Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Written for; Hogwarts Assignment 11; Herbology Task 1 - Somebody struggling with a change in their life.
Word Count - 1058
Beta'd by the gorgeous Sam
Impossible Though It Seemed
It happened on the summer solstice.
Regulus stared into the scarlet eyes for a second before he was writhing on the floor. He didn't remember much from the time spent in the presence of the Dark Lord, but he remembered that.
Remembered that it was his punishment for meeting his Lord's eyes without permission.
And that was before he accepted the mark that was put on his skin. That was burned onto his skin.
He didn't remember much, but he remembered that pain, the scorching fire that lit his arm ablaze. It was like an inferno, concentrated solely on his left arm until it felt like nothing more than a charred stump.
Regulus stumbled into the Manor; the Malfoys had been the ones to host the evening's festivities, and thankfully, due to many obligated balls in his youth, Regulus knew the layout of the place.
He found the room he'd been assigned without much trouble, and collapsed onto the bed, the pain making him feel faint.
His body shook uncontrollably, and he knew he should call Kreacher to deliver him a pain potion at the very least but he didn't have the energy even for that.
Instead he lay prone and trembling, angry at himself for his weakness.
He'd heard wonderful things about the Dark Lord, and yet now, he realised too late that he'd joined a madman who took delight in inflicting pain and suffering on the people who served him.
He would never have believed that, from the stories that Bellatrix had told him.
Too late, he realised that the Dark Lord earned respect through fear, his power leaving anyone who thought about betrayal too scared to act on it.
Not that it would have mattered if he'd known the truth earlier. He wasn't Sirius; he didn't have the courage to go it alone, to leave his wild mother to blast his name off of the family tapestry.
He wasn't going to fuel her madness by abandoning his family duty.
A quiet knock on the door sounded, but Regulus was too tired and sore to even call out a greeting. The door opened anyway, and gentle hands were pulling him into a sitting position.
Regulus realised it was Rabastan standing before him. He had no idea why the man was there. The two of them, no matter that their families travelled in the same circles, had never spoken.
Rabastan ripped the sleeve of Regulus' robe silently, the tearing of the fabric the only sound in the room.
It sounded unreasonably loud.
He followed suit with Regulus' shirt, until the Dark Mark was bared to the air, sending a fresh wave of stinging through Regulus, who yelped.
"Relax," Rabastan whispered. He reached for the mark, and Regulus tore his arm away from the gentle hold, shaking his head emphatically.
"I need you to let me touch it, so I can clean it," Rabastan told him calmly, waiting patiently for Regulus to offer his arm gingerly.
Rabastan cast a cleansing charm almost silently before he reached for a bowl on the mahogany bedside table that hadn't been there before.
"Murtlap Essence," Rabastan explained.
The moment it made contact with his skin, it eased the pain off a substantial amount; enough to make Regulus moan with relief.
"Marry me," he muttered, flushing when he realised what he'd said.
"You can't marry a man you just met," Rabastan replied quietly, sounding amused. When Regulus looked at his face, he could see the man was smiling.
Rabastan applied the Murtlap Essence carefully, pausing occasionally when Regulus' arm tensed involuntarily with the pain.
"Why are you doing this?" Regulus asked, when the pain had lessened enough for him to think clearly.
"You're young," Rabastan grunted. "Just a kid. You shouldn't…" He clammed up, shaking his head.
Regulus could only agree silently. He was a week out of being a student. Seventeen, and his life path had already been mapped out for him.
"I had no choice," he whispered bitterly. He winced when Rabastan's hand slipped and caught the very edge of the mark.
"You'll get used to it," Rabastan assured him, though the look in his green so dark it was almost black eyes wasn't comforting.
They looked almost dead.
Haunted.
"And if I don't?"
"I don't recommend that."
Regulus snorted. He could only agree with that, too. If the torture before he took the brand was anything to judge on, he wouldn't be safe unless he followed instructions to the letter.
He had a suspicion that even then, the Dark Lord wouldn't be satisfied.
"You need to make yourself invisible," Rabastan said suddenly, his eyes meeting Regulus'. "Overlooked. If you can do that, you might just survive this."
"Is that how you do it?" Regulus asked.
Rabastan chuckled darkly. "Not even slightly. I enjoy the work I'm asked to do, and so I excel at it."
Regulus' eyes widened.
"You, on the other hand, are going to struggle. You're going from being a student to a Death Eater with no chance to make that transition. And that will not be taken into account when you get sent out on missions."
"What… what if I can't handle it?"
Rabastan sighed. "Let's just hope that you can, shall we?"
Vanishing the Murtlap Essence, Rabastan placed a vial of familiar looking substance on the table.
"Dreamless sleep," he murmured, offering confirmation to Regulus' thoughts.
Now that his arm had settled to a duller ache, he wanted to take a shower before sleeping. He felt filthy, the grime of blood, sweat and tears covering his body.
"Is it wrong to wish he'd killed me instead?" Regulus asked suddenly, when Rabastan was retreating to the door.
A fierce look filled Rabastan's eyes, and he stepped forward, raising his hand to Regulus' cheek.
Regulus flinched, but when the hand made contact, it was as soft as the eyes were hard.
"You, are not allowed to die."
"I might not have any say in the matter."
Rabastan shook his head. "I'll protect you."
He left then, Regulus staring after him.
Turning, he saw a tray of food appear on the bed. Kreacher, Regulus assumed. Picking up a plum from the fruit bowl, he sat down.
What would happen next, he didn't know. Impossible though it seemed… perhaps he wasn't as alone in this as he feared he was.
Written for;
Character Appreciation - 24. Regulus
Disney - Q3. "You can't marry a man you just met."
Book Club - Governor Dragna - Fear / Power / Plum
Showtime - 5. Impossible
Buttons - D2. "I need you to let me touch it." / W4. Filthy
Ami's Audio - 6. Dark Green
Lo's Lowdown - 7. Overlooked
Days Of The Month - World Snake Day - Write about your favourite Slytherin
Summer - Relax
Colour - Mahogany
Fire Element - Charred
Gryffindor - Scarlet
Astronomy - June Solstice - Solstice
Hot Air Balloon - 5. Wish
Eagle - 26. Student / Smiling
Film Festive - 22. Fierce
Debate - Major Character - Regulus / Dreamless Sleep
Faeries; Fire - Burn / Fire / Fuel / Anger / Wild / Uncontrollable / Ablaze / Inferno
Insane House - 352. Murtlap Essence.