Love, Life, And Lies- Regulus Black

.a soul torn apart.

Guys, I'm so sorry that this chapter is so long. I'm kind of the worst sometimes. There was just no good way to break it up! I hope you enjoy it despite its ridiculous length!

.I'm a monster you know. i'm one of the dangerous ones.

The day dawned with a fire in the sky. Shades of brilliant red and orange filtered in through the curtains, creating the illusion that the world was burning. And it just as well might have been burning.

The relief of sleep never found me that night. My thoughts revolved entirely around things I could not control. Before I knew it, the day I had dreaded since I'd opened the envelope in the Great Hall had arrived, and there was nothing I could do to stop the forward motion of events.

Oddly enough, it seemed as if the terror that had gripped me every time I merely thought of this day had fled. I'd spent so much time fretting about it, that now that it was upon me, I felt remarkably numb. Maybe numb wasn't the right word, what I felt inside was an eerie sort of calm.

It was incredibly fitting that a red dawn had broken through the inky darkness. I grew up on fables of a red sun rising, in the nautical world, it meant that a storm was brewing and that sailors would see trouble on the seas that day. It seemed the fable was true, and that it foretold more than just physical storms.

We had stayed at the Black family manor that night and would for the rest of the Christmas holiday. My parents were very good friends with Cygnus and Druella, and they had offered up their manor as a headquarters for the Dark Lord. I quietly pulled on the dress my mother had laid out for me, long-sleeved, and completely jet black, devoid of any color. It was symbolic of the resignation of my life to the shadows of death. I was going to be branded a Death Eater. Such a future was the source of my deeply rooted fear, but now that it was upon me, I felt only cold and calm. Like snowfall.

There was a knock at my door, and it startled me, I hadn't been expecting anyone for at least another quarter of an hour.

Cautiously I crossed the room and placed my hand on the door handle, wondering who it could possibly be. The Dark Lord wouldn't lower himself to come to my chambers to speak with me, my parents had been boarded on a different floor and were always precisely on time.

I slowly pulled the door open, revealing the calm, collected face of exactly the person I wanted to see before I went through with this. Regulus. He slipped inside, and then pulled me into a tight hug, gently running his fingers through the loosened locks of my hair.

"I wanted to see you before everything happened." He murmured into my hair, his scent filling my head and bringing a sense of peace to my already calm demeanor.

I pulled away to look him in the eyes, knowing I needed his strength. "I'm glad you came," I whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear us.

"Are you ready?" He questioned, bringing his fingers up to my cheek, they were soft, and his touch was reassuring.

"Yes, I am. I feel oddly calm this morning." I replied, placing my hand atop the one he had rested on my cheekbone.

He nodded in reply, his eyes flooded with compassion. "I have something for you." He whispered, dropping his hand to reach into his pocket. He pulled out a little velvet black box and handed it to me.

I opened it and gasped to find a necklace that seemed to be made of stars. It was a delicate silver chain, and attached to it were tiny diamonds that glittered under the orange waves of light that penetrated the room. I recognized the formation of the stones immediately, it was the constellation that I was named after.

Cassiopeia.

"Regulus," I said, my voice hushed in awe, "It's beautiful." He gently took it from my hands, undid the clasp, and turned me around to put it on. His fingers were light as they brushed my hair over my shoulder and warm as they grazed my neck.