Sacrifice?
Regulus’s POV
God, I hate him. Him and his perfect life, his perfect friends, his perfect family. His perfect family… that Sirius loves. A perfect family that doesn’t include me.
“Reg? Are you listening?” Barty asks “huh, what?” “Well anyway are you going to the “back to school party” the Gryffindors are throwing?” He looks semi excited for this party and so does Dorcas. “When have I ever willingly gone to a party with them?” I retorted laced with more venom than I meant to.
“Please reg. For me?” Barty bats his eyes dramatically while holding his fork like at me like a flower. “Fine. I’ll go-“ “Yes!” Barty interrupts “Only for an hour.” I promptly said getting up and leaving lunch. “But reg-I guess something’s better than nothing…” Barty sighs and Evan goes to comfort him. Till I hear Dorcas fake a puke noise to the display of affection.
Am I really willing to go to a party with him? Be that close to Sirius…
While walking to the library lost in thought of course I bump into my oh so lovely brother. “Watch it.” I snapped out of my daze “You still a mama's boy?” Sirius spits, his words always hit deeper than he knows. “You still a puny blood traitor?” Sirius looks as if he’s gonna attack me. “At least I’m not a pathetic death eater. Like her.” Sirius snaps. Then James fucking Potter intervenes, “Just ignore him pads.” I watch coldly as they walk away.
God I’m not doing potions anymore. I’m just gonna go to the common room. I can skip with Dorcas and Pandora, I guess.
The walk back to the Slytherin common room was surprisingly tranquil. Especially knowing that after I enter that’s over. Dorcas and Pandora are always skipping potions they detest it. I don’t blame them, Slughorn is very easy to detest. Entering the common room, I'm spotted almost immediately, by a Dorcas coming out of her dorm to the common room. “Reggie come come come” she runs over, dragging me to her dorm.
Shoveling me inside I saw Pandora in her bed, doing a tarot reading. Pandora has always been gifted in divination she’s probably a seer but won’t confirm it. Not even her brother will tell us a straight answer. “Panda give Reg a reading next!” Dorcas yells behind me. “Reg would you like one?” Pandora asks almost too concentrated on the cards to know what she’s saying. “You know what, today can’t get worse. Hit me Dora.” Dorcas looks so excited I said yes while Pandora is doing her shuffle.
Pandora goes into her divination trance and starts dealing her own version of a future spread. She ended up with six cards. “ For our first card, we have the page of wands up right. You’re headed on a journey, an adventure of growth. Next we have the High Priestess, in reverse. The high priestess in reverse, holds secrets that are disconnected from your intuition, yet your passion is resurfacing.”
I was actually intrigued where this was going. She continues “next we have the card that could go either way dependent on your choices, the ten of cups. This card is one of the happiest in the entire deck when up right it’s the soulmate card, it gives stability and harmony. But if you pick another path the ten upside down signifies conflict and someone who’s trying to keep up appearances to their own detriment… that's gonna be a real hard choice”
Dorcas was snickering on the other side of the room muttering about me being “in love”. Anyway Pandora continues to the last 3 cards, “ Your fourth card we have Justice. In reverse… when justice is in reverse it tells of a path of unfair punishment and negative impacts of your choices coming back to bite you. When paired with your next card the upwards three of swords it tends to lean towards heartbreak and familial consequences. For your final card we have the Queen of cups turned upwards the most logical meaning when drawn with the rest of your spread is sacrifice…” When she says that I had some strife. I expected to hear something of the sort thanks to Walburga but to hear it out loud I wanna change it.
Dorcas then cuts the tension announcing dinners starting. We all leave together meeting Evan and Barty there. Pandoras words were still in my mind echoing the word sacrifice. I pushed it down and got into the conversation my friends were having.
After dinner Barty insists we’re gonna get ready for the party and he’s gonna dress me. Like hell that’ll happen.
——2 hours later——
Here I am outside the Gryffindor common room, dressed in Barty’s shirt and Evans jeans. Dorcas knocks and McKinnon answers letting us in with a killer side eye. “This is gonna be the longest hour of my life” I sigh exasperatedly “It’s gonna be fun Reggie. Shhhh” Barty rubs a finger on my face, earning a swat. “You just need a drink hold on” He runs off with Evan in tow. Guess I’ll be here for awhile. And of course there’s Sirius drunk as ever. We lock eyes and he smiles and looks away.
Can’t he bother someone else? Everybody at this party feels so fake.
The hour I promised Barty is ticking down painfully slow. “Reg!” Turning around I see a drunk Sirius. “What do you want?” “I just want to talk to you” he slurred “I was just leaving” “but Reggie stay-“ “Don’t you call me that. You have no right” I snapped at him. Sauntering off back to the common room.
He lost every right to call me that after he left me with her. Left me to take all the blame. Left me behind.
————————————
James’s POV
Remus and I have been talking for a bit after Sirius disappeared. He then stumbles over to us “Reggie hates me James, he hates me.” “Pads what do you mean? Of course he doesn't hate you” I tried to reassure him. “He does though, I left him, I should have stayed…” I glance at Remus and he looks just as concerned as me. “Sirius you couldn’t stay there, you were dying in that house. You did what you had to so you could survive” Drunk Sirius is now tearing up. Leading Sirius up the stairs to his bed he keeps talking about wanting to save Regulus.
That family was so horrible to him, I can only imagine what is happening to Regulus. If he’s even getting half the treatment of Sirius…
The next morning, I handed Sirius a hangover potion. Sirius downed that in seconds. “How’s your head?” I ask grinning “shut up Prongs” “that good wow. You were really drunk last night.” I chuckle, he glares up at me.
I know what I gotta do. I guess Regulus is gonna be my new best friend.