I know, its been a while. But the good news is, that we are back! And the even better news is, that all chapters for this story is written. So now, expect frequently updates :-)

Love from Madamkitten and Kalilje


Chapter five

Regulus sat in the cave, trying to get the warm from his small fire. Ever since Bartys kiss at Hogwarts, Regulus had been a empty shell of himself. He was barely there. Regulus looked down at his arm where the once faded mark, now stood out. The skull and snake looked as vivid as the day he was branded. Regulus knew the dark lord was back.

"Fucking hell, oh Barty." Regulus sighed.

He didn't have any more tears left in him. Seeing his best friend getting his soul sucked out of him, was not something he would have ever wanted to witness. Why didn't he run? Why stay and look? He shouldn't have stayed and watched as his friend's soul was destroyed.

Regulus pushed the hair from his face. He was tired, but everytime he tried to close his eyes, he could see the Dementor. Regulus knew that it was a fate that he most likely also would get, if he ever got a chance to be a human again.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't help you Barty, I wish I could." Regulus mumbled, looking at the small flame in front of him.

He felt the pull in him again, and felt helpless. He didn't have the power to do it anymore, but he didn't have a choice either. He was pulled, but his body didn't react like it used to. He stumbled a bit, trying to get his bearings as he looked around.

"No, this can't be!" Regulus said and looked around. He was back home, back in his old room at Grimmauld Place. How could that be? Regulus went over to the mirror, looking at it.

"Ah, the ghoul, of course," Regulus muttered and looked at the pictures around the wall. There was one of him with his brother, before Sirius had run from this place. Regulus went over to his bed, looking at it, wishing more than anything, that he could just sleep in it. Just once. He looked over at the door when he heard a shriek.

"No! Go, sho! This is Master Regulus room! Go back to the attic!" Kreacher yelled and threw elf magic against Regulus.

"No, Kreacher, it's me!" Regulus tried to yell, but no luck.

He couldn't talk with the elf. Regulus soon fled the room, not wanting to be on the wrong end of Kreachers magic. He fleed the room, and knew he should have gone to the attic, but he found that he didn't want to. He wanted to see his home again. So instead he walked down the hall, looking around. He had been happy in this home once, but not anymore. If he ever was to be a human again, he would make sure, with Sirius' permission of course, that the walls got a fresh coat of paint. A light colored paint, he wanted to light up the place. It felt too dark and gloomy, almost like in the cave. Regulus stopped as he came to the stairs, and he stopped when he looked at the person on top of it.

Hermione looked at Regulus, not feeling scared or screaming for the others to come.

"You should go, Sirius and Kreacher will kick you out if you stay here." Hermione said. Regulus almost wished he could answer her, or that she would recognize him.

"Quickly, they are coming, go inside!" Hermione pointed her finger at a door, and Regulus quickly went through it. That was the one good thing about this form, being able to go through the walls. Going through people l, that was actually fun. Regulus grinned, oh how he wanted to go through Sirius! Make him shudder.

Soon after, the door was opened and Hermione walked in! His witch! Oh Regulus had wanted to be alone with her for so long, but he knew nothing could come of it. He wanted to touch her. To remove her hair from around he face, touching her cheek.

"You can stay here, Sirius and Kreacher won't come in here, this is my room when I'm here." Hermione smiled.

"Thank you," Regulus muttered, but he knew she wouldn't understand him anyway. So he just nodded his head.

"They want you gone, of course. Gone from this house, at least. Maybe you should just go." Hermione said and looked at him. She looked sad, like the whole world was resting on her shoulders. Regulus wanted to comfort her. He could smell her so much in her room, her honey scent hung in the air. It comforted Regulus.

"I think my friend is slowly going mad, he keeps on seeing things in his mind. I think Voldemort has some sort of connection with him, but he won't listen to me when I bring that up. He'll never listen to me. Sometimes I wonder if they're only friends with me so they have someone who will do their homework. Why won't he listen?" Hermione mumbled.

"I don't know, I wish I knew." Regulus shuddered as she mumbled Voldemorts name. He never did like that name. He knew Hermione couldn't understand him, but he found comfort in trying to talk with her.

"Can you keep a secret?" Hermione asked, looking at the ghoul. How could someone be such a gentle soul like she was? Accepting others like this. She's accepted him in every firm she's seen.

Regulus nodded, and he knew she saw it. She smiled at him.

"Victor broke up with me, I haven't told the others. I don't want to. I'm okay really, it just never felt right you know? But still, it hurt to think that he didn't want to continue this. He was the only one who ever treated me like a girl. Even though I knew he wasn't the right one for me, I really did like being treated like a girl for once." Hermione mumbled, looking down at the book in her hands.

"I'm sorry," Regulus said, knowing she wouldn't understand him, and honestly, he wasn't that sorry. Regulus was more than happy, knowing his witch was done with that oaf! Now she was his again. Regulus made a promise to himself, he sure made a lot of promises when it came to his witch, but he did plan on keeping them. HE would never make Hermione feel like this. He would cherish her, and love her, and show her just how beautiful she really was.

"I have to go, you can stay here as long as you like." Hermione said as she closed the door after her. Regulus sighed, he liked having her in this house. It was his home, and with her there, it felt like home.

Regulus stayed in her room for hours, until she came back.

"You're still here!" Hermione smiled as she closed the door behind her.

"Of course I am, you told me I could stay as long as I wanted." Regulus said. He knew she didn't understand him, but it felt heavenly, to just pretend, that they were having a conversation.

"Do you mind if I come closer?" Hermione asked as she got near him. Regulus could smell her perfume, and he sighed. Her honey scent drifted around him, and he loved it. He wanted to touch her hair, to touch her face, her body. He slowly raised his arm, letting it fall through her hair. She shuddered a bit, but it made him smile. She was a bit smaller than himself, and he knew she would fit perfectly against him.

"Your eyes! I have seen them before!" Hermione smiled as she studied him close up.

Regulus stayed put, not wanting to move himself away from her. He wanted to stay here forever. Even if he was trapped as a ghoul, he wanted to be with her, like this. Standing in front of him, in his family home.

"The others are going to bed soon, the whole house is so full. It's just too much. But stay here. Stay here as long as you wish, I'm not afraid of you." Hermione smiled as she went to the toilet. Regulus was happy, he wanted to stay here and he was glad she wanted him to stay as well. It felt heavenly and he almost cried. As she came back in her nightgown, Regulus knew he could die happily. He should have looked away, but she looked just like a goddess. Her long, curly brown hair, falling around her shoulders in waves. That beautiful white gown. He wanted to touch her even more now than before. He wanted to let his fingers fall through her hair, as he held her close. Felt her heartbeat against his chest. He wanted her. Bad.

"I wish I could remember where I have seen your eyes before. They remind me of someone. I'm absolutely positive that I have seen them before!" Hermione said as she climbed into her and slid under the covers. Regulus drifted near her, not taking his eyes off her. He slowly raised his hand, the desire to touch her so strong. But the curse wouldn't let him. His hand at her cheek, fell through her as if she wasn't even there.

"You miss touching other things and people don't you? It must not be fun, being trapped as a ghoul. Must be quite dreadful." Hermione sadly said.

"You have no idea." Regulus sighed.

"Goodnight." Hermione smiled, before she fell asleep. Regulus stayed in her room the entire night. Sitting silently at her side.


Regulus loved to be so close to her. He tried his best to stay near Hermione at all times. When she would read, he would stand beside her, reading over her shoulder. He liked that she read just as quickly as he did himself. It was nice, being able to read a book again. When she asked him something, he found out that he could nod or shake his head, and she knew what he meant.

She had been stuck on her homework, not knowing what she did wrong and he had been able to help her. The way she beamed at him when she found the mistake meant everything to Regulus.

"Thank you for the help, I don't understand why I didn't think about that!" Hermione grinned as she quickly scrambled down the correct answer. Regulus smiled, he would always help her, she just didn't know it yet.

"You are not so bad, for a ghoul. The others call you all sorts of things, but they just don't know how to be friendly to others who don't look like us." Hermione said as she looked at Regulus.

"I wish I had known you when you were alive," Hermione sighed.

"Oh Hermione, I am alive, you just don't know it yet." Regulus sighed. He wanted to touch her, to put his head on hers, but he didn't try. He wouldn't be able to anyway.

Instead, he turned to go over in the corner, not wanting to upset her or himself any more than he already had. He was falling for her, he knew it. He could feel it.

"School starts tomorrow, but I am not ready to go back just yet. I don't want to leave you here. Promise me you'll be careful! And don't let Kreacher or Sirius push you away. You have rights too, and should be treated with respect." Hermione said as she turned.

Regulus looked at her, nodding his head, to tell her he would do whatever he could to stay.


Being back at Hogwarts was not something Regulus had been looking forward to. He still missed his friend Barty, he tried not to think about it too much, but being reminded of his friend hurt. He was in the come and go room, but not as a rat this time. It killed him that he couldn't go to Hermione. For some reason, he was now a dueling Dummy?! He couldn't move, couldn't talk, couldn't do anything. He could only stand by and watch whenever people entered the room.

Damn, this was boring! He almost, just almost, wished he could be a damn rat again! At least then, he could move around the castle. Regulus tried to do something, anything! He wanted to move. He wanted to go to Hermione, to get food, anything to eat would be nice. He was so hungry and thirsty. With not much to do, Regulus dozed off. He might as well sleep, it was not like there was anything better for him to do.

He had no idea how long he had been asleep, but soon he was being woken up by spell after spell, all hitting him. He opened his eyes, and looked around the room.

Okay, I am slowly losing my mind, I must have slept for days! Regulus thought for himself.

Looking around he noticed that he was surrounded by a whole bunch of Gryffindors and a few students from the other houses as well. No Slytherin students from what he could tell. They all seemed to be getting dueling lessons from the Potter Boy. He sure does make a lousy teacher. I wonder why they chose to have him teach them to duel.

He was hit again and again, each time more painful than the one before. Suddenly Regulus was hit with a spell that caused him to spin around the room, his form was spinning out of control!

Stop, please! I am getting dizzy! I think I'm going to throw up! How is that even possible?!

When the spinning finally stopped, Regulus was sure he would have been throwing up if he had been a man. Damn his head was spinning. He looked up, locking his dummy eyes with Hermione.

She was there! Right in front of him with her wand drawn! Damn, I do not want to be at the end of her wand, she looks frightening ! And yet, extremely hot!

"Expelliarmus!" she cried, and Regulus was pushed back against the wall.

I'll be damned! She sure is powerful!

It made Regulus even more attracted to her. He had always loved a feisty witch, who was not scared of what other people would think. And Hermione was like that.

Damn she is beatiful.

Suddenly she looked at him, almost like she could recognize him. She was about to come over to him when someone from the side yelled, "Reducto!"

That pain made Regulus scream in agony. He could feel his whole body turning into dust. His bones broke and he screamed! He could feel every single bone and vein in his body turn to dust. It hurt even more than the inferi and all the pain he had been in before.

He screamed until his head had turned to dust.

As he woke again, he was back in dummy form.

"Please, no! No more, I can't stand it, please!" Regulus begged as yet another curse was sent at him. This was pure torture. He was being cursed again and again, with no way to defend himself. This was unbearable. He wasn't strong enough to endure this all year. Regulus couldn't handle that pain, as yet another Reducto was fired at him, turning him into dust once more.

"Please, no more! Kill me, let me die, please!" Regulus sobbed. He could still feel the pain inside him, it was too much.

He felt miserable, and scared. He didn't want to feel that pain again, he suddenly wished to be back in the cave, better the inferi than to feel one's body turn to dust!

After being turned to dust three more times, Regulus was weak. If this was dying, he didn't want it. He wished more than anything to be back in the cave, even the Dragon. Anything other than to be here.

"Hermione, you are being stupid! I don't want to hear this!" Harry yelled and woke Regulus up. He could barely hold his eyes open.

"I mean it Harry, it's not safe for you to keep on letting him into your mind! You have to fight it off!" Hermione cried.

"Let Harry be Hermione, he knows what he is doing! Ya don't have to know everything, ya know. You're not always right. Harry's got this!" Ronald hissed.

"He clearly doesn't. And he is putting us all in danger! As are you!" Hermione cried.

"Let's just go pal," Ronald said, pulling Harry away with him, mumbling something about stupid know-it-all witches.

"Your IDIOTS!" Hermione yelled at them before she sunk down on the floor, sobbing.

It broke Regulus, seeing her like this. How could her friends act like that towards her? Oh how he wished he could be the rat or the ghoul, then he would be able to comfort her. He felt weak, very weak. But he wanted to do something for her. So he started to think and tried asking the room to change for him, it was the cone and go room after all. He watched as the room slowly started to change. The room changed into one place he always had loved. The Temple of Akropolis. Regulus loved when he had gone there as a child and he hoped that Hermione would love it too. The Olive trees and the white bricks. The big temple of the old greek gods. It was perfect. The temple was magnificent. Hermione shifted and looked up, clearly surprised that the room had shifted.

"What the…" she mumbled as she stood, looking around. She walked up to the temple and touched the bricks.

"How?" She asked and looked around. The only thing present was her and the dummy. She went to Regulus, and looked at him. She touched the dummys cheek, and saw the grey eyes on the dummy.

"You? Who are you?" Hermione asked.

Regulus wished he could answer her, but he couldn't.

"I must be going crazy, I know those eyes! I have seen them before. I just know it!" Hermione said and ran her finger down his cheek.

"You are not a normal dummy are you?" Hermione asked.

She wanted an answer, and Regulus really wished he could give her one. Hermione smiled at him, looking around at the beautiful temple, smiling and laughing. And that made Regulus happy too.