Chapter 1
Regulus heard yet another slam from downstairs, indicating that the argument between his mother and Sirius was ongoing. Despite the commotion being too far down the hallway for him to hear the specifics, he was aware that they had been at it for at least 20 minutes. Regulus was growing tired of Sirius' incessant arguing and wished he would stop, even though he knew his mother wouldn't.
Suddenly, a loud shattering noise and even louder screaming caused Regulus' curiosity to get the best of him. Slowly, he got up from his spot and walked towards the door. He cautiously opened it, peeking his head out to listen in.
His mother's voice boomed through the hallway, "You're a disgrace to this family! All you have ever done is disrespect our family name. You are so lucky that I let you live in this house when you bring nothing but shame!"
Sirius laughed mockingly, "Lucky? I don't consider this to be lucky. All you do is ruin my life. You are you just a blood-purist bigot"
"Don't you dare use that language with me!" His mother screamed, "If you continue to speak to me like that, this will be the last day you set foot in this house!"
Sirius scoffed, "Sounds tempting if you ask me. Getting myself out of this hellhole? That sounds like heaven."
"Then get out!" His mother's voice hit a pitch that Regulus had never heard before, "Don't ever show your face here again if that's what you want!"
Sirius sarcastically cheered, "Perfect! Great, fantastic! Kicking out your own son, that is really classy, mother."
"You are no son of mine," She practically spat, "Either you fall back in line or you will be out of this house tonight."
Sirius taunted, "Doubling back now, mother? You know- Ah!"
Regulus freezes and flinches at the sound, he knows that his mother has just pulled him by the hair and thrown him to the ground. Regulus couldn’t hear exactly what was being said but he knew when it came to his mother it couldn’t be good.
“Crutio!” His mother yelled, the sounds of Sirius's screams echoed through the corridors.
Regulus knew what was going to happen and then by instinct, he headed down the stairs to where Sirius and his mother were arguing. What he saw when he came down those stairs was nothing short of a nightmare. Sirius was on the floor sobbing, his mother nearly on top of him dragging him by the hair across the floor.
“You wrench!” His mother spat at Regulus, noticing him by the stairs. “I distinctly remember telling you to stay out of my way in your room. Now you need a punishment, don’t you Regulus” His mother glared at him, stepping away from Sirius, raising her wand at Regulus.
Regulus stood, paralysed in fear, not knowing what the monster called his mother would do. He had no clue how to answer her.
“Answer me when I talk to you Boy” His mother Raised her wand even higher
He looks back to Sirius, hoping desperately he can get him out of this situation. His mother is already furious, and watching her get angrier at him is bone-chilling.
“Stop-”
Sirius only gets out a word before Regulus pays for it, his mother jabbing her wand at him and casting what is undoubtedly a very strong cast of Crucio.
He isn’t on his feet for more than a few seconds, collapsing from the unbearable pain that is coursing through his body. She only holds it for around 15 seconds, but it’s enough to render him immobile on the floor. He can dully feel that he scratched his face on the table in the hallway when he fell, but it barely compares to everything else he’s feeling.
“Leave him alone!” Sirius argues, “He’s got nothing to do with this!”
“I didn’t ask for your input!” She yells back, “Your ridiculous ideals have corrupted your brother! And I do not tolerate naughty, disgusting, rebellious traitors in this house!”
Her screaming seems to explode something against his skull, and his ears ring loud enough to block out the screaming match Sirius is still encouraging.
Before Regulus could process what was happening, Sirius was grabbing onto Regulus’s arm and pulling him up the stairs. He felt weak and helpless, unable to process what was even happening. He feels himself be pulled into Sirius’s room.
Sirius yells back at their mother before he slams his door, “You want me out? I got some good news for you!”
Regulus had finally come back to reality, His mother had just disowned Sirius. Was Sirius going to leave him here?
“Sirius….” Regulus’s voice was barely over a whisper, “Please let me come with you”
“Reggie of course, I’m not leaving you here in this hellhole, we have to be quick” Sirius was grabbing trunks for both him and Regulus, shoving in only the essentials.
Regulus ran into his room, grabbing his favourite clothes and only the most important things he could think of: his wand, school stuff and his poetry book. He ran back to Sirius’s room.
Sirius pulls Regulus into a tight hug and whispers into his ear “It's all going to be okay Reggie, I am always going to be here for you.”
Once Regulus pulls away from the hug, Sirius smiles at him and walks out, Regulus following behind him, although slowly. Sirius storms down the hallway and down the stairs, but Regulus can’t keep up with him and settles for letting him get down there first.
“Hah, you’re leaving?!” She cackles, “Where do you think you’re going?!”
“Away from here,” Sirius replied coldly, not bothering to even look at his ‘mother’.
The slow banging of Regulus coming down the stairs stops his mother from answering, and it only takes her a moment to determine what the sound is.
“You brats!” She suddenly explodes at them, “You are not taking him with you!”
Regulus reaches the bottom of the stairs, making the grave mistake of looking at his mother. Her face shakes him more than he expected.
“Regulus Arcturus Black,” She hisses out, taking a couple of steps forward, intimidatingly, “You go back upstairs right now.”
Regulus almost flees back upstairs, but Sirius grabs onto him before he can, “I’m taking him with me.”
“No, you are not!”
Before anyone could say anything, Sirius drags Regulus out of the door and slams it in her face.
“Omg, I can’t believe we just did that.” Regulus said shakingly, just realising what happened, “Wait, Sirius, where are we going to go?”
“I think I know exactly where we should go.”
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Once they had gotten off the bus and walked down the block, Regulus is surprised that he is still walking. They were both absolutely exhausted. Every single part of his body was aching with the effects of the Cruciatus still not wearing off.
Sirius still hadn’t told them where they were going and it was stressing Regulus out. Finally, they had reached where they were going. Well Regulus guessed anyway due to Sirius stopping and knocking the door. Regulus was practically cowering behind Sirius. Behind the door, Regulus could hear voices for a second before one of them gets closer and the door opens.
It was James Potter.
Regulus couldn’t say he was surprised, it was his brother's best friend after all. James stood there in shock, staring blankly at the two brothers.
“Sirius, What the hell!” James was so confused about why his best friend was on his doorstep, especially with Regulus as well. “Are you okay”
James pulled Sirius and Regulus into his house. Sirius was about to say something before he was cut off by an old woman coming down the stairs.
“Who was i- Oh my goodness, Sirius dear, What happened? Actually wait, don't answer that,” The woman, who Regulus guessed was James’s mother, had ran back up the stairs returning holding a load of potions and medical supplies.
Regulus had begun to feel incredibly overwhelmed and his legs felt like jelly. The room was spinning and then all of a sudden he felt his head hit the floor and it went blank, the only thing he heard was Sirius’s voice saying “Reggie, No!”
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Regulus woke and started panicking, he was lying on an unfamiliar red sofa. He had to get to Sirius. However, it wasn’t Sirius he was greeted with, It was the same woman as before.
“Oh, dear. You're awake, thank goodness I was beginning to get worried.” The woman was sitting next to Regulus on another red sofa. “Are you okay dear? Sirius told us what happened”
Regulus didn’t want to speak. She didn’t know this woman and he most definitely didn’t trust her so instead he just nodded his head slowly.
“Okay my love, You passed out due to the effects of the Cruciatus curse. Would you like a hug” The woman asked and Regulus very quickly shook his head. “That's okay dear, I’m just used to Sirius that’s all, he’s very much a hugger.” She gave Regulus a warm smile and handed him a glass of water.
He took it warinly but took a sip nonetheless, he however hadn’t realised how thirsty he was, he had begun to drink very quickly due to the level of thirst he had.
Regulus had very quickly finished the glass of water, then he immediately felt horrible. He feels so bad about taking hospitality at a stranger’s house and he feels like he's about to vomit.
He just really needed his Sirius, Sirius had always been good at this. He was so confident, something that Regulus could never be. He is 100% sure that he would have never left that house without him.
Nevertheless, he is not sure he regrets leaving.