Obedience
Disclaimer: I don't own HP (or Hannibal, where the allusion is from).
A/N: This is for the Globetrotter Drabble Competition – the city is Hong Kong, China. Please enjoy.
Voldemort is manipulative, and he hides behind twisted and gnarled excuses as to why he does what he does. He's responsible for every death – regardless of who was the direct tool. Voldemort is a man with a crayon box of emotions that lies empty of some of the most valuable and significant emotions, needed in order to be a decent human being. He's left in a spectrum of darkness. Regulus is sure of this, from his perch on the sidelines. The man is a vile, sadistic, broken and reprehensible monster. Regulus' heart was never in the Death Eaters' cause – he has only a conditioned response from childhood to accept their cause as noble.
"Kill the Muggles and Muggleborns."
"Torture the blood traitors."
Those orders are given to him as his first assignment when he receives the Dark Mark, and his fellow murderers have been kind enough to pick his lambs. He hates what he is, what he has done and what they plan for him to do, with every fibre of his being. Regulus despises them all – he hates his "brethren." And he doesn't believe in this cause, and he just wants to run away – escape his dreadful life, and everything in it.
So then why does he do exactly as he is told? Why does he have his own "flair" to torturing as is remarked by his cousin? Why does he feel like a tragedy at this moment?
At the end of that damned night, Regulus is emotionally exhausted, but he can't rest. He's jittery and jumpy. His eyes dart around the room and he is haunted by the cry of lambs. Regulus is going to break into pieces – his disgust is alive and breathing inside him and it's clawing its way out of him – banging on his gastrointestinal system and gnawing at his bones.
One day, Regulus will break, or maybe he's already broken. Whatever the case may be, he will rectify his wrongs. He will repent and hopefully someone will forgive him.
(He does end up rectifying his wrongs, but he is only the forgotten saint – hidden by a mark of evil on his arm.)