- Day 64 of 366 Days of Writing Challenge: Blood
- The Emotion Challenge: Hatred
- Pocket Morty Competition: Evil Rabbit Morty - Write about someone who looks sweet but is secretly evil.
- Hogwarts Funfair/Hedge Maze - Go Right: (dialogue) "I can't make this decision for you, you're the one who has to live with the consequences"
Pairings/Characters: Sirius, Regulus
Word Count: 926
Imposter
We're hanging out with corpses, and driving in this hearse, someone save my soul tonight, please save my soul.
"Regulus?" Sirius called into the mouth of the ominous looking cave. He waited until the echoes of his call had finished ricocheting off the damp walls of the cave before venturing inside. "Regulus, I know you're in here."
It had been Barty Crouch Junior who had told Sirius of Regulus's plan. The younger boy always had been a bit of a sap, and it had been only too easy to get the information out of him. He knew that Regulus had been up to something private, even within the dark clutches of the Death Eaters. Only Barty had been the one to know of his secret mission—and it had seemed evident to Sirius, by the glistening hatred in Barty's brown eyes, that his friend hadn't been pleased with Regulus's choice.
Sirius froze in his steps as he heard a tinny, low wheezing sound. He pointed his wand ahead of him, beaming the wandlight in the face of his companion. He had to lower his wand a few feet, as the person in front of him wasn't a person at all, but a familiar creature. "Kreacher?" Sirius whispered. He observed the odd, yellow tinge to Kreacher's usually grey complexion, and the tiredness in his usually stony, judgemental eyes. Kreacher didn't seem to have the energy to offer Sirius a snarky greeting.
"Master Sirius," the House-Elf wheezed. "How long it's been."
"Did you come here with Regulus?" Sirius demanded to know. He was surprised as Kreacher suddenly threw himself at Sirius's legs, ragging at his jeans and staring up at Sirius with wild, crazy eyes.
"Master Sirius mustn't go in there," he gasped. "Not unless Master Sirius wishes to die a most painful death!"
Sirius leaned down and grabbed Kreacher by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. "Kreacher! Where is he?"
"Master Regulus drank the potion," Kreacher breathed heavily. "When Master fell down, he should have been dead. The creatures under the lake should have taken Master down, and they did—but then Master Regulus came back up!"
"So he's alive?"
Kreacher shook his head fiercely. "Master Regulus was not Master Regulus," he said ambivalently. Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he snapped, shoving Kreacher out of the way. "Go back home, Kreacher—I'll bring Regulus back."
oOo
Sirius didn't need to use the rickety wooden boat to cross the lake—he could see Regulus sitting atop the central island, staring straight ahead solemnly. Sirius didn't understand why Kreacher had made such a fuss—Regulus looked perfectly normal.
Aside from the blood that stained his lips, and another red stain upon his left wrist, he looked fine. "Regulus," Sirius called quietly, recoiling in momentary shock at how loud his voice sounded within the cave.
And then, Sirius understood what Kreacher had been talking about. At the sound of Sirius's voice, Regulus jerked his head in the direction of his brother, and Sirius got a good look at his face.
The usually baby-faced Regulus looked gaunt and grey, and his black eyes looked almost red in the eerie light of the cave. His lips pulled back in a snarl, exposing stained teeth that seemed sharper than Sirius ever remembered. Something evil was dwelling within Sirius's baby brother - but he didn't know just what it was.
"Leave, Sirius," Regulus ordered coldly, in a voice so full of hatred that Sirius almost doubted he was speaking to his brother. Who was this evil imposter who had taken over Regulus? "If you don't, I will hurt you. I can't hurt you." His voice wavered a little at the final comment, but his façade of darkness returned almost immediately.
"What's going on, Reg," Sirius whispered. "What's happened to you?"
"I don't know!" Regulus screamed. His voice made the lake ripple and quiver - or that could have been the unknown creatures that lurked below the depths. "I went under, I should have died. But I came back up with a lust for blood, and this isn't satisfying the urge," Regulus held up his wrist, exposing the wound on his wrist, which looked oddly like a snake bite. "I can smell your blood from here, Sirius. You need to leave."
"I'm not leaving you!" Sirius yelled. "You're my brother, for Merlin's sake!" He paused, taking a breath. "So, you're a vampire or something. There are vampires all over Britain. We can deal with this, Regulus."
"You have to leave," Regulus repeated. "I can't make this decision for you. You're the one who has to live with the consequences, if I hurt you."
"Regulus."
"This is what I want!" snapped Regulus. "I want to remain in this cave, where the magic is still anchoring me. I was supposed to die under that water, and eventually I will die—from starvation. This is what has to happen."
"Regulus," Sirius repeated, feeling his eyes well up with tears. He couldn't lose his brother—his only brother. But as he met the hateful glare of Regulus, he knew that this man was no longer his brother. The real Regulus Black had died under that water. What had ventured back to the surface was just a cruel rendition. "I understand," he whispered hoarsely.
Regulus nodded solemnly, and sat back down on the island. As Sirius made to turn away, he called back out. "Sirius?"
"Yes?" Sirius replied in a choked voice. He didn't want to break down into tears, not here, not in front of him.
"I love you, Sirius."
