Assumption // Regulus Black

48

A/N: I'm having so much fun posting randomly :)

Regulus

We had maybe three weeks left of school when I received yet another unexpected letter. One that had unfamiliar writing on the envelope. And a wax seal that had the Malfoy family crest.

Weird.

No death eater had ever written directly to me- let alone someone in the inner circle.

It was this fact alone that told it wouldn't be smart to open the letter in front of my friends at dinner. I inconspicuously lowered it underneath the table to prevent any onlookers. I then opened up the envelope and read the short letter in my head. 

Regulus Black,

  The Dark Lord requires a house elf for a two-day mission. Creature is very loyal, as I've heard from Bellatrix. It would be an honor for you and your family to volunteer him for the cause. Unfortunately, he does not seem to have the best relationship with Bella, so I've written to ask you for your permission. If you wish to fulfill this great honor, send your elf directly to my address.

   Lucius Malfoy

Dear Lucius Malfoy,

No. Absolutely not. I will not be sending Kreacher (which by the way, you spelled his name wrong) on a mission I know nothing about which could get him killed.

Kindly fuck off,

    R.A.B

That was how I wished I could respond to Lucius's letter. But alas, I knew what sending that would result in. 

I haven't mentioned Kreacher much to you. He was my first real friend besides Sirius. I'd known him my whole life. I was the only person in my family who seemed to care an ounce about him. And there was no way in hell I would be sending him on a mission without knowing the consequences- especially when house elves were viewed as disposable beings. 

I folded up the letter, glancing around once to make sure no one had noticed me reading it. Luckily, the crowded hall was alive with conversation. I then angled my head slightly to the right.

"Snape," I gritted to the boy who was sitting next to me, picking at his food. The boy looked up, and I nodded my head slightly to the door of the Great Hall. I then stood up and walked out with the letter tucked into my pocket, hopefully going unnoticed by the other students. I waited outside the hall for Snape who emerged a minute later to avoid causing suspicion. 

"Come with me," I said. 

We wordlessly walked up a flight of stairs, knowing that most people were still at dinner. Only a ghost floated past us, uninterested in our presence. We made our way down a dark corridor until I found an abandoned storage room.

We entered the empty room, and I handed the parchment to Snape. I silently watched him scan the few lines, brow furrowed. When he was finished, he looked up at me with a questioning expression.

"I don't get it, what's the issue?" Snape asked dryly. 

"The issue is that I don't know what the mission is," I replied.

"Does it matter?" He asked. "It would bring a huge honor to your family."

"Yeah, but I don't know what the mission is," I repeated. "What if it's dangerous for him?"

"Him?" He asked.

"Kreacher."

Snape let out a scoff that made me clench my fists.