Several Miles from the Sun

CHAPTER THREE: THE DEAL

Regulus really wished he had a wand. Not even a wand, in fact; he would have been quite content with having that spontaneous wandless magic children seemed to lose by the time they reached Hogwarts. Any magic, really. Because at this point, he desperately wanted to blow something (or someone) up.

A man proud of his heritage and abilities, it pained Regulus, grieved him in fact, to be humiliated in front of ....these Muggle-loving vermin.

And losing his house to Potter of all people. That had been a low blow.

"If we're going to keep him in Number 12," the werewolf had said, pretending that he was actually thinking about it, when it was already clear to everyone that it was Plan A without a Plan B, "then we need to make sure that by coming back, he hasn't overthrown Harry's legal right to it."

"How do we do that?" Tonks asked. Regulus couldn't help but notice the lack of her mother's traditional beauty and grace. Her bright pink hair frightened him. Surely it was improper for a lady to wear such violent colours.

"Kreacher," Potter said, finally speaking up and looking like he had just swallowed a toad. "If Kreacher still follows my orders, then this matter is closed."

Regulus was slightly pleased to see that nobody enjoyed the brat's bossy tone, and yet also disappointed that nobody told him to stuff it either. The ambience in the kitchen was a mixture of both bitterness and anger, and nobody dared to look at one other, except for the young man.

"Go on, then," said Harry, glaring at Regulus.

"Pardon?" Regulus was embarrassed to find that he hadn't been following the conversation.

"Call Kreacher," Remus prompted.

Regulus, with all the confidence in the world, yelled for his house-elf. When nothing happened, he yelled again.

"Well, it looks like we, at least, have some good news," Arthur said, wiping his brow. "Harry, your turn."

"Kreacher!" shouted Harry with a certain confidence.

The familiar whip-like snap echoed throughout the small kitchen and Kreacher appeared, sporting a most unbecoming sickly green hue.

"This is insulting," Regulus muttered, but nobody else seemed to agree with him.

Tonks fumbled with the tea pot and shattered it. She fixed it, and then shattered it again, before Remus took it away from her and gave her a packet of sugar to calm her nerves.

"Master! Master!" Kreacher cried, looking at Regulus in distress.

"Kreacher, stay," Harry ordered.

Regulus scowled as his house-elf stood frozen, whimpering and trying his best to move. "This is despicable!" Regulus said angrily. "You are no Black! I am the true heir to the most noble and ancient house of--"

"Oh, shut up," Remus snapped. "You have no magic left, you have no house...you're dependent on Harry now."

Regulus felt his pride shatter into a million pieces.

*

It was past noon when Hermione woke up. Ginny was still asleep, slightly snoring next to her. The curtains had been drawn open already and the sun shone onto the bed, giving Hermione a baked feeling. Dressing quickly, she hurried down to the kitchen, aware that the events of the night before had not been cleared and she, like Harry and Ron, was still in deep trouble.

The only people in the kitchen were Remus and Tonks, the latter sporting long, lime green coloured hair and a strange, upturned nose for a change. They had been talking in hushed tones and immediately silenced upon Hermione's entrance.

"Morning," she said, wondering whether to be embarrassed or nervous, or both.

"Would you like some tea? Molly is taking a bit of a rest." Tonks got up and poured her a cup. "No sugar?"

Hermione gratefully accepted the hot drink and a plate of scrambled eggs. "Are we...are we in a lot of trouble?" she finally asked when silence decided to reign over the table.

Remus sighed. He was such a lovely man, and Hermione hated to see him so upset. His hair had become completely grey in only a matter of weeks, his clothes looked too big for his thinning figure, and even though there was a slight twinkle in his eyes when Tonks was in the room, a sense of dread loomed in them.

"We suspected that Harry would try something last year," he said earnestly. "Of course, we didn't think he'd actually accomplish...anything." He stared at Hermione and smiled slightly. "You three manage to get into so much trouble."

"What about Regulus? What is going to happen to him now?" Hermione continued, feeling that the waters were calm now.

"We've decided to keep him in Grimmauld until things clear up a bit," Tonks answered. "Rotten mess, the entire thing really. Mad-Eye wanted to send him to Sri Lanka. I suppose it's a good idea, considering the fact that Regulus no longer has magic in his veins."

Ron and Harry chose that moment to appear, both looking as frightened as Hermione had felt when she had woken up. Ron had not bothered to change out of his pyjamas and Harry had thrown on an old jumper of George's over his jeans. They both looked a mess.

"We'll have to take you back to the Dursleys, Harry," Remus said, in a tone that left no room for argument. "Help yourself to some breakfast, and then I'll accompany you."

"But you'll be coming to fetch me after my birthday, won't you?" Harry demanded. "Because Dumbledore said that after that I'd no long--"

"Don't worry, Harry. We have a big birthday surprise for you!" Tonks promised him, sounding happy for the first time since last night.

"Do we really?" Ron asked, earning a nudge from Hermione.

Tonks rolled her eyes.

*

Regulus was content to find that his old room had not been tampered with. Even though most of his possessions had been taken away, his wardrobe had been left untouched. He pulled out a pair of tan trousers and a blue jumper with fancy black buttons that his mother had bought for him once upon a time. He shook off the feelings of nostalgia.

He had been escorted to Grimmauld by two men he did not know, although by the looks of it, they had both been Aurors. He had then been left to himself as he wasn't a threat (unfortunately). Stripped of his magic, he had no way to get out, much less anywhere else to go.

But Regulus was proud. Proud of the fact that his spell had worked. He had been a little nervous about that. The minute the Aurors had gone, he hurried to Sirius' bedroom, praying that Potter had been confused enough to leave behind the guilty parchment.

He had.

Stripping a slice of the paper, he rolled it into a tiny vial which had been tied around his neck. Then he set the rest to fire, destroying it the old-fashioned way. Nobody would ever find out his secret.

At a quarter past five, when Regulus had been wondering whether or not to notify his mother's portrait of his presence, Remus Lupin arrived, bringing with him Molly, Tonks, Ron and Hermione.

"Where's Potter?" Regulus asked, noticing the missing link.

Only Hermione spared him a brief glance, but she immediately looked away.

"Ron, be careful with that box," Molly was ordering. "No, Tonks, I don't need your help, but I do need you to start opening the curtains."

"Have I suddenly gone invisible?" Regulus demanded. "Hello, can you see me?"

"We'll have to start by getting rid of the furniture," Molly continued.

"Get rid of the ....are you insane, woman? You most certainly will not--" Regulus was cut off as Molly left the room, pointedly ignoring him.

"This isn't your house anymore." It was Hermione who spoke, looking at him determinedly. Well, at least she pretended to; he could see the way her bottom lip trembled slightly. "It's Harry's now."

Regulus clenched his fists. He was not about to let some little Mudblood get the better of him.

"Hermione, go help Molly move the furniture," Remus said firmly. "Regulus, I would like a word with you."

"I will not be bossed around!" Regulus snapped.

"No, and that is why we will need to come to an agreement," Remus conceded. "This is Harry's house now, you will have to accept that. I know you were killed Regulus, and I know that you're not stupid enough to go back to Voldemort."

"Surely you don't think I'm going to become one of the good little boys, do you werewolf?" Regulus said.

"No, and without your magic, you're no use to us as one anyway." Regulus flinched slightly. "I'm here to offer you protection." Remus ignored his scoff. "Be realistic Regulus, you have no one left. For a small price, I am willing to let you keep your room with free reign of the house, a house-elf to help you around for a bit, as well as my own oath that we will not send you back to where you came from the old-fashioned way, as Ron so kindly put it."

Well, supposed Regulus, when you put it that way....

"What's this small price you want?" he asked suspiciously.

"One, you show me how to get rid of your mother's portrait," Remus said. Looking at Regulus' face, he added, "We can move it to the upper floors, but we don't want it in the hallway."

"Understandable. She was never one for entertaining guests," Regulus conceded. "What else?"

There was a sound of a crash from the adjacent room and an "Oh, it was ugly anyway!" from Mrs. Weasley.

"The second is that that you have to agree to an Unbreakable Vow with Harry."

Regulus laughed, when he saw that Remus was in fact, not joking, he became dead serious. "No."

"The vow would be stating that you will not be directly responsible for any harm that is to come to Harry," Remus explained.

"No," said Regulus with an edge of finality. "I am not making a death vow to someone I don't know. I wouldn't even make one of those vows to someone I did know."

"We need to be able to trust you, Regulus," Remus said.

"By putting my life on the line, you expect to gain my trust?" Regulus stood up abruptly, causing the chair to tumble to the ground. "I refuse. My life for a house-elf and a room over my head? Ha!"

"You will be thrown out of the house," Remus warned.

"I don't care."

"You won't have anywhere to go."

"I don't care."

"Malfoy is in Azkaban."

"Malfoy can bite my--"

"Do you really want to die a second time to You-Know-Who?"

"He, especially, can shove a Niffler up--" But Remus could easily see past Regulus's false bravado at the statement.

"Are you willing to spend the last days of your life among Muggles, Regulus?" He asked. "Knowing that if it isn't a Death Eater that finishes you, it will be the Ministry locking you up in Azkaban? And that won't be as lenient as we are towards your...unusual circumstances."

Regulus frowned. He really did not want to die again. Not to mention, if he did lay low a bit, he could accomplish a few things he had wanted to do the first time round. And Voldemort...well, that was most certainly not a person he wanted to come up against.

"Fine," he snapped. "I'll tie myself to your Wonder Boy."

Remus grinned, but it wasn't exactly a sign of happiness. "I'll let you know when the time is right," he said, and left the room.

"Sirius was right, he is a coward," Remus muttered to Tonks as he passed her in the hallway.