The Revenge of a Falling Star
“CRUCIO!” Mother’s voice rang out from the sitting room and was quickly followed by the agonized cries of my brother. I winced at the pain in Sirius’ voice as memories of my times at the wrong end of mother and father’s wands briefly flashed through my mind. I crept down the stairs, careful not to make a single sound, I wanted to know what wrong mother perceived Sirius to have committed this time. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs I slowly moved toward the doorway that led to them, Closing my eyes once I was close so I didn’t have to sit watching my brother’s body convulse with the pain. “How dare you touch what is not yours to touch! You are no longer the heir, you’ve known this for years now Sirius. You should be grateful we haven’t cast you out to the streets you insolent brat! That ring will never be yours, you had no right!”
The ring? Sirius has absolutely no interest in father’s ring why would he have even thought to touch it? The question left my mind as my brother choked out a sentence between pained grunts. “I never touched father’s filthy fucking ring! I told you! I don’t know how it ended up on your fucking bedside table!”
My face paled at those words, a memory suddenly rushing back to me, I’d been half asleep and picked it up just to look, I planned to put it right back but I heard father slam the door, knowing he was angry I rushed off to my room still holding the ring. I fell back to sleep and when I woke up in the morning I realized I still had the ring. I snuck into my parent’s room to put it back but looking back now I’d picked it up from the bathroom, not their room. I was panicking now, I couldn’t let Sirius keep being tortured for such a stupid mistake that I made. I opened my eyes looking around for something, anything I could use to create a distraction. Mother was facing away from the doorway, Sirius at her feet. Close behind her, sitting on the end table I saw it, the unmistakable spiralled black and gold handle of father’s wand.
I crept silently to the edge of the table and wrapped my fingers around the handle. I only had one shot, I had to make it count- “CRUC-”
“AVADA KEDAVRA!” I dropped the wand in shock as my mother fell to the floor… dead. I hadn’t meant to… I was just… I had to protect Sirius… I didn’t mean to ki-
“Reggie!” I flinched ready for the backlash but it never came, instead my brother, upon hauling himself off the floor and limping over to me threw his arms around me in… a hug? “Reggie, are you okay?” He asked worriedly. I stood there, lost for words… I was a murderer and my brother was hugging me… asking if I was okay?
“I… Siri I…”
“Ssshhh, I know Reggie, I know. You had to, it's okay, you saved me. It's okay. Come on, we’re going to the Potters’ we’ll be safe from father there and we can contact the ministry.” Fear filled my thoughts.
“B-but Siri… I…”
“No. We tell them father did it. We were afraid for our own lives so we fled to Effie’s to get help. We... this is the tough bit, We show them our scars, we tell our story, James and Remus can vouch, they’ve heard us talk about it, they've seen the aftermath. Hell Remus has seen it firsthand. We can send him away and act like nothing more ever happened, We’ll be safe, Reggie, safe and free.”
“I- I didn’t mean to…” Sirius looked at me, empathy flowing from every muscle of his face and nodded.
“I know. It was instinct… that’s why I’m going to protect you. Like you protected me. It's what brothers are for.” Stunned by his words I followed my brother out of the house. We turned, and took one final look at 12 Grimmauld place then Siri took my hand and in a flash, we stood outside the Potter home in Godric’s Hollow.
The next few days were a whirlwind, between Effie fussing over sirius and me and the Aurors coming in and out three of four times a day I was exhausted. We’d shown more people our bruises and scars in three days than I’d planned to show in my life, Effie, Fleamont, countless Aurors and James the one time he snuck up behind his mother to peek, He’s lucky I didn’t hex him for that one.
I knew Sirius had more than me but what surprised me was just how many he had that I’d never known about. Siri knew every single one of the marks our parents left on me, he took care of every single one for me. I wish he would have let me do the same. I was most surprised by the marks on his arms, I listened as he told the Aurors about them, the one on the left was from a kitchen knife, Mother had given him that one. The other horrified me, father had forced him to use a cursed quill, it used his blood as ink and etched the words written into his skin, father gave him this quill and forced him to write ‘Traitor’ over and over again, etching it deeper and deeper into his forearm. I knew our father was evil but never would have expected that, even from him.
Slowly things settled down, father went to Azkaban for my crime, Sirius inherited number 12 by default as father was indefinitely locked up and yet we never returned. We lived with the Potters, it was uncomfortable at first, I wasn’t really friends with James and it was always so quiet compared to Grimmauld place. Slowly James and I grew close, he helped me when the nightmares would wake me, he was used to Sirius’ after all. Late one night as he was helping me calm down a thought crossed my mind. “Don’t laugh Potter. I… I have a question. Could… could you go with me, to Grimmauld place… I- I left some things there, sentimental things… I’d like them back.”
“Of course, I can Reggie. No problem! I think Remus is coming over tomorrow, Sirius will be busy, we can go then.” He looked into my eyes. “And I’d never laugh at you, Reggie, never.”
“Thank you, James… it… it means a lot.” I smiled at him and laid back, feeling ready to sleep again. “G’night James…”
“G’night Reg.” Remus arrived after breakfast the next morning and he and Sirius headed off to Sirius’ room. James grabbed the key from where it sat in the bowl of keys on the kitchen counter, told his mother the situation and off we went. I slowly opened my eyes as we arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place. Upon seeing the house a flood of memories from that night hit me in the chest, knocking the wind from my lungs. Tears formed in my eyes as I pushed through taking the key from James and walking into the house that turned me into a murderer.
Without a glance in the direction of the sitting room, I climbed the stairs to my room. I hauled the tiny blanket Dromeda had made me out of the corner between the bed and the wall and stuffed it into a bag. I found the leather jacket Sirius had given me when he grew out of it and the gorgeous silver ring Cissy had saved for my 11th birthday, just before I went to Hogwarts. Next was the gem Bella had found before I was born that turned out to be my birthstone. I took a deep breath as I stepped out of my room, finally, I turned entering the master bedroom. I walked directly to the bedside table and stared. Sure enough, right there in its place sat the very ring that had set everything into motion. I slowly reached out, took it and set it on top of the other items. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, holding back the tidal wave of emotions. Then I swiftly returned to the bottom of the stairs where James was waiting.
As I reached him I heard my mother’s voice. I felt myself walking the very path I’d walked that night but I could not change my course. I crept to the doorway, the same as I had that night. “Reggie?” Sirius? “Reggie, are you okay?” No. I was not okay.
“I- I… I did it.” The words were out of my mouth before I had time to process them. “James… I did it.” My voice was barely a whisper, I turned to face him, he was far closer than I’d expected.
“What do you mean Reg?” I resigned myself to telling James the truth no matter his reaction. I couldn’t keep this secret any longer I had to tell someone, James was as good as anyone.
“It was me, It wasn’t father… I killed mother, I used his wand, I hadn’t intended to kill her just stun her so he could get away but… She went to Crucio him again and I just reacted. I couldn’t watch her hurt Siri more… I understand if you hate me now, you can turn me in if you want, I won’t fight you.”
“Reggie, I could never hate you. You were just protecting Sirius. I… I love you, Reggie, I have for a while now, I was just too scared to say anything. I love that you’re always willing to fight for what you believe in, I…” I interrupted him with a kiss.
“Just shut up James. I love you was all you had to say.” I chuckled at the bright red tinge that had flooded his face “Let's get outta here, shall we?”