The Chronicles of Life and Death:

A OneShot Series

"S.O.S"

Author's Note: Title Credits and Lyrics by Good Charlotte. The basic story for this is: I was just (literally it's on as I write this) listening to GC's Chronicles of Life and Death album, and "The World is Black" came on. I thought the lyrics fit the First and Second Wars against Voldemort. And now I'm thinking that I want to do a oneshot series based on every song on the album. I may or may not get every one done. The good bit is that they're oneshots, so it won't essentially matter.

Well, here's the third one. This follows Regulus Black. I think this song fits eerily well.

XXX

He couldn't tell anyone.

Of course he couldn't. What was he supposed to say, "Oh sorry, my lord, I've changed my mind?"

That wouldn't go over too well.

If he told anyone… he didn't have any real allies, anyway.

So he just asked a few things of Kreacher.

He'd put the note in the locket.

While he drank the potion, he saw horrible things.

Sirius leaving.

Joining the Death Eaters.

Kreacher telling him about what the Dark Lord was doing.

Figuring out what Horcruxes were and what they did.

No one would have listened to him. No one saw the signs. If he'd had had help, maybe he'd have been able to make it.

He wrote that note, hoping it'd save some people. God, he only hoped that was the only Horcrux.

He had a feeling it wasn't.

He looked at himself in the mirror before he'd left. He looked much older than eighteen.

It wasn't his face, or his build; it was his eyes.

Joining the Death Eaters was one of the worst mistakes he'd ever made. If he'd have listened to Sirius… his brother might've even let him leave with him. But no. Regulus had too much pride for that.

But he was doing the right thing.

He didn't want to die.

He didn't want to drink the potion.

He didn't want to drown.

He didn't want to leave this world.

But he had to.

So he told himself it was right. He told himself he was wrong, joining the Death Eaters. He told himself that this was the only way he could make this right.

He didn't try to conjure up water.

He didn't ask Kreacher to.

"Kreacher, I order you to leave!"

His last words.

They weren't exactly poetic, were they?

He was being pulled under by the Inferi, screaming, reaching out, terrified.

He was scared, he'd admit.

If only he could have gone back.

Before he joined the Death Eaters.

The day Sirius left.

Now, given the chance, he'd ask Sirius if he could leave with him. Regulus would beg if need be.

He wouldn't let himself get left in that house. In that world.

But there was no room for 'what-ifs.' He couldn't change the past.

That didn't mean he was free of contrition.

His contrition is what drove him to do this. It's what drove him to drink that potion. He forced himself to think of those he'd hurt. He wanted to make things right.

On that night, Regulus Black died.

XXX

Author's Note: The way I typed that is a bit different than my usual style, but I like it. Regulus is one of my favorite characters, and I do like this oneshot. Contrition, for those of you who are wondering is (when I looked it up on Dictionary(dot)com)
"sincere penitence or remorse." (I looked it up while I was reading the lyrics to My Chemical Romance's "House of Wolves"… which also could fit Regulus…)