Chapter 6
Regulus
After practicing ballet for the rest of the day and avoiding everyone Regulus knew he had to head to the dining hall. The professors would notify his parents if he was skipping meals and not taking his potions. That was the deal, he could leave Hogwarts once he showed that he actually wanted to be a “Proper heir” whatever that meant to his parents
Regulus knew though they couldn't control his activities Regulus could dance or fly for hours the potions would be pointless. That was what he wanted at least he thought he did. Sometimes Regulus wasn’t sure why he starved himself if it was desire or habit.
Regulus had developed his eating disorder at a young age as a coping mechanism. People had tried to blame ballet, his parents, or his brother even. But at the end of the day, Regulus was the one doing the damage. It was his own mind that relentlessly told him people would like him better if he was less. If he took up less space maybe his parents might spare him. His friends might envy him, and maybe his brother would have stayed. These thoughts played on a loop until the mere thought of food made Regulus want to cry because he wanted and hate it so bad. When he first lost weight people had praised him. Until they realized Regulus wasn't stopping and suddenly those same people were worried. It annoyed Regulus to know end that no matter how he changed it was never enough.
When he walked into the dining hall he went to sit down and immediately a potion appeared next to his plate and it shimmered a bright purple color. Regulus wanted to fight taking it with all of his being but he knew it would be no use. He swallowed it down quickly and dropped it into his robe pockets so the other students wouldn't catch him.
It felt as if everyone's eyes were on him but Regulus imagined that eating in such a great hall was just new to him. At his previous school, he had been able to get away with skipping so easily the professors had been so stupid Regulus ran circles around them most of the time.
Before he knew it the dinner had ended and Regulus was finally free to go. He went up to his room watching Barty and Evan never even spare him a glance.
When he walked into the dorm the lights were out already and Regulus could sense that the magic was off. He never quite understood his power but it felt like someone had poured fuel on an already raging fire ever since he first started having magical outbursts and he was sensitive to other people's magical signatures.
So Regulus could tell someone had messed with his dorm and he was mostly just annoyed he could rest yet. Fully expecting his bed to be tampered with Regulus set detection spells before he moved any further and watched the bed float to the ceiling and all his clothes thrown everywhere. Needless to say, he was not amused.
“CROUCH, ROSIER get out here before I send my magic to rip this dorm apart beyond recognition.” Regulus was in no mood to play
He saw Barty come out of the bathroom first, “Well you caught us happy now” Barty was doing a good job hiding his fear of Regulus’s retaliation but not enough.
Regulus thought a bit of intimidation would go a long way to remind them he wasn't an easy target. Raising his wand he sent them both flying before doing binding spells to keep them in place.
Bending down to Crouch’s level Reggie put up a silencing spell so it was just them talking, “I understand we made childish mistakes years ago but you mean nothing to me now threaten me again in any form and you will regret it, you and Evan looked awfully close maybe he'd like to see how much my magic has grown since we were children.” - “And it goes without saying I better never hear my name come out of your mouth or anything about our past”
Maybe Regulus was harsh but people had a tendency to underestimate him and that was something he couldn't afford at Hogwarts.
“Understood now let us go it's a prank Regulus since when did you get so uptight” Barty was looking at him as most people did nowadays with a mix of awe and disgust, there was nothing to be done about it.
As Regulus let them go a professor was doing rounds and decided just then to walk in “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS”
Regulus quickly grabbed Barty’s arm “You're taking the fall for this my parents will not hear otherwise, say nothing after me and I won't punish you”
“Professor I had no idea this was going to happen, I was coming back from dinner and walked to my bed and all of a sudden I was in the air and these two were throwing spells at me.”- “If this is the treatment I can expect at Hogwarts I have to say my parents will be extremely disappointed.” Regulus plays the role of a posh brat a bit dramatically but he can’t get in trouble his first night it would be a bad look.
The professor looked a bit doubtful of Regulus’ feigned innocence but Regulus knew she would have zero proof.
“This is unacceptable of course Mr.Black you'll have to be moved immediately until these other two can be dealt with.”
Fuck Regulus thought he so didn't need another road bump today, “But Dumbledore said all the rooms were full?”
“They are Mr. Black we must go now Albus will have to do some room swaps to get Evan and Barty another room.”
Regulus followed the professor out in silence there was no going back now the stage had been set Regulus had to be the perfect student or his parents wouldn't bring him home. And Regulus didn't know why he needed to be the heir so badly but he had to prove his worth in some way.
Dumbledore was always off Regulus could tell the man had a thousand schemes running through his mind and he did not want to be around long enough to figure out his role in Dumbledore's world.
“Well Mr. Black we certainly didn't expect to have this drama on your first night but fear not there is a solution. We have taken James Potter out of his dorm and will put him into yours and move Barty and Evan into their dorm.”
This was awful he couldn't room with James, the cheerful idiot who was Sirius’s best friend they would end up killing each other.
He obviously couldn’t tell Dumbledore this so he grinned and politely thanked the headmaster before he was escorted back by one of the professors whose name he still didn’t know.
Not surprising at all to Regulus he returned to a perfectly pristine dorm with two beds on opposite sides and a happy James Potter reading on his bed with a wand light charm.
“Call for a professor if you need anything Mr. Black but we trust you and James to avoid the dramatics understood this is a school of higher learning, not mischief”
“Yes, professor thank you,” Regulus said formally.
As soon as she left Regulus turned to James only to see him smiling, This was going to be a long term he thought marching over to his bed and slamming the curtains shut all around him in a huff.