Chapter 7
Regulus tensed at the sound of his mother’s voice, his mind sweeping in with a current of memories determined to drag him under. He was no longer in the musty shop, instead he stood in the dark empty halls of Grimmauld Place.
It was silent as if the house itself was waiting for something. The final straw, or perhaps the breaking of the back itself. It had been like that ever since Sirius left. Too quiet. He crept towards the stairs, releasing a breath as his toe bumped lightly against the bottom step. A few more meters and he’d be safe. He just had to make it up the staircase and past two doors in the next hallway, one of which the room behind was deserted. One step, two. The stair groaned and Regulus’ sharp intake of breath was possibly louder than the action itself. His entire frame was stock still, joints locked, and after standing there for almost three minutes barely breathing, he continued. Twelve more steps. There were fourteen in total and Regulus let instinct take over to lead him along the quietest path. He made it to the top and on the landing, he took a moment to collect himself.
Then a sound came from Bellatrix’s room behind the door on his left and he dove to hide, finding the door to Sirius’ old room unlocked. He flung himself into the room, biting his lip hard to fight a whimper at the pain from stretching the incisions across his chest. Barely hours old and they were already so agonisingly painful as the medication wore off. Regulus didn’t know how he intended to hide this for the eight weeks of recovering he’d been warned of. No, that was a lie. He didn’t intend to hide it. He’d been hiding for too long. He just needed to come back here tonight to get his bag. But perhaps his mother would understand. Maybe she would understand, she might even be happy to finally have another family heir. What if leaving was a mistake?
“Estella?” his mother’s voice was loud in the silence and Regulus cringed at the name. It had never felt right.
“Mother.” She was silent as he turned to face her, and Regulus could only hope the shadows obscured his missing curves and the padding that wrapped his chest tightly. “Umm… I was just- well- I think I left something in here.” The lie fell from fumbling lips, awkward and half-formed.
“What’s wrong with your chest Estella?” Walburga’s tone turned sharp. She pushed herself to a standing position and Regulus took a step back. He didn’t need to explain, she knew, somehow, she knew. “Estella. What have you done?”
Regulus could hear the curse waiting at the edge of her voice and he slid his wand into his hand, prepared to fight his way out.
He did the same right now, slipping it from his robes as he slowly made his way through the stacks, tracing towards the door and trying to avoid Walburga. She had gone silent, but Regulus was confident he’d made it past her, and the door was almost in his sights.
“Excuse me boy, move. My time is not cheap, and I have places to be.” The stern voice was cutting and Regulus felt his spine go ramrod straight at the familiar tone. It was the same voice she had always used before releasing a volley of curses upon him and Sirius when they disobeyed. But she hadn’t recognised him. She had called him boy. She had called him boy. She had called him boy.
Regulus shifted to the side without a word, trying not to draw attention to himself. He should have known his luck wouldn’t allow that. As Walburga stepped past him she paused. His eyes flickered up and that was his first mistake. They caught on his mother’s identical grey ones and stayed there. His next mistake was not running.
“Estella.” Her voice was condemning. Regulus knew there was no point trying to hide who he was.
“It’s Regulus actually.”
“Don’t talk back to me girl.” She hissed, saliva spraying out with the force of the fury in her voice. Regulus tightened his grip as Walburga Black raised her wand towards her son and-
And James threw himself between them. Mother and child were facing each other in what could be a potentially devastating battle and James Potter just jumped right into the middle of it, directly in between the two Blacks. Straight into the line of fire. The fool.
He copped a stinging jinx to the shoulder but remained steady, blocking Walburga’s view of her child. His wand was in hand and he stood side-on, wand directed at Walburga but head turned towards Regulus, ensuring his safety before he turned to face Walburga head-on.
“So you’re mingling with Potters now,” disgust laced her voice. “You’re just as bad as your brother.”
“Better a disappointment like Sirius than a raging cunt like yourself.” The shock that crossed James’ face was almost worth the diffindo that slashed across Regulus’ arm. The cut was bleeding but it wasn’t too deep, Regulus was just glad it hadn’t hit James.
“Move Potter!” He shouted as the relatively harmless verbal spar they had been having became a full-out duel. James ducked and Regulus threw a stupefy over his shoulder, the magic flowing smoothly from his new wand but missing its target. The two dove behind a piled shelf and Regulus wondered where in the world the shopkeeper from earlier had disappeared to that preventing the destruction of her shop wasn’t a priority. Objects were falling and shattering around them. Glass flung out and cut across James’ cheek and he merely rubbed away the blood with his cuff.
“Forgive me for saying so, but your mother is a psycho.” He muttered before throwing himself around the shelf and flinging numerous expelliarmus charms at Walburga. He slid behind the shelf across from Regulus and shot him a slightly worried look.
“Estella! Get out here and face me. I am your mother. You will return home and we can fix what you’ve done girl!” Regulus flinched at the screaming of his mother, the only one who had ever come close to matching her was Bellatrix.
“There’s no Estella here Mrs Black.” James' voice was almost a singsong despite their current predicament. “Only me and Regulus.” The sound of the bell ringing for the front door was barely noticeable over the ruckus of objects sent clattering against the wall from Walburga’s next curse.
“Get the fuck away from my children!” Effie. James and Regulus peeked around the edges of their respective shelters in tandem, just in time to see Effie Potter raise her wand towards Walburga and a flash of light hit her square in the chest as Effie cast a full body-bind curse. Walburga froze, her muscles seizing as she fell. The following thud was so satisfying Regulus almost clapped. James did, both he and Sirius – who stood behind Effie – burst into applause. The shop was in terrible shape, splintered cabinets, shards of glass glittering like stars, Regulus could swear he saw a hole in the wall. A Black’s rage was not something to be taken lightly.
The two boys stood, James rushing over to engulf his mother in a hug, Regulus stalked over to Walburga’s felled form, a sneer twisting his lips. The memory of the cruciatus curse the night he left was vivid.
“You are not my mother.” Regulus turned heel and walked from the shop.