In Noctem [English version]

𝕻𝖗𝖊𝖋𝖆𝖈𝖊

It was cold. It was dark. The sun was beginning to sink even as the snow had stopped falling. It was quiet. Everything was white, immaculate. A young man with dark hair and a serious look was walking in the snow. He was not looking ahead, he was staring at his boots. His long coat, as black as his name, left an even trail behind him. He entered a forest and continued down the valley. He was not thinking, yet his concentrated air would have claimed the opposite. If his eyebrows were furrowed, it was because the young wizard had the impression that he was being followed. He didn't look back.

He continued walking like this for what seemed like an interminable amount of time when he raised his head. Two black eyes were staring at him. Sitting majestically on a rock, bare of snow and resting between two trees, was a white wolf. The wizard caught its gaze and did not lower his own. A strange feeling came over him. He seemed to know him. He could have guessed who it was if the animal had not come down to run behind him. It was not long before he guessed what had made it run away. A shrill cry broke the stillness of the place. It sent a shiver through the young wizard's body. It was not a normal scream. No, it came from elsewhere. From far, far away. As if it did not belong to this world. In front of him, a blinding light had just come on. At the bottom of the valley, two wizards seemed to be fighting. He took a step forward and kept the same serious look. Regulus Black knew what he was looking at. Himself.

On a plain below, the snow had melted. Regulus Black was one of the wizards holding his wand tightly, struggling against his opponent's spell. He did not see his face or his stature. The wizard was a shadow. At his feet, he could see his best friend curled up on a body. Regulus shuddered. He was struggling to protect Ethan Vardar. He didn't know why, or when, or how, but everything in him felt urgent and dead. The wizard gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to his opponent. He wanted to insist, to try to determine who he was facing. Suddenly everything around him went black. He was now alone in the darkness. Ethan had disappeared. He saw the wolf again, staring at him. Only this time his gaze was filled with the deepest sadness. Regulus felt a panic of fear rise up inside him before a spell was cast behind him, sending him to the ground in great pain.

A jolt woke Regulus with a start. Opening his eyes, he was relieved to find that he was still on the train. He clenched his jaw, annoyed that he always reacted this way. Moving his cheek away from the window, he straightened up and found Ethan Vardar's worried gaze before him. His best friend was slightly shorter than him. He had dark, wavy brown hair and a body more muscular than his own. His two brown eyes stared back at him.

- That nightmare again? he asked.

- That same dream again.

He was lying. It was a nightmare. Only he would never admit it. It was ridiculous. He could not be frightened by himself, it was simply grotesque. Even though it was becoming more and more frequent and frightening, he refused to be distracted by his unconscious. Regulus Black was not the type to try to understand the unspeakable. He had to stay focused on his mission and not waste any more time explaining his dream to himself.

- You don't look scared when you have a nightmare.

- That's because it was a dream.

Ethan frowned, unconvinced. The train then changed direction, shaking them both slightly. Regulus decided to look at the landscape before him. His best friend couldn't understand. Unconsciously he put his right hand on his left forearm. His mark was itching and he knew why. It was the Dark Lord. He was waiting. And Regulus could feel it. Swallowing hard, the young wizard pretended to put his cloak back on tightly to release the symbol of his commitment. He had to be strong. Powerful. Certain and confident. After all, he was Regulus Acturus Black, son of Orion and Walburga Black, and for the past year, a Death Eaters. He had a mission. He had to do it, even if that wolf with the evil look haunted him.

|

By the French version of blueskyling222