Rabbits and Rattlesnakes [Regulus Black/OC/Tom Riddle ]

Chapter 19

I lay on the grass in our back garden waiting for Regulus to return home. I closed my eyes, trying to trick my body into believing that the pale rays were from the French sun of the day before. There was a sudden chill, and the yellow glow of my eyelids seeped into darkness as the light was stolen from my skin. I looked up to see him. His feet were placed either side of my waist as he crouched over me. He tilted his head to the side, a strange smirk across his face. His elbows rested on his bent knees, his clasped hands resting just above my chest. He read the confusion on my face.

"It's nice to see you back on English soil, Miss Griffin." I felt trapped, just as I had trapped the deranged professor days before. I pushed myself upwards, forcing the Dark Lord to stand and remove himself from over me. As I stood I watched his eye assess me. His black suit standing in front of my small cottage made him look as if he had been wrongfully pasted onto a painting. He scanned my body and I became increasingly aware of how my flimsy white slip dress pressed against my skin, clinging to the curves of my body in the breeze. Instead of covering myself I let him look at me. 

"A French souvenir." I stated as he admired the fabric, and the body underneath it. When his eyes returned to my face I saw his jawbone clench slightly. The wind pushed my hair upwards around my face, but his hardly moved. It was as if even the world itself couldn't affect him.

"I know what you did." His tone had changed, his words creeping out quiet and low. I lifted my hands to my hair, collecting the mania and tying it into a ponytail. His eyes followed my fingers as they gently swept the sides of my face, his body tensing as my thin dress lifted up my thighs.

"Aren't you proud of me," I smiled sweetly "my Lord." He swallowed hard, his fingers stretching and retracting at his side in frustration.

"He deserved it, I'll give you that." He kept his expression cold and determined. "But that's the problem isn't it?" He moved closer to me. "It isn't hard to kill someone who deserves it."

"We all have to start somewhere." I argued, irritation growing on my brow, making him raise his index finger as he looked down at me condescendingly.

"Did you enjoy it?" His finger traced the outline of my cheekbone, curving down my jaw until it hooked itself under my chin making sure I couldn't escape his gaze.

"No." I stated, assessing the disappointment in his eyes. "I didn't feel anything at all." A small grin grew on his pale lips.

"Maybe there is hope for you after all, little one." His large thumb rubbed across my cheek before slowly grazing over my lips. He was confused by how alive I felt, how warm the sun had made my skin, and how the breeze lifted my hair wildly. His body felt drawn to me, but his mind was filled with the clangs of warning bells. I parted my lips, letting my hot breath flow over his skin. His hand froze as his entire body went frigid. As I lifted my tongue to his skin I saw a flicker of shock in his eyes. I lowered my mouth around his wide thumb, my tongue swirling around the tip. He released a small, shaky breath. It was so small, but seeing him break even so slightly made me feel electrified. We stared at each other as he started to push his thumb further into my mouth harshly, my tongue humming with the taste of him. The slight parting in his lips paired with how his wide frame loomed over me made my legs squeeze together. He noticed, his eyes darting down to wear my dress caught in between my thighs. He returned his gaze to my face, pulling his damp thumb out and rubbing the saliva across my lips roughly, the rest of his hand gripping my chin.

"Is that why you're here, my Lord?" I whispered up to him. "To teach me?" The narcissist in him was exploding. He squeezed my face before dropping it, lifting his thumb to his mouth, brushing it gently against his lips, thinking for a moment. His other hand reached for his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief.

"You think you're a worthy student?" He clenched his jaw as he aggressively wiped his thumb clean of me. He bent down, bringing his face to mine, his black eyes narrowing. "Why on earth do you think you're worthy? That you're special? You're a girl, a stupid child, a nobody." He spat through his gritted teeth. "You're just another whore, Miss Griffin. Like so many that have come crawling to me before." I stared back at him, a fire growing in my stomach spreading it's heat through my limbs. Then... I laughed. I stared at him and laughed. Was it really that easy to get him so riled up? The terrifying Dark Lord regressing to using lame, derogatory insults to try hurt me. It was hilarious. It was pathetic. We both reached for our wands, jumping back as we extended our arms towards each other.

"We all begin as nobodies, my Lord." I sighed, my laughter still visible on my lips. "At least we seem like nobodies, but we know don't we. We've always known." Our wands stayed perfectly still, each pointed to kill.

"I'm the descendent of Salazar Slytherin." He smirked, his mocking tone riddled with rage. "I've never been like you." I laughed.

"I thought fear was something you earned, My Lord? Not a title your mummy gave you." I jumped to my left, only just missing the cruciatus curse he screamed towards me. I knew better than to retaliate. The time hadn't come yet. He stood still, his chest heaving. He looked like the embodiment of death, his porcelain skin floating towards me shrouded in a cloak of anger and resentment. I lowered my wand, a gesture I had hoped would be reciprocated.

"How do you know about my mother?" He sneered as he poked his wand into my chest. I tilted my head, making him realise how stupid that question was. Regulus' mother had been the year above him at school. Very few knew the Dark Lord's identity, and those who did rarely spoke of it but dear old Walpurga wasn't afraid of much. It was the only thing we appeared to have in common.

"Why?" He whispered, anger and confusion making the skin on his face twitch incessantly. There were too many questions within that one word, and too many responses I could give.

"We're more similar than you think, My Lord-" He pushed his wand deeper into my skin, his teeth chattering with frustration.

"No. Why? Why are you doing this? Why do you insist on speaking to me like-"

"The difference is you were born into this role." I spat, anger swelling in my stomach. "I have to find my own way. Until recently I thought I had a plan. I thought I knew how to use my skills to get what I want, but then-"

"Then you met me." He grinned, but his pride was misplaced.

"Then I met Regulus, my Lord." His smile drooped. "He made me question what I want, and how far I'll go to get it. He has a darkness inside him that matches my own. And he loves me-" He laughed, a cruel mocking laugh. I shook my head. "Love can be very powerful if used correctly, my Lord." I stared at him coldly. "Your followers may fear you, but they'll all run in the end. Regulus will die for me." His laughing lowered, creating an eery layer of silence over us.

"So, we're both destined to be alone at the end." He breathed. I swallowed hard, trying not to let his words reveal my biggest fear.

"Just as both of us were at the beginning." As we shared the breezy air between us there was an unspoken moment of companionship. These words brought both of us immense pain, but we took solace in the fact that our inevitable loneliness was not itself alone. We were both doomed. We heard Regulus call my name from inside. I looked to see his lanky body through the wonky windows. When I turned back in front of me the Dark Lord was gone.