Welcome to hogwarts
Regulus didn't know exactly how or why it had happened, he was drunk and uncomfortable, and the other boy wouldn't leave him alone, so he had punched him, it had all been too much, and Regulus’ only instinct had been punching. What Regulus hadn’t known was that he was being filmed. He couldn’t be filmed, his mother would flip, it would be leaked, and then the whole country would talk about how the prince of England was just walking around throwing punches, because they, of course, didn’t know that the boy he punched was to blame, Regulus had told him that he should go away. Regulus knew that that didn’t matter, reporters would make him out to be the villain.
He couldn’t dwell on it any longer now.
“Regulus black where are you!” His mothers voice could be heard, shit, he thought. She sounded really fucking angry, soon he would have to face his mothers anger, and it wouldn’t be pretty, that’s for sure.
“I’m in here mother” he said, and shortly after the door was opened
“What were you thinking you idiot, you punched someone, do you know what people will say?” He thought that was ironic, her saying he was an idiot for punching someone, when that was all she did towards him and Sirius. They couldn’t sit still? Slap. They didn’t have the right posture? Slap. They didn’t say exactly what she wanted to hear? You guessed it, slap. Everything he and his brother did slightly wrong, would earn them a slap, a punch, and sometimes even worse.
“I’m really sorry mother” he said, making sure his face was without emotions as she had told him to do so many times. It was always: Regulus we Blacks don’t cry, or, Regulus I can see you are nervous stop it, remember zero emotions. So Regulus had as a young boy learned to hide every thought and emotion that may have shown on his face.
“Sorry doesn’t remove the video from the internet” there it was, right as she had said that, the slap was landed on his cheek, with a loud noise. “Now, the stylists are waiting for you, hurry up” she said leaving the room.
He had to speak to the public, apologize for the video saying he was very sorry and disappointed in himself. Regulus didn’t want to do that, he didn’t regret it and would have done it again, but he couldn’t say that.
His face was red when he walked to the stylists, they didn’t question it, they had seen him with worse, their job was simply to make it disappear, so no one saw it, and they were good at that. He sat down and let them do their job.
“Ah, mister Regulus exactly who I was looking for,” It was his personal bodyguard/assistant Kreacher. Kreacher had always been with the royal family, and in the latest years he had been assigned to Regulus, he liked Kreacher, he really did, but Kreacher served his mother and was loyal to her, so there were times he really didn’t like Kreacher. “I would just like to go over the important things you need to have in your speech your royal highness”
“I know Kreacher, I need to give my sincerest apologies and say that I am very disappointed in myself”
“Yes that is true your highness, but you also need to say, that you will be attending Hogwarts boarding school, to help with your current state”
“What?! No one has mentioned anything about starting Hogwarts, I cannot start there Kreacher you must understand that”
“Regulus, sorry, your highness, there’s nothing I can do, your mother has already made the decision, and she’s pretty set on it”
Regulus sighed, he really didn’t want to start at that school, but when his mother was set on something there was nothing that were going to stop her from making it happen, so he would just have to go with it.
After he was done with the stylists, Regulus walked towards the room where the speech would be held, and on his way there, his brother appeared.
“Hey Reggie, heard the good news, I will make sure Hogwarts will be a fun experience. Trust me it’s the best place ever”
“Yeah whatever Sirius” he said, because Regulus quite honestly didn’t want to tell his brother that the school he claimed had saved his life, was the last place Regulus wanted to go, he had Evan here, his only friend, and he didn’t want, nor did he need anyone else.
They had now arrived at the room, well they were technically standing outside the door, both dreading having to go in there and looking like a picture perfect family, when as soon as it was done, their mother would with no doubt correct them on all their mistakes.
“Reggie I know you don’t want to go to Hogwarts, but I promise you, that you will love it there. Even if you don’t want to make any friends, you can be with me and James” there it was, Regulus thought, James fucking Potter, he and Sirius could not have one conversation without Sirius bringing up how absolutely fantastic James Potter was, or how he was like a brother to Sirius, and even sometimes how he had saved Sirius’ life. It hurt, if he was being honest, it hurt when Sirius talked about James as if he were gods gift to earth, but he wouldn’t say that to Sirius, he knew how much it would hurt him.
“Thanks Sirius” he said, but anyone could hear the insincerity In his voice.
They finally walked in, and standing talking to the camera men was his mother and father, both looking as cold as a Black could be, which was indeed very cold.
“Hello mother, father” Sirius said.
“Oh hello sweetie” Sirius and Regulus both slightly grimaced at the nickname, but only so much that the only persons noticing was, the other brother. Their mother was a menace, but as queen, she could only be that way in private, if anyone from the press, or anyone really, was around, she acted all sweet towards her sons.
“Regulus my dear, do you have a speech?” She smiled, he hated that smile, it looked sincere, but he knew it wasn’t, he knew the same mouth would be shouting at him soon enough about how stupid he was, and how he was a big disappointment.
“Yes mother” he answered shortly. It was better answering shortly, that way there was less of a chance to say something wrong.
“Good, we’ll be starting in about five minutes so, you two-“ she looked at Sirius and him “go over to the couch over there, and we’ll be with you shortly”
“Yes mother” Sirius answered before he could.
They walked over to the couch sitting down in the middle Sirius on the right and him on the left, the way they always would, see Sirius and him was both princes of England, yes, but Sirius was the eldest and therefore the crown prince, so he would always sit beside their mother, whereas Regulus would sit beside his father who was the one with the least power, as he had married into the family, not been born. So they would always sit, starting from the left, his father, (Prince Orion) himself, (Prince Regulus) Sirius, (crown Prince Sirius) and lastly their mother (Queen Walburga).
“Are you ready? It is your first speech alone in front of the nation” Sirius asked him, slight worry in his face.
“I’ll be fine, really Sirius, it’s no big deal”
“Reg, I know you”
“Yes you do, but I promise I’ll be alright” He said, he was lying of course, but there was no reason to tell Sirius that. Sirius did know him, he knew he hated being with many people, and hated speaking to many people even more, so of course he was asking.
“I want to try something different today” their mother said, as she approached them. “Regulus switch place with your brother” she said. Regulus was shocked, he had been taught from a young age to not stand beside his mother, that was his brothers place, not his.
“But mo-“
“I don’t want to hear it. Regulus, you are switching.”
And so they did, Sirius and him got up, exchanging a weird glance before sitting down again. Their mother and father joined shortly after.
“Prince Regulus, we will be live in one minute, we will count down from 5 when it nears the start of the live, after the count, your royal highness will need to count to three in your head before addressing the country and starting your speech, got it?” One of the staff asked him. “Yes” short again.
“We are live in 5, 4, 3, 2,” the one was signalled with the camera man’s hands.
1…2…3… he counted in his head before starting. “Hello, as you probably all know, I am Regulus, and I am here speaking to you because of the video circulating the internet, of me punching a boy. I would like to say, that I am very sorry, and very ashamed of my actions, and that I don’t know what made me do that. I would like to sincerely apologize, one should never seek violence as the answer, and I have come to regret my action of violence.” He took a deep breath pausing before starting again
“I- uh-“ there was a slight pain at the back of his leg, his mother, she had kicked him, without it being detected on the cameras, he had stuttered slightly, and he was definitely paying for that later.
“I will, as of the first of September, be starting at Hogwarts boarding school, where I will be tamed a bit more, to make sure another instance like this, will not take place again. Again I am very sorry, and ashamed, and I hope you will all find it in your hearts, to look past this mistake”
Cameras turned off, and he knew that soon, his mother would call him into her office, to correct and punish him, for the mistakes made under the speech, he dreaded it, but couldn’t do anything.
“Regulus dear, my office in five minutes” there it was. Sirius looked over to him, empathetic, he knew what was coming, he had been in that position plenty of times.
“Yes mother” short, no reason to give her another thing to berate him about.
———————————————————————
He was almost there, Sirius was driving, their mother and father had of course not bothered to come with them, they never did, so it was just him and Sirius, and thank the gods for that.
“So when we get there, we will have to take pictures, and talk with Bellatrix, but after that, me and James can show you how it is, at Hogwarts”
Regulus let out a big sigh “do we have to talk with Bellatrix though? She really gets on my nerves.”
Bellatrix Black, was their cousin, the eldest of their cousins, they had three, Bellatrix, as mentioned, then there was Andromeda, and lastly (Regulus’ personal favorite) Narcissa.
“Trust me Reg, I don’t enjoy her either, but we have to for publicity”
“Fine”
They arrived, and after Sirius had parked the car, they stared walking towards the school. It was big, like really big, it almost looked more like a castle than the one he was used to calling home.
“My favorite cousins!” Bellatrix, no doubt, he could recognize that voice, it had a special kind of annoying high pitch sound to it, he couldn’t explain it.
He put on the best fake smile he could muster before speaking “Bella! I haven’t seen you in ages, how is everything at home”
“Oh you know, a little hard after my father, but doing better”
Cygnus black, Walburgas younger brother, had died a year ago, Regulus never had gotten the reasoning, but he knew it had been hard on the daughters and their mother.
“Glad to hear its better” Sirius said.
“Ah Regulus you must meet Barty,” Bellatrix said, signalling to a boy, around his age, with brown hair and brown eyes. “Regulus meet Bartimeus Crouch Jr. son of politician Bartimeus Crouch Sr. And Barty, meet Prince Regulus Black”
“Bartimeus” Regulus said with a nod as a gesture of hello
“Prince Regulus” the same nod of his head “as much as I am delighted to meet you, your royal highness, please call me Barty, Bartimeus is my fathers name not mine”
“Ah of course, but then you have to drop the titles, it’s just Regulus”
Regulus didn’t know why, but there was something about Barty, that made him think they would be instant friends.
“Reggie, we have to get you settled in your room before anything else”
“Ah yes, actually can we get a picture of the princes and their cousin, carrying Prince Regulus’ bags?” A photographer asked.
They did exactly that, before carrying the bags to his room.
“The school choir has organized a welcome song for the prince, and after that, he will have to greet the staff” Kreacher, who his parents had sent in a car after the brothers, had arrived and was now the one, making sure, everything went smoothly.
“Do I have to be there when they sing” Regulus asked, he really didn’t want to be in a room filled with people, whereas many of them would be singing in his honour.
“Yes, your royal highness you will have to be there”
“Fine” he said, and followed everyone to where, he assumed, the choir would be ‘performing’.
It was a church, the school had its own fucking church. They walked in, and he whispered to Sirius so only they could hear it “they have a fucking church, the school has their own fucking church!”
“Yeah well, as much as I love this school, I do have to say it is a school for posh people only”
“Well no shit”
All the students were already sat at the church benches, only one bench remaining empty, of course it was the front one.
Him, Sirius and Bellatrix, all sat in it, waiting for the ceremony or what the fuck it was, would start.
Cameras were clicking, and people were looking, and the only reason Regulus wasn’t totally freaking out, was the reassuring hand of Sirius, placed on his leg, near his knee, as a form of grounding. Sirius always seemed to know, exactly what he needed.
Then a group of about 10-15 students walked out, probably the choir, he thought. Out of all the students in the group, he recognized two.
The first was Dorcas Meadows, he knew her from kindergarten, they had both been in the same prestigious kindergarten, and had actually gotten along quite well. She waved slightly at him, as if testing if he still remembered her, he did, and therefor slightly waved back.
“Do you know her” it sounded from Bellatrix
“I do, we went to kindergarten together
The second person he recognized was James Potter, better known as the brother Sirius wished was the one he was related to. He was tall, eyes brown, hair messy, glasses askew, on his bronze skin that shined. Maybe he didn’t quite enjoy the fact that James potter was so close to Sirius, well he actually hated that fact, but he could recognize that, James Potter was absolutely beautiful.
James noticed Regulus eyes on him, and turned to look at him, giving him a small smile, Regulus didn’t know why, but he smiled slightly back. Some might think, well Regulus that isn’t too weird, it’s just a smile, but Regulus hadn’t smiled genuinely to anyone else than Sirius and Evan, in about 3 years.
Music started playing, and soon after the choir started singing. He couldn’t take his eyes off of James, and the fact that James had a solo didn’t help one bit. Regulus wouldn’t be able to answer, if anyone asked, what song the choir had sang, but he would be able to tell them, that James voice was angelic, and he looked the same.
Suddenly a voice interrupted his stance “Excuse me potter, can you sing a little louder” followed by an obnoxious laugh. Bellatrix also let out a laugh besides him “Severus Snape, quiet” a woman, probably a professor, told in a hushed whisper.
In that moment, Regulus really wanted to punch this Snape guy, and Sirius looked like he had the same feeling.
After the choir and the greeting of the staff, Regulus finally was done for the day, but he would have to continue the following day, with photos and interviews and many other things.
But at least for now Regulus could go to his room and sleep, and so he did.