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Regulus, Draco and Sirius were brought back by the house elf.
Without any further delay, Regulus thanked Kreacher while ignoring Sirius Black left for his room. He put his things out where it should be and began to change his clothes. “Cousin, should eat more, you are skinny enough that you might not be able to go out horcrux hunting in the future.”
Regulus hears his cousin teasing but with worry in his voice just like Narcissa. That thought halted his action just before he could say something. Kreacher appeared “Master Regulus, it’s time for dinner. You should hurry and change.”
Regulus smiled as he nodded at Kreacher, which made Kreacher's face lightened up. While in the background Draco’s amused huffing sounded. “That is right, master Regulus should hurry up or you will miss the drama.”
Regulus didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his cousin’s dramatic performance. His cousin really lived upon the dramatic side of both families.
Regulus quickly changed into suitable clothes.
He heard a whistle from behind him, Regulus rolled his eyes in annoyance. “If I didn’t know that we were cousins then I might have not mind sleeping with you. Cousin!”
Regulus heard Draco’s playful voice, he ignored him. He was just wearing white t-shirt and black tight pants. Regulus almost tripped hearing his cousin’s *I just remembered* tone when said that. “Oh, right we could do that? No one will judge us for doing that! I mean our parents might be even happy about that?”
Regulus stared blankly at Draco who just opened a door for him to see things from other directions. “Say cousin, what if cousin Sirius was actually not rebellious and had not been sorted into Gryffindor wouldn’t that make your parents happy enough to consider you two getting married to each other since you two are very close and proactive to each other, plus once put you two are cousins???”
Upon hearing that Regulus went very still, he snapped his head towards Draco in a very fast movement that made Draco slightly concerned about his cousin's head falling down from his neck.
Regulus stared at Draco horrified, utterly terrified and lost. Because what his cousin said actually made sense. Regulus was in his inner-shock that he didn’t notice Sirius was standing right in front of him waving his hand in front of his face until Regulus was actually shaked hard by Sirius before finally coming out of his trauma caused by courtesy of his cousin Draco.
“Reggie, are you alright!!!!” Having not fully calmed down, he didn’t notice Sirius calling him by nickname. Even if he did he was preoccupied with Draco’s words, so he followed Sirius while holding his clothes towards the dinner hall.
Sirius casted worried glances at him but was ignored in favor of fixing his clothes.
Regulus' mind and ears right now was occupied with his cousin’s dumbfounded and amused loud laughter. With no further do, three of them entered the room, Sirius going to the right side while Regulus walked towards the left side where his mother was sitting. They actually sat together in the past but once Sirius came back from Hogwarts they were separated.
Regulus ate in silence while there was war going on, this time he didn’t feel lonely because his cousin was there with him. “Uhh, Reggie you know i was just kidding right?”
He heard his cousin’s awkward voice, Regulus seriously answered Draco. (No, you got a point! There was a chance where I will be the candidate for my brother to marry.)
Regulus successfully had taken his revenge in making his cousin speechless. “Alright, how about we leave that topic behind and discuss something else?”
(Sounds good to me.) Regulus almost shrugged his shoulders, instead he put another spoon of food into his mouth. “First we need to gather horcrux without anyone knowing, even your friends. Then we will put them somewhere safe place-”
(Wait, are we not going to destroy it as soon as we finish gathering them?) Regulus paused for a second before continuing eating. “No we are not going to destroy it that soon, after all we are destroying the dark lord's soul there is a chance that Tom will know about it and surprise us with something drastic. I hate surprises from enemies.”
Regulus nodded his head without anyone noticing it unless that person was paying very close attention to him. “After placing it in a safe place, we will stop Tom from recuperating students from Slytherin as a child soldier, we will turn them against Tom and Dumbledore.”
(Why?) Regulus didn’t understand why they needed to do that, he was young even if he was smart he didn’t understand why he needed to save others who aren’t his family.
“Because they don’t deserve those things to happen to them, Regulus you know why Slytherin aren’t nice, it’s to protect themselves from other houses. Not all Slytherins are bad, they have their own difficulties and those you interact with are from a pureblood family. You have not talked to other students of Slytherin house but only those who like to show off and jealous people who have been brainwashed from their young age. And not all pureblood students are bad, there are some who have no choice but obey their parents' orders in order not to get punished or worse disowned. ” Regulus listened carefully because it was his first time telling him about this. No one bothered to tell him something like this, Sirius would just call them evil, prejudice and death eater. The older Slytherin students had already stopped correcting them on such matters because of how others treated them.
(I see, then we must definitely save them!) Regulus said with determination, he will save his house mates, after all, wasn't there one rule stating that Slytherins are one family? He will save his family then. Regulus felt chill on top of his head, he felt his cousin patting his head gently as a praise. Regulus was happy even if he didn’t show it on his face, the first time he was praised by his family. “We will draw Lucius into our side, to ensure we have good grasp on ministry and with help of Lucius we will find another horcrux hiding in the Malfoy manor by Abraxas.”
(How will we even get him on our side?) Regulus couldn’t help but ask, after all it will be hard to move Lucius into betraying Abraxas and Tom considering that Abraxas must likely have already installed Lucius' loyalty towards Tom. “We will use Narcissa, first we will change Narcissa's mind before moving towards Lucius. He will definitely listen to his soon to be wife, knowing that man loves her so much to protect her he will waver.”
Hearing that made Regulus recall the couple, how they behave towards each other and come to the conclusion that Lucius indeed truly loved his cousin Narcissa. (Alright then.)
Regulus bid farewell to his parents before making his way towards his room.
“We will try to create something that might be possible but almost impossible once school begins.” Regulus nodded his head, he didn’t bother to question because if Draco wanted him to know then he would have said it straightforwardly and frankly to him but being vague means it wasn’t time for him to worry about what they were going to make. “After a week we will begin with special lessons from me to you.”
(Special lessons?) Regulus wondered what he would learn from those special lessons. He was waiting for his cousin to answer when they heard commotion, Regulus hurriedly stood up when he heard his brother’s painful loud scream. He hurriedly walked out of his room towards the living room. What greeted him once he entered the room was Sirius lying on the floor while shaking and shuddering, his mother with an angry face pointing her wand towards Sirius. Before anyone could do something she sent another curse knocking Sirius out, Regulus saw Draco flashing into his mother. “Regulus, take your brother to his room!!”
With that Draco inside Walburga’s body left, not long after Draco returned in his ghost state. “I have put your mother to sleep with some fake memory.”
Regulus nodded as he took out his wand casted wingardium leviosa on Sirius whom he thought was passed out.
Sirius felt himself being lifted, he didn’t open his eyes as he was very much of tired. Not long after he was put on his soft bed. He felt healing magic on himself as his injuries were tended.
“Stupid brother!” Sirius was offended at being called stupid but he held himself back because he heard worry when his little brother said that. Next thing his little brother said shocked him that he almost opened his eyes. Regulus, not noticing that his brother had been actually awoken, instead of talking to Draco through his mind, he said it aloud. “Siri, can’t stay here anymore! He has to leave!”
Draco glanced at Sirius, knowing the boy was awake but didn’t warn Regulus' cause if he can’t even notice such a thing then it will be his first lesson. Sirius calmed down as he noticed that his brother seemed to be talking with someone. “But he will not leave as long as you are here! Didn’t you say that it was because of you that your brother was here?”
“I-if I make Sirius h-hate me then he will leave without hesitation! If he stays here longer then he will die!!” Sirius heard Regulus' reluctant but helpless low voice, Sirius was stunned at what his brother was saying, he was happy to know that his brother cared about him but to make him hate his little brother to leave this place was one thing he had not even thought of and such a thing never crossed his mind. Sirius tried to open his mouth but found he couldn’t even move.
Draco who had silently casted petrificus Totalus, letting Sirius listen to whatever his little brother was spouting and clear this stupid misunderstanding.
“I mean that could work but are you sure you want to do that? He will never forgive you or give you a chance to explain yourself and your relationship will never be the same.” Draco seriously questioned Regulus, who nodded his head. “I don’t care if he doesn't give me a chance to explain myself or hate me till he dies but as long as he leaves this place. I will do anything.”
Sirius wanted to scream at his brother to not make decisions for him, he was capable of making his own decisions. And he will never hate his little star who just wants him to leave this hellish place. “What about your family? Wouldn’t they go after him? Since he is the heir?”
“No they will not! They have me as a spare, if Siri were to leave they would not go after him then just disown him and burn him from the family tree.” Regulus shook his head in disagreement, he was just spare but once the heir was unworthy or something like this happens spare will take their place. Sirius was so angry that his brother was treading his own freedom for Sirius freedom. Sirius wanted to scream at his brother if he were to leave then he would take Regulus with himself.
“Why don’t you just run away with him?” Draco asked in a confused voice that was so fake that even rats would hear the fakeness. Alas Regulus was too preoccupied with Sirius that he failed to notice it. “No I can't run away with Siri, I thought about such a possibility but the outcome was only one of us will be able to leave without our parents taking drastic action. They will definitely come after us because they need a heir and there will be bloodshed and innocent people will lose their lives. ”
Sirius was very happy that he wasn’t the only one that wanted to run away from this place, then like a cruciatus rest of sentences made him feel cold. “Besides, I can't leave now, remember! Anyways I only hope when Sirius leaves, he would at least bid farewell to me. Or he might really hate me that he would rather leave without saying anything.”
It had been a long time since he heard his brother's voice trembling and sorrowful, he felt a warm lip on his forehead before he heard footsteps gradually walking away.
Once the door was closed he felt the spell that was holding him disappear. He sat up from his lying spot. He couldn’t comprehend what just happened because of a lot of information he heard from his brother. Sirius packed his things which took a while before going towards his brother’s room, he could hear his brother’s voice like he was talking to someone.
He didn’t immediately walk in, instead put his ears on the door to eavesdrop. Not before he uttered a recording spell because his brother was up to something since the last day of Hogwarts.
“How are we going to convince the Slytherins to work with me?” Regulus asked, he was puzzled at how he was going to achieve that.
“Obviously through the special lesson, I’m about to teach you.” Draco replied while rolling his eyes. Regulus nodded in understanding before asking Draco curiously. “What I'm going to learn from the special lesson you are talking about?”
Sirius listened for a while until he felt his foot start to feel numb, with no other choice he stopped listening but knocked on the door before entering. When he entered the room he only saw Regulus sitting in front of his desk holding a quill, he didn’t see a second person.
“Reggie let’s talk!!” Sirius said as he walked towards Regulus bed, he sat down on the bed before motioning Regulus to join him.
Regulus hesitantly walked towards the bed and sat down. “What do you want to talk about?”
He asked as he saw Draco sitting beside Sirius. “I heard you!”
Regulus almost stopped breathing, he hesitantly asked. “What?”
Sirius looked at his brother who tensed up, he was uncomfortable for a second. “When you brought me to my room, I heard what you said from the beginning till you left the room.”
Regulus almost glared at Draco, but held himself back lest Sirius became suspicious. “It’s not my fault that you didn’t notice or check on him whether he was awake or not! A fatal mistake when fighting is not carefully checking if your enemy is really dead or alive. This is my first lesson for you, learn from your mistakes. Never forget to check your enemy's state, alive or dead. Or else you will be stabbed from behind for not making sure he wasn't a threat to you anymore.”