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kquil · 3 months

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DIVORCING ORION BLACK

⌈ A Marauders Era Fix-It-Fic - featuring Reader as Walburga Black but better ⌋

LAST UPDATED : 01/03/24 | [dd/mm/yy]

SERIES SUM. : You wake up in pitch blackness and under excruciating pain. It isn't too long before you realise that you've been transported into the world of Harry Potter and that you've taken the place of a familiar villainess - Walburga Black.

You need to escape the toxic Black family. You can only do that by divorcing Orion Black AND YOU'RE DEFINITELY TAKING THE KIDS!

UPDATE SCHEDULE : on the first day of every month, a new chapter will be posted at 9am GMT time ; the first chapter is the only exception ;)

CHAPTERS :

i. ARRIVAL

you take a familiar villainess' place, but it's all just a dream, right? (special thanks to @thebestofoneshots for beta reading this chapter!)

ii. SHOPPING (1/2)

life isn't easy in the Black Family household, you need to get out, you also need a new wand. Sirius does too as well as a few other things; time to go shopping.

iii. SHOPPING (2/2) iv. ... v. ... ...

DISCLAIMER : please read

TAGS : son sirius black/mother reader ; son regulus black/mother reader ; isekai au/transfering worlds au ; walburga black is evil ; not reader though hehe~ ; hurt/comfort ; fluff ; platonic fluff ; second chances ; reader basically adopts remus, barty crouch jr and peter pettigrew ; peter pettigrew redemption arc? ; but he never betrays the marauders in the first place so... ; remus gets a better life ; reader becomes a semi-political figure to help werewolves + house elves ; reader assumes a male alias ; alternating chapters from different povs directly effected by reader's actions ; reader is a powerful independent business woman and single mother ; reader is a milf ; reader secretly hates dumbledore ; reader hates orion black ; reader hates JKR (we all do) ; divorce ; mentions of child abuse (physical and mental and emotional) ; mentions of neglect ; angry reader ; canon jily ; mentions of wolfstar ; regulus being a precious baby ; sirius has his moments too ; reader being a powerful trio with minerva and pomfrey ; reader potentially adopting the black sisters (bellatrix, andromeda and narcissa) ; reader adopts everyone! ; there'll be ocs ; reader leaves to live her dream cottagecore life ; happy ending! ; i'll add more tags in the future

TAGLIST : @katdahlali @skepvids @agent-tempest @timhalamet @lovelybaka @cherrysxuya @ttulipwritezz @ireallywannasleep127 @cloudlst @fortheeeefics @younmey @googie-jeon @unstablereader @cassie6392 @kneelforloki

@enamoredwithbella @arcanumofthestars @bookworm124 @sonics-atelier @yours-truly-maya @honkravenous @theunwcnted @venuseuripedis @fredsbetch @iciel @anuncalledbridge @turtlesareeverywhere @b-i-h-i @crispymoonperfection @amethyistheart @whodis-26 @empress-simps @smaryamsstuff @thoughtfulpandamentality @maraudersgirlie @dragon-chica @darkcademiasss [35/50]

SERIES TAGLIST : OPEN

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batwingsrosa · 1 month

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Snape and what a victim is supposed to look like.

Or: The reason you all hate him so much while making up excuses for other characters!

Would he still be so despised by the fandom, if he had been portrayed as weaker? As more emotional?

No, i don’t think so.

Others have said this before and i have to agree with what they said:

Y‘all are angry, because he is not the perfect victim.

He is not what you would expect a victim of abuse and bullying to look like.

He is confident.

He is strong.

He is sharp.

And he is bitter.

He is so, so bitter.

he harbours resentment.

He does not forgive those who wronged him.

When that is exactly what you would expect from a victim, is it not??

A victim is supposed to look weak and behave weak and to suck it up.

And to forgive.

When you tell people they have to forgive their tormentors, do you really tell them that so that they can heal?

Or…. so you don‘t have to deal with the mess?

Maybe, so you don‘t have to adjust your world view?

People are not obligated to forgive their tormentors.

It doesn‘t matter if they have changed.

What matters is how they made the victim feel.

And if the victim feels if they can forgive them.

And if they chose not to forgive, they turn in something else in your eyes.

They turn into the hater, the bully, the bad guy.

Bacause the victim is supposed to forgive and forget and let it go and not be bitter about it.

A victim is supposed to turn into a good person.

To learn from their experiences to be kinder to others.

To not treat others like they have been treated.

They are not supposed to not be able to let it go.

And if they are not able to do that, well then there‘s something wrong with them.

If a victim doesn‘t turn out the way they wanted them too, well - then they had it coming from the beginning and they probaly deserved what happened to them because they would have turned out bad either way!

Snape is the opposite of what a victim is supposed to be like.

Severus turned into a resentful and bitter adult.

He was never able to move on and heal from his trauma.

And at the same time, he knows who he is and what and doesn‘t make up excuses for his behaviour and instead just accepts himself the way he is.

And that is what makes you so fucking mad.

He turns into an asshole and is not sorry about it.

He is openly resentful and at times hateful.

And he is not fucking sorry about it.

And it makes all of you mad because that is not what is supposed to happen.

And let‘s not lie to yourselves- if he didn‘t have greasy hair and a hooked nose- you would look at him from an entirely different angle.

Like you do with Tom Riddle, or Regulus Black or Draco Malfoy.

#severus snape #pro severus snape #harry potter #always #anti james potter #anti marauders #redemption arc #pretty privilege #victimhood #severus #tom riddle #draco malfoy #regulus black #sirius black

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wolvesandshine · 2 months

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AU where Lily got sorted into Slytherin and became best friends with Regulus cause you know they would hit it off. Anyways fast forward a couple of years and Regulus is basically gathering information from Voldemort as a spy and passing it to Lily and together they find out about the horcruxes so they go on a horcrux hunt and obviously they’re going to be successful cause have you met a more fearsome and competent duo?? Anyways once they win the war they go to Dumbledore and (very petty but well deserved) say that they accomplished more at 19 years old in the span of two weeks then he did in decades

#this is the canon i’m choosing now #also lily my beloved #you can even throw in a snape redemption arc in this if that’s your thing #regulus black #marauders era #marauders era funny #marauders era textpost #harry potter #jegulus #marauders #james potter #starchaser #sunseeker #jegulily #lily evans #regulily #jily #severus snape #marauders era fanfic

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petrerpkr · 8 months

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Jegulus is just a Jeverus in a slightly different font. Marauders fans already push severus' entire personality into regulus nowadays

#anti jegulus #screaming into the void #harry potter #Jeverus #i like Jeverus its a fun ship but its a bully/victim ship with slowburn Redemption for james #but jegulus makes no sense to me?? james its more weirdly obsession with Sirius and severus to really care about Sirius lil brother #james in canon loves lily #in his weird possessive way #and Obsesses over snape #he really doesn't give a shit about regulus #like i get the marauders fans cant read and ignore canon #but they really do just make up shit for their favs #anti marauders

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stargazingtranquility · 1 month

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I love Redemption Arcs for Regulus, but tbh I also love unapologetically bad guy Regulus, too.

Like don’t get me wrong. Him turning on the Dark Lord and realizing he was wrong and reconnecting with Sirius to save the wizarding world is so cute. But what about him not?

I lowkey love thinking Regulus is just some shithead nepo baby with very little morals and respects only when it’s earned. He didn’t leave Voldemort because he realized blood supremacy was bad. He left because Voldemort was immoral and while Regulus doesn’t have a lot, there are still some he abides by. Voldemort disrespected Regulus, and the House of Black, by returning Kreacher the way he did. He disrespected magic and the laws of power by creating horcruxes. Regulus didn’t have an “aha” moment where he realized Voldemort was evil and needed to be stopped. He had a choice to let the slights against his upbringing and station in society pass, or to seek retribution. I love the idea that if Regulus survived, he wouldn’t have just disbanded the death eaters. He would have been a smarter Dark Lord. He wouldn’t have gone about Willy nilly killing muggles and muggleborns. What’s the point? He would want order in the magical world to make sure muggles were kept out. He would’ve implemented documentation for squibs who leave the wizarding world and families of muggleborns so they wouldn’t be able to spill secrets. It would’ve been a “do as I say, or die trying to stop me” in the most political upheaval that wizarding Europe has ever seen. Sometimes that’s fun for me to think about too.

#marauders #regulus black #having multiple headcanons is fun #but also redemption reg is so important to me #unpopular opinion #???#I dunno man it’s 4am and I’m thinking about regulus black as my lord and savior

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swiftiesforpeeta · 10 months

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just came to the horrifying realization that sirius and regulus are just zuko and azula with Death

#sirius black #sirius and regulus #marauders #prince zuko #azula redemption #atla #just stared at a wall for 10 min #siblings #sibling angst #fictional characters #please help

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zeherili-ankhein · 2 months

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My Opinion on certain dead wizards Part – 1

Regulus Black:

Was he a complete saint?

No. He was from a blood supremacist household and had same believes as them for most of his life. He idolized Voldemort and and joined the death eaters, which I think was on his own choice. But he did change his views later on his life and atleast tried to stop Voldemort.

Died in a cave alone drinking potion that shows you your worst trauma and making you feel guilty and then being dragged by dead brainless creatures into a lake. One of the worst ways to die imo.

But was he a complete douchbag?

Now here we have to keep in mind how a person's family background and views can shape that person's own thought process.

It is clearly obvious his parents had fed him all the muggleborn hate things since he was a baby, even more since Sirius turned out to be a rebel. So ofcourse it must have had a huge impact on him.

Clearly he grew up to become the perfect pureblooded son his family had taught/wanted him to be, and to a certain point he even agreed with his family.

Did he deserve redemption?

Yes. Even though he had practically been a Voldy fanboy since forever because of all the above factors, in the one year he spend being a death eaters he had s change of heart. Most probably witnessing all the horrible inhuman shits they actually did.

Something to be noticed – It is canon the process of creating an horcrux is so disgusting the editor vomitted.

Regulus had found out about the horcrux and must have done enough research to know how they are made. So he atleast had his own morals of what is wrong and what is right. He was a Slytherin, and Slytherins are known for following their own rules.

So he did what he could have done at that time and sacrificed himself. Would he have lived should he have been given a second chance? Yes.

(Here I am doing a little comparison with Snape)

His realisation came a lot earlier than it did to Snape. Whose only motivation to be in the light side was because he felt guilty for Lily's death.

But Regulus left the dark side on his own and not because of someone or something. Sure Kreacher was there, but Kreacher had already returned safely and there is no canon proof he did all this just because of his house elf.

I think he deserved redemption more that Snape.

Do I like the fanon version of him?

Debatable. Some of the versions of him in fanon makes sense and I have no problem with them. But some are straight annoying.

Portraying him as a helpless boy who was forced by his family into all the bad things he did or a edgy ray of light boy just takes away the entire point of his redemption.

He will only deserve redemption when he have already spent some of his years being a shitbag.

Regulus x James?

Ohh God!! NO PLEASE NO! I can go on for ages about why don't like them together.

Like if you ship this stay 5 km away from me.

It's just not in his ( or neither James') character to fall for each other.

What makes you think an initially arrogant so called 'blood traitor' Griffindor who had no problems with werewolves or muggleborns will love a initial blood supremacist who believed in Voldemort's views? And vice-versa. That also in their teenage years, the prime time of showing both of their different values.

It's just so annoying.

His relationship with Sirius?

I think they used to be quite close when they were kids but for sure had lots of arguments because of all the Sirius being a Gridfindor rebel thing and him believing his family values.

Might have atleast felt a little bad when Sirius left home and they deserved a chance to reconcile.

Do I love him?

Yes. He had so much potential to be a complex redeemable character if he was written about more. He was grey and that's what makes him great. Atleast in my eyes.

He is one of my favourite characters.

Do I have any headcannons about him?

Ummm quite a few, like

I like the idea of him and Pandora being friends but I also think Pandora was a bit older that him like by two or three years and was in Ravenclaw. So it's interesting how I see him befriending an older Ravenclaw student.

I like to believe both him and Sirius had inherited their looks from their mother, thus making both of them look a lot similar.

He very often got lost in thoughts and would constantly need to be pulled back, because his head was kind of a mess.

There are more but they are minor ones and irrelevant to this post.

Whom do I fancast him as?

On this one I completely agree with the fandom.

It's Timothee Chalamet as R.A.B for me

#regulus black #sirius black #james potter #anti jegulus #anti snape #regulus is to afraid to do the right thing #he deserves redemption #slytherins #anti severus snape

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elysian-writing · 10 months

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there’s been so much discourse recently about the forgiveness of some of the death eaters and like. they’re fictional characters?? they are literally names in a book. just because someone likes a certain character does not mean they condone the actions done in the book. either way, people are allowed to feel however they want about characters, so nobody should be getting attacked for liking, or disliking a certain character, because in the end, the characters are fake, but the people behind the screens are very much real.

#marauders #death eaters #character redemption #regulus black #barty crouch jr #evan rosier #severus snape

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quillkiller · 6 months

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i like how i claim to be anti j*gulus when my second favorite marauders fanfic ever written literally is…. a j*gulus fic…..

#i am anti jegulus tho sorry❤️#i used to like them and i have some fics i still adore but the ship itself does absolutely nothing for me sorry<3 #they’re just very uninteresting to me like a ya y/n type beat #however i will read mt friends jegulus fics bc i love everything they do #i dont HATE jegulus i just in general dont care for them #i want regulus as far away from the marauders as possible #i want him surrounded with his own friends and a partner that reg doesnt have to adjust how he talks about his brother #love me a black brother redemption…..keep jegulus out of it………let reg thrive on his own and not with. his brothers friends……#cant imagine anything worse personally

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endversewinchester · 8 months

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Hi!! Would you consider doing jegulus as your secondary pairing on a little bit of magic? maybe like just as a crush or something??? just please???

Hi anon! I'm happy you're enjoying the story. The fact you're asking me this tells me you missed today's update, probably because ao3 is down.

The short answer is no. And don't take it as hate, I think it is great you found something you enjoy in this fandom. But jegulus makes absolutely no sense to me.

I understand that the marauders fandom is going through a "canon doesn't matter" phase, but I couldn't agree less. When I post those fics I do it because it brings me joy to write about characters I grew up with, with their personalities, tastes, relationships...

And you could say "but cami, wolfstar isn't canon either" and you'd be absolutely right. But Remus and Sirius have a pre existing relationship in the story, and there are even book quotes that hint at Remus having a (most likely one sided) crush on Sirius. It is one thing for me to bend the story a little further in ways that are canon compliant. It's something else entirely for me to change who they are, as the current fandom has the habit of doing very carelessly imo.

But this is getting long, so anyway. No. No jegulus. At least not in a romantic sense. Not here or in any of my future works. Jily will always be my go to as far as Lily and James are concerned. You are welcome to stay and see how Regulus' relationship with his brother will turn out, though!

#not going to tag it as anti jegulus bc I think that would be rude #but anyway #my fic #circus au #wolfstar #jily #regulus gets a redemption arc in canon #and my stories are canon compliant #so we'll see where he lands

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lwkshrav · 9 months

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I'm sorry but I'm a Barty crouch jr and Evan rosier hater like no they're bad ppl idc if Barty killed his dad he's a fucking death eater and let's be so honest Regulus isn't uwu kawaii he's literally Snape but failed his job like Snape is in some way better than Regulus and like I still hate Snape and so idk why we're pretending that doesn't happen and I keep seeing ppl hating on Lily bc jegulus like no..

#and i saw a comment being like oh i only see jily fans hating on regulus more than jegulus fans hating on lily but like regulus was bad?#he was a death eater???#like #there are plenty of reasons to hate him bro #like yes redemption arc wtv but dont tell me that i need to be nicer #harry potter #sirius black #remus lupin #idk #james potter #regulus black #lily evans #severus snape #marauders #jily #jegulus

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kairospy · 7 months

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Wait 👀 I thought I knew canon Reg pretty good, how do we know about him being slightly shorter than Slughorn?

I ADORE your posts!!! You’re saying everything I’ve been too shy to say. Thank you thank you thank you!

hi!!

You know that horrible, terrible, nightmare-inducing pic of Regulus from the movies?

The actor that played Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) is 1'88 cm, so roughly 6'2, and in that photograph they're standing side by side and Regulus doesn't look much shorter than 2 inches (~5 cm) at most.

I'm grasping at straws here, honestly, but everyone in the Black family is described as tall (Bellatrix is literally around 6 ft, and so is Sirius in the books), so Regulus being tiny would make no sense

And thank you so much!! I've honestly just reached a limit, seeing people speak of his character like he'd be someone with social anxiety and fear of setting boundaries and nonsense of the sort. It's true he's 90% fanon made, but let's at least be honest and not project this much -- it wouldn't fit at all into the context we have of the Black family (and what little we know of Regulus from canon)

#kairospy answers #regulus black #marauders #black brothers #noble and most ancient house of black #regulus arcturus black #dead gay wizards #regulus and sirius #lets please write over this ridiculous “regulus is just a little guy with anxiety” narrative #he sat at meetings with death eaters AND VOLDEMORT from age 16 VOLUNTARILY #“he had no self esteem”…… are you sure… are you sure.#he thought he was the shit #walburga fueled this man's ego like a fire to ensure he wouldnt change his mind and follow sirius. im so sure of this #they were both abused but sirius endured much more of the emotional sort #if anyone's self esteem took a hit it was his!! imagine being shamed and hurt by your parents for being yourself #sirius deserves a happy life away from that house #and regulus deserves a redemption arc thats not “oh i actually never wanted this and cry myself to sleep”.#thats just not how it'd go after two decades of that lifestyle #i want to see him struggling to be a better person but trying anyway #james seeing the potential. “it might take time but i could give sirius his brother back” and then falling in the process #sorry for this fucking rant jesus #im done now #(i'll keep posting about this until i'm banned from the internet)

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batwingsrosa · 22 days

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There are characters in this franchise who did not let themselves be bit by a three headed dog to protect a stone or ran through the castle in their nightshirt upon hearing someone scream.

Or agreed to spy on the most dangerous person on earth withoutht gaining anything.

With the prospect of being tortured and killed if they were ever found out.

Who risked being exposed by trying to save Lupins life at the battle of the seven Potters- eventhough they hated that man.

Who ignored forbidden activities their students did so they would not be punished by the deatheaters(,the carrows).

Or who lept out of a window so they wouldn‘t have to hurt his colleagues.

And still Severus remains the most hated.

To quote another post i can‘t find anymore:

„These are not the actions of someone who does not care.“

His actions show, that he cared deeply for the safety of his students and colleagues.

And still he is treated worse that Bellatrix or Barty or Regulus or Draco or Lucius.

When he was the most caring and devoted and human all of all of them.

Make it make sense.

Actions speak louder than words.

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midnightstargazer · 10 months

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Why I Like Regulus Black

Regulus Black is one of my favorite Harry Potter characters, and I want to talk about why. I feel like there's a frequent misconception that people only like him for superficial reasons or in ways that are contradictory to canon, so here's my take on what I find interesting about him and why I think he appeals to me as a character.

Just to be clear upfront, this is not:

An argument that Regulus was a totally good person and did nothing wrong.

A criticism of other morally gray characters or their fans. I am not interested in playing the "only my problematic fave is valid" game.

An attempt to speak for Regulus fans in general. This is my opinion only.

All that being said ...

I like morally gray characters.

Regulus is not the first character I've liked who's done things I would absolutely not condone in real life. I don't tend to like straightforward "pure evil" villains (e.g., Voldemort) except in a "love to hate them" sort of way, but I often end up liking anti-heroes and more nuanced villains.

I also tend to have a very positive view of redemption arcs. That doesn't mean I think every villain can or should get one, or that they're all to my liking. But the potential for one is usually going to make a character more appealing to me, not less. I like the idea that people are capable of growth and change. Of becoming better than they were. And I tend to be pretty flexible on what sort of characters I'll consider redeemable. There are limits, but "teenager who joined the wrong side, quickly changed his mind, and then died trying to back out" is very much on the "not too far gone" side of the line for me.

I'm a fan of the Black family in general.

I don't love all of them, but the family dynamics and backstory are really interesting. Regulus is not even the most obscure name on the family tree who I have headcanons for. Not even close. *gestures vaguely to not-yet-posted WIP about these ladies*:

Sirius and Andromeda are other favorites of mine. I love their narratives of breaking away and taking control of their own lives. Regulus's story is a bit different. He stays behind. He tries to be exactly what his family wants. I imagine both he and Narcissa would be strongly affected by having an older sibling disowned, and all the more careful in their own choices as a result. I almost certainly find Regulus (and quite a few others in the family) more interesting as part of these family dynamics than I would without them.

Getting a bit personal for a moment ...

I grew up in an ultra-conservative area of the United States* and bought into some crappy ideas as a teenager. Not in an intentionally hateful or ignorant way, just in a "most people I know agree on this, so I guess it's true" kind of way. When I grew up, moved away, and went to college, I ended up rethinking a lot of things and forming my own opinions. So the idea of realizing you've been wrong, breaking away, and having to figure everything out all over again as a young adult? I find that super relatable. That's probably a part of why I like Andromeda and Sirius so much.

Regulus, in canon, doesn't do that, or only does it on a very limited basis just before his death. But there's the potential to explore that angle in canon divergence stories. It was very cathartic for me, in my first "Regulus lives" fic, to stick him in a situation where he's separated from the negative influences and slowly starting to question stuff he's taken for granted all his life.

*although my family was actually way more chill than a lot of my friends, teachers, neighbors, etc. For instance, they were fine with letting me read Harry Potter.

How I see Regulus

Now we're getting more into headcanon territory. Regulus is only described second-hand; he never actually appears on the page. So, naturally, fans have interpreted him a million different ways. If I'm going to talk about why I like Regulus, I should probably also mention what my take on him actually is.

I see him as being driven by a strong sense of duty. He wasn't forced to join the Death Eaters, but he knew or believed his parents would be proud of him for doing so and that played a part in his decision. When he chose to turn against Voldemort, he kept it a secret from them in an attempt to protect them (that part is strongly implied in canon).

Despite those loyalist tendencies, I also imagine him being stubbornly independent, trying to take things on alone rather than ask for help. The horcrux is a perfect example of this. He didn't tell his family, any friends he might have had, or anybody on the opposite side of the war. He went after it himself, alone, with just a house-elf for help and without letting anyone know what he was doing. There's probably an element of pride in this, but I'd say also a level of distrust, a feeling that there's no one he can rely on and that he doesn't want to show weakness.

I think it's reasonable to assume he shared the Death Eaters' prejudices and committed crimes for them. But I do imagine him as a lesser evil, so to speak, compared to people like the Lestranges. The way Sirius describes him - an "idiot" who was "soft enough to believe" their parents - is not flattering, but very mild compared to what he says about other family members. There's nothing to imply Regulus was a really cruel, bloodthirsty sort of person, and I find it hard to believe Sirius would be so quick to shift the blame for his choices to their parents if he had been. And there are other signs as well. Kreacher said Regulus believed that Voldemort would "bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns," which is awful but stops short of what actually happens when Voldemort takes power in Deathly Hallows. And, of course, there's his relationship with Kreacher.

House-elves are a whole other can of worms I don't want to get into right now, but I do think Regulus probably treated Kreacher better than their society would have expected. I'm not saying he was Hermione-level enlightened. He probably didn't see him as an equal or spend his free time campaigning for elf rights. But when the full story of Regulus's death is revealed, it's made clear that he was fond of Kreacher and upset by what Voldemort did to him. He literally drank a potion that caused him extreme agony rather than ordering Kreacher to do it in his place. That doesn't make him a totally good person, but it does hint at a softer side to him and a sort of nuance that isn't typical of the Death Eaters.

He clearly knew what a horcrux was and strongly objected to finding out about the locket, either on the basis of "that's crossing a line" or "actually, the Dark Lord probably shouldn't live forever." Or both. I've seen people question why a Death Eater would have a problem with horcruxes, and I suspect some of them wouldn't. Bellatrix, for instance, would probably be overjoyed to know she was entrusted with a piece of Voldemort's soul. But the idea of horcruxes being repulsive even to many Dark Wizards is actually foreshadowed a bit in Half-Blood Prince, where the author of Magick Moste Evile warns his readers against them. So I do think Regulus was probably not thrilled to find out he was working for someone who had one.

There can be multiple factors in why he did what he did: anger about Voldemort's treatment of Kreacher AND objection to horcruxes AND possibly doubts and second thoughts that had been building up already, since Sirius knew nothing about the specifics but was sure he died trying to back out.

Now, going after the locket on his own, without telling anybody who might have an interest in stopping Voldemort, was not the smartest decision. And I don't see his death as something that should be glorified. I've seen people claim that his redemption arc is more valid because he gave his life, and I disagree with that take and actually find it to be very troubling. Redemption Equals Death can work if it's a meaningful self-sacrifice, but Regulus's death didn't really accomplish much other than getting him killed, and if he had lived longer he might have been able to do more to atone. Like actually destroying a horcrux, for instance, or providing info to the Order.

But still, the fact that he did anything at all is a big deal. The fact that something - or multiple somethings - seemed wrong to him, and given the choice between "a lifetime of service or death," he decided he still couldn't keep serving Voldemort? That's huge. That says something important about who he was as a person. A weird combination of a damaged but not completely absent moral compass paired with an unexpected sense of integrity and courage.

Final thoughts

Most of what I described in the section above is personal interpretation, and there are other valid takes on what might have been going on. But I tried to keep it to just what I think can be reasonably extrapolated from canon, not random headcanons that I'm happy to admit I pulled out of thin air or adopted from fanon.

I see a lot of interesting contradictions in Regulus, and specifically, a lot of positive traits turned bad. Loyalty and dedication towards a family and a cause that don't deserve it. Capacity for kindness that remains so undeveloped it never actually leads him to question his prejudices. The willingness to admit he was on the wrong side and the courage do something about it, but it ends up being a pointless self-sacrifice.

I see him as someone who isn't inherently evil, who could have been a good person if he'd been brought up differently. Someone who might very well have changed for the better and made a positive impact if he'd survived. And yet whose life ultimately amounted to very little. I don't know about you, but that strikes me as a tragedy.

It also screams "opportunity" to the fanfic writer in me. I love "what if?" storylines. I love fleshing out characters who were not well-developed in canon. Regulus has hints of a personality and storyline that I find really interesting, but isn't a main character or developed enough that I feel like the story has already been told in a satisfying way in canon. That's exactly the sort of character I'm likely to end up reading and writing fic for, etc.

#Regulus Black #Harry Potter #morally gray characters #redemption arcs #meta #cw discussion of bigotry

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