Regulus was in his fourth year of Hogwarts.
He knew about his brother and his friends becoming an animagus in their fifth year, why he didn't know, but that didn’t matter to him. What mattered to him was that they were probably the youngest people to become an animagus, and being a Black he couldn't let that happen. Pettiness must be a Black family trait, his friend Barty once said, and Regulus couldn’t exactly disagree with that statement.
He found out that they were becoming animagus’ when they didn’t utter a word for an entire month, other than that one time that three mute weeks had passed and James screamt out loud in the Great Hall.
Because of his pettiness, of course he also had to become an animagus.
And that’s just what he did, over half a year younger than when his brother did it, which made him the youngest to become an animagus, on his own as well.
He was a black short haired cat, nothing especially extraordinary.
The only ones who knew that he was an illegal animagus was his friends Barty and Evan, he knew he could trust them, besides, it is kind of hard to hide being mute for an entire month from your friends and roommates.
He had been an animagus for about a week. He had managed to sneak into the Ravenclaw common room twice, since his friend Pandora absolutely adored cats, but not any other common room. His goal was to be able to see every common room, and from then on decide which one was his favorite.
There wasn’t any specific reason behind why he wanted to do that, but he simply wanted to experience the rooms and compare them to the Slytherin common room.
It was late at night and he was walking through the corridors in his cat form, he hadn’t been able to sleep and decided to take a midnight stroll. He knew no one would spot him there, but he walked pressed against the walls of the corridors nonetheless.
At least he thought no one would spot him there.
“Awhh look!” he heard a voice shout out from behind.
“Peter, stop shouting!” He heard another voice whisper, he turned around to see the four Marauders stare down at him with admiration. Goddamn it.
James walked up to him and kneeled in front of him, he stuck out his finger in front of the cat to let him smell him.
Regulus struck his head against the backside of James’ palm.
There was one thing Regulus hadn’t told a single soul, that was his giant crush on his brother's best friend, the golden boy.
How could he not love him? Sure, he was loud, extravagant, stupid and had a thing for mean people -a problem he probably should check up on, but those are all parts of him that he loved. How his glasses almost never were straight, how his hair always was a complete mess, how his shirt was bigger than it should be and how the top buttons never were buttoned, as he said before, how could he not love him?
With that being said, he let James pet him. He would die before he confessed it to any living soul, but he even liked James scratching him behind his ears and on his head.
“Can we keep it?” James asked the others with a pleading look.
Remus sighed, “We can’t keep him, he’s probably someones, but we can keep the door open for him”
James broke out into a big smile, almost bouncing up and down like a toddler.
James picked him up and they began walking towards the Gryffindor common room entrance.
The common room itself made Regulus jealous, it was warm -both in colours and in temperature, it was comforting and so pretty.
The common room was empty, as it was in the middle of the night, though they walked directly up to their dorm.
Upon entering he could immediately make out whose bed was who’s. One bed was totally thrashed, muggle records and clothes laying all over -Sirius, Peter and James had sat down on their respective beds already, and the remaining bed was tidy -Remus’.
James didn’t let go of him when he sat down, placing him in his lap and laying down on his back, one hand behind his head and the other one absentmindedly petting the back of his head.
“What should we name him?” Peter asked.
“Kitty” Sirius said, walking over to bop his nose, which resulted in a hiss and a scratch from Regulus, “James! Your cat doesn’t like me” he pouted exaggeratingly, crossing his arms and staring at the cat, seemingly examining him.
“I would scratch you too if I was a cat and you named me ‘kitty’” James responded, his face lit up the next second “I think we should call him Leo! You know, because the cat kinda looks like you or Regulus, and Leo is his constellation”
“Stop being so grossly in love with my baby brother James” Sirius whined.
Regulus snapped his head up, in love???
“I’m sorry! I can’t help it, my opinion still stands though, Leo is a pretty name” He mumbled.
Regulus tried to gather his thoughts, but not to much avail. James, the boy Regulus had been in love with since his second year, liked since his first, is in love with him?? He must’ve misheard something, maybe it was wishful.. hallucinations.
After a while everyone had fallen asleep, everyone had changed into their pj’s a long time ago, other than James who had gone to bed with his clothes on, as he didn’t want to wake the cat laying on his lap to go brush his teeth and get ready.
Regulus stood up quietly, stretching his back and heading out the dorm, slowly waltzing back to the dungeons.
He knew that was going to be a sleepless night.
It certainly had been, he didn’t get an ounce of sleep, every time he felt his eyelids start to drop the thought recurred in his head. James loved him, James was in love with him, the boy he loved loves him back.
It was a hard thought to take in, resulting in zero sleep for the boy.
The next day his classes seemed to go by dreadfully slow, and he was longing to be able to go back to the Gryffindor common room as Leo.
Eventually he got the chance, immediately sneaking away from his friends and towards the painting. He transformed into his cat form where he knew no one could see, he walked up to the lady on the portrait and tried his best to look cute. Apparently it worked, as he managed to gain access to the common room.
The second he walked in he was snatched up, he scratched the arms that held him frantically and jumped down on the floor, looking back at the person who had picked him up. It was Lily Evans, a girl that James was- had? was, he wasn’t even sure- in love with.
“Leo!” He heard James yell cheerily from behind him, before picking him up without a fuss.
“How come he likes you but not me?” Lily whined, slumping her arms to her sides.
“I’m just that lovable,” James looked back at the cat in his arms, he lifted it up and ruffled his nose on his head, “You’re just so cute” he mumbled with a baby voice.
If Regulus was in his human form, he would’ve been blushing embarrassingly much at that.
They sat like that for a while, Regulus asleep in James’ lap as he was petting him absentmindedly and talking to his friends. Every time another Gryffindor student, that wasn’t James, had come up to pet him, he had hissed or scratched the person, making them back off.
Regulus got a random idea, he stood up from James’ lap and waltzed nonchalantly towards the door of the common room.
“Leo!” James whined, standing up and walking after the cat.
Regulus turned the corner, disappearing from James’ view and turning back into his human form.
He leaned against the wall right before James turned the corner.
“Le- oh, hello Regulus” James said with a surprised smile, “Have you seen a black cat here?” he turned his head around in search for the cat.
Regulus didn’t respond, but grabbed James’ tie instead, he pulled him into an empty nearby classroom and pushed him against a desk, towering slightly over him and still holding his tie in a tight grab. James stared at him, his cheeks and ears a deep red and his mouth slightly open. James glanced at Regulus’ lips for a split second, before looking up again with those eyes.
That was all Regulus needed, he pulled him into a rough and needy kiss, teeth clicking together. James immediately reached for the back of Regulus’ neck, pulling him even closer. Regulus towered over him even more, making James steady himself on his elbows against the desk. He placed himself between James’ legs. Regulus traveled down his jaw and then further down to his neck and collarbone. James let out a whiny moan, making Regulus even more needy with his sucking and kissing.
He leaned against his ear and whispered in a low voice, “You’re a hot mess”
“W-who wouldn’t be- don’t stop” James whined, breathlessly.
James rolled his hips up, making a whiny moan escape Regulus’ throat.
They finished off not too long after, Regulus transforming back to the cat.
“oh- ohhhh” James responded, finally understanding, his face transformed into a scared look in an instant “Wait, how much did you uhm.. H-how much of what we’ve said did you hear?”
Regulus transformed back, “Enough to realize you’re in love with me”
“Godric I’m sorry, I didn’t- I understand that you don’t feel the same way, I’m so sorry-”
“I love you too dimwit” Regulus said, “Calm down James”
“I don- you do?” He responded, looking like he was on the verge of tears.
“Why else would I randomly pull you into a classroom and snog you like that? If I had that confidence I would be a Gryffindor” he snorted.
James chuckled, “Fair enough, so uhm.. d-does that like, make us boyfriends?” James asked nervously.
Regulus laughed, “God I’ve never ever seen you this nervous” he chuckled, “But yeah, yeah i suppose it does” he smiles.
James smiled brightly, practically jumping and flapping his arms, “want to go back, love?” he chuckled.
“Sure, mon soleil" he joked, "but I’m going as a cat”
Regulus transformed back into a cat, they walked together up into the common room.
"Holy fuck James” Sirius said upon entering the common room, wide-eyed and mouth open. The whole common room was staring at him with the same expression.
“Did you snog a goddamn vampire?? You were gone for like half an hour at max and you look like you’ve gotten attacked”
“Blame your brother” he muttered as he bent over to pick up the cat, straightening his back immediately as he realized what he said.
"My.. what?” Sirius gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning practically white.
Remus panicky mouthed something along the lines of “run”, and James didn’t hesitate.