A/N: Story is getting interesting, no?
Chapter IX: Cry for Me
They were supposed to meet tonight by the ancient oak on the lakeshore. The sun disk was sinking behind the horizon of the Forbidden Forest and Regulus was growing increasingly restless. He wasn't sure if Andromeda would show up, despite her promise the previous evening.
His worries were not justified. He saw two figures coming down the slope towards him. One silhouette he recognized as Andromeda, but the other alluded him. Warning bells rang once more in the back of his head…yet, this was in their mutual interest, so she would not do anything against him.
As they approached, he recognized Holly. At once he was relieved, but also concerned, because he had no idea how effective she could be in a confrontation.
"Evening," Andromeda waved at him.
"Hey," he returned sceptically. "You told Holly?"
"Yes, she has a right to know," she told him testily.
"Jane is my friend too," Holly rejoined with vigour. "You should have told me!"
"You would listen to me?" Regulus turned to her with a knowing smile.
"Touche," she looked down.
Andromeda knew he was worried on the inside, but his outward confidence rarely showed it. She admired this quality of his, but at the same time managed to significantly annoy her.
"Enough," her constant underlying impatience rose to the surface, "how are we going to find the centaurs?"
"I think I know," Regulus offered. "I figured it out last night."
"What did you figure out?" Andromeda decided to entertain him for a change.
"Centaurs are generally independent, proud creatures, if you remember from Care of Magical Creatures class. I think Hagrid said something about them letting their young venture by themselves to gain the proper experience," he screwed up his face in the attempt to remember.
"What of it?"
"Well, we kidnap one of their young, it's going to start calling for help and we wait to be found."
"That's suicide!" Andromeda was appalled. "Is it all you came up with?"
"You have a better idea?" he fixed on her.
"As a matter of fact, we can track them," she grasped at straws on her own turn, trying to sound convincing. "It has to be a better idea than making bait out of ourselves."
"I think," Holly piped up somewhat timidly, "Regulus has the better idea here."
Andromeda was taken by surprise. "You're siding with him?"
"Obviously," Regulus said forcefully before Holly could say a word. "but that's not the point. You and I have to trust one another if we're to achieve anything tonight."
She mentally chided herself for becoming confrontational with him once again.
"Fine," her tone calmed. "Let's work together on this."
"Good," Regulus nodded. "We can finally move forward."
"How do we make sure we don't get lost?" Holly asked fearfully. "There is a lot of danger in there…"
"We know the compass spell. The castle is due east. If all else fails, we keep going east, but it's a risk we're going to have to take," Regulus said quickly. He was nervous about this as much as the girls.
"Let's get lost," Andromeda said sarcastically from the rear, as the trio headed into the foreboding darkness.
"Don't" Holly's voice trembled.
Nerves were taut enough already. "Just be on the lookout for any centaurs," Regulus snapped.
The three of them fell silent as they progressed further down the path. Fortunately, the sparse undergrowth made for a relatively easy journey. Their lighted wandtips were the only illumination in the sea of darkness, yet it was possible to see faint shapes not too far ahead.
"Did you hear that!" Holly suddenly breathed, startling the other two in the process.
"What!" they wheeled around simultaneously, scanning the dim surroundings with pointed wands.
"It was a growl," the frightened girl said. "A distinct growl."
"Werewolves, you think?" Andromeda now betrayed a note of fear in her voice.
"Possibly," Regulus murmured, barely audibly. "Let's keep going. I don't want to stick around and find out."
More vigilant than before, they continued their journey, careful to step quietly in the otherwise deadly quiet night. Around them, leaves were rustling, but that was a consequence of the wind and nothing more, each of them secretly hoped.
"Hold on," Regulus raised his wand to signal the other two to stop.
By the wandlight, Regulus could make out two dark shapes not too far ahead of him. One seemed to be motionless on the ground, while the other was bent over it, presumably feeding. He could feel the perspiration condensing on his brow. Maybe they should wait until the creature left -
"Get behind that log," he pointed out the fallen tree to the girls, from where he hoped they would be well hidden, while still being able to observe their quarry.
Extinguishing their respective wandtips, the three of them crouched behind the log, leaving the scene in front of them to be played only by the moonlight that came from gaps in the broken clouds.
"Do you think it will find us?" Holly whispered frightfully.
"Yeah, if you don't keep your mouth shut," Andromeda snapped quietly.
Regulus paid them no attention, but instead focused his attention on the animal in front of him. He couldn't quite place what it was until -
The creature reared on its hind legs and the howl that escaped it chilled him to the bone. Fear crawled all over his skin, regardless of the cold night. He watched with horror, as the werewolf plunged towards his prey and bit down on the throat.
Another agonized howl told him the victim was another werewolf. It pierced the night air, but then gradually faded, as the other werewolf's life left him with his breath.
After he was dead, the killer rose back on his hind legs and sniffed the air carefully. Regulus was filled with a foreboding feeling that he may well find them, as they were not outside of his range…
The werewolf slowly turned on the spot and stepped in their direction indeed. Holly was petrified, eyes wide open, starring at the terrifying creature and unable to utter a sound. Regulus instinctively turned towards Andromeda and they locked gazes.
"Take Holly and run as fast as you can," he instructed quietly. "I'll hold him off."
"He'll kill all of us anyway," she objected, just as quietly.
"Won't you rather have a chance?" his eyes glanced from Andromeda to the werewolf and back. "On my count - "
"Not at your expense," she protested a little bit more audibly.
"One - " the werewolf was now certainly heading for them, quickening his pace as he did so.
"You're crazy," Andromeda was visibly beginning to panic.
"Two - "
She grabbed Holly by the wrist. "No, no, don't do this - "
"Go!" Regulus shouted. "Expelliarmus!"
The force of the spell caught the werewolf unawares and he flew quite a distance backward, landing roughly on his side close to his dead counterpart.
Andromeda wanted to scream, but out of sheer horror she could not make a sound. Beside her, Holly was whimpering uncontrollably. All that she knew was that her hand was fast around Holly's wrist and the two of them were sprinting for their lives in the first direction their eyes saw.
The werewolf rose drunkenly to his feet and shook off the daze from the fall. He focused on Regulus once again; growlingly threateningly, he inched forward, poising himself for a pounce on the unfortunate fifth year.
"Incendio!| Regulus aimed right at the log the three of them were hiding behind earlier. He hoped if he set it alight, the werewolf would be shocked enough to retreat.
It failed. The wood was too damp to catch fire. Sensing the fear, the werewolf came closer.
"Expelliarmus!" Regulus tried the earlier spell, but this time the werewolf was prepared. The red beam of light narrowly missed him as he jumped aside.
"Pro - "
It was too late. The beast jumped and struck Regulus heavily. Landing on his back, he tried to raise his arms to block his face, while not losing his wand.
He felt a claw slash at his leg. The werewolf was trying to immobilize him completely.
"Expeli - "
His latest attempt was cut short when he was thrown in the air, landed roughly on his side and rolled over painfully. The consequent pain was highly indicative of several broken ribs…
It hurt to breathe. He attempted to sit up and face his opponent. The werewolf must have sensed his impending victory, because he was not trying to hurry now. Walking slowly and deliberately, he approached Regulus. The young wizard saw, with dismay, his wand simply being kicked aside. He was not adept at wandless magic and reaching his wand was now impossible.
"Impedimenta!" came a voice somewhere from the side. With a jolt, Regulus realized Andromeda was somewhere close by.
For the second time that night, the werewolf was thrown back, only this time a lot more violently. Somehow, he managed to land on his feet, however, and wildly looked around for the unfortunate newcomer.
"Andromeda! Run!" Regulus half-rasped, half-shouted, as he struggled to engulf enough air for the girl to hear him; he could not bear it if she were killed, and if he had to pay the price, so be it.
The werewolf seemed intent on finishing him off before moving on to Andromeda. For this purpose, it covered the few dozen feet between itself and Regulus extremely quickly. He glanced the two rows of yellow teeth opening above him and the foul breath that followed. The werewolf's two front paws had pinned him on either side, but he still had a few inches to manoeuvre. In a last ditch effort, he turned on his good side, just as the jaws came down.
They clamped on his upper arm. He clenched his teeth to stifle the shout from the pain, on the one side coming from the broken ribs, and now the screaming pain from his new wound.
He was ready to die. Through his blurry vision, he thought he saw hoofs galloping in his direction, and right before he blacked out, a great weight fell upon him, crashing the broken ribs further, as it rolled off next to him….
The last conscious thought he had was for Andromeda to be all right…
**
"We can't fix the punctured lung. He'll die if we don't get him to the school as soon as possible."
Regulus slowly drifted into consciousness. He opened his eyes.
By his blurry vision, he found himself lying on a rather comfortable platform in a clearing surrounded y torch fires. Overlooking him were two centaurs who were more preoccupied with the conversation between them than paying attention to him.
"How do you propose we carry him? Any movement and he will die too."
He groaned, trying to vocalize his presence.
"He's woken up!" one centaur almost reared from the surprise. "Go get Bane."
The other one galloped away without a word.
"How are you feeling?" the centaur turned to him.
"I've been better," Regulus rasped. He tried to turn on his right side, but a sharp pain shot up his left and he grimaced instinctively.
"Don't move," the centaur instructed him. "We fixed some of your ribs, but your lung is punctured. Try not to exert yourself."
"Oh, good," Regulus managed some sarcasm, even in his dire condition. "Where are Andromeda and Holly?"
"They're fine and under supervision," the centaur told him neutrally.
"What happened?" Regulus forced his memory, but all he could come up with was blacking out and the hoofs he saw right before.
"One of us sent an arrow through the werewolf's head," the centaur explained. "It killed him, but you suffered the brunt of it. Then we carried you here."
"How did you find us?"
"We followed you from the moment you entered the Forbidden Forest. As you might know, wizards don't stand a good chance in the forest without out assistance. Especially students."
"Where are my friends?" Regulus breathed out, indicating he needed to take a break and recover some of his strength, if he were to ask another question.
"They are safe," came the deep voice he recognized as Bane's.
Regulus looked up and met Bane's stern gaze.
"We are going to release them, as soon as our conditions have been met."
"What…conditions…" Regulus was still not quite up to par to speak normally.
"That you, nor your friends probe into what we're doing. Else you might not be so lucky next time."
"Probe into what?" the young wizard gained more confidence. "You kidnapped my friends!"
"The world is a lot bigger than you, boy," Bane told his condescendingly. "You should do well to understand that."
Regulus gave him the best furious look he could manage. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The less questions you ask, the better," Bane continued in the same tone, before he turned to the other two centaurs. "Prepare to take them all back to the school."
"But what about the first three?"
"Them too," Bane replied."We've held them long enough."
"Why are you doing this?" Regulus tried again.
"You're a pawn in a bigger plot, boy," Bane told him. "Like I said, you are better off not asking questions."
"You know that's not going to happen," Regulus managed a condescending smile of his own. "You might as well tell me. I'm going to find out sooner or later."
Bane was not intimidated in the least by Regulus' brashness. "Understand this. Right now, your life lies in my hands. I can kill you with no regret. Would you rather have that?"
"If that were the case, you would have let the werewolf finish me off."
"Granted, I could not allow that," Bane nodded. "All the same, your life is worthless to me."
"All the same, you need me," Regulus challenged him.
Bane did not reply. "Are we ready to go yet!" he roared at a centaur that passed by.
**
"My, my, my," Madam Pomfrey was beside herself when she saw Regulus and his injuries. "It's a wonder you're alive, a boy like you, you could have been killed! What were you thinking!"
The six of them had managed to return by dawn. The centaurs had seen them to the edge of the forest, and from there, Otto and Albus immobilized and levitated Regulus to the hospital wing. During the journey, he had fallen asleep once again and only woken up to find himself lying on a bed in the infirmary.
Otto, Albus and Jane had been treated for minor injuries, mostly scrapes and bruises from their spell as prisoners.
"It was worth the werewolf," Regulus said. "We succeeded."
The look of horror on Madam Pomrey's face was indescribable. "What werewolf?" she whispered.
"The one that bit my upper arm," Regulus showed her the bite marks on the left muscle.
"Oh, no, no, no, no," Madam Pomfrey broke down once again. "This is certainly not good."
"Turning into a werewolf?" Regulus tried to lighten up the dismal mood. "It can't be that bad."
"You'll murder half the school, mate," Otto came up to him.
Holly's horrified expression rivalled Madam Pomfrey's at these words.
"There's a cure, I know it," Andromeda said. "It's derived from the Wolfsbane Potion."
"Yes, it is, Ms. Potter," Madam Pomfrey returned with a bottle of sickly green jello-like substance. "Incidentally, I don't have a stock of the potion. I know whom to contact for a batch, but it may take between two and three months to brew."
"I know," Andromeda replied thoughtfully. "What can we do to immobilize his transformation In the meanwhile?"
"We can't stop it, but Slughorn should have a batch of Wolfsbane we can use to turn him docile," Albus offered, as all heads turned to him.
"How do you know?"Andromeda grew suspicious of him at once.
"Because I know potions," Albus offered a smug smile to match her suspicion.
"Fine," the fiery girl settled down.
"How long before I'm on my feet?" Regulus turned to Madam Pomfrey,
"Three days, I think," the medical witch replied. "I have sealed your lung, but between that and your ribs, it will take two days fully to heal. Your arm is in no good shape either, because I have yet to fix the tendons and remove several stray teeth. Then there's the infected gash in your leg I have to see to."
"You have to remove stray teeth?" Regulus' eyes widened. "No wonder it hurts like a screaming Banshee."
"This bottle," MadamPomfrey pointed to the sickly green liquid, "is going to expedite the process of healing your injuries. You won't like it, but it is necessary."
"I can't wait," Regulus smiled sourly.
"We'll visit you mate, no worries," Albus punched him on his good shoulder.
"Ouch," Regulus could not suppress the pain that shot through him. "I'd love that."
"Sorry," Albus looked a little sheepish. "I'm sure the girls would be more than willing to join up."
"Maybe," Andromeda snapped, but her voice had lost its earlier sting when it came to all matters Regulus…
Holly flashed Regulus a smile. "I'll come."
"Me too," Jane promised. She had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole exchange.
All eyes turned to Andromeda. "Fine," she said, her tone a mixture of annoyance and acceptance. "I'll drop by too to see your sorry arse."
"Great, I can't wait to see you," Regulus told her. Something about the look in his eyes stirred Andromeda and she found herself smiling at him.
"Yeah, me too," she said quickly. "Now, can we go? I want to take a shower before we head off to class."
"You can go to class after last night?" Holly asked her in amazement.
"Well, yes, it's just another day, isn't it?" Andromeda grew impatient. "Now, come on!"
Holly and Jane bid their farewells to Regulus, Otto and Albus, and departed after an insistent Andromeda.
"All right, mate, take it easy," Otto told Regulus. "Try not to work too hard."
"We'll see you soon," Albus said on his own turn.
"Take care, guys," Regulus rejoined. "Hope to see you soon."
With that, his two friends left the hospital wing and retreated in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.
Regulus still could not believe he was alive. The close call last night had not rattled him as completely as it probably should. Yet, what Bane had said in regards to him being part of something bigger, the fact he had been spared within an inch of his life, confirmed that his role in whatever he was part of was more significant than his original impressions.
These and similar thoughts coursed through his mind, as he drifted back into the land of dreams.
A/N: For all you conspiracy theory fans, this fic is bound to go in that direction…
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