#and that being said I do think sirius felt like he abandoned regulus and felt extremely guilty abt it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cherryslyce · 1 year

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Familial Impasses | Regulus Black

Synopsis: Pressure arises as a familiar face becomes embroiled in political trouble and moral ambivalence. Alternatively: As James Potter’s younger sibling, you fight for Regulus.

Pairing: Regulus Black x (Adopted) Potter!Reader

Notes + WC: 5.4k , James and Sirius are so chaotic.

The Potter household has long been a foundational pillar of love and ease for you. Plumes of cotton clouds were perpetually suspended above the sumptuous manor, and you distinctly remember the day you arrived in front of the regal front yard, donning new robes and the Potter surname.

Even amidst the gloomiest of days, Potter Manor remained unblemished by the sheen of greys and drops of heavy rain. Your parents were tenderhearted folk, often unable to properly reign in the boisterous force that was your brother. James was the apple of your eye when you first arrived in the lived-in home at the ripe age of eight.

Under the near-yellow lights of the entryway, he took you under his wing the second his eyes befell on yours.

Yet, your reminiscing did little to quell the fiery frustration that singed at your patience. After so many years of tumultuous adventures and shared laughter, you felt everything drown away as the forefront of your mind became consumed by the imperious demands he was layering onto you.

“James. You are being absolutely ridiculous right now, do you know that?” You huff out, arms crossed as you stare hotly ahead.

Sirius is settled beside your brother, eyebrows drawn together as an uncharacteristically firm frown decorates his face. James clicks his tongue and pinches the bridge of his nose as he tries to catch your eyes, “Y/N, we’re being serious here. Siri and I are graduating soon and we won’t be able to look out for you when we’re gone.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way.” You mused stubbornly, fixating your gaze on the sprigs of tulips peeking at you from the polished coffee table. “Besides, what the hell are you even protecting me from? Regulus? He would never harm me.”

“You don’t know that.” Sirius interjects, hands rubbing together as James shoots you an admonishing look.

Astonished by the field of conversation, you shake your head as you finally face the two boys, “Sirius, this is your brother we’re talking about! Merlin, if anyone said anything like this about me, you’d both have their head, would you not?” Your narrowed eyes dart towards Sirius as he sighs, placing his hand up to placate you.

“It’s different, Y/N. Regulus is going to take up my father’s mantle soon, and there’s no doubt that he’s already been brainwashed into following the Dark Lord.” Sirius mumbles, face now looking weary as he gazes out of the window behind you.

You bite the inside of your cheek at the mention of the Dark Lord, aware that Regulus had been researching the man for a few months now. Internally, you found solid reason to believe in what your brother was advocating, but your longstanding friendship with Regulus turned you away from the decision to abandon him.

“I’m not going to stop being friends with him.” You announce, eyebrow slanting up as Sirius made an effort to protest your proclamation. “But, if it eases your worries, we’ll strictly talk about school work.”

James and Sirius share a long look of consideration before your brother turns to you and sighs, “Fine, but we won’t like it.” His acquiesce fills you with tepid relief, but you could count it as a temporary victory.

In the stirring waves of your mind, you were completely aware that you’d make little effort to actually change your dynamic with the younger Black brother, knowing that the boy was much more capable of independent thinking than given credit for.

The remainder of your Yule Break is spent buried in swaths of parchments and tomes with the occasional migraine from James’ antics. A cavernous pit materialized in your chest as you seemed to gradually wither away from stress, mind carouseling around the plethora of O.W.L. exams you needed to study for.

On the penultimate day before you, James, and Sirius were due to return to Hogwarts, a familiar black-banded owl came fluttering to your bedroom window. Clambering around the strewn leaflets of paper and open textbooks on your floor, you gaily greet the owl with a wide grin, gently grasping at the letter between its beak.

“It’s always nice to see you, Belenus.” You coo at the perceptive bird.

Cracking your window open further, you muffle an amused huff as the owl teeters through, resting straightly on your windowsill as it examines the disarray of your room.

“Er, it’s been a long day.” You wave in elaboration, not perturbed by the near judgemental look that flashes across the bird’s eyes. “Did Reggie ask you to wait for my reply? The lack of patience in that boy, I swear.”

Sitting down at your dimly-lit desk, you carefully unfurl the letter with trembling hands, heart skipping at the sight of the boy’s penmanship.

Dear Y/N,

I hope that everything is well for you. It is a shame that we are not able to convene before the end of break, however, I will give you your gift when we get back to the castle. I hope that Sirius is not giving you too much trouble, mother and father were never able to control his rambunctious behavior. However, he strangely settles after a cup of peppermint tea (his favorite brand is Lady Bramble’s).

I know you are brimming with anxiety from our last conversation, and for that, I deeply apologize. You will be pleased to know that I have given it much thought as per my promise to you, and I think we should talk more about it when we get back. I have not yet made any permanent decisions.

I have much to tell you after break. I miss you dearly.

R.A.B

You suppress a smile at the last few words, head feeling light with unadulterated joy. Threading together inklings of composure, you sit up straight and begin to draft your response, fingers unsteady with shreds of nervousness.

Reggie,

The week has been long and difficult without you, I must admit. I hope you are faring better than me with your homework (I fear that I may not make it). James and Sirius pulled me aside a few days ago to advise me against remaining friends with you. It is growing dire, Reg. I don’t want to sour this exchange by rehashing our last conversation, but I want you to know that even though my love and loyalty for you runs deep, I am unwavering in my stance against You-Know-Who.

If you are giving me my gift in person, I suppose I will do the same. As for the tea, thank you for the idea. Perhaps, I can test it on James to see if their uncanny likeness extends to calming agents as well.

Delighted to hear from you, I miss you so much.

Y/N

Once you reread the passage with attentive eyes, you nod once to yourself and prepare your wax seal. Weaving around the flush of work on your rug, you carefully give Belenus your letter.

“Give him my regards, will you?” You whisper, running your index finger along the owl’s head. The creature tilts its head before shuffling through your window again, taking flight in the blink of an eye.

Just as you begin to fall into a peaceful lull, elbows propped against your windowsill, a thunderous knock against your door has you nearly falling into the pane of glass.

“Y/N! Come outside with us!” Sirius’ shouts bleed through the thick wood as if it were made of thin air, and you roll your eyes sky high, grateful that your mother was out shopping and not napping.

“Hold your horses!” You yell back, scurrying over to fling your door open, heart still stuttering in its beats at the clamorous interruption.

As you crack open your door with an unimpressed look, you’re met with Sirius’ shit-eating grin and a highly entertained James holding a pile of plastic-wrapped goodies. Your brother juggles the crinkling jumble before he balances one in his hand, flashing it around as he practically vibrates on the spot.

“What’s that saying again, patience is virtue?” You mumble sarcastically.

Sirius shakes his head and waves you off, “Being virtuous is boring.”

“Right. Where did you get all of these from anyway?” You question breathlessly, reaching forward to snag one of the items from James’ arms.

Plecky’s Triple Ruby Ice Cream. The bulky square is icy to the touch, the packaging’s lurid colors buzzing against your eyes as Sirius begins to impatiently tug you down the hallway.

“No time to explain, we have to eat all of these before mum and dad get home.” James offhandedly hums, marching behind you and Sirius as you pace down the stairs.

“I hate you both, do you guys not have to study for your N.E.W.T exams?” You huff, batting at Sirius when he squeezes your shoulders.

James lets out a hearty chuckle at your words and Sirius clicks his tongue goodheartedly before whispering to you, “Nope! Moony and Lils are going to help us after break.”

You sigh into the air, hands limply flying up as you mutter lightly, “I don’t understand how they put up with you both, honestly.”

James bounds forwards past you both, flinging himself through the open door and into the pool of sunlight as he calls back, “We’re both extremely loveable. Now, I bet I can eat more of these than you!”

The next time you feel any semblance of peace is the day you return to Hogwarts, school work long forgotten about when you hurry to meet with Regulus in the astronomy tower. You had practically inhaled your dinner, leg bouncing with uninhibited anticipation the moment you locked eyes with your devastatingly pretty friend.

Once you’re situated atop the staircase, you quickly survey the open room for the boy, eyes dancing across the atrium when you find that you’re alone. The stars begin to peek through the canvas of the sky, thinning streams of clouds drifting away as the mottles of luminous spheres grow in number.

The wind whistles sharply as it bats against the aged stones of the castle walls, providing a steady white noise as you wait patiently against one of the many iron railings. Only a few moments after you grow comfortable in your spot, you hear the faint padding of footsteps ascending towards you.

Regulus’ eyes widen imperceptibly when they land on your lax figure, his body jolting to hurriedly close in on yours, “You got here early. Are you not cold?”

The boy reaches for your hand, humming when he finds your fingertips cold to the touch. Shaking your head, you deftly wrap your arms around him as you mumble into his ear, “It’s so good to see you, Reggie.”

Regulus’ arms find themselves around your waist as he reciprocates your hug, nuzzling against your neck as he lets out a low hum. Your relationship was not clearly defined by any title, nor was it barred by any conventional lines, and for the most part, you wouldn’t exactly say it was platonic in nature.

However, affection was limited to hugs and handholding, the situation between your families and the state of the political sphere too convoluted for anything beyond that.

“How was your break, love?” He asks with a soft voice, fingers ghosting against your hips as his arms loosen so he can crane back to look at you.

You smile and drop your head onto his shoulder, “It was good. Though, Sirius got a bit ill yesterday.”

“Oh?” Regulus’ voice edges on concern, but he can decipher the amused hint in your tone to know it isn’t worthy of unease.

“We ate a load of ice cream the day before, and Sirius is weak to bets.” You answer, not missing the light chuckle that Regulus releases.

A few beats of peaceful silence ensues before Regulus detangles himself from you, eyes searching your face as conflict flickers through his eyes. A heavy burden seems to weigh against his shoulders as he huffs out a sigh too considerable for someone so young.

“What’s on your mind, Reg?” You mumble, hands dancing up to rest upon his taut shoulders.

Regulus frowns minutely before he throws his head to the side and indulges, “I won’t last much longer.”

“Pardon? Helga, are you alright?” Your eyes are blown wide as you try to catch the boy’s eyes. “Regulus, don’t dance around this, tell me what the hell you’re saying.”

Regulus’ shoulders give a shake as he swallows a dry laugh, facing you again with serious eyes, “Sirius had the right idea from the start, and I was too blind to see that I should have packed and ran for the hills, too.”

Shock blisters across your mind as you reel back to process the information, mouth drawn into a small gape as you assess the boy’s expression. “What’s with the sudden change? I mean not that I hate it, frankly, I quite like this, but you were still uncertain just days ago.”

Regulus mulls over your question for a few moments, hands moving to encircle your arms as he muses, “I’ve been corresponding with my Uncle Alphie since the start of break, and he was able to give me a rather impartial crash course of everything. From then, I just had to pick up the pieces stripped away and build on the bare bones…” His words taper off as his mouth furls into a small frown.

“Love, you’re going to give me a hernia from all this roundabout talking.” You jokingly reprimand, eyebrows raising as Regulus nervously cracks his neck.

“My parents are not good people, and I’ve seen those that Bellatrix surrounds herself with–” the word death eaters was notably eschewed, “and, well, it all seems like drivel now. Besides, I don’t want to fight on any side of any battle if I have to lose you. Your letter was a pretty jarring wake up call.” He finishes, his hands now unconsciously moving you closer to him.

“Well, fuck.” You whisper into the air, mouth curling into a content smile as Regulus relaxes. “I didn’t want to lose you either, and I’m glad that I don’t have to. We’ll figure something out, but I won’t ever let you step foot back in that house ever again.” You promise with a firm voice.

Regulus nods and his eyes shine with conviction, the promise quelling the storms of doubt in his bones, and erasing the wedge between you both.

“Can I do something?” Regulus whispers, eyes capturing yours with an entrancing glimmer.

“As long as it's not throwing me over this railing, then yes.” You whisper back coyly.

Regulus chuckles, face now inches away from yours as he shakes his head, “Never.”

As the little promise escapes into the air, Regulus tugs you into him, lips finding your own as he pours every inkling of passion and love coursing through his veins into his ministrations. Your hand tangles in his curls as he continues to heatedly kiss you, the silent push-and-pull between you both now long forgotten.

Humming against his lips, you give a small tug to his hair before you pull back with a shaky breath, “There’s no going back, Reg.”

“Good.” His words are hushed as he places his forehead on yours, “You’re my only constant. Not a bloody thing in this world I’d rather do than be with you.”

“Is this the gift you were talking about?” You mumble, suppressing the tsunami of heat threatening to dissolve your self-restraint as you peer at the breathless boy.

“No, but forget about it for now.” He hums, “I hope you don’t have anywhere to be, I intend on keeping you here until curfew, love.”

You laugh lightly and run your thumb across his cheek, “Bloody troublesome, you are. I can see the resemblance between you and Sirius now.”

“Please don’t bring my brother up while I’m trying to love you.” Regulus huffs, swallowing your next retort with his lips as he dives back in to claim your undivided attention again.

Luckily, you both made it back to your dorms before curfew came to nip at your tangled figures in a slew of detention slips and reprimands. The shift in your relationship was noticeable, but it did little to hinder your day-to-day routine, the both of you still trembling under the weight of your studies.

It was the Friday of your first week back when James and Sirius bounded towards your hunched figure, your hands littered with inky streaks and eyes squinting painfully at your textbooks. The library upheld a faint degree of chatter, and you were itching to track down Regulus (the boy was likely off at Quidditch practice).

“Heya, kiddo!” Sirius beams, slinking his way over with a respectable amount of carelessness as a few students side-eye him. James is beside him, hands in pocket, sporting a pitiful frown.

“What’s up? And what’s with the frown?” You muse, stretching your back as they both pull out the chairs across from you.

Sirius snickers and leans over to obnoxiously whisper to you, “Lily gave him a good scolding earlier.”

“Sorry to miss it. What’d you do? We all know it was your fault.” You perk an eyebrow up at your brother, refusing to back down even as he throws his hands up with a flabbergasted look.

“Well–er…” Sirius trails off, mouth agape as you could practically see his brain stuttering in its hollow glory.

James sends a resounding kick to the boy, and shakes his head as he turns to you, “Nothing, just a disagreement about a certain Slytherin.”

“Severus?” You inquire, lips tugging into a frown at the thought of your (reluctant) Potions tutor.

Sirius huffs at the mention of the boy and clicks his tongue, “No, not Sniv–”

“Finish that remark and I will maim you, dear boy.” You narrow your eyes, quill pointed threateningly in his direction.

Sirius throws his hands up in surrender and opts to shuffle one of your open books over to him, eyes running along the words with vague interest. James’ eyebrows furrow and he seems to be debating on saying something when you continue your prodding, “So not Severus. Don’t tell me… Were you both arguing about Reggie?”

“What? No!” James refutes, head shaking furiously as irritation stews in your gut.

“Don’t lie to me, you don’t care about any Slytherins other than Reggie and Severus. But why the hell were you talking about my social life, again?” You huff, arms crossing as you see Sirius tensely peek up from his reading.

James sputters for a moment before he breathes in deeply, a stern expression overtaking his face as he straightens his posture, “Lily agrees that I should be more… open minded about your friendship with him–”

You perk up and throw your hands into the air, “See!”

James puts a hand up and shoots you a small look, “However, I am your brother, and it’s in your best interest to distance yourself from him.”

“My best interest, or yours?” You ask with narrowed eyes, beginning to pack up your supplies. “James, we can’t keep having this conversation. Why don’t you try sitting the both of us down and having a completely reasonable, civil conversation with us for once?”

“Well–” He begins, a frown pressing down on his features.

You shake your head and huff, “No more excuses. Either you put on your big boy pants and try to understand where I’m coming from, or you can continue to mope, but if you choose the latter, don’t even think about approaching me until graduation.”

Without another word, you sling your bag over your shoulder and march away, ignoring Sirius’ calls after you, your textbook still in his hands. As you storm through the winding corridors, evading the swaths of students milling around, you set your sights on the Quidditch Pitch.

The sun escapes into the stacks of pillowy clouds as you round the field, giving you an opportunity to peer up into the skies and track down Regulus, a pleased hum escaping your throat as you see the team begin to descend from the air.

Shifting your weight from leg-to-leg, you wait patiently as Regulus hurries to break away from the circle of Slytherin players, nodding distractedly at Rosier. A few moments later, Regulus strides over to you with a flickering grin, eyes alight with lingering endorphins and excitement.

“Love, what are you doing here?” He breathes out, dropping a small kiss to your cheek as he maneuvers his broom to his left hand, leaving his right hand to brush his curls away from his face.

Beaming at the boy, you hum, “Just wanted to see you. And perhaps talk to you about something.”

Regulus tilts his head and nods agreeably, “What’s on your mind?”

“I’m thinking about telling my parents about us, and maybe you can ask your Uncle Alphard about y’know… leaving your house?” You mutter, fingers twitching with nervousness as a look of consideration passes through Regulus’ eyes.

“Well, I don’t mind your parents knowing, but I also don’t mind them not knowing. I don’t want you to get into any trouble,” He confesses, rolling his arm back to stretch his sore shoulders. “As for my situation, I think my uncle would be willing to help me get emancipated. I don’t want to intrude in his home though, my mother would probably blow it up if I stayed there.”

“So don’t.” You hurriedly say.

He rubs your arm as he hums, “Don’t?”

“Don’t go to your Uncle’s. Stay with us.” You mumble, eyes pleading with him.

“Love–” He starts, eyebrows drawn together.

A resounding voice echoes from across the pitch before he can finish, diverting both of your attention away from one another, “Hey, Black! Don’t dawdle! Avery said he wants you here for strategy!”

“Go ahead.” You whisper, patting Regulus’ arm with a reassuring smile as you begin to back away.

“Hey,” He whispers back, stepping forward to grab your hand with a fatigued frown, “I love you.”

“I love you too, we’ll talk later, yeah?” You muse, lips furling upward as you squeeze his hand in farewell.

You linger ankle-deep in the damp grass for a few more moments, watching as Regulus disappears into the distance with one last glance over his shoulder.

Almost like a robot being rewound, you spin on your heel and march back to the castle, mind racing with threads of words to send to your parents.

Once in your dorm, you immediately launch yourself on your bed, head craning down for indistinguishable reels of minutes, occasionally stopping mid-sentence to ponder on your next thoughts. When you lift your quill up from the parchment with finality, your eyes dart from the paper to your window, squinting with a light bristle as painful clouds of blue mull in your vision, the lighting in the room now too dim for comfortable writing and reading.

As the sky grows gloomier, the wisps of lingering clouds withdraw into invisibility and you’re left to race against time as you fold up the finished letter to your parents.

Dear Mum & Dad,

I hope that you are both well! Please be sure to get lots of rest! Also, may we stock up on Lady Bramble’s peppermint tea?

Rest assured, I am studying well. James and Sirius are as well (surprisingly).

I was wondering if I could ask for a very large favor that would require the utmost discretion…

To be direct, Regulus and I are together, and he needs to find sanctuary away from his parents. His uncle is willing to aid him with the legal processes of the matter, but he has nowhere to turn to for the summer breaks.

I know this is a lot to ask, and I also know it isn’t ideal (for a multitude of reasons), but I will be forever grateful for even the slightest bit of deliberation. Please get back to me as soon as you can. Also, please don’t tell James.

Your favorite child,

Y/N

The spiral of waiting threatened to tip you over the verge of complete impulsivity, one that would lead to you exposing your relationship prematurely and the subsequent Regulus-hunting that would ensue on your brother’s part.

It had only been a couple of days since you sent off the letter to your parents, and at first you had been suspicious that your brother had somehow found out. After your disagreement with him in the library, he had been strangely distant, only occasionally giving you long, indistinguishable looks.

Your sudden withdrawal from your brother and his circle spurred deep concern from your friends, and especially from Regulus, who managed to subtly bring up the development during every conversation you had with him.

“Are you nervous?” You ask with a small frown, watching Regulus fiddle with his pot of ink.

The boy shakes his head and flicks the ebony glass, “Not really. Rosier has been keeping an eye out on their new strategies and formations.” Regulus finally looks up and leans across the table toward you, “You’re coming to watch, right?”

Rolling your eyes playfully, you hum lightly, “When have I ever missed one of your games?”

“Right… and you’ll cheer for us?” His eyes run along your face as you furrow your eyebrows.

“Yes… like I always do. Are we playing twenty questions now, love?” You huff out with a breathy laugh, intrigue only swelling higher when Regulus says nothing and gives you a small, uneasy grin. “Okay, what’s up? You’re looking at me the way I look at Severus when I accidentally mince my cowbane instead of chopping it.”

“Poor Severus.” Regulus hums, eyes retracting into a sheen glaze as he reminisces on your ineptitude in Potions. “Anyway, it’s just… we’re playing Gryffindor.” He continues, mouth parting slightly when you squint at him.

“Yes, Regulus, I know. Are you alright, dear?” You enunciate with blatant concern, head tilting to survey the boy’s uncharacteristic apprehension.

He clears his throat softly and shrugs, “I’m alright, I just don’t want you to be put in a weird place because your brother is also playing.”

“Merlin, Regulus. So this is what you’re getting at.” You click your tongue with a small smile, reaching over to pat his hand, “Don’t stress yourself out, I always cheer for you.”

“Uh? Ouch.” A familiar voice echoes from your right, tearing through the little bubble of comfort you’ve established with Regulus.

Swiveling your head over to the interruption, you narrow your eyes at the perpetrator and huff a small Hello, James.

“Yeah, hi.” He blinks emphatically, “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Regulus flips his hand over and threads his fingers with yours as you direct your full attention to James, “About cheering for Regulus? Well, I’m not.”

James holds up a hand and sighs, “Okay, that’s a whole different discussion to be had. But I’m not here to argue. Sirius and I,” James leans to the side and gestures, but when he meets nothing but dusty air, he chokes on his spit and fully turns around, “Sirius?”

You and Regulus exchange a concerned glance as James continues to talk to one of the bookshelves, “Sirius, what are you doing?”

A fragile silence collects in the air as the three of you seem to share a collective perplexion, all waiting with bated breath. Regulus runs a hand through his hair as he frowns at James, likely questioning the boy’s sanity.

Finally, Sirius’ broad figure emerges from behind a bookshelf, eyes wide with sheepishness as he makes eye contact with you and Regulus. “Hey, guys.”

“Sirius.” Regulus greets with a stiff nod, fingers tightening against yours.

“Why were you behind a bookshelf?” You hum, wrestling down an amused smile as James presses Sirius with a similar questioning look.

Sirius chuckles dryly and walks over to your table, sitting on the edge as he slides a book toward you, “I was waiting. I honestly thought you’d hex Prongs to next Yule.”

“Smart. What’s this?” You pick up the tome, exhaling loudly once you see it’s the book that you left in Sirius’ possession after you stormed away days prior.

Sirius taps his fingers against the table and gives an exaggerated nod to James, throwing his arm towards an empty chair as your brother shuffles awkwardly on the sidelines.

“Right.” James muses, hurrying to take a seat as Sirius slides over to make room. “We’re here because we wanted to talk to you.” He chews on his bottom lip and glances at Regulus, “The both of you.”

Regulus nods and looks to you for confirmation before sitting up, “We’re listening.”

“Well, it’s just that… you can’t be that bad.” James says, rubbing his shoulder as he nods at Regulus.

Regulus rubs his thumb along your hand as he coughs out a laugh, “Uh, thanks. You too?”

“And if it’s true that you’re… changing, then Sirius and I are very happy at the end of the day.” James finishes, now more confident as Sirius reaffirms his statement with his own light hum. Sirius rubs a hand down his mouth as he seems to debate on what to say to his brother, eyes flickering between Regulus and the far wall.

“Well, I’m glad then.” Regulus adds, shooting you a relieved smile.

Sirius clears his throat and paces towards Regulus, clapping his hand on the boy’s shoulder as his voice thickens with emotion, “I’m really relieved, Reggie.”

“Yeah, me too. It will be different now.” Regulus promises with a whisper, smiling up at his brother with resolution.

As Regulus and Sirius have their little moment, James knocks his shoe against yours to grab your attention. “Here. This came with my mail today. Don’t worry, I didn’t peek or anything.”

Quirking an eyebrow up, you slowly reach forward as James extends an envelope to you, eyes brimming with curiosity as he surveys you. “From Mum and Dad?” You murmur rhetorically, getting an affirming grunt from James in return.

Ripping open the thick paper, you deftly extract the folded letter with coiled anxiety, head beginning to feel heavy as you anticipate the letter’s contents. Unfurling the crisp pages, your eyes run over the passage of ink, sinking into concentration as everything fades into the backdrop of your mind.

Y/N,

You should finish the rest of your other teas first, however, I bought a few tins of the peppermint tea as they were on sale.

I cannot say I am surprised by the development of your relationship with Regulus, you and James were always attached to the Black brothers since youth. We are not able to house the boy comfortably for the sake of safety, it is entirely too unpredictable to have both runaway heirs under one roof. However, your father and I discussed the matter and we have decided that Regulus may be safe at Godric’s Hollow for the summer. The plot is untraceable and not widely known about outside of our family. We will send along a portkey for him to take near the end of the school year.

Your father is expecting an explanation when we see you next.

Please look out for your brother.

Your father and I love you lots, dear.

With love,

Mum

A cold pin of disbelief rocks through you for a few moments before blind elation envelopes it and has you sighing into the air. Dropping the letter down, you smile widely and practically fly over the table, grabbing at Regulus’ tie. The boy darts his eyes to you in alarm before his eyes light up at the joy written across your expression, “Love?”

“You’re going away for the summer.” You whisper enigmatically, a grin stretching at your lips when Regulus’ eyes widen further.

“I am?”

Nodding, you lean forward and press your lips against his, “My parents gave the okay.”

Regulus laughs brightly and pushes up from his seat, cupping your face as he reciprocates your kiss. You both continue to exchange affection as Sirius and James drift off to the side, disgruntled and looking anywhere but at you both.

Amidst running your hands into Regulus’ curls, you vaguely hear James muttering under his breath.

“Sirius, you better go wrench your brother away before I make you an only child.”

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bimoonphases · 3 months

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@wolfstarmicrofic March 5 – prompt 5: Wolfsbane Potion – word count 922

Wolfsbane Potion - eases the symptoms of lycanthropy; prevents werewolves from losing their minds post-transformation

The call had come right as Remus was finishing gulping down his Wolfsbane Potion with a grimace, Sirius sitting by his side on the couch, his favourite chocolate ready in hand. The fireplace had suddenly lit up and Mary’s face had appeared.

“What happened?” they chorused.

Even after three whole years of peace, of amends from the Ministry to the both of them, of their quiet, happy life in their cottage, of the frequent visits their godson paid them, of being hailed among the heroes of two wizarding wars, their first instinct was to think something was wrong.

“Nothing bad,” Mary said soothingly. “I’m sorry, I know it’s late but someone just dropped their newborn off before disappearing and you’re first on our adoption list, so…”

Remus looked at his husband for a split second. Sirius nodded.

“We’ll be right there!” he said.

A couple of minutes later, they apparated in front of the main doors of St Mungo’s and walked inside. Remus didn’t really like the place, he had spent way too much time in there after the end of the war, helping the staff both with magical treatments to lycanthropy and the way to deal gently with those who shared his condition. The clink of his cane on the white floor echoed as they walked past the reception and crossed paths with two Elf doctors discussing a patient. Remus felt more than saw Sirius slow down as they passed by the doors leading to the Regulus Arcturus Black Wing for Elves. Since the rehabilitation of his name, and the fact there was now a branch of the Ministry dedicated and run by every non-human creature, many things had changed in the way the wizarding world saw the Elves. Still, it was just another reminder of all the people they had lost in the two wars. Remus took Sirius’s hand in his and they walked on, reaching the newborn wing, where Mary was waiting right by the door.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“We’ve been waiting for a long time, so obviously not,” Sirius laughed, but Remus noticed the slight tremble in his voice.

When they had moved in their cottage at the end of the war they had agreed on giving themselves a year to adapt then check in with each other to see if they still wished to adopt children. They had asked to be put on the waiting list for abandoned children at St Mungo’s three months later.

“We checked, and he’s healthy and strong,” Mary went on.

“It’s a boy?” Sirius said slowly.

“I know you wanted a little girl to spoil, Sirius,” Mary laughed.

“Bold of you to think I wouldn’t spoil a little boy,” Sirius muttered.

“What else do you know?” Remus asked.

“There was no note or objects with him, but he’s a magical kid as well. He’s really perfectly fine, just unwanted.”

“Not anymore,” Sirius said, clasping Remus’s hand.

They followed Mary in a room and watched her take a bundle wrapped in blankets from a crib and turn towards them.

“Here he is,” she said softly. “Would you like to hold him?”

Remus nudged Sirius forward.

“I have to sit down first, I don’t want to drop him,” he said.

Sirius delicately took the bundle from Mary’s hands and sat down by Remus’s side. Only the little face was visible, eyes closed and jet-black hair already curling at the ends.

“He looks like you,” Remus whispered.

“I’ll leave you to get acquainted,” Mary said, quietly walking out of the room.

The baby moved, and managed to get a tiny hand out of the blanket to rub against his cheek.

“He’s so beautiful…” Sirius chocked. “Our son. We have a son, Moony.”

“We do, my love,” Remus answered, kissing Sirius’s cheek.

“Our little nameless son,” Sirius smiled. “What shall we name him?”

Remus took a deep breath.

“We discussed it, remember? About how to use names?” he asked.

“No first names after someone because he deserves to have his own,” Sirius nodded.

“And James as middle name is Harry’s to use if he has a son one day,” Remus added.

They had lost so much in all those years, they had had to write those rules down to not get overwhelmed once the moment came. Even with that, Remus’s first instinct if the baby would have been a girl would have been to name her Lily, and that one too was Harry’s name to use if he wanted.

“The name you said the other day, the one in your book,” Sirius looked at Remus.

“Anwell?”

“You said it meant ‘beloved’ in Welsh. And he’ll be so beloved, won’t he?”

The baby babbled in his sleep.

“I think he likes it,” Sirius chuckled.

“If he gets my surname and a Welsh name, you get to pick the middle one,” Remus said, mesmerised by the way the tiny mouth was moving.

“I’d like…”

Remus looked up at Sirius, noticing tears forming in his eyes. He knew what his husband was about to say, but he waited all the same.

“I’d like it to be Regulus,” Sirius whispered. “To give him the happy life his namesake never got to have. If it’s alright for you, Moony.”

“Of course it is.”

Sirius nodded, tears now streaming on his cheeks.

“Go with Dad, Papa needs to cry a bit,” he said, delicately placing the baby in Remus’s arms.

Remus looked down at the baby, his heart swelling with happiness.

“Welcome to the world, Anwell Regulus Lupin,” he whispered.

#yes Remus is Dad and Sirius is Papa because he's either posh or French your pick #wolfstar #wolfstar microfic #sirius black #remus lupin #sirius x remus #remus x sirius #marauders #post war wolfstar #regulus black #just writing (like i'm supposed to live)

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imaginejamesandsirius · 3 months

Note

Sirius was 16 when Regulus was born, and ran away when Regulus was only a couple of months old. He and James are happily married and have a son together, Harry (who was born 1980, like canon).

One day Sirius is visited by a Wizard Solicitor with a Will telling him that he’s inherited half of the Black fortune, and is now also has custody of his younger brother, who is a about 8 at this point.

Sirius assumed that his brother had been the perfect child for his parents, he expects a blood-purist spoiled brat — instead he’s got a child who’s abuse makes his own (which was already severe) seem like nothing.

Just Sirius feeling guilt for abandoning Regulus, feeling responsible for his abuse, and he and James trying to give him the best life possible — and Harry being adorable, and Regulus and him becoming the best brothers, which makes Sirius feel complicated feelings.

((A/N: Mentions of child abuse))

Anger and discomfort. That's what Sirius felt when his father pushed a week-old baby into his arms and said, "Hold him until your mother gets back."

The new baby, his new brother, sixteen years younger than him, Regulus, whimpers pathetically. He tries to rearrange his arms so the baby won't start screaming, but does he know anything about babies? He's never really been around one before. This is maybe the second time he's held one, and he would've been happier if it had stayed at one.

"Why can't you bloody hold him?" Sirius asks as Orion backs away. "He's your stupid son."

"As are you," Orion replies dryly, a familiar angry glint in his eye. "So do as I say and hold your sodding brother while I get a drink." He leaves, long strides taking him from the room far faster than Sirius can chase after him. He doesn't like the fact that he has a sibling now or that he's supposed to wait here until Walburga gets in-- whenever that's supposed to be-- but he doesn't want to bash the baby's head into the door, so he has to stop following their father and wait in the room as requested.

He sighs, gives the door an impotent kick, then gingerly makes his way to a chair. It's easier to hold a baby while sitting, right? He's heard that somewhere. Maybe, if he's lucky, Regulus will stay asleep. Or is he awake and just not crying? It's hard to tell which when his face is so scrunched up. Sirius isn't sure. As long as he's quiet though, he doesn't care.

He knows what a new sibling means. His parents didn't say it in as many words, but they didn't need to; he knows that he's a disappointment to them. He's said a hundred times (to James), that if they could replace him, they would. And now they have.

His parents don't like each other. They don't have sex for fun. They purposefully conceived Regulus so that, once Sirius is gone, they'll have a new heir. Sirius knows that he won't be here much longer. It's a toss up whether he runs or they throw him out. He thinks he's going to run; he'll be able to pack all of his things that way.

He glances down at the (thankfully) still quiet baby in his arms and hates him, just a little bit. Right now, he's fine. He's a baby. He doesn't have personality, he's trying to figure out going to sleep and eating when he's hungry. But when he grows up? Sirius turned out alright, in spite of their parents. Regulus probably won't turn out the same. Andromeda noted to him once, in the corner of one of their family gatherings, "It's fifty-fifty if one of us isn't utter shite. It's like, you and I turned out good, so Bellatrix and Narcissa have to be piss." Sirius laughed, knowing the truth in her words; Uncle Alphard, present but apart from the others like they were, was a clear sign. They could turn out good, but it wasn't a guarantee.

If Sirius is fine, then what does that mean for the future of this newborn baby? He'll grow up under Walburga and Orion's watchful eyes and the 'benefit' of hindsight that raising Sirius will have given them.

Sirius will grow to hate him. That stir of anger, to that future, to their parents, is still there. "Sorry, mate," he whispers. Angry or not, he pities him.

There's a knock on the door, and James answers. "Hullo. Erm, can I help you?"

"I'm a solicitor, my name is Joe Byrne." He holds a business card out. It's a deep green, almost black but its colour is visible from the sunlight shining on the doorstep. "I'm here to speak to Sirius Potter."

James takes the card and glances down at it. The sigil stamped to the background and the skate of magic underlining his information like an errant drop of water mean he's old money-- which means he's likely connected to the Black family. "I don't know what business you could have with him."

"I presume you're his husband, James Potter?"

"That's correct."

"Mr. Potter, are you aware that his mother recently passed?"

"Yes-" it was in The Prophet "-but she disowned him. I know children are usually in the will even if they're estranged, but this isn't a usual situation."

Mr. Byrne doesn't appear bothered by this. "The will has been read. What Walburga Black may or may not have done to disown your husband in a social manner wasn't reflected legally, so I need to speak with him."

James knows he's being overprotective by thinking anyone connected with the Black's-- even professionally-- is bad for Sirius. So he swallows it down, tucks the card in his pocket, and says, "Okay. Please, come in. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Please. Thank you."

James waves his wand to get things started in the kitchen and leads Mr. Byrne to an armchair. They're both quiet as he sits. Another wave of his wand brings the teapot out, the tray and cups trailing behind it. He can't remember if it's polite to pour for him or not; it's been so long since he tried to be proper, and that was occasionally, not all the time. Bloody hell, he shouldn't care about this, and he doesn't, really, but he's nervous. Sirius's parents are an old scar, but they are a scar. What's the point in putting pressure on that scar again? For a single galleon that his mother left, just to spite him? "Go ahead," he says, motioning to the tea service, "and I'll go get Sirius."

Mr. Byrne thanks him, so even if it was a mistake, it's a small one.

James isn't looking forward to this. To any part of this. He didn't even want to let the solicitor in, but now he has to tell Sirius that he's here, and he likes that less. He heads to the backyard, where they were soaking in the sun for a few hours while Harry's at the Longbottom's.

Sirius glances over when he walks out, then frowns. "You alright?"

"There's a solicitor here for you. From Walburga."

"I don't imagine we'd have anything to discuss."

"I said the same to him, but he claims you're in the will." James holds out a hand to him and tries to smile. "Best to get it over with."

Sirius sighs but agrees, taking his hand and joining him inside.

Mr. Byrne introduces himself to Sirius before opening his briefcase and removing a sizeable folder. "I apologize for coming to your home to discuss this, but my letters didn't receive any response and certain matters need to be taken care of quickly."

"We received quite a bit of post after her death," James says by way of apology. None of the letters were welcome; they'd burned the lot of it without sifting through to check senders.

"I understand," he replies, accepting. Then he looks to Sirius. "In summary, you are now the Head of the Black family. There's quite a bit of details to get through in relation to that, but we can schedule an appointment for that if you prefer. The most urgent matter is that of your younger brother, one Regulus Black. Since your mother's death, he's been staying with a member of S.U.B.S., but the hope is to transfer him into your custody as quickly as possible. There are a few forms I need your signature on, and then you'll be his legal guardians." Mr. Byrne is very efficient about the whole matter. As he's speaking, he retrieves a quill and inkwell from his briefcase. By the time he's done, the inkwell is unstoppered, and the corresponding forms are facing Sirius and James.

Two minutes ago, they had a three year old and struggled with that. Now they're being told they have to raise another kid, one who's older and they've never met.

Sod everything.

Sirius and James have a certain idea what Regulus will be like. Sirius was raised in that house, he knows what life was like before he went to Hogwarts, and Regulus is eight. He was snooty and cold and unused to anything like James and Sirius as they are now; Regulus will be the same, possibly worse.

The first glimpse they get of Regulus makes them rethink that assumption.

The first conversation they try to have with him crushes that assumption beneath a harsh hammer and grinds it up afterwards. At first, Regulus is too loud, too aggressive. Then, he's quiet, almost not daring to breathe, and he shrinks away like he expects pain. When none comes, he flees to the loo with a murmured excuse.

"That's not normal," Sirius whispers to James. They need to talk about it, but he doesn't want Regulus to overhear. And, given what just happened, he doesn't want to go too far from him.

"Definitely not," James whispers back. "D'you think they hurt him?"

"That's what it looked like, but it doesn't make any sense. They wanted to make him the perfect son to replace me." He shakes his head. "This doesn't follow."

"Maybe he's skittish from losing his parents and living with strangers," James says, but he doesn't sound like he believes it.

Sirius doesn't believe it either, but he says, "Yeah. Maybe."

"Are you going to lock me in the basement?" Regulus asks one day over lunch.

Sirius wishes Harry weren't here for this, and James wishes that there was a warning before someone asked something so horrible like that.

"There's no basement," Harry informs him. "Uncle Peter's house has a basement, but he says I can't go in." He's too young to understand the horrible implications in Regulus’s question. To him, it's a question on the same level as 'can I go in Dad's potion lab' or 'can we have dinner early today'.

James tries to smile. "Right. Like Harry said, no basement. I don't know why we'd do something like that to you anyways."

"The full moon is tomorrow night."

His stomach sinks, because that didn't sound like a different topic, and he doesn't want to ask, but he has to. Sirius braces himself and asks, "Why is that important?"

"They put me in the basement for my transformations."

He blinks. "Transformations?"

"When I become a wolf." Regulus said it as if this was information they already knew.

Sirius and James both force themselves not to react; there's no point in making him think it's a bad reaction. "Right. You don't have to do that anymore, we have something else worked out." They'll have to figure it out tonight. It'll be easy, since they can both transform and keep him company, but finding a suitable location will be a bit of a challenge-- and finding someone to mind Harry while they were both gone, helping Regulus, won't be easy because of the short notice.

"I should've taken Regulus with me when I ran away from my parents," Sirius says, staring up at the ceiling and hating himself for something eight years past. From the corner of his eye, he can see James pause.

"You're not blaming yourself, are you?"

He says nothing.

James sighs, a quiet, sad thing, and pads over to the bed. He sits and places a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "We were sixteen. We couldn't have raised a kid."

"We would've figured it out," Sirius says stubbornly. He's convinced that it's true. They had Harry a little earlier than was wise, but they had each other, so they were able to get through it. It would've been the same with Regulus; they would've been scared and stressed with juggling everything, but they would've managed it.

James lays down. He throws one leg over Sirius's and curves his arm to smush between them so he can hold his hand. He should probably look up at the ceiling with him, but instead he stares at Sirius. His jaw is set, eyes tight, and he's glaring at the red paint like it's done him wrong. "I know you feel bad for him. I do too, but there's nothing we could have done-"

"We could've helped," Sirius cuts in, voice hard.

Mm. He isn't going to make this easy, is he? James keeps himself from sighing again, knowing it'll only make Sirius more defensive. "Okay. Humour me. You're sixteen, and you show up at my house with a baby in your arms. My parents let you and Regulus both live there. We-"

"I know that it wouldn't have been easy with Hogwarts, but-"

James is the one to cut him off this time. "I wasn't talking about Hogwarts, I was talking about Walburga and Orion. If you'd brought him with you, that would be kidnapping. Do you really think they'd let that slide? The law would've been on their side, and they would've wanted him back."

"They treated him like rubbish!" Sirius says, turning his head to glare at James instead of the ceiling. "He's a werewolf; they wouldn't have raised a finger."

"He wasn't a werewolf back then."

A retort is on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitates when that penetrates his fog of guilt and self-recrimination. James is right; Regulus wasn't a werewolf. He doesn't know when he was bitten, but it had to be after he left. "I still think I should've been able to do something," he eventually says, feeling helpless and hating it.

"You didn't know. And it doesn't seem like anyone else knows; they kept it locked down. All we can do is focus on how much better parents we're going to be to him," James says with a grin.

Sirius snickers. "Yeah. Doesn't sound like it'll be hard."

"We'll blow them out of the water."

Harry thinks it's fun to have Regulus around. Where James and Sirius are sometimes too busy to play with him exactly the way he wants, Regulus is always free-- and, importantly, always willing. Regulus and Harry both are enjoying the novelty of living with someone close to them in age. Hell, Regulus is enjoying playing. So much of it, he seems to be experiencing for the first time (like he's never had a playmate), but sometimes he does act the five years older than Harry that he is, knowing what Harry wants before he says a word.

It's pretty damn cute no matter which way he's acting. He talks more now, which is a marked improvement on when he first moved in. He doesn't fully trust Sirius and James yet, but they've got plenty of time to build off that, and he does trust them a little. He doesn't expect for them to berate him over nothing; he doesn't expect for them to lock him away on full moons or when he gets 'too annoying'. James gets frustrated with the slow pace sometimes, hating that Sirius has to remind him that baby steps are the only way they'll make progress. Raising Harry is, by comparison, easy. He's known them his whole life, never had reason to doubt that they'll be there for him or keep him safe. Dealing with raising both of them at the same time, with these differing viewpoints, isn't easy, but they're surviving.

Regulus and Harry wore themselves out playing. Sirius, as Padfoot, joined the fun, and he's feeling lethargic as they head inside. When he curls up to take a nap, Harry joins him automatically, pillowing his head on thick fur. When Regulus sees the way Sirius doesn't shake him off, he joins them, arm over Harry and head resting on Padfoot's gently moving chest.

James comes home, takes a photograph before any of them can wake, then tiptoes around the house, wanting them to have as much peace as they can. It's not an easy family, not one he ever thought they'd have, but it's good. Regulus fits in, taking on the role of Harry's brother, with Sirius more like a father.

#fanfic #prongsfoot #bambibelle #james potter #sirius black #harry potter #regulus black #filled #established relationship #married #no voldemort au #post hogwarts #raising harry #siriuslystarbucks

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punkharryp0tt3r · 8 months

Text

The Black Brothers

(I’m writing fluff of them because I can’t find any. Oh and of course there will be angst, but angst with a good ending. Lots of comfort💗)

Regulus listened to the pouring rain that hit the windows of the tower. How the fuck did he get himself into this? Sirius was an asshole, he had abandoned Regulus, when he made friends with potter that is, right…? But now he was laying down in Sirius’ cozy Gryffindor bed, with a heating charm over him. Sirius silently putting homework in his bag, after giving up trying to do it. They weren’t saying a word to each other, Sirius occasionally muttering to himself. Sirius had said he had wanted to talk to him about something important, that’s why he had searched for Regulus, he had found him, in the bloody lake! Regulus had felt a sort of stability, not because of the water, but because he was alone. Well, until Sirius came. Sirius had found him and said he had wanted to talk with him, Regulus snapped at him. Sirius convinced Regulus to come out of the water, as he did so, Sirius took his cloak off, putting his own Gryffindor cloak on him. Since his cloak was soaking wet from the water, not to mention his entire uniform.

Because of how the cold was effecting him, Regulus had lost balance, his knees buckling, Sirius caught him, and even though Regulus tried to resist, Sirius had picked him up and settled him into his arms like a child. Like how it used to be… Sirius had refused to leave Regulus alone, he was confused. Regulus and Sirius weren’t close friendly brothers anymore, and he thought Sirius hated him, but he was second guessing now. Because Sirius had given him clean warm clothes, a bed, warmth, food, water, he had gave him hospitality and shelter when he had denied it.

Regulus needed to get better, apparently the coldness of the lake was quite dangerous, it had really affected Regulus. And Sirius just willingly took him in…why? Did he still- well..- care….? Regulus had been snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Sirius pull his blanket down slightly. He lightly shivered, even while being under a heating charm. Regulus locked eyes with Sirius. “Why…are you doing this..?” Sirius went back to doing whatever he was doing, probably examining his body for anything he would have to worry about. “Doing what?” Regulus let out a deep breath, when he spoke he didn’t expect his voice to be broken and wet with sadness, tears he didn’t know he was holding falling down his face. “Why….why..are you taking care of me…you hate me, so why.” Sirius stopped examining Regulus’ body, instead looking at him. “Tell me why, I would hate you, Reggie. Why would you ever think I hated you.?” Regulus let out another shaky breath, before going on about all the reasons why he would hate him, why he SHOULD hate him.. “Regulus, I would never hate you, I need you to understand that, alright? I’m sorry for…everything. Everything I’ve done, I’m a horrible brother….I’m so sorry, Reg..” Sirius was sitting on the bed now, crying as well. “I’m sorry for not paying any attention to you, making you feel like the second choice, never being even a decent human being towards you…” Sirius shook with sobs, Regulus was staring wide eyed at his brother, crying as well. He rarely saw his brother vulnerable, he always put on the strongest brightest face. Sirius seemed to choke on his sobs. “Fuck, I’m SO sorry, Regulus..” In one quick motion, Regulus embraced his brother, crying into his shoulder. “Stop it..” he had barely managed to mutter that out..

It was not even twenty minutes later, when the rest of the marauders had rushed back into the Gryffindor boy dorms, very concerned by why there best friend hadn’t been at dinner. Only to find him, fast asleep in his bed, cuddling- wait..his brother? Everyone thought they hated each other…But they didn’t do or say anything about it, just got ready for bed like usual, and fell asleep. Sirius peeked his eyes open after a bit, he almost thought his little brother would be gone when he opened his eyes, but he was still there, in his arms, head buried in his chest. He was so indescribably happy to have his little brother back. He started humming, humming a song only him and Regulus knew. And eventually, he fell asleep again, and apparently Regulus did too, even if Sirius hadn’t known he was awake at all.

I hope this wasn’t a waste of your time, I know it’s badly written, please just give me a break about it, I’ll try to get better at writing💗 I’ll try to write something more detailed and less cringe soon🫶

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sophsicle · 2 years

Note

Hi, hello, how are you. I love your writing and I love choices and I think you’re really cool. So the one scene when they give Reg veritaserum and then Sirius starts asking him all these questions and Regulus says he’s drowning… I was just curious why there isn’t any follow up to that? Reg just walked out and Sirius didn’t try to reach out to him after and talk about it. I know James mentions it the next day and it doesn’t go well with Regulus, so is that why Sirius doesn’t make an attempt? Because he knows Reg will refuse to talk about it? Or is there some other reason you didn’t pursue that? (Thank you)

Hello lovely!

So they do actually talk about it. Sirius doesn't specifically search Regulus out because I don't think he knows how (he says it's because it never felt like the right time but the truth is he's scared). I've said this before but Sirius kind of builds these narratives around Regulus to protect himself from how much it hurt to have Regulus abandon him - because I do think Sirius feels just as abandoned by Regulus as Regulus feels abandoned by Sirius. And I think he is very hesitant to reconstruct those narratives because, again, they protect him (we see him struggling with this when Remus comes to him in the shack in chapter 35). But they do talk about it, Chapter 30, right at the end:

He looks so small,

says the annoying voice in Sirius's head.

He looks so lost.

“You said you felt like you were drowning,” the words come out of him before he’s even really decided to say them. They’ve been on his mind since the Veritaserum. He’d been meaning to find Regulus, to ask him about them, but it just somehow never felt like the right time.

“Not now—we’re not doing this now,” Regulus mutters. He’s still shaking from earlier and for a moment Sirius wonders if he’s crying, but when Regulus drops his hands his eyes are dry.

“I know what it’s like,” Sirius says, watching his brother warily, “to be alone in that house.”

Regulus shoots him a sharp look, the first since Mary left. “You weren’t alone. You had me.”

Sirius is surprised by the conviction in his brother’s voice. Surprised by how much he means that. “Did I?” Sirius asks, not even in an attempt to be confrontational but just…honest. “Because I don’t remember you ever being there Reg, not when it counted, not when I needed you.”

Silence.

Sirius sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Bella, that day, the last one, she wanted you to torture me, you remember?”

After a brief pause Regulus nods.

“Would you have? If dad hadn’t stepped in? Would you have done it?”

His brother is looking at him with his real face. Maybe that doesn’t make any sense, but it’s true. Most of the time when Sirius sees Regulus he’s walking around with this expression of distain that is far too similar to their mother’s. But here, now, he looks like Reg. Looks like the kid who used to follow Sirius everywhere, used to beg him to read stories and build snow forts. Who used to crawl into his bed at night when he was scared—not their parents bed, but his.

He’d always felt more like a parent than a brother to Regulus, maybe that’s why it hurt so much. That when things started to get bad, really bad, Regulus disappeared. He may not have chosen their parents, but he certainly didn’t choose Sirius either. Instead he’d gone and made himself as small and quiet as possible. As though hoping the world would simply overlook him. Never forcing him to make up his mind.

Eventually Regulus sighs, running a hand over his face before meeting Sirius’s stare.

“Yes.”

Sirius closes his eyes for a second. It hurts. But only a little. After all, it’s not as though he hadn’t been expecting it.

“See?” he says, opening his eyes again. “Alone.”

Regulus only looks away, back down at his knees, and Sirius realizes that he doesn’t even feel angry anymore, just…sad.

“Joyeux Noel Reg,” he says dryly, "J'espère que cette année tu apprendras à nager." He walks away before his brother’s silence can get too loud.

#choices #soph rambles

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mischief-marauders · 3 years

Text

The Song of Sirius

Remus stepped through the threshold of Grimmauld Place. He stumbled and gasped as a painful burning sensation spread throughout his body.

The wards. Sirius had told him about the wards back when they were kids. The house’s magic didn’t allow half breeds in the home without the owner's permission. And with Sirius gone, the wards came at him in full.

Remus felt the roaring wave of pain hit him again as he stifled a sob. All he could see was Sirius’ mouth forming an “O” as he fell back into the veil. Remus wanted so desperately to run after him but he had to hold Harry back. No matter what happened, no matter who he lost, Harry had to be first. Sirius and him had promised that to James and Lily before they were killed.

Remus slowly righted himself, still wincing at the burning sensation in his body. He stopped and stared at himself in the goblin wrought iron mirror in the hall. His bloodshot eyes were red-rimmed from crying so much. He looked weary and too old to be in his early 30’s. In the reflection of the mirror, he saw a rustling and bristled at the sight.

Walburga Black stood in the portrait. Quiet and glaring. Even dead, even magically painted, she was terrifying. Remus could see where Sirius had gotten his force of nature personality. But that’s where the similarities ended. Sirius brought warmth and laughter to everyone around him. Walburga seemed to radiate hate and cold. She brought pain and suffering everywhere she stepped.

As Remus turned to look at her, she disappeared from view.

Weeks passed by. People came and went yet Remus never left the house. Everything hurt too much. The wards never lessened in their torment. They never eased the burning. But he could not leave the house. This was the last place where Sirius had left his mark. No matter how much the burning pain from the House of Black wreaked on him, he couldn’t leave.

It had been four weeks since the death of the last heir of the House of Black when Walburga finally spoke after deafening silence for so long. Remus had stumbled into the foyer in the morning and stopped to catch his breath as Walburga's icy gaze froze him.

Remus hadn’t felt such burning hatred in himself in years. Rage and hate rose in him like a violent wave, bound to destroy whatever or whoever it fell on. He stood up straight and stormed up to the portrait, his anger and grief rising with the pain of losing Sirius again. He couldn't make her leave and he couldn't take the portrait down but he could hate her.

“In the letters you used to send to him at Hogwarts, you said that I ruined him. You said that James ruined him. That Lily ruined him. But you’re just a bitter old bigot and you know nothing. You loved Regulus more than him and look at where both of them are. The only person that ruined him was you”

Remus winced and slightly bent over as the burning from the wards increased and he felt himself stumble a little. He took in a deep breath and righted himself once more, glaring at the still silent Walburga Black.

“Are you proud? Are you proud of what your blood purity and ideals have done? Your son will be remembered as a murderer. As the prisoner of Azkaban. Your son will be remembered as the man who killed a group of muggles in grief. He will be remembered for things he didn’t do. All because of what your beliefs have brought into this world. All things horrible and ugly.”

Remus’s voice grew louder and broke into sobs as his rage boiled. “He won’t be remembered for the good things and the best parts of him. He doesn't deserve that”

“What is there?”

Remus felt himself go still at her response.

“What?”

Walburga’s face gave nothing away but Remus swore he saw something in her gaze as she responded once more.

“What else is there?”

Remus swallowed thickly as the pain from the house still struck at him, never lessening. He had always been afraid of Walburga. But he was alive while she was just a portrait. She couldn’t hurt him any more than he was already hurt.

“Doing one of the most dangerous transfigurations spells for me. A spell that’s risky and takes months to complete. Just so that he could give me comfort during the full moon. He should be remembered for that.”

Remus felt tears rising in his eyes as his head pounded and Walburga just looked at him silently. She looked as if she were waiting.

“He should be remembered for always putting others first. He should be remembered for his unwavering loyalty. He should be remembered for his fierce defiance in the face of hatred. He deserves to be remembered for standing by his beliefs while his family told him he was wrong.”

Remus paused to catch his breath.

Walburga's mouth tightened. “Do you have any more memories?”

“I am made of memories.”

Walburga nodded tightly. “Then speak."

Remus wanted to refuse. He wanted to rage and scream and smash the house of Black, brick by brick. She didn’t deserve to hear. She abandoned him and ostracized him. She humiliated him and disowned him. She had no right to the memories of the lovely boy that was Sirius Black. But for a moment, he doesn’t want to think of Sirius being dead or being locked away in Azkaban. He only wants to remember the Sirius he knew.

So he speaks. He gives Walburga everything he has. Everything he remembers. An arrogant little boy on the train. The crying in his bed when he thought no one could hear him after the sorting ceremony. The way that the Gryffindor colors seemed to fit on him. The way the afternoon light turned his eyes from grey to a hundred shades of blues and greens mixed. The barking laughter he let out at 3 am in the dorms, waking up the entirety of Gryffindor tower. The way that his hair grew, little by little until it reached his jawline. The intensity in which he would gaze at Regulus during meals when the boy wouldn’t notice. How he hugged Remus when he confessed he was a werewolf. That first night that he joined him on a transformation and how Sirius’ eyes lit up fondly when Remus turned back to human in the morning. The way his laugh would echo in the halls of Hogwarts when he was running away from Filch. The way his hair twisted around his head when he flew on James’ broom. The way moonlight lit his face and made him look inhuman. Almost God-like. His terror and joy when he held Harry for the first time.

Before Remus knew it, it had been hours since he first began speaking. He finally registered the emotions in Walburga’s eyes and he realized. He realized that she remembered as well.

She remembered the joy that flooded her when she realized she was pregnant after trying for so long. The pain she felt as her body was ripped apart and her firstborn was brought into the world. The way his eyes twinkled and the giggles that would escape his mouth when Walburga leaned over his crib to smile at him. His chubby legs running around the house. The times she sat with him in bed and cast lumos for him because he was scared of the dark. The way he curled up on her, seeking comfort when he was sick. She remembered his joy when they brought Regulus home. She remembered how fiercely protective he was of his brother. The way he would take the blame for everything and shield Regulus. She also remembered when things started to go bad. The way Sirius’ eyes lost their light. The way his eyes were alight again when he came back home every summer but would fade by the time it came to go back to Hogwarts. She remembered the fights, the tears, the screaming, the anger. She remembered sobbing so hard the night he was disowned. So hard that the house shook. She remembered losing her son, her baby, her Sirius. The brightest star in her life. All because of her. Because her beliefs trumped her love for him.

Walburga turns away so Remus won’t see. But he does. The tears, the sobs shaking her shoulders as she remembers all she’s done. Her son, her beautiful son was dead. He would never smile again. He would never laugh again. The world would never see his light again. No one would know the beautiful boy he was. All anyone would remember was murderer and prisoner. They would never see a laughing boy corrupted by a dark world that made him grow up too fast.

They both stood there. A lone man and a lone woman in a portrait, crying over the same boy they had both lost. They both stand there and conjure up the boy they knew. Sirius, standing tall and proud. A large grin on his face. His grey eyes, alive and bright. Remus could almost feel his arms holding him tight. Almost.

They both feel each other memories. Walburga can feel the infinite love that Remus has for her son and the grief that consumes him. Remus can feel the infinite regret and pain Walburga suffers with. The memories come and come, surrounded by sobs and crying. They stand there, a Black, a Marauder, and the boy who was both.

The sun starts to set and Walburga has put her walls back up. Remus has given everything he has and more. He spared nothing of the boy he loved. They both stare at each other. Remus’s amber eyes, watery in pain and grief. Walburga’s grey eyes, sharp in hatred and grief. They stare at each other for what seems like hours.

“I’ve done it,” Walburga says. Remus looks around confused. He didn’t understand what she meant. Then he realizes. The pain. He no longer feels the pain wracking his body. For the first time in almost a month, his body doesn’t burn from the wards placed at Grimmauld Place. The relief from the pain makes him stand up straight and his breathing even out.

Walburga turns away and before she can leave to whatever place portraits hide in, Remus stops her.

“Why?”

She doesn’t turn around. He can hear her uneven breathing and the shakes in her shoulders from the sobs she’s trying to hide.

“For him.”

She walks away and Remus is left there, feeling empty and painless.

All of a sudden, he feels the sensation of magic in the house and he hears a quiet sound vibrating throughout. He follows the sounds through the house, corridor upon corridor until he comes to the room with the tapestry of the lineage of the members of the House of Black. Remus steps forward, slowly, to the last faces on the tapestry. A sob builds in his chest as he runs his fingers over the last face. The burn and explosion marks are gone from the tapestry. Sirius’ handsome face with his trademark Cheshire chat grin is woven into the fabric once more. It looks just like Sirius if he hadn’t spent years in Azkaban. His face tan and lovely, glowing with happiness. And next to him, connected by a dotted line representing love, was Remus’ face grinning. Two boys connected. Forever. Connected and unwavering by simple concepts like time, light, darkness, life, and death. These meant nothing to Remus.

The golden light from the sunset painted the room in hues of beautiful gold and orange. He pressed his finger to Sirius' fabric cheek and let out a small, shuddering sigh.

"I will always love you. The sun could go black and the stars could crash to earth and I will still always love you. Through light and darkness, I belong to you and you belong to me."

#sirius black #remus lupin #wolfstar #Marauders #Marauders era #young marauders

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dangerouslyallaboutdraco · 3 years

Note

Hey it’s me again I was wondering if maybe you can do a part 2 to my request maybe Harry and reader catching up and explaining where she was and how the Malfoy’s took care of her all those years and like maybe some wedding planning and the actual wedding (maybe Narcissa or Harry kinda want Narcissa Bc she was like the mother she didn’t have those years walk her down the aisle but I bet why it would be Harry also ) and the vows maybe something to do with stars cuz I have this trope where Draco loves looking at the stars and they did that as a couple and maybe their honey moon. This can be just as long if you want I just really enjoyed the first one thank you so much!! 💙✨

The Potter Twins pt 2

A/n: This is going to be long... @loxbbg

Read part 1 here

"I'm going out, Dray." Y/n mentioned as she opened the front door. Draco jumped off the couch and raced over.

"Without a kiss?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Draco pulled her into his body by the belt loops of her jeans, holding her hips. Y/n leant up, placing her lips on his as she cradled his face.

Draco tried to deepen the kiss, parting his lips slightly.

Y/n pulled back from him. "I can't be late, Draco." She told him firmly, looking into his eyes. They were her favourite colour. If she could, she would gaze at them for the rest of her life. She was going to try.

"Where are you off to?" Draco questioned, realising he had no idea why she would be leaving before lunch.

"Having lunch with Harry," Y/n said, beaming.

It had been a week since the final feast. Y/n quickly filled Draco in on everything that they discussed. Draco was thrilled to know Harry didn't hate him and that the twins were making up. Y/n and Harry had been sending letters back and forth since.

They finally both had a few free hours to meet for lunch. Harry had suggested a muggle cafe near the entrance of Diagon Alley.

Y/n felt nervous as she walked into the cafe. It weakened when Harry got up to embrace her. It immediately made her feel better.

The twins sat down, eventually ordering some food. They could both tell the light-hearted conversation was about to get deep.

Harry asked the first question. "Where were you last year?" He asked.

Y/n signed before answering. "The last time I was at Hogwarts was when you and Draco duelled in the bathroom. Narcissa came. I thought she was there for him. But she said I had to leave with her right then. No one knew I was even leaving aside from Snape." She explained. Harry nodded along with her words, soaking it in. "After that, I went to one of the old Black Family houses. It was in the very South of England, right near a cliff. There were spells placed all over it so no one could find me. Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco were the only ones who knew."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Lucius?" He pushed.

It surprised Y/n how similar they were. It was the same question she'd thought of. "I didn't know until after the battle, but before the Quidditch World Cup, Narcissa had made an unbreakable vow with him that I wouldn't be hurt." She explained.

"Oh," Harry said with a nod.

Y/n could tell he was thinking about how Lucius had been Voldermort's second. "I know. He wasn't a good person." She affirmed. "He did hate me until very recently."

"I'm glad Narcissa did that," Harry told her. "I'm very grateful she declared I was dead, even if it was for Draco's benefit."

Y/n had only just found out about that. "She wanted Draco to be happy."

"So, you're close to her?" Harry shyly asked, not meeting her eyes.

Y/n nodded quickly. "Yeah. I probably owe her my life." She mentioned. Thankfully, they were able to laugh about it. "What happened to you after the duel?" She asked Harry.

He definitely looked like it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. Guilty even. "Snape gave me detention for the rest of the year." Harry guiltily admitted. "I feel terrible about it now. He was standing there defenceless, and I just hit him with the Sectumsempra spell."

"He was crying," Y/n told Harry, making his face drop even more. "He knew what was about to happen."

"I had no idea," Harry admitted, feeling terrible about hurting Draco. "Was he alright?"

Y/n nodded. "Snape gave him the countercurse. I'm not sure what happened once I left him in the hospital wing, but he came to see me on the Ravenclaw vs Gryffindor Quiddich match."

"I can fill in some blanks?" Harry offered. Y/n quickly nodded, prompting him to continue. "Ginny and I got together." He mentioned, a blush forming on his cheeks as well as a smile. Y/n found it adorable how much he obviously loved her. "I served detentions. Then it was the 30th of June."

Y/n knew what part of the story was about to come up. Well, she knew what Draco knew. She anticipated finding out the other side.

Harry continued. "Dumbledore and I went to find the Horcrux. We did, destroyed it, and escaped. When we got back, Dumbledore froze me, but I watched him die." Harry let one tear slip out of his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Y/n told him, placing her hand on top of his. "Draco brought them in through the Vanishing Cabinet. He was tasked, by Voldermort, to kill Dumbledore."

"He didn't." Harry quickly shook his head. "He wasn't that morally corrupted. I've always admired him for not doing it." He confessed. "Snape had to do it, but then he fled."

"Dumbledore tried to protect you." Y/n realised. Harry nodded. "He knew you'd fight Draco."

Harry agreed, crying a few more tears. "Yeah, he knew he had to die. Snape was the half-blood prince. McGonagall became head then." Harry recounted.

"That was it?" Y/n asked.

Unfortunately, Harry shook his head. "No, there was a funeral. But I broke up with Ginny so she'd be protected."

"I'm sorry, H, that can't of been easy." Y/n apologised. Harry nodded sadly, still believing it was the right thing to have done. "Where did you go after that?" She asked, now curious about what Harry had been doing.

"On the run. Moody died over the summer, as well as Hedwig." Y/n felt terrible for him for that.

"Was it on the 27th of July?" Y/n asked him, remembering how weird Edwige acted that day. Harry nodded while looking confused. "Edwige was acting really odd." That made Harry smile at how similar their owls even were. "What else?" She asked.

Harry thought about it for a second, trying to recount the terrible events of the year. "I met Ted and Andromeda Tonks." He remembered. Narcissa's long-lost sister. She had spoken to Y/n about her, tears always in her eyes. There was also a photo of them, Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda, on the mantlepiece. "Bill and Fleur got married. It was a beautiful wedding." Harry recounted. "But it was attacked by death eaters."

"That was the fall of the Ministry," Y/n added. "Rufus Scrimgeour died because he wouldn't tell them where you were." Harry rose his eyebrows, choking out a sob.

"After the wedding, we went to London. We got attacked by death eaters but wiped their memories." Harry recounted the challenging, scary fight. "We stayed at the Black family house, and I learnt about Regulus?"

Y/n had heard that name before from Narcissa. "Regulus Black? Wasn't he Sirius' younger brother?" She asked, having seen a family tree Narcissa kept.

Harry nodded. "He wasn't a death eater, although he pretended to be until he died." He informed her. "I argued with Lupin." Y/n's eyes widened, knowing how fond he was of Lupin. "He wanted to join the quest, but I really didn't think he should be abandoning their baby."

"Hold on. Baby?" Y/n asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah," Harry remembered he had fully explained that part of the story. "Tonks was pregnant. Teddy is the most adorable kid." He told her. Y/n smiled at how wide Harry was smiling. "We infiltrated the ministry to get the Horcrux Umbridge had." He told her. "Then we camped and moved around a lot."

Y/n wondered what it was like. She wondered if it was something Harry enjoyed.

"Ron left after a while. Before Christmas Hermione, and I visited mum and Dad's graves." Harry continued to tell her. "Ron came back, save me, and destroyed another Horcrux." He continued the story. "We went to see Mr. Lovegood, who told the Ministry where we were. But he also told us about the Deathly Hallows."

"What else?" She asked.

"In March, we got captured and taken to the Manor." Harry hesitantly told her, knowing it was going to be a sensitive topic. "Dobby died." He let another few tears slide. "But we escaped with Luna and the other prisoners."

Y/n didn't know what to say. "What was it like? Being trapped there?"

Harry wasn't sure he wanted to answer. "Bad. Bellatrix tortured Hermione." That hurt Y/n's heart. The thought of her long-lost friend being hurt.

"She was crazy," Y/n confirmed. Harry nodded sadly.

"Teddy was born, and then it was the battle," Harry told her the rest of the story. He assumed she already knew or didn't want to know what happened at the battle. And, he didn't want to tell her about the horrible events.

"I'm very proud of you." Y/n made sure to tell him. "I know mum and dad would be too."

"Did he take care of you?" Harry asked.

Y/n assumed he was referring to Draco. "Yes, always." She told him.

"And you love him?" He asked. Y/n didn't even have to think before she nodded. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too." She replied. "Ginny's good too?"

Harry unintentionally smiled. "The very best." He checked his watch, glasses tipping off his nose. "I should get going though, I've got to watch Teddy." Y/n only realised then that it was already 2pm.

"Oh, of course," Y/n said, getting up to give him a hug. "I'll see you again soon?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

Y/n turned back to him before he could leave. "Harry, will you come to the wedding. Ginny too?"

"I'd love to." He told her.

"Good. I'll see you later." Y/n waved goodbye to him before they both walked off in different directions.

Y/n used a portkey to get back to the Black house. She expected to have Draco waiting for her, but he wasn't there.

"Dray? Where are you?" She asked as she closed the front door and looked around. He wasn't in the lounge where he usually was.

"Kitchen." The reply came. She made her way there to see Draco and Narcissa sitting around the crisp white kitchen island. "Leave while you still can," Draco told her, a smirk on his lips.

Narcissa quickly fixed that with a slap on his arm. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, that is not something my future daughter-in-law would do." She told him sternly.

Draco rolled his eyes, landing himself another slap. "Ow, child abuse." He squealed. Y/n giggled at their playful interaction. Narcissa just raised her eyebrows at him.

She turned to Y/n. "Come here, sweetheart." She ushered Y/n over into a hug. Y/n quickly wrapped her arms around Narcissa, savouring the moment.

When they pulled away, Draco was waiting with open arms for his fiancee. Y/n gave him a quick peck on the lips, which he, like always, tried to deepen.

She didn't let him, opting to pull away and look at whatever was on the kitchen island.

"We're wedding planning," Narcissa informed her. Y/n could see that, from the copious amounts of wedding reading material, inspiration photos, and to-do lists. It looked endless but exciting. "Take a seat." She commanded.

Y/n followed the instructions, going to get her own stool. Instead, Draco pulled her in to sit on his lap, resting his head on her shoulder and locking his hands around her waist to keep her steady.

Narcissa raised her eyebrows at her son, fearing Y/n would be a distraction for him. "I'll focus better, promise," Draco assured her, having seen that look before. She nodded slightly before starting through the whole binder.

"The first question is, when do you want to get married?"

The couple looked at each other. It wasn't something they had thought about. "Maybe winter?" Draco suggested.

Y/n nodded in agreement. "We did start dating in September when it started getting colder." She mentioned.

"Alright, so February or January?" Narcissa asked.

Draco nodded on her shoulder. "What about December 10th?" He asked.

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the mop of blonde hair on her shoulders. "Why that date?" She asked.

"We went to Hogsmeade together then," Y/n remembered now. No one knew they were dating apart from Blaise, Pansy, Theo, and Daphne, but they snuck off to kiss in the snow. She remembered how beautiful Draco had looked, freezing fingertips holding her face. She smiled at the memory and nodded.

Narcissa couldn't help but smile at them. They reminded her so much of herself and Lucius. Young and in love. "Alright. We've got about 5 months then." She said, opening the binder.

It was colour-coded with an index. Y/n could tell how excited Narcissa was.

"We're already out from where we need to be, so we've got a lot to get done." Narcissa sternly let them know. "To start with, we need a guest list." She told them, turning to the first page.

"Uh, well, Pans, Blaise, Theo, and Daph." Y/n started as Narcissa wrote.

Draco jumped in. "Those idiots Crabbe and Goyle. Whichever Black family members you want there."

Narcissa sighed. "Probably all of them then." She continued to jot down the rest of the names.

"Marcus Flint," Draco mentioned, thinking back to the old Quidditch captain. "Adrian Pucey too. Actually, just all of the Quidditch team." He told her.

"Harry, Ron, the whole Weasly family." Y/n continued on from Draco's list. "Hermione, Neville, Luna." Narcissa continued to write down the rest of the names they gave her.

They ended up with a list of well over 100.

"What about the Dursleys?" Narcissa questioned. It made Y/n tense.

Draco noticed and rubbed her hand. "Yes." She was hesitant to agree. "I'd like them to be invited, but I doubt any of them will come." At least then, she could say she had tried. "Could we have Andromeda and Ted Tonks too? With Teddy." She asked slowly, not wanting to upset Narcissa.

Narcissa nodded just as slowly. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea." Y/n loved the idea that the sisters might make up. "Okay, perfect, so now we need a venue. It's going to have to be pretty big with all the people you want to have." Narcissa said, flipping a page.

Y/n looked at Draco and squinted her eyes. Draco tipped his head to show her he was thinking about it. She was so happy they were in it together.

"I'd love a castle." Draco declared.

Y/n could see it in her mind. A grand castle, fallen snow, fairy light. Grand and very Malfoy-like.

She nodded. "Yes, please." She looked back to Narcissa with a smile.

"Okay, I think I can make that happen. Are you thinking of a winter wonderland theme?" She asked.

Y/n shook her head. "Could we do a royalty theme?" She asked.

"Yes!" Draco cheered. Y/n could feel the excitement radiating off him.

"What does that look like?" Narcissa asked, still writing down ideas of what they wanted.

"Gold." Draco decided, making both the women giggle. "I mean golden chairs, chandeliers, white roses." He was definitely used to a certain life. And Y/n was ready to fit into it.

Narcissa nodded. "So very magnificent and exquisite." Draco and Y/n agreed with that. They both trusted her to know what she was doing. Plus, she would make sure she got exactly what they wanted. "So, that means you're going with a formal dress code."

Draco let Y/n have the lead on that. "I don't want a black or white tie dress code. I want formal, but I'd like to give a colour pallet."

Narcissa smiled. "Yes, I think it's a good idea. Just so everyone fits together in photos."

"Exactly." It was something Y/n had wanted since she saw the Dursley's wedding pictures. Different people in hundreds of different colours. That was not what she wanted.

Narcissa flicked a few more pages over. "Alright, what do you want for food?"

"A cake!" Draco exclaimed with a happy grin.

Y/n stroked a finger through his hair. "Obviously." She looked back to Narcissa with a smile. "I think a fancy sit-down dinner." She thought.

"It's like you read my mind," Narcissa commented with a laugh.

Y/n laughed back. "For desserts, I think a selection of lavish options. Maybe a cheesecake, panna cotta, something like that."

Narcissa nodded. "How about lemon meringue pie too."

Draco smiled, knowing it was his mother's favourite. "I think candy from Hogsmeade, too." He chimed in.

"Okay, we can do all of that. I think we should do fancy cocktails, too. Maybe a His and Hers one?" She suggested. Both of them quickly nodded. "Alright. I'm going to sort out all of the photographers, but what are you thinking for music?"

"String quartet for the ceremony, but I think something more fun after." Draco put in his own opinion. Y/n agreed with it.

Narcissa wrote down what he was telling her. "Lovely, so we are going to need to get booking a lot of appointments." She told them. "Firstly, wedding dress shopping. Y/n, we have an appointment in a month with a top London dress designer." Y/n's eyebrows raised, excited at that fact. "We're going to need to pick bridesmaid before the second appointment."

She already knew who she wanted. "Pansy as the maid of honour. Daph, Hermione, and Ginny."

Narcissa seemed surprised by how prepared she was but wrote the names down regardless. "Perfect. Just to get sidetracked, Draco, groomsmen?"

Draco raised his eyebrows and frowned. "Blaise as my main man and Theo. Let me think about the rest." He told her.

"So, we also need appointments for engagement photos, suit fittings, cake tastings, dress fittings, florists, and hair and makeup trials." She listed off. That idea made both Y/n and Draco stressed. There was so much to do.

"Maybe we just elope?" Draco suggested, nuzzled into Y/n's neck.

Narcissa raised one eyebrow, giving him a pointed look. "That's not funny." She told him seriously. It didn't stop the giggles coming out of his mouth.

"Okay, we've got save-the-dates to send out ASAP. I'll get that done." Narcissa told them. "Then you're going to need to register for gifts."

Draco clapped his hands. "Ooo, exciting."

"They're usually staples like sheets, pots, and pans." Narcissa wiped the smirk off his face with her playful taunt. "We've also got to find a place for the rehearsal dinner. And figure out a honeymoon."

"What do we need to do?" Y/n asked her, knowing Narcissa would be in charge of most of it. She wanted to make it as easy on her future mother-in-law as possible.

"Register for gifts, decide where you want to go on a honeymoon, write some vows and, Y/n, come to the dress fitting," Narcissa ordered them. Y/n and Draco both nodded in agreement. "I'm going to go back to the Manor then." She said, putting all of her copious amounts of paper away.

Y/n and Draco both gave her goodbye hugs. They thanked her for all she had done and was planning to do.

As soon as Draco had closed the door, he was tugging Y/n into him. His firm hands gripping her hips. He lent down to place his lips onto hers. It was rough and just the way she liked it.

"Mmm, Dray." Y/n moaned against his lips.

Draco smirked at her. "I missed you." He complained.

"Clearly." Y/n joked before pulling him back in for another kiss. "Wanna show me how much you missed me?" She asked, a shy smile on her face.

Draco couldn't help but nod rapidly before latching his lips back onto hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth. "Jump." He mumbled against her lips, wrapping his arms around her hips.

Y/n complied, wrapping her legs around Draco's waist while he carried her to bed.

Wedding planning was time-consuming. While Narcissa was taking the lead, there was a lot for Y/n and Draco to do.

Her bridal fitting was one of the first events. Narcissa went with her to the first one, where she found a dress. It was layered floor length, with thin straps, lace, and sparkles. The perfect mix of traditional and glamourous.

As soon as she tried it on she knew it was perfect. The look on Narcissa's face reassured her it was the perfect one.

"Oh, wow. You look stunning." Narcissa let out, wiping a tear out of her eyes as she put a hand over her mouth. She got up off her seat to walk over and look in the mirror with Y/n. "You've grown so much since I met you." She mentioned, pushing a strand of Y/n's hair behind her ears.

There were tears in Y/n's eyes then too. "I think this is the one." She said a smile on her face.

Narcissa nodded. "It's absolutely flawless." She smiled, still admiring the younger girl.

They brought it that same day. It was staying at the Bridal store until the bridesmaids' fittings.

Y/n had decided she wanted silk green emerald dresses for the bridesmaids. Their fitting was only a month later.

"Y/n, you look great!" Pansy said, running up to her friend in the streets of London. Y/n embraced her with a smile.

Daphne hugged Y/n after. Then Hermione and Ginny turned up.

Y/n had seen them, a lot. More than once a week. It was like no time was lost between them. They fell quickly back into being friends.

Surprisingly, Y/n had introduced Hermione and Ginny to Pansy and Daphne, and they seemed to be getting on.

"Hi, you guys," Y/n said as she hugged Hermione and Ginny. She introduced them to Narcissa before they all went into the bridal shop.

"Okay, we have to see you in your dress first Y/n." Pansy cheered, already drinking her champagne.

Narcissa had insisted on the best, most private fitting. The whole store had been rented out for them so they could sit on the luxurious sofas and try on dresses.

Y/n nodded, running off to the changing rooms to dry the dress on. She couldn't help the giddy feeling in her stomach.

When she came out, all of their mouths dropped. She looked flawless.

"It's stunning." Hermione was the first to speak, the rest of them nodding with what she said.

Y/n did a little turn for them, eliciting more gasps.

When she changed back into her normal clothes, she went to show them the bridesmaids' dress options.

They were mismatched shades of blue. A dusty blue, teal blue, ocean blue, and blueberry blue.

"It's so pretty." Ginny agreed.

"I want to see you all in them," Y/n commanded with a giggle before she handed out the dresses.

Pansy walked out in the darkest blue, Hermione in dusty, light blue, Ginny in teal, and Daphne in ocean blue. Y/n knew she had picked it perfectly.

From the hugs, compliments, and squeals of excitement, it was clear they did too.

Draco's suit was black with a light blue tie. He had wanted to go for any shade of green, but Y/n thought blue suited the theme better.

Narcissa helped them cross all of the things on their list of wedding-to-dos.

Quickly, it was the weekend before. The bachelorette party was at the Black family house in the south of France.

They took a portkey to get there. Y/n had never been there, but it was grand and overlooked the French Riviera.

"This is stunning!" Daphne said, looking around inside. It was magnificent. Stone walls and vines on the outside. There was a massive pool with a cabana. The architecture of the house was incredible.

The girls dumped their bags in their rooms before exploring. They counted 6 bedrooms.

"Oh, we should go in the pool!" Y/n yelled, stripping off into a bikini. The sun was out in full, heating the whole group's skin. The five of them lay by the poolside, occasionally taking a dip. By the end of the night, they were much tanner.

Dinner was a chance to get dressed up in white cotton dresses and walk to the marina to find dinner. They ate French food and far too much bread. There was also a lot of wine to drink and secrets to be shared.

The second day was spent out on a yacht sailing in the endless sun and crystal clear water. It was beautiful and peaceful.

"Are you excited?" Pansy rolled over to ask Y/n, stuffing a few grapes into her mouth as she sipped her wine.

Y/n nodded, not having to ask what she meant. "Beyond. Draco's the love of my life." She confirmed.

The third day in paradise was just as good. Unfortunately, they had to go home.

Draco was waiting for her at the door. "Baby." He grinned as she jumped into his arms.

"Hi, Dray." She replied as he spun her around. "How was your weekend?" At Draco's request, the boys had gone to Las Vegas because Draco wanted to 'do it right the first time, so he didn't have to do it again.'

He nodded. "I will admit, most of it's a blur." That made Y/n giggle. "But, it was great."

"You didn't get married?" Y/n asked him with a grin.

Draco just frowned. "Why would I do that?" He asked, not knowing about the muggle cliché.

"It's a muggle thing." She tried to explain, but his eyebrows were still furrowed.

Draco put her down, taking her stuff from her hands to their bedroom. Y/n followed him up there.

"I missed you, baby." He told her, scooping her up into another hug. He picked her up and dumped her on the bed, planting himself in between her legs.

"I've missed this." Y/n agreed, lacing her hands behind his neck to pull his face closer to hers.

The rehearsal dinner was at a Michelin star restaurant in central London. Apparently, Lucius had some connections in the muggle world.

A separate room was rented out, but Draco and Y/n kept it small. Narcissa, Lucius, Draco's grandmother, Harry, and the bridal party.

"Draco, we're going to be late," Y/n complained as Draco kissed down the top of her silk green dress.

He groaned as he pulled away, looking up at her with big eyes. "Can't we be late?" He questioned.

She shook her head. "Absolutely not. Now, put me down." She told him, unwrapping her legs from around his waist. They had a tendency for getting caught up in the moment.

Draco let her down, now towering over her.

"Let me fix your tie," Y/n told him, tightening the green silk. He had gotten his wish of some green.

Draco groaned. "Not so tight." He mumbled, causing Y/n to roll her eyes.

"You have to look impeccable," Y/n told him sternly.

"I always look impeccable." Draco declared with a wide smirk.

Y/n just rolled her eyes again before looking up at him. "You're ridiculous."

He pouted at that before reattaching their lips. "I love you, Mrs. Malfoy."

"I'm not Mrs. Malfoy yet." Y/n counted.

Draco looked at his watch. "You have less than 24 hours." He told her threateningly. "The time to run is now."

Y/n shook her head. "I don't want to lose this." She joked, holding up her ring finger. Draco pouted at that. "I'm kidding. I love you." She reassured him before kissing him again.

"Let's go," Draco told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door.

They ended up in central London, thankfully not late to their own rehearsal dinner.

Narcissa and Lucius hugged both of them. Lucius' hugs were something Y/n still wasn't accustomed to, but she enjoyed them.

All of the bridal party turned up. They had seen each other during the day for the wedding rehearsal, but they were scrubbed up now.

"You look lovely, Y/n." Harry and Ginny complimented, coming over to hug the bride-to-be.

"Thank you." Y/n beamed.

She kept that smile on her face the whole night. Through Lucius' speech, dinner and dessert.

"Just before everyone heads off for the night, we do have one other thing," Y/n said after tapping her champagne flute.

Draco had raced off to collect the gifts they had to give to everyone.

When he came back, she continued. "Narcissa and Lucius, we've got these for you." Draco handed over the enormous bouquet of flowers and an envelope.

The older couple wrapped the younger in hugs. "Hotel bookings for next week in Southern Italy," Draco told them with a grin.

"Thank you both," Narcissa told them before sitting back down.

Y/n and Draco went around hugging each of the members of their bridal party and giving out the customised bottles of champagne they had designed.

Y/n and Draco were the left once their friends had, with Narcissa and Lucius.

"Mum, can we just go for a walk? I'll have her to her hotel room before midnight?" Draco begged Narcissa. He insisted on spending some one-on-one time with Y/n, and Narcissa couldn't say no to his pouting.

Narcissa agreed. "The girls are staying in her hotel suite, so you better have her back. Or you're going to be in big trouble with Pansy Parkinson." She warned, looking at him with stern eyes.

Draco gulped playfully before taking Y/n's hand. They walked off into a nearby park, Draco's arm wrapped around her waist. Thankfully, he had brought their jackets.

"Do we really have to spend the night apart?" Draco asked her pleadingly.

Y/n giggled. She had expected the questions when they first started planning the wedding eve. "Yes, Dray, or we'll have bad luck." She told him.

Draco huffed. "But I'll miss you." He complained, dropping his head on top of hers. "We can just Obliviate Pansy." He suggested.

Y/n looked up at him with a frown, shaking her head. "Draco Malfoy, we are not going to obliviate our friends."

"We could use the full body-bind curse?" He proposed.

Y/n giggled at him. "Absolutely not. I think you can just have some patience." She told him.

"Fine." He agreed before looking at his watch. "I guess I have to take you back now."

Y/n nodded, and they walked the few blocks to the hotel.

"Draco! I was just about to get your mother. It's 5 minutes to midnight." Pansy said as soon as she saw Draco and Y/n walk off the elevator, giggling.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Shut it, Parkinson. She's my fiancee." They had always had a playful relationship. To outsiders, it would look like Draco disliked Pansy, but he couldn't love her anymore.

"Children, calm down," Y/n told them with a giggle. "I'm here before midnight."

Pansy looked at her watch. "You've got three minutes to be out of our sight, Draco." She warned him.

"Could I at least farewell my fiancee?" He asked. Pansy nodded, still not going back inside the hotel room. "Without you here?" He questioned, eyebrows raised.

"I'll be back in two minutes." Pansy reminded him before slipping inside the hotel suite.

Draco rolled his eyes once she'd gone. "She's mental."

Y/n nodded with a smile. "But, we love her." She reminded him. He just rolled his eyes again.

"And we only have 1 and a half minutes before she storms out here," Draco complained.

"Let's not waste time then," Y/n told him, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull his lips down onto hers. They stood in the hotel hallway, kissing for a minute. After each time they pulled away, they were drawn back to each other. "Goodnight, Dray," Y/n whispered, again his lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He replied, leaning in for one final kiss. "Please don't leave me at the alter."

Y/n giggled but shook her head. "Never. I love you."

"I love you too." He said, and with one final wave, he was gone.

Pansy burst into the hallway only moments after, ready to kick some Malfoy arse.

"Don't worry," Y/n reassured her. "He's gone back to his hotel."

The boys were staying in another hotel because Narcissa didn't think Draco would be able to stay away from Y/n.

Pansy nodded, uncrossing her arms. "Good, now come in. We're doing shots."

That was not a good way to ensure waking up feeling fresh at 9am. But Y/n followed her in and drank anyway.

They were awakened by a knock on the door. Pansy checked the peephole, making sure it wasn't Draco before opening it. Y/n, Ginny, and Daphne groaned at Hermione, opening the curtains and flooding the room with sunlight. However, the view was beautiful.

The time on the alarm clock blinked 8:03 in red.

Narcissa was the one at the door, walking in and laughing at the state of the girls.

"Please don't laugh," Y/n begged after taking a panadol and putting on some sunglasses. She standing up.

In their drunken state, they had taken both king-sized mattresses laid them on the living room floor. Y/n managed to piece together that Ginny and Hermione shared on. Daphne slept next to her, and Pansy slept on the couch, facing the door in case Draco came knocking.

"I heard you had a fun night." Narcissa joked, still grinning.

Daphne groaned as she stumbled up. "Alright, who snitched?" She asked, looking around the girls.

They all shook their head before turning their attention to Narcissa. "Our room was a floor below. We could hear the dancing and music until 2 in the morning." She explained.

"Sorry," Y/n replied, feeling like she was being told off by a teacher.

Narcissa laughed. "Don't worry about it. Makeup and hair are starting at 9 though so you all need to be ready. I also brought you breakfast." She revealed a brown paper bag.

Pansy took it, looking into the bag. "Ooo, coffee." She pulled out the takeaway cups with a wide grin handing one out to each girl. "And danishes!" She cheered, way too loud for the rest of them.

"Alright, there are three showers so shower, drink coffee and eat," Narcissa instructed, acting like a mother at a sleepover.

The girls complied, all getting ready and eventually getting their hair and makeup done. Y/n hadn't looked in the mirror since she showered, but she was blown away by what she saw.

Even she would admit she looked gorgeous. The tears in Narcissa's eyes confirmed it.

"You look... there are no words." Narcissa said, her hands flying over her mouth.

Pansy, Ginny, Hermione, and Daphne nodded in agreement. All sharing similar teary-eyed looks.

Y/n ran off to put the dress on, carefully not to look in the mirror before she saw the end result.

When she came out, everyone's faces dropped even more. "You look perfect," Pansy told her.

Y/n grinned, turning to look in the full mirror. She couldn't believe how she looked. She had never seen herself like this before. The dress was tight in the torso, going into a full-length skirt around her waist. She ran her fingers over the delicate lace.

"I can't cry. I'm going to mess up my makeup." Y/n complained, trying not to let her eyes water.

They all laughed at her. "It's waterproof mascara," Hermione assured her. That started the tears.

The rest of the girls got changed, all coming out separately in their different shades of blue dresses. Narcissa's dress was tea-length and a dark shade of green. Y/n knew it would match Lucius' suit.

Then, they had champagne in celebration while the photographer took pictures. The sky was bright blue, and Y/n knew it was going to be perfect.

There was another knock on the door before it was time to go. Ginny raced over to answer it, knowing who it was. Harry.

Y/n heard their conversation. "You look so beautiful, Gin." He told her, placing a kiss on her lips. Y/n couldn't wait for their wedding.

"Come see the bride," Ginny instructed, pulling him over by their interlock fingers out of the foyer.

Harry's mouth dropped open when he was his twin sister. He couldn't believe how the little girl who used to untangle his unruly hair was now a bride.

"Y/n, you look stunning." He complimented once he could finally speak.

"Thanks, Har. So do you." Y/n replied, looking at Harry in his black suit with a blue plaid tie. She raced over to give him a hug.

Harry was still grinning when he pulled back. "Lily and James would be so proud of you two," Narcissa commented, pulling the twin's attention back to her.

They both smiled sadly at that. "That reminds me, I brought you this." Harry held out a bracelet. A bracelet with red stones. "I hope it doesn't clash with your dress, I don't really know much about that." He said, with a laugh. There were tears in his eyes Y/n could see.

"It's beautiful, Harry. Thank you." She held out her wrist so he could put it on.

"It's ruby, it was mums. She brought it when we were born because it's our birthstone." Harry explained. That made more tears stream out of Y/n's eyes. It was so sweet of him.

"Harry, thank you." Y/n thanked him again. "How did you?" She couldn't even finish her sentence with the tears.

Harry's tears were running free now as well. "Remus somehow got ahold of it." He clarified. The thought of their dead uncle made more tears appear.

She wrapped him in a hug again, holding him as tight as she could.

Finally, it was time to go. Y/n was sure she had never been this nervous. Her stomach was twisted, and she felt like she could puke.

Harry, her, Narcissa, and the bridesmaids all entered the limo that was taking them on the half-hour journey to the secluded castle.

When Y/n got there, she couldn't believe it. The turrets and grand stone walls. It was phenomenal.

There was a light dusting of snow on the ground and inside there were fairy lights strung everywhere. Harry held her hand the whole way inside.

Narcissa went in first and Y/n tried to peer around the doors to look at Draco but Pansy wouldn't let her. The castle was old inside as well but very grand. It had rounded ceilings and arches in marble stone. Y/n couldn't believe she was getting married here, despite having seen it before.

She knew the walk she was going to take. Down the marble staircase and into the ballroom where Draco was waiting at the altar. She just hoped she wasn't going to trip on the steps.

Ginny went next, the Hermione. Y/n could feel her nerves building, her heart starting to race. It was thumping in her chest.

"Hey, you'll be okay. I'll see you down there." Daphne mentioned, just before her walk. The bride nodded in reply.

Y/n felt like she was at the top of a roller coaster, just as it was about to go down.

"See you, Pans," Y/n said, hugging her maid of honour before she walked out.

Now she really felt like she was going to puke, and Harry could tell.

"Are you ready?" He asked, smiling down at her. Y/n had blocked out the music that was playing, her heart thumping was the only sound she could hear.

She gave him one last hug before he pushed open the doors. She took one deep breath before walking out, Harry's arm interlocked with hers.

From the top of the balcony, she could see the whole ballroom. It was more beautiful than she remembered it. Massive floor-to-ceiling windows were looking out on a snowy field, a tree perfectly in the middle.

The high ceiling was the most phenomenal part. It was painted with beautiful detail like the Sistine chapel.

Y/n scanned the whole room, from the white chairs to the bridesmaids and groomsmen. That's when she saw him. Draco Lucius Malfoy. He looked as good as ever and it made her even more nervous.

His eyes locked on hers, tears already on his cheeks.

Harry walked her down the steps, and down the aisle as Y/n smiled at all their standing friends and family.

When she reached Draco he looked even more perfect. She fell more in love with him then.

Harry shook his hand before giving Y/n one last hug.

"Hi," Y/n whispered, taking the place in front of Draco.

Draco grinned, tears still flowing. "You look... gorgeous." He told her, hand tracing her features.

She couldn't help but smile and return the compliment. "So do you."

Then, the officiant started. He read some passages from various books and explained the history of the couple. Y/n zoned out, already knowing the words he was saying, and admired Draco's face. The one she got to keep forever.

"We will now hear the couple's vows." The minister announced and Y/n beamed at Draco. "Draco."

"I, uh, I recently learned that we are all made of stardust. The particles in us have been around for billions of years, and they'll be around for a billion more. I only decided I believed in fate because I'm sure I've known you for millions of years and I hope I'll know you for a million more. Somehow, the universe allowed us to exist at the same time, despite the minuscule odds. It's improbable but I'm eternally grateful." Neither of them could stop the endless tears, all happy ones. "I went without knowing you for 11 September 1sts, but we were always looking at the same stars. When we did finally meet the stars aligned once more. No one knows this but for years we used to sneak out at night and look at the stars." Y/n giggled at the memory, realising everyone now knew about it. "I may be biased about my love for the stars, due to my name." Draco paused to look at Narcissa and Lucius who were also laughing. "But I'm positive our love has been written in the stars for millions of years and I'm going to make sure it is for millions more."

His words were so beautiful Y/n couldn't stop the tears. She looked around the room to see lots of other guests crying too.

Then it was Y/n's turn. She wasn't sure how she could top it, but she tried. Somehow she managed to get more tears.

"You may now kiss the bride." The minister announced once they had exchanged rings. Draco gently touched her waist, leaning in to give her a soft kiss.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy." The minister declared, causing everyone to clap loudly.

"I love you, Mrs. Malfoy," Draco whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," Y/n replied with a smile.

It definitely was one of the happiest days of her life.

a/n: I've also had a request for a smutty honeymoon imagine so that will be coming out soon ;)

Hope you enjoyed it !

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j-amespotter · 3 years

Text

★ august [pt. 1] - s. b.

“you weren’t mine to lose.”

Pairing: Sirius Black x Slytherin!Reader, Regulus Black x Reader (mentioned)

x. x. x.

Summary: As one of the Order of the Phoenix’s freshest recruits, love certainly was not on Sirius Black’s mind the summer after he finished school – especially not with a Slytherin, who just happened to be his brother’s girlfriend.

Genre/Warnings: angst, alcohol, language, mentions of death & war, infidelity, implied smut

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: august but from the guy’s pov?? i think yes. this was the first one-shot i wrote for this series so let me know what you think! lmk if you wanna be added to my taglist. p.s. i do not condone cheating!!!!!!

masterlist

Your lips were centimeters apart. It seemed too late to change course, but he had to ask. He had never done something so reckless, which for him, was saying something. “Are you sure?”

He was scared of the answer. One look at you told him you were scared of answering. “We’ve never… I mean, I’ve never done this before,” you whispered. Your noses grazed against each other, tantalizingly close.

His hand hovered underneath your robes. It felt large against your bare stomach. “We can stop.”

“I don’t want to stop.” With one hand around his neck and the other on his chest, you tugged him closer. The moment your lips met erased his doubts so fully that if he stopped to think about it, it would have scared him.

Your shoes slipped off as he delicately lifted you off of your feet. Gently, he laid you down on his bed and paused to stare at how small and trusting you looked in the moment. It was only your fifth visit to his flat, yet you already looked like you belonged. He would never have expected someone from his forgotten life to fit into his current one so unquestionably.

*One Week Earlier*

It was getting easier and easier to slip away from Regulus these days. While you were accustomed to seeing less of each other during the summer holidays, now you were more distant than ever. You knew why, of course. Being a Slytherin, you were privy to an entire host of secrets – Regulus was too. Hogwarts’ rowdiest, most divided class graduated just a month earlier, and many of your friends, if you could even call them that, had chosen a side in this war. His side.

You knew Regulus agreed with the Dark Lord’s philosophies and marveled at his promises. However, it was not until this school year that you realized exactly how much your boyfriend worshipped the elusive man responsible for the murders of so many innocent people. He would scour the Daily Prophet for news, eager but not uneasy. He trailed after Snape, Avery, and Mulciber, and the whisperings about the three of them were hardly positive. It was rumored that all of them had been "marked." You didn’t know exactly what that meant but worried Regulus was next.

He sensed your fear but didn’t say much to soothe you. Perhaps he thought he could convince you to join him – or, at least, stand by his side as he signed away his services. You weren’t interested. In fact, you were terrified. Though your family was prominent, prosperous, and pureblood, they never participated in what your father coined to be “blood politics.” Your indifference, which occasionally transformed into blatant disgust, over the growingly common prejudice among your peers ostracized you from your fellow Slytherins. You managed to keep your reservations to yourself for the sake of House unity but could no longer remain silent. Not when your childhood love drifted further and further away from you.

It was slow, but of course, there was a final straw. In his last letter, Regulus wrote that his cousin Bella was teaching him how to duel “the proper way.” As someone who saw nothing substandard in your Defense Against the Dark Arts education thus far, you could only imagine what Bellatrix Lestrange would consider to be the “proper” way to duel. You had limited experience with the woman, having only caught glimpses of her as a child at Grimmauld Place and as Regulus’s date to her wedding. Nonetheless, the rumors about her were becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

So you sought the one person you thought may listen to you. Of course, there was the issue of finding him. You had no idea where he lived, though you doubted he would be thrilled to meet you, especially at his place of residence. You thought of writing to him but could not risk seeing and sending the words you had not yet uttered aloud.

Ultimately, you decided that the best course of action was to find him in public, no matter how difficult it would be. You knew if you willed it hard enough, fate would bring him to you – and you understood the power of your love better than anyone.

It took six days of solitary walks through Diagon Alley for you to finally find him. It wasn’t easy at all. You managed to keep your parents at bay by entrusting your safety with your pureblood Slytherin status. However, what was once the most bustling shopping center in the Wizarding World became drearier by day. More wanted posters appeared on brick walls as the number of disappearances grew. Within days, there were fewer groups of visitors for you to huddle behind without drawing suspicion.

He was in the Leaky Cauldron with a shorter man, someone you recognized to be Peter Pettigrew. They were huddled together but deep in conversation. Actually, it seemed as though he was doing most of the talking. You found yourself staring at his muscular, tattooed arms as he gestured wildly at Pettigrew, who stared at him with wonder, excitement, and apprehension all at once. Despite the normal-looking exchange, both men gripped their wands tightly and took turns periodically glancing over their shoulders.

Peter was too far away for you to read his lips, but checked his watch and jumped in surprise. You inched closer, hoping to find an in for your mission. Finally, you were close enough to hear his parting words. “Sorry, Padfoot... Mum’s waiting for me. You know how she gets, especially now.”

“Alright, mate. Get home safe. I’ll see you… when I see you.”

You were not stupid. You had no idea what that meant, but judging by Peter’s stiff nod, there was definitely a predetermined meeting time and place that they could not risk anyone overhearing. Given the circumstances, you could hardly blame them.

Your interaction with Sirius Black was limited, but you had heard enough about him to know that he was reckless, devil-may-care, and according to his brother, inconsiderate of everyone’s feelings. Hearing the sincerity in his goodbye to his friend sounded quite the opposite, or perhaps was just a sign of the times.

Peter scurried away and out of sight. You saw Sirius reach for a pouch in his pocket, out of which he scooped a handful of Sickles. They clattered onto the table. Before he finished counting his change, you slid into the seat across from him.

Startled, Sirius stood and pointed his wand at you. His motions were seamless. It was as if he could kill you with a single swish. You hardly had time to wonder if you would be as skilled with your wand as he seemed to be when you finished school. “Listen, I just want to talk. Please sit down.” There weren’t too many other customers in the pub, but there was no doubt your exchange was attracting attention.

Sirius sneered at you. “Why would I want to talk to you? Did he send you? Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it.”

It surprised you that he knew who you were. Regulus was convinced that Sirius abandoned the Black family once and for all and did not care for his extracurricular activities. Granted, much of your scheme relied on the fact that he did. “No, he didn’t send me. I need to talk to you about him, actually. In private.”

He looked apprehensive but curious. You sighed in relief as he lowered his wand and sat down, “Whatever you have to say, you can say it here.”

“Please,” you tried again. “I’m no threat to you.”

He stared at you, and in his pale eyes you saw something so familiar yet so foreign. “Fine. Follow me.”

He swiftly led you out of the pub. Although you were eager, you maintained an acceptable distance from him. The air was sticky; you could feel your flushed cheeks. You always hated summer because of the unbearable weather and because it was always the longest you would spend apart from Regulus. However, you found yourself entranced by the way Sirius’s neckline glistened. There was a warm glow radiating off of the little bits of his exposed skin, slightly tanner than his brother’s. You were surprised at how easy it was to distinguish these details. You always considered yourself to be too young for and morally above noticing Regulus’s physique. It was far too shallow to remark on a man's physical beauty and far too desperate when all you could see were his neck and arms.

“Get your license yet?”

You shook your head. “No, not yet.”

“Okay,” said Sirius, extending a hand. “I’ll take you with me.”

You were used to Side-Along Apparition, so your surprise was more at your surroundings. You landed on a street in front of a very tall building. Craning your neck to observe the one in front of you, you asked, “Where are we?”

“London,” he answered vaguely. He had not let go of your hand.

“I figured. But this looks like a Muggle building.”

“Got a problem with that?” He snapped, and as if he had just realized what he was doing, he let go of your hand as if it was rotting.

You internally groaned at how sweaty it was. “N-No. I’ve just never been around here, that’s all.”

You waited for a snarky response, but received none. Instead, he pushed open the door of the building and led your to what you could only assume was his flat.

“I would say make yourself at home, but don’t.” Sirius did not have guests often, and when he did, they definitely did not include his little brother’s girlfriend. Damn, he thought to himself. Wait until James hears about this.

You were still in school – although, so was he, just a month earlier. But you were in a rival house. And worst of all, he had seen you in the same position, perched onto a sofa with inquisitive eyes, when you both were children at his parents’ house. It was curious to him that you looked just as out of place then as you did now.

“I know this is strange, but I have no other choice.” Your voice broke off and for the tiniest millisecond, he felt sorry for you. “I think he’s… I mean I feel that… that R-Regulus is planning on joining the Dark Lord.” “Call him Voldemort, will you?” Sirius interrupted irritably.

You flinched. “I really shouldn’t.”

Though he was annoyed, he understood and did not probe you further. “Listen, I don’t know what you thought trying to find me, or even how you found me for that matter, but I can’t help you. I know what you’re worried about and you’re probably right to be worried. But I tried talking to him before I ran – I mean, left. He won’t budge. He’s in too deep. Sorry,” he added.

Your eyes glossed over. “I figured you’d say that.” Tears streamed down your rosy cheeks. “S-Sorry, I don’t mean to load this on you. I just feel so alone sometimes. And so scared for him. He really has no idea what he’s getting himself into, does he?”

Sirius stared at you, contemplating whether he should tell you what his dim-witted brother was really getting himself into. He only started to see it for himself now. “I’m not sure what I should tell you, but I understand. If you want to talk about it…”

You glanced at him in wonder, cocking your head to the side. “Er, thanks. But I should get home. My parents must be worried. Can I Floo out of here?”

You looked even more upset than before, and Sirius felt guilty for leaving everything so unresolved. Although, should he really care about your feelings? Anyone who willingly chose to spend time with a tosser like Regulus probably deserved whatever hell he would put them through… although…

“Yeah, I installed one,” he said, gesturing to the fireplace.

Wiping your eyes nimbly, you stood and smoothed the front of your robes. “Thank you. Sorry if it was a bother.”

“No problem. I know… I know that you aren’t like them. And I know what you’re going through. Probably better than anyone.”

You smiled at him, and without warning, his stomach flipped. It couldn’t have been the first time he’d seen you smile, but it was definitely the first time you smiled at him. Maybe you had once before when you were children. For now, all Sirius seemed to hone in on was the soft dimple on your right cheek and the way your eyes lit up almost automatically.

“If you ever need to talk about it, you can always come around here.” He knew it was strange for him to offer you that, but you had known each other for so long. You both had the same doubts… perhaps you lacked the bravery to act on them as he did, though he could hardly fault you for that.

“Thank you, Sirius,” you said softly.

☆

It was more than sex. You would spend hours talking, entangled in his bedsheets, watching the sunrise together for several mornings in a row. Sirius glanced warily at the clock on his bedside table. “Where do your parents think you are?”

You were drawing circles on his bare chest. “I told them I was with him.”

Despite being the reason you sought him out, it became an unspoken rule between the two of you to not mention his name. The subject of Regulus and, by extension, the war became as taboo as saying Lord Voldemort.

He hated it. He tried to convince himself that he was acting on lust, that he just needed to relieve his stress of the war and Order training, but he couldn’t. Not when every time you arrived unannounced, he scribbled excuses to get out of dinner with the Potters, or drinks with the boys, or hell, even Order meetings.

Sirius wished he could explain it to James. Surely, his best friend would convince him of the stupidity of engaging in an affair with his brother’s girlfriend. But then he would watch you wearing his shirt, sipping wine, and dancing barefoot in his kitchen. He would imagine you wrapping your arms around his waist on his new motorcycle and his insides would implode. Then, he would decide that he did not want to be dissuaded. He was falling for you. One look at you told him you were falling for him too.

“Where have you been, mate? The parents are driving me up a wall about you. Lily’s convinced you’ve got a girlfriend or something,” joked James.

They were sitting in the pub on a night Sirius knew you had a family function to attend. He swallowed bitterly as he wondered whether or not Regulus would be there. Were you together right now? Did you confess? Was he angry? Were you crying?

Noticing his best friend’s silence, James raised an eyebrow. “Do you? Have a girlfriend or something?”

Sirius knew he could not lie to James, but he debated exactly how much he wanted to delve into the subject. “Or something.” Before he could he stop himself, the secrets were spilling off of his tongue.

When he finished, Sirius wasn’t sure if he felt better or worse. He tried to focus on James’s hazel eyes as they widened at every turn in the story. “Mate… you’re fucked.”

He tried not to ponder at these words too hard in the hopes that he wouldn’t splinch himself Apparating back to his flat. It didn’t shock him to see you there – he had allowed you too much access to everything and he had no intention of taking it back.

Emerald green dress robes were slipping off of your shoulders. With pearls draped around your neck and pieces of hair straying out of your topknot, Sirius could not help but swoon at how beautiful you looked. He wondered briefly what it would have been like if you had chosen him over Regulus. What if there was no foul play? Would you be happy? Or would you run away, as you had with his brother?

He was still tipsy. James’s warnings ran scattered in his brain, ringing like a siren. But they mattered little now that you were in front of him. “How was–”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you interrupted. Then you stepped forward and tugged at his half-unbuttoned shirt, pressing your lips against his. “Make me forget.”

“Consider it done.”

Your bare limbs tangled together as you shared wine-drunk, open-mouthed, sporadic kisses, giggling and whispering words of sensual encouragement. How did you become so in sync in a matter of weeks? Sirius had never fallen this hard. “I’m yours, (Y/N).”

You hummed in satisfaction, fingers wound up in his hair.

“I mean it,” he urged. “I love you.”

You didn’t respond. Strange, he thought to himself. You never hesitated in reciprocating, ever. When he jumped, you jumped with him, no questions asked. He glanced at the clock from over your shoulder and watched it strike midnight. It was the first of September. “You’re due at King’s Cross today, aren’t you?”

You nodded, not meeting his eyes.

He chuckled darkly. All of a sudden, he felt cold and strangled. He wanted to push you far away and yet, pull you close to him so you had no hope of escaping. “Will you write to me?”

“Sirius…”

“Don’t,” he snapped. “Don’t say my name like that. I should have known… fucking snake.”

He hadn’t let go of you. “I’m sorry darling,” you whispered, “but I can’t give up on him yet.”

It was all he had to hear. He couldn’t think of how he was going to recover from this, not when you were lying right in front of him. “I think you should go.”

“M-Maybe someday we can–” “Forget it.” He should have seen this coming from the second you walked up to him in the pub. You had come to him for Regulus and now you were leaving him for Regulus. Yet another bit of happiness his brother snatched away from him. But even so... he was your first and Regulus would never know. He would never know that you lost yourself in him. His no-good elder brother. But none of that mattered now, not when you were going back to him. After all, at the end of the day, you were his.

I should have known. Sirius silently cursed at himself, watching the retreating figure of the girl he had fallen in love with. He should have known that you were always on borrowed time. You were gone quicker than the seasons change, and left with him your sweaty, sun-kissed memories.

PART 2

Taglist: @iwritesiriusly @mads-bri @she-seeks-magic @sarcasticallywitty15 @lunalovecroft @fific7 @u-no-poo

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15-dogs · 3 years

Text

lovely night |r.b.|

pairing: regulus black x reader

summary: when regulus finds hidden letters from sirius after he’s run away with his girlfriend, you admit to something you never thought you would (hurt/comfort, eventual fluff, forbidden love, no war au)

warnings: blood status stuff, underaged drinking (regulus and reader are 18), idk if this needs to be tagged but reader is a muggle born butler/worker for a pure blood family

guide: (Y/N) = your name, (Y/L/N) = your last name

word count: 2.2K

a/n: askjdhs this is my first regulus fic i hope it’s ok we’ll see we’ll see. also!! yes i did draw inspo from lovely night from la la land so the girlfriend sirius ran away with years back is the reader from planetarium so check that out if you want context to the letters!! feedback is greatly appreciated and i hope you like it!!

***

You only did what you had to to get by. Your muggle parents had thrown you out years ago so you had to find a job to support yourself. In the defense of good character and charity, the Greengrass family took you in as their worker. You stayed with them in the private quarters you shared with the house elves and kept your head down when they threw backhanded insults about your blood status at you. Whatever you could do to get by, you did.

As a reward for being so well-behaved at their home, the family would take you out to private events, fit only for the pureblooded families. Many families would bring their attendants with them, just to prove they were not of ill faith quite yet. You didn’t quite care about those intentions, not when you were too distracted by the glamour of the day.

You did have a very rich fantasy life. As Amalina Greengrass’s seamstress, you got to play with her dresses. And what dresses those were. Long, flowing gowns with pale colors which could make anyone look like royalty.

You used to dream about attending those parties in those dresses, catching the eye of a certain young suitor who was quite skilled at the violin. You imagined walking right past him, like he wouldn’t even recognize you in your fancy clothes, but he would do a double take before running after you, spouting compliments and praise and wondering why in Merlin’s name he hadn’t noticed you that way before.

But Regulus wasn’t like that.

Regulus was your friend, dress or rags. Every party you two were forced to attend, you always ended up sneaking off to chat. Regulus would secure a secluded balcony far off in the mansion from the ballroom while you stole a bottle of firewhiskey from the kitchens. That night was no exception.

Regulus sat on the ground, his legs slotted through the railing and dangling over the garden 30 feet down. He looked so pretty in the moonlight, his sharp features finally softening. It was moments like those you knew Regulus wasn’t as scary as he or his family let on.

Against your instinct to stare in silence, you knocked on the open glass door and pushed past the billowing curtains to reveal yourself. Regulus didn’t turn around. You joined him on the balcony, sliding into the spot next to him as you rested your cheek against the cool metal of the railing.

“Fancy seeing you here,” you teased. Regulus didn’t smile.

Now, with you so close, you could see all the details in his face more clearly. The pain you had mistaken for calm flooded his face and soon washed over you. Your stomach turned with an ache for his wellness.

You knew he wasn’t one to talk about his feelings, not when he was stone cold sober, so you untwisted the cap and sloshed the liquid around before passing it to the boy next to you, deciding he should get the first drink. Regulus winced at how much he slugged back but didn’t falter, continuing to drink until amber liquid spilled down his chin.

“Easy there,” you whispered, cautiously easing the bottle away from his lips. Regulus grunted in discontent before allowing you to pry the bottle away from him, your hands slipping over his like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Silence with Regulus wasn’t unusual, but silence when he had something to say was unsettling. He had only completely lost it once, when Sirius moved out and ran off with some girl he met at one of the balls his parents hosted. He did it all with telling his younger brother. And although Regulus spat Sirius’s name with venom he had inherited from his environment, he loved him, and his running away cut so incredibly deep Regulus didn’t know how to control himself.

So really, you could only prepare yourself for the worst.

“It’s a lovely night out,” you began, nudging Regulus with your shoulder. He shrugged. “What a shame it’s just for us.”

Glancing out of the corner of your eye, Regulus frowned. That disquieting look reappeared on his face, although a tad bit more melodramatic than before. Regulus snatched the bottle from you and took a quick swig, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand with reckless abandon, your nerves thrumming.

Regulus finally— finally— turned to look at you, his cheeks reddened in a healthy flush from the alcohol. His shoulder brushed against yours and you looked up, your face nearly colliding with his. Unconsciously, you sucked in a sharp breath and consequently inhaled the scent of the burning liquid off of Regulus’s breath.

“Do you think I’m a good person?”

“Yes,” you answered with no hesitation. He blinked in shock. “Yes, Reg, I think you’re wonderful.”

He sat in silence, studying your face for a tell while you allowed yourself to get lost in his eyes. The moonlight passed over them, giving the deep chocolate brown a plethora of shades and his long lashes cast a nearly invisible shadow which you wouldn’t dare miss.

After what felt like an eternity, Regulus turned his body to unbutton his vest, promptly pulling out a small stack of letters. He dropped them on your thigh with a look of horror before pulling his gaze away.

Before you could ask what they were, Regulus answered you. “They’re letters from Sirius.”

Your eyes bulged. Raising the letter up to your face, you glanced at the contents before shuffling to the next one. “These are all from when he left. Where did you get these?”

“Mum’s dresser. She asked me to get her perfume and I found them in there, hidden.”

Regulus made a limp movement to get the letters back, accidentally slapping them down on the floor between you two. He huffed with frustration as he went to gather them, only picking up a few letters at a time. Regulus ran a hand through his perfectly done hair, freeing it from some of the gel which held it in place.

“She ran away with him, you know,” he began. Regulus looked up, scanning your face for something you couldn’t quite describe. It was deep and introspective, like a man looking at his reflection. “They were so in love they ran away together. I wish I was loved like that.”

You weren’t entirely sure what you and Regulus were. Friends, or something more, you hoped. So that’s why you simply said, “You are.”

His eyes snapped up to meet yours, staring into them for an explanation. He attempted to peel away as he chuckled softly to himself, making you purse your lips in defiance. “No, no,” he started, waving you off, “I mean, I wish I was loved the way Sirius and his girlfriend love each other.”

“You are.”

The silence hung heavy in the night fog. Although you managed to look calm, your heart felt like it could have beat out of your chest. But you knew, somewhere deep in your heart, you didn’t regret your confession for a second. It needed to be said, so it was. And if he didn’t feel the same you wouldn’t have to go on pretending you and Regulus weren’t friends anymore, it would just become normal.

“(Y/L/N)!” a shrill voice shrieked from the horn in the room behind you. “You are required in the parlor!”

You nodded like the caller could see you, gathering yourself and leaving Regulus alone once more. You didn’t dare look back, too fearful he’d see just how vulnerable you were. Yet, the silence wasn’t much better.

***

Typically, you hated checking the portkeys at the end of the night, making sure there were no more left in case a muggle accidentally took one. However, that night you couldn’t have been happier to offer. You needed the fresh air. You needed to be away from that place. You needed to be away from Regulus. So when you descended into the deep blue night, the last thing you wanted to hear was Regulus calling your name from behind you.

“What are you doing?” he called through heavy breaths as he caught up to you.

“Checking portkeys,” you answered curtly. You took a sharp turn down one street, cutting him off and hoping he’d get the message. But of course he didn’t. Regulus continued to follow you, hands clasped behind his back as he watched you intently. “Stop following me.”

“I would if you were going the right way.”

Your steps faltered. Didn’t you go down this street earlier? No, you were definitely in the wrong place. Huffing, you turned around and tried to maneuver around Regulus but he blocked your way.

“What are you doing?” With a cross of your arms, you looked the boy over for the first time in hours.

“Trying to get you to slow down.” Regulus planted his hands firmly on your shoulders and guided you towards a bench beside you, overlooking the skyline of the city. “Look, (Y/N), just look for one second. Look at how lovely this night is.”

It was unfair how beautiful the lighting made him look. You had to catch yourself before you got too caught up in a lost cause so you directed your attention down towards your aching feet, peeling off the cramped shoes you were forced to wear.

Finally, you decided to look up. Regulus was right: it was a lovely night. But lovely nights were made for loving people, and he had made it clear he wasn’t one of those people. Your mood instantly soured. The more you thought about the situation, the stupider you felt. You were asking Regulus Black, the “Pureblood Prince”, to love you back, a measly muggleborn butler.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t say it back.”

Regulus’s timid voice broke the silence and sent a sharp pain in your chest. You shook your head. “So, what? You thought taking me to look at the city would soften to blow?”

He perked up at that. “What?”

You scoffed, standing up, shoes in hand and venom in your veins. “I shouldn’t have expected you to say it back. I misread this, and I’ll take the blame for that to spare you. So can we please just drop it?”

Before he could even process what you had said, you were already walking away from him. Regulus scrambled to your side with a flurry of rushed pleas to make you sit and listen to him for just one second.

“You know what’s funny?” you started, a chuckle toying at your lips. Behind you, Regulus had silenced himself. “That I thought this would work out. I mean, come on, we have to take a look at ourselves for a second, Reg. We know who we are. We know our places. And my place is not with you.”

“Merlin, why not?!” Regulus shouted. Anger reverberated through the hollow street and you were near positive you could almost feel it. The corners of his eyes pricked with tears from frustration. You weren’t over him, you knew that, it was too soon, and seeing him in such a distraught state made you sick.

“What?”

Regulus ran his hands over his face with a shaky sigh. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t mean to shout, and especially not at you. You don’t deserve to be shouted at. I just can’t hear about ‘our places’ again.”

Taking cautious steps towards him, you asked, “Again?”

Regulus sunk into a squat and rested against the pavement, evoking a quiet gasp at the cleaning his elves would have to do to his dress pants. “Amalina thought you might fancy me and told my mother. For two bloody weeks she gave me lecture after lecture about how it would be sickening if I even thought about being with someone of your…”

“Oh.” You sunk to his level, relaxing against the emptied street next to him.

“But I realized how much what she says doesn’t matter.”

Your eyes flickered up to his, wide and full of hope. “Reg, do you know what you’re saying?”

Regulus laid on his back, you following suit, staring up at the night sky. He subconsciously took your hand in his and began to trace the constellations against you with his thumb, sending sparks flying through you.

“I do, I promise, I do. When I found those letters from Sirius, everything felt very...obvious to me. I think I might love you.”

Much to your dismay, you inched your hand out of his as you sat up, causing him to turn his head to look in your eyes. “Please don’t say that. I know you miss your brother but pretending you’re him isn’t the way to get him back.”

“I’ll admit, I thought I was doing that, too. Our love is different than theirs— it’s been there all along. And I quite like our love.”

You waited for him to look up at you, searching for the sincerity in his eyes. Regulus smiled sweetly at you, making your stomach flutter and nerves thrum. Laying back down next to him, you once again took his hand.

“What’re we going to do?”

“I don’t know.” The raven haired boy frowned. “But I think I’m prepared for it.”

As you leaned your head on his shoulder you realized lovely nights were made for loving people, and perhaps you were one of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

if you’re crossed out i couldn’t tag you!!

tags: @aspiringsloth02 @dreamy-clousds @nuttytani-reblogs @anyqueen008 @lunalovecroft @pandaxnienke @for-bebbanburg

#regulus black #regulus black x reader #regulus black x you #regulus black x y/n #regulus black fluff #regulus black fanfiction #regulus black oneshot #regulus black hurt/comfort #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #fanfiction #forbidden love #sirius black #amalina greengrass #original female character #song fic

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fruitcoops · 3 years

Note

eve omg omg omg the jules fic was so amazing!!!! i'm so excited for the rest :))))

Here’s part two of Adventures in Babysitting! The editing was being finnicky, so I’m sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy! Sweater Weather and Jules credit belongs to @lumosinlove!

“Are you warm enough?” Sirius asked as he swiped Jules’ bangs beneath the edge of his beanie. Jules nodded, still sleepy even at seven thirty in the morning. “D’accord, let’s get going. Re, did you let Hattie out?”

“Yep, she’s all set in the living room.” Remus kissed him as he passed, hauling his duffel up and resting his hand between Jules’ shoulder blades to guide him down the steps. “Careful, buddy, it’s slippery.”

“I know,” Jules mumbled. “D’you think it’ll snow?”

Sirius looked up—the sky was still fairly dark, but smudges of thick grey clouds seemed to be rolling in. “Probably.”

The drive to the rink was quiet and peaceful; a six o’clock wake up call was tough even on the best of mornings, when they didn’t have a third tiny person to worry about. Regulus sounded like he was waking as they left the house, and Sirius hoped he’d stick around long enough to say goodbye. Pascal’s house wasn’t far, but Sirius knew he would miss having him around.

“Morning, boys,” Remus called as they entered the locker room.

“Morning,” Kasey yawned, stretching his thigh out. “How’s the kid?”

“Sleepy.”

“Big mood. He’s with Moody again today?”

“Yep. They’ll probably come watch again at some point.” Remus smiled to himself. “Thank you guys for showing off yesterday, by the way. He couldn’t stop talking about it the whole evening.”

“Who’s ready to win a game?” James whooped, barging in and looking far too awake for his own good.

Leo frowned. “Game’s tomorrow, Pots.”

“It’s never too early to get hyped, baby rookie.” James patted him on the head as he passed and Leo scowled.

“I’m not a rookie anymore! Loops is!”

“If I call Loops a rookie, he’s going to make sure I never have children again,” James laughed, throwing a t-shirt to Remus from across the aisle. “Here, I borrowed that a couple weeks ago.”

Remus gave it a tentative sniff. “Dude, you didn’t even wash it?”

“It’s something to remember me by.”

“You’re a walking nightmare.”

“Nah, you love me.”

There was a new intensity to their practice that morning—they had beat the Ravens before, sure, but that didn’t mean they were guaranteed to win this time. Even James centered himself, tapping a puck back and forth with Remus until it was nothing but a blur between them. Sirius didn’t see Jules or Moody at any point throughout their ice time, which left him a little disappointed when the timer went off and it was time to hit the gym.

They all did lighter workouts, more like cool down exercises rather than legitimate muscle-building routines. Sirius let himself fall into the rhythm of squats, pushups, and jump-roping until each beat of his heart aligned with the impact of his feet on the mats. The jingle of his ringtone finally signaled the end of practice and a collective sigh went up.

“See you tomorrow, gents,” Nado said as he stood and stretched his back. Sirius felt the mood change as the pre-game heaviness settling over them like a weighted blanket.

Remus wandered over and gave his shoulder a light nudge. “I’ll shower and get Jules while you finish up, yeah?”

“Sounds good. I’ll be quick.” Sirius pressed their foreheads together in lieu of a kiss before turning back to the rest of the guys as stretches began. “You know the spiel. Get some sleep, carb load, all that jazz.”

“Got it, Cap,” Leo said. He tried for a smile, though he looked troubled.

“The Ravens are a great team, but we’re better. We beat them before and we can do it again. Shake off the weird vibes, okay? We can do this.” We have to if we want to make it to the playoffs, he thought instinctively before reaching over to tap the strip of wooden floor that the mats didn’t quite cover. Nope. No playoff thoughts. Just the game.

Eight minutes and a dozen fist-bumps later, they arrived at the locker room in a jumble of bodies. Sirius paused at the end of the hall and heard more than one quiet ‘awww’; Remus was waiting outside, as promised, with Jules fast asleep in his arms. He winked when he saw them and held a finger to his lips, stepping out of the way so they could sneak past.

Moving over a dozen fully-grown hockey players through a small space was not the most stealthy of activities, especially when all of them lingered to get a look at the sleeping child—it was no surprise that Jules woke up partway through and blinked drowsily at them. “Hmm?”

“It’s okay, buddy, you can sleep,” Remus murmured, hitching him a little higher up. “We’re heading home soon.”

“But I wanna watch,” Jules said, pouting slightly. Kasey made a soft noise and put his hand over his heart.

“You can watch the game tomorrow,” James said in a gentle voice. It wasn’t baby talk, persay, but Sirius had definitely heard him use that same soothing tone when Harry started to fuss. Jules snuggled his face into Remus’ neck again with a hum.

Sirius showered quickly and grabbed his bag, barely checking to see if his stuff was all there before ducking out of the locker room with a final mock-salute to the guys. “How long has he been asleep?” he asked as he picked up Remus’ duffel.

“He was out cold on the PT table.” Remus laughed under his breath. “Moody said he was a firecracker for about an hour and a half, but he came back from the bathroom and found him all curled up.”

“That’s so fucking cute. Did you get a picture?”

“Already sent it to my folks.” Remus carefully set Jules in the backseat of the car and buckled him in while Sirius closed the trunk as quietly as he could. Once they were in their respective seats, Remus leaned over the console and gave him a proper kiss, nice and slow. It sent a buzz all the way down to Sirius’ toes.

The lights were off at the house when they arrived; Jules was fully awake by then and Sirius watched his face fall at the same time his own heart clenched. “Regulus left.”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s okay, we’ll see him tomorrow.” Sirius added the last sentence partly for himself—he tried to keep in mind that Regulus was an adult and had moved out ages ago, but they had settled into their routine so quickly. He didn’t want the house to feel empty again.

“Hey.” Remus’ hand was light on his elbow and he blinked, looking over at his smile. “You alright?”

“Yeah, all good. Let’s get some lunch.” He offered a smile that he knew was weak, but Remus linked their hands all the same and kissed his cheek before getting both their bags out of the back.

Jules was playing hopscotch with the checkerboard of ice patches on the sidewalk; it had snowed while they were at practice, after all. There was a faint bark from inside and Jules gasped happily, racing toward the front door with reckless abandon and pressing his face against the wood. “Hi, Hattie-girl!”

Sirius unlocked the door, bending slightly to absorb her impact as she tumbled into them both and covered Jules’ face in kisses, wiggling to pieces with sheer joy. She sprinted for her toy box and grabbed a knotted rope, trotting back to Jules for him to grab the other end and tug.

“Do we have leftovers from last night?’ Remus called from the doorway when Sirius headed into the kitchen.

“I don’t think so, but we have turkey. How does a sandwich sound?”

“F—uh, really great.” Remus grimaced as he walked in and dropped his wallet on the counter. “I have got to be better about my language. Mom’s still mad at me for teaching Jules to say ‘fuck’, and that was years ago.”

“You had no qualms about teaching Harry bad words.”

“And you had no qualms about being on a desert island without me,” Remus said coolly. “Yet here we are.”

“Touché.” Sirius turned around to construct the sandwiches and felt someone lightly slap his ass. He laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Hello.”

“Hey,” Remus grinned, stealing a slice of cheese from his small pile and hopping up to sit on the counter.

“I don’t know why you do that.”

“Slap your ass or steal food? I do both because I love you.”

“I meant sitting on the counter. You know, where we eat.”

“I like to feel extra tall,” Remus said, reaching for another slice of cheese until Sirius gently smacked his hand away.

“Shortie.”

“Fuck off.”

“That’s a bad word,” Jules said from the doorway with a smile. He looked quite disheveled from playing with the dog.

Remus sighed. “It is, indeed. Don’t repeat it.”

“I could.”

“But you won’t.”

“I could.”

“I’ll tell mom.”

“She’d blame you for teaching me.”

“I’ll tell dad.”

“He’d think it was hilarious, and then he’d tell mom and she’d chew you out.”

Remus rolled his eyes and scooted over to make room for Jules to hop up next to him. Sirius threw his hands in the air. “Both of you! What the hell? Who taught you to do that?”

They shared a glance and shrugged. Sirius was starting to understand why people thought it was creepy how similar he and Regulus looked. “It’s a side effect of being the wiry kids on the block when everyone else is taller,” Remus said, snorting as Jules flexed his skinny arms.

Sirius handed them each a sandwich and, with a heavy sigh, boosted himself up to join them. The marble was cold, but it was…kind of fun to swing his legs and get a few extra inches of height. “I think he likes it,” Jules stage-whispered to Remus.

“It’s not horrible,” Sirius conceded, taking a bite of his food.

“Come to the Dark Side, we have the best places to sit.”

Jules widened his eyes and wiggled his fingers at Sirius until they were all laughing too hard to actually eat, then fell into silence as hunger took precedence after not having anything substantial since breakfast. “Are you good with reading or watching TV for a bit while we take a nap?” Remus asked between sips of water. Jules nodded, still making his way through his sandwich.

“What’re we doing after?”

Sirius paused at the same time Remus stopped halfway through a drink of water. They made eye contact, and he knew they were thinking the exact same thing: oh, fuck, we actually have to do things with a child around. “Uh, we’re…going to the park,” Remus said.

Jules made a happy noise around his sandwich and swung his legs. “Cool!”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Okay, mom.”

----------------------------------------

The park was a winter wonderland, to say the least. Four inches of snow coated the grassy field and weighed down the branches of the trees lining the playfield, where about a dozen kids built snowmen with their parents. Hattie’s breath fogged the window as they parked and her wagging tail lightly smacked Jules’ forehead every few seconds.

Jules was out of the car the second Sirius turned the engine off, grabbing Hattie’s leash and leaping into the nearest snowbank with a whoop. Remus burst out laughing and followed him with a final glance over his shoulder to Sirius.

They were making halfhearted snow angels when he finally wandered over to the snowbank. They looked so peaceful, so content and happy.

Remus gasped when the first snowball hit him dead center in his chest. Jules laughed even harder until the next one landed in the neck of his coat and poured a veritable waterfall of snow down his front. They both stared up at Sirius in shock and betrayal; he grinned and tucked his chilly hands into his pockets.

“Go for the legs, Jules,” Remus advised as he scrambled up, keeping one hand on his beanie so it didn’t fall off.

Sirius barely made it three steps before Jules grabbed him around the shin and nearly tripped him. He did his best not to drag the kid face-first through the snow, but Jules didn’t seem to mind as he hooked an arm around his other ankle and Remus collided with his shoulder, sending all three of them to the ground in a heap. “Ugh.”

“Gotcha,” Jules said, clambering onto his chest with a breathless smile. Hattie, who had come over to see what all the fuss was about, began licking his half-frozen ear.

Remus sprinkled a handful of snow onto his face, slowly obscuring his view until everything was icy and white. “Vengeance is sweet, huh, buddy?”

“Totally.”

Sirius wiped the snow away and blinked up at two pairs of amber eyes. “I surrender?”

“I should hope so,” Remus laughed as he stood up and brushed himself off, offering a hand to help him to his feet. He kissed his nose in consolation as Jules took Hattie’s leash and ran off toward the playfield, where he would no doubt make seven new best friends within the hour.

“Cute kid,” a middle-aged woman with a kind smile said as she stopped next to them.

“Isn’t he?” Sirius smiled as Hattie rolled onto her back for belly rubs from three different kids.

“How old?”

“Ten.”

Her eyebrows rose and she looked at Remus. “You must have been young when you had him.”

“What? Oh, no, he’s my little brother!” he said quickly.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, you just look so similar,” she laughed, clearly embarrassed.

“No worries, it happens all the time. Which one is yours?”

She pointed to a giggling little girl on the swings, whose dark curls were braided back into a poofy bun. “Lena turned twelve yesterday.”

“Aw, happy birthday to her!” Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus’ waist and put his hand in his back pocket, pulling him close for warmth. They both waved to Jules when he looked over and beamed at them.

The temperature dropped rapidly as four thirty came and the sun began to set; soon, the fat flakes of snow grew smaller and icier as they flurried around the park. Lena and her mother left about half an hour before Remus started bouncing on his toes in an effort to keep warm. Sirius considered himself a decent fiancé, so he figured it would be best to not let Remus freeze solid.

Jules was damp and shivering with melted snow when they got back to the house and Hattie immediately laid down in front of the heater vent as he ran upstairs for a hot bath; Remus and Sirius peeled their soaked outer layers off and hung them in the bathroom to dry.

“If he gets hypothermia, mom’s gonna kill me,” Remus muttered as he shook Jules’ scarf out over the bathtub, though Sirius could see the genuine concern in his eyes.

“He’ll be fine,” he assured him with a gentle hip check. “We were only there for a couple hours and we left pretty quick after it got really cold.”

“He was shivering in the car.”

“Re.” Sirius set his coat down and took Remus’ face between his hands. “Jules will be just fine.”

“We would be really good parents.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Not now, obviously, but I think we’d be good parents.” Sudden nervousness shadowed his face. “Sorry, that was way out of the blue. Do you—do you not want that?”

“No, I do! I really, really do but…we’ve never talked about it before. Like, in depth.” I wouldn’t be a good dad. I barely know what a good parent looks like, aside from yours and the Potters.

Remus relaxed. “Oh. Well, I don’t think it would be a great idea to adopt kids while we’re still working full time playing hockey, but in the future…” He shrugged, the edge of his mouth ticking up in a smile. “I think about it sometimes.”

“Me, too.” There was a splash upstairs and they both laughed. “Well, I guess we’re about to have an indoor swimming pool.”

“I’ll get the towels.”

------------------------------------

Sirius was almost done with the dinner dishes when he realized he hadn’t heard much noise from Jules’ room in quite a while, and yet Remus had yet to come back downstairs. He paused, listening to the muffled voices—no, not voices. Just one.

He rinsed the last plate and washed his hands, making a face at the weird soap texture and the ensuing dryness of his knuckles. There were few chores he genuinely disliked, but dishes were one of them.

The door to the guest bedroom was still open when he went upstairs, and a soft light shone out. He stopped in the doorway, a greeting dying in his throat.

“—‘hold it up!’ said Gandalf. ‘And look closely!’” Remus lowered his voice into a grumble as he read Gandalf’s lines; Jules was entranced, though he struggled to keep his eyes open for more than three seconds at a time. “As Frodo did so, he now saw fine lines, finer than the finest pen-strokes, running along the ring, outside and inside: lines of fire that seemed to form the letters of a flowing script.”

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Sirius, flushing faint pink. In the pause, Jules sighed softly. “Why’d you stop?”

“We’ll pick it up again tomorrow night,” Remus whispered, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. “Sleep well, buddy.”

“Sweet dreams,” Sirius added.

Jules mumbled and snuggled deeper under the blankets while Remus set the book on the nightstand and turned the bedside lamp off.

“That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Sirius said as soon as he had closed the door behind them and they walked down the hall to their bedroom. “Was that The Hobbit?”

“Fellowship of the Ring. It’s one of my favorites, and he picked it up this afternoon while we were napping.” Remus pulled his shirt off and sifted through their sheets for his pajama pants. “Did you do the dishes?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks, baby. That was really sweet of you.”

“You were busy being adorable.”

“Shush,” Remus scoffed, though the blush returned to his cheeks as he curled up under the covers and made grabby hands toward Sirius. “C’mere.”

The bed was cold when he laid down, but Remus was warm, and soon they were tangled together as the moon shone through their window. Sirius drifted off to slow breaths and dreams of the future, where maybe—just maybe—their kid wouldn’t have to leave after four more days.

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heyitssmiller · 4 years

Text

Clandestine

It’s here! The Sweater Weather/Coast to Coast Spy AU has officially begun! Thanks to everyone who’s asked questions/thought of ideas/showed excitement for this!! As always, characters belong to the lovely @lumosinlove! And thank you, @donttouchmycarrots for proofreading this!

Here’s the Clandestine Masterlist

Chapter One

Remus Lupin was being followed.

He hadn’t been out in the field for years now, but some habits would always stick with him. Surreptitiously glancing over his shoulder as he walked down the street towards his flat, listening for falling footsteps or sudden noises, and – most importantly – trusting his gut.

He could feel eyes on the back of his head and knew from experience that he wasn’t just being paranoid.

He took a few seconds to think about it, then grabbed his phone, pretending to be oblivious, and called Potter before slipping his phone back into his pocket and keeping his steps even and casual. Sure enough, his follower tried to take advantage of his supposed slip in focus and grabbed his arm. But Remus knew it was coming and caught the assailant by the forearm, using their forward momentum to pin him to a nearby wall.

“Why are you following me?” Remus demanded, breath clouding in the cool night air before he recognized his attacker. Dark curls, dove-gray eyes, high cheekbones.

Sirius Black, a prominent member of the Snakes, the Slytherin mafia. Sirius Black, who was actively being hunted down by the intelligence agency Remus worked for.

Sirius Black, who wasn’t even trying to fight back or break free. For some unknown reason, he was in Gryffindor - where an entire intelligence agency was trying to take him and the organization he was a part of down - and yet he seemed completely calm. Nonchalant, even. As if this were just a walk in the park on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Remus narrowed his eyes at Black. “What’s going on?”

Black reached into Remus’ pocket, pulled out his phone, and ended the call to Potter. “Not here. Do you have somewhere quiet we can talk?”

Remus arched an eyebrow. “Yes, but I’ll need to call that guy back. If I don’t he’ll panic and he won’t hesitate to shoot on sight if he thinks I’m in trouble.”

That wasn’t necessarily true, but Black didn’t need to know that.

After quickly calling Potter back and explaining what was going on, he hung up and led the way back to his flat. He knew that was a better option that going back to Gryffindor Intelligence. If he felt like this put him in danger, he could move pretty easily. It’s not like he had many belongings to begin with. Uprooting the agency would be next to impossible.

“If people end up breaking into my house after this, I will hunt you down.”

“Yeah,” Black scoffed, kicking a rock farther down the sidewalk, then kicking it again when he caught up with it. “You’ve done a great job of that so far.”

“And yet you’re here for some reason. That can only mean two possible things.”

Black had to abandon the rock as they took the stairs up to Remus’ flat. “Oh? Do tell.”

“One, this is a crazy scheme to slowly kill off Gryffindor Intelligence one by one and, for whatever reason, you decided to start with me.” Remus fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his door. “Or two, which is more likely, you need our help. The only question I have left is why the great Sirius Black is stooping to ask us for help.”

He closed the door behind them and watched as Black took in his surroundings. It wasn’t much: a ratty old couch, a coffee table, warm brown-toned walls, and too many dying potted plants.

He really needed to remember to water those.

“I ran away from the Snakes and I can help you take them down once and for all.”

Remus blinked at the suddenness of that statement. This… this could change everything. They might actually be able to take the Snakes down, after years of trying and failing. He had so many questions. What changed to make him want to leave? Why now? But none of those seemed to matter at that moment. There was only one question Remus needed to know the answer to immediately.

“What’s in it for you?”

Black shifted on his feet. “My brother…” He sighed, refusing to look at Remus. “He’s still there. And he’s innocent in all this – as innocent as he can be, in a situation like that. I need you to ensure that you can get him out safely before we take them down.”

“I’m sure something can be arranged.” Remus agreed. He knew of Regulus, of course. It was his job, after all. And he didn’t seem as innocent as his older brother was trying to paint him out to be. At the end of the day, though, it didn’t really matter. Letting Regulus go free, guilty or not, would be a small price to pay for taking down one of the biggest mafias in the country. “What’s your plan?”

For the first time Remus had ever seen, Black smiled. “It’s all in the flash drives.”

Remus called Pots and Moody over; this was too much for him to deal with on his own. James he trusted with everything - it didn’t even cross his mind not to call his friend. He was probably dying of curiosity after that phone call, anyways. Remus wouldn’t have been surprised if he was already on his way to Remus’ flat before he got the call. And Moody could sniff out a liar like no one Remus had ever seen. If Black was lying - about any of this - Moody would know.

James opened the door then, making a beeline for Remus and dragging him into the kitchen to talk to him in private. “Alright, Loops?”

“I’m fine.”

Pots relaxed, but only slightly. “So he just... showed up?”

“Tried to grab my arm on the way home.”

“So you brought him back to your flat? I mean, I know you voted for him as the most attractive in Criminal Choice Awards, but come on, Loops.” He said, referencing the game they’d played with the rest of Gryffindor Intelligence over New Year’s while outrageously drunk.

“First of all, we don’t talk about that game. That was a fiasco and should be considered top secret intel. Second of all, what else was I supposed to do? He said he could help us take down the Snakes. I couldn’t just let an opportunity like that pass us by.”

“Ok, fine.” James agreed reluctantly. “We’ll hear him out, but I can’t promise we’ll do anything else.” He then turned to walk back into the living room and glared at the stranger in the room. “Black.”

“Potter.” Black said with a taunting smile. “How’s the kid?”

“Don’t you dare – ”

Moody walked into his flat with his gun already drawn and aimed at Black. Remus sighed. “Is that really necessary?”

“You can never be too vigilant.” He mumbled, not taking his eyes off Black, who just grinned and sent Moody a sarcastic wave.

“If we’re going to get this done,” Remus interrupted, still clutching James’ arm in a firm grip to hold him back. “We need to work together. So stop antagonizing each other and let’s get to work. Black, you mentioned flash drives?”

Black nodded. “Riddle keeps all the information about the Snakes on seven separate flash drives. I could tell you some of the information, but there’s too many groups and people that I don’t have memorized. If you want to catch all the members and informants and organizations under the Snakes’ control, you need those flash drives. As soon as you try to take the Snakes down, they’ll all scatter and you’ll never find them again if you don’t already know who you’re looking for. Do you have coffee? It’s quite late and this is bound to be a long conversation.”

“I don’t drink coffee.” Remus lied, although he could tell Black saw right through him. “Keep talking.”

He sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, leaning back on the couch to get more comfortable and staring up at the ceiling as he continued in a bored tone, “He keeps the drives in different locations. One he keeps with him at all times. One’s in a safe in his office, and two are with his most-trusted men – Bellatrix and my brother.”

“And yet your brother is innocent?” Remus asked skeptically.

Black glared at him, all sense of nonchalance gone. When he spoke, his voice was deadly. “He’s done more in terms of taking the Snakes down than you have. We’ve been trying to destroy them from the inside for years, but there’s only so much two people can do.”

Remus understood now why people were so afraid of him. That piercing gray gaze was chilling.

“Ok, fine. Where are the rest of the drives?”

Like a flip had been switched, Black reverted back to casual as if nothing had happened. “There’s three in separate safes across the city – one’s in the police station, and two are in safety deposit boxes in different banks. That’s seven.”

James met Remus’ gaze. “Winter? He’s the best at cracking safes.”

Black grimaced. “And there’s our biggest roadblock. The Snakes know who you are.”

“What?”

“All of your active agents, the ones who have tried to take the Snakes down previously, they have files on.”

Moody looked like he was about to have a stroke. Black shrugged. “Their informants are no joke.”

“So what do you expect us to do, if we’ll be recognized as soon as we step foot into the city?” Remus demanded, running a list of their agents through his head and eliminating nearly all of them one by one.

“Surely you have some agents who haven’t gone up against the Snakes yet.”

Remus blinked. “You’re joking. This is your grand plan? That eliminates about ninety-five percent of our candidates. And those five percent left? Maybe two percent are trained and ready to go out into the field. This is a huge op - we can’t just send anyone.”

“You got a better idea?”

“Hang on,” James said, and Remus groaned. He could see that glint in his eyes. The glint that meant he had an idea brewing.

Nothing good ever came from that glint.

“We can send O’Hara.”

“See? We already have a candidate!” Black cheered, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. Remus bristled. “Who’s O’Hara?”

“We recruited him right after he graduated from Harvard last year. He’s got a near perfect memory, and he’s really good with people. He normally does stake outs or reconnaissance and the occasional honeypot.”

“He’d be good for this,” Moody gruffly added. “He can charm the pants off of just about anybody. Makes it easy to get what you want.”

“I think Tremblay would be a good fit, too.” Remus chimed in, thinking it through. They’d work well together. Finn might drive Logan insane, but they’d get the job done. Hopefully. “Bring in some extra muscle just in case things get dicey, which they always do with the Snakes.”

“He hasn’t worked a Snakes mission before?” James asked.

Remus shook his head. “He’s been back and forth between here and Beauxbatons, remember? Since he’s fluent in French.”

“Can he crack open safes?” Black asked impatiently.

“No,” James said, but he was still smiling. “But we know someone who can.”

Remus thought about it for a second, then turned to gape at James when he figured it out. “James, you can’t be serious.”

“Why not? He’s a perfect fit! And the only other person besides Winter who can consistently crack a safe.”

“He’s a kid.”

“He’s not that much younger than O’Hara or Tremblay, and you’re fine with sending them.”

“He’s never even been out in the field before!”

“Winter says he’s almost as good as himself.”

“He’s inexperienced, and he’s going to get himself or one of the others killed.”

“Ok, so then what do you suggest?” James demanded, throwing up his arms in frustration. “Do you know anyone else who could do it?”

Remus stared at him at a loss, much to his chagrin. They’d never had to worry about this before - Winter did all their missions when they needed to break into something. They’d never needed anyone else before.

Now it seemed like their biggest operation to date would be in the hands of a rookie.

After a beat of silence, Moody spoke up. “I agree with Potter. He’s our only option, if the rest of our agents are compromised. We can talk to Winter in the morning, see if he’s ready for this.”

Remus sighed, but didn’t argue.

“I’m sorry,” Black said. “But who are we talking about?”

James grinned. “Nut.”

“That’s his name?”

“Oh my god.” Remus groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

***

Leo Knut (it’s pronounced newt, thank you very much) sat at his work station with twelve different locks in front of him, along with his pick, rake, and tension wrench. He took a deep, steadying breath and started his timer before instantly getting his hands on his first lock.

Insert tension wrench. Use the pick to find the binding pin and set it. Set the rest of the pins. Turn the tension wrench and…

The lock clicked open.

Leo quickly set it down and picked the next one up, repeating the same steps and singing along quietly to the song playing on his phone.

“All I want, all I want is you, your violet disposition, my unsound intuit – aaah!” He shouted when someone suddenly sat down on the bench next to him. “Fuck, Winter.”

Kasey raised an eyebrow. “You need to pay more attention to your surroundings when you’re on the job. Also, you’re tone deaf.”

“Thanks.” Leo muttered, reaching over to stop his timer and turn his music off. “Why are you here so early? Aren’t you usually asleep right now?”

“Yeah, but I got a call from Loops.”

Leo, always one to keep his hands busy, began messing with another lock. “You got another job?”

“No,” Kasey said, drawing out the vowel. “But you might.”

Leo laughed. “You’re kidding.” After a few seconds of silence, he looked back up again. Kasey’s face was dead serious. Leo set his lock and tools down. “You’re not kidding. What the hell? What’s the job?”

“You’d be going after the Snakes.”

Normally, Leo appreciated being direct and straightforward.

This was not one of those times.

“As in the mafia? Those Snakes?”

“Yup.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yup.”

Leo knew of the Snakes, of course. And he knew that Gryffindor had been after them for years, which meant it was a big deal. So why were they putting him on the job and not Winter? He had experience in pickpocketing tourists in the streets of New Orleans and opening locks. He’d only started cracking safes under Winter’s instructions eight months ago. Why him?

“Is Loops insane? This would be my first job!”

“It was technically Pots’ idea.”

“Oh. Well, that makes a lot more sense.”

“Nut – ”

“That’s not my name – ”

“This is big for a first job.”

Leo fiddled with another lock, listening to the soothingly repetitive sound of pins setting. It was familiar, solid ground.

This, though, would be uncharted territory.

“I know.” He said anyways, trying to settle his nerves.

“You think you’re ready for it?”

Leo looked down, collecting his thoughts before speaking. “I’ve got to prove myself somehow, right? What better way to do that than by taking down one of the biggest gangs in the country?”

Kasey laughed. “You’re crazy.”

“I’m from Louisiana – it’s in our blood.”

“Okay, you crazy Cajun. You’ve got your first debriefing at 10:30. Please don’t be late your first day on the job.”

“Who am I working with?” Leo asked, tilting his head. “I mean, I’ve got to have partners, right?”

Kasey just smiled. “Trust me, Nut. You’re going to love them.”

***

Logan and Loops were the only ones in the briefing room so far.

And it was awkward.

Obviously Logan knew who he was – everyone knew his story – but they weren’t talking. The briefing room with the almost-hilariously large table was completely silent besides the occasional rustling of paper or the sound of the air conditioning turning on again. Logan couldn’t remember ever talking to the handler before. Maybe briefly, at that disastrous New Year’s party.

God, that party.

Logan steadfastly refused to think of the New Year’s party.

That is, until a familiar face walked through the door.

The redhead looked up, doe-eyes widening as he recognized Logan. “It’s you!”

Fuck, he was even more attractive now that Logan was sober.

Logan forcefully pushed aside hazy memories of laughing too loud at a story the redhead was telling, cuddled up on the couch with red solo cups in their hands and an almost-kiss as the clock struck midnight that Logan had wanted more than anything. He smiled faintly instead. “It’s you!”

The agent sat down excitedly next to Logan, eager eyes peering out at him from behind tortoiseshell glasses. “How’ve you been? Guess we’re partners now, huh?”

“Guess so.” He said faintly, the word fuck rattling around in his brain on an endless loop.

“I don’t think I caught your name at the party.”

“Oh. Logan. Logan Tremblay.”

“Finn O’Hara.” He replied, holding a hand out for Logan to shake. He then looked over to Loops. “We’ve still got a few more coming, right?”

He nodded reluctantly. “Unless one of you knows how to crack a safe, by any chance.”

Logan snorted, then shook his head. He wasn’t good at small, delicate things like that. Bashing heads in and upper cuts, though... “Nope.” He said simply, leaving it at that.

“Absolutely not.” Finn agreed.

Loops sighed. “That’s what I – ”

The door slowly opened to reveal a tall, blond boy with messy hair and cornflower blue eyes. He looked at the three of them, seeming a little nervous. “Uh, hey. I’m Leo – is this the right room?” He asked in a softly-accented voice.

“Yeah, come on in.” Loops said, which made Leo smile and –

Dimples.

Logan quickly shifted his focus back to Loops as he began to talk again. “Knut, meet O’Hara and Tremblay. They’re your partners for this mission. We have one more person coming before we can get started,” He glanced down at his watch. “But apparently he’s running late.”

“Oh, Lupin, you almost sound concerned.”

Logan’s head shot up at the voice. Sirius Black strode through the door, giving Loops a flirty wink before looking at the three of them. He grinned. “So which one if you is unfortunate enough to have the last name Nut?”

Leo sighed, while the other two fought to keep their laughter at bay. “It’s pronounced newt.”

“Not anymore. You can’t expect people to pass up a nickname like that, kid.”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“What? Nut or kid?”

“Both.”

Black just grinned again. “Not a chance.”

“Are you done harassing our operatives, Black?”

“Why? Are you feeling left out?”

Loops glared at him, but his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Why don’t you start debriefing them instead.” It wasn’t a suggestion.

“Buzzkill.” He muttered, but threw himself into one of the chairs. “You might want to write this down – I’m only saying it once and I don’t have any of it in files or anything.”

Logan couldn’t decide whether he should be impressed or repulsed by the lack of professionalism. He looked over at Nut, who was already waiting with a pen and notepad, clicking his pen repeatedly. Logan gritted his teeth and tried to tune out the noise. O’Hara was just sitting back in his chair, content to listen apparently. Logan settled for somewhere in the middle and grabbed one piece of paper and a pencil.

“Alright, here’s the deal. I’m sure you know who I am: Sirius Black, ex-member of the Snakes, blah blah blah. You get it. Well, I’m here to help you take the Snakes down. All the evidence we need of importing drugs, trafficking, laundering, bribery, blackmail – Christ, this list is long. You get the picture. Everything illegal they’ve done, the evidence is on seven flash drives. We need you to get all seven and get my brother out safely before we can officially take them down. Easy enough, right?”

“This is going to be a long op,” Loops cut in, making meaningful eye contact with the three of them. “I’m talking weeks to months here. We’ve got a lot of intel we still need, a lot of planning to do. And it’s not going to be easy. If you don’t feel like you’re up for the task, speak up now.”

Logan sent a surreptitious glance at his new partners. O’Hara looked excited at the prospect of a mission like this. Nut still looked nervous, but his eyes were determined, focused.

They all stayed silent.

“Perfect. Then let’s get started.”

#lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast #coops #sirius black #remus lupin #o'knutzy #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut #clandestine

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starsandmoonys · 4 years

Text

The Black Brothers

This is Angsty as fuck. all the warnings, literally, at your own risk. but y’all asked me to post so here you go.

***********************************************************************************

Okay, it’s more of a fic idea rather than a headcanon.

Basically due to the status of the house of black. I’d like to think that the black brothers had their own dorm in Hogwarts, a fully furnished room with two beds for both boys in the Slytherin dungeons.

Sirius was supposed to get sorted into Slytherin and stay in it, and the following year he’d share it with Regulus. But alas, that didn’t happen and Sirius got sorted into Gryffindor, stayed with James, Remus, and peter.

The dorm was left empty till the next year when Regulus joined and got sorted, now only one bed. His own room with no one to bother him, just like back home. Except he wanted Sirius to be there. He couldn’t understand why his brother would abandon him like that.

Sirius understood what Reg must’ve felt like and started to sneak into the Slytherin dorms almost 4 times a week after his and Reg’s classes just to spend time with him.

He Showed up the first day of school after the sorting and found Regulus curled up in bed, crying. Regulus wanted to go home, he didn’t want to be alone. He was destined to spend all his school years in that room in a different house and he hated it. He hated every single second of it.

Sirius promised him that day that he’d always be there, whenever he can. He won’t let Regulus stay there alone. It would be like they’ve never left home minus Walburga.

They would help each other with classes, Sirius sucked at potions, and luckily his brother seems to be an honorary student in it. He would give Reg practical tips and training in DADA and Transfiguration. Talk about Quidditch. Sirius was more than proud when his brother got the seeker position in the Slytherin team. “You’d be playing against us, I’ll tell James to go easy on you.”

They would talk, play, vent, and cry about letters their mother sends (mostly to Sirius). Regulus gets a lot of nightmares. So just like home, he needed Sirius around him.

Sirius spent the nights there, in that room. He rarely slept in his own bed. The rest of the boys would question his absence, he told James and asked to borrow the cloak when he needs it to facilitate sneaking in and out of the dorms at night.

They came out to each other one night during Sirius’ fifth year. Sirius was ranting about Remus, how he drives him insane, etc. When Reg jokingly said,” Are you sure you’re straight, Siri?” that’s when Sirius just looked at him and some sort of realization hit them both. “I’m gay?” “You’re gay!” and they just hugged. Regulus promised no one will ever know about it until Sirius is ready for that step. To offer insurance, he told Sirius that he doesn’t really think that he has feelings or has ever felt anything towards anyone. Both ways.

Sirius told him that he could be Aromantic and that if he is, that’s absolutely fine. It doesn’t mean that he lacks feelings because Regulus feels more than anyone he knew. And that he’s not broken. They just cry a lot that night. Each one with his own demons to battle. But at least they had each other.

Sirius stayed with Regulus 24/7 after the prank incident when everyone in his world seemingly hated him. Reg would read muggle books to him and beat him in chess. And sometimes let him win.

This routine happened during most of their years at Hogwarts, the marauders knew about it. McGonagall and Slughorn also knew but no one dared to argue with the boy.

Regulus was a priority to Sirius and everyone knew it.

Until the summer before the sixth year, when everything fell apart. Sirius ran away. He did it again. He left him. He left him again. He didn’t look back at what he was leaving behind, at who he was leaving behind. Regulus couldn’t get over it. He knew Sirius abandoned him again. He didn’t know how to forgive him. Why didn’t Sirius think about him? Why didn’t he take him with him? He felt like he didn’t really matter to Sirius that much. He chose the Potters, just like he chose Gryffindor all those years ago.

The first time Sirius showed up to his room during the Sixth year, Regulus couldn’t control his anger. He lashed out at him. “We’re not brothers, you’re not a Black. Now, get the fuck out before I call Slughorn” Called him a traitor. Not a blood traitor, he didn’t really care about those values, no, Sirius betrayed him. He broke the promise. He kicked him out. Asked to never have to see him again. Not even in the hallways. Despite all his pleas and apologies, Sirius left that dorm feeling worse than when he was kicked out of the Grimmauld place.

Despite all the anger that Regulus felt, he would never allow anyone to shit-talk his brother. He would straight up pick up fights with anyone calling Sirius a slur. He called Sirius brave for what he did. He didn’t hate on Sirius for leaving that wretched place and having different values. He looked up to him and he wanted to go with him. He can’t now, he was alone, with them, and a very dark future ahead of him.

Sirius never left though. Because he knew Regulus wasn’t okay, he wasn’t okay either. His friends were being great but he missed his brother.

Sirius borrowed the cloak every night, sneaked out in the middle of the night. He just hid under the cloak and sat on the floor next to Reg’s bed, for hours. He needed his presence. Just to be there. He cried a lot because he could hear Regulus having nightmares and he couldn’t do anything. He’d just kick him out again.

Regulus figured out what was happening later on, in Sirius’ seventh year. He never minded. He was awake. Sirius was awake. Each one just being silent. They just stayed there. No one talked. Sirius being under the cloak. And Regulus on the bed lying on his back.

It was Reg’s last year. Sirius wasn’t there. He left Hogwarts. Joined the resistance. He’s fighting for the good side. Regulus wanted to go to. He wanted to be part of the Order too. He stayed in that room, reading the letter his mother had sent him. He would be taking the dark mark. Nothing twisted his heart like that letter. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to write to Sirius. He wanted him to tell him it’s going to be alright. But he knew it won’t.

Nothing will be alright. There is no turning back. He’ll be one of them and he’d be hated. Sirius would be ashamed of him.

He took it, he let the dark lord mark him, with his family around, celebrating him. Like he’s some kind of a hero. He wasn’t. He was the lowest of the low. He would look up to the sky and watch that certain star. “Please, help me” he would whisper. But he was never answered.

Regulus was writing the note. He knew was he was about to do. It was death. But he didn’t care. He believed anything would be better. He can’t live with himself. He wanted to burn it off, cut his damn arm. But then he would know and it won’t end well.

He figured since he’d either die this way or another. He would go trying to do something good. Just one step closer to the fall of the dark lord. He drank the potion with one person in mind. And was dragged in the water with one last thought. “I hope you’re proud of me.”

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catboylupin · 3 years

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hii!! I reread eclipse and transit and it reminded me of you r/s who loves who more post and I have So Many Thoughts.

In reference to who loves who more: I definitely agree that Remus loved Sirius more, but I also think that (during the first war) Sirius was wayy more invested in the relationship. Here's the thing 1) Sirius spends most of the first war trying to accept the fact that he'll probably have to kill his family, and I think he feels really guilty for leaving Regulus behind; plus, he's (sort of?) losing James. Remus is honestly all he has, and I think (because of his insane abandonment issues) Sirius thinks he has to do Everything he can to keep Remus around. I also think that this is why he never confronts Remus about being the traitor, because he's really projecting what happened with Regulus onto him, and he thinks that if he loves him enough, Remus will stay for Him. It's a very "I can fix him" mentality. (sort of going off topic, I also think that this is why he goes crazy and tries to murder Peter after the whole thing, because to Sirius, that's another person he couldn't get to stick around). Sirius loves Remus, but more than that he needs Remus to love him/convince him that he's enough. 2) Anyways, moving onto Remus: yeah he loved Sirius more, but I think he was very much on edge during their relationship; waiting for Sirius to end it, ruin everything etc. I think Remus has this really complicated relationship with power (he's felt powerless for most of his life), and on some subconscious level he feels guilty/shameful for loving Sirius, because of the whole Prank thing. I don't think Remus ever really forgives Sirius for the prank (not until the second war), and that's always hanging over their relationship. This is why I think he's terrible at giving Sirius what he needs (it's like that Siken quote, "if you love me Henry, you dont love me in a way I understand"). I think he spends most of their relationship holding back because he doesnt want to give Sirius the power of knowing that he loves him.

Both of them think that they love the other person more, and both of them dont trust the other person to love them enough. Like yeah, Remus loves Sirius more but Sirius NEEDS Remus more. Like if they broke up, Remus would survive, but Sirius would go off the rails etc.

ALSO, moving onto a slightly diff topic (sorry this got long, I'd just LOVE to know what you think, tenderlupin favorite blog my beloved <3) I think that for their relationship to work, they have to break up atleast once. In any AU ever, they're insanely toxic when they initially get together and there's alot of insecurity over where they stand with each other (does that make sense?). Their relationship during the lie low at lupin's era is definitely healthier (which is saying something, considering the circumstances) and I love love love fluorescentgrey's take on it (grounded my beloved). And yeah, they keep ending up together, but it's not because theyre perfect for each other but because they literally cannot escape each other.

It's very soulmates, red string of fate etc.

- remusgirlbosslupin xoxo

hiiii oml this was such a Gift to wake up to and i basically agree with you/ think this is a very interesting interpretation of their relationship. and it’s funny you mention eclipse and transit because there has been a discussion as to why Anyone would want to read a Fic In Which One of Them Cheats.... and idk i just like things that r a little harrowing/ when remus gets to be a massive asshole.

Anyways i think you’re right in that they both have commitment/ abandonment issues, and that sirius brought a lot of his familial baggage into the relationship. a lot of his obsessive feeling towards remus stemmed from his deep and soul crushing love for him, but also this rabid need to be loved/ love others, he sort of had a hard time being alone. and we see from his relationship with tonks that remus is afraid of being loved. i don’t think that remus would handle a break up better than sirius would— like as afraid he is about being vulnerable/ letting himself be loved, he still derives so much of his happiness/ self worth from being loved (as demonstrated by how he’s described in an old photo of the order shown to harry, that he looks so so happy just to have friends/ be accepted). and yeah: i think that the war really took a toll on james and sirius’ friendship (i think james grew up faster than sirius did, and sirius sort of felt left behind)

when they first started off, they were very insecure about where they stood with each other (is it just about sex? does he actually love me? are we only doing this because of the war?). and YES they needed to have broken up at least once... and it’s heavily implied in the books that remus became very distant from the others near the end of everything, and i think that included being distant from sirius... but their relationship during the second war was a lot different/ healthier (like you said, grounded by fluorescentgrey my beloved!!!)

so yeah i don’t have much to add!!! thank you!!! that was super interesting/ big brained and brought up a lot of things i hadn’t thought abt before !!🍊💕 💌

#sorry that this is all poorly worded/ not very insightful!!! but i love thinking about all the ways in which their relationship was. um.#influenced by their respective backgrounds.#i might have more to add later when i am more. awake.#long post #sorry idk how to add breaks on mobile #asks #meta

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ashesandhackles · 3 years

Text

Inferius

(They are corpses that have been bewitched to do a Dark Wizard's bidding)

(i)

To the Dark Lord

His brother may call him an idiot for believing in their parent's spiel, but Regulus Black was never a fool. He understood what was going to happen when the Grimmauld Place went a week without fights, in deadly silence that he didn't have to keep to his room, or the basement (when things got uglier between his brother and parents) anymore. He understood the phrase calm before the storm better than anyone, and eyeing the ugly resentment on his brother's face during the meal, Regulus decided to spend the rest of the day in the basement.

Kreacher was the one who came to him in the night with sandwiches after the muffled shouting from upstairs had stopped, and said, "Master Sirius ran away."

Regulus nodded, throat dry, "Good riddance" because he couldn't have said anything else, he knew where his brother was going to go. He knew what it meant, (he is going to be the heir, no longer the shadow, the spare) and yet, it curiously felt like a sting of betrayal and abandonment.

The night when he ordered Kreacher to come back after the elf's service to the Dark Lord, he had kept the elf in the basement within his own blankets as the elf tried to calm his violent shivering, a curious ringing in Regulus's ear and the phrase calm before the storm struck his mind again. He was scared, the same fear he felt when he had watched Sirius spit blood in the basin. He asked his brother, furiously back then, "Why do you keep provoking them?"

"Because it feels good" Sirius had replied, wiping his mouth. The curious ringing in his ear happened then, and he knew what was going to happen before it did. He wasn't prepared then, for his brother leaving. He wasn't prepared for his instincts to be right. But he had to be prepared now, he owes it to this elf who had paid for his foolishness, for his trust in Dark Lord and if he was right, because this time he was sure he was, because as they say, truth is bitter, betrayal burns and both of them are churning in his system, and what he was about to do never felt more right.

He is not the child who hides in his basement so that he cannot see the evidence of his parent's cruelty, he is not the child who will ignore Dark Lord's cryptic sentences about his immortality, he is not a child who does not feel the horror of what he has been asked to do in name of an ideology. So when Kreacher wakes up, Regulus asks him quietly, "What happened?"

This time, he was prepared for his instincts to be right.

(ii)

I know I will be dead long before you read this

Mulciber had Regulus Black in a chokehold, he probably would have spit in that arrogant face that now looked so much like Sirius Black's that he would have happily choked the younger boy to death. However, this boy looked much thinner and almost ghostly, as if he hadn't eaten or slept for days, and whatever his resemblence to his blood traitor brother, he liked the kid until he chokes, "Fuck..", he struggled against the hold and decides to put on a sneer, "..you".

"You are rethinking your loyalties? Right bit of coward, aren't you, Regulus? Blood traitor like your brother to boot," Mulciber had gotten what he wanted when the offense at being compared to his brother, once again, registered in the boy's eyes. The kid seemed to want to protest his difference from his elder brother, but the moment had passed and Regulus Black said nothing.

With enormous satisfaction, Mulciber let him go, and Regulus massaged his throat and started to laugh, a hollow, desperate sound of a madman, "What a little piece of gormless shit you are, Mulciber. And a fool - I am betraying the Dark Lord? He is going to betray us all. All of us, every last bootlicker."

Mulciber snarled, "The moment you are disloyal, you are marked for death Regulus. Our disloyalty would be paid for by our life. You knew that as soon as the mark had been branded to our skin."

The boy's grey's eyes narrowed and he seemed to spit with spite Mulciber didn't know he was capable of, "And yet, Mulciber, he wouldn't have any qualms treating you like a throwaway servant. Forgive me if I have a bit more pride than that. I have had enough."

Mulciber gnashed his teeth, "Listen to me, he will kill you. Or he'll make one of us kill you. If this is the time you have chosen to worship your blood traitor brother's path, then you are going to be sorry. You are going to get yourself captured, tortured and killed, hopefully not in that order. You are the heir of the most influential pureblood family - surely you know what happens?"

Regulus's eyes were cold, as if he was calculating something. Mulciber thought the kid looked rather like a corpse already. How pitiful.

When Regulus spoke, it was a whisper, "I do. I really do", after which he promptly wrenched the door open and left. That was the last Mulciber saw of the young heir.

(iii)

but I want you to know it was I who discovered your secret.

He was thirsty, so thirsty- he crawls to the edge, ignoring Kreacher's sobs. Why was he doing this? his tired brain demands an answer. Why?

This was a moment of glorious Gryffindor heroism, he would have thought. He is doing what his brother would have done, he had been born to replace his brother again, and again. To be an heir Sirius refused to be, to be a Death Eater because that is what is expected of him and that is what he believed in, he was the much better son and heir the Blacks deserved but not wanted.

So he cups water in his hand, because even in the tale of glorious heroism, he is playing the part his brother would have done, and now he was forever resigned to play his shadow. He could hear Kreacher sob harder when hands from the water grabbed him- but for one infinite, one brilliant moment, he realised. Sirius would have never been put in this position in the first place, because Sirius isn't foolish enough to join the Death Eaters. This strike against the Dark Lord, a covert strike of a follower who had been disillusioned, like a docile snake rising from the grass, so Slytherin, was completely his own. The thought made him smile as bodies dragged him underwater.

(iv)

I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can.

Regulus's fingers broke the surface, he had been clawing ferociously at the water as if it was a wall he could climb, he opened his mouth to scream, to ask someone to help him and when his mouth formed the words, water rushed in, choking him.

A little part of him is glad the water cuts off his scream, because he knew whose name he was about to scream to come and help. Because that was the name that had been screaming in his head for days since Kreacher's return, Help me, Sirius!

The dead hands were pulling him under and his life was dwindling out of him,the blackness covered his lids, he could feel the hands choke him, (to be one of them, to serve the Dark Lord by protecting the fake locket he had planted) and that little part of him is glad he is dying like this, and not by the Dark Lord's hand.

He didn't think he could have tolerated the fact that his last second of life would be spent staring at the end of the Dark Lord's wand, the man who was going to betray them all, the man who cares about nothing but his own power.

Regulus had known his death was looming the moment he made up his mind, and yet, he struggles with Inferi as if he wants to live.

Help me, Sirius.

(v)

I face death in hope that when you meet your match,

If Mulciber thought he'd been in this position with the half breed pointing his wand between his eyes back during Hogwarts, he would have laughed himself hoarse. And yet, when he looked at the deranged face of Remus Lupin who looked more like a beast than a man at the moment, the fear of God was knocked into him. Remus Lupin's voice was both a desperate demand and a threat, "Where is Regulus Black?"

How the hell should I know? Mulciber wanted to say. Did you ever see this coming? The Dark Lord gone because of -good lord- an infant, and Sirius Black thrown into Azkaban for betraying the Potters. For all Mulciber knows, the world had gone mad. He could hear Regulus's sneer in his head as he stared up at the half breed and started to speak. Remus Lupin looked like he wanted explanations as well, from him, from anyone, to understand how the world had gone bleeding mad.

"Tell me where he is"

(vi)

you will be mortal once more.

No one knew where and what happened to Regulus Black, (except Kreacher but no one thinks to ask a house elf) and no one would recognise him if they did.

Not even the long awaited Dark Lord's equal, because all the bright green eyes saw was a grey, decayed dead body attacking him along with the mob (if Regulus Black were alive, he would smirk at the irony, oh the allegory of it all).

And briefly, briefly, within the ring of fire which the rest of the Inferi's collapsed against each other to move away from, Regulus Black's body recognised the light.

R.A.B

*Note: Lupin makes an appearance because he gave Harry information about how Regulus managed to stay alive for few days after defection in HBP when talking of Karkaroff's death. He obviously got that info second hand. Sirius's info is also second hand : "From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, panicked and tried to leave-". Hence the Mulciber scenes.

#regulus black #sirius and regulus #the black family #kreacher #regulus and kreacher #black brothers #sirius black #inferi #inferius #horcrux #remus lupin #posting old fanfics on here #with some tweaks #harry potter fanfic #regulus black fanfics #regulus black oneshot #hp fanfic #hp characters #character study

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fandomsyoulove · 3 years

Text

All the events that lead to Sirius running away from his family.

Sirius Black x reader, Sirius Black x Potter reader, Regulus Black x reader.

Summary: A ball in Grimauld Place doesnt end as expected either for Sirius Black or Lena Potter, James´s sister.

Author´s note: Okay, this is a part of a story Ive been writting lately. I never post what I write, but I just felt like sharing it. If someone wants it I can upload more parts. Thank you xx. PD: Enlgish is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes.

Words: 3200.

Lena breathed deeply standing in the mirror. Regulus had invited her to their family yearly ball and she was mortified. She was so done with that family, they were ruinous, bad people. Her mind drifted to the two brothers. Regulus would be glad she was going, and she also felt that Sirius would appreciate it. After their rendevouz in the Room of Requirements their friendship was as strong as ever. She would spend more time with the Marauders since then, distancing herself from her Slytherin boys, to the Gryffindors joy. She knew how bad the two boys had it and wished time and time again that she had any power over them and she could just bring them home, away from those irresponsible parents.

It was not only Walburga and Orion that she had to worry about, it was also Bellatrix, and Narcisa's boyfriend, Lucius. Pureblood supremacy talk was the usual take in these events and she really dreaded to go. How in their right mind would want to spend hours in the same room as all of those racist supremacists? It was tiresome, to say the least. Still, as always, she couldn't help to want their approval. So she had bought a green dress with some straps on the back. It was silky, and she hoped to blend in. Obviously, she had Reg in mind. She wanted to make an impression on him. They had been together for the whole year and she felt the need to constantly live up to his standards. Of course he had the same pressure, they both shared it, that's why the two had to be perfect.

Ever since the room of requirements incident, in which Lena and Sirius had almost kissed each other, on multiple occasions, she had tried not to think about his words. That confession she was not supposed to have heard. Well if it had been for Sirius, he would have woken her up and told her. But she knew he had his brother to think of. And so did she. Thats why she concentrated hard in being his friend now more than ever. She figured that if she was to keep on with these confusing feelings, she would have to maintain their friendship, not talking would just make her want to see him even more.

All of these thoughts clouded her mind as she was putting on her make up. Her lips a bright red, his eye shadow dark. Just in that instant, his brother made an appearance.

- My, my, sis you look stuning.- he complimented her as he turned her and the dress lightly swayed.

- Thanks, James.- she smiled and soon James turned serious.

- I need to ask you something. - he pleaded, the girl just nodded asking him to continue. - Can you please have an eye on Padfoot?- he asked preocupied for his friend.

- I will, dont you worry. He is my friend as well.- she responded taking his hand.

- I know, I know. Its just, I wish I could be there with him. He never talks about it, just curses his mother over and over again. - the girl nodded.

- I know, dont worry about that. You are a good friend. - she was quick to reply.

- I try.- he smiled once again, hugging his sister before they made their way out to where their parents were hanging out.

- You look absolutely gorgeous.- Euphemia Potter took her in.

- Thank Merlin Regulus is a chivalrous kid.- Fleamont raised his brows.- You really are stunning, Lena. - he complimented. She smiled once again, lightly caressing her curly short hair so it would fall into place.

- I better get going.- she finally spoke making her way to the fireplace.

- Grimlaud place 12.- she shouted, careful not to get ashes on her dress.

When she arrived, the room was abandoned, except for Sirius Black.

- Lena!- he greated smirking as always. He quickly hugged her, not really taking in her appeareance until they backed from the other. His hand grabbed hers.

- You look so amazing! That dress fits you in every place.- he spoke bewilded with the girl who had a large smile on her face.- I wish it were red but hey, at least it has a slit on the leg. - his eyes roamed over her, who was already red from all the blushing.

- You look great as well, Siri. I mean you usually look good, more than good. But that tunic is working miracles.- she began talking, not knowing what had come over her.

- Be careful now. One would think that you wanted some of this.- he gestured to himself. The girl laughed loudly, and suddenly, Regulus was at the door. The two quickly separated.

- Reg!- she screamed, hugging him tightly, not noticing Sirius threatening expression.

- I thought you couldn't be prettier, guess I was wrong.- he looked at her adoringly, just as Sirius had a few moments ago.

- Well I thought the same, none of us was right.- both laughed before kissing. The older brother gagged behind them before making his way to the ball on the living room.

- I missed you.- she spoke while she caressed his face. He smiled at this, finally in comfort in her hands.

- I did too, more than you know.- he replied grabbing her hands and linking them over his chest.

- Well, we shouldn't keep the others waiting should we?- she smiled, trying to cheer him up.

- We will leave them breathless, even Cissy and that Malfoy.- he replied and both laughing made their way to the ball.

The black hall was decorated with plenty of silver and green decorations. Lena stared at the room in awe, and also a little bit disgusted. It was dark, with the black walls and all, the only light coming from the gigantic lights.

The two tried to walk with confidence. Her hand on his, holding it tightly, reasuringly.

Soon everybody's atention was on them. Some compliments from Walburga, Orion being proud of the Slytherin colours, Narcissa loving the hair. All viewed by a lurking Sirius that already had a glass of wine in his hand.

- You love her, dont you?- his favourite cousin stood next to him, in a gorgeous black dress.

- I dont know what your talking about.- he tried to play it cool, drinking some more wine.

- Cmon, Sirius. It is quite obvious. You cannot keep your eyes from her. - she replied, trying to get him to confess.

- Maybe I do. But I cant do anything about it.- he said lowly, dwoning yet another cup, this time champagne.

- It is a terrible situation you find yourself in. Both options ahead of you, you can try to be the good brother, or go for the girl. - she reasoned.

- Where is Ted?- Sirius tried to change the topic but his tone was harsh.

- Shhh, keep quiet will you?- she pleaded hoping that no one had heard.

-Ah, but that is a terrible situation.- Sirius spoke bitterly. To which his cousin just replied.

- I dont care that you are heartbroken, dont mention him here. That is a very sensible topic.- she spoke, serious all of a sudden.

- Im sorry. Alcohol and anger are not a good mix.- he tried to sound remorseful. The older Black understood and just left him.

Over and over again Sirius cursed himself. He should've told her over the moments he had this past year. Why hadnt him? How could he let this happen? Lena was dancing gracefully with Regulus, both laughing at something she had said. His hateful parents stared at the couple grinning. Lena and Reg were the perfect couple and everybody knew it. How could he have allowed this to happen. It should be him, dancing with her. It should be him making her laugh. It should be him, who his parents would gaze at with pride.

But there he was, already having a few too many drinks. Making a show of himself, perpetuating the view his family had of him. It was crazy how much he despised every single one of them. He wanted to take the girl, runaway with her and never turn back.

A few hours passed and nothing seemed to change. Every once in a while his parents would scold him for drinking too much or asking him to stop sulking around. But what else could he do? When the girl he adored didnt leave his brotherss side.

Even Andromeda was dancing with the couple, seeming to be very close with the Potter. Slytherin budies, Sirius thought. He felt betrayed, miserable, this was unberable. He needed to leave, he could only hope that the night would end soon. But oh how wrong he was.

- It seems like you are having a great time.- the only moment he had taken his eyes off her, she had made her way towards him.

- Haha, youre funny. - he resorted.

- Cmon, Siri. Ive seen you all night only moving to grab more drinks. You are the life of the party.- she continued to joke.

- Well this is hell. - he added staring at her with anger.

- I know, right?- she replied laughing to which he raised his brows. - What?- she asked taking his cup and drinking from it.

- You dont seem too bad with Reggie and my lovely parents.- he said bitterly.

- How have you sneaked firewhiskey in here?- she wondered taking another big gulp from it, without ackonwledging him.

- shhh. - he tried shutting her up, but her laugh was contagious.

- Oh Cmon. - she laughed again grabbing his arm.

- Lena, Ive had way too much to drink and I see that you are served as well so maybe try to lay off the booze. - his attempt at being responsible was cut off by the girl.

- Im not that bad, you aren't either. Now, we should dance.- she reached for his hand.

The boy just stared at the gorgeous girl, this was his dream, wasn't it?

- Cmon, Reg is dancing with your mum and I really dont want to dance with your father. So please.- she pleaded with puppy eyes. Sirius felt like he couldnt move, not saying a word, his eyes fixed on her. - Sirius, are you with us?- she asked when she didnt get a response. Finally, breaking from his trance, the boy took her hand and smiled.

- Ive been waiting the whole night for you to ask me to dance.- he whispered in her ear once they linked arms at the dance floor. She just smiled, squeezing his hand tighter. He, in response, gripped her waist. She found it hard to breathe, not daring to look at him. Soon they were waltzing around the room. Neither could say a word, only the music could be heard. Their eyes fixed on the others. They moved gracefully, without paying much atention to the rest. They didnt notice the stranged look on Sirius parents, or Regs anoyed look.

- Im sorry. Ive tried to come to you a few times, but Reg wouldnt allow me to leave his side. - she finally spoke as a slower song played and they continued moving through the hall.

- Dont worry, the wait was worth it.- he replied, and another smile crept into her face. His grey eyes on her hazels. Suddenly, Sirius turned her around, and when they were back face to face, she noticed his stern look, she mimicked him, not knowing if she had done something wrong. - I dont like Regulus treating you like that. - he stated, his eyes everywhere but on her.

- He needs me, Siri. - she quickly replied as they tilted to the side. - Besides, I knew I would be able to see you after some time. - she added. - If I really had wanted to, trust me, I would have come. - Sirius frown became wider.

- I knew the wait would make this more worth a while.- she whispered in his ear, her lips barely centimeters away. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes, smelling her perfume, she was so close to him.

The song ended abruptly and they separated to applaud, still gazing at the other.

Andromeda made her way towards them looking stunning.

- Im sorry darling. - she referred to the girl. - I havent danced with my cousin for the whole night. Would you mind?- she pleaded, looking at the younger Black that still hadnt processed what had happened.

- Of course, Drome.- she said lovingly to her friend. - Ill leave you to it.- she added smiling, her hand reaching for his arm for a few seconds.

The boy turned quickly when she walked past him, but soon, his cousin moved his head with her hands to fix his gaze on her.

- You are so in love.- she smiled, her dark eyes filled with love for him.

- I cannot help it. - he turned them around so he could stare at her once again. - She is perfect.- he added, lovestruck. His lips parted, adoration clear in his eyes.

- I dont know how this will turn out, but either way Im invested.- Andromeda joked, messing with Sirius hair, making him turn towards her annoyed, but smiling deep down.

A few more hours passed, without much trouble. Sirius had some laughs with Andromeda, Lena was able to dance with him for another long while. He supposed this was the best he could have expected for the night. Of course some of the firewhiskey he had drowned in helped too.

Everything seemed to have turned out fine in the end. That was until he heard Malfoy speak. He had tried to avoid listening to them, staying as far away as he could from them. But he was next to his cousin that was tying her shoe when he heard a name too familiar to him.

- Take Lilly Evans, she is a mud-blood, but she tries to seem smarter.- Sirius was used to them boasting about blood superiority, he could pass that, knowing that if he reacted, only Andromeda and Lena would help him.

- She is a know-it-all. But when we put them into place, theyll know what is good. All of that intelligence wont be worth much.- Bellatrix added, disgusted.

The boy balled his hands into fists, his breathing erratic. If James were here, he wouldnt allow any of this. How could he? He was no better than any of them. He was sick and tired of this. Next to him, Lena appeared grabbing his hand.

- I cant wait for the day those people dont atend Hogwarts. The school would be just as it should be, without mudbloods. Just as Salazar Slytherin would have wanted. - Lucius agreed with the Black sister. Narcissa keeping quiet.

Andromeda stood next to the couple, also trying to think what to do. Sirius parents were on the other side of the hall, with Regulus, talking with some ministry people. The boy felt the anger boiling in him, his heartbeat racing.

- Malfoy, the school wont be perfect until you are gone.- he quickly made his way towards him, the two girls following him.

- Ah, blood traitor, you are the next, after the clensing of the mudbloods. - Bellatrix hissed at him, Rodolphus joining them.

- Im so ashamed to share your last name.- Sirius resorted, going towards her, wand in hand. But Rabastan stepped in front of her and Lena grabbed his arm.

- Sirius, its not worth it.- Lena tried to reason with him, pleading him with her soft gaze and calm voice. The boy began calming his breathing before turning around.

- A blood traitor and a coward, you have it all, dear cousin. Why Orion and Walburga put up with you scapes my knowledge. - Bellatrix lunged for him, ending in Rodolphuss arms, holding her.

- Shut up you crazy bitch!- Sirius didnt have time to think about what he was doing, before grabbing his wand again.

-Sirius!- Lena shouted but he was already gone.

- You dare talk to me like that? Gryffindor.- his cousin kept trying to get him angrier.

Soon Sirius and her were face to face, wand at the other. Everyone had turned to them, including Sirius parents. Their son had his back towards them, one look from his wife and Orion knew what to do.

- Expeliermus!- Sirius ended up on the floor, his wand on the other side of the room. Bellatrix and Lucius laughed while Walburga began shouting at his son.

- What the hell?- Lena screamed, having too much of this family, quickly reaching Sirius.

- Are you okay?- she asked taking his head on her hands, supporting him on her knees.

- My head hurts.- he exclaimed, his hand reaching hers.

- Leave with me. - she pleaded, tears on her eyes. Both stayed like that while the party ended.

The people from the ministry left, and soon only the closest Black family members stayed. Regulus made his way towards the two, after being scolded by his mother on how Lena had acted.

- Lena, you have to go. - he tried grabbing her arm standing, but she yanked him away.

- You should leave. Both of you, come with me, now.- she begged time and time again, her vision now blurry.

Both Black brothers saw her in distress, not knowing what to do. While Walburga cursed his son, and Bellatrix accompanied her, Sirius took her hands and moved them from his face.

- Its okay, Lena. You dont want to be on the other end of her rage. - he said lowly. Regulus just stared, not knowing how to feel.

- I can´t leave you here.- she said between sobs.

- Ill be fine, I always am, arent I?- he tried to smile to the girl that held his heart. She nodded before helping him up.

- I love you.- she whispered in his ear as she hugged him goodbye.

- I love you too.- he responded, before she kissed his cheek.

Then, drying her tears, she made her way to Regulus that was still in shock. When she reached him, he reacted, leading her to the living room. None could speak, both feeling too many things all at once. Rage, horror, impotence, love. They didnt even share a single touch on the way.

- Bye, Regulus.- she said bluntly before turning for the chimney.

#Sirius Black x reader #Sirius Black x Potter reader #regulus x reader

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