Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 891
Warning for sibling abuse.
I'll Take Care Of You
On the twenty fifth day of the twelfth month, Regulus Black was given the Dark Mark.
He'd honestly thought Bellatrix was joking when she arrived to pick him up on Christmas morning, a gleeful look in her eyes and an obnoxious smirk on her lips.
It wasn't quite the Christmas present he'd expected.
…
Being the new kid was annoying. He was sick and tired of his steps being dogged, of people questioning his every word and action, of them watching him closely searching for a weakness.
He made sure they wouldn't find one.
He might be young, but he was a Black, and they should all remember that.
…
Amycus Carrow was an utter nightmare. He was cold and indifferent in larger groups, his mask blanker than the Death Eater mask he wore on missions.
When he was one on one, he changed. He was cruel and vicious, even to those he called his allies.
He pointed his wand into Regulus' cheek, hard enough for it to hurt. He whispered words of weakness and derogatory names, like he thought it was his right to treat Regulus like shit because Regulus was younger and smaller.
Regulus twisted away and cursed him harshly in retaliation, leaving him a panting mess on the floor. He wasn't scared of Amycus Carrow.
His pounding heart didn't quite get that memo.
…
Alecto was another matter entirely. While she was the same as her brother in large groups, cold and aloof and indifferent, the few times that Regulus found her alone, she was warm and quiet, friendly and shy.
It was on one of those occasions that Regulus first saw the bruises.
"Are you okay?" he asked, nodding his head to the bruise on her shoulder. It looked suspiciously like fingerprints, as though someone had clasped her shoulder too hard.
She noticed what he was looking at and blushed. She offered him a sad smile as she swept her jet black hair over it to hide the marks.
"I'm fine, thank you, Regulus."
He didn't believe her.
…
It had been close to a year since Regulus had taken the mark when it finally happened. It hadn't taken him long to realise that Alecto's bruises and cuts and submissiveness was in direct relation to Amycus, but Regulus had never found proof.
Until he walked around a corner in the large manor house the Death Eaters were currently stationed and saw Amycus pulled Alecto into a room by her hair. Regulus run to the door, banging it open as Amycus raised his wand against his sister.
His heart pounded when he realised he was almost too late.
"Leave her alone and get the fuck out of here," Regulus growled, his own wand slipping from his sleeve into his hand as he crossed the room to block Amycus' access to Alecto. She whimpered behind Regulus, increasing his ire.
"Nobody tells me what to do or where to go, Black," Amycus snarled. "This is none of your business!"
Regulus stepped forward. "The mark on your arm says otherwise, Amycus," he murmured.
"You think the Dark Lord would care?" Amycus asked, his laugh derisive and mean.
"I think he'd be interested in what you were doing to someone he classes as his, yes," Regulus replied, tone cool. "When you, and more importantly when Alecto, took My Lord's mark, you gave yourselves to him completely. It would be interesting to know what he thinks of the way you hurt her."
A flash of fear passed over Amycus' face, and Regulus took a moment to take pleasure in it.
"You know what happens to snitches, don't you, Black?"
"But my Lord shares my mind often, as he does us all," Regulus replied evenly.
"You're a Black. You think none of us know how proficient you must be in Occlumency?"
"My my, Amycus. Surely you're not suggesting that I hide things from our Lord? This is getting better and better."
Amycus paled and stumbled back. "You'll regret this, Black. I'll make sure of it."
Regulus just raised his eyebrow and waited until Amycus left, the door slamming shut behind him.
When they were alone, he crouched down slowly and stroked the hair away from Alecto's tearful face.
"Are you going to hurt me now?" she whimpered. "I was bad, I need to be punished."
Regulus scooped her up carefully in his arms. "No sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you, and neither is anyone else. I'll look after you."
…
"I've been hearing things about you, little cousin," Bellatrix said in her usual childish sing-song fashion. "Amycus Carrow is angry."
Regulus looked up at her, his hand never pausing as he stroked Alecto's hair. In the weeks since he'd removed her from Amycus' presence, she'd suffered nightmares and flashbacks many times.
It was nice to see her sleeping peacefully.
"I'm proud of you," Bellatrix said suddenly, before Regulus could reply to her. "Amycus Carrow is scum."
Regulus nodded. "He is."
Bellatrix smirked. "Perhaps he'll have an unfortunate accident one of these days, hmm?"
Regulus grinned. "That'd be such a shame."
"Indeed it would."
Bellatrix left them alone, and Regulus looked down to see Alecto looking up at him with sleepy eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He leant down and pressed a kiss to her head. "Sleep sweetheart. I'll take care of you now."
Written for;
Character Appreciation - 17. Cold
Disney - C2. Write about someone almost being too late
Cookies Corner - 10. Write about being a 'new kid'.
Book Club - Liza Hempstock - Cursing Someone / Sad / "Nobody tells me what to do or where to go."
Showtime - 31. Year
Buttons - C2. Regulus Black
Lyric Alley - 3. On the 25th day of the 12th month
Angel's Arcade - 10. Matt Miller - Obnoxious / Jet Black / Grinning
