The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

From Myself

Regulus stared in surprise at Severus Snape, sure that he was a vision of the muggle medicine the mediwitch had given him. He blinked in a dizzy manner, his brow knit together.

"I am not a hallucination," Severus said, his voice low, answering Regulus's thoughts. "Your guard is down."

Regulus tried to open his mouth to ask a question and found his mouth exceedingly dry and all stuck together feeling. "How did.. y- you --"

Severus cut him off, "You're lucky."

Regulus raised his eyebrows. "D'you see where we are...?"

"Greyback returned to the presence of the Dark Lord after giving you that." Severus pointed to the wrapped arm. "And he told him what he'd done."

Regulus froze, staring at Severus.

"I told the Dark Lord that Greyback was wrong, lying, that he was mistaken about your scent. I lied to the Dark Lord for you. You likely felt the burning of a summons before I told him that."

Regulus hesitated, then, wincing to raise his arm, he pulled up the sleeve to show Severus the scarred remains of the place where his Mark had been.

Severus stared at the burned flesh, a look of horror and admiration flashed on his face before he could control it. "That explains why he accepted my words so easily..." Severus stared until Regulus pulled the sleeve back down and laid his arm to his side again. Regulus winced and struggled to get the arm back into a comfortable position again. Severus's voice lowered even further than usual, conspirational, "It will bring you comfort to know that Greyback was... severely... punished."

Regulus hesitated, then, "Dead?"

"No. But probably wishes he was."

Regulus's jaw tightened.

"You have to change your appearance again and your name and get the hell out of here before Greyback is recovered enough to come after you. I doubt he'll bother attempting to tell the Dark Lord again, which is both good and bad for you. Good because the Dark Lord won't know he's hunting you, but bad because -- well. Unchecked, Greyback can do whatever he sees fit with his prey." Severus's tone was was cold.

Regulus shivered. If Greyback at the Riddle House had been in any way "checked", he hated to imagine an unchecked version of him. 

"And he's burning with anger. I lied to the Dark Lord against him, but he sees it as your fault what was done to him... and after how long he was held in the crucio, it wouldn't surprise me if he is even more unhinged than he usually is."

Regulus stared at the same spot on the blanket as he'd done the night before.

"So my recommendation to you is to change your face and get the bloody hell out of the country. Go far away - as far as you can get - and don't ever come back, Regulus, or he'll come for you, and he'll most definitely kill you in the most horrible fashion he can come up with at the time... and anyone you are with..." he added, looking at the chocolate frog on the nightstand. "Which is why I am here. I know you've had Lily Evans here --"

Regulus whispered, "Potter."

"What?" Severus snapped.

"She's Lily Potter now." Regulus looked Severus in the eyes.

Severus's face was completely emotionless, but his eyes went from worry to panic to hatred and then... seemed to be completely dead and void of anything. He closed his eyes and the muscles in his jaw and neck tightened a moment as though he were swallowing a bitter pill, and then he he said, "I know Lily was here... and I will not tolerate you endangering her..."