Disclaimer: I own nothing, J.K. Rowling does.
Ghosts
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Chapter 1
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The Cave
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The ceiling looks like water. Regulus Arcturus Black squints and reaches out to touch the ripples above his face, but he can't feel their texture on his fingers. He frowns. Shadows surround him, strange shapes moving slowly. Some of them have a face.
Now Regulus' eyes are wide open, and he stands up. Or he tries to. Instead of putting pressure on his knees and bending his legs, he just shoots up and floats. He's not sure what he's seeing or where he is, but he understands he woke up in the water. That ceiling was not a ceiling at all. He also notices that he can see, but he knows it's pitch black around him. So, he somehow developed night vision. Interesting.
He looks down at his body and finds himself shimmering. A white glow pulses around him, the tip of his fingers is almost sparkling. More than that, he can see a stone basin through the hand he's holding at eye level.
Now he realizes he hasn't tried to breathe yet. He's still floating, and he doesn't feel his body. There is a nasty gash on his right thigh which should be bleeding and should definitely hurt. He pokes it and doesn't feel any pain. He can touch his own body, but he can't feel his environment. His gaze falls on the stone basin once more and he remembers.
He remembers Kreacher, the Dark Lord, his shaken beliefs. He sees the dark skull and the snake on his forearm, part of it torn away by what looks like claw marks.
Claws. Inferi. Horcrux. He betrayed the Dark Lord and died trying to rid the world of him, after seeing him for what he really was.
The Dark Lord had been fascinating. He had appeared like a saviour for their traditions, a saviour for magic itself. His lineage blinded followers and supporters alike. Who better to restore long lost traditions and protect their world against barbaric Muggles, than the descendant of Salazar Slytherin? He spoke with a passion that ignited a fire in all those who shared his beliefs. Most of Regulus' family was too proud of their own name to worship the ground he walked on, but they approved of his ideas wholeheartedly. This, of course, excluded his cousin Bellatrix, who considered the Dark Lord to be a god. But she had always been unhinged.
When Regulus was recruited, his mother told him she was proud of him for the first time. He felt validated and important, he had a purpose. Then came the darkness.
Regulus had never killed anyone before. He had delusions about what his life would be like as a Death Eater and hoped to join the Inner Circle. That was before he took the Mark.
To be branded required the cold-blooded murder of an innocent. Regulus started having second thoughts and struggled to raise his wand.
The Dark Lord gained power quickly. His minions swept Britain to get rid of the unworthy, the dirty, the blood traitors. He killed Purebloods. He killed his own followers in anger, or for fun. None of them mattered to him. Regulus often thought about defecting, but he knew he would have nowhere to go, and he was terrified.
When the Dark Lord gave Slytherin's locket to Kreacher to hide, Regulus understood. No family was better versed in the Dark Arts than the Black family. Not even the Malfoys. The young man knew what made the Dark Lord immortal, and it filled him with dread.
A horcrux.
So, he went to the cave, stole the locket, and died.
He remembers all of it now.
The lake below his feet is filled with the things that dragged him under the surface, tore his body apart and drowned him. He wonders if he can still talk: he screamed enough to destroy his own voice, or so he thinks.
"Of course, I can still talk, I'm dead," he tries, just in case.
His voice doesn't have an echo. He wonders if he can get out of there and hopes he's not stuck, because it would be a terrible place to haunt. He flies across the eerily still and dark waters, towards the door that can only be opened with blood. When he passes through the stone, he lets relief flood him, and finally looks around.
Perhaps he only died an hour ago, he's not sure. He has no concept of time. It's still night outside and it was sunset when he entered the cave, so it can't have taken that long.
He calls for Kreacher and is not surprised when he doesn't show up. He floats alongside the cliff's edge and wishes he could smell the sea and feel the wind on his face. Suddenly, he's overwhelmed by such a mix of emotions that he can't help but gasp. It's only a sound since he doesn't breathe, but the effect remains. He knows he would be crying if he was alive. Actually, he is crying, he just doesn't feel his tears on his cheeks. He just recognizes the blur.
He made it. He might be dead but he's still here. He can make sure Kreacher destroys the locket and do his very best to end the Dark Lord's reign. Perhaps this is why he didn't move on. Unfinished business.
He only needs to speak to the living. Elated, he smiles, and his body starts spinning. He has no idea why. When he finally stills, he's glad he can't be sick.
"First things first," he mutters, "find another ghost."
He needs to know everything about his ghostly body, what he can do, and as he ponders the use of magic in his situation, he finds his wand in his hand. It glows, like its core died with him. It's possible, but it doesn't make sense. Wands wouldn't be passed on after their master's death if their magic was lost with them. He has never seen a ghost with a wand before, but he has to admit he never paid attention. Perhaps his wand was special and chose him for all eternity. Ollivander would know.
Regulus' next step is to apparate. Which he can still do, apparently: in front of him stands Hogwarts. There's a pull in his chest and the castle calls to him.
He hopes he won't get stuck there. Why every ghost he's ever seen but him is tied to one place is another detail he needs to figure out. Or are they truly bound? They must be. If not, why did Moaning Myrtle choose to dwell in the girls' toilets?
By the time he reaches the gate, he's not alone anymore. There is a Thestral following him. Regulus stops and touches the creature, finding it beautiful under the moonlight. His lips stretch into a wide smile when he feels its warmth under his fingers. He can at least touch one living being. The Thestral sees him and nuzzles at his neck. Regulus laughs.
Being dead isn't too bad so far.
"Regulus Black. Welcome."
He immediately recognizes the Bloody Baron's voice. The ghost of Slytherin never speaks to anyone but the students of his own house and his raspy voice is unforgettable. The young man's throat gives the illusion of swallowing. The Baron is standing on the doorstep, the heavy double door behind him is closed. He extends a hand, an invitation to enter.
The Thestral stays behind and Regulus swears it's pouting.
When he enters, he finally feels something. He's sure it's the magic of Hogwarts that makes his skin tingle and warms him up. He wants to cry once again but refrain from doing so this time, because there are so many ghosts in front of him that he's taken aback. He had no idea how haunted the school was.
Nearly-Headless Nick salutes him, pulling his head off his neck and making him wince slightly. Thankfully, Regulus is a Slytherin, and a true Black: hiding his emotions is in his blood. The Friar is the first ghost to pat him on the shoulder and just like with the Thestral, Regulus can feel it. He notices the beautiful ghost of Ravenclaw behind the translucent crowd and regrets not spending more time talking with the dead when he was a student. She looks sad and he wants to know why.
He barely hears the conversations around him when the pull manifests itself again. He decides to follow it later.
In the next hours, until the sun rises above the fog, he obtains answers:
- He's still here because he chose to stay. They tell him that, and he's confused, because he just woke up and doesn't remember being asked for his opinion.
- He can touch things and beings that were themselves touched by Death. These beings can, in turn, see him while he's still invisible to the rest of the world. Speaking of being invisible, because he's a new ghost, his form is still basic, so he won't be seen by most wizards. Little by little, he'll be visible to children and animals, then adults.
- He might turn into a Poltergeist if he lets anger control him or if he actively refuses to accept his condition. But, they tell him, if his soul hasn't been darkened too much, becoming Peeves' best friend won't make him cruel. He's not so sure about the stain he possesses. He has killed in the name of a lunatic after all.
- He shouldn't concern himself with the affairs of the living. Tough luck, he thinks, because that's exactly what he intends to do.
- He's not haunting the cave because he has no attachment to it. Myrtle stayed in the bathroom since it was her refuge when she was bullied. Regulus might get stuck somewhere later on. If he does, he hopes it won't be a toilet.
- He might be able to do magic. Nobody ever died with their wand following them into the afterlife.
Then, he learns he's been dead for two years. Today is November 2nd, 1981, and the Dark Lord has been vanquished.
"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you," he asks, blinking in surprise. "You said the Dark Lord died?"
Did Kreacher destroy the Horcrux? Did he even know how? Regulus forbade him from telling anyone after all. But if he did, why is he even here? Why did he wake up?
"Everyone in the school is talking about it. Front page news. Happened on Halloween," a gruff, unknown ghost explains.
He finds the idea of looking for a Daily Prophet distasteful, so he decides to seek the most accurate source: Dumbledore.
The crowd of ghosts disperses when children start to roam the hallways. Regulus floats up the stairs until he finds the familiar Gargoyle. He has only been to Dumbledore's office once, unlike his brother who might as well have called it home.
"-wards," the old wizard sighs, and Regulus curses under his non-existent breath as the Phoenix looks straight at him.
McGonagall's expression is icy. She huffs, and her attitude reminds him of a prank gone wrong when he was in third year. How Sirius only got a fifty points deduction, he doesn't know. The Marauders would have been expelled quickly if they had been in Slytherin, but the Headmaster had a soft spot for them. He stops his mind from wandering and focuses on the living.
"What if they hurt him?" the severe Transfiguration Professor hisses. "Blood wards keep enemies out. What of the ones already inside?"
"Now, Minerva, he's their nephew. Of course, they'll take care of him. Perhaps they won't spoil him, but they will provide him food and shelter."
"He's a baby, Albus! He needs love and care, and these people are not fit to raise a child!"
"Yet they already have a boy of their own. You must understand. There is no choice."
"Who else is on the will, Albus?"
"There is no will. Harry James Potter will be raised by his family, and when the time comes, Hogwarts will welcome him. He needs to grow up away from the fame and from those who would use him. We cannot have him raised by the likes of Malfoy."
Something in McGonagall's eyes tells Regulus she doesn't believe a word he says. He's also even more confused now. There is nothing more to learn here so the ghost roams the castle and listens to every word he hears and lets himself appreciate the carefree smiles and laughter of these kids who just saw the end of a war.
At the end of the day, an accurate picture of events is painted in his mind, and it's a complete coincidence if the pull he's been fighting against all day drags him in front of Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. Which he can touch, unlike every other item in the strange room he finds himself into. It's a Horcrux, and now Regulus can only laugh like a madman, without the slightest hint of joy. How twisted, how monstrous can the Dark Lord be, if he created more than one of the vilest artefact on record? How many more of these will he find?
He needs Kreacher… and he needs his older brother.
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0-o-0
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Hi! This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction, and I hope this first chapter will make you curious! I apologize for the mistakes you'll certainly find as I am not a native English speaker.
See you soon for Chapter 2!