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He was called the Starchaser: best friend with the brightest star in the night sky and boyfriend with the lion's heart. He was called the Sunlover, shined upon by the brightest sun, reflecting its joy. They were called the impossible partners as one would die trying to do good and the other would follow him because of treason. They were in the "safest" place of all the magical world, under the care of the headmaster. This headmaster will use them as peons on a chess board, sacrificing them if necessary. They didn't know what the world awaited for them, they were just two silly teens. Their most serious concern was not getting caught snogging each other. With time, this concern would change to not being killed by the war.
As the headmaster planned and manipulated them like just mere pieces, the two boys found themselves caught in a whirlwind of events they never expected. The dangers and hardships they faced as the war raged on forced them to grow up faster than their years and to confront the harsh realities of the world around them. All the while, their love for each other grew stronger, grounding them and reminding them of what truly mattered amidst the chaos.
The Sunlover recieved its most unpleasant gift at the age of 16, becoming one of the Dark Lord's most beloved servant. He became a Death Eater. The Starchaser, along with the brightest star in the night sky, became aware of the Sunlover's situation and attempted to talk him out of it. Their efforts ended up being in vain. Both boys will end up loosing contact from each other...
❅♡★☽★♡❅
7th January 1977
Regulus knocked on the master's door. He opened the door quietly as he entered the room. His eyes flew around the room. It was a dark decorated room, mostly empty but with a big black desk in the middle. It smelled like old books and dark magic. You could hear the sound of the road roaming beneath. On the further side of the desk the Master was siting, looking around as if trying to obtain his ideas.
"Ah! Yes! Black. Come, sit." He talked in a rather airy tone. The master gestured to an empty chair in fron of his study. The dark-haired boy hesitated for a moment but decided to do as he was told. The master turned around on his own chair. His eyes were snake-like with a yellowish-white skin tone, bright yellow teeth in the inside of his moutg and in the place of a nose rested a cat-like slit. He looked horrednous. Regulus tried not to flinch at this sight. It was dehumanizing. "I am very proud of you, Regulus. You have become one of my most loyal servants in few years. I am proud..."
Regulus rested with a straight face. "Thank you Master. You know I'd do anything for you."
"Yes, that's what I like to see: loyalty. You're a loyal follower, Regulus." Voldemort inclined himself closer to him over the table. "It is for this reason that I have the audacity to ask for a favour." Regulus' curiosity grew. He starting playing anxiously with his hands
"Of course, Master. You can always trust me." Regulus said, not showing any emotion. He had learnt that keeping them botteled up was the best thing he could do with them.
"I see, I see." Voldemort paused fo a moment, looked away but turned his gaze back. "I'm in need of a..." he clicked his toungue "...house elf. I have to my understanding that the Black family has got one."
"That's right, Master."
"I'm going to need him for a mission mid-February."
"Without any problem Master." Regulus knew that not following the Dark Lord's orders meant death. But he also knew that following them somtimes finished in the same place. For him we were only hunt dogs.
"Good, good..." He looked back for an instant. "You shall leave, Black"
Regulus left the room quietly. He walked down the corridor, fears still flodding his mind, only to find Barty and Evan snogging each other in a corner. Barty had a tall muscular body which hid perfectly the smaller boy's one underneath him.
"Ugh, go get a room." Both boys looked up to see his friend's face storming by.
"Hey, Reg, what did Voldemort say?" Barty enquired, quickly sepparating himself from Evan's grip. He was twirling his hands nervously and followed after him.
"None of your buisness, get lost." The dark-haired boy snarled back.
"Are you mad you're without that Potter prick?" Evan laughed, teasing him. "He has become all goody-pants, if you hadn't noticed." At that comment Regulus turned around and pointed Evan with his wand, pressing him aigainst the wall. Rage burned through his veins.
"Say that bullshit again and I'll end you."
Evan rolled his eyes loudly "I'm just saying the truth." He made an innocent gest with his hands.
Regulus pushed his wand further up his chin making Evan gag. When Regulus said something, he always fullfilled it.
"Reg, let him go." Barty intervened in a severe tone, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew the war was fucking with his mind but he had no reason to take it out on his friends. Regulus looked at Barty for a moment and finally let go of Evan. He turned away and made his way quickly to the exit.
"Geesh, that guy, he is going mad, you know?" Evan commented, rubbing his sore neck.
❅♡★☽★♡❅
10th February 1977
All Death Eaters had been gathered at the main table for an important announcement. There were around 80 people dressed in dark robes with masks on their faces around a solemnly looking table. Most of them were chatting amongst themselves, while others observed the people around them. Suddenly the door swung open and the room became quiet. A tall slim figure dressed in a long cloak entered the room.
"I see all my fellow followers are here." The cloaked man began. "You may all be wondering why I have gathered you here today, February 10th." A murmur of agreement filled the silent room. Voldemort waited a few instants before gesturing with his hand for silence. "This may seem as a normal date for all of you, but it isn't at all normal." Confused faces begun forming underneath the follower's masks, in all of them except the ones of the Black family's. "Regulus, would you like to come here?" Regulus inhaled deeply before standing up in a clumsy way. The only sound that filled the room in that was the noise of Regulus' chair scraping the floor and his steps guiding him next to his master.
"Yes Master?"
"I am pleased to inform you that one of my most loyal followers is becoming an legal adult today." Voldemort said in a neutral tone. "But... what do we care about legality" snickers were heard around the room even if the joke hadn't been that funny. The cloaked man removed Regulus' mask wandlessly. "He is turning eighteen today." Regulus blushed slightly as all Death Eaters started clapping silently, clearly unamused. "You can sit back down, son." He gestured and Regulus sat back down in his seat.
The meeting continued by explaining the next attacks that would take place and their alliance with the werewolves. Voldemort explained that Greyback's pack had recently been granted with the visit of the one and only Remus Lupin. Regulus remembered back to his school days, him and Remus were close friends. They could talk to each other about almost anything. He wondered when this connection had been severed.
At the end of this meeting Regulus was asked to stay a bit behind.
"Have you brought the elf?" Voldemort said not bothering to look at him.
"Kreacher!" Regulus shouted. The house elf apparated just next to him.
"Yes, master?" Voldemort looked curiously at the new found.
"You shall go with the Dark Lord and do everything he asks. Is it understood?" Regulus said with a severe tone and a cold look on his face.
"Yes master."
"Regulus, you can leave. I am no longer in need of you." The Dark Lord ordered. Regulus left the room, shooting one last glance at Kreacher. Inside he hoped that his family house-elf would be ok for when he got back.
❅♡★☽★♡❅
11th February 1977
Regulus had been sitting alone at the table for hours now, lost in his thoughts. He was fidgeting with his wand, twirling it between his fingers as he waited. Suddenly, he heard a faint crack sound and looked up to see Kreacher appear in front of him, looking more disheveled than ever.
"Master." Kreacher gasped, clearly out of breath.
"What is it, Kreacher?" Regulus asked, concern creeping into his voice. Kreacher staggered forward a few steps before collapsing into a chair, panting heavily. It was clear that something was very wrong. "What has the Dark Lord done to you?" He inquired, even more concerned. His hatred towards Voldemort had just begun growing inside of him.
"D-Draught..." Kreacher squivelled, gasping for air in betwwen words. "... l-living... d-eath." Kreacer then collasped into the table, breathing heavily. Regulus helped him and put Kreacher on top of the table.
The Draught of the living dead. He had heard of that, he had heard of that somewhere. He was panicking and went over to a little bookshlef. He found a book on potions. It was sure that was a potion. That was a potion. He opened the index and quickly found it. Opening the book, his eyes flew right acroos the page taking in all the important informations. He was nervously biting on his lower lip. He had learnt to function under stress so it was no big deal for him. Kreacher laid on the table, fighting for his life. If instead of a house elf it had been a human being he would have been dead by now. Ok, ok he needed an antidote. What was its name? Ah yes, Wiggenweld.
"Kreacher, just try and stay concious for a few more moments. Do it for me." He said in a hurried tone. His elf could barely nod in response.
Regulus went quickly to where the antidotes were kept. He started searching the shelves, pacing back and forth. W... W... Wi... Wig... Voilá! It was here. He ran back to the kitchen and with shaking hands opened the little bottle. He then proceeded to give it to his elf.
Regulus watched anxiously as his elf drank the Wiggenweld potion, hoping it would help to revive him. After a few moments, Kreacher began to stir, his breathing becoming easier.
"Are you feeling better, Kreacher?" Regulus asked, relief flooding through him. Kreacher nodded weakly, still looking pale and shaken.
"Kreacher is sorry master. For Kreacher should not have appeared in this state in his master's house."
"That's something for another day." Regulus bit down on his lip anxiously twirling his hands over the table. "I need you to tell me with EXACT detail everything that has happened."
"But, mast-"
Regulus cut him off furiously. "Do you need to remember who is in charge?" He said coldly. Kreacher nodded ashamed.
Kreacher told his master everything that had happened. They arrived at a cave and the Dark Lord had put some spells on it. Inside the cave was full of water. They had gone to a little island in the middle of the cave-lake with a little rowing boat. The Dark Lord then had made Kreacher drink a whole potion. The Draught of the Living Death. He had left Salazar Slytherin's locket in its place. Afterwards, Voldemort had gone and left Kreacher to die, if not by the potion, by the inferi that were in the lake. But what the Dark Lord hadn't thought of is that house elves could apparate. So Kreacher had apparated, saving his own life.
After Kreacher had explained everything that had happened, Regulus stood up and started pacing along the room. Fury bruning through his veins.
"Why the locket? Why a locket? Why hide it?" He murmured to himself. "Kreacher, did he tell you something about the locket?"
Kreacher looked up and thought for a moment. "He mentioned something about his soul, master." He said in a calm tone, oppossing to Regulus' emotions.
"A locket and a soul? A locket and a soul?" He went to the library and started looking for something, anything, that would give him a clue as to what was that locket. The library was an enormous room, filled up with stacked books all the way to the ceiling. After searching for a few minutes he grabbed a book on dark magic. He started carefully looking through the hard-covered dark book. As the pages turned, dust flew up, making Regulus cough a couple times. He stumbeled upon a word: Horcrux. Could it be? Only one way to find out...
❅♡★☽★♡❅
10th May 1977
March and April had passed in a breeze. Regulus hadn't had many missions to go to so, instead, he had spent his time learning about hocruxes and coming up with a plan to destroy the one Voldemort had hidden. He had a plan, a difficult one, one which he wouldn't get out alive. But it was worth trying, if not just to save the Magical World.
It was a nice hot day in the beggining of May. A few Death Eaters had been ordered to attack a muggle bookshop in Diagon Alley. They were supposed to raid it at miday, so that it would affect the most people possible. Everyone who entered the bookshop or even walked by it was a traitor in the eyes of Voldemort. He believed in Magical supremacy and wanted to erradicate all muggles and mudbloods. He belived they didn't belong in this world.
Regulus was one of the Death Eaters who had been called to take action in this raid along with Crouch, Rosier and Lestrange. He had to remain faithfull to Voldemort to not raise suspicion about his secret plan. All four Death Eaters had planned to come to the bookstore from different angles, explose the shop, probably kill the owner, and leave before getting caught, leaving the Dark Mark behind.
Everything was going as planned. The alley was full of people happily walking through, buying their necesities or just catching up with some friends. Regulus crept up from one corner and saw Barty, Evan and Rabastan at their assignated places. Rabastan gave an ok sign and the plan had began. The three boys walked up to the shop, wands in their hands. They were covered in robes so no one batted an eye.
Rabastan let a little smile cover his masked face. "Bombarda Maxima!" He shouted aiming at the bookshop. There was suddenly a big explosion and chaos started in the street. The whole bookshop had been reduced to a pile of dust and bricks, there was broken glass everywhere. People were running to find their loved ones, others were running away as fast as possible. The ones who had been hit the worst laid unconscious on the floor with huge bleeding cuts in their face. Some of them were dead, by accident, but, who cared? Certainly not the Dark Lord.
As everything was unraveling, Regulus saw someone who caught his eye: James fucking Potter. He was there and was remaining calm, helping people in need. He looked shaken up but kept doing as protocol said: protect others before yourself. By his side were Lily Evans and Alice Longbottom, respected aurours during this time. They were both helping clear some of the chaos and looking for suspects.
"Black! Focus!" Barty snarled at him which brought Regulus back to reality.
"Mosmorde!" Evan said aiming happily at the sky. Suddenly, the once blue sky was covered with a dark cloud. This cloud had the shape of a skull with a snake coming out of his mouth: the Dark Mark. Instants after, all his partners had apparated back to the Manor.
Regulus was left alone in the crying street. He walked behind fucking Potter and proceeded to make his way into an empty alley. He secretly hoped James would follow him. He had to see him one last time, to talk to him. Regulus felt shaken up and began playing with his curls.
He was wearing a hood over his face as he heard Potter's steps approaching him. "Potter."
"Black." Potter said back with a freezing tone in his voice. He leaned against the wall beside him. They were both now alone in an empty, poorly lit cul-de-sac.
Regulus put back his hood, revealing his now grown face. James hadn't seen him in two whole years. He now looked more like a man. He had a defined jawline, darker eyes. His lips formed a straight line. James looked at him for a moment, remembering those teenager moments at Hogwarts when he would kiss him all night long. He wondered if those lips felt the same they had tasted before. He was a million times more handsome than last time. James felt himself blush.
Regulus cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "It's been a while."
James looked at him, still leaning against the wall. "Yeah, it has. Two years, if I recall correctly."
"You're still keeping count, Potter?" Regulus said, trying to sound casual.
"It feels so long ago." James answered. He gently put a hand to his lips remembering what their last kiss had been like.
"I guess." He said remembering those same memories the brown-haired boy was reliving.
He looked directly into James' eyes and saw a shinning light coming from them. James slowly leaned closer and grabbed Regulus by his waist. They both started kissing, soft and tender, but became into a more desperate one.
As their lips met, a rush of emotions washed over Regulus. He felt a mix of nostalgia, sadness, and desperate longing. Every brush of James' lips against his own sent a shiver down his spine, igniting a flame of passion that he thought he had extinguished. In this moment, all the pain and fear of the war faded away, and all that mattered was the feel of James' warm body against his.
As James pulled Regulus closer, he felt a million emotions at once. There was guilt and regret for all the time they had spent apart, but also a deep sense of longing and relief. Every touch of their lips felt both familiar and new, as if they were rediscovering each other all over again. He couldn't believe that Regulus was here in his arms, after so long. So many things had changed in such little time.
Suddenly James pulled back. "I'm sorry." He said evading Regulus' eyes. "I shouldn't have done that."
"It's ok. I get it." He said gently caressing James' hand. "I just wanted to see you one last time." A confused looked swam over James' face. Regulus looked away momentarily before saying "I'm leaving."
"Leaving? Where? Why?" James was starled. He didn't know what the boy meant.
Regulus took his hands. "I'll always remember you. Will you?" James nodded, sadness flodding his senses. The once shinning sun had disappeared long ago. With this, Regulus let go of James and apparated back to the others.
James was left with a puzzled look on his face as he headed back to meet his friends. He didn't know it, but that would be the last time he would see his Reggie alive. After that, he would become history.
Lily looked concerned but happy to have his boyfriend finally by his side again. "Where were you?" Lily asked.
"Nowhere, I just thought I saw someone." James was still processing what had happened with Regulus.
❅♡★☽★♡❅
24th May 1979
The 24th May, 1979 is remembered by some people as the day the lion's heart stopped beating. It is known for a tragic event, leading to the Black House without an heir. This day left a name to not be reapeaten ever again, a brother alone in this scary world, a Gryffindoor alone in his bed and friends with missing pieces in their hearts. This day will never be forgotten by those who suffered.
Regulus had been planning this for months now, and he was ready. He had a chance of survival, little, but enough to keep hope at ease.
"Kreacher!" He cried at his house elf. This last one apparated at the instant his master had called him.
"Yes master?" He said looking down at his overworn socks.
"We're leaving." Just as they were about to apparate Regulus remebered something. "Kreacher, pass me a piece of parchment and a quill." The elf did as ordered, after all he was his servant.
Regulus took the quill with temblerous hands. He began to write on the paper. His letters were nice and neat. They were written with precaution and a smooth fluidity. It showed the contrary of what Regulus was feeling on the inside. He felt extremley nervous, but kind of good with himself. He would finally do something his brother would be proud of. It was a shame he wouldn't be alive for him to tell him he was proud of him. By that time he would be far gone. The quill raced across the paper with a smooth scraping sound, leaving a clear trail of dark ink behind. The smell of ink reminded Regulus back to his time at Hogwarts, where he was actually happy. Those times were long gone by now.
When he finished, the letter read:
To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this
but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret.
I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can.
I face death in the hope that when you meet your match,
you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.
Regulus inhaled deeply and with trembling hands folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He was finally ready. He gestured to the house elf to hold his hand. Kreacher apparated them in the southern part of Great Britain, just as he had when he had come here with Voldemort. They were standing on top of a cliff completely sourounded by water. The sky was clear and the temperature wasn't too cold, but the proximity with the ocean made it cool down a few degrees. The wind was playing with Regulus' hair as he struggled to get back on his feet. He was finally here: at the entrance. The place where it would all begin and end at the same time.
Regulus and Kreacher approached the entrance. Kreacher had told his master that in order to enter the cave, an act of sacrifice had to be made. The key to the door was blood given away by free will. That scared Regulus, but it wasn't something he hadn't done before.
"Kreacher, go search a sharp rock." He said quietly. This moment had been haunting him for weeks and now it was finally here.
Kreacher came back, holding a sharp looking rock in his left hand and handed it to his master. Regulus grabbed it, filled with adrenaline. He put up his left sleeve and carefully traced a sharp line across it. It stung, but nothing serious. He carefully put his blood over the rock, and as if it was magic, it disappeared leaving a big entrance to the cave.
Regulus grabbed his wand. "Lumos!" He whispered. As his wand illuminsted the cave he could see a hundred crystals hanging from the ceiling, creating a magnificent light show. The cave was big enough. It smelled like salt water. You could hear the water droplets falling. It gave Regulus some kind of peace.
Kreacher already knew the procedure, so it was no problem to find the boat. They started rowing. As they approached the island, Regulus could see some marine-like creatures swimming beneath them. Inferi. They were corpes that were brought back to life by the dark arts of Necromancy, the art of reviving death people. They were kind of like zombies, but much more worse.
After a few minutes rowing, they reached the island. Regulus was nervous, he could feel this was the end. "Now Kreacher, I need you to listen to me carefully and follow each order you are given." Regulus said calmly. The emptyness of the cave made the sound echo in every direction.
"Yes, master. Kreacher is loyal master."
"Good, good." He took in a deep breath before continuing, observing the horizon. "Now, I'm going to swallow the whole potion and you are not going to try and stop me." Regulus looked at his elf to confirm he was understanding everything. "Afterwards, you're going to swap the original locket with a fake one."
"Yes, master." Kreacher looked down. He was forced to follow his master's orders, but he had grown up with Regulus by his side and didn't want him to die either.
"Now..." Regulus twirled nervously his dark curls. "... as mi last wish, I want you to find a way and destroy the real locket."
"Yes, master. It has been great knowing you master Regulus." It was his kind way of saying goodbye.
Regulus turned his back carefully to Kreacher and begun drinking the potion. He downed it all in one sip. He fell down to the ground, the effects of the potion coming in. He was loosing feeling over his limbs and his respiration became agitated, gasping for air each breath he took.
"Kreacher!" He winced. Kreacher knew what had to be done. He replaced the real locket with the false one and quickly apparated back to the Black House. He left Regulus all alone. Regulus was on the floor, fighting to survive. The inferi were becoming curious of the specimen that was disturbing them. Regulus couldn't feel any emotion, all his mind was focused on was pain and the conforming fear of death. He tried to stand up but misserably failed, instead falling into the water. Now he couldn't breath. He tried to scream his brother's name, but just couldn't. The inferi started making its way to the fighting body. Regulus was trying to swim up to the surface but wasn't able to do it. The inferi drowned him. He stopped fighting, his heart stopped beating, his brain stopped thinking. He let the inferi dragged him down to where he would never come back. He didn't know death could be so scary, yet so conforming.
This was the night the lion's heart stopped beating...
❅♡★☽★♡❅
25th May 1979
The next morining, Regulus' death had met the Daily Prophet. James and Sirius were calmly having breakfast at the Potter's house when the newspaper arrived. Sirius took it in his hands. The cover read: BLACK HEIR FOUND DEAD. Black heir found dead... Sirius's heart sinked as he scaned the headline and article about Reggie's death. The words "Black heir found dead" cut through him like a dagger. As the knot begun to form in his throat, he could feel the weight of sorrow and grief on his shoulders. He tried to hide his tears, not wanting to burden James, but it was difficult to mask his emotions. James, who was also taken aback by the news, noticed Sirius's sudden distress. He glanced over at Sirius as his eyes were fixed on the paper. Without a word, James reached over and gently put his hand on Sirius's shoulder, offering a silent gesture of support and empathy. Sirius sunk into his best friend's arms and begun spilling his heart out. His little brother is dead, his little brother... He was only 18...
"There, there... shhhh... its ok." James says with a broken voice. He had to try and stay strong for Sirius' sake. Regulus Black dead.
Both boy's day ended up in crying together and sleeping on the couch. They had lost a very important person: a brother and a boyfriend.
Walburga, Regulus' mother, was busy attending to her business in Scotland, immersed in her usual activities. However, an inexplicable feeling of unease crept over her, gnawing at the back of her mind. Intuition told her something horrific had happened.
With a sense of dread, she obtained a copy of the Daily Prophet. As her eyes scanned the front page, the words hit her like a bolt of lightning: Reggie was gone. A wave of despair washed over her. The heir to the Black house, her little boy, was now just a memory. Walburga at the end, did have a little feeling in her heart and it wasn't all rocks and dust. Even though, Regulus would never forgive her after all those years of torture she made him suffer.
The mother's day ended up drinking alone in a pub. She had lost an important person: the heir to her house.
Barty and Dorcas were having a delightful morning off at Evan and Pandora's house. They were enjoying a lively game of wizarding chess in their bedroom, reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts. The atmosphere was filled with laughter and lighthearted banter. Everything seemed perfect.
But then Barty's eyes scanned the newspaper and his heart dropped to his stomach. The headline about Reggie's death hit him like a ton of bricks. His hands trembled as he showed the paper to Evan and Pandora. The others, curious about Barty's sudden silence, asked him what was wrong, but the words got stuck in his throat.
The friend's day ended up remembering Regulus' memories while sobbing uncontrolably. They had lost a very important person: a best friend, a friend and a roomate.
The girls, Mary, Marlene, and Lily, were blissfully catching up with each other in a cozy café, sipping on drinks and chatting joyfully. The cafe's calm ambiance was suddenly disrupted when the news of Reggie's death shattered the air like a thunderous roar. The girls froze, their eyes widened in disbelief. Mary's hands trembled as she held her mug, her lip quivering. Marlene's tears streamed down her face, unable to hold back the flood. Lily let a small gasp escape her mouth as her heart sank heavily in her chest.
All three girls' day ended up in crying alone in their rooms. They have lost a very important person: a friend.
Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, was quietly attending to his responsibilities in his study. He perused the Daily Prophet with a sense of calm, when the article about Reggie's passing caught his eye. A small pang of sorrow echoed within him, but it was followed by curiosity. Why had Reggie fallen victim to the war amongst so many others? The article offered little insight.
Seeking confort, Albus made his way to find Professor Horace and Professor Minerva, knowing full well that both had acquainted themselves with the late Reggie.
Al three professors' day ended up in Dumbledore's study, calmly reliving Regulus' time at Hogwarts. They had lost a very important person: an outstanding student and a great dueler.
❅♡★☽★♡❅