Morning Star

"It's an ice cream."

"It's a jellyfish!" Barty argues, gesturing sharply to the sky with his whole arm. They're all lying in the long grass behind Pandora's family home, cloud-watching. Pandora had insisted they give it a try. Apparently, she hadn't taken into account the fact that Barty will argue about anything he can. Even clouds.

James opens his mouth - most likely to further argue his opinion of the cloud looking like an ice cream - but Evan speaks before he gets the chance.

"I think it looks like Dumbledore's hat," he says, tilting his head to the side.

Barty abruptly closes his mouth, where he was ready to retaliate, and nods in agreement. He would agree with anything Evan said.

"How are you Gryffindors feeling about your last year?" Pandora asks.

"I'm so ready to be done," Marlene answers as she stretches further across the grass, careful not to disturb Dorcas, who has her head in Marlene's lap. She brings her fingers through Dorcas' hair at a slow pace as she stares up at the sky.

"Me too," Remus agrees. He's lying to the side of everyone else, his eyes closed as he takes in the sun. It always has had a nice effect on his skin, unlike Regulus, who just burns.

Sirius, who had been cradled leisurely in Remus' arms sits up quickly, looking scandalised. "You want it to be done? How could you want to leave Hogwarts?"

"I think he means he wants to get away from all the teachers, mate," James replies.

"Yeah, I can't wait for the freedom," Remus nods. He rolls over in the grass, the back of his shoulders gleaming in the afternoon sun. His scars are more visible - bold, white markings that shine. "Plus, I'm sick of having to curl up in a ball just to fit in those tiny-arse beds."

"I'm going to miss Hogwarts," James whispers loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Me too," Lily agrees.

"More like you'll miss all the snogging," Barty snorts. Regulus hears as Evan whacks him.

"Barty!"

"He's not wrong," Lily hums. He hears her shuffling around and then what appears to be the sound of lips smacking together. He assumes she's just kissed Pandora and smiles.

"I'm going to miss Hogwarts," James repeats, "but I'll miss you more." He presses a kiss into Regulus' hair.

Regulus tilts his head up from where it's resting on James' chest and meets his brown eyes, the green in them a bit more prominent in the sun. He kisses his jaw softly, before burrowing back into his shirt.

They spend the rest of the day enjoying the early August sun, as well as each other's company.

He's never been to Pandora's house before and he has to say it wasn't at all what he had expected, but somehow it made perfect sense. It was just so... Pandora. It was quite a small house, tall and buttercup yellow. On the outside of it, at some point, Pandora and her father had painted red swirling flowers that reached almost up to the roof, as well as soaring blackbirds that moved along the house, following you as you walked past them.

It's just as magical inside, full of so many vibrant colours and strange, magical objects that even Regulus has never seen before.

Pandora's father is lovely too, just like his daughter. He has strikingly white hair, greying at the roots, and lasting rosy cheeks that make him look a bit like a Muggle garden Gnome.

Much to everyone's disappointment, Remus returns home a couple of days later, putting Sirius in a temporary mood. The only person he doesn't snap at is Effie, who eventually convinces him to come out of his room and to stop hiding.

On the nineteenth, they wait for an Owl, hoping to hear how the moon went the previous night. Remus had stayed at his home, where his grandmother would keep him in the basement. It was inhumane, Regulus thought, but Remus had assured him that it was the safest option and he never wanted to hurt his grandmother.

Thankfully, he had minimum damage, which helped to properly relax Sirius for the rest of the summer.

The next day, Regulus, James and Sirius visit the McKinnon's. Much to Regulus' horror, Marlene reaches for him first and pulls him into the house, forcing him into a tour.

Over the summer, she'd gotten her hands on a new broom, the newest edition Firebolt. Regulus actually found this fascinating and sat listening raptly to her talking about it until she was breathless. Naturally, this brought them into the conversation of Quidditch, which had always been an easy topic for Regulus to talk about.

They stayed for dinner.

Afterwards, Regulus sits on the floor in the living room; Baby Bobby is sitting in his lap as he plays peekaboo with him. The pudgy baby claps his hands together, letting out the most adorable sounds Regulus has ever heard. He melts when Bobby takes the blanket from his hands, holding it up and then quickly bringing it down, mocking what Regulus had previously been doing and mumbling. He couldn't quite say peekaboo, but Regulus understood anyway.

"Yes, good boy, Bobby," Regulus grins down at him. He takes the little boy's tiny hands in between his thumb and finger and starts waving them around.

Bobby jumps excitedly in his lap and then, when he stops, he moves forward slowly and boops Regulus' nose with his own. Regulus feels as if he is going to burst into tears at how cute the action is.

He hears a squeal from somewhere beside him and turns to see James and Marlene standing in the doorway. James' cheeks are pink and he looks as if he has just melted into the floorboards.

Regulus picks up Bobby and stands up, moving over to them.

"Do you want to hold him?" Regulus asks.

"No!" James says a bit too loudly and Regulus covers Bobby's ears, staring at James with shock. "Sorry... I- it's just... you look so cute with a baby. Maybe we-"

"James," Regulus feels as his eyes widen and his stomach turns, "no. We are far too young to be thinking about babies. Just no."

"Oh, fine," James pouts.

"Dorcas and I have already chosen our future children's names," Marlene grins and Regulus stares at her in horror.

"Why?!" He gapes.

"Er... because we're adults and we want to have kids some day?" She says it as if it's obvious.

"What are the names?" James jumps on the spot and Bobby copies him, trying to hop where he's resting on Regulus' hip.

"Valerie for a girl and Ellis for a boy. We're having one of each."

"I don't think you get to choose," James says.

"James," Marlene raises an eyebrow as she stares at him blankly, "we literally do. None of us have sperm, so we're adopting."

"Oh, yeah..." James shakes his head and then something sparkles in his eyes. He looks over at Regulus, his smile widens. "We get to choose too!"

"Nope," Regulus shakes his head. "One, the baby is definitely having your genes, so we'll have to get a surrogate. Two, we are not talking about this." He marches away from them before James can respond and goes to find Sirius. He imagines he looks less intimidating with Bobby attached to his hip, but doesn't let that deter him from his dramatic exit.

***

"James, what are you doing?"

"I said," he tugs harder on Regulus' arm, "we're going climbing!"

"But it's already dark," Regulus complains and tries to tug back. "James! James! Oh for- Potter!"

"Ooh, yes, kinky," James looks back at him with a wink. "No berate me, that really gets me going."

Regulus rolls his eyes.

"Ok, fine," James stops. They're deep into the garden now, but still rather far from the edge of the forest. "If you insist on ruining the surprise. It's the twenty-third of August!"

Regulus stares at him blankly.

"Come on, Reggie, you're supposed to be the genius of astronomical events."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're on about."

James groans so hard, his head falls back. "Every year on the twenty-third of August the sun meets up with the Regulus star. You're... er- you're always saying I'm like the sun and I just thought it was cool because, well, since forever there has been a night where we've met in the sky. There always will be. We'll be together until the stars collapse and the sun implodes."

He looks nervously at the ground, toeing it with his shoe.

Regulus smiles.

"That's lovely," Regulus whispers and takes James' hand where he'd let it go before. "Come on, let's go climb."

James beams at him and leads the way.

After a year of being constantly dragged up trees, Regulus has gotten the hang of climbing. It's quite calming actually. He gets to turn his brain off and just focus on where he's going to place his hand or foot next.

Once he's made it up to the branch James is sitting on, he slides next to him and James wraps an arm around him. He leans his head on the other boy's shoulder and sighs contentedly.

"Do you think we're together in another life? Right now?" James asks quietly in an almost whisper. His voice vibrates against Regulus' head and he smiles.

"Yes," Regulus answers easily.

"In all of them?"

"No..." he frowns.

"Why not?" James sounds partially hurt and Regulus doesn't want that. He doesn't want that at all.

"Because there's always going to be a reality full of tragedy, possibly even multiple," Regulus whispers into the chilly night air. "There's a world where- where I couldn't get out, and I would never have been able to be with you whilst living there."

"I think you're wrong," James adds. "If there is a world where you couldn't get out, I think we would have been together anyway. We bonded through climbing and watching the stars, right? Well, maybe I would have found you at the astronomy tower instead. Or maybe during an early Quidditch practice I would have looked over and seen you sitting near the lake, watching the sunrise."

"Maybe," Regulus sighs. He turns to look at James. "I don't care about the other worlds, I'm just happy I get to have you in this one."

Before James can say anything further, Regulus presses their lips together.

As long as he can have James now, he doesn't care how he has James in any other life. Friend, enemy, lover. As long as they know each other, he can live with that.

"I love you in this life and that will never change," he promises.

***

Summer ends with a storm and they make their way to King's Cross in the torrential downpour. Fortunately for Regulus, James holds his coat above him, sacrificing himself to the rain in a chivalrous manner.

They say goodbye to Effie and Monty and quickly board the train.

For James, it will be the last time. Regulus tries not to think too much about it.

They find the rest of their friends and, with great difficulty, manage to squeeze everyone into a single compartment. Regulus ends up half in James' lap, which he doesn't complain about. They talk about the upcoming year and buy as many snacks from the trolley witch as they can. Regulus laughs at the way Remus' eyes widen to double their size when Sirius places two dozen chocolate frogs in his lap.

At some point during the journey, Remus and Sirius leave to go and find Kingsley, assuming he probably doesn't know many people. Regulus' best guess would be that he's sitting with Emmeline and Benji - he seemed to get along well with them at the Quidditch World Cup.

The sorting ceremony drags on and Regulus finds his concentration drifting over to James, who is already staring at him. James winks and before Regulus can react, he feels something tap him subtly on the knee. He looks down, confused, and notices a small bird-shaped note. He leans down, trying not to draw attention to himself, and snatches it from the air.

Casting a quick glance at his surroundings, he opens the note under the table.

Meet me at the astronomy tower at 10pm. I love you - J

Regulus smiles and then looks back up to find that James is still watching him, his eyebrow now risen. He smiles and nods, watching as James grins back before turning to watch the rest of the ceremony.

Kingsley Shacklebolt is sorted into Ravenclaw.

That night, Regulus climbs up to the top of the astronomy tower and waits for James. He leans his arms against the railings and stares out at the stars. He catches the Sirius star first and smiles, so happy that he and his brother are finally in a good place. The best place they've ever been.

"Hello, Morning Star."

Regulus turns to see- nothing.

He shakes his head and reaches out, feeling as the silky fabric of James' invisibility cloak slides between his fingers, and pulls it off. James' hair sticks up at all angles, Regulus doesn't hesitate in reaching forward and patting it down.

"Miss me already, did you?" He asks.

"Obviously," James grins and takes his hand in his. "You should have seen me last year. We weren't even together yet and I was missing you already on the first day back."

"You weren't," Regulus laughs softly.

"I was. I was ridiculous," James laughs. "Come on, you're staying in my bed tonight."

"Oh, am I now?" Regulus folds his arms, but he's watching James with a playful smile.

"Yes."

"What about Sirius?"

James doesn't hesitate in reaching forward and unfolding his arms, before holding onto one of his hands and leading him to the exit.

"Sirius gets to sleep with his boyfriend every night, I should get to as well." James turns to look at him, a sense of nervousness shines in his eyes. "Besides, it's the last first night and I want to spend it with you."

Regulus folds immediately and follows James. He wears the invisibility cloak when they make it to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. He doesn't really see the point, seeing as people have seen him there before, but he doesn't say anything. He likes the sneaking around part and how it excites him.

When they get to the dormitory, Regulus slips the cloak off and passes it back to James who just chucks it away and grabs Regulus instead. An excited smile on his face. His eyes brighter than ever.

"Prongs, what is my baby brother doing here?" Sirius asks petulantly from Remus' bed.

"I'm not a baby, Sirius," Regulus answers flatly.

"He's not a baby, Sirius." James echoes, still pulling gently on Regulus' arms. "Definitely not," he smirks and Regulus blushes.

"Oh, gross. I know I said your love life was pathetic, Prongs, but that doesn't mean you have to improve it whilst I'm in the room. What if I hear something? I'll be scarred for life. I'll die !"

Regulus turns to his brother, a deadly smirk settling on his lips. He stares at him challengingly and says, "That's what silencing charms are for." Then, he climbs into James' bed and, with a flick of his wand, closes the curtains. Sirius' gobsmacked face replaying over and over in his head.

James does cast a silencing charm then.

"I'm not actually doing anything with Sirius in the room," he makes clear, raising his eyebrows for extra emphasis.

"No, but we can snog, can't we?"

"Yes, we can snog," Regulus snorts. He leans forward and kisses James until they fall asleep.

The first couple of weeks back fly by, much to Regulus' disappointment. He doesn't want James' last year to be here and then gone in an instant. He wants to be able to cherish their time at Hogwarts, to have more time.

The schedule of the Quidditch matches this year is released. Regulus finds it pinned up one morning in the Slytherin common room and is surprised Evan hadn't woken him up and waved it in his face the first chance he got.

They play Gryffindor first, like they do every year, but not until October. He grins as he makes his way down to breakfast, practically skipping through the halls with his giddy mood.

When he enters the Great Hall, he finds the Gryffindors already at their table and decides to join them today, as he has most mornings. Usually, if he doesn't go to them, James will migrate over to the Slytherin table at some point during breakfast.

Tonight is the full moon; it'll be Regulus' first at Hogwarts. He's already spoken to Remus about it, making sure he is still welcome. James had also spoken to him and they had agreed that he go early to the shack, already in his cat form, rather than with them. That way, Sirius won't be able to ask any questions until the next morning.

"Morning, Reg," Remus smiles at him. He seats himself between Remus and James, the latter pulls him into a hug and kisses his temple.

"Morning, Rem," Regulus beams, feeling as his cheeks heat up. "And good morning to you too, James."

"I missed you," James says into his hair and Regulus struggles not to squirm.

"You saw me twelve hours ago."

"Twelve hours too many, if you ask me."

The sound of retching brings Regulus out of his daze, he turns to find Marlene fake-vomiting all over the table. He glares at her, which only makes her laugh.

"I'm sorry, but get a grip, mate," she gestures to James. "I'm trying to keep down my breakfast."

James flips her off playfully.

"Like you can talk," Regulus chuckles. "You've already planned the names of your future children."

Marlene immediately perks up and looks over at James, who stiffens around Regulus.

"McKinnon, don't." James uses his Quidditch Captain voice, but Marlene just cackles.

"So has James," she smiles sweetly and it is Regulus' turn to freeze. He stares at Marlene, horror in his eyes, for a moment more and then turns to look up at James, who is grimacing guiltily.

"Anything you want to fill me in on there, Potter?"

James groans and tries to hide himself in the back of Regulus' collar. "No," he murmurs.

"At least tell me what they are," he demands softly. "You are crazy though, you should know that. We didn't even kiss a year ago and you've already planned the names of our future children. In fact, weren't you ignoring me like I had Spattergroit this time last year?"

"Don't remind me," James cries. "You know I was being an arse, we promised not to ever talk about that again."

Regulus just shrugs and stares at James expectantly.

"Fine," James shrinks. "Well, I thought for a boy we could call it... Harry?" He flinches, as if Regulus is about to lash out at him. "You know, because the Squid is called Harry and he saved us and it would be like a thank you."

Regulus doesn't say anything for a moment.

"I... don't hate it," he reasons and, by the massive smile on James' face, he can tell this was the correct response.

"Ok, ok. For a girl, I thought... Venus? The- the Morning Star."

Regulus' heart picks up in speed at this - the names, they're so perfect. James really has thought this through.

"Oh, you don't like it..." James frowns. "I'm sure we could come up with another one together, when you're ready to, of course. Not yet."

"James," Regulus smiles softly and reaches up to stroke James' cheek. "I love them both, they're perfect."

They really are. For a moment, he pictures a little boy with hair as messy as his father's and matching round glasses that help to frame his browny-green eyes. A boy named Harry. Would he be a Potter? A Black? Some kind of mixture?

He would be chasing a smaller child - a girl - called Venus. She would have dark hair like her father, his pink cheeks, maybe his Quidditch skills too. Her smile would shine bright, just like James'. Just like Effie's smile. She'd have James' dimples, perhaps she would enjoy books just as Regulus does...

He pictures their life, hopefully it would be a quaint one. Full of only the people they need and love. Perhaps, they would live in a small city or a village in another country. Hadn't James said Italy? Maybe there. Their kids would grow up with an orchard in their back garden where they would be able to run through the grass with bare feet. They would be able to laugh as loudly and as freely as they want. They could track dirt in after them or come in soaking wet from the rain and get it all over the floor and they wouldn't be punished. James would just come in with a towel for each of them and they would run towards him as he dried their crazy Potter hair. Regulus would be ready with hot tea and chocolate for after.

It would be their little family.

Just theirs.

Oh...

So maybe he does think about it a little bit.

"Oh, it's started," Lily says, snapping Regulus from his daydream.

"What? What's started?"

"You've just gotten that look in your eye that James gets whenever he talks about the future. You're beginning to picture it, aren't you?" Lily smirks at him and he finds himself tempted to throw a grape at her.

Instead, he eats his grape as a way to give him more time to think of an excuse.

He turns to see James watching him with big puppy eyes and it reminds him of the little boy he had imagined. Their son.

Their son.

His and James'.

"Well, I can't help it. Not when James puts ideas in my head," he folds his arms a bit petulantly.

"Don't worry, Regulus, I won't make you talk about it before you're ready," James smiles at him. He feels as James begins to stroke his scalp, making his head go all fuzzy. "That's something to look forward to later."

Later on, Regulus shows up at the hospital wing and finds that Remus is sitting on the edge of a bed, waiting for Madam Pomfrey to take him down to the shack. Remus spots him and nods, which Regulus takes as his sign to transform. He's a cat in seconds and runs to hide under the bed.

He has to be the first one there with Remus, otherwise Sirius will question how they have the same cat from back at the Potter's with them and all will become too clear. However, he doesn't know how to get to the shack, so they came up with a plan. He is going to sneak in behind Remus and Pomfrey and then hide downstairs until the medi-witch leaves. That way, Sirius won't see him until he is already a dog and is unable to transform into a human or ask any questions.

He watches as the tree's tendrils whizz around in the air above them until Pomfrey casts a spell and they come to an abrupt pause. They climb through a hole in the bottom of the tree and Pomfrey finally splits off from Remus, not able to see Regulus in the dark. He runs until he is walking next to Remus and then transforms temporarily back into himself.

"How long do you think it'll be before the others show up?"

"About thirty minutes. They usually show up as the transformation begins, which is about forty minutes away, maybe less," Remus explains and Regulus stares at him in awe.

"How do you know?"

"I can feel it. The wolf is creeping up on me and... I guess I'm just used to it by now."

They don't talk any more. Regulus transforms back into a cat and waits beside Remus.

The shack is quite frightening. Honestly, it reminds Regulus a bit of his own house, the way the ancient wallpaper crumbles and peels off the walls. The difference is that the shack has clearly been abandoned, with it's boarded windows and it's broken doors and walls, whist Grimmauld Place was purposefully kept in a bad state. His mother had always stressed on keeping the house the same as it had been centuries before.

In Regulus' opinion, the house hadn't looked traditional or ancient, it had just looked run-down and abused.

Much like he and Sirius had been.

The door cracks open about half an hour later, just as Remus had said, and the three other boys creep in. They quickly transform once they have shut the door and the dog - Padfoot - makes his way over to Remus' side. He stumbles when he notices Regulus.

They stand opposite each other for a moment, Padfoot's head falling to the side in question. Then, his ears perk up and there's a spark in his eye. He moves forward and sniffs Regulus' fur before huffing back out again and backing away.

Before Regulus gets the chance to figure out what that means, Remus lets out a low groan, something close to a growl and grabs tightly onto the frame of a bed in the corner of the room.

Regulus has never seen the transformation before, but he's done research on it and spoken to James about it, so that he would know what to expect.

It's still worse in real life. When it's happening right in front of him.

Remus' bones elongate and his back arches as he falls onto his hands and knees. His clothes split apart and Regulus watches as his spine cracks out of his skin, making a squelching sort of pop with each vertebrae that bursts free. Remus, who is still partially human, lets out a loud shriek and then starts screaming and Regulus feels himself crumble.

Thick, wiry claws grow out from the tips of Remus' fingers at the same time his feet bend, snapping his ankles and become longer, canine-like. His face morphs outwards and with a loud howl, Remus is gone and all that's left is Moony.

A brownish-blonde wolf, the same colour as Remus' hair, with shaggy fur and gleaming, golden eyes.

Regulus feels something nudge him and jumps. He suddenly realises that he had backed so far up that he was now sitting between James' stag legs.

He nudges Regulus with his nose once again and Regulus comes back to himself.

Padfoot and Moony are tackling each other to the floor when James goes over to open the door. Peter sits on on his head, in between his antlers, as a rat. Regulus almost laughs, but isn't sure he would be able to as a cat.

They journey through the forest all night, jumping over brooks and zipping in and out between the trees as they chase each other. Moony finds a pile of leaves and runs towards them, Padfoot at his feet, before leaping into them and rolling around on the floor. The canines roll around together and then start kicking leaves at each other.

James the stag lies down beside a tree, Peter still on his head, so Regulus goes and snuggles up by his legs. He watches as Moony and Padfoot continue to play together and can feel himself smiling internally. Even when Remus isn't really there, he chooses Sirius.

He licks the legs of Prongs and enjoys the way that even as a stag, he smells like James. Rosemary, broomstick polish and the deep forest. James nuzzles his head in response.

When they have to go back to the shack, Moony goes willingly, following the black dog all the way. They curl around each other on the abandoned bed when they're back, whilst Regulus curls up with Wormtail and Prongs on the floor.

Remus transforms back into himself in the early hours of the morning, as soon as the sun begins to rise.

Sirius pulls the tattered blanket on the bed around his torso, covering up his nakedness, and then transforms back into himself. He runs a hand through Remus' hair and kisses him carefully on the cheek. Then, he turns and stares right at Regulus.

He jumps off the bed and walks over until he is in front of James, Regulus and Peter. He crouches down, picking Regulus up, and then stands back to his full height. He tilts Regulus this way and that and stares him down, he even sniffs him. Sirius looks him dead in the eye and Regulus watches as his jaw tenses, the muscle there twitching.

"Change," Sirius orders as he places him back on the floor. "I know it's you, Reg. Change back. Now."

Regulus goes over his options for a moment and knows that he has no way out of this now. He stares up at Sirius, who doesn't back down, and then huffs and transforms back into himself.

"So, you figured it out. Want a sticker?"

"How? Why? And when?" Sirius questions without any hint of emotion in his voice.

"The same way you did," Regulus starts listing off on his fingers. "Wanted to help and thought it could be useful, plus you did it. Started in April."

"But- you could have hurt yourself. It could have gone wrong and then- You couldn't have done it alone," Sirius rambles. "Who helped you? Evan? Pandora? Crouch? It was bloody Barty, wasn't it? That bastard is way too smart for his own good-"

"First of all, I didn't get help from anyone. I am perfectly capable of doing things on my own, thank you very much. Second, don't call Barty a bastard, no one else knows."

"No one else ?" Sirius gapes.

Shit.

"Who else knows about your little secret, Regulus Arcturus Black?"

"Full name, I'm so-"

"I'm being serious."

"You're always-"

"Regulus!"

"Ok, fine. James and Remus figured it out already and I think Pandora might know too, but that girl knows everything."

Sirius gasps and then turns around and kicks Prongs in the stomach. He wakes with a jolt and Regulus squeezes his hands into fists, ready to hit his brother.

"Sirius!"

"Wake up, Potter!"

James transforms and rolls around on the floor, groaning and clutching at his stomach. Regulus kneels next to him and takes his face into his hands, making sure he's ok.

"Sirius, what the fuck?" James mutters.

"You didn't tell me that Regulus was an Animagus!"

"Keep it down," Peter says as he transforms into himself too. "Remus is still sleeping."

"It wasn't my secret to tell, I promised I wouldn't."

"You should have stopped him," Sirius growls.

"He didn't know until after I'd done it and after the first moon I came on," Regulus explains. "Besides, I wouldn't have listened to him if he tried to stop me. I'd have just done it anyway."

"So, you're telling me you became an Animagus all on your own and you only started in April?"

Regulus stares at his brother for a moment and then blinks. "Yes."

"What the fuck, it took us like five years."

"Well, it took me less than five months." Regulus shrugs. "You were right when you called me a genius."

"I don't know whether I should be concerned or proud..." Sirius watches him sceptically.

"Preferably proud," Regulus nods.

"Fine," Sirius mumbles. Then, he turns to James and pulls him up from the floor. "Sorry... for er- kicking you."

"S'fine," James waves a hand in the air. "Just maybe don't wake me up like that ever again, please."

Sirius chuckles sheepishly.

***

On the nineteenth of September, Regulus is woken up by James gently shaking his shoulder. He'd slept in the Hogwarts dormitory again last night.

"Come on, love. Let's go, the sun is going to rise soon."

Regulus smiles and leans forward to kiss James softly on the lips and then pulls away and chucks his shirt on. James leads him through the castle quietly, their socks slipping on the flagstones. When they make it to the main entrance of the castle, they pause to put their shoes on.

They go down to the tree and watch as the sun is born once again, bringing on the new day. Regulus frowns when James stands up and reaches for his hands straight away. Usually, they'll sit there for a little while before going. He follows willingly.

James takes his shoulders and backs him up, staring down at their feet the whole time, only making Regulus even more confused than he already was. He makes an "aha" noise and then drops his hands and looks at Regulus.

"What are you doing, James?"

James grins and reaches out to tuck a strand of his hair behind his ear. He doesn't take his hand away after though, instead moving to cup Regulus' cheek. Then, he snakes his other arm around him, until his hand is resting on the small of Regulus' back.

Regulus holds onto James' upper arms as James leans down and initiates a kiss. He kisses him and kisses him until Regulus is breathless. When they break apart, James rests his forehead against his.

"I shouldn't have let you go last time," James whispers with his eyes closed.

"Er- what do you mean?"

James opens his eyes and smiles. "Exactly a year ago today, to the minute, we had our first kiss and I let you run away. I shouldn't have."

"I'm not running now," Regulus replies.

"No," James laughs softly and knocks their noses together. "No, you're not. I love you, Reggie."

"I love you too, James."

A year. It's been a year since they first kissed.

Regulus can't even comprehend that.

It feels like it's been centuries.

Lifetimes.

It feels like he's loved James Potter since the very moment the universe was birthed into existence. It was always there, always bound to happen, always existing no matter what.

Maybe James was right.

Maybe they did love each other in every lifetime.

Maybe Regulus was right too.

Maybe they loved each other in every lifetime, but didn't find each other in every one.

He's just grateful they got both in this lifetime; they got to love and be loved and - maybe he's selfish, but he knows he would give it up in another life to be able to have loved James and to be loved by James in this one. Forever and always.