New identity
Regulus had mixed feelings about his brother running away from home. On the one hand, he was furious with him and resented him for leaving him alone. However, on the other hand, he felt a kind of gratitude and relief because thanks to the fact that Sirius had been disinherited, their parents needed a male heir, and thus accepted Regulus. They let him change his name and made it possible to make the transition. Thanks to his brother's selfish decision, Regulus was given a chance at the new life he had dreamed of.
The first task on the new way of life was not complicated at all. It was enough to look through books on astronomy and a family tree, and then choose the appropriate names. It took a while, because it was a very serious decision and not some mere whim, as my parents called it when he came to them years ago. Now, however, the situation has changed and he has been given the green light. The new identity he assumes must fit perfectly, as if it were made for him. The name given to him at birth was from a constellation, but he would rather be a star like his brother.
He began to study the names of the stars, to find meanings in them. The new name must have a masculine dignified connotation and some message that will somehow describe him. After several hours of deliberation, he finally found the first name. Regulus is a star in the constellation Leo and means 'little king'. He'd always wanted to be the master of his life, so that suited him very well. The name also had seven letters, and seven is said to be a lucky number.
The second name was definitely less difficult than the first. He simply stated that he would take the name of his grandfather Arcturus, with whom he could talk for hours and always had a very good relationship. It was also a way of coming to terms with his death. Beloved grandfather will be well remembered if he gives himself a middle name after him, if he does not mind. Regulus, however, was afraid to approach his painting and ask about it.
Nor did he ask his parents. He wanted to decide for himself what his name would be. He wasn't going to be influenced by the opinions of others. It's his new life and he'll be pulling the strings this time. He will be the little king of his life. Regulus Arcturus sounded perfect to him. He wrote 'Regulus Arcturus Black' on a piece of paper several times to make sure it was what he was looking for. He took another parchment and wrote on it all the initials R.A.B. slightly crooked calligraphy. He smiled smugly, that was exactly what he meant.
Walburga and Orion approved the new dignity of their younger, and in fact their only son. It only took three days to settle the matter of changing the identity. Thanks to the high position of the Black family, there were no problems with this. The Ministry of Magic has received the new information and all Regulus documents have been updated with the latest information. Dumbledore surprisingly had no doubts either. The new identity was also approved at Hogwarts. The new name was placed on a list of fifth-year students, and teachers were given instructions on how to address him.
However, the whole thing was definitely more complicated. Officially, Regulus was Cassopeia's twin brother and was raised in France by his aunt in order to secure House Black. When Sirius Black left the family, Regulus came from France to fulfill the duties of heir, and Cassopeia took his place. The boy wasn't sure if anyone would believe such an absurd version of events, but he was afraid to share his doubts.
In early August, Regulus received a letter from the Headmaster. On the envelope, "Mr. R. A. Black" was written in place of the addressee. Seeing this, the boy smiled. However, he was very afraid to open the envelope, but finally forced himself to do it. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and started reading.
"Dear Mr. Regulus Black" read the headline, and he had tears in his eyes as he read it. He put the letter aside and said he'd read the attached OWL results first. Outstanding in ten subjects and Above Expectations in Divination, which was a high score considering that half of the questions on the test were predictable.
The envelope also contained the captain's badge. Regulus took it in his hand and turned it a few times, then ran his fingers along the edges. Another reason for pride, he became the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. It was a great honor, but also a responsibility. Now he will have to develop the right tactics to lead the team to the cup.
He placed his badge on the desk and reached for the letter he had left for later. It contained a lot of different information, but the most important was at the end. "You will be moved to the men's section. Rabastan Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr. and Evan Rosier will share dormitory with you. In case of any inconvenience, we will try to change your tenants or get you a spare room."
Regulus smiled genuinely. For the first time since he could remember, he felt so happy. He will live together with his three best friends. They were one of the few people who knew he was transgender. There were two more friends Pandora and Dorcas. All five were a huge support to him. They accepted him and used the correct pronouns when talking about him among themselves.
He received immediate replies when he wrote them letters that his parents had accepted him as a son and would soon be a real man legally and physically. Reading these letters from friends he felt really good, he was understood and of course everyone was happy with him. Dorcas offered to cut his hair, which of course he agreed to.
She came to his house through the fiu network. They talked for a while, but Regulus couldn't remember a word of the conversation. He was too preoccupied with what was about to happen and was taken out of reality when it happened. For long minutes he stared at the floor and watched his hair cut before Dorcas cleaned it away with magic. He had tears in his eyes as he looked at himself in the mirror for the first time.
His hair wasn't who knows how short and fell into his eyes a bit before he brushed it back, but he definitely looked more masculine with it. For the first time in his life, he admitted that he even liked the way he looked. He was delighted with the end result of the haircut. Out of gratitude, he hugged his friend, which surprised her a little because she knew how much Black hated physical contact, but at the moment the discomfort associated with touching was only slight and did not matter.
It was an important day for him, another big step in the journey to fulfill his dream, although in fact it was more of a need than a dream. Regulus needed to feel good about himself. He wanted to look at himself in the mirror, not at a complete stranger. He couldn't pretend to be Cassopeia Black anymore, it hurt too much.
He had to pretended for most of his live. He played the perfect daughter, cousin, schoolgirl, he even tried a girlfriend with more than one person, but in this role he did not work out and he decided that relationships are not for him. But maybe now he'll get a chance to prove himself somehow a boy. Maybe Regulus will have better luck in love than Cassopeia.
The knowledge that he was just starting a new life with a new identity allowed him to keep him in a relatively good and stable mental state. Of course he suffered the loss of his brother, but he tried not to think about it too much. He had more important things on his mind than worrying about someone who left him. Sirius didn't want to be part of Regulus' old life, so I don't deserve to be part of the new one.
Now he could start all over again. When he returns to Hogwarts, almost no one will know who he is, except for a small circle of his close friends. Pretending you don't know someone so you don't have to talk to them will become much easier now. Maybe he could stay off the road and not have to make too many friends.
The next thing was Quidditch. His teammates will certainly not recognize him. He means, Evan, Rabastan and Barty will know, but the other three will have no idea where the new captain came from. Didn't Dumbledore think this through when he gave him the title and badge. However, the headmaster often made absurd decisions, so maybe appointing a new student captain will not raise suspicions at all.
He still had to think about what kind of character I wanted to build for the new character. After all, he had ceased to impersonate the polite, nice and obedient Cassopeia. In fact, whyshould he play a role again when he can be himself. As Regulus, he will behave in the way he wants, but of course he will also do it in such a way that his parents will be proud of him.