A/N: Written from a drabble prompt from the Death Eater Express facebook group. This turned out to be a bit longer than a drabble, more like a one-shot. The prompt was: Regulus Black, A Broken Wand, A Marauder, 'Muffliato', Snape.
"Shite, shite, shite," Regulus Black muttered as he scrambled up from the boat that had taken him to the island in the middle of the cave. Kreacher looked back at him from the island as Regulus held up his wand that had broken when he'd fallen out of the boat. Kreacher's face was morose.
"Oh, no! Master Regulus, blessed only son of the Ancient and most Noble House of Black! Kreacher should leave, Kreacher should take you and go!" Kreacher reached a hand out to Regulus as if to Apparate them away.
"No! Kreacher, we have to stay. I will drink the potion, grab whatever's at the bottom and then we'll leave," Regulus pleaded. Kreacher was his best friend, he had been since his older brother, Sirius, had been sorted into Gryffindor and been disowned by their mother.
Kreacher looked at him distrustfully, but stayed silent. Regulus climbed to the middle of the island where there was a pedestal fountain. There was a sickly lavender colored potion in the fountain, and when Regulus scooped some of it up, he bottom felt smooth. Kreacher had told him though, that when he drank the whole potion, the bottom of the fountain would open up.
"Kreacher, don't touch the water, and make me finish the entire potion, all right?" Regulus turned back toward the fountain at Kreacher's nod. He dipped the shell that had been lying on the edge of the fountain into the potion and began to drink. The potion itself wasn't that bad as far as the taste went. But it felt as if someone were applying the Cruciatus to his insides. And he began to hallucinate. At least, he thought he began to hallucinate, because Sirius appeared on the island with him. So did Severus Snape. Severus was probably his closest comrade within the Dark Lord's ranks and he and Sirius didn't get along at all.
"Snivellus!" Phantom Sirius called out. "Come to lure my brother to the Death Eaters?"
"Shut your mouth, Black!" Severus responded back brandishing his wand.
"No, Severus don't," Regulus whispered.
"Master Regulus must keep drinking!" Kreacher told him as he poured more of the potion into Regulus' mouth.
Regulus went in and out of the hallucination, sometimes clearly seeing the wand-fight between his brother and friend, and other times realizing it was just a hallucination and only seeing Kreacher.
When the entire potion had been drank, Kreacher reached into the bottom of the fountain, and pulled out a locket. It was gold and gaudy and had a large S on the front of it.
"Is that it?" Regulus choked out.
Kreacher nodded, "Master Regulus, we have to leave! We have to leave now!"
Kreacher grasped his hand and Apparated them both away from the island and cave. They landed in Regulus' childhood home.
"Get, Mother," Regulus muttered before losing consciousness.
When Regulus awoke, he was in his bedroom, his mother at his bedside.
"Good, you're awake," Walburga Black muttered. "It's about damned time. The Dark Lord has been asking for you," she sniffed at her son as she walked out of the room.
Regulus closed his eyes. He was fucked, the Dark Lord must have known. He was a dead man. He needed to get the locket and get out. He hadn't been in the service of the Dark Lord for longer than a couple of months before he realized what a mistake it was. The only other person who he thought was even remotely sympathetic was Severus, but he was also a Death Eater. Maybe Sirius would take him in? It was worth a try, he had to get out of this house with the locket before he was summoned by the Dark Lord.
He called for Kreacher and demanded the locket. As soon as Kreacher came back with it, he stood and began to dress. He was still weak from the potion, but Kreacher aided him where he could. He pocketed the locket, as well as a family wand he'd had Kreacher procure for him. Most families kept the wands of their deceased members, it made it convenient if you needed a wand in a hurry.
"Kreacher, I need you to Apparate me to Sirius' flat," Regulus ordered.
"Blood-traitor, no good son of the most Ancient and Noble House of Black has forbidden Kreacher to enter his flat," Kreacher hissed at him.
Regulus sighed, his brother could be so difficult.
"Fine, Apparate me to the street outside his flat then."
Kreacher nodded and reached for his hand.
When the arrived, Regulus told Kreacher to go back home and tell his mother he'd be home later. That was a lie, if everything went according to plan, then he wouldn't be going home for a very long time.
He climbed the stairs to his brother's flat and knocked on the door. He heard some shout, "Coming!" and footsteps leading to the door.
Remus Lupin stood on the other side of the door, a shocked look on his face.
"Regulus, what…" Remus started, but Regulus pushed past him. He shut the door to the flat with a flick of his wand and started setting wards, locking, and silencing charms on the door, windows, walls, floor, and ceiling of the flat. He even put up a Muffliato for good measure. If there was one thing Regulus had learned in the service of the Dark Lord, it was that he had eyes and ears everywhere.
"Remus? Who is it?" Sirius called from down the hallway in a distracted voice.
"Get out here, brother," Regulus called back.
Sirirus flew down the hallway and entered the front room of the flat, the sitting room, with his wand raised and a snarl on his face.
"What are you doing here, Reggie?" he asked, keeping his wand pointed directly at Regulus' chest.
Regulus held out the locket, so it was dangling from his fingertips, "What do you know about horcrux's?"
Remus looked confused, but Sirius' eyes got wide. He was a Black, he had read most of the books in the Black library, even the dark ones.
"Who's?" Sirius asked.
"You-know-who's," Regulus replied.
"That's it?" Sirius pointed at the locket.
"It's one of them," Regulus sighed.
"Fuck, he's got more than one?!" Sirius shouted.
"Would you two tell me what in the hell is going on?" Remus interrupted the byplay between the brothers.
Sirius nodded, "A horcrux is a horrific bit of magic. You have to kill someone, perform a nasty ritual, then part of your soul breaks off and embeds itself in the object of your choosing. It's a way to become 'immortal', except it has terrible side effects, because your soul is what makes you human."
Regulus nodded his agreement.
"And You-know-who has made more than one of these things?" Remus asked the horror rising in his voice.
Regulus nodded, "I don't know how many though, I was lucky with this one. He borrowed Kreacher to get it into place. I had Kreacher bring me there so I could steal it back."
"Why?" Sirius asked the suspicion heavy in his tone.
"I realized after a month or two, that I had made a terrible mistake taking the Dark Mark. I wish to atone for that," Regulus told his brother.
"Truly?" Sirius asked.
Regulus nodded, and before he knew it he was swept up in a huge hug.
"Thank the gods, Reggie," Sirius whispered in his ear as he hugged him. It felt like coming home to be hugged by his brother. They had been so close as children, but Hogwarts and their parents had done their best to separate and keep them apart. Regulus finally felt like he was home. His brother had always known what to do when they were children, he would know what to do now.
A/N: Feed the review monster!