|R.A.B.| Emerald Flames: Chapter 2

He felt like he had been hit by the Knight Bus–that also backed up then ran forward again–when he had rolled and finally crashed with a grunt. The trees then had decided to want to play spin the bottle. When the trees had finally stopped spinning, he cursed gravity, and heaved himself up and groaned. I’m going to feel this in the morning. He shook his head after he’d gotten back on all fours. Sirius looked the hill where he had fallen from offensively and huffed. 

The dog Animagus then let his legs move away on their own accord. Sirius breathed in the crisp cold air of autumn. The forest floor was covered by a blanket of fallen orange, gold, and scarlet leaves. Usually during this type of season, each step his large paws took, he would listen to the leaves letting out a satisfying ‘crunch’. At the moment, he deliberately caused the sound to distract his wandering mind. It surprisingly didn't work. 

The currently black coated dog growled furiously as his steely grey eyes turned into a storm cloud of emotions. Stupid. Idiot. Bloody twat. Of all the– Sirius had let out a string of other colorful curses under the sun. Why did you join him? How could you? What was the damn point? Sirius’s hackle rose and fell as he began to pace. Power? Blood purity?! Proving yourself?! Having a grand old time on a murder spree with your bloody mates!!!

He snarled, grinding up his teeth. You're the stupid dult that called me reckless? Ha! Look at where you are now! An early grave 6 feet under. Jaws clenched as he remembered the words on a letter that had cemented itself to his brain. An early grave and you can't even get a proper burial too. You bloody git gone and died at 18. His foreleg froze midstep.

Sirius still stood frozen when he just stared out at a distant buried memory. 

.ooOOOoo.

“What do you mean? Wait, you're leaving?” Regulus usually blank eyes widen with honest astonishment. “But–”

.ooOOOoo.

When Kreacher had Apparated to her home, Andromeda was met with a very frantic husband and a crying daughter whose current hair color at the time was fiery red. The witch told her husband that she was fine but had to immediately tend to Regulus's wounds. He reluctantly let her do her healing magic when the witch told him that she would explain later.

After some rigorous wand movements, salves being applied, and nearly falling over due to magical exhaustion, Andromeda had successfully stabilized the unconscious wizard. 

Finally having her mind cleared of a adrenaline, the young witch realized how precarious her position was. Just for the fact that she was healing her long estranged relative who just happens to have the dark, ugly brand of the Dark Lord on his inner left forearm. Though, what caught her eye was not the mark itself, but the dangerously long wound that slashed right through it. Unlike the jagged claw marks scattered throughout Regulus's pasty skin, the wound was too clean of a cut, too deep to be made by an Inferius. It was both a worrisome and puzzling sight.

A little while of pondering and sitting by the pale boy, Andromeda had noticed the old house elf hidden in the far dark corner of the small guestroom. She had asked if Kreacher would keep Regulus's and her endeavors hidden, which he’d responded to her that her young cousin had already ordered him to. That information had gradually made her frown deepened as she thought more about it. She had told Kreacher to go back to her aunt to avoid suspicion and said that he could come check up on Regulus when he wakes. As soon as the old elf had seemed satisfied that Regulus wouldn't die any minute, the wrinkly creature had left.

By the time the sun had near the horizon, the light skinned witch lost most of her color as if she had been drained like dried sponge, especially since she knew how much stress she had cause to her magical core. The witch promptly slept till well after dark once her head hit her pillow. After waking up the next day, she checked up on Regulus's condition.

.ooOOOoo.

The young witch closed the door with a soft click when she left the guest room that held a certain dead like wizard behind her. Andromeda had let her back press against the cool door then gradually slid down to the wooden floor. Merlin, she still felt exhausted.

She was currently resigning on upper level of her home as she was staring at a lovely floral pattern just across from her. Near to the left hung perfectly aligned photos mostly of herself, her husband, and her little joy. She felt the corner of her lips raise when one of the image of her child giggling with her short locks shown a cheery yellow, waved at her.

Heavy steps broke her gaze. “Morning Andy, I’ve brought breakfast. I even founded some strawberries and blueberries. Little Dora is still in bed. I think all the excitement yesterday had tired her out.” He took a seat on the floor right next to her and placed the tray of food on the floor in front to them. He wore ruffled orange colored pyjamas while his fair hair looked as if it hadn't been comb yet. He looked at her with a brilliant smile, but she noticed that his usual carefree sapphire eyes held a tint of worry in them. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Thank you Ted and I’m sorry for all this.” In the fit of the moment she burst, “I have no clue what came over me when I’d allowed Kreacher take me out of the blue like that. It could’ve been a trap and I’d have put myself in danger which would have put you and Nymphadora at risk.”

“Andy–”

“But I couldn't say no to him. Kreacher was a sobbing mess when he came and just looked so– so helpless. Then suddenly he’d said that a Regulus was in trouble, but I haven't thought about nor seen him since before we’d left Hogwarts and I left my family–”

“Andy–”

The witch was too hysterical by then to hear her husband, “Even though I knew he was older and must have changed since I last seen him. I just– I just than remembered him when he was a adorable little boy who gets excited about books. Books! I let Kreacher take me just because he said Regulus was in danger and I just happen to have a memory when he was a child over the fact I remembered that he enjoyed reading!”  

“Andromeda–”

She kept babbling along, “Merlin! I’m not even a fighter, yet I still went! Yes, I was proficient at DADA at Hogwarts, but I haven't use offense magic in years! What good would I be in a real fight? I was just lucky to have remembered what Bella told me when she had her ridiculous fascination of destroying Dark Creatures. Did you know she even taught me Dark spells? She even told me I’m good at them just like her. HER! I swore I would never use a single Dark spell ever again, but I didn’t have a choice! They were coming and there were too many for me to burn them all at once!”

“Andromeda!” 

“Then I remembered about the time Bella actually used the spell when she wanted to burn down that field near a lake during our family trip. It went wrong. It wouldn't stop, and Bella aimed the flames into the pond and I remembered the fire just went right through and just burned all the fish, the creatures, the life down there. Cissy and I just stood there watching while Bella was just looking at it with fascination while laughing. The fire didn't stop. It wouldn't stop until half an hour later. I used that exact spell at that cave. I used a Dark spell that she’d used. I could of–”

“ANDROMEDA!” The witch stopped when she felt strong fingers grip her shoulder, but they felt gentle at the same time, “You realize you've been pushing yourself too much lately.”

“I’m– I–”

The fair haired wizard took hold of both of her shoulders now and sapphire eyes sparked with burning passion, “You’ve saved your cousin’s life by going with Kreacher. I know you can tell the difference from someone who would’ve wanted to trick you and from someone who would’ve honestly tell the truth. You and I both know that you’re nothing like your sister. You only use any spells or whatever means necessary to help others as a last resort, no matter what. I know you had followed your instincts and trusted it. You are a brilliant, beautiful wife, mother, and witch who would put her faith exactly where it belongs.” Ted kissed atop his wife's head. “It's one of the reasons I married you.”

If looks and love could move mountains, Ted would be moving them around the Earth a thousand times and then some more. His loving eyes were gaze at her like she was his world while her own shining dark eyes gaze back by reflecting off his own deep stunning blue. The witch felt her eyes welled up as her own cheeks flare up. "Thank you." Andromeda pecked his unshaven cheeks. Then she flushed a deeper shade of red like the color of a rose, "I'm sorry for rambling like that. The stress and exhaustion must have gotten to me."

“Don't worry about it,” Ted suddenly reverted to his high spirits and played with Andromeda’s soft locks, “Now, shall we eat breakfast down stairs or are we having a picnic on the floor.” He plucked a blueberry from the almost forgotten tray between them, put it into his mouth, and chewed with a look of bliss.

Andromeda giggled as she wiped her eyes with her wrist and shook her head at her husband's antics, "The kitchen would be fine, though I should wake Nymphadora first."

After Ted helped Andromeda up, she looked at the closed door sadly. “I’ll need to check on Regulus afterwards and see if he wakes.”

Ted nodded thoughtfully as he picked up the tray off the floor, “Do you think he would take it well by being here?”

“I don't know anymore. Kreacher definitely would never have come to me if he wasn't desperate. I left the family when Regulus was around 8 or 9 if I recall correctly and I am considered the ‘blood traitor’ after all,” she added sourly, “So why me? Now that I think about it, why go to me and not Sirius?”

“I thought Sirius wants nothing to do with his family? Based on what you've read to me from his letters, you can deduce how strongly he feels about them. Besides you that is.”

She furrowed her eyebrows, “What was Regulus doing in a cave infested with Inferi?” Ted looked equally puzzled and shrugged.

“That does bring up some interesting questions. Maybe you could ask him when he wakes up.”

“You're right,” she paused, “Do you think Sirius should know about Regulus's condition?”

“Do you?”

“Nevermind.”

.ooOOOoo.