Chapter Text
Regulus's POV ~
I finish cutting up the mandrake when I look over and see James, my dumb, loud, handsome, annoying boyfriend, standing over the cauldron. I asked him for help with this project and yet he hasn't done a thing, I know he's nothing special when it comes to potions, but I thought he could read out the instruction to me; or at least be some good eye candy to look at. I sigh as I walk over to him and slide in the mandrake. "James...You're quiet today, should I be worried? Normally you would of said something dumb by now."
He looks at me with that adorable, dumb face of his, "Aww, you like my voice don't you Reggie. I'm fine though, it just...I have a feeling something weird is going to happen today. I can't put my finger on it though."
"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, what's going to happen this late at night? And I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth, Potter." I ignore his smirk and keep working. Stir clockwise for three minute, rest for one, and counter clockwise for another three before proceeding with a drop of blood; in that time I feel James wrap his arms around my waist, his chest presses into my back and I feel his lips brush the skin on my neck. I shiver slightly as I reach for the small needle on my tray but don't let it distract me. "My brother would kill you if he saw this, you're not being a very professional assistant right now. Especially for your best friends little brother." I can feel his chest bounce as he chuckles, I know deep down he doesn't care what Sirius will do when he finds out about us, but it's still fun to tease.
"How about you focus on your little project, and I'll supervise from here. Plus, you can't call me a bad assistant because I already did your blood sample for you, now you won't need to prick your pretty little fingers."
"You did what!?"
I caught what he said too late as my blood drips into the cauldron, the potion swirls a deep red and starts to fizz before finally exploding in our faces. The blast wasn't huge, but it has enough force to send us both to the ground surrounded by, now mostly damaged, potions equipment. I don't even get a moment to say anything to James before we're struck frozen by the sound of a baby crying, crying that's coming from my cauldron....If we ignore it, it might go away....Oh god it's not going away. It's James who makes the first move to go look, and we're both equally horrified when he lifts a baby out of the cauldron. A baby that suspiciously looks like us.
James's POV ~
I don't know what I was thinking, but I snuck both Regulus and the baby into the Gryffindor common room, and now I have a shocked Remus and a very pissed off Sirius throwing questions at us left and right. They're not trying to be loud, but it's a miracle they haven't woken up the baby...my baby...the one I made...I'm a father...I groan and hold both of my hands up to stop them from talking, or at least to let me get a word in. "Okay! We get it! You're pissed off."
I'm cut off by Sirius before I can talk further, "Pissed off? Pissed off!? You impregnated my baby brother! Of course I'm pissed off!"
I hear Regulus scoff behind me before he speaks up, "He didn't impregnate me you idiot, we're both men. This was just some freak potions accident."
"Magical impregnation then!"
Remus sighs and places a hand on Sirius's shoulder, an attempt to calm him down before he gets even louder. "It doesn't matter how the baby got here, they're here now," he glances at the baby before looking back and me and Reg, "so you two have to figure this out."
"Alone? But how?"
"I don't know, get rid of them? We're 16 James, you can't raises a baby at school."
I almost miss the way Regulus holds our baby tighter when Remus said to get rid of them, something in me doesn't like that thought either, and it seems he feels the same. "We can make it work, take shifts skipping class, tell a professor, something; my parents will send one hell of a howler but they'll help too. I mean, 16 or not, I feel a little responsible for them now...we can't just throw them away." It feels like forever before anyone says anything, the silence only being broken by Sirius giving a long sigh. "Sirius?"
He turns away from us and talks right at Remus, "Are they seriously about to hide a baby in Hogwarts?"
Remus rolls his eyes in response, "Look at them, James is claiming responsibility for the first time in his life, and Regulus looks like he's about to hex my head off if I disagree. Get used to being an uncle, Sirius."
He scoffs, "That makes me sound old!" He looks back at the three of us and crosses his arms. "We write a letter to James's parents in the morning and go see Dumbledore right after, and you're not making me change any diapers."
I almost agree before Regulus speaks up with a stern, "No."
"No?" Sirius raises an eyebrow at his brother.
"I mean no, we're not talking to Dumbledor."
Reg has always had a thing against Dumbledor, I can't understand it nor can he explain it, he just says that something isn't right with him and that he'll explain more when it's safe to do so; whatever that means. I came to the conclusion long ago that Regulus just doesn't share information that he deems unsafe for me to know, it's extremely annoying, but Regulus is a stubborn man. His stubbornness is matched in Sirius as they both start having a glare off over going to Dumbledore or not. I'm tempted to wave a hand between them to break their focus, but Remus beats me to it by shoving his elbow into Sirius's side.
"How about McGonagall then? She won't go to Dumbledor if you really ask her not to." He looks between Regulus and Sirius for any disagreement, "Or are we going to fight about all the professors?" He's only given a low grumble and a nod from each brother as a response. "Good. Now I'm going to bed, you three can continue to fight but keep in mind you just agreed to hide this baby, so we don't need the whole house waking up from your bickering."
Sirius waits for Remus to leave before glaring at me, his eyes stabbing me all over, "You dirty brother fucker."
"Who's fucking your brother?" We all turn and stare at Peter in silence, who's standing at the boys dorms entrance in his pajamas, looking down at us very confused. "Who's baby is that?"
~~~~
Four Years Later ~
It's weird, Regulus should of been home by now, he said that he would be home by now. I don't know what kind of missions he's been going on recently, but he always stuck to his schedule; something must be wrong, there has to be something wrong cause Regulus wouldn't just be late without sending an owl or something. Ursa's been asking for him non-stop, I'm starting to run out of things to tell her. How do you tell a four year old that her dad was supposed to be home three days ago, she'd think that he abandoned us....which he didn't....right?....He wouldn't do that to us James! You're over tired and stressed out! This is Regulus we're talking about! He'll be walking in any second now with an explanation, and a long hug for Ursa.
My heart jumps out of my chest when I hear the front door open, I immediately turn around to greet my Regulus, but that's not who I'm met with. Instead, I find Sirius at my door with a copy of the Daily Prophet; his eyes are red and puffy, almost like he's been crying for hours already. I ask him what's wrong and he just holds out the news paper to me, it felt like time had stopped moving from when I grabbed it to when I read the open page, mere moments before my heart shattered into a million pieces.
Regulus Arcturus Black, esteemed heir of house Black, reported dead by Death Eater informants.
It feels like my world is crashing all around me, white noise fills my ears; I can see that Sirius is saying something but I can't hear him. My legs give out and I drop to the ground, Sirius comes down with me, holds me; we both just sit there and cry into each other.
Our Regulus is dead.
~~~~
One Year Later ~
Ursa's POV ~
It's Halloween! Daddy says he won't be able to take me trick-or-treating this year, but Uncle Padfoot says that he'll sneak me some candy when he comes! But only if I super promise not to scare baby Harry because babies will cry and explode when scared or something, and if I do he said he's going to eat all my candy instead!
I huff as I stare at baby Harry in his crib, remembering my super promise to Uncle Padfoot; I can't scare him, but he never said that I can't dress him up! I'm in the middle of making Harry look like a kitty when Mommy comes in and picks me up, I squirm in her arms. "Nooo! I'm not done yet! He still needs his face coloured!"
Mommy laughs as she turns me to face her, "Oh Ursa, I'm sure your brother loves you for dressing him up, but he's too little for face paint. It'll make his face all itchy."
She tickles my neck and I squirm more, laughing. It's then when I hear the doorbell ring and I break free from Mommy's hold, Uncle Wormtail was coming over first and he always tells me the best stories. It sounds like he scared Daddy too because I hear yelling as I come down the stairs, I make it down just in time to hear an unfamiliar spell and see a flash of green light, Daddy is laying on the floor underneath a snake looking man. He looks me in my eyes and raises his wand, I hear mommy cry and yell as she quickly pulls me away from the red spell coming my way, my heart falls into my stomach when I catch a look at the destroyed wall where I was standing. Was that going to happen to me? She runs back upstairs into Harry's room and locks the door behind us, holding me close to her chest as she opens the window and paces me outside.
"Climb down the drain and run to Uncle Moony's house, don't stop until you get there, okay?"
I don't even have time to say yes, or ask what's happening, before she whispers invisibilis and shuts the window. I see another flash of green as I'm climbing down the pipes, and another as I reach the bottom. I don't mind them and start running, I don't stop even when my legs start to hurt and my chest feels tight, I keep running until I find Uncle Moony; like Mommy said. He's surprised to see me when he opens the door, I can barely tell him what happened through my sobs as exhaustion washes over me, and before I know I'm asleep in his arms. Unprepared for how my life is changing forever.