Revenge
- August 1st, just after midnight
Regulus hadn’t slept for two days. At all. He was sat on his bed staring at the lighter in his hand. He knew he had to do this. He wanted to do this. He deserved it. It was his right. He had it all planned out. But it was risky, really risky. But he couldn’t use magic so this will have to do. This is better anyway. He looked to the clock above his desk. Midnight. His parents were fast asleep by now. By sunrise Number 12 Grimmauld Place will be burnt to ashes along with his parents. Hopefully. Regulus can’t mess up. He won’t allow himself to mess up. He put the lighter in his pocket. He hadn’t packed anything, that would only look suspicious. His name stood on the papers, Regulus would inherit everything once they were gone. He made sure of that. When his brother left last summer, their parents had disowned him with a snap of their fingers. Regulus had seen red, he could taste the thirst for revenge on his tongue. His parents had almost killed his brother. They would have killed him if he hadn’t gotten away. Regulus and Sirius hadn’t had the best relationship the past years, they had said pretty awful things to each other. But they were still brothers, and there was not one person that Regulus cared about more than Sirius. That night Regulus had gone to bed and started planning.
-
Walking downstairs as quietly as possible, looking out for the steps he knew would creek. Regulus was on his way to the front door. Then to the park just in front of the house. He made it out, and over the road. Walking in the grass looking for a certain rock Kreacher had charmed. It was by the lake, no-one was out in the park. Thankfully. Regulus had been practicing wandless magic for a year, he didn’t want to but he knew that he would probably lose his wand in this. So he taught himself. The only thing he needed now though was a simple Revelio and the rock turned into a big barrel. Regulus felt bad for ordering Kreacher to get this for him and then forbidding him from telling anyone about it. He couldn’t carry the barrel so he had to use one more spell. Wingardium Leviosa. He levitated the barrel in his hands, so that it looked like he was carrying it if anyone were to see.
Once inside he put the barrel at the bottom of the steps. And went to the kitchen. “ Kreacher?” he whispered. The elf popped up in front of him. “Master Regulus, what can Kreacher do for Master?”, Regulus smiled at him. He lowered himself to the ground. “Kreacher, I need you to help me with something, okay?” Kreacher nodded, “Yes Master Regulus. What can Kreacher do?”. Regulus took a breath. “I need you to make sure that my parents stay asleep until I call for you, can you do that?” Kreacher looked displeased but nodded anyway, “Yes Master Regulus” and then he disappeared with a snap of his finger. And Regulus started. He took his wand, a levitation charm wouldn’t look suspicious if someone were to look at his last used spells. The barrel lifted from the ground in the hallway and flew to the sitting room. Regulus removed the cover and the liquid started pouring out from the bottom. Like a shower. The barrel was enchanted so there was much, much more in it than it looked like. Regulus let the barrel flow through the room, covering every area. And moved to the kitchen. All he could think was I’m sorry Kreacher.
When the whole bottom floor was covered he slowly moved to the stairs. Covering each floor he moved up and up, every room drenched. Regulus was exhausted. From constantly having to be careful with his steps. He had mapped out in his head when he was younger which floorboards creaked. The amount had grown with the years, but Regulus always kept up. But holding a charm for this long was more tiresome than he though. His parents room was on the top floor, in the ‘Master Bedroom’. Regulus didn’t go up there. Instead he went downstairs again, and put the barrel in front of the fireplace. He had to focus, for now he had to levitate the liquid without the barrel. Regulus had practiced this so he knew he could do it. But right now he was tired. He had been going at it for two hours. But he did it anyways. And went all the way to the top floor. He was going to open the door, order Kreacher to leave, slowly and carefully pour the liquid around the room, lastly on the bed, and not get any on his sleeping parents. Easy as that.
So Regulus did that, except Kreacher wasn’t in there, and his parents where charmed? Regulus didn’t have time to think about it. So he continued drenching the room. Once he was finished he slowly backed out. Snuck his way down to the bottom floor. And went to the kitchen, where he found Kreacher. “Master Regulus hasn’t called for Kreacher?” he looked around. “No I haven’t, what did you do to my parents?” Kreacher looked confused. “Kreacher made sure they stay asleep until Master Regulus call Kreacher,” Regulus sighed. Of course. “Okay Kreacher, I need you to remove the charm you put on them, there can be no magic detected on them,” Kreacher snapped his finger and looked at Regulus. Regulus stared back. “Is it gone?” he asked. “Yes Master Regulus, but Masters are waking up now.” Regulus didn’t know what to do. He had the lighter. He ran to the barrel. Lit the lighter and threw it at the soaked wood. It immediately went up in flames. Regulus ran out, he was about to open the front door as he heard a screech. “REGULUS ARCTURUS BLACK”.
He turned around and saw Kreacher looking at him. His mother continued screaming. Kreacher needed to leave. The flames were growing fast. “Kreacher! I am ordering you to leave this house, go somewhere far away, live, and be happy and free. Find me around Christmas. Leave now!” And Kreacher looked at Regulus with confusion, but did as he was ordered. “Yes Master Regulus.” The flames had swallowed the hallway. Why did she have to wake up?! He had to find a window. He ran to the stairs, he was almost burned by the fire. He could feel the smoke in his lungs. “Fuck”. He continued upstairs. One floor. Two floors. Three floors. On the third floor was his and Sirius’ bedrooms, he would have to go out the window there. The fire had already risen to the second floor. But once inside his room he was met with a furious Walburga Black. Regulus wasn’t sure if she had noticed the fire, or smoke that surrounded them. Oh who was he kidding of course she had. “Regulus! What have you done?!” Regulus only backed out. The wand in her hand was pointing at him. Regulus still had his wand, but he couldn’t. The smoke was burning his lungs, he fell to his knees.
With tears in his eyes he looked up and saw that his mother looked on the verge of passing out. He rose to his feet, unsteady he went up another floor. But just as he was about to enter the bathroom the escape the smoke he was hit with a curse. It felt like a thousand knives. But worse. He’d felt the Cruciatus curse before and this wasn’t it. or maybe it was, only it was worse. He turned his head, still in torment to see both his parents pointing their wands at him. Oh. Maybe it was the Cruciatus curse and something else. He didn’t know what though. He tried to crawl forward. His skin was burning from the curses, and his lungs from the smoke. Regulus was going to die. Only then did he hear something break. He thinks it was something in the house. Because when he looked back both his parents were gone. And so was the floor that they had stood on. But Regulus was pretty sure something in him also broke. A leg? Or an arm? Both? Regulus eventually got inside the bathroom, and closed the door. And hoped the smoke couldn’t reach him there.
- August 5th
Regulus hadn’t remembered a lot about what had happened. He knew what he did. But when the first breath of smoke entered his lungs it messed something up in him. It had all come back eventually, but not before the aurors told him what had happened. ‘A fire started somehow, we haven’t figured out how. You were on the verge of death when we found you. Not only from the smoke, but you also had cursewounds. The healers told us the curses, but we cannot reveal them. We were also informed that the smoke wasn’t normal, it had something dark in it. Dark magic. Which confused us since the fire was regular fire. But some of our ministry employees found dark objects hidden around the house. They think that when they burned the magic mixed with the smoke and increased the damage…” The auror had continued speaking but Regulus had stopped listening. He had breathed in dark magic? He had asked his healer after and she told him that all traces of the magic was gone, and he was going to be just fine after some time. Days or weeks, that’s what she said. His memories were affected but they would also come back. Regulus had only written to Sirius when he knew he was going to be released the day after, he didn’t want anyone here when he was still recovering. It was nice to be completely alone, with the exceptions of the healers. But they didn’t really care for him on a personal level.
-
His plan had worked, sort of. But most importantly Kreacher was safe, Regulus was alive and had his wand. And he got his revenge, his parents were dead.
- August 15th, a little past midnight
“... and so when I woke up I was surrounded by smoke. It was terrifying. I thought I was going to die there. But when I got up and tried to escape there was fire everywhere. The only place I could go was up. But my parents were there. They thought that I had done it. So they pointed their wands at me. I tried to run and hide in a room on that floor, but they got me. They threw curses I didn’t even recognize and some I was familiar with. But then it stopped and they were gone. And I got inside the bathroom. I don’t remember anything after that except waking up at the healers. They told me the smoke had been mixed with dark magic from objects I didn’t even know were inside our house. And that I had inhaled it. Apparently the dark magic hadn’t been the most serious damage. But it’s whatever, I’m fine now,” Regulus looked up at James with tear-filled eyes. James couldn’t stop himself. He reached out and hugged Regulus. He was stiff at first but eventually relaxed in his arms. Regulus’ hair smelled like flowers. And James could see when the first tears fell. James could hear the small sniffles. And James feel the hands that gripped his shirt. “ The worst part is, that I don’t even feel bad that they’re dead. I’m happy they’re gone.” he whispered. And James hugged him tighter. “Me too.”