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Sirius and Regulus Black had never had a great home life. They were constantly subjected to various forms of torture, especially the cruciatus curse, as punishment. It's worse for regulus. Sirius is twelve and about to start his second year, but Regulus is only ten and is about to start his first year of Hogwarts. He's never had an escape like Sirius does.
James, Remus and Peter had snuck through sirius's window at 2AM, unaware of his abusive situation. Remus and Sirius are cuddling on Sirius's bed and James and Peter are playing wizards chess on the floor. Sirius is wearing one of remus's jumpers that went missing a week before the end of term. James smirks, remembering remus's frantic searching for the jumper. Regulus is in his bedroom, reading a muggle book - secretly of course as his mother would never aprove. Suddenly, she barges into his room. It's so sudden that he can't hide the book quickly enough and her beady eyes find it immediately. "What is that Regulus?"
"N-nothing mother!" She snatches up the book and stares at it for a second before hissing between her teeth, "where did you get this muggle filth?" Regulus panics. He knows he'll be punished if he tells the truth but he can't lie because she knows when he's lying. She always knows. Finally recognising that there's no point in trying to hide the truth from her, he replies in a meek voice,
"I-I bought it" she glares at him
"You went into a muggle shop?! And bought this... This filth?!" Regulus nods meekly, shrinking back against the wall. She grabs him by my collar and drags him to his feet. "Follow me" he follows her downstairs to the kitchen. She speaks in a cold voice, her tone laced with fury. "Kneel" he obliges, dropping to his knees as she smiles, amused by his submissive demeanor. "Now Regulus. Tell me what you did to deserve punishment" terrified of making it worse, he whispers,
"I... I bought a muggle book" she grins sadistically
"I can't hear you boy" he speaks again, louder this time,
"I bought a muggle book" her lip curls into a cruel smirk.
"I assume you know what your punishment shall be regulus?" He does. He swallows and nods. She smiles cruelly "What will your punishment be?" Regulus swallows again and answers in a small voice,
"The... The cruciatus curse mother. " Walburga nods, still with that cruel smirk on her face.
"Yes. The cruciatus curse" she draws her wand, pointing it straight at his face. Terror floods him. The cruciatus curse is a constant form of punishment in their house, but no matter how many times you endure it, you never get used to it. She smiles sadistically before uttering the single word. "Crucio." Regulus fall to the cold hard ground, screaming in agony. He smacks his head hard against the floor, but barely feels it next to the excruciating pain wracking his body. He screams and writhes in agony. Half an hour. Half an hour of this unendurable pain until it finally stops, leaving him sobbing and trembling on the ground, gasping for air. It had felt like an eternity. His mother smiles, reveling in his pain.
"Get up" He tries. He really does. But his legs are weak from the past half hour and they collapse under him. She sneers at his feeble effort, dragging him to his feet by the collar. When she lets go, muttering darkly about how pathetic he is, Regulus leans heavily against the wall and watches her smirk, knowing that a cruel idea is forming in her head but not knowing what it is. She speaks coldly
"Come here boy" he pushes himself off the wall and takes a few unsteady steps towards her, already dreading his next punishment. Regulus knows from past experience that he will not be allowed to get away with a half hour of the cruciatus curse. No, having a muggle book merits a far greater punishment than that. When Walburga speaks again, her tone is just as cold and unforgiving as before. "Put your hands behind your back" He obliges, interlocking his fingers behind his back and trying to stand taller, even though all he wants to do right now is run to Sirius and hide while he sings to him. Sirius always sings when Regulus is hurt, and in return, Regulus reads to him when Sirius is hurt. Walburga speaks quietly, her tone dripping with danger and sadism. She revels in his fear. "Now boy. Do you think I've punished you enough?" Regulus hates this question. He wants to say yes, to make the pain stop, but he knows it's a trick. If he says yes, she will make the punishment more severe. So he shakes his head
"No mother" she smiles cruelly. She loves the thought that she has Regulus and his brother wrapped round her little finger. If only she knew what Sirius has been doing behind her back at Hogwarts.
"No Regulus. I agree. You need to learn your place, don't you?" Regulus nods silently. Her next move is so fast, he doesn't have time to react. Within the space of a second, her hand has shot out and slammed Regulus against the wall by his throat. He splutters and chokes, trying to defend himself with his hands, but they're pinned tightly between him and the wall. Black spots begin to pop into being in his vision - he tries desperately to blink them away, but they just multiply. The last thing he hears is Walburga's mocking voice, "Pathetic" Then the world goes black.
Normally, walburga would drop regulus to the floor at this point, since he's already unconscious. But she doesn't. She presses harder on the boy's throat, until his body's reflexes stop trying to make him breathe. Then she drops him to the floor and walks away. He's still not breathing.
Upstairs, Sirius has been tense in remus's arms for over half an hour. His ears had picked up on what the others hadn't heard. The faint sounds of Regulus screaming from downstairs. Now everything is quiet. Too quiet. He gets up quickly and all the marauders stare at him, but he ignores them. Remus speaks softly,
"Where you going pads?" James chimes in,
"Yeah, where you going?" Peter just watches, perplexed. But Sirius just walks out of the bedroom, locking the door behind him so the others couldn't get out. He quickly walks to the kitchen and sees regulus's motionless form on the floor. He runs to his brother's side when he sees that he's not breathing. He knows what must have happened - choking isn't unusual in their house - but he never thought Walburga would take it this far. He shakes Regulus's shoulder desperately, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"No. Reg, Reg don't leave me. Please. Please, you have to be alive" tears stream down his face and he rolls him onto his back. He starts CPR, desperate to save his little brother. After about a minute, regulus's breathing restarts. It's faint, but it's there. Sirius stops, breathing a shaky sigh of relief as Regulus's eyes flutter open.
"Siri..." Regulus's voice sounds weak and faint. Sirius quickly shushes his younger brother and scoops him up in his arms. It's fairly easy as Regulus is so light because of the extended periods of food and drink deprivation they both endured. Sirius is also fairly strong from a mixture of the food, the running and the occasional carrying of Remus after full moons at Hogwarts. He carries Regulus to the sofa and sets him down gently. Regulus looks up at him, too weak to move. Sirius looks up as he hears banging from his room. The marauders trying to get out. Regulus follows his gaze to the ceiling and speaks weakly, his words slurring together slightly from exhaustion,
"What's that banging...?" Sirius hesitates, then responds softly.
"Just my friends reg. They snuck in at like 2AM. I locked them in my room to keep them safe. They're just worried" regulus look at him and speaks quietly.
"We can't stay here" Sirius nods and strokes some hair out of regulus's face before walking upstairs to his room to fetch the marauders. He unlocks the door and James nearly falls into him, having just slammed his shoulder against it in an attempt to get out. Sirius is immediately bombarded with questions from all three of the marauders about where he went and what he was doing. He ignores them and the questions slowly die down. He speaks urgently, "look. There's a lot I need to explain, but I can't do it here. Basically, I've got a brother called Regulus" James starts to interrupt but Sirius cuts him off, "yes I have a brother. He's ten. Please don't interrupt. He's downstairs on the sofa. He's... he's not in a good state. Can we go to James's to finish this? It's closest." They all nod and follow Sirius downstairs to where Regulus is slumped on the sofa. He has a bruise on his forehead from falling on the hard floor and countless scars and bruises on his arms from previous punishments. He also has bruises covering his neck from the repeated choking he constantly endures. James stares at him in horror and turns to Sirius.
"This is your brother? Bloody hell mate, what happened to him?!" Sirius speaks quickly
"No time prongs. I'll explain later" regulus looks at Sirius and the others and smiles faintly. He speak weakly, his tone laced with humor despite the situation,
"You know, this isn't exactly how I imagined meeting your friends siri." Regulus chuckles, but Sirius looks worried. He picks him up, and he curls up in sirius's arms like a small child. Remus, noticing the bruises on Regulus's neck, leans in and mutters to Sirius,
"Oxygen deprivation can cause stuff like light headedness and giddiness" Sirius nods and turns to James,
"Can we go to your house?" James nods and sirius leads them quietly out of the house, carrying regulus. They walk in silence, Remus watching Sirius in concern. He takes in Sirius's tear streaked face, how tenderly he's holding Regulus. He notices something else too. He notices the edge of a bruise peeking out of the sleeve of the jumper Sirius is wearing. Realisation hits him in a wave. He's never seen Sirius's arms before. Never in two years of friendship had he seen his boyfriend's arms. What if... He lightly taps Sirius on the shoulder but quickly withdraws his hand as sirius flinches away. Remus can't hide the hurt look on his face and, seeing it, Sirius speaks quickly. "I-I'm sorry... I just..." Remus nods in understanding.
About half an hour later, they arrive at James's house. Not wanting Effie to see Sirius with a barely conscious kid in his arms, they sneak in through James's bedroom window and lay Regulus down on the bed. James and Peter turn expectantly to look at Sirius, but Remus approaches him slowly, speaking softly.
"Love...? Can I... Can I see your arms?" Sirius nods shakily and Remus steps forward, gently lifting the hoodie over sirius's head to reveal his arms. They are covered in a patchwork of cuts, bruises and scars criss crossing his arms, and there are faint bruises on his neck that suggest he's been choked or strangled multiple times in the past. Sirius stares at the floor as james and Peter approach, horrified. Remus places his index finger under sirius's chin and gently lifts it so sirius's gaze is trained on his own. He hates the sight of the tears filling his boyfriend's eyes. He speaks softly, "oh love..." He pulls Sirius into a hug, and Sirius immediately buries his face in the crook of Remus's neck.
Seeing that Sirius was being taken care of, James sits on the bed next to regulus's head. He strokes some hair out of the younger boy's face but stops when he flinches away. Regulus mumbles,
"I'm sorry... Siri says you're nice I just..." James nods and mutters
"I know. It's fine. Just...know that you're safe here, ok? No ones going to hurt you here" Regulus nods, but James can still see the fear in his eyes. Sirius gently detaches himself from Remus and sits next to regulus on the bed, who immediately shifts so his head is in sirius's lap as he gently strokes some hair out of his brother's face. James mumbles something about going to talk to his parents and leaves the room, still trying to digest the reality of his best mates home life. Remus, deciding Sirius needs some space, practically drags Peter out of the room, murmuring vague excuses about finding food. Sirius shoots him a grateful smile before the door closes.
Sirius shifts into a more comfortable position, then starts singing softly. It's a familiar song - it's the one he always sings when Regulus is hurt. Regulus instantly relaxes in his arms and after about five minutes, there's a knock on the door and Sirius abruptly stops singing as James swings in.
"hey umm... My parents wanna see you guys real quick" Sirius nods and helps regulus to his feet. Regulus is stronger now, but still a bit unsteady on his feet. Sirius's hand hovers by his elbow, ready to catch him if he falls, as James leads them downstairs to the living room. When the boys enter the room, they find Euphemia and fleamont sitting in chairs. The adults eyes instantly fix on the two battered boys and Effie stands, walking to them quickly with concern in her eyes. She knows Sirius - James's sweet, slightly cocky friend - but she doesn't know Regulus, though she knows who he must be though from James's brief explanation. She reaches for sirius's shoulder, but he flinches away. She's never seen him without a jumper (usually one of Remus's) or his school robes. She takes a second to take in the numerous scars and bruises covering both of the boy's arms and necks. She takes in the bruise already blossoming on Regulus's forehead and the only formal attire both of the boys are dressed in. When she speaks her voice is soft and concerned, but carries a hint of anger,
"Who... Who did this?" Sirius stares at the floor, but James speaks from the doorway,
"I... I think it might have been their parents" Effie looks horrified, but Sirius nods in silent confirmation. Effie pales, but speaks after a few minutes of silence,
"You're staying here. Both of you" Regulus looks at her, his face a mask of shock that she would take in a complete stranger without question,
"We... We can stay? Me too?" Effie looks into his face and speaks softly.
"Of course. We can't just send you back, can we? You're sirius's brother. And I promise that no one will ever hurt either of you here, ok?" Sirius and Regulus both nod, but they can't help the scepticism on their faces. Effie looks to James,
"I'm assuming the other two are here too?" James nods and Effie straightens.
"I'll go and make some lunch. Show them around the house James." James nods as his mother walks out to the kitchen. He looks at the two boys, standing awkwardly in the room. He smiles softly and guestures for them to join him. He notices the look on sirius's face and realises how much Sirius must hate this. He knows how much his mate hates to feel weak, and he also knows that Sirius must feel very exposed right now.
"C'mere real quick" the boys nod silently and follow him as he leads them back to his room. James hands Sirius the jumper Remus had taken off of him and then searches through his wardrobe, eventually finding an old jumper that's too small for him. He hands it to Regulus, who smiles gratefully and pulls it over his head, instantly seeming more relaxed. James smiles faintly and leads the visibly calmer boys out of the room. He shows them the different bedrooms, the kitchen, the dining room, and finally the massive library. Regulus stops in his tracks as they walk into the massive room, full of bookshelves lined with heavy volumes. James smiles at his reaction,
"Pretty cool, huh?" Regulus nods, shock and awe written all over his face. James chuckles and guestures around the room,
"Go ahead. Take any book you want. Just make sure to put it back in the same place afterwards." Regulus stares at him in disbelief, but at James's encouraging nod, he runs off to the section with muggle books in it. Sirius chuckles lightly, and when he speaks, his tone is affectionate.
"He loves books" James grins and speaks quietly, his voice laced with humour,
"I got that"
Half an hour later, Effie calls up the stairs that lunch is ready. Sirius goes to look for regulus and finds him curled up in a corner of the library, holding a thick book, fast asleep. Sirius smiles softly and shakes his shoulder to wake him. Regulus wakes with a start, looking scared untill he sees Sirius.
"Oh. Hey Siri" Sirius smiles softly and speaks quietly,
"Lunch is ready. C'mon" Regulus nods and follows him downstairs, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he goes. They walk into the kitchen to find James, Remus and Peter already sitting round the table, waiting for them. The boys sit down and they all start to eat, laughing and talking about anything and everything. Regulus finds it surprisingly easy to join in the conversation with the older boys, and he notices that James makes a particular effort to include him.
When everyone is finished, they all thank Effie and Remus and Peter leave to go home. James, Sirius and Regulus head up to James's room, where James and Sirius start a game of exploding snap while Regulus sits on the bed and continues to read the book he got from the library. After a few hours, Regulus drifts off to sleep and Sirius and James start talking about quidditch. When Effie comes to wake them the next morning, she finds Regulus curled up asleep on James's bed while James and Sirius sleep on the floor, leaning their backs against the bed. Sirius and Regulus jerk awake at the sound of her footsteps. They look around quickly before remembering where they are and relaxing. Sirius shakes James awake and they all look at Effie, who looks mildly concerned about how quickly the brother's woke up. She decides not to comment on it. Instead, she just smiles and says,
"Breakfast is ready. Come downstairs when you're ready" She walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. Regulus runs his fingers through his hair. He's still wearing the old jumper James gave him yesterday. They all get up and walk downstairs to the kitchen, where the table is laid with an array of bacon, eggs, sausages, toast and other breakfast items. James sits down, used to the options, but Sirius and Regulus freeze for a second before following suit. James grabs some bacon and eggs while the other two just sit there, overwhelmed by the amount of choice. After a few moments, Sirius snaps out of it and grabs some pancakes. He puts four on his own plate and four on regulus's. He catches his brothers hesitant expression and shoots him an encouraging smile. He knows that regulus is accustomed to having to earn his food. He's used to having it taken away at a moment's notice, to being punished for eating too much. Sirius is used to this too, but he's not as overwhelmed because he doesn't have those restrictions at Hogwarts. Regulus doesn't have that escape.
A few hours later, Sirius and James are chatting with Effie and fleamont while Regulus sketches at the kitchen table. There's a half drunk glass of juice sitting next to the paper. Sirius glances over and smiles softly at the sight of the drawing. It's a dragon, so life like it seems like it could fly off the page, obviously drawn from the description in the fantasy book Regulus had been reading. His brother had always had a talent for art. As Regulus moves his hand to colour the dragons wing, his arm accidentally knocks against the glass of juice, spilling juice over the table. James looks over and feels his heart break as Regulus freezes, his face a mask of terror. His heart aches at the sight of Regulus so scared of punishment over such a small mistake. He quickly grabs some paper towels and clears up the juice, then gently rests his hand on regulus's shoulder, who jerks away so violently that he almost falls of his chair. Sirius walks over and kneels next to Regulus. He speaks in a soothing voice,
"Hey, hey reg. It's ok. No ones going to hurt you here, ok?" Regulus looks at him, terrified, and Sirius knows his brother is expecting sadism, the cruciatus curse, choking, because that is what would have happened in their house. He pulls Regulus into his arms and his younger brother instantly melts at the touch, burying his face in the crook of sirius's neck. He mumbles the same words over and over again,
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Sirius shushes him and James speaks softly,
"It's ok mate. It was a mistake. You don't have to be sorry for a mistake"
It takes five minutes for Regulus to finally calm down, and all the while he has both Sirius and James both whispering quiet reassurances in his ear. When he's calm again, James looks at his drawing, something like awe flicking across his face.
"Where'd you learn to draw like that?" Regulus shrugs and mumbles,
"It's easy. I can teach you if you want?" James nods eagerly and they spend the rest of the day at the kitchen table, Regulus teaching James how to draw properly, both of them laughing when James messes things up. By evening, James's drawings have noticeably improved. Regulus smiles as he looks over James's sketches. "Nice work! You're really good at this!" James grins and speaks, his tone a mixture of cockiness and affection,
"Well, you're an amazing teacher." Regulus smiles softly.
After another half an hour, James shows Sirius and Regulus their new bedrooms. They both seem shocked when they realise they can do anything they want to decorate the rooms and that they can lock their doors. Regulus sticks his dragon sketch on the wall above his bed.
The next day after breakfast, the boys are running around outside playing tag when Sirius trips on a rock and falls hard. James laughs and Sirius just mutters ander his breath,
"Putain" James stops laughing long enough to shoot a quizzical look at Regulus, who explains,
"It's French. We're both fluent in both languages but we usually just use French in secret conversations or to swear" James grins And speaks, his tone laced with mischief,
"So it's like a secret language then?" Regulus shrugs,
"I guess." They keep playing for another few hours before heading inside for lunch. They laugh and talk together before heading tot the library to hang out. Regulus picks out another book while the other two talk about quidditch. When he rejoins them, James slides a journal across the table to him. Regulus picks it up curiously, and James mutters,
"Thought you might want something to write in." Regulus smiles in thanks and opens the journal, eager to start. Sirius and James smile before going back to their debate about the best quidditch team.
Over the next few weeks, Sirius and regulus's confidence grow. After a few days, they had stopped freezing at ting mistakes. After a week, Regulus had stopped crawling into sirius's bed at night, seeking comfort. It takes the younger brother longer to adjust, because he had never had this kind of freedom. It takes Sirius a while, but not as long because he has this freedom at Hogwarts. Regulus also starts getting closer with James, and by the second week James had got through his defences. Regulus was utterly relaxed around him. All the while, he would write in his journal. James was dying to know what it said, but it was all in French, and Regulus wouldn't translate. Driven by mad curiosity, James resorts to teaching himself French in secret. He picks it up pretty quickly and he's basically fluent within two months. Now he just has to steal the journal. He finds it sitting on a table in the library and, after quickly looking around to check no ones watching, he quickly slips it under his jacket and walks to his room.
He sits on his bed and opens to the first page, pushing down the guilt in his chest for invading my privacy. The entries start innocently enough - accounts of his day, his fear of punishment, the fact that James had been helping him. But then James finds another passage - one about him. It says how much he's helped Regulus, how he can make him laugh ad smile even on his worst days, how he had taken time to get to know him and his boundaries. He keeps reading as the entries become more detailed - his eyes, his laugh, his infectious happiness. He keeps reading untill he finds an entry that ends in the phrase,
"I think I'm falling for him" his heart soars as he sees that the younger boy reciprocates his own feelings. Grinning like a maniac, he keeps reading, finding stories and songs and poems. One catches his eye,
"Un éclair… puis la nuit! — Fugitive beauté
Dont le regard m’a fait soudainement renaître,
Ne te verrai-je plus que dans l’éternité?
Ailleurs, bien loin d’ici! trop tard! jamais peut-être!
Car j’ignore où tu fuis, tu ne sais où je vais,
Ô toi que j’eusse aimée, ô toi qui le savais!" He smiles softly at the poem and quickly closes the notebook. He hurries back to the library and slips the notebook back onto the table just as Regulus comes back in, looking for it. James tries to act casual, leaning against the table and smiling at Regulus as he enters. Regulus, however, is a perceptive boy and immediately notices his change in demeanor. He crosses the room, his eyes darting around, until he reaches James. he eyes him suspiciously before speaking,
"What did you do?" James chuckles shakily, shifting uncomfortably under Regulus's piercing gaze. He speaks nervously,
"I didn't do anything! W-why would you think that?" Regulus raises his eyebrows
sceptically, sweeping his eyes across the table behind james. His gaze lands on his journal and he tenses almost imperceptibly. He quickly snatches it off the table, a slight colour flushing his cheeks. He mutters under his breath,
"c'est bon. il ne connaît pas le français. c'est bon." James looks slightly sheepish before muttering,
"ben en fait..." Regulus pales as realisation dawns on his face. He looks at James in disbelief. After a few moments, he stammers,
"You... You know French?" James nods sheepishly and admits,
"Yeah I... I taught myself when I heard you and Sirius having a conversation in French" Regulus stares at him, then finally mumbles,
"You read it?" James nods. Regulus stares at the floor, embarrassed, but James gently lifts his chin to meet his gaze. He hesitates, then speaks softly,
"I like you too reg" Regulus stares at him in disbelief before muttering,
"You look so hot when you say that." James grins and leans in closer. When he whispers, Regulus can feel his warm breath on his skin,
"God you look so kissable right now." Regulus grins and pulls him closer, catching his lips in a soft, tender kiss. James's fingers tangle in regulus's messy black curls, and regulus's hand slips under James's shirt, splaying on his back and pulling him flush against him.
A few hours later, Regulus finds himself laying next to James, both of them shirtless, in James's bed. He watches James grin as his gaze lingers on regulus's bare chest for a moment too long. Regulus can vividly remember the past few hours - the feel of James's lips against his, the feel of his hand in his hair, the moment when James had tugged regulus's shirt up and over his head, and when in return Regulus had pulled James's off. He remembers how James had looked at him - not like he just saw Regulus as a scared little kid, but like he saw someone brave and resilient. Someone who had gone through hell and could still find a way to be kind and loving and powerful. He hadn't seemed to care about the scars covering his body, or maybe he had and had just taken it as more proof as how strong he is.
Regulus smiles as he feels James's lips brush across his forehead, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. He mumbles,
"We can't tell Sirius about this. He'd kill us" James nods in agreement and mumbles against regulus's neck,
"Yeah. It'll be our little secret." He kisses regulus's neck. Regulus tilts his head slightly to the side to give James better access to his neck, loving the feeling of James's lips against his skin. James, in response, trails kisses along his neck and collar bone.
The next day, Sirius can't figure out why his brother and best mate were acting so weird - constantly grinning at each other and avoiding eye contact with him. They both looked like they were constantly about to blurt out a massive secret. He eventually manages to corner Regulus in the library. He tries to keep his tone casual as he asks,
"Hey Regulus? Wanna play truth or dare with me and James?" Regulus perks up at the mention of James and nods eagerly. Sirius grins, "ok! Come on, we're doing it in my room." Regulus, smiling slightly, follows him as he runs off.
They arrive at sirius's room to find James already sitting on the bed, waiting for them. He grins at Regulus as Sirius speaks, "so... Truth or dare. But with a twist" Regulus and James snap out of their daze and look warily at Sirius. After a few moments, James speaks cautiously,
"What kind of twist...?" Sirius grins, that familiar spark of mischief back in his eyes as he takes out a small bottle of clear liquid from his pocket.
"Ah nothing much" he says "just something to make sure we tell the truth" Regulus suddenly realises what it is and his eyes widen in shock.
"Veritaserum?! How in the name of Merlin did you get your hands on that?!" Sirius just grins, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He speaks in his most mystical tone,
"Ah... I have my ways little bro" He ruffles Regulus's hair, who bats his hand away, laughing. Sirius produces three shot glasses and pours a bit of veritaserum into each. He hands one to both Regulus and James and downs his own, grinning. Aafter a moment's hesitation, the other two shrug and follow suit. They all grin, slightly delirious under the effects of the truth serum. Sirius starts, smirking,
"James, truth or dare?" James grins,
"Dare" Sirius smirks.
"Dare you to kiss Regulus" Regulus and James both grin and James pulls Regulus closer, laughing slightly under his breath.
"With pleasure" he pulls Regulus even closer and kisses him, his fingers tangling in his messy curls before he pulls back, laughing. Regulus grins, feeling drunk with exhilaration. Sirius speaks indignantly,
"Oi! You weren't supposed to enjoy that!" James just smirks.
"My turn! Truth or dare padfoot?" Sirius considers for a second, then replies,
"hmmm... Truth" James grins,
"And I can ask you anything?"
"Of course"
"And you'll tell the truth?"
"I'm under veritaserum ain't i?!" James shrugs and hesitates for a moment, trying to think of a suitable question. Eventually, he lands on,
"Why did you kiss so many people before getting with Remus?" Sirius grins, his mind a bit fuzzy from the effects of the truth serum.
"I wanted him to notice me. I thought if he kept catching me with other people he'd get jealous." James grins,
"And did it work?"
"Absolutely" Sirius replies, chuckling, "it definitely made him jealous." James grins and turns to Regulus,
"Alright Reggie. Your turn. Truth or dare?" Regulus thinks for a few seconds before grinning,
"Dare. Definitely dare" James grins wickedly. He knows from Sirius how Regulus will basically only drink water and juice.
"I dare you to let me and Sirius make you a drink. And you have to finish it" Regulus pouts but nods and follows the other two as they run downstairs to the kitchen, making more noise than would ever have been permitted in the black household. It is then when it hits both Sirius and Regulus, cutting through the fog of the truth serum. They've escaped. They're free from their mother's tyrrany. And they're safe.
They all run into the kitchen, laughing. Effie looks up from where she was making lunch, mildly confused on why the two usually quiet, reserved black brothers were running around laughing. She decides not to comment and just goes back to preparing the meal. James, grinning, grabs a lemon from the fridge as Sirius grabs a glass. James slices the lemon and squeezes the juice into the glass. Sirius adds some coke and water and James grabs some milk and pours it in. Sirius finishes by adding some orange juice. He picks it up and presents it to Regulus, who now looks slightly sick, with a flourish.
"Go on reg! Drink up!" Regulus takes the drink, looking extremely apprehensive. He takes a gulp and chokes, spluttering. James and Sirius burst out laughing. James managed to speak between fits of laughter,
"You have to drink it all reg! C'mon!" Regulus somehow manages to gulp down the rest and then bolts to the sink for water. He downs a glass of water while ther two dissolve into fits of hysterics. They lead a scowling Regulus back to sirius's room, still laughing. They all sit down on the bed and after a few moments Sirius manages to stop laughing and turns to James.
"Ok! Truth or dare prongs?" James grins and replies,
"Well. Considering what we just did to Regulus, definitely truth." Sirius grins wickedly before asking,
"What's a massive secret you're hiding from me right now?" James presses his lips together, making an effort to resist the effects of the truth serum. But he quickly loses the battle and blurts out,
"I'm secretly dating your brother"
Everything seems to freeze for a split second before Sirius yells,
"WHAT?!" James and Regulus burst out laughing as sirius glowers at the floor. A few minutes later, Effie calls them down for lunch. They run downstairs, James and Regulus laughing hysterically and Sirius seething with anger. They sitt at the table, Regulus and James grinning like maniacs while Sirius just glares at his fork. Fleamont sits down and they start to eat silently, the three boys staring determinedly at their plates. After what seems like an eternity, Effie asks,
"Have you three got hangovers or someghing?" The three boys respond at the same time.
"No" Effie looks sceptical,
"Then what's wrong with you? You're normally talking our ears off, especially james." Regulus immediately speaks up, his face twitching as he tries desperately not to laugh,
"Sirius... Sirius gave us veritaserum" Effie open her mouth as if to ask something, then seems to think better of it. Fleamont looks up before speaking cautiously,
"I'm not going to ask where Sirius got the veritaserum because I don't really want to know but... Why?" James looks up at his father, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He speaks happily,
"We were playing truth or dare"
"And... What did you learn?" Fleamont sounds genuinely curious, but Sirius grits his teeth before replying,
"That James is dating my little brother."