Somehow connected
As soon as Sirius disappears through the green flames in the fireplace, Regulus quickly takes a handful of floo powder for himself, not hesitating for a second.
This is it. He’s never coming back, he might actually be free for once. He’s going to spend the rest of his summer and school years with his big brother and his friends, he’ll be spending it with the potters. With James. Regulus has always been curious about James. He was the happiest and brightest person regulus knew, always smiling, making sure everyone else is Okay. Maybe regulus could be that too one day. Maybe regulus could be happy.
Until he heard the door behind him open. Familiar footsteps stepping into the doorway. Regulus snapped his head around to face the door.
Orion, his father, was standing only a few meters away, wand hidden in his sleeve, something dangerous glimmering in his eyes.
Regulus’ blood ran cold.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He spoke in that intimidating tone he always used to make the other person feel weak. It worked.
His heart began racing. Now or never. He practically jumped into the fireplace and spoke as quickly as he could:
“Potter Ma-“
Orion was quicker. Regulus was hit with a sharp pain in his back, that pain rapidly spreading through his entire body. It felt like he was on fire, it felt like he was being ripped apart. It hurt worse than any insult his mother had ever thrown at him. Worse than any curse he’s ever been hit with.
Somebody was screaming, he thought. Was it him screaming? Was it Sirius screaming? No, that can’t be, Sirius is gone.
His ears were buzzing, his vision was nothing more than a blur, his throat felt raw, it smelt of blood, and his body really fucking hurt.
“That traitorous blood traitor won’t be allowed to ever step foot on Black property again”.
‘Good’ regulus thought. ‘At least Sirius will be safe’ he thought.
“You will from now on take up the role of the heir to the House of Black. You will do as I command, is that clear?”
Regulus couldn’t answer.
“I said,” Orion sharply kicked regulus in his back. “is that clear?”
Everything went black.
Sirius would not calm down.
It got to the point that James had to physically restrain Sirius from going back to grimmauld place and getting his little brother. When he finally did calm down, it was because he was breaking down in James’ arms.
“He promised, James. He promised me he’d come. What if something happened to him?” Sirius sobbed into his shoulder, clinging onto him like his life depended on it.
Effie eventually had to give him a sleeping draught, because he really needed to sleep, he looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and she still had to figure out and treat whatever curse he was hit with.
Sirius was now, peacefully sleeping in his new bed. James helped his dad turn their guest room into something more comfortable for Sirius, seeing as he lives with them now.
They hung up some of James’ quidditch posters, put some records on the shelf by the vinyl and put a picture of Christmas ‘73 on the bedside table. Sirius spent that Christmas with the potters, it was his favorite Christmas. They had a gingerbread house contest (courtesy of lily and remus who introduced them to muggle traditions), they baked a Yule cake, had a Christmas quidditch match in James’ backyard, and they exchanged a shit ton of presents.
In the picture you can see James’ and Sirius’ gingerbread house falling apart.
James should be happy, he would get to live with his best friend, but something didn’t feel right. He was angry. Angry, that someone hurt his best friend. Sirius had to escape that terrible house to survive. The same terrible house, that regulus was presumably still trapped in.
James wondered if regulus stayed behind on purpose. Did regulus make a promise to Sirius knowing he would break it? No, while regulus might not show it, he loves Sirius, he wouldn’t do that.
Maybe Walburga got to him before he made it through the floo. What if she hurt him? What if regulus was hurt? Sirius was, why wouldn’t they do the same to regulus?
A train of thoughts was going through James’ head and he couldn’t shut them off. What happened to the younger boy?
James was snapped out of it by Sirius, who just jolted awake from what seemed to be a nightmare. James has been sitting by Sirius’ bedside for the past 4 hours, refusing to leave his side. His parents gave up trying to get James back to his own room 2 hours ago.
Sirius was gasping for air, holding onto his chest. James immediately leaned over to him and held him.
“You’re okay Sirius, you’re fine. It’s me, James, you’re not back there, remember? We’ll get regulus out, yeah? I promise.” He kept repeating to Sirius like a mantra.
“Sorry ‘bout that” Sirius apologized once he could breathe properly again.
“Do.. you want to talk about it?” James asked with some caution, but Sirius just shook his head. They both sat in silence for what could’ve been 30 seconds or 10 whole minutes, until Effie walked in. She didn’t look like she had been sleeping.
“Oh boys, you should both be asleep.” She said, but not sounding disapproving at all, probably because she’s been up worrying as well.
“Sorry mum. Could you maybe get a vial of dreamless sleep for Sirius?” James asked, attempting to sound like he hadn’t been forcing himself to stay awake for the past few hours.
“Yes, I can do that, but if you don’t go to sleep James, I will shove a sleeping draught down your throat, don’t think I won’t!l” she added firmly.
“You wouldn’t!” He dramatically gasped. He looked over to Sirius for support but Sirius was grinning at him, clearly on Effie’s side. “I feel attacked here.” James stated.
“Go to sleep boys, Remus is coming tomorrow and you don’t want to be tired all day when he’s here, do you?”
Sirius perked up at the mention of Remus’ name. “Moony is coming?”
“Yeah, his mum got him a few new records, he said he’d bring them over.” James said
“Really? Hey, did you hear about..”
Effie left the room to get Sirius his vial of dreamless sleep and the boys talked until they both dozed off into the night, this time without any disruptions.
It was a few minutes past sunrise when Regulus awoke. He missed the sunrise by just a bit. He was in his bed. Kreacher must have apparated him up to his room while he was unconscious, regulus thought.
Everything feels sore, down from his toes all the way up to his head. His throat burns whenever he inhales.
He stayed in his bed for a few minutes, staring out the window next to it in silence, just resting with his eyes open before checking for injuries, though kreacher might have already taken care of that.
Regulus pulled his bedcovers off and sat up. He only now noticed that his wrist is all bandaged up.
Oh.
Regulus didn’t remember his wrist being snapped, that means Orion must have kept the punishments going even after he passed out.
He reluctantly left his bed, in lots of pain mind you, and headed for the shower. He always hated having to look at the outcome of his punishments, but if he wanted to heal properly, it would be necessary. So before stepping into the shower, regulus pulled off his button up shirt from last night, revealing cuts, bruises, and what could be a cracked rib.
‘That must be why breathing seems so difficult’ he thought.
Before he started with the healing spells, he cast a muffliato, because this would hurt and he did not want more punishments for being too loud.
‘Well, better start with the worst.’
He took his wand and pointed it to the badly bruised part of his back. He took a deep breath.
“Episkey”. You could hear the bone cracking and healing, which sounded quite disgusting. Regulus grunted at the pain, but did his best not to shout. He wanted to be above that, he needed to handle pain better.
He closed up the cuts that remained open and cast a few healing charms over the bruises on his back and shoulders.
He stripped the rest of his clothing and finally stepped into the shower, cleaning off all the dried blood from around the cuts. All he really wanted to do was go to sleep, but he still had to wash his hair. He couldn’t stand having dirty hair.
When he got out and dried off, he cast a glamouring charm over some of his older scars and the new ones that would surely never leave his body either.
He threw on a simple black t-shirt that barty gave him once, a deep green hoodie that Sirius gifted him for his birthday, and a dark grey pair of jeans.
Fuck.
What is he supposed to now? His parents probably put charms on the floo by now to prevent him from leaving. They wouldn’t make that same mistake twice.
He couldn’t write to Sirius either, his parents controlled all letters that came in and out of that house.
Would Sirius even want to read his letter? Regulus promised. Regulus promised he would come in right after Sirius. What if Sirius just thought that he just lied to him?
Did Sirius even make it to the potters safely? What if Sirius is hurt? What if Sirius is dead?
No. Regulus needed to shut off those kind of thoughts. Sirius is safe. Sirius made it to the potters, and he’s probably laughing about some dumb muggle invention with James. Regulus had to believe that for now. To keep himself sane.
What other methods of communication was there that could be done from here?
Regulus suddenly had an idea. He always wondered how Sirius communicated with his friends during summers. Regulus always made up code words with his friends, so it sounded like he was talking about blood purity or other dumb things he didn’t agree with, but they actually meant different things. ‘I hate muggles’ was code for ‘This summer sucks, I hate it here’. Regulus used that phrase a lot.
But Sirius wouldn’t be caught dead writing anything of the sort. So he must have some other way to communicate. Maybe some sort of device, possibly hidden in his room.
Regulus thought about this for a moment before leaving his room, and tiptoeing across the landing, right over to Sirius’ room.
He knocked on the door, waiting for Sirius to let him in.
Oh, nevermind.
Regulus quietly pushed open the door and stepped inside. He walked around the room. It looked like it always did. Posters of muggle bands and artists, posters of muggle girls in bikinis and some quidditch posters too. His bed covers were all crumpled up, Sirius never liked making his bed. Or maybe he did, but he knew leaving everything as it is would piss off Walburga.
He checked under the mattresses (yes, mattresses because the Blacks were too good for only 1 mattress) but only found some pictures of Sirius and his friends. Regulus took those with him.
He also checked the closet, old boxes, behind furniture and on top, but didn’t find anything. He then remembered something. Sirius had shown him this hiding place when he was 8 and regulus was 6 and a half. Regulus and Sirius somehow got a hold of a bottle of red wine (don’t ask how), and thought it would be funny if it went missing for the family dinner that was happening that night. Sirius told regulus he knew a place, walked over to his dresser, pushed it a bit to the right, and pulled up the loose floorboard. Regulus suddenly recalls this as if it was yesterday.
He walks over to the dresser, pushes it to the right with more ease than an 8 year old Sirius did, and spotted the loose floorboard. He pulled it up, and almost laughed. That same old wine bottle was still there, untouched. He guessed Sirius didn’t really know what else to do with it other than leave it there. He didn’t really enjoy wine yet at the ripe age of 8.
Next to it was a little broken mirror that looked a little too familiar.
Regulus carefully took the mirror, but when he looked into it, he didn’t see his reflection. He saw a room. Well, he saw the ceiling of a room.
Regulus hesitated, but spoke.
“Uhm.. Hello?” He asked cautiously.
‘This is stupid.’ He thought.
Until he heard a familiar voice. Regulus snapped his head away from the mirror to see what it was. Slowly, he looked back at the mirror. The sounds were coming from the mirror.
“Hello?” He called a little louder this time.
He could hear footsteps coming from the mirror. Then, a voice.
“Did you hear that padfoot?”
Then, came a very groggy and sleepy voice.
“It’s 6am prongs! Let me sleep.”
Regulus recognized that voice.
“Sirius?” He called. For a short moment came nothing but silence. Then advancing footsteps. Then, it looked like the other end of the mirror was being picked up. Then, regulus saw his brother. He looked was safe.
Regulus wanted to cry in relief. And he did. For once, he allowed himself to.
Tears gently started rolling his cheeks, tears, he didn’t even know he was holding in.