second chances

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/50286298.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Relationships: Regulus Black/James Potter, Regulus Black & Sirius Black
Characters: Regulus Black, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter
Pettigrew, Mary Macdonald (Harry Potter), Lily Evans Potter, Pandora
Lovegood, Marlene McKinnon, Barty Crouch Jr., Evan Rosier, Dorcas
Meadowes
Additional Tags: Age Regression/De-Aging, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Healing
Inner Child, Black brother bonding, Sibling Bonding, everyone loves
little regulus, Regulus Black is a sweetheart, didn't think i'd have to say
this but no there is not any pedophilia?, love that i need to clarify that,
Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Abusive Walburga Black,
Child Abuse, regulus has a baby blanket because i said so, POV Sirius,
POV James, pov regulus, slight smut at the end
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-09-23 Completed: 2023-11-02 Words: 34,438 Chapters:
10/10
 second chances
by introvertedhufflepuff

Summary

when Regulus is hit with a rogue spell that sends him back to a 6-year-old, Sirius is forced to
face their adversities and grow past their animosity.

Notes

this may be the most self-indulgent thing I've written ever. It also helps me heal my inner
child tremendously. I hope you guys like it <3

come chat with me on tumblr!

come scream about nerdy things with me on tiktok

 Chapter One

“C’mon, Reg, you can do better than this.” Barty chides with a teasing smile. “DADA is
supposed to be your strong suit! I’m obliterating you!”

Regulus grits his teeth, his hand tightening around his wand as he sends a curse Barty’s way,
smirking when it nicks the other boy’s shoulder. Barty’s right, though. He’s distracted. He’s
been distracted since this morning.

His mind flits back to the howler he received earlier that day.

“Regulus Arcturus, you have disgraced us yet again. You’ve been spotted with not one but
two queers and your grades have slipped! I may as well put you in the same boat as your
traitorous brother. I will not accept this. Get your act together or we will have words at
Christmas.”

The entire Great Hall went silent for a full minute after it ripped itself up. Regulus’s hands
shook as he stood, his gaze unwittingly straying to the Gryffindor table where Sirius was
sitting, watching Regulus with an unreadable expression. Regulus nearly walked over,
desperately wanting to just collapse into Sirius and break down. He couldn’t, though. His
parents were counting on him. It was his job to continue the Black legacy.

It didn’t matter that it was the last thing he wanted.

While he was distracted looking at Sirius, Regulus failed to notice James Potter standing
and walking over to meet him at the entrance of the Great Hall.

“Hey, Reg. You okay?” James asked softly.

Regulus had the childish urge to scream. Why did it always have to be James? Why couldn’t
he just leave Regulus alone and go flirt with Lily Evans? He was like a leech that would
never leave Regulus alone, an infuriatingly attractive, stupidly idiotic leech.
“I’m fine, Potter.” Regulus spat venomously.

James bit his lip, his eyes searching Regulus’s. “Alright. We’re celebrating Moony’s birthday
on Friday. You’re more than welcome to come.”

Regulus sneered. “I’d rather die, honestly. But enjoy your festivities.” He spat before
shoving harshly past James.

He could feel the weight of Sirius’s gaze the entire time.

He snaps back to the present when Barty catches his shoulder with a stinging hex. He hisses,
hand going to rub his shoulder lightly.

“You were off in your head again. Stop thinking about the Howler, alright? Your parents can’t
forbid you from seeing me and Cas, and if you’re that worried, we can start hanging out in
private.” Barty says with searching eyes.

Regulus huffs out a breath, just barely stepping out of the way of one of Lockhart’s spells.
Christ, that guy could not aim for shit.

“Yeah, I know. We’re not changing anything. I’m not giving up you and Dorcas because of
one measly Howler. She doesn’t scare me that much.” Regulus says, his voice wavering
slightly.

Barty gives him a look. “Right, well–”

He never finishes that sentence because, in the next second, Regulus is hit with one of
Lockhart’s spells, sending a hot flare of agony through his entire body before everything goes
black.
~

Sirius is barely keeping himself awake in History of Magic when McGonagall barges in with
a tight expression. Her eyes find him immediately and he winces, internally wondering what
he’s done this time. He counts off the recent pranks they’ve done, concluding that she found
evidence of him rigging the showers in the Slytherin locker room to spray dirty water.

“Mr. Black, if you could come with me, please,” McGonagall says, not sounding angry but
more… worried.

He exchanges wary looks with James, whose eyebrows are crinkled with concern from his
seat beside Sirius. They silently communicate through expressions, concluding that neither of
them has any idea what this is about.

“Is there something the matter?” Sirius asks as he quickly stands.

“Let’s discuss this outside.” She gestures for Sirius, so he follows.

Once they’re in the hall, she speaks again. “It is the other Mr. Black. He’s been hit by an
unknown spell.”

“Regulus? Is he okay?” Sirius’s stomach drops.

“He is, ah… well, he is a child.”

“Yes, he’s only 16.” Sirius is lost.

“No, Sirius. Regulus has been turned into a small child. Our guess is around 5 or 6 years
old.”
Sirius’s mind kicks into overdrive, his older brother instincts taking over as he assesses
McGonagall’s words. Regulus is fine, but he’s been turned back into a little kid. He’s
probably confused and scared and the only thing ringing true to Sirius is that he needs to take
care of his brother.

“What?”

“Mr. Lockhart seemed to cast an unknown spell that made Regulus revert to a small child.
We are all trying to find something to reverse it, but Regulus refused to cooperate until he
could see you.” McGonagall explains, sounding very tired.

“Oh. Okay.” Sirius is so confused.

They approach the Headmaster’s office and a shrill cry has Sirius’s old instincts kicking in,
that little voice so familiar that Sirius could cry.

“Sirius!” He had forgotten that Regulus used to have a lisp as a toddler, his mouth forming
awkwardly over the ‘S’ in Sirius.

As he steps over the entryway, a tiny figure immediately collides with Sirius. Startled, Sirius
instinctively wraps his arms around the small body, holding him steady. Then a small face
looks up, and Sirius’s heart constricts. He hasn’t seen that face in so long. He nearly forgot
how sweet Regulus looked as a kid.

“Siri, I don’t know where I am. Who are these people? Why are you so tall?” Regulus sobs,
tears and snot mixing on his face as he burrows close to Sirius.

“Hey, hey, bud. It’s okay. We’re at Hogwarts. Remember all the stories I’ve told you about
this place? How magical it is?” Sirius kneels so he can be more at eye level with his brother.

“Hogwarts?” Regulus seems to calm down a little when he hears that.

“Yeah. You were hit by a spell that made you a little kid again, but you’re 16.” Sirius explains
gently, his hand combing through Regulus’s soft curls.

“That’s what they were saying but I didn’t believe them,” Regulus says, his body sagging into
Sirius. The older boy scoops him up and settles him on his hip like he used to do all those
years ago. Regulus sets his head on Sirius’s shoulder, all fight leaving his body as soon as
he’s with Sirius.

“Mr. Black, thank you for coming. As you can see this is a very unusual circumstance.”
Dumbledore says, his blue eyes twinkling in the dim light of the office.

“Er, yeah, I can see that. How are you going to heal him?” Sirius asks as his hand rubs his
little brother’s back in a soothing motion. He used to do it all the time to try and get Regulus
to sleep.

“We’re working on it. Professor Flitwick examined the spell when Mr. Black first
transformed and will be working with Madame Pomfrey to find a countercurse.
Unfortunately, they don’t think they’ll be finding a cure for a while.” Dumbledore explains.

“How long is a while?” Barty asks, and Sirius notices him for the first time.

All of Regulus’s friends are here with matching expressions of concern. It hits Sirius that
Regulus has no idea who they are, which explains his distress before seeing Sirius. He looks
down at his little brother, seeing that Regulus has calmed down enough to wrap his arms
around Sirius’s neck and close his eyes. Sirius smiles softly, hugging his brother closer.

“We are not sure. We hope that the countercurse will be found by the end of the month.”

Sirius curses. It’s only the second week of March. Regulus could be stuck like this for weeks?
“What are we going to do with him until then?” Sirius demands, his protective instincts
kicking in as he glares at the Headmaster.

“We should contact your parents and see what they say–” Dumbledore starts, only to be cut
off by Regulus.

“No! Don’t tell them!” He cries, tears forming in his eyes again.

“Mr. Black, it’s the protocol for when a student is harmed on school grounds–” Dumbledore
says soothingly.

“No! No! I-I don’t want to see them. Anything but them.” Regulus pleads, his little body
shaking as he starts to cry again.

“Hey, calm down. It’s going to be fine, I’ll figure it out.” Sirius says as he hides his brother’s
face in his neck. “I’m 17, so I am a legal adult. Anything you would tell them, tell me. It’s the
only way to keep him calm, and frankly, I refuse to leave him with them when he’s like this.”

McGonagall’s eyes are wide with sympathy as she watches a tiny Regulus cry in earnest into
Sirius’s neck, still shaking from the mention of their parents. Barty, Evan, Pandora, and
Dorcas all have similar expressions of shock and despair as the silent room is filled with
Regulus’s quiet cries.

“Mr. Black–” Dumbledore starts.

“That’s perfectly fine.” McGonagall cuts him off. “You can stand in as his guardian, seeing as
that is what he wants.”

Dumbledore closes his mouth, a strange expression crossing his features before he sits back.
“Very well. We’ll need to make accommodations for him. He’ll need his schoolwork, and I
suppose he’ll want to stay with you, Mr. Black?”
Sirius glances down at Regulus, who’s still flushed and sniffling. “You wanna bunk with me
while we figure out how to reverse the spell?”

Regulus just nods, his eyes closing in pure exhaustion.

“I can transfigure a cot or something.” Sirius shrugs.

“You realize this would be simpler if we just sent him home…” Dumbledore trails off when
both Black brothers glance up with fierce expressions. “Right. Well, this will do. Professor
McGonagall, if you could escort both Mr. Black’s to their dorm, please.”

McGonagall nods and gestures for Sirius to follow her.

“We’ll get his stuff and bring it to you,” Barty says, his eyes following Regulus’s small form
that’s cuddled into Sirius’s side.

“Yes, thank you. Mr. Crouch.” McGonagall says with a tight smile. “Sirius, come now.”

Sirius follows, trying not to jostle Regulus too much as they make their way to the Gryffindor
common room.

Regulus stirs to multiple voices around him, vaguely aware that he’s still being held in a
familiar pair of arms. His eyes slowly blink open as he takes in the new scenery. The first
thing he processes is a pair of warm brown eyes hidden behind round glasses. Then a female
voice from somewhere behind him starts to coo.
“I never knew he was such a cute kid, Sirius. He’s borderline cherub-like.” Says a girl with
golden-blonde hair cut in shaggy strands around her face.

“Sirius?” Regulus murmurs sleepily, his hands instinctively reaching out to grab his brother.

“I’m here, bud. Still here.” Sirius’s voice rumbles from behind Regulus.

Regulus sits up and turns to face Sirius, who he realizes is holding Regulus in his lap on a
dark red sofa. His brother gives him a tiny smile, his eyes a bit wary.

“Who are these people?” Regulus whispers, his stomach turning slightly when he sees the big
group of people watching him raptly.

“They’re my friends and housemates at Hogwarts. They’re all nice, I swear.” Sirius smiles.

“Are they Gryffindors?” Regulus asks.

“Yep, we’re in the lion’s den.” Sirius smiles.

“Am I a Gryffindor, too?” Regulus asks excitedly.

“Er, well, no. You’re a Slytherin.” Sirius says, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Regulus frowns. “I’m not in the same house as you?”

“No, but you like where you’re at. You’re always saying that you’re too smart to be a
Gryffindor.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. You’re the smartest person I know and you’re a Gryffindor.”
Regulus is genuinely confused.

He doesn’t pick up on the mood switch in the room, too distracted by his thoughts. The older
kids keep talking around him, but Regulus just frowns deeper. None of this makes any sense,
how could he be happy about being separated from Sirius? All he ever wants is to spend time
with his brother.

“Reg? You wanna meet everyone?” Sirius pulls Regulus out of his train of thought.

Regulus looks around at the group distrustfully. The boy with the glasses smiles widely at
him, and Regulus looks away with red cheeks. That boy looks a little too perfect, Regulus
thinks idly. He looks at the round-faced boy with blonde hair next, who’s sitting with the girl
with blonde hair, both of them giving Regulus too-big smiles. What’s up with these people
and smiling?

A boy with sandy brown hair kneels in front of Regulus with a kind expression, his big hand
held out for Regulus. “Hi, Regulus. I’m Remus.”

Regulus slowly shakes the boy’s hand, his gaze flitting back to Sirius hesitantly and waiting
for his brother to nod at him. Regulus relaxes, a small smile forming on his face as he looks
back at Remus. “Hi.”

Some other people start cooing around him, and Regulus squirms, feeling flustered by all the
attention. Sirius notices and shushes the group. “Stop being weird. He’s shy.”

“‘M not.” Regulus protests, but he’s hiding his face in Sirius’s neck again.

“I’m sorry, Pads, but this is too good. He’s so fucking cute !” The boy with glasses says.

Regulus sits up then, a frown forming on his face as he looks up at the boy. “I am not cute!”
He’s not even angry, but something about him calling Regulus cute makes him want to
scream.

The boy’s mouth falls open, and Regulus can practically see hearts in his eyes. “No, of course
not. I apologize, Reggie.” His mouth twitches upwards in an almost smile.

“Who are you, anyway?” Regulus asks, fighting every instinct that’s telling him to hide
behind Sirius again.

“James Potter, though we already know each other normally,” James says with a big grin,
holding his hand out.

Regulus wants to scream because his face is heating up rapidly under James’s kind gaze. He
wants to melt into the floor and never look at James ever again, but his hand reaches forward
to gently shake James’s anyway. The older boy somehow smiles even brighter before ruffling
Regulus’s hair playfully.

“That’s a good lad.” James grins, making Regulus smile back unwittingly. “Here, take this. I
usually fidget with it, but I’m sure you’ll find it a bit more entertaining.”

He hands Regulus a snitch, and Regulus watches in delight as it flits around in front of his
face, emitting a soft buzzing sound. Regulus looks up at James with stars in his eyes. “Wow,
thanks! You’re brilliant!” He exclaims excitedly.

James chuckles. “No problem.” His voice is so warm, and comforting in a way that Regulus
had come to only associate with Sirius.

“Trying to get on his good side, eh, Prongs?” Sirius asks from behind Regulus, though
Regulus’s attention is firmly on the snitch, now.

James says something and the group laughs. Regulus’s attention is briefly distracted as James
sits on the armrest beside him, his hand brushing through Regulus’s hair again. Regulus has
the strange urge to crawl out of his brother’s lap just so he can settle on James’s instead.
The portrait in the corner of the room opens then, revealing a group of people that Regulus
vaguely recognizes. Oh right. His friends, supposedly.

“Hi, Reggie. How’re you doing?” The blonde girl–Pandora, he thinks– asks with a serene
smile.

“I’m fine,” Regulus says, refusing to leave the warmth of his brother.

They nod and Sirius nudges Regulus to leave his lap, which he does with a scowl. Stuck on
the ground, Regulus looks up at the unfamiliar group of teenagers. James offers his hand,
which Regulus hesitantly takes. James’s other hand gently grabs the snitch from the air to
hold as they both watch his brother walk over to the group and take a trunk from the blonde
boy’s hands.

“Of course.” The boy with dark brown hair–Barty– laughs when he sees Regulus holding
James's hand.

The rest of his friends are laughing, too, though Pandora smiles warmly.

“What are you guys laughing at?” Regulus asks in a small voice.

“You would cling to Potter, of all people.” Barty continues with an amused expression.

“What does that mean?” Regulus asks though he’s slowly inching behind James in an
attempt to hide.

“It’s just not surprising that you like him even at this age.” The blonde boy clarifies with a
slightly mean-looking smile.
“Well, he’s a lot nicer than you guys!” Regulus declares, knowing that his face is burning. “I
don’t see why I’d be friends with people like you!”

That shut the group up quickly. Regulus tries to push down the tears welling up in his eyes,
but it’s a fruitless action. He just can’t stand when people make fun of him, especially when
he’s not sure what they’re making fun of him for .

Sirius quickly hands off the trunk to Remus and hurries over to pull Regulus into his arms.
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry, don’t cry. They were just messing around.” He soothes Regulus in
a low tone, his hands running up and down Regulus’s back.

“I don’t like it when people are mean.” Regulus chokes out petulantly.

“I know. They weren’t trying to be mean, they’re just used to you being your older self.
None of them have any experience with a little kid.” Sirius aims that last sentence over at
the group near the portrait, his eyes dark and narrowed. “And they should be leaving before
they upset you anymore.”

The four of them quickly nod, Barty, looking especially guilty. “I’m sorry, Regulus. Sirius is
right, I have no experience talking to children.” He says, wincing slightly when Regulus
raises his watery eyes.

“It’s okay.” Regulus mumbles, tears still stinging his eyes. “Sirius, they don’t have to go, do
they?”

Sirius bites his lip in thought, his eyes still glaring at the group by the portrait. “How about
they come and see you tomorrow?”

Regulus perks up at that. “Tomorrow?”

“Yes. We’ll all hang out together then.”

“Alright then.” Tears forgot, Regulus lets go of his brother to stand beside James again, his
hand grasping James’s again to silently ask for the snitch back.

James hands it over and pats his head consolingly. Regulus leans into it, a small smile gracing
his face when James’s warm hand rubs at his curls. Deciding that he likes James, Regulus
walks a bit closer and wraps his hands around his forearm, hiding behind James as the other
four by the portrait all wave goodbye to Regulus and walk back out.

“Right. Well, it’s nearing dinner time now. We should put your things up in the dorm and then
get down to the Great Hall. Hungry?” Sirius asks as he takes the trunk back from Remus and
gestures for Regulus to hold his other hand.

“A little. Do I get to sit with you and James?” Regulus asks as they walk upstairs.

“You like him, huh.” Sirius smiles.

Regulus nods. “He gave me his snitch.”

“That he did. That means you’re special. He doesn’t give that to just anyone.”

Regulus is immensely pleased by that. He smiles at the dorm, going and sitting on Sirius’s
bed while his brother conjures a small bed and a small chest of drawers to settle beside his
bed. Sirius frowns slightly at the contents of Regulus’s trunk, gazing thoughtfully at the
clothes.

“Suppose I’ll just shrink your clothes for now. I’ll buy you new ones if the fabrics are ruined
when we enlarge them later.” Sirius shrugs before shrinking one of Regulus’s Hogwarts
uniforms.
“Can you give me a Gryffindor tie?” Regulus asks, his eyes wide as he watches Sirius use
magic so easily.

“Er, well, you’re a Slytherin, Reg.” Sirius grimaces a bit when Regulus deflates. “But I
s’pose I could lend you one of mine.”

Regulus brightens. “Yay! I wanna be like you and James.”

Sirius chuckles before digging out a red and gold tie and handing it to Regulus. The younger
brother changes into his newly fitted clothes and stares at the tie in confusion. “Siri? I don’t
know how this works.”

Sirius glances over from where he was unpacking Regulus’s trunk to quickly huff out a
laugh. “Right. Sorta slipped my mind that you wouldn’t know how to tie a tie.” He walks
over and kneels so he can help Regulus. “You know, you taught me how to tie a tie. Back
when we were 8 and 9, you’d studied how Father tied his and then learned yourself.”

Regulus smiles. “I taught you how to do this? Wow!”

“Yeah, you’re very clever.” Sirius smiles softly. “I’d forgotten how sweet you were at this
age.” His hand brushes Regulus’s cheek, cradling it.

“Am I not sweet when I’m older?”

Sirius pauses. “I think you still are, you just hide it from me.”

Regulus frowns. “Why?”

“Well, it’s complicated. Let’s not worry about it, alright? We should get down to dinner.”
Sirius stands and holds his hand out for Regulus again.
Regulus glances down at it, feeling weirdly frustrated. “I don’t need to hold your hand all the
time, y’know. I’m not a baby.”

Sirius smiles. “I know you aren’t. But it makes me feel better to hold it, okay? Can you do it
for me?”

“Hmm…” Regulus taps his chin thoughtfully. “Well, alright. For you.”

Sirius laughs.

James and the rest of the Gryffindors decided to wait up for the Black brothers before going
to dinner. He’s glad they did because as soon as Regulus steps back into the common room,
he makes a beeline for James.

“Can I have a piggyback ride to dinner?” He asks sweetly, his eyes wide with adoration.

James glances up at Sirius in amusement. Sirius just shrugs, his eyes wistful as he looks
down at his brother. James can’t even begin to imagine how weird this is for him. James can’t
say he doesn’t like it, though. Especially since Regulus has seemingly taken a liking to James
in particular.

“Why of course you can, my lord.” James kneels playfully and reaches Regulus’s sides to
tickle him a bit.

Regulus shrieks with laughter, his face lighting up as he squirms away from James. Marlene
and Mary’s faces soften at the sight, Remus and Peter cracking up with James. He stops his
assault as quickly as he started it and turns his back to Regulus so he can hop on. He does, his
tiny arms wrapping around James’s neck tightly.
James stands, his hands loosely holding onto Regulus’s legs. The small boy yelps a bit when
they stand at their full height, his hands tightening around James.

“We’re very high up.” Regulus squeaks.

“Maybe from your perspective, little guy.” James laughs.

“I am of average height for my age!” Regulus protests.

“Sureeee.”

“Alright, stop messing with him, James. Let’s go.” Sirius says, gesturing for them to walk out
of the portrait.

It’s different seeing Sirius go full protective older brother mode. James remembers in
Regulus’s first year at Hogwarts when Sirius acted like that, back when Regulus was still
sweet to them. In the years following, he turned cold and distant, his only interactions with
the Gryffindors being cutting remarks or insults.

It’s nice to see that Regulus wasn’t always like that.

They walk through the halls with James giving a steady monologue, answering every single
one of Regulus’s questions no matter how silly.

“Why on earth do the stairs move?” Regulus exclaims, completely appalled.

James laughs. “Because the founders of the school wanted us to suffer.”

“Sounds likely.”

The group laughs at Regulus. Truly, seeing him like this; young, carefree, shy, and clingy is
so disorienting that all of them have to laugh sometimes. Every time James hears little
Regulus struggle through his ‘S’s’, specifically when speaking his older brother’s name, his
heart grows twice as big.

They make it to the Great Hall in good time, though most tables are nearly packed, and all
eyes are on them when they enter. Word about Regulus has spread fast. Students from every
House look at Regulus with varying expressions; endearment, surprise, humor. James doesn’t
pay them any mind.

He walks over to the usual spot at the Gryffindor table, finding Lily already sitting there with
Emmeline. Her eyes go comically wide when she sees a tiny Regulus on James’s back.

“Is that–?” She asks, not finishing her sentence.

“Reggie, this is Lily Evans. She’s a good friend of ours.” James introduces them as he
crouches down so Regulus can hop off.

He smiles shyly and waves at Lily. “Hi.”

Lily immediately softens. “Well, hi there. Smart of you to catch a ride with James, he can’t
say no to anyone.” She smiles teasingly at James.

James laughs, scratching the back of his neck. That might be partly true.

Suddenly, the smile drops from Regulus’s face and he steps in close to grab at James’s hand.
“Yes, well, he’s my friend so he gives me piggyback rides whenever.”
James and Lily share shocked looks, Lily fighting the urge to laugh. “That’s very nice,
Regulus. James is lucky to have you as a friend.”

Regulus smiles, the previous animosity forgotten. “He really is! And I’m lucky to have him.
James, would you sit by me?” He sits down laughably far away from Lily and pats the spot
beside him.

James shrugs at Lily and sits beside Regulus. Mary immediately fills the spot on Regulus’s
other side, entertaining him with her rings and bracelets. James sighs, taking a deep breath
before looking out across the Great Hall. As he expected, everyone was watching them. Most
are smiling and cooing while looking at Regulus; he’s seriously that cute of a kid. His nose
has a smattering of freckles across it, and he’s got dimples on both of his cheeks that never
would have been noticeable because 16-year-old Regulus never smiles. He’s also adorably
tactile, wanting to sit in everyone’s lap and cuddle them. He’s still his quiet self, though,
allowing other people to talk as he quietly listens.

He ends up in James’s lap once he’s finished his dinner, his small face tucked into the crook
of James’s neck, his breathing getting slower and deeper the longer they sit there. A lot of
people had come over through the course of the night to say hi to Regulus, some of his
friends from Slytherin, and a lot of curious acquaintances from other houses. Most just asked
Regulus questions, which he always tried to hide behind whoever he was sitting by when that
happened.

Now, everyone just laughs and coos at the sweet sight of a sleeping Regulus in James’s lap.
James laughs along with everyone else, eventually passing Regulus over to Sirius so he can
take his brother up to bed. James lingers with the rest of his friends for a bit longer.

“Regulus seems to like you,” Lily observes with a smile.

James tries not to wince. Lily is one of the only people who knows about James’s slight
obsession with the younger Black. It had started as a desire to look after Regulus, but over
the years it’s bloomed into a full-on crush. Having Regulus be so openly affectionate now is
admittedly softening his image of Regulus even more.

“Yes, well, he’s too little to know better.” James laughs.

Lily gives him a look. “This will change things when he’s back to normal.”

James straightens. He hadn’t thought of that. Regulus will remember all of this when he goes
back to normal. Maybe he’ll like James when he comes back.

“Yeah.” James breathes out, feeling weirdly squirmy.

“It’s telling that he likes you now. Shows his true feelings.” Lily says.

James refuses to smile at that. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up. “Maybe.”

Lily just grins at him.

 Chapter Two
Chapter Summary

Regulus has a nightmare and joins the Gryffindor for classes

Chapter Notes

i'm actually so glad that so many of you like this fic :') it's very fun for me to write. for
those asking about word count, i'm planning on this fic being around 5-6 chapters i
think? i didn't plan on it being too long, especially cuz i have a few other ongoing fics i
want to write. but yeah, this is my hyperfixation rn so i'm gonna see it through.

anywho, love ya guys! <3

Sirius sighs into his bed, relaxing for the first time today. Regulus had blessedly stayed asleep
the entire walk back to the Gryffindor common room and is now snoozing away in his
makeshift bed that Sirius made for him.

Merlin. Today was… a day. That’s putting it lightly.

He hasn’t felt this exhausted in a long time. He’d forgotten how strenuous it is to be an older
brother. The fact that he’d forgotten sits like a stone in the bottom of his stomach, weighing
him down and leaving him guilty.

Remus, James, and Peter emerge in the dorm about an hour later, all three of them entering
quietly which Sirius is grateful for. Regulus is fully out, and likely won’t wake till morning,
but he’d like to keep him asleep if he can.

“Hey, Pads. He sleeping?” James asks, unable to see Regulus from the angle he’s standing at.
“Out like a light.” Sirius grins a bit.

The other boys nod and shuffle around the dorm to get ready for bed. Sirius closes his eyes
again, relaxing to the sound of his friends going about their routines. He doesn’t realize he’s
fallen asleep until he wakes much later to a dark room.

Quiet whimpering gains his attention and Sirius is up and kneeling by Regulus before his
eyes are fully open. His little brother is thrashing around, tears streaming down his face as he
struggles against Sirius.

“No, no, no, Mother. It hurts.” Regulus cries, his voice cracking in pure fear.

“Regulus, wake up. It’s alright. Come on, wake up.” Sirius commands, his voice firm but
gentle.

Regulus tosses and turns, his eyes screwed shut in pain. Sirius notices shuffling behind him,
and then James is there, too. He kneels beside Sirius, his eyebrows furrowed in pure
devastation.

Sirius forgot about the nightmares. He so rarely had them these days that it slipped his mind.
He’d forgotten how bad Regulus’s nightmares used to be when they lived at Grimmauld year-
round. He can’t believe he hadn’t thought of it.

“Regulus, Reggie, wake up,” Sirius says, one hand shaking his younger brother’s shoulder
and the other stroking his back.

Regulus jerks awake suddenly, a soft gasp leaving his mouth as his eyes flit around the room
in pure panic. “Sirius?”

Sirius leans forward to hug him. “I’m here.”

“Where are we? Where’s Mother? It’s so dark here.” Regulus asks, his voice wobbly.

“We’re in my dorm, remember? At Hogwarts?” Sirius asks, his heart constricting painfully as
Regulus sobs into his shoulder. “Mother’s not here, she can’t hurt you.”

Suddenly, a soft golden orb appears beside them in the air, illuminating the worried face of
James. Regulus sees him and immediately relaxes even more, now that he can see in front of
him. His eyes latch onto the orb, his tears drying on his face as he relaxes into the light. Sirius
wants to smack himself; he knows that Regulus used to be afraid of the dark. Just another
thing he’s forgotten over the years.

“Thanks, Prongs.” Sirius mumbles, his hand still rubbing Regulus’s back soothingly.

“What is that?” Regulus asks, his little finger reaching out to touch the orb.

“It’s a little trick one of my friends taught me,” James says, his tone a bit odd. Sirius frowns
at him, which James ignores. “It’ll stay all night so you won’t get scared.”

Regulus makes a soft sound before throwing himself into James’s chest, his face hidden in
James’s chest. “Thanks, James.”

James and Sirius share strained smiles over his head. “No problem, Reg.”

Regulus settles down a few minutes later, his body slumping down in pure exhaustion, his
hands grasping his baby blanket tightly. Sirius was surprised to find the blanket in Regulus’s
trunk, figuring that he’d have thrown it away by now, but it was folded neatly beneath his
clothes, along with a few other knick-knacks that Sirius hadn’t seen in years.

Sirius sighs when Regulus’s breathing evens out, his hand brushing the curls out of his
brother’s eyes as he tucks his duvet firmly around his shoulders. James stands beside him, his
eyes still watching Regulus with a forlorn expression.
“Did he get nightmares like that often?” James asks.

“Yeah. We both used to get them nearly every night when we lived at Grimmauld. I didn’t
even think about it, it’s been so long since I’ve had one.” Sirius pinches the bridge of his nose
in frustration.

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s not like you could remember every little thing. And he’s fine.” James
squeezes Sirius’s shoulder lightly.

They both watch Regulus in the golden light. Remembering what James had said earlier,
Sirius turns to him. “Where’d you learn that orb spell?”

James shifts. “Regulus. Back in my fourth year, I found him in the back of the library late,
and he had one of those floating by him. I wouldn’t leave him alone until he taught me the
spell.”

Sirius grins. “Sounds like you.”

“Yeah.” James laughs. “It’s come in handy.”

Sirius glances over at his friend, who's watching his brother with a tender expression. It hits
Sirius that James cares deeply for Regulus. He’s not just pulling this out of nowhere; he has a
deep set of care that he harbors for Regulus, and Sirius had never noticed until now. It settles
like a warm blanket through Sirius’s body, and a tiny smile graces his face.

“You care for him.” Sirius comments.

James turns to him with wide eyes. “I mean, yeah. He’s your brother.”
“No, James. Deeper than that. It’s more than him being my brother. You care for him. As a
person.”

James bites his lip, his eyes wide with panic.

“Not when he’s like this! That’d be weird, I’m not like some freak who likes little kids, I
would never do anything while he’s affected by this spell. But, I mean when he’s back to
normal, I… yeah, I mean he’s great. He hates me normally, and always tells me to piss off, so
you have nothing to worry about.” James rambles, barely breathing between his words before
deflating in a huge sigh. “Don’t hate me.”

Sirius can’t help but laugh at James’s panicked expression. “Why would I hate you? There is
no one I’d rather him be with.” Sirius says honestly. “And considering how much he likes
you now… I don’t see how things could go back to how they were before.”

It’s true; he loves James so much that the idea of Regulus loving him just makes sense. He
would never struggle with knowing that James is taking care of Regulus, because he’s James.
He takes care of everyone effortlessly.

James steps forward and hugs Sirius tightly. “Thank you. I didn’t know how to tell you, I
figured you’d want to kill me.”

Sirius chuckles. “Only if you hurt him.”

“I physically don’t think I’m capable of that.”

“Well, then we have nothing to worry about.”

~
Regulus finds himself squished between Lily and Mary at breakfast the next morning. He’d
woken up to his brother and the others still sleeping, so he’d gotten up to go find others while
he waited for them to wake up. Mary and Lily were sitting in the common room and happily
offered to take him with them to get breakfast.

“I like your hair,” Regulus says to Lily, his fingers wrapping her long hair around them. He’s
always been fascinated by red hair.

Lily laughs. “Why thank you. I like yours, too.” She ruffles his curls affectionately.

Regulus wonders why he hadn’t liked Lily yesterday, because she’s quite brilliant now. She
smells like flowers and lets him ramble about stupid things while they eat. Mary, too, lets him
fidget with the rings on her fingers and helps him cut up the sausage on his plate.

“I’m sorry if I was rude to you yesterday. You were just talking to James and I got mad. I like
James.” Regulus says apologetically, his eyes wide as he looks up at Lily.

Lily shares a look with Mary over his head, both of them smirking before Lily looks back
down at him.

“That’s perfectly alright, Regulus. I think I understand your anger. James is your special
friend, hm?”

“Yes.” Regulus nods enthusiastically.

“And you don’t want anyone to take him away from you, right?”

“Yes! You get it.” Regulus looks up at her with pure adoration.

“No one is going to take James away from you, Regulus. Especially not me. I’ve got a special
friend of my own.” Lily smiles at Mary, who reaches over to pinch her side.
Regulus, feeling very pleased by this new information, leans in to hug Lily and then Mary.
“You guys are great. Are we friends when I’m older?”

Both girls are quiet for a moment, Mary deciding to break it. “We will be. How does that
sound?”

“Great!” Regulus grins, but it falls when he thinks about his older self. “It’s weird. I’m not in
the same house as Sirius, I’m not friends with any of you, and my friends are all mean when
I’m older.”

Mary grimaces a bit before wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Your friends aren’t mean,
they’re just… well, different from us Gryffindors. They’re all very nice when you get to
know them.”

“I like you guys more.” Regulus pouts.

Mary just squeezes him closer to her and kisses his head. “We’ll still be here when you’re
back to normal. Don’t forget that.”

Her tone is strange, and sort of sad. It makes Regulus frown, but he’s quickly distracted by
his brother and his roommates all bursting into the Great Hall very loudly. Sirius spots
Regulus and sets a hand on his chest as he hurries over.

“Merlin, Regulus! I woke up and you were gone! I thought something happened to you!”
Sirius hugs him from behind, his hands brushing Regulus’s curls reverently.

“I was hungry so Lily and Mary took me here,” Regulus says, confused as to why his brother
is so worried.
“Sorry, Sirius. We probably should have left a note or something. Didn’t think about it.” Lily
says with an apologetic smile.

“No, it’s fine. Thanks for taking him.” Sirius lets Regulus go.

“I was fine, Siri. I can take care of myself.” Regulus crosses his arms over his chest
stubbornly.

Sirius chuckles. “Yeah, I know. You’re a tough little guy.”

“Right.” Regulus puffs up his chest proudly, making all the older kids laugh.

Regulus ends up getting passed around the group before eventually settling with Marlene
towards the end of the table. She’s telling him all the new gossip, the new dress robes that
Dumbledore’s been wearing, which house she predicted would win the Quidditch Cup.
Regulus likes Marlene; she’s so easy to talk to. And she humors his every thought with
thought-out responses each time. She’s sort of like James in that respect.

“Hey there.” A girl with dark skin–one of Regulus’s friends, he remembers–greets them
before sitting beside Marlene.

“Dorcas! Regulus and I were just talking about Quidditch. If this little guy stays little, then
Slytherin’s going to be in trouble soon.” Marlene says, leaning in and kissing Dorcas’s cheek.

Regulus watches them intently, his brain whirring. “Are you two dating?” He asks.

Dorcas shoots him a warm smile, her hand ruffling his hair a bit before nodding. “Yeah, we
are. Been together for about 8 months, right?”

Marlene smirks and nods. “8 months and 12 days.”

Regulus smiles. His mother had always said that homosexuality was a disgrace and that he
could never entertain those thoughts, but if Marlene and Dorcas could do it, how could it be
bad?

“That’s amazing. People are… okay with it?” He asks, suddenly worried.

“Yeah, they are. You know it’s perfectly alright to be gay, right?” Marlene asks, her eyebrows
furrowed as she looks down at him.

Regulus nods. “Sirius always says it is, but our mother hates it. She says it’s unnatural.”

“Your mother is the unnatural one,” Dorcas grumbles.

Regulus’s mouth drops open and he looks around, expecting to see his mother pop out to
send a string of hexes their way. When she doesn’t, Regulus starts to laugh. He’d never heard
someone insult his mother so blatantly. Regulus finds it both wonderful and startling.

“I like you.” Regulus declares while looking up at Dorcas.

She smirks. “Well, I am your best friend for a reason.”

Regulus continues giggling, his arms wrapping around Dorcas’s middle.

“I’m glad you’re my best friend.” He says honestly.

“Me too, Reg.” Dorcas pets his head.

~

“James.”

James has to suppress a grin that threatens to spread across his face.

“James.”

His resolve is quickly giving out. How can he ignore the tiny person beside him?

“James.” Regulus whines, his hand waving in front of James’s face where he’s trying to
concentrate on writing his notes for Charms.

“What, Reggie?” James whispers with a small smile, his gaze locked on the chalkboard in
front of him.

“This is boring,” Regulus complains as he shifts around his seat, settling on sitting up on his
knees with his face held in his hands.

“Yes, but it’s necessary. Work on the reading that Professor Flitwick gave you.” James
mumbles, lightly tapping the book on the desk.

“I don’t want to,” Regulus says, his mouth pulled into a pout that makes James smile.

“I don’t want to do a lot of things, but here I am. That’s life, little guy.” James pokes
Regulus’s side for good measure before going back to his work.

The peace lasts all of ten seconds before a small hand is poking James’s cheek lightly. He
huffs out a little sigh, biting his cheek to keep from smiling. “Yes, Regulus?”
“I’m hungry.” Regulus pouts, scooting closer so he can rest his chin in the crook of James’s
elbow.

It takes herculean effort for James not to give in and give Regulus all of his attention. Instead,
he pokes Regulus’s cheek back and looks down at his notes again. “How about this? You stay
focused on your reading for the next 20 minutes of class, and then you and I can go to the
kitchens and grab a snack. Sound good?”

Regulus perks up immediately. “Okay!” And he goes back to his book.

James snorts. Kids. So easy to please.

Sirius snorts from his seat behind James, and James stealthily flips him the bird, smirking
when he hears Sirius huff behind him. James somehow finishes his notes without any more
interruption, sighing in satisfaction when he packs up his things and slings his bag over his
shoulder.

“Sirius! James said we could go get snacks.” Regulus announces after he hands Fliwick his
worksheet and skips back over to them.

“I heard. Well if James says so, then I suppose we must.” Sirius grins down at his brother.

Remus chuckles from behind them and pulls a lock of Sirius’s hair. “I’ll tell McGonagall you
guys will be a few minutes late.”

Sirius beams. “Thanks, Moony.”

Remus grins and leans down to peck Sirius before walking away with Peter. Regulus’s eyes
bulge out of his head.
“Wait! Are you and Remus together?” Regulus demands.

Sirius grimaces a bit, and James nearly flinches. He knows how strongly their mother
disapproves of queer people. It was her main reason for her dislike of Sirius.

“Yeah, Reg, we are,” Sirius says, flinching a bit while he waits for his brother to respond.

Regulus smiles. “Wow! Remus is awesome! It makes sense that you’d be together.” He says
simply before bouncing out the door.

Sirius’s jaw drops, and James swears he can see tears in his eyes. He politely ignores it,
reaching to wrap his arm around Sirius’s shoulders and squeeze. “He…” Sirius trails off.

“He’s your brother, Pads. What else did you expect?” James smiles.

Sirius lets out a slightly hysterical laugh before rushing forward to capture Regulus in a bear
hug from behind, lifting him and dangling him upside down as he keeps on walking. Regulus
laughs, his face lighting up while Sirius makes a confused face at him. “What, is this not how
you usually walk? I thought everyone liked to walk upside down.”

“No, Sirius!” Regulus protests, but he’s still giggling.

James’s heart clenches in his chest as he watches the two brothers. People smile at them as
they pass, some waving at Regulus, which ends in him waving back with a big smile.
Everyone in the castle has heard about his predicament by now, all of them delighting in the
vastly different Slytherin.

It makes James wonder what he’s going to be like when he goes back to his 16-year-old self.
Will he still like James? Or will he act like none of this ever happened?

James sincerely hopes he stays friends with all the Gryffindors when it’s all over.
“James, come on!” Regulus demands from up ahead, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“You’re lagging!”

James smiles and hurries to catch up with them. Regulus climbs all over Sirius before
reaching out for James. He obliges and snatches the boy from Sirius, swinging him around to
ride on his back again. “You’re a monkey.”

“Am not!” Regulus protests.

“Hmm, I think James is right. You smell like one, too.” Sirius says, exaggeratedly sniffing
Regulus and wincing.

Regulus growls and goes for Sirius’s hair, fisting it and yanking. “Yeah, well you’re as dumb
as one!”

And the brothers are back to normal.

James has to keep them separated for the remainder of the walk to the kitchens, idly chatting
about everything to keep them distracted. They finally arrive, giving all of them something
else to focus on. Regulus greets the house elves and asks for a cookie, which one happily
hands over to the small boy. He’s immensely pleased by that.

James gets some of his, Peter’s, and Remus’s favorite snacks, packing them in his bag to
bring to his friends once they’re back to class.

After Regulus asks for chocolate, Sirius stops him. “Alright, you need actual food, not just
sweets.” He scolds before asking for carrot sticks and a sandwich.

Regulus frowns but takes the offered snack, munching on it immediately. Sirius gets a few
other snacks before signaling them to go. “Hopefully Minnie’s not too pissed at us for being
late.”

It turns out that McGonagall isn’t mad at all once Regulus waltzes in and offers her a
pumpkin pasty. With big puppy dog eyes, he smiles up angelically at the older woman while
holding out the treat. “Here you go, Professor. We’re sorry for being late.”

McGonagall takes it with a tiny smile, her hand reaching out to pat the boy on the head
lightly. “Well, it’s alright. Just this once, though.”

Regulus smiles again before walking to the table that Remus is sitting at, climbing into the
seat next to him, and resting his head on his arms. James and Sirius smile a bit hysterically at
their professor. “Kids, am I right?” Sirius jokes.

“I understand quite well, Mr. Black. Go sit down.” McGonagall says, her eyes alight with
humor.

They sit down while McGonagall takes a bite of her pastry, a small smile on her face.
 Chapter Three
Chapter Summary

A Quidditch game, an injury, and late night hot cocoa.

Chapter Notes

thank you again for the love this fic has been getting! i appreciate it so much!! i'm
hoping this fic will be finished in the next couple of weeks, so bear with me.

enjoy your day and happy reading! <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Friday afternoon arrives with the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff Quidditch match. Regulus has
been bouncing off the walls all day while anxiously awaiting the match. James predicted it to
be a Gryffindor win, so Regulus is all the more excited to see it.

His brother and James had to leave right after lunch to prepare for the match, so Regulus has
been with Remus and Peter while they wait for the game to start.

“How come neither of you play Quidditch?” Regulus asks when they’re settled in the stands,
surrounded by a sea of red and gold.

Regulus fiddles with James’s Gryffindor scarf that leaned him, delighting in the familiar
smell of James’s soap. He’s fully decked out in everyone’s clothes; Sirius’s spare Gryffindor
jumper, Remus’s gloves, Peter’s hat, and Mary had even painted his cheeks with red and gold
paint. He’s never felt so spirited in his life.

“Well, I’m quite shit at Quidditch and Moony never bothered to learn the rules,” Peter
explains while hoisting Regulus up onto his shoulders.
Regulus laughs as he holds onto Peter’s head for balance, nodding along to his words.
“Marlene said that I usually play Quidditch. Am I any good?”

Remus glances up at him, his sandy hair partly blown into his eyes, which darken with humor
as he leans in close to Regulus. “You can never tell anyone, but I reckon you might be better
than James and Sirius at Quidditch.”

Regulus gasps. “You’re lying!”

“No, he’s right. You’re a brilliant Seeker, Reg. You always pull out a win for Slytherin.” Peter
agrees.

Regulus feels his cheeks heat. “Well. I should be surprised that I’m better than them, but I’m
not.”

Remus laughs. “Now you’re starting to sound like your old self.”

They’re interrupted by the arrival of the girls, who all take their places around them. Mary
gives Regulus a high five while Lily kisses her hand and smacks it lightly on his cheek,
causing him to giggle.

“Hi, love. Are you excited for the match?” Mary asks as she settles in on Peter’s other side,
Lily going to stand beside Remus.

“Yes! James says that Gryffindor’s got it in the bag so I’m not worried.” Regulus says, his
eyes scanning the pitch below to see any signs of his brother.

“Well, if James says so…” Mary trails off, a tiny smirk on her face as she raises her eyebrows
at Peter.

“My thoughts exactly,” Regulus affirms.

The group laughs, Remus, reaching up to ruffle Regulus’s hair. He preens, leaning into the
touch. He’s learned that everybody in Gryffindor is very touchy, all of them showing
affection in physical ways. Regulus appreciates it because it’s how Sirius has always shown
affection.

“Remus, do you consider Sirius your family?” Regulus asks suddenly.

Remus looks up, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Er, in some ways. I’d argue that our whole
group feels a bit like family.”

Mary, Lily, and Peter all nod. Regulus beams.

“So, does that mean you’re my family, too?” Regulus asks, so delighted by that prospect.

Remus’s face softens into a gentle smile. “We already were, Reg.”

Regulus brightens, extremely pleased to hear that. Remus chuckles and ruffles his hair again.
Just then, both teams walk out onto the pitch, all of them mounting their brooms and flying
up into the air. Regulus immediately squeals and waves his arms around to try and get their
attention. James notices him first, steering his broom to hover right in front of Regulus.

“James!” Regulus greets delightedly.

“Hey, little guy. Wish me luck?” James holds his fist out.

“Luck!” Regulus enthusiastically bumps his fist against James’s.

James grins and flies away, a bright light seemingly following his every move. Sirius pops
by, ducking his head to lightly kiss Remus before reaching out to roughly knuckle at
Regulus’s head. Regulus laughs, trying to bat away his older brother, but laughing too hard to
be successful.

“You gonna cheer me on?” Sirius asks.

“Of course! Remus and Peter taught me the chants.” Regulus says proudly.

Sirius laughs. “I’ll make sure to score as many goals as I can so you can chant our name.”

“You better!”

Sirius salutes and flies away. They’re briefly visited by Marlene, who kisses Regulus’s cheek
before going to join the rest of the team. Before long, their group is surrounded by curious
onlookers, a lot of them teenage girls who come over to coo at Regulus and press kisses to
his cheeks.

“If I knew this was all we needed for girls to come visit us, I would have turned Prongs into a
blubbering baby ages ago.” Peter snarks when the fifth girl comes over to poke at Regulus
and give him sweets.

Remus, Mary, and Lily all laugh. “Please, James wouldn’t be half as cute as Regulus.” Lily
snarks.

“Hey! I think he would be cuter.” Regulus protests.

Mary smirks. “Oh, do you?”

“Yeah, I do. Don’t be mean to James.” Regulus pouts, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Yeah, Lily, how could you?” Peter says.

“Yes, I forgot, Regulus, sorry. We won’t be mean to your James anymore.” Lily says with a
knowing smile.

Regulus just nods, satisfied. They all get distracted by the match after that. Regulus is
enraptured. It’s the fastest game he’s ever seen, his eyes barely able to latch on the blurring
figures as they fly by. James and Sirius are showing off, doing fancy maneuvers and trying to
fly as close to Regulus as possible, much to the younger boy’s delight.

“Alright, Potter, Black, we know your younger brother is an adorable little kid, but you two
need to focus!” Barty, who’s commentating on the game, says with a smile from the top of
the stands beside Professor McGonagall.

James and Sirius both let out loud laughs before flying away to continue the game.
Gryffindor is leading by 200 points, all of them seemingly barely trying. James and Sirius are
more focused on screwing around and trying to be as extra as possible while scoring goals.

Regulus is loving it, completely in awe of them as they score goal after goal. It seems like
they’re in the position to win by a landslide when suddenly, a Bludger comes out of nowhere
and hits James in the elbow. An awful crack sounds through the pitch, and he starts falling at
a rapid pace, his one arm struggling to balance his broom out.

Regulus swears his heart stops the moment that he realizes that James is going to fall hard if
someone doesn’t do something.

“Sirius!” Regulus screams, gesturing towards James’s falling figure.

Sirius rushes down and just barely catches James’s broom and steadies it before he falls to the
ground, James’s body still thumping the ground hard. The crowd all release a collective
breath, and Regulus feels his entire body start to tremble. That was too close. Way too close.
And James still isn’t moving.
“You alright, Reggie?” Peter asks from below him, obviously feeling his trembling body.

“No, could you please let me down?” Regulus asks meekly.

“Yeah, ‘course.” Peter lowers him to the ground, and Regulus immediately takes off, ignoring
the yells from his friends as he sprints down to the pitch.

He weaves through everyone, desperate to get to his brother and James. The game has come
to a pause as everyone desperately tries to see if James is okay. Regulus pushes people out of
his way, his little feet pounding on the ground as he runs out onto the pitch. Sirius and James
are surrounded by their teammates, and Regulus can see Madam Pomfrey sitting by them,
too.

“Sirius! James! Are you alright?” Regulus asks as he weaves through the legs of the other
players before kneeling next to them on the ground.

“Reggie.” James smiles, his expression pained.

“You almost died!” Regulus shouts hysterically, tears falling from his eyes unwillingly.
“Sirius almost didn’t get to you in time.”

He’s crying earnestly now, the fear of everything hitting him at once, too many emotions to
process at once. James shushes him, his hand reaching out to stroke Regulus’s cheek lightly.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, please. It makes me so sad when you cry.”

“I can’t help it! I was scared!” Regulus bursts out, a new wave of tears starting, partly out of
frustration now.

James winces. “I know, I’m sorry. I was being an idiot out there, trying to show off and not
paying attention. I’m usually more careful.”
“You should always be careful! In fact, you should never play this stupid game again.”
Regulus says before crossing his arms over his chest.

“That I can get on board with.” Madam Pomfrey mumbles before continuing her healing on
James’s elbow.

“Reggie, don’t be so hard on him, the man just fell from the sky!” Sirius tries to joke, but his
smile quickly drops when he sees his younger brother’s face.

“That’s why I’m so mad!” Regulus screams.

Sirius grimaces. “Yeah. Yeah, I get it. But he’s okay. He’s going to be fine.”

“Yes, he will be. Come on, let’s take him to the hospital wing so I can examine him fully.”
Madam Pomfrey says before getting up.

Sirius helps James up and Regulus follows close behind them, seeing their friends in the
distance trying to push their way through the crowd. They make it to the hospital wing, Sirius
and Regulus insisting that they need to come in, too.

“Mr. Black, this is not a dire situation. Mr. Potter is going to be fine.” Madam Pomfrey says,
her eyes tired.

“Madam Pomfrey, please, ” Regulus begs, his eyes wide and watery. “I thought he was
going to die and I was so scared. Please let us just sit with him.”

She looks down at him, her face visibly softening as she takes in Regulus’s teary eyes. She
sighs. “Fine. Just you two.”

Sirius grins and holds his hand out so Regulus can quietly hit it. They walk in together and sit
in the chairs beside James’s bed, watching as Pomfrey administers a few different potions and
waves her wand over James’s body.

“He’s fine. Mild concussion, fractured elbow, and a sprain in his knee. I’m going to keep him
overnight and notify his parents, but he’ll be fine by morning.” Pomfrey tells them before
sweeping out of the room.

James grins. “See? I’m completely fine.”

Regulus pouts. “You looked dead for a minute there. You weren’t moving when you first
landed.” That memory makes Regulus want to be sick.

“Ah, well, I think I was just in shock. But I’m alive and well now, right?” James leans
forward to squeeze Regulus’s shoulder.

“I guess.” Regulus mumbles.

Sirius sighs and pulls Regulus to sit on his lap, his arms going around his waist and
squeezing. “Don’t be such a worrywart, you’ll get wrinkles.”

“I’m 6, Sirius.”

“Yeah, and I thought I saw grey hair somewhere.” Sirius teased, his fingers pulling at
Regulus’s hair.

Regulus laughs and the two brothers scuffle for a while before Madam Pomfrey makes them
go down for dinner.

“You can come back here if you bring Mr. Potter here some dinner as well,” Pomfrey says.
“As if we weren’t going to do that already!” Sirius exclaims.

Madam Pomfrey rolls her eyes before shooing them out. Sirius and Regulus continue
squabbling as they walk down to the Great Hall, passing a few people who all wave at
Regulus as they walk by.

“You’re more popular now as a little kid than I’ve ever been in all my years here.” Sirius
comments with a smirk.

“That’s because I’m adorable and you’re you,” Regulus says.

Sirius barks out a loud laugh, his hand ruffling Regulus’s hair. “You’re a menace.”

Regulus grins as they walk into the Great Hall. Remus and Peter stand as soon as they spot
them, rushing forward with worried looks.

“How’s James? Pomfrey refused to let us in.” Peter says with a frown.

“He’s fine. He’ll be out tomorrow morning. Just in time for your birthday, Moons.” Sirius
bumps his hip into Remus’s lightly as they all sit down.

“Oh, good. He looked dead for a minute.” Remus says.

“It’d take a lot more to kill him than one rogue Bludger.” Sirius waves them off.

Regulus frowns. He doesn’t like to think about James dying. Just entertaining that thought
makes him feel sick. “Let’s talk about something else.”
No one says anything to that, but Regulus watches all of the older kids share a look before
changing the subject.

James plays a few rounds of Wizard’s Chess before the door to the Hospital Wing opens and
James perks up, expecting to see a small head of dark hair bounce in. Instead, his parents
enter, their faces lined with worry.

“Jamie! Oh, thank Merlin you’re alright.” His mum says before rushing over to kiss his
forehead.

“Hi, guys. You didn’t have to come, it’s nothing serious.” He laughs, thinking about Sirius’s
comeback to that.

“They said you fell from the sky! I was worried sick.” Effie says, chiding him gently.

“Yeah, sorry. But I’m fine, just a fractured elbow and mild concussion.”

“You’re lucky,” Monty says, coming to sit on the other side of James’s bed.

“I know,” James says.

They stop their worrying a little after that, instead asking about his classes and everything
else. He relaxes, enjoying the familiar back and forth of the conversation. He always misses
his parents desperately when he’s at school, and savors every interaction they have.

They’re talking about Remus’s birthday when the doors open again and two familiar faces
walk in. Effie and Monty look over, their eyes widening when they spot Regulus.
“Effie! Monty! What’s up?” Sirius bellows happily, rushing over to hug both of them.

“Is that–?” Effie asks, her eyes still on Regulus.

“Huh?” Sirius looks back at his brother, who’s still stuck in the doorway, clearly debating
walking back out. “Oh, yeah. Reg, come here and meet James’s parents.”

Regulus bites his lip before slowly walking over, a slight blush on his cheeks. James is
tempted to coo at the sight, wanting to reach over and squish his little cheeks. Effie’s gaze has
noticeably softened as she watches Regulus walk over and attempt to hide himself behind
Sirius’s legs.

“Well, hi there, Regulus. I’m Effie, James’s mum. That’s Monty. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Effie says while kneeling on the ground so she can be at eye-level with him.

Regulus shifts, his hands gripping Sirius’s pants. He hesitantly smiles and waves. “Hi.”

“Well, aren’t you precious? Do you want to sit down? I think I have some sweets in my bag.”
Effie says, patting the space beside her in her chair.

Regulus immediately beams and walks over, climbing into her lap without hesitation. Effie
chuckles while digging around in her bag before finding a chocolate frog and handing it to
the younger boy.

“Thanks!” Regulus says happily. “I’m not surprised that you’re so nice. You are James’s
mum, after all.”

James watches this with a full heart, a slight blush staining his cheeks as he listens to Regulus
gush over him. Sirius just laughs before launching himself into Monty’s arms and talking his
ear off. James’s eyes can’t leave Regulus and his mum, though.
“I was hit with some spell! Now I’m stuck like this until they can fix me. Everyone’s being
nice to me, though. I get to sleep in the dorm with Sirius and James! And people come up and
give me hugs all the time.” Regulus is saying, gesturing wildly with his chocolate-covered
fingers.

Effie slyly cleans them with a wave of her hand before patting his head. “Well, I’m glad that
everyone is so nice to you. Do your parents know?”

James winces as he watches all the color drain from Regulus’s face. “No. I don’t want to see
them.”

Effie’s jaw ticks as she processes his words. She’s aware of the situation with Walburga and
Orion, seeing as Sirius came to them last summer after running away, but he hasn’t opened
up about it much. Honestly, 6-year-old Regulus has revealed more about them than Sirius
ever has.

“Why not?” Effie asks, her tone deadly serious.

“They hurt me and Sirius. Mother locks me in dark rooms and doesn’t feed me sometimes.
I’m scared of them.” Regulus says quietly.

Sirius and Monty’s conversation has stopped since they heard Regulus, all of them watching
him with wide eyes. Effie doesn’t miss a beat before pulling him into her arms.

“Regulus, I need you to remember this when you go back to normal. You are welcome at our
house all the time. If you don’t want to go back to your parents, you don’t have to. I would
love to have you, okay?” She says, her hands stroking down his face gently.

He looks up at her with stars in his eyes. “Really? You’d be my mum, too?”

Effie’s eyebrows crinkle as if she’s in pain. “Sweetheart, nothing would make me happier.”
“Oh.” Regulus breathes out before throwing his arms around Effie’s shoulders and staying
there.

James glances over to Sirius, who’s slyly wiping away tears. James leans over his bed to
grasp his hand. Sirius looks at him, swallowing hard. James squeezes his hand.

They all continue after that, Regulus sitting with Effie until he dozes off a bit later. Effie
kisses James and Sirius on the cheek before laying Regulus down in Sirius’s arms.

“I’m not kidding around with him, Sirius. Even if you have to knock him out to get him
there, he is staying with us this summer.” Effie says.

“Alright. He’ll be there.” Sirius promises.

Effie smiles, her hand brushing the curls out of Regulus’s eyes. “Sweet boy. He’s always
been such a sweet boy.”

Monty and Effie kiss James one more time before slipping out of the Hospital Wing. Sirius
waves, too, his eyes tired.

“Night, Prongs. See you in the morning.”

“Good night,” James says, his eyes following the brothers out the door before closing his
eyes.

Regulus wakes to complete darkness, his entire body trembling. His face is covered in tears
and he doesn’t know where he is.
His body is up and he’s stumbling around before he finds a door and throws it open, relaxing
as he’s greeted by a torchlit corridor. Right. He’s in the Gryffindor Tower, staying with his
brother. He looks around, seeing nobody. It’s likely the middle of the night.

Deciding to walk off his anxiety, he steps out of the portrait, taking off down a random
hallway and walking aimlessly. He wipes at his nose and face, trying to get rid of the tears
that are still on his face. He’s holding his blanket, the one that he’d gotten when he was born.
It’s the only thing that can keep him asleep through the night because it smells like Sirius.

As he’s walking past a few sleeping portraits, he sees a small figure trotting towards him.
With a delighted gasp, Regulus sees that it’s a cat. Crouching down, he beckons it forward,
laughing softly when it rubs its face on his hand.

“Hi, kitty,” Regulus whispers, scratching lightly at the cat’s head.

It purrs in response, flopping down on its back so he can stroke the soft fur on its belly. He’s
not sure how long he sits there petting the cat, but light footsteps behind him have him
snapping his head up.

Professor McGonagall stands there with a robe on, her eyes squinting in the dim light. “Mr.
Black? What are you doing out here with Mrs. Norris?”

“Oh, hello. I had a nightmare so I needed to walk around a little. The cat found me.” Regulus
says with a smile.

McGonagall hums, her gaze jumping from Regulus to Mrs. Norris a few times before she
reaches out her hand. “Here, I have hot cocoa in my office. Mrs. Norris can come along, too.”

Regulus takes the offered hand, holding it as they walk a few halls down to her office. Mrs.
Norris follows them closely, her soft body bumping against Regulus’s legs every few
seconds. Professor McGonagall watches them curiously. “She doesn’t usually like students. I
believe you’re the first to endear yourself to her.”
“She’s a nice cat,” Regulus says, confused as to why no one else likes her.

“She is.” McGonagall agrees, letting Regulus’s hand go when they enter her office.

Regulus goes to sit in the comfy chair across from McGonagall’s desk, picking up the cat and
settling her in his lap. McGonagall pours a steaming drink into a mug and hands it over to
him, deciding to sit in the chair beside him rather than the one behind the desk. Regulus sips
it and smiles. “This is good!”

McGonagall smiles. She takes a sip of hers before facing Regulus. “What did you have a
nightmare about?”

Regulus frowns. “My mother.”

She hums. “What happened in the dream?”

“She was locking me in the closet again. I kept crying and crying but she wouldn’t let me
out.”

McGonagall looks at him sympathetically. “Has she done that to you before?”

Regulus nods. She leans forward in her seat to look more closely at Regulus.

“You know that most parents don’t do that to their children, right?”

He nods again. “I know. Most give their kids sweets and cuddle them like Mrs. Potter.”
 “Yes. I’m very sorry that you don’t have that firsthand experience.” McGonagall watches
him, her eyebrows pinched together. “Even though you’re not a Gryffindor, I want you to
know that you can come to me. Especially after we get that spell reversed.”

Regulus looks at her, his hand still petting the cat in his lap. “You’re a nice person, Professor.
Do you have kids?”

She smiles warmly. “Well, I consider all of my students my children. The most fulfilling
thing in my life is watching all of you grow up into wonderful people.”

“I like that. Maybe I’ll become a teacher and be just like you!”

She laughs softly. “You can do anything you put your mind to, Mr. Black.”

Regulus beams.

Chapter End Notes

i'm a firm believer that regulus is a mama's boy and sirius is a daddy's boy. that is my
bible.
 Chapter Four
Chapter Summary

Regulus bonds with his Slytherin friends and Remus has his birthday party.

Chapter Notes

hey y'all! sorry for the wait, i honestly got major writers block for some reason. this
chapter kinda sucks but i have PLANS for the next one so don't worry. I still think the
fic is going to be around 6ish chapters???? maybe 7??? maybe 8????? I DON"T KNOW.
it should be finished soonish though <3

thank u for reading, i love u guys

Sirius and Regulus pick up James from the Hospital Wing the next morning. Sirius freaked
when he first woke up because when he glanced over at his little brother, all he saw was a
huge pile of cat fur. Come to find out it’s fucking Mrs. Norris, of all creatures, who
somehow adopted Regulus in the span of one night.

She ditches them at the doors of the Hospital Wing, apparently not one for that kind of thing.

James perks up when he sees the brothers, a bright smile spreading across his face when
Regulus rushes over to pepper him with questions about his health. James entertains every
single one, insisting that he feels loads better and he will be completely fine to join them for
breakfast.

“Alright, Reggie, back up and let him breathe. He’s coming with us, so no need to keep
worrying, yeah?” Sirius laughs a bit because Regulus is fully leaning over the bed as he holds
up James’s elbow for his inspection, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as James
watches with an amused smile.
Pomfrey comes out to greet the boys and give James one more potion before sending them
away. “I’ll need to see you soon to test out a cure I’m working on, Mr. Black.”

Regulus nods. “Okay.”

“Meet me here tomorrow at 9 am before breakfast, alright?”

He nods again before they all walk out, making their way to the Great Hall. Most people
haven’t gotten there yet, seeing as it’s not even 9 am on a Saturday in a school of teenagers.

Remus is there with a muggle birthday hat strapped on his head, and Sirius can’t help but
laugh. If you’ve ever seen a grown teenage boy wearing a party hat, you’ve been blessed.
Specifically when said teenager is Remus Lupin, who somehow makes the cone on his head
still look good. Maybe he’s just biased.

Sirius ducks his head down to peck Remus on the mouth, the kiss more teeth than anything
because he’s smiling too wide to do any kissing. “Happy birthday, Moons.” He mumbles.

“Thanks,” Remus says, his voice a bit rough.

“Remus, it’s your birthday!” Regulus exclaims, effectively separating Remus and Sirius as he
climbs into Remus’s lap to wrap his little arms around his neck.

“Woah, hey, Reg. Yes, it is.” Remus laughs a bit, his arms circling Regulus’s back to hold
him steady.

“What are you going to do? Is everyone going to sing to you? How old are you anyway? You
look old.” Regulus peppers him with questions, his face screwed up in a wide smile that
sends a pang through Sirius.
 What’s this going to be like when he’s back to normal? Sirius wonders helplessly. Will they
go back to ignoring each other? Sirius doesn’t think he’d ever be able to ignore his brother
again, not after all of this. Not after he remembers what it’s like to be loved by Regulus.
What it’s like to be his older brother.

He thinks back to that Howler that Regulus got the morning before he got hit by the spell.
The way he looked over at Sirius, and for a moment, Sirius swore that Regulus thought about
walking over to him. He could see it; he knew what Regulus’s facial expressions meant,
despite how hard he worked to hide them.

He dreads the day when Regulus will turn back to his older self, but he also longs for it so
desperately that it hurts.

Every time he thinks about his brother going back to his regular self he feels an
insurmountable amount of fear that is borderline paralyzing. He imagines that Regulus will
be angry, and embarrassed, and he’ll withdraw so much that Sirius may never see him again,
and the thought of that happening is so startling and devastating that he sort of wants to just
tie Regulus down and make him listen. He wants to tell him how much he loves him, how
sorry he is that he forgot so many things about him, and how much he wants them to be close
again.

It’s so much easier to love Regulus when he allows himself to be loved. But that’s never
stopped Sirius from loving him regardless.

“Pads? You good?” James’s hand waving in front of his face is what breaks Sirius out of his
thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, yeah I’m fine.” Sirius waves him off, settling in his spot beside Moony.

James narrows his eyes, clearly not believing him, but is distracted when Regulus scrambles
off of Moony and instead settles on top of James, a happy little smile on his face. “Your mum
is nice.”
Sirius rolls his eyes when he sees hearts appear in James’s eyes as his attention goes straight
to Regulus. “Yeah, she’s the best.”

“Is she coming back?” Regulus asks.

“Er, well, not for a while, no.” James cringes a bit when he sees Regulus’s face fall, his hands
springing out to try and soothe the younger boy. “But you could come to see her over the
summer hols? Or Easter?”

“I could come and stay with you then?” Regulus perks up.

“Yeah, of course. Sirius has been staying with us for two years now.”

Regulus looks over at Sirius with wide eyes. “You have? You don’t have to stay with Mother
and Father?”

“No, I don’t, Reg. And you’re more than welcome to come with me.”

Regulus’s smile is so big that Sirius can practically see his molars. “Okay.” He nods
frantically.

Sirius and James share a look, a painful jab stabbing Sirius’s stomach violently as they take
in Regulus’s words.

Regulus’s eyes get distracted by something across the hall and he’s up and moving before
James or Sirius can grab him. “Regulus!” Sirius yells exasperatedly.

His brother is running over to the Slytherin table where he promptly jumps up and lays across
Dorcas’s lap, his head resting on Pandora’s shoulder. Sirius watches with an amused smile,
laughing when Evan and Barty both sputter at the presence of their friend. Those two still
don’t know how to talk to Regulus, scared to make him cry again. Pandora and Dorcas find it
endlessly hilarious.

With a sigh, Sirius settles back down at the Gryffindor table beside Remus, his head falling to
rest on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Are you still good with the party in the common room
tonight? You’re sure you don’t want to sneak out to Hogsmeade or something?”

Remus snorts. “I’d rather stay here just so I don’t need to worry about carrying your drunk
arse back.”

Sirius makes an indignant noise, but his friends all laugh in agreement. Peter leans in, his
face alight with humor. “He’s right, Pads. Last time it took all three of us to drag you back
through the passage.”

Sirius waves them off. “You guys love it, I’m a riot.”

All three of them share a look. Sirius flips them off.

“Plus we still need to watch Reggie, and I wouldn’t trust him not to run off on his own if we
left the castle.” Remus points out.

James hums. “Yeah, I suppose. But we could ask them to babysit him for the night?” He nods
over to the group of Slytherins who are all taking turns with Regulus in their laps.

Remus tilts his head in contemplation. “That could work. I’d still prefer to stay here, though.”

“We should ask them to babysit anyway, I don’t want him in the common room when people
are drinking,” Sirius says.

They all nod in agreement, so Sirius gets up to walk over to the group of Slytherins. Regulus
is laughing with Barty, his head resting on the other boy’s shoulder. Sirius smiles.
“Hey, guys. So, today is Remus’s birthday and I wanted to ask if you all could maybe watch
Reggie for the night. We’re having a party in the common room, and I’d like him to not be
around during that.”

Regulus immediately pouts. “I want to be there for it.”

“Reggie,” Sirius sighs. “It’s going to be busy and loud and go way past your bedtime. It’s not
a place for a little kid.”

“But I thought you said I was 16.” Regulus protests.

Barty chuckles. “He’s got you there.”

Sirius shoots Barty a glare that has the other boy snapping his mouth closed with a loud
clack. “You might regularly be 16, but you’re not right now, Reggie. Plus, don’t you want to
hang out with your friends? You haven’t gotten to see them much.”

“We can get sweets from the kitchens and read scary stories,” Pandora suggests, her pale
eyebrows wiggling as she pokes at Regulus’s cheek playfully.

Regulus laughs happily, a big smile spreading across his face. “Okay, yeah, that does sound
fun. But can I see you and everyone else before the party starts? I didn’t get Remus a gift!”
His eyes go wide as he starts muttering to himself about making Remus a gift.

“Reggie, you don’t need to get him a gift, it’s alright. But yeah, how about James and I walk
you down to the Slytherin common room later on?” Sirius suggests.

“Okay.” Regulus nods, his mind off somewhere else.

Sirius nods, silently asking the group if they’re fine watching Regulus for a bit. They all nod,
sparking up a conversation that has Regulus laughing in seconds. Sirius sighs in relief as he
turns to walk away.

Regulus doesn’t know why he didn’t like Barty at first, because he’s come to realize in the
past couple of hours that he’s freaking brilliant. He carries Regulus on his shoulders and
teases Evan playfully and carries a very intricate pocket knife at all times that Regulus likes
to fiddle with. He also tells Regulus about his older self, which is nice, if not a bit startling.

“So, I still live with my parents? But Sirius is with James?” Regulus asks when their group is
lazing outside by the lake.

“Yeah, it’s sort of your responsibility to be the heir now that Sirius has been disowned,” Barty
says carefully, his eyes flicking around the group.

Regulus frowns, and Dorcas reaches down to smooth out his forehead gently, her fingers
coaxing his eyes to close. He does, relaxing further into her lap. “I just don’t understand why
I’d let Sirius go. He’s my brother.”

“It’s complicated, Reg. You’ll understand more when you’re back to normal.” Pandora says,
her fingers tickling his sides lightly.

“Everyone keeps saying that. I’ll understand better when I’m older again, but what about
now? It seems like my life is horrible when I’m 16. I don’t want to go back to that.” Regulus
says.

The group around him all share a look, none of them quite sure how to proceed with this.
Evan speaks up.
“We know it’s probably confusing for you right now, and it might seem like a terrible life
you’re going back to, but who’s to say that your life won’t change after this? So what if your
older self didn’t talk to Sirius or James? You can choose to change that when you get back,
yeah? No one said you have to stay the same as you were before. In fact, I’m fully expecting
you to be different. Maybe this spell was a blessing rather than a curse.” Evan says idly, his
eyes on the sky above him.

The group all stare at him in stunned silence.

“Evan, what the fuck?” Barty blurts out.

“Barty, language.” Dorcas chides, leaning forward to whack him on the arm.

“I’m sorry but when did Evan get so wise ?” Barty asks, his eyes wide as he stares at Evan.

“I’ve always been wise, Barty.”

“No, you haven’t.”

“He’s right, you haven’t,” Dorcas adds.

“Alright, you can all fuck off. Reggie is my favorite and the rest of you suck.” Evan declares,
his arm reaching out to ruffle Regulus’s curls.

“Hey?” Pandora says, affronted.

“Eh, you’re alright, too,” Evan says with a small grin.

Pandora hums, a tiny pleased smile on her face. Regulus is still pondering his older self and
the relationships he has. He lifts his head from Dorcas’s lap and looks around his group of
friends, his face suddenly serious.

“Guys, can you promise me something?”

The teenagers all sit up, their faces growing serious as well. “Sure, Reg, what is it?” Barty
asks.

“When I go back to my older self, can you make sure I don’t ignore Sirius again? Or James?
Can you force me to be close with them like I am now?” Regulus asks with wide eyes, his
heart beating furiously in his chest.

The group all give him sympathetic looks. Pandora reaches out and folds him into her arms,
her hands gently combing through his hair. “Of course we can. Even if you’re being more
stubborn than usual, we’ll make sure you at least talk to them.”

Regulus relaxes. “Thank you.”

Everyone nods, coming to a silent agreement to stick to their word. Even if older Regulus is
the ultimate little shit that tries to shut them all out, they’ll be there to make sure he talks to
his brother.

A cheerful voice startles the group, and Regulus looks up with a wide smile. “James!” He
scrambles out of Pandora’s arms to wrap his arms around James’s leg.

“Hey, Reg. Came to get you for lunch. We’re gonna have cake at the Gryffindor table, so we
figured you might want some.” James says with a smile as he pats Regulus’s head.

“What kind?” Regulus asks seriously.

“Chocolate.”

“Yes please!” Regulus lets go and starts to walk away before he remembers the object sitting
with Pandora. “Oh, wait!”

He turns back around and asks Pandora for the flower that she’d helped him enchant. She
hands it to him with a small smile, her hand pulling his head in so she could kiss his cheek
sweetly before letting him go. Regulus grins. “Thanks, Dora. See you guys later!” He runs
back over to James.

James looks at the flower curiously. “What’s that?”

“It’s a moonflower! Pandora helped me transfigure the pot and make sure it wouldn’t die.
You guys call Remus ‘Moony,’ so I thought it was fitting.” Regulus explains as they walk up
the steps of the castle. “And look! We magically carved pawprints on the pot because of
Sirius’s nickname, so Remus and Sirius can be together.”

James looks down at Regulus with a strange expression. He stops Regulus from walking and
crouches down before enveloping Regulus in a tight hug. “You are the kindest soul that I
know, Regulus.”

Regulus, quite confused about everything but happy to hug James back, just laughs. “You are
too, James.”

James squeezes him tighter before letting him go, his hand reaching out for Regulus to take
as they continue walking. Regulus chatters on about his recent adventures with Mrs. Norris
while James is in the hospital and swings their hands lightly as they walk. As they continue,
he remembers his previous conversation with his friends and looks up at James.

“Hey, James?” Regulus says.

“Yeah, Reg?”
“How come I’m not friends with you when I’m 16?”

James hesitates. “Er, well... it’s difficult to explain, Reg. There’s the whole thing with your
family hating mine, and I sort of took Sirius away from you. You’re mad at me for a lot of
things, I think.”

Regulus frowns. “That’s stupid. I don’t like that.”

“Me neither,” James says wistfully.

“Well, let’s just agree to be friends when I’m back, okay?”

James smiles down at Regulus. “Okay. Friends.”

Regulus hums happily.

James and the rest of the Gryffindors celebrate Remus’s birthday late into the night. It’s a
solid party, everyone is sloshed and dancing, the music is good, and Remus and Sirius
disappeared a while ago to presumably shag while no one’s in the dorm. James can’t fully
enjoy himself, though.

All he can think about is that conversation he had with Regulus earlier. When the younger
boy had told him they’d just be friends when he was old again. James’s heart twists and his
stomach has a knot so tight that he can barely breathe.

He misses Regulus. Even though he adores baby Regulus and loves learning all these new
things about him, he longs for the older Regulus who scowls and delivers biting remarks. The
Regulus is so good at Quidditch that he barely has to try half the time. The Regulus calls him
Potter and hides his smile in the corner of his mouth.

The Regulus that James is in love with.

He misses him so violently that he feels like a limb has been torn from him and he’s been
spending this time looking for it. Is it bad that he misses him so much?

They’re not friends. They’ve never been friends, but James has always held out hope that
maybe one day Regulus would come around to him. He can’t stop thinking about the day that
Regulus got hit with the spell. How sad he’d looked, and how he was harsher with James
than usual. He was hurt from that Howler and James could see that he was contemplating
talking to Sirius.

He just wants them to be okay. He wants Regulus to be okay. Even if Regulus never comes
around to him, he just wants him to reconcile with Sirius and get away from his awful family.
Every time he remembers the frightened sounds that Regulus makes when he’s having a
nightmare, James is tempted to go to Grimmauld himself and cast a few Unforgivables on
Walburga and Orion.

Marlene’s head popping into his line of vision is what startles James out of his thoughts.
“Jamie? You alright?” she asks.

“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. I think I’m gonna head to bed soon.” James brushes her off.

She gives him a look. “I’ve known you for how many years now? You think I don’t know
what you look like when you’re upset about something? Is it Regulus?”

James sighs. “Am I that obvious?”

“That you’ve been in love with him for Merlin knows how long? Yes. This entire situation
with him turning back into a little kid and adoring you must be difficult. Are you thinking
about what he’ll say when he’s older?” She sits down next to him on the sofa, her hand
clutching a bottle of cider.

“Yes and no. Honestly, Marls? I just fucking miss him.” James admits.

“Oh, love.” She reaches over to pull his head to rest on her shoulder.

James relaxes into her, breathing in her familiar scent. “I know it’s stupid. Why do I miss
someone that actively hates me?”

“Because you love him, that’s why. Love isn’t rational. Fuck, if Dorcas was suddenly taken
from me, I’d miss her so much it’d damn near kill me.” Marlene laughs a bit.

James chuckles. “Yeah. It’s like, he’s still here obviously, but it’s not him. You know? I can’t
just go and find Regulus and have a conversation with him, and I miss that.”

“I get it, James. And you’re scared about everything that’ll happen when he comes back. But
trust me on this, that boy will not continue ignoring you and Sirius. There’s no way that any
of us will let that happen.”

James has the embarrassing urge to cry. Maybe he shouldn’t have accepted that shot from
Mary earlier. “Promise?”

Marlene tuts and squeezes him closer. “I’ve got you, yeah? You think I’m going to let
anything happen to you?”

James shakes his head as he buries his face in her shoulder, fully just sagging into her body.

“That’s right. Don’t worry, alright? Just be there for Regulus and Sirius now and deal with
everything when it happens. There’s no need to fret about what-ifs, yeah? Isn’t that what
you’re always saying?”
James nods. She’s right, he’s always an adamant live-in-the-moment type of person. He
shouldn’t worry about things that haven’t even happened.

“Alright. Let’s get up and enjoy the rest of this party, okay? We’ll blast some ABBA.”

“Remus hates ABBA.”

“Well, he’s not here now, is he?” Marlene smirks before walking over to the record player.

James chuckles and follows after her.

 Chapter Five
Chapter Summary

Regulus stays with the Slytherins and gets a visit in the hospital wing.

Chapter Notes

this chapter is a bit heavy... i'm sorry. this is the most angst we'll see, i believe. it's only
up from here!

warnings:
depiction of child abuse
mention of vomit (not graphic)
child endangerment
walburga being the worst basically

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Regulus ends up sprawled out on Evan’s bed with a pile of sweets surrounding him, his head
resting in Pandora’s lap as she combs through his curls. They’ve been playing a few rounds
of Wizard’s Chess, but Regulus got bored of it after a couple of rounds, now content to lay
and watch Evan and Barty yell at each other while Dorcas paints her nails dark green.

“Can you paint mine?” Regulus asks when she finishes her second hand, using a drying spell
to smooth out the polish.

She grins at him before scooting closer and grabbing his left hand. “Why of course, little
Reggie. Do you want green? I have more colors in my dorm.”

Regulus shakes his head. “I like green.”

She nods approvingly before uncapping the bottle and starting to paint his thumb. Regulus
watches with rapt attention, entirely mesmerized as Dorcas paints clean layers of green on his
fingernails, finishing each layer with a drying spell. Pandora continues petting his head, a low
melody filling Regulus’s brain as she hums softly from behind him. Regulus relaxes, an
overwhelming surge of calm spreading through his body as he breathes out a deep sigh.

“I understand why I’m friends with you guys now.” Regulus murmurs.

“Oh?” Dorcas asks, now painting his right hand.

“You’re calm. Nothing like the rowdy Gryffindor dorm. It’s peaceful with you all.” Regulus
says.

Pandora scratches at his scalp and Regulus nearly purrs with content. “That’s what you’ve
always said. Slytherin is a reprieve from the idiotic loudness of the Gryffindors.” Pandora
says.

Regulus understands. He likes the Gryffindors, obviously, but there’s something about sitting
with a group of people and not needing to say anything. He feels like his brain can take a
break.

“Aw, Reggie, you do love us!” Barty says while crawling over to plant a loud kiss on
Regulus’s cheek.

“Well, yeah. How could I not love my friends?” Regulus asks, truly confused.

“You’re so much more open as a child. Do you know I have to twist your arm to hear you
admit that you enjoy our company, much less love us when you’re older?” Barty asks.

Evan laughs. “He’s right. For my birthday this year you got me a first edition book by one of
my favorite authors and on the card you wrote ‘I suppose I tolerate you. R.A.B’ It was
brilliant.”
Regulus laughs. Every time anyone mentions his older self he’s overcome with a wave of
sadness and confusion. He doesn’t tell his friends that he loves them? But he gets them
thoughtful and expensive gifts? His older self sounds contradictory.

“Well, I do love you. Maybe the older me is just afraid to say it. Our mother never tells us
that she loves us, but Sirius tells me he loves me every day.” Regulus says.

Pandora makes a choking noise and suddenly pulls him into a tight hug. Regulus, bewildered
but still content, hugs her back. “I’m going to tell you I love you every day for the rest of our
lives. I love you, Regulus.” She whispers before cupping his face in her hands.

Regulus smiles. “I love you, too.”

He’s suddenly surrounded by multiple pairs of arms all holding him in a tight hug, his tiny
frame completely covered by the older teenagers. It’s nice, he thinks. He has a feeling that
they don’t do this very often.

“Why is baby Reg making me cry?” Barty asks, and sure enough, when Regulus looks up he
sees Barty wiping away a tear.

The other teenagers laugh, all of them squeezing Regulus a bit tighter. They stay like that for
a while and Regulus doesn’t ask them to stop, having a gut feeling that they might need this
more than he does. When they pull away, he smiles at his friends, who all give him matching
watery smiles in return.

“I want to find Mrs. Norris,” Regulus announces.

The group all laugh, Barty being the first one to jump up and pull Regulus with him.
“Anything for our Regulus!” He hoists Regulus on his back and carries him out of the dorm.

“Barty, we really should stay here–” Dorcas protests.

“Come on, the boy wants his cat! Who are we to deny the boy his pet?” Barty says jokingly,
making Regulus laugh.

“He’s right, how could we do that to our Regulus?” Evan pouts before following Barty and
Regulus.

“We don’t even know where the blasted thing is!” Dorcas throws her hands up but she
follows them.

“She always finds me,” Regulus says, which is true.

Throughout the day today, Mrs. Norris had come up and followed him around for a few
minutes before disappearing again.

“I can’t believe you’ve domesticated Mrs. Norris. She hates everyone.” Evan says as he
bumps his shoulder into Regulus’s.

“She’s nice.” Regulus shrugs.

The rest of the group all roll their eyes in response. They walk out of the Slytherin common
room and decide to go up to the Astronomy Tower while they’re out.

“Your star is out tonight,” Barty explains as he continues walking with Regulus on his back.

“I want to see Sirius.”

“The star or your brother?”

“The star.” Regulus laughs.

“Oh, right. Not like it gets confusing. Merlin, your family is so posh for naming you all after
stars.” Barty snarks.

“Not as weird as naming their child Bartemius.” Regulus counters.

Barty tilts his head back and laughs, despite them all attempting to be quiet.

“I worried that you were completely different, but you’re the same old Reg,” Barty says
fondly.

Regulus beams.

Mrs. Norris does find them as they’re walking back from the Astronomy Tower, her soft
body brushing against Regulus’s legs.

Regulus, whose eyes are struggling to stay open, just smiles and crouches down so he can
pick her up. “You found me. I knew you would.”

Mrs. Norris meows in response as she curls up in his arms and falls asleep. The rest of the
Slytherins watch in disbelief, all of them shaking their heads.

“Mental,” Evan mutters.

They get back to the Slytherin common room late into the night, and Regulus curls up in his
bed with Mrs. Norris, sleep finding him in seconds.
~

Sometime in the night, Regulus wakes up crying, only to be enveloped in two bodies that
gently shush him.

“It’s okay, Reggie. You’re fine. It’s Evan and Barty, remember? We’ve got you.” Evan
soothes quietly, his hand petting Regulus’s hair gently.

“Go back to sleep, you’re safe.” Barty murmurs.

Regulus, only half-awake and surrounded by warmth, doesn’t have any issues curling back
up with the cat in his bed and falling asleep. In the back of his mind, he wonders if that’s not
the first time they’ve done that for him.

Regulus goes to the hospital wing alone the next morning, not wanting to wake any of his
friends. Mrs. Norris walks with him until they get to the door before she turns and wanders
off. Regulus walks in and sees Madam Pomfrey organizing her supply shelf. She turns and
smiles at him, gesturing for Regulus to sit on one of the beds.

“Hi, Mr. Black. How are you feeling this morning?” Madam Pomfrey asks as Regulus walks
over to sit on a bed.

“I’m alright, how are you?” Regulus asks politely.

“I’m well, thank you for asking.” She smiles down at him before raising her wand to run
some diagnostics. “I’m going to administer a few potions that Professor Flitwick, Professor
Slughorn, and myself have been working on.”
Regulus nods, trying not to laugh at the tingles running down his spine from the magic. He’s
always been much too ticklish, at least in his mother’s opinion. Eventually, her wand goes
over his stomach and Regulus can’t help but laugh. Pomfrey raises an eyebrow and Regulus
fights a blush on his cheeks.

“It tickles,” Regulus explains.

Pomfrey pauses for a moment before she starts to laugh quietly. “Out of all things, that was
the least expected.”

Regulus smiles too, unable to not laugh when those around him are. They calm after a few
seconds and Pomfrey reaches out to ruffle his hair before she walks over to her cart of
potions. “We’ll start with this one, which is a general healing potion that could potentially
reverse the effects of the curse.”

The bottle contains a dark purple substance and Regulus leans in closer to see it better. “Does
it taste good?”

“Some say it tastes like black licorice,” Pomfrey says before uncapping it and handing it
over.

Regulus examines it again before raising it to his mouth, only swallowing a little before he’s
startled by the doors of the hospital wing bursting open.

“Where is he? Where’s my son?” Walburga’s voice screeches against every wall.

Regulus flinches and nearly drops the vial, but Pomfrey catches it. Her eyebrows crease as
she looks over at Regulus’s parents, her mouth pursed. Regulus sinks into the bed, wishing he
could disappear right now.

Where’s Sirius? He wonders helplessly.

“Oh, Regulus. What have they done to you?” Walburga spots him and walks over, ignoring
the way that Regulus flinches away from her.

“I’m fine, no one’s done anything,” Regulus says meekly.

“What are you talking about? You’re a child again!” Walburga wails.

“He’s technically still a child normally.” Madam Pomfrey mutters.

“What are you giving him? I demand to be caught up on everything that’s happened to him.
When I get back to the Ministry you better hope they take pity on you, healer. I will have
everyone in this school fired for the preposterous treatment of my son.” Walburga threatens,
her sharp nails pointing at Pomfrey.

Pomfrey just looks at her. “Myself, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Slughorn have been
working together to create a cure for Mr. Black. I was about to administer him a general
healing potion that could potentially reverse the effects of the curse, though we doubt a
potion so general would do the trick. I have a few here that we were going to test out.”

Walburga scoffs. “No. I will be taking him home now where he can be treated by real healers,
not the school nurse.”

Regulus feels his body start to tremble as her words sink in. She’s trying to take him away
from Hogwarts, away from his friends. Away from Sirius.

“No,” Regulus says.

Walburga’s head shoots back over to him. “What?”

“No. I don’t want to go with you. I want to stay here.” Regulus says, trying to ignore the way
his voice trembles.

His mother laughs, the sound of it sharp and unpleasant. “I am your mother, you can’t say no
to me. Now, stop being a baby and get up. We’re going home.” Her hand darts out to grip his
forearm tightly, her nails puncturing his skin.

“No! No! Stop! I don’t want to go!” Regulus immediately starts to cry, sobs wracking his
body so violently that he feels like he might be sick.

“Regulus Arcturus, if you don’t listen to me this will not end well for you,” Walburga says,
her grip getting tighter and tighter as Regulus struggles to get free.

He spots Professor Dumbledore in the entryway, watching this whole thing. He’s tempted to
call out and ask someone to get Sirius, but his cries are cut off abruptly when he suddenly
can’t speak at all.

“I’ll lift this when you’ve stopped your tantrum.” His mother says, the end of her wand
glowing as Regulus claws at his throat.

“Now, that is not necessary. Lift that spell immediately.” Madam Pomfrey says, her voice
hard as she steps a bit closer to Regulus.

“You’re telling me how to discipline my child?” Walburga asks, her eyes wide and crazed.

“I’m telling you to lift a silencing spell from a student who is currently under my care,”
Pomfrey replies calmly.

With a grunt, Walburga releases the spell, and Regulus coughs, his sobbing only growing
louder. He looks up to the doors and finds Professor McGonagall there now.
“What in Merlin’s name is going on here?” She asks before walking in, her eyes never
leaving Regulus.

“Professor!” Regulus exclaims as he breaks free of his mother’s grip and trips on his way to
McGonagall.

“Regulus Arcturus Black, stop !” Walburga screams, and suddenly all he can feel is pain.

“No!” McGonagall calls her wand up a second too late.

He crumples to the ground, his screams filling the room. He knows this feeling and has felt it
many times. He can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s the spell that his mother uses when
she’s very angry. The only spell that he and Sirius can never fight against.

He loses his senses, the only thing filling his body is the paralyzing pain. He convulses and
throws up on the floor in front of him, tears streaming down his face. Eventually, the pain
gets too much, and his vision goes black.

Regulus wakes to multiple voices around him. His eyes slowly blink open and struggles to
focus on the figures above him. One stands out, though, he’d recognize Sirius anywhere.

“Sirius?” Regulus asks, his voice hoarse.

“Oh, thank Merlin,” Sirius says before fully collapsing on top of Regulus, his hands snaking
under Regulus’s back to hold him tightly.

“What happened?” Regulus asks, his vision clearing as he examines the group around his
bed.
All the Gryffindors are sitting in various spots around Regulus’s bed, along with his Slytherin
friends. James and Remus sit the closest with Peter a few paces away beside Marlene,
Dorcas, Mary, and Lily. Pandora is next to Barty and Evan on the other side of the bed. They
all have matching expressions of relief, fear, and pity. It makes Regulus look away and focus
on his brother.

“Mother, um, hurt you. Like she does.” Sirius says, his voice wet in an obvious way he’s been
crying.

“Oh.” The memories hit him then.

Right. He’d blacked out from the pain. Great.

“How are you feeling, Reg?” James asks from beside the bed.

Regulus smiles at James despite the pain. “I’m alright.”

Sirius shakes his head. “He’s lying. He always lies about pain.”

“Mr. Black, I know you were worried about him, but I need to cast some diagnostic spells on
Regulus.” Madam Pomfrey says from a few paces away.

Regulus gives her a weak smile as she approaches, both of them sharing a look. She was the
only one who’d witnessed the entire thing, and it made Regulus feel a bit embarrassed.
They’ve never had an audience for Walburga’s punishment before.

“How are you?” Madam Pomfrey asks once Sirius is off him and back in his seat.

“Well,” Regulus thinks about it. “My head hurts.”

She smiles. “I’d imagine so. I’m going to cast that spell that tickles, alright? Try and hold
still.”

Sirius’s eyebrows furrow. “What tickles?”

Regulus feels that familiar tingle goes through his body, his face spreading into a wide smile
despite the pain. “That spell she uses tickles.” He says, a few giggles escaping him.

The group around them all start to laugh a bit hysterically. Regulus laughs with them as
Pomfrey continues, a tiny smile on her face as well.

“Godric, I love you,” Sirius says, his hand reaching out to grip Regulus’s.

Regulus smiles as he looks at their intertwined hands, wincing slightly when he catches sight
of the angry purple bruises that litter his arm where his mother had gripped him. Sirius
follows his gaze, his eyes darkening.

“Could you heal his arm?” Sirius asks Pomfrey when she finishes her examination.

“Hm?” She looks at Regulus’s arm and winces. “Yes, hold still.”

She waves her wand and a gentle warmth spreads down his arm. Regulus watches in
fascination as the bruises and scratches quickly heal and the aching fades into nothing.

“Wow!” Regulus exclaims, truly astounded. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

Pomfrey smiles. “If you’d like to study to become a Healer, I’d be happy to take you on as an
apprentice.”
Regulus grins, happy with that.

“As for your healing, I’m going to need to keep you for at least two days. You have a bit of
internal damage from the prolonged curse your mother held on you. We’re going to have to
forget about reversing the curse for now while we focus on healing you.”

Regulus nods, his gaze going to Sirius. His older brother nods and squeezes his hand. “Will
you stay, please?” Regulus asks.

Sirius’s eyes shut for a moment before he nods earnestly. “You think I’d leave you alone? I
shouldn’t have left you for one night. If I’d just watched you then none of this would’ve
happened.”

Regulus frowns. “It isn’t your fault, it’s hers. We didn’t know she was going to show up like
that.”

Sirius is visibly fighting tears. “Yeah, but I could’ve protected you if I was here.”

“Maybe. But she might’ve done it to you instead, and I’d rather it be me than you.” Regulus
says honestly.

A few gasps sound around them and Sirius chokes, his head falling forward to rest on
Regulus’s stomach as he wraps his arms around him.

“Let’s give them some privacy.” Regulus hears James mutter, and then the brothers are alone.

Madam Pomfrey hands Sirius a few vials for Regulus before she turns and goes to her office.
The brothers sit in silence for a while, Sirius making Regulus take every potion before they
can talk.
Eventually, all potions have been consumed and Regulus is slumped back into the pillows.
His baby blanket is in his arms now, the bottom of it covering his nose to calm him down.
Someone had dropped off an entire basket of sweets as well as a stuffed lion, which he had
no idea where it came from. Regardless, he’s holding it in his lap, his fingers stroking the soft
fur.

“Where did they go?” Regulus asks.

“They’re probably still in Dumbledore’s office. I, uh, sort of freaked on them when I came in.
You were… screaming, and I came running, and when I got here you were passed out so I
tried to, um, attack Mother. McGonagall stopped me before I could do anything and
demanded to speak to them in Dumbledore’s office.”

Regulus smiles a bit. If McGonagall is the one handling them, then they’re safe. Regulus is
positive of that.

“What’s going to happen to them?” Regulus asks.

“Nothing, most likely. Effie and Monty are coming, though. They’re going to try to sign you
over to their care, but Walburga needs to sign off on it. It’s either that or get charged with
child abuse in the Wizengamot, and she would rather lose her children than have her
reputation tarnished.” Sirius rolls his eyes bitterly.

“So… I don’t have to see them anymore?” Regulus asks.

Sirius’s eyes soften. “No, Reg. You’re free of them.”

Tears spring to Regulus’s eyes. He’s so relieved that he could just pass out from pure
exhaustion. Sirius seems to notice this and leans forward to rub his back.

“Go to sleep, bud. I’m not leaving. I’ll be here the whole time.”
 Regulus falls asleep to the soothing rhythm of Sirius’s hand on his back.

Chapter End Notes

i'm sorry guys. next chapter will be this one but all from sirius's POV. THEN we'll get to
see them all be happy and content, ok? ok. love u guys, thanks for reading <3
 Chapter Six
Chapter Summary

Sirius's POV of the last chapter and a bit after.

Chapter Notes

shorter chapter that is basically all angst. haha. sorry y'all. ok NOW it'll be happier from
here on out. let the comfort in hurt/comfort ensue!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Sirius wakes up with the worst headache of his life. He thinks back to the Firewhiskey shots
he’d done shortly before passing out in his bed and sorely regrets it. Why does he always
want to drink more after he’s already blackout drunk?

A warm arm snakes around his waist and pulls him closer, hot breath ghosting against the
back of his neck as Remus rasps into his ear, “Stop moving.”

Sirius would love nothing more than to stay in the warmth of his boyfriend’s embrace, but he
unfortunately has to puke. Stat.

Ignoring Remus’s sleepy protests, Sirius rushes from the bed to get to the toilet before
emptying the contents of his stomach violently. He groans and conjures a cold glass of water,
chugging it in earnest. He rests his cheek against the cool floor beneath him, seriously
regretting all the decisions that led him here. Quiet footsteps pad to the door and stop, one
foot tapping against the tile.

“Did I or did I not tell you to stop taking shots four rounds before you did stop?” Remus asks
while arching an unimpressed eyebrow as he watches Sirius groan from his spot on the
ground.
“You did.”

“And did you listen to me, despite us both knowing that I’m always right?” Remus asks.

“I did not.”

“Hm.” Remus turns and walks out of the room.

“Wha– Remus, hey!” Sirius whines as he watches his boyfriend’s receding figure.

No answer. Sirius resigns himself to being stuck at the toilet for the next couple of hours. He
tries to recall the things he needs to do today, coming up blank. Something in the back of his
mind bugs him that he’s forgetting something, but he can’t remember exactly what it was.

Remus returns a few moments later with a small vial in his hands. He crouches down and
smoothes Sirius’s hair off his forehead, a tiny smile in the corner of his mouth.

“Nicked this from Pomfrey's last full moon. I had a feeling you’d need it.” Remus explains,
turning so the label reads ‘Hangover Cure’.

Sirius could cry. He has the best boyfriend in the entire world.

“I love you so much,” Sirius says before uncapping the vial and downing it.

Immediately the nausea disappears and the pounding in his head relaxes into a dull ache.
With a clearer mind, he remembers that he left Regulus with the Slytherins. Shit. He should
go get him.

“What time is it?” Sirius asks.

Remus looks down at his watch. “Almost 9.”

Sirius frowns. There was something he was supposed to do at 9, he’s sure of it.

James enters the bathroom a few seconds later, looking much too awake for Sirius’s liking.
He blinks at Sirius lying on the floor and Remus crouching beside him. “Hungover?”

“Not anymore.” Sirius pushes off the tile and sits up.

“Shouldn’t you go meet Reggie in the Hospital Wing?” James asks as he starts to brush his
teeth.

Sirius’s eyes go wide. “Shit! I knew there was something I forgot!”

He scrambles up and rushes to find clean clothes, slipping into jeans and one of Remus’s
jumpers before kicking his shoes on and rushing out. James follows, and Remus decides to
come, too. They burst into the common room to find Peter sitting with the girls, all of them
furrowing their eyebrows when they see Sirius running.

“What’s going on?” Marlene asks.

“Forgot that Reggie was supposed to go to the Hospital Wing this morning! I’m late!” Sirius
says before pushing the portrait open and running towards the hospital.

James and Remus walk at a slower pace behind him and he quickly loses them, speeding up
when he sees the doors to the hospital open, Dumbledore standing in the entryway, his face
blank as he stares at something ahead of him. Sirius furrows his eyebrows, confused for a
moment. Then he hears the screams. Screams so loud that they reverberate off the walls, loud
enough that the whole castle can likely hear.
His blood goes cold. He knows those screams; could recognize them anywhere. Regulus .

He rushes through the doors to see his mother casting Crucio on his six-year-old brother.
His little body is convulsing on the ground, and all Sirius can think is he looks so small. He’s
lying next to a puddle of his vomit and Sirius thinks he might die from the sight.

A guttural sound rips from his throat as he charges forward, Walburga’s wand flying to his
hand in seconds. He doesn’t think about the fact that he’s just done wordless magic, much
less just disarmed his mother. The only thing running through his mind on a loop is ‘She’s
dead. I’m going to fucking kill her.’

“You evil, conniving, heartless piece of shit!” Sirius screams, her wand tight in his grip as he
points it at the woman he used to call his mother.

He briefly registers that Regulus passed out, his limp form looking more dead than alive. He
walks closer and cradles his brother in his arms, a wave of protectiveness rushing through
him so violently that he can practically taste it.

“Mr. Black, I need you to calm down.” McGonagall murmurs in a tone that he’s never heard
before.

Sirius scoffs, his wand still aimed at Walburga, whose face has turned an ashy gray as she
realizes exactly what she’s done.

“Please forgive me, Professor, but there’s no way that woman is walking out of here alive.
Not if I have anything to do with it.” Sirius promises, his threat ringing out through the silent
room.

Sirius vaguely hears his friends entering the room, their gasps loud as they take in the scene.
He ignores them, the only thing in his vision being his mother. McGonagall steps into his line
of sight, her hands out and a gentle look on her face.
“Sirius, I will not allow you to jeopardize your life because of her. I promise you, I will
handle things and make sure you two boys never see either of them again, but I need you to
let go of the wand before I do that.” McGonagall says in a soothing tone.

Sirius’s hand shakes, the grip slippery on his mother’s wand, his other arm holding Regulus
to his chest. His brother is breathing, though it’s shallow. He looks down and sees the sickly
color of his face, knowing he needs to give him over to Madam Pomfrey. Tears blur his
vision as he looks back over to his parents.

He knew that Walburga was capable of this. He’s seen her do it before. He’s felt it many
times. But this is different.

Tears roll down his face as he keeps his grip on the wand trained towards her. “I hope you
know that you’re dead to me. I hope you rot in whatever place you’re sent to and you live the
remainder of your pathetic life in regret. You better hope that I never see you again, because
if I do, you won’t be walking away with your life.” Sirius says in a tone that is nothing but
final.

Walburga and Orion shift on their feet, both of them knowing he’s not kidding in the
slightest. He’s a Black, what can he say? Murder and violence run in their blood.

“Alright, Sirius, now hand me the wand,” McGonagall says.

Sirius finally looks away from his parents, his hands shaking so badly that he drops the wand
in an attempt to hand it over. McGonagall says nothing, her hand reaching out to squeeze his
shoulder before she grabs it and stands to her full height. For a moment, Sirius almost pities
his parents, because anyone that has that expression on McGonagall’s face directed at them is
in for it.

“You two will follow me now. From here on out, you will have no access to your sons. If I
hear that you’ve attempted to contact them, I will take this to the Ministry and have you both
arrested. Would you like me to do that?” McGonagall says in the coldest voice he’s ever
heard.
Walburga and Orion slowly shake their heads. McGonagall nods before restraining their
hands behind their back with magic and confiscating both of their wands. They follow her
with blank faces, never looking back at Sirius and Regulus even once.

Things go blurry after that. He knows that Pomfrey tried to take Regulus from his hold but he
refused to let go of him, so she maneuvered and healed Regulus as Sirius continued to hold
him. Remus and James came over at some point, both of them holding Sirius up and rubbing
their hands on his back. Pomfrey doesn’t tell any of them to move, knowing that it would be
more of a hassle.

He remembers carrying Regulus to a bed and watching as Pomfrey continued casting spells
on him and asking Sirius to hold his mouth open so she could pour potions down his throat.
He did it all robotically, his brain leaving and resting somewhere else while his body
continued to move.

Then he’s sitting in the chair beside Regulus’s bed and he’s surrounded by all his and
Regulus’s friends. Someone had brought Regulus’s baby blanket and a stuffed lion, Sirius
thinking idly that it was James’s old animal he used to sleep with. Remus is holding his hand
tightly and James has tears streaming down his face. They’re all in various spots around
Regulus, their eyes sad as they look at the unconscious boy in the bed.

“This is my fault.” Sirius finally says for the first time in hours.

“Sirius, don’t,” Remus says.

Shaking his head, Sirius rubs a hand over his forehead as he continues looking at his brother.
“If I’d just been here with him, she never would’ve even gotten a chance to–” his voice
breaks off as he swallows back a sob.

Remus leans in and wraps his arms around Sirius’s shoulders, pulling his head into the crook
of Remus’s neck. “Shush. You’re talking nonsense. None of this is your fault, it’s your
parents.”
Sirius tries to hold back the sobs that threaten to wrack his body, not wanting to fall apart in
front of all these people. Remus, knowing this, continues to rub his back and hide his face in
his neck.

They all stay quiet for the next half hour, no one having much to say. Sirius stays leaning on
Remus until he sees Regulus starting to stir, his body perking up immediately.

Regulus’s eyes blink open and latch onto Sirius. “Sirius?” He still has that lisp that Sirius
used to make fun of him for. He’s never loved it more.

“Oh, thank Merlin.” Sirius sags into his brother, the relief so paralyzing that he feels like he
could just pass out right here on Regulus.

The group visibly relaxes as the brothers continue talking, all of them laughing in pure
disbelief as Regulus laughs only minutes after waking. From being ticklish of all things.
Sirius loves him so much it almost hurts.

They keep talking until Regulus falls asleep, and Sirius keeps well on his promise to stay. He
doesn’t move to change eat or even sleep for the eight hours that Regulus spends sleeping.
Pomfrey even offers to move a cot so he’s right beside Regulus, but he won’t do that. If
Regulus wakes from a nightmare, he needs to be the first one there to help.

He does wake from a nightmare later that day and Sirius kicks into action immediately. He
holds him soothes him and assures him that it’s going to be fine. Regulus eventually passes
out from the new potions that Sirius gives him and pure exhaustion.

Sirius stays in his seat.

Sirius is startled awake by footsteps entering the Hospital Wing. He looks around and notes
that it must be dinnertime, due to the darkness outside of the windows. Effie and Monty come
walking over with pinched, worried expressions, and Sirius just sags in his seat, so relieved to
see them.

“Hey.” Sirius mumbles before he’s pulled into Effie’s arms.

“Despicable. That woman is despicable.” Effie murmurs sharply, though her hands are gentle
where they hold Sirius together.

“Yes.” Sirius agrees.

“I am so sorry, my love. We got them to sign the papers, they won’t be bothering you, boys,
anymore. You’re ours now.” Effie says softly.

Sirius finally cries. It starts abruptly, his body relaxing into Effie as he sobs into her shoulder.
Effie says nothing, just holding him through it. Monty eventually joins the embrace and that’s
when Sirius finally calms down.

“It’s not fair.” Sirius chokes out.

“No. It’s not.” Effie agrees.

“I’m so angry at them. I wanted to kill her. I still want to.”

“I do too,” Effie says, making Sirius’s head snap up.

She smiles grimly. “I will admit that the thought of casting an Unforgivable was very
tempting when we were in that meeting. It’s normal, love. Parents shouldn’t treat their
children like that. I can’t even comprehend it.”
Sirius doesn’t realize how badly he needs to hear those words until Effie is saying them. It
makes a new wave of tears start and he hugs her again.

He remembers something and looks up. “How did they get here?”

Effie shares a look with Monty and he speaks up. “Dumbledore let them in.”

“He what?” Sirius demands.

“They came through the Floo after hearing about Regulus’s curse and Dumbledore led them
to the Hospital Wing where he knew Regulus would be.”

Sirius clenches his fists. He tries not to be angry at Dumbledore, but how could he do that?

“It’s alright to be angry with him, Sirius,” Monty says.

“I… I am. But I’ll try not to be. It does nothing for me.” Sirius sighs.

Effie hugs him again. “My sweet boy.” She whispers.

Sirius gives her a watery smile.

The three of them sit down and look at Regulus. He looks peaceful now, all curled up with
his baby blanket over his nose and the lion stuffie clutched in his hands. Effie laughs at the
sight.

“That was James’s favorite toy when he was a boy.” She says fondly.
Sirius smiles. “I knew I recognized it somewhere. He used to hide it his whole first year.”

Effie and Monty both laugh at that.

“Telling that he gave it to Regulus.” Monty comments.

Sirius just nods. He’s not sure what they know, and now isn’t the time to talk about that. They
all catch up for a few minutes before James comes into the room.

“Hey, Pads. There’s still some dinner left and I figured you must be starving. Wanna come
with me?” He asks.

Sirius hesitates, but Effie and Monty wave him along.

“Go eat, son. You’re doing Regulus no favors by running yourself on empty.” Monty says,
patting his shoulder gently.

Sirius bites his lip. “Alright. If he wakes up from a nightmare, make sure he knows where he
is. And cast a Lumos, he’s afraid of the dark.”

“Oh. I can fix that.” James says before casting the golden orb that Regulus likes.

Sirius sighs before shooting James a relieved smile. “Thanks, mate. You need to teach me
that.”

James grins.

“We’ve got him, love. Go eat.” Effie gestures for Sirius to go, so he does.
He and James walk to the Great Hall in comfortable silence. It’s not often that they allow
themselves to be quiet around each other, always happy to fill the silence with chatter. But
today silence is needed.

Their friends are still in the Great Hall when they enter, a space open next to Remus and
across the table beside Peter. James and Sirius take their seats and Remus pushes over a plate
already filled. Sirius smiles. “Thanks, Moons.”

Remus kisses his forehead. “No problem.”

Their friends ask about Regulus, and he answers, and they thankfully change the subject once
they’re sure he’s fine. Sirius eats silently, his shoulder resting against Remus’s the entire
time.

“You okay?” Remus whispers once Sirius finishes eating.

Sirius nods and rests his head on Remus’s shoulder. Remus winds his arm around Sirius’s
shoulders and pulls him close. “You want me to come to the hospital with you?”

“No. You should sleep in your bed. I think Pomfrey’s getting me a cot, and Merlin knows the
shit that would do to your back.” Sirius flashes him a small grin.

Remus looks relieved at the sight of it. “Alright. I’ll walk you there?”

Sirius nods. “Yeah. Thanks, Moony.”

“Of course. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Chapter End Notes

thanks for reading <3

 Chapter Seven
Chapter Summary

Regulus goes back to normal.

Chapter Notes

sorry for the wait!! life has been busy lately. also sorry for the shorter chapter but i like
where this one ends hehehehe. tune in for the next chapter! should be out sooner than
this one!! thanks for your patience and happy reading <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Regulus is released early Monday morning after startling himself and Madam Pomfrey awake
with his loud crying. Sirius had gone back to the dorm for the night due to Pomfrey’s
insistence, so Regulus was alone.

Now, exhausted and still in a bit of pain, Regulus trudges through the halls to get to the
Gryffindor common room, his blanket wrapped around his shoulders and dragging a bit
behind him, and James’s lion stuffie tightly clutched in his hands.

Some early risers wave at him and offer consoling head pats as he trots along, a few of them
asking if he’s okay. He nods to them all, informing them of his bedrest notice. Some older
Slytherin girls kiss his cheek as he passes them and he gives them all sleepy smiles.

He has instructions to come back to the Hospital Wing on Wednesday to try and break the
curse but to rest in the meantime. A flare of panic rushes through his body every time he
thinks about the curse. He doesn’t want to go back to normal, to go to a world where he’s not
close with Sirius and James. How could he trust his older self to do good in his progress?

As he approaches the portrait in front of the Gryffindor common room, he groans. He doesn’t
know the password and keeps forgetting to ask someone. With a tired sigh, he settles against
the wall across from the portrait, intending to wait for someone to leave and let him in. His
exhaustion catches up with him, though, and he nods off after only a few seconds.

“Reggie? Hey, Reg, wake up.” A soft voice calls out through his sleepy daze, and Regulus
opens his eyes to find warm brown ones gazing at him through round glasses.

“Jamie?” Regulus croaks, the nickname falling from his lips without a second thought.

James smiles. “Yeah, it’s me. What’re you doing out here? We all thought you were still in
the Hospital Wing. I was about to go and see you.”

Regulus yawns. “I was but Madam Pomfrey let me go. Told me to rest until Wednesday, and
then we’d try to break the curse.”

“Well, why are you sleeping out in the hallway?”

“I didn’t know the password,” Regulus says with a frown.

James laughs. He leans forward and cradles Regulus in his arms, carrying him over to the
portrait. “Exploding Snap,” James whispers to the portrait, and it swings open a second later.

Regulus immediately nuzzles his face into James’s neck, his eyes closing again.

“Don’t forget that password, okay?” James says.

Regulus hums. “Why should I when I have you?”

James doesn’t reply, but Regulus feels his smile in his hair. He registers voices speaking
around him, recognizing a few of them. Sure enough, a few seconds later, faces start to crowd
his vision.

“Reggie? Are you alright, my love?” Mary asks with furrowed eyebrows.

“Hi, Mary.” Regulus smiles, his hands still clutching his blanket and the lion. “I’m fine.
Pomfrey sent me back to rest.”

Mary nods and leans forward to gently kiss his forehead. “Brave boy.”

Lily, Marlene, and Peter come into his vision next. They each take turns ruffling his hair or
kissing his cheek fondly. Regulus smiles every time.

“Alright, well I’m going to take him back to the dorm. If any of you want to bring food up I’d
appreciate it. Or something to entertain him.” James says after they’ve all had their turn.

Lily nods immediately. “I have some books he might like.”

“And I was just going down to breakfast. I’ll make him a plate.” Mary says.

“Thanks guys.” James smiles before walking up to the dorm.

Regulus closes his eyes again as he inhales the familiar scent of James. He always smells a
bit like a forest, which Regulus finds kind of funny. But it’s nice. James is nice. He likes
everything about him.

“Can I lay in your bed?” Regulus asks.

James glances down at him. “Yeah, of course. You don’t want Sirius’s instead?”

Regulus shakes his head. “No. You smell better.”

James barks out a laugh. “I’ll be sure to tell him.”

Regulus just shrugs. He doesn’t care if James tells Sirius, it’s true. The smell of James is
intoxicating to Regulus. He has a feeling that he’s thought this for a long time. Almost like
his body recognizes the smell of James and has always liked it. He can’t help it if his older
self has decided that he likes the smell of James, it’s a bodily reaction.

They enter the dorm to find it quiet.

“I think Pads and Moony are still sleeping. Sirius came back really late.”

Regulus nods as James sets him down on his bed. His eyes linger on the lion in Regulus’s
hands and he smiles. He has a dimple on his left cheek, and Regulus wants to reach out and
poke it. “That was my favorite toy when I was a kid.”

“I know. Your mum said. I like him.” Regulus hugs it tighter to him.

“Good. I was hoping you would.” James pulls the covers back before gently tucking Regulus
in.

Regulus allows himself to be tucked in, delighting in it. He’s never had someone tuck him
into bed before, because he and Sirius usually shared a bed as kids. Regulus imagined that
Effie probably tucked James in like this every night. It’s a comforting thought.
“Hey, James?” Regulus whispers once he’s buried under the covers.

“Yeah, Reg?” James whispers back.

“I like you.”

James chuckles. “I like you, too.”

“I think my older self likes you, too,” Regulus admits.

James tilts his head. “Maybe. I like him.”

“Do you wish I was him?”

“Reggie.” James sighs. “It’s complicated. Yeah, I miss your older self a lot, but I also love
spending time with you. I never knew you at this age, so it’s fun getting to see how you were
before…” He trails off.

“Before my parents got to me?” Regulus finishes for him.

James grimaces. “Yeah, sort of.”

“I understand. I have this feeling here.” He points at his stomach. “It’s a strange feeling. Like
I’m missing something. I feel it a lot when you’re around.”
“Like you’re missing something?”

“I’m forgetting something important, I think. I’m looking at you, and in the back of my mind,
I know my older self is trying to tell me something. It’s frustrating.”

James doesn’t say anything, instead furrowing his eyebrows before patting Regulus on the
head. “Hm. Well, you’ll know once you’re back to normal.”

“Yeah.” Regulus agrees, and he reaches out to grab James as the older boy turns away. “Stay?
Just till I fall asleep?”

Nodding, James sits on the edge of the bed, their hands still gently clasped between them.
Finally able to relax, Regulus sinks into the pillows that smell like James and fall asleep.

Sirius wakes with a scream dying on his lips. Merlin. Every time he falls asleep he sees
Regulus being tortured. Again and again and again. His body is covered in sweat and he
gently extracts himself from Remus’s arms, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Standing, he walks over to James’s bed to see if he’s there. He jerks when he sees James
sitting in bed with Regulus asleep in his lap. James glances up with a strained smile. “Hey
Pads.”

“Hey. What’s he doing here?” Sirius asks before sitting down next to James, his hand
reaching out to smooth down Regulus’s curls.

“Pomfrey released him till Wednesday. Says they’ll go back to breaking the curse after he’s
rested.”
Sirius nods, his hand still petting through his brother’s hair. He watches as James smiles
fondly down at his brother, his gaze so tender that it nearly hurts Sirius to look. “Prongs…”

James looks up. “Yeah?”

“You know that he’s probably going to ignore us again when he’s back to normal, right?”

James winces before looking down again. “Yeah, I know.” He says, his voice wobbly.

“I just want to prepare you. Knowing him, he’ll pretend like none of this ever happened. It’s
going to hurt.”

James nods. “Is it bad that I think it’s worth it? This whole thing is worth it because we go to
take care of him. We showed him love when he’d never experienced it with anyone other
than you before.”

Sirius feels tears prick his eyes as he gazes at his best friend. “Yeah, I suppose that does make
it all worth it.”

“And who knows? Maybe he won’t ignore us. He might be embarrassed, but I don’t think
he’ll push us out completely. And if he does, we push our way back in.”

Sirius can’t help but smile. Having James as a friend has always been a blessing, but right
now it’s almost a lifeline. “You’re right. We’ll push our way in no matter how much he hates
it.”

“That’s the spirit.” James smiles.

They both sit there for a bit longer as they watch Regulus sleep. Neither breaks the silence for
a long time.

Wednesday comes around a lot quicker than Regulus anticipated. He slept through almost all
of Monday and Tuesday, so walking around now is strange. His eyes are bleary, and he keeps
squinting, fully relying on Sirius’s hand to guide him to where he needs to go.

“Nervous?” Sirius asks after Regulus starts to fiddle with their hands between them.

Regulus shrugs. “A little.”

His brother smiles down at him. “Don’t be, alright? Everything is going to be fine.”

Regulus nods, his eyebrows still furrowed. He’s had a pit in his stomach all morning, nerves
and anticipation making it difficult to stay calm. He rubs his eyes again, trying to wake
himself up.

James and the rest of their friends went to class, but Sirius was excused to escort Regulus
around, especially if the cure worked. Pomfrey, Flitwick, and Slughorn are pretty positive
that they figured it out, so it’s likely that Regulus will be back to his older self in a matter of
minutes.

Right before they reach the Hospital Wing doors, Regulus pulls Sirius to a stop. Sirius gazes
down at him curiously. “Reg?”

Regulus has to fight the tears that threaten to spill out of his eyes. “I love you.”
Sirius crouches down, his gaze concerned. “I love you, too.”

“I’m scared, Siri. I-I don’t want to go back to my older self.” Regulus chokes out, his body
trembling.

Sirius tuts, his hand smoothing down Regulus’s hair. “I know, bud. But your older self will be
grateful once you’re back to normal. You can’t stay like this forever.”

Regulus registers the tears falling down his face when Sirius gently brushes them away.
“Don’t let us grow apart again. Please. You need to promise me.”

Sirius smiles, though it looks pained. “I promise, Reggie. Even if you curse me and try to
shut me out, I’m not going to leave you. We’re family.” He holds his pinkie out.

Regulus hooks his finger around Sirius’s. “Family.”

“That’s right. And family never leaves each other behind. We’re there for each other until our
last breath, yeah?”

Regulus smiles. “Yeah. Until our last breath.”

“Okay. No more being upset, we’re going to be fine. I don’t break my promises.”

Nodding, Regulus lets go of Sirius’s hand and turns to the doors. “Alright. I’m ready.”

They walk in.

~

Sirius watches anxiously as Madam Pomfrey administers potion after potion, none of them
changing his brother. After the fourth one, they all start to get restless.

“Do you have more?” Sirius asks, looking at his still baby brother.

“Our last option is a charm that Professor Flitwick and I created. Seeing as it was a spell that
turned you originally, it would make sense that only a spell could turn you back. I will
attempt it now.” Pomfrey says calmly.

Regulus’s hand tightens in Sirius’s grip, both of them holding on for dear life. Pomfrey casts
the spell, her voice low as she waves her wand in a circular motion. Regulus lets out a
startled cry and Sirius immediately crouches down to try and help before his brother passes
out.

Sirius looks at Pomfrey in alarm. She holds up a hand and enlarges Regulus’s clothes, both of
them watching as his features change, the face that Sirius is familiar with slowly returning.
He feels weirdly emotional, seeing Regulus back to his normal self. He looks so much
different now. Younger. Sirius isn’t sure if he’ll ever think he looks grown.

“It’s him,” Sirius whispers.

“Yes,” Pomfrey says, her face a little wistful.

“Will he remember?”

“He should. That spell did not touch his mind, only his physical form. His memory might be
spotty at first, but he will remember everything he experienced as a 6-year-old.” Pomfrey
says, her hand resting on Sirius’s shoulder.
 Sirius sighs in relief. If he could remember, then he would be more amiable, Sirius hopes.

“How long until he wakes up?” Sirius asks.

“He was only out for a minute or so the first time–” Pomfrey says, interrupted by a quiet
gasp.

Regulus’s eyes open, his grip tightening in Sirius’s hand as he sits up. Sirius holds his breath
as his brother slowly looks around, his gaze stopping on his hand in Sirius’s, and then his
gaze flits up to his face. Regulus looks at him blankly, his expression showing nothing.

Slowly releasing his hand, Regulus runs a hand through his hair.

“Well, that’s done then.” He says before standing from the bed and leaving the room.

Sirius stares at the space for a moment before his heart breaks in two.

Chapter End Notes

love u guys
 Chapter Eight
Chapter Summary

Everyone heals.

Chapter Notes

i felt bad about where i left the last one and somehow wrote another chapter? look at me
go?

anyway, sorry about the last one, hopefully this makes up for it <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It’s safe to say that Regulus is freaking the fuck out. His mind whirring, the memories of his
6-year-old self assault his mind violently. His immediate need for his brother, his dismissal of
his friends, his obsession with Potter…

Fuck. James Potter. His absolute favorite person as a 6-year-old. He had to be gay for Potter
even as a child? He can’t catch a break.

He wants to rip his hair out.

He remembers Barty and Evan’s comments from the first day. Both of them tease him about
his attachment to James because they know about his crush. This damned crush that has
plagued him for years, is always a silent, uncomfortable reminder whenever he looks into
those stupid brown eyes.

He can’t even blame Evan and Barty. He acted like a complete fool.
Embarrassingly enough, he feels tears prick his eyes as he quickens his pace through the
halls. He needs to get out of here, he needs to fucking think.

“Regulus?” A familiar voice calls out from the other end of the hall.

Of course. It has to be him.

“Is that really you?” Potter asks with wide eyes as he jogs over to Regulus. “Hey, what’s
wrong?”

Regulus nearly whines, his hands are shaking, those stupid tears are still in his eyes, and all
he can think about is Sirius’s expression right before he leaves the Hospital Wing.

“I can’t do this right now, Potter.” Regulus chokes out, his voice rough.

“Hey, okay. That’s fine, you don’t need to do anything. Go sit with your friends or just be
alone for a bit, yeah? We understand. There’s no rush.” Potter says, his voice so incredibly
kind and understanding that Regulus wants to scream.

“You–” Regulus cuts himself off, berating himself silently. He can’t even begin to decipher
the mess of emotions swirling around his head.

Potter smiles, though it’s strained on his face. He reaches out to ruffle Regulus’s curls, just
like he did so many times when he was younger. It makes the tears come faster in his eyes.
So many memories rush to the forefront of his mind; the lion stuffie, the glowing orb, the
piggyback rides… It's too much. All of it.

“Thank you.” Regulus forces out, cringing when he hears the broken sound of his voice. “For
being so kind to me.”

“Reggie…” Potter’s eyes soften and he reaches out to grasp Regulus’s hand gently.
It takes so much effort to pull away, especially with every new memory through a 6-year-old
lens, the way he adored James and the way that James cared for him… he’s very tempted to
let the older boy wrap him up and hide from everyone else.

But he needs to think.

He gently extracts his hand from Potter’s. The other boy frowns slightly but looks like he was
expecting it.

“I just… I need to think. It’s all too much right now.” Regulus whispers.

“I get it, Reg, okay? I really do. Go to your dorm and think about it.” Potter urges with a
smile. “But do you remember what we promised?”

Regulus swallows. He’d made a lot of people make promises. He slowly nods. Potter nods
back.

“I’m not giving up this time. You take the time that you need, but just know that we’re all
coming back for you. You’re one of us now. You always were, but now you have no choice.”
Potter smirks.

Despite everything, Regulus snorts. Potter’s face practically glows from the wide smile on it,
and he takes a step forward.

“You are so important to me, Regulus. To all of us.” He says earnestly, his brown eyes wide
with sincerity. “I know this must be strange for you after everything, but nothing has changed
for me. I’ve always liked you, I… I missed you. This you. And I’m–” He makes a strange
sound before Regulus is suddenly surrounded by him.
Potter is hugging him rather tightly, and his arms wrap around the older boy instinctively. He
inhales, a wave of calm rushing through his veins. He laughs a bit as he remembers his
younger self loving the smell of James. 6-year-olds don’t know about pheromones. The
thought makes him laugh even harder as he brushes his nose along the crook of Potter’s neck.

It’s so strange. Before the curse, he never would have allowed himself this. He would’ve
cussed Potter out, maybe thrown a few hexes. But now that he knows what it feels like to be
in James’s arms, to be loved by him, he doesn’t think he’ll ever let it go.

Potter kisses the top of his head, and that’s what startles Regulus out of the strange haze he’d
entered. Stepping back, he can feel the blush that spreads across his cheeks. Looking down,
he scuffs his foot on the ground, refusing to look back up.

“I’m gonna…” Regulus gestures vaguely in the direction of the dungeons.

Without waiting for a response, he flees. He can already feel a migraine forming on the side
of his temple. His brain is processing everything too quickly, he just needs to sit somewhere
quiet and preferably dark, and just think.

He’s thankfully not stopped by anyone else before entering the Slytherin common room. It’s
blissfully empty, seeing as most people are either in class or at breakfast. Without a second
thought, he runs up to his dorm and locks himself in.

“Why, hello there, sweet Reggie.” Barty drawls from his bed, Evan resting his head in his lap.

Dorcas and Pandora are sprawled out on Regulus’s bed with Dorcas braiding Pandora’s hair
and Pandora burning… sage?

Regulus nearly turns around and walks right back out the door, but Evan springs up and grabs
his elbow before he can open the door. Regulus groans, the headache growing more painful,
and tears still stinging his eyes.
“Why did you all let me act like that?” Regulus asks miserably, feeling his emotions all grow
so high that he’s genuinely afraid he’ll explode.

Evan coos and gently pulls Regulus into a hug. “There’s nothing to be upset about, Reg. You
were a little kid. And you seemed happy enough.”

“Yeah. If we thought you were doing any real damage we would have pulled you away.”
Pandora agrees before wrapping herself around Regulus’s back.

“I… can’t. I can’t deal with Sirius or Potter or any Gryffindors for at least two days. Not to
mention Effie and Monty and–” His voice breaks off at the thought of his parents. “Oh,
Merlin.”

Evan and Pandora only hold him tighter. Tears finally fall out of his eyes.

“She…” Regulus trails off, his body aching with the painful reminder of his mother. “She
really did that. With an audience.”

Dorcas is there now, her hand resting on his cheek as she cups it so he’s looking at her over
Evan’s shoulder. Barty’s there too, his eyes dark with sadness as he reaches out to hold
Regulus’s hand.

“Yes, she did. And if that isn’t enough to show you that she’s worthless, then I’ll remind you
of every time I told you that she wasn’t a good mother. Regulus, just because you were dealt
a bad hand by your parents doesn’t mean you aren’t loved. This whole experience should be
proof for you. Look at the line of people waiting for you, everyone that cares about you.”
Dorcas says in a gentle tone, her fingers stroking his cheek. “You are so fucking loved and I
will not allow you to shut everyone out again. You have Sirius, and James, and all those
idiotic Gryffindors ready to take a curse for you. And you have us, you’ve always had us.
So, cry it out, sleep it off, and then get your arse back out there and hug your big brother.”

Regulus sucks in a sharp breath, tears still running down his face. “I left him in the Hospital
Wing.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else, honestly,” Dorcas smirks.

Regulus laughs. He squeezes Evan a bit tighter before stepping away, Pandora following him.
He heads for his bed, intent on sleeping off this headache before thinking some more. The
curtains are open, which he’s thankful for.

He thinks back to James casting that orb for him because he’s afraid of the dark. A new wave
of hurt stabs at his chest as he collapses on his bed. Pandora settles down next to him, her
fingers combing through his hair.

“I acted so foolishly,” Regulus mutters.

“No, you acted like you. That’s never foolish.” Pandora chides.

Regulus bites back more tears because they’re only making his headache worse.

“But you don’t need to worry about all of it right now. You’re exhausted, go to sleep.”
Pandora whispers, and Regulus swears she has some enchantment in her voice because he’s
asleep in seconds.

“Is he okay?” Sirius asks Dorcas in the Great Hall later that day during lunch.

Dorcas gives Sirius a pitying look which he hates. “He’s fine. He’s resting. Processing
everything.”

Sirius bites his lip as he paces a bit. “He left so suddenly, I didn’t even get a chance to talk to
him. Does he hate me?”
Dorcas’s eyes soften. “He’s never hated you a day in his life. He loves you, Sirius.”

He nearly cries. Again. He burst out sobbing in the middle of the Hospital Wing mere
seconds after Regulus walked out. Madam Pomfrey had to give him a calming drought,
which wore off a couple of hours ago.

“When will he come and talk to me?” Sirius asks a bit desperately.

“Well, I already lectured him a bit which will hopefully speed up his processing time. He said
no Gryffindors for two days, so maybe Friday? I’m forcing him to go back to classes
tomorrow; he’s pretty behind. I’ve been taking notes for him and trying to keep him up to
date but there’s only so much I can do.” Dorcas runs a hand through her hair and Sirius can
see how stressed she is.

“He’s lucky to have you.” Sirius reaches out to rest a hand on her shoulder.

Dorcas grins. “Yes. And we’re all lucky to have him. Even when he’s being a stubborn little
shit.”

Sirius barks out a loud laugh. “He is, isn’t he?”

“Yes. But he’ll come around. Seems like Potter already got to him.”

Sirius raises his eyebrows. “He did?”

“Ask him about it,” Dorcas says mysteriously before walking back over to the Slytherin
table.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Sirius goes back to his seat with the Gryffindors. He slides in next
to James and narrows his eyes at his best friend. “Did you speak to Regulus today?”

James looks up, his eyes wide with alarm. “Er, yes? Was I not supposed to?”

“What the fuck, Prongs? What did he say? Did he seem alright?” Sirius asks, lightly
smacking James’s arm.

James holds his hands up in surrender. “We just talked. Um, I don’t know. I told him to take
his time with everything but reminded him that I promised not to let him shut himself out. We
hugged.”

Sirius gapes. “You hugged? Like he hugged you back?”

“... Yes?” James says with uncertainty.

“Wow. He must like you.” Sirius observes.

James goes bright red. “I-I wouldn’t go that far.”

Peter chuckles from his seat across the table. “Mate, do you not remember him being in love
with you as a child? Of course, he likes you.”

James sputters while Remus cuts in. “It’s true, James. I thought we all knew about yours and
Regulus’s mutual crushes?”

Sirius doesn’t think James is breathing. It’s sort of funny.

“No, not everyone knew that,” James says quietly.

“Okay, stop teasing him. They’ll figure their feelings out soon enough.” Sirius says.

James makes a small sound and continues eating, his ears still bright red. Sirius pats him on
the back.

Night falls and Regulus has been awake for hours. His friends all left for class for the day,
and are now all studying or hanging out in different parts of the castle. Regulus is restless. He
misses his brother.

There’s this strange feeling he gets when thinking of Sirius now. It’s sort of hero worship
because switching back to his 16-year-old mindset was a feat. When thinking of Sirius, he
pictures warm arms protecting him, carrying him to bed after falling asleep, and he thinks of
promises to never drift apart again.

The one drifting is Regulus, as they both knew it would be.

He doesn’t want to drift. He just wants Sirius.

He’s walking through the castle before he even processes what he’s doing. He doesn’t care
that curfew has passed, and ignores Barty’s questioning from one of the sofas in the common
room, his mind only thinking of Sirius.

They’d made so much progress and had single-handedly rectified their relationship in the
past couple of weeks. Who was Regulus to shatter all of that?

He’d been the one that made everyone promise to force him to stay. And though 6-year-old
Regulus did some questionable things, his heart was always in the right place.
Sirius is his heart. He doesn’t know how he ever got away with thinking otherwise.

A furry body brushing against his legs halts his quick stride and Regulus glances down to
only end up laughing. Mrs. Norris meows up at him, her nose nuzzling the hem of his pants
lovingly.

“You still like me now? Even though I’m not a baby anymore?” Regulus questions as he
crouches down to scratch under her chin.

Mrs. Norris purrs and licks at his hand. Regulus smiles. If Mrs. Norris still likes him,
everyone else will, too. Right?

“Come on, silly cat. Let’s go visit some stupid Gryffindors.” Regulus mutters before gently
cradling Mrs. Norris in his arms and walking toward the towers.

They walk quietly, the cat falling asleep in his arms. Regulus genuinely can’t believe the
sight. He thought she would hate him the moment he turned back to his teenage self, but she
grew attached at some point.

He sucks in a sharp breath as he approaches the familiar portrait, the memory of James
whispering the password coming back to him. He remembers how warm James was, how
nice he smelled, how his lips felt against his hair–

Anyway, off-topic.

“Exploding Snap,” Regulus says, watching as the portrait opens.

The common room isn’t as loud as he expected, and he spots only a few people lounging in
the common room. One of the groups is Mary, Lily, James, Marlene, and Peter. Their heads
all swivel around when Regulus enters, their gazes straying to the ball of fur he has in his
arms.
“Reggie?” James is the first to speak.

“Uh, hey. I sort of wanted to speak to Sirius.” Regulus says.

James hops up immediately, walking over to stand close to Regulus. “Yeah, of course. He’s in
the dorm with Moony. He’s been… down all day.”

Regulus cringes. “Yeah, I figured. My fault.”

“It’s fine. He’ll be so happy now that you’ve come.”

Regulus’s mouth twitches as he suppresses a smile. James’s eyes go soft as he stares at

Regulus’s mouth.

“What?” Regulus asks defensively.

“You always hide your smiles in the corner of your mouth. I missed it.” James admits.

Regulus knows his face is scarlet right now. It only makes James smile even wider. Mary
comes to his rescue.

“Hey, Reg. That cat still loves you? Sorta thought she’d be over you once you were old
again.” Mary grins as she knocks her hip into his.

Regulus smiles a bit. He likes Mary and had adored her as a child so that overwhelming
fondness comes back to him in full force.
“Yeah, guess it’s just me that she loves.” Regulus shrugs.

“I think we all can understand that,” Mary says before kissing his cheek.

Regulus flushes again as the group all voice their agreement. “Thanks. I, um, really
appreciate how nice you guys were to me after I got hit with the curse.”

Lily stands and wraps an arm around his waist. “We weren’t nice because of the curse. We’re
nice because we like you.”

“Right,” Regulus says, feeling shy. “Well, thanks.”

Lily squeezes him before letting him go. “Talk to him. He misses you.”

Regulus nods and glances over at James, who smiles encouragingly. Taking that as his cue,
Regulus turns away from the group and walks up to the boys’ dorms. He sets Mrs. Norris on
the ground before quietly opening the door, letting the cat walk in first.

Remus glances up from Sirius’s bed, his hand stroking through what must be Sirius’s hair,
though Regulus can’t see his brother from this angle. Remus doesn’t look surprised to see
Regulus, just offering a small smile before slowly standing from the bed.

“Good to see you back, Reg,” Remus says.

“Yeah, it’s… It’s good to be back.” Regulus answers honestly.

Remus grins and pats his shoulder before walking out of the door. Regulus walks over to
Sirius’s bed, laughing softly when he sees the absolute mess that his hair is, all tangled and
sprawled across his pillow.
He gently sits down and pushes the hair out of his face, fingers tracing one of his eyebrows.
Sirius stirs, his eyes slowly blinking open as he looks at Regulus sleepily.

“Reggie?” Sirius asks.

Regulus smiles. “Hey, Siri.”

At the nickname, Sirius opens his eyes wider and suddenly sits up. He tackles Regulus in a
hug, nearly sending them over the edge of the bed.

“You’re here.” Sirius sighs into Regulus’s hair.

“Yeah, I am.”

They hold onto each other for a long moment, both squeezing the other tightly. Regulus
thinks he can feel Sirius crying, and won’t admit that he is, too.

“I love you.” Sirius mumbles.

Regulus hesitates but then kicks himself for it.

“I love you, too.”

Pulling back, Sirius looks at him through watery eyes. He cups Regulus’s cheeks in his hands
and smiles.

“I thought I was going to have to camp out outside of your dorm and beg you to let me in,”
Sirius admits.
Regulus laughs, sniffling a bit as he looks down. “I thought about it. But I missed you.”

“Fuck, Reggie, I missed you, too. It’s like, I know I just saw you, but it wasn’t you. I wanted
to make sure you were okay, especially after…”

Regulus nods. He was pretty torn up about their parents earlier, but he’s honestly just relieved
now. “I’m okay. It was for the best.”

Sirius pulls him in by the face so he can kiss Regulus’s forehead.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that… I kick myself every day for it. I still see it in my
dreams.” Sirius says, his voice rough.

“Don’t,” Regulus says sternly. “Don’t start blaming yourself. It’s not your fault, haven’t I
already said it? I didn’t blame you then and I don’t blame you now. You’re my brother, and I
love you, and you’re my real family. Not them.”

Sirius takes in a stuttering breath before he starts bawling. Regulus starts to laugh.

“You’re such a wuss,” Regulus says, trying to break the serious mood.

“You’re such a prick.” Sirius wails into Regulus’s shoulder. “I missed that, though. You’re
too sweet as a child, it’s weird.”

Regulus laughs. “Well, I’m back to my prick self now.”

“Thank Merlin.”
 They continue sitting there in a loose embrace before they both lay down facing each other. It
reminds Regulus of when they used to share a bed as kids. Mrs. Norris hops up to settle
herself against Regulus’s chest, her nose buried in his sternum.

“I can’t believe you domesticated that cat.” Sirius chuckles.

“I’m just amazing, what can I say?” Regulus jokes.

They keep talking well into the night, one of Regulus’s orbs illuminating the space between
them, before they eventually fall asleep still facing each other.

Chapter End Notes

love u guys <3

 Chapter Nine
Chapter Summary

Gryffindor vs Slytherin.

Chapter Notes

thank you again for the feedback on last chapter!!! as you can see, i only have one more
chapter planned before this baby is finished!! thank you all for following along and
commenting!! i really appreciate it. happy reading and see you guys next time for the
last chapter!! <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

James wakes early for Quidditch practice, his body going through the usual motions.
Glancing over at his roommates, he spots Regulus and Sirius still fast asleep in Sirius’s bed.
Heart clenching, James quietly pads over to them and takes a moment to look at Regulus.

He had gotten used to the roundness of young Regulus’s face, but it’s in stark contrast with
his sharp jawline and angular face he possessed as a teenager. It’s funny how he can see all
the similarities from when Regulus was a kid now that he’s back to normal. Before James
didn’t notice the freckles that littered his nose and cheeks, but they stand out now as
something that stayed the same from when he was little. Same with his soft curls, which
James reached out to touch completely by accident, but his hand can’t stop now.

Slowly, Regulus’s eyes flutter open and settle on James, a sweet little smile curling up on his
face. “Jamie?” He croaks softly, unconsciously leaning into James’s hand in his hair.

Heart jumping, James continues his gentle stroking with a small smile. “Morning, love.
Wanted to wake you up so you could get back to your dorm before class.”

Regulus’s eyebrows furrow as he blinks at James a few times, glances over at Sirius, and then
looks down at himself. His cheeks turn a light pink shade as he sits up abruptly, pushing
James’s hand away. “Right. Thanks.” He says stiffly.

James internally sighs and steps away, letting Regulus stand up and rub his eyes. He glances
back at Sirius, though, his mouth curled up in a small smile as he watches his older brother
sleep. It makes James want to squeeze the living daylights out of him. He refrains, but only
just barely.

“I’ll walk with you,” James says as Regulus walks around the bed to find his wand.

“That’s alright, I’ll make it there just fine.” Regulus declines.

James huffs. “Reggie, I’m walking down for practice anyway, so we can either walk
awkwardly close but also far away for the entire duration, or we can just walk together like
normal friends do.”

“Who says we’re friends?” Regulus snarks, and Merlin, makes a smile spread on James’s
face.

“You did about two days ago.” James grins.

Regulus narrows his eyes slightly and James could kiss him. Is it psychotic that he missed
Regulus’s scowls? And his snide remarks? And the bratty way he calls him ‘Potter’?

Maybe he should get his brain checked out. Either way, it does something for him when
Regulus glares so prettily at him.

“Fine.” Regulus grinds out. “But no talking.”

James smirks. “Done.”

They walk out of the dorm together, comfortable silence enveloping them as they make their
way through the empty common room. Regulus glances around with furrowed brows, and
James just watches. There’s honestly nothing that he’d rather be doing.

“What time is it exactly?” Regulus asks.

“I thought we weren’t talking.” James grins.

Regulus’s expression is borderline murderous. James has to stifle his laugh before checking
the time.

“It’s 5:32 AM,” James says.

“Merlin’s balls, Potter. How sociopathic do you have to be to get up this early?” Regulus asks
with an expression so disgusted that James does laugh.

“I’m up when the sun is,” James answers.

Regulus scoffs. “Of course you are.”

“What does that mean?” James questions, their voices bouncing off the empty halls as they
walk towards the dungeons.

“Means that it makes sense you’re up with the sun since you basically are the sun.”

Heart jumping, James’s eyes light up as he leans down to try and catch Regulus’s eye. “I’m
the sun?” He asks in a teasing tone that makes Regulus’s cheeks turn pink again.

“Yes, you complete tosser. You hurt my eyes and give me migraines.” Regulus snaps.
James continues smiling. “That’s all? Not because I make you sweat?” He jostles their
shoulders together.

Regulus scowls even more, the blush trailing up to the tip of his ears now. James wants to
grab him by the shoulders and kiss him senselessly. Is it too soon for that?

“You’re impossible. I’ll walk myself the rest of the way.” Regulus speeds up and tries to lose
James.

“Aw, hey, come on, I’m just joking.” James easily catches up with him and swings his arm
around Reggie’s shoulders.

Regulus, interestingly, doesn’t push James away and leans into James’s side. James swears
his heart is going to burst because this is so familiar. Maybe not to older Regulus, but it’s still
him.

“You don’t have to keep pretending to be nice to me, you know. I’m grateful that you…
tolerated me as a child, but you don’t need to keep up with the act now, Potter.” Regulus says
after a few quiet minutes of walking together.

James’s eyes find Regulus, his mouth pulling into a frown when he notices how… sad
Regulus looks. It doesn’t sit right with James at all.

“I’m not pretending, Reg. Don’t you remember what I told you? That I missed you? Older
you?” James asks, pulling them to a stop and planting both hands on Regulus’s shoulders so
he’s facing James head-on.

Regulus looks down at the ground, his teeth biting into his lower lip in a way that is entirely
too distracting for James’s mind this early in the morning. He shakes himself, trying to focus
on the words coming out of that enticing mouth.
“I know you want me to think that, but I’ve never been anything but nasty to you. And I–I
don’t blame you for not liking me. Fuck, I expect it. Why would you like me? I’m rude, and
I call you an idiot, and I make fun of you any chance I get.” Regulus admits his eyes still on
the ground between them.

And that… well. James fucking hates that. He despises the fact that Regulus assumes that he
hates him. He loathes anyone that had told him so. His mind flits to Regulus’s parents,
remembering how much they hated James. And he remembers all those years that Regulus
valiantly attempted to hate James, too. But James knew. He’s always known that Regulus
pretends. That his love comes in the form of insults and snide remarks, and to be on the
receiving end of them makes James abnormally happy.

He gently pushes Regulus against the stone wall behind him, a small smile gracing his face as
he leans down to rest their foreheads together. Regulus sucks in a sharp breath, his eyes going
a bit wide as he stares up at James, unblinking.

“Let’s make one thing clear, Reg.” James rasps, his hands trailing upwards to cradle
Regulus’s cheeks. “I like you so much. Ask any of my friends and they’ll confirm how
obsessed with you I am. I think it’s funny when you make fun of me and call me an idiot. I
like that you’re rude. And I like every version of you. The snarky, bratty, rude version, and
the sweet one that hugs me and calls me Jamie.” James says with a wide grin, his thumbs
stroking the delicate skin beneath Regulus’s eyes. “I just like you. That alright with you?”

Regulus’s cheeks are bright red now, and he doesn’t seem to be breathing. James laughs
before leaning down to gently kiss his forehead.

“Just think on that, alright?” James says before stepping away, the strange trance they’d
fallen into breaking at once.

Regulus stands there for a full minute with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. It takes everything
in James not to close the gap between them and kiss him until they’re breathless. But he
doesn’t, because he wants Regulus to make that move. James has laid down all his cards; it’s
up to Regulus to act on it now.

“Okay.” Regulus’s voice is uneven when he finally speaks. “I’ll, um, think on it.”
James smiles. “Good. See you later?”

Regulus nods and stays where he is, so James turns around to get to the pitch, his smile
staying for the entirety of practice.

“So, he told you that he likes you and you’re still unclear about where he stands? Reg, are
you an idiot?” Dorcas asks bluntly from where she’s sitting next to him in Potions.

Regulus’s nostrils flare as he focuses on stirring their potion, Dorcas cutting up their
ingredients beside him.

“No, I am not an idiot, and could you keep your voice down?” Regulus hisses, knowing that
his cheeks are bright red.

Dorcas snorts. “Sweetheart, everyone knows. Like, literally everyone. He gave you
piggyback rides every day and you cuddled on a daily basis three days ago.”

Regulus huffs out a long breath, ignoring the mortification spreading through him. “I was 6,
Dorcas. How many times must I remind you?”

“I don’t give a flying fuck how old you were because you’ve been goo goo over Potter since
you laid eyes on him! And it’s honestly exhausting watching you deny it. Especially when
he’s right there laying himself bare for you! Grow a pair and take your man!” Dorcas says
passionately, and a round of applause sounds around them after her little speech.

Regulus glances around with pink cheeks as random students applaud her. Barty and Evan
are clapping the loudest, their faces pulled into wicked grins.
“Thank you, Cas. Glad someone said it.” Barty snarks.

Regulus scowls at the room, feeling strangely betrayed by his peers. People, he’s spoken less
than three words to all clap along, their faces all-knowing as they look at Regulus.

“What’s going on?” Slughorn appears from his office with furrowed brows.

“We were applauding Dorcas for her excellence in Potions, sir,” Evan says with a smirk.

All surrounding students nod in agreement, Regulus included. Slughorn merely grins and
declares, “Well, 10 points to Slytherin then! Excellent work, Ms. Meadowes!”

Regulus snorts, the sound turning to a wince when Dorcas shoves her elbow into his side.
They spend the rest of class bickering over Potter, with Evan and Barty occasionally chiming
in.

Matters get worse when Dorcas reminds him of the upcoming Gryffindor vs Slytherin match
on Saturday. Which is tomorrow. He’ll be playing against the boy who basically confessed
his feelings for him and his older brother who he’s just reconciled with.

“Can’t I sit it out? I have so much work to catch up on.” Regulus complains while they make
their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

“Can you sit out? Reg, we lost the match to Ravenclaw when you were cursed. We need you
if we want any chance of winning the cup.” Dorcas says, her tone extremely offended.

Sighing and already feeling the tell-tale signs of a migraine, Regulus just nods and agrees. He
walks over to the Slytherin table and flops down, resting his forehead on his arms
immediately. He just needs a fucking minute to think. He’s not sure if it’s stress over being
behind in school, or the remaining anxiety of his parents no longer being his parents, or
whatever the fuck is going on with Potter, but it’s all twisting into a tight ball at the front of
his forehead, so painful and sudden that he can barely lift his head to eat.
Migraines are something he’s dealt with for years. They’re fucking infuriated because the
only potion that can cure them is dangerous to take regularly. It’s more like an emergency
potion, the last resort. Regulus is starting to feel like this is a last-resort situation.

He’s massaging his temples when two bodies shove their way in beside him on the bench.
Regulus opens his eyes to see Lily and Mary fitting themselves in the space on either side of
him, all but shoving Evan and Barty out of the way, much to the two boys’ irritation.

Lily holds her hand out, revealing two pills. Regulus arches an eyebrow at her.

“Migraine?” She merely says, gesturing to his fingers at his temples.

Regulus shifts. “Yes…”

Mary pats his back gently. “Those are Muggle painkillers, medicine specifically designed for
migraines. I get them, too. Both of us have a ton of them in the dorm.”

Regulus looks between them in bewilderment. They’d noticed that he had a migraine and…
brought over a pill to fix it.

“Thank you.” Regulus mumbles, gingerly reaching out to take the pills.

Lily beams. “No problem. Mind if we sit with you?”

Regulus shakes his head as he downs the pills with his water, praying that the pills kick in
soon. The lights in the Great Hall aren’t oppressive, but they’re still too bright. Regulus longs
for the darkness of his dorm down in the dungeons.
Mary, seemingly a mind-reader, slides her hand up and starts massaging the tight muscles in
his neck. Regulus startles, looking over at her with alarm. She chuckles.

“Relax. I’m just trying to release the tension in your neck, it could help ease the pressure in
your head. And you have a lot of tension.” Mary comments before digging her fingers back
in.

Regulus hisses. “Yeah, well try turning into a 6-year-old for weeks and getting horrifically
behind on all of your schoolwork, getting disowned by your parents and also thrown into the
care of someone else, rectifying the torrential relationship with your brother, and on top of all
that having to listen to Potter’s voice daily. ”

Lily and Mary both start laughing, Lily snorts tea out of her nose and has to dab it with her
napkin. Everyone turns to look at them in confusion, wondering why there are two of the
nicest Gryffindors laughing hysterically with the Slytherins. Namely, Regulus, who scowls
more than anyone in the entire school.

“You’re so dramatic.” Lily teases once she’s stopped snorting out tea.

“I’m dramatic? I think I’m pretty valid.” Regulus scowls even deeper, his eyes trailing across
the room to catch the gaze of one James Potter.

James is watching them curiously, his brown eyes lighting up when he notices Regulus
looking back. He raises his hand to wave, and Regulus fights down a blush, his middle finger
lifting in answer. He’s too far away for Regulus to hear it, but he knows that James is
laughing heartily. Wanker.

“I’ll agree that the school thing is stressful, and I’ll help you with whatever you need, alright?
I’m in the library every day, and I’d be more than happy to help you catch up.” Lily says with
her kind smile as she bumps their shoulders together. “But everything else sounds like good
things. You’re free of your parents, you’re close with Sirius again, and now you have Potter
falling at your feet, which you might be denied, but everyone knows you secretly like it.”
Regulus nearly growls. Does everyone at this fucking school know about his pathetic crush
on James?

“Don’t pout, love. Your mutual crush on each other is sweet.” Mary says.

“It’s embarrassing,” Regulus says, knowing that he’s as red as a tomato.

“I think it’s sweet.” Lily smiles while ruffling his hair. “You two deserve to be happy.”

Regulus shifts, uncomfortable by the switch in the subject. “I know.”

Lily hums and Mary continues massaging his neck. She hits a spot that makes Regulus groan
out loud, the pressure releasing so suddenly that he looks around in pure elation.

“What did you just do?” Regulus asks Mary, who’s smirking over at him.

“Released the tension in your neck. Does your head feel a bit better?” She asks.

Regulus sits back, noticing that his head does feel a little better. He nods.

“Good! I’m glad.” Mary grins before reaching across the table for the gravy. “So, how are
you going to woo James?”

Regulus guffaws while Lily giggles. Dorcas comes over with Marlene and Pandora, all of
them smiling curiously. Regulus groans, having a feeling he’s going to have to talk about
this.

“Are we talking about James and Regulus?” Marlene asks eagerly, sitting down across from
them at the Slytherin table.
Lily and Mary both confirm while Regulus denies. Everyone just looks at him.

“Why does everyone care so much?” Regulus demands.

“Because it’s cute and I want James to be happy. And because you were so adorably in love
with him as a little kid.” Marlene grins while reaching over to boop his nose.

Regulus rears back with wrinkled brows. “I was not.”

“You were.” All the girls answer in unison.

Frustrated, in pain, overwhelmed, and irritated, Regulus stands abruptly from the table with a
deep scowl. “I’m going to my dorm. I’ll see you guys later.”

Not waiting for an answer, he turns and stalks out of the Great Hall, his headache still
pounding lightly behind his eyes.

He knows that someone is following him after a few seconds. Growling, he turns around to
become face-to-face with his brother. Sirius raises his hands in surrender, his face creased
with worry. Relaxing, Regulus makes a small sound and practically throws himself onto his
brother, his head fitting into the crook of Sirius’s shoulder.

“Hey, Reg. Are you alright?” Sirius murmurs, his arms wrapping around Regulus’s back.

Regulus shakes his head. “Too much going on.”

Sirius pats his back and squeezes him tighter. “I know. It’s going to be fine, you know?”
Nodding, Regulus finally relaxes for the first time all day, allowing his eyes to close in
contentment. Sirius holds him upright, neither saying anything as they continue hugging.
Eventually, Regulus pulls away with tired eyes.

“Come with me. I have something for you.” Sirius says before turning and gesturing for
Regulus to follow.

Confused but intrigued, Regulus does follow. They walk up to the Gryffindor tower, which
Regulus has admittedly started to become fond of. The common room is mostly empty, the
majority of students are still at dinner. Sirius leads them up to the dorm, holding the door for
Regulus before going to his trunk and rifling through it. Regulus flops onto Sirius’s bed and
covers his eyes with his hand, trying to block out the light.

A stack of papers being thrown at him startles Regulus to sit up. He opens his eyes and
squints at the papers confusedly.

“What’s this?”

Sirius smirks. “My work from last year. You can cheat off it if you want.”

Regulus blinks. Stares. Then bursts out laughing. “You’re letting me cheat off of you?”

Still grinning, Sirius nods. “They’re all top marks, I promise. Can’t expect anything but
perfection from a Black, after all.”

Under any normal circumstances, Regulus would reject any offers of cheating. He’s smart; he
can do all his work. But right now, with the mountain of assignments piling on top of him,
he’s willing to take the easy way out.

“You know I’d never normally accept this, right?” Regulus asks while thumbing through the
assignments, all of them perfect scores like Sirius said.
“I know. That’s why I’m giving them to you.” Sirius shrugs, sitting down beside Regulus and
ruffling his hair. “You need a break. You look like you’re going to sprout greys any day now.”

Regulus smacks his hand away with a scowl. “Even if I did, they’d look great on me.”

Sirius snorts. “You’re probably right.”

Regulus glances down at the papers before smiling over at Sirius. “Thanks. Really. I’m
drowning under all the assignments I missed.”

Sirius’s smile softens. “No problem. If you need help, ask any of us. You may think we’re
idiots, but all of us have top marks.”

Regulus nods. “Yeah. I know you’re not idiots. Well, all of you except for Potter.”

Both of them start laughing, Sirius snorting so loudly that Regulus smacks his back.

“Ready for the match tomorrow?” Sirius asks after a moment.

Regulus shrugs. “Ready to crush you.”

Scoffing, Sirius pushes him away. “Arrogant prick.”

“My arrogance is warranted,” Regulus says haughtily.

Sirius rolls his eyes. “Maybe. Honestly, I won’t be surprised if you beat us. You’ve always
been much better at Quidditch than me.”
Regulus looks at him in surprise. “You think?”

“Yeah.” Sirius looks surprised, too. “Have I never said? I reckon you could go pro after
school. You’re a natural, Reg.”

Weirdly touched, and still exhausted, Regulus leans into Sirius again. “Well, you’re a natural
at literally everything else, so I needed to have something.”

Sirius laughs. “True.”

They sit there in silence for a while, both staring out the window across from them. After a
while, Sirius reaches around him to settle his arm on Regulus’s shoulders, both of them
leaning into the other.

“Alright, lads, this is it! It’ll be a tough game, but if we stick to the strategies we discussed
then we have a good chance of victory!” James’s voice rings out through the locker room as
he looks at his teammates.

Marlene and Emmeline both grin at him, their arms around each other. Sirius is leaning
against the wall, his mind elsewhere. Everyone else cheers, the energy palpable in the room.

James says a few more motivational words before they all burst through the door and mount
their brooms, delighting in the warm spring air. Their team is announced as they fly up to
take position. James’s eyes fall on Regulus almost immediately, an instinct at this point. He’s
sitting lazily on his broom, his gaze upon the sky above him, his curls haloed around him and
lit up by the sun.

He looks like a painting.

James is immediately distracted, only coming back to the present because Marlene shouts at
him.

“Potter, stare at your boyfriend any other time! We need you focused!”

Regulus looks down when he hears James’s name, their eyes meeting. James smiles
sheepishly, his hand coming up to wave before he flies over to his position. Regulus narrows
his eyes and for a moment, James thinks he’s not going to respond, but then his hand raises
ever-so-slightly in a small wave.

James can’t help the huge grin that spreads across his face. He’s so thrilled that he almost
misses the whistle that Hooch blows, signaling for the captains to fly over.

James shakes his head, willing himself to focus. He can ogle Regulus later. James and Dorcas
smirk at each other before calling their predictions.

Gryffindor wins the first move, so they all spring into action immediately, James passing the
Quaffle over to Marlene, cheering when she scores in the first minute of the game. They
high-five before flying back to their positions, the game passing by in a blur.

James does glance up at Regulus every once in a while, seeing the younger boy still flying
around lazily, though his eyes are sharp. That’s something that James adores about Regulus.
He likes to play it cool like he doesn’t care about the game, but if you look closely at his face,
you can see how attentive he is. He never makes a move for the Snitch too early, always
waiting for his sure victory. He also always messes around with the other team’s Seeker,
doing fake-outs occasionally and laughing when the other Seeker follows.

He knows that he’s too good. James finds it achingly attractive.

A Bludger nearly hits James in the face, and he just barely moves out of the way. Suddenly, a
green-clad figure hovers in front of him, hands gripping his face tightly. James gapes as his
eyes meet Regulus’s, his mouth pulled into a thoughtful frown.
“Pay attention! I will kill you if you end up in the Hospital Wing again, James.” Regulus says
harshly, though his hands are gentle on James’s face.

James opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. Regulus is very close and he smells so nice.

“Um. Sorry?” James says.

Regulus groans leaning in to gently rest their foreheads together for a moment. “No more
scaring me. Get your head in the game.”

Then he’s gone, leaving James staring at the space he vacated. A light smack on the back of
his head startles him into motion, his eyes meeting the exasperated ones of Sirius.

He’s distracted by the game when Slytherin starts taking the lead. Sirius finally seems to take
interest in the game, hitting Bludgers at the players with vengeance. When Sirius is paying
attention, he can be the most brutal player in the game.

But Regulus knows this is the time to get the Snitch. James can see the switch in his brain,
how he gets into Seeker mode immediately. He starts to fly around the pitch, his eyes
narrowed and searching. The Gryffindor Seeker, Ophelia follows, though she has no idea
where the Snitch is.

James keeps an eye on them while he continues flying, passing the Quaffle back and forth
while dodging Bludgers. A golden blur momentarily distracts him, and he can hear Regulus
flying over, the Ophelia close behind. James watches as she gains the lead on the Snitch and
he prepares himself for victory.

That is until Regulus goes fully upside-down and flies horizontally beneath her, arcing
upwards in a maneuver so risky that James cries out. Regulus flips his broom, the grip on it
tight as his other hand captures the Snitch while it still hovers in front of Ophelia.
James sits there stunned. He’s never seen someone fly like that. He does not want to admit to
himself how arousing he found it.

The Slytherin's screams are deafening as James keeps staring at Regulus. His cheeks are
flushed, and his mouth quirked in a rare smile. Dorcas flies over to pull him into a hug, Barty
close behind. James can’t look away and isn’t even upset that he just lost. Doesn’t care about
anything except for Regulus.

The younger boy seems to feel the staring because he glances over at James, his smile
softening when they catch his eyes. James stops breathing. He genuinely becomes breathless
because of Regulus’s heavy gaze on him.

And then Regulus flies over, the Snitch still clutched in his hands. His face is a bit shy, but
the smile is still pretty on his face. James wants him to keep smiling like that forever.

They hover in front of each other, ignoring everyone else. The sounds around them are loud,
but they settle in a little bubble of their own. It hits James that Regulus cast a silencing spell
around them, and it’s just so Regulus that James starts helplessly laughing. Regulus smirks.

“You were amazing.” James breathes out.

Regulus flies even closer, their faces only inches apart now. His scent fills James’s nostrils
and James breathes in greedily. He always smells a bit like cedar and outdoors, mixed in with
some kind of expensive cologne that makes James’s mouth water.

“I know,” Regulus answers, and James laughs again.

Regulus’s mouth twitches into another small smile, and James catches sight of those dimples
he’d never noticed before. He opens his mouth to comment on them, but Regulus beats him.

“I like you too.” He says.

James shuts his mouth. Waits. Sort of doesn’t believe what he’s hearing.

“What?” James asks dumbly.

“I like you too, James. I’m pretty positive that I’ve liked you since the moment I saw you. I
like how kind you are, how you never tease even though everyone else does, and how good
you are with kids. Fuck, I even like your ridiculous hair and those stupid, stupid glasses.”
Regulus says, his cheeks bright red. “And I liked you before I was cursed, but I was too
afraid to admit it because of my parents but… I’m not afraid anymore. And I want you.”

James’s mouth is hanging open, and he can feel how hot his face is. He sees their teams
watching them curiously, probably wondering why they can’t hear their conversation.

“Do you want me, too?” Regulus asks a bit sheepishly.

James snaps to attention. “Fuck yes. Er, I mean…” He trails off with an embarrassed smile,
delighting in how Regulus laughs at him. “I do want you.”

Regulus doesn’t say anything else, instead reaching forward to pull James’s face to his, their
lips crashing together in a violent kiss.

James makes a small noise, his mouth opening slightly and Regulus immediately takes
advantage, his tongue darting out to lick the seam of James’s lips and lightly touch their
tongues together. James groans and reaches out to grasp onto Regulus, his hands gripping his
waist tightly. Regulus’s arms wrap around James’s shoulders, his fingers trailing upwards to
tangle in James’s hair.

Kissing has always been nice, in James’s opinion, but it’s never been like this. He’s hungry
for more and doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to stop. He deepens it more and more, their
kisses growing hotter and more frantic, and neither seems too bothered that they’re heavily
making out in front of the entire school.
 A figure appears beside them and forces them apart. James whines when their mouths
separate, his mouth helplessly chasing Regulus’s to no avail. Sirius groans and pulls him
back.

“This is not the time to make out with each other,” Sirius says, gesturing at the huge crowd
of people watching them.

“They can all get fucked.” Regulus snarls, and James can’t help but agree.

“Yeah, yeah, just go shag in the locker rooms or something. Have some fucking dignity,
mate.” Sirius shoves them even further apart before flying away, his face twisted in disgust.

James and Regulu stare at each other, both of their mouths twitching with effort not to laugh.
James breaks first.

“It sort of makes sense that our first kiss would be like that.” James comments.

Regulus just rolls his eyes and turns to fly away. James reaches out, his hand curving around
Regulus’s elbow before gently pressing their lips together again. They separate before either
can get too carried away, both of them smiling stupidly.

“Wanna come celebrate with me?” Regulus asks.

“Oh fuck yeah.”

Chapter End Notes

love y'all
 Chapter Ten
Chapter Summary

THE END!!!! <3

Chapter Notes

so i literally never write smut in my fics, it's just not really my style, but i think a demon
possessed me and the beginning came out. sorry? enjoy? anyway, here's a sweet little
happy ending to hopefully heal the devastation of being a marauders fan on Halloween.

thank you all for the response to this fic, i love you so much.

enjoy the final chapter!!!!!! <3333

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Loud music pumps through James’s body, his mind buzzing with alcohol. The Slytherin
common room is dark, the only light source coming from the enchanted candlesticks floating
around the room, casting the whole room in a weird green-golden haze from the lake shining
through the windows.

He can’t believe how he came to be here. After their little… incident on the Quidditch pitch,
Regulus had grabbed James and barely got the door to the nearby cleaning closet shut before
he pushed James against it and snogged him silly.

James counted it in his top five moments in life.

After their trip to the closet that had lasted a lot longer than James could have ever asked for,
they’d agreed to meet back up in the Slytherin common room for the celebration party. And
none of the Gryffindors wanted to mope around, so they did a few rounds of pregame shots
before making their way to the dungeons. James, tipsy and on top of the world, had one goal
now and for the rest of his life.
Get his lips on Regulus’s for as long as the other boy will allow.

“Merlin, look at him. He’s absolutely done for.” James heard Peter murmur to Mary and Lily
from his other side.

James, who’d been walking with a dopey smile on his face since he and Regulus parted ways,
just raised a lazy middle finger in their direction. Peter giggled with Mary and Lily while
James ignored them, his mind already back on Regulus.

Now, he’s drunk in the dungeons and looking for his boyfriend. Well. His person that he has a
crush on. His… kiss-buddy? They needed to figure out what they were. Maybe when James
wasn’t so drunk.

“Potter!” A loud voice calls from the other side of the room, Barty Crouch Jr. approaches him
with a huge smirk.

“Hey, Barty,” James says, his face breaking out in a wide smile. “You seen Reggie?”

Barty leans against the wall opposite James, his arms crossing over his chest. “He’s still in
our dorm trying to figure out what to wear. Seems he wants to impress you.”

James is overly pleased by that, especially because James had done the same, picking out an
outfit that suited him well and unbuttoning the top of his shirt in a way that always made
Regulus’s eyes linger.

“Could I see him?” James asks, desperately hoping to hear a yes.

Barty just shrugs. “Don’t see why not.”

James’s smile gets even bigger as he walks towards the Slytherin dorms, occasionally fist-
bumping people he’s friendly with. He finds Regulus’s dorm by following the sound of his
voice, smiling when he hears Regulus cursing viciously.

“I need to look good, Cas. I want him to shag me, not tell me I look beautiful.” Regulus is
groaning, his back turned to James who’s in the doorway.

Dorcas’s smirk grows so wide that he can practically see her molars as she makes eye contact
with James. James inclines his head at her, then Pandora, who’s next to Dorcas on the bed
before he opens his mouth.

“Can I not tell you that you’re beautiful while still wanting to shag you?” James says,
absolutely eating up Regulus’s alarmed expression as he turns around quickly.

His cheeks are an endearing red, his pale eyes wide in the dim light of the dorm. Dorcas starts
laughing, and Pandora is quick to follow as they stand from the bed. They both pat his
shoulder as they leave, Dorcas muttering, “You’re such a knob. Go get laid already.”

James raises his eyebrows at Regulus, mouthing “Laid?” with a knowing smirk. Regulus
blows a harsh breath out of his nose, his cheeks growing even redder. James coos a bit before
stepping forward to cup Regulus’s face in his hands.

“You’ll have to get used to me calling you beautiful, love because there’s just no other word
for it. Breath-taking, stunning, gorgeous, knee-wobbling, insanely beautiful. And it only
makes me want to shag you more.” James chuckles before leaning down to softly kiss
Regulus.

The other boy is still blushing furiously when James pulls back, though his eyes are soft. He
clutches the front of James’s shirt, his fingers digging in so desperately that there’s no
mistaking how much he wants James to stay right where he is.

“You are so…” Regulus trails off, shaking his head helplessly. “James.”

James tilts his head. “I’m so James?”

“Yes. It’s terrible.” Regulus clarifies before crashing their lips together.

And if James thought their first kiss was good, or even their snog in the closet, he was dead
wrong. Because this kiss is world-ending. So all-consuming that James has to pinch himself
to make sure he’s here, experiencing this.

Regulus pushes James backward until he’s sprawled out on a bed, his deft hands lifting his
wand to lock and silence the door before he throws it aside and holds James with both hands.

James reaches up to hold Regulus’s hips from where the younger boy straddles his lap as
their lips move frantically over each other, tongues connecting in a truly filthy kiss, groans
escaping both of their mouths and mixing so neither of them knows who it came from.
Regulus breaks away to breathe and James lifts to try and follow, eventually settling to bite
and lick at his neck while the other boy can catch his breath. Regulus tilts his head back, his
hand on the back of James’s neck tightening as James sucks a bruise at the column of his
throat. He grinds his hips down onto James’s, pulling a gasp out of James so he has to pull
away from Regulus’s throat.

They stare at each other for a long moment, eyes dancing over their swollen lips and dilated
pupils. James idly thinks that Regulus has never looked so beautiful. His curls are wild
around his head, a dark halo that shines in the low light of the room. James reaches out to
tangle his fingers in it, delighting in the small sound that Regulus makes when James’s nails
scrape his scalp gently.

“I love you.” James murmurs, barely even processing what he’s saying until it’s already out.

Regulus’s head shoots up, his eyes clear and questioning. James blanches, immediately
wanting to backtrack but not wanting to seem like a douche. He means it. Merlin, he fucking
means it. He’s never loved someone as much as he loves Regulus, didn’t even know he could
love someone like that until Regulus stumbled into his life and completely rearranged
everything.

“I know it might seem fast to you, and I think I probably should have waited until we at least
made things official between us, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer,” James says, the words
pouring out of him so quickly that he nearly stumbles over his words. “But I’ve loved you for
years, Reggie, it’s not new or fast to me. It’s inevitable.”

Regulus’s eyes are shining, and James realizes a moment too late that he’s crying. James tuts,
feeling an overwhelming panic rise in him as he reaches out to try and soothe Regulus.

The younger boy leans forward until his forehead rests in the crook of James’s neck, tears
starting to dampen James’s shirt collar. He doesn’t pay any mind to it, his arms coming up to
fully embrace Regulus and gently rock him. “Was that too much? I’m sorry, everyone’s
always saying I’m too much. I won’t mention it again if it makes you upset.”

Regulus makes an angry sound, his cries stopping suddenly before he pulls his head back up
and looks at James with annoyed, bloodshot eyes. “You are not too much and anyone who
says that is a fucking idiot. You’re perfect.”

Tears sting James’s eyes now. His voice comes out as a croak, “You think I’m perfect?”

“Yes. Perfect in every way. You’re compassionate, you’re kind, and you understand me and
my weird moods without explanation. You’re smart, and you’re fucking gorgeous in a way
that makes me want to rip my hair out every time I look at you.” Regulus says, his mouth in a
firm line as he holds James’s shoulders and lightly shakes him. “And you remembered that
orb and gave me your lion stuffie… fuck, you gave me your own family, James, how could
I not find you perfect?”

Every word that comes out of Regulus’s mouth only causes James’s eyes to get wetter. By the
time he’s done with his little speech, James is full-on crying. Regulus’s mouth twitches in
that way that James adores so much that he has to lean forward and kiss it.

“I’d give you everything and more, Reg,” James whispers.

“I know. That’s why you’re perfect, and that’s why I love you.” Regulus murmurs, his fingers
tracing James’s lips, then his eyebrows. “My Jamie.”
James can’t take it anymore, he leans in and soundly kisses Regulus, the other boy
responding just as enthusiastically. James is on his back again, Regulus crawling up the
length of his body to settle between James’s legs, his knee pressing into James’s groin in a
way that has him seeing fucking stars. “Reg,” He groans, his eyes half-lidded as he looks up
at Regulus.

“You’re not very patient,” Regulus smirks as his hand travels down James’s body to palm
over James’s pants right where he needs it.

“We’ve just confessed our mutual love for each other, Regulus, why the fuck would I be
patient?” James practically snarls.

Regulus’s pupils somehow get even more blown, his mouth open as he looks down at James.
“It’s really fucking hot when you get like that.”

“What, frustrated and horny out of my mind?” James pants, needing Regulus to move his
hand, take his clothes off, do something before he fucking explodes.

“Get angry,” Regulus answers before squeezing James lightly in his hand.

James throws his head back, a loud moan falling from his lips as he bucks his hips up in
Regulus’s hand. The younger boy watches with parted lips, his gaze transfixed on James as
he struggles not to come in his pants right now.

“Why are you still wearing clothes?” James asks before reaching up and tearing off the black
button-down Regulus has on.

Regulus gets the memo and helps James out of his clothes until they’re both down to their
pants. They’re panting, the air between them humid and emotionally charged. James makes
the first move as he sits up and switches their position so he’s on top, his hand gripping
Regulus’s length through the thin cotton of his pants.
“James, James, please.” Regulus whines, his hips coming up to meet James’s casual stroke
every time, his voice needy and perfect.

“Alright, alright.” James agrees, a breathless laugh leaving him as he pulls both of their
remaining clothes off.

They meet eyes, and James looks for permission before gripping both of them in his hand.
Regulus and James both make identical sounds, their groans guttural as James starts pumping
them both at a quick pace. Regulus’s eyes flutter closed and James watches with rapt
attention as Regulus slowly comes apart beneath him.

Neither of them lasts long at all. It was a very emotionally vulnerable moment, alright? Give
them a break.

James collapses on top of Regulus after they both finish, their skin sticking together with a
mixture of sweat and come. They don’t say anything for a long time, their hands occasionally
exploring skin or their fingers tangling together in a tight embrace. It’s peaceful.

Regulus is the one to break it. “I meant all of that, so you know. It wasn’t some bullshit I said
to get in your pants. Though I’m very grateful that was the result.”

James lifts his head off Regulus’s shoulder and grins. “Really? It was mine.”

Regulus smacks his shoulder lightly, a lovely laugh escaping his lips as he shakes his head. “I
hate you.”

“I thought you loved me!”

“I can do both.”
They laugh again before James reaches down and accidentally puts his hand on the stickiness
on both of their bodies. Regulus wrinkles his nose before leaning over for his wand and
casting a wordless cleaning charm.

“We should get back to the party before Sirius realizes what we’ve been doing,” Regulus
says, though he doesn’t move an inch.

James rolls back over Regulus and gently kisses him. “They know. I ran into Barty on my
way up here.”

Regulus rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything. A tiny smile appears on his face and James
tries to commit it to memory. His dimples are prominent and James pokes them.

“I meant it, too. I love you so much.” James whispers reverently.

Regulus smiles even wider. “I know. Now get up, you sap, I cannot have another vulnerable
moment with you tonight. One was enough.”

James laughs and sits up, rooting around the floor for both of their clothes and gently handing
Regulus his while he dresses himself. He holds his hand out once Regulus is done. “Ready?”

Regulus squeezes it. “Ready.”

It’s late into the Slytherin celebration and Regulus is hammered. Absolutely sloshed. It’s to
the point where he’s holding onto any part of James that he can reach and he has no qualms
of grabbing his ass in front of everyone. James has no protests and gets clingier as the night
goes on as well.
He’s in James’s lap on a sofa with Lily, Mary, Dorcas, and Marlene, the rest of the
Gryffindors and his friends are scattered around them on the floor and in nearby armchairs.
Regulus strokes James’s hair in his fingers, occasionally leaning in to peck him, earning a
disgusted noise from Sirius every time. It only makes him do it more.

“I love you guys,” Regulus says after his third shot in a row, his words starting to slur as he
leans heavily into James’s shoulder.

Lily laughs, nearly as drunk as him, and wraps her arms around his neck in a tight hug. “We
love you, Reg. You’re family.”

This causes tears to spring to Regulus’s eyes. If he were sober, he’d likely be embarrassed,
but he can’t summon that now. He glances around the group of people he’s come to love in
the past few weeks, his eyes straying on his friends, and he’s so overwhelmed with love that
just cries.

“Thank you to all of you. I’m serious.” Regulus levels a warning look at his brother before
continuing. “You didn’t let me shut myself out and I… I’m so fucking grateful for that. I’m
really happy to be a part of this family.”

Everyone immediately either bursts into tears or starts cooing. They all scoot closer and
embrace each other in a drunken group hug, tears falling from nearly everyone’s eyes except
Remus. He does rub Regulus’s back soothingly, though, so that counts for something.

It’s Peter who speaks first. “You know that you always were, right? A part of our family, I
mean.”

Regulus pauses. His initial answer would be no, he didn’t know that. But the more he thinks
about it, the more he realizes that Peter’s right. He has always been a part of it, and he’s sort
of always known. He just denied it.

“Yeah. I know. I think I always did.” Regulus says.

Sirius makes a strangled noise and tackles Regulus in a hug of their own. “I don’t want to say
that I’m glad you were cursed but…”

Regulus laughs. “Say it. I’m glad, too. Where would I be if I’d never been hit by it?”

“You would’ve gotten here eventually. I know it. You and I, Reg, we always find our way
back to each other. Maybe it would have taken a bit longer, but we’re brothers, yeah? What’s
more important than that?” Sirius says, and Regulus wants to cry again.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right.” Regulus nods, their foreheads pressing against each other. “I am
glad, though. That I was cursed. I feel like I know everyone in a way I hadn’t before.”

Sirius nods. “I think the feeling is mutual. You’re ours now, Reg. It’s a life-long bond, what
we have. Better to accept it now and resign yourself to a gaggle of Gryffindors annoying you
for the rest of your life.”

Regulus laughs. “I think I can get behind that.”

“Good.”

They stay wrapped up in each other, their little group of Slytherins and Gryffindors. They talk
until the sun comes up and gradually fall asleep in various spots around the sofa, all of them
tangled up.

Regulus thought he knew the meaning of home, but when he woke up in James’s arms with
his feet resting his his brother’s lap, he knew that this would be his home forever.

“Here’s your room. Effie made it all nice and pretty, though I doubt you’ll be sleeping there
very often.” Sirius says with a knowing smirk as he watches his brother and best friend send
him sly grins. “No judgment from me. Moony always sleeps with me when he visits, so I
don’t care. Just use a silencing spell if you’ll be taking clothes off, please.”

Regulus rolls his eyes and flips him the bird while Sirius cackles.

He’s never been this happy on a summer break before. After graduating, he, James, Remus,
and Peter all planned to spend the summer together before going off on their adventures.
Remus, to a muggle university to earn his degree, while Sirius and James both prepared for
their first professional Quidditch season. Peter would be studying to become a professor,
intending to further his Herbology knowledge.

And his baby brother would be here the whole time before he had to return to Hogwarts for
his final year. It’s perfect.

They all walk to the backyard to laze about in the summer sun, with no plans for the day yet.
Regulus rests his feet in Sirius’s lap, his head in James’s.

“What do you guys want to do?” Regulus asks.

Sirius holds his ankle, a smile spreading on his face as he looks down at his brother. For a
moment, he catches a glimpse of baby Regulus, and it only makes his heart grow even bigger.

“How about we do this?” Sirius suggests.

Regulus grins, his eyes falling closed. “Fine by me.”

Sirius and James share a look, silently communicating their gratitude for this moment and the
journey they took to get here.

They had Regulus, they had their friends.

 They’d never need anything else.

Chapter End Notes

THE END! THANK U FOR READING AND COMMENTING I LOVE YOU GUYS
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