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May 3rd 2023, 7:05 pm James Potter's star died at the hands of Peter Peddigrew. James wished it was him who died that night so he didn't have to go to Regulus' older brother and explain how he failed to save the star. Had to watch his best friend break down. However not once did Sirius blame him for his brother's death.
"Breaking news folks! The vigilante known as 'Spiderman' and his accomplice caught the mysterious villain terrorising our peaceful town. The villain has been named as Peter Peddigrew" the news reporter said. "Peddigrew confessed to all of his crimes as his arrest happened, but this was while the body of Regulus Black was uncovered. James Potter was the one who called for the ambulance and the police and even tried to save the young man. For today we mourn the loss of our very own Spiderman whose identity was revealed through his death. We pay our respect to Regulus Black"
Remus grabbed the remote and quickly turned the TV off, not wanting to hear anymore about the betrayal the group had just gone through. After the murder of the McKinnon's the group was never the same, especially James. He and Marlene had been friends for years. And now he had not only lost his best friend, and his parents, but now reggie.
James held back his tears, believing he didn't deserve to feel pain and sorrow, he forced himself to believe it was his fault Regulus was dead. He carefully pulled out the spiderman mask that was tucked in his pocket and looked at it. Sirius and Remus never blamed him, Regulus didn't even blame him as he was taking his dying breaths. But his thoughts were plagued with voices screaming at him, telling him it was his fault. Telling him he didn't deserve to cry. And he was listening to them all.
It hadn't even been an hour, and James missed his star's embrace, his kiss, his love, his voice, his eyes. The list went on. James missed him. Was being Spiderman worth the coast of Regulus his life? It had cost him so much in the space of too little time. A tear fell, the first tear since James saw Reggie dying. A tear he shouldn't have cried. A tear he didn't deserve to cry. Or so he told himself.
Another tear made its way down James' face, but he couldn't wipe it away in time. Remus and Sirius saw it, and Sirius pulled him into a hug, James hiding his face in Sirius' neck and he placed his chin on top of James' head. Remus joined the hug and the 3 sat there and daren't move. James sobbed, and Sirius held him as he internally cried. And then, Remus couldn't compose himself anymore and cried with James. This set Sirius off again.
That night, when James went to bed, he couldn't sleep. He couldn't sleep in the bed he used to share with Regulus without him. He started silently sobbing. Not wanting to awake his best friends. James turned to his bedside table and he looked at the photograph on his desk, how he wished he could go back to that day. It was Regulus' graduation day. Reg was in his Hogwarts uniform, tie hanging loosely, his top two buttons undone and a big grin on his face, his graduation certificate in his hand. James stood next to him, his hair all messy in his Gryffindor jersey from when he was on the quidditch team with a white top and some blue ripped jeans. He was holding Regulus on his back. An even bigger grin on his face.
A soft smile crept onto his face as he remembered what he told Reg after that photo was taken, "now we're in it for the long run bug boy". Oh how James was wrong…
James turned back onto his back and looked at the ceiling. Soon he found himself asleep. Hoping to have a peaceful dream, instead he found himself in a nightmare.
A memory.
"Let him go Peter, please I'll do anything!" Regulus pleaded
"You should have thought about that before you abandoned us for him" Peter heartlessly laughs
"Please, I'll reveal my identity, I'll do anything just don't hurt James!"
"God, you really do love him, don't you"
"Yes"
"I love you too Reggie" James whispered
"Love? God! Listen to yourselves, you sound like high schoolers!"
"Just leave James out if this! Please let him go"
"Poor choice of wording Regulus Articus Black" Peter mocked, loosening his grip on James' neck, before pushing him back.
A scream of fear fell from James' mouth as he began to fall. Regulus jumped straight after him, hoping he'd be able to save him, he expanded his wrist and allowed a web to come out of wrist and land itself in James' hand. Allowing him to stop falling. Carefully, Regulus pulled his arm up, letting his web bring James up. He managed to get James' other hand and using his free hand shot a web up to the clock tower, allowing the duo to gracefully land on the floor free from harm. Peter was rather unhappy with this outcome.
"You need to go! Now! Run to the house and don't look back okay! You need to warn Sirius and Remus!" Regulus said, pulling James into a hug.
"No, I'm not leaving you Regulus, remember we're in this for the long run!" James argued
"James, if anything happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself! Okay you need to go"
"But-"
"Go!"
James sighed, and placed a kiss on his lover's lips, before attempting to take off running, Peter however, made it to the exit before James could make an escape. Trembling in fear, James took a few steps back, Regulus managing to pull James behind him and acted like a shield towards his sun.
"Peter, James has nothing to do with this! You know this!" Regulus exclaimed
"Do I?"
"I bloody well hope so!" James whispered
Peter laughed, tipping his head back. While Peter was laughing, Regulus pointed at an exit for James to run out of. When James took off Regulus sprayed two webs over Peter's feet in hopes that James could make it out of this fight free from harm. But Peter just laughed more. Then James came back, he was held at gunpoint.
Slowly, Regulus turned around. He saw his cousin Bellatrix holding James captive. "Untie Peter, or else this one gets whats coming for him!" She demanded
"Regulus don't!" James shouted. Bellatrix sighed and wacked James over the head, causing him to fall to his knees and place his hand on his head. When he looked back at his hand a bit of blood was on his hand. He muttered a curse under his breath and Regulus did as he was told.
Regulus' eyes began to show fear, he tried to cover it up, but he was petrified he was going to lose his lover. Bellatrix chuckled, and watched as James slowly started crawling his way over to Regulus.
Once James had managed to reach Reggie, he was helped to his feet. This time however, James was the shield. "James!" Regulus warned, as his cousin held the gun at James. He gulped loudly, unaware Peter was about to do something to make this situation worse.
Peter quickly pushed Regulus out from behind James and Bellatrix's aim changed to Regulus, and Peter held James in place, so he couldn't save Regulus. "NO!" James cried as the shot rang out and Bellatrix ran off.
Peter watched in shock. This wasn't part of the plan. No one was meant to die. He let go of James, and James fell down to his knees once he reached his lover's body. Carefully, he took his jumper off and used it to apply pressure. Reg smiled at James as he looked for a phone to call an ambulance. "James" Regulus whispered, placing his hand on James' cheek.
James looked down at Regulus. James bit his lip in hopes it would stop him from crying. "It's okay mi amor I'm gonna call you an ambulance and you're gonna be okay!" James assured Regulus as tears began falling down his face.
"James, we both know I'm not going to make it please-"
"No, your gonna make it Reggie"
"Mon soleli! Listen to me! I need you to be brave, you need to tell Remus and Sirius before they find out through the news!"
"This is my fault, it's meant to be me who's laying on the floor dying Regulus, not you! So I am going to save you and that is a promise"
The clock struck 7pm and James found his phone and dialled 999 and begged for an ambulance for Regulus. The operator told him an ambulance would be there shortly as well as the police and to make sure that Regulus stayed awake. And so James looked down at Regulus and dropped his phone to see him nearly passed out.
"Regulus? Love? You need to stay awake"
"Jamie, I don't blame you" Regulus said "I love you so much!"
"I love you too Reggie"
"Can I have a kiss? One kiss?"
James nodded, he leant down and Regulus moved up and gave him a kiss. When James pulled away, he noticed blood was starting to make its way out of Reggie's mouth.
"I need you to stay awake for me, okay the ambulance is on its way"
Tears began falling out of James' eyes and Regulus knew his time was about to end. "Make sure you tell Remus and Sirius first"
"No, you're gonna be okay! Okay Regulus, you're gonna make it out of this alive! You have to. You survived the cave, you can survive this gunshot okay?"
"I'm tired Jamie, I'm gonna go to sleep"
"Reg no you need to stay awake!"
"I love you so much James, I'm glad you're my first and last love, I don't blame you for anything that happened tonight okay?. Think about it like this I get to be lucky enough to say I loved you for an eternity"
"I love you too Regulus, but please I need you to stay awake"
Sirens began to become closer to the scene. "See they are here now, they are here!"
Regulus' hand fell from James' face. "Reggie?" James asked, gently shaking him, his voice starting to shake and break. "Reg?" He asked again.
No response.
7:05 the clock read.
May 3rd the calendar said.
2023, that's how old the world was.
But Reggie was only 20 and he had died.
He began screaming Regulus' name, desperate for a response. He screamed when he realised his boyfriend wasn't going to wake up. He couldn't see, his eyes were filled with tears. His forehead found itself on Regulus' chest as he cried, sobbed and broke down. "Wake up" he muttered "please!"
When the cops arrived they saw James sobbing over Regulus' body and Peter stood there in pure shock. They saw the spiderman mask in James' jeans pocket and Regulus wearing the suit.
"Son I need you to come away" a cop said placing his hand on James shoulder "hes passed"
"No! No! No! He's alive! He's just asleep! Okay? You've only just arrived" James cried. The officer sighed as another detained Peter. The officer tried to bring James away from the body of Regulus however he just couldn't. James wouldn't move. He couldn't stop crying.
The cop had to pull James away from his lover's body, and James faught to try and get back to Regulus. He cried and tried to pull himself back to Regulus. The cop managed to get James away from the body and turn him away from the body long enough for some paramedics to realise that spiderman was in fact dead.
James tried to fight back, he just wanted Regulus, but the cop was hugging him so close he couldn't. The paramedics gently placed Regulus in a body bag and put it in the ambulance. The cop let James out of his grip, and when he turned around Regulus wasn't there and he knew he was in the ambulance.
"Son you're not in the right mindset right now, okay so we're gonna come and interview you next week okay?" The cop asked and James nodded "you're free to leave okay?" James nodded again and wiped his tears and began running to the house he and Reggie shared with Sirius and Remus ready to tell them about the news before the 8 o'clock news channel could.
James shot up. He just wanted Regulus back. He ran his fingers through his hair and cried. He looked at the time "22:05" it read. Regulus had been dead for 4 hours now. And these 4 hours felt like 4 years for James Potter.
All in the space of a night, he had everything he had ever wanted, to losing one of the most important things in his life. His star, Regulus Articus Black.