Regulus could feel the hands grasping him, pulling at him. He struggled weakly in their harsh grip. Regulus knew he would die, but that did not stop him from one last effort to live.
Kreacher was gone. He had taken the Horcrux, the locket.
Regulus tried to whip his body around. If he was facing the way he wanted to move, then he'd have more of a chance of survival.
As soon as he twisted, he came face-to-face with more Inferi. One latched onto his robes, and Regulus felt the seams tear under its fingers. It shoved him backward, lunging with him. He stumbled, and to his horror, he lost his footing. Falling back, he hit the water.
For a moment, he saw the night sky. The moon shone brightly, yet coldly. It had never seemed so far away.
Each star seemed unfeeling. The sky was a source of hope.
It was all about 'shooting for the stars' or 'landing on the moon.' At least, he had heard those phrases many times.
…Before he became a Death Eater.
After he did, all phrases meant to be uplifting and inspiring seemed to fade away.
Thinking about it, Regulus wasn't sure if that was because he had lost hope or because the Dark Lord – no, Voldemort – had not wanted to entice rebellion because of hope.
The timeless moment seemed to last hours. In reality, it was only a moment before he was dragged under.
The inferi grasped his arms, preventing him from surfacing. Each second, another grabbed him, many pulling at him, killing him.
There was nothing he could do. Regulus looked up, now staring at the blurring, moving light of the moon.
As he watched, it became dimmer.
Why?
He became aware of a sharp pain in his chest.
Regulus needed to breathe. He knew that. Looking at the moon, he opened his mouth to take a breath. He longed to see the stars, but they had been swallowed by the dark waves.
As soon as his mouth opened, slimy water flooded into his mouth. He choked, losing more air than he could afford. Still, he was swallowing water.
Slowly, he watched the moon as it grew darker. Why was it disappearing?
What was happened?
Then it disappeared.
And so did everything else.
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Regulus blinked open his eyes. The first thing he was aware of was a bright white light.
He clenched his eyes shut again.
"Regulus?" a voice called. He opened his eyes again.
"Father?" Regulus asked incredulously. "But – but you're dead!"
He became aware that he was lying on the ground, but he wasn't in pain. In fact, he felt much lighter than he ever had.
Nothing seemed to truly be worrying him. What happened?
"So are you, Regulus. You gave your life to defeat Voldemort." Regulus surprised himself by not flinching. For some reason, the name didn't cause any fear.
"I – I'm dead," he asked. His father nodded. Suddenly, memories assaulted Regulus. He gasped as he remembered the cold water… and the sky. Looking up, he saw only light.
Confused, he looked at his father.
"Where's the sky?" he asked quietly. The moon and stars had always meant a lot. He longed to see them. After all, he didn't want his last time to see the moon be from when he was dying.
His father smiled as Regulus asked.
"It's below us."
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