Chapter 70: All The King's Horses And All The King's Men
"But...He knew how fond you are of Kreacher...Everyone knew... How did he not think you'd have a problem when Kreacher didn't return home," Bellatrix exclaimed incredulously. Her face was white with shock, her expression honestly aghast. Regulus supposed he couldn't call it Déjà Vu if he was fully aware of why he knew he'd been here before. In nineteen-seventy-nine he'd had nearly the same conversation with the Lestranges, only then Orion Black was present rather than Corvus Lestrange. At least Regulus would not be getting him killed with any foolish mistakes. "Exactly," Regulus said. "Now you see why I couldn't go on with things."
Bellatrix nodded. "Kreacher, I am so sorry you went through that."
Kreacher swallowed the last of his drink and placed the empty glass down on the table beside Corvus's. "Kreacher knows," he murmured, giving Bellatrix a fond if strained smile. The elf never grew fully accustomed to having conversations that involved his experience with Voldemort and Regulus understood this well. It felt as if that dreadful black lake got a hold on a person's mind and very soul.
"But why didn't you come to us with this back then rather than becoming a bloody vampire, Idiot," Bellatrix demanded. "We would've believed you. Together we could've..."
"Could've what," Regulus demanded sharply. "I'd have just put you in danger as well." He couldn't bring himself to tell them that he had come to them and as a result had gotten their minds twisted. Oh sorry! He could stand the blame, because he deserved it. It wasn't that. He was simply afraid that telling them of their trauma while being unable to help them to remember it could do more mental damage than they'd already suffered. What if it instead made things worse? The very thought was enough to cause his chest to tighten with panic as he exchanged another worried glance with Kreacher. "There were six more Horcruxes, though," Rabastan asked and Regulus couldn't help giving him a grateful smile for inadvertently changing the focus up a bit. Fortunately Bellatrix was distracted by that and allowed him to answer. "Yes. I only discovered the one myself, however. It was Albus Dumbledore who found the rest."
"Then he was fool enough to get himself killed," Bellatrix sneered contemptuously. "A lot of good his genius mind did him in the end. He was unable to stop The Dark Lord...Unable to help anyone."
Her eyes flashed viciously, indicating to Regulus that on some level, she'd wanted help. Gods, Bella, I am so sorry! Keeping the thought wisely to himself, he closed his eyes for an instant to avoid what he saw lurking in hers because he knew that most of her suffering was his fault. "Dumbledore isn't dead, actually," he said, then realized the former Headmaster of Hogwarts may not want that information out. "But don't tell anyone, please," he added hastily. "I don't know that he plans to return. I got the impression that he was rather fed up with it all, and who can blame him really?"
"Is that actually a serious question," Bellatrix demanded.
"Are the other six Horcruxes destroyed now or what," Rodolphus asked, and preferring that question, Regulus addressed it instead of Bellatrix's. He didn't want to get into how Dumbledore had still helped against Voldemort because he didn't know how much the old man would appreciate anyone being told of his current plans. "Yes. They are gone so at long last, he is as well."
Bellatrix gave a shudder of relief. While the three Lestrange men weren't quite as expressive, relief was plain on their faces as well. "Those Horcruxes were how he was able to return," Rabastan breathed and Regulus nodded.
"Yes, though I can't account for why he appeared so hideous as a result."
"I always believed that was intentional," Bellatrix said. "To make himself more snake like to show his Parseltongue pride...To set him above we mere mortals." She shook her head, expression suddenly sad, bordering on devastated.
"He wasn't truly mortal to us, you know...He was our god."
"I remember that," Regulus said quietly. "I did share your sentiment once, you know," he reminded. "But rather than the god we all wanted, he may as well have been a demon. Having no soul does that to one as well as whatever leads up to not valuing that soul enough to keep it."
"True enough," Bellatrix murmured as she blinked at nothing with an unsettling, distant look in her eyes.
Disconcerted, Regulus wondered why she hadn't reacted more strongly to the disillusion of her precious dark lord. Sure she'd gotten upset, but not nearly to the level he'd expected. The first time around, she was shattered, after all, and considering the fact Voldemort had truly caused the three of them to obsess over and worship him, Regulus had expected their reaction to the news that he wasn't at all what they believed to be far worse. "I must admit to being a bit surprised that you believe me so readily," he admitted. With Voldemort having literally gotten to their minds all those years ago, he'd had no idea what to expect when it came down to it.
"You're family," Bellatrix said flatly. "You wouldn't lie."
"Of course not but...As you said, Bella, he was your god."
She slumped in her chair and it was Rod who spoke. "But don't you know that gods can be unkind? Look how many times Zeus was a right shit, for example. And never mind the Christian God with all that smiting!" Regulus chuckled. Rodolphus Lestrange was rough and tumble, but under all that was a very sharp and intelligent mind. That was one of the reasons Bellatrix had fallen for him, Regulus supposed. "Don't you remember my mentioning that he wasn't the same when we ran into you in Knockturn Alley a few weeks back?"
Regulus did. He nodded at Rodolphus. "Care to elaborate now? I must admit to being curious and you've gotten most of my news so by rights it should be your turn."
"Fair enough," Rodolphus said. "When he released us from Azkaban he was rarely kind or fond of us. All too frequently he was cutting and pettily cruel instead. He was quick to punish for things that he did not feel were handled to his satisfaction even if doing so happened to be impossible. He enjoyed belittling those who were once his favorites for no apparent reason."
"He was so vicious to me over Andi's stupid animal humping child marrying that werewolf," Bellatrix bemoaned, drawing in on herself at the unfair memory. "As if I could've prevented it or was somehow personally to blame." She straightened suddenly, giving a vicious smirk.
"Well both of them are dead now."
"Actually they're all dead now," Rabastan cackled. "Snake Face included!"
"I'll drink to that," Rodolphus said, draining his glass. Rod's jovial tone roused Bellatrix from her dark mood and touching her glass with his she did the same.
"I think another round is in order," Rabastan said. "I'll do the honors this time."
As anyone who could drink one had their second round, Regulus summarized his time with Dora hiding among the Muggles.
"It sounds disgusting and horrifying," Bellatrix said with a shudder when he concluded.
"Kreacher agrees," the elf murmured, staring morosely down into his glass.
"Well I'm not going to complain," Regulus said. "Aside from wanting to die due to every stupid mistake I made in dealing with the Dark Lord and believing wrongly that Kreacher wished to have nothing to do with me, it was nothing compared to Azkaban. I'm more sorry than words can say that you three had to spend all that time in there."
"I spent much of it as a raven, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been," Rabastan said, obviously struggling for a brave front.
"Rodolphus and I weren't so fortunate," Bellatrix said snidely.
"Due to the overwhelming misery with which the Dementors permeated the place, Bella and I weren't able to summon up enough power to transform," Rodolphus said with a shrug. "Just one more unfortunate thing about the bloody place. At least we shall never have to see it again."
"And if you ask me, never is still too soon," Bellatrix said firmly.
"Sirius was the only one of us who deserved to be there," Regulus said, sincerely meaning every word.
"He wasn't one of us, and you never thanked me for killing him," Bellatrix said, tossing back her wild black curls and giving a self-satisfied smirk.
"You are correct, Cousin. I am remiss. I thank you for ridding our family tree of such a foul apple for good. I swear I can't ever recall him saying a fond word to me or Kreacher either."
"I don't think he knew how," Bellatrix said. Her expression was disgusted which was nothing new when speaking of Sirius.
As Kreacher began to mutter about something being wrong with Sirius from birth, Regulus couldn't help but smile. No matter the damage, at that moment, it was nearly like old times.