II

Little Hangleton

As it was the middle of the night, we all gathered at the traditional meeting place. An old graveyard with garish headstones kept us hidden from the view of any curious villagers. On the off chance that a Muggle became a little too nosy, the Dark Lord employed protections that would repel them from the area during the times that we congregated. I suspected that the aversion was not of a kind nature given the Dark Lord's disposition.

I landed on the ground, and remained in my kneeling position. Turning my eyes, but not daring to move my head, I caught a glimpse of the others in the circle. Nearly all of us were there, at least the ones that had yet to be captured by the Ministry's cursed Aurors. Strangely, there was one absence that I noted – Snape. When I became a privileged member, he took an interest in me for a short time. Perhaps he wanted to see if the other Black brother was anything like the one he recalled from his school days.

Something about the man unsettled me. I could never figure out an inkling of his intentions – I think he is one of the few characters that will do what is best for him and him alone, knowing nothing of true loyalty. I hoped that something foul had befallen him.

Sensing a presence before me, I focused my attention. He stood there, even though all I could see was the hem of his robes. I knew he was practiced in Legilimens, and I tried to shut my mind as much as possible to the locket and what I knew was kept inside it.

Perhaps he has forgotten it, please let him not recall it now, I pleaded desperately.

"What is that I am supposed to have forgotten?" the silky voice said.

I held my breath.

"A detail about your brother's friends, perhaps?"

The pressure in my lungs let out.

"It is nothing of consequence, my Lord," I dared to reply.

"Somehow, I do not think so. Maybe it has something to do with your tardiness?"

I felt like a schoolboy being reprimanded for getting to class late, like I was back at Hogwarts and feeling the keen eye of Professor McGonagall on me as I took my seat minutes after my classmates were in theirs.

"Do you think that I have missed some other important detail, something that would drastically change my plans?"

Unsure of what he meant, I stayed silent.

"Rise. I will dismiss your lateness this once." The Dark Lord turned to the rest of the circle. "I say things only once. This will be the only time I repeat myself. You do not resist the call of the Dark Mark! Crucio!"

The thought of pulling out my wand and turning it on him passed through my brain. It was quickly washed out by the pain searing my nerves. The screams threatening to tear my vocal cords made it impossible for me to form a coherent string of sounds other than ones of torture. I tried to close my eyes, but clamping them shut caused more agony. Opening them, I took in the surroundings and watched everything grow larger. The pain flowing through my nerves magnified everything until I could see nothing.

After what must have been merely a few seconds, I realized that the pain was receding. It flowed backwards, from the tips of my fingers down my nerves to my spine. Finally it left from the spot where the spell hit me in the side, leaving a dull ache in my ribs.

Holding my breath, I clambered up to my feet.

"You carry secrets, Black. I will discover them." His eyes narrowed at me.

I clamped out every thought of the locket, even of Grimmauld Place, from my mind.

"Details, details, details."

I think it was the first time I have heard him do something so close to muttering. I wondered what I had missed by being late.

"As I was explaining, some of you may have noticed the new absence tonight," the Dark Lord explained. "If someone else has information that I might find pertinent, something that will allow me to avoid a mistake – I suggest that information be divulged now. I do not have to say again that I do not tolerate mistakes."

Except that my mistake was joining you. The thought popped into my head before I could control it. Instantly I turned to wondering what Snape could have done to aggravate the Dark Lord.

"After some deliberation, I have decided to proceed with my plans. My new servant has handed me the perfect opportunity despite the latest blunder. I have decided that I will proceed, then work on obtaining what lies inside the Ministry."

My eyes darted over the ring of black-robed witches and wizards once more. Almost directly across from me, just behind the Dark Lord, was my cousin Bellatrix. She shifted slightly as our eyes met.

Because of her, at her persuading, I was now in this current mess.

Stay true to the family. Think of what your parents, my aunt and uncle, would say when they hear what their son is doing, she said. Helping to usher in a new day where wizards can finally live as we were meant to – as the true rulers of this world.

Only it was a little too late when I discovered that the way to ruling the world was through unforgivable cruelty and evil. I do not like Muggles. However, I do have limits that could be considered decency for all things that are living. The ideals of Hogwarts, under the instruction of Albus Dumbledore, were too deeply ingrained into my head. I could not help but think that the years of persecution the Muggles practiced against the magic they did not understand did not give us justification to slaughter them.

As I became older, I came to understand more of the reasons why my parents hated the Hogwarts Headmaster. And I found myself questioning everything I had been taught to believe – both in my house and at school.

Thus, I learned simply to go along with what I felt to be right or wrong. I'm not self-serving in that I only do bidding that is best for me. Instead, I carry on as I have all my life and only stop when I find I have grave moral misgivings about situations.

I knew I could not stop the Dark Lord.

But at the least, I could make the path a little more difficult for him.

Hence the theft that left my newfound friend buried at the bottom of a slimy lake filled with ghastly creatures that should never have been allowed to walk the earth. I dared not to think too much as to whether or not he became one of them.

The Dark Lord finished his monologue, and with a wave of his wand hand, signaled that we were free to leave. Each person knew what their duties over the next couple days were – and the fact that the Dark Lord failed to give me any instruction did not escape me.

He said, after all, that he knew I was hiding something.

Mistrusted servants do not get orders to carry out.

The group of Death Eaters disbanded, moving into smaller circles to discuss the turn of events. I made my way over to Bellatrix; her husband had left her for his brother and a man that I did not know.

"Where the bloody hell were you, Regulus?" Bellatrix hissed to me.

"Kreacher…you know how the old elf is…knocked over the flagon of dragon's blood, couldn't let it waste…" I lied to cover the truth.

Her eyes narrowed at me. Was I that easy to read? Or did she know some other way that something else had occupied me in the house?

"He knows, cousin. He knows you were up to something before you came here," she whispered to me. "You had best tell him what it is. If he finds out before you do, he'll kill you."

"I think he's going to kill me anyway," I said. I found myself suddenly not giving a goblin's ass what she knew. "The family name only goes so far."

"It's that way only because you suddenly refuse to secure your position. I have to wonder what's gotten into you. I wonder if the only reason you are allowed into the house is because of blood – otherwise you would be locked out, you Mudblood-lover."

I wanted to curse her right there. She knew that was a lie, she was only trying to get me angry. She wanted to prove to the rest of them that I was loyal, that I would not tolerate such an insult.

"I have found out things I would rather not know," I replied.

"What can that possibly be?" She inched closer to me. I was tempted to take a step back from her. She was older than me, and I could recall times where she had bullied me as a child. Sirius always stepped in to help me. I think he believed that a little compassion might be able to save his younger brother from the machinations of the family.

I think he left more of a mark than he ever meant, even though it took a long time to develop.

"Or are you going to run to your brother, that filthy blood-traitor?" she said. "You always did that. You could never stand up for yourself. He's with the Potters. He'll probably die with them."

"Sirius is quite free to do as he pleases. Perhaps you have forgotten that he ran away from the family, disowning himself," I said. "I don't care who he consorts with."

Bellatrix wrinkled her nose, the fabric of her mask crinkling over it. "You won't survive, Regulus. The Dark Lord is getting ready for the final takeover. He will only have those with proven loyalty at his side. All others…will be cast aside."

I nodded to let her know that the meaning of her words was not lost on me. Before she could say any more, I turned to leave.

While he did not know exactly what I had done, the Dark Lord knew I committed a trespass against him. The only thing that mattered now was that he knew something happened. It gave him reason enough to send one of his favorites after me. He would not risk my capture by the Aurors – there were still enough decent ones left that believed in capturing a criminal before killing him. Maybe it would be best for me to turn myself in at the Ministry of Magic. With the names I knew, I would only land myself a few years in Azkaban. It certainly would be a fate better than disappearing like so many others.

I stopped in my thoughts.

The Potters. Snape. Sirius.

They all had been at school together.

For a couple moths, I had heard nothing from my brother. It was not customary for me to meet him regularly for lunch, but nothing for such a long time was a little out of place. In fact, I had heard nothing from him since the Potters went missing. Nobody could find them.

Now Snape was gone.

I knew it was all tied to the Potters. They were central to the movements of the next couple days. The Dark Lord had been after them for months, desperately so, for reasons I did not know. Now he seemed ready to move against them.

Whatever the Dark Lord was planning for the Potters was not my concern. He had his secrets – one of which I knew. I had to tell my brother about the locket I had hidden in the house. He would know what to do with it. And if I found him in time, I just might be able to help intervene with the Potters by throwing the Dark Lord off his plans.

I returned to the house. When I came in the door, Kreacher was in the entryway. He cackled at me.

"Kreacher knows Master's secret! Kreacher knows Mistress no longer happy with her son!"

"Shut up, Kreacher. Go find something to clean." I moved as if I were going to kick the elf. He scuttled out of my way.

The twisted laughter of the elf faded as he made his way up the stairs. Intentionally, he knocked over the umbrella stand. My mother began screaming. She had passed away a few years after my graduation from Hogwarts. Somehow, it was not a detail I wanted to know, how she had her spirit ensconced in the portrait in the hallway.

"MOTHER!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs. "BE QUIET!"

"Is that my Regulus? Please tell me it is my Regulus and not that horrid blood-traitor spawn that should not be mine!"

"Yes, Mother. It's me." I stepped over to the portrait. Her painted eyes narrowed as she looked me over. To watch over the house in her absence, Mother had her portrait painted a few months ago. Whenever she left the house, it kept an even sharper eye on things than she did.

Her voice dropped several decibels. "You always were the favorite, Regulus. Much better than your brother. You would do nothing to shame the house of Black."

"No, Mother," I said simply to appease her. In my head I was thinking, I have done something to ruin the family name.

I turned to head upstairs, where the locket was hidden. As if to admonish me for not talking to my mother, the curtains covering her portrait whipped shut. From the top of the landing Kreacher smirked at me.

"Stupid elf," I muttered.

"Master has hidden something. What is it? Kreacher will find it – Kreacher will turn it over to Master's nasty cousin!"

"And Master's nasty cousin will give Kreacher clothes!" I threatened.

Finally the elf fell silent, perhaps he feared me after what I had done to him earlier that evening. Wondering why in the world he was talking about Bellatrix, I made my way to the drawing room. Inside it all the lights were off.

All others…will be cast aside. Bellatrix's words rang in my head.

I was sure I left the lights burning when I answered the call of the Dark Lord.

Only Black blood can enter the house.

My fingers brushed my wand, and it fell into my hand.

"Bellatrix?" I whispered.

The sound of movement off to one side of the room caught my attention. She stood near the fireplace. No doubt she wondered what I had hidden in the glass cabinets.

"Bellatrix?" I said, this time a little more loudly so that she heard me.

The lights brightened just enough to cast a pale glow in the room. Bellatrix's dark hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. Strands that had come free framed her face. The cowl of her hood was thrown back over her shoulders. In her hand was her wand; however, she did not raise it against me. She was a fully-grown woman, but her stature reminded me of times when she became determined to make a new experiment out of something – that something usually having been me.

"You've put me into a tough spot, Regulus," she said. Her eyes widened, completing her wild look. "I brought you to the Dark Lord. And you've caused him some trouble."

"Is this merely because I was late after the summoning?" I said. Everything inside me screamed to back away from her.

Except that there was no Sirius to get my back this time.

"Any problems you create for the Dark Lord become mine." Her mouth tightened into a little line. "You know what you did. He knows it, too."

She has no idea, she's bluffing. She wants to draw it out of me. Because if he knew what I did, then he would be here instead and I would already be dead.

"If you know then take it back to him. Go on. Right now, I dare you."

"Don't toy with me, Regulus."

"You don't know what it is, do you? He just sent you here to kill me. I'm sure he's going to get some sick satisfaction of having you kill one of your own family!" A garish grin broke out on my face. The more I became entrenched in this nasty game, the more I enjoyed it. "Or maybe you can't find it yourself? Maybe you need the help of an elf?"

"Sectum sempra!" she bellowed.

Before half the spell was out of her mouth I dropped to the ground and rolled. So she wanted to splatter my blood all over the walls before killing me? At least it would give Kreacher something to clean.

"You always were a nasty one, Bellatrix. Always have to prove yourself better than the Black boys – because you can't carry on the family name yourself."

That hit home.

"Avada–"

"Expelliarmus!"

We both shouted at the same time. Her wand flew out of her hand, the green blast of light still shooting from it. The spell hit the curtains and several dead doxies fell out of them. I wasted no time and skittered across the floor, leaving the room.

Out in the hallway, I got to my feet. Just then Kreacher poked his head out from one of the bedrooms.

"Ooh, Mistress is not going to be pleased with Master! Master has been setting off curses in the house!" he taunted.

"It's that nasty cousin of mine that you seem to love so much!" I shouted to Kreacher. I wanted to blast him with a spell to shut him up. "Better watch yourself, elf. She's in the mood to kill something."

I thudded down the stairs. A blast of yellow light whisked by my face and hit the wall. The wood charred and left a burnt smell in the hallway. Glancing backwards, I saw her at the top of the stairs with her wand back in hand. Kreacher was no longer in sight.

"Just was well," I muttered to myself.

I ran to the front of the house. As I passed by the curtains covering my mother's portrait, I had an idea. I knocked over the umbrella stand again. The curtains flew open and my mother's yelling filled the house. Bellatrix was caught by surprise – another curse did not whiz past me. I opened the door, making my way outside as fast as possible. Just as I turned around to shut it, a crack sounded in the air.

I found myself staring right into Bellatrix's eyes. She had Apparated to the front doorway.

"I don't want to kill you, Regulus. You are, in fact, family. But you have trespassed against the Dark Lord and he cannot allow that. I cannot allow it. Let this serve as a warning – Morsmordre!"

A sparkling jet of green light flew from her wand. It stopped above the house. My forearm burned, and in the sky I saw the same mark.

The Dark Mark.

The green snake twisted in and out of the skull's mouth. Bellatrix smiled at me, the greenish glow reflecting in the whites of her eyes. Neighbors started to pour out of the other houses on the street. Not wanting to see what she might have in store for the hapless Muggles, I Disapparated.