Chapter 14
"Regulus Arcturus Black, here to speak with Lucius Abraxas Malfoy about our master."
Lucius stared at his cane in shock. Regulus was alive? He shivered. Did he know about the diary?
He quickly left his office and went to meet Regulus in the main hall. As he approached, Lucius heard Narcissa shriek in glee and fury.
"Cissa, it's-"
"How dare you let me think you were dead!" Narcissa said furiously. Lucius entered to find his wife pulling Regulus into an aggressive hug.
Why did I have to marry a Black? he thought. Not that he didn't love Narcissa, because he did, but that didn't mean Lucius wasn't terrified of the lot of them.
"I'm sorry, Cissa," Regulus whispered. "I missed you, too. I had to hide from Dumbledore."
"What, why?" Lucius asked in surprise.
Regulus released Narcissa and glared at him in fury. "How fucking dare you fucking hurt fucking children, Lucius Fucking Malfoy!"
Lucius cringed and cowered. The more Regulus swore at you, the angrier he was. And Regulus was clearly infuriated.
"I-" he began.
"There is no excuse for hurting children, you bitch!"
"What did Lucius do?" Narcissa asked, her voice growing cold.
Fuck, now she's mad, too!
"He gave the Dark Lord's cursed diary to a fucking eleven-year-old, who got hoodwinked into setting a Basilisk on children!" Regulus hissed.
"He WHAT."
Now he had two furious, insane Blacks glaring at him. Lucius very much wanted to flee, but that would just make Narcissa's and Regulus' ire worse. He gulped.
"What the bloody fuck were you thinking?" Regulus snarled.
"Arthur Weasley was raiding people's houses," Lucius said quickly. "My first intention was to hide the Dark Lord's diary as I was selling Dark or illegal items that I hadn't hidden in our secret vault. I ran into him after selling almost all of the items-" He frowned.
He hadn't actually thought about that day until then. Lucius was confused about the thought process that had led him to giving the Dark Lord's diary to a child.
"Lucius, what is it?" Regulus asked. His anger had faded a little.
"I don't... I never would have put the Dark Lord's possessions in the hands of a child," Lucius said slowly. "Not just because the Dark Lord would-" he shuddered "-but because they are a child. I was not even contemplating giving her the book until after Arthur Weasley attacked me."
Regulus pinched his nose. "Someone put you under a compulsion, it sounds like. Severus and Harry were under compulsions, too."
"What?" Narcissa cried. "Who would dare put compulsions on a child?"
"I don't know, the Magical Aura Tests didn't say," Regulus said bluntly. "Lucius, I think you need to get your magic checked."
"I will do that immediately," Lucius said, feeling himself turn green.
"I have a question before you go," Regulus said, stopping him. "Did the Dark Lord leave anything with any of his other followers?"
"Yes, he gave Hufflepuff's Cup to Bellatrix," Lucius remembered. "It's in her vault in Gringotts."
"I can't retrieve it," Regulus frowned.
"I can," said Narcissa.
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While Narcissa and Lucius were at Gringotts, Regulus headed down to their secret vault. He had one more thing to do before returning to Hogwarts.
Regulus pulled out his knife and rolled up his left sleeve. He nicked the slightly darker skin, and a little circle of blood appeared. Regulus put his knife away and pulled out his wand.
"Invenire Creator," he casted, pressing his wand to the mark. His arm stopped bleeding, and a location appeared in his head, along with the image of a room lit by a cozy fireplace.
Gaunt Manor, Little Hangleton.
Regulus took a deep breath and Apparated.