Chapter Text
The first month of summer holidays passed uneventfully. Regulus knew better than to ask about visiting his friends, so he spent a lot of time working on his homework and writing his friends letters. He practised flying in the backyard, because he knew he had to make the Quidditch team, and most days Sirius joined him (when he wasn’t sulking or sneaking off to Potter’s).
Kreacher made him special treats, and Regulus didn’t have it in him to protest that it was far too warm for hot chocolate.
Regulus came down to the kitchen for breakfast one morning in late July to find his Hogwarts letter already opened and at his normal place. Sirius came down moments later and sat across from him, looking annoyed. But then that was normal at home.
“This is a violation of privacy,” Sirius grumbled, looking through his letter.
There was no privacy in their parents’ home, and surely Sirius understood this by now. Regulus looked at his own letter. All O’s, except for one E in Herbology. He bit into a sausage as he read through his course materials list. He’d have to really work on Herbology, then. There was to be a new Defense teacher, but from everything he’d heard, that was hardly unusual.
His mother came down into the kitchen. “Regulus, darling,” she said. Regulus looked up. “We do expect you to maintain those grades when you make the Quidditch team.”
“Of course,” Regulus said. It didn’t occur to him, not fully, how unreasonable this conditional affection was. There was no mention of his E, at least, which was a good sign. “Although… would it be possible to go to Diagon Alley with my friends?”
His mother’s eyes narrowed. “Still those Half-Bloods?”
Regulus nodded. “Yes.” He knew better than to lie outright about something like that, especially since she’d find out, anyway. He wasn’t convinced that half of Slytherin house wasn’t getting paid to ferry reports back to his parents. And it wasn’t as if his friends were Muggleborns.
She appeared to consider it for a moment. “Very well,” she said. “It will save me the shame of being seen in public with two sons who couldn’t even be bothered to be sorted into Slytherin.”
That was, Regulus knew, the best offer he was going to get. The guilt trip almost didn’t affect him anymore. Almost. He wasn’t his brother, after all. “Thank you,” he said, because he knew he had to.
Sirius perked up. “Wait, does this mean I can go with my friends, too?”
Walburga shot him a withering glare. “You may chaperone your brother.”
It was more than either of them had anticipated, and Regulus made the wise decision to turn his attention to his breakfast rather than say anything at all. Kreacher fetched him an extra scone and cream, for which Regulus was grateful.
At least he still had Kreacher on his side.
Once they'd fetched money from the Gringotts vault, Regulus met his friends (with Mrs. Scamander) outside of Flourish and Blotts. Isaac had somehow wormed his way away from his family, and was talking to Mrs. Scamander about something.
It was Max who caught sight of Regulus first. “Reg!” He called, and so Regulus went over to him. Sirius looked around for his own friends, whom he’d doubtlessly written to come along if Regulus knew his brother at all.
Max hugged him immediately once he was close enough, and Regulus truthfully hadn’t realised how much he’d missed Max’s enthusiastic brand of physical affection in the past month. “How has your summer been? I mean, I know we’ve been writing, but has there been anything else?”
“No,” Regulus said, “Not that I can think of.”
“What about our mother opening our Hogwarts letters?” Sirius asked. “Don’t you think that’s worthy of telling your Half-Blood best friend… because I’m sure she knows how to repair a broken seal.”
Regulus frowned and turned to his brother. “I am well aware that there’s no real privacy with her. I don’t write anything I wouldn’t say in front of her.”
Sirius opened his mouth for a witty retort, but closed it after apparently seeing something in Mrs. Scamander’s expression that he didn’t like. “Look,” he said, instead, “I know Mum said I’m to chaperone you, but I told my mates I’d meet them here…”
“I assumed as much,” Regulus said. “I won’t tell her.”
“Good,” Sirius said, and then wandered off. After a moment, Max let go of Regulus, and Regulus found himself missing the physical contact.
“You know, Regulus,” Mrs. Scamander began in a much gentler voice than normal, “Opening your letters… not respecting your privacy… that’s not really something your mother should be doing.”
“I know,” Regulus said with a shrug. “But there’s nothing I can do to stop it, so I’ll just be careful until I turn seventeen.” Sirius wasn’t careful, and that was, after all, why their parents were so much worse to him. That and the fact that he was a Gryffindor.
Mrs. Scamander rather looked like she had half a mind to say something else, but Max took Regulus by the hand. “Have you got your books yet?”
Regulus shook his head. “Not yet. We just went to Gringotts.”
Max grinned. “Excellent. We should go there first, so we can budget for everything else after.” And Max dragged him into the shop, Isaac and Mrs. Scamander following behind. “Mum has a compulsive need to protect people,” Max whispered once he thought they were safe. “She actually nearly got fired from MACUSA for trying to protect a boy from a bad situation right before she met my dad. She did get kicked off of the Auror team and forced to work in the wand permit office. Best to distract her, really.”
Regulus wasn’t sure what to think about that, so he tried to change the subject. “Have you heard anything about our new Defense teacher?”
Max shook his head. “Nothing. Which is strange, isn’t it?”
Regulus fell easily into speculation with Max about their new teacher, and he knew he just needed to last another month in his parents’ house. One more month, and he’d get to see his friends every single day, and only have to deal with his parents through twice monthly letters.