CH 1 Sink Or Swim

Reglaus felt a searing burning in his throat and rushed to the cave, barely caring when he fell flat on his face. Getting up, he ignored the new pain in his nose and stumbled to the lake edge.

He also ignored the lake surface visibly rippling. He leaned over the lake and a body it two shot out. Reglaus still cupped his hands in the lake to drink water, not caring anymore. He was better off gone then branded a traitor to voldemort.

But as he was drinking water, hands grabbed him. Regalus struggled to drink against their grip, and scooped up some floating gillyweed by mistake. He barely paid attention to what he drank as long as he drank, as he was pulled in the lake by the creatures.

He struggled against them because he couldn't stop drinking water. He started choking as he was pulled in with a splash, so he didn't notice he swallowed gillyweed with the water as he instinctively struggled to resurface.

He stopped fighting the inferi or the need to resurface after he swallowed a mouthful of water. Reglaus finally just let them drag him under the lake

He passed out from drinking in too much water before he noticed he was growing gills and webbing between the fingers and toes.

The inferi dragged him very far down to thr depths of the lake, then let him go, assuming he was dead.

A few minutes later he woke up gasping and noticed he could breathe. But he withered like a fish before the gills let enough oxygen enter his body. After calming down for a bit, he examined his webbed fingers. "Gillyweed, " he muttered, confused. Everything that happened back to him. He wasn't suppose to survive the cave, he sent Kreacher away for a reason.

Just as that thought came in his head, some inferi were visible. Regalus realized gillyweed wouldn't keep him breathing for very long, he fished around his back pocket for his wand. He located it, pulled out out, and silently transfigured himself until he was a shark. His wand fell to the lake floor, so he drove down to retrieve his wand with his wand side fins. Once his wand was clutched between his side fins, he begin swimming toward the cave entrance.

He didn't knew what came over him but suddenly at the bottom of the cave lake, seeing inferi in the distance, he didn't feel like going down. Voldemort tried to sacrifice Kreacher and Regalus wasn't going to take that laying down. No! He was going bring voldemort down.

Reglalus slowly swam through the water or rather floated away, trying not to get the attention of the inferi. He'd rather not start a fiendyfire.

Reglaus had a plan in mind, he was glad he didn't cast a pisceferious spell, because the inferi could possibly eat fish. Nope Regalus wouldn't take that chance. Then Regalus realized his shark self could keep inferi at bay, especially if he cast a blue flame spell or fiendyfire spell.

So Reglaus abandoned slowly trying to swim out of the cave and outright swam through the lake, towards the entrance of the cave, that he could make out from under water. He swam awkwardly with his wand clutched between his side fins. But he still swam even more aggressively then sharks swam.

As he neared the entrance some inferi tried to grab him but he snapped at them with his teeth, tearing into their flesh. His wand fell to the cave entrance floor, as he tire into the bodies of as many inferi as he could. But he didn't mind, he pick it up after he tore all the inferi in front of him. The effect was immediate, the other inferi swam away in fear. He swam past them, biting any inferi that got too close and even non-verbally cast a small spark that made the inferi keep their distance. More sharks could come if the blood was from live creatures.

Once he got past the inferi crowding the entrance, he was in the open ocean. He picked up his wand from the cave, before it rolled down to the deeper ocean depths. He could reach those depths as a shark, but he'd rather not struggle to catch his wand, run into something that makes him lose his wand, or overall delay his travels.

He really swam half way past the cliffs, under the choppy waters the boats couldn't navigate in, until he reached a village beachside.

Once he reached the shore he didn't know what to do. He buried his his wand in the area with less waves as the tried to nonverbally turn himself back into a human. And perhaps he'd hide as a shark or fish in sirius'n muggle pool once he was human to survive the war. The idiot just had to remember to turn him back to human once in awhile. They had a wizard pool once but they didn't have muggle swimsuits. Bertha, a half blood, found out the hard way.

Reglaus ate some fish then thought a bit as night turned to day. How was Regalus going to use magic to turn himself back or communicate with anyone? Regalus couldn't call Kreacher in this form. He growled as best as he could as a shark. He swam towards some rocks on the beach shore. He stuck his wand between the rocks and guarded the wand, carefully.

For days Reglaus ate and rested near the rocks on the shore. He avoided humans while guarding his wand. He would snap at any muggle that came by his wand, stuck in the rocks. Then he's swim away when they ran away, and return a few minutes later to resume guarding his wand. He couldn't afford a muggle spearing him. Sharks only bit humans by mistake anyways, then swam away.

For 5 days he simply ate fish or non verbally accio'd crabs, and fish to him, to eat. Then he rested near the rocks, while guarding his wand. He rested under the shore waves, keeping a watch for humans.

After he ate everyday, he'd go to the shore after he was well fed and rested. He'd spend the hours at night, trying to verbally transfigure himself back to human. Voldmeort must be searching for him, but had no idea just Reglaus was at the same exact spot voldemort visited, with his orphanage. Reglaus had no idea voldemort took a trip here with his orphanage either.

On the 6th day, he concentrated very hard and succeeded in transfiguring himself back to human again. He gasped on the shore, climbing on the rocks, grabbing his wand. Then he swam to the shore using magic. Running a hair through his wet hair he immediately called for Kreacher, one he was on the beach shore.

Kreacher appeared, sobbing. "Master is alive! Kreacher knew it. But how is Master escaping the cave? Kreacher saw the tapestry and knew. Mistress is very worried!"

Reglalus took off his wet pants and shirt, it was so uncomfortable. He was ok with startling the villagers with his indecency.

But at the moment he didn't have time. "I accidentally ate some gillyweed when i drank the cave water and the inferi thought they drowned me. I transfigured myself into a shark then swam from the cave to this village. Then I transfigured myself back to human non-verbally."

"Master truly is a brilliant wizard," Kreacher wept.

"Listen Kreacher I don't have much time, you-know-who is looking for me. I'm not even sure you're safe, alteast not from Bellabiitch. You have to come with me as my own house elf."

Regalus have Kreacher his wet clothes to free him. "Only you can help me stay hidden too," Regalus added. Kreacher started weeping but weeped less after hearing that. Regalus out his hands on the house elf's shoulders, then turned Kreacher to face him. "You can bond to me again, I definitely need your help. But you can't go back to Grimmauld Place or the Blacks. Especially not Bellaminx."

"Kreacher agrees as, long as kreacher can serve Master. Kreacher will be loyal to only master, master needs Kreacher and Kreacher will do what he has to do to help Regalus survive," Kreacher agreed.

"Okay then take me to Sirius and turn me invisible or turn me into an animal," Regalus ordered.

"What? No-" Kreacher protested.

"Sirius is the only one who will listen, or help. I need to tell the order about the cave. Apparate me to a town nearby him," Regalus ordered. Kreacher followed the order, weeping hard at having to see Sirius again. Reglaus was glad they appearated out of the village before they attracted unnecessary attention.