Maleficium [Regulus]

[bellatrix]

The eldest sister of the noble Black family stood waiting patiently, her arms folded and her teeth grinding, directly facing the door that lead into the seventh floor from inside the Room of Requirement. Bellatrix, with her hair jet black and sleek, was pulled into a tight ponytail behind her head. Her uniform, immaculate and well fitted around her slim frame, bore the Slytherin crest upon her chest like a badge of honor. Her dark, heavy lidded eyes flickered from the wooden door to her left; a dancing shadow she might have imagined. Her guest was already several minutes late, and she was already deciding on his punishment when he did finally arrive.

Meeting in this room was nothing unusual to her. This was the place she had chosen with Regulus, her baby cousin, to teach him of the Dark Arts he required to know on his own request. Bellatrix, delighted that Regulus took an interest in such important topics was more than happy to offer herself as a tutor to the boy and to explain the darkest of magic no teacher in this castle would dare to mention. It has been comforting to know Regulus was taking the rumors of the Dark Lord rising seriously, that he was willing to prepare himself for his coming. She hoped by the end of the year, when she would have graduated, that Regulus would follow her footsteps when he was of age and joined the Death Eaters. But still, there was much more to discuss, to teach and for Regulus to learn. She would persuade him later when it would prove more necessary.

Bellatrix had organized the room around her accordingly. Today, she would be teaching both theory and practice. She had stolen books from both home and the school library (though her home was much more accommodating for information regarding the dark arts than the school was) that were piled neatly next to a bubbling cauldron; usually small and protruding an odor-less green gas from the top. There were also other accessories that the Room itself had presented to her, such as bookshelves on defensive spells, comfortable cushions and couches for when they took a break (Bellatrix found that unlikely considering how late he was getting) and a number of materials for potions and antidotes if they ever required to use them.

Tapping her foot as she watched the door handle intensely, waiting for it to open, Bellatrix felt her patience starting to wear thin. Perhaps she would curse Regulus once he stepped in through the door, and she gripped her wand a little more tightly in her hand at the thought. If he had an excuse, she didn't want to hear it. Bellatrix was not the sort of person to be kept waiting. She would wait a few more minutes, and if he did not arrive in that time, she would leave and call the lesson off.

[mitzeh]

Regulus cursed under his breath, all but running through the castle corridors. He was already late for his meeting with Bellatrix, he knew it, and he didn’t like the idea of facing his displeased cousin. Well, usually he didn’t like the idea of facing her anyway, regardless of what she was convinced of. Bella was cruel and sadistic, everything Regulus was not. But she was also an expert on curses and potions they didn’t teach at Hogwarts, she had knowledge that his own couldn’t quite match yet, and that was the only thing he actually cared for. He had requested some time ago that she teach him, that she share this knowledge with him, and he was glad to realize she was more than willing to oblige. The truth was the youngest Black didn’t care all that much about being a death eater and he wasn’t at all interested in murdering Muggles as a pastime - but he would do it anyway, because that was what his family wanted and he was the good son. The obedient one. He would make his Mother and his Father proud, no matter what it took. Bella’s reasons for becoming one of the Dark Lord’s followers were quite different, but she didn’t need to know that, in fact, she would never know that as long as Regulus could do anything about it. He was always cautious around her, keeping his calm and trying to appear strong. So far, it seemed to work.

Fortunately the corridor around the Room of Requirement was empty, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone noticing him at least. He made the wish and waited, rather impatiently at that, for the door to appear, only to push it open without hesitation, Protego ready to cast at any moment. He had been around Bella for long enough to know that she might just lose her patience - he had been at the receiving end of her torture spells far too many times and he wasn’t quite keen on repeating the experience any time soon.

“I apologize for being late,” he said, but didn’t even try to explain himself further. He was fairly certain Bellatrix wouldn’t listen to anything he’d have to say anyway. “I presume we are still going to have that lesson?” he asked instead, dropping his bag to the floor. He tried not to show it, but he was actually pretty excited at the prospect of learning something new from his cousin. Granted, it was black magic and it was illegal and she taught him for all the wrong reasons, but Regulus couldn’t help himself; if there was one thing he could be tempted with, it was knowledge. Not power per se, but pure, unlimited knowledge. This was the reason why he kept coming here, even though he ended up bruised and in pain more often than not.

“I’ve trained a bit on my own,” the younger Slytherin added, seemingly as an afterthought. “I am already good with non-verbal Cruciatus, but casting it without a wand is still something I have not fully perfected.” The boy furrowed his brow, visibly displeased with himself. Cruciatus, despite being one of the three Unforgiveable Curses, had been one of the first ‘dark’ spells he had learnt to cast. It was basics he didn’t need a tutor for; more… creative curses came later, and teaching them to the youngest Black was Bella’s self-assigned duty of sorts. Frankly, Regulus was quite happy with this agreement of theirs. He was getting what he wanted, Bella was getting what she wanted, and his parents - for of course their family knew about these meetings, and approved of them at that - had been more than pleased to hear that he had sought his cousin’s advice on that matter. All in all, Regulus believed that the pain was worth it.

[bellatrix]

As the doors swung open, Bellatrix did not flinch or show any sign of movement. She simply stood in the center of the room, her wand tucked under her folded arms with a slight sneer towards his tardiness. She noticed he was panting slightly, proving that he'd probably run to get here on time and with good reason too. Unfolding her arms slowly, Bellatrix also noticed Regulus' wand clutched tightly in his fist, and she let out a loud hollow laugh that echoed around the room. "I see I've taught you well, dear Regulus,"

[/color] Bellatrix smirked, indicated his drawn wand. "Always prepared for the worst, good... Very good indeed. It will not be necessary to punish you for your lateness then,"[/color] Bellatrix sounded almost disappointed at this, and she moved over to his left, taking wide strides around him as she inspected him more closely like a rare object. Raising her wand swiftly, she used it to lift his long black hair, much like her own but with more of a curl and twirled her wand around one of his locks recklessly just by his ear. Bellatrix giggled quietly to herself, knowing the motion would make him flinch even though she had no intention of harming him just yet. She pulled her wand away and stepped from him.

"Whether you have been practicing or not is the least of my concerns, Regulus, the Cruciatus curse, however useful it may be, is common knowledge amongst the wizardry community."[/color] Bella's eyes followed Regulus as she paced past him dangerously around the room. "Somebody as idiotic as your brother could perform it, and though it makes a sign of power and authority, there is nothing special about it."[/color] Bellatrix usually dishonored Regulus, even if he was an exceptionally good student in her "classes". Her superiority over him was much greater, and she would not allow himself to feel rewarded or praised for his hard work. Perseverance and dedication were the only things that mattered under her watch, and his outcome and knowledge from these lessons would be better if he kept himself focused as well.

Bellatrix strode to the pile of books sitting near the wall with the cauldron and picked the one sitting at the top. Opening it to a bookmarked page, she held it open flat in her palm and gave it to Regulus. "Today's lesson will be divided into both theory and practice,"[/green] She said in a loud overpowering voice. "This chapter here teaches the art of Nercomancy, which is a form of dark magic that allows the summoner to communicate with the dead."[/color] Bellatrix watched Regulus' reaction with a tiny smirk playing on her lips. "Nercomancy is old magic, and ancient method once practiced by Mudbloods in hope to resurrect their lost loved ones. Only fools like them should believe that the dead can be raised to it's original lively state. These procedures," [/color] Bellatrix pointed a bony white finger down the page at a list of instructions, "...will tell you exactly how to raise the dead and control their spirits."[/color] Bellatrix stepped away from Regulus with the dusty book now in his hand and allowed him to read for a moment before continuing.

"Necromancy is divided into two branches, divination and wand-work. Of course, you won't ever learn about communicating with long lost souls in Divination, as it's apparently illegal to do so," Bellatrix picked at her nails causally, still smirking as though the word 'illegal' was a challenge for her. "But we won't waste our time with such nonsense. What I'm interested in, is the ability to raise a corpse and manipulate it to obey your commands..." Bellatrix had now lowered her voice, but instead of sounding scared, she sounded excited, like a child about to receive a worthy treat. "I trust that you've heard of Inferi, Regulus? Quite handy if ever you need to summon a quick army," Bellatrix laughed again and watched Regulus curiously. "Read this chapter until you understand, and in your own time, I want you to think of ways in which you can practice these spells. Once you have finished, we will discuss Rebirth Potions, particularly the effect it has and when it is needed once a host has been destroyed, but an attachment of the soul lives on. Now, read."[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[mitzeh]

It took him a while to lower his wand, but even then the younger Black remained cautious. If there was one thing he knew about his cousin, it was that one could never be too careful around Bella. It was a lesson he had learnt early in his childhood days, and in a way that was very far from pleasant. Better safe than sorry, as the saying went, although with Bellatrix he never felt safe. Truth was, Regulus never felt safe at all. “You are a good teacher,” he replied, keeping his voice calm. Growing up in a family such as his Regulus knew how to keep his emotions at bay, keeping up the cold façade didn’t cause him much trouble this days. He had long ago stopped being terrified by Bella’s attitude, as he was fairly certain she would not cause any serious damage to someone of her own blood – not someone who remained loyal to their family, at the very least – but he still had a hard time remaining still whenever she played her little games with him. “I am sorry to disappoint you. I know how… entertaining you find those punishments,” he added, narrowing his eyes at her. Bellatrix could appreciate lack of fear, and he wanted to show her that, although less skilled than her, he was her equal in blood. Not flinching at the feeling of her wand touching his skin took most of his self-control, but he managed. He barely held back a sigh of relief as she stepped back, though.

The boy rolled his eyes, quite unable to hide his irritation as she commented on his words. Showing such emotions around Bella could be dangerous, he knew that better than anyone, but he already felt exhausted from her welcome, and quite frankly he was tired of being treated like an idiot just because he knew less curses. “I know it, Bella. I did not practice it because of its uniqueness. It is trivial and common, true, but it is one of the Unforgiveable Curses for a reason, isn’t it? Surely you know it,” he added, not even wanting to stop the words from escaping his mouth. Talking back wasn’t the smartest choice around the oldest of the Black sisters, but he knew from experience that meekness wouldn’t get him far either. Sure, she would probably try to show him where his place was soon enough, but it was fighting back that would gain him at least a fraction of her respect rather than cowardice.

He walked up to her with no hesitation in his step, and took the book from her hands, eyeing its contents curiously. His eyes widened slightly in excitement he couldn’t quite hide even if he cared to. He didn’t even comment that he did, in fact, know what Necromancy was, please stop treating me like a goddamn child, Bellatrix, already lost in lecture. He could barely hear what his cousin was saying, only registering her words out of habit. He nodded absentmindedly, already walking to the pile of cushions nearby. The chapter was long and he did want to understand it fully, he might as well get himself comfortable as he read.

A soft, genuine smile played on his lips as he kept reading, going through the more interesting or difficult fragments two or three times if he found a need to. Who cared about illegal, really? In all his intelligence, it repeatedly escaped Regulus why magic such as this was kept away from common knowledge. So using the Cruciatus curse he had mentioned practicing was severely punished – but the very memory of the feelings that passed through him as he performed it, without a wand, without saying a word, just focusing on his target and casting the spell with the sheer force of his will – that was enough to have him breaking every rule that ever existed only to feel like this again. It wasn’t about power, Regulus didn’t even think of the consequences of his abilities; it was about being able to feel the raw, unstopped magic flowing through him. Bellatrix had to understand it.

As soon as he finished, he tore his gaze away from the volume, his eyes meeting his cousin’s. “Practicing these spells at school might be risky. We would have to take certain precautions. I will think about it.” He furrowed his brow, only now realizing something. “Having a dead human body to practice on could prove quite troublesome, however. I trust an animal would do as well?” The boy grimaced. The compromises they had to make were quite frustrating indeed. “Oh, and there is something else I wanted to talk to you about. I have been… trying… to work on becoming an Occlumens, but I’m afraid that is impossible without a skilled tutor.” It wasn’t exactly a question, yet Regulus raised an eyebrow at his cousin. He had no idea whether or not Bella was an Occlumens or a Legilimens, or both perhaps, but asking was the easiest way to find out after all.

[bellatrix]

Bella was usually so pleased with herself that she rarely heard the frustration in Regulus' voice after she'd criticized him. The chapter in the book was the the beginning on the lesson as she was saving the best for the last. The best, of course being the practical side of things, rather than the theory. In all honesty Bellatrix had no clue how Regulus was going to attempt to raise the dead. She had set it as a challenge for a reason, and the image of him lurking around a graveyard at night, almost scared out of his wits as he tried to produce dark magic made her chuckle at his despair.

She roamed around the room, often pausing to touch the strange gadgets and objects set up around the room to entertain herself while he read. She often cast a dirty look over at him, imagining his eyes leaving the page for just a second, but she never caught him deviate from the chapter. With hand outstretched, Bellatrix lazily levitated some books left carelessly around the room back into their respectable spots in the bookcases. When Regulus spoke, Bellatrix turned to face him slowly, contemplating his words. Assuming he had finished the chapter, she strode over to him and snapped the book from his fingertips. She ignored his question relating to necromancy and decided on the latter instead. "Occlumency is extremely advanced magic, Regulus. Are you sure you think you can handle it?" An evil smile played on Bellatrix's lips as she returned the book she took from him to her stack of other selected dark magic books. "I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself there, dear cousin, especially since I am quite a skilled Legilimens." Bellatrix rarely hesitated when it came to flattering herself, and she turned away from him once more.

Excitement was now bubbling in her stomach, for she knew the art of occulmency and legilimency well. She knew it was unlikely that Regulus would be able to repel her if she attempted to penetrate his mind, at least on the first few goes. Was Regulus willing to allow her to invade his deepest, darkest memories or thoughts? Would she even want to see the sort of things that would surface when forced too? The thought of Regulus holding memories close to him, such as bonding with Sirius, made her feel sick. Frowning a little over her shoulder back at him, she thought over the concept a little more before turning back around fully and pointing her wand at him. "If you want,

[/color] she said slowly and as intimidating as she possibly could. "You can practice trying to shut me out from your mind. Be warned, it's not as easy as you might think." The fact that Bellatrix was giving Regulus a choice on this matter was unheard of. She certainly had some doubt that she would be the one to train Regulus to become a good occlumens, especially since it were suspicious that he wanted keep people from invading his thoughts. Then again, if Regulus wished to become a trusted secret-keeper to the dark lord, his occulmency would indeed prove himself valuable. "Are you willing?"[/color] Bellatrix sneered, as though she were disgusted at herself for giving him an opinion. She waited with her wand pointed directly at his chest. [/blockquote][/size]

[mitzeh]

Bellatrix’s attitude towards Regulus only proved how little she knew her cousin. He didn’t mind, not really, although it could be frustrating sometimes. Usually however he would just take it in stride, accepting Bella’s ignorance of his nature as yet another side effect of her unquestionable insanity. To tell the truth, it served his purposes well – with the oldest of the Black sisters it was always a game, and Regulus was aware than even for him, a member of her own family, the game might upgrade from simply dangerous to deadly dangerous one day. She had her magic skills and knowledge of spells, but he had his own tricks – his secrets, knowledge of Dark Arts that he had but not always shared with her but that, that wasn’t all. Regulus had something that Bella’s insanity made her blind to – understanding of human nature. Of course he didn’t always manage to fool her, sometimes he didn’t even try, knowing that one way or another the outcome would be painful for him and decided to just accept the punishment right away – yet, he was more cunning that his cousin gave him credit for, and it worked to his advantage. He was also more courageous than probably anyone would give him credit for, which was certainly the easier way. In this case, Regulus was an exact opposite of his brother – while Sirius always made everything about himself known, the younger Black preferred to keep as many things as possible in secret.

Even as he kept reading, he had been cautiously taking notice of Bella’s actions. He had learnt the hard way that letting his guard down around her was not the wisest choice to make – and when she approached him, he gave the book away with no hesitance, meeting his cousin’s eyes with as much calm as he could muster. How interesting, he thought, somewhat amused, that even vast intelligence such as hers can be useless sometimes due to the illness consuming her mind. He knew better than to voice his thoughts this time. Keeping quiet was one of Regulus’ more useful talents. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t positive that I could handle it,” he answered instead, voice steady and even. He also didn’t seem too surprised when she had confirmed his previous suspicions. The boy nodded, offering his cousin a small smile. “As well as I never doubted that you would be the perfect choice for a teacher. It is not for my own satisfaction, Bella,” he confessed, watching her turn away from him. “But rumour has it that Dumbledore is a Legilimens as well. Do you think he would ever hesitate from reading minds of those of us who might have the slightest idea of what the Dark Lord is doing?” the Slytherin sneered. He couldn’t see his cousin’s face, but he hoped he had chosen the right reasoning. “I am hoping to enter His inner circle one day, you know it. I am willing to do whatever is necessary to be worth it when the day comes.” Regulus’ voice was honest, even if he himself wasn’t – not entirely at least. Unlike Bellatrix, he didn’t find torturing and killing people pleasurable, he wasn’t even sure if killing was the right way to go about separating the Muggle world from theirs, but one thing was true: Regulus wanted to make his parents proud, and he would do anything to achieve this goal. If it meant becoming one of Voldemort’s most faithful followers, then he would meet this requirement as well.

He did, however, find it a little bit surprising that Bella was apparently giving him a choice. He could only guess why – did she really think that he was not ready yet? Regulus wouldn’t, not even for a moment, believe that she was doing it out of the goodness of her heart while she so obviously didn’t have one. The boy was silent for a short while, not long enough to make her impatient, but long enough to come up with a strategy that was most likely to prove successful to him. Asking his cousin to teach him the art of occlumency, and perhaps legilimency as well, wasn’t a spur of the moment as she might have suspected – Regulus had been thinking about it for some time now, and he had done his homework on the subject. He had read and memorized a book about it and he had been trying to clear his mind almost every evening for the past, as well as working on creating defenses around his thoughts; but how was he supposed to know if he was doing it right? That was what he needed a teacher for – sadly, not everything could be self learnt. The thought of letting Bellatrix into his mind wasn’t by any means a pleasant one, but if it was necessary, Regulus was ready to comply. “I think it is anything but easy,” he replied at last, “yet I am willing to try. Please, go on.” He had tried to brace himself for a mental onslaught even before he finished speaking; he suspected Bella wouldn’t wait for his last words to come out of his mouth. He was, of course, nothing compared to her, but he did his best at trying to push her out of his mind – as well as trying to remember things that weren’t substantial, the events of the day, his memories of Sirius even. He’d rather she thought of him as pathetic than found out about his deepest secrets. Naturally, he wasn’t sure if that would work, but he wanted to be as prepared as possible under these circumstances.