It Doesn't Really Matter.

[Morghen]

Part 19: Could It Get Any Worse?




"Hey, Regulus, why weren't you at the feast?" called Aleron as he entered the dormitory. "I asked Aaralyn but she got all crabby and said that she didn't know."

Regulus groaned and quickly pushed the sleeve of his pajamas' over his arm before rising from his bed. "I don't know," he answered, slightly annoyed. "I guess I just wasn't hungry."

Aleron changed into his emerald green pajamas and then sat down on his bed. His golden hair has grown over the vacation, it was now reaching below his ears. "Oh, well how was your vacation? Did you and Aaralyn, umm, hangout?" a sly grin crossed his face as he questioned Regulus.

Regulus reclined back and yawned, "I was kind of sick most of it so I didn't have any crazy adventures."

He nodded and a grin reappeared on his porcelain face, "And what about you and Aaralyn? You skipped over that part..."

Regulus inhaled deeply, buying time to decide on what to say. He truly did not feel like discussing his breakup with Aaralyn at the moment. It had really hurt him and bringing it up made the fresh wound sting. "We..."he started but the words did not want to come out. "Well we...we aren't together anymore."

His best-friend's mouth fell open, "What? Why? When did this happen?" he asked quickly in a shocked tone. "That would, of course, explain Aaralyn's puffy eyes and crabbiness..."

Regulus cringed when he heard about her eyes being puffy from crying. He had not done it so she would be hurt, he broke up with her to prevent her from being hurt. Everything he had done lately had the opposite effect than what he had planned. "I don't know why I did it. I just broke up with her on the train."

Aleron raised his eyebrows and just looked at Regulus. "So you just broke up with her? Out of the blue..."he asked in a skeptical tone.

Regulus suddenly became extremely interested in a loose thread on his comforter and did not reply.

The blonde strode over to the foot of his friend's bed and sat down, pushing Regulus' feet over to make room. "That's not what happened, right?" he questioned in a knowing voice.

Regulus' jaw tightened and he looked back down at the blanket on his bed. He stared at the green fabric for a few minutes while silence filled the room. After what seemed like ten minutes Aleron saw him shake his head no.

Regulus did not want to tell Aleron that he was a Death Eater. He had just lost his girlfriend and did not like the possibility of loosing his best-friend of five years. He wondered to himself what he should tell Aleron and how his friend would react to the truth. He shuddered to think that there was a chance that Aleron would react like Aaralyn and not want anything to do with him anymore. Regulus did not blame Aaralyn and he would not blame Aleron if he chose the same path that Aaralyn had. He brought this on himself and there would be nothing that he could do to change his decision, he was the Dark Lord's for life.

He swung his legs over to the floor and stood up, trying to decide between the truth or what he wanted to tell Aleron. He walked over to the small table that was situated across the room that held a glass pitcher of water and many small cups. Aleron followed him over and poured himself a drink, he stood, slightly awkwardly, waiting for Regulus to answer.

"So," he said slowly, "why did you end it with her? You seemed to really like her..."

Regulus didn't answer right away, he was still undecided. He raised his cup to his lips and took a long drink, draining it. He placed it down on the black table and opened his mouth to speak. "I really did like her, it was just..." he turned away from Aleron and faced the wall. The truth? Or a easy lie? He finally made up his mind. "Over Christmas break I did something beyond stupid-"

"Did you cheat on her?" Aleron cut in before Regulus could finish. "I'm sure she'd take you back, you guys just need to talk it over. Apologize to her or tell her you were being dumb, something like that. It works every time," he eagerly told his friend.

Regulus shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair nervously. "I wish it was that easy," he said slowly. "Aleron...I don't know how to say this...but....I'm a Death Eater."

There was a quick silence, only lasting five seconds, and then Regulus felt himself fly towards the wall, hitting his head hard. A hand, belonging to his once best-friend, grabbed him and pulled him roughly to his feet, pinning him against the cold stone wall. "You worthless piece of -" a few choice words were uttered with pure hatred from Aleron's mouth. "I knew your family was whacked but I thought that maybe you would turn out like Sirius."

Regulus did not raise a hand or wand to defend himself, he did not want to hurt Aleron. He was taken aback by his former friend's reaction. He had imagined that Aleron would be disappointed and shocked but never violent. Aleron was not a violent person, not with people who didn't deserve it. Then it crossed his mind, he did deserve this, he was not an innocent victim, he had this coming to him. "Let me go, Aleron," he said trying to keep his voice steadily, despite the amount emotions that were flowing through him.

Aleron took his with both hands and threw him into the table. The pitcher shattered and cut Regulus' hands as he tried to break the fall. "It was f---ing Death Eaters like you that murdered my sister!"


Dun-dun-dun, Regulus' world is shattering.... Tell me how you liked this and what you think is going to happen to poor(or evil, it matters how you look at it) Regulus. http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=123699

[Morghen]

Part 20: Bloody Hands and Soaked Robes


These words hit Regulus like daggers as he watched Aleron, furious, storm out of the dormitory. His hands were throbbing with pain so it did not surprise him to see that they had numerous shards of glass in them. Blood ran from his palms and mixed into the small puddle that he was sitting in, giving the water a red tinge. Regulus realized that he should go up to the Hospital Wing but he could not muster the energy to get up on his feet. His world was shattering and he did not know how much more of this his body and mind would be capable of dealing with.

Aleron had been his best-friend in the world ever since they had met on their first day at Hogwarts. They were two-of-a-kind, so similar, Regulus was not Regulus without Aleron and Aleron was not Aleron without Regulus. They were often compared to Sirius and his three close friends by their teachers and peers. Before, the only thing that made them different was their opposite hair colors, golden blond and the darkest black, and their eye colors, forest green opposed with cold grey. But now, something bigger than hair or eye color separated them, something that Regulus would never be able to change, something that Aleron would never be able to forgive.

He had not known that Aleron's sister was killed by Death Eaters. Aleron had rarely mentioned her, all he ever told Regulus was that he saw her die. Regulus did not even know her name. It made him sick to his stomach to think that he was apart of something that ruined Aleron's family. It then occurred to him that it was not just Aleron's family that had been ripped to shreds by the Death Eaters. There were countless others that had been victims of Voldemort's wrath, countless more in the future. He, himself, had engaged in such an act, try as he might to forget it. He was responsible for the murder of a young child who was sentenced to death just because her father refused to support Voldemort. He had not tortured her like his cousin had urged him to, but he did cast the Unforgivable Curse that took her life from her in front of hysterical parents. It was his first, and only, murder but he knew that it would not be his last, the Dark Lord had more in store for him over the summer. He expected Regulus to live up to his cousin's reputation of mindless torture and killings. But Regulus knew that he was nothing like Bellatrix, he cared too much, that young girl haunted his dreams every night. He was not capable of the grisly executions that Bellatrix happily carries out, or at least he hoped that he wasn't.

The pain in his hands became too much for him to ignore so he tenderly rose to his feet. He swayed slightly but was able to regain his balance and exit his dormitory, dripping wet with water and blood.

As he entered the common room people looked up, shocked looks claimed their faces as they saw him bleeding and dripping wet.

"Regulus, what's wrong?" called a few of them.

"Hey, what happened?"

"Why did Aleron run out of here like a madman?"

Regulus ignored the questions and quickly scanned the room for Aleron's recognizable blonde hair but he did not spot it. Not wanting to linger any longer, he barked "Open the damn door!" at a first year and made his way up to the Hospital Wing.

The walk to the fourth floor seemed to take ages. A handful of people yelled to him, curious about his bloody hands and soaked robes, but he payed them no attention. "It is none of their business," he muttered to himself. "They would just love to hear the real story but they won't hear it from me." He hoped against all odds that Aleron and Aaralyn would keep it to themselves that he was a Death Eater. He couldn't ask them though, he couldn't stand to face them, not now that they knew. He would just have to wish but he was not totally sure what they would do. If they told anyone the story would travel around the castle pretty fast and he would find out soon enough.

He finally reached the Hospital Wing and pushed the large door open his his shoulder. The rows of perfectly clean beds were empty on both sides. Madam Pomfrey came running out, her light brown hair in a tight bun and her usual stern look remained on her face. Her eyes scanned over him and then she moved to the side to take a look behind him, expecting Aleron to pop up. With the absence of Aleron she returned her attention to him. Seeing the blood covering his hands she jumped back into nurse mode. "Take a seat, right over there," she gestured to the bed closest to him.

He did as he was told and sat down on the white bed, splattering it with blood. He held out his hands, palms up, and waited for her to come over.

Madam Pomfrey conjured a wooden stool in front of the bed and came over. She slipped on her glasses and examined each hand. She nodded her head and took out her wand, tapping it once on each of his palms. "Was the glass from a jug that refills itself?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Ahh, yeah. It was in my dormitory," he replied.

She nodded her head again and muttered a spell while pointing her wand at his hand. She did this twice to each hand, the first time stopped the bleeding and the second made the gashes disappear. "You'll be a little sore for a few days but I think you should be all right to leave."

Regulus smiled and thanked her. He scurried out of the Hospital Wing before Madam Pomfrey changed her mind about allowing him to leave. Not paying attention, he ran straight into someone, causing them both to fall.


I'm loving the feedback! Keep it coming, I really appreciate it.

[Morghen]

Part 21: You Know How It Is?



Regulus fell to the wooden floor, landing hard on his bottom. His hand flew up to his sore forehead and he let out a low moan. Moving his hand away from his face, he saw that the other person had also fell to the floor. She had long, wavy, red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Her face was painted with fine features and each cheek was slightly freckled. Her emerald eyes matched the green prefect badge that gleamed on her tight grey long-sleeved shirt. Regulus instantly recognized her as Vala Raine, a fellow Slytherin, in her sixth year.

"Sorry about that,"Regulus said to her as he rose to his feet. "I was trying to make a quick escape from Madame Pomfrey. You know how she is, if I didn't get out of there quick she would have made me stay three weeks." He reached down and offered her a hand up.

Vala laughed and grasped his hand. "It's okay," she said, once on her feet. "You're Regulus Black, right?" she asked, looking at him with a smile.

He grinned sheepishly and said, "Unfortunately."

She smiled. "Well I was just on my way to the library and I really hate going alone. Would you care to join me?" she asked, in a hopeful tone.

"Sure," he replied, running a hand through his thick dark hair.

As they headed in the direction of the library Regulus wondered why she was being so friendly to him. They had never spoken before and she had a reputation of being more or less stuck up. He could recall Aleron making a few comment about her the year before but, besides that, he did not really know anything about her.

"So," she said, breaking the silence, "how was your vacation?"

"It was as terrible as a vacation could get," he replied, not going into detail.

She smiled and responded, "That's too bad. I went to Germany to visit my family, nothing overly exciting."

He looked over at her. She was only slightly shorter than he was, making her pretty tall for a girl. She had a very thin build, giving her a body that most girls would envy and most guys would die to get their hands on.

"What are you looking at?" she questioned him, with a grin.

He quickly turned his head to face forward, his cheeks blushing furiously. It wasn't that he was checking her out, he was just curious to see if what Aleron said about the length of her legs was true... "I was just making sure your forehead didn't bruise," he quickly lied. "We hit heads pretty hard."

"Did it?" she asked, moving closer to him.

Regulus scanned her face for any sign of a bruise. "Nope," he concluded. "You look fine."

"Good," she said, smiling.

They finished the walk in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. The library was crowded with students trying to cram in their homework that they put off until the last minute. Regulus followed Vala into a low traffic part of the library, the Muggle section. The shelves here were filled with Muggle literature and books that were wrote by wizards about Muggles. Some of them were quite funny, Aaralyn once told him, since most of the things stated in them were far from the truth.

Regulus took a seat in an uncomfortable wooden chair across the table from Vala. The table was small and round with an uneven leg, causing it to wobble slightly. Vala pulled out a small pile of books from her black canvas bag and set them on the table.

"What are you studying?" questioned Regulus as he peered at the books.

She let out a low groan and said, "Ancient Runes. It is my worse subject, by far. My parents insist that I continue with it, for some reason unknown to me. I really couldn't care less about it, I just do it to keep my parents satisfied. You know how it is?"

"All too well," he murmured, mostly to himself.

Vala smiled at him and nodded her head. "Parents are never happy with what you want to do. It's always about what they want, at least it is with my parents. I would be perfectly happy studying Care Of Magical Creatures but they made me drop it and continue with Ancient Runes."

"Yeah, I understand what you're saying," Regulus told her. "I've done everything in my power to impress my parents or just make them proud of me but nothing ever works. They are so tied up in their job and their friends and their fancy parties to think twice about me. They just expect so much from me but they appreciate so little."

"How could they not be proud of the noble Regulus Black?" she asked in a half mocking voice. "You are a top notch Seeker, you're top in a handful of your classes, and last, but not least, you carry the haughty good looks that the Blacks are famous for."

Regulus felt his cheeks get a little hot and he rolled his eyes. "I wish it just took that much to impress them. They do not care about my mad Seeker skills and I have to deny the looks part."

Vala raised her eyebrows, "In case you haven't noticed, you are a spitting image of your older brother, who has broken almost every girl's heart here." She paused for a moment and then added, "Except mine, of course, because I don't go for Gryffindors."

"Well, Sirius...He's..Well, he's Sirius..........I'm nothing like him though," he told her sheepishly.

She nodded her head and grinned. "I guess that it is not a bad thing since your brother is constantly in detention." She looked around at the surronding shelves of books and asked him, "What do you think of Muggleborns?"

Regulus hesitated for a moment, wondering to himself why she asked him such a question. She probably expected him to dislike them, like most Slytherins do, but he was not going to lie to her. He was so sick and tired of lying. "I think that they have every right to do magic as long as they have the ability. How about you?"

"That is a very interesting answer coming from someone who is descended from one of the purest wizard families," she said thoughtfully. "Personally, I would never befriend a Muggleborn or date one and especially I would never marry one. I don't think it is a big deal that they are allowed here," she replied.

Regulus was a bit put off by her answer. She did not seem to hate Muggleborns but she would never become friends with one? It confused him a little and he was not totally sure if he liked Vala as a friend, but he reminded himself, that with his current friend situtation, he should not be picky.



Review Please!!!! http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=123699

I'm not sure if I really love this chapter...

[Morghen]

Part 22: Fear




"Finally,"Regulus said to himself as he fell backwards onto his bed, "the weekend."

The first week back at Hogwarts had not been an overly pleasant experience for him. He was forced to sit alone in most of his classes since neither Aaralyn nor Aleron would say a word to him. On Monday, he started to eat his meals in the Kitchen after an extremely awkward breakfast at the Slytherin table. It did not bother Regulus too much since he had always had a soft spot for house elves, probably because Kreacher had raised him as a child.


He hung out in the library every evening at six with Vala to study or just talk. He felt like he could say almost anything to her without being judged and at the moment that was just what he needed. Although he disagreed with many of her opinions, he decided that she was a pretty good friend. Regulus had not yet told her about his Dark Mark but he had a feeling that she would not look at him any differently. He agreed with himself that if the subject came up about Death Eaters that he would not lie to her, he was done with lying.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

His stomach growled loudly for what felt like the hundredth time that evening and it was getting harder to ignore. Regulus yawned loudly and pulled the green curtains open from around his bed. He always kept the curtains closed when he was in his dormitory, it had become his refuge. He was alone in the room, which made sense since most people were having dinner in the Great Hall at this time. He rose to his feet and started to head up to the Kitchens.

The corridors were all empty as he made his way to eat his supper alone. He liked it this way, he was so sick and tired of everyone asking questions about what happened with Aaralyn and him or why he wasn't hanging out with Aleron. It was none of their business and he wished that they would just leave him alone. That was another thing that he liked about Vala, she never asked him why he wasn't talking with Aleron anymore. Regulus was not ready to talk to anyone about it. He truly missed Aleron and Aaralyn more than he would of thought he could a few weeks ago.

Thinking of Aaralyn caused his fingers to automatically brush over the ring that was on his left hand. He tried to get rid of the ring that she had given him but he just couldn't, not yet. It killed him every time he looked down to see that it was transparent but, he always reminded himself, at least it is not black. He was sure as Hell that, if Aaralyn still wore her ring, it had to be as blue as it could get. He thought about her all of the time and he knew that nothing would change that.

By now he had arrived at his destination, a painting of fruit. To the ordinary wizard or witch, it would appear to be just another still-life, but to Regulus, it was the entrance way to the cavernous Kitchen. Sirius had told him about it in his first year but Regulus had never used it until recent times.

He extended his right arm to tickle the pear in the painting, the only way open it, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

Regulus, startled, quickly spun around to see who it was. He let out a sigh of relief to see that it was not a teacher but Remus Lupin. Remus was one of Sirius' closest friends. He looked as exhausted as Regulus felt, his face was pale and his eyes had small bags under them.

"Hey," Remus started. "Your brother, Sirius, is looking all over the castle for you. He told me that if I happened to see you, to tell you that he wants to meet you at the Lake around eight tonight."

A puzzled look crossed Regulus' face and was quickly replaced with fear, pure fear. "Uhhh," he stumbled. "Umm, do you know what he wants?" he questioned Remus, his voice full of desperation.

Lupin shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "No, sorry. He would not tell anyone. All he would say was that it was urgent."

"Okay, thanks," Regulus replied. Forgetting all about the meal that he had came up to the Kitchen for, he ran back in the direction of his dormitory.


Sorry this one was so short. I was going to make it longer but I think that the next part would be better off as it's own chapter.

[Morghen]

Part 23: You Left Me



It took Regulus only a few minutes to return to his dormitory. He threw himself down onto his bed, panting, and pulled the emerald curtains into their usual place. He was full of fear, fear of the possibility that Sirius might of found out about his Dark Mark. The only way that that could have happened was if either Aleron or Aaralyn told him. Regulus had been extremely careful to cover his forearms up by wearing long-sleeved shirts or sweatshirts, so there was no way that Sirius could have noticed it for himself. Regulus did not want to think that it was one of his once close friends but he could not think of a different explanation. Maybe Sirius didn't even know about his Mark, maybe his brother wanted to tell him that he was coming home... As much as Regulus would have loved to believe that Sirius was coming home, he knew better. He knew what this rendez-vous was about.

He pulled up his sleeve so he could check the time on his watch. 7:30. Where had the time went? Thirty minutes did not give him time to regain his composure and face his brother. Sirius would see right through Regulus' cover, anyway. He knew his younger brother like the back of his hand. As children, Sirius always knew when Regulus was upset or lying, nothing Regulus could do would fool him.

He rose to his feet and went to his trunk, searching for his heavy, green sweatshirt since it was snowing outside. He heard someone enter the dormitory and recognized the light, smooth footsteps as Aleron's. Regulus ignored him and pulled over the thick sweatshirt, having a difficult time navigating his arms through the sleeves.

Aleron chuckled and questioned sarcastically, "Having a hard time getting your filthy Marked arm through your sleeve? Too bad your master isn't here to assist you."

Regulus froze at the sound of Aleron's voice. It was the first time Aleron had spoken a word to him since the incident, but he wasn't in the mood to talk. "Leave me alone," he muttered after successfully putting on his pullover.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" Aleron mocked. "Kill me? I'd like to see you try."

Regulus didn't reply to him. He sat down on his bed, his back to Aleron, and started to put on his shoes. Aleron's words had stung him but he wouldn't give the blonde the satisfaction of knowing it.

"Where are you going?" Aleron asked, forgetting to make his voice hateful. Instead, for a second, Regulus thought that he heard concern.

"Why do you care?" Regulus shot back.

"I...I..." he stumbled, caught off guard. "I don't care. I just wanted to know so if anyone goes missing tonight, I'd know the animal that did it."

"Screw off," Regulus replied. "I have never done anything to you."

Aleron roared out with laughter. "You've never done anything to me? Are you blind? It isn't about what you have or haven't done to me. This is about what you are doing to others. You see, I'm not selfish, like you."

Though he would have loved more than anything to disagree with the statement, he knew that it was true. He was selfish, he was ruining lives so he could gain some acceptance from his parents. "Whatever," he muttered, blanking out on a clever comment. Pulling his hood over his head, he left the dormitory.

A gust of snow blew into his face as he opened one of the large front doors. "Leave it to Sirius to pick a night when there is a blizzard is going on," he muttered under his breath.

Regulus could barely see the faint outline of his brother, who was standing by the Lake, as he trudged through the knee-deep snow. His legs shook from a combination of cold and fear. He was afraid of what his brother would think of him. Regulus always valued Sirius' opinion above most others and if he thought that Regulus was trash, it would kill Regulus inside.

He reached the spot where his brother was, standing a few feet away, back turned to Regulus. The younger brother inhaled deeply and spoke. "Hey," he said, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could manage.

Sirius didn't turn around to look at his brother, he just remained staring at the Lake. "You didn't have to do it, you know?" His voice was soft, not angry like Regulus had imagined it would of been.

"Didn't have to do what?" Regulus asked, still hoping against all odds that they were thinking of different things.

"Don't play stupid with me. You know exactly what I'm referring to."

"What other choice did I have?" questioned Regulus, his voice took on an edge of desperation.

Still not facing his younger brother, Sirius laughed. It was not a nice laugh, not his usual bark-like one. This one was different, cold. "You had plenty of different choices, Reg, you know that! You still don't have to go through with this. Dumbledore can help you, he could keep you safe."

Regulus shook his head, "No, he couldn't help me. Not now, anyways." His voice was almost was shaky as his body was.

Sirius turned so he could see his kid brother. "Yeah, he could. It is not like you've killed anyone. You're still innocent, you won't get in trouble if you tell Dumbledore." He spoke in an urgent, concerned voice.

Regulus felt tears come on, he didn't care if he cried in front of his brother, it was not the first time. Looking down at his feet, feeling ashamed of himself, he said something quietly.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you," Sirius told him, taking a step closer.

He coughed from the tears entering his mouth. "But what if I have killed someone," he murmured.

Sirius stopped, he was at a lost for words. All he could do was look at the fifteen-year old boy in front of him, a mix of pity and anger filling him. "You disgust me," he told Regulus, his voice flowing with revulsion. He walked past his younger brother, hitting shoulders, and headed towards the light up castle.

Tears streamed down his cheeks and he dropped to his knees, not caring how cold the snow felt against his legs. "YOU'RE NOT PERFECT, EITHER!" he shouted at Sirius' back. "YOU LEFT ME! MAYBE NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU STAYED AND PROTECTED ME LIKE YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO! YOU LEFT ME! I WAS AFRAID, SIRIUS! AND NOW YOU ARE JUST GOING TO LEAVE ME AGAIN!" he gasped to catch his breath, choking again on his tears. "YOU CAN NOT JUDGE ME FOR WHAT I'VE DONE BECAUSE ALL YOU DO IS LEAVE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AND YOU WON'T LISTEN!" He watched as Sirius stopped in his tracks and hesitated, but he didn't turn back. He left Regulus, just like before. "ONE MORE THING!" he hollered at his brother.

Sirius stopped and waited.

"I HATE YOU!"

The elder brother stole a quick glance from behind him then turned to continue on his way. If he had been closer, Regulus would have been able to see the grief and pain that was etched on his usually carefree face, Regulus would have been able to see the flow of tears coming from his warm grey eyes. But Regulus wasn't able to see these emotions expressed from his brother. The youngest of the two brothers never found out what type of pain those three words cause his elder brother to suffer through.

Regulus was letting his emotions get the best of him but he didn't care, he was done with caring. Caring never got him anywhere. Every time he cared about someone, they just left him like some worthless item that did not matter. Aaralyn left him, Aleron left him, and Sirius left him twice, all when he needed them the most.

He knew who spilled his secret to Sirius and he was beyond angry with them. Regulus rose from the snow and walked in Sirius' steps back to the castle. When he entered the warm building, he did not go in the direction of the dungeons. As much as he wanted to change into dry clothes, he had to confront someone. The path to his destination came easily back to his memory even though it seemed like ages to him since he had last been up this way. The familiar surroundings made him miss what he had once had.

Regulus extended his arm towards the door and grasped the door knocker. After banging the knocker against the door twice, a clear voice rang out, "Is a goblet, that is holding half of the amount of contents that it is able to, half empty or half full?"

He didn't have time to think this question out, he needed to enter the room as soon as possible. Frustrated, he spit out, "It matters what mood the drinker is in!"

The clear voice answered, "Very interesting."

The door swung open and Regulus entered the airy room.




I wanted to thank everyone who had reviewed and kept up with my story. It really means a lot to me. Please leave a review here: http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=123699

[Morghen]

Part 24: You're Not Alone







You're not alone
There is more to this, I know
You can make it out
You will live to tell

-Saosin


The Ravenclaw Common Room was packed full of people, it was a Friday night so Regulus expected that. He scanned the room for the dark-haired girl that he needed to talk to but he didn't see her. He watched as people started to whisper to each other and point at him, he stood out like a sore thumb among all of the Ravenclaws. He was not exactly sure that he was allowed in this room but he really didn't care, he needed to speak with Aaralyn. Regulus looked around the room once more, getting ready to turn back, when he spotted her. Across the room, she was sitting alone in a navy blue loveseat, wearing a white tank-top with purple pajama pants, absorbed in a book. He approached her, people watching his every move, and set a hand on top of her book to get her attention. "We need to talk," he said, trying to keep his voice even.

Aaralyn's head snapped up at the sound of his voice, she seemed taken aback. She looked at him for a minute and then asked, "Why?"

"I think you know why."

She nodded her head and closed her book shut. "If you want to talk, then talk," she told him plainly.

He forced a smile and replied, "You know that I can't say anything in here. Can we go somewhere a bit more private?"

"Like where?" she questioned him.

"Outside the door would do, I suppose."

Aaralyn rose from her seat and set her book on a coffee table. She walked pass him and to the door. Regulus followed her close behind, watching her long black hair swing every time she took a step.

Outside of the Common Room, Aaralyn leaned up against the cold stone wall and crossed her arms. "So talk," she told him.

It was hard for Regulus to stay upset with her, even when she deserved it. It seemed like she had a spell over him and he didn't know how to break it. He took in a deep breath and asked, "Why did you tell Sirius?" He had decided that it had to be her that told because Aleron would never run to Sirius.

She looked him in the eyes and said, "I did it because I wanted to help you and I was pretty sure that you would not have listened to me. I knew how much Sirius meant to you and I thought that he would be the only one who had a chance to help you."

"It was none of your business, though. It isn't up to you to decide if I need help or not," he told her, slightly angry. Even if her intentions were good he still wished that she would have not said anything.

"Regulus, just because we are not together does not mean that I don't care about you. You're not a Death Eater, your heart is too kind to be one. You're better than that, Regulus, I know it. I just wish that you would realize it," she spoke to him softly.

"You wouldn't understand," he snapped at her.

She shook her head and said in the same tone as before, "That's what you keep saying but you don't want people to understand."

Regulus laughed coldly, a laugh that Aaralyn had never heard from him. "You don't know how it feels when you are never good enough for your parents. How would you like it if everything you ever did was always wrong or not enough in the eyes of your mother and father? Would you like that? This is the only thing that they have ever approved of me doing! I can't just throw it away."

Aaralyn's eyes began to get teary but she didn't cry. She reached forward and took both of his hands in hers. "You're right, I don't know how it feels to have parents like that. I would not even want to imagine that, it sounds awful. But Regulus, you can't let your parents run your life like that. Plenty of other people care about you, you need to understand that." She gave his hands and squeeze and continued, "Please listen to what Sirius said to you. You are so much better than what you've become. Go to Dumbledore, he'll help you."

He was surprised when she reached for his hands but he didn't pull away, he liked how warm her hands were compared to his cold ones. Regulus listened to her words but he couldn't go to Dumbledore, not now. He slowly shook his head and dropped Aaralyn's hands. "I can't," he whispered and turned away.

Aaralyn caught his wrist as he turned and pulled him gently back. She was crying now, his stomach plunged when he noticed it. He hated to see her cry. "Please, Regulus. We'll all be here for you. You're not alone, you know that, right?" she pleaded with him.

He shook his head again. "You see, that's where you are wrong. I am alone. I can't rely on you or Aleron or even Sirius because when I needed you guys the most, you all just left. How can I trust that you all won't just do that again?" Regulus pulled out her grasp and walked away.



I hope everyone enjoys this update. I want to thank you all again for keeping up with my story. I wanted to also to thank the people who reviewed my story, it means a lot to me. Take a second and leave a review here: http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=123699

[Morghen]

A/N: This is not my favorite chapter but here it is.



Part 25: Shocked




The next couple of weeks seemed to be on fast-forward for Regulus. O.W.L prep took up a major portion each day, he had never studied so much in his whole time at school. When he wasn't in the library, he was either eating or sleeping. He still had his meals in the Kitchen, partly because he actually enjoyed being around the house-elves, partly because he was still not on speaking terms with Aleron, Aaralyn, and Sirius. Regulus had not uttered a single word to any of them since that terrible January night, and he had no plans to. He kept reminding himself, whenever he felt a strong urged to make up with one of them, that they left him. He was not the one who wanted things to be like this between them. Yes, he was the one who ended things with Aaralyn, but he had not wanted to stop being friends with her or talking to her.

His only friend now was Vala, but lately he was too busy with things to even spend time with her. Regulus still had not told her about his Mark, but he promised to himself that he would not lie to her if she asked. When they did see each other it was usually because they were studying together. She helped him prepare for his O.W.L.s since she had done them already the year before.

That was what was happening at the moment. It was a Thursday night in February and he had a huge essay due the next day for History of Magic, so Vala and Regulus were in the library. They had over ten books open and strewed around the table and the waste basket beside his chair was overflowing with pieces of parchment.

"There," Regulus said happily, smiling up at Vala. "I'm finally done, that essay was brutal." He passed her the long piece of parchment.

The red head accepted the parchment and began to proof read it for him. He watched her as she read and smiled again, to himself, when he noticed that not only did her emerald reading glasses match her eyes, they also matched her green long-sleeved shirt and her prefect's badge. She always matched, down to the last detail, he thought, at first, this was because she was self-conscious. After he hung out with her more, he saw for himself that she was extremely confident and could not care less about what others thought of her. Vala was a perfectionist who was in love with herself, and Regulus found it funny. He could completely understand why she really liked herself, you would have to be blind not to. But he also was beginning to see the real Vala, she was not just a pretty face, she was deep and intelligent. She was not afraid to tell someone off when they deserved it and she was not one to lie. Vala did not care if she hurt someone's feelings, many people disliked these about her but Regulus was impressed by it. He wished that he had half of her confidence, maybe if he did he would not have ended up Marked at the tender age of fifteen.

"This is great," she told him, breaking him from his thoughts. "I think you'll get at least an E, for sure."

"That's good because the last thing I need is another detention from Binns. Last time he made me stay until eleven on a Saturday night and I would rather not do that ever again."

Vala shot him a flawless smile and then a curious look crossed her face. "Do you have any plans for Saturday?" she asked.

This Saturday was Valentine's Day and, like always, there was a dance that night. Regulus had not planned on going, he wanted to get a head start on his homework instead of putting it off until Sunday. "No, I was just going to use the time to do homework. Do you have a better idea?"

"Well, there's the dance," she said, watching his face to see his expression.

Regulus shook his head and replied, "I went last year and it was packed with first years and there is nothing worse than that, in my opinion. Come to think of last year, Aleron and I went and we got kicked out for spiking the Pumpkin Juice with Veritaserum..." he smiled at the hilarious memory.

"That was you two?!" she exclaimed. She shook her head and grinned, "I heard some pretty interesting things that night. How did you guys get caught?"

"Well, it kind of backfired when Dumbledore asked everyone who put it in the drink, and Aleron, of course, had to try some, and ended up ratting ourselves out. It was worth it though."

"So anyways," Vala said, remembering what she had wanted to ask. "Will you be my date to the dance?"

This took Regulus by surprise and all he could manage to say was, "Of course."

She gave him a brilliant smile and rose from her seat, "Well, I better get going, I'm quite tired." Vala left a dumbfounded Regulus in his seat and exited the Library.


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Regulus left his dormitory and went into the Slytherin Common Room to wait for Vala. It was Saturday, Valentine's Day, and as he promised, he was attending the dance with her. It was not an overly formal event so he wore a grey sweater with a white collared shirt underneath, an emerald tie, and black jeans. His dark hair fell perfectly over his cold grey eyes, contrasting with his pale skin. He took a seat on the black leather couch and played with the pink rose that he held in his hands as he waited.

"Regulus?" called a smooth voice that instantly put a grin on his face when it reached his ears.

He looked up from the rose and his eyes widened. In front of him stood Vala. She wore a short, strapless, emerald cocktail dress that ruffled from her waist down to her mid thighs. On her feet were flat silver slip-on shoes since she did not need the extra height that the high-heels would have given to her. Her red hair was left down in spiral curls that brushed her bare shoulders. Regulus got to his feet and handed her the rose with a wide smile. "You look stunning," he told her as she took the flower.

"As do you," Vala replied as her eyes swept over him. She offered him her hand and they made their way to the party.

The Valentine's Day dance was held in the Great Hall. Unlike Slughorn's Christmas party, everyone was invited to this. The room was decorated in reds, pinks, and whites, as were the foods and drinks. Each table had only two cushioned seats since the dance was for couples only. There were small clouds that hovered around the room, dropping pink heart-shaped confetti on everything. The dance floor was situated in the middle of the room and it was packed full of people with their dates.

Regulus had decided that he would ignore Aleron tonight. He knew that the blonde was attending the party with Fanchon and he would just have to try to keep his distance from the pair. It was not Aleron who he was afraid of seeing there, though. It was Aaralyn. Regulus could not stomach the mere thought of her dancing or holding hands with another guy, he did not know how he would handle it if he was to witness it. It was not his place anymore, he knew that, but it did not make the fact that he would have to fight off a strong urged to curse any guy that put a hand on her any easier. He couldn't, and wouldn't, deny that he still had strong feelings for her but he also couldn't deny that their relationship would never be able to work. He was a Death Eater and she was a Muggleborn.

He felt his hand being gently squeezed and was brought out of his thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Vala asked him. "You zoned out for a moment."

"Yeah," he told her, "I'm fine. Are you hungry or do you want to dance?"

"I'd really like to dance," she replied with a smile. Vala led him to the dance floor and they pushed their way through the thick crowd of people. Once they found a spot, Vala stopped and wrapped her arms around his neck. He carefully placed his hands on her slim waist and they started to sway to a slow song.

They stayed dancing for a handful of songs, most of which were slow since it was Valentine's Day and everyone loved to be all mushy gushy. After dancing to her favorite song, Vala told Regulus that she was thirsty so, hand-in-hand, they walked from the dance floor over to the food bar.

There were approximately ten tables, each covered with overflowing platters of food. All of the food was magically colored red or pink, making the meatballs look quite interesting. Regulus and Vala went pass the tables of food ans stopped at the drink table. The choices of drinks were not as plentiful but they had Butterbeer, so Regulus was content.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked Vala was he reached for a pink bottle of Butterbeer. "I would probably skip on the pumpkin juice, just in case. It seems to be on Aleron's list of favorite things to spike." he added with a laugh.

"Oh, don't blame it all on poor Aleron, you're not as innocent as you act," she said with a grin.

Regulus laughed, his true bark-like laugh, "Awww you caught me."

Vala smiled and then placed a manicured finger to her lips while she gazed at all of the different drinks. "The pink coco looks good," she decided.

After Regulus poured her a mug of hot chocolate, they went to find an empty table. They dodged through the maze of love-struck couples until they found a table the was unoccupied. He set down their drinks and then pulled out a chair for Vala to sit in.

"You appear to be quite the gentleman," she commented with a smirk as she took her seat.

"Well, I try," he said with a warm smile. He undid the bottle cap on his Butterbeer and took a sip. Looking to Vala's right to see who came with who, he witnessed a scene that caused him to choke on his drink.



This is the dress that Vala was wearing but hers was emerald green: http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/...m0474120642431



Hope you guys liked it. I'll try and update as soon as I can, maybe sometime this weekend, if everything turns out okay. Please leave me some good old feedback at this here link: http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=123699 . Thanks everyone!

This might be interesting, who do you like better at the moment, Vala or Aaralyn? I know it's a bit early to ask because you guys just met Vala but leave your answers in the feedback thread, please. You can always change your answer later on if you'd like.

[Morghen]

Part Twenty-Six: Valentine



Regulus coughed violently, trying to bring up the Butterbeer on which he had choked. Unfortunately, this brought attention to him; people from surrounding tables turned and stared at him, their eyebrows raised. Coughing twice more, he was finally able to breath again. His hand went automatically for his wand in his pocket but he stopped himself from bringing it out. He could not believe what he was seeing; the sight made him angry, jealous, and sad all at the same time. He had to get out of there before he did something stupid; he did not need another coffin resting on his conscience. Regulus pulled his hand away from his wand and stood up quickly. "I've got to go," he told Vala in hurry, his pale cheeks taking on a red tinge from anger.

"What?" she asked him, looking confused. "Why? Regulus, where are you going?" she called after him.

Regulus left her questions unanswered and exited the Great Hall. He knew that this was bound to happen, but with him? He had never expected this. He forced the thought of them out of his raging mind until he arrived at his dormitory; there, he unleashed his fury.

He did not care what he broke, his hands just shot out for everything. The glass of water that was perched on his night stand was now shattered across the room, his books littered the floor, his curtains were torn to the floor. He stopped though, after he kicked his bedpost and injured his foot; causing him to shout out a string of profanities.

He threw himself down onto his bed and placed his head in his hands, trying to calm down. It was not very effective, though; the picture of them together just kept flashing before his grey eyes.

Had Aaralyn just gone with him to try and make Regulus mad? To see what kind of reaction she could get out of him? When he had first seen them, he thought that maybe his eyes were deceiving him, but sure enough, when he blinked they were still sitting in front of him. At the table to Vala's right sat Aaralyn and Remus. Out of all of Sirius' friends, Remus was the only one that he was able to stand- not now, though. Now Regulus hated him with every ounce of hatred that he could possibly muster. Were they dating? Regulus was not sure but it seemed to him that they were getting pretty cozy at the table. It had taken him every last bit of self-control not to curse Lupin on the spot, make him feel the pain that Regulus felt. He knew that that would not have made Aaralyn very happy but at least he would have felt better.

Why was he so jealous? Aaralyn was not his girlfriend anymore and it was his fault that they broke up. He went there with Vala and he did not see Aaralyn reacting like he did; she did not seem to be fazed at all. Why had he acted like that? Then the answer hit him like a brick; the same answer to the question the Aaralyn had asked him on the train and he told her that she wouldn't have believed him. He utterly despised that answer but he knew it was true.

The sound of soft foot steps caused Regulus to break from his thoughts and look up. In the doorway stood Vala, still in her dress, looking at him in a confused manner. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but she decided against it and just entered the room. After dodging the puddle of water on the floor, she took a seat on his bed, beside him. Placing one of her hands over his, she asked him, "What is wrong Regulus?"

He smiled, a pained smile, and said to her, "Everything."

"Would you like to tell someone about it?" she questioned him, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.

"It is a long story- are you sure that you want to listen?" he replied to her question.

"I'm sure," Vala told him.

He took a deep breath in and began his story, "My brother and I, we used to be as close as two people could possibly be. I looked up to him and he looked out for me. He would comfort me when I was afraid or hurt, which was a hell of a lot more than my mother or father ever did. When he left for Hogwarts, he told me that nothing would change, that he would write to me everyday. He told me that when I went to school we would still be the best of friends; I was naïve enough to believe him. It did not happen though, he was sorted into Gryffindor and made new friends, better friends. When he came home that summer, he was different, he did not want to hangout with me. All he wanted was to go to Potter's or Lupin's or Pettigrew's house. When I went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin, he told me that it did not matter, we were still brothers and nothing would ever come between that. Again, I was naïve enough to believe him. After a while though, we stopped talking almost altogether, we had nothing in common to talk about. When we did talk, it became awkward and forced, but I did not want to believe that we were growing apart; I would not believe it. I still thought of him as a hero, I still thought that he would always be there if I needed him. Then, last year, he left and went to live with that James Potter and his family. I begged and pleaded with him not to go, or at least, not to leave me. He would not stay and he would not bring me. My parents began to tell me how I better not be another disappointment, how I better not be like Sirius. All I ever wanted was to make them proud to be my mother and father and then, when I was fourteen, they told me how I could live up to my last name. I was so desperate, I did not care what they asked, I would do it willingly. So December, on Christmas break, I became a Death Eater, just like they asked me to. Now, I've lost my best friend, my girlfriend, and my brother all because I needed to be accepted by my parents. The part I hate the most is that I have no one to blame except for myself, I ruined my life and now I just have to live with the consequences."

Vala did not say anything for a few minutes after he finished. She just sat silent, looking at the boy beside her with eyes full of pity. When she did speak, her voice was little more than a whisper: "Can I see your Mark?"

Although he was a bit puzzled by her request, he did not refuse. He moved his hand out from under hers and held his arm across her lap.

She pushed the sleeve to his grey sweater up his arm and exposed his Dark Mark. The bruising was now gone and the Mark stood out boldly against his pale skin. Vala raised a single finger and began to trace the outline of the skull and then the snake. Regulus looked over at her and said, "Most people are repulsed by it. It does not bother you?"

"No," Vala replied simply, her voice back to its normal tone. "I'm actually slightly intrigued by it. This means you have met You-Know-Who?"

Regulus nodded his head and said, "Yes, but only once, when he Marked me."

"Did it hurt?" she asked, curiously. "Being Marked, I mean."

"It was one of the worst things that I have ever experienced in my life, the pain was unbelievable." he told her, shuddering at the memory.

"You went through all of that just to make your parents proud of you? You don't believe in what You-Know-Who is all about?" she questioned, her finger still tracing the symbol on his forearm.

He answered her, "Yeah, I did it all for my mother and father, they love the idea of Pureblood supremacy. They are not Death Eaters but they are all for You-Know-Who and believe that it is an honor to have a Death Eater for a son. Like I told you before, I think Muggleborns should have the same rights as any Pureblood. I still stand by that, despite what I have done."

Vala smiled at him and stopped tracing his Mark. "What is it that you have done?" she questioned him. "You look so innocent, like you would never harm a fly."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I am not as innocent as I appear."

"You didn't answer my question," she said, pushing his shoulder playfully. "What have you done to be a bad person?"

Regulus had not planned on telling her this; he was just sick and tired of keeping secrets. He would throw it all out in the open and if she still wanted to be his friend, then that was great. If not, then he was getting use to people leaving anyway. "I've killed someone," he told her, watching for a change in her expression.

Vala did not say anything. She did not look shocked or angry, which confused him.

"Well what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to leave?" he asked her, a little mad. He expected her to do what everyone else did, just leave him when he needed them the most.

"Why would I do that?" she asked him, meeting his cold, grey eyes.

"That's what everyone else seems to like to do. I was just expecting you to do it, too," Regulus told her quietly, embarrassed for getting upset.

"Well Regulus, I am not like everyone else. I would not just leave you like that- who am I to judge you?" she told him. She moved her hand so that she could hold onto one of his hands.

Regulus smiled, he was surprised but happy with what she had just told him. Maybe Aaralyn was right; maybe he wasn't alone. Though, Aaralyn had not been referring to Vala….

"I better get going," Vala said, moving her hand from his and turning to put her feet onto the wooden floor. "I had a good time even though you ran out on me," she added with a grin.

"Wait," he said, reaching out for her hand to stop her from leaving. "Can I ask you something?"

She turned back, her brilliant green eyes locking with his ice-cold grey ones, "Yes?"

Regulus smiled slightly and asked sheepishly, "Will you be my Valentine?" He expected to be turned down but it was worth a shot. They were just friends, nothing more, nothing less.

Vala returned the smile and then bit her lip, thinking his question over. "Of course," she replied, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "Sweet dreams, Valentine," She stepped onto the floor and walked to the door, pausing to turn back and smile.

"Goodnight, my Valentine," he said back to her, grinning to himself happily.




I hope everyone liked it. Don't forget to leave some feedback.

[Morghen]

Part Twenty-Seven: Decisions.

"The crumbling difference between wrong and right."

-Counting Crows, "Round Here"

It was a cool, rainy, April evening. Regulus had not seen the sunshine in weeks because he was too busy to take notice of it. On top of everything that he was trying to deal with -O.W.L.s, Vala, and trying to sort out his feelings for Aaralyn -the Dark Lord had let the rest of the Death Eaters know that he was the newest follower. Naturally, his fellow Death Eaters had sent owls to their children and let them know that Regulus Black was someone to look up to -that he was not like his blood traitor of an elder brother. Now Regulus had to deal with a bunch of kids, younger and older, asking him things like what it was like to have a Dark Mark and how it felt to be a subject of the Dark Lord. There were a handful of people at Hogwarts who had already been Marked, all of them older than him, and now they wanted him to join their meetings.

Regulus did not want this attention -he just wanted to be left alone. He was not proud of the symbol that was permanently etched on his skin and he did not want to discuss it. The last thing that he wanted was for the kids who were younger than him to think that it was a glorious thing. He did not want them to end up like him; all of them had so much potential and it would all go to waste if they chose the same path as he did. Regulus would ignore their questions but it didn't stop them. They still cornered him at every chance they got.

As for the meetings, he did not have much of a choice but to go. It was something that Voldemort had ordered them all to do. They had never discussed anything too serious until four nights ago. Avery, the leader of the group, decided that he wanted to plan an attack on a Muggleborn, blood traitor, or someone who associated with one. The catch was that not all of them had to do it. Avery, who was still bitter about his broken jaw, said that it was the perfect opportunity for Regulus to prove himself a true Death Eater.

Regulus had tried desperately to talk them out of it but he could not really say too much or they would report him to their master. After a few days of being pestered, he finally gave in -but on two conditions: one, he could pick the person himself and two, he did not have to attack to kill. The rest of the group were content with these terms and told him to make his choice by their Friday meeting.

"Have you made your decision yet?" Vala asked him. They were sitting together on his bed, studying. He had decided to tell her about the meetings since she seemed very interested in this whole mess. He needed someone to talk to and she was more than happy to listen.

Regulus looked up from the Defense Against the Dark Arts book that he was skimming through and shook his head. "Not yet."

"Regulus, you need to decide. It is Friday, you know? I still think you should go with my suggestion." She shot him a smile and her green eyes glowed.

"I already told you no. I'm not going to attack him just because he is going out with Aaralyn." The word had gotten out that Remus and Aaralyn were dating. Regulus' heart broke all over again when he had heard the news. He wanted to tear Lupin apart, limb from limb, but he didn't out of respect for Aaralyn.

"He took your girlfriend. I think that gives you a pretty good reason to plan a little attack on him, don't you? I mean, you obviously still care about her since you cried on my shoulder for hours when you found out." Vala said the last sentence with a hint of jealousy.

It was true. He had run straight to the only person that he could consider a friend and cried like a little baby for hours and hours. He wished that Vala would quit reminding him about it, though; it was not like it was something of which he was very proud." "I just don't want to attack him, okay?"

"Then how about Sirius?" she asked him, watching for his reaction.

He looked back up at her, a shocked look on his face. "Why the hell would you think that I would want to attack my own brother? Are you crazy?" He really could not stand the girl sometimes.

She shot him a look of innocence, like she had meant no harm by that suggestion. "I thought that you might be interested because you have so much built up hate for him. I mean, he did leave you countless times, pick his friends over you, and also never listened to you. I just thought that you might like the idea."

"Well, I don't," he told her harshly.

"Regulus, you only have a few more minutes to make your choice. Pick someone," Vala said, after checking the time on his wrist watch.

"Fine," he replied, moodily. "I have made up my mind."

[Morghen]

Part Twenty-Eight: Unforgivable Curse

"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real, too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win."

-Stephen King

His conscience screamed and pleaded with him, telling him not to do this, to turn away but he ignored it. He did not have a choice in the matter -it was either follow the orders or suffer the consequences. He wasn't brave enough to face the consequences -his heart knew right from wrong but it wasn't courageous enough to take the right path.

As he searched the corridors alone, he hoped that he wouldn't find who he was looking for. He knew nothing good was going to come from his actions. If he didn't attempt to find his victim, Avery would severely punish him -so there he was.

Regulus froze as the sound of footsteps reached his ears and he took a few slow steps backwards to gain cover behind a wall. He waited until the steps sounded closer and he took a peak around the wall.

His heart plummeted as the identity of the person registered in his mind. Regulus swore under his breath at his luck -there his selected person was, unaware and alone. He took a deep breath in as he forced himself to remember his hatred towards this person.

"Crucio!" he shouted as he stepped out quickly from behind the wall. The degree of his anger and hate strengthened his curse and knocked Remus off his feet. Lupin screamed in pure agony and shook on the floor, making Regulus sick to his stomach. He tried to focus, to keep his hatred fresh in his mind, but he got startled when he heard more foot steps coming this way. Regulus spun quickly around, trying to see who was running towards him, breaking the connection and freeing Remus from his misery that the spell had caused. He glanced at both ends of the corridor and was unable to see anyone, despite the patter of rapidly approaching footsteps. Suddenly, a set of hands appeared and connected with chest, throwing him forcefully into the stone wall. His head crashed roughly against the interior, causing stars to flash in front of him.

"STOP! SIRIUS!" called a voice.

Regulus felt a sharp blow to his stomach as his vision cleared, knocking the air out of him. He shook his head and looked up, confused, to see his brother standing over him, shaking with anger. Sirius leap forward and hit him with great force in the face, repeatedly. Regulus tried to fight back but he was so caught off guard, his attempts were useless.

After receiving a few more well-placed punches to the face, he managed to throw his brother off him. Sirius got quickly back to his feet and went to run at him again when another boy appeared out of nowhere, throwing a silvery cloak to the side. The other boy, whom he recognized as Potter, hurried towards Sirius and grabbed him around the middle, shouting, "SIRIUS! STOP! THAT'S YOUR BROTHER!"

Sirius struggled to be freed from his friend's grasp but he was unsuccessful. "JAMES!" he yelled loudly. "DIDN'T YOU SEE WHAT HE DID?! HE USED AN UNFORGIVABLE CURSE! HE -- USED IT ON MOONY!"

Regulus watched, frozen to the floor with horror as James struggled to contain his elder brother from coming back at him. "Yeah, Padfoot, I saw it," he said, trying to calm his best friend. "Regulus is your brother, Sirius. You could have killed him the way you were bashing his head everywhere."

Sirius threw Regulus a look of pure hatred and bellowed, "THAT DEATH EATER IS NO BROTHER OF MINE! I -- HATE HIM! I'D KILL HIM -JUST LET ME GO!"

Regulus scrambled to his feet and ran from the scene. His body ached all over but it was his heart that hurt the worst. He knew that this wasn't over -it had just started. What the hell had he done?

I feel like a big bad meany for doing this to Reggie. Everyone, feel free to give him a give hug 'cause I think he could use a few right now! Don't forget to review.

[Morghen]

Part Twenty-Nine: The Truth.

"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is."

-Winston Chruchill

He hurried to his last O.W.L exam of the year, History of Magic. He did not have time to think about how much he despised the subject because he had to focus all of his attention on making it to the test room. He had started some sort of war between the Marauders and the Death Eaters on that night in April. Most of it was Sirius attacking the Death Eaters –his favorite victim being his younger brother. The Death Eaters did their fair share of attacks, too, but they were not picky about which Marauder they got. Soon enough, all of the Marauders joined in on the war. Regulus had to be extremely vigilant while in the corridors since he was the four's usual victim –it was as if they forgot all about Snape.

He let out a breath of relief as he scrambled into the testing room –he had now been able to avoid being ambushed for the past three days. Now, he had a just as big problem on his mind –how the hell was he suppose to get at least an A in this bloody subject?
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Regulus sighed in contentment as he stretched out in the grass beside Vala. She looked over at him and smiled, taking his hand in hers. He was pretty sure that he had been able to get a passing grade in his last O.W.L. and now he was relaxing in the summer sun. He shut his cold grey eyes and let the sun warm his face as he listened, amused, to Roiser and Avery bickering about at whom Slytherin girl had winked. Regulus yawned loudly and drifted into a light sleep.

"Hey, look who it is. Little Miss Mudblood! What are you doing here?" jeered Avery.

This remark woke him from his short nap. his eyes fluttered open to see to whom his fellow Slytherin was talking.

Regulus' eyes widened in shock as they met a pair of once familiar, strikingly blue eyes. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes vigorously, thinking that this must be a dream. When he removed his hands he saw that Aaralyn still stood above him. He looked up at her, dumbfounded.

"I asked what you are doing here!" sneered Avery once again.

Aaralyn simply ignored Avery's rude remarks and, looking directly at Regulus, said, "I need to talk to you, Regulus. Now."

He tried to read her face for any sign of emotion but he was unable to find one. As he pushed himself up from the ground, he felt Vala's arm snake around his chest, holding him in place. "Why do you need to talk to him?" Vala inquired, in a tone that was anything but friendly. Regulus actually picked up on a hint of jealously that he always heard when she talked about Aaralyn.

The dark-haired Ravenclaw raised her eyebrows slightly at the redhead and replied cooly, "I don't remember asking to speak with you –I'm more than sure that I said 'Regulus'."

Vala looked taken a back but swiftly spat out, "Aww, the Mudblood has an attitude. Cute."

Regulus pried Vala's arm off him and said, "That was uncalled for, Vala." He rose to his feet and followed behind Aaralyn, knowing that he probably did not want to actually hear whatever she had to say.

She headed over towards the small bench that flooded his brain with memories of snow angels and happiness. He grimanced as he forced these memories from his mind –they caused him too much pain to recall. Aaralyn took a seat on the bench and patted the opposite side for him to sit. He complied and joined her.

Aaralyn looked at him, her sky blue eyes not leaving his face. "Why did you attack Remus?"

Regulus took in a deep breath in –this was not what he really felt like discussing with her. "You're a little late in asking –I mean, that happened about a month ago…"

She pushed her long, black hair behind her shoulder and sighed. "Yeah, I know. Remus only just told me why this little war between the Marauders and the-" she paused and looked over at him, " –and the Death Eaters started. He said something about you using an Unforgivable Curse on him… Why? Why did you do that, Regulus?"

He felt his heart clench when she spoke his name with such obvious disappointment. "I had to pick someone," he told her, trying not to outright lie.

"So you just happened to pick my boyfriend?" she questioned, skeptically.

Regulus winced when he heard her refer to Remus as her boyfriend. "I guess so."

"Do not lie to me –I just want to know the truth."

"I told you the truth," Regulus snapped, avoiding her eyes.

Aaralyn shook her head in irritation. "I'm not stupid, you know? I can tell when you're lying. Why is it so difficult for you to tell me the truth?"

He huffed loudly –he was getting pretty sick of this conversation. "I don't see how it is any of your business…"

She cast him a look of anger but she bit her tongue before answering. "I want, no, I need to know because I'm sick and tired of you guys cursing each other everytime you get the opportunity –someone is going to get hurt. Sirius is your brother and you two shouldn't hate each other! I want to help you guys get along again."

"Well I don't think that you helped with that problem. I mean, you were the one who told him that I was a Death Eater –I don't think that that overly helped with our issues. Anyways, I'm not the one that hates him –he hates me."

"Regulus, can't you just let that go?" she asked him, annoyed. "I was trying to help you –you already know that! Sorry for caring about you!" Her voice rose as she went on. "Just tell me why you attacked him and I'll leave you alone!"

Regulus got swiftly on his feet and shouted at her, "You want to know why? I'll tell you! I did it because I… I… Just leave me alone!" And with that, he turned and stalked off in the direction of the castle.