The cold air of the cave pinched her skin making the hairs on her arm stand up.
The darkness seemed to creep up onto them, propelling them into the unknown
"Lumos"
Moving their wands around they realised the cave was flooded, it's walls being eroded by the water spraying against it, the ceiling dripping with the salt water that had been propelled above them.
The moon hung in the sky causing the light to ripple against the water.
Their shoes clicked as they walked across the wet rock, squinting into the cave.
Zenevieva turned as cast her light over regulus, "you must obey every command I give you without question Regulus. Do you understand?"
"Zenevieva-"
"Do you understand?" She whispered harshly
"...yes"
"Should I tell you to hide, you hide. Should I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to abandon me and save yourself, you must do so. Your word, Regulus"
Regulus didn't say anything but have her a short nod
"Is this the place Kreacher?" Regulus asked quietly
"Oh yes, Kreacher is very sure" the elf replied
Zenevieva ran her hands across the cold jagged rocks.
Regulus' eyes widened as she pulled a dagger out from her robe and sliced it across the palm of her hand drawing blood.
"Zenevieva?!" He hissed
"In order to gain passage, payment must be made. Payment intended to weaken any intruder" she replied, not even wincing at the pain. Pain didn't effect her anymore, "this is dark, old, magic Regulus. Cant you feel it in the air?"
"No?!"
Zenevieva looked at him scrutinisingly, she could practically feel her cousins soul and magic vibrating within the air
"You should of let me!" Regulus whispered angrily
"Don't be an idiot" Zenevieva rolled her eyes, "It doesn't hurt"
Pressing her palm to the rocks it shifted and cracked; they watched as an archway formed before them, leading them through into a large opening and body of water.
Zenevieva walked slowly to the waters edge followed by Regulus and Kreacher.
Kreacher was about to dip his foot in the water unknowingly before Regulus pushed him back, "be careful Kreacher" he said, "wait here for Zenevieva and I to return" he bent down to the elf's level, "remember what we discussed before hand, you shall obey Zenevieva as well, I demand it"
"Of course Master Regulus" Kreacher bowed
Zenevieva walked back and forth next to the waters edge. She moved her wand around, trying to illuminate the cave and grasp her bearings. Flicking her wand she sent the light off over the body of water.
"There it is" she whispered looking to the flicker of light in the distance
"How do we get there?" Regulus asked
Zenevieva only smiled at him, it was unnerving, as if she was so confident in herself and her ability to handle her magic.
She held her hand out, reaching towards the light in the distance.
Suddenly, the water below started to bubble and gurgle.
A thick chain was suddenly pulled up from the depths of the water and flew into her hand.
"A little help Reg?" She asked, passing the chain to Regulus who pulled it tightly, pulling whatever was on the other side closer.
An old rowing boat emerged from the water, bobbing slowly as it drifted towards them.
The pair of them climbed up to where a pedestal stood ominously on the rocks surrounded by the black water.
"It's here" Zenevieva whispered, "I can feel it"
"Me too" Regulus nodded feeling a shiver run down his spine.
Zenevieva cast her hand over the basin containing a colourless liquid that swirled with black clouds, "it has to be drunk... all of it" she frowned looking to Regulus, "do you remember what I told you reg? This potion might paralyse me, might make me forget why I'm here. It could try and cause me so much pain I'd beg for relief. You have to make sure I keep drinking his potion, even if you have to force it down my throat"
"Why can't I drink it?" Regulus asked pleadingly
"Because pain doesn't affect me as it would you. Like is how it is going to be"
Regulus only looked at Zenevieva with a set jaw and hard eyes as she picked up the shell that was placed next to the basin, dipping it into the potion and bringing it towards her lips.
She took a sip, closing her eyes as she swallowed.
Her head fell backwards that the strange burning feeling that pricked up her neck and into the back of her head. Her body started shaking involuntarily as she took in hollow breaths.
"Zenevieva!" Regulus rushed placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her steady.
He lowered her to floor slowly as she collapsed before him.
Her shaking continued as she lifted her arm towards the potion, gesturing for more,
Regulus picked up the shell and filled it with the liquid.
Zenevieva took sip after sip, her head felt like it was about to burst into a thousand pieces, her insides felt like they were being twisted and tugged into knots. Still, it wasn't the worst pain she'd ever felt.
"Come on Zen, we're nearly there" Regulus hushed, stroking her hair as Zenevieva took the last sip.
"Regulus" she started her voice hoarse and dry, her head pounding, "water" she gasped
Regulus climbed up to the basin, there laid the locket.
He picked it up in his hands, caressing it with his thumb as he inspected it, "we did it Zene"
"Water" she repeated
Regulus nodded, pointing his wand at the basin, "Aguamenti"
He reached forward about to collect the water for Zenevieva when it ran straight through the shell that they'd used as a cup.
"Regulus, water" she repeated, "...water"
"Aguamenti!" He shouted hoping it would work
Once again the water just trickled through the shell.
"Water..." she whispered sounding weaker and weaker
Regulus, panicked, glanced down to the dark lake that surrounded them.
As he dipped the shell into the cold water the light that Zenevieva had cast faded away, throwing them into instant darkness.
"Lumos" he said, lighting up his wand while he bent down to collect the water.
He'd barely dipped the shell into the water when a hand jerked forward, clutching his wrist suddenly.
Staggering backwards he watched the creature start to emerge from the water, it's corpse like body dragging itself up the rocks.
"Stupefy!" He yelled blasting the inferi out into the water.
Slowly but surly, thousands emerged. Surrounding all angles of the island as they crept up the rocks.
Regulus ran to Zenevieva's side, protecting her while she was on the floor from the encroaching Inferi.
"Sectumseptra! Stupefy! Insendio!" He yelled, blasting and burning the closest Inferi.
Zenevieva let out a jagged breath from the floor, trying to muster all her strength.
She watched with panic as Regulus started to become overwhelmed with the corpses emerging from the waters.
"R-Regulus..." she croaked, reaching for her wand but unable to grasp it, "reg, my wand"
Regulus couldn't hear her over the blasts from his wand, his yells as he threw the Inferi off his body and the whispers that echoed the cave.
They towered over him as Regulus tried to fight them off.
There was too many.
He stood over Zenevieva as he fought them away while more approached. Sending spells in every direction he draped the locket around Zenevievas neck.
From behind him an Inferi latched into his leg making him stumble backwards into the crowd.
Zenevievas fingers grazed the tip of her wand as she desperately tried to reach for it. Lurching herself forwards in a last attempt she wrapped her hand around her wand and dragged herself up.
Stumbling onto her feet, she grasped it tightly.
She felt her anger for Tom rush through her veins like poison.
"Bombarda!" She screamed, sending a blast into the group of Inferi that had latched onto Regulus.
The Inferi went flying backwards, propelled into the air before smacking into the water at the far side of the cave.
"That was a close on-" Regulus started
"No!" Zenevieva screamed as she watched a singular Inferi latch onto Regulus' ankle, yanking him backwards making him fall into the water.
Zenevieva screamed as she saw hundreds of Inferi swim towards Regulus as he thrashed around trying to break the surface of the water.
She watched as they grappled at his legs, pulling him further into the unknown.
He reached up, his arm outstretched and hand out as he was being dragged further and further down; bubbles escaping his mouth as he screamed silently.
Zenevieva lunged forward, throwing her arm into the water, reaching for Regulus' hand.
Her finger tips grazed his as he slipped through her grasp, disappearing into the darkness.
Zenevieva screamed, throwing her arms up, causing the surrounding water to arise from the lake, forming a swirling whirlpool above her.
She scanned the floor of the lake desperately searching for Regulus, hoping to see him breathing, his heart beating.
The Inferi swirled above her in the whirlpool she'd created as she let out a sob.
There Regulus laid, pale and unmoving.
His dark hair laid limply across his face, soaked and dirty.
Zenevieva dropped to her knees, letting out a scream that burnt in the back of her throat. She sent the water blasting into the rocks along with the Inferi caught up with in it. It crashed against the caves walls before once again settling back into the lake.
Silence.
Silence except the soft dips of water that fell off the walls and Zenevievas sobs.
She collapsed to the floor, her knees scraping the rocks as she stared into the darkness of the water.
Her finger tips caressed the surface of the water, the ripples distorting her reflection.
"Regulus" she whispered, "reg..."
Zenevievas Gaunt shattered, she'd broken into a million pieces that could never be re-fixed.
Tom Riddle had taken everything from her.
Everything
And he would regret it