Chapter 22
It had been absolutely terrible, the week leading up to summer break, and the thought of being apart from Regulus.
Though, luckily for James, there had been one situation in particular that took his mind off of the whole thing for a bit.
They had all been gathered in the room of requirement, drunk as always.
As per usual Evan had been shamelessly flirting with James. The problem was that the flirting had turned slightly physical. James had known it would only be a matter of time before Regulus took notice.
To everyone's surprise, Regulus was drunk, and not in the mood to take anyone's shit.
Regulus waltzed up, grabbing Evan by his collar, aggressively pulling him away from James “what the fuck mate?” Evan asked, looking more confused than ever “Don't you feel like its slightly pathetic at this point? Flirting so desperately with someone who clearly has no interest in you at all?” Regulus was raising his voice as he spoke, making the room fall quiet. Evan was frozen in place.
“You could maybe, oh i don't know, flirt with someone who actually wants you. Someone like Barty who has been in love with you for god knows how long, but you are too self centred to even notice it” The expression on his face, made it clear that he had regretted his words halfway through.
Evan turned to Barty, who looked like he had seen a ghost. James watched as Evans' eyes softened, finally figuring out that what Regulus said had been true.
“Cmon” Evan had taken Bartys hand, shooting a deadly glare back at Regulus, before they exited the room.
As suspected, the whole situation ended in Evan and Barty returning to the party an hour later, clearly having been snogging in a broom closet somewhere.
As fun as the whole interaction had been to everyone, James had to face what was about to happen. He had waited until the last moment to pack his trunk, as if it would make time move any slower.
“Merlin you look pathetic” Regulus chuckled, having walked up behind James, as he had been desperately looking for him at the train station.
James didn't even reply, he simply scooped Regulus into his arms.
A part of him knew that the second he let him go, his entire world would be turned upside down.
August 1977
In the back of his mind, Regulus had always known. Known how easy it would be for him to be sucked into something so cruel, as long as it gave him a sense of belonging.
He had dreaded it anyway, knowing how drastically things would change for him.
It had been instant. The second he set foot off the train, Walburga has apparated him to a manor, in an undisclosed location of course. He had gotten the mark, and had instantly been welcomed with open arms.
This had been an extremely odd feeling for Regulus. His whole life he had felt wrong, no sense of belonging anywhere, not even in his own home.
Then the dark lord had spoken to him personally, sat him down, as if this was any other job offer.
He hadn't even scared, not even for a second. He had been so surprised, when the dark lord explained, that his own parents had suggested him. He learned that since Sirius was as far out of the picture as one could possibly be, he was the Black heir.
Not heiress, heir.
He was now the one who represented his family, the one in power for once.
“I see great things in you Regulus, power, greatness even, if you decide to choose the right path”
Hearing those words had made Regulus sort of blind. He mattered here, which meant nothing else mattered.
September 2nd 1977
The summer of 1977, had been a blur for James. He hadn't been able to think about anything else. What was Regulus doing? Was he okay? Had they somehow convinced him to get the dark mark, that everyone had been talking about?
He had hoped so deeply, that none of his darkest thoughts had been true. As he saw Regulus their first night back, he knew they had been.
He had been staring into thin air, sitting with a weird amount of space between him and the rest of his class. James knew exactly what had happened.
He hadn't dared to approach him that first night, but the second he had seen his name move on the map that second night, he had sprinted towards the astronomy tower.
“You did it, didn't you? You joined them? You got that awful mark too didn't you? Fuck… I can fix this. We just need to go to Dumbledore, he can help, he can get you out-”
“Shut up!” Regulus had raised his voice, making James shut up like a clam “Yes. everything that you just mentioned has happened. But that's the thing, it has already happened. There's nothing you or Dumbledore can do, James. I am in it now” Regulus explained.
“But there has to be something we can do. I can't just let this happen, let them force you to do this..” James felt helpless once again.
“Nobody forced me to do anything. It is already done, and so are we” Regulus said, in a way that made James want to cry “You are breaking up with me just because you joined those deatheaters?” James asked frustrated, tears stinging in his eyes.
“No. i am breaking up with you, because i knew you wouldn't understand why”
Just like that, it was over. James had somehow managed to lose everything he had, in a matter of seconds.