Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.
Rated T for violence towards an animal.
A Walk in the Garden
Regulus has never spent much time with his cousin Bellatrix. She's ten years older than he; she was already at school by the time he was able to carry on a conversation. They only ever really saw each other at holidays and at family occasions, at which she never had more than a few words to spare for him. And yet here they are now, walking together in his family's garden. She came on purpose to talk to him, she says.
"Aunt Walburga says you're interested in joining our Lord," she says.
"Very much," he says. "I'm very eager to."
She smiles. "I'm glad to hear that," she says. "It's good to know that at least one other person in this family wants to go about things the right way. Cissy says she agrees with us, of course, but she'll never lift a finger herself, and we need people who want to take action. You understand."
"Of course," says Regulus. "I certainly want to take action. How do I go about joining?"
"I could bring your name up at the next meeting," Bellatrix says, "if you're certain." He nods eagerly. "Well, then, that's settled, isn't it?" And she's striding down the garden path now, her boots striking the ground in a rapid rhythm. He isn't sure if she sees the toad or not; he's about to speak up to warn her when her heel comes straight down on it, hard.
It's dead, he thinks; it must be. She's bent down, stooping beside the toad, taking a look. Then she looks up at him. "Through the stomach's best," she says softly.
"I'm sorry?"
"Through the stomach's best," she repeats, picking up a stick that's lying in the path and poking the tip against her finger. "I had a toad when I was six, so I know. Here, you do it." And she holds out the stick to him. He looks down at the toad, sees it twitching, realizes what she's suggesting. Perhaps she means for him just to put it out of its misery, he thinks, and he's reaching for the stick when she says, "And not too quickly, Regulus. Do it nice and slowly."
Why? he wonders. What does she expect to gain from this? She's watching him narrowly now, as unblinking as a Hippogriff. "I…"
"Not got the guts?" she asks. "You'd better get some quickly, then. You said you wanted to take action, Regulus. This isn't for people who are afraid to get their hands dirty—you've got to curse and kill and torture, and you've got to be happy to do it." It crosses his mind, as he sees the expression on her face, that this isn't a lesson she found difficult to learn. "There's no time to sit around wringing your hands and asking questions, Regulus; this is the most important work you'll ever do! So go ahead. I'll even hold it for you, so it's easier." She picks up the toad and holds it spread-eagled before him, its legs pinched sharply between her fingers. He remains frozen, staring at her, staring at the toad. "I suppose I'd better not bring up your name," she says, "if you can't even bring yourself to do this."
"No!" he says. "No. I want to join."
"Then come on!" she says, and he screws up his face and plunges the stick slowly through the toad's middle. The result is somehow not as dramatic as he expected—it twitches as he's driving the stick in, once or twice, and then goes still. He thinks that he hears Bellatrix's breathing deepen and quicken as he does this, but it's not something that he wants to think about so he just doesn't.
She drops the toad, rises, twists her heel against its body a final time. "I'll let you know the Dark Lord's decision." And she walks back to the house.
He remains where he is. This isn't what it's about, he tells himself, not just things like this. It's about important things, about purifying the Wizarding world and putting Muggles in their place, and those are things that matter to him. When he kills for the Dark Lord, there will be a reason behind it. The Dark Lord knows how to better the Wizarding world, and Regulus is proud to think that he might be joining him soon, and he won't think about this afternoon at all, because this isn't what's important.