I- Little Bastards
-James-
James found himself staring at the island again, you could see it perfectly from every window on this side of the castle. Knockturn Island is the place where all the Death Eaters were locked away after Fleamont Potter, James’s dad, became King. It's been thirty-five years since the peace was placed upon the Kingdom of Hogsmeade and James had thought it time for a change.
He was going to be crowned king in less than a year and he’d decided what his first act would be.
“James,” A voice called, stepping loud into the empty hallway. He turned to see his parents walking to him, hand in hand.
Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, the King and Queen, and the best parents James could ever ask for. They were the most suitable people to rule the country. Fleamont, with his charming character and kind heart, wasn't bribeable and he’s a good leader. Euphemia, beautiful tan skin, gentle and kind but not someone you want to double cross. James just hoped he’d be able to be as good a ruler as them but, first, he needed to tell them his idea.
“Mom, Dad,” James smiled, straightening his posture and taking a careful step toward his parents. They smiled and waited for him to continue, “I know what my first act will be as king!”
His father smiled wide, pure pride in his son, “what is it?”
“Well, you know Knockturn Island?”
His parents nodded, if not a little cautiously.
“I think the children on the Island should be invited to come to school here. At Hogwarts.” James said, determined and sure. His parents' faces dropped immediately, pride replaced with confusion and doubt.
“What do you mean?” His mother broke the stretching science, brows furrowed.
“The children of the Death Eaters. I choose four to start with, ones I think need the most exposure and help from us. They’re fifteen and sixteen, and would attend Hogwarts with me and the other students.” He explained, playing with his ring nervously.
“James..” his dad started slowly, looking at his wife who nodded slowly, “who are their parents?”
“Femie Rosier, Barty Crouch,” he took a deep breath, looking down at his hands and biting his cheek nervously. He looked up, “and Walburga Black.”
His mother put her hand over her mouth to cover her gasp and his dad just stared at him.
“They’re the most dangerous Death Eaters on that Island!” His dad stated, disbelief visible on his face, “they’ve caused so much harm!”
“Exactly why their kids need our help!” James shot back, “they’re innocent and deserve at least one chance to be good.”
His parents looked at each other before returning their gaze to their son. His mom smiled gently, walking up to her son and placing her hands on his face.
“Oh James, my love,” she said, looking into his eyes with her genuine smile, “I’m so very proud of you. If you believe this could work, I trust you.”
Leave it to Euphemia Potter to never mistrust her son’s judgment.
“Effie..” James’s dad tried, looking between them. He sighed and smiled, “you’re right, they’ve committed no crimes and do deserve a chance. I approve of your decision.”
****
-Regulus-
Regulus was in the alley at the end of the Island, waiting for his brother and friends to arrive so they could do something. He was bored and needed to cause some sort of ruckus on the island. It’d been way too long since they’d done anything, a full two days. Although, that was partly Regulus’s fault, due to him not wanting to leave their hideout. He felt horrible, overwhelmed with anxiety he couldn’t find the source of.
The others seemed content with staying in, not wanting to do anything without him, but he could tell Barty was itching to break a rule. Evan had let Sirius sew him another outfit so they’d kept busy. They’d all kept an eye on Regulus and his brother made sure to comfort him whenever he’d let him. Regulus just had a bad feeling about something, like something was going to happen to them.
Their mother, Walburga, hasn’t spoken to them either, letting them run off to their side of the island. Regulus wasn’t sure she even noticed her sons missing from the house. Walburga Black was a complicated and cruel woman. She made sure her children were right, by her standards, and feared. She didn’t leave the house unless necessary and refused to pay much mind to her sons. Though Regulus knew that, in some twisted way, she cared for them. She tended to place more of her expectations on her younger son, apparently seeing “more of herself” in him, whatever that was supposed to mean. Regulus didn’t know how he felt about it, his mother was so very cruel but so was he. His brother was too, that’s just how they were raised, but Regulus kept them in line more.
“Reg!” Someone called, he didn’t have to turn around to know it was his brother. He turned around to see his brother and two friends running up to him, smiles plastered on their faces.
Sirius, his older brother, has curly black hair that just passed his shoulders. He wore mostly black leather and had chipped painted black nails. He almost always had black eyeliner smudged around his light gray eyes, lighting them up even more. Sirius was complex in a way that he was the most gentle out of their group, but you didn’t want to be on his bad side.
Barty had fair skin that darkened easily in the bright sunlight. His hair was light brown, short, and fluffy, which his boyfriend ran his fingers through quite often. His eyes were dark emerald green with flecks of brown throughout them, gentle to those he cared for. He had colorful nails that were a different color every week, this week it was red and purple, paired with ripped, leather jeans and sleeveless vests that he matched to his nails. He almost always had a smile on his face whether it was genuinely happy or cruel and unforgiving. He had an aggressive personality that was both amazing and horrible, depending on the situation. Barty was never alone, no matter how much he hated working with others, he couldn’t be alone. Where you found Barty, you could typically find his boyfriend, Evan Rosier.
Evan had dark skin and short bleached, textured hair. He had the brightest blue eyes, they reminded Regulus of the North Pole, but the warmest smile. He had freckles scattered across his soft skin and white-painted nails. He wore many different shades of blue and green, bringing out his eyes in the best possible way. He knew he was stunning and used it to get his way, though it didn’t work on Regulus and his brother or any of their parents. He was sassy and sarcastic, one of the many reasons he and Regulus got along so well. Evan carried the group's pet snake, Basil, on his shoulder wherever the boys went.
Basil was a mint green Kaara snake they’d stolen from some cursed pet shop and had gotten immediately attached. They were only allowed to keep the snake because none of their parents were brave enough to go near Basil. They were about a foot long but none of them knew how old Basil was so they didn’t know if they’d get any longer. They were wrapped comfortably around Evan’s arm as the three boys approached Regulus.
“Hey guys,” Regulus greeted, lips quirking up slightly at the sight of his friends. He kicked off the wall he was leaning on and met them at the edge of the alleyway.
“So apparently, our parents want to see us,” Barty informed, leaning his elbow on Evan’s shoulder.
Regulus furrowed his brow in confusion, he looked at his brother who seemed just as confused as himself. Sirius gave a bemused shrug and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Any idea what it’s about?” He tried, already knowing the answer.
Barty shook his head, as expected, and looked behind him, “want to go piss some people off before finding out?”
Regulus smirked, they knew exactly how to take their minds off the anxiety of their parents. Evan moved Basil to hang around his neck and kicked the back of Barty’s knees, knocking him over, and taking off to the nearest warehouse.
The thing about the Island is that people were living everywhere, in every store, warehouse, abandoned hospital, or wherever they could find. There were people everywhere at all times so it wasn't difficult to disturb anyone. No buildings were really owned by anyone, if you wanted the space for yourself you had to fight for it. Stealing was the norm, and any sort of chaos was almost welcomed. They were children of Death Eaters after all.
Regulus grabbed his brother’s wrist and followed Evan, leaving Barty yelling after them.
They jumped on beds of sleeping people, climbed on the tops of buildings, and stole fruit from the stands, running and laughing as they ran to where they’d inevitably see their parents. Evan climbed an abandoned warehouse before jumping on Barty’s back. Sirius stole a pillow from a sleeping guy and threw it in the face of a shop owner chasing them, making him stumble. Regulus jumped on the back of a wagon, laughing as his brother tripped their friends.
It was all over too soon as they reached their destination, their parents' place. Walburga Black was standing on the balcony, staring down at her sons and their friends. Their laughing stopped at once and Regulus felt himself frown. Her threatening gaze lingered on him before she moved on to his brother. Something bad is about to happen.
Their mother disappeared, indicating that she was coming down, and Sirius stepped in front of him, shielding him from what was about to come. He felt a surge of safety flow through his veins as his brother protected him from their mother, though nothing had happened yet.
Their mother appeared behind the locked, rusted gate of their house. She opened it and her cold gray eyes met Regulus’s, charming, he thought. She pointed her finger at her sons and beckoned them to her side.
“Tell me,” She said, slow and precise as if trying to stare into their bones, “what does mucking up a few businesses do for our reputation?”
Regulus exchanged a look with his brother, unsure of how to answer. Sirius spoke first,
“We broke into that old chemical factory at the end of the island and vandalized the shit out of it.” He attempted, a nervous smirk on his face. They’d made their way to the factory earlier that week, before Regulus’s breakdown, and completely trashed the place and also spent the night there. It’d been fun and probably incredibly unsafe in hindsight, but no one was harmed and the chemicals had been cleared out.
Walburga hummed in thought, narrowing her eyes cruelly. “That's what I like to hear,” She answered, the ghost of a smile lingering on her sorrowful features.
The thing about Walburga Black was that she never smiled, refused to. She didn’t smile in pictures, at her accomplishments, at her son’s accomplishments, nothing. The only reason her sons knew when she wasn’t disappointed was because they’d grown up around her, they had to learn how she communicates. She had the same eyes as her sons, but somehow looking into hers’ felt cold and uncomfortable while looking into Sirius’s eyes was the safest thing Regulus had ever felt.
“I have news;” Walburga continued, “you four have been picked to go to a new school, in the Hogsmeade.”
All of their jaws dropped as they exchanged looks of disbelief. They tensed up and deflated all at the same time, unsure of what to say or do. Why would anyone in their right mind suggest that anyone on the island go to school in their kingdom? Let alone the children of the most feared and dangerous death eaters alive? Evan took a step back into Barty who unconsciously grabbed his wrist. Regulus looked between his brother and mother, willing his composure back. He broke the stunned silence,
“What!? Like with royalty and all that shit?” He questioned, not sure how to process the information.
“Yes, with royalty and all that shit.”
“No way we’re going, that’s insane,” Sirius said, regaining his ability to speak. Annoyance and disgust flooded his face, matching Regulus’s own.
Their mother shot him a look, cold and threatening, making Sirius snap his mouth shut.
This time it was Barty who spoke up, “We’re not fit for a school like that, nor do we want to be, right?” He looked at his friends, a firm hand still on his boyfriend’s wrist that probably grounded both of them.
“And what about Basil? There’s no way they’d let a snake into the school” Evan added, holding up their pet who had made its way to his bicep.
They all nodded in agreement, standing their ground, but Walburga only rolled her eyes.
“Don’t you four see it? The potential this holds for you?!” She cornered, holding her hand out in a gesture of amusement, “inside. Now.”
Sirius’s jaw clenched as he turned to look at the others who gave him the same look as before. Regulus took the first step after their mother, making sure the others were following close behind him. He felt that same anxiety that he’d been feeling for the past two days bubble in his stomach again. That’s it, he thought, this is what that bad feeling was about.
Upon stepping into the small house he saw his friends’ parents gathered around the table in the center of the living room. They turned their heads at the sound of their kids entering the room, cruel smiles on their faces. Regulus figured there must be some sort of plan otherwise they wouldn’t look like that knowing their kids are about to escape their sights. Evan sighed somewhere behind him, having probably just realized what Regulus had.
There was a cold feeling suddenly moving around Regulus’s hand, he looked down to see Basil slowly making their way up his arm. Warm comfort flooded his body at the touch, a smile almost making its way onto his face. Their parents would never know just how much this one pet meant to all four boys, and they’d never try to explain it either.
When Regulus looked up again his mother was staring at him, waiting. He snapped back into attention, listening for her to tell them the plan.
“You all will go to Hogwarts and you will steal the locket of Slytherin for me.” She commanded, turning to her cabinet that held all her old magical items.
“What do we get out of it?” Evan asked bravely, crossing his arms over his chest.
Walburga ignored him completely, not once acknowledging his existence. She looked at her sons, “this is all for us, don’t you see? If I get that necklace, my magic will restore me to full power and we can take over this sad, boring world.”
Regulus and Sirius looked at each other, then back at their mother.
“We can be free together, and we can be happy. With that amount of magic I’ll be able to have whatever we want, no more suffering.” She continued, something flashing in her eyes that Regulus couldn’t recognize.
“Us too,” Regulus’s aunt, Druella, added, still at the table in the center of the room. Regulus turned to see his friends’ parents nodding in agreement with his aunt.
Walburga sighed and waved her hand in acknowledgment, “yes yes, you too.” She turned back to her sons, gathering their attention again, “you don’t get to refuse.”
Regulus felt himself stiffen and a cold chill run down his spine; one thing you never do is say no to Walburga Black. She isn’t scared of anyone and she isn’t afraid to do unspeakable things. Regulus thinks, cruelly, that she lost the ability to feel any sort of emotion. She doesn’t feel even the slightest bit of remorse or regret or guilt, or that’s what it’s always seemed like.
Both he and Sirius nod their heads and Walburga’s features soften just slightly, “I’m doing this for you, it’s just tough love, anyone will tell you that.”
“We know,” Sirius choked out, moving a step closer to Regulus which was comforting for the both of them.
Regulus felt the eyes of their friends on them as they talked with their mother, it burned the back of his neck. Walburga was talking in a hushed voice so only he and Sirius could hear her, but regardless he could feel the concern in their stare.
Their mother was like this, she never actively said the words “I love you” but she let them know she did. Regulus thought it was probably just because of how she was raised, he knew her parents weren’t very loving either so he didn’t expect much from her. She’d told them multiple times about her parents, about how bad they were, and the things she never had growing up. The stories were horrible but Walburga always said that no matter how bad things were, she wouldn’t leave because they still did things for her, they loved her. So it made sense that she didn’t know how to show that she loved her sons. Besides, if she didn’t love him, why would she spend so much time making sure he had what he needed for his transition?
Walburga opened her cabinet, “Regulus,” she beckoned him over and pulled out a leather book with forest green detailing littering it beautifully. She moved her fingers across the cover, the most gentle Regulus had ever seen her.
“This,” she said, “is my grimoire, it has every spell I’ve ever read about, made, and used. Druella and I have so many fond memories with it, don’t we, sister?”
Aunt Druella smiled fondly, “that we do, Wally, that we do. Sirius, I have something for you.”
Walburga handed Regulus the book, “use this wisely,” she ordered, her eyes flashing with that unrecognizable feature again. He nodded and held the book tightly against his side, turning to see what his brother was doing.
Druella handed him a beautifully detailed silver pocket mirror, which he held in his right hand running his finger over the details over it gently. When he looked back up at his aunt she explained it,
“This is a magic mirror, it’ll show you whatever you want it to, and it only works for those with Black blood.” Her smile had a nostalgic cunning to it that made Regulus wonder how long it’d been in the family. They had a lot of family heirlooms as they were quite wealthy, or they were outside the island. None of their wealth mattered on Knockturn Island since they didn’t use money, they traded.
“Those will be helpful to you outside the Island and getting that locket since the items don’t work here.” Evan’s mother explained, holding her son's wrist in a firm grip as if she stopped talking to him to explain the obvious.
Regulus eyed Femie’s hand, hoping it would set ablaze just from his staring. He never liked it when she touched Evan, as it always brought visible discomfort to him. Basil had moved down Regulus’s arm and curled around the book before dropping on the table. They moved towards Evan, slowly raising their head and hissing. It caught everyone’s attention since the snake was never violent, this was incredibly shocking. Suddenly, Basil struck Femie’s hand and she screamed out in pain. She let go of Evan’s hand immediately and sunk to the floor, cradling her now bleeding hand. The snake was still hissing as they wrapped themself around Evan’s arm, threatening. Regulus had to bite down a smile while he saw his brother hide his face to hide his smile, Barty disguised his laugh as a cough. The adults just stared in disbelief, Crouch took a step back from his son who was still trying not to laugh.
Druella grabbed Femie by the elbow and guided her over to the bathroom, presumably to clean her up. Their mother was the one who spoke first,
“You leave tomorrow at eight,” she informed, “and take that damn snake with you.”
Regulus felt a surge of pride as he went to bed that night.