vi.
Title: dal segno al fine
Fandom: harry potter
Characters: regulus black; severus snape.
Word Count: 730.
Rating: pg-13, for character death.
Summary: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." -- Charles Dickens, A Tale Of Two Cities.
r. a. b.
(It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.)
i face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more
In the end he made a choice and what repercussions there were, were his alone to bear.
i have stolen the real horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as i can
He has Sirius’ good looks, people always said; but paler in comparison and not so alit with fierce vitality, a haughtier mouth and milder eyes. Still he had the bearings of a prince (the littler prince-king with twice the duties to perform). In death his features gained all the serene dignity life held back, wary of the changeability in youth.
but i want you to know that it was i who discovered your secret
He ought not to care, he knows. He is Regulus Black and he is above what others may think or say, but the words that will come (then still unsaid, now boldly whispered, screamed aloud soon) cut deep. Coward, he knows, will hurt the most, and so he tries the word, forms it around his own dry mouth. It tastes bitter. There will be such ugly words; he despises ugliness; murder is soul-rending hideous.
That is important. (He is still cognizant but not for long? How long does he have? Not long.)
Murder is hideous, soul-rending; he clings to this importance as the sensation of mortality spreads iota by iota. It is done, he repeats silently. It is done. The locket is heavy in his hands - slips, and now he holds the chain - tumbles down to the sand, half hidden already. Never mind, there is no sense picking it up. He closes his eyes instead and asks Severus to come, please come just a little sooner than they planned but of course his thoughts cannot be read at this distance. Still, he is coming. He is coming to put things to right.
Severus will keep it safe.
(regulus.) (yes.) (i can’t do it.) (you have to.) (regulus.) (do it.)
Tranquility sets in with a flash of green and as he falls (away from the stars and the sea and the broken black eyes), Regulus breathes freely, once.
i know i will be dead long before you read this
He will probably die by the end of this, though Regulus no longer has any fucking clue just how recklessly he has been courting demise, only that the more he finds out, the less able he is to pull away. days pass before he remembers to step out of his room and, once out, his mother’s blazing pride makes Regulus yearn once more for the dusty dangerous knowledge surreptitiously hidden beneath his bed with the monsters of his childhood. Blessed quietude, no eyes, no obligations save to his own meandering sense of duty. Of course they can tell that something is wrong when they are holding their breaths for a betrayal that surely will come. They guess, but they do not think it would be him. they think that he is too scared of consequences precipitating with actions taken.
They have no idea of what is coming. Neither does he. Sometimes he wants to abandon it all, prophecy and legacy and an end to the reign of terror, let it all be hanged; he wants to pretend the accidental discovery never happened, act as if he truly believed in a cause solidifying more horridly day by day. So let the Dark Lord realize his dream; all Regulus has to do, really, is supplicate.
The problem of course is that he cannot; the supplication sits on his conscience. The problem is that he has a brother he must pretend to not emulate any longer, and a true friend who shares his convictions. They had made a mistake when this all began. They must rectify it now.
(severus.) (yes.) (you have to.) (i can’t.) (you must.)
He holds his breath and struggles to not fight the Imperio (you will recover the Horcrux at all costs, you will, you must), watches dispassionately as Severus apparates (he will be receiving orders, he will be Regulus’ executioner) before stepping into the cave.
to the dark lord
Fandom: harry potter
Characters: regulus black; severus snape.
Word Count: 730.
Rating: pg-13, for character death.
Summary: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." -- Charles Dickens, A Tale Of Two Cities.
r. a. b.
(It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.)
i face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more
In the end he made a choice and what repercussions there were, were his alone to bear.
i have stolen the real horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as i can
He has Sirius’ good looks, people always said; but paler in comparison and not so alit with fierce vitality, a haughtier mouth and milder eyes. Still he had the bearings of a prince (the littler prince-king with twice the duties to perform). In death his features gained all the serene dignity life held back, wary of the changeability in youth.
but i want you to know that it was i who discovered your secret
He ought not to care, he knows. He is Regulus Black and he is above what others may think or say, but the words that will come (then still unsaid, now boldly whispered, screamed aloud soon) cut deep. Coward, he knows, will hurt the most, and so he tries the word, forms it around his own dry mouth. It tastes bitter. There will be such ugly words; he despises ugliness; murder is soul-rending hideous.
That is important. (He is still cognizant but not for long? How long does he have? Not long.)
Murder is hideous, soul-rending; he clings to this importance as the sensation of mortality spreads iota by iota. It is done, he repeats silently. It is done. The locket is heavy in his hands - slips, and now he holds the chain - tumbles down to the sand, half hidden already. Never mind, there is no sense picking it up. He closes his eyes instead and asks Severus to come, please come just a little sooner than they planned but of course his thoughts cannot be read at this distance. Still, he is coming. He is coming to put things to right.
Severus will keep it safe.
(regulus.) (yes.) (i can’t do it.) (you have to.) (regulus.) (do it.)
Tranquility sets in with a flash of green and as he falls (away from the stars and the sea and the broken black eyes), Regulus breathes freely, once.
i know i will be dead long before you read this
He will probably die by the end of this, though Regulus no longer has any fucking clue just how recklessly he has been courting demise, only that the more he finds out, the less able he is to pull away. days pass before he remembers to step out of his room and, once out, his mother’s blazing pride makes Regulus yearn once more for the dusty dangerous knowledge surreptitiously hidden beneath his bed with the monsters of his childhood. Blessed quietude, no eyes, no obligations save to his own meandering sense of duty. Of course they can tell that something is wrong when they are holding their breaths for a betrayal that surely will come. They guess, but they do not think it would be him. they think that he is too scared of consequences precipitating with actions taken.
They have no idea of what is coming. Neither does he. Sometimes he wants to abandon it all, prophecy and legacy and an end to the reign of terror, let it all be hanged; he wants to pretend the accidental discovery never happened, act as if he truly believed in a cause solidifying more horridly day by day. So let the Dark Lord realize his dream; all Regulus has to do, really, is supplicate.
The problem of course is that he cannot; the supplication sits on his conscience. The problem is that he has a brother he must pretend to not emulate any longer, and a true friend who shares his convictions. They had made a mistake when this all began. They must rectify it now.
(severus.) (yes.) (you have to.) (i can’t.) (you must.)
He holds his breath and struggles to not fight the Imperio (you will recover the Horcrux at all costs, you will, you must), watches dispassionately as Severus apparates (he will be receiving orders, he will be Regulus’ executioner) before stepping into the cave.
to the dark lord