beginning of everything
Regulus Arcturus Black has never been fond of loud noises or crowded places.
At this moment he stood in the crowded security line at JFK Airport, feeling the press of strangers all around him. The noise, the chaos, the shuffle of countless feet—it was stifling. His mind drifted back to just three hours ago, when he had finally walked out of his family's home on the Upper East Side, the tension that had been building for years now culminating to the second time he found the courage to do some for himself.
He thought of the letter he had left behind on the dining room table, the ink still wet on the crisp, cream-colored stationery:
Mother, Father,
By the time you read this, I will be gone. I apologize for the abruptness, but I must leave. I cannot continue on the path you have set for me and I do not wish to live the life you have chosen for me.
R.A.B"
He could still see the formal, restrained script of his own handwriting. So much left unsaid, and yet, finally, he felt a small measure of freedom.
He had begun planning his escape a year ago, right after the incident.
Just as a precaution, he started discreetly withdrawing money from his trust fund, stashing it away in a separate account. Insurance, he told himself. For months, it was just an idea, a what-if, a secret he kept close. Then, a month ago, right after his final exams of his second year, he sent a formal letter to Cambridge University: he was changing his major from Business to Medicine and transferring to the University of Oxford. Three weeks ago, he booked a one-way ticket to London. And this morning he emptied his trust fund and with a single suitcase packed with only clothes and his favorite books from which he could not separate himself, he walked out the door. He didn’t look back.
Now, Regulus moved through the airport security line, feeling a flutter of nerves in his stomach. Once through, he found a coffee shop and ordered a triple espresso, letting the warmth of the cup soothe his trembling hands. He moved slowly through the crowded terminal, heading toward his gate, each step feeling both surreal and strangely liberating. Time seemed to warp; he barely noticed the minutes slipping by. Before long, the boarding announcement echoed through the speakers, and he was stepping onto the plane.
He found his seat without a problem 36C, the cramped cabin buzzing around him, the leather of the seat cool against his back. His heart pounded as he stared blankly at the seat in front of him. He couldn't believe it—he had really done it, the unthinkable. He had left his life behind, his family, his responsibilities. He had not believed in himself, did not think he would really go through with it, but here he was, and only now in this quiet moment, the reality of it hit him.
He exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of years lift from his shoulders, and he could not help but think of Sirius. He had not thought about him in a long time, his brother was a terrible man. Well no thats a lie but Regulus was hurt.
What would Sirius think of him now?