Chapter Text
Regulus Arcturus Black let out a sigh as he curled his tail over his paws, plopping his head down on top. He had been staring up at the flickering light coming from the second floor window he watched every night. He had been watching this house for nearly twelve years now, ever since Lily and James-
Glancing at the muggle wristwatch he had stolen from a house down the street, Regulus realized he had lost track of time. Harry had been 13 for nearly 30 minutes by now, though Reg doubted he had realized it yet either. It’s not like the Dursleys would remember, afterall.
Casting a quick levitating charm, Regulus sent the poorly wrapped gift and letter up to Harry’s windowsill, using a quick tapping charm on the window to get the boy’s attention. As usual, Harry appeared as his window opened, scanning the streets for any sign of who had been leaving him presents for as long as he could remember. His eyes passed right over the large orange cat perched on the low stone wall of the house across the street, likely not even registering his presence. Reg knew Harry knew he was a wizard since he had given him a bag of galleons after his disastrous eleventh birthday, but he was pretty sure none of the teachers would have covered animagi yet.
Glancing up, Harry noticed something and frowned in confusion. Regulus followed his gaze and saw three owls soaring together towards Harry’s window. At the last second, Harry seemed to realize and dove out of the way in time for the owls to crash through the space his head had been seconds before.
The next time the window was opened, two of the three owls flew back out, disappearing into the night sky. Harry watched it until the last trace of it had faded, then turned back to the street, searching for something before setting an envelope on the sill and closing the window again.
With the same spell he had used to place the original, Regulus floated Harry’s note down in front of him and popped the fresh seal with one claw.
Dear R.A.B. the note started.
Thank you for the Galleons.
In one of your previous letters you said you don’t get much contact with the rest of the world, so I’m going to tell you what my friends said. I hope that’s okay.
Ron’s dad won the Daily Prophet Galleon Draw, so he’s in Egypt right now. He apologized for the phone call he made earlier this summer (did you hear it? I suspect most of Surrey did). His oldest brother, Bill, works as a curse breaker there, and he’s giving them a tour of the tombs. Apparently some of them were so bad Mrs. Weasley wouldn’t let Ginny go in. I’m attaching the Daily Prophet clipping to the back of this for you. Most of the galleons they won are going to the trip, but he’s going to get a new wand, one that actually works. His third brother, Percy, is Head Boy, which I’m sure he’s pleased about, but none of the younger Weasleys will be.
Ron got me a sneakoscope, but he reckons it doesn’t work. You know what a sneakoscope is, right? I’m assuming you do, since you’re a wizard. Apparently Bill said they’re rubbish since it kept going off at dinner, but he didn’t know that Fred and George, the fourth and fifth of the Weasleys (they’re twins), had put beetles in his soup.
Hermione, on the other hand, is in France. She says she’s jealous that Ron gets to learn about all the Egyptian wizarding history, but I’m just jealous that they get to leave the neighborhood. Apparently there’s loads of wizarding history in France as well, and she’s rewritten her entire History of Magic essay to fit it in. Apparently it’s two rolls of parchment longer than Binns asked for. I don’t understand how she does it. I’m still two and a half pages short.
She got me a broomstick servicing kit, which is brillant. It’s got everything I could possibly want for a broom in it. I’m going to start reading the book that came with it as soon as possible.
Next was Hagrid. He sent a biting book and a very ominous sounding letter. I had to belt it shut, and I’m honestly quite scared for what Hagrid thinks I might need it for in the coming year.
Last was the Hogwarts letter. It had the usual information about the train leaving and my school list, but it also had a Hogsmeade form in it. Have you ever been? What’s it like? I don’t know how I’m going to convince Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign it, but I’m sure I’ll think of something.
Ron and Hermione are meeting in Diagon Alley in the last week of the holidays, and I hope I can go. Think I could get the Dursleys to take me to the train? Probably not, but oh well.
Thank you again for the galleons and the letter,
Harry
Regulus wrinkled his nose fondly at his nephew and hooked a claw onto the corner of the second item in the envelope and slid it out.
It was a clipping from the Prophet, as Harry had said, all nine of the Weasleys standing together in front of a large pyramid. Regulus recognized Molly and Arthur easily enough, his eyes raking over the seven children and landing on the boy right in the middle. Or rather, on his shoulder.
As the photo morphed, the Weasleys waving and laughing, a rat climbed up onto Ron’s shoulder, his right paw prominently displaying the lack of a toe.
Regulus hissed in disbelief. There was no way it was this easy. Thirteen years of searching, he thought, and he’s been sleeping in the same room as Harry in the one place I couldn’t follow.
Snarling, Regulus took the letter in his mouth and ran across the street to the hole in the siding just beneath the Dursley’s kitchen window.
Tomorrow he would formulate a plan to get to Pettegrew and get Sirius’s name cleared.
-
The next day, Regulus woke to the sound of the Dursley’s television blasting the morning news out their open kitchen window.
“… the public is warned that the convict, Sirius Black, is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hotline has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately,” the reporter was saying, and Regulus froze, listening more intently to the rest of the broadcast.
Abruptly, the reporter switched topics, but Regulus barely registered it.
Could he have been right? He had thought it had been too easy, just finding Pettigrew like that, but what were the chances that Sirius had broken out only days after that paper had been published. Had he somehow seen it and recognized the rat on the front page?
Even if it was just a coincidence, Regulus couldn’t risk it. If Sirius had seen the Pettigrew on the paper, he would be heading for Hogwarts, and he would need help from inside when he got there.
After slipping the letter under a board and casting a few protection charms, Regulus turned on the spot, apparating to Diagon Alley.
Slipping between the legs of shoppers, Regulus made his way to the nearest magical creature shop. As he neared the shop a frazzled looking wizard with long brown hairs on his sliver robes stepped out. As the door swung shut behind him, Regulus slipped into the shop unnoticed.
While the witch inside had her back turned, Regulus jumped up onto the counter.
‘Imperio,’ he cast. ‘My name is Crookshanks. I have been here for years, and you can only sell me to a Hogwarts student.’
There was a beat and the witch turned around, her eyes slightly glazed over. She blinked, shaking her head, and seemed to notice the cat on her desk.
“Crookshanks,” the witch said, putting her hands on her hips as she addressed him. “What are you doing down here? Let's get you back to your basket.”
She scooped him up in her arms, depositing him on a top shelf inside a wicker cat cave. Sighing, Regulus set his head down on his paws.
It was a few weeks before an opportunity presented itself. None of the Hogwarts students had expressed any interest in an ugly orange cat, which Regulus only found slightly insulting. If worse came to worst he could just sneak himself onto the Hogwarts Express.
Reg was lazily composing a reply to Harry’s letter in his mind when a loud voice he thought he had heard before startled him back to reality.
“It’s my rat,” a boy with ginger hair to rival Crookshanks’ fur said. “He’s been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt.”
“Bang him on the counter,” the witch instructed, pulling her glasses from a pocket in her robes.
Ron lifted a rat out of his inside pocket, placing him on the counter just within Regulus’ line of sight. Whiskers twitching, Regulus glared down at the rat. It was undeniable now. Regulus was sure that the rat in front of him was Pettigrew, and he was positive that Sirius knew it as well.
Suddenly, Pettigrew’s nose twitched and he looked ready to run. If he made it away from Ron here, he could disappear forever. If Regulus made him flee with Ron right on his tail, he could be sure that Pettigrew would stay where he could watch. Also, terrorizing the traitor was an added bonus.
In one swift movement, Regulus pushed himself off of his shelf, landing squarely on Ron’s head before springing at Pettigrew.
“NO, CROOKSHANKS!” the witch shouted, but Regulus had done it. Ron and Harry raced after the rat. Surprisingly, however, Hermione stayed behind.
“He’s beautiful,” she praised, reaching to pet between his ears.
“Do you go to Hogwarts, dear?” the witch asked.
“Yes,” Hermione nodded. “I’m going into third year. My parents gave me some money to get myself a birthday gift. I was thinking an owl, but…”
Regulus grumbled, pushing his head against Hermione’s hand. ‘Stupid owls,’ he thought, ‘ruining my chance to see my brother and protect my nephew.’
Hermione frowned, scratching absent-mindedly. It was a strange sensation, almost like having someone run their fingers through your hair. Regulus leaned into the touch, only now realizing how much he had missed it. Not counting Harry, who had given sub-par pets as a child, Lily and James had been the last ones to touch him.
As he nuzzled against Hermione’s fingers, Regulus sent a subtle nod to the witch.
“Well,” she said, not knowing why, “Crookshanks seems to like you, and he’s been here for so long. I could give him to you for half-price. No one seemed to want the poor dear.”
Regulus froze, swiveling his head to look at the witch. He was not a half-price cat, thank you very much. As the offense passed, Regulus realized that to guarantee a place at Hogwarts, maybe half-price wasn’t so bad.
Hermione had noticed his reaction and giggled. “He doesn’t seem to think he should be discount. Don’t worry, Crookshanks, I’ll use the extra galleons to get you a nice bed.”
Reg meowed and bonked his head against her and she smiled. Removing her hand from Regulus’ head, she pulled out a small coin purse. Once she had finished paying, Reg jumped up and laid himself across her shoulders as she turned to find her friends.
When Hermione caught up to the boys, Ron looked up and made a face.
“You bought that monster?” he asked, his mouth hanging open dumbly.
“He’s gorgeous,” Hermione glowed, pulling Reg down into her arms.
Ron looked horrified, but Reg was focused on Harry. He hadn’t seen Harry up close for years. His face had decent color to it, but he still had the signs of malnutrition that Regulus knew well. Harry’s brows were scrunched as he frowned at Crookshanks suspiciously, but he shook his head and muttered something that even Reg couldn’t pick up.
Glaring at Ron’s pocket, Reg settled in for the rest of the trio’s walk back to the Leaky Cauldron.