Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 2062
Warning for fairly graphic description of murder of a child and also arson at an orphanage.
Following A Different Path
He'd thought this was what he wanted.
…
Regulus stood in the small crowd, robes pressed perfectly, silver mask in place, heart pounding in his chest. It was his first full Death Eater meeting, and he was so nervous.
He tried his best to follow who was speaking, and he thought he knew most of the others already, but the masks made it hard to know who was speaking.
The Dark Lord stood in front of them all, his eyes drifting over them. If Regulus didn't know better, he'd think that the Dark Lord looked bored, but Regulus could tell he was listening for every single detail of the reports, waiting for evidence of a mistake or success.
From the way Bellatrix had spoken of these meetings, the Dark Lord would reward success lavishly, but his punishments for mistakes were always twice as brutal.
"Regulus," the Dark Lord hissed, breaking into Regulus' thoughts.
Regulus swallowed hard but bowed. "My Lord?"
"Are you mission ready?"
"If my Lord wishes it."
Apparently he'd passed whatever test was being set because the Dark Lord's thin lips quirked up in approval.
"Very good," he said, eyeing the others. "You will accompany Rabastan and Rodolphus on their mission this weekend."
Regulus relaxed when The Dark Lord turned to another. Rodolphus, he only really knew through Bellatrix, and even then he'd never actually spoke to the man beyond greeting.
Rabastan… Rabastan was a large part of why Regulus was even there. Rabastan had talked him through much of the initiation, had promised to be there for him, had reached out to him when he had doubts in the days leading up to being marked.
He knew that he had more hope of being able to prove himself with Rabastan by his side; after all, Rabastan had been with him every step of the way so far. Why would this be any different?
Regulus was sure he could do this.
...
He'd thought he could handle it.
…
Regulus wasn't given any instructions about the mission, beyond an order to stand back and watch the professionals do their job. He bit his tongue to stop himself arguing as Rabastan gripped his arm tightly, using side-along Apparition to take him to their location.
It appeared to be a Muggle building, and Regulus frowned when he saw the sign and realised it was an orphanage.
"Incendio," Rodolphus muttered, grinning to himself. He cast the spell again, and again, and Regulus became aware that on his other side, Rabastan was doing the same. The fire took hold, the building slowly going up in flames.
Regulus didn't understand why they'd been ordered to torch an orphanage. He knew that the Dark Lord saw the Muggles as filthy, had been brought up to believe the same but… these were just children.
What wrongs could they possibly have committed to earn such a fate?
Inside, the screams started, and Regulus winced. As he watched the building burn, it was almost like he could feel his own skin blistering under the heat. A window was thrown open, and the three Death Eaters looked up as one to see a woman helping children out of the window.
The screaming got louder.
"Avada Kedavra," Rodolphus sneered, pointing his wand upwards. The child hanging from the ledge fell, dead before it hit the ground. Only when the child landed did Regulus see that it was a little girl; and she couldn't have been more than nine years old.
He felt sick.
"Morsmordre," Rabastan cast quietly, and Regulus saw the skull and snake emblem appear in the sky.
"Let's go."
...
He'd thought that this was what he was supposed to be doing.
…
Regulus sat in his bedroom, watching the snow fall onto the square outside Grimmauld Place. His mother and father were downstairs, likely sharing an evening drink before they retired. They'd invited Regulus to join them, but he'd begged off, pleading tiredness.
He wasn't lying.
He hadn't been able to sleep since that night at the orphanage. He caught the odd hour, but he was always forced awake by vivid images of fire and that little girl that he just couldn't shake from his mind.
He hadn't ever thought he'd regret taking the mark, certainly not so soon, but he did. He wished that he'd ignored his parents words of pride, Bellatrix's explanations, Rabastan's soft guidance.
He wished instead that he'd taken his brother's outstretched hand and escaped while he still had the chance.
He could have been safe and yet…
If they could do that to an innocent child, he realised that he probably wasn't.
How was he supposed to be loyal to a man that could order such a mission without mercy, without care? How was he supposed to be loyal to another man that followed through on that mission, without thought, without compassion?
Rabastan hadn't even looked at him, beyond what was necessary when he'd picked Regulus up. Not even afterwards. He'd behaved like Regulus was any other newbie, someone to show the ropes but not care about.
Someone disposable.
Regulus wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next. He knew, in his heart, that he wouldn't be able to do what they did. He wouldn't being able to heartlessly murder children that hadn't done anything wrong. He wouldn't be able to follow orders that had no purpose, other than to cause fear and create destruction for no reason.
But what other choice did he have?
...
He'd thought he could still have someone.
…
Before the mission, before he'd gotten the mark, Regulus thought that there was a certain shine to the way Rabastan looked at him. An interest that stretched beyond his loyalty to the Cause, and his wish to deliver more servants for their Lord.
He'd believed that his growing feelings were returned, and that afterwards, they could continue to build them into something real.
Something worth fighting for.
Called to a meeting, Regulus arrived early and was about to walk through the doors when he heard muffled voices.
"I heard from Walburga that Regulus didn't handle your mission very well," Bellatrix said, amusement evident in her voice. "He's been hiding in his bedroom since then. What on earth did you boys do to him?"
Regulus wanted to believe that his cousin was being protective, but he knew her, knew her tone's of voice—Bellatrix was temperamental at best, it was safer that way—and he knew that she just wanted a good laugh at his expense.
"We did nothing," Rodolphus replied.
"We followed the mission," Rabastan added. "I hoped Regulus was more than a stupid little boy with a crush, but… so far, he's not proving me right."
Bellatrix cackled. "I did warn you against using those bright blue eyes of yours to convince the prospects, Rab! They all believe they can have you afterwards, and it never ends well."
"He's a Black," Rabastan replied, and Regulus could practically hear the shrug in his voice. "I thought he was made of sterner stuff. Not my fault if he's a pansy, is it? The Dark Lord will toughen him up, or he'll kill him."
Not wanting to hear anymore, Regulus ensured his mask was fixed firmly on his face, and he walked through the doors and past the three of them, his robes brushing the floor as he walked with purpose and poise, as he'd been taught.
Rabastan was right about one thing; Regulus was a Black. It would take more than a broken heart to keep him down.
...
He'd thought that he could still be loved.
…
"I didn't mean it, you know?"
Regulus looked up, eyes widening slightly when he saw Rabastan standing in the doorway of the library.
"Didn't mean what?"
"You know exactly what," Rabastan said, stepping forwards until he was standing directly in front of the seat Regulus was sitting in. "You know how it goes, Reg. I can't show any kind of weakness to any of them—they'd only use you against me if they knew how I felt about you."
Regulus snorted, unable to stop himself. Whatever Rabastan was trying to do now, it wouldn't work. He was young but he wasn't stupid.
"What do you want, Rabastan?"
"I want to make sure that you know that I do care, Reg. I just… can't show that in front of everyone else."
"I won't be your dirty little secret," Regulus said flatly.
"I was thinking more fancy little secret," Rabastan tried to tease, but it was too late.
"You can see yourself out."
"Regulus—"
"I don't know how to trust you again," Regulus interrupted, looking up from his book. "I don't know how to listen to you talk bad about me behind my back and then come to me when you're bored or horny or lonely. I'm worth more than that, Rabastan."
Rabastan rolled his eyes. "Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic? You'd think that I cursed you or something!"
"You think that's the only way to hurt someone?"
Rabastan walked away without another glance, and Regulus looked down at his book, determinedly ignoring the tears that filled his eyes.
He didn't even wipe them away when they fell.
..
He'd thought this would be his life.
...
The battle was madness. It was the first of this scale that Regulus had been part of and he hated it. Before, the other's had been excited, their adrenaline racing, their eagerness practically palpable.
This, the chaos and destruction, it was their craft and they revelled in it. It was insanity at it's worst, because not a single one of them could see anything wrong with what they were doing, what they were about to do.
And it didn't escape Regulus' notice that his brother would likely be on the opposite side of this battle.
Regulus knew that if anyone were watching him, they'd realise that his spells were lower level, and he hadn't uttered a single unforgivable. Even the spells he was casting were low powered because he didn't actually want to hurt anyone.
A familiar yell sounded and he spun around, looking for the face that matched the voice but he couldn't see anything. There were too many spells flying, too much spell residue in the air for him to see anything really.
The momentary distraction cost him though, and he cried out in agony when a curse hit his right shoulder, slashing through his robes and skin like it was nothing.
"Go!" Lucius Malfoy called, the closest senior Death Eater to him, and Regulus Apparated away. He knew he should check it in the mirror, but he couldn't bring himself to look at his own reflection.
It was painful, but he didn't think it was particularly dangerous. In all honesty, he didn't really care.
Instead, Regulus squeezed himself into the tiny gap between his bed and the wall and pulled a lemon blanket over himself, a remnant from his childhood.
Just for a while… just for a while, he wanted to hide.
He couldn't do this.
...
He'd thought wrong.
...
In the silence and privacy of his bedroom, Regulus started looking at the lineage books. He'd been looking more and more into the Dark Lord, into his actions before Regulus joined his ranks and even earlier than that, before the Death Eaters became a thing.
It was hard to find any information at all, but as he stared down at the proof of his suspicions, Regulus could hardly believe his eyes.
For all of his Pure-Blood propaganda, the Dark Lord was a Half-Blood. There was a photograph in the book of the Gaunts, Marvolo, Morfin and Merope. Regulus had managed to trace him to Merope, and there, in the self updating magical book, was the name Tom Riddle attached to her own, with a baby of the same name beneath the two of them.
There were no Pure-Blood Riddle's in the Wizarding World. Regulus would know, he'd been brought up learning all about his culture. It was the way their family worked, had always worked.
Regulus wasn't sure what he could do with the information. Blackmailing the Dark Lord would only get him dead, not free.
But he had it, and he'd keep searching. One way or the other, Regulus would free himself. From the Dark Lord, from Rabastan…
He'd be free.
Written for:
Disney - C8. Someone wanting something different in/from their life.
Trope - 10. Robes
Space - 17. Hiding in a tight space.
Book Club - Joaquin - "You think that's the only way you hurt someone?" / Regret / Photograph
Showtime - 14. Talking badly about someone.
Liza Loves - 7. Dark Elf - A Death Eater
Arcade - Mei - Hope / Relaxed / Snowing
Scamander - 5. Temperamental
Pop Figures - Punisher - An injury / Morsmordre / Robes / Avada Kedavra
Mythology - 7. Reflection
Around The World - 2. Craft
Funfair, North - Rat Race - 12. No Gryffindors
Funfair, East - Petting Zoo - Fwooper - Vivid / Fancy / Insanity
Funfair, South - Pygmy Puff - Whitney - Incendio
Days of the Year - 26. World Snake Day - A Slytherin
Summer - 8. Blistering
Colour - 9. Lemon
Elemental - 7. Torch
Mix It Up - 22. Rabastan / Dialogue 4. "I don't know how to trust you again."
Gryffindor - 4. Loyal
365. 146. Filthy