Fanfic Challenge #17
Title: Cycles
Summary: Regulus has proven to be a good little minion and has one final test before receiving the Dark Mark and becoming a Death Eater.
Characters/Pairings: Regulus Black, Bellatrix Black, Voldemort, Rodolphus Lestrange, random Death Eaters
Genre: Drama
Beta: n/a
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for death and dark overtones
Word Count: 3090
The night was quiet and cold. Snow fell slowly, sparkling in the limited light and melted as it touched the young boy’s face. He looked up, feeling his heart squeeze and turn as cold as the weather. He had no idea how he had gotten himself into this. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. His cousin, Bellatrix, was what had gotten him here. She was twenty six and beautiful, but to him she had always been beautiful. She had fallen in with a group of Slytherins and Pure Bloodists. They called themselves Death Eaters. Regulus smiled at the words. To think that it was possible to eat death and consume it was just brilliant. He had heard many things from her cousin regarding their leader, who he only knew as The Dark Lord. At the age of fourteen Regulus was introduced to the concept of this group. He naturally wanted to please his cousin and family, and knew that following this path was something that would be very beneficial to him. It would place him in good graces of course, but he was very confident that it would get him anything he wanted in the future. Regulus adjusted his weight, jutting his chin out defensively. He knew that tonight was a make or break night. Tonight, if he did as he was told and executed every task perfectly; he would be able to join the Death Eaters as its youngest member.
A bitter wind blew twisting through Regulus’ dark hair and leaving it exceptionally tussled. “For Merlin’s sake, Regulus, do something about that.” Bellatrix walked out from behind a tree and waved a hand instantly putting her cousin’s hair back where it belonged. Under other circumstances she would demand he do it himself, but at the age of sixteen he wouldn’t be able to do magic without being detected. “You know you’ll have to do magic later…?” She looked at her young cousin and waited to gauge his response.
“I am.” He barely nodded, trying to look as dignified as possible. “Though I wonder, Cousin, if there will be something done to prevent my spell from being traced. I would hate to finally be part of this group and then locked away almost instantly due to underage magic.” He paused and looked at her, eyes glinting momentarily. “Especially because you have hinted that it might be magic that is frowned upon by most of the wizarding world.”
A smile curled on Bellatrix’s lips. “Such a smart boy, Regulus.” A cackle escaped from her as she danced around him, gesturing dramatically. “You see, cousin, we have someone on the inside for nearly every department. Rosier can’t be here tonight since he has to be at the Ministry to cover our tracks, but he will see to everything being wiped out of the records.” Standing behind Regulus, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Or have someone else take the fall for us. He is quite talented when it comes to the Imperius Curse.” The last two words she spoke so softly Regulus wasn’t sure she said them at all save her breath warming his ear.
“Really?” he breathed back. He knew full well that she wouldn’t deceive him about this.
Bellatrix might be a liar and a sneak when need be, but she would not do anything to disappoint her Dark Lord whom she raved about constantly. He wasn’t entirely sure if her fanatical devotion would transfer to him, as he had never met this person. Being tucked away at Hogwarts until the winter holiday made most communication of specifics difficult. Over the past two years he had done numerous things to earn his keep, though. Summers and holidays had proved to be most fruitful. Since his brother had been wiped out of the family history, save his own memories, there was now plenty to keep him busy again. He had been along on a few “errands” with his cousin. At the time Regulus was sure his mother would be most displeased, but at fourteen what child isn’t rebelling against something. To his surprise though, his mother was more than pleased. In fact she had gone so far as to encourage him to spend time with Bellatrix. She had bought him the newest, fastest broom to help keep up should he need to ride with her. He hadn’t at this point, but he was a fine seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team and they had won every game so far that year. It would have been daft of him not to put the gift to good use, and what better way than to bring respect to his House. The Quidditch Cup would surely be theirs and they would all be handsomely rewarded.
Regulus snapped back to reality when there was a crack and a man with a neatly trimmed brunette goatee stepped into sight. The hood on his cloak was pushed back and lay with a deep green lining which made the man’s eyes seem to sparkle. He looked at Bellatrix and a light jumped into those green eyes that made Regulus’ stomach turn. There was something about that man that Regulus didn’t like.
“So you know what this means, Bellatrix, if he does it.” Even the sound of his rich baritone voice set him on guard.
“Of course!” she scoffed. “He will be the youngest member of the Death Eaters. He will find those sympathetic to our cause at Hogwarts and recruit for us. I will be rewarded by the Dark Lord.” Bellatrix all but preened, her dark hair shining and beautiful as she shook her head barely holding in her clear pleasure.
“I meant our agreement, Bellatrix.”
She whipped her head around to glare into the green eyes, attempting to bore holes into his soul. “I am fully aware of our agreement and will uphold my end of the bargain when he receives it and not a moment before.”
“What will I receive?” It was if they had forgotten that he was there at all. “And what will you do, Cousin?”
The man with chocolate brown hair smiled. Bile crept up Regulus’ throat at the action but he forced it back down quickly and attempted to ignore the feeling. “She will agree to take my hand in marriage.” Slowly the older man walked towards the youngest Black. “Either way I win. I get her, or I get to kill you.”
Faster than Regulus’ eyes could truly comprehend, Bellatrix was standing between the two of them. A sharp sound greeted Regulus’ ears as he saw that in her rage his older cousin had slapped the other man across the face. He was looking a bit to the side. Her handprint was clear on his skin and he began to rub his jaw, seeming unperturbed.
“I said not a moment before, Rodolphus Lestrange.” She hissed. Her posture was that of pure defiance. If it was possible she appeared to be radiating anger and perhaps, if he wasn’t mistaken, some level of protection. Regulus fully believed that if Rodolphus had not shrugged and stepped back that something much more sinister would have come from his cousin, but this time from her wand and not her own hand.
Once Bellatrix felt that Rodolphus was far enough away she turned to face her younger cousin again. “The Dark Lord trusts him. And me. I know that you will do well, Regulus.” She offered a smile which was genuine just long enough for him to believe she meant it. “I also know that if you do well he will believe me and make me a confidant of his, which means you will do well in his graces. You have the opportunity to be my right hand man.” Her hair whipped around as she glared over her shoulder at the elder Lestrange. “And don’t worry about him. Mother’s seer said that ‘the eldest has only one love which no one else will surpass’. I may marry him, but that doesn’t mean that I love him, or will even grow to.”
Regulus did not feel reassured. He trusted his cousin enough to know that whatever Bellatrix set her mind to, she would achieve. She was the epitome of Slytherin ambition and he simultaneously envied and loved her for it.
“Are you ready?”
Regulus nodded once.
“They are coming. I can feel it in my blood.” She winked at him. His lack of reassurance resolved itself in fear and dread in the pit of his stomach like an icy rock. He felt weighed down as there were more cracks as others showed up. Their hoods were pulled up over their heads while silver and black masks covered their faces. As he looked around he even managed to lose Bellatrix in the mass of new figures. Each one was part of the group, but the ‘face’ they wore was unique. Quickly a circle was formed around him and directly in front of him was a strange man.
“Well.” A soft but high pitched cold laugh met Regulus’ ears. “You’re the youngest Black child, are you?” He wore no mask. His skin was oddly pale. The face held two eyes that looked all but bloody and there was something about his face that just was odd. It was strangely distorted in a way that Regulus could not put his finger on, but he inherently knew it was not right.
“I am.” Though he was not sure if it was appropriate to respond or not, he felt the question was somehow not rhetorical. Better to be ambitious than to be cowardly and thought daft.
“Bella.”
Bellatrix removed herself from the circle and stepped next to her cousin. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Bring him his… prize.”
“Yes, my Lord. Right away.”
The familiar crack of Apparating sounded sharply in Regulus’ left ear. The air swirled around him for a fraction of a moment as the gas moved to fill the now empty space that Bellatrix Black once filled.
“How low will you go to save face for your family, boy? Bella seems to think that you have what it takes to be one of us.” A chorus of anonymous laughter echoed around the circle, igniting some typically well managed anger within the young boy. “This is it. Wretches and little kings will bow before me the same.” An expression crossed the man’s face that resembled amusement but was gone before Regulus could be sure.
Bellatrix apparated back to the center of the circle and next to Regulus. He felt no inward warmth at her return. He knew that whatever this night was coming to, it was arriving rapidly and with his cousin. Bellatrix had picked him to be a part of this because everyone else had failed her. Her next younger sister was no longer a Black, and as far as either of them was concerned was even alive. Her youngest sister was engaged to marry a good pureblooded man in a matter of weeks. His older brother was a filthy Gryffindor and traitor to everything the Black family stood for. Pure. Forever pure. He was the only left to help Bellatrix with this, and since his mother and father encouraged it, he would do his duty this night.
A heavy thud greeted Regulus’ ears as a body fell in front of them and lay a pile in the snow. “She’s stunned.” Bellatrix said simply, though she explained it to everyone in the group.
“Kill her.” The Dark Lord said without time for Regulus to draw another breath yet alone think about what was going on.
“Pardon?” Shock registered on Regulus’ face. It was the first outward emotion he had displayed since he arrived in these secluded woods.
“Regulus!” Bellatrix hissed his name and making her displeasure clear.
Voldemort seemed to smirk, yet his facial expression didn’t change one bit. “You have to mean it to do it. I want you to take your wand and I want you to kill her.” The pale head tipped slightly to the right as if he was thinking. “I strongly suggest you do it before she wakes up. It will be much harder for you to catch her that way. Rosier was instructed to only remove one spell from the records, so you would have to track her down on foot.” There was a brief pause. “Or kill her by hand.” A sound of disgust emanated from one of the masked figures. Regulus understood that there was only really one option in this scenario.
Regulus set his teeth in pure frustration. It was his life or hers. He was going to help Bellatrix with this even if it cursed her in another way. She was willing to take that chance for him. He would help his family. He so desperately wanted to ask who the girl was and what she did to deserve such wrath and displeasure. Feeling Bellatrix’s eyes boring into his skin through the eye slits in the mask, he removed his wand from his cloak. Staring at the form crumpled in front of him in the snow, he noted the silken blond hair fanning out from her head. She was his age, that much was evident. The pain of the situation began to wash over him in rapidly increasing waves. He was going to drown in the moment if he didn’t clear his mind and do what was necessary. Even though he would live the night, Regulus knew he was digging his own grave.
“Avada Kedavra.”
A flash of green light flew through the air and struck the muted girl on the ground. Her body twitched once and fell still. It was evident in moments, though it felt like a lifetime, that the girl had ceased breathing. Her chest no longer rose and fell as it had just before though nothing else in the world changed in that moment. The finality of that situation was lost on Regulus. Several things occurred to him in quick succession. He had killed someone. Not only had he done so, he legitimately meant it or it would not have worked. His life as he knew it was most certainly over, and like a snake shedding its skin it would begin again. His cousin was going to submit to marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange though she made it clear the only person she would love would be this Dark Lord.
An echo of the former laughter resurfaced and burned in the dark haired boy’s ears. He felt his cheeks redden rather unexpectedly. Unsure of what prompted him to do so, Regulus dropped to one knee in the snow. “If this is what pleases you, my Lord, I will make it so. My wand is at your service, all you have to do is direct me.” His head fell forward and he regarded the dead girl. Her pale skin already had a blue tinge to it. The moisture that was on her lips was clearly frozen in the snow and she began to take on the appearance of some strange being out of a horror story Sirius would have told him.
“Stand up.”
Regulus did so.
“Roll up the sleeve on your left arm.”
Again he complied.
Stepping forward Voldemort grabbed Regulus’ wrist in his left hand and yanked the boy’s arm straight. “Don’t disappoint me now.” Regulus felt the cold wood of the Dark Lord’s wand press against his skin just below the inside of his elbow. A tingle emanated from where the wood was touching him. Quickly the tingle became a searing pain. It was as if a thousand needles were piercing the skin of his arm repeatedly. Each one felt as if it was tipped with acid and was going to burn right through him. Certainly he was getting what he had just given. He was going to die, right there, swallowed up in the forest looking like some Romeo and Juliet farce. There was no way he could imagine surviving the pain and a whimper escaped his lips as a single tear slipped down his cheek. There was so much more he could have done.
Just as quickly as the pain started it stopped. The Dark Lord removed his wand and released Regulus’ arm. Bellatrix reached down and drew up her on sleeve and put her arm next to his. There, on ivory skin was a skull with a snake winding around it. Looking at his own arm the picture matched.
“The Dark Mark.” Bellatrix told him. “You are one of us, cousin. Well done.”
“Bella. See he gets home.” Voldemort didn’t look at the boy again and turned to walk away. Once he reached the outer edge of the circle he apparated away. Soon the others in the circle apparated as well, their laughter still lingering after they disappeared. Only one form besides his cousin remained.
“You will be at my estate tomorrow at one in the afternoon. We will have lunch and discuss our engagement.” Clearly this was Rodolphus, come to claim his prize.
“Yes, Rodolphus. One o’clock at your estate.” Bellatrix nodded, immediately submitting to the situation.
Rodolphus apparated away as well, leaving the Blacks alone in the forest.
Regulus simply stared at his arm, now trapped in his greatest mistake. When he finally found the strength to look up he was at his own family estate, 12 Grimmauld Place, London. He followed Bellatrix like some lost animal and then was in his room. She took his cloak and shoes off and made sure he was in his bed. “The shock will wear off soon enough, little cousin. I will send you an owl tomorrow and you will meet me as soon as you are able.”
“Yes, Bellatrix.”
“Regulus…” She looked at him fondly. She watched him for several moments, her heavy lidded eyes seeming to smile. Standing she swept out of the room calling “Aunt Walburga!”
Regulus felt a sting in his left arm and seemed quite certain that the Dark Mark moved, but that was illogical. Suddenly he was hot and cold at the same time. He shivered, pulling the bed sheets up around himself while sweat broke out on his brow. He felt like some addict needing something he couldn’t get. His body so clearly craved something he couldn’t identify. He felt ill and shook, coughing and gasping for air. Unconsciousness was kind that night and took him quickly, leaving him to sweat and shake on the bed as his young body adapted to the mark seeping into his core.
(3090/30) + (3090/500)=109 points for
Summary: Regulus has proven to be a good little minion and has one final test before receiving the Dark Mark and becoming a Death Eater.
Characters/Pairings: Regulus Black, Bellatrix Black, Voldemort, Rodolphus Lestrange, random Death Eaters
Genre: Drama
Beta: n/a
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for death and dark overtones
Word Count: 3090
The night was quiet and cold. Snow fell slowly, sparkling in the limited light and melted as it touched the young boy’s face. He looked up, feeling his heart squeeze and turn as cold as the weather. He had no idea how he had gotten himself into this. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. His cousin, Bellatrix, was what had gotten him here. She was twenty six and beautiful, but to him she had always been beautiful. She had fallen in with a group of Slytherins and Pure Bloodists. They called themselves Death Eaters. Regulus smiled at the words. To think that it was possible to eat death and consume it was just brilliant. He had heard many things from her cousin regarding their leader, who he only knew as The Dark Lord. At the age of fourteen Regulus was introduced to the concept of this group. He naturally wanted to please his cousin and family, and knew that following this path was something that would be very beneficial to him. It would place him in good graces of course, but he was very confident that it would get him anything he wanted in the future. Regulus adjusted his weight, jutting his chin out defensively. He knew that tonight was a make or break night. Tonight, if he did as he was told and executed every task perfectly; he would be able to join the Death Eaters as its youngest member.
A bitter wind blew twisting through Regulus’ dark hair and leaving it exceptionally tussled. “For Merlin’s sake, Regulus, do something about that.” Bellatrix walked out from behind a tree and waved a hand instantly putting her cousin’s hair back where it belonged. Under other circumstances she would demand he do it himself, but at the age of sixteen he wouldn’t be able to do magic without being detected. “You know you’ll have to do magic later…?” She looked at her young cousin and waited to gauge his response.
“I am.” He barely nodded, trying to look as dignified as possible. “Though I wonder, Cousin, if there will be something done to prevent my spell from being traced. I would hate to finally be part of this group and then locked away almost instantly due to underage magic.” He paused and looked at her, eyes glinting momentarily. “Especially because you have hinted that it might be magic that is frowned upon by most of the wizarding world.”
A smile curled on Bellatrix’s lips. “Such a smart boy, Regulus.” A cackle escaped from her as she danced around him, gesturing dramatically. “You see, cousin, we have someone on the inside for nearly every department. Rosier can’t be here tonight since he has to be at the Ministry to cover our tracks, but he will see to everything being wiped out of the records.” Standing behind Regulus, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Or have someone else take the fall for us. He is quite talented when it comes to the Imperius Curse.” The last two words she spoke so softly Regulus wasn’t sure she said them at all save her breath warming his ear.
“Really?” he breathed back. He knew full well that she wouldn’t deceive him about this.
Bellatrix might be a liar and a sneak when need be, but she would not do anything to disappoint her Dark Lord whom she raved about constantly. He wasn’t entirely sure if her fanatical devotion would transfer to him, as he had never met this person. Being tucked away at Hogwarts until the winter holiday made most communication of specifics difficult. Over the past two years he had done numerous things to earn his keep, though. Summers and holidays had proved to be most fruitful. Since his brother had been wiped out of the family history, save his own memories, there was now plenty to keep him busy again. He had been along on a few “errands” with his cousin. At the time Regulus was sure his mother would be most displeased, but at fourteen what child isn’t rebelling against something. To his surprise though, his mother was more than pleased. In fact she had gone so far as to encourage him to spend time with Bellatrix. She had bought him the newest, fastest broom to help keep up should he need to ride with her. He hadn’t at this point, but he was a fine seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team and they had won every game so far that year. It would have been daft of him not to put the gift to good use, and what better way than to bring respect to his House. The Quidditch Cup would surely be theirs and they would all be handsomely rewarded.
Regulus snapped back to reality when there was a crack and a man with a neatly trimmed brunette goatee stepped into sight. The hood on his cloak was pushed back and lay with a deep green lining which made the man’s eyes seem to sparkle. He looked at Bellatrix and a light jumped into those green eyes that made Regulus’ stomach turn. There was something about that man that Regulus didn’t like.
“So you know what this means, Bellatrix, if he does it.” Even the sound of his rich baritone voice set him on guard.
“Of course!” she scoffed. “He will be the youngest member of the Death Eaters. He will find those sympathetic to our cause at Hogwarts and recruit for us. I will be rewarded by the Dark Lord.” Bellatrix all but preened, her dark hair shining and beautiful as she shook her head barely holding in her clear pleasure.
“I meant our agreement, Bellatrix.”
She whipped her head around to glare into the green eyes, attempting to bore holes into his soul. “I am fully aware of our agreement and will uphold my end of the bargain when he receives it and not a moment before.”
“What will I receive?” It was if they had forgotten that he was there at all. “And what will you do, Cousin?”
The man with chocolate brown hair smiled. Bile crept up Regulus’ throat at the action but he forced it back down quickly and attempted to ignore the feeling. “She will agree to take my hand in marriage.” Slowly the older man walked towards the youngest Black. “Either way I win. I get her, or I get to kill you.”
Faster than Regulus’ eyes could truly comprehend, Bellatrix was standing between the two of them. A sharp sound greeted Regulus’ ears as he saw that in her rage his older cousin had slapped the other man across the face. He was looking a bit to the side. Her handprint was clear on his skin and he began to rub his jaw, seeming unperturbed.
“I said not a moment before, Rodolphus Lestrange.” She hissed. Her posture was that of pure defiance. If it was possible she appeared to be radiating anger and perhaps, if he wasn’t mistaken, some level of protection. Regulus fully believed that if Rodolphus had not shrugged and stepped back that something much more sinister would have come from his cousin, but this time from her wand and not her own hand.
Once Bellatrix felt that Rodolphus was far enough away she turned to face her younger cousin again. “The Dark Lord trusts him. And me. I know that you will do well, Regulus.” She offered a smile which was genuine just long enough for him to believe she meant it. “I also know that if you do well he will believe me and make me a confidant of his, which means you will do well in his graces. You have the opportunity to be my right hand man.” Her hair whipped around as she glared over her shoulder at the elder Lestrange. “And don’t worry about him. Mother’s seer said that ‘the eldest has only one love which no one else will surpass’. I may marry him, but that doesn’t mean that I love him, or will even grow to.”
Regulus did not feel reassured. He trusted his cousin enough to know that whatever Bellatrix set her mind to, she would achieve. She was the epitome of Slytherin ambition and he simultaneously envied and loved her for it.
“Are you ready?”
Regulus nodded once.
“They are coming. I can feel it in my blood.” She winked at him. His lack of reassurance resolved itself in fear and dread in the pit of his stomach like an icy rock. He felt weighed down as there were more cracks as others showed up. Their hoods were pulled up over their heads while silver and black masks covered their faces. As he looked around he even managed to lose Bellatrix in the mass of new figures. Each one was part of the group, but the ‘face’ they wore was unique. Quickly a circle was formed around him and directly in front of him was a strange man.
“Well.” A soft but high pitched cold laugh met Regulus’ ears. “You’re the youngest Black child, are you?” He wore no mask. His skin was oddly pale. The face held two eyes that looked all but bloody and there was something about his face that just was odd. It was strangely distorted in a way that Regulus could not put his finger on, but he inherently knew it was not right.
“I am.” Though he was not sure if it was appropriate to respond or not, he felt the question was somehow not rhetorical. Better to be ambitious than to be cowardly and thought daft.
“Bella.”
Bellatrix removed herself from the circle and stepped next to her cousin. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Bring him his… prize.”
“Yes, my Lord. Right away.”
The familiar crack of Apparating sounded sharply in Regulus’ left ear. The air swirled around him for a fraction of a moment as the gas moved to fill the now empty space that Bellatrix Black once filled.
“How low will you go to save face for your family, boy? Bella seems to think that you have what it takes to be one of us.” A chorus of anonymous laughter echoed around the circle, igniting some typically well managed anger within the young boy. “This is it. Wretches and little kings will bow before me the same.” An expression crossed the man’s face that resembled amusement but was gone before Regulus could be sure.
Bellatrix apparated back to the center of the circle and next to Regulus. He felt no inward warmth at her return. He knew that whatever this night was coming to, it was arriving rapidly and with his cousin. Bellatrix had picked him to be a part of this because everyone else had failed her. Her next younger sister was no longer a Black, and as far as either of them was concerned was even alive. Her youngest sister was engaged to marry a good pureblooded man in a matter of weeks. His older brother was a filthy Gryffindor and traitor to everything the Black family stood for. Pure. Forever pure. He was the only left to help Bellatrix with this, and since his mother and father encouraged it, he would do his duty this night.
A heavy thud greeted Regulus’ ears as a body fell in front of them and lay a pile in the snow. “She’s stunned.” Bellatrix said simply, though she explained it to everyone in the group.
“Kill her.” The Dark Lord said without time for Regulus to draw another breath yet alone think about what was going on.
“Pardon?” Shock registered on Regulus’ face. It was the first outward emotion he had displayed since he arrived in these secluded woods.
“Regulus!” Bellatrix hissed his name and making her displeasure clear.
Voldemort seemed to smirk, yet his facial expression didn’t change one bit. “You have to mean it to do it. I want you to take your wand and I want you to kill her.” The pale head tipped slightly to the right as if he was thinking. “I strongly suggest you do it before she wakes up. It will be much harder for you to catch her that way. Rosier was instructed to only remove one spell from the records, so you would have to track her down on foot.” There was a brief pause. “Or kill her by hand.” A sound of disgust emanated from one of the masked figures. Regulus understood that there was only really one option in this scenario.
Regulus set his teeth in pure frustration. It was his life or hers. He was going to help Bellatrix with this even if it cursed her in another way. She was willing to take that chance for him. He would help his family. He so desperately wanted to ask who the girl was and what she did to deserve such wrath and displeasure. Feeling Bellatrix’s eyes boring into his skin through the eye slits in the mask, he removed his wand from his cloak. Staring at the form crumpled in front of him in the snow, he noted the silken blond hair fanning out from her head. She was his age, that much was evident. The pain of the situation began to wash over him in rapidly increasing waves. He was going to drown in the moment if he didn’t clear his mind and do what was necessary. Even though he would live the night, Regulus knew he was digging his own grave.
“Avada Kedavra.”
A flash of green light flew through the air and struck the muted girl on the ground. Her body twitched once and fell still. It was evident in moments, though it felt like a lifetime, that the girl had ceased breathing. Her chest no longer rose and fell as it had just before though nothing else in the world changed in that moment. The finality of that situation was lost on Regulus. Several things occurred to him in quick succession. He had killed someone. Not only had he done so, he legitimately meant it or it would not have worked. His life as he knew it was most certainly over, and like a snake shedding its skin it would begin again. His cousin was going to submit to marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange though she made it clear the only person she would love would be this Dark Lord.
An echo of the former laughter resurfaced and burned in the dark haired boy’s ears. He felt his cheeks redden rather unexpectedly. Unsure of what prompted him to do so, Regulus dropped to one knee in the snow. “If this is what pleases you, my Lord, I will make it so. My wand is at your service, all you have to do is direct me.” His head fell forward and he regarded the dead girl. Her pale skin already had a blue tinge to it. The moisture that was on her lips was clearly frozen in the snow and she began to take on the appearance of some strange being out of a horror story Sirius would have told him.
“Stand up.”
Regulus did so.
“Roll up the sleeve on your left arm.”
Again he complied.
Stepping forward Voldemort grabbed Regulus’ wrist in his left hand and yanked the boy’s arm straight. “Don’t disappoint me now.” Regulus felt the cold wood of the Dark Lord’s wand press against his skin just below the inside of his elbow. A tingle emanated from where the wood was touching him. Quickly the tingle became a searing pain. It was as if a thousand needles were piercing the skin of his arm repeatedly. Each one felt as if it was tipped with acid and was going to burn right through him. Certainly he was getting what he had just given. He was going to die, right there, swallowed up in the forest looking like some Romeo and Juliet farce. There was no way he could imagine surviving the pain and a whimper escaped his lips as a single tear slipped down his cheek. There was so much more he could have done.
Just as quickly as the pain started it stopped. The Dark Lord removed his wand and released Regulus’ arm. Bellatrix reached down and drew up her on sleeve and put her arm next to his. There, on ivory skin was a skull with a snake winding around it. Looking at his own arm the picture matched.
“The Dark Mark.” Bellatrix told him. “You are one of us, cousin. Well done.”
“Bella. See he gets home.” Voldemort didn’t look at the boy again and turned to walk away. Once he reached the outer edge of the circle he apparated away. Soon the others in the circle apparated as well, their laughter still lingering after they disappeared. Only one form besides his cousin remained.
“You will be at my estate tomorrow at one in the afternoon. We will have lunch and discuss our engagement.” Clearly this was Rodolphus, come to claim his prize.
“Yes, Rodolphus. One o’clock at your estate.” Bellatrix nodded, immediately submitting to the situation.
Rodolphus apparated away as well, leaving the Blacks alone in the forest.
Regulus simply stared at his arm, now trapped in his greatest mistake. When he finally found the strength to look up he was at his own family estate, 12 Grimmauld Place, London. He followed Bellatrix like some lost animal and then was in his room. She took his cloak and shoes off and made sure he was in his bed. “The shock will wear off soon enough, little cousin. I will send you an owl tomorrow and you will meet me as soon as you are able.”
“Yes, Bellatrix.”
“Regulus…” She looked at him fondly. She watched him for several moments, her heavy lidded eyes seeming to smile. Standing she swept out of the room calling “Aunt Walburga!”
Regulus felt a sting in his left arm and seemed quite certain that the Dark Mark moved, but that was illogical. Suddenly he was hot and cold at the same time. He shivered, pulling the bed sheets up around himself while sweat broke out on his brow. He felt like some addict needing something he couldn’t get. His body so clearly craved something he couldn’t identify. He felt ill and shook, coughing and gasping for air. Unconsciousness was kind that night and took him quickly, leaving him to sweat and shake on the bed as his young body adapted to the mark seeping into his core.
(3090/30) + (3090/500)=109 points for