The Search Is Over,
Chapter 152, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
"Why is it a good thing not to remember, though," Regulus asked. "That's the one part of your reading that I did not understand."
Mag frowned, glancing back down at the runes. "Because sometimes remembering a thing, especially when it involves very negative magic, can be psychologically detrimental," she explained slowly. "The runes did not say this, but it's what I gathered from the reading as well as my understanding of Voldemort in general and what he did to you. He was unusually cruel and twisted."
"Not having a soul can do that," Orion murmured, making a disgusted face.
"He was likely rotten before that, but Kreacher is sure it didn't help," Kreacher said. Mag nodded in firm agreement with the elf's pronouncement and Regulus squeezed his hand. Kreacher was always a wise elf.
"I have a fascinating psychology book all about how some children are born evil, lacking something fundamental in their emotions that allows them to do dreadful things," Mag said. "If you would like to borrow it, I don't mind at all. It's quite fascinating.
Kreacher shuddered, shaking his head. "Kreacher thinks that would be more horrifying than the most frightening thing he could ever write in a horror story. He prefers not to have nightmares if he can help it, so Kreacher declines."
Regulus chuckled. "Agreed, but thank you for the kind offer," he told Mag.
Though Regulus had agreed with Kreacher about not wanting to have nightmares, his mind did not respect that request for when the sun came up, a very unpleasant dream assailed his mind. The dream was not particularly unpleasant in itself, but the feelings that accompanied it were quite distressing. They spoke of sadness and loss, helplessness and terror, and worst of all, friendship tragically lost. The dream revolved around a pretty girl with long dark hair, a slender build, and a heart shaped face with delicate features. The dream presented itself to Regulus like some magical slideshow. He was in the dream, yet watching it from the side as well. Kreacher was literally beating her up in the first dream sequence. Regulus stood nearby, watching on, amused while the elf violently and furiously tackled her to the ground. She attempted to fight Kreacher off, calling him insane, and eventually berating Regulus for not speaking up on her behalf. As speaking up on her behalf meant potentially risking Kreacher's ire, dream Regulus was entirely unwilling. This left the girl to call them both names that were perhaps deserved...just a little. The dream suddenly skipped ahead to another sequence where the same girl was drunkenly and gleefully singing a song with Bellatrix of all people. They were glaring at Regulus and Kreacher as they sang, and the unknown girl was playing a guitar in punk rock style. Their voices blended together well and were enthusiastic. The words of the song, though rude, were unfortunately catchy. The song insulted Regulus and Kreacher, claiming that they never thought about anything but their crotch. The song ended with Bella and the other girl shouting the lines, "So you were repressed! Sometimes repression can be good!"
Kreacher grumbled about how Bellatrix and Marlene were rude and the girls retorted with how he and Regulus were nasty.
"I never expected to bond with you on their nastiness," the girl, Marlene, said to Bellatrix, laughing.
Bellatrix nodded, laughing as well. "It's nice to have someone to complain to about it who shares in the horror."
"I was the only one who was actually supportive of those prats," Marlene slurred indignantly. "And they're always so rude and...prattish!"
"Well they're prats, so what do you expect," Bellatrix said. "Let's go get another drink!"
Dream Regulus muttered something to Kreacher about how certain people made annoying drunks before the dream shifted ahead again. Now Regulus and Kreacher were watching the Lestranges at one of their favorite pastimes of Drunken Dueling. The dark haired girl was there again, and she was dueling with them. Her lips were drawn back in a snarl of concentration as she lunged at Rodolphus, only to turn and attack Rabastan, who clearly believed he was sneaking up on her. "Thought I didn't see you," she crowed, laughing as she threw a hex at his eyes.
"Fuck," Rabastan howled, and dropping his wand, he lunged for her, laughing. Somehow Regulus knew that they were in Raven's Nest Manor when it was still new. They were all so young, and still serving The Dark Lord. Well all of them were serving save for the pretty girl currently Drunken Dueling Rabastan and Rodolphus. Rodolphus dueled Bellatrix at the same time, a wand in each hand. From time to time, Bellatrix also threw a hex at the other girl, Marlene, who held her own well. Regulus and Kreacher simply watched on. Though the girl, Marlene, did not serve, she was aware that they did, and in her own words, she closed her eyes to it. Regulus was never to know how the duel ended, because the dream skipped ahead again. Rabastan was drunk and depressed, while Kreacher, Regulus, Bellatrix and Rodolphus strove to cheer him up.
"I did the one unselfish thing in my fucking life and it sucks," Rabastan lamented. "It wasn't right not to, though. Not after all she did to help us. If she stayed around, she'd never be safe."
Bellatrix nodded. "She knows that," she said quietly, then sighed, dark eyes staring bleakly ahead of her. "We're in such a mess."
Dream Regulus felt an unsettling mix of uneasy and hopeful. "It will all sort itself," he told Rabastan hopefully.
The dream skipped ahead again. This time Regulus was not in it. No one was in it but Marlene. She held one of Kreacher's books in her hand. Glaring at the cover then beginning to talk to the book, she murmured to it as to an old friend. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at the book...through the book, then with a cry of despair, she threw it at the wall. She was surrounded by clothes, as if sitting in the floor of a large walk-in closet of the sort that could be found in America. Her eyes were wild and half mad, her face haggard and tear streaked. Regulus felt dreadful for her...dread for her... As he watched in horror, she looked up, seeming for an instant to nearly see him, then she shook her head hard as if to clear it. Pressing her hands to her eyes, she sobbed, then climbed resolutely to her feet. He woke then with a jarring suddenness that had him fighting for air that he no longer needed. He lay in the darkness, unable to move. That was a clear indication that the sun had not yet set, so why was he awake? Not that he minded, because the dream had been horrible! And since when had Bella hung with other girls? Then he found himself wondering what other girls, because the dream was already slipping away from him, Gone and forgotten. As the day once more drew him into sleep, he found himself thinking, for some reason, of Mag's rune reading that indicated they had forgotten something for the good.