Smile When You Dive In

Chapter 18

"Now," The Dark Lord's voice was softer after Bellatrix left them, and he smiled at Regulus in the way that a kindly Professor might, "do you have any questions for me?"

Malfoy had been very clear, Regulus was not to ask questions. Anything the Dark Lord chose to share with him should be cherished, but it was not his place to ask for information. Still, there was one thing he couldn't help but ponder. Bellatrix and Lucius, and now Snape, spoke of the Dark Lord and his vision for the future. He was going to make things better in the Wizarding World, they said. He would remove all of the corruption, and bring back the light to magic. It all sounded very positive, and they never mentioned violence in any of that. But if that was the case, Regulus couldn't understand why they would refer to him as the 'Dark' Lord. He had heard people call his followers 'Death Eaters'. The connections to Dark Arts just didn't make sense with all he had been told about the man's ambitions.

"No." Regulus answered dutifully, hoping he would sound obedient rather than rude. Did the Dark Lord want him to have questions? The man laughed heartily.

"That's a very clever observation, Regulus." He said, making no secret of the fact that he had been reading Regulus' mind. He must have been doing a much better job of it than Snape or even his mother ever did, because Regulus hadn't even noticed he was doing it. Regulus was impressed. "Would you like me to explain?"

Regulus nodded, then spoke. "Yes." It was a pet peeve of his mother's when he or Sirius would answer a question non-verbally, so Regulus always supposed it must have been quite rude.

"A long time ago," he started, "when I was at Hogwarts, I started a little club. Somewhere I could get together with like-minded individuals. We called ourselves the Knights of Walpurgis." Regulus wondered which was a stranger name for a group of students, that or the 'marauders'. The Knights of Walpurgis sounded a little too close to 'Walburga' to be something he could ever talk Sirius around to.

"Yes, I believe your Uncle Alphard said something similar." The Dark Lord once again responded to Regulus' thought with a chuckle. This time, Regulus did speak.

"You know my Uncle Alphard?"

"I did. We were at school together. As I said, he wouldn't join my little club though. No matter." The Dark Lord waved a hand, smile still in place. He didn't recall his Uncle Alphard ever mentioning a Dark Lord, but then he had always liked Sirius better than Regulus, so if he was going to say anything interesting about his school years he would probably save it for him. "The Knights evolved into what you see here tonight, Regulus. Many of the founding members are in this very house. It was they who coined the term 'Death Eaters', and 'Dark Lord', and who am I to refuse them? I am not their master, nor their King. I simply arrange these get-togethers for wizards who strive towards the same goals."

"Blood purity?" Regulus asked, hoping he could finally clear up the man's stance on that.

"You're skeptical." The Dark Lord pointed out. Regulus wanted to deny it, but wasn't sure he could. He wasn't sure there was any point in denying it, since the man could so clearly see his every thought. "That's alright. Fetch me that basin." He pointed a long pale finger over to where a white basin sat on a windowsill. Regulus obeyed without a second thought, carrying it back carefully. The Dark Lord placed it down between them, along with a marble that he pulled from a pocket. With one tap of his wand, the marble became an identical basin. The Dark Lord filled one with water from an ornate jug.

"Roll up your sleeve, Regulus." Regulus did so, confused. Surely he wasn't to receive the mark so early? The Dark Lord turned over his hand so that his palm was facing upwards. He was right in front of Regulus now, and when he dared to look up at the man, he suddenly saw what he thought Bellatrix must see in him. She had always described the Dark Lord as handsome, and while he couldn't exactly agree, Regulus thought that perhaps he had been, once upon a time. When he was in school with his Uncle Alphard, perhaps. When he remembered that the Dark Lord had moments ago been reading his mind, he quickly looked back down to his wrist, hoping that he hadn't been paying attention right then.