It was regulus' 16th birthday when he awoke to an empty room, the usual greeting from his brother lost, confusion flooding his systems.
The house was as cold as always, his mothers meaningless, "happy birthday, son.", and his fathers tight smile not doing anything to warm the occasion.
He bursts into his brothers room,
"Sirius?!," he hisses, breath hitching when all he found was a neatly made bed with an envelope on it.
Regulus approached it cautiously, opening it carefully. It read
'to my dear arcturus, know this isn't your fault. i couldn't stand this house any longer and mother was trying to marry me off to a woman, i had to leave.
stay safe, regulus. if you need me,
call for me.
i will always hear you'
No regulus did not tear up at that, no he did not rip up the paper and then begin searching through sirius' room for more answers. A crooked painting on the wall catches his eye, going over to fix it and a fair amount of money falling out with another sheet of paper reading,
'The future is up to us',
In neat cursive writing.
it was a foolish decision, stupid, absolutely ridiculous,
but without sirius, regulus' might actually go insane.
So he left.
He threw on some clothes and stuffed the money in his pocket then climbed out of the window, sprinting through the garden towards the gates of his future.
The taste of freedom is nothing like people say, it tastes bittersweet and stressful.
rummaging through the forest before finally finding a road to navigate your way from.
which he how he finds himself here, a paranoid mess sitting on a train to london.
The fact that there's a supposed police man walking up and down the train in search for a missing boy really does not help.
Nor does the fact that the bag up above just moved,
and sneezed.
Regulus' leg stills from where it was bouncing, staring intensely at the bag as a knife rips through it, then a tanned hand pulling at the zipper and god it moved a lot.
Eventually falling to the ground with a groan.
The first thing he saw pop out the bag was a full head of manic dark brown curls, then bambi eyes and a face full of freckles turning to look at him.
The mystery boy gave him a sheepish smile as he stood, sitting on the seat opposite him and holding his hand out.
"James Fleamont Potter, pleasure to meet you."
Alarms started ringing in regulus' head, the possible chance of getting caught.
"Get out of this carriage"
James' hand curls in on itself, arm returning back to its side. The smile only grows, him leaning forward slightly "You know, you remind me of my grandfather,"
Regulus must have made a face to that because he was quick to explain
"You have the same look in your eyes"
"Right well that's wonderful, now get out of this carriage"
Regulus' replies back sharply, eyeing out the window into the hall.
Potter still doesn't make any move to leave.
Its incredibly infuriating.
"Well, if you didn't see, i just pulled off a rather excellent escape plan-"
"No, you didn't. There is a man in a brown coat searching this train for you and once he find you he finds me and then my escape plan is entirely ruined."
Regulus cuts him off.
Only to be responded with a laugh. Oh how he wants to throw this boy off of the train.
"You sound just like my grandfather too,"
"Get. Out."
James puts his hands up in surrender, standing and brushing off his overcoat,
"A man in a brown coat, alright", he murmurs to himself somewhat nervously, then leaves, walking down the hall of the train.
It takes a grand total of 37 seconds before he's back, huffing and running his hands through his hair, "Oh god, he saw me".
"Of course he did", Regulus says, standing "Im to leave now, pleasure meeting you James Fleamont Potter.", he adds, words tasting satire as he then exits the carriage.
He bumps into the man in the brown coat while walking down, halting at the scream of a familiar annoying curly head.
"Pray for me", he says to no one in a huff as he turns to go back to the carriage.
The sight well..wasn't great.
Not everyday do you see someone almost getting thrown out of a train.
What regulus did next was on impulse, grabbing the cane and whacking the man on the side of the head with it.
Ignoring the sickening crunch and slump as he fell to the floor.
Instead focusing on getting james back into the carriage, if only he'd stop floundering.
"He tried to kill me!"
"Yes well if we don't hurry we'll both be killed, potter" regulus huffs as they all but run down the hall, cursing every god he's never believed in and glancing at every carriage for a possible place to hide.
Feeling his heart sink to his stomach and having to swallow down the bile at the only other options being.
A, get thrown off of the train or
B,
jump off of it at your own pace.
"We have to jump.", he breaths out, flinching backwards slightly at how quickly James' head turns to him.
"Are you mad?"
"Perhaps, but we'll both be dead if we don't jump soon"
The brown coated man's getting closer..closer..
"James, JUMP!", Regulus screams, grabbing James' arm and pulling him with as they fall off of the train landing with grunts and yelps on the edge of a grassy cliff.
Mother of lord does this man make a lot of noise,
"Can you please shut up?" Regulus growls out, turning his head to glare at James
James looks up at him with a dumbfounded expression
"Well sorry, it's not everyday you jump off of a blimming train!"
Decisions are already being regretted, more so when they're walking through the field and regulus tells him who he is. Rooky mistake on his part. He blames it on the adrenaline and shock of just having leaped off a train.
"So, why are you fleeing to london?" James asks.
Theres a sigh and then
"Im running from my parents,"
in response
"Your parents?" james asks, turning his head to him.
"yes, Walburga Black is a cruel woman"
Regulus murmurs in hatred, not realising his error when James halts to a stop.
"Wait Black, as in..the Blacks? The noble house of Black? You're their son?"
Now in this situation you can lie..or be honest.
Or tell half truths.
"I may be, that is all you're getting."
They continue walking, in a semi comfortable silence
"Can i atleast know your name?"
for a beat there isn't a response.
"Regulus, Regulus Arcturus" It's not his actual last name, but Black is the past. This is the now.
James smiles at him,
"well regulus, regulus Arcturus," he starts, not even questioning the change of name,
he then holds his hand out,
"James, James potter. it is a pleasure to meet you."