Author: HatefulRodeo

Story: Only Black in Name

Notes: Hola People! PLOT AHOY! Enjoy the update Lovelies! Thanks to all that fav'd, followed, and reviewed; even if I never read them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story.

Previously:

The grey eyed wizard merely shrugged unrepentantly; why the hell did he need to know what concentrated whatever acid was until today? It was hardly a shock that he couldn't remember the name let alone say it. But he let it slide since this was the best plan they'd come up with so far and Severus looked so pleased with himself that Regulus couldn't bring himself to rain on the older man's parade.

When Severus pushed the parchment bearing the chemicals name on it Regulus folded it and placed it in his trouser pocket for later. Now that they were done speaking about their newest plan Regulus realized his belly was empty and growling; "Well that's that then. Would you like to come to the kitchen for some dinner? I think Kreacher left some stew and fresh bread for us last night."

The taller wizard stood and followed Regulus to the homey kitchen where they would eat and enjoy a quiet night together; who knew how many times they'd get to relax in the other's company in the future with the war heating up. This little bit of knowledge made Regulus cherish their quiet time together even more than he usually did.

~*~*~*Chapter 9*~*~*~

Regulus stepped out of the massive, ornately decorated hearth and into the opulent Receiving Room in Malfoy Manor. His face was impassive as it always was when he was dealing with others but when he saw his cousin's splotchy face and red eyes he quickly made his way towards her, letting some of the concern he was feeling leak into his chilly grey eyes.

"What's happened, Cissy? Are you hurt?" Narcissa smiled a little smile at the childhood nickname but quickly lost it when her eyes refilled with tears; "Regulus, I don't know what to do. I don't know what's come over Lucius lately...he's so cold to me." The Black heir wanted to snort in exasperation; this was why his cousin was upset? Her husband, who was really a living iceberg, was being cold to her?

Regulus wasn't surprised that Lucius was finally acting like his usual self around his wife. The Malfoy Lord played his part to get Narcissa attached to him and the benefits that came with being Lady Malfoy and now that the blonde man succeeded in his goal he would revert back to his usual mannerisms and ways.

His blonde cousin should be happy Lucius kept up the charade for this long; they'd been married for about two years at this point which was a long time to put forward such a farce. How Narcissa fell for Lucius' loving husband act was a mystery to Regulus.

Hadn't she known Lucius at Hogwarts? True, Cissy and the then Malfoy heir weren't in the same year but she had to have noticed how frigid and cold Lucius was even then. Evidently not by the looks of it.

Oh well Narcissa Druella Malfoy nee Black wasn't considered the brightest witch of their age and who knew if she even noticed Lucius' actions during school or if she justified them as the way Lucius acted in public. She'd probably convinced herself that her soon to be husband would be very much different in private; all Cissy would have to do was wait until they were married and the Malfoy Lord would open up to her.

Sadly, Narcissa was wrong to hope for something like that and Regulus would have told her, and a lot more about her then fiancée, if anyone asked him what he thought but alas no one had. He did wonder why Lucius chose now to stop with the acting and for the sake of his curiosity he had to ask; "Cissy, has anything happened between you two lately that could cause Lucius to act differently?"

The slender blonde woman sniffled; "I told him I was expecting our first child and according to the Healer I visited to confirm my pregnancy it's a boy." Well there it was; Lucius now had his heir and Narcissa had fulfilled her wifely duties and no doubt the blonde man considered any further action of warmth pointless now that his obligation was met.

Regulus had no illusions that Lucius would still visit Narcissa for sex but it would be merely that; a mutual release of sexual frustration. Who knows how his cousin would feel about that but it really wasn't his business. However, and it was a little heartless to think, this situation he'd walked in on with his melodramatic cousin could benefit his and Severus' cause.

Narcissa was upset with Lucius at the moment and would no doubt be more open to suggestion and more agreeable to the plan Regulus was going to discuss with her. With a small smile on his face he hugged his cousin; "Congratulations, Cissy. I'm sure you'll be an excellent mother. Don't worry about Lucius he'll come around." Yeah, when Nifflers fly but he held his tongue and comforted the woman in his arms.

She sniffled into Regulus shoulder, making the Black heir grimace and look down on her with ill-concealed disgust. Did she have to use him as a fucking snot rag? Well he'd deal with it if it meant furthering his cause but he didn't have to like it. Seeing his relative was still upset the grey eyed male continued to placate; "Shhh...Shhh Cissy. It'll be okay."

"I'm sure everything will be okay if you give it time." Yeah, how about giving it forever? He knew Lucius wasn't going to change but who was Regulus to stomp on his cousin's little dream of a loving husband. Really didn't she know they were married through a contract and that she should be pleased with being the kept wife of a Lord and enjoy the vast vault Lucius not doubt gave her access to as his spouse. Why did she have to be so sentimental and hope for love like some taudry heroin in a cheesy romance novel?

Love between married higher class members of magical society was rare and sometimes it developed over time. But right off the start in an arranged marriage? No, it wasn't often a husband and wife cared for each other as lovers. His parents were actually an exception to the usual norm; Walburga and Orion Black loved each other very much and were allowed to marry.

The fact that they were cousins was completely ignored by their parents; knowing his family it was probably a good thing though. Regulus thought his father must have fallen for his mother before she became an overbearing, volatile shrew from the seventh level of Hades and the man died so young to avoid being with her any longer when she turned into a blood sucking demoness.

Narcissa pulling away and giving him a watery smile let him know that their hugging time was over. Within a minute, and after she cast a few subtle Glamour Charms, his dear cousin was back in the role of Lady Malfoy, looking perfectly put together and pristine. Regulus followed suit; his face falling back into its customary unreadable expression as he followed the lithe blonde woman through the halls of Malfoy Manor.

He looked around, once again taking in the overdramatic displays of wealth and privilege; it was a little nauseating to look at so much gilded furniture but if the Malfoys were one thing it was showy. One only had to look around the place and they would see that. Regulus didn't like to sport his wealth so overtly.

The Black heir liked his creature comforts but he found he enjoyed living in a smaller house full of comfortable well-made furniture, much like his and Severus' house in The Vosges. Now that he thought about it he had no issue with staying in that house once his mother finally departed this plain to return to the fires from whence she was spawned.

Plus, it was the first home he and Severus ever lived in together and it had some good memories attached to it. The Black heir was reluctant to leave it and return to Grimmauld Place, which was the traditional home for the Lord Black to live in. Then again Regulus was anything but traditional at this point. He was gay and pretty open about it and he was being happily fucked out of his mind by a half-blooded man.

Yes, not exactly behavior the someday Lord Black should be exhibiting but Regulus didn't care what anyone thought of him, or his choices, anymore. He'd already let someone else dictate his life. He'd already allowed his mother to cow him into trying to be something he wasn't' and look what happened! He became a fucking Death Eater for Merlin's sake!

He didn't realize he was already sitting down and sipping tea until the scalding liquid hit his tongue. Salazar! He really was lost in his own mind today. It simply wouldn't do to not pay attention at this point in time. While he sipped his tea, which was perfectly prepared as was to be expected at Malfoy Manor, Regulus focused on getting his thoughts and words together.

He'd had vague ideas of what to say and how to say it but when he'd stepped out of the floo and seen his upset cousin a whole new set of strategies came into his mind. Setting the cup down he decided to be blunt with Cissa. She wasn't exactly the sharpest dagger in the sheath so innuendo and elusions would be mostly lost on her. Yes, in this situation it was best to follow one of his original plans.

Drawing his wand he quickly cast several strong Privacy Wards and Anti-Eavesdropping Charms. His cousin watched him in growing confusion but one look from Regulus' sharp eyes had her holding her tongue until he finished; "Narcissa, how do you feel about Lucius being a Death Eater?" His pretty relation choked on her tea and coughed in a quite unladylike fashion into her lace handkerchief.

After clearing her throat Narcissa looked at Regulus sharply, examining him carefully. He couldn't forget that while the woman in front of him wasn't the quickest she wasn't a complete fool; she was a Slytherin in her time for a reason. Self-preservation would win out over all in the end and speaking out against the Dark Lord to a known Death Eater was tantamount to suicide.

"Why do you ask, cousin?" The Black heir sighed; "Cissy, I'm going to be honest and I'll hope you know if you repeat any of this I will be killed as will Severus." His last words caught her attention effectively; she'd always had a soft spot for his awkward Potions obsessed lover. "Whatever it is you need to say, Regulus, you know I will keep your confidence. You're family after all."

The raven vaguely nodded in agreement; he was family now but to save her skin or move up in the world she would throw him to the wovles with little hesitation. Pushing his morbid thoughts out of his head Regulus continued talking; "Recently I have changed my way of thinking. Narcissa. This madness with the Dark Lord cannot continue."

"He'll burn our world down in his crusade to eliminate the muggles. He mindlessly slaughters innocents and anyone who gets in his way. I also recently discovered a way to kill him. Don't ask why we can;t just Avada him Narcissa. I cannot tell you that information."

He totally ignored the strangled sound that came from his relative and continued on; "However, I need some help from you to be able to end his life. It seems Lucius has in his possession something I need to destroy to get rid of the Dark Lord. Now before you refuse me think about this; the longer my Master is free and alive the higher the risk of Lucius being caught by the Ministry becomes."

"You and I both know that if your husband is caught in a Death Eater's mask it will look terrible for your family's reputation. You'll be scorned from high society and who knows your vaults may even be seized. You'd be broke and your husband disgraced in Azkaban."

"I don't want to see my dear cousin in such a state so I have an offer for you. You, Cissy, will give me what I require and I will ensure you will never hurt for money should something happen to Lucius in the future. I think the sum of 100,000 galleons should be adequate; it was the amount of the dowry given to Lucius for your hand in marriage after all. "

Regulus finished his speech and sipped at his now tepid tea for something to do while his blonde cousin thought about his offer. Finally, she raised her blue eyes; "I want the money to be transferred into an account that only I can access and only you and I know of. If you promise that this will be done I help you get you what you require."

The Black heir nodded and stood; "It will be done by tomorrow evening. Now if I can have you take me to Lucius' private study, please." Narcissa rose form her chair and led him through yet more corridors until they came to two large, dark wood double doors. Here his cousin removed her wand form her sleeve and began to murmur a few select words in Latin; Regulus acted like he wasn't listening and it really didn't matter if he did overhear what was mumbled.

The wards on the door would only respond and open to the Lord or Lady's magical signature, seeing as Regulus was neither the doors would probably shock the hell out of him if he tried to breach them. When Cissy stopped speaking the door on the left clicked open and his cousin was stepping to the side to let him into another finely decorated room.

The Black heir moved to stand near the shelves of books behind Lucius' desk and closed his eyes while opening his senses. The grey eyed wizard was searching for the tainted feel that always seeped from the locket and eventually he honed in on it coming from the large desk in front of him and not the shelves behind him.

With a sigh he drew his wand and began to fiddle with the only drawer that was warded and locked up tight. Once he saw the thick spider web of wards covering the front of the drawer he sat down in Lucius' comfy chair and got to work breaking them. He was lucky these weren't like the ancient familial protections on the study door.

The wards on the desk were set by Lucius so they would bend and from what he could see if he accidently tripped one of the wards it wouldn't alert Lucius to someone trying to break in. Trust the Malfoy Lord to be arrogant enough to think his protections were absolute and unbreakable. Oh well his arrogance was Regulus' gain and he would not look a gift Hippogriff in the mouth and turn it away for being too old.

An hour later Regulus was still intermittently cackling hysterically from a vicious tickling hex, his hair was standing on end and his facial muscles were spasming from a powerful Shocking Curse and he had a bad burn on his wand hand from when he accidently tripped one of the wards defenses.

However, he finally had them all down and the Black heir was lucky that he hadn't tripped any of the more deadly traps within the wards; seriously Lucius weaved an extremely strong Entrails Expelling Curse inside his wards! Now to open the drawer and collect his prize; patience spent the grey eyes wizard opened the drawer and removed the book.

With a grimace Regulus slipped the evil little book into his robe pocket and stood to leave. Narcissa, who stayed by his side the whole time he'd torn down the wards, rose from her chair in front of Lucius' desk along with her cousin and moved to leave the room. Before they left the study she turned and addressed Regulus; "I expect the owl telling me that my money is in my new Gringotts account by tomorrow night by six o'clock. Is that clear? I've taken a big risk with this cousin and I will not be going down alone should this fail."

The Black heir nodded, not at all shocked by his cousin's words. Ah, a true Slytherin through and through; Regulus would do the same to almost anyone with the exception of Severus, of course. "Of course, Narcissa, I wouldn't of expected anything else from you." The blonde woman looked as if she didn't know whether to take her relation's words as a compliment or a critique and settled for giving the younger wizard a bland smile.

Just when he was about to speak to his cousin about Bellatrix an insane cackle was heard from down the hall, letting anyone within a fifty foot radius know that the very same insane witch that Regulus was about to speak of had arrived at Malfoy Manor. Narcissa's eyes widened and she quickly looked at Regulus; the raven immediately understood her concern.

It would not be good for Bella to find them in Lucius' study and being the vindictive bitch that Bellatrix was she would no doubt waste little time in ratting her own family out to the Malfoy Lord. Really the woman loved to start problems wherever she went, going so far as to bait people into reacting to her juvenile taunts.

It also didn't help that most of the people the Lestrange woman spent any time with were Death Eaters. Death Eaters were by their very nature endowed with little, to no, patience for folly or foolishness and often reacted violently when annoyed. Bella knew this and stirred the cauldron anytime she could.

Regulus, Severus, Lucius, Rabastan, and Rodolphus ignored the woman quite easily but the same could not be said for some of their other Death Eater colleagues. With a few quick waves of his wand and a couple murmured words Regulus' appearance was back to normal, with the exception of the remaining small tick over his right eye and the bandage on his hand that covered his burn.

He'd treat the injury when he returned home. Hopefully, Severus was there and his lover could assist him with cleansing and redressing his wound. Appearance again mostly flawless the two cousins left Lucius' office and moved toward Bella's location.

She was quite easy to find seeing as the insane woman was shrieking out a very lewd song often sang by sailors when they drank too much. Bella was never one for manners, even when she was saner. Once her feverish dark eyes saw her sister and her baby cousin she bounced over to them and gave each of them a crushing hug.

Regulus slipped out of her hold and made his excuses quickly; he had no desire to spend time with his nutty cousin and his business with Narcissa was completed for now so there was no need for him to stay.

Plus, he wanted to get his acquisition out of Malfoy Manor and back to his house so he could investigate it further. He wondered if it was like the locket or did it have different properties? No one knew much about Horcruxes, other than they were soul containers. Were they sentient in some way? Or was the soul inside dormant?

Truth be told he was afraid to open the locket and see what was inside; what if he unleashed that monster's soul shard into the world and it was able to interfere with the truly living? But the book in his hand seemed to be the better option for experimenting on; he'd seen Lucius handle the cursed item with no issues and Regulus himself touched the vile thing too and nothing horrid happened to either of them.

He'd discuss it with his lover at some point and get his thoughts on the topic. This was something that if they decided to move forward with he would want Severus there with him. It didn't seem wise to tinker with a Horcrux on your own, especially when one didn't know their capabilities and strengths.

And one could not forget this was no normal Horcrux but the Horcrux of the most evil man to have ever lived in their world, possibly even the muggle world as well. Surely, the Dark Lord's soul pieces would be even more cruel and horrible than anyone else's.

Not that many made Horcruxes to keep themselves grounded to the mortal realm. The Black heir shook his head in exasperation with his pointless thoughts about whose soul pieces were more evil. Right now he had two former, but still dangerous, Black women to evade.

With another fake smile to his cousins he made his excuses once again and ignored Bella cooing at him to stay and have fun with them like old times. Like old times? Ah yes as much as he would love to stay and watch his cousin torture Lucius' white peacocks he had other more important things to do elsewhere, like breathe.

Regulus' smile turned regretful and he once again bid his family members goodbye and escaped to the Receiving Room he'd arrived in and swiftly went through the measures of getting the hell out of there. As he was swept away in the writhing green flames he caught a glimpse of Lucius apparating into the room Regulus just left; it seemed his exit was perfectly timed.

The raven stepped into their living room and immediately sought out his older lover, finding him in his lab. Why he ever looked anywhere else was a mystery to Regulus when the man he adored was always either with him or squirrelled away in his lab.

When he walked into the lab Severus' dark eyes lifted and took in Regulus' appearance and immediately zoomed in on the younger's injured hand; "What happened to you, Regulus? Did Narcissa try to hurt you." Regulus just stared blankly at his lover, silently communicating that that was a very stupid question.

Severus, evidently caught onto what the Black was thinking and rolled his eyes; "What? It was a valid question. You went to visit Narcissa and you come home with an injury on your hand. It is a logical conclusion to jump to." Regulus conceded that his lover had a point, not that he was going to tell the smug looking bastard that.

With a sigh of mock irritation he raised his bandaged hand and pouted, quite cutely if he could say so himself at Severus and whined; "Fix it, Severus! It hurts!" The older wizard smiled indulgently at his whiny lover and stood to collect his first aid supplies; "You know, Reg, this little pouty act isn't considered cute when you're over the age of seventeen."

The grey eyed teen rolled his eyes and continued pouting until his lover came over and began to work on his burned hand. When those onyx eyes saw his burnt flesh they widened and the movements to patch up Regulus' damaged appendage became gentler; "Love, why didn't you tell me it was burned this badly?"

The younger male shrugged; "I cast a strong Numbing Charm on it when I bandaged it at the Manor so I really can't feel much around the area of the burn." Severus nodded; "That was probably for the best. If you could feel it right now you would be in a lot of pain."

"I would say this is a second degree burn and if you weren't a wizard with access to magic it would scar badly and possible interfere with the motor function of your hand if it were to get infected. Luckily, we are magic and I can fix this right up in a few minutes. Now stay still and stop pouting." Regulus smiled, sat down on top of the work table next to him and pressed a kiss to his partner's lips before letting the older of the two fix him up.

Once the injury was healed but tender the Black heir stood and retrieved the book from his robe pocket, showing it to his still seated lover proudly. "I got the Horcrux!" Those onyx eyes widened and with lightning fast movements Severus snatched the cursed thing out of Regulus' hand.

Together they began to poke and prod the book or Regulus could call it a diary. That was what the little book was and it had the name Tom Marvolo Riddle etched into the back in gold. Who was Tom Riddle anyway? Was it one of the Dark Lord's victims? Or one of his followers?

Either was possible; some research was in order on that front. Any information in dealing with the Dark lord was good information. The man known as his Master was secretive and aloof, never giving away anything more than he had to. But now the two former Death Eaters had a lead to check out and hopefully this Tom Riddle fellow would help them take down the Dark Lord once and for all.

After examining the diary for half an hour the two decided to set it aside to experiment with later. Regulus really needed to start writing the letter to Gringotts to set up Narcissa's promised account. He didn't want to think about what Narcissa would do if the galleons weren't where they were supposed to be tomorrow at six o'clock.

With a sigh he kissed his lover on the cheek and explained what he had to do for Narcissa. Severus merely listened and once Regulus was done talking the older man nodded since he had nothing to add or comment on and went back to his potions. The younger wizard took the diary and his letter and exited his partner's domain so he could get on with his business.

Maybe he'd mention committing Bella to St. Mungo's in his letter to his blonde cousin when he wrote to her, giving her the details on her brand new account with Gringotts. It would be the best time; Regulus planned on warding that letter to the teeth so only Narcissa could read it and he really wanted Bellatrix committed.

After seeing her today Regulus could see that she was continuously sinking further and further into madness. It was only a matter of time before she was caught by the Aurors tormenting someone. Once that happened she would be shipped off to Azkaban and there would be little to nothing Regulus could do to save her.

It was best to act now while they still had choices available to them. St. Mungo's was a way better option than Azkaban. At least at the hospital Bella would get treated humanely while the Mind Healers worked their magic, literally.

With little preamble the Black heir plopped down at his desk in the library and began to write his letter...

~*~*~*Time Skip~*~*~*

Regulus ran into their bedroom where Severus was sleeping soundly after his fifteen hour brewing session the night before with a piece of parchment fluttering in his hand. His goblin finally located something they needed! The moment the raven haired wizard read that piece of information he'd quickly traversed their house and made his way to their room.

With little thought to how grumpy his lover would be Regulus jumped on the bed and straddled Severus' lower abdomen, bouncing up and down until his lover opened his eyes in annoyance. "Regulus, what the hell do you want?! I've only just gotten to sleep a few hours ago..."

The Black heir cut his partner's grumbling rant off before it could really pick up speed; "My goblin found the Sulpuric Acid, Sev! He found it in London and I have the apparition coordinates right here." With a triumphant smile on his handsome face he pointed at the parchment in his hand. Severus quickly sat up, almost smashing his forehead into Regulus' as he did so, and snatched the paper out of the younger male's hand so he could read it himself.

"Reg, did you read the rest of the missive? Your manager not only gave us the coordinates but the schedule of the workers inside the lab and somehow they got the code for the alarm system. I must say I do love your goblin manager, Regulus, really I do." The grey eyed wizard smiled in relief at that news; at least they could begin to plan on when to raid the lab.

He wasn't quite sure what a code for the alarm system meant but he assumed it was like wards that only opened for someone's magical signature. He'd asked Severus about the specifics of alarm systems and codes later. Right now he was excited about the letter in his hand; they were making progress and soon the Acid would be in their possession and hopefully the Horcruxes would no longer be in existence.

The Black heir happily scooted off Severus' lap and began to undress himself so he could lay down with his love. Once the letter was placed on the nightstand and he was stripped down to his underwear the younger wizard slipped under the warm covers and snuggled onto his dozing partner's side.

The older sleepily wrapped an arm around Regulus' lithe back and held him close. The smaller nuzzled in and easily slipped into a doze; maybe things were stressing him out a lot more than he realized if he was able to fall asleep so easily at one in the afternoon.

Well at least he was getting the much needed rest now and once he was awake he would use his newly gotten energy to ride Severus into the mattress. Now that was a plan he could get on, literally. With a silly grin plastered on his sculpted face his conscious mind finally shut down and Regulus slipped into sleep's welcoming embrace.

How the hell did this get to be over 4,000 words? Damn me and my irresistible ability to be overly specific and clear when I'm detailing a scene! Argh anyway due to the already long length and time constraints I decided to publish this now since I wanted to give you guys something to chew on.

Next chapter we will have out raid on the muggle lab and I promise...hopefully...that we will destroy one Horcrux!

Also, Dumbledore and the Order will be making an appearance too in the coming chapters since we haven't heard from them in a little bit.

Oh and Bella gets committed soon! Seriously, how did she not get thrown in the mental ward before she tortured the Longbottoms to insanity? Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this latest update!

As Always All Mistakes Are My Own!