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Regulus coughed, blood splattering the wet ground beneath him. Water dripped from his hair and robes, and he shivered. A warm hand brushed over his shoulder, and he flinched, pushing it away weakly as he rolled onto his back.
When he opened his eyes, there was someone sitting above him. Warm fire surrounded them on the small rock, keeping the inferi at bay. Regulus opened his mouth to try and speak, but all he managed was a whimper from his hoarse throat. A soft voice was speaking to him, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was saying.
“Reg.... lot of blood... thinking?” The voice was concerned, and a gentle hand was maneuvering his head onto a cushiony surface. He let his eyes slip shut again.
The second time Regulus woke up, he noticed he was no longer in the cave. Instead, he was lying on a tan couch in a small room, and his entire body was wrapped in bandages. Sirius Black was sitting next to him. He coughed weakly.
“Regulus?” Sirius’s eyes shot up from the cup of tea he had been staring at. Regulus looked at him with wide eyes.
“Sirius?” The name came out hoarse and painful sounding. Sirius’s eyes softened, and he smiled pitifully.
“Hey Reggie. You need some water?” Sirius’s tone was soft and kind. It was so unlike the last time they had spoken, Regulus almost wanted to cry. Instead, he just nodded. Sirius carefully helped him sit a bit more upright on the couch, and ran a gentle hand through his tangled hair before standing and filling a glass with water.
“Listen, Reg, we can talk about everything later, okay? I know what happened. For now... just let me take care of you.”
Regulus coughed, taking the glass from Sirius and drinking it quickly, ignoring the way it made his stomach twist.
“Okay.”
Almost a month had passed since the cave incident, and Regulus had pretty much fully moved into Sirius’s apartment. Now, he was sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly into his cup of tea. Sirius sat across from him, idly sipping his own cup.
“So... Reggie. I think we need to talk. About all of this.” Sirius’s voice cut through the silence, and Regulus looked down at his hands in his lip. Sirius sighed. “Listen, I know quite a bit, I think, but I don’t know everything and we really need to talk about it. I know you’re scared, it’s okay, that’s valid Reggie, but this... it’s too important. So please, talk to me.
Regulus raised his eyes, looking up at his big brother, the man who had taken care of him for over three weeks without question, despite his known history as a Death Eater. He owed him an explanation, at the very least.
“I... um... I guess, after you left I... I was really scared. Of mom. So... I did whatever she said. I joined the- the Death Eaters because she told me to. I promise... I never... I never believed in any of that bullshit.” Regulus sucked in a shaky breath, waiting for Sirius to interrupt him, but when none came, he continued.
“I guess... he liked me or something because... I rose through the ranks pretty fast and... he trusted me enough to ask to use Kreacher. And Kreacher... he told me everything.” Regulus gulped. “He told me about the Horcrux and I... decided I... couldn’t just sit back and do nothing anymore. So, I just... came up with a plan and I stole it.”
“Reggie... you are a fucking idiot.” Sirius’s voice finally interrupted him, and Regulus blinked up at him in shock. “Why didn’t you tell someone? You could’ve come to me! I would’ve helped.”
“Would you have? Because as far as I was aware, you thought I was just another shitty Death Eater who didn’t deserve your sympathy.”
Sirius went quiet, looking away.
“Reg, listen. You... you’re not wrong. And I’m really sorry.”
Regulus bit his lip, looking back down into his now-cold cup of tea.
“Sirius...” His voice was small when he spoke. “I... I know. It’s okay. I just... I wanted to do something good. I did good, right?” Regulus felt tears welling in his eyes, out of his control. Sirius reached across the table and grabbed his hand gently.
“You did good Reggie. You did so good.”
In the spare bedroom of the apartment, Salazar Slytherin’s locket pulsed with rage.