Upside Down Mirror: A Grim Tale (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Loopholes

"Master Regulus?"

Regulus knew he shouldn't hear Kreacher's voice given the fact he'd sent the House Elf away with the locket fully expecting to die, so when he heard the House Elf call out to him, he at first thought the voice was the result of the potion he drank so he might get to the locket which contained a part of the Dark Lord's soul.

"Master Regulus, please wake up."

A pair of silver-grey eyes fluttered yet saw nothing at first. Opening his mouth to say something in response instead elicited a coughing fit from the young wizard, water – putrid water – coming out of his mouth. Thankfully, he lay on his side, curled up into a fetal position which in turn didn't seem right given the fact he should be dead, in the waters surrounding the small island with the Infiri.

His vision cleared in roughly the same moment Regulus registered bony fingers rubbing the middle of his back, but he heard Kreacher's voice attempting to soothe him. "There, there Master Regulus. Everything will be alright."

Except, Regulus knew everything wouldn't be alright. His eyes closed, letting out a deep sigh as his lungs crackled from some of the liquid left inside while one hand reached up to clench the front of his clothing. While he wasn't dead, he found himself soaked to the bone. Mentally, he couldn't take stock of his injuries, yet there were far more important things than himself. "Kreacher?"

"Yes, Master Regulus?"

"Did you..." Regulus stopped, taking in the place they were yet finding himself unable to recognize any key features, though the fact he felt the wind blowing definitely meant they were outside. His eyes closed, knowing the lack of light would prevent him from getting any kind of bearings. "Did you disobey my order?"

The words came out with difficulty, but then again, his lungs still crackled with the water in her lungs. While he couldn't see Kreacher, he did feel the House Elf's bony fingers tighten around the back of his clothing. Then, the House Elf pulled away. Worse, Regulus knew what would happen next, regretting his choice of words. The House Elf began banging his head into the ground while sobbing. "Kreacher is sorry Master Regulus! He will not ever do it again. He...

"S...stop!"

Regulus stammered. He attempted moving, only for his entire body to protest. His body still felt drained of all energy. Despite this, he managed to move, the need to comfort the creature and prevent Kreacher from hurting himself. From his new position of sitting, he saw Kreacher's features in the dim light and how he still quaked obeyed Regulus' order to stop what he was doing.

Weakly, Regulus lifted his arm. "Kreacher, I need a hug. I need a hug to really know that I'm alive. A gentle one please."

Silently, the House Elf reached out, wrapping his bony arms around Regulus' small frame. Kreacher was gentle, something Regulus didn't need to stipulate in his order. The young wizard rested his chin on the top of Kreacher's head, closing his eyes while his fingers felt the all too familiar top of Kreacher's head before moving to stroke the House Elf's large ears. He took a deep breath, coughing slightly. Kreacher pulled away slightly, obviously worried. "Master Regulus."

"How did you do it? I mean, I don't remember a time you've ever disobeyed an order." Regulus grimaced remembering something. "No. That's not completely true. If you can find a loophole in Sirius' orders you did."

"He broke Mistress's heart." Kreacher muttered into Regulus' shoulder. "He broke your heart as well."

"Don't. Don't let maman let you hear that. I don't want to see you punished. I hate it when you're punished."

"Kreacher knows."

"But still..."

"Please don't be mad. Kreacher found a loophole."