ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛʜ ᴡᴀʟʟ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀꜱ ᴇʀᴀ

xli. brave

Regulus closed the broom cupboard once he had taken one. He jumped above his skin and his skin jumped higher than his heart when four of his friends showed up just behind the door of the cupboard.

He rolled his eyes to the sky, finally feeling his soul back after a jump scare. Sirius beside him watched and shrugged away the look Evan was giving him. He didn't really care. But he wished Regulus would stop hanging out with these aspiring Death Eaters while they were still aspiring.

"There's no quidditch practice," said Barty, pointing at the broom Regulus had in his hand. He didn't even seem to care about the answer to that, but rather to the underlying question, "What are you doing?"

He sighed. He really wished to keep things secret a little longer. Just a few more, just until after defeating the Dark Lord. Unfortunately, they were caught.

"And you," he pointed a finger at Sirius, "are not a quidditch player."

He, too, was holding a broom.

"Care to explain, Black?" Dorcas asked behind the two boys.

"Which one?" Sirius' answer earned glares from the opposing house, except for Pandora.

"I got this, brother." Regulus knew if he did not intervene, blood might be shed on the wooden cupboard. He didn't have the time to clean up their mess. "I have no time to explain. But Barty, Evan, don't be Death Eaters."

"What?" Both girls asked seeming to have no idea about it whilst the two boys stood frozen, wide-eyed at Regulus.

They had talked about how they wouldn't tell the girls about their intention to follow the Dark Lord. But he just did.

"Regulus," Pandora began but she couldn't search for words to say.

"The Dark Lord may want to purge our world from muggles and we wanted that and we wanted to follow him. But I don't anymore."

"Is it because of that girl?" Barty asked straight away.

Even if he didn't mention any name, Sirius looked back at his brother. His playful, smug expression earlier washed away. Barty and Evan's tensed shoulders shifted to them. Naturally, after barging into the castle with no Invisibility Cloak she would be seen by anyone. Literally. And they just saw them.

"Dorcas and Pandora saw a girl talking to Dumbledore with his friends," Evan looked at Sirius, "and is saying something like killing the Dark Lord and asking Aurors for help except the students," said Evan.

Regulus sighed in frustration. Not from Callie but from the fact that they saw and heard her plan against Voldemort.

"Can we first go back to when Reg said you are planning to be Death Eaters?" Dorcas' voice went higher with every word. Disbelief and upcoming disappointment waited for them before it exploded right before their faces.

"Evan?" she looked at him. And even though she was at their back, he looked down and away. "Barty?" She did the same and so did he.

Dorcas didn't need them to open their mouths. She sighed as disappointment cleared the room for explanation.

"Just get out of the way." Regulus took their attention back. "Let us do what we'll do."

"What will you do?" Pandora asked, a sharp, knowing tone in her voice.

Regulus stared at her. He knew how would they react if he said it, he knew they wouldn't like it, and most of all, he knew they wouldn't let him. But he had to keep Barty and Evan safe from the Dark Lord. And if that means going through the path he chose, then so be it.