Word Count: 672
"Go on, Regulus," his mother insists.
Regulus feels sick to his stomach as he looks down at the squirrel. His mother has already cast a spell to hold it in place. That's the only reason it hasn't tried to run off.
He lifts his wand, hand trembling with fear. "Cru-Crucio."
The squirrel doesn't even twitch. Regulus knows that Unforgivable Curses have to be meant, and he could never mean it. The poor animal is too innocent and doesn't deserve pain.
"Regulus." His mother doesn't say anything else, but her voice is sharp in warning.
He has disappointed her. He is proving to be more like Sirius than anyone would like.
Holding his breath, Regulus raises the wand again, hating the way he shakes. He doesn't want to be afraid, but he is. Afraid of harming the squirrel, afraid of his mother, afraid of being a failure. It's terrifying to have so many expectations piled on.
"I can't."
He is only fourteen. What sort of monster expects a child to torture an animal?
"Bellatrix would have done it without hesitation," his mother says dryly. "Don't you want to be like her?"
For a moment, he forgets how to breathe. Be like Bellatrix? Never in a million years. She is cold and ruthless, and Regulus isn't sure that she has a heart anymore. Regulus wants to believe that there is still hope for him. He knows he will end up following in Bellatrix's footsteps, but he doesn't want to be like her. When it's all said and done, he wants know that he still has his humanity.
His mother steps forward, drawing her own wand. For one moment of frenzied fear, Regulus worries she might actually curse him. Instead, she aims her wand at the squirrel. "I hope that one day someone tears your heart to pieces like you did mine," she tells him. "Someone who you want only the best for. I hope they destroy you so that you know how much you have hurt your mother's heart. Crucio."
Regulus looks away, too much of a coward to see the squirrel in pain. It shrieks and squeals, but there is nothing Regulus can do to help it.
And then it's over, and his mother's fingers dig roughly into his shoulder. "Release it," she says. "I assume you can do that without failing me."
Regulus bow, hanging his head in shame, his dark hair forming a curtain hiding his face. "Yes, Mother," he says, his voice quiet and brittle.
When she's gone, Regulus kneels before the squirrel, his heart breaking. He lifts it gently before reversing the spelling holding it in place. "Don't worry," he tells the frantic animal. "I've got you."
He has to be careful. His mother runs a strict household, and he doesn't even want to think about what she might do to him if she finds out what he's planning. "Shh," he says, carefully hiding the squirrel in his vest. "Shh. It's okay. It will be okay."
He makes his way to his room, grateful that no one stops him or even notices that he's up to anything. Regulus shuts the door behind him, frowning. Sunlight shines in from the window, and he quickly draws the curtains closed. Even though no one can see into his room, he feels like he needs total privacy for this, like his mother will somehow now that he is hiding something.
Regulus retrieves a box and adds a taupe sheet, frowning. It isn't much, but it will have to do for now. Carefully, he pulls the squirrel from its hiding place. "At least there's a silver lining," he says. "You got hurt, but you're going to be okay. We're going to figure this out, okay?"
With a wave of his wand, he creates a lid to keep the squirrel there. Once it calms down, Regulus will work with it until it's ready to be his pet.
His mother will kill him if she finds out, but he doesn't care. Some risks are worth taking.
