Chapter 1
Regulus
It was warm, one of the few places Regulus could feel warmth in the dreary castle. His senses were numbed to everything except the water that surrounded him. He didn’t know how long he’d been submerged in the bath water but he could feel that pull for oxygen. The beautiful, burning feeling of not knowing whether to come up for air or sink further down. It was peaceful in the water, the warmth wrapped around him like a blanket. Slowly, as if something were beckoning him to return to reality, Regulus let his body rise in the water. As he emerged a loud gasp fell from his lips. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back, as he took big breaths.
In and out. Most of his days had been spent in solitude since…well since he could remember.
“Matilda.” Regulus said, standing up in the stone tub. The warmth he felt just moments ago was now gone, along with any peaceful thought he had. The feeling of water running down his naked body made him shiver.
“Master Regulus.” a quiet voice spoke from a far corner of the room. Regulus did not look at the maid as she scurried over, cloth in hand. He rarely spoke to the servants around the castle, not wanting to see which ones were there willingly and which were…which were compelled to be there. He grabbed the cloth from her and waited for her to take a step away so he could exit the tub and dry off. As she moved Regulus glanced down at her. Matilda had been working in the castle since he was a child. Her face was aged now, wrinkles along her eyes and mouth. He wondered what it was like, getting old. In a few years he would stop aging all together, his face would remain beautiful and smooth until the day he either desiccated or was killed. He shook the thought off as his foot collided with the cold floor. As he walked back to his chambers he used the cloth to dry himself off, not bothering to cover himself.
The fireplace was still burning when he entered his chambers. He let out a sigh of relief at the feeling of warmth engulfing him again. None of the servants were allowed in his room, much to his mothers dismay, however he preferred for his space not to be invaded by her little spies. He walked to the enormous wardrobe and grabbed a simple white shirt and trousers, not bothering to accessorize. He liked being in more comfortable clothing, preferred it to dressing up for no particular reason.Most of his days were spent walking around the castle (mostly to the library) and waiting. Two more years, just two more short years and he would finally be able to join his family: join their meetings, parties, etc. It was insufferable, being in this secluded part of the castle. There was no one to talk to besides the servants and no one visited him. At times, Regulus believed his family had forgotten about his existence.
After throwing on his clothes, Regulus grabbed one of the many blankets he had knitted over the years and headed out into the hall. Growing up, there were few things that scared Regulus more than the halls of the castle he grew up in. With the high, arching ceilings and the black coloring of the stone Regulus would avoid leaving his room if it wasn’t necessary. He looked at the stained glass windows that covered the walls: tones of red and orange made the hallways look brighter than it normally was. It was day time, not even the mountains surrounding the castle could block out the sun. He took one timid step, the first few steps into the hall were always though even after all of these years.
‘Come on, as long as I’m here you will be safe.’ Regulus shook his head, the words ringing in his ears. It had been many years since he’d actually heard them said aloud. The soft blue eyes that would be looking into his slightly darker ones, the black curly hair that matched his own.
“Fool.” Regulus muttered to himself; there was no point in reminiscing on what was in the past, even if Regulus longed to hear those words again. He took several more steps into the hall, feet bare. The echo of his shoes made him feel utterly alone in the small section of the castle where he resided and he rarely wore them unless he needed to. His mother constantly chastised him about it when the two came across each other. She would remind him that the family had an image to maintain, even if it was just them in the large castle.
Regulus pulled his blanket closer to his chest, the mountain air made the castle seem as if it were made of ice.Regulus pulled his blanket closer to his chest, the mountain air made the castle seem as if it were made of ice. It made it feel like he would never actually be able to feel warmth, well once he turned he never would. Though, turning isn't the word his family would use for it. Awakening. That is what they called it, he would finally awaken as a vampire. He had seen it happen though, four years ago when the last of his cousins turned twenty. He had seen the look in Narcissa’s eyes change, not just the color. And while most of the family already had fair skin, he watched as hers turned as white as the snow that covered the mountains. He watched as she became something different, something far more dangerous than a human could comprehend. That had also been the night…the night when Sirius ran away. The two had watched Narcissa awaken from the balcony that overlooked the great hall, hiding. Their mother had told them not to come out of their rooms and at times Regulus wished the two had listened. Maybe if they had stayed in their rooms…
Regulus sighed at the thought that plagued his mind from time to time. He had finally made it to the library. The large wooden doors were open and Regulus could see some shuffling inside. He rolled his eyes and hoped that it was none of the servants, though it being a family member wasn’t any better he supposed. As he strode in he saw a head shoot out from being one of the stacks.
“Master Regulus,” he heard a broken, scratchy voice say. Regulus let his shoulders relax as Kreacher came into full view. Kreacher was one of the few Regulus knew was not compelled to be here. He had been the servant of a mad man some years ago and came to Regulus’ father with a proposition. That was as much of Kreacher's background that he knew, but what he did know is that Kreacher, while he still referred to him as ‘Master Regulus’, was one of the few people here whom he enjoyed talking to.
“Hello Kreacher.” Regulus’s own voice was barely above a whisper. He knew better than to be loud in the library, it was so vast that one never knew exactly who could be in there listening. The disfigured man hobbled over to Regulus and motioned for him to take a seat and the small table next to the entrance. The fire having already been lit. Regulus said a small thank you to Kreacher as he took a seat.
“I was not expecting Master Regulus for another few hours at least.” Regulus hummed as Kreacher finished talking, most days he would head to the library during the midday, after spending his morning reading, playing piano, knitting, but today Regulus felt a pull to be in the library this morning. He knew why, however even his thoughts did not want to acknowledge it.
“I finished the books in my room.” Regulus said curtly, eyes glazing into the fire. Fire. That was something that would kill him. Sometimes he wondered what it would feel like to be engulfed in the flames, the warmth. It would hurt, no doubt.
“I have a message for Master Regulus from Master Orion.” Regulus' eyes moved away from the fire at Kreachers words.
“My father?” Regulus asked, he hadn’t seen or spoken to his father in months. They were supposed to have monthly tea, which would mostly mean Regulus drank the tea while his father read a book or worked or completely ignored his existence. There was no need for his father to drink tea, though his body did not reject any human form of sustenance. However, Regulus had not gone for the past few months, either because his father was away or simply because he had no desire to see his father. On the occasion of the latter Regulus would never hear a word from his father: no reprimand, no scolding, nothing. It was as if the tea were too trivial for his father to sit through, as if he was something too trivial for his father.
“Master Orion wishes to see Master Regulus at your soonest convenience.” Kreacher said, grabbing a tea cup and placing it in front of him. Regulus scoffs, there was no possible way his father said to come at his soonest convenience.
“There is no need for tea Kreacher, I will go see my father now.” Regulus grumbled, rising from the chair. If he was going to see his father he needed to look more presentable than what he was wearing. Kreacher gave Regulus a small nod before speaking again,
“And the happiest of birthdays to you, Master Regulus.”
-//-
Regulus took a deep breath before knocking on the door of his fathers chambers. He was in a more populated part of the castle, the walk alone had taken several minutes. It once again made Regulus realize just how closed off he was from his relatives. He pulled at the black vest that made it feel as if he were wearing a corset, he hated tight fitted clothes. The cold did not help with the suffocating feeling he had, he could feel the shivers running along his arms. He figured it was better to not have a coat, though the air was seeping through his thin shirt. He did not want to look as if he were ready for a party. If there was one thing he parents always disagreed on, it was appearance. One one hand his mother made sure that all members of the family looked presentable at all times: coat, boots, the works while his father had a more casual approach to one's looks. His father hated coats, felt that they were too stuffy for one to be wearing all of the time.
It only took a few moments before one of the servants opened the door to his fathers chambers. It was one of the largest rooms in the castle, the entrance itself was a study and it broke off into two other large rooms on both the left and right walls. His father was seated at the ironwood desk reading over documents. Regulus had always admired his fathers looks. He was undoubtedly handsome, with his strong features but that was what he always admired. Most in his family had sharp, slim features making them more inherently beautiful but his father…his father did not need beauty. Regulus had always been jealous of that, Sirius had gotten some of his features from their father while he…he always looked a bit sickly like their mother.
“Father.” Regulus’ head was slightly bent as he stood in front of his father, waiting for him to acknowledge him. He heard the shuffling of papers before he heard his fathers resonant voice,
“Regulus,” at his name Regulus looked at his father. There was a small smile on his face which unnerved Regulus, he had never seen his father smile before.
“Please, sit.” It was a command. Regulus quickly made his way to one of the chairs in front of his fathers desk and took a seat. His father motioned for the servants to leave the room. There was no reason for his father to call on him and dismiss the servants unless…
Had he done something wrong?
Had something happened to one of his cousins?
Had something happened to Sirius? Regulus tried to shake the thought from his mind, there was no way that his parents knew of Sirius’ whereabouts, if they did they would have brought him back.
“I called on you today because your mother is throwing a ball tonight.” Regulus felt his eyebrows furrow. A ball? He tried to think of any reason his mother could possibly have to throw a ball.
“I will stay in my chambers, father. I will not disturb you.” Most times when there was a ball or an event his mother would inform him herself, making sure that he would not leave his chambers. Many of her friends were converts and the smell of Regulus did little to keep them in check because he was essentially human until his awakening.
“That is not necessary, this ball is being held for you. After all, you do know what today is?” He could hear the question in his fathers voice. However, he still did not understand.
“We have never celebrated my birth before.” He stated, it was the truth. The only people who ever wished him a happy birthday were Sirius or Kreacher and once there was… Regulus nearly groaned in frustration, there were too many unwanted thoughts and memories swimming in his mind today.
For a fraction of a moment Regulus could have sworn he saw his father winch, but it was gone before Regulus had the chance to see it clearly.
“Your mother--well we have an important guest coming tonight and your mother knew it aligned with your birth.” Regulus now understood, his parents were using his birth as an excuse to throw some lavish party for yet another guest. Regulus nodded, unsure of how to respond to his fathers words. He assumed that he would learn the name of the guest later tonight, his parents never even told him the names of most of their guests.
“For all intents and purposes this is for you, Regulus.” His fathers voice was firm, as if to reassure him that the party was for him, not just their guest. Before Regulus could offer his thanks, his father spoke again,
“Kreacher and some of the other servants have informed me that you haven’t been…talking to anyone recently. There will be others who haven’t awakened yet here as well. Some for you to become acquainted with.”Regulus had never met any others who hadn’t awakened beside his relatives. He knew that there were other pureblood families out in the world but he had never heard anyone mention others who were his age. It was strange, seeing his father show some form of compassion towards him. While it was true that Regulus rarely talked to anyone in the castle, he assumed neither of his parents cared enough to do anything about it. Though having people to talk to…to write to might actually be…nice? Regulus didn’t know if it was a good idea or not to become acquainted with the others his age. If they were anything like his family it probably would be best to just be cordial to them.
“And,” - Regulus paused before he continued, thinking over his words - “mother and her friends will be well fed for tonight?” He knew better than to mention the fact that his mother was not a pureblood to his father. He could see his fathers face begin to twist, obviously upset by the question.
“Yes.” It was a pointed response, as if to say not to go on. Regulus nodded, not wanting to further upset his father. During most parties, the other vampires would come with a built up appetite. Normally, compelled humans were standing among the crowd waiting for someone to take a bit of them. All of their major veins were exposed and they usually wore very little clothing, Regulus assumed it was some sort of power trip vampires fed on as well. Part of the reason he was never allowed to go is because their need for blood would sometimes consume some of the converts and since he still had human blood pumping through his veins he was a target. That had been another reason why Sirius had left. He hated the fact that there were people living and serving in the castle unwillingly. Regulus had later come to realize that Sirius was more likely upset that he was one of the individuals living in the castle unwillingly.
“Thank you, father.” The words were soft, submitting. If he were Sirius he would have begged his parents not to go, but he wasn’t Sirius and Sirius was no longer here.
-//-
Regulus knew nothing of the world outside of the castle. Of course he had read about it and on several occasions, when he was younger, he followed Sirius to the village that sat at the base of the mountain pass. Honestly, Regulus knew nothing much of the world inside the castle either. Which was why when he ran into his cousin he had absolutely no idea what to do.
“Hello Regulus.” Bellatrix said with a wicked smile decorating her face. Regulus had never really liked Bellatrix, even before she awoken. She liked to torture Regulus any chance she got, saying he was too weak, too timid.
“Bellatrix.” Regulus said with a small nod. He stood with his hands behind his back, not looking her directly in the eye. He remembered once he had and she had almost scratched his eyes out for daring to meet her gaze.
“Excited for your party tonight?” She tilted her head. He could feel her eyes examining him, seeing if he had grown from the timid boy she once terrorized.
“Of course.” His face remained uninterested, but on the inside he was pleading that she would leave him alone. She took a step closer, Regulus almost took a step back. He was having a hard time controlling the pace of the rise and fall of his chest. Vampires didn’t need to breathe, they were as still as a statue. Bellatrix’s grin widened, her eyes on his chest. He was certain that she could hear the pounding of his heart, could see the pulsing over the veins in his neck. Regulus knew of her blood lust which was uncommon for pureblood vampires, but Bellatrix was always different.
“No need to be so anxious, cousin. Everything will be set right tonight.” He could see her extended canines as she spoke, could picture the image of blood dripping down her chin. He had no idea what she was going on about and wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Before he could even make sense of her words, before he could ask what she meant, Bellatrix was gone. As if she was never even there.
Sirius
The forest was quiet. Sirius reveled in the fact that he could only hear what was in his immediate surroundings. There were times when it would be advantageous for him to have the enhanced hearing that he would acquire when he awoken, now probably being one of those times. However, even with the threat of danger, Sirius loved being human.
Sirius and James had been tracking a small coven for several days now. Nothing more than a few young converts, something the two had dealt with many times. What unnerved him was the sheer amount of these small covens they had dealt with in such a short amount of time. There were more vampires passing through their village in the past several days than they had in the past few years. He knew that something was happening at the castle up the mountain.
There was a flash of moment in his peripheral vision, the light crunching sounds of snow. Sirius let out the breath he was holding; emerging from the trees behind was James carrying the head of one of the converts they had been tracking. The front of James’ leather coat was covered in blood. Sirius’ eyes glanced at his friend, making sure the blood was from the converts and not from James. There was a tired look in James’ eyes as he approached Sirius.
“The other three fled before I could finish them or lead them here.” James said, grabbing the bag out of Sirius’ hand. Sirius cursed under his breath, he hated when the vampires got away.
“It’s alright, now they know better than to come to this town. That’s all that matters.” Sirius knew James was right, but it still didn’t make him feel any better. If this coven was headed to the castle then…then they would most likely report the hunters to his mother and father. He shuddered at the thought. That was part of the reason he stayed away from the fight unless it was absolutely necessary. His parents had no idea where he had run off to four years ago, and he’d like to keep it that way.
“There have been too many of them, James. Something is happening at the castle.” The thought still stayed with him, why were there so many vampires willing to cross near the town to get to the castle. Just what were his relatives up to? Sirius knew better than to wonder about the affairs of his family but something wasn’t sitting right with him.
“Sirius, I am sure that everything is fine. You know how your parents like to indulge in their…parties." Sirius heard the struggle it took James to say the word. Though to humans, they weren’t parties, they were a death sentence. He had seen it first hand the night his cousin awakened. The blood that dripped down the faces of his family, it was the first time he had seen how truly evil they were. While he never really fit in with or liked his family he had never been afraid of them, until that night.
“A few more hours, please. I want to find the rest of the coven and figure out what is happening.” Sirius pleaded with James. It was still too bright for the converts to come out of the tunnels that ran under the town and through the forest. James let out a sigh and Sirius smiled.
“Thank you.” Sirius said, he knew James would follow him anywhere and he would do the same for James.