Chapter 8
Walking down to the dining hall, Regulus analyzed the severity of his situation. The whispers had followed him all last night, rumors of what happened on Christmas spread like wildfire throughout Slytherin. The stares Regulus received from his housemates were full of nothing less than hatred.
Regulus suddenly stops, his spine straight as he realizes how bad his situation is.
“What is it Reg” Barty asks, concern creeping into his voice.
“I can’t go in there,” he says, his voice barely a whisper.
“What do you mean?” Barty asks, “You were fine last night.”
“But now they know,” Regulus says, eyes wide, “they all know.”
Barty grabs Regulus by his shoulder, “Regulus,” he says looking into his eyes, “You got out, that’s all that matters. Not what anyone else thinks and ESPECIALLY not what your family thinks” He grabs Regulus’s hands, his voice growing softer, “You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.”
Regulus smiles warmly, “Thanks Barty.”
“You ready to go in?” Barty asks.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
They begin to make their way toward the dining hall when they hear a voice call out to them.
“Hey, Black!” says someone behind them.
They turn around to see Snape walking up to them with his two goons Mulciber and Avery trailing close behind.
“Well, I guess it’s not ‘Black’ anymore” Snape jokes while Avery and Mulciber cackle behind him.
“I’m not in the mood for your bullshit Snape,” Regulus said calmly, trying to keep his cool.
“Oh yeah?” taunts Snape, “What’re you going to do? Can’t hide behind you Mum anymore, can you?”
Regulus doesn’t know why he didn’t reach for his wand. Previously, Regulus would’ve cast a few curses and dealt with the situation that way. But every time he reached for his wand; all he could see was Sirius writhing on the floor. So, he threw his fist toward Snape’s face with as much force as he could manage.
Snape crashed to the ground with a look of shock on his face. But before either of them could register what happened, Mulciber and Avery stalked towards Regulus and Barty, wands raised.
“Petrificus Totalus!” Mulciber yells
Light flashes towards Barty, his body goes still, and he falls to the floor.
Mulciber continues towards Barty while Snape and Avery turn to face Regulus. Avery casts a binding curse on Regulus as Snape slowly stalks towards him. A rough boot lands next to his head as Snape raises his wand level to his nose.
“Maybe this will teach you to stay in your place.” Snape sneers, glaring down at Regulus.
“Maybe you could shove your greasy head up your pretentious arse.” Regulus retorts.
“I gave you a chance,” Snape said, false sweetness dripping in his voice. “Crucio”
He saw the light flash towards him and screamed.
James was running before he had even registered what had happened, sprinting down the hallway with his friends close behind him. He turned around the bend to see Barty and Regulus on the ground, while Snape and his goons stood around them, wands raised.
Curses flew from their wands as Barty and Reg screamed and writhed in pain, clearly unable to defend themselves or even get up.
An angry roar came from behind him, “SNAPE” yelled Sirius, charging at the Slytherin with his wand raised.
Snape looked up and his face paled. Avery and Mulciber backed away from their victim as James and Remus joined their friend, aiming their wands at the three.
“Get away from my brother Snivilus” Sirius growled menacingly slowly stalking towards Snape.
Snape sneers down at Regulus, “I guess you don’t need your mum to protect you, you have your Gryffindor friends” he says friends like it was some sort of disease.
“Locomotor Wibbly!” Sirius yells, causing Snape to fall to the ground, his legs wobbly below him.
James approaches Avery and Mulciber as Remus goes to Reg and Barty.
“Reparifors” Remus whispers, getting Barty and Reg to their feet before joining James.
Curses fly back and forth between the 6 boys, getting increasingly more intense until a voice yells out behind them.
“ENOUGH” Professor McGonagall yells, waving her wand and separating the fighting boys. “DETENTION, THE EIGHT OF YOU!” she says, looking down at Barty and Reg’s withered state. “And take these two to the hospital wing,” she tells Remus. “Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, come with me,” she says staring at the rest of them, “As for you six, I will see you tonight.”
James and Severus follow the twisting halls of the school until they reach Professor McGonagall’s office. Inside she gestures for them both to sit.
“I know you two have always had issues with each other, but house rivalries should never go this far. I don’t know what persona-“
“But-” James starts.
“Let me finish,” McGonagall says sternly, “I don’t know what personal issues lie between the two of you but it has gone too far. You’re endangering other students as well as yourself.” She looks them both in the eye, “This is your final warning. If there is one more incident between the two of you, you will be spending your nights with me, as well as each other, for a very long time.”
“Yes Ma’am” they both replied stoically.
“Good. Now get to class, you’re going to be late.”
They both scramble out of their chairs and out of the room. Outside, they both stand to face each other.
“Stay out of my way Potter,” Snape sneers, “Or you’ll regret it.”
“Woah there Snivilus,” James says smirking, “You don’t want to end up back in McGonagall’s so soon.”
Snape shoves past him and heads back down the hallway, while James sits and wonders how things could go so wrong, so fast.
Regulus woke up, groggy and tired, in the Hospital wing. The first thing he sensed was the rough, achy, but familiar, pain that seemed to consume his whole body. He tried to remember what had happened from the bits and pieces of memory that seemed too far away to comprehend. The next thing he saw was the face of Remus Lupin, frowning down at him.
“You’re finally up Tabby,” He says, “How’re you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” Regulus snaps, “Just tired.” Then suddenly, the memories returned, Snape’s voice, Muliciber, Avery, and Barty, hitting the ground with a loud thud. No. “Barty! Where’s Barty?”
Remus opened the curtain to reveal Barty next to him practically comatose, wrapped in bandages and ointments.
“What did they do to him?” Regulus growled, preparing to leap off the bed to defend his best friend.
“He got the brunt of the curses, he was in a bad state, but Pomfrey says he should be fine.”
Suddenly his anger dissipated or was redirected at least, towards himself. Regulus yelled in frustration “Bloody hell! He shouldn’t get hurt trying to protect me!” Tears welled in his eyes, the thought of someone whom he cared about so much getting so hurt on his behalf. No. it was too much to handle, he forced his tears down. He had to get out of here. “Where’s Ms. Pomfrey? I want to get to class.”
Remus started to protest.
“I want to go. Now.” Regulus said darkly.
After Ms. Pomfrey fussed over his wounds and reluctantly cleared him for class, Regulus and Remus wandered around waiting for their next class to start, eventually settling down in the library.
“Are you okay?” Remus asks again.
“I told you I’m fine.”
“I mean actually okay, not that front you put up.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” he said grumpily and buried his nose into his book. Remus took that as the end of the conversation and started to read as well.
Regulus felt uneasy as he and Remus walked toward his new Potions class. At first, Regulus was excited to be put in this newer, advanced, potion class. But now, after everything with Mulciber, Avery, and especially Snape, Regulus felt unsure. Part of him wanted to waltz into that classroom and show those pricks that no one could throw him off his game. The other part of him, very thrown off, wanted to hide under a library table until spring holiday.
“Regulus?” he hears Remus call from in front of him, “Everything okay?”
He realized he had stopped walking in the middle of the crowded hallway, people were bumping into to him and shoving him out of their way.
“Sorry Rem,” Regulus says, steeling his nerves as they approach the classroom.
“Don’t be nervous,” Remus says assuring him.
“I’m not nervous,” Regulus replies, annoyed about how well his friend could read his mind.
“Sure.” Says Remus and walks into the classroom.
“Bloody werewolves” Regulus mutters and walks in after him.
“I heard that.”