Timeless

Regulus

Dear Remus,

I've been stuck inside again for the past week since my parents found out I'd asked Kreacher to clean Sirius' room a bit as well. I just couldn't stand the amount of dust that was gathering on every surface there. 

I keep forgetting he's left for good and not just for a few days. Lame, I know, considering he's been gone for a decade. But every time I remember I just get so mad at him…

I know the wedding's in a week now, but I fear this house arrest puts out any last hope of attending I may or may not have considered. 

When it comes to my own wedding, I'm afraid there's no point in inviting you as you would not be welcome to come. I have about four weeks and every bit of freedom I might've had will then be taken from me. 

Nevertheless, I wish you a happy marriage. Good luck with him. And please do give him a judgmental side-eye every now and then, for me. Also, please live for me too. 

Burn this before Sirius finds it,

R.A.B.

I dropped off the letter at the.. letter box?.. at a muggle post office, as Remus had taught me to. I never thought I'd use the knowledge he'd forced upon me 'just in case' but here I was. I had sneaked out in the middle of the night and dearly hoped I was more skilled at it than Sirius ever had been. If not… I didn't want to even imagine the ramifications. It was official, though, I would not be attending the forbidden wedding. 

I had known from the start it would go this way, yet I found a hollow disappointment beating in my chest. Maybe it was better this way. Would teach me a lesson about hoping things will go my way. 

The night air was quite chilly and I tightened my cloak. It must've been the adrenaline rush of breaking out of the house but an impulsive thought then entered my mind and instead I pulled the mantle off entirely, let the wind brush my skin, up my arms and through my hair. I wondered how far this wind had travelled from, whether it had voyaged from north or south, west or east. If it perhaps had met anyone I knew on its way. 

In less than a month I would be married. I would be nothing more than a means to an end. I wondered if I would ever find out what all these people who wrote poetry or read romance books thought life was supposed to feel like. The best I would get was frosty midnight air hugging me on the go. 

Somehow I made it back without anyone noticing I had ever been gone. I was either very lucky or Sirius had been extremely reckless, I was not sure which was more likely, to be honest. 

I was still afraid of them secretly knowing and waiting for a confession as I sat at the dinner table with Mother and Father three days later, but all they did was discuss my wedding, the one I had no say in any way. A pile of letters was dropped on the table, most of them being RSVPs from the guests. Yet a bright blue envelope stood out. 

My mother reached for it immediately, meaning it was also amiss for her eyes. As she opened it the letter broke free and began speaking. A howler, the ministry kind.

“'Regina Arcturus Black, you are accused of meddling with dark magic and will therefore be sent to Azkaban. The authorities are on their way to you and we ask you to turn yourself in willingly or there will be severe consequences.”

For a moment the whole room fell silent. Mother and Father were too baffled to say anything, which must've been a first, and I was trying to figure out where I had gone wrong for as far as I was aware I had only practiced the unforgiveables with extreme caution. 

A knock on the door broke the silence and I had an unavoidable sense of it being the authorities, as warned. I looked at my parents for orders on what to do,

“Go to your room,” my mother hissed.

“But Walburga, maybe-”

“Regina. Your room. Now.”

I ran up the stairs as my father started yelling at my already furious mother while they slowly moved towards the origin of the knock.

On my bed sat another envelope, the normal-looking kind. 

Dear Regulus,

I got your letter and I hope you don't hate me for it but I decided to try and give you a slot for attending the wedding without your parents ever finding out.

If the ministry letter has already made it, it wasn't real, well not quite. And if it hasn't, now you know to expect it.

James has some friends in the ministry, hope you don't mind me asking for his help, and they will be holding a fake case until we tell them to drop it. If you do not wish to attend just send the word and we shall cancel the unreal arrest warrant. If you do, however, leave a note for your parents as they deal with our ministry friends and tell them you've left to clear your name in time for the wedding. They'll think you're working for the wedding to be spotless while in reality, you'll be free for at least a little while. 

On the envelope, you'll find our address, the same as on the wedding invite in case you still have it. I hope we will see you soon. If not, well, best of luck and I'll be open to any future letters you may wish to send.

Please burn this one too,

Remus

Once, Sirius had left me a letter telling me to use his running away as a chance to come out to our parents as trans. I'd been too infuriated to use it and had regretted it every day since. Now, Sirius' husband-to-be had gifted me a different kind of chance, and though it terrified me that my parents could in theory still figure it all out, I was not letting this one just fly by. My wedding was in three weeks and if I couldn't get a chance at life, the least I could get was a chance to see that my brother had. I scribbled the instructed words on a piece of paper and placed it on my bed. Then grabbed my wand, Remus' letter, the few letters and the invite from within my pillowcase, and my wand. I looked over my room one last time, then made my escape.