Fenrir Greyback was in the parlor when Regulus arrived in the room. Walburga was seated in her favorite highback chair, her face red and eyes diverted to the floor. Fenrir was shaking out his hand, facing the fireplace mantel and cursing.

Regulus's swaggered faltered slightly when he saw his mother's face, and he was about to check on her when she shook her head ever so subtly. She was telling him to keep on the facade of confidence. And so he did.

"Oh it's you," he said lazily, as Fenrir turned 'round to face him. "I thought I smelled something fowl as I was coming down the stairs just now."

Greyback let out a bark of mirth and sneered, "You watch your smart ickle mouth, you little lump of dung, or I may just have a lapse of mind next full moon and tear your jugular clear out of your throat."

Regulus didn't even so much as blink at the threat. Greyback clearly wasn't used to no response, for he seemed to have to regroup before adding on, like an after thought, "Of course your family seems to rather enjoy their lunatics, don't they?"

"If that is a reference to my filthy brother and his... mate..."

Greyback's lips curled, "Then what, little poppet? Then you'll be very, very angry and boo hoo hoo?" He said this in an impish, babyish voice, mocking.

Regulus kept coolly starring at him. "I was going to say that perhaps you should shut your filthy mouth seeing as you were rather lucky to have a lunatic crazed Black who once loved you, for a time." Regulus paused, "Before she was stupid enough to get herself destroyed that is... Yours wasn't her last kiss, of course."

Greyback's eyes flashed. It was an unspoken rule that none spoke of Druella around him.

"You watch your mouth you know what's good for ya," Greyback growled.

Regulus didn't let it show outwardy, but he rather was terrified of the sound of that growl. He had to check himself a bit extra to keep from wavering. He'd stepped over a line and he knew it. But it had felt rather good to get a rise out of him, anyway.

"Where's the snack I was promised?" Greyback demanded.

Regulus raised one eyebrow. "Beg pardon?"

"I know you took 'em, them Phoenixes," Greyback leaned against the mantle, "And I'm here for'em."

Regulus shook his head, "I think you're mistaken, Fenrir."

Fenrir picked at his tooth with the sharp, pointed claw of his pinky finger. "Don't think I am. I saw you - both you," he added, nodding at Walburga.

"It was dark in that theater," Regulus said, shrugging, "Nobody could see anybody."

"Wolves got better eyes than little boys."

Regulus hadn't thought of that. He forced himself to stare at Greyback without looking down, even as his mind reeled in panic. How could he weave himself out of this mess? he wondered.

"You ran up on that stage and you - you grabbed Potter," Greyback continued, nodding at Walburga. "And you took the other one... the ice cream boy. Then your elf come and snatched you up and disapparated you away..." Greyback sneered. He stepped closer to Regulus, so close that Regulus could smell his breath, the rancidness of it nearly gagged him. Greyback paced around behind Regulus, his hands grasping onto his shoulders, and he pulled Regulus back against his chest roughly, catching Regulus off guard. The straight face fell from Regulus's face and panic replaced it by the sudden move. "Tell the truth, boy, or maybe I'll have to find myself a replacement to satisfy my pack's hunger..." He was so close, he nearly had his mouth on Regulus's shoulder.

"STOP IT! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY SON, YOU FILTHY HALFBREED!"  Walburga was up, arm raised and clutching her wand. "I've had enough! ENOUGH!!! He is a CHILD, Greyback! A CHILD. And if the Dark Lord isn't enough of a man to protect his followers against the filthy likes of you and your pack then I bleeding will."

A jet of sparks flew across the room and stung Fenrir across the hands, making him jerk away quickly. Regulus was thrown to the floor and Greyback growled loudly, baring his teeth which he had widdled dowm to points, trying to mimick his wolfish form as closely as possible, as though he preferred the wolf to the man.

Walburga didn't back down. She hexed him in the chest and Greyback let out a shout as boils arose across his bare torso. "IF YOU ARE THE KIND OF FILTH THAT VOLDEMORT CONSIDERS PURE BLOOD THEN HE CAN COUNT ME OUT OF HIS SERVICE! You are disgusting and foul and cruel and I cannot stomach your filthy, hateful ways any longer."

"I'll bloody have your neck, you bitch!" Greyback hissed, and he went for her again.

"SECARE!" She bellowed before he could get at her, and blood rose where the sparks hit him, a chunk of actual skin came off from his arm.

Regulus's eyes were wide with shock and his stomach turned.

"CRUCIO!" She screamed, and before Greyback had even finished reacting to the pain of the half moon shape cut from his arm, he was doubled over onto the floor, screaming as thick white electric ropes squeezed around him. It was such a strong attack that Regulus realized he could literally smell the burnt skin when the whip extinguished.

Walburga lowered her wand, walked briskly around the quivering, steaming form of Greyback on the floor, and she took hold of Regulus's arm firmly. She frogmarched him up the stairs, her boots clicking on every step, and she turned at the top, shooting a spell that caused the stairs to fold up, disappearing, leaving the second floor library door a gaping hole fifteen feet off the ground level and fifteen feet below where they stood on the landing out side of Regulus's bedroom door.

"KREACHER!" She shouted, and with a CRACK! Kreacher appeared at her feet.

"Yes Mistress, Kreacher is here?"

"Come, Kreacher, you'll be delivering us from here." She stepped into Regulus's room.

"Mother - what about -"

"Regulus." She turned and she looked directly into his face. "No more arguing. I should have taken you out of this long before now, the moment your father was killed."

Regulus shook his head, "Mother -"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU FEEL ABOUT RUNNING REGULUS BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER NOW!" She said, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS HAPPENED? THERE IS NO UNDOING WHAT WE HAVE JUST DONE. THE DARK LORD KNOWS WE HAVE DEFIED HIM AND IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF MOMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO LEAVE BEFORE HE WILL COME FOR US."

Regulus looked 'round the room. He expected to see James and Jasper there, expected to see them staring wildly back, expected them to have witnessed this... And part of Regulus wanted them to have done. Part of him wanted James Potter to have seen how his Mother's eyes flashed as she spoke of defying the Dark Lord, of running from him. If anyone could help them, it would be James... and if James would help then so would Sirius, and if Sirius only knew about their Mother, if Sirius could see... maybe they could be a family again. Maybe there was hope of the three of them having back what the Dark Lord had taken away all those years ago.

Regulus could picture family dinners.

He could picture Kreacher serving roasts and Sirius wandering about singing Christmas Carols. He could picture James and Lily and Remus and Sirius and Oni and his mum enjoying each others company and he had the most fleeting image of his mum and Sirius hugging, letting bygones be bygones, of a chance for even tentative forgiveness, of redemption...

But James and Jasper were not there.

Regulus felt like the air was let out of him, and as quickly as all those visions and hopes had come into him, they shattered and were gone.  It may have been only a second or two of hope, but he had been suppressing that dream so long, he realized, that it had charged in with the power and strength of a lifelong hope. And just like that, he felt the grief and the pain and the loss of seventeen years leave him in one instant.

He felt foolish as he began to cry.

Actual, childish tears.

All the thoughts and memories and stresses, all the pressure and pain and fears... all of it poured down his face.

Walburga took hold of his arm and turned to Kreacher, reaching down to grab hold of his hand. "Kreacher," she said, "I command you to take us to the Safe Place."

Kreacher nodded, and with a crack, they were gone.

Grimmauld Place was quiet for several long moments, and then there was the sound of Greyback's voice, shouting as he fell, having stepped without looking through the door of the Library.

"Hurry mate, I know it isn't easy. I'm sorry, just a bit further..." James had Jasper braced against his shoulder. Jasper limped, his teeth grit against pain as they moved. Both of them were covered with blood and debris, neither in the best of shape, but if they could just reach the limit of the anti-disapparation charms, they would have made it out alive.

They fell into the grass across the street from Grimmauld Place, and James looked back as the building seemed to shimmer and disappear from view, and he remembered running to this very spot more than once, remembered Tizzy the Lupin elf, and the feeling of Lucy Minchum's arms clamped around his stag neck, the sound of Maryrose's confusion upon seeing themselves upon their escape with the time turner, and he felt his heart ache with the memory of how many rescues he had had to perform here... how many losses he had seen...

He was afraid to disapparate with Jasper now, afraid he might splinch them both, but he had no choice.

They landed in the alley behind the flat in East London, behind the dumpster, and he could feel something wasn't quite right, but he wasn't sure what.

"Jasper," he said, "Are you alright?"

Jasper nodded weakly.

James stepped and tripped and they both stumbled up the stairs and through the door and there was commotion inside, shouting and crying and Lily Evans grasping his face, Remus and Sirius helping Jasper and a gasp as Lily saw a bit of James's left ear had been splinched, blood pouring down the side of his head...

He could barely register any of it, he was so exhausted, and he realized suddenly he was very dizzy and simply collapsed on the small living room shag carpet.