Chapter 15: You Are A Vampire, And Baby I'm The Walking Dead

Regulus was consumed by the need to make Voldemort pay. Nearly killing Kreacher was enough for him, but now Voldemort had racked up an entire list of crimes for which each and every one of his followers should want him dead if they only knew. Killing Orion then twisting the minds of Bellatrix and the Lestranges clearly showed that he only cared for himself. He couldn't care for the pure blood values his followers believed him to uphold. Not and do the things he'd done.

His injustices were too vast to tolerate, and Regulus could never live with himself if he let this be. His current state was nearly out of body, in a place both immersed in and yet beyond fear, anger and grief. Voldemort must pay and Regulus had to make it happen. Regulus knew he had yet to fully process the fact that his father was gone, but if he let himself break down now he wouldn't be able to carry through with his revenge. He would instead allow fear to get the best of him. He'd run away with Kreacher and his Mum and try to hide until someone else discovered the hard way what Voldemort was and killed him. He knew any attempt to flee would end as badly as everything else, though. Voldemort would simply track them down via Regulus's dark mark and end them or worse. Though he wished to talk with Bella and the Lestranges, he was concerned about what Voldemort had done to them. He wanted to tell them that Voldemort had compelled them and then use one of the many reversal charms to set their memory straight, but he knew he hadn't Voldemort's skill with mind magic. What if they'd been compelled to attack him on sight? Voldemort could've easily set such a command in place the previous night without speaking or even visited them privately later to do it then. The fact he hadn't compelled Kreacher and Regulus made this seem more likely to him. What better way to get rid of him and Kreacher than at the hands of trusted family under heavy compulsion, after all. Regulus had figured out his own next move, though. It had all clicked into place in his mind far more easily than he had any right to expect considering the amount of stress under which he currently functioned. He had a plan that wouldn't solve everything, but it would allow him to strike a blow against Voldemort while keeping himself and Kreacher safe. Kreacher was the most important thing in his life and he couldn't risk the elf's safety again for any reason. Not after what had already befallen him at Voldemort's hands. Not after what had happened to Orion when they'd tried to go up against the Dark Lord face to face. Promising Kreacher that he would return soon, Regulus departed for the library at sunset. His mother was worried about Orion and Regulus knew he could only plead ignorance for so long, but he had to solve one problem at a time. When he arrived, the library was quiet, and somehow it gave Regulus a much needed sense of calm. The implications of the plan he'd formed along with the trauma of the previous night had kept his mind racing all day so a little inner stillness allowed him to relax to a degree. If Pandora wasn't at the library, he'd have to try writing her home addresses in hopes she was at one of her two houses. Fortunately, she was at the library, though. Regulus found her seated on a straight back chair in the very back beside a corner shelf. She was reading a book of necromancy but quickly closed it at sight of Regulus.

"It's not Wednesday yet, but how did it go," she asked eagerly.

"It did not go very well at all," Regulus said. Withdrawing his wand from the right sleeve of the green robe he wore, he placed the anti eavesdropping charm around them he'd used during their last meeting. "I need you to turn me into a vampire. Please, Dora! It is a matter of life and death...Literally!" There. Now the words were out. Though it seemed the only option, he knew this would change his life forever as well as his status in the pure blood community. Though he was still a pure blood, that wouldn't matter to many of those in high wizarding society. To them vampires were little more than beasts. Of course Dora was no beast, and Regulus knew better, but this choice he was making would change a lot nonetheless. At his sudden request, Pandora looked taken aback, understandably.

"Why?"

"My father is dead. I saw him die," Regulus said, struggling to keep his voice from shaking. He couldn't break down now! He just couldn't! Not before it was all done.

Pandora blinked, expression one of complete shock. She obviously hadn't expected that. "How?"

"Voldemort. When I told my father, he had a plan to take Voldemort down with six of us. We all used the killing curse at once! Elf magic is even stronger than that of wizards in many cases and Kreacher threw the curse with the rest of us, yet somehow my father is dead instead."

"How," Pandora repeated, staring at him in open shock and confusion.

"That's just it! I don't exactly know," Regulus said, shaking his head. It was too fast to even make out! Then he did something to the minds of my cousin Bellatrix and the Lestranges. He compelled them to believe my father had died in his service and told them to go home and sleep. You should've seen their faces...horrified then just oddly blank and they didn't even look around at me or Kreacher...or my father's dead body!"

Pandora nodded. "That's how it works even when vampires manipulate the mind, and he's obviously good at hypnosis."

Regulus nodded. "Yes, but something tells me it was even more than that. I sensed too much magic for him to just be compelling them. Then he did something to me and Kreacher, but it wasn't compulsion, because my memories are still intact. We woke on the floor alone, and my father's body was gone."

"It could've still been compulsion," Pandora said. "He could've compelled you to do something and then to forget it, yet why he left your memories of the murder intact is strange."

Regulus nodded. "Very strange," he agreed.

"So how do you feel becoming a vampire would help," Dora asked. Frowning she added, "I've never made anyone before."

"Made?"

"Turned someone into a vampire...When someone does that, they are referred to as the maker' of the new vampire."

"Ah." Regulus nodded in understanding. "I was counting on the extra speed and strength combined with my magic to help me survive the bastard. Having similar mental abilities, hypnosis, mind reading, all that to use against him won't hurt either. There are some wizards who can do such things with magic, but I never excelled at those in particular. I never studied it that hard either, but still...Being a vampire would give me an extra edge that I must have if I am to survive and keep my family alive."

"Only with a lot of time and training," Pandora told him. "One has the abilities, but those abilities can drive a new vampire mad if they aren't taught to use them properly. That's what I'm here for, though...If I actually turn you, that is."

"But why wouldn't you?"

"Because for a maker it's a big responsibility. I am a loner by nature, and I would have to spend a great deal of time with you or anyone I made to ensure they were prepared to conduct themselves properly in the world without getting themselves killed or drawing attention from...Muggles as you call them. As you know, vampires are as much in hiding as are wizards and witches."

Regulus nodded. "I understand, and I promise to not only be a good student, but to pay you back with magical favors in any way I can."

Pandora nodded. "There is also yourself to consider. For your part, it's a big change, and one you may regret later so you really should take more time to consider," she said slowly. "I mean no more sunlight. No more of your favorite drinks or foods, because ingesting anything other than blood will make you violently ill, and no having children."

"I can live with that, because at least I shall be alive," Regulus said quickly. "And I don't have time to think it out. He could come for us at any time for all I know. He knows that Kreacher survived and he's probably guessed that we know about the Horcrux...Unless he's done other things that are worthy of us coming after him for. Likely he has now that I come to think of it," he concluded darkly. Who knew what else the monster had gotten up to, but surely the atrocities of which Regulus was aware wouldn't be all that Voldemort could claim. Someone that sick wouldn't be able to simply be that despicable one or two times. It just didn't work like that. "Either way we aren't safe. He knows we tried to kill him and I don't know why he left us alone thus far, but I don't believe it will last. He's probably got some plan in the works that shall be extremely unpleasant to say the least. He seems the sort to enjoy epic revenge and killing my father won't be enough."

Pandora nodded. "You have a good case."

"Will you do it," Regulus asked eagerly. When she hesitated he leaned toward her pleadingly. "Dora...I'm asking for your help. I am asking that you not let me die!" Ordinarily Regulus Black was never the sort to beg, but this was, as he'd said, his life. Not only that, it involved the lives of those he loved most, so there was no room for pride.

She took a deep breath then let it out in a sigh. "Alright."

"Thank you, Dora!" Regulus gave a laugh of relief, then sprang to his feet from the wooden chair across from Dora in which he'd sat to tell his story. "Where do we go to do it? I need to do it now, because there are some things I must take care of directly afterward."

"Whoa," Pandora said, holding up a hand. "Directly after you'll need to feed, and then I will have to begin your training before you're fit for anything else," she said firmly.

Regulus shook his head. "We will do all that soon after, but I must take care of one thing first. One thing that I need to be a vampire to accomplish safely."

"Fine," Pandora said with a sigh of resignation. "As far as where we can do this, anywhere that we won't be interrupted. I can take you to my London flat if that is alright with you."

Regulus nodded quickly and Pandora rose to go. Placing the book carefully back on the shelf, she led the way out of the library and through the busy London streets. Regulus wished he knew where they were going so he could apparate them, because everything seemed to move so slowly! He was anxious to get this over with and he knew his agitation was making it worse.

"If you were a vampire we could travel quite fast. Vampires don't apparate, but they can move far faster than the mortal eye can track, so we can really cut travel time," Dora commented, obviously reading his impatience.

"Looking forward to it," Regulus said tightly. Twenty minutes later, Dora was unlocking the door to a posh flat filled with nineteen thirties art decor style furniture in impeccable condition. Taking Regulus's hand she wordlessly led him to the sofa and sat. He followed suit and when she leaned back into the dark gray cushions, he did the same. They sat side by side for a few silent seconds, Regulus holding his breath in anticipation. "Are you quite certain," she asked. "Because there is no undoing this if you change your mind, Regulus." As she spoke, she fixed him with a searching gaze full of concern from her liquid brown eyes.

"I am quite certain, because I have no choice," Regulus said. "Thank you, Dora, for saving my life. I can't thank you enough."

She nodded and ran a thumb lightly up and down the skin of the inside of his forearm until he relaxed. "This will only hurt for a second," she said, before lifting his wrist to her mouth. When she bit into his flesh it did hurt, but only briefly. The feeling of her sucking on his wrist, draining him of blood, was odd and Regulus was glad to be leaning back into the sofa for support. Eventually the room began to spin and he felt quite weak. He closed his eyes and she continued to pull at his wrist with her mouth. Hazily he hoped she'd not accidentally kill him. He opened his mouth to say as much and wasn't sure that anything came out. Everything was more difficult to do now. Speaking, moving, thinking, it was all just too hard. Then he tasted something warm and salty and delicious! Next there was the sensation of something being pressed to his mouth.

"Drink, Regulus. Suck on my wrist and drink the blood now!" That was Dora's voice, Regulus thought. He was still extremely light headed, but he struggled to follow her instructions. He had to live for Kreacher! As he drank from Dora's wrist he became less and less lightheaded. When at last she withdrew her wrist he was feeling...not at all normal, but better. Everything was sharper from the feel of the sofa under his body to the sound of the ticking clock to the smell of Dora's perfume.

"I've got to go feed. I gave you more than I normally would have because I wanted you to be strong enough to handle your business," Dora said.

"Thank you," Regulus said again, reaching to give her a quick hug. "I...Need one more favor, but go feed and I'll meet you back here in an hour if that's alright."

Dora nodded. "That's fine." Though her face showed mild curiosity, she didn't ask. Her need to feed was greater than her need to know about the favor. That was fine with Regulus, because he didn't have time to explain at present. As they both headed for the door, Regulus noticed how much faster he was moving. It was effortless...natural. "Be careful and don't accidentally kill anyone with your enhanced strength and speed," Dora warned as she opened the door. He nodded and the two headed into the evening in separate directions.