Chapter 11
Remus had no idea what to do. Regulus was inconsolable, and had fell to the floor immediately after Remus let him go to close the door to his bedroom. He had no idea what the hell had happened, but it had to have not been anything good for Sirius to react like that. Remus may be the first to say that while Sirius was an absolute shit brother, he did not go beating other people like that for no reason. No, the rage in his eyes was undeniable.
"Regulus," Remus softly called the boy's name, only for him to shudder and curl in on himself. "Regulus, hey," Remus pulled him into a sitting position, and held his face so he looked at him. "Sirius, Barty, and James are downstairs. They are going to talk it out-I swear, talk it out, James won't allow anything else-" Remus added when he saw the disbelieving look in Regulus' eyes. "And then they're going to clean the living room." Regulus nodded, his breathing beginning to even out, and his tears beginning to slow. "Would you like to tell me what happened?" Regulus bit into his lower lip before nodding slowly. "Alright, then we will stay here, and you can talk and saw whatever you need to." Remus pulled chocolate from his pocket, opened the bar, and broke a small piece off, pushing it into trembling fingers.
"Barty sometimes gets rough," Regulus began, his voice barely above a whisper. "He is very protective, but he can get super possessive sometimes, kind of like Sirius. He hasn't been doing well, not since finding out Sirius kept my wand..." Regulus paused, glancing at Remus. "My brother can be cruel, but I know he has a reason he doesn't want me to return home. I do not know what it is, and I daren't ask about it. It is not my place. If Sirius does not wish me to return, I am not to return. I must listen to the heir before any else, and Sirius is the heir." Remus didn't bother saying how much that was utterly fucked up. "But Barty doesn't understand. He isn't a pureblood." That certainly got Remus' attention. He had thought that he was. Regulus laughed at his expression. "No, Barty is a halfblood. His mother is a muggle. An addled one, due to his father, but a muggle nonetheless. She loves him though, for what it is worth, and a sort of healthy one, not...not like my mother." Regulus took in a shuddery breath to steady himself. "But Barty has been on edge lately, and I angered him this morning. Then I refused...I refused to let him..." Regulus swallowed not sure how to continue. Remus waited, silence calming both of them, breaking off another piece of chocolate and letting Regulus chew on it so he could try and settle himself a bit more. "He doesn't like it when do not allow him access." Regulus said softly. Remus wished he did not know what Regulus was saying, but he did, and the taletale anger Sirius felt Remus could feel flooding his veins. "I didn't want...it is not my home, and it is not Barty's, and it is improper, where other people can...so I...I did try...but he got angry, and so he continued...and Sirius...Usually I just allow it," Regulus said, his voice dropping once more, fingers trembling where they fiddled with another piece of chocolate Remus shoved into his hands, a bit more rough than intended. "I know it is not worth the fight, so I just allow Barty what he wants, we love each other after all, and he is my partner, it is only right." Remus felt himself practically choking down rage and was glad Regulus wasn't looking at him. "But this is not our common room, and he didn't even bother silencing or putting a dissillusionment charm, and it was so..." Regulus took a deep breath, "It was so uncomfortable. WIth Sirius in the other room, and I knew that he was going to be coming down and I heard his feet, and so I asked Barty, but he wasn't listening...which is fine...because usually I do not...I do not..." Regulus shook his head, continuing without finishing his sentence. "But it was Sirius, and Sirius saw, and he heard, and I shouldn't have been so loud." Regulus whimpered, fisting his hair through delicate fingers. "But I was and so he heard me, and came to see what...and he saw...and then...then...you saw what happened." Regulus shivered. "I have never seen Sirius so angry since we left the house." A silent declaration. "I am not scared of Sirius, not usually, and I am not scared of Barty, typically, but they wouldn't listen to me, and I tried to explain, I tried to intervene, and it isn't allowed." Regulus shook his head. "It is not my place, and Sirius got angry, but Barty hit...HE didn't realize it, of course, he doesn't mean to when he does, but Sirius got livid and then all of a sudden things escalated even more."
Remus...Remus was going to kill Barty...painfully...and slowly.