The Story of Regulus Black - Years 5-7

XLII. See It in the Stars

CW: child abuse & attempted suicide (not from self-infliction, simply from giving up when in a life-threatening situation)

Regulus was pacing. He was in the empty classroom, and he was pacing, and he was trying to figure out how, exactly, he was going to alter the timeline; how he was going to save Francesco and Benji without being seen, heard, or stopped.

It was much harder than it sounded.

But, he didn't even have the time-turner yet; he didn't have the means to complete whichever method he chose. But, that did not mean that he couldn't think and plan so that he could spend less time doing that very thing when he did receive the means.

It was only then that he realized that Kreacher had been gone for a suspicious amount of time. He furrowed his brow, and his pacing slowed, and a whirlwind of stress. His mind wandered to the elf, and the worst possible scenarios began playing through his mind like a sadistic sort of program.

And then, the wait was over. Kreacher appeared, and Regulus jumped at the sound of the crack of his appearance. He recovered quickly, looking eagerly at the elf and waiting to be given the time-turner.

But, it never came.

Kreacher was looking nervously at Regulus, hopping from foot to foot in a weak attempt to ease his anxiety. Regulus was looking at Kreacher's wringing hands, half expecting the time-turner to show up in his grip. But, it never did, and he looked at Kreacher with confusion clear on his face.

"Where is it?" He questioned, voice a few octaves higher from the sudden anxiety that he was under.

Kreacher gulped, and he lay his ears flat against his head as he began to speak in rambles. "Master Regulus is be telling Kreacher to go back to the same place! Kreacher is be going, and Kreacher is be using the key to be opening the drawer, but the drawer is be being empty! Kreacher cannot be finding the necklace that Master Regulus is be telling him to!"

Regulus blinked slowly as his heart dropped into his stomach and then that dropped down to the floor. "What?"

"Kreacher is not be being able to find the necklace that Master Regulus is be looking for! It is not being in the same place as last time! Kreacher is not be knowing where it is!"

Regulus took in a slow breath, eyes closed as he tried to calm his nerves. "Well then go find it." His voice was sharp.

Kreacher gulped again. "Master Regulus, Kreacher is-"

"Kreacher, I command you to go and look for the fucking necklace!" Regulus's voice was more venomous than Kreacher had ever heard it, and he shrunk away from the tone. Regulus felt guilty as soon as the words had left his mouth in such a harsh manner, but he didn't have time to take it back.

"Yes, Master Regulus," and Kreacher was gone.

Regulus sighed, shutting his eyes and raking his hands through his hair. He was losing his temper, and he was full of thoughts, and he was even snapping at Kreacher now. He knew that he was going back to how he had been in the worst months of his life - back into the episode of darkness that Regulus had been struggling to fully climb out of since his fourth year. As it turned out, the loss of two people close to you wasn't very good for one's mental health at all.

He went back to pacing. He was running his hands through his hair, and he was pacing, and he was shaking his hands in front of himself as he breathed out and tried to expel his nerves. When Kreacher returned, Regulus had one thing that he wanted to say first.

"Kreacher, I'm so sorry. I... I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, and I'm sorry. If you can't find it, it's not your fault. I shouldn't snap at you." His voice was sincere, and he was staring directly into the large eyes of the house elf in front of him.