Chapter 6
"News of your change in status has already circulated." Narcissa stated the moment the feast began. Regulus nodded, he had been aware of that already. He did not need it confirmed. "Sirius has been disowned, and run off, at least, that is what I am assuming. The official statement is a bit less...obvious..." Regulus knew that too. He was there when the statement had been ordered and his change in status confirmed. Tilting his head he stared at his cousin, wondering what exactly she was getting at stating the obvious things at the table. If they were to have a conversation about what had happened over the summer, she could at least get to it, and stop reiterating things he already knew. He did not have the patience for that sort of thing. His cousin seemed to have caught onto his mood, and she sighed softly. "I know Aunt Walburga likely has already ordered you to stay away from Sirius, but I would be careful. We all know Sirius won't let you go now, you have power that he does not, and at the end of the day...Sirius may act as though he cares little for power, but he can be just as bad as Walburga at times, and I know you are already aware of this." Regulus wanted to scoff. As though he could not be. The audacity of Sirius to send a letter, with the Potter crest, seal, and owl, to their house was evidence enough of that.
"I have no intention of speaking to my brother." Regulus stated, his voice low and controlled, although frustration lined the edges of his eyes, and was evidenced in the way his fingers curled tightly against his fork. He had barely eaten anything, Rosier nudging yet another roll onto his place.
"Well you never do, do you?" Lucius questioned, blue eyes crushing his soul. Regulus sighed, dropping his fork onto the plate, ignoring how it clattered, drawing some eyes from around the table, as though the rest of the Slytherins had not been listening in eagerly trying to get any news of what was going to come. Lucius was right though, Regulus never did intend to speak to his brother. Had not even attempted to bother really since he was eleven and Sirius effectively iced him out like he was nothing but gum scraped against the bottom of his shoe. Still, conversations seemed to happen regardless, and they were not civil in the slightest. Sirius, of course, always got away with it because of course he did. Sirius and his band of misfits always got away with anything they did because Dumbledore played favorites, and was definitely not shy about who exactly were his favorite. Still, more often than not Sirius would come at him out of nowhere, and one or both of them would end up on the wrong side of a dark curse or spell, and they would be in the infirmary.
Walburga and Orion would constantly nag Sirius about it. Regulus was not given anything. Sometimes it was better to be invisible, than it was to be visible, but even Regulus had been having some trouble doing that lately, even before Sirius decided to leave. The last few years, Regulus' general punishments were getting more and more physical, or magically physical at least. Before they were simple. Lock him away, starve him, things like that, even burning some of his precious books when Walburga got into one of her moods, but it would seem as though his mother and father had sensed Sirius' impending rush out the door long before he had even bothered to do so. Regulus had not keyed it in, but it was obvious enough now that he had the information to back it up.
"No, I suppose I do not, you have that right." Regulus reluctantly replied.
"If you need help keeping him away, Reg," Bella intervened, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Well, I am sure Issy and I would have no trouble aiding you on that front. Hell, even Lucy may want to join in."
"Do not call me that!" Lucius hissed, glaring at Bellatrix, who was entirely unfazed. Regulus gave his cousin a small smile at her words. He was thankful to have some people willing to help him, at the very least.
"I think I will definitely need to take you up on that offer. I have a bad feeling that my attempts to avoid Sirius are not going to end well...and when the idiot finally does catch up to me, well..." Regulus drifted off...and he did not need to specify. The entire school knew what happened every time the two Black brothers got together, and more often than not there was property damage, and some stories that would last a lifetime, along with a fair bit of trauma to anyone that was in the vicinity. Their dueling was rather intense, after all, and more often than not it took a teacher or two to break them apart.