No, that's too long," Snape snapped, cutting off any debate. "As soon as we leave, you go get him immediately. I'll wait for you in the alley for five minutes, Narcissa. Not a second longer." He wasn't about to give her any chance to back out, stall, or set a trap.
A flicker of struggle and worry crossed Narcissa's face. Going to the Black family home to fetch Regulus right now meant no time to prepare properly. But one look at Snape's uncompromising expression told her there was no room for negotiation.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth, nodding reluctantly.
With the matter settled, the tension in the air eased slightly.
"What about Sirius?" Snape asked casually, as if making small talk. "After he and his friends left the Founders' Ark and came back, how's he doing? Has he gone back to the Black family to play the rebellious son?"
At the mention of Sirius, Narcissa's face twisted with disgust and cold indifference.
"Him?" she said icily. "He's no longer a Black. The moment Sirius's name was burned off the family tapestry, I stopped caring where he's hiding or what filthy things he's up to."
"Oh?" Snape responded neutrally, pressing further. "And what about the others who came back with him? Particularly that Muggle-born Peter Pettigrew, the timid little Gryffindor who always seemed to cower. Any news on him?"
"It's odd, now that you mention it," he continued. "His name didn't show up on the list of people sent to Azkaban in The Daily Prophet."
Narcissa frowned, clearly uninterested or unfamiliar with the name.
"Sorry, Severus," she said after a moment's thought, shaking her head. "I know nothing about his whereabouts. Not on the Azkaban list? That just means he either wasn't important enough to be locked up or…" She shrugged, indifferent. "He got lucky and slipped through the cracks?"
"Is that so?" Snape mused, more to himself than to her. "How curious…"
Narcissa didn't respond, her lack of interest in Pettigrew's fate palpable.
They fell silent.
Snape dispelled the protective charms around them, and Narcissa waved over a waiter, paying for their drinks with Muggle money.
Without another word, they stood and left the Leaky Cauldron, stepping one after the other into the narrow, damp-smelling alleyway of Knockturn Alley.
At the alley's entrance, Snape tucked his bulky frame into the shadow of a protruding wall, his wand already slipped into his hand, hidden within the sleeve of his oversized Muggle coat. His sharp eyes scanned the bustling street beyond and the quiet depths of the alley.
Narcissa hurried toward the other end of the alley, her figure quickly vanishing from sight.
Time ticked by, and Snape stayed alert, ready for any sudden trouble.
Less than three minutes later, a soft pop echoed through the alley.
Narcissa reappeared, and beside her stood a pale, lanky boy with dark hair.
Regulus Black kept his head down, his body trembling slightly, his eyes darting nervously, like a child waking from a nightmare. When he spotted the stranger in the shadows, he flinched visibly and instinctively stepped behind his sister.
Clutching Regulus's hand tightly—or rather, being clutched by him—was a house-elf. This was an ancient-looking creature, his skin sagging as if he had far too much of it for his small frame.
Kreacher wore little more than a pristine white towel wrapped around his waist, his ears sprouting tufts of fluffy white hair like cotton.
Kreacher's large eyes, peering over his bulbous nose, fixed on Snape with worry.
Snape's gaze shifted from the skittish Regulus to the elderly house-elf gripping the boy's arm.
"What's with the extra?" he asked, looking at Narcissa.
"Our aunt and uncle were worried about Regulus leaving home so suddenly without someone to look after him," Narcissa explained quickly, glancing at Kreacher, who was trying to shield Regulus with his tiny body. "Kreacher's been with him since he was a baby and knows him best. Let him come along. Besides," she added swiftly, "you can put him to work however you like."
"Kreacher's very capable and won't cause any trouble. His French onion soup is absolutely divine—the best I've ever tasted. His Wiltshire-style stew is a masterpiece, and his treacle tart and steak-and-kidney pie would impress even the pickiest wizard."
"We already have plenty of house-elves on the ship handling meals and chores," Snape said, unmoved, shaking his head. He wanted to see what else Narcissa or the Black family might offer.
He glanced at Kreacher's cloudy eyes. The old elf met his gaze briefly before submissively lowering his head.
Narcissa faltered for a moment before trying another angle. "Severus, do you—do you need Galleons? The Black family could provide some support—"
"Galleons? Please," Snape interrupted with a derisive snort. "We don't need your pocket change. If you want to offer something useful, how about keeping your promise and taking me on a little tour of the Malfoy family vault at Gringotts? That would be far more interesting." He doubled down on her earlier promise, turning it into a more immediate condition.
Narcissa nodded calmly, her eyes signaling him to drop the subject.
Satisfied with her response, Snape said no more. He extended his thick arm toward Regulus.
Narcissa gently nudged her brother, who was still frozen with anxiety.
"Go on, Reg," she said softly. "Stay with this man, and… take care of yourself. Always."
The push seemed to snap Regulus out of his daze. He turned, gave Narcissa a long, meaningful look, and nodded firmly. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on Kreacher's hand and, mustering his courage, stepped toward Snape.
Kreacher followed closely, his small frame doing its best to stay between Regulus and Snape.
Snape watched the pair approach, his face expressionless. Bypassing the elf, he placed a heavy hand on Regulus's slender shoulder. Kreacher gasped nervously.
"See you later, friend," Snape said, glancing at Narcissa. Her eyes lingered on her brother for a moment.
In an instant, the three vanished from the shadowy alley.
They reappeared beside a tranquil lake, its surface shimmering under the evening breeze, the air crisp and cool.
The disorienting sensation of Apparition made Regulus stumble, but Kreacher quickly steadied him.
Regulus looked around, taking in the serene scenery. "Sir," he asked curiously, "is this… where the real Hogwarts is?" He clearly thought he'd been brought to some secret entrance to the castle.
Snape didn't answer right away. He released Regulus's shoulder and stepped in front of him.
Under the puzzled gazes of Regulus and Kreacher, Snape's somewhat pudgy Muggle disguise began to melt away like wax, his features shifting. His bones made faint cracking sounds as his body stretched and slimmed.
Seconds later, a face Regulus knew all too well appeared before him.
"Severus?!" Regulus gasped, stepping back in shock and nearly tripping over Kreacher. "It's you?!"
Snape adjusted the now-oversized sleeves of his Muggle coat. "What?" he said dryly. "Didn't Narcissa tell you who you'd be meeting?"
"No, she didn't," Regulus said, shaking his head, bewildered. "Cissy just told me to follow a trustworthy man who'd take me to the real Hogwarts, a safe place."
"Well, she wasn't wrong. I'm quite trustworthy," Snape said with a faint smirk. "Compared to letting you stay at your 'internship' until you break down or get… dealt with, coming with us is your safest bet right now."
"Now, Regulus Black," he continued, "hold out your left arm."
The mention of his "internship" and being "dealt with" sent a shiver through Regulus. At the request for his left arm, he instinctively pulled it back, fear flashing across his face.
But under Snape's steady, not-entirely-kind gaze, he hesitated, then slowly extended his arm.
Snape grabbed Regulus's wrist firmly and pushed up his sleeve, revealing the gruesome Dark Mark etched into his skin.
"Don't touch it, Master Regulus!" Kreacher squealed, lunging forward to stop Snape but freezing under his sharp look. The elf wrung his towel anxiously, whimpering softly.
Regulus watched nervously, unsure of what Snape was about to do.
"We need to deal with this little tattoo," Snape said, staring at the Dark Mark. He pulled a thick piece of parchment from his pocket. "I'm willing to believe you're sorry, Regulus, but this isn't about whether I trust you personally."
"That trust isn't enough for me to risk the safety of dozens of students on the ship. I won't gamble with their lives." He met Regulus's eyes. "This thing is a dangerous tracker and summoning beacon."
"Relax," Snape said as he placed the parchment over the Dark Mark, covering the skull-and-snake design.
He pointed his wand at it, murmuring complex incantations. A soft glow flowed from the wand's tip, seeping into the parchment.
Kreacher edged forward, ears perked, eyes locked on Snape's wand, ready to leap if he sensed any threat to his master.
As the magic took effect, the parchment's edges softened, stretching and melding with Regulus's skin. Its color shifted, blending almost perfectly with his natural tone.
Soon, the parchment had fused with his arm, disguising the Dark Mark as a slightly darker patch of skin with unique texture.
"Now you can't touch it," Snape said, stepping back to admire his work.
Regulus raised his arm, examining it in the dim light. The covered area felt slightly foreign, the skin taut.
He looked at Snape, a question in his eyes.
"Don't worry," Snape said, pocketing his wand. "It's not permanent, unlike those posters of Muggle bikini models your dear brother Sirius loves to stick up with Permanent Sticking Charms. This is just a cover, removable when needed."
At the mention of Sirius, Regulus's eyes flickered.
"So…" he hesitated, "is Sirius with you all?"
"He's gone his own way," Snape replied. "Now, next step. Empty your pockets. Everything—wands, trinkets, letters, keepsakes. All of it."
Regulus blinked, then obediently began pulling items from his robes, with Kreacher hurrying to assist.
"We didn't bring much," Regulus said, handing over a pouch embroidered with the Black family crest. "We packed in a rush."
Snape opened the bulging pouch, revealing hundreds of Galleons. He frowned, inspecting each coin carefully with his wand, checking for any magical traces beyond the goblins' anti-forgery charms.
Satisfied, he tossed the pouch to Kreacher. "Hold onto your master's pocket money."
Next, Snape picked up a small, square mirror.
"It's a two-way mirror," Regulus explained quickly. "The other one's with my mum. So we can talk, know each other's safe." His voice softened, then he added, "She got it from Uncle Alphard, even though they haven't spoken in ages."
"I'll hold onto this for now," Snape said, slipping the mirror into his robe. "No unauthorized communication on the ship. If you need it, you can ask me, and you'll use it under supervision. Understood?"
Regulus's face fell as the mirror was taken, but he nodded silently. "Understood."