The Cave
The air hit Regulus like a wave, it pressed under his jumper and into his cuts, and it burned and stung on the fresh wounds.
The replica of the locket weighed down in his pocket and his stomach began sinking like a stone.
“This is the place Kreacher?” Regulus winced and threw his arm up in front of his eyes to shield himself from another gust of salty air.
“Yes Master Regulus,” the elf nodded. “Kreacher must take master Regulus and his friends into the cave one at a time...”
Regulus looked around at James, Evan, and Barty, who all exchanged worried glances and then nodded collectively.
“I’ll go first,” Barty stepped forward, and Regulus almost opened his mouth to object - he should be the first to go in, he was the reason they were all here after all - but then he thought that perhaps it would be smart for Regulus and Evan to not go in first, as they were still quite injured.
“Don’t go anywhere until we're all in there Barty,” Regulus commanded, trying to keep his voice as soft as possible while still getting his point across.
“I won’t Reggie,” Barty nodded firmly, “Evan come in after me, then Reg, then James.”
The four boys nodded collectively and Kreacher took Barty’s hand in his own, as the two disapparated with a sickening crack Regulus couldn’t help but feel a drop in his stomach as if that last glimpse of his best friend would be the last he would ever have.
He froze the picture in his head, Barty standing two feet away, his brunette hair wildly blowing in the wind, salt caked onto his cheeks from the remanence of tears, and those stupid brown eyes staring directly to Regulus’ left - right into Evan’s.
It was less than two seconds before the elf returned to the jagged rock on which the remaining three boys were standing. Evan went next, and Regulus took a mental snapshot of his face in his head, blonde hair streaked with dark red by the base of his skull, dark circles under his eyes, and his smattering of freckles blaring in the dim morning light.
Then it was James and Regulus, only for a second it was two men - both forced to grow up too fast - two men who Regulus knew were both too scared to say the three words that needed to fill the silent moment.
“I lo-”
Crack.
“Master Regulus is next.”
Regulus didn’t argue, he took Kreacher’s small and bony hand, gripping it tightly as he took in the last look at James. Black hair curly and wild, glasses crooked, and a light sheen across his eyes…
That wasn’t what Regulus wanted the last look his James Potter to be. So right then and there he promised himself it wouldn’t be.
✮✮✮
“It’s…”
“Tiny? Stupid? Dramatic?” Evan offered with a roll of his eyes.
“I was going to say a boat,” Regulus shook his head, taking a small step into the boat to see if it could even hold the weight of one person.
“So who’s going with who?” James questioned, eyeing Regulus as if he were going to fall into the water beneath the boat and suddenly forget how to swim.
“Can two people even fit into that boat? If you can even call it that it's more like a floating death box,” Barty remarked, taking a step closer to Evan.
“Kreacher?” Regulus questioned, raising an eyebrow at his elf.
Kreacher took a moment, examining the four boys, tsk-ing slightly before answering Regulus’ question with a slight hesitance. “Two may make the journey across the lake in the boat, but Kreacher must stay here and wait for his master's call. Unless Master Regulus wishes for Kreacher to accompany him to the island?”
“No,” Regulus shook his head firmly, “I will call for you if we find ourselves in trouble. Evan will go with James and Barty and I will go ahead and get a feel for what exactly it is that we must do to get our hands on this locket because I have no doubt it will not be so easy as finding this cave. Or getting across the tavern.”
Evan glanced sadly at Barty - which Regulus did feel mildly bad for, but he couldn’t stand to be stuck with James for the few minutes it would take to travel across the water. Not when he almost said the single most important sentence two people could say to each other only a few minutes ago and hadn’t gotten halfway through it before he entered a cave which could ultimately lead to his slow and painful death if they were to get caught.
“Let's get across then,” Barty hardened his face again and stepped into the boat - which groaned under the weight and sunk further into the inky water. Regulus gripped his extended hand and glanced once more over his shoulder at Evan and James who stood awkwardly next to one another.
The cave was quiet, too quiet, Barty and Regulus sat across from one another looking at each other with worried eyes.
“He likes you back y’know,” Barty said, his voice barely above a whisper yet perfectly clear in the crippling silence.
“I almost said I love you…” Regulus admitted, his eyes cast down onto the floor of the boat where the boards were letting in little trickles of water.
When he looked back up Barty was still staring directly at him, nothing more was said the rest of the way, nothing else needed to be said.
But they held hands, Regulus’ freezing bony hand fitting into Barty’s perfectly, in another life they would have been soulmates, and perhaps in this one they still were, just not quite there yet. When the boat reached the island both boys climbed out, not letting go of one another as they set foot on the crystal island, Barty sent the boat back across to their loves with a wind spell and they both watched the other two climb in and begin their journey across before they turned their backs and began to look across the island.
It wasn’t much, a basin stood in the middle, with a shell sitting neatly on the side of the bowl. Barty helped Regulus climb up the rickety terrain, his leg was throbbing underneath but he couldn’t say anything, Barty wouldn’t let him do what they both knew needed to be done and Regulus wasn’t about to let anyone else make that sacrifice.
Inside the basin was a clear liquid, which Regulus couldn’t believe was just water, and at the very bottom lay a figure that matched the silhouette of the locket that James had in his pocket.
It wasn’t long until the boat reached the crystal island again, this time carrying both the boys that Regulus cared for more than anyone.
“What now?” James asked cautiously, helping Evan climb from the boat, knocking a piece of clear rock into the water. Regulus watched the ripple fade into the darkness and had a sinking feeling in his stomach, there was something he was missing…
“Up here,” Barty replied, his voice sounding just as wary as Regulus felt.
Regulus extended his hand once James had made it to the last few steps, and James took it gently, using Regulus to pull himself up onto the platform on which the basin stood.
“So we just had to pull the switch act?” Evan questioned, peering into the bowl. “Pull the real locket and put ours in?”
“It can’t be that simple…” Regulus said more to himself than the group.
There was a bit of chatter between the boys as Regulus stared at the strange setup in front of him, the pieces started to click slowly. The shell was meant to be used as a cup… and the liquid…
“We have to drink it,” Regulus said more confidently, “the potion is meant to weaken whoever drinks it, that’s the next protection.”
“I’ll do it,” James said immediately, to which Barty pulled a face.
“No you won’t you’ll take care of Regulus and Evan, I’ll drink it.”
“No I should,” Evan shook his head, “I’m already weaker if there's another set of defenses Regulus and I can’t do it on our own. Sacrifice the weakest link.”
“No one is sacrificing themselves,” Barty snipped, “especially not after what you’ve already gone through today.”
“No you do not get to pull that-” Evan’s eyes narrowed.
Regulus shook his head and let his eyes wander back over to the potion… The three most important people in his life were arguing about which would drink a potentially lethal potion that was meant to protect a piece of a very dark and powerful wizard’s soul. The three people who’d stood by Regulus through the worst parts of his life…
No one saw Regulus pick up the shell, or heard him dip it into the bowl of potion, they only noticed as he took the first sip and let out a ragged scream. He was drinking liquid fire, a pain that ripped through his body and pulled apart his nerves.
That’s when James, Evan, and Barty went silent.
Regulus couldn’t hear what happened next - the ringing in his ears was too loud, but he managed to shove the shell that he used to scoop the potion into Evan’s hand. He was the only one who would be able to understand, he was the only one who lived in hell, the only one who understood fully what would happen if they didn’t stop Voldemort.
He watched Barty try and stop Evan, he watched James plead with his best friend, and then he felt the potion go down his throat again, it hurt less this time. The burning still happened, and the ripping and tearing, but everything got so incredibly still, dark, and quiet after that Regulus didn’t care…
It was dark again, and cold, so so cold, the floor was hard and Regulus was in his dinner clothes. His back leaning against the back of the wall.
“Sirius?” he whispered into the darkness. “I’m scared.”
“I’m here Reggie, it’s okay…” Sirius’ voice replies in a whisper. “Remember we have to be quiet, it’s a game, we hide until they calm down.”
Regulus hummed in agreement.
“Can you tell me a story, Siri?”
“Sure Reggie,” Sirius moved closer in the darkness, “this is the story of two brothers, just like us.”
“Wasn’t it three brothers?” Regulus cocked his head curiously.
“That’s a different story silly,” Sirius ruffled his hair, “now shush and let me tell the story.”
Regulus nodded and pulled his knees up to his chest.
“Once there were two brothers, they were the best of friends as children. They did everything together, they lived in a massive house, surrounded by adults who never understood their love for one another. One brother - the eldest - loved to go on adventures, and one day he asked the younger brother to come with him, away from the adults and expectations. He wanted to run away, but the younger brother didn’t want to go, he felt safe in the walls of their house, sliding down banisters and playing hide and seek in the garden… The elder brother begged and begged the younger brother to come, but he refused again and again. So the elder brother left one day, he walked out the front door and never returned…”
“No,” Regulus shook his head, “no that's not how the story goes.”
“But the younger brother, alone in that house would never get over the pain of watching his older brother walk out on him…”
“But the younger brother did go!” Regulus insisted.
“He died in that house, drowning in expectations and evil from the very people the elder brother tried to pull him away from.”
“No no I don’t wanna die,” Regulus stood up, “I’m not ready.”
“Then why didn’t you come with me?” Sirius stood, light illuminating his face just enough for Regulus to see his brother’s mangled body, undead eyes, and swirling green skull floating above his head. “You killed us both Reggie. You did this.”
“No no no I didn’t!” Regulus backed up, his back colliding with a wall before he fell through into a different time.
“Come on Reg one more I promise! Stay with us please…” Evan.
This time it was warm, soft blankets over Regulus’ head and body, his wand lit up the small space as he curled in on himself. It was nice and quiet, he could hear cars outside in London and Kreacher shuffling around somewhere in the house.
But with each passing moment, a faint scratching noise became louder and louder, it was coming from outside his blankets, and everything in Regulus’ body screamed at him to just stay quiet and still. But eventually, the voice in his head was drowned out by the scratching.
He just peeked his head out, just an inch outside of the covers. And there on the floor was a bird, bloody and struggling on the ground. Regulus couldn’t help but climb out of his bed and help it, it was helpless after all.
When he bent over to pick it up he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, he wasn’t himself, instead, there stood a blonde boy in a black suit - who unsettlingly reminded him of Lucius. He was sobbing and covered in blood.
Then all of a sudden he was falling, and around him flashed visions…
Hogwarts burning…
James lying on the ground dead and gone…
An army of silver masks…
So many flashes of green…
And finally a surge of green meeting a blast of red, two sides of a war battling for power. Slowly the red got smaller and smaller until there was a scream.
Then faces.
A redheaded man sobbing and begging for mercy.
A carbon copy of Pandora with blood running down her face.
A young woman with bushy brown hair and dead eyes.
The same blonde boy with dark circles under his eyes.
A handsome dark-haired boy with his throat slit.
“You did this.”
“You killed us.”
“You failed.”
Their voices chated, becoming louder and louder in Regulus’ ears.
“No no, I didn’t fail! I won’t fail!”
“Hey shh, I know it hurts I know but we can’t lose you Regulus…” Barty.
“Oh poor soul,” someone laughed in his ear, causing Regulus to turn and get slammed into a stone wall. “They’re only suffering because you dragged them into your drama.”
Regulus dreaded looking up but couldn’t stop the movement of his head. On the wall across from him, he saw a line of people strung up by their wrists, bruised and bloody.
He counted five…
1… Remus Lupin, 2… Sirius Black, 3… James Potter, 4… Barty Crouch Jr. 5… Evan Rosier…
Then it was Regulus strung up on the wall, his friends and loved ones disappearing into thin air, he was chained up with his toes barely being able to reach the freezing ground.
He’d been here…
“No no not here please not here…” He choked back tears, trying to pull his wrists out of the metal cuffs.
“What’s the matter, cousin? Been here before?” Bellatrix. Her silver dagger glinted in the faint light.
“This isn’t real it’s not real,” Regulus closed his eyes firmly. “This already happened.”
“Oh believe me cousin this is very real,” she whispered in his ear, sending chills down his already bare spine. “Let me show you.”
White hot pain ripped through his shoulder and chest, he tried to scream but nothing came out, just silent sobs and broken whimpers.
He looked down and saw a dagger embedded in his shoulder bone.
“Don’t worry dear cousin, this will be every day soon….”
“Why the fuck is he bleeding now!? James get gauze!”
James… Regulus tried to picture his face but he couldn’t.
I want to go home…
So there he was, an open field with a river running through the center. There on an old stone bridge stood his people, James and Evan and Barty, Sirius holding Remus, Pandora, and Dorcas waving him over. That was his home, his heart.
I’m home…
Then a dark cloud came over the sun, and tufts of smoke took his friends one by one… He was alone as quickly as he’d gotten his family. The field was dark, and all he found himself thinking was ‘What’s the point?’
“Regulus please you’ve got to come back here… I love you…” James.
That’s why.
“So that’s what I’ll take.” The dark Lord’s voice hissed in his ear.
Then it all went black.