Chapter 4
Regulus sat there for some time, just admiring his new limps in the rising sun.
This would be the start of his new life. His better life. There were so many possibilities for him, now that his deepest wish had come true. All the doors of the world were open for him.
The sun already started to burn hot on his skin, only soothed by the weak cool breezes coming from the wide ocean.
Regulus was violently ripped from his thoughts when he heard voices coming nearer.
Instinctively he pulled up his legs to his torso and wrapped his arms around them.
He felt the urge to cover himself in his nudity. As a mer-boy he had never felt that shame. Maybe that was just another change coming with humanity.
When the voices were so close that Regulus could make out words he started to panic. He hadn’t really thought as far as that, had he. His mind had purely focused on getting legs but he had no plan what he was supposed to do now.
There was no time left for him coming up with an idea when three boys climbed down the small cliffs leading to the beach.
Regulus immediately recognised one of them. How wouldn’t he, he had watched the boy for three years. James.
Under other circumstances, he would’ve felt joy and excitement but in his current situation he just wanted to flee. But James and his friend had already spotted him and came towards him.
“Hey, are you okay?”, James asked, standing right in front of him.
Slowly, Regulus looked up until he reached James’s eyes that were full of concern.
He opened his mouth to answer before remembering that he couldn’t talk anymore. Forever.
He closed it again, probably looking like a dumb fish, and shook his head.
Perhaps he could pretend to be a victim of a shipwreck, washed up at the beach. He still couldn’t explain the lack of clothing then but he had no words anyways.
“Why, what happened?”, his prince wanted to know.
Regulus swallowed and frowned. How was he supposed to win James’ trust if he couldn’t even tell him his lies?
James looked confused and the two boys behind showed similar emotions, mixed with bewilderment at the naked boy at the beach.
So, Regulus lifted his arms and pointed at the horizon. James raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Regulus drew back his hand and then imitated waves with his hand. With the other he formed a fist, hoping James could decipher it as a ship. He lifted the wave-hand and slapped it down on the ship-hand. Then he intertwined his fingers and pulled his hands down, as if they were splintering wood.
James looked at him utterly confused. Regulus groaned internally. He had no idea how else to convey that story.
In his misery, he diverted his pleading grey eyes at the other two boys.
The one on James’s right started to speak. He was tall and slender, with hair the same colour as the sand.
“Your ship broke? You’re a castaway?”, he asked.
Relief flooded Regulus as he nodded.
“Oh shit!”, James exclaimed, looking at Regulus with pity. Regulus didn’t like that look. Not on James’s face, and especially not directed at him. But what could he do.
“Wait, but you can’t talk?”, the other boy blatantly asked. He was chubbier and shorter than the first one but had the same kind of hair. That one shushed him but James looked at Regulus with curiosity and he nodded.
James looked at him with such an interest and fixation that Regulus wanted to crawl away. It felt like the sun shining down at them, just hotter and only directed at him.
It made his whole body go aflame.
The sun boy seemed to think for a second before having an idea: “Come back home with us. I can give you some clothes and food and whatever else you need.”
Regulus looked at him, hoping he was conveying a grateful expression, before nodding once again.
James reached out his hand to Regulus to help him up and Regulus took it and was pulled to his feet.
He swayed for a moment at the weird and unknown feeling of standing on two legs. But he tried to seem unbothered. Instead, he focused on the way the sand felt under his soles. But then the promised pain shot up his legs. He also tried to seem unbothered by that, and clenched his teeth, hard.
The slender boy cleared his throat and pointedly looked away.
“Ah right.”
James opened the bag he had slung around his shoulder and took out a big blanket. Without further warning he reached around Regulus and put the blanket over his shoulders.
Regulus breathe hitched for a second at the unexpected proximity.
James pulled the fabric tight around Regulus body, covering the important bits, then told him to hold it good. Regulus complied.
The three boys led him back to the cliffs that basically functioned as natural stairs.
The castle was right there, this beautiful building, that Regulus had wanted to walk in since the first time he saw it.
James led him through a small side entry probably more for the servants.
They walked through the hallways unseen, if anyone came up their way, the other two boys distracted them so James and Regulus could go on.
And so they ended up in James’s room.
Without much talking, James gave Regulus clothes of his own.
Regulus could feel his whole body burning by the thought that he was wearing James clothes, that were a bit too big for himself.
James smiled at him contently.
“Ok, come on. We’ll get you to see my parents”.
Regulus wanted to ask why but James already grabbed his hand and dragged him along.
Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were kind parents, rulers and people. They welcomed Regulus with open arms, without even asking too many questions. He even got a temporary room assigned.
He was utterly surprised by the Potter’s hospitality, he knew for a fact that his parents wouldn’t have bothered if he had presented them a lost new friend.
That was what he and James somehow became: friends. Apparently, the prince felt some fascination for the mystery Regulus was. He kept him around almost all the time and sometimes Regulus caught James looking at him with marvelling eyes, as if he wanted to dig up all of Regulus’ secrets. Which could of course never happen.
James other two friends, Remus and Peter, were also nice enough. Regulus greatly enjoyed Remus’ calming and quiet presence, while Peter seemed to still be a bit weary of him.
On the weekdays, James had to attend classes, in preparation of his future as king. Remus and Peter always accompanied him there, and when Regulus joined their little group, they also wanted him to go there.
At home, Regulus had had lessons too, he had always been very good. So, he felt confident coming too. But then he was expected to read a text in a book and felt his confidence crumble. He hadn’t thought about the humans having other letters than they did. He excused himself in the first lesson and wandered through the castle, looking at the nice paintings and other art pieces everywhere. He quite enjoyed this alone time. He never went to classes again, and no one asked questions, although Regulus could see in James’ eyes that he wanted to.
In the afternoons, they usually hung out as a group, anywhere they felt at that point.
Regulus had never experienced such fun, he thought. He finally had found friends.
Regulus had to walk so much, he got used to the legs and feet. And he also got used to the constant pain accompanying him. Every evening he snuck out to the beach to cool his sore feet in the water.
The ocean felt different to him than it had before. It wasn’t his natural surrounding anymore, not his home anymore. But still, it was a relief every time he put his hurting feet in the water, invisibly bleeding from a thousand invisible cuts.
James eventually got sick of not having a name for Regulus. Peter once joked about Regulus being some kind of foundling and it kind of stuck, if Regulus liked it or not.
He was very quickly ok with it, when James leaned over to him, way too close, and whispered “My favourite foundling” in his ear. Regulus tried his hardest not to violently blush, he couldn’t stop the warm shivers running all over his body though.
Moments like that made him pretty confident in his task to make the Prince fall in love with him. Maybe he was just imagining things, but then James brushed his hand against Regulus’ skin again, so often, it was impossible to just be accidents.
Before he had been human, James Potter had been an obsession of Regulus, a crush perhaps. But now, when he actually got to know the boy, he started to actually love him. It frightened him but also made him full of joy, as if the darkness of the depths of the ocean he had inside of him, had been banished by James' sunlight.
One night, Regulus just opened the door to his room, when James was suddenly by his side. Regulus was thankful in this moment for his inability to scream, cause he would’ve. Instead he just looked at James with big eyes and open mouth. James grinned at him apologetically.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you”, he said quietly, almost whispering.
“I just wanted to ask, if you wanted to go on a walk?”
Regulus cocked his head and frowned.
“Yes, I know it’s late but I thought, maybe we could go down to the beach and look at the stars or something? Also, since when do you bother about the time, you go out at night all the time”
Regulus knew he was blushing a bit. Did James see him going outside almost every night?
He pointed at James and himself, asking another question.
“Just us two. I don’t want to wake up Remus and Peter”.
To hide his excitement about the prospect of spending time with James alone, he shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.
If possible, James’ smile got even brighter.
After sneaking through and out of the castle, James and Regulus found themselves lying on the beach under a clear sky of sparkling stars.
They were quiet for minutes until James broke the silence.
“Do you know any star constellations?”. He turned his head slightly to see Regulus answer, who shook his head.
James raised his arm and pointed to the sky.
“You see those there? That’s the little bear.”
With his finger he drew the lines in the air, so Regulus could find what he meant. Regulus smiled, he felt at peace.
Then James pointed at other stars.
“And you see these three stars in a line over there? That’s Orion’s belt, and those over that are his shoulders and there is his bow. I like Orion, he’s one of the easiest to find.”
Regulus wanted to laugh at that. James for sure wouldn’t like his Orion, if he ever met him.
James kept going.
“The brightest one there aren’t any stars though, they are planets. The brightest star is Sirius”.
At that Regulus felt as if he was stabbed right in the heart. His brother was the only one he missed, the only one that he regretted to have left behind.
To distract himself his waved his hand at James for him to name more stars.
“Oh, and over there, that’s Leo.”
Regulus couldn’t make out any constellation where James pointed and narrowed his eyes. James noticed, and grabbed Regulus hand with his own.
He guided his index finger through the air and Regulus finally saw what he meant. But his mind had kind of stopped working at the sudden touch.
“The brightest star in this constellation is called Regulus, which means little king or prince”.
Startled by his words, Regulus abruptly sat up and started at James.
James followed slowly.
“Is something wrong?” he asked carefully and with eyes full of concern.
Regulus vehemently shook his head. He pointed back at Leo and then at himself.
James looked confused before realisation seemed to dawn on him.
“Wait, your name?”
Regulus nodded.
“Your name is Leo?”
Regulus stopped himself of rolling his eyes, before shaking his head again.
“Regulus?”, James tried again.
And with utter joy, Regulus nodded.
For a few moments, the two boys just grinned at each other. Then James reached out his hand for Regulus to grab it. He shook it.
“Hello Regulus. Nice to meet you”.
If he could, Regulus would’ve probably bursted out in laughter. Without his voice he just kind of grunted, but James understood.
Regulus couldn’t really comprehend how much he loved the boy in front of him. James looked at him as if Regulus was the brightest star in the sky and not Sirius.
And Regulus realised that if James would ever love someone else, he wouldn’t even want to live on.