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Chapter Text

September, 1971

Regulus had never really been on his own before. Not truly. Sirius was born a year and a half before him, and Regulus had grown up with his presence being a constant.

Regulus had been kept away from others all his life, but he had never been lonely. His brother had been more than enough company to make up for their isolation from other children. He never felt as though he was missing something until his only regular companion was gone.

Loneliness was a new constant after his brother left.

Outside of his lessons, meals or the rare family event, Regulus spent all of his time alone. Free time became rather dull. He had far too much of it, and a shortage of ways to pass the time. He longed for the company of his brother or his cousin, but both were off at Hogwarts.

The others in Grimmauld Place were poor company. Most days passed without Regulus saying a word to another living being. When his mother or the governess spoke to him, they would typically only be giving him an order or a correction. Those conversations did little to help his loneliness.

He tried to keep in touch with his brother and his cousin. Two days after his brother left for Hogwarts, Regulus wrote up a few letters to send to Sirius and Narcissa. But once he was ready to mail them, he discovered that the household owlery was magically sealed.

Regulus found his mother writing at a table in the family archives. He inspected her from the doorway before he approached to get a sense of her mood. She was working in an open space instead of her office, which meant she would likely be less hostile if he interrupted. And her body language did not suggest she was in a mood.

Regulus rapped his knuckles on the wooden door to get her attention. There was a brass knocker in the center of the eloquently designed door, but it was hardly ever used.

His mother straightened her back primly as she lifted her piercing gaze to him. Her eyes were sharp, but she gestured him over with a hand.

Regulus approached his mother and paused before where she was seated. He fixed his posture and linked his arms behind his back. He waited for her to speak first.

"What is it, Regulus?"

"May I send some letters?" Regulus asked. "The owlery is sealed."

She did not respond immediately. Her expression suggested she was not surprised by his request. She must have cast the enchantments guarding the owlery entrance and been waiting for him to ask about it.

"You will not be having any correspondence with your brother." His mother informed him.

Regulus stared at her blankly for a brief moment. That was surprising, but he knew better than to question her orders.

"Yes, ma'am." He agreed.

"You may leave the messages you wish to mail with Kreacher." She continued. "He will handle all incoming and outgoing written communication from here on. And I will be informed if you defy my orders."

Regulus nodded numbly. He would not be able to communicate with Sirius.

"Have you forgotten your manners?" His mother's voice had a warning edge to it. "Answer when you are spoken to."

"Thank you." He replied quickly.

He should not have made such a foolish mistake. She may penalize him if gave her reason to critique his behaviour, then he may not be able to write to Narcissa either. Thankfully, his mother was merciful at that time and did not dole out any consequence for his slip. But she did not dismiss him either.

She placed down the parchment she had been writing on when he entered and eyed him over with a scrutinizing gaze. She clasped her hands tightly.

"You should know that your brother has failed to be sorted into the correct house." His mother explained. "You are expected to uphold family traditions at your future place of education. One of these traditions pertains to our family being sorted into Slytherin. The founder of this house shared our sacred views of protecting the sanctity and purity of magical bloodlines. Every Black ought to settle in Slytherin, along with those from the sacred twenty-eight families. That is the proper community we expect our offspring to engage with."

Regulus held his breath as he listened to his mother. He could not believe Sirius had not been sorted into Slytherin. It seemed to be the house that all of their family members received. He had never considered the possibility that either of them could be sorted elsewhere.

His mother's eyes were narrowed. "It is dishonourable to break from convention and it will leave our family open to ridicule. The alternatives are riddled with tainted blood and deviant beliefs which threaten the magical world. Any pureblood wizard associating with such filth is shameful, and it tarnishes the purity we strive toward. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma’am."

"You will be sorted into Slytherin." She concluded. Her tone left no room for disagreeing.

"Yes, ma'am." He repeated a second time.

Regulus desperately hoped he would be sorted into Slytherin. Sirius failing to do so made him nervous. He did not want to let his family down or face the consequences of failing.

"You are dismissed." His mother said after a pause. "Do not take advantage of your mailing privileges or you will lose them."

Regulus did not try to write to his brother after his mother spoke with him. But eventually, Sirius wrote to him.

Regulus had been eager to hear back from Narcissa and became a frequent visitor to the entrance of the owlery. One afternoon, he noticed Sirius’ owl was trapped in a cage near one end of the room. He knew the owl had gone with Sirius to Hogwarts, and must have delivered a letter. He peered around frantically.

Near the trapped owl, Regulus spotted a few letters dropped on a window ledge. One of them had 'Reg' scrawled across in neat cursive lettering. Only Sirius had ever called him Reg, and he recognized his brother's handwriting immediately.

Regulus knew his mother was not going to let him have the letter. He should have simply left. But he couldn't help himself from standing there and gazing at his brother’s writing. He had not realized how much he longed to hear from Sirius until the words were only meters away and sealed off from his reach.

His mother found him standing by the entrance. She quickly pieced together what he was staring at when she noticed the trapped owl.

She turned to him with a hard look on her face and a sharp tone. "There is no reason for you to be here."

"Please, may I read it?" Regulus asked meekly. "I will not write back."

"Do not test my patience, Regulus." His mother's eyes blazed with anger. "Your brother has conducted himself in a dishonourable manner. You will not be in contact with him until he has amended his ways."

There was no point in arguing. Any further disobedience would only earn him consequences. He was not getting the letter.

Regulus squirmed in his frustration. He bit down on his lip as he inhaled sharply, but his attempts to keep his composure were in vain. His eyes filled with tears against his will.

"Cease that this instant, Regulus." She made an infuriated noise in her throat. "This behaviour is unacceptable."

Regulus sniffed sharply and rubbed his eyes with his right hand.

His voice shook. "I am sorry."

"This is your last warning." She snapped. "I will not listen to this childish nonsense. A ten-year-old ought to know better."

His mother fixed him with a scathing glare as he struggled to compose himself. The longer he failed to hide all signs of his tears, the more vicious her gaze became. When he sniffed once more, his mother gritted her teeth and reached for her wand.

"Silencio."

Regulus was not able to speak for three days.

At first, he thought she had left the charm hanging over him intentionally. But eventually, he realized she had simply forgotten he was silenced. No one had asked him any questions over the three days, so the effects went unnoticed.

His mother ordered him to ready himself for bed on the evening of his third silent day. He obediently closed the book he was reading and rose to his feet to head upstairs. But his mother’s eyes squinted with irritation.

"What have you been told about answering when you are spoken to?" She hissed at him.

Regulus stared over with a horrified expression. He did not know how to answer her without having the ability to speak. He nodded weakly.

"Regulus." She sounded more shocked than angry. "What has gotten into you? I cannot… oh."

Her face cleared as the realization seemed to dawn on her.

She reached for her wand. "Sonorus."

Regulus exhaled in relief as a weight lifted in his throat. The airway felt open once more.

His mother cast him a stern look afterward. "What do you say, Regulus?"

Words felt oddly challenging to produce after his throat had been woven closed for days. His tongue felt alien in his mouth as he tried to speak for the first time.

Regulus got out a weak response. "Thank you."

"You are far too old to cry." His mother reminded him with a sharp tone. "There will be no more tolerance for weakness in this family line."

"Yes ma’am."

*****

October, 1971

It was odd being the only child in the household.

Regulus had been accustomed to being second to Sirius in their family and every social circle growing up. But once his older brother was gone, all eyes were suddenly on him. The governess began to notice all of his mistakes, visitors would direct questions at him, and his mother spent more time lecturing him. He was given more attention than he had ever received before.

But his father did not treat him any differently in his brother's absence.

As far back as he could remember, Regulus had never gotten much from his father, other than eyes that gazed right through him and long stretches of silence. Before his brother left, Regulus had tried to not let his father's indifference toward his younger son bother him. Regulus understood that Sirius was their heir and that his father needed to mentor him. That was the way things were in their family, and Regulus was not to question the way things were.

His parents had typically spent most of their time and energy on Sirius, who tended to be quite a handful in their household. But once his brother was gone, Regulus hoped his father would take more notice of his younger son. While his mother had shifted her attention over to Regulus, his father had not redirected any of the time and energy he spent on Sirius. Instead, his father acted as though he no longer had any sons in the house.

One Sunday afternoon, Regulus came across a rare sight. His father was seated at a work desk in the family library.

Regulus typically only saw his father during meals and children were rarely allowed to speak at the dinner table. His parents may chat occasionally at meals, but Regulus ate in complete silence. Occasionally, his mother would bring Regulus into the conversation, but his father had never done so. Outside of mealtimes, Regulus hardly ever caught a glimpse of his father.

But on that day, his father was not locked in his office or away on business, and instead was seated in the family library that Regulus was allowed to enter.

A spurt of willfulness came over Regulus as he decided he would try to speak with his father.

He approached the table slowly. He hoped his presence would be noticed quickly and he would not need to say anything. But his father's eyes remained on the ministry documents he had been scanning.

Regulus paused a few meters away. He swayed on his feet with nervous energy. Perhaps his father would be cross if Regulus interrupted his work. Regulus had seen him lose his temper with Sirius on many occasions over the years, and did not want to risk being on the receiving end of his father’s anger.

He decided to wait for his father to complete reading through the ministry form. Regulus took a seat at a neighbouring table to wait. He peered over at his father. No reaction.

Regulus sat at the table silently for nearly half an hour without his father so much as glancing up before he gave up waiting. He stood up cautiously and walked forward till he was standing in front of his father's desk.

Regulus hesitated for a few seconds. It would have been easier if his presence alone would draw attention to himself. But his father remained focused on writing notes into the margins of a piece of parchment, and did not glance over.

Regulus spoke up softly. "Excuse me."

His father's lips pursed with annoyance but his eyes remained on his sheet.

Regulus was baffled by the reaction. He was not sure if he should leave or wait. His father knew he was there now, and he probably should not leave without being dismissed.

After a few minutes, his father finally sat back. He peered through his reading spectacles at Regulus with an exasperated expression all over his face. He raised his eyebrows while jerking his chin back and forth.

"This better be good." His father snarled. His words were laced with anger.

Regulus faltered at the angry tone. He forgot what his plan was in the first place. He hadn't really imagined the conversation past the first words, as he could not remember the last time his father had addressed him directly. So he just stood there frozen in place, dumbfounded by his lack of preparation and the fury in his father’s eyes.

"You had the nerve to interrupt me from my work for this?" His father's eyes flashed with disgust. "Do not waste my time."

Regulus’ head throbbed. His vision blurred and he could feel the tears threatening to emerge. His father had spotted Regulus' reaction before he was able to hide it.

His father’s eyes narrowed venomously. "If you start with that rubbish, you will be receiving a reason to be crying."

Regulus feverishly tried to stop the tears in their tracks. He maintained eye contact with his father as he blinked rapidly.

"Do not address an adult unless you are first spoken to." His father commanded. "And do not enter a space I am working in without permission. Get out."

Regulus exited the library without a word.

****

November, 1971

The days were long and dull at Grimmauld Place.

Regulus was constantly trying to find new ways to distract himself during his free time. At his cousin’s suggestion, Regulus started a collection of leaves to dry out between the pages of heavy tomes. He also started spending a few hours at the lake on weekends if his parents didn't require his presence for any visitors. And he reread every book in the household library that he wasn't already sick and tired of.

His broomstick was fun for a while, but he quickly began to overuse it. One week, he spent so much time flying around the field behind their house, that he developed nasty blisters on his legs. He was too ashamed to tell his mother about the wounds, and a bit worried she would confiscate his broomstick, so he was unable to see the healer.

Regulus had to take a break from using his broomstick for a few days afterward. He spent the next afternoon in the library instead, completing schoolwork assigned by the governess.

At one point, Kreacher delivered a new letter from Narcissa.

"Thank you, Kreacher." Regulus said politely.

Kreacher bobbed his head in response. "Young Master."

Oddly enough, Kreacher had been the warmest company in the household lately. Regulus had never truly had any issue with the house elf, but Sirius had loathed Kreacher. So Regulus had kept his distance from the house elf when his brother was around. Ever since his brother had left, he had found himself speaking with the elf more often and regretted ignoring Kreacher for so long. The house elf was quite kind and helpful if he was treated with respect. Sirius had never shown the elf a shred of kindness, so it was not a surprise that the elf was cruel to him.

Regulus opened his cousin's new letter as Kreacher exited the library.

_
Regulus,

I appreciate your agreement that my opinion was correct, even if I did not doubt it for a second. But I do have good news! Since I last wrote, I have spoken with the halfblood roommate and we have come to an agreement to keep things civil. So, things are better now. I have found sharing a room with four other students means there is a lot of compromising. I am not a fan of it! I do miss my room at home.

I hope your lessons have been improving. It is odd that the governess is giving you such a hard time over wandless magical theories. That is very advanced magic. They can hardly expect you to understand it when you do not even have your wand yet.

There was another thing I hoped to get your advice on. I may have opened one of the letters we spoke about. It was a questionable decision, but I know you won't judge me or tell anyone. I am not going to reply to her, I only wanted to see what she wrote about. All it had was a bunch of questions asking after what I have been up to and topics she speaks about with Sirius. He must have written to her again after his birthday, so I am guessing he has an owl again. Also, there was not a single mention of Bellatrix in the letter. I feel real lousy about opening it, but now I am tempted to open the others. I wanted to get your thoughts.

Regards,
Narcissa Black
_
Regulus stared at the letter till the words danced around the parchment.

He didn't see any issue with Narcissa reading Andromeda's letters. He knew she had been wanting to do so for a long time, and it wasn't harmful that she opened it if she didn't respond. But hearing his brother had contacted Andromeda recently bothered him.

Regulus had never before not been able to speak with Sirius every day. But for months now, he had no idea how his brother was doing. Narcissa’s responses to his questions had been the only way Regulus gained any insight into how Hogwarts had been for Sirius so far. She told him that Sirius was in Gryffindor, seemed cheerful and was making friends with ease.

But Regulus got the sense that something was amiss. Sirius never tried to write to him again after the first time, and Regulus wondered if his brother was upset with him for not responding.

Before Narcissa’s letter, he thought perhaps Sirius was not writing as he did not have an owl. Regulus had seen his mother confiscate Sirius' owl after it delivered the first letter. But if his brother wrote to Andromeda recently, he must have gotten his hands on another owl. He simply was not writing to Regulus.

The realization bothered him.

Regulus closed his books and tucked his cousin's letter away to respond at a later time. He needed a distraction then, to distract him away from thoughts of Sirius not writing anymore, and Sirius with his new friends.

With his limited options for time-wasting activities, Regulus made an unwise decision. He walked over to the neighbouring muggle town.

He had visited the town before with his older brother. Regulus had always been uncomfortable with Sirius' fascination with muggles and their cities. Especially since he knew how much his parents would disapprove of visiting muggle-infested areas. But Regulus never wanted to disappoint his brother, so he agreed to go a few times.

But now, Regulus had gone on his own.

He was already second-guessing his decision as he approached the first store, but something drove him to enter anyway. His boredom seemed to be eating away at his common sense. Inside, Regulus browsed the muggle magazines nervously. His mother would be livid if she knew what he was looking at. His attention was drawn over to the front of the shop, where he noticed that the muggle owner was watching him with a suspicious glint in her eyes. His heartbeat was loud in his ears as he averted his gaze from hers.

Regulus slowly backed away toward the exit as his face flushed. He regretted ever entering the shop. He did not belong, and the muggles knew he was an outsider.

Before he could reach the glass door leading out onto the street, a tall man in a trench coat stepped between him and the door.

The man was casting Regulus a crooked smirk.

"You ain't no muggle, love." His voice was bright and cheery. "Are ya?"

All words fled from Regulus’ mind as he gazed up at the tall fellow. He did not know what he ought to do in that situation.

"Don't get all shook up, young’un." The man guffawed loudly. "You're all dressed up like a wee wizard lad, but they don't know the difference."

Regulus whirled his head back and forth. He hoped no one was overhearing the conversation. A few muggles were glancing over, but none seemed to be close enough to be within earshot.

"I am dressed like a wizard?" Regulus whispered.

He hadn't put much thought into his outfit. He wore similar clothing every day, and he had simply pulled his coat over top before walking over. The coat was a bit formal compared to the outfits around the shop, but he had not realized it was that obvious.

"Magical folk tend to have a bit more flair." The man winked. "You look like a wizard’s offspring through and through. Don't stress! I won't tell a soul."

Regulus tilted his head. "Are you a wizard?"

"Yes sire." He laughed loudly. "If you could believe that. My mother’s side ain't got a flick of magic to them, but wizards go far back up the other’s. You're from a wizard family, I wager?"

"Yes." Regulus replied warily.

His mother would not be pleased that he was speaking to a halfblood. But nor would she be thrilled that he was at a muggle shop to begin with, so he was too deep into his rebellion to back away then.

The tall man had launched his hands into his pockets. He gazed down at Regulus with a friendly expression. "What's your name, Sonny?"

"Regulus Black." He admitted.

The stranger retracted immediately. His bright expression bled away from his face and was quickly replaced by a set jaw and cold eyes. His shoulders tensed as his hands came out of his pockets, both rolled into fists.

"Black?" He muttered. The man spat on the floor at Regulus' feet. "Scum."

Regulus was too baffled to move as the man whirled to exit the shop without glancing back. He remained frozen where he stood as the man retreated down the road at a rapid pace, until he had completely vanished from sight.

Only then did Regulus move.

Regulus fled from the shop and made a beeline for the forest path. He sprinted through the trees until he was back in his family’s neighbourhood. Only once he was safe in his room did he realize he was shaking like a leaf.

He promised himself he would never again set foot in that accursed muggle town.

****

December, 1971

His father's words were slurring. It would have been nearly impossible to notice for anyone who did not hear how he regularly talked. But Regulus could hear it. In the slight extension of each word’s last syllable, which was quickly followed up with the next word.

Standing across from his father was his mother. She was flushed with anger as she glared over at her husband. Her back was to the staircase where Regulus was standing.

Neither had seemed to notice his presence when they emerged from the library to continue their heated argument in the corridors. Regulus had frozen in place on the staircase, a few steps beneath the landing.

"It is shameful." His mother hissed. "I cannot suffer any more whispers among the twenty-eight of the state of our family."

"You are blowing it all out of proportion." His father tried to step past her. "I do not have time to entertain this right now."

She blocked his path with an arm. "Enough with this incorrigible habit, Orion. It is beneath your station."

His father's face went white in anger. He stepped up closer to her until their faces were centimetres apart. His mother did not back away.

"How dare you shame me?" He snapped.

"How dare I?" Her voice was equally aggravated. "You disappear into your trances and leave it to me to handle our family affairs. How dare you rebuke me, when I have been the only one keeping this family intact when you fail in your duties?"

"I will not suffer insults from you!" His father was shouting.

Regulus felt sick to his stomach, but his fear kept him motionless.

His mother's face had crinkled in disgust. "I will not stand by as our ancestors' legacy is tarnished by your incompetence."

"You are not the head of this household." He spat in return. "Learn your place."

His father shoved his way past her arm and stormed into his office. The door slammed shut behind him. Regulus watched as his mother stood there, staring at the closed office door, in the aftermath of the bickering. For a fleeting moment, her posture slumped and a helpless expression was visible across her features.

When she turned, her eyes instantly met his.

Regulus dropped his gaze sheepishly, but he had already seen the defeat written all over his mother's face and body language.

She quickly regained her composure. She spoke to him sternly. "You should be in your lessons."

Regulus nodded mutely.

His mother turned to head back toward her own office. She walked off with a strained posture and her chin held up in the air.

That night, Regulus waited up until he heard the grandfather clock ring out at midnight. He climbed out of his bed quietly and snuck down the darkened staircase to his father's office. He knew where his father kept the spirits. And he knew that his father did not bother to secure the bottles, as he was too confident in his unquestioned authority within the household.

Regulus carried every bottle he could find into the bathroom by the dining hall. One by one, he broke the seals and slowly emptied the bottles fully into the bathtub drain.

When he was working through the last three, he glanced up to see Kreacher watching him silently at the bathroom entrance. Regulus did not care. He turned back to his task and continued dumping the liquid out.

The house elf had vanished by the time Regulus completed the task. He dumped the empty bottles into the waste basket before he returned to his bedroom.

Regulus was dreading facing his parents the next morning. He was sure Kreacher would tell his mother what he had seen. The house elf was very loyal to her. And he was sure his father would piece together what he had done once he was awake. Regulus had never done anything as defiant before and did not know how his parents would react.

Only his mother was present when Regulus arrived at the dining hall. She was seated in her usual chair as she gazed over at him. Her face did not give much away.

"Take your seat, Regulus." She ordered.

Regulus took his seat.

His mother did not speak as they waited for his father to arrive. He was later than usual. Once he finally entered the hall, Kreacher served breakfast.

Regulus tried to force himself to eat his breakfast, but it was hard to ignore his nerves and confusion. He did not understand why neither parent reacted to what he had done. He was not naïve enough to believe it went unnoticed.

Halfway through the breakfast period, his father cast his mother a severe look. "It would be expected that you would have some respect for my personal belongings."

"This is not a conversation for the breakfast table, Orion." She chided him without skipping a beat. "We will confer afterward."

Regulus gawked over at his mother in disbelief. Regulus was starting to piece together why his father had not reacted to the crime. He was evidently blaming it on his wife. But Regulus did not understand why his mother was accepting the blame. Surely, Kreacher had informed her of his actions the night before.

They all finished the meal in silence.

As soon as he cleared his dish, his father hastily left the dining hall without another word. Regulus was left alone with his mother.

"You are dismissed." She informed him.

"Mother," Regulus spoke up timidly. "I need to confess that I..."

"Regulus." She cut him off with a sharp tone. "There is nothing to discuss."

Regulus flushed as he came to a realization.

His mother clearly knew what he had done, but she was not upset with him. He had not thought it possible for his mother to excuse misbehaviour. And yet, she was not allowing him to face consequences for acting out in her defence.

"Your governess is waiting." She reminded him. "Go attend your lessons."

"Yes, ma'am."

It dawned on him that he may have been on the same side as his mother for once, and that she had appreciated his attempts to help her.

Maybe he was not the only one who felt alone in their household.

Chapter Text

December, 1971

Sirius was coming home.

Regulus could hardly wait all morning. Every hour felt endless as the minutes dragged by. The hand on the clock seemed to be moving painfully slow toward the time his brother was due to arrive back at King's Cross Station for the winter break.

He had been waiting all month for the holidays to arrive. Regulus had marked the long-awaited day on his calendar and counted down a week in advance. On the day of, he spent the morning in his lesson, twitching in anticipation. Even after earning himself a few stern words from the governess, he could not take his mind off of his brother's impending return.

His brother arrived in true Sirius fashion. With loud quarrelling and items being thrown across his father's study.

Regulus had not heard anyone enter Grimmauld Place over his lesson, but he certainly caught a whiff of the commotion after he was released. Regulus was standing in the dining hall when he heard angry shouts and a loud crash echoing through the walls. He reached the doorway in time to see his brother exiting his father's study in a huff, running toward the main staircase with a bitter expression etched on his face.

"Sirius?" Regulus called, too excited to be deterred by his brother's sour mood. "You are back!"

Sirius halted on the steps and veered in his direction. The frustration bubbling beneath the surface of his brother's skin seemed to fade instantly. His face softened into a fond smile as he stepped back from the stairs. Before Regulus had time to react, Sirius was bounding over and throwing his arms around Regulus' neck.

Well, that was odd. Regulus was slightly thrown off by the peculiar behaviour. Sirius was not typically unaffectionate per se, but embraces were not the norm in their family. Usually, the brothers would only hug to comfort each other after one or the other earned their parents' ire. Which was not uncommon, but the gesture seemed to be reserved for those moments.

Regulus tried to hide his discomfort as Sirius stepped back with a sloppy smirk. He peered at his brother, somewhat perplexed. "That was... different. I thought you might be cross with me. You stopped writing letters."

"Huh?" Sirius lifted his eyebrows. "You received my letter? I wrote to you, but my owl never returned."

"I did not receive it," Regulus clarified, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear nervously. "I only saw mum getting rid of it. And afterward, I know she confiscated your owl. But I also know you managed to get a letter to Andromeda after your birthday."

"How do you know that?"

It was a fair question. He was uncertain if Sirius would be irked at the thought of Regulus and Narcissa discussing him in their letters, but there was no other way to explain how he knew.

Regulus peered behind Sirius to ensure the course was clear before replying. "Narcissa told me."

Sirius shot over a baffled expression. "Narcissa has spoken with Andromeda?"

"Not exactly." Regulus explained. "She read one of the letters Andromeda sent her."

Sirius seemed to ponder that response for a second. He peered downward, lost in thought before replying.

"I did write to you and Andromeda both." His voice was earnest. "But I got interrupted while sending yours."

Regulus shrugged. "Okay."

"Alright?" Sirius asked.

"I am okay. I missed you." Regulus peered at him carefully. "Mum has not been very pleased with you. She said you have been causing a lot of problems at Hogwarts, and she was embarrassed."

Sirius flushed, looking rather defensive. "Since when have you cared about what she thinks is embarrassing?"

Regulus didn't reply, simply staring back at Sirius stubbornly. He had endured several months alone at the whims of his mother's anger. He did not need to justify why he did not want to see her upset to his brother.

Sirius sighed, dropping his defensive stance. "Hogwarts has been great, Reg. You are going to love it. So much better than here."

Regulus shrugged. "You made friends."

It was more of a statement than a question but Sirius nodded.

"You will too!"

Regulus gave him a weak smile. He was not sure if that was true. While developing friendships had always come naturally to his brother, despite their lack of opportunities to do so, Regulus had typically faded into the crowd. He had never been able to instantly become comfortable with other kids the way his brother did. But he did not mind not having friends, truly. Narcissa and Sirius had always been all of the companionship he wished for.

"How has everything been here since September?" Sirius asked.

Regulus fiddled with a sleeve. "It has been the same as usual. I have been doing schoolwork with the governess."

Sirius lowered his voice. "Have things been alright with mum and dad?"

Regulus’ eyes inspected Sirius carefully. "They do not get cross often when you are not here."

The year before Sirius left had been a nasty one in their household. Long drawn-out lectures and quarrels had become the norm between Sirius and his parents. Regulus never understood why his brother would not relent and simply do as they said. It did not seem worth it to resist complying with their orders, even if they found it unfair or wrong. It had always been far easier to keep his head down and do as his parents said. Regulus was quite talented at keeping secrets from his mother's watchful eyes when he wished to be, but he hardly would ever defy her to her face the way his brother would.

The comment seemed to sting. Sirius crossed his arms and glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I have complied with mother's orders, and it has resulted in fewer arguments here than there ever were when you were home."

"Kiss up." Sirius scoffed.

Regulus giggled softly, and the irritation faded from Sirius' face. He rolled his eyes back, but his tone was playful.

"I cannot stay annoyed with you, even if you are becoming an insufferable goody-good. Also, I have a question for you. Do you know if she destroyed my broomstick by any chance?"

Regulus shook his head. "No, she did not destroy it. I think it is still in her bedroom."

The relief was evident on Sirius' face. While Regulus was the one mad for quidditch out of the two, Sirius certainly enjoyed flying as well and had a knack for quidditch. His brother would have been devastated if their mother had disintegrated the broomstick, as she often threatened to do whenever he would act out.

"Cheers!" Sirius tossed an arm around Regulus.

The week with his brother was everything. Regulus still needed to attend his lessons in the morning until Christmas, but he spent the afternoons with his brother. Despite the heated argument Sirius seemed to have with their parents on his first day back, everyone seemed to be cordial in passing afterward, and Sirius stayed off their nerves. Regulus found his brother’s good behaviour to be quite suspicious and out of character, and he suspected that Sirius had a ploy to retrieve his broomstick in the works. But the pleasant week allowed the boys to have flexibility in how they spent their free time.

They quickly returned to their old habits. They spent the week playing games and finding creative ways to pass the time. But there were some differences. Sirius constantly spoke of his mates and Hogwarts, and how eager he was to return.

Their inevitable separation haunted the week, no matter how hard Regulus tried to ignore it. Every fun moment was disturbed by the background thought that it would all be over in the next week or so, and he would be alone again. It did not help his mood that Sirius was so keen on the return to Hogwarts that Regulus was dreading.

Christmas day passed uneventfully. Their family did not celebrate the holiday much, mostly regarding it as a muggle tradition. But the boys would get a few small gifts if they were well-behaved lately, and they may have a sweet after supper if their parents were in a generous mood. That year, Regulus was gifted a coat and a few books from his mother. Sirius went empty-handed after his conduct at Hogwarts, which he seemed wholly unbothered by.

New Year's Day was the holiday his parents were more fond of, hosting a large celebration every year with many families from the sacred twenty-eight in attendance. Regulus dreaded the gatherings. The boys were expected to be gracious hosts and on their best behaviour. Nearly every year, without fail, their mother would find something about their conduct over the event to be angry over.

A few days before the gathering, the boys decided to go for a walk through the park by the gated community where Grimmauld Place was situated. They climbed up the hill at the center of the park to their favourite spot, where they could sit tucked behind a mound of rocks with a clear view of the lake. Barely anyone could see them hidden behind the trees and rocks, but they could see half of the city from their spot.

Sirius was soon talking about Hogwarts again. "Next year, we are going to try out for quidditch. You know, you cannot play in first year. But we all are still practicing and I think I have gotten better at playing chaser. Maybe we will be on the same team someday, or play against each other if you are in a different house."

Regulus nodded. "We can play against each other. I am excited for quidditch."

"Are you looking forward to going to Hogwarts?"

"I think so." Regulus’ brows creased in worry. "I am a bit nervous about living with others my age. It will all be so different."

"You will like it, you’ll see." Sirius went on. "Most students there are loads of fun. It is so different than the kids we met growing up. They are nice and do not care about silly rubbish like who your parents are."

Regulus turned to him quickly, "Well, mum would only wish for me to spend time with folk from the sacred twenty-eight families."

The playful tone of their banter dropped.

"Are you taking the piss?" Sirius stared, with an expression of disbelief. "You would not truly follow that, would you?"

"I would." Regulus set his jaw stubbornly. "I think it would be best to make friends with kids from our crowd."

Sirius raised his voice. "Our crowd!?"

Regulus crossed his arms defensively. "Why are you getting upset?"

"Because you are being a giant tosser! You don't seriously believe you are better than others since they are not pureblooded, do you?"

"I do not think I am better than anyone." Regulus glared at him. "But pureblooded wizards have ancient magic in their blood."

"Merlin." Sirius covered his face with his hands. "So you think your magic is superior to theirs?"

"I think our magic is older."

"And therefore better?"

Regulus' voice was hard. "I suppose."

Sirius cast him a patronizing frown. "They really got to you, haven’t they?"

Regulus felt himself flare with anger. He grabbed a handful of grass and ripped it out of the ground. He clasped his fist around the torn-up grass before tossing it into the air beside him in frustration.

"Why do you think you always know better than everyone, Sirius? Why should I listen to you instead of our family? I am certain they know more about the world than you do!"

Sirius bristled with irritation. But he did not take the bait and jump into another argument with Regulus. Instead, he rose to his feet and stormed off down the hill, leaving Regulus to his own devices.

****

Regulus had not forgotten how stubborn and temperamental his brother could be over the past few months. And yet, Sirius seemed eager to remind him.

First, Sirius refused to speak with Regulus for the next two days before the New Year's gathering. Then at the gathering, Sirius added more victims to his tantrum and decided to give everyone the silent treatment. As the festivities began, his brother stood beside Regulus in the banquet hall without uttering a word.

His mother always hosted their events in that hall. The grand room was chilly and shaded, with only sunlight lighting up the hall, peering through the windows layering the walls and ceiling. The walls around the hall were filled with meticulous detailing in the wallpaper and ornate portraits, and the windows were stained with extravagant artwork worthy of the Blacks' noble status.

After the initial greetings, made awkward by Sirius refusing to open his mouth the entire time, the boys were permitted to take their seats at the table sorted against the far right wall, which was facing the open center of the room.

Regulus was feeling quite irritated by his brother's behaviour already by that point of the gathering. He was worn out from having to quickly redirect their guest's attention back to himself whenever Sirius would not reply to any queries directed his way. A few relatives had cast each other knowing smirks at Sirius' reluctance to speak. None had seemed very surprised by his small act of rebellion, nor had any seemed very concerned. Still, it was rather embarrassing, and Regulus was happy to be excused to his seat.

Regulus watched the adults gathering around the center of the hall for a bit, chatting in small clusters. Many had used muffling charms to keep the youth from overhearing bits of their conversations. They were likely discussing the war. It was all the adults ever spoke of those days.

Regulus was trying to ignore it as his brother aggressively rearranged the neckline of his scruffy collar when Narcissa walked down the table to speak with them.

"Sirius, Regulus." She nodded primly. "How are you doing?"

Regulus gave her a polite smile. "Hullo, Narcissa. I am well."

"Sirius?" Narcissa looked at him again, a bit of hesitance evident on her face.

Sirius remained stubbornly mute.

Narcissa didn't shy away as easily as the adults had. "Are you ignoring me?"

"No," Regulus spoke up. "He is not talking today."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Is he under a spell?"

"No, he is just pouting." Regulus explained, his face expressionless.

Sirius made a face, but Regulus did not care. If Sirius insisted on throwing a strop, he had no issue being petty in return.

"I see." Narcissa smiled down at Sirius fondly. "He has always been the sensitive one in the family."

Sirius dropped his chin to stare down at his crossed arms, exhaling hot air onto his chest.

Narcissa and Regulus exchanged a smirk. Both were used to Sirius' temper. It could be worse. Sulking was less annoying than Sirius yelling or slamming doors.

"My mother said we could go to the cottage in the summer again this year." Narcissa continued the conversation. " Would you two like to come with us? We could go to the beach and play quidditch."

Regulus perked up. "That would be fun!"

Narcissa smiled back at him.

"Yes, it has been a while since we have gone together. I think our families could all do with a break from everything." She sighed, looking back at the huddle across the floor. "It is good to see you, Regulus. And I will see you at Hogwarts, Sirius."

She turned, walking back toward the end of the table she had come from. They listened to her retreating footsteps until they heard her chair creak as she sat back down at the table. Regulus peered over at his brother briefly, but Sirius kept his eyes fixed forward.

Sirius did not make it through the event. He had stormed out of the hall halfway through their mother's toast and never returned. Regulus had noted his mother leaving at one point, but when she returned Sirius was nowhere in sight. Regulus steered clear of her for the rest of the evening. Her cold anger over whatever Sirius had done was evident on her face.

Regulus did not see his brother the next day. Sirius did not leave his room for meals or come out to spend time together. Regulus wondered if he should go by his brother’s bedroom once or twice, but he wasn't positive if his mother had locked Sirius in there. She may grow cross if he dared to interfere with her orders. So Regulus kept his distance.

The night before Sirius was scheduled to return to Hogwarts, Regulus spotted him in the hallway upstairs. His brother was standing outside their parents' doorway, pressing his hands against an invisible wall holding him back. He looked beyond frustrated as he gazed through the entranceway longingly. Regulus knew exactly what his brother was peering at. He had seen the broomstick resting there in plain sight. His mother must have sat it there purely to taunt Sirius. He watched as his brother hit a fist against the charmed door in frustration.

Regulus’s voice was dry. "It is to keep you out."

Sirius had a surprised expression on his face when he glanced Regulus' way. He stared back at his brother without a word.

Regulus tilted his head. "Do you not think they will notice if you take the broomstick?"

Sirius seemed irritated once more at Regulus' commentary. His lips twisted as he turned to eye the broomstick over one final time before he gave up. He pushed back and sauntered off toward his bedroom.

"Wait," Regulus tried to grab his arm. "Sirius."

Sirius jerked his arm away and continued toward his door.

"Sirius!" Regulus called once more, but Sirius swiftly slammed his door shut.

Regulus seethed in frustration. He truly did not understand what Sirius was so crabby over. He hated that their time together had been cut short by their petty squabble, and felt lousy about leaving the break on such an unpleasant note. But he did not know how to improve his brother's sour mood.

An idea struck him early the next morning. He waited until he heard his mother head downstairs at the crack of dawn to put his theory to the test. He had been correct. Nothing was blocking Regulus from entering his mother's door, and he slipped in with ease.

He grabbed the broomstick and rushed back to his brother's bedroom door to shake him awake.

It took a few tries before Sirius sat up lazily, rubbing his eyes with his fists. After a long yawn, Sirius finally seemed to notice his brother's presence by his bedside.

Regulus held the broomstick out tentatively. "I got it for you."

Sirius stared down for a quiet pause, before he gasped and jumped to his feet. His face lit up with a vibrant joy for the first time all week.

"Mum is already downstairs." Regulus urged him on, his voice hushed. "If you leave right away, she probably will not notice it is gone until after you get back to Hogwarts."

Sirius gazed up at him, his eyes flashing with tenderness. His smile was somewhat sombre, as if he was finally regretting how cold he had been with Regulus over their final days together.

"Thank you, Reg. Thank you so much."

****

January, 1972

The weeks after Christmas were turbulent.

His parents remained livid with his brother long after he had returned to Hogwarts. His father’s frustration resulted in frequent arguments between his parents, but Regulus ended up bearing the brunt of his mother's fury.

On the morning after Sirius returned to Hogwarts, Regulus was forced to watch his mother burn all of Sirius' old broomsticks. She assured Regulus that his broomsticks would be burnt to a crisp as well if he ever let Sirius lay a finger on any of them.

Regulus was thankful that his part in helping Sirius rescue his broomstick was not discovered. His mother seemed more willing to believe that Sirius had outwitted her, than to believe that Regulus was capable of defying her. It was both useful and insulting at the same time.

Sirius managed to strike again the next week. His mother had received word from the head of Gryffindor one afternoon. The letter included details of Sirius' recent wrongdoings and did nothing to improve her mood.

Regulus slipped out the back door to go spend a few hours on his broomstick. It was best to stay out of her sight when she was angry with Sirius. If his brother was not there for her to take her fury out on, anyone else could end up being the recipient.

His efforts to stay out of her line of fire were in vain. He was only outside for ten minutes or so before Kreacher came to the field to beckon him inside.

"The Mistress requests an audience with the Young Master." Kreacher told him once he landed. "Mistress said immediately."

Regulus nodded glumly. He suspected he would not have time to come out again afterward. He flew one more lap before landing by the shed to store his broomstick.

Regulus found his mother in her office when he entered Grimmauld Place. She was facing the sizzling fireplace when he knocked timidly at the door.

"Regulus." Her voice was cold. "Come here."

Regulus approached the mantel till he was a meter away from his mother. He did not say anything as he waited.

Her eyes were blazing as she gazed down at the flickering flames before her. "Why is it that you did not return inside when you were called?"

"I did come inside." Regulus replied quickly.

"Do not engage in deception." Her lips curled in anger. "You did not enter immediately."

Regulus swayed nervously from foot to foot. She was correct that he had not come in right away. But he had not expected her to be upset over a minute or two.

Her voice was eerily calm. "I am weary of being disobeyed by my sons."

Regulus realized she had pulled out her wand.

His mother had never cursed him before. Regulus had seen Sirius get cursed and helped his brother bandage the wounds left by curses many times over the past years. But it was different when it was directed at him.

He had not expected her to lash him, nor did he know what to expect it to feel like. It stung far more than he realized, even though she had only left him with one cut per leg. His mother was wholly unsympathetic afterward and sent him to his room for the night.

He was left alone to figure out how to bandage his legs. He collected a few bandages from the bathroom where his brother had stored them.

It was more challenging to care for his own cuts than it had been to help with his brother’s. Regulus wished his brother were there to help him, but he was happy Sirius did not know his mother cursed him. His brother was prone to overreacting, and Regulus did not wish for his brother to be angry on his behalf. Regulus went through a few bandages before his wounds seemed effectively wrapped up. He silently retreated to his bedroom to hide for the rest of the evening.

Regulus held himself together until he was safe in the dimly lit bedroom on the top floor. He closed his door softly before inhaling shakily in the darkness. He climbed onto his bed and buried his face in a pillow to muffle his crying.

He longed for the comfort of his brother as he laid there in the dark. But his brother was in Scotland, and Regulus was alone. And there was no one else to comfort him.

****

February, 1972

Regulus was lonely again.

His mother was busy with work, and Narcissa’s letters were little comfort when they would only entertain him for a minute or two. He longed for someone to speak with.

One afternoon, he found himself wandering into the servant quarters to watch Kreacher clean dishes. The house elf noticed his presence after a moment.

"Young Master." The elf appeared bewildered. "Why does he wander down here?"

"May I help you clean?" Regulus requested.

His question seemed to completely throw off the house elf. He blinked a few times as his mouth hung ajar. "The Young Master wishes to clean dishes?"

"Yes." Regulus answered.

He did not wait for Kreacher to grant him permission. He walked forward and paused beside the long sink filled to the brim with bubbles. As Kreacher watched, Regulus fished out a plate from the warm liquid below, determined to clean it up.

Regulus paused. He did not know how to wash dishes.

"How do you clean the dishware?"

Kreacher made an odd noise. Regulus got the sense that the house elf was amused. The elf’s voice was kind when he gently took the plate from Regulus' hands.

"Kreacher will show him how to."

Once Regulus watched the steps the house elf took to wash, rinse and sanitize each dish, he began to fully clean a few himself. He noted that Kreacher sneakily slipped a few back into the sink after Regulus stacked them on the drying rack, but he managed to successfully clean a few that Kreacher did not interfere with. It felt like an achievement in some ways.

Both were quiet as they cleaned for a bit.

"The Young Master is bored." Kreacher stated plainly.

"A bit."

The elf watched him earnestly. "And the Young Master enjoys cleaning?"

Regulus shrugged weakly. "The bubbles are rather fun."

Kreacher's face wrinkled beneath the folds of skin. He appeared to be smiling. "The Young Master is always welcome to clean the dishware. Kreacher enjoys the company."

"Truly?" Regulus asked.

Kreacher nodded with a friendly gleam in his eyes.

Regulus felt sorry that he had ignored the house elf in the past. The only issue Regulus ever truly had with Kreacher was that the elf was prone to tattling to his mother. But Regulus should not fault him for his loyalty to their family. As it stood, Kreacher was the closest thing he had to a friend under that roof.

"I would like that." Regulus smiled softly.

He began to regularly visit the house elf afterward.

****

March, 1972

One morning, Regulus went downstairs half an hour before breakfast. Neither parent had yet emerged from their room and Regulus was able to track Kreacher down without attracting any attention. He had a letter he hoped Kreacher would send before his mother awoke.

It had been Narcissa's idea. When Regulus told her he wished he could write to his brother, she offered to deliver the letters for him. She said she would hide Sirius' response within her own letters, and his mum would be none the wiser. So Regulus had written a message for his brother in an envelope titled to his cousin.

There was no reason for Kreacher to suspect anything was amiss, and the house elf did not give his letter a second glance.

Regulus began the day in a cheerful mood after successfully mailing the letter to his brother from right under his mother's nose. But his lessons with the governess quickly squashed all the happiness out of his day.

Regulus had spent his lesson trying and failing to adequately write transfiguration formulas. The governess would explain what the spell should do to an object, and Regulus was expected to transcribe an effective formula. But every time he wrote one out, the governess was unsatisfied when she came to see his work.

"Regulus." The governess scolded in a thick accent. "This is the sixth time you have made this error. Do not simply memorize the formulas you have read and guess what they should include. You need to think."

"I am trying to." Regulus huffed. "I do not know what to include."

The governess tsked and moved toward the front of their study room. She called back to him as she paced. "You have been studying the formulas all week. You know what to include, but you are not thinking."

Regulus scowled down at his sheet. He was frustrated by the entire session. Nothing was working for him, and the governess was being entirely unhelpful.

"Whatever." He muttered under his breath.

His governess whirled to face him. "Excuse me?"

Regulus' mouth closed quickly as he peered up at his governess with wide eyes. He had not expected her to hear what he said. He knew better than to use informal language. Muggle slang had been strictly forbidden in their household.

"Goodness." The governess' cheeks twitched in aggravation. "You are becoming as disrespectful as your brother lately."

"I apologize." Regulus replied sincerely. "I had grown frustrated."

"There is no excuse for poor manners." She replied with a sharp tone. "I will have to report your naughtiness back to your mother."

He hung his head. "Yes, ma'am."

She rapped the tip of her fingers on his worksheet. "Try it again."

****

April, 1972

His parents were conversing at the entrance to the dining hall in hushed tones.

Regulus was standing on the other side of the main staircase. He could see the side of their faces through the railing bars and hear their voices clearly. Neither had noticed his presence, even though he made no effort to hide.

"Another ministry wizard has been arrested." His father was speaking. "I swear, more wizard folk than muggles have paid for this war."

"Everyone suffers in war." His mother sighed. "Sacrifices are unfortunate, but they are essential to reach our goals."

"I am well aware of the importance of achieving what we hope to achieve. That does not make it any easier to watch our allies be picked off like flies for supporting our cause."

"Their efforts will not be in vain once we are victorious." Her voice was calm and confident. "We all have roles to play."

His father was shaking his head. "That is simple enough to say now, but will you feel as secure in this belief when the sacrifices are members of our family?"

"We are protecting our family by enduring this war, Orion." She placed a hand on his arm. "Our family line is dependent on our success at preserving the sanctity of the wizard community. We will all suffer gravely if we lose this war, far more than we will suffer by fighting it. I am willing to make sacrifices for the greater good."

His father did not speak for a long few minutes. His voice was softer when he spoke again.

"Perhaps you would have been better suited to this role than I ever was."

"Orion." She dropped her hand. "I know where my duties lie. I am here to support you, and we will succeed together."

Regulus moved away from the railing. He was tired of hearing about the war. He walked further down the hall quietly and slipped past his parents. Neither glanced his way as their conversation continued. Regulus might as well be invisible.

Regulus headed toward the servant quarters to track down Kreacher once more. He had no one else to talk to. He would have accepted any companionship right then.

A few more months, he told himself, then his brother would be home. He just had to get through a few more months. Then he would never be left behind in that house again.

****

May, 1972

"Orion." His mother cleared her throat.

Regulus peered across the dinner table. His father was reading the current edition of the Daily Prophet with a strained expression. He did not respond immediately, but she stared over sternly until his father relented and lowered the newspaper.

His father cast her a tired look. "Yes?"

His mother clasped her hands primly on the table before her. Her head gently slanted as she spoke with her husband.

"The governess has informed me that Regulus has not achieved adequate grades in recent months. He is not where he ought to be when entering Hogwarts."

Regulus' cheeks warmed. But his father did not glance his way.

"Their education is your prerogative." His father dismissed the comment. "Do as you will to amend it."

"You are his father." Her eyes narrowed. "You should be involved in correcting your son. He has not taken his studies seriously this year."

His father sat back reluctantly and folded the paper in half. He set it down on the table with a loud thud.

When his father's eyes finally shifted to the other half of the table, they landed on the empty seat across from Regulus. It was the chair his brother sat at when he was home. His father realized his mistake after a moment, and his eyes flitted over to Regulus instead.

Regulus held his breath as he met his father's gaze. He was steeped in anticipation.

His father lifted his newspaper once more. "You could organize extra schooling over the summer months, Walburga."

****

June, 1972

It did not take long for his letters to Sirius to be found out.

His mother had interrupted his lesson one morning and dismissed the governess for the day. Regulus knew he was in for it. His mother placed a lot of emphasis on his education, and would not give him a day off without good reason.

"Come here." His mother beckoned him over.

When Regulus was standing face-to-face with his mother, she loomed over him menacingly.

"You have disobeyed me." His mother glared at him. "You have engaged in deception with your cousin to defy my will."

There was no point in denying it. She clearly knew about the letters already. He hung his head in shame and hugged his chest with his arms. “I am sorry.”

Her voice remained cold. "You will accompany me on a visit to your Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Druella. And you will explain how you and your cousin have conducted yourselves."

Regulus was mortified at the thought of confessing what they had done to Narcissa's parents. But he was sure that was why his mother insisted he do it.

He followed along numbly as his mother brought him through the floo network. They soon arrived at their destination of his cousins' manor. His aunt and uncle held an audience with them in the sitting room.

His uncle seemed wary as he took a seat. "We were not expecting you to pay us a visit, Walburga."

"It is always a pleasure when you drop by." Aunt Druella smiled when she walked in. "Lovely to see you, Regulus. Would you care for some tea?"

"This is not a social visit." His mother replied shortly. "Regulus, explain yourself to your Aunt and Uncle."

Both turned to peer over at him with curiosity. Regulus swallowed as he swayed nervously. He tried to stifle his nerves as he spoke up.

"I was forbidden from writing to Sirius this year. But I have been disguising messages for my brother as letters to Narcissa. And she has been sending his responses back while pretending they were her letters."

Regulus couldn't bear to maintain their gaze any longer and stared down at his feet. All were quiet for a moment following his confession.

"I see." Aunt Druella answered after a pause. "And Narcissa was aware you were not permitted to be in contact with Sirius?"

Regulus hated that he was being forced to tattle on his cousin. But lying was not an option when his mother was involved. While she had never used legilimency on Regulus, he was sure she would not hesitate to put her skills to use the moment he gave her reason to doubt him.

"Narcissa knew I was not allowed to contact him."

"I suppose you are requesting we speak with our daughter?" Uncle Cygnus directed the question at Regulus' mother.

"You ought to warn your daughter against undermining the authority of her superiors." His mother responded with a sharp tone. "Your daughters need discipline, Cygnus. Surely you do not intend to allow your last redeemable child to become as unruly as her sisters."

His uncle's face darkened, but he did not speak up in defence of his parenting or his daughters. Regulus got the sense that his uncle was as fearful of his sister as the rest of them were. His mother seemed to evoke fear from everyone she came across. Even within the House of Black, there was a hierarchy. And his uncle would bow to her authority.

"We will correct Narcissa." Aunt Druella assured them. "I apologize for her actions that went against your orders, Walburga."

"Very well." His mother nodded primly. "We will take our leave."

Apparently, his mother did not believe the humiliation of describing his misbehaviour before his aunt and uncle was enough of a penalty for his disobedience. When they returned to Grimmauld Place, she beckoned him into her office, and gave him a lash on each leg.

It was easier to bear the second time. It had not caught him off guard as it had the first time she lashed him, and he was able to recover his composure quicker afterward. And this time around, his mother did not leave him to clean up the wounds himself.

"Kreacher." His mother called afterward.

The elf appeared after a moment. "Mistress?"

"We need two bandages." She instructed, before turning her focus back to her son. "Take a seat, Regulus."

Regulus obediently sat down on the chair she directed him to. When Kreacher returned with some medical supplies, they wrapped up the two wounds carefully.

Afterward, his mother motioned him to stand up again. He rose to his feet to face her.

"I am hard on you as I hold you in high regard, Regulus.” She told him sternly. “Allowing yourself to be sidetracked for your brother's sake is disappointing. You are capable of doing better."

"Yes ma'am." He replied softly. "I will do better."

She ran a hand gently down the back of his head. Her touch was surprisingly gentle and comforting. After a quiet moment, she pressed his face against her chest. Regulus closed his eyes as he leaned into his mother. He soaked in the comfort as she continued to stroke his hair.

Soon, his mother released him from the embrace. She placed both hands on his shoulders to hold him firmly before her. She waited for him to peer up at her eyes before she spoke again.

"Do not disappoint me again, Regulus."

"I will not." He promised.

He had every intention to keep his word.

Chapter Text

June, 1972

Regulus did not greet his brother right away after he got home. He had been eagerly awaiting his brother's arrival, but he did not want to end up on his mother's radar that day. He knew she was infuriated with his brother to begin with, and had never let the broomstick debacle go since winter break. On top of that, his parents had a heated discussion regarding Sirius' poor grades the night before. Regulus was sure his mother would have some choice words for Sirius once he arrived home, and he intended to stay out of sight until she was through with him.

He waited an hour before approaching his brother's bedroom, knocking briskly and entering without waiting for a response.

Sirius was inside, as expected. He had been seated on his bed, looking bored and glum as he stared at the wall, but his expression lit up at the sight of his brother. Regulus' eyes were drawn to the fresh bandages around his brother's legs.

Regulus closed the door behind him. "Did she-?"

Sirius dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "It does not matter. My mate has my broomstick."

Regulus smiled softly, relieved their efforts had not been entirely in vain. "I am glad."

Regulus walked over tentatively, climbing onto the bed at his brother's side. He could not help but notice how bare his brother's room was. Their mother must have confiscated far more than only Sirius' broomstick. The desk, walls and bookshelves were entirely bare beyond his first-year textbooks.

Sirius eyed him over. "Alright?

"I have been okay." Regulus shrugged. "You got my letter?"

"Yeah. Did you get the ones I sent back?"

Regulus nodded. "I got one from Narcissa."

Sirius shrugged, with a disappointed frown. "I sent another with an owl I have there. I thought she may keep that one from you."

Regulus kept his face still. "Suppose she did. How was Hogwarts?"

"So bloody good. I wish I could skip summer altogether." Sirius leaned back on his elbows. His eyes were shining. "Next time you'll be coming with me though."

Regulus gave him a weak smile. He was not as excited about the upcoming school year as Sirius was. The thought of living with several other boys his age filled him with a sense of dread. Regulus felt wholly unprepared for such a sudden change, from complete isolation to living around hundreds of children while being away from home.

After a pause, Regulus spoke again. "Mum burned all of your old broomsticks. And she told me if I allow you to borrow any, she will also burn mine."

Sirius gave a hefty sigh. "Do not worry about it, I will not use your sticks. How have things been here otherwise?"

Regulus was happy he asked. He had quite the bone to pick with his brother, after being on the receiving end of his mother's irritation at her older son for the past few months.

"You kept making mum cross with all the letters she got from Hogwarts." Regulus gave his brother a pointed look. "Then she would often give me a hard time afterward."

Sirius smirked, looking unremorseful. "Sorry."

Regulus went on, delivering the rest of his grim news for the summer months. "I have not been performing in school at the level mum had wanted me to either. So she has decided that I need to do lessons all summer as well."

"Bummer." Sirius replied.

Regulus frowned down at his hands. "She said if my reports improve I may still be permitted to visit our cousins at their cottage for a few weeks."

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah, hopefully you can go. Doubt I'd get permission to go with you though."

Regulus peered over at him darkly. He was not in the mood to listen to Sirius feeling sorry for himself. While Regulus knew very well how unfair and hard his parents could be on Sirius, his brother certainly made matters worse for himself by rebelling against them all the time.

Regulus stared at his brother, blankly. "I am sure she will allow you to visit if you behave yourself."

"Shut up." Sirius rolled his eyes back. "Now you're sounding like Narcissa."

Sirius flicked him roughly on the arm. Regulus frowned as he rubbed where Sirius had flicked with the opposite hand.

Regulus changed the topic, knowing trying to point out the obvious tended to anger his brother. He thought back to the conversation he overheard. "Did you fail a class?"

Sirius sat up sharply. "What? I didn't fail any classes."

"I heard mother and father talking about your marks yesterday." Regulus explained, unfazed by the reaction. "They sounded like they were saying you failed one. And that you had not gotten the best marks back either."

"I didn't fail any courses! And my marks are fine." Sirius huffed in irritation. "I didn't do well in history, but it's a far cry from a fail."

Regulus prickled up. "Do not snap at me. I am simply repeating what I heard."

Sirius stayed silent for a moment. He seemed to deflate a bit as he blinked roughly. He rested his chin on his chest as he replied in a softer tone.

"I did alright. I topped a few classes. History was the only bad mark."

Regulus averted his eyes. "Okay."

Sirius sighed, moving the topic on from grades. "So beyond your classes, what are we doing this summer?"

Regulus leaned back a bit, peering at Sirius above his shoulder. "Not sure. Quidditch is off the table for you and the cottage is not until the end of July. Anything you had in mind?"

Sirius considered. "Going to the park. Swimming in the lake. Maybe I will go hiking over one of the nearby mountains."

Regulus nodded in agreement.

"I also want to go explore some nearby muggle towns." Sirius said.

Regulus felt the colour drain from his face. Just the thought of returning to the muggle town made him feel ill. He knew he had done something very wrong that day, defying his parents and entering an unsafe area infested with non-magical folk. And the halfblood man had properly terrified him. He had never imagined that his family would be loathed among other wizarding folk.

Regulus shook his head. "That is a bad idea."

Sirius nudged him gently, with a bored expression. "Do not be such a mummy's boy. It will be grand. Besides, I want to find new records too."

Regulus was not going to fold to his brother's demands so easily. He may have followed his brother blindly in the past, but the year alone had shaken his confidence in the older boy somewhat. Sirius had been wrong to spend time in those muggle towns, and Regulus was not budging on the matter.

Sirius' face grew dark at Regulus' refusal to back down or respond. He shoved his brother again, with a bit more force. "What? I leave for one year and you turn into a complete wuss?"

"Cut it out." Regulus stood up, whirling back on him. "We are not allowed to do that and it is a bad idea. People do not like us!"

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Regulus sighed. "Nothing."

"No, answer me!"

Regulus turned away. He did not want to discuss what took place with his brother. "Can we please just do something else?"

Sirius responded after a moment, his voice gruff. "Whatever."

Their first dinner together did nothing to improve Sirius' mood. Both parents laid into him for his grades being below their expectations. On top of that, they seemed to be rather cross with him for how he behaved himself at Hogwarts. Regulus did not know much of what his brother had done to earn their ire. When he asked Narcissa, she simply said Sirius had engaged in foolish, childish pranks all year long. Regulus was hardly surprised to hear that.

After they properly chewed Sirius out, his mother informed him that he was forbidden from stepping foot out of their estate. He was banned from any excursions until he earned the privilege of their trust. Regulus could see Sirius shrinking into himself at that order. That demolished all of their summer plans.

They completed their meal in silence. Once their mother dismissed them from the table, Regulus followed his brother into the library. Sirius climbed onto the bench by the window, gazing out at the night sky longingly. He looked defeated by the rough dinner conversation.

Regulus paused a few meters back. He spoke his words softly. "We can find other tasks to entertain us inside."

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah."

It was clear how little comfort the words were for his brother. He knew that Sirius couldn't bear to be trapped within the walls of Grimmauld Place. He had always done everything possible to spend every waking moment of the day outside, and would be reluctant to return to their house in the evening. But now he was forbidden from stepping foot outside.

Regulus whispered. "I know you wish you were at Hogwarts instead, but I am happy you are here. I missed you."

"I know, Reg." Sirius turned back to cast over a grin. "You won't have to next time though. We can see each other whenever we want to next term."

Regulus tilted his head, his short locks of hair catching on the curve of his neck. "I would like that."

****

Sirius was only back at Grimmauld Place for three days before their broomstick scheme was uncovered.

The boys had tried their best to keep themselves occupied with the restrictions their parents had placed on their summer. Regulus was in lessons with his governess all day and Sirius was not allowed to leave the premises. Regulus would stay indoors with his brother in the afternoon, and try to find activities the two could do together. They played endless chess games and made lists of interesting spells to try out once they were at Hogwarts.

Regulus showed his brother some of the quidditch magazines Narcissa had sent by owl over the year, and they cut out their favourite pictures to decorate their walls. Sirius pinned the clippings directly to his bedroom wall, but Regulus was more cautious, posting up his favourites inside of his closet. He did not want to put up any decor that his mother would disapprove of. She often lectured Sirius for the nicknacks he collected around his room, but his brother continued to flaunt whatever he pleased in his bedroom. It seemed rather childish. Regulus saw no reason to purposefully upset his mother.

Plenty of their old routines were disturbed by Sirius being restricted to the manor. They used to explore the forest, walk to the lake, and spend the evenings on their broomstick out back, but all were no longer feasible. A few days into the break, Sirius pushed Regulus to go spend time on his broomstick, insisting that he shouldn't give up the hobby for Sirius' sake.

Regulus took him up on the offer. He did miss flying on his broomstick, but he hadn't wanted to throw it in his brother's face. Sirius' sticks were all dismantled or elsewhere, after all. But Regulus knew there was no way he'd survive the entire summer without his broomstick.

He walked out to the field behind their house in a cheerful mood. He was only flying around their hidden field for ten minutes before a very odd sight caught his attention. His mother was standing at the edge of the field.

Regulus' stomach sank. His mother never came out to beckon him in herself. Usually, when his mother wished for him to return inside, she would send Kreacher. He had never seen his mother on the field before. This did not bode well for what she was coming to speak to him about.

Regulus landed sharply, trying to hide the fear from his face as his feet touched the ground. He wandered up closer to her and inspected her carefully. She gazed down at him with a severe look on her face, barely blinking as she scrutinized him.

"Put your broomstick away." She ordered, her tone cold. "Now."

Regulus did not say anything as he carried the broomstick over to the shed. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. He did not know what she was cross with him over, but he knew he was in for a world of trouble.

She walked up to the back door, waiting for him to follow. Her tone was commanding, "Do not test my patience, Regulus."

Regulus walked over at a quick pace, his back tensed up. He peered up at her cautiously.

"You will tell me the truth of your involvement in the egregious misbehaviour your brother engaged in over the winter break."

Regulus swallowed. He was properly terrified now. She clearly knew that he had helped his brother go against his parents' orders, and that he had held his tongue as his mother ranted and raved about the incident after the fact. It may be the boldest act of defiance his parents had ever discovered his part in.

Regulus dropped her gaze. "I assisted him in taking the broomstick from your bedroom."

"Look at me." She spat, her words cutting. "How dare you conduct yourself in this way? And how dare you maintain this secret until I needed to hear it from Sirius? You know better."

Regulus' voice was soft. "I am sorry."

Her tone was testy. "Misbehaving for your brother's sake will earn you nothing from him, but will tarnish any trust that I have in you. Do you understand what you are sacrificing for opting to side with your delinquent brother over your parents? You must weigh whether what you earn from your actions is worth the cost. You have sullied any value I place on your word by betraying my trust in this way. Was it worth it?"

Regulus hoped he wasn't tearing up as he held his breath. His voice was nearly a whisper, "No, ma'am."

His mother nodded, curtly. "We will reconvene in your personal quarters."

Regulus dropped his chin. While she had dealt with him in her study the past two times he had misbehaved himself, he imagined he knew what he would be receiving upstairs. There was nothing to gain from trying to resist it.

He could hear Sirius from the main floor. His brother was locked in his bedroom, but could be heard smashing his fists against the door and hollering down at them. As Regulus walked up the stairs with his mother by his back, he could make out Sirius' pleading.

"Mum!" Sirius' voice was muffled by the door between them. "Come on. I forced him to do it!"

His mother paid no mind to the ruckus his brother was making, only motioning Regulus up the stairs with an air of callousness. Once he was inside his bedroom, she closed the door primly behind her. She remained unfazed as Sirius pounded on the wall between the two bedrooms.

"You have disobeyed my orders." His mother spoke sternly, with an icy gaze. "And you have participated in keeping secrets from your mother."

Regulus responded timidly to the rebukes. "Yes, ma'am."

Her gaze was icy. "You recognized the extent of your transgressions, and chose to conduct yourself in this manner regardless."

"Yes, ma'am." He repeated, a second time.

"Very well." His mother exhaled softly, her hand dropping into the hidden pocket on the side of her skirt. "You leave me with little choice, Regulus. This behaviour must be corrected."

Regulus got more that time than he had the past two times. He could tell Sirius was able to hear it by how silent his brother fell in the seconds between, no longer trying to divert her attention. Regulus tried his best to stifle his whimpers, but it was challenging to not react to the stinging pain. Neither his mother nor brother would react well to him breaking down, albeit for different reasons, so he tried to hold himself together after she finished the fourth spell.

She returned the wand to her pocket, her face void of emotions. She did not appear to be particularly unhappy with him any longer, but Regulus still felt lousy. Both for letting his mother down, and due to the throbbing of his fresh wounds.

"I expect you to learn from this incident. I will not take lightly to repeat offences of this dishonest and rebellious behaviour against me. You have gravely disappointed me today, Regulus."

He hung his head in shame. "I will do better, ma'am."

After she left, his brother entered his bedroom. Regulus supposed whatever spells had locked him in earlier must have been released. Regulus peered up at Sirius through the mirror he was sitting in front of, attempting to bandage his legs. Sirius closed the door gently, before walking up slowly, with his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

Regulus did not look up at him as he carefully focused on placing a bandage around his leg. The two angry lashes across his right calf were clear as his brother inspected him, along with the several healed scars below. He had not wanted Sirius to find out about those, but there was no point hiding it now. Regulus hadn't wanted Sirius to ever discover she had cursed him in the first place, but his efforts to keep that secret were in vain. She seemed to make an effort to ensure Sirius heard his punishment loud and clear that day.

Sirius came over wordlessly, pushing Regulus' hands away to carefully wrap the wound up himself. Regulus sat back and allowed him to do so, moving his other leg up once Sirius was finished with the first.

Regulus could see his face in the mirror as Sirius worked, with a sombre expression and the shadow of an old tear track running down his cheek. His voice was heavy when he spoke to his brother. "She said you told her that I gave it to you."

Sirius' eyes widened. "I didn't! I never would have done that. She tore it out with legilimency."

Regulus had expected as much. His mother had always been a skilled legilimen, mastering the art of unfolding the layers of another's mind. She had occasionally utilized her skills to force Sirius to confess to wrongdoings. While Regulus had never been on the receiving end of such a tactic, he knew his brother had resented the sensation. Sirius had called the act a vicious intrusion and said it left him feeling deeply insecure in his mind afterward. He had loathed that his mind would betray him once her claws were in him, and he could not be truly safe from his mother in any way.

"I thought so." Regulus murmured. "She has done that before. Told me you did something that I know you did not do."

Sirius bit down on his lip, his hands clenching into fists at his side. "She is vile."

Regulus frowned. "I did something wrong. She was right to be cross with me. But I do not regret it, I am happy you got your broomstick."

"You never deserve to be treated like that." Sirius vehemently disagreed, his words coming out in hisses. "Has she been doing this to you?"

He turned Regulus' shin again to peer at the other scars below. Regulus pulled his leg away, tucking it beneath him as he sat down on his knees.

"A few times this year." He confessed.

Sirius' eyes flashed. "Why didn't you tell me? You told me our parents didn't get angry when I wasn't here at Christmas!"

Regulus shrugged. "Both of those are from after Christmas break. It is fine, she has done much worse to you."

"Yeah, but I actually misbehave." Sirius covered his face with his hands. "Merlin, Reg."

"Let it go, Sirius." Regulus gave him a hard look. "You know she did this where you could hear to upset you."

"How could I possibly not be upset by this?"

"Let it go." Regulus stood up slowly. "Just like I have to do every time our parents discipline you."

Sirius stared back at him wordlessly. Regulus gazed back, feeling numb. There was nothing else either could do. He did not want to discuss it further or listen to his brother badmouth his mother. He had deserved it, and it was now over and done with.

Regulus changed the topic, decisively. "Do you want to stay? I collected some books I thought you might like over the year."

His brother still seemed a bit dazed, and was peering at Regulus with an unsure expression. Sirius was almost looking at him as though he barely recognized him.

After a moment, he dropped his shoulders weakly. "Okay."

****

July, 1974

Following the debacle with the missing broomstick, Regulus and his brother managed to stay out of trouble for the next few weeks. There were a few reasons for that.

For one, their parents had received some grim news from the ministry, leading to both becoming very preoccupied in their studies. They stopped having breakfast and lunch with their sons, and the boys rarely saw their parents in their household corridors any longer. The halls of Grimmauld Place became completely silent throughout the day, as their silencing spells left voids in the typical noise of the household.

Their parents' rising stress levels over their work was not the only factor that seemed to improve their summer. Sirius had been in a rotten mood for nearly a week after he heard Regulus being lashed, and seemed keen on finding trouble everywhere he went. But after he sassed Kreacher in the dining hall one day, which Kreacher reported back to his mother, Sirius was beckoned into their father's study. After that night, his brother's behaviour improved, and he quit acting out against their parents at every turn.

After a few weeks of the subdued act Sirius had adopted around his mother, she decided his brother's behaviour had improved enough to earn back some of his privileges. The boys were soon permitted to spend time outdoors during the days once more, after Sirius had been locked in the house for weeks.

They had far more fun after that shift. They were able to roam around parks and go swimming. One weekend, they spent an entire day at a nearby beach on the side of a lake. Regulus resumed his regular broomstick flying sessions, while his brother found other tasks to do below. Occasionally, Sirius would nick books from a nearby muggle library. Which Regulus did not approve of him doing, but hardly minded having new books to read. He knew his brother was still entering the muggle areas while he was at lessons, but Sirius stubbornly refused to stay away from the town, no matter what Regulus said.

One morning, halfway through July, Regulus woke up to the sound of voices echoing up from below. He kicked back his sheets to go see what was happening so early in the morning. His mother was standing in the foyer, inspecting a note in her grasp. Kreacher was with her, nodding along to her words.

His mother noticed his presence atop the stairs. "Regulus, go wake your brother. Your cousins will be arriving shortly. You will have the day off from your studies, as you and your brother will hold an audience for your guests."

"Yes, ma'am." Regulus replied obediently, before turning from the landing to hurry back upstairs.

He entered Sirius' room without bothering to knock, knowing his brother was surely still asleep. His brother was not known for being an early riser, and oftentimes was late to breakfast. He was awfully lucky that their parents rarely made it to their first meal of the day any longer, as that tardiness would have earned him a dismissal from breakfast if his mother had seen him entering late. She was not fond of her sons failing to uphold proper etiquette and manners.

"Sirius!" He shook him by a shoulder. "Our cousins are visiting. Mum said so and granted me a day off from my studies. I think they are going to their cottage soon, and are going to ask if we can come."

Sirius sat up, rubbing at his eyes. "Which cousins?"

"Narcissa and Bellatrix, I suppose." Regulus shrugged. "Come on, get up."

His brother moaned, hardly looking excited by the news. He took his sweet time getting ready, so Regulus went on ahead.

He was there when the guests arrived, and his mother told him to bring his cousins into the dining hall. She disappeared into her study with his Aunt Druella and Uncle Cygnus without exchanging a word with him. They seemed to be as tense and stressed as his parents had been lately.

Regulus took a seat at the table with his two cousins, sitting beside Narcissa. He was pleased to see her again. He had been longing for her company all year and was hoping they would be allowed to spend time with her at the cottage.

"Regulus," She smiled warmly. "How has your summer been?"

"Not too bad." Regulus replied. "Our parents have been rather busy, but it has been nice to have Sirius around again."

"Fat chance of that being true." Bellatrix sneered behind them, as she took a seat further down the table. She leaned back with a smirk, and propped her feet up onto the table, crossing one over the other. She casually fiddled with her wand on her lap.

Regulus was rather appalled by the way she was seated. His mother would have been very cross to see someone sit in that manner, let alone placing boots on the table. He met Narcissa's eyes. She did not say anything, but her lips mildly pressed together in annoyance.

Narcissa changed the topic. "I brought a new edition of Quidditch Times. Would you fancy reading it with me?"

"Oh, yes!"

Sirius soon arrived in the dining hall. Bellatrix noticed his presence first. She drawled out his name slowly, her eyes gleaming as she smirked over at him. "Sirriuss."

Sirius ignored her. "Where are the adults?"

Regulus watched them carefully. Sirius and Bellatrix had a long-standing feud between the two. He had no idea when it started, as it simply seemed to always exist. Bellatrix had always gotten a lot of pleasure out of upsetting Sirius or dragging him into her antics, and Sirius had always been very weak at ignoring her taunts. But they seemed especially tense that day.

"In one of their talks." Narcissa shrugged, casting over a petulant look. "Good to see you too, Sirius."

Sirius walked across the room and sat beside Regulus at the table, keeping his eyes averted away from Bellatrix.

Bellatrix did not accept being ignored. "Whatever is the matter? Surely you are not still sulking over our little spat?"

"What spat?" Regulus asked, peering at Sirius.

Sirius didn't reply, glowering back at Bellatrix. She kept her eyes on Sirius as she replied to Regulus. "Sirius and I were just fooling around."

Regulus could only guess what that meant. He supposed the two of them must have gotten into more trouble again that year while being at Hogwarts. They tended to get quite out of hand when they were not being supervised.

Narcissa made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat. "Let's move on. Our parents are speaking with yours now. They said they would invite you two to come with us to the cottage. They're awfully busy with ministry business, so we would mostly just be alone there."

Regulus nodded. "Our parents have been the same."

Sirius only grunted in response.

"Relax, Sirius." Bellatrix assured him with a soothing voice. "I will play nice."

"There is a bunch of activities we often engage in at the cottage." Narcissa continued, ignoring Bellatrix and Sirius' tension. "We have boats there and broomsticks. And we have extra, Sirius."

Sirius' eyes widened, and he glared over at Regulus. "You told her?"

Regulus shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "Would you rather I did not?"

"Yeah, obviously." Sirius scoffed.

Regulus did not see why he would be offended by Narcissa knowing. Their cousins had seen Sirius be told off or lose privileges plenty of times in past years. It was hard to miss when Sirius was constantly in trouble.

"Well, too late now." Regulus pointed out.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Why does he need extra?" Bellatrix tried to catch up.

"His parents confiscated his broomsticks." Narcissa shrugged. "Sorry Sirius, it would have been easy to piece together anyway."

Bellatrix snickered, gloating across the table. "You're too easy to ridicule lately. It is hardly entertaining anymore."

"What a shame." Sirius replied dryly.

Narcissa tried to draw the attention back to the topic. "Do you two think your parents will authorize the vacation?"

They didn't have a chance to respond before their mother walked in. She offered Narcissa and Bellatrix a quick greeting before looking down at her sons. "Go ready your trunks, you will be residing with your aunt and uncle for several weeks."

They travelled over through the floo network to their family's cottage. The cottage was an old-fashioned European-styled model by a riverside in Norwich. The house was surrounded by flower gardens and a tall, barbed wire fence. The area was protected by various protective charms, disallowing any muggles from finding the location.

Their aunt led him and Sirius to a bedroom upstairs. "I hope you do not mind sharing."

"Not at all, thank you." Regulus replied earnestly, while Sirius nodded politely.

When their aunt turned down the staircase, Sirius muttered. "Kiss up."

Regulus chuckled softly. "Be quiet."

The boys unpacked before returning downstairs, finding Bellatrix and Narcissa alone on some sofas near the base of the staircase.

"They're already in a meeting." Narcissa sighed, nodding her head at sealed doors down the hall where her parents had disappeared. "Shall we go see the river?"

"Do as you please." Bellatrix snickered. "I am leaving while they're occupied."

Bellatrix stood up as she messed around with some floo powder in a bag. Narcissa didn't say anything, only pursing her lips in response.

"Where are you going?" Sirius wondered.

Bellatrix turned to him with a smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know, nosy boy."

She flicked Sirius on the side of his head, which he quickly responded to by shoving her away from him with both hands. Bellatrix laughed it off, regaining her footing within a moment.

Regulus watched uneasily from the side, catching Narcissa's eye to exchange a worried expression. He did not know what they would do if the two began fighting again.

But Bellatrix did not seem interested in squabbling with her cousin for once. She had moved away from Sirius, heading toward the fireplace. She paused to grab a handful of powder.

"So touchy." Bellatrix sighed. She winked back at them as she paused in the fireplace. "Until next time."

She tossed down the powder, and quickly called out the Lestrange estate. There was a bright flash of green, and then she had vanished.

Sirius peered at Narcissa. "Why is she going there?"

"To Rodolphus Lestrange, I suppose. She has been doing this all summer."

"Why would she be visiting him?" Sirius asked.

Narcissa sighed. "You really do not pay much attention to your family, do you? They are betrothed to marry once they're adults."

Regulus raised his eyebrows. "Your parents have not caught her doing that?"

Narcissa shrugged, appearing disinterested. "I suppose they must have figured. They don't seem to care either way."

Sirius snorted. Regulus knew what he must have been thinking. Both had heard their mother complaining about how little control their aunt and uncle exerted over their middle daughter.

"Can we go on a boat or go flying?" Regulus asked, changing the topic.

"I would love to be on a broomstick again." Sirius sighed. "It has been too long."

"Good." Narcissa stood up quickly, leading them to the back door. "Let's go."

Bellatrix had rejoined the group by nightfall. They had spent the afternoon exploring the area with broomsticks, playing makeshift versions of quidditch games, and learning how to kayak. Once it had fallen dark, they returned to the house and had dinner on the back patio, seated around a firepit. The mood was cheerful between the three of them as they ate dinner, but it fell quiet when the screen door slammed behind them.

Bellatrix had walked out as the sun was setting, grabbing a handful of finger food off Sirius' plate before perching herself down on the handrest of Narcissa's seat. She ate slowly while smirking at Sirius. Regulus knew the two were about to kick off yet again. Neither could resist the urge to pick at each other whenever they were left to their own devices.

"How were the Lestranges’?" Sirius asked, with an innocent smile.

Bellatrix tilted her head with a sneer. "I assure you that you do not want to start with me, Sirius."

"Just a question." Sirius rolled his eyes back. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Regulus did not foresee the conversation ending well, so he attempted to bring up a different topic. He peered at Bellatrix. "Are you happy about the betrothal?"

Her eyes flicked over to Regulus, as she shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Sirius scoffed. "Why are you worried about marriage at fifteen?"

Bellatrix laughed coldly. "Oh, Sirius. You will be betrothed by my age too. It is our duty to continue the pure bloodlines."

Sirius frowned. "No, I won't."

"He's not particularly bright, is he?" Bellatrix sneered at her sister.

Narcissa peered back with a flat expression. "Get your own chair."

Bellatrix listened, climbing down before letting herself fall into an empty chair at the other side of the firepit. She looked back at Sirius and Regulus. "Want to see a magic trick?"

Without waiting for a response, she pulled out her wand and cheerfully said, "Incendio."

Regulus gasped as flames arose from the pit, cracking loudly as they filled the area with rays of warmth. Narcissa watched the fire as well, seemingly unfazed.

"Are you not worried about doing underage magic?" Regulus asked.

Bellatrix sneered. "Our parents are here, no one will discover who cast the spell. You wouldn't narc on me, would you, Regulus?"

Regulus did not respond, turning back to gaze at the fire. Her words left a chill on his spine. When he glanced up at Narcissa, she seemed somewhat bothered by her sister's behaviour once more. But she kept quiet.

Sirius sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Seems a bit reckless."

Bellatrix tilted her head, with a patronizing smirk. "One day you will feel a rush of adrenaline, little boy. And then you will finally overcome being such an insufferable prude."

Sirius narrowed his eyes in return. "I don't need to prove anything to you."

Bellatrix laughed, her eyes sparkling with sinister energy. "Come on, Sirius. Try a spell out. Don't be such a coward."

"No." Sirius set his jaw, stubbornly. "It isn't worth it."

"What are you afraid of?" She taunted. "No one is going to say anything."

"I am not playing your game, Bellatrix."

"Do one, or I will make you do one." Bellatrix's tone had hardened.

"Sod off." Sirius hissed back.

Bellatrix had risen to her feet, rolling her wand through her fingers tauntingly. Her eyes were fixed on Sirius.

Regulus did not know what to do. He could not get between the two without facing their wrath, especially when Bellatrix seemed to have no quarrel with underage magic. But he couldn't simply sit there and let them kill each other.

Narcissa had stood up wordlessly. She walked forward until she was standing in Bellatrix's way, crossing her arms with a deep frown.

Bellatrix paused, sneering at her sister for a moment, before tossing her wand back into her pocket. "I'm tired of spending time around children."

Bellatrix made her exit from the patio, slamming the door closed behind her as she returned to the cottage.

Narcissa sunk to her seat mutely, her face strained as she observed the fire intently.

Sirius and Regulus shared an exasperated look on the other side of the firepit. Without saying a word, they agreed to not say anything about Bellatrix to Narcissa. They let the moment pass, and eventually, the conversation moved on.

****

August 1972

At the end of the first week of August, Narcissa let Regulus and Sirius know they would be heading back home the following day.

"I am happy we came." Sirius told the other two as they finished breakfast. "This ended up being more enjoyable than I expected it to be."

It had been enjoyable. Bellatrix was rarely present as she regularly disappeared to spend time with friends, leaving the three to spend their days together. They had a lot of good fun without the strict rules of Grimmauld Place hanging over them, or any lessons to attend to during their days.

Narcissa gave Sirius a dry look. "You are so pessimistic."

Sirius scoffed. "Come on, when do any Black family vacations usually end up being fun? I am simply being realistic."

Regulus spoke up softly. "I have fun on them."

"He is impossible to please." Narcissa smirked. "Has he been grouchy all summer?"

Regulus shrugged. "Mostly, yes."

"Can you not talk about me as if I am not sitting right here?" Sirius scowled, rolling his eyes. "I am going to change my vote to this vacation not being fun if you two keep this up."

Their conversation was interrupted by loud noises behind them in the kitchen. They peered over to see Bellatrix walking through. She appeared to have not slept well, aggressively yawning as she grabbed a plate.

Bellatrix walked over, dropping her food down beside Narcissa with a loud bang. "Good morning, folk."

"Hullo." Regulus responded politely.

Sirius kept quiet, spreading butter on his toast with care.

"What time did you get back last night?" Narcissa asked, a twinge of annoyance clear in her tone.

"Didn't." Bellatrix sneered. "I returned this morning. Don't be all prissy and goody-good about it, Narcissa."

Narcissa turned back to her plate without any response, one eyebrow slightly raised defensively. She looked somewhat hurt by the retort.

Sirius snorted. "Aren't you a delight in the morning."

Bellatrix looked over at him with a surprised expression for a flash, before a taunting smile curled up her lips. "Do you know what I expect would be good fun for our final day at the cottage? Sirius here has just volunteered to overcome his fear of underage magic."

Sirius rolled his eyes, scowling at his cousin. "This again? Give it a break already."

Bellatrix had pulled out her wand and was tapping the end on her chin teasingly. "Let us play a game! The rules are simple enough. I will count down from three, and if I still have my wand when I get to zero, then I will send a Confringo curse at your little brother! Ready to play?"

Sirius was staring at their cousin in stunned silence, his mouth hanging ajar. Regulus felt a similar shock at her threatening words. Surely, she was joking. He knew the Confringo curse could be very dangerous and deadly.

Bellatrix was rising to her feet, and holding out her wand in preparation across the room.

Narcissa's eyebrows furrowed together. "Bellatrix, what are you doing?"

Bellatrix was using a sing-song taunting voice as she stood up, pointing her wand at Regulus across the room. "Let us begin! 3..."

Regulus and Sirius met each other's eyes. He was confused and terrified at the same time, not knowing how seriously he should be taking his cousin at that point. It was hard to tell where the line was with Bellatrix.

Sirius glared over at her. "This isn't funny."

"2..."

"She will not do it." Narcissa assured them, trying to pull Bellatrix down by her sleeve. Bellatrix easily pulled herself out of Narcissa's grasp.

"1!"

Regulus did not say a word nor move as he stared back down the end of his cousin's wand. He could feel his brother rising beside him, his hands closing into fists.

"Go!" Bellatrix smiled cheerfully, her wand arm swinging to the side so it was pointing at the buffet table behind Regulus. "Confringo!'

The blast of the curse sent Regulus flying into Sirius, heat searing across his arms and back as they both fell beneath the table. The buffet table was completely demolished in the explosion, leaving behind odd pieces of scorched wood ricocheting across the room. The table they had been eating at had cracked, with the far half crumbling to its side. His ears were ringing from the impact of the explosion.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius gasped. "Have you lost your mind?"

He leaped to his feet as he pulled Regulus up beside him. Regulus felt shaken, but he did not think he was injured. When he looked down at his shirt, he could see a thin layer of soot covering him.

Narcissa tried to grab her sisters' wand, but Bellatrix had danced around to the far side of the dining room, holding her wand steadily in Sirius and Regulus' direction as she travelled.

"You know the rules!" Bellatrix continued, her eyes shining with glee. "All you have to do is disarm me. We are at a 3..."

Their aunt was calling from the room beside them, but large debris pieces of scorched wood had blocked the door to the office. She was struggling to push it open.

"Bellatrix stop!" Narcissa shouted, trying again to get in her sister's way. Bellatrix dodged her by jumping atop the upright half of the table.

"2...!" Bellatrix chanted, as she stood above the table, still pointing her wand directly down at him.

Regulus knew she was not teasing this time. He turned to his brother, pleadingly. "Sirius!"

"Absolute bonkers." Sirius growled, as he scrambled for his wand in his pocket.

"1!"

"Expelliarmus!" Sirius shouted the incantation in a frustrated huff.

His brother reached out as the wand flew over, grabbing his cousin's wand out of midair. Sirius’ cheeks flushed with colour, as he accepted his bitter defeat.

Bellatrix laughed triumphantly, letting herself sit down lazily on the edge of their cracked table, her legs dangling off. "Now, was that so hard?"

Sirius flung her wand at her. "You ought to be locked up somewhere."

Bellatrix caught the wand from out of the air with ease. She rose to her feet, smiling down at his brother menacingly. "Watch yourself, Sirius. I didn't think I needed to remind you so soon how easily I could destroy you if I so wanted to."

Behind her, Narcissa was pulling burnt buffet table remains from the doorway so her parents could make their way inside. Sirius hid his wand quickly into his pant pocket, with a flush of shame clear on his face. Bellatrix followed suit, walking around Sirius and turning to face the office door as her mother walked in.

Regulus could hear her hushed words.

"No worries, Sirius." Bellatrix whispered into Sirius' ear, as her chin nestled in his hair. "I won't tell if you don't."

Sirius met Regulus' eye for a moment, his face twisting in frustration at their cousin's taunts. Regulus knew none of them could speak a word of what had taken place that day. There could be drastic consequences for Sirius. By his side, Narcissa was shaking with mild tremors, her eyes flashing at her sister. But Regulus could only stare at his brother in dismay.

"What in Merlin's beard is happening in here?" Aunt Druella called, shoving her way inside. She looked at the four of them around the battered remains of the table. "Is everyone okay?"

"I think the kettle had a few bugs, mum!" Bellatrix shook her head in disgust, crossing her arms over her chest. "It exploded out of the blue. Suppose that is what happens when we rent wizarding houses that use charmed muggle items."

Narcissa wouldn't look up, staring intently at the fragment of the table resting at her feet as her lips locked bitterly. Regulus remained silent as well, his eyes flitting between Sirius and Bellatrix.

"The muggle heater!" Their aunt looked infuriated, accepting the explanation without any hesitation. "We ought to file a complaint, how outrageous. You could have been severely injured. Muggle items in a wizard cottage, for shame."

She pushed the table aside with the flick of her wand. "You four come out of here, quickly."

They trailed after her into the office, none of the four uttering a word as they went.

****

Regulus had not yet gotten his wand or his first-year supplies by the time the final week of August arrived. He had received his letter on his eleventh birthday in June, but his mother had been far too preoccupied to take him to Diagon Alley all summer. Regulus had hoped Sirius might be permitted to come along when she finally took him, but it turned out that Sirius had plans of his own he had not bothered to share.

The two of them were spending an afternoon sitting on the floor of their parents' library when he finally heard the news. Regulus had been flipping through a text on werewolves, while Sirius reread a jinx archive he had read hundreds of times before.

"Did you know that werewolves have a heightened sense of hearing and smell?" Regulus muttered, bemused. "And they could recognize individuals just by their scent?"

Sirius grunted in response, as he ran a finger down his page. Sirius had just flipped the page over to a fresh list when they heard their father clear his throat behind him.

Regulus froze, staring up at his father apprehensively. He did not know how his father snuck up on them without either noticing, but he had not been paying much attention to their surroundings. His father had certainly never approached them at the library before, despite Regulus spending half of his free time in there. And their father had been barely present all summer long. Regulus had never seen him outside of dinners, where he never spoke to his sons. Lately, he had even been missing the occasional dinner.

But now his father was looming over them. He only had eyes for Sirius as he peered down with a flat expression.

Sirius pushed himself up off the ground onto his knees, and quickly closed the book he had been reading. He placed it face down on the floor. Regulus thought he was acting very suspicious, and wondered if their father would be cross that Sirius was reading a book of dark spells. Usually, their parents placed locking enchantments on any book they thought was inappropriate for the children. Their father did not comment on the novel Sirius had been reading.

His father spoke in a cool tone. "The Potters have agreed that you may go visit for the remainder of the break. I will accompany you there tomorrow. Ensure you are prepared to leave first thing in the morning."

Sirius nodded intently, biting down on his lip as he seemed to try to contain his excitement. Regulus stared at him in dismay, his heart sinking as he realized that Sirius was leaving him, again. And that Sirius was not surprised by the news.

Their father gave a curt nod and left the library as silently as he had entered. Once he disappeared down the hall, Sirius finally allowed himself to crack the grin he had been holding back.

Regulus' voice came out flat. "You are leaving."

Sirius peered over at him, his smile gently softening away. He shrugged. "Yeah, just for the week."

Regulus frowned darkly, closing his book in a slow motion.

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked, his voice strained.

Regulus stared, unimpressed. "You did not tell me you were leaving."

"Dad told me he would rescind his permission if I did anything to irritate them." Sirius explained, with a shake of his head. "Seemed unlikely I would get this far."

Regulus crossed his arms across his chest as he gazed bitterly across the aisle. He hated the prospect of Sirius leaving him behind again. And he hated it even more that Sirius had not even put a second thought into it, and was acting as though Regulus had no reason to be upset.

"What are you miffed about?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "What is the big deal?"

Regulus tossed his book down beside him. "Perhaps I do not want to be alone, Sirius! I was alone all year and I do not want to be alone again."

Sirius stared back helplessly. "Why don't you ask to come as well? I am sure the Potters would have space."

Regulus glared at him coldly as he rose to his feet, lifting his book off the ground as he did. "Mum would never agree to that."

"They are giving me permission to go." Sirius pointed out.

Regulus could throw the book at him. Why was his brother so oblivious to everything that went on at their house? Must he spell every last thing out for his brother?

Regulus' voice was low and measured. "No, father is letting you go. He would not do that for me."

Sirius had risen to his feet as well, looking frustrated as he glowered across. "Why not?"

"Lots of reasons!" Regulus hissed. "For one, they do not need to bribe me to behave. Another reason, father does not seem to know that I exist!"

Regulus flung his book onto the bookshelf with such vigour, that the row of books collapsed. He felt as though he may break down in tears if Sirius prodded him further on the topic.

"Reg." Sirius held his arms up in front of his chest. "Come on, it is just a week."

"Then stay!" Regulus pleaded. "You will see all of your friends at Hogwarts in a week anyway. Can you please stay here?"

Sirius ran his hands down his face, with a defeated look. "I may never get permission to visit my friends again. I really want to go, Reg."

Regulus' anger went cold. He stared at his brother darkly for a moment longer, feeling utterly betrayed by his choice. He turned out of the library without another word.

He knew it was pointless to hope Sirius would change his mind. Sirius had done nothing but gush over his Hogwarts friends all summer long, and clearly preferred their company to Regulus. And yet, when he heard the soft murmurs of Sirius and his father speaking outside his door the next morning, Regulus couldn't resist standing up and walking toward the door.

He peered into the hall, seeing his father retreat down the staircase. Sirius followed after him, pausing to pull his bedroom door closed. He reached for his trunk and noticed Regulus watching.

Sirius straightened up, as he gazed at his brother warily. "I'm going. I'll see you soon, Reg."

Regulus stared back, feeling numb and empty.

There was a flicker of annoyance on his brother's face. "Come on, don't be such a child. Next time we see each other we will be going to Hogwarts."

Regulus still didn't respond.

"Fine." Sirius' tone was nastier, as he lifted his trunk down the stairs. "You have a good week."

Regulus watched him walk down the stairs till he vanished from sight. He walked up slowly, peering over the railings to watch his brother pull on his shoes.

At one point, Sirius peered up at him once more. Regulus silently begged him to change his mind. But Sirius only sighed, then exited out of the front door without any parting words.

Chapter Text

September, 1972

"Welcome to Slytherin." An older Slytherin Girl sneered down at them. "I am Genevieve Yaxley, and I am the Head Girl of the Slytherin students. There is no other head student this year, so I am in charge here. Typically, there is a Head Girl and Head Boy, but both students given leadership roles last year chose to step down from their positions. So Professor Flinn has honoured me with this post until the sixth-year prefects take over next year."

Yaxley lifted her right arm in the direction of the two fifth years that had led the newly-sorted Slytherin students to the dungeons. Neither had said much to them, other than informing them they were heading toward the Slytherin common room before leading the way in. They had met up with the Head Girl at the first-year lounge.

"This is Emma Vanity and Richard Keitch. They are the fifth-year prefects. They are primarily responsible for the first four years, while myself and the older prefects handle house affairs."

Vanity and Keitch stared back at the ten of them as Yaxley introduced them. Keitch lifted a hand and offered a friendly wave. Vanity remained motionless at his side with a blank expression on her drawn face. Neither spoke over the Head Girl, who was the clear authority in the room.

Genevieve Yaxley leaned back against the back of the lounge's furniture. "Introduce yourselves."

The first years shuffled nervously for a moment. They exchanged a few expressions, many appearing lost on where to begin.

Vanity motioned at the boy on one end. Her tone was as flat as her expression. "Begin here, and move across."

"I am Evan Rosier." He introduced himself.

"Rosier, good." Yaxley nodded in approval. "Next."

"Rhyeline Wolrich." The next girl offered her name. She did not seem phased by the Head Girl staring back at her.

Yaxley's eyebrows slightly creased. "Any magical family members?"

"Both of my parents are wizard folk." Wolrich replied, as her eyes narrowed defensively. "My grandparents are muggles."

The Head Girl did not reply, her expression growing haughty. "Who is next?"

"My name is Preston Fawley." A girl beside Regulus spoke up.

"Any relation to Hector Fawley?"

"Yeah!" Preston Fawley grinned. "My older brother."

Yaxley seemed pleased at her response, gifting her a rare approving smile. "Pleased you made it."

Then their eyes were trained on Regulus. The students beside him had turned to peer over at him out of the side of their eyes as well.

"Regulus Black." His words came out soft.

"Orion and Walburga's younger son?" Yaxley asked, her expression suggesting she knew the answer.

"Yes."

"Where you should be." Yaxley remarked. There was a snide undertone in her words. "Next."

"Callum Keitch."

Yaxley turned to the prefect Richard Keitch. "Relation?"

"My kid brother." The prefect smirked at the boy beside Regulus.

Yaxley lifted her eyebrows. Her eyes filtered over to Regulus for an instant. "Even the halfblood families can manage being sorted into the same house."

Regulus felt cold at the cutting comment, dropping his eyes from her gaze.

The introductions continued to Diana Doge and Sylvia Killick. Both said they had a muggle parent when Yaxley pried into their families. The Head Girl didn't seem impressed. They moved on to the last three.

"Ambrose O'Toole." One girl muttered shyly. "I have a brother in sixth year here."

"Yes, I know of him." Yaxley replied, pursing her lips. "And you two?"

"Sebastian Hornby." The second boy to the end gave his name, fiddling with his glasses. "And my folk are both magical. Both sets of grandparents were muggles."

Vanity had turned at his name. "Are you related to Olive Hornby?"

"Yeah, she's my sister."

Vanity did not reply. Her face revealed absolutely nothing of her thoughts.

Yaxley did not add any other commentary, glancing at the final boy, who was lying back against the wall lazily.

"Barty." He sounded smug about it.

The Head Girl seemed thrown off. "What is your full name?"

The boy sneered. "Barty."

"Bartemius Crouch Junior." Vanity told Yaxley.

Yaxley cast the boy a look of disbelief. "You're Crouch's son. Why wouldn't you say that?"

"I only go by Barty." He shrugged.

"You do not use your family title?"

"Nope!"

"Well." Yaxley straightened her back up. "We refer to each other by our family names here, as a sign of respect to the great family lines many come from in our house."

"Congratulations." Barty tilted his head. "But I will feel real disrespected if you call me anything but Barty."

The Head Girl's nostrils flared at his response. She lifted her chin after a moment, looking deeply unimpressed. "Very well. But you will refer to all else by their family name."

"If you insist." Barty gazed upward and briefly lifted his shoulders.

Yaxley's eyes narrowed into slits in Barty's direction. She averted her eyes after a pause.

"Rosier, Fawley, Black, and you, step forward." Yaxley commanded.

Regulus took a cautious step forward. He gazed at the other three as he did. He soon realized they were the first years from the sacred twenty-eight families.

"Everyone else, go stand beside Keitch."

Yaxley faced the pureblood first years as the others walked to the end of the room, where Richard Keitch had waved them over to. Yaxley spoke down at the pureblood group.

"Vanity and Keitch are both prefects, but the four of you will primarily be answering to Vanity alone. Keitch will handle the halfbloods."

Regulus glanced over at Emma Vanity again, who was standing in the same motionless position with her unreadable drawn face. She had an air of unchallenged authority despite her silence.

Yaxley gazed over at the six halfblood students. "Keitch will go over all of this with you shortly. But you should know there is little else Slytherin values as much as we value order. If you follow the rules set for you, you will have no problems here. You will learn very quickly the opposite is just as true if you do not fall in line. We are not going to have any issues, are we?"

They stared back at her, several shuffling around fearfully. Wolrich had a dark expression on her face, while Killick glanced up at their prefect beside them. The prefect remained unfazed, his eyes still on Yaxley.

Yaxley accepted their silence as agreement and continued her speech.

"One of the most important rules I want to state before the prefects take over, so no one can claim they were not told, is that we handle Slytherin affairs in Slytherin. You will not repeat a thing you hear or see here. You will not air any details to students from other houses, and you absolutely will not speak a word of what takes place in Slytherin to professors. I can promise you, there will be no mercy shown to anyone who speaks to Professor Flinn, above all else. Am I making myself clear?"

The halfblood students appeared even more nervous, but they nodded yes meekly. Regulus nodded when Yaxley turned to the pureblood first years as well.

"Take the halfbloods, Keitch." Yaxley instructed. "Do a good job of covering what is expected of them. I will be holding you responsible for their actions."

"I am aware." He replied, his tone mildly icy. "You six follow me."

The prefect and six halfblood first years walked down the staircase leading back toward the common room. Once they were alone with the pureblooded students, Emma Vanity walked to Yaxley's side.

"Vanity." Yaxley lifted an eyebrow in the pureblooded prefects' direction. "You're up."

Vanity faced the four of them. She spoke quickly with a clear voice that called them all to attention.

"As stated, I am Emma Vanity, and I am the prefect for the pureborn students. I will be largely responsible for you four here. Which means, whatever I say goes. When I tell you to do something, you do it. It is not a suggestion or a conversation."

She paused for a moment, her eyes piercing down at the four of them. Regulus found himself nodding quickly, not wanting to displease their prefect.

Vanity continued. "The Slytherin you are entering right now is not the same Slytherin your family members may have experienced. The war has put pressure on Hogwarts, and our house in particular. We are under a lot of scrutiny. To maintain the values of our house, while limiting the backlash, we have had to compromise. So listen carefully, because if you start on the wrong foot here, you will find yourself in a hole that is very difficult to dig out of - both within and outside this common room. I will not be repeating myself."

"This sounds promising." Barty sneered.

"Do not interrupt me." Vanity snapped with a cold tone.

"I was cheering you along."

The prefect gave him an icy look. The other first years shifted in discomfort as they peered over at Barty. The boy smirked, but he held his tongue.

Yaxley and Vanity shared a look and seemed to be communicating something without saying a word. Regulus got the sense that Barty was in danger. Yaxley nodded slowly, and Vanity gazed back at the younger students, returning to the topic on hand.

"Whatever views you hold regarding trueborn wizards, you will keep them to yourself. Whatever views you hold regarding the war, you will keep them to yourself. Whatever views you hold regarding the dark lord or the dark arts, you will keep them to yourself. Is that clear?"

"Yes." Rosier responded quickly.

Fawley was gazing up at Vanity in awe. "Clear."

Regulus simply nodded.

"Sounds boring." Barty yawned into his hand.

The Head Girl snarled across the room, pushing herself up to tower over him menacingly. "You better shut your mouth if you wish to survive a single week in this house."

Regulus was nervous, but Barty seemed unconcerned, shrugging carelessly. "I do not really mind if I don't."

Yaxley's face had gone white in anger. She retrieved her wand with one smooth motion, casting a familiar-sounding spell across the room before any had the chance to react.

"Silencio."

Regulus shuddered at the word, wincing at the sight of Barty scoffing and trying to speak without any audible noises escaping his mouth.

"You will be dealt with once the day is underway." She promised him as she returned her wand to her pocket.

Barty gave her a dirty look, but he remained standing in place. He made a hand gesture Regulus did not know the meaning of. Vanity and Yaxley did not react.

"You must do as we have the past year." Vanity began again, acting as if nothing had happened. "You will hold your tongue while you are at Hogwarts. If you have bold ambitions of the changes you'd like to see in the world someday, great. I should never hear it. No one else here should ever hear it. Save it for when you're an adult and can do something about it."

Yaxley gazed at them with a grave expression by Vanity's side, not interfering as the prefect spoke.

"Understood?" Vanity asked.

Regulus nodded, as well as Rosier and Fawley.

"On to common room rules. The hierarchy here is simple. Pureblood students are ranked over halfblood students, and each year up will have more authority than the last. That means seventh-year purebloods are at the top of the hierarchy in the common room. But I am the highest authority for you four. You will respect the older years, but it is I who you will speak to if you have concerns."

The Head Girl jumped in to add some of her own insight. "While the oldest years have the most influence right now, you should not peeve off the years around you either. You will be sharing spaces with them a lot longer than you will be sharing with us. Do not tarnish your reputation right off the bat."

Vanity nodded before taking over once more.

"In the common room, there are designated tables for pureblood students and halfblood students. If you are at a table, and an older year of pureblood students want the table, you are expected to move. You have a table here in your private lounge if needed. Also, no halfbloods are to be in lounges other than their own. Pureblood students are allowed into other lounges if they're given permission by someone in that year, but do not bring any halfblood students outside of your year into your lounge."

None of the first years said anything, so the prefect continued.

"You will find each year of pureblood students will have a few who hold more authority than the rest. Most of you should already have an idea of how this works, since you're all from the sacred twenty-eight, and know of the hierarchy within ancient magical families. Go along with what already exists. There is a reason for it, and resisting will only give you and I both a headache. I will be blamed for any of you getting out of line, so I will off you once they're finished offing you. I do not have time to put fires out for you all year, so respect the older years and the common room culture. There is only so much I could or want to protect you from if you keep stepping on toes out there. This is a house full of people who think they are superior to everyone else. It is basically guaranteed that you will find issues if you do not learn your place. We all were first years at one point, and we all have gone through this system. Accept you will gain more influence with time within the established hierarchies."

Vanity paused for a bit, letting her words sink in for the four around the room. All were closely listening, the room dead silent when her words came to a halt. Even Barty was focused.

"We must also discuss Professor Flinn." Vanity said after a minute. "He is the current Head Professor of Slytherin, and he has no tolerance for any pureblood supremacy views or dark arts. Anything you do against his expectations will harm us all, so use your brains and stay off his radar."

The Head Girl took a turn explaining again. "That means no obvious acts or words of disdain for the muggleborn students. And no practicing dark magic at Hogwarts - which should be common sense at this point."

"He made life very unpleasant in Slytherin last year when there was too much resistance to his rules." Vanity warned them. "None of you will be disturbing the peace we have collaborated with him. It was hard-earned and has been a year-long work in progress. And you will never speak to Flinn directly unless he comes to you. If you have any issue you want to bring to him, you will bring it to me. I can speak to Flinn on your behalf if we think your grievance is legitimate and won't get a negative response from him. If needed, I will bring the issue to Lucius Malfoy and our Head Girl. Malfoy is the sixth-year prefect and will be Head Boy next year. We communicate with Flinn and ensure things run smoothly here. You do not."

Regulus motioned his agreement, having no interest in interacting with the Head of House they seemed to be tiptoeing around.

"Professor Flinn tends to make an example of a pureblooded student from each year. You do not want to be the one he picks. He typically focuses on the older years, and it could be years before he bothers any of you if you are clever. This is the house of wit and cunning, I expect you to act like it. We should get through this year without any of the four of you even getting on his radar. Are we in agreement?"

Fawley responded firmly. "Agreed."

"If you do not disturb the peace, follow the rules and stay away from Flinn, I am sure you will have a fun year. It is your first year at Hogwarts and your magical education, do not tarnish it by getting a target on your back."

The three nodded again. Only Barty remained motionless, crossing his arms with a cold sneer plastered on his face.

The Head Girl began the next subject, with Vanity falling silent to let her explain.

"An unofficial norm in Slytherin is that we stay among ourselves. You should be drawing alliances with like-minded peers, and your pureblooded peers share your purpose and experiences more than anyone else will. It is not just for the sake of any idea of supremacy. Whatever you believe is irrelevant. You will be treated poorly and lose the respect of your pureblooded peers if you mingle with the halfbloods. And you will be happiest with the kids you probably grew up with, and who have come from similar families. It is best for everyone to stay with their own kind."

Both older girls gazed over at them until they motioned their agreement once more. No one protested the arrangement.

"This also applies to friendships beyond Slytherin." The Head Girl told them sharply. "This is our house, and we have a lot of pride in our segment of this institution. You are advised to focus your alliances at Hogwarts within this house. Friendships between houses are looked down upon here."

Yaxley paused for a moment, her face becoming sterner. "Absolutely no one who is not Slytherin will ever step foot in this common room. That is not a norm, it is a rule. And there will be consequences if you break it. The only exception is in the case of an emergency, or if Professor Flinn brings someone in. Clear?"

Regulus and Fawley nodded mutely.

But Rosier hesitated. "May I ask a question?"

"Yes?" Vanity turned to him.

"Are we allowed to enter other common rooms?" He asked.

"There are no rules against you befriending or visiting students from other houses." Vanity clarified, her face remaining emotionless. "It is more of an unspoken belief. You will not be penalized for doing so, but you will lose the respect of your peers. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, thank you." Rosier responded politely.

Vanity nodded sharply.

There was a small lull in the conversation, which gave an opening for Regulus to ask a question he had on his mind.

"What about family members in other houses?"

Both the Head Girl and prefect peered over at him at his question. Yaxley narrowed her eyes in a way that set Regulus on edge, but Vanity remained passive.

Vanity's tone was not unkind when she responded. "Your brother is in Gryffindor, yes? Is that what you are asking about?"

"Yes." Regulus' voice was timid.

"I believe family typically tends to be an exception. But it is atypical to have family members in different houses."

"Especially for a Black." Yaxley added, her expression sour. "His sorting was a surprise to us."

Regulus did not know how to respond.

Vanity came to his rescue as she continued speaking. Her words were kinder than the Head Girl's, even if her face remained unreadable throughout. "We will not advise you against spending time with your brother. But I will say, when you do speak with him, it is best to do it in private."

"He has not made a very good impression." Yaxley warned him. "I definitely would keep your relationship out of sight. Some here believe keeping ties with blood traitors makes you a blood traitor yourself. Before you have established a reputation, it would not be wise to flaunt it."

"Okay," Regulus responded solemnly. "Thank you."

Barty, still muted, sneered at him across the room. The other two only briefly shot him curious looks, before returning their eyes to the older girls.

"I think we have covered the majority of the rules." Vanity concluded, with her hands held behind her back primly. "If more comes up, I will be around to offer guidance. Any questions?"

Regulus shook his head. On the other end, Barty had lifted a hand with a taunting grin on his face.

Vanity did not give him the time of day, only glancing over at Rosier and Fawley expectantly.

"All understood." Fawley responded.

"Get settled in your rooms and introduce yourselves to each other." Vanity instructed them. "I will deliver your class schedules tomorrow at the end of your Hogwarts tour."

Yaxley walked over to the two door openings, pointing out one at a time. "Boys and Girls."

When they all moved toward the entrance, Yaxley stopped Barty from entering with a hand on his shoulder. "Not you."

Regulus glanced back at the boy they stopped warily for a moment before he turned to head up the stairs. It was none of his business. Rosier followed him up, leaving Barty alone with the Head Girl and prefect.

Chapter Text

September, 1972

Making friends never came easily to Regulus.

Part of that could be blamed on the limited contact he had with those his age growing up. But even when he had been forced to spend time with others, he had typically been too reserved and awkward to form any type of friendship before the end of the gatherings. Some of the others seemed to easily click with one another during the brief meetings. Regulus was not sure what he would say or do wrong, but he never had that instant friendship click for him. He never knew where to speak up in the conversations or felt comfortable inviting himself into any of their games. Mostly, he had simply shadowed Sirius in most social situations.

There was no one to latch onto in Slytherin.

Of the three pureblood students in the first year, two had been rigidly polite with Regulus, that being Evan Rosier and Preston Fawley. They sat together at meals and classes. They did homework together and conversed on casual topics. Their conversations over the first few days could have been scripted.

But Barty didn't follow a script or bother to pretend to be polite. He had been snarky and crude from the first day they met, irritating Regulus within minutes of entering the bedroom after finally coming upstairs.

Regulus and Rosier had already claimed two beds beside each other, having made it upstairs fifteen minutes before Barty when he got held up by the Head Girl. Regulus emptied the top row of his trunk into his chosen nightstand before Barty came in. When Barty marched inward and let the door slam behind him, Regulus jumped and whirled to see the source of the noise.

Barty was eyeing their belongings pushed up against the two beds they selected. Regulus picked the bed against the wall and Rosier had settled down beside him. Rosier was presently sitting on his bed, sending eyes over at Barty. But Barty was focusing on Regulus as his prey, with a sinister grin.

"I am going to take this bed." He informed Regulus, waltzing over to make himself comfortable on the bed Regulus had picked.

Regulus gaped at him for a moment, trying to form a sentence. Rosier did not say anything as he watched them.

"Why do you want this one?" Regulus questioned. "I already started unpacking here."

Barty offered a careless shrug. "No reason. I just want it 'cause you have it."

Before Regulus could find a response to that, Barty had thrown his legs to the side he was standing on, and lunged forward to push everything Regulus had placed on the nightstand shelves onto the floor.

"Now it is unclaimed!" Barty chuckled, his eyes beaming at Regulus, challenging him to protest. "Finders keepers."

Regulus set his jaw at the bizarre behaviour. He glanced at Rosier, who gazed back unhelpfully. Regulus gave in with a huff, grabbing an armful of the belongings Barty had tossed to the floor to move to the bed on Rosier's other side. What was he meant to do? He did not want to start fighting with a roommate on the first day.

But his attempt to keep his relationship with his roommate civil was in vain. His every interaction with Barty seemed to go similarly as the week went on.

On their first evening, Barty poked him in the side when they entered the common room and nodded at Rabastan Lestrange across the room. The fourth year was standing beside a fifth-year table, leaning over the older Lestrange's shoulder.

"That would have been you if your brother was in Slytherin." Barty taunted. "Following your brother around like a lost puppy."

Regulus was soon trying to avoid Barty as much as he could, which was hard to do when they shared a bedroom and he was expected to spend time with the other pureblood students. They were civil with their two halfblood roommates, but they had taken what Yaxley and Vanity advised to heart and kept their distance from the other two. Regulus found himself spending most of his time following Barty, Rosier and Fawley around.

Evan Rosier was easier to get along with. He was calmer and more predictable than Barty. And he had yet to force Regulus off a bed, so there was that. Rosier also seemed to have some tolerance for the antics Barty pulled off in the first week, which was a tolerance that Regulus did not share. While Rosier was more patient with Barty than Regulus and Fawley were, he did not make it easy for Barty to target him with his random nasty acts either.

Over their second breakfast at Hogwarts, Barty arrived well after the other trueborn first-years had settled in for breakfast. He sat down with a loud thump on the bench beside them, then quickly shoved a hand directly into the pile of eggs on Rosier's plate.

Rosier froze. He stared down at his breakfast for a moment with his mouth slightly falling open. He recovered from the shock soon after, and retaliated by throwing the plateful of food against Barty's chest.

Barty laughed in response to being covered in a plateful of traditional English breakfast. He ate a few pieces of eggs and bacon off his shirt carelessly.

Rosier collected a new plate while rolling his eyes, but he and Barty seemed to be handling the situation in a teasing sort of way. Regulus was a bit bitter at the sight of their interaction. He wished he could find a way to respond to Barty's mocking that didn't just come across as sulking or fueling Barty on. But as always, things that clicked for others never came easily to him.

Preston Fawley was a bit of a challenge as well. Regulus soon discovered the difference between growing up with wealthy parents and being spoiled after spending a bit of time with the only pureblood girl in their year. Not only did Fawley have an excessive amount of everything he could possibly imagine wanting, but she tended to make a scene if things did not go her way. Three days into the school year, Fawley had thrown a fit when Rosier had used the chair in their lounge that she insisted was hers.

Rosier rolled his eyes and jumped down. He mockingly motioned at the chair.

But Barty felt the need to stir the pot. His tone was taunting. "Make way for her royal highness of brattiness."

"Be quiet, Barty." Fawley snapped, climbing into the chair. "I was using it."

"Then how did Rosier manage to get in it?" He mocked her. "Not much going on upstairs, huh?"

"I will report you." She hissed at him.

"Do it."

Fawley and Barty glared at each other across the table for a few long minutes. The two halfblood boys from their year had been seated on the sofa when they walked in, but quietly shuffled upstairs over the face-off.

Finally, Fawley stubbornly marched out of the room and down toward the common room. She ended up complaining about Barty's comments to her brother, which got back to Vanity anyway. Barty spent the next few days only referring to Fawley as tattletale or wussy-pants. Which in turn, got Fawley to promptly tattle on him once more.

Despite the mild bratty side to Fawley, she was mostly kind to Regulus and they did not have any issues getting along. If anything, her peeving off Barty and drawing more of his attention away only made her more likable.

And yet, if it weren’t for Narcissa, Regulus did not think he would have survived his first week in Slytherin. Her presence was reassuring every time he entered the intimidating common room. She had given him space to settle down over the first few days, but soon actively sought him out in the evenings. They could visit each other's lounges since they were among the pureborn students, but Narcissa also liked to sit in the common room. Regulus had not attempted to sit downstairs over the first week until his cousin insisted on it.

After she rescued him from an awkward dinner with the first years one night, he suggested heading toward his lounge as they neared the dungeons. She dismissed his hesitation.

"Do not be silly." Narcissa replied. "You must start claiming your corner of the common room. You will not build respect by hiding all the time. You are a member of the Black Family, and that means something here. You have every right to be in the common spaces."

With that, she marched into the common room with an air of confidence. She did not flinch back from any of the older years as she walked up directly to a table in the center of the pureblood section. Several students briefly glanced their way before returning to their group. Narcissa pulled up a seat as Regulus followed her lead quietly. She took homework out of her satchel once they were both seated.

That was the first night he had done his homework in the Slytherin common room. It was not easy. Every time he heard the door swing open or another student say something loudly, he looked up nervously, but no one seemed to take much notice of his presence.

They were eventually joined by Narcissa's friend from second year. She did not give Regulus a second glance as she took a seat beside his cousin. "Hello, Regulus."

"Hullo."

"Allegra Ollivander." She held her hand out primly.

Regulus shook it. "Nice to meet you."

They continued working on their schoolwork.

As the upward years flooded into the common room after dinner, a few older students acknowledged Narcissa as they walked by. Regulus watched with fascination. He had not previously realized how much influence his cousin already seemed to have in the common room. Even some of the sixth and seventh years, who seemed to barely acknowledge any of the younger students, had nodded at her when they moved toward the mantelpiece lounging area.

A few second-year boys stopped by briefly for a moment, inspecting Regulus carefully. They looked less welcoming than the others had been.

"Who is this?" One asked with a sneer.

Narcissa did not answer, giving Regulus an expectant look. Oh right. Narcissa had told him how important it was for him to speak for himself in Slytherin.

"Regulus Black." He replied coolly, eyeing the boys over. "And you are?"

"Icarus Nott." The one who asked replied, his sneer less pronounced after hearing his name. "Didn't realize there was another Black."

"He is in first year." Narcissa informed them.

The second boy gazed at Narcissa suspiciously. "He is your brother?"

Narcissa did not need to remind him again.

"I am her cousin." Regulus spoke up.

The boy was still looking at Narcissa despite Regulus responding to the question. "Sirius' brother?"

"If you have a question for Regulus, direct it to him." Narcissa's tone was sharp, in a way that he had rarely heard before. "And I would advise you to consider your next words carefully. You wouldn't want to speak ill of our family, would you, Mulciber?"

Mulciber did not speak again. Both second-year boys slipped off without any other comments. Narcissa returned to her homework after giving Regulus a reassuring nod.

By 8:30pm, Regulus had finished all of the homework assigned for his courses. He sat at the table for a bit after he had completed all the work and waited for Narcissa. While she worked, he observed the scene around them.

Everything was calm and relaxed around the common room. Students were occupying nearly every table, with a few openings left in the pureblood area. The halfbloods had fewer designated tables and rarely had any unused tables.

Near the large Slytherin mantelpiece, there was a swarm of seventh years sitting around speaking idly. The Head Girl was present on one end, and speaking with the unmistakable figure of Lucius Malfoy standing in front of her.

The sixth-year prefect was not difficult to spot with his unique physical features, and Regulus had seen Malfoy occasionally before his time at Hogwarts, as he had been a close friend to Bellatrix from an early age. They had been so close that many were surprised when Bellatrix was betrothed to Rodolphus Lestrange instead. But Regulus had overheard his parents discussing how Malfoy's father did not believe Bellatrix had a suitable demeanour. His parents had occasionally spoken about topics Regulus knew they did not mean for him to overhear in front of him, as they often forgot he was in the room.

Bellatrix was visible in the common room as well, a few tables away from the fireplace with others he recognized as fifth years. Bellatrix was sitting beside Rodolphus Lestrange with their heads together, the pair snickering over something they were holding beneath the table. Bellatrix and Vanity shared the same year, but upon glancing around, Regulus noted that Vanity was seated at a separate table from his cousin and her group.

And then, the relaxed air around the common room took a sudden turn.

A younger student ran across the room and muttered something to the Head Girl. Yaxley rose quickly, nodding at Malfoy who headed toward Bellatrix's table. He did not say anything verbally, but Bellatrix and Lestrange seemed to understand well enough what he was saying when he paused at the end of the table. Both collected their belongings quickly and disappeared up the stairs into the fifth-year tower. Malfoy rested beside Vanity, who had also become alert. All others in the space had fallen quiet, but everyone remained in their seats.

"What is happening?" Regulus asked softly, glancing over at Narcissa.

She peered over her shoulder. "Flinn, I would guess."

Her prediction was proven to be correct within a few minutes. Professor Flinn had entered the front of the common room and motioned Yaxley toward him with a wave of his hand.

The Head Girl stepped out of the common room with Professor Flinn, and the opening swung to a close behind the pair.

"He cannot simply be here for Yaxley." Narcissa looked troubled. "He could have easily sent a student to get her. He probably intends to make a scene."

"Should we head upstairs?" Regulus asked nervously.

"No." Narcissa shook her head firmly. "We must wait till the older years give an all-clear."

Regulus did not like needing to wait.

Professor Flinn was intimidating, to begin with, and the Slytherins' scrutiny over everyone he spoke to only made Regulus more on edge around their Head Professor. He had been told the older years were constantly on the hunt for potential spies in the common room, and they kept close tabs on everyone who spoke with the head of the house.

Finally, Yaxley reentered the common room. She returned alone, but her face was strained. She was peering across at Malfoy.

"Rowle." The Head Girl muttered.

The bone in Malfoy's cheek twitched as his jaw clenched. He turned toward his own tower and ascended the staircase. He returned with another sixth-year boy after a few minutes, and both exited the common room.

Yaxley walked across the room while maintaining eye contact with Vanity, who was on her feet. The Head Girl commanded with a cool tone. "Clear the common room."

Vanity nodded, turning to call the room to attention to tell them to head into their towers. Everyone obliged without arguing, only the shuffling of paper and chairs being pushed around disturbing the uncomfortable silence that had fallen.

Narcissa moved then, briskly returning her homework to her bag. Ollivander did the same without speaking.

"Now we go upstairs." Narcissa told him softly. "I will see you tomorrow?"

Regulus nodded mutely. He hurried toward the first-year tower without glancing back, in his eagerness to get away from the rising tension in the eerily quiet common room.

****

Regulus did not come face to face with his brother until the third day of classes. He had been very wary of outwardly speaking with his brother after the conversation he had with the Head Girl and the prefect, and did not know how to approach him.

It ended up being purely coincidental that they ran into each other the first time. Regulus had gone with the two pureblood boys from his year, Rosier and Barty, to the bathroom in between Herbology and Potions. Regulus was the first to exit the stall and neither had come out by the time he finished thoroughly washing his hands.

Regulus went into the hall to wait for his roommates. He did not mind having a moment to himself. There was little escape from the endless waves of students in Hogwarts. It was jarring to be thrown into the masses after spending a year alone at Grimmauld Place.

His moment of peace was short-lived. As soon as he lifted his chin, his eyes met his brother's. Sirius was standing across the hall, his eyebrows cocked and his fingers strumming along the end of the textbook he had tucked in the crook of his arm.

Before Regulus could react, Sirius had called out to him. "Reg."

Regulus peered over at his brother, warily. He had wanted to speak to his brother. He was sure Sirius had some thoughts about his sorting that he would have to hear sooner or later, and Regulus did not want to begin his time at Hogwarts feeling so far away from his brother.

But as he stared across, Regulus realized that Sirius was not alone. He could see a boy standing behind his brother, one that was familiar, but not for a positive reason. Regulus knew who James Potter was from the lists of pureblood families in their library archives, and from the endless times he heard his mother utter that name in disgust over the past year. It was obvious that Sirius had become friends with the Potter boy, but it was harder to see the two together. He knew his mother felt quite strongly about the Potter family and did not approve of that friendship whatsoever.

Sirius was marching over to the bathroom entrance, with his friend trailing along after him wordlessly.

Sirius inspected him. "How are you doing?"

Regulus shrugged. "Okay. Classes are fine."

Sirius nodded. "Is your common room all right?"

Regulus felt his face warm at the mention of his house. He knew Sirius was not happy that he had been sorted into Slytherin, but it had been a massive relief for Regulus.

"Yeah." He replied, weakly.

Sirius shuffled with the bag on his shoulder. "Are you happy with how it turned out? With your sorting, I mean."

Regulus looked at Sirius carefully before replying. He did not wish to anger his brother, but he felt somewhat defensive over his house. "Yes, I wanted to be in Slytherin."

Sirius swallowed, pressing his lips together into a forced smile. "Yeah, I figured. Happy it worked out as you hoped. Guess I will see you around."

His brother was clearly fibbing. But he supposed it would have been more upsetting if Sirius outwardly stated how much he wished for Regulus to end up at Gryffindor with him. Regulus did want to share a house, but he did not want to be sorted into Gryffindor. He belonged in Slytherin, and his mother would have been displeased if he failed to be sorted into the correct house.

When his brother turned, Regulus had the sudden urge to stop him. He did not know when he could speak to his brother again. "Wait! Sirius."

Sirius paused, peering back at Regulus with a surprised expression. He waited silently for Regulus to continue.

"I wanted to ask." Regulus spoke quickly. "When can I..."

Before he could finish the question, Regulus became aware of the two boys exiting the bathroom behind him. His words faltered away as his eyes widened. They would see him speaking to Sirius, right after the Head Girl told him not to! He could see the two pureblood boys pausing beside him, their eyes travelling over to inspect Sirius. Both seemed to know who they were looking at, and neither seemed all that impressed.

Regulus tried to end the conversation abruptly, as panic grew in his chest. His words came out sharp. "I will see you later."

Sirius seemed to notice the shift and raised his eyebrows. He peered back at the other Slytherin first years suspiciously.

Regulus veered to the side without glancing back at his brother, and started briskly walking down the hall. He was relieved that both boys followed him. They were quiet as they retreated down the hall under Sirius' watchful eyes.

"I am telling Vanity!" Barty snickered as they turned the corner. "You naughty, naughty delinquent! Breaking the rules on your very first week, for shame."

"What?" Regulus stared at him, baffled. "Surely you are teasing."

"I think they will hang you out in the yard." Barty carried on. "Or place a shame poster around your neck. I will gladly throw tomatoes at your arse."

"Stop it." Regulus felt himself blush in embarrassment. "I did not mean to speak with him in public. We ran into each other."

Barty snickered, gleefully. "Save your sob story for the jury!"

"Ignore him." Rosier rolled his eyes back. "Everything he says is a load of bollocks. You are fine, Black."

Regulus nodded weakly. He supposed Barty must be messing with him. The boy was hardly a rule follower himself. It was more likely that he was trying to get under Regulus' skin again.

Even so, Regulus knew he had to be more careful when he spoke to his brother. Someone less bonkers than Barty may see, and it could tarnish his reputation in Slytherin. He could not afford that.

****

October, 1972

Sirius was with the halfblood boy again.

His brother did not notice him watching. He rarely ever glanced Regulus' way over mealtimes. He was busy teasing the Gryffindor boy at his side that day. The one with all the scars on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Regulus could not imagine where someone would get scars like that from.

The halfblood seemed quite gruff and unpleasant, but his brother never took offence to any of the comments sent his way. Sirius appeared happy in a way that almost struck him as childish. He did not think he had ever seen Sirius act similarly at Grimmauld Place. His brother had always been more grim and tense in their household. For most of their life, the carelessness Sirius sported at Hogwarts could only be dragged out of him by Regulus, in rare and short-lasting spurts, while they were adventuring through forests and muggle towns. Or in the brief moments of pure adrenaline above the clouds on the back of their broomsticks.

Sirius now had that surge of childlike joy every time he saw him, but Regulus was not the source of that happiness any longer.

Rosier was approaching the first-year segment of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. Regulus averted his eyes from the Gryffindor table as Rosier took a seat across from him.

"Where is Barty and Fawley?" Regulus asked.

Several of the halfblood first years had been sitting with him at the table, but neither of the other pureblood first years had shown up.

"Not sure where Fawley went." Rosier shrugged. "But I know Barty is with Vanity and some others in the common room."

"Why?"

Rosier shifted his eyes from side to side, to inspect the surrounding area for any listening in on their conversation.

"You know Jade Sallow, from our year in Ravenclaw?" Rosier asked in a low voice. "She went home last night. Many are saying Barty is responsible for her choice to leave."

Regulus furrowed his eyebrows. "What did he do?"

"I don't know the details. She is muggleborn, you know. I do not think she is permanently leaving or anything, but rumours spread rapidly around here."

Regulus shook his head. So much for his class listening to all of the warnings Vanity had given them a month back.

"I did not realize he had strong beliefs about blood purity."

Rosier tilted his head. "Honest, I don't think he does. Never mentions it when we aren't around others."

"Then why is he bugging a muggleborn student?"

Rosier grinned. "Why does he do anything? Probably wanted attention or to impress his sixth-year mates. Or just felt like being a proper menace. He is doing whatever gets a reaction."

Regulus shrugged. "That does sound like him."

The older Slytherin students apparently had a significant level of control over Hogwarts. Despite all of the younger students in the entire school discussing the rumours around why Sallow had left school grounds, with Barty's name on their lips, Flinn never seemed to have reason to pin it on Barty. The first years spent all week in anticipation of his inevitable attention being drawn to Barty, but it never came.

Barty, despite being told off endlessly by the older years, only seemed even more keen on causing problems after he got away with Sallow's situation. He had a new target in mind when he found Rosier and Regulus in the lounge one evening.

"Did you know we have muggleborn students in Slytherin?" Barty asked cheerfully, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I do not think we have any." Regulus shrugged. "Vanity did not say anything about muggleborn students."

"Vanity did not say anything about muggleborn students." Barty repeated in a shrill tone. "Wake up, dingbat. She didn't tell us who they were so we wouldn't pick on them. A little birdie told me that Ferrazzo in second year is muggleborn."

Rosier leaned back and did not add anything to the conversation. Regulus was baffled by both of them.

"It would be foolish to bug them." Regulus protested. "Vanity said that is against the rules."

Barty guffawed. "Against the rules? Oh my! Someone call the Aurors! This is a matter of national security."

Rosier chuckled. His eyes shone at Barty.

Regulus flushed in embarrassment. "Fine. You go do that, Barty."

"As if I need your permission." Barty flicked him on his head aggressively. "Stinky."

Regulus grabbed his head in anger, but Barty was already making his way out of the room. He gazed over at Rosier, surprised Rosier did not even try to stop Barty.

Rosier gave him a shrug. "None of our business."

When Barty returned to the bedroom that evening, Rosier and Regulus had already gotten ready for bed and were practicing their levitating charms on pieces of their absent roommates' belongings. They paused when he made his way over.

"Well?" Rosier asked. "What did you do?"

Barty shrugged. "I won't do anything for now."

Regulus stared, with a mixture of suspicion and disbelief.

Rosier scoffed loudly. "What is with the change of heart? Did the muggleborn best you?"

"No." Barty lifted his eyebrows defensively. "No one bests me. I am vastly superior to all."

Regulus observed his demeanour carefully. Barty was still sporting a smug sneer, but he seemed to be a bit more subdued. Barty had been put in his place by someone. He was not one to relent on his antics, even when facing some resistance or consequence. It had been giving the prefects a headache.

"Did you fail to get to the muggleborn?" Regulus asked coolly.

Barty flickered his eyes over to Regulus. "I did not fail. But some other halfblood in second year caught me afterward."

"Which one?" Rosier asked.

"Meadowes." Barty stretched his arms out above his head. "I will find a better time to strike again."

Regulus did not believe him. Barty was not a planner. He was impulsive and foolish, and always acted before he thought. It was more likely that Barty was trying to save face in front of his peers. But he left Barty alone, not wanting to strike up another conversation that would end in Barty ridiculing him all evening.

Barty did not bother Ferrazzo again afterward.

Chapter Text

October, 1972

"What do you mean?" Fawley asked, her eyes wide in disbelief. "How do you not know what Halloween is?"

Regulus stared, perplexed by the conversation. "I suppose it never was discussed in my family. It is a holiday?"

"Of sorts," Rosier replied, with a soft chuckle. "It is a muggle festival really."

"You need to dress up as something or someone." Fawley informed him.

Regulus had never heard of Halloween before, and he doubted his mother would approve of him partaking in a muggle celebration. He twitched nervously, unwilling to admit he felt uncomfortable at the prospect of dressing up. Especially not when Barty was smirking at him across the breakfast table with the usual glimmer in his eyes. Barty seemed ready to pounce on the first reason he had to ridicule him. Regulus did not know what he had done to earn the boy's endless harassment, but he had been Barty's favourite target over the first two months at Hogwarts. It was best to not give him any fuel.

"You don't have to." Rosier exhaled, picking up on his hesitation. "No need to get your knickers in a twist, Black."

Regulus blushed at his reply, peering down at his plate before him to avoid meeting any of their eyes. He did not wish to come across as uptight to his roommates, but he could not do anything to displease his mother. He had already received multiple letters from his mother reminding him of the proper etiquette she expected him to uphold at Hogwarts.

Barty tilted his head. "Why wouldn't you wear a costume?"

"I never said I would not." Regulus replied, shortly. "And even if I did not, it is hardly any of your business, Barty."

Barty cackled at the retort, slamming his fork down on his plate with a loud clang. "Ooo, someone is getting defensive!"

"I am not." Regulus shook his head. "I simply do not feel the need to explain myself to you."

Fawley jumped into the conversation before the boys could continue their snippy back and forth. "You don't have to do anything you do not want to do. But it would be fun. I doubt Slytherin would be keen on celebrating Halloween, but we could still dress up if we want to."

Regulus nodded appreciatively. He had noticed other students dressing up for the holiday, but it had seemed far less popular in Slytherin and Ravenclaw than it was among Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students. He did not want to stick out like a sore thumb at Slytherin, nor risk disappointing his mother. He would sit this muggle holiday out.

"Such a stick in the mud." Barty sneered, kicking Regulus' shin under the table.

Regulus shifted down the bench. "Stop it."

"Will not." Barty replied, sticking out his tongue. "But I do need to go drop off a library book. Are you all finished eating?"

"I cannot come with you." Fawley answered, not peering his way as she spoke. "I need to drop off my leftover supplies with Professor Slughorn."

"Fine by me." Barty rose to his feet. "I didn't even want you to come. I was going to ditch you at the first chance I got."

Fawley glared at him. "Very funny."

Barty tapped against the table impatiently. "Let's go, blokes."

"I am not finished yet." Rosier shrugged, shoving a fork full of eggs into his mouth. "Go with Black instead, he is done eating."

Regulus frowned down at his plate. He wished he had eaten his meal slower. It was hard to get out of the habit of meals being limited to half an hour at Grimmauld Place, so he still ate as quickly as possible. Now, he had no excuse to skirt Barty.

Barty snapped his fingers at him. "Get up, cranky."

Regulus tried to back out of it. "I would rather stay here."

Barty snickered. "Does it look like I care?"

"Maybe I am not finished eating."

Barty bounced to his feet, grabbing Regulus' dishes and pulling them across the table. "Too bad. You're finished now cuz I say so. To the library!"

There was little he would rather do less than be dragged along with Barty to the library. But Barty always got what he wanted, one way or the other. Resistance was futile and only seemed to make him more unbearable.

Regulus followed after Barty unwillingly, which did little to defer the other boy. Barty skipped out of the Great Hall cheerfully, seeming pleased at his success in forcing Regulus to come against his will.

"Do you have the book you wanted to return?" Regulus asked after a moment.

"No," Barty replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "My plan is to go to the library, then accio it over. Clearly, I have my book. Must you always be such a dolt?"

Regulus seethed at the insult. "It was a simple question."

Barty snickered, cheerfully. "A stupid question."

Regulus did not try to speak to him again. But once they were strolling through the library, Barty paused. He craned his neck earnestly, listening to a conversation happening nearby.

A muffled voice was present behind the bookshelves. "Black, maybe we should just do the same levitating charm you used on the Ravenclaw's textbooks."

Regulus perked up at the sound of his last name. He knew they must be speaking to Sirius, as his cousins went by their first names in Slytherin.

His suspicions were immediately confirmed by the response, in his brother's unmistakable voice, "I don't want it to follow the same path over and over though! We wanted them to dance around the school."

Barty's eyebrows lifted with interest. He inched forward slowly, moving toward Sirius' voice. Regulus could not resist following along, wanting to see his brother. He had not seen Sirius since the first week of classes, and he was curious to see what his brother was up to.

The gruff voice spoke up again. "It isn't all that different. You're overcomplicating this. I want to get back, so hurry it up."

Sirius groaned dramatically. "I would figure it out quicker if you helped."

"I already figured it out!" The first voice snapped. "Use the same charm as before."

Barty paused by the edge of a nearby bookshelf to peer around the corner. Regulus halted behind him, standing on his tiptoes to do the same.

A third voice spoke up. "Chop chop, Black. Save the theatrics for when you're in costume."

Barty smiled back at Regulus, coyly. He whispered, "Your brother and his muggleborn friends."

Regulus frowned at him. He leaned forward to see for himself. He caught a glimpse of Sirius through the bookshelves. His brother was seated at a table across from two others, wearing a deep scowl on his face as he peered down at a large open tome before him.

"Maybe a juggling charm would work." Sirius mumbled, sounding cranky.

"Sure." The boy across from him replied, his tone amused. "Give it a whirl."

Barty stepped out into the open with silent steps, and he smirked over at the three second-year Gryffindors. None seemed to notice him.

"Okay..." Sirius replied, his eyes reading over the incantation carefully before he tapped his wand against a pumpkin a few times. "Jugglant Perrosa."

Regulus peered over the books to see the pumpkin quivering, slowly levitating with odd jerks back and forth in the air. The spell seemed to barely hold, with the vegetable struggling to keep floating upward. The pumpkin was starting to quiver, and the tremors became increasingly vigorous.

The girl spoke up hesitantly. "This doesn't seem all that promising. Should we-"

The Gryffindor girl was cut off by a sudden blast bursting out of the pumpkin. She shrieked as she threw her arms up to shield her face, but the worst of the debris missed her and the halfblood boy beside her entirely. The pumpkin, now reduced to pulp, settled relentlessly over Sirius' face and uniform.

Regulus watched as Sirius clenched his eyes tightly in bitter indignation for an instant. The group sat in stunned silence for a short while as Sirius glared down at the splattered remains of what previously had been their pumpkin.

And then Barty was laughing, his cold tone laced with ridicule. Sirius' chin jerked up to inspect his tablemates before he peered over their shoulders to see who was laughing. The two across from him noticeably tensed up at Barty's laugh.

Barty was sneering. "Very impressive spells, Black."

Sirius looked puzzled for a moment, before his eyes moved over and found Regulus, still half hidden behind the bookshelf. A flash of realization showed on Sirius' features before his face settled into a grim frown.

Regulus had been finding the scene amusing until he saw his brother's expression, and then his smirk bled away from his face. Sirius did not look happy to see him. A flicker of doubt started to grow in him.

Sirius ignored Regulus as he glared back at Barty. "What's your problem?"

Barty shrugged, with a wry chuckle. He looked Sirius up and down with a taunting expression. "I have several."

"Clearly." Sirius' voice was humourless.

Barty's sneer remained bright and cocky, but Regulus shifted uncomfortably. Sirius caught his eye for a moment but quickly returned to ignoring him.

The girl across from his brother had rotated in her seat to face them, fiddling with her wand on her lap. "Oi, Crouch! Don't you have a puppy you want to go suffocate? Run along now."

The other boy spoke up as well, without turning around. He peered over his shoulder to add his two cents. "Piss off or I will rearrange your ugly little mug."

Barty tilted his head, his eyes remaining on Sirius. "Need the whole muggle symphony to defend you, I see."

"Bugger off before I do something I will regret." Sirius snapped.

Regulus did not know why Barty was bugging his brother, but the situation was starting to make him very nervous. He didn't like how threatening the Gryffindors were starting to sound, or how insistent Barty was on irritating them. And Sirius casting him dirty looks did nothing to ease his anxiety.

Regulus backed up behind the bookshelf and tried to nudge Barty's arm gently, hoping he'd take the hint to leave it alone. But Barty paid him no mind, his eyes remaining fixed forward.

Barty inspected his three opponents at the table with a calculating gaze, sizing them up with care. The other boy, the halfblood with the scar on his cheek, turned to glower back at Barty as well. The Gryffindors seemed prepared to pounce on Barty if he dared to take a step closer, and Barty seemed foolish enough to be considering taking on all three at once.

Thankfully, Barty relented. He lifted his shoulder dismissively, then backed away, sauntering off lazily down the library aisle.

Regulus hesitated before he followed. He took one final glance at Sirius around the corner of the bookshelf. His brother chose to take the opportunity to shoot him a scathing glare.

Regulus flinched back, shying away from the gaze and slipping behind the bookshelf. He blinked furiously once he was out of sight, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He did not know why Sirius would be angry with him. Regulus had been avoiding him in public places since they started at Hogwarts, but he did not know when he could organize a private visit with his brother where others would not see. He had only been trying to follow the recommendations he had been given by the Head Girl and prefect. It felt horribly unfair for Sirius to be so irritated with him over that.

Regulus collected his courage as he pushed away from the bookshelf. He trailed after Barty meekly, being careful to not glance back at his brother again.

****

November, 1972

After running into his brother in the library, Regulus carefully planned out his next encounter with his brother.

He did not want a repeat of his brush-in with Sirius in the library again, but it was clear from the anger in his brother's glare when their eyes locked, that Sirius was holding something against him. And while it did not aid his case that Barty had been riling Sirius and his halfblood mates up, Regulus suspected the anger went deeper than that. So he decided it was time to speak to Sirius, even if it meant he had to approach his brother in public and ask to speak privately.

Sirius' birthday was only three days after Halloween. Birthdays were hardly treated as a celebratory date in their family, as their mother insisted it was an undeserved vanity celebration, but the brothers usually gave each other small gifts on their birthdays. And so, Regulus decided he would use the excuse of wishing his brother a happy birthday as a means to speak with Sirius. It seemed like a valid reason to approach him.

Regulus twitched in his seat all morning in nervous anticipation of approaching his brother. But once he saw Sirius settling down with his friends at the neighbouring table, he knew he had to just do it. He would loathe himself if he was too much of a coward to simply walk over and speak to his brother.

Regulus rose to his feet abruptly, moving away from his peers without any explanation. He hoped his absence would go unnoticed, but he did not glance back to see if anyone watched him walk across.

The Gryffindor table was right beside the Slytherin table, and Sirius was only a few steps away from him. Regulus walked over slowly, as his heartbeat throbbed in his ears. He was careful to keep his eyes on his brother's head, but he could feel the eyes of several other Gryffindors finding him.

Regulus held himself up with a tense posture as he paused beside the Gryffindor table.

"Sirius." Regulus called out, stiffly.

Sirius turned to peer over his shoulder, his face indicating that he knew it was Regulus calling and that he was not thrilled to be seeing his brother. The other Gryffindors had fallen silent around the table, all watching Regulus and Sirius with tense curiosity.

"What do you want?" Sirius' voice came out gruff, nearly sounding accusatory.

Regulus tightened his lips. Sirius was being real stubborn, but he could not let his brother scare him off so easily. He stuck his chin out as he refused to back off.

He tried to keep his words cold, but he could hear the subtle whine beneath them, despite his efforts. "Could I speak with you?"

"You're speaking right now." Sirius snapped back, holding both arms out to motion that he had the floor.

Regulus scrunched up his nose for a moment in annoyance. His jaw clenched as he spoke primly. "In private."

"No." Sirius replied coolly. He did not offer any explanation.

Regulus blinked a few times, remaining in the same location by the table. His words sounded hollow in his ears. "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

Sirius turned back to his table abruptly. "I don't think your mates would approve of you speaking to me. Better run along before they see."

His brother's comments felt like a punch to his abdomen. Regulus had not expected Sirius to take it so personally that he could not speak to him every time they came across each other in the hall. He had been trying to find a chance to meet up with Sirius, but he had not yet found the ideal time to set it up.

His brother did not peer back at Regulus, but he could see James Potter across the table, cautiously peering up to discern his reaction. The others were all pretending to be very engaged in their breakfast plates.

Regulus' mind was storming as he tried to think of what to say. His brother was clearly in a mood, but the middle of the Great Hall was no place to have one of their classic arguments. Narcissa had told him he could not behave in a way that would make him appear weak or childish before the Slytherin students. And now he was standing there, fully visible to the whole of Slytherin behind him, begging his brother for a shred of attention and being turned down.

He should have never tried to speak to Sirius. His brother clearly had no quarrel with making him appear pathetic before a crowd. And yet, Regulus found himself frozen in place, unable to move away from the table or drudge up another word. He just stood there, staring at the back of his brother's head.

The silence around the table lingered as everyone waited awkwardly for him to leave, or for Sirius to say something. But Regulus was unable to move, and Sirius stubbornly never glanced back.

Finally, the Potter fellow broke the hush, catching his brother’s attention. "Mate."

Sirius lifted his chin, his voice bitter, "What?"

A Gryffindor girl, the same from the library, spoke up with a nervous giggle. "He's still there."

Regulus was mortified by his inability to move - to do anything. He was simply rooted in place, waiting on his brother. Everyone in the second-year Gryffindor class was gawking at him, and a few others around them seemed to have noticed the scene as well. He could not be more humiliated.

Sirius finally glanced back, his expression surprised. He seemed to have believed that Regulus had left. Sirius groaned softly. Regulus stared at him with his mouth slightly hanging open, not sure if he was more stunned or angry at that moment.

Sirius took a deep breath. His tone was lighter. "Regulus, I don't want to talk right now. We will talk later, okay?"

Regulus only stared back in response, still frozen.

He was rescued by Narcissa, walking up behind him without making any noise. He felt her arm slip around his back. She shot Sirius a cold look, and without a word, firmly pulled Regulus down the aisle with her.

Regulus allowed her to lead him out of the Great Hall, still feeling as though he was in a trance. Once they were out, she continued to walk forward rapidly, navigating them away from any onlookers. Her fingers were digging into his arm, but he hardly felt it.

"Regulus." Narcissa sighed, eyeing him sadly. "You shouldn't have let him do that to you."

She was disappointed in him. It was clear in her tone. She had tried her best to drill the concept of the reputation he must uphold at all times in Slytherin into his head. He failed her. He had humiliated himself before the others.

"I did not mean to." Regulus blinked slowly. His gaze moved downward. "I wanted to talk to him."

"I know." She rubbed his arm soothingly.

"I do not understand." Regulus admitted in a low voice. "Why is he so angry with me?"

Narcissa looked unsure. "Perhaps he is upset that you have been more distant with him at Hogwarts than you are at home."

"How is that my fault?" Regulus huffed. "I was told to minimize speaking with him in front of others. Yaxley said inter-house relationships are looked down upon, and I would lose the respect of the Slytherins."

"He may not see it that way."

"He never sees it my way." Regulus' voice was bitter. "I am only trying to fit in here. Why does it matter if we are not speaking every day?"

She faced him with a troubled expression. "I am sure his pride is injured, that is all. He sees only you as his little brother. And now you're growing up and have a much bigger world than just him."

Regulus nodded. Sirius had always liked Regulus going along with whatever he said and did. He had not been happy when Regulus disagreed with his views on the trueborn ancient magic over the summer either.

He rubbed his eyes roughly with the back of his hand. He could not cry. Not here. His reputation among his roommates would never recover if he returned puffy-eyed.

Narcissa offered some advice. "Next time you want to speak to Sirius, maybe write him a letter first. Or I can deliver a message. Do not give him the opportunity to reject you in public."

"Okay." Regulus replied. "Thank you."

She smiled warmly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to squeeze him firmly. "Do not be silly."

When she turned in the direction of the dungeons, Regulus grabbed her arm to stop her. "I do not want my roommates to see me upset. Can we go somewhere else?"

"Let us go to the library then." Narcissa nodded firmly. "We can go do some of our schoolwork."

She did not bring up his comment again until they were well tucked away in a corner of the library. They had a table to themselves. Very few students were occupying any of the other tables around. Narcissa took out her textbook before turning to him once more.

"How are things going with the students in your year?" She asked him.

Regulus stared down at his notepad. He exhaled slowly. "Not the best."

She pursed her lips. "It will get easier."

Regulus doubted that.

Once they had finished all of their pressing homework, Narcissa brought him along for a quidditch scrimmage with some other players she often joined on the field. Being on his broom again did wonders. Quidditch had been sorely lacking since he had come to Hogwarts.

He did not get back to Slytherin until after dinner. When he walked up to the boys' room, he found Rosier and Barty inside. The pair were seated on the same bed together. That was a bit irregular, but Barty did have no sense of personal space. So Regulus ignored it. They both glanced over at him when he entered.

"Where have you been?" Rosier asked, smiling lazily.

"Narcissa brought me to their makeshift quidditch game." He explained.

Barty made a disgusted face. "Boring."

"Quidditch is not boring." Regulus responded with a cold tone.

"Didn't say it was." Barty taunted him. "I was calling you boring."

Rosier snickered. "That sounds fun, Black."

"It was." Regulus glared at Barty. "And I do not care to hear what you think, Barty."

"Course." Barty sneered. "That's why you boo hoo hoo every time I open my mouth."

"I do not-"

"Boo hoo hoo!" Barty shouted, cutting him off. "Wuss."

"Be quiet." Regulus snapped.

"Is that really the best you can come up with?" Barty's eyes flashed with excitement.

Regulus knew that Barty wanted him to argue. It only fueled Barty to get under his skin. He clenched his mouth closed and walked over to his bedside. He began emptying his satchel into his nightstand while ignoring Barty's eyes burning holes into him a few beds over.

Barty did not speak for a few minutes before he prodded Regulus on again.

"Apparently, you boo hoo hoo every time your brother opens his mouth too."

Regulus froze. His vision blurred as he stared at the drawer of his nightstand he had been cramming textbooks into.

Rosier spoke up with a harsh tone. "Shut up, Barty."

Barty fell quiet.

Regulus went to shower and get ready for bed. No one stopped him. By the time he returned to the bedroom, the halfblood boys had come up as well. Rosier and Barty were still seated on the same bed, teasing each other mercilessly over the magazine they had been reading. They were laughing and fooling around in a childish manner. Regulus did not glance their way as he returned to his area.

Regulus climbed into his bed. He opened one of the novels from his parents' library that he had brought to Hogwarts with him. He lost track of the room around him as he disappeared into the story in his hands.

At some point, Rosier gasped in pain. It dragged Regulus back to his surroundings. The goofing around two beds over came to an abrupt halt as Rosier quickly pushed Barty away, and rose to his feet. He was clutching his arm with the other hand.

"What the hell?" Rosier sounded confused.

Regulus sat upright. "What is wrong?"

Rosier struggled to find the words to answer. "He just... I am bleeding."

Rosier walked himself toward the bathroom, and Regulus set his book down before following. Barty remained on his bed. He was giggling as he laid stretched out on his back.

In the bathroom, Rosier was trying to make a makeshift bandage out of towels to wrap up his arm. It was a sloppy task with only one hand.

"Here, let me help." Regulus offered.

He had wrapped Sirius' injuries often enough. He could have been an unofficial healer at that point. But when Rosier exposed the injury for him to see, it was so bizarre that it threw him off.

"Barty bit you?"

"He ripped a bloody chunk out of me!" Rosier was cranky. "Look at this."

Regulus was in disbelief. It was not only a bite mark, there was a significant dip in Rosier's arm. Barty had taken a chunk of flesh.

"We should go to the hospital wing." Regulus advised. "These towels will not stop it from bleeding. It will soak right through."

"What in the world am I supposed to say to the Matron?" Rosier moaned. "My rabid pet dinosaur got hungry?"

Barty laughed loudly in the other room at Rosier's comment.

His taunting made Rosier flush with anger. He marched back out into the room. By the time Regulus made it to the doorway, Rosier was beside Barty's bed. He smacked Barty hard with his uninjured arm, and Barty kicked back frantically. They exchanged vicious blows back and forth for a bit. Barty kept laughing maniacally throughout.

The two halfblood boys were watching. One looked frightened as the two went back and forth, while the other looked rather disgusted.

"Rosier," Regulus spoke. "Your arm needs to stop bleeding first. Then you can clobber Barty."

"Fine." Rosier huffed. "Bloody animal. Who raised you?"

"Servants!" Barty laughed.

Rosier threatened him before he backed off. "I will be back."

"Looking forward to it!" Barty placed both hands behind his head. "Tell Madam Pomfrey I send my love when she sees that masterpiece."

Rosier went to swing at him again, but Regulus grabbed his uninjured arm. "Later."

Madam Pomfrey did not ask questions. She bandaged up the arm and gave Rosier a potion to calm the bleeding. She told them to wait fifteen minutes at the hospital wing, then he may return to his bedroom for the night.

Once she had walked off, Regulus eyed the arm. "Does it hurt much?"

"Not really." Rosier shrugged. He appeared more amused than angry at that point. "Bloody lout."

"I don't understand how you can stand him." Regulus huffed.

It was not wise to outwardly express his disdain for another pureblooded Slytherin student. He knew that. But Barty was driving him up the wall. His exhaustion was making him sloppy.

Rosier just snickered. "He is funny. Like a real feral pet I cannot help but keep around no matter how many times it scratches me."

Regulus decided Rosier must have as little sanity as Barty did.

Chapter Text

November, 1972

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" Professor Slughorn called the class to attention with a brisk clap. "Everyone please take your seats and face the front of the class."

Any stray students still standing around the class sheepishly found a seat in their section. The Ravenclaw and Slytherin students never shared tables, so the class was rigidly split between the two groups. Both houses were known for prioritizing intra-house friendships over inter-house friendships, resulting in the two groups staying in their own circles, despite having more in common than they had with the other houses.

"Today, we will be having a little class competition." Slughorn went on cheerfully. "Last period, we discussed the ingredients of a fire protection potion. Can anyone here recall what the three main ingredients were?"

Several hands went up. Regulus had known the ingredients from his studies at Grimmauld Place before they even discussed it, but he did not want to answer in front of the class.

"Ms. Pandora Volant?"

She answered, her voice clear. "We will need wartcap powder, salamander blood and bursting mushrooms."

Rosier was sitting at a table to Regulus' left, and he slouched back and snickered at her response. Regulus was not sure why. She was correct. But Rosier was smirking over at her, gently shaking his head in mock disapproval.

"That is correct!" Slughorn beamed. "Can anyone tell me what effect a fire protection potion will have on the individual who drinks it?"

Barty chuckled loudly. "Doesn't the name give it away?"

Slughorn glanced over, his happy expression lightly wavering at Barty's snide commentary. "Well, Mr. Crouch, if you are so eager to participate, why don't you tell the class what side effects come along with the potion."

Barty narrowed his eyes, not replying.

"That’s what I thought." Slughorn huffed. "Do not interrupt class."

When the professor returned his attention to the class, Barty leaned back, reciting off the response casually. "The fire protection potion, blue in colour, has the effect of protecting the drinker from fire for a temporary period of time. Upon drinking, the potion frequently has a side effect of a sensation of ice flooding through the body. Because of this icy or frigid sensation, this potion has also been called the ice potion. And it is a misnomer, as it can only protect from most magical fires." He sat up, smirking over with a sinister gleam in his eye. "But not all fires. Isn't that correct, Professor Slughorn?"

"Well, yes..."

"Would you also like me to recite the recipe?" Barty asked, blinking with an innocent expression. "Or is that a suitable enough answer for you?"

"That is enough, Mr. Crouch." Slughorn sighed. "I see you know your material thoroughly. We will see if you can apply this knowledge to your potion-making today."

Barty smiled, wryly, and Regulus got the sense that he was taking the Professor's skepticism as a personal challenge to do well in their class competition that day.

The professor went on. "The recipe and instructions for this potion can be found in your text, on page 45. I would ask that everyone split into teams of two, and collect one cauldron for your group. I would like to see who can accomplish the task first before the end of class!"

"Will there be a reward if we win?" Rosier asked, with a smirk.

The professor still sounded annoyed. "Worry about winning first, Mr. Rosier."

A fire was clearly lit under Rosier and Barty when they met eyes, but they were not the only ones eager to win the challenge. Potions had been one of his strongest subjects thus far in the year, along with charms and defence against the dark arts. Regulus wanted to prove himself in potions by winning the competition. It would be tough when competing with the Ravenclaw students, but Regulus thought he had a shot.

"Want to work together?" Fawley asked, peering over at Regulus from beside him.

He nodded yes, appreciatively. He always got nervous when a class called for them to pair up. He knew Rosier and Barty would group up, but sometimes Fawley would pair up with one of the halfblood girls in their year. It would always leave him in an awkward position.

Regulus opened his textbook to page 45, running his finger down the page to find the instructions for the recipe.

"Slice bursting mushrooms with knife, add to cauldron and stir clockwise until potion turns blue." Regulus read. "The second point says, add Salamander blood to cauldron, stir anti-clockwise until potion turns green. And the last point is, crush wartcap powder in pestle, add to cauldron and stir clockwise until potion turns red."

"Sounds easy enough." Fawley muttered. "Do you want to go collect ingredients or should I?"

"You collect the ingredients, and I will begin the steps." Regulus answered, decisively.

He wanted to do it himself, not because he thought Fawley would do it wrong necessarily, she did decent in most classes, but he had more confidence in himself doing it correctly. He didn't want to risk any mistakes.

He could tell the class was taking the challenge seriously by how quiet and concentrated everyone seemed to be. Beside their table, he could see Barty working on a potion beside him, being uncharacteristically quiet as he carefully added the first step of ingredients. Rosier seemed to be letting Barty take the lead, fulfilling whatever request he demanded while Barty worked on the actual concoction.

Regulus carefully sliced the bursting mushrooms with the knife Fawley brought over, trying to not compare their pace to the neighbouring tables. He couldn't let it get into his head that Barty already was ahead of him. He concentrated on making perfect slices before he pushed the pieces into the cauldron.

"Stir this clockwise." Regulus told Fawley. "I will get the blood prepared. Make sure you are mixing clockwise, okay?"

"Do not speak to me like I am dimwitted." She scoffed, snatching the stirring spoon from him. "I know what clockwise means."

Regulus flushed with embarrassment but he did not know what to say to that. He only meekly turned away, going to collect the blood and the pestle to prepare for the next step. He was careful not to crush the wartcap powder until Fawley was switching to stirring counterclockwise as they moved onto the second step. He didn't want to risk ruining their progress by letting the ingredients dry out from being prepared too early. She paused the stirring as it turned red, waiting until his pestle was filled with fine powder. He emptied it into the cauldron quickly.

"Stir it clockwise." Regulus whispered, urgently. "Go, go."

He stared across at the Ravenclaw side, trying to see if they were still keeping ahead. He shifted from foot to foot nervously, adrenaline pounding through his veins. They were so close. They may actually make it!

But they were not quick enough. Barty bounced up from his table, waving over at Professor Slughorn. "She is done."

Slughorn looked surprised. "I need to see this."

"We are done too!" Samantha Johnson, from the Ravenclaw side, called. Regulus glanced over with dismay, seeing that she was paired up with Pandora Volant, who typically led the class.

Fawley announced, a moment later. "Ours is finished too!"

Regulus peered into their cauldron, seeing that she was correct. The potion had turned a deep red. But they had been too late.

"Very impressive!" Slughorn beamed at the groups. "Our top three finished very quickly! But it seems that Crouch's and Volant's team tied for first. Good thing I have a tiebreaker."

Barty and Rosier were gazing over earnestly, looking very confident as Slughorn rubbed his hands together. Across the room, the two Ravenclaw girls were waiting attentively as well.

"Your potions are not finished yet." Slughorn informed them. "Can anyone tell me why and how we can complete them?"

The Ravenclaw girls peered at each other, with Volant's face remaining blank while Johnson looked unsure. Rosier did not even bother trying, only glancing at Barty expectantly.

Barty did not hesitate. "It needs a magical component, as all potions do. That is why it is important to develop a magical core before working on brewing potions. It is not simply mixing ingredients, like baking some rubbish."

Once again, Slughorn was gazing at him with a blend of shock and awe on his face. He nodded, impressed. "Yes, all potions need a magical component. Do you have any guesses as to what would complete this potion, given the desired effect?"

"I would assume a flame-freezing charm." Barty replied, toying with his spoon lazily as a cocky little smirk rested on his lips. "It serves the same effect, no?"

"Correct again." Slughorn smiled. "Tremendous work today, young man. I see that your parents have taught you well. Congratulations, Mr. Crouch and Mr. Rosier. And Ms. Volant and Ms. Johnson, a very admirable effort. And you two as well, Mr. Black and Ms. Fawley."

Professor Slughorn had approached their cauldron, peering inside to see the colour of their potion. Regulus was happy there was some degree of acknowledgement of their work, even if it was horribly embarrassing to be bested by Barty. He hadn't realized Barty was that clever. He sure acted like a fool typically.

"Perfect colour and odour." Professor Slughorn nodded in approval at their work. "Which is difficult to manage at such a speed! Very impressive, Ms. Fawley and Mr. Black. I have not gotten to see much of your work previously, Mr. Black. It is clear that the smarts run in your family!"

Regulus tried to hide his surprise at that comment. He supposed Sirius and Narcissa must have left a decent impression on his Professor, as Bellatrix did not earn herself any marks that would be memorable. He knew that from another conversation he overheard between his parents, that they hadn't intended for him to hear. His family tended to be quite critical of his older cousin.

Not that Bellatrix wasn't brilliant and powerful in her mastery of magic, but her intelligence was better reflected through her nefarious deeds than they ever were applied to her studies. He knew his older cousin had always interpreted her magical core to be born within her, not something she needed to attend class to foster, so she rarely applied herself at school. Somehow, her powers never suffered for it. But that may be because Bellatrix mostly used her magical abilities to strike fear into the hearts of her friends and foes alike, and that was an area where she was naturally gifted. Narcissa and Sirius, on the other hand, tended to score better, yet neither would be as intimidating a duel opponent as Bellatrix would be. Either way, there was a lot of brilliance to live up to in his family.

But Fawley had a different explanation once the professor walked off. She giggled, "He is only kissing your butt because the House of Black is so influential. Bet you'll get invited to the slug club. Barty too, I wager."

Regulus stared. "What is the slug club?"

She smiled as she offered up an explanation. "Slughorn has a club that he invites all his favourites to for regular social gatherings. It is just his way to form networks with students he thinks has a bright future, either because they're exceptionally bright, or because they have a powerful family."

Regulus stared down at the cauldron glumly. "Well, I doubt that I would be invited."

"What do you mean?"

Regulus bit down on his bottom lip, nervously. "I am not that important in the grand scheme of things. If he wanted to network with an influential member of my family, it would be better to invite Sirius or Narcissa."

"Your brother, Sirius Black, is the heir to your house, right?" She asked. "I think I have seen him around."

"Yes. He is in Gryffindor."

She thought for a moment. "Even though he is heir, I think it is rather silly you'd think you're unimportant only because you're not the oldest."

Regulus wished he hadn't brought his family up. The conversation made him uncomfortable. "That is how it works in the House of Black."

"You're still important." Fawley wouldn't budge. "I promise."

She was sweet, even if she was wrong.

They finished up cleaning their workstation, not bringing up the slug club again.

After impressing everyone with his unexpected intelligence during potions, Barty returned to his usual brain-dead tom foolery after dinner. Regulus had gone to return his schoolwork to his bedroom after eating, but as soon as he entered the room, he froze at the sight in front of him. He had no idea how to interpret what he was staring at.

Barty was lying back against his pillows, squinting his eyes closed and clenching his fingers around two small silver rings. Rosier was seated on his knees on the side of Barty's bed, holding a stick with a fire on the end under a needle. There were several roughly sliced pieces of oranges thrown around the bed.

Neither Barty nor Rosier acknowledged his presence as they continued with their task, so Regulus shut the door behind him slowly. None of his halfblood roommates were present, so there was no one else to look to for help.

"Come on, speed this up." Barty complained, peaking at Rosier through one eye slit. "Just stab me already!"

"Believe me," Rosier snickered. "I am looking forward to it."

"What?" Regulus stared, baffled.

Barty opened his eyes to sneer across the room but did not offer any explanation for what the two were up to. Rosier finished heating the needle, and put the flame out with a flick of his wrist. He leaned across to grab an orange slice.

"We are piercing his lip." Rosier explained.

"Twice!" Barty reminded him. "I want an earring on each side."

"Yeah, yeah." Rosier laughed, lifting the needle to the other lad's mouth. "Last chance to back out of this."

"No way!" Barty clenched his eyes closed, holding still. "Do it!"

Regulus was in disbelief. "Would your parents approve of you having a piercing?"

Barty laughed. "I bloody hope not!"

Regulus scoffed, turning away as Rosier started to press the needle into the skin beneath Barty's lip. He did not approve of the unsanctioned piercing his roommates were orchestrating. His mother would have been irate if he came home with a piercing. He could not comprehend why Barty would do such an improper thing. Surely the Crouch family would not support their only son sporting the style of muggle hooligans.

Regulus tried to ignore the squealing noises Barty was making as he shoved his notepads into his nightstand drawer.

Rosier was laughing. "Stop squirming around, you little worm! Black, can you pin him down?"

Regulus would rather not. But he did not want to give Rosier a reason to dislike him. He was far kinder to Regulus than Barty was, and he could not afford to have both pureblood boys dislike him, so Regulus walked over reluctantly.

"Grab his wrists and don't let him move." Rosier told him. "He is being such a wuss."

Barty laughed. "I am a little bitch when it comes to needles. It's my one and only weakness!"

Regulus caught ahold of his wrists, trying to hold them down firmly against the bed. Rosier was holding Barty down by sitting directly on the boy's chest so he could not wiggle away. As Rosier moved in with the needle again, Barty yanked his arm so aggressively that Regulus lost ahold of it.

Rosier huffed in irritation. "Hold him good, mate!"

Regulus flushed, struggling to grab the arm once more. He could not do anything right.

Barty shook his head in disapproval. "Let it go again, and I'll wake you up to a wet willy for the rest of the term."

"You were the one who pulled away!" Regulus protested.

"Duh!" Barty snarled. "It is your job to prevent it. Quit whinging, dopey."

Regulus gritted his teeth. He grabbed Barty's wrist with more force, slamming it against the bed and pressing down with all his might. He did not care if it hurt the other lad. He hoped it did.

Barty did not say anything if Regulus was hurting him, focusing on the needle sinking through his lip. Rosier removed it once it went all the way through.

"Where are your earrings?"

Barty wiggled one of the hands Regulus was holding. "Hmere!"

Rosier grabbed one, clipping it through the hole he had made. He did not wait before he went for another firestick. He pulled a small wooden stick with a red bulge on the end out of a box on his lap, dragging it along the sandpaper strip until another fire appeared. He heated the needle a second time as the other two waited patiently.

Regulus closed his eyes when Rosier went to pierce Barty again, only tightening his grip when he felt Barty squirm in pain. When he opened his eyes after a beat, both earrings were in and Rosier was smirking down at his work proudly.

Regulus released Barty's wrist, seeing that his grip left a red mark on his arm. It gave him some satisfaction to know he hurt Barty a little bit. He had no other form of getting back at the irritating prat for all the rubbish Barty had been putting him through all term.

"We did it!" Barty cheered, bounding over to inspect his new lip piercings in their mirror. "We bloody did it."

"Perfect timing." Rosier yawned. "I need to get out of here now."

Barty gazed at his lip in the mirror, flicking at the piercing with one hand. He didn't look back. "Where are you going?"

"Detention." Rosier murmured.

Barty shrugged. "Piss off then."

Regulus did not say anything, but he did not buy that. Barty may be too preoccupied with staring at his reflection, but Regulus could see how odd Rosier was acting. He was not meeting their eyes and was paying no attention to the clock, despite it being minutes away from 18:00. Almost all detentions started at 18:00, or at 19:00 for older students or if you had multiple. And getting from the dungeons to any classroom in five minutes would be a challenge, but Rosier did not seem rushed.

Regulus had noticed the pattern before. Rosier would disappear every Thursday evening since the beginning of the year. At first, he assumed it was for detentions, but it was rare for Rosier to earn a detention without Barty being involved. And once he picked up on the odd disappearances, it was impossible to miss. Every Thursday without fail, Rosier would have an unexplained absence from dinner time until curfew.

But Regulus kept his thoughts to himself.

"See you blokes later!" Rosier called as he vanished into the hall.

With Rosier gone, Regulus had a bigger problem. He tried to avoid ever being trapped alone in a room with Barty. It always ended poorly. He decided to go down to the common room to see if he could find Narcissa, but before he could slip out, someone else came to solve his problem for him.

When a sharp knock rapped against their door, Barty finally looked away from the mirror.

"No one is home!" Barty called, his voice cheerful.

"Barty." Vanity sounded annoyed. "Open up."

Barty made a pouty expression, narrowing his eyes as he contemplated whether or not he should listen. The seconds dragged on as they both remained motionless.

Vanity threatened, through the door. "Do not make this difficult."

"Barty." Regulus whispered. "Maybe you ought to..."

Barty cut him off. "Shut up, goody two-shoes."

Regulus inhaled in frustration. He decided to go open the door himself, too annoyed with his roommate to care if there would be any repercussions for disturbing the standoff.

Vanity peered down at him when the door pulled back, nodding curtly before her eyes sought out Barty. "To the lounge, now."

Barty sighed dramatically, but he finally listened.

Regulus stepped back as Barty stomped on by him, snickering as he skipped down the stairs. Vanity turned to follow him down with a stoic expression. Regulus got the sense that she was irritated, even if her face didn't indicate much. She seemed less patient than usual with Barty's antics that day.

Regulus hesitated for a moment as the two disappeared downstairs. He knew he should not spy on their conversation, but his curiosity got the best of him. He opened the door slowly so it did not make any noise, and snuck down a few steps to hear what was happening below.

"Look at me." Vanity commanded in a stern tone. "Did you steal something from Professor Flinn's office?"

Barty did not sound the least bit worried. "Who's asking?'

"Answer the question."

"I nick a lot of things." Barty drawled out below. "I can hardly keep track of what I took from whom!"

"Barty." Vanity sounded frustrated. "You are being foolish."

Regulus could only imagine what Barty stole. The first year seemed to have no fear of anyone, combined with a lack of self-preservation skills. Regulus, on the other hand, would not dream of ever antagonizing their head of house in that manner.

"I warned you," Vanity continued telling Barty off below. "Professor Flinn has a pattern of selecting a troublemaker or a ring leader to make an example of in each year. Do you understand the implications of being on his radar only a few months into your first year?"

Barty made an amused noise. "I cannot help it that I stand out from the crowd."

"Very well." Vanity retorted, her words sharp. "Treat this as a gag. I will not lift a finger on your behalf once he is making your time here miserable."

Barty giggled. "Oh, please. You will still try to help me! You always do."

Vanity’s voice was empty of any emotions when she spoke again. "Go downstairs. I will be escorting you to his office."

"Okie dokie!"

There were a few footsteps below, and a door opened and shut loudly. Regulus assumed both had departed. He didn't think it through before he went down another few steps to see for himself. Vanity was peering around the lounge when she came into his view. Before Regulus could sneak back up the stairs, she lifted her gaze and met his.

"Black." She lifted her eyebrow sternly.

Regulus did not respond, his heart racing as he peered down at her helplessly. He was horrified to be caught spying on the conversation and hoped he was not in trouble. He had appreciated Vanity as a prefect the few times he had come across her, and hated to think that she may be cross with him.

Regulus listened in on conversations he wasn't meant to have daily at Grimmauld Place, and it had been extremely rare to ever be caught. Usually, he didn't even need to spy. His parents would simply forget he was in the room before beginning an argument. He had gotten so used to being invisible, that he hadn't truly contemplated what might happen if he was caught.

"The shows over." She spoke firmly, but her tone was light. "Go back upstairs."

Regulus nodded meekly, relieved that she did not seem displeased with him. He turned and hurried back to his room.

****

December, 1972

In the week before Christmas break, Regulus overheard a conversation in the Slytherin common room about Sirius.

Regulus had spent the beginning of the afternoon in the library, studying with Barty, Rosier and Fawley. Their time at the library abruptly came to an end after a few Ravenclaw third-years approached their table.

"Oi, Crouch." A girl smirked. "That is you, right?"

Rosier stiffened up across from Regulus. On the opposite side, Barty lifted his head slowly. A cold sneer spread across his face.

"Who's asking?"

The boy beside her lifted an eyebrow. "What is it like to be the son of Bartemius Crouch Senior?"

Barty's voice was cheerful, but had an undertone of something sinister beneath it. "When you find the son of Bartemius Crouch Senior, do let me know!"

The Ravenclaw third years exchanged a confused look. The boy cast Barty a disgusted expression and crossed his arms.

"You lost the plot there, mate?" The Ravenclaw boy scoffed. "You are his son."

"Am I?" Barty tilted his head.

Rosier cleared his throat. "Are you finished nagging us now? We are trying to work."

The two older years bristled with annoyance, their eyes sending daggers at Rosier and Barty. Barty smirked in return. He had a glint in his eyes. There was a sense of danger to it. If the Ravenclaw were wise, they would have walked away then. Something had set Barty off.

"Good grief." The girl rolled her eyes, as she turned away from the table. "Didn't realize it was so hard to answer a simple question."

The Ravenclaw boy had a few parting words. "Later, Junior."

Barty moved fast. One moment he was seated on his chair, and the next moment the chair was sailing over the table and collapsing at the feet of the Ravenclaw students.

They were promptly kicked out of the library.

When they returned to the Slytherin common room, Regulus and Fawley opted to take a table on the outskirts of the pureblood area. The risk of sitting in the common room alone was less daunting than going upstairs with Barty and Rosier. Even if Barty had gleefully skipped back to the dungeons after his outburst, he seemed a bit more erratic than usual. And he was naturally erratic, to begin with.

Fawley snickered about the scene Barty made for a few minutes before she settled down into her work. They spent the next hour working through some homework. Regulus had recently received a letter from his mother reminding him what grades she expected. He had felt a lot of pressure to go the extra mile in his schoolwork since then. Winter Break was around the corner and he would soon be seeing his mother. And his brother.

He was not the only student in the common room thinking about Sirius at that moment.

Regulus ceased writing his notes at the sound of his brother's name being muttered by a student a few tables over. He tried to remain inconspicuous as he peered out of the corner of his eye to spot the speakers.

"Meanwhile the Black heir is running around doing this rubbish?" A Slytherin girl was rolling her eyes. "It is shameful."

"He spends all of his time with that blood traitor boy and the muggleborn girl." Silas Avery was seated across from her. "Whole lot of them are no-good muggle lovers, Greengrass."

Jeron Ollivander was among their group. He leaned forward and lifted his eyebrows. "I have heard he broke the wand of a Slytherin second year."

"Which one?" Greengrass asked, staring across.

"One of the halfbloods." Avery answered for him.

Greengrass snickered. "Why do they let him get away with prancing around like this? The Blacks have never looked so pathetic. Hardly much of a threat anymore, are they?"

When Regulus returned his eyes to his table, Fawley was watching him. Her face was still, her lips pressed together. Regulus dropped his gaze down to his hands. He didn't say anything.

Fawley did not let it go as easily.

She had stood up on the footrest of her seat, peering over at the third years with a grim frown. Her voice rang out clearly. "You better watch how you speak of the Blacks, Greengrass."

"Excuse me?" Greengrass snapped. Her eyes were flashing. "Mind your own business, little girl."

"Will not." Fawley crossed her arms. She was speaking at a weirdly amplified volume. "I can hear you badmouthing the Black Family over there."

He found out why Fawley was speaking so loudly a moment later. The third year's voices cut off abruptly when Bellatrix's head turned in their direction from the sofa. Regulus had not even realized she was there. She had been hidden behind the backrest before Fawley's words attracted her attention.

Bellatrix was on her feet. Her eyebrows had risen menacingly as she glared over at the third years.

"We were not." Avery protested quickly. "We were only talking about Sirius Black."

Bellatrix was moving across the room with slow, drawn-out strides. Her slow pace only put the third years more on edge. They all were frozen and pale-faced as their eyes remained on her. Bellatrix's face was twisted in cold anger as she slowly moved in on the third years.

"We weren't talking poorly about the entire family." Ollivander tried again. Their tones were growing more desperate.

Bellatrix paused before the table, looming down at them for a brief moment. She tilted her head with narrowed eyes. "You will rue the day you speak ill of my family."

"We aren't." Greengrass appeared less fearful than the others. She crossed her arms stubbornly. "We were talking about Sirius."

"What is your point?" Bellatrix's eyes were gleaming. "You speak poorly of anyone in my family again, and your mother won't even recognize your body when she comes to identify it."

Greengrass' fingers twitched. Her hand slowly moved in the direction of her wand but hesitated before reaching the pocket. She lifted her chin as she glared at Bellatrix. Bellatrix remained frozen in place, her head still tilted as she watched Greengrass through half-closed eyes.

No one in the common room was working anymore. All present were watching.

Lestrange and Shafiq were standing by the sofa Bellatrix had come from, watching with amused expressions. Several seventh years eyed the interaction with a twinge of interest from the table beside the fireplace. No prefect or Head Girl seemed to be present in the common space, and no one else seemed willing to interfere. Possibly out of respect or fear. Or maybe they simply did not care.

After the standstill went on for a few tense minutes, Greengrass made her move. With a sudden jerk, she lunged for her wand in her pocket.

Bellatrix was on her before her hand even emerged. She did not go for her own wand, she simply grabbed the third year by her shirt and physically flung her across the floor.

Greengrass was hurled to the floor. Her side hit the floorboards with a painful noise before she slid another few meters. She yelped in pain. She touched the side that took the impact of the fall, as her face winced in pain.

Bellatrix lazily cast a spell across the room. "Flipendo."

Greengrass was flung further from the tables once more. Before she could even lift herself, Bellatrix cast the same spell again.

Fawley's expression had gone blank. All smugness she had when Bellatrix first advanced had faded from her face. She winced when Bellatrix cast the spell a third time. Then a fourth. And a fifth.

Regulus moved his eyes away from Greengrass as Bellatrix continued. It was hard enough to hear her cries of pain. He didn't need to watch it.

Some in the audience looked amused. Felix Rowle was soaking the scene up like he had been waiting all year for a shred of entertainment. But others were growing restless when Bellatrix refused to back off.

A seventh-year nudged Amycus Carrow. "You better get Malfoy."

But Bellatrix stopped on her own. She smirked over at the seventh years as she put her wand away. She seemed to have heard them.

"No need to be so dramatic. I would not kill her the first time she annoyed me. Waste of perfectly good magical blood."

She peered at Greengrass as she said the next line. "I would kill her the second time she annoyed me."

Greengrass did not say anything. She rose to her feet weakly. She clenched her jaw as she tried to smooth off her uniform. She sniffed a few times but held back any signs of tears. Her limbs were tremoring, clearly in pain, but she remained still as she primly adjusted her appearance.

Bellatrix did not bother her again, only crossing her arms over her chest and sneering from a few meters back. She did not stop Greengrass from moving away.

Greengrass walked back to her table with her chin held high. She did not exit the common room or do anything about the cuts and bruises that were visible on her arms and knees. Instead, she returned to her table to continue schoolwork as if nothing had happened. The others at her table silently returned to their studies as well.

Fawley smirked over at him. Her voice was quiet. "There is nothing quite like Slytherin pride."

Once the rest of the audience slowly returned to their own groups, Bellatrix finally moved again. But she did not head toward the couches. Instead, she walked directly up to their table. Regulus and Fawley peered up at her warily. Her eyes were drilling into Regulus.

"Won't even defend your own blood, Regulus?" Her snarl was cutting. "Pathetic. At least Fawley has a spine."

She sauntered away with a cold sneer.

Chapter Text

December, 1972

Regulus had not spoken to Sirius since his disastrous attempt to wish his brother a happy birthday. Narcissa told him not to approach Sirius in public again, and the brothers did not run into each other for the rest of the semester. But there was no escaping seeing his brother once winter break was upon them.

Or, at least that was what he had thought.

Regulus started to pick up on something being wrong as they boarded the Hogwarts Express. There was a decent amount of students pushing and shoving their way onto the train, but it still was surprising that he never spotted his brother. He most certainly was keeping an eye out and he nearly walked through the entire row without catching a whiff of Sirius. Most concerningly, he had seen a few of the folk Sirius spent time around on the train, but his brother was nowhere in sight.

Regulus could not get Sirius off his mind on the train ride back. He sat in a booth with the pureblood first and second years, with his cousin by his side, but he was in no mood to socialize. He couldn't stop the concern from eating away at him.

His intuition was vindicated once they arrived at the station. Regulus searched around frantically as they exited onto the platform, but his findings did little to put his mind at ease. He could see James Potter and the muggleborn girl he often saw Sirius with. They were all in the same group with many other Gryffindor second-year students, but Sirius was not there.

Regulus did not know what to do. He paused for a beat, too worried to walk further out onto the platform. His mother would be sure to spot him once he emerged from the crowds, and she'd start wondering where Sirius was. He stared back at the Gryffindors, wondering if he should simply go ask.

It was intimidating enough to approach a group of older students from a different house. It made it far more difficult when James Potter was there. His name alone made Regulus' insides twist. As far as he was concerned, all of the issues he and his family had with Sirius over the past year and a half were intrinsically tied to that lad.

Regulus swallowed his pride, approaching the group with the sternest expression he could muster. Thankfully, he did not have to call attention to himself. Potter noticed him approaching before he was anywhere close, freezing with a flash of concern in his eyes. His face was a mixture of pity and guilt, which should have been enough of an answer, but Regulus could not resist asking anyway.

"Where is Sirius?"

Potter winced, nervously running a hand through his mop of messy hair. "He, uh, he stayed at Hogwarts."

Regulus clenched his jaw viciously to bite back his emotions at that response. He could not believe that his brother would leave him to face their parents alone, yet again.

His expression must have reflected some of his feelings, as Potter's face creased with pity. "I am sorry, mate."

Nothing could possibly make him feel worse than sympathy from Potter right about then. He jerked his chin up defensively, as he glared at the lad. "Spare me your pity."

He turned to storm off before he had time to see Potter's reaction to his snappy retort. His face was hot as he marched out of there. Who was Potter to be looking down at him?

Regulus found his mother waiting among the crowd. He approached her slowly, trying to brace himself for her reaction to Sirius' absence. Terror gripped his throat as he paused before her, clenching his overnight satchel nervously.

She arched one eyebrow up, peering around the station behind him. "Where is your brother, Regulus?"

"I do not know." Regulus replied, softly.

His mother's eyes narrowed lightly. He suspected his guilt was evident on his face by how tightly she pressed her lips together. Her words were sharp. "Did you catch a glimpse of him on the Hogwarts Express?"

He shook his head. "No, ma'am."

She straightened up with an air of haughtiness. She nodded sharply, motioning for him to stand beside her. Regulus obeyed without a word. They stood there for another few minutes, waiting for Sirius to appear. Regulus wondered if he ought to tell her everything he knew, but he did not want to risk her taking her anger out on the messenger.

Eventually, they were joined by several other members of the House of Black. Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Druella approached them, with Narcissa following behind them. His cousin shot him a small smile as her parents greeted his mother.

"Walburga." His uncle nodded, politely. "We hoped we would have the chance to say hello. Are you still waiting on Sirius?"

Regulus stared up at his mother cautiously. He could see her jaw clench for a brief moment. There was only one thing that angered her more than Sirius' acts of defiance against her - when others witnessed Sirius' acts of defiance against her. Even if they were among family, his mother resented admitting that she was not maintaining control over her son.

"It appears that he has not shown up." His mother informed them, with a steely tone.

Regulus turned away from her quickly, keeping his gaze outward as his aunt and uncle reacted. They lightly inhaled before they nodded knowingly. Narcissa met Regulus' eye for an instant, her gaze mirroring the dismay he was feeling.

His aunt sounded worried. "Has something happened?"

"It seems more likely that he is giving his folk the slip, dear." Uncle Cygnus replied with a small sneer in his tone. "I do hope you track him down, Walburga."

Regulus could see his mother sending over a scathing look in his uncle's direction, which finally seemed to allow him to take the hint. His aunt and uncle stepped back from the group, both seemingly sensing the tension in the air.

Uncle Cygnus nodded politely. "Well, we must be on our way. We have our own absent child to collect."

Aunt Druella smiled warmly. "We will see you at the New Year gathering, Walburga and Regulus."

Narcissa tapped his arm lightly before she followed her parent's swift exit. Regulus wished he could have said a proper goodbye to his cousin, but he knew he would see her at their New Year's gathering shortly. Still, he did not want to be left alone with his silently raging mother.

His mother watched as their relatives moved further away, calling Bellatrix over as they did. Bellatrix had failed to approach her parents after getting off the train, instead hanging back to speak with a few of her accomplices. Her parents had to beckon her over twice before she complied, reluctantly saying farewell to her companions and following her parents out of the station. Despite his mother being overwhelmed with fury over Sirius’ behaviour, she still spared a few moments to judge Bellatrix's conduct. She shook her head in disapproval at the scene before turning her attention back to her son.

"We will report back to Grimmauld Place." She informed him.

He nodded, mutely. He certainly would not be asking questions.

No one explained much over Regulus' first day home. His mother returned to her study after they arrived at their estate, and Regulus was left to unpack his satchel in his bedroom. He remained in his personal quarters until Kreacher beckoned him to the dining hall for supper.

"Take your seat." His mother told him firmly when he arrived.

Regulus did as he was told. His father was already seated at the helm of the table, but he was paying no mind to his son as he read a parchment enclosed in his grip with a stormy expression. Regulus suspected his mother had recently informed his father of his brother's behaviour that day.

Once Regulus was seated in his chair, his mother turned to him. "Have you received any word of the grades you are earning at your educational institution?"

"No, ma'am." Regulus answered. "Not yet."

"Very well." She accepted his response. "You understand the expectations for your results, and I expect you to deliver them accordingly by the end of the term."

"Yes, ma'am."

And that was all they discussed. After eating their supper in silence, his mother dismissed him for the evening.

Once he was upstairs, he could hear the hushed argument starting below before being abruptly silenced by a spell. Regulus released a deep sigh, knowing the break was off to a miserable start. He could hardly contemplate where his brother was, or why he would have chosen to enrage their parents in this way.

He did not discover what drove Sirius to remain at Hogwarts until the following afternoon. Regulus had spent the morning alone, feeling downright miserable and sorry for himself. He had written to Narcissa several times, already feeling the dreaded loneliness consuming him once more. Grimmauld Place was hauntingly silent all morning. No one offered him any explanation for what he was meant to be doing while he was there, or what his parents were planning on doing in regards to his brother. While it was a relief that they were not misdirecting their anger at him, being left to wait around without any explanation was not easy to endure either.

Regulus was in his bedroom after lunch when he heard Sirius arrive home. He heard his father's voice in the entrance foyer as well, his words laced with anger. Regulus walked up to his door but froze within, too scared to exit when his father sounded so infuriated. He remained motionless as he listened to both ascend the staircase without any further conversation. Regulus bit the inside of his bottom lip nervously as he held in place, trying to hear the footsteps over his racing heartbeat.

Once Sirius was in his bedroom, Regulus could hear everything as though his brother and father were in the same room as him. Their walls were very thin and were not soundproof by any means. It only took a moment before he figured out what was taking place in his brother's room, and he quickly covered his ears with his hands. He walked further from their shared wall and clenched his eyes closed, as if that would shield him from hearing the familiar noises next door.

It went on for longer than he was used to, and his brother sounded far more upset than he was comfortable with. Sirius was typically quite capable of hiding it when he was hurt, especially when he knew that their bedroom walls might as well have been a sheet of paper, so his cries of pain only made Regulus more concerned.

He was truly growing scared by the time his father finally relented. He did not offer a single word to Sirius before Regulus could hear their father departing, his heavy footfall descending down the staircase in a hurry.

It was unwise to go see his brother immediately, he knew that. But Regulus could not resist the urge to run over the second it was safe to do so. He had barely put any thought into it before he was slipping out of his bedroom without making a sound, and silently opening his brother's door.

Sirius had his face buried into his pillow as his body shook with weak sobs, and didn't notice Regulus when he first came in. It wasn't until Regulus climbed onto the bed beside him, and gently touched his arm, that Sirius realized he had company.

"How much of that did you hear?" Sirius muttered, as he peered over through the bits of hair covering his face.

"I was in my room." Regulus replied, softly. "I am sorry."

Regulus was not sure if he was sorry that Sirius had gone through that or sorry that he had overheard it, as he wasn't sure which one was worse in his brother's mind.

Sirius groaned at his response, letting himself fall back into the pillow. His words were muffled. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Regulus did not reply, instead getting comfortable on the bed. He knew that Sirius did not want Regulus to see him upset, so he averted his eyes and let his brother compose himself. They laid on the bed together for a few minutes without speaking.

After a beat, Regulus spoke up. "Is there anything I can get for you that would help?"

Sirius rolled over onto his back so both were facing the ceiling. "I'm fine, Regulus."

He could see Sirius swiftly rubbing off any remaining tears as he laid back. Regulus pretended he did not see the tear tracks or the red-rimmed eyes as he eyed his brother over. When Sirius caught his eye, he smiled weakly. The tension that had been growing between the brothers at Hogwarts felt distant as they laid across Sirius' bed at Grimmauld Place. Just the two of them protecting each other again, as it always had been.

"What happened?" Regulus asked. "Your friend said you were staying at Hogwarts."

"Which friend?"

Regulus wished he did not need to say it. "James Potter."

"You spoke to James?" Sirius looked over, surprised.

Regulus' voice had a bitter edge to it. "I asked where you were at the platform."

"It wasn't anything to do with you." Sirius told him, with his eyebrows furrowed together. "I just hate coming back here."

"I know." Regulus replied, his voice soft.

"Well, I stayed at Hogwarts without permission." Sirius admitted, smirking a bit as he recounted his questionable decisions. "Mum and Dad weren't too thrilled about that, obviously. And then I made matters worse by hiding in my tower when Dad came to get me."

Regulus shook his head in exasperation. "That was a terrible idea."

"Perhaps." Sirius sighed. "Didn't seem too bad at the time."

Regulus hesitated before he asked the question weighing heavy on his mind. He had known his father to be aggressive with his brother at times, but this occasion seemed extreme. He did not know how his father typically handled Sirius' misbehaviour behind closed doors in their household, but hoped that level of intensity wasn't the norm. He was hoping his brother would support that belief to put his mind at ease.

Regulus' voice was lower when he spoke once more. "He does not typically come down on you that harshly, right?"

"No, this was a pretty vile one." Sirius laughed. "Usually it is less... well, I suppose you know."

Regulus stared at his brother, baffled. Sirius seemed to assume that their experience with their father was the same, when that could not be further from the truth. Regulus could not understand why Sirius did not notice how his father treated him.

"No, Sirius." Regulus explained, willing his brother to understand. "I do not know. He has never done that to me."

Sirius paused, shifting onto his side to squint over at his brother. "Really? That's odd. I just assumed... but I guess that makes sense. You never get in much trouble."

"I do not think you understand." Regulus sighed. "Father has never disciplined me in any way. I do not even remember him ever telling me off. Only mum."

Sirius' face flashed with surprise as he contemplated the response. After a pause, he smirked and dropped his shoulders down. "Well, I guess that is good then. Unless you're real eager to get a taste of everything you're missing here."

Regulus did not respond. He stared up at the ceiling, his face set flatly. Sirius' response was predictable but made him feel no less crummy. He did not want his father to beat him, but it was aggravating that Sirius never acknowledged that he was ignored by their father. It only added to his isolation at Grimmauld Place when his experiences weren't shared with his brother.

His brother changed the topic. "How has Slytherin been treating you?"

"It is nice. I like being able to see Narcissa whenever I want to."

Sirius nodded. "Who is in the first year in your house?"

Regulus eyed him over, warily. "Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch. And there is Preston Fawley in the girls' tower."

Sirius made a face for a split-second before he hid his reaction. Regulus suspected he had a foul impression of Barty already, especially after their encounter in the library, but his brother kept his thoughts to himself.

"There are only two in your room?" Sirius clarified.

"No. There are also some halfbloods."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, do they have names? Why would you introduce them like that?"

Regulus shot over a sullen look. "What does it matter? I am not supposed to associate with them."

"For Merlin's sake." Sirius growled, whacking him on the arm. "You're not truly going to be like that, are you?"

Regulus frowned, pulling a bit farther away. "Do not hit me."

His brother bit down on his lip in response. Regulus could tell that Sirius felt guilty, which made him feel a bit silly for making a fuss over the smack, when it wasn't that rough anyway. He had only been caught off guard, not used to roughhousing with his brother in that sort of manner. Any degree of aggression that happened under the roof of Grimmauld Place had always been laced with malice and the intent to hurt someone.

"Sorry." Sirius sighed, resting back down against the bed. "Are your roommates nice?"

That was a loaded question. He certainly could not tell his brother anything about how Barty had behaved toward Regulus all term, as his brother was sure to overreact and make Regulus appear weak in Slytherin by speaking for him.

Regulus replied, carefully. "Rosier has been kind."

Sirius scoffed. "Not the other one?"

Regulus shrugged, dismissively.

Sirius snickered. "I am happy you are making friends, Reg. Even if you are still being an insufferable twat about who you talk to."

Regulus cast over the most petulant expression he could muster. "I am only trying to do what is right for my family. Perhaps you should try to do the same."

His brother rolled his eyes back, turning his chin to face the opposite direction. Neither spoke up again. They remained there on Sirius' bed, laying side-by-side until Kreacher came to beckon them down to dinner.

Sirius was on edge as they walked down the stairs, but he kept a brave face on as they neared the dining hall. Regulus tried to follow suit, not wanting his brother to know how scared he was for him. He could not cower away from his parents in fear where his brother could see.

Their mother and father were already in the dining hall when the brothers came through the entrance. Sirius hesitated at the door ahead of him, and Regulus paused behind him.

Their father was seated at the head of the table drinking dark liquor, and toying with the glass as he set it down. He did not raise his eyes when his sons walked in. Their mother, who was standing on the right side of the table, turned to face them when she heard their footsteps. Her eyes inspected them as she held her arms out slightly behind her back.

"Regulus," Her voice rang out, commanding. "Approach me."

Regulus instantly obeyed, walking across to his mother's side.

His mother gripped his shoulders as he neared and forcibly turned him to face Sirius across the room. She held Regulus before her momentarily, her grasp encircling his arms.

"Your brother has behaved shamefully." His mother spoke coldly, behind his ear. "Would you not say so, Regulus?"

Regulus blinked a few times, keeping his eyes on Sirius before replying. "Yes, ma'am."

"State it." Her grip on his arms tightened.

"Sirius has behaved shamefully." Regulus repeated, his voice shallow.

Sirius did not seem to take much offence to his words, only glaring at their mother as Regulus repeated her phrase. Regulus remained frozen in place as his mother and brother stared each other down for a few minutes longer.

Finally, she released Regulus from her hold. "Take your seat."

Both boys travelled to their seats mutely, the silence of the room only broken by the creaking of chairs over the floorboards.

****

January, 1973

Two days before their return to Hogwarts, Regulus and Sirius were informed over breakfast that their parents would be hosting their annual New Year's gathering that evening.

Despite the rocky start to their Winter Break, the week had not gone as badly as Regulus feared it would be when they first arrived home. For one, their parents were preoccupied with constant meetings and ministry affairs. Regulus rarely even so much as caught a glimpse of either beyond dinners with the family. It was some relief that both joint breakfast and lunch had been sacrificed to their work, resulting in the brothers typically only seeing the pair once a day.

Most days, their parents seemed far too cross with each other to find the energy to give them a hard time. Loud disputes frequently started behind office doors, only to be quickly silenced by a spell moments after they began. The bizarre seconds of erupting shouts became the norm around the estate over the break, with Regulus and Sirius not even flinching whenever they started up. While the arguments likely did not bode well for the family in the long run, it was some relief that their sons were not the sole target of their temper any longer.

With their parents busy with their work, Regulus had spent most of the break with Sirius. Both were rather restless being boarded up at Grimmauld Place yet again, but the events of his brother's arrival seemed to smooth over the tension between the two. The boys kept out of their parent's sight and passed time together throughout the week, discussing idle topics or playing the wizard games that Regulus kept under his bed. Neither brought up their animosity at Hogwarts in their chats, and they did not discuss their friends again, knowing it would only lead them back to a heated argument. It was much easier to get along with Sirius when they were away from others, but Regulus knew things might get more challenging once he was back in Slytherin.

On the day of the New Year's gathering, they had a few hours to spare between being informed of the event and the time the gathering would start. The brothers ended up passing the time at a nearby park. Sirius had planted himself in their typical spot atop the hill, observing muggles boating on the lake from afar, while Regulus was collecting various leaves he spotted that weren't plastered with mud or snow.

Sirius did not disturb him for a while as he worked, picking up handfuls of leaves to inspect meticulously. He would tuck a few that he was fond of into his pocket before releasing the rest.

After a beat, his brother spoke up. "What do you do with the leaves?"

Regulus kept his eyes on the ground beneath his feet as he replied. "If I like them, I press them between heavy tomes until they dry out."

Sirius leaned back, placing both hands behind his head as he smiled. "What do you do with them once they're dried out?"

"Just collect them, I suppose. I have a box full in my closet."

His brother snickered. "Are you a squirrel or something? Building a nest soon?"

Regulus continued his hunt, undeterred by the teasing. "Having a hobby is a good pastime. Better than blowing up toilets or using transfiguration to alter the colour of uniforms."

"Oi! I do a lot more than that." Sirius protested. "We just cannot publicly accept credit for much."

That did not impress Regulus in the least. He thought all of his brother's hobbies around Hogwarts were rather embarrassing and childish.

"Right." Regulus replied, shortly.

"You're an annoying git." Sirius tossed a handful of muddied snow in his direction. "Maybe you should try to do something fun every now and then. Don't want to spend your entire existence being all boring and miserable, do you?"

Regulus stared at his brother, unimpressed. "I am neither boring nor miserable."

His brother's voice had a taunting undertone. "Your choice of hobby disagrees with that statement."

Regulus wasn't sure if he found that offensive or amusing. He sighed, with an annoyed smirk. "Be quiet, Sirius."

Their peaceful time on the hill was soon cut short as time drew closer to their gathering. The boys headed back to Grimmauld Place to ready themselves for the event in their top-floor restroom. They both dressed up in their excessively scruffy formal wear, throwing jabs at each other’s outfits as they did, despite the two being nearly identical.

When Regulus walked into the bathroom, Sirius snorted loudly. "You look like a right posh arse with that collar."

"Well, you resemble Bellatrix when you tie your hair back as so." Regulus shot back, grinning as he turned to the mirror.

Sirius flicked water across the countertop at him. "Your robe is so long that Kreacher may mistake you for mother."

Regulus giggled, rubbing the drop marks frantically from his sleeve. "Did you borrow your shoulder pads from the muggle Queen of England?"

A loud pop noise rang through the bathroom, with their house elf appearing in the hall. "The Mistress beckons Young Master Regulus and Young Master Sirius to greet the house guests."

Regulus felt the cheerful mood in the room disintegrate away. All of his laughter faded in an instant as he regrouped himself into a sombre demeanour. Regulus peered back at his reflection in the mirror before giving his sleeves a final pull down from the wrists, to smooth out any wrinkles. "We should go."

Sirius groaned and gave his sleeves a shove up to collect in folds over his elbows before he followed unwillingly.

Many relatives and family friends had already arrived as the boys meekly slipped into their entrance hall. They politely greeted anyone who paused to talk to them. Many pureblooded families outside their own were invited, and plenty of students that Regulus recognized from Hogwarts made an appearance. None of the other pureblood students from his year were in attendance, even though he believed he had seen Preston Fawley at their gatherings in the past. He supposed it was for the best that none of his tower mates were present, as he was not sure how Sirius may react to any of his peers showing up. His brother still seemed very stingy whenever the topic of the Slytherin students came up, and Regulus wanted to salvage them getting along again as long as he could.

Once the formal welcomes were exhausted and visitors had time to engage in small talk amongst themselves, dinner was brought out into the hall. Regulus took his seat beside his brother and listened to their mother give her usual speech. This time, his brother managed to sit through the entire toast, and was still in his seat by the time the meal was served.

Eventually, the dinner was complete and the hall started clearing out. The adults collected elsewhere for huddled discussions behind muffling spells, leaving the youth to their means. Left alone without adult supervision, Regulus peered around the hall for any familiar faces.

Regulus became aware that many of the youth around them were not sending very pleasant gazes their way, namely, in Sirius' direction. Some faces he recognized from Slytherin, but even a few students he knew from Ravenclaw were casting over expressions thick with displeasure. Rix Yaxley, Ajax Avery, Wulfric Mulciber and Icarus Nott were seated together at a neighbouring table, giving Sirius very obvious side-eyed looks.

There were several other familiar faces further down their table, with groups of the pureblooded youth from older years collected together to chat. Across the hall, at a separate table, Regulus recognized some of the teenagers gathered together, as many were from Slytherin. He could see Bellatrix standing with Malfoy, both Lestrange brothers, Crystal Shafiq, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, and Vanda Parkinson. Any of the students from the sixth and seventh year that he spotted were amongst the adult ranks, as most were already seventeen and older.

Regulus was not sure what he should be doing, not seeing anyone in the hall that he was willing to approach. He peered over at his brother, hoping to follow Sirius' lead in social situations as usual, but his brother was slumping over with a cranky expression on his face. He did not seem like he would be any help on this occasion.

Narcissa came to his rescue. She paused before her two cousins, with her arms tucked behind her back in a rigidly straight posture. "Come on. Let's go outside while they talk."

That was the best suggestion he had heard all day. Regulus rose to his feet without hesitation, eager to leave the packed dining hall. His cousin peered back at his brother expectantly, her eyebrows raising sternly. His brother relented, shrugging in agreement before he followed after the other two. Sirius did not seem all that enthusiastic, but Regulus was sure he was less interested in mingling with their pureblood peers than he would be trailing Regulus and Narcissa.

They paused in the mudroom near their back exit to pull on their winter boots. Narcissa was careful to tuck the ends of her long skirt into her boots before they exited, as they all knew the field behind their manor was typically very muddied over the winter months. While Narcissa always presented herself with perfect decorum and a prim image before adults, Regulus knew she was an avidly athletic and outdoor person. His cousin never shied away from getting sweaty and dirty with the rest of them on outings. She was always participating in foolishness with her cousins and was a competitive quidditch player. And yet, she was never criticized for being unladylike the way her older sister was, as Narcissa was very gifted at balancing the two extremes.

The group trodded out into the mud-filled snow banks behind Grimmauld Place, heading toward their yard. While they were located in the thick of muggle London, their ancestors had dedicated a significant section of their property to creating a grassy area which was charmed against muggle interference. It was close enough to their house to be visible from his bedroom window, yet invisible to any non-magical eye. Regulus and Sirius had spent many days out there on their broomsticks growing up, safe from any muggle detection behind invisible shields.

Narcissa and Regulus walked directly toward the shed where Regulus' three broomsticks were situated. Sirius took a seat at a nearby bench instead, bordering the edge of their area.

Narcissa looked back at him with a confused expression for a second, before her face showed a flash of comprehension. "You still cannot use the broomsticks?"

Regulus and Sirius exchanged a quick look.

"No." Sirius shrugged. "I wouldn't expect that to ever change."

Narcissa turned back to Regulus, raising an eyebrow. "He could not borrow one of yours?"

Regulus shook his head. "I have been forbidden from sharing."

Narcissa nodded knowingly, without pushing for any other information. "Go on then, I will stay with Sirius for a bit."

Regulus was surprised. "You do not want to fly?"

Narcissa clasped her hands together before her chest, smiling at him softly. "I will come join you in a few minutes."

Regulus did not know what his cousin would want to discuss with his brother. His eyes wandered over to Sirius for an instant before he shrugged weakly. He supposed there was no use wondering about it. He trusted that his cousin would not badmouth him behind his back.

He turned away to go retrieve his broomstick and left them alone to chat.

****

Their mother had done the honours of dropping off Regulus and Sirius at platform 9 and 3/4 on the morning the Hogwarts Express was scheduled to run. They walked through the station with their mother, as she inhaled sharply in disgust whenever a muggle got within a five-meter radius of her. All three reached platform 9 and 3/4 at a punctual time.

Regulus and his brother had turned back to their mother, eyes wide in anticipation of what her farewell may consist of. His mother was preoccupied with peering around the platform for a minute before she met their eyes.

Sirius had placed down his bag, which quickly attracted her attention. Her words were sharp. "Collect your belongings."

Sirius frowned, but he complied with her orders and lifted the bag back over his arm.

His mother held him in a sharp gaze for an instant longer before she turned to Regulus. "You will write home regularly."

Regulus held still, clasping his baggage close to his chest. "Yes, ma'am."

"Best behaviour." She held Regulus' chin in her hand, giving him a small smile. "You will make us proud."

"Yes, ma'am." Regulus repeated again, holding her gaze steadily.

She released his chin and turned back to Sirius with a severe expression. She hissed out angry words at him. "And you. I will not suffer any further blows to our noble and ancient family name. There will be no more tolerance for any of your defiant, disorderly behaviour. You will correct your misdeeds immediately and act in accordance with your parent's will."

Sirius nodded his head up and down rapidly, in a rather disrespectful manner.

She sighed with irritation, her eyes blazing. "Toujours Pur, Sirius. Take pride in your family at long last."

He could hear his brother sucking in on his teeth, biting down on his lips impatiently. His mother shook her head with disapproval before she turned back toward the entrance.

They watched her stroll away slowly and primly, not peering back at either of her sons. Once she was out of their view, Sirius turned to Regulus.

"You will make us proud!" Sirius repeated in a taunting tone.

Regulus gave a small huff and lifted his satchel. The two navigated their way over to the train alongside several fellow students, scanning the area for familiar faces.

Regulus swayed gently from his heels to his toes as he peered around. He felt a surge of anxiety as they neared the express, feeling ill-prepared to return to the stressful encounters of everyday life at Hogwarts. At least life at Grimmauld Place was simple and predictable, and he had his brother to hide behind. Soon, he would be alone at Slytherin once more.

He was drawn back by Sirius gently clapping his shoulders reassuringly. His brother was smiling over at him fondly. "You're going to be fine, Reg."

Regulus was surprised by his brother's comfort. He nodded after a moment of hesitation. He appreciated that Sirius had noticed his state of mind, even if he felt a bit foolish for being so nervous to return to his peers at Hogwarts.

His brother went on. "I know we aren't in the same tower, but we will still see each other around. And you know where to find me if you need anything."

Regulus smiled softly, feeling a rush of warmth at his brother's offering. "Thank you, Sirius."

His brother shrugged, looking pleased with himself. "Course."

A surge of hope radiated through him. Regulus came to a resolve. He would build a formidable reputation in Slytherin, but he did not need to cast his brother aside to do that. Narcissa and Bellatrix did not let anyone speak ill of his brother and still demanded respect in Slytherin. And so could he. He was not willing to lose his relationship with his brother to rise through the ranks, and he realized that was not even necessary. Loyalty to his family should not open him to ridicule when that was a value most members of Slytherin shared. Plenty of Slytherin students had family members in different houses. They would have to accept that he would not quit speaking with his brother.

Regulus turned to his brother, earnestly. "Do you want to...."

His words faltered away halfway through his sentence as he craned his neck to peer over Sirius' shoulder. His attention was drawn over to the sight of James Potter rapidly approaching.

Sirius noticed where his eyes were staring, and turned, right as Potter reached him. Regulus watched as Potter grabbed his brother's arm aggressively, yanking him a few meters away from where Regulus was standing. Potter halted with his hands on Sirius' arms, his eyes flashing as he inspected his brother's face.

Their words were still clear, despite the few meters of distance between him and the pair. Potter's tone was frantic. "What in the world happened? I have been trying to contact you all break!"

Sirius laughed weakly. "Hullo, Potter."

"Black, what happened? I had to write to ask Lupin because I didn't hear from you for days, and he said you got dragged out of Hogwarts."

Regulus crossed his arms bitterly as he listened to the conversation. All of his newfound courage to rekindle his relationship with Sirius was bleeding out of him. He started to remember why their relationship became fractured after Sirius went to Hogwarts in the first place. It had been the people Sirius associated with that started creating issues.

His brother chuckled. "I forgot to bring the two-way mirror. I'm sorry, it all happened so fast."

Regulus' chin shot up as he stared at his brother's back. He hadn't been aware that Sirius had a two-way mirror. He had heard of such a communication device before but knew it was very advanced magic. He realized that meant that Sirius had been communicating with his friends even while they were at Grimmauld Place. For some reason, that truly irked him. Grimmauld Place was the only place where he had Sirius to himself, free from any outside influence. And he didn't want to be the only one alone there. He still wanted his brother to be in the thick of it with him.

Potter made an exasperated gesture. "You need to keep it on you, this is when it would have been most useful!"

"I assure you, I have learned the hard way how very much it blows to not have it with me." Sirius smirked. "It's okay, mate."

Potter frowned, but he seemed to relax a bit as he took a deep breath. "Maybe this time. But I wouldn't even have known if things weren't fine."

Sirius held his arms up in surrender. "I will bring it next time, I promise."

"You better." Potter held an annoyed look for a second, before breaking into a broad smile and tossing his arms around Sirius' shoulders. "I'm so bloody glad to see you, you have no idea."

Regulus groaned inwardly at the sight of Potter's arms around his brother. It did not help him when Sirius vigorously returned the embrace, with a grin resting on his lips.

He watched as Potter pulled back, still scanning his brother over with his eyes. "Are you okay? Did they say anything about leaving Hogwarts?"

"I will tell you everything, okay?" Sirius reassured him. "But can we get on the train first? Everyone will be here shortly."

Regulus' mouth dropped open slowly. A wave of anger rushed through his veins at his brother's words. The first thing they had been taught as children was to have the utmost respect for their family's privacy. He knew Sirius took a lot of pride in rebelling against their parents, but this seemed low, even for him.

Potter’s stress levels seemed lower as his tone became more playful. "Alright, Black. Get your rear on board, then we will commence with your interrogation."

"Sounds like good fun." Sirius sighed, mussing up the lad's hair.

His brother turned back to reclaim his bag which he had dropped halfway through Potter yanking him over. His eyes met Regulus', looking as though he had forgotten that his brother was still standing there.

Sirius took a few steps in his direction and shot him a smile. "Sorry, I was rudely dragged off by this tosser over here."

"Hullo, Regulus." Potter chuckled. "Apologies for my intrusion."

Regulus scowled at the boy addressing him, wanting nothing less than to speak to the Potter fellow again. He was in disbelief at his brother's choices, and that his brother was being so casual about choosing his blood traitor friends over his family.

Sirius went on. "We are going to head onto the train. You're probably wanting to meet up with your mates, yeah?"

Regulus could scream. He was filled with resentment as he whirled away from his brother. He gripped his satchel’s handle and walked away briskly, knowing that if he stood there for another second, he might throw something at his brother.

"Bye, Reg." His brother called after him.

Regulus felt fooled.

But it was a happy idea, for the few minutes it lasted. For that brief moment, he was standing beside his brother at the station believing he could do it. He could stand up for his family, just as Narcissa and Bellatrix did. He could keep ties with Sirius while still demanding respect in Slytherin. He could keep a good relationship with his brother even if he didn't always agree with the decisions his brother made.

Sirius immediately dashed all of those beliefs. The absence of his hopes left nothing but emptiness. It stung. All Sirius cared about was his friends. He did not care how his actions hurt his family. How they hurt Regulus.

So Regulus wrote a letter to his mother. He wrote what his brother said, sealed the envelope, and mailed it off before his anger could simmer out. He knew he would not have the guts to do it once he wasn't angry anymore. But at that moment, he wanted his brother to pay.

Sirius should pay. How could he choose his blood-traitor friends over the family? How could he choose them over his brother? Regulus told himself his actions were justified.

He woke up the next morning filled with a sense of overwhelming regret for what he had done.

Chapter Text

February, 1973

One week mid-way through the semester, Barty stopped spending time with the older years.

For months, he had been slipping off to sit with the fifth and sixth years in the common room every night. At first, he was just stopping by every day for a quick consultation. But his brief visits quickly developed into the older students inviting him to sit with them for half the evening.

Regulus wasn't sure why the older years ever entertained Barty in the first place. He was very disrespectful to everyone and always had some nasty comment on the tip of his tongue. And yet, the Slytherin pureblood teens seemed entertained by his presence. When Regulus would pass by conversations between Barty and the teenagers, the older students were amused and interested in what the first year had to say.

And then one week, it abruptly stopped.

Barty had come back one evening in a bit of a mood. He had stomped past them in the lounge and stormed upstairs without any comments. Which was odd. Barty never let them off without something unnerving to say. Rosier had sensed the same and silently followed Barty upstairs.

Regulus hadn't put much thought into it. He trusted Rosier could handle it, and hardly thought he was equipped to comfort Barty. He didn't even want to comfort Barty. But six days passed, and Barty had not returned to his evening chats with the older years.

When Regulus and his group walked through the common room that afternoon, several of the older purebloods were peering over in their direction. Vanda Parkinson said something to Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix, and both quickly glanced in Barty's direction. They were seated with the others Barty typically spent time around. Such as the two Lestrange brothers, Crystal Shafiq, the Carrow twins and Hector Fawley, who was Preston Fawley's older brother.

Barty ignored them. He did not glance their way and spoke to Rosier in an overly enthusiastic tone as they walked through the common room. Fawley and Regulus caught each other's eye, sensing the tension between Barty and the older years.

Once they were upstairs, Barty's bravado seemed to simmer out and he disappeared into the boys' bedroom instead of staying in the lounge with the others. Regulus worked on his herbology assignment with Rosier at their table in the lounge. Fawley sat across from them, reading her notes from transfiguration with a frustrated expression. Her left cheek scrunched up beneath her eye as she concentrated on the parchment before her. A few halfblood girls in their year passed by the group without exchanging a word with the three.

Regulus heard the soft noise of footsteps pausing at the entranceway a few minutes later, and lifted his chin to find himself staring up at the menacing eyes of Lucius Malfoy. Rosier had caught a whiff of the older year as well, and both stared wide-eyed. Fawley remained blissfully unaware of their visitor, still working away at her notes.

Malfoy eyed Regulus and Rosier with an icy gaze for a few moments that felt endless. Then he calmly asked a question in the lounge. "Where is he?"

He did not need to clarify who he was referring to.

"Barty is upstairs." Rosier answered.

Malfoy's face remained tight. "Get him."

Rosier pushed away from the table and walked toward the boys' bedroom in rapid strides. Fawley was no longer oblivious to what was taking place, perching an elbow over the back of her chair to gawk at the sixth year over her shoulder.

The seconds before Malfoy asked his initial questions had felt long. The seconds after Rosier disappeared upstairs felt eternal. Regulus did not know what to do other than to stare at Malfoy as they waited. The older boy did nothing to ease the tension, remaining still at the entrance as he gazed back at them.

After a few painful minutes, Barty could be heard arguing above. His words were loud enough that Regulus knew he must have intended for Malfoy to hear them.

"I am not going to run at his beck and call." Barty retorted boldly above. "He can piss right off."

Rosier sounds stressed. "Barty!"

Regulus shuffled nervously, but Fawley turned her back to Malfoy to hide it when she cracked up. She was shaking with stifled giggles, and her turning did little to hide how obvious it was that she was laughing. Malfoy's eyes only rested on her for a moment before focusing in on the boys' doorway. He did not react to her laughter. That was oddly generous for him. Regulus guessed his mercy had something to do with Malfoy's friendship with her older brother.

Malfoy moved forward in intimidating strides, walking up the stairs toward the boys' bedroom. Regulus turned in his seat to watch his ascent. He kept his eyes trained on the entrance long after Malfoy vanished from sight.

Shortly afterward, Rosier returned to the lounge with a troubled expression. He muttered to them as he returned to the table. "Malfoy sent me down."

"Do you think Malfoy would hurt him?" Regulus whispered.

It was rather silly for Regulus to worry about Barty's wellbeing when Barty had done little but torment him all year. But Malfoy was a daunting presence. And recent events made him think Barty was not as invincible as he once thought.

Rosier's tone was solemn. "We must respect Malfoy's authority."

Regulus knew he was right. They could not interfere against older students' orders. Especially not when it was the sixth-year prefect, who was the second authority in Slytherin behind Genevieve Yaxley. If growing up in a house with his mother had taught him anything, it was the importance of respecting those superior to him and not questioning their authority. He had endured years of holding his tongue and averting his eyes whenever his parents had come down on his brother. This was not all that different.

"I cannot believe Barty is actually upset." Fawley voiced Regulus' thoughts. "Do you know what happened leading up to this?"

Rosier hesitated. "Sort of. Barty told me that one of the sixth years used a curse on him last week. At Malfoy's orders, I presume."

"What sort of curse?" Fawley asked, her eyes wide.

"Nothing absurd." Rosier reassured them quickly. "I think Yaxley did a similar one on the first day. The practice seems common around here. But I should not say it, as it is considered a dark curse that goes against school policies. Don't repeat this to anyone, yeah?"

Fawley nodded.

Regulus gazed back at the staircase. There was still no sign of Malfoy or Barty. The room above had gone very quiet, where a muffling charm was clearly at work.

"Why did they curse him?" Regulus asked softly.

"I suppose Barty was mouthing off at them or ignoring their orders. As he does."

"And Barty was offended?" Fawley had her eyebrows held up.

"No duh." Rosier rolled his eyes. "He has been pouting all week."

The other two reflected upon his words.

"I had thought Barty was near invincible." Regulus commented. "Nothing seemed to get to him before."

"Right." Rosier agreed. "He looks up to the older students, I suppose. They seem to be a weak spot for him."

Regulus didn't reply. He was busy contemplating.

Malfoy had not seemed angry when he came up. His cold attitude was typical of his usual demeanour, and he had not lashed out when Fawley laughed at Barty brazenly defying him. He remained collected, so he probably was not in a foul mood. Really, there seemed to be no reason for Malfoy to be following Barty into the tower out of anger, if Barty had only been bitterly avoiding the older years that week. Regulus suspected Malfoy had no intention of hurting Barty when he first entered. What his intentions actually were was harder to deduce.

The three returned to their homework as they waited for Barty to return. A few minutes later, Narcissa came up and invited them to join her in the common room, but they said they were waiting for Barty. After she left, he wished he asked her to stay just in case things went sour with Malfoy. Narcissa knew the older years much better than they did and had some sort of friendship with Malfoy when he was a frequent visitor to her home.

However, her expertise did not end up being needed. Malfoy came down after ten minutes or so and exited toward the common room without any parting words. Before Rosier could go upstairs to check on Barty, he had come to join them instead.

Barty approached the table with a lazy smirk in Rosier's direction. "Let's blow off homework and find something more fear-inducing to do."

"You alright?" Rosier asked him, lifting his eyebrows.

Barty did look chipper, and this time his cheerful attitude did not look forced. He seemed much happier after the conversation than he had been before it.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Barty scoffed. "Move it, Rosier. Time to break out of your shell and explore the world."

"Is detention what you consider the world?" Rosier teased, but he closed his books. "Alright prat, what are you up to today?"

The two disappeared on them, leaving Fawley and Regulus behind in the lounge alone. The pair moved to the common room to join Narcissa. They did not discuss what took place with Malfoy and Barty.

The next evening, Barty was back in his rightful place among the older students in the common room.

****

March, 1973

Regulus paused at the foot of his bed. Or at least, what once was his bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Black has gone blind apparently." Barty sneered without turning to face him. "What does it look like, wise guy?"

It looked like he was not going to be able to sleep anytime soon. His blankets and pillows were gone. All of his bedding had been sloppily thrown onto the floor, then kicked under the bed. On top of the bed, Barty had piled up items which had been transfigured into various gaming pieces. Barty was standing at the end of the bed, very concentrated on transforming another item in his grasp. Rosier was on the other side, fiddling with a few pieces where Regulus' pillows once were.

"Why are you doing this on my bed?" Regulus huffed. "Could you not have done this on one of yours?"

"Nope." Barty's voice was cheerful.

"We are using it as the game table for now." Rosier explained.

"This is the game table for the night." Barty corrected him. "Suck it up, Black. The bed is occupied tonight."

His face was growing hot. "You cannot kick me off of my bed."

"Can I not?" Barty tilted his head. "I just did."

Regulus moved toward the bed, but Barty shoved him away roughly with a snicker. Regulus stumbled backward a few steps. He grabbed the dresser to regain his balance.

"I need my bed! Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"I need my bed." Barty mocked in a whiny tone. "Need my bed, need my bed, need my bed."

"Barty!" Regulus could hear his voice growing shrill. "Get your junk off my bed."

He attempted to step forward again. But Barty whirled quickly, prepared to fight him off. Regulus backed up once more.

He blinked a few times. His eyes were stinging in his frustration. "You cannot be serious."

"Oh, boy." Barty's tone was cruel. "Here comes the waterworks."

"I am not crying." Regulus' voice was louder than he expected it to be. "I am angry because you are being a prick! As usual."

"Poor baby." Barty taunted as he turned back to his project. "Boo fucking hoo."

Tears of frustration were threatening to emerge. Regulus knew Barty would never let it go if he truly broke down before him. He was nearly too upset to care at that moment, but the thought of admitting he cried over a bed to Narcissa kept him from giving in to the taunting.

Regulus whirled toward the door to storm off.

"Black, don't go." Rosier called after him. "It is only needed for a while longer. You will get it back afterwards."

"No, he won't!" Barty chuckled in a sing-song voice. "This is the game table all night long."

Regulus held back the frustrated tears from revealing themselves as long as he could. He swiftly made his way up the second-year tower. There was no one in the lounge when he entered. A halfblood girl walked by as he waited, and he meekly requested she call Narcissa down.

His resolve to hold it together collapsed once he was alone in the lounge with Narcissa. She magically sealed the door and set a muffling charm when she saw his expression, then quickly pulled him into a hug. He accepted the comfort and allowed himself to cry in the safety of her arms.

"What is wrong?" She inspected him at arm’s length after a bit. "Are you hurt?"

"No." Regulus muttered. He rubbed at his eyes furiously. "I have nowhere to sleep. Barty took my bed and will not give it back."

"He won't let you use your bed?"

"He is using it for some daft game for the night." Regulus explained. "I am so tired of trying to deal with him. If I react in any way he only becomes nastier. No matter what I do, he always picks on me. I want to go home. Everything has only gotten worse since I got here. Barty is exhausting and now Sirius hates me."

"Regulus." Narcissa exhaled heavily. She stroked his hair tenderly. "You don't mean that, you're just upset. Come on, you can stay with me tonight. It will be fun to have a sleepover. Don't let Barty get under your skin - you can handle him."

"How?" Regulus shrugged. He wiped away his tears with his fist. "I do not know what to do to get him to back off."

"You need to stand up for yourself against Barty." Narcissa told him sternly. "If I were to interfere, it would only undermine you in his eyes. You need to speak for yourself and force him to respect you. It has to come from you, Regulus."

"I know." He felt deflated. "I just do not know how to do that."

Narcissa nodded weakly. "Let's create some place to sleep here for the night. We can worry about this tomorrow."

"Narcissa, I cannot do this for seven years. I cannot even get through one. He is going to be in my room for six more years."

His cousin pressed her lips together. "Well, maybe you could speak with Vanity. She may still be in the common room."

"It seemed rather busy when I passed through." Regulus agreed.

"We will look for Vanity." Narcissa decided. "You need to collect yourself before we go. And you will need to speak to her alone."

"Okay." Regulus agreed, taking a few slow breaths. "I understand."

Once Narcissa was satisfied he had collected himself enough to go downstairs, the two walked down to the common room. He would have preferred to let Narcissa call Vanity over, but Narcissa thought it'd make him look bad if she needed to speak for him. There were so many unspoken rules for maintaining a formidable reputation in Slytherin he barely understood. But he trusted Narcissa's judgment, so he went down with her.

"No fear." She reminded him softly, nudging him ahead of her to lead the way into the common room.

They found Vanity seated at one of the tables in the Pureblood domain. She was working on schoolwork with three other fifth-year students. Vanda Parkinson was seated at her side, while Rodolphus Lestrange and Perseus Selwyn were across from the two. All four peered over at him when he approached the table.

Regulus tried to keep his face clear of any emotions as he faced the fifth years. He met each student's eyes briefly before resting his gaze on the prefect. "Vanity, could I speak with you?"

Vanity lifted her chin and responded with a brisk nod. She placed her quill down and stepped off of her seat. The other three shot a few curious looks in his direction before returning to their conversations.

Vanity walked past him and headed toward one of the corners of the common room. Narcissa hung back as Regulus followed.

When Vanity paused beside a wall, she cast a muffling charm without asking for any clarification on the topic of their conversation. Her full attention was then on Regulus. She remained still and waited for him to speak first.

His voice nearly failed him for a moment. He did not want Vanity to see him as weak or as a tattletale, so he did not want to directly say he could not handle Barty. But he knew prefects were supposed to help the first years adjust.

"I am having a few issues with a roommate." He started softly.

"I see." Vanity's expression remained flat. "Barty, I presume."

Regulus bit down on his lip. He supposed it was pretty obvious. "I am not trying to tattle..."

"Then what are you doing right now, Black?" Vanity asked pointedly. Her tone wasn't unkind but her point was clear.

Regulus felt ashamed. "I was hoping for advice."

Vanity stared at him. "Bringing someone into a situation with a roommate would do little to help you in the long run. You need to fight your own battles up there. There is nothing wrong with being a bit sensitive, but that quality will have you chewed up and spit back out in Slytherin. You need to develop thicker skin."

Regulus did not drop her gaze despite the flush of embarrassment creeping up his cheeks at her words. He nodded somberly.

"We all have dealt with adjusting to difficult roommates." Vanity's tone was kinder. "I had a similar issue in my early years."

Regulus didn't ask, but he was willing to bet every galleon to his name that she was referring to Bellatrix. He would rather be a squib than spend seven years in a room with Bellatrix. Or even a week, for that matter.

"I know it is easier said than done. But I cannot sit in the bedroom with you for the next seven years. You need to be able to stand up for yourself eventually."

"Okay." Regulus muttered his agreement, feeling drained. Narcissa had said the same upstairs. He knew they were right, but it did not make him feel any better.

"Would you like for me to have a word with Barty?" Vanity asked after a pause.

He knew there was only one correct answer.

"No, thank you."

She did not respond, but the nod of her chin seemed to indicate that he made the correct choice. He had the sense that Vanity was sizing him up. He wanted her to approve of what she found.

"As you may be aware, I am also the captain of our house quidditch team." Vanity abruptly changed the topic. "Narcissa Black has told me you are a competent seeker."

Regulus smiled nervously. "I am alright."

"You should try out in September." She encouraged. "Lestrange has held the position for years, but he is inconsistent. His streak of suspensions from the team would guarantee you opportunities to play, even if you are back up for now. Then you'd have good standings with the team once he graduates."

Narcissa had told him Flinn had placed a lot of pressure on Vanity to rid her team of any with blood purity views when he appointed her captain. Or at least, any who acted upon their views. Her interest in replacing Lestrange may have something to do with that. But Regulus did not mind if that was the reason for her interest, if it meant there was an opening for him to play.

"I hope to try out next year." Regulus responded.

She gave him a firm nod. "Good. Best of luck with your roommate situation."

"Thank you."

He returned to Narcissa's tower once Vanity dismissed him. The conversation had not changed much when it came to how he was going to deal with Barty. But he was happier afterward. It was nice to have a reminder that he had much to look forward to at Hogwarts.

Even if making friends had not been going as he hoped it would, there was more at Hogwarts than he had at Grimmauld Place. He had his cousin a tower over. He may be playing quidditch over the upcoming years. It gave him a sense of hope he never found at home.

He ended up spending the night in the second-year lounge with Narcissa. His bed was intact the following afternoon.

Chapter Text

April, 1973

Most classes weren't too hard to achieve high marks in. So long as Regulus studied and paid attention in class, his grades came back above the 90s range.

But a few evaded him.

Something about transfiguration did not click for Regulus. He'd follow every instruction and make notes of everything Professor McGonagall would say. And yet, every time they did a demonstration in class, he would lag behind some of the others. Fawley and Barty would complete every task in their first few tries, while Regulus typically needed a few extra minutes.

One class, Regulus never reached the desired final result. Professor McGonagall had set them on the task of turning a match into a needle. While his match had visibly transformed into a needle by the time their professor was walking around, the object was flimsy and weak. It would bend every time he moved it. No matter how many times he tried the formula again, the needle stubbornly refused to harden.

When McGonagall drew near, Regulus had laid it down flat on the table. When laying there, it gave the illusion of a sturdy needle. He hoped she would not look too closely.

His ploy seemed to work. Professor McGonagall inspected his needle for a moment and nodded, continuing down the row. But before she could move on to the next student, Emmeline Vance spoke up loudly. She was in the Gryffindor half of the room, but her desk was beside his, and she had a close view of his project.

"Why is it all wiggly on the end?" Vance giggled. "Your needle has a bend."

Professor McGonagall paused and turned back, inspecting Regulus' needle with more care. When she tapped against it with her finger, the frail line instantly crumbled.

"Mr. Black." She sighed, her tone stern. "Do not attempt to fool me into thinking you have learned a transfiguration skill. This will not help you on an exam, you are only hurting yourself."

Regulus flushed with embarrassment. McGonagall let him be and moved on to different students, but many were still peering at Regulus as the professor carried on. He kept his eyes down on his desk for the remainder of the class.

After class, Rosier walked up beside him in the hallway. "That was bloody lousy of Vance."

Regulus glanced over at him. "I suppose."

"I wonder if she'd appreciate being called out on her mistakes like that." Rosier lifted his eyebrows.

Regulus gazed over uncertainly. He wasn't sure what Rosier had in mind. Rosier did not explain, only winking at Regulus before they were joined by Fawley and Barty.

They did not have another period with the Gryffindor first years until potions at noon. Rosier led the group to a cauldron beside one Vance was seated at. He smirked at Regulus as class began. Rosier's full attention was on the Gryffindor girl at the other table.

They were halfway through prepping the ingredients for their herbicide potion before Rosier threw a hand up. "Professor Slughorn! Aren't we to sprinkle full lionfish spines in our herbicide potions?"

The professor peered over at them. "That is correct, Mr. Rosier."

"Thanks." Rosier nodded solemnly. "Vance was confusing me."

Vance's head turned sharply. She frowned at their table before glancing down at the spines she had been slicing.

The professor walked over to see what she had been doing. "Oh no, Ms. Vance. We need those intact. You need to restart. Everyone, please follow the exact instructions."

Vance was glaring daggers at them as Slughorn returned to the front of the classroom. Rosier acted as though he did not notice. Barty was snickering with amusement. His eyes were narrowed into slits as he sneered at Vance.

A few minutes later, Rosier started up again. "Professor! Should Vance be mixing before she adds the flobberworm mucus?"

"What is your damage, Rosier?" Vance hissed. "Mind your own business."

Rosier replied calmly. "I am simply asking my professor for clarification."

"Ms. Vance." Slughorn was growing more annoyed. "Follow the instructions."

Within seconds, Rosier's hand was up again.

"Professor! Should students be brushing remnants of their ingredients onto the floor? I don't want to say names, but I think a student is not disposing of their waste as they should."

They left the class in a humorous mood. They probably also left with a new enemy. But Regulus did not mind much. He was far more elated by Rosier sticking his neck out for him.

He found Rosier alone in the bedroom after dinner, reading on his bed. Regulus sat on the side of his own bed, while facing the other pureblood boy. "I wanted to thank you for earlier."

"Don't be daft." Rosier smiled. "Got to have each other’s back."

Regulus nodded in agreement.

Rosier pushed himself into a seated position. He closed the book he had been reading and placed it down beside him on the nightstand. He grinned across at Regulus.

"My folk live in London now, but initially they came from France. Just like the Blacks. I wasn't sure if you knew that."

"I did not."

"Well, we are." Rosier shrugged. He slanted his head in a friendly gesture. "And every summer, we visit a French festival. Most who host it are native to France, and they revolve the event around authentic traditions my family is fond of. I wanted to see if you'd be interested in coming with me this year?"

Regulus was surprised. "Why would you want me to come?"

Rosier laughed. "Lots of reasons. You're French, first of all. And I get rather bored there. I have no one to hang around with cuz there are not many near my age in the family."

"You do not have brothers or sisters?"

"No." Rosier answered. "I am an only child. I get properly jealous of people with siblings."

"Little do you know, you are the lucky one." Regulus teased with a dry tone.

"Yeah." Rosier's face grew sombre. "Your brother seems hard to swallow. I am sorry, mate."

Regulus gazed down at his knees. He blinked slowly a few times. He did not want to speak about his brother or be reminded that Rosier and the others all saw Sirius give him a cold shoulder on his birthday. With all the Great Hall to see.

"I get lonely at family events without other kids." Rosier returned to the previous topic. "So, I am always inviting friends along. No worries if you aren't interested. Just a thought!"

Regulus did not hear a word after 'friends'. He could barely meet Rosier's eye. His face warmed as he smiled to himself.

Rosier thought of him as a friend. Regulus didn't think he ever had someone he could consider a friend before. Not truly. Narcissa was his best friend in the world, but she was his cousin and some of their relationship would always be out of familial obligation. He had grown a friendship with Rosier all on his own. Rosier enjoyed his company for the sake of his company. Not because of his family or his last name. They were simply friends.

"I would really like that." Regulus replied softly.

****

May, 1973

Regulus was woken up to the loud noises of Rosier and Barty's so-called whispering. The sky was still dark outside their windows when Regulus lifted his eyelids, unable to ignore the loud noises across the room any longer.

He was not the only one being forced awake. By his side, he heard one of his halfblood roommates sit up, making an irritated noise. "Can you prats keep it down when it's this bloody early in the morning? We are trying to sleep."

Regulus peered over to the bathroom entrance, where Rosier and Barty froze at the call, both staring over wide-eyed for a moment, before Barty's face curled into a twisted sneer. Regulus stayed frozen, waiting to see what would happen. He had never seen a halfblood student speak to a pureblood student like that. He wasn't sure if that was permitted under Slytherin policy, and he did not know if Barty and Rosier would be angered by it.

As he watched, Barty began to whistle a cheerful tune between his teeth as he skipped over, halting at the foot of his neighbour's bed. He paused for a beat, letting the halfblood boy stare at him in confusion. Their other halfblood roommate was awake now, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. His gaze nervously darted between Barty and his mate a few times.

Barty grabbed ahold of the duvet cover before him, giving it a solid tug until the whole blanket was torn off the bed. It flopped down into a pile at his feet. The halfblood boy huffed in anger, but he did not react in time to stop Barty from yanking the blanket away from him.

"Rise and shine!" Barty hollered, before moving on to do the same to the other two still in bed. Regulus tried, in vain, to stop him by clinging onto his duvet cover with two hands, but Barty gave it a good pull and broke it free of his grasp.

"Barty!" Regulus whined, too tired to have any patience for the boy's antics. "Leave us alone."

"I am helping you wake up early!" Barty argued, with a chipper attitude. "I am being neighbourly."

"You really are the worst." The first halfblood boy spat, pulling his legs off his bed. His hair was running amok all over his head, and his face was flushed with anger. "We never do this rubbish to you lot. Have some class."

"Oi, relax." Rosier interrupted. "You need to watch yourself."

Regulus gazed over at Rosier, wondering if Rosier would play the blood status card. He was not sure what they were supposed to do in situations like that, but he was sure Rosier knew more than he did. It seemed more likely to be Rosier who stated it than Barty, which was ironic, since Barty spent his first month at Hogwarts picking on muggleborn students. And yet, he didn't seem to genuinely hold much of the pureblood ideologies that Regulus had expected him to hold, being more interested in causing chaos than upholding any magical purity standards.

The halfblood boy did not seem worried. He climbed off his bed and marched over toward the bathroom, pushing past Rosier without flinching back. "Whatever."

Rosier lifted an eyebrow, but he allowed the boy to pass by him into the bathroom undeterred. The door slammed shut behind their halfblood roommate. The other halfblood watched the scene from his bed, quietly pulling his blanket back off the floor.

Regulus stayed seated upright, staring at his roommates, "Why are you two awake so early anyway?"

"Don't tell him." Barty said, smiling smugly.

Rosier ignored the other lad. "The older years told us we are welcome to come with them to the yard this morning."

"To do what?"

"Not sure." Rosier chuckled, shrugging cheerfully. "I don't ask questions, Black. But we are confident that it'll be something wicked if the older students are involved."

Regulus had no idea what the older year's plans in the yard at the crack of dawn may include. He felt a pang of bitterness, feeling a bit wounded that the older years had never given him any special attention. He had never been invited to anything. While Barty and Rosier attracted the older year's negative attention as well, they also seemed to be treated as the upcoming pureblood students, while he was mostly ignored.

"I will wait for you in the entrance hall before breakfast, then we can go together." Rosier offered, kindly.

Regulus smiled, appreciating the offer. Rosier had gone out of his way lately to include Regulus more in their everyday plans. His actions had started to seem more friendly instead of merely out of obligation.

"I would like that." Regulus agreed. "Thank you."

"Sure thing, mate!" Rosier moved toward the door. "C'mon Barty. We can't be late."

Barty turned back to the two in bed with a snicker, "Later, duds."

He skipped after Rosier and the two disappeared out the door. Regulus could hear them giggling as they hopped down the stairs into the lounge.

Regulus pulled his blanket back onto his bed. He tossed the absent halfblood's blanket onto his as well. He might as well. It bothered him to see it left on the dirty floor.

As Regulus laid back down, he realized that the remaining halfblood roommate was watching him. When Regulus offered a sympathetic shrug, the boy's mouth opened a bit, and for a moment, it seemed as though he may say something. But he thought better of it and pursed his lips, turning his shoulders to face the other way.

Regulus did not know what to think of that. He slipped under his covers and closed his eyes, trying to salvage another hour or so of rest before it was time to ready himself for the day.

Since it was the weekend, he stayed in bed for a bit longer than usual. Instead of heading to the Great Hall before seven-thirty, he decided to splurge and lay in bed until eight. Fawley was waiting in the lounge when he finally made his way down.

"What are you doing?" Regulus wondered.

She closed her book with a quick flick of her wrist. "Waiting for you, silly. I didn't feel like eating breakfast alone."

Regulus felt guilty for sleeping in, not realizing that Fawley had been waiting for him. He supposed she was discouraged from eating breakfast with her halfblood peers, even if she seemed to get along with them fine in less public places.

"Where is dumb and dumber?" She asked, peering behind him.

Regulus did not need to ask who she was referring to. "They left earlier. Rosier said he would wait for us in the entrance hall."

"Sweet." Fawley sighed, pushing herself to her feet. "Less time with Barty sounds like a splendid way to start my day."

Rosier was waiting in the entrance hall as promised, leaning against a large shrub near a column. The two of them made their way over, seeing the radiant grin on the lad's face.

"What did you two do now?" Fawley asked, rolling her eyes. "What are you smiling about?"

Rosier laughed, shrugging innocently. "We didn't do much. The older years have been daring each other to do silly nonsense a lot lately, you know. One of the popular ones right now is tapping the whomping willow without getting socked! We got invited to watch a few Slytherin students attempt. We had to go before the sun came up, so we wouldn't be seen by any of the professors."

"Did any succeed?" Regulus wondered, cynical.

Rosier sneered, "None. Yaxley wouldn't let anyone go to the hospital wing though, didn't want there to be any reason for the adults to suspect what we've been up to. No one was horribly crippled, just got banged up."

Regulus lifted his chin, surprised to hear that the Head Girl was involved in this. "Yaxley was there?"

"Yup! Plenty of the older folk showed up."

Fawley interrupted, "Where is Barty?"

"Yeah, about Yaxley being there," Rosier chuckled, fiddling with a lock of hair. "Barty got himself into some trouble with her."

Regulus scoffed. "Again?"

"Again." Rosier agreed. "He needs to learn how to hold his tongue. Yaxley does not mess around."

"Did she curse him again?" Fawley asked, looking none too concerned.

"Not that I saw." Rosier replied. "I think Malfoy rescued him before she did anything."

Regulus was incredulous. "Malfoy was involved as well?"

"Nah," Rosier shook his head, clarifying quickly. "Malfoy was not in the yard, but I saw Barty with his group inside afterward. I'm not sure where they took him, haven't seen him since. I'm sure he will show up at some point! Hopefully in one piece."

Regulus sniffed. "I would not mind seeing him in multiple."

Rosier laughed, good-naturedly. "I know you would!"

"Shall we get something to eat?" Fawley reminded them, flicking her chin toward the Great Hall doors.

Before they could respond, Regulus was distracted away from the conversation by the sight of his brother skipping across the room, brimming with excitement, alongside a blond Gryffindor girl. He caught a glimpse of his brother often, and typically he would quickly avert his eyes. But instead, today his gaze settled on something unsightly on his brother's arm.

The word escaped from his lips before he had the chance to think, "Sirius?"

Sirius and the girl halted abruptly, turning back to peer over at him. His brother shot him a confused look, with some lingering resentment, while the Gryffindor girl seemed vaguely curious. Regulus could sense Fawley and Rosier staring over at his brother as well and knew they must be confused by this turn of events, but he was too overwhelmed at the sight of dark ink on his brother's arm to think straight.

"What?" Sirius asked, gruffly, frowning in his direction.

Regulus blinked a few times before stepping away from his group. He inched closer to Sirius as he stared daggers at the black ink on his brother's arm, above his wrist near the curve of his elbow. He could see a skull on a butterfly, atop the Godric Gryffindor Sword. Regulus was mortified. Their mother would lose her mind if she saw that marking on her son's arm. She had made her opinion of muggle obscenities such as tattoos very clear after Sirius had drawn on Regulus' arm years back. How could his brother be so foolish?

"Is that real?" He asked, his words caught in his throat.

Sirius stared back, lost for a beat, before he gazed down at his arm as well and seemed to understand what Regulus was asking. He poorly hid a snicker, lifting his chin again to reply.

But he never got to hear what his brother would have said, as the girl beside him laughed loudly. "Does it look like a real tattoo? And where do you think we would get one at thirteen?"

Regulus felt his face heat with irritation at her nasty remarks. He had not been speaking to her. She seemed to be rather rude, invading into their conversation in such a way.

"I was not speaking to you." He informed her, his voice icy.

She huffed, crossing her arms, "You asked a stupid question. Don't get all cheesed off when you get a stupid response."

Regulus thought she ought to mind her tongue. He did not know who she was, which probably meant that she was not a pureblooded wizard. She seemed rather bold for a halfblood, and rather mean on top of that.

"Reg..." Sirius interrupted their bickering, with a soft chuckle. "It's just a drawing, relax."

That information did little to improve his mood. Sirius was surrounding himself with the worst crowd possible, truly. He eyed them over coldly one final time before he clenched his jaw and turned away.

Regulus walked toward the shrub where he had left Fawley and Rosier, feeling the eyes of the Gryffindors lingering on his back.

"Everything okay?" Rosier asked, his voice quiet.

"Yes." Regulus answered, dismissively. "I only had a question for him, and I forgot myself."

"So, that's your brother." Fawley smirked, peering over his shoulder. "You look quite different, actually."

Regulus did not feel like listening to her teasing. He remained with his back to where his brother had been standing until he heard their footsteps retreating into the Great Hall. Rosier's eyes watched them go until they were no longer in sight.

****

"Why not?" Rosier asked.

Regulus did not know how to answer him without setting Barty off on mocking him for following the school rules. Barty was standing right at Rosier's side, with eyes already shining with an evil glint.

Thankfully, Fawley didn't have any reservations. "It's against the rules and it's dangerous!"

"You don't say." Barty sneered.

"Come on, Black." Rosier tried again. "Don't be such a wuss. They dared us all."

"I do not want to touch the whomping willow." Regulus set his chin stubbornly.

"Chicken!" Barty taunted. He tried to mess up their game, but Fawley pushed his hand away.

Regulus and Fawley had been playing a game of wizard chess in their lounge when Rosier and Barty interrupted them. Some older students had dared them to touch the whomping willow. It had been a common dare going around Hogwarts lately. Only a few students had managed to tap the trunk without being whacked by the vicious swinging branches. Regulus had no urge to cut his head open for the sake of a dare.

"You are being mad annoying." Rosier rolled his eyes at Regulus.

"Let's go, Rosier." Barty snickered. "Leave him to spend time with the girls, where he belongs."

Fawley's head snapped over. She rose to her feet to kick Barty sharply in the shin. "Shut your foul mouth."

Barty winced in pain for a moment, then made a move to go after her in return. Rosier stopped him by grabbing a handful of his shirt. Fawley smugly returned to her seat as Barty got held back.

"Spoilt brat." Barty retorted, sneering at Fawley.

"Mean old bully." Fawley shot back. "I am not afraid of you, Barty."

Barty smirked and crossed his arms. "Where are the rest of your roommates, Fawley? I never see them get anywhere near you. Suppose they all must be sick of your bitchiness."

Fawley met Regulus' eyes to share a confused expression. They didn't know what that word meant. Regulus supposed it must be muggle slang referring to her bossy traits. Barty used a lot of muggle slang he had to resist adopting into his vocabulary. His mother would make her displeasure very known if he dared to utter any of them in her presence.

"You know very well we aren't to spend much time with the halfbloods." Fawley scoffed. "Go get blinded by the whomping willow and leave us alone already."

"Ms. Tattletale isn't going to strike again today?"

Fawley ignored him. She primly returned to the game on the table.

Rosier sighed. "Barty."

Regulus felt a twinge of regret as they disappeared from view. He wished he had the nerve to include himself in the dare. But the tree had put several students in the hospital already that week. They had been sternly reminded by their professors that it was against the school policy to go near the tree a few days before.

"Do not worry about them." Fawley caught his eye. "They are being daft. You made the right choice."

Regulus nodded weakly.

"Besides, I would rather spend the afternoon with you than them." She smiled warmly.

Regulus was surprised. "Thank you, Fawley."

"Make your move, Black."

Regulus returned to the game. He appreciated her comment. He had begun to enjoy her company more than he expected to lately. She could be quite stubborn, but she never hesitated to stick up for him. And it was nice to have someone who found Barty as irritating as he did.

He moved his pawn and smiled softly at Fawley. "You are up."

Chapter Text

June, 1973

Regulus had never written exams before. They only had minor evaluations at Grimmauld Place from time to time, so their mother could see their progress in their studies, which weren't quite the same. The examinations at Hogwarts were more nerve-wracking, as they covered far more content at once for multiple classes simultaneously. And he was certain that his mother would have high expectations for his first-year grades.

He had locked himself in the library for weeks to study. Fawley, Rosier and even Barty often joined him. By the final week, everyone seemed to be taking their studies seriously. Narcissa and Allegra Ollivander brought the first years all of their old notes and told them everything they could recall doing on their own first-year exams. Rosier and Barty kept stealing his notepads to copy down notes they missed, Fawley helped them with their disarming spells, and Barty tutored them all on how to complete a hair-raising potion to perfection.

Regulus was feeling quite confident for most. He knew he had put enough effort in to achieve decent marks, but his mother had wanted him to earn above 90% for every course. There were a few he was worried about, namely, transfiguration.

"You ought to ask Sirius for help." Narcissa had suggested when he told her his concerns. "He got second in our class last year for transfiguration, you know."

Regulus frowned at that. He certainly didn't feel like seeking out his brother for help. Nor did he want to admit he was doing so poorly at a course his brother excelled at. So he continued to struggle along alone, hoping he could pull off a miracle.

That day, all four pureblood first-years had gone to the library after lunch, only leaving for a quick dinner before returning.

"I'm knackered." Rosier leaned back in his chair, balancing on the back two legs as he gripped onto the neighbouring chairs. "I think I know how to turn a leaf into a hippogriff at this point."

"Fat chance." Barty snickered, not looking up from the drawing he was sketching in a corner of his notebook.

Regulus gazed over, unimpressed. Barty never seemed to put too much effort into his notes, and yet, always seemed to know exactly how to do everything. At one point of studying, he had to turn to Barty to ask for assistance on a charm that wasn't quite working for him. It was a painful blow to his pride. Barty had smugly sneered, but showed him the right hand positioning and corrected his pronunciation. The charm had worked better the next time he tried it.

Regulus could not understand it. He suspected Barty had an early magical education at home, as many pureblood students did. He seemed to know far too much coming into Hogwarts, allowing him to blow off his studies most days to engage in tomfoolery. Regulus took his classes far more seriously, and still found himself lacking in the background knowledge Barty seemed to have before he ever reached Hogwarts.

"We still have an hour before curfew." Fawley pointed out, not looking up from the transfiguration formula she was rereading. "We should study for a while longer."

"Well," Rosier shrugged, closing his books. "We have other things to do too. We still have to clean up our bedroom, for one. It got demolished while we were packing."

"No." Regulus interrupted, peering at the boy over his book. "I already cleaned up."

"Huh? When?"

"Over lunch." Regulus explained. "I did not feel like sitting in squalor all day, waiting for you two to finally clean up."

Barty guffawed, slamming his hands down on the table. "Aw, shut up, prissy."

Regulus rolled his eyes, frowning down at his book. Barty was such a prat. It was mostly his mess, and he never cleaned up after himself. He left his bed in shambles every morning. It nearly drove Regulus mad. He was sure the boy had never done a chore before in his life.

"Well, never mind." Rosier snorted. "You didn't need to do that, we would have done it."

Regulus lifted his shoulders. "Eventually."

"Eventually!" Barty drawled, in a mocking tone.

Regulus ignored him.

"Either way," Rosier muttered, rising to his feet, "I'm not going to study any longer. Fancy heading back to the common room?"

"Kay." Barty agreed, instantly closing his notepad. His chair released a loud creak as he rose to his feet. "Fuckin' L."

Rosier peered back at the other two, earnestly. "Black? Fawley?"

"I need to study." Regulus murmured. He read the sheet before him again, containing the transfiguration alphabet and the formula. He had memorized the formula inside and out but still failed to understand what the final unknown variable should consist of. "This exam is in two days."

"Ditto." Fawley nodded in agreement.

Rosier shrugged, dismissively. "Suit yourself."

The two ran off, leaving Fawley and Regulus to study. Once they were gone, the table was much quieter and far more focused. It was a relief. Regulus found it much easier to work without all the added distractions.

Their peace only lasted for so long. A few minutes later, several voices were echoing through the library aisles. Regulus tried to ignore them, but across the table, Fawley sat up quickly. She turned to look over her shoulder.

Regulus peered over, wondering what attracted her attention. It only took a few more seconds before the owners of the voices appeared, and his question was answered. He could see Hector Fawley, her brother, walking several meters away, with Lucius Malfoy by his side. He was holding two books in his arm, clasping them against his hip.

He seemed to notice his sister immediately as well, holding a finger up to Malfoy to indicate he needed a moment. He sauntered over casually, smirking down at her.

"Preston." Hector snickered, mussing up her hair as he paused beside her. "What are you up to? Studying?"

"Stop!" She giggled, pushing his hand away from her hair. "We have our transfiguration exam on Tuesday."

"Is that your first one?" Hector asked, flipping her sheet over.

"Yes."

Regulus watched the siblings interact without moving a muscle. It was intimidating to be around the older years, even if they were speaking with their siblings. His eyes were drawn back to the sixth-year prefect. Malfoy had walked over as well and paused a few steps behind Fawley. His cold eyes scanned over the table, meeting Regulus' for a split-second. Regulus quickly looked down at his sheet.

"What was on yours?" Fawley was asking, her tone playful.

"Hell," Hector replied. "Like I could remember that." He peered over at Malfoy, "Do you remember first-year exams at all?"

Regulus lifted his eyes slowly, curious. Malfoy barely moved, but his gaze lifted to the ceiling as he recalled. "Switching spells, alphabet, formula. Flintifors, Avifors. Some other basic transfiguration task."

Hector smirked, nudging his sister with an arm. "There you go."

The elder Fawley fiddled with something in his pocket, pulling out a cigarette after a moment. He casually perched the cigarette between his lips. Fawley did not comment on her brother's cigarette, but Regulus stared. He had not seen many pureblood students smoke, especially not in a public place before the younger years.

Across the table, Malfoy's face mildly tightened. "Put that away."

Hector shrugged, but stuffed it back into his pocket without arguing. Regulus bit his lip nervously, feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the scene he was watching. He wished the older years hadn't decided to stop around his table.

His discomfort only sky-rocketed after a new voice emerged behind him, in a cocky tone. "Reggie."

Regulus did not need to turn to know his cousin had walked up. He could hear her quick footsteps pausing behind him and felt her hands resting on his shoulders. She sneered down at him from above his left shoulder.

"Bellatrix." He muttered, careful to not meet her eyes. He did not want to encourage her to speak with him. Typically, she ignored his existence in the Slytherin common room. That suited him fine. He had no urge to have any of his cousin's attention.

Malfoy frowned at her across the table. "Should you not be preparing for your OWLs?"

Bellatrix scoffed, crudely. "I will pass."

She pressed down on his shoulders as she released. Regulus clenched his jaw, trying to ignore her. She did not have much respect for other's personal space, and he did not enjoy being touched out of the blue.

"Are we heading back?" Another voice called from behind him. Assumingly, one of Bellatrix's friends. "We only have an hour before curfew."

Hector sighed, patting his sister's arm one final time. "Good luck with your exam. Don't stress about it, you'll do fine."

"Later." Bellatrix snarled behind him, flicking the back of his ear before she turned away. Regulus scowled, reaching up to rub at the ear she assaulted. Gosh, she was the worst.

Regulus released a breath of relief as Malfoy and Hector moved back toward the aisle, leaving their table alone. That couldn't end too soon.

Fawley waved after her brother, a happy smile on her face. Regulus felt a pang of jealousy. He wished he could have a positive relationship with his brother while he was at school. He and Sirius could never manage an interaction like that on Hogwarts grounds. The thought made him feel bitter once more. If Sirius was in Slytherin and didn't have a horrendous reputation, they could have seen each other every day if they so wished. There was no point yearning for something he would never have, so he tried to push the thought out of his mind.

"Come on." Fawley tapped her fingernails against her notepad, her mood improved by her brother's visit. "Let's go down the list Malfoy gave us."

"Okay." Regulus agreed, trying to turn his attention back to his studying. Exams were days away, after all.

****

"You're not going to believe this." Rosier declared, as he herded Regulus and Fawley into the Great Hall. "You have to see it for yourself, or you'll think I'm completely bonkers."

Rosier had been right. Regulus would not have believed it to be true if he hadn't stood before the top marks board and read it for himself. Barty was everywhere.

"Barty is in the top three for every single class?" Fawley's eyes were round. "Is he some sort of secret genius?"

Regulus scoffed. "Must be. It is not obvious to anyone else that he has a single brain cell up there."

Fawley giggled at his comment. Rosier was unfazed by the quip and continued speaking.

"You're third for defence against the dark arts, Black." Rosier pointed out. "And Fawley is third for transfiguration."

Regulus was glum about his solitary top three on the board being a third place for DADA. It also left him unsure about how he had done in his other courses, as his report had not yet been returned to him. He was sure he had failed to achieve 90% in some courses. His mother would be unhappy with his failures, and there may be consequences. Perhaps she would have him do summer studies with the governess again.

"Pandora Volant is up here a lot." Fawley commented.

"Not as often as I am." Barty appeared behind the three, with a cocky smile. "I am the king of the first year."

"Can it." Rosier gave him a solid shove. "Nerd."

While the other three were distracted with reading the results, Regulus took a few steps to the right to peek at the second-year board. He could not help it. He was curious. He had heard someone saying his brother's name when they first arrived, and had wanted to see how Sirius did ever since.

Sure enough, Sirius had topped his class for charms with a brilliant 99%. He also was third for transfiguration - Regulus' worst subject. That mark was insufferably high as well, with a 97%. Regulus doubted his grades even broke into the 95-100 range, while his brother was flaunting multiple.

Regulus moved away from the second-year board quickly when Fawley glanced over at him. He returned to the other first years.

Barty had only stopped by to rub his accomplishments in their face. Once he was finished showing off, he bounded off to return to the group of fifth and sixth years he had been seated with when they first walked in.

The older years were resting at the end of the Slytherin dining hall table. None were eating, simply lounging around and chatting cheerfully. Regulus caught a glimpse of Bellatrix with her fiancé-to-be among the group. They were holding hands and sitting in very close proximity to one another.

Malfoy, across the table, gave them a hard look through narrowed eyes. He said something to them, words Regulus could not hear from that distance, and the pair slightly scooted further apart. Lestrange's face went taut with a flash of annoyance, but Bellatrix had laughed and tilted her head at Malfoy tauntingly.

It was easy to guess that Malfoy did not approve of their affection. It was not the norm for families in the sacred twenty-eight to have public displays of physical contact. He had never seen his parents touch one another, beyond the rare hand on an arm. It was even more looked down upon to be making physical contact if a pair were unmarried. Even if Bellatrix was betrothed to Lestrange, Regulus suspected her parents would be very displeased with that scene.

Rosier drew his attention back by nudging him. He motioned Regulus toward the exit wordlessly. The two of them left Fawley to inspect the board as they walked out together.

"So," Rosier said once they were in the hall. He lifted his eyebrows expectantly. "Do you think you will be able to come visit this summer? You can stay as long as you want to before or after the festival too."

Regulus considered for a moment.

"Is Barty going to be there?" He asked.

Rosier made a face. "No. Barty wouldn't be allowed to visit."

There was a story there. Regulus was not oblivious. He knew Barty was telling Rosier something about his home life that he was not telling the rest of them. But he doubted Barty would want him prying into it, so he did not ask questions. He was relieved Barty would not be there, whatever the reason was for his absence.

"I would like to visit." Regulus smiled weakly. "I will need to get permission from my mum first."

"Of course." Rosier nodded. "You will let me know by owl?"

"Sure."

"Grand." Rosier smiled brightly. "It will be loads of fun. I hope you can come."

It was hard to resist Rosier's enthusiasm. It would be the highlight of his summer to stay at the Rosiers'. Regulus had never spent time away from home before Hogwarts, beyond staying with his cousins, because he never had a friend to visit before. His mother should approve of the Rosiers. They were part of the sacred twenty-eight, had the same country of origins, and upheld the magical purity views his own family did. If she was not cross over his grades for too long, she probably would grant him permission.

But then there was Sirius. Regulus had been upset when Sirius left him the previous summer and felt bad about the idea of leaving his brother alone at Grimmauld Place. But, Sirius had still gone to the Potters' despite Regulus' pleas for him to stay. His brother had not cared that he left Regulus there alone.

Regulus set his jaw. "I hope I can visit too."

****

Regulus stared at the sheet between his clenched grip.

90 Herbology
94 DADA
84 Transfiguration
93 Charms
90 History
93 Potions
86 Astronomy

"You did so well." Narcissa whispered as she sat down across from him in the compartment. "All of your marks were so high."

Regulus did not reply. He knew she was trying to make him feel better, but he was hardly in the mood to be cheered up. He had done alright overall, but he had done poorly on his transfiguration exam. His mouse had taken a few tries before it transformed into a snuff box, and his formulas were all guessing games. It was even more disappointing to see that he did not manage to achieve a 90% in astronomy either. His mother would be disappointed, he was sure of it.

Barty and Rosier were chipper beside him. Almost too chipper. He felt like they were compensating for something, most likely the upcoming summer months they would spend apart. They had done everything together since September. From Rosier's odd comments and Barty's avoidance of the topic, it sounded like Barty's home life situation wouldn't permit for them to visit each other. Fawley, on the other hand, was less happy. She was frowning as she read her grades out in the corner. She was seated on the train bench beside Narcissa and Allegra Ollivander from second year.

Since they had only been given their grades back right before they boarded the train, they spent the first half of the trip reading over their grades and discussing. The second years had gotten theirs a day early, meaning only the first years were exchanging reports and inspecting their results on the train.

Regulus had been scanning his sheet, for the one-millionth time, when the door to their compartment slid open. Regulus' head shot up, along with the others in the room, to peek over at the entrance with interest.

And there his brother was, standing in the doorway and leaning against one side. He was sloppily carrying his trunk with him. He hadn't bothered knocking or saying a word, simply barging in in true Sirius-style.

No one spoke for a moment.

Then Narcissa spoke up, with a small smile. "Sirius."

She was the only one who seemed at all pleased to see him. The others were all casting suspicious or disapproving looks in his direction. Regulus felt his stomach drop. He could not bear to have his brother tarnish his reputation before his peers once more. He was sure Sirius being in their compartment meant his brother had come to humiliate him again.

By his side, Barty leaned forward with a mischievous grin. He clasped the parchment he had been reading into a neat fold as he sneered at Sirius. Regulus groaned, internally. The last thing he needed was Barty and his brother going at it again.

He withdrew his eyes down to his sheet, trying to ignore his irritating brother. He could not understand why Sirius insisted on embarrassing him. It was bad enough his brother had consistently passed him over for his crummy mates, he now seemed keen on destroying Regulus' chances at making any of his own friends or allies.

"What are you doing here?" Ollivander asked, casting his brother an annoyed look, her voice unfriendly.

Sirius didn't respond right away as he tossed his trunk into the compartment. He did not bother to lift it above, as the train should be halting at King's Cross in the next ten minutes.

"Compartments are open to all." Sirius shrugged, returning a cold look at the girl.

Narcissa shifted down the bench to make room. "Come sit."

Narcissa cast her friend a pointed look. Ollivander unwillingly relented, scooting to the end of the bench so there was an open spot between herself and Narcissa. Regulus kept his eyes down, but he could still see his brother accepting the seat out of the edge of his vision. He left his trunk on the floor beside the doorway, like the proper prat he insisted on behaving like.

The room stayed quiet for a minute as Sirius inspected the three across from him. Rosier returned a flat look, Barty smirked at him and Regulus stared at his sheet with a gloomy expression.

His brother snorted after minutes of tense silence. "Is this how you Slytherins always talk to each other? Seems rather dull."

"We were looking at our grades." Fawley replied, a slight defensiveness to her tone. "You interrupted."

Sirius smirked. "I'm not interrupting anything, just sitting here."

"Rough morning?" Barty's tone was bright, but did not sound remotely friendly. "They evicted you from your little Gryffindor club so soon."

Regulus tensed up. After his brother's first interaction with his prickly roommate, he had been hoping to keep the two as far apart as he could. He was sure Barty would torment him for anything his brother said or did.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Not all of us are kept around merely out of obligation, Crouch. I'm sure it's an unfamiliar idea for you, but some people are actually liked by their friends and don't need daddy's name to keep others interested in spending time with them."

"Ah, you discovered my name. Good work, Potter." Barty quipped in return.

Sirius scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Ignore him." Rosier said quietly, turning back to Barty at his side. "What about defence against the dark arts?"

"Aced it." Barty smiled, still gazing at Sirius. "As with the rest of them."

"Alright, show off." Rosier chuckled, opening the parchment he had folded to see for himself.

"How did you do this year, Sirius?" Narcissa was watching his brother earnestly. "I saw you are leading the year in charms."

"And transfiguration." Sirius added.

Regulus could not resist correcting that. He did not peer up from his sheet, but the words stubbornly flowed out of his mouth before he could think better of heckling his brother.

"Third is not the top of the class."

Sirius' head turned sharply at his quip. Beside him, Barty and Rosier peered over. They seemed amused by the scene.

"Oi," Sirius tilted his head. "Keeping tabs on me, Reggie?"

Regulus didn't reply, his lips drawn into a tight line. He hoped Barty did not pick up on that godric-awful nickname. Sirius knew very well how very much he detested that particular name. His brother only used it when he was trying to get under his skin.

Sirius did not relent when Regulus remained unresponsive. "Let's see how you did."

Regulus lifted his chin to cast over an annoyed look, holding the paper closer to his chest. He did not want Sirius to see how poorly he had done. Especially not when his brother topped classes. But Sirius reacted at the first sign of resistance, his arm shooting out to pry it from Regulus' fingers in one sharp tug.

Regulus flushed, infuriated. "Sirius!"

Sirius ignored him, his full attention on the report he was reading as he leaned back. Narcissa made a small huff noise, while the others watched the encounter between the brothers in silence. Regulus could feel his roommate's eyes on him. His cheeks were hot.

After a beat, Sirius tossed the letter back into his hands, flashing a smile in his direction. "Aren't you the golden child?"

Regulus inhaled softly, shaking his head as he shoved the letter into his pocket. Despite his irritated attitude, he felt a bit sheepish at the compliment. He wanted his brother to think he had done well, especially when Sirius was topping charms for the second year in a row, and placing high in his transfiguration class. He got better grades than Sirius overall, but he did not do exceptionally well in any class. But beating Sirius in any way was a goal he was happy to achieve. His brother was quite clever and naturally talented with magic. He had always aspired to do everything Sirius could do.

Unfortunately, the small flush of comfort he got from his brother's cheeky compliment was rudely interrupted. Barty finally found his voice, drawling out a snide remark. "Must be tough, always being the second best." Barty's eyes were gleaming at Sirius, "I'm curious, if you're consistently second best out of two, what does that make you?"

Regulus inhaled sharply, hoping his brother had the common sense to ignore that. But to hope for any maturity from Sirius was far-fetched.

Sirius lifted his chin slightly, his tone bored when he responded. "Suppose it worked out in your benefit that you ended up being an only child, Junior. I can imagine you wouldn't do well against any competition, no matter their level of competence."

Barty raised his eyebrows, perking his chin up with an air of importance. "Is that so? Yet I am leading my year in grades."

That was true. Somehow. He even beat Pandora Volant, much to Rosier's amusement.

"So you keep saying." Sirius forced out a long yawn. "If I didn't know better, I may think you were trying to impress me. Are you overcompensating for something here, Junior?"

Barty's smirk didn't falter, but his cheekbone clenched for a brief moment. Sirius had managed to hit a nerve.

"You are one to talk, Sirius Black." Barty straightened up, his smirk only growing bolder. "It is well-known what amounts of pride you have supplied to the great and noble House of Black. Or, would it be more accurate to say the lack of pride?"

Sirius laughed softly, resting his head back on the wallboards. Regulus felt ill. He didn't know Barty knew much about the inner workings of his family. He suspected the lad may have heard some of the older years discussing the topic.

"Honestly." Narcissa's voice was sharp. "Why would you go there, Barty?"

Barty sneered, nonchalantly, "Just an observation."

Regulus desperately hoped the conversation would end. But again, he was overestimating his brother's maturity. Sirius pushed himself forward with a cold smile of his own, tilting his head charmingly. Barty froze in place, watching to see what Sirius would do with his sneer plastered to his lips.

Sirius' voice came out nasty, the room silent as he spoke each word clearly. "Same tired comments from the whole lot of you. Did you really believe these juvenile attempts to insult me would gain any traction? I've been through the ringer with your type ten times over, little boy."

Regulus was holding his breath. His irritation was twitching through him. Barty did not react right away, allowing Sirius to sit back against the backrest of his seat.

"You're rather boring, it's pretty disappointing. I thought you would be more entertaining to bicker with at the very least." Sirius shrugged, narrowing his eyes tauntingly. "Recycle this exhausted script already."

Barty raised one eyebrow slowly, his head slightly shifting as his eyes shone brightly. "You're suggesting you have been thinking about me?"

"Sure, as one would think about a fly that lands on their wall." Sirius snorted. "Don't flatter yourself, there never was a chance of me remembering that you exist tomorrow."

"I am willing to bet otherwise." Barty shrugged with complete confidence.

Regulus could not take any more of their squabbling. He huffed, looking up with flashing eyes. "Would you two give it a break?"

Barty's smirk finally wavered as he whirled to his side, getting right into Regulus' face. He warned, "Watch it, Black."

Regulus didn't flinch, holding Barty's gaze stubbornly as the boys sat with their faces mere inches from each other. He was angry as he glared at the other lad. Surely Barty wouldn't start up another tiff with him on the train, with the whole compartment to see. He was embarrassed that Sirius was watching this as well. Somehow, Barty managed to make him look pathetic before his brother, while his brother managed to make him look pathetic before his roommates, all at once.

"Oi." Rosier cut the stare-down short by tugging Barty back.

Barty allowed himself to be yanked to his seat, smiling lazily as he relaxed into the bench cushions. Regulus turned back to face forward stiffly, not uttering another word. He did not want to see Sirius or Narcissa's reaction. He knew his brother was going to make a scene, and he was dreading it.

All of Sirius' calm collected bravado had vanished. "Aren’t you a right arsehole?" He snarled, glaring at Barty.

Fawley sighed loudly. "Oh, for Merlin's sake! I have no interest in listening to you two snap at each other the whole trip. Shut your gobs already."

Barty shrugged, chuckling softly. "I needed some degree of entertainment."

Regulus was happy she interfered. The entire ordeal was starting to feel like his worst nightmares come to life.

The room fell quiet for a minute, with all getting comfortable in their seats. The remains of old stations were whizzing past the windows. He knew they had a minute or two at best before they were released from the train compartments.

Narcissa broke the silence. "Allegra and Sirius, what electives did you two select for third year?"

Regulus tried to tune out the conversation, too rattled by Sirius mocking him, followed up by Barty threatening him. His pride was wounded from the events of the train ride.

"I took divination and the study of ancient runes." Ollivander replied, "What about you two?"

"Great." Narcissa nodded briskly. "I am in divination as well, and I took care of magical creatures. What are yours, Sirius?"

"Arithmancy and Muggle studies."

Regulus lifted his chin briskly. He was not the only one. Barty and Rosier perked up at the phrase, gawking over at the second years. Regulus stared at his brother in dismay. He knew his brother was mad about everything muggle-related, but that did not absolve him of his wrongdoings in this case. Their mother would be infuriated once she saw that he enrolled in that elective. It was one thing for Sirius to engage in such nonsense in his free time, but to participate in a course that the sacred twenty-eight saw as improper? His brother was constantly pushing the limits and upsetting their parents for no reason.

Ollivander didn't comment on Sirius' second option, "Isn't arithmancy quite challenging?"

"Suppose." Sirius smirked, smugly. "Most subjects others call challenging haven't turned out that way for me."

Ollivander rotated to face him, her eyebrows creasing, "I don't understand that. How are you getting good grades when you seem to never be paying attention in class?"

Sirius lifted his shoulders and held his arms out in a confused gesture. "I cannot ruin the mystery. Perhaps it merely comes down to natural intelligence."

"Oh please!" Ollivander laughed, looking far more friendly when her face cracked up.

To his left, Rosier and Barty had returned to discussing their summer plans. They spoke in hushed tones, leaning in closer to one another so no one else could listen in on their conversation.

Not that Regulus was paying any mind to their whispering. He was sitting back stiffly as he stared at his brother. Sirius met his eyes for a moment, a stubborn frown on his face. Regulus had no idea how their upcoming summer may go, but his bitterness toward his brother was only growing by the second. He only wished, for once, that his brother could think about anyone other than himself.

Just then, the compartment jerked as the sound of brakes screeching rang out. The train's pace rapidly declined, with the images beyond their window becoming increasingly stabilized. The Hogwarts Express ducked underneath the station, and the edge of platform 9 and 3/4 came racing into sight.

"We're here." Narcissa smiled, cheerfully.

"Indeed." Sirius sighed, pulling himself to his feet to retrieve his stranded trunk.

Regulus stood up as well, feeling drained. He collected his luggage with a firm grip, preparing himself for the dreary journey back to Grimmauld Place.

Chapter Text

June, 1973

The three of them appeared at the end of their family's street, beneath the street sign. The grey sky was looming overhead as a harsh wind struck the group, with hair flying around their faces at the blast of air.

Sirius spoke up first, instantly questioning the change. "We're walking back?"

Their mother turned to him sharply, her sculpted features visible for a moment. She had already stepped forward to begin their trek up the street as her sons had been collecting themselves, but she paused at his words. Her dark ankle-length skirt trembled before falling still in her abrupt halt.

"Speak clearly." Their mother ordered, eyeing his brother harshly. She returned to her stride without waiting for a response.

Regulus wished his brother would have had the foresight to hold his tongue. It was never wise to speak in such a way to their parents, or to speak much at all in their presence. Regulus knew better than to speak without being spoken to. He did not make a habit of speaking when he was at Grimmauld Place. Over the year he spent alone there, he may have gone mute from disuse if it weren't for Kreacher's company. But Sirius tended to do as he pleased. He continued to push on despite his questions clearly being unwelcome.

"Why are we walking back to the house today?" Sirius asked his question a second time, smirking in amusement at her relentless attempts to correct his speech. His mother had her back to him as she strolled up their street's paved road.

Regulus spoke up in his mother's silence. "We cannot apparate directly into Grimmauld Place anymore."

His mother had let him know of the change to their home’s protection wards a few months back. The war had his family taking extra precautions to keep themselves safe and their dealings private. It was surprising, however, that his mother had not given Sirius the same notice.

Regulus walked up stiffly in close proximity to his mother's side. He did not look back to see his brother's reaction.

"Since when?" Sirius questioned, a hint of irritation in his tone. "Why are we not able to directly apparate anymore?"

His mother did not peer back as she addressed him, with icy words. "Silence yourself, Sirius. Do not meddle in affairs that are no concern of yours."

Regulus inhaled at her words. Even if Sirius did not know what was happening, he had a sneaking suspicion about the cause. Regulus had told his mother what Sirius said to his friend after winter break, and it was likely that she was withholding some information about their security from Sirius as a result. The colder and more restrictive his mother became with his brother, the more guilt he felt.

Sirius muttered, cranky. "Isn't it my house?"

Both boys had been navigating their charmed luggage up the street to the hidden Black Family's residence. In his anger, Sirius had begun to kick at his weightless trunk, making thump, thump, thump noises that were impossible to ignore.

His mother seemed to have heard his brother's hushed words. Her right eyebrow lifted in disdain. She continued her rapid steps in the direction of their family home as she reprimanded, "Family matters will not be dispersed carelessly."

"Regulus knew." Sirius retorted.

"Regulus can be trusted."

Regulus could feel a pit in his stomach at her words, both glad that his mother thought so, and unhappy that Sirius knew she thought so. He kept his head rigidly forward with an uptight posture, avoiding meeting his brother's eye. He did not need to look to know what expression his brother would be sporting.

As they paused below the entranceway, he caught a glimpse of Sirius' face. Sirius looked resentful as he sulked. Like a child. Of course he did, as Regulus could never be more important than him. Regulus could never know of the entrance wards to their home when Sirius did not. His brother had always been the center of their household and seemed to have no tolerance for the slightest hint of his brother getting any special attention.

Regulus knew that it was not fair for him to be thinking these things. Sirius had never tried to restrict him from anything and had always looked out for him before his time at Hogwarts. His brother had often been blind to the way Regulus was cast aside, instead of being maliciously involved in pushing him out of the spotlight. But Sirius was someone who shone so brightly and demanded so much attention, that he left no air in their home for anyone else. Regulus had long accepted that it was his role to play second fiddle to his brother in all things. That was, until the past few years, when he finally felt seen by his mother. His brother had everything else - he got to be heir, the family's focus, their father's pride and interest. He had every heirloom, the best education and training anyone could ask for, and Regulus could never resent him for any of it. And yet, the moment his mother showed any favouritism for Regulus, he could feel Sirius' mood growing sour.

The worst part was that Sirius had a valid reason to resent the newfound trust his mother had in Regulus. His brother didn't know what he had done, writing to his mother to inform her of Sirius sharing private family information with his peers. Part of his blooming relationship with his mother was based on him betraying his brother. The shame and guilt of it ate away at him. He had wanted his mother's respect for so long, but never expected it to come at the cost of hurting his brother.

His mother paused at the foot of their neighbour's stairwell. 12 Grimmauld Place was still magically concealed. She briskly retrieved a slip from her pocket in a quick movement, shielding it with a hand as she read it. His brother, in his never-ending foolishness, tried to move forward inconspicuously to see what she was holding. His mother closed her hands over the paper, casting her older son an icy glare.

Their building was visible then, towering above the three. His mother ascended the stairs with as much elegance as possible, travelling up the steep, aged porch. She pushed the door inward as she paused at the doorway to glance back at her sons. She motioned them within with a sharp nod, scanning the surrounding streets with dark eyes as the boys carried their trunks into the entrance foyer of their household. Regulus set his luggage down, petting his owl through the cage bars as he avoided meeting his brother's gaze.

His mother remained in the doorway, inspecting them with assessing eyes for a pause before she spoke. "You will go store your trunks and straighten up your personal quarters." She instructed from the entry point, her shadow looming onto the floorboards. "Your father and I are over-extended with commitments at the present, and I must make haste. We will be in attendance for supper tonight. Neither of you are sanctioned to depart from the property's premises until we return."

It was very rare to be left unsupervised at their house, but Regulus did not comment on it. He nodded obediently without any questions or hesitation. Beside him, Sirius did not react so hastily. He held his mouth slightly ajar as he tried to make sense of the unusual events of the afternoon.

His mother had no patience for his hesitation, spitting out vicious words at him, "Were my orders not stated plainly enough, Sirius? Answer when you are spoken to."

"I got it." Sirius answered, crudely.

Regulus groaned, inwardly. He could not understand why his brother spoke to his mother in a disrespectful way that he knew would upset her, and then would complain about how cross she was with him. Why did his brother antagonize her so?

Sirius backtracked quickly, as his mother's cheekbones sharpened and her chin lifted menacingly. "Sorry, I meant yes, ma'am." Sirius corrected himself.

Regulus waited in anticipation of the proper admonishing he suspected his brother was in for. But it never came. His mother simply shook her head in stark disapproval.

"I shall return shortly." She directed the comment at both boys, holding them in a stern gaze. She then stepped back, letting the entrance door swing closed behind her.

Once there was a wall shielding them from his mother's gaze, Sirius snickered. He smiled over at Regulus, "Did the war kick it up a notch lately, and everyone knows about it other than me?"

Regulus did not respond, merely adjusting his grasp on the handle of his trunk as he began transporting it toward the main staircase. He was simply going to carry it up, as it was charmed to float and was not heavy. Before he could begin his ascent, Kreacher quickly appeared at the foot of the stairs, stopping him from doing so.

"Young Master must let Kreacher transport the luggage." The house elf perked up eagerly, reaching out to grasp the trunk to disparate the items up to the bedrooms.

Regulus nodded as he stepped back, "Thank you, Kreacher."

The house elf's face twisted into a smile, one that he rarely saw on Kreacher's face. He got the sense that their house elf was pleased he was home once more. He had never considered whether Kreacher had missed him while he was away. It made him happy to know the house elf valued his presence there. Perhaps even Kreacher found Grimmauld Place lonely. He vowed to spend some time with the elf over the break. As Regulus watched, Kreacher grabbed ahold of his luggage and snapped his fingers with vigour. The trunk and cage vanished, alongside the elf.

Regulus' pleasure at the elf's fondness was short-lived. Behind him, his brother snorted. "Being your parent's golden child wasn't good enough, have to be the house elf's favourite too?"

Regulus ignored him, his face turning surly. His brother could be truly ghastly about some things, one of those being the house elf. Kreacher was a loyal and hardworking house elf who had done nothing to deserve the mistreatment he suffered at his brother's hands. He served their parents first and foremost, as he was supposed to, so Sirius could not hold it against the elf that he let their mother know when he caught Sirius misbehaving. It was his duty to report back to her. Regulus should have known he'd be mocked for being half-decent to the elf the moment his brother stepped foot in Grimmauld Place again. But things had changed. Regulus had changed. He was not going to return to doing everything Sirius commanded blindly, not after his brother cast him aside the moment he had options.

Regulus turned his back on his brother, following Kreacher up the stairs to empty his trunk. Once he got past the curve on the stairwell, his brother was no longer visible below. As he neared his bedroom door, he could hear Kreacher return downstairs to transport his brother's trunk.

He could hear Kreacher speaking up, his tone unfriendly. "Young Master has disrespected his family’s crest, that will not do."

Regulus paused at his door, craning his neck toward the railing to listen in on the conversation. He did not know what Sirius had done to a family crest. He wondered if Kreacher meant the crest emblazoned on the trunk Sirius had been carrying. Regulus had not inspected it carefully.

He could hear a thump as his brother gave the trunk a shove. "Oh bugger off. Just take it upstairs, would you?"

"Yes, Kreacher must help the foul-mouthed young master." Kreacher muttered below, continuing as if Sirius couldn't hear. "Nasty little delinquent brat, always giving the Mistress such a headache. Terribly bad seed this one, yes. The poor Mistress and Master."

"Oi! I will tie your ears into a bowtie." Sirius hissed in response.

Regulus had heard more than enough. He exhaled in exasperation, shoving his way into his bedroom to go unpack. He did not know if it was due to the guilt he felt for tattling or out of resentment since his brother seemed to loathe anything to do with their family, Regulus included, but he absolutely did not want to speak to Sirius. He knew it was going to be a long and lonely summer break.

He unpacked quickly. He did not want to still be in his bedroom when Sirius finished cleaning out his own trunk, so his brother could not come in and speak with him. He hung up his uniform shirts and robes, and placed his neatly folded pants into his dresser. He emptied his textbooks and assigned texts out onto his bookshelf. There were a few quidditch magazines at the bottom of his trunk, a gift from Narcissa, that he hid between his mattress and the bed frame. Unlike his brother, he was allowed to bring books into Grimmauld Place, but he did not want to leave it out where his mother could confiscate it if he did anything to displease her. Especially since he was sure to be in hot water for his grades.

And then there was only his broomstick and owl left to put away. He left the broomstick resting against his wall, intending to bring it out to the shed later. He decided to bring his owl down to their tower, slipping one of his unread quidditch tabloids under his arm before he left. He could browse through the new edition after dropping off his owl. His mother said they would not be back till supper, after all. He needed to do something to keep his mind off of his grades and his brother.

Regulus ended up settling down on the window sill in their library, the one with a view of the sky and the side alley of their bustling London street. It was one of his favourite spots in the house. He sat down and leaned against the wall, resting his legs in front of him on the sill. He opened his new edition, grateful that his cousin thought to leave him with some. He would need entertainment over the break.

Sirius arrived in the library a few minutes after he did. He didn't seem to be searching for Regulus, but made a beeline to his window once he saw him. Regulus glanced over for a moment before he swiftly averted his eyes, stubbornly focusing his full attention back on his reading. He did not want Sirius to feel as though he was welcome to approach him. He was not.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his brother drawing closer. Regulus refused to acknowledge his presence, his eyes aggressively running along the lines on the page before him. He was too upset to be taking in much information, reading the same sentence over and over. After a beat, Sirius grabbed a volume off a bookshelf. He sat down with a flourish against the wall below the window seat Regulus was resting on. Regulus remained unmoved, and Sirius turned to his own book.

Regulus seethed, internally, determined to pretend he could not see him. He had only wanted a few hours of peace. The longer the two of them sat there in silence, quietly reading, the more annoyed he grew. Every indication that his brother was there made him angry. The soft fluttering of his pages as he turned the sheets, the noises of him inhaling, even the muffled sound of him swallowing - all made Regulus want to hurl his tabloid out the window.

The book Sirius was reading was an aged tome, tattered and in a state of disarray. When Sirius turned the third page of the volume, a spurt of dust escaped from the weathered pages, puffing into his face. He inhaled sharply and sneezed.

Regulus could not take it anymore. He snarled, "Shut up."

Sirius sat on the floor stunned for a moment, rubbing at his nose as he whirled to face him in disbelief. Regulus was still reading his magazine with an air of haughtiness, keeping a disinterested look on his face as he thrust his chin forward defiantly.

"Would you relax? I sneezed!" His brother snapped, leaning forward to swat up at Regulus' magazine. The cover snapped closed on his fingers from the force.

"Cut it out." Regulus frowned, retrieving the page he was on. His brother was such a pest. He tightened his grip as a reflex.

Sirius snickered, rising to his feet to try snatching the magazine from Regulus' grasp. "You want to be a right tosser but whine when I respond?" He laughed.

"Sirius, stop!" Regulus complained. He pulled the magazine toward the window quickly, evading the first attempt to seize it.

"Sirius, stop." Sirius repeated in a crude, mocking tone. He lunged once more as Regulus held him back with his other arm.

Regulus glared, darkly. "This is not funny."

Sirius kept up the shrill tone. "This is not funny."

Regulus huffed in exasperation, "How immature can you be?"

"How immature can you be?" Sirius repeated. He shoved Regulus' arm down and leaned forward, managing to acquire a solid grip on the magazine they were wrestling for.

"Leave my book alone," His voice had a desperate edge. "Stop being a prat!"

He was growing truly upset then. His face felt hot as he desperately tried to rip the magazine out of his brother's clutch. Sirius held fast, seeming to only be fueled by Regulus' sulkiness.

His brother smiled triumphantly. "Apologize first."

"No!"

"Very well, then the battle will continue." Sirius smirked, giving the magazine a strong tug that nearly dragged Regulus off the window sill as he tried to hold the issue back. One of his hands released to catch himself from falling right off the bench.

"Sirius!" His voice was getting shriller.

Sirius grinned as he finally freed the magazine from Regulus' fingers in a final tug. He danced away from the window with the prized possession safely tucked in his arms.

Regulus jerked himself off the sill, landing on his feet before it. "Give it back!"

"Give it back." Sirius mocked, slipping the magazine behind his back protectively.

Regulus rushed forward, making a few weak attempts to dart one direction or the other, quickly giving up when Sirius easily dodged them.

"What is the magic word, Reggie?" Sirius smiled sweetly when Regulus paused to consider his options.

Regulus blinked aggressively a few times, breathing heavily as he stood across from his brother. "Give it back." He hissed.

"Wrong! Try again." Sirius toyed with the magazine in his hands, teasingly. "Don't you know the magic word?"

"Lacero." Regulus whispered, his eyes gleaming for a moment. He didn't care if that was cruel to tease his brother about. He wanted his words to be hurtful. Sirius' smile slacked as he stared back at him, raising his eyebrows. His expression wavered away.

"Still incorrect, Walburga." His brother replied, his voice colder than it had been a moment before. The amusement factor of the game seemed to be tarnished for his brother, and his face grew more annoyed.

Regulus sulked, huffing as he crossed his arms. "Please?" He breathed, keeping his eyes on the ceiling as he did.

Sirius quickly handed over the magazine, shaking his head in bewilderment, "Seriously. What's with the mood, Regulus?"

Regulus grabbed the magazine roughly, stomping away without answering. He headed directly out of the library. He wanted nothing more than to be as far from his stupid, annoying brother as he could be. It had been a long time since he was as infuriated with his brother as he was right then. When he got halfway up the staircase, he realized that Sirius was following him. He picked up his pace frantically, sprinting past the landing toward the top floor. Sirius started running after him, taking two steps at a time. He reached the top floor by the time Sirius was passing the landing. Regulus sprinted, breathlessly, toward his awaiting bedroom door. He knew Sirius was right on his heels.

He nearly made it. He lunged for the handle to slam the door behind him, but Sirius had gotten there right in time. He swiftly shoved a foot out to prevent the door from being slammed in his face. The bottom of the door bounced off his foot, sliding back in the opposite direction.

"Come on, cranky." Sirius leaned against the doorframe with a playful smile. "I was just teasing! I was going to give the magazine back either way."

"Do not come in my room." Regulus retorted, crossing his arms with a fussy look. He loathed Sirius with every ounce of his being at that moment.

"Not in your room, am I?" Sirius pointed down at the threshold into Regulus' room, where his feet were centimetres away from crossing over.

"I will tell...." Regulus' voice trailed off halfway through his sentence. His cold rage faltered as he stared at his brother, shocked by his own words. As if he didn't feel guilty enough for the last time he turned his brother in. This could not be the type of brother he was now, tattling to his mother against his brother at every inconvenience. He never would have dreamed of tattling a few years back. What was the matter with him?

Sirius' expression flashed with anger. Regulus shuddered at the shift, the motion shooting through his full body. Now his brother was as angry as he was.

"Like hell you will!" Sirius abandoned waiting in the hall, pushing his way into the room. "What is your problem?"

Regulus flushed, his cheeks colouring, "You are my problem!"

"Everything was fine at Christmas, where is this all coming from?" Sirius prodded on.

"Yes." Regulus spat, infuriated. His words were spewing bitterness. "And then you ran right back to your friends despite being told to stay away from them. And I heard what you and James Potter were speaking about at the train station. Not to mention, you have been nothing but lousy to myself and my friends ever since break."

"Are you taking the piss?" Sirius threw his arms up. "You were the one who decided we don't talk at Hogwarts, remember? You ignore me all the time while we are there. And who the bloody hell are you to tell me who I can talk to?"

Regulus flinched back, hoping he wouldn't cry. It wasn't his fault he could not speak with Sirius at Hogwarts! He would never find his footing in Slytherin or gain any respect among the older years if they associated him with his brother. It was so frustrating that Sirius could not understand that.

Sirius went on, "And for the record, I was in that compartment with you today. That Crouch kid is not your friend, Regulus!"

Regulus' face went hard. He could not talk about Barty with his brother. No way. "Mind your own business."

"You first!" Sirius shot back.

Regulus wrapped his arms around his chest, averting his eyes. He and Sirius had fought at times growing up, they were brothers and had no one else to quarrel with, but he had rarely been yelled at by Sirius. It was all too much to bear. He had never wanted any of this. He thought things would be the way they always were at Hogwarts - they'd share the same house and would spend time together frequently. He never had expected Hogwarts to take his brother away from him.

Sirius exhaled, dropping his voice down a few notches. "Look, I never liked this whole setup where I can't talk to you at Hogwarts. You made that decision, don't blame me for it."

"Oh please." Regulus' tone was cold. "Anytime we are together, all you want to do is get back to your friends."

"I'm not allowed to have friends now?" Sirius gave him an exasperated look. "Besides, you know it is not you I am trying to get away from."

Regulus' voice came out tired. "You cannot hide from your family forever, Sirius."

"Oh for Merlin's sake." Sirius huffed, with a condescending attitude. "What do you want from me, Regulus?"

"Nothing. I want you to leave me be."

Sirius shot him a doubtful look, "If that were the case, you wouldn't have started this in the library."

Regulus tossed his head back as he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "Can you please stop?"

"You're not leaving me with many options beyond forcing you to talk." Sirius snapped, impatiently, "I don't feel like waiting around all summer for you to quit being a stroppy child."

That was the breaking point for Regulus. He could no longer hold back the tears threatening to emerge. The entire conversation had been so frustrating, making him feel guilty and unheard at the same time, and he couldn't bear it anymore. His face crumpled. He sat back against his bed, quickly hiding his face in both hands. He sniffed, weakly.

His brother spoke up after a pause, his voice softer. "Reg...," he climbed onto the bed beside him, "I'm sorry."

He could feel his brother tentatively wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He didn't push his brother away. It was an unfamiliar thing, to be held and embraced, but it was oddly comforting. And he desperately wanted some comfort from his brother then. All of his resentment was forgotten as he felt Sirius' chin rest on his shoulder.

"I didn't want to fight." Sirius muttered, giving Regulus a moment to compose himself.

Regulus tried to say he did not wish to either, but the words were muffled until they were unintelligible by his hands. Figures.

"Then let's stop, yeah?"

Regulus dropped his hands to his lap, gifting Sirius a sullen look. "You started it. You sat beneath me in the library when I wanted to be alone."

"Untrue." Sirius laughed. "I only wanted to talk and for you to stop ignoring me. You told me to shut up for sneezing!"

"Yeah," Regulus smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "It was satisfying."

Sirius nodded knowingly. "I hear that a lot."

Regulus giggled, leaning back as he propped himself up with his arms. "I do want to have a nice summer."

"Shoot, we are in agreement there." Sirius poked him in the stomach. "You should stop bottling up all this resentment toward me so we can have fun together."

"Okay." Regulus relented with a small smile, his eyes fixed down at his chest. It had all felt so big a few minutes before, but now, it was so easy to push all of his anger down. He just wanted to be happy with his brother again so desperately. For a moment there, everything was back to normal between them.

"Attaboy!" Sirius cheered, clapping him on his shoulders. "What are our plans for this summer?"

Regulus shrugged again, gently swaying on the bed, not offering up any suggestions. He was willing to do almost anything his brother wanted to do in that split-second. Maybe he could go right back to being the eager follower he had been growing up. He wanted to relish every happy moment he had with his brother, he didn't know how many more they would have. Who knew how long their peace would last?

"Nothing?" Sirius teased. "Shoot. I have to do all the work here. What about your birthday, anything you wanted to do for it?"

Regulus looked up, his eyebrows furrowing. That was an odd topic. They had never discussed his birthday much in the past. "What do you mean? We have never celebrated birthdays beyond having tea or a dinner."

"Well, you should!"

Regulus shook his head quickly, remembering his mother's opinion of birthdays. "I doubt Mum would approve of that."

"Who cares?" Sirius asked. He lifted his shoulders a bit, holding out an arm in an unconcerned gesture.

"I do not wish to upset her."

Sirius relented with a deep sigh, "I am aware."

His brother stood up, scouring the room till he spotted a notepad and quill. He turned back to Regulus. "Let's make a list of everything we can do this summer to pass the time." Sirius paused for a moment, inspecting him closely. "You were happy at Hogwarts, right? Is it better for you there than here?"

Regulus hesitated, casting his eyes at the exposed doorway before he timidly nodded. "Yeah, it was more fun."

"Thank goodness." Sirius snorted, tossing the notepad onto the bed by his side. "Get to work on the list."

They had managed to scrounge up nearly a page of options before hearing indications of movement in the house once more. The sounds of creaking floorboards and muffled words soon reached them from below.

"Sounds like they're back." Sirius frowned. Regulus could not help but feel the same. He wished they could have salvaged their alone time for a while longer.

Kreacher returned to the top floor to beckon the boys down to supper shortly after their parents returned. Sirius moaned as Regulus began to clean up the quills they had been using.

"We can finish our list later." Regulus told him, hiding the parchment between pages 314 and 315 in his Magical Theory textbook. He put the volume back on his shelf neatly.

Grimmauld Place was eerily quiet as the two walked down the dimly lit stairwell, navigating their way to the dining hall. Both parents were already seated in their respective spots at the long dining table when they entered. Regulus noted their tired expressions as both glanced over, neither maintaining their stern expressions as well as they normally did.

"Take your seats." His mother's words were emotionless, giving away no hints of her mood.

Regulus eyed their parents carefully as he advanced to his chair, seeking any indication to help him predict how the conversation would go. Usually, he could get a good sense of their moods from the subtle body language he had grown accustomed to over the years. But that day, neither seemed to be displaying their usual mannerisms.

Sirius scooted his chair in a few times, each screech echoing boldly through the chamber. Once he was still, nothing more could be heard beyond the crackling of the fireplace. Regulus sat down with far less flair, his chair barely making any noise.

His mother glanced at their father momentarily, but moved forward herself once he remained motionless. "Your father and I received notice of your evaluation results."

His mother's eyes were drilling into him and his brother. Regulus stared at her, tense with apprehension.

She went on, "They are unsatisfactory. You ought to be performing at a higher level."

Neither boy supplied any response as they met each other's eyes for a moment, sharing in their anxiety over their inevitable rebuke. Regulus had known it was coming, yet was filled with dread now that it had.

"Sirius." His mother shifted her focus, her piercing look solely directed at his brother. "You evidently made no effort to amend your appalling conduct from first semester."

"The important grades are not too bad." Sirius argued. He sounded defensive. He probably was. Regulus had never heard their parents acknowledge that Sirius had topped charms twice now. That seemed like a sore spot for his brother.

"The lack of initiative you demonstrate is a shameful moral failing." His mother hissed, her eyes flashing at his response. "Your educational achievements must fit the expected standards for someone of your status."

Regulus turned sharply when he heard their father clear his throat. Their father was peering over at Sirius with a grave expression as he intervened. "You underperformed in History of Magic once more, despite being told to remedy that failing."

"I am not well suited to history." Sirius replied, gazing back at their father. He seemed happy to forestall his mother's lecture.

"Do not make excuses." Their father narrowed his eyes. "I have communicated with your professor. I know you have not put any effort into your studies."

Regulus watched, mutely, as his brother clenched his mouth closed. He paused for a beat, seeming to be lost in thought. Regulus' eyes flickered back to their father, inspecting him carefully. He noticed that their father's glass was filled with water and the daily newspaper beside his plate remained undisturbed. Their father seemed more alert than he had seen him in years, with no sign of the glassy eyes or coloured cheeks from any spirit.

Their father continued to berate his brother, "You will study for this subject over the summer. You have your textbook from the previous year. I expect you to write comprehensive notes on the entirety of the text before you will be allowed to engage in any other activities this summer. Is that clear?"

Regulus tried to hide his disappointment by staring down at his hands. He was not thrilled that Sirius would be stuck doing schoolwork over the start of the break. He was sure that his brother was even less happy about it.

"Yes." Sirius replied, stifling a groan. Hopefully, his brother could write quick notes.

"That includes any excursions outside of the residence." His mother clarified. "We will assess whether or not your notations are acceptable prior to you receiving any privileges."

His brother was unable to stop a huffed noise of irritation from escaping his lips. His mother seemed pleased at the miserable expression Sirius failed to hide, her lips curling into a smug smile as she sat back. His visible displeasure with the task seemed to conclude the matter for their parents, with both moving away from the topic of the history mark. Their father lifted his magazine as his mother released Sirius from her glare.

Regulus wondered if his grades had been completely forgotten. It would not be the first time. Most family conversations swiftly became a lecture for Sirius while he waited on the sidelines. But his mother was not letting him off the hook so easily that day.

After a pause, his mother turned her sharp eyes on her younger son. "You fell short of achieving the expected level in various subjects. Why is that?"

Regulus held her gaze, his face pale, "I need to improve my transfiguration and astronomy notes next year."

She nodded sharply, with one eyebrow raised above the other. It was clear that she was appalled by his grades. "Yes, you do. I will await the necessary amendments to your results in the upcoming year. Do not disappoint me again, Regulus."

Regulus dropped his head down a few notches, withdrawing his eyes as his mother turned back to her plate. He felt ashamed of himself. He had failed his mother.

There was little remaining sign of the fatigue that was clear on his mother's face earlier, the act of correcting her sons seemingly rejuvenating her. Their father had not glanced up from his paper. Neither parent addressed them again as the meal was served, with the boys eating in silence. Their parents occasionally discussed idle topics from the paper, throwing out random judgments or critiques of dishonourable wizarding families, before reestablishing their silence.

Once Regulus finished his food, he sat at his seat quietly as he awaited his dismissal. Finally, their father set the paper down long enough to clear his plate and set his dinnerware aside.

His mother rose first, turning to the boys. "Regulus, you are excused."

She made no further mention of Sirius, waiting patiently for Regulus to take his leave. He nodded obediently, leaving the dining hall without a word. As he walked toward the stairs, he could hear her speaking to his brother behind him. "After me, Sirius." She commanded.

Regulus ducked behind the handle as his mother exited the hall, turning sharply to walk down the corridor toward her office. She did not notice Regulus on the stairs.

After a small pause, he could hear their father's voice in the dining hall. His tone was pointed. "Obey your mother."

And then his brother exited, following after his mother slowly.

Fear gripped Regulus' throat as he hurried up the stairs. He did not know what his mother intended to do to his brother, but he knew it was his fault. All of the new tension between his mother and brother that day was a result of what he told her after winter break. She said that Sirius was untrustworthy and now was beckoning his brother into her study - something she had rarely done before. It must be because of what he told her. After a decade of the two brothers protecting each other from their parents, now he had set his mother on his brother. He wished he had never written that foolish letter.

Regulus spent the next hour pacing around his room. He tried to keep his mind from worrying about what was occurring below. Sirius would be okay, he always was. No matter what their parents did to him, his brother had always been resilient. But Regulus was petrified anyway. He had never been to blame for what his brother received before, so it was worse this time.

His stress levels were so high, that he shattered his lantern’s bulb as he walked by, with accidental magic. He hadn't lost control of his magic in years. He cleaned the mess up quickly, hoping he could hide all evidence of his error. His mother would be displeased to hear that he was making such childish mistakes again. It was some grace that she was distracted with Sirius below, and did not hear the lantern implode.

At a quarter to 22:00, he finally heard his brother's familiar steps ascending the staircase. His pace was quick as he rushed into his bedroom. Regulus instantly wanted to go see if his brother was okay. He bounded over toward his door, eagerly. But a noise in the neighbouring room stopped him in his tracks.

He could hear Sirius cursing himself under his breath and the loud noise of a floor plank being lifted. That was one of his brother's favourite hiding spots. He kept a great deal of his belongings below the planks in his bedroom, so their parents wouldn't find them. But what he heard next was worse.

"James Potter." Sirius whispered.

The response was almost immediate. He could hear a second voice emerge. The voice sounded faint and distorted, as if coming out of a muggle radio, but he could still tell who the speaker was. "You're late!" Potter protested.

Regulus stepped away from his door handle, his mouth tasting bitter. He could vaguely make out his brother's response, but he was not listening anymore. He walked back toward his bed, feeling worse than he had all day.

Regulus had forgotten about the two-way mirror. He realized, with a start, that he had fooled himself into believing while he had Sirius at Grimmauld Place, things would go back to normal. That the two of them would only have each other again. But he had forgotten about the two-way mirror and how that would change their time at home. Sirius would always have contact with James Potter now, always have a mirror to escape into.

Only Regulus was alone.

Chapter Text

June, 1973

The first week and a half of summer dragged by slowly. Sirius was locked away in his bedroom all day, working on his punishment schoolwork. Regulus only caught a glimpse of him over meals, where he was forbidden from speaking with his brother. He did not try to sneak into his bedroom at night either. He was sure his mother would not be pleased if she caught him speaking to his brother before his task was complete. So he kept his distance. He did, however, slip a list of ideas he had for their summer plans under Sirius' door when no one was looking. He hoped that may offer Sirius some motivation to power through the textbook revisions.

His mother did not say much to him over the first several days, leaving him to his own means. It was a few days into the break before he had an opportunity to speak with her. She had dismissed Sirius to his bedroom after supper was complete, waiting patiently until he was well up the stairs before she called the house elf. "Kreacher."

Their elf appeared in the dining hall with a loud snap, peering up at his mother eagerly. "Yes, mistress?"

"We shall serve the tea and biscuits for Regulus' name day now." His mother ordered, coolly.

"Yes, yes. Kreacher must bring the tea." The elf nodded, disappearing once more.

Regulus stared, baffled. He had not expected his birthday to be acknowledged. They rarely ever celebrated birthdays at Grimmauld Place, as their parents disapproved of such pointless celebrations. Birthdays were so insignificant that Regulus had barely noticed the date that morning. Usually, his birthday only included receiving posts from relatives wishing him well on his birthday.

His father made an irritated noise in his throat, pushing his chair back as he rose to his feet. He tucked his copy of the Daily Prophet in the crook of his arm. "I must retire to my study."

His mother stared over at him, her eyes flashing. "Orion." She protested. "Surely you can spare a few minutes."

He narrowed his eyes, casting his wife a frigid glare. "I have far more important matters to attend to than this nonsense."

His mother did not reply. She seemed to relent in the argument, resting her hands down stiffly at her sides. Regulus dropped his eyes down to his hands. It was uncomfortable to be present when they were arguing. Especially when he knew his birthday was the root of their disagreement.

His father strolled away from the table without another word. Regulus listened to his footsteps echoing down the hall as he vanished from sight. Regulus felt a twinge of bitterness.

His mother cleared her throat, giving him a stern look as she regained her composure. "Never mind him."

Regulus nodded, dutifully. He knew better than to take the way the family functioned to heart. His father had more important things on his mind than his second son. That was simply the way things were, and there was no point in sulking about it.

Kreacher reappeared, along with an elegant tray of tea and a plateful of biscuits. His mother primly retrieved a cup and saucer, pouring tea into her cup to the halfway point. She tucked her neatly folded handkerchief under the side of the saucer. Regulus followed suit, being careful to not spill any of his tea.

"You may have two biscuits." His mother informed him, nodding at the plate of sweets. "But no more than that."

His words came out hushed. "Yes, ma'am."

He had not expected to receive such a luxury that day. They were rarely ever permitted to have sweets at Grimmauld Place. His mother had only allowed him to have a few on special occasions and holidays in the past. Being offered two on the same day was quite an event.

Once he settled down with two biscuits on the edge of his saucer, his mother turned to him. She eyed him over with assessing eyes. "You did the right thing informing me of your brother's actions after the break. You are old enough to recognize your responsibility to your family now, which includes the duty to report anyone betraying the family."

Regulus swallowed heavily. He knew they would have to discuss the letter sooner or later. He was only hoping it'd be later. "Yes, ma'am." He replied.

His mother nodded slowly. "It is about time that you portray more loyalty to your family than to your wayward brother. He has led you down treacherous paths in the past. You gravely disappointed me in your impertinent behaviour last year for your brother’s sake. I expect you to have matured and seen the error of your ways now."

Regulus could only nod in response. His throat felt heavy, making speech impossible. His heartbeat was strumming in his ears. He did not wish to rehash how he had assisted Sirius in stealing his broomstick and how he lied about it to his mother. Nor did he wish to bring up how he had snuck around her orders to send letters to his brother. He had made a lot of foolish decisions the previous year. Being pent up alone for so long had tarnished his judgement.

"You have started to regain my trust," His mother went on, her words void of any emotion, "but there will be no tolerance for any setbacks. You must decide whether your loyalty lies with your family or with your brother. It cannot be with both."

"I understand." Regulus replied, his words feeling heavy in his throat. "I will be loyal to my family."

The corner of her lip curled up. "Yes, you shall be."

His mother drank her tea in silence for a few more minutes. Regulus ate his biscuits slowly, trying to relish every bite as he did. She allowed him to finish his tea before she beckoned Kreacher back to clear the table.

His mother motioned toward the door. "You are dismissed."

But Regulus hesitated. He had something he needed to ask her, and he didn't know if he would have a better opportunity to ask it. She noticed his pause and narrowed her eyes at him. "Is there something you wish to say?"

Regulus collected his courage. He maintained her gaze as he nodded. "I had a request, if I may speak?"

"Go on."

He swallowed his nerves as he forced the words through his lips. "May I be permitted to visit my friend over the summer break? He invited me to attend a festival with him."

His mother's eyes drilled into him mercilessly. Her voice had a sharp edge to it. "Which friend?"

"Evan Rosier."

She turned her chin back to her tea as she contemplated. Then she motioned him closer with a wave of her hand. Regulus obeyed, walking around the edge of the table to approach her by her side. She rose to her feet to tower over him as he paused before her, resting her hands down on his shoulders.

"If I grant you permission to do such a thing, I expect you will uphold your family's values and my orders wherever you are. Is that a warranted trust, Regulus?"

He tried to keep his face blank as he agreed. She would not appreciate any sign of weakness. "Yes, ma'am."

His mother's eyes were gazing into his as though she could see right through him. She didn't need to be a Legilimen to read his thoughts. She always seemed to know what was on his mind.

"I will be in contact with the Rosier family to see for myself whether they are appropriate company." She said, finally.

A surge of relief flooded his body. He nodded again, happy. She seemed to truly be considering letting him go.

"When you have my trust, you will find you will be given far more leeway and freedom to do as you please, Regulus." She told him, her tone measured. "But blemish my trust again, and you will find that every privilege can be rescinded in a split-second. I will not be as forgiving the next time you fail me."

He returned the gaze somberly. "I understand."

"I know you do." His mother sighed. She lifted her hand, running it down the side of his hair, around his ear. "I wish for you to live up to what I know you are capable of. To be derailed by your brother, of all things, was an insult to the time I invested in you."

"It will not happen again." Regulus promised, his tone conveying his shame.

"Good boy." Her bright eyes hung half-closed, a small smile on her lips. And then she pulled him in against her chest, as she had done a year back. She stroked his hair a few times as she loosely hugged him. "Happy twelfth name day, my son."

He clenched his eyes closed, trying to soak in every second in her arms. He whispered his response, "Thank you."

****
July, 1973

Sirius met him on the field out back eleven days into the summer break. Regulus had been training on his broomstick when he noticed his brother's presence below. He landed beside the shed swiftly, hurrying over to his brother.

"You are done?" He asked, breathing heavily.

"Yep!" Sirius replied, with a smirk. "Had to come wish you a happy belated birthday. I knew I wasn't going to finish in time to make it for the day of, but I tried."

"Thanks." Regulus scoffed. He did not want to tell his brother about the conversation he had over tea with his mother. "It is fine, it was uneventful."

Sirius leaned against the shed lazily. "I wanted to get you something as a gift, but I didn't really get much time to find anything. I will get back to you on it sometime this summer."

"Do not worry about it." Regulus shrugged, pulling open the entrance to the shed to go store his broomstick.

"Are you going to try out for the Slytherin team next year?" Sirius asked, as Regulus came back out.

"I think so. But I would not expect to get anything better than a bench spot. Slytherin has a strong seeker."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Regulus nodded, with a matter-of-fact expression. "Narcissa is going to try out for a chaser position because the competition was so stiff for seekers. She is strong at both positions, and Emma Vanity encouraged her to apply for chaser."

His brother seemed unsurprised to hear that. He shot over a sloppy grin. "Good for her."

A thought occurred to him. "Did you try out for the Gryffindor team? I thought you were going to." Regulus asked, his forehead creasing between his eyebrows.

Sirius chuckled, "Let's not talk about that."

Regulus stared. "What?"

"Why don't we go walk around before dinner?" Sirius turned away, swiftly changing the topic. But his obvious avoidance only fueled Regulus' interest. He pondered why his brother would react that way to a harmless question.

Regulus did not attempt to disguise his amusement in his tone. "Did you try out but not get a spot?"

"Maybe." Sirius admitted.

Regulus snickered, "Bet that hurt."

His brother grinned, peering down at his feet sheepishly. He probably threw a fit, Regulus reasoned. His brother had never handled losing anything with much grace.

"You can try again this year." Regulus caught up beside his brother. He gazed over at Sirius with a small sneer on his face. "It will be good practice for getting used to rejection."

"Piss off." Sirius scoffed. "You're acting very confident for someone who has not made the team either."

"Not yet, at least." Regulus corrected, his eyes shining with a hint of arrogance. He enjoyed mocking his brother on something that seemed to be a sensitive subject.

Sirius laughed, "You better make it now after mocking me for flopping!"

"Suppose so."

The first week of July ended up being more enjoyable than the end of June had been. Both boys were free to spend their days together, exploring the outskirts of the neighbouring town, swimming in the lake and reading the books Narcissa had mailed them at the park. While the boys quickly reinstated their typical summer routine, not all had returned to normal. For one, everyone seemed oddly civil.

Regulus did not know what happened between Sirius and their parents, but there was a clear shift in their relationship. Instead of the constant lecturing and arguing Regulus was used to hearing between his brother and his parents, all seemed to be quite polite. While both parents remained busy with their work, when their paths did cross, his parents seemed far more pleasant toward Sirius than he was used to.

First, Sirius received a gift of several books from their father a few days after he was released, which he placed on his barren bookshelf. Sirius seemed uninterested by the volumes, but had a secret smile on his lips as he put them away. Regulus knew the gift touched him.

The next morning at breakfast, his mother casually turned to his brother and asked him which courses were enjoyable for him at Hogwarts. Sirius was dumbfounded after being addressed by his mother so casually and stared at her with his mouth ajar for a solid minute before responding.

Both boys were amazed by the civil phase his parents had entered with his brother. Initially, they were sure that Sirius would soon spoil the civility within Grimmauld Place by saying or doing the wrong thing, setting them off on him once more. But the days continued to pass by with no alterations occurring between him and their parents.

On the first day of the second week of July, their mother stopped Regulus and Sirius at the back entrance. The two had just returned from Regulus flying on his broomstick while Sirius made a list of prank ideas on the bench below. They froze in the entranceway when they saw her standing at the window facing the field, evidently having been watching them.

She turned to gaze over at them coolly, "Regulus, if you wish to, you are permitted to share a broomstick with your brother for the day."

Regulus and Sirius exchanged a wide-eyed look.

"It is merely for the day." His mother repeated, shooting Sirius a stern look.

"Understood." Sirius nodded solemnly, trying his best to contain his excitement. He glanced back at Regulus who was attempting to hide his smile. He couldn't believe that Sirius would be allowed on a broomstick again!

They spent every second they had before dinner in the air, taking full advantage of the day their mother had given them. His brother was over the moon with excitement the whole time, being giddy in a way he rarely was at Grimmauld Place. It was clear he had missed being on a broomstick. It was a difficult feat to force him to lower back to reality when Regulus pointed out they had five minutes to spare before dinner. They knew if they took advantage of the kindness his mother had granted Sirius, she would never give him another opportunity to use a broomstick again at their residence. So they ended the flight despite their deep reluctance to do so. They made it to dinner punctually, albeit a bit grimy from their excursions.

In the third week of the month, Regulus sought out Sirius in the library window one morning with some news to share. His mother had informed him he would be permitted to visit Rosier next week as he had requested. His excitement was short-lived when he remembered that he now needed to let Sirius know he would be abandoning him.

"I am going to go stay with Evan Rosier next week." Regulus informed Sirius primly. He hoped his nerves weren't clear all over his face. "He invited me to come and Mum said I can go."

"Oh yeah?" His brother replied, carefully. He was doing a good job of hiding his disappointment, but Regulus could still see subtle hints of it.

"Yes." Regulus gazed at him warily.

"All right, have fun." Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like I am going to whack you?"

Regulus huffed. "I do not know. I was not certain what you would think. You never bring up my friends."

"Yeah, well, Rosier seems fine." Sirius snorted. "I don't bring them up since you always get bratty whenever mine come up."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Oi!" Sirius laughed. "Better not let mum hear you using muggle slang. Bet she would blame me for it."

"That is how I get away with most things." Regulus agreed, turning to leave before Sirius could respond to the quip.

"What a pain in the arse." Sirius snickered behind him.

Regulus was nearly skipping as he wandered off, feeling a weight off his shoulders after telling his brother. And yet still, he couldn't help but worry about leaving his brother alone with his parents for a week. Even in their newfound civility, they seemed to tolerate him best in small doses. Too much one-on-one time was bound to get explosive. And Regulus was a good buffer in conversations between Sirius and his mother. But he couldn't give up his opportunity to see Rosier out of fear of what might happen when Sirius was there alone. He survived a year alone, after all. His brother should be able to handle a week.

The third week of July crept on by with Regulus and Sirius returning to their typical time-killing habits. They scoured out new regions around the surrounding area, gathered leaves for Regulus' collection and read every book they could get their hands on. One afternoon, Sirius even managed to convince Regulus to get close enough to a local muggle pub so they could watch the live music from afar. He went along with it despite his reluctance, wanting to make his brother happy. He was abandoning Sirius there alone next week. He needed to do something to quiet his guilt.

Finally, the day of his visit arrived. Regulus joined the rest of the family in having breakfast before his mother was to escort him to the Rosiers' household.

His mother seemed to be in a talkative mood at the table, asking Regulus various questions about the peer he was visiting. Regulus was explaining that the Rosiers went on vacation every August when his mother said something unexpected.

"Once the war is over, we shall take a family excursion." She told the two boys. Their father was ignoring the whole conversation on the other end of the table. "There are exhibits of ancient magical ruins worldwide that all proper wizards should experience. Moreover, you are both well within the age range to be attending to our ancestral homes and regions."

Regulus was baffled by her remark, trying to remember if they had ever taken a family vacation before. He was even more confused by her mention of the war, something she seemed to refuse to ever directly acknowledge before the boys. He wasn't sure if it was a positive or negative shift that she was now admitting to the existence of a war. It didn't matter. He loved the idea either way. He loved the notion of them becoming a true family - where his brother got along with his parents and they all went on vacations together.

Regulus nodded softly, "That would be pleasant."

His mother gave them both a cool smile before returning to her breakfast, not bringing up her plans to travel post-war again.

Once they were dismissed, his brother followed Regulus to the entrance hall as he put on his shoes. His luggage for what he needed that week was already awaiting him on the bench beside the storage closet.

Sirius waited until Regulus had finished tying his laces and straightened his jacket out, then reached a hand out to muss up his hair. Regulus gasped, instinctively throwing both hands up to his head protectively. "Hey!"

"You're so predictable!" Sirius laughed as he stepped back.

Regulus rolled his eyes, carefully rearranging the hair Sirius had ruffled. His brother could be such a pain, but he felt a rush of fondness for him anyway.

Sirius leaned against the bench. "I hope you have a good time."

Regulus turned to him with a soft smile, "Thank you. You will be okay here?"

"Don't be daft." Sirius snorted. "You don't worry about me."

Regulus gave him an exasperated look, but his mother walked into the hall before he had a chance to respond. Regulus quickly picked up his luggage and gave Sirius a weak wave goodbye. And then they were off.

****

Rosier's manor was grand and bright. It was not the size of Grimmauld Place, nor was it adorned by ancient murals and heirlooms as the Blacks' home was, but it was magnificent anyway. The first thing he noticed was how bright the house felt the moment he stepped through the front door. Every room was filled with bright rays of sunlight and movement. Even though Rosier lived there alone with his two parents, every room had some magical component that gave it the feel of life and energy. Grimmauld Place was so empty and still in comparison.

His mother had liked the Rosiers. After Regulus politely greeted Rosier's mum and dad, the boys had been dismissed. But the adults remained in the drawing room, having tea and chatting for a few hours. Rosier said his parents were very excited by the prospect of having members of the House of Black over. They had encouraged him to maintain his friendship with Regulus, which both boys found to be quite silly. He was glad, however, that his mother was pleased with the family. He had hoped she would approve of the connections he was fostering among the sacred twenty-eight youth.

Regulus was permitted to stay for a whole week, even though the French festival was only for two days. The Rosiers had readied a comfortable guest room for his visit. It was far more snug than his room at home, but he did not mind. He did not intend to spend much time in the room beyond sleeping while he had Rosier for company.

Rosier had more ways to pass the time than Regulus had at Grimmauld Place. He had endless wizard games he used in his backyard, permission to use every room in his manor and access to their family library. Unlike the Blacks, his manor was located near many other wizarding communities as well, and he was allowed to go visit some of his neighbours whenever he pleased. He brought Regulus to greet a few of them. The Greengrass family lived a few streets over, with Mercury Greengrass he knew from Slytherin and Mira Greengrass from Hufflepuff. He also pointed out the Yaxley's house, where Rix Yaxley from Ravenclaw lived. Rosier said even the Fawleys lived nearby, but it was the house that belonged to Preston Fawley's cousins, while she lived a bit farther away.

Some of his neighbours were pureblood wizards who didn't go to Hogwarts. Many went to Durmstrang instead, as Hogwarts had a poor reputation ever since Dumbledore took over. One girl a few doors over invited them into a quidditch game in her backyard. She had a whole makeshift pitch set up, which kept them busy for a day. Rosier was surprisingly not too shabby on a broomstick, although, he wasn't a fan of playing quidditch. He preferred to just fly around, he said.

The first few days flew by. Regulus was not used to having so much to do to pass the time. From time to time he thought of his brother in passing, but usually, he was having too much fun to worry about Sirius. On the third day, Rosier helped him make a list of interesting charms they found in the library books to gift to Sirius, but otherwise, he tried to not think about his brother. He wanted to salvage every moment of the visit while it lasted.

On Friday morning, halfway through the visit, Rosier's mother let them know they would be attending the festival promptly. "Once you boys finish eating, we must ready ourselves to make our way over. The portkey is only registered until noon and it would be poor manners to show up tardy."

"Okay, mum." Rosier nodded, before returning to shoving forkfuls of eggs in his mouth.

Regulus nodded politely as well. He was a bit nervous around the adults still, even though they were very kind to him. He was not used to being around adults in a less formal setting where he couldn't follow the strict small talk guidelines he did at Grimmauld Place. Rosier's parents seemed far less strict than his folk, and their conversations were less formal inside the home. It made Regulus feel out of place.

Once they were ready to leave, they first travelled through the floo network to a nearby train station designated for wizard folk travel. Rosier's mother hurried ahead of them, pushing her way through the bustling crowds. Rosier trailed after her with chipper steps, and Regulus followed him. Several people ran into him as he hurried along, no matter how hard he tried to avoid them. He did not enjoy being trapped in such a packed crowd. He hoped it was at least magical folk that he kept colliding with. He did not want to share air with muggles.

Eventually, Ms. Rosier paused near a loo, where several were already lined up. She adjusted her long coat and hat primly, smiling back at the boys. "It will only take a few minutes."

"Are we lined up for the portkey?" Regulus whispered to Rosier by his side.

"Yeah-huh." Rosier snickered, a slanted smile on his lips. "It's in the restroom."

Regulus wrinkled his nose. "It is not something unsightly, is it?"

"Maybe it's dung." Rosier laughed.

His mother seemed to have heard him. She turned back sharply, her eyes slightly widening. She oddly looked Regulus' way first, meeting his eye with an alarmed look. Regulus stared back, baffled. Fear crept up his chest. He wondered if he had done something wrong.

She turned on her son, grabbing him firmly by the arm. "Evan! Do not speak in such a way."

Rosier lifted his chin with an expression of surprise. After a pause, he nodded. He was a bit more subdued. "Okay… sorry."

His cheeks lightly coloured at the reprimanding. Regulus got the sense that it was not a common occurrence. He averted his eyes quickly, not trying to embarrass his friend.

Rosier held his tongue till they landed in the middle of the boisterous festival. They were a few steps behind Ms. Rosier as they wandered around when he met Rosier's eye again. He had recovered and was giving Regulus a playful look.

"That definitely was for your benefit." Rosier scoffed, gruffly. "Think she wants me to act more like you folk when you're here. Now that we have a shot of growing more connections with the upper tier of the sacred twenty-eight, and all."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Is your family usually quite different?"

Rosier lifted and dropped his shoulders. "Not a whole lot, but less uptight than yours, I'm sure. My parents are drooling at the mouth at the thought of becoming your parents' accomplices. Sorry that she's being loopy."

Regulus did not mind. It was a bit flattering that Rosier's parents were going out of their way to try to impress him and his family. Even if their act was not truly genuine. His mother had seemed to buy it either way, as she was in a good mood when she left him there. She appreciated blind loyalty and flattery from those she surrounded herself with. He had always heard that his family was viewed as similar to wizarding royalty in the upper sacred twenty-eight circles, but it was interesting to hear it be verified from an outside source.

The interaction soon was forgotten as Ms. Rosier went off to speak to some adults she knew, leaving Rosier and Regulus to explore the booths themselves. Rosier insisted Regulus try the chocolate soufflé that was being sold at one of the stands. His mother had given him some pocket money, but Regulus was too nervous to spend it on treats or knick-knacks. Rosier had no such reservations, and kept buying sweets and toys to force Regulus to try everything.

Once they had stuffed themselves sick, played every game, watched every show and met every famous French wizard at the festival, they retired under a tent near one of the carnival shows.

"So?" Rosier smiled over expectantly. "What do you think?"

"It is brilliant!" Regulus smiled in return, feeling too elated to contain his excitement. "I have never been to anything this chaotic before. It was loads of fun."

"Good!" He seemed happy. "Do you wager you might be willing to come again next year? It doesn't change a whole lot from year to year, but the fellow who organized it usually tries to introduce a few new booths every time."

"I would be happy to attend even if it was exactly the same." Regulus replied, warmly.

Rosier's smile spread from ear to ear. "Thank Merlin. Been alone at these for years now! Do you think now that your mum met my folk, you'd be able to come more often?"

Regulus contemplated the question. "Perhaps. As long as she is happy with me and I am not needed for heir duties..."

"Heir duties?" Rosier scoffed. "I thought your brother was heir for the Black lineage."

Regulus felt his cheeks heat. "Yes, he is. But I may be required to attend certain trainings and take over some duties in preparation for a worst-case scenario. Until he has children, I would be his heir as well."

"Ah..." He nodded. "I see."

Regulus fiddled with his hands nervously. He did not wish to discuss the lineage of his family.

"So," Rosier went on. "Because Sirius is heir, he doesn't get a choice in his career or what he does after school right? He takes care of the family?"

"Essentially. Being head of the family will be his priority."

"What about you?" Rosier asked. "Are you able to have a career? Do you get a choice?"

Regulus' face was even warmer. He had never been asked that question before, but he had an answer. "I am not sure. I have never asked my mother what is expected of me in the long run. But I believe I will be allowed to have a career of my choosing, along with holding some responsibilities in the family."

"What do you want to do?"

Regulus smiled, sheepishly. "I would like to play quidditch."

"No kidding!" Rosier said, enthusiastically. "You're quite good then?"

"I believe so."

"Good for you. I hope you make it to the pros." Rosier hesitated, his tone more cynical. "Would they not need you to be more focused though, since your brother seems a tad bit unreliable?"

As soon as he said it, Regulus could feel his spirits dropping. He knew it was true. His mother would never fully trust Sirius to do his job well. She was grooming Regulus to pick up his slack, as she picked up her husband's slack. His quidditch pipe dream bled away from his hopes, just like that.

Rosier noticed his face. "I do not mean to say you can't..."

"No, you are right." Regulus sighed. He was too thrown off to remember how rude it was to interrupt someone. "I probably will not be allowed to consider a career that would keep me so far away from my family. I need to be there to ensure Sirius is performing his duties."

Rosier's face went sombre. "Sorry."

His words tasted bitter. "Not your fault. I need to do my duty to the family. My brother seems to be one of those duties."

Rosier hesitated, "Do you-"

"Rosier." Regulus interrupted, for the second time. "Can we walk around a bit? I am feeling a bit ill."

Rosier pressed his lips together, taking the hint. He rose to his feet gallantly, gesturing them onward. "Let's walk."

Chapter Text

August, 1973

Bellatrix's voice was scornful. "Do you actually not know what the unforgivable curses are?"

Regulus lifted his eyes to see his brother's response. He had been trying to read the quidditch magazine he and Narcissa were pouring over, but the squabbling across the room kept interrupting his focus.

Sirius was scowling, shifting his eyes in Bellatrix's direction while keeping his head still. She was seated across the boudoir in an improper position, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at her cousin with sinister delight.

She tilted her head, "Well?"

"I know what they are." Sirius shot back. "I do not know the incantations."

Bellatrix coughed out a cold laugh.

"Why would he know them?" Narcissa sighed at Regulus' side. She did not look up from the seeker weekly edition they had been fully immersed in moments before.

"If he had any sense he would have known them years back." Bellatrix retorted, eyeing Sirius over in disgust.

Sirius rolled his eyes, averting his gaze from her once more. Regulus sighed. The prospect of being stuck with their cousins for the entire day without adult supervision seemed more impossible by the minute.

Their impromptu visit to their cousin's manor had come as a surprise to both boys. They had spent the morning without catching a glimpse of either parent, eating breakfast and lunch without any supervision.

After lunch, their mother had swiftly exited their father's office, looking as frazzled as she was capable of. She had ushered them to prepare themselves to spend the day at their cousin's, as his parents needed to host an emergency meeting at Grimmauld Place. No one under the age of seventeen was permitted to be at the location, meaning that Regulus and Sirius were left with both Bellatrix and Narcissa - neither being considered adults and therefore were banned from entry. However, his aunt and uncle were also involved in the meeting, which left Bellatrix in charge.

Bellatrix holding all the authority over the household in her parents' absence was going exactly how anyone who knew her could imagine it going.

She lifted her hand as she began to casually name the unforgivable curses off, counting with her fingers, "The Imperius Curse, Imperio, to enact your will over the other. Then there is the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra. One spell, instant death. Seems too merciful, does it not?"

Regulus and Narcissa looked up from their magazine sharply. Regulus felt deeply troubled by the conversation, and could tell Narcissa was similarly uncomfortable at his side. She shifted nervously, casting pointed looks that her sister ignored.

"Which is why the final has my favour, the Cruciatus Curse, Crucio." Bellatrix went on, cheerfully. "They say it generates unbearable pain if done right. Do you think you could withstand excruciating pain, Sirius?"

Sirius did not respond. It was a wise choice. Bellatrix had a life-long hobby of tormenting him, and any reaction seemed to make it easier for her to do so. She was rather similar to Barty in that way, Regulus reasoned.

Bellatrix leaned forward, pressing both hands on her knees as she sneered at his brother, her eyes dancing in the dim light reflecting from their fireplace. "I think you ought to experience it, to be sure you can resist it. And build tolerance."

"Amusing." Sirius replied dryly.

"You're not a coward, are you?" She taunted. "Enduring temporary pain is a lowly sacrifice to strengthen yourself."

"We should not be discussing this." Regulus frowned, his eyes darting between the two. The conversation was absurd, and he could not let it go on. "They are illegal curses."

"Be quiet unless you're volunteering to be my first victim." She returned in a spirited manner.

Regulus breathed in sharply, his eyes bulging out of his head. He knew she was likely only bluffing to get under his skin, but the threat scared him anyway. He would not soon forget how she hurled exploding curses at him over their last summer break. It was wiser to take every threat Bellatrix uttered at face value. There was little she would not do.

Narcissa shot her sister an unhappy look, but Bellatrix rebounded to Sirius. "You're up, coward." She taunted. "Come on, don't you desire to prove yourself worthy of our family’s title?"

He could tell that Sirius was rising to the bait at her mocking. Her targeting Regulus often seemed to weaken his brother's willpower to resist drawing her attention to himself. It was a weakness she intentionally exploited.

"I will do it if you do it first." Sirius offered.

Bellatrix raised a solitary eyebrow, "I have already been through this initiation."

Narcissa looked horrified. "Have you actually?"

"Naturally." Bellatrix beamed with an erratic flash of pride, her shoulders straightening, "And I endured exceptionally well."

Sirius shook his head in exasperation. "You and your cronies have an odd version of fun."

"Such old maids." Bellatrix laughed, slouching back in her chair. "Whole lot of fun you three are. Can't believe I am stuck with this lot instead of being over there."

Narcissa cast a petulant gaze. "At the war meeting?"

"Yes."

"Why would you want to be there?" Sirius stared.

"To participate, obviously." Bellatrix's lips curled, her expression nasty. "Have you lost the plot? What else would I be doing?"

"You want to get involved in the war?" Regulus spoke up again, his curiosity overriding his annoyance at Bellatrix's earlier threat.

"We all must get involved in the war." The teasing tone had dropped entirely as Bellatrix gave them grave looks. "We will all be adults soon, and it is our fight as much as it is there's. Only a coward would not fight for the preservation of their family and the future of the magical world."

The other three remained silent at her proclamation, the fireplace cracking behind the group circling the settee benches before it.

"What says you?" Bellatrix asked, eyeing Sirius again, her face resting in rigid anticipation. "Are you going to be loyal to your kind or to muggles?"

Sirius exhaled slowly, with a bored expression, "Don't ask stupid questions."

Bellatrix's face twisted into an amused glower, her chin dropping slowly as she stared at Sirius menacingly. His brother kept himself in a ready position, waiting to see if she would make any moves toward him. But she relaxed her posture and turned her focus to Regulus instead. Her voice was cheerful, "Regulus, are you a muggle-lover as well?"

His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. But he did not hesitate before he gave his firm answer. "No."

Bellatrix nodded in approval. "Correct response."

"Are you all excited to return to Hogwarts?" Narcissa changed the topic tactfully. "I have heard third year is typically fun."

"Why third year?" Sirius pounced on the opportunity.

"Third year was the prime of my time at Hogwarts." Bellatrix smirked as she propped her feet onto their coffee table, her boots knocking off several coasters. "The rubbish we used to get away with back then."

"What sort of things?" Sirius wondered, looking intrigued.

Bellatrix cast him a cool look, "Far more interesting pranks than posters or dungabombs."

His brother did not react to the mocking. "Give me an example."

"Ever heard of the time the clock moved backwards slowly for months before it was found out? We managed to cut periods we did not like by having the clock go at double speed through that hour. Or when the chandeliers were charmed to fall down once a day at sporadic times?"

Regulus could tell by the expression on Sirius' face that he found those pranks quite impressive. He seemed bewildered by his own reaction to her confession. Regulus thought it was all rather foolish, but he was sure his brother would disagree.

Sirius' eyes had lit up. "How did you charm the chandeliers?"

Bellatrix shrugged, "I can ask those involved what spell we used. It has been a few years. Interested in dropping a few chandeliers, cousin?"

"Naturally." Sirius chuckled. "Or something else if the spell allows us to charm other items with the same effect."

She gave him an amused grin, "Go for it."

Regulus' eyes darted from his brother to his cousin, trying to register what was happening. The two were getting along - he couldn't believe his eyes. He hadn't realized they shared an interest in pranks. While both were known for being quite rebellious, he had always found his brother's antics to be more tame than his cousin's. She seemed more interested in terrorizing half of Slytherin than engaging in silly pranks.

Encouraged by her odd friendliness, his brother pushed for more information. "Why did you stop with activities like that?"

"There were no restraints back then." Bellatrix's face had an eerie expression. "We did anything we desired to. I had sixth and seventh years terrified of me by the time I was thirteen. No one would have dared to cross me by then."

The impressed glow had simmered out as quickly as it arose, with a chilling feeling running across the room. Regulus was sure that everyone in the room must have been holding their breath by how mute all had fallen.

Bellatrix's eyes were resting on the ceiling as she continued to recount her early years at Hogwarts in the silent room. "We were credited with two Slytherin mudbloods leaving the institution by the time I finished my second year. One being years older. Have you seen the scar across that muggle-scum Chevalier's face? My curse! And she was too petrified to ever tell a soul how it occurred. I managed to scare five players off the Hufflepuff quidditch team one year and they had to shut the entire team down. People gave up their prefect titles to get out of trying to manage me. I even got that blood traitor Prewett trash suspended, albeit unwittingly. Was hardly my fault he reacted so recklessly, but I will accept credit regardless."

She paused for a beat, undeterred by the tension around the room. "Those were our glory days. Slughorn was a worthless excuse for a head of house, and we thrived under him." Her face grew dark. "And then Flinn took over."

Regulus gazed at the fire, feeling ill from the list Bellatrix had confessed to them. He had heard of many instances of her doing such things, but to some degree, he thought they must be exaggerated if not merely gossip. He knew she could be cruel, but was a bit uncomfortable with hearing the full extent of it.

"I am going to kill that man someday." Bellatrix said calmly. Her face was drawn, with no emotion infiltrating the unreadable expression.

"Do not joke about that." Narcissa broke the silence, wrinkling up her nose.

"I am not joking." Her voice strummed with certainty. "I will."

Narcissa had a stricken expression as she stared at her sister. Sirius’ face had gone dark. Regulus quickly dropped his gaze to his hands. Bellatrix was grinning in a cocky manner, basking in the distress in which she had left the others.

"Anyway, I am heading over to the Lestranges'." Bellatrix declared, crudely. "I hardly am going to let you two interfere with my intentions for the day. You may either come along or stay here, I could not care less. But my parents will hear I never left you regardless."

"We will go with you." Narcissa perked up at the offer, recovering from her discomfort over the last discussion.

Sirius shot Narcissa a dirty look while Regulus shrugged, still eyeing Bellatrix warily as he did so.

Narcissa caught Sirius' frown and she tilted her head patronizingly, "Their manor is enjoyable, and you know Allison. Last time we had enough players for quidditch."

Regulus’s spirits lifted at her commentary. He would like to go play quidditch, for sure. Especially if they had enough players for a full team. That certainly would be more fun than sitting around listening to Bellatrix boast about the students she bullied out of Hogwarts all day.

The Lestranges did have a considerable amount of youth present at their manor when they arrived and were down for a quidditch match. Several Lestranges from various lines of their family joined them for a quick game, offering up their many spare broomsticks to the Blacks. As Rodolphus joined the game, Bellatrix participated as well. That was a rarity, as his cousin often insisted the game was a fruitless waste of time. Sirius moaned and groaned all the way over, but seemed to be having loads of fun once the game began. No doubt having the option to be on a broomstick again lifted his spirits as well.

Once the game was called to a close, the older teenagers vanished without any explanation. Regulus was left behind with Narcissa, Sirius, and the two youngest Lestranges - Allison and Corvus. They sat around the parlour awkwardly for a few long minutes. Regulus was trying to think of something they could discuss when Allison abruptly turned to his brother, "I would like to show you a display here."

Sirius was startled by her request, watching her carefully as she walked toward the hall without awaiting his response. His brother cast a look over at Narcissa, who gave him an amused shrug. Sirius sighed as he relented, trudging after Allison as she walked down a well-embellished hallway, with ancient magical heirlooms mounted on the walls. She approached large wooden doors at the end, iron coils running along the frame and forming the elegant handles.

Soon, the two were hidden from sight. Regulus peered back at Narcissa, then at the lone Lestrange boy they had been left with. He did not know much about Corvus, beyond seeing him at family events from time to time. He was the younger brother of Allison's, Regulus knew, cousins to Rodolphus and Rabastan.

"Are you excited for Hogwarts?" Narcissa finally broke the silence, nodding at the boy.

"Yes," Corvus answered, plainly.

"Are you starting this year?" Regulus asked. He knew the boy was younger than him, though, he did not know how many years younger. They had rarely spoken before.

"I received my letter." Corvus agreed.

Narcissa gave Regulus a side-eye look which made him feel as though he had said something wrong. Then she continued, her words pleasant, "Which house are you hoping to receive? Your sister is in Ravenclaw, right?"

Corvus gave her a tight-lipped smile. "I would be fine with any."

"That is nice." Narcissa replied, completely unconvincing that she believed that. All of them knew his family would be displeased if he got anything beyond Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Many sacred twenty-eight families weren't even fond of Ravenclaw. From his studies, he knew the Lestranges had a long history in the Ravenclaw house though, so he should be fine if he ended up there.

"Well, best of luck." Regulus offered, politely. He had been thrown off by the look his cousin gave him, but he tried to add to the conversation again. "I am sure we will see you at Hogwarts."

"Thank you." Corvus smiled, appreciatively. "Would you two like to play exploding snaps?"

"Yes," Regulus agreed, relieved there was something they could do beyond awkward small talk. "I would love to play."

The boy ran off to collect the cards.

****

They never ended up going to Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies. His mother declared that she was far too busy for a trip that year, and had their necessary materials delivered instead. They arrived six days before the Hogwarts Express was scheduled. The boys thought it was a good enough distraction as any, and began skimming their books for the upcoming year in the Grimmauld Place library.

His second-year textbooks did not seem to have anything that piqued his interest, but Sirius' books were another story. Despite knowing how ominous the elective his brother had opted for was, he could not help but find the muggle studies textbook fascinating. The brothers spent half an hour browsing through the coursebook, joking about, before they were interrupted.

Regulus heard the soft footsteps first and got the unnerving sense that he was being watched. He lifted his gaze. For a fleeting instant, his eyes met the cold grey eyes of his father meters away. Regulus fell silent and drew back against his chair, terrified. He did not know why his father had approached them in the library or what he would think of the course book they had been reviewing.

Sirius lifted his head to stare at Regulus, picking up on his abrupt shift. His brother followed his eyes and finally noticed that they were not alone.

"What is this?" Their father asked, his tone icy as he paused near the table. His piercing gaze briefly assessed the textbooks littering their table.

His brother hastily closed the muggle textbook, having the decency to look embarrassed. "They're our supplies for next year. Just reading through it."

Regulus wondered if his father would berate his brother for registering in the muggle studies elective. To some degree, he thought his parents ought to know what his brother had done. He was sure the act went against the values of the sacred twenty-eight. But his father didn't seem to notice the textbook they had been reading.

"I see." Their father's expression had a very subtle glint of approval on his otherwise strained face. His eyes remained on Sirius. "I will speak with you in my office."

"Yes, sir." Sirius replied.

Their father left without any other comment. Sirius flashed Regulus an unsure look before piling up his third-year material. His brother left them on the library desk, probably intending to return to the task once he heard what his father had to say.

Regulus gnawed on his lower lip as he watched his brother disappear after his father. A rush of willfulness pumped through his veins and he decided, somewhat foolishly, that he wanted to hear what his father had to say. He knew of a vent that easily picked up on the audible noises within his father's office. While the vent was useless when a muffling charm was up, he suspected his father wouldn't take such measures for a conversation with his son. He typically only put that much effort in to secure his conversations in discussions with his wife or business acquaintances.

Regulus crept over to the corridor lining the side of his father's study. He had used the vent once or twice before, in his past attempts to spy in on his father's conversations, but guilt and the fear of being caught typically prevented him from using the venue. He rushed up to the vent swiftly, hoping to reach it before his adrenaline faded, and he didn't have the nerve to go through with the act any longer.

Regulus soon reached the grate guarding the vent into his father's study. He squatted down on his knees, slowly placing his hands on either side to press his ear against the cold metal. He wished he could use an amplifying charm to make this easier. Despite his inability to use magic to enhance the noise, he could vaguely make out the words being spoken within.

His father was speaking in a stern voice.

"I corresponded with the Potters, and they confirmed you are welcome to stay there for the remainder of the break. They will escort you to King's Cross station at the appropriate time."

Regulus' heart leaped at the words. Before he could wonder if Sirius had kept yet another promise of a visit to the Potters from him, his brother's response cleared up any misconceptions.

"Sorry?" Sirius asked, his words caught in his throat. He sounded stunned.

He reiterated as though he had no indication of why Sirius was not comprehending. "If you wish to, you have permission to spend the remainder of your break at the Potters' estate."

Sirius' tone conveyed his confusion. "I thought you did not want me to spend time with the Potters?"

"I do not." His father's words were cutting. "But it would be foolish to believe you shall learn anything from us simply dictating that something is wrong and should not be done. There is a lesson here that you have to learn for yourself."

Sirius pondered the response. He contemplated for a moment before he replied, his words unsure. "About spending time with the Potters? Or will I be punished for going, is that considered disobeying in this circumstance?"

His father made a huffing noise. "I am not attempting to trick you, Sirius. I have granted you leave to go and I expected you would gladly agree."

"I do. And I appreciate that. I am just a bit... baffled?"

There was a silent lull for a moment, and then his father spoke again. "As I am granting you the freedom and trust in making your own decisions on whom you spend time with this week, I expect you to show your gratitude by adjusting your behaviour in the upcoming term at Hogwarts."

"Yes, sir." Sirius responded automatically.

Regulus wondered if that response was anything beyond a bold-faced lie. His brother seemed incapable of exercising any self-control. But he was more intrigued by his father's change of heart. The explanation certainly felt somewhat inadequate to explain why his father would abruptly flip his opinion on Sirius' continued friendship against his orders.

"Have you found the past few months to be more enjoyable than previous years?" His father asked pointedly.

"Yeah." Sirius said, his words faint.

"As have I. Your behaviour has improved without any promise of a reward, so I would hope to encourage that."

Sirius sounded subdued, "Thank you."

Regulus' ears pricked up at that. It was a bit baffling to hear how gentle his father's tone could be. He had rarely ever heard the man sound as calm or pleasant. Especially not in recent years.

"Do not take advantage of this approval or feel entitled to similar in the future." His father warned. "You should know there will be far less free time for yourself in the upcoming years. You must begin taking on your responsibilities within this family shortly."

Regulus let his eyelids fall over his eyes as he listened to the promise of heir responsibilities being bestowed upon his brother. It was expected, as his brother was growing older. And yet, he was a bit stunned that his father was giving out family responsibilities with such leniency, after how his brother conducted himself in the past year.

"I will accompany you to their homestead tomorrow morning." His father doled out his orders. "Go prepare yourself."

Regulus' stomach was in knots. He jerked back, knowing his brother would be exiting shortly, and he could not be coming out of the hall at the same time. His ears were hot as he hurried away from the vent, making a beeline back toward the library.

Regulus could not help the waves of bitterness rocking through him. He didn't understand why his brother would be rewarded with an unwarranted visit to a blood-traitor family after behaving so defiantly all year long. His brother had refused to return home over Christmas break and dispersed family secrets to the same blood traitors, and still was being permitted to spend a week at his friend's house. It was astounding how little his brother had to do to be praised and rewarded.

He knew his brother faced grievous consequences for his rebellions over the years, but if he and his brother were to engage in the same level of misbehaviour now, he wondered if he would face more consequences in the long run. After all, his mother had hesitated before allowing him to visit Rosier due to him assisting Sirius in stealing his broomstick a year and a half before. And yet, Sirius was allowed to visit his friends both summers, despite acting out non-stop over the past few years - including the broomstick incident that Regulus continued to face consequences for. His parents seemed to have much lower expectations for his brother's behaviour than they had for his.

He tried to swallow his bitterness. He did not wish to leave the summer off on a poor note with his brother again. Even if the news of his brother's unexpected departure had caught him off guard, and reminded him of the stark unfairness inside his home, he wanted to be happy for his brother. He knew Sirius would be thrilled to visit his friends. It was clear that seeing his friends was all Sirius had wanted to do all summer.

Regulus returned to the library and gathered up his brother's third-year course materials. He carried them upstairs to his brother's door, feeling morose. Regulus stopped in the doorway, inspecting the packed trunk at his brother's feet. He eyed the trunk over, unsurprised by how swiftly his brother was prepared to leave. "You are going to the Potters' again."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, a flicker of guilt flashing across his face. "I had no idea he would let me this time." He explained.

Regulus knew that. It did not make him feel much better. He dropped the third-year resources onto his brother's bed. "Probably should not forget these."

"Thanks, Reg." Sirius smirked, grabbing several to move them into the trunk as he spoke. "You're not miffed, are you?"

Regulus didn't react to his question, "Are you going to try out for quidditch this year?" He asked instead.

"Yeah, think so." His brother shrugged. "Are you?"

Regulus nodded as a response, not trusting himself to speak.

Sirius had completed putting the textbooks away, straightening up to flash over a goofy grin. "Good luck. If you don't make it, I will tease you relentlessly."

"If you do not make it for a second time, I will tease you relentlessly." Regulus retorted, his face deadpan.

Sirius chuckled, amused. "Will be a rough Christmas break if we both fail."

"Then do not fail." Regulus shot back, biting back his own smile.

"Thanks for the advice, prat." Sirius scoffed.

The following morning, Sirius had eaten breakfast with him before he was off with their father to the Potters'. And then Regulus was alone.

His mother had not shown up to breakfast. Nor had his father, beyond coming after they had already eaten to escort Sirius over to his friend's estate. Both parents had been heavily buried in work that morning, with neither seemingly sleeping much or attending any meals. His mother made her presence known after lunch, however, when loud arguing exploded from within his father's study.

Regulus didn't need a vent to hear what the conversation centred on this time, it was clear that his father had granted Sirius permission to visit the Potters without informing his mother. Something his mother did not seem pleased about. Regulus did not blame her, as he was stunned by his father's choice. Nor did he agree with his father making decisions against his mother's will. He knew his father was the head of the house, but he certainly didn't act like it or make the wisest decisions. Regulus thought his mother ought to have the final say on all matters. She was the one carrying the family in recent years, after all. At the bare minimum, she deserved the respect of having an equal say in all decisions. But he certainly could never voice such a belief, as it was borderline treasonous.

The first day alone went by slowly. Regulus slipped upstairs to his bedroom to wait the day out. He did not wish to be anywhere near his parents' line of fire when both were so enraged. He unfortunately could only hide for so long, as by nightfall, Kreacher beckoned him down for dinner.

Regulus endured half an hour of silently listening to his parents shoot passive-aggressive comments at each other as he stared at his food. He was too on edge to be able to swallow much of his dinner, preparing himself to flee the second violence broke out the entire meal. At times, his eyes would land on his empty brother's seat, seeking comfort from a brother he kept forgetting was not there. Their parents fighting or telling them off always felt easier when he had his brother to share the experience with. It felt ten times harder to handle alone every time he was reminded that he was alone.

Finally, his father finished his dinner by properly smashing his plate with a fist before he stormed out. Regulus gasped at the crash, despite his best efforts to stay silent. He stared down at his plate afterward, frozen in place, hoping his reaction had gone unnoticed. His father left the room in an angry huff, but he could feel his mother's eyes resting on him.

She released a long breath. Her voice was less cold when she spoke to him, compared to the acid-laced words she had been spitting at her husband all night. "Finish eating, Regulus."

"Yes, ma'am." He breathed.

Once he was dismissed, he went directly to his brother's bedroom. He did not make a habit of intruding in his brother's space when his brother was not there to give him permission to. It was awfully rude to enter someone's bedroom without permission. But Regulus was desperately yearning for some comfort, and even though his brother was not there to comfort him, his bedroom was the closest thing left in the house that could remind him of his brother's presence. He climbed into his brother's bed and buried his face in his pillow, taking deep breaths until his breathing finally stabilized again.

It was there that Kreacher found him the next morning. Regulus hadn't even noticed himself drifting off until the light was streaming through the windows onto his brother's bed. He sat up with a jerk when he heard Kreacher's call.

"Young Master."

Regulus shot into an upright position. His heart was in his throat as he stared at the house elf in horror, realizing that he slept in his brother's room.

"Kreacher..." the words tumbled out before he could stop them, "I am sorry. Please, please do not tell my mother."

The elf seemed perplexed by his request. His face flashed with what looked like surprise, before it settled back to its usual appearance. "Kreacher is only here to deliver the young master's packages. Kreacher does not care where he sleeps, no."

A flush of relief flooded through him. Regulus whispered, "Thank you, Kreacher."

Kreacher's face crinkled into one of his smirks as he stepped forward, holding out two envelopes. Regulus accepted them.

"The young master should be at breakfast shortly." Kreacher reminded him, turning away.

"Yes, of course." Regulus nodded, sheepishly. "Thank you for the reminder. And for... not saying anything."

He knew it was probably not a big deal that he had fallen asleep in his brother's room, but he did not wish for his mother to know either way. She may find his behaviour improper and ban him from visiting his brother's room. And it was embarrassing, even if she would not be cross. He knew how dedicated the house elf was to his mother, so he understood what a great favour it was for the elf to keep a secret for him. He oddly knew he could trust Kreacher to keep his word. The elf was a reassuring figure that he had grown to trust and be quite fond of.

He climbed out of Sirius' bed, sneaking back into his bedroom to inspect the letters he had received that morning. There were two. One was from Fawley, and the other was from Rosier. The sight of their writing alone lifted his spirits.

He had forgotten that he would soon be back at Hogwarts. Oddly enough, he felt no fear at that thought. If anything, he was truly looking forward to being back at Hogwarts. He longed for the freedom Hogwarts brought and for the company of Rosier, Fawley and Narcissa next door. Even seeing Barty did not worry him in the least. He faced greater threats at home on a daily basis than Barty bloody Crouch.

There was only one factor of his time at Hogwarts that worried him. After such a strenuous year, he felt like he had his brother back again over the summer, and he was scared they'd fall apart as soon as he was back in Slytherin. Seeing Sirius drooling over his friends while he was trapped under Slytherin rules didn't seem to work out the last year.

But what could he do? He'd be back at Hogwarts in a matter of days, back in Slytherin while his brother was in Gryffindor. Their rooms were only a few floors apart, but might as well have been in different universes.

He could only hope that this year would be different.

Chapter Text

September, 1973

"Reggie." Barty's familiar vibrant voice rang out, the sneer clear in his tone. "Long time no see."

Regulus cringed. He had forgotten that Sirius called him Reggie in front of his roommates before the summer break. He swallowed his demands for Barty to not call him that. He knew it would only permanently etch the nickname into Barty's mind.

"Hullo Barty." Regulus replied, dryly.

Barty bounded up to his side. He was standing close enough that Regulus could smell his breath blowing up against his face. Barty should really invest in a toothbrush.

"Missed me?"

Regulus answered honestly. "No."

Barty snickered. "Still as cranky as ever."

"And you are still as annoying as ever." He shot back.

Rosier laughed from the foot of his bed. "Someone got a bit sassy over the break."

"Always have been." Regulus disagreed, absently. "You were simply not paying attention."

Rosier seemed amused. He was busy tossing piles of clothes out of his trunk onto his bed.

"Whatever, Reggie." Barty taunted.

Regulus gritted his teeth and focused his gaze on the items in his trunk. He knew that reacting would only fuel Barty on, but Regulus was out of practice in dealing with him, and was finding it harder to ignore.

Rosier and Regulus had met up with Fawley on the Hogwarts Express. They had not seen any sign of Barty. Once they got to their bedroom, Barty arrived an hour later.

After a pause, Barty backed off and bounced over to Rosier to nag him instead. Regulus continued unpacking in silence as he listened to the two chatting by the other bed. Rosier and Barty were sitting on a bed talking when Regulus finally finished unpacking. They were goofing around cheerfully, acting as though no time had passed since they saw each other last. But Regulus knew that Rosier had minimal contact with Barty over the summer months. He also noted that Rosier carefully never asked Barty anything about his summer, or why Barty hadn't been on the Hogwarts Express that morning.

Their halfblood roommates had come upstairs to settle in as well and were chatting amongst themselves quietly. They did not say hello to the other three. Regulus was a bit alone in the room. He did not know what to do as his roommates paired up, so he sat on his bed and browsed through his textbooks.

After a few minutes, the halfblood students left the room. When Rosier wandered off to the bathroom, Barty’s attention quickly returned to Regulus.

"I changed my mind." Barty informed him as he climbed onto Regulus' bed. "I want this bed instead."

Regulus did not peer up from his book. "Go away."

"That isn't very nice, Reggie."

Regulus slammed the textbook closed. "Quit calling me that."

Barty was beaming with excited energy at the reaction to his taunting. "What is wrong, Reggie?"

Regulus' mouth tasted bitter as he leaned forward to shove Barty off his bed. Barty laughed and smacked Regulus' arms away with ease. His laughter only worsened Regulus’ mood.

"Get off my bed, Barty!"

"Or what?" Barty wiggled closer. "What are you going to do? Cry for your cousin? Complain about me to Vanity again?"

Regulus' cheeks heated with shame at the comments. He did not know how Barty knew about him speaking with Vanity after Barty would not let him use his bed the previous year. But he supposed Barty did seem to know more about what happened in the common room than anyone else in their tower. He should have known it would get back to him somehow.

Regulus tried to ignore Barty. He leaned against his pillows and lifted the textbook in front of his face, so he could not see the other boy. He opened the large tome to the page he had been reading before the interruption.

Before he could commence reviewing, Barty ripped the book out of his hands. When Regulus tried to snag his textbook back, Barty bounced to his feet atop the bed and held it up in the air.

"Give that back." Regulus hissed up at him.

Barty sneered. "Make me!"

As Regulus watched, Barty slowly began to tear out the open page. He never broke eye contact as he gradually tore the sheet away from the textbook binding. Fury was rolling through Regulus. His veins were alive with the magic sizzling within him, ready to respond to his anger.

Rosier had returned from the bathroom and was watching Barty and Regulus from the bathroom entrance. His eyebrows were creasing, but he did not intervene. When he met Regulus' eye for a moment, he nodded in Barty's direction. Regulus set his jaw. He was not going to let Barty walk all over him this year.

He reached for his wand and swung it in Barty's direction without hesitation. "Flipendo!"

His spell was not as powerful as Bellatrix's, but it did some damage anyway. Barty was thrown with enough force that he tumbled off the bed. The book fell from his grasp and landed on its back on the edge of Regulus' bed.

But Regulus remained focused on his target.

If Barty had time to get his wand, he would easily overpower Regulus. The element of surprise was all he had going for him. He cast the knockback jinx a second time as soon as Barty had collected a hold of himself. Barty’s back hit the dresser across the room, but he kept himself steady and immediately fished for his wand afterward.

"Alright, you prick-" Barty gasped.

Regulus waited until the moment the wand was visible in Barty’s grasp before he yelled his next spell frantically. "Expelliarmus."

He felt a wave of bitter relief as Barty's wand was torn from his grasp, and soared over to hit Regulus’ awaiting palm. Regulus paused to see what Barty would do then.

Barty rose to his feet. His eyes were shining at Regulus as he sneered viciously. Regulus knew what he would do before it happened, but he waited for Barty to lunge before he aimed his wand at him again.

Barty tried to jump forward, but the spell was ready on the tip of Regulus' tongue. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Barty's clothes began to float and dragged him up into the air along with them. For a bit, Barty flailed around midair as he tried to break free. He soon realized he was trapped, and he fell still as he contemplated.

"Brilliant." Rosier was grinning up at Barty. "We should leave him up there for a few days."

Barty snickered. "I will stay up all night long screaming the most repulsive songs I can think of."

"Good thing there is a silencing spell then." Regulus remarked with a cold tone.

"You evil little twat." Barty laughed. "You can strip me of my dignity, but my voice is too far. You're crossing the line."

"I fail to see how that is my problem." Regulus replied, the adrenaline making him feel quite bold. "Perhaps I should cast the spell with your wand, to add insult to injury."

"Merlin." Rosier laughed, with a dazed expression. "And here you had me fooled last year thinking that you were nothing like your intimidating mum."

Regulus stared. He did not know whether that was a compliment or an insult. He had never been told he was similar to his mother before. Other than as an insult from his brother...

"I am impressed." Rosier clarified. He winked over at him. "Quite wicked if you ask me."

Regulus turned away to hide how pleased he was to hear Rosier's compliment.

"Reggie!" Barty was using a sing-song voice. "Release me."

Regulus peered up at the boy. Barty was clasping his hands, but he was still smiling as smug as ever despite his pleading to be released from the air prison.

"I do not think I will." Regulus shrugged. "I am going to the Great Hall."

"You cannot nick my wand!" Barty laughed. "Bloody bastard."

"Okay." Regulus agreed. He placed it down on Barty's bed politely. "I will leave it here for you."

"I'll go with you." Rosier smirked. "Later Barty!"

"Laugh while you can, prats. When I get down, I am going to shave you bald in your sleep." Barty taunted lazily. "Then sell your hair in the black market. Maybe place a few curses on your bloodlines. I'll feed your owls to centaurs," his voice grew more frantic, "and then - don't walk out, I'm not done yet!"

They both ignored Barty's threats as they slipped out and secured the door after them. Neither glanced back as they headed toward dinner.

They did not release Barty until later that evening after he began to carry out his threats to have a tinkle mid-air.

****

"Black."

Vanity's nearby voice interrupted Regulus from inspecting his new schedule. Regulus met his cousin's eyes first as he peered away from his homework. Narcissa lifted her chin across from Regulus with an amused expression.

"Which one?" Narcissa asked.

Vanity approached the table. She paused between the two of them and shrugged. "Both."

"What is it?" Regulus asked.

"I have the practice schedule for September and October." Vanity gave them both a thick piece of parchment. "Let me know if you are unable to make any. But you better have an ironclad reason, or I will simply say I do not care and you will be there."

That sounded about right. Regulus snickered softly as he inspected the dates their practices were scheduled for. Most were mornings, with a few afternoon slots.

Vanity had walked off before either could reply.

Narcissa and Regulus had tried out for the Slytherin quidditch team together the previous afternoon. Narcissa had earned herself a chaser slot beside two sixth-year students. On the other hand, Regulus received a backup position for seeker. But Vanity assured him he had done very well and would still be granted opportunities to play that year. So he accepted the role, even if it was somewhat humiliating to be a bench warmer. Regulus was sure Sirius would mock him for it.

It had been a busy week between their first classes, quidditch tryouts, and meeting their new prefect, Ursula Flint. He already felt tired by the first Friday back at Hogwarts. Worst of all, Barty and Rosier kept him up late every night to help them on their new project - carving a secret entrance out of their lounge. It was one of their worst ideas yet, and they kept forcibly recruiting him to assist with the stone-cutting spells.

And so, Regulus was spending the afternoon with Narcissa in the common room. He had no homework to work on, but he needed an excuse to stay away from Rosier and Barty's grasp. Even they would not mess with Narcissa.

Regulus glanced over at his cousin. She was no longer looking his way or even peering at the schedule their new quidditch captain had left them with. Instead, she was watching something on the other side of the common room.

Regulus followed her gaze over to Lucius Malfoy. The recently-made Head Boy was standing at the end of the couch facing the common room mantel. He had paused to speak with Emma Vanity. The conversation between the two was lost beneath the mutters of the Slytherin common room.

Head Boy was not the only new title Malfoy had taken on recently. Narcissa wrote to Regulus shortly before they returned to Hogwarts to inform him of her betrothal with the heir to the Malfoy line. Regulus inspected Narcissa's expression. She was good at hiding her thoughts, but he knew his cousin well. She was happy with the arrangement, but it had come as a surprise to them both.

Regulus had not expected Narcissa's parents to match her with an older student who was reaching adulthood while she was still younger. They were very modest folk. But Narcissa assured him that Malfoy had been very respectful and would never treat her any differently until they were of an appropriate age. While their betrothal was one mostly borne out of duty to connect the two powerful families, the pair also seemed to have a fondness for each other. But his cousin still seemed on edge.

Before he had time to contemplate why that was, the source of her unease was glancing their way. Bellatrix had caught them watching the conversation between Malfoy and Vanity. Her eyes gently narrowed as she rose to her feet.

Narcissa stiffened up, and she did not peer directly at her sister as Bellatrix approached their table. Regulus was perplexed. It was odd for Narcissa not to acknowledge her sister. Bellatrix paused beside them and leaned over the table between them.

"Better be careful, Cissa." Bellatrix pursed her lips. "Vanity is getting a bit friendly with your promised over there."

Narcissa flushed with a gentle shade of red above both cheekbones. She met her sister's eyes sharply. Regulus saw the flash of hurt on her face for the briefest instant. Bellatrix was teasing Narcissa in a way he did not often see her do. Narcissa tended to be the sole exception on the planet who never bore the brunt of Bellatrix's cruelty. It threw him off.

The urge to defend Narcissa overpowered his fear of Bellatrix for a moment. He stared up at his older cousin. "You are being rude." He said, his voice icy.

Bellatrix barely moved, but it was clear he had surprised her. Her eyes gently widened for an instant, before narrowing menacingly as her sneer grew colder.

"Am I?" Bellatrix smiled wryly. "I would not lower a member of my family in public. But next time I find you alone, little boy, you will remember why you should fear me."

All his courage drained away at her words.

Narcissa glared at her. "Leave him alone."

Bellatrix shifted her gaze over to her sister without moving her head. But she merely sneered in response.

"You will not hurt him." Narcissa said firmly.

"I will not hurt him this instant." Bellatrix agreed with a haughty expression. "But I will hurt him eventually. We will have to wait and see when that will take place. Better sleep with one eye open, little cousin!"

"Bellatrix." Narcissa gasped.

Her sister ignored her as she straightened up with a bold grin. "Later, kids."

Regulus watched as she sauntered off to her crowd. Her back was held up in a prideful manner as she moved further away.

Narcissa was upset. She grabbed her books to shove them into her satchel. Regulus followed suit and packed up his books. He followed Narcissa up to the third-year lounge. Two halfblood girls were in the lounge when they walked in. Regulus wished they could have had some privacy, he was sure Narcissa would not speak openly in their presence.

Narcissa peered back at Regulus. "I will put my books back then we will go somewhere. Give me one moment."

Regulus nodded. He stood in the lounge awkwardly as Narcissa left him alone. He recognized one of the halfblood girls as Dorcas Meadowes. She was on their quidditch team as a beater. He did not know the other but assumed she must be halfblood, as he knew all the pureblood students. Neither said anything to him as he waited, but they did not show any displeasure at him being in their lounge. Still, he hoped Narcissa would hurry.

When Narcissa returned they exited the common room and headed toward their usual abandoned west stairwell. They hardly ever saw a soul using it, besides the odd student smoking or touching one another inappropriately in there. It was a safe place to talk.

Narcissa and Regulus sat on a window sill to speak. Her blank face finally loosened once they were hidden away from anyone else's eyes.

"Are you alright?" Regulus asked, gently.

"Yes." Narcissa sighed. "She has just... I almost feel as though I am losing Bellatrix lately. I rarely know what to expect from her anymore. She keeps so many secrets and never listens to me."

Regulus frowned. "She was treating you odd."

"I know she found the betrothal discomforting when she has known Lucius since they were children." Narcissa's voice was strained. "But it goes further than that. She has this capacity for unkindness I don't understand. She made such illogical decisions all summer long. Honest, I do not think I know what she is truly capable of."

Narcissa was no fool. She was one of the wisest people Regulus knew. But even Regulus thought he might see Bellatrix more clearly than Narcissa did at times. Narcissa was usually always calculated and collected until it came to her loyalty to Bellatrix. After Andromeda had left, it was as though Narcissa refused to ever hear a word of criticism about her sister.

But Regulus understood it. He had ignored countless warnings about his brother.

He moved closer to his cousin. He did not have any words he could offer to comfort her as she was distressed over her sister. All he could do was be there for her.

Chapter Text

September, 1973

Regulus had made his mother a promise, and he intended to abide by it. He was determined to prove his abilities in his magical education that year and wasted no time before he started putting his full focus on his studies.

Most of his peers weren't as enthusiastic. Rosier and Barty called him barmy for doing homework over his spare periods in September, preferring to spend their spare time cutting holes into their lounge wall. Even Fawley complained he was studying too often. While Narcissa would study with Regulus in the Slytherin common room in the evenings if they didn't have quidditch practice, he often found himself alone in the library over spare periods. He didn't mind it too much. Studying with others could be tedious when they were distracting him or asking for help. He had always fended alright on his own.

But there were also some drawbacks to studying alone. He realized that, with a groan, when all of his attempts to complete his charms assignment one afternoon were failing, and he had no one to turn to for help. There were a few Slytherin first years seated on the other end of the table he was at, but he wasn't feeling sure enough of himself to approach them and did not know if first years would be clever enough to help him.

Professor Flitwick had given them the challenge of creating a communication device. He assured them that they didn't need to create anything advanced or anything that would require a rune to function, but Regulus wanted to achieve something bold. He got the idea from Sirius' two-way mirror. While he could never dream of possessing the ability to create such an elaborate piece of magical connection, he did think he could find a charm that'd connect two items. If he could have one item alert the other whenever it was touched, he could create an effective enough communication device that two people could easily communicate one message through. It could be a panic button or an alert. He was sure Barty would appreciate the idea as a heads-up for professors being nearby if he could succeed in connecting them. But it was advanced magic, and every charm he could find that might have worked had not done the trick.

Regulus sighed softly and rose to his feet. He'd track down the librarian for more books to browse through, he decided. He was too shy to walk up to an older student and ask for help, even though that might be quicker. He could manage on his own.

When he walked out into the library aisle, a familiar silhouette drew his eye over to a nearby table. He could see Sirius at a library table beyond the bookshelf, along with two Gryffindor girls. Regulus recognized the blond one as the foul-mouthed prat who had ridiculed him for not recognizing Sirius' tattoo as fake the previous year, but he did not know the other. The girls were chatting, their voices low, but his brother was surprisingly fully immersed in the Intermediate Transfiguration textbook on his lap. He seemed completely fascinated by something within the text, his eyes soaking in the information as they rapidly moved across the page open before him.

It dawned on Regulus that his brother could assist him with the assignment. Sirius was very skilled in charms, he had only topped his class two years in a row.

Before he could reconsider this decision, he was walking up to the table, his gaze resting on his brother. Whatever he was reading must have been something that truly interested him, as Sirius didn't even notice when Regulus paused before him. His seatmates weren't as oblivious to his presence.

The girls had fallen silent at his approach. The blond girl - he thought he heard someone call her McKinnon before- was staring up at him, her eyes narrowing with distaste. "What do you want?" She asked, her tone unfriendly.

She certainly seemed to recognize him, and their poor first impression seemed to be mutual. That suited Regulus fine. He did not like that girl and he did not wish for her to like him. He had no reason to feign civility when she was openly hostile.

He shot her a cold look, returning with the nastiest retort he could think of, "Is this how you speak to most people? Or do you reserve your bitchiness for certain folk?"

Sirius' head jerked upright, "Regulus!" He gasped.

"My bitchiness?" The girl, McKinnon, snickered. "Didn't your mummy ever tell you proper little prats shouldn't speak with such foul language?"

Regulus ignored Sirius. He fixed his eyes on McKinnon as his face flushed at her comment. "Given the uncivilized manner you speak in, I take it your family was quite improper and you never received that lesson."

She rose to her feet with anger flashing through her eyes, but his brother jumped up to slow her down. He held his arms out quickly. "McKinnon! I will get rid of him, okay?"

"You got thirty seconds." She snarled.

Sirius seemed to take her word for it, grabbing onto Regulus' arm in a rather rough manner to drag him away from the table.

"What in the world is the matter with you?" Sirius huffed as they turned the corner.

Regulus made an annoyed noise as he smoothed out his rumpled sleeve. "I am not sure what you are referring to. Your friend started it!"

His brother didn't care to hear it. Sirius whacked him on the arm as he told him off. "Since when are you talking like that and picking fights? Bitchiness? I don't even know what that means."

"I do not know either." Regulus flinched back as he rubbed his arm tentatively. "Barty says it when people are being rude."

Regulus tried to hide his embarrassment. He had only been trying out a word he heard Barty use when Fawley got too bossy. From the reaction it got, perhaps it may have been a bad choice.

"Of course." Sirius snarled, his tone ridiculing. "Leave you with that kid for one month and you come back a royal wanker."

Regulus bristled, defensive. "As if you are civil and avoid bickering with my friends."

"Crouch picked a fight with me." Sirius argued.

Regulus tried not to cringe at his brother using Barty's last name. But he was sure that Barty had never told Sirius to call him otherwise, and he had no reason to stick up for Barty when he wasn't around. Even if his teasing was more manageable this year, he still was far from what Regulus would consider a friend.

Regulus shrugged, "And she picked a fight with me."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure she is more dangerous than your annoying little friends."

"Doubt it." Regulus replied shortly. "Anyway, I did not mean to get into a squabble. I came looking for you as I had a request."

Sirius sighed, leaning against a bookshelf. "Alright, what is up?"

Regulus was relieved that his brother seemed willing to help. He had hoped that the friendliness between them in the summer would survive into the school year. "I am trying to complete a charms assignment, but my spell is not quite working. I was hoping you might be able to help."

Sirius' face brightened up, despite his annoyance at his brother's attitude a moment before. "I can try to help. Where is your assignment?" He asked.

Regulus led him back to his table where he quickly grabbed his notes and moved away. The several Slytherin first years he left behind cast curious glances in their direction, but he ignored them. Vanity had said that family was an exception for inter-house relationships, he reminded himself. He was not doing anything wrong. His brother followed him to an isolated table where he set his notes down.

"It is a communication device." Regulus explained. "I need to find a charm that allows you to press this one and light up that one."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. He seemed impressed. "Seems advanced for second year."

"We were allowed to create any device we wished to." Regulus went on, relishing his brother's approval. "I wanted mine to be advanced. Do you know of anything that may work?"

"I think so. Let me try out a few."

Regulus handed him the device as Sirius wrote down a quick list on his open notepad. They appeared to be obscure spells that he had never heard of before. He knew his brother had a knack for memorizing endless spells though, so he was sure that his brother must know what he was doing.

"I saw you made the bench for your quidditch team." Sirius grinned over at him. "I feel the need to point out that I was offered a bench slot last year, so we failed to the same degree in our first tryouts."

"Be quiet." Regulus smirked, not surprised that his brother had already discovered his shame. "I knew you were going to mock me for that."

"You did it first!" Sirius laughed. "You left me with no choice but to take revenge."

"I suppose." Regulus relented.

Sirius muttered an unfamiliar incantation, tapping the hard material Regulus had given him with his wand. He tapped the second one with the same spell.

"They should be linked." His brother tossed one of the devices into his hands. "Try it out."

Regulus caught the device, stepping back to click the button as he peered in Sirius' direction eagerly. "Anything?"

"It is lighting up." Sirius turned it to show him.

Regulus came over quickly, his veins thrumming with excitement. "You did it!"

"Of course." Sirius scoffed. "Did you really doubt me?"

"I always doubt you." Regulus sighed as he clasped one device in each hand. "That is my job - I am your brother."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Seems like a lousy device for communication. All you can do is send one message."

"It may not be a two-way mirror, but I am working up to it." Regulus teased in return.

Regulus placed the two charmed devices beside his notepad, quickly copying down his brother's spell into his notes to ensure that he did not forget which one worked. He was elated with the success. Professor Flitwick would surely be impressed now. Maybe he'd stop repeatedly telling Regulus about how much he expected from him because his brother was oh so bright.

He didn't notice that his brother had frozen until he spoke up again, a hardness to his tone that hadn't been there a minute before. "What did you say?"

Regulus paused, looking up at the wall before him with a puzzled expression as he recalled what he had said last. Oh hell. Sirius didn't know he knew about the two-way mirror. He hadn't meant to let that slip, but he wasn't sure why Sirius would care. He hadn't told his mother about the mirror after all, only about what he said to Potter, promising to 'tell him everything'. But it had been part of the same conversation. Regulus did not reply as he slowly turned back to meet his brother's eyes.

"You know about the two-way mirror." Sirius said, his face gradually hardening. "How do you know about it?"

"I heard you talking about it." Regulus shrugged, his face becoming sullen once more. He needed to change the topic immediately. They were discussing a dangerous subject, and it was clear that his brother was quickly piecing it together.

"When?" Sirius asked.

His guilt was becoming overwhelming as he stood there, trying to hide the shame from his expression. Sirius couldn't find out. He might never look at him the same way again. And Regulus regretted it, he regretted it so much, even if it had built a bridge between him and his mother. He hadn't wanted to hurt his brother. He had hoped he could simply brush it under the rug - never do it again, but never bring up what he had done either.

Regulus did not know what to do, so he returned to his notepad, writing his notes slowly. He knew that not responding would only heighten his brother's suspicion, but his throat was so heavy that words felt impossible.

His brother was growing irritated. "When Regulus?"

"At the train station." Regulus admitted.

He could hear his voice growing more shrill, as it often became when he was frustrated during arguments. And he could sense that an argument was incoming, despite his attempts to avoid it. The longer he dragged his feet to get to the point, the more irritable Sirius was becoming.

"Be more specific, we are at a train station quite often."

"You said it to James Potter." Regulus fessed up, fiddling with his quill. "When we were heading back after winter break. He came up to you while you were beside me, remember?"

He hoped Sirius would accept his answer and not dig any deeper. But the flash of realization across his brother's face told him he had no such luck. The conversation was clearly flooding back into his brother's memory as he stared at him in horror.

"You heard that conversation." Sirius muttered, sounding more stunned than angry. "Tell me it wasn't you, Reg." He was pleading, "You didn't tell her about that, right?"

Regulus stared down at his parchment, no longer writing. He couldn't meet Sirius' eye as his eyebrows furrowed together. He braced himself for his brother's reaction.

"Regulus." Sirius' voice felt like knives in his skin.

Regulus kept his eyes averted.

"Answer me!"

Regulus flinched, lifting his shoulders defensively. "She asked very specific questions, I could not lie."

"You have got to be kidding me." Sirius stared at him in disbelief. "You tattled on me, to her? To her?"

"It was not like that." Regulus argued, backing away from the desk. He abandoned his notebook to stand on the other side, keeping the desk between himself and his brother. He had never seen his brother so upset with him, nor had he ever given him a reason to be before, and he didn't know what Sirius would do.

"Enlighten me then, Reggie!" Sirius spat, his disbelief and hurt quickly turning to anger. "How did you justify repeating a private conversation to our unhinged mother knowing what she would do to me over it?"

"I could not lie." Regulus repeated, eyeing Sirius over warily. He felt numb as he stared back at his infuriated brother.

His lack of reaction only seemed to irritate Sirius further. His reply came out nasty, "My bad, I forgot that saving your arse has always been your top priority."

"You are being unfair." Regulus glared back at him.

"And you betrayed me." Sirius sounded hurt, even in his anger. "Guess life is unfair."

"I did not betray you!" Regulus disagreed, vehemently.

His brother gave him a cold look. "Yes, you did."

Regulus felt himself growing defensive, despite his guilt. "You made your own decisions. If you had not instantly run back to Potter and discussed private matters, I never would have been put in that position in the first place."

"Merlin, are you hearing yourself?" Sirius shoved Regulus' books off the desk in his direction. "You can keep making excuses to make yourself feel better about what you did, but I never in a million years would have done that to you. Never."

Regulus tried a different approach, trying to hold his ground, "If I lied, she would have known and used legilimency."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "Over a letter?"

"She can always tell when I am lying."

Sirius wasn't buying it. "You should have kept your mouth closed anyway. I would have for you."

"I suppose I cannot be as recklessly self-sacrificial as you are." Regulus' words were prickly. "I had no choice."

"There always is a choice!"

"You are overreacting." Regulus huffed as he picked up his notebooks off the floor where his brother had shoved them to.

"Do not tell me how to react." Sirius snapped, laying back against the wall and clenching his eyes closed. "I have never thrown you to the wolves in fourteen years, no matter what they did to me. I have taken the blame for you more times than I can count. Would've been nice if you had done one bloody thing for me, and kept private conversations you overheard to yourself."

Regulus inhaled, a physical ache of pain shooting through him at his brother's accusation. "I have not done a single thing for you, Sirius? Not a single thing?"

Regulus clenched his notepads against his chest, trying to stop the tears threatening to emerge. He had always tried his best to support Sirius, no matter how foolish and reckless his brother had behaved himself. Of course, he could never be as brave as his brother had been, but he had tried his best to look out for Sirius, often at great cost to himself.

Sirius noticed his reaction, and his voice softened, "One thing is an exaggeration."

"I have been disciplined on your behalf far more than I have ever been for my own actions." Regulus hissed back.

"I know that." Sirius gazed at him sadly. "And I am sorry that is the case. But we both know she does that to discourage you from ever sticking by my side. Do you think she hasn't tried the same tactics to turn me against you? They haven't worked because I'd rather endure her hatred than screw you over, Reg."

His brother calmly explaining why his betrayal hurt was somehow worse than his brother yelling at him. He could feel all of his defences crumbling away until he only felt defeated.

Sirius frowned down at his crossed arms, a vulnerable thought murmuring through his lips, "Just kind of hoped you'd feel the same way at some point in your life."

Regulus stared back at his brother, willing himself to not break down in the middle of the library. He was sure if he tried to say a single word, he'd find himself sobbing. So he stayed silent.

"Good luck with your assignment." Sirius finally muttered, pushing himself up to head back toward the table he left behind.

Regulus could not reply. He could only stand there, frozen in place, watching his brother's back as they moved further and further apart until they lost sight of each other all together.

****

October, 1973

The first-year Slytherin class had managed to collect more pureblood students than Regulus' year had. Which ended up giving him a lot more options for pureblood students he could spend time with in Slytherin. There were six pureblood first years in total. Regulus had briefly interacted with them over the first month but did not really have the chance to get to know any of them until they started studying together.

One evening, Regulus was seated at a table in the common room with Fawley, when a few of the pureblood first years walked by on their way to their tower.

Fawley noticed the group as well and leaned back in her seat.

"Lestrange." She called out.

Corvus Lestrange glanced around briefly to make sure she was speaking to him. There were three Lestranges in the common room at that point. It had been growing confusing. He lifted his eyebrows back at them. "Yes?"

"Are you three looking for a table?" Fawley asked. "We have open seats."

They were at a table with six seats, despite only being two of them. Narcissa had never shown up that night, and Barty and Rosier landed themselves in detention after they were caught pantsing each other randomly during potions.

Lestrange exchanged a look with his companions. The girl beside him lifted her shoulders with a bright expression. The other two behind them nodded their heads. The first years headed in their direction and claimed the open four seats at their table. They introduced themselves as Corvus Lestrange, Flora Carrow, Elizabeth Burke, and Caius Avery.

After the first introduction, the first years started spending more time with them in the common room regularly. Regulus found himself warming up to Avery and Burke in no time and enjoyed having more students around. Being stuck with only Barty, Rosier, and Fawley as his options for company got exhausting sometimes. He appreciated having a few new buffers in the conversation.

Another bonus of the first years spending more time around them was that it meant there were more distractions for Barty. Flora Carrow and Arlo Nott seemed to share Barty's flair for erratic mischief and would disappear off with him to wreak mayhem around the castle.

A week after they started sitting with the first years, all of the pureblood second years were invited up the first year tower for a game night one evening. At one point in the evening, the two first-year muggleborn students walked through the entrance.

Regulus had heard there were two muggleborn Slytherin first years. It had been quite the news at the beginning of the year. While muggleborn students were no longer being chased out of Slytherin since Professor Flinn took over, their presence still was not welcomed. There had only been two in total within Slytherin the last year, and now there were two new ones. Many of the older students had complained it was the effect Dumbledore was having on Hogwarts, and soon Slytherin would be infiltrated by muggleborn, just as the other houses were.

Both were walking past the group nervously.

"Don't look now." Arlo Nott snarled. "The muggles are invading."

Anyone who had not noticed the two students wandering by peered over then. The games came to a pause as the two muggleborn first years stopped at the other side of the room.

The muggleborn girl rolled her eyes. "We sleep here, Nott."

"Don't speak to him." Carrow whirled toward the muggleborn girl. "How many times do you have to be reminded, Mudblood?"

"I will gladly never talk to any of you ever again." The muggleborn girl scoffed. "As soon as you quit speaking to me."

The muggleborn boy kept quiet behind her, but he stayed stubbornly at her side.

"I think we ought to teach her a lesson." Avery's voice had grown much nastier than it normally sounded.

Regulus was growing uncomfortable. He was not sure if this was the norm in the first-year tower. They had always just kept a respectful distance from their halfblood roommates in the second-year tower. He supposed it must be different when there were muggleborn roommates.

Regulus glanced over at his roommates. Rosier was ignoring the scene, with his eyes still focused on the game of exploding snaps displayed on the table before him. Fawley was pressing her eyebrows together as she fiddled with a card in her hand. She did not seem happy. Meanwhile, Barty was watching the scene play out with a cold sneer on his face.

"Leave us alone." The muggleborn boy frowned. "We are just going upstairs."

"You can go on up." Carrow reassured him. "She was the one who decided to pick a fight."

"Did not!" The girl scoffed.

"Don't fret." Avery snickered. "We are in a real generous mood, so we will let you go if you do one thing for us."

The muggleborn girl peered around the room nervously. The room was packed full of pureblood students, and she was outnumbered. "What?" She asked.

Avery thought for a moment before he answered. "You need to lick the bottom of your shoe."

Regulus thought they must be teasing. But everyone remained peering over expectantly as they waited for the muggleborn girl to do it. Her face was colouring. "I am not going to do that."

"Fine." Carrow snarled, pulling out her wand. "You know the alternative."

Nott and Avery had risen to their feet as well. Their faces were bright with anticipation. The three other pureblood first years were still seated and looked less comfortable with the situation, but no one spoke up in defence of the muggleborn girl.

"Fine." The muggleborn girl grabbed her wand. "Let's see how good your pure magic really is."

Nott snorted. "We won't be cursing you, dimwit. Only your mate."

He pointed over at the muggleborn boy. The girl's eyes flashed. "You wouldn't dare."

"No?" Nott laughed. "Let's find out."

The muggleborn boy had gone pale. The girl grabbed his arm protectively.

"Just lick the bottom of your shoe, minger." Avery sighed. "Then you both can go do your muggle things upstairs, and we can return to our game."

The girl clenched her fists but she gave in. They all watched as she pulled off one of her shoes stubbornly, and lifted it to her face. To her credit, she maintained eye contact with the group without a flick of shame as she licked the entire bottom of the shoe, from the bottom to the top.

The students around Regulus sneered proudly as they watched her place the shoe back on the foot she took it off of. No one said anything else as she promptly turned on her heel and headed toward her room. The muggleborn boy went up to his own without glancing back.

Carrow, Avery, and Nott returned to their seats in chipper moods, acting as if nothing out of the usual had just occurred. Regulus felt uneasy with the situation. But he was hardly going to say anything to the pureblood students in defence of the muggleborn. It was none of his business anyway. So he continued with the game.

When they got back to their own tower, Fawley stopped the boys before they headed up to their bedroom. "That was odd, right?"

"What was?" Rosier asked.

"Don't be daft." Fawley hissed. "Aren't they doing a bit much to the muggleborn students?"

Barty gave a short spurt of a laugh. "Don't be such a wuss. Hazing is a part of our culture."

Fawley frowned.

"If Flinn wasn't such a buzzkill, we would have gotten to see Slytherin at its prime for hazing." Barty informed them. "I've heard some legendary tales of the years before."

"Well, this seemed nasty." Fawley crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Have you lost the plot?" Barty's eyes flashed tauntingly, as he smiled smugly. "She licked a bloody shoe. Think she will live."

"They threatened to curse her friend if she didn't!" Fawley snapped, eyeing the three of them over in disbelief. "You cannot all truly be fine with what happened over there."

When her eyes met Regulus', he dropped his gaze away. He did not disagree, he did feel equally uncomfortable by what the first years had done. But it wasn't his place to say anything.

"Fawley." Rosier shrugged. "Leave it alone. Licking a shoe is less harsh than the hazing that used to go on around here."

Fawley flushed with anger when no one would side with her. She crossed her arms and cast them all an angry pout. "Fine! But I do not want to spend time with the first years anymore! I won't be part of this."

"Suit yourself." Barty laughed. "Bloody baby."

"Shut your mouth!" Fawley yelled back as she stormed upstairs.

Afterward, Regulus continued to spend time with Avery. The closer he got with the first-year boy, the more often he'd be there when Avery would taunt the muggleborn first years.

And Regulus would ignore it.

Chapter Text

October, 1973

"Vanity wanted to speak with you."

Regulus glanced up from his book. One of his halfblood roommates was standing by the door watching him warily. No one else was in the bedroom.

"She wanted to speak with me?" Regulus confirmed anyway.

The halfblood boy nodded.

Regulus closed his textbook slowly. He placed the book on the nightstand to rise to his feet. He wondered if he should thank his roommate, but the boy disappeared into the bathroom.

He found Vanity around a few older students. Everyone seemed tense when he approached. They were gathered in small circles around the couch near the mantelpiece. Vanity saw him coming and stepped around the couch to speak with him. "You will be filling in for seeker for now." She informed him.

Regulus stared back at her wordlessly. He inspected the gathered students behind her more carefully, wondering what was going on. He could see many of the fifth, sixth, and seventh years, but some key faces were absent. Rodolphus Lestrange and his usual crew were nowhere in sight. Including Bellatrix.

"Has something happened to Lestrange?" He asked.

Vanity's face tightened. "Lestrange is a blooming idiot. I'm not sure when he will be allowed to play again."

He heard a better explanation of why Lestrange wouldn't be playing from Barty that night. Rosier and Regulus waited up for him late into the evening. Something was happening among the older years, and they knew Barty would hear all the details before they did. When Barty finally came up, he sauntered over with a broad smirk across his features. He climbed onto the bed and tried to shove a finger into Rosier's ear, but Rosier smacked his hand away.

"Quit messing around." Rosier muttered gruffly. "Tell us what is happening down there."

Regulus could tell their two halfblood roommates were listening carefully as well. Both had frozen, even if they did not glance in their direction. Barty yawned and stretched his hands out slowly over his head for a few long seconds. He shot them a sinister grin before explaining cheerfully.

"Bellatrix and Lestrange killed Professor Flinn."

Rosier and Regulus were silent for a second as they met each other's eyes. Both shared a mixture of panic and suspicion on their faces.

Rosier narrowed his eyes. "You're bluffing." He said, accusingly.

Barty snickered. "When am I not?"

"Tell us the truth." Regulus snapped.

He did not have the patience for Barty's teasing right then. Even if the story Barty had told them was a lie, he had the sense that his cousin and her betrothed had done something extreme. He knew Lestrange was likely suspended from what Vanity said to him. And the turbulence of the common room all evening led him to believe it was worse than he expected. Whenever the older Lestrange was involved in something, Bellatrix definitely had her fingers in it as well. She seemed to be the mastermind behind most of their antics.

Barty confirmed his thoughts. "They did try, but they weren't successful."

"Quit lying, Barty." Rosier shoved him roughly. "Come on."

"That is the truth!" Barty protested with a slanted grin. "They set a bootleg silent hark potion on him, I hear."

Rosier froze in place. The name clearly meant something to him. Regulus was less sure. He wasn't positive if he wanted to know.

"What is a silent hark potion?" Regulus asked.

"It's a potion that sets off an invisible mist that truly screws you up." Rosier explained. "Oftentimes, it's deadly. It has been used as biological warfare over the past few years."

"And Bellatrix and Lestrange used that? On Professor Flinn?"

"No," Barty's eyes were half-closed, "They tried to. It did not go off. Apparently, someone who was in on the plan told Flinn before he entered the office that they left it in."

Something about the way Barty said the last line set Regulus on edge. There was more Barty was not telling them. And the way his eyes were drilling into Regulus made him think it was an additional detail he was not going to like.

Regulus hesitated for a few seconds before the urge to know won out. He stared over at Barty. "Who told Flinn?"

Barty's face broke into a beaming sneer. His eyes flashed with excitement as he got to deliver the baffling news. "Word down there is that it was Sirius Black."

Word had spread fast. By the next morning, Regulus was on the receiving end of suspicious eyes from groups of the older years when he walked through the common room. No one said anything to him, but their gazes said enough.

He tried to locate Narcissa at the breakfast table, but she was nowhere in sight. Nor was Bellatrix, either Lestrange brother or any of the key older years like Malfoy, Vanity, or Flint.

Whatever had taken place the night before still seemed to be ongoing until evening fell. When they returned to the common room after dinner, everyone seemed to have made a reappearance.

Regulus walked in with Rosier, Fawley, and Barty, to see a large crowd of sixth and seventh-year pureblood students seated around the mantelpiece. He could see Rodolphus Lestrange seated on the couch, with a face flushed with anger. Across from him, Malfoy was standing with an expression of utter disgust. Everyone else was gathered around the other two, most looking sombre as they watched Malfoy and Lestrange go at it.

Regulus wanted nothing more than to disappear up to their tower, but Barty grabbed the back of his shoulder firmly when he tried to move toward the second-year staircase.

"This will be fun." Barty whispered. "Stay for a second, would you?"

Regulus yanked his arm roughly, flashing Barty a dirty look. Fawley and Rosier looked as though they would rather leave as well. Rosier started moving toward their tower with Fawley at his side. Regulus hurried after the other two with his eyes on the floor, but he could not help overhearing bits of the conversation.

Lestrange was trying to defend himself in a strained voice. "I truly don't understand what you're so bothered over."

"That is quite a damning condemnation to your level of intelligence." Malfoy snarled in return. The Head Boy seemed far too infuriated to maintain his usual cold demeanour. His words were shooting daggers.

"Do not act like you haven't done worse." Lestrange's face was turning a deep shade of red. "You know why we did it."

Regulus could not resist pausing to watch Malfoy's reaction to the other's retort. The conversation hardly seemed appropriate to be having in the open. Everyone knew the common room had ears. Even if it was common knowledge that some of the older students had involvement in the dark arts, they never publicly stated as much. They did not want it to get back to Flinn.

Malfoy had paled, but he still did not end the conversation there. No one else in the group spoke as they all waited for his response. "My issue is not with the act itself." Malfoy's voice was soft and icy. "The issue is the utter lack of competence and brain cells either of you used in piecing this together. Quite frankly, my opinion of both of you has never been lower. I'd expect a child to perform better than you have."

"Lay off." Lestrange placed his hands over his face. "You don't think I know that?"

"And yet, you still went through with it."

They had reached the base of their tower. Rosier and Fawley disappeared up the staircase in a hurry, but Regulus and Barty paused at the bottom of the stairs. They peered around the entranceway to see the rest of the conversation.

Rabastan Lestrange had walked up behind his brother with clenched fists. Vanity, who was standing a few meters behind Malfoy, shot him a warning look that stopped him in his tracks. Rabastan stopped behind the couch with an angry expression, but he did not get involved.

Barty snickered when Rodolphus Lestrange rose to his feet with a haughty expression and tried to walk away from the group. Malfoy prevented him from leaving by taking a threatening step forward. Lestrange instantly backed away nervously. He froze before the couch with a flash of frustration plain on his face. No one came to his rescue.

"You're taking out all of your anger on me." Lestrange snapped in an accusing tone. "I was not the only one who took part in this."

Malfoy held himself still, but his expression was thunderous as he replied. "How am I to take this out on Bellatrix? She is too busy paying the price for both of your stupidity after you let her take the fall. Being both simpleminded and a coward does not leave you with many redeemable qualities."

Lestrange tried to move away from the couches again. Regulus had never seen him appear so distraught. Nor had he seen Malfoy go after him, despite knowing that the two did not always get along. Narcissa had shared that gossip with him.

Malfoy's voice was commanding. "You are not running away from this, Lestrange. Take your seat."

Lestrange froze. His back tensed up.

Regulus wondered if Lestrange was going to cry. He seemed on the verge as he shook his head and stared at the ceiling, looking utterly defeated. The thought made him feel guilty for spying on the conversation. He pulled back from the wall.

Regulus walked up the stairs quietly, and Barty followed him. Fawley and Rosier had waited for them in the lounge. Both peered over with curiosity as the two emerged.

"What are they saying?" Fawley asked.

"Malfoy turns into a mega-bitch whenever someone messes with Bellatrix." Barty giggled.

Regulus felt sick to his stomach. He did not know what was happening to his older cousin. He did not know what was happening to Sirius, why he was involved, or what the older years would do to him. He did not know where Narcissa was.

He retreated up to his room to be alone for a bit. He did not want to hear anything else about what had happened with Bellatrix and Lestrange.

Narcissa was able to calm down some of his fears when he sought her out to make sure she was doing alright the next evening. He was too afraid to visit her while the older students were yelling at each other in the common room but found her first thing after class the next day.

The two found an empty stairwell to speak in. They leaned against the wall as she explained what had taken place.

"Bellatrix went home with mum and dad." Narcissa's voice was empty. "She has been suspended, but Flinn wants her expelled. He threatened to press charges as well."

Regulus did not reply. He did not know what to say.

Narcissa glanced around and cast a muffling spell before continuing. "Lucius thinks it was for the initiation into the Death Eaters. Those working directly under the dark lord. I have heard they are often given tasks to prove their loyalty before they join."

"Bellatrix is joining the death eaters?" Regulus asked.

"She has not confirmed anything." Narcissa sighed. "But that is what we think."

Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy had become a 'we' so fast. For a moment, it dawned on Regulus that he would have to become used to spending time around the intimidating seventh year. He was going to be married to Narcissa, and their paths would constantly be crossing.

Regulus peered over. "Was my brother involved?"

He needed to know, and he doubted he could ask his brother directly about what had happened. Regulus had not spoken to Sirius since their argument at the end of September, though he had written an apology to him over owl, at Narcissa’s recommendation. Sirius had never replied and maintained a cold shoulder with him around the castle.

Narcissa turned to face him. "I suppose you heard about that. He was. I asked him about it. He did tell Flinn before it took place, but he was blackmailed into helping and was not told what they were doing. And it is good he told Flinn. This entire plan was a nightmare - she could have been on trial for murder."

Regulus contemplated her response. It was surprising that Sirius would tattle to Flinn, but Narcissa was right. Trying to harm a professor was a foul idea, and everyone seemed convinced the plan would have quickly fallen through. They would have been in far more trouble if the attack had gone off.

"Have you spoken with Bellatrix?"

"No." His cousin sighed deeply. "Only my parents. I don't even know what to say to her. I want to be upset with her. And I am, to some degree. It was so foolish and reckless, even if Flinn had made the past few years horrible for her. But I also am so angry on her behalf. Everyone betrayed her to save their own skin."

Regulus had not heard that part yet. But he had heard Malfoy accuse Lestrange of letting Bellatrix take the blame for it.

"Who else blamed Bellatrix?"

Narcissa's face was hard. But her eyes shone with tears as the bits of daylight came through the thin openings in the stone walls. "All of her friends. Rodolphus. Sirius - even though his actions were justified. I think she will be devastated when she discovers that everyone was happy to point the finger at her."

"I am sorry, Narcissa." Regulus murmured.

"I am too." She sniffed. "I wanted to believe her friends would have more loyalty to her when it came down to it. I recognize how short-sighted Bellatrix can be, but she is nothing if not loyal. She deserved to have friends who were loyal enough to have her back too. Better yet, loyal enough to stop her from acting out these plans. If they truly cared about her, they would have been honest and told her not to go through with it. But she has surrounded herself with phony allies who only cater to her when it benefits them, and will pass her over the moment there is someone they fear more. I know it is her fault too. She never heeded any of the warnings I tried to give her and intentionally kept Malfoy in the dark so he couldn't stop her. She has grown sloppy and careless. But I resent them all for abandoning her anyway and I don't trust any of them to protect my sister. Clearly, only family will protect each other in times of danger."

She exhaled a shaky breath as she finished her sentence. Her hands trembled gently against her chest as the tears pooled in her eyes. Regulus wrapped his arm around Narcissa's back gently. She accepted the comfort, leaning onto his shoulder to rest her head.

"You should talk with Sirius." Narcissa spoke after a few minutes. "I am sure he would want to explain his side."

Regulus felt himself tense up. "He has not talked to me since he found out I repeated his conversation to Mum."

Narcissa pulled her head up to peer into his eyes. Her face was stubbornly set. "When you want to speak with him, message him an invite so he cannot publicly embarrass you again. And then I will bring him there and force him to speak with you."

Regulus smirked. He was sure she was not teasing, and would drag his brother through the halls to speak with him.

"I was thinking maybe I could send him a letter on his birthday?"

Narcissa nodded with a firm smile. "Then it is a plan."

She leaned against his shoulder again as they rested there in the easy silence of the empty stairwell. They comforted each other the best way either knew how.

****

November, 1973

Narcissa followed through with her promise.

Regulus had written to his brother, asking to meet on Sirius' birthday, but he wasn't sure if his brother would come. He never replied to the letter. Narcissa had promised she'd ensured Sirius showed up though. She had defence against the dark arts with the Gryffindors before dinner, and she vowed she'd not let Sirius out of her sight after class. She'd take him directly to the meet-up spot Regulus had included in his message.

His cousin had planned it all, really. Narcissa had selected a quiet, unused room for the two to meet, where there was enough privacy for their meeting to go undetected, and if things did go badly, it was unlikely to be overheard. Sirius had embarrassed him enough on his last birthday, and this time, his brother had more reason to be angry with him. Regulus and Narcissa weren't taking any risks.

Even with all the planning, Regulus was not positive if his brother would listen, but he should not have underestimated Narcissa. His brother was waiting in the barren classroom when Regulus arrived after his final class of the day.

When Regulus pushed his way in slowly, his eyes instantly found his brother. No one else was present. Narcissa must have left him after she forced him over there, clearly wanting the brothers to speak on their own. Regulus inhaled sharply. He was pleased that Narcissa managed to ensure his brother showed up at all, but Sirius had seemed rather cross lately, and some part of him wished Narcissa would've stayed. She made him feel braver.

Sirius had never been good at maintaining grudges against Regulus. Usually, any quarrels they had were quickly resolved. Regulus, on the other hand, was very capable of holding a grudge, but he had always taken it for granted that Sirius would quickly get over any grievance he had against him.

This argument had been a bit different than usual. His brother had completely ignored him for over a month, ever since they argued in the library. Regulus had even written an apology in a letter to his brother shortly after their argument - something he loathed having to do - and it still didn't soften Sirius up. But perhaps speaking in person would be more effective than over letters. Either way, Regulus was determined to put an end to the longest grudge his brother had ever held against him.

Regulus inspected the barren classroom briefly as he stepped in, which looked as though it had gone unused for some time, the only remaining desks being worn and rickety. Sirius had taken a seat at one anyway and was leaning against the blackboard to gaze out the window. Regulus could see the first years attending a flying class outside, and his brother was watching some struggle in amusement before he started at the noise of the door creaking open.

Then they both were staring at each other across the abandoned classroom. As soon as the door slid shut behind him, his brother whisked out his wand and cast an abrupt muffling spell.

Regulus' face tightened, but he did not comment on the spell. He was sure Sirius was toying with him. It was unwise to rise to the bait.

"You came." Regulus said, his words icy. He didn’t intend to be cold, but he didn't know how to start this conversation. He had never been any good at apologies.

Sirius returned to observing the first years’ flying adventures. "What did you want, Regulus?"

It was evident that the conversation was going to be rough. His brother was already being a prick about it. Narcissa might have truly dragged him there by an ear. He certainly didn't seem to be a willing participant.

"To say happy birthday." Regulus said, his voice empty. He braced himself for the worst.

"Then say it." Sirius replied, offhandedly.

Regulus exhaled in indignation, walking up to the desk by Sirius' side. He sat down slowly on the edge. It was funny how his brother could never shut up when he didn't wish to speak but could barely spare a word when Regulus actually wanted to talk to him. He knew he needed to swallow his pride and force the conversation along if he wanted to get anywhere.

"I wrote to you that I was sorry." Regulus blurted out, crossing his arms over his chest protectively, "Did you get my letter?"

"Owls tend to deliver their messages." Sirius replied in a snarky tone. He rocked his chair, bouncing the back off the blackboard over and over as he did.

Regulus' face was sullen. "Did you accept it?"

"Accept what?"

He exhaled again, "My apology."

"Is this your first time apologizing or something?" Sirius sneered. "I didn't hear an apology."

Regulus scowled at him for a moment. His brother was clearly enjoying making the conversation difficult. He seemed amused by Regulus' discomfort as he tried to shape his mouth around an apology.

Regulus finally got the dreaded word out, "Sorry."

"Painful?" Sirius teased.

"Yes," Regulus said plainly. "It is somewhat opposed to everything I stand for."

Sirius laughed, his gruffness quickly fading away, "And what is that, Reg?"

Regulus lifted his eyes at the affectionate nickname. That was a good sign. His shoulders relaxed. "That I am always right."

Sirius scoffed, "Okay, smart ass."

"Better than being a dumb one, I would say."

Sirius peered over at him quickly, surprised that he was joining in on the banter. "You're being funny, I don't know if I like it."

Regulus lifted his shoulders weakly. "My roommates." He said, as an explanation.

"Right." Sirius said, rolling his eyes in that godric-awful muggle gesture. "I forgot you fancy repeating them, even if you don't know what it means."

"Do not be annoying." Regulus cast him a petulant gaze. "I have something for you."

"An apology for calling me annoying?"

Regulus ignored him, slipping a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a rolled-up parchment sheet and handed it over tentatively.

Sirius accepted it after a pause, giving his brother a suspicious look. "Thought we didn't do birthday gifts?"

"You said we should." Regulus pointed out. "And hid sweets under my bed when I was not looking after I refused your gift."

Sirius chuckled, unrolling the sheet slowly. The parchment was covered in small scratches of handwriting. His brother inspected the list for a while as Regulus held his breath, excited to hear what Sirius thought. His brother had always had a knack for memorizing complicated charms, and he had been excited to add to his collection.

After a beat, Sirius lifted his eyes to peer at Regulus, who was watching him eagerly behind his eyelashes. "Are you going to explain?" His brother asked.

"They are spells."

"Astute observation, genius. What are they for?"

"I do not remember most." Regulus admitted, "But I reckoned you would like them when we were making the list."

"Who wrote this?" Sirius sounded unsure. "This is not your handwriting."

"Rosier wrote it." Regulus explained, hoping his brother wouldn't be a bugger about his friend's involvement. Sirius didn't seem to like them much. "He helped me find them from his parents' books when I visited in the summer."

Something flashed behind his brother's eyes for a moment. But not something nasty. He looked touched for the briefest pause, before he smirked playfully again, "Oh, your mates had some part of this? Are they dark spells? Anything that might earn me a permanent vacation to Azkaban here?"

"Just try them, Sirius." Regulus sighed.

"I will." Sirius agreed, as he messed with Regulus' hair. "Thank you, Reg."

"You are welcome." Regulus quickly readjusted his hair. He watched Sirius carefully for a minute before speaking up once more. "Can I ask about what happened, with Bellatrix?"

Sirius groaned. "Suppose you must have heard all about that."

"Somewhat." Regulus replied, hiding any amusement from his tone. He knew it might be a sore spot for Sirius. "Barty talks to all the older students, so he told us anything he heard."

Sirius looked apprehensive. "What did they say?"

Regulus eyed him cautiously, wondering why Sirius was so concerned, "Rabastan said you turned Bellatrix over to Flinn on some illegal activity she was part of."

"Suppose that is true." Sirius grimaced weakly. "Left out her blackmailing me into being part of it without ruddy telling me she was trying to off a professor though."

Regulus was not fazed. "I heard that too."

"Oh, okay." Sirius replied, his relief clear in his tone. "So... what did you think?"

Regulus thought it was amusing that his brother was concerned about what he thought. But he supposed his brother must have been on the receiving end of a lot of hostility for his actions. Plus, all their life, his brother had been so reluctant to ever turn to adults for help. Even if others hadn't said anything nasty, he was sure Sirius would be beating himself up over it.

"I try not to think of Bellatrix." Regulus narrowed his eyes lazily. "I am happy Rodolphus Lestrange was suspended from the quidditch team, as I got to play for several games," he went on, absently, "But Vanity said he will be returning shortly."

"I saw you were playing." Sirius smirked, leaning forward as he did. "Have you heard of any of the older Slytherins plotting my demise or anything?"

"Only Rabastan initially." Regulus explained quickly, trying to reassure him. "But Malfoy shut all of that down pretty quickly. He told Rabastan he would have to be feeble-minded to do anything to you at Hogwarts, as it would take no time at all for Flinn to piece it together as retaliation."

"So, I only have to worry about being murdered while I am away from Hogwarts." Sirius shook his head. "Suppose it is good I shouldn't be hunted down by Bellatrix's cronies at any moment."

"No, I would not think so."

"Why would Malfoy stop it?" Sirius tried to understand. "Thought he'd despise me too."

"He might." Regulus shrugged. "Malfoy is smarter than that, though. He is subtle and gets away with most things."

Sirius contemplated for a moment.

"How was Malfoy even picked as head boy? Isn't he a pureblood supremacist, and his family very involved in dark arts? How could Flinn not know that, if he is so committed to not allowing any of that within Slytherin?"

"Flinn knows." Regulus corrected him. "Barty says Flinn and Malfoy have a deal. Malfoy keeps control over the others, so Flinn lets some stuff slide. He knows they can only be led by one of their own. They would never listen to anyone else, and Flinn prefers Malfoy to the others. He is preparing Emma Vanity to do the same after Malfoy graduates."

"Oh." Sirius was dumbfounded. "Suppose that makes sense."

Regulus went on, "He has favourites too, you know. He favours Narcissa, and she hardly aligns with his views."

"He likes Narcissa?" Sirius laughed, amused. "I suppose he wanted to split our family down the middle between those he hates and those he favours. Or maybe he only hates the older ones, and he'll like you too."

That notion felt appealing, despite how nasty the professor could be. Regulus liked the idea of forming a working relationship with him someday, as Narcissa and the clever older years did. Vanity and Malfoy worked closely with Flinn even if they disagreed with his views. So why couldn't he?

Regulus smiled softly, "He does not notice me right now, which is the best I could hope for."

"Close enough." Sirius sighed. "Always need to be the favourite, don't you, Regulus?"

"I do not need to do much to be better than you." Regulus retorted quickly. He kept his tone sharp, disguising how happy the conversation made him. Burying the hatchet with his brother had taken a massive weight off his shoulders.

Sirius grinned at him, seeming too impressed by Regulus holding his own in their teasing to feign any other reaction to his insults. He returned to watching the first years on their broomsticks again, where the few falling behind had made some progress.

"Whatever, brat." Sirius replied, a smile on his lips.

Chapter Text

November, 1973

Despite Barty refusing to condemn anything they saw the first years doing to the muggleborn students, Regulus noted that Barty had turned over a new leaf when it came to muggleborn bashing. That is, Barty went from actively targeting students in first year to randomly having no interest in participating. But Barty's sudden restraint did not stop him from becoming a target of Professor Flinn's mid-November.

Regulus was sitting in the common room when their prefect, Ursula Flint, walked in. She made a beeline to their table. "Barty, Rosier and Black." She caught their attention. "Flinn wants to speak with you at his office."

The three met each other's eyes with a shared look of confusion. Fawley and Burke, who had been sitting with them, cast over worried expressions.

Regulus had never spoken to the professor directly since beginning at Hogwarts. He saw Professor Flinn around the castle, but he was not the professor for any of the second-year classes, and Regulus had no urge to speak to him for any other reason. The thought of being called down to talk to their ominous Head of Slytherin was not very reassuring.

"Did he say why?" Rosier asked.

"Yes." Flint snarled, her tone dripping in sarcasm. "We sat down and had tea while we chatted over what you three had been up to lately. I was told to collect you and that is what I am doing. Quit asking questions and get a move on."

Rosier rolled his eyes, but he rose to his feet. He glared over at Barty as he muttered under his breath. "What did you do?"

Barty shrugged. "Dunno."

Barty was the only one of the three who had met one-on-one with the professor before. But he did not look too worried as he hopped to his feet. He shot Flint a smirk as he moved past her toward the door. Rosier and Regulus followed after him with less enthusiasm.

Flint led them up the staircase without a word. Regulus was happy she was accompanying them, even if she hardly was pleasant company. Vanity had been strict as their prefect the previous year, but she was easier to approach than Flint was. The current prefect seemed less friendly or willing to help.

The prefect led them directly into the office from the hallway without knocking. Inside, there was a smaller office within the office they entered. The larger office space was very spacious for a professor's office. There seemed to be a waiting area, with seats lined up against the wall. On the other side, there were several student desks lined neatly across the room.

Barty was watching Regulus inspect the room. He snickered. "If you're truly one of a kind, this is where you serve detention."

"Be quiet." Flint hissed back at them. "And you better keep your mouth shut in there if you know what's good for you."

Barty fell quiet as the prefect paused before the door. The second years crowded behind her.

Flint knocked three times.

After a moment, Professor Flinn opened the entrance. He scanned over the three of them with his eyes quickly before motioning them into the smaller office with a hand. Rosier entered first and moved across the room to stand before the professor's desk. Regulus walked up beside him and Barty followed after.

Professor Flinn walked over to his desk. He did not peer over at the prefect when he spoke. "You can leave, Flint."

She nodded her head in response and turned away. The door closed behind her, leaving the three of them with the professor.

Flinn sat down at his desk and faced them with a grave expression. His cold eyes flickered between the three of them waiting on the other side of the table. Rosier looked somber but Barty seemed to be struggling to hold back his giggles.

"I have been informed that you three ignore your other roommates." The professor started, his tone testy, "Is that true?"

"Ignore them?" Barty's face broke into a smug smirk. "Who said that?"

Flinn gazed over at him blankly.

Rosier spoke up quickly before Flinn could say anything in response to Barty. "Professor, we may not be friends with all of our other roommates, but we have not been unkind to anyone. Our bedroom is civil and we haven't had any issues."

It was mostly true. Their halfblood roommates hadn't pushed against anything the three had already established, but never stated they wanted anything differently. They were polite with each other in the bedroom and kept their distance outside.

None of the pureblood students had messed with their halfblood roommates much. Barty had tormented Regulus in their room more than the halfblood boys. Barty annoyed everyone he spent time around and targeted them with nonsense occasionally, but all of his antics had been very tame. Such as changing the colour of their covers or randomly knocking over their homework for no reason. He had done far worse to Regulus and Rosier, and neither of the other boys had ever gotten upset after Barty bugged them. Nothing had ever made the bedroom tense. The two groups simply stayed in their own circles.

Professor Flinn did not seem convinced. His eyebrows had lifted as he focused his piercing gaze on Rosier. Regulus was all too glad to let Rosier speak for them so he did not have to. He did not want to draw any attention to himself.

"Unkind?" Professor Flinn repeated. "Do you think it was kind to exclude two students out of your friend group over a ridiculous belief that you are better than them? Does that sound kind to you, Rosier?"

"No." Rosier's voice remained steady. "But we have not tried to exclude anyone."

Flinn's face darkened. His tone was nasty as he continued. "Either you believe I lack common sense or you lack common sense. Which one is it?"

Rosier did not respond to that. He pressed his lips together and his face slightly scrunched up.

"Has to be one." Flinn went on, while he continued to glare at Rosier. "You expect me to believe that upon arriving at Hogwarts, all three of you only made friends with one another. And all three of you happened to not hit it off with your other two roommates- who just coincidentally were the only halfblood students in the room. Purely a coincidence. Is that what you are telling me, Rosier?"

Rosier's face had paled but he did not back down. He kept his jaw set as he responded once more. The other two watched quietly. "No, sir." Rosier answered dryly. "It was not a coincidence that we became friends with pureblood students. That is who we are encouraged to spend time with."

Flinn leaned forward attentively. "Encouraged by who?"

Regulus saw the red flag. The older Slytherin students may burn them all alive if they repeated anything that they were told to the professor. They made it clear how little mercy they would have for anyone who squealed to Flinn.

Regulus peered over at Rosier. He hoped to catch his eye and warn him somehow. But he should not have underestimated Rosier, who managed to dodge the question fine on his own.

"By our parents." Rosier explained.

Flinn seemed to accept that response as he leaned back. His features slacked, and Regulus could sense his disappointment. It was clear that the professor hoped to pin their separation from their halfblood roommates on the Slytherin older years. It had been their influence, of course, but Regulus knew better than to repeat a word of what any of the older students said.

Flinn made a noise in his throat. "That may be so. And it is unfortunate that I must discipline children for the crimes of adults every day. But you will not be a child for much longer and you need to learn to think for yourself. I do not care if your mummy told you to do something against school rules, it is you acting out and it will be you who is punished for it. Excluding students because of their blood status not only breaks school rules, it is also a horrible way for you to behave yourself. Is that the type of person you want to be?"

Rosier's lips had pursed and twisted to one side as he shifted nervously. Regulus felt bad for him. Flinn was still speaking in Rosier's direction as he chewed them out. His scolding was clearly intended for them all, but it was Rosier he had pounced on for trying to defend them.

At his side, Barty was watching Flinn through narrowed eyes with a smirk on his lips. His eyes flashed with a sinister gleam Regulus often noticed before he'd fly off the handle out of nowhere. He had gradually started to recognize the subtle signs of Barty's unpredictable moods. That was one of them.

"Let me clear this up for you, as I'm sure you're all too dense to understand what I am saying." Flinn continued in a cold tone. "Your actions are unkind. And you are excluding them. You can call it whatever bullshit you want. When you are excluding them because of their blood status, that is called discrimination. Got that?"

Rosier nodded meekly.

After a second, Professor Flinn glared over at Regulus and Barty as well. Regulus nodded quickly. He didn't think his voice would work if he tried to use it. But Flinn's attention had already been drawn to Barty.

Barty had not offered any sort of agreement. He rubbed his chin with two fingers as if he were lost in thought. "Kinda funny we're being chewed out for not making enough friends." He sneered.

Flinn's face somehow became colder and his lips pressed together tightly in anger. He did not reply right away as he fixed Barty in an icy gaze.

"What does that mean?" Barty chuckled. "Use your words, sir."

Rosier groaned, loud enough that Regulus could hear it. But Flinn kept his eyes on Barty.

"Go take a seat outside." He ordered, "Clearly, you're not ready to learn anything here today. We will put more time into getting anything through your thick skull later."

"Mocking my skull?" Barty clicked his tongue. "Right after you lectured us about being unkind. Sounds like a word that starts with an h to me. Any guesses?"

Flinn rose to his feet slowly. Regulus felt his stomach drop. He was scared on Barty's behalf.

Barty backed away obediently. "Going, going, going."

Flinn watched him walk out with dark eyes. Barty paused after exiting the entranceway into the outer office ring. He glanced back with a smirk. "The word was hypocrite."

Barty skipped away from their sight before anyone could react. The door shut closed behind him.

Flinn gazed back at Rosier and Regulus once Barty was gone. The side of his lips twitched gently in irritation. "What are the full names of your other two roommates, Black?" He asked.

Regulus peered up at him in surprise. The professor had not called on him before. His mind went blank for a moment.

He had known their names at some point. He remembered their last names because he heard professors use them, but he could not remember their first names. Among his friends, they only referred to them as their halfblood roommates. The names were never brought up. Regulus tried to peer over at Rosier for help, but Flinn spoke up quickly.

"Hey, don't you dare." The professor's eyes were storming. "If you do not know the names of the two boys you've lived with for over a year, at least have the decency to own up to it."

Regulus forced himself to hold still and clear his face. "I do not know their first names."

"I was told you did not know their names." Flinn crinkled his forehead with disgust. "But I thought they must have been mistaken. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Regulus tried to keep his composure. His cheeks were warm as he clenched his teeth together.

"You got five detentions specifically because of this." Flinn scoffed. "Would have let you off with a warning otherwise."

Regulus motioned his agreement. He focused his energy on willing himself not to tear up. He had a bad habit of doing so whenever he was frustrated or being admonished.

"Rosier?" Flinn peered at the other from the corner of his eyes. "What are their names?"

He didn't hesitate. "Sebastian Hornby and Callum Keitch."

Flinn nodded. "And the girls? What are the four halfblood girls in your tower named?"

Rosier faltered that time. "I am not sure if I know all their first names." He admitted.

"You spend every day in the same tower as them." Flinn's face was dark. "They have been in every single one of your classes for over a year now. You eat meals together."

"I am not the best with names." Rosier sighed.

"Oh, please." Flinn pulled a drawer open roughly to grab his detention forms. "How many of the older pureblood students' names do you have memorized with ease? It is not a matter of memory, this is because neither of you have any respect for your halfblood peers. You will be in detention all week as well."

Rosier and Regulus exchanged a brief glance. Both knew it was pointless to try to defend themselves anymore. Just nodding at whatever he barked at them seemed to be their best shot at getting out of the office in one piece.

"This is what is going to happen." Flinn told them sharply. "You two are going to walk your asses down to your room and apologize to your roommates. From now on, you are going to treat every halfblood in your year with respect. And I assure you that I will hear about it if this continues in any way."

Regulus believed him. The older years had warned that once Flinn knew you existed, he was impossible to slip much by. Which was why they had been advised over and over to stay off his radar. They hadn't even made it through second year and he was already watching them.

Flinn motioned them toward the door with a final threat. "Not a word to Barty out there unless you want to join him."

Rosier was seething in the hall. "Who the hell told him that?"

"Would one of them say that?" Regulus wondered. "I did not think they even wanted to talk to us. They seem more than willing to stay ten meters away at all times."

"I don't know." Rosier flushed. He ran his hands through his hair. "I will apologize. Partially cuz I wonder if they secretly feel bummed out, but mostly because we know someone in our tower is tattling on us. And Flinn may rip us to shreds if we don't apologize as if our lives depend on it."

It turned out their halfblood roommates- Keitch and Hornby- were a bit peeved off with the pureblood boys. They promised they had never said anything to the professor, but they had felt like the pureblood roommates treated them as if their say didn't matter when it came to the bedroom decisions. The three had decided upon their beds without asking, they hogged the bathroom for mischief and decided when the lights would go off at night. Regulus and Rosier agreed to be more mindful of Keitch and Hornby in their room decisions from then on.

Regulus and Rosier had detentions every night for the next week. Flinn barely spoke to them during their time there, and once they had finished, he didn't bother them again for a while.

The only one who ended up attracting the attention that the older years warned them about was Barty. It seemed as though Barty would never be able to get away with a single misdeed again. Within a week, Regulus heard Vanity and Malfoy using the 'ringleader' word when telling Barty off.

Well, if it had to be one of them.

****

Regulus kept his eyes trained on the ground beneath his feet as he wandered around the outskirts of the school grounds. Fawley was trailing behind him, all bundled up in her hat and mitts.

"Look at this one!" Fawley called, excitement vibrant in her tone.

She rushed to his side to show off her findings. She examined the circular leaf with the long stem in her grasp. "What is it?"

"That is the downy birch betula pubescens." Regulus explained. "And the silver birch leaves have a wider base and a smaller stem. They're called the silver birch betula pendula. They're quite common in Scotland."

"Blimey." Fawley giggled. "How do you know so much about trees?"

"I know the common tree species." Regulus smiled sheepishly. "Although London and Scotland have some differences in the diversity of species."

"Which leaves are your favourites?"

Fawley seemed genuinely interested as her eyes roamed around the nearby trees. Her enthusiasm fueled him. No one else had taken any interest in his leaf collections. Narcissa's eyes would gloss over every time he talked about it, Sirius mocked him for it, and mentioning a leaf collection to Rosier and Barty would be signing up for endless torment.

Regulus shrugged. "Holly is common in Scotland, and I am fond of those leaves. I keep them in a separate container from my main collection."

"Okay, where do we find holly?" Fawley asked him eagerly.

"Oh." Regulus frowned. "I do not know where to find them around Hogwarts. But I read about them being one of the most common species in Scotland in one of my parents' books."

Fawley huffed. "Well, we have to find them then. Cannot simply let all your nerdiness go to waste. We can do some research and figure out where they would be located if they're not here."

"Okay." Regulus agreed.

Fawley smiled brightly. "Head inside?"

Regulus stacked the leaves he had collected carefully into a neat pile, before pressing them into his pocket gently so none would tear. He had several large tomes he brought from Grimmauld Place specifically for pressing out leaves. Soon, all leaves would be buried in snow till spring, and he didn't want to waste his last opportunity to add to his collection.

They headed back into the castle. When they stopped by the dungeons to put their outdoor wear away, they got sidetracked by the common room commotion.

There were several circles of students in the common room arguing loudly when they entered the dungeons. None of the younger years were present, and no one in the common room seemed to be doing any homework.

Rosier and Barty were standing by the door to the second-year tower, carefully observing the scene from afar. Rosier noticed them and waved them over in a hurry. Fawley and Regulus walked across to their tower.

When they entered the lounge, several of their halfblood tower mates were waiting. Both boys and three of the four girls were present. After being ridiculed by Flinn, Regulus had ensured he knew all of their names, but they still did not interact often. But today, they were all waiting for the pureblood students.

Rhyeline Wolrich crossed her arms and shot them an angry look when they walked in. The others all turned with tense expressions on their faces. Regulus slowed to a stop as he stared back at the halfblood students in confusion. His friends seemed equally perplexed.

"What is going on?" Rosier asked.

"As if you don't know." Wolrich's tone was infuriated.

"Huh?" Barty stared back at her.

Rosier flushed. "What is that supposed to mean, Wolrich?"

Ambrose O'Toole peered over at them from where she was seated on the couch. She seemed less suspicious of them than Wolrich, but her face was upset as well. "You do not know what happened to Killick?"

"Of course they know." Wolrich interrupted. "Who else would have turned her in?"

"The hell you all on about?" Barty scoffed. "Are you lot going to explain or just keep expecting us to read between the lines?"

"What happened to Killick?" Fawley asked.

Sylvia Killick was the only second year not present at the moment. Everyone else from the tower was there, other than the halfblood girl.

"Killick has been branded." Hornby explained. "With a brand known to be for snitching."

"You think we branded her?" Rosier's voice was filled with disbelief. "How lowly do you think of us?"

"We know you did not brand her." Wolrich rolled her eyes. "But someone had to piece it together that she has been talking to Flinn. And you three have a bone to pick with her."

"She has been talking to Flinn?" Barty's eyes were beginning to glow with sinister energy.

"We might as well just tell them." Hornby sighed. "Everyone downstairs knows, they'd hear it soon either way."

Wolrich explained with more detail. "Killick spoke to Flinn a few times since the beginning of the year. She told him that you boys didn't talk to your roommates, a bunch about the muggleborn first years being picked on, and some other stuff. Now a few days later, someone burnt a brand into her skin."

"We had nothing to do with that." Regulus protested. "We did not even know she was the one who told Flinn we did not speak to our roommates."

Rosier backed him up. "If the recent thing she snitched about was the muggleborn first years, we wouldn't be the ones having an issue with her either. You're throwing accusations at the wrong crowd here."

The halfblood students seemed to consider their words carefully. Hornby nodded after a moment and seemed to accept their word for it. But Wolrich remained upset.

"She will have a scar burn for life." She retorted. "They used a magic-bound iron brand, so magic cannot heal it."

"Not our problem." Rosier snapped. "We did not do anything to her or give her up for spying. Maybe I'd be more empathetic if she weren’t trying to get us into trouble with Professor Flinn for no bloody reason."

Rosier stormed off toward the boys' bedroom before they could respond. He disappeared up the staircase in an annoyed huff.

Barty held back for a moment. He tilted his head with a cold sneer. He taunted them cheerfully. "I did not do a thing to Killick before today. But no guarantees once she gets back!"

"You lousy scumbag." Wolrich yelled after him. "You will not touch her."

"False!" Barty laughed as he went up the stairs. "The law says snitches get stitches!"

Fawley and Regulus exchanged tired looks. Regulus glanced back at the halfblood students once more. "None of us had anything to do with her being branded. Even if it was plenty rotten of her to be tattling on us to Flinn."

"Okay." Hornby hummed. "I believe you."

Keitch nodded in agreement. O'Toole and Doge glanced over at Wolrich nervously. But even Wolrich gave in.

"Fine." Wolrich sighed deeply. "And we know she should not have done that- we all told her that when we found out! But she's already been targeted. Now Barty is going to add to that?"

"Would you be able to get Barty to agree to leave her alone?" Hornby was peering at Regulus. "We promise to keep her away from Flinn from now on."

Regulus grimaced weakly. Being able to convince Barty of anything seemed royally unlikely. Convincing him to back down after he felt wronged by another student might as well be classified as impossible. Barty had suffered the most after Flinn’s attention was drawn to them. The professor barely let him breathe for weeks afterward. But the halfblood students were all shooting him hopeful looks.

"It is unlikely I would be able to talk Barty out of anything." Regulus admitted. "But I will try."

"Thank you." Wolrich sounded sincere.

They really did want to protect Killick, he realized. All of them had come to her defence. Regulus had not realized how much the halfbloods had each other’s backs before then. With a final nod of agreement, Regulus turned toward the boys' tower to try to do the impossible and convince Barty to use his brain.

Rosier and Barty were in the bathroom when Regulus got upstairs. He paused at the entrance and peered around at the bubbles soaking over the bathroom floor. Both of them were standing at the counter as they tried to contain the mountains of bubbles foaming out of the sink before them.

"What did you do?"

Rosier and Barty whirled at his voice. They both had gleeful guilty expressions as they peered back at him.

"Take a guess, Rowena Ravenclaw." Barty scoffed. "You have the stupidest questions."

"Finite." Rosier tapped the sink frantically. "It wasn't supposed to get so large!"

His counter spell did nothing to calm the bubbles. Rosier laughed. "Barty!"

Barty's smile only widened. "I ain't stopping this masterpiece!"

Regulus grabbed his wand. "Scourgify."

Some of the bubbles near the sink cleared, but the majority of the mess remained. Barty laughed at his failed attempt and splashed a handful of bubbles at Rosier.

Rosier stabbed Barty in the stomach with his wand. "Make it stop, wanker."

"What makes you think I can stop it?" Barty shrugged innocently.

Regulus knew there was only one way to get Barty to fix the problem. "Even you do not know how to fix it?" Regulus taunted dryly. "Here I thought you were the brains of the crew."

Barty frowned. He pulled out his wand. "Tergeo."

The bubbles vanished promptly.

Regulus snickered proudly. But his smugness only lasted a few seconds. Barty quickly dropped his wand back into his pocket, before jumping across and knocking Regulus off his feet.

Regulus struggled to escape but Barty pinned him down. He grabbed Regulus' chin and forced his head to the side.

"Barty!" Regulus gasped.

Barty stuck a finger into his own mouth. He exaggerated his movements as he slobbered all over the finger and smacked his lips loudly.

Regulus struggled beneath his grasp. "If you put that in my ear, I will-"

Barty did not care about the threats and went through with the wet willy anyway. Regulus shuddered with disgust at the horrific sensation in his ear. As soon as Barty released his arms, his hand ran to his ear to rub away at it viciously.

Rosier and Barty were both laughing as Regulus frantically tried to clear out his ear with one of his sleeves. He scowled at them.

"It is not funny." Regulus sulked.

"Yes, it is." Rosier snickered. "You'll live."

Barty had risen to his feet with a satisfied sneer. He rubbed off his hands smugly. "You got off easy, Reggie."

Regulus shook his head in annoyance. He tried his best to hide the smirk that was forcing its way onto his lips.

Rosier offered a hand to help him up but Regulus shoved it away. He pushed himself up to his feet. He groaned down at his damp and crinkled uniform. "Now I have to change."

"Good grief." Rosier groaned. "You need to spend some time outdoors or something."

"I do!" Regulus protested.

Just then, he remembered what he had come upstairs for. He glanced back at Barty and Rosier as he bit down on his lip. It seemed like the best moment to try to speak with them. Barty was acting very cheerful.

"You should not mess with that halfblood girl." Regulus spoke in Barty's direction. "If Flinn knows she was branded, he will be paying close attention to her, and probably suspect us anyway."

Barty rolled his eyes. "Who died and left you in charge, bossy?" he muttered, gruffly.

"It would be unwise." Rosier agreed.

"I wasn't going to do anything nuts." Barty waved a hand. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Regulus supposed that was the best response he was going to get out of Barty. He had done as Wolrich and Hornby had asked of him, and got some sort of agreement.

"Besides." Barty's eyes shone. "Killick has gotten herself into far more trouble than they realize. I didn't know she was the source who started the frenzy with the muggleborn students. The older folk have been yapping about it all week. Flinn wants names and is putting a lot of pressure on them to fess up. I'm not surprised she is being targeted."

Rosier raised his eyebrows. "Do you know who did that to her?"

"Nah." Barty shrugged. "But I'd bet my grandma's ashes it was Rowle. He always did the dirty work before Flinn arrived. Flinn put an end to branding, hazing, and muggleborn bashing in his first year. That's why we have missed out on all the fun."

"Makes sense." Rosier scoffed. "Wasn't Rowle the one who cursed you?"

Barty sneered. "Yeah, that prat."

"Did he not do that on Malfoy's orders?" Regulus asked. "Would he brand Killick on his own? Or only if Malfoy or one of the others told him to?"

Barty blinked a few times. "How did you know that Malfoy let him curse me?"

"Oh, yeah." Rosier cracked up. "I told him and Fawley about that."

"Snitch."

Barty reached over to smack Rosier on the back of his head. Rosier shoved him with both arms. Barty took a few steps back at the force of the push and nearly tripped when he slid on the puddles coating the floor.

"Suck it up." Rosier shrugged. "I'm not sorry."

"Very well." Barty shot him a sinister smile. "I will add you to my kill list after Killick."

Rosier exhaled loudly. "As if you could take me. With those garden snake arms? In your dreams, wimp."

Barty gasped, before jumping forward to pounce on Rosier. He grabbed ahold of Rosier by clenching both arms around the back of his head to pull him down to the floor. Rosier was hitting him in response. Both landed in a heap on the bathroom tiles. They were shouting all sorts of colourful profanity that would have sent Regulus' mother into a comatose state.

Regulus sighed. He turned toward the door to leave them to their wrestling. He had done all that could be done to tap into the limited sanity that existed between those two.

But Regulus was smiling to himself as he sat down on his bed. He could not believe those idiots were his mates. How very embarrassing.

Chapter Text

December, 1973

Barty was late to charms in second period.

He waltzed in fifteen minutes after the period began, and only offered a wink in response when Professor Flitwick paused his lecture to squint over. The professor returned to his lesson and Barty claimed the empty seat in front of Regulus.

He turned to them the second Professor Flitwick was distracted. He whispered back at the three pureblood Slytherin students. "All of the first-year pureblood students were rounded up by Flinn earlier, and Flint warned us that we may be next."

"For what?" Rosier furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would we be called down?"

"They were guessing it’s because of the muggleborn scandal." Barty shrugged. "He rarely stops at one year when he makes a group punishment out of something."

Regulus shook his head, still not understanding. "Why would any of us be penalized? None of us have bothered the muggleborn students."

"Doubt it matters." Barty chuckled. "He isn't being given the answers he wanted, so he's going to make it everyone's problem. Or everyone pureblooded."

"Lucky us." Regulus scoffed.

Fawley looked worried. "Surely not all of us."

But Barty had been correct. Within five minutes, Flitwick had received a letter and told Fawley, Rosier, Barty, and Regulus that they were needed at Professor Flinn's office. They collected their books before leaving. They didn't expect to be released in time to return to charms.

They were quiet for most of the walk over. As they neared the dreaded hallway, Rosier muttered in Barty's direction. "Don't say anything daft in there this time."

Barty smacked him in the stomach with an unnecessary amount of force. Rosier gasped, but Barty was unsympathetic. "Don't you bloody start." He spat, crudely, "This crap has already been etched into my brain between Malfoy and Vanity’s nagging."

Rosier scoffed, unsympathetic, "Maybe we wouldn't have to remind you so often if you had some common sense."

Barty repeated in a shrill mocking tone. "Some common sense!"

Barty bounded away when Rosier attempted to retaliate by kicking him. Fawley and Regulus exchanged exasperated looks.

They all fell quiet as they entered the office. They were called into the inner office. No one else was present but the professor. He waited for the door to close before he sat on the edge of his desk facing the four of them, crossed his arms, and lifted his eyebrows expectantly.

"Let's cut to the chase here because I have a lot of students to get through. I know none of you are innocent in what has been happening to the first-year muggleborn students in Slytherin - Ethel Harris and Michael Moore. I am willing to give you all the opportunity to confess your part right now and minimize the consequences you will face for your actions."

Regulus exchanged a baffled expression with the others quickly. He did not know what the professor wanted them to confess.

"Do not make this more difficult than it needs to be." Flinn's voice was sharp. "We are not leaving this room till you own up. So think long and hard before you answer, because either by being complicit or active participants in the bullying those two first years have faced, none of you are blameless."

He let the words vibrate through the quiet office air for a minute or two before speaking again.

"Rosier?"

Regulus glanced over at Rosier, who was on the far end of the line they had ended up standing in. Rosier was deep in thought. He answered after a few moments of hesitance.

"Sometime in September, I told them they could not use one of the tables in the common room." Rosier answered. "I did not mean to be cruel. If they broke the rules without knowing, they could be penalized."

Flinn's eyelids lowered, but he accepted that response. He turned to Fawley next. "What do you have to confess, Fawley?"

Fawley's face was creased with stress and paler than usual. Her voice sounded confused. "I’ve never spoken to either of them."

Flinn didn't like that answer. His lips tightened and irritation flashed behind his eyes. He moved on to Regulus.

"Black?"

Regulus did try his best. He did not know what he had done to the first years. He never spoke to any of them or even approved of the way Avery treated them. He did not know what he was supposed to be owning up to.

"I cannot recall having done anything to either of them."

Flinn sighed with irritation. "Anything you'd like to be honest about yet, Barty?"

Barty slanted his head. His eyes rounded out as they widened. "Sir, I have never done anything wrong in my life."

Flinn ignored his response. He leaned back and gazed over at Rosier on the other side. "You told the first years they were not allowed to sit at a common room table."

"Yes, sir." Rosier answered. "I was only repeating the rules."

"I don't buy that." The professor huffed. "You do not get to sit here and tell me that you picked on students because you cared about keeping them out of trouble. You participated in making them feel excluded - end of story. Don't pretend it was for their own good."

Rosier nodded solemnly.

"What consequence do you think your behaviour has earned you?" Flinn asked him.

Regulus peered over at Rosier. His friend seemed to be carefully analyzing the question before responding. Rosier was able to assess how to speak with the professor in a way that Regulus was still figuring out.

"A week of detentions." Rosier offered after a pause.

Flinn nodded shortly. "You have a week. Go take a seat on the bench outside."

Rosier exited the office and took a seat on the bench beyond the entrance. The door stayed open, and Rosier was still visible as he sat down. He gazed back at Regulus with lifted eyebrows.

Regulus was not certain about what Rosier wanted him to do. But he suspected that Rosier had made up what he told Flinn and was suggesting Regulus do the same. He wasn't sure what he could say he had done that would not hurt him more than arguing for his innocence would. Regulus had not had enough interactions with the professor yet to guess such things.

Flinn was facing the other three again. "You're all going to do thirty push-ups."

Fawley and Regulus exchanged confused looks, but Barty merely sneered at his feet. Regulus glanced back at the professor, who only lifted one eyebrow when they hesitated.

Regulus inhaled sharply. But he obeyed.

He knew what push-ups were. They did them at quidditch practice sometimes. Regulus wasn't half bad at them and thought thirty was doable. Barty and Fawley slowly complied after he did.

Regulus completed all thirty without much strain. He could feel the last ten becoming more difficult to keep up, but he finished them without faltering. When he rose to his feet, he could see that Fawley and Barty were not as capable of doing push-ups. Both were going much slower than he had and their arms were gently trembling in their effort.

Regulus waited nervously for the other two to finish. Flinn had his eyes on them and seemed to be keeping count of how many they had done. He did not spare Regulus a glance.

Finally, all three were standing on their feet again.

Flinn still had his arms crossed as he peered across with a nasty shine in his eyes. His words were cutting. "Has anyone's memory miraculously recovered, or shall we continue?"

Regulus realized that the professor was not going to let anyone out of there until they confessed. To whatever he thought they ought to confess to. Panic was growing in his chest.

He could not help but glance over at his friends again. Fawley was appearing as nervous as he was, with her face crumbling with distress. Barty had twisted his mouth but kept quiet. He was clearly trying his best not to mouth off as he usually did.

Regulus had never thought to ask Barty how Flinn had disciplined him in the past. Nor had he asked for many details from anyone. But Narcissa had once mentioned that the professor used a lot of unconventional tactics, and enjoyed using humiliation, exhaustion, or isolation to break students down. That comment was not making him feel too sure of the position he had landed himself in right then.

Flinn glanced at Fawley first. "Anything worthwhile to contribute yet, Fawley?"

"I don't know what I did!" Her voice was growing frantic.

Flinn turned to Regulus. He lifted his eyebrows in his direction. "Anything you're ready to confess?"

Regulus was trying to think. But his brain kept coming up blank. "I have already told you the truth. I have never spoken a word to either of them. I have seen others bother them, but I have never done anything wrong."

His answer only caused Flinn's face to darken dangerously. "Come here." The professor ordered.

Regulus hesitated. He did not want to get any closer to the professor. Not when he seemed quite miffed.

"I am not going to hurt you." Flinn scoffed, gruffly, rolling his eyes at the hesitance. "Get over here. Now."

When Regulus took a hesitant step forward, the professor grabbed him by his upper arm and yanked him closer. He kept a stern grip on Regulus' arm as he spoke to him.

"I have come across endless kids like you, Black." Flinn's words were sharp and daunting, burning holes into him. "I am sure you have been a bystander of terrible things your entire life, and at this rate, intend to be one for the rest of it. But my issue with you is that you tell yourself because you are not the one pulling the trigger, that you have no fault in the harm you sit by and watch. You are allowing that to happen and condoning it through your inaction." His grip felt like it was scorching Regulus’ arm as he continued, with a new burst of intensity. "Have you sat back this year and done nothing while those first years were being bullied, yes or no? Answer me."

Regulus hoped his arm was not shaking beneath the professor's grasp. His eyes were tearing in his frustration at the scolding being hurled his way. He answered honestly. "Yes."

The professor already seemed to know that was the case. "Then I don't want to hear that you are innocent and you have done nothing wrong." He concluded, as his iron-clad hold loosened, "You have done something wrong. Do you think they do not see you as just as menacing as the one actively bullying them when you're standing there supporting the bully?"

Regulus bit his bottom lip. He wondered if the muggleborn students had told the professor they thought he had participated by being around when Avery had picked on them.

"I will give you one more chance to answer the question, Black." Flinn pressed on. "Did you have any part in allowing those two to be picked on? Are you innocent in this situation?"

"No," Regulus muttered, decisively. "I am not innocent."

Flinn finally seemed satisfied with his response. He released Regulus' arm, which continued to throb in the area where his fingers had clung to the skin.

"What is the consequence you deserve?" Flinn asked him.

Regulus did not answer right away. His eyes travelled back to Rosier, who was watching attentively. Rosier distinctively mouthed 'one week'. Regulus glanced back at the professor quickly. Flinn had followed his eyes and was watching Rosier out of the corner of his vision.

"One week." Regulus offered.

"Go take a seat on the bench with Rosier."

Regulus sat down beside Rosier with a sense of relief. He had managed to get out of there. But Fawley and Barty were still trapped within the professor's gaze. He only caught a glimpse of their expressions as they gazed back at the other two for a brief moment, before Flinn had shut the door between them.

They could no longer see the scene within.

"Grand." Rosier groaned. He peered at Regulus. "We couldn't have suggested a lower consequence. Then he would have said we were not taking the weight of our actions seriously and given us a higher penalty. I've heard of him doing that to others."

Regulus nodded slowly. He suspected that Rosier had a reason for picking a week instead of trying to negotiate for a lesser consequence. He had chosen to trust Rosier's call. Rosier was more involved with the older students than he was and should know how to manage Flinn better.

They waited in the hall for the other two.

The conversation within was muffled. But they could pick up bits and pieces. Flinn continued to place pressure on them to confess to something and forced them to do push-ups in between every time they failed to confess. They could hear Fawley crying at one point when she could not do the push-ups. The professor kept telling her to continue.

"Can you just help me like you did for Regulus?" Fawley pleaded. "I don't know what you want me to confess!"

But Flinn was merciless to her pleas. "You are not doing yourself any favours right now, Fawley." Came his nasty response, "You should know what you did wrong, and you're only making matters worse by acting like what you did is forgettable."

Regulus genuinely felt sorry for Fawley. He had no idea why the professor kept pushing her. She certainly had seen the bullying far less than he had. And it seemed unlikely that she would have participated herself. But Flinn was stubbornly set on forcing her to confess to something.

Barty had fewer issues coming up with a confession. After a few rounds, he had casually gone through a few misdeeds in a bored tone. "I suppose you want me to say on the first day when we met them, I said 'Oh, look. The mudbloods!'" Barty sighed, "Also, I have been laughing at them all year whenever I see them—not saying anything else, just snickering at them. It makes them real uncomfortable. That’s it, but I can make some other barmy crimes up for you if it'd make you feel better."

"Thirty push-ups." Flinn told him coldly.

"I told you the truth!" Barty protested.

"I didn't appreciate your attitude."

It took a while for Barty to finish the push-ups. Even from outside, they could hear him struggling. Once he finally seemed to have completed them, Flinn spoke once more.

"Why don't you try confessing again?"

Barty's voice was dry. "I called them mudbloods as a joke on the first day, which I already was told off for, by the way. And I laughed at them for no reason. Happy?"

When Barty asked for two weeks of detention as a punishment, Flinn said he went too low and gave him a month of detention. Rosier nudged Regulus with a told-you-so expression.

Barty came outside with a sour expression and took a seat beside them on the bench. Neither spoke to him. It was unwise to when he got into those rare pouty moods. Barty would bounce back in a few minutes, as always.

But Fawley was still inside alone with the professor. They could hear her crying when he forced her to try to do push-ups again. It went on for a very long time. Regulus had to fight the urge to cover his ears after some time. He felt as though he was back at Grimmauld Place, listening to his brother be disciplined from his bedroom. Waiting for it to end.

When Fawley finally finished, their conversation could be heard through the door. "Quit moping around, Fawley. You should be embarrassed that you're the last one to confess." Flinn snapped, his patience waning. "You have one final chance to own up to what you did before I suspend you."

It was silent behind the doors for a bit, beyond Fawley sniffling. Rosier had his fist pressed against his lips beside Regulus, as he gazed at the floor with a stressed expression.

Barty was back to his usual smug demeanour. "What do you wager she did?"

"Nothing." Rosier whispered. "I do not think she did anything."

"He clearly has been told otherwise." Regulus pointed out.

"Fawley can be a bitch." Barty chuckled, slouching down the back of the bench lazily. "I would not put it past her."

Rosier gave him a dirty look. "Shut up, Barty."

Barty lifted his eyebrows and fell silent.

They all waited without any more speculation. Eventually, Flinn asked Fawley a different question. "Did you tell the first-year students that they were sorted into Slytherin as a mistake since it was a house for 'trueborn wizards'?"

"Yes." Fawley replied quickly.

"See?" Barty snickered in a whisper. "Getting all snippy with me for no reason."

Rosier ignored him.

"Why wouldn't you say that from the beginning?" Flinn asked.

Fawley's voice trembled. "I was scared."

After a pause, Flinn tsked. "What is a fitting consequence?"

"A week?"

"A week?" Flinn scoffed in disbelief. "Glad to see you are learning nothing from this situation. You're going to tell me your comments to them, plus fibbing over and over today warrants a week of detentions? You are lucky this isn't a suspension. You have a month of detentions."

Fawley was tear-stained and shaking when she finally emerged through the doorway. Flinn followed her out with his thin lips pressed together in anger. He called them all to attention.

"I assure you, if any of you continue to bother other students, you will never get off this easily again in the future. The second I peg you as a bully, it will be nearly impossible to get out of that box, do you all understand?"

All nodded mutely. They did not want to risk attracting any more negative attention to themselves.

The professor finally dismissed them. "Return directly to class."

Fawley would not stop crying as they moved down the hall. She hugged her chest with one arm and covered her face with the other hand as she took hesitant steps.

Regulus did not know what to do. Rosier tried to console her by touching her arm, but she shoved his hand away roughly. She turned away from them as she took sharp breaths. She continued to cry as the other three paused awkwardly.

"We cannot take her to class like this." Regulus pointed out.

They could not let anyone see her in that state. It would damage the respect others had for her. But he did not know where to take her to help her calm down when she was refusing their attempts to console her.

Rosier turned back to them. "Maybe we could find her older brother." He suggested.

"I am not returning to class either way." Barty shrugged. "I am going to go tell Malfoy what happened. Bet Fawley's brother will be there too."

It was a good idea. She did seem rather close with Hector Fawley in seventh year. She went to him for help with problems sometimes. Usually, those issues were Barty-related.

Rosier took Fawley by the arm, and the four of them headed toward the Slytherin common room. Several seventh years were waiting in the common room when they arrived. The room was tense as they headed over to the table and couch the seventh-year students were gathered around. All heads whirled in their direction as they drew near.

Malfoy was there, and so were both Carrows, Lysandra Tripe and Hector Fawley. Malfoy motioned Barty closer, as he paid close attention to the four of them. Hector Fawley had been seated across from him when they entered but rose to his feet when he saw his sister.

"Preston?" Hector called. "Merlin’s sake, what did he do to her?"

Fawley walked over to her brother without a word. She was struggling to compose herself as they walked but collapsed back into her tears when Hector wrapped his arms around her protectively. Barty cheerfully climbed up on one of the tall seats. Rosier and Regulus paused a meter back to watch. Malfoy turned to Barty with a sharp expression.

Barty’s voice was far too chipper for the occasion. "Fawley and I got a month of detentions."

"And the rest of you?" Malfoy asked softly, glancing over at Rosier and Regulus.

"Black and I got a week." Rosier explained, solemnly.

Hector’s head popped up at their words. He was running his hand down Preston’s back in a comforting manner, but his face was laced with anger. "Blimey. Why in the world would my sister get punished as much as Barty?"

"Well," Barty answered coyly. "Apparently, Fawley told the first years they didn't belong in Slytherin, and that Slytherin was only for real wizards."

Hector peered down at Preston, who emerged from his chest with a stubborn look on her face. Hector looked unconvinced that his sister would have done that. "You said that to the muggleborn students?"

Fawley was rubbing her cheeks furiously. "No, I didn't!"

"Preston." Malfoy interrupted. "Take a moment to collect yourself. Then explain what took place."

Hector peered over at Malfoy with an oddly dark look. Regulus wondered what that meant. But the older Fawley kept quiet as they waited for his sister’s response.

She took a few deep breaths and blinked rapidly as she straightened her back. Her words were forceful when she finally spoke. The others remained quiet as Preston Fawley went over all that had taken place in the office with Professor Flinn. No one interrupted until she came to the end of the story.

"When he finally offered up what he thought I did, I agreed I had done it. Because if I said no, then he was just going to keep punishing me until I said I did it anyway. He threatened to suspend me for lying to him!"

Her brother shook his head. "But now he thinks you said that, Preston." He huffed, exasperated.

"No, she is right." Malfoy said stiffly. "She made a clever choice."

Hector turned his attention to Malfoy. "She has never gotten into any trouble before, and she is hardly expressing any explicit pureblood views. Why would he believe some random source of information when it didn't even fit her character?"

Malfoy listened carefully, but he did not respond right away.

Hector went on. "They are just being punished for being pureblooded at this point."

"Malfoy." Amycus Carrow spoke up. "If they're being penalized before any admission of guilt, I am sure many are making up confessions so he would leave them alone."

Malfoy nodded in agreement. Thoughts were turning behind his cold eyes.

Regulus was not entirely keeping up with what the seventh years were communicating to each other. But there was clearly a larger plan between them that he was not aware of. Rosier seemed a bit perplexed as well, but Barty seemed to know what was going on. He was grinning smugly as he strummed his fingertips along the table.

Fawley had buried her face back into Hector’s chest. She leaned against him weakly, but no longer seemed to be crying. Her voice was muffled. "I want to go home."

"Do not be like that, Preston." Hector moaned. "You cannot let him get to you."

"He has already gotten to me! I just confessed to something I did not do."

Regulus agreed with her point.

Malfoy turned his focus back onto the second-year girl. "Preston."

She pulled away from Hector to glance over at him warily.

"Did you get a pass out of class?" Malfoy wondered.

Fawley shook her head no.

Malfoy glanced at Barty, Rosier, and Regulus without a word.

"Obviously not." Barty drawled out.

Malfoy did not react visibly. He turned to Hector Fawley with a gentle lift to his eyebrows. His tone became more commanding as he spoke. "Write to your parents immediately and tell them she is upset and wishes to go home for now. When Flinn comes looking for them, you will tell him she is not in class as she is waiting for her parents to pick her up. And state why."

Hector did not ask questions. He moved away from his sister to get a parchment and a quill.

Malfoy peered back at them. "Fawley, sit on the couch. Rosier and Black, sit with her."

The three of them met eyes for a moment before following the orders. They certainly were not going to ask questions. Fawley sat in the middle, while Rosier and Regulus sat on either side.

When Hector completed the note, he sealed it into an envelope and handed it to the Head Boy. Malfoy scanned the surrounding room. Only a few older years were sitting around. Some were working, while others were peering over with curiosity.

"Volant." Malfoy called to Celease Volant, a few tables over. "Mail this immediately and go get Flint. Tell her I want her here right now."

Volant got down from her seat and walked over. She eyed the three on the couch briefly before accepting the letter. She disappeared out of the exit.

Malfoy turned back to Barty. "Go to class. Your presence will only hurt our case."

"Nuh-uh," Barty argued. "I can say I had to come because Fawley was so upset! Just like the others."

Malfoy considered his response with narrowed eyes. His voice was icy, but he gave in to Barty. "Go sit beside her. No smiling."

Barty giggled and made a fake pout. He dramatically leaped off his chair to walk over to the sofa. Barty shoved his way in between Rosier and Fawley.

The prefect arrived in no time. She walked directly to Malfoy’s side without stating a word. He barely glanced over at her while he doled out instructions. "Flinn will be here shortly. When he arrives, if he tries to isolate Preston Fawley, I will ask him to accompany her. When he turns my offer down, you will ask if you could join instead. State the second years are your responsibility as prefect."

"Got it." Flint nodded sharply.

Malfoy glanced back at the four on the couch. "No one will speak on her behalf other than her first, and Hector second. If she hesitates, Hector will explain. No one else speaks for her. Understood?"

The second years nodded in agreement.

Malfoy spoke to Barty directly. "You will not say a word."

"Yeah, yeah." Barty scoffed, rolling his eyes. "No smiling, no talking. I know the drill."

Malfoy addressed them all again. "If Flinn directs a question at all of the boys, Rosier replies. Barty and Black will not speak unless spoken to directly."

"Understood." Rosier nodded.

Regulus did not mind being told to sit there and stay silent. He was too fascinated and confused by the scene that was being set up to risk doing anything wrong. Rosier knew more about how the older students operated than he did and would know what the right things to say were when Flinn asked questions.

Irma Crabbe from fourth year entered the common room, to call across to them loudly. "Leeway."

No one acknowledged her directly, but the older years all shuffled. Hector walked up behind where Fawley was seated, and the Carrows sat down at their table with Lysandra Tripe. Malfoy walked away from the table and stood facing those seated on the couch with a cold blank expression. He did not meet any of their eyes.

"Do not cry." Hector muttered behind them to his sister.

"It is good she's visibly upset." Tripe disagreed. "He will be nastier if they don't get upset."

"Look at Bellatrix," Amycus Carrow snickered, then motioned at Barty. "Or this one."

Barty chuckled with pride. "I love being Bellatrix reborn."

Regulus rolled his eyes. He did not know if that comment was more insulting to his cousin or Barty.

Flinn arrived a few moments afterward. Everyone held still as they awaited his arrival. All else in the common room had stopped working and peered over at the professor with interest as he moved past the entrance.

By Regulus’ side, he could feel Fawley begin to fiddle with her sleeve nervously. Her brother stiffened defensively at her back and glowered over at the professor menacingly.

Flinn spoke to Malfoy first with a cutting tone. "Same code word I've heard twice now. You're getting sloppy."

Malfoy’s cheek twitched gently, but he remained completely still otherwise.

Flinn paused at the end of the couch, gazing around the room with lifted eyebrows. Between all of the intimidating seventh years, the professor did not seem as intimidating. Regulus knew he should fear the older Slytherin students more than he should fear the professor. He wondered if Flinn feared them too.

"Is this a collaborative effort to break school rules?" Flinn’s tone was nearly taunting. "No one feels like attending class, and all student authority here is supporting it?"

They all held silent. Fawley shifted nervously but did not speak. Hector was gripping the couch tightly behind her but kept silent as he watched Malfoy. The Head Boy did not glance back at Hector, but after a long minute of silence, he fiddled with a ring on his index finger.

Hector spoke up immediately. "Preston is not in class because she is being picked up by our parents."

Flinn hummed. "And why is that?"

"She's upset!" Hector’s frustration was evident.

"Why?" Flinn asked plainly. He did truly seem to be taunting the older boy.

It was successfully getting under Hector’s skin. His face flushed a bright red. "You just tormented her into confessing to something she didn't do. Why do you think she is upset?"

Flinn’s face grew harder. His eyes were dark as he inspected Hector with one eyebrow rising.

Malfoy cleared his throat. Hector turned at the noise to meet Malfoy’s eyes, then reluctantly pressed his jaw together. He did not look back at the professor.

"Speak for yourself, Fawley." Flinn glanced at Preston Fawley. "You are not a child, act your age."

She spoke up. "I am waiting for my parents. I didn't say anything to the first years, I told you that."

"That is not what you said." Flinn’s eyes were drilling into her. "You told me that you told them they were in the wrong house."

"That wasn't true." Preston clasped her hands together nervously. "I didn't want to be suspended or for you to say I was lying. I have never talked to them ever, I swear."

"She doesn't even have views like that." Hector added with a huff. "She's twelve!"

"Fawley." Flinn’s voice was much harsher when he glared at Hector. "Excuse yourself."

Hector gaped at the professor in disbelief, but he peered at Malfoy when he responded. "I am not leaving her here alone."

Regulus realized that Malfoy was far more the authority of the older years than Flinn was. Even before him, they took orders from Malfoy, and Malfoy alone. He could not even recall seeing Flinn regularly speaking with the older years. He seemed to leave them to their prefects or Head students more than he regularly intervened with individuals.

"Fawley." Malfoy’s face was unreadable.

"I want to stay with her until my parents come." Hector argued. "You expect me to leave her with him, after what he did to her?"

Malfoy’s face visibly twitched with irritation. He took ahold of the other seventh-year by an arm and turned him toward the entrance to their tower. Hector’s face flushed an even deeper red, but he moved in the direction Malfoy motioned him toward. He quickly ascended the staircase and slammed the door on the top of the stairs behind him.

Flinn had sat back and watched the scene between narrowed eyes. His words were venomous. "Lost control of your friends again? Seems to be the story of your time at Hogwarts, Malfoy."

Regulus wondered if that was a dig at Bellatrix. He certainly seemed to blame Malfoy for Bellatrix’s actions quite often.

Malfoy did not respond.

Flinn returned to the second years. "Do the rest of you have a sob story for me too, or are you just cutting class?"

Barty and Regulus kept their mouths sealed closed as ordered.

"We brought Fawley to her brother." Rosier explained. "She was really upset, and we couldn't bring her to class like that."

Flinn inhaled, irritated. "Fawley, step outside with me."

Fawley stared back at him nervously. She slowly began to rise.

Malfoy finally spoke to Flinn. "May I come along?"

"No, you may not." Flinn’s tone was vicious. "Go get your class under control if you have half a brain."

Ursula Flint jumped in quickly. "Would I be able to go with her? Second years are my responsibility."

"One you are failing to uphold." Flinn snapped, but he turned to Fawley anyway. "Would you be more comfortable if Flint was with us?"

Fawley nodded earnestly. "Yes, please."

"Very well." Flinn replied. "Flint, come along."

No one else spoke as Fawley walked out with Flinn, trailed by Ursula Flint. Malfoy watched them leave carefully. Regulus suspected nothing the professor said was beyond what the Head Boy had anticipated. He had said that Flinn would isolate Fawley and turn down his offer to stay with her.

Once Flinn was gone, Hector Fawley reappeared at the bottom of the seventh-year entrance. He smirked over at their circle of students. He appeared calm and collected.

Malfoy sneered softly in return. He nodded his head yes to an unspoken question between them. Hector grinned and turned back to head upstairs once more.

Regulus’ jaw dropped slightly as it dawned on him. Even Hector losing his cool had been an act. The entire conversation had been planned out by the older students. Malfoy had only given the instructions to them, but the older students seemed to already know what to do.

Barty snickered at the shocked expressions on Regulus and Rosier’s faces. "Beginners."

Malfoy turned back to the remaining three. "Did you use the excuse I told you to?"

"Rosier tried it." Barty replied, while he picked at his tooth with a nail. "Flinn didn’t bite."

Malfoy did not respond. He waited in place until the entrance to the dungeons opened once more. Flint and Fawley re-entered the dungeons without the professor.

Irma Crabbe stepped in again. "Clear."

Flinn was gone.

Hector came downstairs, and Ursula Flint went directly to Malfoy’s side. Regulus turned to watch with interest to see what she would say.

"She's cleared. No detentions, but he said she could still go home if she wished to. He admitted his info must be faulty. Wanted the rest to return to class immediately."

Malfoy contemplated for a moment. "Any Lestranges in here?"

The prefect shrugged. "I believe they are both in class."

"I don't want either of them in the common room until this pans out." Malfoy ordered. "Same for Rowle, Selwyn, and Greengrass. When you see them, let them know."

Flint nodded firmly. "I will."

Malfoy continued listing off commands. "I want Vanity here before I attempt to speak with him, where is she?"

"In class." Flint responded.

"Pull her out." The Head Boy instructed. "And warn Narcissa they're next."

He dismissed Flint with a wave of his hand. The prefect left the common room, probably to go carry out all of the orders.

Malfoy returned his attention to the younger students. Fawley had disappeared upstairs with her brother, but Barty, Rosier, and Regulus were still on the couch.

"Return to class and keep your heads down." Malfoy told them.

Barty moaned dramatically and slid down the back of the sofa. "I don't want to miss the grand finale!"

"You're not staying for it." Malfoy had no patience for him. "You will only hurt any chance of it working. Get."

"You suck." Barty sulked. But he headed toward the exit.

They had fully missed charms by then, and the first half of their transfiguration period. They walked toward the transfiguration hall slowly, all still contemplating what had taken place that day. Regulus found himself strumming with curiosity.

"What is the grand finale?" He asked Barty.

Barty snickered, but he offered up an explanation. "Malfoy is graduating soon, so he wanted to stir the pot. He was going to say Flinn is creating divides between blood status in Slytherin. In his prissy-ass words, he said Flinn is 'forcing pureblood students who wouldn't necessarily gravitate toward pureblood supremacy to be forced to identify with the pureblood group alone, since he punishes us collectively as a group'."

"I think he wanted to argue that Volant wouldn't have become a shit-stirrer if Flinn hadn't messed her up in third year for no reason." Rosier added. "When he whaled on all the purebloods in fourth and third for Hawkins being locked up, even though most had nothing to do with it."

Regulus nodded slowly, trying to piece it together. "What did Fawley have to do with this plan?"

"Malfoy wanted another example, so guess he likes his chances with Fawley." Barty chuckled. "She doesn't run around screaming her pureblood for the win thoughts. And Flinn owned up to giving her a hard time for no reason."

The idea of a coordinated argument was intriguing. Regulus wished they could have seen it to the end. He was starting to understand why Barty always hung around the older years. It was interesting to watch how they manipulated Flinn.

"Are all of their conversations pre-planned?" He wondered.

"Only some." Barty snorted. "They organize everything to the T. It’s mad irritating. Flinn has caught on now and then, you know, he ain't the dullest fellow. Once while I was there, he called them 'the flock of compulsive liars'. It was funny. But I've seen them play him for a fool plenty of times. If it ever seems like they're fucking up, usually it's part of their ploy to make Flinn think he's keeping up with them."

Rosier scoffed. "Like the fake lookout?"

"We are sodding wizards." Barty laughed. "They don't need a lookout. Malfoy knows where Flinn is all the time, he has a way to track him. Flinn and Malfoy have been on the outs ever since all that went down with Bellatrix, so he has been coming up with ways around it."

The three were quiet for a bit as they neared the classroom. Rosier finally spoke up once more when they were a few steps away. "What is going to happen next year, when Malfoy is gone?"

Barty smiled smugly. "That is the question."

Chapter Text

December, 1973

Regulus had seen Sirius on the Hogwarts Express. He had glimpsed the flicker of red and gold colours veering past the entrance of his compartment, and for a split-second, caught a clear glimpse of Sirius talking excitedly to the scar-faced halfblood. Then he was beyond sight.

And yet, it was Regulus alone who met up with his mother at King's Cross Station.

"Your brother seems to have decided not to make an appearance, yet again." His mother huffed after they waited in tense silence for ten minutes or so. The platform gradually cleared around them, but neither had glimpsed Sirius among the remaining crowds.

Some foolish part of him spoke up before he could think better of it. "I saw him on the train earlier." Regulus admitted, softly.

Her head whirled to him, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Is that so?" She asked, her tone surly.

Regulus felt his stomach drop as he lifted his chin to meet her gaze. He knew that tone. His mother thought he was being dishonest. He wanted to defend himself - he was being honest! But as her piercing gaze tore through him, he found himself unable to utter another word.

"If you are operating under the assumption that you can shield your brother from warranted consequences with this feeble attempt to divert my attention," She spoke fiercely, her voice low so none around would overhear, "You are sorely mistaken. I will not be played for a fool, Regulus."

"Yes, ma'am." Regulus answered coarsely, cursing his slip-up. "I did not mean to defend him."

"Silence." She hushed him harshly. "We will discuss this lapse of judgment when we arrive at Grimmauld Place."

She turned on her heel, her skirt swishing behind her. Regulus did not try to speak again, only following along meekly.

They did not discuss the matter further on the journey home. They apparated to the end of their street and walked up to their house, where his mother revealed the hidden manor from its glamour enchantment.

Her silence ebbed away the moment she was glaring down at him in the entrance foyer, her gaze dripping in venom. It did not matter if he lied or not, he knew he was going to pay the price for Sirius' absence. While he suspected that was the true cause for her mood, his brother was nowhere in range of her temper, so it would inevitably be directed onto him instead. It was a pattern he had learned well over the year he spent alone at Grimmauld Place. His comment had only foolishly encouraged the misdirected anger he was sure to bear the brunt of.

"How many times must I repeat myself before you heed my warnings?" She asked, her words merciless. Regulus was frozen in her looming shadow. "Your willingness to engage in deception for your brother is a weakness I will have no tolerance for."

"Please," his words were nearly whispers, "I was not lying... perhaps I was mistaken, but I truly believed I saw him."

Her eyes widened menacingly, and he instinctively took a step back. "Still, you push this narrative?" She hissed, in disbelief, "You ought to know better than to cross me."

He barely had a moment to register her seething remarks before his eyes were drawn down to a shuffle at her skirt. Her hand had withdrawn her daunting wand with one fell swoop. His eyes were glued to the wand, unable to tear them away.

The wand never signified anything pleasant. He had never seen his mother use her wand for any reason other than to rebuke her sons. Once the wand was drawn, he knew what lay in store for him. And yet, she still managed to surprise him.

She pointed the wand at him, her lips curling around the spell, "Legilimens."

Nothing Sirius had ever explained did the feeling justice. It was horrific and painful, his eyes nearly rolling back as thoughts and memories flashed through his mind. Regulus gasped, or at least he thought he did. He felt detached from his body as he stood there trembling. If he was moving or speaking, he could not tell. It no longer felt within his control as she pried through his mind.

It isn't mind reading, Sirius explained once, after reading up on legilimency in their cousin's library books. His brother had been the sole target of her past legilimency spells, and he had wanted to learn more about it afterward. It was a way for the caster to delve into someone's thoughts, emotions and memories. She could not automatically find what she was looking for, his brother told him, she had to search and interpret her findings. The victim could prevent the castor from finding the memories or thoughts they were interested in, or block them out entirely. But neither Sirius nor Regulus had any training on how to do such a thing, leaving them helpless to her delving.

If anything, Regulus was sure he was making it rather easy for his mother. Every misdeed he had ever committed was attached to a strong wave of guilt. He felt bad for every muggle word he used at Hogwarts when he knew his mother disapproved of such nonsense. He felt guilty for every secret of Sirius' he kept - the two-way mirror, the fights between Sirius and Bellatrix, the countless times Sirius snuck into the muggle town without permission. He felt guilty for his feelings around Sirius, for always wanting to follow in his brother's footsteps even when he knew it to be misbehaviour in his family's eyes. All of his guilt seemed to heighten those memories, and they were among the first flashing through his mind as she tore into him.

No matter how hard he tried to resist it, he could see the two-way mirror, Sirius' path to the muggle town, Sirius and his Potter friend conversing, Barty's and Rosier's language - all flashing through his mind. He knew she was seeing it too, and he could sense her anger only growing the deeper she dug into his guilt.

He didn't know when she withdrew. One moment he was standing there, strained and tense under the force of the spell, and then the next he was staring at the ground, breathing heavily. When he came to his senses, he peered up at his mother through his blurry vision.

As soon as they met eyes, his mother smacked him across the mouth. It wasn't particularly hard, but it stunned him and made her point.

"You have disappointed me greatly." She told him, enunciating each word with vigour.

His tears pooled at the bottom of his eyes. "I am sorry." He apologized, softly.

"You will stay in your personal quarters for the evening and ponder your foul behaviour." His mother ordered coldly.

Regulus spent the rest of the evening sulking on his bed. He couldn't help but resent Sirius. He had misbehaved and his mother had every right to be cross over what she had seen in his mind, but she never would have used legilimency on him in the first place if Sirius hadn't been so bloody selfish. Not to mention, how much he had kept from his mother for Sirius' sake. The longer he festered in his misery, the stronger his resolve became to refrain from keeping any more of Sirius' secrets. It earned him nothing but pain and damaged his mother's trust in him.

He was permitted to attend breakfast the next morning. Both parents seemed incapable of disguising their irate moods. He could only hope neither moods were directed at him and focused on forcing himself not to flinch every time a parent slammed something down across the table.

His mother left the house shortly after breakfast. To collect Sirius from wherever he had gone, Regulus assumed. He did not hear their return. Which was odd, since Sirius had never not come in without making a scene before. He was not subtle in any sense of the word.

And yet, it seemed that Sirius was home. When Regulus made a trip to his bedroom before lunch, he noticed that his brother's door was locked, with evidence of an enchantment sealing the hinges. There also was a pile of his brother’s belongings in the yard behind their house the next day, all burnt to a crisp, a punishment from his mother no doubt, who often destroyed Sirius' belongings when she was angry with him.

Sirius did not make much noise inside his room. Not on the first day, or in the next days that followed. It was eerily quiet whenever Regulus pressed his ear to the shared wall between their bedrooms. Sirius must be silenced, he figured, after a while. But he did not hear footsteps or noises of dishes or the shuffling of books. He didn't hear his brother lashing out in any way. He heard absolutely nothing most of the time.

His parents did not permit his brother to leave his bedroom for the entire week. It was longer than he could ever recall his brother being locked up. He couldn't imagine Sirius was taking it well at all, which made his silence even more unnerving.

It had been worrying him so much that he couldn't resist trying to get some sort of reaction out of his brother. He knocked on the door and the wall between their rooms to try to attract his brother's attention a few days into his brother's imprisonment. He wanted some sort of verification that Sirius was even alive in there. But his brother had done nothing in response, and he gave up. Even so, Regulus had tried to cram some bars he brought from Hogwarts under his brother's door whenever his mother was busy in her office. He did not know if his parents were even giving Sirius his meals. Kreacher could have easily been apparating dishes into the bedroom, but he had no way to verify that and was not risking letting his brother starve in there. While Sirius being trapped in his room had been a consequence his parents utilized before, typically, Sirius was still allowed to attend meals and use the bathroom. But not this time. This time Sirius never came out.

No one bothered to speak to or spend any time with Regulus that week. His mother's anger with him seemed to sap away after she got to punish Sirius for the misdeeds his mind revealed and she spoke with him more cordially at meals, but she was busy in her study during the day. Kreacher was his only company between meals, so he often passed time rereading old library novels or working ahead on his homework. He didn't dare to ask his mother for anything. He did not go flying on his broomstick or ask to mail any letters. He knew he was still on thin ice with his mother, and he did not want to do anything that would anger her again. It didn't help that Sirius kept continuously angering her. Even once he was locked up, letters kept being delivered by the dozen every day from James Potter for Sirius, setting his mother into a rage over and over. Regulus stayed as far away from that mess as he could get.

The week felt endless before they finally reached the day of their New Year's Party. Regulus had been looking forward to it, as it signified the end of the miserable break. If they were lucky, his parents might even allow Sirius to attend. Even if he was quite hurt that Sirius left him to suffer in the aftermath of his abandonment that break, he desperately wanted to ensure that his brother was still in one piece. The silence had given his fears far too much space to contemplate the worst all week long.

The fateful day finally arrived. His mother had informed him of the gathering after breakfast, along with a few other unnerving orders. "While your brother will be in attendance at the gathering, you are strictly forbidden from communicating with him in any manner." She gripped his chin firmly to ensure he was meeting her eye, "Is that understood?" She asked, her tone testy.

"Yes, ma'am." He agreed immediately. There was no point in arguing. She clearly was miffed over what she had seen him hide for his brother and did not want the brothers speaking. He understood that.

Regulus saw his mother entering Sirius' room later that morning. He rushed up to his room to listen in on the conversation, just to find he heard nothing through the wall. He realized, with a sense of relief, that his mother must have left a muffling charm over his brother's bedroom, explaining the eerie silence he had been listening to all week. She seemed to be taking excessive measures to keep himself and Sirius from communicating.

That afternoon, the gathering began briskly. Regulus was sent to greet guests at the entrance, which he did dutifully. His mother and father made an appearance as well, but Sirius had not yet shown up as he greeted the first round of guests politely.

After fifteen minutes, his mother excused herself. Regulus noted her making her way up the stairs out of the corner of his vision. He felt a sharp wave of relief, reckoning that his brother would be allowed out shortly. But when Sirius finally approached him, Regulus rigidly kept his eyes averted. He could not dare to defy his mother now, not after she so clearly articulated her orders against their communication, and still harboured some anger over his choice to withhold secrets from her.

He could feel his brother's gaze on him across the hall as Sirius quickly made his way over. Regulus didn't look at him when he walked up, keeping his chin rigidly set forward as he greeted guests walking in from the entranceway. He hoped Sirius wouldn't be foolish enough to attempt to begin a conversation there, among the conversing crowd of witnesses.

They were saved by the interruption of an approaching guest, "Boys." A deep voice greeted them.

Regulus gazed up at Aquila and Gareth Greengrass, who had paused before them. At his side, he saw Sirius turn to them sharply and offer a brisk nod in response.

"Good afternoon." Regulus greeted them when Sirius did not speak, shaking Gareth's hand when he offered it. The man extended his hand to Sirius as well but gave him a suspicious look he had not honoured Regulus with.

Behind the adults, Regulus could see Mira Greengrass, from Hufflepuff, and her older sister Mercury, a fourth-year Slytherin, standing there. Both girls gave Sirius a cold look as they walked by. He could see their parents eyeing his brother as they turned to walk further into the hall as well. That was quite odd.

As he watched the eyes of the crowd find his brother, Regulus noticed that many of the sacred twenty-eight families were regarding his brother with expressions laced with disdain and distrust. He wondered if Sirius had done something recently that attracted their attention, something he was unaware of. He made a mental note to ask Narcissa about it whenever he had the chance. She would surely keep informed of such topics. He hoped she'd be there shortly, but she warned him before they left that she might not make it. Bellatrix had an upcoming court date that might have interfered with their gathering. He hoped they would manage to come anyway, desperate to see his cousin, but the longer she didn't show up the surer he was that she would not be in attendance that day. He'd have to wait until they were back at Hogwarts for answers.

Sirius remained by his side as they continued to greet anyone who walked in, with a few forcing them into bouts of small talk. It did not take long for Regulus to recognize that his brother was not speaking. He was nodding politely as guests spoke to him, but he remained reliant on Regulus to give any audible responses. It dawned on him that his brother must still be silenced. Once he realized this, he ensured he spoke up quickly every time a guest walked up and answered any questions aimed at the two of them. It mostly seemed to be working. His brother was getting by with simply smiling and nodding whenever he was spoken to, most not giving him a second glance as they headed off.

After several adults wandered past them, they were standing alone for a moment with no one else to greet. Regulus could tell that Sirius was attempting to catch his eye, nudging him with an arm when Regulus carefully averted his gaze to the window. Regulus did not react.

Sirius frowned in annoyance, nudging him harder.

Regulus widened his eyes with a look of irritation, nodding his head across the room in his mother's direction ever so slightly. How could his brother be so thick? Surely he must realize that their mother would rip them both apart if they did anything to displease her. Sirius glanced in the direction of the motion and seemed to realize that Regulus had pointed out their mother. But their mother was not looking at her sons. She seemed too busy to pay them any mind as she stood beside their father at the front of the hall. Both parents were immersed in an animated conversation with Quintilla and Fulcran Lestrange.

His brother looked around briefly, not seeing any eyes on them as the guests settled around in small clusters at the other end of the hall. He peered back at their parents once more, before grabbing Regulus' arm and dragging him into the hall quickly.

"Sirius!" Regulus protested in a whisper, turning his head quickly to ensure none were watching. "I cannot talk to you." He whispered frantically, "Mum told me not to."

Sirius gestured several times in annoyance, not looking too surprised upon hearing that. He shouldn't be surprised. She had often tried to interfere with their relationship in the past. As his brother would often remind him, whenever she was angry with Sirius, she would attempt to have them turn on each other.

Regulus moved swiftly back toward their dining hall, fearful of his absence being spotted. "She only mentioned the party." He muttered as he walked back inside. "Perhaps you should try not to upset her by leaving the hall, so we are eventually permitted to speak again."

He hurried back into the hall, not gazing back to catch his brother's reaction. He could imagine what it'd be anyway, no need to stick around and watch. He briskly returned to where he had planted himself earlier, happy that his parents were still fully engaged in their conversation with the Lestranges. He scrutinized his mother's body language with care until he was satisfied that she had not noticed. He knew her signs of anger quite well, and she was never the best at disguising her rage.

Eventually, Sirius was by his side once more. His brother did not attempt to communicate again.

Once all guests had settled into their seats, the brothers took their seats on the row designated for children. He tried to inspect his brother out of the corner of his eye. He did not see any physical injuries, but Sirius did look rather exhausted and pale. Misery was etched into every line on his face.

His brother was peering across the hall, and Regulus could not resist following his gaze over to their father. Their father was engaging in occasional idle chatter with the adults around him, but he seemed as miserable as Sirius. Every minute or so, he'd lift that accursed cup to his lips, washing a new wave of dread over Regulus. He met Sirius' eyes for a moment, knowing that his brother was feeling similar dismay at the sight. The brief sobriety periods never lasted long, but it was irritating to see it collapse anyway. Regulus turned away quickly before anyone caught him looking his brother's way, carefully arranging a napkin on his lap without looking over again.

Several kids sat around the tables awkwardly, waiting for the adults to slow their conversations so the dinner would commence. But the adults continued anyway, their chatter running on and on, leaving the kids without much to do but mingle among themselves.

There was no one there that Regulus had the mind to speak to. Without Narcissa's family in attendance, he barely recognized anyone his age. Many of the older students from Slytherin were present, but he hardly would approach them at a social event. Both his cousins and the older Lestranges were notably absent. He imagined both families were at court.

As he inspected the surrounding faces, another family entered late. His mother walked across their grand hall to come and greet them. The newcomers made their way into the hall. The Fawley twins from Ravenclaw walked by first, the girl, Willow, winking at Sirius as they passed by. His brother's lips opened into a scoff, though no noise was made.

Then Preston Fawley was approaching them, a smile on her face and her eyes trained on Regulus. He hadn't known that she'd be attending that year. He recalled her being there once in a while in the years before Hogwarts, but she had not attended recently, so he hadn't expected it. Behind her, Hector Fawley was walking across in the direction of the table where the older teens were seated.

His mother had paused to speak with Hector and Preston's parents, only a few meters away from Regulus and Sirius, when Preston Fawley halted in front of their table.

"Hullo!" She smirked, leaning against the table with her hands tucked behind her back. "I brought you a Christmas gift."

"I hope you are teasing." Regulus sighed, dryly. "Because I do not have anything for you."

Fawley chuckled, pulling her arms around to reveal a handful of flattened leaves. Not just any leaves, the holly leaves they had discussed back at Hogwarts. The leaves Regulus cherished so greatly, that he kept them in their own container so they wouldn't be contaminated by flakey bits tearing off of the other leaves in his collection.

"What?" Regulus gasped in awe. He accepted the handful of holly leaves with utter delight. "How did you get them?"

Fawley shrugged innocently, not explaining anything. He couldn't believe she had remembered the leaves he wanted. Before he could think of some way to express his gratitude, Fawley shifted her attention over to his brother. "Hi, Sirius." She said, coyly.

Even while he was inspecting his leaves, he could see Sirius nod sharply before he started to slouch down his seat as if he was trying to disappear.

Fawley was more observant than the adults had been. "What is the matter?" She inquired, lifting an eyebrow. "I have never seen you so quiet before."

Regulus lifted his chin quickly. "Ignore him."

Fawley crossed her arms stubbornly, not listening to Regulus. "Why won't you talk to me?" She wondered, stubborn as all hell.

Sirius huffed in annoyance, looking as though he was wishing she'd leave him alone.

The group of adults seemed to have caught on to the conversation, with Fawley's parents peering over at Sirius with puzzled expressions. His mother had turned as well, her structured eyebrows arching in his brother's direction.

"Do not mind Sirius." Their mother's voice was cool. "He is not in possession of his voice right now. He cannot be trusted to hold his tongue without some assistance."

Regulus bit the inside of his bottom lip nervously. He knew his mother must be aiming to embarrass his brother. He could only hope that Sirius would not do anything foolish in response.

He kept his eyes forward as he watched Sirius at the edge of his vision. His brother glowered in the direction of their mother's skirt beside him, his face dark.

Fawley shrugged uncomfortably, quickly peering back at Regulus. "I will see you later, Regulus." She said, her voice quieter. She walked away briskly, the adults slowly returning to their conversation.

Regulus slipped the leaves Fawley gave him beneath the table quickly, hiding them from anyone’s sight by carefully wrapping them in his napkin. His mother was watching Sirius with a smug expression for a moment longer before she started moving back toward the front.

His mother was calling the room to attention. "Thank you to all who have gathered with us today." Her voice was bright and self-assured. "I ask all to rise for a toast."

The hall erupted with loud scraping noises as guests rose to their feet, all taking ahold of their glasses with scattered mutters. Regulus stood up quickly, the others at the table following suit. But his brother had stayed still, gazing around the room to watch everyone rise. Eventually, everyone was on their feet other than his brother.

Regulus felt his chest tighten in anticipation of what was to come. He knew Sirius was about to make a scene, and they'd both pay for it. His brother was quite predictable.

Sirius took a sip of the water in his glass casually, fiddling with the emptied glass in his hand afterward. He set it back down, peering up front to see if his childish protest had captured their mother's attention.

Their mother was watching him with piercing eyes at the head of the hallway, with a cold smile remaining plastered to her face. The longer Regulus watched, the more the smile drew into a grimace. His brother defiantly didn't look away, waiting to see what their mother would do.

It had gone on for too long, he knew. Others in the room were starting to notice what she was waiting for. Several heads were turning in their direction, picking up on Sirius' defiance. Regulus stood frozen in place, feeling powerless to stop the mess his brother was making of the event. He didn't understand why his brother would think a childish rebellious moment was worth all the suffering that they'd inevitably get in return. And yet Sirius could not help himself. He insisted on provoking her endlessly. In front of an audience, no less, ensuring he would get a particularly nasty negative response.

The hall had waited for nearly a full minute in tense silence. Their mother's smile had long vanished, her face drawn as she stared at his brother.

A wave of panic rushed through him, "Stand up." He hissed, under his breath, glancing over at Sirius briefly with an annoyed expression. "Sirius." He pleaded.

His comment only seemed to harden his brother's resolve to be a prat. His brother sunk deeper down into his seat, crossing his arms and lifting his eyebrows. When Regulus glanced back at his mother, he realized her eyes were now on him. He stared back, realizing that he had possibly done the worst thing he could have done at that moment. He had defied her orders, and she had seen it. The fear he felt moments before was nothing compared to what he felt then.

She turned her attention back to the crowd briskly, her voice strained. She carried on with her speech as if nothing had occurred, but he knew better. He barely heard a word as he waited for the speech to end, rooted to his spot. He was vaguely aware of other members of the crowd shooting disapproving looks their way, though he suspected those were intended for his brother. Only his mother had reason to be cross with him.

He set his jaw in irritation, cursing himself yet again for trying to help Sirius. Would he ever learn? Every time he attempted to save Sirius from his own foolishness, he'd get burnt. His brother didn't even bloody care that he had gotten Regulus into trouble multiple times that break already. It filled him with bitterness.

Once the speech had concluded, the audience members started taking their seats as they prepared for the dinner. Their mother didn't sit down to eat with the rest. She stepped away from her table and walked around the back of the stand, before heading down the platform and moving swiftly across the hall. Regulus took his seat tentatively, watching their mother approach.

"My office." Their mother commanded his brother sternly as she walked by, heading toward the door without waiting to see if he would listen.

His brother scrunched up his forehead, and for a beat, seemed to hesitate. He first glanced at their father across the room. When Regulus peered over he saw that their father was watching Sirius too, his eyes narrowed with irritation. He was holding his glass as he sat up front, his knuckles white around his clenched grip. Sirius dropped his eyes sheepishly.

Regulus did not watch as Sirius left, too busy seething in his own seat. He turned his head away stonily, frustrated beyond belief with his brother.

The dinner continued without his brother and mother. Guests chatted amongst themselves politely around the hall, but Regulus focused on picking at his food. His stomach was in knots, and he had no urge to eat anything.

No one bothered him much. He could sense Fawley down the row trying to catch his attention a few times, but he was in no mood to chat, so he kept his eyes withdrawn. He avoided meeting anyone's gaze, knowing that many were definitely speaking ill of his brother around the hall after that little tirade. It was no secret that he was being dragged off to be chastised.

He hadn't expected Sirius to return to the hall, and yet, after half an hour, both Sirius and his mother re-entered. Sirius jerked his chair back abruptly, causing Regulus to jump. He couldn't resist scanning his brother over as he rested down. But as soon as he did peer over, he wished he hadn't. Sirius' eyes were vibrant with hatred, his cheek had a glaring red cut across the cheekbone, and on one side of his head, a scruff of hair bounced on his shoulder. His hair had been cut. Not all of it, just one uneven chunk of hair. But he could tell by the dangerous fire in his brother's eyes that she might as well have shaved him bald. Regulus withdrew his eyes timidly, not wanting to consider what had happened between his brother and his mother.

He got his own comeuppance shortly afterward.

The gathering had finished without further antics. After Sirius was dismissed up to his bedroom, his mother had beckoned him over.

She gave him a very stern look. "You elected to defy my orders even after you were given grace over your secrecy at the beginning of the break. Your willfulness when it comes to disobeying me for your brother's sake must be dealt with."

"Yes, ma'am." Regulus replied. He stared down at his feet, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" She asked, surprising him.

He peered up at her cautiously. She had rarely opened up the floor for him to speak. He collected his courage, forcing himself to explain himself. "I know I disobeyed your orders, and I do not mean to make any excuses." He hesitated, but she did not cut him off. He continued, carefully. "I forgot myself in my insistence to try to stop him from misbehaving."

She exhaled a breath, not responding instantly. She lifted her chin for a moment as she contemplated, then she turned back to him with a stern expression. "I recognize that you were attempting to rein your brother in when he was indulging himself in embarrassing us. Nevertheless, you disobeyed me, and that must be corrected."

He nodded mutely. She seemed less angry with him, even if she had made it clear that she would not let him off entirely. It was oddly generous of her, both to allow him to explain himself and to take it into consideration. He was grateful that she was still treating him with respect, even when displeased with him.

He ended up receiving a lash per leg, adding to the past collection of scars that he had earned on Sirius' behalf.

****

Everyone attended breakfast the morning after the New Year's gathering, even Sirius. It was a rather dreary affair, with not a word being spoken by anyone at the table. His brother was silenced of course, and both parents seemed to be rather cross. Regulus kept his eyes carefully averted from meeting his brother's every time Sirius tried to glance over.

He peered over at Sirius a few times when he wasn't paying attention. The cut on his cheek didn't seem too bad. And the shortened hair... well, he was sure Sirius was wounded by that. Sirius adored his hair. As he watched his brother, he realized that his brother had been staring at their father. Their father was reading the daily newspaper on the other end of the table, his dark expression and aggressive page turns making his poor mood very clear. He never returned Sirius’ gaze.

Regulus did not know much about the complicated relationship between his brother and his father. All he knew was that he did not have the same one with his father. But it was clear that his father had been giving his brother a cold shoulder since he returned, and his brother seemed to be bothered by it.

The meal came to a close once their father placed down his newspaper and rose to his feet. He left his breakfast untouched as he turned to walk into the hall.

His mother's eyes followed her husband out of the room, a twinge of annoyance on her face. "You are dismissed from the table." She told her sons, absently. “Kreacher, do clear the table.”

His brother seemed to be waiting for the second she said so, bounding to his feet without any hesitation to walk after their father in a rush. Regulus froze, gazing after his brother's disappearing form. His mother's eyes blazed for a moment, and she rose to her feet stiffly. She walked to the entrance, but she halted there, watching Sirius and their father down the hall.

Regulus could not see what his brother was doing, but he could hear his frantic footsteps hurrying after his father. Then he heard his father speak, his tone thick with anger, "You better walk away from me right now." Their father warned him.

Regulus stared down at his knees, unable to resist the wave of pity he felt for his brother. He heard a door slam and knew his father must have slammed the office door in Sirius' face.

His mother watched earnestly, her lips twitching slightly. She let the scene play out before she spoke. "Sirius." She called.

Regulus wondered for a moment if his mother resented it that Sirius preferred his father over her. His brother made no secret of it. Regulus was sure even this display was an attempt to have his father override his mother's decisions.

He knew his mother quite well, and he had a feeling that she did dislike it. She enjoyed being regarded with the respect that she was warranted, and Sirius had never viewed her in the light that she deserved. Maybe their relationship would have been better if Sirius had idolized their mother the way he did his father. It was not as though his father wasn't harsh with him often either. Sirius always chose to forgive his father and pine after him anyway, but held grudges against their mother after she disciplined him. It had always confused him.

At the door, his mother eyed his brother coolly, "You are to remain in your personal quarters until supper."

His brother went upstairs.

Regulus spent the day on the field behind the house. He was tempted to use his broomstick, but the fresh wounds on his legs kept him on the ground, collecting leaves from mounds of dirt and snow.

Sirius was permitted to attend dinner as well. This time, he kept his eyes on his plate as he pushed food around with a gloomy expression. Regulus wished they could speak, even if he was still a bit bitter toward his brother for putting him in the position of bearing the brunt of their mother's anger. But children were not to speak at the table unless spoken to.

When his mother called Kreacher in to empty off the dining table, neither parent made any move to exit the hall. His mother turned to him. "You are dismissed, Regulus."

Regulus took his leave, but he didn't leave the general vicinity. She hadn't said he had to leave fully. He walked up the stairs, but he paused near the landing, inspecting the three left in the dining room from the opening of the railing.

None paid him any mind. Sirius was swaying in his seat gently as he peered back and forth between his parents. At the head of the table, his father leaned forward as he gazed at Sirius with a cold expression. He seemed less angry than he had been earlier, but Sirius seemed too nervous to show any signs of relief at the gradual decline of the hatred in their parents' eyes.

"Take one of those." His father motioned toward a pile of parchments resting in the center of the dinner table. "You are to write to the Potters and tell them you will have no further contact with any of them."

His brother didn't move for a moment, gazing at a quill perched in an ink vial beside the parchments that his father directed him toward. He blinked slowly, his eyelids weighing heavily over his eyes. They seemed glazed over as he stared forward blankly. Then Sirius met their father's eyes, boldly shaking his head no.

His parents remained silent for a few long seconds, the two exchanging a look for the briefest of moments.

"Very well." Their father replied calmly. He turned to the stack of sheets that had been piled neatly by his side over the meal. He lifted a few sheets before pulling out a bundle, laying them flat on the table surface and pushing them in Sirius' direction. His eyes bore into his brother, "Then you may instead sign that."

Regulus watched as Sirius craned his neck forward to see what his father had sent his way. Regulus held his breath, waiting for any indication of what was recorded on the parchment. His brother inspected it for a moment before he lifted his eyes to stare back at his father, a flash of fear clear on his face.

"Durmstrang Institute is a fine establishment." His father's tone remained unreadable. "The school has been around for centuries and produces an adequate curriculum for magical application."

Regulus stared, wide-eyed, as he realized what the parchments were. His brother below was shaking his head over and over, leaning back in his chair and slumping his shoulders. He looked utterly defeated.

"No blood traitorous conduct will be tolerated there." His mother sounded amused. "You will be granted access to magical knowledge beyond the realm of a notion of dark and not-dark arts. And you will have no further interactions with the muggle students tainting the wizarding world."

Sirius looked over at them again, pleadingly. Regulus felt guilty for watching the scene then, knowing how much Sirius would hate for him to see him so vulnerable.

Their father returned the gaze, watching his brother’s reaction through narrowed eyes. "There are far more reasons to send you there than there are to let you return to Hogwarts."

Sirius shrugged his shoulders apologetically, his cheeks developing a red hue. He gestured a few times before rubbing his hands down his face in his agitation.

Regulus felt his chest drop into his stomach, yet again, finding himself feeling bad for his brother. He turned away slowly, feeling too guilty to continue to listen in on that conversation.

He could hear his father speaking in the room below, "I expect you want to return to Hogwarts?"

Regulus hurried to his room, not wanting to hear what demands his parents would be giving his brother under the threat of sending him to Durmstrang if he didn't straighten his act out.

His pity lingered, and he found himself searching out his brother after Sirius was dismissed without being sent back to his room.

He found his brother on a windowsill in their library, staring out at the sky absent-mindedly. He was grasping a book on troll wars between his hands, but he was not reading. He must have heard Regulus come in, as he rotated, gazing over at him blankly. Regulus paused beside a table between two nearby bookshelves, placing down the items he had brought from his room. He dropped a notepad and a quill gently down on the tabletop as he eyed his brother cautiously.

His brother stared back at him warily. They both held still for a bit as they inspected one another with uncertainty.

"She has done that to me too." Regulus finally broke the silence. "She will revoke the spell eventually."

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows together at that. He didn't need his voice for Regulus to know exactly what Sirius was thinking then. His brother always overreacted whenever he told him that he had been disciplined in any way.

Regulus ignored the reaction, tapping against the notepad with his right hand’s fingertips. "So you can communicate."

Sirius smirked weakly. He rotated his legs off the sill, jumping down lightly to go meet up with him. His brother took a seat at the table, pulling the notepad in front of him. He wrote out, "She silenced you?"

Regulus watched over his brother's shoulder. He released a small exhale noise once he read it. Of course that was the first thing Sirius asked about. "You were at Hogwarts then, over your first year." He explained, dismissively.

Sirius frowned at him, writing again. "You didn't tell me."

"What is your point?" Regulus shrugged. "You do not tell me plenty."

Sirius turned the notepad over to a new sheet as he wrote another question. "Why would she silence you?"

"I had gotten upset." Regulus answered the question without going into detail, wishing that Sirius would drop the subject. "She does not like to listen to whining."

Sirius groaned in annoyance.

Regulus asked his own question before his brother could push the topic further, "Why did you go to the Potters' house?"

He had suspected that was where his brother had gone, given their parents' insistence on banning his brother from future contact with that family. His brother's sheepish expression verified his suspicions. Sirius returned to the notepad to write his response. "I wanted to have a fun Christmas for once. They are never happy to have me here anyway."

Regulus blinked at him blankly. "This is your family."

"Wish it wasn't." Sirius scribbled, rolling his eyes.

"The Potters will never be your family, Sirius." Regulus huffed, his face growing tighter. "Not truly."

Sirius shot him a haughty look, leaning back in his seat lazily. He fiddled with the quill between his fingers, looking lost in thought.

Regulus had an inkling about what was on his brother's mind. "Your friend has been writing to you over and over all week." He informed Sirius.

Sirius looked at him, raising his eyebrows.

"James Potter." Regulus wrinkled his nose slightly, loathing it that he needed to utter the name. "He would not stop writing. It has been infuriating mum to no end."

Sirius shrugged, making an annoyed gesture with his hand. It only annoyed Regulus further. Of course Sirius did not see how he was to blame for that either. His brother was faultless for all of the chaos he caused, apparently.

With a fresh wave of irritation, Regulus found the courage to express some of his frustration with his brother. "I got in trouble for speaking to you." Regulus informed him, his eyes searching his brother's face. "She said I disobeyed her by telling you to stand when you did not listen."

He was strangely satisfied by the flash of guilt on his brother's face. He wanted his brother to pay for what he had done to him somewhat, even if only through a moment of guilt.

Sirius turned back to the notepad, "What did she do to you?" He wrote, tapping the notepad with the quill point afterward.

Regulus shot him a bored look, not needing to speak for his brother to understand what that meant. Sirius glared down at the notepad after seeing his expression, shoving the quill point deep into the paper as his temper flared.

"That was not all." Regulus continued, his voice monotone. He wanted to get through to his brother, "She was unhappy with me when we met at the train station too. She thought I was covering for you by saying I saw you getting on the train at Hogsmeade."

Sirius peered over at him, pointing at the note he wrote asking what she did to him once more.

"She used legilimency and poked through a bunch." Regulus explained, his energy ebbing away from him. "I think they kept coming up because I was worried about her finding them. She may have found out about the two-way mirror, but I tried my best not to think about it."

His brother nodded weakly, not looking surprised to hear that. He suspected that meant that his mother had said something about the mirror to his brother since then.

Regulus shifted with discomfort before he spoke again. He forced himself to spit it out, bracing himself for Sirius' response, "I think perhaps, at least for now, I should keep my distance, so she stops getting upset with me every time you act up."

Sirius gaped at him, shooting him a dirty look before writing a quick response, "Are you messing with me?"

"No." Regulus met his gaze firmly. "She only gets properly upset with me whenever I try to help you, or she thinks I am trying to help you."

"She does that on purpose." Sirius wrote the next message frantically. "She is intentionally giving you a hard time whenever you do anything for me, to ensure we do not help each other out against her."

He tapped the note a few times, flushing with frustration as Regulus read it.

"I am well aware." Regulus rolled his eyes up to his lids. "That hardly makes it any easier to be disciplined because you will not stop intentionally irritating mum."

"So, you are going to avoid me?" Sirius wrote.

Regulus had already known that his brother was going to be unreasonable about this, but he felt himself growing upset anyway. "Only while we are here."

Sirius snatched the notepad over, the quill flying across the page as he wrote his response. He flicked the pad back once it was scrolled out. "Just to be clear, you will avoid me at Hogwarts to appease your friends and avoid me at Grimmauld Place to appease mum. Where does this leave me?"

"You are being selfish." Regulus' face twisted with an angry scowl. "It is not that simple."

Sirius did not reply, glaring at him through narrowed eyelids.

Regulus continued, his tone bitter. "You said you went to the Potters' because you are unhappy here, but you do not even care that every time you run off you leave me behind. And then I get to bear all of her anger over what you choose to do. You get to hide out at Hogwarts or your friend’s house, while I am here alone with the angry mood you put her in."

He inhaled sharply after it was all out, waiting for his brother's reaction. Sirius' face was a dangerous colour when he turned back to the notepad, scratching out a longer response. Regulus waited patiently, nervously twitching from foot to foot as he pondered what his brother might say.

Finally, the notepad was tossed over to him again. He read, "I'm being selfish? You expect me to come here to be tormented all break, just so you are not alone. Of course I care that you're left behind, but I still don't want to be miserable. Why don't you just stay at Hogwarts with me instead?"

Regulus huffed sharply and pushed away from the table. His eyes flashed coldly over at Sirius. "If you just behaved yourself, none of this would be an issue!" Regulus hissed.

His brother wrote a final message in one flick of his wrist, lifting the pad so he could see the words. "Screw you, Regulus."

Regulus lifted his chin, his sullen face flaring with frustration. He should have known better than to ask his brother to be reasonable. The conversation somehow went worse than he expected, and he was too enraged to spare another word for his self-centred wanker of a brother. He stormed out of the library, leaving his brother behind to wallow in his miserable bitterness.

Chapter Text

January, 1974

It had been the worst Christmas they had in three years.

It began with his mother using legilimency on him when Sirius did not show up. Sirius had been brought home from the Potters' the following day, but he was silenced and locked in his room until the New Year’s party. When Regulus had finally spoken to his brother the next afternoon, using a notepad and quill, they had argued bitterly.

And yet, Regulus was distressed when he realized they were heading back to Hogwarts without Sirius. He had heard Sirius knocking inside his room before heading out, but Regulus was too afraid to say anything to his mother about it. He slid a pad of parchment and a quill under the door, but he did not know what else he could do to help.

His mother was preparing to leave primly in the main entrance foyer, without a word about his brother locked away upstairs. Regulus silently followed suit, dressing himself in outdoor wear. He did not ask why Sirius was not heading to King’s Cross Station with them. He did not want to risk upsetting his mother.

"Are you prepared to leave?" She asked, after straightening up and peering back at him.

"Yes, ma'am."

Regulus had fully packed the night before. He wanted to be ready to leave whenever his mother wished to.

She nodded curtly and exited out of the front door. Regulus grabbed ahold of his charmed luggage and pulled it behind him as he followed. He left his brother behind, still locked in his bedroom upstairs. He was sure that Sirius was under the silencing spell by how quiet his brother was being up there, as there was no way his brother was accepting that turn of events without making a fuss. Regulus was careful not to glance at Sirius' bedroom window as they walked down the street.

Once they reached the muggle phone booth on the street corner, his mother apparated them to a nearby location by King's Cross Station. But once they arrived, she held him back for a moment by gripping his arm firmly.

"Regulus," Her voice was severe. "Look at me."

He paused and lifted his eyes to meet hers. She stood towering above him with a sombre expression. He held her gaze as he waited for her to continue.

"You need to understand the situation we are in." His mother informed him in a tone void of emotion. "Sirius is failing the family, and you must be prepared to rise up and accept the placement of heir when he fails to fulfill his duties."

Regulus was baffled. He had not expected her to be considering replacing Sirius as heir. "He will not fail to fulfill his duties to the family." Regulus protested softly.

"No?" She lifted her eyebrows at his retort, but her voice was calm. "And yet, he has already done so. He has disgraced us at every opportunity he has received to do so since he began at Hogwarts. Your brother cares for nothing but himself."

Regulus shook his head frantically, despite the pained feeling in the pit of his stomach. She must be wrong.

His mother placed a hand on each of his shoulders and leaned down to match his height. "Listen to me, Regulus," there was a vulnerability in her body language that he was not used to, "You need to be ready to carry on when he leaves you for good."

Regulus' voice was weak. "Sirius will not leave me."

"My sweet, naïve child." His mother ran a hand down the back of his hair. "He already has chosen to leave you countless times. He is going to resent you someday soon if he does not already."

Regulus dropped his gaze to the floor. Blood was rushing in his ears. He wanted to disagree and say she was wrong, but he knew it would not be true to say so.

"You have a child's view of him." She spoke soothingly. "He is your older brother and you have long admired him, but he does not view you in the same manner. He thinks so little of you. " Her gaze hardened before she went on, "Try taking a closer look at your brother, Regulus. He has already made his choice, and he did not choose our family. He did not choose you."

His eyes were watering with tears as she held him in her stern gaze. Her unexpected gentle touch stroking his hair made it harder to hold back his tears. Regulus inhaled weakly as she paused to inspect him.

"Do not cry." She commanded, but her tone was softer than usual. "I know it is not an easy task to fulfill these responsibilities. This was not meant to be your burden, but Sirius has failed us all. There is no one else to bear it. Do you understand, Regulus? You are the only one who can do this. Our family is all depending on you to preserve our family line of ancient magic."

"I understand." Regulus responded, numbly.

She nodded, pleased. "Good boy."

****

Returning to Hogwarts was easier than returning to Grimmauld Place for the most part, but the unpleasant break did manage to hover over his first few weeks back.

For one, he had to explain the whole mess to his cousin who had missed the gathering. On top of that, he eventually caught glimpses of his brother roaming the halls again, who he tactfully avoided at all costs. He couldn't bear to face his brother then, not while his mother's words were still ringing in his ears.

And then there was Fawley.

She cornered him in the lounge shortly after he got back to Hogwarts. "Regulus." She called before he could slip off.

He knew it was her before he turned back, being that typically only she and Narcissa referred to him by his first name at Hogwarts. Barty had stuck with Reggie since June, but the rest of his peers only referred to him as Black.

Regulus glanced back, sheepishly. "Hullo, Fawley."

She smiled at him as she drew near, but he could sense her curiosity behind the bright expression.

"Thank you for the holly leaves again," Regulus started before she could say anything. "I brought you something in return."

"Oh," Fawley scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "You didn't need to do that."

Regulus pulled out the small package that he had stuffed into his robe pocket before coming down. He had felt quite lousy about not having a gift to exchange with her when she had been so thoughtful and was eager to do something in return.

"It is not much." He offered weakly as she tore into it enthusiastically, wishing he had been able to squander up more than the knick-knack Narcissa had let him use as a gift.

"Blimey." She breathed as she revealed the small marble item, "What is it?"

"Well, it is a chess piece, but it has some charms attached to it," Regulus explained, sheepishly. He reached forward to show her how the gadget came apart, then reattached itself with ease. "I do not know how it re-attaches without a spell. Perhaps it is the work of a rune somewhere..."

Fawley giggled, "Or a magnet."

"Huh?" Regulus stared. "What is a magnet?"

"Nothing." She laughed shortly, pulling him into a one-armed hug, catching him off guard. "I love it. Thank you, Regulus."

His cheeks heated at the unexpected physical touch. He typically found it quite uncomfortable to be embraced, but he let it be, pleased that she was so content with the silly gift.

Eventually, she pulled back, giving him a grave look. "I wanted to ask you something...."

Regulus frowned weakly, having an idea of where this conversation might be going. He tried to change the topic again, interrupting her. "Are you faring better now? You are not upset over what happened with Professor Flinn anymore, are you?"

She waved her hand. "No, I'm fine now. I got to spend a few extra days with my Mum and Dad before winter break. What I wanted to ask was..." She widened her eyes with a warning look when he tried to interrupt again, "Black! Why won't you let me speak?"

He exhaled weakly, "I am sorry. I only do not wish to speak about what happened at the New Year's gathering, and I expected that was what you were going to ask about."

She stuck her bottom lip out in a pouty expression, crossing her arms across her chest. "I only wanted to know what happened. Your parents seem rather intense, and your brother..."

"Please, Fawley." Regulus took a step back. "I cannot divulge private family information."

She sighed, turning away with a deep frown. But she accepted his answer. "Fine."

He felt rotten over irritating her. But discussing what happened over the break with anyone beyond Narcissa felt unbearable. He was grateful that she let the topic go, even if with a bit of a resentful attitude. He could only hope that her inquiries were the last time he'd have to reflect on the events of the Winter Break.

He was wrong. There was still his brother to contend with.

Regulus had made the mistake of going to the owlery one evening, thinking that it was high time to send his mother one of his routine letters. She demanded them regularly, and he wanted to get back into her good graces. He had written the letter up in the common room at his usual table, but almost none of his usual seatmates were present that evening. Narcissa and his roommates were all absent, leaving him with only Elizabeth Burke from first year. She had eyed what he was writing over a few times and when he had gotten up, readying himself to bring it to the owls, Burke had risen as well.

"Are you going to the owlery?" Burke asked, cheerfully. "Might I accompany you?"

Burke was pleasant company, and wandering Hogwarts alone was never the best idea. So Regulus readily agreed. On the way over, Burke made friendly small talk with him, discussing what gifts he had received for Christmas, which was nothing due to his mother's disappointment in his secrecy, and asking about their upcoming examinations.

Once they arrived, they climbed to the top of the tower to find his owl amongst the many relaxing there. Regulus carried the white bird over to the window, where he started to carefully tie his roll of parchment onto the bird's talons. Burke stood beside him, waiting patiently.

Out of the blue, the door at the bottom of the tower's staircase slammed open loudly, causing both Regulus and Burke to jump.

Loud chatter was soon drifting up the stairwell, "Sounds ruddy ridiculous." An oddly familiar voice scoffed, the fellow sounding annoyed, "I never asked for none of this talking crap, you forced your friendship on me in first year."

A second voice snickered. That noise alone made Regulus' throat drop into his stomach. He knew exactly who the second voice belonged to.

The loud clamour of footsteps were rowdily making their way up the staircase, accompanied by the two students teasing one another, "Can't believe I got suckered into letting your annoying arse invade my peace." The first lad muttered.

Regulus could do nothing but stare as the scar-faced halfblood appeared in the entranceway into the owlery. His face slacked a bit as he stared back, clearly recognizing Regulus.

His brother was right behind the other fellow, still not realizing that he was there. "What peace?" Sirius huffed, the tone of their banter friendly, "You were never peaceful! Surprised we got out of our first year with only one scrap, considering how down you were with murder if we mildly inconvenienced you."

The halfblood made a face, "Black." He said. Regulus knew he was speaking to Sirius, even if the bloke's eyes were on him.

Only then did his brother finally halt beside his friend and lift his chin. His brother gazed forward, his expression bleeding away as he realized that he was face to face with his brother.

Regulus' eyes were immediately drawn to the horrendous cigarette hanging out of the side of his brother's lips. He could feel his eyes bulging, completely disgusted by how his brother chose to conduct himself at Hogwarts, yet again. No matter how low his opinion of his brother became, Sirius always managed to surprise him with his antics. He narrowed his eyes before he quickly averted them, staring back at the ribbon he was tying to his owl's leg.

He hoped Sirius would not say anything, holding onto hope that Burke's presence would be enough to spare him a run-in he could not swallow. Not while his mother's warnings were haunting him. Not while his brother's words were still flashing in his mind, telling Regulus that he was not enough reason for Sirius to stay. His vision was blurring just at the thought of their last conversation.

He avoided glancing back at the doorway, trying to ignore the mild movement he could sense between his brother and the scar-faced halfblood boy. He could hear a small snicker from the halfblood, which did nothing to improve his mood. Now even his brother's halfblood mates were helping Sirius mock him. He kept his eyes aggressively on the ribbon-tying task, feeling very enthusiastic about knotting all of a sudden.

Sirius broke the awkward silence with a snide comment. "Pretty certain it's secured now."

Regulus gritted his teeth, trying to ignore him. Burke was glancing between the brothers, a wary expression on her features. The halfblood had walked over to a windowsill on one end of the owlery, perching himself on the edge to continue smoking. Regulus realized, with a new wave of disgust, that his brother and his friend were sharing a bloody cigarette! His brother was empty-handed after the halfblood took the awful muggle contraption with him to the window.

Regulus tried to finish securing the letter quickly, desperately needing to get out of there. He gave the owl a toss out the window in one motion, then turned back to Burke, "Let us go."

"No." Sirius blocked the door. "We should talk so you don't have to pout all year."

Regulus' face flashed with anger, his rage thrumming through his veins. His brother was mocking his pouting, after all of his brother's endless hissy fits? It was absurd. "Shut up, Sirius." He spat, venomously.

"Rude." Sirius snickered, grabbing him by the arm as he spoke to Burke. "He will be back soon, no worries."

Regulus tried to resist being dragged along, but his squirming barely had any effect as Sirius pulled him halfway down the staircase before casting a muffling charm. Regulus pulled his arm away aggressively when Sirius paused, huffing as he fixed his crinkled sleeves.

"Prissy-pants." Sirius scoffed.

Regulus snapped in return. "What is your problem?"

His brother slowed down, seeming to sense that if he kept the same energy as Regulus, the conversation wouldn't smooth anything over, it would just turn into a screaming match. It was a fun side effect of their patent Black family temper.

"I didn't want to leave things like they were after we talked there." Sirius explained, his voice lower. "You know I didn't mean all of that. I wasn't doing too grand."

Regulus' anger faded somewhat at the softer tone, but his jaw remained set. He knew Sirius had a difficult break, but his mother had been correct. His brother’s actions spoke for themselves. "It does not matter."

"What doesn't?"

"It does not matter what you did or did not mean," Regulus replied, not quite meeting his brother’s gaze. "I know where I stand in your eyes either way."

"Huh?" His brother held his palms out in a confused gesture. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Regulus' voice was cold when he replied, "You do not want to be part of the family."

"Don’t tell me what I want." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Besides, that wouldn't include you."

Regulus scoffed, his arms slightly lifting in exasperation. "Yes, it does, Sirius!"

His brother could not possibly be this daft. This notion that Regulus could follow him off into a responsibility-free sunset was ridiculous, childish and straight-up lunacy. They weren't children anymore - it was time to face reality.

"I already told you-"

"You might not be running away from me." Regulus interrupted him. "But you have made it very clear that I am not enough reason for you to stay."

The words were painful to even utter, but his resolve that they were true only strengthened once he finally said them.

His brother blinked at him a few times, his words heavy. "That isn't true, Reg."

Some part of him knew that his brother truly believed what he was saying. That Sirius was blind to the implication behind the choices he had been making. But Regulus was all out of patience for his brother's naivety.

"Honest." Regulus sighed scornfully, his patience wilting away, "How are you always the last one to piece together what is happening, even when it is you doing it?"

His brother seemed baffled enough that he was left staring wordlessly. His face showed how bewildered and stung he was at that comment. It gave him some vindictive pleasure to finally drill the message home for his brother.

"Stop standing in our way." Regulus spat, turning to head back up the stairs. "Some of us are actually expected to follow the school rules."

Sirius did not utter a word as Regulus returned to the top of the steps. "Come along, Burke." He called, motioning over at where the first-year girl was waiting, staring nervously at her feet. He was careful to not glance at the halfblood, but he felt the bloke's eyes drilling into him.

They moved past Sirius on the stairs as though he wasn't there. Regulus did not realize he was holding his breath until they were out in the open air. He sucked in a gulp of air sharply, hating the urge to cry swelling up in his chest.

Burke did not say anything or ask any questions. Thank Merlin. But she did reach out and take his hand firmly, and he did not pull away. They walked back to the dungeons silently.

****

February, 1974

Regulus was watching Sirius.

It had been a month-long hobby. Mealtimes had become observation times. Every time they went to the Great Hall to eat, Regulus would sit facing the Gryffindor table. He knew he could not resist watching his brother over the only times he knew where Sirius would be.

Sirius never noticed him watching. He never had been very observant of his younger brother. But Regulus continued to watch him anyway.

Sirius was going to abandon him.

The more he thought about it, the more he believed what his mother had said. Sirius had chosen his peers over his family at every chance he got. Sirius lit up like a Christmas tree every time Potter or one of his halfblood mates spoke to him, but he never so much as cast a glance over at his brother, who was only a few meters away from him three times a day.

He had seen Sirius at Hogwarts shortly after he returned. A few nights after winter break, Regulus had accidentally run into his brother. Sirius had entered the owlery with the scarred halfblood boy and a cigarette between his lips. He had his voice back, but nothing valuable to say. After that conversation, Sirius had not so much as glanced his way.

Regulus had to settle for watching Sirius from afar, as he slowly lost every last shred of faith he had left in his brother. And yet, he secretly wished Sirius would turn and meet his eye every time he watched him from across the Great Hall. Sirius never did.

"Black." Rosier's voice called him back to his own table.

He peered around quickly. All three of the other Slytherin purebloods in his year were eyeing him, with a bit of amusement. Fawley and Barty were openly smirking.

"What?" Regulus asked, confused by the attention.

"You dipped your lamb into your water." Fawley answered, with a poorly stifled snicker. "Are you awake today?"

Regulus glanced down at his plate sheepishly. There were drops of watered-down lamb sauce dripping onto his napkin beneath his fork. The sauce on his lamb chop was partially soaked away, and his water was murky.

Regulus dropped the lamb back onto his plate. He tried to wipe the sauce from the rim of his glass with his napkin, to little avail. "I did not realize what I was doing."

Barty peered over with narrowed eyes. "Not much going on neck up, huh?" he taunted.

Regulus scowled. "I am tired."

Barty nodded with a pensive expression. "I would be tired too if I had to see that face in the mirror every morning."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "I am tired of hearing your voice."

Barty smirked, lazily, "Invest in earplugs."

"Or you can just shut up." Regulus snapped in return.

Barty did not reply. He instead reached across and flicked the tray in front of Regulus upward, splattering lamb chop, mashed potatoes, beans, and water all over Regulus' shirt.

Regulus barely had time to gasp before the damage was done. He stared down at his once pristine uniform shirt, now coated in sauce and vegetables. Water was dripping down his sleeve.

"Barty!" Regulus snarled, before he flung the tray across the table at the other boy. "What is the matter with you?"

Barty laughed gleefully, ducking down to avoid the tray. "Thought you wanted to blend your meal?"

"Screw you." Regulus shoved away from the table. "I am going to set your bed on fire."

"You do that!" Barty jeered after him. "And I will mail every last piece of your uniform to Durmstrang tonight. I have been sending them one shirt at a time each month so you wouldn't notice, but I will speed the process up."

Regulus gritted his teeth as he stormed out of the Great Hall. He needed to go change his shirt before anyone else saw him coated in dinner ingredients. His cheeks flushed in bitterness and embarrassment. He could kill Barty!

When he got through the flocks of gawking students in the common room, Regulus ran up the stairs into his bedroom. The room was thankfully empty. He ripped off the dirty shirt and tossed it in his hamper.

Regulus went into the bathroom to clean up before he touched any of the clean clothes. The majority of the food had landed on the shirt, but his arms were coated with watered-down sauce. When he peered in the mirror, he could see some of his dinner had managed to collect in his hair as well.

Regulus groaned loudly. He grabbed a washcloth and tried to run it through his hair until all bits of food remnants had been cleaned out. He wet the cloth once more.

When he peered up at himself in the mirror, for a moment, he looked so much like Sirius that his heart leaped into his throat. But it was just his own reflection. His face was twisted in anger and his hair was rumpled in his cleaning attempts, but it was still him staring back.

His cheeks coloured. He did not want to think about his brother who hated him. His brother who was going to abandon him.

When Regulus came out of the bathroom, he was no longer alone in the room. Rosier was seated on Regulus' bed and seemed to be waiting for him to exit the bathroom.

"I packed up some dinner for you." He nodded at the plate on the dresser. "I figured you'd be too embarrassed to return."

The comment annoyed Regulus. He shot Rosier a dirty look.

"What?" Rosier smirked. "You do get mad sensitive about anyone teasing you."

Regulus' tone was scornful. "Would you enjoy it if someone tried to humiliate you?"

"I wouldn't find it embarrassing if Barty threw food at me." Rosier shrugged. "You worry too much about what others think of you."

"Do not be condescending." Regulus huffed.

Rosier leaned back and rolled his eyes. A subtle grin rested on his lips. "Do you want it or not?"

"I want it." Regulus answered glumly. He accepted the packaged dinner. "Thanks."

Rosier did not reply.

Regulus sat down on the other end of the bed to carefully unwrap the food Rosier brought. He even included utensils, which was a relief. Barty and Rosier had a pack of extra dishware and utensils under Barty's bed, but Regulus was terrified to use any. Who knew where those utensils had been?

After a bit, Rosier turned to face him with a blank expression. His voice was not unkind when he asked a question. "Did something happen between you and your brother?"

Regulus stared at him, sucking in a sharp breath.

"You have seemed off lately." Rosier explained. "And you've been watching him a lot."

Regulus frowned. "I have not."

He did not realize he had been so obvious. He thought he was careful to avoid staring at Sirius whenever his friends were nearby. Or at least minimize how long he stared for.

Rosier sniggered loudly. "Now who is being condescending?"

Regulus flushed. He deflated weakly before admitting the truth. "My brother and I have not been on great terms since the break."

"What happened?"

Regulus hesitated. He was not supposed to divulge family matters, but he was quite certain that Rosier would not tell anyone. Rosier had been easy to talk to about family problems and picked up on how Sirius treated him the year before as well.

"He ran away over Christmas Break." Regulus explained softly. "He does not want to spend time with our family anymore, and he told me I am selfish for wishing he would stay."

Rosier's face had darkened.

"Well, screw him then." Rosier said gruffly. "He sucks."

Regulus shrugged weakly. A smile softly curled up the side of his lips. "I suppose."

"He sounds like a proper tosser." Rosier insisted vehemently. "It's not selfish to want your brother around. If he doesn't appreciate you, then it's his loss. He will regret it someday. And you don't need him, you have us."

Regulus knew it was more complicated than that, but he could not delve into the details with Rosier. He could not disrespect his family in that way. Still, he felt reassured by Rosier's comfort.

"Thank you." He muttered, instead.

"What for?" Rosier laughed.

Regulus peered over at him. He was not sure how to answer that question. He was thankful for Rosier’s presence in his life as a whole. For being his first friend and making Hogwarts so much more bearable. For always having his back, even if he did not have all of the information. For never truly judging Regulus, even if he was far more observant than Barty or Fawley were when it came to Regulus' moods and behaviour. Rosier made him feel both understood and accepted.

Regulus turned back to his meal without responding. He changed the topic. "It is nice to be in the room when it is empty. It is a lot easier to breathe this way."

Rosier looked concerned. "Our room is usually hard for you to breathe in?" he questioned.

"Yes," Regulus replied flatly. "Barty sucks up all the air in every room he steps into."

Rosier scoffed. "Aren't you a funny fellow?"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Do you want to go sit downstairs?"

"I need to bugger off," Rosier responded. "But maybe later?"

It was subtle, but Regulus’ eyes were drawn over to a slight tensing up of Rosier's shoulders. He inspected his friend carefully. Regulus got the sense that the other Slytherin lad had a secret. And there was nothing he enjoyed more than discovering everyone's secrets.

"Oh really?" Regulus asked in a casual tone, as he lifted his eyebrows. "Where are you sneaking off to?"

"I- er." Rosier fiddled with his hair, pulling on a few curls viciously. "Maybe I need to go visit someone."

"Someone in a different house?" Regulus asked slyly.

Rosier's mouth dropped open. "How did you know that?"

"During our orientation to first year, you asked Yaxley if we were allowed to visit other common rooms." Regulus shrugged. "And you disappear every Thursday night."

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" Rosier laughed. "Such a watcher, Black. When are you going to start living in some of your experiences instead of just watching everyone else?"

Regulus frowned. "I do things."

"Not much!" Rosier teased as he poked Regulus in the side. "Why don't you come with me?"

Regulus hesitated, "Where to?"

"Ravenclaw," Rosier answered with a bright grin. "I go visit my cousin there every Thursday. I keep it secret since inter-house friendships aren't really approved of or whatever. It's cool to see what the other houses are like and meet new people though. You’ll have fun, I'm sure of it."

Regulus was not sure. It would be interesting to see the Ravenclaw common room, but he was worried that someone might see him going in there. They weren't supposed to spend time with students from other houses. "Who's your cousin?"

"Pandora Volant," Rosier replied, quickly, with a grin, "And I have never been caught, I promise."

Regulus ended up going with him. He was curious to see how Ravenclaw lived and wanted to prove Rosier's comment that he never did anything wrong.

Rosier led him to the entrance of the Ravenclaw tower quietly. As they drew near, he motioned for Regulus to remove his Slytherin tie. He tugged off his own and placed it in his pocket, before waiting for Regulus to do the same. Rosier then entered a word into a lock on the door, to answer some riddle, and the two of them quietly snuck through the common room toward the second-year tower.

Pandora Volant was a Ravenclaw student from their year, but Regulus had never met her before. Before discovering that she was related to Rosier, all he had known about the Ravenclaw girl was that she was one of their brightest students and had a calm confidence about her.

"Pandora," Rosier introduced them when the three met in the empty lounge. "This is Regulus Black. Black, this is Pandora."

Regulus offered a hand, "Hullo."

She smiled down at the hand, but she did not shake it. "Hello, Regulus." She said, cheerfully.

Regulus lowered his hand after a few awkward seconds passed. He tried to continue the conversation as if she had not blown the handshake off. "I did not know you and Rosier were related."

"Evan does not speak of me?" Volant chuckled. "We only spent half of our lives together."

Rosier shrugged with a sly grin. He seemed very comfortable in the Ravenclaw lounge and had thrown himself down on his stomach across one of the couches.

"No, he has not mentioned you before." Regulus answered, not caring if he might offend Rosier. He doubted the lad would be offended though, as he rarely ever was.

Volant did not seem fazed by his admission. "That is alright. I do not tell anyone that I know Evan."

"Do you actually?" Rosier laughed.

"Of course not." She sat down. "I hardly know you."

"Hmm." Rosier snickered.

Regulus was a bit confused by their joking around. He stood at the edge of the lounge awkwardly, unsure what to do next.

"Sit down, Black." Rosier scoffed. "No one will bite."

"It is one of our new house rules." Volant agreed cheerfully.

Regulus inspected the room carefully as he walked close. There were some differences from their lounge in Slytherin. They had several hand-knitted blankets piled on the side of the sofa and rounded pillows with bright covers that he had never seen before. The Ravenclaw students had also included a bookshelf in their lounge. The top shelves were lined with textbooks and school-assigned readings, but the lower shelves had fictional stories and assortments of poetry. Some collections seemed to have unfamiliar author names. Regulus suspected they were muggle poets, but that did not deter his interest.

Regulus paused as he neared the sofa, his eyes still on the poetry. "Volant," Regulus asked, "Whose literature are these?"

"I go by Pandora." She replied without glancing over, too preoccupied with the book she was holding, "You can borrow one if you'd like, but you must return it, or the future generations of your family will be cursed with horrible mutations."

Regulus hoped she was teasing. She always spoke in a deadpan or cheerful manner, so it was hard to tell.

Rosier lifted his eyebrows. "You read poetry?"

"No," Regulus replied quickly.

"Uh-huh." Rosier lifted his eyebrows playfully. He clearly did not buy Regulus' dismissal.

"I was just curious." Regulus defended himself. "We do not have a bookshelf."

Regulus took a seat on the couch sheepishly across from Rosier and Pandora, trying to force the poetry books from his mind.

"Do not tease." Pandora chided in Rosier's direction. "You should take one with you, Regulus."

Regulus shook his head quickly. He did not want Rosier and Barty to mock him. Plus, he was not sure if the authors of those books were wizard folks, and others in Slytherin definitely would not approve of reading muggle works.

Regulus did not bring up the poetry books again and tried to keep his eyes averted from the smooth leather covers lining the bookshelf. It was not an easy task.

When the cousins decided their visit was complete, Pandora held Regulus back for a moment as they neared the staircase.

"Regulus." Pandora clasped his arm to hold him still. "Do come again next Thursday."

Before Regulus could answer, he felt something being pressed into his hand. He peered down to see that Pandora had handed him one of the poetry collections he had been staring at earlier.

Once she pulled back, Regulus hid the poetry novel beneath his robe swiftly, hoping his cheeks weren’t blushing red.

"See you next week." Rosier waved back. "Maybe I'll drag Black along again."

"I hope you do. He seems to be much finer company."

Rosier chuckled as the two headed out. No one paid them any attention as they hurried through the common room once more. As they neared the dungeons, Rosier pulled out his Slytherin tie and laced it around his collar.

"So." The taunt was clear in his tone. "Poetry?"

"Leave me be." Regulus huffed.

Rosier laughed. "Whatever you say, Roy Fisher."

Regulus hurried ahead of Rosier. He blushed lightly at the teasing. He had not had many opportunities to read poetry before he came to Hogwarts. It certainly wasn't something he found around Grimmauld Place, and Sirius was only interested in stories. He was eager to read more poetry works.

Regulus paused to fix his tie before they got to the entrance. He peered back at Rosier. "Your cousin is nice."

"I tolerate her." He agreed. "Bet she'll like your weird arse."

"I am not weird!"

"Sure you are. And so is she. You'll get on splendid."

"Fine," Regulus chuckled as he straightened his tie, hiding all evidence of their wrongdoings. "Can I come again next week?"

"You’ll have to." Rosier scoffed playfully, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "If you do not return that book, she'll curse your bloodline for eternity. Didn't you hear?"

****

"Are you taking the piss?" Barty scoffed, assessing Regulus over with his eyes, yet again. He kept staring at him as though he expected Regulus to take off at any moment. "Why would ya want to be part of this? Thought we were 'so immature.'" Barty mocked, dragging the words out. "What changed?"

Regulus shrugged, unfazed by the accusation. It was accurate. A few weeks earlier, he never would have dreamed of going with Barty on his late-night shenanigans. He had always thought Barty and his first-year mates were quite bonkers, breaking an abhorrent amount of rules for the sake of patting themselves on the back. But he no longer felt that way, for some reason.

Around the end of February, something had changed in Regulus. He couldn't quite place his finger on what changed exactly, but at some point, he realized there was a change.

The need for careful planning and the fear that once had held him back felt less pronounced, all of a sudden, along with an erratic string of new hobbies and interests. None lasted long, but they were intense and all-consuming while they lived.

At first, it was trivial things. He collected over twenty books out of the library about Gaelic on a whim one day and somehow stayed up most of the night scouring the pages. That quickly bored him, and he moved on to jigsaw puzzles the next day. He blew off his quidditch practice a few days into the wave of new hobbies, which he didn't really see as peculiar, but raised a lot of eyebrows among his roommates and cousin. Regulus didn't think it was a big deal. He still was playing quidditch often, and quite frankly, better than he usually did, as if he had a new source of unlimited energy in the sky, but he had other things on his mind now. There was a yearning inside of him driving him to try out new things, exciting things.

Barty hadn't ever bothered to invite Regulus along to his nightly activities with Carrow and Nott from the first year, but Regulus decided to invite himself along one night. Barty kept giving him suspicious looks throughout the night, acting as though he expected Regulus to bail or protest some aspect of their rabble-rousing, but none of it bothered him. The idea of being caught breaking rules was not important anymore.

By the end of that night, Barty, Carrow and Nott had all wholeheartedly accepted the shift in his interests, talking his ear off about future schemes they wanted to include him in. Regulus had no problem keeping up with the chatter, offering his own input on how they could pull off a few of their plans.

After that, Barty began to take him along regularly. He started to enjoy Barty's company in a way he never had before. The bloke never questioned it or gave him weird looks when Regulus had an abrupt interest shift or wanted to do something risky. Barty took all of the changes in his stride.

Narcissa, Fawley and Rosier were more hesitant about the changes. He caught their suspicious looks, their questioning gazes that they shared behind his back, the way they'd ask questions so gently, as if they feared what his response might be. He didn't understand their hesitation and confusion. People change all the time. He was enjoying himself, and failed to see why he shouldn't. So he ignored it all and indulged in the feeling while it lasted. What was the worst that could happen?

Chapter Text

March, 1974

Sirius jumped at a loud knocking noise that vibrated through the bedroom air. Across from him, James and Peter had frozen, their eyes darting over to the door. With Remus in the shower, they had no way of knowing who was there.

James lifted himself off the floor, leaving the other two on the floor, where they had been working on an herbology project. Sirius leaned back to catch a glimpse of who was behind the door as James pulled it half-open.

"Where is Black?" Jacqueline Chang could be heard asking from the entranceway.

Sirius frowned, releasing the project into Peter's competent hands as he approached the door himself. He paused beside James, facing their head girl.

"Is someone looking for me?" Sirius asked, unsure why else the head girl would come and bother them hours after curfew. "Is it Professor McGonagall?"

"No," Jacqueline tilted her head. "It is a Slytherin girl. She swore that it was an emergency and she needed you to go with her, so I will let you go. But only you."

"Which Slytherin girl?" James asked.

"Not sure." Jacqueline chuckled. "I do not know many of the younger students in other houses."

Sirius shrugged, casting James a bored look. "It is probably Narcissa. I should see what she wants."

Sirius wasn't sure what to expect as he followed Jacqueline down, having never been called out of the tower at night before by another student. It was surprising Jacqueline was even allowing him to go, honestly. Though, to be fair, Narcissa could be quite persuasive.

Jacqueline left him at the entrance to their common room. "If anyone catches you breaking curfew out there, you tell them I gave you permission." She told him.

Sirius nodded in appreciation, watching her turn back toward her friend group in the corner of the quiet common room. Most younger students had already settled in for the night, with only the older years lingering around the space that evening. He turned toward the exit, pushing his way through to see what his cousin wanted.

But it wasn't Narcissa he found waiting against the railings when he stepped into the hallway.

Dorcas nodded, her face grave, "Black."

"Hullo," Sirius replied, tilting his head. "What is the emergency?"

Dorcas offered an unsure gesture with both hands. "I am merely the messenger, but I will explain what I know as we walk."

"Where are we going?" Sirius asked, following behind her without waiting to hear the response.

Dorcas was quickly descending the stairs in front of him, her quick strides challenging to keep up with. Sirius nearly found himself jogging as they headed down a few levels.

"It has something to do with your brother," Dorcas explained over her shoulder. "Your cousin asked me to bring you to them."

Sirius' skin prickled at her response, suddenly being acutely aware of how chilly the hallway was at night. His arms were becoming speckled with goosebumps. "What is happening with Regulus?" he wondered, his tone betraying his concerns.

"I am not quite certain," Dorcas replied, her back to him as she walked. "I was in the common room doing homework when we noticed he climbed on the roof outside our window. No clue how he even managed to get out there, the windows in our bedrooms are all magically sealed. I saw Narcissa enter the second-year tower afterward. When she came down to speak with Malfoy, she asked me to bring you there before returning to the tower. That is all I know."

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows as they moved toward the staircase that brought them to the dungeons. He tried to make sense of the bits of the story. "Regulus was on the roof?"

"That is what I said." Dorcas cast him a tired look. "We saw him walking around outside the window. We are not too high off the ground, but it was odd to see and drew some attention."

He assumed their bedroom windows, like his own, were only capable of opening up a few centimetres. He had never checked their bedroom windows carefully though, imagining there may be some differences to the floorplan in the dungeons. While their common room was partially underground, he knew the bedroom towers were at least two stories up.

"Isn't the roof icy?"

Dorcas nodded. "He was sliding around something awful."

That didn't make Sirius feel much better at the thought of Regulus running around an icy rooftop. His pace quickened, eager to make sure his cranky little brother hadn't managed to break his neck. His concern for Regulus lessened his anxiety about entering the Slytherin space or seeing his brother again after their last unnerving conversation. They had not uttered a word to each other since.

Dorcas called out an unfamiliar word as they halted at the entrance to the dungeons. One student was standing outside, giving Sirius a side-eyed cold look as they passed through, but the boy made no move to stop his entrance.

"He is the lookout." Dorcas snickered as they moved into the common room.

Sirius didn't have a chance to ask what the lookout was watching for, as he suddenly found himself facing a very intimidating flock of older Slytherin students, with no invisibility cloak to hide behind this time.

There didn't seem to be a single student around who wasn't in fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh year. He assumed the majority of the younger students had already gone to bed, considering the hour. But the older students were still pretty energetic, the common space filled with gentle conversations and mutters as they walked inward, a stark difference to how empty it seemed the night Sirius had accidentally run into Bellatrix.

Several heads turned as he walked through, many conversations abruptly falling silent as students noticed his presence. Several simply looked suspicious or bored, but many had expressions which made it very clear he was not welcome.

Sirius tried to not meet anyone's eyes, focusing in on the second-year tower's entrance. He was eternally grateful to have Dorcas at his side, as for once, he was utterly lacking the confidence he needed to brazenly barge into the Slytherin common room. She did not meet any of the older students' eyes, acting as though she did not even realize they were being watched.

"Meadowes." A cold voice called over. "How many times do we need to tell you that students of other houses are not permitted in Slytherin spaces?"

Sirius couldn't help himself but glance over at the origins of the voice, seeing a fifth-year boy glowering in their direction from a table. Sirius had seen him around in his early years, believing his name to be Willahelm Nott. He couldn't recall anything positive about the fellow.

Dorcas did not slow her steps, only turning her head to shrug nonchalantly. Her expression suggested she could not care less to hear what the Slytherin boy had to say.

Mercury Greengrass turned in her seat beside Willahelm, peering over to see who Dorcas brought. Her eyes flickered with a sinister look that set Sirius on edge. Mercury snickered, "At least she didn't bring the mudblood this time."

It dawned on him that they were talking about Mary, and he started with a jerk. But Dorcas had quickly turned back and caught his eye, shaking her head back and forth firmly. Sirius pressed his lips together, trying to not react to the insult as he followed Dorcas' example. He was sure she had her reasons. It still was a challenging task, his fist tightening until his nails dug into his palm painfully. He needed to get to his brother in one piece first before he got into a fight he had no chance of winning in this den of serpents, all more dangerous than the last.

"Watch it." Bertram Audrey, another fourth year he recognized, spoke up, frowning at Mercury. "You know he is going to be here any minute now, with whatever is occurring up there."

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if they meant what was happening in his brother's tower. What in the world was Regulus getting himself into?

"He?" Sirius whispered to Dorcas, already knowing the response before she gave it to him.

"Flinn."

Sirius took a careful look around the room then, realizing the majority of students present were sitting idly and watching the second-year tower. Most looked interested in what was going on, but none were making any move toward the staircase. Whatever was happening, it seemed to be more dramatic than he had realized. It was not a very reassuring thought.

They had nearly reached the stairs unscathed before another familiar voice called out, setting Sirius far more on edge than the previous three had. "Is that Sirius Black?"

Sirius halted beneath the doorframe, his stance instantly tensing up defiantly as he glanced back. Rabastan Lestrange had risen off the sofa before the fireplace mantel, across the common space from where he was standing. Yet, even with the distance between them, Sirius could see the rage burning through the fifth-year's eyes. The students seated around him had turned to ogle at Sirius as well, many being vaguely familiar as the nastier lot of pureblood Slytherins he preferred to avoid at all costs.

Sirius' chest fluttered as Rabastan hopped over the armrest of the sofa, strolling across the room with narrowed eyes. Sirius kept his stance solid regardless, refusing to flinch back or reach for his wand, no matter how badly he wanted to. Dorcas remained unmoved by his side as well, eyeing the older boy over with a disinterested expression.

Rabastan stopped less than a meter before him, his eyes brightly shining down on Sirius, looking thrilled to finally corner the prey he had long wished to devour.

"I have been waiting for you to stop by, Black." Rabastan grinned. "Did you know my ancestors used to gut and flay spies among their ranks? I never had the opportunity to maintain their traditions before now."

Sirius tilted his head, narrowing his eyes with a smirk, "Good thing I have never been among your ranks, Lestrange."

"Spare us the history lesson." Dorcas interrupted. "We do not have time to burn."

Rabastan's eyes didn't leave Sirius. "Mind your own business, Meadowes." He snarled.

"Get a grip, Lestrange." Dorcas' voice was bored. "If Sirius had not prevented that sheer stupidity of a plan, your brother would be in a prison cell right now."

Rabastan hissed in anger, drawing his wand, which caused Sirius to lunge for his own, "I will not warn you again." The older boy spat, his words dripping in venom.

They were interrupted by another Slytherin student before Rabastan had a chance to respond or make any move against the two. "Lestrange." Emma Vanity had spoken up from a few tables over, her eyes not leaving the parchment she was writing on. "Let him by."

Rabastan hesitated at her command.

Sirius had not realized she was even in the common room but felt some relief at her presence. He knew she held some authority over the other pureblood students from what Regulus and Dorcas had shared with him. He did find it a bit amusing that she had not felt the need to intervene before that point, but he supposed he could not nitpick the help she offered when she very well may be saving his lousy arse.

Rabastan turned to look in Emma's direction, his face colouring in his frustration. "He cannot be allowed to get away with what he has done." He hissed, sounding like a petulant child.

Emma did not respond verbally, but she lifted her head to give Rabastan a cold, blank look, her eyes narrowing at his reluctance to back down.

Rabastan gritted his teeth loudly enough that they could hear it. He stormed off without looking in Sirius and Dorcas' direction again, directing himself toward the fifth-year tower.

Sirius waited until Rabastan had disappeared up his own tower before he relaxed, placing his wand back at the bottom of his pocket securely. He released a small breath, glancing in Emma Vanity's direction, but she had already returned to the parchment on her table.

Dorcas nudged him, calling him back to the mission on hand. "Go on up."

Sirius frowned, "You are not coming with me?"

"Probably not." She smirked. "Against the rules."

Sirius didn't understand and was not warming up to the idea of facing more Slytherin individuals without Dorcas by his side. He had no idea what he might find once he got up the stairs. His last visit to the Slytherin dungeons made that much clear.

"Isn't Narcissa up there?" he asked, recalling her earlier words.

"Yes." Dorcas agreed, with a sly smirk, "Different set of rules for different folk. Welcome to Slytherin."

Sirius scoffed, not wanting to know what that meant. He hesitated before heading up, trying to swallow his nerves before going to face, what he expected to be, the next onslaught of Slytherin unpleasantness.

Dorcas caught onto his nerves quickly, nodding after a moment without asking why he was hesitating or ridiculing it in any way. "Do you want me to come?"

"I mean, hell, I wouldn't mind it." He admitted.

"I will go with you."

"Are you sure?" He asked, despite his relief. "I don't want to leave you in any hot water with schoolhouse Grindelwalds over here."

She brushed his concerns off with a hand wave, prodding him forward till he gave in, heading up the stairs quickly. She followed behind him without a word, both quickly entering into the second-year lounge.

The room looked eerily similar to the Gryffindor lounges, aside from the unfamiliar occupants. Despite the late hour, the room had several students standing around when they reached the level. He quickly detected that there were more than just second years waiting in the lounge. For one, the prefect Ursula Flint was standing across the room, her face blank as she watched the ongoing conversations. She seemed to spot them as soon as they entered as she was facing their direction, but she did not react in any way beyond glancing at them.

Sirius' eyes were quickly drawn over to the back of the student closest to him. The long blond hair falling over the tall boy's shoulders soon cleared up why the Head Boy had not been in the common room. In front of Lucius Malfoy, he could see Evan Rosier speaking with him nervously, seeming to be explaining something. Evan looked like he had seen better nights, his face worn and looking as though he had been upset recently. When he peered past those two, he could see two Slytherin boys he did not recognize sitting on the lounge sofa. They both were watching the conversation as well, their eyes wide with confusion and fear. He guessed those were the halfblood boys in Slytherin that Regulus had been so opposed to befriending, or even uttering their names to Sirius.

Evan fell silent when his eyes rested on Sirius.

Malfoy turned to look over at the two newcomers, his face twisting with a distinctive cold hatred when he looked Sirius' way. His gaze soon focused on Dorcas, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her. Sirius bit the inside of his lip, hoping he had not thrown Dorcas under the bus while breaking the so-called rules for his sake. But Malfoy did not react, instead stepping aside to clear the path toward the boys' bedroom.

"Your brother is upstairs." Ursula informed him.

Sirius nodded in response, happy that he would not need to speak at that moment. His tongue was weighing down heavily at the bottom of his mouth, and he wasn't sure if it would have worked for him. He moved forward silently, Dorcas following along once more. She had shown no visible fear at the sight of the head boy or prefect, seeming completely unshakeable throughout their tricky journey.

There was one last deathly trap along their path to Regulus when they finally made their way into the boys' bedroom.

When they first entered the bedroom, Sirius thought it was entirely abandoned. It was unnervingly quiet, only the gentle whistle of wind from the window cracked open an inch interrupting the silence. No overhead lights were lit, with only a small candle holder between two beds lighting up the bedroom. All five beds were unoccupied, and none were made, the blankets thrown off as if they all jumped out of bed in a rush. Otherwise, the room was very clean, nothing looking at all out of place or irregular.

But the room wasn't empty, a chewing noise directing his attention toward a wall beside the bathroom door, where he noticed Barty Crouch sneering over at him with his typical godric-awful smug expression. He was busy chewing at something unfamiliar, his pointy face glowing with cheerful, sinister energy.

Sirius groaned inwardly. Apparently, his luck that evening included running into every single one of his least favourite Slytherin members. At that rate, he was sure Bellatrix must be waiting for him in the bathroom.

"Why are you up here instead of the lounge?" Sirius asked, glaring at the kid.

"Oh, you know," Barty's eyes twinkled. "I am a loose cannon."

"Where is he?"

"In there," Barty replied, gesturing at the bathroom door. He cupped his lips with his hands to whisper the next bit. "With his cousin!" the annoying little twerp paused after a moment, dropping his hands, "Oh, wait. I forgot they were Blacks. Touching your cousin is typical for them, right?"

Sirius felt a surge of annoyance at Barty's comment, the joke weirdly hitting a nerve. He imagined his parents would not appreciate that joke at all. Dorcas met Sirius' eyes for a moment, her face unreadable. She had not reacted to Barty's remark.

"So, what is going on here?" Barty smiled as he tapped his knuckles against the bathroom door. "Is he crazy or something?"

Sirius whirled to face the younger boy again, a flush climbing up his cheeks at the commentary. The events of the night were starting to fall together in a way that made his throat nearly close on him, his heartbeat strumming violently in his ears.

"Why the hell would you say that?" Sirius snarled in return, tempted to knock out a few of the brat's teeth. "Shut your mouth."

Barty looked unbothered. "Cause he's acting all loony-toons."

Sirius moved toward the kid, but Dorcas reacted faster, stopping Sirius in his tracks when he heard her spell ring out. "Silencio."

Barty took a step back with an exasperated smirk, laughing without making a noise as he held a middle finger up at Dorcas.

Sirius turned back to the girl at his side, who was gently strumming her fingers on her wand.

"Now he is harmless." Dorcas explained.

Sirius could have laughed if his stress for what lay beyond the door was not suffocating him. He nodded appreciatively, relieved that he had not been the one who needed to use that accursed spell. If anyone on the planet needed to be silenced, he happily agreed it was that little piece of work.

"I will handle Barty." Dorcas prodded him forward. "Go inside."

He nodded. "Okay."

Sirius shot a final dirty look in Barty's direction as he headed toward the bathroom door. The Slytherin lad seemed preoccupied in staring down Dorcas, his signature smug smirk still present on his face. Sirius was all too happy to let Dorcas handle that situation, thinking he'd definitely be breaking Barty's bones if he was left in a room with him for a moment longer.

He knocked at the bathroom door sharply in two raps. "Narcissa?"

It only took a few seconds before he heard the latch unlocking and the door pulled back a crack. Narcissa's eyes appeared in the opening for a moment to stare at him before she opened the door further. "Get in."

She pulled him in rapidly by his arm, shutting the door firmly behind him. She cast a muffling charm, even though Sirius was quite sure one had already been set. He hadn't heard a peep out of the bathroom the entire time they were in the bedroom.

If he thought Evan looked like he had been having a long night, Narcissa looked even worse. Her usual perfectly tailored appearance was in shambles. She looked stressed and tired, her eyes bloodshot when she inspected him with a grave expression. She still held her chin rigidly upward as she stood across from him, but her creased eyes undermined any control she was trying to maintain over herself.

Her hair looked as though she had been rained on recently, drying into sloppy waves around her head, with wisps fluttering before her face. Her clothes were in a similar state, traces of dirt and wet patches littering her white uniform top. The sleeves had been rolled up to her elbows, the rolled-up chunks looking wet and dirty. She looked thoroughly unlike herself.

Sirius glanced around the bathroom behind her, unsure where his brother was supposed to be. Barty had said he was in there, and Ursula said he was upstairs, but there was no sign of him.

"Where is Regulus? Is he alright?"

"He is in there," Narcissa replied, pointing at the shower with a drawn curtain. "He is okay. Well, no, he isn't okay. He isn't acting anything like himself, Sirius."

He gazed over at the closed curtains, swaying ever so slightly across the tiles. "How is he acting?"

"Do you remember Uncle Alphard?" Narcissa asked, her voice soft.

"Of course," Sirius cast her a confused look. "He was my godfather."

"But do you remember the illness he had?"

Sirius froze, his heart dropping as he thought, "I have heard about it from other sources." He admitted, gruffly.

His parents had completely ignored the existence of any health issues in his uncle in his early years, but Bellatrix had gladly told him his uncle was mind-sick when his uncle had been away at one point. Bellatrix told him that his uncle's madness would come in waves, so they could never be sure when he'd snap. Sirius had dismissed her comments as typical Bellatrix teasing at the time, assuming she just wanted to mess with his relationship with his uncle, as Alphard tended to defend Sirius against Bellatrix's antics at times.

But eventually, he finally heard an adult mention the ominous illness after his uncle had passed away. His parents had mistakenly forgotten to cast a silencing spell when they were discussing Alphard leaving his money to Sirius, among various muggle items. His mother had written it off as another one of her brother's so-called episodes, then told Orion - in utter disgust - that she suspected he had been receiving treatment from a muggle healer. Sirius had never noticed anything odd about his uncle in all the years he had known him though and could not ask for more information on the topic. Perhaps Andromeda would have known more, as she was the one who teasingly told him that madness ran through their family in his youth, but the topic had never come up.

"My parents used to talk about the illness sometimes," Narcissa said, her voice low. "I think that is what he is behaving like. I don't know any other way to explain what is happening."

Sirius stilled, his heart beating violently in his ears, "You think Regulus has the same illness?"

Narcissa shrugged. "My father once said it was present in some of our ancestors too, and it can run through families."

Sirius bit down on his bottom lip viciously, not caring that he could taste blood. He felt a pit in his stomach growing as he forced himself to breathe in and out, his throat nearly blocking his airway.

"Try to talk to him," Narcissa whispered. "He was calming down. I can explain everything afterwards."

Sirius nodded weakly, unsure what he could do to help if Narcissa was right. He had no understanding of what the illness would even look like, so he braced himself for the worst as he slipped open the curtains.

Regulus did seem rather calm, lying on the tiled floor of the shower without much motion, beyond a few odd twitches. He was staring at the window above the shower intensely as he lay there. The light was off in the shower stall, leaving nothing but the moon and starlight to light up his brother's face. Sirius watched as Regulus' fingers scratched at the tiles beneath him for a moment, one of his legs shaking as his eyes ogled the moon above. The boy's pupils were dilated, fluttering back and forth gently. He looked as though he had recently taken a shower with his clothes on, and several pieces of his wet hair were frozen over into mini-icicles.

Sirius let the curtain close behind him. "Regulus?"

"Sirius." His voice was oddly normal, given how irregular his brother was looking. "Come listen."

He sat down cautiously. "Listen to what?"

"Shut up or you will not hear it." Regulus scoffed, grabbing Sirius' arm roughly. His words came out rapidly. "It is hard to hear them."

Sirius blinked a few times. "Who are you listening to, Reg?"

Regulus gave him a tired look, as if that was the silliest question he could have possibly asked. "I need to go outside so I can hear them."

Sirius groaned, imagining that line of thinking was how Regulus climbed out onto the roof that evening. He shook his head slowly. He felt weirdly helpless as Regulus scowled over at him, unsure how to help Regulus calm down or convince him no one was talking about him. "Why don't I let you know what I hear them say, okay?"

"You are not listening to me." Regulus sighed. "I need to go outside."

Sirius nudged him gently. "If I press my ear against the glass, I will hear them and let you know what they are saying."

Regulus nodded in agreement, remaining on the floor when Sirius stood up to listen against the glass. He glanced back at Regulus a few times as he waited, trying to think of what he could say. Regulus watched him with a blank expression, his eyes wide and alert.

"Sirius." Regulus sat up slowly. "I am going to learn how to speak Gaelic."

"Okay..."

"I am going to the library to get books on it." Regulus informed him. "I will go to Grimmauld Place to see if they have any too."

"Regulus." Sirius blocked the exit. "It is past curfew."

Regulus didn't seem to understand, trying to push past him. Sirius grabbed his arms gently, leading him back to the end of the shower to pull his brother down to sit beside him.

"I listened to the stars outside." He told his brother. "And guess what they said?"

"That I need to go outside."

"No, Reg." Sirius poked him, speaking slowly. "They said they were going to hurt us, but not anymore." He felt ruddy ridiculous as he went on, but he was willing to do anything to console the kid, "They have found a new target, on a different planet, in a different galaxy altogether. They have left the atmosphere, and they are never coming back."

Regulus seemed deep in thought. "Which galaxy did they go to?"

"They went to galaxy NGC 4414. To travel, they went through the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy."

"No, stupid," Regulus narrowed his eyes. "Supermassive black holes are not portals. They are the result of a gravitational collapse. Nothing can escape them. Not even light."

It was rather amazing how Regulus could still be an arrogant prat even mid-way through a breakdown. He might have found it funny if he wasn't completely overwhelmed by concern for the kid right about then.

"For most space matters, that would have destroyed them." Sirius agreed, somberly, talking out of his ass, "But not for these stars. They have unique features - they can use the spheroidal void as a portal to jump from one stellar galaxy to the next."

"Okay." Regulus stammered after a bit, nodding aggressively, "We must get my broomstick and follow them."

Sirius held his brother's arms firmly beneath his grasp. "We cannot follow them. Once a star goes through a portal, there is no return to our galaxy. Humans cannot go through a supermassive black hole. You belong here in his galaxy. Okay?"

"I will pull galleons out of Gringotts." Regulus tried to scoot away. "To get a better broomstick."

"Gringotts is closed, Reg."

"I can sneak in." Regulus insisted stubbornly.

Sirius had to laugh, "We are not breaking into Gringotts, you nutter."

Regulus quit pulling away, his gaze hardening. "Do not make fun of me."

"I am not." Sirius huffed and forced his face to be still. "I only want for you to stay with me for now, alright?"

His brother inspected him carefully for a few long seconds. "Are you afraid they will hurt you, too?" Regulus murmured.

"Terrified. Can you stay with me, so I won't be afraid?"

"Wuss," Regulus scoffed, but he laid down beside him. "I will protect you."

Sirius sat beside his brother for another ten minutes. Up close, he could see that Regulus had evidence of a recent bloody nose and a bruise on his cheek. He also noticed his brother wouldn't stay completely still for even a second as he lay there. The kid had become more and more mellow as Sirius watched him, nearly seeming to be in a trance by the time Sirius rose up to go speak with Narcissa.

Narcissa was sitting on the bathroom counter when he came over, watching him with soft eyes. "How is he holding up?"

Sirius released a long breath, "He seems subdued."

"Yeah, now." Narcissa sighed. "He was a lot earlier. He was acting very aggressive."

"Why is he all wet?" Sirius wondered.

His cousin made an irritable noise. "Between him running outside and turning the shower on multiple times, it has been hard to keep him dry."

"I am going to get him a blanket."

Narcissa nodded as Sirius turned toward the exit, his cousin closing it carefully behind him. Sirius got the sense that Regulus had been keener on escaping earlier, seeming to have no energy to fight to get out then. But Narcissa kept guarding the door like she expected a fight.

Dorcas was no longer in the bedroom when he exited. Barty was alone on his bed against the wall, flipping through a magazine casually, with his knees propped up as the magazine's stand. The kid was still chewing something obnoxiously, smacking it aggressively in his mouth. He slanted his chin when he noticed Sirius, "Still kicking in there?"

Sirius would have appreciated it if Dorcas had left the spell on the kid for just a while longer, his voice stirring up Sirius' temper once more. He was even more angry at Barty's earlier comments once he saw the state his brother was in. He absolutely loathed it that Regulus was forced to deal with Barty on a daily basis. Especially in the current situation, Sirius wished his brother was surrounded by better folk who would look after him. Barty had made it clear how considerate he was going to be toward his brother. It was enough to make him wish he could punch a fist right through Barty's irritating little elf face.

Sirius' voice was so cold when he spoke again, that he wondered if he was finally learning how to channel his mother. "If you ever utter a word of what happened today to a soul, I will carve your tongue out myself and no counter spell will ever bring it back."

Barty lifted his eyebrows slowly, his lips rolling upward until Sirius could see a flash of white teeth beneath. Yet, for once, Barty stayed quiet.

"Which bed is Regulus'?" Sirius asked gruffly.

Barty pointed across at the bed in the middle. Sirius walked over, glancing at the nightstand to ensure Barty hadn't been lying to him. He could see a few books he knew were from his parents' library, neatly piled atop Regulus' homework. He pulled back the covers to pull off one of the blankets, returning to the bathroom without glancing back at the other boy behind him.

Narcissa helped him wrap the blanket around his worn-out brother once they were locked in the bathroom again, lifting him gently off the floor to tuck it around his limbs. Narcissa rubbed Regulus' arm affectionately once he was beneath the fabric, her expression pained. Regulus stared back at her blankly. He seemed barely awake.

Sirius motioned at Narcissa to step out. They pulled the curtains closed again and set a new silencing spell before they spoke. Sirius took a seat on the counter, not wanting to sit on the floor again, and Narcissa sat across from him. Her face was drawn and sad as they peered across the countertop at one another.

Sirius fiddled with the hair beneath his left ear absentmindedly. "Does everyone downstairs know much of what happened?"

"No," Narcissa shook her head rapidly. "I imagine many saw him on the roof, but I tried to ensure no one saw him like this. Only the students from his year were already involved before Preston Fawley came to my room to tell me they needed help. Lucius and the Prefects made sure no one else got involved after that."

"How long has he been like this?" Sirius whispered, despite knowing the muffling spell was in effect.

"I don't know," Narcissa admitted, her expression looking helpless. "I have noticed he has been off for a while now. He has acted so oddly at practice lately, and he kept blowing me off for weeks, which wasn't like him. But today was different."

Sirius didn't interrupt her, tracing his finger around the outline of his knee repeatedly as he waited for her to continue her explanation of the events of the day. Her first comments only made him feel lousy, remembering how odd Regulus had seemed when he saw him on Marlene's birthday. He had been so distant with Regulus lately, that he hadn't even bothered to check in on the kid afterward. What kind of brother was he?

Narcissa took a slow breath. "I was in my room after dinner, and at first I did not know something was taking place with the second years. Fawley eventually came to the third-year tower to tell me Regulus was on the roof, and they could not get him to come back inside. When I got to his lounge, he was still out there. Evan Rosier, that is one of his roommates..."

"I know." Sirius cut in.

Narcissa ignored his interruption. "Rosier told me he had been oddly cheerful and energetic lately." She went on, her voice no longer strumming with the certainty it typically had, "That he had endless energy, wasn't sleeping much, and kept engaging in activities Regulus would not normally engage in. He had been partaking in all sorts of trouble with Barty lately, and Regulus is typically smarter than that."

Sirius pulled his knees onto the counter, resting his elbows atop them as he listened to her explanation. He dropped his head into his arms.

"They said tonight he started participating in really absurd and dangerous stuff. Fawley said he memorized an entire book in a language he didn't know, then burned one of their broomsticks. He was talking so fast for a bit, but everything he had been telling them made no sense. Eventually, he walked out onto the roof so he could hear what the sky was saying. They were all concerned and kept trying to get him to come back in. When Fawley brought me over, he wouldn't respond to me either. He kept slipping and nearly falling off the roof."

Sirius held his head in stress, overwhelmed by how upsetting the entire situation was. For the first time in a long time, he wished he had been placed in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, hating how distant he was from his brother every day. Regulus could have fully fallen off a roof and he wouldn't even have known about it. Slytherin felt galaxies away from Gryffindor.

"He didn't fall, though," Narcissa explained further. "Eventually, we were able to drag him back through the window. The window was not even meant to be open that wide, you know. Apparently, Barty and Rosier carved a hole into their lounge, and they hid it behind the bulletin board. For what purpose, who knows? But that was the window Regulus went out of."

"They made a hole in their lounge wall?" Sirius scoffed, in disbelief.

"Yes," Narcissa replied, scornfully.

Sirius was weirdly impressed, even if it nearly caused his brother to fall off the roof. "Unbelievable." He chuckled, "How did he end up in the bathroom?"

Narcissa looked sad as she shifted before answering. "Once he was inside, he kept attacking everyone and trying to go back out, so we had to lock him in the bathroom. I stayed with him the entire time, but I didn't know what to do to help. I thought you might know more about Uncle Alphard than I do, so I asked Meadowes to bring you here. And I got the older years to help keep it as quiet as they could to maintain Regulus' privacy."

"Okay," Sirius replied, piecing it together. "So, the second years, the prefect and Malfoy know what truly was happening. And that is it?"

"As far as I am aware, yes." She agreed. "Although, many saw him on the roof. But they don't know why he climbed out there, nor saw any of the other bits."

"Regulus isn't going to be pleased about that."

"I know." Narcissa met his gaze rigidly. "We will not let them talk."

"No, we won't." He agreed.

It was comforting that they were on the same page for once. He smirked over at his cousin fondly, happy to know that Regulus would always have Narcissa looking out for him in Slytherin, even if Sirius wasn't around.

"I should probably go break Crouch's jaw to make sure he shuts up about it," Sirius commented gruffly.

Narcissa peered over at him blankly, her eyebrows lightly rising. She looked confused by his comment. "I doubt that Barty would be a problem."

"Really?" Sirius huffed. "When is he not? He was already mocking Regulus as 'crazy' and 'loony-toons' when I came in."

"He is all talk." Narcissa dismissed it with a wave of her hand, "He will not spread anything."

"Oh, right." Sirius spat, his words dripping in sarcasm, not understanding why she was defending him. "Because he has always treated Regulus so great."

Narcissa looked uncomfortable. "It has been much better this year. They have been getting along now."

"Whatever. I don't think the kid has a soul in there, and he has never seemed like he could care less for Regulus whenever I have come across him."

She gave him a look. "Well, he was the one who climbed onto the roof to drag Regulus back in today."

Sirius was thrown off by that bit of information, his mouth hanging ajar as Narcissa continued.

"Rosier tried first, but he nearly fell off. The roof was real slippery. Everyone was losing it, so Barty went out and somehow managed to pull Regulus back in without either falling. He also had to lock Regulus in the bathroom after Regulus attacked him."

Sirius frowned down at his chest, realizing he may have taken Barty's snarky little comments too seriously. It dawned on him that his threat may have even hurt Barty's feelings when he went for the blanket, recalling how odd it was that the kid went quiet. He supposed it was a good thing that Barty was less lousy to Regulus than he had realized. The kid was crummy either way, but him being more of a smart mouth than actually being unkind to his brother when it mattered made him feel better.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp rap against the door. Narcissa and Sirius alike jumped at the interruption, peering over at the entrance. Narcissa dropped the muffling charm so both sides could hear each other.

"Narcissa."

Sirius cringed at Malfoy's voice. He hopped down from the counter, but he moved toward the opposite wall and crossed his arms. Narcissa could talk to her own adult husband-to-be. He had no interest in speaking with the seventh year who despised him, even if he was too calculated to act on his hatred.

Narcissa gave him a petulant look as she walked toward the door, muttering a counterspell and pulling back the latch. She opened the door fully this time, with Malfoy appearing in the entranceway. The older boy inspected Narcissa, then Sirius over her shoulder briefly before returning his gaze to Narcissa. Sirius could see Barty behind Malfoy, swinging his legs as he sat on the edge of his bed. He was craning his neck to peer into the bathroom, offering up a smug smile when his eyes met Sirius'.

"Barty, go downstairs." Malfoy commanded without looking back at the boy.

Barty made a pouty face, but he sprang off the bed and landed on his feet lightly, exiting the room without any other insufferable comments. Sirius was relieved to see him go.

Malfoy waited for Barty's footsteps to fade away before he spoke to Narcissa again, completely ignoring Sirius' presence. "Flinn is in the common room." he commented, straight to the point, "He heard that Black was on the rooftop, and he will be coming up. I could not defuse him."

Narcissa nodded firmly in return. Her voice did not waver, "That is fine, Lucius. I can handle it."

Sirius lifted his brows, thinking that Narcissa must be made of tougher stuff than him. He would much rather climb out the lounge hole-window than face their nasty professor, personally, but he knew he would never leave his brother there alone to be devoured by Flinn. Malfoy had nodded at Narcissa's response, his cold face shifting into a tender look that made Sirius wrinkle up his nose in disgust. He looked away quickly, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

Malfoy turned to exit the bedroom, and Narcissa faced Sirius once more. "We need to take him out of the shower before Professor Flinn comes."

"To his bed?" Sirius suggested.

Regulus was awake but was merely blankly staring at the ceiling when they got back to the shower he was in. The two lifted him by an arm each, leading him slowly over toward his bed. He accepted their lead and climbed in without much assistance needed. He looked entirely out of it, staring through Sirius as if he didn't even see his brother inches away from him. It was a haunting thought.

Sirius covered Regulus with his blankets, then laid his cover on top, tucking it snugly around his brother's outline as he watched Regulus observe the ceiling. The urge to protect his brother from the world was overwhelming once more as the kid laid there lifelessly. He hated that they weren't as close as they once were. He hated that Regulus had gone through the episode alone. He hated that he hadn't been able to help his brother. The shame of it all was suffocating.

Soon, Flinn had arrived.

He didn't knock, he just walked in calmly. He eyed the two staring back at him at the sides of Regulus' bed, and then observed Regulus laying back against his pillows motionless. Flinn didn't sound angry when he spoke, his words missing some of their usual bite, "Is he alright?"

Narcissa and Sirius exchanged a look. Sirius was surprised that the professor was calmly asking questions and being reasonable about the situation. He had many experiences which suggested Flinn was the opposite of calm or reasonable.

Narcissa held her chin up coolly. "He is okay."

"Has this happened before?" Flinn questioned, his eyes shifting over to rest on Sirius. The question was for him, he realized.

"No." Sirius murmured in response.

"Okay." The professor nodded shortly. "I will contact his parents. I want him over to the hospital wing immediately. Would you go stay with him?"

The professor was looking at Sirius again. He was surprised by the request but quickly nodded yes. They would have to fight to get him to leave, honest. He couldn't bear abandoning his brother in that state. He wanted to make sure the boy was alright before he left him alone again.

The professor turned toward the exit, calling back his final orders, "I am going to go down and clear the common room first. Then you can bring him over."

Once they were left alone, Sirius and Narcissa helped Regulus to his feet, but they had to half-drag him between them down the stairs. He seemed to be in a near trance state by the time they were going through the lounge, taking steps but barely seeming to understand where he was going.

The lounge was full, the entirety of the second-year class waiting around the room when they passed through. None spoke as they went by, the girls all seated on the couches with the two boys he didn't know the name of, while Evan and Barty were leaning against the wall in a corner together. They had been talking under their breath when Sirius and Narcissa first walked in but fell silent as they walked through.

The common room was a different matter. Flinn had done as he said he would, and there was not a soul to be seen beyond the professor when they got down there. He looked at Regulus with a strained expression, his lips tightening somewhat.

"Take him directly to the hospital wing." He instructed them. "I will ensure the second years do not disrespect his privacy on this matter."

Narcissa nodded, looking a bit relieved at his words. Sirius just stared at the professor, feeling baffled by Flinn helping them without even asking any questions.

"I will also let Professor McGonagall know why you have been out of your common room after curfew, Black."

"Thank you." Sirius muttered weakly.

He dismissed them with a wave of his hand, turning to return up the second-year tower. Sirius felt sorry for the second years for what was sure to be a painful lecture. But he also appreciated that he wouldn't need to threaten them all into not spreading what they had seen around. Despite how stressful the night had been, it had been reassuring to see that even in the coldest house, so many had rallied to help his brother.

"That was more understanding than I expected him to be." Sirius huffed once the professor was in the lounge above.

Narcissa shrugged weakly. "He can be reasonable."

"Wonder if Bellatrix would agree." Sirius muttered, under his breath.

"Sirius." Her face had darkened. "That is not funny. I know he can be a complete monster, I know that very well. But to most, he is not like that, only to those he doesn't care for. If you do not get on his bad side, he is mostly reasonable."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Guess I was just on his bad side immediately then?"

"Of course you were." Narcissa chuckled. "We all were. He distrusts all Blacks at first. Bellatrix did not help matters there. But once it was clear Regulus and I were not going to be a headache, he dropped the assumption we would be the worst. Suppose you never gave him a reason to think otherwise."

Sirius laughed. "Are you suggesting I did something to deserve his hatred? I saved his lousy arse."

Narcissa looked amused, tilting her head. "Stop messing around, we need to get him to the hospital wing."

Madam Pomfrey did not ask any questions, merely helping them pull Regulus into a clean bed. The nurse carefully tucked Regulus beneath the covers, glancing over at the two afterward.

"I will bring him a calming draught. Professor Flinn said someone would be staying with him?"

"Can I?" Sirius muttered.

Sirius did not want to leave his brother, but he knew the Matron had a habit of kicking him out of the hospital the moment she saw him. But she surprised him by simply nodding in agreement at his question. "I will get the neighbouring bed ready."

"Thank you."

She walked past them into the other area, collecting the calming potion and clean sheets for the nearby bed. Narcissa helped Sirius roll the bed into the same curtained area as Regulus'. They paused once their makeshift hospital room was all setup.

Narcissa squeezed his arm gently. "Will you be alright if I head back?"

"Of course." He nodded. "Thank you, by the way. For letting me know what was happening, and looking out for him."

Narcissa furrowed her eyebrows. "I will always look out for Regulus."

"I know."

"Good night, Sirius."

His cousin left the curtained room, and her quiet footsteps could be heard retreating down the hospital wing.

Eventually, the Matron returned and somehow managed to give Regulus the calming draught. The boy drank it when she held it up for him. She then set up the side bed for Sirius, not saying anything as she did. Sirius glanced back at his brother as he waited, seeing that Regulus' eyes had closed and he was finally still. His chest weakly rose and dropped beneath the layers of blankets tucked around him. "He will be fine." Madam Pomfrey assured him before slipping away. "Try to get some rest."

He nodded in agreement, too tired to imagine being able to do anything other than rest. The Matron let them be, pulling on the curtain around their area until they were entirely sealed in.

He didn't want to know how late it had gotten as he crawled into the bed. He laid on his back for a while, listening to Regulus' steady breaths as he inspected the hospital ceiling. The noise was soothing, relaxing his racing mind down. Regulus was going to be fine. He was fine.

Sirius did not realize he had slipped off into sleep until he heard the morning birds singing. He opened his eyes to the sight of sunlight streaming over the hospital curtains. He blinked a few times, trying to place where he was. The events of the previous night were slowly returning to him. His eyelids felt heavy, his lack of sleep over the night already clear before he even sat up. He groaned softly.

"Sirius?"

Sirius sat up sharply, whirling toward Regulus' bed at the sound of his voice. His brother was staring over at him with hollowed-out eyes, still lying on his bed motionlessly. Regulus looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks, his face pale and exhausted.

Sirius pushed back his covers and swiftly climbed out of the hospital bed to walk across to his brother. Regulus watched him move over meekly, only his eyes moving as they followed Sirius' approach.

"Are you okay?" Sirius touched his shoulder gently.

"I do not know." Regulus replied, blinking slowly. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Not really."

Sirius sighed, wishing he did not need to be the one to explain everything. "We think you had some kind of episode." He explained, softly, "Narcissa is under the impression that it was similar to how she heard our Uncle Alphard acted when he wasn't feeling well."

"What do you mean?" Regulus' face had crinkled into an expression of distress. "What was I doing?"

"Never you mind," Sirius grumbled, shaking his head.

His brother would not relent, "Tell me."

Sirius inhaled slowly, dropping his gaze, "You were climbing onto the roof, and talking about the sky speaking."

"You saw me doing that?" Regulus questioned, staring at him helplessly.

Sirius nodded slowly. "I saw the end of it."

"What is wrong with me?" The kid's voice shook.

"Nothing, Regulus." Sirius replied earnestly, his knees bumping against the bed when he moved forward. "Nothing is wrong with you."

His brother was gazing up at the ceiling blankly. "Does everyone know?" he asked, his tone conveying how ashamed he was.

"No," Sirius reassured him quickly. "I won't let anyone talk about this."

Regulus had a pained expression, "You cannot guarantee that."

"Barely anyone knows, Reg. Only the kids in your tower, Narcissa and the prefects. Flinn said he would ensure the second years didn't spread it, and Narcissa wouldn't let the older years say anything to anyone."

"Everyone in my year?" Regulus sounded mortified.

"It's okay. Who cares what they think?"

Regulus shrugged, his eyelids covering his pupils. "I do not want my friends to think poorly of me."

"If they are your friends, they won't think less of you after this." Sirius insisted, climbing onto the bed beside his brother. "I am sure the majority wouldn't care."

Regulus did not speak again, his eyes remaining closed as he shivered beneath the blankets. Sirius pulled the covers up over his brother's shoulders, wondering if he should call the nurse to make sure he was alright. Regulus was looking a bit ill, shaking and pale beneath the blankets. But when Sirius turned to go look for the nurse, Regulus spoke again.

"Stay." His brother whispered.

Sirius sat back, scooting in closer to his brother's side. "Okay."

Regulus rested his head against Sirius' shoulder, wiggling around to warm himself in the crook of Sirius' arm. Sirius wrapped his arm around his brother, his throat feeling heavy at his brother's unexpected affection.

He hoped the nurse wouldn't come anytime soon, not wanting to leave that moment to face reality. They could just stay there, hidden behind the white curtains, where Regulus wasn't angry at him, and no one could hurt his brother.

Chapter Text

March, 1974

"Will you put this absurd notion you have of replacing Sirius to bed now?" His father's voice was merciless. "We will not leave this family in the hands of a child with crazy fits. Sirius will fulfill his role and we will see to it that he is prepared to take on the responsibility. Stubborn we can work with, crazy we cannot."

Regulus stared at the wooden frame of the library doorway. His parents were speaking on the other end of the closed doors, but their voices were ringing through as clear as day. They could have been standing by his side.

"Sirius is not merely stubborn." His mother huffed, with annoyance evident in her voice. "He has disrespected the entire family and everything we stand for. He has paraded his fascination with muggles for years!"

His father wouldn't hear it. "He will do whatever he can to rebel against us. If we told him we worship muggles today, he would be preaching purebred ideology tomorrow. Sirius is strong-willed and childish, he is not a traitor."

"He has already betrayed us. He will do it again."

"He is a boy." His father's voice had become dangerously sharp. "We will not suffer insult to this family by casting away our son when he is barely fourteen without first trying to correct his path. He was born for this position, and we all struggle to find our place at times. He will learn to lead the family."

Neither spoke for a long moment.

After a pause, his mother replied in a saddened tone, "He is not you, Orion. You never rebelled in the way he has."

His father made an irritable noise. "I am aware that he is not me, but he possesses a mixture of our qualities." His voice was cutting, his words even more vicious, "His brother has nothing from either of us. What does he offer this family? You only think he would be easier to control, that is all you see in him."

"That is not true." His mother sounded angry once more. "How could you think so lowly of me? You do not know the boy, which is why you believe he lacks the fortitude to lead this family. He is capable of growth."

"Sirius is the only option." His father snapped, as something slammed closed. "This conversation is over. Sirius will begin preparing in June."

His mother was silent for a moment before accepting defeat. There was an underlying taunt in her tone when she relented, as if she expected his father would rue his decision, but she was happy to let him figure that out on his own. "Very well."

Regulus stared at the wallpaper beside the doorframe listlessly. Several portraits down the hall had peered over with curiosity at the conversation all could hear. None of them said anything to Regulus as he stood frozen in place.

His parents must not have heard the healer's report.

The family healer had spent much of the last few weeks in and out of Regulus' room. That morning, the healer finally declared him fit to return to his studies and left him with an extensive list of suggestions on how to avoid triggering another incident. The healer stated that he would inform Regulus' parents that he was ready to return to Hogwarts, but no one had come to speak to him for the past few hours, so he had taken it upon himself to track down his mother.

The healer had been very unclear about what they were treating or what caused the phase that took place. Whenever Regulus had tried to ask direct questions, he had been quickly shut down. He had hoped his mother would rectify some of his confusion, but she had never stopped by. He suspected he had let her down somehow and she was disappointed in him, but he did not know what he had done to tarnish himself in her eyes. He had not used any drugs as the healer suggested he had at one point, and he could barely recall anything that took place at Hogwarts. But his mother's absence all week led him to believe he had done something horribly wrong.

"Young Master." Kreacher's voice rang out from the corridor behind Regulus, which led to the kitchens.

Regulus did not turn. His eyes remained fixated on the library doors before him. The house elf disappeared with a loud clicking noise as he apparated through the doors. He could be heard informing the adults that Regulus had come downstairs. The voices beyond the door fell silent at his warning.

A few minutes passed before his mother exited the library. She met his gaze sharply. "Regulus. What are you seeking?"

Regulus did not understand the question. He stared back at her blankly.

"Answer me," She commanded sharply, "It is not yet supper, and there is no reason for you to be wandering around."

"I am sorry," Regulus got out. "I was hoping to ask if I will be returning to Hogwarts?"

"Yes." His mother gave him a quick answer. "You will return tomorrow morning. I have already contacted your professor to inform him. You will stay in bed until supper."

"Yes, ma'am." The response was automatic, but Regulus remained rooted in place.

His mother's face tightened as she grew impatient. Her tone had a warning to it. "Regulus."

He couldn't restrain the questions weighing on his mind from spewing out. He couldn't just go on wondering without any sort of explanation. He understood they didn't think he was fit to be heir with his condition, but his mother seemed upset with him. He didn't understand why. He was never supposed to be the heir in the first place, he was the second-born child. And yet, he sensed that he had gravely disappointed his mother.

"Are you displeased that I was acting odd?" Regulus asked. "I did not do anything to cause that. It just happened, I swear."

His mother's eyes widened for a moment. "We will not be discussing such matters. Is that understood?"

Regulus nodded meekly in agreement. He was too baffled to form any other response.

"You will behave yourself better in the future." His mother informed him with a haughty sniff, "Return to your quarters. Kreacher will beckon you when it is time for supper."

Regulus wilted under her scathing gaze, all the fight drained out of him. "Yes, ma'am."

He walked away numbly without another word.

Unexpectedly, Professor Flinn was far easier to speak with than his parents. He was transported back to Hogwarts bright and early the following morning, where his mother left him with her usual parting words. She never brought up the unusual situation that caused him to spend the past weeks at Grimmauld Place, to begin with, but the professor was less avoidant of the topic.

Regulus had never had a conversation alone with the intimidating professor before that morning. After he had been dropped off, Flinn led him into his internal office and motioned for him to take a seat. Regulus had visited the office to speak with the professor twice before, but both times were to be scolded alongside his peers - once for not speaking with their halfblood roommates and the second time for their participation in mistreating the muggleborn first years. It was very unnerving to be seated across from him then alone.

Flinn cast him a passive expression. There was no sign of his typical coldness as he inspected Regulus. He wet his lips with his tongue briefly before he spoke. "I am pleased to hear that you are ready to return to class. All of your professors have been informed of your extended absence and have made arrangements for you to catch up or be deferred from a few assignments. And I have ensured you will not face any penalties in your classes or on the quidditch team for your recent absence, or if you need to take a break again in the future."

Regulus swallowed loudly and nodded in response. He did appreciate that he wouldn't need to explain why he had been away to professors or Vanity.

The professor’s tone was measured, "I have not allowed any of your peers to spread details about your health, nor have I been specific with professors besides those who need to know, such as Madam Pomfrey. This is not because you cannot speak about your health conditions with others, we only maintained your privacy so you could be the one to decide what you share."

Regulus did not respond. He had already known that. He had a vague memory of his brother telling him that they had not allowed anyone beyond the students in his year to clue in on what actually took place before his break.

Professor Flinn continued, "I imagine your parents did not offer much insight into what disorder you may be experiencing."

Regulus could not recall the interaction Flinn had with his mother before he left, as he had been very out of it, but he was guessing that it was a negative one. Flinn seemed annoyed, but his annoyance did not seem to be directed at Regulus.

He might never have had another opportunity to get answers about what he experienced, so Regulus answered honestly, "They have not told me anything."

The professor nodded. "I am not a doctor, and Madam Pomfrey does not specialize in psychiatric conditions, but I imagine you have experienced a psychiatric episode, and it might happen again in the future." He explained, his tone void of any emotion, "You are not the only student here who has such a disorder, and it usually begins in your early teenage years."

"When will it go away?" Regulus asked, feeling numb.

"I do not think it ever goes away for some individuals," Flinn answered, with a pained expression on his face for a beat. "But there are ways to manage it. For one, I have spoken with your roommates on what is the correct procedure if this happens again. Madam Pomfrey has done some research on preventative treatment options she would like to try out, and the options she has to assist you with during an episode. She would like to see you after class today at 6pm in the hospital wing."

"Okay," Regulus replied meekly. "Thank you."

Flinn pressed his lips together. "The first time is usually the worst, as no one knows what is happening or how to help. It should be easier to manage in the future."

The conversation left Regulus feeling suffocated by his shame. He hated feeling like he was a burden that all of his peers and professors must take care of now. And yet, the conversation was far more comforting than the attempt at speaking with his mother. He could only hope that he was the exception and that whatever took place would not happen again.

Walking into the Slytherin common room that morning was far more intimidating than speaking to his mother or Flinn after his episode. For once, his presence did not go unnoticed. Students all around the common room, regardless of blood status or year, had paused to sneer over at him as he walked through.

Regulus put effort into keeping his face free of any signs of fear as he walked across to the second-year tower. Soon, he was freed from the eyes of the common room by the relief of the staircase walls around him. And yet, the worst was waiting for him above. From his understanding, the Slytherin common room only knew he had been on the roof before vanishing for a few weeks. The second years, on the other hand, knew a lot more sensitive details about what had taken place that night.

Only Killick and Doge were in the second-year lounge. Both glanced over at him warily when they spotted his presence, but no one spoke to him. He continued toward the boys' bedroom. It was still quite early in the morning, so Regulus did not know whether they would be at breakfast or not, but he knew he needed to face Rosier and Barty eventually.

He inhaled deeply before pushing through into his bedroom. Barty and Rosier were both awake and gathered around Barty's bed poking something with Rosier's wand when the door creaked open. Both whirled to gawk over at him. Hornby and Keitch were not present for the reunion, which was some relief.

Regulus stood by the doorway nervously for a few long seconds. He did not know what to say to his roommates after what had taken place. But he did not have to start the conversation. Once he recovered from his shock, Rosier's face broke into a wide grin as he bounded over to hug Regulus tightly.

"You bloody arse." Rosier laughed, "Near gave us a heart attack."

Regulus was so caught off by the act of affection, that his mouth released an oof noise as Rosier squeezed him tightly. "I am sorry." He gasped weakly in response. "I did not mean to."

Rosier pushed him back. "You okay now?"

"Yeah," Regulus replied with a sheepish smile. He smoothed out the shirt the lad had trampled. "Thank you for helping, and for everything else."

Barty had sauntered over slowly, wearing a friendly smirk as well as he crossed his arms across his chest. His voice was filled with pride. "I punched you."

"I see." Regulus tilted his head. "Is that where the bloody nose came from?"

"Yep!" Barty bounced. He seemed thrilled that Regulus had noticed the damage he made. "You clobbered me first - I was just returning the love."

"I do not remember that," Regulus admitted. "So that should not count."

"Oi, it is not every day you get to take a crack at Barty." Rosier shrugged. "You should take pride in socking him."

"Okay." Regulus agreed, as he lifted and dropped his shoulder. "I will accept credit."

"It was quite the party." Rosier smirked. "Too bad you were too zonked out of your mind to remember it. We had loads of fun."

"You got us in mad trouble for the hole, though," Barty informed him, accusingly. "I should have punched you twice."

Rosier's smirk faded as he frowned at Barty. "That wasn't his fault." He chided.

Barty gave him a petulant look, "I know!"

Regulus felt uneasy about the interaction between his roommates. He had rarely seen Rosier correct Barty on his behalf before. As much as he appreciated it, his stomach sank at the thought of the dynamic among the roommates changing as a result of his episode.

"I do not want any of you to treat me any differently than before." He spoke up quickly. "I know this is odd and different but..."

Rosier cut him off quickly. "Mate, we do not care." He chuckled, "Believe me, half of my family is off their rocker. If anything, you are more familiar now."

Regulus snickered at his comment. It did make him feel better. Their reactions made the situation feel a lot less shameful.

"Reggie," Barty fixed him with a narrowed-eyed sneer. "I have held the position of the crazy one in this tower for two years. I am not giving up my throne. Don't even think about trying to steal my spotlight again."

"No worries there." Rosier guffawed. "He is nowhere near your level of unhinged."

"And it will stay that way!" Barty smirked triumphantly. He threw an arm around Regulus with a chipper bounce in his step. "Welcome to the crazy train, kiddo. You are finally becoming a bit less boring!"

Regulus pushed the arm off of him. "Piss off."

"Ooh!" Barty teased as he launched himself back onto his bed. "Someone got a bit mouthy on us."

"Spent too much time around you in his manic state, I wager." Rosier grinned at Barty. "You better stop rubbing off on him, or soon we will have two Bartys in this bedroom, and I will have no choice but to off myself."

"You are both being irritating." Regulus scoffed.

Barty lifted his eyebrows. "I don't care how tragic your backstory is now, Reggie. I will still drop-kick your ass if you come at me."

Regulus wasn't worried. "I would like to see you try."

Rosier intervened. "Have you spoken to Narcissa yet?"

"Not yet."

"Black." Rosier exhaled loudly. "You need to go find her right now. She is going to crucio us into another dimension if we don't send you over immediately."

"Scram!" Barty shooed him away with a hand wave. "We need your bed for a game anyway."

Regulus smirked. "I hate you."

Rosier covered his face with his hands. "Not the bloody bed again." He moaned, dramatically.

Regulus was smirking softly as he headed back down the stairs to seek out his cousin. He felt a million times lighter than he had felt when he climbed up minutes earlier.

****

Regulus went to breakfast with his friends the next day, determined to return to normal. He was quite tired of being anything but. He ignored the gawking looks being directed his way as he settled down, his eyes glued to the plate before him.

He was only seated for a minute or two before he felt his brother's eyes drilling into him.

Regulus knew, from his conversation with Narcissa and the blurred memories he had from the incident, that Sirius had been involved in whatever went down in Slytherin. That his brother had looked after him that night and defended him against students who commented on his behaviour afterward. It only added to his internal turmoil that Sirius wouldn't hesitate to come to his rescue in one moment, and yet, would turn his back on him the next. He was forever torn on whether he owed his brother something or had every right to resent him.

His father's words and his mother's disapproval still hung vividly in his mind's eye, making him less receptive to reuniting with his brother. And so Regulus ignored him. Or tried to, at least.

Sirius was hard to ignore. Impossible, really. Regulus stubbornly kept his eyes on Barty, Rosier and Fawley around him, trying to pointedly indicate to his brother that he wasn't interested in talking. Sirius' eyes continue to drill into him anyway.

"Might we leave?" Regulus muttered to Rosier at his side, feeling deeply uncomfortable, "He will not quit staring at me."

Rosier did not bother asking who he was speaking of before his chin lifted and his eyes immediately sought out Sirius at the Gryffindor table. Sometimes Regulus was certain that the boy could read his mind.

Before his friend had a moment to respond, Regulus noticed a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. A clang rang out as his brother dropped his utensils before he pushed away from his table with vigour. He muttered something Regulus could not hear from the distance, but he sensed his brother's anger.

Sirius stomped to the end of the row and rounded toward the Slytherin table before Regulus could even react, only lifting his chin before his brother walked directly up to him.

He had barely made eye contact with his older brother before Sirius' hand was around his upper arm, brazenly yanking him from his seat. Rosier and Fawley said something in his defence, but his brother could not care less as he dragged him off toward the entrance.

"Sirius!" Regulus hissed, tugging his arm that was locked in the grip, mortified at his brother humiliating him in such a way.

His brother did not bother answering till they were well into the entrance hall, and further away from where the students were passing by. Sirius let go of his arm to cast a muffling charm.

"Why would you do that?" Regulus asked, nearly irate, "You always do this to me."

"Why would I do that?" Sirius repeated, with a temper to rival his. "You cannot seriously be going right back to ignoring me after all of that!"

Regulus gave a cold expression. "You cannot keep treating me like a child. Especially not in front of others!"

"Then quit acting like a child." Sirius threw back at him.

"Sirius," Regulus' was nearly pleading for his brother to understand. "It harms my reputation in Slytherin every time you do this."

His comment threw Sirius off enough to make his brother pause, despite his surge of frustration. Sirius eyed him over carefully as he pondered.

"What does that mean?" Sirius asked, his tone softer. "I hurt your reputation by embarrassing you in front of your friends?"

Regulus stood there for a moment, debating whether or not he should bother trying to drill a message home into his impossible brother. He was sure that his brother would only ridicule him for caring about climbing the hierarchy in Slytherin. His brother did not care how Regulus fared, as he himself did not wish to develop a similar reputation. Sirius had long dismissed any of Regulus' ambitions that he did not share.

Regulus released a long breath, shaking his head with annoyance. He crossed his arms and cast Sirius a sullen look, without offering any more explanation.

"Did you lose your voice while visiting home too?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes. "Not going to explain?"

Regulus' jaw tightened. "What do you want, Sirius?"

"Merlin, what do you think I want?" Sirius ran a hand over his face. "I want to know if you're okay, and how you are doing. You weren't exactly in the best place last time I laid eyes on you."

"I am fine," Regulus replied primly.

Sirius groaned, ever dramatic, "What happened?"

Regulus cast over a bitter look, "You know very well what happened. More than I do."

"I mean, what happened afterward? What did Mum and Dad say? Is there a plan if something were to happen again?"

Regulus shrugged weakly, his chin lowering in shame. He could not bear to put into words what his mother and father had said. "Professor Flinn was very helpful." He said carefully. "He formed a plan with my roommates on what to do if I need assistance at a later date. And Madam Pomfrey has different forms of draughts she is treating me with."

"Okay, that is good." Sirius nodded, sounding a bit more reassured. "What about our parents?"

Regulus did not meet his eye when he replied. "Mum did not say anything about it."

Sirius tried to catch his gaze, "What does that mean?"

"It means exactly what I said," Regulus said hotly, enunciating every word. "She would not speak of it with me."

Sirius was bewildered as he tried to understand. "Was she caring for you while you were ill?"

Regulus felt numb, "The healer would visit me."

"But not Mum?"

"No," Regulus said morosely, hiding all emotion from his face.

His brother could not take a hint and his interrogation persisted. "What did you do while you were at home?"

"I laid in bed." Regulus shifted with annoyance. "Can I return to my breakfast now?"

"You stayed in bed the entire time?" Sirius asked, ignoring his second comment.

Regulus did not reply again, only glaring through narrowed eyes. Surely his brother could understand that he had no control over his unbearable weariness. His body had gone through all sorts of ordeals following the first night, ordeals he'd rather not revisit.

The realization dawned on his brother's face, and he quickly backtracked. "Sorry... it does not matter. Why didn't Mum visit or speak with you?"

"Why do you think?" Regulus snapped, his chin rising defiantly. "She would not speak with me until the healer said I could return to Hogwarts. Then she acted as though it had not happened."

Sirius gawked for a bit, too stunned to reply right away. He shook his head, a flash of anger on his face. "So, she just pretended it didn't happen? Did not try to help you at all?"

Regulus inhaled deeply before he answered, knowing his brother would not relent unless he explained. "When I tried to bring it up, she grew cross with me and told me that we do not discuss such matters. That is all that happened."

Sirius bit down on his bottom lip, sheepishly. He did not reply.

Regulus' face was dark as he lifted his gaze and sent over a scathing glare. His tone was biting, "Am I allowed to breathe now that you got every last detail out of me?" He spat, "You are worse than a legilimens."

"Cripes." Sirius stared, looking stung by the insult. "I wasn't trying to be intrusive. I was worried about you."

Regulus did not want his brother's self-interested pity. He did not want anything from his brother anymore. "Do not bother."

"Reg," Sirius pleaded.

"I do not want to speak about this," Regulus replied briskly. "You forced me to."

Sirius held his arms out defensively. "I was only trying to help."

"I do not want your help." Regulus shot back so quickly, that his brother had barely finished his sentence. It was all he could do to contain his bitter anger.

"Fine." Sirius clenched his jaw as he gave up.

"Fine," Regulus repeated.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds longer.

"Brat," Sirius muttered.

Regulus didn't hesitate. "Asshole."

They returned to their respective tables, both putting in a lot of effort to ignore each other for the remainder of the meal.

Chapter Text

April, 1974

Bellatrix had returned to Hogwarts.

The news spread rapidly around the common room before Barty even got the chance to deliver it to the group. And yet, not a single one of them ever caught a glimpse of Bellatrix in the common room or Great Hall.

Eventually, Narcissa had to clear up whether the rumours were true. Regulus was seated with Burke, Fawley, Rosier, Ollivander, and Narcissa when it came up. Fawley abruptly stopped the game she had been working on to turn to Narcissa. "Is Flinn keeping your sister locked up somewhere?"

The question caught the table off guard. Rosier scoffed loudly while others stared over, but Narcissa did not visibly react. The rest of the group gazed in her direction with interest.

Narcissa exhaled softly. "Not locked up, but essentially, yes. At the moment, she is not considered a Slytherin student and has private quarters. Flinn believes she is too poor an influence on the other students to be allowed in our common spaces."

Fawley's eyes were wide. "Is she there all day?"

"No," Narcissa replied shortly. "She attends class and is in detention with Professor Flinn from six to eight. After that, she returns to her room for the night till class."

"Barty said he sees her at detention." Rosier agreed. "But she is just doing homework."

"It is not so much detention as it is babysitting." Narcissa lifted her shoulders gently. "She is under constant supervision by adults until she is left in her room for the night. She does not get to eat meals with other students or participate in any social activities. Such as no teams, clubs, or Hogsmeade trips."

Rosier made a face. "That sounds brutal."

Regulus agreed. He wouldn't be able to bear being isolated from other students. Being alone at Grimmauld Place for the year before he started at Hogwarts had been bad enough.

"How long will she be separated?" Regulus asked.

"I do not know." Narcissa's voice was strained. "Perhaps till she graduates. Lucius has tried to ask for her to be temporarily allowed to speak with friends to no avail."

Fawley chuckled nervously, "Sounds like Flinn did not take losing to her in court well."

"Or failing to have her expelled." Rosier snickered. "Her time here may be worse than being expelled."

Narcissa met Regulus' eye for a moment. Her face was strained, and her eyes flashed with sadness.

Regulus knew how hard it had been for Narcissa to tolerate all that had been done to Bellatrix over the past years.

Even though Narcissa had a fairly positive relationship with Flinn, she told him that she and Malfoy had agreed Narcissa would never speak on Bellatrix's behalf to the professor. It would cause him to associate her with her sister's actions, just as he now associated Malfoy with Bellatrix's actions. Malfoy had defended Bellatrix one time too many and had a far more strained relationship with Professor Flinn lately. And once one’s relationship with Flinn was tarnished, they could not get him to do a single favour for them anymore. Narcissa still had the ability to sway Flinn, so long as she did not mention Bellatrix. Apparently, they had done the same with Vanity, who had never spoken on Bellatrix's behalf to Flinn. With Malfoy falling from grace now, he had been sending Vanity to communicate with Flinn instead, as she was able to stay in his good graces.

It made sense to keep Narcissa separated from Bellatrix when it came to Flinn, but he knew that it haunted Narcissa when there was nothing she could do to help her sister.

The group returned to their work somberly.

It took a few weeks before Bellatrix was seen in the Slytherin common room again. Regulus had been sorting through the leaf collection with Fawley in the second-year lounge when Rosier came upstairs with Avery and Nott from the first year.

"Guess who we just saw?" Avery chuckled, his eyes gleaming.

"Bellatrix was walking through the common room with a bunch of the older years." Rosier explained, glancing his way, "They went up the sixth-year tower."

Regulus did not know what to think of that, but he hoped it meant things would get better for Bellatrix. Not because he cared much for his older cousin, but because he didn't want Narcissa to worry about it any longer.

Barty did not arrive for another half an hour. When he entered the lounge, he paused at the entrance and gazed at Regulus. His face was wearing a bright, taunting smile.

"Reggie," Barty grinned. "You have been beckoned."

Regulus felt his stomach drop. He peered around carefully. "What do you mean?"

"What do ya think, genius?" Barty's tone was scornful. "Malfoy wants you. Not sexually though, no worries."

Rosier choked on the mince pie he had been sloppily eating on the couch. "Why the hell would you say that?"

"Shock value."

Rosier rolled his eyes. "Absolute twat."

"He gets mad sensitive every time I tease him by saying he fancies children." Barty informed them. "But it's funny, 'cause he is married to a fourteen-year-old!"

"Shut it, Barty." Regulus flushed. "They are not marrying until they are adults - it is merely a betrothal. Why would Malfoy want to speak with me?"

"I'm not your messenger boy." Barty walked over to pull him up by a handful of his sleeve. "Go ask him yourself."

"But you are Malfoy's messenger boy?" Fawley giggled. "He said fetch Black and you went running over here."

Rosier laughed along as Barty flipped her off.

But Regulus was too nervous to enjoy the banter. He could not deduce why Malfoy would want to speak with him. He had never called for Regulus before, and it was odd for him to be communicating directly with younger years. Barty was the exception. Most reasons for the older years to confer with Regulus would probably fall to their prefect, Flint. Or in extreme cases, Vanity may have spoken with him. He did not know what he could possibly have done to bypass both prefects to be called over by the Head Boy.

Barty skipped down the stairs cheerfully before him as they exited the staircase. Regulus followed along numbly.

Barty led him over to the sixth-year staircase. He glanced back with a smug grin. "You look like you are sharting in your trousers."

"Whatever." Regulus sighed, but he tried to clear his face.

"Don't be scared." Barty reassured him. "I will be there with you."

Regulus narrowed his eyes. "As if you would ever defend me."

Barty laughed. "You got me there."

"Who is up there?" Regulus asked weakly.

"Oh, the usual. Malfoy, Bellatrix, Lestrange. Some of the others."

Regulus' knees felt weak. "And they all want to speak to me?"

Barty's eyes were dancing with mischief. "Would you relax? Such a wuss, Reggie. They're not going to bite. Bellatrix just threatened me after I told them I messed with you last year. They don't mean you any harm."

Regulus was surprised to hear that. Both that Bellatrix defended him and that Barty owned up to picking on Regulus the previous year. He must have been bragging.

Barty started walking up the staircase to the sixth-year lounge, so Regulus followed behind him silently.

Regulus tried to remember everything Narcissa had told him. He could not show any fear or let anyone speak for him. He should defend himself, but only to some degree, so he would earn respect without disrespecting the older years. He could not interrupt any of the older years. Ideally, they should speak first. He had to remember the hierarchy of who should get the most respect among the older years. He had to maintain his composure throughout no matter what - they would pounce on the first sign of weakness.

It felt like an awful lot of instructions to put into practice for the first time, but his years with his mother had prepared him.

When they entered the lounge, Regulus quickly scanned around. Only six students were sitting in the lounge, a blend of sixth and seventh-year pureblood students.

On the couch, Bellatrix was seated beside Rodolphus Lestrange, who was grinning broadly. His cousin appeared calm and content as she lay in the crook of Lestrange's arm. The bloke seemed happier than Regulus had seen him since Bellatrix's suspension. Apparently, they had gotten past Lestrange allowing her to take the blame for the silent hark scheme.

On the other end of the couch, there was Vanda Parkinson from sixth year. Both Carrow twins from the seventh year were leaning on the backrest behind the other three. And there was Malfoy, seated in the sofa chair facing the couch. He had turned to watch Regulus as he approached the group. Malfoy's face was sharp and disdainful. Regulus had the sense that he had already done something wrong. It only made his nerves worse.

Barty walked in with Regulus and waved over at him dramatically. "Brought it!"

The older students did not react to the announcement. A few were watching Malfoy. They were waiting for him to speak first.

Barty's presence did not help Regulus feel less petrified. After announcing him, Barty lazily climbed onto the table to sit down. On the table, not the chairs. He swung his legs and leaned back as he smirked over at Regulus.

Malfoy was still eyeing Regulus. His tone was cold when he finally spoke. "Go try that again."

Regulus was baffled. "Sorry?"

"You're second in line to a formidable trueborn magical bloodline." The head boy sniffed, with a steely expression. "I do not care how fearful you are, you do not show it. Go back downstairs and try that again. I expect you to walk up here with all the ridiculous pride and arrogance members of the Black Family ought to be born with."

Bellatrix snickered loudly from the sofa. She fiddled with her curls absent-mindedly as she watched Regulus with bright eyes. Some of the other students chuckled softly. All were still peering over at him expectantly.

Regulus did not dare to meet Barty's eyes.

Narcissa was going to murder him. He had royally screwed up the very first rule she always reminded him of before speaking to the older students. No fear.

Regulus turned toward the staircase sheepishly. He tried to clear his face as he descended, ignoring the wave of humiliation in his stomach. Regulus took a few slow breaths before turning around to reenter the lounge. He straightened his back and lifted his chin primly as he walked up the stairs once more. He kept his expression as haughty as he could manage, trying to mimic the expression his mother would wear before crowds.

Bellatrix's eyes were slanted into slits when she returned to his view. She appeared amused.

Regulus approached the group once more and stopped before them. He gazed over at Malfoy while maintaining his stance. If the Head Boy ridiculed him again, Regulus was not sure what he would do next.

Malfoy lifted one eyebrow slowly. "That was some improvement. No matter how intimidated you are, you should always carry yourself with more dignity than that. You represent an immensely powerful family. You need to act like it."

Regulus nodded. He was ashamed that the Head Boy even needed to correct him. He knew better than to show any signs of nerves.

"Even among the sacred twenty-eight, you understand there is a hierarchy that we all uphold. It is undignified for you to be allowing anyone to forget your family's place on that hierarchy."

Bellatrix's voice was cutting. "You wouldn't wish to tarnish your own blood's reputation, would you?"

Regulus did not reply to her.

"You should not be letting Barty push you around," Lestrange added. "That's pathetic."

Barty laughed. "Yeah, Reggie!"

Regulus felt his cheeks flush. "I do not."

"Not anymore." Barty piped up. The bloke was crossing his arms across his chest with a bright sneer. He did not appear at all remorseful for his actions.

Malfoy did not turn Barty's way when he addressed him. "It will not happen again."

"I already said yes." Barty protested. "Jeez."

Malfoy ignored Barty's response as he continued speaking. "Especially in the current climate. We cannot allow the divisions being sown among our house to inhibit the order our families built. Order is needed in the wizarding world."

Regulus was not entirely sure what he was referring to. He did not wish to appear naïve in front of the older years, so he did not ask for clarification.

"What Flinn is attempting to do," Lestrange explained. He was watching Regulus carefully.

"Okay," Regulus replied.

Malfoy remained stiff. "Bellatrix says that you could use some mentors."

His face flushed. He was embarrassed at the notion of his cousin talking poorly about him to the older pureblood students. So much for not tarnishing their own blood - Regulus was sure Bellatrix was undermining his respect among her peers. She never had many kind things to say about him.

Regulus glanced over at Bellatrix with a dark expression. He maintained eye contact as he responded. His words came out sharply. "Perhaps my cousin should focus on finding guidance for herself first. She seems to be having a difficult time."

His response caught them all off guard. Lestrange made a soft gasp noise and Barty snickered in approval. One of the Carrows could not stop themselves from laughing aloud.

Bellatrix did not find it funny. Her sneer was gone as her eyes widened menacingly. She pushed herself forward to rise to her feet as she glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"What is the matter with you?" Lestrange was irritated as well.

Regulus did not think Bellatrix would attack him before the others. He may pay for the quip at a later date, but it seemed necessary to salvage his reputation. She was clearly criticizing him to the others. She had them convinced he was weak and misguided, so he needed to do something to correct it. It was a calculated risk.

But it was still intimidating to have his fierce cousin glowering down at him. In two steps she could have him in her grasp.

"Okay." Malfoy intervened. He leaned across to shove Bellatrix back toward her seat. "Tone down the arrogance now. You went too far."

"I disagree," Barty added his input.

Regulus thought the same, but he wasn't going to say so to Malfoy. Poking at Bellatrix was one thing. Malfoy was at the top of the food chain.

Bellatrix’s eyes were still on him, venom leaking from her gaze. "Don't make me put you back in your place." She threatened.

Regulus swallowed. "It was merely a jest."

"Bellatrix." Malfoy's tone was cold.

Bellatrix sat down slowly. She cast across a scathing glare that made him think she would definitely not let that one slide once Malfoy was not there to contain her.

Malfoy turned his sharp eyes on Regulus. "Do not disrespect your cousin. A slight to her in this circumstance is a slight to us all. Do you understand why?"

Regulus kept silent.

"Do you believe in the sanctity of pureblood lines as the superior race of magical folk?"

Regulus stared. "Yes."

"Bellatrix has been mistreated for her loyalty to the same cause we all abide by, including yourself." Malfoy explained. "Any action taken against her has been against us all. And the last thing you are going to do is sit here and mock what she has endured on our behalf. There is a difference between behaving according to your station and disrespecting those who are suffering for your cause. You would do well to remember that."

Regulus felt his cheeks warm again. He did not want to meet the eyes of any of the older years. It was bad enough to be told off by the Head Boy, he hated having an audience to his humiliation.

"Okay." Regulus agreed.

Malfoy nodded. No one else spoke for a tense minute.

Lestrange broke the silence. "You cannot repeat anything that is discussed here. Nothing will leave this room, yes?"

Regulus hardly needed to be reminded of that. He was not to repeat anything to anyone ever. It had been a lifelong lesson he learned well. "I am not going to repeat anything."

Barty whispered across the lounge. "He is going to tell us his dirty little secret."

"Be quiet, Barty." Lestrange's face flashed with anger.

Malfoy ignored Barty and Lestrange. He peered over at Regulus again. "I had hoped to discuss your brother."

Regulus should have known that was why they called him over. He was terrified to find out where this conversation was going.

The Head Boy was watching him with a scrutinizing gaze. Regulus tried to keep his feelings from entering his expression. He maintained eye contact and kept his face blank as he waited for them to continue.

"He does not respect the sacredness of pureblood lines and traditions," Malfoy stated plainly. "You know this."

Regulus did know that. Sirius only shouted it from the rooftop and grew vicious anytime Regulus would dare to disagree.

"What do you think of his beliefs?" Malfoy asked.

All eyes were on him as the room fell into a tense silence. All were waiting for his response.

"I do not approve of his beliefs." Regulus answered.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Bellatrix snarled. "You do not approve? Grow a spine already."

Malfoy lifted a hand in her direction. He continued speaking to Regulus as Bellatrix reluctantly paused. "Do not give me niceties as a response, Black. Answer the question."

The room was suffocating as they all peered over at him again. Barty was tapping his foot impatiently, which only made the room more tense. Regulus could feel himself sweating.

"I think they are shameful." Regulus' voice was clear. "His beliefs go against our family."

There were a few light murmurs in response. Lestrange shifted on the couch as he leaned forward and squinted his eyes. "And Sirius is currently the heir to the dominant Black Family line. Does that concern you?"

Regulus answered honestly. "Of course. He does not take his duties seriously."

"You don't say." Bellatrix offered a snide remark.

The room fell silent again. They all seemed to be waiting once more. Regulus assumed that meant Malfoy was going to speak to him again. The older years seemed very aware of who was the higher-ranking members even within their friend groups and never intervened when he was leading a conversation.

Regulus could not imagine having that dynamic within his own friend group. It seemed to become more affluent the older students became. Perhaps someday they’d speak in a certain order as well. Technically, he realized with a start, his family name should place him on top. That was a chilling thought.

After a solid minute of tense waiting, Malfoy spoke once more. "It is a difficult thing to be in your position, but there may come a day when you will need to step up if your brother chooses to abandon your family. You should be preparing yourself for that being a possibility."

Regulus did not respond. His mind kept replaying what his mother told him after Christmas break. And what Sirius himself said over the break.

"You're not intending to let your family down, are you, Regulus?" Bellatrix had her chin pointed upward, as she watched him from beneath her eyelashes. "Our family deserves to be led by someone who respects our traditions and purpose."

Regulus inhaled and exhaled slowly. It was not a possibility that he had not heard of before. But it was challenging to process a bunch of older pureblood students from formidable families telling him he may need to replace his brother. He did not know how to react.

Lestrange sighed. "We are overwhelming him."

"That is of no consequence." Bellatrix hissed, tightening her jaw. "He needs to understand what he needs to do. No one made it easy on me when my sister abandoned us. I was hardly older than he is now."

"And what is that?" Regulus asked her. "That I need to do."

She turned to peer back at him in surprise, but she answered the question. "You need to stand by your purpose, even in the light of a few members of your family betraying you. Our loyalty to our family is more to the purpose that drives us, not the individuals. Sirius doesn't care about either. He will abandon you and our purpose just the same. You need to be prepared to rid yourself of him."

It was only the two of them in the room all of a sudden. Regulus stared at her stubbornly.

"Sirius will not abandon our family." He insisted.

Bellatrix cast him an odd expression he had not seen on her face often. She almost seemed to be pitying him for a moment. The harshness in her tone loosened. "One would hope not. But it is a likely possibility you need to prepare yourself for."

Regulus dropped her gaze. He stared at the tabletop. "Okay."

"You will better understand someday." Lestrange told him.

"You will not need to do it alone." Malfoy was glancing at the wall clock as he spoke. "Your mother is a formidable force and is devoted to our cause. I have no doubt she will handle this situation with expertise."

Regulus nodded meekly.

"You respect your mother." Lestrange commented, as if it were a question. A stupid question.

Regulus furrowed his eyebrows. "Obviously."

"Kiss up." Barty snickered.

Parkinson smiled over at him. "Good answer."

Bellatrix laughed. "You should. Whatever Walburga's issues with me, she is the one ensuring this family remains untainted. She knows how to do what is necessary. She is not weak, and she has no patience for others' weaknesses." Bellatrix sneered as she sent a jab at him once more. "I imagine she does not appreciate your softness much."

Regulus cast her a dirty look. "I will not justify that with a response." He responded, with acid in his tone.

Bellatrix chuckled. Her eyes flashed with a taunting gleam. It was hard to guess whether she found his response funny or she was growing angry. It was not always clear.

Malfoy cleared his throat. "Bellatrix tells me your mother favoured Sirius in early years but has grown to see potential in you instead in recent years. Would you say that is accurate?"

Regulus hesitated. "It is not appropriate for me to divulge private family matters."

Lestrange, Parkinson, and the Carrows all cracked up at his response, but Bellatrix nodded with an expression of smug approval. "That is correct." Bellatrix smiled. "Good little cousin."

Malfoy nodded in agreement. He appeared to be slightly amused as well. A light sneer had disturbed his cold demeanour. "It is wise for you to be skeptical about who you trust with family business, but you are among a safe crowd of allies. We all come from powerful families and benefit from collectively remaining powerful. Our interests are aligned with yours, we do not want to see your family line be harmed. It leaves all of our families more vulnerable."

Lestrange backed him up. "You can trust us."

"Other than me," Barty whispered across the room.

Regulus had almost forgotten that Barty was still there. The bloke had laid down across the tabletop and was staring at the ceiling with a bored expression.

Lestrange's attention was drawn over as well. "You are on my nerves, Barty."

Barty rolled over to face him. "You should spice up the conversation a bit. I am bored."

"You can leave." Lestrange's tone was harsh.

"No way." Barty's smirk returned to his face. "I am not leaving the secret meetings once I finally got to be included in them."

The other boy’s teeth were clenched, "Then shut your mouth."

Barty muttered, "Sounds even more boring."

"Barty," Malfoy warned, casting over a hard look. He held still with his eyes trained on the lad until he gave in.

Barty held his arms up in surrender. "I will be quiet."

"That would be the day," Bellatrix muttered to Lestrange, whose face broke into a grin as he gazed back at her. She didn’t seem annoyed by Barty’s antics the way her husband-to-be did though. She seemed mostly amused by the quips.

Malfoy turned his chin to face Regulus again. He returned to their previous conversation. "Does Walburga favour you over your brother in recent years?"

"Yes."

"Good." Malfoy nodded. "And Orion?"

Regulus' eyes zoned out for a moment. His mouth tasted funny, and he wondered if he was going to be sick. He could not talk about his father with strangers. He did not want to admit how little his father cared for him to anyone.

"I should not talk about this." Regulus replied, his voice hollow.

Bellatrix's eyes were viciously drilling into him. "Get a hold of yourself already. I am your family! And I care about our family as much as any of you. I am trying to help you, but I cannot assist if you will not tell us anything."

Regulus frowned back at her.

Lestrange interrupted before he could defend himself. "You are pushing too hard, Bellatrix."

"I am not." She hissed. "He needs to toughen up. He was ignored for years within the family when all the focus was on Sirius as the heir, and now he cannot even speak for himself."

"I can speak perfectly-" Regulus tried to respond.

Bellatrix cut him off. "You have responsibilities to this family, Regulus. You cannot let your weakness stand in the way."

"I am not weak!'

"That is news to me." Bellatrix shot back.

Anger was sizzling through his veins. His words came out as angry hisses, "Be quiet, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix's lips rolled up in her fury. "You do not tell me what to do, little boy."

"And you do not tell me what to do!" Regulus snapped back at her. "I am higher ranking than you. Perhaps if you shut your mouth, I could finally answer without being interrupted."

Bellatrix closed her mouth. Her eyebrows arched up high beneath her bangs, but she did not speak again. Barty was laughing softly in the background. Everyone else held still.

Malfoy was sneering. "Answer the question." He encouraged him, "No one will interrupt."

Regulus took a deep breath. "My mother speaks with me more frequently in recent years, but my father does not speak with me. He only speaks with my brother."

Malfoy's face was grave. "I see."

Bellatrix sighed. She fiddled with a piece of her hair roughly.

"That is a shame." Parkinson said kindly.

"That happens sometimes to those second in line." Lestrange offered a glum look. "Rabastan can attest to that."

"It does not make it much better that it is common to get the spare treatment," Malfoy said in a chilly voice. "It undermines the line of succession when your guardians fail to prepare you for the role if it falls to you."

Regulus pressed his lips together. He doubted that his father ever had any intention of seeing Regulus as heir.

"He has been a waste in recent years." Bellatrix sniffed haughtily.

Regulus' eyes widened as he realized she was speaking about his father. He had never heard anyone speak about his father in that manner before. While some seemed to notice his father's substance use, no one had ever dared to condemn him where Regulus could hear.

"Bellatrix." Lestrange inhaled sharply. "Not in front of the kid."

Bellatrix met his eyes with an icy gaze. "He knows what I mean."

A chill ran down his spine. Regulus was not sure if he ever was more in tune with his older cousin before. Whether that was a good or bad thing was hard to tell.

"That is enough." Malfoy decided. He turned to Regulus and Barty. "You two head back to your tower. You will not speak of this conversation to anyone or tell a soul you spoke to Bellatrix today. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Barty hopped off the table.

Regulus nodded numbly. He felt as though he was in a daze. Maybe he should tell Madam Pomfrey. She told him he had to tell her immediately if he felt irregular.

Malfoy spoke directly to Regulus. "We will speak soon."

"If we must." Regulus replied faintly.

The Head Boy waved them away. "Leave us."

Regulus walked down the sixth-year tower with Barty at his side. Barty did not speak until they were within their own staircase.

"My old man is crap too." Barty told him.

That did not surprise Regulus. He had seen the way Barty acted whenever his father was mentioned. "Oh yeah?"

"But he does talk to me!" Barty laughed. "Just wish he didn't."

Regulus paused before they reached the top of the staircase. He smirked at the other boy. "Is that why you are so insufferable?"

"Probably!" Barty agreed. "Also, you should know that I do not care what Malfoy says. I will be pushing you around all I want."

"I already knew you would say that." Regulus rolled his eyes. "You are so predictable."

Barty feigned shock. "Are you calling me boring?"

"Yes." Regulus replied flatly.

Barty made a noise in his throat, which made a psh sound, before he paused at the side of the stairwell, squatting down to retrieve a chalice he must have placed there earlier. "Are you thirsty?" He asked, a sinister sneer on his lips.

As if Regulus would ever be foolish enough to drink anything the boy offered him. Let alone after he saw him pick the cup up off the stairs. "No," Regulus replied shortly, in no mood to entertain the lad's pranks.

Barty shoved it in his face, "C'mon, just try it, would you? It's only water."

Regulus pushed the chalice away with one hand, annoyed. "Not a chance, Barty, do you take me for a fool? I know you must have done something vile to it."

"Nuh-uh," the boy clicked his tongue, flicking the rim of the cup with two fingers, "I'll prove it."

With that, Barty lifted the chalice to his lips, a smile on his bright face as he gulped down the clear liquid within it. Regulus paused his steps to watch, unimpressed by the boy's efforts. When Barty finished, he dropped the mug down again, giving Regulus an inquiring look.

"Still no," Regulus replied, shortly.

"You're the worst!" The lad scoffed, but he caved to Regulus' stubbornness, returning the chalice to where he had found it. "No fun at all, not one bit."

Regulus was not hurt by Barty's insults. His definition of fun vastly varied from the bloke's, he had found, so he put very little weight behind Barty's opinion of his ability to have a good time. Having fun with Barty would likely include a suspension or ending up in the hospital wing, he wagered. He would pass.

"Well?" Regulus wondered as the boy met him atop the staircase again, "What had you done to the water?"

Barty giggled, having no qualms with exposing his plot now that Regulus had not budged, "It is from the toilet!"

Regulus could barely restrain a gag, in disbelief that Barty had drank it anyway! The boy had the decorum and hygiene of a wild animal, truly. "That is disgusting," he huffed, "You wished for me to drink that!"

Barty nodded, unapologetic, "You would have been fine!"

Regulus inhaled sharply into his nostrils. He supposed he had a differing definition of fine to the nasty fellow as well.

"I've done worse to you." Barty reminded him, his tone chipper, almost gleeful.

"Oh, I remember!"

Barty leaned onto his shoulder, his foul-smelling breath invading Regulus' personal space. "It is out of love!"

"I doubt it," Regulus muttered, petulantly. But the words gave him a pause anyway. "Barty?"

"Yuh?" The boy turned to face him.

Regulus swallowed heavily, but he forced the words out. As much as he hated to give the irritating boy a kind word, he felt like he ought to express how he felt. "I am happy that we are friends now." He admitted.

He expected that Barty would gloat about the success of wearing him down through relentless teasing until he appreciated the change of heart, but Barty only tilted his head, a look of confusion on his features. "When were we not mates?"

"Huh?" Regulus blinked a few times, thrown off. "In first year we were hardly friends."

Barty dropped his arm off Regulus' shoulder, his expression bewildered. "I didn't know that."

"You did not know what?" Regulus wondered.

"That we weren't mates." Barty explained, looking oddly unsure of himself for a beat. "I reckoned we were always friends."

The staircase was quiet for a pause as Regulus struggled to register that. "But you were so unkind toward me."

Barty gave him an exasperated look, "So what?" He asked, gruffly.

Regulus stilled, "You were under the impression that we were friends even while you were picking on me?" He asked, baffled.

Barty had a flicker of confusion in his eyes again, as if he had never been challenged before in his life. As if this was the first time someone told him he shouldn't be cruel to his friends. "Yeah?" He replied, with a chuckle, "You didn't think so?"

"No!" Regulus scoffed, "You were a prat toward me for the entire year."

Barty rolled his eyes back dramatically, "Can I not tease you and be your friend at the same time?"

Regulus seethed, knowing that he was getting nowhere with the boy. "Perhaps you should try to be kinder to your mates." He suggested, hotly.

Barty wrinkled up his nose, looking far younger than his years for a moment. "Actually?" He questioned, "Who told you that?"

Regulus did not have a response. He supposed he was as inexperienced as Barty was when it came to making friends with youth his age. Both had been very isolated in their childhood, as far as he knew.

It occurred to Regulus that perhaps Barty had always deemed them to be friends. The bloke seemed to have had few interactions with kids before his time at Hogwarts, so perhaps he was simply stunted, in a similar way to how Regulus had been coming into his first year. Perhaps neither of them had truly known how to make friends and had been doing their best. It almost made him willing to forgive all the grief Barty had given him since they first met.

Regulus turned away from the boy, wondering if he ought to feel relieved that Barty had considered them friends all along. Perhaps it would have hurt his feelings less when he was the brunt of the bloke's pranks if he had known.

"Are you being serious?" Barty asked, surprising him, "Were you actually upset that I messed with you?"

Regulus stared at him, wondering if the lad would only mock him if he was honest. But Barty's expression did not convey that he was teasing. He almost seemed a bit remorseful, as if it was finally occurring to him that he had been upsetting Regulus with his so-called teasing.

"Yeah," he admitted, "I felt really unwelcome in our group because of you last year."

Barty didn't respond right away, his top lip lightly curling up as he pondered that confession. Regulus braced himself for a nasty response that never came. "Well, shit, alright." Barty gave in, not meeting his eye, "I wasn't aiming to make you feel lousy. Ya know, I didn't have friends before Hogwarts, so I didn't know how to make them. Sorry if I was mean to you and hurt your itty-bitty feelings."

Regulus could not put into words how much he appreciated the apology, even if it was given in a highly condescending manner. He could hardly expect anything else from Barty. Condescending or not, it was easily the kindest moment he had ever shared with the boy.

"Thank you," Regulus replied, smiling softly.

"Aw, shut up." Barty grumbled, "Corny arse." He stalked off toward the staircase, musing as he went, "But you know, I haven't really changed in the way I tease you since first year, so I dunno why you think we became friends later on. I still mess with you all the time."

Regulus shrugged as he followed after the boy, "It does not come across as malicious anymore."

Barty paused to sneer back at him, "Nah, it's the same. I liked you last year too. You changed over time, not me, dumbass. You don't get so sensitive over every little thing anymore."

Barty disappeared into the lounge before Regulus could fully process that comment.

He followed the boy silently after a moment of hesitation, his head storming with the day's conversations.

Regulus did not see Bellatrix in the common room again for some time. But when they did cross paths in the hallway afterward, Bellatrix would nod at him in acknowledgment. It was something she had never done in his direction before. Regulus sensed that something had shifted in his relationship with his older cousin. It almost seemed as though she was finally seeing him as a member of her family.

It gave him a sense of pride.

Chapter Text

May, 1974

"And you have not felt any symptoms recently?" Madam Pomfrey peered over her clipboard at him suspiciously. "Sleep disruptions? Low or high energy? The pace of your words increasing? Reckless behaviour? Low motivation? Irregular mood swings? Bursts of anger?"

Regulus shrugged meekly. "Nothing."

He loathed having to regularly visit the Matron. She was very kind and helpful, but she had treated him as a bit of a lab rat. She told him she had never used preventative treatment for students' conditions before and wanted to regularly assess him to see how he was doing.

Regulus had tried to keep his weekly visits to the hospital wing a secret from the others. While no one from his tower had treated him differently after his episode, he had no interest in reminding them something was wrong with him. But his efforts to keep them secret had been a waste. Narcissa, Rosier, and Fawley would often visit the hospital wing with him for his sessions.

Narcissa and Rosier were all up in his business around his health lately. Narcissa was to be expected, but Rosier was typically more laid back. Surprisingly, the boy was just as invasive when it came to his episodes, which was worse, as there was no escaping him. Not only would Rosier tell the nurse if he forgot to mention any details, but the bloke was all over him in their tower as well. Rosier was constantly giving him advice and reminding him to drink his draughts. Recently, he had discovered that Rosier had even been keeping track of how much he slept each night. The boy refused to be apologetic about it and continued doing so openly after he found out.

Regulus knew they were only trying to keep him safe after he had properly spooked them with the roof fiasco, but all of their care was a bit tiring at times.

That day, it had been Fawley who went with him to the hospital wing. She was wandering up and down the aisle as Pomfrey went through her checklist. Unlike Rosier and Narcissa, she granted him the space to speak to the nurse with some privacy.

"I hope you are being honest with me." Pomfrey told him sternly. "Avoiding a health condition will not make it disappear."

"I am being honest." Regulus insisted, his cheeks warming. "I have not felt odd in months."

"Have you been taking the draughts regularly?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well." She smiled kindly. "I would like to organize a way to maintain the treatment over your summer break. I am using treatments that are rarely used by other healers, so I think it would be best to continue what we have started here if it has been working for you. I would not want to risk disturbing the treatment for two months. Is that something you’d want?"

Regulus shuffled nervously. His mother certainly would not permit him to get any special treatment from their healer. She had seemed very irritated by the mere fact that he had an episode. It was likely that she would act as though it had never happened when he returned home, and he would not be able to get calming or mood-stabilizing draughts made. As that would be accepting that something was wrong with him, which was a fact that his mother seemed keen to ignore.

"If you could prepare a way for me to receive your treatment, that would be best." Regulus answered. "Thank you."

"Never you worry, dear." The nurse patted his arm. "It is my pleasure. You just focus on your examinations and have a good rest of the semester! I will sort it out."

When he was dismissed from her care, he roamed around until he located Fawley. She was grinning as she walked in his direction, holding both hands behind her back.

"Guess who I saw!" Fawley chuckled.

Regulus made a face. "Here?"

"Your brother." She answered without waiting for him to guess. "Or at least, I think it was your brother. I have only met him a few times. We couldn't talk at the New Year’s event when he was silenced and all."

Regulus did not want to be reminded about their horrendous Winter Break. That was a memory he would rather forget. "Why is he at the hospital wing?" He wondered.

"He is not ill!" Fawley replied swiftly, her eyes widening. "He was just visiting some Gryffindor bloke with all these scars."

Regulus grimaced. "We should leave. I do not wish to run into my brother."

Fawley seemed surprised, but she did not ask questions. They exited the hospital wing.

Regulus spent the evening developing exam notes for history in the second-year lounge. There still were a few weeks before examinations were underway, but Regulus intended to be prepared. He could not let his mother down again. She already seemed to be unhappy with him ever since his episode. He went from receiving posts from her several times a week to her only writing once or twice a month. Even though she did not directly say it, Regulus knew that he had let her down.

Better grades were needed if he hoped to stand a chance at pleasing her that summer break.

Barty and Rosier entered the lounge shortly before curfew. Regulus did not know where they had spent the evening. Nor did he care much. They were always up to some mischief.

Rosier waved at Regulus and Fawley as he walked by to head up the boys' tower, but Barty did not follow him. Barty approached the table and leaned in close enough that his face was centimetres from Regulus' face.

Barty exhaled a breath of air out of his mouth onto Regulus' cheek before grinning maniacally. "Come with me, Reggie."

"No." Regulus replied, coldly.

"Don't be a killjoy." Barty snickered. "I thought you enjoyed spying with me."

That caught his interest. Regulus peered up from his history notes. "Spying on who?"

"You'll find out, won't you?" Barty sneered as he moved toward the door. "Move your lazy arse."

Regulus set his homework down reluctantly.

Fawley shook her head at him. She hummed. "You are going to fall for that?"

"I am curious!"

Regulus could not help it that he was nosy, and Barty was taking advantage of his weakness. He did enjoy snooping into the older years' conversations with Barty from time to time.

Barty held a finger over his lips as they walked down the stairs. They both paused at the bottom step against the wall. After a moment, Barty peered around the wall with one eye. Regulus leaned over him to do the same.

The common room was nearly empty, despite it not even being curfew yet. Regulus could only make out three figures on one end. Their silhouettes were clear against the backdrop of the flickering flames.

Bellatrix was standing on one end with crossed arms, frowning over at Malfoy and Vanity across from her. As they watched, Bellatrix began to move toward the entrance.

"That is it?" Malfoy called after her.

His face was dark and creased in irritation. Vanity beside him was in a similar state. Her lips were drawn viciously as she watched Bellatrix go. Both seemed aggravated.

"There are no alternatives anymore." Bellatrix hissed in return. "You could hardly do anything this year, and you will not be here next year. It is for the best."

"For whom?" Malfoy's top lip curled with frustration. "You are entitled to your place here."

Bellatrix turned back and held her arms straight before her, her palms in his direction. "I have gained nothing from returning. My final year of education is of little importance after we graduate. My energy is better used elsewhere."

Regulus suspected she was referring to the Death Eaters she intended to join. That was what Narcissa believed her sister was up to lately. It would explain her insistence that she had more important goals beyond education if that was her plan.

Malfoy huffed out slowly. "I am not urging you to stay for the sake of demonstrating that you won the court case. I resent that he has the power to taint your magical education. You ought to be where you belong, Bellatrix."

"He already has tainted it." Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "I will hardly look back at these years and recall anything else. It is merely a year. We will achieve greater goals outside these walls."

Malfoy pursed his lips.

"I am out of time." Bellatrix informed them before exiting the common room.

The other two did not move for a few minutes after she left. The common room was quiet.

Vanity peered over at Malfoy. "What is it you'd have me do?"

"Nothing." He sighed. "She has made her choice. It is a lost cause. You need to focus on preserving what has endured in the past years. Inevitably, we will not be able to protect all."

Vanity nodded shortly.

Malfoy walked over to the couch, waving back at her with one hand. Vanity seemed to recognize that as a dismissal and disappeared up the sixth-year tower staircase.

Regulus backed around the corner when Vanity approached her doorway along the same wall. He did not want to be spotted. Barty held in place, the boy smiling smugly with narrowed eyes as he hung his head around the bend.

Regulus had been correct to worry though.

"Barty." Malfoy huffed, his tone irritated.

Barty did not show much remorse for being caught spying. He snickered as he leaned further out of the entrance and lifted his eyebrows over at the Head Boy. "You rang?"

Malfoy must have motioned him over, as Barty exited the staircase and walked out of sight without glancing back.

Regulus wondered if he ought to sneak upstairs then. It seemed unwise to continue spying when Malfoy had already noticed Barty, and the odd dynamic Barty and Malfoy had felt unkind to spy in on. Barty admired plenty of the older years, including Bellatrix, who also seemed fond of him, but his admiration of Malfoy was different. It nearly came across as worshipping.

His curiosity won out. After a quiet pause, Regulus peered around the corner again.

Malfoy had taken a seat on the couch facing the fireplace. His back was to Regulus. Barty had climbed onto the couch beside him, sitting on his knees and facing Malfoy's direction. His eyes were glowing up at the older boy.

"You are going to do something for me." Malfoy told the boy with a sharp tone. "There remains five years till you graduate, and chances are, Professor Flinn is not going anywhere."

Barty leaned his head back. He scoffed with a bright smile on his face.

"Look at me," Malfoy ordered.

Barty obeyed, but a small smirk remained.

The older boy went on, his tone commanding, "I spent years advising Bellatrix to not allow him to get to her. It was too late by the time we realized that was poor advice. He will never leave you alone if you keep fighting him. Your personality is far too similar to Bellatrix's – it is known that he resents students who bounce back easily and aren't noticeably suffering. So, you are going to stop resisting. Keep your mouth closed, quit mouthing off or smirking at him when you're in trouble. Stay off his radar."

"I am not afraid of Flinn." Barty protested.

"Barty." Malfoy snapped. "You are being foolish. It does not matter how tough you believe you are. Bellatrix is the strongest person I know, and he has defeated her. She is not returning to Hogwarts next year, and she is hardly herself any longer. I am not messing around. You are bound to meet the same fate if you do not make wiser decisions."

Barty exhaled loudly. "I do-"

"Do not speak." Malfoy cut him off. "You need to focus on your studies and keep your head down here. Once you reach adulthood in one piece, then we will be able to do more for you. I am powerless to protect you here."

Regulus ran his fingers up the wall as the conversation faltered off for a moment. Bellatrix was not returning to Hogwarts. Both Malfoy and Bellatrix would be gone next year, along with plenty of the other influential seventh years. The future of Slytherin felt less and less secure.

"Promise me." Malfoy continued across the room. "You will not make the same errors Bellatrix and I made. This is not a battle you can win, any more than the one you face at home."

Barty was uncharacteristically solemn. "I will try."

Malfoy nodded and turned to face the flames once more. "You know how to contact me, if need be, but do try not to embark on anything excessively stupid here or at home, would you?"

Barty groaned dramatically. "Am I allowed to ever do anything fun?" he whined.

"Not until you are an adult."

"Completely naff," Barty complained. "You are the worst dictator on the planet."

The Head Boy was facing the opposite direction, but Regulus could see his cheeks lift as he smirked. He angled his chin downward toward the second year. "Once you are seventeen, I will offer any support you need to get on your feet if you still want to get away from him. Until then, try using your oversized brain for once. Yeah?"

Regulus slipped behind the wall once more as Barty laughed. It was time to go. He did not want Barty to know how much he had overheard. The conversation was far more sensitive than Barty probably would have appreciated him hearing. Even if Barty had opened up somewhat about his situation at home, he clearly had spoken about it with Malfoy more extensively than he had with Regulus.

Regulus silently retreated back into the second-year tower.

****

June, 1974

"We will need to regularly practice over the break to keep in shape." Narcissa said thoughtfully. "We have a shot at the championship next year, while so many of our members are in their last year."

Regulus cringed. He did not want to speak about quidditch. He did not want to be reminded of the painful final quidditch game of the year.

He had let the snitch slip away from him, and even worse, he had let James Potter best him. They lost because he couldn't keep up with the Gryffindor pariah. The humiliation felt as though it would never end.

It only added to his shame that he never should have been playing to begin with. Flinn had told Vanity that Lestrange was allowed to play in the finals. The sixth-year seeker had been benched all year since he and Bellatrix tried to leave a poisonous potion in the professor's office, and Regulus did not doubt that Vanity would want their best for finals. It had been a surprise to everyone that Vanity stuck her neck out for Regulus.

Vanity had collected them together at the final practice before the game to announce her decision. She kept her stiff gaze on Lestrange as she spoke "Black will play in the playoffs."

"Oh, come on." Lestrange huffed.

Vanity did not budge. "He has filled in all year after you screwed us all over by getting yourself suspended. I will not tell him to step aside the day before the playoffs, just so you can take the spotlight back now. You can play next year."

Lestrange's face flashed dangerously. His eyes met Regulus' for a brief moment before he peered back at the captain. "I have attended every single practice and every single game. I was ready to play every time, and I have not been allowed on the field since October."

"Spare me the sob story." Vanity snapped mercilessly. "You knew the consequences of your actions. My decision is final."

And so, Regulus played.

He wanted nothing more than to earn the loyalty Vanity had shown him, by choosing to allow him to play over their team seeker and one of her friends. And he did not want to leave his teammates with any reason to say that it should have been Lestrange playing.

But he blew it and let everyone down. He could barely bear to meet anyone on the team's eye ever since. It was hard to think about joining the team again the following year. He imagined he'd never be allowed to play over Lestrange again.

Narcissa seemed to sense where his mind was wandering. She changed the topic away from quidditch quickly. "Your grades were good this year." She commented, lightly.

"Not really." Regulus shrugged glumly. "My mother will be displeased with my transfiguration score."

"It is not bad at all." Narcissa argued. "And every other one is very high."

Regulus sighed. "It will not matter."

Narcissa frowned. She walked closer to Regulus' side, as he finished up packing his trunk. They would soon be heading onto the Hogwarts Express for their trip back to London.

"Are you looking forward to your electives next year?" Narcissa changed the topic once more. "Which did you choose again?"

"Arithmancy and Ancient Runes." Regulus reminded her. "I suppose they will be alright."

Narcissa exhaled slowly. "What is on your mind, Regulus?"

"What do you mean?"

She cast him a tired look. "You are being very short with me and seem to be in a poor mood."

"Am not." Regulus felt himself flush with shame. He hesitated. "Well, maybe a bit."

Narcissa sat down on the edge of his bed. She tilted her head gently as she inspected him. "Tell me what is going on."

Regulus exhaled slowly. He did have a lot on his mind. If he did not speak on it with Narcissa then, he would have no one to vent to at home. Sirius was already half of the problem and certainly wasn't going to listen to a word if Regulus tried to open up to him. Anything he said to Sirius seemed to go in one ear and out the other. He was better off talking to the walls.

"Come here." Narcissa coaxed him over. "You have time to pack afterward. Talk to me."

Regulus dropped the lid of the trunk down slowly. He did have some time. He climbed onto the bed beside his cousin.

She smirked. "Now tell me what is bothering you, cranky."

"I am a bit nervous to go home." He admitted.

Narcissa did not reply. She waited for him to continue.

"My mother has barely contacted me at all since I went home in March. She used to write to me all the time before. She has been cold and distant in the last few months. I am afraid she is upset with me because of my episode."

Narcissa did not jump to disagree. Regulus knew she must have been thinking the same to some degree.

Regulus stared at his cousin as he spoke. "I let her down."

"Don't be silly." She released a heavy sigh. "You have no fault in what took place."

"But she is disappointed in me."

Narcissa nodded slowly. "Perhaps. But it is not justified for her to be disappointed. You have done nothing wrong. And quite frankly, it does not seem like a big deal."

"It does to my mother." Regulus blinked his eyes aggressively. "She wanted me to be perfect."

"That is an absurd expectation." His cousin insisted. "No one can be perfect."

"No." Regulus rubbed his eyes with the back of his fist. "But that is what she expected. And now I have to go home and watch my brother take up the role of heir, which he loathes and has done nothing to earn. And I am not saying I wished to replace him! I never wanted that, and I knew from birth that was his rightful place. Yet, my mother wanted me to be prepared to replace him if he failed. But now she sees me as a failure too."

He inhaled sharply. Once he had started being honest, the words had all flown out of him too quickly to filter them.

Narcissa did not judge him. "It is understandable that you'd resent Sirius for being given the role, even if you didn't want it. You wanted what it meant to your mum and your family."

Regulus nodded. He was relieved she put his thoughts into words. He didn’t know how to explain why he was angry knowing that Sirius would be pushed into his heir responsibilities then, even when Regulus did not want to replace him. He just wanted to please his mother.

"It's okay, Regulus." Narcissa reassured him, her tone sad.

"I do not think it is." He hugged his chest weakly. "If my mother was not intimidating enough to face, I also have to see Sirius all summer. And I have to live with the fact that he is probably going to abandon the family shortly anyway."

His cousin's face fell. "No, he won't."

"Yes, he will." Regulus insisted. "You do not know how bad he has been lately. He wants nothing to do with any of us."

"He will not leave you." Narcissa argued. "He cares for you."

"I am not enough reason to stay." Regulus blinked back tears. "He told me that. Over Winter Break, he said I am being selfish by expecting him to stay for my sake."

Narcissa shuffled on the bed. She took one of his hands and stroked her fingers along the back of his knuckles comfortingly. "I think when it comes down to it, neither of you realize how much power you hold over your brother. He will not leave you. I don't believe it for a second."

Regulus was growing frustrated. "Narcissa, even if he cares about me, it is not enough to keep him in the family! Andromeda loved you, and she left you behind anyway."

Narcissa froze. She did not drop his gaze, but her fingers pulled back from his hand. They sat side by side without a word for a few painful seconds. Regulus suddenly felt very cold.

"I am sorry." He backtracked quickly. "I am not trying to hurt you. It has just been a thought I keep having."

Narcissa stared down at her hands. "Okay."

Regulus felt bad. He could not bear it if Narcissa was upset with him too. "Narcissa, I am sorry." He apologized a second time.

"It is fine." She peered up at him. "Why don't you just try to talk with Sirius? This is a very different situation than the one between me and Andromeda. You two have been shadowing each other your entire life. I know he is constantly thinking about you. Don't give up on him, Regulus."

His eyes had pooled with tears. Every time he blinked a few would retreat down his cheeks. Regulus rubbed away at the tear lines viciously. He did not want to cry over his brother anymore.

"Just promise me you will try." Narcissa pleaded. "Please."

"Okay." He nodded, staring at the floor. "I will try to talk to Sirius."

Chapter Text

Lucius Malfoy
_

His father stepped back from the entranceway to the Black Manor after releasing the knocker. His gloved hands disappeared beneath his sleeves as he dropped his arms by his side. Lucius walked up beside him as they waited for a response.

The house elf answered the door, but Narcissa came over to greet them in the foyer. She was wearing a white blouse tucked into her trousers, and her hair was in a neatly braided plait down her back. A few small books were tucked in her elbow and pressed against her chest. While she still appeared as polished as ever, she was more comfortable and at ease in her house than she typically came across as at Hogwarts.

"Good day." Narcissa nodded her head politely as she paused at the entrance hall. "Are you here seeking my parents?"

"Good Afternoon, Narcissa." His father smiled at her, with a glimmer in his eyes. "We are dropping by without notice, I fear. Are they around?"

Narcissa nodded primly. "I will call them."

She exchanged a soft smile with Lucius before turning away. It was hard to resist returning the expression. He then had to ignore his father's amused eyes gazing over at him knowingly as they watched her exit the vicinity.

Once she was a safe distance away, and could no longer overhear their words, his father turned to Lucius. "Isn't she a dear? I stand by the decision we made, she is a perfect match."

Lucius exhaled softly. He did not want to return to the conversation of his betrothal. It had been nearly a year since his parents informed him of their intentions to betroth him to Narcissa Black, but the topic kept returning to the family discourse.

Lucius was not a rebellious son by any means. He knew his duties as heir from an early age and was proud to carry them out. He always understood the power he was born into and what responsibilities came with the heirship to the Malfoy family line. He rarely ever spoke against any orders he was given throughout his life. Whatever he was told to do, he had done it.

But he had argued over the betrothal.

Not that he disagreed with his parent's choice. In almost every respect, Narcissa Black was perfect. She was a formidable force at an early age, as a quick-witted pureblood girl with a powerful family name. She had a healthy balance of intelligence, ambition, and simplicity that most pureblood youth seemed to struggle with. And yet, there were two thorns in his side over the matter. One was quite blatantly obvious.

"She is a child." Lucius reminded his father.

The man tsked. "Hardly, and she will be an adult shortly. I know you were all uptight over her being underage, but a few years wait is worth it for a girl of that quality. Goodness knows we could not ask for a better match. She will make a fine wife."

Lucius did not respond. He did not want to return to the old argument. His father was correct that in a few short years, she would be an adult. But it was uncomfortable for them to have been matched so early. He felt the need to keep a respectful distance from his betrothed for years after the arrangement was finalized. That did not seem like the best way to start a marriage.

Lucius had the privilege of growing up with parents who adored one another and undertook their responsibilities as a unit. He had only wished to develop a relationship of equal balance and respect. He did not want an imbalance to begin his future union off on the wrong foot.

His father was chuckling, softly, to keep any household ears from listening in. "Can you imagine being cuffed up with the elder? That was a disaster waiting to happen."

Lucius' skin prickled at the mention of Bellatrix.

As far back as his memory went, the two of them had been close friends to the point they were nearly siblings. They had grown up side-by-side every step of the way. And therein lied his second issue with the betrothal - Bellatrix was unhappy with it.

Lucius knew Bellatrix quite well. Possibly better than anyone else. And he knew how Bellatrix viewed interpersonal relationships.

Bellatrix was possessive of every relationship in her life. She tended to develop two types of connections with others, either one-sided or two-sided. The majority of Bellatrix's relationships were one-sided. In her one-sided relationships, she demanded unshakable loyalty and admiration for her above all else, while caring very little for the other. But in her rare mutual relationships, she claimed ownership of individuals. They were not merely her friends or sisters, they were her belongings.

The issue with the betrothal was that, in her mind, Bellatrix owned both Narcissa and Lucius. She was flustered at the prospect of the two of them forming a union she was not included in. Her discomfort with the arrangement had been distressing for all three of them.

Lucius shook his head. "Father."

"I know she is your friend." His father replied as he rifled through his jacket for his pocket watch. "But we could not lower our bloodline to have that girl attached to our family. Proper pureblood girls should not be so ambitious and unruly."

Lucius peered up the staircase unhappily. "Could you please not speak of her in this manner within her house?"

"Yes." His father sighed, frowning at his son gruffly. "No sense of humour, huh? Always so serious. You are more like your mother every day."

His father didn't seem annoyed despite his tone. He rarely ever got annoyed with his son. Lucius' parents were rare among the sacred twenty-eight, as heads of pureblood houses who put effort into fostering a positive relationship with their son. Lucius had always been close with both of his parents.

The conversation did not go any further, as they were interrupted by the mistress of the manor walking down the curved staircase. She smiled as she reached the base of the railing.

"Abraxas." Druella Black called as she approached the guests. "And Lucius. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Lucius nodded his greeting.

"Ms. Black." His father gently lifted his hat. "Lucius and I were stopping by to see if Bellatrix was available to spend the day. Lucius is meeting with some business associates of mine, and wished for Bellatrix to come along."

That was only partially a lie. Lord Voldemort was a business associate of his father's. But they both knew Druella Black would not respond the same way to stating it was the Dark Lord they intended to meet face-to-face that day.

Once Lucius realized Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange had gone behind his back to attempt to join the death eaters, while keeping him out of the loop, he forced Bellatrix to tell him everything. They agreed he'd find a more suitable way for them to get involved if she allowed him to take the lead. Bellatrix had made enough mistakes that year. For someone as brilliant as he knew Bellatrix to be, she could be utterly reckless in how she handled sensitive matters. Between herself and Lestrange, there was not a single shred of common sense present, and Lucius wanted to ensure they approached the death eaters more wisely the next time.

Bellatrix knew where she was going, even if they did not reveal the full truth to her parents. She insisted upon keeping it quiet and pointed out that, as of last month, she was legally an adult and could do as she pleased. She left with them shortly, walking past her mother without saying goodbye as she left. Lucius knew her relationship with her parents had been challenging that year. He did not comment on it.

They went to collect Rodolphus Lestrange next. Similar to Bellatrix, he knew the plan, but they had no intention of giving the full truth to his folks. They were greeted by a young girl when they arrived at the Lestrange Manor. Lucius could not quite recall her name, but he knew she was a Lestrange who was sorted into Ravenclaw a few years back.

"What is her name?" Lucius asked Bellatrix once the girl went to beckon Rodolphus. "She is not the sister of Rodolphus and Rabastan, is she?"

Bellatrix would know more than him. She spent most of her time at the Lestrange Manor in recent years when she was not at Hogwarts.

"Allison Lestrange?" Bellatrix asked, her tone bored. "She is their cousin. She and her brother, Corvus, are orphans. Their aunt and uncle are raising them."

"Right."

He did remember hearing of that now. The younger brother had managed to be sorted in Slytherin the past year, leading to Lestrange becoming a very common name there.

Thinking about Slytherin gave him a pang. It was hard to accept he would not be returning to Hogwarts in September. For so long, his purpose had been intertwined with his leadership role in Slytherin. He knew the alliances he built within the establishment would carry well into his future, but it was a difficult thing to step back and no longer be able to help the future generations of pureblood students there. He had done all he could to set them up for success, but he would no longer be there to help achieve it. He did not want to consider what may happen in his absence.

But those responsibilities were behind him, and he needed to trust that those he mentored would carry on his work at Hogwarts. It was time for him to take over leading his family and become involved in his father's work. More specifically, his father decided it was high time Lucius got involved in the preservation of pureblood lines. Which was why they were meeting with the Dark Lord that day.

Once Lestrange joined them, they apparated over to the meeting point. None of the three were allowed to know exactly where they were going, so Lucius' father set up an unregistered portkey for the final leg of the journey. They transported their way into an unfamiliar building.

It was eerily quiet in the long corridors they found themselves in. The building felt uninhabited, with layers of cobwebs covering old portraits on the walls, and floorboards that creaked with every step they took. All windows were blackened. Despite the desolate surroundings, the presence of magic was apparent. Lucius could feel it the moment he stepped foot in that hallway. The space was alive with magical power, humming through the air as if the very building was breathing beneath them.

Even his father seemed entranced by their surroundings. His voice was calm and soft. "He is down the hall."

They all peered at the double doors he motioned them toward. There was a dim light escaping from beneath the doors into the corridor.

"The Dark Lord himself is here?" Bellatrix asked, her voice hushed.

"In the flesh." His father sneered. "All of you ought to watch your mouth in there. This is no schoolboy meeting. The Dark Lord is as vicious to those who displease him as he is generous to those who serve him dutifully."

Lestrange and Lucius somberly nodded in agreement. But Bellatrix kept her eyes trained on the door where the Dark Lord was waiting.

Lucius glanced over at Bellatrix. Her eyes were wide with exhilaration. It was good to see her excited about something again after she had such a rough year.

Even pushing her back toward Lestrange had been purely for the sake of seeing her content once more. Lucius hardly would have done it for Lestrange, as he never thought the boy was good enough for Bellatrix. He had always known Lestrange would never live up to the shadow Bellatrix cast, but the events of the past year made him think the coward wouldn't even look out for her. And yet, she seemed happiest when all was well between them, so he had pushed them to make up after their rift.

As soon as he had struck the deal with Flinn to have Bellatrix be allowed to spend a few hours with them, he had led her directly to her scorned lover on their way to the Slytherin common room. Lestrange had stared at her as though she'd bite his head off, but she gave in easily. She probably was too exhausted to do much else that day. She slid into his embrace and rested her head against his chest as soon as they reunited. The fool spent the rest of the evening hanging onto every word she uttered.

There was little Lucius wouldn't do for his family. And Bellatrix was family long before he was betrothed to her sister.

"Follow my lead." His father told them sternly, as he walked toward the door slowly.

Lucius, Bellatrix and Lestrange followed after him without a word. None had seen the Dark Lord before and had little understanding of what was expected of them. But all had a choice in coming that day. All wished to be there.

When they were called inside the room, the double doors slowly opened the receive them. Lucius followed his father to the end of a long wooden table as he peered around the room they had walked into.

Several ominous figures were standing around the room near the far walls and windows. Only one was seated at the table they approached. A man sat at the head of the table. Lucius knew it was Lord Voldemort from the pictures he had seen of the Dark Lord. His facial features were unmistakable.

The figures around the outskirts of the room watched them with dark expressions as they wandered in. Many had suspicious looks on their faces and glared over between narrowed eyes. Lucius assumed they were some of the close followers of the Dark Lord, better known as the death eaters, but it was hard to place any of them under the dimmed light. Plus, he could hardly tear his eyes away from the Dark Lord himself, seated only a few meters from where he stood.

"Lord Voldemort." His father bowed his head down deeply. He paused for a moment before straightening up again. "I had hoped to introduce you to my son and heir, Lucius Malfoy. He is a fresh graduate from Hogwarts, and was the Head Boy of Slytherin this past year."

The Dark Lord took a long sip from his glass before peering over at Lucius. His face was hard to read behind the narrowed eyes and slits for a nose. Even his lips were hard to make out.

Voldemort offered a short remark in Lucius' direction. "I have heard you have done good work at Hogwarts."

Lucius was careful to not visibly react, but he flushed with pleasure when he heard that positive news of his deeds at Hogwarts reached the Dark Lord.

His father cast him a proud smirk and offered a reassuring nod. He continued introducing the other two.

"I would also introduce a few of my son's schoolmates, both representing powerful families and sharing an interest in supporting your cause. This is Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Black."

"My lord." One of the death eaters behind the Dark Lord leaned forward. "These two here were the participants who fumbled the task at Hogwarts after they expressed their desire to join the death eaters."

That seemed to catch Lord Voldemort's attention. He stood up straighter and inspected the other two with more interest than he had before.

"The task you two were assigned was selected by myself." The Dark Lord's eyes gleamed. "I have much interest invested in Hogwarts, it is an institution I think highly of. It was disappointing to hear of your failure to seize the opportunity you were granted."

Lestrange peered back sheepishly but Bellatrix was unfazed by his disapproval. She held herself upright with her nose in the air, even while under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Why did you fail your assignment?" Voldemort asked, his eyes resting primarily on Bellatrix.

"We made a few missteps." Bellatrix told him firmly. "Give us another test, and we will prove our worth."

Lord Voldemort eyed her over with a sneer curling up his lips. The expression looked odd on his atypically shaped face and stretched skin. His snake-like eyes inspected Bellatrix with care.

Bellatrix stared back fearlessly, with eyes radiating a passionate glow.

"You failed," Voldemort repeated in his cold voice. "Yet you proved your loyalty by trying. But I expect greatness from my followers, not only loyalty. I expect them to be as dedicated as I am to the work we do and the future we intend to mold."

"We will be." Bellatrix promised.

Voldemort's eyes carefully assessed her. He seemed to be sizing Bellatrix up, and he didn't seem disappointed by what he saw.

"Who among you is returning to Hogwarts next year?"

Lucius peered over at Lestrange. Neither of the other two could speak on that topic.

"I am returning to Hogwarts." Lestrange replied. "Malfoy has graduated, and Bellatrix is completing her final year at Beauxbatons Academy Of Magic in France."

A flash of emotion blurred the Dark Lord's strained features at his response. Lucius got the sense that Voldemort was displeased.

"Why would you not finish your education at Hogwarts?"

Bellatrix finally seemed a bit less sure of herself for the first time in the conversation. She blinked a few times before she explained. "The head professor of Slytherin was determined to rid the institution of me."

"The same professor you were told to handle?"

"Yes." Bellatrix replied with a sharp tone. "He did not take too kindly to my attempt."

The Dark Lord peered at Lestrange. "And you?"

Lestrange swayed from foot to foot. "He has not directed as much of his displeasure in my direction. But he is aware of the role I played."

"If you have been allowed to remain at Hogwarts, why have you not attempted to complete your task after you failed the first time?"

"Well," Lestrange lifted and dropped his shoulders. "Malfoy did not allow us to continue."

Lucius' head jerked up. He whirled to stare at Lestrange. He was in shock at the words he was hearing.

Every time Rodolphus Lestrange opened his mouth, Lucius somehow had a lower opinion of him afterward. If the Dark Lord was not seated meters away from them, Lucius would have beaten him to a pulp. He was sick and tired of Lestrange's cowardly, borderline-traitorous ways. He would not do anything that resembled losing his cool before the Dark Lord and his followers, but once they were outside of that room, he intended to rough Lestrange up a bit. He would gladly do so before his father and Bellatrix, it was unlikely either would interfere.

But he held his tongue for the sake of the Dark Lord eyeing him carefully on the other end of the intrinsically designed wooden table.

Lestrange noticed Lucius' reaction. He lifted his eyebrows. "That is the truth. You were angered by the incident and refused to allow me to do anything else."

Lucius could not believe Lestrange was tattling on him to Lord Voldemort.

The Dark Lord was inspecting him with narrowed eyes. "Why did you take issue with the task we doled out to these two?"

"I did not take any issue with the act you expected of them. I recognize the gravity of the problem facing Hogwarts more than most." Lucius paused to glare over at Lestrange venomously. "What I took issue with was how incompetent you were in carrying out the task. It is no surprise that it was caught given how poorly it was handled."

Lestrange held his gaze, but Lucius could see the flash of doubt flickering in his eyes. His face had paled and he shuffled nervously. Lucius was happy that Lestrange seemed to know how much he was going to pay for that comment.

The Dark Lord accepted the answer. Lucius was not sure, but the way his eyes creased almost made it seem as though the Dark Lord was amused by the bickering.

"The two of you," Voldemort motioned at Lucius and Lestrange, "are heirs to influential pureblood families. I will accept your pledges of loyalty, and give you another opportunity to prove yourself. I have high standards on how you must prove your loyalty to my cause, and I expect you and your families to live up to that."

Lucius maintained his gaze. "Whatever you deem necessary, it will be done."

The Dark Lord then turned to Bellatrix. He clasped his hands together and tapped the nails against one another as his head tilted slowly.

"Your family, on the other hand, has alluded me. The infamous Black Family... so lacklustre in the support they have offered to our cause."

Bellatrix coloured, but she replied earnestly. "You have our full support, my lord."

"Is that so?" The Dark Lord's snake eyes were slanted into thin slits. "Then why do they shy away from supporting me beyond cowardly anonymous donations? Why are you the first member of the Black Family I have ever met?"

"My uncle and aunt keep to themselves and the upcoming heir to our line is still young," Bellatrix explained coolly. "That is the only reason why they have not made an appearance before. I assure you, we are devoted to your cause. You will have the unwavering support of House Black behind you."

The Dark Lord toyed with his glass carefully between his pale fingers before he spoke in her direction once more.

"I expect this heir to pledge their loyalty to my cause shortly, in far more ways than simply sending me a few quiet galleons a month. Anyone who sits on the fence in this war is an enemy of mine."

"Agreed." Bellatrix did not hesitate. "He will pledge his loyalty to you."

Lucius wondered what Bellatrix was planning on doing to ensure what she was saying was true. They had spoken about Sirius Black when she returned to Hogwarts and what her intentions were after the boy had turned on her. Bellatrix had clarified her intentions to encourage her family to disown her cousin, and instead groom the younger brother, Regulus Black, to be heir. Lucius had agreed he seemed better suited, but as things stood, Sirius Black was still the first in line to the Black Family Dynasty. And yet, past experiences taught him to never underestimate Bellatrix when she set her mind to something. If Bellatrix said it would be done, he trusted she would get it done.

Voldemort's face smoothed out and he nodded slowly at Bellatrix. "I will task you with bringing the Black Family into the loop. I will not take kindly to any failures to deliver."

She held her chin up rigidly. "Yes, my lord."

With that, Voldemort dismissed the three of them with the promise of the death eaters being in contact with them shortly, to inform them of their tasks and ensure all three fulfilled their promises.

****

Dorcas Meadowes
_

Whether or not Professor Flinn had been the one to first label her as a representative for the halfbloods, it seemed to stick. The halfblood students in Slytherin had started to come to her on their own with whatever grievances they had.

From her first year at Hogwarts, the students in her tower brought their problems to her. Eris had gladly accepted her protection from the beginning as their sole muggleborn member. Gradually, the other halfbloods, Ellie Smith and Mark Reuben, began seeking out her help as well. By her second year, the halfblood students the year up and the year down had reached out to her at times. By third year, her table in the common room was frequently visited by four years-worth of halfblood students.

Dorcas was the only halfblood who had ever claimed a table in the common room by her third year, according to their halfblood prefect, Jerome Jugson. She didn't do anything to claim it beyond sitting there stubbornly every night in her second year. Most halfbloods were too afraid to spend much time in the common room, but once Dorcas made a habit of it, her friends started joining her at her table. Now, no one took it even when she wasn't present.

Her table was soon the location all of the younger halfblood students would wander toward whenever they had issues. Their prefect had once told her it came up in the pureblood Slytherin's silly meetings. Apparently, someone at the meeting claimed she was trying to rival the mantelpiece gathering of pureblood students across the common room. But Dorcas hadn't told the halfbloods to spend their evenings gathered around her table, they just picked up the habit on their own.

And so, she was fulfilling the role Flinn wanted her to fill, with or without his involvement.

Dorcas spoke with Flinn very few times each year. There were a few reasons for that. For one, she didn't really see it as necessary. The halfbloods protecting each other did a lot more good than anything Flinn tried to force. Her and Jerome having each other's backs had allowed her table gatherings to continue unbothered by the older pureblood students. If Flinn had interfered, there probably would have been a lot of resistance from the older years.

Of course, there was also the reason that Dorcas' reputation would be tainted the moment someone thought she was 'tattling' to Flinn. Even though she had never repeated anything that took place in Slytherin, and only passed on the opinions of her halfblood peers, it wouldn't make a difference if she was found out. The pureblood gang was ruthless and not the brightest bunch. So Dorcas kept her distance from the professor.

Her best reason was simple enough. Dorcas was not too fond of Flinn. But she had to work with plenty of people she found disagreeable - it was the price she paid for being in Slytherin.

Not that she bought any of that sorting nonsense. The entire personality of a human being could not be diminished down to a single trait. The way she saw it, the sorting looked for what students appreciated in others, so they would fit in with their fellow housemates. Dorcas did admire ambition and wit in others, so it made Slytherin bearable. She tolerated many with questionable traits because she could still find a way to respect them for their redeeming traits. Flinn was included in that category.

Before winter break, her responsibilities as a representative for the halfblood students had taken a sharp leap when Sylvia Killick got branded.

Rhyeline Wolrich from second year had come to her room to shake her awake. "Wake up! I need your help."

"Why are you in here?" Narcissa Black's sharp voice pulled Dorcas into consciousness.

Rhyeline returned the same unfriendly tone. "I am not talking to you."

Dorcas turned over on her bed. Her eyes were heavy as she forced herself awake, too groggy to understand why the second year was beside her bed.

"You cannot simply barge into our bedroom." Narcissa argued. "It is disrespectful."

"Okay, madam goody-good." Rhyeline rolled her eyes. Her voice was heavily sarcastic. "I forgot you were common room royalty. Do forgive me and my rudeness!"

Dorcas pulled herself out of bed before Narcissa could reply. Narcissa could be quite crafty in how she retaliated to being scorned. Rhyeline had enough pureblood students irritated with her, she didn't need to add Narcissa to that list.

Dorcas hurried Rhyeline down to their tower's lounge. Rhyeline got directly to the point.

"They burned Killick."

"Who did?"

Dorcas knew of Sylvia Killick in second year and was pretty sure she knew what burnt meant in the context of the Slytherin House. Even if she joined the same year Flinn officially banned branding and promised instant expulsion to any student who was part of branding other students, it still happened a few times since Dorcas' first year. She heard rumours of a student who worked with Flinn being branded with an iron poker the previous year. The deed was not done by Yaxley or Malfoy, but everyone knew they had ordered it. And neither faced any consequence for that branding.

"Someone from the older lot." Rhyeline shook her head frantically. "She wouldn't name who did it. She's too afraid! Killick told us she has been talking to Flinn, that's what the older years brought up before they burned her. It left this massive S mark on her ankle."

"Right." Dorcas muttered. "Is she at the hospital wing now?"

"Yes." Rhyeline was nearly on the verge of tears. "I don't know when she left the bedroom. But she came back crying twenty minutes ago. She wouldn't show it to us or say anything at first. She finally told me what happened before I left her at the hospital wing."

"Do you know what she told Flinn?" Dorcas asked.

"She told him about how everyone has been treating Moore and Harris from first year." Wolrich explained. "And she told him Barty scared Sallow away last year. Plus some silly stuff that really doesn't seem worth all this fuss."

Dorcas' eyes narrowed lightly at the explanation.

It had been nearly a miracle that no one had blown a whistle on the bullying of the muggleborn first years before then. Dorcas had long been trying to improve conditions for them within the common room but noted that Flinn had never said anything about it in the past. Suddenly in the last week, the older years were all abuzz about Flinn being upset about the muggleborn first years being bullied. It seemed that he had finally caught on somehow.

Rhyeline may not see it as a big deal, but Dorcas had been there through the muggle-bashing Slytherin war of 1971. Rhyeline had not. It was a sore spot for the older students.

"Okay." Dorcas placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Go to class and try not to think about this. Okay? You cannot say anything to the sixth and seventh years. I will speak with Jugson and Keitch, and see what we can find out. But you need to stay out of this. I don't want them coming after you next."

"I want to help her." Rhyeline insisted. "I know the pureblood boys in my year had something to do with this. Barty has been in a twisted mood ever since Flinn gave them a hard time for not speaking to their roommates, which is one of the things she told Flinn. They definitely have something to do with her being branded."

"I don't think so."

Barty had been responsible for a subtle form of muggleborn bashing in the previous year. But he had not done anything similar since - Dorcas had made sure of that after he tried to mess with Eris. He had surprised her by being quite reasonable after they spoke. It seemed more likely the older years had gone after Sylvia for the grief they were facing around the first years being bullied. Barty was a symptom of the problem, not the source. Dorcas knew the oldest Slytherin purebloods were at the heart of the hatred being directed at the muggleborn first years. And it wasn't going to end until the older years decided it'd end.

"Do not say anything about this for now." Dorcas urged her again. "Let us handle it."

Rhyeline crossed her arms and exhaled slowly. "I won't say anything for now, but I won't be able to contain this for long. I want to strangle them all after seeing that scar they gave her."

"I know, they're vile. But we have to be careful."

Dorcas had not always been careful, but she had learned better and she wanted to pass that lesson on to the younger years. She would bring it to the fifth and sixth-year halfblood prefects. Getting the younger students involved would only leave targets on their backs. Dorcas didn't care if there was a target on her, she could handle herself, but she would not let another twelve-year-old bear the brunt of the pureblood gangs' pent-up aggression.

Dorcas waited in the lounge for a bit after Rhyeline departed. She wanted to give the younger students time to head off to breakfast before she sought out the halfblood leaders. The fewer students around whenever the inevitable confrontation took place, the better.

"Meadowes."

Dorcas lifted her chin sharply.

Narcissa was standing at the foot of the stairs. Her face was creased with concern. "What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Dorcas told her shortly.

"Seems unlikely." Narcissa crossed her arms. "I will find out either way."

She would. If anything, she'd probably know more than Dorcas would by the end of the day. The pureblood lot had some respect for Narcissa from their first year, but none would dare to go against her since the announcement of her betrothal to the Head Boy. Dorcas had enough respect for Narcissa to find that match disturbing. Whatever her flaws, she was not on that level of evil.

"Someone branded a second year, and I am going to do something about it." Dorcas informed her. "Go to breakfast."

Narcissa did not budge. "Let me help."

Dorcas gazed back at her for a moment as she considered how she wanted to play this. Narcissa would be helpful if they had to face the older students - if she took Dorcas' side, that is. You never knew with Narcissa.

Dorcas had intended to first talk to Jerome Jugson and Richard Keitch, the half-blood prefects. But that was only because of the silly hierarchy the pureblood gang enforced in Slytherin. Dorcas wasn't supposed to speak with the older years directly, she was supposed to send it up the chain. Well, screw them and their ridiculous rules. She'd speak to whomever she pleased.

"I need to speak with the Head Boy or the pureblood prefects." Dorcas told her coolly. "Can you get them to speak with me alone?"

Narcissa inspected her carefully before she nodded. "I will see what I can do. Wait here."

Dorcas didn't enjoy taking orders from Narcissa Black, but the girl could be a lot of help. Facing the pureblood gang as a group would be a lot more challenging than facing Malfoy or Vanity alone. Dorcas hoped Narcissa could get Malfoy alone, even though she largely preferred her quidditch captain, Emma Vanity. It was Malfoy who was more likely to have part of whatever happened to Killick. But chances were Malfoy would never agree to speak with her, even with Narcissa's help.

Narcissa returned after a bit. "Come with me."

Narcissa didn't wait for Dorcas to respond. She led her up to the seventh-year tower, which was a place Dorcas had never been welcome to enter before.

When they got into the lounge, Malfoy and Vanity were both present. Richard Keitch had made an appearance as well, which was a relief when Dorcas realized she was facing off with the two heads of the pureblood lot. No one else was in the lounge.

Malfoy did not glance over when Dorcas entered the room, but Vanity offered a sharp head nod in her direction.

Vanity watched her with a stony expression. "Narcissa says you heard what took place?"

"Yes." Dorcas replied.

Dorcas gazed at Malfoy carefully. The older boy was seated on the sofa and was not paying much attention to any of them around him. Vanity was standing beside the couch with a rigid posture and seemed far more invested in the conversation. Keitch and Narcissa hung to the sides of the room quietly.

"From whom?" Vanity asked.

"Is that a trick question?" Dorcas tilted her head. "I thought you pureblood folk were against spreading information. I heard you tortured a twelve-year-old for doing similar recently."

Richard Keitch was the only one who reacted audibly, sucking in his breath as his eyes met Dorcas' quickly. Vanity's mouth dropped open for a split second before she recovered, but her eyes only narrowed in response.

Lucius Malfoy was scowling at her then, his eyes cold and sharp. He didn't say anything, but his displeasure at her accusation was evident.

"You should find better sources before you start throwing around accusations." Vanity told her carefully. "No one here had any part in hurting the halfblood second year."

"She has a name." Dorcas reminded them. "And aren't you the leaders?"

Vanity's face had tightened dangerously, but she responded once more. "We have only received word that Sylvia Killick was branded a few minutes ago."

Dorcas appreciated that Vanity knew Sylvia's name. Apparently, that was a big ask for the pureblood students. Some didn't even know the names of their halfblood roommates.

"Can I?" Richard Keitch peered at Vanity.

She granted permission with a nod.

Dorcas rolled her eyes at the way older halfbloods had to beg and plead to speak. She wouldn't quiet down so easily.

"Do you know why she was branded?" Richard asked Dorcas. "It is already known she was speaking with Flinn, but I have not heard what she told him."

"Yes." Dorcas admitted. "I heard from a different student that she had spoken about the muggleborn students in first year being mistreated. But that has been common knowledge for months."

Dorcas peered over at Vanity and Malfoy pointedly. While she had never been allowed to speak to them directly on the topic, she had pushed it up the so-called chain of command over and over. And the bullying had continued anyway.

"Not to Flinn." Vanity shrugged. "That is a recent development."

"Well, instead of only penalizing Killick for stating the obvious, were there any attempts to prevent the bullying from continuing?" Dorcas asked coyly. "Ursula Flint knew what was happening, so there is no way either of you were blind to it."

"Meadowes." Vanity widened her eyes.

She didn't have to say anything else for the warning to come across clearly. Her expression was a lot more than the stoic sixth-year usually allowed herself to show. She was clearly aggravated by Dorcas' comments.

"You took it into your own hands regardless." Malfoy finally spoke to Dorcas. "With Icarus Nott and the halfblood boy."

Dorcas tilted her head. "Even the halfblood students who follow your supremacy nonsense don't get the honour of a name in your books?"

The room fell eerily silent.

Malfoy held her gaze for a long few minutes. He was frozen on the couch where he had been seated, his cold eyes burning holes into her.

Narcissa stepped forward from where she had been standing at the entrance and pulled his gaze away for a moment. Dorcas did not turn to see what expression Narcissa was sharing with him, as she kept her eyes glued to the Head Boy. She wanted to be alert to any movements the older boy made.

"Snape." Malfoy finally spoke softly.

Dorcas felt quite smug at successfully forcing him to use the halfblood students' names, but she didn't show her pleasure on her face.

"Yes." Dorcas agreed. "I did tell Nott and Snape to leave them alone after I saw them bothering Harris and Moore. And as far as I am aware, Nott and Snape haven't picked on them since then."

"That is not how matters are handled here."

"How things are supposed to be handled clearly doesn't work." Dorcas argued. "I have no interest in cleaning up after the pureblood students, they make an awful lot of messes. But no one else seems to care enough to do anything. Even if you have no care for the wellbeing of the non-pureblooded students, surely we can agree that students being allowed to blatantly abuse muggleborn students destroys the order in Slytherin?"

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "These outbursts will not gain you any respect. You will not leave this room in one piece if you do not watch yourself. Do not forget your place."

Dorcas wasn't sure what he was threatening her with, but she was sure it was something brutal. "I am only being honest."

Malfoy did not reply. He glanced over at Vanity after a moment and the two shared an unreadable look. Vanity nodded and tucked her arms behind her back.

"This situation has gotten out of hand and we have not been doing our part on this end." Vanity's voice rang out clearly, void of any of the bewilderment from earlier. "We will handle this among the pureblood students."

"You know who is responsible?"

"Yes." Vanity answered honestly. "It was not done in accordance with anything that was permitted by student leadership."

Dorcas watched her carefully. She did find Vanity to be much more genuine than Malfoy and less capable of cruelty. But she still was unsure if she believed the branding was done against their orders. Both were known to allow vicious consequences to be doled out. Even Vanity had been rumoured to curse younger students at Yaxley's and Malfoy's orders in previous years.

The room was tense for a moment. Vanity was staring at her sharply, her dark eyes imploring Dorcas to back off.

Dorcas nodded mutely in acceptance.

Malfoy made a hand motion. Vanity and Richard both reacted to the gesture by moving toward the door. Vanity kept her eyes on Dorcas as she walked around the lounge, motioning her toward the exit with a jerk of her chin.

Vanity held her tongue till they were in the stairwell beneath the lounge. She lifted an arm to stop Dorcas halfway down the stairs.

"Leave." She ordered at Richard and Narcissa, who followed them out.

Both followed her command without any protest. Dorcas held back, peering at Vanity defiantly. The second they were alone, the older girl cast a muffling charm.

"That was very unwise."

"Everything I said was true." Dorcas argued.

"Yes." Vanity agreed firmly. "But you had a position of authority to lose. You have taken ten steps back from having the ability to sway progress in Slytherin today by what you said in there. If you want to have the ability to create changes in this house, you need to find a better way to push for it."

"What would you have me do?"

"Do not make an enemy of every powerful member of the hierarchy by publicly challenging them, for one." Vanity snapped. "You nearly left him with no other choice but to harm you in there, regardless of whether or not he agreed with you. Which he did. None of that was necessary and only prevented him from being able to help you in any way."

Dorcas paused. "He agreed with me?"

"Of course." Vanity huffed in exasperation. "He never would have agreed to speak with you otherwise. You had his ear, and now you lost it."

"Well." Dorcas sighed. "I hardly want an ally in him."

"Do not be short-sighted. It does not matter if you morally oppose everything he believes in with every ounce of your being. If you want to help the halfblood students, you need to play this game. I assure you the change needs to come from within. You can get within, Meadowes, but you need to create alliances."

Dorcas pondered the advice Vanity offered her as she returned to her own tower. The lounge was deserted as the first period had already begun. When she returned to her room to get a fresh uniform for the day, she found Narcissa waiting for her.

Narcissa was seated on her bed with her hands clasped over each other.

"You are communicating with Professor Flinn as well, aren't you?"

Dorcas' eyes rose to inspect the pureblood girl. Narcissa was gazing back with a blank expression on her sharp features. Her body language and face did not give much away, but her eyes scoured over Dorcas.

Dorcas knew no matter what she responded with, Narcissa would take it as a yes. And she was hardly going to hide it. Being subtle was never one of Dorcas' strong suits, so she was happy to leave the sneaking around for the pureblood brats. She was always willing to fight for what was right.

"And?"

Narcissa did not appear surprised. "I suspected as much."

"You'd be a fool to miss it." Dorcas replied with a bored tone. "It is no secret."

"It's known he picks halfblood leaders from each year as well as pureblood." Narcissa pointed out. "Your reputation alone would have attracted his attention."

"What's your point, Black?"

"I wanted you to know that I know."

"Why?" Dorcas was running out of patience. "Cut to the chase."

Narcissa sighed. "I hoped you'd see it as a peace offering."

Dorcas scoffed loudly. "You want me to be appreciative of you not tattling to your boyfriend and having them burn an S on me too?"

"No." Narcissa cast her patent petulant gaze over. She straightened her shoulders primly. "I am merely pointing out that I am not your enemy. I do not expect anything in return for holding my tongue."

Her peace offering was absolute nonsense in most contexts. But Dorcas knew it did mean something in Narcissa's world. It was odd for her not to do her duty and report back to the older years that Dorcas was communicating with Flinn. It was a risk she was taking for Dorcas, as it definitely would hurt her reputation if anyone else discovered she kept it to herself.

"I know you are not my enemy." Dorcas smiled lazily. "But you are hardly my friend."

Narcissa sneered softly. "We don't need to be blossoming buddies to work together."

"No." Dorcas nodded in agreement. "We don't."

Narcissa did not respond again. They walked to class together without another word.

****

Emma Vanity
_

None of the other prefects had been dealt the brutal cards Emma Vanity had been handed.

Every last thing she ever achieved in Slytherin had come at a great cost. She had to dig and crawl her way to the top from her very first year.

Emma was granted the pureblood status, but all of the sacred twenty-eight students were happy to still turn their noses up at her. They all made it clear she was a lower tier of pureblooded than they were. It took a long time to even turn their heads. Once she was able to eventually force the sacred twenty-eight to have some degree of respect for her, she was only slammed with barrier after barrier.

When she was picked as prefect in her fifth year, it wasn't a very popular decision. She had largely been overshadowed her entire time at Hogwarts by Bellatrix Black, who had sucked up every last morsel of air in the room from the beginning. The rest of their year might as well have been the Bellatrix fan club, making it very difficult for Emma to hold any authority over Bellatrix. When Flinn cast Bellatrix down and placed Emma as prefect, many only saw her as the backup. Yaxley and Malfoy had been Flinn's picks the previous years, but the pureblood students would have made the same decision for their leader if they had been given a say. Emma's year was the first time Flinn chose a leader they didn't agree with. Flinn chose Emma Vanity, but her pureblood peers chose Bellatrix.

When she was selected as quidditch captain, it had only come with a new catch that made her unpopular among the pureblood lot once more. Flinn made it very clear he would wipe their quidditch team off the map entirely if she failed to meet his standards of no pureblood supremacists on her team. Opting to add more halfblood players to try to manage such an absurd expectation led to many of the older years critiquing where her loyalties lie.

Even her failure to care as much as they did about the war and the dark lord brought condemnation after condemnation down on her. She would never have the power over the aspiring death eaters the way Yaxley and Malfoy did - she wasn't one of them, and they knew it.

The only true break she had ever gotten was Malfoy's favouritism. If he hadn't stuck his neck out for her repeatedly over her fifth and sixth year, and mentored her into her leadership position, chances were that the sacred twenty-eight members of Slytherin would have crucified her already. But even her alliance with Malfoy was layered with shame. She knew there was something sinister about the older boy, and many of the deeds she did at his bidding felt morally wrong. That was the price she always paid to climb in Slytherin - if you wanted to survive in that serpent's den, you had to be willing to lose a bit of yourself along the way.

Nothing had ever come easy for her in Slytherin, so it was no surprise that her captaincy of the quidditch team and her prefect status blew up in her face in her sixth year.

It had been Perseus Selwyn who caused a scene across the quidditch pitch, a month after two students from Emma's years tried to attack Professor Flinn right under her nose. But Emma knew it would be her head on the spike that night.

Ursula Flint approached her at the hospital wing, with a flicker of fear clear in her eyes, to let her know that Flinn wanted both of them at his office.

Emma travelled to the office with Flint in tow. The fifth-year prefect was decent company, but not much of a backup when it came to facing the professor. Emma would have preferred to have Malfoy at her side, but he and Flinn had kept their distance since the blowout with Bellatrix last month. And Malfoy had no involvement in quidditch, that was all on her.

She was quite isolated compared to the other prefects. In the last year, Yaxley and Malfoy had been thick as thieves. Mulciber, the Head Boy the year before Yaxley, had worked closely with Yaxley as well. And Emma had been at Malfoy's bidding for years. But Ursula Flint was not the best suited to carry on after Emma's upcoming reign. Emma tried her best to form a working relationship with the younger prefect, as it was her duty to do so, but she found Flint hard to swallow at best. She very much wished she could have been paired with the upcoming pureblood leaders after Ursula Flint, as Sloan Travers and Narcissa Black showed more promise.

The fifth-year prefect this year, Ursula Flint, neither inspired fear nor loyalty among her underlings, which defeated her purpose as a representative for the pureblood students in Slytherin. All of them needed at least one of the two qualities to lead, but Emma knew the best leaders possessed both. Malfoy possessed both, and his reign had never been questioned for a second. He had a tight-knit group of friends and allies around him at all times. They served his bidding just as much as they admired him. Emma had hoped to develop her own connections, but her residency with Bellatrix Black and her cronies had always strained Emma's ability to form unquestionable loyalty among her group.

Ursula Flint was the ally she was left with, whether or not she found the girl suitable for the role of prefect. At least Flint did take some pressure off of her when it came to the quidditch affairs, as she was on the team as well.

When they reached Flinn's office, he acted as though Ursula Flint was not even in the room. He directed Emma toward his desk and yanked the door to a close behind her. Ursula, who was standing behind Emma's shoulder, jumped at the loud slam, before sheepishly returning to a somber silence. Emma may have well been facing the infuriated professor on her own.

He stormed back over with a thunderous expression, his eyes drilling into Emma without a shred of mercy. "What did you not understand about the standards we went over last year for the quidditch team? You have had two whole years to follow through with them."

Emma assessed his anger carefully. He had not even called on Perseus Selwyn before taking it upon himself to tell off Emma, which could mean a few things. For one, he was blaming Emma for the incident more than anything. Perhaps because he expected her to be nearly the sole authority over her year instead of him by this point, as Malfoy was over his year. It was also possible she was taking the brunt of it since the professor already had a very low opinion of Selwyn, meaning Emma had more to lose in Flinn's eyes.

Emma replied, with a monotone voice. "I understood the expectations. I did not expect Perseus Selwyn to act on his beliefs."

"No." Flinn huffed. "I told you I didn't want any trace of pureblood supremacy anywhere near that team if you didn't want me to ban the entire house from playing until you got your act together. So, either you didn't know he held those beliefs and you're a fool, or you did know he held those beliefs, so you're as guilty as he is."

Emma held still. "I did know that Selwyn tended to perceive halfblood students as beneath him due to their blood status."

The professor pressed his thin lips together in anger. He made an annoyed gesture with both arms as he lifted his shoulders.

"You are admitting you have blatantly disregarded everything I told you?"

"No." Emma corrected quickly. "If I were to follow your exact instructions, I would not have enough players to develop a team. I tailored the team as carefully as I could with the limited options I was given."

His face was dark. "Then why do you still have Rodolphus Lestrange and Perseus Selwyn on your team? You carefully selected those members? Both are nearly infamous for their pureblood rubbish."

"Progress takes time." Emma defended herself. "If I simply kick all of the influential pureblood members off, I would be torn apart."

Professor Flinn slammed his fist down on his desk, eliciting a loud clang around the room, and causing the prefect behind Emma to gasp weakly. Emma remained unfazed despite the thrumming of her heartbeat in her ears.

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Flinn raged. "You've had more than enough time to ease it over, I don't care what it takes."

Emma held her ground stubbornly. "If I were to rid the team of every player who has the slight potential to cause problems, even though the majority of them never act on these views, I have no suitable replacements for them. More students who come from wizard families play quidditch than those who come from non-magical families. And the majority of the student body in Slytherin still are pureblooded students."

"Well, isn't that a fine condemnation on the whole lot of you?" The professor scoffed with a haughty tone. "I could not care less if your team fails. I'd rather you not have enough players to fill a pitch, than for you to disobey the clear instructions I laid out for you."

The quidditch team was clearly in danger if Emma could not talk him out of disbanding the team entirely in light of the fight. She tried a different strategy.

Emma breathed out slowly. "If you place me in this position before the pureblood students, they will never regard me with any authority again. I will lose all respect if I bow to these demands. I would barely have any pureblood students on the team under these guidelines, and they would be merciless. I cannot fulfill the role you expect me to fill if you tarnish my reputation with them."

"Well, what good is it to protect your reputation at this point? You couldn't handle Bellatrix, you couldn't handle Lestrange. Now you cannot even handle Selwyn! You have no fucking control over your year. What good are you to me? Not only should I replace you as the quidditch captain, after this disastrous year, you should be stripped of your prefect title as well."

Emma froze with her heart in her throat. Everything she had given her blood, sweat and tears to build in Slytherin for six years could be torn away from her just like that.

Flinn exhaled aggressively into the silent office, offering her a final grimace as he warned her again. "You are on your last breath here, Vanity. I will not hand out any more get-out-of-jail-free cards. I can promise you that you will rue the day you are pegged as useless in my mind. And it is one misstep away."

Emma returned to the Slytherin common room with cold anger strumming through her veins. She directed herself toward the mantelpiece the moment the entranceway was open, with Ursula Flint obediently following behind her.

The pureblood sixth-years were gathered around the fireplace, along with a few seventh-year pureblood students. All turned when they saw her approaching, but she only had eyes for Perseus Selwyn, seated beside Rodolphus Lestrange and Vanda Parkinson on one end.

"Vanity-" Selwyn started.

"You are off my team." Emma retorted, with a commanding tone that left no room for any arguments.

Selwyn pressed his lips together with an annoyed expression, but he did not fight it. Felix Rowle across the sofa snickered, but no one else in the group dared to utter a word.

Emma had nothing else to say to any of them after making her point, but she was not going to walk away from the mantelpiece. That was her rightful place in the common room when any decisions were being made, and regardless of how much she wished she could run up to her bedroom, she was not moving an inch.

Emma approached the couch and motioned for Carrow and Shafiq to budge up. They moved over without a word and she took a seat.

After a lull in the conversation, Selwyn rose to his feet and retreated up to the sixth-year tower. To sulk, she presumed. Emma could not care less that Selwyn was upset. She was far more upset with him.

"Where is Malfoy?" Emma asked after Selwyn retreated.

"You have not heard?" Rowle cranked an eyebrow. "Bellatrix was here."

Emma stared at him. Bellatrix had been suspended a month back, and no one had heard a word from her since. Lestrange had not managed to get a single letter, and even more surprisingly, neither had Malfoy.

"Malfoy walked her out." Parkinson informed Emma softly.

"Vanity." Lestrange spoke up, his voice tentative. "Can we speak?"

Emma was tempted to turn him down. She had been giving him the cold shoulder since Bellatrix's suspension as much as Malfoy had. His conduct had royally screwed up every favour and deal they had struck with Professor Flinn. Ignoring it when Lestrange spoke to her or rejecting him at every turn had been her favourite pastime lately. And it kept him in his place, as she and Malfoy agreed that Lestrange would be a threat to her next year. Malfoy viciously humbling Lestrange a month back had been helpful in that regard.

But she got the sense things were amiss in his relationship with Bellatrix since he owned up to his part in the silent hark potion attack. Bellatrix had locked him out just as much as she did to the rest of them. Plus, Malfoy and Flinn had given him a very hard time on top of that. He might have suffered enough for his crimes.

So Emma nodded in agreement.

They retreated to a quiet corner of the common room and relocated onto a few empty sofa chairs.

"I wanted to apologize." He started. "I know I have participated in how rocky things have been here."

"You have not merely participated. You orchestrated the chaos we are now plunged into. Everyone in Slytherin will suffer for all of the prefects' relationships with Flinn going south. You are equally to blame for that as Bellatrix is."

Lestrange eyed her warily. "Yes, I am aware. That is why I am apologizing."

"Well," Emma bristled with irritation. "Too little too late."

"Let me make it up to you." He insisted. "You will be Head Girl next year, and I can help you. I can keep certain groups in line."

Lestrange did not say it, but they both knew who he meant. The death eater groups, who were already reluctant to follow her lead. Emma stared at him quietly for a moment. His promise also had an underlying threat to it, he could help her, or he could hurt her.

She needed to handle the situation with care. What was the saying - keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?

"Very well." Emma nodded. "Make it up to me then."

His face softened into a smirk. "I will have your back."

Emma did not believe that for a second.

****

Barty
_

The clock on the wall ticks loudly as he sits in the quiet office. The longer he sits beneath the tick-tick-ticking noise escaping from the ivory-laced clock above the doorframe, the louder each clang sounds in his ears. Eventually, the noise is deafening.

Professor Flinn does not speak a word to him the entire time he sits there waiting. The silence of the office is welcoming at times, but not today. Today it is very daunting. Every tick is a warning. A taunt. Every second brings him closer to the moment Bartemius Crouch walks through the office doors.

Barty is not an anxious person. He has fears, who doesn't? But he considers himself quite fearless compared to the rest of his peers. No one else is quite like him - the brilliance he possesses only comes once in a generation. He knows he is one of a kind.

But Bartemius Crouch is scary. And no matter how tough Barty thinks he is, that man can tear him to shreds with a few well-chosen words.

Soon, Bartemius Crouch marches in with a brightly reddened face, and a handkerchief held tightly in his grasp. His eyes never fall on his son, only gifting the honour of his gaze to the professor before Barty. Bartemius Crouch pats his damp forehead with the handkerchief sloppily, as he coughs into a hand between words.

"Professor Flinn. I hardly have - aughhhf- time to be making visits to Hogwarts between my very busy schedule. I am running for an influential Ministry official position, you are aware?"

The professor's eyebrows rise into his hairline. His face does not hide anything. When Flinn is disgusted, all can see Flinn is disgusted. And Flinn is not impressed by Bartemius Crouch.

"Mr. Crouch." The professor's tone is cold. "I understand your time is valuable, but a serious incident has occurred."

"I am not illiterate." Bartemius Crouch huffs in irritation. "I read your messages. I am well aware of the delinquent excuse I have for a son. I am not sure what you expect me visiting to do to correct his behaviour."

Barty has never seen Professor Flinn speechless before. The professor's eyes wander down to peer at Barty for an instant. There is a flash of something unfamiliar there.

"More has taken place today than we have dealt with in the past incidents." Flinn tries again, his face ashen. "I have never before caught Barty engaging in-"

Bartemius Crouch cuts him off.

"Barty? That is not his name." He turns to scowl at his son. "I have told you countless times to quit using that nickname. Must I follow you around every second of every day to avoid you defying me in every way you possibly can?"

Barty does not reply. He stares up at Bartemius Crouch and tries to ignore how ill he feels. His tongue is heavy and no words feel possible. Even if he wants to respond, he does not think he can manage it right then.

Flinn is staring at Barty again with an incredulous look. He slowly turns his gaze to Bartemius Crouch once more. "Well, I will be using whatever name a student tells me they go by."

"That is not his name!" Bartemius Crouch snaps.

"Oh well." Flinn replies. "It does not make a difference to me. A name is an unimportant thing."

"Perhaps to your kind." Bartemius Crouch narrows his eyes. "I take a lot of pride in my family. And I expect my good-for-nothing son to wear his name as a badge of honour."

Barty does not feel honoured to share that man's name. He hardly knows the man to begin with and has not a single positive memory he can associate with him. In the perfect world, he would obliviate all memory of Bartemius Crouch out of his mind. That is his plan post-Hogwarts.

Bartemius Crouch rubs his handkerchief along his forehead again. His voice is filled with impatience. "What was so important that I needed to come in person?"

Flinn is staring at Bartemius Crouch as though the man had stabbed his pet dog. He manages to keep his voice professional anyway.

"Barty has engaged in curses that are classified as dark arts."

Bartemius Crouch freezes. He drops his arm down and turns to stare at Barty with a baffled expression, which quickly turns to fury.

"You what?"

Barty stares back at Bartemius Crouch. His eyes sting and he tries to quit blinking so often. He refuses to flinch back as the man towers over him, and grabs the armrest of the chair Barty is sitting on.

"Did you know you were using dark spells? Answer me, boy!"

"I was aware." Barty agrees.

If looks could kill, Barty would be six feet under already. He holds Bartemius Crouch's gaze steady as the man glares at him with enough venom to kill.

"I need to speak with my son." He snarls without looking over at the professor. "Alone."

"That is why you were called." Flinn offers an icy smile. "I will step outside and give you some privacy to speak."

As soon as Flinn is outside, Bartemius Crouch lays him out. The words are spilling out of him at an incredible rate.

"How dare you behave this way. I am buried up to my neck in election tasks, and now you choose to begin your career as a dark wizard? Is there no limit to what you will do for attention? You keep this up, and you are in for a world of pain when you get home, Junior. I will do whatever is needed to control you because there is no bloody way I will let your rebellious conduct tarnish my career and my ambitions!"

"I would never want to stand in the way of your career." Barty promises him with a bitter smile. "Rest assured, what is most important to you is safe."

"Shut your mouth!" Bartemius Crouch shakes the chair viciously by his hold on the armrest. "Do not think I won't pull out my wand and put an end to your rebellion right here and now. No professor in the world can protect you from the hellfire I will rein down if I ever hear of you tarnishing my name with your antics. You will never dapple in the dark arts again. If you need attention that badly, find a bloody shrink or hire a friend. I have done nothing to deserve the humiliation of having you as my son, and I will not take this rubbish lying down."

Barty stares at the blackboard behind Flinn's desk. He keeps his eyes from meeting the man's, who looms overhead.

Bartemius Crouch straightens up. He is breathing heavily from the exertion of bellowing out the berating. He huffs and puffs as he struggles to catch his breath. He coughs into his handkerchief again, his eyes shooting daggers as he turns toward the door.

"Do not ever waste my time by forcing me to be required at Hogwarts again." He threatens from the doorway. "I will deal with you in June."

After Barty is left alone, he breaks down.

He drops his head into his palms and buries his face in his hands. His elbows rest on his knees and his stomach quivers with his silent sobs. He hears himself suck in a shakey breath in between the silent cries, but not much else is heard in the empty office.

He does not know how much time passes before he feels someone touch his shoulder gently. He lifts his head quickly, staring in bewilderment at his professor before him. Flinn pulls up a chair facing the one Barty is seated in and holds an arm out to offer a hug.

Barty is too distressed to think through the oddness of Flinn's behaviour. He accepts the offer. He does not have any other place to get the comfort he desperately needs.

He rests in the professor's arms for a few minutes. Once he calms down, he realizes he is in a bit of a predicament. The moment he pulls back, he needs to face the professor he cried in front of. The nasty professor who had hugged him. He does not know how to handle the shame of the entire event, and his ego is badly bruised.

So, he does not pull back. He remains leaning against the professor's shoulder for another few minutes silently.

Finally, Professor Flinn clears his throat and moves away. He wanders back to the side of his desk. He sorts through some papers for a while, not peering over at Barty again.

Barty understands the professor is giving him time to collect himself without being watched. Barty feels too embarrassed to know what to do with himself. He sniffs a few times weakly.

Professor Flinn motions at a tissue box without peering over or meeting Barty's eye. Barty takes a tissue and wipes his nose aggressively. He rolls the tissue up in his hands afterward, and tears tiny pieces off of the tissue slowly, piece by piece.

"Does your father always speak to you like that?" Flinn asks, after a long pause.

Barty nods, not trusting himself to speak.

"Hmm." Flinn sounds aggravated. "Parents should not treat their children like that."

Barty finally lifts his eyes to the professor's. His eyes narrow lightly. "You're a raging asshole to me every day though."

Thankfully, Flinn finds his comment amusing. He doesn't need more detentions, but he has no filter at the best of times. And he definitely is not at his best right now, nor capable of resisting speaking his mind.

"Yes." Flinn smirks. "I am an asshole to you all the time, but that is the job description. I am not your parent. But none of this works if you are simply being torn down at home and school. Parents are supposed to be the ones building their children up."

Barty shrugs. He does not know much about parents. He barely had any of those. His wet nurse and governess are the closest things he has to parents.

Flinn is watching him carefully. He leans back with a deep sigh. "Is there someone I can call to bring you back to the common room? Someone who can look out for you? Would Rosier work?"

Barty is surprised by the question. He is not sure if he has ever heard of Professor Flinn bringing other students in to comfort whatever student is at his whims. Flinn definitely has plenty of students crying in his office daily. It rarely seems to bother him.

"Anyone?" Flinn asks again.

"Malfoy." Barty requests.

His answer surprises Flinn. An eyebrow lifts and arches aggressively. But Flinn nods after a stunned moment. He steps out for a moment and asks one of the students in his outer office to call for Malfoy.

Flinn returns to the internal office and sits across from him. "You will serve a detention tomorrow at 6pm for the spell. You are excused once Malfoy arrives and are free to go."

Now Barty is truly stumped. He does not want to ask if the professor is joking, but the temptation is strong. A single detention for breaking the dark arts school policy is a joke.

He supposes Bartemius Crouch is not completely useless if he manages to even melt Professor Flinn's cold heart.

Malfoy arrives after ten minutes or so. He stands far back from the door when he knocks. Barty knows Malfoy's relationship with Professor Flinn is very strained lately. It shows all over Malfoy's face how wary he is as the door opens. But his expression instantly transforms as he gazes at Barty.

"Kindly escort Barty back to the dungeons." Flinn instructs, without even looking Malfoy's way.

But Malfoy does not seem to care about Flinn at all anymore. He waves Barty over with two fingers. Barty usually hates that finger motion, but he has no problem hurrying to Malfoy's side at his call this time.

Malfoy stands rigidly apart from him until they reach the corner of the hallway. He then turns and grabs Barty by his upper arms, his eyes frantically scanning him over.

"What did he do to you?"

Barty knows his recent crying spell must be all over his face. He is not much of a crier and he can only imagine what Malfoy is thinking Flinn did to elicit that response from him.

Barty scoffs. "Nothing. It wasn't him... he called my parents in."

"Oh." Malfoy's face flashes with somber realization. "I see."

Malfoy straightens up and his hands travel up to Barty's shoulders. He peers down the empty hall before he pulls Barty closer with one hand behind his shoulders.

For the second time that day, Barty finds himself wrapped up in an unexpected embrace. Malfoy's hand lightly strokes the top of his back a few times in a comforting manner. Barty smirks as he lifts his chin to glance up at the older boy.

But Malfoy is not looking back at him, still watching the hallway carefully. Probably is making sure no one could see him hugging Barty. No one could ever know he has a heart, of course, that would ruin his whole cold-blooded and evil-to-the-bone reputation.

Barty doesn't care if Malfoy is uncomfortable with anyone seeing that he cares for Barty. It does not make a difference to him. He still thinks the world of the Head Boy.

"We will head back to the dungeons." Malfoy instructs sternly as he releases Barty gently. "I heard what you were caught doing today. Now we need to go discuss how you are going to survive the upcoming years with Vanity."

****

Professor Flinn
_

Malfoy would come speak with him.

The boy was quite predictable, even if he did not seem to think so. Flinn had once thought Malfoy was brighter than some of the others, but enough time under the microscope had shown that he was made of the same crummy quality as the majority of them.

But he was useful on occasion. Even some of his comments had proved to be true. Flinn could recognize when he was wrong to himself, even if he would never tell Malfoy that he had been right. Malfoy had been correct in the advice he offered on how to break through to Bellatrix over an argument years back, but Flinn had not realized it until the girl already despised him with every ounce of her being. But he would not admit that to Malfoy. Nor did he bother to try to change the way he handled Bellatrix. He knew a lost cause when he saw one. And that girl was ten feet under.

Flinn had intentionally been the villain in Slytherin since he started at Hogwarts. And he knew he'd only be more vilified as he pushed for more and more progress every year. He wasn't there to be their friends, he was trying to correct their misguided beliefs. And he was human, it was hard not to hate a few of them. It was difficult to believe children could be so cruel, even if he grew up suffering at the hands of very similar children.

But it was the task he was hired for. And the mission he took on himself. Growing up in the wizard world with no magical ancestors anywhere in his family line had set him up for the only goal he wanted to achieve in his lifetime. He wanted to live to see a world where pureblood supremacy in the wizard world was dismantled, or he didn't want to live in it at all. He knew the war may take his life and he knew one of the students he told off every day may be the one holding the gun that ended his life. But it was a price he was willing to pay. All muggleborn wizards must bleed in this war, but he was not going without a fight.

Malfoy arrived shortly, just as expected. He stood outside the main office for a bit longer than necessary.

He rapped against the outer doorway, despite knowing very well that Flinn was typically within the smaller office. The boy was toying with him. Flinn did not let it bother him and rose to open the outer doorway.

He stopped to inspect Malfoy, despite knowing he was coming since he saw him in the common room. Malfoy had been far too quiet to not have a plan. And he always had a plan. But Flinn paused for a moment before letting him inside anyway. Two could play the suspense game, and he was happy to leave the boy guessing what mood he was in.

"Enter." He motioned the Head Boy in.

Flinn returned to his desk as Malfoy rigidly stood before his desk with his hands by his side.

It had been a while since they spoke. They had a turbulent relationship in Flinn's first year at Hogwarts when Malfoy was still in his fifth year. As the fifth-year prefect, Malfoy became wrapped in with the Head Students and sixth-year prefects after Flinn put his foot down on the muggleborn hazing incidents. But the following year had been quite pleasant and he found the boy easy to work with. That all fell apart once more a few months into his reign as Head Boy. As most disasters could, that could be credited to Bellatrix Black.

But now they were back to their old routine of meeting to strike a deal. And Flinn had been awaiting the visit. It was a deal he wanted, after all. He had little interest in tormenting eleven and twelve-year-olds. They weren't the base of the problem, and he knew very well they were only repeating the behaviour modelled to them by the older years. But he had warned Malfoy and Flint multiple times. He wanted to know who was responsible for the first years being bullied and who was responsible for the branding of Sylvia Killick. And Malfoy had failed to deliver. So, he had to use the limited options he was left with. But it was a short-term solution- even if the first and second years learned something from their encounter, they would only relapse to the same bad behaviour when there was no other option for pureblood students within Slytherin.

Malfoy had always been the true target. Flinn was determined to have the older boy fold, and he knew targeting the younger years would place far more pressure on him than anything else would. What happened with the younger Fawley girl wasn't intentional, nor something he had hoped for. He had never spoken to the girl before and assumed his information was more trustworthy than her word. But it was useful it did happen. Her older brother wouldn't let Malfoy sit idle after that took place, and it was Malfoy he was trying to force into action from the get-go.

Malfoy stared back at him with the same stoic expression he typically suited. When he spoke his words came out slowly, as if he was still testing the waters.

"Preston Fawley is leaving with her parents."

"Fascinating news." Flinn responded shortly.

He wasn't going to rise to that bait. Malfoy wanted him to feel guilty for what Preston Fawley endured, and it wasn't going to happen. The boy could peg him heartless, that suited him fine.

"She did not do anything wrong. Her family is far from the ones you should be worried about."

"Perhaps." Flinn agreed.

He wasn't going to make it easy on the teen.

Malfoy kept his eyes trained on him stubbornly. "I am willing to bet half of the younger years are lying to you when you use these tactics."

That was probably accurate. Flinn knew that the pureblood students he never heard specific reports about were most likely making up confessions or picking the least damning to limit how much trouble they'd be in. He didn't really care. He had pegged them all long before they came into his office and decided which were the ones he needed to make an example of before they opened their mouth. Whatever they confessed was irrelevant to the outcome.

"Malfoy." Flinn scoffed. "You didn't like it when I made examples of students. You called it unnecessary then whined about Bellatrix not being given a chance all year. But now you're upset I'm making it more fair."

Throwing Bellatrix in Malfoy's face was the easiest way to get under his skin. But Flinn did have some regrets there.

He wasn't about to admit it to Malfoy, but he did regret not taking Malfoy's advice on how to handle Bellatrix sooner in his career. Malfoy's input had proven to be accurate, but it was too late for Flinn to backtrack once he realized that. The boy had told him that Bellatrix would never respond to force and responded best to mercy. Especially when she did not deserve it. Flinn had dismissed it at the time and never saw the truth from Malfoy's perspective until he tried it with Barty.

Barty was similar enough to Bellatrix, but with less deep-rooted hatred for Flinn. Even though Barty was an oddity in the Slytherin group, as someone who had no family pride and no family history of dark magic, his personality mirrored Bellatrix's at an incredible rate. Similar to the older girl, Barty was cruel in an unexplainable way. Even when Flinn tried to allow him to, Barty couldn't explain why he acted the way he did. But Flinn tried mercy anyway. And the results spoke for themselves - the only time a single word he spoke seemed to resonate with the boy was when he said it to Barty instead of punishing him. If they sat down and had a long conversation until he was positive Barty was being at least somewhat genuine, then he let him off easy for whatever foul deed led to their conversation, Barty's behaviour would improve. He never improved after being disciplined.

Flinn hated to admit Malfoy had a point. It was odd that the Head Boy seemed to care for a few of his underlings. It wasn't a quality Flinn expected. Usually, seeing how he cared for Bellatrix only made him feel defensive. He knew neither of them would ever do anything but loathe him till the day he died, and he was not stupid enough to believe they both weren't incredibly dangerous. He knew that before Bellatrix attempted to incapacitate him. And Malfoy was possibly even worse, as he was much more sly, and Flinn wouldn't see it coming.

The Head Boy was gazing at him across the room then. His eyes were carefully scanning over Flinn as he continued to push back.

"Majority of them have not done enough to warrant being treated like that." Malfoy argued. "Over-punishing them will only push them toward identifying with pureblood supremacy, when you're shoving them in that box. The majority of first and second years never show much indications of blood status ideology beyond following expectations set for them by their families."

Flinn narrowed his eyes. He could see where the conversation was going. "You have the power to stop this, Malfoy, so don't pretend I'm the big bad wolf attacking children for no reason. You had all month to point me toward those responsible. I have to do the dirty work, but this is the result of your failures."

The truth was, he did feel sorry for Preston Fawley and it hadn't been his intention to pick on her when she hadn't done much wrong. But a point needed to be made.

"Okay." Malfoy nodded sharply. "I failed. Why does that justify penalizing innocent children? And what long-term consequences do you expect will come from lumping the pureblood students together when the majority have little fault in what is taking place?"

"This is how I see it, Malfoy. I would rather come down on endless innocent pureblood students out there instead of letting those responsible go unpunished. It is not my job to protect them, that is your job. If you had controlled them as you're supposed to, they would have been safe from me. So quit complaining to me and do your job."

A light flush was evident on the Head Boy's cheeks. The conversation didn't seem to be going the way Malfoy hoped it would.

"I cannot control every last student in there. You're asking for the moon here."

"Too bad." Flinn shrugged. "Either I know the correct students to make the example of, or you need to keep every last one of them in line. That has always been our agreement. You didn't like the ring leaders arrangement, then this is how it is going to be. Write me a list of who I should be speaking with, or run back to the dungeons with your tail between your legs. But I don't want to hear squat from you when your child bride is crying to you later."

The comment about Narcissa finally got the reaction Flinn was hoping for. Malfoy's eyes bulged for a moment before his face became a sickly pale colour. He may have been more flustered by that cutting remark than anything else Flinn had ever managed to come up with. Malfoy's lips pressed together in frustration as he contemplated.

Flinn knew he had him before Malfoy moved toward the parchment he pointed out. Malfoy's face was ashen as he scribbled down a few names. He pushed the note back in Flinn's direction with an unnecessary amount of force.

"Those are the only students that have been caught mistreating the muggleborn first years by the prefects."

Flinn lifted the sheet to see what Malfoy wrote down. His eyes crinkled at the list.

Arlo Nott
Caius Avery
Flora Carrow
Icarus Nott
Severus Snape

Flinn had already dealt with the three first-years listed but the two third-year names surprised him. He stared at Snape's name in bewilderment. He knew that the boy had dappled in questionable actions in the past, but he thought the kid had amended his ways.

"A halfblood student has bullied them?" Flinn asked, lifting his eyes to frown at Malfoy.

"Yes." Malfoy's face was venomous. "The world isn't as black and white as you seem to think it is. Some halfblood students can be cruel and some pureblood students can be kind. I suppose they're all cannon fodder to you though."

Flinn chuckled. "You do amuse me."

Malfoy shook his head in frustration, his eyes on the ceiling. His jaw tightened as he peered back at Flinn for a final comment.

"I am resigning from all positions of student authority and responsibility you have forced on me. If you have future issues you want to take out on a student, do try Vanity."

With that, Malfoy exited the office.

Chapter Text

June, 1974

No one was waiting for Regulus at platform nine and three quarters. His mother was not present, nor was his brother. Only his Aunt Druella was there, waving him over alongside Narcissa when she spotted them.

"We will be dropping you off today," Aunt Druella informed him, with a kind smile, "Your mother sent an owl."

"Is everything all right?" Regulus couldn't resist asking, being thrown off by the change to their routine.

"Oh, yes," His aunt assured him, "I believe they are at Grimmauld Place with your brother."

Regulus' stomach dropped. He did not ask any more questions. That was answer enough. He was sure he would hear about whatever his brother had done this time sooner or later.

He and Narcissa exchanged a few worried looks on their route to Grimmauld Place, but neither voiced any of their thoughts. He didn't say much at all, letting his cousins reply when their mother asked about the term. He didn't feel up for a conversation with anyone when he was feeling so queasy over why his mother did not receive him. It almost seemed to verify his fears of how disappointed she was in him.

"I will see you soon," Narcissa promised softly when her mother tapped the knocker on the front door of 12 Grimmauld Place. His cousin squeezed his hand gently, "We will plan an outing as soon as it is possible."

Regulus could only nod in response, his throat feeling closed as nerves danced around his stomach. He didn't dare to glance back, feeling Bellatrix's eyes on him from where she was standing on the street. Their recent conversation was still weighing heavy in his mind's eye.

His mother let him inside, briskly sending him to unpack in his quarters before engaging in small talk with his aunt. She hardly spared him a moment of her attention, nor did she explain why she had not met him at King's Cross Station.

Regulus tried to not let her indifference affect him. He did as she bid, putting his shoes away and hanging up his coat, all the while watching his mother out of the corner of his eye. She pointedly refused to meet his eye, speaking of unimportant rubbish with his aunt.

His mother almost seemed to be avoiding him.

Kreacher kindly offered his assistance once Regulus was moving toward his bedroom, giving up on having a moment to speak with his mother.

"Does the young master need Kreacher's assistance?" The house elf asked eagerly.

"Yes, please," Regulus forced himself to smile, even if his mind was storming with thoughts about the way his mother was treating him, "Would you apparate my trunk upstairs?"

"Yes, young master," the elf chattered, cheerfully.

Regulus glanced back briefly, seeing his mother still occupied in her conversation. He turned to the elf, his voice low, "Has Sirius returned home yet?" He wondered.

Kreacher peered up at him, a hint of surprise on his face. His face crinkled into a familiar scowl, "Yes, that one returned." Kreacher grumbled, "Not good, not good at all."

Regulus wasn't sure if he was relieved to hear that, or unhappy that he would have to face his brother shortly. He considered asking Kreacher if he knew why Sirius had been brought home early, but he thought better of it. Kreacher still reported back to his parents, and he was sure his brother would inform him.

The elf continued despite Regulus holding his tongue, mumbling under his breath as he dragged the trunk off, "Poor Master and Mistress with such a miscreant boy, saying he'd be the next master, oh no. Poor, poor, Mistress. Ought to be the good young master who doesn't break her heart, it ought to be."

The elf disappeared without further ado, but his ramblings had revealed enough for Regulus' stomach to drop. He didn't dare peer his mother's way before he ascended the stairs, trying to restrain the storm inside of him.

Sirius' door was sealed closed, but Regulus could hear his brother shuffling about once he entered his own bedroom. The wall between their bedrooms had always been terribly thin. When Kreacher dropped Regulus' trunk down with a resounding thump, he heard his brother spring off his bed next door.

Regulus tried to pretend he hadn't heard Sirius scurrying over to the door, keeping his eyes firmly on the trunk before him as he unpacked. Kreacher had thankfully fled before his brother got near. Regulus had no interest in hearing the two begin their usual bickering. For some reason, Sirius insisted on harassing the elf on a daily whenever they were at Grimmauld Place. It was no wonder that Kreacher was not fond of him.

Even though Regulus knew he left his door ajar, he heard the sharp rap of his brother's taunting knock ringing through his bedroom. He glanced over his shoulder with a sullen look, his mood only worsening when he saw Sirius grinning at him, leaning against the doorframe.

His brother invited himself into the bedroom and perched on the edge of the bed while he emptied his trunk. Regulus carefully did not acknowledge the boy's presence as he neatly placed his folded stacks of uniforms into one of the dresser drawers.

Sirius waited for a minute or so before he spoke up, "Too bad about the quidditch playoffs." He teased.

Regulus pursed his lips. His shameful final game was the last thing he wanted to discuss. He did not look his brother's way as he began to stack his schoolbooks onto his bookshelf.

His brother seemed rather perky for someone who had been dragged home early. Perhaps he hadn't been in trouble, as Regulus suspected. He wasn't sure why his parents would have retrieved his brother early otherwise though, unless it had something to do with his heirship, as Kreacher had suggested.

Sirius tried again. "Are you the official seeker for Slytherin now?"

"No," Regulus replied, stonily.

Sirius sounded confused, "You played in the semi-finals."

"I did not notice." Regulus retorted, sarcastically. "Thanks for the insight."

"Merlin, you always come back mad crabby." Sirius laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd guess you're as miserable as I am to be home."

Regulus paused to flash him a disgusted look. "Where do you get the idea that all is fine and dandy for me here, Sirius?"

The laughter drained from his brother's face. "I didn't mean it like that."

Regulus shot over an exasperated expression before returning to the task of organizing his notes. He didn't really want to talk to Sirius, but his curiosity won out. After a lull, he spoke up. "You were not on the train."

"Dad picked me up." Sirius shrugged. "Suppose they thought I was a flight risk."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Wonder where that idea came from."

"Tone down the sarcasm, smart ass." Sirius snickered. "Besides, I've never tried to get out of returning for summer. I accept my fate for the long breaks."

Regulus had nothing else to say to his brother. He knew his parents must have spoken to his brother about his heir duties when they returned home. Now that his mother had given up on him after his episode, even she seemed to be embracing Sirius as their heir, and she had no interest left in Regulus. He shouldn't have been hurt by it, seeing that Sirius was always meant to be heir, but it stung to be shunned anyway for something he had no fault in.

His brother was relentless, starting up again, "Congrats on third for charms. I see you're following in my footsteps, even if you were down a few places. Room for improvement!"

"Be quiet." Regulus huffed. He had barely registered that he achieved the top three in his class for charms, being too worried about his transfiguration mark. He wasn't surprised that Sirius had been keeping track of his rankings though.

"You're not the boss of me." Sirius snickered. "I am elder here, remember?"

Regulus tossed his notepads into the drawer of his nightstand with more force than necessary. The teasing was only rousing his temper. He was annoyed that Sirius was treating everything as if it were a joke. Even after everything that happened over Christmas, his brother came in taking the piss out of his grades and poor quidditch performance. Those were the important topics to discuss, apparently.

"Reg, come on." Sirius' tone softened. "Why are you mad at me? I don't want to spend all break with you being peeved off over me trying to spend the winter break at Potter's or whatever it is you're miffed about. I’m sorry I left you alone, honest."

Regulus slammed his drawer closed and turned to face Sirius. He held himself up in a taut position, with his chin rising slowly as he eyed his brother over with all the coldness he could muster. "Are you going to leave?" He asked.

Sirius was thrown off. "What?"

Regulus set his chin stubbornly, "Answer the question."

"Leave what?"

"The family," Regulus answered with a twinge of annoyance. "Are you going to leave the family?"

"Regulus." Sirius sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hands. "I don't know what you want me to say here. What choice do I have?"

"You have a choice." Regulus insisted. "You can choose to stay or to go. Are you going to leave?"

His brother stared over helplessly, taking his sweet time to respond. "I’m trying," Sirius muttered. "I’m trying to do what they want me to do."

Regulus' eyes drilled into him. "That is not an answer."

"I do not want to leave."

"Then stay." Regulus' tone lost a bit of its coldness for an instant, his surge of hope getting the best of him. He wanted nothing more than to regain his faith in his brother. "If you do not wish to leave, then do not."

"It isn't that simple." Sirius leaned back. "I don't know if I can do everything they're asking of me. And I don't think I can find any happiness in this life, truly I don't. I'm not happy here."

"No one is happy here." Regulus was unsympathetic. "You are not the center of the universe, Sirius. We all do what we need to do for the family, even if it is not easy, because we have a greater purpose in this world."

Sirius glowered over at him, annoyed. "Don't you dare start with that pureblood mumbo jumbo."

"I thought you were trying to fulfill your role." Regulus hissed. "Mocking our family's values is not starting on the right foot."

"Shut up." Sirius yanked himself upright, his face colouring. "You're not going to bloody lecture me on family values too. I am sick and tired of hearing it."

Regulus fell silent. He knew that he was being foolish, thinking he could talk his brother into anything. Sirius never did anything that he didn't want to do, Regulus reflected bitterly, and fulfilling his duties was not something that he wanted to do. Regulus gazed back at his brother with a petulant expression, but he dropped the topic, knowing that his pleas were falling upon deaf ears. Talking to Sirius was useless.

Sirius didn't seem willing to start the conversation up again, a storm on his face, so Regulus decided to change the topic. He went to his drawer, seeking out the parchment containing his grades. He climbed onto the bed beside his brother and handed it over without a word. Sirius accepted it warily, peering down at what he had offered up.

Regulus watched as Sirius' eyes went down the list, trying to gauge his brother's reaction.

94 Herbology
93 DADA
80 Transfiguration
97 Charms
93 History
92 Potions
90 Astronomy

After a beat, Sirius smiled at him weakly. "Quite impressive."

Regulus felt a flush of pride at his brother's approval, but his happiness quickly wilted away when he remembered how low transfiguration ended up being. "Mum will murder me for my transfiguration grade." Regulus pressed his lips together. "I cannot seem to get the hang of it, no matter how much I try."

"80% isn't bad." Sirius groaned. "All of your marks are brilliant, don't let them get you down on yourself. Besides, I happen to be pretty decent with transfiguration if you want help."

Regulus shrugged weakly, unsure if he was willing to accept that offer. "I want to see yours." He demanded instead.

"Yessir." Sirius mockingly saluted. "Follow me."

Regulus followed his brother into his bedroom, but once he was through the entrance, he froze at the sight before him. His brother's room was somehow an absolute wreck while being eerily empty at the same time.

Sirius sheepishly kicked at some of the clothes that were scattered around the room as he walked in, pausing to dig through his trunk for his letter. Regulus was too shocked by the sight of the room to pay him much mind. There were muggle clothes and school uniforms alike tossed about on the floor and furniture. Besides the clothes, the room was completely barren, save for some empty furniture and a bed missing any bedding. His brother's mattress was completely bare, with neither sheets nor blankets. All it held was a sole pillow.

Regulus was a bit mortified as he peered around. Surely, his mother wouldn't have stripped his brother of bedsheets, would she? He supposed she had done worse, but the thought made him feel ill anyway. "What happened in here?"

"What do you think?" Sirius scoffed.

"They confiscated your bedsheets too?"

Sirius chuckled. "No, I tore them up. Was losing it a bit when they locked me in here for six and a half days over winter break."

Regulus clenched his jaw at that response. He did not want to imagine his brother losing his mind while being trapped in his bedroom for all of winter break. The image made it very difficult to maintain his anger with his brother. For the first time in a long time, he felt the urge to protect his brother again, even if his actions put him at odds with his mother.

Filled with his newfound rebellious spirit, Regulus headed back to his room to get the extra bedding he kept stored in his closet. His brother should not sleep on a barren mattress, for Merlin's sake, especially not when he had extra sheets lying around.

His brother had followed him, appearing in his doorway while Regulus yanked the linen off of his closet shelf. "I have extra," he said when he noticed Sirius watching.

Sirius shook his head quickly, "I don't think you should give it to me. I don't want Mum to give you a hard time for helping me again. It's fine, I don't need sheets."

Regulus only scowled and pressed the linen into Sirius' hands. He shut the closet door without saying anything else. His brother's weak attempts to warn him were pointless. He had already made up his mind.

Sirius relented after a beat, a soft smile appearing on his lips. His eyes shone at Regulus, the moment feeling oddly nostalgic. Being at Grimmauld Place had an odd effect on them, as usual, where old habits seemed to reappear. Despite all of their recent conflicts, they could not help but return to protecting one another the moment they stepped foot in their house.

Regulus reviewed his brother's third-year grades while his brother worked on making his bed.

90 Herbology
96 DADA
96 Transfiguration
99 Charms
85 History
90 Potions
83 Astronomy
96 Arithmancy
93 Muggle Studies

They were significantly better, he noted. The thought made his mouth taste bitter. It was hard to exist in the shadow of his brother. Even if Sirius tended to slack off in certain classes, he had a streak of careless brilliance, something Regulus was very envious of. Everything that only came with time and hard work for him had always come easily to his brother. In their studies, their friendships, and their standings within the family.

He carefully hid his bitterness behind a blank expression when the bed was made. "You got better grades this year," was all he said as he handed the parchment over to his brother.

"Yeah." Sirius sighed. "I tried."

"That is a first." Regulus remarked dryly.

"Keep mocking me." Sirius shrugged smugly. "You're just miffed that I have a higher average than you this year."

"We can only compare by year." Regulus argued, annoyed that the comment got under his skin. It was true, which made it a bit infuriating. "Of course, you did well in electives, you chose them. I have a higher average than you had in your second year. When I finish third year, then we can compare our third-year scores."

Sirius scoffed. "Someone is a sore loser."

Regulus huffed softly, but the edge of his lips betrayed him with a hint of a smirk. It was hard to remain annoyed with his brother.

"How have things been for you at Hogwarts lately?" Sirius changed the topic. "Narcissa said all of your friends were cool about the episode."

"You should stay out of my personal business," Regulus remarked, with a twinge of annoyance. He would have to have a word with his cousin too, apparently. "But nothing has come of it at school. They have all been fine."

"Has mum said anything?" His brother asked.

Regulus swayed nervously from foot to foot. His brother had hit a sensitive spot, with a wound too tender to easily lie about what had been going on. If he were to lie, Sirius would surely see through him, so he said nothing.

Sirius seemed to register what his silence implied. "I am sorry, Reg." He sighed.

Regulus didn't answer. He instead began to collect some of the clothes his brother had thrown around the room, bothered by the mess. Sirius joined in until all of the clothes were in the hamper and the room was empty again.

"How have things been in Slytherin lately?" Sirius asked, after a quiet pause. "Now that Bellatrix is back."

"She was hardly back." Regulus retorted. "She was barely ever allowed to be around the other Slytherin students. Professor Flinn kept her isolated."

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. "Is she and Lestrange splitting up?" He wondered.

"They are on good terms again." Regulus disagreed, not thinking before he went on. "I saw them together."

"In the common room?" Sirius was surprised.

Regulus' face coloured and his shoulders stiffened. He had seen them together that day when his cousin and the older students spoke to him about replacing his brother. That certainly wasn't a conversation he felt like sharing with his brother. He could only imagine what Sirius would do in retaliation.

"When did you see them together?" Sirius prodded him again, sounding a bit worried. "What were they doing?"

Regulus retracted in disgust, realizing that his brother had misinterpreted his hesitation. "Nothing inappropriate!" Regulus replied quickly. "But I was not supposed to tell anyone I spoke to Bellatrix that day. She was forbidden from speaking with the other Slytherin students."

Sirius' eyebrows arched. "You talked to her?"

It was to be expected that his brother would be surprised to hear that. Regulus and Bellatrix were hardly blossoming buddies in the past. If anything, Regulus had only been Bellatrix's consistent target to get at Sirius. She seemed to rarely bother speaking with him otherwise. Before then, that is.

Regulus avoided meeting his brother's gaze as he replied. "Well, I talked to a bunch of the older years. They called me over, and Bellatrix was among them."

"What did they say to you?" Sirius asked, a frown on his face.

"Not much." Regulus fiddled with his sleeve, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He hoped that his brother wouldn't press for more information. While deceit typically came naturally to him, he had never been good at hiding anything from his brother.

Thankfully, Sirius brushed it off. "Were they bothering you?"

The hero act was getting old. It stirred up old resentments in Regulus once more. He gave his brother a cold glare. "I can take care of myself. I am much better at holding my own among the ancient wizarding families than you are, you know."

Sirius threw his hands up defensively at the stinging comment. He shook his head in disbelief. "Cripes, all right. I'll just sit back and let them turn you into a little Slytherin monster in your dark wizard school for tots."

Regulus did not have time to respond before Kreacher appeared at the door. Their moments of in-between had come to an end and it was time to face their parents.

****

July, 1974

The next two weeks were a bore.

His mother had organized daily summer studies for him and his brother, which started after breakfast and didn’t end until shortly before supper. They were training with separate governesses, however, as his brother's lessons vastly differed from his.

Sirius was being prepared for his role as heir, that was clear. Not only was he studying with a new governess daily, but his brother was also spending afternoons shadowing their father in his work, training in ballroom dancing, and sitting for a portrait.

Regulus, on the other hand, was only scheduled for his typical lessons with his old governess. Some material covered were things he would learn at Hogwarts in the upcoming year, but a lot was advanced magic or material that his mother deemed necessary for any trueborn wizard to understand.

He was nearly as lonely as he had been over the year he spent alone for those first two weeks. He was equally as ignored. He rarely saw anyone outside of his governess most days, only having brief sightings of his parents for their silent meals. While Sirius would get the occasional address over mealtimes, usually to be rebuked for whatever wrongdoings he was doing lately, no one ever addressed Regulus.

Sirius was at home with him this time, but his bitterness over his brother being prepared to be heir, combined with his fear around his brother's impending betrayal, made it difficult to get along in the rare moments the brothers had together. He could not help but hope he could somehow will his brother into doing his duties, leading to endless bickering between them, far more than ever before. Regulus couldn't help but argue with him. He didn't want Sirius to fail - he wanted his brother to step up and do his job. Not only for the wellbeing of the family or to take the weight off his shoulders, but also since he couldn't bear to lose his only brother. He couldn't bear the thought of Sirius leaving him behind in that house. And so their bickering continued.

Regulus didn't expect the summer to change as time went on, assuming their new routines would be consistent until the end of the break. He was incorrect.

Regulus had found himself alone with his mother for breakfast one morning. His father was likely simply skipping the meal, but Sirius' absence was unexpected. Perhaps he had slept in – his brother was rather lousy at getting himself up in the morning. Their mother would surely admonish his brother and refuse to allow him to eat if he walked in late.

Regulus sat across from his mother in silence for a few minutes. He was unable to get himself to eat, his eyes darting over to his tense mother occasionally. He knew children were to be seen not heard at meals, and that it was frowned upon to speak to a parent unless the parent called upon them, but he desperately needed to break the silence between them. He was imploding under the pressure of his mother's indifference.

Before he could collect his courage, a loud rapping noise echoed through the halls, startling both of them. His mother's chin rose as her eyes darted around. "I must see who is calling without any notice," she huffed, rising to her feet as she primly tapped her handkerchief on her lips. "You will wait here."

"Yes, ma'am." Regulus murmured his response.

He sat frozen in his seat as his mother's footsteps retreated to their entrance foyer. He braced himself when he heard the door swing open, her words setting him on edge. "Bellatrix!" His mother sounded surprised.

"Aunt," Bellatrix's voice was unnervingly bright, the insincerity leaking out of it. "I apologize for not writing before stopping by. It could not wait, for I bring information of great urgency."

"I see," his mother's voice was strained. "Let us retire to my study then."

Regulus listened as his mother and cousin disappeared into her study, wondering what his older cousin could have to say to his mother. His recent conversation with Bellatrix had him quite on edge with the thought of her and Sirius running into each other, not to mention the incident with the silent hark potion earlier in the year. He was certain that neither his brother nor cousin had put the matter behind them.

Their meeting was not long. It could not have been more than ten minutes before he heard Bellatrix's self-assured footsteps sauntering off toward the front door again. She sounded smug and sure of herself as if she had accomplished something of great satisfaction that morning.

Her voice rang out once more, aggressively cheerful, "Have a lovely day, little cousin."

Regulus knew that she could not be speaking to him. She had not even seen him. He winced as he realized that his brother must be on the staircase. As the door closed behind his cousin, he slipped to his feet, slowly moving closer to the dining hall entrance, trying to see what was happening.

Sirius was on the stairs. He had just caught sight of his brother standing there, a panicked and stricken expression on his face, before he heard his mother down the corridor. "Get over here right this instant." His mother hissed.

Regulus was frozen in place at the entrance, watching helplessly as his brother reluctantly walked down the stairs. The cold fingers of dread had coiled around Regulus' throat again, his breaths feeling forced. He didn't know what his cousin had done, but the expression on his brother's face conveyed how gruesome the aftermath was sure to be. She had done something at his brother's expense, that much was clear, and it was not a surprise to his brother. He had been expecting it.

Once Sirius was on the floor level, their mother grabbed a hold of his shoulder and began to pull him toward their father's office. "You will tell me the truth." She was still hissing as she yanked his brother further away, "Did you behave in the heinous manner depicted on this list?"

"What?" His brother gasped, his voice strained in his throat. "What list?"

"Do not engage in deception!" His mother spat, still tugging his brother toward the office, "I can easily pry into your feeble mind and discover the truth for myself."

Regulus let his eyelids droop as he backed up into the dining hall, not wanting to see anything else. He knew that any hope of a peaceful summer was behind them. His brother had done something foul, it seemed, and his cousin was exposing it after Sirius betrayed her. Bellatrix never forgot a slight and never let anything go without severe retribution. She would ensure that his brother paid dearly for crossing her, he was sure.

"I don't know what it says!" He could hear his brother shout back in impotent fury. The noises of their argument were muffled when they entered his father's study.

There was nothing he could do then, so he returned to his meal. Regulus finished his breakfast in silence before he went to his lessons for the day. No one had come out of his father's study before he was shut into the study hall by his governess.

Regulus could hardly focus on his studies for the remainder of the morning, restless as he wondered about what was occurring outside of the four walls he was locked in. When he was released for lunch, he found the dining hall empty, other than Kreacher, who was setting the plates and muttering to himself.

"Kreacher," Regulus started, nervously, "Where is everyone? Are they still in my father's study?"

The house elf peered back at him, blinking a few times. "No, no, the master is there alone. He is fuming after that terribly bad seed disrespected him so, no doubt. That boy is a disgrace. A vile traitor to the Ancient and Noble House of Black."

"Sirius?" Regulus asked, trying to make sense of his rambles, "Where is he?" He asked, his heart in his throat. "Is he here?"

"The young master is in his room," Kreacher assured him, "He ran away and made the mistress chase him, he did, but she brought him back. The poor mistress, she tries so hard but that boy - he is unruly. Not good at all."

Regulus didn't say anything else as the house elf walked off, continuing to mumble insults levied at his brother under his breath. Regulus didn't need to hear more to piece together how the morning had gone while he was in his lessons.

Sirius was not released for a week.

He could not hear anything from his brother's room while he was locked in there, nor did he ever see his brother leave. Both parents were short-tempered in the days that followed, but Regulus did not see either go to speak to his brother either.

He finally got an indication of what his brother had done when his mother beckoned him into her study after his lessons one day. He was almost too nervous to even feel relief that his mother was finally speaking to him again when he walked in, politely waiting for her to address him. He was sure that it was no coincidence that she finally called upon him now that his brother had done something that angered her.

"Regulus," she said when she peered his way, "We must speak."

Regulus did not say anything, only nodding ever so slightly. He had so desperately wanted to speak to her for weeks.

She clenched her jaw before she spoke, her fingers delicately fiddling with the parchments lining her desktop. "Your brother has dishonoured himself and this family greatly as of late. Do you know what I speak of?"

Regulus was not quite sure what she meant. "I am not positive."

Her eyes flashed darkly. "Do you mean to tell me that you had no idea that your brother has rejected all of our pureborn traditions and beliefs, and has instead allied himself with muggles and fornicated with the offspring of muggles?"

Regulus' breath was caught in his throat. "I was never certain..." His voice wilted away, not sure what he could possibly say in his defence. He had known, he had always known, what his brother truly believed. He had closed his eyes to it anyway.

His mother surveyed him with cold eyes. "Did you see your brother use underage magic?"

He was bewildered yet again. "Yes, ma'am." He mumbled out.

"Do not mumble, it is beneath your status to speak in such an undignified manner," she rebuked him.

He straightened up briskly. "Yes, ma'am. I apologize, I meant, I did see him cast a spell."

"And you neglected to share this with me why?"

Regulus' eyes were downcast. She was displeased that he had not reported his brother's behaviour sooner. "I did not know what I ought to do in that situation."

His mother's words were razor sharp, "You ought to report everything of importance that occurs back to senior members of this family." She paused, "Look at me, Regulus."

He lifted his eyes obediently, his cheeks flushing in shame.

"I will not have you becoming as secretive and disobedient as that waste of pure blood up there, do you hear me?" She spat, her eyes ablaze in anger.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, subdued. He blinked back the tears that were threatening to emerge. "I should have told you."

"Yes, you should have." She told him firmly, her arms held rigidly at her sides. Her eyes assessed him viciously.

Regulus swallowed loudly. He suspected that he might be in for it. She seemed quite displeased with him and his brother alike, and while his brother was locked away, he would surely bear the brunt of her frustration. As usual.

But his mother did not push the matter further. Her tense posture slumped somewhat as she strummed her fingernails on her desktop, her eyes gazing upward, as if she was lost in thought. "Your brother has scorned our family," she told him, after a pause, "He has declared that he does not care for any of our traditions or beliefs. He is not fit to be heir."

Regulus could not speak a word to save his life, only watching his mother listlessly. He had known all year that this realization was coming, but it ripped him apart to hear his mother make the reality plain regardless.

"So, we are back to where we were last year," she said coolly, clasping her hands together, "You tied my hands recently." She informed him. "Your father prevailed with his pick because of your recent conduct, and I had no say in the matter. But the situation has changed again, and your father will need to reconsider the options he is left with." Her eyes narrowed lightly, "So, I must hear the truth of it. Have you seen any indication of inappropriate behaviours returning since March?"

Regulus' eyes widened as he recognized what she was asking. "No, ma'am." He answered quickly.

She stilled as she stared him down, pondering the honesty of his response. "Are you being truthful with me?"

"Yes, I swear to you," Regulus was nearly pleading, desperate to have his mother forgive him, "Nothing unusual has occurred since I returned to Hogwarts."

His mother scanned him over harshly for another minute before she accepted that response. Her face softened. "Good," she said, pleased, "We will put this matter behind us then, yes?"

Regulus nodded enthusiastically, wanting nothing more than to forget that the episode ever happened. He would do anything to have his mother happy with him again. He missed her terribly.

She nodded a few more times, a relieved smile resting on her lips, disturbing her otherwise cold facial features. "You will not succumb to such weakness again, do you hear? I expect you to be ready to remedy your brother's failings."

"Yes, ma'am," Regulus replied. He hardly was sure if he could promise that another episode wouldn't happen, as it didn't seem to be within his control, but he might never experience anything similar again. He could not poison his relationship with his mother off the slim chance that he'd have another episode. So he reassured her, firmly, "It will not occur again."

"You are excused." His mother told him primly.

He left her study without another word.

Seven days passed before anyone entered his brother's bedroom. Regulus had been in the library when he saw his father walk by. He rarely saw his father outside of his study, so he swiftly became alert. Regulus walked over quietly to peek around the doorway to see where his father was going. As he suspected, the man was heading upstairs.

Regulus watched as his father removed the enchantment from his brother's door before he entered the bedroom. Regulus retreated to his table with blood rushing in his ears. He was infuriated with his brother for spitting on the family values before their parents, further proving that he intended to abandon them all, but he still loathed knowing that Sirius was locked up. He was relieved that his father was ending the imprisonment, even though he was sure that he wouldn't be able to stomach a single conversation with his brother for the rest of the break.

He returned to the homework he had been working on, trying his best to ignore whatever conversation was occurring above. It was none of his business. Even when he heard his father calling for his mother, he kept his attention firmly on his schoolwork. For once, he had no interest in spying and hearing all of the nefarious misdeeds his brother had taken part in lately. He was feeling gutted by his brother's actions after Sirius had told him that he'd try, only to instantly break his word, so he wanted to stay as far away from that mess as he could.

Regulus remained in the library, his knuckles white around his book, pretending not to hear his brother's soft sobs mixed in with words floating down the staircase.

****

August, 1974

Regulus was not quite certain what took place between his brother and his parents, but after the afternoon his father spent in his brother's bedroom, things calmed around the house. Sirius was no longer trapped in his personal quarters, being present for meals again, and back in his lessons with the governess.

But there were a few noticeable changes. Both parents were far more careful and hostile toward his brother, and Sirius spent fewer afternoons shadowing their father. There also were changes to his brother's schedule. Regulus rarely saw his brother anymore when his brother's lessons became all day long instead of having free time before dinner, and his lunch breaks were cut. It was as if his parents no longer trusted Sirius to be unsupervised for a second.

Sirius had absolutely no free time during his weekdays any longer, only on weekends, which made it quite easy for Regulus to avoid him. It was for the best. He didn't have anything to say to his brother anymore. Even if he had wanted to talk to his brother though, it would have been a moot point, as his mother forbade it after Sirius was released from his room.

At the beginning of the first meal together after his brother was isolated for a week, his mother turned to him primly once his brother sat down. "You will not speak with your brother, Regulus." She commanded. "He is a poor influence."

"Yes, ma'am," Regulus replied automatically. He did not meet his brother’s gaze.

His mother returned her piercing eyes to her older son. "You are forbidden from exiting the premises or contacting anyone over the duration of this break."

His brother made a rather disrespectful gesture, clenching his teeth down and shrugging with a petulant scowl on his face.

"Use your voice or you will lose it." His mother threatened.

Regulus watched the encounter silently. He loathed that his brother always pushed his mother to her limit. He had never understood why Sirius riled her up, and as he matured, it only seemed more pathetic to behave in such a childish way.

"Yep, got it." Sirius flashed her a coy smile.

His mother gritted her teeth as Sirius turned to his breakfast. She carried on, her words acidic, "You will be completing your suit fitting, but I have revoked the portrait order. You will not hang on these walls until you have earned your place and have corrected your misguided ways."

"Sounds agreeable." Sirius shrugged, his tone bored. "I would've hated to have a portrait."

His brother finally seemed to have pushed her too far. She began to rise from her seat, but their father lifted a hand to coax her back down. The man had been sitting there lifelessly throughout the encounter before then, but he finally interfered at that point, shooting Sirius a warning look. "Watch your mouth."

Sirius muttered his apologies. "Sorry." He did not sound the least bit sorry.

"Another word and you will be excused." Their father warned sternly. "Eat your breakfast and spare us your insolence."

No one else spoke for the rest of the meal.

The rest of the week was less eventful. Regulus did not need to do much to avoid his brother when the boy was constantly locked up in his lessons and they were sent directly to bed after supper. Regulus instead focused on getting ahead in his studies, spending the weekends on his broomstick, and doing whatever his mother bid whenever she'd call upon him. She mostly only wished to talk about his lessons, but he was too elated that she was speaking to him again to mind the stale conversations.

The weeks slowly dragged by. Regulus found himself yearning for Hogwarts by the end of the month, wondering how he was supposed to endure another month of his tense household.

August brought some relief in the form of his family’s cottage. Regulus and Sirius both got invited to spend some time at the cottage with their Aunt, Uncle and Narcissa mid-way through the last month of their break. Bellatrix would not be going.

Regulus knew from Narcissa's letters that Bellatrix had followed through with the extortion she used to force Sirius into helping with her silent hark potion, and in return, his brother had revealed many of the misdeeds Bellatrix committed in the past. One of which was how Bellatrix hurled a Confringo curse at him years back to force his brother to use underage magic. His mother had been very angry to hear about that, and had a meeting with Bellatrix's parents about it. They had agreed to keep their elder daughter away from him and Sirius for now.

Narcissa felt very bad about it, but he did not know how to react to that news. He was stunned to hear that both Bellatrix and Sirius revealed damning secrets about one another to the adults. As far back as he could remember, his cousin and brother tormented each other relentlessly, but it had always been the unspoken agreement that whatever took place, it remained between them. They never ran to the adults.

That seemed to have changed.

He tried to contemplate why Bellatrix would have chosen to do that from a strategic point of view. He suspected she had not done it on a whim when she waited almost a year before following through on her threats. He had an inkling of what she was trying to achieve by reporting on his brother to their parents while he was being prepared to be heir. She made it clear that she wanted to edge Sirius out of the family, so perhaps that was her way of forming a wedge between his brother and his parents. It did seem to be working.

Whatever the reason, Bellatrix had been shunned from their summer camping trip. Or, as Narcissa told him, Bellatrix had opted to stay with the Lestranges for a few weeks. She had been bickering with her parents endlessly, Narcissa admitted, ever since the silent hark potion incident. Bellatrix probably wouldn't have come even if she had been allowed to.

It was for the best. Regulus was overwhelmed enough having to sleep in the same room as his brother after avoiding him for weeks, he didn't need his unnerving cousin to add to his stress.

Regulus vehemently ignored his brother over their first night at the cottage. Sirius allowed the tense silence without much resistance that night, but Regulus suspected that his brother wouldn't permit it for long. He knew that he’d need to avoid the boy at all costs. He was the first to wake up in the morning, so he slipped out of the room quietly, his broomstick in hand, not wanting to rouse his brother.

The kitchen was not empty when he slipped downstairs though. He was surprised by the sight of Aunt Druella sitting at one end of the table. She lifted her chin at the noise of his footsteps.

She forced a smile, "Ah, Regulus. You are up so early."

Regulus was not sure what to say. "I wake up quite early," he offered weakly.

His eyes couldn't help but inspect his aunt. He had not gotten a good look at her in nearly a year. She did not seem to be doing well. The year had taken a toll on his aunt, that much was clear, from the grey hairs and stress wrinkles. She had always been quite cheerful in his childhood, but barely any of that spirit and cheer seemed to remain, the woman looking rather glum as she forced herself to smile. He wasn't sure if it was Bellatrix's court case and recent behaviour, his parents breathing down her neck, or the war, but his aunt looked exhausted.

"You must be hungry," his aunt cooed. "No worries, our house elf will be residing with us while we are at the cottage. I'll make sure she begins preparing breakfast now."

"I am much obliged," Regulus said, keeping his tone polite. "If I may, I intended to go on my broomstick before the others wake up. I will return for breakfast."

"Of course, dear," his aunt smiled, pouring tea into a cup. "I will send Blinks to get you once the food is prepared."

"I appreciate it," he nodded.

She wasn't finished yet, her eyes misting as she inspected him, her gentle smile less forced. "You really have blossomed into such a fine young man." She commented, her words sending a shiver down his spine. "We are all so proud of you, Regulus."

He blinked a few times, floored by her comments. He had never attracted the family's attention in any way all his life, truly. He couldn't imagine him being discussed at family meetings, but her words implied that he had been a topic of discussion recently. The thought terrified him.

"Thank you," he choked out.

She waved him off, "Go on, now. Have a good time."

He obeyed without another word.

Camping with his brother wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be in the end. The cottage had a positive effect on all of their moods, it always did. It was hard to stay angry with Sirius when they were kayaking together, playing quidditch or visiting nearby wizard-owned shops with their aunt and uncle's permission.

As the week went on, Regulus became more relaxed around his brother so long as they were engaging in group activities together. At night, he carefully avoided his brother at all costs.

It was hard finding a balance between his yearning to have fun with his brother and cousin, while also facing the reality of his brother betraying the family in every way he possibly could. Whether or not Bellatrix outed his brother's behaviour for her own purposes, what she had told his parents wasn't untrue. Sirius had scorned their traditions and refused to respect pureborn beliefs. He had betrayed their trust, fled from the family at every opportunity, and dragged their good name through the mud at Hogwarts for years. He had kept endless secrets from their parents. The list went on and on, truly.

As much as Regulus longed to enjoy the vacation, all of his doubts and fears were always there, right below the surface. And so he carefully avoided any serious topics with his brother and kept his distance as much as he could.

Narcissa had a surprise for them at the end of the week.

She woke Regulus and Sirius up by barging into their bedroom bright and early in the morning. She nudged and tugged at their blankets till both reluctantly sat up to see what she wanted.

Narcissa grinned brightly at them with her hands behind her back. "I have a surprise."

"Narcissa." Sirius moaned, sounding cranky as all hell. The bloke valued his sleep. "You already forced us awake at this terrible hour. Show us what it is!"

"What is the surprise?" Regulus asked, ignoring his brother's moaning.

Narcissa smiled at him as she pulled her arms around to show off the three slips of parchment perched within her grasp. Regulus recognized the symbol of the Holyhead Harpies emblazoned on a green ribbon across the header of the tickets.

Sirius didn't seem tired anymore. "Are those real?"

"No." Narcissa sighed, her tone heavily sarcastic. "I woke you up to show you counterfeit tickets."

Sirius kicked his covers aside to climb off his bed. "You actually have tickets?"

Narcissa handed them over so his brother could see for himself. Regulus could see his brother's face brightening as he inspected them. "How did you get a hold of these?" Sirius asked, his tone conveying his disbelief. "Are your folk letting us go?"

"My goodness." Narcissa laughed. "Must I spell it out for you, Sirius? The tickets should have been enough explanation. We are going to the game if you ever quit asking me silly questions and get ready. Mum will be transporting us to a portkey shortly."

"That will be neat." Regulus remarked, starting to make his bed, "I have never seen a professional game before."

"You have." Sirius scoffed, his eyes still on the tickets clenched in his fist. "Dad took us to see one years back."

Regulus straightened up, staring at his brother's back, letting his eyes burn holes in his exasperation. Of course, Sirius forgot that he wasn't included in those trips he went on with his father. His brother had long been blind to the way he was left out and utterly forgotten by their father. As far back as he could remember, Sirius had been his father's only son.

Sirius must have grown uncomfortable in the silence as he turned, meeting his sullen gaze. Regulus finally spoke. "Father took you to a quidditch game. I was not invited."

"Oh." Sirius frowned. "I thought you were there."

Regulus' resolve to get along with his brother for the sake of the vacation withered away for a moment. He bit back the urge to hurl something at his brother's head. Was his brother truly this ignorant of how things functioned in their household? Could he really live in such an alternative reality beneath the same roof? It was absurd how he never could see his father's flaws.

He quickly returned to neatly covering his bed with the embroidered covers, trying to calm the anger brewing within him. Narcissa was quiet at the doorway, but her eyes were carefully watching the scene.

His brother shrugged it off as if it were nothing, completely oblivious to how much his words had wounded Regulus. "Well, this would be much more fun to go watch anyway. Now that we are old enough to know what we are watching."

Regulus did not reply, his vision blurring as he continued to clean up in sullen silence.

The three were soon heading toward the portkey location with Aunt Druella. Their aunt was in a chipper mood as they used the floo network to a central point, where the portkey to the match was located. When they exited a central train station in Wales, a few others wearing dark green shirts could be seen wandering toward the back of a nearby phone booth. They were clearly heading toward Holy Island for the match.

"Now, children." Aunt Druella started, clearing her throat several times. "I am going to let you continue from here on your own. I expect you all to be responsible, and be here at 4pm sharp. I will be back to collect you then."

Regulus and Sirius nodded quickly, but let Narcissa respond. "We will be here on time, Mum."

"Good." His aunt smiled at her daughter. "Do enjoy the game!"

"We will." Sirius smirked. "Thanks, Aunt Druella."

Their aunt waited for the three to find the portkey behind the booth before she apparated away. They found an enchanted magazine that transported them directly to the match entrance when they stepped on it.

The three were bouncing with excitement as they made it into the stands. The crowds were immeasurable and bustling with energy. Music was being played above them, alongside the massive billboards floating midair. Magical creatures of all sorts were wandering the stands, taking their seats or serving drinks up and down the stadium rows.

They had time to collect a few souvenirs from stadium stands before the game was called to a start. The teams came out to blaring songs and performances, causing the energy in the stadium to reach a whole new level. Soon, the match was on.

At the break, the three of them left their seats to go track down a loo. Sirius and Regulus found the gents’ room and left Narcissa behind for a moment.

Regulus was already at the sink when his brother exited his stall. Sirius walked up to the sink beside him and caught his eye in the mirror. Regulus offered him a timid smile in return. It was hard to remain hostile toward his brother when they were at a professional quidditch game, after all. His brother beamed at his expression, a clear relief all over his face.

"Are you enjoying the game?" Sirius asked.

"Naturally." Regulus washed his hands carefully. "I did not think I would ever be able to see a professional game."

"We will see plenty in the future," Sirius replied with a wink. "We will come to watch you fly around up there someday."

Regulus squirmed. "Stop it."

"Are you blushing?" Sirius teased him.

"No!" Regulus turned away sharply to hide the flush of colour in his cheeks.

The two were chuckling to themselves quietly when they exited the bathroom. Narcissa was waiting a few meters away from the entrance with an odd expression on her face.

"Ready to head back?" Sirius asked.

"Wait," Narcissa protested as she grabbed his brother's arm. "There is something else I need to tell you first."

Sirius shot over a puzzled expression. Regulus paused as well, curious about what his cousin might have to say.

Narcissa almost appeared sheepish as she shifted nervously. "I may have bumped into one of your friends in the bathroom."

Regulus' heart dropped.

Sirius was baffled. "Which friend?"

"Marlene McKinnon," Narcissa admitted. "She said she was here with some of the other Gryffindors, and asked me to pass on a message. They want you to meet up with them."

"No bloody way." Sirius laughed. "What is going on with you, Cissy? Saying 'dolt', using sarcasm, and now encouraging me to meet up with friends?"

She flushed with colour, but her voice was amused when she responded. "Do not make me regret this!"

Regulus' eyes were darting to his brother then back to his cousin repeatedly, gobsmacked by the conversation taking place.

"Where are they?" Sirius peered around. "If McKinnon is here, I am sure Patel is as well."

"I know some of your roommates are here too." Narcissa snickered. "Potter and some of the others. She said to meet them at the chocolate frog booth when you come out."

Sirius' eyes bulged. "Some of the Gryffindor blokes are here?"

"Yes, silly." Narcissa sighed. "Go on then. Come back to our seats before the end of the game."

Regulus finally found his voice before his brother could bolt away, his blood boiling in frustration, "Sirius!"

Sirius faltered and peered back over his shoulder.

"You cannot be considering visiting them." Regulus gaped at him, then turned to Narcissa with an equally scornful gaze. "You are on board with this?"

Narcissa furrowed her eyebrows. "Regulus, it isn't a big deal."

Her words only roused his temper further. "That is not true, and he knows it, even if you do not." Regulus spat. He turned back to his brother, "Our mother and father have ordered you to stay away from the Potters."

He couldn't believe that Sirius would run right back to defying their parents' orders the second he had the option to. Even after the brutal summer, his brother had learned absolutely nothing.

"Oh, come on." Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'm only stopping by to say hullo. Mum and Dad will never find out."

That dismissive retort only angered Regulus, his voice becoming cold and bitter, as his desperation got the better of him. "You promised me. You said you would try!"

"I did try!" Sirius snapped in return. "I tried all bloody summer and look where that got me."

"So, you are simply going to give up?"

"Are you soft in the head or something?" Sirius hissed at him. "They gave up on me!"

Regulus' mouth opened and closed a few times before he dropped the conversation. He knew that he might as well have been arguing with a brick wall and he was acutely aware of the scene they were making. Beyond his frozen cousin and angry brother, he could see strangers pausing to peer over. He pressed his lips into a tight line and whirled in the other direction.

Regulus could barely contain his fury as he stormed back to their seats, his cheeks warm. He hoped that he wouldn't cry. His frustration often morphed into tears. He dropped into his seat, holding his head in his hands.

Narcissa followed after him, her face pale. "Regulus," she started when she took a seat at his side.

"Do not, Narcissa," he snapped, "I do not mean to be rude, but I do not want to hear your justifications for his behaviour."

Her face was solemn. "I encouraged him to go see them."

"He knew very well that he should have refused that offer!" Regulus shot back, dropping his hands down to his knees. "He refuses to make a single sacrifice for our family. He will not give up a single opportunity to scorn us or rebel against our parents."

"I understand that," Narcissa sighed, facing forward with a drawn expression, "But refusing him any sort of happiness here won't encourage him to stay."

Regulus’ vision was swimming. "We cannot beg and bribe him to stay forever. It does not work anyway."

Narcissa didn't say anything, only fiddling with her clasped hands on her lap. She seemed saddened by his anger, which only made him feel guilty for snapping at her, but he was too heated to apologize then.

The game continued after a pause, but all of the joy had bled out of it. Regulus could not enjoy a second of it any longer.

Sirius had returned to his seat shortly before the game ended. Regulus refused to look his way, keeping his eyes locked on the game below.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" He heard Narcissa ask.

"I did." His brother replied, sounding cheered. "Thank you so much, honest. This meant a lot."

"Do not mention it." Narcissa returned, a slight strain to her tone.

They sat together till the game came to an end, and then they forced their way to the entrance through the overwhelming masses of audience members. The fans were in high spirits after a home team win, and Narcissa had to cling to both of their arms to keep them from losing each other in the crowd. They somehow managed to get back to the Portkey without losing any limbs or members of their family.

Sirius turned to Regulus as they approached the magazine once more. "You're not going to say anything, are you?"

"No," Regulus replied, mustering up all the venom he could into his words. "I will keep all of your dirty secrets, as per usual."

Sirius huffed under his breath. "For Merlin's sake."

They found their aunt where she instructed them to meet her, and headed back toward the cottage to pack. Regulus and Sirius packed up their bedroom without exchanging a single word - the tension between the two sharp enough to cut.

They used the floo network to return to their aunt and uncle's manor first, where their mother was planning to receive them, but she had not yet arrived when they returned to London. The house elf stacked their luggage up front where the brothers were waiting for their mother to come to collect them.

Narcissa came to get him at one point, stubbornly motioning for him to follow her as she headed up the stairs. Regulus did not bother resisting her order. He did not want to leave things tense with his cousin. He left Sirius behind as he followed her.

She led him up to her room. "Sit with me," she urged him, climbing onto the foot of her bed.

Regulus hesitated. "What if my mum arrives?"

"We will hear the floo network from here," Narcissa promised, "Please, come sit with me, Regulus."

He joined her, getting comfy by her side.

She turned to him, a grave expression on her face. "I am sorry if my actions earlier upset you or if I was being insensitive in what I said." Narcissa spoke slowly, her words fully enunciated, "I do not know what is the best course of action to take here, but I don't want to lose Sirius either. I was only trying to help."

"I know," he sighed. "It is not your fault. I am sorry that I was short with you."

She blinked a few times, a sad smile on her lips. "Before you return home, I have something for you."

"Oh yeah?" Regulus asked, growing a bit excited despite himself. His cousin's gifts were always thoughtful and fun, and he was in drastic need of anything fun to do at Grimmauld Place.

Narcissa climbed off her bed with a perky smile, smoothly moving across the room to her desk. She opened the top drawer, but then she froze, staring out into the hallway. "Regulus," she said, her voice hushed. There was a hint of panic in it.

"What is wrong?" He wondered.

"Bellatrix is here," she whispered, motioning at the open door down the corridor. "She must have arrived home early."

Regulus peered past her, staring at the ajar door. He realized that Bellatrix wasn't in her bedroom. She was somewhere else in the house - alongside his brother.

He was rushing out of the bedroom before he had time to fully weigh his options. He didn't want to know what Bellatrix might do to Sirius if she found him alone.

His fears were realized when he located his brother and his cousin together, the two of them making an exorbitant amount of noise as they argued in the manor's owlery. Regulus had just reached for the door handle when he heard it.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix had shouted, not a shred of insincerity ringing through her voice.

Regulus forced his way into the room, his heart racing. He could see his brother tumble to the floor across the space, laying flat on his back as he writhed in pain. His hands were trembling on his chest as he hissed and strained.

Regulus was mortified as he stood there, frozen, feeling utterly helpless to help his brother.

It ended, after what felt like hours. He could see the veins in Sirius' neck relax as his brother lay there, panting as his eyes rolled back. When he lifted his chin to peer across the room, Regulus was finally able to tear his eyes away to notice his cousin looming over his brother's fallen figure, her wand still pointing directly at him. Her other hand was clenched around a burnt scrap of parchment. Her eyes were empty as she stared down at his brother, her lips pursing to cast the spell once more.

Regulus acted before he thought. His own wand was in his grasp before he even registered it, as he spat out the first spell that came to mind. "Expelliarmus!” he called, frantically.

Bellatrix shrieked with anger as the wand was torn from her grasp. Regulus shuddered at her flash of anger with a rattling gasp, but he stood still, clenching both wands in his grip.

Bellatrix did not come after him. Her face had coloured and her breathing was heavy. "Don't you understand, Regulus?"

He did not reply, only staring back at her, waiting to hear what she wanted him to understand.

"Don't you understand?" Bellatrix gasped again, as her voice filled with pain. "He is a traitor to the family and will leave you behind! He will only leave you heartbroken, just as Narcissa and I were when Andromeda abandoned us."

He had nothing to say in his brother's defence. As his fear subsided, he only felt numb, gazing back at the only family member who had been telling him as it was. His cousin who was as heartbroken over her sister's betrayal as he was heartbroken over his brother's. Then his eyes moved downward, finding Sirius staring back at him, his eyes dark and questioning.

Regulus did not reply immediately, the silence in the room sounding louder than anything he had ever heard before. No one spoke as they waited for him.

His eyes remained on his brother as he finally replied. "I know."

Chapter Text

September, 1974

Regulus walked over to the Great Hall, alongside Fawley and Rosier, to settle down to watch the first years be sorted and the start of the year ceremony. They had found each other in the train compartments, alongside some of the older Slytherin pureblood students. As usual, Barty was nowhere to be found at King's Cross or on the Hogwarts Express. It seemed that Barty was still missing by the time they reached the Great Hall. Fawley was thinking the same.

"Barty is a no-show?" She asked, with a small sneer. "That seems too good to be true."

Rosier shrugged, unconcerned. "He'll probably appear at some point today. He always arrives tardy at the start of the year. Think his folks don't want him to go on the train with the rest of us or something. I don't recall him attending the sorting last year either. Take the break from him when you get it, mates."

Despite his dismissive attitude, it was clear that Rosier was waiting for Barty to arrive. Every time a Slytherin student entered, Rosier would crane his neck for a moment to see who it was. He would sit back after a beat, a flash of frustration on his face afterward.

Regulus was preoccupied with watching someone else. Down at the other end of the Slytherin table, he caught a glimpse of their new Head Girl. Vanity was standing at the front of the table in perfect posture, her hands clasped behind her back. Sloan Travers was by her side, and both were speaking to one another softly. They were facing the sorting ceremony and eyeing over the first years. Crystal Shafiq and Calvin Urquhart were standing a few meters behind her, at the head of the table.

But that was not all. His eyes were drawn over to a few seventh-year halfbloods near the end of the row as well, where the head students usually sat. One was predictable, their halfblood Head Boy, Richard Keitch, but Olive Hornby was seated by Vanity's chair as well. While it was not unheard of for pureblood students to maintain close ties with halfblood students, he was surprised that Vanity would have been ballsy enough to keep her halfblood mates by her side. Either way, he was happy to see her as their Head Girl for the first time. He had long admired her as the prefect and as his quidditch captain.

The ceremony seemed to be nearly prepared to start, as the headmaster arrived and Professor McGonagall carried out a mangy, brown hat. Regulus sat back on his bench in attention, waiting to see where the newcomers would be sorted.

He jumped in surprise when someone touched his shoulder. Regulus turned, seeing that Burke had poked him from a few seats over. When she caught his attention, she pointed down the aisle without a word. Regulus followed her finger and realized that Madam Pomfrey was standing near the end of the Slytherin table, motioning him over.

Regulus stood up numbly. He felt embarrassed as he slowly navigated his way over. He hoped not many had noticed him being singled out by the Matron, and that no one would wonder why the nurse needed to speak to him so soon after he returned. He didn't want anyone to remember the incident that occurred the previous year.

He followed her out into the entrance hall without a word being exchanged. She waited until they were well down the hall before she spoke to him. "Very nice to see you again, dear. I wanted to get a full report of your summer and show you the treatment I have been working on over the break immediately."

Regulus nodded, meekly. He assumed that she would be hounding him for the details of his summer shortly after he arrived at Hogwarts. He did appreciate her enthusiasm, but it made him feel rather embarrassed to have so much attention being shed on his abnormality. He had followed her treatment plan over the break, in secret from his mother, but his behaviour had remained constant. He was starting to feel rather confident that whatever took place was simply an isolated situation, and the treatment may no longer be necessary.

The more he thought about it, the more he could convince himself that he would not have another episode. It was a one-time bizarre incident, but it would not happen again. It could not happen again. His mother made him promise that he would never succumb to such weakness again.

The Matron went on, cheerfully. "I have developed specialized restoration potions, stabilizing potions and diagnostic spells that I think will come in handy for this case."

Regulus nodded politely. "Thank you, ma'am."

He was not sure if he would continue with her treatment. But he did not want to tell her that, as he was sure she would insist he must continue. It would be hard enough to hide it from Rosier and Narcissa, he did not need the Matron on his case as well.

The ceremony was complete by the time Regulus was dismissed from the Matron's office. He went down to the dungeons instead, where he met up with his roommates, including Barty. The boy was on his bed when he walked in, holding a pair of scissors as he cut articles out of a tabloid in his hands. The pile of demolished newspapers on his bed conveyed how long he had been working on this task. He did not turn when Regulus came in, only continuing to slowly cut the newspaper up meticulously.

Regulus stared at him, a bit bewildered for a pause. Barty seemed weirdly subdued, and he wasn't sure if the lad was safe to approach. He met Rosier's eyes across the room. Rosier smirked, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't seem surprised or concerned by Barty's behaviour.

Regulus walked up beside Barty, peering down at what he was working on. "Hullo, Barty." He greeted the lad politely. "How was your summer?"

Barty did not stop cutting up the articles on his bed, but a small smirk rolled up the side of his lips. "Shut up, Reggie." He said, in lieu of a greeting.

That was predictable. Regulus did not react, turning to his other roommates to say hello. Keitch and Hornby had brought their trunks over after entering shortly before Regulus had. He caught their eye as he watched them start to unpack.

"Hullo." Regulus offered, tone polite.

"Hi," Hornby replied, sounding a bit surprised. He recovered quickly. "How was your break?"

Regulus shrugged. "I am happy to be back. How was yours?"

"It was nice..." He hesitated and seemed to be searching for something else to say. "Are you all excited for third year? Which electives did you choose?"

Regulus peered over at Rosier, who was eyeing the halfbloods over warily. His friend did not reply. Regulus sighed, softly, turning back to answer the question. "All three of us picked Arithmancy and Ancient Runes."

"Stop yapping." Barty interrupted, rudely. "I am trying to think."

"While cutting out magazine clippings?" Regulus asked, stonily. "I did not realize that was such a tolling task."

Barty lifted his chin as he narrowed his eyes. "I will shove your head up where the sun doesn't shine, Reggie." He sighed, sounding tired. "My head is still all scrambled, gimme a break."

Regulus lifted his eyebrows. He was not sure what that meant. Barty had returned to cleanly cutting out his clippings and left the topic behind, so he did not press for more information. The warning looks Rosier cast over only made him more sure that he would rather not know what Barty meant by that.

Regulus opened his trunk, pulling out his neatly folded uniform stacks to move them into his empty drawers. Their beds were set up identically to how they were organized the previous year, only in a tower over. Once he finished unpacking, it would seem as though no time had passed since they left.

Rosier met his eye as he lounged back on his bed beside him, with a sly smirk. Regulus returned the smile, weakly. He was pleased to have Rosier around again. He did miss the fellow while he was at Grimmauld Place. Rosier had a way of making him feel at ease, even with uncomfortable situations and topics. He had missed the reassurance over the break.

"So," Regulus teased, deadpan. "Did you give up on your third-year scheme, now that the lounge exit did not work out for you?"

"I had a plan!" Rosier laughed, brushing one hand after the other through his mop of hair. The move only seemed to worsen the state of his ruffled hair, which always seemed to curl around his head sloppily when it was not in locs. "If your arse came over, like planned, we might have been able to get a head start on it."

Regulus did not reply. He had enjoyed the week he spent with Rosier over the previous break and had hoped for an opening that summer to request the same, but his brother's antics had his parents on edge all summer, and he never had an opportunity to speak to his mother about it. How odd she had been with him ever since his episode did not help either, making it hard to build up the courage to ask for permission.

Regulus was lost in thought for a moment. He was jarringly torn back from his thoughts by Barty bouncing over and rapping his knuckles on the soft center of Regulus' head.

"Anyone in there?" Barty taunted, loudly.

Regulus scowled, rubbing at where the boy hit him on the top of his head. "Cut it out, Barty."

Barty snickered, dropping down onto Regulus' bed. "I did miss you over the summer. I love having someone to pick on again."

Regulus released a hefty sigh. "I bet."

On the other side of the room, Keitch and Hornby were making their exit, neither bidding the pureblood boys goodbye before they slipped off. They still were far from making nice with their halfblood roommates, but Regulus intended to keep trying to bridge the gap. They did not need a repeat of the previous year.

"Get off my bed, Barty," Regulus ordered, sharply, turning back to the irritating bloke squatting on his bed. He didn't wait for Barty to find something ridiculous to say in response, only pushing him off the side roughly with both hands.

Barty laughed as he caught himself, knocking several books off Regulus' nightstand in retaliation, but he returned to his own bed. He scooped up his clippings again, returning to his task.

Regulus was curious, "What are the clippings for?"

"It is news of the Dark Lord." Rosier explained, not even watching them as he shoved his uniforms into his drawers. "Barty keeps a collection."

Regulus stared over at the pile of magazines, baffled. "Why would you want to collect clippings of their actions?"

"I want to keep up with what they are doing." Barty mumbled a response. "All of the older years will be supporting the Dark Lord after they graduate. I fancy knowing what they are up to."

Regulus knew that most of the older years were likely to have ties with the death eaters, but he was surprised that they'd share that information with Barty. "Do you mean Bellatrix and Lestrange?" He wondered.

"Yah." Barty replied, curtly. "And Malfoy, the Carrows and them all. They all yapped about the Dark Lord endlessly." He turned back to Regulus, cocking an eyebrow. "If Bellatrix is supporting the Dark Lord, doesn't that mean your family does as well?"

Regulus did not know. He was not allowed into any important conversations within his family. His brother might be more informed of their loyalties as their family's heir, but no one told him much. He hadn't even heard it be confirmed that Bellatrix was indeed part of the Dark Lord's organization from a senior member of his family. He was kept in the dark about a lot though, so it was safe to assume they likely were supporting the Dark Lord, as most families from the sacred twenty-eight were.

"Yes, I suppose." Regulus agreed, half-heartedly.

"Then wouldn't you wanna know what they're up to as well?" Barty asked, a slight taunt to his words.

Regulus narrowed his eyes, wondering if Barty was challenging him. But he wasn't wrong. "Do you have any extra editions?"

Barty tossed a handful over as a response, which Regulus easily caught out of the air. Quidditch practices gave him good reflexes, at the very least. Regulus fished out his wand, knowing of a few spells that'd help him cut the clippings out faster than scissors would. He sat back against his pillows as he began to browse through the paper, seeking out any news pertaining to the war movements.

They chatted as they cut out some clippings.

"Do you miss having Malfoy at Hogwarts?" Regulus wondered, not glancing Barty's way as he spoke. His eyes were preoccupied with ensuring that his slices through the paper were perfectly straight and neat.

Barty pressed his lips together into a pout. "He wouldn't lemme do anything." He sulked, instead of answering the question.

Rosier laughed, rolling his eyes, "In what way? Like you weren't doing the daftest rubbish even while he was Head Boy."

Barty crossed his arms, with an annoyed huff. "He tried to stop me! He was mad bossy when I was with him, you know. Always lecturing and nagging me about nuthin. Telling me shit like 'don't put your shoes on the couch' or 'shut your mouth when you're chewing'." Barty went on, gesturing his hands dramatically, "He used to push my knees down if I tucked my legs up on the couch. Who bloody cares if shoes go on the couch, they're not even his couches?! Think he got off on ordering me around."

Rosier didn't buy the rant, shaking his head as he laughed. "What a load of bollocks. You miss him."

"Of course I miss him." Barty smirked, flipping the other lad off with a crude muggle gesture. "I am needy!"

"You forced him into being your mum, can't be miffed he acted like your mum." Rosier snapped back.

The two were shooting remarks back and forth rapidly, seeming to forget that Regulus was even there. That often seemed to happen when the two of them got into it.

"Well, someone ought to be my parent!" Barty giggled, throwing scrunched-up paper at the other boy.

"Would save us a lot of grief." Rosier agreed, smacking back at him, "You're not even housebroken yet."

Regulus tried to zone out their bickering as he cut out a few more articles that he located. It was rather interesting, hearing about the war. He certainly never heard any word of it at Grimmauld Place. He had no idea that so much had happened. He wondered if he'd be able to nick his father's newspapers after he finished reading them over the summer. He should keep up with what was happening, after all.

Beside him, he could hear Barty taunting Rosier by calling him stupid, as they wrestled on his bed. Most of the clippings he just collected were rumpled beneath them.

"You think you're so clever, huh?" Rosier snorted, pressing Barty's face into the bed with two hands. "Qu'en penses-tu, Regulus? Est-il vraiment si brillant?"

"No!" Barty shrieked, writhing beneath Rosier's grip. "No French!"

Regulus had to contribute, "Il est un peu hystérique."

Barty groaned, bellowing out beneath Rosier frantically, "Piss off with that surrender monkey rubbish!"

"Très hystérique." Rosier agreed, his voice taunting. "Et ils te traitent de fou."

"Fine!" Barty spat, wiggling off his bed to get away from Rosier. "Keep up with your French rubbish." He started jumping from Rosier's bed to the halfbloods’ beds, demolishing their duvet covers. "How long can you ignore me now?"

They pretended not to notice the mess the boy was leaving in his wake on the beds. Rosier turned to face Regulus, leaning forward. "So? Are you down to go see Pandora this Thursday? She asked bout you several times over the break."

Regulus' cheeks heated at the thought. He had brought several of Pandora's poetry books home with him over the break and was eager to discuss them with her. "I would love to join you."

"My governess threw me out a window once." Barty blurted out behind them, jumping up and down on Rosier's bed so aggressively, that his pillows were falling to the floor. "I nearly split my head open."

They continued their conversation without reacting, knowing the boy too well to put much thought into his commentary.

"I brought scissors to cut off Reggie's hair tonight." Barty went on when his first attempt didn't work. "While he is asleep."

Regulus gritted his teeth, but he didn't dare respond to that. "I read a few of the novels she loaned me over the break." He went on, keeping his voice steady. "I had a few thoughts."

Rosier's eyes twinkled, "Of course you did. Nerd."

Regulus did not mind the comment. He knew it was not malicious, and he did not mind being a nerd. He smiled down at his lap sheepishly.

Barty was going on about something else now, finally leaving Rosier’s bed behind. "The charms on our garbage bins must be the work of a rune. How do you think the rune distinguishes trash from not trash?" He murmured, sounding curious.

"Are you," Rosier hesitated, his eyes moving to Barty as his head remained still, "Barty, get out of that trash bin! Have you lost the plot?" He scoffed, turning back to Regulus, "Are you looking for another novel on Thursday?"

Regulus couldn't resist peering over to see what Barty was doing. The lad had one leg in their garbage bin with a puzzled expression on his face.

Regulus huffed, irritated. "You will be dragged in by the spell if you are not careful. The runes are there to disintegrate any trash tossed inside, which will include you. I do not want to explain where you went to Vanity and Travers."

"Ah, let him jinx himself out of existence." Rosier snorted, turning back to scowl at Barty. "The bin is simply serving its purpose."

Barty laughed, lifting the bin to try to force it over Rosier's head. Regulus truly did not know what might happen if they threw someone in the bin. The garbage bin had some sort of charm attached to it, where any garbage they disposed of seemed to disappear after a minute or so. Rosier and Barty had experimented with the charm the previous year, by testing which items were and weren't able to go through it. They never tried placing a human inside before though, not until now.

Whatever was going to happen, he decided that it wasn't his problem. It wasn't his job to babysit his roommates, so he hopped to his feet, deciding to see if he could track down Narcissa or Fawley downstairs. He headed off toward the lounge, leaving the buffoons fooling around behind him.

"Quit it, you annoying prat!" Rosier was shouting, laughing between his angry outbursts.

Barty was only laughing in return, sounding completely unhinged.

"Holy hell!" Rosier exclaimed. "Where did your trousers go?"

"Oh, the bin ate 'em." Barty snickered, unconcerned. "It ate my sock, my shoe and my trousers. Left the knickers though."

Do not look back, Regulus urged himself as he hurried down the steps. He was already tired of those idiots.

"For fuck's sake, put some clothes on!"

Regulus reached the lounge, slamming the door closed behind him. He was happy no one was there to witness the smirk he failed to hide. It was going to be a long year.

****

Regulus was not sure when he became a team with Barty and Rosier. And yet, some unspoken agreement seemed to have formed between them. When rumours about Sirius' scandalous relationship reached Slytherin, the two appeared at his side in their lounge the same morning with grave expressions.

"What do you want us to do?" Rosier asked, looking more sombre than he typically was.

Regulus was dumbfounded, "About?"

Barty sneered, "Your brother's muggle girlfriend. Duh."

Sirius wasn't dating a muggle, as far as he knew. Rumours were that he was dating a Gryffindor girl who was muggleborn. Most sacred twenty-eight youth considered muggleborn to be no better than any filthy muggle though.

Regulus hadn't known that he should do something about it. He didn't enjoy that his brother's relationship was being discussed by their whole house, of course. The sacred twenty-eight members, in particular, were very unhappy that Sirius was in a relationship with a muggleborn girl since it went against their entire value system. Regulus was sure his parents would be enraged as well. But hell, what was he supposed to do?

He had long quit believing that his brother could be reasonable or think about anyone other than himself. Even if he said something to Sirius, he was sure his brother would not correct his foul decision to date a muggleborn student. He had also been avidly avoiding his brother ever since the incident with his older cousin over the summer, and he had no interest in breaking that habit then. Some part of him had only hoped that Narcissa would handle it, as she didn’t enjoy hearing unpleasant whispers tainting their family name in Slytherin any more than he did, but his friends seemed to have other plans.

Both were staring at him, waiting to hear what he wanted to do.

"I did not have any plans..." Regulus started, trying to think up something on the spot. "Did you have any ideas?"

Barty nodded confidently, "A vasectomy."

Regulus ignored him. He was not sure what that meant, but he was certain that it was something ridiculous. He instead gazed at Rosier hopefully.

The other boy shrugged, "If your brother is too stubborn to cut it out on his own, perhaps we could scare her off instead."

"How would we do that?" Regulus wondered.

"Well," Rosier clasped his hands, swaying on his feet, "If we send her a letter warning her of how she would be treated, we are doing her and you both a favour, really. She can avoid being tormented, and your family name won't be getting dragged through the mud down there."

Regulus had to scoff, "You want to send her a threatening letter?" He clarified.

"No," Rosier smirked, "A considerate warning. We all know it won't be anyone our age who does the actual tormenting if she stays with your brother. It's the older kids she should be scared of." He lifted his shoulder, with an innocent expression, "We are only the messenger!"

It didn't seem to be the kindest thing to do, but Regulus hardly saw any alternatives. So, the three of them worked on writing a scathing letter for the muggleborn girl, warning her about what could happen if she continued to date the heir to a pureblood family. Barty added some p.s. points, detailing past muggle-bashing traditions of the old Slytherin crew - some incidents as recent as a few years back.

They used cloaking charms to make their handwriting unrecognizable, as Sirius would definitely recognize his writing, and sent the letter on a school owl instead of one of their own.

Afterward, the three went to class, acting as though nothing nefarious had occurred that day. Regulus was quite pleased to be sharing that secret with Rosier and Barty. He was happy to see that both were so willing to do something to protect him in Slytherin now. They had come a long way from their first year.

Barty was not finished with his antics for the day. Once they got to ancient runes, he continued his new streak of disruptions to their class. He had been exceptionally restless since he returned from the summer break. Regulus did not recall him being as disruptive during classes in the previous year. He seemed incapable of focusing in class any longer, and would quickly turn to annoying classmates with hexes, messing with their belongings, or antagonizing their professors every single class.

That day, he abruptly decided halfway through class that he wanted to go see Flinn. Barty had been oddly intrigued by the professor as of late. While he seemed to despise the attention Flinn gave him the previous year, he was quite sulky that the professor had not scolded him yet this year. No matter how irritating Barty had been in class, he had not been sent down to the Head Professor's office and Flinn had never called for him. And that day, he decided to change that.

After being told to focus on his work for the third time that class, by a very tense Professor Vector, Barty made a face and then slumped down his chair. He kept slouching until he slid right off of it and let himself fall onto the floor.

Fawley, beside him, immediately started giggling.

Their professor was less amused. "Mr. Crouch," She exhaled, irritated, "Return to your seat at once."

"Make me." Barty shot back, smirking as he laid on the floor.

"Merlin's sake." Rosier huffed, under his breath. He turned, scowling at Barty, "Get up!"

"Eat me!" Barty hollered in return.

"Mr. Crouch, you are disrupting our class!" Vector complained, clearly unsure what to do. "You need to get off the floor."

Barty didn't budge. He smiled up at her, "Suppose you oughta send me to the office so Flinn can set me straight."

The professor turned, looking helpless as she stormed toward the front of the room. Once she was not watching, Rosier gave the boy a swift kick to his side. Barty groaned and curled around where the blow landed, then started laughing.

"He is not going to get up till he receives the attention he wants." Regulus told Rosier in a bored tone. "You should simply leave it."

"What do you bloody want to get out of this?" Rosier hissed, glaring at Barty. "Why do you want to get in trouble?"

"I want to see Flinn." Barty told them. "He has been ignoring me all month."

That seemed unlikely. It was more plausible that Flinn was simply busy with sorting out the older years and hadn't had the time to give Barty a hard time for his behaviour yet. But Barty was not to be reasoned with.

"Rosier, leave him to his strop." Regulus tried again. "You cannot protect him from his own stupidity."

"Awe, shucks." Barty kicked at his chair legs, causing Regulus to jerk to one side, "Thanks, Reggie."

Professor Vector frowned at them across the room. "Mr Crouch, this is your last warning. In your chair!"

"No!" Barty shouted back, sounding very much like the petulant child Regulus always saw him as. "I won't get up."

Vector stared out across the classroom, defeated. Many students were openly giggling by then, their eyes flitting back and forth between Barty on the floor and their unsure professor. She did not seem equipped with the skills to handle a Barty.

"I will call the Head of your House if you do not listen." She tried, seemingly having no idea how ineffective that threat was.

"Whatever!" Barty called back, a cocky smirk cracking across his face. The boy was such a turd. It was horrendous that he always got his way.

Vector gave in, giving Professor Flinn a call as she accepted defeat. Barty did not budge off of the classroom floor, even when she told him that Flinn was expecting him at his office. She ended up needing to call Flinn to come to their classroom to get Barty, as he was refusing to listen to her.

When Flinn arrived at the entrance, he only needed to poke his head in to get Barty to follow his orders. "Barty." Was all he said.

Barty instantly bounced up to his feet. He collected his bag and bounded over to the door eagerly, waving back at the professor.

"See you on Thursday!" Barty quipped, the picture of innocence. He disappeared out of the door with Flinn following after him.

Chapter Text

October, 1974

Regulus was tense as he walked down the hall beside Narcissa. It wasn't as though he hadn't spoken to Vanity before, but it was different now that she was Head Girl. If he hadn't been going with Narcissa, he might have been too cowardly to go at all. He enjoyed knowing what was happening in Slytherin and keeping up with the politics, but he was better at observing from afar. He was nervous at the prospect of being part of the conversation, but Narcissa insisted that he go along with her.

They were heading toward a private room in the library where Vanity and her group had been meeting up the past few days. No one was in the common room at the moment. That was thanks to his brother, he heard, who was involved in the prank that resulted in eggs being hidden in Slytherin. Some weren't found for ages, and eventually, the rotten smell overwhelmed the entire dungeon area. They all had to evacuate for a few days for a proper cleaning, meaning Vanity had more privacy for her meetings than she typically did at the mantelpiece.

Narcissa was much less nervous than he was as they walked. She smiled at him, "Are you excited to play as seeker for our game tomorrow? I like Vanity's plan to let you play once a month, to prepare the team for when Lestrange graduates. Now you're guaranteed to play occasionally."

"Yeah," Regulus agreed, half-heartedly. He was eager to play for the first time that year. After playing nearly the whole of last season, it was hard to return to the bench now that Rodolphus Lestrange reclaimed his seeker position. But his mind was stuck on the idea of facing the seventh years in mere minutes, and his excitement was overshadowed by his nerves.

"Say, do you remember when Sirius got his first broomstick for Christmas when we were little?" Narcissa asked, "That miniature one. And the three of us rode it up and down the alley beside your house for hours?" She paused, her eyes gazing out somewhere beyond his vision, "I think Andromeda and Bellatrix were watching us from the windows upstairs as well."

Regulus sighed. He did remember that day well. "I recall. That was the first time I ever rode a broomstick."

"Me too!" Narcissa laughed, her eyes bright. Her voice dropped down a notch, "I miss those days."

A dull ache of longing sparked through Regulus' body. He tried to ignore it. "I do too." He admitted.

Narcissa went on, "When did we finally quit riding it?"

Regulus reflected on his memories of that day. "Did Bellatrix not nick it from Sirius, and refuse to return it after a few hours?"

"Oh right." She sighed, scrunching up her nose. "I nearly forgot about that part. My sister, Merlin, she is a pain at times." Her voice was fond, even when criticizing Bellatrix, "Didn't Sirius tattle on her to Uncle Alphard though? And then he gave her a proper admonishing and forced her to return it." She chuckled, "No wonder Sirius was so fond of our late uncle. My parents still say that your brother resembles Alphard more these days than he resembles either of your parents. I think our uncle would have been very pleased to know that Sirius followed in his footsteps. He adored your brother."

Regulus attempted to not let his bitterness at the thought fester within him. "Everyone seemed to." He replied, trying to keep his words void of emotion.

Narcissa nodded as they reached the main floor. "Hate or love. Your brother made an impression on everyone, either way." She paused, her expression drooping. "Uncle Alphard's passing was so hard on him. He definitely was Sirius' favourite family member. Though he was always close with Andromeda as well."

Regulus did not reply.

Narcissa added on, briskly, "And you, of course."

Regulus had to laugh. "I do not think I was ever his favourite anything." He disagreed, sharply.

His cousin's steps slowed as she stared at him, seeming completely baffled. "What are you talking about?" Narcissa asked, confused. "He adores you."

Regulus clarified what he meant, "I am quite certain that if Sirius did not feel obligated to look after me, he would not care for me one bit." The bitterness was clear in his tone, despite his attempts to hide it. The thought sounded painfully accurate as he said it aloud, for the first time ever.

Narcissa paused outside the library door, her eyes widened into circles. "Regulus." She scolded, "What a terrible thing to say."

"It is the truth." Regulus argued, stubbornly.

Narcissa gave him a colder look than he was used to seeing on her face, but she did not push the topic on. She fell silent as they walked through the library, no longer reminiscing on their childhood memories. He felt bad that he soured her mood, but he didn't understand what she was hoping to achieve by living in the past. The family they had back then was no more. Alphard was dead, Andromeda was gone forever, and Sirius.... well, he certainly didn't want to contemplate where Sirius would end up in the long run. He suspected that it wouldn't be by his side.

Sloan Travers let them into the study room their Head Girl was occupying with a wink at Narcissa. Regulus knew that the prefect and Narcissa were already close. Everyone had anticipated Narcissa being selected as the upcoming prefect for years, even if it hadn't been officially declared yet, meaning Narcissa and Travers would be working together. They had already got a head start on establishing a collaborative bond.

Narcissa had also been taking on the role of upcoming prefect more and more that year. She insisted that Regulus participate at times as well, even though it was assumed that Rosier would be prefect for their year. Narcissa didn't care. She forcibly brought him to meetings and kept him up to date on the recent developments in Slytherin politics. It certainly seemed to be a lot that year. There was an underlying tension brewing between Vanity and the sacred twenty-eight Slytherin students, he had learned, who were more inclined to follow other faces.

Vanity had beckoned Narcissa over that day again, and even though no one had mentioned Regulus, his cousin had insisted he attend as well. No one said anything about his presence as they stepped in. The room was mostly empty, with a few students doing homework in one corner, and Vanity leaning against the table on the far wall. She straightened up as they approached. Only Travers joined them in their area of the room, far enough from the others to have a private conversation.

Vanity wasted no time before divulging the recent developments to Narcissa, "You should be advised that Flinn has demanded the moon from us this year." Vanity began, her tone coarse and empty, "He believes that I have the ability to demolish the segregated seating in our common room. I have no idea where he came up with this concept that I can snap my fingers and undo a tradition as old as this establishment."

The Head Girl seemed uncharacteristically stressed. There was an unfamiliar strain to her words, and she was giving out more information than he typically ever heard from her.

"And that is not all," Travers added, not bothering to hide her annoyance the way Vanity was. She was rolling her eyes as she recounted, "He wants us to enforce that halfbloods have part of all house meetings. And he wants us to allow halfbloods into any lounge if invited." She scoffed, crudely. "None of us are particularly opposed to these concepts, but it's absurd to expect we can reverse them that easily - especially so much at once."

"Malfoy formed the agreement for halfblood Head Students to have the same standing as the pureblood, at Flinn’s request." Vanity added. "Yet that was one task. We are being given multiple, and many are hardly within our control. I cannot force students to sit together." She clasped her arms together behind her back, "He is overshooting. If I fold to these demands, I will lose control over the pureblood students."

Narcissa seemed surprised, "Do you think so?"

Regulus remained a step behind his cousin, listening intently. He did not know why the Head Girl thought that students would turn on her. He didn't even realize that was an option. He had never heard of such a thing happening before. Slytherin students had always highly valued order above all else.

"They are easy enough to sway." Vanity replied, curtly, "I had the same issue when he told me in my fifth year that I needed to create a pureblood supremacy-free quidditch team. I tried to explain to him that what he was asking was for a halfblood team, which I would have been crucified for organizing. I needed a balance between catering to the extreme end of the pureborn students and trying to maintain the control he wanted to see, but he refused to hear it. I have already been criticized for the ratio of halfbloods on the team by many who are in our common room. Flinn has blamed me for every pureblood player who stepped out of line and claims I didn't do as he demanded, while that pureblood group accuses me of being his puppet." Her eyes flashed with anger for the briefest instant, "Even then, the purebloods have whispered about where my loyalties lie."

Regulus glanced over at Narcissa nervously. He didn't know what he could possibly offer to help the leaders of their house. He hadn't realized how many obstacles Vanity had faced in her reign as prefect. While he heard the odd comment from students saying that Vanity was Flinn's favourite or his puppet, he had never put much thought into the snide commentary. He hadn't recognized that the jokes might have been the result of genuine displeasure with their Head Girl.

Narcissa pursed her lips, "I haven't heard anyone ridicule you for the number of halfbloods on the quidditch team."

Vanity turned to her, lifting an eyebrow, "Only because Malfoy and Yaxley didn't let them voice those grievances. But both are gone, and there's a key selection of purebloods here who will never respect my authority the way they respected Malfoy's. If I get rid of the separated tables, they will turn on me."

It was silent in the room for a beat. All shuffled uncomfortably, as if Vanity had finally voiced what everyone was thinking.

Narcissa spoke carefully, as if testing the waters, "Why would Lucius have more control or respect than you would?"

Vanity's eyes narrowed, but her face remained still, "Why do you wager?" She prodded.

Narcissa’s shoulders gently lifted, "Sexism?"

Regulus turned to his cousin in confusion, but Vanity disregarded the suggestion before he had time to ponder it. "No," Vanity scoffed, dryly. "Though I am sure that factors in as well, it is not the primary reason. The issue is that Malfoy was truly one of them, and I am not."

His cousin still seemed unsure, her eyebrows furrowing, "As you are not part of the sacred twenty-eight?"

"Do not play the fool, Narcissa." The Head Girl retorted, angling her chin away. "It does not suit you. You know what I mean."

Regulus only had eyes for Narcissa again as he held his breath, unsure what to think of the conversation between the two.

"Clearly, I do not." Narcissa replied, an annoyance underlying her tone. Her shoulders were pulled back as she strained to maintain her calm composure.

"We do not share the same ambitions." Vanity said carefully, toying with a few knick knacks on the tabletop.

"State your point and be done with it." Narcissa said, no patience left in her tone. Regulus was surprised that she was bothered by the conversation. He suspected that Narcissa had an inkling of the point Vanity was dancing around. It was uncharacteristic for the Head Girl to be anything other than painfully direct, and uncharacteristic for his cousin to be fussed over it.

Vanity turned to face her once more, her words cool, "I am not a death eater."

Anyone could have heard a pin drop in the room for a beat. Travers inhaled, a noise that sounded like a stifled laugh, but the other three remained frozen, scanning each other intensely.

Narcissa lifted her chin, primly, "Lucius is not a death eater."

"Now, Narcissa." Vanity breathed, exasperated. "You are far too intelligent to convince anyone you have not pieced it together, even if he has not discussed it with you." Narcissa remained still, so the Head Girl continued. "I respect Malfoy and all he did for me, but I cannot deny what is right before my face."

Narcissa clasped her own hands together, her face drawn. She did not reply, but she did not seem to be all that stunned by the accusation. Regulus suspected that meant it was true, and Narcissa had already assumed it to be true.

"Perhaps," Narcissa admitted, after a beat, her words forced. "I have no confirmation though."

Regulus frowned at his cousin's back. He did not like hearing that it was a topic she had not discussed with her betrothed. While he expected that everyone in his family would inevitably become involved in the war, he hadn't expected the adult members to be so secretive about it.

Vanity's face remained unreadable. "Neither do I. Perhaps we are both wrong."

"I doubt it." Narcissa replied.

"As do I."

Travers shot Regulus a sympathetic look as they waited for the other two to speak again. He did not know what he could possibly offer to the conversation, only waiting for his cousin to finish speaking with the Head Girl.

Narcissa forcibly changed the topic, her voice monotone, "What do you intend to do about Flinn's demands?"

The Head Girl released a hefty sigh as she turned back to the table, strumming her fingers lightly against the hard tabletop. A light thumping noise accompanied the fall of each finger. "They will rip me apart if I attempt what he asks of me, and then he will fault me for losing control and disgrace me anyway." She replied, decisively. "I have to tell him that it is not doable. I am sure he will take his discontent out on me, but that seems to be the conclusion either way."

Travers and Narcissa nodded quickly, both seeming to agree with that decision. Regulus held still, observing the conversation from the sidelines.

Narcissa spoke again, "Would it be possible to explain to him that they would turn on you if you moved too fast? We could do it in smaller steps. If we approach him with a plan instead of outright rejecting him, perhaps he will be more reasonable."

"That is the intended plan." Travers agreed, her face pensive, "But Flinn is not the only pressing issue we need to handle."

Narcissa cocked an eyebrow, "What is the other?"

"Lestrange." Travers spat out as though it was a dirty word.

Narcissa's eyes filtered back to the Head Girl with a questioning look. Vanity hid her annoyance better than Travers did, but it was clear that the prefect and Head Girl were on the same page on the matter of Lestrange. Vanity's posture seemed intensely rigid, even by her standards, when the boy's name was uttered.

"Lestrange is being a pain." Vanity agreed, lightly. "I knew he would be." She turned, her back facing them as she went on, "Malfoy thought the same last year. We suspected he'd start toeing the line the moment our previous head students retired."

Narcissa and Regulus met eyes for a moment. He wasn't quite sure where Narcissa fell in her opinion of her sister's betrothed, as she always seemed to avoid the topic in the past, but her expression then didn't make him think she was all that protective over him. Her eyes flashed with irritation.

"We can handle Lestrange, that is not what I beckoned you here for, but his influence might spread down to the younger years, which is where I would request your assistance." Vanity said, her tone commanding. "I will require several older students to enforce it when I announce the alterations to our common room, but I wished for you to announce it to the younger years, Narcissa, not those in my year. They might be more receptive to someone closer in age explaining the change to them."

Narcissa shifted on her feet. "You will be enforcing shared tables? Would that not be sending the wrong message?"

Vanity gave her a sharp look. "They are to project power, you are to project peace. The sacred twenty-eight members might willingly comply, but I will not be caught off guard if there is resistance." She lifted her chin primly. "I expect you can maintain control over the younger years better than we can."

Narcissa motioned her agreement. "I will do whatever I can."

The Head Girl gestured their dismissal with a wave of her hand. Narcissa turned to leave, and Regulus followed after her briskly.

It did not take long before the anticipated resistance was clear in the Slytherin common room. Vanity did as she said. She made some moves toward the shared tables Flinn demanded, but she did not eliminate the separation overnight. First, it was announced that five tables in the middle of the common room were shared tables, or free for anyone to use. Three came out of the pureblood area, two from the halfblood tables.

The announcement did not receive the most positive reception. No one dared to sit at the shared tables over the first day, and a lively debate broke out in the common room after supper.

Lestrange and his cronies, for lack of a better word to explain the group, made their stance very clear from the moment everyone returned to the common room. They did not shy away from loudly criticizing the new policy and mocking anyone who thought to use them. They were not directly threatening students against using them, but the implication was clear.

The scene they were making did not go unnoticed for long. Regulus had been at a table with Narcissa when their sixth-year pureblood prefect, Flint, spoke up against what the seventh years were saying. She had planted herself beside Lestrange, where he was sitting on the sofa. The Head Girl and her close companions were nowhere in sight, making Lestrange the center of the group collected by the mantelpiece.

"Lestrange." Flint started, sounding as though she was in disbelief. "These are orders directly from the Head Girl. You cannot undermine her authority in this way."

Narcissa, who had been keeping close tabs on the bickering that evening, turned to see what would happen. She rose to her feet slowly. Regulus felt inclined to stay close behind her, even if he internally wished they'd move further from the controversial seventh years and their disturbances, not closer. His cousin did not share his urges to stay away, it seemed.

Lestrange's face was a haze of disgust and annoyance. He turned, offering the prefect a few nasty words in response, "You would do well to remember your place, Flint, as a low-ranking member of this house before Flinn gifted you an undeserved prefect badge." He spat the professor's name out with disgust, "You are only standing here because Flinn has a preference for girls and for non-sacred twenty-eight members. We did not choose you to represent us, so we only follow you as a favour." He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing menacingly, "Do not give us a reason to withdraw our support."

The prefect fell silent, her eyes wide and unblinking as he spoke. Once he finished his snide comments, Flint visibly swallowed, seeming nervous at his threats. Regulus was dumbfounded. He had never seen anyone treat a prefect in that way.

Narcissa, across from him, bristled, "You overstep, Rodolphus." She said, her tone chilly. There was no trace of fear in his cousin, even if the sixth-year prefect had lost her ability to speak.

Lestrange and his nearby mates turned at her words. His face was bored as he stared her down for a few long seconds. Then he leaned forward onto his elbows on the back of the sofa and responded. "I will not be spoken to in this manner by a student years younger than me." He retorted, his words hushed.

Regulus' back felt tense as he peered over at his cousin. A wave of fear rolled through him. He carefully assessed the pair before him, too afraid to blink and miss something. He had a feeling neither his cousin nor the older Lestrange were the type to back down, and he did not know where the conversation might go. There was the additional layer of Lestrange being betrothed to Narcissa's sister, and being someone who rather disliked the man Narcissa was betrothed to, on top of that. There were many elements of the duo that made the conversation quite unpredictable, and Regulus could not foresee it ending well.

Narcissa's arms were hanging stiffly at her sides and her nose was held up in the air as her eyes surveyed her brother-in-law to be with disdain. "This is not a disagreement between us." She dismissed his comment, "When you are moving against the Head Girl of our house and are belittling the sixth-year prefect."

One of the students sitting at Lestrange’s side, Perseus Selwyn, spoke up, "Head Girl or not, she's undoing generations of Slytherin tradition with this move."

Regulus wondered if Selwyn would have said the same if Malfoy had enforced the same policy. He doubted it. Malfoy had folded to Flinn's demands to preserve other traditions in Slytherin many times, and the older years had respected him, nonetheless.

His cousin defended the Head Girl with a cool tone. "It is unlikely those traditions would have survived the upcoming years either way." She ignored the surprised look Regulus shot her way, "Flinn will enforce an end to the segregation, one way or another. If it had not been orchestrated by the Head Girl, it would have been a more aggressive shift away from our previous policies. This was the compromise made with school authority to allow us to maintain as many traditions as possible."

Lestrange's face twisted and his eyes flashed with anger. "You need to watch yourself, Narcissa." He hissed, dropping all attempts to keep the conversation civil or orderly. "Malfoy isn't around to force people to listen to you now."

Regulus had never wanted to curse someone so horribly.

Narcissa, however, was unmoved by the childish threats. "I hardly need anyone to come to my defence. I am merely following the orders of the Head Girl, as you should be as well."

Lestrange was rising to his feet, his cheeks red in his rage. His words were loud and clear then, attracting unneeded attention around the common room, but he seemed too angry to care any longer. "You're in fourth year, learn your bloody place. You do not get to run your mouth like this to a seventh year."

Narcissa's face had stiffened, and Regulus knew she was angry, but she maintained her composure far better than Lestrange did. "Don't be a fool, Rodolphus." She threatened in return, her gaze icy. "You do not want to make an enemy of me. You might act tough now when all you must face is a fourteen-year-old, but how long will you be hiding within these walls? Better yet, how will you explain your actions to my sister?"

He hesitated, "What are you implying?" He seemed very uncomfortable suddenly, his eyes flitting between his loyal mates circling him, watching the conversation. Lestrange loathed them seeing this encounter, Regulus realized. Perhaps since it made him appear weak, or perhaps since he was scared it would get back to Bellatrix or Malfoy. He never seemed to have much ability to stand up to either.

"You're an adult, I shouldn't need to explain this to you." Narcissa scoffed, her tone rude. "Bellatrix will not stand for you disgracing her family. I promise you that you do not have her ear in the way I do simply by existing." She smiled sweetly, "She will never be a Lestrange the way she is a Black."

Regulus was baffled by the intimate conversation they were having out in the open. But Lestrange was quite flustered and seemed to have already forgotten his surroundings. He stabbed a finger into his chest as he nearly bellowed out a response, "She is marrying me!"

His cousin took a few steps closer to deliver her next comment, and Regulus quickly followed after her. He would not leave her side, no matter how much he wished they were moving further from the threat, not closer.

"You are useful to Bellatrix." Narcissa said, softly and mercilessly, "And she will bore of you the moment you stop being useful. I am her family." The common room was quiet, as many craned their necks to hear what she was saying. Regulus hoped no one could hear it. Narcissa continued, "Don't do yourself the disservice of allowing yourself to believe my sister would ever choose you over me." She paused, gifting him a sympathetic smile that was completely disingenuous. Almost mocking. "Rodolphus, she hardly picks you as it is!"

Regulus realized, with a flash of horror, that Lestrange had drawn his wand. Surely the lad wouldn't be foolish enough to start a duel with his cousin...

"Shut. Your. Mouth." He hissed out, between clenched teeth.

Narcissa inspected him for a moment longer. "Go ahead." She said, after a beat. "If that is what you believe you must do to salvage your ego." Her eyes sparkled for a moment, as they often did when his cousin teased or manipulated others into doing what she willed, "But do keep in mind that we all watched you sob in the common room last year because Lucius called you stupid. Attacking a girl years younger than you might not be enough to salvage your ego after that."

It was all out in the open. The unspoken disdain growing within his family was no longer unspoken. Narcissa had drawn her clear line in the sand and made plain how little she thought of the boy. Before everyone he role-played Head Boy in front of.

Regulus was petrified, but ready to act the moment someone hurt his cousin. And that moment did not seem far off. Lestrange's fingers were twitching around his wand, and he seemed acutely aware of his friends at his sides, watching to see what he would do.

The second Lestrange's wand arm moved, Regulus instinctively had a tight grasp around his own weapon. But Narcissa sensed his next move and grabbed his arm firmly, stopping him in his tracks. She kept her eyes on Lestrange as she spoke to him, her gaze defiant, "No, Regulus. Let him."

Regulus did not dare to argue with her. He dropped his wand back into the depths of his pocket unwillingly, peering back at Lestrange to gauge his reaction.

Despite the lad’s efforts to come across as intimidating, his hesitation was clear. Lestrange seemed to be relying on Narcissa taking his threats seriously, and when she did not, he seemed lost on what to do from there. He wet his lips with his tongue, his chest rising and falling as he contemplated.

Narcissa was fearless. "I am waiting." She reminded him.

And then he lowered his wand, his face dark. He was visibly fuming, even from a few steps away. Narcissa let his decision linger in the air for a minute before she moved again. Everyone surrounding the two watched earnestly, their breathing hushed.

Narcissa slightly arched her chin to the side, leaving Lestrange with a final comment before she left. "Such a shame to have a coward in the family." She said, her words echoing across the open space. "Merlin knows my sister deserves better."

Narcissa whirled to briskly walk away from the mantelpiece, her chin held up primly. Regulus followed along afterward. No one behind them dared to utter a word.

Chapter Text

November, 1974

Regulus' fear of being seen around students of other houses faded to obscurity by his third year at Hogwarts. He was comfortable enough with his place in the Slytherin common room to not worry so much about how others perceived his actions. He had a reputation to fall back on, so he could make his own rules, as Narcissa would say. She certainly did as she pleased without tarnishing her reputation in any way. He finally felt he was at a place where he had the same ability.

Mostly, he only used that privilege to spend more time with Pandora Volant. She intrigued him and opened a lot of opportunities for him to explore other poetry work that he'd never have the opportunity to experience in Slytherin. Once they were not limiting their run-ins to secret meetings on Thursday afternoon, Regulus was able to read through works and replace them at a much faster rate. Rosier was all too happy to spend more time with Pandora as well.

They had spent a few random afternoons with Pandora in the library before the rest of their crew caught on to their new routine. Regulus suspected that Barty must have followed them because the prat had been noticing Rosier's abandonment and could not handle being excluded from any of their schemes. However they discovered the secret, both Fawley and Barty had shown up at their library table a few minutes after they sat down with Pandora one afternoon.

Barty was staring at her as though she had a giant wart growing out of her forehead. He didn't even bother greeting her, "Who's the Ravenclaw?" He asked, drawing out his words.

Rosier and Regulus did not even get the chance to respond. Fawley, behind him, huffed in exasperation. "Don't be ridiculous, Barty. You know Pandora Volant. We have been in classes together for two years and counting."

Barty's eyes narrowed into slits as he smirked, leaning against the table lazily. "I know." He replied, a sneer in his tone, "I was just being a twat. My real question is, why is it here?"

Rosier lifted his chin, a stubborn look on his face, "Pandora is my cousin." He said, a warning in his tone.

Regulus' eyes flitted between the two boys. Rosier hadn't told Barty before then, he realized. It was a bit surprising. Rosier and Barty certainly didn't seem to keep many secrets from each other. Rosier looked defensive, as though he was not quite sure how Barty would react to the news. He sure seemed ready to smack Barty if he said anything crude.

"I didn't know you had a cousin." Barty replied. His tone was hard to read. Perhaps there was a twinge of annoyance there.

Rosier shrugged, "Cuz you're an incompetent blaggard. It's not a secret. Most of us are related to each other, are we not?"

Barty strummed his fingers on the table for a moment, an eyebrow arching menacingly. After a beat, he smirked brightly. "So," he started, "Do cousins in your family, ya know, smash stuff out too? Or is that only a Black Family tradition?"

"Oh, be quiet." Regulus spat, annoyed.

"What are ya fussing bout?" Barty mocked him, his voice shrill, "I thought you liked Cousin Cissy!"

Regulus gritted his teeth, but he didn't respond. It would only fuel Barty to react to his taunts.

"Oh no," Pandora replied, her face still as she inspected Barty before her. "Two cousins cannot breed in our family. Only brothers and sisters."

Regulus' eyebrows furrowed together as he turned to her, baffled. But Barty only guffawed, amused. "I like your cousin more than you, turd." He huffed in Rosier's direction. Barty plopped himself down in a seat beside Pandora, and Fawley tentatively took the empty chair at Regulus' side.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be making inter-house friendships." Fawley said, slowly.

"They said family is an exception." Rosier replied, absent-mindedly, acting as if he hadn’t kept his visits with his cousin secret for years.

Fawley readily accepted that response, "Fair enough."

And that was that. The five of them turned back to the homework they were reviewing without any further dramatics over sitting with a Ravenclaw student. It made Regulus feel silly really, for making such a big deal over inter-house friendships in the previous years. He could have been talking to his brother the whole time, apparently.

Not that he wanted to talk to Sirius. He and Narcissa had gotten into a royal quarrel when she tried to force him to go wish Sirius a happy birthday on November third. Regulus outright refused to go, no matter how much she threatened and pleaded with him. He could not forgive his brother for everything he had done over the summer and brush it under the rug simply since he was 'family'. And so, she went alone.

He was distracted away from his troubled thoughts of his estranged brother by a humming across the table. Regulus peered over, noticing that Barty had pulled out his homework, and Pandora had been inspecting it, humming softly.

Barty looked taken aback. "What? Hmm you." He retorted.

"Hmm." Pandora repeated.

Barty slammed his notebook closed. "Why are you humming?"

Pandora only smiled in return, playing with her blonde locks of hair casually between her fingers.

Barty turned in their direction, "Rosier!" He shouted, sounding defensive. Barty was essentially leading their entire year in grades, as he made sure they all knew, but if anyone could challenge him in the brains department, it was Pandora. And he did not seem to be taking kindly to her commenting, or humming, about his work.

Rosier stifled his laugh, "What?"

Barty threw two palms up in Pandora's direction, "Why is she doing that?!"

"How would I know?" Rosier snorted. "Ask her."

Barty shot over an annoyed look before he turned to Pandora once more. She was still where he left her, smiling lightly as he scowled over. "Alright, broad." Barty huffed. "Is something wrong with my work?"

She tilted her head, "Do you think so?"

Barty gave her an incredulous look, uncharacteristically unsure of himself. "No?" He hesitated and narrowed his eyes slowly. "Yes?" His face grew more taut as she remained silent. "I dunno! Why are you hmming? What are you thinking about?"

Pandora shrugged, her face bright, "I was thinking...." she contemplated, "Would you fancy riding a horse?"

Barty paused, "Right now?"

"Anytime."

"Okay." Barty smirked. "Yeah, I want to."

Pandora nodded, solemnly. "Me too." She agreed, before she returned to her homework.

Barty was bewildered. "Wait, so do you have a horse?"

Pandora glanced over. "No, I do not have a horse. Do you?"

"Bloody hell!" Barty spat, his scowl returning to his cranky expression. He rolled his eyes back, "I'm starting to see why Rosier says that everyone in his family is off their rocker."

"Yup." Rosier agreed, not peering away from his homework. "You'd fit right in."

Barty leaned across the table, breathing into Rosier's face with his awful, reeking breath. "Is that a proposal?" Barty teased.

"Leave her alone." Fawley chided. "At least she is nice, even if she has lost the plot."

Pandora nodded along, cheerfully, not objecting to the claims of her lack of sanity. Regulus chuckled, turning his attention back to his own homework. He was always more than happy to leave the nagging of Barty in someone else's more capable hands. Anyone who could unnerve the lad to that degree was someone he wanted to keep around.

All of his mates seemed chipper as they parted ways for supper before they headed back toward the Slytherin common room. On the way down to the dungeons, Rosier revisited talks of their scheming plans for that year.

"So, where are we landing on lounge hole part two?" Rosier asked, poking Barty between his shoulder blades.

Barty was walking a step ahead of the other three, tossing his handful of textbooks from hip to hip as he walked. He wet his lips with his tongue before he replied, "Nah, let's try some other rubbish. What bout the whomping willow roots plan?"

Fawley and Regulus instantly met eyes, amused. Barty was horrendous at hiding a secret. It was always painfully obvious when he was attempting to dodge a topic. They both enjoyed uncovering whatever secret he was trying to hide when he acted that way. It was a hobby of theirs.

Fawley sneered, batting her eyelashes innocently. "What made you no longer want to do the other scheme? You sure seemed eager for it at the beginning of the term."

Barty shot her a dirty look. "I just decided that we should be more creative and try something new, wank stain."

"Uh-huh." Fawley replied, smugly. "I believe you."

"There must be a reason." Regulus piled on. "Tell us, Barty."

"Shut up, all of you." Barty halted in his steps, turning to give Regulus an aggressive shove backwards. Regulus stumbled for a moment, but he was caught by Rosier's quick hand before he fell. The lad’s grip steadied him on his feet.

"C'mon, mate." Rosier said, his tone gruff. "I want to improve upon the lounge exit idea. I found loads of spells we can try."

"I don't want to." Barty retorted. He turned and his voice dropped to a mumble before he explained, "Flinn told me not to."

Regulus shot a questioning look over at Rosier, whose face flashed with annoyance. Rosier only had eyes for Barty as he scowled, "Since when do you do as he commands?"

Barty only shrugged in response, a small smirk gradually curling up his lips.

"For Merlin's sake." Rosier sighed, loudly. "You're bloody doing this again? To him?"

"What is he doing?" Regulus wondered.

"He gets all worked up around authority figures he likes." Rosier explained, his eyes remaining on Barty. "I get why you looked up to Malfoy, but Flinn? Truly? What is wrong with you?"

Barty laughed, moving away, "Wrong! I don't listen to anyone."

"Maybe not." Rosier agreed, keeping up with the other boy. "But I reckon you want him to be happy with you, don't you? That's why you don't want to do the lounge idea."

Barty giggled, "Perhaps!"

"Barty," Regulus was torn. Barty could be a royal pain in the arse, but he still didn't deserve to be treated poorly by the professor. "He is such a prick to you."

Barty shook his head, "Not always." He argued.

"He was nice to you once!" Rosier snapped, giving Barty a shove. "Once out of the hundreds of times you spoke to him last year. Hell, you need better role models."

Fawley was intrigued, hurrying after the boys as they reached the dungeons. "Wait, when was he not nasty to Barty?"

Barty whirled, facing Rosier. "Don't you tell them!" He threatened, though his laugh undermined how serious he was being.

Rosier hesitated for a moment as he contemplated, then a taunting smile appeared on his face. "Flinn was nice to him after Barty bawled like a baby." Rosier announced.

Regulus thought that was a rather interesting concept, as he had never seen Barty cry. Or ever seen Flinn feel bad for a student when they were upset. Both seemed hard to believe that they happened unless one saw it with their own eyes.

Barty was annoyed. "Awe, fuck you!" He snorted, pushing into their common room. "I said don't bloody tell them!"

Rosier chuckled as he followed after his friend. "I didn't feel like listening to you. I don't ever, actually."

The two were wrestling each other all the way up into their tower, attracting a few looks as they stormed through the common room. Their fighting gradually grew more aggressive, until they were nearly strangling each other on the third-year lounge floor. Regulus and Fawley walked after them more slowly, shooting apologetic looks back at the students they were disturbing in the common room. They paused to watch Rosier and Barty wrestle on the lounge floor for a few minutes.

"Are you buffoons finished?" Fawley scoffed, flipping her hair. "This is so immature."

Regulus and Fawley took a seat at the table in their lounge, trying to ignore the jeers and insults being traded across the lounge as they continued with their homework.

Eventually, they were joined by the other two. But the boys taking a seat did not mean that they were going to study. Regulus tried to zone out their animated chatter to focus on his herbology assignment before him, but soon, his attention was dragged back at the sound of his name.

"The Blacks?" Rosier asked, grinning across the table at Fawley. "Like, Narcissa? Isn't Bellatrix a bit old?"

Regulus lifted his chin, frowning over at the other three, who were doing anything but homework. They were leaning over the table with childish expressions on their faces as they teased one another. A few eyes darted his way for a brief moment before they continued to discuss his family.

"Why, yes." Fawley replied, giggling to herself, "They're quite pretty, wouldn't you say?"

Rosier smirked down at his hands, clasped on the table before him, "Not my thing, I suppose."

Barty sat up abruptly, "I would snog a Black." He announced.

Regulus shook his head, lost in a myriad of thoughts on how to get out of this conversation. He tried to turn away, but Barty went on, his eyes shining over at Regulus mischievously.

"Not you, Reggie, don't fret." Barty teased, "I'd go after the other one. I prefer them a bit more... messy."

Regulus stared, not quite sure what Barty was implying. The impish smirk dancing across the lad's face made him sure it was something meant to annoy him.

"The other one?" Fawley questioned, "Do you mean Narcissa? You could hardly call her messy..."

"No, you doofus." Barty laughed. "I mean the Gryffindor one."

The room fell quiet for a moment. Regulus could feel Fawley glancing over to weigh his reaction, but Rosier was only staring at Barty, all laughter gone from his face.

"My brother?" Regulus clarified. Clarification wasn't really needed though. There was only a single Black Family member in their ancestral line known to have been sorted into Gryffindor.

Barty smacked his lips loudly, "Yeppers."

"Okay." Regulus said, calmly.

Barty's eyebrows arched, clearly unimpressed by the lack of reaction he was earning for his efforts. He leaned forward, tapping his fingernails on the polished wood table meticulously. "I want to shag your brother." He reiterated.

Regulus stared back, icily. "I heard you."

Barty frowned, disappointed by the limited rise he had gotten out of Regulus. Typically, if they ignored the erratic claims that came out of his mouth, he would drop it and rarely bring it up again. However, he would repeat it frequently if anyone paid too much attention to it. Regulus had no intention of encouraging this new tirade, for Merlin's sake.

"That is not even remotely funny." Rosier spat, out of the blue, his tone nasty in a way he had rarely seemed capable of.

Barty turned, his surprise thinly veiled, "Huh?"

Rosier shot a cutting response back before Barty could utter another word, "No, screw you."

It was dead silent in the lounge then. Regulus and Fawley met eyes, both frozen in place in shock at the sight of Rosier actually growing angry. They had known the boy for years and had never seen any of Barty's shenanigans rub him in the wrong way, no matter how disturbing they were.

"Oi," Barty bristled, his face a mixture of annoyance and confusion, "What is your problem?"

"You know damn well what my problem is." Rosier huffed, pushing away from the table aggressively. "Bloody wanker."

Barty gave him an incredulous expression, "I wouldn't be ruddy asking if I knew, would I?"

"Shut up or I'll clobber you." Rosier shouted back as he stormed off toward the stairwell leading into the boy's dormitories.

Barty threw both hands up in an exasperated gesture, "The hell? Why are you running off?" He hopped off his chair, moving toward the stairs, "Why are you miffed bout this?"

Rosier could be heard hollering down the stairs, "Screw you, that's why."

Barty clicked his tongue and crossed his arms in a disapproving manner. He tapped his foot as he stood there, gazing up the staircase before him. "Use your words and explain, mate."

That only seemed to anger the already irate boy, who growled above, "Oh, I am going to trash your room so bloody bad."

They were somehow living in a reality where Barty seemed reasonable and mature, and Rosier was losing his mind. Regulus did not know how to react to the scene unfolding before them. He had never seen Rosier act in such a way, and judging by the expression on Fawley's face, neither had she.

Barty ran his hands down his face, his words coming out sounding rather distressed. "Are you being serious right now?"

Rosier seemed to have been quite serious in his threat. Within seconds, loud bangs were erupting from the room above. There were crashes and thumps as furniture and belongings were being thrown around. Regulus could only groan imagining the wreck he would find their room in when he made his way up there. There was no way the other pureblood boys would be cleaning up that mess in their current state. Barty did absolutely no cleaning even in his best mood, which he was far from then.

Fawley leaned over, whispering into his ear, "Did I miss something?" She asked, urgently.

Regulus didn't bother whispering as he responded, "Who knows? I cannot ever understand what those two are up to."

"Rosier!" Barty groaned, listening to the continued shuffling and slamming above. He turned back, making a beeline to his seat at the table. "What a drama queen." He complained in Regulus and Fawley's direction. "Loony bin in here, apparently."

"Is he truly mad?" Fawley asked him, "Or is this some odd game between you two?"

Barty snorted, "He's genuinely ticked! Being an absolute madman up there."

"Why is he upset?" Regulus asked, keeping his tone measured. It was a different situation than he had ever faced when handling Barty and Rosier in the past, and he wanted to tread through it with care. He didn’t want to do anything to worsen the situation.

Barty leaned back, flinging his hands forward, "Fuck if I know. He goes into these hysterical strops sometimes..." He shrugged, "I don't know what caused it. We all watched the same conversation. If you didn't catch it, how would I?"

Regulus believed him. Barty seemed to be a bit rattled by Rosier's anger, even if he was attempting to play off his nerves to maintain his aloof demeanour.

"Well," Regulus decided, standing up, "We should prevent him from demolishing our room."

"You fancy getting between his fists and whatever he's taking his lousy mood out on?" Barty scoffed, crossing his arms and slouching down his chair. "Be my guest. I'm staying right here."

Regulus sighed, but he didn't let Barty's sulking deter him. He would be safer speaking to the lad upstairs without Barty's presence anyway. He left Barty and Fawley at the lounge table to decisively hurry up the stairs, trying not to flinch at the loud noises escaping the room at the top.

He found Rosier ripping Barty's drawers out of his dresser and dumping them onto the floor. The room was in quite a state, but it was clear that Rosier was only targeting Barty's belongings. Keitch and Hornby were, thankfully, nowhere in sight.

Rosier slowed down when he noticed Regulus watching him, panting as he gazed back, still clutching an empty drawer to his chest. "Don't you bloody say shit." Rosier warned, his tone and stance defensive. "I'm not in any mood to defend myself to you."

Noted. He would not ask any questions while Rosier was clearly half-mad with rage. Even if he were to ask why the lad was so upset, it seemed unlikely that Rosier had an answer, so he skipped the topic altogether.

"I am not seeking an explanation, only wanted to prevent our bedroom from becoming entirely unlivable." Regulus sighed, keeping his voice calm. "Let us go visit Pandora," he offered, knowing Rosier's cousin always brought out a softer side of him, "I have to return the Louise Bogan collection."

Rosier's shoulders drooped and he stared at his feet, defeated. "Okay." He mumbled, sounding drained. "We can go see her. I need to get out of this tower for a beat."

"Then it is a plan." Regulus decided, his tone leaving no room for arguments. "Put the drawer down and come with me."

Rosier had the decency to look a bit embarrassed at that order. He placed the drawer down sheepishly and followed Regulus back to the lounge without a fuss.

As they passed through, Barty and Fawley whirled to stare at them, both mouths falling open. Barty, in his never-ending foolishness, couldn't resist calling out as they neared the exit, "Where are you going?" He demanded.

Rosier turned back, his eyes glaring daggers at his mate. "Mind your own business." He said, his words spewing venom.

Barty sulked, wrinkling up his nose in bitter anger.

No one spoke again as they disappeared down into the common room, leaving their two confused friends behind in the lounge.

They never did get any real explanation for what set Rosier off, but the two seemed to resolve it by the next day. Regulus had walked in on Rosier carving his name into Barty's forearm in the bathroom before class, using permaink spells they found in the restricted section of the library.

He tried not to think too deeply about what such a permanent symbol of ownership meant to the two lads. It had never occurred to him before then that the two shared an intense relationship that might go beyond friendship.

Some things were better left unsaid, he supposed.

Chapter Text

December, 1974

Christmas was a miserable affair.

Sirius did not return home. Or at least, not until the New Year’s Party. He must have been granted permission this time, though, as neither parent even acknowledged his absence. Regulus had been overwhelmed with stress the entire train ride home after spotting Sirius' friends without his brother, only for his mother to not seem upset to receive him alone at King's Cross Station.

He was beckoned into his mother's study shortly after returning to Grimmauld Place. She motioned him over to her desk with a pleasant expression, which was a good sign. She had seemed to be gradually becoming warmer with him as time went on. The more time that passed from his episode, the more trust she was granting him once more.

"Your term has passed without a hitch?" She asked when he paused before her.

Regulus did not need to seek clarification on what she was asking about. He knew. "I have had no further episodes." He agreed, his voice monotone.

She nodded sharply. "Very well. You will continue to avoid future incidents. We can hope that was only an unfortunate incident that should have no standings on your future, yes?"

Regulus forced himself not to chew down on his bottom lip. His eyes felt dry as he stared up at his mother. He wanted to agree, wholeheartedly, and say with certainty that it would never happen again. He wanted it to be true, more than anything.

"It will not occur again." Regulus promised, his voice strained even in his own ears.

His mother gave him a cool smile, tapping her long nails on the rim of her desk. "Good." She told him. "We will continue where we left off then, and you shall prepare yourself to be an heir to our Great and Noble House if your brother should falter."

"Yes, ma'am."

That night, Regulus did not take the draught that Madam Pomfrey had given him for the first time since his episode. He instead spent half an hour in the bathroom, quietly emptying every last cauldron he had down the drain.

The next few days passed by uneventfully, and Regulus was soon eager for the break to end. There was not much to do without any classes to attend over the break, and no brother to keep him company. His mother was busy with her work, locked away in her study all day long, and offered little company, while Regulus only saw his father when they gathered for meals, where the man never so much as looked his way. Kreacher was some comfort, but even the house elf shied in comparison to the lively folk he spent his time around at Hogwarts.

A few days before the New Year's Party, they hosted a few unexpected visitors. Regulus had come out of the library upon hearing voices in the entrance hall, to see his mother greeting Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy in the entrance foyer.

Regulus froze for a beat. He did not know why Bellatrix and Malfoy might be there. He had rarely seen the two call upon his parents before, especially not after the disaster between Bellatrix and Sirius from the previous year. His parents had seemed rather cross with her after the fiasco during summer break, and he had not expected for her to be welcome to drop by so soon afterward. But it was clear at first glance that this was no social visit. Both visitors suited grave expressions and seemed to be coming by on official business.

Neither addressed him before slipping off into his father's study for a formal meeting. Secret conversations amongst adults were the norm around Grimmauld Place, so that was not surprising. Nor was no one acknowledging his presence.

Regulus returned to the library to wait out the meeting, trying his best to put the secretive whispering out of his mind. It had been twenty minutes or so before Regulus felt eyes on the back of his neck, and he turned, realizing that he was no longer alone.

Bellatrix was standing at the doorway, inspecting the library around her with care. "Where is Sirius?" She asked, her tone already defensive.

Regulus stared for a brief pause, realizing that she had not heard the news. "He is not here." He replied, dismissively. "I assume he is at Hogwarts."

Bellatrix tossed her lengthy curls over her shoulder with a haughty sniff. "Of course he is. Naturally, he could not be damned to spend the holidays with the family he loathes."

Regulus had no response to that. He hated that he could not defend his brother from his cousin's scrutinizing comments any longer. She had been right about Sirius all along.

Malfoy appeared at the doorway behind her. He gave Regulus a quick nod as a greeting before glancing over at Bellatrix, "Do you wish for me to keep them occupied?"

"Yes." She replied shortly, waving a hand. "I must speak to my cousin alone. Do not let them notice my absence."

A spark of nerves shot through Regulus' chest as he watched Malfoy nod and turn away, disappearing from his line of vision. He did not know what Bellatrix could possibly wish to speak to him about. It was clearly something she wanted to keep from his mother as well, which only added to his discomfort.

Regulus held still as Bellatrix walked up and halted by the table he was seated at. He kept his fear hidden from sight as he maintained her gaze. He could not show any signs of weakness.

"We must speak, cousin." Bellatrix told him, her tone light.

"What of?"

Her lips curled up into a smirk, and her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Would you fancy hearing some family gossip your parents would never dare to tell you?"

"No," Regulus replied without any hesitation. Speaking to Bellatrix always set him on edge instantly, he could not help it. He hardly trusted anything that came out of her mouth.

She ignored his response, toying with the clutter of books he had been studying on the table as she went on, "When your father was quite young, his parents decided that he wasn't worthy of being heir. He was too selfish and stubbornly set against performing his duties." Her eyes glowed as she stared at him, tilting her head. "You see how he is. His parents were correct. Selfish people who are driven by their own ego instead of being driven by their purpose to their family are poor leaders."

Regulus swallowed heavily. Goosebumps were developing on his arms, but he fought to keep his words steady. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked, a little uneasy.

She smiled, coyly, "At one point they were contemplating bypassing him in the lineage and promoting Uncle Alphard as the heir to our family line. He was the eldest of himself, Walburga and my father, and had a much better temperament for performing his duties."

This was news to Regulus. He had never heard of such a thing happening, as their family was so intensely set on their traditions of the eldest being the heir. He could not resist asking for more information, "Why did they not?" He asked, cautiously.

Bellatrix laughed, the noise void of any warmth or happiness. She placed both palms down on the table as she replied, her eyes vibrantly bright, "Oh no, has no one told you this story?" She taunted. "Uncle Alphard went mad, you see. He would have crazed episodes, and then long phases of exhaustion."

Regulus' heart stopped for a moment. His eyes drilled into his cousin for so long, that the image went out of focus into a blurry blob of colour, and he could barely make her out at all.

Bellatrix misinterpreted his horrified reaction. "Do relax, Reggie. He is long gone." She sighed, straightening up once more. "His madness can do you no harm now."

Oh, how little she knew. It was some relief to realize that Bellatrix did not know about his episode, as he would surely die if she began to mock him for it. But it was also surprising. Both Narcissa and Malfoy knew about it, and neither had told Bellatrix. He could not understand why.

Even more upsetting was the thought of how many members of his family must have known about his Uncle Alphard's condition, and yet never told him. His mother certainly was aware and had not spoken a word of it. And if Bellatrix knew, perhaps Narcissa did as well. Perhaps Sirius knew. Perhaps they all knew and had kept the truth from him for some reason.

Bellatrix was still speaking, distracting him away from the swarms of confusing thoughts pounding around inside his skull. "The interesting part is that your mother was next in line after Alphard." She turned to face the window, her back facing him as she continued, "We can all agree that your mother would have done her duty tremendously, and they knew it at the time as well, but they decided they'd rather leave it in the hands of your no-good father than allow a girl to be the heir."

Regulus was bewildered once more, picking up on the heavy bitterness clear in his cousin's tone. This was personal for Bellatrix, he realized.

"And now they are doing this yet again," Bellatrix spat, not hiding the anger from her tone. "The senior members of our family are refusing to drop Orion's tarnished line for their better options."

"You mean yourself?" Regulus clarified, in no mood to have an indirect conversation.

Bellatrix whirled to face him, her face flush with emotions. "I most certainly do." She agreed. "I have all of the necessary qualities, while your brother... he is ten times worse than your worthless father." She spat on the floor for good measure, "At least Orion wasn't a blood traitor."

Regulus could not resist peering over at the doorway, aghast by how bold Bellatrix was being to insult the Head and the heir to their family in their own house. He did not fully disagree with what she was saying, but it was rather reckless of her to be saying so when his father was in the building.

Regulus shut his book slowly, "Well, perhaps you should be heir." He offered. Not that he really believed it or thought saying so would do any good, but he said what she wished to hear. He might as well stroke her ego. He had no qualms at the possibility of losing the heir role he was never meant to have.

"I should." She hissed. "And I would have done this family justice, as your mother would have if she was in her rightful place right now. And yet we are not, and we never will be."

"Why not?" Regulus questioned.

She shot him a patronizing look, towering over him. "If I were born a boy, they would have already named me heir. But I was not, so I will be overlooked for two snivelling boys who have never had a shred of the strength and loyalty I possess."

Regulus ignored the insults she was hurling his way, instead trying to sway the conversation back to a more positive light, "You are respected in the wizarding world and hold a lot of influence in the pureblood circles." He argued, honestly, "Our family holds you in high regard."

Her face grew darker at his words. "Do not patronize me, Regulus. I have no use for your meaningless comfort." She spoke, her words icy. "I know what they think of me. I will never be demure and quiet enough for them. I cannot learn to die with the better idea left on my tongue. No matter what I do, I will never live up to what my parents wish for or what others expect. I am not Narcissa, and I am not Andromeda, as much as they wish I was." She smiled, bitterly, her words soft and cold. "Andromeda betrayed this family in a way I would never dream of, and I still cannot live up to the shadow she left. My parents have no pride they can offer me. But if I were born a boy, I would be praised for the same traits. I am not looking for your pity, I am stating a fact. One that I am sure has escaped you, as someone who is simply handed the world because you were born to the right parents with the correct gender."

Bellatrix paused, letting her words hang in the library air like a cloud for a few minutes. Regulus didn't dare to speak up. He had never heard his cousin speak so honestly before.

"And yet, I will do my duty for my family," Bellatrix went on, "And my family desperately needs for you to come into your own as a leader, or all will be lost." His cousin met his eyes, sharply, "Your parents have been terribly shortsighted over this war. We need to fulfill our part, not only for our family, but for the purity of the wizarding race. And history will not be kind to us if we maintain the cowardly stance that your parents have taken. I can help you, Regulus. Together, we can keep this family intact."

Regulus arched his eyebrows, realizing what his cousin was getting at. "You believe we should be supporting the Dark Lord?"

She gifted him a smile, one more genuine than her earlier one. She seemed pleased with him. "Precisely."

"Is that the wisest course of action?" Regulus wondered. He was not convinced of why he should trust Bellatrix’s insight over his parents' decisions.

"We must." Bellatrix insisted.

Regulus narrowed his eyes as he inspected her. "You only wish for me to be heir so you can impress upon me to get the family more involved in this war, do you not?"

Bellatrix lifted her chin, her jaw tightening with irritation, "I wish to save this family, Regulus."

He tilted his head, stubbornly. "And why should I trust you?"

He didn't know what he expected her to say in response, but nothing could have prepared him for what his cousin did next.

Bellatrix pulled a chair out at the table across from him and sat down slowly. She leaned across the table, hoisting herself up on her elbows, until they were only centimetres apart. She began to speak again, her words slow and steady. "Look around you, Regulus." She urged him, "We are on the same team in a losing game. I strive to help you not only for the sake of this family but because I see myself in you." She held a hand up quickly when he tried to object. "You will listen to me, boy."

Regulus held his tongue, allowing for her to continue. He did not wish to anger her. She was quite scary when she was unhappy.

"You might think it is Narcissa that you can relate to, but I am the one who lost my closest companion in the family." Bellatrix explained, her face chalk pale. "I went from being second to Andromeda my entire childhood to being thrust into the spotlight, forever trying to live up to and make up for everything my sister left in her destructive path out of here." She stabbed her fingers into her chest forcibly along with her words, "I must suffer for her sins while she is free to do as she pleases, with no care for the mess she left me to pick up on. Narcissa lost her sister, but I have borne the burden. It is I who truly understands you, not Narcissa." She took a breath before she continued, "And while you will never be as suitable for the position as I am, I can foresee you fulfilling the role adequately with the correct guidance. I can offer that guidance."

There was a lull in the conversation then, as Regulus sat back and truly contemplated what Bellatrix was saying. What she had been trying to say to him when forcing him to be mentored in Slytherin, or after she crucioed his brother. Perhaps she really was the only one in the family who could prepare him for what came next. No one else was offering much guidance.

He met her eyes once more, with a fire lit inside of him. "What do you suggest I do?" He asked.

A smile crawled up her lips once more, brightening up her face into its usual erratic sneer. "You must meet with Lord Voldemort and pledge your allegiance." She replied, certainty strumming through her words, "You must clear our family's name in the eyes of the Dark Lord before it is too late. Presently, the Dark Lord doesn't believe that the Black Family is loyal to his cause, and it is up to you to prove that we are."

Malfoy returned to the library shortly afterward, shooting warning looks Bellatrix's way as he entered. Regulus knew his parents must be near. Bellatrix abruptly brought the conversation to an end at his silent warning, hopping to her feet.

"I will be in touch." She promised, under her breath. Regulus could only nod in response.

As his cousin made her swift departure, Malfoy held back for a moment, his razor-sharp eyes assessing Regulus.

Regulus could not resist taking the opportunity to ask him something. "Why have you not told her?" He asked. "About my..." Regulus gulped, unable to say the word, "About what occurred?"

Malfoy gave him a measured look. He seemed a bit irritated by Regulus pointing out that he kept a secret from Bellatrix, but he did not comment on it. "You are the best suited for the position, Black, whether or not you have episodes. And when you are inevitably named as heir, you will have my support."

Regulus could only stare. "Thank you." He muttered, his words almost a whisper.

Malfoy nodded before he turned to disappear after Bellatrix.

Chapter Text

January, 1975

Fawley's voice broke Regulus' attention away from his transfiguration essay. "What do you think, Black?"

Regulus tried to hide his annoyance at the interruption. It was becoming impossible to get any work done when his tower mates were present. Even after the younger years had left them that afternoon, Barty and Fawley had continued chatting about every topic under the sun, that is, other than their homework.

Regulus had been working hard on improving his grades all semester, and for most courses, his efforts were paying off. But transfiguration had continued to be a thorn in his side, and he needed his full attention to complete the essay on the Avifors Spell that was laid out before him. Barty and Fawley were making that difficult.

"What do I think about what exactly?" Regulus asked, curtly.

His snide attitude didn't seem to bother Fawley much. She smiled slyly as she twisted a curl of hair that had sprung loose. "Barty says underage magical laws are phony and thinks that folk from magical homes are more than competent enough to use magic before they turn seventeen. He thinks we shouldn't have to abide by rules made for muggleborn students."

Barty only smirked boldly when Regulus glanced over. Regulus weakly lifted and dropped his shoulders. "I suppose we do have an advantage. But not every pureblood wizard child received the early education that you did, Mr. Crouch Junior."

"Oi!" Barty laughed, gifting him a swift kick to his shin under the table, "Are you suggesting I am only as brilliant as I am due to my family's resources? Because that is a load of bull. I am a natural-born genius, you should know, Reggie."

"Sure." He replied, his tone dry. "A genius who could not brush his teeth or make his bed when he first arrived at Hogwarts."

"Pish." Barty snorted, unashamed by his lack of basic life skills. "That is house elf nonsense. Nothing to do with intelligence."

"But!" Fawley interrupted them, her chin set stubbornly, "You cannot learn magic accurately without actually putting it into practice. Even if you learn stuff before Hogwarts, it's not enough to make it safe for you to be performing magic."

Regulus contemplated. "Perhaps not in our first few years. But restrictions to our magic usage when we are fourteen and up is rather ridiculous. The ministry often oversteps in restricting magic, as if we are not born with the gift." He barely noticed how quiet the other two had fallen, as he was lost in his thoughts, "Besides, what level of magic is even trackable? Is the tracking related to our wands or the spells themselves? As one could solely use wandless magic and go undetected if it is the former. The law itself is flawed and has little grounds to justify it."

Fawley chuckled, sounding a bit taken aback. "Very well, Mr. Black." She replied, tauntingly. "Forgot you were from a top-tier sacred twenty-eight family for a bit, but that was a fun reminder."

Regulus scowled over at the comment. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She explained, "Your folk always considered themselves to be above the ministry laws, did they not?" Her eyebrows furrowed, "I mean no offence. Just was caught off guard that you have a similar attitude- I've never heard you talk like that before."

Regulus weighed her response carefully. He had never truly contemplated where his family's values and beliefs ended, and where his own began, but he felt confident in what he had said. He had always adopted his family’s beliefs as his own, after all, and it was his duty to do so. It might not be wise to voice those beliefs though, as he was sure Narcissa would tell him.

"I was merely venting." He downplayed his comments quickly, hoping Barty and Fawley would not repeat it to anyone. Fawley spent enough time around the sacred twenty-eight to know better than to spread anything they discussed in private, but Barty was always a loose cannon. "I do not know how much I believe it, I am just pondering how much sense it makes." He turned the topic away briskly, "Do you have any information on what was being discussed in the common room earlier, Barty?"

When they first entered the common room after class that day, there had been an excessive amount of whispering and muttering amongst the older groups. Rosier had been beckoned over by Selwyn as the rest of them slipped upstairs, with the second-year purebloods in tow. Neither group knew what was happening, but Regulus suspected Barty had withheld some information while their younger mates were there.

"I have an inkling." Barty agreed, one side of his lips curling up. "Same as usual, I'd say."

"What is happening?" Fawley asked, their previous conversation gone from her mind. "Is it something to do with the Head Girl?"

"Mayhap," Barty smirked, clearly enjoying being the center of attention as they begged for any explanation out of him.

Regulus did not wish to feed into what he knew Barty wanted from him, but he truly wanted to hear what the lad knew. Barty still had connections to Bellatrix's old crew, making him closer to the situation in the common room than the rest of them.

"Come on, Barty." Fawley pleaded, not bothering to hide her urgency. "We want to know what is happening!"

Barty smirked, lifting an eyebrow in Regulus' direction. He knew what the irritating plonker wanted from him. He set his jaw as he forced the word out, "Please." Regulus muttered.

"Well, if you desperately want to know!" Barty laughed, revelling in the power he was holding over them. "Really, it's boring rubbish. The same as usual. Some of the older lot are rejecting Vanity as the Head Girl and are circling around a new leader, cuz they think she's in Flinn's pocket. Which is funny, cuz she's not. Flinn might like her, but she doesn’t like him. She doesn't like anyone, I wager. She's mad cold." Barty dug through his robe pockets for a few seconds, "Anyone have a fag?"

Fawley shot him a look. "You haven't truly taken up smoking, have you?" She asked, as if he was threatening murder.

Barty snickered. "Sprout really didn't like it when she saw me smoking last week, so it's my new hobby now."

Regulus rolled his eyes back. That was not surprising. Barty would surely saw his arm off if he thought it would gain him enough of a reaction. The boy was a disaster. He tried to redirect his eyes back to his mostly empty parchment, where his essay was supposed to be written. It seemed like he was in for a long and tedious night at that rate.

Beside him, Fawley and Barty continued to argue. "That is a nasty habit. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"Stuff something in it, Fawley." Barty shot back, his tone nasty. "I don't bloody care to hear your thoughts on anything."

She wrinkled up her nose, returning with an equally scathing retort, "This is why you are the embarrassment of our tower."

Barty rolled his eyes back until white was all they could see. "At least I am not the biggest baby in the tower."

Fawley bristled in irritation. "I am not."

"Yuh-huh, you are."

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

Regulus heaved out a sigh, placing his hands over his ears. It was nearly impossible to focus on anything when those two went at it, which was a daily occurrence.

"Not!" Fawley spat. "Shut your stupid gob, Barty!"

Regulus tried to intervene. "Can you two bicker elsewhere?"

"Are to!" Barty crowed, ignoring Regulus entirely. "Are to, are to, are to!"

"Whatever." Fawley crossed her arms and held her nose up in the air. "You're just jealous that I have someone to cry to."

Barty's face instantly changed from a sneer into a menacing scowl. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said." Fawley shrugged. "You ridiculed me for two years straight for seeking out my brother for help. But I think you were just bitter that you didn't have a sibling to cry to."

"Shut up." Barty snapped, his face sour. "Such a bitch."

Regulus barely knew what the word meant. But it certainly meant something to Fawley. Her eyes flashed with fury.

"Take that back, Bartemius Crouch Junior. Or I will kill you!"

Barty scoffed at the full government name, a sneer curling up his lips. "Will not!"

Fawley threw herself at him, her arms reaching outward. They both landed in a heap on the floor before the sofa.

Regulus gave up. He shut his textbook firmly as he dropped down from the stool, ignoring the two pummeling each other on the floor a few meters away as he packed up his satchel. He heaved the bag over his shoulder, walking toward the stairwell. He left the two squabbling behind, trusting they could work it out between themselves, as usual.

They found Barty trapped in the bathroom that evening, while his wand was planted on his bed. Barty had only been erratically amused by it once he was released. Both he and Fawley acted as though nothing had happened at breakfast the next day.

****

February, 1975

Narcissa had been receiving letters from Malfoy every few days and writing notes in return. Whenever she'd get a letter over breakfast, she'd quickly slide it into her robe pocket before anyone could see who it was from. But Regulus always knew.

She did not hide the letters from Regulus. More often than not, she'd offer them up for him to review before she sent hers, or she'd allow him to read the letters Malfoy sent her over her shoulder. Not that Regulus wished to read them that much.

It was odd watching Narcissa interact with Lucius Malfoy now. Regulus knew that someday the two would be married. But they still spoke to one another as though they were business partners whenever she wrote to him, or he to her. Her parents had forbidden her from speaking directly to him without a chaperone, but Narcissa tended to bend the rules. She had been writing to Malfoy throughout the year, which wasn't directly against what her parents had said, but was hardly heeding their order very well either.

Beyond Narcissa disregarding her parents’ wishes, there were other factors of the arrangement that he found unnerving. For one, there were some topics he picked up on Narcissa avoiding.

Malfoy had repeatedly asked how things were in Slytherin in his letters, several times asking about Vanity by name. While he never asked about Lestrange, he seemed to be implying he was hearing rumours of Lestrange's resistance in Slytherin against Vanity's reign. But Narcissa never offered any information.

Regulus could only wonder why she wouldn't inform him of how disruptive Lestrange had been. She had not held back in her public defence of Vanity at the beginning of the year, and yet, she almost seemed to be trying to defend her brother-in-law to be from valid scrutiny. Was she trying to avoid conflict within the family? Or was she aiming to have Lestrange owe her one? Or was she simply refusing to do Vanity a favour after Vanity referred to Malfoy as a death eater? He could only wonder. His cousin was an enigma, but her actions were always careful and calculated, so he was certain she had a reason for it.

It weighed heavy on his mind for a few weeks before he built up the courage to ask her about it. He waited until they were alone one day, heading to quidditch practice together.

"Might I ask you something?" He requested.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow, a question in her gaze, "Have I slighted you in some way?"

Regulus smirked, despite his efforts to hide it, "No, I just wished to ask you something."

Her face softened, "Well?"

"Why have you not given Malfoy any information on what has been happening here?" Regulus asked, before he could second guess himself. He hoped it wouldn't come across as invasive.

Narcissa did not seem offended by the question, but she did fix him with a very grave expression. "We must fight our own battles, Regulus. It is useful and wise to have allies, but as a Black, we must always speak for ourselves."

Regulus fell silent, nodding after a moment of her gaze burning into him. Satisfied that he received the message, she continued making her way over cheerfully. Regulus wished he had an ounce of her courage again, for the millionth time. He wanted to take a public stand on the unrest in the common room, as she had, but his nerves always got the best of him.

An opportunity arose a few days later to speak for himself in where he stood on the changes to their common room.

Only a few students had used the shared tables since the rule was implemented. Usually, they were only halfblood students, as most pureblood folk avoided them like the plague. The Head Girl's underlings had taken up the habit of telling a few students to sit at certain tables, typically when working on group projects with halfblood students, or if there were friendships between halfblood and pureblood students.

Regulus had been seated with Burke and Avery when Barty and Rosier came up behind him, both standing far too close for comfort as they leaned over his half-completed homework.

Barty smiled, showing off his teeth, "Reggie."

Regulus released a hefty sigh, "What did you two do now?"

Rosier snorted, rolling his eyes back, "Nothing!" He laughed. "Yet, at least."

"We came to invite you to sit with us, booger." Barty flicked him behind his left ear. "Meadowes asked us over."

Regulus forgot to be annoyed by the flick, his head turning quickly to inspect the two blokes. "You intend to sit at the shared tables?" He asked, finally.

"The big, bad tables themselves." Barty chuckled. "So we can find out what all the fuss is about."

It was not unusual for Barty to push the limits just for the sake of pushing limits, but Regulus was surprised that Rosier would go along with such an idea. He typically kept his nose clean.

Regulus gave Rosier a searching look, "Is this wise?"

Rosier shrugged, his expression bored, "It is the Head Girl's policy, is it not? The rules say I obey her. So..."

Barty rolled his eyes, "You coming or not?" He paused, his eyes flashing tauntingly before he continued, "Or is Reggie too afraid of the older lot's opinions?"

Regulus wanted to brush the taunts off the same way he brushed off everything else the bloke said, but Barty was not incorrect this time. He was nervous to do anything publicly that would turn anyone in the older group against him. He knew that the majority abided by Vanity's rules, but the few that didn’t were vocal and intimidating. He had always avoided conflict and shedding light on himself his entire life. His silent obedience had kept him out of the spotlight and out of trouble. It was hard to imagine switching up his strategy to forge his own path now.

"I-" Regulus chewed down on his bottom lip, cursing his lack of spine, "I ought to stay here."

Rosier sighed, but Barty only turned to the other lad, smirking boldly, "Told ya he wouldn't!"

Regulus had to watch the two spend the next few hours at a mixed table with Dorcas Meadowes, a fourth-year girl who played as a beater on their quidditch team, and another student he did not know. He felt rather lousy about his inability to do something controversial, even if within Slytherin Policies, for the rest of the night. But his fears were justified the next day.

Rabastan Lestrange had paused behind Barty at their breakfast table and leaned forward to mutter, "Blood-mixing traitors aren't welcome at meetings." He gave Barty's head a shove forward before he wandered off, muttering under his breath. "You're awfully lucky Bellatrix wasn't around to see that."

Rosier, Regulus and Fawley turned to stare after the older boy, all alarmed by the comment, but Barty seemed unconcerned. He only chuckled. "They'll come around," he said with a shrug.

"Barty..." Fawley squinted at him. "That seemed serious."

"They kick me out every other week." Barty brushed it off, dismissively. "I break all of their rules, duh. They always let me back in. I don’t even care to go often anymore, now that everyone interesting is gone. Without Malfoy, the Carrows, Rowle, or Bellatrix, it’s just Lestrange and his goons. Sometimes I wish they wouldn’t invite me back!"

Regulus wasn't quite as unbothered by the situation. The whispered warning, even if somewhat juvenile, had set him on edge once more. He made the right decision to stay silent, he decided. He didn't need any controversy in Slytherin. He had done the clever thing and stayed out of it.

****

March, 1975

Barty had been talking about his spell for weeks. Every time there was an opening in the conversation, Regulus had to suffer through another endless ramble from the boy on how he'd cast the spell and what he'd do with it once he held the power.

It wasn't even his spell. It was one he found in an old tome some of the older years kept hidden in the fifth-year lounge. It was kept hidden for good reason, as the spells recorded within the bounds were all deemed illegal for being 'dark magic', but nothing drove Barty like a challenge.

The bloke found the spell he decided he'd cast and put months of practice and research into the task. A poorly struck spell could backfire and be very destructive, fatal even. So he did the research. It was oddly motivating to see Barty using his intelligence for something besides nonsense pranks but irritating at the same time.

For one, he was sick of hearing about it. Barty told them about it during study periods, when walking to the quidditch pitch with him, during astronomy, and even at their first slug club meeting, where both had been invited. One afternoon, several fourth-year Slytherin boys had requested their assistance in transporting items they couldn't be caught with outside the castle grounds. Since they only recruited Regulus and Barty for the task, guess what the conversation topic was the entire walk there and back?

The repetitiveness was irritating, but the constant reminder that somehow bloody Barty was brighter than him was the true mood-killer. By the end of the month after Barty first discovered the magical task he wanted to perform, Regulus could not bear to hear another word uttered about the memory alteration spell.

And yet, despite all the planning, the memory spell did not end up being the first dark spell Barty used on Hogwarts grounds.

Regulus usually spent a lot of his free time at the quidditch pitch. By mid-March, the pitch had several meters of snow burying any ground from sight, which complicated matters, but he still tried his best to train. One afternoon, Rosier and Barty had come with him to batter each other's faces with snowballs as he tried to train. There were a few others on the pitch, but the weather had managed to keep a lot of the usual crowd away.

Regulus gave up fifteen minutes into his attempts to do any training. While it was doable in the cold months, his winter wear always seemed to throw him off somewhat. He returned his stick to the shed before he headed back to where he had abandoned his friends, below the rings on one end of the pitch.

As he neared, someone else was approaching.

"Ayo." A familiar voice called out. There was a Gryffindor halfblood from their year walking across the pitch, frowning. Regulus tried to recall his name. He knew the last name was Weatherford, but he couldn't quite remember his first name. The boy spoke again as he drew closer, "You blokes shouldn't lick that during winter. Your tongue can get stuck."

Barty and Rosier peered over at the interruption, both taking a step back from the pole they had been crowded around. Barty had been trying to lick an icicle off one side, but now turned to the newcomer, a sneer appearing on his face.

"It'd get stuck?" Barty asked, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Yuh." The boy shrugged. "I've seen it on the telly."

Rosier snorted at the interruption, but he shrugged and moved further from the pole they had been hanging off of. Barty, however, held back. "I don't believe you." He said, decisively.

The halfblood scoffed, "Was only trying to help you."

Barty lowered his eyelashes over his eyes, "Prove it."

"Huh?"

"Prove that your tongue would get stuck." Barty reiterated, gesturing at the pole beside him. "If you're so certain."

"I'm not- why would I bloody do that? I know it'll get stuck." The halfblood boy had grown annoyed, "Believe me or don't, I don't give a hoot, Crouch."

Barty took a step forward, a taunting smile playing across his lips. "Lick it." He said, his tone unfriendly.

Regulus stilled, his eyes flitting back and forth between Barty and the halfblood. Rosier was watching as well, a shadow of amusement on his face.

The halfblood blinked a few times, taking a step back. "Piss off." He retorted, a tremble in his voice. "Leave me be."

Barty paused, his wand appearing in his hand as he playfully tapped it against his chin as if he were contemplating. Then he shook his head. "No, I don't think I will."

Regulus was not sure why he was targeting the lad. Maybe Barty was just bored, so he was irritating everyone as he did.

"You will lick it, or I'll make you lick it." Barty was threatening, his eyes bright. He very much seemed to be enjoying himself.

The halfblood boy's cheeks had gone pale as he stared at the three of them, his fear plain on his face. He turned on his heel sharply, ready to sprint away from the group.

Barty moved quickly, shouting out one chilling word, "Imperio!"

Regulus froze at the unfamiliar, yet hauntingly familiar curse that had come out of his friend's mouth. He had never heard someone utter the spell before, not since Bellatrix told himself, his brother and Narcissa about the three unforgivable curses.

His eyes followed the spell from the wand across to the victim. Weatherford staggered back as it struck him. After he stood frozen for a moment, his arms began to tremble and move in odd, robotic jerks. The spell didn't seem to be working much, judging by the frustrated look on Barty's face.

"Barty!" Rosier yelped, thankfully less frozen in shock than Regulus was. He leaped forward, using both hands to jerk Barty's wand arm away from his target. "Have you lost the plot?"

Barty stumbled back, staring at Rosier in shock. "The hell?"

Across from them, the halfblood boy sunk to the floor, his hands landing on his knees. He seemed to be attempting to recuperate, but the spell, even if unsuccessful, had taken the wind out of him. Regulus thought maybe he ought to check if he was okay, but the bickering beside him called his attention back.

"What are you doing?" Barty gasped, trying to squirm his way out of Rosier's grip.

"You can't use that curse on people!" Rosier shouted at him.

"Why not?"

"It's an unforgivable curse!" Rosier shook the lad by his arm. He seemed stressed. "You blooming idiot."

"Unforgivable?" Barty repeated, dumbfounded. "No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is." Regulus disagreed, a bit stunned that Barty would refute that. "That is one of the three. The Imperius Curse."

Barty was staring at Regulus, a quizzical expression on his face. He did not say anything for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing. "I did not know that." Barty said, finally.

Regulus stared at him. He believed it. As reckless as Barty could be, this was a line he wouldn't knowingly cross.

The halfblood boy, Weatherford, had regained his composure and spat out a mocking laugh. "I'm reporting you to your professor, you bloody animal. Now you've done it."

Rosier turned back, "Weatherford, please, it was a mistake."

"A mistake?" He hissed. "He used an unforgivable curse!"

Barty crossed his arms, "Well, I didn't ruddy know that, hell." He retorted. Despite his aloofness, it was clear that he was shaken up. His fingers were trembling as he clenched his elbows.

"Just don't tell anyone." Rosier was still trying to calm down the Gryffindor fellow. "He'll make it up to you somehow. We can strike a deal. C'mon, he screwed up, but no one got hurt."

"That's barmy!" The halfblood boy spat, staring at the Slytherins with wide eyes, "He's been nothing but a proper prick toward me since first year, but you're asking me to not bloody tell anyone that he used an unforgivable curse on me?" He snarled, in disbelief. "He ought to be locked up."

"Weatherford..." Rosier hissed, but it was a lost cause. The halfblood Gryffindor took a few steps backwards before he turned and ran toward the castle.

Rosier covered his face with his mitten-clad hands. "Why the fuck would you do that!?" He snapped in Barty's direction.

"I didn't know it was a dark curse!" Barty breathed, sounding a wee bit frantic. "I heard it loads of times growing up, I thought it was a normal spell. I've never tried it before, which is probably why it didn’t quite work. I was only mimicking what I've heard."

Rosier was biting his bottom lip viciously. "I don't know if Flinn is going to believe that. It's Flinn! His whole thing is destroying dark magic and purebloods or whatever."

Barty flung his hands up, defeated. "There isn't anything I can do then. I didn't bloody know!"

They could only hope that, perhaps, the halfblood wouldn't have gone through with his threats. But they had no such luck, as Barty was tracked down by their prefect before they even reached the Slytherin common room. He was whisked away to go speak with Flinn, leaving the other two behind.

Rosier was convinced that Barty would be expelled. He paced around their lounge wringing his hands all evening after speaking with Travers on the matter. They didn't think there was anything the prefect could do to help, but they were willing to try anything before their nerves ebbed away.

And yet, Barty returned with astounding news at curfew.

"Four weeks of detention and an essay?" Rosier repeated, as if Barty was speaking in a language he had never heard of before.

Barty had an uncharacteristically sullen expression on his face as they sat in a small huddle, the three of them alone in their lounge. Everyone else had long headed up to bed, but Rosier had cast a quick muffling spell anyway.

"He only gave me detentions cuz, I dunno, he wanted me to tell him where I heard it." Barty mumbled, "And he wanted to know why didn’t think it was a dark spell."

Rosier hesitated for a moment, his eyes flitting over to Regulus. The pause was odd, and Regulus did not know why he had stopped. Barty's next comment cleared up any confusion.

"If you knew bout my father," Barty nudged Rosier with a sharp knee, "Why didn't you tell me it was an unforgivable curse before? That would have been bloody helpful."

Rosier dropped his wariness immediately, shoving Barty back with two hands. "Well, arsehole, I thought you already knew! You're the one who is so ridiculously cocky about how much education you have, but you didn't know dark magic basics?"

Barty crinkled up his nose in annoyance, but he didn't seem to have any energy to defend himself. He leaned back, his shoulders slumping. "I didn't learn anything about dark magic." He paused, "Or maybe I did, but no one told me it was dark magic. I wouldn't know if the rubbish I learned about was dark magic or not. It's all the same."

Regulus was piecing their chatter together slowly. "Your father has used this curse in front of you?" Regulus asked. As soon as he saw Barty's face, he realized it was further than that. "On you?" He added, slowly.

Barty didn't reply. He didn't have to.

Regulus glanced at Rosier, "And you knew?"

"Not everything." Rosier shrugged, "He told me in our first year that his father used magic to control him whenever they're invited to public events... I just kinda pieced it together."

Barty took a short breath and exhaled it slowly. He made a sulky expression as he expanded upon that. "Well... it was more frequent this last summer. Whenever I'd act up or dare to have feelings he’d use it. He's just sick of dealing with me, I suppose."

Regulus was not shocked. While his parents had never used unforgivable curses on himself or his brother, as far as he was aware, it didn't seem odd for wizard parents to use magic to control their children. Barty surely couldn't be easy to manage. But then he thought of how horrible it felt when his mother had used magic to control him, to strip him of his voice years back, and his eyes dropped to the floor. Barty's father had done something very cruel, no matter how unhinged the lad could be.

He thought back to their first conversation of the year, reflecting on a comment Barty had made. "Does the curse meddle with your thoughts?" He wondered.

Barty smirked, "In some ways. It's hard not to go bonkers when you're finally released from being trapped in your body for so long, ya know?"

Regulus did not ask for more details. That sounded horrifying enough. It left a chill running down his spine.

"Did you tell Flinn?" Rosier finally asked, his eyes searching.

Barty's smirk bled away from his face. "No." He said curtly, not interested in expanding further on that. Rosier didn't ask.

The conversation went on, but Regulus found himself zoning out, lost in his thoughts. He couldn't stop watching Barty as he spoke. Watching him choose to protect the parent who was harming him, minimizing the damage caused by his father's attempts to control him, and rejecting his father's name, yet being unable to truly reject his father entirely.

Somehow, Regulus had missed how very much he had in common with Barty Crouch Junior.

Chapter Text

March, 1975

Regulus had learned about boggarts in his defence against the dark arts periods that year. But shortly before they began practicing boggart banishing spells, the boggarts kept in the castle for DADA had gone missing.

The day after their mysterious disappearance, Regulus received a restroom pass halfway through his final period for the day. When he exited the bottom floor loo, he was not alone in the corridor. He thought he was at first, but the hall was eerily quiet and every muffled shuffling noise echoed down the hall.

Regulus turned, trying to locate the source of the tapping footsteps and muffled whispers. His eyes were drawn over, well down the hall, when he caught a glimpse of dark hair and green Slytherin ties. As he stared, he could make out two boys from his house, leaning into a closet opening. One stood back and he could see that it was Willahelm Nott from the sixth year, with his hand on the other fellow's back. He should not be watching this, Regulus realized. This was a bad idea. Nott was associated with the group of older students who were going against the Head Girl lately. Whatever they were doing, he wanted no part of it.

But he did not move quickly enough. The other lad emerged from the closet, pulling back the door to release whatever was trapped within. It was clearly Rabastan Lestrange, his sinister laugh unmistakable, even from a distance.

"Hurry up." Nott rushed his friend. "We need to get out of here before it crawls out of there."

Rabastan shrugged. "Leave the door propped open then."

"Are these two the last of them?" Nott muttered, his words harder to make out.

"Indeed." Rabastan chuckled as they started backing away from the gaping entrance to the storage closet. "Volant and Crabbe released the rest of them earlier."

Before the conversation could go on, something came whipping out of the closet, smashing into the wall on the other end.

"Oh, hell!" Nott laughed, loudly. "Go, go!"

Regulus backed away, unsure of what he was watching. Before the boys ran off, for a fleeting moment, Nott and Regulus met eyes through the wall of dust rising from whatever had come billowing out of the closet. The older boy's eyes narrowed with suspicion for a beat, but he did not say anything. Then both sixth years turned the other way and sprinted down the hall.

As the dust settled, Regulus could see an oddly shaped creature following after the two lads slowly. As he stared, wide-eyed, a second figure appeared. This one was facing his way.

The figure blurred, distorting into a different shape as Regulus watched. It must be the missing boggarts. Whatever it turned into wasn't real, he reminded himself. Regulus scrambled for his wand, backing away as fear gripped his throat. He knew the boggart banishing incantation, he was fairly sure. He had never cast it, but he could try. It was better than doing nothing.

But as he lifted his wand, ready to defend himself, the incantation faded from his mind. He stared at the individual walking toward him.

"Mum?" He whispered, faintly.

But it wasn't his mother. Not entirely, at least. She was walking toward him with a severe expression, one which usually indicated he had done something wrong, but she was fading from his sight. The image kept altering as she walked until she looked more like his brother for a moment. Then it looked as though it was Bellatrix, with flashing eyes and erratic hair whipping around her face. Soon, his mother's facial features were clear again.

"It is a boggart." He whispered, trying to reassure himself. He lifted his wand again, his hand trembling. She looked so real.

"Riddikulus!" Regulus tried.

The spell did not work. He knew that before it even hit the figure, the blend of several individuals from the Black Family before him. He had learned that the spell should make a whip-cracking noise, and add an amusing component to the boggart, but there was no noise expelled.

"No, no." Regulus staggered back. What did he do wrong? He glanced over again, with chills running up his spine, to see his own eyes gazing back at him. "What are you?"

Himself stared back, his grey eyes dull and empty. It's a boggart, he reminded himself. Only a boggart. He needed to try the spell again, but his throat felt closed.

"Riddick-" Regulus stammered over the incantation. He was vaguely aware of the sound of chaos further down the hall, probably where the other boggart had escaped off to. There were shouts and sounds of students scrambling away. But he was alone in this hall with the one that was again reshaping into his mother. And it was only a meter away as he walked backward, frantically.

Regulus tried to banish it again, growing desperate. "Riddikulus!"

Nothing happened. The figure was arm's length from him. He could not even tell which face he was staring at any longer, all of them starting to blur. He did not know what to do.

Something seized him roughly by his shoulder. Regulus jumped, whirling to defend himself, only to realize that it was Professor Flinn who came up behind him. The professor yanked him over into a side hall, before hurrying back to handle the boggart.

Regulus' racing heart slowed as he realized he was safe from the creature with his family's face. The professor would be able to banish it with ease. But then a second thought hit him as he stared at his professor's back. Flinn was going to question him on where the boggarts had come from. He would be able to tell if Regulus was lying, especially when he was feeling so dazed. Flinn would be irate if he withheld the truth of what had happened. The professor loathed being lied to.

The second the boggart was vanquished, Flinn whirled back on Regulus. The professor was standing over him then, scrutinizing him with a merciless gaze. Suddenly, Regulus was feeling even worse than he had been when facing the distorted image of his mother. When the professor took a step forward, he instinctively moved backwards.

Professor Flinn's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Black." He chided.

"I am sorry." Regulus exhaled, his hand tapping his collarbone repeatedly as he gasped for air. He was having a hard time breathing all of a sudden. "I do not know what happened."

"What's wrong?" Flinn asked sternly, trying to reach out to him. "Are you hurt?"

Regulus was nearly hyperventilating as he frantically shook his head no. He only wanted the professor to leave. He couldn't bear the humiliation of breaking down in front of the man, but he had lost control of his breathing and was feeling too disoriented to compose himself.

"I am sorry." The words were coming out automatically, as Regulus' vision blurred with frustrated tears. "Please, let me go."

"What are you talking about?" Flinn huffed, his tone gruff. He grabbed Regulus by his arm, holding him firmly in place so he could not back up any longer. "Why are you apologizing? What is wrong, Black?"

Regulus was too low on air to reply, even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to, he didn't have the slightest clue of what he could say to make the professor not interrogate him.

Flinn inspected him carefully. "Did you see someone?"

"I cannot say." Regulus told him, weakly. "I am sorry. I cannot say anything."

Flinn's confused expression bled away with a flash of understanding. He pressed his lips together with frustration, shaking his head and staring downward for a beat. Finally, he lifted his eyes to meet Regulus' again. "You need to calm down. I will not force you to tell me what you saw. Try to inhale and exhale slowly. You're going to knock yourself out getting all worked up like this."

Regulus turned his chin away from the professor, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. He pressed his thumb and his forefinger beneath his eyes, quickly wiping away any tears that collected in his eyes. He focused on taking deep breaths, but his throat still felt as though something was weighing down on it.

Flinn patted Regulus' arm in a mildly comforting manner a few times, which only made him feel worse. The professor taking pity on him made him feel even more pathetic. His reputation may never recover from this moment in Flinn's eyes, but he could not do anything to slow his ragged breaths.

Flinn's eyebrows were furrowed with concern. "Count to ten slowly and keep breathing. Good grief, Black."

Regulus tried to take his advice. He stared down at his hands, counting slowly inside his head. He blinked rapidly as his vision slowly cleared. He took slow breaths, trying to remember how to breathe. He had never thought about how he breathed before - it would simply happen. It took more brain power than he realized to get the air in and out of his lungs.

When he peered up again with a steadier breath, the professor was watching him with a tentative expression. He straightened up, letting go of Regulus' arm. "We will go to my office."

When they arrived at the faculty area and entered the outer portion of Flinn's office, he barked orders over to Celease Volant, who had been seated at a desk near the wall. "Volant, go get Narcissa Black out of Flitwick's classroom, then return here. It shouldn't take you more than ten minutes."

Volant gazed over at Regulus with a curious look before she bounced to her feet. She replied, her tone thick with sarcasm. "Sure thing, professor."

Regulus did not even know why the sixth year might be there since most students were still in class at that time. He himself was supposed to be returning to his potions class. But the sixth years might have a spare that period, so Volant may be serving an oddly timed detention. He really wished the office would have been empty. The last thing he needed was any Slytherin students seeing him while he was still recovering from how flustered he had gotten in the corridor.

Flinn did not speak to him after leading him into the smaller office. He motioned Regulus toward a seat in front of his desk. Regulus obeyed without a word. He clasped his hands together on his lap nervously, wishing he could erase what had just occurred from the professor's memory. At least he had only broken down before the professor and no one else had seen it. That was the only saving grace.

It took a few minutes before Volant returned with Narcissa by her side. Regulus could hear the girls muttering to each other in the outer office before someone knocked on Flinn's smaller office door. The professor rose to his feet, moving across to the door in two smooth strides. Narcissa was visible once Flinn pulled the door back, with Volant a few steps behind her.

Flinn turned on the older girl first. "Go stand in the hall until I call you back in." He ordered.

Volant dared to make a face, but she complied with an exaggerated nod. She seemed to have little respect for the professor and went out of her way to show it. Despite that, she did not argue before she exited out into the hall.

Flinn then turned to Narcissa, who was peering over at Regulus carefully. "Your cousin seems to need some assistance with calming himself down." He rotated to face Regulus. "Return once you have composed yourself, Black."

Regulus nodded. His mind was racing as he slowly exited the office. Narcissa remained motionless until he reached her, and then she followed him out into the now-empty office space.

The professor was being oddly generous with him. He had a sneaking suspicion as to why that was. Flinn definitely saw him as a complete nut case that may go off the edge again at any point. While he appreciated the help the professor had provided after his episode, he knew his reputation would be forever tarnished because of it. Flinn didn't think he could handle being told off the way anyone else would have been in that situation. The professor would rather leave it to Narcissa to handle.

Narcissa's face remained void of any emotions until they were safe in the outer office with the door closing between them and Flinn. Then she turned to Regulus briskly, her eyes widening.

"Are you okay? Regulus, what is happening?"

"I am fine," Regulus assured her, embarrassed. "I got caught in the middle of some of the older years releasing boggarts into one of the halls downstairs. Flinn had to stop one that I could not ward off. And then... I am not sure what happened. I got real worked up because I was scared that he would force me to tell him who released the boggarts, and I knew I could not tell him."

"You saw who released it?" Narcissa asked, her eyebrows lifting. "Was it Slytherin students?"

"Yes," Regulus whispered, hoping Flinn would not hear them through the walls. "I was frightened of what he would do to me for not answering, and I could not breathe."

"Okay." Narcissa nodded, placing her hands on his shoulders. "It's okay, Regulus. He does not seem upset with you. You did not tell him any names of those involved, right?"

Regulus shook his head no.

The relief was clear on her face. "Good." Narcissa nodded. "You did the right thing. Look, you need to collect yourself and speak with him. If it is clear that you saw something, do not attempt to claim otherwise. Simply state that you are unable to say who you saw, as that could cause repercussions for you. He may be a bit cross, but he understands how it is. I do not think he will heavily penalize you. It would be much worse if you tattled on them, and someone found out."

"He saw me," Regulus whispered.

"Flinn?"

"No." He shook his head. "Nott saw me. I saw him and Lestrange. Rabastan Lestrange, that is. Nott saw me after they released the boggarts. If Flinn discovers anything, they will accuse me of telling him."

"I see." Narcissa sighed, running her hands down his arms. "All the more reason to not say a word in there. We will get you out of here, and then we will go speak with Vanity."

Regulus did not understand. "I thought I was not to tattle. Am I not forbidden from telling Vanity what I saw?"

"You are not to tattle to the professors - telling our Head Girl is a different story. Rodolphus Lestrange and his cronies have been wreaking havoc around the castle all week. Nott and the younger Lestrange are part of that. Vanity is aware of it, I am sure, but we should inform her that you saw them doing this today and that Flinn caught on as well."

He nodded his head weakly. He knew that his cousin was right. He should inform the Head Girl of what he knew, especially considering the ongoings in Slytherin as of late. He knew that Rodolphus Lestrange and many others had been conspiring against Vanity and were going out of their way to undermine and protest the Slytherin policies she had implemented. But there was still the matter of facing Professor Flinn.

"I am scared to speak with him," Regulus confessed, under his breath. "He did not give me a hard time right away because I was not breathing right, but he might be less inclined to go easy on me once I refuse to help him. He has said in the past that withholding the truth is the same as lying."

"There's no easy way out of this." Narcissa agreed, sadly. "You will need to endure whatever consequence he gives you for not answering his questions. I promise that your reputation being harmed would be a more grievous penalty."

He let his eyelids fall over his eyes. "Okay."

His cousin pressed her lips together, her face twisting into a meek grimace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He leaned onto her shoulder, wishing he could stay in the comfort of her arms for the rest of the day, and skip facing the professor altogether. Even if Narcissa minimized the shame of his freak-out, he still felt rather humiliated.

Regulus returned to face the professor once more, who motioned him over to the desk. When he paused before the menacing man, Flinn clasped his hands before him. "Well?"

Regulus sucked in on his breath. "I cannot explain myself any more than I did out there. I came across the boggarts in the hall, but I did not release them. That is all I can say."

Flinn pursed his lips. He sounded annoyed, "You are refusing to tell me what you saw then?"

Regulus hated to have the professor cheesed off with him, but he didn't see any other option. "I apologize if I have offended you, but I must obey Slytherin policies."

"Oh yes, I am aware." Flinn’s voice was testy. "Too bad you don't feel so strongly about the other rules, do you, Black?" He almost sounded as though he was mocking him, "You've never meddled in any dark magic yourself, right?"

Regulus did not respond immediately. Flinn must know something. The professor was trying to catch him in a lie, and Regulus could not walk right into the trap. It was unlikely that he'd be punished simply for not saying something, but if Flinn knew something he had participated in, and Regulus outright said he had no part in any dark magic in the school, then the professor would have reason to discipline him for lying.

Regulus wet his lips with his tongue before he replied, his voice hollow. "I have not done anything against the rules myself. I have not brought anything associated with dark magic into the school, I am not in possession of anything illegal, nor have I cast any dark spells."

Flinn's face darkened. He replied, his tone testy. "Do not try to find loopholes around school rules. I do not care if you did the act yourself or helped someone else perform the act."

Regulus nodded, trying to remain calm. "Sorry, sir. I did assist some students in transporting material I suspected were used in dark arts across the castle grounds."

Flinn did not seem surprised. Regulus knew he had guessed correctly. Flinn did have previous knowledge of the altar Barty and Regulus helped the fourth years build. They had not done anything themselves, beyond carrying the items out at the older student's directions. Nott and Snape could not bring it out themselves without attracting attention and Regulus had to listen to older students who had more authority. If he had refused, they could have easily made his life difficult.

"Why would you do that?" Flinn wondered, his eyes assessing him viciously. "If you knew the items possessed dark magic."

"I did as I was told." Regulus replied, softly.

Flinn shot him a stern look. "That does not absolve you of guilt. You cannot simply brush off everything you do wrong by saying someone else told you to do it."

Regulus did not reply again. There was nothing else to say. If Flinn saw fit to punish him for moving magical items on the older students' behalf, he would just have to bear it. Narcissa had been correct. It was better to face the professor's ire than his fellow students' anger.

Flinn exhaled slowly. "You did this with Barty, I presume? I hope you do not intend to let your future be derailed by that conniving, attention-seeking boy."

Regulus bit his lip, nervous. "No, sir."

The professor eyed him over for a beat. "I understand it is challenging to go against the crowd in Slytherin, and it is easier for you to do whatever they tell you to do. But I think it is rather cowardly. There is only so much I can do to force change in there, but you have all the power to change things. What would happen if all of you stopped following their rules, huh? They can only ostracize you if everyone participates in isolating someone. And someday you will be at the top of this hierarchy and have all the power to reject the way things are. If you instead choose to take the easy route, even when you know it is wrong, would you not agree that is rather cowardly, Black?"

Regulus gazed back at the professor, feeling too numb to contemplate the topic shift. He did not know what to say.

Flinn gave him a look, one that clearly portrayed how disappointed he was in him, before he gave up. He shook his head in exasperation. "I will write you a pass from class. You can return to the dungeons until supper. Try to stay away from boggarts until you learn how to banish them."

"Yes, sir." Regulus nearly whispered out his response.

"Tell your cousin to step in here as you exit," Flinn ordered, turning to his notes. "You can wait for her. It won't take long."

Regulus acknowledged that the professor was being uncharacteristically kind. He suspected again that the professor was only going easy on him because of his episode, but he supposed he'd prefer pity over being torn a new one every time he stepped out of line, as most Slytherin students got.

Narcissa was waiting in the outer office, her arms pinned behind her back primly. Her eyebrows lifted when he came out, her eyes inspecting him with a twinge of concern. Regulus cast over an expression, trying to indicate that he was fine.

"Professor Flinn requests an audience with you." He murmured.

Narcissa tapped her chest to clarify, even though no one else was in the room. She straightened up and took a small inhale before she walked forward, her chin held high. She seemed a bit nervous to face the professor, but she certainly never showed it once she was before him. Regulus thought that was a bit amusing, as the professor did seem to favour her. She always got a softer version of him than most students did, and he never seemed to grow cross with her, despite her relationships with Bellatrix and Malfoy, which spoke for itself. But everyone had a bit of fear when it came to facing Flinn no matter how much he favoured them. His opinion of a student could drop the moment they irritated him, so no one was ever truly safe.

Flinn did not wait for Narcissa to close the door before he spoke, shortly. "Track down Vanity and tell her I need to speak with her." His command echoed into the outer office.

"Yes, sir." Narcissa replied.

And that was all they discussed. Narcissa stepped out again after a moment, motioning at Regulus to come with her. He followed after her wordlessly.

She quickly tracked down Vanity, who was back at her library location, along with some of the upper Slytherin students that she trusted. Narcissa offered up a quick explanation of what had happened with the boggarts and informed the Head Girl of Flinn's intent to speak with her.

"I see," Vanity said, her face blank. Her eyes wandered over to Regulus, where he stood behind his cousin. "And you saw who was responsible for these boggarts being released?"

Regulus swallowed heavily. He did his best to hide the nerves swarming through him from showing. He knew he ought to tell the Head Girl. And even if she wasn't the Head Girl, he liked Vanity, and he trusted her not to repeat that he had informed on the other students to her.

"Yes," Regulus confessed, softly. "I believe I saw Rabastan Lestrange and Willahelm Nott fleeing the scene."

Vanity did not reply right away, but Travers, who had been standing by the Head Girl's side, made an irritable noise in her throat. She crossed her arms with a huff, shaking her head. Ursula Flint, their sixth-year prefect, seemed even more annoyed at the sound of their names than Travers had been.

Vanity turned to the prefects at her side, her voice calm and measured, "We know why he wishes to speak with me." She began, "I need to go in there with a plan."

Flint's eyes flashed as she offered her take, "He already knows Lestrange is ruddy behind this. I say do nothing. If Flinn gets rid of Lestrange for us, all of our problems will get easier."

"Looking powerless to Flinn's whims won't help my standings in Slytherin any more than Lestrange undermining me will." Vanity disagreed, her eyes focused on the wall beyond the group as she considered carefully.

Travers spoke up, a bit more tentative than Flint had been, "I agree, but I do think you should throw Lestrange, Selwyn and Parkinson under the bus, and let Flinn do your dirty work. Perhaps spare the younger years from catching his eye, and in that way, you can show you’re fighting back."

"That might not work," Flint interrupted, "Because Flinn already has a list of Lestrange’s associates. I think he intends to penalize them all, with or without evidence."

Travers' eyebrows creased at that, "He cannot dole out severe consequences without evidence, can he?" She asked.

The Head Girl's eyes flicked back, "According to Hogwarts rules, no." She scoffed, "But that has not stopped him before. And he has evidence on Lestrange. I do not believe he has anything on the others, which is why he has not acted yet." She shook her head, "But he is at his wit's end and has already warned us that if there is one more incident, he will interfere. Boggarts stalking our halls definitely will be the last straw."

Urquhart, from where he was seated at the table, spoke up, "What is wrong with him handling Lestrange instead of you needing to?" He asked, his voice gruff.

Vanity addressed his question, pinning her arms behind her back, "If Flinn were to punish them for their dealings behind my back, it would only verify what they're assuming about me. They would only grow more extreme in their belief that I am in Flinn's pocket and am not trying to preserve pureblood hierarchies in Slytherin." Her face remained passive as she spoke, "I cannot allow other Slytherin students to see me as powerless against Flinn, nor I cannot allow Flinn to see me as incapable of diminishing this group without his interference."

Narcissa was nodding, in front of Regulus. Her face was grave as she listened to the prefects weigh Vanity's options. Regulus kept quiet, eyeing the group over with interest. He had not had many opportunities to listen in on Vanity's meetings before. She had always been very careful before making any moves, and he had been waiting all year to see how she would strike back against Lestrange's open rebellion.

She was distinct from their last few Head Students as she was far less quick to react. Yaxley would have made mincemeat of Lestrange the first time he uttered a word against her, likely in a very violent and painful way. Meanwhile, he could have imagined Malfoy outcasting or fully forcing a student to leave the school if they went against him. Vanity stood alone from their last two Head Students though, as someone who did not rely on fear as much as she outwitted her opponents.

Travers was speaking, "While it is unfortunate to have Flinn involved, he is going to be involved either way."

"Yes," Vanity agreed, tapping her fingers against her other hand thoughtfully. "I must twist that to our advantage and handle him with care. And despite popular opinion, he certainly does not show this apparent favouritism anytime I speak with him."

Regulus stifled his snicker at her comment. He supposed she must be aware of the rumours of her close relationship with Flinn. She did not seem to think much of them.

"If you let him handle Lestrange," Travers suggested, thoughtfully, "I think it will be better in the long run. Without a leader, their organization would fall apart."

Vanity gave her a firm look, "I cannot stoop to informing on members of my class."

Flint stepped up, drawing attention over to herself by lifting a hand, "I can do it instead." She volunteered. Regulus supposed she had no love for Lestrange after the comments he made about her earlier in the year.

That suggestion did not please the Head Girl either. "No," Vanity said, her tone unmovable. "If it ever came out that you provided the information, it would undermine your ability to control the house next year. No prefect can throw someone under the bus unless it is absolutely mandatory."

Flint looked disappointed, but she nodded obediently. She pursed her lips as she gazed away from the group.

Narcissa spoke up. "If I may, I have a suggestion."

The prefects turned to her, giving her their full attention. Narcissa did not speak until Vanity nodded in her direction.

"If you are positive that Flinn already has evidence of Rodolphus Lestrange engaging in the usage of dark magic, it would hardly be tattling to agree with his assumptions. If anything, not providing confirmation would be sure to turn Flinn against you for being dishonest with him. What if instead, you vaguely hint him in on some of their antics, then circle back afterward and rescue them from his clutches?"

Vanity gazed upward for a moment, reflecting on the suggestion for a beat. "That might work in theory. Flinn would feel that we are cooperating with him, while the Slytherin students would see us pushing against Flinn penalizing them. The question is, how would we get Flinn to release them once he has taken action against that group of students?"

"We strike a deal," Narcissa replied, her tone cool. "I heard he has been seeking information from you all year, not only on present students, but also information regarding past students. I know he has requested information from you regarding Lucius and my sister. I have an idea of what he and Dumbledore already assume about both, and it is no consequence to them if we confirm what they already know. It will, however, allow Flinn to believe you are willing to work with him and betray your peers."

"Will that be enough for him to pardon the older years?" Travers wondered, looking back at Vanity. Regulus got the sense that the older years treated Vanity as the authority of Flinn's opinion. She seemed to have spent more time with him than the others.

Vanity gazed back, her eyes still. "No, not unless he has no evidence to hold anyone beyond Lestrange, as we suspect. Then he may slide the moment I give him an out to do so. I do not think he has evidence of anyone’s involvement, other than the Lestranges’, which is probably why he questioned Black today. He is desperate for evidence. If he had anything, he wouldn't have waited this long before calling them down. He may fold if I offer a deal, even with limited information."

Travers motioned her head in agreement, a small smirk on her lips. She seemed to like their plan. "Which students would you ask for a pardon for?"

"Everyone," Vanity replied instantly. "He requires the satisfaction of turning me down for some. If I ask for only the ones I know he will likely release, we will get nowhere."

Flint peered back, her attention returning to the conversation. "Who do you actually intend to pardon?"

"Depends on who he calls down." Vanity replied. "I imagine Lestrange, Selwyn, and Parkinson will be called down from my year. Lestrange will take the fall for this no matter what I do, so I will not even bother with speaking on his behalf. The last thing I need to do is make the same mistake Malfoy did, and advocate for someone he has already decided is a lost cause. Flinn has had it out for Lestrange since the silent hark potion - he was only allowed a temporary escape when Flinn had Bellatrix to torment. The professor has been waiting all year to turn on that fool now. Lestrange has made his bed. I will do all I can to have both Selwyn and Parkinson released, though."

Flint clearly did not like that answer. Her face twisted with annoyance, but she kept her voice calm as she replied. "Why would you aid Selwyn? He will never be loyal to anyone before Lestrange and Bellatrix."

"I am aware." Vanity replied, her voice getting colder. Her lips gently twitched with irritation. "We hardly need his loyalty. Without Lestrange or Bellatrix around to lead him, he is easy enough to control. Especially once he has reasons to believe that we rescued him from deserving consequences, despite his obvious disdain for me. Once he has no one to follow and recognizes that we still prioritize handling our affairs without outside interference, he will not be a threat."

Regulus peered at Flint to gauge her reaction, but she did not dare to disagree with the Head Girl. She rested back in her chair, sulking. Her conduct seemed rather childish to him.

After a pause, Narcissa intervened in the conversation again. "What about Parkinson?" She asked.

Travers' eyes widened for a split second before she turned to meet Vanity's eyes with a look of alarm. Regulus watched the interaction carefully. They knew something about Parkinson that Narcissa did not, that much was clear.

Vanity straightened her back as she turned to Narcissa once more. "Nothing discussed here will ever leave this room."

"Of course." Narcissa agreed instantly.

Urquhart added a chilling comment. "Even to your sister?"

Narcissa shot a very menacing glare his way, her eyes drilling holes into him. "Yes, she typically is included when I say I will not repeat something to anyone."

The boy snickered softly but did not say anything more. Vanity gazed behind Narcissa for a moment, her eyes resting on Regulus. She was waiting for a response, he realized. He nodded slightly, indicating he would not say anything either.

"Parkinson is not loyal to Lestrange or Bellatrix." Travers explained, once Vanity motioned over at her to explain. "And she never has been. She has been informing on their antics to Vanity for many years now. She is why we have a list of who is in this death eater group in the first place."

Narcissa did seem somewhat taken aback by that. Her hands curled around the fabric of her skirt tightly. Regulus could tell that angered her. As far as he knew, Bellatrix had counted Vanda Parkinson among her friends. Narcissa had resented how many of Bellatrix's friends had been disloyal to her in her final year, and certainly didn't seem thrilled to hear that Parkinson had been faking her loyalty to Bellatrix as well.

Narcissa sucked in on teeth before replying, her voice monotone. "She is betraying her friends, and you trust her?"

"We absolutely do not." Vanity replied, seeming to read Narcissa's thoughts with ease. "If she is capable of faking her loyalty to them, we can never trust she is doing anything more than playing both sides here. And yet, it is beneficial to us that she is disloyal to Lestrange. She is looking out for herself and will turn against him once the tides are not favouring him. We accept her information with a grain of salt, and in return, provide her with bits of safe information so she believes we trust her."

Narcissa nodded, maintaining her stiff posture.

Travers shot over a guilty expression. "I apologize that we kept that from you, Narcissa, but surely you understand why."

"Yes." Narcissa agreed. "I would have informed my sister."

No one spoke for a moment. Urquhart was smirking, but the other four were quiet and still, waiting for Narcissa to continue.

"My sister is not here any longer, and her false friend cannot harm her." Narcissa went on after a few long seconds. "I said I will not repeat anything, and I will not."

Vanity nodded sharply. "Do not think we lack trust in you, Narcissa. You have proven yourself many times this year."

"I will hold my tongue for now." Narcissa added, "On the condition that I am free to do as I may once she graduates."

"Done." Vanity agreed, without hesitation.

Narcissa nodded, her shoulders loosening somewhat at the Head Girl's permission. Regulus could only imagine what she intended to do to Parkinson for betraying her sister.

After another small lag in the conversation, Hornby brought them back to their previous topic. "What about the younger years who have been working with Lestrange? Didn't Parkinson name Lestrange, Nott and Volant from sixth year, and Greengrass and Avery from fifth year?"

"Yes." Travers agreed, regaining her composure after her awkward moment with Narcissa. "If we are aware of their involvement, Flinn probably has heard of it as well." She peered back at Narcissa to explain. "We suspect that Parkinson supplied him with information in the past too."

Regulus gazed over at his cousin once more, knowing that detail would only add insult to injury. Narcissa's face was terrifically pale, but she did not speak up. He wondered if she may strangle Parkinson to death herself. Little had ever been revealed about how Flinn gathered so much evidence against Bellatrix to justify her excessive penalties. It was likely that someone close to her had been informing the professor of her actions.

"There are several from sixth and fifth year included in this group," Vanity agreed. "I will attempt to negotiate their pardon as well, though I imagine he will be difficult to sway on some."

"Yeah," Flint muttered. "He detests Volant and Lestrange from my year. He will use any excuse to pick on them. Plus, he knows Rabastan would always be loyal to his brother."

Vanity shrugged, with an air of aloofness. "I am at peace with letting both Lestranges rot there. We can do what we can for the others, as they are more salvageable in this case."

"Even if they are grateful for you helping them," Hornby was frowning at her friend. "They will never be trustworthy."

"Yes, but they will be scattered without a leader and be in debt to us. What is important is the perceived way we handle this to the rest of the house, not how the aspiring death eaters see it. We must demonstrate our power and ability to push back against Flinn's practices and demonstrate our loyalty to Slytherin. The sacred twenty-eight members will always be a handful, that is inevitable. They need to be controlled here, not reworked."

Regulus held back a chuckle at that remark. He supposed the sacred twenty-eight youth must sound like a whole load of bollocks to the other pureblood students. They tended to be quite cocky and had a holier-than-thou attitude.

Travers pressed her arms behind her back and swayed in their direction, an intrigued expression on her face. "What do the younger years think of the separation among the older years lately? Who do they follow?"

Regulus and Narcissa exchanged a quick look. He held quiet, allowing his cousin to speak first. He did not have much to say and did find it a bit intimidating to be called upon by the prefect to speak for his year. He was used to the older years selecting Rosier to speak for them in the past.

"My year is not highly involved in the pureblood politics yet." Narcissa answered, with a thoughtful tone. "It may be possible that Nott would side with his brother simply because they are related if his brother is involved, but truly, I do not think that Mulciber or Nott have any idea that there is a conflict brewing. They are rather oblivious. And if they do ever catch a whiff, I will handle them. Myself, Ollivander and Shafiq will always follow the established hierarchy."

Travers nodded again, gifting Narcissa a smile. "Yes, you have done very well in managing them in the past. I am sure you can handle it if either are inclined to get involved."

Flint seemed more hesitant. "Lestrange is your brother-in-law. You don't feel the need to back him?"

Narcissa inhaled loudly, sounding a bit annoyed. Regulus did not blame her. She repeatedly stated that she was loyal to maintaining order in Slytherin. "I have no love for my brother-in-law, and I have even less for anyone undermining the hierarchy that has maintained everything we value about Slytherin over the past few years. I understand that sending the students into chaos without a clear leader would leave us all vulnerable and disorganized. Say what you will about my sister, she would not have wished for this either. She understands the need for order. As I said, I will not break your confidence."

"I agree." Vanity spoke up, stonily. "Bellatrix was clever enough to recognize the fragility of our order in Slytherin. She resented that I was selected over her, but never publicly undermined me in any way over the last two years."

"Malfoy definitely didn't want this either." Travers sighed. "Everyone knew Lestrange would be a wild card without Bellatrix or Malfoy here. He is taking advantage of their absence, but what he is doing right now could blow up everything we have established in Slytherin for years to come. I wager he is too self-absorbed to care."

That was definitely true. Regulus would always remember how aggressive Malfoy had been with Lestrange the previous year. He and Barty had spied on a very public confrontation between the older boys after the potion incident, and the scene was etched into his mind. It became even more chilling once Narcissa told him that was a strategic move to make Lestrange look weak before the pureblood group, as Malfoy and Vanity knew he would be trouble well in advance.

Vanity turned to him. "Black."

Regulus was jerked out of his thoughts at her call, surprised that she was calling on him. He suddenly found all eyes in the room turning his way and inspecting him with vague interest.

"What are the views among the third-year students?" Vanity asked, her tone interested.

He tried to shake off the nerves of all the attention being on him. This was his opportunity to show he was a valuable addition to the conversation and could assist with Slytherin politics as well. He couldn't blow it. "My year is not very politically involved."

Hornby snorted, interrupting him before he could continue. "Oh, rubbish. Everyone that knows Barty has worshipped Bellatrix and Lestrange for years."

Regulus stared at her, unimpressed. It was odd to have a halfblood student so boldly interrupt him and argue with what he was saying. Clearly, much had changed in the hierarchy among the older years, as he did not realize that halfblood students who weren't even prefects were welcome to jump in without permission. He found it rather annoying.

"If you would let me finish, I can explain." Regulus retorted, his tone icy. She rolled her eyes but did not interrupt him again. He continued, with a bit of his sour attitude clear in his tone. "He looks up to plenty of people, but that does not mean he is politically involved. Barty is not driven by the same ambitions of any of them, or any of you for that matter. He is very clever and interested in dark magic, but he does not have the head for politics. He enjoys spying and knowing everything, but he doesn't have an opinion on much. He is only trying to stir up trouble, not climb the hierarchy."

Vanity and Flint seemed to agree with his opinion, nodding knowingly. Urquhart only shook his head, amused.

"Do you know if Lestrange has said anything to him either way?" Travers asked, cocking up one eyebrow. "Barty is still included in their conversations, even if he does not have his own opinion."

Regulus shrugged. "I doubt it. Barty cannot keep a secret to save his life. Lestrange probably keeps those conversations more private. We all knew there was a division taking place, but no one seemed to care much in my year."

The sixth- and fifth-year prefects were gazing at him, both looking a bit impressed. Narcissa was watching him over her shoulder as well, her gaze approving. He could tell she thought he had done well.

"Well," Urquhart sneered. "That may be the most I have ever heard from you, Black."

Regulus kept his face blank, despite how irritating he found that response. What a condescending prick. Of course that was the most they ever heard from him, no one bothered to listen to him or let him have a say in most conversations. Regulus had been seen not heard his entire life, but he knew he was clever enough to keep up with pureblood politics, even if he wasn't as outspoken as some of the others. He knew better than to sass an older year though, so he kept his irritation hidden.

Vanity was watching him with an unwavering gaze. She did not look surprised. She had never underestimated him the way the others had, and he wanted her approval far more than he sought the others’. She nodded firmly at his response.

"Very well." Vanity said, decisively. "The younger years seem oblivious as far as we are aware. That narrows it down to the top three years." She rose to her feet, running her hands down her shirt. "Everyone should keep a low profile as this might be quite messy. I had hoped to avoid it reaching this point, but I am left with little option. I cannot leave him waiting for much longer before he marches himself down here to berate us. All of you should continue with your day as though nothing out of the usual is happening. I will go speak with him."

Chapter Text

April, 1975

"You barely slept last night." Were the first words out of Rosier's mouth when Regulus exited the bathroom one morning. He was seated on his bed, giving Regulus a stern look. "I woke up at two in the morning and saw you reading."

Regulus gifted him the dirtiest look he could muster, immediately annoyed whenever Rosier started policing his sleep and medication habits. It had been a nightmare trying to hide that he was no longer drinking his draughts from Rosier. The lad kept asking where the cauldrons were until he had to make a habit of carrying one into the bathroom every evening and dumping it down the toilet. Rosier was still suspicious anyway.

"I do not need to sleep every hour of the night." Regulus replied, sharply. "You and Barty were up until 4 in the morning a few days ago to do some nonsense with the Lestranges."

Rosier did not back down. "That's different."

"Why?" Regulus scoffed, "Because I had an episode?"

Barty was not in the bedroom, but Keitch and Hornby were still getting ready for the day. The exchange across the room was drawing their eyes, but Regulus did not care anymore. Everyone in his tower had been present the night of his episode. They all knew already - why bother being discreet?

"Precisely." Rosier agreed without missing a beat. It was not the response Regulus was hoping for. "Your sleeping habits are an important indicator, annoying git."

"Rosier." Regulus huffed, storming off to put his nightwear away. He could hear his voice growing shrill. "Leave me be."

"This isn't the first time." Rosier continued, unphased. "I've seen you awake at odd hours several times last week as well."

Regulus thrust his clothes into his drawer with vigour, annoyed by the comments. He hadn't been sleeping well. At all. He had tried to hide it from Rosier by laying down and closing his eyes at night till the bloke seemed out, but the boy was so darn attentive. It wasn't his fault. He just didn't feel tired very often lately, and his brain wouldn't stop shooting off thoughts and ideas. He usually stayed up until a few hours before breakfast before he'd finally fall asleep. But it did not matter, as he never felt tired the next day after barely sleeping.

"Regulus," Rosier said hotly, surprisingly using his first name. It gave him the sense that the lad was being very, very serious. "I'm not messing around - I'm getting worried. I think you're screwing with me, and it's about time I tell your cousin. And probably your brother too."

Regulus whirled, his cheeks heating. "Excuse me?" He could not believe the boy. "You truly have the nerve. You cannot say a word to either, that is completely barmy!"

The halfblood boys were peering at each other, both seeming very uncomfortable. Regulus was far too infuriated to care.

"You're clearly fuckin' around here." Rosier shot back, his voice escalating as Regulus' did. "Why are you only taking the draughts in the bathroom lately, huh? I know there is a problem."

"So you propose to speak on it to my brother behind my back?" Regulus spat, too angry to care that he was being childish. Rosier was the only friend who knew how horrendous Sirius had been to him lately. He felt betrayed. "I will never forgive you if you tell him anything."

His threat only seemed to make Rosier more cheesed off, rising to his feet to scowl over at him. "You're being ridiculous."

Regulus crossed his arms, "I am not. You are being intrusive. You ought to mind your own business."

"And let you drive yourself mad?" Rosier rolled his eyes. "Why are you so bloody stubborn?"

"I did not request your help." Regulus retorted, his expression haughty. "Besides, I firmly believe it was a one-time thing."

Rosier laughed, throwing his head back. "Oh, splendid. I'll add that you're having delusions to the list I will be giving to Narcissa of your recent developments."

Regulus did not know if he'd rather curse the fellow or cry. He could not handle his hopes of the episodes never returning being mocked in that way, not when it was all he had to keep his relationship with his mother intact.

The hurt must have been clear on his face, as Rosier's expression softened. "I'm only trying to help, mate. Look, I won't say anything to Sirius. But I gotta tell Narcissa, you know I do."

Regulus blinked a few times, vaguely aware of their roommates shuffling about in the background, both trying very hard to pretend they did not notice the scuffle in the center of the bedroom. "Fine." He gave in, finally. "If you must."

"You cannot stop me." Rosier agreed, his tone lighthearted. He was very hard to stay cross with.

Regulus returned to preparing himself for the day, trying to press the growing anxiety within him out of his mind. He could not have another episode. He simply could not let that happen.

****

Rosier had made him late to class - something he had never been before. His friend had insisted over and over that they had enough time to stop by the kitchens, and teased Regulus for hurrying him, only for both to arrive to class several minutes late, finding the door sealed shut.

Regulus was mortified to enter a class tardy. His mother had always been very strict about punctuality at Grimmauld Place, and he was never one to break the rules.

Rosier was less worried about it. He shrugged and smirked sheepishly when Regulus shot over an angry look. "I'll knock," Rosier offered, acting as though his anger was unjustified.

His frustration was justified. Not only were they walking into a class late after Rosier mocked him for rushing over there, but it was defence against the dark arts, of all classes. As of third year, their new schedule had brought a different defence against the dark arts professor than they had in previous years, and the last thing Regulus needed was Professor Flinn giving him a hard time again. Twice was enough for a lifetime. He never wished to be in trouble with that professor again.

It took a moment before they got a response after they knocked. Then Flinn called them in, "Enter." His voice replied.

Rosier pushed the door open, stepping through into the classroom after a moment of hesitation. Regulus followed suit.

Flinn leaned against his desk, his eyes scouring over them viciously. The class was quiet as they all watched, waiting to see what the professor would say. He never let anyone walk in late.

"Well?" Flinn broke the silence, his voice stern. "Let's hear it."

Regulus' footsteps faltered, pausing near the door. He braced himself for whatever lecture they were about to receive.

"Hear what?" Rosier questioned, pausing in front of him.

Flinn pressed his thin lips together. "I am eagerly awaiting your explanation for what emergency caused you two to arrive late."

Rosier glanced over, meeting Regulus' eyes for a beat. Regulus motioned at him to respond. He was sure that Rosier would not appreciate him throwing the bloke under the chariot, but he would not be able to resist it if he replied.

"Well," Rosier started, pausing for a beat to think.

Flinn waited for a second or two before he spoke up again, his words sharp. "I'll take that as my response. You'll both be in my office for detention tonight at six. Take your seats."

And so Regulus was in detention that night.

Rosier apologized a few times, though he never seemed all that sorry about it, but Regulus did not feel like forgiving him. Not until a few minutes into their detention, when the office door cracked open to reveal his brother. Suddenly, he was very glad to have Rosier at his side.

As his brother gazed across the office, he immediately found Regulus' eyes gazing back at him. Regulus quickly wiped his face of emotions and pressed his lips together. He turned away, glaring down at the notes before him.

Regulus had been carefully avoiding his brother all year long. By hiding behind his friends at Hogwarts, and keeping his distance at the New Year's Party, he had managed not to utter a word to his brother for months. He was in no mood to rectify that now.

He heard his brother sigh, letting the office door shut loudly behind him. He must have detention as well.

Regulus knew better than to hope for Sirius to do the mature thing and leave him alone, but he still felt his temper flare when his brother took the desk directly behind him, out of the many empty desks scattered around the office space. Must his brother always be so obnoxious?

Regulus kept his eyes rigidly glued to the parchment before him, where he was writing neat lines over and over, hoping that Sirius could not see how frustrated he was growing.

He could feel Rosier watching him, but Regulus did not meet his friends' eyes. He hoped that Rosier was wise enough not to give Sirius any reason to start a conversation with them. But Rosier was silent at his side, only writing his notes and not glancing back at his brother. He seemed a bit on edge for some reason.

Flinn should come out of the smaller office soon, he figured, to give Sirius a task. He had given Rosier and Regulus the instructions to write out lines a few minutes before when they first arrived. That should take his brother's attention off of breathing on the back of his neck.

After a minute of silence that felt like hours, Flinn came out of his smaller office, seemingly realizing that Sirius had arrived. He walked out to assign his brother lines and warned them all that no talking was allowed for the duration of the detention. Regulus nodded, dutifully. He hoped Sirius would obey that rule.

Once the professor was locked back into the smaller office space, his brother returned to his task of the evening - nagging Regulus. First, he could feel his brother kicking the back of his seat a few times, which he rigidly ignored. When that was unsuccessful, Sirius moved on to tearing little bits off his parchment, rolling them into small paper balls and tossing them at the back of his neck.

Regulus' self-control was quickly waning every time a paper wad hit him or landed on his desk. Rosier was snickering beside him, but he was not finding it the least bit amusing. He whirled back, sending over a seething look. "Cut it out." He hissed at his brother between clenched teeth.

"Not until you speak with me." Sirius shrugged, casually. "I am tired of this whole song and dance. You should quit sulking like a baby and talk to me."

"That's rich coming from you." Regulus retorted under his breath. He wished that his brother would keep his voice down. He didn't want Flinn to hear them and come out.

Rosier rotated his shoulders and hung his elbows off the top of his seat to inspect Sirius. "Do piss off."

"Mind your own business," Sirius replied, sharply.

"Nah, I don’t think I will." Rosier’s tone was gruff. "Why don't you leave him alone, arsehole?"

His brother bristled with defensiveness. He didn't seem fond of someone telling him what he could or couldn't say to Regulus.

Sirius leaned forward to whisper his threat. "Keep yapping and you'll find out how much of an arsehole I can be."

Rosier snorted and rolled his eyes back. "You're taking the piss. You couldn't be foolish enough to start a bloody duel meters away from Professor Flinn over there. That's an empty threat."

Regulus wasn't feeling so sure. His brother could be quite reckless and seemed to get in an awful lot of trouble with Flinn.

His brother reached for his wand while maintaining eye contact with Rosier. "Care to test that theory out?" He taunted.

Rosier hesitated, but the shadow of a smirk on his lips didn't look like an indication that he intended to back down.

Regulus' nerves were rising. He needed to stop this. Both Rosier and Sirius were too hotheaded to end it on their own.

His brother was talking before he could speak up. "Keep in mind that if we get into a brawl here, I am the sure winner," Sirius said, his eyes still on Rosier. "Because I will be sent to Professor McGonagall and you will be trapped here to explain yourself to Professor Crabby. I will get the last laugh, one way or another."

Regulus stilled, staring at his brother in surprise. The comment seemed uncharacteristically nasty.

Rosier stared for a moment as well, before he shook his head, his eyebrows rising. "Wow, you truly are a prick." He turned to Regulus with a cool tone, "I feel sorry for you, mate, having to grow up with such a tosser. Here I was thinking your parents were the prats in the household. Little did I know!"

Regulus did not have a chance to respond, because Sirius quickly slid further down his seat to free up his legs, then kicked out in Rosier's direction with all his might. His foot caught part of the lad's leg, and part of his chair, causing a loud creak as the chair jerked along the floor.

Regulus jumped to his feet. "Stop it! Are you mental?"

All three boys whirled back to the smaller office entrance at the daunting noise of the professor rising off his chair. Rosier reacted first, grabbing a handful of Regulus' shirt and dragging him back into his seat. Both of them quickly readjusted themselves to be facing forward again.

Regulus' heart was in his throat as Flinn opened his door. The professor walked out slowly, eyeing the three of them over through eyes narrowed into slits. Regulus knew that his face must be revealing his guilt, too flustered to swiftly hide his fear. If the scrape of Rosier's chair and his loud whisper hadn't exposed them, their faces were surely a dead giveaway.

Flinn drawled out. "Are you three looking for creative new ways to blatantly defy me?"

The three of them shuffled nervously in their seats. None seemed willing to fess up over what had caused the noise.

"Someone will answer me," The professor's voice grew stern with a warning. "Or all three of you will find yourselves in far more trouble."

Rosier spoke up. "My desk was accidentally shoved, sir."

"How does a desk get shoved accidentally?"

"Regulus tripped." Rosier explained, deadpan.

Regulus was careful to keep his face blank despite his surprise. He knew that Rosier was depending on him to back up his story. He couldn't let his friend down.

"Tripped?" Flinn glared at Regulus. "You managed to trip while writing lines?"

"No, sir." Regulus replied, swiftly thinking up an explanation. "I was heading over to ask if I may have a bathroom pass when I tripped and bumped into Rosier's desk. I am sorry."

Flinn pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't seem to buy that, his eyes assessing Regulus carefully. "Well?"

"Sorry?" Regulus paled, a bit confused.

Flinn sneered. "Don't you have something you were going to ask? Odd you'd forget you needed to use the bathroom."

Regulus set his jaw stubbornly. "I did not forget, sir. I merely imagined it was not the appropriate time to ask. But if I may, can I please use the bathroom?"

"No, you may not," Flinn replied coolly. "Your detention is one hour, you should have thought to use the bathroom beforehand. I will not give you leave to skirt this short of a detention period."

"Tinkle in your pants, Reggie," Sirius muttered, the words being loud enough that everyone in the room could hear it.

Regulus stiffened up, casting back a petulant frown at his brother, while Rosier was struggling to hide the sneer that broke out on his face. The professor was less amused. His attention swiftly moved away from Regulus onto his brother, walking across the room till he was right in front of Sirius' table.

"Up." Flinn commanded.

Sirius rose to his feet, obediently. Even his brother seemed to have had too many run-ins with Flinn to think that disobeying was a good idea. As soon as he wasn't at the desk any longer, Flinn grabbed ahold of the sides and dragged the desk across the room until it hit the opposite wall.

Flinn snapped and pointed at the chair. "Get over here, Black. We will see if this cures your brother of his tripping incidents."

His brother snickered softly, but he sauntered over toward the new location for his desk. Sirius dropped his bag down on the desk. "I like the setup. Reminds me of first year."

Regulus was not sure what that meant, but he was sure that his brother was foolishly riling up Flinn. Why his brother never learned to hold his tongue, he didn't understand.

Flinn leaned over the desk as Sirius stopped behind it, his eyes acidic as they pierced through his brother. "If I ever care to hear a word out of the smart mouth of some overindulged brat, I will let you know. Until then, do us all a favour and shut the hell up."

"Yes, sir." Sirius mockingly saluted.

Flinn arched one eyebrow up, slowly. "I am curious, at what point do you draw the line between how much trouble you are willing to get yourself in to get the split-second satisfaction of sassing a professor? Is your ego truly this hard to keep in line?"

Sirius sighed. "Honestly, there probably is no limit."

"Let's test that theory." Flinn offered icily. "You now have a week of detentions. Want to add some more?"

Regulus silently willed his brother to shut up. He suddenly found himself back in the same position he was in every day at Grimmauld Place, watching from afar as his brother got in trouble, feeling completely helpless to stop it.

Sirius bit down on his lip, pondering for a beat. Then he clenched his jaw and shook his head no.

"Folded so easily." Flinn taunted. "So much for the tough kid act."

Sirius took his seat, staring at the wall in front of his desk without another word.

Flinn seemed satisfied with that end to their conversation. He turned back to the other two. "You'll both deeply regret it if I need to come out here again, do you hear me?" He warned.

Regulus and Rosier nodded quickly.

Flinn stared them down for a few seconds longer before he accepted that they would listen. He headed back toward his smaller office, slamming the door behind him.

Once they were safe, Rosier turned back to Sirius, snickering loudly. His mate seemed amused by the situation, for some bloody reason. Sirius responded by flipping the bird in their direction without glancing their way. Rosier was only more amused by that, but Regulus clicked his tongue in disapproval. His mother would have wrung his neck if she saw Sirius do that.

The detention continued in silence, the minutes feeling like years as Regulus continued to write his lines, putting all of the effort he could muster into never glancing his brother's way.

Chapter Text

May, 1975

In the month of May, the students of Slytherin underwent a failed coup.

No one was surprised that Lestrange made a final, ridiculous stand, really. While he had nothing to gain beyond some notches on his ego to declare Hogwarts as his territory, the lad had continued to be a menace all year long. Regulus found himself agreeing with Narcissa before long, shocked by how foolish the fellow was without Bellatrix and Malfoy to lead him. After his antics had gotten him banned from all extracurricular activities, including quidditch, something Regulus did not mind since he was named the permanent seeker, he had only become more reckless and tasteless in his actions.

Lestrange had seen an opening to undermine the hierarchy that no longer suited him one day, when a Saturday morning quidditch match against Ravenclaw had sent their captain and Head Girl to the hospital wing. The minor disruption should not have caused much of a stir in house politics, but Lestrange had been impatient for his opening to strike.

The drama erupted in the common room that evening when Lestrange and his cronies had decided to approach a mixed table. It had been one of the tables Vanity asked certain students to use, the same table Barty and Rosier visited on occasion since Barty seemed taken with the girl from their quidditch team, Dorcas Meadowes. She had been sitting there when the older group approached the table and informed her that she had to move back to the halfblood section.

Meadowes tilted her head, her lips pressing together with a confused expression, "No, I don't." She disagreed, her words so soft that they sounded like taunts. "I will sit where I please."

Her admission caught a few off guard, clearly expecting her to follow their demands without a fuss. Perseus Selwyn leaned forward across the table from her, his scowl deepening as he inspected her. "Look, halfblood, this doesn't need to get messy."

"I agree," Meadowes replied, unfazed by the clear threat in his tone. "It doesn't."

Regulus was holding his breath as he watched the scene from the table he was sitting at. He had been seated with several pureblood students. By then, all had frozen to listen in on the tense encounter across the room. None seemed willing to intervene, but the scene drew their interest.

The halfblood Head Boy, Keitch, came to Meadowes' defence as the common room quieted down. Everyone seemed to realize that something was happening. Keitch rose from his table and walked over slowly, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Is there a problem here, Lestrange?" He spoke directly to the self-proclaimed leader, even though Lestrange had not spoken to Meadowes himself.

Lestrange cast him a haughty expression, one that displayed how little he thought of the other lad before he shrugged. "Why would we have a problem? We do not need your assistance."

Keitch didn't back down, pausing at Meadowes' back. "Why are we harassing Meadowes?"

"Harassing?" Celease Volant mocked, her upper lip curling with distaste. "Do not put words in our mouth, halfblood."

"Head Boy," Keitch corrected, his face pale as he stood his ground. The students facing off across from him straightened up a bit, sensing the challenge.

Volant did not back down. "Not to me." She smiled, coyly.

"Yes to you." Keitch shot back, trying his best to sound authoritative. "Lucius Malfoy signed an agreement with the education board last year stating that pureblood and halfblood head students in Slytherin have identical roles and responsibilities over everyone in Slytherin."

Lestrange was smirking, "We don't bloody care what Hogwarts has to say, and you know it. Don't be a fool, you know very well that's purely political and is not a legitimate policy here." His voice was growing more threatening, "Now get out of the way and let the true authority here handle this."

Keitch was braver than he looked. "You cannot pick and choose which policies count based on which ones suit your fancy. And your current Head Girl has upheld those policies, which still are relevant when she is not in the room."

"And even if she didn't," Meadowes added, a sly smile on her lips, "I would still sit where I please."

Keitch nudged her with an elbow, clearly trying to get her to shut up. But the older crew were focused on him then, paying no mind to her cheek. They were squaring up across from him, like predators circling their prey. Regulus inspected Lestrange again, noting the subtle gleam in his eyes. He seemed thrilled that his behaviour was getting a reaction after the limited reaction he got from Vanity all year. There was a sinister energy to his excitement, as if he had finally found a source for his frustration.

"You've been riding this high for a while, clearly," The older Lestrange laughed coldly, "I suppose you've lost your grip on reality." He paused, slanting his head with a sneer, "Maybe it's time we remind you of your true place."

Regulus exchanged a look with his seatmates as the threatening tone of the conversation grew less and less hidden. Burke and Fawley's faces mirrored his own. They had never seen anyone take their quiet tension into a public place and threaten a prefect over it. While everyone knew that some groups of purebloods in their house thought that halfblood students should hold no authority in Slytherin, they had never taken up arms over it. Until now, it seemed.

Keitch still did not back down. His hands trembled with fear, but he remained rooted in place, shaking with anticipation. "Times are changing, Lestrange." Keitch spoke softly, but the room was silent enough for all to hear anyway, "You can change with it, or follow your belligerent girlfriend to a different school."

Lestrange's eyes flared with rage at the insult to Bellatrix. He moved forward again, and this time, Meadowes reacted as well. She stood up briskly, her wand whisked out into her grasp.

Regulus was unsure if he should go for help, but he did not know who to seek out. He wished that Narcissa was nearby. He felt lost on how to react to such a situation on his own.

Before he could decide where to go, wands were drawn and hexes were being cast over the table Lestrange's cronies were crowded around. They were a solid distance from the table, but Burke and Fawley ducked as a reflex as jinxes were thrown around erratically. A loud thump attracted Regulus’ attention back to the duel, if a group of six against two could be called a duel, where Meadowes used her first strike to knock over the table, so the flat top was blocking the other group's attacks. Keitch was the main target though, and even with the shield, he had been hit by something that flung him back aggressively. He slumped to the floor and remained there, unmoving. Meadowes was hunched under the table by then, still hurling back spells as the rest descended upon her. She was badly outnumbered.

"Get him." Lestrange ordered, gesturing at the curtains where Keitch had slumped over. He seemed unfazed by the random violence he brought into their common room, walking forward with a smug smirk on his lips. He addressed the bystanders coolly, "From now on, you will return to your usual tables. Halfblood students will not sit at tables they're not welcome to, and there is no such thing as halfblood authority in Slytherin. Anyone have an issue with that?"

Meadowes managed to knock a few opponents down before they overwhelmed her, and once they had her disarmed, the room fell eerily quiet once more. The abrupt silence following the loud clamour of the sudden violence felt out of place. Regulus peered around the room, not sure what to expect the response to be in the common room. Lestrange had attacked the Head Boy and declared Vanity's orders as void. They were all breaking Slytherin policy, he realized. He could not support that. But he held his tongue and swallowed his contempt.

Flint, who had been standing at the mantelpiece, watching this battle play out, spoke up. "We don't answer to you, Lestrange."

He whirled back, his rage returning to his face. "I always knew that you were a blood traitor, Flint." He spat, "Anyone who isn't from the sacred twenty-eight is clearly borderline muggle-lovers and should not be considered prefects here."

"You're out of line." Travers backed Flint up, her eyes blazing. "It is you who is not the prefect."

"Bet your folk would love to hear that you sided with blood traitors over your own kind, Travers." Volant hissed, emerging from the wreckage of their battle. A welt had formed over one of her eyes, looking quite painful. Behind her, Meadowes seemed to be in a full-body bind, while Rabastan Lestrange was fiddling with her wand by her side, a sneer on his face.

"Blood traitors?" Travers laughed, her voice hoarse. She might have been frightened, but she sure hid it well. "You're all going against what has been Slytherin policy for centuries!" She crossed her arms, sniffing haughtily. "This little uprising is embarrassing and will last you all of an hour."

The opposition was forming as more students grew courageous when the prefects spoke up against it. Other voices were emerging, adding their input to the conversation. Within seconds, the shouting was becoming overbearing, rendering his senses useless. Regulus could not make out a single word any longer, but he could guess that the majority were not supporting how Lestrange handled the situation.

"Shut up," Rodolphus Lestrange was finally heard over the masses, as he held up his arms to attract their attention, "Everyone, be quiet!" He shouted. He paused for a beat, waiting for a slight dip in the noise level before he attempted to speak again. "You cannot all truly be accepting these nonsensical changes? You're all going to sit by and let this happen?"

His questions were responded to with mutters around the common room. Fawley, at Regulus’ side, scoffed under her breath. "Honestly, who cares if we share tables? This whole strop is daft."

Regulus was inclined to agree with her. Most seemed to feel the same way.

Across the room, Travers had made her way out of the circle around the mantelpiece, boldly approaching the group by the mixed tables section. Lestrange didn't move from his spot, watching her approach.

"Get out of my way, Lestrange." She hissed as she neared, not slowing as she pushed by him. "I hope you all had your fun, as I will not forget what any of you did here today." She paused, snarling back at Volant, "Or who tried to threaten me."

Volant smirked weakly at that, but her body language betrayed that she was second-guessing her decisions. She shuffled nervously on her feet, peering back at Lestrange for reassurance. He offered none, still watching Travers, looking as though he was debating whether to put up a fight or not.

Travers moved on, helping Keitch, who was slowly regaining consciousness, to his feet. She gave the younger Lestrange a dirty look until he reluctantly released Meadowes as well.

"I'll let Vanity handle this when she is back." Travers told Lestrange sweetly as she walked by with the Head Boy. "I'm sure she'd be thrilled to rid the common room of your stupidity."

Regulus waited for the Head Girl to return to the common room.

His friends decided they saw more than enough, hurrying up to their respective towers as soon as the fighting died down, but Regulus held back. He wanted to see what the Head Girl would do. He was curious about how she would handle it. Eventually, Narcissa joined him at his abandoned table, her face drawn and alert. She did not have to say a word to him. She seemed informed of what was going on, and interested in seeing how it played out as well. Narcissa belonged there, he realized. She would be prefect next year and must be involved in Slytherin affairs. Their own prefect to-be, who was largely accepted to be Rosier, was nowhere in sight. It probably would have been better if he had been there. Having a collective front seemed to be the best strategy to handle students opposing the hierarchy.

Vanity arrived shortly after curfew passed. She seemed unconcerned by the state of the common room when she entered, smoothly moving across the room to the mantelpiece, where most of the older years were waiting for her - with a few notable exceptions. Vanity paused at the center to face them, with her arms rigidly pinned behind her back.

Narcissa and Regulus sat up straighter, craning their necks to listen in on the conversation happening at the mantelpiece.

It wasn't hard to hear. Her words were clear and concise, "I require every fifth, sixth and seventh year here immediately." She ordered, "If the prefect from each year would call their members down, I will collect my own."

Travers rose to her feet, shooting back a questioning look, "By everyone do you mean..."

"Everyone." Vanity repeated, sharply.

Travers nodded after a pause, turning toward the fifth-year tower. Vanity waited for Flint to go after her own before she rotated to move toward her seventh-year tower. It was fair that she was beckoning Lestrange and his thugs down herself. It was clear they weren't listening to another soul beyond her.

Narcissa and Regulus remained silent and frozen to their seats as the remainder of the top three years were slowly called into the common room. It was surprisingly crowded around the mantelpiece with all blood statuses in attendance, instead of simply the pureblood students as usual. Regulus remembered that even a muggleborn was in the sixth year and therefore must be part of the meeting that day. That seemed shocking by itself.

Vanity somehow collected them all, with even Rodolphus Lestrange walking up by her side to lazily lean back on the table before the couches. He kept his eyes on her as she paused before him, inspecting the crowds of students briefly.

Upon verification from the prefects that everyone was collected, the Head Girl addressed them all, her voice revealing nothing. "Lestrange has voiced his ceaseless complaints of our new hierarchy not suiting the majority of Slytherin students, or being orchestrated by a faculty member, so I intend to allow everyone to have their say in how we'd want to move forward."

Regulus tried to catch his cousin's eye, but her gaze remained fixed on the scene playing out before them. He turned back, not wanting to miss anything. He was a tad bit nervous, but he trusted that Vanity had a plan.

Vanity continued, her words pointed, "So, in turn, I would ask for every member of the upper years to vote on whether or not we'd rather Lestrange be banned from the Slytherin hierarchy and all the privileges that come with that."

That comment got a reaction from the bystanders. The students before them gasped and tittered, but the finest reaction was from Lestrange himself, whose head whirled her way.

"Excuse me?" He snarled, "That is not what you said upstairs."

Vanity kept her back to him as she replied, "I said that I'd give the Slytherin body a say, and I am." She gazed back at the students waiting around her, with a commanding presence that ceased all the whispering. "I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we did this without anonymity, as our fellow student fails to register how unpopular his actions are."

"Vanity." Lestrange hissed, on his feet.

She continued as if she couldn't hear him. "It is simple enough. Raise your hand if you believe that Lestrange should be removed from our hierarchy, which includes any authority over younger years, any senior meetings, or senior gathering points. If the majority of the upper three years agree, then we will move forward." She paused, "If you agree, raise your hand now."

A few hands shot up instantly, while others were slower to react. But there was no point in counting. Lestrange stared out at the crowd, his face a mixture of betrayal and rage.

"Very well." Vanity said, and for the briefest pause, he almost saw a flicker of a smirk on her lips. "That matter is done then. Lestrange will be banned from the hierarchy for the remainder of his time at Hogwarts."

"This is lunacy." Rabastan Lestrange spoke up, his eyes bulging.

"Do wait your turn." Vanity told him, her voice icy. She nodded back at his older brother. "Lestrange, you are excused."

"Excused?" He hissed, his voice dripping in venom, "You cannot excuse me." He snarled, moving closer to her in a threatening manner. "You have made yourself a very powerful enemy today."

"No more than I already had." Vanity said, still not turning back to face him. "Leave, unless you'd prefer to be forcibly removed."

Lestrange seemed to consider that idea, but when Keitch, fully recovered and ready for revenge, stepped forward, Lestrange backed away. He had never been much for standing his ground when he was not supported by a group. Narcissa had been correct to call him a coward.

The room felt less tense after he disappeared, and no one seemed worried about how clearly he intended to continue right on with his scheming. Regulus could only wonder how Vanity intended to prevent that when she wasn't willing to turn them over to Professor Flinn. But she was moving once more, rolling open a long rolled-up parchment before the mantelpiece.

"Now," Vanity said, unbothered by Lestrange's threats, "As for the rest of you. We could continue with the same process of giving you a fair vote, or we could strike up a different deal." She peered out pointedly, finding Selwyn, Parkinson, Volant, Greengrass, Avery, Nott and the younger Lestrange with ease. "Which do you prefer?"

As it turned out, Lestrange’s group did not believe their ideals were the silent majority any longer. They bowed out quickly, without anyone else being dispelled from their order. Instead, Vanity had them each sign an affidavit promising to abide by the Slytherin hierarchy until their graduation. There would be clear and incurable side effects for any foolish enough to disturb the order in Slytherin again, she explained. All of Lestrange's cronies signed regardless, seeing their cause as lost.

It was over as quickly as it had started. Vanity had proven herself a contender, even without the connections Malfoy had possessed or the fear that Yaxley had inspired.

There was a lull moment in the aftermath, where Regulus found himself alone, watching the older group from across the common room. Most students had retired to their bedroom for the evening, all excitement from the chaotic day mostly put out. But Regulus remained in the common room, watching Vanity as she spoke quietly with the older years. At one point, well into his spying, she lifted her gaze and met his eyes.

Regulus was rather shocked when she paused by his table on her way out of the common room, with a flicker of amusement on her face. He was nearly holding his breath as she paused before him, lost on what might happen next. The few older students still present in the common room paid him no mind, all returning to their chatter amongst themselves at the mantelpiece as the Head Girl stopped by for a visit.

Vanity, who had probably never relaxed in her lifetime, seemed quite at ease as she eyed him over. She lifted her eyebrows. "I appreciate your support this year."

That was a rather silly statement when she was the bloody Head Girl, but Regulus nodded. He'd take any praise from her.

She continued, her posture as rigid as ever as she loomed over him, "I recognize that most have treated Rosier in your year as the destined prefect. You should know I have never shared this opinion." She paused, allowing her words to soak in. "I do hope you do not intend to be plowed over, Black."

Regulus was flabbergasted, gawking at her, "Do you mean… you believe I should be prefect?"

"I do." Vanity agreed. "You possess greater character than the latter option, and you ponder your decisions in a way many your age do not."

Regulus' words felt heavy to spit out, "Rosier is a better leader, and he has connections with the older years."

She gave him a cold look, her sharp eyes inspecting him with care. "Very few expected much from me in my early years either. It is up to you to fight for this, Regulus."

Regulus could not resist arguing, "Perhaps you are only under that belief due to my family name."

"I could not care less about your name." Vanity said curtly, her tone rigidly decisive. "I believe there is a leader somewhere within you, if only you were to register it and quit accepting this backup role you have thrust on yourself." She offered him one more nod before she sauntered off, "I wish you the best."

Regulus could only stare after her as she left him to ponder the words she had gifted him. His mind was storming with thoughts. He had been second his entire life, easily overlooked between his rambunctious brother and brilliant cousins. He had never demanded any attention. But Vanity was everything he ever wished to be, and he held a lot of weight behind her words.

He would miss Vanity. It felt good to be seen by someone.

****

June, 1975

Narcissa and Rosier cornered Regulus in the library sometime mid-June. He had been seated alone, studying for his finals, when he heard Narcissa clear her throat. He lifted his chin to see their shared stern expressions. He immediately knew why they were disturbing him before they even opened their mouths.

It had been a rough few weeks.

Rosier had been insufferable. At times, Regulus was certain the lad must be the most irritating, nagging human on the planet. Everything he had been doing was wrong, apparently. When he started training overtime for the quidditch tournament, which he knew he'd be playing in since Lestrange was removed from the team, Rosier complained. When he quit pretending to drink his draughts, Rosier complained. When he mouthed off to Professor Slughorn, something his roommates did quite frequently, Rosier complained. When he blew off Narcissa to explore the castle all night with Barty, Rosier complained. When he tossed a letter from his mother without bothering to read it, Rosier complained.

Every last thing he did was suddenly a symptom, according to his high and mighty, know-it-all roommate. It was maddening.

Sure, he had excessive energy and new hobbies lately. Regulus did not see how having less fear about trying new things was a negative change. As far as he was concerned, Rosier was simply growing bitter, or perhaps the bloke was mad himself, and deflecting his issues onto Regulus. Nothing he had been doing raised any valid flag for concern, he reasoned.

He knew it was only a matter of time before Rosier dragged his cousin into his ravings. Why she always took Rosier's side was beyond him. He was starting to loathe her too.

Narcissa cut to the chase. "We need to talk about your symptoms."

Regulus was immediately on the defensive, "We have nothing to talk about." He argued. "There are none."

She kept her face still as she stubbornly continued, "That is not true, Regulus."

"You've had so bloody many!" Rosier argued, rolling his eyes. "You cannot possibly be this thick. You know you're off."

Regulus' scowl deepened. He glared at the lad, responding to his cousin, "Why must we discuss this with him?" Regulus asked, "This is a family matter, and he is not family."

He hoped his comment would hurt the boy, but Rosier seemed completely undeterred by it. The lad let Narcissa respond as he leaned against the table.

"Rosier is distant family." She responded, coolly. "My mother's maiden name was Rosier, you know this. Besides, he has been in the loop from the beginning and has far more experience with such matters than I do."

His anger was rising, "I could not care less." Regulus huffed, his words loud enough for Narcissa to immediately cast a muffling spell. Regulus felt indifferent over the scene he was making. "I do not need either of you taking care of me!"

Narcissa's eyes were flashing, but Rosier answered calmly. "Yeah, you do."

"Do not be stubborn." Narcissa tried to reason with him.

The gentle manner in which they were approaching him only furthered his rage. He was not a sensitive child they must tiptoe around. "You are the ones harassing me."

"We are not." Narcissa argued. "I only wanted to let you know that I will be telling Sirius about how things have been developing lately."

"No!" The shout came out automatically, and Regulus was on his feet before he made the conscious choice to be. "Do not speak a word of this to my brother." He demanded.

Narcissa's face was pale, almost fearful, but she continued with a steady voice. "He is the only one who will be with you over the summer break. We can only reach you by post, and I do not trust that you will be honest with us after the past few months."

What did she know? He was absolutely fine. They were both trying to undermine his autonomy, and call everything he disagreed with them on 'madness'. They were not wishing to help him, only to control him.

"Perhaps I will simply cut you both out all summer, so I can have a break from your endless nagging and tests." Regulus replied, sniffing as he turned his chin away from the pair.

"See," Rosier chuckled, "This is exactly why we are concerned. Shit like that."

He whirled on the fellow, offended by the accusation, "I cannot say a lousy word to defend myself without you two dismissing it as me acting crazy. Will I never be able to do anything slightly different for the rest of my life without everyone trying to send me to an asylum?" He raged, slamming his textbook closed with gusto to emphasize his point. "I do not need a shrink or draughts. I am fine!"

Neither reacted much to his anger, but the subtle indicators on Narcissa's face suggested that he was scaring her. The knowledge that she was frightened did not stir up anything within him. He could not care less.

Rosier reacted the opposite way, his eyebrows furrowing in irritation, "Oh, for fuck's sake." The lad snapped, "We are trying to help you. I know you are not following your treatment plan any longer. Probably not for months. You emptied the vials in the bathroom, did you not?"

Regulus stayed silent. There was no point in denying it.

Rosier pressed his lips together when Regulus did not refute the point. Then the lad continued, only growing more annoyed, "And I asked Pandora- she didn't go with you to your appointment last month, as you claimed she did. You didn't go, did you?"

He did not have the patience to listen to the lad's endless whining. Not that Rosier was incorrect about any of his suspicions. Regulus had disposed of every draught since winter break and had not gone to see Madam Pomfrey any time she had requested his presence. He simply did not feel the need to defend his decisions. He had no interest in being part of the conversation for a moment longer. He stuffed his notes and textbook back into his satchel in a hurry, but Rosier quickly blocked the entrance into the aisle with his body. Regulus sent over a seething glare, but the lad was unmoved.

"Pretending it isn't real ain't gonna make it disappear, Black." Rosier told him sternly. "There's nothing shameful about accepting care."

"Yes, there is." Regulus hissed.

"No, there is not." Narcissa backed up the other lad. "Everyone needs help at times."

His vision was blurring with tears in his frustration. His hands were clenched at his sides as he struggled to formulate a response, "You do not understand." He got out.

"I do." His cousin insisted, her eyes widened into circles.

"No, you do not!" Regulus snapped, flinging his bag over his shoulder. "How could any of you?"

"You're not the only person on the planet with a mental disorder, Black." Rosier sighed, deeply. "It is not the end of the world."

It made him far too angry to continue answering Rosier. Regulus turned to Narcissa instead before he replied, his voice cold, "It might as well be a death sentence, and you know it."

Her face went even paler, if possible. "Stop it, Regulus."

He was fuming, unable to restrain his thoughts, "You cannot truly expect me to take it all in stride that you insist I have some uncurable disease that will tarnish my entire life!"

Rosier was ticked. His words were harder than Regulus had ever heard them be before, "You're being mad disrespectful." Rosier said, sharply. "I get you're still processing this, and your parents aren't supportive, but my whole family has disorders and you're going to tell me their lives are lesser than?"

Regulus turned away, his face heating. "That is not what I am saying." He argued, weakly.

"It is, Black."

His shoulders slumped, all of his anger-fueled energy ebbing away until he felt weak and defeated. He wasn't trying to insult anyone, but it was hard to explain why his case was different.

"You do not understand." Regulus tried again, not meeting Rosier's eyes. He stared down at his feet. "My family expects more from me. They require me to do everything right, and this... this will ruin everything."

His cousin stepped forward, placing her hands on his arms, near his elbows. They slowly slid to his wrists as she stared him down, waiting for him to finally meet her eyes. "I am part of your family, and I know that is not true." She said when he finally gave in. "Even your parents have shortcomings. This is something we can work around, but you need to accept help." She insisted, almost pleading with him, "And you need to help yourself. You think you are being brave by trying to fight through this without accepting care, but you are not. You are not only being foolish, but this is also incredibly selfish."

"Selfish?" Regulus repeated in the same strangled voice, his words caught in his throat. "I do not even have the capacity to think about myself. It has never even been an option." He tried to yank his hands away, but her grip was iron-clad. "I have to overcome this for the family. It is not about me, nothing ever is."

Narcissa released his arms slowly, her face dark as she stepped back. Despite her clear disappointment, the stubborn expression on her face made it plain that he had not worn her down to folding to his demands, even if she backed off then.

Rosier was not buying it either. "We are telling your prat of a brother either way." He said, casually. "And I don't give a hoot how hot and bothered you are bout it."

Freed from Narcissa's grip, Regulus moved toward the aisle again, wanting nothing more than to get away from the conversation. This time, Rosier stepped aside and let him go.

****

Fueled by his newfound bottomless pit of energy, Regulus' year ended quite well. He won Vanity her deserving quidditch cup before she graduated, along with acing his exams with ease.

The games had surprisingly gone quite smoothly. Regulus had felt invincible up there, taking risks and moving in a way he had never done before. There was no question about if the team would have done better without Lestrange's forced removal by the end of the season. Regulus had earned his team's full support and trust. The team was behind him after the defeat of Hufflepuff, but he was hailed a hero by the entire house after they defeated Ravenclaw in the finals. The common room was ballistic when they got back to the dungeons, celebrating their first cup of the decade. Even his bitter arguments with Narcissa and Rosier had been forgotten in the excitement.

Exam season had come and gone without the anxiety he used to have. He was a studying machine, but he was never worried when going into his exams. Most went by with ease. Most.

95 Herbology
94 DADA
78 Transfiguration
96 Charms
92 History
93 Potions
91 Astronomy
91 Arithmancy
90 Ancient Runes

Regulus’ stomach dropped as he frowned at the sheet in his hands. Barty and Fawley were picking apart the top three ranks before them, but Regulus could not peel his eyes away from the horrific mark he had earned for transfiguration. His mother would be completely enraged, he was sure.

Regulus had done well in the top rankings, managing a few top threes on the board, but he hardly cared. Barty, as usual, had made the rest of them look like fools, but Regulus and Pandora had done a decent job of keeping up with him that year. Fawley had her name up there once or twice, while Rosier was happy with any grade that exceeded failure.

To distract himself from the horrid transfiguration grade, Regulus drifted away from his group toward the fourth-year boards. He wanted to see how Sirius and Narcissa had done.

Sirius hadn't gotten first in charms. Regulus had to triple-check it to make sure. He couldn't believe it. The Lestrange girl had taken first with ease, with his brother falling to second. His brother's grades had dropped everywhere, he discovered when he inspected the ranks with more care. Regulus sucked in on his teeth, amused. Sirius had a rough year grade-wise, it seemed. He thought it was deserved. His brother was lazy and had no respect for magic, why should he be celebrated for the magical abilities he took for granted?

"What are ya looking at?" Fawley had walked up beside him, a small smile on her lips. "Laughing at Sirius Black, I presume?"

"You know me so well." Regulus sighed, relieved it had only been Fawley who caught him. With the new tension between himself and Rosier, Fawley and Barty had been his preferred company lately. Barty didn't care if he "acted crazy", in his words, and if Fawley noticed any changes, she never commented on it.

"You know, our families seem to get along." Fawley went on, her eyes inspecting the board before her. "Do you think you'd ever be allowed to come visit me over the break?"

Regulus did not mince his words. "No." He replied honestly.

"Oh," Her eyebrows lifted, "Okay."

Regulus turned away from the board, his hands in his pockets, wondering how he should dispose of his grade parchment before his mother laid eyes on it.

"Black." Fawley called his attention back as he neared the exit. "I'll collect some leaves for you over the summer, okay?"

"Okay." Regulus replied, mostly indifferent to the conversation. He did not wait around for her to speak again.

Regulus returned to collect his belongings from their bedroom where he had left them, all fully packed into his trunk and ready for the Hogwarts Express ride home. His trunk was waiting for him at the foot of his bed, alongside his estranged friend.

"Hullo," Rosier said, casually, as if he was not seated on top of Regulus' trunk, reading a comic that looked suspiciously muggle-like. The lad had a few of those muggle comics.

Rosier had barely spoken to him since their argument in the library. He had seemed rather cross about some of the comments Regulus made. For some reason, that didn't bother him much. Rosier might have been his closest friend in the previous years, but he felt little love for the lad lately. He was sure Rosier was betraying him or controlling him in some way. It made it hard to stand the fellow.

"Do scram." Regulus tutted, tapping the trunk with his foot.

Rosier sat up, not arguing with him at all. He hadn't gone down to see his grades with the rest of them for whatever reason. Regulus' mind felt too blurred lately to contemplate why people acted a certain way any longer. He used to be quite good at figuring out others’ reasoning, he remembered, but the habit had drifted away from him as of late.

Rosier did not say anything as Regulus did a final check around the emptied bedroom, which seemed so clean after Barty's space had been emptied out. Regulus then grabbed ahold of his luggage and started moving toward the stairwell.

Rosier finally spoke up before he could exit into the staircase, fixing him with a sad stare as he spoke. "I miss you, mate." Rosier said, his voice gentle. "I know you're not in a good headspace right now and are acting like a total prat, but whenever you're ready to come to terms with this, I'll be really happy to see my friend again."

Regulus only stared at him for a moment, feeling empty and numb to the words exiting his friend's mouth. Then he turned back to the stairs, heading out for the year.

Chapter Text

June, 1975

His brother and mother were already speaking when Regulus approached them at platform nine and three-quarters. From their rigid postures, clenched jaws and eyes burning with the scorched heat of their shared temper, he knew that they were not exchanging niceties.

Whatever they were arguing about came to a halt as he paused beside them. His mother turned to him, her tone testy. "Regulus, collect your things. We are leaving."

They were soon silently making their way across the station and up the street, with Regulus at his mother's side, and Sirius following a few steps behind them. No one spoke as they walked, but he could feel the fury radiating off his mother. She seemed to be itching to scold his brother, but she wanted to wait for the privacy of their home before she started.

Their mother did not utter a word to either boy as they apparated to their street or strolled up to their house. The group was unnervingly silent, right up to their door.

She finally spoke once they dropped their trunks down in the main entrance foyer of 12 Grimmauld Place. "Regulus." She ordered, eyeing over her younger son, "You will go tidy your belongings into your quarters."

It was funny that his mother always referred to his bedroom as his quarters. He never appreciated how funny her terminology was until he spent a year listening to the crap that came out of Rosier and Barty's mouths. Personal quarters, ha!

A small sound escaped his lips, one that sounded as though it was a snicker combined with a snort. Regulus smirked down at his trunk as he obeyed her command. It took a few seconds before he realized everyone was staring at him, stunned.

His mother finally recovered from her surprise enough to chew him out. "Excuse me?" She spat, her eyes blazing, "Have you forgotten your manners?"

Regulus turned back, his eyebrows arching. He had forgotten that they could hear him, he supposed. He had not meant to be rude. "I apologize. I meant, yes, ma'am."

He could hear his brother snickering to the side, but Regulus focused on his mother. He did not feel too bothered by being on the receiving end of his mother's pent-up rage, but he felt no need to encourage it either.

His mother gave him a vicious glare. "You will conduct yourself with proper etiquette and decorum. This lapse is unacceptable and will not occur again, have I made myself clear?"

Regulus nodded, his face blank, "Yes, ma'am."

"You are dismissed."

Regulus made himself scarce, uninterested in listening to his brother and mother's inevitable argument. He once might have attempted to spy on it, but honestly, he did not give a damn anymore. They were always fighting, as far back as his memory went. It was quite boring.

The first few days of the break went as they always did. Both boys were tutored by separate governesses all day, while their parents hid away in their studies, and would only join them for one silent meal a day. Regulus was swiftly finding himself feeling restless. Thankfully, something interesting came up shortly into the summer break.

"We are attending a gathering for your cousin's engagement tomorrow." His mother informed her sons at dinner, a few days into the break. "You will dress yourself appropriately and be prepared to leave at noon."

"Yes, ma'am," Regulus replied, without any hesitation.

Sirius was not so quick. He stared at his mother, a bit baffled. His eyes darted over to their father as well. "Bellatrix? We are attending Bellatrix's engagement party?"

Their father's eyes lifted from the paper he had been lost within, his gaze hardening. "Which other cousin of yours is engaged?"

"Plenty, I'm sure, since we are related to everyone under the sun." Sirius scoffed, apparently too flustered to watch his attitude. "You truly want me to go to Bellatrix's engagement party?"

"Mind your cheek." His mother's face flashed in irritation. "The family has been invited and we will all be in attendance."

Regulus watched the encounter with amusement. His brother truly had a gift for irritating his parents. He almost envied it.

"But," Sirius' eyes darted from parent to parent. He seemed very nervous at the prospect of facing their cousin again after the disastrous summer break from the previous year. "She wouldn't want me there. She blames me for what happened with her sodding silent hark plot."

His mother's eyes widened, dangerously. Her words were cutting. "That is enough. Do not use foul language or you will find yourself silenced. The entire family was invited and that is the end of this conversation."

"It isn't, because I am not going." Sirius argued, sounding very much like a petulant child throwing a fit. "I don't want to get anywhere near her."

"Sirius." Their father slammed his copy of the paper down on the table. "You will do as you are told and be in attendance for a family affair. It is unacceptable for you to be absent from any family meeting from here on out. Is that understood?"

Regulus' amusement was soured by their father's temper rearing its ugly head. He glared over at their father for a beat, knowing that the man would have to be aware of his existence to see the dirty look on his face. He was perfectly safe.

Regulus peered back at his brother, barely hiding his smirk as he watched his brother sitting there, a pout on his lips. Sirius seemed defeated, no longer trying to argue.

Their father was not letting it go. "You will answer when you are spoken to and wipe that impertinent pout off your face."

Sirius sucked in on his teeth, slouching down his chair before he agreed. "Fine."

"Get out." Their father commanded, his eyes sparking in anger. "You will excuse yourself to your room until you can conduct yourself with some decorum."

Sirius shoved his chair away from the table and rose to his feet, pausing as he stood beside the table. "I only meant to say I don't think I should be near Bellatrix while she still is upset."

"Bellatrix has made amends for her actions over the past year." Their father informed him in a frigid tone. "She has stated her regret for blackmailing you and for threatening your brother. There is no reason why your presence there would cause any altercations. Unless there is something you have yet to tell us?"

The brothers' eyes darted to meet one another's. They hadn't told their parents about Bellatrix using the cruciatus curse on Sirius. After Regulus had disarmed her, Narcissa pulled her sister aside and the brothers had gone to wait for their parents on the porch. Neither had brought it up again since then. It seemed a tad bit too late to confess to it now.

"No," Sirius muttered, "I was not informed that she apologized." His tone was bitter. "No one tells me much around here."

Their father inhaled, his frustration with his son plain on his face. "Another word out of you and you will pay dearly for it. You will be punctual for our trip tomorrow and mind your manners while we are at the Lestrange Manor. Leave us."

None of them had much of a choice. The boys were dragged along with their parents to the Lestrange Manor the next day for their older cousin’s engagement party.

They came through the floo network into the Lestranges' drawing room. The floor in front of them was littered with ashes from previous arrivals. The grimy carpet was in stark contrast to the rest of the manor. No one did weddings the way the sacred twenty-eight did weddings. The abundant wealth, prosperity, and riches of such families, combined with their need to depict an image of wizarding royalty, usually resulted in extravagant weddings. Even though it was only the engagement party now, the manor was already decked out extravagantly.

Thiebaut Lestrange and Marie Lestrange, Rodolphus' parents, came over to greet his parents with earnest. Both seemed rather pleased that they were in attendance, paying special attention to their Black Family guests. Regulus and Sirius waited by their parents' side patiently. They had not been dismissed, and they were not allowed to do anything else until they were. The adults' conversations were terrible bores, and Regulus soon found his eyes wandering around.

He could see a few familiar faces in the parlour. Rabastan Lestrange was standing near the entranceway, pointing at someone in the crowd as he whispered something to his two younger cousins, Allison and Corvus. From the expression Allison made in response, he got the sense that Rabastan had said something vulgar. Further into the room, he could see Narcissa and her parents, standing with the Malfoys. She was dressed in a pale blue gown with a full corset. She looked unnervingly grown up as he stared at her outfit, realizing that they were both barely children any longer. Across the room was the couple themselves, with Bellatrix and Rodolphus greeting guests politely. Bellatrix's outfit was even more prim than her sister's had been. She was sporting an elegant dark green gown, black gloves, and had even pinned up her wild hair into a neat bun. She looked completely unlike her unruly self.

Once the adults finished their small talk, the boys trailed after their parents into the parlour. His parents first went up to offer Bellatrix their congratulations. She accepted it gracefully, but her smile had an unnerving edge to it. Beneath the picture-perfect image, he could still feel the sinister energy radiating off of her.

She swiftly turned to his brother with a cold smile. "Sirius." Her words came out in taunting purrs. "I am so pleased that you made it. I hoped to demonstrate my undying loyalty to this family by making amends with you."

Regulus watched the scene with amusement, wondering if his cousin and brother would start a squabble in the middle of her ruddy engagement party. He could hardly expect anything else from either of them.

Sirius gawked at her with an expression of disgust. He inhaled before he responded. "Alright. Congratulations, I suppose."

Bellatrix's smile did not waver as she held a glass of champagne close to her chest. Her nails tapped against the glass methodically, from the pinkie to her index finger. The longer the smile went on, the more manic it seemed. Sirius was shooting back a suspicious look as they all waited with bated breath.

His cousin was up to something, and Regulus was certain that she would not let Sirius walk out of there unscathed.

"As a show of my good faith," Bellatrix spoke up finally, not blinking as she stared right through his brother, "I have generously added a plus one to your wedding invitation." She barely gave them a chance to register what she said before she went on, brightly. "So your little mudblood girlfriend can attend."

The comment had the desired effect. Both parents whirled to stare at Sirius, their suspicions poorly hidden. Regulus was oddly impressed by how horribly clever Bellatrix could be at times. She knew exactly where the last nail went in every coffin.

Sirius' eyes had bulged, but he remained cool and collected. "I am not sure what you are implying," his brother replied, his tone bored. "I do not need a plus one. Unless you are alright with me extending the invitation to Andromeda. I am sure she would love to see you on your special day."

Regulus barely contained his gasp, biting down on his bottom lip to keep himself quiet. A small snicker escaped his lips, but it went unnoticed in the state of horror his parents were in.

His brother's response had earned an even more obvious reaction from their parents. They were nearly shaking in anger, their eyes burning holes into his brother. Bellatrix remained still, only smirking coldly at his response.

"Excuse us." His mother spoke, her words icy enough to freeze the whole room. "We wish you all the best in your engagement, and we will be in attendance for the wedding."

"Thank you very much, Aunt." Bellatrix replied, her voice polite and completely unlike herself. The smug smirk on her face, however, was right where it always was. She knew she had gotten a rise out of their parents, and that Sirius would suffer for it. There was a reason why they had all known from a young age to never cross Bellatrix. His cousin was nothing if not vindictive.

His mother gripped the back of his brother's shoulder as she moved away from the couple, yanking him after her. Regulus quickly hurried after them, intrigued and eager to hear what his parents would say to his brother.

His mother paused below a large domed window, staring at his brother questioningly, her anger thinly veiled.

"What?" Sirius asked, his face flushing.

"Do not play the fool." His mother hissed, her temper rising. "What is she referring to?"

"Who knows?" Sirius complained. "She is raving mad."

"We will see." His mother replied, coldly.

Regulus was certain that was a promise of legilimency, and that his brother would be a very sorry fellow by the end of the day. He had dated a muggleborn - even Regulus knew that.

They did not stay at the party for much longer after the blow-up. Their parents seemed far too irritated to behave themselves with proper decorum, and they were soon taking their leave.

His mother grabbed his brother by the ear and yanked him off to her study the moment they returned to Grimmauld Place. His father slowly followed after the pair, his face dark. Then they were all closed into her office, and Regulus was left alone.

Left to his own devices, he strolled around the manor for a few minutes, wondering what he ought to do. Regulus was unconcerned at the prospect of his brother being in trouble with his parents. It didn't seem worth the worry. He was only bored.

He ended up in his bedroom, pacing around for the next twenty minutes or so before he heard his brother come upstairs.

It would have been impossible to miss his brother storming up the stairs and into his bedroom, the door slamming shut behind him. Regulus paused, wondering if he was disappointed that his brother had not come to him. He supposed he didn't care.

Regulus listened as his brother threw a fit inside his room for a few minutes, the sounds of him kicking heavy objects echoing through the wall before Sirius' room went silent. For a moment, he swore he could hear his brother whimpering.

Regulus left his room, heading back downstairs. They had left the engagement party in a hurry and he had not been able to eat much, so he found himself heading toward the kitchens for a bite. Surely he could find some scraps of food lying around.

Kreacher had been stunned when he walked in, a few minutes into Regulus making himself a sandwich. He had made a few at Hogwarts at some point, though he used to loathe how messy the project was, leaving food residue on his fingers, but he did not care about such nonsense anymore.

"Young Master!" Kreacher sputtered, the elf nearly flushing. "What is he doing?"

"I was hungry," Regulus informed him, taking a bite.

"He shouldn't... the young master cannot be doing this, no," Kreacher was tugging at his ears. "The Mistress would not like this. The young master cannot do this again. Kreacher does not want to tell the Mistress."

"Then do not." Regulus shrugged, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It is only a snack."

Kreacher peered around, anxiously. "Kreacher would not betray the good, young master." He muttered, weakly. "But he mustn't be caught doing this. He cannot do this again."

"Fine," Regulus sighed, finishing up his sandwich. "I will not do it again. No need to fuss."

Regulus was aware of the strict rules around food at Grimmauld Place. They had only existed for as long as he could remember. He just did not care much to follow them anymore. They did not make sense to him anyway. He finished the last bite of his sandwich, jumping down from the counter. "Would you mind cleaning up for me?" He asked the elf, sweetly. "I have forgotten how to wash dishes while I was at Hogwarts."

Kreacher blinked his large eyes at him. "Yes, yes, of course."

"Thank you kindly," Regulus replied, heading out of the kitchen.

And then he was exiting into the hall, rubbing his dirty fingers on the front of his dress shirt. They left a few streaks across his vest. He stared at the mess, oddly fascinated.

"Regulus," his mother's sharp tone startled him.

He peered up, seeing her moving toward him swiftly, her skirt billowing behind her. She must have finished scolding his brother, and now was yearning to use up her pent-up frustration on her younger son, as usual. "And where are you coming from?" She ordered when she paused before him.

Regulus did not even consider lying. "The kitchen." He replied.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why would you be there?"

Regulus blinked a few times. All of his usual sneakiness and careful maneuvers were failing him. His mind was blank. "No reason." He said, casually.

His mother's eyes widened dangerously. "I beg your pardon. You will answer me truthfully, or so help me."

Regulus did not flinch back at her anger. It did not worry him much. "I got some food, ma'am. I was hungry."

His mother was gobsmacked for a moment, her mouth slightly ajar as she gazed at him, incredulously. Her fingers clenched her skirt in fury after a stunned moment, her face twisting. "You know very well that you are never permitted to do such a thing. You will not be joining us for breakfast, do you hear?"

Regulus dropped his gaze from hers, shuffling his feet around. He did not want to be in trouble, even if he did not understand what he had done wrong. "Yes, ma'am."

His mother was giving him a careful look, one eye twitching as she assessed him. "What has gotten into you, Regulus?" She sounded hesitant, almost nervous. "Is something amiss?"

What a rude question. Perhaps he should ask if something was wrong with her. But, no, he could not say that. "Mum would not be pleased if I said that." He muttered.

When he peered up once more, his mother was still staring at him, one hand gently reaching up to cling to her necklace. Her face had paled. "Go to your personal quarters." She ordered, her words unnervingly soft. "Now."

Regulus did not understand why she was acting so odd, but he appreciated the out. He shrugged before he turned and headed toward the stairs, leaving his frozen mother by the kitchen doors. Her eyes followed him all the way up to his room.

Chapter Text

July, 1975

Sirius had little time during the week to see his brother. Both himself and Regulus were under the constant supervision of their governess while studying, and while his brother was dismissed from his sessions a few hours before dinner, Sirius was not permitted to leave his study sessions until supper was being served. His parents seemed eager to keep him occupied all day long to keep him out of trouble. He was only given breaks from class whenever his father decided that he should shadow him on some heir duties. He spent every waking moment of the weekdays with one adult or another.

The weekends were a different story. He was allowed to do as he pleased between meals. He would be sent to his room after dinner every night, but no restrictions were set during the day. Sirius decided to spend his weekends forcing his brother to speak with him. He got a whiff of how irregular his brother was acting immediately. Narcissa had warned him, but it still threw him off when Regulus was not at all resistant to returning to their old habits as if he hadn't spent the last two years infuriated with Sirius. Regulus eagerly spent the weekend with him by the lake, at the library or going on adventures. If the weather was lousy, they'd spend the entire day in Sirius' bedroom playing wizard chess or cutting pictures out of tabloids. He helped Sirius redecorate his whole room with crude photos that his mother would loathe. Regulus didn't even object to Sirius using his charmed glue to trap them on the wall forever.

One Sunday, they started having an odd conversation. "Do you think you will be a good head of our house?" Regulus asked him, halfway through their game of wizard chess.

Sirius was caught off guard. He made a move slowly, wondering why his brother would ask him that. He would not soon forget how angry Regulus had been with him last summer when he failed to take on all of his new heir duties.

"I don't know." Sirius sighed. "I doubt it."

Regulus made a quick move, easily taking out Sirius' knight. Sirius groaned, flinging the shattered piece at his brother in annoyance. Regulus brushed it off his lap without a word.

"I think I could handle it," Regulus said, abruptly. "I might implement a lot of changes to the way things function though. Some practices seem outdated."

"Cripes." Sirius chuckled. "Do you wish to be heir or something?"

Regulus tilted his head. "Mum suggested that I have to be prepared to replace you if you abandon us."

His stomach dropped at his brother's words. The casual tone of the conversation made the topic even more unnerving. "Regulus, why are you asking me about this?"

"It has to be one of us." Regulus went on, knocking out a pawn on the board. "I was only curious who would be better at it."

"I don't like this conversation." Sirius snapped, his words harsher than he meant for them to be. "Especially since I know you know you'd be better than me."

His brother did not react to his snide tone. His eyes were still on the board. "Yes, probably. But you are first in line. You will be taking over soon."

Sirius made his next move on the board, feeling miserable. "Hopefully not too soon. I hope Dad holds onto his spot for a long, long time yet."

He never could have predicted the response he got from his brother. His voice was chipper. "I do not." Regulus said, plainly. "I do not think that father is good for anything."

Sirius stared over at him, bewildered. He had never heard Regulus speak about their father in that way before. Regulus had occasionally pointed out how little time their father seemed to have for him with a twinge of bitterness, but it certainly was different to hear him openly criticize their father's character.

"Hell," Sirius scoffed. "Keep your voice down, would you?"

Regulus shrugged, unconcerned. "He is a poor husband, a poor father and a poor head of this house. Our family should be led by someone more competent."

Sirius leapt up to his feet, hastily shutting the door into the hall closed. He whirled back on his brother, his eyes flashing in his irritation. "Would you mind your tongue? What if Kreacher overheard you? I am the disgraceful family traitor here, you do not get to be disowned first."

Regulus was still seated on the floor, his face blank. He did not react to Sirius' nervous teasing. "Father should be replaced."

Sirius laughed, dropping his head into his hands. He didn't understand what was happening. Why was his goody-good brother suddenly committing mild treason in his bedroom?

"I suppose he is not worthy, by your standards." Sirius sniffed, haughtily, goading his brother on, "Who do you think ought to be leading our family then? Mother? Is she a good parent and a good leader in your opinion?"

Regulus pressed both palms against the floor panels, hopping to his feet. He kicked their unfinished game pieces all over Sirius' floor. "Why do you defend him? He is horrid to you."

"What?" Sirius threw his hands up. He couldn't understand where this was all coming from. "He treats me with far more kindness than Mum ever does. You cannot say he is a horrible father only because he has been distant with you. You do not remember what he was like before he drank. He was better."

Regulus rolled his eyes back. There was a nasty edge to his voice. "Forget about how he treats me, you always do anyway. He was always so short-tempered and violent with you. You have such a biased view of him, Sirius, no matter what he does. You really are a fool."

Sirius' mouth fell open at the retort.

Before he could react to that response, his brother was pushing past him into the hall. "I want to leave this place. Shall we go to the town?" He asked, far too loudly.

"Regulus!" Sirius hissed, running after him. "Shut up! Kreacher will hear you and tell Mum that we are going to the muggle town. I thought you 'did not wish to upset her'."

Regulus giggled, without looking back. "You are such a wuss."

Sirius hurried after his brother, cursing under his breath. He was definitely seeing the odd behaviour his cousin had cited. But it didn't seem to be the same as it had been when he saw Regulus during his episode. Regulus had been muttering about complete and utter nonsense, hearing voices, and had physically attacked Barty. Not to mention, this phase his brother was going through had now been going on for over a month. The last one had not lasted more than a week or two. Perhaps it wasn't an episode, perhaps his brother was simply growing up, and becoming very outspoken and arrogant, apparently.

Regulus paused in the mudroom to pull on his shoes in an elegant manner, winking back at his brother. "Do not stand there with your mouth open. I thought you fancied these muggle towns, you were always nagging me about going."

It was true, he had always wanted to explore them with his brother. Maybe this change was for the better. Regulus speaking against their parents and being less opposed to interacting with the muggle world? Both were positive changes. Maybe he was being silly to overreact to the changes in his brother lately. At least the kid was talking to him again, acting as though things were still okay between them.

"I do like them." Sirius forced himself to smile. "I would love to go to the muggle town."

"Grand," Regulus said, smiling. He tossed Sirius' boots over. "Pick up the pace."

Sirius left a window in the front slightly ajar for them to sneak back into if they missed curfew before he hurried after his brother. They went out the back way so the door should go unnoticed if they left it unlocked. Not that he was too worried about their parents catching on. Both had been so buried in work, that they might miss it if Sirius spent a whole week in the muggle town. But he didn't want to get Regulus in trouble and scare him off from ever going to the muggle town again.

Regulus ran ahead of him. His hood was down even though it was raining and gloomy out. Sirius had to run after him to keep up, not minding how laid-back Regulus was being. He used to be so fussed over his hair and never wanted to go out in the rain.

As they neared the town, his brother turned to him with a smirk. "Where do you usually go?"

"Well, other than the library..." Sirius hesitated, debating if he could trust his brother. "I use the muggle post to write to some of my friends... and to Andromeda."

"Okay." Regulus nodded. "Need to pick anything up?"

"I don't think so." Sirius shrugged, happy the kid didn't get annoyed. "But I did want to use the muggle telly o phone. There is a phone booth a few streets down."

"I have never used one of those before." Regulus looked intrigued. "We should go try it out!"

"You would be okay with using muggle technology?"

"Clearly." Regulus rolled his eyes. "You are rather slow today. Must I keep repeating myself?"

Sirius did not question him again. Nor did he say anything when Regulus made a pit stop as they walked across town. His brother entered a convenience store and casually slipped a bag of jellybeans into his pocket. He skipped out afterward, looking as though he was already familiar with the location. Neither his brother entering a muggle store willingly nor stealing made any sense in his mind, but Sirius kept his thoughts to himself.

Regulus waited outside, dropping jellybeans in his mouth as Sirius entered the phone booth. He had some muggle money stored in his sealed pocket with the two-way mirror and he had memorized Mary's instructions inside out. He dialled Remus' number first, his fingers trembling. He had never gotten the opportunity to speak with Remus over the summer before.

But it wasn't Remus who answered the line. A deep, unfamiliar voice answered. "''Ello."

Sirius was stunned silent for a beat.

"Anyone there?" The voice repeated, a sneer in his tone. He sounded too young to be an adult. Sirius could hear him chewing something as he spoke. "Helllllloooo?"

"Yes, I apologize." Sirius started, nervously. "I have never used this device before. Is this... Remus' house?"

The boy on the other half of the line laughed loudly, snorting a few times in there. "Never used a bloody phone? Can tell! Quit talking so loud. And do ya speak English much, mate?"

Sirius was growing annoyed. "Clearly I was given the wrong number."

"You weren't." The lad sneered. "You just sound awfully prissy for Lupin's type, don't ya?"

Sirius scoffed. "So, this is his number?"

"No, you blithering plonker," came the response, "It's my phone. He's just staying here for the summer. Now would ya calm yerself, he's in the shower."

Sirius' face was hot. "Never mind." He hung the bottom piece back onto the device with haste. He didn't want to know who he just spoke to or how he knew Remus. He pushed his way out of the booth with a queasy feeling in his stomach. He was so rattled, that he forgot to even call Mary.

"How did your call go?" Regulus asked as he came out, sounding as though he could not care less.

"Fine," Sirius replied, curtly. "Say, have you ever been to a pub?"

"We should attend one." Regulus said instantly, jumping to his feet. He shoved his leftover jellybeans into his pocket.

It wasn't hard to sneak into the pub with live music. Sirius just waited out back till he saw some smokers re-entering. Their mates propped the door open for them and didn't notice the two kids grabbing it before it fully closed behind them.

After a decade of refusing to do anything muggle-related, Regulus was suddenly having the time of his life with muggle music. He was fully immersed in the dance floor within minutes. Sirius found his own means of entertainment, when he was able to nick a few cigarettes from a passing muggle who was too high to notice. He smoked them both thoroughly outback, desperately missing his smoke breaks with Remus. When he came back in, he spotted his brother sitting at the bar. Regulus was slowly nudging the muggle beside him toward the end of their stool with a foot, a sinister grin on his lips. The muggle was too pissed to even notice until they were flailing through the air.

Sirius hurried over in the commotion the fall caused, grabbing his brother by his wrist to yank him away before anyone noticed the freshly fourteen-year-old at a bar.

"What were you doing?" Sirius hissed, under his breath, so no bystanders would hear. "You knocked him over."

"Would you relax?" Regulus sneered, trying to pull his arm free. "It was only a muggle."

"Doesn't mean you should be a wanker toward them." Sirius retorted. "Don't start with this garbage now, Regulus. I will drag you home in an instant."

Regulus' face flashed with a dark look. "You cannot force me to go home with you. You are not in charge of me, arsehole."

"Want to bet?" Sirius snapped, ready to drag his bratty brother all the way back to Grimmauld Place if needed. He was enjoying the night, but he drew the line at standing idle as his brother tormented muggles for fun.

Regulus relented with an annoyed huff. "Fine. I will not knock any muggles over."

He released his brother's wrist, satisfied. He waved the kid over, making a beeline back toward the live music. It was his favourite part of the pub after all, and less odd to see younger folk around that area, so they would attract less attention there.

The night seemed to fly by. At one point, he saw the night sky through a window and realized it must be past curfew, but neither he nor Regulus cared much, so they stayed put. He was truly having a great time with his brother that evening and didn't want it to end. He stopped worrying so much over how different some aspects of his brother's behaviour were that day, and relished in his free-spiritedness instead.

The carefree evening had to end at some point. Somehow, it came down to Sirius to be the boring one and point out that they should not stay out all night. Their parents would surely be suspicious after neither showed up for dinner, and might have noticed that they were not at the house. Since his parents had been so busy with work, it was likely that they missed dinner themselves, but if the boys never returned home, Kreacher would surely inform their mother sooner or later.

Sirius did not want to be trapped in the house and banned from leaving the premises all summer long, so he dragged his brother out of the pub around midnight. Regulus was skipping as they began their trek home, whistling the muggle songs they had been playing at the pub. He looked so vibrantly alive as he strolled down the street that it gave Sirius a rush of happiness, taking a sudden liking to this blunt, adventurous, refreshing version of the boy. And his brother was spending time with him again, willingly. He had every reason to be happy.

By the time they got through the forest, Sirius was quite knackered. His brother seemed to have endless energy, but he had drained himself. He was ready to crawl directly into bed and sleep in until lunch the following day.

As soon as they walked up to the house, Sirius realized that they had a problem. The window he had left slightly ajar was sealed closed. And not closed with a lock, it was magically sealed. It was the work of his parents, not Kreacher, who typically would just slide the window closed. Sirius gnawed on the inside of his lip as he considered what to do.

His parents discovering an open window did not mean that they knew the boys snuck out, he reasoned. They could have simply locked it absent-mindedly. He had gotten away with breaking curfew many times in the past if his parents were distracted enough. His mother went to sleep early, and his father was probably pissed out of his mind somewhere. Neither should hear them sneaking in.

"Let's go in from the backdoor." Sirius suggested.

They snuck around the house, ducking under every window they passed. When they reached the back door, Regulus grabbed the handle and gave it a solid wiggle. He turned back. "Locked."

"Locked?" Sirius repeated, dread growing in his stomach. His mother must have caught on. That was too many coincidences. He knew he was in for it. He could only hope she would spare his brother and write it off as Sirius' bad influence.

"Not a problem." Regulus shrugged, unconcerned. Before Sirius could say another word, he ripped out his wand. "Alohomora."

The door obediently unlocked at his command. Sirius' jaw fell open. He inhaled sharply, "Reg! What the hell? You cannot do underage magic."

"I can, and I do." Regulus disagreed, dropping the wand back into his robe's pocket. "The ministry will never know the difference so long as we are around adults. Besides, I do not care for the wizarding ministry or respect their authority. We have enough magical education to practice magic at a far earlier age than muggle students. Our family should be above any laws. Magic is our right, and it is absurd that some ministry is allowed to tell us what we can and cannot do with our natural talents. Magic should not be contained and restricted."

Regulus walked into the mudroom entrance without another word. He sounded perfectly confident as he marched within, as if he had not just spewed the most insane nonsense Sirius had ever heard. Somehow, his brother was now combining his recklessness with his godric-awful supremacy beliefs. It seemed like a new low for the lad.

He stormed after Regulus, determined to shake some sense into his brother, but the reprimanding died on his lips when he got inside. A parent had been waiting for them, but it was not the parent he had expected.

Orion was seated in the nearby drawing room, the one beside the mudroom entrance. He seemed to be waiting for them. He was not working on anything or even holding a drink, just waiting in his armchair with a thunderous expression. There was only one lantern lit beside him in the otherwise darkened house. He looked very menacing indeed.

Regulus had paused at the entrance of the mudroom and was staring at Orion. His energy seemed to have dimmed out under his father's cold gaze. Sirius walked up beside him, gazing at his father apprehensively.

His father did not say anything for a few long, painful minutes. Regulus stayed perfectly still at his side, but Sirius shuffled on his feet nervously. Finally, his father leaned forward, glaring at him. "Come here, Sirius." He ordered.

Sirius exhaled, stepping forward protectively, partially hiding his brother from view. He walked closer to his father reluctantly. He stood before the man, feeling as though he was standing in front of a judge to own up to his most heinous crimes. The infuriated expression etched into every line of his father's face did nothing to cease his anxiety.

Orion's words were commanding. "You will explain yourself."

Sirius swallowed his nerves. "We lost track of time."

"Really?" Orion spat, his tone conveying how little he bought that explanation. "You didn't realize that four hours passed since your curfew? And you decided to leave a window open, and the back door unlocked merely as a coincidence? Do you take me for a fool? You have one more chance to tell me the truth."

Sirius knew the hoax was up. He needed to accept some degree of the blame, with a few smaller lies, instead of lying his way out of the whole thing to make it believable. He wasn't interested in finding out what Orion would do to him if he didn't. His feeble bluff was only angering his father.

"I forced Regulus to go to the muggle library with me." Sirius confessed. "I know we are not allowed to go out there, but I have read all of the books here hundreds of times, and I was bored. I did lose track of time while reading there, and then we got lost trying to find our way back. I have only been to that town once or twice before. I didn't know which path led to this area."

His father's eyes were narrowed into slits. His words were viciously spitting out of him. "You have been ordered time and time again to stay away from the muggle town."

"It is not my fault we live amongst muggles." Sirius pointed out. "Where else was I supposed to go?"

"Silence." His father bellowed, his fist pounding on the table. He rose to his feet, leering over his son. "You have worn us all thin with your constant disrespect and defiance. I do not believe for a second that some muggle library obscenity was open until near midnight, but I know I will not ever hear the truth from you."

Sirius scoffed in irritation. "Well, have you ever been there? How do you know what time it closes?"

His father struck him across the face with enough force that everything whirled for a moment. Sirius nearly fell over, only catching himself at the last second. Regulus gasped behind him, still in the mudroom entrance, jarringly shaking him back to reality. He could not let Regulus see him in any pain. Sirius straightened up to glare back at his father, maintaining eye contact. Anger was surging through his veins.

"I am not giving you any more warnings," Orion went on, pointing an admonishing finger at his older son, "I do not care what lengths I need to go to anymore to cease your behaviour. You are fifteen years old!" He shouted with more force. "And still defying my orders and boldly lying to my face."

Probably will be when I am sixteen too, Sirius thought internally. He only didn't say it aloud for his brother's sake. He surely would set his father into a livid rage with that one, and he didn't want anything to happen while his brother was watching. He could see the lamp behind his father shaking in his frustration. He clenched his fists, trying to contain his raw magic.

"You will fix your behaviour immediately or your next defiant breath will be your last one." Orion's shouting went on. The table's vibrations were only growing, despite Sirius' attempts to contain himself. "Not only have you behaved like a low life, but you are now dragging your brother down with you. You have lowered this whole family with your disgraceful behaviour!"

Somewhere nearby, a painting fell from the wall, making a loud noise as it splintered in the collision with the ground. Sirius was holding his breath, realizing that the paintings adorned on their wall were all mildly trembling. He flexed and clenched his fingers in dismay. He did not know how to stop it anymore.

His father didn't even hear the crash, too angry to be alert to his surroundings. He was standing so close to Sirius, that he was quite literally spitting on him as he shouted. "I will not be the one who informs your mother that you have brought your brother to mingle with muggle-infested environments. We have granted you unwarranted trust time and time again, and this is how you have repaid this family. You have your brother-"

"My name is Regulus." His brother spoke up, out of the blue. "If you were not aware."

Orion stopped mid-yell, his words dying on his lips and his face going slack. Suddenly the room went dead silent. Not only had his father abruptly trailed off from his endless lecture, but the paintings around them had stilled. And the table was still. And the lamp. Sirius realized, with horror, that it had never been his raw magic acting up.

Orion was staring at his younger son in disbelief. Sirius slowly turned, seeing his brother gazing back. His chin had lowered, and a flicker of fear was crossing his face, as if he had just realized what he had done. But it was too late to take it back, as their father's eyes drilled into his younger son with vigour.

"Excuse me?" Orion spoke up again, his words much softer, and far more intimidating. "How dare you sass me, boy?"

Panic leapt into Sirius' throat as his father pushed away from him, suddenly closing in on his new target. Regulus was frozen in place with a petrified expression on his face.

"Dad!" Sirius tried to call the attention back to himself.

Orion ignored him, grabbing Regulus roughly by the back of his neck. He dragged the kid forward by his hold on his neck, pulling him toward the staircase. "You have been handled far too leniently if you believe you can address me in such a disrespectful way, you insolent little brat."

"Dad, come on." Sirius rushed forward to block their way. His father seemed to be leading his brother upstairs, which didn't make him feel any better about what his father planned on doing to his little brother. "You're upset with me, not him! You cannot take this out on him."

His father pushed him aside roughly with his free arm. He held a finger up threateningly. "You cut that out."

Sirius tried to hold his ground. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

His father threatened him with an acidic tone. "You try that again and you will be spending the rest of the year at a boarding school, Sirius. You have been warned countless times to not interfere with my orders."

Sirius hesitated at the threat. In his moment of weakness, his father pushed on by him. Orion headed up the stairs in quick strides, pulling Regulus along roughly. Seeing his brother being yanked around tore him out of his hesitation. He bounded after them, hearing his brother whimpering softly.

"Please." Sirius pleaded, his anger growing. "This is not his fault! For fuck's sake."

Orion halted and whirled back so abruptly, that he ran into the man's back. Sirius took a few steps back, wishing he had his wand all of a sudden. He would stun his father right now if he could. At least then he'd be the one his parents would be punishing. But he did not have his wand, and he wasn't sure if he had the courage to sock his father. He was getting there, though, the longer he watched the man clench the back of his brother's neck. Regulus was holding his shoulders up around his father's grip, looking helpless as he stared straight ahead with tears in his eyes. It was unbearable to see him so scared.

"You keep angering me," Orion hissed, "and it will only be hurting your brother when he is taking the brunt of that anger."

Sirius gawked at him, baffled. Even his father was now threatening to hurt his brother to control him. Sirius had never felt much resentment for his father in the past, but it felt very prominent as he stared at the temperamental man then.

Orion seemed to take his silence as acceptance, moving to push Regulus forward once more. Sirius found his voice as he watched them step off the stairs. "You're vile if you hurt him for no reason." Sirius shouted, running up the last few steps. "You can send me to boarding school or set me up with some pureblood trollop. I'll do whatever you order me to do. Just please don't hurt him, please."

"Do not beg, it is beneath you." Orion spat back at him. "You will get your comeuppance when I am through with your brother."

His father shoved his brother into his room. He caught a glimpse of Regulus' chalk-pale face as he gazed up at his father with glassy eyes. His brother was not fighting his father at all. Regulus seemed to be in sombre acceptance of whatever the man might do to him, but Sirius could not resist the urge to stop it. He sprinted over toward the door in a final act of desperation.

Orion moved faster, slamming the door closed and casting a quick spell. Sirius grabbed the handle as soon as his feet could carry him there, but it was already stubbornly sealed in place.

Sirius went ballistic, pounding against the door with his fists in frustration. The grandfather clock behind him belted out a terrible ringing noise, despite it being halfway through the hour. That time he knew it was his own out-of-control magic, not Regulus'. He didn't care. He would turn the entire house upside down if he could. Sirius grabbed a small sculpture near the railing, flinging it against Regulus' door with all his might. It made a dent in the wood, but the spells kept the seal intact.

"Dad!" Sirius kicked his brother's door in frustration.

He was interrupted by his mother's gasp behind him. "Sirius!"

Sirius whirled, seeing that the ruckus he had been making was getting him a reaction from someone in the house. His mother was standing at her doorway in her nightgown, her dark hair hanging around her shoulders instead of the tight bun it usually was in. She looked as though he had woken her from her sleep. She stared at him with an expression of angry disbelief.

"That is enough." She hissed, her eyes cutting into him. "What is the meaning of this abhorrent behaviour in the dead of night?"

A thought occurred to Sirius as he gazed at his mother helplessly. A horrible thought. His mother was his only chance at protecting Regulus right then.

"It's Dad..." Sirius tried to explain, his words rambling out quickly. "He's hurting Regulus for no bloody reason. He's in a terrible mood and he is taking it out on Regulus. Mum, please. The door is sealed with magic."

His mother's anger wavered. Her eyes carefully inspected Regulus' door behind him. He didn't need to beg her again. She walked over in quick steps and withdrew her wand hastily. Sirius jumped out of her way. She did not speak, but a spell was cast. He could see the door release, before she turned the handle and pushed it open without any hesitation.

Sirius leaned forward to stare past her into the room. His father was beside his brother with a belt hanging from his hand, barely lifting his eyes when his wife opened the door. Regulus was leaning against the bed, his arms trembling as they held him up, with his eyes clenched closed. It was clear from his expression that he was already in pain.

"Orion." His mother spoke, her voice commanding.

Orion turned to his wife, lifting an eyebrow questioningly. He didn't wait for her to speak before he spat out a retort. "I will not be sassed and disobeyed by my sons."

His mother nodded firmly. "I agree. You should not be." She paused, her eyes resting on her younger son. "Regulus has learned his lesson."

Sirius knew he should keep quiet. His father was more likely to relent if his wife talked him out of continuing to hurt Regulus. But his anger at the stark unfairness of the whole incident made it impossible to control his temper.

"He doesn't deserve this!" Sirius snapped. "All he said was his bloody name!"

Orion's eyes wheeled over to stare daggers at his older son. He took a few steps closer, pointing at him with the hand still holding his belt. "I am far from finished with you." Orion spat, "When I am through, you will never even consider speaking to your father with that impertinent tone again."

Sirius stepped back as his father darted his way menacingly, but Walburga stepped in his path. She held a hand up against Orion's chest to stop him. She cast him a pointed look. "I will deal with Sirius."

Sirius fell silent obediently, hoping that would dampen his father's rage. He knew his mother would take care of the incident. It was an absurd thought, but he needed to leave it in his mother's hands. Everything he did only made it worse for his brother. His mother was far more capable of protecting his brother when she was willing to.

His father gave his mother a hard look, but he relented after a pause. He cast Sirius a seething gaze as he exited the bedroom. Sirius forced himself to stay still as his father walked by him, only releasing a breath of relief once he was halfway down the stairs. For once, he was relieved that he and Regulus had been left in their mother's hands, instead of his father's. He never thought he could hate his father before, and yet as he glanced back at his brother, who was still cringing in pain, he hated the man with every ounce of his being.

In the bedroom, his mother walked forward slowly to pause beside his brother. Regulus had stayed in place until his mother pulled him up firmly by his shoulders. He stared at her with red-rimmed eyes, sniffing back his tears.

"No crying." His mother said sternly, but her hands on Regulus' arms were gentle.

Regulus nodded obediently, rubbing away his tears with one hand. He was trying to compose himself as she watched him carefully. A silent tear fell down his cheek, but the boy steeled himself as he met her gaze.

"What did you say to your father?" Walburga asked him, her voice calm.

Regulus swallowed before he replied, in a soft voice, "I stated my name. He kept referring to me as Sirius' brother."

His mother did not reply right away. Sirius stayed frozen in the hall, not sure what his mother might do. He was sure she'd be more composed than their father had been either way, but he felt ill as he watched her speak to his brother. He would sooner lose his mind than watch his brother be punished again for this nonsensical backtalk.

Walburga released a long breath. "You will not disrespect your superiors again."

"No, ma'am." Regulus said.

His mother nodded slightly at his response. Then she released his arms, gently reaching out to place a hand on the side of his head. She pulled him closer with one hand, letting his head rest against her chest.

Sirius stared, stunned, as he realized that his mother was hugging his brother. Not very well, but it must be her version of a hug. He hadn't even known that she was capable of any form of affection. His brother seemed familiar with the gesture, closing his eyes as he rested his head against her for a moment.

Walburga withdrew from the hug after ten seconds or so. She stroked the side of Regulus' face as she pulled back. Sirius watched, relieved that she was being gentle with him, but also a tad bit irritated. Some part of him realized that this must have been how his brother felt seeing him have a relationship with Orion when Regulus did not. It was not a good feeling. He longed for Euphemia Potter's comfort for a moment, feeling completely alone at Grimmauld Place.

"Learn from this, Regulus." His mother told his brother firmly.

"Yes, ma'am." Came the automatic response. His brother said little else around her.

Then she walked out of the bedroom, her eyes on Sirius. He braced himself, expecting that he would be in trouble. She had told Orion that she would deal with him. Walburga paused before him, eyeing him over for a few long seconds. Her voice was hushed. "Take care of your brother."

"Okay." Sirius replied, numbly.

Walburga turned away, walking back to her bedroom. He watched her retreat into the darkened room, the door pushing closed behind her. Then the boys were alone again.

Sirius bounded into the room, pulling his brother into his arms as soon as he reached the kid. Regulus had been standing where his mother left him, holding himself together, but he broke down again when Sirius hugged him. He embraced the kid properly, the way James would for him when he got upset, giving his brother all the time he needed to calm himself.

He stood there soothing the boy, imagining every horrible jinx he could use on his father once he had his wand again. His angry, violent father, who probably would have tormented his brother for far longer if his mother hadn't stopped him. And for what? A small perceived slight. Sirius gave far worse cheek ten times a day at Grimmauld Place. His father just felt the need to ensure he instilled a fear of his father into his younger son. That was the part that infuriated Sirius - Orion had revelled in making Regulus cower like that. His obedient little brother who had never talked back to a parent before.

After a few minutes, Regulus pulled back from the hug. "He still could not bear to say my name." Regulus snickered, weakly, wiping his tears away, "Even while telling me off, he did not say my name once. Seemed rather fair that I thought he did not know it. I was only trying to help."

Sirius laughed, despite himself. "Oh, Reg. He's such an arse."

"It was my fault." Regulus sighed. "I poked him. But I must say, it was nice to finally speak to my father for the first time in three years, even if our conversation was brief."

Sirius stared at his brother in dismay. "Has he truly not spoken to you in three years?"

"Not a word." Regulus smiled, tears hanging from his eyelashes.

"I'm sorry." Sirius muttered, feeling an overwhelming wave of guilt. He didn't know why he hadn't realized how blatantly his father ignored Regulus before. He must be the most self-absorbed brother on the planet. "Are you okay?"

"Well, my ass stings." Regulus replied, not looking too upset about the fact.

Sirius snorted, in disbelief that his brother would even know that word, "Language!"

Regulus rolled his eyes, his response cheeky, "Apologies, my posterior stings. Is that sufficiently appropriate for you? The one who taught me every curse word I know of?"

"Oh, that is a load of bollocks." Sirius scoffed, a smile curling up his lips at his brother's teasing. It was familiar and reassuring. "I know this is your Slytherin mates rubbing off on you."

Regulus' eyes shifted upward to think, and then he agreed, with a sly smirk, "Yeah, you are right. It is definitely Rosier's and Barty's potty mouth I am hearing way too much of."

"No kidding." Sirius shot back, smiling despite himself. Even the grim night could not dampen the happiness he felt as their banter went on. "I don't mind it too much though."

****

Orion must have eventually told Walburga what the argument with his sons had been caused by, as she banned them both from stepping foot out of the house for the rest of the summer. But she did not take the punishment any further than that. He suspected she did not approve of how their father had handled it and went lenient on them as a result. He had to give his mother some credit for that. Still, being trapped at home all summer long was a miserable penalty.

His father acted as though nothing had happened after the fact. They would see him at meals, where he barely spoke to anyone before returning to his work. He continued to assign Sirius various heir tasks and duties, but if he was to shadow his father in some work, Orion would not say a word to him as he did. He contemplated bringing it up himself a few times, but his anger at what his father did still felt too raw. So he let his resentment fester and grow inside of him. He didn't think he'd ever look at Orion in the same way again.

Regulus bounced back almost instantly after the incident. He seemed energetic and cheerful the next morning. He did not seem upset when Walburga informed them that they lost their outside privileges. Regulus had even sassed his governess the next day, which Sirius knew about because he could hear her reprimanding him through the walls of their separate classrooms. His brother, who historically could never handle being in trouble, seemed completely unfazed by it.

It only took three days before Regulus wanted to do something against his parent's rules again. Sirius had spoken with James on the two-way mirror until 10, then turned in for the night, only to be woken up at midnight by his brother poking his cheek.

"Regulus?" Sirius whispered, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to go to the muggle town." His brother stated, plainly.

"Now?"

"No," Regulus scoffed, his voice sarcastic. "I woke you up to inform you I would like to visit tomorrow. Use your brain, Sirius."

Sirius sat up, trying to collect his thoughts. "Reg... it is midnight. And we are forbidden from leaving."

"Since when do you follow anything mum orders?" Regulus asked, coyly.

"Since when do you not?" Sirius shot back.

Regulus giggled. "Quit being a party pooper, Rosier. The night awaits us."

Sirius paused. "Rosier?"

But his brother was already bounding away. His once orderly brother was in a state of disarray when Sirius found him downstairs waiting for him. He had pulled his boots on and thrown on a jacket, but he was wearing his nightwear below, and his hair was sticking up in weird places.

"Regulus!" Sirius hissed as he ran down the stairs. "What are you doing?"

His brother winked at him, not pausing before he unlatched their front door. Sirius' head whipped back and forth, seeking any sign of their parents or their lousy snitch of a house-elf, as he fled down the steps after his brother. He could hear his brother snickering on the porch, being way too loud for a kid sneaking out of his manor.

Sirius grabbed his shoes as he flung himself through the doorway, deciding it'd be wiser to scold his reckless brother outside than within Grimmauld Place. It was hard to believe no one could hear them, even when they were whispering. There was never anywhere safe to talk at Grimmauld Place. He yanked the door close behind him as he peered around, hoping he could pin down his brother before he did anything foolish, but Regulus was already walking up the street.

Sirius quickly jerked his shoes on, cursing himself under his breath. He didn't understand why his brother would defy their parents in this way so shortly after their last scheme was found out, but he could hardly leave his brother to run around in the dead of night alone.

Regulus was skipping, blissfully unaware of Sirius' stress levels, when he finally caught up to the lad. "Do you remember when we were younger, we ate dinner with Uncle Cygnus, Aunt Druella and our cousins almost every night? And Uncle Alphard. Even Grandad Pollux and Grandma Irma would sometimes attend." His voice was calm and collected, "Why did we stop having dinners with our extended family?"

"Regulus, where are you going?" Sirius gasped, barely registering his question. He did not know what that had to do with anything.

"Did we stop because Uncle Alphard died?" Regulus went on, neglecting to acknowledge anything his brother said. "Or because Andromeda left with her muggle partner? Or was there another reason?"

Sirius grabbed a hold of his brother's sleeve, clinging to it with all his might, and jerking them both to an abrupt halt. Regulus was yanked back to face him by his hold on the kid's sleeve.

"Where are you going?" He snapped.

"I told you, to the muggle town." His brother replied, his face set stubbornly. His chipper tone dropped for a moment, down to a far more ominous sound as his eyes blazed with cold anger. "You owe me this, Sirius. I know that you know the truth about our family. And you kept it from me."

"What?" Sirius sputtered, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"

Regulus jerked his arm away, his face brightening up again to an unhinged smirk. He looked completely unrecognizable as he turned away, skipping up their street once more.

"I do not understand what the hell is happening!" Sirius raged, sprinting after his kid brother. The boy was faster than he was used to and tough to keep up with as he darted into the forest. He seemed to know the way to the muggle village fine all on his own, and Sirius was struggling to keep his eyes on the kid as he maneuvered his way through the forest path. How in Merlin was the boy not growing tired? They hardly got any sleep before they went for this midnight jog, and Sirius could barely keep his eyes open. But Regulus was having no such problem, springing through the trees as though he had all the energy in the world.

Sirius finally caught up to the boy as they reached the town. It was quite late, leaving most of the town deserted. The muggle post, the convenience stores, tea shops and cafes were all locked up for the night. The street they came out of the forest to was desolate of any civilians. Only the gentle flickering of the muggle road torches moved on the abandoned road.

"Regulus." Sirius whispered, feeling as though speaking aloud was the wrong thing to do in such a quiet area. He reached out to grab his brother's shoulder. "Why are we here so late?"

Regulus flinched away from his touch, whirling to give him a severe look. "Do not touch me! I know what you did, Sirius."

Sirius retracted his hand, hastily. His cheeks heated with shame, even though he did not know what the kid was referring to. "What? What did I do?"

"I know everything." Regulus whispered, his voice nearly shrill. "I know your secrets."

"Please, Regulus." Sirius was pleading, too tired and confused to handle the night any longer. "Let's go home. We can talk about this tomorrow after we sleep a bit. I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing you're saying is making any sense." He was nearly tearing up in his frustration, wishing Narcissa was there, as he truly did not know what to do, "Let's go home, okay?"

Regulus cast over a smirk, tilting his head in a patronizing manner. "I want a sweet first."

"Everything is closed." Sirius told him, trying to take a tentative step closer. If he could get a solid grip on the boy again, he would simply start dragging him back toward their house. "It is too late to go in the stores."

"Stay back!" Regulus warned as he backed away. "I can cast hexes and you cannot, as you are too great a coward to use magic outside of Hogwarts."

Sirius gritted his teeth. His brother was right. He could not use magic to assist him in getting his brother home safely, but not for the reason Regulus thought. He wondered, for a pause, if he had no choice but to physically overpower the boy and force him to return to Grimmauld Place. He didn't know if he had it in him to place his brother in a hold or do anything that would hurt the kid. He had certainly never tried to before. But it was his job to protect Regulus, and he could not protect him if he could not calm him down when the kid was clearly out of control.

Regulus turned to the convenience store beside them, pressing his hands against the glass window casually.

"Regulus-" Sirius started, but his words died on his lips.

As he watched, Regulus moved sharply, kicking against the window with all his might. His heel hit the glass with a loud shattering noise. He chuckled, triumphantly, as a large crack crawled up the glass window at the force of his kick.

All caution was forgotten as Sirius lurched forward, his fear overwhelming him. "Regulus, stop it!"

"I am getting sweets!" Regulus spat back, hitting the damaged glass yet again. The window burst at the impact, and his brother fell forward through the shattered remains of the window. Sirius could see a line of blood dripping down his brother's leg as he landed inside the store, a clear tear in his trousers where it got caught on bits of glass remaining around the windowsill.

"Get out of there this instant." Sirius hissed, at his wit's end with the kid. He grabbed Regulus roughly, dragging him back toward the window opening. His brother was not making the task easy on him, writhing and bucking in his grip. "We are going to be arrested for breaking in!"

An alarm was blaring within the shop, overwhelming Sirius' senses as he continued to drag his brother toward the opening. Regulus was squirming and fighting him at every turn, placing his hands and feet against the inside of the window frame, pushing back against Sirius' attempts to get him out. "Are you out of your mind?" Sirius shrieked at him, trying to be louder than the blaring sirens, "We are going to be in a world of trouble if anyone catches us! Who do you think they will call, Regulus? The muggle authorities do not have any record that we exist!"

"Let go of me!" Regulus screamed in return, releasing his hands from the window to be hurled at Sirius' face.

Sirius flinched back at the onslaught, being pummeled with gentle whacks from someone clearly inexperienced in throwing a punch. He took advantage of his brother's attack, grabbing him around the waist to yank him out of the shop. He absorbed the blows as he directed them further from the scene of their crime, leaving a trail of glass in their wake.

Sirius was panicking, his mind racing as he struggled to formulate a plan. The muggle authorities would be there any minute, and he knew it. He needed to get them both out of there and as far away from the broken window as they could get.

Regulus was continuing to lash out at him beneath the headlock he had on the boy now, yelling obscenities at him that he didn't even know the meaning of. His brother finally got him with a good sock, hitting him right below his eye. The pain blinded him for an instant and he staggered backwards, his grip weakening as his vision sparked with lights. He felt his brother whack him in the chest, pushing away from him. And then Regulus was free, dancing away from his arms.

"Get over here right now!" He sputtered, trying to clear his vision by blinking frantically. "We need to bloody leave!"

A second siren was ringing out and Sirius whirled in horror, seeing a muggle vehicle approaching them from further down the street. The once-still street was lit up with various lights rotating from the vehicle's roof. A voice boomed out, shouting instructions at them.

Sirius was blinded by their lights, as he rotated back and forth trying to catch a glimpse of his brother. What could he do? Run? Hide? Beg them to let him get his brother? He didn't have any means to defend himself or anyone he could call for help.

The muggle's loud voice, from some sort of charmed device that made their voices loud, it seemed, was shouting out once more. "Stop where you are!"

Sirius had not moved from where he was and did not understand the instructions. Until he turned back, seeing his brother running up the street.

"Regulus!" He was running after the boy, before he could even think about his actions, "Go to the forest!"

His brother was not listening to him. He was running around the corner further into the muggle town, despite Sirius' pleas for him to head back to their area. The muggle vehicles were much faster than the boys were, and the device was behind them once more within seconds. The adrenaline pumping through his veins kept Sirius going, his exhaustion temporarily forgotten, as he finally caught a hold of his brother. He leaped forward, tackling Regulus onto the floor as he did.

Regulus yelped as he hit the cobbled pavement, groaning in pain as he tried to get out of Sirius' hold on him. But Sirius did not make the same mistake twice. He forced the kid down with his full body weight, being careful to pin his arms down so Regulus could not take a swing at him again. But there was no time to formulate a new escape plan, as the muggle authorities were upon them. They had them cornered by a shop, circling them with bright beams of light being shone in their faces.

"Stay where you are and turn around!" Someone was yelling.

Sirius carefully peered back at them, squinting in the lights. "Relax! This is a misunderstanding. My brother... he is not feeling well, that's all."

"Hands where we can see them!" Came the only response.

"You cannot see my hands?" Sirius scoffed, irritated. "Don't you people have spectacles?"

"Hands up!"

"Merlin's beard." Sirius snarled, "I cannot let him go."

He noticed that the muggles were holding an item his way, something he expected must be some sort of weapon. He remembered, with a pang, all those times Mary mentioned muggle weaponry. He supposed they must have something formidable. He had read about their ceaseless wars in muggle studies, after all. He gritted his teeth as he gave in to the demands, lifting his palms up beside his face.

"You too!" Someone yelled, assumingly at his brother.

Regulus turned over, his eyes flashing beneath the radiant glow of white light on their faces. Sirius realized, with a jerk of fear, that Regulus' hand was reaching into his robe's pocket.

"No!" Sirius lunged forward, yet again. He caught his brother off guard and the wand slipped through his fingers onto the hard pavement beneath them. Sirius dived after it, managing to land directly on top of his brother's wand. He expected his brother to try to get it out, to begin tearing away at his chest, digging for his buried wand, but Regulus did not bother. He leaped to his feet instead, whirling in the other direction.

Sirius was not able to get up. Someone had grabbed a hold of him, roughly yanking his arms behind his back. But he could hear them going after his brother. He heard the shouting, and then the thump of them knocking Regulus over as well. His eyes were swimming as he was yanked to his feet, his hands tied by some muggle machinery.

"Don't hurt him." He pleaded to the officer by his shoulder. "He is not in the right mind."

"What is that?" A woman asked, her light beam being pointed at the wand on the floor. "A stick?"

Another muggle walked up, inspecting the wand. "I will collect that." She said, sharply. She gave Sirius an odd look as she pocketed the wand, one that gave him the sense that she may know more than the others did.

The night was a blur after that.

Sirius vaguely remembered being forced into a muggle vehicle as the officers tried to subdue his brother. When they finally got Regulus inside, his brother was inconsolable, jerking himself away from Sirius as though he had no idea who he was. When they arrived at the muggle police center, where they were placed in two separate cells, Regulus had thrown himself against the bars a few times, until the muggles had done something to him that made him collapse on the cell's floor. Sirius did not know what they had done, only seeing sparks of flickering lights, accompanied by a buzzing noise, and hearing his brother shriek in pain. And then all was silent. His shouts were ignored as the muggles left them there.

Time had passed before someone came to retrieve them. A few hours, perhaps. There was no way to tell time, and he was too exhausted from their midnight scuffle and the emotional toll of the night to be registering how many minutes had passed. The mental exhaustion of worrying about his brother, worrying about what would happen to them, and worrying about what their parents would say when they eventually faced them, if they ever made it back, had drained every last drop of energy out of him.

At some point a muggle opened his cell, informing him that he was to be released. He walked up the corridor where he had come from, ending up in a front office, containing a desk and a small waiting room. He realized, with a start, that his father was there, accompanied by several others he did not recognize, but was willing to bet were members of the ministry.

Orion turned when Sirius approached him, his eyes inspecting him coolly. He did not seem too angry, but he was icy and distant, nonetheless.

"Regulus." Was all Sirius could mutter.

"He is fine." His father said, his tone sharp. "He was unconscious, so they transported him back."

Everything was much too hazy for Sirius to concentrate. He could not tell if he was relieved or distressed at the response. He needed to see his brother then, to make sure he was all right. "He's... he's not okay."

"I know." Orion replied curtly. That was all he said, but it was enough for Sirius to fall silent, hoping he could relieve the burden off his shoulders for a moment. Hoping that his father could take care of Regulus then, because he had been helpless all night. There had been nothing he could do for his brother. It was an excruciating feeling.

"Mr. Black." A man by the door nodded, his face half-hidden beneath his tall hat and his trench coat collar. "I trust you and your sons have had a long, trying night. We will ensure the situation will be erased from all records. Your son's wand has been retrieved as well."

"I see." His father replied, sharply. "Both of them?"

"No." The ministry official gave Sirius a wary look. "Only one was located, even when they were pat down."

Orion turned to Sirius, lifting an eyebrow.

"It's at home." Sirius came up with a swift bluff. "I went after Regulus without much preparation."

They accepted his response with curt nods. Once the adults finished their conversation, his father led him out of the muggle station without further fanfare. Sirius' eyes smarted as he turned to face the man once they were alone.

"We will return home." Orion told him, not meeting his eye.

He led Sirius to the street corner, where they had some cover from the muggle police station. No one who had been waiting with his father inside had followed them out in their hasty exit. Once they were hidden from any onlookers, his father briskly apparated them back to their street.

The grandfather clock read 5 o'clock in the morning when they walked into Grimmauld Place. He had not slept all night, but Sirius did not feel ready to crawl into his bed. A strange numbness had fallen over him as he stared across the entrance hall, biting back tears that were threatening to emerge.

Orion did not walk away. He halted in the entrance hall as well, his eyes assessing over his son. Sirius gazed back, weakly. He had a few questions he needed to ask, or he'd never be able to sleep. "Is Regulus here?"

"He should be upstairs with the healer." His father agreed.

"Okay." Sirius sniffed, supposing that was good news. "And the healer can... help with his episodes?"

"They are equipped to do whatever they can." Orion told him, sharply. "Our family healer has served our family for generations. He assisted your uncle with similar health woes."

Sirius stared, surprised. He hadn't expected his father to mention his godfather's supposed episodes. "He was the same?" Sirius asked, finally.

"It appears so." His father agreed, his face devoid of emotion. "Your Uncle Alphard had a similar affliction with these extreme mood shifts, as you clearly already knew. Alphard always had this condition, from his early teen years. You knew him. It was a manageable madness, which is why you did not see signs of it."

Sirius' vision blurred with tears, despite his intentions to remain cold toward his father. "Why didn't anyone ever tell us?"

Orion's words were less sharp, sounding rather unconvincing. "We do not discuss such matters."

"Well, we should." Sirius sassed, too frustrated to watch his tone. "Would have been helpful to know what to do when my brother starts acting nothing like himself."

"Sirius." Orion narrowed his eyes. "Do not forget yourself. And you have hardly sought out help, have you? Have you noticed any indication from your brother before today that his behaviour was irregular?"

His stomach dropped. Sirius blinked a few times, too tired to think up a proper lie. "Yes."

"Why would you not have said something?" Orion asked, his words testy. "You should have been looking out for your brother by seeking medical attention before it got out of hand."

Sirius shook his head, a stray tear rolling down his cheek. "Regulus did not want that because Mum made him feel horrible about it! He wouldn't even take his treatment anymore," Sirius hesitated, remembering that his parents most likely were not even aware that Regulus had ever been on a treatment plan to begin with. He changed the topic, "Where is mum? Does she not even bloody care that he is like this?"

His father did not react to his defiant show of disrespect toward his mother. He only waited for Sirius to collect himself, by taking a few deep breaths, before he spoke again. "She is aware of what occurred tonight, and she beckoned the healer over."

"Is she with him?" Sirius went on, rubbing his fists below his eyes furiously. "Because she didn't visit him once when he was here last time. He told me!"

Orion, still, did not react. "She is not with him." He released a small sigh. "Your mother cannot bear to see him as so. She blames herself for carrying her brother's illness into her son."

That must be the most ridiculous rubbish he ever heard. His anger was boiling through him furiously, itching for a way to come out. He could not stand his parents at that moment, not either one. How could they keep all these secrets about their family from them? How could they care more about their family's appearance than their son?

But when he gazed up at Orion again, determined to give him a piece of his mind, nothing came to him. He only stared at the man helplessly. He wished he had someone to comfort him, or someone trustworthy he could talk to. His father could offer him none of the above.

"You should have been more careful and noticed the signs earlier." His father told him sternly. "He cannot help what happened tonight, but you could have prevented this. I expect you to do better for this family in the future. We are extremely fortunate that a member of the ministry detected that you two were magical folk before this situation became too public. We cannot allow such shame for our family."

Sirius scoffed as his father turned away. He did feel guilty for what happened, of course he did, but it was wholly unfair for his parents to take no responsibility. They only cared about how the breakdown made their family appear in the eyes of their peers, not about how his brother was fending. "Blast our family's appearance." He shouted after Orion, his words spewing venom. "What about Regulus?"

Orion walked up to his study door, only half turning back at the retort. He sounded tired. "Go to bed, Sirius."

And then he slipped into his study, leaving Sirius to wallow in his memories of the horrific night alone.

Chapter Text

August, 1975

Regulus could barely remember what occurred at the end of July or at the beginning of August. Time stood still as he slowly regained his energy, his sense of his surroundings, and the little bits of memories that would come back to him.

It didn't take long before he started piecing together what had happened, somewhere between his utter exhaustion and numbness. It had happened again. It was the only explanation.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he became conscious enough to be distraught over that understanding. One day he had just realized it, truly realized what he had done, and all of his hopes of returning to normalcy vanished.

Sirius had been visiting him, he recognized at one point. Every day his brother would be there at some point. No one else ever visited, beyond the healer from time to time, and Kreacher delivering meals and draughts, but his brother would stay there every night, sitting in an armchair by his bedside, or climbing into his bed beside him. Regulus hardly had the energy to resist it. Some nights, he'd even wake up to discover he had slept with his head on his brother's shoulder.

After some time had passed, his energy was starting to come back to him though, and with it, the memory of how much Sirius had scorned him over the last year. He began to resent the visits and resent how he could not stop them. He was powerless to his brother's whims as he lay trapped there, bed-bound.

As time went on, Regulus started to hope for a visit from his mother. She must have heard about what had occurred, he figured, and he wanted the chance to explain himself. To try to mend whatever damage he had caused to her trust in him. He didn't know exactly what he had done when he was in the midst of his episode, beyond the bits and pieces that'd come back to him, but even those were enough for him to know that he might be past forgiveness in his mother's eyes. He couldn't resist the urge to plead his case regardless.

One day, weeks into his recovery, he was woken up by the soft noise of his bed creaking and a tapping sensation on his arm. Regulus had whirled, hoping against hope that his mother would finally be visiting him. But it wasn't his mother. It was his brother again, as per usual. Sirius had climbed onto the bed beside him and had roused him by tapping him on the arm. Regulus' face fell as he slumped back against his pillow.

"Reg," Sirius sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible," Regulus replied, his eyelids weighing heavy over his pupils. "Where is mum?"

His brother didn't seem thrilled by the first question to pass his lips in weeks. Sirius bit down on his bottom lip, looking lost on how to respond. His hesitation was telling enough. Regulus felt dread swelling in his chest before he even got an answer.

"She's busy with her work," Sirius replied, his voice sombre.

"She is disappointed in me," Regulus muttered, his eyes crinkling up, moments from bursting into tears. "It happened again. She told me not to let it occur again, but it did, did it not?"

"Regulus..." Sirius interrupted, soothingly. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's completely barmy for her to be miffed at you about this. You cannot stop them from happening."

"It happened again." Regulus breathed, continuing as though he could not hear his brother. He was trembling under the cover. "I thought it was gone. It is never going away, is it?"

"So what?" His brother grabbed his hand, squeezing out the tremble. He massaged small circles on the back of his hand, as if trying to calm him, "It is fine, Reg. I am here for you. Even if you have episodes for the rest of your life, it won't make a difference. I'll appreciate the good days and help you through the bad days. No matter what."

Regulus knew that his brother was trying to comfort him, but the words only made him feel worse. The last thing he wanted was for Sirius to think he was absolved of his guilt now that he got to play knight in shining armour again. He hated that Sirius had helped him. Now he was in debt to his brother, yet again.

"No," Regulus whispered as he yanked his hand away, "I do not wish for your help. I do not want you near me."

Sirius stared at him. "Reg..."

"Go away!" Regulus hissed, turning to face the wall. "Just leave me be."

His brother wasn't chased away so easily. He tried again, "Regulus, please. Let me help you."

Regulus did not reply, staring blankly at the wall on the side of his bed. A few lingering tears dripped down his cheek, leaving small wet stains on his pillow.

Sirius breathed out, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I will be back after my time with the governess. Okay?" He whispered.

Regulus did not respond.

Sirius gave up, finally lowering himself off the bed. He could feel his brother's eyes lingering on him for a few more seconds before he finally left Regulus alone.

Things only worsened between them from there.

The more Regulus returned to himself, the less he wanted to see Sirius. He'd bristle with bitterness every time his brother would enter his room, and he'd refuse to do anything with him, even if Sirius stubbornly stayed put.

Regulus couldn't refuse everything his brother offered though, as much as he wanted to. He had no other means of companionship or entertainment. He accepted it when Sirius started bringing his homework into the bedroom. It helped calm his nerves to be buried in his schoolbooks again, working on his homework. He also accepted any leaves that Sirius managed to sneak into the house. Regulus gladly took any leaf he was presented with and pressed them between the heavy tomes on his bookshelf. But that was all Regulus would accept from his brother. He didn't want any comfort, any kind words, any affection, any conversation at all.

One day, someone other than his brother visited his room. He had been roused from a nap by the muffled noise of his door sliding shut, and he twisted to see the culprit. His mother was there, slowly sitting herself down in the armchair that his brother had been religiously occupying.

Regulus' heart was in his throat as he scrambled upright, stunned to see his mother casually sitting there, after he so desperately longed for her all week.

"Mum," he started, his words coming out in a croak. His throat was sore from disuse. "I am so sorry."

"Enough," she shushed him, her tone stern even when comforting him. "None of that. Sit up, we must speak."

Regulus stilled, not sure what she expected of him. He moved his blankets back slowly and hung his legs off the side of his bed, at attention. He smoothed his shirt down with a hand and frantically patted his hair, trying to make himself more presentable. Her visit had been unexpected, and he was embarrassed to be seen in such a vulnerable state. His mother disdained any sign of weakness.

She did not say anything for a moment, letting him squirm on the edge of his bed. Then she dropped her chin an inch and her words flowed out softly, each mutter sending shivers up his spine. "Have I ever told you how close your Uncle Alphard and I were before his passing?"

Regulus was surprised by the conversation topic. He hadn't known what he expected her to say, but speaking about his scorned Uncle, one he had never heard her utter the name of since his untimely death, was a shock. "I do not believe so."

"Well, we were." His mother said plainly, her face drawn. "All our lives. Even in our family where you are raised to be in competition with your siblings, we cared deeply for one another. We watched out for each other in our home as children, and that pattern continued into our adult lives. He was perhaps the only one on my side over those challenging years. I was betrothed to your father, as you know, so I was mandated to wait for years past my time for him to reach adulthood, and when we finally were together...," She paused, her lips pursing, "It was only an alliance borne out of duty - one he was unwilling to fulfill. It was never easy between us, to say the least."

Regulus was frozen on his bed, unable to peel his eyes away from his mother. He had never heard her be so open about her past or her troubled marriage.

She arched her eyebrows before she went on. "Your grandsire was a stern and proud man, he demanded much from Alphard and me. He would be turning over in his grave if he knew about the way your brother and Bellatrix conduct themselves." She pulled a face, her eyes bright with disgust. "He never would have stood for such behaviour had he been alive."

Regulus did not speak, too stunned to disturb her monologuing. He sensed she had a lot she wanted to get off her chest, and he didn't dare to interfere before she made her point.

His mother's eyes were staring off somewhere beyond the room. "Our other brother was years younger with a vastly different experience in our home, you should know." His mother continued, her tone scornful, as it always was when she criticized her younger brother. "Your Uncle Cygnus knew a different father than we did. He was a spare, as you are, and got little of the scrutiny and responsibilities bestowed upon Alphard and me. Alphard was the only one who lived the life I lived."

"I did not know," Regulus finally spoke, his words faint.

His mother continued speaking as if she could not hear him. "I always thought the two of us saw the world in the same light. I thought that nearly until his dying breath. I only discovered how incorrect I had been after his passing when I discovered everything he had kept hidden from me." Her eyes flashed, and for a moment, he was sure he saw hurt flooding her features. "Nevertheless, I adored your uncle. And he adored me, and in turn, loved my sons. Both you and Sirius. He cared for you both so tenderly, that I often feared you two would confuse him as your father. Suppose that did end up being the case for your brother, who still aligns himself with my brother's traitorous views years after his death."

Despite her words, she did not sound angry anymore. "I see him in Sirius all of the time. Despite the traitor he turned out to be, there is still a lingering fondness I have for my brother. Many might believe it is a weakness, but it is one I cannot shake."

Regulus could feel his eyes watering, despite his attempts to stop them. He understood better than most how difficult it was to stop yearning for a sibling, even after they betrayed you.

His mother turned to him, her gaze meeting his firmly. "I hated his illness, and I hated how it took my brother away from me, but I cherished my brother. And I cherish you, my son. This illness does not define you nor change who you are beyond it. This affliction never changed who my brother was, it was foolish of me to act as though it would change you. I hurt you by trying to diminish it before, that was my error. I cannot fault you for something that I am more to blame for than you are. This illness is something that we can handle, you and I."

His mother had never said anything kinder in all his years, Regulus was sure. It was everything he had wanted to hear from her, yet never expected to cross her lips. "Okay," he whispered, his voice choked from the strain of holding back his tears.

She offered a firm nod, her face clear of any emotions. Her jaw was set stubbornly as she briskly continued. "We will return to the treatment you were on beforehand. You will provide me with the necessary information so that I can elect our healer to develop the same draughts for you. The Hogwarts Matron was providing the draughts for your ailment before, is that right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Regulus agreed, earnestly. "I am not quite sure what the draughts were. Some were stabilizing draughts used for other conditions, but she curated some specifically for me."

"Very well." His mother agreed, rising to her feet primly. Her skirt dropped down smoothly, swaying around her body. "I will send word and get in direct contact with the Matron."

"Thank you," He sputtered, still staring at her, wide-eyed. He felt lightheaded by the shocking content of their conversation. He kept waiting for the other shoe to fall, for something to indicate that his mother wasn't as understanding as she was coming across, but nothing suggested that she was being false.

His mother gazed back at him, her sharp eyes taking in his state of disarray. "You will get some rest and inform the healer when you are fit to return to your sessions with the governess. You will work very hard for the remainder of the break to make up for all the lessons you have missed, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She offered him a rare smile. "Good. We cannot afford for you to fall behind on your education. There is much to prepare for."

And with that, his mother left him once more.

Things resumed some normalcy following his conversation with his mother. Regulus was permitted to return to class after he had taken his draughts the following day. His mother did not bring up his episode again, and they resumed their usual routines as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Once he returned to his usual routines, Regulus tried to avoid his brother at all costs. If their arguments over the past two years and his embarrassment about Sirius caring for him during his episode weren't enough reason to keep his distance, he also feared that any association with his brother would thwart the mercy his mother had shown him. Sirius and his mother were bickering relentlessly following his episode, and he did not want to align himself with Sirius when he was behaving so horribly.

Regulus managed to keep away from his brother for a while, but one Saturday, his brother managed to corner him.

He had fled to the library after lunch with plans to review his potions textbook for the next year. Once he was sitting on the windowsill though, all of his plans faded away. He only found himself sitting there, staring morosely out the window, watching the raindrops roll down the glass panes. He couldn't help the misery he was feeling, wishing the summer would come to an end so he could return to Hogwarts. He missed his friends and cousin, even if he knew that his behaviour at the end of the previous year might have put him in a difficult situation with Rosier and Narcissa. And they had been right all along, he knew now. He ought to write and apologize.

Before he could decide what to write, his brother's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Reggie." Sirius was standing a few meters away, smiling teasingly. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Regulus took a deep breath, trying to ignore his brother's presence. His brother always somehow managed to thwart his plans of complete avoidance. The boy was skilled at being a nuisance, that's for certain.

Sirius was not deterred. His brother poked him. "Budge up."

"No." Regulus frowned, pushing his hand away. "Must you always be such a bossy twit?"

Sirius tilted his head, "Yes." He replied, decisively.

"Do you not have better things to be doing beyond harassing me?" Regulus complained, slouching further down the wall.

"Such as?" Sirius scoffed, holding his arms out. "What else could I possibly be doing?"

"Does father not require you for heir duties?" Regulus asked, a twinge of bitterness in his tone, "Go nag him instead."

"Not your brightest idea." Sirius laughed, "I probably shouldn't bother him right now. Not unless I want him to keel over..." He paused, "Well, maybe that is why you wish for me to bother him. What was it you said, you want father to be replaced?"

Regulus flinched like he'd been slapped. He remembered enough of the past few weeks to know what his brother was referring to, vaguely. It seemed cruel for Sirius to throw what he did during the episode in his face. "You know very well that I said that while I was unwell." His tone was testy. "That is not something I truly believe."

"No, it was you." Sirius disagreed. "You are not someone else when you're in an episode, Regulus, which was why I didn't catch onto it sooner. Your views were still your views, just more reckless, paranoid, and extreme versions of them." He sighed, sadly, "If anything, it gave me a bit of clarity on what you truly believe. You are hardly honest with me otherwise, are you?"

Regulus clenched his teeth, but he did not argue with the reasoning. "Would you stop talking, Sirius? It is enough to drive anyone mad."

"No, and don’t be such a sap," Sirius told him hotly. "You don't tell me what to do."

"Ruddy bother," Regulus grumbled, seething as he glared in the opposite direction.

"So," Sirius tapped his leg again. "Will you let me sit down?"

Regulus' eyes narrowed into slits. His tone was nasty, "You have forgotten how to sit down?"

Sirius snorted, "Are you being smart with me?"

"Would you rather I be dumb?" Regulus shot back, his tone remaining hostile.

Before either could utter another word, their ears pricked up as their parents' voices abruptly rang out loudly into the hall.

Both of them jumped, whirling in the direction of the cutting remarks. Their parents must have crossed a barrier of a silencing charm, as it had started out of nowhere. They sounded as though they were storming around the halls. The boys were rooted to the spot as the voices carried into the library.

"You expect me to sit idle as you allow this family to be led off the ledge," his mother was shrieking, her tone thunderous, "too lost in your spirits to care whether or not we have the endurance to outlast this war. I will not allow you to shame us any longer."

"I will not be berated by you." His father spat, his words slurring, "You will never know of the burdens I bear for this family, just to listen to your endless tirades." He sounded livid enough to send a chill up Regulus' spine, "I do not have to listen to another word out of you!"

Regulus sat there stiffly, his fingers digging into his arm as he listened to the screaming match.

Something shattered loudly in the hall, right outside the library entrance. It didn't slow down either parent, their fight tearing through the hall at a daunting pace.

"You only care for yourself." His mother hissed, "Your pride and arrogance will be your downfall. We have all sacrificed..."

"Shut your mouth!"

His mother was not intimidated, "I will do no such thing. I am the one who is capable of carrying this family through the war. I can make the wisest, more informed decisions." Her words were spewing venom, even as another crashing noise exploded in the hall, "You are a poor excuse for the head of our noble house, and I refuse to let you plant another version of yourself as the heir."

Regulus' eyes darted over to where his brother was standing by his side. Sirius did not meet his gaze, but the expression on his brother's face suggested he knew as well as Regulus did who his parents were arguing about.

His father sounded dangerous. "How dare you insult me?"

He could see his mother in the entranceway, whirling back, fury evident on her face, "I will not leave this family in the hands of another spineless, self-absorbed boy, who has no business leading anyone. This family cannot suffer another generation of someone like you at the helm of it."

As the boys watched, panic seizing their throats, their mother's eyes widened and she ducked as their father barged into the visible scene, hurling a small marble statue in her direction. She darted out of the way, but they could hear it collide against the neighbouring wall, to the portraits' displeasure.

Regulus inhaled sharply, filling anew with hatred for his worthless excuse of a father. Everything in him was screaming to run to his mother's defence, but he only remained frozen on the windowsill, watching the scene play out.

Their father paused in the doorway, breathing heavily, seeming to realize what he had just done.

"You..." His mother stuttered, "You threw that at me?" She sounded as though she was in shock, "You threw that at me!"

Their father's face flashed with guilt as he stepped forward, no longer visible from the library doorway. "Walburga." He sounded subdued. "I had no intention to-"

"You will not lay another finger on me." She shrieked in return. "You wretched lowlife."

"Well," His father's voice flared with anger, swiftly losing any hint of remorse, "You can send tea sets and glass bottles my way, but I am not to return the favour?"

They could hear their parents storming further down the hall, their mother infuriated, and their father defending himself. And then the noise was suddenly cut off once more, leaving behind an uneasy silence that weighed heavy in the library air.

And then Sirius was moving, rushing out of the library before their parents had a chance to return to the halls. His brother ignored the shattered remains of glass, mannequins and frames littering their corridors as he maneuvered his way through the wreckage, rushing up the stairs.

Regulus did not know what to do for a moment. He hated that his first instinct was to go after his brother, to ensure he was okay, but it was. He had heard his parents squabbling over Sirius' place in their family before, and he knew Sirius had as well, but he sensed that it had become increasingly difficult for his brother to hear after the previous summer, where Sirius made a disaster of his attempt to take over heir duties.

With a reluctant sigh, Regulus headed after his brother, directing himself up to the boy's room.

Sirius was sitting in his closet when Regulus found him, rolled up in a ball with his face buried in his knees. Regulus sat down against the wall outside of the closet, facing the opposite wall. He didn't say anything, but his brother noticed his presence.

His brother's voice was hollow when he spoke, "You'd be better suited at being heir."

Regulus responded calmly. "I would say so."

He would be better, they all knew that, but he didn't wish to be heir. He knew he ought to be merciful when his brother was distressed, but he could hardly deny the obvious. It was challenging to comfort his brother when he agreed with what his mother was saying. Sirius had been careless with the role he was born to. If his brother took his responsibilities seriously, everything in their family would be easier.

"It is not fun to carry around the weight of the entire family on your shoulders, though," Sirius said, his words bitter. "To do and be nothing else but a pillar for your family. It would destroy you."

Regulus turned, meeting his brother's gaze with a hard look. "Then stop being weak and bear the burden for me, Sirius. It was yours to begin with. When you fail, then it will become mine. So stop failing, I do not desire your burden."

Sirius stared, dumbstruck. "Reg..."

"I do not wish for this life any more than you do." Regulus went on, his words like knives. "I have aspirations beyond spending the rest of my days cleaning up after you. Do your duty."

Regulus pushed himself back to his feet and left the room without another word, leaving his brother to sulk in his closet.

****

The last two weeks of summer break went by quickly.

The environment in their home had grown better after the scuffle his parents brought into the hallway for all to see. His parents were present at meals again, and his father was, notably, drinking tea instead of liquor at dinners.

The only ones who did not swiftly bounce back from the argument between his parents were the boys. Regulus and Sirius maintained a stony silence for the remainder of the break, though they still worked side by side on homework and tasks in their free time. Regulus wanted to maintain his bitterness with his brother for not trying on his behalf, but it was challenging to do so when he had no other source of companionship at Grimmauld Place. Eventually, he would always find himself seeking out his brother's company, despite his better sense. He could not restrain himself from climbing into his brother's bed some nights when his loneliness became unbearable. They would sleep side-by-side those nights, but they would never talk. They only got along so long as neither said a word.

They were a few sleepovers in before Regulus realized that his brother was stealing his wand and slipping off in the wee hours of the morning. The first time his brother had done it, he had been so confused by the odd behaviour, he assumed he must have dreamt it. And then it happened again the next morning.

His brother must not have his wand, he figured at some point, and must be doing some sort of underage magic with the wand.

Regulus continued to pretend to sleep through it when he would hear his brother sneaking out of bed in the morning, or when his brother's hand would slip the wand out from under his pillow. It brought him some satisfaction to know he was shielding another one of his brother's secrets. That way, he didn't owe Sirius anything anymore after his brother cared for him over his episode. That way, they were even.

There was less than a week till Hogwarts when Regulus received an unexpected post. When Kreacher had delivered a letter from his cousin, he grabbed it eagerly, assuming it was from Narcissa. And then he stilled, staring at the lettering.

Bellatrix had written to him.

Regulus bit down on his bottom lip nervously as he tore into the envelope. He had not forgotten their last conversation regarding what she wished for him to do for the family. The message was not regarding their last conversation though.

-
Cousin,

I am writing to warn you about rumours I have been hearing from trusted sources. I have tried to offer your parents the same warning, but they have disregarded my attempts. I would hope that your experience with your brother has opened your eyes in a way your parents have yet to develop.

There is sufficient evidence to prove that Dumbledore has been recruiting youth from the sacred twenty-eight to spy on their family's dealings. Given what we both know your brother's true colours to be, and his close ties with the blood-traitor Potter family, I have reason to believe that Sirius has been recruited by Dumbledore to collect intel on your parents' business while he is at Grimmauld Place. If not directly to Dumbledore, he is surely providing information to the Potters.

I urge you to do everything in your power to prevent your traitorous brother from providing our enemies with any information on our family. You must put our family first. To do anything less would make you a traitor as well.

Bellatrix
-

Regulus was gutted, his fingers closing around the parchment, folding it in half. He did not know what to think.

It seemed far-fetched to believe his brother capable of intentionally spying on their family for Dumbledore. Whatever his brother’s differences with the family, that seemed out of character, but he had been telling James Potter far too much about their family. Regulus could not deny that fact. He had heard Sirius say it himself, and he heard his brother speaking on that accursed two-way mirror every night through their walls. The cold fingers of fear twisted around his heart as he stood there, trembling with the realization. Whether willing or not, Sirius was likely providing Dumbledore with plenty of sensitive information about their family through the Potters.

It was hard to think about anything else over their last week at Grimmauld Place. Every time he laid beside his brother at night, sharing body warmth under the covers, he'd wonder if Sirius knew what he was doing to them. If Sirius could possibly be so selfish and foolish to let the headmaster use him in such a way. He was scared to know the answer.

The last week of August slowly dragged to an end. Their return to Hogwarts was so close that he could taste it. He had never wanted his time at Grimmauld Place to end more than he did that week. Not even when he was there alone for a year.

It was the day before their return to Hogwarts when his brother managed to make waves in their household again. Regulus had been dismissed from supper by his mother, but then she had held back, beckoning his brother into a drawing room.

Regulus had only been settled in the library for a few minutes before the shouting across the corridor caught his attention, sending chills crawling down his spine. It was his brother and mother fighting again, as per usual. Regulus could not resist sliding off the windowsill, pausing by the entrance to the library to hear what his brother was shouting about.

"Easy to have a go at me, isn't it?" His brother was spitting, bristling in cold anger, "It's all you ever do. But I don't care. I'm not going to marry anyone. I don't care what curse you use or what vow you make me take. I won't utter a word to her. I will never shag her. I'll run away the second I have the opportunity to!" A loud bang rang out, followed by a series of smaller crashes. "I will never do my duty. Never. I will fight you to my dying breath if you force me into this."

Dread was swelling in his chest as he listened to his brother's belligerent ramblings. His brother was pushing his mother too far. This could only end badly.

There was a hard edge to his mother's tone. "You will do your duty to further the pureblood line...."

"I won't!" Sirius shouted, cutting her off. "Blast your ridiculous pureblood lineage. Blast all of you." The confessions were bursting out of his brother as he raged against their mother, "I won't uphold the sanctity of pureblood rubbish, I won't stand by and support your deranged dark lord, nor will I pretend to have such hatred for muggles, for no bloody reason! Fuck all of your ridiculous beliefs. I'd rather die than be your heir, if that is what it means to be heir!"

Regulus could barely breathe as fear clenched his throat. His fingers were digging into the frame circling the library entrance. He braced himself for his mother's response.

"Be careful what you wish for." His mother hissed, quickly shouting out a spell. "Lacero."

Regulus was frozen in place. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to get closer to the drawing room, he had no interest in watching his mother discipline his brother in that way, but the sound of his brother's gasp made it impossible to move further from his spot down the corridor.

She sent a second lash before he heard his brother speak again, defiant even through his pain. "It doesn't matter what you do to me," Sirius whispered, "I will never break."

"Lacero!" His mother spat, her voice shaking with something odd, something out of control. "Everyone has a breaking point, my son. Everyone. Lacero."

Regulus was twitching nervously as he winced at every blow. The tone of his mother's voice was scaring him. He had never heard her sound so enraged, so undisciplined when handling his brother's misbehaviour. It would have to end at some point, it always did. She had never done more than a few for a single offence. She had always rigidly stuck to the same pattern.

"I will not fail as a parent." His mother spoke, her words nearly whispered taunts, "I refuse to fail. Lacero."

"Mum..." His brother gasped out.

"Lacero! You will obey me, Sirius. You will serve this family."

His brother's voice was thick with pain, but he spat back a defiant return. "I won't."

She struck him again, and again. And again.

Regulus was squirming, trying to stay in place. "Why is she not stopping?" He whispered, not sure who he was talking to.

His brother cried out at one point, shaking Regulus out of his trance. Despite the fear strumming through his veins, he was moving forward, urging himself to do something. He couldn't sit by and listen as his mother tore his brother to shreds, even if his brother was goading her on, for reasons he did not understand.

Regulus entered the drawing room, his eyes searching for his brother. Sirius had collapsed in front of the mantelpiece, leaving streaks of bloodied fingerprints down the wall behind him. His brother was barely moving, only jerking in response every time their mother called out the dreaded curse again. He nearly seemed to be losing consciousness, his eyes glazing over.

"Enough, Mum," Sirius pleaded, his voice so faint, it was hard to hear over the blood rushing in his ears.

His mother was not stopping. Something had changed in her that day. There was an erratic glow to her anger, and the cold, calculated anger Regulus knew well seemed to be replaced by a blazing fire within her.

"You will obey me." His mother told Sirius, her tone commanding. "Lacero."

Regulus peered back, his heart in his throat, as his brother's body jerked again. A dark red puddle was developing around his slumped body. His brother was drowning in his own blood.

All of his wariness was forgotten as Regulus stared at his brother, chilled to the bone with horror. The words were coming out of their own accord. "Mum, please!" He begged, rushing forward. "He is bleeding too much."

His mother continued as if she hadn't heard him. Her eyes were burning holes into Sirius as her lips pursed around the spell once more. "Lacero. You will obey me, Sirius."

It dawned on him that she might genuinely kill him. He was going to watch his brother die if he didn't do something.

"Mum!" Regulus had tears on his cheeks as he grabbed onto his mother's wand arm, accidentally blocking her next curse.

A slash of pain ripped across his shoulder and he reeled back at the blow, staggering to the side. He peered down to see a line of brilliant red streaked across his shoulder. His hand reached out, timidly grazing the wound on his chest.

"Walburga." His father interrupted, entering the drawing room all of a sudden. He must have heard the commotion.

Regulus turned, his eyes flitting back and forth between his parents, then back to his brother lying on the floor.

His mother did not curse his brother again, but she stayed frozen in place, her wand still in her hand. Her lips were trembling as she stared Sirius down, her hatred and her desperation etched into her face. His father approached her slowly, gently lowering her wand arm with a hand. He did not spare a glance for his sons, only having eyes for his wife as he inspected her somberly.

"This is over." His father told her, so softly that Regulus barely picked up on it.

"I cannot fail." His mother seethed, trembling in her husband's arms, completely broken from the night, "I must correct him in some way. I cannot bear the shame of failing. I have simply not taken the correct measures...."

"It is pointless." His father shushed her, running his hands up and down her arms to comfort her. "It is over, Walburga. You are wasting your breath."

She finally relented, allowing herself to drop her arms down and lean against her husband's chest. Her head slumped forward, defeated. Only then did his father turn, his eyes running over Sirius ever so briefly.

"Boy," His father nodded in Regulus' direction, his tone gruff, "Take your brother upstairs, and clean up this mess."

Regulus did not say a word. He did not think he had the ability to speak anymore. The coolness on his cheeks made him aware of the tears silently dripping down to his shirt. He turned, rushing to where his brother had fallen. He barely noticed it when his parents walked out of the drawing room.

His brother was lying in a heap, his eyes rolling back as he stared at the ceiling. Regulus’ adrenaline-induced strength assisted him in yanking his brother up before his brother’s hair soaked up the liquid resting around his body.

"Sirius," he whispered.

His brother did not seem to hear him. He laid in Regulus' arms in a daze for a moment, before his eyes fluttered to a close.

Regulus shook him frantically. "Sirius!" He begged.

His brother had lost so much blood. There was blood everywhere - soaking through his brother's trousers, on his hands, dripping down his wrists. He could not tell for certain if his brother had fainted or died right there in his arms. Regulus yanked his brother's arm over his shoulder, using all his strength to straighten up. Sirius was a dead weight in his arms, but there was no one to call for help. Kreacher could clean up the blood, but could not help in medical emergencies, nor would he be willing to for his brother's sake. Regulus was on his own.

They kept bandages in the upstairs loo for such wounds, Regulus knew. Across the corridor and up their two flights of staircases. Regulus gritted his teeth. He had to get his brother up there. There was nothing else he could do to soak up the blood still freely flowing from his brother's wounds.

He began to walk toward the entrance, every step feeling harder than the last. His brother was heavy over his shoulders, his legs dragging along behind them. When they finally made it to the door of the drawing room, the looming corridor was long and barren before them. Their parents were nowhere in sight.

Regulus made the mistake of glancing back. There was a long trail of blood leading out of the puddle by the mantelpiece to where they were standing then. Regulus flinched away from the sight, turning his focus back to the stairs on the other end of the corridor. He just needed to get his brother upstairs.

Their hall had never seemed so long before. Regulus trudged down the corridor slowly, taking laboured breaths between each step, as his brother groaned in pain in his arms. Regulus knew he would not be able to get him up the stairs. He laid Sirius down on the base of the staircase instead, gently lowering his head till it rested on the hard stone floor.

"I have to get the bandages," he whispered to his brother, his vision blurring. "I will be right back."

Sirius' eyes were open, but he stared at the ceiling blankly. He was so pale, so unnervingly pale. He had lost too much blood.

Regulus fled to the upstairs bathroom as if his brother's life depended on it, which it very well might. His fingers were trembling as he grabbed their makeshift healer kit. He had long helped his brother with his wounds over the years, but his brother's cuts had never been so severe before. It was his brother's fault, he knew, for driving their mother to that point, but he could not let his brother bleed out.

Sirius was still staring at the ceiling when he returned to his side. He yanked the tattered remains of his brother's trousers up hurriedly, trying not to wince at the sight of the torn flesh waiting beneath. Regulus wished that he had a needle and some thread, something he had seen the healer use to close deep cuts in the past, but he did the best he could with what he had. He dutifully wrapped up the endless wounds with care, trying to keep his head as he carefully completed the task.

When he was finished, Regulus sat back against the bottom step. He stared down at his hands which were soaked in dried blood, with a grimy layer of dark red liquid beneath his nails. Even the healer box he had carried down was ravaged with streaks of his brother's blood. And then there was the trail of blood leading to the drawing room on the floor before him.

He doubted that all the cleaning in the world would be able to erase the events of the night. A shower might wipe the stains away from his hands, and Kreacher might snap his fingers and make the horrid puddle vanish as if it had never existed, but he would remember. The horrors of the night would weigh heavily in his mind's eye for the rest of his days.

Sirius was stirring, his eyes fluttering. He was still quite pale but seemed to be slowly regaining consciousness.

"Sirius," Regulus whispered, as if the house was not eerily empty around them. "Are you okay?"

Sirius blinked a few times, as if trying to figure out where he was. He winced with pain as he struggled to say something. And then he finally spoke, his voice raspy. "Potter?"

Chapter Text

September, 1975

The hot rays of the morning sun were burning down on their necks as Regulus stood beside his brother at the doorway to King's Cross Station. He was not certain why his brother had paused, but knowing what a mangled mess his brother's legs were at the moment, he suspected his brother was struggling to walk without pain thrumming through his body.

Regulus eyed his brother over. His eyes kept resting on Sirius' legs, despite the trousers hiding any evidence of the wounds he was nursing. "Do you...," Regulus hesitated, his voice mildly trembling, exposing his nerves, "intend to see the matron?"

He knew that his brother ought to. The wounds had been so excessive that he had been fearing the worst when he was trying to help his brother the night before. He wondered what the school nurse would think if she saw the erratic cuts littering his brother's shins.

Sirius glowered down at his feet in irritation. "Is that truly all you are worried about?" He spat in return, kicking at his trunk in frustration. "No, I won't let the matron see the mess your mother left me in. Wouldn't wish for dear mummy to be called out on what a vile monster she is."

Regulus' concern wavered as he grew annoyed. He was hardly thinking about his mother then. He knew his brother was only in a surly mood due to his pain, but he was irritated anyway. He had been terrified by the horrible scene he had witnessed the night before, and he wanted to ensure his brother was okay.

No one had addressed what happened before they left Grimmauld Place. At the crack of dawn, Kreacher had come upstairs and beckoned the two boys down, informing them that the master would be escorting them to the train station. Their father had never taken the boys to King's Cross station before, but the elf had been correct, as they found their father impatiently waiting for them in the manor's entrance foyer. He did not speak a word to either of them as they travelled and left them outside the station without so much as a goodbye.

Before Regulus could find the words to explain himself to his brother, to explain that he feared Sirius might push his parents until they hurt him in an unfixable way, his brother was moving away without bothering to bid him farewell.

Regulus was left alone on the platform.

There was nothing else to do then but board the train. He didn't bother looking for Narcissa, knowing that she was named prefect and had to report to the front of the train for duties, instead seeking out the Slytherins from his year.

He had been so wound up by the fear gripping his mind since the previous night, that he had almost forgotten he had something else to worry about that day. It wasn't until he pushed his way into the compartment Rosier and Fawley were sitting in that he remembered how he had acted the previous year.

Regulus froze in the doorway, the sliding doors shutting quietly behind him. Fawley and Rosier both started, gazing back at him with quizzical expressions. He knew what they were wondering.

He had meant to apologize to Rosier. He had discussed the episode with Narcissa over letters, but only because his cousin wouldn't quit writing to him to check in. Rosier had not written all summer. Not even once. Regulus supposed he deserved that after how lousy he had been, but it made him nervous knowing the lad was likely miffed with him.

"Hullo," Fawley said, with a forced brightness to her tone. "How are you doing?"

Regulus knew he would have to bring up the elephant in the room to avoid his mates walking on knives around him all term. "I am taking my draughts again," He said, cutting to the chase. "You do not need to speak to me in that way."

Fawley giggled, a bit nervously. "In what way? I just wanted to see how your break was, twat."

"It was...." Regulus paused, catching himself before he got too honest. His break had been horrible from beginning to end. He changed the topic, "Could I speak with you outside for a moment, Rosier?" He requested.

The lad didn't make it easy on him. Rosier stared back at him blankly for a minute, his face revealing nothing, as he pondered the request. He let Regulus squirm with discomfort in the awkward silence that followed his question for at least a minute or two before Rosier dropped the tabloid he had been reading down and rose to his feet. "Why not?"

Regulus let Rosier lead them into the corridor, feeling relieved that they were a bit early that day. He did not need more of an audience for the conversation he needed to have.

Rosier was waiting for him, leaning against the wall of their compartment, lazily. "Well?"

Regulus swallowed, trying to collect his nerves. He hated apologizing. He was so horribly bad at it. "Well, I wished to say..."

"Spit it out, Black," Rosier said, bluntly. "I don't have all day."

Regulus gave him a patronizing look. "Wind your neck in a bit, I am trying to speak."

"Doing a pretty lousy job though, aren't you?"

Regulus ignored that comment, pushing forward with what he needed to say. "I screwed up last year. You were right and I was an absolute prick."

Rosier made a uh-huh noise, motioning for him to go on. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Regulus gritted his teeth, hating that Rosier was making him say it. "I apologize." He forced out. "I feel real lousy about it now. It was a pretty horrendous break, as you can imagine. I could have avoided that if I listened to you."

Rosier tried to maintain his aloof demeanour, but he quickly succumbed to the grin that wanted to break out on his face. He threw his arms around Regulus' shoulders. "I missed your arse."

Regulus was surprised by the hug, but he did not resist, as alien as the feeling was. "Are you not angry?"

Rosier let go of him, shrugging casually. "Well, I am quite used to the switch-up, so I don't take it personally. I was not trying to be your Mum last year, you know, just have to look out for you."

"I know," Regulus agreed, somberly.

Rosier was quiet for a bit, letting the words hang between them in the air, as the whistling of the train engine filled the silence for a few minutes. It wasn't a silence Regulus felt the need to fill. It felt more like an unspoken understanding.

Then the bloke clicked his tongue. "Good. Would hate to have to beat your ass if you were still being bitchy."

Regulus scoffed, but he didn't bother arguing. He had been rude, or whatever that word meant. He was only relieved the bloke was forgiving. He didn't know what he would have done if Rosier was still miffed that year.

Regulus went directly to the hospital wing when he got to Hogwarts, thankfully being permitted to skip the introduction ceremony once more. He was all out of sorts from the disastrous end to the summer, and in no mood to endure endless speeches about nothing for a few hours.

The matron gave him a stern talking-to about neglecting to take his draughts before she doled out the plan for the year. As if he needed to be reminded. The events of the first half of his summer would likely be scarred in his memory for the rest of his days. Once the checkup was over and he had his vials for the week, Regulus headed over to the dungeons.

Rosier was alone in the fourth-year lounge when he scaled his way up to his new tower.

"Is everyone here?" Regulus asked.

"Yup," Rosier agreed, chewing on something absent-mindedly as he flipped through a tabloid. "I just don't feel like unpacking yet. The halfbloods and Barty are upstairs."

"I see," Regulus sighed. "So Barty made it."

"Doesn't he always?" Rosier scoffed, "Oi, wait till you see Barty's hair colour. He's rancid lately."

"What did he do to his hair?" Regulus wondered.

"It's green!" Rosier laughed. "Or at least some of it is. The front bit here." He fiddled with a bunch of hair on his forehead. "Wonder how he managed to do that at home. Bet his old man blew a gasket when he saw it."

Regulus shrugged, unconcerned. "He has done worse things. He has the piercings and the tattoo."

"He did those here though, so the cranky prat couldn't stop him." Rosier pointed out. "And his dad didn't like those either."

"Oh well," Regulus replied, absent-mindedly. "Who knows why Barty does the things that he does."

He had long stopped trying to understand the bloke. While he and Barty seemed to share their strained relationship with their fathers, they certainly didn't share the way they handled it. Regulus had never, at least when he was in control of himself, intentionally provoked his father. He didn't understand Barty's need to defy his father while trying to earn the man's approval. He supposed Barty was similar to his brother in that way. He wasn't sure if he liked that thought.

"I suppose I should go greet him," Regulus said, moving toward the tower. "And empty my trunk."

Rosier nodded. "Hurry up. I want to get a bite soon."

Regulus motioned his agreement as he started up the stairs.

As soon as Regulus walked into the boys’ bedroom, he could sense the tension in the room. Keitch and Hornby were standing by their beds, both giving Barty incredulous looks. It wasn't hard to figure out why. Barty's belongings were thrown about all over the floor, getting into everyone's space. Barty was sitting in the middle of the mess on the floor, with a smug smirk on his lips and a few green streaks of hair crowning his forehead.

"Get your rubbish out of here," Hornby was scowling, kicking some of Barty's clothes further from his bed.

Sebastian Hornby had long been the halfblood in their room who was more willing to put up a fight against the pureblood boys. Callum Keitch was a bit more timid, accepting any abuse from Barty in silence. Both seemed rather ticked that day though.

Barty ignored them, only chuckling as he kicked the clothes back in their direction.

Regulus sighed, wondering if he ought to get involved. Barty's stuff was all over his space as well, which was quite irritating.

"Well?" Hornby asked, his face hard. "Are you going to clean up?"

"Nope!" Barty replied, cheerfully. He had some weird toy in his hands, a contraption he was twisting around absent-mindedly. It seemed to be a game of some sort.

Hornby took a menacing step forward, and Regulus paused to watch, wondering if his roommates were going to get into a scrap. But Keitch grabbed his friend's arm, holding him back. He surprisingly turned to Regulus instead. "Could you get Barty to move his stuff out of here?" Keitch asked.

Regulus was surprised by the request. He supposed he had helped the halfbloods with Barty once before, to leave Killick alone after she ratted them out to Flinn. Perhaps that was why they were turning to him again.

Barty scoffed, turning to Regulus with a scornful expression. "Reggie can't make me do shit."

Regulus reflected on whether it was wise to get involved. It was a room matter, not a Slytherin issue, so there was no hierarchy to follow. Blood status weighed in less for room disagreements, he knew. In the bedrooms at Hogwarts, pureblood and halfblood students alike had to find a way to live together. There was no harm in keeping Barty off their roommates’ nerves.

Regulus took a slow breath before he lunged forward, hoping to catch the boy off guard. His fingers successfully pried the unfamiliar toy out of Barty's hands before the bloke even realized what was happening. Barty gasped when Regulus jumped back, holding the game behind his back.

"Oi!" Barty scrambled to his feet, trying to reach around Regulus to grab the toy. "Give it back! The fuck."

"Move your rubbish out of the shared space first," Regulus ordered, coolly, "We should not all have to live in your filth."

Barty smacked him on the chest when he failed to retrieve the game. "I can't believe you'd betray me like that, ya little shit." Barty sneered. "I'm gonna get my revenge."

Regulus lifted his shoulders, fiddling with the cube-shaped game. "I can handle whatever nonsense you will think up."

Barty gave in easily, kicking some of his clothes in the direction of his bed for a few seconds before he hopped over. "Give it."

He had hardly cleaned up much, but Regulus suspected he wasn't going to get much better than that. He relented, dropping the toy onto Barty's bed. "What even is that?"

"None of your business," Barty retorted, lunging after the toy. He settled on his bed once the cube was back in his grasp.

Hornby kicked some of the clothes still littering their space over in the direction of Barty's bed, but the argument came to a halt when Barty was no longer fighting back, fully immersed in his toy. Hornby gave Regulus a funny look before he headed back to his bed, one that sort of conveyed a gratefulness. Keitch offered a weak smile of his own when he caught Regulus' eye.

Regulus unpacked his trunk until Hornby and Keitch excused themselves from the room. He didn't want to risk poking Barty again until the halfbloods were out of the crossfire. Once they were alone, he peered at Barty, a few beds over.

"So," Regulus started, inspecting the lad out of the corner of his eye, "How was your summer?"

Barty dropped his toy onto his lap, smirking over at Regulus. "I'll tell you bout mine if you tell me bout yours first!" He offered.

Regulus pursed his lips. "You can simply say no if you do not wish to speak about it, you know."

"Yuppers," Barty agreed, with a snicker, "But reminding you that your life sucks just as much is more fun."

Regulus rolled his eyes, not wanting to speak about his home life with the bloke again. That was forbidden in his family. Especially now that he heard about Dumbledore possibly exploiting his brother's carelessness for intel.

Barty changed the subject. "I'm going to go with you to the quidditch tryout this week." He reported, sounding quite smug.

Regulus was confused. "Why?"

Barty laughed, tossing a pair of crumpled-up trousers at him. "Why do you think, dummy? I am trying out!"

"For what?" Regulus asked, waving the pair of trousers away without batting an eye. "You said you never even rode a broomstick before you came to Hogwarts."

"Didn't!" Barty agreed. "But I did the flying classes and I'm real good at throwing shit at people. I've always wanted to be a beater. It might be my calling in life, honestly."

"Merlin," Regulus grumbled. "You cannot be trusted with a bat."

Barty giggled as he bounced a few times. "You better get used to it, Reggie, cuz it's happening! We are going to be teammates. I never bothered trying out before cuz Vanity wasn't a fan, but she's not in charge anymore. It's my time!"

Regulus could not tell whether the lad was taking the piss or not. "Well," he said, carefully, "We have beaters from previous years. Only the backup spot is open, and you would need to beat out Kabir Patil, who has been the backup beater for years."

"Yada yada." Barty waved his comment away, dismissively. "I will get the spot."

Regulus shrugged, too bored with the topic to figure out if Barty was being serious. He would find out at the tryout. Talkalot had already put up posters about them. He spotted them in the common room on his way to the fourth-year tower.

"Nice hair," Regulus changed the topic, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his tone. "Did your parents fancy it?"

Barty gave a proud snicker. "Not at all!" He cackled.

Regulus suspected as much. The lad was predictable. Earning his parents' ire seemed to be his motivation for most things. "How did you prevent them from removing it?"

Barty rolled his eyes, as if Regulus had said something very foolish. "I transfigured it, not dyed it. They tried to remove it, but I used a permanency spell on it and they couldn't figure it out. It turns out that I'm smarter than my old man! He told me it was," he continued in a mocking tone, "so unprofessional and childish. He was mortified and appalled!" Barty held a hand to his forehead, dramatically, "The old fart wouldn't let me go to any public events all summer cuz of the hair."

Regulus eyed it over. "Did you use underage magic to do this?"

Barty gave him a ridiculing look. "Obviously. What a stupid question."

Regulus didn't offer any other comment. He supposed he didn't have any right to judge. He couldn't say for certain, but he was pretty sure that he did some underage magic that break too.

There was a pause in their conversation before Barty spoke again, his words softer. "You know, I tried so hard to be good this summer before the hair trick." Barty admitted, his face twisting. "It didn't matter. When I behave I just become invisible and no one cares, so eventually, I was like fuck it."

Regulus' eyes narrowed. "Now you sound like my brother."

The mention of his brother brought his turbulent fears about the scene he had witnessed the other day back into his mind. He forced them away. He would check in on his brother once he wasn't so hostile. There was nothing else he could do until then.

Barty held his head back, laughing erratically for a second. "Don't insult me!" He chuckled.

Regulus sighed. "There goes half of my plans for the year."

****

Regulus did not get a chance to speak to his brother again until the end of the week.

He had been waiting for an opening to talk to his stubborn brother all week before he finally saw an opening on Thursday, in between classes, when he spotted his brother alone, wandering across the defence against the dark arts tower.

Regulus forgot his surroundings the moment he locked eyes with his brother. "Sirius!" He called.

His brother turned at his call, but he did not slow his steps, continuing toward the nearby staircase.

Regulus ignored the odd looks his friends were giving him, squeezing past them to rush after his brother. He might not get such a golden opportunity to speak to his brother in private again for months. He could not squander it.

Regulus caught up to his brother by the stairs, finally earning a response when his fingers gripped his brother's forearm.

Sirius whirled back with excessive force, causing Regulus to stumble backwards. "What?" His brother snapped.

Regulus was surprised by the hostility in his brother's tone, but he swiftly recovered, gifting his brother a hard look. "I wish to speak to you." He said.

Sirius laughed, "Now you suddenly want to talk? Where was this interest for the last five years of our life, huh?"

Regulus paled somewhat, but he held his ground. "Do not be a prat." He retorted, his eyes flashing. "I wanted to make sure that you were..." his eyes flickered down to Sirius' legs, hidden behind his trousers, "...okay."

That wasn’t his only reason for seeking out his brother.

Regulus was struggling to admit how terrified he had been that night when Sirius fought with their mother, wondering if his brother might pass away because he did not interfere sooner. It had been the most terror-filled moment of his life. He could not brush it off with ease. He could not resist the urge to do everything in his power to prevent it from happening again.

And it would happen again, he felt sure, if his brother returned home to torment his parents again. The relationship between his brother and parents was too sour, and his brother pushed them too hard - he would surely cause one or the other to snap. Sirius would never be safe at Grimmauld Place, and Regulus could not bear the thought of being responsible for interfering to save his brother's life yet again. He wanted to convince his brother not to return home, but Sirius was especially hostile that day, and he wasn't sure if he'd manage to get the words out.

"Splendid." His brother spat, throwing his hands up to support his sarcastic enthusiasm. "Brilliant. Never been better."

Regulus sighed, rolling his eyes back. "Sirius."

"What?"

The door was creaking open behind him. He didn't need to peer over to know that it was Barty. He could see the bloke's tie hanging over his shoulder and the green bits of hair out of the corner of his vision as Barty slowly came to his side.

Regulus tried to ignore his friend. "I am attempting to help you." He argued, his words missing some of the bite they usually had. "I thought you..." he nearly spilled his guts before he hesitated and changed routes. "You could have been truly hurt."

Sirius chuckled, "Wow, Reggie. What an insightful observation."

Regulus was at a loss for words to say. His fists clenched and opened slowly as he swayed from foot to foot. He did not know what to say to convince his brother that he was trying to help anymore. He had spent a whole lifetime following around his brother earnestly, and now, there were gaps between them so vast, he couldn't think of a single word to bridge them.

Barty spoke up, poking Regulus in the back. "C'mon, you can't help dumb and dumber."

His brother could never resist someone picking a fight with him. He unwisely gave Barty the attention he was seeking. "Who is the other one meant to be in this situation?" Sirius scoffed. "There's only one person here, you idiot."

Barty smirked, his sparkling eyes bright, "You're both!"

Sirius gritted his teeth. "Piss off, Crouch, this has nothing to do with you."

Regulus bristled, giving his brother a dirty look. "Do not tell him what to do."

"Tell him to bugger off then." Sirius hissed, taking full advantage of the sole inch of height he had over Regulus to tower over him, "Or this conversation is over."

Regulus' lips tightened in anger. "It hardly ever began, did it?"

Sirius didn't bother gracing that with a response.

Regulus did not resist his attempt to turn away, knowing his brother would not listen to him then, but Barty hurled a few final snide comments for good measure. "Yes, do run along, Potter. I'm sure your mudblood girlfriend is waiting for you."

A chill crawled up Regulus' spine. His eyes fled over to catch his brother's reaction, wishing that Barty hadn't brought that up.

Sirius' footsteps toward the staircase halted, his eyes narrowing. His cheeks blushed with a hue of red as he turned back, assessing Barty carefully. Perhaps he was remembering what Bellatrix had said and was piecing together who might have provided Bellatrix with that information. It was hardly a secret that Bellatrix had taken a liking to Barty, and someone had to inform her of his brother's indecent relationship.

Barty was wearing a triumphant smile, somehow missing all of the warning flags on Sirius that were as clear as day to him.

Regulus barely had a moment to react before his brother was moving at a frightening pace. Almost in a blur, his brother darted across the space and grabbed Barty by his collar. Sirius yanked him forward toward the top of the stairs. Regulus had only managed to jump forward and gasp out his brother's name before the damage had been done. He watched as Barty tumbled down the stairs, landing in a crumpled heap at the foot.

"Sirius!" Regulus found his voice, his fury overwhelming his shock. "Have you lost your mind?"

Regulus fled down the stairs after Barty, his heart in his throat. The relief of seeing the lad slowly adjusting himself and groaning in pain did little to stop his rapid steps. Regulus crouched down beside him, pulling him upright by an arm.

"Barty?" He said, his heart pounding. A door shut at the top of the stairs. Sirius had left.

Rosier entered the staircase after his brother vanished, assumingly being alerted by the noise of the commotion. He barely hesitated before he ran down the steps, breathing heavily as he paused by Barty's side. "Christ, are you hurt?"

Barty was laughing, erratically. "My arms fucked," he told them, holding up the limb. It was twisted into an unnatural shape. "Might gotta go see the good ole matron for this one."

Rosier was less amused. "Did your brother bloody push him?" He snapped, his eyes on Regulus.

Regulus was fuming, but his voice was steady. "Tossed him, might be the more accurate way to describe it."

Rosier was in disbelief. "What the hell is the matter with him?"

"Don't throw a strop, Rosier," Barty scoffed, sitting up. "It's fine."

"It is not fine, mate, your arm is probably broken!"

Barty shrugged. "I started it. Quit crying and take me to the hospital wing, would you?"

Rosier complied, grabbing Barty's good arm as they prepared to make the journey, but he sent Regulus one more scathing look before he walked off. "We ought to tell McGonagall, Black. No offence, but your brother is unhinged sometimes."

Regulus replied, stonily. "I am hardly defending him."

Rosier deflated, "I know. I am not blaming you, I'm just ticked."