(This is a tribute to who, in my opinion, should be recognized as the Hero of Slytherin. I'm talking about Regulus Arcturus Black.

I own nothing.)

My life was nothing more than a bunch of things I got rushed into.

Death Eater at sixteen, not even out of Hogwarts. Married to Marlene McKinnon at seventeen, only having graduated a month previous. Expecting my first child at eighteen.

Two of those things I don't regret. One of them was something that turned my life upside down, but maybe it was better this way.

I lifted up the locket, the chain held tightly between my thumb and index finger as I examined it for any imperfection. There was nothing, something I was extremely grateful for. I had already spent months gathering all the materials and putting them together. I didn't want to use any more time. It had to be perfect. I wanted the Dar - Voldemort - to be surprised when he opened it and saw my letter. He knew my initials and my writing style good enough to know who I was. What a shocker that would be.

To the Dark Lord -

I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more.

- R.A.B.

I looked over the cursive one last time before neatly folding it up and stuffing it inside. If my plan worked as I thought it would, this world be my last stand, my way to redeem myself for past mistakes.

It hurt, though, the no matter what I did, Sirius wouldn't forgive me. That's why I didn't tell him or any of his friends. Only Kreacher.

Kreacher was the one person that I knew I could trust, and he wasn't even a human. He was a house-elf. Even if Sirius hated me for joining Voldemort, Kreacher understood me. We'd always been friends.

"Remember, Kreacher," I said, looking down at him with a smile on my face, "I'm going to be drinking all the potion. You've gone through that pain already."

Kreacher replied in his deep, raspy voice, "Kreacher wants to spare his master from that pain. Kreacher wants to drink it."

My smile dropped a little bit at that. He really was a friend. "No. This is something that I must do and that I must do alone. I'm giving you an important job as it is. You're going to swap the locket and bring it back to destroy it."

"And what of Master Regulus?"

I didn't answer. Instead I grabbed his hand, softly but firmly in my own, and Disapparated. The sensation was much like being sucked through a straw, somewhat on the uncomfortable side, but it only lasted a moment. The next thing I knew, I was standing on a cliff. The salty sea breeze pounded in our faces, spinning his ears back and blowing my long and wildly hair behind me. I looked down, knowing that below us was the crack that lead to the cave. "Are you ready, my friend?"

"Kreacher is always ready for his master." The house-elf replied. I took a deep breath and jumped over the edge, knowing he would follow.

The water was so much colder than I had expected. It knocked the wind out of me and threatened to paralyze me, but I fought against it. Arms and legs flailing, I made it back to the surface, looking for Kreacher. The moment I spotted his head, I swam over and grabbed him. "Hold on tightly." I told him, pulling his arms around my neck so he wouldn't sink. He was the last person who needed to die today.

As I swam into the cave, searching for somewhere to pull myself up, I reflected on how well Voldemort did in hiding this Horcrux in particular. The only reason I knew of it was because Kreacher, who had been used as a test subject, had told me.

Eventually I found a spot that was reachable. I hoisted Kreacher up first before slowly heaving myself out as well. He tried to help, but he didn't really do all that much. Dripping wet and shivering, I tightened my soaked black coat around myself, adjusting my green and silver tie, my school tie, and asked, "Now where to?" Everywhere looked the exact same to me.

Kreacher simply walked off in one direction, so naturally I followed him. It was dark and the ground was uneven, making me paranoid that I was going to break my ankle or something, but I kept up surprisingly well.

That is, until I smashed into a wall that I hadn't seen.

"To enter inside, Master Regulus must give payment there. The payment of blood."

I nodded and took out my knife, the one I always kept in case my wand failed me. There was the soft sound that came from it as I flicked the blade out. I pressed the blade against my finger, blood seeping out from the new injury and running down it. I smeared the red liquid against the wall. Almost immediately, the wall disappeared, revealing yet another dark passageway. This time I took my wand out, muttered "Lumous," and started walking down with Kreacher in tow. It didn't take long, more like a dozen or so steps, before he tried to stop me. "Kreacher warns Master Regulus not to step in the water."

Not seeing anything up ahead, I didn't listen. "What water?" The words had scarcely left my mouth before I walked into something that only could be water. Immediately two white hands grabbed me by my ankles and tried to drag me in. "Incidnio!" Fire flared from my wand, giving me enough time to escape from the hands. I almost ran back, tripping over something and landing on my rear, but that didn't stop me. I only stopped when I was a good ten feet from the edge, only just keeping myself from hyperventilating.

"Master Regulus! Are you alright?"

"What in the name of the Black family was that!?"

"Kreacher isn't sure. He thinks that they are Inferi."

Great. A much of dead puppets. Just what I need.

Kreacher wasn't finished. "Kreacher knows the way across is by boat. Follow him." He started off again. I dusted myself off, picked my wand up and lighting it again, and went after him. I was careful to stay away from the edge.

By the time I caught up to him, he was standing by boat. I couldn't say that I liked it. In fact, I had to admit it scared me. Me! - a Death Eater. Me! - a member of the Black house. Me! - a man who has already killed twenty-six people. If it was terrifying to me, it would definitely freak out a lesser man.

We both climbed inside and it was off, drifting to the middle of the pond. It was everything I could do to keep myself from looking over the edge with curiosity. I knew what I'd see, and I could live without seeing it.

I felt the need to tell Kreacher once more of the plan. "Remember, my friend, when we get to the Horcrux, I will drink the potion and you will switch the lockets, return home, and destroy the real one. Make sure I drink it all. Tell no one of what happened."

"Master Regulus, what will happen to you? Kreacher means no insubordination."

Once more, I refused to answer.

It could've been hours, minutes, or seconds before we reached the island. I would know because I wasn't even keeping track. Kreacher clambered off the boat first, me close behind him. Everything was going by too quickly for me, time rushing ahead to my imminent death. The potion was black, dark, very unappetizing. I felt a pang of revulsion, but I pushed it down. It had to be done for Voldemort to fall. I closed my eyes, dipped the shell into the liquid, and took my first drink.

It was absolute agony. I wanted to spit it out, to do anything other than drink the rest. I tried to throw the shell, but some form grabbed onto it and took it from me. For a moment I believed that Kreacher wasn't going to make me go through with this and I sank to my knees, a fuzzy image dancing through my mind. That hope was dashed when more of the potion made it through my lips and down my throat. I screamed, collapsing onto my side as fire scorched my belly, as potent as if I had swallowed the sun. Another shellful made it through, then another.

By now I wasn't even completely aware of what was happening in reality, a memory of my third year going through my head over and over again. The details were fuzzy, but the message was clear. James Potter and his friends were picking on me and Severus, calling us Snivellus and Regular. Sirius was just standing by, watching as Peter shoved me into a mud puddle. I had worse memories, but this one had to be the one that made me hate my brother the most.

". . . . Master Regulus, wake up!"

My eyes snapped open to see Kreacher's face a foot away from mine. I was at the bottom of the island, close to the water. I saw the gleam of a locket, the real Horcrux, but even the sense of accomplishment that I felt couldn't drown out my desperate thirst. "Remember the plan." I managed to rasp out, slowly sitting up. My muscles felt like limp noodles, weak and barely responsive. "Are the lockets swapped?"

"Yeas, master."

"Then go."

Kreacher didn't appear to be expecting that. "Kreacher can't - won't - leave you here alone."

"Kreacher, go. That's an order." He knew just as well as I did that he couldn't deny a direct order from me. He Disapparated and I almost collapsed, exhausted. Water. I needed water and I needed it now. I searched for my wand, but it was nowhere to be seen. Either I lost it, Kreacher took it, or something else happened to it, but it didn't matter. There was only one place for me to get water from.

I crawled down to the lake, slowly and painfully. With the Inferi, I knew it was a death sentence, but I more or less came here to die anyway. I brought my face close to it, drinking from it like a dog would. I couldn't care less about manners or anything like that at the moment.

Even if I thought I was ready to die, it didn't prepare me for the cold hand on the back of my head, shoving it in. More joined it, dragging me from the island. Instinct kicked in and I struggled against them, trying to get away from them and suevive. There were just too many and I was weakened. I gave up after a while, my consciousness drifting into an infinite sleep.