Work Text:
Magic--
To Lily, magic was a beautiful thing, something that introduced her to a world of delights beyond her wildest dreams, or at least that was so before she met Severus Snape.
Magic, she learned early on, was also exceptionally cruel. As magic opened up doors for her, others ended up closed—such as her relationship with Petunia. Magic—it drove a wedge into their lives, yet Petunia didn’t hold back on telling her when she returned during her winter and summer breaks that she hated her because she was able to use magic. What went unsaid was the addition that Petunia hated Lily because Lily could use magic while Petunia could not, thus locking her sister away from the beautiful world she came to love.
And—in reality, despite how supportive her parents were, they were locked away from her world as well, what with all of the laws limiting their interactions with the world.
It was with this mindset she headed back to school for her second year, entirely prepared for ignoring James Potter and his friends for yet another year—Lily found their group the one thing she didn’t like, what with how Potter and his friends, particularly Sirius, wanted to bully others like her childhood friend Severus.
“Oh! Come on! They’re Slytherin scum, for crying out loud!” was their response every time she called them out for their most frequent targets, though the other house and even their own wasn’t entirely off-limits. And—Sirius was honestly the worst, making her dislike him the most out of all of Potter's friends.
And since Sirius was the main instigator, it made sense to say what she did when she tracked down the young Slytherin she’d overheard crying. “What did Sirius Black do this time?”
The young Slytherin’s head snapped up, the crying stopping as he looked at her with wide silver eyes as black locks of hair fell into his eyes. He let out a slight sniffle, the corner of his mouth twisting ever so slightly in that proud manner she’d come to associate with Purebloods regardless of whether they held Pureblood beliefs or not. The boy’s eyes blinked, his sleeve wiping just below his nose. “What?”
“I asked what Sirius--”
“I heard you. I heard what you said.” The boy stood there, his eyes wide. “How did you know it’s Sirius who has me in such a state? I mean--”
“Because he’s always picking on any Slytherin who can’t easily fight back,” Lily responded. “You shouldn’t—”
“Really?” The boy looked at her in awe. “I thought it was only me that he--” The boy frowned. “Sirius isn’t that bad. I mean--”
Lily watched him glance away as if lost in thought. “Not that bad?”
“Bella’s worse,” the boy muttered. “And he can be nice. At least I think he can.”
“You’re defending him? Despite--”
“I’m loyal to family. Unlike him.” The boy frowned, looking at her in confusion. “You’re--”
“Yes. I’m Muggleborn,” Lily sighed.
The boy’s eyes widened. “Oh!” Which meant he wasn’t thinking along the lines. “I guess that would explain it, except--”
“Explain what? And except what?” Lily was curious.
“Shouldn’t you have already known that Sirius and I are related?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was sorted.”
“I…” Lily paused, looking at the boy. “Oh. You’re Regulus Black.”
“Regulus Arcturus Black,” the boy said quite proudly. “I’m named after both my great-uncle and grandfather.”
“That’s nice.”
“Isn’t it.”
Now, her curiosity was perked. “What did Sirius do?”
Regulus tilted his head, frowning. “What did Siri do? It’s pretty stupid, really.”
“I’m sure it’s not.”
“I wanted--” Regulus shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what I want. Sirius is heir. And it’s stupid.”
Lily frowned. “Just because he’s heir, that doesn’t mean he’s allowed to, you know. It doesn’t mean what you want doesn't matter.”
“But what I want never matters,” Regulus said. “I’m the youngest, so—if Sirius wants to call me a monster--”
“It’s not okay. Surely your parents--”
Regulus’ eyes widened. “Don’t! Please don’t tell them! Narcissa’s already going to tell them who knows what, and he’s in enough trouble with them already. I mean, she wouldn’t stop yelling at him at Christmas and all summer.”
“Narcissa?” Lily watched him laugh.
“Cissy never yells. She’s too much of a lady to do so.”
Which was amusing. “Bella then?”
“Oh. Bella did yell at him. I’m talking about maman. She did a lot of yelling when he wasn’t home as well. I think she’s mad at him for getting sorted into Gryffindor.”
“Surely not.”
“But what else could it have been?”
“Given the number of detentions he received his first year, for all the trouble he’s caused?” Lily sighed.
“Really? I never thought Siri the type.”
“What type did you think him to be?” Lily wondered.
“And Siri, he’s not all that bad.”
“So you’ve said.”
“He used to—well, he used to, I don’t know. Be nice to me, I guess. He was enjoyable to be around and didn’t call me a monster, though sometimes he calls me an idiot.”
“Yeah, but--” Lily thought about what Regulus said carefully.
“He just hates me because I’m a Black and in Slytherin. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay.”
Regulus startled a frown appearing. “Please tell me you aren’t going to speak with him? That actually makes it worse. He’s stubborn. Every Black is. Well, apparently, except for myself. So I’ve been told. I’ve been told there’s a lot of ways I’m not Blackish enough.”
“I honestly prefer you to him,” Lily said.
“Really?” Regulus tilted his head. “Why?”
“Because you’re not prejudiced like he is?”
Regulus frowned. “But Sirius says I am.”
Lily sighed. “Let me guess. Pureblood superiority?”
“Yeah. That. It’s true, isn’t it?”
Which stung, particularly given how well the conversation had been going. “You haven’t treated me like you’re superior.”
“That’s because maman told me not to treat my inferiors as inferior.”
Lily felt her eyebrows rise. “Oh?”
“And it’s not your fault you didn’t grow up around magic. But as your superior--”
“And there’s the Black attitude I so dislike.”
“—it’s our job to help you succeed!” Regulus smiled at her. “Right?” His face faulted. “I’m not right?”
“What?”
“You’re frowning.”
“Do you believe a Muggleborn like myself can do well?”
Regulus gave her a confused look. “Why wouldn’t I think that?”
“Because that is actually what is normally thought?”
He frowned. “Or is helping not welcome? Kind of like---” He shook his head. “Never mind!”
“Kind of like what?”
Regulus paused. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters. It matters to me. It matters to me what you believe.”
“It does?” Regulus smiled. “It doesn’t matter to Siri. He won’t listen. Tells me I’m stupid, but so do my classmates when I try helping them with stuff they don’t get in class.”
“Ah.” Lily pulled her hands behind her back. “Regulus. How did your mother explain it to you? Not to treat your inferiors as inferiors?”
“Oh. That. Sirius isn’t dumb, per se, but I tend to talk over his head, and it makes him mad.”
“You mean to say you’re smarter than him?”
“I don’t believe so, but he believes so. And I’ve been told I have superior intelligence to others my age, whatever that means. I’ve never really interacted with anyone else other than Siri and our cousins, to be honest.”
“Before Hogwarts, you mean?”
Regulus frowned. “Still?”
“Still?”
“You’re the first person other than a professor that I’ve interacted with.”
“I see.”
“Was I wrong?”
“Well,” Lily frowned. “Sometimes people get things a little slower, and they don’t like being reminded of the fact they’re a little slower at getting things. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop trying to help. Just don’t let them cheat off you by copying your homework.”
“Why would someone do that?”
“Because Lupin’s friends are too lazy to do it themselves,” Lily thought to herself. “Because they want to be lazy.”
“Siri’s copied off someone, hasn’t he?”
“Now, how did you guess that?”
“He tends to take the easy route if he can.” Which, of course, meant Sirius would take advantage of Lupin letting him copy as long as possible.
“And, you’re not wrong about helping Muggleborn succeed to their fullest potential, but don’t let anyone ever tell you that’s wrong. However—”
“However?”
“You are wrong about one thing.”
“And what’s that?”
“That it’s okay for your older brother to treat you that way.”
Regulus' face faltered into the look she’d expected from Purebloods whenever someone corrected them. “What would you know?”
“Because I’ve got an older sister who hates me because I can do magic, just like you have an older brother who hates you because—well, you’re a Black. Neither one of us can help that.”
“But, being able to use magic is great. Being a Black is great. Siri’s an idiot.”
“Yeah. I think so too, but don’t let that idiot get to you. Particularly since, as you said, he likes to take the easy way out, and that’s what he’s doing when he’s being mean to you.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. I do. Because it’s easier to lash out than face what’s really bothering you.” She watched Regulus open his mouth, his facial features twisting in worry. “And don’t go trying to figure out what is bothering him! That will just make him lash out even more! It’s not your job to look out for him, particularly since he’s the older brother.”
“He is older, but sometimes it feels like I am.”
“I know the feeling, but—well, do continue to treat him as if he is older than you, and you’ll hopefully run into fewer problems.”
“Okay.” Regulus stood up. “I should head to class now.”
“Myself as well.”
“Oh! And thank you for the advice!”
“You’re welcome.”