Eleanor had lapsed into a comatose state and had been unresponsive ever since the day she had found out about her family's deaths. She was growing weaker with every passing day and it tormented Regulus to see her as such.

He couldn't bear it and the only way left was the promise he had given to her, even though she hadn't heard him because she was unconscious. He had vowed to bring an end to Lord Voldemort and he would keep it even if it was the last thing he did.

So he summoned Kreacher, his house-elf who the Dark Lord had borrowed for a task a few days prior. That night Kreacher had returned in a terrible state and Regulus had tried to ask him what had happened but hadn't received an answer.

However, that once he wanted to know the truth and Kreacher was the only one who could tell him.

Regulus suspected that Voldemort had made horcruxes and when he found out that Kreacher had been borrowed so that the former could hide away the Slytherin Locket, he realized that was his only chance to destroy Voldemort.

It would be risky, true, it could even cost him his life. But dying slowly each day to see Eleanor like that was already eating him up alive.

"Kreacher, can you take me to the cave where he hid the locket?"

The elf's face paled and looked ashen, recalling the eerie cave and the horrible potion he had to drink up that night. The feeling of absolute helplessness and parched throat filled him up and he shuddered.

"You don't have to come along if you don't want to," Regulus added, noticing that Kreacher was afraid and he felt even terrible for letting Voldemort borrow him, "just take me there and return."

"But Master Regulus, why do you wish to go there?"

"I have to take care of something," he replied vaguely.

 Kreacher tugged at his wrist in a pleading gesture, "please don't go there alone. Kreacher will go with you."

Regulus looked down at Kreacher and sighed, "alright but then you have to promise to follow each order I give you."

"Kreacher has never disobeyed Master Regulus."

The guilt in his heart increased, "I know. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sent you with the Dark Lord in the first place. I don't know what task he made you carry out but I can see that it was damaging to you. I will never repeat the mistake."

"Kreacher can die for you, Master Regulus, you need not worry about Kreacher."

His brow furrowed as he thought about what to do next. He was putting both himself and Kreacher in extreme danger but he had decided to make sure that the elf wouldn't come to any harm.

Destroying that horcrux was his priority but he also had to make sure that Kreacher would not get hurt during the entire task.

"When are we leaving, Master Regulus?"

"Right now," he spoke up, haking himself out of the worrisome thoughts, "the sooner I get rid of it the better."

***

Lord Voldemort was well aware that at some point or other Regulus would betray him.

The young man had many reasons to do so; the foremost being the fact that Voldemort's decision of murdering the Troys had caused great pain to Eleanor, his fiance. He had seen that spark of regret in those no longer bright blue eyes each time he had summoned Regulus to assign him a task.

He had seen that Regulus was regretting his decision of becoming a Death Eater hence it was very easy for him to try and escape.

Then as he found out about the worsening state of Eleanor Troy through one of his men, it only made Voldemort curious as to when exactly would Regulus break under the pressure. In fact, he was impatiently waiting for Reg to betray him so that he would have a reason to punish him.

How badly he wanted to drain the life out of the man who Eleanor cherished as a lover and friend... A man who had been everything he could never be to the fierce and furious Eleanor Troy. The only thing holding him back was the promise he had given to her the night she had broken the paradox by not killing him.

But still, he wanted to know what might have happened in that alternate past that could have made him kill Regulus so he kept an eye on him at all times.

He was sure that the time he was waiting for was very near and he couldn't contain his excitement.

Things were quite different after the paradox Eleanor had created but Tom Riddle was curious to know all sides of the story.

And as he had been keeping Regulus under strict watch, he found out that the man was headed to the cave where he had hidden the Slytherin Locket.

At that moment, everything became clear to him and he let out a triumphant cackle, realizing what would have happened in the past. Regulus clearly intended to steal the locket and destroy the horcrux but in that alternate past, Voldemort could not have suspected him so he might not have been the one to kill him.

That could only mean that Regulus must have died from the Inferi that protected the cave and not due to Voldemort. Realizing such a crucial loophole made him even more intrigued to see how the current timeline would unfold.

But he couldn't let Regulus die in the current timeline.

He had other plans for the young man.

So when he was told that Regulus had reached the cave with his house-elf Kreacher's help, he dismissed all that he was doing and stood up.

His followers retreated in fear as he walked through and told Bellatrix to look after the hideout. Wearing his long black cloak that disguised his identity and taking his wand, he disapparated.

He had pictured the desolate cave in which he had hidden his horcrux. He knew Regulus couldn't have left by then because if he truly intended to steal the locket, he would have had to drink the potion and as a result, he would be too weakened.

It would be very easy to get rid of him in such a state but that was not what Lord Voldemort had intended to do with him.

The moment he had been waiting for so long had finally arrived and soon enough, Esmeralda Troy would have company in her prison cell.

The two people Eleanor had made him promise not to kill would become the bargaining chip that Voldemort would use to get her on his side.

***