R.A.B
- Donna Vito Frutti
Little League Contest, Season 1, Round 3
Position:Chaser-3
Team:Slytherin
Prompts:
5. (quote) 'To die would be an awfully big adventure.' - J.M Barrie, Peter Pan
9. (word) history
10. (creature) mermaid
Disclaimer : JK Rowling owns all
A/N - This was extremely hastily done, in under 2 hours. So pardon me for typos, errors, lack of flow, lack of logic, etc. Unless you're a judge. But, perhaps, not even then.
R.A.B
To die would be an awfully big adventure, Regulus thought.
"Kreacher."
It was a little after midnight, and the night was dark and cold. Regulus had made up his mind tonight. He had a job to do and he had to do it quickly. He found the elf sleeping in his cupboard.
At the sound of his name being called, Kreacher woke, throwing the cover off him, and sat up, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.
"Master Regulus is up this late at night. What can Kreacher do for him?" he asked. Regulus looked pale and sick to the elf. He was also slightly shaking. Something was obviously bothering his master. And then he noticed a locket chained around his neck.
History couldn't be rewritten. But, perhaps, future could.
"Kreacher, I want you to take me to the cave that the Dark Lord had taken you to."
The elf froze. He felt something like dread inside him. He tried hard to forget about his ordeal in the cave. He often had nightmares about that night. His forehead broke out in a cold sweat.
"Master can't be serious."
"I am, Kreacher. Come on, now." Kreacher felt a certain pull in him, which meant that he was bound to obey his master. Ignoring the sense of dread in him, the elf stepped up to Regulus, taking his hand in his, and then apparated.
They landed on the top of a high, dark rock. Regulus breathed in the fresh air and smelt salt in the wind. He could hear the sound of the crash of waves against the rocks, that made people wish they were mermaids, so they could swim in the sea forever. The air was cold and damp. The breeze ruffled his hair, as he looked out. The stars in the sky were few and sparse, and the moon was hidden. He glanced over his shoulder. A towering cliff stood behind them, a sheer drop, black and faceless.
"Master must follow Kreacher, now," the small, worried voice of his elf said. Kreacher beckoned Regulus to the very edge of the rock where a series of jagged niches made footholds leading down to boulders that lay half-submerged in water and closer to the cliff.
It was a treacherous descent. The lower rocks were slippery with seawater. Sprays of cold water hit his face as he went. As they reached closer to the cliff face, Regulus had to use his wand. "Lumos," he said. The light sparkled upon the dark surface of the water a few feet below where they crouched and illuminated the black wall of rock beside them.
Regulus saw a fissure in the cliff into which dark water was swirling, and understood at once how they had to enter the cave.
"We must swim, Master Regulus."
"Lead the way, Kreacher."
The water was icy and it was dark inside the cliff. Kreacher had used his magic to light the way ahead and Regulus followed him. Soon, they came across a tunnel whose walls were narrow. A little way in, the passageway curved to the left.
Then Regulus saw Kreacher finally rising out of the water. When Regulus reached the spot he found steps that led into a large cave, and clambered up them, water streaming from his soaking clothes, and shivering.
Kreacher snapped his fingers and he felt his clothes dry up.
"What now, Kreacher?"
"A blood payment, Master Regulus," said Kreacher, slitting his palm and letting his blood fall on the rock face.
Immediately, the rock face vanished, leaving an opening into what seemed total darkness. An eerie sight met their eyes: They were standing on the edge of a great black lake, so
vast that Regulus could not make out the distant banks, in a cavern so high that the ceiling
too was out of sight. A misty greenish light shone far away in what looked like the
middle of the lake; it was reflected in the completely still water below. The greenish
glow and the light from the two wands were the only things that broke the otherwise
velvety blackness, though their rays did not penetrate as far as Regulus would have
expected. The darkness was somehow denser than normal darkness.
"Be very careful, Master Regulus. You must not step into the water. There are creatures in them…"
"What creatures?" Regulus asked, his heart already pounding. Kreacher did not answer, and only whimpered. "Kreacher, are you scared?"
"Kreacher is, Master Regulus. Very much so."
"Don't worry, Kreacher. I'm with you. I will not leave you behind."
Kreacher nodded and set off around the edge of the lake. Regulus followed close behind
him. Their footsteps made echoing, slapping sounds on the narrow rim of rock that
surrounded the water. On and on they walked, but the view did not vary: on one side of
them, the rough cavern wall, on the other, the boundless expanse of smooth, glassy
blackness, in the very middle of which was that mysterious greenish glow. Regulus knew instinctively that the horcrux was there.
"Do we go across the lake?"
"Yes, Master. There is a boat to take us."
After a short while, Kreacher stopped and then snapped his fingers. A thick coppery green chain appeared out of thin air, extending from the depths of the water into Kreacher's clenched hand, and began to slide through his fist, coiling itself on the ground with a clinking sound that echoed noisily off the rocky walls, pulling something from the depths
of the black water. A tiny boat broke the surface, glowing as green as the chain, and floated, with barely a ripple, toward the place on the bank where they stood.
As the boat approached, the greenish light seemed to be growing larger at last, and within minutes, the boat had come to a halt, bumping gently into a small island of smooth rock in the center of the lake.
Being careful not to touch the water, they stepped out, onto the island. Regulus saw that the greenish light was coming from a stone basin set on top of a pedestal. Taking charge, now, Regulus approached the basin and looked down into it. The basin was full of an emerald
liquid emitting that phosphorescent glow.
"Kreacher," he said, softly, and felt his heart pound faster. "I have to drink the potion."
Kreacher trembled. "Master, you mustn't."
"Yes, I must, Kreacher. Listen to me. You must do exactly what I tell you to. That's an order."
For the very first time in his life, Kreacher felt a sort of conflict in him,. The command to obey that conflicted with the fondness for his master. He covered his face in his hands and whimpered.
"Kreacher, listen. You must ensure that I drink the potion completely. No matter how much I try to resist it, you must keep me drinking till the last drop. When the basin is empty, I want you to switch the locket with this," he said, as he removed the locket from around his neck and put it around Kreacher's. "Once you've done that, I want you to take the locket, leave me and go home. Go home and tell no one about what transpires here. That's an order, do you understand?"
Bursting into tears, Kreacher nodded.
Regulus summoned a goblet, using his wand and dipped it into the potion, and started drinking. At first, the liquid seemed cold and chilling, but as it went down his throat, it burned with heat. He began seeing things. Memories that he tried not to relive. Then the ordeal was over. When the last drop of the potion was finished, he felt a burning thirst.
Through glazing eyes he saw Kreacher switch the lockets. And then he crawled towards the edge of the lake to quench his thirst. He lapped up the cold water and then suddenly a pair of pale, dead hands wrapped around his hand.
Startled, Regulus tried to get away, but the hands were already dragging him down.
"Master Regulus!" Kreacher screamed.
"Kreacher, go," Regulus screamed, too. "Remember what I told you. Go home now."
"Master Regulus, no," Kreacher was screaming. "MASTER-" With a last cry, Kreacher was gone, his obedience to his master winning over.
Regulus struggled furiously, but was unsuccessful. He still had his wand in his hand. "Incendio!" he cried, numb with fear, his heart pounding against his chest. A small blast of fire escaped his wand and hit the pale corpse in front of him. But many more kept coming. And then, as he backed away, he felt more hands grab him from behind. Another pair wrapped around his hand, and his wand fell, clattering against the rocks. He heard the splash as it hit the water, and then he knew, without any doubt that it was already too late for him.
He was going to die.
He realized then that he didn't want to be brave and he didn't want to die. But it was already too late. He felt his resolve break and he screamed in pure terror, as they lifted him up and dragged him back, into the water. He struggled against the cold, pale hands, but it was of no use.
He was terrified.
Moments before he hit the water, the world seemed to stop for a moment. Regulus found himself looking at his reflection, and saw how similar he was to Sirius. Not so different after all. And that was the last thing he thought as he drowned.
And then nothing stirred again in the dark surface of the water, as the body was dragged down under…
… to a watery grave.
A few moments later, a body floated back up, inches from the surface, it's eyes misty, as though covered with cobwebs and its hair and its robes swirling around like smoke.
To die would be an awfully big adventure.
They lied.