Regulus could do nothing to stop the Dark Lord from getting rid of the Troys.

The Troys were a powerful pureblood family and Lord Voldemort had wanted them on his side since their alliance promised both strength and support. But they had chosen to stay neutral and that decision cost them their lives.

When he found out that the Death Eaters had been ordered to target the Troys, he was thrown in conflict because that evidently meant he would end up losing Eleanor.

However, Eleanor had not suffered in that attack on her house since she had been at Grimmauld Place with Walburga Black that night and was unaware of the hell that had broken loose upon her family. That meant Reg would have to break down the news upon her and it sickened him to even think about it.

He hadn't wanted to go to the Troy Mansion to check the damage but had to and found both Henry and Diana Troy's dead bodies. Unexpectedly, Esmeralda Troy was nowhere to be seen but he couldn't have expected the woman to have survived the attack.

His heart sank when he returned to Grimmauld Place, unable to figure out how to break down the devastating news upon Eleanor. But when he entered her room, a desolate air hung about the place which indicated she had somehow found out about her family's ruthless massacre already.

He found her curled up in a corner, tears streaming down her cheeks as she buried her throbbing head in her hands, evidently struck down with grief.

Walburga was with her, trying to console the distressed woman and her eyes rose up to meet her son as she sensed his presence, those dark irises depicting sadness.

"Regulus..."

At the mention of his name, Eleanor looked up as well but upon seeing him, her marble green eyes flashed in anger. She knew he was a Death Eater and right then, she was seeing him as part of the people who had snatched her family away from her forever.

Even though she loved him, right then the grief and distress was too much for her to handle.

He could see that and it made him very anxious. "Mother, can you please give me and Eleanor some time alone?"

Walburga nodded and left the room and soon as the door closed, Eleanor had stood up, her hands closing on to his shirt.

Regulus tried to calm her down but the broken look in her eyes terrified him. He knew Eleanor had a fiery nature and being struck by such a heavy loss could make her retaliate much worse.

"You knew about this, didn't you? You knew they were going to kill my parents... My sister... All of them..." 

Tears were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably yet the anger radiating off her was intense. Her grip tightened on him as he didn't answer, knowing that nothing could be of consolation to her.

Deep down, he felt enraged at the people he had become a part of for killing Eleanor's family. But he was helpless in that case, he couldn't stand up against the Dark Lord.

"Tell me, Reg, tell me the truth," she shook him, "why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you warn my family... Why?"

"I'm so sorry, Ellie," he wrapped his arms around her in order to keep her standing for all the anger and distress had worn her out completely.

"I won't... I won't rest until I get justice... I won't rest until I put an end to your Dark Lord!"

Her voice had risen alarmingly and Regulus feared what could happen if someone overheard them. He was also worried because he knew that Lord Voldemort was probably not aware that Eleanor had not been killed in the attack.

If he came to know of it, he would want to put an end to her too. Hence to keep Eleanor safe, he would have to keep her hidden from them.

But he wasn't sure that could be possible as Voldemort was a Legilimens and could read minds.

"Ellie, I tried my best to stop him... But I couldn't..."

"Why did you join them?" She had given up shaking him violently as it seemed to have drained her out, "what wrong did my parents do to them to deserve death? Why would you be a part of the people who killed my family? How could you..."

Her voice trailed off and Regulus grew alarmed as she collapsed. The pain was too much for her to handle and she couldn't bear it any longer.

He shook her and patted her cheek, even conjured water to sprinkle on her to make her gain consciousness but it was to no avail. At a loss of what to do, he carried her to the bed and placed her down carefully before rushing out to get his mother to check up on Eleanor.

Those pale features and terror-stricken eyes were haunting him and he felt the guilt of her family's massacre. After all, he was a part of the people who had been responsible for it, he took orders from the man who had given the order to kill the Troys.

Walburga had come to the room immediately and was shaken to see her in such a bad state. Nothing could revive Eleanor so she immediately called her friend who was a renowned Healer in order to treat her.

Though they feared that there could be no way for Eleanor to get better. Not until she got justice, just like she said earlier.

And that was impossible since the man responsible for those deaths was Lord Voldemort, a rising threat to the Wizarding World and the greatest Dark Wizard to walk the earth.

Regulus felt his whole world darken by that calamity. The Healer came and examined Eleanor, even prescribed some potions to make her recover.

But for Regulus, everything had started to crumble to pieces. No potion, no spell could fix what had broken inside her heart.

He spent the whole night awake, sitting by her bed with her limp hand held in his own. She hadn't stirred since the time she had fallen unconscious. 

Seeing her in such a terrible state cut through him and it was then he took a decision that could eventually cost him his life even.

He decided to give Eleanor her justice, no matter how impossible it was for him. He vowed never to let Voldemort succeed in his plans to be the cause of his demise.

The Dark wizard had caused immense pain to the woman he loved and thus he couldn't stay loyal to him.

Regulus Arcturus Black swore that night to take Eleanor's revenge, no matter how high the price he would have to pay for it.

Even if it cost him his life, he would keep the promise he made to Eleanor who was still in an unconscious state.

"Ellie... I swear I will do all in my power to bring him down. That's my promise to you and I will keep it till I succeed or breath my last."

***