Chapter 71: What's Mine Is Yours

"So you're back at Grimmauld now," Bellatrix asked Regulus and he shook his head.

"No, but I plan to be soon. I promised Dumbledore I would hold off on speaking to Mr. Potter about reclaiming my family home until Voldemort was dead. I shall be speaking to him as soon as possible. Until then we shall continue to stay with Dumbledore's friend who has kindly allowed us the comfort of his home."

"I see," Bellatrix nodded as she accepted her third drink from Rabastan. "Well let us know when you're settled."

"I shall," Regulus promised.

"Hey, are you allowed to be alive now or what," Rabastan asked, giving Regulus a speculative look over his goblet before taking a swig of fire whisky. "That is are you still in hiding, or out of the coffin as it were?" Rabastan snickered in appreciation at his own joke and Regulus couldn't help but smile.

"I should think so. I haven't done anything illegal as far as wizarding society is aware. Of course they wouldn't appreciate the killing of wicked Muggles for my sustenance, and as they are a lot of hypocrites I doubt they'd appreciate the fact I killed those few Death Eaters I was able to track down in the past year, but we shan't be telling them of any of that."

"So that's where they got to," Bellatrix said with an appreciative cackle.

"And here we were believing The Dark Lord did it," Rodolphus added.

"I just can't stop myself thinking of all the disgusting things you have to do as a vampire," Rabastan said, making a face.

"Not at all uncomfortable," Regulus said dryly while Kreacher glared at the younger Lestrange. "And there's only the one. The drinking of blood and really it isn't bad. A vampire craves it in the way you would meat or cheese or bread. Due to the fact that it becomes a bodily need, it is no longer abhorrent, but believe me I did expect that it would be," he admitted honestly, suppressing a shudder at the memory of his first day or so as a vampire.

"What about the sleeping in a coffin bit," Rabastan asked, oblivious, intentionally or not, to Regulus's discomfort and Kreacher's hostile glare. "That seems pretty uncomfortable to me."

"Anywhere that is entirely dark serves so a coffin is not a must. It is simply fast and convenient and I think it has honestly become a part of vampire culture," Regulus admitted with a shrug.

"It isn't uncomfortable because the sunrise effectively knocks us out so we feel nothing even if we sleep on hardest stone."

"Master Regulus's coffin is quite comfortable, though," Kreacher inserted. "It has a rather soft padded lining."

"That's all very interesting," Bellatrix drawled. "And I am not going to ask how you know, because I do not feel like intentionally traumatizing myself."

Kreacher smirked. "If Miss Bella has more questions..."

"We are all questioned out," Bellatrix snapped, glaring warningly at Rabastan.

Regulus gave Kreacher an appreciative smile and the elf practically preened in satisfaction. They visited with the Lestranges until quite late into the night. It felt amazingly good to reunite with family again. Regulus knew he'd enjoy seeing them, but he'd under estimated just how much. The Lestranges represented the best of the old days, and like he and Kreacher, they had made it through the fires as it were and come out on the other side. They were all survivors and considering all they'd managed to survive, it felt amazing. When he and Kreacher departed, only a few more hours remained until sunrise. Regulus promised to visit again soon and the Lestranges in turn promised to tell he and Kreacher all about working for Black Ops once they got an assignment. As Kreacher had had several drinks with the Lestranges by then, he was quite pleasantly amorous when they made it home. As he was the sober one, Regulus apparated them directly into their bed chamber and there they stayed until the sun forced Regulus to sleep with Kreacher curled up against his side in drunken bliss. He was still there when the sun set. When he returned to awareness, Regulus lay for a moment without opening his eyes, simply enjoying Kreacher's warmth at his side. The elf's breathing was slow and regular, one arm cuddling Regulus's waist. Though they lay in complete darkness, Kreacher's face was easy to make out for Regulus's vampiric vision. The elf's expression of peaceful contentment caught at Regulus's heart. Had he never chosen to return when he'd gotten word that Voldemort still lived, he may never have seen Kreacher's face again. Without Regulus's return, Kreacher's face would not be so peaceful either. Regulus still could not forgive himself for the pain he'd inadvertently caused the elf when he left in nineteen-seventy-nine. He was fortunate to have Kreacher's love and forgiveness, a fact of which he reminded himself daily. As if sensing Regulus's thoughts, the elf shifted against him, eyes slowly opening to blink sleepily into the darkness. "Good evening, Love," Regulus said, lowering his head to greet Kreacher more thoroughly with a lingering kiss.

"Mmmmm," Kreacher replied, arms tightening around Regulus as he returned the kiss. Regulus melted into the embrace as all thoughts faded, giving way to mutual physical need. When the two rose nearly an hour and a half later, Regulus's thoughts were on his plans for the evening as he got dressed. "I would like to visit Mag after I have fed. I wish to ask for her help in a matter of business," he told Kreacher. Kreacher peered questioningly at Regulus as he tugged a fresh tunic over his head. Today it was the one Dora had given him when he and Regulus had first reunited, and the sight of it caused Regulus to give a fond smile. "I recall her speaking of working with goblin jewelers to make her wands, and I would like to see if she can set up a meeting with us and someone at Gringotts. After we get our manor back from Harry Potter, I want to legally put half of it in your name."

Kreacher's eyes nearly bulged and his jaw dropped. "Why ever would Master Regulus feel the need to do that?"

Regulus sighed as he slid the silver backed hair brush he'd had since boyhood through his shoulder length black locks. "Because you've bloody earned it! I want us to be equals. If anything ever happens as it has before, I want you to be safely provided for and not at the mercy of others. There, that was three answers. Is that good enough for you?"

Kreacher frowned mutinously. "Kreacher...Kreacher does not understand why Master Regulus thinks he would ever go away again." The anger faded from the elf's face and it crumpled as tears sprang to his eyes. "Because if he did, Kreacher does not believe he could handle it...Not again!"

Hastily Regulus put down the hairbrush and rushed to Kreacher, taking the elf into his arms. "Oh I'm sorry, Kreacher. I didn't mean that anything would happen. Just if it ever did, I won't leave you at anyone else's mercy again. I'll never leave you ever again for any reason. I swear it. Even if you are angry, I shall stalk you, begging you to forgive me if it comes to that...But if someone...I don't know...like captured me for any reason or gods forbid killed me."

"Then Kreacher would not live without Master Regulus," the elf wailed, clinging to Regulus as his body suddenly shook with sobs.

Regulus felt tears spring to his own eyes as he held Kreacher close. This...this was a result of the worst mistake Regulus had ever made in his life in thinking that Kreacher did not want him because of all the mistakes he'd made in his attempt to end the Dark Lord. "On second thought, if you recall, we each have a talisman from Gellert that brings all of us to the safe place he set up with Wolfgang. If one of us ever goes missing for any reason, we can simply activate it. Of course it will bring everyone together and not just the two of us, but that hardly matters if one of us goes missing."

Kreacher hiccuped as he lifted his tear streaked face from Regulus's shoulder. "Kreacher finds that to be a most excellent idea," he said with a bright smile that caused Regulus to smile in return.

Before he could reply, a knock came at the bedroom door. "What on earth is going on in there," Dora called. "Kreacher sounded as though he was being skinned alive."

Kreacher's cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment as he drew away to rub fists into his eyes. "I...we're fine now, and Kreacher has all of his skin," Regulus called back. "Kreacher was just a bit upset over the fact that I want to make him a mutual owner of our family home."

Dora paused for several beats before speaking again. "So...giving someone a house is bad?" Regulus's lips twitched and Kreacher glared.

"Just if they make Kreacher afraid that they may vanish again while they are at it," the elf said tartly.

"I promise, Regulus will never do that again," Dora said firmly. "He is extremely miserable without you and no one wants to deal with that on a daily basis."

"Really, and you don't get into your depressive moods," Regulus shot back, affronted.

"We're seriously going to have an argument about depression through the bedroom door," Dora asked, laughter in her voice.