Authors Note: I own absolutely nothing damn it! (wish I did)

Let's all make believe

Strangle my hope and make me pray

To a god I've never seen but who I betray

To the people who live the afterlife

And the place I'll never be 'til I'm crucified

So let's all make believe

Let's all make believe-Oasis

Life is just a dot in the garden of existence, a blot of ink on the page. And death? Well death is just the beginning.

Lucius felt the icy blast as the jet of green light hit him squarely in the chest. Suddenly he felt the magic that made him who he was trickle away as though through a drain. His eyes became glassy and unseeing like those of a cold dead corpse. The image of a beautiful seventeen year old floated in his mind for a few seconds, the face full of angelic despair, and that was the last thing he saw before the world went blank.

It was dark. There was no light and no sound. Nothing but the shapes of people moving in the darkness. Suddenly, through the silence a growl ripped through the air. The three figures in the shadows started. One, obviously the leader, moved towards the motionless figure lying on the floor.

'Try not to wake him, he's drained. Just get him away before they get here' The dark haired man instructed his two companions. He knew this man from the place before but hopefully he wouldn't remember him. Could he trust this man? Probably not. He must not know his identity. Never.

Lucius blinked and looked around him. The room he was in was dark and outside there was no sun in the sky. Just a light from an unknown source that streamed through the entrance of the room. Water dripped from the roof, stalactites hung down and almost touched his nose as he lay there. He sat up, trying to avoid any aggravation to injuries he may have sustained during the battle. But he felt nothing. No aches and pains and most importantly of all no overwhelming urge to kill. No bloodlust that could not be controlled no matter how hard he fought. He was free. Then it hit him. Where was the population? Surely if he was in, what he now knew was a cave, someone must have bought him here?

'Narcissa? Are you there?' When no answer came he stared into the darkness. Hoping beyond hope that he would see the dark shapes of movement. He hesitated.

'Miss Granger? Is it you?' A dark chuckle penetrated his ears from outside the entrance of the cave.

'How many women you got on the go Malfoy?' The owner of the voice stepped into the light. His eyes were an icy blue that pierced your soul with their depth and his shaggy black hair was brushed behind his ears in a gesture that was a sign of the gentry. The man could have been no more than nineteen but his eyes told Lucius he had seen more than a man his age should ever see. For a brief but heart stopping moment Lucius could swear that he knew this man. But he quickly brushed the thought away not wishing to feel anything at this moment.

'Who are you?' he asked, years of service with the Dark Lord making him wary.

'A friend,' the reply was short, to the point and not enough. No where near enough to satisfy Lucius insatiable curiosity.

'Name?'

'Be satisfied with friend for now Lucius, I will tell you soon enough', Lucius' jaw dropped.

'How do you know my name?' The young man lowered his head as if ashamed. His face was full of remorse that would make even the lowest man weep.

'A common friend', he replied softly. Lucius closed his eyes as if warding off a headache.

'I have no friends, only Cissy,' the young man looked up in shock. His eyes were wide as if he had heard that a new type of pigs had been found which could fly.

'Really?' he asked. His voice was an octave higher than usual, as it often was in times of fear and shock.

'yes,' he had not wanted to reveal this much about himself. Somehow no matter how hard he tried to stop himself the words continued to spill out in a flow of word vomit. He wanted to stop talking but his traitorous mouth continued to work of its own accord. Revealing things he would not have said in his right mind. The young man, noticing the older mans discomfort, smiled and offered advice.

'Don't worry you get used to it. I've found that if you just bend the truth instead of trying to lie, it works better', Lucius nodded and smiled gratefully at the other man. He continued what he was saying before the interruption.

'The only person I can think of that you mean is…'

'Voldermort' he finished almost silently. Lucius looked at the boy before him. He didn't look old enough to be a death eater. He didn't look evil enough to be so heartless. But then again, neither was he.

'You are either very brave or very foolish to speak his name' Lucius repeated his famous words that he had uttered that day at Diagon Alley. If this man supported Voldermort he had to protect himself. The man chuckled his dark chuckle.

'I'd like to think I'm brave but I think my brother would disagree' Lucius smiled at the bravado. The ice that had encased him all his life in aristocratic coldness cracking slightly for this small nugget of a smile.

'So you gonna sit there or you gonna get up and follow me?' Lucius stood up and looked around him.

'Where are we?' the man asked, pre-empting Lucius' question. Lucius nodded. ' The Gods honest truth? I don't know. There are many questions for which I have no answer. I don't know where we are, I don't know how we got here and I most definitely don't know what year it is.' The shaggy hair of the man shook as he spoke.

'Well at least give me a name, I cant very well call you friend now can I?' The man shuddered at the trust he was about to lay into this blonde haired man, but he needed someone to trust and he had a feeling that this was the man.

'I suppose you may call me Reg'

'As in Regulus?'

'My name is Regulus Arcturus Black and I am here to help you.' Lucius floundered in confusion.

'But…But your dead!' Regulus quirked an eyebrow.

'Who said that you weren't?'

So next Chapter is back with Hermione. Can anyone spot the quote this time?