R.A.B
Regulus Arcturus Black did his duty. When Sirius rebelled he remained loyal, when the time came he took his mark. He always did his duty; it took almost fifteen years to falter.
Her name was Isobel. She worked at a coffee shop across Grimmauld place and was the first person after Sirius left to try and see Regulus for who he was.
She found him fascinating, apparently she'd worked there since she was fourteen and knew Sirius.
"Your Reggie aren't you." She's asked as she poured him coffee the day Sirius left.
"Regulus. Only my brother calls me that. Called me that." He's not going to cry, ge can't. He's the Heir now there's no room for weakness.
"You posh folk have weird names," she laughs and lingers. "He's left hasn't he? Run away like he always said he was gonna?" Regulus doesn't answer but she takes it and begins walking away before pausing and turning back.
"Good. If you ever need to talk, I live upstairs and don't sleep much."
He didn't really take her up on it, but the offer remained and he started drinking more coffee. She asked about his fancy boarding school and what Sirius was getting up to there. She told him about muggle school and her plans to see the world. Regulus never like the coffee so much as he like to listen to her, watch her nervously braid her hair when she thought he wasn't looking.
It took two years but one night he stood in the rain and pounded on the door. She didn't say anything, just invited him upstairs offering blankets and tea. They'd had a cup and she was making their second when Regulus tells her why he's there.
"My family aren't good people. They hurt people and they made me, I don't want to be evil." She doesn't know what he's talking about and he knows he sounds crazy but she just holds him as he cries again.
"I can help you, Sirius got out, you can call him." She tries to calm him but he only sobs harder because she's right. He had the chance to leave with him and he refused.
"I can't, it's too late." He lifts his sleeve to reveal his new tattoo. It's disgusting, he wants to peel it from his skin
"What is that?" She asks something behind her eyes letting him know she understands the gravity even without context. But he wants her to know everything to still look him in the eyes and say it's not his fault when she knows what he's done.
"Can you keep a secret?"
So Regulus breaks the statute of secrecy to tell the pretty girl who makes his life just a tiny bit bearable. She's silent while she listens, her almost golden brown eyes far away as she takes in the information. When he finishes explaining her face sets.
"I knew it. Well not it but something. Your house disappears Reg and you dress like you walked out of a Jane Austen Novel. You were either wizards or vampires but you grew up hot so you clearly age." She rambles excitedly and then blushes.
"Do you live alone?" He asks and she frowns.
"My turn for a sob story? My mum remarried and the guy said him or me. She chose him. Mr and Mrs Snow are great though. They lived here when they first got married, they won't even let me pay rent out of my wages. I think I'm the daughter they never had." She responds and Regulus is silent for a moment. "So you're like at war."
"And I'm on the wrong side. Maybe the winning side but we hurt people. Muggles."
"That's me right, I'm a muggle. You don't seem to want to hurt me." She's still holding him, practically on his lap brushing his hair from his eyes. He doesn't know what he's thinking, he isn't thinking but he kisses her.
"I'm sorry." He says quickly backing away and reaching for the door. She stops him pulling him back to kiss her again.
"I have some money, not enough to get a fancy place you'd be used to but I can help you run away."
"There's no running. He owns me now. This mark, he'll always be able to find me." He stays there curled up in her arms that night wishing more than anything he'd left when Sirius asked but It's too late. Still now he has Isobel.
Regulus was seventeen when Isobel fell pregnant. A halfblood, if his parents found out they'd kill the both of them. He was set to run away, willing to cut the arm off if that was what it took to keep them safe. Then The Dark Lord made a house call asking for Kreacher. Regulus agrees because of course he does. Now is not the time to draw attention to himself. Until Kreatcher returned half dead with a tale that almost stopped his heart.
It was not long after the letter came. The Potter house elf didn't deserve the abuse he spewed at her but he couldn't do this right now not with everything falling to pieces. Lyra is due any day now and Mother and Father are hosting more death eater meetings than ever. He's already struggling to hide Isobel and knowledge of the Horcrux and Kreacher who ought to be dead. He can't deal with Sirius as well.
He knew something was wrong when he saw the door to her apartment open but couldn't imagine. Orion Black stands with his wand drawn while Isobel writhes in silent agony.
"She's pregnant, Father please! You're hurting your own granddaughter, you have to stop." Regulus begs but Orion turns his curse on him. Nothing felt quite like the cruciatus curse but better Regulus than Isobel.
"That bastard has no blood of mine. How could you defile our noble bloodline with this filth? I'm doing you a favour best no one else learns of your mistake. Avada Kedavra,"
"Avada Kedavra!" Regulus isn't fast enough, Orion falls dead to the floor but Isobel isn't moving either. Regulus screams as he runs to hold her. For a moment he thinks she's alive when he feels a heartbeat but it's too small. Magic reaches out from her stomach. Lyra, she's alive.
Regulus doesn't want to remember what it took to save her from suffocating; he blocks it all out as he buries his love in the garden behind the cafe and takes a single hair. He remembers the polyjuice potion, seeing her beautiful golden eyes in the mirror is painful but what comes next is worse. He finds the Snows address among Isobels things and Kreacher gives them a blanket with her new name, Harper, nothing to tie her to his family but still his Lyra. The Snows try to get Regulus as Isobel to say more but it's too dangerous.
"Her father is in trouble and it's not safe with us. She's not like other children please keep her safe." He begs before running down the street and disapparating. He's back in his room sitting in the floor when he finally opens the letter
Reggie,
I know you don't want to hear from me. I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said to convince you I want to help. I do though and I actually can now. We have a plan to get you to safety but I need to meet you in person. The key is Kreacher oddly enough."
Love Sirius.
Regulus blindly scribbles a time and place before handing it over to Kreacher to deliver on the tenth of December.
They meet in a muggle cafe not far from the Snows house the next day. Regulus is waiting and hears when Sirius stops outside, the idiot never learnt to control his volume. “I can’t go in there.” There's another voice belonging to a woman responding but she knows how to remain unheard.
“He hates me.” Sirius adds whining and Regulus' jaw tightens. “I wish Moony was here.”
“Well he’s busy being Dumbledore’s puppet now it’s your turn to be mine.” he hears the woman this time as she more or less pushes Sirius into the cafe and he stumbles almost tripping a waitress.
He saves them both at the last second with a charming smile. The waitress apologises to him with a giggle and walks away flustered. The woman is short and curvy, her top tight around her chest in a way that makes Sirius keep getting distracted. She crosses her arms and shakes her head at the exchange before taking the seat across Regulus.
“Hey Reggie, how have you been?” Sirius says flinching at his own choice of words. it is a stupid question and not one he can answer honestly without tears.
“Still breathing.” he doesn't meet his brothers eyes, can't this is a mistake.
“Always a good start. Can we sit?” Regulus looks at the woman and focuses his gaze, she isn't a witch, or a muggle, she's something stronger and out of place. He furrows his brows as he examines her before nodding.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Regulus says simply because she isn't. Everything about her is jarring and out of place
“You aren’t wrong, Nia Hope. I’m from the future. How can you tell?” Regulus gawks at the girl. The future, well that explains how they knew about Kreatcher but to risk it. It's insane.
“Reggie can read aura’s, it’s a natural talent but not very common.” Sirius explains awkwardly fiddling with his necklace.
“Like Metamorphmagi?" Nia Hope asks and they both nod. “Neat, Anyway. I came back because you die this month and in an effort to better the future I'm here to save you. And by me I mean I'm getting the marauders to plan the heist that gets you killed.”
“You can’t change time,” Regulus argues because there isn't. Just in the act of going back you cement yourself in the past having always been there.
“I don't have to. Your death is a mysterious one R.A.B. I'm fact there's no proof you ever really died, just disappear. Therefore if you follow my instructions once we finish your mission you'll come with me back to Nineteen ninety three none the wiser." She explains and Regulus's mouth goes dry. That's, she, who is this woman.
"Why? What do you want from me?" He asks, hating the exhaustion seeping into his voice. Hating the sombre look on his brother's face as he watches the interaction.
"Voldemort dies in eighty one but because of his Horcruxes he's set to return in ninety five. I've been collecting and destroying them. The locket will be my third with plans for the rest of them just waiting for the right time. In my quest I've lost Dumbledore's spy in the death eater ranks. Which is really for the best because Dumbledore doesn't utilise him properly anyway. I'm here to recruit you to be mine." She lays her demands and Reggie's heart sinks. It isn't an escape, he'll be right back where he started.
"You're insane." Regulus stands up and goes to walk away but Nia grabs his wrist. Her magic hits him like a tsunami of course. He should have realised sooner. He knows what she is and if The Dark Lord finds out.
"There's a girl named Harper Snow in Ravenclaw. Over Christmas break her second year she learns she's adopted and runs away to her best friend Tracey Davis's house. Lord Davis see's Harper and mentions how she looks just like a young Narcissa Black." Regulus goes completely still and Sirius is staring at him. "Harper comes to me and Sirius thinking he may be her father. Of course that isn't possible but the resemblance is uncanny and we have Snape test their blood."
"Lyra," Regulus whispers and slowly sits back down.
"Is she okay? Isobel said the Snows were good people but I'm worried about her growing up with Muggles." Regulus rushes out and Sirius looks more confused than Regulus has ever seen him.
"She's beautiful. And the Snows are lovely, we have them over for dinner once a week. Uncle Padfoot is extremely popular with the kids, and Mrs Snow but we don't talk about that." Nia smiles and Sirius finally reacts letting out a barking laugh Regulus is sick of pretending he doesn't miss.
"You know where to find the rest of the Horcruxes? And have a way to destroy them?" He asks, looking into Nia Hope's eyes. They're almost black the brown is so deep her hair is a few shades lighter but still dark on her ivory complexion, she doesn't look how a Faerie ought to look. Too small and soft but the soft pink pendant she wears. The stone is a fake, the cord cheap leather but the magic. It's a chanell like a wand there to centralise and target her magic.
"Backup plans on backup plans, and a goblin made dagger treated in Basilisk venom. I can do this Regulus, and you can meet your daughter." Regulus finally breaks and tears fall from his eyes. He meets his brothers eyes.
"He killed her, Father he, he found out about Isobel. I loved her Sirius and we were going to run away together. He found her and killed her, tried to kill Lyra. I killed him." Sirius hugs him for the first time in years and Regulus thinks just maybe he'll be okay