Regulus had grown tired. The constant fighting and chaos started to wear on him. He hadn't dreamed of murdering people when he was a small boy. But then again, who does? The Dark Lord, perhaps. Regulus was almost positive hemost likely had.
Regulus had been ordered to take Barty Crouch Jr. with him on a raid. Barty was the newest and most secret member of the Death Eaters. The Dark Lord had thought it one of his finest acquisitions up to that point; he had the son of such a high ranking Ministry official amongst his ranks.
As they both stood staring into the window of the home of an Order member, Regulus let out a quiet sigh. The woman had no idea what was about to hit her, he thought, as she sat down on her couch, placed her wand aside and closed her eyes.
"Everything alright, Black?" Crouch eyed him suspiciously. "Not going soft on me, are you?" he laughed.
Soft? No. More like, finally awaking from a long nightmare.
"Of course not," Regulus snapped.
Crouch snorted with an air of confidence and arrogance – Regulus wanted to hex him – then he began to sneak along the side of the house.
"Come on then," Crouch whispered, once he reached the front door.
Regulus reluctantly followed behind and watched his young partner blast the door open. The woman's shriek of surprise ran right through him like a knife and he hesitated for a moment, wondering why he had been feeling this way as of late. Remorseful. Sickened by what he has done and what the others continue to do.
Goosebumps formed on Regulus' arms and his stomach turned due to Crouch's high pitched laugh as he pointed his wand at the girl.
"Crucio!" Crouch screamed in delight.
He had no choice but to join in, lest he look suspicious. He pointed his wand at her and felt guilt wash over him as he watched the blonde woman writhe in even more pain on the floor. Regulus truly hated himself in that moment, while he watched the fear grow increasingly in her eyes. She begged and pleaded for them to stop, and for a moment, Regulus almost faltered. Almost.Instead, he hung his head and tried his best to ignore her gut wrenching screams.
What had he been doing with his life?
Crouch took it one step further; a jet of green light exploded from the tip of his wand and, although it saddened him to his core, Regulus felt a small bit of comfort in seeing that at least the woman felt no more pain.
ooo
Kreacher led Regulus to an antechamber of the cave. The elf had not stopped shaking since the two of them arrived to the cliffside; either from cold or from fear. Regulus suspected both.
"T-t-to ent-t-t-ter," his little teeth chattered, as they reached what he told Regulus was the entrance. "K-Kreacher or M-M-Master Regulus must-t-t… they m-must," his wide, fear-filled eyes seemed to be begging Regulus not to make him say.
Regulus placed his hand on the elf's shaking shoulders. "Must what, Kreacher? Tell me."
It was an order.
Kreacher hung his head and whispered softly, "Master or Kreacher must use b-b-blood, sir. Blood is r-r-required to en-n-nter."
Regulus wrinkled his nose, quite disappointed in The Dark Lord for using such crude measures. He expected more. Some sort of advanced dark magic, or some sort of test to prove your worth. Although, the more he thought about it, the only thing that seemed to matter to Voldemort, the only thing he valued more than power, was the quality of one's blood, so maybe it wasn't much of a surprise at all.
Regulus patted Kreacher's head and thanked him; the elf shook even more. He knew Kreacher was terrified. Kreacher knew what waited for them behind that wall.
He needed something to draw blood with and cursed himself for leaving his dagger behind. Regulus scanned the ground until he spotted a jagged rock which looked like it would do the trick. His heart thrummed like wild in his chest as he picked it up and brought it up to his forearm -right below his elbow. He pushed down hard and in one painfully swift movement, and an inward hiss, he dragged the sharp edge of the stone against his skin. Kreacher seemed unable to watch.
Once he was satisfied with the amount of blood leaking from his arm, he pressed it against the wall of the cave and watched in part amazement, part pure fear as the wall melted away in front of him.
"Lumos," he said, lighting the tip of his wand. "Come on, Kreacher," he beckoned his companion forward.
It was a risky move, he knew it, but gut-clenching guilt had led him to the decision. He had to warn them. They had to know.
Regulus hid in a dank, dirty alleyway in London and watched for any sign of his brother coming from his flat. Thanks to the informant, all the Death Eaters knew there was an Order Meeting that night. Apparently, it was an important one.*
Regulus, and the rest of the Death Eaters, who were not Voldemort's most trusted servants, had no idea who the Order's traitor was, the only thing they knew was that they had one. But that was only part of what Regulus had come to warn Sirius about.
If he were caught, he knew punishment would be swift and it would be severe, but he had no other choice. Once Regulus made up his mind about something, he always followed through. It was that line of thought which got him involved with the Death Eaters to begin with. Something he increasingly grew less and less proud of. He had been a sodding fool.
In his retrospection, he was startled hearing a door slam. His heart caught in his throat when he saw Sirius walk down his stairs and towards his motorbike, which was parked on the side of the road.
It was now or never, he thought.
Regulus squared his shoulders, pulled up his hood and stepped out from the shadows of his hiding place. Sirius seemed to notice and immediately drew his wand.
"You have roughly five seconds before I blast you into next week," Sirius called in a voice like sandpaper.
Arrogant wanker, Regulus thought with a sigh.
He put both hands up, indicating he meant no harm and continued walking towards him. Sirius squinted his eyes, it seemed he was trying to get a better look at the man approaching him.
"It's me, you arse," Regulus whispered.
Sirius' eyes widened subtly then narrowed. He huffed and lowered his wand.
"What the fuck are youdoing here?" he asked, trying to sound bored and aloof, yet a bit of surprise leaked through the facade. After all, it had been nearly two years since they had spoken. Roughly six years since they had been on, what could be called, 'decent terms.'
Regulus did not have the time or the patience to deal with his brother's ire. He needed to get out of there as quickly as possible and decided to cut right to the chase.
"The Dark Lord is coming for James and Lily Potter," he said blunty.
It was clear from the expression on Sirius' face, that he had not be aware of this news. Even in the moonlight, Regulus could see all color had drained from Sirius' face, and the pain in his eyes - he looked like a man who had just been set on fire.
After a moment, he seemed to collect himself. His eyes darkened. "You're lying," he said through his teeth.
Regulus sighed in exasperation. He had a feeling Sirius would not believe him.
"I swear to you, He is coming for them."
"Why? How? Why are you -" Sirius faltered.
"Sirius, you have a traitor amongst you - "
Sirius growled and began to pace; he pulled at his hair with both hands. "I knew it," he muttered.
"I don't know who it is. I wish I could tell you, but only those who are in The Dark Lord's inner-circle have any idea of his or her identity."
It was silent for a heartbeat and then Sirius rounded on him.
"And why should I believe you?" he roared. His eyes were filled with pure fury. Regulus took a step back. He had not seen his brother so angry in quite some time.
Regulus hung his head. "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, Sirius," he whispered to the ground. "You were right in a lot of ways," he admitted out loud for the first time. He felt the weight lifting from his shoulders with each word. "I - I'm trying to make up for my past mistakes the best I can."
Regulus looked up. Sirius stared intently into his eyes. Regulus wasn't quite sure what Sirius was looking for, but he seemed to have found it - his eyes softened.
"You're truly serious, Reg?" Sirius asked, almost sounding like he'd hoped Regulus would change his answer. He sounded desperate.
Regulus snorted, "No, I thought you were," he said at a lame attempt at a joke his brother had made more times than he could count.
Sirius shook his head and let out a small chuckle. "Not the time, Regulus. Not the time."
Suddenly, Regulus grimaced as he felt the horrid tattoo on his left arm burn. He was being called.
"Sirius, I have to go. Please, warn them," he said quickly.
Sirius nodded solemnly while extending his hand.
"Erm… Thanks," Sirius said.
Regulus slowly returned his brother's handshake. "Take care of yourself, Siri," he said and realized that he meant it.
Sirius surprised him by offering Regulus a genuine smile. "You, too… Brother."
Regulus couldn't explain it, but he felt as if this were the last time he would see Sirius. It felt like a goodbye.