This is for various competitions and challenges:

Wishes of the Dark Side: Inner Circle
Off The Block Competition: Freestyle: Hard
Ten Day Competition (WON)
Oh The Thinks You Can Think Competition: Horton 2.0
Star Light, Star Bright Challenge: Star
Star Challenge: Arcturus
That's You! Challenge: Niki
Hedley Song Challenge: Anything

⏩Prompts are: Regulus Black, "I wish I could forget" and Wingardium Leviosa.

🔳 Status: ( ) INCOMPLETE (✔️) COMPLETE

I'm sorry if this story is a bit scatter-brained.

➰MY BLACK ROSE➰

MADE BY: REGULUS BLACK

️Regulus Arcturus Black was the son of Orion and Wallburga Black. Black, at a young age was destined to be a Death Eater who were also known as "Knights of Walpurgis" and the followers of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort was one of the most powerful Wizards the Wizarding World had ever known. He was previously known as Tom Marvolo Riddle when he had attended Hogwarts.

Regulus admired him to such an extent that he had photos and articles of Voldemort and his followers from newspapers hung in his bedroom, and had made it his ambition to join Death Eaters, anyone would have thought that he was under the Imperio curse. But no, he was blinded by his foolishness of what was wrong and what was right and the influence of his parents.

He possessed a mad glint in his eyes and wild black hair to go with it. He had a good relationship with his parents, but only because he stuck to the family tradition and they were proud of him for that. But they were completely oblivious to the madness in him which led him to his own death.

Then there was Sirius Black who, God bless him, was his older brother and who also managed to see some light in this epitome of darkness, instead of blindly following everyone else into the dark. He was the complete opposite of Regulus black, and a good man he was.

Regulus went to Hogwarts in 1972. He was sorted in Slytherin and he quickly became a part of his Quididitch team. He always despised James Potter, who was a year older than him and was a rival in Quidditch. Regulus had friends but there wasn't was one particular person or group that he stuck with.

Now let's speed into fourth year:

This was the year where everyone developed a crush either go to Hogsmeade with or try to spend time with. But with Regulus, no one really caught his eye or interested him in that way. His friends had asked him about it, or had pushed him to go to talk to a girl, but Regulus would just shrug and say that this didn't really matter to him.

However, there were a couples of pretty girls who'd try to coax him into asking them out or something along the lines of "...Hogsmeade with me?" Or even, "...study together?"

But even with that, he'd spend his days studying alone, not because he wanted to be on top of the class but he rather enjoyed learning on his own and he liked the idea of teaching himself before the teacher did. He was quite a powerful Wizard for his age, and the teachers acknowledged him and gave him the respect he deserved. He'd sit at the Slytherin table, with some of his friends around him, although he'd never or rarely ever converse with his mates. You can say he was a quiet person, who kept to himself.

But sometime in the year, somehow, Adalia Rose had managed to get Regulus' attention. And he didn't even know how.

She had piercing eyes, with the colour of Atlantic blue mixed with the pale blue that you'd find on the flower hydrangeas. She had olive skin and long raven black hair with small clips which had little yellow stars on them. Her posture was sometimes rigid in potions class, radiating off nervousness while her self confidence was evident when she was with her friends.

She was extremely talented in Arithmancy. He had wanted some help from her, given that he'd help her in Potions. He hadn't even talked to her before and during this time he only wanted to clear a couple of doubts, which, he couldn't clear even with the help of his textbook.

He had mustered up the will to walk over to her and ask. Not that he was ever shy or anything, he just wasn't experienced in this department and neither did he want to be. He had no interest in girls, right? Or so he thought.

Walking over to the other side of the library where she and her friends were studying, he kept reconsidering this move, thinking that maybe it would be wiser to ask a male. But he was already there, so he just went ahead.

"Hi, I'm Regulus. I was hoping that you could clear my doubts," he said, standing next to her.

She turned to face him and gave him a warm smile. "Hi, I'm Addy. Sure, please sit down and ask away."

She being so open to him, made him feel welcome. He smiled back and pulled a chair, settling himself a minute later. After an hour, his doubts had been cleared, but not so much for his mind. It had been foggy with a set different thoughts.

A week later, she had come to him for help and he had obliged, repaying the favour. After he had helped her, she had given him a hug. He didn't hug her back, because he wasn't sure how to, really. This was an... affectionate gesture. Something he wasn't used to at home. His parents never kissed or hugged him, neither did his brother.

"Your name, Addy, what is it short for?" He had asked her one day, when they were sitting together at the Black Lake. He could now consider them friends, no more, no less. His other male friends were quite astonished at Addy, since she was his first friend who was a female, and they kept nagging him to turn friendship into something more.

"It's short for Adalia. My name's actually Adalia Rose. But my aunts and uncles call me 'Rose', because that's what my Grandmother named me."

"Then what's your full name?"

She played with a stone in her hands and then threw it into the lake. "Adalia Rose Xavier."

Their friendship grew and he started to enjoy her company more and more. She fascinated him to extraordinary extents and sometimes brought him more to life than ever. She'd always confide in him and he'd keep asking her for her opinion about certain things. Although, he was acutely aware of his growing admiration for her. It was only at the end of the year that he noticed that she was extremely close to him, closer than his other male friends. He was rather surprised, because he generally didn't bring his friends that close, he kept them at a distance.

Fifth year, of course, was a completely different story. He was caught in between by two completely different aspects of his life. Some days he was caught in her beautiful amber eyes, the other days, he would be drawn to following his ambition and joining the Death Eaters.

Around sometime in the year, when they were studying together, he saw Adalia Rose walking up to him, looking devastated. You could see her amber coloured eyes had tears in them and her black hair was a mess.

When he saw her in that state, he wanted tell her that whatever was bothering her, would go away, into ashes accompanied with a warm embrace and assurance that he'd protect her till his death. As soon as a thought like that crossed his mind, a part of him would keep telling him that he was falling for her and that was not good. He knew it, but he couldn't help himself. It was happening so fast.

And before he knew it, he was in love with her.

While Regulus had started eating out of the palm of Adalia Rose, his parents were expecting other things from him. He knew it too. He was prepared to join the Death Eaters. This was his lifelong dream, he just couldn't give it away like that now, could he? But still, if he did that he would hardly have any time to hang around with Adalia Rose. She made him happy, and that was all that needed to be said.

They'd have endless conversations together, about every single thing in their life. When the OWLS came closer, they'd help each other, making studying enjoyable more than it had ever been. Their favourite place was the Black Lake; after politely requesting the House Elves to make their food and pack it up, they'd head over there to spend another brilliant afternoon together, after classes or on weekends.

He had only hoped that someday she would feel the same way.

He knew Adalia was completely clueless about his Death Eater ambition. She was good, too good for him and he knew that she would be strongly against it but he wanted to be a Death eater, to make his parents proud and to feel powerful. It was, after all, why he had a mad glint in his eyes.

She was also still partly the reason why he hesitated about the Death Eaters. But it was towards the end of the year that he was convinced it was for the best if he joined the Death Eaters.

See, this is the reason why;

After the OWLS, probably on the last day, Regulus was walking towards the Black Lake, to sit by himself and to think about what he was going to do in the future.

"Hey Reg, wait up!" He heard someone call. He didn't need to to turn around to figure out who it was.

He turned around and smiled. "Hey Addy."

But to his surprise, she wasn't smiling. She looked rather pale. He wondered what was bothering her and he wanted to ask but decided against it.

"There's something I need to say.." She started.

"Continue," he said gently.

" I need to say before I LEAVE," she said shortly.

"Leave? For the Summer, right?"

She shook her head and looked down, her eyes filled with sadness. "No Reg, my parents are moving away, forever."

"What? H-how, I mean... Why?" He was fumbling with his words. He couldn't believe that she was leaving, and forever! No, this girl was the closest person he ever knew, after his parents.

"I'm sorry, it's just that me and my Father are moving to another place in Britain, to stay with my Mother because she's terribly sick a-"

"Stay with me." He interrupted. He was dead serious.

"What? Reg, you know I can't!"

"Please Addy," he now sounded desperate. So desperate that only a lover would be able to say it to his other half. He was holding her hands tightly, as if he never wanted to let go.

"I-I can't, which is why I've come to tell you that I," she couldn't continue because she had started to sob and her body was shaking.

He embraced her in a tight hug and even though he wasn't crying, he was close to it.

"Addy, you don't have to leave," he whispered when he was holding her tightly against him.

"My mother needs me, she's so sick Reg, even the Healers are getting scared." Adalia Rose was torn, but she knew where her loyalties lie. She would not be disloyal in a time of need.

After she pulled away, she looked at him and she whispered, "My portkey is scheduled to take us to Glasgow in half an hour, I've got to go and... I love you so much."

She gave him a quick kiss and left, just like that, within seconds. Regulus was having a hard time processing things in his head. This whole fiasco happened so fast, it was like an illusion.

But it did happen and it was the blatant irony of the situation which drove him insane. Her last sentence, to him, went a lot like, "Okay, I'm gonna go away in half an hour for a very long time and, I love you! Bye." And that was it.

He was devastated that she was gone because he kept thinking, "what could've been". In fact, he was in melancholic state of mind, mixed with anger and different emotions that he had never felt before. But then another side of him woke up and shook him HARD, and bitter thoughts slowly started creeping in. This was reality, and now that she was gone, he was free and wasn't tied to anyone. There wasn't any reason for him to not join the Death Eaters, there was no barrier, no nagging thought. He could finally fulfil his dream of becoming a Death Eater.

He was 16, young and healthy. He could now join the Death Eaters with no regrets and no second thoughts. Damn her if she wanted to go away, he could do whatever he pleased. He was now furious and livid that she had just left like that, with all sadness disappearing because she had gone without telling him any sooner and now, he knew exactly where he could take out all the anger.

The beginning of Sixth Year, was his initiation period. It was when he got the Dark Mark and was assigned his first task: Torturing muggles. This was the perfect outlet for him, for his anger and frustration. He tortured them with a passion and he knew it, yet he never felt guilty or troubled by it. He was numb. You could say he had changed, completely.

✖️ 2 years later. ✖️

"Mark, how many? Regulus asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

Regulus was now 18 and a full-on Death Eater, killing and torturing people wherever he went, with no second thoughts. This was second nature to him. He was working up the ranks and he couldn't be any happier.

"We've got 12 new Mudbloods. They're in the cells," Mark answered.

Regulus and the Death Eaters, by Voldemort's orders, were supposed to bring out the prisoners and torture them slowly to their death, one by one, tonight. The two of them were walking towards the cells, to join the other Death Eaters for the 'torture ceremony'.

When they reached, Regulus went to wait outside while Mark headed towards the prisoners. Mark opened the cells, and the noise of the rusted gate creaking was heard, as it swung open.

"Out!" He yelled at them. The 12 slowly trudged out, all of them in a haggard state and exhausted.

There was a large room with a throne where Voldemort sat and got an excellent view where his prisoner would be tortured and killed. It had paintings of snakes on the walls, some painted with blood.

Regulus was waiting for the 12 to enter so that Voldemort could finally watch him, as he mercilessly gave the prisoners hell. He studied each and every one as they walked in, a heavy chain around their hands. There was first an old couple, a man and woman who were struggling to walk. Regulus was tempted to throw a hex to make them walk faster.

Then there was a little girl around the age of eight who was silently crying to herself. Her brown hair was all over the place and her clothes were torn. She was stumbling around the place. The next was a boy, about the age of fifteen. He was slumping and his hair was covered in blood. He was limping as he had a swollen ankle which was twisted. After Regulus silently studied them, his eyes fell on the 11th prisoner. It was a girl who had raven black hair and amber eyes which he faintly recognised. Her face was covered with muck and dirt whilst her clothes were coated with blood. Her forehead was bruised and bleeding, as well as other parts of her body. Her amber eyes, which were usually filled with determination and spirit, were now broken with depths of sadness which no one deserved to have.

She looked the worst of them all, like she had really put on a fight. He walked up to her to get a better look.

And when her eyes fell on him, she frowned a bit and then it struck her hard, like a bludger to the gut.

"Regulus?" She whispered. And even though it was a whisper, it had pain entwined in it with betrayal painted on it. Her voice was weak and hoarse after screaming out of pain.

His face was indifferent. "Shut up, Mudblood."

She spat on him. She couldn't believe it. Regulus, her Regulus was standing next to her, awaiting and in charge of her death. The sort of pain and betrayal she felt was surreal and unearthly, almost impossible. It was as if her heart was clenched, and not in a poetic way but in an actual physical way with physical pain.

She had already been tortured enough, and to know that REGULUS was part of it, was as if someone had lifted a boulder and plonked it on her head. It was unbearable. She'll admit, she loved him. And even after she had left two years ago, she still did.

Regulus was having a hard time putting a façade. He was disgusted that she had spit on him, but he was still indifferent as he slowly backed off. As much as he didn't care about her, he couldn't help but feel a tugging feeling at his heart. Why, damn it, did it have to be her? it made the task harder. He kept contemplating what to do. The sensitive part of him, which had been dead for a long time now, was woken up and was kicking into action. He was being persuaded by himself to let her go. Only her.

No, he wouldn't. His loyalties were elsewhere. He had worked up to a respectable rank, the past two years. He couldn't just give that up for a girl, right?

But this girl was different, she was special and divine. He was having an inward battle and it was frustrating him to insanity. Finally, after he contemplated more than he ever did in his life, his conscience won. How? He wished he knew. Because somewhere, at the back of his mind, that sensitive part was playing memories of them together. In fact, it started playing from the first day he met her, when he walked up to her up to clear some doubts till the last day, where she had kissed him and left, 2 years ago.

To say that he was not close to tears, was a lie. The love that he had for her had resurfaced, and it was all coming in a rush. He suddenly got up and removed a set of keys from his back pocket. He told Mark that he had to privately deal with one of the prisoners. Mark looked extremely suspicious and perplexed but eventually nodded.

Regulus' hands were shaking as he unlocked the lock around her hands.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice small but harsh.

He didn't respond. He only dragged her with a force that looked like rough handling. She kept asking him what the hell he was doing but he didn't say anything, only pulled and pushed her more violently. Other Death Eaters were now looking at him as he dragged her out, calling out insults at her occasionally.

They walked for a while, well he was half dragging and half carrying her since she was just too weak and exhausted to walk. He was slowly getting worried that they were taking too much time to cross the gates and the other Death Eaters would find out that he was betraying them.

A few minutes later though, they finally went outside the gates and across the wards where it was possible apparate. He turned to her. The night was black and the moon was full, but that was what added to the situation, like an enhancement. The moonlight kissed her skin and even though her face and body was full of dirt, she still possessed the same beauty she did two years ago but to him it was like a great epiphany.

"Regulus," she whispered as if it was the most profound word in the world.

Her face was evident of confusion for it was just seconds ago that he had insulted her. Regulus was always and would always be an enigma to her.

He gripped her forcefully and she shrunk back in fear.

"Promise me," he said softly, as if he was struggling to say the words, "that you'll apparate away from here, as soon as I let you go."

She could only nod. The expression on his face was etched with worry, and so full emotion that she couldn't comprehend all of it and talk.

The both of them could hear the echo of multiple footsteps on the barren land. Regulus knew that he had taken too much time to take her across the wards and the Death eaters had figured out that he was up to no good.

"This rose, I have made it for you. It is everlasting and it will never die. And if I give it to you, it gazes directly into my heart. The moment I stop loving you, it will lose all it's strength and wilt. It'll only wilt when I die."

His words were strained and he was saying it slowly, as if explaining to a child. He knew that he had loved her all along, considering that he had made this rose sometime in fifth year but he never had the chance to give it to her; no time was appropriate because he had thought that she hadn't loved him the way he did.

"What rose?" Adalia asked, as her eyes met his, imploringly. All animosity that she had for him had vanished.

He took out a black rose and it wasn't one that she had seen before. It was midnight black and had a dark, enigmatic air to it. It was the colour of Regulus' black eyes, and even though it was just black, it possessed a forbidden beauty to it, alongside depth. It had a small piece of parchment attached to it.

Just then, someone yelled something and green light was shot out of a wand and hit Regulus. In slow motion he fell, a graceful phantom in the darkness of eternity, dropping the rose, which fell towards the ground in a soft manner, still black as ever. The night closed in on him forever.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Adalia Rose muttered as the rose flew up and she caught it, apparating immediately after that. After she got away, she had wished that she could forget all that had happened. Regulus' death being the most of all.

💠 15 years later. 💠

️Adalia Rose Xavier was shifting to London with her husband and two children. It was a busy day. There was a lot of packing and things were scattered everywhere, which made it a lot harder for her.

She was exhausted after hours of packing things into cardboard boxes and yet, she had hours more to go. She went to the cupboard to resume her task of packing. She opened the first drawer to empty out all the socks, the second one for all the belts. She finally reached the last drawer and opened it. Inside she found something wrapped in paper.

With gentle hands, she unwrapped the paper and found a rose inside, looking black as midnight. Even after 15 years, or one moment, irrespective of how you looked at it, the Rose was in full bloom, healthy and vigorous. There was a parchment attached to it, it was yellow with age and what was written in it was hardly eligible but after some time Adalia Rose managed to read something. The hand writing was cursive and curly, trademark of Regulus. It read:

MY BLACK ROSE

To my beautiful Adalia Rose, I hope that this rose will constantly remind you that to me, you're like this rose. You're strong and the passion that you posses will never wilt or fade.

MADE BY: REGULUS 🔺BLACK.🔻 FOR: ADALIA 🔻ROSE🔺

➰My Black Rose➰

🔱THE END🔱