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Regulus watched in mute horror as his mother paced back and forth in the parlor, madness in her eyes and shrieks in her throat. He was— he wasn’t listening. Couldn’t bring himself to be a good son and listen to her ranting. Sirius’s screams of agony echoed in his ears, drowning out everything. The sound of the door slamming shut as Sirius left still rang throughout the house despite the hours that had passed.
Kreacher was in the corner. Regulus could see him at the edge of his vision, standing still and silent. For once not egging on Mother’s hatred with his comments. He wondered if he could sense the madness in the air, the unhinged fury coming off of her in waves. He watched her pace and pace and pace with the image of Sirius convulsing burned into his eyes.
“How dare he! That pathetic, ungrateful, little BASTARD!” She slashed her arm through the air, wand still in hand, and the wall next to him cracked. Her hair was a wild halo around her head, the straight strands coming undone from its tight bun. Lipstick was smeared over her snarl of a mouth. He had never seen her so untidy. Not even at Father’s funeral. Her pristine image was cracking with her rage in a way he had never seen before.
He wanted to run. He wanted to hide from the way her gray eyes sparked with malicious anger.
He stayed.
The sound of her torturing Sirius playing like a recording in his head.
“He’ll pay for this! He thinks he can walk away from this family? Walk away from us?!” Regulus stopped himself from flinching as she pivoted and lunged at him. He held his breath as she grabbed his face. The sting of her nails digging into his cheeks had him focusing on her completely.
He stared at her, face blank. Regulus remembered how when he was little, he would sit with her and just stare at her face. She was so beautiful. Her high cheekbones, the sharpness of her jaw, the way her eyes flashed silver in the light. She used to laugh at him when he did it. Tell him stories of bloodshed and horror, family legends and history all in one, while he watched and wondered at how one person could be so stunning. Then he got older. The fights between her and Sirius became more brutal and Father died. Now, he looked at her rage-twisted face and thought of how the most beautiful animals in nature were also the most poisonous.
“I’ll make him pay for this Regulus. He won’t get away with abandoning us.” Mother smiled at him while she said it. As if he would be happy at the thought of Sirius being punished. He kept his expression even, just like she taught him to, but he felt something in himself go cold at her vindictive glee.
“Mother, he’s your son. My brother—”
“NOT ANYMORE!” She screamed as she dragged her sharp nails down his face in hot red lines before wrenching herself away from him to pace.
“What don’t you understand about that, Regulus?” Mother hissed. “He left us! Left us for that blood traitor Potter and his mudblood slut!” A vase next to him shattered, but his gaze stayed locked on her as she pointed his wand at him in a careless gesture. He couldn’t repress his flinch. She seemed to soften at the sight of his fear.
“Don’t you worry, love,” She said softly as she walked to him and gently tucked a piece of his hair behind his ear. Regulus watched with wary eyes even while the little boy inside of him wanted to fold. That was the worst part. He could see the love in her eyes. He knew just how much she adored him. The Spare that was always so much easier to control than the Heir. The son that always had time for her. Who was there to comfort her when Father got too mean or Sirius too sharp. The one that listened. That obeyed .
“Don’t worry,” She repeated, “Mother will take care of this.”
Regulus’s face betrayed none of the ice in his veins as he wordlessly released his wand from the holster on his arm. His unmarked arm. The one that the woman in front of him, his mother, would command him to tarnish in just a few years.
“And what will you do?” He kept his tone light, curious, like it didn’t matter what she was planning.
She grinned.
“No doubt the little blood traitor will believe himself safe with the Potters,” She spit the last name with disgust but her smile, her beautiful smile stayed on her face. “He was always arrogant enough to think that they would be able to protect him. Keep him safe ,” Mother sang the word with mockery. “As if those Light loving fools would have the ability to stop us when they are so much lesser. When they can’t even imagine the type of power that comes with a name like Black,” She stroked a hand over his hair. It was as if he was a little boy once more, listening to House Black’s tales of fame and infamy.
“They have wards, powerful ones despite being a Light family,” Regulus strained for composure and was relieved when his tone came out as disinterested.
“Yes, yes, wards,” She dismissed the concern with a wave of her hand and a roll of her eyes. “Everyone these days just loves to talk about how protective wards are. How well they can keep a person safe.” Smug arrogance bled into her face, “But, we, my love, are not everyone are we?”
“We are not,” Dread, the same that he had been feeling since the moment Mother had crucioed Sirius, solidified at the image she was painting.
“And that’s very unfortunate for our traitor isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“After all, it’s our blood that runs in his veins no matter how he attempts to sully it by associating with blood traitors, half-bloods, and mudbloods.” Blood. That’s what it always came down to, wasn’t it? Blood. Whose you had, whether it was good enough, if it was ‘dirty’, and just what kind you were willing to cover your hands with.
“Sirius can run. He can hide. He can seek out and beg whoever he wants for protection. But, it won’t matter because it is OUR blood that runs through his veins!” She turned away from him again and spun around the room. Regulus was reminded of Bellatrix as she gestured wildly.
“There are rituals, powerful and dark, that have been passed down our line for centuries,” There was a type of religious worship in her voice as she spoke. “Rarely used and even more rarely spoken of, the type of black magic that we got our name from. And I know just which one to use now.”
“Which one?” His voice was cold, but Mother was too caught up to notice. Too absorbed in the idea of punishing Sirius to see his mask cracking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kreacher move his focus away from Mother, from her madness and rage, to him.
She cackled and a chill ran down his spine.
“The name has been lost, but not its purpose. Every few generations or so, a Black will be born that doesn’t match up with our family’s values. Our goals. And then it’s our responsibility to prune the family tree, to keep our house successful and powerful. I had been arguing for YEARS for its use on your dear brother! He’s been a failure since the moment he was born, but no. Your father wouldn’t have it,” Resentment poured out of her, “He was always soft for the damned boy. Weak. Too forgiving to do what needed to be done,” She sneered.
“And what will it do?”
“Why, it will remove the one thing that Sirius seems to hate above all others,” Mother slashed her wand across her palm, “His blood.”
Regulus watched as blood dripped from her hand to the carpet. Her blood. Their blood. Sirius’s blood.
“Of course, it won’t be a simple bloodletting. Our ancestors were far better than that. It will turn him inside out, crack every bone in his traitorous body, tear each muscle and sinew as every drop of Black blood drains from his ungrateful corpse.” He’d never seen so happy. Never seen her so gleeful and joyous than in this moment. “He doesn’t want our blood? He wants to spit on all our values and history? Then I’ll take it from him myself. And no ward, no spell or ritual, can protect him from it.”
Years. She had wanted to do this for years . Wanted to kill him, torture him, mutilate him.
Regulus looked at her, memorizing the look on her face. The pure happiness that radiated from her, the way she grinned. This was the woman who raised him. The one who loved him most. The one that would spend hours with him when no one else would. That made him feel like he wasn’t just a Spare. That he was worth something. She had given him a purpose even if it was one of blind obedience.
He raised his wand as he felt a part of himself wither away and die. He embraced the coldness in his bones, the chill that had grown each and every time he heard Sirius scream in agony. Regulus, in this one moment, finally felt like his father’s son as he looked into his mother’s confused face.
“ Stupefy .”
Regulus watched as the red jet of light hit her in the chest. She crumpled to the ground, her beautiful face frozen in shock.
“Mistress!” Kreacher yelled and went to rush towards her, but Regulus aimed his wand at the house-elf. Kreacher froze and stared at Regulus with wide-eyed horror.
“You have a choice,” The words were like shards of ice and he barely recognized his own voice. “You have always cared for me throughout these years and I have tried my best to return that same care. But, I will not have MY brother harmed,” He snarled and Kreacher flinched. Regulus took a deep breath, restraining his rage for the sake of the creature who had been his closest confidant for years.
“Master Regulus?” Kreacher’s voice warbled and Regulus hated himself more for the fear in his voice than for what he planned to do.
He moved to the house-elf and knelt down to his level, staring into his wide eyes and tried to soften the hardness that had overtaken him.
“I know you love this family. That you have served us loyally and faithfully for generations.”
“Kreacher is a loyal elf, proud to serve the Noble and Most Ancient House Black,” There was pride in his gravelly voice despite the situation, and Regulus granted him a small smile for it.
“Yes. You are very loyal, aren’t you Kreacher?” Coldness crept back into his voice.
Kreacher nodded wordlessly and wrung his tiny crooked fingers, glancing nervously at the still form of Mother on the floor.
“For everything you’ve done for me, for House Black, your choice is this; abandon any loyalty you have for my mother and remain in my service,” Regulus watched emotionlessly as Kreacher trembled. “Or you can join her in death.”
“Master Regulus! You can’t mean that!” Kreacher’s voice shook and tears started to well in his eyes. “Mistress loves you!” He wailed and tore at his ears.
“Oh, I know she does,” Regulus lets that truth hang in the air, allowing himself a moment to let the reality of what he will do sink in, “And that doesn’t change a thing.”
“You would… you would kill Mistress for that— that blood traitor?”
He looks at Kreacher, sees the disbelief on his face, and drops his mask.
“Yes.”
Regulus watches as Kreacher stares into gray eyes sharp with anger and protectiveness, the vicious snarl on his lips, and allows the utter rage and madness he feels at the thought of Sirius’s death to run free.
“He is MY brother! MY flesh and blood! I will not stand by and watch as Mother plots his death!” The room is shaking, picture frames falling and shattering, walls cracking as his magic whips around him. “Do you UNDERSTAND?!” Kreacher flinches away from him as lightbulbs explode around them.
Regulus pauses and closes his eyes. Takes a breath and reins back in his magic as the sound of tinkling glass fills the room. He tucks away his fury, his magic, and embraces the cold unfeeling mask that he learned at Mother’s feet.
He stands up and looks at Kreacher.
“Do you understand?” He repeats and Kreacher sobs.
“Y-yes.”
“What do you choose?” Regulus forces the same disinterest he used for Mother back into his voice.
He watches as Kreacher wrestles with his decision, muttering under his breath and glancing desperately at Mother’s crumpled body. Regulus says nothing more. He could try and convince him one way or another, but he needs Kreacher to make this choice on his own. It will hurt if he chooses Mother. Perhaps even more than pointing a wand at the woman who raised him. But he can allow no doubt of Kreacher’s loyalty. Not when house-elves are just as capable of bypassing wards and protections as obscure rituals were.
Kreacher looks at him with tears rolling down his wrinkled cheeks, but he can see the decision being made. The acceptance in his last glance at Mother and then the resolution in his gaze.
“Kreacher… Kreacher is loyal to the House of Black,” Regulus closes his eyes as grief builds, but the house-elf continues, “And if Master Regulus is what is left of House Black, then Kreacher will be loyal to Master Regulus.” His eyes snap open and he nearly sobs in relief.
“Are you sure?” His voice breaks, but he can’t stop the wave of emotions going through him. He would’ve done it. Would’ve let Kreacher die with his Mistress.
“Kreacher is sure,” He confirms with a firm nod, eyes no longer straying to Mother and Regulus takes a moment to just breathe.
“Then I order you to go to Castle Black and stay there until you are called back. You are to follow only my orders and if any other Black calls for you, you are to ignore them.”
Kreacher takes one last look at Mother before turning towards him, nodding, and disappearing with a pop.
Regulus stands still in the now quiet room. He takes in the damage Mother had done, the damage his magic had done. He looks around the house that he grew up in and wonders when it stopped feeling like home. Was it the first time Mother cursed Sirius or the last? The day Father died or maybe the day he let Mother take control? He looks at the dark and depressing walls with Mother’s anger written across them, the carpets that once held the stains of his brother’s blood. Regulus wonders if this was ever a home for Sirius or if it was always a prison for his brother.
He walks over to Mother, glass crunching under his shoes. He kneels next to her and gently tidies her hair back into its bun. Regulus uses his thumb to clean up her lipstick and uses his other hand to straighten her clothes. He lets himself stare into furious eyes and then smiles at his frozen mother.
“I love you, Mother,” Her gray eyes shift from anger to terror at the look on his face. He feels a tear fall onto his cheek, the way his mouth is stretched into a mockery of a smile, and wonders if he looks like she did moments ago. Madness and fury. “I will always love you,” Regulus swears it to her, to himself. “I just love Sirius more.”
He presses a soft kiss against her frozen cheek.
He rises.
Regulus, wand in hand, walks to the front door. He debates going to get his things but dismisses the thought. He has his wand. The Heir ring was on his finger. And Sirius wasn’t here. The house held nothing else he cared for. He looked at Mother and didn’t allow his gaze to falter as he raised his wand.
“ Fiendfyre .”
Regulus watches Mother as flames burst from his wand and begin to consume . He watches as her clothing catches, her hair burns, and her skin chars. He watches as the fiendfyre turns his mother into ash. He watches, feels the heat against his skin, and is cold.
He manages to stop the stream. He doesn’t try to stop the flames from burning through his once home. Regulus steps through the front door, triggers the wards, and shuts the door behind him.
Regulus stands in the middle of the street and watches for a moment as fiendfyre burns his house down. The wards containing the cursed fire, but unable to stop its spread within.
He turns away from it, from the life he has burnt to the ground, and apparates to the only family he has left.
Regulus stumbles as he lands in front of Potter Manor. The windows of the mansion glow in the pitch-blackness around him and he follows the light like a ship in the dark. He walks forward and feels the wards pass over him, judging his intentions, and is grateful when they let him pass. He walks and walks and walks until he reaches the front door.
He doesn’t allow himself to stop, to pause and think, and knocks on the door.
He waits.
He knocks.
Time passes, but he can’t make himself measure it.
The door opens.
“Can I help you?”
Regulus can’t stop his look of surprise when he fully takes in the woman standing in the doorway. The curly black hair, familiar gray eyes, and pale skin. He had forgotten that Lady Potter had once been a Black. The family resemblance makes his heart stutter, especially once Dorea Potter takes in appearance and raises her wand at him. An expression of fierce protectiveness and anger crosses her face and it makes him scramble for the numbness he was still hiding behind.
“You aren’t welcome here, so I suggest you leave before I force you,” She is filled with motherly rage as she threatens him and it causes something in him to crack. He hears a voice call for her from within the house, but neither of them looks away.
“I— I need to see Sirius,” His voice breaks as he tries to keep his composure.
“Too bad,” She glares at him, “When that poor boy came to us, shaking from the torture curse your bitch of a mother put on him, I made a promise that he would be safe under my roof. So leave now, or I will make you.”
“Mrs. Potter?” He hears Sirius’s voice call from within the house followed by, “Mom?”
His hands shake as he raises them into the air and tries to keep himself together.
“Please,” Regulus' voice wavers as he tries to seem as non-threatening as possible. “It’s important. I won’t— I won’t hurt him.” He hears footsteps coming closer to the door, but he doesn’t dare look away from the woman in front of him. The mother. The mother who cared for his brother as a mother should. Who was raising a wand to a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black without a care in the world because she was a mother protecting a son like his mother always failed to do. The mother he just burnt alive.
He catches a sob in his throat right as Potter and Sirius appear in the doorway, flanking Dorea.
“Boys, go inside,” She orders, not looking away from him, “I’ve got this handled.”
“Regulus? Wh—”
“What happened?” Sirius interrupts Potter and Regulus knew, he knew that he shouldn’t look away from Lady Potter. That she was a threat that he needed to watch, but he couldn’t look away from his brother.
He was pale and Regulus could see how his body still shook from being held under the cruciatus curse. His wavy black hair was tangled and messy and there were dark circles under his eyes. But, he was whole. He was safe. And Regulus couldn’t stop the way his body started shaking in relief.
“Sirius, go back inside!” Dorea ordered sharply but Sirius didn’t move. Regulus realized that he was staring at him, taking in every twitch and tremble, the scratch marks on his face.
“Something is wrong,” Sirius looked him in the eyes, and his mouth twisted into a frown as he sniffed the air. “He smells like fire, there’s marks on his face, and… you’re shaking.” He tried to step forward, but Dorea caught his wrist.
“Sirius, please,” Dorea’s voice was strained, but Sirius shook his head and didn’t take his eyes off of Regulus.
“Did she… did she hurt you?” There was concern in his eyes and it ruined what little composure Regulus had left.
Regulus laughed.
They all stared at him, but he couldn’t look away from Sirius because he was worried. Worried that Mother had hurt him. The Mother that he burnt alive and watched while it happened. He pressed a hand against his mouth, but couldn’t stop the hysterical laughter. He could hear it, high and pitchy in the night air. He sounded like Bellatrix on her worst days, but he couldn’t stop it. Because that’s what should’ve happened. Mother should’ve hurt him. That was the logical thing to think. After all, Mother was older, more powerful, and even meaner than he was. If they fought, it should’ve been Regulus that was hurt. Regulus turned to ash.
Sirius stared at him in horror.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry,” Regulus gasped between laughs. He could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, but the numbness and cold were completely out of reach.
Dorea Potter lowered her wand and let go of Sirius.
He didn’t look away from Sirius as he rushed towards him. Sirius reached out to grab him, but Regulus shook his head and stepped out of reach, shaking.
“I’m sorry, Sirius. I’m—,”
“Regulus!” Sirius barked at him and it was so sudden that it managed to shock him into silence. He reached out again, but Regulus flinched away. “Regulus, you need to calm down,” His voice was gentle. He shouldn’t be gentle. He should hate Regulus. “Reggie, what Mother did tonight wasn’t your fault. You don’t have to be sorry for it,” Sirius reached out slower this time and Regulus didn’t move. He stared into Sirius’s eyes and selfishly took his kindness.
“You don’t— you don’t understand,”
“Then explain, Reggie,” Sirius gently led him closer, “Please, Reggie. I’ve never seen you this freaked out before and I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
Regulus couldn’t stand it. Tears ran down his face as he stared at Sirius who had love and concern in his eyes. He looked him in those loving eyes and tried to steel himself.
“I killed her,”
There was silence for a beat while Sirius’s face twisted in confusion.
“What?” Another hysterical laugh slipped from Regulus’s lips.
“I killed Mother,” Regulus confessed, with tears dripping down his face and a pained smile. The same cold blankness that he had used to kill his mother crawled across his brother’s face and his heart clenched. “She was— you leaving— she,” He took a deep breath, “She was going to kill you,” Regulus caught the flash of hurt in his eyes and while he hated hurting Sirius like this, he deserved to know. He deserved to know why Regulus orphaned them. “She was going to use a ritual,” He finally glanced at the Potters watching in horrified silence, “She bragged about how no wards, no matter how strong, would be able to protect him. And it would’ve— it would’ve been a death I wouldn’t wish upon anyone,” Regulus looked back to Sirius, his face still blank and frame tense.
“I stopped her.” Killed her. Murdered her. Burnt her. “And I— I came here to— to make sure you knew. So you would know that she can’t hurt you anymore. That you’re safe.”
“Regulus…” He ignored Potter’s gentle voice and didn't allow himself to look away from his silent brother.
“I also came to give you this,” For the first time since he saw Sirius, his hands didn’t shake. They didn’t even twitch as he twisted the Heir ring off his finger and held it out to Sirius. Because this was right. This was the way it should be. Regulus was never meant to lead House Black and the smell of burning hair that lingered on his clothes only served to prove his unworthiness.
“She didn’t—,” Regulus’s voice cracked, “She didn’t disinherit you, officially,” Sirius slowly reached out, like he waiting for him to snatch away the ring and all it meant, “And now she won’t get the chance,” Deep breath, “So, it yours. You’re still Heir Black.”
Regulus wished he’d say something, anything. He’d take screaming insults over the quiet as Sirius took the ring that was rightfully his and slipped it onto his finger. He seemed struck, as he stared at the ring.
Potter moved forward and placed a comforting hand on Sirius’s shoulder. It should’ve burned, it should’ve made Regulus green with envy at the brotherly bond that they shared. But, Regulus couldn’t bring himself to be upset. After all, it’s not like he could comfort Sirius. Not when he was to blame for this. A rueful smile tugged at his lips.
He took a step away from Sirius and let himself look for a moment. Mrs. Potter was still standing in the doorway, expression torn between protective fury and fondness with her wary gaze still trained on him. Regulus found himself grateful for her, she’d watch over Sirius and keep him safe the way Mother refused to. Potter kept looking between Sirius and him with a furrowed brow, concern practically pouring off of him. And Sirius, Sirius still had his gaze riveted to his ring. Face a perfect mask of pureblood emotionlessness that even Mother would’ve been reluctantly proud of.
Regulus took in the picture that they made, the family that Sirius had made for himself. One that was made from love and choice rather than flesh and blood. And he knew Sirius would be alright. Sirius had never needed them. He readied himself to apparate with no destination in mind, curious if he would splinch himself. There was nothing left for him anyways, nowhere to go and no one to go to.
“How?” Sirius’s quiet question held him in place as he finally looked up and they locked eyes.
There was a fire burning behind Sirius’s gray eyes. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact emotion lying there, but there was an underlying viciousness within his gaze that reminded him of Sirius at his most cruel. Regulus wasn’t sure if it was aimed at him, Mother, or even his returned heirship, but it called out the same cold rage that allowed him to watch the flames lick at Mother’s corpse and feel nothing but satisfaction. He latched onto the feeling, letting it drown out the guilt and uncertainty.
“Fiendfyre,” Sirius’s eyes blazed with emotion, “I stunned her, sent Kreacher to Castle Black, and then burned her alive,” Regulus waited for the gasps of horror, but none came and he continued coldly, “I fixed her hair, her clothes, her makeup, and then I watched as her hair caught aflame and the fire ate away layer after layer of flesh from her bones,” Sirius stepped forward, back into arm’s reach and Regulus refused to look away, “And when she was nothing but ash, I activated the wards and left the house to burn.”
“Good,” The word was spat not from Sirius, but rather from the stone-faced Potter behind him. Regulus felt his eyebrows raise without his command and his rage was swiftly replaced with surprise. Even the fire in Sirius’s eyes cooled as they both turned to look at Potter. “If she was planning on hurting Sirius, killing him, in a way that’s so painful that you won’t even explain it, then she deserved to die in agony.” Potter’s voice was hard in a way Regulus had never heard before and for a brief moment, Regulus understood exactly why Sirius loved him enough to leave their family. The unrepentant satisfaction at what would leave a normal person horrified had a very thoroughly repressed part of himself perking its head up.
“I can’t say that I disagree,” Lady Potter interrupted his dangerous train of thought, wand no longer in sight, “I have a good idea at what kind of rituals that shrew of a woman could’ve used and their results,” She caught Regulus’s gaze and held it, “And I would’ve done much worse than a little fiendfyre to her if she went through with it.” The look in her eyes showed her Black heritage far more than appearance ever could and Regulus grasped onto the truth of her words. If anything ever happened to his brother, the woman in front of him would not allow him to go unavenged and it took a weight off of his shoulders.
Sirius was still looking at the Potters with wide-eyed disbelief when Regulus decided it was time to go. Jealousy and guilt were starting to replace the relief he felt. Sirius had people that would love and care for him and seeing his shock at that truth made Regulus’s stomach turn. He had never been as protective or as loving towards Sirius as he should’ve been, too busy listening to Mother’s rants and insults. He grabbed his wand from his holster and got ready to apparate.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” Lady’s Potter voice rang out before he even raised his wand. He froze mid-motion at the snap in her tone and the focus turned back to him.
“Leaving?”
“You said you burned your house down,” Dorea stated dryly, “Just where are you planning on going?”
“You were just gonna swan off without saying a word?” Sirius added and the note of hurt in his voice made Regulus look at him incredulously.
“I killed our mother,” He stated just to make sure everyone was on the same page, “And I gave you the Heir ring back.”
“So?” Sirius stared at him obstinately, “You’re my brother, my only family left.”
“Because I killed Mother,” Regulus pointed out again, ignoring the way the truth tore at him, “Brutally. With no remorse. And then burned down our house.”
“Exactly the point, you burned down your house. So, just where do you intend on going?” Dorea interjected and Regulus suddenly felt wrong-footed under her pointed stare.
“... away?” Sirius snorted at his answer and Lady Potter rolled her eyes while crossing her arms. Regulus felt his face warm.
“Alright, where are your things?” Regulus just stared blankly at her, “You’re staying with us,” She informed him before turning to Potter, “We’ll have to floo call your father at the Ministry to let him know he can add Regulus to the paperwork he’s filling out for emergency custody,” There was a hint of mischief in her eyes as she smiled, “Actually, no, we can just tell him we managed to get the full set of sons in one night and that Walburga had a terribly sad accident that will make all of our lives much easier,” Regulus blinked at her, “That should make him feel better about having to be stuck in the Ministry.”
“You— you want me to stay?”
“Of course,” Dorea glared at him, seemingly insulted that he was unsure, “We’re family, and like hell am I going to let an opportunity to spite Walburga pass me by, may she rot in hell.”
“I killed my mother and burned down my house and you want me to live with you?” He turned to Potter, hoping for some sanity, “Surely you’re against letting me stay here?”
Potter looked him up and down, tapping a finger against his mouth, “Well, I suppose I can live with a slimy Slytherin like you,” Potter grinned, “And I’m positive you’d only kill us all and burn down the house if we mistreat Sirius, which at that point, we’d deserve it.”
Regulus looked helplessly at Sirius, “You don’t even like me.”
And suddenly Sirius was in his space, folding him into a tight hug, smelling of sweat and muggle cigarettes. Regulus could feel Sirius shaking against him which served as a harsh reminder of his screams earlier in the night, but Sirius still held him as close as he could. His tangled waves brushed against Regulus’s cheek as he let himself relax into the hug, shaking just as hard as Sirius as he held back tears. Sirius’s warmth enveloped him and he felt safe for the first time in years, in the arms of a brother he had killed for, who he would die for in an instant.
“Stay,” Sirius whispered, “You’re not okay. I’m not okay. But we’re both safe here,” Regulus lifted his arms and wrapped them around Sirius, holding him just as closely. “Please, I— I know that you loved her, so I know that you must be hurting but please,” Sirius ran a hand through Regulus’s hair as he pulled back slightly to look at him, “You’re my little brother, let me take care of you for once. Especially after tonight.” Regulus looked into the sad, but loving eyes of his brother and couldn’t find it in himself to refuse because Sirius had a point. Not after tonight.