Chapter 3: Pandora
Regulus's sixth, and for him, final year of school would be over in three days. After that, Bellatrix and Rodolphus planned to present him to the Dark Lord. The prospect filled him with exulted anticipation but also anxiety far greater than he felt about any upcoming exam. He took to walking the streets of Hogsmeade just for something to do and because he needed to move. Being still didn't match his racing thoughts and the thoughts slowed their clamoring if his body didn't remain static.
"So...magic." Regulus turned at the sound of the voice. A lovely woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere, walked at his side. She wore a long dark brown swayed skirt, a cream silk top and knee high flat boots that matched her skirt and also the chocolate brown of her straight waist length hair. She was of average height and slender. Her eyes were deep and liquid, holding a studied intelligence. Her age was difficult to determine, but Regulus guessed her to be in her early thirties though her skin was entirely unlined. The words that immediately came to mind at sight of her were soft and flowing.
"It comes in handy," he told her with an amused grin.
"I met a vampire last week in Rome who claimed it was real. I didn't believe him of course so he brought me here. Is this some sort of joke?"
"You met a vampire...SO you're a...Muggle," Regulus asked carefully, the shock evident on his face. A muggle in Hogsmeade was no good, and were a witch to arrive with a vampire, she would obviously be well aware of magic.
She shook her head, the gesture smooth and elegant. "I'm a vampire. Actually I don't know if I'm a Muggle or not, because I don't know what a Muggle is. It sounds as if it should be a cute little furry creature, though, and I'm not one of those."
Regulus laughed softly, finding himself enjoying this rather interesting and pleasant distraction. "No. A muggle is someone without magic. You're a vampire yet you've never heard of magic? How old are you, then?"
She frowned slightly. "Didn't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age?"
"I thought it hardly mattered with vampires," Regulus said, slightly embarrassed. "I apologize."
It was her turn to laugh softly. "I was teasing...mostly...I became a vampire when I was thirty five...that was over two thousand years ago, though."
Regulus was impressed. "That's something!"
She smiled in appreciation."How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"And you are a magic user?"
"A wizard, yes."
Her eyes lit with eagerness. "Show me magic," she demanded.
"What would you like to see?"
"Anything!"
"I'll levitate you into the air if you promise not to see it as any sort of attack and tear my throat out or anything," Regulus said after a moment of thought.
She frowned in disappointment. "I can already fly so I'd prefer something else if you can manage it."
Regulus scowled. If he could manage it? Did she doubt his capabilities because of his age? "I can manage a bloody lot." He stopped walking and turned to a shrub that happened to be growing beside them.
"I will transfigure that into a giant crystal ball. How is that?"
She nodded. "But will it be real or only an illusion."
"Basically real," he replied after a slight hesitation as his mind played over the particulars. Of course it wouldn't be literal crystal, being made of shrub molecules, but Transfiguration was no illusion. She'd be able to see into it like quartz that ran as clear as water and unlike a shrub it would be cold and glassy to the touch, so real enough for her. She watched in awe as the shrub became a waist high clear orb of gleaming crystal. Moving forward she gently touched it with her fingertips then gave a laugh of delight, clapping slender hands.
"That's amazing! Thank you. What else can you do?"
"What else can you do," Regulus asked, feeling she could give a little in return. He'd never actually chatted up a vampire before. "Do you turn into anything other than a bat?"
She gaped, then laughed. "You watch too many movies! I can't turn into a bat. I just fly."
"I have never watched a single movie, but I have read a few books," Regulus defended himself. "So you don't turn into anything?"
She shook her head. "I can cleanse myself in fire without being burned, though. Like if I get too bloody while feeding. The ability to touch fire without being burned, along with the power of flight belongs to older vampires like myself, not so much to the young ones. If they tried to cleanse themselves in fire they would die screaming and all crispy. The abilities develop with age." She spoke with a light Italian accent, Regulus noted, or something that sounded that way to his admittedly untrained ears. "So that's two things I can do. Show me something else you can do," the vampire said.
"Fine. I'll apparate us into the Hogshead bar there," he said, nodding across the street. Reaching out he placed a hand on her arm and side apparated her into the busy bar. She gave a little scream then laughed.
"Wow that felt odd! Like being squeezed. Can you do that to anywhere?"
"If I know where it is," he replied, chuckling at her reaction. "Your turn."
She considered. "Well I can drink blood."
Regulus frowned, feeling cheated. "I know that. What else."
"Alright...I can read minds."
His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "That is an actual branch of magic. So vampires do have more magic than I thought."
"It isn't magic. I had no magic before I became a vampire. I may have been a little psychic. That's it."
"Well reading minds is magic. Can you keep yours from being read?"
She shrugged. "Some. It depends on who's trying to read it. That's two, it's your turn and you have to show me two things now," she announced. Regulus drew his wand and caused an orb of light to float in front of her. "Cute but not useful to me," she said, disappointed. "I can see perfectly fine in the dark. What else."
"Well there are many spells I can use my wand for. If I am reading an old scroll written in another language, for example, I can work a translation charm on it so that English letters hover just above the original letters on the scroll. There are also cleaning charms, but elves do those better. My elf best friend makes that very clear to me every time I try," he said with a fond smile.
"Wait...There are really elves," she asked. "As in all tall and willowy with pointed ears?"
"Not tall, but willowy and pointed ears sure," Regulus said. He raised his brows, suddenly incredulous. "How have you gone two thousand years without seeing an elf?"
She shrugged. "Perhaps because I was a Muggle before and remained in Muggle parts of the world, meaning most of it. The vampire who told me of wizards explained that you lot hide yourselves away for various top secret reasons," she replied. "Tell me more," she added eagerly. "I want to know everything."
"Can you drink anything other than blood," Regulus asked instead. He was still intent on quid pro quo. He was learning quite a lot of fascinating things about vampires.
She shook her head. "It makes me ill. Why?"
"Well we are in a bar. I suppose we can walk again, though, unless you'd rather go somewhere else."
"What about a library," she asked eagerly. "My name is Pandora, by the way."
Regulus smiled. "Regulus Black."
"What a nice name...With a Roman flair...I like it," Pandora said, nodding in approval.
"There is a library, yes," Regulus said, returning to her topic of interest. He led the way out of the bar and back onto the street. He spent several hours with the vampire, and as he enjoyed her strange conversation so much, he promised to meet her again at the same library. They even exchanged addresses, though he wondered how she planned to write if she ever had the notion to do so as she'd never heard of the owl post.
It wasn't until he was back in his dorm room at school that Regulus actually looked at the address on the slip of paper Pandora had given him. It wasn't just one address, but five...in three different countries! She had two houses in Italy, one in Greece and two in America. When Regulus told Kreacher that night about meeting the vampire, the elf's round blue eyes widened in open shock. "It is hardly proper for Master Regulus to keep company with a vampire," he complained.
Regulus smirked, waving a dismissive hand. "Some would say that this bath with you is extremely improper, but I think we both disagree," he pointed out, lips trailing over Kreacher's shoulder, causing the elf to shiver.
"Yes but...If Master Regulus draws more notice with unnecessary improper actions," Kreacher said, but from the glazed look in his eyes, Regulus could tell that his heart wasn't truly in his fretting at present.
"She's interesting," he protested. "She's lived for over two thousand years. She has seen many of the things we can only read of in history books. And most vampires already believe they know everything so they aren't as ready to share information with we mere mortals. She's somehow never heard of magic, and she's eager to share knowledge." As he spoke, Regulus ran a hand down Kreacher's flat stomach to cup the impressive erection that stood eager and waiting just under the surface of the warm bubbling water. As their mouths met, Kreacher's long slender fingers wrapped around Regulus's own erection, drawing a low growl of desire from the wizard.
"Was she pretty,"Kreacher asked.
By this point, conversation was always over, so Regulus nearly started in surprise. "What?"
"Kreacher wonders if the vampire is pretty," the elf repeated.
Regulus arched impatiently into Kreacher's now frustratingly still hand. "Sure...She was pretty. Now can you think about me instead," he asked a bit peevishly.
"Will Master Regulus wish to take baths with her," Kreacher asked flatly and Regulus let out a breath of frustration."Of course not. I won't ever wish to be with anyone in any way but you. Now will you please stop talking so that we may turn our efforts to more pleasantly gratifying matters?"
Thankfully Kreacher acquiesced and they didn't speak again until the bath was nearly cold. "Would you be bothered if I were with a girl," Regulus asked, as they languidly washed up.
The look Kreacher turned to him was carefully blank. With a casual flick of his hand, the elf warmed the bath again. "Kreacher lives to serve the house of Black. Kreacher has no right to stand in the way of anything Master Regulus wishes. Someday if he wishes a wife and children, Kreacher will serve Master Regulus's family faithfully."
Regulus's mouth gaped in shock as his heart crumbled a little in his chest. He felt as if he'd been slapped in the face. He was stunned, disillusioned and hurt. He'd thought he understood what he and Kreacher had, and now he wasn't so certain. Suddenly he realized he was also angry. "You could just be fine with that," he demanded heatedly. "Just be fine with me having a wife and you being my...what distraction on the side?"
Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher will do what is required."
"I didn't think this was you doing what was required. I thought this was you wanting me and me wanting you! I thought it was forever. I planned for us to have our own place soon so we could do exactly what we like whenever we bloody like, at least behind closed doors. I have no desire for a wife or children," Regulus bit out. Even as he spoke, he felt as though he dyed a little inside.
"Master Regulus knows that Kreacher's needs are irrelevant. Master Regulus's parents shall insist that he marry and continue the Black line and Kreacher can not stand in the way of that," the elf nearly shouted, rasping voice almost breaking in...what, Regulus wondered.
"That is rubbish," he flung back. "You have the right to feel anything you like. I told you I will free you and then we can do as we wish. We will be subtle, of course, so as not to embarrass my family, but I shall always refuse to marry anyone."
Kreacher shook his head. "Master Regulus still does not understand. They will expect it, and what excuse will Master Regulus have?"
"I'll just say I hate anyone they try to match me with," Regulus said. "I just need to know, though...that it would bother you if I had a wife...Because if you had one you can be certain that it would bother me quite a lot."
Kreacher's face was flushed with shame or anger, but Regulus was uncertain which. "Kreacher would not mind," the elf insisted. "He would not stand in the way of..."
Regulus reached for Kreacher then, mouth demanding covering his before more hurtful words could escape. Kreacher's arms came around his neck, hands tangling in Regulus's water wet hair as he met Regulus's passion with his own. Regulus's breaths were coming raggedly as he reached for his wand, transfiguring the bath into a small bed. Placing Kreacher on it, he took the elf's erection into his mouth, driving Kreacher to the edge, then drawing back before the writhing moaning elf could reach completion. "Tell me," Regulus growled at last. "Tell me that you would hate seeing me with anyone else." Kreacher's eyes filled with tears as his jaw set, but he would not speak. Regulus stroked him with teasing fingertips, and drew away when Kreacher needily arched up toward his hand. "Tell me," Regulus demanded. Never before had he understood angry sex until now. "Tell me that it would bother you, damn it."
"Of course it would," Kreacher nearly shouted. "But there is nothing Kreacher can do about it, and Master Regulus is being cruel."
Regulus shook his head. "No. I just needed to know...to be sure...that you really want this as much as I do, because there will be sacrifices some day. Sacrifices I am more than willing to make. I believe I can earn us enough honor with the dark lord first, though, to have a bit of clout. Just be patient...and know that I will never touch anyone else, I swear it to you, Kreacher."
Kreacher nodded, but his expression was more worried than relieved. Regulus trailed kisses over Kreacher's body until the elf's gaze was passion glazed once more. "I promise," he murmured again then gave Kreacher the thorough pleasure he deserved. The two were in the Prefect Bathroom for half the night. Fortunately everyone was studying for exams, so no one came to complain that the bath was in use for too long. "If Mum asks why you were here for so many hours, tell her I had you helping me study," Regulus told Kreacher as they languidly dressed several hours after midnight. Kreacher nodded, expression at last relaxed.
Regulus grinned as a sudden image of Kreacher pushing a young would-be wife to the house Black down the stairs. "You know you'd be tempted to help me get rid of her," he said and the elf's mouth twitched.
"Kreacher is a good elf," he said cryptically and Regulus laughed, as he bent to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Remember. I promise. There will never be anyone else but you."