𝕄𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤? [ʙᴏᴏᴋ 1]

༄ Regulus༄

"DANICA!" Regulus looks around, his head snapping this way and that but the strange blanket of darkness covers his eyes preventing him from seeing.

He can feel the ghost of her hand in his. Her nails dug into his skin as she was pulled off him.

He is alone.

The moon is gone.

The dream.

That is all he thinks about.

Regulus can feel himself start to panic but he knows he has to stay levelheaded.

He leans over, his hands on his knees, willing his eyes to fight the darkness. It's disorienting. He feels dizzy and unsteady.

What's going on?

"DANICA!" He yells again but this time there's no echo.

The unnatural dark is not just darkness. It stops sound travelling. It stops warmth and makes a humid summer night icy. He can no longer smell the smoke from the fire and he definitely can't see the flames.

It is just him.

He straightens up and takes a few steps, not knowing which direction to go. He feels himself stumble and fall to his knees. He's angry at himself; angry at whatever has happened; angry because Dumbledore was here so they should have been protected.

He cries out in frustration. Why can't he see? Why can't he hear what's going on?

He stands again, feeling the world tilt as he does so, his head spinning, confusing him even more.

He staggers around for a while longer. It could be hours that passed or just seconds but the darkness suddenly lifts and the moon can be seen again. He looks up at the sky, relieved that there is now light. He finds Sirius. The brightest star. Then he sees Venus. The morning star. Danica's name meaning.

He cries out again and shouts her name.

"DANICA!"

No answer.

"JACKSON?"

He listens for a while, his ears straining.

Nothing.

"No..." he whimpers, "no no- NO!"

He bends his knees and falls to the ground, digging his fingernails into the dirt. He has to find her. He has to. He won't live with himself if he doesn't find her.

He looks up at the sky again.

"I'll find you, flower," he murmurs.

His mind is blank though and he just stands up in a daze. He looks over to the house to find that the fire has been put out. The smell of smoke and ash didn't return to the air after the blackness was lifted. Slowly and with shaky legs he walks towards it.

As he gets closer he can begin to see the extent of the damage. He walks up the path and to the front door. It's wide open but this part of the house is not burnt. He slowly walks in and looks around.  The other half of the house is gone. The kitchen along the back wall is no longer there, it is now just field and night sky. The stairs are intact but the carpet is black and he makes his way slowly towards them. The living room door is below the steps and it is closed, with obvious marks where flames licked the wood. He starts up the stairs slowly, unsure how long they will hold his weight. They creek and crack beneath his feet but he continues up, trying to make sense of everything.

Jackson's room and the spare are gone too. Nothing can save them. Regulus sniffs and he realizes he's got tears silently falling down his cheeks.

Carefully he makes his way into Danica's room at the top of the stairs and untouched by the flames.

It hasn't changed. The moonlight streams in through the blinds, the window still open after they climbed down from the roof. It is like it's paused in time. He can see them on the bed: happiness rebounding off the walls as visions of the last week flash before his eyes. Her broom remains propped up against her closet. Her jewellery lying on her small dressing table. Her perfume.

He picks up her favourite bracelet: turquoise blue. Slowly he ties it onto his wrist, a token that she will forever be with him.

He looks back at the broom and walks over to it, wiping his cheeks. He grabs his hoodie off the bed and pulls it on then picks the broom up in his hands. The smooth, polished wood reflects the white of the moon and he runs his hand up and down it.

Taking one last look around; one last breath of her smell, he climbs up onto the window ledge, heaving himself onto the roof with one arm. He straightens up and looks at the sky. It's now a lighter shade of blue, the stars twinkling as they fight the light of the sun. He mounts the broom and pushes himself off and into the air.

He flies in the general direction of Godric Hollow, unsure how far or close it is from the coast and how long it will take him. Danica once showed him the direction just by pointing out the window. That is all he can go off.

He climbs high into the sky as the dawn light makes the world bright. He can't be spotted or muggles would think they are going mad: a boy on a broom flying through the sky, whatever next?

He looks down at the earth, the smallness of it. Sometimes it feels like you're so big, that you can fit the whole world in your arms - it is like that with Danica.

Where are you? He thinks, scanning the fields and trees and hills for any signs of familiarity.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Regulus will never know how he found the Potters but he eventually did, landing in their garden in the early evening.

He's shaking from lack of sleep, food and water and he collapses in a heap as soon as his feet connect with the hard-baked earth. His face is sore from the hot wing cutting into it and his limbs won't move to support his weight. He just lays there, hoping someone will see him.

"Reg?" His brother's confused voice echoes in his daydream. "Merlin Reg! JAMES!"

He hears Sirius' feet get closer to him and he knees beside him.

"Yeah, Siri- MUM!" James' shout rings in his ears.

"Reg," Sirius says softly, "Reg can you hear me?"

Slowly he nods, unable to do much more. His body is exhausted, his mind only in one place: Danica.

Euphemia Potter knees beside him, her soft hands cupping his face.

"Regulus?" She says clearly and loudly.

He nods once.

"Boys get him inside," she orders them.

"What's going on?" Remus' voice is further away inside the house and confused.

"Don't know mate," James' voice is at his feet and he feels himself get lifted off the ground, Sirius holding his chest.

He's taken to the sofa and placed softly into the cushions.

He takes a deep breath and hopes his voice still works as he opens his mouth.

"Reg-" begins James' voice.

"Wait!" Sirius cuts in, "he's gonna say something."

He feels Sirius' hair on his cheek as his older brother's ear comes close to his mouth.

"Danica," is all he can murmur before falling unconscious.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚