Chapter 6
Regulus had never been one to ask for advice. He was the sort of person who preferred to deal with his problems alone, in the dark corners of his mind, where no one could see the mess he was trying to clean up. But as he stood there, pacing the length of the hallway outside the Gryffindor common room, he realized he might have finally reached a breaking point.
The words were right there on the tip of his tongue, all the things he wanted to say to James, but every time he tried to speak, the silence swallowed them whole. Regulus had spent so much time trying to convince himself that he was over this ridiculous crush, that he didn’t need to confront the unspoken tension between them. But the longer he avoided it, the more it consumed him.
Regulus had tried to keep his emotions buried, but now that they were rising to the surface, he couldn’t ignore them any longer. His relationship with James was, at best, a tangled mess of miscommunications, stolen glances, and moments that left him aching for something more, but never knowing how to grasp it.
"You're being an idiot," Regulus muttered to himself, running his hands through his hair.
It was in that moment of frustration that Regulus made an impulsive decision. He needed advice. And the person he reluctantly turned to, of all people, was Remus Lupin.
Remus was, without a doubt, in his own emotional turmoil. He and Sirius had only recently confessed their feelings for one another, but their relationship was anything but simple. They were both navigating the early stages of something that felt terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Remus had been so used to guarding his heart that letting someone in—let alone Sirius—felt like a constant battle between his heart and his mind.
But even with all the uncertainty between him and Sirius, Remus couldn’t deny the joy that came with the quiet moments—like when they shared a glance across the room or when Sirius’ hand would brush against his, both of them pretending not to notice but unable to hide the warmth that spread through them.
So when Regulus sought him out, looking as though he might explode from the weight of his own thoughts, Remus wasn’t sure whether to offer advice or just let him vent. The last thing Remus wanted was to be some sort of relationship guru when he couldn’t even figure out his own feelings half the time.
“Regulus, what is it?” Remus asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched Regulus pace in front of him, clearly torn between wanting to speak and wanting to run. “You look like you’re about to implode.”
Regulus stopped dead in his tracks, his frustration palpable. “I need advice.”
Remus opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea for Regulus to come to him, considering his own mess of emotions with Sirius. But then again, who else could Regulus turn to?
“Okay,” Remus said slowly, “What’s going on?”
Regulus hesitated for a moment before finally blurting out, “James. I... I don’t know what to do anymore, Remus. I can’t stand this constant confusion. I like him, but every time I think we’re getting somewhere, he pulls away. And I—” He stopped himself, his fists clenched at his sides. “I’m done guessing, but I’m too scared to actually say anything to him.”
Remus leaned back against the wall, considering Regulus’ words. He could feel the underlying fear in them—the same fear that had plagued him and Sirius in the beginning. The fear of rejection, of the unknown, of letting someone in and then losing them. It was a fear Remus understood all too well.
"You’re self-sabotaging," Remus said bluntly. "You want to do something about it, but then you overthink everything and end up stuck."
Regulus’ face contorted in frustration. “I’m not overthinking. I just... I don’t know what’s going on. It’s a mess, Remus. And I don’t know how to fix it.”
Remus sighed, pushing himself off the wall. He knew exactly what Regulus was feeling. “If you wait too long, you’ll lose him.”
Regulus blinked, clearly caught off guard by the bluntness of Remus' words. "You think so?"
"I know so," Remus replied, shrugging. “James may act all tough, but he’s not the kind of person to wait forever. If you’re scared to tell him how you feel, someone else will."
For a moment, Regulus stared at Remus as if processing the weight of what had just been said. There was no sugarcoating it; this was the truth, the reality of it all. Regulus didn’t have an endless amount of time. He either stepped up or let things drift away—and from the way James had looked at him, Regulus wasn’t sure he could handle the thought of losing him.
James Potter was used to being impulsive, to jumping into things without thinking them through. But when it came to Regulus Black, everything was different. Regulus was a puzzle, a mystery wrapped in layers of uncertainty. James wasn’t used to being confused. He liked things to be simple. And this? This was anything but simple.
He and Regulus had always circled around each other. It wasn’t quite friendship, and it certainly wasn’t a relationship. But there had been moments—small, fleeting moments—that made James wonder what it would be like to cross that line.
But the more James thought about it, the more he realized how much of a mess it all was. He had feelings for Regulus, yes. But Regulus was... well, Regulus was complicated. And James? James had his own insecurities that he didn’t know how to navigate in a situation like this.
He hadn’t expected Regulus to confront him, and when he finally did, James felt the ground shift beneath him. Regulus had just walked up to him in the corridor, looking like he was about to explode.
"I need to tell you something, James," Regulus had said. "I can't keep pretending that everything is fine. I... I like you. And I don't know what to do with that."
James’ heart skipped a beat, but his mouth went dry. "I—what? You—what?"
Regulus had looked almost embarrassed as he continued, his voice a little shaky. "I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t know what this is, but I need you to stop being so damn confusing."
For a moment, James didn’t know what to say. He was overwhelmed, his mind spinning with everything that Regulus had just admitted. And yet, in the back of his mind, there was a small spark of relief.
"I like you too," James had finally said, his words coming out in a rush. "I just... I didn’t know if you’d ever feel the same way. This whole thing is... it's scary."
It wasn’t the most graceful confession, but it was the truth. And for once, James felt like he didn’t have to hide behind his usual bravado.
But Regulus, ever the master of evasion, had backed off almost immediately. "I—I can’t deal with this right now," he muttered, turning and walking away before James could say anything else.
The next few days were filled with confusion. Regulus didn’t know what to make of his conversation with James. The words still echoed in his head—I like you too—but they weren’t enough. They weren’t enough to fix everything, to answer all the questions that still lingered in his mind.
And so, Regulus did something he would regret. He found comfort in someone else. Gideon Prewett, a fellow student who had always been kind to him, someone he knew from his time in the library, was there when Regulus needed him.
It wasn’t love, not really. But it was something simple. Something uncomplicated. Regulus kept it quiet, telling no one except his closest friends, including Evan, Barty, and Pandora. He didn’t want to deal with the fallout.
But it didn’t escape Sirius’ notice. Sirius knew something was up. He saw the way Regulus had started spending more time with Gideon. He noticed the subtle shift in his brother’s behavior, the quiet retreat into secrecy. And Sirius freaked out.
“Regulus is dating someone else?” Sirius’ voice was barely above a whisper, his face a mix of disbelief and hurt. “Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t he tell anyone?”
Remus, who had his own struggles with Sirius, didn’t have an answer. But he knew exactly how it felt to be caught in the swirl of emotions that came with jealousy, confusion, and fear.
Meanwhile, James, who had been holding onto a shred of hope that things with Regulus would resolve, spiraled into jealousy. His feelings for Regulus had never been clearer, but now that Regulus was with someone else—someone who wasn’t him—it felt like a punch to the gut.
He had waited too long.