#pdrpball

The scream. Regulus can still hear it piercing through his mind as everyone started to push towards the opening of the great hall, half of them not even realizing what they were pushing themselves towards. It was a gut wrenching sound that he couldn't stop from playing over and over in his head. And it only got worse as the sea of students pushed him last the floating body, blood dripping from the word unworthy etched into her skin about a million times. 

Unworthy

He'd heard the phrase countless times, Half-breeds were unworthy. Mudbloods were unworthy. Sirius was unworthy. But something about that phrase had never been so real as it was now. Never been so visceral, so jarring, so right in front of him. With many Slytherins trying hard to keep the smiles off their faces, as they watched her just floating there.

Dripping her unworthy-ness on the stone flooring.

Standing there Regulus found it hard to turn his eyes away from the scene, emotions swirling throughout his mind. it was weird, how part of it felt right, and part of it felt so wrong. It was as if he was literally split down the middle. The one part that found joy in the desecration of someone unworthy, relishing in victory. And the other part that was fighting to keep the contents of his stomach inside his body, the one that was secretly whispering why why why over and over in his head.  

Shaking it off, Regulus looked around the crowd, eyes scanning for the familiarity of his family. He needed to find them. He needed Cissy's arms over him, telling him that this was right, this was ok. That this was supposed to feel good. That this was supposed to feel like a win, not like a loss.

He needed to see Bella, He needed to know if she was ok. He needed to know if she had been involved. And if she had he needed to know what to do next. He needed to know how to protect her. He just needed to know so much right now.

But instead he knew nothing.