Regulus Arcturus Black

28th Dec 1992

Carter Residence

"My poor Mistress was heartbroken when Master Sirius ran away from home, but she persevered because she had high hopes for Master Regulus," Kreacher began in a muffled voice. "And Master Regulus didn't let her down. He had the proper dignity of his pure blood and he knew what was expected of a Black. He looked up to the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the muggles and the muggleborns. He was so proud when he was accepted into the Dark Lord's service at the age of sixteen…"

"Idiot," Sirius sighed with a forlorn look.

"One day – a year after he joined – Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher," the house-elf continued, looking agitated. "He said…he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."

"Voldemort needed a house-elf?" repeated Sirius, looking at Remus who looked just as puzzled as he did.

"Yes," Kreacher moaned. "And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honor, said Master Regulus…an honor for him and for Kreacher. He asked Kreacher to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do…and then to c-come home."

"So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave was a cavern…a cavern with a great black lake," said Kreacher, beginning to sob.

"There was a boat…a tiny green boat. The Dark Lord made Kreacher board it and it took us to an island at the center of the lake. There was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it…" The poor elf quaked from head to foot.

"Kreacher drank, and as he drank he saw terrible things…Kreacher's insides burned…Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed…He made Kreacher drink all the potion…He dropped a locket into the empty basin…He filled it with more potion."

"And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island…" he shuddered.

Remus looked at Kreacher with eyes filled with pity. Even Sirius, who had never really liked the elf that served as a living reminder of the home he hated, felt bad for the poor creature's plight.

"Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge and he drank from the black lake…and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface…"

"Dead hands? What do you mean by that?" asked Sirius.

"Inferi," I answered.

"Inferi?!" Sirius repeated in shock. "There are inferi in that lake?"

"Voldemort's victims…meant to protect the horcrux." I explained shortly. "Go on, Kreacher."

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back, so Kreacher came back home," croaked Kreacher. "When Kreacher told Master Regulus what happened, he was worried…very worried. He told Kreacher to stay hidden and not leave the house. And then…it was a little while later…Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell…and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord…"

We listened intently to the elf's tale. Sirius, who knew about his brother's death around the same time, started getting an ominous feeling.

"Kreacher did as he was told. He took Master Regulus to the cavern he had gone to with the Dark Lord. We sailed the tiny boat to the island at the center of the lake. And then…and then…" Kreacher started weeping.

"M—Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snout like nose. "And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets…"

Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now. We had to concentrate hard to understand him.

"And he ordered—Kreacher to leave—without him. And he told Kreacher—to go home—and never to tell my Mistress—what he had done—but to destroy—the first locket. And he drank—all the potion—and Kreacher swapped the lockets—and watched…as Master Regulus…was dragged beneath the water…and…"

Kreacher was crying so hard now that it had become impossible to understand another word from him. The elf had clearly loved Regulus, and his death had struck him hard. Just looking at him bawling his eyes out was enough to evoke sympathy from the hardest hearts.

All except Sirius, who leapt to his feet with a murderous look. Marching up to the distressed elf, he hoisted him by his flimsy garment and made Kreacher look him in the eye.

"YOU JUST STOOD THERE AND WATCHED?!" He bellowed. "You did nothing as my brother was drowned in a lake by scores of undead! Why didn't you help him? Why didn't you save him? WHY?" He demanded.

Remus and I hurried forward and separated the elf and his master, all the while Sirius kept yelling "Why?" Kreacher lay on the floor where Sirius had dropped him, panting and shivering, green mucus glistening around his nose. His eyes were swollen, bloodshot and swimming in tears. He made a very sorry sight.

"M-Master Regulus o-ordered Kreacher to leave w-without him." Kreacher repeated in a heartbroken voice.

"Sirius, stop!" I said firmly, planting myself in front of him as he made to lunge at the house-elf again. "Kreacher is a house-elf. He cannot disobey a direct order given by his master, no matter how much it pains him to do so," I said, pointing to the sobbing elf.

"You know how much Kreacher loved your brother. Do really think he would've left him to die if he had any choice? That he wouldn't have sacrificed himself if it meant saving Regulus?" I said.

Sirius kept glaring at Kreacher, heaving great breaths after his outburst. For a moment, it seemed like he hadn't even heard what I said. Then with a great sigh, he dropped his stern gaze and stumbled back into his chair, looking defeated.

"What happened when you returned home, Kreacher?" asked Remus, keeping an eye on his old friend. "Did you try to destroy the locket?"

"Nothing Kreacher did harmed it in any way," moaned the elf. "Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work…Kreacher cast so many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open…Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his Mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f–f–forbidden him to tell any of the f–f–family what happened in the c-cave…"

Kreacher began to sob so hard that there were no more coherent words. For a while, the only sounds in the room were that of the house elf crying his heart out.

"Why?" Sirius whispered with his face in his hands. "Why did he have to stay? Why didn't he just leave with the horcrux?" he muttered to himself.

"He took the Dark Mark, Sirius," I said softly. "He couldn't hide, he couldn't run…not successfully. Voldemort would've found him sooner or later, realized that Regulus knew about the horcrux and killed him and his family. He couldn't keep serving the monster, knowing that everything Voldemort stood for was a lie. He didn't know anyone powerful enough he could trust. In the end, he just didn't have any choice."

Sirius turned to look at me with an absolutely miserable expression on his face. He stood up and walked out of the room into the falling snow outside. The wind passing through the open flaps of the tent carried in a howl that sounded more like it came from a wounded animal, before it was drowned by a loud crack.

//////////////////////////

12 Grimmauld Place

Islington, London

With a loud crack, Sirius appeared in the middle of a small, shabby square. Across the lonely street stood a row of townhouses that seemed to have once been quite elegant but had since fallen on hard times. From the look of things, most of them were fairly shoddy apartments now. Looking around to make sure he was alone, Sirius produced his wand and slashed it in the direction of Houses marked 11 and 13.

"Toujours Pur," he whispered in disgust.

At once, Houses no. 11 and 13 slid apart and the missing townhouse came into view as if it had somehow been squashed between the other two. With a look of deep loathing, Sirius regarded the place that he had once sworn never to set foot in again. He quickly walked over to the front door, disabling the remaining defensive wards on the house meant for intruders. Tapping the door once with his wand, he heard a series of metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain. Then the door swung open with a creak and Sirius stepped into the threshold.

The house was in almost total darkness. Clearly Kreacher had been slacking off in his duties, because both the gas lamps lining the walls and the crystal chandelier overhead were supposed to light up automatically in the presence of people. Summoning a scant amount of light with a Lumos, Sirius started walking down the hallway. He hadn't taken more than a couple of steps when a hysterical voice started shrieking in the gloom.

"WHO IS THERE?! SHOW YOURSELF! WHO DARES TO INTRUDE UPON THE SANCTUARY OF THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK? WHO?"

Sirius went as white as a sheet. Terrible childhood memories rose unbidden to the forefront of his mind, memories that served as fuel for the nightmares he had endured everyday for years in Azkaban. He stood there petrified, for how long, he knew not. Until he realized that the bloodcurdling screams were coming from a nearby wall hanging covered by heavy velvet curtains. Mustering all the courage he could find, he walked over and pulled back the musty curtains to reveal a life sized portrait of a heavyset older woman sitting on an overstuffed chair. She wore elegant clothes and expensive-looking jewelry, but her hair was disheveled and her eyes looked wild. At the sight of Sirius, they got even wilder.

 "Yooou!" she howled.

"Hello mother," said Sirius blandly.

"Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!" she screeched. "How dare you show your face within these walls again?!"

"Believe me, it wasn't because I missed your loving personality," he said calmly.

He drew his wand and the curtains fell back across Walburga's painting, silencing her infernal screeching. Sirius turned away from the curtains with a stony expression and started climbing the stairs by wandlight. He continued up the stairs until he reached the topmost landing where there were only two doors. But it wasn't the one bearing the nameplate Sirius that he went for.

The door opened with a simple Alohomora, and Sirius stepped into his brother's room. The room was smaller than he remembered his own being. Whereas Sirius had gone to great lengths to deny his legacy, Regulus had clearly embraced it - the Black family crest painstakingly painted over the bed along with the family motto served as testament to that fact.

There was a collection of newspaper cuttings underneath, yellowed with time. Examining them, he found they were all about Voldemort.

"You fool," he said bitterly.

Shaking his head, he shifted his attention to the two photographs on the walls. One of them was of a Hogwarts quidditch team smiling and waving out of the frame. He recognised Regulus sitting in the middle of the front row, looking proud at being the Slytherin seeker.

The other one was a family picture. Sirius stared at his own face beaming back at him. He looked so happy, so young... couldn't have been older than seven at the time. His father looked as he always did - pompous and self-important. His mother on the other hand, was gently smiling down on her children. He couldn't remember the last time she looked at him like that. Little Regulus kept siding up to his older brother, who wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder.

"You fool," said Sirius, his misty eyes fixed on the little boy looking happily back at him. "Why didn't you come to me?"

//////////////////////////////////

Carter Residence

A couple of hours went by before Sirius returned. He was still looking miserable, but there was an undeniable determination in his gait.

"Kreacher!" he called as he entered the tent. The house elf who was still sitting morosely where he had left him, stood straight in attention. "I want you to take me to that cave where you last saw Regulus." He ordered.

"Sirius, wait!" Remus stood up at once.

"He's my brother, Remus." said Sirius plaintively. "I'm not just going to leave him there to rot for all eternity!"

"I'm not telling you to," said Remus calmly. "But we have to be careful about this."

"You're not coming." Sirius said shortly.

"Like hell I'm not!" said Remus hotly. "If you think you're going in a cave full of inferi all by your lonesome, you've got another thing coming."

"Remus is right, Sirius," I said. "How are you going to find your brother in a lake filled with hundreds, even thousands of bodies? Were you planning on facing off against a horde of undead until you came across your brother's face?" I asked.

Seeing no reply forthcoming, I continued.

"You can't do this on your own, Sirius. Remus and I will come with you."

That caught them both flat-footed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ben!" exclaimed Remus. "You can't possibly expect us to take you..."

"What?! No! Absolutely not!" Sirius shook his head vehemently. "No way in hell am I letting you come with..."

They both stopped talking abruptly, not because they had run out of words to say, but because they couldn't. I had hit them both with Full Body-Bind Curses. I did it wandlessly without saying a word, which is why they never saw it coming. Both of them turned as stiff as boards and toppled backwards on the carpet.

"I'm sorry, but were you under the impression that I was like every other 13 year old kid you've ever met? Knowing only a couple of flashy spells and useless without his wand?" I said, summoning sparks of lightning in the palms of my hands.

Unable to move, they both looked at me rigidly with wide eyes. "Didn't Harry tell you how I captured Voldemort a few months ago? Do not presume to know my capabilities gentlemen, because I assure you, you'll fall utterly short in your estimations."

I turned to the house-elf, who hadn't moved during this entire episode.

"Kreacher, can you take me to the island inside the cavern?" I asked gently.

Kreacher did not reply. Instead he looked towards Sirius for directions.

"Kreacher, look at me, please," I said, and the elf turned his bloodshot eyes to meet mine. "You liked Regulus, didn't you? He was good to you, wasn't he?" I said slowly. He nodded mournfully. "Well right now, he is in pain...he has been for years. Forced to be an undead servant for Voldemort. Unable to live, unable to die. Don't you want to end his suffering, and bring your Master home?"

Kreacher looked deep into my eyes, as if searching for something. Whatever it was, he seemed to have found it; for he offered me a tiny hand. Understanding the gesture, I prepared myself and took his hand.

The usual uncomfortable feeling of side-along apparation abated as quickly as it began. I found myself in a pitch dark cavern, with the only light coming from behind me. Turning around, I saw the source of the ghostly greenish light - a stone basin set on top of a pedestal rising from the smooth rock that formed the island.

"Thank you, Kreacher," I said to the clearly terrified elf, who kept looking warily at the surrounding dark waters.

An overpowered Magelight revealed the ginormous proportions of the cavern, so much so that it was difficult to make out the ceiling. Honestly, I can't see how Tom could've found this place without fate playing a heavy part in it.

I opened a portal and lo and behold, there laid Sirius and Remus on the floor, still as statues. I cast a Finite and they regained bodily movement.

"Alright chaps, come on over. Time to work for a living." I said.

They gingerly stood up. Watching me with a cautious gaze, the two Marauders approached the portal. I saw the usual looks of amazement on their faces as they observed the blue wormhole before they crossed over.

"So what's the plan now, genius?" Sirius asked, gazing at the vast waters of the dark lake.

"Plan's simple. I will pull Regulus' body out of the lake. Obviously it will try to attack us, but I'll take care of it." I said.

"How're you going to do that?" asked Sirius.

"You'll see. The tricky part comes after. After we retrieve Regulus' body, the other inferi in the lake will probably attack us en masse. I'll need you two," - I gestured to Sirius and Remus - "to create a barrier of fire around us and to keep it up for about 30 seconds. Think you can do that?"

They looked at each other. "Uh, yeah. I think so," said Sirius.

"Great. Now, I need a strand of your hair." I demanded.

"A strand of my hair?" Sirius repeated quizzically. "Why?"

"Just do it." I insisted.

He looked at me askance for a moment, before he reached back and pulled a couple of long hairs off his head.

I took the hairs and cast Bloodline Resonance (a spell from Metamorphosis Magic section). Immediately, I felt a pull about twelve meters from our location to the west.

"Get ready!" I warned my companions.

Grabbing him with a telekinetic hold, I yanked. Something large and pale erupted out of the water; a body with sunken eyes misted over as if filled with cobwebs. He came flying with the power of the spell, trailing waterlogged clothes over bloodless flesh.

"Master Regulus!" Kreacher cried out in a jubilant voice.

Regulus, or rather his body, gave no signs of recognition of his family. Instead, he started growling and grasping towards us with thin, fleshless arms. I stepped forward, put my hand above him and cast Soul Purge.

[Soul Purge (Spirit Magic) - removes the target's soul from their body/vessel]

The thrashing figure fell down motionless, as if a marionette whose strings had been cut. As we watched, a blue etherial wisp rose from the body, which materialised into a ghostlike shape.

A young man stood in front of us, dressed smartly in robes of emerald green. Unlike his decaying body, the apparition looked remarkably like Sirius.

"Reggie," Sirius whispered, taking a step forward.

Regulus gave a sad smile as he looked at Sirius and then Kreacher, who began to sob at the sight of his beloved master. His spirit then turned to me. With a grateful nod, the figure finally dissolved into the ether.

We had no time to waste, however. The surface of the lake was churning, and everywhere white heads and hands were emerging from the dark waters and moving towards us.

"Kreacher, get Regulus' body back into the tent." I commanded and the house-elf nodded. "Sirius, Remus, get that firewall up now."

No sooner had I spoken, fire erupted. Crimson flames surrounded the rock we stood upon. Sirius and Remus stood back to back; their wands raised high from the tips of which emanated the flames, encircling us in a circle of warmth and protection. The inferi stumbled and faltered, not daring to pass the flames to get to us.

Not wasting any time, I created a Fire ball. But instead of immediately letting it loose, I used both hands to add more flames to the spell while increasing the temperature of the fire. Dual casting was a taxing process with very little room for error at the best of times, let alone when you were handling concentrated magical fire.

As seconds trickled by, the flames turned from orange to yellow to blue with a yellow tip. At the same time, the size of the fire ball increased from that of a golf ball to about the size of a volleyball.

"How much longer?" asked Sirius.

"Done!" I yelled as the flames turned completely blue. "Drop the wall and get to the portal. Now!"

As they hurried to the other side, I gave one last look to the accursed cavern and sent the Fire ball, or more like the Fire Bomb to the depths of the lake before going through the portal myself.

The inferi looked on as the wall of fire separating them from their prey disappeared. Guided by their sole instinct, they clawed and stumbled their way on to the rock only to see the portal fade out of existence. Meanwhile, the glowing blue sphere travelled under the lake where hundreds of undead eyes watched it collide with the bottom of the cavern.

One moment the surface of the lake was smooth as glass, the next blue fire raged everywhere. The superheated flames instantaneously turned water to steam, undead flesh and bones to ash and rocks into molten lava. The entire cavern, as well as the cave leading to it became destabilized to the point that a mini earthquake occurred, collapsing the ceiling and forever burying the monument to Voldemort's sins.

/////////////////////////////////

We held a quiet funeral for Regulus, with only the ones who brought him back in attendance. After the ceremony, Kreacher handed me the locket and gave me a deep bow before going back to Grimmauld Place. And that's how the exciting Christmas holidays came to an end.