Chapter 4
Regulus didn’t know if there was a heaven or something but hell was the only word to describe his life right now. His head felt like it was spinning, but his mind was clear as ever. And he was only thinking about one thing.
Sirius was gone. And this time he wasn’t coming back
And he was completely alone.
At first he thought he would be almost forgotten in his mother’s mind, she wouldn’t be concerned about what he did, maybe he could just get through break unnoticed until it ended. But no Regulus was almost absolutely wrong. In Sirius’ absence he was declared the new heir, and worst of all she now, with no other place to put it, took out all her rage on him.
Regulus cringed at the thought of the curses, of course he’d always had more physical forms of punishments often leaving scars that hurt for days, now they would use different spells and curses. Sometimes if she thought he was lying about something she would use her Legimacy on him, filing through his mind as if it was simply a book she had to find an answer from.
After these occasions Regulus felt almost numb, either from the unbearable pain, or the nakedness he felt from all his thoughts being exposed. So far today he’d been hiding in an almost empty room. It had no use really, except on every inch of the walls was the full Black family tree. There was a few black holes scattered around, destroying the pictures of the disowned members of the family. With the newest one being over Sirius’ picture. His mother had done it right after Sirius left.
He sat there for a while longer before sneaking back to his room. He climbed a flight of stairs and was just about to slip into his room when he noticed Sirius’ door cracked open slightly with a thin stream of sunlight shining out. Regulus silently opened it. He didn’t know what to feel anymore. At first he felt betrayed that Sirius had left him here, but he knew he didn’t want to, he had refused, it was his fault that he was here.
Now Regulus just wanted to get back to school, see his brother, last time he saw Sirius he was on the floor seething with pain. Besides he wouldn’t have to think about his family for a few more months.
He was snapped out his thoughts with the sudden gust of wind blowing sleet against the window.
Regulus looked around, Sirius’ room was everything their mother despised. Gryffindor colors, pictures of muggles, muggle music and posters. He looked at the record player in the corner. He noticed a Bowie vinyl. He remembered when Sirius got it. Andromeda had sent him it during his second year. The two hadn’t spoken that much anymore at that point but Sirius still seemed determined to show it to him.
The thing about Sirius was no matter how mad they got at each other he always wanted to make up, always would find a reason to talk to him again. It sometimes annoyed Regulus but they always seemed to stay together.
At that moment he decided to take something, his parents would do something with it soon if he didn’t. Regulus took the Bowie album, and a different Queen vinyl. That’s when he saw the letters.
They were tied together by a piece of string, about thirty of them. They had never been opened. Suddenly he heard a crack of someone apparating. He grabbed the letters and rushed back to his room.
After shoving the stuff under some school stuff he went back to look around more. After a few minutes he heard loud footsteps striding toward the room quickly. His mother was coming. Regulus scrambled to throw the picture he was looking at under Sirius’ bed and shoved open the door only to be face to face with Walpurga Black.
A cold sheet of dread swept over him. He opened his mouth to spit out some sort of excuse but he had nothing.
Her mouth formed a thin line and her eyes bore into him before noticing the cluster of stuff sitting on the floor in Sirius’ room that he hadn’t put away yet.
“What is this?” She snapped.
“Nothing! I was just-“
“ You were taking his stuff weren’t you?” She barked with an extra note of bitterness on ‘his.’ “You are the heir of the Black family now, don’t you DARE disgrace us like your brother has.
“I-“
He was interrupted by the crash of Sirius’ stuff that he’d left on the floor exploding with one swift movement of his mother’s wand. He flinched as she continued to destroy more things.
“No-I STOP I NEED SOME THINGS- PLEASE!” he ran in front of her, there was so much he barely knew about Sirius, Regulus couldn’t just let it all be destroyed.
“Move.” She demanded.
Regulus clenched his jaw and stayed.
“NOW” he still didn’t move.
Suddenly a different spell spiked from her wand. His body felt stunned with pain for and instant before falling to the ground. His mind could barely form a thought. Regulus tried not to make a sound but he could t stop the winced of pain and the urge to scream. Walpurga glared at him mercilessly for what must have only been a couple minutes but felt like hours until she finally stopped. It was just like the night Sirius left except he was never coming back now.
Regulus couldn’t even look at her. “You know this is all for the better,” she said sternly. Go.”
He could barely get up, but somehow made it to his room without collapsing again. The pain had stopped but his skin still prickled with the feeling. She never used the Crutiatus Curse on them until recently. Because of Sirius too.
Regulus hated it at Grimmuald Place, now more than ever. Voldemort, who apparently was planning to be more than a politician had came the day before, so far Regulus hadn’t had to pledge anything, but the man had mentioned that he’d soon have a chance to prove his loyalty.
It sickened Regulus how smugly Voldemort had spoken to him, “I knew you were the right choice to join me, you will do great things for our cause. Soon you’ll be ready for a task.”
The pureblood supremacy that ran in his family had always felt a little wrong, but Regulus knew that this Voldemort only wanted him because of the prophecy, if not even meant anything. And it concerned him that all of his followers, including Regulus’ parents, were all so quick to blindly follow. In his opinion it was pretty obvious that his whole plan was just a side idea to go with his ultimate goal of power for himself.
As much as Regulus loathed his family, things weren’t as easy for him as for Sirius, walking away from his problems wasn’t going to work, the best he could do was stay out of the way.