𝙇𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚

:myself once more:

Regulus despised the muggles with whom he was stuck with. From the moment he saw first saw Petunia Evans he knew that she was nothing like Lily—-his Lily—his mother.

Lily had kind eyes—-gentle eyes—-strong, green, eyes that soothed his soul.

There was bitterness in Petunia's eyes.

(And pain—-so much pain because her Lily was gone. Dead. And it was the freaks who took her baby sister away and killed her.

Petunia hated them.)

Regulus hated it.

But what could an infant do?

(They murdered her sister and she could do nothing.)

::

There was an apathy between them.

They cared for him but only with great reluctance.

That was fine.

Regulus owed them nothing.

::

She cared for the boy with indifference.

The boy was one of them.

One day he would leave and live as one of them and they would be rid of his kind for good.

He would die as one of them too.

She paused.

::

"Kreh," he said and carefully shaped his mouth. "Cher."

Nothing.

Damn, he cursed.

Was Kreacher even alive?

He needed to know.

Regulus tried again.

Nothing.

He hated this body.

"Krea-cher," he called and for a while nothing happened.

And then he heard a pop.

"Nasty mudblood boy dares to call Kreacher..."

Regulus winced. He would really have to work on that.

"But how did the nasty mudblood call Kreacher who serves the most nobl—"

The house elf froze—ears quivering—and bright hopeful eyes wide like the moon.

"Master Regulus?" Kreacher whispered.

Regulus nodded.

Kreacher let out a wail but immediately clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the sound.

"But—but Kreacher saw Master get pulled into the lake..." he whimpered. "Kreacher saw..."

The elf shook his head.

"Does Master want to go home?" He asked Regulus. "Kreacher can take Master from this wretched muggle place."

Home.

His first thought was Godric's Hollow but then he remembered that James and Lily were dead.

His parents were dead.

Regulus let out a sob.

He wanted to go home.

He wanted Sirius.

Kreacher picked him up gently. Quietly, they disappeared into the night.

::

Kreacher did not take him to Grimmauld Place.