Regulus Black
After Harry’s revelation about Peter, there was a shift in Sirius. He was still carefree, but he had a tense look about him. It made the dorm rather awkward, so Remus decided to take the time travelers for a walk around the grounds. Remus just seemed a little restless anyway. Harry figured a full moon was nearing. Harry watched as Remus told them stories of pranks the boys have done. “And James thought it was a grand idea to use a charm to color the Slytherin’s hair scarlet. It worked, but during the next quidditch game, Regulus Black ended up hitting a bludger so hard at James that he fell off his broom and Sirius ended up catching him.” Remus chuckled a bit at the memory, “That’s also the same game Minnie banned me from being the announcer after I called Regulus a cheating little shit.” He commented.
Draco nodded a bit. At least Remus is smart enough not to question his future. He was getting annoyed from James’ pestering. Especially since James shouldn’t know he dies at the ripe old age of 21. Draco paused as he noticed someone walking towards them… someone who seemed rather tense. Draco realized who it was immediately. Draco pushed past Remus and towards Regulus. It was the first time Draco was this reckless in this situation. Maybe the Gryffindors were rubbing off on him.
“Is he always like that?” Remus asked Harry softly.
“He’s more civil right now actually.” Harry grumbled as he watched Draco curiously. He didn’t dare tell Draco what he told Sirius.
“Cousin Regulus…” Draco said slowly.
“What do you want?” Regulus asked harshly, pausing. “Cousin?” He asked after he got a look at Draco’s face. “You time traveled… you’re Narcissa’s son, aren’t you? You look like her… she was the only blonde in the family, till now I suppose. You have her eyes as well..”
Draco nodded slightly. His mother was right. Regulus is observant. “My mother told me all about you.. She said she liked you better than her sisters sometimes.” He tried. “She always does something to honor you on your birthday.” He was oversharing. He didn’t even realize he basically told Regulus he is no longer around. “And Kreacher absolutely adored you. He got upset when I accidentally broke a picture with you in it when I was at Great Aunt Walburga’s funeral…”
Regulus listened, “You’re also a Malfoy, aren’t you? They never know when to stop talking… how do I die? You speak of me in the past tense.”
Remus froze as he heard that sentence. “You shouldn't be changing anything, Draco… we just need to fix your time turner and send you back.” Remus tried.
Regulus shrugged, “he already told me enough. By the looks of him, he’s sixteen, which means he does not remember me.”
Draco hesitated, “I don’t turn sixteen till June, actually, but, um, it’s complicated, Regulus…” he said sheepishly. “Everyone has been told something different. The Order of the Phoenix, basically anti-death eaters, were told the dark lord killed you. My father said you were a coward and killed yourself because you couldn’t stomach being a death eater after a mission where you watched the order’s traitor kill his friend… but Kreacher, last summer, told me the truth. Kreacher really does love you…”
Regulus listened for a moment. ‘It’s because I treat Kreacher with respect. Not even Sirius did so.” He glanced at Remus for a moment. “How old am I when I die? And how?” He asked. He seemed intent on finding out. He was unaware of James and Sirius walking up behind him because they were looking for Remus and the time travelers.
Draco hesitated, “Um, well, you were eighteen when you died,” he watched Regulus nod; it prompted Draco to continue, “and you were a death eater, in the dark lord’s inner circle with my parents. Everyone had to do something to prove themselves, like torture or kill someone. You had a different task, loan the dark lord kreacher. You did, but he used Kreacher to go into this weird forbidden cave that Wizards magic doesn’t work in.”
“He wanted Kreacher because house elf magic is stronger, correct?”
“Exactly. Well, he also made Kreacher carve his hand to open the cave since blood magic is super powerful.” Draco noticed Sirius and James staring at him with shocked expressions. “The dark lord hid this locket, apparently it belonged to Salazar Slytherin, but you figured it out. It was a horcrux. I don’t know much about them, Professor Snape wouldn’t tell me, or doesn’t know, and I can’t find anything on them. I just know there’s at least three. That locket, this diary thing my father took away from me when I found it, and something that’s in Aunt Bella’s vault in Gringotts.”
“Get on with it, little Malfoy.” Sirius said from behind Regulus, causing Regulus to look at his brother. He looked more tense than he was moments prior.
“Right…” Draco said, taking a shaky breath. “You asked Kreacher to tell you what the dark lord needed him for. You were appalled, Kreacher was the only one you could talk to and He abused him. That’s when it hits you that you were on the wrong side, but once you take the mark, there’s no going back…” Draco looked at his feet. He was acting more nervous than Harry had ever seen him act. Only Blaise and Pansy have heard the truth, Draco trusts them. “So you decide to take him down from the inside. You get a fake version of Salazar’s locket and write some note, dunno what it said. You make Kreacher take you to the cave, but you open the cave and go through the process to get the locket yourself. You told Kreacher to take the locket. Told him to destroy it, you were almost dead, and the dark lord would have killed you for this betrayal. You told Kreacher to leave you to die… he said you were pulled under, your last words were telling Kreacher to keep an eye on the next heir… which was me.”
Regulus nodded, “and he is still alive?”
“Yes.”
“So what? My baby brother joins the death eaters? Regulus, this is why you should have come with me last summer… James and I gave you a way out!” Sirius huffed.
Regulus sighed, “it’s more complicated than that, Sirius… I didn’t want to just lose everything.” He said softly.
Draco nodded, “it’s always more complicated… plus leaving the only life you know is terrifying.”
“Especially when your father has the ministry around his finger.” Regulus said bitterly.
Draco nodded slightly, “but mum does her best to honor you. She loved you, wanted to make you my godfather over Severus. He was the next best option during a war…”
Sirius made a face, “Snivellus? Really? Didn’t know Cissa had poor judgment.”
Regulus looked at Sirius, ‘Don’t talk about her like that. She was there for me when you left.” He sneered. “She also doesn’t even like her husband all that much. Sorry I wasn’t as close to Andromeda.” He barked.
Sirius rolled his eyes, “at least she had some sense. Hard to find in this family.”
“Like you did? You fucking left me, Sirius! Now they’re on my ass about everything. They asked if Barty and I slept together! Hell, they’re trying to marry me off right now to guarantee the heir to Noble House Black. If you had stayed, they wouldn’t be as crazy!”
“They fucking crucio’d me, Regulus! Bella did too, she’s just like our mother!”
“Yeah, I fucking know! But you don’t think about anyone but yourself!”
“And you do?”
“I needed you, Sirius, and you fucking abandoned me.”
“I… Regulus I wanted you to leave with me…”
“And you knew I couldn’t. Then you avoided me all fucking year. I sent you a gift for your birthday and you tossed it.” Regulus reminded. “You said I wasn’t your brother. Do you know what else you did? You treated me like a stranger. I had to ask James how you were doing! He actually spoke to me, told me to give you space… then you avoided me like the plague until today. You didn’t just leave our parents. You left me. Alone.”
“Regulus… I-”
“No. Forget it.” Regulus turned to leave and Sirius grabbed his wrist to prevent him from running.
“I’m sorry… Regulus, I, I didn’t think. I do miss you, just… look at me.”
“This is intense,” Harry whispered to Remus.
“I think something good may come of this, though.” Remus whispered back as the brothers stared at one another.
“I didn’t think of why you wouldn’t leave, I was selfish, but I wanted you to come with me. Hell, I envied you. You were the prince basically, mother and father adored you, I was a bit jealous…” he shook his head, “But I helped you keep the perfect image. Everytime you broke something, you know I took the blame, me being a Gryffindor didn’t help… I just didn’t want them to hurt you too. I love you. I just,” Sirius frowned, “I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Regulus watched Sirius’ face for a moment. “I… I love you too… but no matter what you say, I can’t run away now… I don’t want to lose everything, and socially, if I left home, I’d lose my only friend.”
“I thought you were the prince of Slytherin?”
Regulus shrugged, “I don’t care for Severus or Rosier. I really only like Barty.”
Sirius nodded slightly, “Well... I’m not coming home.”
“And I’m not going to Potters.”
Then Sirius hugged Regulus. The pair stood there silently as Regulus slowly hugged Sirius back. He buried his face into the crook of Sirius’ neck. They whispered between themselves before Regulus pulled back from Sirius. He coughed awkwardly. He glanced at Draco and Harry.
“Let's see if we can fix that time turner. Yeah? Knowing these three, they’d mess it up more somehow-” he paused as Sirius ruffled his hair. He shoved Sirius away from him somewhat. It seemed to be more playful.
This simple interaction would cause another shift of the future.