Icarus and His Sun

The morning of September 1st is a blur of screaming, hitting, cursing, and fearful onlooking. In other words, a typical Sunday in the Black household.

In the two short hours between waking up and leaving for the platform, Regulus finds himself thinking on multiple occasions that Walburga might actually keep Sirius from boarding the train this year. Everything he does only succeeds in angering her further.

Thankfully though, both boys make it to Kings Cross in one piece. They follow their mother down the length of the train. Regulus glances up to some of the windows, looking for any sign of Barty having already boarded.

Eventually Walburga stops, reaching a point that she deems good enough for their departure. Regulus waits patiently for whatever final words she wishes to make but there seem to be none. She hasn't made a notion to dismiss them however, and so all three stand in silence. The time slips by them, somehow feeling like three hours and three seconds all at once.

The trains whistle blows. Last call.

Walburga's eyes fix on her eldest son. Her expression is one of deep concentration mixed with something sinister. She doesn't move a muscle, barely even breathes. The pale, imperceptible blue of her eyes nearly doubles in capacity as it takes up the space of her shrunken pupils.

It's a face that Regulus has become all too familiar with. A shiver runs down his spine and his mind subconsciously starts to prepare itself for the push against that invisible wall.

It doesn't come. Regulus's heart relaxes once he knows he isn't his mothers target.

On the contrary, Sirius looks as though he may be sick.

Regulus sees panic flash across his face before it twists into something that could either be disgust or pain. His breath hitches, then starts coming in short, stuttered gasps. He makes a noise that resembles a wounded animal and Regulus watches in silent horror as his brothers eyes fill up with tears.

Sirius never cries.

He continues to let out pained whimpers as his chest heaves, fighting hard against the sobs working their way up. Regulus's body may be frozen but his mind runs rampant, managing to pick out the one and only time he's ever seen Sirius act like this before.

Je suis désolé. Je suis désolé. Reggie, je suis désolé. Vous allez bien. Regarde-moi, tu vas bien. Tout va bien, Reg.

What have you done? What did you do to him?

Aidez-le. Il a peur, aidez-le. Maman—

Sirius isn't screaming this time, but Regulus doesn't know if that's better or worse.

Finally, he hears Sirius take a gasping breath that lets him know Walburga is satisfied.

He glances back at her just in time to see her sneer at them before about-facing. Without a word, she leaves them there to fend for themselves. Her heels click on the tiled floor as she disappears into the crowd.

Once he's sure she's gone, Regulus shoves Theodore into Sirius's arms and grabs his trunk, hauling it along with his own towards the train. The second whistle sounds just as Sirius pulls himself up into the unit. The trains wheels begin to roll and push forward. Sirius falls against the wall, sliding down to the floor with heavy sighs. He hugs Theodore close to his chest.

"Est-ce que tu vas bien?," Regulus asks as he brings his hand up to bite at his nails. He has no idea how to approach the situation and frankly he's scared out of his mind.

Sirius groans, shaking his head a bit. His eyes are closed and he swallows roughly before answering.

"M'fine...just...need a minute..."

Despite his reassurance, Regulus is still incredibly worried. Sirius looks like he's about to pass out and Regulus is very clearly not a doctor. He knows he should get help, but he doesn't want to just leave Sirius in the middle of the hall in this state. Merlin knows how many classmates he's pissed off over the years who would surely take advantage of the situation. There isn't much else he can do, though, so unless some holy saint just happens to walk by and offer their assistance—

"Sirius?"

Ah, of course. Who else but James 'Impeccable Timing' Potter.

"My god, are you alright?" James rushes over, kneeling next to his friend. He takes Sirius's head in his hands only to confirm Regulus's fears: Sirius is out cold. James turns to Regulus, eyes wide. "What happened to him?"

"Get him up." Regulus moves Theodore to the ground before taking up both trunks again.

James does as he's told. He hoists Sirius up, sliding himself underneath one of the boys arms to support him. Carefully, he leads both Black brothers through a number of the trains units. Regulus hates how long it takes before they're stopping in front of a compartment, James banging angrily on the door when it fails to open for him.

"Oi! Fuck off, Sniv— shite." Remus is pushed back into the compartment as James stumbles in, Regulus squeezing past the door as well.

"Move! Move your arse!" James's words are sharp as he lowers Sirius to lay on the bench. Sirius flops over effortlessly.

"Bloody hell, what the fuck happened?"

"Our mother," Regulus heaves, suddenly out of breath. He clumsily lets both trunks drop to the floor. "Legilimency."

"Merlin. What was she looking at?" Peter's voice is light and airy with disbelief.

"I don't know. I think..." He chokes, unable to continue despite the questioning looks thrown his way. "I don't know."

"Is he gonna be alright?," Remus asks.

"He should be." James sounds a bit calmer now. He stands, turning to Regulus. "You're sure that was all she did to him?"

Regulus nods, his hand connecting to his mouth again.

James visibly sags. "Then yeah. She didn't cause him any new pain, just brought back the memory of it. He'll hurt, but he'll be fine."

The entire room seems to deflate as everyone lets out a relieved sigh. They stand in silence for a while, decompressing. Open fields begin to speed past, setting a more calm and serene mood for the evening. It's then that Regulus takes a second to appreciate how the scene would look to anyone walking in: three Gryffindors, a Slytherin, a cat, and a dead body. It sounds like the setup to a bad joke Barty would tell him.

"So...how was everyone's summer?"

Regulus moves at a comically slow speed, turning to stare at Peter with an expression that says just how stupid that question was.

Peter looks at him, then at James and Remus who he assumes are pulling similar faces, and frowns. "Too soon?"

"Jesus fucking christ," Remus curses.

Peter slinks back into the opposite bench, bowing his head in shame. Remus lifts Sirius's trunk into the overhang, mumbling under his breath in Welsh.

Regulus wants to leave. He wants to go find Barty or at least an empty compartment, anything to get away from these menaces. He knows he's allowed to now that Sirius is safe and he probably should considering he once again is not on the best of terms with the gang.

Despite all of this, Regulus can't bring himself to walk away.

He's not actually abandoning his brother— there's more than enough people here to look after him once he wakes up— but his brain refuses to tell him any different. Though why should he listen? It's not like Sirius has never abandoned Regulus before, leaving him for dead in their own house.

He's about to force himself back out the door when he feels a push at his shoulder. He looks up to see James staring at him.

"What?" His voice comes much harsher than he thought it would.

James falters for a second. "I just...asked if you were alright."

Regulus blinks in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Your mother, I mean. Did she hurt you too, at all?"

For some reason, the comment stirs up a bit of anger in Regulus. "I'm fine," he spits.

James does a weird half-nod, half-shrug gesture. "Good. That's-that's good, you're...good."

Regulus scrunches his face. James shakes his head, runs his fingers through his hair.

"No, sorry. I just— I meant, good that you're good, y'know? That's—" he clears his throat, doing the nodding-shrug again, "that's good."

Regulus nods slowly. "Right."

"Not to say that you yourself aren't good. I mean, you are. Good. Y'know?" He pauses his rambling for a second, motioning towards Regulus. He lets out a small, defeated breath, looking Regulus up and down. "You...have you gotten taller?"

"Uhhh..." Regulus glances down at his shoes, as if that would help him answer the question. When he meets James's eyes again he realizes for the first time that he no longer has to look up to do so. He wonders how this could be a surprise for him considering that if they're the same height then that means he's also as tall as Sirius now too. At what point during the last year at Hogwarts had he begun to catch up with them?

"I guess? Maybe a bit."

"His hair's gotten longer, too," Peter pipes up from behind them. He chuckles. "Maybe he's trying to look more like Sirius!"

Regulus knows that's true, at least. Walburga usually controls every aspect of Regulus's appearance, but her consistent absences over the summer allowed for his hair to grow out a bit more than it normally would. It's by no means as long as his brothers, which now goes past his chin, but the hair behind his ears and at the back of his neck has begun to curl.

At the mention of his name, Sirius sighs a bit but doesn't move.

Regulus rolls his eyes. "One Sirius is more than enough."

James adjusts his glasses and laughs harder than he should considering it wasn't that great of a joke. Regulus raises a brow at him and he stops, clearing his throat again.

"If you, uh...If you wanted to stay, maybe. Just until he comes to, I guess. Keep an eye on him." Again, the weird nod-and-shrug. His hands can't seem to stay away from his glasses or his hair for too long.

Regulus wants to walk away. He wants to be with his own friends and he wants to enjoy going back to Hogwarts and he wants to forget about any bad things that happened before entering the train. Sirius isn't his responsibility, and even if he was he wouldn't be happy about Regulus supervising him. Regulus quite literally has every reason to leave.

He sighs angrily as he kicks his trunk under the bench and takes the seat closest to the door.

James squeezes between him and Peter, leaving Remus to sit on the floor. Regulus doesn't contribute to what little conversation the other boys make, choosing to divide his attention between the window, Sirius, and Theodore.

The minutes rack up and still Sirius lays motionless on the cushioned bench. The farther they get from London the more Regulus thinks something seriously wrong may have happened to him. The worried glances that the other boys keep giving each other aren't helping to ease his anxiety. After about forty minutes of absolute silence, it seems that none of them can stand waiting any longer.

"Should we try waking him up ourselves?" Remus has barely looked away from Sirius for the past half hour.

Before any of them can answer, the compartment door slides open.

"There you are! Barty, I found him!"

Pandora has yet to change into her robes and looks just as strange as ever. Her shirt is black and has four white faces painted on it, above which it reads "The Beatles". The skirt she's wearing is bright pink and has straps that act as suspenders, and underneath she wears some form of tights that are more holes than fabric. Her white socks are visible through the t-shaped straps of her leather shoes.

Regulus is about to comment on how absolutely mental she looks when Barty appears behind her.

"Well, well, well. Nice of you to finally show up." Barty walks in with his arms crossed, giving Regulus a pretend look of anger. "And here I thought you of all people wouldn't be caught dead with these derelicts."

"Delinquents, I said. And I'm not here for them," Regulus says, nodding his head towards the three boys.

James feigns a terrible injury, tossing his head back lightly as he winces. "We're right next to you, y'know."

"Yeah, I can see that," Barty says pointedly. "Care to explain, Reg?"

Pandora squeezes into the compartment, crowding the space even more. "Sorry to interrupt, but who are you?"

James leans forward, holding out his hand eagerly. "James Potter, friend of Regulus."

"No he's not."

"Pandora Lovegood, friend of Regulus."

"No she's not."

They shake hands, ignoring Regulus's input. James takes a moment to admire Pandora's rings which prompts her to shove both hands into his face, showing off all her jewelry.

"Do you like them? Most of them are from shops in my town, but I've also made a lot of them." She points to a ring on her index finger that has a snake coming off it. "This is one of my favorites. My parents sent it to me after I got sorted, and— oh, I'm sorry!"

She notices Peter peeking at her fingers as well.

"I've been terribly rude, haven't I? Pandora Lovegood, friend of Regulus."

"Again, no." Regulus presents the two boys by the window. "Peter, Remus. There. Now we all know each other."

"And yet we still don't know what you're doing here," Barty draws the conversation back. By now, he's taken the liberty of stealing Theodore away from Regulus.

"I was going to look for you after."

"After what? The bloody sorting ceremony?"

"Hey—" Remus is cut off.

"You think I didn't want to be with you instead? Why would I choose to stay with them?"

"We! Are! Right! Here!"

"James—" Again, Remus gets pushed over.

"I'm just saying, next time you want to run off, gives us a heads up first so we know you haven't died."

"Barty, how the fuck would I have died? Do you expect me to jump in front of the train for no reason?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't put it past him," Pandora whispers loudly to James. "He has a flare for the dramatics."

James makes a show of nodding, as if he's never agreed more with a statement. Regulus splutters a series of offended noises.

"What the fuck—"

A sharp whistle interrupts his sentence.

The compartment goes silent. All eyes are on Remus as he motions to the bench on the other wall. In an instant, James and Regulus are on their feet.

"What is it? Is he up?"

Peter and Remus join them, looking over their friend. Barty and Pandora are pushed aside only for them to turn around and wiggle their way into the group. All six are clustered in the tiny train compartment, staring down at the boy sprawled out on the bench.

"What are we looking at?," Barty whispers. He's met with angry shushing.

Regulus watches as Sirius stirs. He whines a bit, face scrunched slightly. Incoherent mumbles escape from his lips as he shifts on the bench. He brings his hands up, rubbing at his face.

He inhales deeply, turning his face to the side as he cracks one eye open.

Regulus can hardly breathe. A piece of his thumbnail breaks between his teeth. He waits for something to happen. Anything.

Confusion grows and deepens on Sirius's face as he stares up at the people above him. His voice is thick and slurred when he finally speaks.

"Suis-je en enfer?"

Regulus feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off of him. His sigh of relief turns into a laugh halfway through.

"Pas encore."

Sirius snorts.

James helps him to sit up and immediately begins fussing over him. He lays the back of his hand on Sirius's forehead, tilts his head around in circles to view every inch of it, pushes the hair out of his face, all while muttering words that Regulus can't quite make out. Sirius tries to push him away, promising that he's completely fine.

"Stick out your tongue," James instructs.

"What? No." Sirius does it anyways.

James inspects his throat. He hums before holding up one finger. "Follow with just your eyes."

Sirius does as he's told, watching James move his hand around in the air.

"How is this helping?," Regulus asks, exasperated.

"Making sure his brain isn't scrambled."

"A bit late for that," he mutters. Sirius kicks him in the shin and gives a sour look.

"Can you tell me your full name?"

"Sirius Orion Black III. Heir of the Noble House of Black. Son of Walburga and Orion. Born 3rd of November, 1959."

"Show off," Remus rolls his eyes. Sirius smirks.

James pays no attention to any side comments. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Suddenly, the room goes quiet again. Something almost imperceptible passes over Sirius's face, his smile falling the tiniest bit. He blinks, quickly recovering.

"The platform."

When he doesn't elaborate James nods his head. "Go on."

Sirius's grin fades completely. He stares directly at James, jaw clenched.

"No."

The silence is deafening. Regulus finds it hard to breathe again. He feels sick  for some reason he can't explain and wishes he had just left when he had the chance.

"Alright," James says after a long pause. "Do you know who we are?"

Sirius exhales. He tries to force a smile again.

"My three closest mates in the whole wide world. My darling brother and his best friend."

He turns to Pandora, pauses, then frowns.

"Pandora Lovegood, friend of Regulus."

"Ah." He takes her hand, bowing his head. "Sirius Black. Brother of Regulus."

"Okay, yes, hello, everyone knows everyone now!" Regulus waves a hand dismissively. "Is he going to die or what?"

"Aw, you hear that? Reggie's concerned for my well-being." Sirius's voice is condescending.

James shakes his head, eyes still trained on Sirius. "Like I said, it was just the memory of pain. He'll try and milk it for a few days but he's alright."

Sirius makes an affronted noise. He clutches his imaginary pearls. "Mister Potter, I'm offended! How could you insult a poor, helpless, injured man?"

James gives a sarcastic laugh in response.

Regulus finds himself drained of all energy. He lowers himself back into his seat, letting out a tired groan.

"Oh, are we staying?" Pandora bounces on the balls of her feet. She turns to Barty excitedly.

Barty barely registers the question, mesmerized by the cat in his arms. "Whatever Reg wants."

"Definitely not," Regulus says, dashing Pandora's hopes. "No. We're leaving."

Despite his claims, Regulus doesn't move.

"We're takin our fuckin time with that, I guess," Barty says. He plops down on the floor which gives Pandora the incentive to take a seat next to Sirius.

The compartment is filled beyond capacity, far more squished than any of them would like. Rather than complain, they make the best of their situation. The Gryffindor boys soon ease into their usual behavior, though Regulus is aware of how James and Remus keep a close eye on Sirius. He can hardly blame them; his gaze doesn't stray from his brother for more than a few seconds at a time.

Pandora and Barty are oddly quiet the majority of the ride. It takes Regulus an embarrassingly long time to realize they're both studying him, trying to understand what exactly happened without asking any uncomfortable questions. When he does notice he tries to reassure them silently, motioning in a way that he hopes is comforting. They seem to get the message.

The sun sinks down to the horizon. The train slows and eventually stops, children streaming out onto the platform. The gamekeeper, Hagrid, waits at one end, his booming voice calling all the first years to gather round. The rest of the students head off in the opposite direction towards the self-drawn carriages.

Regulus falls behind the other boys. For a second, he's afraid Sirius has already left before he hears his barking laugh somewhere in the crowd. He quickly spots him and rushes forward, tugging the arm of his robes.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Sirius stops just long enough to give Regulus a questioning look.

"To the castle? If that's alright with you." He brushes his brother off and climbs into the carriage with his friends.

Regulus lets him go, silently watching as he drifts away. His eyes meet James's, seeing his own worry reflected back to him, and he feels his heart sink.

"Reg!"

Regulus turns. Barty stands with Pandora next to an empty carriage, rocking Theodore in his arms.

"You coming?"

The sound of wheels rolling on gravel alerts him. All around, the carriages start to leave, one by one. They proceed in a single file line through the trees and towards the castle.

Regulus sees the marauders's carriage begin to move and panics.

"Shit," he grumbles before raising his voice. "Stop!"

Surprisingly, the sentient carriage listens to his request.

Regulus catches up, inviting himself into the group once more. He sits down with a huff across from Sirius who looks baffled. Regulus scowls.

"Oh shut up," he says even though no one has spoken. "If I let you out of my sight and you die, I'll never hear the end of it."

If Sirius is annoyed by Regulus tagging along yet again, he doesn't voice it. He simply looks to his friends to confirm they're seeing the same thing. Remus and Peter shrug while James seems thoroughly content with himself. Their silence is broken when two more people run over, taking up what little space is left.

"And you said we were leaving," Barty digs as he helps Pandora into the carriage. He steps in and takes his own seat just as they set off again.

They could not possibly make the ride up to the castle more awkward if they tried. Every last one of them is completely silent, staring at each other with tight lips and drawn eyebrows. Sirius doesn't seem to want to hold Regulus's gaze and so, being stubborn and spiteful, Regulus refuses to look away from him even once. He sits with his arms crossed, brooding, and glares at his brother until they're stopping again in front of the main entrance of the castle.

They clamber back out one by one and follow the flow of students through the entrance.

Being at Hogwarts has become a sort of comfort for Regulus. The feeling of being surrounded by magic is one he's learned to love, not to mention the beauty one can find in even the most mundane corners of the castle.

Now, though, Regulus can't seem to let himself enjoy the wonders around him. Not after being put through the hell of today.

Before he has time to really think about what he's doing, Regulus abandons his own friends once more. He pushes his way between James and Sirius and links arms with both of them, all three stopping short and creating a minor jam in the stream of children entering the Great Hall.

"No. Absolutely not." He tightens his grip, forcefully turning back the way they came. James seems only mildly confused while Sirius almost immediately tries to pull away.

"Oi! The fuck are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same question," Regulus responds, weaving through the oncoming crowd. "You're not going anywhere until Madam Pomfrey says you're well."

"Are you joking? We'll miss the feast!" Sirius looks back frantically, trying to spot the rest of his group.

"That's nice."

"The hell is the matter with you? Why are you so concerned with me all of a sudden, you wouldn't even look at me just yesterday."

Regulus doesn't really have an answer to that question. Not one that makes sense to him, anyways. Because truly, he is still mad about last year. Not a day has gone by where he hasn't thought about that fact that Sirius quite literally said he wished he wasn't his brother. That should be more than enough reason for Regulus to get as far away as possible right now. But here he is. Forcing Sirius into taking care of himself. It doesn't make sense, not in the slightest.

He says what he thinks Sirius is expecting to hear.

"Pardon me for wanting to spare myself the trouble of dealing with our mother when you die."

"Regulus, I'm fine!"

He finally manages to get away. Regulus makes a grab for his arm but he dodges it, nearly knocking over some poor second year in the process. Regulus tries again, grabbing hold of his brothers robes, but Sirius quickly sheds the outer layer with a tactful spin.

"Sirius Orion!" Regulus stops himself, realizing he's begun to yell. He takes a long, deep breath that barely calms him before resorting to Plan B. "Potter, tell him to go see Pomfrey."

James is frozen in place. His gaze bounces back and forth for a few seconds before locking on Sirius. He grimaces.

"He's got a point, mate."

Sirius looks a bit like a fish out of water, gaping silently and blinking as if he absolutely can not believe what he is seeing or hearing. James gives a defeated sigh.

"Look, just...you probably won't even have to stay long." He's trying to sound as convincing as possible. "We'll pop in, tell Pomfrey what happened, let her do a quick once over, and pop right back out. I bet they won't even be done with the sorting by the time we get back."

"I don't even know what to say to you right now, James. It's honestly not a big deal!"

"Exactly! She'll let you go and we'll be back in no time."

Sirius isn't buying it. He tilts his head, fixing James with a look that's borderline disgusted. James immediately crumbles. He looks over at Regulus with an exaggerated frown.

"Are you fucking kidding me?," Regulus whispers angrily. He gestures violently to Sirius, the abandoned robes still clutched in his hand.

"I'm sure he's fine," James says in a shaky, unconfident voice that cracks in the middle of his last word.

"He collapsed the second we entered the train! He could hardly stand."

"And he's doing a great job at it now!"

Regulus is about to punch James in the face. Honestly, maybe that would make this easier. He isn't above dragging them both unconscious to the hospital wing if he has to. Perhaps James can sense the impending danger because he begins shaking his head, face scrunched. When he opens his eyes again he turns to Sirius.

"No. No, Regulus is right."

That takes both brothers by surprise. Regulus does his best not to show it.

"You're ill. We need to be certain nothing bad happened."

"I'm telling you right now I'm fine. I promise." Sirius sounds thoroughly annoyed now.

"Then I'm sure you'll be more than happy to rub it in our faces on the way back," Regulus states.

The possibility of being smug is enough to make Sirius consider it. He huffs, biting at the inside of his cheek. He squints threateningly and Regulus mimics him with just as much intensity. After another ten seconds he's snatching his robes from Regulus's hand.

"Fine! But only so I can say I told you so."

"Yes, wonderful." Regulus rolls his eyes.

Sirius ends up leading the way to the infirmary. He walks swiftly, clearly hoping to rejoin the feast in time for pudding. Regulus can see James hovering close by out of the corner of his eye but he refuses to look directly at him, especially after he nearly gave in and let Sirius ignore his own health. Sure he did his own tests on the train but James is no doctor either and in the long run he could've gotten seriously injured and they wouldn't have known.

Merlin, and this boy says he's Sirius's best friend?

The door to the infirmary is unlocked and all three boys invite themselves in. They enter the front room to find Madam Pomfrey sat at her desk, organizing the files in one of her drawers.

"Oh my, three of you? So soon?" She tuts, shaking her head. "You've not been in the castle an hour yet and already you're trying to tear yourselves apart."

"Just Sirius, Madam Pomfrey," James says kindly. "We're here for moral support."

"Figures." She stands and steps out from behind her desk, approaching them. "What seems to be the issue?"

"Overthinking," Sirius responds curtly. "Hypochondria. Stubbornness. Failure to listen to one's own brother."

"Our mother used Legilimency on him just before we boarded the train. He looked like he was in a lot of discomfort and then he fainted."

"I woke up, didn't I?" Sirius is largely ignored.

"We just wanted to make sure he was alright," James goes on.

"I literally am! That's what I've been telling you the past four hours! I do not need medical attention!"

"How long were you unconscious for, dear?" Madam Pomfrey waves her wand and a clipboard appears in the air next to her. She plucks it up, conjuring a quill to fill out whatever information is on the sheet.

"About forty minutes, maybe," James provides. When she makes a discontented noise he furrows his brow. "Is that bad?"

"Well it's not exactly good. Come with me, Mister Black."

She walks into the hall that contains the sick beds with a very reluctant Sirius following her. She instructs him to lie down so she can begin her assessment. He complies, though he fixes his best friend and brother with an annoyed look and grumbles as she passes her wand over him, head to toe and back again.

Regulus watches on with his arms crossed to keep his hand from drifting up to his mouth. Beside him, James shifts uncomfortably, his hands coming up to his hair ever few seconds.

Finally, Madam Pomfrey finishes her examination.

"Well, I don't see any physical harm. He's not in any pain, and nothing's gone wrong with his insides."

"Exactly," Sirius states as he sits up.

"As for now, he doesn't appear to have anything wrong with his brain either."

Sirius presents Madam Pomfrey, clearly satisfied with her assessment.

"If he has no symptoms or illness, there's really no reason for me to keep him." Despite this, she looks at Sirius a bit concerned. "You're sure you're alright, dear?"

"Merlin, doesn't anyone think I'm telling the truth?" He makes a point to look each of them in the eye, one by one. "I'm fine. Honestly. I feel great."

"Well...I suppose if you really feel well...you're free to go. But if I find out that you're the least bit under the weather, you'll be right back here. Do you understand?"

"Absolutely," he says as he slides off the bed. "Now, if you all don't mind, I've got a feast to attend!"

With that, he turns up his nose and marches back out. Regulus watches him go again, and for the first time all day he doesn't feel the need to stop him. He and James thank Pomfrey, promising to let her know if Sirius's condition worsens at all, and head off as well. Regulus stays quiet as they leave and hopes, quite foolishly, that James will do the same.

"That was nice. What you did for him," James says after only thirty seconds of silence. "Making sure he was okay and all."

Regulus frowns. "Yes. Well. As I said, I wasn't doing it for him."

"You know, I don't think that's entirely true. He's your brother. You care for him."

"I don't see how I could when he makes it so hard." Regulus glances over for the first time, seeing James unashamedly staring him down. He scowls. "And either way, what do you know about familial bonds? You have no siblings."

James tilts his head a bit. "Well...no, but...that doesn't—"

"A word of advice, Potter. Don't speak on subjects you know nothing about." Regulus quickens his pace, a halfhearted attempt at getting away.

Sure enough, James is right back at his side, doing a weird skipping-side step as he catches up.

"I feel like you're being just a tad dramatic."

"Dramatic?," Regulus scoffs. His eyes nearly fall out of his head. "Really? I'm being dramatic about this? I'm sorry, were you not also in the room for our tiff, or did you conveniently go deaf for two minutes?"

"Well first of all, it was a harmless prank. No one actually got hurt, especially not you." He holds his hands out as if Regulus needs the reassurance. "And what Sirius said—"

"Sirius acts on his own whim." Regulus stops walking, making sure that he has James's full attention with his next words. "He does what he wants when he wants and he has little regard for how it affects other people. Even when you think he's helping, he has his own selfish reasons.

Furthermore, he rarely thinks before he acts and never before he speaks. Half the time he won't even realize he's done something wrong before it's too late. Now why should I excuse his poor judgement? Because of some meaningless blood connections? Tell me, Potter, since when does a thing like blood matter to a Gryffindor?"

James is still. He blinks, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. After a while of not saying anything, Regulus goes in again.

"As I said. Don't speak on issues that you don't understand."

Regulus pushes past him, storming off towards the Great Hall. Rather than go inside and join the feast, he splits off in the other direction, entering the dungeons.

He's the only person in the common room and in the dorm as well. The silence is a bit frustrating, especially after the dreadful conversation he's just had, but he manages to pull through. He digs into his trunk, takes out a notebook that's still half filled with blank pages, and begins to draw what he sees. The sound of the quill scratching against the paper helps in calming him.

It's another two hours before noises begin to drift up from the common room. The sound of footsteps on the stone staircase has Regulus sitting up excitedly. Barty is the first one through the door and Regulus practically tackles him to the ground.

"Give me the baby."

Barty shifts, keeping Theodore out of Regulus's reach. "Oi, hang on a minute. You abandoned him!"

"I was dealing with a very important situation."

"More important than our child?" Barty looks scandalized. He places a hand on top of Theodore's head, pretending to cover his ears.

"Bartemius Crouch. Give me my fucking cat." Regulus's arms are outstretched and waiting.

"Ooo, pulled out the full name. Trying to rile me up, are you?" Reluctantly, Barty hands Theodore off.

The cat immediately settles into Regulus, accepting the loving pets the boy gives him. Regulus goes back to his bed, cuddling his cat like he'll never get the chance again. The other boys mill about the room, talking about whatever nonsense they do. Barty follows Regulus to his bed.

"Let's talk, yeah?," he asks as he sits with his legs crossed.

He pulls the curtains closed around them and waves his wand, casting a spell to keep their conversation private. For just a second, Regulus's heart stops.

Oh. This is new.

He's not exactly sure where this is going and part of him is absolutely terrified. Although he knows he shouldn't be. Of course it makes sense that Barty wouldn't want people eavesdropping. This is a perfectly reasonable way to ensure their conversation is confidential.

And yet...

His fear must show on his face because Barty rolls his eyes at him.

"Oh relax. I'm not gonna murder you or anything. I'd never be able to get away with it here."

Not exactly what Regulus had been thinking— actually, he wasn't sure he knew what he had been thinking— but nonetheless reassuring. Barty barely gives him time to process this.

"The train. And the carriage. And then the feast." Barty pauses between each sentence for effect. He turns his palms up in question. "What's going on here, Reg?"

Regulus face scrunches in confusion. "What?"

"The end of last year you wanted nothing to do with Sirius and James, rightfully so. Now you're talking to them and spending time together— and skipping the feast? Really? I mean do you not remember that whole disaster? Cause I was there, I'd be happy to fill you in."

Regulus shakes his head. "No, Barty, it wasn't like that at all. I didn't..."

Barty waits for an explanation. Regulus is desperate to find a way around it, but at last he realizes it would be so much easier to tell the truth. He sighs defeatedly, casting his gaze downwards.

"Something happened with Sirius on the platform. Something bad," he says in a small voice. "He was ill. I just needed to stay with him until...until he got better."

It's quiet. Regulus feels his cheeks burn and he ducks his head to try and hide the blush. He uses Theodore as a method of keeping his hands busy.

"Did...," Barty starts slowly. "Is he alright?"

Regulus nods but doesn't speak.

"What happened?"

Regulus has a feeling Barty already knows the answer to that question. He looks up through his lashes and sees that Barty has gone pale, his lips pressed shut. It's a long time before he finds his voice again.

"Did she hurt you?" It's almost as if he's afraid of being too loud.

Regulus shakes his head once. "Just him."

"Fuck."

The silence hangs over them. Regulus feels as if he's just put himself under a magnifying glass; allowing anyone to pick him up and turn him over, examine every part of him. It's not a good feeling, being vulnerable. A small part of him wishes he had lied instead. At least then he wouldn't be pitied.

Suddenly, Regulus finds himself being crushed in a massive hug. He jumps slightly, tenses up, before cautiously returning the gesture.

"You're gonna get out of there," Barty whispers to him. "You're gonna get out and you won't have to deal with all their shit. And it'll be good...it'll be so good for you, Reg."

"Barty—"

"And you'll come find me. You'll find me, or— or I'll find you and then...then it'll be just us."

Regulus feels his heart squeeze at that. He wants to say something but he doesn't think he could speak through the lump in his throat.

"And Pandora," Barty quickly adds. "And Teddy. And maybe Sirius but only if he's not a prick about it."

Regulus gives a wet, broken laugh. It makes Barty pull back. He blinks and his first thought is that he's underwater: his vision is a mess and the corners of his eyes are producing rivers. He laughs again at his own childishness, physically shaking the thought from his head.

"Sorry," he croaks. "I— I can't...I shouldn't—"

"You have every right."

Again, Regulus feels his chest contract at his reply. Despite the reassurance, he brings his hands up to wipe at his cheeks. He takes a few deep breathes and finally manages to meet Barty's eyes again.

"Thank you."

Barty nods very deliberately. It's the most serious Regulus has ever seen him.

"You're my brother. I'd do anything for you, Reg. Just say the word."

It's a miracle Regulus hasn't simply burst open yet. A small smile finds its way to his lips, and he nods back.

"You're my brother," he breaths out.

Barty pulls him back in for another hug and this time Regulus is far less resistant. They stay there for a while and comfort each other. Theodore tries to wiggle his way in between them for more attention.

"If it helps at all," Regulus speaks into Barty's shoulder, "Sirius was a proper twat the whole time. So maybe not him."

Thank Merlin Barty put up a silencing charm. Their laughter would definitely wake their dorm mates had he not.