England's Bloody Rose

Flashbacks Chapter #11

"A coward I may have been," Regulus responds, "but I was sorted to Slytherin for a reason. The hat argued between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. On the one hand, I am an intelligent person who loves to learn and discover. However, more dominantly, was my self-preservation. I cared far to much for my life to risk it. I've matured past that, though. My curiosity and growing distaste for the Dark Lord culminated in a starling discovery."

"What is that information?" Lydia asks, "and how did you come across it?"

"It's all in these papers," Regulus motioned to the pile, "I compiled it all. I'm gifting it to you, Sirius, as an apology. I only came here to say goodbye."

"Is he thinking what I'm thinking?" Andromeda whispers to Ted worriedly.

"I hope not," Ted answers, "the kid's only 16 at that point. Too young to be so done with the world."

"Goodbye?" Sirius's eyes widen, "you don't mean to tell me that-"

"Yes," Regulus answers cooly, "there is only one way to defeat the Dark Lord. And it will result in my death. A well deserved retribution for my actions. I simply came to apologize to you. I can't die in peace without doing it."

"Regulus," Sirius's hand is on his mouth, "you can't possibly mean that."

"It's the future Sirius," Regulus himself is shocked, "I can't answer that."

"Absolutely not," Lydia's hands are on her hips, "if you thought that we wouldn't stop you, then you don't know us at all. Actually, you don't, but that's irrelevant. We aren't going to allow a 16 year old to sacrifice himself!"

"That's my girl!" Fleamont claps his daughter on the back, "always the kind one!"

"And I'm not going to allow two people who have their whole lives ahead of them to drown in a cave of inferi!" Regulus shouts.

"Inferi," Lydia's eyes light up, "oh! That's amazing!"

"Yeah!" Sirius shouts, "we'll be fine. Tell us why we need to go to a cave of inferi, and we'll do it."

"You two really are as mad as they say," Regulus looks horrified.

"Inferi!" Fleamont shouts, "oh how wonderful! You'll simply command them to step aside."

"I know Daddy," Lydia beams, "easy as pie."

"Tell us everything," Sirius motions to the couch, "we're all ears."

"Fine," Regulus pulls a few papers out of his pile, "it all began when the Dark Lord made this weird comment. He said he didn't fear death, and there was no way for death to take him."

"So what," Lydia shrugs, "he's an evil egomaniac. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought that. It's impossible to escape death."

"That's what most of the death eaters thought," Regulus agrees, "but I was always rather observant. The Dark Lord boasts a lot, but that's not how he does it. He doesn't make statements. He displays. Also, he would make other statements similar to that, like how he'd taken precautions against death, or how no man could kill him. The other death eaters ignored it, but something about the whole situation irked me."

"Don't tell me a 16 year old figured it out?" Slughorn whispered himself, "if that's the case, then I'm doomed."

"What are you getting at?" Lydia's voice turned cold. A certain forbidden art tingling in the back of her neck.

Regulus pulled a thick book out of his pile, and flicked to a page. "According to Magic Moste Evil, "Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction." After searching through the Black Family Library, I came across an old book called Secrets of the Darkest Arts. In it, many horrific pieces of dark magic are discussed. The most vile is a piece created by Herpo the Foul. Even the darkest of dark wizards refuse to discuss or make one. The only book in which instructions are given, a horcrux is a piece of a soul, broke off through an act of cold-blooded murder, that is enclosed in a container. Upon the destruction of the host body, the horcrux binds the spirit to the Earth as a wandering spirit. There are rituals, however, to reclaim a new body."