Leaving Florence behind was nearly impossible. Regulus kept touching his ring, the warmth of it being the only thing keeping him sane. As long as the ring was warm, Florence was safe. That's all that mattered.

This was Regulus' second journey to the cave. The first was simply to see where it was and to check out the surrounding area. This time, however, he would be entering the cave. It wasn't an exciting thought... and definitely not a comforting one, but the results of tonight would be worth it.

After tonight, everything would truly fall into place. The only thing on Reg's mind was switching out these damn lockets and then returning home to Flo. He could even picture it now: returning to his small apartment, opening the door, and seeing Florence sitting on the couch, waiting for his arrival.

Regulus could picture the way her face would light up with joy. The way her eyes would brighten and somehow sparkle. Her happiness was like magic, but not the kind Regulus was familiar with. This type of magic was foreign to him. When he was with Flo, his whole body felt at peace and a grin never left his face. Just her presence alone made him feel whole and safe. If the only thing Regulus could hear for the rest of his life was Florence Crown speaking of the latest book she was reading, it would be no problem whatsoever. She had become a part of him, and Voldemort could not take that away.

"This way, Master Regulus." Kreacher states, motioning Regulus to follow him.

Regulus watches with wide eyes as Kreacher disappears into the cave. He takes a deep breath himself before following him inside. It was dark and damp and smelled of mold. Regulus was hoping that Flo was having a better time than he was. His hands and fingers kept fidgeting - his ring was still warm, alive with life - and they were growing clammy.

The pair walked farther into the cave until they hit a lake, where Kreacher found the boat he had mentioned to Regulus the first time he told him about coming here with Voldemort. Together, the two rode the boat until they hit a small mass of land, or, rock and cement, before stepping out.

It was only now, surrounded by murky and cloudy water with an odd basin of an unknown liquid in front of him, that Regulus began to worry.

"That potion... it will make me see things I wish not to? Correct?" Regulus asks, his voice soft.

Kreacher nods.

Regulus does not say anything. Instead, he takes a seat beside the basin. Kreacher sits next to him. The two stay silent for a few minutes. Regulus is constantly touching his ring, which is still warm. He wonders what Flo is up to right now. Has she gone to Diagon Alley yet? She must have... the attack would be happening any moment. If Regulus had to guess, it must be close to 8.

The quicker he drank the potion, the quicker he could return home to Florence.

"Okay, let's get on with this, then," Regulus states, getting up from his spot on the ground. Regulus notices the look of fear and pain in Kreacher's expression. "I'll be alright, Kreacher. We'll be back home before 9."

Kreacher said nothing. Instead, he stretched out his hand, up towards Regulus' face. Regulus kneeled down, allowing Kreacher to press his small hand onto Regulus' cheek.

"We will win." Kreacher states, his voice shaky. Regulus forces a smile, despite all the fear he is feeling in the moment. He wipes away a tear from Kreacher's eyes.

"Yes, we will."

Regulus gives Kreacher's hand an assuring squeeze before standing up and approaching the basin. He grabbed a hold of the small cup-like object that was inside of it with one hand, while his other hand held the fake locket with his and Florence's note inside it.

"No matter what happens," Regulus begins, glancing towards Kreacher. "You must go back home, to mother and father, and say nothing of tonight. Bring the real locket home and destroy it, every last piece of it. Get rid of it. Only then with the Dark Lord be vulnerable enough to die."

Kreacher nodded once. Regulus' ring was still warm. That was all the assurance he needed.

He plunged the makeshift cup into the potion and drank it down in one large gulp. Oddly enough, he felt fine. Just as he was lifting the cup up for a second sip was when his vision went foggy and his face began to feel like mush.

He ignored it, drinking down a second, then a third cup.

Regulus' vision grew more and more foggy, black dots covering up whatever he could still make out. He began to hear voices of his past and present crying out. Some were of his mother and father, shouting and beating him for not being the top in his class.

Regulus began to cry as he downed his fourth glass.

He could no longer stand after his fifth. He was shaking. The voices were getting worse. He could hear Sirius crying. Sirius was hurt. Sirius needed him. He had to get to Sirius. Regulus was screaming for Sirius, why couldn't Sirius hear him?

"Come, Master, you're almost there." Regulus heard a familiar voice say. For a second, Sirius vanished and Kreacher filled up Regulus' vision. He fed something to Regulus.

Regulus hated the way this liquid tastes. He wondered what it was. Everything around him went black again and Sirius was back, and he was crying, and he was hurt, and Regulus wanted to reach out to him. Regulus started screaming and crying again, and he just wanted to hold his brother. He just wanted to tell him that he loved him and that he was here for him and that he regretted ever growing distant from him.

More liquid was fed to Regulus until it eventually stopped. Regulus was still on the ground, shaking and crying, but the visions of his brother crying out in pain slowly began to fade.

As his pain faded, his thirst enhanced. All Regulus could think of was crawling to the edge of the small piece of land he and Kreacher were standing on, and drink from the lake.

"Master, we must go." Kreacher spoke quickly, tugging at Regulus' shirt.

"Thirsty," Regulus mumbled, still inching towards the lake.

He only wanted one sip, that would be enough. Then he would get back into the boat and go home to Florence. He would get to see Sirius, and make his amends. It would be okay. But right now, Regulus felt so weak, and his throat and mouth felt so dry, and the disgusting lake water didn't seem so disgusting anymore.

Once he finally reached the edge of the lake, with Kreacher telling him to hurry up, he dipped his hands in, though they did not come back out. The lake was pulling him in, or rather, something inside the lake was pulling him in.

"No," Regulus says, his voice barely above a whisper, as he began to pull away from the lake and muster up all of his strength to break his hands free.

He watched in horror as lifeless bodies began to crawl onto the land, clawing at him and grabbing onto his body. He wrenched his hands free and flung his body towards Kreacher, though one of the bodies had gotten a hold of his legs.

"Master!" Kreacher screams, reaching out towards Regulus.

"Go home!" Regulus screams, his feet plunging into the cold lake, his whole body going freezing in response. "Go home and destroy it!"

The bodies keep dragging him deeper. Regulus' top half of his body was still on the land, his fingers, hands and arms all bleeding from his attempts to break away, but it was no use.

Regulus did not want to give up, but he felt as if he could go on no longer, and his body was freezing.

His whole body was freezing.

It was only in this moment that Regulus felt true horror, as the bodies had him nearly fully into the lake, that he realized his ring had gone stone cold.

Regulus cried out at the same time the bodies had dragged his entire body into the lake. He stopped resisting, letting them bring him down, his body quickly growing as cold as ice, though nothing felt as cold as the spot where his ring sat on his finger.

Memories flushed into his mind of his brother, and his friends, and his Florence. Of her laugh and her smile and the way she loved him, and the way that he loved her more than anything in this life.

As Regulus gave in and took his last breath, his last thought was of Florence Crown, wondering if they would ever meet again. Wondering if somehow, someway, when he woke up from this nightmare and was dry and warm again, if she would be waiting on a couch with a smile that was meant for only him. For only Regulus.

He hoped so.