Values
March 21st, 1976
Remus
“I just don’t think you should go back,” Lyall argues “You can take your O.W.L.s in person in McGonagall’s office, we’ve arranged that, but then you can study for your N.E.W.T.s from home for the next two years and we can see about you taking those at the ministry.”
“I want to go back.” Remus’ voice is quiet, but firm. “I have more than schoolwork at Hogwarts, I have actually have a life there, and friends.”
“Friends that nearly jeopardized that life,” his father scoffs.
“Lyall.” Hope speaks for the first time since the discussion has begun in their small kitchen at home. “It sounds like it was just the one boy that did that. That James boy stopped it before it went too far-“
“Too far?” Lyall laughs incredulously. “It did go too far, Hope.”
She doesn’t break away under his hard gaze. “And that other boy, he seemed nice enough. He stood up to his own brother and helped Remus out.”
“That whole family is rotten, Hope. We thought Sirius was nice enough too and look at the mess we’re in now. And Regulus? Their mother’s got her grip even further dug into him. I won’t be in the least bit surprised with this war brewing if both those boys end up as those death eaters or whatever it is those people are calling themselves.”
“Just because Regulus isn’t loud about opposing his family doesn’t mean he agrees with them,” Remus’ voice shakes as it comes out. “He’s trapped in that house with them, he doesn’t have a place to turn to like Sirius does with the Potters.” Truthfully, he doesn’t know why he’s defending either of them. Sirius has shown his true colors, and he doesn’t even actually know about Regulus’. Can he really speak for the younger’s character when all they’ve shared over the months is study sessions with some small talk here and there? Then again, if Walburga really had Regulus as deep in her clutches as she seems to think, the boy wouldn’t even be associating with the half-blood werewolf that’s known to be friends with Sirius. “And aside from them, I’ve still got James and Peter, and Lily and the other girls.”
Lyall is quiet for a moment before he sighs. “But would those girls still be your friends if they knew about you? Would James and Peter still be your friends if they didn’t have to share a dorm with you?”
“Lyall!” Hope chastises him. “You can’t-“
A knock on the door cuts her off. A chilly pause comes over the family.
“Albus would’ve sent a letter if he needed to speak with us,” Lyall says.
Remus curls in on himself. “You think it could be the ministry?”
His father looks uncertain but shakes his head. “Albus would have seen to it that the Snape boy wouldn’t have run his mouth to anyone.” He stands up to go answer it, Hope getting up as well to rest both hands on Remus’ shoulders and squeeze. The voices coming from the front door are quiet, but Remus can barely make out a little bit of what the visitor is saying.
“…talk to Remus…” He flies out of his chair at the sounds of Regulus’ stiff voice. Regulus, with Crouch and Rosier in tow, were at the front door, Lyall blocking them from coming in.
“Reg!” he exclaims, jumping on the younger for a hug before he can stop himself. Forgive him for being on edge after the recent ordea, and then being whisked away from Hogwarts by his parents, and then thinking he’d never see any of his friends again. Regulus stiffens under the sudden embrace, his arms staying glued to his sides, back straighter than ever.
Crouch whistles lowly. “Evan, d’you supposed we’d be hexed if we tried to do that.”
“Cursed, even,” Rosier replies, sounding in awe.
“Sorry, just…” Remus lets go of Regulus, who immediately steps back for some space. “Just… I never got to thank you for… you know. And then I thought I wouldn’t get the chance. Sorry.”
“I believe just the words ‘thank you’ would have sufficed, Lupin.” Regulus readjusts his robes sharply, but there’s no real bite to his words, leaving his friends staring open-mouthed at him.
“Er,” Remus tilts his head. “What are they do here?”
Regulus rolls his eyes at the pair behind him. “Wouldn’t let me sneak out of school without them. Dorcas wanted to come too but someone in Slytherin had to cover for us. I don’t even know how Barty found out we were leaving, but Pandora’s covering Ravenclaw for him.”
“You snuck out?” Remus gapes, then starts laughing.
The younger turns his nose up in something akin to disgust, but refused to comment further on that. “Are you going to let us in? It is cold out here.” He shoots a pointed look at Lyall, who looks incredibly displeased, but steps aside with a sigh, giving Remus a warning look that goes ignored.
“So…” Remus gestures vaguely, unsure how to start a conversation with Regulus with the other two also sitting on his bed on either side of the boy.
“They both know,” Regulus gets straight to the point, making Remus go cold. Then he adds quickly, “I didn’t tell them.”
“I figured it out my first year,” Crouch shrugs. “After making friends with Reg I started watching Sirius a lot, so I also noticed quite a bit about his friends.” He cringes. “Then I told Evan, which I probably shouldn’t have, hex me for being a blabber-mouthed eleven-year-old. He’s the only one I told, though.”
“That’s the other reason I didn’t let Dorcas come, because she doesn’t know,” Regulus adds. “I’m sure Pandora knows, but she tends to know things nobody else does for some reason. And she wouldn’t tell.”
“So…” Remus repeats himself, now not knowing where to go from there. “I am sorry for jumping you like that.”
“It’s fine,” Regulus sniffs. “I’m just…”
“Merlin you two are awkward,” Barty huffs. “He’s not used to being hugged, he means.”
“Are any of us?” Evan asks, which makes Remus crack a smile.
“I suppose not. It took some getting used to with James,” he shakes his head.
There’s silence after that, but not an uncomfortable one. Remus gets the odd sense that Crouch and Rosier have his back as well. Or at least, they’ve got the backs of anyone Regulus does. Remus turns to look at the clock above his desk where he sits. “Do you want to stay for dinner? I’m sure my mom won’t mind the excuse to cook for more people. Least she’ll be happy to think I’ve got more friends than I really do.”
Crouch, Barty, cracks a grin. “’M starving, Mate.”
“I could eat,” Evan adds.
Regulus just shrugs, though if Remus knows anything about him it’s that he probably hasn’t had any food yet today.
Hope is thrilled to be entertaining guests for dinner, immediately setting to work in the kitchen, demanding Lyall come help her, which Remus figures is to save him from the wrathful glare his father directs towards him and said guests.
“We should make a new club at school,” Barty says once Remus’ parents are out of earshot. “Call it the Fellowship of Daddy Issues.”
“He means well,” Remus shrugs. “He just doesn’t know how else to show that he’s worried for me. We’ve been through a lot”
“I can’t imagine,” Evan mutters lowly. “And I’ve been through a lot.”
May 1st, 1976
Regulus
Going home for the summer is more daunting than usual. Normally, it’s just his mother he has to tiptoe around. He can typically just ignore Sirius, as their father ignores them. Regulus isn’t used to feeling like he’s walking on glass around his brother as well. He isn’t entirely sure why, as it should be Sirius staying cautious around him, rather than the other way around.
A part of him realizes that it’s because now he’s less sure than he’s ever been about what goes on in Sirius’ head. He used to be able to read Sirius perfectly since before he could even read a children’s book. As they got older that bond was only strengthened. Once Sirius left for Hogwarts and made friends that weren’t his clingy little brother, Regulus could at least still assume that the elder’s values hadn’t changed. Sirius would still be as loud as ever about opposing their parents, his acts of rebellion only ever serving to piss Walburga off, and, Regulus thinks, they were also attempts at getting Orion’s attention in any way he could.
Now? Regulus has no idea where Sirius’ values lie. If he could betray one of his best friends in the worst possible way for his own sick amusement, then what else could he do? Who else could he hurt, and for what reasons?”
Regulus isn’t so sure that Sirius isn’t shaping up to be the heir that Walburga wanted.
The first family dinner the night they get home is quiet. Their parents make conversation here and there, lecturing them about their grades and telling Sirius to sit up straighter, which he does without his usual complaints.
When Walburga asks Sirius if he’s still hanging around ‘the group of insufferable Gryffindor brats, he replies simply with a ‘not really’.
When Orion asks Regulus if there’s any Pureblood girls that have caught his attention, Sirius doesn’t even roll his eyes where he would usually mock them for their ideal standards of a girl, or make a scene, upset that Orion will be cordial with his brother, but won’t even acknowledge him.
Even their parents seem suspicious of Sirius’ obedient behavior.
“Sirius, did something happen at school?” Regulus nearly gapes at the way she almost sounds like she cares. But he knows her motive.
Sirius picks at the food on his plate with his fork, putting the utensil down when their mother scolds him for it. “My friends don’t really care for me anymore,” he says simply.
“Good,” She nods. “Maybe it’s not too late for more desirable boys to want to be your friends still.”
“And perhaps this behavior will be his new normal.”
And Sirius doesn’t even scoff at the way Orion is speaking about him and not to him. He just looks like he’s going to be sick.
July 11th, 1976
Full Moon
Regulus
Weeks go by like this, and Regulus wishes he could relax and just enjoy the most peaceful few weeks he’s had in his entire life in this house, but he’s honestly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And it does, at nearly midnight on the night of the full moon in early July. Regulus is awake, lying in bed and staring out the open window to the clear view he has of the moon when the shouting starts.
He hears his mother first. “Is this what it all was?” She screams. “You were on your best behavior all summer just to pull something like this? Trying to sneak out?”
And… no, Sirius wouldn’t have been stupid enough to attempt to sneak out of their house while their mother was home. Regulus carefully pulls the sheets from himself and walks slowly and quietly to his bedroom door and opens it as soundlessly as possible.
From where he stands in the doorway, he can hear everything being shouted back and forth from the sitting room.
“I wanted to see my friends!”
“I thought you didn’t have any of those anymore. Or are you a liar now too?” Orion’s voice is the quietest of the three, but it’s no less angry.
“I wasn’t-“
“Crucio!”
Regulus shrinks in on himself at the sounds of Sirius’ screams.
Sirius
It goes on for what can only be hours. The blinding white hot pain chills his whole body like being dunked in a tub of ice water while having boiling oil poured over his head.
Walburga is relentless, her voice becoming raw from the vile things she screams at him in between curses, and at some point, his own voice is lost. He can’t breathe and his throat is on fire as he coughs up blood.
His vision dances with black spots, the room spinning viscously around him and there’s a moment where everything goes white. When he can see again, his ears are ringing and his parents are gone, but there’s arms tugging him off the floor, slipping in the blood covering most of his body. A few fumbling steps forward and a flash of bright green have him wondering briefly if his mother’s finally lost her mind and cast the killing curse on him, but then he’s overcome with the nauseating sensation of going through the floo. After that, there’s more screams, but these ones are shocked and fearful.
James is on him in a moment, grabbing at his face and shouting something at him, but his hearing is still shot- wait. James? No, he can’t be here. He can’t be at Grimmauld place with Walburga here. James has to leave, he has to run away before she starts on him too. He thinks he’s got the words ‘go’ and ‘get out of here, Prongs’ out before he’s swept under into a calming state of unconscious.