Story Notes: A one shot for a friend of mine on InsaneJournal. Written years ago and posted here as well because why the hell not?
Characters: Sirius, Regulus, James, various others.
Pairings: None.
Rating: T for mild violence/imagery.
Summary: Regulus has information for the Order.
"Sirius," said Regulus calmly. He held up his hands as though warding off interruption. "No, please just let me speak. After I'm done, you can yell or scream, or hit me, curse me, whatever. I just need to tell you something. It's about the Dark Lord…"
He took a deep breath.
"Voldemort. It's about Voldemort. I know you have close connections with Dumbledore, and I need you to get my information to him."
Regulus took out the fake replacement locket he'd crafted. "The Dark Lord—Volde—…he has a locket just like this and he's made it into a horcrux, so he can be immortal. A—and that just can't be allowed to be. It's wrong. I—I don't want to serve him anymore and I promise I haven't killed anyone yet…and I know that's not enough reason for forgiveness, but I know the location of the real horcrux and if you could make sure they know for me then someone can switch the lockets and destroy it. Call the aurors if you like, but please promise me you'll tell Dumbledore. No one will trust me, but someone might believe you…"
When he was done speaking, Regulus once again pocketed the locket and after taking several deep breaths, looked up at Sirius. "How was that?" he asked, exhausted.
"Well, better," admitted Sirius, leaning against his frame. He folded his arms and raised a single, painted eyebrow. "But you forgot to mention what a horcrux is."
"Oh, fuck, you're right," Regulus groaned, hanging his head.
"Yes," Sirius's voice continued from the wall. "You need to think of some way to convince him it's not all a big trap. Maybe you should offer to go get the locket yourself and bring it to them? I have a hard time imagining Sirius doing anything other than hex you to pieces the instant he sets eyes on you."
Regulus sighed and collapsed back down on his bed. He'd been rehearsing all morning and still couldn't get it all together right. He was running out of time.
"I sent him a letter and he responded. He's agreed to meet me at Jun-Ko's (that's the muggle bar down the street). He knows I want to talk, and I told him I have information, so…"
Sirius smiled weakly at him. He walked out of his frame and into another one closer to the bed to try and comfort Regulus.
"That's good, little brother, that's a really good sign. I just want you to be prepared because the real Sirius isn't like me, and I'm the only one of us you've talked to for years…just, remember that."
"I wish you were him really," Regulus murmured. "The real Sirius, even if he listens to me, is going to have me carted off to Azkaban—if I'm lucky."
Sirius frowned. "Don't talk like that, Reg. Sirius aside, you're only sixteen, nobody's going to send you to the dementors."
Regulus shook his head. "I've been reading the papers. I know the sorts of rights the aurors have under Crouch. Maybe they'll just kill me outright…"
"You're not going to die," insisted Sirius, who now looked fairly alarmed. "If nothing else, Dumbledore will certainly come to your aid on this one. You're one of his students after all. You don't need to worry. He and his side aren't cruel. You'll be taken care of."
"No," Regulus stood up and grabbed his cloak. "I'm beyond that now. But maybe…" He shook his head again. "I have to go now. If I'm late, Sirius will leave and…Sirius?" He turned to the painting on the wall. From it an oil version of his brother stared back at him with cloudy eyes.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Thanks for being there for me…talking to me and such; I really haven't had anyone else since Dad died. And thank you for convincing me to do this. It's something I need." A part of Regulus wanted to skip the meeting with his real brother altogether, lock himself up in his room with his pictures and hide forever.
Not an option.
The picture of Sirius smiled at him. "Be safe, Regulus, please?" he said, a hint of begging to his voice.
Regulus only nodded once and left the room. He had less than half an hour to get to the bar; it might do him good to arrive early and drink something to calm his nerves.
It was one o'clock on a Tuesday. Jun-Ko's was not busy. It took Regulus less than a minute to find Sirius seated at a clean table. Tentatively he approached the brother he has not spoken to in years, regretting not arriving here first but at the same time not at all surprised that he hadn't.
Sirius turned to face him abruptly. Regulus had to admit his brother looked a lot better than he did at the moment. Sirius's face was still full and his hair silky. His joints didn't crack when he moved, his collarbone wasn't abruptly noticeable. Regulus could not claim the same; the stress of his impending death had been slowly destroying his body.
"Regulus," said Sirius neutrally. His neck craned ever so slightly and Regulus knew he was checking to see if Regulus had anyone flanking him. He seemed content and perhaps a little surprised that Regulus had not swooped in with half a regimen of Death Eaters. "You're a little early."
Regulus had no want or reason to appear tough in front of his brother. Hanging his head a little, he replied, "I thought you might leave if you had to wait for me at all. I thought maybe if I arrived early I'd have time to get a little drunk so I'd calm down."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. Slowly he stood up. "I see…" he said. "Regulus…" he permitted a quick glance around the bar to ensure they were not likely to be heard. "Do you have your wand?"
Sirius had been specific in his letter that Regulus was to arrive unarmed. He had not promised to do the same and Regulus hadn't blamed him for it.
Regulus shook his head fiercely and held out his arms, inviting Sirius to summon his wand if he did not believe him.
Sirius murmured something under his breath. Perhaps it was nonsense, but Regulus knew better. His brother was whispering an incantation to see if Regulus was telling the truth. "All right then…" he said once he appeared satisfied. "Why don't you sit down?"
Regulus's eyes fell to a distant member of the small crowd gathered around the bar's television somewhere behind his brother; a man who was staring at them intently, and who Regulus recognized. Not that his hopes had been high to begin with, but Regulus's spirit sank in disappointment nonetheless.
"Would you like to switch me places?" he asked, looking back to Sirius. "So you can face your friend and he can take me out from behind?"
A brief look of panic overtook Sirius's face. From behind him, Remus Lupin strode forward, seeming to know Regulus had recognized him. The hand hidden in his pocket was surely gripping the handle of his wand.
Regulus gave his brother a pitiful look as the latter surged forward and made to seize him. "I really wanted to talk with just you," he whispered sadly. There was no escaping now, though, he would just have to hope the Order let him speak and that someone might believe him. Timidly, he held out his hands, wrists together.
"No need for a scene," he stuttered. Lupin was close enough to take out his wand without drawing attention from the surrounding muggles. "I'll go with you."
Sirius inspected his brother briefly, as though searching for some hint of an ulterior motive, but seemed to find none. He bound Regulus's wrists together, a debatably necessary move since Regulus had no wand and possessed only the tiny amount of upper-body strength his skeletal frame would allow.
"Silencio," Sirius said quietly, and Regulus felt his voice leave him. He started to panic, shaking. If he couldn't speak, then he couldn't convey his information! Was Sirius truly not allowing him even the chance to redeem himself?
"This way," Sirius pushed his brother discreetly out of the bar, Lupin following close behind. They marched the youngest Black around the corner of the building and pulled him into the tiny shadow below the fire escape.
Regulus braced himself as Sirius gripped what remained of his bicep; they were going to apparate somewhere.
Apparation was never something Regulus had excelled at. He hadn't even taken his test yet, although he had apparated illegally many times to transport himself to the Dark Lord's side. He was an incredibly claustrophobic person, and the feeling of being compressed, however briefly, was horrendous for him.
They arrived on the steps of an old, leaning house seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Regulus was a little worse for wear. He teetered unevenly on shaking legs and had to suppress the urge to vomit what little there was in his stomach. To all sides he could see nothing but rolling hills and wheat fields. Despite never having been there before, Regulus had a good feeling this was the home of one of the Dumbledores, most likely Aberforth, and perhaps a potential Order Meeting Place as well.
Regulus got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach when he realized that neither Lupin nor his brother had bothered to blindfold him. It was not a good sign that they showed such flippancy about Regulus knowing the location of their hideout.
So they are going to dispose of me, Regulus reasoned. Was he really surprised?
"Come on," said Lupin in a slightly nervous voice. "Inside, I suppose."
Regulus gave him a sharp look, trying to communicate something along the lines of What do you think you've got to be so nervous about, Lupin?
Sirius held Regulus close to his side and marched him forward. Regulus's boots slid impotently along the walkway as he tried vainly to stop their progress. The door of the house was looming closer and Regulus had a feeling in his stomach like a deadweight that if he entered, he would never leave.
"Do I have to knock you out, Regulus?" Sirius growled. Regulus, who had clamped his eyes shut, opened them to see Lupin giving him a pitying look. "Because I will. Move."
Regulus opened and closed his mouth furiously, trying to scream and yell all at once, but no sound emerged. Instead there was only the sickening feeling that his throat had been clogged with a mound of damp cloths.
Sirius briefly halted their march and pulled Regulus around to face him.
"You wanted to play with the grown-ups so badly. You went off to kill and torture and terrorize for those lunatics—"
Regulus shook his head frantically. No, he needed to scream. I didn't do anything like that!
"—but now that you've been caught you want to throw a fit and struggle like a little child? Well you're not a child anymore, Regulus, so you don't get to play that card." Sirius's grey eyes narrowed. "But if you insist…Remus, get the door for me, please."
Lupin dashed ahead to unward and open the front door. Sirius took hold of Regulus by his hair and then grabbed his legs out from under him.
Regulus wasn't sure if he would have yelled or merely squeaked in surprise had he still had a voice to use. Sirius carried him unceremoniously over the threshold with a hand gnarled in his hair the way one might hold the scruff of a disobedient cat. Regulus hoped his jutting hipbones, elbows and ribs were digging into Sirius in the most painful way possible.
"And we're in," came Lupin's voice behind them as he closed and sealed the door. Sirius did not set Regulus down.
The home they had walked into was nice, with soft, shaded lamps and cozy looking chairs in the living room. Everything was dark, but what lights did glow were warm and faintly orange. Down a hall, Regulus glimpsed a small but cozy dining room. Painted plates hung on its wall and all of the chairs had matching red cushions. Down the hall further was a staircase, and it was in that direction that Sirius carried him.
"That'll be them, do you suppose?" came a voice from the basement.
Regulus heard some indistinct shuffling and then saw a tall woman with black hair and rectangular glasses come dashing up the carpeted stairs, wand outstretched.
"Sirius!" she barked. "Remus…" She eyes Regulus with a calculating look.
"Marlene," Sirius nodded casually over his brother's head and Regulus instantly felt stupid for not recognizing the woman sooner. He knew Marlene McKinnon. Not well, but he'd spoken to her in the hall, had run into her several times down Diagon Alley when he had been shopping for school and she—graduated and settling into a home of her own—had been escorting her younger brother as he did the same.
"I don't suppose a couple of imposters could have gotten past the wards," she said cheekily. "Should I quiz you anyway?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "My favorite color is blue, our first Order meeting was a disaster because everyone was drunk, and I no I still won't go out with you because you're not only the furthest thing from my type but Remus has a massive thing for you and just imagine how awkward that would make things."
Sirius strode off down the stairs before Regulus could see Lupin or McKinnon's reactions, but he could hear Marlene snap back, "Of course I'm not your type. You're a Black, so your physical attraction to someone goes up directly proportional to how closely related you are…Oh, Remus look at that blush! I suppose that means you're really you. Come on then, let's go down and see what Sirius has managed to drag in for us."
The basement was small, more of a cellar, really, and Regulus felt his claustrophobia flaring up again. His chest started to heave as he glanced frantically around, seeing only concrete walls.
There were racks of wine up against the walls, and a few chairs settled in front of a fireplace, but the center of the room was where everyone was at. Beneath a low-hanging chandelier was a long dinner table. Seated around it were six order members. Regulus recognized James Potter immediately and felt his heart constrict further. Of all the people to witness his death, it had to be James bloody Potter! Was it not enough that Sirius had replaced him with this boy, but now he had to drag Regulus down here to kill him in front of him, too?
Here, James, Regulus imagined was what might be scuttling through Sirius's head. Not only are you my favorite brother, here, I'm going to make you my only one, too!
Regulus groaned to the best of his ability.
The others at the table he didn't entirely recognize. There was Benjy Fenwick and Alice Longbottom sitting next to the man he presumed was her husband...Frank? There was a man who looked like a smaller, fatter version of Regulus's beloved headmaster. He figured it was Aberforth. The final was a man with blue eyes and dusky brown hair Regulus felt he had never seen before.
"What have you brought us, Sirius?" asked James Potter, chuckling. Remus had flitted around the table to sit next to his friend.
"Yes Sirius, I'm a bit curious as well," murmured Aberforth.
Sirius finally dropped Regulus to his feet. His legs tried to collapse beneath him, but Sirius kept him standing.
"I promised you a Death Eater to interrogate," he said simply. "And that's exactly what I've got."
"Is that…one of your cousins?" asked Alice, and Regulus felt a confusing stab of hurt in his chest. He knew Alice, truly he did! They had spoken many times. She was a Slytherin, like him. Several years older, of course, but she had been so kind and had on multiple occasions helped him with assignments—especially history because Regulus had always been so dismal at history—it was she who had taken the time to correct his entire essay on the Magical Renaissance during his fourth year (he'd received an O, for god's sake!) Did she really not remember him?
"My baby brother, actually," said Sirius with a pronounced sneer that looked ugly on his face. Regulus had never heard his brother sound so cruel before; it seemed off.
Alice nodded in understanding. Aberforth seemed equal parts surprised and impressed.
"Boy," he said pushing his drink aside. "I thought you meant you had come up with a plan for us to get ahold of one of them, I didn't know you meant you already had one!"
"Yeah me too," said Frank, laughing slightly. "I'd have dragged Moody over here if I'd known you were bringing one in live. Dumbledore, too."
"Moody can have him when we've finished," James said smoothly. "And Dumbledore'd be way too soft with him."
"And what do you suppose Professor Dumbledore would think of us right now," said the brown-haired man. "Slinking down here like this to torment this poor kid where the rest of the Order can't see us?"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Caradoc" reasoned James.
"Yeah and that poor kid is a murderer," said Marlene.
Regulus shook his head urgently. Sirius smacked him to make him stop.
"I can't believe I'm letting you use my house for this, my brother's going to be furious," sighed Aberforth.
"He'll forget all about it if we can get him a preview of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's plans."
"Yes, Frank, I suppose that's true," Aberforth admitted. He took a very large drink from the beer stein in front of him. "So Sirius, I didn't know your brother was a Death Eater."
Now that he and Sirius were the only ones standing, Regulus felt very exposed, like he was on display.
"Yeah he is," Sirius said bluntly. "My best guess? He joined up to make Mummy and Daddy proud of him. He never did know any better than to just think and do whatever anyone told him, and my parents got to him first."
There wasn't an ounce of sympathy in Sirius's voice but the brown-haired man—Caradoc?—was looking at Regulus with distinct sorrow on his face, and seemed constantly on the verge of saying something. Regulus peeked his eyes out from behind his limp bangs and made eye contact with the man. Caradoc looked down.
"Well bring him over here then, Sirius, let's get started," said Alice.
Sirius tightened his hands on Regulus's shoulders and steered him forward. Regulus's hands were released only to be rebound behind the back of the nearest chair as he was forced into it. The last of his survival instinct kicked in and he struggled wildly, but there were nine of them and he stood no chance.
Once Regulus was restrained, Sirius lounged into the chair next to him and everyone else took their seats again as well.
"You can give him back his voice now, Sirius," said Frank, who had obviously deduced that Regulus had been magically silenced.
Sirius nodded and returned Regulus's voice to him. Regulus immediately opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by James.
"When did you join?" he asked harshly.
Regulus redirected his voice to say earlier last year but his vocal chords were sore from disuse and he couldn't form the words fast enough to appeal James who threw a stinging hex at him. The spell connected with the base of his neck and drew a small scream from his mouth.
"I said when did you join?"
"L—last…at the beginning…la—" Sirius's wand touched the underside of his jaw in warning and Regulus jumped, actually scraping the chair a few inches to the side. "Last February!" he cried, trying to keep from getting hexed again. "Early last February!"
"And who have you killed?" asked Marlene in a casual voice. Regulus could not believe such an emotionless tone could come from someone who had always seemed so sweet.
"No one," he said.
"Liar!" she spat, raising her wand in turn. "Did you kill Dorcas? Do you know who did? Were you there?"
Regulus shrank into himself, taken aback with the sudden outburst of hostility, not that he had been expecting any less during his interrogation, only he had had thought things might escalate more slowly than this.
"Answer me!" Marlene yelled.
"No, I don't know! No one!" Regulus insisted. "I never hurt any—"
Her wand came down. Regulus felt his head snap to the side and a moment later, cool blood started to slide down his face, dripping onto his neck and shirt. In his peripheral vision he saw her raise her wand again and Regulus gasped, bracing himself for the impact.
Aberforth grabbed her wrist.
"No," he said calmly. "Let Sirius."
"But…" Marlene reluctantly settled back down in her place. "Sirius," she hissed. "Make him answer me truthfully."
Sirius blinked. "What…why me?" he asked dumbly.
"He's your brother, Sirius," said Aberforth coolly. "So he is your responsibility. I expect you to get the information we want from him. Certainly…you didn't think you could just bring him here and make us do the hard parts for you, did you?"
"Of course not…" Sirius muttered. "Regulus," he turned to his brother. "Did you have anything to do with Dorcas's disappearance?"
Regulus shook his head for what felt like the millionth time that day. "I don't even know who that is, Sirius, please, you have to listen to me," he pleaded.
"I don't think he's lying," said Sirius to his group.
"Sirius, please, I need to tell you—"
"Then make sure," Aberforth said loudly.
Sirius looked around uncertainly. Regulus thought he might have a brief moment to speak, but soon he was hit with conjunctivitis curse, and all he could do was scream and groan as his eyes felt like they might burst forth from his skull at any moment.
Sirius seemed startled by the strength of his spell and lifted his wand quickly, ending the torment. Regulus sat limp in his chair, tears streaming down his face and his vision only slowly returning to him.
"Ask him for a list of names," he heard Lupin's quiet voice from somewhere to his left.
"Good idea." James.
"He'll lie." Frank. "He'll say he isn't allowed to know."
Regulus felt dizzy. His eyesight finally righted itself. What had he been so intent to say before? It had been important…it had been about…horcruxes, that was it! And he was running out of time to say it!
"I..I…there's…Sirius!" he cried. "Sirius, Sirius," he chanted his brother's name over and over again. "I…you have to listen, the Dark Lord, he—"
"Expulso!" Sirius yelled, and Regulus felt his watch explode with great force, gouging into his wrist and loosening his bonds as a result. He let out a cry of surprise and pain as he felt blood, hot this time, rush down the back of his hand and splash to the floor. It felt heavy, like his blood was a single, long string that was being forcibly pulled from his body.
"Now how about that list?"
Regulus could only shake. This wasn't going to look good.
"I don't really…know anyone," he whimpered. "We've always got masks on and the Dark Lord doesn't use names…but Sirius please there's something more important—!"
"He's lying," said Alice loudly. "He has to know at least some of them, how else would he have joined? Sirius, make him tell the truth or I will!"
Sirius looked more than a little uncomfortable. "It makes sense, though," he said quietly.
Marlene gave him a look that could have set him alight.
"Regulus," Sirius barked. "Who signed you up?"
Regulus coughed and felt bile rise in his throat. "D—Dad," he sputtered. "Because you were gone—"
"Crucio!" Sirius screamed immediately and without thinking. "You are a liar," he yelled. "You're lying about that, you always lie!"
Regulus nearly jerked free from his bonds. He'd never hurt so badly in his life. Something hot was stabbing him all over his body, it was as though each blood vessel would surely burst, and once again he couldn't see.
Sirius stumbled backwards, nearly into Lupin's lap, when he finally jerked his wand away. Regulus continued to twitch and yell. In a fit of pain, the youngest Black lost his head and glared at his brother. "I have never lied to you," he spat through gritted teeth.
These words took Sirius aback and his face took on an unreal quality, as if he were remembering a conversation from a long time ago.
"Is there anyone in the Order spying for You-Know-Who?" demanded Frank suddenly. "Answer me! Sirius, curse him again!"
Sirius, whose brief trip down memory lane had left him a little pale by that point, turned to Frank. "I, uh…I don't know why I…I just reacted…"
"It's ok," said Aberforth calmly. "You wanted to get answer from him, Sirius, and that's exactly how you do it. So by all means, continue."
"I'm not sure I…" Sirius turned back to Regulus. "Do you—do you know of any double agents, Regulus?" he asked quietly.
Regulus's mind was spinning. Someone other than himself was disloyal to their side? There had to be. They must already suspect someone if they had thought to ask him about it.
Unfortunately he had no idea, and it showed.
"He's not going to answer," said James.
"Probably because he doesn't fucking know!" Caradoc hissed. "This is disgusting. Sirius, stop it."
"Of course he knows!" screeched Marlene.
"So what if he doesn't," said Frank loudly, drowning out everyone else. "He's a Death Eater, he deserves far worse than this! Dorcas is dead!"
"It's sick how much you're enjoying this," Benjy said from the corner of the table. It was the first time he had spoken since Regulus had arrived. Regulus looked up at him pathetically, thinking he might have gained another sympathizer.
"You can always leave if you don't want to be here," Alice whispered. "But this is war, Fenwick. You signed up for this."
Benjy shook his head. "I'm not sure what Order you think you joined," he muttered, but did not protest further.
"He's losing blood, so you'd better hurry," said Alice.
"Right…" Sirius grabbed Regulus by his hair again and turned him to face him. "I'd advise you to start answering now, Regulus."
"Sirius, please," Regulus croaked. "You have to listen to me."
"We're all listening," said Frank evenly.
Regulus trembled. "I've figured something out," he whispered. His head was swimming and Alice was right, he was starting to feel dizzy from the persistent loss of blood from his head and wrist. "The Dark Lord is making himself immortal—"
"You fucker," Marlene screamed and next thing her drinking glass collided squarely with Regulus's temple. "He's making up wild stories to change the subject. He's trying to weasel out of answering!"
Sirius looked frantically to Aberforth who only raised an eyebrow.
"Then make him behave, Sirius," he said plainly.
"But I don't think I can—"
"He's all yours, boy," Aberforth continued. "You wanted to bring him here and do this, and he is your responsibility."
Sirius looked to Regulus, who had been knocked out cold by Marlene's heavy glass. "Ennervate," he whispered, and Regulus was dredged from his blissful unconsciousness. Through bleary eyes he noticed that Lupin had at some point walked out of the room, perhaps amongst all the commotion.
Twice Sirius tried to crucio him again, but he could not summon the hatred necessary for the spell this time. In his confused state, Regulus was saying only Sirius's name, over and over, and it was pulling up more memories.
Broomstick rides, Christmas mornings, nights curled up together hiding from storms, Regulus traipsing all the way up to the Gryffindor common room to tell Sirius how he had got his very first kiss…
How easy it had been to hide those memories away when Regulus was nothing more than a blurry thought inside his head! How difficult it was to escape them now that Regulus was in front of him again!
Frank waved his wand and summoned what looked like a hunting knife, with edges built for slicing through thick fur and hides. "Here," he said briskly. "You don't need magic."
Sirius stared at the knife, snatching it only when he saw Marlene leaning forward as though she herself might take it.
"Regulus," he said in an almost pleading voice. "What went on at your last meeting, what did you learn? Regulus, what did you learn?" he repeated himself, because Regulus was looking quite dazed by that point.
Regulus eyed the knife with resignation. "The Dark Lord," he whispered. "He is making horcruxes…"
The only two aurors in the room, Alice and Frank, flinched in surprise and then looked at each other meaningfully.
"More lies and nonsense!" insisted Marlene. "Dorcas is dead and you won't even admit to it, you coward!"
"Stop talking gibberish, Regulus," Sirius hissed. "Now answer me."
He pushed the knife into Regulus's belly. It tore through his thin clothing and pierced the skin. Regulus let out a screech like a strangled bird and Sirius only dug the blade in harder, his hand shaking.
From his seat, Aberforth spoke softly, "This is what you wanted, Sirius—"
"I know that!" Sirius screamed.
"What is a horcrux?" asked James suddenly.
"Nothing," said Sirius. "I'm sure he's just making shit up. What else is he gonna' do?" Sirius dug the knife in still further, now to the hilt. Regulus couldn't help but thrash while he screamed, which only tore him up more.
"It's a way of splitting your soul, actually," said Alice, a strange look on her face. It was as though all her compassion had come back to her at once and she was now looking at Regulus with noticeable regret. "When you kill someone, it is possible—at that moment—to sever a piece of your soul and attach it to an object. If you do it correctly, then your soul will live on, even if you are killed, and you may essentially come back to life."
Frank nodded. "It is incredibly rare, dark magic, but it is possible. To get such information would certainly be... Sirius, how exactly did you manage to convince your brother to meet up with you again?"
"He didn't," said Aberforth, standing up with a satisfied look on his face. "It was Regulus's idea, wasn't it?"
Sirius nodded, and slid the knife out. A verifiable river of blood cascaded from Regulus's thin torso, soaking his clothes and pooling beneath him on the floor. He had stopped screaming and was now only jerking violently. Something fell from his pocket in all the movement and clanked to the floor.
Sirius picked it up with his blood-soaked hands. It was Regulus's locket replica.
Frank's eyes lit up and he got up from his chair. Urgently he approached Regulus, snatching the necklace from Sirius as he passed. He seemed to have put a lot together in his head. "Where is the real horcrux hidden, Regulus?" he asked, grabbing Regulus's face and stilling him.
Regulus only gurgled at first. There was nothing but a light trickle of blood coming out of his mouth.
"Shh, tell me," he asked again.
"A cave," Regulus managed to choke out. He tried to say more but lost his voice again and only shook.
"Okay, okay," Alice stood up and approached them, seeming to have a better idea. "Regulus," she said. "Just one more thing. How long ago did you learn about all this?" she asked gently.
No answer.
"A week ago?" she asked. Regulus didn't respond.
"A month?" Nothing.
"Two months ago?"
Regulus's eyes lit up and he jumped a little.
"Bingo," Alice muttered. Lightly she placed her wand at Regulus's wounded temple and began siphoning out copies of memory matter. "Get me a vial," she ordered and Frank obeyed.
When she was finished, Regulus slumped down again. Alice held up her very full little bottle.
"This should have everything horcrux related from the last few months. We'll get a better answer about what's going on from watching these. He's…not going to be much use."
Frank looked away.
"Well," said Caradoc, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You've gotten exactly what you wanted, Sirius. You've got great information to give to Dumbledore when he gets here! And you can tell him how you got it all by yourself, too…"
Sirius said nothing.
"Episky," Benjy murmured quietly, and most of Regulus's wounds closed, preventing at least any further blood loss. Only Aberforth heard him.
"What are we going to do with him?" asked Marlene in a voice slightly calmer than before. She appeared to be trying to keep herself composed.
Aberforth grimaced. "Well he is a terrorist...We'll have Moody escort him to Azkaban, I suppose."
"Yes, but in the meantime?"
"He's not going anywhere, Marlene," insisted Caradoc harshly. "Look at him, for fuck's sake. It'll be a miracle if he doesn't drop dead right here."
"He is your responsibility, Sirius," said Aberforth again, but this time with an extra emphasis. His voice returned to normal as he walked away and up the stairs. "So we'll leave you with him while we wait for the others."
"Yeah," said Benjy harshly. "Make sure he doesn't make a run for it or anything." Then he, too, got up and stomped away, Caradoc and the Longbottoms following. Marlene looked like she had something she wanted badly to say, but couldn't bring herself to.
"I'm going home," she told him. "Please tell the other I felt sick when they arrive," and instead of walking upstairs with the others, she apparated on the spot, disappearing with a guilty crack.
James approached Sirius. The last remnants of Regulus's restraints slid off and he crumpled to the floor. He was still breathing, but barely. James could hear voices arguing heatedly upstairs and he had a good idea what about. Caradoc and Benjy would most likely be fighting to take Regulus to a hospital, and the Longbottoms might even be on their side—if only to preserve any of his other memories that they might need to snitch—but they would lose out. Even if Remus reappeared from wherever he had slunk off to and Marlene changed her mind, there was no winning against Aberforth, and Aberforth did not care about Regulus. He cared about teaching Sirius a lesson or two, but Aberforth was not his brother, and he would see to it that Regulus was locked up as soon as possible. It was only practical after all. If you let one Death Eater off, wouldn't you have to let them all walk away? What kind of message would that send to those thinking about joining the Dark Lord? That there were no consequences? James shook his head in disgust. He was feeling pretty disillusioned about this whole ordeal.
He looked at Sirius.
"Do you think…that we needed to do all this?" James whispered slowly. His gaze fell uncomfortably to Regulus, but then quickly leaped away. He couldn't stand to see his shaking, couldn't handle the destroyed look on his face. "Do you think he would have helped us…if we had just asked him?"
Sirius only stared at his little brother. Regulus trembled on the floor but Sirius was too afraid to touch him; he was terrified that doing so would make everything real. So long as he didn't move an inch, he could pretend this was all a horrible nightmare, and that any moment, he would wake up and everything would be normal again. No horcruxes, no guilt, no memories, and nothing but an occasional spare stab of hatred for Regulus Black…
James bowed his head and left the room. He was just closing the door behind him when he finally heard an answer from Sirius.
"No," he said, and there was an odd, broken quality to his voice. He was remembering Regulus's honest 'D-Dad.' "Because Regulus never tells me anything…"
James was gone. Sirius finally accepted reality and tried to make his brother stand, but Regulus was frantic. His eyes fogged over and he didn't recognize the man in front of him. He stared at him in pure terror with an expression usually reserved for the deepest of Lovecraftian horror.
"Please, no, go away!" he yelled, hiding his face in his hands and doubling over. His words were thickly slurred, and mispronounced, as if he no longer remembered how to speak properly.
"Won't you get up, Regulus?" asked Sirius sadly. He sat down next to his brother and tried to still him with a hand on each shoulder. "Regulus…?"
"It hurts, it hurts! None of it's real, make it stop!" Regulus sobbed. He didn't respond to his name, probably didn't even recognize it. Alice hadn't exactly been careful…how badly had she jumbled up his mind and memories when she had been digging around in there?
"Regulus," Sirius grabbed his face and looked directly at him. "Regulus Arcturus Black," he said clearly, but got not even a flicker of understanding. Regulus only shook, and tried to hide his face again.
"Regulus," Sirius insisted, brushing a finger across the wound Marlene had place on Regulus's face. It seemed it might scar. "You have to come back…I—I need to speak with you."
But there was nothing there. They had pushed too hard and something vital had broken. Everything substantial was gone from Regulus, and only his fear remained. Sirius knew the others would return for him once they'd summoned Dumbledore and the others, probably within a few hours. They would want to take him straight to Azkaban.
Shaking his head, Sirius knew he could not let that happen. He could not let Regulus lie locked in this cellar for god only knows how long only to be dragged to that horrific island. He pulled Regulus close to him. His brother was making sounds that might have been words to him, but Sirius couldn't understand. Regulus's tears soaked into his robes as he cried like a child.
'Well you're not a child anymore..' what a lie that had been! He's sixteen, Sirius told himself. Sixteen and scared and asking for help…he's not the monster.
It would be better to kill him; prison would do it eventually…cruelly. He was of no use to either side with his mind gone; he would be left to rot in a cell.
Sirius gripped his wand tightly, shaking a little.
Regulus, incapable of anything other than fear and sadness. Regulus, devoid of life.
Regulus, murdered.
Sirius placed his wand to Regulus's temple.
Avada Kedavra, he thought. Avada Kedavra…It would be so easy. It would be right. Avada Ke—
"Somnus," he murmured. His brother jerked against him, and then stilled.
"I won't let them get you," he whispered, and for a brief instant, he thought Regulus might understand him. The youngest Black was fidgeting in his sleep. How similar this felt to the countless times Regulus had fallen asleep in Sirius's bed, cuddled up against him because the house was scary at night and big brother keep me safe. Sirius took a deep breath and turned his wand swiftly to the side, muttering a further incantation under his breath. Regulus immediately choked and fell limp against him, calmed and no longer restless.
Sirius stood and picked up his body, preparing to apparate on the spot.
"They don't get to have you," he murmured into his brother's soft hair.
Regulus stirred ever so slightly, his breathing even and his unconscious body heavy against his brother, and Sirius exhaled. They vanished, Sirius thinking that there had to be a way, there just had to be, to fix him, make him better. Repair his mind.
Even if it was only enough for Regulus to understand an apology.
signed/tenkuroi