"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love." - Francis of Assisi
There was no blue sky this day, only a rough woollen blanket of mottled grey to cover the land and block out the sun. The usual beautiful hues of the countryside in Little Hangleton were muted to the point of dullness.
The air is heavy with the dampness of a coming storm, even any creatures know to seek shelter as there were none in sight.
It is quiet out, unnaturally so; perhaps the weather was in tune with the moment. Regulus stood proudly in his position, ready to face what was happening.
He was once like the people around him, believing in blood purity and the Dark Lord. That time had passed, and Regulus knew that there was more to life and the wizarding community than the wretched tattoo on his arm. He was going to take a stand and change what he could.
That's what he did by secretly joining the Order as a spy and befriending one of its members: Frank Longbottom.
It was because of his friendship to Frank that he was in this position.
No.
It was because of his love for his best mate and the cause that he chose to be in this position.
He hadn't expected to see Frank one last time before his life would end, but he knew it would happen because the Death Eaters couldn't stop talking about how publicizing his death would nab the rest of the Order.
It almost worked, but Regulus couldn't let that happen.
When he was in his cell, Regulus awaited the time for him to die, praying to Merlin that none of the Order would fall for the trap. Of course, then they wouldn't be who they were. It was then when he saw a figure and a House Elf appear in the dungeons of Riddle Manor that Regulus knew for certain that he had to do what he was doing.
"What are you doing here, Frank, Kreacher?" Regulus hissed through the bars.
His fingers wrapped around the cold material so he could use them as leverage to stand up. "If you don't leave, you'll be as dead as I will be. I won't allow it."
"You're my best mate, Reg," Frank said on the other side of the bars with Regulus' trusted House Elf, "I won't leave you."
He looked around before reaching into the prison. "Now come on. There's going to be a raid soon enough, and I must get you out of here before it begins. The others are waiting on my signal."
Regulus moved as fast as he could away from Frank's grasp. "No, Frank," he said, "that is exactly what he wants. It's a bloody trap. They thought if I had a 'public execution' it would lure you out."
"I don't care," Frank said with a firm look, "I am not letting you die in here."
The frail man shook his head and laughed in a raspy tone. "I would rather it be just me than all of you for this cause. You can continue on without me."
Frank's eyes were glistening with tears forming. "I can't continue on without my friend," he said, his voice barely going above a whisper.
Regulus didn't like the desperate look forming on Frank's face. It didn't suit the man as he always looked so composed, so outgoing when it came to life. Probably because Frank was trying to save his.
Regulus couldn't let him. If he had to choose between losing his life for the greater good of their people or keeping it and lose the last hope for a good life, he would die in a heartbeat. His defection from the Dark Lord was his first choice.
Being approached by Frank Longbottom after a class and accepting his offer of friendship was the next choice. One of his favorite choices if he said so himself.
Joining the Order of the Phoenix as a spy was another choice Regulus had made. He only had one condition that was rather tricky to complete: keeping it a secret from his brother. Sirius was many things that Regulus could only admire; he would never amount to the man his brother has grown to be.
Though his reason to keep his position a secret was because he wanted to keep Sirius safe. No one in the family could learn of his actions as the burden it would carry would have been too much for them.
Perhaps it was too late for that, as they would learn of what has happened soon enough if they hadn't already.
Regulus shook his head and glanced back at his friend. Frank had Regulus' back, and Regulus would have his. When it was time to case one of the areas for a potential Death Eater raid, it was Regulus who stepped up before Frank could; there was a feeling of trouble that Regulus didn't want Frank to endure.
It turned out he had been right. Regulus had made the wrong move, yet at the same time, it was the right move to keep his friend out of harm's way.
"You did a bad thing for a good reason," he told himself.
"Regulus…"
Regulus met his best mate's dark eyes, seeing the sorrow swimming through the tears trying to fall. "Frank…"
Frank raised his wand and reached through the cell. "Take my hand, Regulus," Frank pleaded. "All you have to do is take my hand. I could apparate out of here in no time."
Regulus looked at the hand outstretched for him to take. It was time for him to make another decision. Frank was not going to like it, but he would have no choice.
"No," he said, "I will not. Go while you still have the chance, Frank."
"But–"
"Go!" Regulus moved to the farthest part of the cell. "If you do not, you will not be able to be the father I know you can be."
Frank had dropped his hand, eyes growing wide. "What?"
Regulus sighed. He had accidentally found out some days before his capture when Alice was getting medical help in the room next to his; another reason why he had chosen what he did. It was Alice's news to give, but it was the only thing that Regulus could use to get Frank away and keep the others at bay.
"You heard me right," Regulus said, "you are to be a dad."
He raised a finger and pointed towards the end of the corridor.
"Now go and keep the others away from here. I refuse to let that mad man get what he wants."He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I won't lose my friend."
Frank's lip quivered. "Why do I have to lose mine?"
Regulus looked down, not being able to give an answer that would hurt neither him or Frank. He lifted his head back up to look his friend in the eye once more, however his eyes shifted when he heard sounds in the distance. Time was running out, so he had to make this quick.
"Promise me something, Frank."
"What's that?" Frank asked as he gripped his wand.
"Promise me that you'll get out of here and be the best father I know you can be," Regulus said, "and that you know I'm doing this for you, for our cause."
He shook his head lightly. "It's what's right."
He could tell Frank was having a hard time answering; he saw the effort it took for Frank to swallow. "I...I promise Reg."
Regulus moved as fast as he could manage back to Frank, looking him firmly in the eye. "You're the best mate a young man like me could ever ask for," he said, "thank you for giving me a chance at all."
Frank's lips parted as he smiled sadly at Regulus. He didn't want Frank to leave, but Frank had to leave in order to live and win this for them. "You're welcome, mate."
"Now bugger off, you sod," Regulus said with a laugh that quickly developed into sobs. "Get back to the others and let them know that this is a trap before it's too late."
Frank gave a firm nod before looking around. The sound of the doors opening reached Regulus' ears, and he looked to the House Elf that had accompanied his friend to his cell.
"Get him out of here, Kreacher," he ordered.
Kreacher bowed. "Yes, Master," he said as he took Frank out of the dungeons before they could be caught and captured.
As soon as they were gone, gruff looking men appeared with Rodolphus Lestrange in between them. Regulus thought the grungy yet sophisticated style of Rodolphus' dark hair suited him with the leer to match.
"Are you ready to face death?" Rodolphus asked.
Regulus looked him in the eye, doing more than telling him that he was more than ready. Their trap didn't work, but that didn't mean he was going to live after its failure. Regulus was fine with that; it meant it gave the Order more time to do what was needing to be done.
"After you."
Regulus stood where he was behind Riddle Manor, standing his last stand as a living man. Unfortunately, during his last stand, the Death Eaters wanted to be dramatic about it.
"Regulus Black, you have been charged with the crimes of treason and conspiracy to commit murder of the Dark Lord," Rodolphus started as Regulus was spelled in place in the center of the garden.
Regulus looked at all of the men and women that were surrounding him as Rodolphus spoke. His eyes scanned across his cousins; Narcissa had an unreadable expression while Bellatrix sported a wicked, gleeful expression on her face.
"Where are your precious Order friends now?" one of the Death Eaters taunted.
Regulus didn't care to figure out which one it had been.
The consolation that came with his fate was that he managed to get the Order away from the events before they met the same ending before the fight could be won. He rolled his eyes as he drowned the rest of Rodolphus' reading out until the ending.
"Any last words?" Rodolphus finished, reaching for his wand.
Regulus nodded. "Matter of fact, I do."
He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "I am Regulus Arcturus Black, and this will do nothing in your favor," he started, "All of you fools think that you've won?"
Regulus tossed his head back and laughed. "You're only giving the Order power! The power of equality and love for all will prevail!" he said, "Your wicked ways will not win against the divine truth!"
His grin was wide as he told his last words. "You will never win, no matter how long it takes."
Regulus felt and believed every word that he said, knowing it to be true. The Order would be the victors of this war. Lives would be lost, Regulus had no doubt about that. He just hoped that none of those lives had to belong to the man he had kept from this fate this time.
If time reversed back to that choice, Regulus would do it all over again; he would do anything for the good of the Wizarding World and his friend. Regulus' last thought before he lost the life in his body from jets of green lights was that he hoped to meet Frank's son one day.
Alice was holding Frank, who was sobbing in her arms over the loss of his best friend."I can't let his death go in vain, Alice," he said.
"I know, Frank," she replied, rubbing his back soothingly.
Frank held onto his wife, staring at the wall. The rescue mission had failed, and he couldn't save Regulus. Regulus had given his life for them because he knew it was a trap, and that would make him one of the bravest men that Frank had ever met.
"It will not go in vain."
A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments) and The Houses Competition
(THC) House: Hufflepuff; Position: HoH; Category: Themed; Prompt(s): [Weather] Cloudy
(HSWW) Assignment #1: Muggle History Task 2: Write about someone becoming a martyr for their cause
Insane House Challenge - 660. (dialogue) "I won't leave you"
Dueling Club: Teak Wand: (quote) "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.", (dialogue) "You did a bad thing for a good reason.", (setting) Little Hangleton
Character Appreciation: Profession: Spy
Showtime: 8. (genre) friendship
Count Your Buttons: (dialogue) "Take my hand", (character) Rodolphus Lestrange
A Year in Entertainment: (relationship) Best Friends
Stickers Challenge: Gryffindor Collection - Lion: (trait) Brave
Liza's Loves: The Wicked and the Divine
356 Prompts Challenge: (genre) friendship
Word Count: 2,009