Chapter 2
When you are born in a burning house, you think the whole world is on fire. But it’s not.
Tito Merello Vilar // Richard Kadrey
Regulus sank into the dingy fabric of Snape's sofa, his fingers twisting in silent turmoil. He struggled to find the words, his mind a whirlwind of fear and uncertainty.
“Would you rather me look for myself, Regulus?” Snape's voice, tinged with impatience, cut through the tense silence.
"No, I... I just don't know where to begin," Regulus confessed, his gaze still fixed on his trembling hands.
“Begin with how she ended up in my house on my table.” Snape was at his wit's end, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
Taking a deep breath, Regulus finally spoke, his voice tinged with the weight of his confession. "The Dark Lord needed a servant. He arrived at our house intending to use Kreacher, but my mother decided differently..."
In the dimly lit room, the memory played out like a haunting specter. Regulus stood before the imposing figure of the Dark Lord, his mother by his side, their faces a mask of submission and fear.
"A squib?" the Dark Lord's cold and indifferent voice echoed through the chamber. "Why is this the first I've heard of this?"
Regulus felt the bile rise in his throat as he realized the depth of what was happening, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "We didn't want to disgrace Our Lord with the knowledge of the abomination," his mother had confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "No one knows of her but those in this house; she will not be missed."
With a chilling command, the Dark Lord ordered Regulus to retrieve the girl while he continued to speak with his mother. As he rushed to carry out his master's bidding, Regulus's mind raced with fear and desperation.
As soon as the door shut behind him, he ran, stumbling up the stairs and whipping around the corner to the room next to his, slamming the door open. Making the girl on the bed shoot up.
“Regulus, what-” Regulus held his hand up, cutting the girl off
“Keacher, come.” With a crack, the elf was in the room as well
“Arabella, you are about to meet the Dark Lord. You must not speak with him unless spoken to, you must not look at his face, and you must not speak of what I am about to tell you. Do you understand?” Regulus started, pulling her from the bed and smoothing her hair down
Her large gray eyes looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering with fear. She gave him a short nod, showing her understanding.
He grasped her shoulders and began, “He is going to take you somewhere, and what he has planned for you will hurt. He will leave you for dead. You must clear your mind and call out Kreacher's name when this happens.”
He paused, glancing over at Kreacher, who was looking at them with round eyes. “Kreacher, it is imperative that you go to her when she calls. You must bring her directly to me without hesitation.” Kreacher gave a stout nod
“Regulus j'ai peur” Arabella's voice quivered
He pulled her into his chest “N'ayez crainte, nous sommes en paix.”
He gave her a firm kiss on her hairline before taking her hand and guiding her to the sitting room. He squeezed her hand before whispering, “Être fort.” Letting her hand fall to her side before pushing the door open.
Walburga and the Dark Lord stopped their conversation and looked up. The Lord's pale hand stretched out, beckoning the small girl to come forward.
Arabella shuffled forward, careful to keep her gaze on the ground.
She felt his cold eyes bore into her as she stopped in front of them. She felt a cold hand grasp her chin as the Dark Lord lifted her head to meet his gaze. He looked over her face with cold, calculating eyes as she forced herself to fixate on the wallpaper behind him.
He let out a tsk before letting her head fall back down. “It’s a shame she would have made a beautiful witch. What a pity.” He stated patronizingly, making both Regulus and Arabella stiffen
For just a moment, Arabella felt rather grateful she was a squib after remembering Regulus's stories about what the Dark Lord does to witches he finds beautiful.
“She will do.” He said, looking back at Walburga
“Thank you, My Lord, for allowing our family to serve you once more,” Walburga said, bowing.
“Indeed.” He turned and walked towards the door, his dark cloak billowing behind him.
Walburga all but shoved Arabella in his direction, indicating for her to follow. Kreacher was at the door, opening it for the Lord. The wind outside was beginning to pick up as the Dark lord walked out with Arabella behind him. She took one last look behind her as her hair bellowed around her face, making her look like she was flying, before the man took a firm grasp on her upper arm, making her flinch. The couple disappeared into a swirl of black smoke shooting up into the sky.
“I don’t know where she was taken or what he had done to her. Kreacher appeared in my room with her only a few hours later.” Regulus said, concluding his recount of the previous night, still looking down at his hands
Snape stayed silent for a few moments, taking in the information before asking a question he felt he already knew the answer: “And why have you brought her here?”
“You’re the only one I know with Occumulacy powers strong enough to keep the knowledge of her survival a secret.” He paused, looking up at Snape, “Please, Severus, you and I both know of the prophecy. This war will not be waging much longer. All I ask is that you shelter her until the time comes.”
Severus shut his eyes, deep in thought. The two sat silently for a few moments before Severus nodded.
Regulus sighed in relief before bending to hold his head in his hands.
“Can you swear it?” He mumbled
Severus looked at him in surprise, the nerve of this kid dropping an unwarranted guest on his feet and now asking him to make an unbreakable vow.
“Not unbreakable. Obviously, there's no witness. I need your word that you will hide and protect her until this war is over.” Regulus clarified, sensing the change in the air around Snape.
“I give you my word.” Severus said plainly