Chapter Text
When Regulus was first called upon by Dumbledore as the new History Of Magic teacher, Regulus watched the entire Hogwarts fall into a pin drop silence. It has been seven years since the war ended and nine years since his own confirmed death in the Prophet papers. Him now suddenly showing himself as alive and not only that, but now also the new History Teacher after centuries must have been quite the shock.
Regulus himself was shocked when he was asked to replace their local ghost professor but took the job anyway. Especially considering in about a few years his true mission will start in Hogwarts anyways.
Ignoring the stunned silence, Regulus spoke up. “Hello students, I know Professor Binns is very beloved and me taking over must be quite the shock” he deliberately kept his supposed death and revival topic away. “But as you may have seen, he is still inside Hogwarts so just view me as the second History teacher as history vast” Regulus gave a small nod before sitting next to Hagrid instead.
“Ye did good” Hagrid gave a thumbs up or what Regulus presumed was one. Regulus gave a polite smile before turning to look at the students who were either studying him with mostly morbid curiosity or ignoring his existence. Regulus surveyed the professor table. Dumbledore had a grandfatherly smile on his face as he watched the feast, Mcgonagall was subtly watching over him to make sure he was comfortable, Severus was talking to Flitwick about something, Sprout was nodding along to Aurora and Vector’s conversation, Babbling was eating while rather rudely staring at him, Sybill was also staring at him but with more wonder than confusion.
Regulus tried not to let his already crippling exhaustion show on his face. The next few years will be a long journey.
Montgomery Macmillan was the eldest son of the Macmillan House but he was not the heir; that luxury was given to his cousin Giovanni Macmillan. Not that Montgomery cared. What he truly cared about was getting good marks. It has been two weeks since he came to Hogwarts and he was good at almost every subject, even doing so great at Herbology that Professor Sprout said she was sad he was a slytherin and not one of her puff’s. But there was one subject he seemed to be bested by.
History of magic.
Professor Black was a pretty solid teacher. From what Montgomery was told by his seniors, Professor Black as mysterious as the man could be, was better than Professor Binns. Either way he was going to fail in the class for sure. Montgomery hated the subject on principle. He liked the idea of performance in magic, the whimsy of magic, the act of doing something. History was just texts on a book, tales he had to memories. He thought it was boring and Professor Black made sure that the answers he got were story driven with pointers.
It was all boring, and it was all Muggle. Which Montgomery hated even more. It was during the start of his 3rd week in Hogwarts did he set out to find a tutor. Montgomery was too stubborn to just ask Professor Black to give him extra classes.
“Is there any pureblood in Slytherin that is even doing good in that class?” Montgomery scoffed to one of his seniors, a second year, inside their dorm. The ocean waves were glowing under the sun but the Slytherin dorms were still as dull as ever. “Only muggles seem to be getting good marks in History Of Magic”
“That's not really true” the second year, Diana spoke back looking rather annoyed by his whining. “Wasn't professor Black complimenting a first year student in our class that day? Oh right.” Diana nodded as she answered her own question.
“Brooks Flint”
Brooks Flint and Marcus Flint were twins but they sure didn't act like it. Through his father's favoritism, Marcus became the heir of the Flint family but Brooks was happy about that. If there was anything that Brooks hated more than his brother it was working.
His journey inside Hogwarts started pretty pleasantly, he wasn't doing extremely good at all the subjects even going so far as to just bunk Transfiguration and Herbology on the regular. But he was doing good at Potions and History of Magic, which was good enough in his mind.
“Flint!” Someone called from behind him. Brooks paused for a few minutes. Was the person calling for Him or Marcus? Most likely Marcus. Brooks wasn't an idiot, he observed that the entire Slytherin house gravitated more towards heirs. Brooks wasn't the heir so he ended up having less connections but he considered it as less headaches so again he was not complaining.
He continued to walk ahead but the voice called out again. “Brooks Flint I am talking to you!” oh so he was the one being called. Taking a rather grumpy inhale he turned around.
“Yes?” Brooks immediately recognized the eldest son of the Macmillan family. His mother had made him memorize the pureblood family circle so that in the future he could have proper connections. He really didn't want to. It was Marcus’s job after all.
“I heard from the gravewines that you are good at History Of Magic?”
“Yes. That would be true..? Why are you asking?”
“Spendid! I want you to tutor me”
Brooks stared at Macmillan already feeling a migraine coming to him.
Regulus would say nothing truly astonishing happened since he became the History Of Magic Professor. He thought today would be a normalish day too. He was walking beside Severus as they talked about mundane things.
“Then Sybill told me she saw me drown in her dreams” Regulus stated as Severus gulped down his coffee like an alcoholic, still walking beside him. “How do I politely tell her I already drowned?”
“You don't” Severus grumbled looking his grumpiest. He wasn't looking at Regulus but maintained enough distance for Regulus to know he was perceiving him. “The less they know… the better”
“You and your vague ways of speaking” Regulus tried not to roll his eyes but failed. Regulus momentarily glanced out the window and paused at what he was seeing.
On top of a tree was Brooks Flint, the 11 year old was sleeping on top of the tree with a whole blanket, Pillow and his black cat. Regulus stopped walking and just stared out the window.
“Black?” Severus asked, stopping with him and now staring at him with confusion. Upon seeing his eyes drift out the window. Severus looked where he was looking and inhaled sharply. “...Flint”
“What is he doing?” Regulus finally asked before observing the situation. He looked down and realized Flint wasn't alone. Montgomery Macmillan was standing under the tree just glaring at the boy sleeping on top of the tree. “What are they doing”
“Something that's about to give us a headache” Severus sounded very sure of that.
Once they reached the scene, the explanation they gave took him off guard. “you claimed a tree and SLEPT over night there to get away from Mister Macmillan?” Regulus asked Flint dumbfounded. How did nobody see him leave his dorm? Did nobody see the boy even claim the tree? How good was Flint at hiding exactly?. Flint actually looked well rested as he still carried his cat and blanket over his shoulders. The boy in question just shrugged.
“He wasn't leaving me alone inside the dorms and I wanted proper sleep”
“And why were you troubling your housemate.. Mister Macmillan” Regulus could see Severus Seething with annoyance. Macmillan was avoiding eye contact, he was looking down as he answered.
“I wanted him to tutor me in history because I was doing bad”
Regulus blinked before looking at Flint for confirmation. Flint nodded as if telling them the other wasn't lying. “Why couldn't you just ask me for extra classes?” Macmillan frowned, now finally looking at Regulus.
“I am not quitting by asking help from a professor. This was a better option”
Severus’s frown somehow managed to deepen as Regulus felt rather old. “Well Mister Macmillan.. your ONLY option now is to be in detention for a week” Severus stated. Macmillan looked like he wanted to argue but thankfully decided against it. “You too Mister Flint. Claiming a tree and sleeping overnight is not an acceptable response. You will join the detention”
Flint didn't seem to mind, the boy just nodded accepting his fate. Regulus glanced at the two boys. They were so strange.
Carter Avery was the youngest son of the Avery family. His house was rather disgraced after the war as his oldest brother joined the Deatheaters and their side lost after the war. So when he started Hogwarts, his older sister who went to Drumstrang asked only one thing from him. For him to keep his head down and not bring unwanted attention to their family.
So he really wasn't planning on doing anything but Eloise Carrow, his fellow first year Slytherin had other plans. She would corner him repeatedly and ask him stupid questions and antagonise him. Eloise to him was an Intolerant girl, who also just happened to be a rather creative bully. The girl found out ways to transfigure small objects around him just to inconvenience him.
Today was one of those days in which they butted heads. She purposely cornered him just to mock him for his previous failed potions during their potion class.
“One would think you would know how to stir things properly,” Carrow mocked him. Carter almost took out his wand and hexed her away but tried to maintain some self control.
“I don't know Carrow. You seem better at stirring. You do stir up drama like the gossip that you are” he replied back with a mocking grin of his own. It all escalated into a huge fight which was stopped by their new professor.
Regulus should have known becoming a professor would result in him stopping a few fights. Honestly, he should have anticipated it, but he wasn't expecting to stop a fight between two Slytherins. Slytherin's picking fight with another house is painfully normal, historically likely if he said so himself. But amongst themselves? It doesn't happen outside dorms.
“Not a shred of self preservation with you two. What if another house sees you two making a wreckass?" Regulus lectured. Carrow was leaning towards the wall as if trying to avoid Regulus being in the room, something Evan used to do–Regulus mentally shook that off and Avery was tight lipped like he wanted to yell at Regulus back. “What is this argument even about?”
Both stayed quiet. Regulus sighed massaging his head. He was a student, he knew more than anything that detentions don't work. But the students won't open up either. “How about this..” these two were Slytherins, he needed to think like one to make them talk. “...I tell you something about myself and you two give me information about this fight. Small information is acceptable”
Both looked up at that. He knew more than anyone that everyone wanted to learn what happened to Regulus. “You two go first” Both turned to glare at each other and he had to physically stop himself from sighing like a tired parent. “I don't have all day…”
“She insulted my potion skills”
“He is a smug bastard who looks down on me when I fail at Defense against dark arts!”
“I don't look down on you. You idiot. I was just correcting you-”
“Correcting me by being smug?!”
“Okay okay stop this” Regulus put his hand between the two before a punch could be landed. “Are you saying you two are fighting because Mister Avery corrected you smugly Miss Carrow and because Miss Carrow insulted your potion skills Mister Avery?” Both continued to glare at each other, Regulus felt as if there was something more going on between these two but decided today wasn't the day to shovel into a couple of 11 year olds enemyship.
“That's a very stupid reasoning” now both of them turned to pout at Regulus. Regulus ignored them, and the fact that they looked like hamsters to him, as he continued. “16 points off Slytherin and detention for both”
“That's not fair!” Avery yelled off looking very panicked. “Everyone inside Slytherin will hate me now!”
“They already dislike you Avery” Carrow answered instead, folding her arms and looking displeased herself.
“You two fight like my ferrets” He mumbled and the two children turned to look at him. Avery looked puzzled and Carrow looked a bit interested. Something told him that Carrow was an animal lover.
“You have ferrets, Professor?” Carrow asked, sounding gentle and a bit intrigued. Avery funnily did a double take towards her, probably hearing her sound gentle for the first time. Regulus tried not to laugh at the expression as he answered her question.
“Yes. Three of them. One is named Elieen, One is named Sirius and another is named Scorpius”
“Oh! Are they cute?” Carrow’s eyes shined a little and Avery looked very uncomfortable. Regulus made a ‘hold on’ motion and went over his desk to get a framed picture. The picture was of his ferrets. Carrow literally squealed in joy. “Awwww they are so cute!”
“Thank you”
Avery coughed. “Professor aren't you now supposed to tell us what happened to you?” The boy must have felt left out. Regulus blinked before replying, deadpanned.
“Drowned in a lake full of inferi but don't worry I lived”
Both the students had similar expressions as they glanced at their professor.
“Sir that isn't funny” Carrow said, almost like she was judging him. Avery actually nodded with her. Regulus chuckled as he realized they thought he was joking.
“after like… 5 traumatic experiences everything becomes funny”
Eloise Carrow was the sole daughter in her side branch of the family. Years of being the forgotten Carrow had taught her many things but it also drove her into wanting to become the best witch of all time. She tried not to scoff as she remembered her detention. All because Avery couldn't handle what she gave back. She hated the fact that Avery bested her in defense against the dark arts. He corrected her like she was a child!
Eloise was walking towards the dorms when she saw Greengrass make her way towards the stairs. Huh, where was she up to? Eloise shook her head. Not her problem.
Winifred Greengrass was an aunt at 11, she was a treasure of a rather rich family filled with treasures and she was very alone in this world. Before even entering Hogwarts, she knew deep down that she would be alone and she was right. Her only comfort deep down was the astronomy tower. Many days she would go up there and relax.
She should have known that she couldn't continue sleeping up there. Today when she woke up, she saw the rather annoyed face of her house head staring down at her. “Good..morning?” She voiced out before rubbing her eyes and looking up at Professor Snape.
“No, it's still nighttime." The professor spoke evenly but she could see he was angry at her. “Why are you sleeping in the astronomy tower?... Are you also being tracked down by Mister Macmillan?” She blinked, confused and still very sleepy.
“No sir, I just like the stars”
That was a very quick way into ending up in detention.
Severus thought that catching Miss Greengrass sleeping inside the astronomy tower would be the headache of the day but apparently he was wrong. He entered his office to see Minerva arguing with a 11 year old Slytherin, Severus recognised her as Ramona Burke.
“Ah! Professor Snape, great timing” Minerva spoke as her eyes landed on him. Ramona to her credit looked a bit scared of him. “I caught Miss Burke over here trying to set a Mister Wood on fire” Severus blinked before glancing at Burke, who had a large frown on her face but he could see some satisfaction in her eyes.
“He asked me out in front of everyone and then acted like I was mean to him because he couldn't handle the truth!” Ramona explained. Minerva massaged her head.
“Miss Burke. You called him a-""-he looks gay!” Severus tried his best not to smirk at that. “He looks gay so I said gay. That's not bullying, that's an observation. I said I thought he was gay, he got offended and then told everyone I was bullying him. So I decided to prove him right!”
“...bully him by setting him on fire?” Severus finally joined the argument. “That's a felony, Miss Burke. Either take the detention or perhaps I should call the aurors?” Severus raised an eyebrow. Burke paled a bit before biting her lips and nodding.
“Just give him detention!” She glared at Minerva who nodded back at her.
“Mister Wood will also get detention from my side. Don't worry about that Miss Burke.”
Ramona Burke was adopted into the family of Burke but was considered a daughter anyways. She was always considered a respectable young lady but in the eyes of the Pureblood circle, she was only their adopted daughter so Ramona decided from a young age that she would be THE lady in all the circles even if it made her oftentimes self centred.
Ramona with dignity made her way towards Professor Black's office, where she was to help him file papers as detention. There she saw 5 students already present, she could easily tell who was who as all of them were Slytherins and all of them were in her year.
Avery and Carrow were already butting heads, Flints was ignoring everyone but not doing any work either, Greengrass was minding her own business while actually doing work and Macmillan was glaring daggers at Flint. Ramona was stuck with quiet the students.
“So how was their first day at detention?” Minerva asked with small amounts of amusement. Regulus honestly wanted to float away from her. But he decided to reply anyways.
“Mister Avery and Miss Carrow continued to argue with each other over how to staple things together, Miss Burke barely did any work until I threatened to call over Severus, Mister Flint somehow managed to manipulate Mister Macmillan into doing his work by promising to tutor him and then proceeded to say he wouldn't. Which reminds me Mister Macmillan now has more detention as he hexed Mister Flint.” Regulus tiredly listed before adding. “Miss Greengrass was actually alright. I might lessen her detention”
“Hmm.. I was expecting you to soften them a little” Minerva stated, giving him a rather motherly smile that made Regulus confused. His confusion must have echoed on his face as the women explained. “they are all from pureblood families. Families that are trying desperately to hold power after the war… they have their… views. The kids also do… but so did you once upon a time” Regulus felt himself loosen a bit. “What I am saying is… if anyone can soften these Slytherins a little. Perhaps help them. It's you.”
“I… don't really know how to do that. Or whether I should”
“You should.” She confirmed. “When you joined the order I was very conflicted but not because of you but because of regrets” Regulus felt something in him shake. She had a rather remorseful look on her face. “I regretted not helping you sooner. Or helping any of my Slytherin children. I am trying now.. but I can do so much”
Regulus stayed quiet as Minerva finished speaking. “Don't regret not guiding these children, I do everyday”
The next day instead of continuing the detention. Regulus wrote one thing on the board.
[ The Hermes Club ]
“You are cancelling their detention… to have them participate in extracurriculars?” Severus asked as Regulus took a sip of his tea. “Regulus, that's a very stupid idea.”
“the kids seem to be happy with getting a lifetime out of detention pass” Regulus spoke as he remembered their positive yet calculated looks. “Also Dumbledore thinks it's a good idea”
“A good idea for what exactly?”
“To undo and monitor Post War feelings from the pureblood’s side”
Severus looked like he was studying him. Regulus continued. “Let me do this small club. I can make them do muggle things, slowly undo some teachings… maybe even lend a helping hand if they need it” Regulus subconsciously gripped his arm, which held the dark mark. Severus stared at him, after a prolonged eye contact, he sighed and closed his eyes.
“Do whatever you wish to do” He opened them to Regulus smiling at him. “How far have you fallen? Truly. From heir of a pureblood family to leader of a small children's club”
“Don't forget History Professor” Regulus added with a grin before titling his head. “Either way I am happier now as.. this is the best I have ever been”
“I am… glad” Severus spoke before quickly taking a sip of his tea. Probably embarrassed at saying such a thing.
Regulus paused before saying “I am glad too.. also glad we met”
“Black shut up”