Smile When You Dive In

Chapter 17

The first of June was a full moon. Since finding out about Lupin, Regulus had started to pay more attention to that. He felt badly about being so relieved Lupin would be suffering that night, but it meant that James wouldn't have time to notice that Regulus was acting strangely. In the week leading up to the full moon he had been more attentive than ever, apologising that he'd have to ignore Regulus for another few days. Regulus didn't tell him that he was secretly grateful for the distance, but he did let himself enjoy James' preemptive apology regardless.

The arrangements were meticulously planned. Snape collected Regulus after dinner, when he made an excuse to the girls and bade them goodnight. As they snuck down through the grounds, Snape grumbled endlessly about what Lupin and his friends would be up to that very night. Regulus looked up at the full moon, and wondered what Lupin must have thought when confronted with the same sight. Malfoy had told them that he would collect them from the same place he had met them previously, when he had asked about Sirius. He didn't say that, exactly, but it was all Regulus thought about when Malfoy decided on the spot. After that, once they were safely off the ground and out of Dumbledore's reach, Lucius used side-along apparition. Dark smoke enveloped the three wizards and Regulus felt his insides twisting and rearranging. It was a sensation he'd only experienced a few times in his life, and one he was not looking forward to making a habit out of.

When they landed, they stood outside a large but unassuming house. It was just like many of the houses Regulus had visited with his parents as a child, and a quick scope of their surroundings gave him no clues as to their exact location. Trees lined the cobbled wall that surrounded the house, obscuring his view of what lay beyond the manor. Malfoy was eager to rush him and Snape into the house before Regulus could ask too many questions.

Inside, there were several men in black cloaks similar to the one that Malfoy was wearing. Regulus thought that Snape was probably disappointed he didn't get the memo. They were speaking in hushed voices, huddled together in small groups. One man's eyes shot up as the door closed behind Regulus, and he looked directly at the youngest Black. It wasn't anybody that he recognised, but Malfoy seemed to be on cordial terms with them all. He shook a few hands as they walked through the hall, but stopped once he reached a large wooden door. There, a much older man stood with his head bowed and hands clasped. Lucius whispered something into his ear, and the man looked up at Snape. He shook his head. Lucius whispered something again, clearly angry this time. The man cleared his throat, and Lucius backed up with a huff. Then he whispered something to Snape, and Regulus stopped paying attention.

He looked around at everybody, wondering if any of the people present were friends and colleagues of his father. Orion Black was something of a mystery to his youngest son, and he examined each face, hoping to see somebody that he had seen before. At first, he had thought that they were all men but could now see that there were a couple of women present too. Across the room, he could see Bellatrix speaking animatedly with a stout man. When she spotted them, she tapped him hard on the arm and made a beeline for her cousin.

"Lucius! I see you've brought them." She said once she reached them, clearly giddy. Bellatrix was wearing the same cloak as everybody else, but her wild curls pushed out from her hood in all directions, making her impossible to miss or mistake for another.

"Ah, Bellatrix. It's nice to see you, too." Bellatrix had never liked Lucius, and Regulus got the feeling that the dislike was mutual. He and Bellatrix competed for Narcissa's attention and affection, and Regulus honestly couldn't say who usually won that battle. He thought that once she had a child like she had always wanted, the battle would be won once and for all. Maybe then, Lucius and Bellatrix would learn to get along, both sidelined by the child. Next to him, Lucius placed a hand tightly around his elbow.

"You take Snape in, I'll wait out here with Regulus." Bellatrix told him, barging past Snape and clasping onto Regulus' hand. It wasn't the same way James held his hand, was more possessive and hurt a little.

"Snape won't be going in tonight. I'll take Black." Snape looked rather disappointed at this news, but didn't say anything. They had been given strict instructions not to speak unless spoken to, a rule Regulus was more than used to from home but one Snape seemed to be having more trouble with. He had the same indignant look on his face that he wore when telling tales at school.

"He's my cousin, Malfoy. It makes more sense that I should take him." Neither seemed willing to let go of Regulus, each digging their fingers into him as they continued their battle of will. Regulus wondered if he would get a say in anything. He didn't quite understand at first but as the man moved from in front of the door and it swung open magically, it occurred to him that Lucius and Bella were arguing over which of them would get to present him to the Dark Lord. There must have been some advantage to it, some reason that they both wanted so desperately to give him the gift of the Black heir. From inside the room, a voice called out:

"Lestrange, Black. In you come."

With the sulkiness of a small child, Lucius sunk back into the crowds with Snape. Bellatrix pulled at Regulus' hand, leading him into the room. He wasn't sure he had seen her so excited since he was quite small and she had been telling him, Sirius and Narcissa all about Hogwarts. She had always put on quite the show of telling them all the wonders of the Slytherin common room and the spells she had learned. It was the same now, Bellatrix sharing her latest find with her 'baby cousin', absolutely convinced he would be in awe of her brilliance. Once they were into the view of the man though, her whole demeanour changed. The man wore a cloak like all of the others, but he sat on a tall, carefully carved chair, almost like a throne. She bowed deeply, still giddy as her curls brushed the hardwood floor but managing to contain herself for once.

"My Lord! I present Regulus Arcturus Black, son of my father's sister." Bellatrix hit Regulus low on the back, and he took the hint and bowed to the man, the Dark Lord. He spoke again, voice clear and booming just as it had been from outside the room.

"Good, Bella. Now leave us alone together." Regulus' head turned quickly to Bella, hoping she wasn't really going to leave Regulus alone with the stranger. He had expected only to catch a glimpse of the man he'd heard so much about that night, not to be having a conversation with him, and certainly not to be left alone with him. But Bellatrix seemed only too happy to leave him, bowing once more with a grin plastered across her face.

"Yes, my Lord!" She practically skipped from the room, and the heavy door closed once more behind her with a click. Regulus was now alone with the man, and finally looked at him properly. He could see what Snape meant about the man being 'marred'. His skin had an odd texture to it, and his hairline had receded back almost to where his hood sat atop his head, with only a few tufts of black hair on show. The Dark Lord's eyes looked painfully bloodshot and though his voice and posture were that of a younger man, his face seemed aged beyond his years. He reached up his hands to slowly push back his hood, watching Regulus as carefully as the boy was watching him. He smiled.

"Regulus. Come and sit with me." He indicated to a chair beside him, one that Regulus hadn't noticed until it was pointed out. Something inside of him told him that he should be wary of being that close to the man, but he trusted Bellatrix and Narcissa enough that he did as he was told.