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Author: Wings Story: Heart of Gold Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-DH Status: WIP Reviews: 3 Words: 121,987
Narcissa seemed to glow with happiness as she bade good night to guests at the end of the reception, but Regulus thought that she may have just been happy to be the centre of attention. Lucius, for his part, was playing the role of the enamoured groom quite well, though Regulus had noticed him checking his pocket watch five times in the last hour. Regulus’ parents had stayed through the wedding and just long enough at the reception so that their leaving would not be considered rude, but Regulus had decided to stay until the food was cleared away and guests began to leave. It was not everyday that one got invited to dinner at Malfoy Manor. “Some party, eh?” noted Barty as he sat down next to Regulus, who could smell whiskey on his breath. “Yeah, Lucius knows how to throw them,” Regulus agreed. “Though I think this party may have been more Narcissa’s doing than his.” Barty nodded. “She’s been driving him mad with all of the planning. She wanted her wedding to be the one that everyone talked about this year, and she thought that she might have a good shot at it since it’s one of the later ones.” “Why did they decide to get married in mid-October?” Regulus asked. “It is a bit late in the season, and they had such a short engagement. I didn’t even know that they were getting married until about three weeks ago.” “Well, eh, I think they were always planning on getting married,” Barty said carefully. “But they may have had more incentive to speed it up in recent months.” “Incentive? Surely she’s not …” Regulus began slowly. Barty nodded. “Oh yes she is. About a month and a half along now.” Regulus looked over at his new cousin-in-law again. "I can't say I'm surprised. Lucius seems to be the kind of bloke who might be a little, eh, too passionate and forget to take precautions." "Well, I think that's why Narcissa has been so eager to over-compensate today," Barty noted. "Very few people know, of course, just family and close friends. I think she thought that if she threw the wedding of the year, few people would think to count back the months after the kid is born." Regulus shook his head. "Well, at least they've been seeing each other for a while, and at least he wasn't fooling around with someone his family wouldn't approve of. That's happened too many times to Pureblood families." "Yeah, it's easy for them to shove any stigma there may have been and move on," Barty agreed. "They're too powerful. No one is going to say anything." "Did your parents come to the wedding?" Regulus asked. "My dad is second or third cousins or something like that with your uncle, Narcissa's father," Barty haphazardly explained. "His mother was a Black. So we're considered family, in a way. My father, of course, is adamantly opposed to the Malfoys because of their links to the Dark Arts, so he chose not to attend. I wanted to come just to see Lucius tie the knot. I've gotten to know him better over the past couple months. So, I was able to convince my parents that it would be a good idea for someone to attend just because a Black married into our family." "Well done, I'm impressed," Regulus said. "Do you think he suspects anything, your father?" "I doubt it," Barty replied. "I like to think that I'm fairly good at hiding my true allegiances, and I like to think that it makes me more useful for the cause." "It can certainly be difficult sometimes," Regulus observed. "But worth it," Barty pointed out. "I don't want to live in his shadow forever. Once we succeed, no one will think of him when they think of me. I'll be the only Bartemius Crouch who matters." The determined look on Barty’s face made Regulus shiver a bit inwardly. The stringy-haired man looked almost maniacal, as if he would do absolutely anything to get his way. Regulus knew little about the elder Crouch, but he knew enough to know that Barty’s behaviour would be rewarded with condemnation should his identity as a Death Eater ever come to light. “Do you think we’ll be able to pull it off?” Regulus asked casually. Barty nodded immediately. “We have what it takes, and with Dark Magic we’re ten times more powerful than the other side. What’s more, we know that they’re worried because of your involvement in the defence spells team. Will your spells be ready by that time?” Regulus shrugged. “No telling. What we’re trying to do is very complicated, I’m not even sure if it will work, in all honesty.” “Are they letting you in on their plans?” Barty questioned. “Or are they mostly just abusing you for busy work? That’s what my father’s department does to their new employees. They have no respect for the abilities of the young.” “I’m very involved in the planning, actually,” Regulus answered with pride. “Right now we’re working on improving a plan submitted by one of the older members, but we’re each expected to offer suggestions. I think my ideas will add a lot to the proposal.” “Really? What’s it about?” Regulus flushed and looked down. “Well, uh, I’m not sure if I can really tell you that. I mean, I know that I’m doing what I’m doing for the good of our cause, but at the same time I’ve only been talking to the Dark Lord and to Severus about my work.” Barty grunted and nodded. “Right. I understand that, I just thought, you know, we should know what we might be up against in a few weeks time.” “Not to worry. I’m part of this mission, too. If we develop anything, I’ll let you lot know so that we’ll be safe,” Regulus promised, feeling a bit apprehensive. Was Barty really only concerned with safety, or was he trying to glean information from Regulus that was not his to know? Would not the Dark Lord tell the right information to those he trusted? Was Barty not a trusted follower? He seemed to be so sure of himself and of the Dark Lord’s plans, but perhaps he was just able to say the right thing at the right time. “Fair enough,” Barty conceded. “I should probably be going. It was good to see you here tonight, mate. Good luck with the work, and I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon.” Regulus nodded. “Yeah, you too.” They shook hands and he watched Barty say goodnight and congratulations to Lucius and Narcissa. This was getting to be more complicated than he had expected it to be. Was he supposed to be able to trust the members of his team implicitly, or was there still an element of secrecy even when he assumed that he was among friends? Severus was always so cautious when they spoke about Death Eater affairs, but Barty was completely relaxed. He had spent most of their previous meeting joking about Lucius’ love life, but he still seemed to be absolutely devoted to the Dark Lord’s cause, enough so that he was absolutely risking his life. The Crouch family were Pureblood sympathizers, but they were also against the use of Dark Magic. It was almost too much for Regulus to comprehend. He stood as Narcissa approached his table, reaching for her hand and kissing it lightly. “Congratulations, cousin. You’re looking beautiful this evening,” he complimented her. She beamed. “Thank you very much. The planning has taken up so much of my time lately that I haven’t been able to do much else. It’s perfect, is it not?” “Quite so,” he assured her. “And how could it not be, since you and Lucius are so perfect for one another.” She giggled and nodded. “Of course we are. I am so glad you were able to join us, but where are your parents? I really wanted your mother to see everything I did with this place. She gave me so many suggestions and I was certain that she would be pleased.” “They were here earlier, but they had to leave early,” he explained. “My father has not been feeling well lately.” Her eyebrows furrowed in what Regulus thought could have been an actual look of concern and sympathy. “I’m so sorry. I do hope that he feels better soon,” she replied. “I’ve not felt very well myself, but that could be due to other things.” Regulus gave her a slight smile. “Yes, but you at least have something to look forward to, even if it’s going to take you another seven months or so to get there. My father, though …” “He’ll be fine,” Narcissa said quickly. “Let’s not think about these things right now, shall we? Today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Anyway, do send my condolences to your family and tell your mother that I will be after her for her opinions.” “I will be sure to do so,” Regulus promised. “Have a good week with Lucius in Malta. I’ll just show myself out, all right?” “Of course. I’ll give Lucius your regards,” Narcissa said warmly. Regulus nodded, kissed her hand again, and walked into the foyer where he Apparated back to his flat. The worst part about gatherings with other Pureblood families was the small talk and the little compliments that had to be said to stoke the fires of amity, even among family members. That part of his life was all about appearances and cordiality, and he could only stand being at large gatherings for so long. After reciting the same answers for hours, all Regulus wanted to do was soak in the feeling of blissful serenity. ~~~~~~ The next meeting of the spell defence team was scheduled for Thursday morning, so Regulus spent the beginning of the week pondering how he wished to present his thoughts and finding ways to refine the ideas he already had. His theories seemed good on parchment, but translating them to reality was proving more difficult than he first imagined it would be. It was late Wednesday afternoon that he finally sat back in his chair in the work room and shook his head in exasperation. He had no idea where to go next. “Frustrated?” asked a male voice from across the room. Regulus turned and recognized James Finch, the veteran spell creator on the team. He was sitting in one of the more comfortable chairs in the room, hunched over and examining what Regulus assumed were his own notes on Oliver’s potential shielding spell. His bushy brown hair was sticking on end and looked as if James had been running his hands through it, trying to rub the answers out of his skull. “You could say that,” Regulus grunted. “This seems impossible.” “They always do at first,” James noted. “You just have to find where the concept and reality overlap. What have you been working on?” He walked over and sat down next to Regulus, resting his right elbow on the tabletop. Regulus took a deep breath. “I read through Oliver’s report and it all sounds like a very good idea on paper, so then I started thinking about the intended result and what I know about magic that would make a spell work.” James nodded. “That all sounds good so far. Intention is the basis of every spell; it’s just more obvious with some spells than others.” “Right. A spell that I thought of was, well, one of the Unforgiveables,” Regulus offered slowly. “The Cruciatus Curse. I’ve heard that you really need some dark intentions to cast it.” “Yes, I suppose that is a good illustrative example, even if a morbid one,” James replied awkwardly. “I probably wouldn’t use it if I was going to demonstrate the lesson to a group of students, though. A very basic example is to think back to your first flying lessons at school.” Regulus laughed. “I can’t wait to see where you’re going with this.” “No seriously, I mean, I know it’s basic,” James admitted. “But think about the difference between the students who really wanted to learn how to fly and the ones who were a bit more apprehensive. It is true that not everyone shows the same level of magical ability, but you have to admit that the students who were more eager to fly were able to take hold of their brooms faster than the ones who were scared.” “Yes, I suppose that’s true,” Regulus conceded. “Well, that’s the whole point. The students who were scared didn’t intend to cast the spell correctly the first time,” James explained. “They needed to get past their fear of flying before they could hope to get the broom to fly up to their hands at all. It’s the same with casting any spell, you have to have the intention to do it right or it won’t work. Without intention, you’ll botch up the words or the wand waving, and you won’t have the inner will to focus your energies on the result.” “And you have to know the result clearly to be able to do it at all,” Regulus added. “Exactly, see, you’re figuring it out,” James encouraged. “After you’ve got intention down, it’s only a basic pattern of wand-waving and saying an incantation and then you’re set. Some people can even perform the magic without a wand or words at all; they’re just very in tune with how they use their magic.” Regulus considered this thought and then continued, “So, you’re saying that the words and the wand don’t matter as much as the thought behind it?” “Yes, sort of, but it takes an extremely powerful wizard to be able to perform magic without a focusing tool,” James warned. “We’re all capable of doing it, of course, just not of controlling what we do. Most witches and wizards do it all the time when they are angry or scared, before they go to Hogwarts or another magical school at least.” Regulus nodded. “Right, that makes sense. Why don’t they ever teach us this in school? It might make it easier to learn.” “Perhaps, but it might confuse a lot of the Muggle-borns,” James pointed out. “For someone just starting at school, it’s enough to get used to the fact that they can do magic. To go and explain the entire thought process behind magical theory would be a bit over the top.” “So I know the intended result,” Regulus said, getting the conversation back on track. “I was wondering, how necessary is familiarity for spell work?” “That’s another key issue,” James acknowledged. “A good example is Apparition. You really have to be familiar with where you’re going in order to end up in proper working order. Or, consider the charm to draw something to yourself.” “Accio?” James nodded. “Right. Granted, you can draw to yourself things that you’ve never seen, but it’s a whole lot harder than it is to draw something sitting right across the room.” “But you can draw to yourself something far away if you know that it’s there and you can focus on it clearly,” Regulus added, excited that the ideas were clicking in his head. “Precisely, see, you understand the theory behind it all,” James encouraged. “Magic is both exact and flexible, and it takes a while to really know how to use your abilities correctly. That’s why students aren’t allowed to use magic outside of school without supervision until they’re of age.” “Yeah, I can see why that’s important now,” Regulus admitted. “But about what I’ve been considering; I was thinking that this spell would definitely work, but the subjects would have to be very familiar with one another in order for it to work properly.” James thought for a moment and then nodded. “You’re probably right, because this involves meshing the magic of two different people. It would be difficult for two people who don’t know one another well to be able to cast it properly; or at least, it would be hard for them to be able to hold the spell long enough to achieve the intended result.” “Exactly what I was thinking,” Regulus replied. “So, if what we’ve been talking about is true, all we really need to do is think of a way to focus the attention and magic for the caster of the spell and it should work, as long as we have the right focus?” “In theory,” James agreed. “The simplest way of casting this spell would be for the two people to each cast it and then direct their magic toward one another, saying another word that would combine the magic.” “It’s just that direction that I’m having a hard time figuring out,” Regulus admitted. “But it is comforting to know that my thought process makes sense.” “Very much so, I’d say that you’re a natural at this,” James replied. “I had a lot of the same ideas, and I’ve been trying to come up with a focusing tool as well. Lily and I spoke earlier about the potential of mirroring actions, where the two casters do the same thing exactly opposite one another.” Regulus furrowed an eyebrow. “But aren’t we trying to create spells for battle situations? That would waste a lot of time, if our intended result is to cast a spell between two people under pressure.” James agreed, “Yes, and that’s why we scrapped the idea. She’s off looking up Latin words that have to do with combination, and I’m considering a way to direct wand movements in a simple way that will still allow the mind to channel the magic properly.” “Between the three of us, I think we have something that will work out,” Regulus said with satisfaction. “What do you think Oliver, Thomas, and Jacks will say?” “I think they’ll be in favour of it,” James replied. “We’ve done enough background research that we should be able to start experimentation sometime soon. Have you talked to Lily about the familiarity concept, by the way? Your ideas very much echoed hers.” Regulus laughed. “She stole them from me, that’s why. We had a conversation sometime last week about it and I pointed out the familiarity concept.” “Well, she’s taken it to heart,” James replied. “I’m glad that we all work together so well. We’ll be able to do a lot for the Aurors, and the other defence forces.” “I suppose we will,” Regulus agreed. “Well, it’s getting late. I’m going to finish up here, and I’ll see you in the morning.” James nodded and Regulus packed up to leave. The knowledge that both James Finch and Lily were researching ways to focus magic made him more confident in his ability to explain his portion of the ideas. It was a bit annoying that Lily had taken his ideas without telling him, but he had to admit that it was cunning of her to do so. He was just about to walk out the front doors when he heard her voice calling. “Regulus! James Finch told me that you had a conversation,” she said, somewhat breathless. He turned around and teased her. “Yeah, he told me that you’re trying to steal all of my hard work.” “Well, I never meant it to be like that,” she replied indignantly. “I just thought I would share part of the thought process behind what I was thinking about and I did mean to tell him that they were your ideas eventually, I …” He laughed. “It’s admirable, Lily, exactly something I would have done anyway. I was trying to figure out what you were on to when James found me frustrated in the work room. You’ve more Slytherin in you than you realize.” She gave him a curious look and said, “I’m not sure about that, but I was going to find you today and see if we could mesh our presentations together tomorrow so that everyone gets proper credit for their work. I see that James got to you first, though.” “It’s nothing, don’t think on it,” he replied. “I’ll see you in the morning.” ~~~~~~ Regulus felt his left arm burn late in the evening as he was washing up the dishes from supper and nearly fell over from the shock. Was there a meeting he had forgotten about? He could not remember Severus or Barty mentioning such a gathering, but the pain was so incredible that he was unable to ignore it. He let go of his thoughts and concentrated on where he was supposed to go and saw in his mind’s eye a familiar forest site. He realized that it was where he had pledged his loyalty to the Dark Lord, and wondered if it was he himself who was beckoning Regulus through the tattoo. Regulus thought about that night and tried to remember all the details about the area that he could, and then Apparated to the clearing. He heard the Dark Lord’s slippery voice from behind. “Welcome, my loyal servant.” “My lord,” Regulus began as he turned around and bowed his head toward the ground in what he hoped was a sign of respect. “Thank you for calling me here. What is your will?” The Dark Lord motioned for Regulus to come forward and he did, feeling small as he remembered that he was several inches shorter than this man who was not quite a man, whose appearance was altered so much that he seemed more mythical than real. The nostrils of the man clothed in dark robes seemed to flare with pleasure at Regulus’ submission and he suppressed a shudder that threatened to reveal his fear. It would not do to appear incompetent now. He had to show the Dark Lord that he was ready, and he was able. “Severus tells me that you have made great progress in your work at the Department,” the Dark Lord noted. “I am very pleased to hear this, and also to hear of your loyalty to our cause, even in the face of adversity from those you consider close friends and family.” “My lord, these actions are nothing,” Regulus immediately assured. “I am ready to do your bidding in any circumstance. Has Severus told you of our plans for the mission in November?” The Dark Lord seemed to smirk and he said, “Severus did explain to me your discussions on this matter. Your team is an integral part of this mission, I hope you understand that. I need you to do your best for this to succeed.” “I always do my best for you, my Lord,” Regulus assured. “It is my desire to complete my tasks with diligence and to the best of my ability.” “I know, my faithful servant,” the Dark Lord said, sending a wave of reassurance through Regulus. “That is why I decided you had earned this meeting with me. I am hoping to bring you closer into my plans for the future.” Regulus was speechless. The Dark Lord desired that he be privy to his plans? He wished Regulus to be involved in the larger project? It was almost too good to be true. “Th-thank you, my lord,” Regulus stammered, and then decided to emphasize his subservience with a bow. “I am so honoured that you would choose me to be one of your closest, most trusted servants and that you see how ardently I am working to gain your trust.” “Oh, but I see it very well,” the Dark Lord cooed. “I want you to know, Regulus, that I might have need of your assistance very soon.” “What is it?” The Dark Lord began pacing in the clearing. “I am working on a very large project that is important to ensure my survival. If you can prove your usefulness to me, especially in terms of your magical ability with these new spells you are creating, I may let you be a part of this project.” Regulus felt the excitement well up in his chest. “That’s brilliant. What sort of project? Who else is involved?” “Oh, very few people. Only my most loyal, my most trusted are being told anything about this,” the Dark Lord replied. “I need you to keep very quiet about it if I am going to be able to trust you at all. You cannot even tell Severus, Lucius, or Barty.” “My allegiance is to you first, over all of them,” Regulus said firmly. “I will keep this secret and no one will be able to make me reveal it.” “Good,” the Dark Lord said simply. “Expect to be rewarded with this assignment should you do well in this mission, and in your work on Jackson’s team.” “I am presenting new research at a team meeting tomorrow morning, research that I completed all by myself,” Regulus boasted without thinking. “I expect to be rewarded greatly for my work. Of course, I will pass on all of the credit to you and to our cause. This work is being done for the betterment of our society.” The Dark Lord nodded. “I expect that you will take charge of this team and make it your own, keeping our ideals in mind. It is your responsibility to steer them in the direction that is favourable to us.” “I am already beginning to do so,” Regulus lied. He had really been acting for the needs of the team, but the Dark Lord was right. He needed to focus on the needs of their cause. “I am glad to hear it,” the Dark Lord said. “I expect to hear from you soon about your progress. You may go.” Regulus bowed and waited for the Dark Lord to Disapparate silently into a cloud of smoke before he returned to the flat. He needed to do the Dark Lord’s bidding, and he intended to do so. But doing the Dark Lord’s bidding meant that he would have to sacrifice the feelings of someone else. ~~~~~~ Dusk was falling as Liam shut the outer gate of his parents’ house and walked down the lane toward the town centre. Doolin was well-known for its musical heritage and fall brought out the best of the musicians to showcase their talent as the nights grew cooler and darker and residents and travellers alike sought entertainment indoors. Kate had insisted that he start spending more time out of the house in an effort to encourage him to meet other people and reacquaint himself with old friends. The problem with leaving for school at the age of eleven was that Liam had completely lost contact with the majority of his childhood playmates. He still felt distanced from those he remembered because of the abilities that he was unable to explain or reveal. Liam hoped that the fall music festival would be able to dull the painful memories and allow him to spend some time like every other normal Irish boy in Doolin this night, enjoying the company of others and the sounds of the music. A pub near the shore had advertised a new fiddle player on several notice boards throughout the town, and Liam thought that the concert sounded like a perfect way to get in touch with old friends and maybe meet some new ones. It did not take long to walk there and he enjoyed feeling the cool air on his cheeks, though he could feel a hint of a frigid undercurrent that he knew would soon dominate over the light breeze. Winter was coming, and it was coming quickly. The tavern was well-lit and spacious. There was no stage for the musician, but there was plenty of room to mingle about the tables and also open space for dancing. Liam looked around the room until he saw his cousin Sean and wandered over to his table. “Sean, good to see you,” he said as the older boy stood and greeted him with an embrace. “Liam, glad you could make it,” Sean said sincerely. At twenty-two, he had just finished school and was working as an accountant in Ballyvaughan, but tried to make it back home as often as possible. Sean was smaller than Liam, with green eyes and strawberry blonde hair that he cut as soon as the ends touched the tops of his ears. He had always had a soft spot for Liam as he had no siblings and Liam was closer to his age than Silas was. Liam met Sean’s friends at the table and joined in the conversation. They were all older than he was, but they all seemed to be facing similar decisions about what they were supposed to be doing in life and he was able to relate to them easily. Liam noted that the musician played the fiddle very well and made a mental note to find out more about him in the future. Before Liam knew what was happening, Sean had drawn him to his feet and was steering him toward the edge of the dance floor where most of the girls had congregated to whisper and giggle to one another, giving him a knot in his stomach when he realized that Sean meant for him to talk to them. “Come on, Liam, let’s have some fun, yeah? You’ve been cooped up in that house ever since you got here and Silas has been working you to death,” Sean coaxed. “Why don’t you ask one of these lovely girls to dance?” Liam shrugged. “I suppose. It’s been a very long time since I danced with anyone.” “What, do they not offer dancing lessons at that posh school you attended over in Scotland?” Sean asked. “Not really, no,” Liam answered with a laugh. “Dancing was definitely not one of the commonly-covered subjects, nor was making light conversation with girls.” Sean waved away his protest. “Doesn’t matter. See that lovely girl with the brown curls? Her name is Meghan. She’s your age, I think. I know her older sister. Why don’t you go over and talk with her a bit? Think of it as practice.” “Practice for what?” “Well, you’ll have to move forward someday,” Sean pointed out. “I’m not sure what’s been going on with you and your family, but you lot have been very silent lately about how Aislinn got hurt, why you decided to come home, you know, things of that nature.” Liam sighed and said, “Well, there’s been a great deal going on, more than can really be summarized easily. I suppose it’s just hard to focus on the moment when there are so many other things that you have to think about.” “Nothing like the present to keep your mind off of the future, or the past for that matter,” Sean pointed out. “There’s no use worrying about things you can’t change.” “The thing is, some of these things are things that I can change,” Liam said helplessly. “Only I don’t know how, and I wish that I had been able to change them before this.” Sean shook his head. “Stop worrying, and just relax. I’m determined that you will enjoy yourself tonight, all right? Now, go over and talk to that girl. I’ve already told her about you so there’s no pressure.” “I don’t know, Sean…” “I won’t take no for an answer,” Sean insisted, nodding in Meghan’s direction. “Go on.” Liam shook his head, but smiled and obliged his older cousin. Meghan was leaning against a wooden post in the old pub talking to a few of her friends. He recognized her round face and thick, brown curls from grammar school when they were younger and as he got closer he remembered her brown eyes as well. She had almost finished drinking her pint of amber liquid and he used the opportunity to interrupt carefully. “Excuse me ladies, sorry to interrupt, but I was just wondering if you lot needed another round of drinks?” Liam asked smoothly, nodding toward Meghan. “What were you drinking?” “A Black and Tan,” she said. “Sorry?” “Guinness and Smithwick’s? It’s a mix of stout and red ale,” she replied. Liam felt himself flush and laughed shortly. “Oh, right. I’m not well versed in mixed drinks. Another one of those for you, and would either of you like anything?” Meghan’s friends both shook their heads and Liam walked over to the bar, mentally berating himself for his blunder. Sean would probably roll in laughter when he told him about it. The bartender fixed Meghan’s drink and poured a Guinness for Liam who took both and walked back over to where Meghan was waiting alone. “Here you are. What happened to your friends, eh?” he asked. Meghan took the drink and pointed in Sean’s direction. “Your cousin had to show them something very secretively over there. I think it might be a conspiracy.” Liam looked over at Sean who winked and then looked back at Meghan’s friend. Liam shook his head. “Sean can be a bit much sometimes. I apologise if you feel patronized,” he said. “Don’t worry about it, Liam. That’s your name, right?” “Liam Merric, yeah. We went to grammar school together. I think we were both in the same class when we were eight or nine.” Meghan nodded and affirmed, “I think that’s about right, and then you went off to school somewhere.” “Scotland,” he told her. “It’s a wee bit colder there, and there’s no ocean. I tried living in London over the summer, but I realized that I missed being here too much, so now I’m back.” “What was it, some sort of Scottish preparatory academy? Are you planning on going to university?” she asked as she sipped her drink. Liam shook his head and tried to think of a good explanation. “Not exactly, more of a focused academy for students with special abilities. Let’s just say I’ve learned something completely different than you have for the past seven years, which is partly why I didn’t know about your special drink there.” “Oh, this?” she asked. “Actually that’s not surprising. This isn’t a common Irish drink, and we’ve both only just come of age anyway. I don’t fault you for not having heard of it. I think I may know the school you’re talking about, though.” Liam looked at her curiously. “Really? What school do you think I’m talking about?” “One of Lisa’s cousins, Lisa is the girl over there talking to Sean, well, one of her cousins went off to school in Scotland suddenly about four years ago,” Meghan explained. “Their family has never really explained what the school is about either, just said that it was for gifted students. She and I were thinking that it may be the same school.” “Interesting theory. I probably wouldn’t know her, but what’s Lisa’s cousin’s name?” Liam asked. “Anna McKinnley. Her family lives south of here.” Liam shook his head. “I think I might know who you’re talking about, but we weren’t sorted into the same House.” “House?” “At the beginning of school we take this sort of personality test that places us in a dormitory with similarly-minded students,” Liam explained. “The one I was in was for students with a lot of ambition, you know, those of us who want to take over and change everything.” Meghan laughed. “I see, so you’re a budding dictator.” “Something like that,” Liam answered. “Listen, Meghan, I don’t know what Sean told you about me, but I’m not very good at talking to girls I don’t know very well.” “You seem to be doing just fine,” she encouraged. “I think Sean just wants you to have some fun. It must be hard on you to be back here when you’ve probably changed so much and this is just the same as it was seven years ago.” Liam agreed, “Yes, there’s nothing like coming back home to see how you’ve changed, I definitely agree with you there. I sort of feel like there’s this invisible wall between me and everyone else, and I’m sorry if you’re feeling put off in any way. It’s just hard for me to explain the things that have happened since I’ve been gone.” “You don’t have to feel the need to explain everything about yourself in one night,” Meghan assured him. “We’ve only just become reacquainted. If you want to explain yourself in the future, so be it, but I really don’t mind not knowing everything about you.” “That’s fair,” Liam answered with a laugh. “Well, how about a dance then, yeah?” Meghan agreed and they took to the floor along with Sean and Lisa. Liam enjoyed Meghan’s company and being able to act his age felt refreshing. He stayed at the pub until well after midnight and left only because he did not want to be too exhausted the next day. The streets were dark and misty as the fog rolled in over the waves. It was hard for him to see where he was going, even though he knew the way home by heart. Grudgingly, he took out his wand and lit the end to see better in front of him. “Who’s there?” called a voice through the fog at the sudden light. “Where did that light come from?” Liam whipped around to his left and mentally berated himself. What was he thinking, using his wand so carelessly? What if Lord Voldemort had spies in Ireland looking for him? “Liam Merric,” he called through the blackness. “I’m sorry to have startled you; I was just trying to make a little light for my path.” A man of about fifty emerged from the shadows carrying a small lantern and stared at Liam’s wand. “My word, a wand. You have a wand. You’re a wizard,” he said in astonishment. “Quickly,” he added, with a glance to his right and left. “We must get inside quickly. You shouldn’t be walking around with one of those around here at night. It’s not safe.” Liam took a step backwards. “Forgive me for not trusting you, sir, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I don’t know how you know that I’m a wizard. I was under the impression that there were few magic folk in County Clare. I think I’ll be heading back home.” The man shook his head adamantly. “Liam, please, you must come with me. There are witches and wizards here, and not all of them are friendly. I can explain everything…” “Not tonight you won’t,” Liam said authoritatively. “Obliviate.” ~~~~~~ Author’s Note: Thanks so much to my betas, Arnel and Cygnus, and to my readers. I loved what JKR did with Regulus in Deathly Hallows! Though my Regulus is a bit different. :-) I think that there will be some great fanfiction that comes out of this last book, so I hope you all will stick around and enjoy it!
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