Chapter 11

The personal healer of the Black family arrived later that night by floo. Regulus brought him to Emily, who was in bed under the effects of the numbing potion, and then left them alone.

The healer was an older wizard with short grey hair, wearing bright green robes bearing the emblem of St Mungo's, a wand crossed with a bone. Emily barely registered him as he summoned a chair and sat at her bedside, making quick work out of fixing her arm and healing the wounds on her face and neck with a wave of his wand.

With another wave a healer's kit appeared and floated beside him so he could pull out a vial of light blue potion. Moving closer, he helped her drink and Emily felt the effects of the numbing potion slowly wearing off. After a few moments she was able to sit up on her own, but her mind was still foggy.

"Your body will feel more awake, but the numbing potion you took will take the night to wear off. Until then your pain tolerance will be higher. Best to stay in bed to avoid any more...accidents."

"Thank you, I will." she said, handing him back the vial.

"Are you feeling any other ailments?"

She shook her head, but paused. "Yes, I was ill this morning, before the...accident occured."

"Then allow me to do a full-body scan," he said and she nodded, lying back down as he hovered his wand over her body, starting from her head and working his way down. When he reached her stomach the tip of the wand emitted a pale yellow light. He stopped and smiled at her.

"There's no need to worry Mrs. Black. Congratulations are in order, you're pregnant."

Emily's eyes widened and she felt the air leave her lungs and the blood drain from her face. "I'm... what...for how long?"

"About a month along it seems," he said waving his wand over her stomach again. "I will send you some follow up instructions in the morning, including some recommendations for morning sickness aids. The baby is healthy, don't look so worried. No sign of the gender yet if you were wondering. Do you have any questions?"

Emily shook her head, unable to speak, her mind and body suddenly buzzing with suppressed terror.

"Well then, if there's nothing else, I will take my leave. You and your husband have much to celebrate."

He stood, vanishing his healer's kit and putting his wand away as he walked to the door. Emily slowly realized what would happen if the personal healer to the Black family left with this knowledge. For her sake, and the baby, she couldn't let anyone find out, or she would end up locked away with only the Black family as company until the baby was born. She grabbed her wand and pointed it at the healer.

"Wait," she said, and he turned.

"What're you-"

"Obliviate," she whispered, focusing on erasing their last twenty seconds together as the green light hit him right between the eyes, and then hid her wand in the blankets.

"Thank you for coming," she said as if nothing happened. "I have nothing else I'm worried about. You may go."

He blinked, looking from the chair to where he was by the door, registering that he was leaving. "Ah, yes, good day, Mrs. Black."

The door closed behind him and under a minute later Regulus came in and sat in the chair the healer forgot to remove.

"Emily," he said, his voice hoarse. "How are you feeling now?"

"Still numb, which feels...strange, but I'm waking up and my arm is fine."

"Good," he sighed in relief, then seemed overcome with guilt again. "I'm so sorry you had to wait so long to be healed."

"No need for rumors to spread from St Mungo's," she said dryly, repeating what Bellatrix had said over her crumpled and bleeding form that morning.

He flinched. "I'm sorry Emily, I wish I could have done something earlier."

"Me too," she said bluntly and he looked as surprised as she felt that she said that out loud. The leftover effects of the numbing potion left her unfiltered.

"You know Bella is stronger than me," he said, instantly defensive. "I wouldn't win one-on-one against her. Please, don't be mad at me for that."

He took her hand and even though she didn't feel like holding his back she did.

"I'm not trying to argue," she asked softly, staying as neutral as possible before she said something too hurtful. "I'm still processing your cousin's attack and my new assignment. Please give me a minute to think."

"I'm sorry, of course, whatever you need."

"Thank you."

They sat in silence.

Emily's mind was moving too slow for her to be able to focus on all the different things that needed her attention. She was only beginning to comprehend what happened with Bellatrix, and wondered how anyone knew what Sirius was feeling about her. This was the work of the spy. Then she thought about what the healer just told her.

Pregnant.

The twisting pain in her stomach only got worse and her mind switched back to her new assignment. If she was expected to see Sirius then maybe she could use this as an opportunity to give the Order a message. She could tell Sirius to fight her and get as far away from her as possible, but what would he do if he found out she was-

Pregnant.

Emily looked at Regulus, who gave her a small smile in return. He was watching her closely, waiting for her to speak. All of their precious moments together suddenly seemed tarnished, all of the precautions she took were false security blankets. Whatever Bellatrix switched her birth control with must have been some powerful stuff for her to already be-

Pregnant.

Tears abruptly started streaming down her face as if her emotions were finally catching up with the situation.

"Emily, no," Regulus whispered. "I swear, I will find a way out of this."

"There is no way out," she said.

"There is if the Dark Lord is dead."

Emily stared at him, taking a few seconds to realise that he was talking about his research. Of course he had no idea the true reason for her distress. She pushed aside her fears and let her curiosity take over to distract her.

"Have you found something?" she asked.

"Yes, and what happened today won't stop us." He squeezed her hand, looking more determined than she had ever seen him before. "I won't let this be the life I give you. I thought you'd be safer as my wife, but now I see nothing is sacred to him or my cousin. I don't need them to tell me who I am anymore. I will not be his Death Eater, not if the people I love will die."

"Regulus," she said breathlessly, but then suddenly she was filled with guilt. There were so many secrets she was keeping from him, and the list kept growing. Then she realized this was her chance to tell him the truth, all of the truth. She squeezed his hand back. "I have something to tel you."

An abrupt and loud 'crack' caused them to pull away from each other. Kreacher appeared in a heap between them on the bed, soaking wet and shaking uncontrollably.

"Kreacher?" Regulus yelled. "What happened?"

"Kreacher has...returned... to Master Regulus," he wheezed, his throat sounding raw, his teeth chattering. Regulus helped him sit up.

Emily cast a Hot Air Charm on him to dry him off and warm him up. Then she summoned a glass of water to soothe his throat, but he recoiled at the sight when offered the glass.

"Drink, this will help you," she insisted.

He took the glass and drank everything quickly, surprising Emily, until she realized he took what she said as an order. As Regulus's wife he recognized her as family now. Despite his resistance to the offering, he looked more at ease after drinking the water, his senses slowly coming back.

"Where did the Dark Lord take you?" Regulus asked and Emily shot him a questioning look.

"The Dark Lord showed Kreacher where to go," the house elf began, his voice like sandpaper. "Kreacher arrived at a vast black lake surrounded by cliffs and was taken to a cave. The Dark Lord cut Kreather to bleed on the wall and took Kreacher inside to a boat - so small even for Kreacher with the Dark Lord - to an island in the cave. He made Kreacher drink from a basin - Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things... Kreacher's insides burned... Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed... He made Kreacher drink all the potion... He dropped a locket into the empty basin... He filled it with more potion. Kreacher was so thirsty and felt so much pain...So Kreacher tried to drink from the lake...Kreacher was pulled down! But Kreacher needed to come back...Come back Kreacher after the Dark Lord is done with his task...Kreacher has come back."

Regulus was seething with anger by the end of the story. "He left you to die?"

Kreacher nodded.

Emily summoned more water into the cup and this time the house elf drank on his own accord, slower this time. She vanished the glass away when he finished.

"Could you find this place again Kreacher?" Regulus asked.

"Yes, Master Regulus."

"Return to Grimmauld Place and don't tell mother about any of this."

Kreacher stood on the bed with assistance from Emily, bowed, and disappeared.

"Regulus, what is going on?" Emily asked at once, her heart racing with anticipation.

"This is it Emily," he said, looking crazed as he stood and began to pace. "I volunteered Kreacher when the Dark Lord asked for an elf. He was testing something of great importance. I hoped he would and he did. He showed Kreacher his Horcrux."

"His what?"

"I was going to tell you soon, I swear-"

"I don't care about the timing, what did you find, what's a Horcrux?"

"The answer was in the book you gave me, a way to extend your own life at the expense of another life. He put a part of his soul into something and Kreacher has confirmed the location!"

Emily was becoming overwhelmed by the cascade of surprises happening in a day. Regulus was still pacing like he was putting together a plan. While he did Emily filtered the new information with everything else that was going on.

"Even if we destroy this Horcrux, the Dark Lord will still be alive. I'll still need to follow my orders..."

"No Emily, we will run." he said, his voice getting deeper. "I don't know if he'll realize when the Horcrux is taken, so we will run."

"Run..." Emily repeated, letting the words sink in. Something that never seemed like an option was now their only choice. Compared to using Sirius to betray James and letting the Dark Lord kill him, Lily, and Harry, running seemed like a better alternative. The only other option was death by Bellatrix.

"We will run," she said, more determined. "Where will we go?"

"North, somewhere far from here. We'll need to be ready to leave soon, we can't wait long or you'll be punished again."

Emily made some complicated movements with her wand and items throughout their home began flying across into their room, packing themselves neatly into two large traveling trunks, both charmed to fit more than they seemed capable of. She chose only the most valuable and useful items, like books, potion kits, kitchen supplies, photos, and rare dark artifacts. They couldn't leave anything behind they'd miss or didn't want others to steal. No doubt their home would be ransacked as soon as she or Regulus didn't answer the Dark lord's call.

Regulus saw what she was packing and smiled. "You always think of the things I don't."

"They call a wife a better half for a reason," she joked. "If this was up to you we'd only have our fine silks, furs, and jewels.

He laughed and sat down on the bed next to her, looking like his adrenaline was fading. "You know I only chose you because of your superior packing skills. Though, please do pack those for me."

"Of course," she laughed.

Regulus looked like he remembered something. "Earlier...What did you need to tell me?"

"Oh," she said, remembering she was going to confess everything to him before Kreacher arrived, but she suddenly felt her resolve weakening, and as the numbing potion wore off she could think of more reasons why telling him was a bad idea. "I... I wanted to say I'm sorry if what Bellatrix said about me hurt you."

"No, I'm fine," he said sadly.

Coward! she screamed at herself.

He moved closer to her, his eyes asking for forgiveness. "I'm ashamed I let what she said affect me. I know you'd never betray me, Emily."

That hit like a dagger in the chest, but still she didn't want to tell him the truth. She couldn't help wondering if he would change their plans if he knew she spent the last two years hiding her true alliance or that she was pregnant now. Telling him everything could be a giant mistake.

"Never," she whispered and the guilt and shame sunk deep into her gut. "I love you, Regulus, I only need you."

Emily leaned forward and kissed him, meaning for it to be short and sweet, but he grabbed onto her instantly and deepened the kiss. Her body felt stiff under his touch and their movements felt out of sync, but he seemed more desperate to touch her the longer he touched her. She moaned with practiced approval, but nothing felt enticing. Her hands moved a familiar path over his body and her guilt forced her to respond.

I will tell him the truth once we're safe and far away, she told herself.

Regulus took off his robes and got into bed with her, helping her pull off hers as well. She wrapped her arms around him as he trailed kisses up her neck and she responded with enough passion so he wouldn't notice her mind was not in the moment with him.

This is enough for now, she thought, closing her eyes.

In the middle of the night Emily awoke to the sound of a quill scratching a piece of parchment. She turned over and squinted at the dim light emitting from the desk Regulus was hunched over.

"Regulus?" she called out, her voice thick from sleep. "What're you doing?"

"Go back to sleep, Emily," he said, not looking at her.

"What're you writing?" she asked, unable to curb her curiosity, and moved her blankets aside to get up.

Regulus turned to her and her eyes widened when she saw his wand pointed at her. A spell hit her before she could register that he cast anything. She was asleep instantly and fell back onto her pillows

"I'm sorry," he said, looking back down at the two letters in front of him.

The first letter was for the Dark Lord. Regulus hoped his former master would find the fake horcrux and regret he ever believed Regulus and his loved ones were inferior to him. His treatment of Emily and Kreacher showed he had no real love or respect for the magical community and no claim to rule them all.

Folding the parchment, he placed the message inside a golden locket with a large crystal on the front, a Black family heirloom. His plan was to replace the locket and buy him and Emily time to escape with the Horcrux and find a way to destroy it. Hopefully the Dark Lord would wait years before checking on the Horcrux since his test with Kreacher went well. Regulus was confident Kreacher was too weak-willed to get past the Dark Lord's potion defense. It was Kreacher's bond with him and the summoning order that saved the house elf from death. Only a powerful pureblood wizard could steal the locket, Regulus was sure of that. He based all of his beliefs and principles on this decision.

I'll protect my family and steal the Horcrux, he thought, setting the locket aside to turn to the second letter for Emily.

He didn't want to leave her with just a letter, but he was afraid of what she would say if she knew he was doing this alone. Being alone only increased the risk for him, but he was unwilling to bring her into danger with him. He knew Emily would try to take control of the situation, that was something he could never stop her from doing. If she died trying to save him, he would never forgive himself.

He went to Emily's side, letter in hand, and kissed her gently. His chest tightened as he looked down at her. She always looked more peaceful when she slept. He didn't want to leave her, but the compulsion to steal the Horcrux was too great to ignore.

"I love you, Emily," he said, his breath hitching. "You've given me everything I've ever wanted, but I can't ask you to do anything else for me. You'll hate me for leaving you behind, but I know this is the way things are supposed to be."

Having the hope that this wasn't the last time he would see her kept him from waking her up and being convinced to bring her with him. He placed the letter on her bedside table and kissed her again, pulling her blankets back over her, and then stood up to leave.

"Goodbye Emily."

Emily dreamed she was trapped in a cage. Everything was blurry, but she could see her hands wrapped around the bars. Her nails were long and yellow, her skin dry and cracked.

When she tried to speak her voice wouldn't come out, as if she was under a silencing charm.

"Don't struggle, Emily, you know there's no escape."

Voices filled her head and she tried to block them out, but couldn't. Darkness surrounded her. She tried to scream even though she knew she was silenced.

"Stupid girl, no one can hear you, no one can help you," the voices laughed at her. She could hear the Dark Lord, Bellatrix, her father, Walburga Black, Rabastan, James... "Everyone will leave you. Disgusting, selfish girl."

The skin around her eyes was raw and they burned as tears fell. Holding herself up became impossible and she slid down the bars. The floor became like sand and a hole opened beneath her feet, drawing her down. Her hands became numb and she couldn't hold onto the bars anymore and she let herself sink.

"That's right, give up, you're weak,"

"No, you're not!" her mother's voice embraced her and Emily clawed at the sand, pulling herself up, chasing that voice.

"Everyone will leave you!" the voices roared.

"Fight Emily!" her mother screamed.

Hands grabbed onto her arm and she looked up in hope, but her mother was not there, it was Kreacher.

Emily gasped and her eyes flew open, a jolt breaking out of her dream. Kreacher really was at her bedside, calling out to her, his hands really on her arm, shaking her. She saw magic flickering around his fingers. When she sat up her last waking memory came flying back and she searched the room for Regulus. He was not there. She grabbed her wand, wrapped a sheet around herself, and ran to the closest to throw on her indigo robes.

"Miss Emily," Kreacher said frantically.

"Kreacher," she said, returning to his side. "Where is Regulus?"