November- 1973
Saturday, 3rd November, 1973
One thing Regulus could say about Sirius with full certainty was that he was clever. And not just in the way of knowing what to say or do at any given time. Somehow, Sirius could cause trouble in a hundred and one ways and at the end of the day still make plans for a hundred and one more.
Another thing he could say about his brother was that he was proud, bordering on vain.
These two traits rarely, if ever, mixed well.
As a rule in Grimmauld, Regulus was expected to be up with the sun or else he would suffer punishment. For the most part he had been good with this rule. Unfortunately for him, this meant that when he finally arrived at Hogwarts and met people with more relaxed sleeping schedules, nine times out of ten he would be the first one awake. Such was the case the morning of Sirius's fourteenth birthday.
Regulus reasoned that forcing Barty out of bed as well didn't seem fair, and so he resigned himself to being alone for at least an hour. As he entered their shared bathroom to get ready for the day he considered what few options he had.
The first would be to stay put in the room, which would require sitting on his bed in absolute silence and staring at the wall. If not that, he could go down to the common room and wait, which wasn't much better but at least he wouldn't be aware of every breath he took. However he thought it would be awkward once someone else came down and found a twelve year old boy sat by himself doing nothing. Plus, the common room was almost always cold despite the fire place being lit constantly.
He could try the library, but he was almost positive it didn't open until classes started. In most other areas of the castle, if he were caught, he would be given detention for going out of bounds.
In the end, he decided to head to the Great Hall and claim a spot at the table for breakfast.
Coming up out of the dungeons, the halls were empty. His steps echoed slightly as he walked along the flagstone, making him acutely aware of any other sounds happening around him. Much like the stairs at Grimmauld, he tried to find the speed and cadence that best allowed him to go unnoticed.
It wasn't long before he reached his destination. Walking past the open doors of the Great Hall, he assumed he would be the only person there yet. Regulus should know by now to expect the unexpected.
Remus Lupin is frozen in place next to the Slytherin tables— the exact opposite side of the room he should've been on.
Regulus stutters to a stop when they make eye contact. Neither of them move, both incredibly confused and unsure how to continue. Of the four Marauders, Remus was the one he most interacted with— mainly in the library. But even then, neither one spoke to each other. Seeing him outside of their mutual space, being alone with him like this...he's at a loss of what to do, frankly.
Regulus notices Remus has his hands held behind his back, clearly hiding something. He furrows his brows, quirking his head slightly.
"Nothing," Remus speaks suddenly.
Regulus's confusion deepens. "I didn't ask you anything."
He could practically see the sweat dripping down the side of Lupin's face.
"Right."
Regulus's eyes widen. He nods slowly. "Right."
Remus says nothing. After a few seconds of bewildered silence, Regulus nods again and starts off past him.
"Uh— wait, Regulus."
Regulus feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns around to face Remus. The boy still has his right arm hidden behind him.
"Er...come," Remus says. He takes Regulus by the wrist and pulls him back the way he came, rather awkwardly as he's still trying to conceal whatever's in his hand.
Regulus stumbles after and comes to a stop at the very end of the table. Remus lets him go, motioning a bit to the end of the bench.
"Sit here, yeh?"
Regulus stares up at him, looks down at the bench, back up again.
"Why?," he asks skeptically.
"Just trust me.”
Lupin watches with wide eyes and Regulus realizes he's serious. He lowers himself onto the bench, never moving his gaze from the other boy. Once seated, Remus nods then quickly turns around— moving his hand in front of him now— and speed walks out of the hall. Regulus shakes his head as he settles in.
Maybe a sign of lycanthropy was mania.
About twenty minutes later the Great Hall begins to form a crowd, students and teachers taking their spots in their assigned areas. Barty comes in when the room is nearly full, rambling about some nonsense Rosier said to him in the dorm. A few seconds after he sits, the food appears. He picks up his goblet of pumpkin juice, takes a sip, and gives a deep frown.
"Does this taste funny to you?"
Regulus looks up from his eggs. He glances over at his own drink before picking it up, inspecting the liquid. It was still the regular orange color it should be. Against his better judgement, he takes a small sip.
"Mine tastes fine."
Barty shakes his head. "I don't know, it's like...like..."
Suddenly, a loud groan comes from the other end of the table. Regulus snaps his head up, looking for the source.
A fourth year boy stumbles up from his seat, backing into the wall and falling against it for support. Almost immediately, a girl begins moaning at the same time, holding her stomach as she bends forward. Another student falls ill, and another and another.
In only a few seconds, almost half of the Slytherins have doubled over, wailing and crying in pain.
Barty falls to the floor and curls up in a ball.
"Barty?," Regulus jumps up, coming to his friends side. He hovers over him in fear.
Barty's hair begins to shift to a dark black, twisting into curls as it grows past his ears. Though not by a lot, he seems to visibly grow taller and thicker. He shudders as the change racks through his body.
Eventually, the groaning quiets, and Barty is left gasping on his hands and knees.
Regulus leans closer tentatively. "Barty?"
He looks up and immediately Regulus lets out a startled yelp.
His own face stares back at him.
Only it's not his face. The eyes that land on his are a dull grey, rather than blue and green. And his hair isn't nearly that long. The shock must read on Regulus's face.
"What?," Barty asks, concerned. "What's happened?"
"I...you're...," Regulus stutters.
Another commotion starts up amongst the Slytherins— frightened gasps and horrified shouts filling the air. Regulus looks around, already knowing what he'll find.
At least thirty clones of Sirius stand in green and silver.
From the other side of the hall, the real Sirius and his friends burst out laughing. The rest of the students begin to piece together what's just gone down. Gradually, all of the Gryffindor's begin to laugh as well, followed by the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws. Three-fourths of the Great Hall find the situation absolutely hysterical.
Barty rises from the floor, grabbing his spoon off of the table. He focuses hard on the tiny reflection before pulling back in surprise.
"I'm you!," he shouts, staring at Regulus incredulously.
"No," Regulus shakes his head. "You're my brother.”
As the laughter and distress continue, a loud chorus starts up from the Gryffindor table.
"Happy birthday to you!"
———————
The effects of the polyjuice potion lasted a full eight hours before wearing off. The day had been utter chaos as no one could tell the difference between a minority of the Slytherins. Regulus couldn't help but notice that not one of his housemates touched their goblets all throughout lunch and dinner.
Barty had taken full advantage of the situation, making every joke under the sun. The words "No, he's Sirius" left his mouth no less than a thousand times. It wasn't until late that night when they were winding down in the dorm that he made an astute observation.
"Hang on," he says, pointing an accusing finger at Regulus. "I saw you drink from your cup. Why didn't you get changed?"
Regulus pauses for a second. He shrugs, turning his face to hide a smirk.
"Guess they didn't get all of them."