Regulus & Edgar ;; Threads - Blog Posts

Privately, Regulus continued to feel that Edgar was wildly optimistic. Good always wins was all well and good, but they were fighting against an army with people who would torture and maim non-discriminately. "You better have something other than hope up your sleeve, Mr Bones. Otherwise we will be in serious trouble," Regulus warned. He knew the Order had numbers, but he knew that the Death Eaters had time, ancient prejudice, and money on their side that the Order did not - and that had to count for something. "We shall see."

Nodding his head gratefully at Edgar's affirmation, Reg stood up as he ran a hand through his hair. With the grace of a pureblood, Reg waltzed out of the open door, a painted on smirk on his lips. "I hope this teaches you not to question the Black family any further. Thank you for affirming our innoncence, Mr Bones," he called down the corridor as he headed towards the lifts, steeling himself for a full shift of work in the Department of Mysteries after everything that had just happened.

Fin.

This was both unchartered territory for the both of them, but Edgar has faith that they could offer the protection that Regulus Black needed. They had the resources in both the ministry and the order.

"It might feel like there is no end in sight, but this is where we have hope that the right thing will come to be. Good always wins over evil." They may be feeling the pinch now, but he knew the shift would happen and when it did, he would bring those to justice for their crimes. "And we can match their tenacity. We are much stronger than they give us credit for."

"I will of course." The less that knew about Regulus, the better it would be in the long run. "Yes, of course you can leave." Edgar went to stand up, walking around his desk to open the door for him. "Back to work, you've wasted my time." A stern tone to his voice, in case there were others listening in or passing by.

Taking a deep breath as Edgar said that he too had no idea what came next, Regulus fought against the wave of anxiety that was telling him he’d made a mistake. His need for self-preservation was fighting against the conscience that Edgar had poked and prodded at, and he could almost feel his cousin over his shoulder whispering that if he killed Edgar now, nobody would ever know what they had spoken about and he could go back to how things had always been.

Brushing off that lingering darkness knowing that it would take a lot of work to dismantle his teachings and beliefs, Regulus nodded slowly. “Hiding until the war is over, with no end in sight….” He murmured, clearly unhappy at the prospect. “Mr Bones, I respect your optimism…I fear that you don’t know quite what you’re up against. You are working against hundreds of years of deeply ingrained prejudice, and a well organised, well funded, efficient army of people who believe they are right. I hope that the Dark Lord doesn’t win, merlin knows I hope that more than ever now, but I do not want to leave you with false hope. These people are ruthless, determined, and they will not hesitate to kill. Unless you have people on your side that are willing to get their hands as dirty as the Death Eaters, you may not win. But I suppose we have to try.”

Reg still wasn’t sure how much he trusted Edgar Bones, but he had little other choice. “As small as possible, please. And if possible, can I request that the protection offered is purebloods? Not through prejudice, but it is easier for me to talk off if someone were to spot them hanging around me in the meantime. If it’s not possible, I understand…and I appreciate the offer of protection, whoever it is,” he said, a tinge of gratefulness in his tone. “I will keep you updated. May I leave? The Department of Mysteries will be expecting me to catch up on the time I've missed."

This was new territory for Edgar and the last thing he wanted to do was to make false promises and then watch it all blow up in his face. Regulus didn't deserve that and if he was going to trust him, and vice versa, it was best to be honest from the start.

"I don't know how this arrangement will look. All I can promise is that we will work our best to keep you protect and try to give you some life. It might mean hiding for some time, until this war is over, but after we have won, because we will win, you will have your life to do as you please." Good always prevailed over evil.

He nods his head. "It will be." This was a start and he was eager to put some balance back in the universe. "We will keep it to those that need to know. We will meet tomorrow and I will bring you will be watching over you. They will be in the shadows at all times." He could understand needing more time to say by to his family in his own way. "When you are ready to leave that life fully behind, then we will move to the next step."

With the confessions he had made to Edgar, Regulus knew that this was it now. He had to entirely commit to this betrayal of all he had ever known, otherwise he was certain that he would quickly he detained and this encounter would be shown to the Wizengamot via pensieve. He wasn't in a position yet to truly trust Edgar, though he believed that Sirius knew and trusted this man based on what Edgar had said and that had to count for something. He could live a double life for a while, but there was only so long that he would be able to maintain that facade before it broke him in two.

"And what do you expect that will look like? Will I have to spend my life in hiding?" Andromeda and Sirius managed to live a public life from what he knew, but they had not actively betrayed the Death Eaters. They had never been marked, and they had certainly not shared highly confidential information to assist the aurors in capturing other Death Eaters. He was terrified as to what came next, yet he knew it was still the right decision.

Regulus' shoulders were full of tension as he expected Edgar to press for names that he did not want to give, and he slumped back against the chair with relief when Edgar didn't press. "Ensure you are there early. Muggles will be present, so the less casualties, the better. That's fine. I trust that my identify as a source will be confidential. The less people who know about this for now, the better. I am not ready to leave my family behind yet."

The confessions that were being made within his charmed office could have the young wizard locked up at Azkaban, constant state of his happiness being drained from him. The only saving grace for Regulus Black, was the notion of removing him from a side that only cared for darkness and distraction and reunite him with his family that would be grateful to have him, despite the demons he was trying to hide. They all had their demons that they fought, different from each other.

"I suppose there is only one way to find out." After his shift, he would make meet with the other Sirius brother and have a chat with him. There was no need to hide any truth, better prepare those when it all came to light.

"We will only do so where you feel safe, from there, we will pull you back and you will be done with that part of your life." The information provided did not need to be much, enough that their suspicions about some could come to public knowledge, making it a little harder for the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord's cause.

Edgar was a little disappointed that there would be no names, but the information that came afterwards, it was plenty enough. A flick of his wrist, a quill came out with some parchment, scribbling down what was being said through magic. "I will have my men ready for that." He would do a little more digging to see what would be happening that night. His head nods at the mention of Knockturn Alley, it was a given with the constant rumours of death eater activity. "I think that is enough. I will need a day to sort out protection for you." He had an idea of who, but it was about having a meeting with them first regarding their mission.

Whatever Regulus had thought was going to happen when he had approached Edgar's office, he hadn't anticipated this. All of the emotion that he'd kept bottled up within him seemed to explode out, in a way that was entirely undignified of a pure-blooded heir. Still, he would not entirely break down in front of this man - no, he would save that for when he got home. He could feel it brewing within him, magical energy thrumming to escape his veins. "I wanted to be enough for them. I wanted them to be proud," he said, knowing that he had no family now that would be proud. He had done too much evil for Sirius to ever look at him with pride again, and his parents...well, if this ever came out, he would be surprised if they didn't kill him themselves. "I always tried to make it painless. I didn't like...I don't like the torture. It never sat right with me. It was always quick, and painless," he confessed quietly.

Reg scoffed quietly as Edgar continued to speak on his relationship with Sirius, and he shook his head. "I appreciate you can't weigh in, but I doubt Sirius will want to have that conversation with me. Why would he want his little brother hanging around again with all his baggage when he has his wonderful, perfect friends who do no wrong?" he said, a little childishly.

"That is one thing for you to say, sat there at your auror's desk. I appreciate you risk your life on a battlefield...but I have family who will kill me, if this comes out. Friends who won't take this betrayal lying down. This is a significant risk, Mr Bones. I am putting my life in your hands to feed you information...there is very little I am comfortable with now, but I will do it anyways. It may grow easier, but for now...I am betraying all I have ever known," he said quietly, the weight of his decision now settling on his shoulders.

"No names, not yet," he said quite abruptly. He would not betray his friends in such a manner, not so openly. "There will be a raid at the docks in Liverpool this coming Friday, several Death Eaters will be present...if you get there early, you may be able to lay anti-apparition wards when they arrive. Several important members of the muggle parliament are currently under the imperius curse, and are working to bury news of any muggles that go missing," he said, reaching for some parchment and a quill to write their names down. "I'm sure you already are, but keep an eye on the businesses down Knockturn Alley. Illegal artefacts are being sold there that are being used against muggles and mudbloods, and some heirlooms are being transformed into cursed objects...the Black artefact you showed me earlier is one of them."

The more he etched away at the cold exterior that surrounded the youngest Black, Edgar felt that there was hope from the darkness there were having a hard time coming out from. Since the incident with Frank Longbottom and his near death experience, a fuel lit underneath him and he was more determined to shift the scales in their favour. It took one word, genocide, that broke the young wizard and relief washed over him.

He sat there in silence and let Regulus unpack it all, allow him the opportunity to let it off his chest and talk through all that pained him. This only confirmed that the Black's were death eater's, though for now, he wished to keep that information to himself. "I think you knew from the beginning that you were not like them. That what they are doing was wrong and I understand why you would hang on like you did. Family is family, even if they are evil." He paused. "I will say killing from either side is not easy, the idea of taking a life, but sometimes in battle, it's about survival, and you do what needs to be done."

"I cannot speak for your brother on why he left the way he did. That is a conversation the two of you will need to have at some point." There could be tension between the brothers, but he knew Sirius, family was still family, even if they chose the right side a little later in life. "I will keep that in mind." He was not going to argue, them sorting it out was a bonus.

"At this point, with this war that is hanging in the distance, we have all signed our death warrant, it is a matter of what side do you want to be on when the inevitable happens." Edgar knew his position would have many eyes on him, paint him a target, but he was a man that fought for what was right, no matter the cost. "I would not ask you to do anything you were not comfortable with, but all I ask is if you have anything that could help us. We would gain some advantage with having someone on the inside, even for a little while." The last thing he would want was to put Regulus at risk.

"What do you know now? Names?" They could always start with names. "This would allow us to watch them, to know who might come after us." With enough evidence, they could be at least start building a case.

Taking affront at Edgar's upfront disapproval of his upbringing, Regulus frowned deeply. His fingers curled restlessly into a fist before he unclenched them again, quite unsure of what to do with his body. What were they as people without tradition? Strict teaching in the old ways had kept their kind alive to this point, and though he agreed it had grown extreme, historically keeping them separate from muggles had been for their people's safety. Hearing the word genocide was like a punch to the gut, and his gaze dropped to his hands. He was already in too deep, Edgar already knew too much. He was either leaving this room in custody, or...as something else. "I...I have done shameful things, but I hated it. Every single time I used an unforgivable curse, it tore me apart...fuck, I've been having regular lessons to teach me to be better at them. You know how fucking pathetic that is? A Death Eater who throws up every time he comes home from using the cruciatus, who had to have private lessons because his imperius curse can't hold...all because I was mentally blocking myself. Because I knew....it's not right," he gasped out, almost shocking himself with the way the words tumbled out.

And there it was. The first time he'd verbally admitted that he was on the wrong side.

Still, he didn't appreciate Edgar's heavy handedness when it came to Sirius. "Sirius chose his friends, he chose this...and he knew what that would mean for me. Even if I switch sides, I am tainted...I don't think he would take me any more. Not when he has his perfect friends. What need does he have for a brother who has so much baggage, and brings with him so much danger? If I do this, know that it is not for Sirius' benefit." And yet, the possibility of truly reconnecting with his brother, and with Andromeda...family relationships that he wouldn't have to perform for.

"What are you asking of me, Mr Bones? I feel like I am sat here signing my death warrant, yet part of me wonders if I did that at sixteen years old when I allowed them to place this on my arm," he said, drawing up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark. "Are you asking me to work from the inside? Can you possibly comprehend the risk that puts me in? Or...are you and your side, your Dumbledore, just as eager to let people throw their lives away so long as it is in service of your side instead of mine," Regulus mused, before shaking his head as he rolled his sleeve back down. "No more will die by my hand, and I have already told you too much...so I suppose it's this or Azkaban, right?"

"Whatever you are asking of me, I will do it."

"No, Mr. Black, I have not been raised with strict, ancient, barbaric, family values." A pause, letting those words linger in the air. "I come from one where through those family values you so protect, would mean I do not belong in your world because I'm not." More silence, "pure. You do realise what your kind is trying to do is called genocide in the muggle world." He shakes his head. "It is innocent blood that will stain your hands and from the look on your face, despite trying to hide it, it's already starting to break you." Edgar could be reaching, but for the most part, he knew he was hitting the mark.

"Sirius chose to stand on the side that is right. Yes, he may have left you behind, but he knows what your family stands for is wrong. And deep down you know it is too." He looks Regulus square in the eyes. "With us, you wouldn't be alone and Sirius would be at your side."

"I have auror's and other members who are within the Order that will aid in protecting you." He was already thinking who would best suit this need. "We need your help. They are growing stronger and we need some way to slow them down."

Edgar remaining seated was an indication that all of the power lay with him at the moment, while Regulus stood before him like a naughty child. Still, he would not sit - it was far too casual while he was being questioned on such matters. He stared down at Edgar, his jaw set firmly as he considered the man's words. Clearly, they did believe they had enough evidence to link the heirloom and it's recent use to Regulus, otherwise he wouldn't be called back.

But if that were the case, why was he here instead of simply being arrested and carted off to Azkaban?

"Mr Bones, I appreciate that you yourself have not been raised with strict, ancient family values. I know what is required of me, and that has shaped who I am. My words, and what is required by my parents, are one and the same. There used to be two boys to share the burden between our demanding parents, now there is only one...I manage as I must," Regulus said, his tone sharp. Those who had been raised outside of a Sacred Twenty-Eight upbringing could never hope to understand the demands and pressures that their parents put on them. "I'm not sure what my conscience has to do with this, Mr Bones," he said, though his eyebrows furrowed as Edgar mentioned his internal conflict that had grown so loud he could almost hear it roaring in his ears.

Staring silently at the photo of himself and Sirius, Regulus shook his head. "Sirius made his choice. He chose his friends, and he left me behind...he left me. He knew what our parents would do to me, and he left me anyway. He left me to rot," he said bitterly, though he reached for the photograph anyway. "Your idea of family, and my own idea of family, they differ. I have nobody, Mr Bones. I am alone in this world - and if I wanted to run to Sirius, I couldn't. I don't know where my own brother lives."

Frowning once again at Edgar's offer, Regulus paused. He'd been gearing up to leave, but the offer seemed genuine. There was another beat of silence, before Regulus finally took a seat. In a very quiet voice, he asked "what protection could you offer me against the Dark Lord? People do not simply leave the service of the Dark Lord. They serve, or they die. How can you guarantee protection, and safety?"

"And what would you ask in return? I take it this offer is not from the kindness of your heart."

"Stand if you must." Edgar did not care too much for what the boy did, there were more pressing matters at hand and he knew this situation had to be dealt with in a certain manner to work in their favour. He remained seated in his chair, hands clasped together in front of him.

Being meant with resistant was expected and he could appreciate how hard it appeared family ties were instilled in the boy, but that also would also aid his words. No matter how dire Regulus wished to keep his composure, there was always a truth written within the eyes.

"Were those your words, or words required of you?" A beat. "At times it can feel hard to free oneself of shackles so tightly encompassed around us. The weight of our conscience a constant struggle on what is right or wrong." Edgar leans back in his chair. "I see the conflict in your eyes Regulus." He was throwing all his cards out on the desk.

"Family doesn't force you to believe in what they want you to. A real family, they accept you for who you are." He pulled out a picture from underneath the one, a smaller one, of two boys together, one he had brought to him. "You have a brother who would accept you for who you are."

Edgar went to stand up, hands resting on top of the desk. "If you have nothing more to share, then I will not hold you." A pause. "But what I can offer you, if you decide to do the right thing, is protection outside of these walls, not within the ministry." Half of the people he didn't trust. "And I have a feeling you know what I mean."

With each passing day, Regulus could no longer deny the growing feeling of resentment that he felt. He felt like a pawn being moved about on a chessboard by different players, all with little care for his feelings or wellbeing. Theoretically, Regulus knew that there were people who cared for him...but the way that seemed to manifest was driving him further away. He had never been quite so lonely in all of his life, and he feared that if he disappeared the next day nobody would know to look for him for some time. Something had to change, but he was in too deep. He'd been in too deep since his mother had frogmarched him in front of the Dark Lord and practically held his arm still for the mark to be burned into him.

His posture was rigid, but Regulus kept one hand in his pocket where his wand lay. He was certain that this office was warded and full of protective charms that would work in Edgar's favour, but if things were to turn nasty he wanted to at least give himself a fighting chance to escape. "I would prefer to stand, thank you," Regulus said, standing just behind the empty chair. "I thought the matter from the other day was settled, I'm not sure what further questions there are to be asked."

Eyeing the photo of the Black family heirloom that Edgar was showing him, Regulus summoned every inch of pureblooded training that his parents had painstakingly instilled in him to keep his expression clear. "I spoke freely and of my own accord last time. I swore to the truth of my words. I'm sorry Mr Bones, but I can't assist you any further."

It was the look in the wizard's eyes from their initial meeting with both the Black brother's and he could tell there was something more, but it was going to take a little coaxing to bring it out. Sirius Black had proven himself within the order and there was this nagging feeling in the back of his head that perhaps the younger one, he could be an asset to how they could learn how to defeat the Dark Lord. This meeting could blown up in his face or it could be what they needed.

Edgar closed the door behind Regulus when he came into his office, a different ward of charms floating around them to conceal the room for ears that should not be listening. "Mr. Black, do have a seat." He gestured to the empty chair before moving around the desk to take his seat. "I had a few more questions and thought it was best if it was a conversation between the two of us." A pause. "I won't keep you too long. I understand how important your work is."

It has long been suspected that certain Black's were more than they appeared to be, aligning in an allegiance opposite of his. He pulled out pictures of the item that they were being questioned about last time. "I thought you might be more willing to talk freely about this."

For the second time in a week, Regulus found himself in the aurors office. An urgent summons had awaited him at his desk in the Department of Mysteries, instructing him to disregard whatever work he was currently undertaking and visit the aurors office at once. Whatever it was, Regulus had a sinking feeling that it couldn't be good. Casting his mind back over the last few weeks, he tried to figure out if there was anywhere that he may have slipped up and given away his allegiances but he was coming up blank. Summoning all of his mother's etiquette training, Regulus drew a deep breath and straightened his spine as he knocked on the office door. Waiting for the summons to enter, Regulus kept his expression clear of any fear that had settled in his chest. "Mr Bones, I am a very busy man. What is the reason for the summons?" @edgarebones