Chapter Text
Regulus knew this wasn’t the best idea. Let’s just get that out in the open. He knew there was a good chance that this was going to go terribly wrong, and he’d be lying if he said this didn’t terrify him.
Regulus held his breath as he treaded on a particular squeaky floorboard, cursing himself for not paying more attention as he rolled his shoulders anxiously at the realisation that Sirius’ loud and terrified screams were the only thing drowning him out.
Despite knowing they couldn’t hear him, he still stood frozen, terror taking over every inch of his body as he recalls what had happened the last time he was caught out of his room when he wasn’t supposed to be.
Shaking his hands out in front of him in an attempt to self soothe, regulus shutters at the memory of that night, where his parents had tortured him within the brink of his life, all for trying to sneak a snack from the kitchen.
Regulus was pulled from his swirling thoughts by a blood curdling scream,
Sirius! His brain supplies, and he’s running down the hall without a second thought. He had to keep going, he had to. Because Sirius needs him.
Sirius
Sirius
Sirius
The plan rushes around his head as the screams get louder and regulus clutches the floo powder he had stolen from his parents room to his chest.
He wasn’t sure he’d survive the repercussions of stealing from them if he was to be caught, and he tried not to let that slow him in his step.
Either way, he slowed in his run as he got closer to the study and sirius’ screams got louder, he couldn’t risk getting caught now, not yet.
As he slowed, he began counting his steps in an anxious habit and he knew that he was just twenty steps away from his parents study.
His eyes welled up as he came to a stop outside the study and sirius’ pained pleas for his parents to stop their cruel assult got louder and louder.
He was keeping himself together until he heard sirius call out his name, and he had to clench his hands into a fist to stop himself from going to try to help him.
But regulus knew that if they wanted to get out of this house alive, he needed to wait, and it was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Sucking in a deep breath to try and pull himself together, regulus huddled himself behind the large statue sitting at the entrance, muffling sobs in his knees as they exploded out of him.
If he was younger and more naive, he may have gone rushing in to try to help sirius, maybe beg for them to stop
‘ stop it stop it please please you’re hurting him!!’
But eventually, his parent just began torturing sirius more, punishing him for regulus’ stupidity. And regulus couldn’t have that.
So all regulus could do was hide. He hid helplessly for a long time. It could have been ten minutes or it could have been hours, there was no difference for a terrified and sobbing regulus.
the mix of guilt, anxiety and pure fucking fear- had him so overwhelmed that he found himself biting at his palms (a bad habit he had picked up when he was young)
once he heard a loud bang, the slam of the door closing and the telltail sign his parent had left the room, regulus stayed as small as he could make himself, curling up as he focused on shoving any emotion down, detaching himself from his emotions in a way he hadn’t since he had gotten with james.
oh james.
his heart pounded as he thought of his worried boyfriend- and the way he wishes more than anything he could be with him now, because james made things better, he always did.
Once his parents had turned the corner, regulus hid himself for a couple more moments before he sprung up, moving quickly to open the door and lock them both inside the room.
In his frantic motions he hadn’t glanced at his brother yet, and when he did? his entire world swam.
There sirius was, the brother who had taken hits upon hits upon curses to keep his little brother safe.
Sirius who was barely clinging to life. bleeding, bruised and trembling. muscles jerking in a way the regulus knew way to well, the way they did after the cruciatus curse.
“fuck fuck” regulus mumbled, sliding down onto the carpet,wincing when his knees took the brunt of his descent.
“sirius??” he took the older boys face into his hands,
“sirius you fucking idiot open your eyes?!?” regulus murmured more urgently, panic racing through his veins as he put his ear against sirius’ heart- listening for soemthing, ANYTHING, any sign of life.
the younger boy sobbed in relief when he felt the faint flutter of a heartbeat, with his soft slow breathing barely making an appearance.
his relief was interrupted by the sound of thundering footsteps moving down the stair case.
regulus knew that if he didn’t get the pair of them out now, they never would.
fuck.
“sirius we need to go” he spoke firmly, whining as he tried his best to lug his big brother towards the fire place.
the injured boy let out a grunt as he was dragged across the floor, and regulus tried his best not to stop, to stop would be to cause sirius less pain but to stop also meant precious seconds being wasted.
in the end he just pulled sirius faster, trying not to be sick when sirius’ very obviously dislocated knee scraped against the ground and he whined painfully
“don’t be a baby it’s fine okay sirius? you’re fine i’m sorry okay” regulus grit out, his whole body swaying as he listened to the door hand jiggle.
a few more agonising moments later the pair were in the floo and the door swung open
“Potter manor!” regulus shouted.
“Crucio!”
the word spun.
and regulus?
regulus screamed.