Markless and Armless {A Regulus Black story}

Chapter 1

The screams were gut-wrenching. Regulus sat on his bed facing the wall, his hands to his ears and knees to his chest.
"He's going to be all right, he's going to be all right, he's going to be all right." Regulus tried to ignore the quiver in his own voice as he said this. His whole body was trembling. It had never lasted this long before they had always stopped hurting Sirius before this.

Sirius, oh Sirius, oh stupid strong willed happy Sirius. They're going to break him, Regulus thought to himself. They're going to break his wonderful older brother. Regulus continued muttering to himself hoping for an end to the screams and the sound of the unforgivable curse his parents enjoyed to cast.

The relief didn't fully come when it stopped. The screams stopped so Regulus slowly uncovered his ears. He could hear the sound of his parents and cousin walking down the stairs.
"He's weaker now, even if he's still in a state of mind to disagree he'll know better than too now." His mother said very officially.
"Shall we send for the dark lord?" His father asked no sense of emotion in his voice.
"I'll do it uncle!" Bellatrix Regulus' older cousin said excitedly before laughing unhingedly.

Once upon a time Bellatrix had been so kind to them all. According to Cissy, one of Regulus' other cousins, Bellatrix used to hold him when he was a baby and make all the cousins play families where she was always the mother and he was always her baby. He was too young to remember that soft side of Bellatrix when people called her Bella or Trixie. Maybe the world had been too harsh for her because now she was cold, harsh and seemed to never be quite there.

Regulus slowly got up off his bed and walked to the door and crouched by the lock. He was waiting for Sirius who would soon come limping down and go to his own room where Regulus would check on him via their secret passage way. The Black manor had many secret passage ways including the one between the boys rooms. In each of their wardrobes there was a door at the back which opened into the other's wardrobe. They never found out if their mother or father knew about it but they always used it to tend to one another after they were punished. So he waited. Expected Sirius never came.

Maybe if he had some common sense he would have figured that Sirius would've left and maybe if he had some common sense he would've figured out what they wanted to do with Sirius.

When he heard people coming back past the hallway by his bedroom he quickly backed away from the door and sat by the wall beside it. There was another person who hadn't been there before. The front room had a silencing spell over it, a reason why the boys weren't allowed inside it unattended. That meant that whoever was with them had used floo powder to get in. The people passed his bedroom without a second thought not having a conversation. There was no noise other than their footsteps until they reached his father's study.

"WHERE HAS HE GONE! ORION YOU IMBECILE YOU LEFT THE FLOO POWDER IN HERE!" Walburga Black his mother screeched from the study. The voices turned more hushed after that but Regulus still kept his hands over his ears. Suddenly he heard people running down the stairs. The unmistakable foot steps of his mother and father.

His door swung open. It opens outwards so he couldn't hide behind it, he did that when he was younger so they charmed his door to open differently. His mother walked in hands on her hips.
"Why are you sitting there like that you stupid boy?" She asked sternly. He knew the question wasn't to be answered.
"Where is he?" She asked staring at him.
"Wh-who?" He stuttered in response. She griammaced at his stutter. His stutter was only prominent around his parents and sometimes around Sirius. They hated it but no matter what they did it was always there.
"Get up." She ordered. Regulus was paralysed by fear. She sighed,
"Orion." She called Regulus father.

Orion grabbed Regulus his upper arms and pulled him up. Regulus tried to struggle for freedom but he was only 15 and short no match for his father. As he was dragged up the stairs he screamed for help.
"SIRIUS! SIRIUS HELP!"
His mother only tittered,
"He can't help you any more." She said coldly.
"Wh-what?" Regulus said, all the energy in his body seemed to drain out of him.
"Are you so thick you can't figure it out? Sirius was going to take the dark mark, but he left. The dark lord was promised a son so you'll have to do. It's a shame Sirius was so much stronger." His mother said faking sympathy like she understood Regulus' pain like Sirius had wronged her.

He felt limp after that realisation. Surely they were lying, Sirius wouldn't leave him would he? He had promised to be there for Regulus.

The study had such a cold atmosphere but Bellatrix was still giggling. She was muttering under her breath,
"One of us, one of us, Reggie will be one of us."
He tried his best to ignore the other presence in the room. The other whelmingly painful one of the dark lord.
"My lord, the black family humblely apologies for our first born son, he has been promptly disowned. We now offer to you our second born son Regulus Arcturus Black, a 5th year Slytherin." His mother said her arms firmly on his shoulders. She bowed down and placed on of her arms on his head to push it down.

"A Slytherin, hmm wouldn't make a good spy but I'm always acceptant if new blood for our cause." The dark lord said pronouncing his S's like a snake.
His father grabbed Regulus left arm and rolled up his sleeve. The dark lord placed his wand which was brimming with dark magic onto it. The pain was awful but nothing he hadn't gone through before, the hardest part was not looking at the dark lord. Some of the boys at school said that if you looked the dark lord in the eye you would turn to stone.

His parents left him alone after everyone had left but not before taking all the floo powder in the house and locking it up. Regulus tried scratching the mark off his arm but it didn't even remove it a little. He thought about what Sirius said about those who had the mark. He thought about those already found dead, the rumours about the make floating above them and decided he couldn't do it. He grabbed his wand and walked down to the kitchen.

One quick silencing charm later he called Kreacher.
"Yes master Regulus?" Kreacher said bowing.
"What orders did my parents give you?" Regulus asked holding his wand tightly in his right hand.
"They told me to not let you use the Floo powder and to not let you contact Sirius." Kreacher replied.
"That all?" He asked.
"Yes master." Kreacher answered.
"I have an order for you, I want you to cut off my left forearm patch it up and then apparitied me to the Crouch's family house." Regulus said quickly and bluntly.
"Cut off your arm? Master Regulus that seems-" Kreacher began.
"Just do it." Regulus said holding his still sore left arm out and closing his eyes. The next thing he knew Regulus was going through pure agony. He was screaming so loudly and was glad for the silencing charm. Regulus felt like throwing up when he heard his left forearm hit the floor.

Kreacher immediately began fussing over his arms and gave him some herbs and bandages. Regulus stuck his wand in his pocket and picked up his amputated arm, not daring to look down.
"Take me to the Crouch's now." Regulus ordered. Kreacher nodded solemnly.

Regulus nearly collapsed infront of the house but still had just enough energy to stand up. Kreacher knocked on the door and with a crack a house elf opened it. The house Elf gasped,
"Master, Mistress!?" It was a female house elf.
"Who is it Winky?" A woman called while briskly walking towards the door. She opened it wider than the house elf originally had the door opened a crack. The woman promptly screams and fainted.
"Mum!" A boy yelled before looking up at the doorway. "Regulus? Oh merlin what happened you better come in."

The house elf winky quickly brought Mrs Crouch to her bedroom and Barty's father quickly called the ministry after hearing what Regulus had to say. Regulus who was very weak leaned onto Barty for support as he felt his consciousness leaving him.
"Merry Christmas by the way mate." Barty told him. Regulus almost laughed at that he had forgotten it was Christmas day.