The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

Please, No More

Please, No More

"In. Get in. Hurry up, Regulus."

Sirius's hand was firm on Regulus's back, pushing him into the little clubhouse in the attic. Regulus landed in the sea of blankets they'd arranged over the ancient oriental rug. Sirius knelt down behind his brother, facing Regulus, illuminated by the triangle of light coming in through the flaps of the old duvets they'd made into doors.

Regulus wanted Sirius to come in, too.

"Please," he begged, extending his arms to his brother, "Please."

"Father and Mother are really upset, Reg, you need to stay here, alright? Please just stay here," Sirius's voice was as firm as his hand had been.

"Come in and tell me about Snuffles," Regulus pleaded.

"I can't Reg," Sirius replied, shaking his head. "Promise me you'll stay here."

Regulus choked on the air that fought its way into his lungs as Sirius backed away on his knees, letting the flap swing shut, and the light cut out. Regulus hugged his knees and listened as the attic door closed and the stairs creaked under Sirius's weight... and though he couldn't really hear the spells being cast from the attic, he'd heard them enough from his bedroom or else from the stairs all summer. He knew what Mother did to Sirius in the library... She'd been using the torture curse on him ever since Sirius's funny obsession with the little muggle boy in the park had started tearing the family apart, ever since Mother started saying There Was Something Wrong With That Boy and that Sirius's Thinking Had Gone Funny....

And though he couldn't hear the curse, he could hear his brother's voice crying out...

And it was because of the Dark Lord. It was the Dark Lord's fault. Oh what a scary thing the Dark Lord was, not someone to be crossed or else you would end up tortured - like Sirius - and Regulus was very, very scared of being tortured... He was scared of anything that made his brave, strong older brother cry out like that...

And still, he could hear Sirius's voice...

Coming to slightly, Regulus clutched the stone table, his knees gone from beneath him as he gasped for air. In his fist was the small black vial.

His mind might have been in Grimmauld Place just now, but his body was still firmly in the cave in the sea, before Voldemort, who knew where on a map. And Regulus looked up at Voldemort with pain in his eyes. "My Lord," he pleaded, gasping and choking for air, "My Lord..."

Voldemort reached over and put his hand around Regulus's gently and, as though he were doing a good deed, the Dark Lord guided Regulus's hand up so that the bottle lay against his lips once more and tipped it so that more of the Dementor's Venom slid into Regulus's throat and he let out a gasp as he felt the liquid strike his tongue with a sensation not unlike the purest, coldest ice water.

"Please," he begged, "Please, no more."

Sweat poured over Regulus's forehead.

"No more..." his voice was but a whisper as the next wave of horror struck him...

"Please! No more," Sirius said, tossing down the handful of muggle playing cards Lily had been teaching him how to play a game called Rummy with. "You've beaten me enough!"

Lily smirked. "Oh come on now, Sirius, it isn't so bad..."

"For you, perhaps, you're winning!" he complained. He tucked his knees into a pretzel shape before himself and reached up to twist his hair into a knot.