"It's not nonsense," Remus teased. "Clearly it's possible for people from other houses to get along or you wouldn't be sitting here reassuring a foolish and soft-hearted Gryffindor who loves you to distraction." Turning his head to better look at Regulus, he smiled, nodded, and ran the backs of his knuckles across Regulus' cheek. "I scared you, too, didn't I? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I promised you before -- no foolish chances that will get me killed. I'm not going back on that now. It may be difficult, but I have too much to live for not to fight with everything I have. I promise.
"All right, letting go and fighting how I should is great. I'll remember that."
Remus shook his head. "No, I wouldn't. Not in public anyway. I might wander around here in just a pair of denims and kiss the man sitting with me here. I was only teasing, though. Your grin was much to bright to be discussing another man's naked chest. Belvina's opinion means a great deal to you, doesn't it? Because she's a part of the history and traditions you want to preserve?"
Sitting up, he leaned his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, as he watched his lover pace. "This is a different war from any they've faced. The first war, the one we remember, was really two vigilante groups battling it out in the streets. The second, from what I can tell, wasn't much different until the end and even then it wasn't a war. It was three kids wandering about the country doing God knows what until they could convince everyone to come back here for a final stand. This, this is different from both. It's going to be guerilla warfare crossed with Robin Hood.
"The three of them have a task I liken to Wizard's Chess. It's like playing a match with someone else's board and pieces, or an entirely new set. More often than not, you lose because the pieces don't trust you to win, especially the Queen and her bishops. They don't know you and they keep trying to tell you what to do, convince you their way is better. Sometimes it is. But, there's so much time spent arguing with the pieces, the game gets away from you."
Remus snorted softly. "Most likely we aren't using them because most of us aren't used to thinking about house elves. How often do you me something is what house elves are for? But, I do agree, when times call for it, morals need to be...bent. I'm not too proud to admit to stealing to survive in the past."
But, as Regulus continued, Remus stopped responding and just listened. Listening in silence was the only possible response because he wasn't sure what to think by the time Regulus pressed their foreheads together and asked him to leave the protection of the castle with him. Cupping the back of his lover's neck, he said softly, "You know if you go, I'm going with you. I'm not letting you go out there without me."
Kissing Regulus softly, he pulled back slightly so he could look in the other man's eyes, still keeping his hand at Regulus' neck. "But, Regulus, you tried to take him on by yourself in the first war and died. I don't want you dead any more than you want me dead and those are hefty odds outside those walls. If you're absolutely set on this course, I will be right there with you. That's not a question. My place is with you, watching each other's backs.
"But, you've been thinking for a couples days at least from the sound of it and I'm just hearing this now. I want a chance to talk about it. Once we're out there, coming back is not going to be easy, if it's even possible. We need to be sure we've exhausted our options here, like setting up an elite team, and it really is better to be out there."