In
Out
In
Out
In
In
He couldn't breathe out, he couldn't breathe at all. His throat felt tight, and his head felt like it had been spinning.
Not here
Not now
He couldn't break, not now, and definitely not here.
"Mistress has ordered Kreacher to -, Master Regulus" The voice broke through his thoughts, biting his lip to avoid jumping.
"Wh-... Yes alright, thanks" He said softly. He wasn't his mother, nor was he his brother, he didn't understand how they could spend hours screaming at each other, he didn't understand how his father could stand to listen to it.
He blinked, looking at the house elf who still stood by the door, when he realized, he didn't actually hear what had been said. "Sorry, repeat? My mother ordered you to do what to me?" He asked, hoping to at least spare the elf from having to repeat fully.
"Not to you, Master Regulus" The elf corrected. Regulus had believed he was the only one who wouldn't pull a wand at the elf for doing so. Regulus gave a nod the elf a nod to continue.
"Mistress has ordered Kreacher to tell Master Regulus is requested downstairs immediately, Master Regulus" The elf repeated anyway.
"Did she say why?" He could hear it now, the fighting had seemed to stop, but he never heard Sirius storm up into his room, he hadn't seen him either, though Kreacher did currently hold his attention.
"Mistress has also ordered Kreacher to gather Master Black as well, Master Sirius is already there"
"Sirius and mother have been fighting since after dinner, I'm aware of where my brother is, I can still hear, you do realize"
"Kreacher thinks Master Regulus might have to see a healer about the hearing, he did not hear Kreacher first time" Even for a house elf, Kreacher had never feared the youngest Black, nor did he fear the man of the house, being his father, and Regulus always thought that was very telling of his family, even if his mother tried to make them seem perfect.
"I hear just fine, I was just thinking," He said, he could have sworn he heard Kreacher make a comment about how that was a dangerous thing in this house, but he was gone before Regulus could say anything. Kreacher was correct of course, but unless someone had a death wish, that opinion was never voiced where pictures hung. His mother had eyes and ears everywhere, mostly everywhere, bedrooms and the kitchen were relatively safe. His family hardly ever went into the kitchen, for that was where Kreacher worked and they were above that, so it was naturally his favourite spot to be.
"Regulus Arcturus Black!"
He had been quick to stand when he heard the call, he had been quicker to leave his room when he heard the footsteps pounding up the stairs, Regulus had moved quickly to meet the woman at the top of the stairs, his mother nearly missing a step when her son seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Oh that useless elf! Where is he hiding? I gave him one simple task!" She fumed. Regulus frowned, it had been his fault he didn't come down right away, not Kreacher.
"The fault was mine, Mother" He started calmly.
In
Out
Breathe
Just Breathe
"Your fault?" She demanded as she made the rest of her way up the stairs, Regulus had to think quickly, he felt dizzy- he felt sick.
"I was beginning to feel ill after dinner, I went to lay down" He lied, he didn't dare move when his mother reached out, he braced for a spell, anything, but she felt his head and his neck, he had been clammy and warm. He did feel ill, however, that didn't start until after he heard her racing up the stairs.
"You're getting sick again. Tsk" The woman said, pulling her hand away before gripping the boys wrist and leading him back down to where the rest of the family had been, his father now also in the room with Kreacher at his side. His father had been ill off and on, but each time he always seemed to look worse, and currently, he looked about the same as Regulus felt.
"Kreacher, call a healer in the morning," She said, before her gaze snapped back to her eldest son, the anger she had that Regulus was sure would have been directed towards him if he didn't look ill, now towards his brother. Regulus couldn't read his brothers' expressions, but with how he held himself, Regulus knew he was hurt. He didn't want to think about whatever spells were used, but Sirius was also bleeding on his cheek, it looked swollen and already bruising, mother struck him, frowning, he shifted his gaze away.
In
In
Breathe damn it
Breathe
The arguing continued, but it was quickly becoming much more heated, why was he here? Why did mother want a family meeting to scream at Sirius, she was doing just fine before. But then, he couldn't hear, he saw both their mouths moving, but he couldn't hear, he only heard static.
Breathe
You need to breathe
Breathe
A white flash of light took over when he felt himself being roughly pulled away from where he stood, he felt heat fly past him, and he could barely hear his father going on about burning the remaining son. Remaining? When his vision cleared, at least enough for him to look to where he had been standing, he had been almost in front of the now burning tree, his brothers face burning off. He looked around, but Sirius was gone, he didn't see him anymore.
He didn't see anything anymore. He had forgotten to breathe. The last thing he felt had been his father catching him, and no doubt falling with him, and a smaller pair of hands touching him and slowing the fall, before nothing.
The next time Regulus opened his eyes, he was blinking until his vision wasn't fuzzy, he had been looking at a different part of the ceiling, and he was back in his room.
"Master Regulus is awake, gave Master Black quite a fright he did" Regulus had tried to sit up, only to feel a binding charm, his mother always did take bedridden too seriously.
"What... What happened?" He asked quickly, his head was throbbing, and he felt like he was spinning.
"It happened again, Master Regulus. Master Regulus has forgotten how to breathe. I must tell Mistress what has made Master Regulus ill"
"No!" He said quickly. "Kreacher, you are going to tell her I am overworking myself, or that I haven't eaten enough, just anything but what you know. You cannot tell her, do you understand me?"
"... Very well Master Regulus, but Master Regulus's spells are happening much too often for her to believe it for much longer"
"I will be better- It won't happen again, Kreacher, please," He said quietly before he felt a bottle to his lips. "W-Wait!" He said, jerking his head away, before groaning, that hadn't been the smartest idea as he already thought he was spinning. A dreamless sleep potion, he couldn't take it, not yet. "Free me, at least let me sit up for a moment, I... I need to do something first, please. Bring me parchment and a quill."
The elf frowned, he knew Kreacher had probably been ordered to get Regulus to take the potion, but he felt the magic weaken, pushing himself to sit up now.
"And ink" He added quickly.
With a snap of the fingers, the items requested were placed carefully on a tray in his lap.
Rosier
He could feel his hand trembling, as Kreacher kept the tray steady for him.
It's been happening again, Sirius is gone. He was burned off the tree
He had thought about scratching it out, but he had left it.
Father is ill, I'm alone with her. Please come, I can't do this alone. You're going to be heir, you are Slytherin, and she will accept you being here.
She will tolerate Barty, maybe.
R.A.B
He frowned before he added under it.
Send only below this to Crouch. And do not send an owl back to me.
12 Grimmauld Place
Spend the rest of the summer here
R.A.B
Setting the quill down, he had folded the letter before he handed it to Kreacher. "Wait until Mother turns in for the night, then send this and an owl to Evan Rosier," Regulus said before he set the tray at the end of his bed, taking the potion from Kreachers hand, though he waited for Kreacher to agree to send the letter before he had drank the potion, handing the bottle back to the elf and he had laid down. He was thankful Kreacher didn't replace the binding charm as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.