was already hurrying toward the stairs. James followed close behind. They went to the first floor. Overwhelmingly many people were there, but Mary didn’t hesitate for a second. Standing tall, not bothering to hide her face, she strode purposefully toward the changing rooms. James hurried to keep up.

“Can you believe that the article about the President’s visit has to be published in tomorrow’s newspaper? It’s impossible to make it,” Mary said, loud enough for those nearby to hear.

James caught on and continued the fake conversation, nodding along like a tired journalist.

Moments later, they reached the changing room door. They checked to make sure no one was paying them attention and slipped inside. A doctor and a nurse stood there, near the lockers, chatting intently.

“So the President is going to walk around here and talk to my best surgeons and emergency surgeries?” Mary said casually, loud and clear. “I can do those. Alone.”

She walked to the shelf, grabbed two gowns, handed one to James, and began to put on the other.

“Oh, well, at least I can teach you. Is this your first rotation?” she asked smoothly.

James blinked. He had to remind himself that Mary wasn’t an actual doctor.

“Uh, yes,” he replied, clueless about what a rotation even was.

“Being a doctor is very demanding,” Mary added with a dramatic sigh. She threw a very unpleasant glance toward the couple nearby. “Although some don’t take the job that seriously.”

The doctor and nurse, visibly annoyed, gathered their things and left the dressing room without a word. Mary grinned and took off the doctor’s gown. She turned to the shelf and pulled out more gowns, handing them to James. He followed her lead, grabbing a few extra.

In the blink of an eye, Mary was hurrying towards the hallway door.

“How?” James asked, arms full. There was no way they could walk down the corridor carrying that many gowns without attracting attention.

“I don’t know yet. But trust me, I’ll figure something out,” Mary said.

They slipped out of the door and hurried along the wall as far away from the changing rooms as possible.

“Those doctors are unbelievable,” Mary grumbled loudly. “They leave dirty gowns lying around literally everywhere. I’m a nurse, not a cleaner!”

James looked at her, stunned by how effortlessly she transformed herself. In that moment, she really did look like a fed-up nurse with a sore back and stern eyes. How she did it, James had no idea. Mary was the best spy he’d ever known. He silently thanked the universe that she was part of the Phoenix. He didn’t know how they would’ve managed without her. They made it back to the storage room without any trouble. Only now did James notice that there were indeed special washing machines for doctors’ gowns. Had Mary noticed it too, or had she been lucky?

Mary immediately began distributing gowns to the team. James looked around for Sirius but figured he was already outside, stationed as the fake policeman. He quickly handed out the remaining gowns and pulled one on himself. His hands instinctively slipped into the pockets. His fingers brushed something sharp.

A syringe.

Some forgetful doctor must have left it in the gown. James hated needles. Just picturing it sliding into his skin made his stomach turn. He realized that the others were watching him, so he put the syringe back in his pocket and said:

“Go in pairs. At least one of you must have a walkie-talkie. If you spot a Minister or the President, report to me immediately.”

The Phoenix members nodded and filed out, each heading in a different direction. Sirius was supposed to pair with James, but because he was stationed outside, James was left to go alone. He didn’t mind.

James was about to leave the storage room, but hesitated.

“Regulus should have been here by now,” he thought.

He allowed himself to wait another thirty seconds. Still no sign of Regulus. Reluctantly, James moved on. He climbed two floors, took the first hallway he saw, and pressed the walkie-talkie to his ear, covering it discreetly with his hand.

“There’s no one on the top floor except the doctors.”

“I think we saw the Minister of Security. We’re on the first floor.”

James walked to the end of the hallway, then turned toward the stairwell.

That’s when the message came:

“James, we see the President. She’s on the second floor.”

“Keep your eyes on her. I’m on the left side of the hallway on the first floor. I’m going up now,” James whispered into his walkie-talkie.

“Wait, the President’s approaching the stairs. You said you’re on the left? The President is coming…”

James lowered the walkie-talkie. He heard click click-clacking of her heels first. Then he saw the President coming down the stairs and heading straight for him. He had never seen her in person before.

She appeared in public often, but for obvious reasons, James had never had the chance to be near her. He’d seen pictures, of course, but if he had passed President Dolores on the street, he never would have guessed she was the most powerful person in Burgensis. She was shorter than James imagined. Brown curls, meticulously styled, framed her young, almost girly face. James knew she was only 30-something years old. And already leading a country. James never stopped to think how she actually managed it. If he ignored the two personal guards flanking her, she might have passed for just another hospital visitor in her modest pink dress.

She stopped directly in front of him.

“Young man, are you the reason this hospital is full of members of the Phoenix?”

James’s heart dropped. He was shaking, but he managed to say:

“Yes, Madam President. But please, listen to me. Burgensis is under a huge threat. We just want to warn you.”

She raised a brow. “A huge threat, you say?”

“Yes, Madam President,” James said quickly, not bothering to take a breath. “The Minister of Security wants to destroy our city.”

The President seemed genuinely touched by James's words. She glanced around the hallway and said:

"We should talk in private. I'll have Minister Bartemius called so we can hear how he reacts to your accusations."

She nodded to one of the guards, but he hesitated.

"I can't leave the President unprotected with an armed man," he said stiffly, his tone unnatural.

"Oh, yes. Can I ask you to surrender all your weapons?" President Dolores asked, her voice polite but firm.

James handed over the gun on his belt. He also had a knife strapped to his calf. He decided to give that up too, to prove that the Phoenix could be trusted.

The President smiled, clearly pleased. One of the guards left without another word, and the other stepped between James and the President. They walked silently down the empty corridor until they reached the most secluded area in the hospital. They entered what appeared to be a dentist's office. Why the President had chosen this particular location was a mystery to James.

He was about to speak up, to tell her everything he knew about the Minister’s betrayal. But before he could open his mouth, the President spoke:

"The police and the Watch are almost here. I don't want anyone to get hurt or die for no reason. Tell your people to withdraw."

James blinked. Was she letting them go? It didn’t make sense. Every single one of them should be thrown in prison. The President was being far too merciful. But there was no time to question her kindness. James sent a quick thought to Regulus, then immediately used the walkie-talkie to order the others to return to base immediately.

As soon as he finished speaking, the security guard reached out and snatched the walkie-talkie from his hand.

"Hey! Why—"

James didn’t get to finish the sentence. The door opened, and the Minister of Security walked in.

He looked tired and older than James remembered him, especially next to the young President. His expression was disturbingly blank, emotionless, as if he didn’t care at all about the situation he found himself in. James didn’t understand how anyone could be so cold-blooded.

"Madam President, did you call me?" the Minister asked calmly.

"Yes. This young man, the commander of the Phoenix, is accusing you of treason. What do you have to say in your defense?"

The Minister’s voice was as cold as his eyes.

"I don’t know what he’s talking about."

"I can prove it," James blurted out, "Let me record your thoughts onto my bracelet. Then we’ll see."

The Minister opened his mouth, likely to protest, but the President raised a hand.

"Bartemius, let the boy take your thoughts. Don’t resist or try to escape."

The Minister gave a small nod and stood still, allowing James to press the bracelet to his temple. Why didn’t he defend himself? James expected him to draw a weapon or try to run, but he just stood there.

"How do you plan to destroy Burgensis?" James asked, activating the bracelet.

The Minister didn’t react. Maybe he thought he could fight against the bracelet. Now he would realize how wrong he was. James moved the bracelet to his own temple to replay what he had recorded, shaking with excitement.

He saw... nothing.

That was impossible.

"What did you do today?" James demanded, pressing the bracelet to the Minister’s head again.

Still nothing. No memories. No thoughts.

The bracelet must be broken, James thought. The Minister couldn’t have an empty mind.

"You can try as long as you want," President Dolores spoke up, her voice completely different than seconds ago.

James turned to her in disbelief. The way she stood, her expression, everything about her changed. Before, she was a timid, quiet woman, but now, an aura of power hung around her.

She continued coldly:

"And you can try to find some thoughts in the minds of my guards. Or the director of the hospital." Her kind smile was replaced by a vicious sneer. "I guarantee you there are none there. Just orders. My orders."

At her nod, both guards lifted their weapons and pointed them at James, while the Minister remained standing still in the corner.

"Did you really think such an incompetent man could hatch a plan to destroy Burgensis?" the President asked as she waved her hand to Minister Bartemius.

James stared at her, couldn’t believe his eyes. His mind reeled. If it wasn’t the Minister who wanted to blow up the city, then-

"You want to destroy Burgensis?" James asked slowly.

The President nodded.

"Why?"

James couldn’t accept that this could be true. Because if it were, that would mean the President - woman no one really took seriously - was fooling them all for years.

"Don’t worry," the President said gently, "We’ll have a chance to talk later."

She turned to the guards.

"Handcuff him."

The guards began closing in quickly, and James knew that if he wanted to save himself, this was his last chance. He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a vial of chloroform.

"Not another step!" he shouted desperately. "If I break this tube, the fumes will kill us all!"

It wasn’t true. Chloroform was weak—barely harmful. If the vial shattered, absolutely nothing would happen. But the guards hesitated.

"You’re lying," the President said, her tone unimpressed.

Regulus had once told James that the best lies were almost entirely true, that’s why he said:

"Thanks to this serum, we got into the hospital. The policeman took one breath and was dead. All my people are safe. Nothing is stopping me from breaking this vial."

The President didn’t believe him. "Seize him," she ordered.

The guards lunged. James threw the vial—not at the floor, but at the President. It hit the ground in front of her and shattered. James knew it wouldn't hurt her, but he hoped it would distract the guards. He was right. They both momentarily forgot about James, one of them even ran to the President to protect her.

James ran to the door.

He was already touching the handle when the other guard grabbed his arm. He pulled James away from the door and held a gun to his head.

James's panicked brain realized what else he had in his pocket besides chloroform. He pulled out a syringe and stabbed it into the security guard's hand. The syringe remained lodged in the hand he was holding the gun with. James felt sick.

The guard screamed. He had to let go of James to remove the syringe. James noticed that he was holding the gun loosely in his injured hand and, like a complete lunatic, he decided to snatch it from him. He actually managed it!

The second guard, now reassured that the President wasn’t hurt, raised his weapon and fired, not caring that he might hit the other guard. Luckily, the bullet missed them both.

James used the moment of chaos to break free from the guard’s hold. He yanked the door open and ran, still holding the gun he had snatched from the guard’s hand.

Behind him, the President’s voice rang out:

"He won’t escape through the back entrance. I sent the director to her office to make sure of that. Arrest him—but don’t hurt any other people!"

James didn’t stop to wonder what she meant. He ran. Screams erupted in the hallway. Hospital staff scattered out of his way.

Neither James nor his pursuers fired again until they reached the staircase leading to the back entrance. Now there were no civilians. The guards opened fire.

James fired a few shots too, but only blindly; he couldn't afford to stop. He realized that he would soon run out of bullets soon.

Then— He saw Regulus.

No. No, no, no, no…

"Run!" James screamed at him.

Did he obey? Of course not.

The guards began shooting at him, too. James saw the fear in Regulus’s eyes. He watched in horror as Regulus pointed a gun in his direction.

Where did he get the gun from?

Regulus fired—but missed. He aimed again. James knew this was their last chance. The guards were closing in too fast. He decided to bet everything on one card. Regulus was aiming to the left, so James stopped abruptly, turned, and fired at the security guard on the right.

At the same moment, Regulus’s shot hit the second guard. Both of James’s pursuers collapsed to the floor. James didn’t stop to breathe. He ran straight to Regulus. His heart pounded louder than the gunfire had.

Regulus had just killed someone. Because of him. Because of him, the boy who hated guns had become a murderer. Regulus was shaking uncontrollably. The gun slipped from his hands.

“Don’t look at them,” James ordered when he finally reached Regulus, turning him away from the two bodies.

He needed Regulus to be okay.

“Did you manage it? Does the President know the truth? Did we win?” Regulus asked, breathless.

James opened his mouth to tell him they'd talk back at the base—but something moved at the edge of his vision. He knew what was going to happen, and he also knew he wouldn't have time to react. One of the guards wasn’t dead and still lying on the ground, fired twice.

Both bullets hit Regulus.

James caught him, but he was too heavy, so they both slid to the ground. James, without hesitation, aimed and shot the guard.

"Did... we... win?" Regulus asked again, his voice faint and raspy.

One bullet had hit his leg. The other—his chest. There was so much blood. James swallowed the scream building in his throat. He needed Regulus calm, so he said:

"Yes, yes, we won."

He laid Regulus’s head gently in his lap. He sighed quietly. James knew he should move him out of the storage room, get help. But he was paralysed. He just knelt there, whispering, begging, trying anything to keep Regulus conscious.

"You'll be okay," he said, though he wasn't sure Regulus could even hear anymore.

Suddenly, Regulus moved his hand. Slowly, he brought the thought bracelet to his head.

What was he doing?

Regulus tried to speak—James leaned in—but couldn’t understand him.

"I love you," James whispered, shell-shocked.

Regulus went completely limp in his arms. A second later James felt his thought bracelet vibrate.

James heard footsteps. Someone was coming. No—they were already there.

A boot struck James hard in the side, and arms yanked him away from Regulus. Hid head hit the ground with a sickening thud.

James didn’t care who these people were. They wanted to tear him away from Regulus, and that made them enemies.

James broke free from the strangling grip and slammed his fist full force into his opponent. The man slid to the ground, and a knife fell from his hand. James bent down to grab it and gripped it tightly. He stabbed and slashed, again and again — and for the first time in his life, he didn’t hold back. He didn’t care that he was seriously hurting or killing people.

Regulus was dead. And it was his fault.

He stabbed the woman who had tried to get past him to Regulus and noticed the green armbands on his attacker’s uniforms. So they weren’t the police, they were the Watch. The Minister's people. No—the President’s. It didn’t matter.

James kept slashing until the knife fell from his hand, slick with blood. Then he used his fists. Someone tripped him and he crashed to the ground. Still, he fought. Then someone hit him square in the chest.

Black spots clouded James’s vision, but he could still hear a strange voice:

"I've never seen anyone fight like this in my life. Keep hold of him."

James felt a needle plunge into his arm. His vision cleared a bit, but all he could make out was a faint silhouette of a person crouched in front of him. Then everything blurred again.

Maybe Regulus is waiting for me somewhere, James thought, as he slipped away into darkness.

Chapter Text

James wasn’t sure whether he was alive or not. The question of what happens after death remained unanswered, but people always consoled themselves with the idea that there would be no pain or suffering afterward.

So why did James have such an incredible headache? He couldn’t move, not even open his eyes. With desperate hope, he cried out:

"Regulus!"

His throat burned and he was terribly thirsty. Also, Regulus wasn’t gone, right?

"You should not be awake yet," a tight voice said.

James finally managed to open his eyes. Every inch of his body hurt. He was sitting in a chair. He tried to stand up, but he was too weak.

No. He was tied up.

Thin ropes wrapped around his neck, stomach, wrists, and ankles. James jerked, causing himself a lot of pain, but he had to get free. The ropes were tight. He thought he might be able to topple the chair… but it was bolted to the ground.

"Don't strain yourself," said the person standing just a few feet away, behind a glass wall. No one else was in the room.

James couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, and it wasn’t because of his pain or confusion. The person wore a black hoodie and wide white pants and had the coldest look James had ever seen. Also very high cheekbones. And shaved head.

James tore his eyes away from the stranger and looked around. He finally realized where he was.

Zone B2, Burgen School, Experimental Room, Isolation Corner.

When James was a student here, he had visited this room three times, each time searching for evidence against the Minister of Security. He never imagined he’d return here, that he would be sitting in the Isolation Corner, tied to a chair.

He turned his attention back to the stranger behind the glass.

"Who are you?" James asked.

The stranger smiled wolfishly.

"Your worst nightmare."

James’s head swam. The pressure in his skull was unbearable and for a while everything went black. When James regained consciousness, two people were standing behind the glass. The stranger from before and the President.

James still couldn’t believe she was behind all of it.

"Welcome among the living, James. I was informed you already met Barty,” she said.

Barty...

James’s brain was slow, but he remembered the name. Regulus once asked him how the Phoenix found out about the Minister’s plan to destroy the Burgensis. James gave a vague answer back then, acting all secretive, but honestly, all he knew was that a spy from Phoenix was planted on Minister’s child. Barty was this child.

So why was Barty standing next to the President now?

"The President controls your father," James said quickly, watching Barty closely for any reaction.

Barty smiled, looked at him with disdain, and said:

“It was so easy to fool you all.”

James was so confused.

“Enough chatter. Is it up and running yet?” the President asked.

“Not yet, just waiting for your order,” Barty answered.

James half hoped the President would refer to Barty with some pronoun, but no such luck.

“Then get to work,” the President said impatiently, moving toward a nearby table outside the glass.

On the table sat a computer with an enormous screen and numerous thick cables. Barty pulled out something that looked like headphones and entered the Isolation Corner. James struggled, trying to break free, but the ropes held firm. Barty placed the “headphones” on James’s head. But they didn’t reach his ears—they just sat tangled in his hair.

James met Barty’s gaze with raw disgust. Whoever this person was, it wasn’t good.

James shook his head, trying to get rid of them. However, the “headphones” did not move, they were stuck as if glued to his scalp.

Barty bent down and picked up a thick cable lying on the ground a short distance from the chair. James followed the cable with his eyes until it led him to the computer behind the glass barrier. Someone had to drill a tiny hole in the glass barrier to make this possible.

Barty silently connected the cable to the device attached to James's head, then turned and left the Isolation Corner without a word.

Then Barty went to the computer keyboard and began typing, the President looking over their shoulder.

James flinched because the “headphones” on his head had begun to hum softly. A slow, satisfied smile crept across the President’s face, and James knew he was in trouble.

“Are all the members of Phoenix at the base now?” the President asked an odd question.

Not all of them, James thought, reliving Regulus’s death.

“It works really well,” said President Dolores contently.

“So the boy had a thought bracelet linked to the one on his arm?” Barty asked, eyes fixed on the screen.

The President nodded and James was sure he was completely out of his mind because he hadn’t said a word about Regulus.

“And he is dead?” the President asked.

Barty rubbed a hand over his head, as if searching for nonexistent hair and replied.

“Yes, 100%. He was taken away with the other twelve dead.”

“What are you doing?!” James shouted, his voice cracking.

Barty met his eyes and answered:

“We can see all your thoughts. Look.”

He turned the screen toward James. There, on the monitor, was Regulus, lying on the ground, bleeding out. Then the image froze and a few colored lines appeared on the screen.

Barty quickly turned the screen back around. James couldn’t believe he had just seen his thought. It wasn’t just a picture, it was an actual recording of Regulus’s death.

“Barty, are you out of your mind? We don’t know what effect it might have on him,” the President hissed sharply.

Okay, so she wasn’t exactly warm to Barty, James noted. So why was Barty on her side? Why didn’t they fight her, especially if they knew what she did to Minister Bartemius?

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s fixed now,” Barty blurted, flustered, as James struggled to understand how the device worked. One thing was certain. He had to be careful what he thought about.

“Take his bracelet. Just to be sure,” the President ordered.

Regulus had sent James a thought before he died. That thought was all he had left. And now Barty was going to take it.

James lost all his remaining bits of sanity. He thrashed against the restraints, screaming at the top of his lungs, even though he knew it was pointless. The summer break had just started today. The school would be empty for two whole months.

Barty approached cautiously. James could no longer scream, the rope around his neck was choking him, but it didn't matter. He would kill Barty if they so much as touched the bracelet.

He twisted violently. Suddenly, his right hand broke free—not because the rope had loosened, but because the wooden back of the chair had splintered. A jagged piece clattered to the ground with the rope still coiled around it.

Barty’s eyes widened in fear. The President said something—but James didn’t hear her. The noose around his neck loosened faster than he expected. When he managed to tear off the rope that bound his leg, Barty started to back away.

James felt his nails breaking, his fingers bleeding, but he managed to free himself from all the ropes. He tore the device from his head and slammed it to the ground. Barty had already closed the Isolation Corner door shut, retreating behind the glass. But James didn’t care. He charged at the glass as if it weren’t there and lammed into it full force.

Pain shot through his shoulder but the door didn’t budge. Barty still jumped back. James kept slamming his fists into the glass barrier again and again. Then he smelled something sweet in the air.

“Nitrogen oxide. A wonderful compound,” the President said from the other side.

James shouted:

“Let me go!”

He was in prison. Again.

James hit the glass until his fists went numb, each blow weaker.
Still, he didn’t stop, even as his foot slipped and he fell to the ground. He couldn't even keep his eyes open, but he kept screaming for help.

With all his strength, he pressed both palms to the glass and begged:

"Let me go... to him."

When James came to, he was tied to the chair again. This time his hands were bound behind his back, not with rope, but with police cuffs. He didn't need to see his wrist to know that the Thought Bracelet was gone.
At that moment, he wanted to die.

He didn’t bother to lift his eyes from the ground when he heard the President’s voice:

“Now, James, how about you show me where the base of the Phoenix is.”

James spent countless hours studying the map on the touch-screen in Regulus’s apartment. He almost thought of the red dot that marked the base, but stopped himself at the last second and instead showed the President the location of all the cameras in Burgensis.

“C’mon James,” President Dolores said, her words dripping with venom.

James was shaking with concentration. He thought about the lightning. About Regulus. About the forest. About Regulus.

“You’re wasting your time. You have no chance to escape and you have to think about the base sooner or later,” President spat.

James thought of Regulus’s death. It was in his mind on replay every second. The President repeated her question several more times, but James only thought of Regulus.

How he had kissed him for the first time, and how he had kissed James right back, sealing their fate for good.

How his blood had stained James's fingers.

How the stars had reflected off his eyes.

How James had been torn from Regulus and he had fallen limp to the ground.

None of the president's questions had a chance to penetrate these memories.

But she didn’t give up and kept on asking about the location of the base over and over. James’s eyes were blurry from concentration. He never realized the quantum of stuff that was going through his mind at any given moment. The harder he tried not to think about the base, the harder it was. James thought of prison, of chemical formulas, of suffocating Barty.

After what seemed like hours to James, the President said to Barty, who was watching with sick fascination:

“Get what we need to know from him.”

Then she promptly left the Experiment Room.

Barty walked close to the glass. Their eyes had a gleam James didn’t like one bit.

“Tell me, James, what are you afraid of?”

James couldn’t stop the thought about the syringes. Barty laughed.

“The syringes are probably in this room somewhere. If you don’t tell me where the base is, I’ll have to look for them.”

James forced his mind to cooperate. The fate of all the members of Phoenix depended on one thought. Fear of needles was nothing compared to the fear of his people being put in danger because of him. He would do anything to protect the base - his home. Also, everyone but him and Regulus made it out. Remus and Sirius would take of everything. All James had to do was focus.

“What happened to Evan?” Barty asked suddenly, their tone shifting a bit.

“To who?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know…” Barty narrowed their eyes, scanning the screen in disbelief.

It confirmed that James truly didn’t know any Evan. Barty looked on the verge of collapse.

“The boy who was supposed to be spying on me. Who was so stupid he believed my lies. I was already working with the President when he attempted to spy on me. So I told him what the President wanted you Phoenix to believe. Evan even begged me to come with him to the base, to protect me,” Barty said, his voice borderline desperate.

James’s brows furrowed with concentration. He remembered the blond guy very vaguely.

“That’s him,” Barty muttered, not taking their eyes off the screen. “Is he still at the base?”

“He’s gone,” James answered truthfully.

Barty turned sharply, glaring at James. At that moment, they truly looked like a nightmare come alive—tight jaw, clenched fists, trembling rage beneath a cold exterior.

“Gone where?”

Barty was shaking now. James didn’t fully understand why—it had all happened years ago.

“I should ask you. He wanted to come after you,” James said.

He remembered this vividly. The spy - Evan - came to his father and asked for asylum for Barty, but Monty refused to hide a child of the Minister at the base. He and Evan had quite an argument, which resulted in Evan’s mission being cancelled. Also, Evan was forbidden to return to Barty, but he didn’t listen. He left the base and never came back.

James didn’t mind Barty seeing those memories. They weren’t that important.

Barty looked like someone had slapped them.

“I have to go,” they said abruptly, and then turned and ran from the room.

A woman entered just after they disappeared, her green armband identifying her as a member of the Watch. She didn’t look at James, only focused on the screen in front of her. Her expression was unreadable.
James studied her for a moment.

If he revealed the base location now, would the President and Barty believe her? Surely the system stored his every passing thought. It didn’t matter that the Watch member seemed more invested in scrolling through her cell phone than watching him. His mind couldn’t hesitate.

So James submerged himself in technical notes on the thought bracelets, every detail he’d memorized. Information he knew better than the back of his own hand.

Neither the President nor Barty returned. Time blurred—minutes or hours or days passed. Eventually, James fell asleep from exhaustion.

“Please, please no!” Regulus screamed.
James watched his own hands load the gun and raise it.
“I don’t want to die, please,” Regulus sobbed.
James pulled the trigger.

He didn’t wake up but in the morning, he remembered the dream with razor-sharp clarity. James could still feel the device on his head still working. The member of the Watch who was supposed to be watching him was sleeping on a chair in a very uncomfortable-looking position.

James knew it was still early. He needed less sleep than the rest of the people. Especially less than Regulus, who could sleep until lunchtime. James refused to accept that he was gone, even though he died in his arms. Everything that happened since he set foot in the hospital felt wrong, the same way his fever dreams felt.

Yeah, maybe James had a fever again. Because if this was real, it would mean Regulus died because of James. He had grabbed Regulus and turned his back to danger, leaving him vulnerable.

Regulus was the only thing on James’s mind until Barty flung the door open and said, far too cheerfully:

“Good morning.”

The Watch woman disappeared from the room. James showed Barty how the woman who was supposed to be guarding him had slept on duty. For a moment, Barty’s eyes flashed with such anger that James almost felt sorry for her.

Barty, by contrast, looked like they hadn’t slept in days, but their eyes were sharp and alert.

“What are you thinking about today?” they asked, their voice carrying a slightly insane edge.

James leaned forward slightly.

“Are you a man or a woman?” he asked, saying it aloud, even though Barty could read his thoughts on the computer screen.

To his surprise, Barty didn’t get angry. Didn't threaten to stab James with syringes.

“Neither,” Barty said.

“What do you mean?” James asked. He wasn’t particularly interested, but a topic that wasn’t about the location of the base was a good topic.

“Or both,” Barty added with a smile.

James frowned. “So… how should I address you?

“Best if you don’t address me at all,” Barty said, fake cheerfulness replaced with coldness.

“Why are you working with the President?” James asked, desperate to keep the conversation going.

“None of your business,” Barty spat out.

“Are you under mind control too?”

Barty laughed. Their eyes sparkled with something dangerous.

“I’d love to see someone try to control my mind.”

James believed Barty, believed that they were helping the President to blow up Burgensis willingly, he just didn’t understand why. But he knew Barty would not reveal this, so he let his mind spiral.

It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault, on the loop, as he relived Regulus’s death over and over.

Later, James found a new pastime. Counting. One plus one equals two. Two plus two equals four. Three plus three… He made a few mistakes, wondering if Barty would notice. They didn't. James was on number 5 565 when the member of the Watch who had been watching him at night brought a tray with food. Barty snatched the tray from her hands and walked into the Isolation Corner with it.

“Here is your lunch,” they said as they plopped the tray down on James’s lap.

“I’m going to take off your handcuffs,” Barty said, their voice sharp. “But if you try anything, I swear you’ll never eat again. Ever. Got it?”

Barty did release James’s hands and stepped back, creating a safe distance. Wisely. James wasn’t hungry, but then he noticed a knife on the tray. He began eating slowly, hoping Barty would leave the Isolation corner. They didn’t, which wasn’t ideal but James didn’t care. When Barty turned their attention to something else, James raised the knife and drew it across his wrist. He knew the President would kill him the second he revealed the location of the base. But if he died now, the Phoenix would be safe.

The blood came fast. James’s plate hit the floor with a sharp clang, but it didn’t drown out Barty’s curses. James closed his eyes, letting the darkness swallow him. He was ready. He just wanted to see Regulus again.

When James opened his eyes, Barty was leaning against the outside of the Isolation Corner. James’s hands were cuffed behind his back, but he could feel the tight bandage wrapped around his right wrist. He cursed himself for not cutting deeper.

“Hey, can you hear me?”

James blinked, trying to focus on Barty.

“You almost ruined everything!” Barty hissed. “You almost robbed me of my future.”

“What future?” James asked.

Barty hesitated. For a moment, it seemed like they might not answer. But then, like they couldn’t help themselves:

“After Burgensis is destroyed, I will rule.”

James stared.

“You’ll rule what? Everything will be blown up.”

James knew Barty was crazy, but were they also… stupid?

“It’s none of your business,” Barty snapped. “You won’t live to see it anyway.”

Oddly, that brought James a sense of relief. The idea of this unstable person being handed power by the President was nauseating. They only felt powerful when someone else was beneath them.

Barty turned to the screen. James hoped they would take a good look at what he thought. Barty gave no reaction so James forced himself to focus on math. 83565 plus 83565 equals...

“Don’t kill me, James! Come on!”
Regulus was shaking. James loaded his gun.
“You were supposed to protect me!”
James fired, but the bullet didn’t hit Regulus, but his father.

James woke up with a jolt.

“Fascinating.”

James couldn’t even see Barty, it was pitch dark around, but he recognised their voice.

Could Barty see his dreams?

“Yep, I can,” Barty said, moving closer to the computer and into James’s line of vision.

“Now, wanna tell me where the base is?” they asked, trying to catch James off guard.

James thought of Regulus in his silver shirt, on the day of the Celebration. When they were dancing together back then, James felt so happy, because when he was in Burgen prison, he thought he would never dance again. And now, he felt like crying, because he would never have the chance to dance with Regulus again.

At that moment, the fact that his love is gone - dead - fully hit James. The feeling was physical, the pain exploded in his chest. He screamed and cried and begged. Barty looked terrified at first because they didn’t understand what happened to James. But after they listened to James’s curses and cries, they figured out what was going on. Barty moved closer to the glass barrier but didn’t dare to step inside. For a second James thought he saw a flicker of some emotion in their eyes - pity or compassion, but he was too swallowed up in his pain to care.

He lost Regulus. It was his fault and it was the President’s fault. How could she? When James lifted his eyes, Barty was nowhere to be seen. He wept until the sun rose.

Barty kept their promise. Even after five days—or what James assumed were five days—he hadn’t received any food. He drank water only during the brief bathroom trips he was allowed each morning and evening. Only during those few minutes did he have a reprieve from the device on his head.

The first time Barty took off the “headphones,” James cried in relief. Barty laughed and immediately put them back on for another hour. When James was taken to the bathroom for the first time—two Watch members flanking him, guns pressed to his back—James had tried to run. He hadn’t expected to escape. The school was definitely locked. He just hoped the members of the Watch would shoot him. But his body was too weak. He couldn’t even manage a full step before collapsing.

Apart from short trips to the bathroom, James was always tied to the chair. He often drifted out of touch with reality, because how was he supposed to face the fact that Regulus was gone?

The President came now and then, but usually, she didn’t speak at all. Which meant James’s only option for conversation was Barty. James hated them with every fiber of his being. Most of the time, he had two goals: To distract Barty from asking questions about the Phoenix. And to piss them off as much as possible.

Their most memorable conversation began with James trying to get a rise out of Barty. It went like this:

“Why does the President want to know the location of the base?”

“Mind your business,” Barty snapped.

James didn’t understand the President’s obsession with the base. If she really was going to blow up Burgensis, why did she care about one building?

“Do you know at all? The President certainly doesn’t tell you everything,” James said in smug tone.

Barty turned to him, eyes blazing.

“I know everything I need to.”

“Why are you helping her? She mind controls your father, does family mean nothing to you?”

James had asked Barty this question multiple times before, but never received a proper explanation. He was surprised when Barty’s unusually quiet voice filled the silence.

“My father was a very bad man. Like would put your hand between the hinges and shut the door kind of bad,” they said.

They moved from the computer and sat on the ground for some godforsaken reason.

“It took my mother a long time to realize it. When she finally did, she ran away. But she left me with him.”

Barty wrapped their arms around themselves.

“I felt helpless my whole life. When I was seventeen, the President showed up. She brought three guys with her. They pinned my father to the wall and stuck something in the back of his neck.”

Their eyes gleamed.

“Then she gave the order: ‘You will do whatever I tell you. You won’t tell anyone about today. Never.’ And he... he just obeyed her. My father - the most terrifying man I have ever known - was helpless. Just like I was all those years.”

Barty looked at James, their voice almost trembling.

“Then the President turned to me. Said, ‘Do you want to end up like your father, or do you want to join me?’”

Barty’s lips curled up slightly.

“Easiest decision I’ve ever made. The President saved me. I’ll be forever grateful.”

The silence stretched for a while. James now understood why Barty was working with the President, but still…

“Don’t you care about the thousands of people who will die?” James asked.

“Why should I? Teachers, classmates, neighbors, the whole street knew who my father was. No one came to help me when I begged them to. I have no reason to save them now.”

James was horrified, but not entirely convinced that Barty meant it.

“Just because your father was bad, you’re going to condemn almost all of humanity?” he pushed.

“Leave me alone! Don’t I deserve to be on top for once?”

“Just be careful not to become your father.”

James immediately regretted his words. He was sure that he would be punished for them. But Barty just got up and left the room. For the next few days, James’s only company was a woman with a green armband.

Chapter Text

James felt himself growing weaker and weaker every day. He wasn’t getting any food - Barty stayed true to their promise. He also wasn’t sleeping at night, because of the dreams, so he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

He hoped he wouldn’t last much longer.

It felt like he had been tied to the chair for years. In the beginning, he had been aware of the passing days, but he had lost the track long ago. James had asked Barty what day it was a few times. They either didn’t answer or gave clearly fake date.

Two or three nights ago, James had woken up from a nightmare with three syringes stuck in his thigh. He had hated the feeling of something foreign inside his body.

“Put those syringes away!” he had shouted, waking Barty.

“What syringes, you asshole?”

“The ones in my leg,” James whimpered.

“You don’t have anything in your leg,” Barty had said, and for once their tone had sounded almost... worried.

When James woke up the next morning, the syringes were gone. He still had no idea if they were real.

“You’re at your limit, aren’t you?”

James raised his heavy eyes to the President. Where was Barty? They hadn’t been in the experiment room that night nor in the morning.

“Barty has other responsibilities than being your babysitter,” the President said casually. “I’ll keep you company all day today.”

James no longer had the strength to fear her, not the way he had in the beginning. He couldn’t believe he had ever thought she was inconspicuous. Today, her presence filled the entire room. Even the darkness in the corners of the room covered before her.

“You’re like all those men out there,” she said. “They respect the one who shouts the loudest, and they never listen to anyone else.”

She paused, then added, her voice sharper:

“My father was the same. He liked attention. That was his biggest flaw.”

Her father was a former president, James had almost forgotten that. He was too weak to speak aloud, so he formed a question silently in his mind:

Did you become President because of your father?

“I became President despite my father.”

A flicker of curiosity stirred inside James’s dull mind.

To his surprise, the President began to speak:

“My father did everything for Burgensis. He wanted to fix the city, the homelessness, the poverty, but as the years went by - my father was the longest-serving president, did you know? - he realized that it was a losing battle.
He was desperate, but then he discovered Colony. A city in the south of Burgensis. They used technology, but they were lacking in some areas, and my father decided to help them. He traded Burgensis for Colony. He traded our family…”

The President stopped to take a deep breath. James didn't understand why she was sharing all this with him. She knew the value information held. And then it hit him. There was no way he was ever going to get out of here.

“My father wanted to leave for Colony for good. I told him I wanted to become President in his stead and he laughed in my face. Told me I was just a stupid girl. So I made sure he would not reach the Colony ever in his life.”

James swallowed. He didn’t dare to ask for details.

“But why do you want to destroy Burgensis” James still didn’t understand this.

“Is all about the scales, dear boy. The bombs need testing. I am going to start with the Phoenix base - destruction on a smaller scale. Then I will move to the whole Burgensis. And then, finally, to Colony. My father’s precious Colony,” she said in a mocking tone.

James’s head swam.

“So, you want to bomb Burgensis only to make sure you will be able to destroy the Colony?”

“Yes, exactly. I don’t particularly care about Burgensis. But the Colony has to go,” she said.

If there was some food in James’s stomach, he would throw up right then.

The President added:

“Oh, don’t look so horrified, I already started a civil war there a few years back, there will not be much left of it anyways. And I borrowed some of their nice hovercrafts to carry my bombs and drop them down on Burgensis.”

James was too far gone to even register the full meaning of those words.

The President attacked, trying to catch James off guard:

“Where is the base?”

Over and over.

James filled his mind with emptiness. With dark, blank spaces. The President kept repeating the question for hours. Then she stood and left. James collapsed into sleep, broken by exhaustion.

Barty showed up after some time. Time… it was a funny word. It had lost all meaning for James. He couldn't even walk to the bathroom anymore, he had to be supported by the guards the whole time. Each time he went to sleep, he hoped he would not wake up in the morning. He was genuinely surprised he managed to not think about the location of the base this long. Barty and President Dolores certainly did not see this coming and their frustrations grew bigger with each passing day.

"You look hungry. If you'd ask nicely, I could get you some food," Barty said nonchalantly one day.

"You're lying."

James knew all Barty’s tricks by now.

"I'm not a liar, unlike all of you from Phoenix."

"The Phoenix members are honest," James said, defending his people.

"Well, your Regulus isn’t," Barty muttered.

They had seen practically every memory James had of Regulus. You could say that Barty knew him almost as well as James did. They had seen every kiss, countless times and had even rated each one and made a list. For Barty, the kiss in front of the base door had been the winner—fireworks above their heads, the future ahead of them. They had once asked what Regulus looked like naked, and James had been infinitely grateful he had nothing to offer them. Nothing but his imagination.

Yes, Regulus hadn’t always been honest—but he had been when it mattered.

“He wasn’t,” James corrected Barty. Past tense.

Barty tensed.

“Yes, of course. I just wanted to say that you guys couldn’t be trusted,” they said and ran a hand through their almost nonexistent hair.

“And the President can be trusted?” James snapped. “She wouldn’t hesitate to inject you with that mind-control serum the moment you stopped being useful to her.”

Barty was about to answer, but the door to the Experiment Room opened.

“You’re insulting me here, and I got you lunch,” Barty said dramatically.

The Watch member set a tray of food on the table and left without a word. James was ready to beg, but Barty, without much ado, walked inside the isolation corner, placed the tray on James’s lap, and untied his handcuffs.

“And I won’t get any fork or knife?” James asked, never missing a chance to piss Barty off.

They ignored him. James felt dizzy just from the smell of the food. He didn’t care that there was no cutlery. He ate with his hands, not even bothering to see what he was swallowing.

Only when he was licking the plate clean did he finally speak:

“What have I done to deserve this?”

Barty approached and cuffed his hands again.

“You? Absolutely nothing,” they replied.

James didn’t have the strength to think about those words. The next day, he got food again, but he was so sick to his stomach that he didn't even touch it. He was afraid Barty would be upset, but trays of food landed on his lap every other day, without fail. With the food came energy—which wasn’t exactly a good thing, because James’s brain was no longer apathetic. It was getting harder not to think about the base. But he persisted.

James woke up to the President and Barty walking into the Experiment Room. Their faces reflected undisguised excitement.

The President walked over to the glass of the Isolation Corner and said, with a small smile:

“Today is the end of it.”

Barty pulled out a syringe from their pocket.

They’re going to torture me, James thought immediately.

Barty entered the Isolation Corner, and although James fought back, the contents of the injection were circulating in his veins within moments.

James snapped at Barty: “What did you inject me with?”

“You’ll find out soon,” the President said with a small smile.

After half an hour, James was beginning to think that this was all a psychological trick, because nothing was happening. He didn’t understand what was in the syringe or what it was supposed to do. He couldn’t feel any pain. He felt a little dizzy, but that wasn’t unusual. The President paced up and down the room. Barty sat at the computer, feet propped on the desk. Their feet were big. Huge. James felt like the longer he stared at them, the bigger they grew. He also felt like he was looking through fog. Had Barty released sleeping gas again? James blinked a few times, but his vision remained hazy.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, you deserve some relaxation, Barty said, cruelty lacing their words.

Gunshots. James heard gunshots.

He had to get out of the Isolation Corner, out of the handcuffs and ropes, or...

“Stop it, James, and tell me where the base is.”

The President was standing at the computer, staring imploringly at the screen. Her hair was burning. No—it was just a reflection of light.

“No,” James said.

The map in his mind was blurry at first. He had to concentrate incredibly hard to remember the green dot that marked the base.

Oh no. No, no, no.

“I’m going to order a drop of a test bomb immediately,” the President said with a smile.

James couldn’t believe it. He had revealed the location of his home. The syringe… they drugged him.

“You’ll keep an eye on everything from here,” the President ordered Barty.

“And when it’s over, can I take care of him like you promised?” they nodded at James.

The President didn’t spare him a single look.

“Yes. You can kill him right after the explosion,” she said.

When the door closed behind her, Barty was silent for a moment. James had expected them to jump two meters in the air with joy—
but they were grim. They walked over to the computer.

“How do I get to the base?” they asked, urgently.

James struggled to control his mind. He thought of something, but Barty couldn’t possibly assemble a full picture from that.

“We don’t have time for this,” they blurted out. “This is your last chance.”

Maybe this was all a trick. Maybe the President wanted to fool him. Dropping a bomb on a building in the middle of the city? That was insane. James certainly wasn’t about to let Barty know anything about the base’s security.

“You really are useless,” they said, slamming his hands on the table.

The last thing James saw before passing out was Barty running out of the Experiment Room.

James wasn’t in the Isolation Corner now, but he was sitting in a regular corner, his back against a cold wall. He was really tired of waking up in unfamiliar places. The room was high-ceilinged and windowless with a single door close to him. The walls were made of metal. The large pieces were roughly bolted together with screws the size of James’s fist.

He didn’t have time to examine his surroundings any further, though, because a gun was pointed at him.

“I didn’t want to kill you while you were tied up or unconscious. So here we are,” Barty said and they let a gun hang from their fingers as if it were a toy.

“What happened to the Phoenix?” James whispered.

“Dead,” Barty replied flatly, their face emotionless, but they backed away a little.

They had expected James to attack or try something. But he just sat on the ground. Defeated.

“Do you have any last wish?” Barty asked.

James wished Barty would finally shoot him. They would have if the lights hadn’t gone out.

Darkness fell instantly, James couldn’t see a thing but he heard the sound of a door opening and quick footsteps. His eyes had only begun to adjust when something was placed over his head. Something like a sack—but around the neck, it had a solid part, metal or plastic, that held it firmly in place. There was silence for a moment. No movement.

Then—Gunshots. Silence again. Footsteps. A thud, like someone hitting a wall.

Then Barty cried out:

“Ouch!”

The footsteps approached James. Someone grabbed him and made him stand up. James didn’t fight the stranger. He let himself be pulled somewhere, hoping someone would fucking kill him already.

The Phoenix… they couldn’t all be dead. Just… not his mom. Not Sirius.

The stranger shoved James forward. He could swear he heard the wind blowing below him. Suddenly, they stopped and James was pushed down - made to sit down on a bench. He still couldn’t see a thing. The stranger gripped his hand roughly, gave him something, and walked away.

The bench James was sitting on began to shake. The floor was shaking too. He felt a sudden jolt; almost fell off the bench. James felt himself moving, but at the same time, he was sitting still. Was he on a bus? He needed to get rid of the bag on his head.

But first… the thing the stranger had put in his hands. It was his thought bracelet, James recognized it by touch instantly. He put it on his wrist without thinking. Now his hands were free to take off the thing from his head. After a while, the part around his neck gave out. James threw the sack on the floor and stood up.

He was in some kind of metal cube. The ceiling began about 15 centimeters above his head. No windows. James still felt that he was moving, but he was sure that he wasn’t on a bus now. This thing was more stable. He sat back on the bench, wondering where he was going, who had saved him, how much oxygen he had left…

All these thoughts, however, fell silent when James looked at the thought bracelet on his hand. The light was shitty, but he could see that the bracelet gleamed silver.

It was Regulus’s.

James blinked hard. He had programmed the bracelet to recognize the fingerprint of the person who put it on, which meant only Regulus could unclasp the bracelet. But he couldn’t do so, because he was dead. If James had received the bracelet clasped, it would simply mean someone had taken it off Regulus’s hand forcefully. But he had received it unclasped. James stared and stared at it—until the cube he was in stopped moving. The wall on his right split in half and opened.

A village spread out before him. Or not exactly a village, just some land, barracks, and a few people hurrying toward him. James stepped out of the metal cube. He heard a strange sound—something between crashing and humming. It shifted in rhythm but never stopped. Beads of sweat formed on James’s face. It was hot here, the air he inhaled was sharp, and warmer with every breath. He thought he was still under the influence of that hallucinogenic serum the President had injected him with.

The people running towards him came close enough for James to hear them:

"Welcome to the second level of the prison!"

"You don't have to worry about anything, you're safe!”

"What's your name?"

“Let the boss know!”

Voices shouted over each other. James had only one thing on his mind: He had to check if there was anything stored on Regulus’s bracelet and he had to check it now.

“Excuse me, please let me pass,” James said, starting to walk away.

The crowd was small, barely a dozen people. But James spent god knows how long in the isolation corner, his only human contact Barty and the President. Now, people were close to him, pressing around him, talking far too loudly and he was very close to losing his shit. Plus James’s legs barely supported his weight. He had to get away. He tried to move past two men, but one stepped directly into his path.

“Wait, don’t you want us to tell you where you are?”

James knew the man was only trying to help, but he needed to move. To breathe.

“No, let me pass,” James said.

“There are rules—”

“Leave me alone!” he screamed and shoved the man out of his way.

Before, James might have been able to knock him to the ground. Now, he probably didn’t even leave a bruise. He had never felt weaker.

The man stepped aside, and James stumbled away—moving as fast as his body allowed. He needed privacy. After what must have been at least a month in the Isolation Corner, running felt unnatural. The freedom of putting one foot in front of the other felt foreign, but he kept stumbling forward. Every time he thought he was alone, he saw people again.

Some called out after him and James even thought he heard:

“Albert! Is that you?!”

He must be have been going crazy.

Everything around him looked the same. Ruined. Torn apart. Something terrible had happened here. Finally, James reached a concrete wall. It stretched as far as he could see, curving slightly—like a circle.

With my luck, I’m in prison again, he thought.

James couldn’t run any further. His legs gave out and he slid down against the wall. He was exhausted, every part of his body hurt. But he had to do this. He lifted the bracelet to his head.

Regulus’s memories hit him all at once. From the beginning, from the day they met. This had to be the thing Regulus had wanted to send to him before he… before…

James buried his face in his hands and cried. Regulus loved him. And only now did he truly understand how real it had been. James loved him too, of course, but he never said so, because he thought Regulus couldn’t feel the same, not as intensely. But he did.

And Regulus had regretted nothing. James could believe he was the boy in those memories. What had he done to deserve to be loved like that? He sobbed so hard his stomach muscles twitched. Regulus’s thoughts, his memories, his emotions—they flooded James’s mind and blended with his own until nothing made sense anymore. Regulus didn’t want James to blame himself for his death. But it was his fault. All of it was his fault.

“Hey, are you ready to talk to me, or do you need more time?”

James raised his head. The sun was shining directly into his eyes, so he couldn’t see who was standing in front of him. James laughed bitterly. All the time in the world would not be enough for him.

He stood up and looked at the person before him. A few things clicked. James realized he knew where he was—from Regulus’s memories. Or more exactly, from Lily’s. The island prison. And he knew who was standing before him, thanks to Barty.

“Hello James, I know you probably don’t remember me, but I am from Phoenix too and—”

“Hello Evan,” James said.

He looked older and had a lot more facial hair than James remembered, but it was unmistakably him.

Evan was about to say something, but James was faster:

“There is no Phoenix anymore. They dropped a bomb on us. Everyone is dead.”

Evan stared at James with his mouth open.

“But what about Effie and—” Evan said weakly.

James’s expression clouded. Maybe it was the fact that he could finally think and speak freely, maybe because he realised he was prisoner again, he began to ramble:

“Don’t waste your breath, there’s no one left. My mother, father—oh, he actually died a few months earlier trying to save me—Sirius, Remus, Mary, Poppy—do you remember Poppy?"

Evan wanted to say something, but James wasn’t done. Once the dam was open, the words just kept coming.

“And you didn't even know Regulus,” James wheezed, “He was amazing. Who else? Lily, Arcturus... and you know what's the worst? I didn't even know most of those people. I was their commander—oh, you don't even know that—and what happened? They're all dead.”

James would continue, but he couldn’t breathe anymore. Not only did he cause his father’s and Regulus’s death, he killed all the Phoenix.

Evan stayed silent. There were no words for that kind of loss. Then, carefully, he placed a hand on James’s shoulder. For a moment, all that could be heard was the wind and that weird rhythmic beating—a symbolic minute of silence for all of them.

Then Evan said quietly:

“Whatever happened, James, I’m sorry. I know it’s terrible, but you have to tell me more. It doesn’t have to be today.”

Evan excluded strength and kindness at the same time and that was rare. James didn’t deserve his sympathy. But if Evan really wanted the truth, he knew he had to tell him now. He wouldn’t have the courage any other time.

“I’ll tell you everything.”

“Okay. Dinner shouldn’t be here for another hour, we have time.”

“Dinner?” James asked.

“They’re bringing us food from Burgensis Prison by the Underground- it’s a vehicle that brought you there. Whatever is brought now has to last us for the next 24 hours.”

Regulus’s and Lily’s memories slowly began to settle in James’s mind. He connected it to what he had learned from the President and hated that it made sense.

Evan was still talking, but James interrupted him:

“The prisoners escaped from this prison more than a year back. Or better, they were set free because some people wanted Minerva dead. It started a civil war in Colony.”

Evan looked at James in shock.

“How do you know?”

“Doesn’t matter. Just tell me what happened after,” James said.

Evan sighed:

“Honestly? I’m not sure. I came here after the prisoners were freed. But from what I heard, Minerva’s side claimed she was innocent, her opponents wanted her dead, and on top of that the prisoners killed everyone in their path—even the people who set them free. It was terrible chaos. People were constantly changing sides, no one knew who they were fighting with or what they were fighting for. It ended when the leader of the prisoners was killed. From what I heard, he was crazy—killed everyone who dared to look at him. His name was Frank.”

“Frank?” James asked. Could it be?

“Yes. I heard he was not right in the head. Always the first line in the battle, always jumping in the way of bullets, like he had a death wish. Did you know him?”

James didn’t. But Sirius and Remus did—in Regulus’s memories. And Regulus also knew Alice, the girl in the flowery jumper, the one who died in the protest in the C Zones.

The one whose death could’ve pushed Frank beyond return. So when Frank got the chance to fight—and probably get killed—he didn’t hesitate.

“No, I didn’t know him,” James said.

Evan looked at him skeptically but continued:

“In the same fight that Frank died in, Minerva got badly wounded which forced her to form an agreement with the citizens of Colony and the remaining prisoners. The parliament was established, and prisoners were allowed to stay as a free people. Minerva died a few weeks later.”

“So what are you doing there?” James asked.

“The prisoners from Burgensis kept coming here, so someone had to stay behind. Cas - one of the members of parliament - flies here on hovercraft - that’s a flying machine - once a month and picks people up and flies them to Colony.”

“So there is no security?” James said slowly.

“No. The only thing keeping us there is the sea. And someone who can fly the hovercraft.”

They walked quietly for a while, then Evan added absentmindedly:

“Cas was supposed to show up about a week back, so I’m a bit worried… But you were supposed to tell me what happened in Burgensis!” Evan exclaimed.

James’s head was reeling. He was still failing to grasp that no one was reading his thoughts. But he was also dead tired. Even standing for ten minutes felt agonizing.

“Maybe you can tell me while taking a shower,” Evan said.

And James forgot all about his exhaustion—because shower sounded very fucking good.

Thankfully, the showers were close. The structure of the shower walls was wooden, which was weird—but at least there was privacy. Something that had been taken from James. Evan handed him some clean clothes from the bag slung over his shoulder—one James hadn’t even noticed until now—and gently pushed him inside.

There were four shower heads, separated by wooden planks. James turned on the shower closest to him. The water that started to flow out after a while was disgustingly warm. But James hadn’t been able to shower or change clothes for the entire time he was in Isolation corner. He had washed his hair in the sink a few times, but eventually, he couldn’t even bring himself to do that. The dirt on his body was already a part of him. He couldn’t begin to imagine how terrible he must have looked.

He undressed and slowly stepped under the stream of water. He just stood there for a moment, feeling the drops hit his skin. Then he cried with bliss.

Only when Evan scolded him for wasting water and nagged him to start talking did James pick up a flimsy-looking bar of soap and begin to roughly scrub the dirt off himself. The shower had calmed him down enough that he was finally able to tell Evan what had happened to him and Regulus over the past few months. Evan was a surprisingly good listener. He didn’t interrupt James—until he mentioned Barty.

It went like this:

“I woke up and Barty was—” James was saying.

“Barty? My Barty?”

This was the first time Evan raised his voice that day.

James turned off the water. He had to have this conversation with Evan face-to-face. This was the last thing he had to do, and then he could return to Regulus’s memories. He found the last timbers of his strength, got dressed, and walked out of the showers.

Evan looked ready to jump out of his skin, a stark contrast to the calm demeanor he had maintained until now.

“I think we should sit down for this conversation,” James said.

Not a conversation about the death of everyone they knew— No, they had to sit down to talk about fucking Barty.

Evan wordlessly led James to his house. It was quite a pleasant house, with flowers on the windowsill, even. James stared at the overgrown flowerpots, dumbstruck. They were in the middle of a prison. Evan could probably kill a man with his bare hands—and yet, there were flowers on his windowsill.

James felt like the flowers were mocking him. He took a deep breath. One more thing. He had to do one more thing and then he didn’t have to do anything else, ever. The door to Evan’s house wasn’t locked. A rather stupid move in prison, if you asked James.

They sat down in the kitchen. There were blankets, a tablecloth, and warmth. How Evan had managed to build a home in prison, James had no idea.

“So, Barty?” Evan asked in a small voice. Even his hands were nervously squeezing the tablecloth.

“Right. Evan, listen… the Barty you remember is probably not the person Barty is now. They aren’t a good person.”

Evan’s eyes bulged a little:

“You said ‘they.’”

James sighed and ran a hand down his face. Why did he have to do this?

“Yeah, Barty is… well…” James honestly had no idea how to explain this. He was so underprepared.

“I know. It’s just that back then, no one else but me knew,” Evan said softly.

James blinked.

“Okay, Evan I need to hear your version of meeting Barty, because I am lost.”

Evan obliged:

“Your father sent me to spy on Barty, because they were a child of the Minister of Security, and he had been acting suspiciously for quite some time. Barty told me that their father wanted to overthrow the President and seize power of Burgensis by force.”

Evan took a deep breath and continued:

“I spent a lot of time with Barty, I… I found out their father beat them. So I went to your father and begged him to let Barty come to the base and hide there. But he refused and forbade me to see them again. I didn’t listen, I went to Barty, but when I got to their house, the police were already there. I got thrown to Burgen prison and after some time I was transferred there.”

Evan demanded James’s version then, so although he didn’t want to, James told him the truth. About Barty helping the President. How they relished in his pain. What they and the President had done to James to find out where the base was. How Barty would have killed him if someone hadn’t stopped them.

Evan’s expression changed while James talked - he went from disbelief to horror to fury. When he was done, Evan was visibly shaking.

“So, you are telling me,” Evan had to take a deep breath before he could continue, “Barty fed me lies the whole time.”

It was true. Barty was working for the President since the beginning and they used Evan to shift Phoenix’s focus on the Minister, which allowed President Dolores to operate without worries.

James spent weeks being practically tortured but in that moment, Evan looked worse than him.

“The part about their father being abusive was true,” James said in a feeble attempt to make Evan feel better.

“If your father allowed me to bring them to base, we would have been destroyed,” Evan whispered.

James didn’t even realise that. Evan almost caused the end of the Phoenix. But luck - or his father’s great intuition- was on their side back then. James didn’t get this lucky and in that moment he was angry that Evan walked away from this situation innocent.

“Barty fooled us all, don’t take it too personally,” James said.

“No, James, you don’t understand. They were… we were…” Evan was choking on his own words.

“What?”

“The whole time I was locked in Burgensis prison and here, do you know what was on my mind constantly?,” Evan said, his tone colder now, “Not my safety. No, I was worried about Barty. I blamed myself for leaving them alone.”

James wanted to say something, but Evan wasn’t done.

“Barty must have thought I was hilarious. Bet they and the President spent their evenings laughing at my expense. And when they got bored, they threw me to prison,” Evan laughed bitterly.

It was probably the truth, but James didn’t dare to say so out loud. Instead, he said:

“I am sorry, Evan. You didn’t deserve it.”

Evan was taking this far worse than James anticipated, considering that when James told him the base was bombed, he remained quite calm.

Evan sighed. “I really need to be alone right now.”

“But-“

“There’s a spare room. You should get some sleep, James,” Evan said, stood up from the table and left.

James didn’t protest. He dragged himself to the room and collapsed into the bed. He did everything he was supposed to and now he could disappear into Regulus’s memories forever. No one would miss him in reality and everyone he loved was in the thought bracelet. James put the bracelet to his temple and didn’t remove the hand for the whole night.

In the morning, James came back to reality briefly when Evan showed up. He had puffy eyes like he was crying. James hoped he didn’t waste any tears on Barty.

The smell of scrambled eggs filled the room, but James didn’t care. He ignored Evan and put the bracelet to his temple again. He replayed Regulus’s memories again and again.

The next time James came back to reality, there was someone who wasn’t supposed to be there, which made him pause.

“Come with me,” said Pandora, his classmate from Burgen school.

Regulus’s friend. James was jealous of her once, in another lifetime. He knew he had no reason now. He was so shocked that he was seeing her that he actually got out of bed and followed her.

They walked for quite some time. James’s brain was a mush from replaying Regulus’s memories, his legs hurt after a few meters, the muscles still shortened from the time he was tied to the chair. Pandora wasn’t paying him much attention, she walked a few paces before him, humming some tune. James wondered if she even registered that she was in prison because she seemed quite content.

Finally, they reached a stone wall, or more exactly what remained of it. Pandora walked over the rubble and James hesitantly followed. The weird pulsing sound got louder here. James kept his eyes on the ground, trying not to trip on the uneven rocks and shattered concrete.

Then he looked up. An endless expanse of blue stretched before him. He stopped in his tracks and stared. He knew he was on the island but he failed to grasp what it meant until now.

“It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” Pandora asked.

Even magnificent was a weak word for sea. It shimmered and rolled endlessly into the horizon. James had never seen anything so vast, so free. A salty breeze tickled his face, cool and clean, nothing like the heavy air of the prison or the stale dust of Phoenix. He stepped forward, shoes crunching against fine gravel until he stood just at the water's edge. The waves gently lapped against the shore.

Regulus would love to see this, James thought.

His breath caught, his throat tightened and he had to clench his jaw to keep from sobbing. James had to look away from the water, so he turned to Pandora. She pointed down the shoreline.

“A few meters that way is a boat. It can be used to travel through the sea,” she said.

James couldn’t picture this no matter how hard he tried.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Pandora the question that was gnawing at him this whole time.

Pandora squinted into the sun for a moment. James could see her searching for words and eventually, she said:

"My parents were journalists. They wrote things that the President didn't quite like. They didn't make enemies of you Phoenix and they wrote about the wrongdoings of the Watch. One day… they - they… didn't come home from work.”

A single tear escaped Pandora’s eye.

“The next morning I called the police. They came to my house, and took me to the station, supposedly so I could write a statement. A while later a strange person with a shaved head showed up and told me there had been a mistake. I was so relieved, but then... they loaded me into the Underground and I found myself here,” Pandora said. She was shaking now.

“You can't understand - your name is James, right?"

He nodded.

"You can't understand James. Evan told me everything about you yesterday. You grew up with a threat hanging over your head constantly. But I was… I'm no soldier. I was so scared.”

Pandora looked so vulnerable then. James couldn’t fathom how anyone (even someone as horrible as Barty) could hurt her.

“Once I got there, Evan helped me. He is a good one,” Pandora said, smiling softly.

"You don't deserve to be here," James said stupidly.

Pandora shook her head.

"We're definitely a long way from Burgen School."

James laughed at the absurdity of his life. His laughter merged with Pandora's. After a while, Evan climbed through rubble and joined them.

“We are having lunch soon, c’mon,” he said.

The three of them made their way towards Evan’s house. Pandora disappeared somewhere along the way, without saying goodbye.

“Evan, I still don’t understand one thing, James began, “This prison existed long before President Dolores gained power… why does it exist?”

“Many people before you wondered about this. The only conclusion anyone came to was that this place always served Presidents as a way to get rid of political enemies,” Evan explained, while they walked on.

“Okay, so how come the Burgensis left this prison alone after the prisoners escaped? The President knows about the civil war in Colony. Why are you being sent food like nothing happened?” James wondered.

“That’s a mystery. There was a strict regime here before the prisoners escaped. No one was allowed to leave the house after sunset and similar rules. Guards were stationed by the wall with loaded guns, watching for anyone who made a mistake. But then the prisoners broke free. It was bloody, all the guards were killed. But even after that food, clothes, and prisoners from Burgensis keep still coming.”

James’s brain hurt. It was too much. Thinking, walking, and existing were too much effort. He couldn’t wait to reach Evan’s house to get his reprieve from reality. When James finally made it to the room he supposed was his now, he collapsed on the bed and went back to Regulus’s memories. This time, with not intention to ever return to real life.

“What are you doing?”

James heard the words, but he couldn’t make sense of them. Where was he?

"James?”

He was in prison. But there was a way out. James returned to Regulus’s thoughts, ignoring Evan’s presence. After some time Evan’s voice drifted away.

But he returned soon and brought Pandora along.

"This doesn't make sense, he isn’t registering us at all."

"I said he was sick."

"We have to help him."

They're not real, James reassured himself. All he had to do was raise his hand and go away. Go home.

"We can't let him use that bracelet."

"I don’t know how that technique works."

"I do. Evan, hand me that bottle."

"I don't think that's good..."

James felt water running down his face. That was wrong because he was supposed to feel Regulus's hand in his when he first took him into the forest. James looked down.

The silver bracelet was wet. Short circuited. Useless.

"I'll kill you," James barked.

Evan pulled Pandora behind himself, which was very sweet, but James was still about to kill them both. He stood up but his vision blurred and as he tried to take a step towards them, the world tilted sideways. James stumbled forward and collapsed.

He woke up in the same bed. Without thinking, he put the bracelet on his head. Nothing. The bitter realization that not only Regulus but also his memories were gone hit James hard. He had nowhere to run.

Although... James suddenly knew what he had to do.

The first part of his plan was easy. Wait for Evan to show up. Of course he did, it didn’t even take long. He was walking carefully towards James like he was scared of him. Good. He was serious about wanting Evan dead. He just wanted to get out of prison more.

“I am leaving,” James said, without bothering to look at Evan.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

James sat up on his bed. Evan took a precautionary step back.

“I am out of there. Pandora told me there is a boat,” James explained, because he wasn’t about to be prisoner for a second longer.

“But-“

“Look Evan,” James continued, his voice cold, “What was the name of a person from Colony who was supposed to show up days ago? Cas? Well, where is he?”

“She. Cas is a she,” Evan corrected.

“Yeah, whatever. What I am saying is that anything could have happened in Colony. There might not be a Colony anymore.”

Evan protested sharply, but James cut him off:

“Listen, if Burgensis explodes, no food will come through the Underground. If no one from the Colony shows up either, what are you going to do?”

If this happened, they were all dead. James didn’t care much, but if in his process of either getting out of prison or dying, he somehow helped them, that would be nice.

Evan signed. He knew James was right.

“The boat is a few meters to the left from where the wall is broken through,” he said quietly. “It has a motor that starts by pulling a level. And Cas always flies there from the northeast.”

James nodded.

“Thank you. Say goodbye to Pandora for me,” he said.

Evan was about to turn away and leave, but he stopped at the last second and added:

“Don’t die, James.”

James made no promises.

Chapter Text

James found the boat without trouble. The hard part was pushing it to the sea because his uselessly weak body gave out after only a few minutes. He had to sit down and catch his breath, hands trembling, lungs burning.

The sun was almost setting. It would’ve been smarter to wait until morning, but James had already decided to leave now. He was a man on a mission and eventually, through sheer stubbornness, he managed to get the boat to the water. It was made of some kind of plastic material that looked durable enough, but the whole thing seemed wildly unstable in shallow water.

James was already in the water up to his knees and he didn’t want to get wetter than that, so he jumped in the boat. It rocked violently to one side, then the other, before finally settling into an uneasy balance. James exhaled slowly. He started the motor, took a wild guess at where the northeast might be and set off. The prison began to shrink behind him, smaller and smaller, until the island vanished completely.

James smiled. He was free. Probably sailing to his death… but free, at last.

Night fell quickly. The moon appeared overhead, pale and full. Sirius would’ve liked the view. He used to complain about how few windows the base had. Sometimes, when no one was watching, he’d sneak up the fire escape just to sit on the roof and stare at the night sky.

I hope wherever you are, Padfoot… you can still see the moon, James thought.

James didn’t know when it started, but soon he was shivering from the cold. He dug through the small pack he brought and pulled on a sweatshirt, but it didn’t help much. He had also forgotten how much hunger could sting. He didn’t necessarily want to live, but he wanted to be free for as long as possible.

The surreality of his situation hit him then. He was in the middle of the sea, on a small unstable boat, with no hope for tomorrow. How the fuck had this happened?

After a few hours, James thought the sun would never rise. His hands had gone numb. He didn’t dare stand or shift, so he laid down and curled in on himself, pulling his knees up to his chest to conserve warmth. It’ll be over soon, he thought and closed his eyes.

And then—Warmth.

James had been so sure he would never feel warm again. But now the sun was rising. It hovered just above the horizon, casting soft gold glow across the rippling waves. James felt groggy, he probably slept only for a few hours. The sun had saved him, but he knew it would want to fry him alive soon.

He peeled off the sweatshirt, already stifling hot, and tossed it aside. James determined by the sun where the northeast was. He was probably wrong, but he had no choice but to head in that direction. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to rest his elbows on the side of the boat and simply look at the endless blue around him. Burgensis seemed big, but this… What else was the world hiding? he wondered but the thought didn’t last. The world had nothing left to offer him. And James had nothing to offer the world either.

The sun was gradually becoming more unbearable than his thoughts. James ran out of water before he realized it. By midday, the heat was suffocating. James managed to function for a few more hours, but then his legs buckled. He dropped to his knees in the boat as his body gave up.

At that moment, suddenly, the sun stopped shining so aggressively. James felt like he was in the shade, but that wasn’t possible, because there definitely weren’t any clouds in the sky. He looked up with his tired eyes. He wanted to scream, but no sound came, because his throat was too dry.

A shadow was indeed over him. It wasn’t a cloud though but a huge flying machine. A hovercraft.

The next thing James felt was a slap. He blinked up at a figure looming over him. A woman with a muscular build, dark hair, and sunburned skin.

“Who are you? What are you doing in the middle of the sea?” she asked.

James recognised her. He didn’t know how or from where, but he knew her. He searched his memories, desperate for something to hold onto.

“If you don’t tell me why you’re here right now,” she said, reaching for something on her belt, “I’ll kill you.”

James squinted against the sun. That’s when he realized that this woman wasn’t from his memories, but Regulus’s.

“Dorcas,” James choked out before passing out.

“…5 days since that explosion in Burgensis. That can’t be good,” Marlene said.

“You should have killed him, we’d have saved ourselves the trouble. We are shooting any unidentified plane in our airspace but suddenly we are saving men from boats,” Petunia said.

“He knew my name. I could count the number of people Colony who know my full name on the fingers of one hand,” Dorcas said, her tone clipped.

James looked up at three people he’d never seen before, but knew better than anyone. The girls stood behind bars while he sat on the floor of an empty square room. In prison cell. In another fucking- No. Just no. James was done with prisons. He stood up and crossed the cell to the bars that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.

“Let me out,” James said in a low, dangerous tone. His voice sounded wrong in his own ears.

The girls watched him as if he were a wild animal. Every time James came back from death, he came back changed. How many more times until there was nothing left of him?

Marlene stepped forward, her arms crossed. Her hair was shorter than in Regulus’s memory, but otherwise, she hadn’t changed.

“Not a chance. First, tell us what you were doing near the Colony’s borders.”

James could’ve explained, could’ve told them the truth easily. But he was done playing by the rules. He stepped closer to the bars.

“Let. Me. Out,” James repeated, giving them one last chance.

The three women thought they had the upper hand. How wrong they were.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” Petunia snapped. “But you should be glad you’re still breathing. You’re at our mercy, so I advise you to start acting like that.”

The first thing James noticed was that Petunia spoke his language. Her accent was off, but James understood her perfectly. The second thing he noticed was the way she carried herself. Her glare was sharp, her posture military. The woman standing in front of him had very little in common with Petunia from Lily’s memories.

But James wasn’t intimidated by her one bit. He moved even closer until his face was inches from the bars.

“You don’t know who I am,” he said, voice quieter now, almost gentle, “but I know who you are, Petunia.”

She flinched which pleased James immensely.

“Do you miss your sister?” he asked softly.

Petunia’s mask shattered. She suddenly looked like a small little girl. James grinned.

“Leaving her alone on the border of a strange city,” he continued. “Not the best idea, was it?”

Petunia staggered back.

“How do you know?” Her voice cracked and her face had gone white.

James turned to Dorcas.

“I know a lot more. Quite the rise from a homeless girl working for the Phoenix to Member of Parliament,” James said to her.

Her eyes widened in horror, but that wasn’t enough.

“Your father would be proud,” he added.

Dorcas pressed herself against Marlene as if the other woman could shield her from what James was saying. He smiled. All it took was combining the information from Evan and Regulus.

Now he turned to Marlene. He didn’t want to hurt her, she and Dorcas took good care of Regulus, but there was no stopping now.

“Marlene,” James said. “How does it feel to start with nothing... gain something... and then lose it all again? Alice. Frank. Regulus.”

Marlene’s bottom lip trembled. Terror which filled the room was almost palpable.

“Can you read minds?” Petunia whispered.

James laughed. Laughed so hard at the irony.

“I won’t say a word while I’m locked in this cell,” he said once his laughter died down. “If you want answers, let me go.”

James didn’t have to raise his voice.

“No one knows you’re here,” Petunia said coldly. “We can do anything to you. No one will hear you scream.”

James was startled by her words, but he didn’t show it. His answer was calm, hollow:

“You can try. But whatever you do to me… I promise I’ve been through worse.”

Being a prisoner was so easy when James’s thoughts weren’t being read. He didn't have to be careful what was going through his mind, and he could hit his captors where they least expected it.

Marlene, Dorcas, and Petunia had regained their composure enough to move away from the bars, out of James's sight. Panic filled James’s chest as he was left alone behind the bars, but thankfully Dorcas returned soon.

“I don’t know who you are,” she said quietly, “but I can’t let you go. The safety of the Colony comes first. And right now… you’re a threat.”

Her voice was almost kind. Like she pitied him.

James looked at her. Regulus’s memories were ingrained in his brain, so he actually felt respect and adoration for the woman in front of him.

Maybe that was the reason he said:

“I would never hurt the people here. I want to help you but you have to let me go first.”

Dorcas considered it.

“Petunia and my wife would never allow it—”

“Wife?!” James interrupted immediately.

Dorcas smiled faintly. “Guess you don’t know everything about us after all.”

A beat of silence passed.

“If you agree to have your hands tied behind your back,” Dorcas offered, “We can talk. Somewhere else, in peace.”

James didn’t move. He thought of the handcuffs, the ones that had bound him to a chair for over a month. How his mind was put on display. He almost said no, but he really wanted to get out of the cell, so he agreed.

“Stand facing the wall and put both hands on it,” Dorcas ordered.

James obeyed, silently. She opened the cell door and approached him carefully.

“Don’t make me regret not killing you,” she whispered as she closed the distance.

James caught the fear beneath her voice-Regulus had heard that tone before. He stayed still, letting her cuff him and guide him out of the cell. It was unbelievable how much better he felt once the bars were behind him.

They barely took a few steps before Petunia and Marlene appeared around the corner.

“You climbed into this monster’s cell?” Petunia asked, incredulous.

Marlene scolded Dorcas immediately and stepped protectively between her and James. Regulus had been a perfect mix of the two—Marlene’s protectiveness and Dorcas’s stubbornness. James had stolen the chance from him to meet the two people he loved most in the world.

Monster? That was a weak word.

James didn’t fully register where they were going until they entered a broad hallway. One entire wall was made of glass from floor to ceiling. Outside, Colony stretched out beneath them, vast and strange.

James stared. At ancient-looking stone pillars reached into the sky, supporting nothing at all. At tall apartment buildings—some white, some green or blue with dark-glass windows. Nestled among them were older, lower buildings, only a few stories high, their walls cracked and weathered. There were patches of grass and palm trees swaying gently in the wind, greener, more alive than the ones James had seen in prison. It all merged into chaos. A coherent, beautiful chaos.

James stopped walking, overwhelmed.

“Can’t we talk here?” he asked.

He wanted to look longer. Wanted to try to understand what he was seeing, though he knew even hours of staring wouldn’t be enough. The city pulsed with life, energy, and mystery. It must have been larger than Burgensis by a lot.

To his surprise, Petunia spoke:

“We can talk on the couches upstairs. No one goes there anyway.”

Her eyes lingered on the view. James wondered where her husband was.

They led him up wide stairs. At the top, Marlene shoved him unceremoniously onto a black leather couch. It was cool against his skin, pleasantly so. Dorcas sat across from him, Marlene at her side. Petunia lowered herself onto the couch beside James.

“So,” she said. “How come you know all of us?”

Now that he was out of the cell, James’s mind was starting to think a bit more rationally.

“I’ve got questions too,” he said. “An answer for an answer?”

Petunia drew a gun and aimed it at James.

“I don’t think so.”

Fair enough, he supposed.

“What were you doing in the middle of the sea?” Dorcas asked.

“I escaped from The island prison.”

She and Marlene looked at each other and, without saying a word, just with their eyes, argued for a moment whether it could be true. Regulus’s memories had preserved those looks and their meaning, so James knew that he had not completely convinced them. So he added:

“In prison, Evan told me Cas was supposed to pick up the prisoners days ago, so I left to find out what was going on there.”

“Has it been a month already?” Dorcas murmured.

“Don’t tell me you forgot,” Marlene sighed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, darling,” Dorcas replied, rolling her eyes. “My attention was a little caught by that HUGE unidentified hovercraft that flew over our heads the other day.”

James didn't understand how they could argue and look at each other with loving eyes.

Petunia turned to James:

“You don’t happen to know anything about that hovercraft, do you?”

James exhaled.

“I know everything about it.”

He didn’t want to talk about this, but there was no way around it.

“Have you heard of the Phoenix, Petunia?” he asked. “Dorcas and Marlene used to work for us.”

Petunia frowned, shaking her head.

“They’re a secret organization in Burgensis,” Dorcas explained. “Me and Marls did jobs for them. But I have no idea what the Phoenix actually did.”

“They did a lot. Those people, my people - I was their commander - were the only hope for saving Burgensis. That plane dropped a bomb on our base five days ago.”

Marlene’s face paled. “A bomb? What the hell is happening in Burgensis?”

James explained, told them everything he knew, but he couldn’t bring himself to mention Regulus.

When he finished, Petunia looked ready to explode.

“So the President got us all. She set the prisoners free and almost ruined us, and now she wants to bomb Burgensis and then bomb us too?” she exclaimed.

James nodded. Petunia stood up and shoved James back against the couch. Her voice cracked as she demanded:

“What does my sister have to do with this?”

“We took her in. She was well taken care of, that is until the President blew up the base,” James said.

Petunia put the gun to his head.

“You’re lying.”

Her voice was trembling but her hand was steady.

“Lily is dead,” he said softly. “Just like everyone else.”

He hoped Petunia would pull the trigger. But she hesitated and that second was all Marlene needed to shove her away. She stepped between Petunia and James and said sharply:

“He still owes us some answers.”

For a split second, James thought Petunia might actually shoot her—or at least strike her. Her face twisted with fury, but instead, she spun around and stormed down the stairs without a word.

Marlene returned to her place beside Dorcas. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Dorcas broke the silence:

“You still haven’t explained how you know so much about us.”

James wasn’t ready to tell them the full truth. He clung to the idea that maybe Regulus hadn’t meant that much to the girls. To little Regulus, the two of them were everything, but they’d known each other for barely two years. Plus they were paid to take care of him at first, so maybe Regulus hadn’t touched their lives that much.

“I don’t know if you remember him,” James said slowly, “but I knew Regulus.”

Marlene and Dorcas stared at him speechless. James nearly sighed in relief—they indeed didn’t remember him. Then he noticed the tears welling in Dorcas’s eyes.

The girls began speaking both at the same time:

“Oh my God, I was just thinking about him yesterday—“

“Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay.“

“He’s 18, can you believe it?“

“Eighteen? That can’t be right, he was so tiny.”

“Remember how I taught him back then…”

“I remember everything. When we were going to prison, the thought of him staying behind was unbearable…”

Their voices blurred and James couldn’t breathe. Marlene and Dorcas turned to him at the same time, realising that something was very wrong.

“He’s dead,” he confirmed their worst fears.

Marlene screamed and James knew that this sound would haunt him for the rest of his life. Dorcas shot to her feet, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him upright.

“You have three seconds to explain,” she snarled. “If you hurt him, if you had anything to do with it, you’ll wish Petunia had shot you.”

“He died…” James sobbed, forcing the words out of his mouth, “He died because of me. He joined the Phoenix and was shot on our last mission because he was protecting me.”

James heard Marlene’s sobs from the couch. He forced himself to continue:

“You would have been... He managed to do so much, he got into Burgen school... You would have been so proud of him."

Dorcas’s grip loosened, but her voice still shook:

“He was your friend?”

James looked her in the eye and said:

“He was my everything.”

Marlene’s gaze, impossibly, grew more murderous, but Dorcas’s expression softened.

"And you said everyone you knew died in the explosion?"

James nodded, numb.

“I’m so sorry,” Dorcas whispered and loosened her grip.

James hadn’t deserved an ounce of her pity. Yes, they both shared the grief of losing Regulus, but he was to blame. He had killed the boy they loved, even if he hadn’t pulled the trigger himself.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Marlene, who materialised next to Dorcas said as she undid James’s handcuffs.

“There’s no one living on this floor,” Marlene added. “Pick any room you want. We’ll talk tomorrow, we’ll… figure something out.”

Dorcas and Marlene turned to leave.

“Wait,” James said, “You’re just going to leave me here?”

Marlene glanced back and said in a flat voice:

“Regulus trusted you.”

She and Dorcas disappeared down the stairs, leaving James alone.

He woke up in someone else's bed. He didn't quite remember how he got there, but he didn't care. His reality had shattered and rebuilt itself so many times that James felt like he was in a dream. The room he woke up in was quite nice. It wasn't luxurious, just spacious, a world away from the purely practical, soulless rooms at Burgensis. The walls were painted a pale green, and the shelves were filled with all sorts of objects, mostly books. The carpet that James walked across to the bathroom was incredibly soft. He showered and put on a white T-shirt and shorts he found. He hoped the person in whose room he was wouldn’t mind.

James was drawn to the window with its massive wooden frame and sill. Nothing could have prepared him for the view that opened before him. The sea was endless. It moved like a living organism and a perfectly functioning mechanism at the same time. Regulus. Regulus would have loved this view. James wanted to show him so badly. He stared out the window until there was a knock on the door.

Marlene walked in. She didn’t look exactly thrilled to see James, but still, she asked:

“Want to take a walk around the Colony?”

James could think of a million things he’d rather do, but he accepted. They walked in silence until they stepped outside and Marlene led him to a nearby park.

“You’re married,” James said casually, unable to hide his curiosity.

Marlene smiled. Her eyes—blue, kind—lit up.

She told the story slowly, emphasizing every word:

“We’d only been in Burgen prison for a few days when the police picked me up and started dragging me away. I don’t know why it was just me—maybe they thought I was the only one involved with the Phoenix. Cas was sitting a few tables away. When she saw me being led off, she ran straight toward me. Two policemen blocked her path.

‘Where are you taking her?’ she yelled.

They told her something like, ‘You’ll never see her again. Sit back down if you want to live.’ The entire room froze, not one of the prisoners dared to move. Dorcas forced her way between the guards to get to me—but one of the policemen holding me stepped forward and hit her. So hard she fell to the ground.”

James could feel the anger radiating from Marlene as she spoke.

“I’ll never forget how she wiped the blood from her cheek, stood up, and rushed at them again. I’d seen her fight before, but this… She took down twenty men. They pulled guns. She didn’t even blink. I was screaming at her to stop, to leave me—but do you think she listened?”

James knew the answer. Knew where Regulus got it from.

Marlene continued in a tight voice:

“Dorcas said that wherever I was going, she was going too. They beat her again and again. But in the end, they realized it’d be easier just to let her come. They loaded us both onto the Underground. And once we started moving… I fell to my knees in front of her and asked her to marry me.”

James gave a soft, stunned laugh. That was one question he wanted answered. But he had one more:

“When you got to Island prison, was Frank already there?”

The timeline in his head was still a bit blurry.

“No, he came months later. It’s funny, really—we must have been in Burgensis Prison at the same time. He got arrested earlier, during the protest, and was held in Burgensis for months. Me and Dorcas were only there for a few days. Barely had time to look around, and didn’t cross paths with him. We spent months in Island prison before Frank was finally transferred there.”

They walked out of the park, closer to the city centre.

“And when Frank came,” Marlene continued, “He brought a message. Just before he was loaded onto the Underground, a strange man with a shaved head showed up. Told him there was going to be a breakout. Said to get everyone ready.”

“It wasn’t a man,” James said.

“What?” Marlene looked at him.

“Nothing. Go on.”

“Frank was pretty much dead man when he got here—grief-stricken, broken. He wasn’t the same after losing Alice. But when the hovercraft showed up and offered a path to freedom, he didn’t hesitate. Me and Dorcas went with him, and somehow… we ended up on the front lines of war. And somehow, we ended up the last ones standing.”

They walked in silence for a while. James looked around at the worn stone path beneath his feet. His legs still ached, but it was getting better. They reached a clearing lined with tall, crumbling columns James had seen yesterday.

Marlene stopped.

“James, I wanted to talk about… the bombs. We have to do something. Cas is holding a Parliament session right now. We’re telling people the President wants to bomb Burgensis—but not that she plans to bomb us, too. They don’t need to know that. Because we’re going to stop her before she gets the chance to even touch Burgenis. I think you should join those discussions soon,” Marlene said.

“Me?” James said, confused.

“Yeah. Who else? We have to figure out how to save Burgensis.”

James was pretty sure he wasn’t about to save anything, but Marlene kept talking.

“Petunia is already investigating how the President stole the hovercrafts from us—to bomb your base. And she’s organizing search teams. If the President wants to launch the bombs, she has to do it from somewhere. But we still have to make an evacuation plan for the people of Burgensis in case of-“

“Marlene,” James interrupted. His voice was quiet but final. “I’m not going to be a part of that.”

“But your help would be immensely—”

“I tried to help. And I managed to get everyone I cared about killed in the process. So, thank you very much, but I’ll pass.”

The words hung in the air. Heavy.  Maybe this statement made him worse than the President. James didn’t care. He had nothing left to fight for.

He turned and walked away, leaving Marlene standing between the ancient columns. As James walked, something clicked in his brain. He knew what he had to do. There was one thing that could save him. He wanted to go back to Marlene, but she had disappeared somewhere. So he kept walking, determined to find someone—anyone—who could help him.

James soon became overwhelmed by the amount of people around him, so he aimed for the outskirts of the town. After some more walking James was barely standing on his legs. He noticed a hovercraft parked a short distance from him and walked closer to the machine. It was round, with motors on the bottom. James wondered briefly what kind of fuel it used because it didn’t have solar panels like the flying buses in Burgensis.

“The fuck are you doing there?”

James sighed and turned to Petunia.

He opened his mouth to say something but was left speechless when he saw her. Petunia wore a pilot’s uniform, James recognised it from Lily’s memories. The uniform was almost entirely black, except for the stripes on each sleeve. The stripes were used to differentiate the skill of a pilot. Petunia’s were green and Lily’s used to be red, but still Petunia looked a lot like her sister at that moment.

Petunia rolled her eyes at James and moved past him to enter the hovercraft.

“Since when can you fly?” James asked, finally.

Petunia ignored him.

“And how come you speak Burgensis language?” James tried, not really expecting an answer.

But Petunia stopped.

She didn’t turn to James but still answered:

“Since the act that started the war in Colony. Since my husband was shot down from the sky.”

Then she immediately boarded the hovercraft and left James standing there, utterly frozen.

But it made sense. This is why Petunia from Lily’s memories was so different from the one walking away from James now. And why no one came for Lily and she was left alone on the corner of Burgensis. Vernon never made it back to Petunia, so she took his place and became one of the most important figures in the war, and now in Colony.

James returned to the building where his room was and began to walk around, opening every door that was unlocked. He didn’t manage to ask Marlene or Petunia for directions so he searched and searched until he found a room with technical equipment.

There, he got to work immediately.

Some circuits in his thought bracelet needed replacing. Others were beyond repair. James wasn’t sure if the bracelet would ever work again. But it was the only chance he had of being with Regulus, so he refused to give up. This was his last shot. If he couldn’t fix the bracelet, he had nothing left to live for.

He lost track of time. Maybe it had been a few hours. Maybe a few days. Dorcas brought him food a few times—the spicy taste of it burned into his memory.

He didn’t leave the room until the bracelet was repaired.

At last, James slid the bracelet onto his wrist. His hands were shaking but he managed to turn on the bracelet. But Regulus’s memory was gone.

Panic surged through James while he pressed the letter h to his temple so hard it left a mark on his skin, but there was nothing stored in the bracelet. Even the last piece of Regulus was taken from James. He didn’t know what to do. This was the end.

James stumbled to his room, lay down, and didn’t get up. Days passed. The light in the room changed. People knocked on the door, came and went, but James didn’t move.

Grief was a funny thing. He thought of his mother and felt nothing. Then he thought about how Remus will never piss him off again and cried for hours.

James was sure he would never get up again. Until one evening his thought bracelet vibrated on his hand.

Chapter Text

When James felt his thought bracelet vibrate, he almost fell out of bed. Somehow, he managed to stand up and put the bracelet to his temple, heart pounding.

There was nothing.

James felt like passing out and wanted to go back to bed, but the bracelet vibrated again. And then a few more times, but there was still no message. James stumbled to the tech room. He wanted to open up the bracelet and find out what the problem was. The bracelet vibrated again, and James, with a pain in his heart, put it to his temple, expecting emptiness.

But instead, he heard Regulus’s voice saying James’s name.

It must have been some kind of glitch in the circuits, but it didn’t matter. The sound of Regulus’s voice, so alive, nearly knocked James down. He had to lean against the wall to stay upright.

James sent a thought back, even though he knew no one will hear it:

“Forgive me, Regulus.”

His sobs echoed through the empty hallway. James wanted to hear Regulus say his name again, but another message came through.

"You probably can't hear me, James, we're out of range… prison… we're flying to Island prison and we might get shot down… please."

It was probably a technical error. Or a hallucination.

James didn’t care. He ran.

Because any plane that entered Colony’s airspace was to be shot down.

James tore through the corridors, searching for someone who could help. He slammed into Dorcas.

"Where is—" he gasped, out of breath.

“If you’re here because of the emergency with the unknown hovercraft in our area, relax,” Dorcas said quickly. “I already know. Petunia’s handling it.”

It was real.

It was real.

James grabbed Dorcas by the shoulders. She looked terrified, but he had no time to watch his manners.

"Where—Regulus—is Petunia?!" he gasped.

Dorcas pointed. James sprinted away, while confused Dorcas shouted more directions after him. James had no trouble finding the black, windowless cube near the sea, the control room. He burst in, heart slamming against his ribs. There were three people inside, one of them Petunia.

“Don’t shoot, don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” James yelled, grabbing Petunia and dragging her away from the controls.

“Are you crazy?!” she screamed, hitting him wherever she could reach.

“Is he okay?!” James shouted, nearly hysterical, still physically blocking her from getting back to the controls.

The other two people just watched, frozen. They chose to stay at a safe distance.

“James, let me go! There’s a hovercraft here, and the only reason it hasn’t been blown to pieces is because it’s unarmed. But it’s not responding, and if it gets closer…”

“Regulus is in it,” James said in a shaky voice.

“Your dead boyfriend?”

Petunia took advantage of James’ momentary freeze and freed herself from his grip. But she didn’t go back to the controls.

“I don’t know if you’ve completely lost it,” she said with a slight tremor in her voice, “but whoever’s in that hovercraft can’t just fly around here like it’s no big deal.”

“I’ll take care of it,” James said, coming to his senses a little bit. He pressed the bracelet to his temple.

“Regulus, Regulus, if you can hear me, land on the southern border of the Colony. I’ll find you.”

Petunia stared at James like he was a madman. Maybe he was. Except that a second later, an answer came:

“I understand.”

Petunia stared at the console.

“The hovercraft is landing,” she confirmed, disbelief in her voice.

It was crazy because Regulus couldn't fly a hovercraft, and he would have to be alive to fly one. But the plane was landing in the south. James was shaking from head to toe.

Petunia opened a bottom drawer nearby and handed him a gun.

“From what you told us, this is probably a trap.”

James took it without a word. She was most likely right, but he ran out the door anyway, hurrying south.

“If anything goes wrong, it’s on you!” Petunia shouted after him.

The southern border was close, James reached it in a few minutes. In the sky above, a hovercraft was descending slowly.

James’s mind raced. If Regulus was alive, where had he been all this time? The Phoenix was gone. Did he think James had abandoned him? Had he woken up alone? Someone had to have helped him. Who?

And how—how had he gotten here?

The hovercraft finally landed, but James was still too far. He loaded his gun because Petunia was probably right about this being a trap. The President could do something like this, James thought. Use Regulus against him. His greatest weakness.

But it wasn't the President who stepped out of the hovercraft, but two figures.

One of them was Barty.

The other Regulus.

Alive.

James ran, cutting off the meters between them. Barty and Regulus slowly descended from the hovercraft to the ground. James could hear Regulus now, caught something like:

“I’ll kill you… over the sea… you told me we were lost… you told me…”

The questions in James’s head fell away. Now all he could think of were worst-case scenarios. If Barty was there with Regulus... James was the commander of the Phoenix; they needed his thoughts only, they didn't have to hurt him. But Regulus was injured, with nothing protecting him. If they hurt him, if Barty touched him -

Regulus's "Let me go!" brought James back to reality. He was only a few meters away now. And Barty was so dead, because Regulus was trying to reach James, but Barty was holding him from behind, preventing him from moving.

James raised his gun, no hesitation. He would kill Barty. But Barty reacted just as fast, dragging Regulus in front of them—using Regulus as a human shield.

And James thought that anyone who says dreams don’t come true had forgotten about nightmares.

“Now let’s all calm down,” Barty said.

Those words certainly had no calming effect on James. He kept approaching slowly, gun raised. There was nothing James wouldn’t do to free Regulus from Barty’s grip. The laws of men meant no more than specks of dust did. Barty was about to see just how deranged James became. His eyes locked with Regulus.

Physically, his love looked fine. No visible injuries. When James caught glimpses of himself in the mirror lately, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Regulus, on the other hand, looked healthy. The last time James had seen him, he had been covered in blood, unconscious. Now, he looked almost… good.

But something was off. Regulus wasn’t struggling against Barty. He was leaning on them.

What’s going on? What’s going on? What’s going on...

"James, please put that gun down," Regulus said, his voice shaking, because, oh my god, how could James be so stupid and point a gun at the love of his life, who was terrified of guns.

He dropped the weapon on the ground and ran towards Regulus, ready to tear him away from Barty, preferably kill Barty in the process. It wasn't necessary, though, because they had let go of Regulus about three seconds before James reached them.

Regulus collapsed into James’s arms. And it was Regulus, his Regulus, alive, and James wasn’t about to let go of him ever again. He burst into tears.

“Stop squeezing him so hard,” came Barty’s voice from behind.

“I swear I’ll—”

“I just don’t want you to tear his stitches,” Barty added.

James blinked, processing the words. He immediately loosened his grip, because the bullet had pierced Regulus’s chest, it must have hurt terribly, although Regulus was standing here now, so did that really happen or… The thoughts in James’s head had gone quiet because Regulus, still pressed against him, brought his hands up and cupped James’s face. His thumbs brushed away the tears. James closed his eyes and was afraid to open them, afraid to move, because what if Regulus disappeared?

"How?" James asked, eyes still shut.

"I’ll tell you everything,” Regulus whispered. “I’m sorry, James, so sorry. For everything you had to go through, but in order to save them… Don’t worry. Sirius is fine. So is your mother and—"

James’s eyes flew open. “What are you talking about?”

Barty—still there, for some reason—spoke up.

“Reg got everyone out of the base before the hovercraft dropped the bomb. Not everyone believed him. But except for a few... they’re all out of Burgensis. In Cadmia.”

Regulus looked at Barty like they weren’t the worst person alive and added:

“It was a team effort.”

Then he turned back to James.

“Not everyone went to Cadmia. Some people want nothing more to do with the Phoenix and have left. Remus stayed in C3 to monitor things—though we all know he just wants to be with his mum, and Mary went to infiltrate the Watch…”

James kissed him.

What else was he supposed to do? Regulus saved everyone. And James still couldn’t quite believe it.

“We don’t have time for this,” Barty said flatly. “You two make sure they don’t shoot us from the sky, and then we’re flying to prison. I’ll wait here.”

“I’m not flying with you ever again,” Regulus snapped. “I thought we were going to crash every second.”

“It’s not my fault you’re paranoid,” Barty replied, unfazed. “Plus, I think I did pretty well for my first try.”

“That was your first time? YOU TOLD ME YOU KNEW HOW TO FLY IT!” Regulus shouted at them, but it wasn’t really angry, more like friendly banter. Barty gave Regulus a wave and disappeared into the hovercraft.

Regulus coughed, cursed loudly, then turned to James. “Is that the Colony?” he asked, pointing to the nearby city.

It took James a second to respond. Why was everyone acting like this was normal? He was still in shock, trembling at the sight of Barty, because the terror that his one wrong thought might kill everybody he loves wasn’t something one just forgot. Meanwhile, Regulus was behaving like the last few weeks hadn’t happened.

James managed an affirmative nod.

Regulus exhaled, clearly relieved. “I should be able to get there. It'll take a while, I'm still not really recovered.”

So that’s why Barty had been holding Regulus - he was still injured. But Barty wasn’t his friend, right?

“They shot you…” James finally said, needing to start somewhere.

“In the leg,” Regulus said as he began walking, slow and unsteady. “Not too bad. But the second bullet hit my left lung.”

James felt cold all over.

“I woke up in a hospital,” Regulus continued, “with a green armband of a Watch on my shoulder and no idea what was happening. Machines kept me alive and I couldn’t speak or move for days.”

James clenched his jaw, not daring to interrupt.

“Then Barty showed up. I realized soon they saved me just so they could use me against you later.”

That sounded exactly like Barty. James kept on walking, looking at Regulus every second, making sure he was still here. Still real. They had only walked a short distance, but he could hear the exhaustion in Regulus’s voice. His breath came in ragged gasps, but he continued:

“But you and I got under Barty’s skin, eventually. You once said that they were starting to look like their father or something, which hurt them a lot. And Evan, of course. Barty is in love with him.”

James almost tripped and fell. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah,” Regulus said, “Barty thought Evan abandoned them, chose the Phoenix. But after they learned the truth from you, we came to an agreement.”

James didn’t believe Barty was capable of love, but he kept that thought to himself. Regulus stopped and looked at James.

“The bombs that’ll blow the whole city up are already in place. Did you know?”

James shook his head. He hadn’t. How was he supposed to process information like this?

Regulus added:

“They got into position today. That’s why we’re here. From what Barty knows, once the hovercrafts with bombs are in their final positions, there’s no stopping it. The bombs will drop once they’ve absorbed enough solar energy. We have five days.”

James was reeling. And even though he’d just been told that the entire city of Burgensis would explode in less than a week, he had to remark:

“How can you work with Barty?”

He tried not to sound bitter. He failed. They tortured him. Did Regulus not know?

“Believe me, it’s not easy. Barty’s not our ally. They’re just after power. And Evan,” Regulus replied coldly.

“He - Evan - is really in the Island prison,” James said.

Regulus nodded.

“When Barty realised Evan hadn’t stayed with the Phoenix, they looked for him and found out the President locked him up. That shifted their loyalty for good. Prison is where we were headed. That’s why we sent you there in the first place. You were supposed to be in prison, James.”

James blinked. “Wait, you sent me where?”

“Firstly, James, please understand I did what I had to,” Regulus said in a raspy voice. “I made a promise to Barty that in exchange for saving the Phoenix and you, they could be the President or whatever title they choose for themselves, of the people we rescue from Burgensis. I’m sorry, I know I’m not the commander, but I had to do something.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” James said quickly, trying to understand at least a little bit. “But… rescue me from Burgensis? I’m pretty sure Barty didn’t rescue me.”

Regulus was seized by a coughing fit, and James instinctively reached to steady him. He looked like he could collapse any second.

“I can’t talk anymore,” Regulus whispered. “It hurts like a bitch. Wait! I’ll just send you a thought. I could’ve sent it all to you from the start…”

Regulus didn’t bother finishing the sentence, he just recorded the thought and sent it straight to James.

As Regulus stepped out of the police car Barty had at their disposal (gift from the President so Barty could move anonymously, and they knew how to drive it too), he had to pathetically grab onto them just to stay on his feet. He was supposed to have surgery that would fix his damaged lung today, but of course, the President had to choose this day to drug James and force him to reveal the location of the base.

So here he was, out of a hospital bed, without surgery, in indescribable pain, with a very fragile plan. The doctor, whose name Regulus couldn’t remember, had warned him: if he left, if he was disconnected from the machines, his lung would collapse. Air could escape into his chest cavity, or blood could fill his lungs. Regulus knew it was true, he’d read all about it in Poppy’s anatomy books. But if Regulus wanted to save the Phoenix, he had no other choice. He could feel Barty’s gaze on him. He knew that if he started to fall, they wouldn’t catch him. But Barty was here, and that had to count for something.

Please let this not be the worst mistake of my life, Regulus thought, as he led Barty to the Phoenix base. Sirius collapsed to the ground when he saw Regulus. He sobbed, and maybe a few tears fell out of Regulus’s eyes too.

The brothers found Effie, Mary, and Remus, and Regulus quickly explained everything. About the bomb that was about to drop on the base soon. About where James was and about how Regulus was going to save him.

They had to evacuate the base fast. There was only one bus and one not-so-excited driver at their disposal. Those who could stay in Burgensis stayed. But the people who had been recorded on the cameras, those who didn’t have contact lenses, had to leave. The plan was to meet beyond the forest and make their way to Cadmia, by bus or on foot. There was no other plan. But Regulus trusted they would figure something out.

Just before the first group was set to leave, Sirius pulled Regulus aside.

“You should come with us. I am sure Poppy will fix your lung,” Sirius said.

“You know I can’t…”

“Reggie, what if something goes wrong? What if they kill you? You say the President is behind everything, that she's the enemy, and yet you are working with her right-hand man.”

Regulus wasn’t about to correct Sirius that Barty wasn’t a man. He was very aware of the fact that Barty could betray him any second, but he had no better options. “I may break promises, but I never break agreements,” Barty had told him when they devised the plan, when Regulus decided to bet the lives of everyone he cared about on this highly unstable individual. God, Regulus wanted to stay with Sirius so bad, but there was one more thing:

“I have to get James.”

“I’ll go instead of you,” Sirius offered earnestly.

Regulus’s heart skipped a beat. Because his brother was offering to risk his life for him. Regulus knew that Sirius had to stay with the Phoenix because Remus was staying in Burgensis and the people needed someone to lead them away from the base. It had to be Sirius, whose thought bracelet was connected to Remus’s, so the connection between Burgensis and Cadmia would be ensured. But the fact that his brother offered meant the world to Regulus.

“You have to lead people to safety,” Regulus said, “and you have to trust me, Sirius. Do you?”

His brother didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

“Then let me get James and bring him to you,” Regulus said with as much conviction he could muster. Because Sirius might have begged Regulus to come with him, but he would never agree to leave James behind.

“You’ve grown up so much, Reggie,” Sirius said softly.

“I had a great older brother to look up to,” Regulus replied, meaning every word.

Sirius’s eyes swelled with tears, and Regulus was very close to embarrassing himself by such a tearful display too, but thankfully, Barty materialized from who knows where and coughed loudly, interrupting their moment.

It was time to go, but Regulus had one more thing to do. He found Mary quickly. He simply followed the loudest voice barking orders.

“I need to talk to you. It’s about Lily,” Regulus said.

It got Mary’s attention immediately. They moved so no one could hear them.

“Look, we don’t have much time,” Regulus began, “I know where Lily is from. It’s a city far away from Burgensis, in the south.”

“I know,” Mary said matter-of-factly.

“What do you mean you know?!”

“I’ve - Lily’s has been -“

Regulus considered the woman before him the toughest one alive, but right now she was stuttering like a schoolgirl.

Mary sighed: “I have been trying to learn Lily’s language. She managed to teach me a bit.”

Regulus was speechless. It had to be so hard to learn a language like this - when neither of the girls could translate what the other was saying.

“Why would you do that?” Regulus asked, baffled.

“Because I wanted to talk with her,” Mary said, not meeting Regulus’s eyes.

He smiled softly. Yeah, he supposed that was a good enough reason.

“That’s amazing, but that will not be enough,” Regulus said, “We will need to talk, no, we will need to cooperate with Lily’s city in order to survive this.”

“So what the hell do you want me to do?” Mary asked.

“I have done a brief research. I think you can use the thought bracelets to learn the language,” Regulus explained, hoping he was right.

Mary just stared at him.

“I know I am asking for a lot, but I need you guys to figure it out,” Regulus continued. “You and Lily can stay with Remus or go with Sirius and use the bracelet to learn the language.”

“I am not sure Lily will be willing to...“

“Ask her. She is a good one. I bet she would like to help us. And talk to you,” Regulus said with all the gentleness he possessed.

His first idea was to ask his grandfather Arcturus for help, but he didn’t trust the man enough. But if Mary failed, Regulus would ask Arcturus anyway, because the communication was crucial if they were to save the people of Burgensis.

Mary sighed:

“Ugh, do you know how much effort it took me to learn those few words I know, and now you tell me I can just download it into my brain. Feels wrong.”

“It probably is,” Regulus agreed, “But the moment the bomb drops on our base, we are at war. Let’s hope cheating at learning a language will be our morally worst act.”

Mary just nodded. She understood the stakes. Regulus was sure she would figure it out.

Now, Regulus had to go. Barty looked ready to jump out of their skin, and Regulus really didn’t want to find out what happened when they lost their patience. He hugged Sirius goodbye (it hurt), took one last look at the base, and got back into Barty’s car.

“Okay, phase one done. Now phase two. Are we still doing this according to your stupid plan?” Barty asked, while he turned the steering wheel and lifted the police car up to the air.

Regulus wanted to reply, but his lungs were on fire, and in a matter of seconds, he passed out on the leather seat.

“Get up,” Barty barked, shaking Regulus roughly. Every fibre of his body hurt.

They were parked in the prison complex, near the building that hid the Underground. Barty called it the station.

“James?” Regulus rasped.

“I already carried him inside. He’ll wake up in a moment,” Barty replied, shoving a black head-cover into Regulus’ hands and walking away.

Halfway between the car and the station, Barty turned back, and when they were sure Regulus was standing, they walked on and disappeared into the building.

Regulus had no proof that James was alive. He wouldn’t even be surprised if Barty shot him any minute now, just because they could. Still, Regulus forced himself forward, limping into the building. It looked like it had been assembled by a child given a pile of metal and screws.

Regulus entered into a room that resembled a hallway, with doors that opened at the touch of a button and, most importantly, a light switch that their entire plan relied on. Regulus pressed a different switch first, which turned off the light in the room he was in because he needed his eyes to adjust to the dark. Panic rose in his chest, but he couldn't afford to give in to it. Not just because it would cloud his thoughts, but because his lung would collapse under the pressure. He concentrated on the texture of the cloth in his hands, and after a moment, he could make out shapes and move through the room.

Barty was talking in the next room (they did talk a lot) and then…

“What happened to the Phoenix?”

It took everything Regulus had not to break down the door and run to James, because it was unmistakably him. His voice. Regulus was so shaken he almost missed the signal.

When Barty said, “Do you have any last wish?” Regulus could barely move.

As if in a dream, he hit the light switch, which turned the light off in the room James and Barty were in, and ran to them. James was sitting exactly where Barty had promised. Regulus quickly pulled the mask over James’s head, not trusting himself to even touch him.

He’s alive, Regulus repeated to himself over and over, because that was all that mattered. When they were sure James couldn’t see anything, Barty turned on the biggest flashlight Regulus had ever seen and placed it on the ground, angling it upwards to illuminate as much of the space as possible. He and Barty stared at each other for a moment. This was as far as their plan had gone.

Oh, right. Barty had one more condition: James couldn’t know it was Barty who helped save him, in case something went wrong. Regulus pointed at the gun in Barty’s hand. They nodded in understanding and fired a shot at the wall. Even though Regulus had expected it, the sudden blast nearly made him scream and ruin everything.

“What now?” Barty whispered.

Regulus punched Barty in the stomach. They let out a low grunt, not loud enough, so Regulus raised his fist again. But Barty got the message and started making fake exaggerated groans of pain. Regulus slammed his palm against the wall for good measure, letting the metal echo through the room. Then Barty grabbed James and shoved him in front of them, walking him toward the Underground. Regulus followed silently.

He couldn’t believe he was sending James away, but Barty had refused to hide him somewhere in Burgensis—it was too high a risk of the President finding out. Regulus had wanted James to go with Sirius and the others to Cadmia, but Barty refused, because if James was safe with Sirius, Regulus could betray Barty any second. Barty was many things, but certainly not stupid, because that was exactly what Regulus would do. But if James and Evan were both in Island prison, Regulus and Barty were tied together too, unable to betray one another.

Regulus also noticed that James’s knees buckled as he walked, his stance was hunched and unsteady. He’d lost a lot of weight. If Regulus hadn’t known better, he’d have thought James was in more pain than he was. Barty had sworn James was handling the mind reading fine, but clearly, they were a fucking liar. Because Regulus was pretty sure James wouldn’t be able to walk the ten-kilometre walk from the edge of Burgensis to Cadmia. The island prison, ironically, was the safest place for him now. So all Regulus could do was watch. He and Barty would go to prison to get James and Evan out as soon as possible, but when Regulus saw the Underground waiting, he faltered.

What was he doing? That was the love of his life being sent away, to god knows what kind of situation in prison. All he’d ever wanted was to protect James. Tears slid down his cheeks as Barty gently slipped Regulus’s silver bracelet into James’s hand. Regulus hoped it would be enough proof that he was alive. Almost without thinking, he reached for James’s golden bracelet, now worn on his own wrist. Regulus had wanted to tell James he was alive, but there was no way he would willingly go to the Underground if he knew Regulus was standing right there. And James had to get to safety, away from Dolores and Barty.

Barty jumped back out of the Underground, and the doors closed before Regulus could take one last look at James. The vehicle moved and soon disappeared, taking Regulus’s heart too.

He turned at Barty, full of burning rage.

“You said he was fine!” he screamed at Barty, despite knowing it might kill him. His lungs felt like they were on fire.

“I just saved your boyfriend, you should—” Barty barked back, with their hands dramatically gesturing around.

Regulus was about to kill them.

“He’s about ten kilograms short! You promised me—!”

The thought ended here.

For a moment, James just sat there and savoured how easy it was to breathe. Regulus had been in terrible pain a few days ago, and James didn’t believe that he was much better now.

Regulus tentatively spoke up:

“Right after this, I had the operation and was recovering, until we found out that Burgensis will be blown to shreds in five days. I wanted to go to Mary and ‘learn’ the language, but we didn’t have time.”

James couldn’t quite wrap his head around the whole situation, but he understood one thing clearly:

Regulus had come back for him. He could have left Burgensis with Sirius and the Phoenix, but instead, he returned with Barty, that monster, just to rescue James.

“I still can’t believe you got from Island prison to the Colony,” Regulus said, wheezing, barely standing on his legs but still managing to bombard James with questions. “Barty said there was a war in Colony… is it safe here? Who’s in charge, James? Will they help us?”

James couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. Maybe he even laughed a little. Because somehow, without even searching, he’d found the best allies possible.

“There’s peace now,” he said. “And as for who’s in charge… you’ll have to see for yourself.”

Regulus’s brows furrowed, but he didn’t push James for answers. Instead, he leaned against him, resting one arm around James’s shoulders for support. Together, they crossed the Colony’s border.

Regulus was watching the people, the buildings, everything around him with careful eyes, noting every little thing, just like he always did. James was watching Regulus, just like he always did. They didn’t speak, partly so Regulus wouldn’t waste his breath, partly because James was still too in shock to function properly. He held Regulus close—feeling him there, alive, real. But the same sinking dread curling in James’s stomach he felt when he thought Regulus was dead didn’t disappear.

They soon came upon Petunia, who stood with her arms crossed, demanding an explanation, her sharp gaze fixed on the boy at James’s side. Almost as sharp as the one Regulus leveled right back at her. He was probably trying to place her. James wondered how long it would take him to figure out that she belongs to Lily’s memories.

“Where are Cas and her wife?” James asked, choosing his words carefully.

“How should I know? Care to explain about the hovercraft?” Petunia snapped.

James ignored her demand and said:

“Tell them to meet us near the columns.”

“Do I look like I’m a messenger?” Petunia asked while James wondered when she decided to hate him.

“Get them,” James said calmly, “so Regulus can explain to all of you how he saved everyone, including your sister.”

Regulus drew in a sharp breath. Petunia stared at him for a long second. Then she turned without a word and left.

“Lily’s sister?” Regulus asked quietly.

James smiled, glad Regulus’s sharp mind was still working wonders.

“Yes. She and the two others I sent her for are in charge.” James didn’t use any names, careful not to spoil the moment ahead.

Regulus’s brow furrowed. “Will they even want to meet me?”

“I mean, probably,” James said with a small, reluctant smile.

“James,” Regulus scowled, “why are you smiling? This is serious. I have no proof of anything I’m saying, no evidence.”

James didn’t answer, just pulled Regulus closer. They reached the columns soon. James caught sight of Marlene and Dorcas hurrying towards them right away.

Regulus caught the shift in James’s expression. “What are you looking at?” he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

“Don’t turn around,” James said gently, stepping behind him and turning Regulus’s back to the girls.

“May I remind you,” Regulus muttered under his breath, “that the last time you turned my back to something, I ended up—”

In that moment, Marlene’s voice, soft and tentative, reached Regulus. Barely audible. But it was enough. Regulus’s whole body tensed like a bowstring. He looked up at James, silently asking for confirmation. James nodded once.

Regulus turned around and saw Marlene and Dorcas, standing maybe 5 meters away.  James couldn’t see his face, but he would have guessed that the shocked faces of the girls were a mirror of Regulus's. The emotions on their faces changed slowly. Disbelief. Hope. Love.

And then they were running, all of them. They collided violently, and James momentarily lost Regulus in the chaos of limbs. They were all screaming, jumping, crying, and a moment later they hit the ground in a tangled heap, but didn’t get up. They stayed there, on their knees in the dirt, a circle of arms wrapped tightly around one another. Marlene asked something—her voice too quiet for James to hear—and Regulus pointed to his chest in response. Dorcas, who had just begun to rise, immediately dropped back down, her hand flying to her mouth. Regulus was explaining now, his expression calm, focused, while the girls' expressions grew more and more worried. James decided it was okay to move away from the column he was leaning on and join the conversation.

“Really, it’s nothing,” Regulus was saying, brushing them off gently. “We have to…”

“Absolutely not. I don’t care what happens in Burgensis,” Dorcas interrupted, arms crossed firmly. “You need to rest now. Talk to us. Not fly off to prison.”

“The bombs will drop in five days,” Regulus said, exasperated.

“I don’t care,” Marlene and Dorcas said in unison.

Regulus let out a long sigh, defeated.

“Then I need to get Barty,” he said.

“No, no. We’ll send someone,” Marlene replied.

“You truly can’t just send someone random to get Barty,” Regulus said.

He wasn’t the kind to let anyone change his plans, and even though his lungs weren't cooperating, he was ready to argue. James didn't want this to turn into a fight. He wanted Regulus to enjoy every second of this reunion unspoiled, so that’s why he said:

“I’ll go get them.”

James regretted his offer even before the words left his lips. Regulus looked at him, clearly considering.

“I’m worried you’ll kill them,” he said.

“I can’t promise anything,” James replied honestly. “But I’ll try.”

He wasn’t joking. Just because Barty had supposedly switched sides didn’t erase the fact that they were a terrible person. James wouldn’t admit this if he was held at gunpoint, but Barty scared him to his bones. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Regulus now, when he just got him back, but he forced his feet to move. Just outside the Colony, he heard Regulus's voice call out faintly, “Married? You two got married?” James stopped for a moment. With Regulus’s lungs and the distance between them, he shouldn’t have been able to hear him. But he smiled anyway.

“What do you want here?” Barty called from the hovercraft, peeking out just before James stepped onto the ramp.

They must’ve seen him coming from far off, but waited until he arrived to speak.

“No prison today. Everything has to be arranged in the Colony,” James said flatly.

He stared at the person who had taken such joy in his suffering for weeks. Barty might have helped, or rather, had let Regulus help the Phoenix and him. But James certainly didn't feel grateful when he looked at them. He only felt hatred.

Barty’s eyes were burning with fury when he shouted:

“If you think I’m going to let Evan rot in prison, even for a second—”

“Evan’s in prison of his own free will, you idiot,” James snapped. “He runs the prison.”

He watched the shock ripple across Barty’s face.

“Now, if you don’t want me to kill you, shut up and come on,” James added.

Barty had to be in a severe state of shock because they walked to James without further protest.

“I have a deal with Regulus. You can’t kill me,” Barty muttered as they walked.

James looked at the person standing in front of him. The unease still lingered under his skin, but now, when he saw Barty through Regulus’s memories, the fear subsided a bit. When James was in Isolation Corner, he saw them as a heartless enigma, with power rendering them untouchable. But there were no signs of that now. Barty was just… a human.

“Your deal says nothing about this,” James said and punched them in the face. Words couldn’t describe how good that felt.

Barty staggered back, with one hand cradling their cheek. They stared at James with disbelief.

“That was for Isolation Corner. Now let’s go,” James said and began to walk.

He had nothing more to say to Barty. The sun was almost setting, and he wanted to return to Regulus. Barty followed, muttering curses under their breath. It cost James all of his self-control, but he brought Barty to Regulus in one piece.

He was sitting on a bench between Marlene and Dorcas, not an inch of space between them. Family. There was no other word to describe them. James was genuinely happy for Regulus, although the feeling was slightly soured by his own unnecessary jealousy. He wanted Regulus all to himself, was there something wrong with that?

“Will someone tell me why we’re wasting time like this?” Barty asked, their voice slicing menacingly through the room.

“We’ll go to the prison first thing tomorrow morning and then straight to Cadmia. Once we’re all together, we’ll start planning,” Regulus replied, calm and resolute.

Everyone else watched Barty carefully, silently weighing the threat.

Barty looked like they wanted to say a million things, but all that came out was: “You’ve got five days to save the world, and you think it’s okay to throw one of them away? As you wish. James, take me somewhere I can finally sleep.”

It was the last thing James wanted to do, but he’d grown quite fond of the Colony, and letting Barty roam around unattended wasn’t an option. He was determined to get rid of them quickly and return to Regulus. But the moment Barty slammed the door behind them, James stopped. Regulus, Marlene, and Dorcas hadn’t expected to see each other again. They deserved to be together uninterrupted, if only for one night. Besides, James was tired. A few hours ago, he was sure he would spend the rest of his life lying down, ignoring everything around him. And now he was supposed to be the one to save the world? The thought made him want to curl up somewhere. The others, especially Regulus, were so… alive. Ready to take on the danger, full of fight and hope, even happy. James didn’t want to be the one to spoil that. He fell asleep wondering why, even though Regulus and the Phoenix were alive and safe, he still felt the terrible weight pressing on his chest.

James woke with a start, the phantom feel of blood coating his hands. Still the same nightmare. But this time, something was different. His body remembered before his mind did. In the darkness, he instinctively reached out and found Regulus’s hand.

The sensation was grounding and familiar, but James still had to turn and see with his own eyes. Regulus was really there, taking slow breaths. After a moment, he stirred, his sleep always light. He blinked at James and smiled, soft and sleepy.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked, squeezing James’s hand back.

“Some dream woke me up,” James answered. Then, quickly: “I didn’t expect to find you here.”

“Dorcas brought me,” Regulus said simply, though it sounded like he meant to say more.

Regulus probably didn't even realize it, but he placed one hand on James' chest. And just like that, James had trouble forming a response because his touch his touch his touch…

“I’ll have to thank her,” he managed to choke out.

Regulus’s brow furrowed slightly. “Are you alright, James? You didn’t come back to us last night.”

What was James supposed to say to that? Thoughts circled in his head: I didn’t expect to see you ever again. I spent weeks believing you and everyone I love were dead. I gave up, and I don’t know how to come back from that. I’m not sure I can.

“Are you angry at me?” Regulus asked in a small voice.

And no. Just—no.

“Regulus, you saved everyone. Including me,” James said softly.

“But I sent you away.” Regulus’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “I went behind your back and I made a deal with a man who tortured you. You were kept in the dark, literally. You have every right to be at least a little mad at me. I know I would be.”

“My darling,” James whispered back, “you had to go behind my back because I was tied to a chair, unable to do absolutely anything.”

“And it’s my fault,” James added after a beat of silence.

“What?”

“It’s my fault you were shot.”

There it was. The truth. If anyone had the right to be angry, it was Regulus. Maybe that’s why James hadn’t gone to him the night before. Because deep down, he didn’t believe he deserved to.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the fault of the man who shot me,” Regulus said gently.

“But I’m the one—”

“I hate this,” Regulus interrupted.

James fell quiet.

“I hate that we’re always in the middle of some disaster. We haven’t had a single moment of peace since we met. But this—this is the last thing we have to survive. We’ll save the world in five days and then, guess what?”

Regulus took a deep breath and continued:

“We’ll just live. And figure everything else out just like you promised me at the base back then. We will meet on the other side of war.”

James’s memory was so hazy from replaying Regulus’s memories that he barely remembered saying that. How was he supposed to explain to Regulus that lately, he had no idea how to just live?

“Aren’t you scared?” James asked quietly.

Regulus pressed himself closer before answering.

“Not anymore.”

And in that moment, James truly believed everything would be fine. But then another day came, and James once again felt that choking weight on his chest.

In the morning it was chaos, nothing but pure chaos. They wanted to leave as soon as possible, but a series of problems arose. Barty and Dorcas insisted on taking as many weapons as they could carry, while Regulus argued it was useless. They were trying to avoid a fight at all costs, and if necessary, they could always return for the weapons later. In the end, they compromised by packing a few guns and hand grenades. Another issue came up when Marlene remembered it was winter and the weather in Burgensis and Cadmia was much colder than in Colony, so she’d need to find warm clothes for everyone. Petunia realized that if she went to Lily, the Colony would be left without someone to run it because Dorcas and Marlene sure as hell weren’t leaving Regulus’s side and staying behind. So Petunia divided responsibilities among a few people she trusted, instructing them to keep quiet about the fact that they were leaving. The people of the Colony didn’t need to know. Not yet. Soon, they might need volunteers to fight another war.

Barty was the worst. James had explained for the sixteenth time that the prison wasn’t guarded in any way, but Barty armed themselves head to toe anyway as if Evan was protected by an entire army. When James saw the crazy look in Barty’s eyes, he had no doubt that even if there were an army, it wouldn’t stand a chance. To top it off, Barty insisted on flying the hovercraft, much to everyone’s dismay.

After weeks of watching the days crawl by, of doing almost nothing, this chaos was too much for James. He watched Regulus moving calmly through the whirlwind, overseeing everything like it was his second nature. And somehow, he still managed to flash James a bright smile every now and then.

James was given the task of choosing which prisoners to bring to Cadmia. People who were supposed to help them save the world. Two names came to James’s mind immediately. He didn’t need to think of anyone else.

“Pandora? The Pandora who sat next to me in school?” Regulus asked in disbelief.

“Yes, that one.”

“I think I killed her parents,” Barty said casually, as they passed around.

Neither James nor Regulus had the strength to ask for clarification.

Eventually, they agreed: Barty could fly if Petunia went with them to actually teach them how and Dorcas would pilot a second hovercraft. Regulus made it very clear he was not flying with Barty and James and Marlene followed him without a word.

Regulus stayed with Dorcas in the front of the hovercraft, asking her how she’d learned to fly, while James sat behind them with Marlene. They were separated from the cockpit by a thin wall and a sliding door. James overheard Regulus saying he hated flying, but he definitely did not agree.

The moment the aircraft lifted off, James felt
as if all his worries, all the noise and pressure of the past few weeks, had stayed on the ground. For the first time in what felt like forever, he could truly breathe. The flight itself lasted barely ten minutes but it was enough for James. Enough to feel something shift inside him. It felt like... freedom. When they landed, James felt a pang of disappointment, unlike Regulus, who looked like he was about to cry with relief.

“A slight change in the wind and it’s over,” Regulus was rambling, voice tight. “The engine could overheat. I have no idea what’s fueling this, but it definitely doesn’t sound reliable. What if a bird shows up? Has anyone thought of that? And don’t even get me started on how many mistakes the pilot could make. Or temperature—metal expansion! That’s a real thing. Did anyone even consider…?”

Dorcas shut the engines off mid-ramble. They had landed right in the middle of the prison grounds, where there was nothing, just as James remembered. Dorcas and Regulus joined James and Marlene, and together they stepped off the hovercraft. No one in the prison had been expecting them, so naturally, the prisoners huddled together, watching warily to see what would happen. James couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face when he spotted Evan and Pandora walking toward them, despite the dust swirling around from the second hovercraft, which was still landing.

“James!” Pandora shouted, throwing her arms around him. “You don’t just leave without saying goodbye!”

“I’m sorry,” James said, but Pandora had already turned her attention elsewhere. To Regulus.

“Welcome back from the dead. How was it?” she asked casually.

Regulus didn’t answer, probably had no idea how to.

Evan met James’s gaze. “It’s good to see you,” he said.

James couldn’t agree more. He wanted to catch up with the two of them, but there was no time to waste.

“Listen,” James began, “I need you both to come north with us. I promise I’ll explain everything, but we need you.”

James didn't know where he got that certainty, but he knew that they wouldn't succeed without these two. Without asking a single question, they both agreed. James didn’t understand what he’d done to earn their trust, but he was grateful.

The second hovercraft’s engines cut off. James turned to warn Evan, but one look at Evan’s wide eyes told him it was already too late. Barty appeared beside them within seconds.

“Evan,” they said gently.

James felt his mouth hang open because Barty seriously just used a voice that couldn’t be described any other way than gentle.

“What are you doing here?” Evan asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“I’m saving you,” Barty replied, unsteady.

The silence was so thick a knife could cut through it.

Evan swallowed hard and said:

“You lied to me. You used me to frame the Minister of Security while working for the President.”

James was vaguely aware that they should be hurrying north, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the two of them.

“Yes, but I’m not working with the President anymore,” Barty explained. “I’m with these idiots now.”

Evan took a step closer to Barty. For a moment, James thought they might hug or actually kiss, but then-

“Fuck you, Barty,” Evan snapped, then turned to James. “When are we leaving?”

“Right now,” Dorcas answered for him, and Evan wordlessly followed her to the hovercraft.

James almost didn’t recognize Barty. There was no trace of their usual self-assured arrogance, only pain and confusion.

Pandora followed Evan, and soon everyone except Barty and Petunia had boarded Dorcas’s hovercraft. Regulus was talking with Pandora, so James sat down next to Evan. He looked fine until he broke down crying.

“Barty came to save me,” he whispered through tears.

James was so out of his wits because he expected Evan to be angry or confused, but not bawling his eyes out.

“Yeah, Evan,” James said gently. “They switched sides when they found out you didn’t stay with the Phoenix. When they realized the President was behind your disappearance.”

Evan cried harder. James wished he could comfort him, but he didn’t know how. Because everything about this felt wrong. Evan, the walking sun, shouldn’t be crying because of Barty.

“But they still lied to you,” James said after a moment. “You have every right to be angry.”

Evan didn’t answer. James didn’t know how close the two of them actually were back then, but looking at Evan now… yeah, James would describe that as a heartbreak. He let Evan process the situation in silence and turned his attention out the window. The view was breathtaking. They weren’t flying that high, but James swore he could see the whole world. If he could do one thing for the rest of his life, it would be flying. He didn’t take his eyes off the window until they landed.

He was completely unprepared when Sirius came charging at him from seemingly nowhere. James barely managed to stay upright as Sirius slammed into him.

“First, months spying in Burgen School,” Sirius began, jamming a finger in James’s chest. “Then you got yourself arrested. And now this shit. Never—you hear me, never—do this to me again, do you understand?!”

James couldn’t process it. The air felt normal again. Tiny raindrops fell onto his skin. He was hugging his best friend.

He came so close to losing everyone. If it weren’t for Regulus… James swallowed and squeezed Sirius harder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a similar scene unfold a short distance away. He heard Lily talking animatedly in a language James didn’t understand, while Petunia beamed at her with glistening eyes.

James instinctively looked for Regulus, wanting to check if he was seeing the sisters meeting too, but he was nowhere to be seen. Panic tightened in his chest. He scanned the area again. Dorcas, naturally with Marlene at her side, was intently watching Petunia’s and Lily’s meeting too. Pandora looked a little lost, but Sirius approached her carefully and started a conversation. Furthest away from James stood Barty and Evan. He couldn’t hear them, but their body language made it clear that they were arguing. James wanted to stay as far form that as possible.

Only Regulus was missing. James rushed to Sirius, who just shrugged and said, “I don’t know. We hugged quickly, and then he ran off somewhere.”

Where would Regulus go? He was missing part of a lung, he definitely shouldn’t be wandering off alone. He should be here, with James and-aha. James finally spotted him, walking toward them with Kreacher in his arms. At his side was James’s mother. There were so many things James wanted to tell her, but he would need about a decade to do so, so he settled for:

“I’m sorry, Mum.”

He had caused her so much pain, and he wasn’t sure how to live with that. His mother just laughed, the most beautiful sound in the world.

“I told Sirius you’d be okay. Only you and Regulus didn’t come back from the mission. I knew you two would find each other.”

Even if there were seas between us, James wanted to say. Instead, he asked Regulus:

“Where did you go?”

“I wanted to find Arthur, ask him to bring Remus and anyone else who wants to join us so we can get started quickly. Shame Mary’s off spying somewhere, no one knows how to get a hold of her. I just happened to run into your mother. And also Arcturus and Kreacher,” Regulus said, scratching behind the dog’s ear.

James exhaled and glanced around. In the distance stood the forest surrounding Burgensis. From here, it looked so small. He squinted up at the sky above the city but didn’t see any planes with bombs, though he knew they were there. The plain between Burgensis and Cadmia stretched empty, broken only by a river and the occasional tree. When James turned his head to the other side, to the land even farther north from Cadmia, which couldn’t be seen from Burgensis, it looked more interesting. The terrain rose sharply. He saw hills, tall and taller, not that different from waves, frozen mid-crest.

As for Cadmia… there was not much left of it. The only intact structure was a towering building visible even from the forest’s edge in Burgensis, the building James was now standing before. He hadn’t realized how massive it was, twice as tall as anything in Burgensis. Without speaking, everyone began drifting toward it, seeking shelter from the rain.

“…maybe a church, you know, for religious people,” James overheard someone say.

Yes, that made sense.

The church had massive windows, rectangles that narrowed into pointed arches. Once they might have been filled with glass, but now they were just hollow frames. The church was a color of pale sandstone, and James had no idea how one might build it, because it looked like it had been carved from stone. He thought that if he tried to study every detail, the carvings, the flourishes, the strange surviving beauty, it would take a lifetime.

Many people hesitated at the threshold, and James was no exception. The church meant a presence of someone who might judge them, and they couldn't afford that now.

While the church looked majestic from the outside, the inside felt cold. As James stepped in, he passed Evan and Barty, their argument never ending.

“I know that when we were seventeen, I liked that you hated everyone but me,” Evan said, voice rough. “But things have changed. Either help us and prove you're a decent person or stay away from me.”

Evan walked into the church and left Barty standing alone in the rain.

James followed him down the dark aisle of the church until he reached a stone table. Above it was a round window—the colourful glass inside was badly cracked, but still holding. That must’ve been what caused the strange reflections visible all the way from Burgensis. Now, under the heavy overcast sky, there were no colors, no dancing lights.

The "table" wasn’t really a table at all. It stood tall enough that James could rest his elbows on it while standing. The circular slab of stone had a diameter of at least two meters. Without needing any instruction, everyone instinctively gathered around it.

James was about to speak when a familiar voice echoed through the still air of the church:

“I hope I didn’t miss the party.”

Under normal circumstances, James wouldn’t have been thrilled by Remus’s sudden appearance. But everything was different now. James spun around and hugged Remus without hesitation—shocking not only Remus, but everyone present. After a second, Remus returned the hug and even gave James a firm pat on the back. James wondered why he hadn’t tried harder to be his friend in the first place. He hoped he would get a chance to fix this mistake after the war. After James let go, Remus made his way to the empty spot beside Sirius.

“I’ll make sure no one disturbs you,” said Effie, who had stepped inside to look at the church and was already turning to go.

“Wait! You can join us,” James called after her.

“There’s still room at this counter,” Remus added and immediately launched into an argument with Sirius about whether counter was the right word for what they were leaning on.

Effie looked at each of them for a long moment.

“No. I’m not needed here at all,” she said gently, and left.

James glanced around the table.

Regulus was speaking quietly to Pandora and Petunia, but his eyes moved constantly, tracking everything and everyone. Across the stone, Evan was beaming and chatting animatedly with Marlene, who stood to James’s right. Dorcas stood beside Marlene, the two of them holding hands under the table.

Sirius was still teasing Remus about the “counter” comment. Then, to James’s shock, Lily spoke up in Burgensis language:

“Sirius, leave him alone, or he’s gonna leave again and you will be whining like you did every day.”

Sirius blushed, while Remus laughed so hard he had to hold on to Lily’s shoulder to keep his balance. Lily was looking at them both brightly, without any sign of fear. James stared at Lily because he understood that with Mary’s help, they managed to teach Lily the language using the thought bracelets. But he didn’t understand how she became so friendly with those two. James couldn’t believe it was only a language barrier keeping her isolated, because now it looked like she had been friends with them for years.

In total, there were ten people. A perfect balance. But, of course, Barty had to show up and ruin it.

“The woman sent me here. She strongly insisted,” explained Barty, and walked to the counter.

When Barty took their place - far enough from James, thankfully - everyone got quiet. As they were all looking at each other, James felt a shiver run down his spine. Because this was it.

Eleven people, all from the same city. Eleven people who, against all odds, had survived everything the world had thrown at them. Who had fought, lost, grieved, endured, and somehow, found their way back to each other.

And if there was some hope to save the world, it was them.

“So, what now?” Sirius asked, always the one unable to tolerate the silence.

“Now we start,” Regulus said with a smile.

Chapter Text

To begin with, everyone had to be familiarised with all the information available because not a single person in the room knew the whole story. Well, maybe Barty did, but they were too busy sneaking glances at Evan to be useful.

Petunia told everyone about the Colony. Evan talked about the prison on the island and the Underground. James forced himself through the nightmare of his time with the President. Sirius introduced the Phoenix. When the explaining was done, silence fell heavy as stone.

“You need to agree who’s the boss,” Barty said suddenly—of all people.

“No one is,” Regulus replied, cold and clipped. “Everyone here has an equal say.”

“That may be true,” Barty drawled, “but you can’t all be giving out orders. Every democracy needs its main leader.”

“Well, that’s James, obviously,” Sirius cut in, grinning like a fool.

James rolled his eyes, already bracing for what came next.

“I don’t think it’s that obvious,” Petunia said flatly. James didn’t need mind-reading to know she hated him.

“What was that supposed to mean?” Remus snapped before James could answer.

“Just because James commands your Phoenix doesn’t mean he can order us around,” Dorcas said, her tone cold as steel.

James leaned forward. “So what then, Dorcas? Are you volunteering yourself? Since when have you cared about anyone except your closest?”

“How dare you—” Marlene bristled, but Dorcas cut her off.

“I was going to suggest Petunia.”

“No offence, but I met Petunia five minutes ago. I’m not following her into war. I think the Phoenix will share my view on the matter,” Sirius said.

“Hey, Sirius,” Lily said sweetly, “you suck.”

Voices erupted around the table, overlapping, growing louder and sharper. Hands slammed against stone. The air itself felt tight, vibrating with heat.

“What about Remus?” Regulus’s voice rose above the din, fraying with exasperation.

Remus shook his head. “Thanks, Reg, but I’ll be doing the fighting, not planning.”

The nickname Reg was first used by Barty, and now everyone used it. James knew they had bigger problems, but boy, did this bother him.

A delicate cough cut through the noise. Pandora.

“I don’t understand why you’re arguing,” she said calmly. “There’s only one person who could lead us.”

She turned her gaze on Regulus. Slowly, the others followed.

Barty didn’t. They kept staring at Pandora, utterly baffled by the girl because men twice their size were terrified of them, but this little girl was smiling at them like it was no big deal.

James’s chest tightened. Of course, Regulus made sense. The Phoenix would follow him without hesitation, Marlene and Dorcas would too, but he expected at least Petunia to protest. James looked her way. She was listening intently to Lily, her expression soft, and James knew then: if Lily trusted Regulus, Petunia would as well.

Regulus straightened, his voice steady. “It would be my honour.”

James could see it—he was made for this. He only hoped he wouldn’t die for it.

“Now that we have a general, will someone finally tell me how we’re saving Burgensis?” Dorcas asked dryly.

“Don’t call me general,” Regulus said.

“It’s the highest military rank,” Remus argued, taking Dorcas’s side.

“There will be no war!” Regulus’s words rang against the stone walls. “Don’t you see? The bombs will fall no matter what we do. We need to follow the same procedure we used at the Phoenix base. Get people out.”

For once, everyone listened. James realized this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment idea—Regulus had been carrying it, sharpening it, waiting. Always three steps ahead.

“We just need to figure out how,” Regulus finished quietly.

Three hours later, their voices were hoarse and their tempers frayed, but they weren’t any closer to the solution. At least they identified their biggest problems:

Problem one: the general public had no idea what was coming.

Problem two: the cameras made it nearly impossible for almost everyone present to set foot in Burgensis.

They also crunched the numbers: the police numbered around four hundred. Not all were trained for combat, and not all would obey the President blindly. The Watch, however, grew larger every day, and no one knew the precise numbers. They hoped Mary would show up soon with info. The good news was that with the Phoenix and volunteers from the Colony combined, might match the numbers—but even if they had twice as many fighters, none of it would matter against bombs. And because this was meant to be an evacuation, not a battle, they needed far more people to cover the whole city.

Regulus decided they needed a break after this, and James wholeheartedly agreed. It was lunchtime. He knew there was no running water, no electricity in Cadmia, but he was still sure that if he found his mother, he would be fed. He was right.

Sirius, Remus, Lily, and Regulus were smart enough to come with him. They sat down together, bowls of steaming food in their hands. For the first time in months, James was eating with his family. He tried to say something, to put his feelings into words, but failed. So he just ate quietly, hoping no one noticed one or two happy tears that fell into his food.

“We all realise Cadmia is good enough for eighty or so Phoenix refugees, but there’s no way we can bring the people of Burgensis here, right?” Remus said, while blowing on his food.

“Damn, we should transport the refugees from Phoenix to Colony,” Regulus said.

Right, because the people who came here from base have been living in shitty conditions, while Colony could offer them shelter.

“I will arrange it with Dorcas or Petunia. It’s details like this that will be my doom,” Regulus added.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t figure out half of the stuff you already did, so you are good,” Sirius said, talking around a mouthful of food.

Everyone at the table just nodded grimly.

“Sirius, you’re disgusting. Chew with your mouth closed,” Lily scolded.

“Why are you here again? Don’t you want to be with your sister?” Sirius shot back, offering Lily a smile with food between his teeth.

Lily rolled her eyes and said:

“I do. But she said she needed to discuss something with Evan.”

“Okay, we need to rewind a bit,” Regulus cut in, his voice as sharp as the knife he was absently turning in his hand. “What happened after I told you about the bombs at the base with Barty?”

“Simple,” Remus said. “Sirius led the Phoenix to Cadmia. Meanwhile, Mary, Lily, and I stayed in C2, in Arcturus’s house. We tried to explain the situation to Lily, but let’s just say it didn’t go well.”

“In my defence,” Lily deadpanned, “Remus showed a thought ‘learn language’—and nothing else. Then he shared a memory of himself in first grade, struggling to write the alphabet.”

James chuckled and shook his head. Honestly, he wouldn’t have done much better.

“So how did you manage?” Regulus asked.

“Books,” Remus replied. “Arcturus’s house is full of them. One night, while Mary was gone, I was reading. Lily kept staring at me from the table, so I had an idea. It took me half an hour just to get her to sit beside me—”

“Sorry,” Lily interrupted, “but when a man is sprawled on a sofa and beckons you over, it’s not exactly reassuring.”

James’s smile faltered. He remembered from Regulus’s memories how harsh the streets of Burgensis had been for Lily. His throat tightened, and he stayed quiet.

The silence hung heavy for a moment before Lily went on:

“When I finally sat down, Remus handed me the book. I read and he downloaded a thought, then showed it to me. Again and again.”

“So he was translating as you read?” James asked.

“Yeah, exactly,” Remus said, “Then I stayed awake the whole night, read the whole book with the bracelet to my temple, and in the morning I gave it to Lily. She would go through the book in a day, give me the bracelet in the evening, and I would read another one at night, and so on.”

“Thank god you both read so fast,” Sirius commented.

Lily and Remus smiled at each other, like partners in crime.

“Mary thought we lost it completely. But after a week, Lily could understand everything we were saying,” Remus said smugly.

“But I had trouble forming sentences. Speaking,” Lily said.

“That’s when I came in,” Sirius grinned.

“What did you do?” James asked.

“Was annoying.”

“No, you? Impossible.” Regulus muttered with dry sarcasm.

Sirius rolled his eyes and continued:

“Mary wanted to infiltrate the Watch, and Remus had to stop spending his nights reading, so they sent Lily to Cadmia. I just followed her around and talked to her until she started answering me.”

“It worked,” Lily admitted grudgingly.

James marvelled at how they figured it out in such a short time.

The conversation drifted toward which books Remus had chosen, and soon enough, the meal was over. The warmth of Effie’s food lingered, but the reality of what they had to face dragged them back to the ruined church. Everyone returned to the stone counter—everyone except Barty, who lurked in the shadows like a stain no one could scrub out.

“I have an idea,” Petunia announced as a way of greeting.

“You said we could use more people on our side,” she continued. “So… what if we attack the prison in Burgensis?”

“Why the fuck would we—” Sirius started.

“Distraction. More people in our ranks. And if the bombs are really coming, are you going to leave those people to die?” Petunia asked.

“We’ve got Phoenix members still locked in there,” Remus chimed in.

“And Marls and I made some friends too,” Dorcas added.

“Okay, but what about the actual criminals?” Marlene countered.

“Did you all forget?” Evan cut in. “We’ve got an almost empty island prison.”

James tilted his head. Evan made a good point.

“It’s a good idea,” Regulus said, “but it still feels a bit—”

“Pointless,” Pandora said softly, finishing his sentence. “If we had more time, maybe. But wasting time planning this for the chance at a hundred allies isn’t worth it.”

“Who are you again?” Petunia spat, her voice sharp enough to wound.

Pandora flinched, shrinking back as if the words had struck her across the face.

“No one,” she whispered.

James’s hands curled into fists. He wanted to tell Petunia off, but before he could, Barty spoke:

“That’s not true.”

Every eye turned toward them.

“I heard your name from the President herself,” Barty said, their voice unnervingly steady. “If it were just your parents, you’d have stayed in Burgen prison, and no one would think twice about you. But instead, she sent you to the island—with the people she feared most. So think, Pandora. Why would she do that?”

The church seemed to hold its breath.

Pandora stared at them with wide, shimmering eyes. “I… I don’t know.”

Barty only shrugged, as if the truth wasn’t their burden to carry.

For the rest of the day, no one came up with anything substantial. They talked in circles for hours, ideas were raised, dissected, abandoned, only to resurface again twenty minutes later. By late afternoon, there was a mass complaint of leg pain, which was understandable after hours of leaning on the counter.
Dorcas finally muttered something about “at least three of us will die of leg cramps before the bombs drop” and dragged Marlene off in search of chairs. They returned nearly an hour later with exactly three, smiling not very subtly at each other.

“Sorry,” Marlene announced cheerfully, “but those were the only ones.”

She plopped into one and Dorcas settled across her lap. Pandora slipped onto the second chair with a small, triumphant wiggle, leaving the third empty, untouched—because suddenly one felt the need to sit down.
James leaned against the counter and thought grimly that he’d had enough of chairs for a lifetime anyway.

Meanwhile, Evan and Barty managed to argue three separate times, mainly about Evan’s wish to return to island prison to make sure the prisoners are transported to Colony. Regulus finally cut through the noise, assigning Marlene, Dorcas, and Petunia to go with Evan, pick the prisoners from the island and then move on to Colony to scout for volunteers. Also fly the Phoenix refugees from Cadmia to Colony. Lily immediately offered to join them, and Remus declared he’d head for Burgensis to find out if they had some allies left there.

James zoned out for a while, his mind wandering, until Regulus’s voice pulled him back into the present.

“We’ll meet here again in the morning. Nine sharp. Get some rest, catch up with the people you’ve missed… maybe try to come up with some ideas.”

There were murmurs of agreement, heavy with exhaustion. People began drifting out of the church in ones and twos. Regulus lingered, hunched against the counter, muttering to himself:

“No one except me has a watch or a phone. How the fuck do we meet at nine?”

James walked over and wrapped his arms around him from behind. Regulus stiffened for a heartbeat, then melted against the touch. He tilted his head, exposing his gorgeous neck to James’s lips and he was about to make up for their lost time, was about to make Regulus feel so good…

“Oi, James, you asshole! Take a few steps back, that’s my little brother!” Sirius’s voice boomed across the church.

Regulus evidently not caring about his punctured lung sighed loudly and shouted back:

“Walk the fuck away, Sirius, and no one gets hurt.”

“Not a chance!” Sirius yelled back. He stomped forward and waved around three sleeping bags he was carrying. “Look we’re having a sleepover!”

“I don’t think so,” Regulus shot back icily.

“Oh, I think you do. The girls and Evan are leaving while Barty is screaming at them. They are dropping Remus in Burgensis on their way. Oh, and Pandora grabbed a bag and said she’s off to stargaze or some shit. That leaves me, and I’m not sleeping alone, so suck it up.”

Regulus rolled his eyes skyward. “Fine.”

“Wait, really?” Sirius blinked.

“If you hadn’t come here, I would’ve dragged James to you,” Regulus admitted. “We’ve wasted enough time apart, don’t you think?”

Sirius swallowed hard, then punched his brother lightly in the shoulder. James had no clue what passed between them in that strange brother-language of theirs, but it seemed enough.

They choose to sleep in a small room on the upper floor. The wooden floorboards creaked under their boots, but the walls were thick and unbroken, sheltering them from the bite of the cold. James laid his sleeping bag down, Regulus unrolled his beside it. Sirius grinned devilishly, dropped his own bag squarely between theirs, and then threw himself down between them while elbowing James in the stomach.

“Gotta make sure nothing impure is going on,” Sirius said smugly, stretching out like a barricade.

Regulus unleashed every curse known to man in rapid succession. When James was falling asleep to their bickering, he felt smile on his lips, the first real one in weeks.

But the nightmares found him anyway. James bolted awake, heart hammering, lungs dragging in jagged breaths.

There were hands on him, and James was ready to fight, but when his vision came into focus, he saw that there was no danger here, only his best friend.

“Hey, hey—it’s me. You’re safe.”

Sirius was kneeling over him, eyes wide with concern.

“Yeah,” James rasped. “I know. Sorry.” He kept his voice low, not wanting to wake up Regulus, who thankfully hadn’t stirred.

“Don’t apologise. Just talk to me.” Sirius’s grip softened, but he didn’t pull away. “Do you get them often?”

James hesitated. “Yeah, but they’re getting better.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Prongs.” Sirius’s tone sharpened. “You think I don’t see it? Your eyes are unfocused and glassy half the time. And you’re… quiet. ”

The words hit harder than James expected. He swallowed down the lump rising in his throat. He was trying so hard to pretend that he was okay, that this wasn’t too much for him, but everyone who looked at him could see right past the charade. Was he really that weak?

“It’s just—” James’s voice cracked. He forced it steadily. “Two days ago, I thought you were all dead. It’s the adjustment I am struggling with that's all,” James said, offering Sirius at least a partially true explanation.

Sirius’s expression softened, shadows easing from his face.

“Yeah. But listen—we only have to survive these few horrible days. And then I’ll help you. Just like you helped me after I thought Moony was dead after the protest. Deal?”

James nodded. His chest eased a little, his breathing slowing.

“Good.” Sirius tugged him down until James’s head rested against his shoulder.

James drifted back under, Sirius’s arms anchoring him, making sure he didn’t shatter completely.

“The stars gave me an answer,” Pandora announced as she waltzed into the church the next morning, her voice bright against the drumming rain. The rain began pouring overnight, and from the looks of the dark, overcast sky, it wasn’t about to stop anytime soon.

James rubbed at his eyes. Too early for riddles. Too early for Pandora being Pandora. The church was nearly empty: just him, Regulus, Sirius, Barty, and now Pandora. The storm was probably keeping rest of the team from attending. It wasn’t safe to fly.

“Well, let’s hear it,” Sirius said, halfway between encouragement and mockery.

Pandora clasped her hands. “You said we needed to let people know what was going on. Regulus—remember my project for the Burgen school entrance exams?”

On the day of the entrance exams, James went first, then Regulus, and then Pandora. However, James saw a memory of Pandora’s project through Regulus’s memories. The video. A way to enhance the newspaper, if he remembered correctly.

Pandora’s eyes lit up as she explained. “I built a device that could transfer what you see into digital form—basically, create moving images. If I adapt it, I should be able to transfer the thoughts from your bracelets onto a screen, too.”

James leaned forward, brow furrowed. “So… we could record the truth about the President and show it to people?”

Pandora tilted her head, chewing her lip. “When I was younger and I was… pissed at my parents, I used to hack into newspapers and mess with them. Nothing serious. Changed grammar, swapped headlines.” She flushed slightly. “But I guess the video could be shared there without too much trouble."

Sirius squinted at her, voice just sharp enough to intimidate. You mean to tell me you'd be able to send a kind of materialized thought, to the newspaper, to every single person in Burgensis?"

“Yes,” Pandora said simply. Then, almost bouncing: “And if not, I could send it as a private message to their phones. Or if you gave me two of those flying machines, I could make a huge projection on the sky for everyone to see. Oh, that would be fun! Can I? Pretty please?”

Everyone present was just staring at Pandora with mouths hanging open. Then Barty broke into laughter.

Regulus shook his head slowly. “Did you really have to wait two days to tell us you’re a digital genius?”

Pandora blushed scarlet. “Well, I didn’t get into Burgen school for nothing.”

“When Dorcas gets back, she can help with the tech side,” Regulus said.

“Reg, I can’t do it from here.” Pandora’s smile faltered. “There’s no electricity and I will need Burgensis’s signal. I need to be there to pull it off. And I will need one of your thought bracelets.”

Before anyone could process Pandora’s words, the church doors slammed open with a crack of thunder.

“Fuck the buses, fuck Arthur, and most importantly, fuck this weather,” Remus groaned as he staggered in, barely standing on his feet.

His hair was plastered to his skull, clothes dripping steadily onto the stone floor. He looked like he’d swum through the storm rather than walked.

Barty arched a brow. “Dear Pandora, something tells me you won’t be going to Burgensis so soon.”

Sirius gasped dramatically and rushed forward. “Moony! What happened?”

Remus looked half-dead, his teeth chattering as he peeled off his coat.

“Arthur was supposed to drive me here on the bus. But he’s been making so many trips, the bus didn’t have enough time to recharge. Five minutes after we left the city, he said he had to turn back or the bus would drop out of the sky. So I walked.”

“Through that?” Sirius demanded, gesturing at the pounding sheets of rain beyond the door.

“Through that,” Remus confirmed grimly, leaving puddles with every step.

James hadn’t even considered it. Of course, the buses, which were solar-powered, would fail in the storm. That was why Burgensis controlled its weather so obsessively.

“I told everyone still willing to help us to stay ready,” Remus added through clenched teeth. “Two hundred people, maybe more. They’ll wait for word.”

“That’s good,” Regulus said, his tone clipped, practical. “Now go get dry or you will catch a cold. And you really can’t call in sick these days,”

Remus nodded, too tired to argue. Sirius clapped him on the back and muttered something about “personally assisting with removing wet clothes,” which James firmly decided not to process.

He watched them disappear while his mind drifted again, back into its old habit of circling fears, until Barty’s voice sliced through:

“Reg, what are you thinking?”

Regulus was indeed staring into space, but not in a distracted way, like James did, but with his most focused expression.

“Nothing,” he said finally. “Let’s just focus on Pandora and her video.”

They scribbled down list of things tney will need: batteries, cables, signal boosters, processors—half the things James didn’t understand. Eventually, even the discussion thinned out. Barty’s sighs grew louder, more theatrical. Sirius and Remus didn’t return. Finally, they agreed to reconvene when the Colony team returned.

As James stepped toward the door, he heard Barty chuckle behind him.

“What’s funny?” James asked.

“You remember how I told Pandora I’d heard her name from the President’s mouth?” Barty’s smile was sharp, secretive. “That was a lie. She really was no one. I just wanted to see what she’d come up with.”

They leaned back in the shadows, eyes gleaming. “And she came up with the idea that might save the whole of Burgensis.” They laughed quietly, then pressed a finger to their lips. “But shhh. Don’t ruin it.”

He slipped away into the church’s dark corners, leaving James unsettled. By the time he looked around again, everyone had scattered—including Regulus. James didn’t love that. But maybe Regulus needed some time for himself, so James turned his steps toward his mother. He told her to go to Colony, comfortable, dry Colony, but she decided to stay with them. Arcturus, on the other hand, was first in line to leave. He took Kreacher, much to Regulus’s dismay.

Marlene, Dorcas, Petunia, Lily, and Evan returned not long after the rain had eased into a steady drizzle. James stood outside to watch the hovercraft descend, its engines humming low, ripples spreading across puddles as it landed. Barty was already creeping closer—subtle as a wolf among sheep—their eyes fixed only on Evan, as though making sure he’d come back alive. Lily whipped her head around the moment she stepped out, scanning the mist and shadows, searching for a certain spy who wasn’t there.

They all went straight to the church, boots thudding on wet stone, and James followed in last. Inside, Regulus was already waiting at the counter, posture sharp, his eyes darting from face to face.

“The island prison is empty,” Evan reported immediately.

“Everyone from Cadmia who wanted to leave is in Colony,” Lily added.

“And the volunteers from Colony are ready—three hundred strong,” Marlene finished. “Maybe more in time. But we’ve been keeping it quiet.”

“Good work,” Regulus said with a nod.

“The question is—what next?” Dorcas asked. Her tone was clipped, ready for orders.

James leaned in, his voice low but steady. “We have a way to let people know the truth about the President.”

“Actually,” Regulus cut in, “there’s something we need to handle first. Pandora’s plan only works if she’s inside Burgensis. But she’s in the Camera system.”

“So basically, she can’t set foot in the city,” Marlene said flatly.

“We’ve got two pairs of contact lenses,” Regulus admitted. “But I have a more elegant solution: we get rid of the cameras.”

“All of them?” Sirius asked, eyebrows raised.

“No, Sirius—every other one,” Regulus replied dryly. “Yes, all of them.”

“How?” Petunia demanded.

Regulus’s mouth curved into a sly smile. “Remus gave me the idea when he showed up all wet. The weather is screwing us here because we are used to Burgensis. Our city depends entirely on weather control. So imagine if we bring that system down and suddenly there are clouds and rain.” Regulus waited for a heartbeat, then continued. “Traffic stops. Police can’t mobilize. And the cameras?” He leaned forward. “They’re not waterproof.”

A collective gasp could be heard around the counter. Because if they managed it, they could all move freely through Burgensis.

“Care to share with the class how we actually do that?” Petunia pressed.

Regulus’s smile deepened. And then he laid out the plan.

Within hours, they were ready to move. Ready to bring a storm to Burgensis.

Regulus said that, as this was his idea, he should go on this mission, but everyone who saw how green his face got in a hovercraft strongly vetoed it. James stepped up instead, and Sirius immediately refused to let James go without him. Lily was chosen to pilot, so Petunia joined in, unwilling to leave Lily alone. The team was put together quite quickly.

Remus wanted to join, but Regulus pressed him to escort Pandora to Burgensis once the weather control was down. Time was against them, and she had to be in place as soon as the city went blind.

Regulus remained in church with Dorcas and Marlene, plotting how to haul jeeps (some form of car, James had no idea) from Colony there, to solve the transportation troubles between Cadmia and Burgensis.

His only words to James as they parted were a quick, tight, “Be safe.”

James would lie if he said he didn’t feel a pang of jealousy when he saw Sirius and Remus embracing one another.

“Just come back to me, my love.”

“You know I will.”

A passionate kiss. Then Sirius was boarding, grinning like a devil at Remus’s final shout:

“No bullshit, understand?”

The hovercraft door closed. The machine they chose was small; there were only two seats in the front - one of them pilot’s and two right behind.

Sirius sat behind Lily, leaned forward and asked her:

“You sure you still remember how to drive this thing?” he asked.

“I’d sooner forget how to breathe,” Lily shot back, hands already dancing across the controls.

Lily yanked the controls, lifting them skyward in a smooth surge. She was smiling wildly, and James wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but one thing he knew with certainty. Lily was born to fly.

The plan was simple, at least on paper. Most information about it came from the time James was hiding in Regulus’s apartment, when they were researching storms just for fun. Now the future of humanity depended on it.

On every corner of Burgensis, there was a structure, no taller than the trees, that controlled the weather, but the main control was far to the east of Burgensis. This very tall main tower was called a lightning rod. All they had to do was destroy that one, and the rest of the towers would become useless. They had brought quite a few explosives from the Colony yesterday, so destruction wasn't a problem. The hardest part would be finding the lightning rod.

The rain began hammering them soon. Lily explained that normally flying in rain was to be avoided, but she was skilled enough to pull it off, or so she said. Beyond the glass, the land rolled out in shades of green and gray. Hills rose and fell. Burgensis itself was a flat scar in the middle of it all, an unnatural island of steel and concrete. As they flew closer to the eastern mountains, the rain thickened into heavy drops that streaked across the view, and thunder grumbled in the distance. James had almost shouted a few times that he could see the lightning rod, but it was always just his imagination, the raindrops tricking his vision.

Then Sirius’s voice cut urgently through the cockpit:

“Guys—I think I see the target. And we’ve got a problem.”

James looked to the left, where Sirius was pointing. The mountains looked even more threatening than they had seconds ago. Their jagged peaks disappeared into a thick storm clouds. If someone had told James the mountains stretched on forever, he would have believed it.

At the foothills, perched on a smaller ridge, stood a vast metal structure that could only be the lightning rod. It must have been three hundred meters tall, supported by three colossal iron legs that joined about fifty meters above the ground before tapering into a single spire. At the very top sat a gleaming orb, sprouting wires and what looked suspiciously like a satellite dish.

And circling the structure were twelve hovercrafts.

“Are they from Colony?” James asked, his voice tight.

“No,” Petunia said, her eyes narrowing. “We don’t make those models anymore.”

“Why not?” James asked.

“Because after the war,” she said flatly, “hovercrafts didn’t need firepower.”

“Say what now?” Sirius quipped—right before the world lurched.

Lily slammed the engines forward and climbed steeply, sending James sprawling. A missile whooshed past beneath them, exploding with a crack that rattled every bone in his body.

Three hovercrafts split from the formation and surged toward them. It was a trap. Or an ambush. It didn’t matter much. All that everybody in the hovercraft knew was that there would be no destroying the lightning rod. Instead, there will be a fight for their lives.

Lily threw the hovercraft into a vicious dive, then banked hard left, dodging another missile by meters. The cabin groaned, metal straining against the wind.

They were flying away from the lightning rod, but the three pursuers clung to their tail. They couldn’t risk leading them back to Cadmia and exposing the others. They had to deal with them—here, now.

James leaned forward.

“I take it we don’t have firepower?” he asked.

Petunia shook her head, pale but steady. “No.”

James could feel the wind trying its best to knock them out of the sky. He had no idea what to do, but he knew Petunia might. She was shaking with panic, but James was ready to drag the answers from her.

“Is there a way we can outrun them?” he asked.

“Not if we are maneuvering,” Petunia answered.

Lily, her hands white-knuckled on the controls, spoke through clenched teeth: “I can take them down. Buckle up.”

Everyone obeyed immediately. Lily turned sharply to the right and sped up.

“Lils, you do see that huge mountain before us, right?” Sirius asked, and James knew they were screwed because even Sirius’s voice was shaking.

“Sirius, now would be a good time for you to shut the fuck up,” was all that Lily had to say to that.

The mountain was getting nearer and nearer. Lily kept on twisting left and right, avoiding missiles, which hit the mountain instead. The huge boulders broke from the mountain and fell.

“The rocks are gonna hit us,” Petunia warned. They were too far now, but if Lily flew any closer…

“No. They are gonna hit them,” Lily said and sped up.

When the hovercrafts behind them fired the next time, the boulders began to fall straight at them. Lily took this as an opportunity to show off her flying skills and she weaved her way straingh through the rubble. The only indicator that she was having a harder time than walking around the street was her tightly pressed lips. She avoided every single falling boulder. The hovercraft behind her wasn’t so lucky, and it went down in a mix of smoke and metal.

The following hovercraft figured that firing missiles was not the best idea, so they simply continued to chase. Lily was getting closer and closer to the mountain. James could actually see the precise point they were going to hit and die. And he thought that this wasn’t such a horrible way to go. The mountain was so near now. James closed his eyes and prepared for a collision, but Lily yanked the hovercraft up in the last second. James heard an explosion, but it wasn’t them; it was the hovercraft that followed them, which didn’t have enough time to lift like Lily did. They were now flying up, following the slope of the mountain. James felt his lunch trying to leave his stomach. But then Lily peeled off from the mountain and straightened the hovercraft.

“That was the craziest thing I have ever seen,” Sirius barked out.

“I always wanted to try this,” Lily said and had the nerve to actually smile.

Petunia just patted her back, taking deep breaths. James actually began to believe they might survive this when the third hovercraft showed up right behind them. Lily had to drop down to avoid the missile that was fired their way.

James’s ears rang. His vision blurred. He could feel the storm winds clawing at their hovercraft.

“Petunia—think. Tell me everything you know about that model,” James tried in a last desperate attempt.

She hesitated, but the panic in her eyes sharpened into focus.

“It has a motor in the top part, so it is shielded. It’s practically impossible to take it down from the ground.”

“So it has to be hit from above. Grenade,” Sirius said simply, already unbuckling.

“Too risky,” Petunia warned. “You’d have to be clear of the blast.”

“Lily,” Sirius shouted, not caring about Petunia’s words, “can you get us above it?”

“Of course,” she snapped. “But only once. Once they realise what we want to do, they will be ready and won’t allow it.”

“So we get one chance. One throw of a grenade,” James said grimly.

“It doesn’t have to be a throw,” Sirius grinned and bolted to the back, barely keeping his balance.

James went after him—and froze when he saw Sirius tying one end of a rope to the seat frame, the other around his waist.

“Absolutely not,” James said.

The hovercraft shook violently, wind howling through the seams.

“Lily, when you get above it, how close can you fly?!” Sirius screamed, completely ignoring James.

“I don’t know, like two meters, maybe less. But we can’t be that close when it explodes,” Lily shouted, keeping her eyes on the horizon, making twists and turns left and right.

“No problem,” Sirius said, tugging the rope tight.

Petunia stumbled back to them, saw the setup, and raised a brow.

“What are you planning?”

“Lily gets above it. I jump on the hovercraft. Activate the grenade, then jump off. You will pull me up while that thing behind us explodes.”

Petunia thought for a second, then said: “Solid.” She returned to Lily to explain the plan.

“No!” James snapped. “Not a chance.”

“Lily, open the back door!” Sirius roared.

The door hissed open. The storm punched into the cabin, a wall of roaring wind that nearly ripped James from his feet. He grabbed some random iron frame with both hands, as Sirius edged toward the opening.

James lunged and yanked the rope hard. “Don’t do this!”

Sirius’s face softened for just a second. “Let go, Prongs.”

All James could think was: I just got him back. He wasn’t about to lose him like this.

The hovercraft lurched violently. Lily cursed. Petunia shouted something in a language James didn’t recognize.

“Thirty seconds to reach the hovercraft!” Petunia screamed from the cockpit.

Sirius sat on the edge as if he wasn’t dangling over a hundreds-of-meters drop. With ridiculous calm, he tugged the hair tie from his wrist, smoothed his windswept hair, and pulled it into a messy ponytail.

James crawled closer, voice hoarse.

“You promised Remus—no bullshit.”

Sirius’s grin faltered. His eyes went sad, almost tender.

“Tell him I love him. Tell Reggie too.” He looked straight at James. “And James?”

“Yeah?”

“My last wish is that you get a better haircut.”

And with a reckless laugh, Sirius jumped into the storm.

James’s world stopped for a second. Then he threw himself flat on the ground and crawled toward the open hatch, the wind clawing at his clothes. Terror nearly froze him, but when he forced himself to look down, his eyes immediately found Sirius—actually crouching like a wildcat on the roof of the enemy hovercraft.

It all happened in a blur. Sirius yanked the pin, slapped the grenade onto the hull, and sprinted across the slick metal surface before leaping into the void, the rope straining in his grip.

James hurriedly grabbed the rope, too. He was screaming like a madman at Lily to fly away, and she didn’t need to be told twice. He began hauling Sirius back up as their hovercraft went into a steep climb.

Sirius was grinning up at him, hair whipping, eyes bright with the thrill of it all, when the explosion sounded.

For one perfect, shining second, James thought they actually managed it. The enemy hovercraft went down, and they were a reasonable distance from it. That’s when a huge metal piece from the destroyed hovercraft flew through the air and hit Sirius straight in the head. The wind was so loud, but James would swear he heard the sickening thud all the way up.

The next moments came to him only in flashes. His hands burning as he dragged Sirius’s limp weight up the rope. The smear of blood against his palms. Petunia’s face beside him, teeth gritted, helping yank Sirius through the hatch. His own voice, raw and animal then silence, when the door closed once Sirius was fully inside.

He lay sprawled on the hovercraft floor, lips parted, eyes closed, hair tangled. There was blood coming out of his head.

James knelt frozen, staring, until Petunia bent close and pressed two fingers to Sirius’s throat.

“He has a pulse,” she said.

James’s breath shuddered out of him. He sagged forward, clutching Sirius’s hand, and wept.

“Tell Lily to get us to Regulus,” he managed.

“No, James,” Petunia said firmly. “We’re going to Colony. To a real hospital.”

James only nodded. She was right. Lily pushed the engines so hard that James felt weightless. He never let go of Sirius’s hand.

My life for his, he begged silently. Please. Take mine instead.

The landing at Colony was mercifully swift—straight onto the rooftop pad of the hospital. White-coated doctors surged forward, voices barking commands in a language James didn’t understand. He stumbled after them, even though Petunia told him not to as they wheeled Sirius inside on a stretcher. James was stopped at a doorway by a doctor’s outstretched hand. Something was said—gentle, firm—and then James was guided away to a waiting room.

He sat. He waited. The clock might as well have been broken; every second was torture. The sound of hurried footsteps snapped him awake. Remus burst in with Lily and Petunia at his heels.

“Where is he?” Remus demanded.

“In surgery. Or… I don’t know.” James’s voice cracked.

They argued—about what to do next, about who should stay and who should go—but when the doctor finally appeared, everything went silent.

The woman in a white coat spoke gently to Petunia and Lily, while James and Remus were very close to clawing their eyes out because they didn’t understand a word.

“Stable,” Lily translated finally. “Asleep. He will probably wake up tomorrow or the day after.”

James nearly collapsed with relief. Remus cried so hard his whole body shook. When he calmed down a bit, he said that he would stay here. James wanted to do so too.

“No,” Remus said to that. “You need to go to Regulus. He needs you now.”

James wanted to argue, but he realised Remus was right. They agreed that Lily will stay with Remus as translator and Petunia will fly James to Cadmia. Their flight proceeded without any one of them uttering a word.

Regulus was waiting outside the church when they landed. His face was pale, drawn tight, but his eyes searched only James’s.

“Is he…?”

“Stable. But asleep.”

Regulus hugged James tight. There were no words to say that might make the situation better, so none of them bothered.

Regulus let out a long breath, relief flickering across his features before duty buried it. “Come on. We need to talk.”

He led James to their room in an empty church.

Inside, his tone sharpened. “I already heard Petunia’s version. Now I need yours.”

James recoiled. “Why?”

He really didn’t feel like retelling all that happened, especially if Regulus had already heard it. What was there to tell? They failed. They were supposed to evacuate the whole Burgensis in 3 days, and they couldn’t even manage this easiest thing.

“Because they were waiting for you,” Regulus said, sharper than he probably intended. “Which means they knew we were coming even though I told you about my plan only a few hours before you set off. And the only way they could know that—”

“Is if someone betrayed us,” James finished, voice low.

Regulus’s gaze was steady. “Not just anyone. Someone from our inner circle. So I will need your version, James, because right now you’re the only one I trust.”

The words cut through him like ice. Someone betrayed them to the President, and now his best friend was lying unconscious in the hospital. James was about to kill the fucker. He only needed to think for a second about suspects.

“Barty,” James spat. No one else would betray them.

“We don’t know that.”

“Who else, Regulus?!” James’s voice cracked into hysteria.

“Calm down—”

“Where are they?” James asked through gritted teeth.

“I sent Pandora to Burgensis with Evan as her personal bodyguard. To my grandfather’s house. I gave them two sets of lenses. Barty freaked out about the risk I was putting Evan in, said they would go with them, but we had no more lenses. Barty said they will go anyway. Pandora and Evan left about an hour ago. Barty a few minutes back.”

James took a few deep breaths to calm down. He knew he couldn’t do to Burgensis and chase Barty, but damn if he didn’t want to.

Just when he was beginning to see less red, he noticed Regulus’s wrist.

“Where’s your bracelet?” James asked, taking a deep breath between each word.

“I gave it to Pandora,” Regulus admitted. “She needs it for the video. Don’t worry, she knows how important it is.”

James, for lack of a better word, lost it. This was just too much for him.

“You handed it to her while Barty will be in the same fucking room?!”

“Yeah, but Pandora put it on her wrist, so unless Barty chops her hand off, it’s safe,” Regulus said, never the one to back down from an argument.

“You shouldn’t have given it to her at all.”

“What else was I supposed to do?” Regulus’s voice rose. “Really, James, if you just calmed down and thought for a second…” He stopped, his eyes narrowing. “Which reminds me, I need you to send all the memories that can be useful to that bracelet, so Pandora can use them.”

“I don’t remember when I agreed to have my most private memories flaunted for the whole world to see,” James barked. He felt like the room was closing in on him. Too much, this was too much…

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t take your feelings into consideration. James, this is fucking war!” Regulus shouted, his voice cutting through the air forcefully.

James’s chest heaved. “Sorry if I’m a little on edge—I just watched my best friend take a piece of metal to the skull while hanging a hundred meters in the air.”

“That ‘person’ is my brother!” Regulus exploded.

They froze, both of them shaking, both breathing hard, both realising that this isn’t them. Realising that the pressure was breaking them.

Finally, Regulus said, quieter: “We take 15 minutes to calm down and meet here?”

James nodded, though his whole body still trembled with fury. He left, his chest still tight from the fight. He needed air before he snapped again.

Outside, the world was damp and hushed. Nigh wrapped the church in shadows, so the sudden bright beam of light that struck James in the face almost blinded him. He stumbled back, blinking. The light shifted away, its beam sweeping across the gravel yard. A low mechanical growl followed it.

“Sorry!” Dorcas shouted, leaning out of a strange contraption James had never seen before.

It looked like some kind of police car—but chunkier, more rugged. More importantly, it didn’t float like a hovercraft or a bus. Instead, it sat heavy on the ground, balanced on four thick wheels. There were no glass windows, just open sides and a small roof overhead.

“What the hell is that?” James asked, still shielding his eyes.

“It’s called a jeep,” Marlene explained proudly from the passenger seat. “Colony uses them for transport. They don’t run on solar energy like the buses—they use petrol. So that solves our problem of traveling between Cadmia and Burgensis in this weather.”

James frowned, walking closer. He didn’t bother asking what petrol was. The thing smelled faintly of oil, the metal sides streaked with mud.

“And how exactly did you drag this beast here?” he asked.

“Tied it to a hovercraft,” Dorcas said, smug grin plastered on her face. “Flew it here.”

James shook his head in disbelief. The technology in their war was so absurdly mismatched—hovercrafts, bracelets reading thoughts, paper maps, and now noisy ground machines. They were patching together scraps of many worlds and praying it would be enough.

“We heard what happened, and we are so sorry, James,” Marlene said, and Dorcas nodded.

James’s reply was a long sigh.

“We’re going for a short drive. Want to join?” Marlene offered.

James glanced back toward the church, toward Regulus. “Nah. I need to get back to him.”

Marlene’s smile softened. “Be good to him.”

“Of course,” James said quietly.

Because how could he forget—that had always been his only real mission. To be good to Regulus. Not cruel and cold like his parents. Not absent like Sirius. Just steady, just there, because that was what he deserved. And yet here he was, losing his temper when Regulus needed him most.

Dorcas revved the engine, the jeep roaring like some waking beast. The girls waved as they rumbled off into the night. James watched until the red taillights disappeared into the dark. He hoped that at least the girls would have a nice night.

Then he put a thought bracelet on his head and sent Pandora every last one of his most painful, most private memories.

Chapter Text

James returned to their room, which was dim, lit only by a trembling flashlight. He expected Regulus to be waiting for him, ready to talk, but he sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, hunched over a massive sheet of paper. His hair fell in his face, pencil clutched in his fingers. James stepped closer and saw it for what it was: Burgensis. A map, drawn from memory. The same map that had once hung neatly in Regulus’s apartment, now reborn in jagged lines and torn corners.

“I tried to draw it as best I could,” Regulus muttered, not looking up at first. His voice was low, frayed. “But some details… I don’t remember. I was hoping you might help.”

Then he did look up. Those pale eyes caught James’s, and how could he possibly refuse? Wordlessly, James took the pencil. He began to sketch—the streets near Regulus’s old apartment, the alleys by the Phoenix base. His memory blurred at the edges, but the rhythm of drawing steadied him.

They didn’t talk about their argument. James reasoned with himself that they had no time to talk about their feelings and had to focus on bigger things. The simpler explanation was that he was a coward. After a while, James switched to a green pencil, marking the locations of cameras he remembered. He had spent countless hours memorizing their patterns once, though now the images slipped and skipped. Still, it was something.

Regulus grabbed a red pencil next. He worked like a man possessed. Numbers scribbled in the margins. Distances of the zones. Arrows for the movement of fighters. Calculations of hovercraft’s flight times, of shooting ranges, of escape routes. Notes on psychology, on how long fear or confusion might buy them. And most importantly, as few losses as possible. James understood that what he saw on paper was a manifestation of days of Regulus’s thinking, and now he was just sharpening details.

The biggest issue they faced was that they had no idea what to do with people once they saved them. They needed something to eat, somewhere to sleep. Cadmia wasn’t sufficient in any way and hospitality of Colony would only stretch so far. But that could be solved in the future. The important thing was to get people out before the bombs drop.

James tried to keep up, but fatigue dragged at him. His own thoughts wandered. He knew Regulus had chosen this, knew there was no other way, but James cursed himself for not leaving the first night after he came to return the shield to Regulus. He could have saved him so much pain. But instead, James had stayed, and now they were sketching plans to move armies while his best friend bled in a hospital.

The hours blurred. The sky outside shifted from black to deep blue, nearing sunrise. When their stomachs growled, they ignored it. When the paper tore, Regulus patched it with tape and kept going. But when Regulus’s hand began to tremble so badly that the pencil rolled from his grasp, James finally intervened. He grabbed the flashlight, ignored his protests, and guided him firmly to the sleeping bag. Regulus’s eyes fluttered shut almost instantly, exhaustion crashing down.

The last thing he mumbled, voice slurred with sleep, was:

“You know what still bothers me about the lightning rod? You said there were about a dozen hovercrafts around it. But only three followed you. If they knew you were coming—if it was an ambush—why didn’t they all attack? It doesn’t make sense…”

James was too drained to respond. He sank onto his own bag, staring at the ceiling beams until they blurred, and fell into dreamless sleep before he could even form an answer.

When James woke up, more tired than when he went to sleep because the nightmares didn’t let him rest, Regulus’s sleeping bag was empty. In the quiet church, James felt his heart clench. He put the thought bracelet to his head only to bitterly realise he would reach Pandora, not Regulus. With a huff, James got up and walked to the paper spread across the floor, mainly because there was no way to avoid it in small room. In daylight, it looked manic: a spiderweb of lines, symbols, frantic scrawlings. But there, in the top right corner, was written a word James recognised.

Padfoot.

James exhaled through his nose. Of course, Regulus had gone to the hospital.

A low mechanical whir drifted through the stone walls. Maybe Regulus was back already. James hurried to the window and indeed saw a hovercraft lowering toward the churchyard. Relief surged through him. He quickly changed his clothes and walked out of the church to meet him.

Only to walk straight into one person they all spent days wishing was there. Mary looked battered, hair a wild mess, but she was smiling at him. She blinked at James a few times, like she had trouble registering that she was really seeing him. Then she threw herself into his arms. Mary had never been much of a hugger. The sudden fierceness of her embrace knocked the air from James’s lungs. She squeezed so tight he swore something cracked in his ribs, but he didn’t care. He clutched her back, enjoying the moment.

“I’m so happy to see you, James.” Her voice wavered, and when she pulled back, her eyes were rimmed red. “But we have a huge problem.”

His pulse quickened. “What is it?”

“Are you in charge?” Mary asked quickly, not even pausing for a breath. Her eyes had a haunted look James had never seen before.

“No,” James said. “Regulus is.”

“Take me to him. But no one else. I don’t want to cause alarm.”

Her cocky grin and the sly remark that usually followed were nowhere to be seen. James had never seen her look so serious.

“I think he is in a hovercraft that just landed,” James said, and he took a few steps around the corner to be able to see.

Indeed, Regulus had just jumped out of the vehicle. To anyone else, he might have looked perfectly fine, but James saw his strained motion, the subtle wince when his boots hit the ground. He was still in pain.

James heard Mary sigh loudly behind him. He moved his eyes a bit and saw Lily, sitting in the driver’s seat. He could even see her lips moving. She was probably shouting something at Regulus. James heard Mary take a step forward. You usually didn’t hear her when she walked, so James turned to her. There was so much longing in her eyes, raw and aching.

“If you hurry,” James said softly, “you can still catch her.”

The door behind Regulus closed, so it seemed that Lily wasn’t about to get off and fly somewhere else instead. But if Mary ran, she would be able to stop her. Mary took another step forward, but then she froze. She just stood and stared as the machine rose into the air.

“No.” Her voice cracked, but her jaw locked hard. “We don’t have time for that.”

Regulus finally saw them. His eyes widened comically, then softened. He even smiled—but when Mary said they needed to talk, his expression darkened. Within minutes, they were back in the church, in the room still scattered with pencils and maps.

While Mary looked around the room like she always did, James asked Regulus quickly:

“Sirius?”

“Still unconscious. But the doctors are sure he will be alright,” Regulus said in a relieved voice.

Mary turned to them.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I infiltrated the Watch, of course.”

James’s eyebrows shot up. Of course, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Regulus just tilted his head, as if he didn’t expect anything else.

“And I kept waiting, waiting for orders, but they weren’t doing much. Just chasing down Phoenix survivors. But yesterday, the President told us something. Big news.”

James felt the air thin.

Mary’s voice shook as she continued: “The President is making a public appearance today at 12. She wants to speak to the whole city.”

James’s stomach flipped. They had barely 2 hours.

“It will be in B2. Where - where our base was. The attendance is mandatory. Police will sweep homes to make sure every single person will be there. It’ll be in today’s newspaper.”

James’s mind went immediately to Pandora, Evan, and Barty because they were in Burgensis. But Regulus, ever calm, tapped his empty wrist in a reminder that through James’s bracelet, they could contact them easily. James caught the look Regulus gave him—smug, almost taunting. Like: aren’t you glad I gave it to them now? James rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt.

Mary wasn’t finished. “From what I gather, she wants to discredit Phoenix. She’ll call you liars, terrorists. When we try to save people - how are we doing that, guys, by the way? - they will not believe us.”

Regulus quickly explained his plan to Mary. But James noticed he had left some parts out, crucial details. Mary wasn’t a traitor, of course; she wasn’t even here. She didn’t even know about Sirius lying unconscious in the hospital. But James supposed this was their new normal now. No trusting anyone.

“We need to decide now,” Mary said sharply. “Do we stop her from speaking? Do we kill her?”

James swallowed hard. He wanted her dead. No moral quandaries. Every bone in his body screamed for it.

But then Regulus said slowly: “It feels like a trap. Maybe she knows we are all alive and this is a trick to lure us out.”

Silence settled heavily in the church. Mary’s haunted eyes flicked between them. Regulus stared at the map, while James’s pulse thundered in his ears.

“Killing her won’t stop the bombs from going off.” Regulus’s voice was steady, though James saw the tension in his jaw. “Mary, just listen to what she says and report back.”

Mary shook her head sharply. “Yeah, I’d love to. But it’s risky enough for me to leave the city once, let alone twice. It takes time, and my superiors ask questions. And we still don’t know the exact time the bombs will go off in two days—I can’t risk breaking my cover.”

James felt his breathing quicken in fear for Mary. For how much she risked, how much more she was going to.

“Then can’t someone meet you at the forest border after you listen?” Regulus asked, thinking quickly as always. “Pass on the message?”

“That could work,” Mary admitted. Her eyes flicked to James. “But I was also thinking… James could come with me. Hear it himself.”

Regulus’s head snapped toward her. “But the Cameras—”

Mary’s voice was cool, cutting: “As far as everyone in Burgensis knows, James is dead. And dead people don’t show up in the system, do they?”

James’s heart gave a twisted lurch. He wanted to see the President. Some sick, desperate part of him needed to look her in the eye after she gave an order to kill him.

Regulus hesitated, brows furrowed in furious thought. James didn’t need to think.

“I’ll go,” he said flatly.

Mary nodded, unsurprised, as if she had already accounted for his answer. She was not just tossing an idea into the air.

If someone among them really was a traitor, James realized grimly, who else could they send with Mary anyway?

Regulus looked James deep into his eyes, making sure he meant it. Then he slowly nodded. There was no time to ponder, no time for discussion.

“I’ll wait outside,” Mary said, letting them say their goodbyes.

Regulus walked to his backpack and pulled out a gun. He pressed it into James’s palm.

“It’s not a gift, it’s an exchange,” Regulus said, while James closed his fingers around the weapon. “Give me your thought bracelet, please.”

“Why?”

“So I can contact Pandora and the rest. Talk to them about our next steps. So you can focus on Mary.”

“You are so clever, aren’t you?” James said, trying to relieve the tension in the room a bit. He unclasped his bracelet and put it in Regulus’s palm.

“Save your compliments for when we save the people,” Regulus said, trying to keep a straight face, but a small smile played on his lips.

“I am never gonna be saving my compliments with you,” James said and oh, it felt so good to make Regulus blush.

He wanted to stand there and flirt with Regulus all day, but it was time to go. He stole one quick kiss for himself and walked away before his chest caved in.

Mary was jittery, pacing the church steps while the rain drizzled down in cold sheets.

“You see, it’s an hour walk, at least,” she said grimly. “I ran the whole way here, I’m barely standing.”

James glanced at the jeep parked under the crooked shadow of the church. It gleamed wetly in the rain, ridiculous and square, like a beast from another age.

“Well,” James smirked faintly, “who said anything about walking?”

Mary’s mistrust was plain as they climbed inside. “And you know how to drive this?”

James remembered Dorcas lounging behind the wheel, steering one-handed while her other hand was busy on Marlene’s thigh. It couldn’t have been that hard. A few terrifying minutes later—after nearly sending them through the windshield when he discovered the brakes—James managed to control this vehicle enough to move it forward in a semi-straight line. Mary was clutching her seat with a white-knuckled grip. She took a breath to say something countless times, probably curse James’s driving skills, but always chose to remain silent. James didn’t pay her much attention; he kept his focus on the rain-slick road.

By the time they reached the forest edge, his shoulders were stiff with tension. He pressed what he hoped was the off button, climbed out, and let the wet air cool his face. Mary stayed in her seat for a long moment before joining him. She looked shaken, pale.

“What happened? You alright?” James asked and almost took offence because his driving skills weren’t that bad.

“Yeah,” Mary muttered. “The driver’s drawer opened and smacked my leg.”

She didn’t wait for him to answer—just pushed into the trees, forcing James to follow. President Dolores was supposed to speak in the centre of the B2 zone, so pondering how to get there was pointless, because wherever they parked, they had to walk the same distance. There was no avoiding the Cameras, so they didn’t even try. James felt like a ghost walking through his city, like he really had died that day. But it wasn’t him haunting Burgensis. It was the city haunting him. The buildings loomed too high, too close, pressing in on him. His chest felt tight. In the beginning, he stayed close to the walls, half-expecting police to appear around every corner, hands on their guns. But no one stopped them.

The further they went, the more people appeared, all moving in one direction. Toward the center. The crowd grew thicker, shoulder to shoulder. James had forgotten how many lived here, how many lives balanced on the edge of their choices. A pair of policemen stood ahead, keeping the flow of people steady. James ducked his head, heart hammering, but they didn’t so much as glance at him.

Then the street widened, and James froze. Where the base had stood, there was nothing. Just a crater, vast and obscene, the ground ripped open like a wound that would never heal. He couldn’t breathe. This was where he spent almost 20 years of his life. Where he always returned, in the middle of the night, to find his parents waiting for him. No matter what was going on outside, he was safe there. And the President destroyed it with one single command. Mary’s teary-eyed presence next to him was maybe the only reason he hadn’t lost it. Because if she were there, that meant they were all alive.

God, if everyone really died here, James would have thrown himself into the pit right now. The President left it destroyed, showing her power, which made James sick. How long did it take for the people to get used to the fact that there was a huge hole in the middle of their city? Three days? The people around him weren’t even looking at the destruction. Their eyes were lifted upward. James forced his head up, and there she was.

The President stood on a balcony, and all James could think of was that the balcony was not supposed to exist. It was on the third floor, and only the highest floors had a balcony on the Burgensis building. Which meant they had to build it specifically for this occasion.

James couldn’t see her face, just the pink of her dress, the styled hair. He felt bile rise in his throat. He needed to get closer—

Mary’s hand clamped on his wrist. “No. This way.”

She pulled him into the building beside the one with balcony. The door was locked, but when she pressed her finger to the sensor, it flashed green. James shot her a sharp look, but didn’t ask how she had clearance. Inside was surprisingly dark. This building was probably connected to the one the President was in. James may have walked right to her.

Mary led him into what looked like an office, a desk pushed to the side, and some cabinets. She waved her hand towards the window. James walked closer. It was perfect: a view right at the balcony, heads of the people, and an overcast sky.

The President lifted a strange device to her lips as Mary cracked open the window so they could hear.

“My dear citizens, I will be with you in a moment. Just remember—you are the future of all humanity, and your future is bright!”

Her voice, magnified and warped by the device, boomed across the square and bounced off the buildings. It rattled James’s bones. He was right back at Isolation corner, being violated in a way he hadn’t thought possible.

The President turned and disappeared back into the building, leaving the crowd murmuring below.

“What the hell? Why would she just say that and leave?” James muttered, staring at the empty balcony. His skin crawled.

Something about this was wrong—too easy, too staged.

“James.” Mary’s voice was low, urgent. “Give me your gun.”

He turned on her, frowning. “Why?”

“Because Regulus told us not to kill her, but when you are looking at her, you are calculating the shot.”

James’s jaw tightened. She wasn’t wrong, of course she wasn’t. The moment he’d seen that pink silhouette, his brain had been drawing invisible bullet paths across the square.

But then something twisted in his gut.

“How did you know?” James’s voice came out harsher than he meant. “That the President thinks I’m dead? Regulus never told you the full plan. I saw the memory. So how could you be so sure the cameras wouldn’t catch me?”

Mary froze. A tremor ran through her, subtle but undeniable. Her lips parted. But she had no time to answer.

The door burst open. James’s mind barely registered what happened next.

A gunshot tore through the room. Mary dropped to the ground. Her head was blown open.

James’s breath tore out of him. His ears rang.

And then she was there.

James could do nothing but stare as President Dolores stepped into the room like she was arriving at a tea party, calm, composed, her heels clicking delicately against the floor. Two guards flanked her, one was just putting his gun away.

“Hello, James,” she said.

His gun slipped from his hand and clattered onto the floor. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think. The one person he hated more than anyone in the world was standing a few meters away, but all he could see was Mary—Mary, who had always been unstoppable, who had laughed in the face of danger, survived the craziest missions. She was invincible, so why was she lying face down on the floor?

The President’s smile was almost pitying. “You were supposed to die, James. But you didn’t. So she had to die instead.”

“No…” His voice cracked, barely a whisper.

The President walked closer, stepping past Mary like she was a stain in the carpet.

“She infiltrated my Watch. Almost. But when we discovered her, a bit of mind-control serum was all it took to make her very… useful. Her final assignment was to bring you to me.”

As James registered those words, he shook his head, backing into the wall. He wanted to scream, to lunge at President Dolores, to tear her apart—but his body wouldn’t move.

“Are you going to kill me?” he rasped.

She didn’t answer. Only silence stretched, heavy and unbearable, broken by the steady drum of rain against the window.

Rain?

James blinked, disoriented. This wasn’t Cadmia, this was Burgensis. They failed to bring rain there.

Dolores stepped closer and grabbed James by the back of his neck. Her hand was cold. She turned his head toward the window with startling force.

“Oh, it’s already begun. Look,” she whispered to his ear.

Outside, the rain was hammering the streets. It was the same view James had in Cadmia for days, but the rain in Burgensis, dancing around the tall buildings, looked just wrong.

“You nearly ruined everything at the lightning rod yesterday,” Dolores said softly. “Luckily, I had it guarded.”

Her tone was almost… maternal. It made James’s stomach twist.

He looked down at the crowd. People shuffled uncertainly or just stared up, shielding their faces, their confusion palpable. Then—one by one—they began to collapse. A woman crumpled mid-step. A child dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. Within seconds, two hundred thousand bodies lay strewn across the square, unconscious.

James’s breath hitched. “Are they dead?”

Dolores laughed lightly, the sound chilling. “Of course not. What kind of monster do you think I am?”

She released him, stepping back into the center of the room. The office was suddenly empty—the guards gone. Mary’s body gone, erased as if she’d never existed.

“They’re only sleeping,” Dolores continued, voice smooth. “And their memories are being deleted.”

Since this moment, James couldn’t sleep when it rained no matter how hard he tried.

“How?” he whispered.

“The chemical formula was in the hovercrafts I placed above Burgensis a few days back. It only needed rain to mix with. So I destroyed the weather control today, just like you wanted to do yesterday. Funny, isn’t it?”

James stood frozen, waiting for Mary to show up, to speak, to tell him this was not real.

“Tomorrow, they will wake,” Dolores said. “Confused, disoriented, with a vague sense of who they are but nothing else. All you have to do is get them out of Burgensis and start anew.”

“Why… why get them out?” he asked, in a haze.

“Because the bombs will detonate the day after tomorrow.”

Oh, so that was still happening.

Her smile widened, sharklike. “Six a.m., sharp.”

James’s chest constricted. That was such an early morning that the day didn’t even count. So they had only one left.

“And before that,” Dolores went on, her tone shifting to something almost casual, “you’ll go to Greece. Take Barty with you. There you will find the answers for the future of Burgensis.”

James blinked. “What the fuck is Greece?”

“A country. A civilisation with no technology and no knowledge of Burgensis. There, in Athens, lies a prophecy. Find it.”

She turned to leave, brushing invisible dust from her sleeve.

“Cheer up,” she said brightly. “You’re about to save them all. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

She leaned in close, close enough that James could smell her perfume, cloying and sweet. James forgot that his mind and body were his own; just her presence put him back in the Isolation corner.

“One more important thing. I need to do a lot of cleaning up in this city, the rain most definitely didn’t get everyone. If your little friends wander in here, they’ll complicate things. So you will not breathe a word of what you saw today. It will be our little secret.”

James’s throat burned. Rage boiled inside him, tangled with helpless terror. He forced the words out anyway:

“I’m not letting you dictate my life. Barty betrayed you. The base you bombed was empty!”

James shook with the anticipation of the effect those words might have on her. He hoped for shock, or a frustration, any sign of defeat, but all he got was a blank stare.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you in Cadmia? There is a plane with a bomb right above you.” She tilted her head. “Tell your friends what you saw today, and their blood will be on your hands.

“But they will find out,” James croaked.

The President’s smile returned, slow and poisonous. “Sure. But then it will be your problem to deal with.”

James felt it then. He knew that this was the moment he lost.

“Look, Jamie, all I want to do is help Burgensis,” the President said, her voice velvet over steel.

“And destroy Colony,” James shot back, trying, desperately trying to at least put up a fight. If he was going down, he wanted to go down swinging.

The President gave a soft laugh. “No. The civil war I stirred up there was quite enough. My spies say Colony is now ruled by three very capable women. I have no intention of interfering. Colony was my father’s city, and I refuse to give it one more thought. Burgensis is mine.”

James’s brain was very close to short-circuiting.

“But you said you wanted to bomb Colony.”

“No,” she corrected smoothly, almost indulgently, “I only told you that so they would help you. Bit of motivation. After Burgensis is dealt with, I will simply enjoy my retirement.”

James’s hands curled into fists. “So if you don’t care about the Colony, then why do this?”

Her expression sharpened, eyes gleaming in the rainlight. “To save Burgensis. The corrupt politicians, the crime on the streets, the homelessness. Milions of problems you had no idea about. The soil in Burgensis would only last us year or so, it was infected. The best scientists couldn’t figure it out,” Dolores sighed heavily. “I never wanted destruction. That was just the story you needed to fight. Otherwise, no change would ever come.”

James stared at her with only one thought. She claimed she didn’t want destruction, but she had managed to destroy him utterly.

Dolores continued: “Barty was supposed to be standing there instead of you and listening to my orders, but you will have to do.” She snapped her fingers. “Focus, James! You have to maintain appearances. The people need to believe that they were saved.”

And even though James didn’t want to, he nodded. Even his hazy mind understood that there must have been better solution to issues in their city than this. He didn’t agree, he didn’t want to follow her instructions, but his body was programmed in a way that obeyed unquestioningly.

President Dolores smiled contentedly. Then she turned for the door, her pink dress catching the dim light.

“Goodbye, Jamie. Make sure you’re far from Burgensis by 6 a.m.”

And she was gone. James stood frozen in the echoing office, a hollow ache opening inside his chest. He wanted to collapse where Mary had fallen, to curl into a ball and disappear. But he knew if he went down, he’d never rise again. So he forced his legs to move, forced himself out.

The square stretched before him, filled with thousands of unconscious bodies, rain slicking their still forms. James couldn’t remember crossing it—his memory was blank. He couldn’t remember climbing into the jeep either. His thoughts only returned once his hands were gripping the wheel, driving away from Burgensis.

His chest heaved with ragged breaths. He thought of Regulus, of that night weeks ago when James had offered to use the bracelet to erase his memories. Regulus’s anger still burned in his mind. And now… he was sure Regulus would think they had already lost. And that he will also never forgive him if he doesn’t tell him the truth about what happened there. But what if the President really dropped the bomb on them only because James couldn’t keep his mouth shut?

He was caught between two impossible roads: tell the truth and doom them all, or live in a web of lies spun by the very woman he hated. But… The damage was already done. There was no way to return the memories to people who lost them. The only thing to do was to finish this. But Mary. God, Mary. He should have seen it. Her jumpiness, her eyes, the cracks in her mask. He knew the signs of mind control serum. If he weren’t so stupid…

James slammed the brakes as he realised something. The jeep skidded to a stop, rain pelting the roof like bullets. His hands fumbled at the driver’s cabinet, wrenching it open. And sure enough, right on the top, there it was. A small folded note. His fingers trembled as he opened it. Regulus taught him to read a bit, so he was able to decipher it:

Tell Lily to see the world.

James knew a last wish when he saw one. His throat tore open with a cry, raw and animal, and he screamed at the storm until his voice broke. No answer came, only the endless rain.

When he had nothing left inside him, he started the jeep again. The engine groaned, tires spinning mud as he drove toward Cadmia, while James desperately wished he could turn back in time. But at the same time, his mind worked feverishly, weaving together a net of lies from which he would never free himself.

By the time the church rose out of the mist, James was barely breathing. He parked the jeep, and the first person he saw was Marlene.

“You stole our car, you fucker!” she shouted, more jokingly than angrily, but James still flinched.

“Sorry,” he muttered, trying to figure out how to function like a normal human being.

“No big deal. Cas just had to pick up Evan, Pandora, and Barty with the hovercraft instead.”

James’s head snapped up. “So… they made it out of Burgensis alright?” he asked carefully.

If the rain erasing memories hit them, they wouldn’t be there, James reasoned, but they still could have seen something.

“Yeah. Pandora’s got the video finished—she only needs to go back to Burgensis to send it. They’re inside with Reg,” Marlene answered with a shrug.

James followed her into the church, knowing there would be no salvation for him. Inside, Pandora, Dorcas, and Regulus stood at the great stone counter. Remus was gone, probably tending to Sirius. Evan and Barty were absent too.

The moment Regulus’s gaze found him, James saw so much relief in them that his chest clenched. He almost told Regulus everything immediately. It was the right thing to do. The truth balanced on his tongue, begging to be spoken.

Then Lily’s voice cut through the air. “Is Mary not with you?”

James turned, startled, to see her standing with Petunia. Lily’s green eyes searched his face, open, expectant. He could have given her the note that was burning a hole in his trouser pocket right then. He could have freed himself. But she looked so bright, so untouched by the nightmare James had witnessed. He couldn’t bring himself to crush that light.

“She stayed behind,” he lied smoothly, hating himself with every word. “She’s figuring out the exact time the bombs will drop. We’re meeting tomorrow at noon at the south forest border.”

“Okay,” Lily said, accepting it without hesitation.

Regulus leaned forward impatiently, eyes intent. “And the President? What did she say?”

James swallowed, sweat prickling at his temples. “The speech we expected—don’t trust Phoenix. But there was something else, something that stuck out for me and… Mary. She said the Phoenix would lie about other civilizations. That the only one was in Greece. People without modern technology, completely unaware of Burgensis.”

James tasted bile as the lie slid from his mouth. He braced for Regulus to call him out, to see through him. He could read people, and he was supposed to know James best, so why did he just nod thoughtfully?

“That’s such a random thing to say,” Marlene muttered.

“Not entirely,” Petunia interjected. “Greece really exists. It’s not far from the Colony, but the sea divides us. Their boats almost reached us a few times, but we never paid them much mind.”

The next five minutes dissolved into Petunia trying to explain what a boat was, unsuccessfully.

James seized the distraction. “Maybe we should go. To Greece. Our biggest issue is what we do with the people once we save them. Maybe… maybe they’ll inspire us.”

James’s carefully chosen words burned his tongue, but there was no way out. Even here, he felt the President’s invisible hand gripping the back of his neck.

“I’ll think about it,” Regulus said finally.

“Can I show you the video now?” Pandora asked brightly and James nearly collapsed with relief at the change of subject.

Everyone shuffled closer to the computer while she pressed play.

“Dear Burgensis residents, please pay attention to this urgent message,” Regulus’s voice rolled out from the screen, calm, commanding.

“Ugh, that’s strange—ugh—ugh,” the real Regulus muttered, grimacing at the sound of his own recorded voice.

The first memory began: Regulus’s own, the Director Albus leaning across his desk to whisper manically about the plan to drop bombs. The image dissolved seamlessly into the moment the President confirmed this to James in the Isolation Corner.

James’s hands started to tremble. The sound of rain on the roof seemed deafening, pounding in rhythm with his heart. Regulus pressed closer, his arm brushing James’s, and even Marlene stepped forward, laying a steadying hand on his shoulder.

More of James’s prison memories followed, more evidence. There was one image of James strapped to a chair, a grotesque device clamped to his skull, his eyes glassy and vacant. Regulus swore aloud, his voice rough with fury.

“How did you get this shot?” James croaked, his throat raw.

“It’s Barty’s memory,” Pandora said quietly.

A ripple of unease moved through the group. No one understood how Pandora had walked up to Barty, asked nicely for a memory, and escaped unharmed.

The video didn’t waste a second. It showed the island prison, the Colony, fragmented shots of the base, and even the moment Pandora’s parents vanished into nothingness. Brutal evidence, stripped of sentiment.

Then the screen shifted, turning dark blue. Regulus’s voice returned, steady and certain, accompanied by stark text:

“We have verified information that the bombs will fall on Friday the 13th this week. We can save you. Expect more information about the evacuation, and be prepared. No one is forcing you to come with us, but please leave Burgensis at least a kilometer beyond the forest line. If you are the resident of B2, stay inside. Do not go out until we declare it safe.”

The image cut to black. The symbol of the Phoenix appeared: a small h inside a triangle.

As everyone sang Pandora high praises, James felt his chest cave in. The video was brilliant, but it didn’t matter anymore. When the citizens wake up, stripped of their memories, they probably won’t go to read the newspaper. James had to figure out this detail later.

People began to drift out of the church—it was lunchtime, after all. Regulus stayed behind. When everyone left, he crossed the room in a few long strides and grabbed James by the collar, kissing him hard and fast.

“What was that for?” James asked, trying to act normal.

“I was so worried they’d catch you,” Regulus said fiercely. “If I’d thought about it longer, I never would have let you go to Burgensis.”

James’s throat tightened. God, he wished Regulus had forbidden him. But realistically, he knew he wouldn’t have listened anyway.

“When you left, I realised this felt exactly like when the President lured us to hospital to capture you. Except this time you went without me, and I almost lost it,” Regulus admitted, worry written all over his face.

A minute ago, no one would have been able to tell Regulus even had feelings, but now he was smiling softly at James, saying:

“But you came back.”

James had no idea what to say to that. He wished a lightning would strike him and he would be free, at last.

“Everything’s happening so fast,” he murmured.

“Yes,” Regulus said, searching his face. “And it’s all uncontrollable. Like when Mary showed up, and we just… rolled with it. Since the beginning, it feels like we’re just reacting. Like each step was already designed. But maybe I’m paranoid.”

James wanted to scream—You’re right. You’re always right. But his voice caught in his chest.

“I can’t wait for this to be over,” Regulus sighed.

For the first time, James didn’t agree. Because once it was over, he’d lose everything.

“Let’s go to our room,” Regulus said. “I need you to show me the exact memory of the President.”

James’s heart plummeted. There was no way to lie his way out of that. But as luck would have it, he was saved by none other than fucking Barty.

The church doors banged open, and in swept Barty with Evan, who leaned on their shoulder with a crooked grin. Did the two of them actually manage to make up? James couldn’t believe his eyes, but Barty was looking at Evan so gently that James would never believe they were a psychotic murderer.

“Well, looks like we missed the party,” Barty drawled.

Regulus stepped in front of James. For a heartbeat, he was confused. Then he remembered he said he would kill Barty the second he saw him. James realised now that while the President certainly did have spies, it probably was not Barty. Probably not anyone in the inner circle, because the hovercrafts at the lightning rod weren’t waiting for them, but guarding it.

Well, actually… it was him. He was the traitor now. James’s own thoughts fractured. He - he would never betray the Phoenix, and he wouldn’t betray Regulus. Righ? But he had no choice. Had the President sunk her claws into him and torn out his core, or was he always a coward? James didn’t know. This isn’t me, this isn’t me, this isn’t me, he repeated to himself, but all he could hear were President’s words. They splintered in his head, echoing like gunshots.

“We just watched the video,” Regulus said flatly. “I assume you saw it, so you’re good.”

“Great,” Barty smirked. “Hey, Jamie, are you okay? You look kinda pale.”

And James almost broke down because the only time someone called him Jamie was in the isolation corner, and this morning, right after they shot Mary in the head. His vision blurred.

“I’m good,” he lied. “Actually… I was wondering if you’d fly me to Greece. It’s near the Colony.”

The room stilled. Regulus stared at him, mouth falling open. Of all people to ask, why Barty? But James had his orders.

Barty tilted their head. “Sounds fun. But unfortunately, I have much, much better things to do.” They glanced at Evan with a look that would send lesser men running. But he only smiled.

“I think you’ll find the time to drive James,” Evan said mildly.

“Nah.”

Evan stepped away from Barty, squaring his shoulders.

“Are you unable to even consider helping him?” he pressed, his voice harder now.

“The only person I’m considering is you,” Barty snapped, heat sparking in their eyes.

Evan’s jaw clenched. “Then consider this: I want you to fly James.”

“C’mon, Ev, don’t be such a people pleaser,” they said in an annoyed voice.

Barty wasn’t screaming, hadn’t raised their voice one bit, but James felt fear in every part of his body. Part of his mind knew that Barty wouldn’t touch a hair on Evan’s head, but the greater part of his mind was tied to a chair, begging for release.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Evan warned, his voice low and dangerous.

Barty said, without even blinking: “You liked it in bed a while ago.”

James had never heard such utter silence as in that moment. Evan stood rooted to the spot, the color rushing into his cheeks until they burned red. His chest rose and fell once, sharply. He didn’t argue. He didn’t deny. Without a word, Evan turned on his heel and walked away, boots echoing against the stone floor until the sound faded into the side corridor.

Barty didn’t even glance back.

“Well, he won’t be speaking to me anytime soon.” Their voice was deliberately careless, but James could see the flicker in their eyes, something a bit like regret.

Barty folded their arms, tilted their head, and asked: “Did you say a trip to Greece?”

Chapter Text

James had made a deal with himself: he would find out what was in Greece first, and only then would he tell Regulus. Once he had this missing piece, he will explain it all to everyone. If he told Regulus now, Regulus would never let him go, and James just had to know. What was the full extent of the President’s plan, and why did Barty have to go with him?

The moment Barty agreed to fly him, and Regulus gave the green light to the mission, James bolted straight to the hospital. It was the only plausible way to avoid Regulus. When James sank into the chair beside Sirius’s bed, the white sheets too still, too quiet, he broke down. Tears burned his eyes, his chest shook, but no one questioned it. To Remus and the nurses, he was a grieving best friend. And he was—but he was also grieving something else: the loss of the best spy the Phoenix had ever had.

He returned to Cadmia just minutes before planned takeoff for Greece, his face washed, his body hollow. Remus came with him because Regulus said he wanted him to go too. Pandora was also chosen. James, not quite meeting Regulus’s eyes, asked why those two, because it felt like a safe theme.

“Remus hasn’t left Sirius’s bedside in almost 24 hours. I can’t risk him losing his mind. And Pandora has nothing to do until tomorrow. I don’t want to find out what happens when she gets bored.”

James couldn’t argue with this logic.

While Petunia put the coordinates for Athens into the hovercraft’s system, Regulus kept on looking at James, his gaze almost piercing his soul.

“I'd better get going,” James said quickly, unable to just stand there and pretend he wasn’t betraying everyone he loved.

“Be safe,” Regulus said and took a step closer to James.

James forced a smile while guilt was eating his insides. Soon, Regulus will find out the truth. But not today, no, today he loved James without question. Regulus reached out with his hand, his fingertips almost brushing James' arm, but James couldn’t bear it. He spun around and boarded the hovercraft before he lost it completely. Barty, Remus, and Pandora followed him, and soon their only company was grey clouds.
In the air, James could breathe a bit better, but the doubts about what to do were still clouding his brain.

He also wondered if Barty knew how to read coordinates. He found out the answer was yes when Pandora gently whispered:

“There.”

James leaned forward. In the distance, faint glimmers betrayed a city, shadows of stone and light barely visible through the dusk.

“I’ve cut the lights,” Barty said. “But if we get closer, they’ll hear the engines.”

Right, the huge machine would probably not be welcomed warmly by a civilisation without technology.

“We need a good landing spot, somewhere hidden,” James murmured.

“Don’t you think there’s a forest here?” Remus shouted from the back, “If we landed in it, no one would see us.”

James peered through the gloom. At best, there was a dark blur, but it could have been a forest. They were too high to say for sure.

“They’ll still hear the engines,” he pointed out.

“Not if I do this.” Barty grinned.

The hovercraft’s hum died, plunging them into silence. For one wild second, James thought Barty had discovered some hidden stealth feature. Then the hovercraft dropped like a stone. Barty turned the engines off.

James fell out of his seat onto the floor. Someone was screaming, probably him. He didn’t even have time to think.

Then the engines roared back at the last second, and the craft skimmed into the trees, settling roughly to the forest ground. Their landing certainly made a noise, but the trees covered them completely.

“I’ll kill you!” Remus shouted, voice raw with panic.

James, who had already gotten over the Barty murder phase, asked:

“How did you know that would work?”

Barty shrugged. “I didn’t.”

James didn’t even have the energy to react.

Pandora’s knees shook so much she almost wasn’t able to get off the hovercraft. James followed her into the shadowed forest. The air was thick with resin, the undergrowth already dark though the sun still lingered. It smelled different from the forest in Burgensis. It also sounded different, clicking sound echoing all around them. James wondered what kind of animal made that noise. He hoped nothing big. They moved quietly, boots crunching on pine needles. Pandora almost wandered off a few times, enthralled by the forest. Thankfully, they didn’t lose her and soon the trees thinned and the land broke open. Low bushes stretched ahead in endless rows, waist-high and dark green.

Barty nudged Remus. “You’re the gardener. What are those?”

Remus sighed, then bent to examine the leaves, his breath steadying. “We don’t grow these in Burgensis,” he whispered. “But someone planted these. Cares for them.”

Pandora crouched down too, smelled the plant, and even said hello to it.

They followed the rows until three stone houses emerged, built close together, their shutters closed tight. Remus crouched. The others mirrored him, creeping forward until they reached a window. Inside, a family sat at the table, bathed in firelight, eating in silence. Their skin tone was a bit darker, but otherwise they looked the same. Except for the clothes. People of Greece liked to wear something that looked like a white bedsheets, apparently.

Remus tapped James’s shoulder and pointed. Behind the house, pale garments hung drying on a line, sheets of white fluttering faintly. James exhaled. They needed to blend in. One by one, the group slipped into the shadows of the yard and stole what they needed. Even up close, the garment looked like nothing more than a sheet. The group ducked behind a wooden shed behind the house, where enormous wicker baskets were stacked, their shadows stretching long in the fading light. Barty and Pandora slipped away into the darkness to change, while Remus and James stayed near the baskets to keep a watch.

James unfolded the cloth he had grabbed. It was barely half the size of what his companions had taken. Too late to trade. He stripped down to nearly nothing, cold air prickling against his skin, and tied the cloth clumsily around his waist. It looked ridiculous.

Remus barked out a laugh. “Nice skirt.”

James shot back: “Nice dress.”

Remus had claimed a much larger sheet, and draped it elegantly over one shoulder and tied at the waist. It exposed only a little of his chest, making him look oddly dignified. James, by contrast, felt exposed and small. His body still bore the hollows and sharp edges left from his weeks in the Isolation Corner, and the reminder scraped at him as badly as the cold air.

A voice rang out: “Hey, you! What are you doing there?”

James froze. The two of them whipped their heads around, but no one was in sight. The voice had to be aimed at Barty or Pandora. Remus sprang into action. He flung his discarded clothes and boots under the nearest bush. He gestured frantically at James’s feet. Oh, shit! James yanked off his shoes and shoved them deep into one of the baskets just as a man appeared around the corner, dragging Barty by the wrist. No sight of Pandora.

“Well, what do we have here? Thieves?”

The man was massive, easily the size of three of them put together. A long, tangled beard spilled down his chest, his face creased and weathered like old bark. He wore trousers—actual trousers—and a heavy brown cloak, making him look even more intimidating. James braced himself for a beating.

Barty twisted, breaking free with surprising ease. For the briefest moment, James noticed how effortlessly Barty wore the sheet—tied at the neck, chest hidden, back bare, legs covered. The ridiculous white cloth somehow suited them.

“We’re not thieves,” Remus said, though his voice was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Then where did you come from?”

The man’s words rolled together, thick with some strange accent, as if he swallowed half his consonants. James could put together what he was saying, but the meaning of individual words eluded him.

Barty stepped forward, smooth as ever. “We’re travellers. We come from the north. We need to reach the city center—they’re expecting us there. Could you help us?”

The man’s expression shifted. He smiled with a toothy grin. It was even scarier than when he was frowning.

“Travellers! How exciting. We never get those.” He clapped his huge hands together. “My name’s Hagrid. And of course I’ll help you. Get on the cart!”

As they followed Hagrid, James snatched a random piece of brown cloth, swinging it around his shoulders like a cloak. He immediately felt much better. Hagrid didn’t notice a thing. James briefly wondered how old he was. His body was that of a giant, but his eyes had such a childlike expression, so maybe he was even younger than him and his companions.

The cart was crude but sturdy: planks of wood nailed together, balanced on wheels. Almost like the jeep except that at its front stood a hulking beast with broad hooves and yellowed teeth. The creature stamped and snorted, dust billowing up around its legs. And right next to this beast stood Pandora, petting its head.

“Is the girl with you?” Hagrid asked.

All the three of them managed was a nod.

“This is Buckbeak,” Hagrid said, as they walked closer. James wasn’t sure if that was the name of the species or just this one creature.

“And he usually doesn’t let people touch him,” he added, looking straight at Pandora. “You must have a good heart. The animals can feel it.”

Pandora blushed. She and Hagrid exchanged a few more compliments, but they were interrupted by Buckbeak’s nervous stomps and the strange sound the animal made. James began to worry for their safety, but when Hagrid gathered the reins and gave them a gentle tug, the beast stilled instantly, obedient.

“Load the baskets and hop in,” Hagrid gently ordered while he helped Pandora to get on the cart.

The rest of them heaved the wicker baskets into place, the wood creaking under the weight. Then James climbed in, settling himself between the baskets. Only around this time it clicked in his head that the animal was about to pull them. Which was insane, right? He debated getting off, but Remus and Barty had already sat down, so no running away.

“Sit in the middle so you don’t fall out!” Hagrid boomed. Then, with a snap of the reins, Buckbeak lunged forward, dragging the cart into motion.

The road rattled beneath them. Dust stung their eyes. This type of transport felt very unsafe but it… worked. They were moving at quite impressive speed. James realised bitterly that he couldn’t even drive the jeep this fast. Remus, ever curious, reached into a basket and plucked out a small green berry.

“Hagrid, what’s this crop? They don’t grow where I’m from.”

It turned out the berries were called olives, and Hagrid could talk about them for the whole way to the city. Barty popped one into their mouth. Their face twisted instantly, and James stifled a laugh. Clearly, olives weren’t to everyone’s taste. The road narrowed, winding between fields and clusters of low trees. They passed farmers, children, and once, a man who must have been crazy because he sat bareback on a white beast much like Buckbeak.

Gradually, the greenery thinned, replaced by stone. More houses began to appear - some raw stone like Hagrid’s home, others washed in bright white plaster. Finally, the cart jolted to a halt.

“Too narrow for me to turn around if I go any further,” Hagrid said. “You’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”

They thanked him over and over. Pandora even kissed him on the cheek. Hagrid beamed, wished them good luck, then snapped the reins, and the cart rolled away into the glow of the setting sun.

“What now?” Remus asked.

None of them had an answer. The time was running out, so they walked into the first narrow street they saw. The ground was paved with small blocks of stone. James brushed his hand against one wall as they passed; chalky paint clung to his fingertips.

The air grew thick with voices, the shuffle of sandals. The people looked ordinary enough—until the crowd suddenly scattered. Two men strode down the street, and everyone moved aside. James knew immediately who they were. A soldier recognised a soldier. They wore skirts too, but of leather rather than cotton. Golden plates curved over their chests, gleaming in the last light. The armor clung perfectly to the contours of their bodies, giving them an almost divine presence. James’s stomach knotted. He prayed they wouldn’t notice that he and his companions didn’t belong.

The soldiers marched past without a word.

Remus leaned close, his voice almost drowned by the tramp of armored boots. “I want one too,” he whispered, eyes fixed on the golden chestplates gleaming in the torchlight. His fingers brushed his own tunic absently, as if comparing the coarse fabric with the polished metal. James rolled his eyes.

They walked on, when a sudden shout split the air. Laughter followed, booming and ragged, then a string of notes that only barely resembled singing. The noise spilled from one of the largest buildings in the square. They stopped before a heavy wooden door, its frame worn smooth by countless hands. The name of the establishment was carved onto a weathered board above, but James never had a chance to read it. A surge of bodies pressed forward, sweeping him and his companions inside.

The place was chaos. The air was thick with the scent of food and smoke and many others James didn’t even recognise. He thought of the canteen back at the base—except this place was darker, stickier, alive with a kind of reckless joy that felt dangerous.

“Darlings, I have a table just for you. Are you thirsty?”

James blinked. The woman who had spoken was smiling at them, her dress little more than two strips of fabric crossing front and back. He forced his gaze upward. Her face was freckled, her black hair tied with a colorful ribbon, a few strands escaping to frame her cheeks. She looked no older than him, but there was a sharpness in her eyes that came from knowing more of the world.

“I have to admit, I’m pretty thirsty,” Remus said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Then sit, sit—there, against the wall. I’ll bring something right away.” She pointed toward a small, shadowed table. James’s feet ached from the walk, the heat pressed on his skull like a hand, and his friends were already moving. He followed. What was the worst that could happen?

Well:

They somehow ended up sitting at the largest table, surrounded by a dozen Athenians, mugs in hand. James blinked through the haze, trying to trace how they’d gotten here. Why was everyone’s laughter rolling like waves? Why did they all move as though the floor tilted beneath them? Pandora sat across from him, grinning, speaking animatedly with the black-haired girl.

Emmeline. That was her name. And she was the one who had placed goblets before them, filled to the brim with a dark red liquid.

“What is it?” James had asked back then.

Emmeline had looked at him as though he were a child. “The best red wine in Athens.”

She had moved on quickly, but James stayed staring at the cup. He sniffed, frowning. He didn't recognize its scent, but Regulus’s memories did.

“That’s alcohol,” he hissed.

Remus jerked his hand back, but Barty only laughed, tipping the goblet into his own glass. They sipped, made a face, then grinned. “You can have it. It’s not strong.”

James recoiled. “Alcohol is illegal.”

“Apparently not here,” Remus said, watching the others. And indeed, every table in the place was filled with drinkers.

“And if we want to maintain secrecy,” Pandora added thoughtfully, “we should drink it.” She raised the cup, swallowed, and made the same face Barty had when they tasted the olive.

James lifted his cup reluctantly. The wine was sharp, bitter. Why Barty smiled after drinking it, James could not understand. The second glass tasted much better. So did third. By the fourth, James’s chest was warm, and the idea of sitting with the loudest, rowdiest group in the tavern seemed brilliant.

They were all laughing, even though James understood like half of the words the Athenians were saying. But he felt good, light, like he hadn’t felt in ages. Suddenly, he wasn’t the president’s puppet, he just… was. There were no voices in his head, no Regulus’s memories mixing with his own, only a pure silence. James just leaned back on a chair and enjoyed the feeling. He watched Pandora as she danced with her hands above her head in the middle of the tavern, while Barty and Remus hovered near her like watchdogs, making sure no strange men bothered her.

After some time, James remembered his mission dimly. Something about the prophecy. He leaned across the table, slurring:

“Listen—who among you knows anything about the prophecy?”

A few people at the table looked at him strangely, while others looked annoyed.

“Depends which prophecy you mean, honey,” Emmeline said smoothly as she passed them, carrying more glasses than should be humanly possible. “There are hundreds.”

“Don’t mention prophecies to me!” bellowed a bearded man nearby. “My wife’s obsessed. Wants to name our daughter Aphrodite, after the goddess of love! Aphrodite! Can you imagine the bullying?”

The table roared with laughter. But then a voice, low and rough, cut through:

“The prophecies are real. Especially the latest one.”

The tavern stilled. All eyes turned to the speaker: a man in a brown robe, rope tied at his waist. His gaze gleamed strangely in the torchlight.

“He’s a seer,” Emmeline whispered to their little group. “They say he has magic powers.”

James leaned forward. “What prophecy?”

The man’s voice carried like gravel. “It says that one day, a stranger will appear—not man, not woman, but a child of the gods.”

Remus, Pandora, and James turned slowly to Barty.

“Say that again, but very slowly,” Barty said, their tone sharp.

The seer said: “This embodiment of divinity will lead the promised nation—the ones who will conquer the world.”

“The embodiment of divinity,” Barty repeated, dumbstruck.

“We Athenians,” the seer continued, “shall help them cross the sea. And they will reward us beyond measure.”

Silence sat heavy on the table. Pandora asked Emmeline if she believed it. She nodded eagerly. James felt the weight of the words but could not summon a thought. The wine thickened his mind. He only noticed Barty’s smile—that dangerous, wolfish smile that meant trouble. James was so tired of trouble. He tipped the cup again and listened instead to the Athenians’ stories. He liked the one about Icarus best.

The next thing James remembered was two soldiers, whose appearance startled him. But they only came to sit down and laugh with the men, and drink. Then, suddenly—

“Hey, you! I challenge you to a fight for... your golden thing!” Remus shouted at one of the soldiers.

James tried to stop him, but his head was too heavy, his arms like stone. The candle flickered before him, flame dancing hypnotically.

“Sweethearts, it’s time to pay!” Emmeline’s voice rang out.

James knew, distantly, that this would be a problem. But his eyes slid shut anyway.

He woke with his cheek pressed against cold cobblestones. The rough stone scraped his skin as he lifted his head. Every muscle in his body trembled, as though he’d been run over by a bus. He blinked blearily. Behind him stood the tavern, its door crooked on its hinges, the scent of spilled wine and smoke still seeping into the street. Remus was slumped against the wall nearby, head bowed, arms wrapped tightly around something that glinted in the sun. Golden armor.

The memory hit James in fragments—shouting, fists flying, Remus crashing into a soldier, the taste of blood in the air. When James saw the blood on Remus's face, he forced himself to stand. His legs were shaking too. He started the painful, twenty-foot walk to Remus. If even the slightest breeze had blown, James would have fallen to the ground. But as the Athenians would say, the wind gods were on his side, so he managed to walk to Remus.

“Wake up,” James croaked. His throat was sand.

Remus stirred and let out an unidentifiable gasp, but that meant he was alive, so James was relieved.

The tavern door creaked open. Pandora stepped out, sunlight catching on her skin. Somehow, she looked fresh, as though she hadn’t spent the entire night weaving through chaos with them. James also wondered why she got to sleep inside while the rest of them were kicked out.

“You’re finally awake. Here,” she said, pressing a jug of water and a strip of clean cloth into James’s hands.

He drank greedily, water spilling down his chin, and gasped thanks. Then he splashed water across Remus’s face. He grimaced, muttering complaints, but scrubbed the blood from his skin with the cloth. A deep bruise darkened his forehead, his lip was split—but he clutched the stolen armor like a prize.

To Pandora’s demands, they went to look for Barty, even though James would prefer never to see them again. Finding Barty wasn’t difficult; they just had to follow the disgusting sounds. Barty was hunched beneath a crooked tree, one hand braced against the trunk. Their whole body heaved with each sickened gasp as they vomited over and over.

James’s stomach lurched at the sight. Remus, nose wrinkled, halted. The two exchanged a look of equal disgust. Pandora shook her head at them, snatched the jug from James, and approached Barty. They tried to push her away, but she rested a steadying hand between their shoulder blades until the vomiting subsided, then shoved the jug of water into their hands. James and Remus edged closer when they deemed it safe to approach. They all gathered together.

“Are we going to Cadmia?” Remus asked, voice thin, his face nearly the color of marble.

James and Pandora both nodded, but Barty snapped at them: “Are you crazy? After what we just learned?” Their eyes burned with manic light.

James leaned heavily against the wall to keep himself on his feet. “And what did we learn, exactly?”

“You weaklings,” Barty sneered. “I'm talking about the prophecy that clearly speaks of us.”

Remus arched an eyebrow. “Oh, really? You’re a descendant of the gods now?” His voice dripped sarcasm.

“That story’s made up,” Pandora muttered.

Barty sighed dramatically, like a teacher cursed with slow students. “If the world needs a god-born savior, then I’ll become one. Follow me.”

Barty took off and cut a path through the streets of Athens like a knife, shoving past merchants and travelers alike. Pandora followed in their wake, mumbling apologies to the people Barty barreled into. James and Remus stumbled far behind them, hating themselves and everyone around them.

Barty's destination turned out to be a large square. People were crammed head to head, everyone in a hurry. The air reeked of sweat, roasting meat, animal hides, honey, spice—so many smells it made James dizzy. Stalls with actual live animals covered the cobble square, also colorful fabrics, pottery, fruit, gleaming bronze trinkets. James’s stomach twisted when he spotted a jug identical to the one they’d drunk from the night before. He swallowed hard.

Barty waited for them to catch up and strode toward the very center of the square. James noticed a swath of bright blue silk now knotted at their waist. A fabric stall had been only steps back. Petty thief, James though with his jaw clenched. They halted at a massive pedestal that rose taller than James. Upon it stood a gleaming figure of stone, draped in flowing folds of carved cloth. Her features were serene, stern, and unmistakably powerful. In one hand, she raised a shield; in the other, something winged that James could barely see for the glare of the sun. She reminded him unnervingly of Regulus. Something about her calculating, unyielding look.

“What is that?” Pandora whispered, eyes wide.

“A statue,” Barty answered loftily. “The Greeks worship them. This one is Athena—the goddess of this city.”

James narrowed his eyes. “So why exactly did we come to see Athena?”

Barty turned sharply, impatience flashing across their face. “No more idiotic questions. Listen carefully. Remus, you’re going to help me climb up. The rest of you—spread into the crowd. Make sure they notice me. Then we meet under the gate.”

Remus drew breath to speak, but Barty’s glare struck him like a spear. The words died in his throat. James turned toward the gate Barty had indicated. Fixing its location in his mind, he pivoted wordlessly and began shoving through the mass of bodies, following Barty’s order, because he probably lost his mind. The noise was unbearable—voices clashing, laughter rattling his skull. Each shout was like a hammer blow. Plus, now that the haze of alcohol was gone, his guilt had returned tenfold. James longed to rip his own head off just to find quiet. He barely made any progress through the crowd when a cry rose close by:

“Hey, you! Get down from there!”

James snapped his gaze back. Barty was perched casually against Athena’s marble leg, lounging as though leaning on an old friend. Barty’s hair brushed just above her carved knees. A handful of onlookers approached the pedestal, muttering, but Remus—in the gleam of stolen armor—stepped forward with soldierly command, raising a hand to bar them. They obeyed without question.

Now sober, James felt the prophecy’s weight settle in. Had the President made it up to secure Barty’s rule, or was it a happy coincidence? How long was her plan in motion? Years and years for sure. Was this really a way to safe people of Burgensis or just some elaborate trick? Either way, they were too deep in it now to turn away. So James raised his arms and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Look—look at Athena!”

Pandora’s voice joined his from the other side of the crowd. Heads turned, necks craning upward, murmurs rippling.

When Barty’s lips curved into a smile, James fell silent.

“Athenians!” Barty’s voice rang out. They stepped boldly to the center of the pedestal, at the feet of the goddess. “You have been waiting for me, and the time has come. I will lead my people, my lost nation, to the gates of Athens. In return for your help you will gain eternal glory! Tell me, what say you?”

Years spent shadowing the President had honed Barty’s theatrics, and though the crowd was perhaps not entirely convinced, they were mesmerized. With a few exceptions:

“Fraudster! Prove you’re sent by the gods! Liar!”

The tension only fed Barty’s fire. Their eyes glittered with malice. “You want proof? Then proof you shall have.”

They raised their left hand, thumb pressed to middle finger. The crowd hushed. A few soldiers began forcing their way forward.

Snap.

But instead of the faint crack James would never have a chance to hear, a deafening *bang* split the air. James instinctively ducked down and covered his head. The Athenians only glanced around in confusion, hearing no gunshot in their minds—only a divine sound. But the noise was definitely made by firing a gun. No one in the crowd seemed hurt, though.

James looked at the statue, and only now did he notice Barty's right hand, which was hidden behind their back. Barty snapped the fingers of their left hand twice more, and this time, James saw the muscles in their right arm tense each time. Barty fired from behind their back with the gun, probably into the stone pedestal. However, the Athenians thought that the incredible sound was Barty snapping. Where they’d smuggled a gun from, James had no idea.

“A sign! Zeus himself… The gods walk with this one!” and similar nonsense echoed through the crowd.

Barty spread their arms wide, drunk on the awe. “My people and I will return soon. Until then—may the gods protect you!”

With that, they leapt lightly from the pedestal. The crowd surged toward the statue, desperate to brush against divinity. James pushed back through the tide until he reached the gate, where Remus and Pandora were waiting, their faces pale, unreadable. They exchanged glances, but neither of them could put into words what had just happened. Moments later, Barty appeared, striding easily, a stolen blue scarf knotted around their head. Their gait was altered, expressions softened—feminine enough to slip past the dazzled Athenians unnoticed.

“We can go home now,” they announced smirking.

The four of them moved quickly away from the square. Only when the roar of the marketplace dulled behind them did they realize how far Hagrid had driven them the day before. Walking back on foot was impossible. Fortunately, Remus was wearing a soldier's uniform, so it was enough to ask the first man with a cart to take them to the best olive farm. The stranger gladly gave them a ride, though he swore his friend Maxime’s olives were far superior to Hagrid’s.

The last stretch from the farm to the hidden hovercraft was brutal. The sun hammered them mercilessly, James’s lips cracked with thirst, and Remus stumbled with a pounding headache. James half-dragged him, each step an effort. But of course, Pandora was alright enough to skip as she walked, even to sing a bit. When the hovercraft came into view, James nearly wept with relief. As they lifted into the sky, he remembered with a pang that their discarded clothes lay under a bush on the farm. He hoped the Greeks would take it as a divine mystery.

James was beginning to actually believe that Barty was a divine creature because they managed to fly the hovercraft to Cadmia. When they landed at last, Remus bolted from the craft, doubled over in the grass, and vomited. James walked out and faced Regulus, whose eyebrows were raised so high it almost reached his hair.

“What the fuck?”

Right, James was still wearing cloak and a skirt. And it was cold, really cold. He didn’t care. James tipped his head back to the heavens and thanked every god in the Greek pantheon that they’d survived and came back.