Chapter 1
Regulus was once again heading out of the large and beautiful building of his college after a way to long and way to tiering day. It was a Friday, the sun was already setting. Regulus glanced at the bar across from his college, wondering if the barista, who has become a very good friend of his was working that day.
He felt exhausted, his body numb, his bones heavy. He finaly decided to go into the bar. Regulus opened the heavy door and walked inside. It was not a very big place but it wasn't small either. The dim light of the bar -which was called The Moons Bar by the way (not a very imaginative name, in Regulus's opinion)- were just enough for Regulus to see the tall, think man with sand brown hair and amber eyes standing behind the counter.
Or no, he wasn't standing, he was sitting down. He looked rather tired. Regulus walked up to the counter and sat down onto one of the stools. The barista looked up from the ground, and as soon as he spotted Regulus his mouth twitched up into a small smile. "Hello to you, fellow depressed person" he greated Regulus. Regulus smiled slightly at that and answerd "Hello Remus, long time no seen" The barista, Remus, noded and looked around. "As you can see, you are one of the few people here tonight, you don't have to whisper" Regulus hasn't even realised that he had been whispering. Well, old habits break hard, he tought.
"So, tell me Regulus, what is bothering you?" Remus asked after a short silence. "Wha- how do you know something is bothering me?" Regulus asked genuinely confused. "Well I've known you for almost 8 months now, and your mental health is not the best, lets just say that" Remus answered with a smug face.
They have known each other sience that night, when Regulus stumbled into the bar completly drunk and ready to kill himself. He was at the lowest point of his life in those months and he just didn't care anymore. He came to the bar whit the intention to drink something and then kill himself by jumping off the Londoner Academy of Dance- also called the Dance College.
He already got kicked out of another bar, that's why he went into the bar Remus worked in. Remus immediately saw, that something was wrong. He didn't give Regulus anything to drink, insted he took him out into the small garden of the bar and sat with him for hours. Regulus tryed to run away multiple times, but Remus knew that he would end his life if he did so. After a while Regulus sobered up a bit and started to tell Remus about his life, his problems, his family, his older brother Sirius.
Sirius was one of the reasons he hated his life. When he was younger him and Sirius used to be best friends. Sirius defended him against their parents, he comforted Regulus when he was crying, he always told him that everything will be okay and they will get out of there some day. As the years went by Sirius left for school,first elementary school wich Regulus also attended a year later. After that, at the age of 11, Sirius left for this very fancy private school called Hogwarts where they had to live at school during the year. Regulus attended Hogwarts too, but as the years went by they drifted appart and Sirius began to despise him for not standing up for himself and always doing what ther abusive parents wanted him to do. At 16, Sirius ran away to James's house, leaving Regulus alone in that shithole with his horrible parents. From then on everything went downwards, he sufferd from an eating dissorder and depression but his parents refused to care. When he graduated and attended the danc college, he moved out and into the dorms of his school. He hasn’t contacted his parents ever sience. But he started useing drugs because he tought that will help him get better. Drugs didn’t help, in fact, they made it even worse.
He wanted to contact Sirius and ask for his help but he was too afraid. After a half year spent at his new college, his teachers noticed his condition and sent him to rehad for the other half of the semester. He was glad that someone finaly cared. Then, on that drunk night he realised, how much his life was actually worth.Remus listened to him and gave him some advice. After that night Regulus started going into The Moons Bar very often. Him and Remus became very good friends trough the trauma and the advice they shared with eachother.
Remus was happy that he found someone who would listen and understand him. He got kicked out of his home at 18 years old, a couple of years after his mother died. His father never really paid attention to him and when he found out that Remus choosed another college than the one he wanted his son to attend, Lyall Lupin became even worse. After he found Remus kissing a boy behind their house he simply kicked his son out. Remus moved into the dorms of his college, so he atleast had somewhere to sleep, but it still wasn't the best thing.
"So, tell me Regulus Black, what is the tee of the day?" Remus repeated, after Regulus didn't answer. They were used to make trauma jokes with each other by now, so Regulus smiled slightly at Remus and started talking. "You know, we are having this very important performance in three weeks. Everyone important is going to bee there, people from major dance companies and stuff. I got one of the main roles, but I just can't get that one part right. And that arsehole Lucius is bullying me again, oh how I hate that fucker! And on top of that he is going to marry my cousin Narcissa! Oh and the teacher who is training us for the performance always comments on every single thing I do wrong... or every single thing I do that is not 100% the way he wants it! Oh how I-" Regulus's rant got interrupted by the little bell over the entrace.
Both Regulus and Remus turned into the direction of the door. A tall man with round glasses and messy hair stepped inside, a goofy smile on his face. "Remus!" Glasses-boy (yes, that's how Regulus decided to call him) exclaimed as he aproached the counter. "James, what brings you here this late?" Remus asked as he smiled at glasses-boy. Regulus looked at him, observing his features carefully. At first he tought that the other boy was kinda familiar, but didn't give it a second tought and looked back to Remus. Suddenly it hit him. "Potter?" Regulus exclaimed, his head snapping back into the direction of James Potter. James looked at him confused but as soon as he saw who was looking at him, his eyes widend. "Regulus!" he answerd just as suprised as the other boy. "Wait, you guy know eachother?" Remus asked confused. "Yes, we went to the same school. He is my brothers best friend. The one, you know..." Regulus strated to explaine but cut himself off in the middle of his sentence. "What, oh my- " Remus said, also cutting his words off. James looked very confused but decided that it was not his time to ask them how they knew eachother and why Regulus told Remus about James. "Well Black, as we are not in school anymore, you don't have to hate me. Put the past behind us and whatever, I just came here to talk to Remus about something" James said in a bored tone, expecting Regulus to say something back.
Regulus noded at James' words but stayed silent. The person who became friends with Sirius, the person who took his brother away from him, the person who made him hate himself and the one he blamed for making Sirius leave, he was here. Regulus always knew, deep down, that nothing of that was James's foult. Maybe that was the reason he had a crush on him back at school for literally three years. Then James graduated and he never saw him again. Not that they have spoken much in school, Regulus hung out with the kind of people his parents forced him to, the people James, Sirius and their friends hated so much. "So, Remus, one of my friends, Sirius" he glanced at Regulus while he said that "just dropped out of college. Do you have any free spots for new workers?" He asked. "Yes of course, it is always good to have some more people working here, but of course I have to speak with the manager. But I think it will be no problem" Remus answered. James noded and then suddenly turned to Regulus. "So, how is life for you outside of Hogwarts? Any chances you got rid of that shitty family of yours?" James asked challengingly, expecting Regulus to defend his family, like he used to back in school. To his surprise Regulus noded.
"Yeah, I live in the college dorms now, never going back to that shithole ever again. I had to reapeat a year because of them!" he said, but quickly stopped himself from saying more, after all, he didn't like talking about rehab and the reason he had to be there. James looked genuinely confused. "Sooo, you didn't like beeing there after all! But why did you always defend them against Sirius?" he asked. "Well I kind of had to, but you wouldn't understand the situation"he answered and dropped his head onto his arms on the counter. "You look really tired" James remarked as he watched the dark circles under Regulus' eyes and the way he was barely even awake. "Oh yeah, I am. I just came over to rant to Remus about the arseholes at my college. It's right opposite this bar. You know the dance college. I really don't want to fall asleep here so I better get back" Regulus answerd while he tried to stand up without falling over.
He just stood up when his legs gave up under him and he almost collapsed onto the floor, but James grabbed his right arm just in time. "Woah you can barely stand! Come on, I will help you get back" James offered as he helped Regulus back onto his feet. "Eh... okay... thanks" Regulus replyed quietly. They said bye to Remus and walked out of the bar. They crossed the street, James supporting Regulus, so he didn't fall over. At the entrace of the college they stopped. They stood there for a little while, before Regulus suddenly turned to James. "Why are you so... nice to me?" he asked, half asleep. "Why wouldn't I be? I mean we are out of school and you, well you did nothing wrong. Just sided with the wrong people but because you had to" James answered smileing slightly. "Well ehm bye and thanks, i guess" Regulus whispered before turning away and walking into his college. "Bye..." James exhaled quietly as he watched the younger Black walk into the dance college