Faith in Fear | A Regulus Black Story.

Chapter 9 - Treachery

March 31st, 1980

Destroying two horcruxes in less than 24 hours was not something Regulus had expected he would be doing when he became a spy for the Order. He had never thought that anyone would be mad enough to make more than one horcrux. To think that anyone would want to make one at all was mad enough, but he had already found out about three of them. Though, what could he have expected from someone like the Dark Lord? What could he have expected from someone who was desperate to try to live forever?

What would a man do when he's faced with his only fear and his fear is death itself? Who would he put between himself and death? Who would he sacrifice to survive a little longer? How do you understand a mad man that is really no longer a man himself?

Regulus tried not to think too hard about it all. He was only going to further scare himself and that was the last thing he needed. He was already scared enough just on his own.

After his escapades at Gringotts, he immediately went to Sirius and explained to him everything he had just done. Then, he left him with the broken goblet and asked him to immediately deliver it to Dumbledore for him. He couldn't risk bringing it back to Grimmauld Place and having it found by any one of his snooping family members. Nor could he risk going straight to Hogwarts in the middle of daylight, so his only option was to hope Sirius could take it for him.

"You've already destroyed two horcruxes!?" Sirius shouted in shock. Regulus shushed him. "Sorry."

"Yes, Dumbledore found out that a basilisk's fang can destroy a horcrux, so that's what I've been using." Regulus explained. "We tested it on the locket and when that worked I went to Gringotts where Bella hid another one in our family vault."

"That seems rather convenient, doesn't it?" Remus added in from their living room arm chair.

"It does, yes," Regulus agreed, "but I'm taking whatever opportunities arise for me. The sooner this is done, the better chances we have."

Sirius agreed to take the broken goblet to Dumbledore for him and let him know that Regulus was working on his plan on how to get ahold of the diary. Regulus also decided that it was for the best to not mention his... brief encounter... with James as well. Unless James mentioned anything to them, he wouldn't say anything himself.

After that, Regulus just had to return to Grimmauld Place and act none the wiser about their vault. For all they knew, he had never been to Gringotts at all. It's not like he ever said where he was going and they never cared to ask.

He didn't hear anything about what he had done for weeks and it was starting to seem like maybe he had gotten away with it. He just needed to plan how the hell he was going to get into Malfoy Manor and manage to get away with the diary, let alone find the diary.

He had a few options. He could try and get himself invited for dinner and try to sneak off, he could find a way to draw them away just long enough for him to get in and out, or he could just waltz right in and hope no one questioned what he was doing.

Sure, they were technically his family, Narcissa was his cousin he grew up with afterall, but he couldn't just invite himself in. What the hell was he supposed to do?

As he thought over any ideas he had to get in, he perched himself by his bedroom window and watched as the rain outside continued to pour down on the London streets. He watched as people absentmindedly walked by under their umbrellas or sprinted down the street, holding a newspaper over their heads.

Muggles were always so weird to watch. He had found it odd that for such a muggle hating family that they would live so close to them all. Living in a hidden house amongst the people they didn't even consider to be people. It was odd. Muggles were odd, but they weren't bad like he was taught. Just simple, living unaware of the war going on in a world they couldn't even see. Simple, normal, muggles.