Chapter 1
Regulus' POV:
"Kreacher, I must remind you that you can not share any peice of infomation regarding our trip with here with anyone Especially not mo- Walburga, you know what she would do to us both." Regulus warned kreacher, carefully correcting himself into avoiding calling Walburga his mother.
Kreacher eagerly nodded his head as he continued tipping the last drops of the potion down his throat to communicate that he understood Regulus' wishes. "Of course Master." he reassured Regulus, but worry was painted all over his wrinkled face. Kreacher casted a wordless sober-up potion which suddenly made Regulus feel 10x better and aware.
Salazar Slytherin's locket lay in the dish. Finally. He slid his hand into the inside pocket of his robes and pulled out an identical copy of the locket. Perfect.
After switching the lockets with care, trying to avoid setting off a chain of booby-traps, he felt his wrist being grabbed by Kreacher. He turned to face him and noticed how distraught he looked.
"There is no need to worry, it'll be fine Kreacher this isn't some fantasy novel. Please let me go to allow me to fetch some water from the lake."Water a voice somewhere inside his mind pleaded, "My throat is so parched I might as well replace my tracea with sandpaper as I wouldn't be able to tell any difference from now." Regulus bargained in a slurred mumble.
Before Kreacher even had a moment to respond, he began to crawl slowly over the rocky island to reach the shallow shore.
Cupping his hands togther, he gathered some fresh salty sea-water and brought it up to his mouth. The sour saltiness itched at his tounge and he beckoned kreacher to come over to him with his hand.
"Please can you cast a clarifying spell on the next handful of water I collect Kreacher?" Regulus gently questioned.
"Of course Master Black!" Kreacher responded promptly and quietly prepared himself as Regulus gathered another small puddle of water in his hands.
Once the water had been sterilized, Regulus turned his back to Kreacher, who was absent-mindedly preparing the boat back to the cave exit, and began greedily lapping at the fresh and salt-less water in his hands like a dog.
A bony hand grasped at his wrist and he spun around expecting to see Kreacher gripping him again. However, to his surprise, he came face to face with an ugly being.
Oh. An inferi. It seemed that his contact with the water had triggered a reaction from them.
If he was being honest, they didn't look at all similar to how they're described in books: "Lifeless corpses, inhumane". Infact, he felt like there was fierce anger glaring at him from behind their clouded eyes. They had clear and distinct human features that were mixed in with their sickly looking bodies. He shouted out to Kreacher and tried to reach out for him but it was too late. More inferi had come out of the water and they all began dragging Regulus towards the water. In a matter of seconds, he was fully submerged and could no longer see Kreacher.
Bitter liquid still burned harshly at his throat, painfully keeping him conscious and awake when all he longed for was to give in to the temptation of death and be finally at rest.
The slippery hands of inferi clawed at his robes. He could feel them slashing at his pale back and torso. Regulus frantically threw the locket towards where he hoped Kreacher was standing upon the bank of land in the centre of the lake. Without looking back, he shouted a rushed:
"Whatever you do destroy it, please!"
and then gasped one final breath before he was violently pulled back into the cold water that began to slowly numb his body.
The water above him raged above him in uncontrolable anger. He thought of Barty and Evan, wondered what they were doing now. If they'd had known what he was doing they would've tried to prevent him, right?
Ha bloody hell. Would they even care? They hadn't talked in months, he was getting too clingy.
He thought of Sirius and as if he had summoned him, an imaginary figure appeared before Regulus. Before thinking properly, he tried calling out to him.
"Sirius," he gasped breathlessly using most of his remaining energy to not give into the overwhelming pain.
"Please, help me brother." he shamelessly begged. Hopefully this pretend figment can at least help distract him from the pain and hurt of dying. Hell, maybe even somehwo rescue him. Did he even want to be rescued?
"Begging? Really? I thought you honoured the family rules better than this." Sirius said, bored. Oh. I guess this is what Sirius would've been like if he was obedient to his mother's wishes that began at childhood, rather than being the rebellious older brother.
"I could not care any less at the moment brother, please." Regulus begged again, hoping he could be more successful in persuading his brother.
"You are certainly not my brother Regulus. Never really were and never will be. So I'd really appreciate of you stopped refer to me as someone I am not."
He felt himself flinch internally. Dismay and sadness swept through him as tears welled in his eyes. Of course Sirius would not help his younger brother. Well he has a spare one now doesn't he? Anger quickly rised through him begging to be released. No.Regulus could not bring himslef to be angry at James. Sirius deserves a true brother, on ethat cared and stood up for him, rather than just watch him be unfairly punished.
He forced the thougths out of his head. He would not die thinking of James Potter. Merlin die? He released what he had just admitted to himself. He always knew dieing was a large possibility and that Kreacher had tried persuading him out of coming back to the horrible cave with the "strong" argument:
"But Master Regulus! It is a suicide mission."
He supposed that was the point, to risk ending it but dyung on his own terms would be better than dying from a curse from an unknown auror. So he had come prepared for death but it had never quite sunk in (ha ironic) that he was currently drowning. Accept it. He told himself as he let a bitter coldness travel down his throat. Regulus braced himself and relaxed his face into blank disinterest. If anybody were to ever to find his body he didn't want to have fear and anxiousness smeared across his face. Merlin that would be embarrassing.
Goodbye