Author's Notes:

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING. This chapter contains major Half-Blood Prince spoilers. So please read book six first.

I want to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story. You encouraged me to continue. I love writing about the Black Family. They are a lot more fun than all those goody-two-shoes Gryffindors.

This chapter was beta'd by Nakhash Makashefah. Year after year, she wades through my hideous grammar and punctuation, making my stuff readable. I'll never get tired of thanking her.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

Return To Black.

Chapter 02. Ghost.

Once again, Narcissa wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Regulus was alive and standing only five feet away from her. She quickly fumbled for the wool blanket that had once covered the cot, but now lay partly on top of the dead gardener. Once in hand, she used it to cover her nakedness.

Regulus moved to check the other two men, making sure they were dead.

"What do you want?" she nervously asked as he checked one of the brothers for a pulse.

"The world, dear cousin. Isn't that what we all want?" he answered with a devious smile.

"What do you want… from me?" Narcissa fearfully asked as she pulled the wool blanket up tightly to her chin.

"That's a long conversation, Cissy," he told her as he wiped the blood off his dagger onto the gardener's robes. "We need to leave this place before the two Aurors I Stunned outside wake up."

"They were going to rape me," she told him as he searched through the dead gardener's pockets.

"I think they were here to do more than that," Regulus said as he pulled back the gardener's left sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark to her.

"D–Death Eaters," Narcissa said with shock in her voice.

"Yes, cousin. Apparently you're just as popular a girl now as you were when we were at Hogwarts," Regulus said with a smirk. "Now get dressed. We're leaving."

"Where are we going?"

"To a cell in Azkaban, if we're not out of here in thirty seconds," he warned.

Narcissa grabbed her robes off the hook next to the cot and quickly put them on. Instead of reaching under the cot for her small suitcase, she flipped the bed on its side so she wouldn't have to touch the dead gardener. Forgoing any socks, she quickly forced her tired feet back into her shoes.

"Take this," Regulus said as she turned to face him. In his outstretched hand was her wand. Narcissa snatched it away from him before he could withdraw it. He gave her a half-bemused smile.

"We must leave before someone checks on our friends here," he told her as he headed for the door. Before following him, Narcissa bent down, picked up her picture frame from the rubble on the floor and put it inside her robe.

As soon as she joined Regulus on the stairs, he turned and pointed his wand back into the room. "Incendio!" he shouted. A jet of fire shot out of the tip of his wand. The small room was instantly engulfed in flames. Regulus pulled the door shut and hurried her down the stairs in front of him. At the bottom, a large lump of flesh lay on the dirty floor. Goyle Sr. lay flat on his back with bubbles of drool leaking out of his fat lips.

"He wasn't very helpful when I arrived," Regulus told her as he stepped over the portly Death Eater.

"PIG!" Narcissa screamed as she kicked the obese gorilla in the side. Goyle didn't seem to notice in his current condition.

Regulus pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and said, "Once we're outside, don't stop for anything. Head straight for Diagon Alley." He took a locking charm off the front doors and shouted, "FIRE! THE BUILDING'S ON FIRE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Narcissa pulled her own hood over her head before following Regulus outside. Before they could exit through the front door, half-naked wizards and whores came bursting from their rooms, running as if the fire were already nipping at their heels. Through the rush of panicking half-dressed wizards, she and Regulus slipped out of Knockturn Alley, unnoticed.

As soon as they reached Diagon Alley, Regulus made a sharp right and headed down the sidewalk towards the Leaky Cauldron. Narcissa stopped halfway to the pub. Regulus turned and asked, "What's wrong? It would be best if neither of us is seen tonight."

"Why are you leading me towards the Leaky Cauldron?" she asked with a skeptical look on her face.

"It's the fastest way out of Diagon Alley," he answered.

"Where to after that?" she demanded.

"Muggle London," he dryly told her.

"I know nothing of Muggles. Why should I follow you there? Why should I follow you anywhere?"

"Most heroines don't question their knights in shining armor about their motives until after the rescue is finished."

"I seriously doubt your motives are as pure as the knights of old," Narcissa told him as she removed her wand from her robe. "You look and sound like my long-dead cousin, but that doesn't mean much, does it? You could be a Ministry spy trying to get information about my son's whereabouts out of me. This whole night may have been a set up," she accused. "Why don't you tell me something only the real Regulus would know?"

Regulus moved closer until the tip of her wand touched the center of his chest. He leaned forward and whispered, "When we were both sixteen, we took each other's virginity in my mother's bed. You came three times that night."

Narcissa stepped back away from him. His words truly shocked her. She had not even told her sisters about her first time. Even in the Wizarding world, it's taboo to have sex with your first cousin, unless you're married, that is. The only one who knew the truth was Regulus. Narcissa could feel her face warm with blush. Seeing her reaction brought an all too familiar smug look on Regulus' face. He took another step towards her and asked, "Tell me, Cissy, did Lucius ever get you to come three times in one night?" Narcissa opened her mouth to curse him, but nothing came out. "I thought not. Lucius was too in love with himself to ever satisfy anyone else," he arrogantly told her. "Do you need more proof, Narcissa? I can describe in detail every act we preformed on each other that night."

Narcissa refused to be baited by him. The one thing she remembered most about Regulus was his cruel enjoyment at making others squirm with embarrassment.

"You may be Regulus, but that's not a good enough reason for me to follow you," Narcissa said, while she kept her wand pointed at his chest.

"You want a good reason? How about the fact that you're penniless and homeless. All of your old friends are now your enemies. The Ministry of Magic has a cell at Azkaban, waiting with your name on it, for when they finally find something to accuse you of. And let's not forget there is an army of Dark wizards that wants to rape, torture and kill you, then deliver your severed head to their master. Have I forgotten anything?" he conceitedly asked.

"No," she said quietly.

"It's completely up to you, cousin. You can follow me, where you will at least have a warm, safe place to stay tonight. Or you can stay in Diagon Alley and probably meet a painful death before the sun rises. Either way, I'm leaving before I'm recognized," he told her with an overconfident, egotistical look on his face. Regulus turned and headed for the Leaky Cauldron.

Narcissa knew he wanted something from her. She didn't want to go with him until she knew what that was. But the night's events left her with little choice but to follow where her long-dead cousin led. She ran along the sidewalk, with her small suitcase in hand, to catch up with him.

They passed through the Leaky Cauldron without attracting any unwanted interest by the pub's patrons. On Charing Cross Road, Regulus removed his hood and hailed a Muggle taxi. The noisy Muggle contraption came to an abrupt stop at the street curb next to them. When Regulus opened the rear door for her, Narcissa hesitated for a moment. She had never traveled in a Muggle vehicle before. The ugly tin boxes on wheels always looked dangerous to her. With a small shove from Regulus' hand in the middle of her back, Narcissa entered the taxi.

As soon as Regulus was inside the taxi driver asked, "What be your pleasure?"

"The Connaught in Mayfair," Regulus answered.

"The Connaught, nice," the driver responded. With a sudden jerk, they sped away into Muggle London.

It was only a ten-minute trip to the hotel, but Narcissa's queasiness made the ride seem much longer. She didn't know if she was feeling ill from motion sickness or from the thought of what had happened to her in the last half-hour. The realization of what could have happened made her nausea grow even worse. Narcissa thanked Merlin when the taxi finally came to a stop in front of the hotel.

A very well dressed Muggle doorman opened the taxi door and helped her from the car. He offered to take her suitcase, but she refused. Narcissa wasn't about to trust a filthy Muggle with the last of her possessions.

The Connaught was a small, discreet Victorian hotel near Hyde Park. It was almost midnight; the lobby was deserted with the exception of a maid, vacuuming a large oriental rug, and a desk clerk.

"Mr. White, how was your evening?" the clerk asked. Narcissa raised an eyebrow at hearing the name 'White.'

"A little too eventful for my tastes," Regulus answered. "Thomas, please send extra towels and a woman's bath robe to my suite."

"At once, Mr. White," the clerk said respectfully. He gave her a quick nod and asked, "Will you require anything else this evening?"

Regulus looked at her and replied, "My companion and I haven't dined tonight. Is there any chance the restaurant kitchen is still open?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. But if you wish, I can have Julian run out and bring you back anything you desire."

"Very well, Thomas, I'll ring you shortly with our order," Regulus told the clerk as he guided her towards the lift.

Once they were in the elevator, she asked, "That Muggle seemed to know you quite well, do you stay here often?"

"Whenever I have business in London. I own a third of this hotel; they keep a suite open for me," he nonchalantly answered.

"You have Muggle wealth, then. I should have know," Narcissa said with contempt in her voice.

"Open your eyes, dear cousin," he told her as they entered the fifth-floor hallway. "Things work the same in this world as they do in ours. Wealth means power, and power means respect."

Narcissa remembered an old wizard saying she had heard a thousand times before. "Muggle wealth is like fool's gold, Regulus. It might look pretty, but it's worthless," she told him as he unlocked his suite door with a cardkey.

"Ministry and pure-blood propaganda, Cissy. I can assure you that Muggle wealth is just as good, if not better than, wizard wealth."

Narcissa had to admit his hotel suite was as nice as any she had stayed at in the magical world. The lounge had a full bar, two sitting chairs, sofa and a fireplace. There was even a small writing desk next to the window. The room was tastefully decorated with antique furniture and expensive art.

"I take it you used magic to obtain your Muggle fortune?" Narcissa asked as she looked into the bedroom. It held a single king-sized, four-poster canopy bed. It looked awfully comfortable. "Using magic to gain Muggle wealth is just as illegal as using the Unforgivable Curses on someone. The Ministry of Magic will put you in Azkaban and throw away the key if they find out."

"The Ministry's not going to find out," he assured her.

"A lot of wizards thought that, Regulus. They always got caught," she warned.

"I'm dead, as far as the Ministry is concerned, Cissy. They won't be looking for the magic of a dead man."

Narcissa set her suitcase down in the bedroom. She opened the door to the bathroom and looked inside. She almost melted at the sight of the huge, claw-foot bathtub. Her whole body cried out for a warm bubble bath. She had only spent one day as a poor working-witch, and that had proven too much for her. She loathed the idea of using Muggle comforts to soothe her sore body, but the ordeal with the gardener and his scruffy brothers robbed her of any resolve.

"One day, a Muggle will turn up with a potion or magical item that he's not suppose to have. They will eventually find out where he got it," she told him as she moved back into the lounge.

"That's why the Ministry will never find out about me. I have never sold anything magical to Muggles. I've made my fortune with the use of a simple reduction charm. Something that would never be detected by the Ministry," he assured her.

"A reduction charm? How can you make a fortune from a simple reduction charm?" she asked, curiously.

Regulus sat in one of the comfortable sitting chairs, gestured at the one across from him and said, "Have a seat, dear cousin, and I'll explain." Narcissa sat opposite him; her sore feet thanked her as soon as she sat down.

"You see, Cissy, the Muggles have a form of magic of their own. It's called technology and it's just as powerful as any magic."

"Nonsense," she abruptly said. "I've seen Muggle technobloggy. Just a bunch of whirling gizmos that make noise and smell bad."

"Your ignorance all but assures me I have nothing to fear from the Ministry," he said with a smirk. "Let me ask you something, Cissy. How many wizards have gone to the moon?"

"Why would any wizard want to go to the moon?" she asked.

"To be the first human to set foot there, that's why," he told her. "Muggles, using their own science, set foot on the moon nearly thirty years ago. Do you think wizards could go to the moon?"

"I don't see why not. We can do anything Muggles can accomplish, and more."

"How?" he asked.

"How what?"

"How could a wizard get to the moon?"

"Use a Portkey or Apparate, I suppose," she answered.

"Wouldn't work. You have to have been at both locations at least once to create a Portkey between the two. Apparition uses the earth's natural magic; there is no magic in space. You also have to consider there's no air on the moon. You have to take it with you."

"Magical sciences were not one of my best subjects, Regulus. But I'm sure if a wizard wanted to go to the moon, he'd figure out a way," she told him.

"My point is, Muggles have accomplished many thing that the magical world hasn't, yet. In Britain, most Muggles live a higher standard of living than wizards do. They have long since stopped being peasants with pitchforks and torches. They could easily destroy all wizards and witches without much trouble."

"Muggles, destroy us?" she said with a laugh. "Regulus, I think you've become delusional."

"I could explain to you the effectiveness of Muggle weaponry and just how powerful they have become, but I doubt you would be able to sleep for some time if I did. Let me just say that they can destroy the entire world many times over, and it would take only minutes."

"That's impossible," she firmly stated, but a chill ran down her spine at the thought that it could be true.

"It's quite true, Cissy. It's been true since before we were born. The Ministry knows how powerful Muggles really are, that's why they guard our secrecy so fiercely."

"And you're helping these Muggles to become even more powerful," she accused.

"Of course not. They don't need my help,"

Feeling a bit frustrated, she asked, "What has this got to do with you using a reduction charm to get rich?"

"It's really very simple. Muggle technology uses something called electronics. The smaller the electronics become, the more that can be used for any particular application. It gives products more power and versatility," he explained.

"So you're using a deduction charm to shrink Muggle electro… whatever?"

"No, that would be very impractical. I use reduction charms to shrink the machines that make the electronics. I then sell these machines to companies around the world."

"You can get rich doing that?" she laughed. "You sound like some kind of toy maker."

"The only think that matters, dear cousin, is that the Ministry will never suspect it. They're only looking for direct forms of magic. The whole thing works mostly independent of me, now, so I have little to fear."

"Well, you were always the clever one, Regulus. I was very surprised when I heard you'd joined the Dark Lord. I always took you as a leader, not a follower." A knock on the door interrupted and startled her.

"That will be your bath robe and towels," Regulus said as he got up. "We'll leave the discussion of my brief service to the Dark Lord until after your bath. We can talk over a very late supper. I think Chinese take-out will do."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The warm bath was just what Narcissa's aching body needed. She showered first to wash the stench of the gardener and his brothers off of her. After spending nearly an hour in the tub, she reluctantly left the bath. With a towel on her head and wearing a white Egyptian cotton bathrobe, she entered the lounge where room service had set up a table between the two sitting chair. On the table were small white boxes filled with white rice, orange chicken, lo mein noodles and teriyaki beef. It was Muggle food, but it smelled good enough. Regulus was already filling his plate with rice and orange chicken.

Narcissa sat down and began to fill her own plate. Normally, this would have been a job for house-elves, but she seriously doubted this hotel owned any. She was already used to doing mundane tasks for herself. The house-elves at Malfoy Manor had all been sold off months ago.

"How was your bath?" Regulus asked as he unwrapped a pair of chopsticks.

"Adequate," she unemotionally answered. It was actually a lot more than adequate, but she would never let him know that. Narcissa found Regulus' new Muggle-loving tendencies quite despicable. She didn't want to encourage him by admitting how pleasant her bath in this Muggle hotel had been. Encouraging Regulus had always been a bad idea, even as a child. "You were going to tell me why you joined the Dark Lord and why you felt it necessary to fake your own death?"

Regulus took a sip of red wine and answered. "I thought it would be obvious why I joined. Mother and Father insisted. They weren't going to have another embarrassment like they had with Sirius. Your own son Draco found himself in a similar situation not long ago, if I'm not mistaken."

Narcissa knotted her napkin tightly in her fist. She would have thrown her plate of Muggle food at Regulus, but in her heart, she knew he was right. She had never wanted Draco to become a Death Eater like his father, but she'd done nothing to prevent it, either. She did not let the anger and guilt she felt show on her face. Regulus would only use it against her.

"Doing what Mummy and Daddy told you. That's a weak excuse to join the Death Eaters," Narcissa criticized, trying to go on the offensive.

"At the time, both my parents were in poor health; there was an inheritance to consider," he told her. "But I had my own reasons, as well. Being a spirited teenage boy, most antisocial pursuits looked attractive. The Death Eaters had an air of rebellion and excitement that was hard to resist."

"You were never a true believer in the Dark Lord's cause?" she asked.

"Most Death Eaters aren't true believers, Cissy. Fanatics like your sister are actually quite rare," he said, obviously trying to offend her.

"Rumor had it you lost your nerve, Regulus. Didn't want to get your hands dirty for the Dark Lord. Lucius said you were a prime example of what a true coward is," she told him with malevolence in her voice. He just smiled at her. Regulus was obviously not bothered by what the pure-blood Wizarding world thought of him.

"Only Lucius would consider not wanting to slaughter innocent children an act of cowardice. I never could understand why you would let your son be raised by such a morally bankrupt man," he said judgmentally.

"Lucius was an excellent father and husband," she forcefully said.

Regulus chuckled at her as he took another bite of orange chicken. After swallowing and wiping his mouth with a napkin, he said, "Forgive me, Cissy. I always assumed you feigned ignorance when it came to Lucius, trying to protect your own pride. I never believed you would be this naive."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Do you remember Draco's first nanny? An attractive young witch named Vanessa Duparc."

"Of course. She only worked for us a short time before she moved to Hungary," Narcissa answered. Her stomach suddenly lurched; she didn't like where this was leading.

"Vanessa has a fifteen-year-old daughter that attends Durmstrang Institute named Lucia. Vanessa has dark brown hair, but her daughter has pale blonde hair and gray eyes."

"That could be just a coincidence. What color is her husband's hair?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"She's unmarried," he said with obvious enjoyment. "She lives with another witch named Angela. Apparently, being with Lucius, even for a short time, left such a bad taste in her mouth, she swore off men altogether."

"This is just rubbish!" she yelled. "You have no proof that… that… that whore's bastard belongs to Lucius."

"Don't you find the timing of the child's birth and her appearance a bit suspicious?"

"It's…just a coincidence," she repeated with a small hitch in her voice.

"Maybe. But how do you explain the money Lucius sent Vanessa each month until he was arrested. And there are the expensive birthday presents he gave Lucia every year. A brand-new racing broom for the girl's twelfth birthday is a bit much for an ex-employee's daughter. Lucius may not have been a good husband, but he was a hell of a boss," Regulus said with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Nothing but filthy rumors and lies," she said with clenched teeth. "You were already thought dead and gone from our world when Miss Duparc came to work for my family. There's no way you could know if Lucius was unfaithful or not."

"Leaving our world didn't mean I could afford to stop keeping track of my enemies. His many mistresses could have been a source of embarrassment and blackmail if needed. Besides, Lucius' infamous philandering wasn't his worst quality. He reveled in the pain and torture of others."

Narcissa said nothing. She knew Lucius had a sick streak when it came to the suffering of others, especially those he felt were inferior to him, which was most of the world. Her nightmares were sometimes haunted by screams she thought she could at times hear rising from the manor's dungeon. Narcissa never went into the dungeon the whole time she lived at Malfoy Manor, partly because she feared for her own sanity and out of dread of what was actually happening down there.

"So you left the Death Eaters for moral reasons?" she asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

"I would never claim to be a person of strong morals, Cissy. But I do believe the next life is considerably longer than this one. Doing as the Dark Lord asked was a sure ticket to damnation," he said with a very sober look on his face. "I had other reasons, as well. All the pure-blood poppycock about being the chosen ones and how the Mudbloods were inferior abominations that could not be tolerated in our world was a load dragon's dung."

"Don't tell me you're now a Mudblood-lover like Dumbledore was," she said with obvious disdain.

"The truth is, I don't care for any kind of wizard these days, be they purebloods or Muggle-borns. But the pure-blood prejudice and false superiority will start a war that might involve the Muggle world. Our world would never survive that," he said with all seriousness.

"You don't think purebloods are superior to Mudbloods?" she asked.

"Of course not, Cissy. You went to Hogwarts the same time as I. What was inferior about the Mudbloods there?" he asked. "Most girls wanted to be just like Lily Evans and most boys wanted to date her, maybe even marry her. She was considered the best witch Hogwarts had seen in a generation. There was nothing inferior about her, other than her bad choice of men." Narcissa thought she heard a slight bit of resentment in his voice. Regulus wasn't the only wizard that thought James Potter hadn't been good enough for Evans.

Thinking about Lily Evans brought back Narcissa's own feelings of jealousy. Like most of the girls, she'd envied Evans and had worshipped James Potter. He was the ultimate teenage girl's dream: handsome, a bad boy with a heart of gold, and a Quidditch star. Potter had dated a lot of girls, but Narcissa had turned him down the few times he'd asked her. She hadn't wanted a silly school romance, but the real thing. James was her cousin's best friend. They'd known each other since they were both very young. Narcissa knew it was only a matter of time before the Black and the Potter families decided to join together and betroth the two. That was before that Mudblood bitch screwed everything up.

"Soon after I joined the Death Eaters, the Dark Lord sent five wizards to kill James and Lily Potter. None of the five returned. Most gave James the credit, but I knew it was Lily who killed the majority of them. It became quickly apparent to me that Voldemort didn't care how many of his servants died, as long as his enemies were destroyed. I wasn't about to give my life for something I didn't believe in and knew was wrong. The finally straw was when I met the Dark Lord in person to receive the Mark. I looked into his crazed red eyes. I saw the one thing I never thought I'd see. Fear. He feared something or someone to the point of madness. I was determined to find out what that fear was. But first I had to get myself out of the Death Eaters before he sent me to my death."

"So you faked your own death?" she asked.

"Yes. There is only one way to leave the Dark Lord's service," he said, then took a long drink from his wine glass. "I knew that simply running away would be a mistake. I had to make sure that no one would be looking for me. Voldemort paired me with Lucius for my first mission. He wanted us to destroy a Muggle orphanage in south London. I suspected that it was the same orphanage that Voldemort was raised in before he came to Hogwarts. Just before we were supposed to attack, I told Lucius that I wouldn't kill innocent children, even if they were Muggles. You should have seen the look on his face when I took out my wand and stunned him." Regulus smiled to himself as he thought back on what he had done to her husband.

"Needless to say, the Dark Lord ordered my death the next day. A week later, I intentionally let a slug of a Death Eater named Curtis Mayfield learn my whereabouts. I knew Curtis was stupid enough to try and kill me himself. I set a trap that he easily fell into.

I sent word to Lucius with Curtis' own owl, telling him that I – well, Curtis – had found and cornered me. I invited Lucius to join in on the kill. An hour later, Lucius and two others showed up. By then, I had given Curtis some Polyjuice Potion with one of my hairs in it. I, of course, took some Polyjuice with one of Curtis' hairs.

Disguised as Curtis, the others and I burst into the small flat where he lay half-Stunned, looking like me. Curtis was a pervert that liked snatching young Muggle boys from the streets of London, leaving their broken bodies in ditches for the Muggle authorities to find. I took great pleasure in torturing and finally killing the sick wretch with the others. Lucius was so angry that I had dared turn a wand on him, he blew the body into hundreds of pieces, then burnt the remains. Curtis Mayfield disappeared shortly after my death. I put out a rumor that Sirius had cornered and killed Curtis to avenge his dead brother."

"A remarkable story, Regulus," she told him. "It's hard to believe you were only eighteen at the time."

"I always considered myself well above average. I was a Ravenclaw, after all," he said with no modesty at all.

"So you spent the next eighteen years hiding in the Muggle world?"

"Most of the time. But I kept returning to find out more about Voldemort's weaknesses. I started at the orphanage he grew up in. He was right to try and destroy the place. I found what he didn't want anyone to know, shortly after I visited there."

"What did you find?" Narcissa asked.

"Sorry, Cissy. Some things are best kept to one's self," he told her with another smug look on his face.

"How do you know I'm not still loyal to the Dark Lord?" she asked. "I could tell him all about you in exchange for my son's life."

"I would never have rescued you from those three trolls if I wasn't sure about you, Cissy. You've played the part of a loyal wife to Lucius well: always supporting your husband and his views, even if you disagreed with them. But I know deep down inside you hate the Dark Lord more than most. You hate what he has done to your life, to the life of your only son and your sister's," he confidently told her.

"You may be right, Regulus. But I would make a deal with Lucifer himself if it meant I could guarantee Draco's safety," she firmly stated.

"Perhaps," he casually said. "But we both know Voldemort would kill you on the spot, no matter what you offered. Draco defied him, Cissy. He won't stop until you and your son are both dead."

Narcissa lowered her head and stared blankly at her plate. She knew what he said was true. It was only a matter of time before one of Voldemort's servants got to Draco. Her own life didn't matter; she'd gladly trade it to save her son. But no one thought she was worth the trade, at the moment.

Narcissa lifted her head and stared right into Regulus' eyes. "Can you help me save my son?" she asked with a little too much desperation in her voice.

"There is only one way to save Draco and yourself, Narcissa. You will have to help me kill the Dark Lord."

Narcissa stared at him in shock. "You can't be serious? There's no way we can do that."

"No, not by ourselves," he agreed. "But we can manipulate events and others so that it happens fairly quickly. We'll be like generals, letting others do the fighting for us," he explained.

"Is it even possible?" she asked. Many, including Dumbledore, had tried only to end up dead. She couldn't see how someone as powerful as Voldemort could ever be destroyed.

"It's not only possible, but inevitable. All you need to know is how to achieve it. Fortunately for us, I do," he assertively told her. "We will need to undermine his power base by removing his followers from him. Once he's isolated, we'll let others that consider themselves heroes do the dirty work for us. Most will die trying, but that's not our concern, only that they succeed in the end."

"Why do you care if the Dark Lord lives or dies, Regulus?" she asked. "You've made a life for yourself in the Muggle world, why come back and risk everything you've built?"

"It is my home, Cissy. I never intended to leave it. I will not sit by while Voldemort destroys it. He has become far too bold as of late, openly attacking Muggle targets with giants. I wasn't joking about how powerful the Muggles have become, Narcissa. If they feel that we are a threat, they can swat us down like a fly. Voldemort believes himself immortal, so he no longer fears the Ministry or the Muggle governments. He wants to show the whole world his power and doesn't care if our world burns because of it."

"I only care about Draco. If killing the Dark Lord saves him, so be it. But I will do nothing that endangers my son any further."

"I wouldn't ask you to, Cissy," he assured her. "But it's hard to see how he could be in more danger than he currently finds himself. Both the Ministry and the Death Eaters want him dead."

"Severus Snape will protect him for now. He took an Unbreakable Vow to do so," she told him.

Regulus seemed to consider what she had just said with great interest. Immediately, Narcissa regretted mentioning Snape.

"Just what is it you want from me, Regulus?" she asked, trying to distract him.

He looked at her and said, "I want you to help me get my old home back: number twelve, Grimmauld Place."

"For what purpose?"

"Let's just say I left a few personal items there that we'll need in the near future," he said cryptically.

Narcissa knew not to ask what the items were. He wouldn't tell her if she did. "Your items are probably long gone."

"No, they are definitely still there," he assured her. "I made sure that only I could get to them."

"The house isn't in the family anymore, Regulus. It was willed to someone after Sirius' death," she explained.

"I know. It belongs to Harry Potter now. The Order of the Phoenix is still using it as a base of operations," he told her.

Narcissa felt herself fill with rage at hearing the Potter boy's name. He was as responsible as, if not more than, the Dark Lord for what had happened to her family over the last two years. She personally wanted to wring his scrawny little neck with her bare hands.

"How do you plan to get it? That Potter brat will never sell it to you or me," she told him.

"I don't plan to buy it, Cissy. Potter will give it to us in trade," he informed her.

"What do you have that he would possibly trade Sirius' house for?" she asked. "He thinks himself morally superior to everyone. He'll never trade, no matter what treasure you offer."

From around his neck, Regulus removed a heavy gold locket that had an ornate serpentine 'S' carved on it. "He'll trade for this," he assured her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Salazar Slytherin's personal locket."

"It's valuable, but that doesn't mean he'll want it," she suggested.

"My dear cousin, he can't live without it," Regulus said with an evil smile.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Next chapter coming soon.

Here is a quick question for my readers. I've already mentioned that these two have bumped bones between the sheets. Should they do it again? Would an incestuous relationship spice things up?

Let me know what you think.