2
The house was different now. Colder.
Regulus could feel it the moment he stepped into the dining room that morning, the air thick with something unspoken. His mother sat at the head of the table as she always did, back straight, her tea steaming in front of her. She didn’t look up when he entered, but he could tell she was waiting for him to sit before she spoke.
He obeyed, lowering himself carefully into his chair, schooling his expression into something more neutral.
She took a slow sip of her tea before finally breaking the silence.
“You’ll be better off without him.”
Regulus’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table. He didn”t ask who she meant, he didn’t have to.
“He was weak, that one” Walburga continued, her voice smooth, practiced. “Unruly. He never understood his place, and now he’s nothing. A disgrace.”
She set her cup down delicately, eyes finally flickering up to meet his. “But you are not like him.” “You understand me?.”
Regulus swallowed.
There was an expectation in her words, a warning disguised as praise. She had already decided how this would go. He would not mention Sirius. He would not mourn him. He would prove, in the quiet way he always had, that he was still hers.
He lowered his gaze and nodded.
“Good boy,” she murmured, returning to her tea as if the conversation had never happened.
Breakfast sat untouched on his plate.
///
Regulus didn’t look at his mother as he rose from the table, chair sliding back without a sound. He moved carefully, as always. No sudden movements, no noise. Just the quiet rhythm of existing.
She didn’t stop him when he left.
Outside, the cold air wrapped around him, sharp and biting, but he welcomed it. The sky was still gray with early morning light, and the streets were mostly empty—just the occasional car passing by, the distant sound of someone’s footsteps further down the road.
Regulus walked the familiar path to school, hands curled into his sleeves, his bag slung over one shoulder. London felt bigger in the mornings, like it hadn’t quite woken up yet. Like it belonged to him for just a little while.
He liked the walk. It gave him time to think.
Or in this case not think at all.
By the time he reached the school gates, more students were filtering in, voices rising, laughter echoing through the courtyard. Regulus kept his head down, slipping through the crowd without a word. He had long since perfected the art of moving unnoticed.
No one expected much from him. That was the way it had always been.
It was halfway through the morning when Barty Crouch Jr. decided to insert himself into Regulus’s day.
It wasn’t unusual. Barty had always been around-hovering at the edges, talking too much, watching too closely. He wasn’t bad, not really, but he had an energy that made it hard to tell if he was joking or testing you.
Regulus never quite figured out why Barty bothered with him.
“Hey Reg” Barty greeted as he slid into the seat next to him, even though it wasn’t his assigned spot. He propped his chin in his hand, smirking slightly.
“You look miserable, more than usual.”
Regulus didn’t react.
Barty tapped his fingers against the desk. “Nothing? Not even a glare?.” He sighed dramatically. “You are impossible you know that?”
Regulus just blinked at him, unimpressed.
Barty grinned, as if he had won something. “So, are you ever going to start speaking, or is this a permanent thing? Because if you need someone to fill the silence, I am a fantastic storyteller.”
Regulus gave him a flat look and turned back to his textbook.
“Not even a shake of the head? A shrug?” Barty pressed, nudging him slightly. “Come on, throw me a bone here.”
Regulus exhaled slowly through his nose. Then, deliberately, he lifted one hand and flicked Barty’s arm in a clear go away motion.
Barty laughed, delighted. “Ah, there we go! Progress.”
Regulus rolled his eyes and refocused on his work, tuning Barty out as best he could. Barty didn’t seem to mind the lack of response. He rarely did. He just kept talking, half to himself, half to Regulus, about whatever nonsense had crossed his mind that morning.
Regulus let the words wash over him. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
The rest of the day passed as it always did. quiet, predictable. Lessons blurred together, lunch was uneventful, and no one asked him any questions he didn’t want to answer. God why was everyone always asking questions?
But every so often, he’d catch Barty’s gaze from across the room, sharp and thoughtful, like he was trying to figure something out.
Regulus ignored it.
By the time the final bell rang, he was already exhausted.
He gathered his books methodically, slipping his bag over his shoulder and heading for the door. The hallways were crowded, filled with the usual rush of students eager to leave, but Regulus moved through them easily.
Just as he reached the front steps, a voice called from behind him.
“See you tomorrow, Reg.”
He glanced back just in time to see Barty giving him a lazy wave before disappearing into the crowd.
Regulus hesitated for half a second and then turned away and started the long walk home.