Chapter 19
After allowing Narcissa to spend the night at my house, and in the morning activating the fireplace in my house especially for her, so that she could return to Malfoy Manor without any problems, I returned to work… Well, as soon as I returned to the ritual hall, the signal charms again informed me of the arrival of an outsider at the door of my modest abode. However, this time the uninvited guest came right to the door, which meant only one thing – the elder brother of this body came to me.
- Oh, Marduk, what is it that they are all so uneasy about? - Rubbing my temples heavily and moving towards the front door, I whispered angrily, silently cutting all living things in my path with mats. I even gave the house elf a kick, because he unsuccessfully turned up under my foot ... - Fortunately, the staff managed to finish before the arrival of all these relatives, otherwise someone had every chance to part with his life, having known my dissatisfaction. I muttered softly, gradually calming down.
I did not want to meet Sirius with a lenten look, and therefore, even though I continued to revile everything inwardly, but I approached the front door having already pulled myself together. Fortunately, Sirius did not try to get into the house himself, patiently waiting until I opened it to him… And also constantly looking back in the direction of another wizard who could not overcome the boundaries of Fidelius. Although, this is rather a tribute to me, as the owner of this territory. So Sirisus could literally hold his friend by the hand under the spell of a powerful spell.
- Sirius? - Making a surprised face, I clarified, appreciating my brother's matured face in person. - Good to see you. - Quickly replacing surprise with restrained joy, I exclaimed, leaning forward a little ... - And what is James standing there for? I asked, glancing behind my brother.
- Hello, Regulus! - The guy smiled brightly at me, firmly shaking the hand outstretched for a handshake. - And you just don't recognize, you've grown taller than me, tanned, eaten meat... Handsome! - The guy cheerfully remarked, really sincerely rejoicing at our new meeting. - And James… He is waiting for you to let him enter the territory of his own house. - A little hesitated, Sirius added, trying to hide the fact that this is not a banal politeness, but fears of getting hit in the face once again…
- Let him pass, what's that. I smiled softly, using my willpower to turn a couple of leaves under my feet into a blank sheet of paper and a fountain pen. - Tell him this, and don't let him worry about our long-standing conflict. I'm ready to forgive your friends a little more than everyone else. - Still feigning a slight euphoria from such a meeting, I handed Sirius a piece of paper with the address of my house. The same one, whistling at the sight of a wandless transfiguration and rushing to his friend, almost immediately returned to me, almost dragging a somewhat confused Potter in tow.
- Hello, Regulus. - Somehow the guy awkwardly greeted me, causing quite a sincere smile on my face. The first wave of anger that arose due to the next need to break away from work has already come to naught, allowing me to fully enjoy everything that is happening. However, I did not embarrass the guy with whom I kind of fought a few years ago for a long time, holding out my hand for a handshake. So, the gesture of greeting turned into a gesture of reconciliation between us, because handshakes among wizards are a delicate matter.
Due to the abundance of all kinds of artifacts, mostly relatives and trusted friends shake hands. Once again, no one wants to take risks, which is why with this handshake I really showed that the conflict between us has been exhausted, and I have some kind of trust in my brother's friends. It is not necessary for others to know that I have three personal defenses hanging in my aura right now. Moreover, local magicians do not know such spells.
- Send to the house, now is just the right time for tea… Or do you prefer something stronger? - Bringing the guys into the house, I clarified, having already thought of several dozen options for myself, why they could come to me. However, I did not rush to move on to more serious conversations. Instead, I was just playing the role of a respectable host receiving important guests. There was nowhere to hurry anyway, especially since after a couple of glasses of firewhisky I definitely wouldn't take up serious work.
Well, as it was, Cyrus and I had quite a lot of topics to talk about, and James, even though he felt somewhat awkward at first, at some point quite easily joined our conversation, diluted with periodic portions of alcohol and the destruction of light snacks… But even so, despite the joy of the long-awaited meeting for Sirius and the relaxing effect of good alcohol, the guys did not lose their seriousness, which is why at some point I decided to voice the question tormenting me.
- By the way, guys, what did you guys come to see me about? I can't believe for the life of me that Sirius was drawn to visit the ancestral nest just because he wanted to see me. I clarified in a half-joking manner, expressing relaxation with my whole appearance. But I didn't lose my concentration at the same time. The way the guys were leading our whole conversation, as well as the excessively frequent mentions of Dumbledore, about whom there are not the most unambiguous rumors in Europe, has already alerted me.
- Well, don't tell me. James chuckled, smiling a little cockily in the direction of his friend. - The tramp, having learned about your escape from Britain, did not find a place for himself for several months. I tried to send you all the letters, even if they did not reach you... and only after the information reached us that you were in Prague, studying magic with several masters, he calmed down a little. Potter was having fun, watching the slightly embarrassed face of my relative.
- Don't spoil the blizzard! - The guy snarled a little angrily, not wanting to ruin his image of a "cool brother". "I was worried, of course, but you're being too dramatic. Sirius chuckled, returning his gaze in my direction. - And yes, Regulus, we came to you on business. - Gathering his courage, Sirius seriously assured me. Well, I was just waiting for this, smoothly getting rid of the gaiety in my eyes and on my face.
- Is it somehow connected with Dumbledore and that secret order about which you have hinted to me so unobtrusively a couple of times? I asked quietly, not putting too much pressure on the guys, but still showing that the whole situation as a whole does not really inspire me.
- Connected. James nodded calmly, taking the initiative in the conversation from Sirius. - I'll tell you straight, Regulus, your brother and I and many of our other friends are members of the Order of the Phoenix ... I think you've hardly heard anything about us, but not indifferent people gather in our ranks that do not want to allow Voldemort's victory in the ongoing war… And we have received information that before you still wore the mark of the devourer, but managed to get rid of that, after which you fled the country. James drawled dryly, hypnotizing my face with a not too pleasant look.
"Well... actually, I've heard that Dumbledore has his own order, consisting of his supporters and a number of mercenaries from France and Poland. I drawled a little thoughtfully. But I have already told Sirius that I am aware of his membership in the Order of Dumbledore. Did he really not deign to share information about me with his friends? We need to check it out. - And yes, your information that I managed to get rid of the mark is completely true ... to be honest, I thought that you would guess about this even after our first meeting. Yes, and I told Sirius about my departure from the ranks of the death eaters. - Exposing the scar on my arm, I whispered, at the same time casting a glance in the direction of my brother.
- Everyone found out that you betrayed the One-who-must-not-be-named after your fight with Bella... there were several witnesses to this performance, and Bella herself, as far as I heard, was still poisoned for a long time because of her defeat… All the information about your situation quickly fell into the hands of our order. Well, I did not consider it necessary to tell that it was because of the lord that our mother died. - As if justifying himself to James, the guy stretched out ... a few Julia and playing with words. Apparently, I was somewhat mistaken in my brother's mental abilities.
"Well, the fact that you already know about our order makes things a little easier. - Without focusing on the words of his friend, James drawled. - After all, we want to invite you to join us, to our order… Surely you also want to take revenge on the bastard who went berserk in the edge. You, as a traitor, should definitely have weighty reasons for revenge. Potter spoke expressively, somewhat irritating me. It's not the first time during this conversation that he lets off not the most flattering epithets in my direction.
And even if I don't feel any negativity on his part, the boy just doesn't follow his own language. But to openly call me a traitor, especially since in fact I have never betrayed anyone… This style of communication is not very pleasant. However, I will not focus my attention on this, especially since the proposal of this couple was more than serious.
I'm almost sure that it's not them who are so important to come to me with such an initiative. No, it's their leader, most likely, who sent my brother and his friend to me ... Dumbledore in this regard is hardly much different from the same Volandeur. He also needs only the resources of my family, as well as the extra political influence that I can provide to him, as the head of one of the oldest families in the British Isles.
And something does not tempt me at all to change the awl for soap… That's just not worth refusing in this case. At least I didn't want to start a conflict with Dumbledore right away. Ideally, it would be better to stay in the neutrals altogether, staying away from direct participation in this whole mess… But in my case, this is too problematic, because the eldest of the cousins and the brother are in the camp of Dumbledore. The other two cousins support Voldemort… So it turns out that my own family sets me up, putting me in front of a choice and depriving me of the opportunity to retreat.