The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Wake Up, Regulus, Wake Up

Wake Up, Regulus, Wake Up

"Wake up, Regulus, wake up. Wake up. Wake up, please wake up." Regulus was rocking himself, crouching between the wall of the cave and the large stone he'd bent against to catch his breath. He could hear James Potter's footsteps echoing through the cavern, could see his illuminated wand tip moving around the pool of black water. He watched as he hugged his knees and begged himself to wake up, as James inched further and further away, and his stomach twisted itself into knots. James would go around that corner any moment now, and when he did, when his wand light was out of sight, then the only light in the cavern would be his own wand light... just like in his dream.

"Please... Please wake up. Please wake up. You're in your bed back at Hogwarts, warm under your duvet. You're sleeping, having another nightmare. Wake up and get a cup of water, idiot. Wake up and find out this is all a nightmare and you're fine and Maryrose is fine and none of this has happened." His voice quavered.

James Potter's wand disappeared 'round the bend.

Regulus stood up slowly, his knees trembling... and he moved carefully, his body going through the motions though he so bitterly did not want to do it. He closed his eyes as his palm moved along the wall, keeping him away from the water's edge... There was something dripping, great big drops of water fell and struck the pool, making the water ripple and Regulus's breath caught in his throat as he reached the back of the cavern and he stood on the spot from his dream, his heart pounding in his ears. He inched toward the edge of the pool.

Please. If there is any mercy left in this entire universe, any good at all, please don't let Maryrose be here in the water, Regulus begged any and all gods that may hear him.

Slowly,... he knelt down, and, eyes still closed, he leaned forward, took a deep breath... and prepared himself.

He opened his eyes.

There wasn't anything in the water.

Regulus let out a breath of relief.

And then he heard a splash.

He turned around... and his eyes widened. There was a person... a man... climbing out of the water... with pale white skin, swelled up a bit, the torso already out, they were rolling to put their leg up on the ledge and struggling to get out, dripping water everywhere, a vacant expression upon his face...

Regulus couldn't help it. He screamed. "JAAAAAAAAAMES!!!!!! JAMES!! JAAAAAAAMES!!!!!!!!" The scream echoed through the cavern and, unsure what else to do, he ran for it. He ran as hard as he could, intending to go diving 'round the bend James had gone in, to chase him through whatever place he'd found back there, and maybe it let out some other place where this creature thing couldn't catch up.... But even as Regulus ran for the tiny cavern, a thick cloud of squeaking black bats came roaring out, their wings rumbling, their sonars squealing loudly. Regulus slammed into a stalgamite in his efforts to get away from the bats in one direction and the horrible pale white figure shuffling closer toward him.

"Stupefy!" he cried, waving his wand at the figure - but it didn't do anything.

Of course not. Stupefy worked on the nervous system of a man... this man coming toward him was no man at all, the movements he made had no connection to the nervous system. The body itself was not causing the motion - it was the curse it was under moving it along, like a puppeteer.

"JAMES!! JAAAAAAAAMES!!!! JAMES HELP!" he cried out.

"REGULUS?" he heard James's voice reply - but the figure was nearly a top of him now. "I'M COMING, REGULUS!"