The Cave
September 1980
Sirius remembered the day that Regulus got his wand. Applewood with Phoenix core, 11 ½ inches long. This was before he got sorted into Gryffindor and everything went to shit, the Blacks had a tradition of getting their getting their wands on their 9th birthday, instead of their 11th as a way of preparing them so that they didn’t fail the coursework and let down he family name, and it worked. Both Regulus and Sirius were at the top grade in their first and second year having studied it 2 years beforehand, however unlike his brother Sirius didn't continue this trend. He had taken the studious person he once was and became more rambunctious and turned to pranks and other miscellaneous and (in his eyes) more fun things.
It may have been a while but he would recognise that wand anywhere, it was as familiar as his own wand. But why did Kreacher have it? Regulus may have trusted that elf more than anyone but he would never give him his wand, not only was it illegal but too valuable, especially in these times. No sane witch or wizard would part with their wand in the middle of the war, especially not one who puts themself on the front line.
Was he hurt? Is he ok? Why isn’t his wand on him?
“Kreacher,” Sirius starts slowly, he knew now wasn’t the time for anger, otherwise he’d be fuming that that evil worshipper of his birth giver was in his house. After everything Kreacher’s done Sirius should kill him. He probably should call Prongs.
Wait a goddamn minute…
“HOW THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU GET YOU IN HERE?!”
Regulus had been planning this for quite some time. He had known about Voldemort’s secret for almost a year now, ever since Kreacher came back from when the Dark Lord needed the assistance of his house elf. It was when he saw the state Kreacher was in that he knew he couldn’t keep pretending, the war had taken too many from him but that was the final straw. That isn’t to say he hasn’t gone back and forth with himself on this, what he found out was crazy and what he wants to do is even crazier. But in times of doubt, he just thinks about what his brother would do, after all his brother is the Gryffindor, the brave one, the one who would’ve rebelled far earlier. Sometimes he thinks back on everything that happened with his brother and all the pain it has caused him.
He wasn’t mad at his brother when he left, he had to get out and he understood that. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t angry, he was angry that Sirius had been put in a situation where he had to leave in the first place. Although he isn’t mad that doesn’t mean he isn’t disappointed, even though he understood why he had to go he was still disappointed that he left, he wanted Sirius to tough it out with him. It was supposed to be him and Sirius against them, a united front against the people who call themselves their parents. Even after everything Sirius had done, Regulus still wanted to apologise for not being enough, for not doing enough to help him.
But it looks like he was out of time. He was walking to his inevitable death.
He had stopped appearing in public since he left school, through the course of 10 months there have been multiple rumours of his death.
Ironic isn’t it, when the rumours inevitably start up again they’ll actually be true.
Regulus scoffed mentally, imagining the look on their faces when they found out their speculation proved true.
It didn’t matter now anyway
“Master,” Regulus snapped his head towards Kreacher, retracting from his thoughts and bringing his attention back to the situation at hand.
He also realised just how cold he was, he’d left in a hurry and forgot to grab his jacket. It was only that he properly registered the harsh, biting wind that flurried around him as he stood on that jagged rock, close to his untimely doom.
Bloody hell, I sound so fucking dramatic
Regulus turned to the elf beside him, “Let’s go Kreacher, it’s now or never.”
Luckily Kreacher was able to apparate them to the opening of the cliff instead of staying at the rock then trying to forge their way through the icy waters that were once below them. Especially since he couldn’t swim, Regulus knew it was a vital skill but there was nothing he could do. Apparently swimming wasn’t becoming of a pureblood and even then there were no ocean around and the closest muggle pool is 2 miles away, too far for a ten yr old with no mode of transport and a house elf watching at all times. Later on when he became old enough to go by himself he just didn’t want to, he had no clue if there were classes for kids his age and he didn’t want to feel inadequate in front of a bunch of children. Sirius learnt though, he had once told him that James had taught him and their other marauder friends how to swim in the Black Lake. Regulus wished he had asked Barty or Pandora to teach him, they wouldn’t have judged him for wanting to learn.
They cautiously approached the wall of stone where the cave should be, it was hidden to prevent those that shouldn’t from going inside. From what Kreacher told him, only a blood sacrifice would reveal the entrance, taking a deep breath, Regulus summoned his knife. He was originally going to try bird blood or the blood of some other animal, but realised that in the end that the cave would probably only accept human blood, probably too weaken the person trying to get in. Regulus wondered if the Dark Lord could use the blood to figure out who broke it, it doesn’t if he can regardless. Regulus left a signed note in the fake locket of Slytherin, which wouldn’t have been a smart decision but Regulus knew this will be where he takes his last breath so he might as well show defiance too. When the Dark Lord came with Kreacher he had only killed a muggle minutes before. But since they had no fresh human blood at hand and he wasn’t in the mood to kill someone, this was their best bet, besides it didn't matter if he didn’t get out, all that matters is that Kreacher and the locket do.
Kreacher turned to him nervously and slightly panicked, “Is Master Regulus sure he doesn’t want Kreacher to do it?”
“I’m sure Kreacher, plus your blood won't actually work remember, we figured out that that it must be fresh human blood only” He put emphasis on the word human, “besides, I will be fine”
“What if Kreacher goes and kills one of those filthy muggles roaming around the forest?”
“We’re not going to be killing anyone”
“Is Master Regulus sure be-”
“Kreacher, no”
Kreacher lowers his head in resignation, mumbling to himself about how his master shouldn’t get hurt when a muggle could instead. Regulus turned back to the job at hand, while he may have changed but Kreacher was too set in his ways, if it wasn’t for his love and adoration of Regulus he probably would’ve told his mother about everything. He took a deep breath to prepare himself and brought the knife to his arm.
three, two, one
Regulus winced as the knife sliced through the outer side of his right outer arm, a small stream of blood slowly dripped down his arm as he watched, slightly mesmerised. Just before it fell off his elbow and hit the ground he pushed his arm against the cold, rough cliff face, giving it his sacrifice. Just as he pulls his elbow away the entrance appears, pitch black inside, it felt like walking into a trap, which he probably was but he honestly didn’t have room in his mind to add another thing onto his list of worries, he doubts he’ll survive anyways.
With a quick Lumos, they walked inside.
If Regulus wasn’t scared before he definitely was now, the cave wasn’t that big but it definitely wasn’t on the small side either. Apart the ledge inside that cliff face that they’re standing on and a small island in the middle that looks barely big enough to fit two people, it was entirely covered by water, oddly there is a green glow that light up the cave, Regulus didn’t know where it was coming from but he suspected it was from the basin situated in the middle of the tiny island.
Regulus looked at Kreacher for instruction, the elf wordlessly led them over the side of the ledge and proceeded to seemingly grab…air? However Regulus was proven wrong when Kreacher began pulling it down and a boat rose from the water, it turned out the ‘air’ that Kreacher had been grabbing was in fact a chain. Fun. The boat itself looked incredibly worn for a supposedly magic boat, it was full of algae and made of wood that looked like it was on the verge of rotting. The boat - just like the island - was very small and didn’t look big enough to carry 2 grown people. Lucky Kreacher was an elf though.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Regulus asked Kreacher wearily, not sure if the boat could even hold the small elf before it broke.
“Yes Master Regulus, the boat is held together by magic. If the magic boat breaks Kreacher will save the young Master.”
With that not very reassuring, reassurance Regulus stepped into the boat, being careful not to slip on the water that hadn’t drained from the boat, Kreacher followed his actions. Once they were both seated the boat took off, carrying itself across the murky depths that laid beneath them. Halfway through the lake Regulus made the mistake of looking down at the water, just looking at it made him feel uneasy partly due to the fact that if he fell in he would more than likely drown but mostly because of the hundreds of dead bodies in the lake. Infiri. Regulus knew there was going to be some sort of defence, that was to be expected, but he wasn’t exactly sure what it was. He had tried asking Kreacher but all he ever got were mumbles about hands and being dragged underwater, although it was vague it at least pointed him in some direction although to be honest he wasn’t expecting the Dark Lord to use something like Infiri.
It was quiet for the rest of the ride, when they got to the island they could clearly see it was going to be a tight fit, tighter than they had originally thought. Upon closer inspection, Regulus was sure 2 people couldn’t fit, especially since half of the island was taken up by a basin in the middle, it kinda looked like a bird bath. Peering into the basin, Regulus could see that the contents of it was not water however but an emerald green colour, Regulus assumes that's what caused the green glow that lit up the cave. This was the potion that Kreacher drank, this was why he was bedridden for a month, Regulus takes a deep breath, the severity of all of it finally settling in. At first he tried vanishing the potion but it didn't work but then again he wasn’t expecting too. Then he tried scooping it out but it was no avail, the basin would just refill, but no matter how much he tried the basin remained full, eventually he came to the conclusion that the potion has to be drunk. It was how the basin had been emptied when Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord so it must be the only way, although he had been holding out hope that this wouldn’t be the case.
“Kreacher I will be drinking the potion, once if I get to a point that I can’t do it myself you must do it for me. Under no circumstances will you be drinking the potion, you must make sure that I do not stop drinking till it is all gone even if you have to shove it down my throat,” Regulus hesitates before continuing “You will not alert any member of House Black including those married into other families or any of my friends, nor will you tell them what has happened and what will happen today. Once all the potion has been drunk, you must change out with this replica” he hands him the fake locket.
“Is Master sure he doesn't want Kreacher to do i-”
“No Kreacher, now do you understand my instructions?”
“Yes Master”
Regulus summoned a goblet, thousands of thoughts racing through his mind.
‘Was he really going to do this? Sacrifice everything for a plan that might not work? Was he reall-’.
No he couldn’t go there, he’s terrified but had to do this, he can’t have doubts now it was far too late for that, he can’t give himself an out. He lowered his goblet into the liquid and brought it up, filled to the brim with potion. Without a second thought he drank it. Regulus winces, it wasn’t too bad, just a slight ache so he drank a second, then a third, then a fourth and that was when his head started pounding, he dropped the goblet on the ground and clutched his head. Then he heard it, his mother.
“YOU DISGRACE, HOW DARE YOU TARNISH THIS FAMILY. YOU DISGUST ME. BETRAYING THE DARK LORD, YOU’RE WORTHLESS”
“No, no, no I’m sorry mother, please forgive me, please…please…please” Regulus sobbed
He could vaguely hear Kreacher telling him to open his mouth to drink so he did, allowing him to bring the cool metal of the goblet to his lips and drank the cold, emerald liquid that poured out from it. Another wave of pain tore through him, he dropped to the floor as more tears dripped out of his sore, red eyes, his mother’s voice got louder.
“YOU ARE NOTHING, NO CHILD OF MINE, CRUCIO”
A wave of pain flowed through his body as he felt the echo of his mother’s punishment, a feeling that had recently gotten more familiar. Kreacher kept feeding the potion to him, one after the other, by the time he was on his 7th one he was on his knees begging for the elf to make it stop.
“Please, please make it stop, please make it stop, JUST KILL ME!”
Kreacher was crying now too, “One more Master Regulus, one more”
So he drank it, now instead of his mother’s voice, Sirius’ was in its place.
“To think I once called you my brother, you’re no brother of mine you.”
“No Sirius i’m so so sorry”
“Coward” “Inadequate” “Weak”
And it kept going and going, always ‘one more’ but there was always another after it until it stopped. It was finally done. There was nothing left to drink. The first thought that registered in Regulus’ mind was just how thirsty he was. It was as if the potion had drained all the moisture from his mouth and left it dry, the residual potion burning the back of his throat.
“Kreacher,” his throat dry and voice croaky, “water, I need water.”
“Yes Master Regulus.” the elf’s voice panicked yet there was relief laced in it as he hurried off to get water.
After a couple of seconds Regulus was just too thirsty to keep waiting for Kreacher to come back, he needed water now. Slowly he dragged his body over so he was on his stomach and crawled over to the rocks edge where land meets water and placed his cupped hands underwater before bringing them to his lips. The water cleared his mind, but not enough. Sluggishly, he brought his hands back down to the lake but the moment it touched the water’s surface a slimy, boney hand grabbed his wrist with a vice-like grip. Suddenly he was wide awake, wrenching his arm away and shuffling backward, Regulus realising with horror that the Infiri had come alive. All of a sudden they were coming at him at all sides, quickly pulling themselves out of the water and clawing at any part of Regulus they could reach. Behind him he heard Kreacher’s shriek and the goblet he was holding fell to the floor with a thud.
“KREACHER, GO, DESTROY THE LOCKET”
“But Master-”
“GO”
Kreacher disapparated leaving him to deal with the swarm of Infiri clawing their way towards him. Wand in hand he tried to remember what they were scared of, he had read in a book but for some reason he couldn’t remember it, no matter how hard he tried to remember it was to no avail, it was as if all he could think of and feel was his fear. Coming closer and closer they swarmed him and started dragging him into the water, first his legs went under, then his torso, and finally his head. Regulus was terrified, to him drowning the worst way to die, slowly losing oxygen, the panic of being unable to breath then being forced to take a breath and breathing in water, the choking feeling then eventually losing conscience. He tried grabbing onto the rock in hopes of pulling himself up but there was nothing to latch onto, the rock was smooth and the water made it even more slippery to try and hold onto. He couldn’t hold his breath for much longer.
‘This was it he was going to die, at least he would die a hero, maybe Sirius would be proud of him.’ That was his final thought when gave up, he couldn’t hold his breath any longer, blowing bubbles from his mouth he let the Infiri drag him further and further under. Sirius would be proud of him.
“REGULUS”
He heard the voice cry out, but it was all muffled. It kind of sounded like his brother but he couldn’t be here, maybe he was hallucinating. He always believed that he would he the voices of those he loved in his final moments, he always assumes it would be Evan or Dorcas though. Then he heard a splash and another hand grabbed his, except this one was warm and soft, a human one, it was pulling him up but it was too late, Regulus was already beginning to lose consciousness, he couldn’t help taking in the beath of water, he didn’t want to be it was just on instinct. His other hand flailed around when it brushed cool metal. Then the water was still.