Years
The Void.
Regulus was floating in the middle of nothing, he wasn’t even sure to have a physical body. He feels nothing, no legs, no arms, no blood, no heart, just nothing. His mind was like water, just following the current of the void. He doesn’t know where it’s gonna end, but it wasn’t like he had the choice.
Everything around him was quiet, it was almost like he was in space. Maybe he was, maybe he finally became a star. Regulus wanted to stay; the pain wasn’t here, the Dark Lord couldn’t find him, he could be in peace. But, could he really be in peace knowing he was there while his friends were fighting an army of killers?
He suffered so much during the Road, he only wanted the pain to stop and now, the pain left. However, he suffered for a reason, he suffered because he wants to help his friends, because he knows the power of the Road could help him to defeat the Dark Lord, because he was ready to sacrifice his own life to it.
He couldn’t stay here, he has to go back on the real world.
Suddenly, something grabs him and Regulus falls on the void, without being able to scream.
***
Regulus opens his eyes and close them immediately. The light on the Road was dark and made by different types of shadows, Regulus wasn’t ready for the sunlight. He slowly opens his eyes again and doesn’t look at the sun directly, he turns his face and notice he lies down on the ground of what seem to be a forest. He gets up and cleans his clothes that were invade by dead leaves, soil and mud.
He was surrounding by trees and no other thing. He didn’t see any clue to determinate where he exactly was, but he doesn’t have the time to do some research; he had to go back home. But he can’t go at the Black Manor, his mother would kill him if he does, he can’t go to their house in town, at the Square Grimmaurd because one of the elves would inform Walpurga. James once told him that if he has nowhere to go, he would always be welcome at his place, but Regulus don’t really imagine himself ring at the doorbell of the Potter’s house to see James, who was probably madly angry at him.
Regulus knows where he had to go, who he had to see.
His cousin, Narcissa Black.
Before he leaves for the cave, Narcissa married this Malfoy boy and left her family house to live with him. Regulus visited their manor once, but he knows he could Apparate in front of it easily, not only because he was a brilliant wizard, but because he could sense his news powers in his veins, they were heady and just ask to be use. He also knows that even if Narcissa was also a Death Eater, she would protect him from the Dark Lord; she always had a good heart, she only does what she had to do to survive in this world.
He looks at himself through a puddle and observes that only his hair was a bit longer, but his face was the same, at the end, he was physically the same boy that ran away from his house in the middle of the night.
He takes his wand and a few seconds later, he was in front of the metallic portal extravagantly ornamented. An impressive “M” was standing between the separation of the two sections of the portal. Regulus agitates his hand and the portal opens to let him pass. He walked throughout a pathway of gravels, border by bush pruning at the French way. Not a single noise came to disturb the perfect balance of the garden. The manor seems to be in the middle of nothing, Regulus hadn’t seen any other houses around, maybe it was a safe choice to live around nothing, maybe it was a kind of protection to never be found, unless if you were invited or in Regulus’s case, if you already came in the place.
While he arrived in front of the door of the manor, it opened themselves and Regulus entered in it. Narcissus’s smell arrived at his nostril and he smiles, he forgot how much his cousin loves theses flowers. The floor was made by dark marble and only a circle table was in the center on it, with a vase of narcissus on it. The place was cold and strangely quiet, it reminds him his own house, which was purely logical. While he was watching the entrance, he heard footsteps.
“Who are you?”
Regulus looks at the boy who just entered the room. He was tall, blond with perfect blue eyes. He looks like Lucius, the boy Narcissa married, but not too much, in fact he looks more like…No. It was impossible.
“I’m Regulus Black. Who are you?”
“Hum.” The boy raised an eyebrow by looking at him. “Black…You must be a part of my mother’s family.”
“Your what?”
It wasn’t true.
It wasn’t possible.
This boy can’t be Narcissa’s son, he was too old.
“Draco, who is it?”
Regulus completely froze; it was Narcissa’s voice, but older. He could hear the sound of her heels clicking on the floor behind him but he wasn’t able to turn and face her, his eyes were lost in the boy’s eyes. Maybe it was a new trial, maybe the Road was making fun of him again; Regulus really wanted to believe that but deep in his heart, he knew all of this was real.
“He said he was a Black.” Say the boy, Draco.
Regulus take a deep breath and turn slowly to face his cousin. Narcissa’s eyes went big and the glass of wine she has in her hands, broke on the floor by leaving a red mark on it. Her hair was white, except the under who were black. Her face was mature, she even had some wrinkles at the corner of her eyes and mouth. She wore a black dress fitted who make her so…adult. Even her eyes seem to had live a million life.
“For Merlin’s sake, Regulus.”
“Hello Cissy.”
“Who is it?” Asks Draco.
“I think you have some work to do for school.” Narcissa’s voice was strict and don’t really let the choice to Draco to stay with them.
The boy rolls his eyes before glancing at Regulus for a few seconds and finally leave the entrance. Silent come between Narcissa and Regulus and he doesn’t really know how to do, he doesn’t understand why his cousin was so old. She always was older than him yes, but right now, she looks like his mother.
“Where are my manners, please follow me.”
Narcissa seem nervous and Regulus couldn’t blame her, he was too. She leads him through the first floor and open a door to a little and cozy salon.
“Vicky, tea.” She commands to the elf who was cleaning the room.
“Yes, Mistress Malfoy.”
The elf leaves the room and Narcissa sits on a baroque chair, Regulus acts like her and sits on the couch in front of her. They look at each other and Narcissa seem to analyses every part of Regulus’s face, like she wasn’t believing it was him.
“You seem…old.” Said Regulus.
“You died.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. Eighteen years ago, you steeled the Slytherin’s Locket to your mother and you died by trying to destroy it. Kreacher came back that night and your mother beat him to death, but didn’t kill him.”
“Wait, you said eighteen years ago? How could I die eighteen years ago when I’m sitting in front of you and look like I’m seventeen?”
Regulus couldn’t believe it, Narcissa was pranking him, it was the only possibility. But in another hand, she looks like eighteen years older than the last time they saw each other. She also looks at him in a discomfortable look, the same look she had when she’s about to say something unpleasant. Maybe eighteen years pass but Regulus still knows his cousin and he know she never would prank him like that, she was telling the truth; Regulus disappears eighteen years ago, and it make sense that everyone thought he was dead.
“I have to tell you something.”
“Go on, I doubt it gonna be worse than that.”
Narcissa had a strange look, a pity looks and Regulus doesn’t like that.
“After you…died, your parents went mad, which wasn’t really a surprise. Since you steal the locket, I’m assuming that you know it was an Horcruxe, and by trying to destroy it in secret, you, in fact, hide it really well. The Dark Lord wasn’t happy you were a traitor but at least, this Horcruxe was safe.” She took a deep breath when her look got lost. “The war was awful, so much death around us. I remembered you had a very clever friend in Hogwarts, Dorcas, right? Well, she found out what you’ve done when the newspaper announced your death. She came back at your mansion because she knew the Dark Lord was living there and she defied him. I think I never saw so much rage in someone’s eyes, she was really brave. But the power of the Dark Lord was more powerful than hers and he killed her.”
Shock run into Regulus’s mind. Dorcas was dead, one of his best friends was dead, because of him. She went at his house to defy the Dark Lord and died because of him. Tears don’t fall from his eyes but his heart crackled.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Says Regulus.
“I’m sorry because, they all died. All of them.”
“What do you mean?”
Regulus really doesn’t like the Narcissa’s gaze. He had the feeling that she’s gonna tell him something worse than Dorcas’s death which seem impossible.
“Sirius and James became Aurors and like every Aurors, they were hiding. James married Lily Evans and they had a boy, Harry Potter. He and Draco have the same age and of course they hate each other, you know, the Slytherin and Gryffindor famous rivalry. Sometimes, they remind me of you and James.” A nostalgia smile appears on Narcissa’s face. “But, two years after your death, the Dark Lord found their house, because someone betrayed them. I’m sorry Regulus, James and Lily died that night. Only Harry survived and the Dark Lord disappears. Everyone though he was dead and Harry became quiet famous; the boy who lived.”
Regulus’s heart broke completely.
James died.
James Potter died.
The boy he loved died.
The love of his life died.
“I don’t care.”
“Come on Regulus, I know you. I know you loved Sirius even if you didn’t speak to each other and, I see your eyes shining when you looked at James, I’m not stupid.” Reply Narcissa.
That’s why Regulus loved Narcissa so much when he was a young boy. She was always calm and be able to see the soul of someone just by looking at them, she never talks about James to Regulus but clearly, she knew about his feelings for the Gryffindor.
“Who betrayed them? Who betrayed James and Lily?”
“Peter Pettigrew.”
“James’s best friend?”
Regulus couldn’t believe it. When Pettigrew came from best friend to traitor? When his mind switch to decide it was time for him to get killed his best friend?
“Tell me Sirus killed him.”
He knew how much James meant for his brother, Sirius couldn’t let Pettigrew live, he had to killed him. And if he didn’t, Regulus would be happy to do it.
“He tried, but Pettegrew faked his death and everyone accuse Sirius to be the one who killed him, to be the one to who betrayed James.”
“It’s completely stupid, everyone know James and Sirius were like brothers, how Sirius could betray him?”
“It’s the point, we all though Sirius was James’s Secret Keeper, it would be the logical choice. That’s why they choose Peter to do it, they were sure this move will save them. And because Sirius was a Black, they accuse him of it and after the Dark Lord death, they send him to Azkaban. Bella was sending there too.”
Regulus was now, angry. How could the Ministry be so stupid? How could anyone could believe Sirius was the traitor? He was about to speak, but Narcissa wasn’t done.
“Then, they were the trials. The Aurors were tracking every Death Eaters to take them in a tribunal and judge them. Some of us weren’t caught at first like your friend Barty, but he was denounced by another Death Eater and get locked in Azkaban. Your friend, Evan, died too. Lucius manages to save us from trial, I still don’t know what he had to do to save our family, but he did. Your parents, they died a few years after you presume death. They were condemned to Azkaban because everyone know they supported the Dark Lord, so they poisoned themselves.”
Regulus wasn’t surprised that his parents kill themselves, he knows his mother doesn’t plan to go to Azkaban, it would be the shame of the family. But knowing Evan died too was painful.
“After this, it was peace. Draco was born and I was happy, everyone was happy. I heard that Pandora married that Lovegood boy, they had a daughter and Draco tells me her name was Luna. With what Draco told me about her, I assume she’s a perfect mixt of her parents. But I also heard that Pandora died when the girl was young.”
One single tear falls from Regulus’s eye.
James was the love of his life yes, but Pandora was his soulmate. She was everything to him, she was the light when the world gets dark, she was the only one to make him smile. She doesn’t deserve to die, she was supposed to live a happy life, far away from death and darkness, far away from Regulus. She was supposed died at an old age, not young.
“I’m sorry” Narcissa repeated.
But Regulus couldn’t hear her voice.
“There is something else.” Narcissa’s voice went darker. “The Dark Lord is back Regulus. He returned five years ago and he’s obsessed by killing the Potter boy. Two years ago, Sirius escaped from Azkaban to protect him but, he died few months ago.”
Sirius died.
His brother died without knowing Regulus was alive, without making peace with him.
“Regulus, where were you?” Sadness fill Narcissa’s eyes.
“I – I can’t tell you, I’m sorry.”
He couldn’t take the risk to talk about The Witches’ Road to Narcissa, he know she wasn’t going to betray him, but if the Dark Lord had any suspicion, she has to be safe without knowing anything.
The Dark Lord was back and Regulus intended to kill him. Every person he knew was dead because they were forced to fight for a side and it was the fault of two wizards. Rage starts to fill Regulus heart, it was empty because all the love he had, left. His all world was gone because of two wizards, one who wanted to enslave the world, and one who send young people fight in his name but never fight himself.
“Regulus you can’t stay here. Lucius wanted to comeback in the Dark Lord respect, so he offered him to live here. He’s gonna comeback soon but I know where you can go.”
Regulus looks at Narcissa. He knows her very well; she always wanted to save her family and did what was necessary to it. He truly wanted to save her from her Death Eater husband and give her and her son a better life, but he has other things to do. He had to kill the Dark Lord.
He had to stop him.
Even if he will died.