Heavenly Bodies

Bonus Chapter | Regulus

He lay awake long into the night, staring up into the shadows, listening to Cassia's deep, slow breaths. A weight lay on his chest, and it didn't move when he flipped onto his side. His eyes traced Cass's sleeping form. The lines that creased her face when she was awake were gone, the stress of the day forgotten in favour of sweet dreams.

How was he to leave her? How could he possibly go, knowing that this time, he probably wasn't coming back? Or, even if he did, that they would have to leave England, leave everyone they knew and loved, and go into hiding?

A part of him knew he was doing this for her, so that one day, maybe sooner than before, Voldemort's reign would come to an end. But was that enough? The promise of someday? Couldn't he just pass the information on to Dumbledore? Let someone more experienced deal with it, while he and Cassia stayed right here?

But then Cassia moved closer, curling into his chest, and he knew. This was between him and Voldemort. He wasn't even sure he was right. It was better for him to go with only Kreacher than to risk an Order member with children who needed them. 

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and stood, gathering the note and locket from his nightstand. Taking clothes from the dresser, he went into the kitchen to change, so he wouldn't wake her. He heard Cassia shift as he came back in, and looked over his shoulder, seeing her blink sleepily.

"Rey? What are you doing?" She yawned, propping herself up on her elbow. He leaned over and kissed her gently.

"Go back to bed, love. I'm just going to get a glass of water." She nodded sleepily, laying back down. Within seconds, she was asleep again. Regulus looked down at his fiancee, brushing hair off her face tenderly.

"I love you to the stars and back," he whispered, kissing her once more on the forehead. Then he disappeared.

~

"Master Regulus," Kreacher was peering into the lake surrounding the island, "Kreacher sees Inferi in the waters. Kreacher thinks Master should go home to Miss Cassiopeia."

The pit in his stomach told Regulus the same, but he retrieved a goblet from his bag. "No matter what, don't stop feeling me the potion, okay?"

"Kreacher should drink," the house-elf frowned at his master,  "Kreacher has already felt it, he can handle it again. Then Master can switch the locket and go home."

"No. I'm not letting you go through that again. I drink, you switch the locket, then you apparate us home. Cassia will be able to heal me, and it will all be fine." Regulus forced a confident smile. He kneeled, his hands clasping the cufflinks at his opposite wrists. Kreacher took the goblet from him, filling it from the bowl and setting it to his lips. 

And as he began to drink, he thought of Cassia, watching the memories fly by as Kreacher filled and refilled the goblet. An agonizing fire burned through him, but his eyes never wavered from her image in front of him. 

And so he drank.

And drank.

And drank.

And the pain became all-consuming, making his hands slip and eyes glaze over. His throat burned like he had downed a bottle of firewhiskey. Distantly, he heard a scream, someone begging to make it stop, please make it stop, just stop. He heard Kreacher soothing, saying one more, just one more, Master, then it will stop.

At last a cheer from Kreacher, the plink of something in stone. Regulus pushed himself to his feet stumbling as the pain intensified. It was as if he was being burned from the inside out. Water. He needed water.

"Master Regulus, stop! You will hurt yourself," Kreacher tried to grab his wrist, tried to pull him away from the water's edge, "You must think of Miss Cassiopeia."

He forced Regulus's thumbs over the cufflinks, watching Cassia flicker into place above them. Regulus's head cleared for a moment, the pain made bearable, if only for a moment. It was a memory from fifth year, the Slytherin vs Ravenclaw game. He smiled, remembering how confused she had been. 

But then a scream, and he relived the terror of watching her fall, plummeting towards the ground, unconscious. How she had hit the ground, slowed by Dumbledore's magic, but still. She had looked dead. He tore his hands away, stumbling away as his hands pulled at his hair.

Kreacher cried out, and Regulus felt something grip his ankle, yanking him back. And as his back hit the water, he screamed, "Go home, Kreacher!"

The last thing he heard was the crack of apparition.