Run Boy Run
His back ached and his head throbbed.
Regulus was sure the laceration on his face would scar. Walburga had no mercy that day, not that she ever did but it felt deeper somehow.
Perhaps she finally fell off the edge.
She seemed fanatic in her torture that day much more so than she usually would. After minutes that felt like hours under the Cruciatus Curse, she stopped and unsheathed a dagger from her hair, sliding it down his face. From his hairline to the edge of his lip, he could feel the cursed blade sink into his flesh.
It was time to leave. He couldn’t possibly stay alive in this house any longer. The finality of the situation sunk in as he passed out from the pain.
Escape and never return.
Regulus, unlike his brother, was patient and precise. Since his brother left the year prior he began to plan. His friends have been begging him to leave for years but he couldn’t without his brother.
Then said brother left and he had nothing remaining tying him to that house. So it began, quietly transferring money from his inheritance to a new account within Gringotts.
The Goblins, he realised, were pragmatic and didn’t care what wizards did as long as it didn’t affect the bank’s income.
The transfer was practically effortless for Regulus who already cultivated a pseudo relationship with the Goblins. It also helped that he gave them free reign of his vault, letting them invest his galleons where they saw fit.
—
Regulus groaned as his eyes snapped open a few hours later. Evening light flooded through the windows and settled around him as he laid on his stomach. His back he knew had more carvings, whip shaped lacerations that didn’t stop until it reached his hip.
Ever so slowly he pushed himself up off the drawing room’s floor and croaked for Kreature to take him to his bedroom. The house elf did so morosely before informing him of his parents’ departure to some Gala or the other.
“Kreature…” Regulus trailed off, chewing on his lip, a bad habit he had ever since he could remember. Walburga would curse him if she saw.
“Kreature knows Master Regulus must leave. Kreature will be sad but happy Master is safe. Now, can Kreature help heal Master?” The elf peered at Regulus who smiled slightly before it turned into a grimace.
“Of course Kreature, thank you.”
Kreature healed what he could, which admittedly wasn’t much since the blade and magical whip was cursed to scar it’s victims. The elf applied bandages and Regulus downed a couple of pain potions of his own creation that numbed his back for a while.
Packing his things, Regulus only took what was important with him which only consisted of his Hogwarts trunk and some formal robes. Any of his personal items were always sent home with Pandora who lived with only her muggleborn mum or Barty whose father was an absent arsehole and spent most of his time at Dora’s anyways.
Heading to the library with Kreature in tow, both he and the elf began duplicating the books in rapid succession. Most of the books, Regulus decided to take in its original form and stacked them in his trunk that he placed an undetectable extension charm on years prior. The more rare books that he knew to be too risqué to duplicate, he simply took the ones that won’t be missed. Mostly.
It was almost two hours later with the night swiftly approaching that he faced Kreature, ready to leave. “I need you to block your memories of me leaving. If anyone asks or orders you to tell them anything about me leaving then you are to say you were not aware. This is an order Kreature.”
“Of course Master Regulus.” The elf bowed before peering at Regulus and saying, “It was a pleasure to serve the young heir of the most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Good luck Master.”
Regulus smiled sadly before hugging the elf who began to sob. After all, Kreature was the one to mostly raise him. He was Regulus’ first friend besides Sirius. Pulling back from the hug Regulus whispered to the elf before leaving, “ You are an amazing elf Kreature. You served me well.”
With that Regulus left, summoning the night bus and never once looked back, lest he be turned to salt.
—
Regulus remembered meeting Pandora on the first night at Hogwarts after the celebration of the sorting feast, when the castle fell asleep. He remembered roaming the halls when he found her wearing the most odd yet fitting spectacles. He had simply nodded to her in passing as she smiled and waved.
They kept on meeting at odd intervals in the day, never speaking but acknowledging one another’s presence. The Halloween feast had fallen upon them quickly. That night, Regulus had locked himself in the second floor girls bathroom that not a sane soul would use as the ghost haunting it never took kindly to most people.
Unfortunately for most, Regulus wasn’t as sane as he should be. He thanked the oh so Ancient and Noble Black family bloodline for that.
It was once said by his long dead aunt that the Gods threw up a coin to see which Black would be gifted the trait. Regulus thought the Gods, biassed against them.
So when Regulus raced into the bathroom as his brother once again not only ignored him, but called someone he just met the year prior his brother; he was welcomed by the cold embrace of Moaning Myrtle.
It was moments later as his tears quietly fell that Pandora came in.
He hadn’t heard her footsteps but felt her presence as she stepped in. A warm summer breeze he had deemed it and such a feeling never changed as they grew and evolved. She had taken up sitting next to him gently raising her hand to card it through his hair. For a reason unbeknownst to him, he didn’t flinch away and let her.
“I’m Pandora and you’re Regulus aren’t you.” she had said it as if it answered all his problems, as if it was a final decision and perhaps it was.
From that day onwards they became each other's friends. Soon after Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch Jr. joined them, and eventually, in their second year, the third year Dorcas Meadowes.
~
Regulus stood on the front steps of the house and took a deep breath, observing the place.
It was a tall muggle home covered in vines in a town on the English coast. Releasing a breath, he was about to knock when Pandora swung open the door and threw her hands around him, laughing. Regulus dropped his trunk and picked her up laughing freely for the first time in forever.
“Welcome Home starlight.”
—
Pandora’s eye twitched when she saw his back. It was just after dinner when she showed Regulus to his room and practically made him strip to see the damage. Wandlessly undoing the glamour from his face, Regulus turned to face Dora making her gasp.
“That vile, evil woman.” She muttered as she came to examine the scar. “We can heal it now but like your back, it will scar.”
“There is a potion that will let it fade to white when it's healed. It’s in my trunk.” Regulus responded and wandlessly summoned the book out of his trunk.
“How much of that library did you bring Reg?” Dora peered into his trunk seeing stacks of books piled on one side with clothes on the other. “Are some cursed?”
“You can de-curse them later and I just about brought the entire library. Thought we might need it for our future endeavours.”
Pandora grinned, ruffling his curls before leaving his room and returning moments later with various vials and a cauldron full of ingredients. “Ward the room, your wandless magic is better than mine at that.”
After doing as she said, he began helping her with the potion only cutting the finer ingredients as she didn’t want him to overexert himself. An hour later, Regulus was gulping down the violet potion whilst Dora focused on the incantation which was much more difficult to perform without a wand.
But Pandora was a charms master as Regulus was in potions hence everything went smoothly. His skin knitted itself back together all that remained was three long and jagged scars on his back with a sleek pale one that crossed the middle of his left eyebrow and ended at his lips.
“It adds to your mystery. If the boys weren’t desperate for you before they will be now.” Dora teased as she applied some dittany to the scars for comfort.
“Are you calling me a whore Dora?” Regulus raised his eyebrows and smirked at her.
“Oh absolutely starlight.” She smirked back before flopping on the bed next to him. “I’ll take you on so many adventures Reg. If you’re up for it, there is a market down the road with lovely muggle clothes. The record store is also there and we can go get our ears pierced! It’ll be so much fun Reg!”
Regulus layed next to her on the bed and smiled as she listed off all the activities they could do while there. She even mentioned taking a trip to muggle London and Edinburgh some time in August as Barty would be staying with them then.
Regulus listened as she spoke about everything and anything, chiming in here and there until the witching hour struck and they eventually fell asleep curled facing each other.
—
The early morning sun shone through the windows waking them. Regulus couldn’t believe he was there, now living with Pandora and her mother in a house on the coast of England where no one knew him. He was safe.
Pandora grabbed his hand as his eyes blinked open. They both grinned at each other. Pandora had been begging Regulus to move in with her ever since she saw the bruises on his skin when he came back to Hogwarts that first year Christmas.
She wrote to her mum explaining and asking if her friend could live with her. Of course her mum had agreed and began planning for him, though Regulus didn’t leave until four years later.
Sitting up in bed, Regulus stretched and gazed through the window. He could see the beach down the incline, the waves glimmering in the sun. This is what freedom looked like.
“I’m free Dora.” Regulus murmured so quietly as if he was afraid to disturb the picture before him. “I don’t have to go back.”
Pandora hugged him at that. Borrowing his head in her hair he breathed her in, meadows breeze and lavender, then he began to cry silently for all the things he’d missed because of his parents. He could’ve had a good childhood.
A home.
He grew up thinking that families hurt each other to show love. He grew up thinking love was a commodity that came and left as quick as a summer’s breeze.
Not here though.
Not with his friends.
They weren’t his family, oh no they were something much more to Regulus. They were something so much greater it was almost too much to comprehend. Pandora was his platonic soulmate, the other half of his soul and a part of his very being and existence.
Barty on the other hand was something else but much the same, he was his best friend, his heart. Barty showed him a different kind of love, an all consuming fire, though they weren’t made for eachother like he and Evan were.
Evan was everything one could want in a person, he was Regulus’ comfort and the very air he needed to breathe. He was the stability Regulus craved and held dear. And for the once loveless boy, that meant everything.
Then there was Dorcas who simply understood him. Like the blood running through his veins, he needed her to survive, and she pushed him to live.
So yes they were not his family but something much greater.
They were his home.
He was finally home.
—
Regulus sat at the side of the road with Pandora eating ice cream. A coffee flavoured one for him with strawberry for Dora. A bag of shrunken clothes sat between them as they just finished ransacking the market up the street.
“Do you want to get your ears pierced now?” Dora inquired as she nodded her head to the piercings and tattoo parlour opposite them. “They don’t really ask for your age.”
“Why not. Carpe Diem and all that.” He responded as he finished his ice cream. Holding out his hand for her to get up, they made their way across the road.
“ ‘ello dearies what can I do for you?” A buff older gentleman asked not looking up from his sketch.
“Hello Garth, we came to get some piercings done.” Pandora smiled as the man finally glanced their way.
“Ahh and who’s this? A boyfriend for you?” Garth asked as he stood up and made his way over to them. The man scrutinised Regulus who he stared straight back at him.
“I’m afraid that I’m a little too gay for that.” Regulus responded dryly, making the man snort out a laugh before he grinned down at them.
“I like this one girly, keep ‘im. Now, ‘ow much are ‘some piercings’?” The man asked as he ushered them to the back past an older woman getting her back tattooed.
He had them sit down and as Pandora explained all she wanted Regulus glanced at the tattoos on the wall, specifically one with the ancient Futhark runes. He was then broken out of his trance as the man addressed him, “And you laddie?”
“Did you do that tattoo Sir?” Regulus hummed as he nodded to the portrait just across from him. When the man affirmed his question Regulus grinned and sat forward, “How busy are you today?”
“No bookings for me today lad.”
“Ever tattooed over scars?” Regulus inquired and as the man nodded he looked to Pandora who was grinning. “Memento Vívere.”
“Memento Vivere” she echoed back.
As the sun began to set, Pandora quickly ran to her house to inform her mum of the tattoo Regulus was getting and dropped off their stuff before heading back to the tattoo parlour where Regulus finished hours later.
In the end he got three lobe piercings on each ear and an industrial in his left ear. As much as he wanted more, Garth rather wanted those to heal before he got any more.
That being said, the man had no problem tattooing Regulus’ back after he explained what he wanted and drew out a concept of how they integrated.
The runes Uruz, Algiz, Gebo, Jera and Sowulo. now painted his spine, mixed in with the constellations. Regulus paid for all of their piercings and additional earrings along with his tattoo before taking Pandora’s hand and heading home for dinner.
Dora’s mum, Rosemary, was in the kitchen when they got back and had just finished making pasta e fagioli. She made them eat before examining their ears and healing it for them.
Then she was about to move on to Regulus’ back but when he hesitated to remove his shirt she smiled sadly at him and said, “I won’t judge you or think of you any less Regulus. Scars build character, without them we’d be quite a boring book wouldn’t we?”
He smiled at that.
“Perhaps.”
With that he peeled off his shirt and turned his back to her. He could hear her gasp and watched as Pandora went to stand behind him. She too let out a sound of surprise making him confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Your magic is reacting to it. Your tattoos are practically glowing Starlight!” Pandora floated a mirror over to them and held up a smaller one in front of him. “Look.”
His tattoos were glowing.
The Uruz rune for power and grounding, of a form of healing and strength glowed brightly at the nape of his neck.
The Algiz rune for the highest protection was placed just after on the middle scar which glowed almost white.
Gebo and Jera came next in a bindrune of eternal love, peace and prosperity. Regulus was essentially giving up his house and name for something greater.
Sowulo was the last rune to grace his skin. The sun, the light in the darkest of times. Regulus entered a new chapter in his life and with that he got the cleansing flame, an eternal force of wholeness and power.
He never wanted to feel as weak as he did anymore. No that wasn’t him.
“Can I make them magical tattoos?” Pandora whispered as she traced the constellations on his back.
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”
Regulus sat still as Dora planted her hands on his back, murmuring slightly under her breath. They had taught themselves wandless and wordless magic throughout the years, after an incident in first year when the older ones thought they could bully them.
Regulus had found himself without a wand and cornered by older Gryffindors numerous times when he began to learn. Pandora joined in as the girls in her dorm hid her stuff because she tended to get lost in her head and focus on seemingly imaginary things.
Of course nothing Dora does is without purpose. So they learned and when the time came that they needed it again, well, Regulus wasn’t named the Slytherin Prince by being complacent.
Regulus gasped as he felt his skin grow warm. He could feel his magic and the Lovegoods’ mingle in the air before they settled on his newly inked skin. He could feel the slight humming sensation of his magic as the constellations moved around his runes.
“All done.”