Filthy Purebloods | ʳᵉᵍᵘˡᵘˢ ᵇˡᵃᶜᵏ

Killer

It was late August. That gave Sidra roughly five months to complete the task. The impossible task that made her want to throw up every time she thought about it.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw that muggle boy. She had been right there and she did nothing to save him. Of course, that was a stupid thought. She would have been murdered if she said anything and she was far too cowardly to stand up to Voldemort, but still...

Watching someone die had made her sick. How was she meant to kill someone?

The thought haunted her. She began to pick at her nails every time it invaded her mind until her fingers were raw and bloody. It was just a reflex; she had been so utterly disturbed.

And she couldn't back out now. That was the worst part of it.

No. The worst part was the fact that Regulus hadn't been disturbed at all. He had been entranced with the Dark Lord's every word. He had sent her a letter not long ago saying he was going to complete the task that night but she hadn't heard from him since. She hadn't replied.

Sidra collapsed onto her bed. What ever was she going to do?

Ϟ

Sidra met with Marina on the platform and as she hugged her best friend and breathed in her apple-scented hair she realized just how much she had missed the loon.

Sidra tried to hide her worries behind faux smiles and laughter and stories of how she and Regulus were now something of an item, but she realized that Marina wasn't her usual zestful self either.

There was an emptiness in her eyes.

She wondered what had happened to Marina. She wasn't recruited so it wasn't as if she had witnessed someone eaten alive or had to sit in the presence of a murderer. Nothing could dull Marina's spark as far as she was concerned, but it looked like something definitely had.

She was just about to ask when Regulus pulled open the compartment door. "Sidra, I need to talk to you."

She glanced between them and Marina sent her a reassuring smile that didn't reach her eyes. Sidra promised herself she would talk to her friend later in their dorm. Seeing Marina so dishevelled disturbed her greatly. So many things seemed off-kilter this year.

Sidra followed Regulus to the compartment reserved for prefects. It was empty and the moment they slipped inside he closed the door and locked it.

"How–" Before she could get a word out, Regulus's mouth was on hers. It was tender and sweet but also starved as though he had been waiting a long time to do it.

His hands snaked around her waist as they broke apart. She finally got a good look at him and it made her heart - which was just beating madly - sink.

Purple bags lined his eyes and although he had sharp features naturally, he seemed more bony than the last time she had seen him. Leaner with hollow cheeks, as though he wasn't eating or sleeping. He looked his normal self, with the way his hair was brushed and how his uniform was perfectly done up but his face...

Sidra brushed her hand along his sharp cheek. "Reg..."

"I did it, Sidra." He told her and his lips pulled into a small smile. "I completed the task."

"What?" She tried to distance herself but was locked in by his hold.

"I told you the night I went to do it. I did it quickly without the muggle seeing me... From behind."

It explained how he looked. He may not have said anything but Sidra could hear in his voice that it was taking its toll on him. He was wracked with guilt. Part of her wondered if that was a good thing - she didn't want to be with someone who could kill without a second thought.

Although looking at Regulus now, she couldn't imagine not being with him no matter the reason.

"And did you see Voldemort again?" She whispered.

He nodded and glanced back, releasing her before he rolled up his left sleeve. Tattooed on his arm in black ink was a mark of a skull with a snake coiling out of the mouth like a tongue. It wavered slightly on his arm and he quickly pulled down his sleeve.

Sidra sat so she wouldn't collapse.

Her beloved was a killer. And if she wanted to be with him she would have to become one too.

Regulus sat beside her and pulled her legs onto his lap. "I've missed you." He murmured against her cheek.

Their proximity stalled her mind on thoughts of murder and the Dark Lord and she soon gave in to his advances, allowing Regulus to hold her tightly and kiss her. Her hands curled in his hair, drawing him closer because even a sliver of space between them felt like too much.

She wondered if it was too soon to feel this deeply about him. She wanted to spend every waking moment near him, breathe the same air he did and constantly be touching him. Yet they'd only been together for a little over two months.

His breath was cool and addictive and she wanted more in a way that no amount of him could ever satisfy.

Eventually, they pulled apart and sat back in the seat. Regulus's arm was around her, their hands linked.

"Tell me about it." She urged. "What was it like to... you know." Sidra was desperate to know what it was like to kill someone. Could you see the life leave their eyes? See their last breath? Feel it? Did the air change when someone was killed?

Regulus stiffened slightly. "I told you I did it from behind. I didn't see what really happened. I used the curse and when it hit him, he froze and just collapsed onto the road."

She nodded, taking it in. It was instantaneous then, being hit by the killing curse. That made it a bit better, she thought. At least no one suffered.

"Do you know who it was?"

He shook his head. "No, but I was tipped off about the muggle family living there."

Sidra froze. Did he murder the man outside of his house?

They sat in silence for the rest of the way, thoughts swimming about Sidra's head. When the time came, who was she going to have to kill?