From Snakes to Lions
If Regulus takes one more step it will be the farthest away from home he has ever been. Not that he doesn't want to be away from home. He had to spend a whole year alone with his parents when Sirius went to his first year at Hogwarts and it… well, it wasn’t pleasant. Now it is Regulus’ first year at Hogwarts and he is absolutely thrilled. He is going into the year below Sirius.
Last year Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor. It kicked up quite a fuss with the family. He was the first Black to be anything other than a Slytherin in five hundred years. So, needless to say, there was at least one interesting thing that year.
Regulus takes another step. Now he is the farthest from home he has ever been. He steps onto the train. Sirius had immediately ran off to find his friends when he got onto the platform, so, for now, Regulus is alone. He walks down the train car, looking into compartment windows to find an empty one. When he finds it he slides the door open and gets himself situated. He grabs a book from his trunk and settles in for a long ride.
After a few minutes the compartment door slams open to reveal a pale boy. He has dark brown hair and eyes and a wide grin on his face. “Hi,” he says, “anyone else in here? Every other compartment is full.” The boy announces.
“No. You can sit, if you please.” Regulus informs him.
“Great! My name’s Barty Crouch… Jr., what's yours?” Asks the boy- Barty- as he saunters over to sit in the seat across from Regulus.
“Regulus.” Regulus murmurs. He can tell that Barty is going to be… chatty. Regulus plans to read his book and ignore Barty the rest of the train ride.
“Regulus…” Barty says slowly, as if tasting the word on his tongue. “You a Black?” Barty asks.
“Mhm.” Regulus hums. He is just getting back to his reading when the compartment door opens again. Regulus sighs and closes his book. He realizes that he is probably not going to be getting any reading done on the train. There are two people standing at the door. One girl and one boy. They both have tan skin and blonde- nearly white- curly hair. They both have bright blue eyes. They look very, very similar.
“Hi!” says the boy, not even bothering to ask to come in before, you guessed it, walking straight into the compartment. “I’m Evan and that’s-” Evan points at the girl, who Regulus presumes is his sister, “Pandora.” Pandora gives a shy wave and walks into the compartment. She sits next to Regulus, while her brother sits next to Barty.
Regulus gives Pandora a polite tight-lipped smile which she returns. Evan narrows his eyes at Regulus like he’s trying to figure him out. “What’s your name?” Evan asks.
“Regulus Black.” Regulus says softly.
“Oh, you’re a Black?” Pandora asks.
“Yes.” Regulus says stiffly. He’s getting uncomfortable with all the attention on him. He resists the urge to fidget with, quite literally, anything he can get his hands on. Pandora just tilts her head and doesn’t say anything more on the topic.
On the way to Hogwarts they all get to know each other. Regulus takes a particular liking to Pandora. She is… well, she’s strange, but Regulus is strange too, he supposes, so he can’t quite say anything. Regulus finds out that Evan and Pandora are, in fact, siblings. Twins, actually. Barty and Evan seem to get on exceptionally well. They are laughing and teasing each other within the first thirty minutes of them meeting. Regulus and Pandora mostly just talk to each other, occasionally piping in to Barty and Evan’s conversation. By the time they reach the school it would be safe to say that they are all friends.
“First years! First years this way!” Bellows a gruff voice. The voice comes from a huge man. He looms over everyone. He has long tangled hair that Regulus feels the urge to tug a brush through, and a bushy beard. His brown eyes are warm enough as he introduces himself as Hagrid and leads all the first years to the boats. Regulus gets a boat with Barty, Evan and Pandora.
Regulus hasn’t seen Sirius since the train platform and he wonders why he hasn't. Does Sirius not want to see him? Is Sirius embarrassed of him? Does Sirius- oh, oh the school.
It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It's huge, even bigger than Regulus imagined. His mother and father and even Sirius had told him about the school, how magical it is in all ways, but they never told him how completely dazzling it would be. He hears the oohhh’s and aahhh’s from the other first years around him.
All thoughts of Sirius leave Regulus’ mind as he enters Hogwarts. It's beautiful even on the inside.
All thoughts of Sirius have left, but the fretting about the sorting is still there. He knows what house he’ll get. He knows he’ll be a Slytherin. Just like the rest of his family. That's what he wants. To be just like his family… isn't it? Isn’t it?
The first years are all led into the great hall by Professor McGonagall. An older woman with graying hair slicked back into a severe bun at the top of her head. At the end of the hall, there is a stool, on which an ancient looking hat sits on. Regulus looks around for Sirius, he finds him sitting at the Gryffindor table, grinning at him reassuringly. Regulus smiles hesitantly back and turns back to the front as McGonagall starts to read off names from a scroll of parchment.
After about five students have been sorted (Regulus lost track after two) McGonagall looks up from her scroll calling “Black. Regulus.” Regulus takes a deep, steadying breath and steps up to the stool, sitting on it. McGonagall sets the hat on Regulus’ head. It slips over his eyes, much to his annoyance. It's dusty and makes his eyes itchy.
“Ah, another Black. This should be easy enough. Though, that's what I said to your brother last year.” whispers the hat in Regulus’ ear. The voice is scratchy and sends a shiver down his spine. “Interesting. Very interesting.” Oh, get on with it, you stupid hat. Regulus thinks. I know what I’m going to be so why don't you just say it? I'm going to be a- “GRYFFINDOR!” Wait, what?! The hall is silent as the hat is taken off of Regulus’ head. Regulus doesn't really register the applause as he walks over to the Gryffindor table. Two disappointments in two years. That has got to be some sort of record. Sirius is cheering the loudest out of all the Gryffindors. Regulus looks over to the Slytherin table to see Narcissa and Bellatrix sneering at him. He looks away as Sirius slaps him on the back.
So much for being just like his family.