Chapter Text
A year had passed since Sirius had fled the hell they called home, a year Regulus had lost everything. He lost the love of his brother, who did not speak to him properly since he left, in fact made fun of him at every opportunity.
He has also lost the balance of his mental state, because he is losing himself. Not knowing when it's in his head or his reality. And his parents are much worse, because they didn't want Regulus. They wanted what everyone else wants. The perfect Sirius Black.
So here is Regulus at 15 with his bags packed and downsized to leave. To leave everything behind and go so that for the first time he could live. So Regulus walks out of the house that destroyed him without looking back, then out of the neighborhood he grew up in and happy about it, and finally out of the country that brought him so much pain.
Of course Regulus had a plan. He transferred from Hogwarts to the magic school in France, stealing his mother's seal. And he asked the school not to tell him he's transferred, and he certainly won't ask his mother. So Regulus is free. And for the first time in his life he can really breathe.
* ∼ *
When Sirius arrived at Hogwarts, something seemed strange. Something was missing from the landscape, exactly, but he couldn't figure out what.
-Prong, is something missing?- asks Sirius confused sitting at the table in the great hall.
-What do you mean, did you forget something or something?- James looked puzzled.
-No, but I have a feeling that something is missing, it's something different from last year.- Sirius explained as if searching the room for the answer.
-Well, the only thing missing is Regulus, he didn't come to Hogwarts.- James says with a blank expression, but Sirius doesn't give importance to that as much as he gives the information found out.
-Wait what? "How do you know?" asks Sirius.
-After seeing that he is not here yet, I told my mother to inquire why he is not here and it seems that he has disappeared. No one knows where he is. He disappeared about a month ago but your mother didn't bother to look for him.- James explained looking towards the Slytherin table, where Sirius assumed Regulus should be.
-Why are you telling me this now?- asks Sirius nervously, because if he knew this, why didn't anyone inform him that his brother had disappeared.
-Because you don't care about him, and after last year I think everyone in the wizarding world knows that. Why would I tell you exactly?- James says in a forced calm tone but he still looks nervous and Sirius is shocked why James would be upset about that.
-Why the hell are you mad at me?- Sirius yelled and caught the eyes of his friends who were animated in a separate discussion and the eyes of several in the room.
-Damn it, Sirius, maybe if you weren't just paying attention to yourself, you would have noticed what was going on around you as well.- James shouted and stormed out of the great hall, and Sirius was shocked for a moment.
-Pads, what happened?-Remus asks quietly with a worried face and Sirius softens at how nice this man can be.
-We were talking about Regulus and he suddenly got mad at me.- is all Sirius says, not wanting to explain anything now, especially yelling at one of his friends again.
After that day Regulus was never brought up, the speech was ignored, but Sirius knew James had a problem with him about it, but he never tried to fix it until they got back into their normal style.
* ∼ *
Regulus wants to curse himself. How unlucky he can be. It's almost the end of 6th year and his school forces Regulus' year to do an experience exchange with the 6th year at Hogwarts school. So Regulus has to go back there, after struggling to escape, his fate turns him back.
He has to stay there for 2 weeks. 2 weeks where he has to see everyone who hurt him. Where will he see Sirius. And James.
-Regulus, are you okay?- asks Evan, one of his best friends. Usually at the one where he also stays during the holidays.
-I'm not going back there, Evan. I can't do it.- says Regulus choked, but Evan understands, because he is the only one who knows the truth about him. About everything that happened almost a year and a half ago.
-Don't worry, I'll keep them away from you, how hard can it be to do this for 2 weeks, now you have me, don't worry.- reassures Evan hugging him.
-You're stealing my boyfriend, aren't you?- shouted Barty, Evan's boyfriend to be exact, and also a close friend of his, amused.
-No, he's cute, but you know I don't fall in love.- he answers in the same forced amused tone, when Barty jumps up to kiss Evan on the cheek.
-Yes yes, we know the boy with glasses from London, right? Do we see him when we go to Hogwarts?" Barty asks and Regulus tenses at the statement.
-Well, we should see him but he's a year older and will graduate this year so there's a good chance we won't get the chance.-and Regulus prays for the truth of his words.
* ∼ *
Regulus is here again in front of the doors of the Hogwarts great hall waiting with the rest of his classmates to be introduced to the whole school and sorted into houses to get a taste of the school experience Regulus feels like throwing up when the doors they opened and all advanced to enter.
Shaking and staring at the ground he continues walking until he reaches the pile around the hat, giving him major deja vu with the first time he's stood here watching his brother freak out about all of this. Now he's just as scared but he has no brother to look up to.
And he doesn't even realize when his name is called and he trembles.
-Regulus Black.- shouted teacher Minevra. And when he goes forward he hears the whispers of those at the tables, because they obviously knew who he was, and more importantly they all knew he was gone.
Regulus sits in his chair and his hat is placed on his head as he begins to speak.
-Oh, Regulus Black, we meet again. But something's different about you, you're not a Slytherin anymore.- muttered the hat before shouting loudly.- Gryffindor!
Regulus gets up in shock and walks to the table he is told to go to and when he looks up he meets the eyes he fears the most, his brother's eyes. So when he sits down at the table the people next to him are quickly replaced by Sirius and his friends.
-Do you want something?- Regulus asks with a trembling voice looking at his lap.
"Is that all you're saying?" Sirius said sharply and Regulus flinched.
-I...I don't know what you want, so I don't know what to say.- says Regulus with the same trembling in his voice. Because after the last year here, Regulus really fears them, maybe even more than his parents.
-Why do you seem so shy now, you always had something to complain about.- Sirius asks, shouting softly.
-Sirius leave him alone can't you see he's afraid of you, you make him wince every time you talk.- James reproaches and Regulus is satisfied that he's here.
-Why do you keep defending him, honestly, you just know how much I went through because of him, and you keep arguing with me because of him.- Sirius says before getting up and leaving followed by 2 of his friends but James was still by his side.
-Are you okay?- James asks and Regulus looks up and looks at him.
-Yes.
-I'm glad you're okay, when I found out you disappeared I thought your parents did something to you, but I couldn't find out much.- James says looking at Regulus with probably pity.
-No, I simply left, I hate this place and everyone here.- says Regulus honestly.
- Oh, I understand why. I'm sorry. - says James looking hurt.
- I wasn't referring to you either, you were the only one who actually helped me. So thank you.- says Regulus forcing a smile.
- Because you don't deserve everything that happens to you, Sirius is too selfish to see that. - says James.
And when Regulus wanted to answer Evan appears in front of him panicked.
-I'm sorry that I came so hard, but it took a while, and I'm in the blue house as it was called, Barty is in the green one. By the way you didn't say you were in that green one, why did they put you in that one this time. You said your brother is here. She saw you? Did he do something to you? Who's the guy?- Evan rambles quickly, panicked and confused, and Regulus and James look at him. - Is that James? He has these glasses, so it must be him.- and James looks confused at that.
-So to explain, you are in Ravenclaw and Barty is in Slytherin where I was also the first time, but the hat said something that I changed and put me in Gryffindor where Sirius is and he saw me, luckily not he hasn't done anything to me yet, but being in the same house as him it wouldn't be hard for him. And he really is James.- explained Regulus seeing that Evan understood the explanations.
-So who is he?- James asks and Regulus turns to James.
-He is Evan, my best friend.- says Regulus.
-So you told him about me?- James grins and Regulus blushes.
-I told him about Sirius, so about you too.-explained Regulus, half smiling.
-And about Sirius, has he ever hurt you?- his expression changes to something nervous.
"You didn't know?" Regulus asks.
-When was that?- James asks shocked.
- Well, after he ran away and I was trying to talk to him, he was hexing me when I came to him. It was his fault that I left because he was making my school life a nightmare and at home it was just as bad because they wanted Sirius not me so cursing was daily. And my legs are the clear proof.-explains Regulus looking between the shocked and sad faces of Evan and James.
So yes, Regulus' worst nightmare was to come back here, and that's exactly what he did, and now there's no turning back. Now he will either die in these 2 weeks or run away again at the end of them, but there is no good ending for Regulus Black.