Chapter Text
“It’s noon, you dolt.” The mop of long, dark curls stirred in response, then disappeared once more under the Slytherin crested quilt, murmuring something incoherent. Regulus pursed his lips and waved his wand, “Aguamenti,” he said, resulting in drenching the sleeping figure with an ice-cold jet of water. “Bloody hell, you son of a bitch!” Alan yelped, and let out a string of colourful words. He fumbled across the nightstand for his glasses and wand, and before he could cast a spell, he noticed a wiry, dark-haired girl at the door of the dormitory. Both the boys collected themselves as she stepped forward. “Respect your superiors, Potter.”
Alan raised an eyebrow, chuckling. “Excuse me?”
“Please. Reggie, a word.” Smiling sweetly, she left the room, with Regulus quietly trailing behind her, with a quick apologetic glance towards his friend. The third boy, who had been silent until now, shut his book with a sigh. “Best not to mess with her, Alan.” and vaulted down to the floor with unnecessary flair, landing beside the annoyed fifteen-year-old. “Who, Bellatrix?” Alan scoffed, drying himself with a quick charm, “She’s all bark and no bite, Severus.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Your precious Narcissa wouldn’t bat an eye if she turned against you.”
Alan chose to ignore his comment. “How does butterbeer sound?”
“You haven’t even brushed your teeth.”
“Tastes lovelier that way, trust me. Haven’t you tried it?”
Snape grimaced in reply. “I’ve got to return a book. I’ll meet you and Reg in the Three Broomsticks at, say, 3?”
“Sure.”
Alan had the dorm to himself. Dragging himself off the bed, he briskly washed himself and got dressed. Bored, and munching on leftover crisps, he lazily ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair; a half-hearted attempt to tame it. “Put in a bun, pretty boy,” Regulus said, leaning across the doorframe.
He chuckled. “What did she want?”
The brown-eyed boy quickly shifted in demeanor, and perched atop a nearby armchair, “You … you might want to listen carefully.
“The Dark Lord… he demands us to meet him.” Upon receiving an utterly bewildered look, he continues, “Look, we know what we want, Alan. Our ideas, our findings, they could change the world. With the right leader, we can make it happen.”
“Regulus-”
“Don’t you understand? Living in the shadow of our brothers, is that all you want? Alan, don’t you want to create a name for yourself? Be respected for what we are, and what we have become. What the three of us have created, it’s something that no one has ever stumbled upon. Not Dumbledore, not Merlin, not Vol- the Dark Lord himself!”
Alan couldn’t believe his ears. Sure, being sorted into Slytherin does not automatically make you a Death Eater, but they expect you to be on their side at all times. Which Alan never saw himself doing. Since the day he had learned how to speak, his parents had constantly chided him on how everyone was equal. How the Death Eaters and Voldemort were the bad guys, and how it was up to people like him to defend everyone. After the sorting, his family began feeling a little uneasy, but loving parents nonetheless. His twin brother treated him maliciously. Calling him names, casting jinxes along with his ragtag group of friends, and troubling Severus. Slytherins thought of him as a spy from a blood traitorous family for the first two years, but later warmed up to him. Most of them, at least. He had steered away from all blood purity related conversations, and chose not to give any opinion at all, but hearing these words from a best friend… Was not what he expected. Regulus was one of the good guys. Right? At this point, and after going through a ton of shit together, he had to be. Hell, what does good even mean?
“Well?” Regulus broke his train of thought, with an impatient smile. Alan had been absent-mindedly pacing across the length of the room with his arms behind his back. He sighed and chose his words carefully. “This is… happening too fast, Regulus, it’s best if the three of us decide.”
“Come on, they won’t take kindly to Severus, he is a half-breed.”
Alan narrowed his eyes. “Are you listening to yourself?”
Regulus buried his face in his hands. His thoughts were clouding over his mind. Pressure from all sides. His family expects very much from him. After Sirius left, he was all they had. Hopes riding on him, and additionally, an engagement next year to Alecto Carrow. Destined to be a Death Eater, no matter what happened. Then came their discovery, their invention of the powers of time. The three of them had developed a way to alter, to wield the powerful force of time. Sworn not to speak of it, or wield it until absolutely necessary, the trio had learnt to continue their ordinary lives until a certain Mr Riddle had approached his parents at a gathering last summer, for he had somehow known about their discovery. How, Regulus did not know one bit. But he can never forget how his parents looked at him proudly ever since then, and how every man, woman, and child present that day treated the three of them with respect back in Hogwarts. Save for Bellatrix, of course. The other two Black sisters warmed up to them, hell, Narcissa even took a liking to Alan. He wasn’t much of a fan of that relationship though. He knew what was best for Alan. But yes, he also knew that he had crossed a line a few minutes ago. They considered this subject taboo, and while at the same time, they dabbled with dark magic, spent numerous nights researching the most random of things in the Forbidden Section, the three of their individual desires, or their motives, had remained hidden. In the initial years, they just assumed it was fame, or just out of interest— a thirst for knowledge. But alas, it had developed into a vastly different reason in each boy’s mind.
“I- I’m sorry.” His voice was muffled. He lifted his head to see that the room was empty.
❒❒❒
“Are you… alright?” Snape asks, mildly concerned. Alan threw a quick, cautious look around, and took a sip of his drink. “You, uh, you do know that he is aware of our… invention.” Snape nodded. “Well, he wants to use it. Or use us. Nevertheless,” he took another sip, “are you willing to join him?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Reg wants to. He’s all,” Alan made wild gestures with his hands, “mad about it.”
They fell silent for a while, finally broken by Snape. “Fame. Glory. Recognition. Lots of it.”
“We’d get the same, going to Headmaster Dippet.”
He chuckled sarcastically. “You reckon? We’re not in Gryffindor, Potter, why o—”
“—hello there, Snivellus!”
James Potter’s greeting was punctuated with a cry from Severus, as his butterbeer “spilled” on his pants.
“Scared, are we?”
“Impedimenta!”
James was thrown backward by his brother’s spell, nearly missing Madame Roberta’s figure by an inch. “No duelling in here, boys, get out now, the lot of you!”
Not a single student paid attention to her, especially as Sirius retaliated, “Stupefy!”
Severus cast a quick shield charm, as Alan threw a stool at Lupin. “Expelliarmus!” Regulus had come out of nowhere, yet right on time, making Pettigrew’s wand his own. “Locomotor Mortis!” Sirius tripped as his legs were twisted and locked.
“OUTSIDE, NOW!” Roberta threw two of the Marauders outside, and the rest followed suit. Alan nearly swallowed a mouthful of snow. “Petrificus totalus!”
Students cheered as Regulus fell into the snow, frozen from the spell. Alan snapped Pettigrew’s wand in two and rushed towards Regulus, as Snape cast, “Incarcerous!” Snakelike vines grew from the tip of Severus’ wand and bound Sirius, until someone yelled “Impedimenta!” Snape was launched into the bushes nearby, and before anyone could react, Professor McGonagall yelled, “ENOUGH! No more Hogsmeade trips for any of you nitwits, detention for every one of you, and 40 points each from Slytherin & Gryffindor!”
“But Professor, they started it! Look at him!” She ignored Alan’s protests, and instead simply healed Regulus. Snape crawled out from underneath the shrubs. “Back to Hogwarts. All of you!”
Lupin hissed in pain as they trailed behind McGonagall. His leg was bleeding, leaving bloody footprints in the fresh snow. “Episkey,” Alan muttered, to the surprised looks of almost everyone in the odd group of defaulters. Remus thanked him, quite awkwardly, that too, as Snape elbowed him in the ribs. “The fuck was that for, Potter?”
“He was the only one who didn’t f-”
“Silence!”
The rest of the walk was simply uneventful, save the disappointed look Narcissa gave Alan as they passed the Great Hall, and the boys found themselves in detention less than an hour later with Professor Dumbledore. His favor for the Gryffindor house was no big secret, but no one could ignore the humorous twinkle in his eye as he heard the Slytherin trio’s point of view.
I'm doing this as a writing exercise lmao (god help me). My gay ass started this fic back in 9th grade and here I am continuing it in uni T-T
- josh