Hiraeth | Regulus Black

Chapter Eighty Seven

In the narrow Knockturn Alley, just around the corner from Borgin and Burkes, two figures stood huddled together against the dark brick wall.
There was nothing unusual about this from afar, as many suspicious people would often be found lurking about there. Even as you got closer - close enough to see who exactly they were - you wouldn't have thought anything strange of those two people stood there in the shadows.

That bode well for them because if anybody was up to something suspicious, it was those two people.

"Worst comes to worst, just grab my hand and I'll apparate us out of there." The woman whispered with a sense of exasperation.

The man stood with her, much taller and broader, sighed with slight irritation and confessed, "But what if they know we're not meant to be here? What if they start asking personal questions that we can't answer?"

"Well that's what the apparition is for." She explained, "All we're doing is buying a sodding book - the guy isn't going to be quizzing us about deeply personal details."
"Alright, fine, let's go and get this over with."

Orion Black adjusted his suit jacket over his shoulders, and ran a hand over the top of his dark hair to smooth it out over his head. He stepped into the middle of the alley and turned back to his wife, "Just so you know, I'm already regretting this."

"It was your idea!" She retorted, following behind as they began making their way down the street, "Besides, I think it's a good idea as long as we don't waste anymore time. This potion won't last forever."

Of course, these two figures were not the real Orion and Walburga Black, for they were still on their extended holiday.
No, these two people in Knockturn Alley, who looked and sounded exactly like Orion and Walburga, were actually Regulus Black and Esmerelda Avery.

"How long do we have left?" Regulus asked as he came to a stop just in sight of the door to the old Borgin and Burkes shop.
Esme cleared her throat and smiled in the kind of way that is not at all comforting as she replied, "Well... Funny thing, that. Given I technically bought the Polyjuice from some guy under a hood down here yesterday, I'm not completely certain about the quality of his brewing."

"Esme!" He hissed, "You never said how utterly unreliable this is!"
"Well, we couldn't wait a month to brew it ourselves could we?" She shrugged it off and brushed past him, making her way towards the door of the shop to push it open.

Needless to say, the two of them had barrelled into this plan - none of the details thought out properly and with little regard for how reckless they were being.
Of course, time was not on their side as they needed to find out as much about horcruxes as they could before the Dark Lord uncovered their betrayal. That, and the fact that neither of them properly wanted to deal with what Antoinette Avery had warned them of, was what had pushed them to action so quickly.

Regardless of how stupid they were being, it was offering a much needed distraction from the fear that at that very moment there were most likely Death Eaters out there trying to track them down and uncover their secrets.
They really were being hunted down on both sides.

"Let's just... Let's get this over with before I really start to panic." Regulus shook his head with a feeling of hopelessness and, as the door pushed open and the small bell rang out to signal customers arriving in the ship, he followed her inside.

Upon entering, it was a large and spacious room - one with tall walls and dust littering every corner and surface possible. Against one wall was a stone fireplace, as dirty and old as everything else in the shop, though it was barely visible around the brimming cases and shelves and boxes filled with all sorts of old artefacts and antiques.
Esme held a hand to her chest and let out a cough - partly to further signal their arrival in the shop, and partly to clear her lungs of the musty air.