Icarus and His Sun

Regulus is currently running on two pieces of toast, half a glass of orange juice, and pure adrenaline. The sight of the trains dazzling bright red compartments sends a whole new buzz of electricity through his veins.

There are no words to describe his level of excitement. He feels the need to jump up and down just to get rid of some energy and has to seriously concentrate on walking like a normal human.

He's in line with Sirius, closely following Walburga and Orion through the platform. He holds Theodore protectively in his arms, the kitten slightly more reserved in the presence of such a big crowd. Kreacher backs them up, pushing the trolley that holds their luggage.

After passing by several weeping mothers and intolerant younger children, they finally stop at a point that Walburga deems reasonable.

She turns sharply.

"Sirius, get your things and board the train." Her mouth curls in a disgusted sneer. Regulus thinks that might be the most she's said to him all day.

Sirius looks as if he may refuse, then begrudgingly does as he's told after another mean look. He meets Regulus's eye just before he leaves, giving him an almost undetectable nod.

Walburga waits until he disappears inside to continue.

"Regulus", she calls, making him whip back around to face her. "You are not to make contact with your brother by any means. Should you choose to disobey me, I've given Narcissa strict instructions on how to handle the situation. Any and all information will make its way back to me."

She glances around at the other people occupying the station.

"Furthermore, you are hereby prohibited from associating with any and all members of Gryffindor house, as well as any and all children found to be of muggle descent. Do I make myself clear?"

He stutters, nodding his head quickly. "Yes, Mother."

Walburga studies him for a moment before turning to consult her husband. Regulus has to focus to hear his fathers voice, low even here amongst the bustling crowd.

"Nous attendons une lettre de votre part dans les deux prochains jours. Nous maintiendrons le contact comme bon nous semble tout au long de l'année."

Regulus nods, only half listening. He's still caught up on the thought of Narcissa telling on him to his mother.

Orion reaches into his pocket. He pulls something out as he gets down on one knee in front of Regulus. He opens his hand, presenting a dark green collar. Attached to it is a small gold charm engraved with the word 'Laurie' in an elegant script.

"Pour le bébé", he whispers, leaning in and clipping it around the cats neck.

Regulus smiles. "Merci, Papa."

Orion winks, straightening up again.

The train whistle sounds, white smoke tunneling out of if. The chatter of the platform doubles, hundreds of conversations happening at once.

Kreacher appears at his side, having already carried his things into the train for him. The house elf bows in an act of service and the boy grins a thank you.

"Tojours pur, Regulus", Walburga parrots her words from their previous visit. "Make your family proud."

Regulus finds that those last words sound more threatening than he would hope for.

"Yes, Mother."

With nothing left to say, Regulus turns to face the train. He forces his feet to move slow and steady, making his way up to an entryway.

Here goes nothing.

The insides of the units are long corridors with compartments on each side. Most of them have already been grabbed by older students, filling up with friends and family members alike. Some have shades drawn in their windows, doors sealed and most likely magicked shut.

Regulus isn't sure he wants to know what goes on inside.

He begins to head off in one direction, not knowing what exactly he's looking for. The train whistle cuts through the air again and slowly it starts to move forward. A small sense of fear rises up in him.

A door slides open and two girls exit. They rush towards him, giggling to each other.

"Er, excuse me, could you—"

He's cut off when they squeeze past him, accidentally knocking him off balance. He grunts, falling to his knees as they run off. Theodore crumples up in his arms.

So much for that, he thinks.

"Reggie!"

He turns around, finding Sirius standing at the end of the hall. Sirius gives him an odd look.

"Why are you on the floor?"

Regulus guides Theodore up onto his shoulders before lifting himself up.

"Uh...forget it, it's nothing."

Sirius shrugs. "You say so. Come on, you're with me."

Regulus doesn't move.

He thinks about what his mother said to him on the platform. How Narcissa would be keeping an eye on him, how he mustn't pay any mind to his brother or the people he chooses to surround himself with. He was given an order, a rule. And Regulus always followed his mothers rules.

"Well hurry up, then. We haven't got all day, have we?" Sirius is already halfway through the unit door, holding it open with his body.

Regulus takes a deep breath and follows Sirius out.

They walk through another two units before arriving at the one they reside in. The last compartment on the left's door is slid open, and as they grow closer Regulus can make out voices in the midst of conversation.

"Ow, Peter! Watch it, yeh?"

"Sorry, sorry! I promise, I've almost done it!"

"Merlin's balls, Pete. You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on."

Sirius jumps in front of the doorway, arms spread wide.

"Gentlemen!", he boasts, causing the cart to go silent. "It is with great pleasure and my highest honor that I may present to you— the one, the only, Sir Regulus Arcturus Black II."

Sirius swings his arms around and forward, motioning into the compartment. Regulus takes that as his cue to walk forward, revealing himself to the people inside.

All three boys are frozen in place, watching Regulus enter.

The first thing he sees is a short, round boy with blonde hair standing on top of the bench. He's reaching up into the overhang at an open trunk, which Regulus believes to be the cause of all the random socks and chocolates strewn about the floor.

Sitting next to the boy, pressed up against the window to avoid getting stepped on again, is another blonde. His hair is slightly longer and curlier than his friends. What's most peculiar is that his face and neck are covered in thick, deep, healed over scars.

On the opposite bench sits a boy with rich brown skin. His hair is dark and messy, falling over his glasses in front of his eyes. He's got his feet up on the seat next to him, leaned back in a very relaxed manner.

Sirius takes Regulus by his arms, steering him in the direction of each boy, one by one.

"Reggie, I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and James Potter."

"...Pleasure to meet you", Regulus states, voice barely above a whisper.

"Blimey, you weren't kidding!" The boy, James, pops up. He moves closer, getting right in Regulus's face. "His eyes are magic!"

James stares directly into his eyes, taking in the strangeness of the differing colors. His gaping mouth slowly turns into a wide, toothy grin.

Regulus scowls slightly, feeling a bit insulted. "You're the one who's trying to steal my brother," he responds.

James's smile shifts a bit, then he starts to laugh.

"I think there's enough of Sirius to go round," he says, earning him a smack in the head.

"Ignore him. He's a proper twat."

James laughs harder, falling back into his seat. Sirius guides his brother to the bench before closing the door behind them.

"I like your cat," Peter says, still standing on the bench. "What d'you call it?"

"Laurie," Regulus says, lifting the kitten off his shoulder.

"Thought you said his name was Teddy?" Sirius asks.

Regulus sets the cat in his lap, stroking its head as it gets comfortable.

"His real name is Theodore Laurence. He's named after..." He pauses, thinking back to this past summer. "He's named after a character from a book."

"Ah, see, told you", Sirius says, squeezing in between him and James. "You and Professor Lupin have got so much in common already!"

"Watch it, Black. Or I'll hex your toothbrush into a— Ow! Peter! For christ's sake!" Remus yelps as Peter steps on his thigh, trying to boost himself higher.

Regulus hears a slight tick in his voice and he cocks his head, unsure of where to place the accent.

"Sorry! Gosh, I'm sorry, Remus! I'm really trying here!"

"Why don't you just accio whatever it is?" Regulus scrunches his face.

"S'his wand he's lost," Remus explains.

He still fails to understand. "Why don't you lot do it, then? Rather then just complain when he stomps all over you?"

Remus blinks, taken back by the bluntness of his question. He goes to respond but is beat to it by Sirius's barking laugh.

"You've gotten feisty since I've left!"

Rolling his eyes, Regulus pulls his own wand out of his pocket, waving it up at the open trunk.

"Accio wand."

The trunk shakes as the wand races out, flying directly into Regulus's hand. He turns it over, handing it to the boy.

"Here you are, Peter."

"No way!" Peter steps down, taking his wand from Regulus. "It took me two weeks to learn that. How'd you do it without any classes?"

Regulus shrugs. "I read how to do it ages ago. That and I've seen it done quite a lot. It just seemed simple."

Sirius pinches his cheek annoyingly hard. "That's my Reggie! The little genius!"

Regulus swats at his hand, knocking him away. "I think I'd quite like to see what Lupin has in store for your toothbrush."

The others laugh and soon the conversation turns into a more relaxed banter.

Well, relaxed in the sense that it carries a comfortable atmosphere. Aside from that, the playful bickering that goes on is anything but.

Regulus watches from the outside, hovering just around their circle. He chuckles at his brothers expense and rolls his eyes in all the right places, but other than that he doesn't contribute much. It seems as though he could disappear entirely and the boys would be too wrapped up in each other to notice. He doesn't much care, though. Theodore is wonderful company.

"What d'you think, Black?"

Regulus is busy looking through the opposite compartments windows at the passing hills. He feels a shove at his arm and turns, only to be met with silent and waiting stares.

"Oh, I'm Black?" he asks, pointing to himself.

James snickers, shaking his head.

"Got a point though, hasn't he?" Lupin smirks. "Can't call em both Black, bloody confusing."

"Shall we assign numbers to them, then. Black One and Black Two?" James tilts his head, looking over at Regulus. "Maybe a nickname?"

"Bella's already got that covered for us, hasn't she Reggie?"

Regulus narrows his eyes at his brother. "Sirius Orion, don't you dare."

"Or what?", he asks with his usual trouble-making grin. He leans close and says in a sing-song voice, "Baby Black."

Regulus raises a fist, bringing it down quick onto Sirius's crotch.

Sirius doubles over, sliding off the bench and onto the floor. He groans, hands coming up between his legs. "Man down."

The carriage erupts with laughter loud enough to be heard from the other end of the unit. All three boys are hysterical, clutching their stomachs and wiping away fake tears.

Regulus sits back, thoroughly satisfied with his actions.

——————

The sky has already begun to darken when the train finally comes to a stop.

They're one of the last groups to make their way onto the platform, being held up by Peter who insisted on double and triple checking that he had gotten every last item back into his trunk.

Once outside, Regulus barely has time to process what's going on before he's being ushered away.

An impossible large man with a thick, curly beard about as long as his hair stands near one end of the platform. His wide hands circle his face as he calls out for all first years to gather round. Regulus holds Theodore close to his chest. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Sirius.

"I've got to go, only first years take the boats. But I'll see you inside, yeah?" He goes to leave.

"Attendez." Regulus grabs his wrist before he can get too far, pulling him back.

Sirius turns to him, surprised, and Regulus is sure he must seem utterly useless. Sirius shakes his head, giving a comforting smile.

"You'll be fine, Reggie," he whispers. "I promise."

Regulus waivers for a moment before letting go, allowing his brother to head off in the other direction. He blinks, then takes a deep breath and fixes his posture before joining the other children.

They're put into groups in small wooden rowboats that have been magicked to float on their own. Regulus sits stock still in his seat, not daring to rock the boat in the slightest. Theodore seems to feel the same, barely moving at all the whole ride.

Seeing the castle for the first time, he's at a loss for words.

It stands tall on a large cliff, windows and doorways illuminated to act as a beacon. There are a number of large towers rising above the rest of the stone buildings, stretching up to a point high in the sky. The moon shines down beautifully, it's reflection rippling in the dark lake.

Eventually they exit the boats, walking up a long, steep path littered with ancient looking stairs.

The entrance to the school is a large set of double doors, thick wood arched high above his head. The children cluster on the front steps and watch as the man— Hagrid, as he had introduced himself— pushes the doors open.

Regulus's jaw hits the floor.

It's so much more beautiful than he had ever imagined.

The vastness of the hall is enough to fit the entire school at once. It's stone walls stretch up endlessly, filling the castle with more floors than even Grimmauld has. Regulus doesn't even guess at how many rooms that must add up to.

The hallways are open, allowing you to have a clear view of someone on a completely different floor. The stone barriers guarding the edges are broken up at certain points, and Regulus quickly realizes it's to allow access to the moving staircases.

Covering every wall are hundreds of paintings. Each one is different in size, color, and subject. Some portraits of famous wizards and witches are empty, while others contain guests, chattering away with the host of the canvas.

Absolutely everything is laced with magic, stirring up an electricity in the air similar to the feeling right before a storms hits.

They turn to the left, coming up to another set of much wider doors. Standing in front is a tall, thin witch dressed in green robes. She introduces herself as Professor McGonagall and goes on to explain the process by which the children will be sorted. Regulus is only half paying attention, already having some faint idea of how things will go.

What he does notice is that none of the other students are accompanied by their pets.

For a moment, he feels a bit silly carrying his cat around with him. But he quickly gets over it when he realizes the only alternative would've been to leave Theodore on the train and hope he was transported safely to his dorm along with his luggage.

Absolutely not.

McGonagall ends her speech, wishing all the students good luck in their sorting, and turns around, opening up the doors to the Great Hall.

Four long rows of tables spread out in front of them, jam packed with children. Each table has been assigned a color, demonstrated clearly by the students with matching ties and emblems. Regulus can't help but notice the tables for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff have been placed at the center, forcing the remaining two houses to opposite ends of the room.

Professor McGonagall leads the first years to the far left side of the room, squeezing between the wall and the Slytherin tables on their way to the front of the room. Regulus spots a head of flowing silvery hair. He quickly whispers to Narcissa as he passes, dropping Theodore into her arms and quickening his pace so as not to be left behind.

Standing on front of the teachers table, the headmaster Albus Dumbledore begins his own speech. Ramblings of accepting new students and welcoming back old, strength in numbers and unity among houses, expectations for the term and loads of other boring things Regulus couldn't be paid to care about.

It's around this time that Regulus realizes he hasn't eaten a proper meal all day. His brother had offered him sweets from the trains trolley but he had refused, assuming dinner would come relatively quickly at the castle. If he had known they'd need to sit through a lecture before hand, he wouldn't have been so quick in denying everything.

Finally, Dumbledore finishes to a roar of applause. He steps away, allowing McGonagall to take the stage once again. She takes a large scroll and unrolls it, beginning to read aloud.

"Alvarez, David."

A small, olive skinned boy walks forward. McGonagall guides him to a wooden stool, lifting an old, beaten up hat off for him to sit down. She places the hat down on his head.

Almost as quickly as it's set down, the hat speaks in a loud and grumbly voice, exactly how you would expect a hundred and fifty year old hat to speak.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Great Hall congratulates him politely as he scurries down to join his housemates.

"Aubrey, Bertram."

The boy that gets called up takes a few seconds to be sorted, eventually being placed into slytherin. He slips away, cheeks tinted a faint pink, and heads to the far left side of the hall. He finds a spot next to an older girl who promptly envelopes him in a gigantic hug.

"Black, Regulus."

Regulus feels his heart stop. He should've guessed his name would be called soon, it was only the second letter of the alphabet. He walks forward on shaking legs, carefully making his way towards the stool. Sitting down, he shoves his hands underneath his thighs and McGonagall places the hat onto his head.

The hat covers the top half of his face, and suddenly the room goes both dark and quiet. A grumbly voice echoes in his ears.

"Hmmmm...not as simple anymore, is it..."

Regulus's heart hammers twice as hard, working double time to pick up the slack.

"Lots to consider, in this one...a great deal, in fact..."

His neck feels hot. He wiggles his toes inside of his shoes.

"Perhaps it would be better if we work backwards...", the hat's voice seems to come from all around him. "Rule out what you're not...to find who you are..."

Anything that's quick, Regulus thinks.

The hat chortles from behind him. "Not Hufflepuff, then...no, certainly not..."

The small gaps between words are filled with tiny hums and noises of approval or dissatisfaction. The voice moves in circles around him and he tries not to jump when it suddenly goes from one side to the other.

"You may go far..." the hat suggests, then pauses. "But not far enough..."

What does that mean?

"Too much heart rules out any wits you've got left...I fear Ravenclaw is not for you..."

Too much heart. Regulus wasn't sure he would label himself as someone with too much heart. Too little hatred, maybe.

Perhaps they were the same.

"Perhaps...but that would be up to you, wouldn't it?..."

Sometimes it felt like nothing was up to him.

"I see...in that case—"

"SLYTHERIN!", the voice chants, no longer in his ear.

He blinks, remembering what all this was for. The hat comes off and he's abruptly met with delighted clapping and cheering, solely from the Slytherin tables.

He hops down and his gaze cuts over to the crowd of red and gold, scanning for Sirius. His heart pounds against his chest, threatening to burst. But instead of disappointment, Regulus receives the biggest, brightest smile he's ever seen from his brother. And he can tell, even from all the way up here, that it's one hundred percent genuine.

Regulus walks with his head down. He reaches Narcissa and steps over the bench, sitting down next to her.

"Well done, Regulus", she praises him as she hands over his cat. "Though I must say, you had me worried for a second there."

"What do you mean?"

"You were up there for ages", she explains before another round of cheers goes up for a Hufflepuff boy. "Five minutes, at least."

Regulus shakes his head, confused. "But it was only thirty seconds. At least that's what it felt like."

Narcissa shrugs, turning her attention back to the sorting.

It carries on for at least an hour, children being indoctrinated into one of the four sects. Raucous cheering erupts from Gryffindor with every new addition, much louder than any of the other houses. Regulus diverts all his attention to his kitten, afraid of looking up and having to face his brother.

The last child is sorted. McGongall removes the hat and stool from the front of the room, Dumbledore stepping forward again to congratulate all of the new students. Once that's over he claps his hands and suddenly mountains of food appear on the plates before them.

Regulus stacks his plate high, well over the portion his mother would've set for him. He can't help himself; not only is he starving, everything tastes so incredible. He'll be full for days, he thinks, as he goes in for seconds.

Theodore is thoroughly satisfied as well. After stealing bits of chicken from the boys plate, the food vanishes again only to return as a variety of different desserts. The cat happily nips at a couple of blueberries set in front of him.

Once everyone in the Great Hall is positively stuffed, the plates clear themselves for good.

Dumbledore dismisses everyone to their dorms and the students quickly spill out into the main halls. Boy and girl pairs from each house summon their respective first years to show them the way. Regulus stands close to Narcissa, Head Girl pin reflecting brightly on her uniform. She's busy discussing something with her partner when she glances back at her cousin.

Her eyes land on him, then on something over his shoulder that causes her to to grow serious.

"Taylor, take the children to the common room. I have something to deal with first."

The boy agrees, leading the first years off towards the dungeons. Regulus is stopped before he can get very far, a hand wrapping around his upper arm.

"Not you", Narcissa lowers her voice. "I need to speak with you."

Regulus steadies himself, a confused look on his face. She glances back behind him before leaning in slightly, keeping her voice just above a whisper.

"Regulus, I want you to know that I spoke privately with your mother earlier."

His heart sinks. He's not sure what he expected, but hearing her address it sends a wave of dread crashing over him.

"I know", he manages. "She told me on the platform."

"Then you know that she's asked me to prevent you from speaking to your brother."

He wishes he were anywhere else. Wishes she had just let him walk away with the other first years and go off to bed. He nods, preparing for her to drag him away from the crowd. Instead, her eyes flit over to that point he's blind to.

A sad smile emerges on her face and she diverts herself back to Regulus.

"If Andromeda were here, I surely hope you would show me the same kindness." She turns him around and he finally sees what's been worrying her.

Sirius watches from across the sea of first year Gryffindor's, leaning back against the wall. James is stood next to him, kicking the toes of his trainers into the wall. They lock eyes and Sirius straightens, a look of surprise and hope directed at Narcissa.

"Go", she whispers, plucking Theodore from his arms. "I'll wait here."

He shoots a glance at her to make sure she isn't messing with him. She's not.

Regulus walks quickly, closing the distance between them. Sirius lets out a relieved sigh, his smile instantly popping up. He opens his arms and Regulus crashes into him, squeezing tight.

"Merlin", he breathes, "you had me worried, you prick."

Regulus chuckles. He holds on a bit longer before pulling back, looking at his brothers beaming face.

He can hear the trepidation in his own voice when he speaks. "Tu n'êtes pas en colère?"

"You're joking, yeah?", Sirius asks, raising his eyebrows. He scoffs. "I couldn't be more proud."

"But...but I didn't—"

"That hat was on for eight bloody minutes", Sirius shakes his head. "It had to think long and hard for you."

Regulus feels his heart lift a bit. He hadn't thought of it like that, but obviously if the hat had trouble deciding then it meant the answer was flexible.

James comes up at his brothers side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Congrats, Reg. Too bad you won't be with us, but we'll find a way to pester you anyhow."

Regulus nods, certain that that's not an empty promise.

"Potter! Black! Get on with it!" The Gryffindor prefect shouts at them.

"Comin', Frank!", James calls. He starts walking backwards and nods to Regulus. "Cheers, Black."

Regulus feels his face heat up.

Sirius meets his eyes again, smile never fading. "I'll catch up with you soon, alright? See you, Reggie."

He messes his hair before jogging away, trailing after the first years with James. Regulus watches them fill up one of the floating staircases, hovering all the way up to one of the halls before disappearing down the corridor.

Narcissa comes to stand next to him.

"I think he's growing on me," she says, bouncing the kitten gently as if it were a newborn baby.

Regulus laughs. "He tends to have that effect on people."

They switch off again. Narcissa tilts her head to the side, motioning towards the other wall.

"Off to bed, then. I'd rather not give my little cousin a detention on his first day."