Chapter 57: Doubt In The Shadows

Too frequently events occurred when a person was not ready for them. As if the act of not wanting a thing called it like a siren song. It happened the next night when Regulus was hunting down his evening meal with Kreacher at his side. He knew he should've known such a showdown would come to pass considering he frequented the darker parts of town in his constant hunt for Death Eaters. He should've expected it, but somehow he'd believed he could avoid the situation until he was prepared to act on it properly. He and Kreacher had just dodged behind one of the more seedy bars so that Regulus could feed from the Death Eater he was fortunate enough to find stumbling drunkenly through Knockturn Alley and shouting that he had troll teeth for sale. Regulus should've been scanning for other minds in the area, but he was more concerned with shutting the loud drunk Death Eater up. Noisy prey drew notice to the hunter as well, after all. Regulus had just flung back the hood of his borrowed cloak of invisibility so that he might lock eyes with his dinner and thus command him to be silent when he heard a cry from just ahead. "Silence," he told his meal, then lifted his gaze to search for the cause of the disruption. Three hooded figures huddled like crows in a tight knot just up the street.

"Regulus?" The gasped voice was all too familiar and caused his blood to run cold with dread. No! He really wasn't ready for this right now! If he explained himself, he was literally putting them all in danger if the Dark Lord happened to see it in the minds of the three who now stared at him in open shock.

"No," he said, deciding then to use vampiric suggestion on them and make them forget they'd ever seen him.

"Rubbish," Bellatrix hissed. "That's Kreacher with you! We aren't stupid. Regulus what have you done?" She approached, face full of open concern before her eyes narrowed and one hand moved toward the wand tucked into the side of her corset. "You've betrayed our Lord. That's what everyone is saying!" She drew her wand, and Regulus sighed, holding up a restraining hand.

"Please, Bella. I don't want to fight you."

"I ought to kill you," Bellatrix said angrily. "I don't hear you denying the charges, Cousin! Why?"

"No I am not denying the charges, but there is more to it than you know."

"No reason could be good enough for you turning traitor! Do you know what a blow that was to our family, Regulus?"

"Bella, Please." How ironic. If she only knew all the intricacies of the blow Voldemort had dealt their family, including herself, Rod and Rabastan. She threw a hex, though obviously not with her full heart in it, as he easily dodged. Though the two Lestrange men followed close behind her, neither had reached for his wand yet. Now that they were so close, Regulus finally took in how thin all three were under their billowing cloaks, and how haunted and haggard their faces were. All had a madder than usual edge in their eyes that caused his heart to twist in sorrow. A result of too many years in Azkaban or the compulsion the Dark Lord had placed on their minds? Did the reason truly matter? Neither made him less guilty, for he had a distinct part in their fate due to his own choices to handle his discovery about the Dark Lord as he had.

"Please, Miss Bella," Kreacher spoke up from where he remained close at Regulus's side.

"Yes indeed, Kreacher," Bellatrix snapped angrily. "You've just put us all in danger, and do you even care? I ought to kill both of you on the instant."

Regulus knew he should erase their memories of seeing he and Kreacher here tonight, but something in him hated to do so considering their minds had already been through enough forgetting at the hands of the Dark Lord. And that was when it came to him. Inspiration struck! Forgetting and altering memories! Yes! That was how he would help them, only it wouldn't be the memories of the Lestranges he'd be altering. At last his choice to become a vampire would serve someone other than himself. The choice would serve and protect his family as he'd always intended before things had gone so dreadfully, horrifyingly wrong. "Turn around and forget you saw me, all of you," he said. "When things finally come to a head around Potter, I'll have your backs, I swear." To his relief, Bellatrix's wand wavered in the air before it finally lowered as her hand angrily dropped to her side. The three exchanged a look. Regulus hadn't expected to see that flicker of hope in their eyes. They were beginning to doubt the Dark Lord too! In spite of all he'd done to them, he was still managing to cause them to doubt him! Unable to resist, he scanned their minds for the reasons for their sudden lack of confidence. Images of cutting words from a twisted snake like man thing and unwarranted family shaming and punishments danced across the minds of all three. They no longer felt particularly safe or favored by Lord Voldemort, and the way he was using his seeming success obviously perplexed them all. "I love you, Bella. Remember that," Regulus said, and taking Kreacher's hand, he snatched the Death Eater's cloak in the other and apparated away. In less than a second, he, Kreacher and the Death Eater who still needed to become his evening meal stood in Doge's guest room. "I hate to take sustenance here, but you can burn the body away to ash when I've finished, can you not," Regulus asked the elf and Kreacher hastily nodded. Regulus sighed. "There was nothing else for it." He hated to eat here, but he wasn't willing to leave his prize behind. Not only would the man recall far too much, but one more Death Eater would continue to walk free and Regulus couldn't have that. It was when he reached for the man's shoulders that Regulus noticed he was shaking all over. The encounter with his family had been more stressful than he'd expected. "I wanted to tell them everything so badly!"

Kreacher nodded, expression gravely sympathetic as he looked up into Regulus's eyes. "Master Regulus knew that it was too dangerous at present," the elf rasped soothingly. "He will have his chance when the Dark Lord is gone."

Sighing Regulus nodded, then bit into the man's neck, glad to kill something if only for a release of the tension he felt. As food often did for mortals, the Death Eater's life blood soothed his nerves as well as his stomach. As soon as he allowed the man's lifeless body to slide gently to the floor, Kreacher lifted it into the air with a gesture and caused it to vanish in a puff of flames. Not so much as a single ash remained, and even Mortis looked impressed with the neat job from where he sat on Regulus's shoulder.

"It was nice seeing those three again, Master Regulus must admit," Kreacher said with a wicked grin.

Regulus gave a tired sigh, then smiled back. "I suppose it was at that. Though I worry it wasn't safe, seeing them does serve to remind me again of what I'm fighting for when things come to a head."

"Perhaps," Kreacher said, stepping closer. "But Kreacher thought Master Regulus was doing a good job of that already." As the elf spoke, he began gently but firmly tugging at Regulus's clothes until green robe and underthings slid to the floor. "Perhaps Kreacher should improve something," he murmured against Regulus's chest. "If Master Regulus's mind is still on unpleasant matters, perhaps Kreacher should learn a few new tricks." As his mouth slid lower, Regulus gasped.

"I think...that more...could...quite...possibly...kill me," he managed and Kreacher let out a low chuckle.

"Let us see."

Regulus shot out a hand to grasp at the nearest bed post as his knees were suddenly no longer interested in doing their job, that being to support his weight. Kreacher's ministrations had caused them to go all liquid as other parts of Regulus grew quite deliciously hard. While Regulus was still able to think, he silently vowed to pay the elf back for whatever he was about to do...quite thoroughly. As he always tried to keep his promises, even to himself, the two had a very long and very intensely pleasurable night during which no stressful situations were thought of at all. It wasn't until they woke the next evening that Kreacher thought to ask Regulus just how he intended to help the Lestranges.

"I plan to get into the Ministry very soon and use my abilities to suggest to the Aurors that saving the three of them would be a very useful and productive idea," he answered with a pleased grin. "I will suggest that the Lestranges would serve the Ministry far better alive than dead and that their skills when it comes to torture and murder should be put to a good use." The concept was so beautiful, he couldn't help but feel rather satisfied with himself. Indeed some of his best ideas were born under pressure, and at least that hadn't changed. "I will point out the truth of the fact that the Ministry has handled the Voldemort situation extremely poorly both times, and that if they had skills like those possessed by the Lestranges on their side, he could've been brought down much sooner."

Kreacher nodded, giving a pleased smile. "Brilliant Master Regulus! Kreacher knew he would come up with something, and as always Kreacher was correct."

Regulus chuckled, enjoying the way the elf brought the compliments back around to himself. He only spoke the truth, after all, and deserved far more recognition than he got from most. "Of course the Lestranges will have to work under cover," Regulus said. "Society shall never forgive them their crimes, even if some were done after Voldemort twisted their minds to forget all the reasons they tried to kill him. If the Ministry claims them to still be in Azkaban, though, it isn't as if anyone shall actually check."

"Does Master Regulus believe the Lestranges will agree," Kreacher asked thoughtfully and Regulus nodded.

"I should think so. The option is a far better one than returning to prison, and mad they may be, but they've never ever been stupid."