Chapter 1
June 1978
Hopefully, this summer will be better than the last
Regulus Black thought to himself as he boarded the train to leave Hogwarts. His brother had just graduated and was off to work for the ministry as one of their aurors, a job he wouldn’t have had to take if he hadn’t gone and gotten himself disowned, kicked out, and nearly Crudioed to death. Because of Sirius’ marvelous exit from the family, Regulus was officially named heir, a role he had been groomed for since the sorting hat was removed from his brother’s head. Regulus never wanted the title, never wanted the money, never wanted the shadow that followed him everywhere he went. People shuffled out of his way when he walked down the halls when he wandered the grounds when he sat in the library. Wherever Regulus went people avoided him, making his existence at Hogwarts extremely lonely. Yes, he had Evan and Barty along with Pandora and Dorcas but there were some things that you just didn’t want to burden your friends with, and Regulus’ past year was one of them. The amount of pain that he had taken and given out this past year was enough to put several of the professors at Hogwarts into a coma. But he continued to do it, to be the perfect pureblood heir. To be the death eater that Lord Voldemort could rely on for special tasks. To make everyone forget Sirius had ever been the heir and allow him to fade from their memories. If they didn’t remember him then they wouldn’t hurt him.
It was for this exact reason that Regulus decided to accept the task of swaying the pureblood elite children of New England to the Dark Lord’s side. The Dark Lord felt like he was so close to cinching his victory in the United Kingdom that he wanted to start influencing other nations so that when he turned his eyes there it would be an easy transition of power. European nations were at the top of his list but he couldn’t overlook the advantage that he would have if he had MACUSA under his thumb. Therefore Regulus’ job was to summer with the pureblood elites of New England in the Hamptons, a summer town filled with quaint 18th century houses on the eastern tip of Long Island.
As Regulus was stuck in thought about how his summer would be so different from his last, his friends slid into their usual compartment storing any luggage that the elves hadn’t grabbed onto the shelves above their heads. Regulus was so lost in thought that he got to the end of the train car before he realized his friends had ducked into the compartment. He doubled back and arrived to find his friends discussing their summer travels.
“My father is making me go to Germany for their debutante season,” Dorcas says to Pandora as she slides onto the bench. “Can you believe it, Germany of all places! I don’t even speak German and he wants me to find a husband there!”
Ever since Dorcas had turned 17 her father had been pushing her every waking moment to find someone suitable to marry. Luckily he wasn’t as strict as some of the other pureblood families, being a half-blood himself, and was allowing her to choose who she married. However, he still expected her to be engaged by graduation. That was just how wizarding society worked, if a pureblood witch wasn’t at least in talks about marriage by graduation she was looked down upon and ostracized from society functions. Men had a lot less pressure on them with being encouraged to live a little and establish themselves in their workplace and society before continuing on their family name.
Regulus was thankful that he wasn’t held to the same expectations as his female friends, for he was far too busy playing the perfect heir to worry about courting anyone.
“Well, at least you don’t have to spend the summer toeing around your own house, Dorcas,” Barty exclaims while he flops down next to Evan and places his feet in his lap.
Evan, shoving Barty’s feet off his lap and causing him to tumble off the bench and onto the floor adds, “Yeah Pandora and I have to spend the summer with our noses in books because Mother wants us to know the entire curriculum before we even step foot onto the platform in September.”
Pandora nods in agreement before saying, “At least they are letting you choose. I heard that Yaxley and Macmillan already have betrothal contracts drawn up for men at least 10 years older than them and they just finished their OWLs.”
“I know, I know. I just wish he would let me find someone a little bit closer to home. Do you know how awful my life is gonna be if I can’t get sweets and books from Diagon Alley each week? Absolutely disastrous! I won’t even be able to go to small little bookshops wherever I end up because none of the books will be in a language I can even read!” Dorcas slumps down in her seat putting a pout on her face. “Why couldn’t he have chosen Italy or Spain, at least I could have passed the days drunk on efl-wine.”
Barty leans across the compartment to poke her face, turning her pout into a lopsided smile. “Brighten up Dorcs, you’ll at least have chocolate to keep you company and you are always welcome to owl me about whatever travesty has happened that day. Actually, if you want to owl me multiple times a day or even hourly I wouldn’t mind, it would drive my father crazy. All the droppings and feathers over our pristine yard and doorstep. Oh, I can just picture his face when he gets back from the Ministry!” Barty grinned like a madman at his last comment, probably thinking up plans on how much he could torment his father before he sent him to the Rosier’s. Evan and Regulus had a bet going that he wouldn’t even be a week before he turned up on the Rosier doorstep with a freshly baked custard from his mom and a bottle of fire whiskey from his father with a second half-drunk bottle in his bag.
It was at this point that Pandora spoke up in the far off voice of hers, “How about you Regulus? You have been quiet about what you're up to this summer. Visiting the Black’s ancestral lands again?”
“Actually” Regulus started, “Narcissa and Lucius are summering in the Hamptons this year, trying out a new vacationing spot, and asked if I wanted to visit. Probably hoping I’ll find some pureblood witch over there who actually catches my eye.”
Dorcas popped into the conversation at that moment, gushing over how lucky Regulus was to be visiting the Hamptons and being so close to New York City. The conversation then turned into the others discussing their dream vacation locations, talking over any comments Regulus would add, if he tried to add them that is. Instead, he stared out the window as the train pulled out of the station.