Ever the Same

Regulus watched the two silently as they continued to flick what looked to be a large beach ball into the water for the giant squid to pick up. With each time the squid would wrap its large tentacle around the ball and fling it back to shore, Delphini would let out a squeal of enjoyment.

Regulus watched Potter with Delphini, the blaringly bright and genuine smile that had overtaken his face the moment that he had saw her.

And Regulus's stomach dropped into his knees.

For many years, Regulus Black denied his feelings. Blaming it on the bonding magic was the easiest solution. He had been manipulated by magic itself into falling in love. He was fine alone, he was.

Until he wasn't.

Delphini looked enough like him that she could easily pass as his daughter, and Regulus knew James had noticed. The romantic sap had picked up on it probably before even Regulus had, fantasizing about what it would be like to have a family together. Raising Delphini alongside Harry, all four of them living at Potter manor. Harry had his cat, of course, and Delphini had her snake.

He and Potter would obviously have to teach her to play quidditch. James was a fine chaser, sure, but the Black family had produced every cup winning Slytherin Seeker for the past century. Regulus could read to them before bed, and of course Delphini and Harry would say they were too old, but they wouldn't stop him. And they would follow him back to Hogwarts when school was in, pretending to be embarassed that their-

Regulus shook his head, promptly cutting off that vein of thinking. His heart swelled at the thought, but it was too dangerous, too unsure, to dream.

Something was wrong with the fabric of time, that much he knew, and he could only contribute the unstable nature to whatever it was that Bellatrix was doing.

James spotted him then and began to wave him over.

He could hear James talking to Delphini as he approached.

"Now, Reg seems a little scary. That's his thing. But he's not scary at all. In fact, he's quite the cuddler if you can get him to admit it."

Delphini giggled, "Does he cuddle you when you ask, Mister Potter?"

"Potter wishes I would cuddle him, Delphini. But most of the time, he smells."

The little girl laughed harder, falling from her seated position on the bank onto her back.

"I take high offense to that, Regulus."

"Maybe you should shower before coming to see me, then, and not at mine."

James didn't respond, and instead quirked an eyebrow. Regulus could feel the slightest blush form on the balls of his cheeks.

"What did you think of the squid?" Reg changed the subject.

Delphini's eyes twinkled with wonder. "Oh, he's wonderful! I've never seen such a thing before in my life! There wasn't anything like this in Sunderland. I can't believe it even exists! Magic is real! And now I can do things like play fetch with a squid, and talk to snakes, and I never have to take that dreadful medicine ever again and I-"

Realizing that she had been blurting out her every thought, Delphini blushed furiously and snapped her mouth closed. Regulus and James, though, couldn't help but smile at her.

Regulus joined her on the ground, crossing his legs in front of him at the ankle and dropping his hands into his lap. James, much less formal, sat slumped on her other side.

"Are you doing alright with this? Learning so much so quickly can be a bit scary sometimes."

Delphini looked complexed at Regulus's question. "I think so. I always knew there was something different about me. About both of us, but Mum would yell a lot if I asked any questions. She didn't like when I asked."

A dark look overtook Regulus, knowing Bellatrix Lestrange. "Did she ever hit you, Delphini?"

But Delphini shook her head. "No, not her. She wasn't around a lot. But when she was, we didn't talk much. And when I talked, she yelled. She did a lot of yelling."

Regulus couldn't help but feel the smallest twinge of relief.

"What did she look like? Your Mum?" James asked, locking eyes with Regulus.

Delphini shrugged, "A lot like me, I guess. She told me that a lot. She said she wished I looked more like Dad. Said if I did, he would like me more."

The breath caught in the back of Regulus's throat.

"And your dad?" James asked softly. "Do you know who he is? Or where he is?"

"Not really," Delphini said casually, picking up a small stone next to her and turning it over in her hands. "She said she was going to find him. When she left me at that place with those awful people, she said I would meet him soon."

Delphini ignored the looks of abject horror on both adults next to her. "Am I going to be staying here now? Since I'm magic?"

It took Regulus half a second to recover before he cleared his throat. "We were talking about that, Headmistress McGonagall and I. Until you know more about magic, I'm afraid the castle might be a bit too much."

"But you said you wouldn't send me back!" Delphini wailed, dropping the rock from her hands.

James reached for her immediately, placing his hand on the middle of her back and soothing her. "You're not going anywhere, Sweets. I promise you that."

"Me too," Regulus nodded, looking at James over the top of Delphini's head.

She continued to cry silently, leaning into James's side and burying her face in the side of his cloak. James did his best to console the little witch, and looked back to Regulus.

"I was actually going to ask if you'd like to stay with Mister Potter. He lives in a manor, you see, all by himself. Lots of room. I bet he could even teach you all about magic."

Reuglus stared back at James, who seemed to be panicking himself. It did nothing but shoot a sharp ache for James through Reg, knowing what he was thinking.

Delphini sniffled, wiping at her nose. "Does Mister Potter even like me enough to let me go to his house? It sounds expensive. What if I break something?"

James couldn't hold back the full belly laughter that came from him at that. "Of course I like you, Phini! I thought we were friends! I have a greenhouse that is full of magical plants, a quidditch pitch-oh, and a cat! And do you like to read?"

Delphini nodded shyly.

"The Potter Library needs a new reader in it since Harry is in school! You'll love it there."

Delphini turned to Regulus. "...Will you be there?"

"Sometimes," he nodded. "But I have work here at the castle. Would you-" Regulus paused, suddenly feeling full of nerves. "Would you want me to be there?"

"We're family you said."

"We are."

"Then, yes," she nodded. "I want you to stay there, too."

"I'm sure Potter and I can work something out."

James fought back the smile that was threatening to appear. "Oh, yes, Regulus. I'm sure we can."

Nodding back towards the castle, James spoke, "Why don't you follow the passageway back up to Minnie's office and give Reg and I a moment to talk, Phini? After that, we can pop over to the manor."

"Sure, Mister Potter!"

The small child disappeared through the secret passage that would wind its way directly back into the headmistress's office as Regulus and James rose to face one another.

"You're okay with this?" Reg asked. "Taking care of her?"

"Of course, Reg. She's wonderful."

Regulus reached out first, almost on autopilot. He wrapped his hand around James's forearm and took a step into him before dropping his voice to a murmur.

"I'll send you an owl later this evening with information on my offshore account. It's through the magical bank in the Maldives. Anything she needs or wants, buy through it. No one knows it exists and its virtually untraceable, even to the ministry."

"Regulus," James murmured back, placing a hand over Regulus's hip and stepping impossibly closer himself. "You know I work for the Ministry."

"I've aged, Potter. I can determine who is my enemy and who is not."

"Glad to hear I've made it off the enemy list."

"She's bringing him back, James. Voldemort."

"We'll get her before that, Reg. You know we will."

"Ever the optimist," Regulus sighed. "Protect her. Please"

"You love her already, don't you?" James asked, although he already knew the answer.

"She's mine," Regulus answered simply.

James migrated his hand from Regulus's hip to the side of his face, leaning in slowly to kiss him.

"She's mine, too."

Draco was worried about the slight shade of green that Harry's face had turned. From what he and Hermione had come to understand, the only thing that would be causing Harry's dreams would be from a life that he no longer led. It seemed, to Hermione, that Harry's dreams were the life he was supposed to live if Regulus Black had not time traveled and changed it.

Harry felt like vomiting. The edges of his vision were swimming in darkness as Hermione finished her speech, closing the ancient book with a smart nod.

"Potter, I think you might want to sit down," Draco moved to grab Harry's arm, but Harry brushed him off.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

He sprang to the nearest bin, upheaving the contents of his stomach as he squeezed his eyes closed and tried to get them to stop watering.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione tried to console him. "Your dreams can't be that bad, can they?"

Harry's voice cracked and hurt when he spoke, "Voldemort killed my parents and I think he killed me too."

"But he's dead now," Draco said. "That can't happen."

"But what if he's not? Or...what if this reality crashes and it throws us back into the other one? I can't beat the world's strongest wizard!"

Harry was beyond comfort, his face flushed and yet still a bit green. His eyes were wide, bloodshot from the effort of heaving into the bin.

But Draco couldn't help but scoff, "Obviously he wasn't the world's strongest wizard. Uncle Reg finished him off. If anything, he's the world's second strongest wizard."

Harry sunk onto the floor and put his head into his hands. "This can't be happening. My parents- my Mum. Regulus, all of it. It- it just can't."

Hermione sat next to him, allowing their shoulders to brush. "What can we do, Harry?"

"I don't know."

"Right, then," Draco nodded. "I'm off to find Uncle Reg. If anyone knows what to do, it'll be him."

Harry looked like he wanted to say more and join him, but it felt as if all of his bones had disappeared from his body. He remembered the dark red eyes of the Voldemort in his dreams and it was enough to freeze him to the spot, with one hand on the rim of the waste bin and the other holding Hermione's hand.

Regulus was penning his banking informaiton to James when his classroom door opened with a squeak, the person not bothering to knock.

"The correct thing to do is knock first, you know," Reg spoke before looking up.

Draco was the last person he expected to see, and especially a Draco that looked furious.

"I want to know what you did to change the future," he demanded, walking directly up to stand at Reg's desk. "I want to know it all. Every single detail. And I want to know what you're doing to stop it from happening again."

Regulus was taken aback, "What are you talking about, Draco?"

"You know what's happening to the reality, Uncle Reg! Don't lie to me! You said you would never lie to me when I asked you something. Harry's having dreams, and I think they're flashes of the future that you destroyed. And they're bad. Harry's...Harry's not doing well."

"Not doing well?" Reg removed his reading glasses and stood. "Is he all right?"

"Voldemort killed him, didn't he? And James and Lily."

Regulus felt as if he had been punched.

"Let's go to my chambers. I'll answer your questions there."

Draco didn't even wait for Regulus to settle before launching back in. "What happened before you changed everything? And why was Potter's dad with you today?"

Regulus reached for the cup of tea that appeared on the table in front of him, but abruptly paused to look at his godson. "Harry didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Regulus looked uncomfortable, only making Draco narrow his eyes further. "What?"

"James and I-"

"Are madly in love and have been since the first war."

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose, "If you know, why are you asking?"

"I just needed the confirmation, thanks. I've been telling Harry that all along, but he never believed me. Good to know. Now, what happened before the time traveling?"

Sighing, Reg said, "There wasn't much I knew about the future that I changed. There was a lot of death, including James and Lily. Sirius was wrongfully imprisoned for twelve years. Even I...I died, Draco. As for Harry, I don't know what his other future looked like because I wasn't around to see it."

"Is it possible for Voldemort to come back? To be brought back to life? Harry's not going to have to fight him, is he?"

"Whatever in the world gave you that idea?"

"Harry keeps dreaming it."

Regulus looked over his godson specutively, "And you? Have you had any strange dreams?"

Draco twisted uncomfortably in his seat. "Dad was a death eater."

"Yes. That didn't answer my question."

"I have dreams of him...torturing muggles. But I don't know if it's real. But it's not me I'm worried about, it's Harry! He think's he's going to have to sacrifice himself or something."

"He won't," Regulus shook his head. "Listen, Draco. There is a lot right now that I don't know. But I promise you that as soon as I do, we can have this discussion again. And if Harry needs to feel better about this, he can come talk to me about it. Please make sure he knows that."

"'Course, Uncle Reg. And what about Harry's dad?"

"What about him?"

Drago gave a half-hearted shrug, "Dunno, are you like snogging and stuff now?"

"Potter and I-"

But Draco didn't bother to let Regulus finish his sentence. "You call him Potter too? I have to quit that immediately."

Regulus huffed, "James and I are spending time together, nothing more. There's a lot going on right now, and there is a lot between us. That's all you need to know."

Draco was silent for a handful of seconds before asking, "Does this mean Harry and I will be related when you two get married?"

"Go to bed, Draco."