Mastermind

Black Sheep

Warnings: I'm sorry.
Let's take this in chronological order, yeah?
mentioned animal abuse/cruelty/murder (Bellatrix is torturing a cat, it's only mentioned and in no detail)
referenced murder/death
mentioned torture
injury, blood, slashing
murder, death

It's quite a long chapter, there's a lot of shit happening but the first half may feel a little info-dumpy

Also, after writing about 30 chapters of this I learned (or re-learned) that the reason no one wants to say Voldemort's name was that there was a curse on it which led Death Eaters to their location. We will be ignoring that bc it's inconvenient to change all of that now and as usual fuck jkr

__

And I am, and I am sinking now
'Cause the water's over my ears
And I can't hear no sounds
Scream out or drown
Can you hear the voices now?
Go home and back to sleep
And count the black sheep
Lay down your head
This is how you've made your bed
Go on away from me
I am the black sheep
- Black Sheep by Palaye Royal

April 1978

With a goal in mind, many things are easier.

Kill Voldemort.

How?

1. gain his trust
 a) be a good student
  b) admire him just the right amount to scratch his ego without seeming desperate

2. uncover his secrets
   a) motives?
    b) hiding places?
    c) feud with Dumbledore?
     d) claimed immortality?

3. uncover how his entire army works

4. figure out how powerful he really is
     a) he has to be overexaggerating at this point or he's just not in a hurry to take over the world

5. weaknesses

6. exploit weaknesses !!!

7. use everything against him !!!

8. diminish his ranks from within
      a) sow mistrust and instil paranoia
       b) he can trust me ofc but the rest? never!

9. kill Voldemort

Regulus can concentrate on this. As long as he can concentrate on it, he doesn't focus on James. He doesn't focus on his worry and his fear. No thought about last year passes through him on his 17th birthday.

He has the list locked away from Voldemort in the same place as his relationship with James.

He is surer of Voldemort's capabilities as a Legilimens now. Regulus can beat him in that regard. He requested continuing his education every instead of every second weekend which was met by that look of mild appreciation and satisfaction Voldemort has adopted from Walburga. During some of those study sessions he has left his mind open just a crack, just enough for Voldemort to think he can take advantage of it, seeing bits and pieces of a fight he had with Sirius. When Voldemort prodded at his brain, he didn't get far. Regulus could fight him off, shielding his private thoughts. He knows exactly where Voldemort's capabilities end with that.

So far, the most important revelation of these additional study sessions was the identity of Voldemort's other protégé. The one who has impressed him with creating a dark object by use of potions.

Severus Snape.

Weak-minded, validation-seeking Severus Snape with the obsession for a muggleborn witch who rejected him just often enough to turn him into a spiteful little creature who now devotes himself to a man aiming to kill people like his beloved.