Bigger Fish
Regulus was the biggest fish in the Slytherin pond. He had been since the 70's, and he saw no reason why that would change.
That one blond boy, differed. He was the very figure of why Regulus despised half of the students in the house in the past, and he was still disapproving of the current ones. He walked like he owned the place, he slicked his hair back just like Lucius Malfoy used to do when he was still in Hogwarts, and he had literal henchmen walking behind him. It was so pathetic.
Regulus couldn't be bothered too much with it though, he had business to attend to, by which he meant consuming as much literature on the war since the 70's as possible. If the truth was Voldemort was back, he had a one track mind to stop him, he hoped for the least distractions he could, but the universe had never been so kind as to let him live in peace, when he was a child there was Sirius the attention whore, then in Hogwarts he befriended Barty "I need a Babysitter" Crouch Jr. and Evan "I like to start fires" Rosier, then Dorcas "Yapper" Meadows (they befriended him) and worse, he was infatuated with his Alexander, who even when he was keeping quiet would literally poke his brain with legilimancy to grab his attention. The only plus side is he had gotten superbly great at occulumency.
Them however, he could handle, he knew them, he knew how to get rid of them. And the blond boy and lackeys walking up to him seemed to be on a mission to annoy him, he could see it come closer with every step they took.
"Who are you?" the blond boy stopped in front of the chair he was using, blocking the already dim light that Regulus managed to grab from the lake windows.
Regulus wouldn't dignify it with a response, obviously, even the scoff and eye-roll combo he'd perfected didn't seem to to dissuade the boy.
"Do you know who my father is?" He said like he could impose on him, on Regulus BLACK. Of the Ancient House of Black.
"I don't." Regulus stood up, slamming closed his book, "And neither does your mother. Is there anything you're getting at?"
The boy grabbed his wand, and so did his lackeys, he pointed it like he was trying to intimidate him into... what exactly? His faux food chain? Some sort of threatened pup? He didn't have his wand in hand, but Regulus Black would rather get cursed than take a step back, not even his eyes moved from the blond boy's gaze, he held it stronger even.
But luck would just sometimes be kind enough to throw Regulus a bone, in the shape of Bartemius Crouch Jr and Evan Rosier.
"Look Evan! Look!" Barty pointed his wand at the trio in front of Regulus, "It's the three little piggies!"
"How dare yo--oink." Mr. Blond was suddenly turned into a miniature pig. The horrified look of his lackeys earned the unfiltered ugly laugh of Evan.
"Do another one! Do another one!" Evan was cheering him on. Regulus knew Barty was prodigal in transfiguration, but turning a person into an animal took care that he was willing to bet Barty wasn't really putting into it and it was lucky the blond boy wasn't maimed in the process.
Well perhaps they did save Regulus from a bit of trouble, and perhaps he was thankful, but he was not going to let them know that right now, "Let the filthy one know to stay away from my business." Regulus stepped over it and made his way out, it was just about time for dinner anyways, and it's probably why Barty and Evan went looking for him in the first place.
So far, Regulus didn't mind the future too much. He was fine with most of it, he'd have to update his to-kill list in general, but people seemed to turn into shite historians after Voldemort was "defeated" at the Potter's. Which was vague enough as it was. What even does "defeated" mean? Did James and Lily fend him off and die in the attack so he was finished by the BABY? He didn't think so, it had to me more than that, he's heard trustworthy whispered about the Dark Lord and he'd surely be better than that. Still it seemed that from that moment forwards, no one wanted to recount the war anymore. Before was sketchy enough as it, but after he was gone? Merlin! These people really wanted to move on from it, he'd have to get a records list from Azkaban or something to know who's still kicking around, but the books didn't deal with any of the aftermath save the statue they built Lily and James, which he would keep to himself, they didn't need an ego boost any more than Regulus needed another headache. And now the Dark Lord is back, which ties in well with Pandora's prophecy because they have to end the war or something? Deciphering prophecies is a proper pain in the arse in itself.
But now, dinner. Enough to worry about.
He hoped Head of Slytherin Professor Snivellus wouldn't find out about the pig situation, which was not very likely, but he could claim innocence still, it was fully Barty's idea. That much was true.
But his older, time-accurate, brother and Remus Lupin, were waiting for them outside the great hall, already gathered most of them and Lupin seemed to still be handing the emotional mess that his brother somehow still was. Just some things you couldn't outgrow Regulus shrugged in his mind. Speaking of whom, Sirius and his friends were already waiting and doing exactly the same as their time-accurate versions, which didn't pass over Pettigrew's head, he was probably more clever than they gave him credit for, surely to credit with not getting caught for their pranks their early years. Sirius "attention-whore" Black and James "notice me" Potter couldn't go unnoticed if they tried. It had to be him and Remus to blame for it.
"We're just missing Alexander, Dorcas and Pandora, right?" Lupin the accurate made a quick headcount.
"They should be coming soon," Sirius the accurate noted, "they were rarely late for dinner. If I recall correctly." Probably an ill-advised attempt at making conversation.
"Early if anything. But only if they are coming, those three are known for skipping normal meal times and popping by the kitchen later." Mary proved Regulus wrong, it worked.
"You're right!" Sirius the accurate, Merlin Regulus needs a better way to refer to them, "I remember once when Dorcas and Alexander used a reducto charm on any pumpkin pie going our way after we beat you in a quidditch final."
There were odd eyes and confused blinks among the time inaccurate people.
"Hasn't happened yet, then." He tried to act blasé but that was never his forte.
"Now we know how that house cup went." Sirius was not good at hiding his excitement about having had won the House Cup the year he became captain. Marlene high-five-d him. James wasn't in the mood for celebration seemingly. He was off, had been since morning.
That was before they heard the great laugh combo of hyena laughter and machine gun laughter from Alexander and Dorcas. Already inside the Great Hall, as anyone who's asked Regulus would've known. Yes he didn't say, just because he wanted to know how his time-accurate brother was taking it. For amusement. Nothing else. Alright?
With a slight enough peek into the room, you could find Dorcas and Alexander at the edge of the Ravenclaw table and two Pandoras? That can't be right. Evan was the one this seemed to shake the most, so he walked up to them, Barty by his side, because that's his place since they came into the future.
"Ev-Ev-EVAN!" Dorcas and Alexander were still snort-laughing. He however, stayed looking between Pandora and Pandora.
"Oh hello." Said Pandora.
"Oh." Said Pandora. "This is my twin brother." She reached out her hand and Evan automatically took softly to it, still staring at Pandora with a puzzled look. "He says he's older, but the visions say otherwise. Right." She turned back, "Evan, this is my daughter Luna. We're both dead since she was wrong so she doesn't remember much of us."
"SHE'S YOUR WHAT?" Barty's eyes went out like a cartoon animal about to be run-over by a train.
"Daughter. She's in our year." Pandora, was still. Not faltering. Not hesitating, which made Lily turn to James in an odd gesture Regulus couldn't quite crack either.
"Oh, merlin, but you--you--you have to--" Alexander struggled to find words through the laughter.
"Yes--Oh, they were saying--telling us about the---" Dorcas couldn't either.
"Business pending people." Marlene went up to their show and slithered her way into Dorcas' personal space, in a way that Regulus wouldn't let any being (Alexander was pending) do to him, and drew her away from the table.
Pandora and Luna exchanged a knowing look that Regulus wouldn't even hope to ever understand. And they were led to Dumbledore's (McGonagall's) office. He was out on business and she was in charge, which Regulus felt was a dynamic that worked better for everyone anyways.
...
If you were to have asked everyone knowingly, to travel through time, leaving the war behind, to come back at it's reprise and possible climax in exchange of leaving everything behind, who would've agreed? Alexander figured some of the Gryffindors would even if it hurt. Sirius wouldn't have hesitated, so long as his friends agreed. Remus would if Sirius did, surely. Peter and James had a harder choice, having to know they did have a loving or somewhat loving, respectively, family behind. It was becoming evident that James didn't even think about it until we reached now. James would, because he is a hero, he would do whatever he had to do to end the war and protect everyone, it would tear him apart but he would always be a hero and chose to fight. Lily briefed the rest of them after making sure the Marauders were with him. She was conflicted by the news as well, seeing as she did love her parents, but the knowledge that her sister was still around was some sort of reassuring (and conflicting) feeling. But if it meant ending the war and securing the future of other witches and wizards like herself, Lily would have still followed her principles to finish the war. Mary would have to leave behind her family too, which she wouldn't have done, unless it spared her the pain of going through all the deaths in Pandora's visions. Marlene would too, knowing she would not live through the murder of her family, but she loved them too much to do it if that wasn't guaranteed, she would've stayed and fought for them.
For the Slytherins, they would have done it even if it didn't mean ending the war. If you took their families out of the equation, for them it turned into freedom. Regulus would be exempt from playing the role of the Heir of the Most Honorable and Ancient House of Black. Dorcas would be free to love Marlene without her family's mistreatment. Barty would give his father the ultimate middle finger, twice, since his time-accurate version already became a Death Eater, so now he could most literally dance in his grave. Evan would not have to play Heir to the Rosier family either, and he could be free to be with Barty, they think no one's noticed, it's so cute. And Alexander had no more family to police him either, no standard to uphold, no more name to dishonour, and his friends were still with him, which was the only thing that mattered to him, truly.
Before the analysis, Alexander was certain it would've been the other way around, the Gryffindors would be the first to enlist on account of their bravery, but loyalty was a double edge sword, obviously. And the Slytherins would've stayed where they had a network of levers to pull and pieces to move, still freedom promised more to their ambition than power. It was an interesting outcome when looked at it like that.
And, well, there was also Pandora, who was, Pandora, who just existed and was probably in the know for a long time. Consciously or not, she knew that fate would always guide her and she kept going on that river comfortably, making sure to lend a hand to her friends at all time, but she was always just happy to go along in the ride, enjoying the journey because she was privy to the end.
It was comforting to know that McGonagall was more in charge than before though, at least one thing changed for the better. In one day she swiftly solved their situation, those of age could stay at the Potter Manor, seeing as no one was utilizing it, she dispatched a few House Elves to clean it up for the next break. And those under age would stay at Grimauld place under the tutelage and guardianship of Sirius the Old and Lupin the Old. He had to find a better way to refer to them.
He always wondered what Potter Manor looked like, he was never allowed to visit on accounts of political differences with the Potters and the Wildes. He'd caught glimpses from James' mind. He didn't make a habit of going into his friends' minds, tried to stay clear of them actually, but they weren't good at occulumency and Alexander was very good at legilimancy, sometimes it just happened, alright? And sometimes James wanted to share his memories, which was a very James thing to do because he didn't want Alexander to feel left out when they had all the Gryffindors over for holidays or such.
Right now, his mind was pulsating. Running a thousand miles and hours and pouring with feelings, not thoughts. Alexander didn't want to go inside, it felt invasive and he was grieving his parents, he could share what he wanted, and Alexander wouldn't pry anything he didn't want to share. Not with this. Sirius seemed to have it handled, even if he was going through it himself at the notice of the Potters having passed. They were ultimately his parents as well, took care of him when his blood parents didn't, cared for him, gave him a brother. Still, Sirius could pull it together for James.
"Reggie." Alexander whispered, he figured he didn't need to since Barty and Evan were snoring so bad a dragon couldn't wake them. "I know you're awake. You think too loud when you're troubled." Now he couldn't HEAR his thoughts, but being a Legilimag from birth meant that he was good at knowing when he had a chance. It was like seeing a text printed in a wall in a museum, even if you weren't reading it you could see it was there and you had the potential to read it, you know?
"It's late." Regulus stated. Hoping for a quiet night.
"Thank you Detective Regulus, I would never have figured it out without you."
"I'm tired." That was better.
"Tired enough to not sneak out to the kitchen with me?"
He groaned, "You won't let go?"
"Relentless is my middle name."
They waltzed through the dark hallways illuminated by the moonlight. It was easy to stay clear of Prefects patrolling when they were slightly more on edge because of the dark magical castle. People weren't used to shielding their thoughts in their day to day life, which was a terrible mistake when you didn't know who was tuning in.
"Oh Reggieeeeeee,"
"You're infuriating." He hated when Alexander sang his name like that, threatening them getting caught as well. As if he didn't know he was toying with him.
"We haven't talked about the cave." Alexander was mulling it in his mind since they found the stone and didn't get to deal with it. There hadn't been much time nor space to think about romance with, well, everything.
"No."
"Monosyllables, truly poetic."
"So?"
"I'll say it even if you won't. Because someone has to bite the bullet and you won't appreciate me rummaging through your mind about it poking around." Alexander stopped and waved that the coast was clear, still casting a silencing spell for Regulus to be more at ease. "I won't ask anything of you, and I will say that if the kiss was just a kiss, I'll be alright with it if it's what you want. And I do like you, and have been crushing on you for a long time. But, due to recent events I want to backtrack."
"Alexander. What does that..?"
"I don't think we're there yet. Right now. I still like you, obviously. But I'm not feeling it since we came here. And I don't mean to like break up because we're nothing official as far as I know, but right now I don't know what to feel about you, or what you feel about me."
It was a good spot under a tall window that let the light fall softy on his face, like a painting. If not for his puzzled expression, the wheels turning.
"Alright." Regulus said. "I can't say I don't feel the same. Never been my forte to understand my feeling but there's a lot going on, and until we figure what's going on, context and feeling-wise, I agree to put a pin on it."
"This was easier than expected." Alexander said, blurted out in relief.
"The only easy thing around is you." Regulus flashed a mean look that Alexander loved.
"I won't say I don't want to kiss you right now." Alexander's mouth moved faster than his brain, always, "But I won't."
"See? Easy." Alexander giggled a little, the flame hadn't been snuffed out, just, give it air to breath and grow until it can light the room again.
They walked the rest of the way to the kitchen with a soft banter between them, the elves were mostly the same, the food was always good and the way back was just as well. At least the air was clear again. As much as it could be.