Chapter 1
As of June 27th, 1980, I, Regulus Arcturus Black, of the noble house of Black, hereby bequeath the entirety of my estate to my elder brother Sirius Orion Black, to divide between whomever he wishes, (including but not limited to, all properties in Great Britain, France, Switzerland and The Americas, all my personal and familial possessions, Gringotts vaults, and the family house elf Kreacher). I also bequeath the entirety of Gringotts vault 1478 to Harry James Potter, to be released to him upon his 17th birthday, and managed by his father, James Fleamont Potter, until the date. All other remaining assets not specified shall be divided evenly among my first cousins, Andromeda Tonks (nee Black), and Narcissa Malfoy (nee Black). To my godson and first cousin once removed, Draco Lucius Malfoy, I bequeath the entirety of Gringotts vault 1479, to be released to him upon his 17th birthday, and managed by his mother Narcissa Malfoy (nee Black) until the date. To my first cousin once removed, Nymphadora Tonks, I leave the entirety of Gringotts vault 1477, to be managed by her mother Andromeda Tonks (nee Black), until her 17th birthday.
Please note clause 1, of the last will and testament of Regulus Arcturus Black, states that any abuse/mistreatment (including but not limited to, physical, emotional, verbal, psychological abuse) inflicted on the house elf Kreacher by Sirius Orion Black and/or anyone else, he will be immediately be released into the custody of the next available family member listed in this document. If no other option is available, Kreacher shall go to Hogwarts under the care of the headmaster.
It's a common misconception that death by drowning is peaceful. The truth is, the peaceful part only comes at the very end. The rest of it is a clawing, desperate struggle to keep from sinking, watching the faint sunlight disappear as water fills up in your eyes. The burning is your chest as you helplessly try to gasp for air.
At least, that was how it was for Regulus Black.
In his head, he had the naive idea that somehow, this was the better alternative than a bloody, gruesome death at the hands of the Dark Lord or a death eater, after they inevitably discovered his betrayal. Regulus thought perhaps he could just go peacefully, if he was lucky, and avoid all the needless mess that death by death eater would bring.
Because in truth, a part of him, that was buried under the hatred and anger and the gaping sadness in his heart, didn't think he particularly wanted to live anymore.
Of course, that would imply he had a desire to live before, which was not necessarily the truth either. For a very long time, Regulus Black had been very, very, tired. Not the kind of tiredness that goes away after a short nap, no. The bone deep exhaustion that comes after years and years of holding yourself up when all you really want to do is close your eyes and never wake up again.
He thought he was ready. He said his goodbyes, or at least tried to, wrote down his last wishes and regrets, and left the rest of it in Kreacher's capable hands. He was ready.
Obviously he should have expected Sirius to muck it up.
What kind of blithering idiot dove into a lake filled with murderous inferi to save the estranged brother he hasn’t spoken to in 4 years?
His brother, that's who.
This was Regulus’ punishment for thinking he had successfully driven away his brother. Sirius was like a barnacle, no matter how hard you tried, he was impossible to get rid of.
Everything had been silent, just the sounds of bubbles rising to the surface and the feeling of salt water in his lungs. Regulus could make out the dark red drifting of blood to the surface from where corpse hands had dug their nails into his skin and dragged him underwater. He speculated that if it wasn't the drowning that did him in, it would've been the combination of the potion he consumed and the blood loss from slamming his head on the rocks. Well, no matter. It was over.
Except it apparently wasn't over.
“What the fuck -” Regulus tried to sputter as rough hands gripped his wrists and hauled him onto the rocks. It came out more like, “whuuubbbbb thhhmm ffffhhhhccc”
Curling in on his side, he gasped and gagged out water, coughing and hacking, registering the feeling of a hand rubbing his back, and a voice murmuring soft assurances.
Finally finished vomiting up a lung, he turned, finding Sirius staring with big gray eyes, absolutely drenched, holding the back of Regulus’ shirt like he would run away at any given moment. Which, fair. He was seriously considering it. Behind his brother, Remus Lupin stood, hip cocked, holding his wand in hand and eyeing the lake.
Regulus didnt see anyone else, thank merlin, but he wouldn’t put it past Sirius to bring his entire entourage to rescue his estranged little brother from a suicide mission.
It all felt very surreal, because up until a moment ago, Regulus hadn't spoken to his brother in years, let alone looked him in the eye for more than a millisecond. Sirius looked almost the same as he did in his 7th year at Hogwarts, with the exception of much larger eyebags and deeper worry lines between his brows. He looked like he spent an exceptional amount of time staring in the mirror and frowning.
Taking stock of his surroundings, Regulus saw there were no inferi in sight, the lake as still and silent as it had been when he first showed up to the cave. Kreacher was gone. The only thing he could hear was his own heavy breathing and a slow drip of water from the wall cracks.
He was very much not dead.
“Sirius,” he started, “you- you- you fucking idiot, why must you ruin everything!”
“I- What?” Sirius sputtered. “I just saved your life!”
“Yes, thank you, for that really, but did it ever occur to you I was actually fine? I didn't need your ridiculous heroics, I was perfectly capable of handling it! Don’t butt in!”
“Regulus, what the fuck? Are you fucking serious right now? I literally just dove into a corpse infested lake for you, and you don't even care? What is wrong with you?”
“Oh you mean apart from the obvious? Maybe it's the fact that you just barged in and utterly ruined my well thought out plans with your brainlessness, when I didn't even need you to! And besides, how did you even know I was here?”
Sirius shifted at that. Casting a glance at Lupin behind him, who looked equal parts amused and irritated, he cleared his throat.
“Well- okay so don’t freak out,-”
“Oh no,” Regulus muttered.
“- we’ve kind of been following you for a while.”
Regulus froze, feeling like ice water was being poured down his back. Sirius had been following him? How hadn’t he noticed? Was it just his brother, or Lupin too? Who else had Sirius dragged into his business?
What if he brought him?
“Sirius,” he breathed out, “Tell me you weren’t stupid enough to actually do that?”
Sirius squirmed a bit in place. “Afraid I was, actually.”
Blinking rapidly, Regulus tried to sort out his racing thoughts. How much did Sirius know about what he was doing? How long could he have been following? And the big one, -
“Why? Why were you following me? And on whose orders?”
His brother huffed, and Lupin spoke for the first time. “It's complicated, we don’t have the time to explain right now. Let's get out of here first, then we can talk.”
“You’re an absolute nutter if you think I'm going anywhere with you two. I'm going home.” Regulus snapped back, almost at his wits end. Why didn't anything go the way he wanted?
“Reggie, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I’d bet my balls that you can apparate a foot right now, much less all the way back to london.'' Sirius said. “Just come with us back to the safe house, and we can work everything out, yeah?”
For a moment, Regulus almost thought about it. He could go with his brother, just like he’d wanted to when he was 13 and Sirius had run away to the Potters.
But realistically, that would be impossible. He pictured Kreacher's tear streaked, snotty face apparating away clutching Sytherin’s locket, Evan’s pale cheeks and hollow looking eyes as he quietly told Regulus that Barty was getting worse every day, the piles of unsent letters in his desk drawers, his final will and testament held in his owl’s beak as she flew away to his attorney’s office, -
All of his unfinished business.
“No.” he said. “No, I can't do that. I have things I have to take care of. You don’t understand, I took care of everything and then you just- why did you have to stick your fucking nose into everything Sirius, don’t you know what you’ve done?”
“Regulus, calm down. Moony, can you do the thing? We have to go.”
Searing pain in his stomach made Regulus cry out and hunch over, holding his abdomen. Sweat beaded on his forehead, dripping in tandem to the cut across his eyebrow.
“That’ll be the poison,” he mumbled, closing his eyes, suddenly very sleepy. Did Lupin just pinch him?
“The what?” he heard Sirius yelp as dark spots danced in his vision and his knees buckled.
“Fucking Black’s are all so bloody dramatic,” Remus said as he genty deposited Regulus into his older brothers arms. There was a tightening of arms around his shoulders, a few muttered swears, and then a crack of apparition-
Regulus knew no more.