Watching Over Our Nation

Chapter 1: Highway to Hell

To his own big surprise, Regulus could eventually open his eyes again. "Am I dead?" He asked himself. Of course, this he already knew: he had to be, he literally just drown- ed!

"Yes, you are, Regulus Arcturus Black," A deep voice behind him answered. Regulus turned around abruptly and faced a man he didn't know.

"And who are you?" He asked "death?" The stranger laughed ans shook his head. "No, but I do know him. I am Lucifer." Regulus swallowed and took a small step back. "Y-you're the devil..."

"Don't fear me Regulus!" Lucifer said in a way that sounded as if he were talking to a good friend. He spread his arms wide open. "You and I both know you never really feared me, why start now?"

"Well, what are you gonna do with me?" Regulus asked, regaining his posture and putting up his mask of indifference. "We have a lot in common, did you know that?" Lucifer continued, completely ignoring Regulus' question.

"I don't think so," Regulus said. Lucifer only laughed at this. "Oh, but we do. We're both underappreciated. We're always the villains and always seen as evil. When in fact, we actually help the heroes save the world."

Regulus stopped to think about that for a second, and realised he was kind of right. He'd always been the villain in Sirius' books, from the moment that Hat put him in Slytherin. Even though Sirius knew him, he wasn't like their family.

"What do you want from me?" He finally asked Lucifer. What was he after? And why? Lucifer smiled heartily at him. "I don't want anything from you Regulus. I'm just here to welcome you."

"So what's next? Am I supposed to go anywhere? Do anything? Or is there no space left in hell?" That would be a shame, Regulus thought to himself. That would've been the perfect place for Mother and Father. And probably him as well.

Lucifer's smile grew even larger, which, if Regulus was being honest, looked kind of psycho, but he knew not to comment. He once witnessed Sirius comment on Mother being psycho. Well, he would be the first to tell you, that did not end too well for Sirius.

"Nothing else is coming. Except the other people of course! Everyone meets here, in this little place. So you will see all your friends and family again." Regulus rolled his eyes at Lucifer, because he couldn't help it.

"I thought you knew all about me, didn't you?" Lucifer nodded and Regulus almost scoffed at the stupidity. "Well then you must also know that I, Regulus Arcturus Black, do not have friends. And my family sucks, mostly."

Lucifer's smile only faded a little. Regulus appreciated the lack of pity from this man. But other then that, he seemed to be rather amused. That annoyed him more. "But dear Regulus, you do. I can show you. What about Pandora? Barty and Evan? And Dorcas, she could never stop loving you!"

"You sound like God," Regulus responded dryly, though he could not lie and say that he wasn't sort of moved. He really had missed Pandora and Dorcas. And Barty and Evan were always his friends, of course. To his amusement though, Lucifer seemed a little offended by his comment.

"I do NOT sound like God, he's much worse! He's- everything I am not!" Regulus couldn't help but snort at the devil before him. This wasn't as bad as he'd expected.

"If I will meet everyone here, where is everyone? I don't see anyone except you here." Lucifer, probably relieved to change the topic, smiled again and spread his arms again. It was a habit that didn't appeal the Regulus at all. Not a single bit.

"It's a bit further, only a few minutes walking towards the highway there." He pointed right, but Regulus couldn't see a highway yet. Wait, yes he could, in the distance there. "Let's go then," Regulus said, starting his walk, while Lucifer followed him.