Chapter 7
Regulus hated having to employ the services of Bella. As much as he loved his cousins, especially Narcissa, he knew that Bella was out of it. She seemed to get more and more manic the more she was around this Dark Lord. It was not as though she was always all there, she had never been...not even when they were kids and she would shove him off the cliffs and hills of their France homeand stand laughing as he tumbled down, or would hold him under the water and wait until he was gasping to pull him up...but she had gotten certifiably worse since this Dark Lord character came around her. Regulus had never met him, but he knew that Bella was a certain kind of adoring of him. Not that he could really judge her. he knew his parents did as well, and he was not entirely certain about Lucius, but Lucius seemed to follow him ever as faithfully as his father Abraxas did (not that that said anything...look at Regulus and Walburga...Orion....they were Slytherins, and excellent actors of course).
Still, desperate meets desperate, and Bella was in Sirius' year, whereas neither he, Barty, or Evan were. So it was only sensible to ask her to help him. While he was wondering if he perhaps had made a slight miscalculation given the glint in her eyes, Regulus also found that he really couldn't be bothered to care. Sirius had left him remember? Why should he care what Bella did to him in response to it. As long as it ensured that he could keep Maman's orders, why should he give a shit as to how she ensured it? Sirius had left...he did not have to worry about it, but the only reason he was even allowed to leave was because Regulus was a sufficient sacrifice in his place.
"Of course, my dear baby Reggie!" Bella screeched at the breakfast table. Regulus closed his eyes briefly, ignoring how sharp those nails were...how they dug into his skin...how they prierced it to the point of blood welling against black nail polish. He opened his eyes, blank and devoid of emotion, and gave a brief but sincere smile.
"Thank you Bella," He ignored the pain in his arm that was left as she retraced her hands, and ignored the mad cackle as she laughed over her plate, and ignored the concerned look of Evan and Barty sitting at Ravenclaw (evan said Barty needed someone at the table, and goodness knows it was not going to be Barty who sat at Slytherin until things were settled properly...this was something he and Evan had agreed with a long time ago). Instead, he picked up his fork once again and slowly pressed it against the toast he had, before sighing, and dropping the fork once again, standing and leaving the hall quickly, his cloak flying behind him.
Barty rushed to follow him, dodging Evan's desperate grab to keep him from following. Evan, unseen to the most given his appearance at Ravenclaw and the lack of attention most paid the house, including the other members of said house, stood and rushed after him-effectively drawing attention of one specfic table that would have been better ignored given the situations. Instead, dark eyes tracked the three of them leaving the hall, and an attempt to stand was made, and cut off by a young wereworlf who pulled the individual back down into the seat with a hissed leave it. This was all unknown, unseen, and unwanted to know by Regulus, Evan, and Barty, already gone and out of the hall, but it was decidedly not missed by Bella, whose new mission to protect her little Reggie had caught onto it. It was not unseen by Narcissa, a protective nature over Regulus inevitable, and by Lucius, who saw Regulus as his newest recruit to his dark lord, and therefore needed to ensure that pesky Gryffindors did not corrupt the only Black heir left.
All three having decided to have an intervention before things got out of hand. After all, it was no secret that despite his apparent distaste for his family, Sirius seemed to be quite invested in what they were doing, where they were going, and who they were hanging around with. Regulus had once had to respond, but now he was the Heir, he had no such obligations, and as everyone in Hogwarts knew, when Sirius did not get what he wanted it was not something to celebrate as curses or hexes, or at the very least dangerous pranks, were soon to follow.
So each would have their own little chat, after all that couldn't be painful, could it? They could have a talk...and the only one liable to actually start cursing of the three was Bella, who would relish in the chance to fight...anyone, let alone Sirius, who was known to not take things by himself. Potter would likely join in, Lupin no longer able to due to his Prefect status, and Pettigrew too insignificant in terms of dueling to really make much difference anyways. Yet, Bella always enjoyed a fight, and that was nothing new. It never would be.
Regulus stormed out of the hall, into a side classroom, old and dusty from misuse, not knowing any of the thoughts of his family...married in and otherwise...and not knowing that his brother had made an attempt to rush after him...not bothering to care, and placed his head into his hands. He locked down a scream, willing himself not to cry either. It was not proper, and he could be nothing but perfect and proper from now on, after all he could not fail to Sirius, he was already at a disadvantage by just not being Sirius (whom despite Sirius' own thoughts and misgivings his parents ALWAYS preferred, and always would). He could not be seen doing something so...mundane. His parents would have a field day, and not a fun one.
Evan and Barty soon came in after him, and Regulus couldn't help a small laugh. Of course his best friends (only friends) would follow him. It was to be expected, because they would care for him. He wanted to cry even more, but held back, locking the feelings down in a box to be burried beneath layers of emotions that would remain forever blocked out. There was plenty of them...a potential storm kept at bay only because of his ambition and willpower. Nothing more. It would eventially, and already was, be the reason he eventually choked to death.
If he did die, Regulus wanted it to be in water...a peaceful death, a pretty death, the water inhaling through his lungs, but Regulus enjoyed water, so unlike Sirius, who hated it.