As was his new normal, Regulus felt almost as tired when he woke up the next morning as he had before he laying down. Fighting off fake inferi in your sleep didn't leave one feeling well rested.
Not for the first time he considered purchasing a dreamless sleep potion, but knew he wouldn't. Being startled awake by every sound and instantly on the alert was far more appropriate in the current climate than the drowsiness induced by dreamless sleep.
Still, he was determined to make progress in the hunt for horcruxes. The events of the previous day left him with no doubt that it was only a matter of time before the truth behind his Marcus façade was discovered.
He took a steaming hot shower in effort to burn away the memories of the previous night's dreams in the cave. It had quickly become his favorite part of each day to stand beneath the scalding tap for as long as he could stand. As always, the cold immediately seeped back into his skin the moment the shower was over though and he knew he wouldn't feel properly warm again for the rest of the day. It also left his skin slightly pink, but he couldn't be bothered to care about that.
Knowing Dumbledore had a lead on where another horcrux might be, he thought it prudent to talk with him. Right or wrong it was a start less likely to risk the wellbeing of his cousins in comparison to his other ideas.
Knowing what Sirius' plans the night before had been, he didn't bother trying to contact him. It was unlikely he would be awake anytime soon.
After eating a quick breakfast, he walked down the drive of his Uncle Alphard's house to a place where he could disapparate from.
After stealthily avoiding everyone who was migrating around the castle, Regulus whispered the password to the gargoyle and quickly darted into the staircase leading to the headmaster's office. He knew he was putting far more effort into not being seen than necessary- the only person he was actually trying to avoid was likely still being held captive inside the infirmary.
After several minutes of knocking and then waiting and then knocking again on the door of the headmaster's office, Regulus pushed it open and stepped inside. He was alone except for the portraits of previous headmasters. He immediately looked to his great, great grandfather Phineas' portrait and was slightly disappointed to find it empty.
Unsure of whether or not to wait, Regulus glanced around the room, ignoring all of the questions he was being asked by the portraits.
"Where's Dumbledore?" he asked the room at large.
"You did not answer our questions, why should we answer yours?" a red nosed, fat man in one of the portraits answered him scornfully.
Regulus began to fix the man with a glare that would have been considered more intimidating in most situations. Realizing the ineffectiveness of threatening a portrait, he smirked,
"Fortunately, I am not bound by the confines of a frame and can look for him myself," he said before making a half-hearted bow to the portraits and exiting the office.
After shutting the door behind him, he stood just outside of the office for a moment to consider where he should look next. He thought it likely that Dumbledore would be in the great hall for breakfast. He didn't particularly want to be seen by all of the students and staff- especially not knowing if anything had been written about him in, The Prophet, after the events of yesterday.
Regulus felt a chill wash over him that had nothing to do with memories of the cave as he thought back to his battle with Rabastan, Travers and Selwyn. He realized Rachel was not the only person in the castle he should avoid. Katherine Selwyn was currently in her seventh year at school. He didn't know if she even knew her brother was dead yet. He hoped not to run into her anytime soon.
In the six years they had been at Hogwarts together, Regulus had never once seen or even heard of Katherine going to the library. He thought it as safe as any other place in the castle to avoid her - and Rachel. It also had the added benefit of allowing him to research potential artifacts that Voldemort might have made into horcruxes. Decision made, he set off in that direction.
Upon entering the library, he went immediately to where he thought the most helpful books would be and made his selections. He then found the most secluded corner available and settled into his reading. It wasn't long before he became so immersed in his research that he nearly forgot he was only there to wait for Dumbledore to return to his office.
Realizing it was nearly suppertime, he began to stack up the books he had been reading. He knew from his days at school that Dumbledore rarely ate all three meals in the great hall. The marauders must have had his schedule memorized, as they had always saved their biggest pranks for when he was elsewhere.
As Regulus stood to return his books, his abrupt movement caught the attention of someone nearby. Regulus looked in their direction to find a noticeably stunned Barty Crouch Jr. looking at him.
"You're alive," Barty said after a moment.
"Very astute, Crouch. The sorting hat certainly knew what it was doing when it put you in Ravenclaw," he drawled.
"But how- What happened?"
"Is that really what you should be worried about right now?" Regulus asked the unarmed Crouch as he held up his wand in a would-be casual manner.
The younger male looked at the wand warily, "What has changed now that you would attack me? I've done nothing-"
"I hardly believe you've done nothing. I saw you on the train-"
"I cast protective charms on the compartments containing students-" he began in a low tone.
"Just as your master would have wanted," Barty looked around nervously to ensure no one was within hearing range as Regulus continued, "It would be rather difficult for him to maintain his ally's support after needlessly spilling their children's blood," Regulus answered in a voice just above a whisper.
Crouch hesitantly put up his hands where Marcus could see them before walking nearer to him.
"One of your own would be dead if not for me," he whispered. "You are glad Rachel Candor wasn't killed, aren't you?"
Regulus kept his face neutral, despite his surprise, "As much as any other member of the Order I barely know. She looked perfectly fine when I saw her last-"
"You're welcome then. I saved her for you," Crouch answered pointedly, though his expression gave away nothing.
Regulus didn't know what Barty suspected, but he wasn't going to add to the suspicion by taking the bait. Instead he answered neutrally, "I would think saving anyone is far more to your benefit than mine. Azkaban is said to be a wretched place. Out of curiosity, what makes you think you're creditable for her rescue?"
"Because I am. The Order members left her with me to defend the train as they went to play hero. I suggested we split up, each covering one entrance of the train, and she agreed. I knowingly guarded the entrance Bellatrix would be using. When she arrived I told her that a member of the Order was onboard. She wanted to kill her, but I convinced her to let me play victim.
"When Rachel was going to try to fight Bellatrix for my 'benefit' I pleaded with her. I told her it was worth one innocent life to save everyone else's. Naturally she thought I was referring to my own life- and after a bit of compulsion, she agreed to let Bellatrix take me unchallenged. Decent people are easy to manipulate," he snickered.
Regulus raised his wand to Crouch's face, who immediately resumed his somber expression.
"Anyway, Bellatrix then sent me flying into Rachel, who is not a good cushion by the way, before summoning the minister's daughter. As Rachel and I were picking ourselves up, you showed up. Rachel wanted to help you, but I told her that you wouldn't've come if you didn't have a plan. I said that we should do what we could to protect the other students.
"Just as we were finishing the protective spells, the Dark Lord showed up. I immediately knocked Rachel unconscious," at Marcus' look he added, "Gently! During your pathetic ramblings of missing out on the Hogwarts experience, I discretely stashed her unconscious body inside the broom cupboard. Once the rest of you left, I put her back where she last stood. I pretended to be unable to revive her when we arrived in Hogsmeade. Hagrid asked me to take her to the infirmary, and you know the rest," he finished proudly.
If that story was true, then Regulus begrudgingly had to admit that Barty probably was the only reason Rachel was still alive. Not that he would ever give Crouch the satisfaction of acknowledging it.
"Considering the amount of manipulation required on your part for that story to be plausible, you'll have to forgive me for not believing you."
"It's the truth," he answered solemnly.
"Perhaps you shall live to see another day then," Regulus answered sardonically as he began to walk away from Crouch. He knew the younger male to be far too cautious to try to curse him, unprovoked in the library of Hogwarts. It would have been too out of character for the person he led everyone to believe he was.
"Wait, you didn't tell me anything. What happened after you left?"
"I'm sure your master has his own version of the event he will want you to believe," Regulus answered.
Crouch hesitated just long enough for Regulus to take another step away from him before blurting out, "I want to hear your side of the story."
Regulus looked back at him questioningly to find Crouch was staring at his boots For a moment Regulus wondered if Crouch was actually observant enough to figure out who he was by recognizing his foot attire. Then he remembered that he had bought the boots he was currently wearing while in muggle London with Sirius.
Crouch finally met his gaze and added, "If you tell me your side of things, perhaps I could decide for myself which version to believe." It was said with just enough hope and apparent genuineness that Regulus almost believed him. "How did you find out the Dark Lord was going to attack the Hogwarts Express?"
And then he asked that.
Regulus scoffed, "A death eater who dares think for themselves? I doubt it. Let me know when you have something of value to share and we'll talk."
"What happened to you being someone I could confide in without judgment?"
"That isn't what this is about. You happened upon me in the library and took it upon yourself to try to get information that could win you favor with Voldemort."
Barty winced but didn't flinch at the sound of his master's name as some of the more irrational death eaters would have done. Somehow that gave Regulus some small hope that he could come to his senses- though he knew he should know better.
Regulus left the library without a backward glance. He took a roundabout way back to the headmaster's office in effort to avoid as many people as possible.
After knocking on the door, he was relieved to hear Dumbledore's soft, "Enter."
Stepping into the office, he pointedly ignored all of the portraits as the headmaster greeted him amusedly,
"Good evening, Mr. Atilius."
"Good evening," he answered as he looked around the room to ensure they were alone.
"Please have a seat," Dumbledore invited.
Regulus obliged, taking the seat directly across from the desk Dumbledore sat at. Mostly out of habit he looked again to his great, great grandfather's portrait, which still remained empty.
Dumbledore steepled his fingers in front of him, before addressing the youngest Black.
"I'm sure you are here to discuss the lead I mentioned?"
"Yes," Regulus answered simply.
"Very well. Would you like a lemon drop?"
Regulus hid his annoyance at the offer. He had not waited around most of the day to eat whatever a lemon drop was. Though now that he thought about it, he realized he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
"Yes, please." He took one, quickly learning muggle candy was disgusting.
"I wish to thank you for your quick thinking yesterday. Our student body would likely not have remained intact if not for your actions."
"It wasn't that big of a deal," he answered indifferently. "How is the Minchum girl?"
Dumbledore blinked as if in surprise. Was it really that surprising he had asked about her? He had almost died trying to save her, after all.
"Her mother reported that she was plagued with nightmares through the night and wished for her to remain at home longer. Her father, however, felt it prudent she not miss any school. A compromise has been made in that she has returned to school but is to be allowed to sleep in the infirmary for a few days so that Madam Pomfrey can monitor her closely."
Regulus nodded. Nightmares he understood.
"Do you know where another horcrux is?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"I see you are not to be distracted for long. It is true I have a hunch as to where one could be, though I cannot be sure without further investigation."
"A hunch is better than nothing. What have you found out?"
"I've managed to track down an old acquaintance of mine, Bob Ogden. He was the head of the DMLE in the 1920s. Much of what I told you about the Riddle and Gaunt family I learned from him. He once visited the old shack the Gaunt family resided in with plans to arrest Morfin Gaunt, only to be threatened and forced to leave. He returned shortly after with reinforcements and arrested both Morfin and Marvolo. Years later he investigated the murder of Tom Riddle's father and his parents inside their mansion on the hill that overlooked the Gaunt's shack-"
Regulus felt as if his blood had frozen at the memories that description left him with.
"I think you left out some of those details before... I hadn't realized the Riddle family and the Gaunt's were neighbors."
"Oh yes, I'd imagine their marriage caused quite the scandal in the neighboring town."
"So, you think a horcrux may have been left in one of those places?" Regulus asked doubtfully.
"I believe the shack, perhaps. It was the home of Voldemort's last living pureblood relatives."
"It seems a bit…unprotected. Doesn't it?"
"I have not yet been able to locate the shack, so I could not say. I think it safe to say though, that if a horcrux is hidden there, it shall have strong protections. Not unlike the cave you visited."
Regulus cringed internally. He never wanted to see another inferius for as long as he lived.
"Alright, Sirius and I can check it out. What is the name of the neighboring town?"
"I cannot expect the two of you to go alone. As I said the protections will be strong to say the least-"
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing the two of us can't handle. We were able to acquire the locket, after all."
"You also had a house elf."
Regulus scoffed, "Well, I suppose I could bring Kreacher if you think it necessary."
"There is too much at risk for you to go alone. We do not know for certain if there is a horcrux there or not and there is no telling what protections are in place. There is also the possibility that you would do nothing but draw attention to yourselves, and to what you are looking for."
"Why did you bother telling me about it if not for us to go?"
"I wanted to extend an invitation for you to accompany me the next time-"
"Are you planning to go now?"
"I have other obligations which prevent me from-"
"I don't. Nor does Sirius. We can go right now."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in amusement, "You and your brother are far more alike than people realize-"
"Yes, we are both impatient. Especially about things that need to be done. How long have you suspected a horcrux was located in that shack and not gone there to look?"
"Who is to say I have not been looking? As I believe I mentioned, I was unable to learn the exact location of the Gaunt's former residence. It is not as simple as apparating directly there and searching the place. Even if we knew the exact location, it would be unwise to attempt apparition too near the structure. There is no way of knowing all of the protections set up in the area. For all I know the shack does not contain a horcrux at all but is instead a safe house for death eaters. We must think things through before barging in without proper preparation."
"Is the neighboring town a small one? I'm sure it would be easy enough to discretely find out the location of the shack from the locals. The murder of the Riddle family was bound to have been big news at the time. Perhaps-" seeing Dumbledore's expression he stopped mid-sentence. He could tell it was hopeless, "You aren't going to tell me the name of the town, are you?"
"I'm afraid not. However if you would like to accompany me-"
Regulus stood abruptly to leave, "No, thank you. I'd hate for my incompetence to jeopardize the mission."
"It is not a question of competence. As you must realize, the repercussions for our knowing about the horcruxes will be most severe if it is discovered. It is of the utmost importance that we do not bring attention to what we are doing. There is no question that you and Sirius are very intelligent and powerful wizards. I am however far older, wiser and more experienced than either of you in these matters."
"You've tracked down and destroyed horcruxes before then, have you?"
Whatever answer Dumbledore was about to give was interrupted by an owl that flew in the window and landed on the desk in front of Dumbledore.
"I expect that letter will contain yet another 'obligation' you'll need to prioritize above finding horcruxes," he added scathingly before abruptly leaving the office.
Sirius woke up in darkness with his head throbbing. He turned on a light briefly, only to turn it back off immediately upon discovering it only worsened the pain in his head. From the brief illuminance of his room and his own lack of clothing, he suspected more had gone on the night before than he could remember at the moment. He could work through those details later though, for now his first priority was taking care of his hangover.
After fumbling into a pair of jeans in the darkness, he walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. It seemed Remus was out of the house, but had been thoughtful enough to leave Sirius a glass of his favorite potion on the counter. It was a concoction that Remus had perfected in their school days, capable of banishing their worst of hangovers almost instantly. Sirius drank the potion dry, before getting ready for the day- which was almost over.
He was unsure of how to spend the rest of his evening. He knew Regulus was anxious to speak with Dumbledore. Considering the time of day and his impatience though, he had probably already done it. Preferring to get the highlights from Regulus rather than bothering Dumbledore again, Sirius decided to look for his brother.
Evan was beyond frustrated. He didn't want his fate resting in Snape's hands, yet the alternative had been to become a spy himself. He didn't care about anyone on the 'light' side of the war- unless Regulus counted. Was Regulus really light? He doubted that, but he was definitely anti-Voldemort..
On one side of the war was Regulus, and on the other was his father and pretty much everyone he had ever associated with. Not that he cared about many of them. He couldn't betray Regulus by pretending to change sides in the war in order to spy any more than he could betray his father by actually doing it.
He had just left Malfoy Manor where he had helped Snape write a letter to Dumbledore requesting a meeting. The plan was for him to beg for forgiveness and offer his services to the Order of the Phoenix in exchange for amnesty should the light side win the war- if the conversation made it that far.
Evan knew Dumbledore wouldn't kill Snape, but having him arrested wasn't out of the question, was it? What was Evan meant to do if Snape did successfully infiltrate the Order? His life depended on that success, but it was a success that could jeopardize Regulus' life.
Regulus was unlikely to trust Snape's intentions, as he so rarely trusted anyone, but would Dumbledore even tell Regulus that Snape had contacted him?
Deciding the only thing that could make his night worse was spending it under the same roof as Pettigrew, Evan went to his old apartment in London.
Upon entering, the flat appeared empty. Evan cast, 'homenum revelio,' to confirm that was the case before going to the kitchen and pouring himself some liquor. Judging by the significant amount of alcohol missing from his stockpile, he suspected someone else had been there. Regulus rarely drank.
He walked to his bedroom and was pleased to find that his bed as imperfectly made-up as he had left it. Evan had never bothered to master trivial spells like those for housekeeping. What were house elves for if not cooking and cleaning? At any rate, his room appeared to be untouched from when he was last there.
He then walked to the spare bedroom and looked inside. Evan smirked as he saw the overall precision of the room and how neatly the bed had been made. He had little doubt that Regulus was the last person who slept there- his cleaning skills were enough to make any house elf proud.
Satisfied that nothing too outlandish had taken place in his absence, Evan downed the rest of his drink before throwing himself across his bed, content to sleep through the rest of the awful night.
But then, 'When did things ever go as planned?' he thought to himself as he woke up a short time later. He sat up in bed listening, but didn't know what had caused him to wake up. Just as he determined it was nothing and laid back down, he heard the likely source of his sleep disruption again. He was certain now that someone else had entered the flat.
Regulus attempted to take a deep breath and for the first time his body didn't refuse. He inhaled the icy water and his lungs alit with a pain he hadn't known possible. Regulus gave up in his fight against the dozens of inferi that had hands on him. He allowed them to carry him to the depths of the lake. Somewhere in Regulus' subconscious he recognized this dream was different from any he had before.
Suddenly his surroundings morphed. It was now much warmer and he was dry. He was inside a large house that he knew by muggle standards would have been considered nice at one time. To his left was Bellatrix and to her left was Evan.
She guided them upstairs and into a large room- Regulus could barely take in any of his surroundings. His heart was pounding with nervous excitement. He glimpsed The Dark Lord and fell to his knees in submission. Evan was now directly beside him, also kneeling.
He was vaguely aware that Bella had only bowed, but couldn't focus enough to think about whether it was significant. Other senior death eaters began to file in around them. Regulus didn't look to see who.
He couldn't focus on anything but the effort it took to appear as if he were the epitome of composure. No one would visibly see how nervous he was, for he was a Black and would represent himself as such. He knew the Dark Lord could tell how he felt, but saw no need to bother with occlumency now. His mind was open for the Dark Lord, and why shouldn't it be? He had nothing to hide.
"Master, I present to you my cousins," Bella said excitedly, "'The Young Warrior'" she said indicating Evan "and 'The Little Prince'" she said indicating him. Regulus knew in any other situation, Evan would have laughed at Regulus' embarrassment for how they were presented.
Evan's father was a death eater- of course his name meaning would be more fitting for the occasion. Still, Regulus' expression gave away nothing. The Dark Lord seemed to find something amusing though.
He chuckled softly before giving a passionate speech about honor and duty. He then asked each of them to stand and repeat after him. After the oddly specific oath had been taken, he turned to Regulus,
"Your arm," he requested.
Regulus immediately pulled up the sleeve of his robes on his left arm and presented it to The Dark Lord. The latter grasped his wrist to hold it firm before touching his wand to Regulus' forearm. The Dark Lord watched his face closely as he muttered an enchantment that Regulus could only assume was in parseltongue.
Regulus watched in fascination as tendrils of magic formed around the outside of his arm, momentarily harmless, before embedding themselves painfully into his skin and deeper. It wasn't long before he could no longer worry with keeping up his expressionless mask. His attention focused instead on keeping his teeth clenched tightly enough to keep any sounds of discomfort escaping his lips. He hoped he wouldn't actually break any of his teeth in the process. He knew he could fix them later-but imagine how embarrassing that would be.
Still, it wouldn't be nearly as embarrassing as screaming out from the pain right now- which was about to happen if this didn't end soon. Just as Regulus' silent resolve was reaching its limits- The Dark Lord removed his wand.
Regulus likely wouldn't have even noticed the gesture, had he not seen it himself. The pain in his arm was still nearly unbearable. He chanced a look at the Dark Lord's face hoping to see some amount of approval for his composure, but he had already moved on to Evan.
Compared to what Regulus' expression must have been while he received the mark, Evan's appeared more bored than excruciated. Perhaps going through this at the same time as Evan was a mistake, he mused. There were plenty of other soon-to-be death eaters whom he had no doubt would have screamed out while receiving their mark. Being initiated with Evan had done nothing but bring attention to Evan's parents believing him a warrior- while Regulus' a bloody prince.
Regulus looked up and again saw that the Dark Lord was looking at him with the same amused expression from before. Just as he began to consider attempting any sort of occlumency though, he was being led down the stairs and back outside by Bellatrix.
Evan and his father were following behind Regulus and Bellatrix. The other death eaters who had witnessed the 'ceremony' were all walking ahead of them. Regulus hoped they were far enough away not to be able to hear Bella marveling at how proud she was of her little cousins- mostly Regulus.
Regulus didn't entirely trust his voice to speak, but Bella's enthusiasm was grating on his nerves so he attempted it anyway,
"Where are we going?" he asked gruffly.
To his surprise it was Evan's father who answered, "We cannot disapparate until we are nearer to the village. Then I shall take you boys someplace to get something to drink." Regulus turned back to look at him in confusion, "For your nerves," he answered. Under his breath he added, "and for your arms."
Regulus nodded.
Bella cackled, "I'm not so sure you can just take Reggie for drinks, uncle. His mother-"
"Has little say about anything he does anymore," Durant answered firmly.
Whatever Bellatrix's response, Regulus ignored it. The path they were walking along had brought them upon a dilapidated shack that was distinctly creepy, "Where are we anyway?" he asked, equally wanting to change the subject as he was curious.
"The crossroads to the rest of your life, Reggie!" Bella answered dramatically as she draped her arm around his shoulders.
Durant guffawed, "Or as anyone sane would call it-"
Whatever the elder Rosier called it, Regulus couldn't hear over Bella's mad cackling in his ear. He didn't miss what Durant said next though, "The Dark Lord's ancestors grew up not far from here."