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James
It took Regulus almost an hour to pluck up the courage to head downstairs and face the Potters. His eyes were only slightly tinged with red after his breakdown, and now that he was dressed, he felt a little more in control. The key word there being ‘little’. The iron clad grip he usually had on his emotions was weakened and trembling, and Regulus was certain that if one of the Potters so much as looked at him with sympathy, he would break down in the middle of their huge living room.
Still, the other option was to hide upstairs, and Regulus refused to cower like some pathetic Hufflepuff.
Mind made up, Regulus hurried down the stairs before he could change his mind, wand in its holster, fully prepared to face the wrath of three angry Potters. However, what he met instead was James and Sirius sitting at the dining table eating scrambled eggs together, looking altogether more like brothers than he and Sirius ever had. He felt something uncomfortably akin to longing claw its way up his throat, and took a few hesitant steps backwards. Fleamont and Effie were nowhere to be found, so Regulus could only assume they hadn’t woken up yet. He had almost reached the stairs, fully prepared to hide until the other Potters were awake, and unwilling to intrude on whatever was going on in the dining room, when James spotted him.
“Morning, Black!” James said, with an insufferable cheerfulness that had never failed to infuriate Regulus. Clearly he hadn’t read today’s newspaper, and Sirius hadn’t bothered to tell him what Regulus had done. Somehow, that made him feel worse. “Want some eggs?”
Regulus took an embarrassingly long time to formulate a reply, glancing between the eggs on the stove (still steaming), the two Gryffindors sitting at the table, and back again. “Sure,” He said, eventually, and helped himself.
James and Sirius went back to whatever they had been talking about, and Regulus sat down stiffly, as far away from the two of them as it was possible to get. He was content to eat his eggs in silence, then escape back to his room, but James was persistent in trying to include him in the conversation.
“So, Black, what’s it like in Slytherin?”
“Have you got your OWL results yet?”
“No? I’m sure you’ll have done well, if you’re as much as a swot Sirius says you are.”
Regulus shot Sirius a venomous glare at that last statement, but James wasn’t done talking. “How are you feeling though? Nervous?”
“No.” Regulus said, sharply.
But nothing was deterring Potter. “I was so terrified to see how I’d done, but it ended up being okay, and I managed to get into all the NEWT’s I was hoping for. Sirius did even better than me though - I don’t know how, he practically never studies.”
“That’s because I, unlike you, have natural talent.”
“Well at least I, unlike you, am somewhat modest. Honestly, your arrogance never ceases to amaze me.”
Regulus had to hide his snort with a cough. James Potter was the least modest person he had ever met, aside from Sirius himself. Unfortunately, his snort didn’t go unnoticed, and far from being offended, James seemed delighted to have gotten any reaction out of him at all. “You’ve got to admit; Sirius is incredibly self absorbed.”
“He is,” Regulus replied, coolly, “But that doesn’t mean you’re not.”
James clutched dramatically at his heart, “Oh, how you wound me, Black!”
Regulus fought the twitching at his lips with every ounce of stubbornness he possessed. He wouldn’t laugh at something James Potter had said. He refused. Of course, it was at precisely this moment that James spotted the newspaper strewn carelessly on the end of the breakfast table. Honestly, Regulus was surprised he hadn’t spotted it sooner - the remnants of flames weren’t exactly inconspicuous as they flickered in the picture. James grabbed the newspaper and dragged it towards himself, both Sirius and Regulus watching him intently. The two brothers exchanged a glance, then sat back, silently, waiting for James’ reaction.
Regulus watched with some interest as the mirth literally drained from James’ expression, only to be replaced by confusion, and then concern. “Fuck,” James said, quietly. “Regulus, how did you survive this?”
“Uh…” For once, Regulus had no idea what to say. ‘Because I was the one who set it’ just sounded wrong.
James was hardly listening. “They think you’re dead,” His brow furrowed, “Why are you hiding from them?”
‘Because I killed my mother and I don’t want to be arrested.’
“Is it…” James worked his jaw for a moment, then continued, “Is it because you’re worried about what your parents will do to you?”
Regulus bristled at once. He sprang to his feet and snatched the paper from James, heart racing. “You don’t know shit about me, or my parents.”
Instead of being angry, James seemed to soften even more. “Regulus-”
“Don’t call me that.” Regulus didn’t have a problem with it, not really, but James was acting like Regulus was a friend. He didn’t deserve an ounce of James’ kindness, nor his pity. Not after what he had done.
“Black,” James said, carefully, “I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t your fault. And you’re always welcome to stay here if you’re afraid or-”
“I. Am. Not. Afraid.” Regulus snarled, practically vibrating with fury.
James’ expression didn’t falter, not even for a moment. Regulus hated him so much it hurt. “I think you should owl the Prophet, just to let them know you’re okay, and maybe we can go back to the house to see if you can salvage anything from it.” His eyes shone with somehow even more sympathy than before. “You’re going to be okay, Reg- Black.”
So much for not knowing what to say. The words spilled out of Regulus like snow down a mountain, uncontrollable and impossible to stop. “I know I’m going to be okay, Potter,” he spat the last word with enough venom that James finally faltered backwards, just a little. “Because I was the one who set the fire. I’m never going back to that house, and I can’t go to the Prophet, because they might find out what I did. I killed my mother, by the way. That’s why they can’t find her either.”
Regulus left the room without a backwards glance, hands shaking with anger and fear. What would happen to him now? He couldn’t stay here any longer, not now James knew what he had done, and James was probably telling the Prophet everything at that exact moment, and-
A large, calloused hand clasped his shoulder, and Regulus gave a full body flinch before spinning around sharply. “Shit, sorry,” James dropped his hand, and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Look, I won’t lie, that’s a lot of information, and not particularly good information.” Regulus opened his mouth to respond, but James hurried to continue, “That being said, I get why you did it. Sirius told me about… about your mother,” The word almost seemed to pain him as he forced it out, “So I get it. Can’t say I would have done what you did,” He huffed a laugh, and Regulus blinked in surprise, “But I understand. And I can guarantee that my parents will understand too.”
“You… huh?” Regulus scowled, this time at himself and his inability to form proper sentences. Seriously, what was wrong with him?
“You can stay here as long as you need,” James said, with far too much concern and kindness.
As much as Regulus wanted to argue, and explain that he didn’t want James’ help, nor did he need it, the words wouldn’t come. What escaped instead was: “Thank you.”
Barty and Evan
The summer passed impossibly quickly, and Regulus found himself both annoyed and amazed to discover that James was actually pretty decent company. He was funny and kind, and understood when not to push. He was also far too good for this world, and Regulus could almost feel his own dark edges rubbing off on the pure sunshine that was James. And that wouldn’t do. So he spent most of the summer shut up in his room in the Potter house, reading books and owling back and forth with the Prophet and Gringotts, forced to confront the consequences of his actions now that it had been revealed that he was still alive and his mother wasn’t. In the end, Regulus’ father took the blame for the blaze, found drunk and hollering outside the remains of the house. He didn’t feel bad for him, any more than he felt bad for his mother. But all this meant that the lordship passed onto him, the last remaining (credible) Black, and along with it, all the complications. Politics and gossip that he really couldn’t be bothered to participate in.
All in all, Regulus felt nothing but bone-numbing relief once he arrived at Kings Cross, James and Sirius in tow, ready to board the Hogwarts Express. At least now he could escape some of his responsibilities, and pretend he was a normal school kid again. Even though he was anything but.
At the very least, he could see Evan and Barty.
Sirius wasn’t as excited about this as he was.
“Hey Reg!” Barty said, grinning. He joined them on their way to the scarlet train, and immediately turned to James. “I take it Regulus has been staying with you?”
As he and James settled into an easy conversation - something which left Regulus wide eyed in confusion and surprise - Sirius sidled closer to him, and leaned in to mutter, “Are you sure you want to tell him what you did? I mean, nobody would blame you if you stuck to the cover story, and it’s not like me and James are going to tell anyone.”
Regulus almost snorted incredulously at Sirius’ concern, then realised that Sirius had never actually met Barty. “Hey Barty,” He said, casually, “I killed my mother about a month ago, and burned the house down.”
Barty was hardly paying attention, too busy trying to heave his trunk up the train steps, “Good for you,” He replied, “Think you could give me a hand offing my dad?”
Regulus gave his brother a grin and followed Barty onto the train, “I think I’ll be alright, but thanks for your concern.”
They bumped right into Evan a moment later, who had emerged from their usual train carriage after he heard Regulus’ voice. “Why is Black concerned?” He asked.
Sirius made an affronted noise, but Regulus was already replying. “He was worried you guys wouldn’t like me anymore when you found out I killed my mother.”
“Well that’s stupid, we trust your judgement” Evan said, “Besides, I figured it was you who burned the house down as soon as I saw the paper.”
“Yeah, me too,” Barty chimed in, “You’re such a dramatic bastard, Reg, it was exactly the sort of thing you’d do.”
Sirius laughed lightly. “Alright, I guess I’ll leave you to it. Have a good year, Reggie.”
Regulus ignored him, too busy arguing with Barty about how not dramatic he truly was. Evan caught hold of Sirius’ arm just before he left, and said, quietly, “Thanks for helping him out, Black. Almost makes me forgive you for leaving him in the first place.” He squeezed Sirius’ shoulder just a little harder than was necessary, then followed his friends into the train carriage.
James watched them go, then turned to Sirius. “I think I see where Regulus gets it from.”
Sirius just shook his head and rubbed at his shoulder, frown firmly in place “At least they seem to care about him.”
“He’s going to be alright,” James said, gently.
“You know, I think this is the first time I can actually believe that.”
“Come on,” James allowed a smile to break out across his face, “We need to meet up with the others. They’re not going to believe what happened this summer.”