The Search Is Over

Chapter 57

Too frequently events occurred when a person was not ready for them. As if the act of not wanting a thing called it like a siren song. It happened the next night when Regulus was hunting down his evening meal with Kreacher at his side. He knew he should've known such a showdown would come to pass considering he frequented the darker parts of town in his constant hunt for Death Eaters. He should've expected it, but somehow he'd believed he could avoid the situation until he was prepared to act on it properly.

He and Kreacher had just dodged behind one of the more seedy bars so that Regulus could feed from the Death Eater he was fortunate enough to find stumbling drunkenly through Knockturn Alley and shouting that he had troll teeth for sale. Regulus should've been scanning for other minds in the area, but he was more concerned with shutting the loud drunk Death Eater up. Noisy prey drew notice to the hunter as well, after all. Regulus had just flung back the hood of his borrowed cloak of invisibility so that he might lock eyes with his dinner and thus command him to be silent when he heard a cry from just ahead.

"Silence," he told his meal, then lifted his gaze to search for the cause of the disruption.

Three hooded figures huddled like crows in a tight knot just ahead.

"Regulus?"

The gasped voice was all too familiar and caused his blood to run cold with dread. No! He really wasn't ready for this right now! If he explained himself, he was literally putting them all in danger if the Dark Lord happened to see it in the minds of the three who now stared at him in open shock.

"No," he said, deciding then to use vampiric suggestion on them and make them forget they'd ever seen him.

"Rubbish," Bellatrix hissed.

"That's Kreacher with you! We aren't stupid. Regulus what have you done?"

She approached, face full of open concern before her eyes narrowed and one hand moved toward the wand tucked into the side of her corset.

"You've betrayed our Lord. That's what everyone is saying!"

She drew her wand, and Regulus sighed, holding up a restraining hand.

"Please, Bella. I don't want to fight you."

"I ought to kill you," Bellatrix said angrily.

"I don't hear you denying the charges, Cousin! Why?"

"No I am not denying the charges, but there is more to it than you know."

"No reason could be good enough for you turning traitor! Do you know what a blow that was to our family, Regulus?"

"Bella, Please."

She threw a hex, though obviously not with her full heart in it, as he easily dodged.

Though the two Lestrange men followed close behind her, neither had reached for their wand yet.

Now that they were so close, Regulus finally took in how thin all three were under their billowing cloaks, and how haunted and haggard their faces were. All had a madder than usual edge in their eyes that caused his heart to twist in sorrow. A result of too many years in Azkaban or the compulsion the Dark Lord had placed on their minds? Did the reason truly matter? Neither made him less guilty, for he had a distinct part in their fate due to his own choices to handle his discovery about the Dark Lord as he had.

"Please, Miss Bella," Kreacher spoke up from where he remained close at Regulus's side.

"Yes indeed, Kreacher," Bellatrix snapped angrily.

"You've just put us all in danger, and do you even care? I ought to kill both of you on the instant."

Regulus knew he should erase their memories of seeing he and Kreacher here tonight, but something in him hated to do so considering their minds had already been through enough forgetting at the hands of the Dark Lord.