If someone asked Regulus about the day when he felt most fear, he would remember the day Sirius left their family home and left him behind. It is true that Sirius begged him to come with him and Regulus had refused. Young Regulus had believed that if he refused, if he appeased his parents, they would be more lenient with his older brother.
He believed all would be fixed and their family relationships repaired. He was wrong. Regulus knew that now. He stood at the doorway of his older brother’s abandoned room and gulped, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He missed him. That much was true.
And even if his mother claimed to hate Sirius, Regulus knew it to be otherwise. Had she really hated him, his room would have been demolished. But his room still stood as still and messy as it was on his last day in their family home. Walburga didn’t touch or move anything, almost as if she believed if she left it all standing there, Sirius would change his mind and return. But he never did.
His older brother was always stubborn. And once he set his mind on something, he would never change his ways. He never even wrote Regulus a single letter or responded to the ones Regulus wrote to him. The young Black took a deep breath and closed the doors after leaving the room, cursing the Potter family name and James Potter for stealing his brother.
He went to his room and looked at the books on his desk, suddenly determined to study hard and become the best student at Hogwarts once he was there. He would excel at everything and make his family proud. And then he would destroy James Potter for stealing his brother and ruining their family.
If determination and justice motivated Sirius Black, revenge motivated Regulus Black. A year had passed since his promise to himself and now, Regulus was entering the infamous Hogwarts with other new students. At the train to Hogwarts he had met Evan and Pandora Rosier, twins of the Rosier family. He could see himself becoming friends with them and so they walked up the stairs together.
They were all led to the dining room where all the other students were already seated. The newcomers were lined up and had to wait for their turn to go to the old and smelly looking talking hat. Regulus scrunched his nose and looked around, looking for his older brother. Despite everything, all the hate and anger, he missed him.
He spotted Sirius next to who could only be the one who stole his brother, James Potter. Sirius was looking at him and then he looked away once their eyes met. Great, he still didn’t want to see him, it seemed. Regulus took a deep breath and focused on the hat once it was his turn to walk towards it.
He sat down on the old and cheap looking stool and waited for the hat to be placed on his head and speak. It barely touched his hair before it yelled out ‘Slytherin’ and Regulus could feel the digging and disappointing gaze of his brother on him. He still stood up, pulled his shoulders back and raised his chin up before walking to a cheering Slytherin table where Evan Rosier awaited him. Then Pandora was placed into Slytherin as well and she joined them afterwards.
The Sorting didn’t take long. But getting used to being at Hogwarts did. Weeks passed and the trio stuck together like glued, learning everything and anything presented to them in class. Regulus was known as a quiet and collected Black brother even if Sirius ignored him and refused to speak to him.
Two weeks later they met Dorcas Meadowes who was sorted into Gryffindor. Regulus was of the opinion the hat had made a terrible mistake and she had actually belonged to Slytherins but he never said it out loud. It was the first time in years that Slytherins let a Gryffindor into their friend group and dorms. Dorcas was a part of their friend group then too.
Weeks later, all of them but Regulus somehow met a Barty Crouch Jr and were determined to add him to their friend group. But every time they tried to set up a meeting between the two of them, something came up and the meeting had to be cancelled.
Regulus often found himself looking at his empty wrist, wondering when he would meet his soulmate. He had met so many new people since he came to Hogwarts and none of their first words were written on his wrist. A week ago Regulus had learned that Sirius’ soulmate was Remus Lupin and his anger dissipated a little bit. How could he be hateful and angry with his brother when he left their family home to be happy with his soulmate? Regulus would do the same in a heartbeat.
But his soulmate was still nowhere to be found. Sirius ignored him, that was fine. Regulus ignored him in turn too. Sirius talked shit about him to his friends? That was fine. Regulus talked shit about him to his friends too. But hearing someone else say shit about his brother? That was uncalled for.
They had been on their way to meet Barty that day when Regulus overheard Mulciber talk shit and call Sirius names for being in a relationship with a boy. And something snapped in Regulus. He simply turned around and reacted before Sirius ever got a chance to say a word. He had grabbed Mulciber by his collar and slammed him against the wall. Evan had tried to pry his hands off Mulciber but was unsuccessful.
“What did you just say about my brother?” Regulus had asked and Mulciber growled before he swung and punched Regulus in the face, making him back up a step. Regulus let out a laugh while Mulciber spoke.
“Since when the fuck do you care about your brother?” Mulciber had yelled loud enough to startle anyone and Regulus only laughed before he launched himself at the boy, making them both fall to the floor. Then he started to swing and Pandora gasped. The Marauders stood in the back, shocked by the scene.
“My brother and I may fight like a cat and a dog but you have no right to say shit about him, you hear me?” Regulus yelled when he was finally pulled off Mulciber by Evan. Barty, who stood at the end of the corridor behind Mulciber watched the scene with interest, something tugging at his heart as he did so.
Then teachers started to appear and yell at the two boys, Mulciber still laying on his back. One of them turned to look at Regulus and pointed their finger at him.
“Detention until the end of the week, young man.” He yelled and dragged Regulus away who simply turned to look at Mulciber who was slowly getting off the floor. Mulciber froze at the sight of Regulus Black’s bloody teeth while he smiled, a threat clear in the air.
Barty and Regulus did not meet that day and so their meeting was once more delayed. It was only because of that detention though that Sirius and Regulus began to build their relationship again. Slowly, brick by brick they built it back up and Sirius finally understood why Regulus didn’t follow him back then.
Regulus would hang out more with the Marauders then, his friend occasionally joining them. It really did not take Regulus long to develop a crush on the one he once swore he would destroy. James Potter was nice, kind, full of sunshine and mischief. Anyone would start to crush on him.
Not long after that did they start to date. It is safe to say that Regulus was sad to realize that James was not his soulmate, his first word never appeared or burned into his skin. But they still liked each other enough to start to date. They were the talk of the school. And Barty could not understand why his eyes followed them everywhere or why he felt uneasy whenever he saw them together.
And Regulus could never understand why he felt uneasy when he was with James, despite the fact that he was nothing but always kind to him. Then the next summer break came and shit went down. The war was brewing outside, obvious to everyone that they would soon have to choose the side.
Unfortunately for Regulus, his choice was taken from him that summer break. One day, Walburga had simply announced they were to have visitors that night and he was expected to be present. And he was. Regulus wished that night he had listened to his gut feeling and ran. He didn’t though.
Walburga, Orion, Regulus and Lord Voldemort were there. Regulus sat like the proper man he was raised to be and he regretted listening to his parents, he regretted being stupid and not leaving with Sirius. He regretted so much but none of it mattered now. They had held him in place while Lord Voldemort engraved his Dark Mark into his skin.
It all changed from then. Lord Voldemort left and Regulus stayed in his seat, silently crying while his mother cleared the table.
“Stop crying, Regulus! I will not let you leave me like Sirius did.” She snapped and Regulus stood up, gathering the courage to look her in the eyes. She flinched when she saw hatred in them.
“You will push me to an early grave, mother. I hope it will all be worth it.” Regulus said and walked to his room, ignoring his mother calling his name. He ignored all the letters from Sirius and his boyfriend. He ignored it all. What did any of it matter now that he was forced to choose a side in a war that would have children die for a wrong cause?
Then the summer break was over and it was time to return to Hogwarts. Now, he no longer cared about anything. Gone was the remaining spark in his eyes. Now, they were empty, robbed of the childhood and peace of mind. He wore long sleeves so as to make sure no one would see the mark that could get him killed.
Sirius had tried to start conversations as did James and the rest of the Marauders, knowing fully well how the Grimmauld Place could mess one up. Regulus avoided them, having told the truth only to his friends and Barty once again found himself watching them from a far away corner, wondering why he was also worried for Regulus. Why when he never even met the man.
Sirius had one day then had enough and cornered his younger brother, worried he had started to harm himself. He knew from personal experience how a break from school could push one to do terrible things to themselves once they were forced to spend time at their childhood home. James had stood behind him with Remus and Peter while Sirius pulled Regulus’ sleeves up, not expecting to find the Dark Mark of their enemy on Regulus’ forearm.
Then he let go of his brother as if he had been burned and took a few steps back, bumping into James.
“I knew it. I knew you would become like them.” Sirius spoke and Regulus looked him in the eyes, no emotion evident in his eyes anymore.
“They forced me.” Regulus spoke, his voice barely loud enough to be heard. Barty and Evan who had followed them to the hidden parts of the hallway remained standing far away, ready to intervene if needed.
“I don’t believe you.” Sirius admitted and Regulus chuckled, a mad look returning to his eyes while he stared at his brother now. Long gone was the sadness and helplessness. Only madness and rage remained now.
“Then don’t. When have you ever believed me?” Regulus asked and Sirius shook his head while he watched Regulus chuckle again.
“You’re sick. You’re actually as sick in the head as they are.” Sirius spat and Evan growled, moving towards Regulus while Barty found himself moving to stand as a shield between the Marauders and Regulus. He didn’t understand why that had been his first instinct.
“Be careful of your next words, Black.” Barty spoke and Sirius glared at him while Evan dragged Regulus away, knowing that any moment now, Regulus would break down. And he would never forgive Evan if he let anyone but his closest friends see him break down. Barty followed close behind them while he watched Regulus’ shoulders shake.
No, he wasn’t crying. He was seething with rage. All of his fucking choices had been taken from him. Now, he was going to make everyone who had anything to do with those decisions suffer. Everyone. He tried to deny it but Regulus was still a vindictive little Slytherin snake everyone believed him to be. He wasn’t a good person. That much was true. But he really fucking wanted to be and it had to count for something, right? (A/N: A little nod to Choices for breaking my heart)
“I’m going to fucking burn them all down.” Regulus growled as he made his way to his dorm, ready to plot the downfall of Lord Voldemort and his parents.
Then something completely unexpected happened. Even for Regulus. Slytherins started to spy on him and report any contact he had with the Marauders. Even if it had been a simple glance at his brother down the hall. Mulciber had made many threatening remarks towards Regulus who had to swallow down his pride and say nothing.
Evan had itched to say or do something. But one shake from Pandora’s head, her eyes the white color of a seer and Evan calmed down. It was for the better for them to remain calm and collected now. That, however, did not mean the same for Barty who had cornered Mulciber and his little gang of friends once.
“You report on Regulus again and you will have a problem with me, Mulci. And you don’t want that, do you?” Barty asked and Mulciber only glared and said nothing. Barty made a ‘tsk’ sound then and took out his pocket knife, making Mulciber widen his eyes in shock.
“I have really been itching lately to learn if skinning someone alive really is as hard as I imagine it to be. Want to be my test subject, Mulci?” Barty had asked and watched him immediately shake his head. Barty then gave him his most wicked smile and scratched the side of his head with the pocket knife.
“Good. Now, leave Regulus alone and all will be good. Understood?” He asked and Mulciber nodded before running away. Barty watched after them with a smile on his face and confusion in his eyes. Pandora, who was still in Regulus’ dorms, simply smiled while her eyes turned her normal color once more.
The war was nearing by each passing second and Regulus started to miss classes. A lot of them. So many that Sirius noticed and started to worry. He had even gone to Dumbledore with his concerns whose only answer was “Do not concern yourself with problems that are of no importance to you and return to class.”
Sirius left Dumbledore’s office and wondered what the fuck that meant. Later on he would learn that Regulus had found all the Horcruxes and was set on destroying them. Dumbledore had known and encouraged him to do so, knowing that he would be risking Regulus’ life to destroy Voldemort through him.
And when Sirius later became enraged with newfound knowledge, Regulus would only smile in his face and sniffle. “You preach of loyalty and greatness amongst the Gryffindors. Is this how you reach that greatness? By making an army of children and sacrificing them for your cause? How is it that my house is seen as the bad one when yours nearly sacrificed me to end the war?”
Their relationship would never again be the same.
Regulus had destroyed the Horcruxes in the Salazar Slytherin’s Cave and nearly died doing so. It was only thanks to Pandora and her visions that they found him in time to save him. He was unconscious, with Inferi on their way to claim his soul when Barty and Pandora appeared and dragged him to Hogwarts, saving his life in the last few seconds.
War was brewing outside when Regulus was brought to the infirmary. He may not have been able to fight with them during the battle, but he gave them a damn chance to kill Voldemort. He nearly died to give them a chance at survival and winning. And they did.
It was no one else but Dorcas herself who killed Voldemort in a fit of rage once she saw Marlene dead on the floor.
Weeks would pass before Regulus finally woke up, Pandora by his side with tears of relief streaming down her cheeks. Evan would visit only minutes later with Dorcas bandaged up by his side. Neither Sirius nor the Marauders were nowhere in sight.
“Barty wouldn’t let them visit you. He said they could come only when you called for them.” Evan said, able to read the unspoken question right off Regulus’ face. Regulus frowned and looked at him then.
“Barty? Why?” He asked and Evan chuckled.
“Beats me. I asked him the same thing. Even he doesn’t know why he’s protective of the guy he never even met.” Evan admitted and Regulus frowned in confusion when he felt something tug at his heart. Then he took a deep breath.
“I’ll have to meet him once I’m healed.”
“It would be about damn time. We’ve been at Hogwarts for six years and you still never met. Still wonder how.” Dorcas admitted and looked away when Regulus spoke again.
“What happened? Who won? What about my parents?” He asked and moved his sleeves to look at his forearm. He sighed in relief once he realized the Dark Mark was gone.
“As you can see, he who shall not be named is dead. I killed him.” Dorcas admitted and Regulus looked at her with his eyes wide open.
“You did?” He asked and she nodded her head, taking a deep breath with a distant look in her eyes.
“He killed Marlene.” Dorcas said and gulped. Regulus’ eyes widened and he immediately took a hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Dora. I’m so fucking sorry.” Regulus whispered, tears gathering in his eyes and Dorcas shook her head.
“None of this is your fault. I need no apologies from you. I just wish I could have killed him sooner.” She admitted and then gulped.
“Your parents were thrown into Azkaban. Everything they had has been passed down to you as their sole heir.” She said and Regulus was surprised to find himself relieved at the idea of his parents being locked up.
“I hope they threw away the key.” Regulus admitted and Evan snorted.
“I’m sure they did, buddy. I’m sure they fucking did.” He said and walked out of the room.
Once he was fully recovered, he returned to classes and was surprised to find the students looking at him with admiration now. They learned of his sacrifice and bravery and were now watching him as they would a hero. Regulus could not help but be unsettled by the sheer idea. He didn’t do what he did to earn the title of the hero.
He did what he did to give one final middle finger to his parents. Sirius and his friends had tried to talk to him, to apologize but Regulus was now the one not wanting to listen. He was done running after his brother. Especially now that Sirius hadn’t believed him. He had been dead to them before he even had the chance to die. So, now they would be dead to him, Regulus decided.
Then one day, the Slytherin friends were hanging out in the garden under a giant tree when Barty finally joined them. Regulus and Evan had been hanging out high in the branches in the tree. At some point, Regulus had even fallen asleep on the top branch while Evan went down to hang out with their friends.
“Well? I thought I was finally going to meet Regulus Black today. Where is he?” Barty asked, ignoring the very obvious sleeping Regulus in the tree and the nervous tugging at his heart. Regulus frowned in sleep, ignoring Barty’s voice and the tugging at his heart, forgetting all about a soulmate he was supposed to be looking for.
“Up there.” Evan had said and pointed to the tree. Barty looked up, squinting while he tried to see behind the leaves.
“What the fuck is he doing up there?” Bart asked, confused about the worry tugging on his mind and heart.
“Sometimes he just needs to get away from people.” Evan answered and Barty frowned, his eyes not leaving Regulus who was sleeping like he wasn’t so high up in the air.
“And he needs to be up there to get away?” Barty asked and Dorcas simply hummed and returned to her book. Evan then stood up and looked at Regulus.
“Reggie, get the fuck down, will you?” He called and a few students, including the Marauders sitting on the steps of Hogwarts, turned to look at them. Regulus groaned and moved a bit in discomfort with Barty’s eyes still on him.
“Panda, tell him to stop being so mean to me.” Regulus yelled back and Pandora smiled.
“He’s right though. You really need to come down now.” Pandora said and they all looked at her now, her eyes a white color of a seer once more. Evan frowned in confusion and then looked at Barty in shock and realization.
Regulus sat up on the branch and groaned. His neck cracked while he moved it from side to side, a sign of how uncomfortable the branch had really been. Sirius watched them interacting, knowing that he would never be like that again with Regulus. And it had been his fault. He didn’t believe him during the war. It was Regulus’ friends who listened, believed and schemed to save him. Even Barty helped them and he didn’t even know Regulus back then.
Regulus no longer saw Sirius as his brother and it was all Sirius’ fault. Regulus then stood up and started jumping from branch to branch, lower and lower by each passing second.
“I hate you guys.” Regulus muttered and kept going down.
“Yeah, we know you love us, Reggie.” Dorcas said and Regulus snorted. Then his foot slipped from one of the branches and he started falling. Regulus cursed and let out a sound of surprise while his eyes closed, bracing for impact.
Once he realized he stopped falling he opened his eyes in confusion, meeting the dark eyes of Barty Crouch Jr. Regulus felt his arm around his waist and realized that Barty must have caught him. He couldn’t help himself but think of how beautiful he seemed with his cheeky smile.
“Do you always fall hard for the people you just met, Reg?” Barty asked and Regulus frowned, feeling the burning sensation in his wrist appearing but not daring to look away from Barty’s dark eyes. Regulus squeezed his arms and frowned again.
“Do you always flirt with people you’ve just met, Crouch?” Regulus asked and Barty’s smile widened as he watched him squirm to get away from him. Barty only tightened his grip, not willing to let him go now.
“Only the really really devastatingly pretty ones.” Barty said and Regulus groaned and tried to get away once more. A blush crept up his face while Barty observed him with a wide smile on his face.
“Oh for fucks sake you idiots, look at your wrists.” Evan groaned and Regulus snapped out of whatever daze he was in. He frowned and looked down to his wrist, seeing there Barty’s words now forever tattooed into his skin. The words of a soulmate, the one he was waiting for the entire time. Barty Crouch Jr was his soulmate. He felt Barty tighten his grip once more before Regulus looked him in the eyes again.
“Well hello there, my devastatingly pretty soulmate. You sure did take your time falling for me.” Barty said and Regulus groaned.
“You seriously need to stop flirting.” Regulus growled and Barty simply smiled.
“How can I when you blush so pretty for me?” Barty asked and Regulus nearly combusted while their friends cheered. It all made sense then and there. All the times Barty worried for Regulus without understanding why. All the times Regulus’ heart sped up at the sound of Barty’s name.
It was all because they were each other’s person the entire time.
Each other’s happily ever after.
They were soulmates.