...ready for it?
He was blinded by the lights for a few seconds, the bathroom being too bright after the neon lights and dim atmosphere. The club was buzzing, he still felt the loud music ringing in his ears.
Or the buzzing was coming from his phone?
He looked around, no one else was around, he lost Remus somewhere in the dance floor, James was busy in one the booths and he was sure Peter was with some girl in the bar. The buzzing continued, and he patted himself searching for his phone. It wasn’t in the leather jacket, but he found another cigarette there, clueless of when he put it there in the first place. He found it in the pocket of his pants, an unknown number calling.
He normally wouldn’t answer, especially not late at night while in a club. But his gut feeling was telling him differently. After all, it wasn’t even his usual phone number, it was the french one he used when he was a teenager, since it was the easiest one to take when they arrived in Paris.
“Hello.” He answered, his voice coming weaker than he intended to.
“Sirius?” The voice on the other end felt like a cold bucket of water, he felt sober up in that same instant.
“Reggie?” He hesitated, he hadn't talked with his brother in almost six years, after running away and never once try to get in contact. It was impossible that it was his little brother on the other end of the phone.
“I need help, I don’t have anywhere to go.” He almost whispered and somehow, Sirius understood.
He finally did it.
“You’re in Paris?” He said, a sudden urgency of getting out of the club made him move away from the bathroom and towards the main entrance.
“Yes.” He could hardly hear it, it was whispered and the music was loud around him. He caught a glimpse of James not so far away. He wished he had a driving license so he didn’t have to take his friend. “In the park near home.”
He wished he was anywhere but there.
“Don’t move, send me your location, okay? I’m on my way.” It’s all he said, any precaution leaving his body. He was an internationally famous band member, turning heads as he moved between people in the club, he should be making sure his reputation was clean, especially now, but Regulus was first.
Regulus had always been the priority.
He finally got to James, laying on a couch, people surrounding him, a girl on his arm and a boy holding his drink. He was drunk but not as much, and it wasn’t like the Black Manor was far away.
“James, we need to go.” The people around him also looked at him. James was totally surrounded, his dumb smile and laugh having the girls and some boys looking starstruck. His shirt was half bottomed and if it wasn’t for Sirius, he probably wouldn’t go back to the hotel until tomorrow morning.
“But I don't want to.” It’s all he answered, turning around to continue talking with a boy with a pretty smile.
“Reg needs me.” It's what he said, and probably all of them heard, but he couldn’t care less. James just nodded, getting up more quickly than what Sirius expected. Because he too understood the gravity that name had.
“Explain everything.” It’s all he said, as they made their way out of the club. If James got them kill, at least Sirius doesn’t have to deal with the family mess that was coming right his way. At some point James had the great idea to text in the group chat that they are leaving. Remus will probably be pissed when he discovers that they took the car, he was the designated driver but this was an emergency and James was the closest one. It was just a few streets from the hotel, Peter and Remus could walk, or call Minerva to come get them and risk the scolding.
Cameras flashed everywhere as soon as they stepped outside, Sirius did his best to cover his face and James did the same. The valet was taking too much and he was sure that drunk driving wasn’t the image that Albus would want of them the night before the start of their world tour, but nothing out of character for what the public thought of Sirius. He will surely get in trouble for dragging James into his bad image.
He had to remind himself that this was more important.
They rushed to the car, which wasn’t theirs, they had rented it earlier that night, the engine was starting and it was at that moment, when the noise outside was replaced by the radio, the flashing lights were just traffic lights, that everything started to set in.
“He ran away.” James looked at him, just a few seconds and he nodded, continuing to focus on the road. Tears started to stream down his face soon after.
James took his phone, probably to search the address, even trying to talk to him but Sirius couldn’t hear him over the sobs. Fear, sadness and relief were going through his body and he was sure being high mixed with so many emotions wasn’t good. He hadn't even seen Regulus yet and was already breaking down. At least it was better now than in front of his brother.
It was a short drive, but it was a whole different city here, after all, it was probably the richest neighborhood in Paris. Houses with beautiful façades, gardens and fountains. All of them look similar but he knew exactly when they passed his childhood home, slower than he would have wanted. Some windows had lights on, it was more of a building than a house, since they didn’t spend that much time there.
It wasn’t even the one with the worst memories. It was just their Parisian House, when it was fashion week season or close to a new collection, their parents had a lot of work so they had to stay in Paris. His parents were there now, probably trying to figure out what to do next, after being left with no heir and a PR disaster.
That house was in constant silence, any loud noise was punished when they were children, their parents were always stressed and on their nerves. The most sound that they heard were the screams of everything they made a mistake. They couldn’t even distracted themselves with anything other than lessons and books,
Sirius didn’t plan on coming back here any time soon, he felt creeped out and haunted by his own memories of six years back. It definitely was a weird sight, a boy dressed in all black, pale, designer bag, sitting on a bench of a park in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Paris, in the middle of the night.
He ran out of the car as soon as James stopped, almost crashing against his little brother, who looked up at the sudden noise in surprise.
“You came.” It’s all he said, just a small whisper. It hurt Sirius how surprised and relieved he sounded.
“You called.”
Regulus threw himself into Sirius, hugging him just like when they were kids, crying on the floor they once spent afternoons day dreaming about running away and having a better life.
They were safe, for once, the both of them were safe. But Sirius knew it was just the start of a whole lot of trouble.
If you had told Regulus Black that morning that he would end up in his brother’s arms and probably disowned, he would have slapped you hard and walked away to continue to ignore the existence of said family member.
Life had always been this ironic with him.
The fight started in the early morning, all because he was wearing a band t-shirt he found in Sirius' old room, and his mother came to his room, she never did. His mother didn’t like the shirt. He wasn’t careful enough, he knew they had been on edge at any reminder of Sirius, since they heard that the Marauders, his band, was in Paris for the start of their tour.
Late at night, he could hear slurs behind the closed door, French insults whispered along their oldest son's name. What a disgrace he was to the family.
He didn’t agree, but voiced the opposite because it was better than facing the same fate while still living under the same roof. It was enough with the crippling pressure.
He spent his morning sketching, making sure the door was closed and none was going to see him. It was his first summer after graduating, and his parents were expecting him to go into business and marketing in the fall. He should be getting ready for uni, getting ahead of course work, instead of losing time. After all, according to his parents, he didn’t have the “Black vision of fashion”, so no hopes in being near the creative part of their business.
He had been told a thousand times to stop wasting his time in the arts.
If he had listened, his mother wouldn’t have thrown every sketch book into the fire after finding them that afternoon, after things escalated to screaming about Regulus “uncaring behavior about his future”. He couldn’t do it anymore.
At least that was the version that he told Sirius. Not about the punches, how she trashed both their rooms, how father just watched as Walburga finally broke their spare son, not how she screamed how much she despised Sirius and anything that look like him, how Regulus was never going to be pretty enough to be a model or unique enough to be a designer.
He believed it, knew it was all true, but he couldn’t take it another day.
It was dark outside when he finally found the courage to leave, the few things he could rescue in a bag he took from under his bed, that miraculously survived from his mom. Headphones in his ears as he made his way from the House of Black, he didn’t know who to drive and everyone in the house was on their parents paycheck, so he had to walk. He didn’t have anywhere to go, the only friend he could go to now lived in Cambridge, with her fiancé. Pandora cared too much for Regulus to dare go and bother her.
A song played after the playlist has finished, those recommendations you never actually put attention to. That’s how Teenage Dirtbag by the Marauders probably saved his life, it reminded him of his brother and everything that caused him to fight with his parents; Sirius was in Paris.
In an act of hope, he took out his phone and dialed the number that he had saved as Sirius, his old phone from when they were teenagers still, living under the same roof.
In the first ring, he felt his heart crash slightly.
In the second ring, he was sure Sirius didn’t use that number anymore.
By the third, he was sure his brother hated him and would never help him, even if he did answer.
He was about to hang up when another voice came.
That’s how he found himself in the backseat of a car, James Potter driving and his brother crying more than himself. His brother’s best friend continuously looked at him in the rear view mirror, with certain distrust, and Regulus was trying to avoid the tears as he evaluated the choice he made, James driving him farther away from his past life.
He was so tired that seeing Sirius felt like the biggest relief, just like how it was when they were little. The city lights are too bright and the headache makes it impossible to try to rest.
He wasn’t sure how late it was, but it had to be somewhere at dawn, because no paparazzi or press was outside the hotel when they arrived. Sirius calmed down enough to talk their way here, just small whispers to James about keeping this in low profile, avoiding what happened last time.
“Prongs, can you take Regulus to your room?”The lobby was deserted, they were talking a few steps ahead of him, he left lost and just followed where his brother was going. He noticed James was carrying his bag, which he had totally forgotten existed. “I am going to go see if Remus is already back, explain it all before you know, surprising him with my little brother while he thinks we ditch them in a club.”
He knew little about his brother’s friends, or life in general. He knew Sirius and James were friends since the first year of the boarding school they all attended to, Peter was always around, no idea where he came from and Remus appeared when Regulus was in third year, a scholarship student who immediately clicked with his brother. That same year, during winter break, Sirius ran away from home.
He remembered seeing the four of them around, almost never crossing paths because Regulus avoided at all costs. But he heard things everywhere. They became a big thing in fifth year, everyone wanted to be around the Marauders. It wasn’t usual that someone was as famous between students as they were. Their school was full of rich kids, some famous, others not, but rich kids nonetheless. This made it easier for Regulus to blend in the background and spend his time hiding away in the art classroom, but difficult for someone to become more popular than the next. So they definitely were one of a kind.
He heard rumors about their friends. James and a red headed girl, Lily Evans, dating. James having the biggest ego, and how he was always shining and kind, so lovely, but he always seemed too vain to Regulus. Rumors don’t alway make sense.
Now, he was sure Potter’s ego was being fed daily, because the Marauders were huge and everyone loved him.
“Reg, stay here with James, I'm coming in just a few minutes.” Sirius finally addressed him, when they had reached a door in the last floor it was silent all around them, Regulus nodded. Sirius went towards the door at the end of the hall, leaving them all alone.
“Come on in.” James said, opening the door for him, and he did as was told.
It was wide, dim lights, with a small living room in the center, he could see a guitar laying on one of the sofas, and a few papers on the table in the center. There was a piano on one side, post-it’s all over it, a couple of half-empty bottles of coke over the counter. Clothes were in front of the mirror on the wall, like he had been trying them before deciding on what he has on now. Farther away into the room, the bed was messy, the blankets everywhere, there was a couple of books and a notebook, still open, in the bedside table. The balcony doors were fully opened too. It looked lived in, little pieces of someone’s life scattered around the room. Regulus wasn’t used to this type of rooms, everything in the Black House had to be perfectly clean at all times.
“Sorry for that, I didn’t have time to go to bed today.” James said, after Regulus had spent a little too much staring at the room. He had many problems on his mind, but suddenly James Potter making his bed in the morning was his preoccupation. “Or anything really, it’s a mess.”
“You do your bed in the morning?” He stayed behind, almost at the door, looking at James and then at the room. “You do know they have people that do that in hotels, right?”
James was leaning over the mini fridge, searching for something. It was the first time he truly looked at him. His white shirt was half undone, full of wrinkles, which put Regulus on edge. His brown hair was messy in the best way it could, and under the white light of the fridge, almost a perfect profile tainted by his under eyes, more visible that in any picture he had seen of him, the type that Regulus knows isn’t because one night of bad sleep, it’s because of several nights without sleep at all.
What could ever keep darling James awake at night?
Never had a serious scandal, he was loved by the public and he knows he has a loving family, they took in Sirius after all. He looked perfect in every picture he had seen of him, shining everywhere he went. He was the sun, too bright and always shining, difficult to ignore his presence in a room. It almost bothered Regulus, how someone could have so much and he never could.
He was now homeless, disowned, probably in the waiting for his public reputation to decline at the hands of his beloved parents. Because no matter what they did, it hurt the most because he loved them. Sirius didn’t, he was beaming, radiating energy in the months following his escape, but Regulus loved them.
“Well, it’s just a silly habit, mom’s fault, but also because I like to feel useful.” James shrugged, and it was the first time in this whole night that Regulus managed to go five minutes without thinking about how miserable he felt. He didn’t want to deal with all of it right now. James took in a bottle of water and drank a pill that Regulus wasn’t sure of where he got it from, then look up at him. His expression was gentle, easy to confuse with caring, totally different from the one that Regulus initially saw in the car. “Anything you like?”
Yeah, he understood why he had everyone head over heels, screaming his name in full stadiums. He wondered how many of them James had loved and left haunted, just a ghost that no one will ever believe they have seen.
What was he even thinking. Regulus frowned at himself, he was tired and over-sensitive, he needed sleep, not some pretty boy asking him if he needed anything. Not his brother’s best friend, of all people.
“I’m okay.” He wondered if Sirius was coming back soon, he felt awkward alone with him, he didn’t know what to say and he knew James probably pity him. He hated being pitied. James closed the fridge, taking his time to walk towards the sofa.
“Sirius probably isn’t coming back tonight, he and Remus… well, they are probably fighting and that normally takes a while.” He sighted, before nodding towards the bed. “Take the bed, rest.”
“I don’t want your bed out of pity.” Regulus muttered, annoyed at the sudden act of kindness. He wasn’t a charity case for him to help.
“If I pity you, I would already rent a room or something, I offered you my bed because you are Sirius’ brother, meaning I care, and I have to go check on Pete.” James said, sounding more uncaring than what Regulus expected, still not mean but uncaring.
He just stared, confused at how he was acting. No one, probably only an angel like Pandora, would prefer sleeping on the sofa for someone else. Not other friend or people he knows would lend his bed without ulterior motives. His parents to say the least, and that’s probably as far as Regulus' interaction circle goes. And he says it is just because he is Sirius’ brother. It didn’t make sense.
“I won’t be asking you to share the bed because oh poor you, you know that, right?” Regulus said, trying to find another explanation, as he walked towards the bed. It was probably the only option he could come up with, after all, he heard some models talking about James Potter, stealing hearts in one night and running off, never saying sorry.
And that would be an awfully shameful talk with Sirius.
But it would piss him off, and so it would his parents, who hated James almost as much as they hated Sirius. His ego would piss him off too, falling for a singer, that’s too low for him.
But all he did was laugh quite loudly.
“Didn’t want you to ask, but glad to know you are thinking about it.” James answered, and this managed to piss off Regulus. At least that was something more usual than the misery he was in.
He took his bag from the bed, where James left
it, and into the bathroom, not asking for permission. He decided he didn’t like James, there was something about him that made him nervous and it definitely wanted it away.
At least it distracted him from the events of tonight.
He found in the bottom of the bag a band t-shirt, one of the things that he took from Sirius’ room when he first left and managed to rescue from his mom. It was a The Cure shirt, worn out, and it always seemed funny to Regulus, because his brother never listened to The Cure. He would have known Sirius forced him to listen to every single artist he liked, never The Cure.
Regulus looked in the mirror, and saw a mess. His eyes were puffy from the crying, finally discovered why his lips hurt. It had a cut and was swollen, he looked pale and his clothes were messy. He looked terrible. He wet his face, trying to wash the visible pain from his face, trying to look like his life wasn’t falling apart.
“I’m heading out to check on-” James was putting a couple of blankets in the sofa, he had made the bed while Regulus was in the bathroom. He turned to look at Regulus. “Wait, that’s mine.”
“It’s Sirius.” Regulus answered, frowning.
“No, no, Sirius took it when we were in school and never returned it, I cried over losing that shirt.” James sounded amused, leaning on the wall as he looked directly at him. Looking at him up and down, before finally making eye contact.
“Well, cry more.” Regulus muttered, face turning red as he rapidly got into the bed. A few minutes later, the door closed and he was asleep before it opened again.
By ten the next morning, Regulus understood a few things. One, Sirius and Remus seemed to have something going on, but he couldn’t quite understand what. Two, Peter was the one that he liked the most, he was kind and painfully funny, but not as maddening as James. Three, James was very loud and demanded all the attention in the room, even when not intending too, he definitely didn’t like him. And finally, Sirius insisted that they were family and it was a family decision, they insisted on being all here to figure out how to help Regulus (he wasn’t on board with that decision).
But he couldn’t understand how they were all so energetic after having so little sleep.
“You can’t stay here in Paris, they will search for you.” Sirius said, still half chewing his toast. “You are their only heir, they will want you back.”
“I don’t want to go back.” He did want it, it was the option that made sense. He had a heritage, he will take over the Black brand in a couple of years, his parents will eventually die or move out to the countryside of France. But he can’t take another day being told he is good for nothing.
But he also didn’t want to ask Sirius for help. Now, in the morning light and with his thoughts clearer, it had been a bad idea. He resented his brother, more than he ever realized, for leaving him behind, for having a life on his own, for being the person he is now. He didn’t want to depend on another person that once left him behind.
He wasn’t even sure that he liked this new Sirius, the one that left him alone the night that his life was crumbling down to go fight with his boyfriend.
Boyfriend? They definitely looked at each other with something more than friendship, but Regulus isn’t in the state of mind to analyze if his brother and his band mate were snogging in their spare time.
It was loud, since they have been brainstorming over breakfast, and for now, the only options where Regulus taking their flat in LA (he hated the States), him staying in Paris (he loved that one, but Sirius insisted it was a bad idea), him going to live in UK (meaning, starting from scratch with some money from his brother, so it was a no), and Regulus started to genuinely consider living on the streets for a while.
“You can stay with us.” James said, and Regulus glared at him, but went unnoticed as he continued. “Join us in the tour, we will be moving cities quite a lot, it’s a couple of months, it will give you time to figure out what you want to do next.”
He opened his mouth, but couldn’t think for anything to revoke James' idea, and wanted to roll his eyes at how this was probably his only option.
“I mean, it’s a very good idea.” Remus concluded, as he moved around with his almost untouched scrambled eggs, he had been doing that quite a lot, Regulus noticed. “If you find a better plan along the way, you can always leave, but it will attract the press. You won’t go unnoticed anymore.”
Sirius let out a grasp of air, without looking at Remus. “Oh, I doubt he would go unnoticed even if he isn’t going around with us. The media have been turning every pebble trying to get to you since you disappeared.” Sirius said, and Regulus, for once, believed him.
He was just 12 when his parents decided that his acting career was too much and that he should keep a private life, that he needed to focus on getting ready to become part of the business, not a dumb actor.
He didn’t even like it, but his parents knew many directors, and they needed a baby or a kid for their films. So he wasn’t just the second son of the famous designer Orion Black and head of the House, Walburga Black, no, he was also Regulus Black, the rising star that suddenly disappeared.
So people used to know his name.
“It has been almost eight years, I doubt anyone is still wondering where I went.”
“Do you really think they forget that you disappeared and a year later Sirius ran away? They even started to say that you were dead and that the Black’s are hiding something darker.” Peter randomly mentions it, and Regulus looks at his brother.
“They think I’m dead?” Probably more surprised than he should be, after all, his parents made sure nothing about his existence went out to the press after Sirius left. Until he was ready they used **to say but he was pretty sure they just didn’t want to.
“Well yeah, there were some pretty weird rumors going around, especially after they came out and said I was a shitty son and only caused trouble, they think they are shady but there isn't actual proof.”
“If he travels with us, what are we going to tell Minnie?” Remus asked. “Oh hey, remember that you explicitly told us not to get close to the Black family topic in any interview? Well, their other son is going to be traveling with us, do you think we can mention something about that if they ask?”
“Forget Minnie, Albus is going to have our heads.” Peter groans, passing his hands through his face.
“I’m sure we can sort it out, Minnie will help us, don’t be dramatic, Moony, and yeah, Albus is kind of a problem but it’s the best option.” James said, and Sirius was awfully quiet as the other three talked about how to deal with said Minnie and Albus.
Maybe he disliked the idea just as much as Regulus did, and it insulted Regulus a bit. He was allowed to dislike it, but why did Sirius dislike it? It was him that left his brother behind, that ran away without him, the one that went for him last night instead of just ignoring his call.
“Who even is Albus and Minnie?” Regulus interrupted their discussion, the boys getting on his nerves, or maybe it was his brother’s silence.
“Minnie- Minerva is our manager, Albus is the CEO of our record, so he makes the calls, and is a pain in the arse.” Sirius finally spoke, leaning on the table, like it was a secret for the two of them. “So Reg, ready for your Almost Famous moment?”
Maybe his parents were not that bad.
Regulus never heard the Marauders’ music. He loved music just like the next person, and they were definitely his taste, but it was his silent protest towards his brother. Something to be at peace with himself, not listening to his music meant not thinking about his brother, or that was the logic.
So in the rehearsal, he was surprised at seeing James take the mic. He could remember Sirius being the vocalist back in school, and thought that the song he heard last night was just one of the exceptions, just like Remus singing.
His brother took the guitar, Remus on the drums, Peter was their bassist. They started the last rehearsal at twelve, it was just checking if the sound was good, the instruments were in the right place, the lighting, and for them to practice one last time some songs, Remus told him, like a warmup.
So he was sitting in a lonely plastic chair on the floor, looking at James jump around as he sang the lyrics of Teenage Dirtbag, probably the one song Regulus will always recognize since Sirius and James wrote it when Sirius still lived in the Black House, during his last year there. It had surely change from the first draft that Regulus heard so many times during that summer before everything went down, but it had the same nostalgia.
James was now in the center of the stage, mic on the stand. “And he doesn’t know who I am.” James sang, looking directly at him. “And he doesn’t give a damn about me.”
For a moment, it was just them, like it was just an empty stage, James with his hands on the mic, lips almost touching it and eyes fixed on Regulus.
Regulus looked away first and didn’t look back for the rest of the rehearsal. He didn’t want to know what it was all about. It took them about an hour more, and Regulus surprisingly wasn’t bored at all. They were made to be on stage, even the energy in a rehearsal was so amazing that it didn’t surprise him anymore that they have sold out every single date. His brother was greater than what he remembered, Remus and Peter were amazing, and James did a good bit.
“We aren’t that bad, are we?” Peter asked him, laughing loudly as they make their way towards the stage.
“Quite impressive actually.” Regulus said, half smiling, they were sweaty, mostly James. “I mean, you are the boy band of-”
Suddenly it was chaos interrupting him.
“What did you call us?” James exclaimed, hand on his chest like he was quite offended.
“Bloody hell, not again.” Remus muttered, hiding his face in his hands, looking rather disappointed.
“Are you kidding my arse?” Peter said over Remus. “You think we are a bloody boy band?”
“Yeah like… One direction? N Sync?”Regulus said, quite confused, as they all groan.
“We are not even pop!” Sirius said, slightly pulling on his hair in the most dramatic way.
“Are they always like this?” He asked Remus, who seemed to be the only one not having a mental breakdown over being called a boy band.
“Welcome to the Marauders, good fucking luck.”
“I swear you are making me consider taking you back to our parents house.” Sirius said, suddenly sitting on the floor and looking up at him.
“Don’t joke with that.” James slightly pushed him with his foot, and Regulus looked at him, that same weird eye contact that made him feel the same way like before.
“He deserved it, he called us a pop boy band, we are a rock band, Reg, Indie. Rock. Band.” He talked slowly, like he was trying to explain his point.
“Whatever you want to believe, Zayn.” Regulus teased, everyone except Sirius laughing.
The rest of their way towards the backstage became a discussion on who would be who if they were a boy band, because Sirius insisted they were not. They settled on Sirius being Zayn, James being Harry, Remus being Louis and Peter being Niall, and Regulus settled that they were all idiots.
“Do I want to know why you are discussing who you would be in One Direction?” A woman who was apparently waiting for them at the entrance said. She seemed to be in her forties, and looked tired as soon as she saw the four of them. Finally someone to share Regulus’ point of view.
“Minnie, you have to agree with that…” And Sirius went on to have the same discussion with Minerva. This let Regulus fade into the background for a couple of minutes, until she finally agreed with the conclusion they came up with and took a look at the five of them.
“Last time I saw you, you were four, not five. Why is there a Sirius look-alike?” Minerva pointed out, looking at Regulus, and then he saw something clicked in her mind. “Oh, please tell me this isn’t Regulus Black.”
“Surprise.” Sirius forced a smile, trying to sound as enthusiastic as he could, but he could see the slight fear in his eyes.
“I want you to tell me everything right now, Black.” She pointed at Sirius, and now Regulus understands why they were so concerned about her finding out. Minerva was scary.
It took Sirius just a couple of minutes to explain to her the situation and Regulus felt exposed, now another stranger knew how his life was falling apart. She went away and they kept silent, leaning on the wall and looking from time to time toward where she was talking over the phone. It was far, not out of sight, but enough from them not to hear her low voice tone.
The anxiety in those few minutes grew in Regulus' body. What if he was asked to leave? He really didn’t have anywhere to go, except Pandora, but didn’t want to become more of a liability, he would have to fend for himself somehow, or go back to his parents.
He didn’t want to go back.
“Here’s what we are going to do.” Minerva said when she got back. “You are going to perform at your best tonight, we are going to go as scheduled and Regulus is going to stay with us. But you two have to show how close and brotherly you are if the news that he is here get out to the media-”
“Of course they will.” Sirius interrupted.
“Then you have to be a big brother and show how much you care about your brother, and hope that your family keeps quiet. The rest of you have to show that you all get along, just like you get along with Sirius, so Regulus is one of you if the news gets out.” Minerva continued, and she sighed, looking at Regulus, her hand on his shoulder as she directly addressed him. “You are safe here, dear, you can stay as long as you need to and we will deal with everything. You can count on me if you need anything at all.”
Regulus felt his eyes go a little watery, forcing him to look down. There was something about her that comforted Regulus, and he now wanted to cling to it as long as he could.
“Thank you.” He whispered, not looking back up.
“Now you, before you give me another headache, go to the styling room now. We start in three hours.” They immediately start to move inside, just like a button was clicked. It was probably the first time he saw them so quiet. “Regulus, I know you are probably having a hard time right now, but you have to get ready for what’s coming.”
She stood closer to him, a sweet melody to her voice, like she was talking with a little kid.
“Your family dragged Sirius through hell when he first ran away, but he was barely a teen so the public easily forgave him. But you are nineteen already, right? Right, so they won’t go as easy on you.”
“I don’t care what they say about me.”
“You will when they start cornering you in every place you go, talk about you daily in the news, and your name is accompanied by an insult every time. It would get to a point where you won’t have a private life.”
Regulus felt his hopes crushing a little. He knew it would be bad, but he couldn’t drag Pandora into this mess, Barty could handle this, but his dad would let him get near Regulus. Evan traveled too much, so it wasn’t the best choice. According to Minerva, no private life so no peaceful life in an average job for now. That was all of his options, having no money, no funds, probably cut out of every single band account he had.
He was stuck with the Marauders.
“If you are lucky, they will keep silent, but you need to be ready. The Marauders PR team could help, but between us, you should handle this, not someone else.” It was almost a whisper the last bit, looking around to make sure no one heard them. She cleared her throat, stepping away. “If you excuse me, I have to make sure everything is going as planned.”
The backstage was full of people, from stylists, to sound tech, to people who Regulus wondered what they were doing here. And yet, somehow, between all these people, the four of them still manage to stand out. They were talking, all hugged in a circle, Regulus kept his distance because it seemed to be a private moment.
Minerva was close to where he was, talking with a guy who just now appeared. He liked her quite a lot, they have talked a few times more, about the guys and all the preparation the show has. He felt useless back here but Minerva made sure to delegate small tasks to keep his hands busy.
“Ready in four!” A guy announced, the guys finally broke their little circle and started to make their way towards the passage to the stage.
“Sirius, Regulus, come here for a second, please.” Minerva asked, concerned tone, the look on her face suddenly made Regulus start to worry himself. It was too gentle, exactly the look of pity. “Read this.”
She handed them the phone she had in his hands, a headline with a picture of their parents.
Regulus' heart dropped at the bold black letters.
From child star to homewrecker; Walburga and Orion Black open up about their youngest son.
The noise around him went quiet, he was just starting “Homewrecker”, suddenly Regulus could hear his parents making the calls, the people working on erasing the incident off his record. That girl screaming at him, running away. They never got far.
“They are fast.” Sirius muttered, breaking his daze, putting hand on his shoulder. “Don’t read it, okay, wait for me and we’ll do it together.”
His fist was clenched, his nails poking in the skin, tears already accumulating in his eyes. He won’t cry again, not because of them.
“They are playing dangerous games, Regulus, don’t act without thinking first. ” Minerva warned him. “They want you to fall before they do.”
“If that’s what they want-” Regulus said, his voice trembling more than he intended to. Not sure if it was the rage or the shame, maybe it was the sadness. “Let the games begin.”
A second, then two. The world moved on as Regulus' rage just rose, but a second later, his brother broke the noisy silence the three of them were in.
“Gosh, you are so dramatic.” Sirius said, rolling his eyes before making his way towards the stage.