#Orion is an elf wizard

[otterdoesart]

Hey hey hey mate! ‘S been a while but I’ve just kinda scrolled through your art tag from the last three years (TIME MOVING REAL!?) and it’s crazy to see how much you’ve done in that time XD! Real fond of your splatoon ocs (manta and Ray was it?) and that one love letter fanart you made (BLEW MY MIND!? THE LYRICS FIT THEM SO WELL!! I WAS IN AWE) X) really do love spending time on this app n’ yappin, makes me wish I spend more than like five minutes a week here ,, BUT gonna do my bestest to see what you’ve been up to/ going to get up to 💚 - Z (ALSO DO YOU HAVE A LIIKR A TAG FOR YOUR OC WORLD CUZ I SAW A FEW POSTS MENTION IT BUT I COULDNT FIND IT RAAARGHHH I would love to see it I am so sorry for yelling byebyebeybeye)

HII Z

Im literally at work rn crying at your kind words 🫶🫶🫶

It really is crazy it’s been so long 😭 I feel like I’ve improved in my art but stayed the same at the same time hehe

Thank you for loving my boys! I created them with my homie from high school and they consume my brain,,They’re just goofy little guys who fight and love each other :) Ray is dating Callie (gross🙄(affectionate)) and manta is dating Dove hehe

Thank you for saying so!!! About the letter fanart guehrhe I killed myself doing that last year on the midst of art fight 💀💀

A lot of my OC stuff is in my head and scattered across sites eughejehe I could ramble about them but it wouldn’t be coherent ! The story changes every 2 months jdhddndh

Oughhh i loveghsj themmm just some more silly guys

Anywho thank you for saying all that I really appreciate it and our friendship although we don’t talk as much anymore 🫶🫶🫶

[lulublack90]

Prompt 9 - Hurt/Comfort

@wolfstarmicrofic July 9, word count 999

CW - Previous torture mention but not described, blood

He coughed in the dark, his bones aching and the wounds he’d inflicted upon himself still oozing as they slowly healed. It had been three months since Bellatrix moved him into this dungeon. 

The door opened as a house elf came to give him his food for the day. The weak light from the torches outside the cell showed where his claws had dug deep into the stone when he’d transformed. 

“Here you are, mister Sirius, sir,” Rorbey bowed to him nervously and floated the meagre offering over to him. Sirius snatched the heel of bread from the air and gnawed at it hungrily as the chunk of cheese, a small pile of roast pork and a flask of pumpkin juice came to rest on the ground in front of him. “If you please, mister Sirius sir, they is talking about yous upstairs. Rorbey is hearing they is moving yous sir. Rorbey thought you might want to be knowing,” The elf wrung his hands together. Rorbey had been an unexpected ally. He was a Black family elf and since Regulus’s disappearance, Sirius was technically the sole heir again, so Rorbey had felt bound to serve him. 

“Thank you Rorbey,” Sirius mumbled around his mouthful of food.

He and Remus had been captured and brought to Lestrange castle. They were flung into a cell and left to stew. He’d tried calling out when Remus had started transforming. Somehow, they hadn’t realised what Remus was or Bellatrix had thought it hilarious and ignored his cries. Sirius had resigned himself to what was about to happen, he just hoped it would be quick and not hurt too much. He’d stared into the yellow eyes that he knew so well as the giant maw opened and bit down on his shoulder. 

They’d given them both magic suppressant potions and, while the wolf could not be stopped from appearing, Padfoot could. He’d woken up in this cell, surprised to be alive. His pleas to know where Remus was fell on deaf ears until Rorbey had found him. It turned out Remus had been given to Fenrir Greyback and was no longer in the castle. 

He still had those first bite marks, scared deep into his skin. Bellatrix would sometimes appear and torture him when she remembered he was still down there. But other than that, he was left alone. Then, on that first full moon since Remus had bitten him, he experienced pain worse than anything he’d ever felt before. He’d woken up to broken, bleeding fingernails and more cuts than he could count.

The door swung open again, banging off the wall. 

“Come along, Black the Dark Lord wishes for the pleasure of your company.” Rabastan Lestrange cackled at him as he dragged Sirius from his cell by his hair. 

He was thrown on a rug in front of a roaring fire. The warmth instantly soothing his sore bones. A wand was pressed into his throat, forcing his chin up into the face of Lord Voldemort himself. 

“My dear Lord Black, I hear you’ve had a terrible accident while in your cousin’s care. I can only apologise profusely.” The room broke into a cacophony of laughter. “Yes, yes my dear friends, what a terrible accident. But Lord Black, you will be thrilled to learn that we have a new purpose for you, if you will.” Voldemort’s lipless mouth widened in an approximation of a smile. 

The flames in the fire turned green, and Fenrir Greyback walked out, patting soot from his clothes.

“My Lord,” He bowed deeply as he addressed Voldemort. 

“Ah, Greyback, excellent timing. I was just explaining to Lord Black about his new role amongst us.” Voldemort waved the werewolf nearer. “You Lord Black will be joining Mr Greyback’s pack,” Voldemort sneered at the word, but recovered himself as he continued. “Fenrir, you will do what needs to be done to ensure he follows instructions. And Lord Black, if you prove yourself to be a valued member of our organisation, I may find it within myself to reinstate you in your family seat, now that poor Regulus is no longer with us.” 

Sirius had been trying to control himself the entire time Voldemort had been talking. He knew he was no match for Voldemort, especially in his condition. So he allowed Greyback to grasp his shoulder exactly where Remus had bitten him and drag him towards the fire. “Until we meet again,” Voldemort cackled gleefully as Sirius and Fenrir spun out of sight. 

They walked out of the fireplace into an abandoned house. Fenrir didn’t let go of him though and quickly apparated them away. They landed in a small grassy clearing with a huge forest pressing in on them.

Sirius pulled himself away from Greyback’s grasp. The werewolf let him go. He fell to the ground and breathed in deep lungfuls of fresh air. When he looked up, men and women were emerging from the trees coming to stand in a ring around him. 

“Children meet your new brother, Sirius Black.” Greyback opened his arms to them. “Clean him up and make sure he’s fed and make sure he understands the rules.” Greyback walked through the circle and disappeared into the gloom.

Sirius was stripped, scrubbed roughly with cold water until he was clean, had his wounds tended to and was finally sat down beside a crackling fire with a bowl of some sort of stew. He didn’t dare ask what was in it. 

He finished his food and was just about to ask what was going to happen to him when another wolf walked out of the trees.

 He dropped the bowl with a clatter and ran into the arms of the man he loved. 

“Remus,” He sighed as Remus enveloped him in his long arms and woodsy scent. Sirius buried his face in Remus’s knit jumper and cried. 

“I’m so sorry, Sirius,” Remus told him, his voice thick with emotion. “Everything will be okay, I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

Next part

[guiltypleasureswriting]

Day 28: Written Apr 15, 2024

Part 17

CW: canonical treatment of house elves (sorta)

Kreacher tried to fight Regulus on who should give their blood to the warding. Regulus didn’t let him. It was his decision and he already felt terrible bringing Kreacher back to a place he almost died. When they were facing the lake with the little island of crystal that Kreacher had described to him, Regulus turned to him. 

“When we get the locket, take it straight back to Grimmauld Place. No matter the state I am in. Destroy it, Kreacher. That’s an order. 

Kreacher stood so stiffly the Regulus thought his spine might snap. He clearly wanted to sat something; to defy him. But he gave a short nod and stayed quiet.

“Thank you, Kreacher.” Whispered Regulus.

They took a dingy across the still water, sending unnatural ripples into the darkness. When the boat knocked into the island, Regulus stepped out followed closely by Kreacher. Their steps crushed and crunched crystals under their feet.

beginning | previous | next [edit:mostly abandoned]

Rambles and thoughts while writing under the cut:

So sometimes I have a lot of random thoughts while I'm writing these scenes but I don't want to make the posts super long so I'm gonna put them here.

It really bothers me how house elves are written in canon and even most fanfiction. I've read very few fics where the enslavement of house elves is seen as bad by characters. So in this story, I'm going to be changing some things about house elves, especially that they like being enslaved cuz that's just fucked up. No, Kreacher is not free. Yes, he has prejudiced ideas about blood purity seeing as he has been conditioned to from birth. Regulus treats him relatively well since I do not want to write a protagonist being happy to have a slave. (But no matter how well he treats house elves, he's still a slave owner) However, I don't think at this point Regulus would fully have a grasp on the ethics of house elf slavery and he probably doesn't have the power to free Kreacher anyway. In the future, he will regret some of his actions toward Kreacher and his opinions about house elves. Eventually, he would totally join SPEW.

All of this isn't a big part of the story but I will never write a fic that either supports or ignores slavery no matter how fictional it is.

(Usually my rambles won't be as heavy)

@zn0v1a

[merlyn-arts]

Artfight (4/6)

This is where I got a bit over my head... as in I took WAY longer then I had expected to work on this piece.. oopsie I saw ezios's characters Adler and Jonas absolutely fell in love, and I NEEDED to draw them together with my Syl'sha and Orion cause their aesthetics, colors and vibes match so well. Adler has turned into Orion's new Idol, my baby is so star struck.

Some close ups of the character under the cut

[thebibutterflyao3]

Canon Facts about Regulus Black

**With sources**

Biographical Info: Regulus Arcturus Black, 1961-1979, male, wizard. (OOTP, Ch. 24). Deceased and childless (HBP, Ch. 3).

Personality: Regulus had a sign on his bedroom door, “Do not enter without the express permission of Regulus Arcturus Black,” kept his door locked, and decorated his room with Slytherin’s house colours. The Black family crest was painted over his bed with the motto, “Toujours Pur” beneath it (DH, Ch. 10). He is described as “a fan” “proud, happy to serve” Voldemort, “proper” with the “dignity of his pure blood,” “haughty,” “brave,” “kind” to Kreacher, “trying to protect” his family, (DH, Ch. 10) “stupid idiot” for becoming a Death Eater, a “much better son,” “soft enough to believe” his parents, and “panicked” (OOTP, Ch. 24).

Was Regulus Black a pureblood? Yes, he was the youngest son of Walburga & Orion Black, younger brother to Sirius Black. The Black family were purebloods (OOTP, Ch 24).

Did Regulus attend Hogwarts? Yes, Slughorn says he was sorted into Slytherin (HBP, Ch. 6) and he played quidditch as Slytherin’s Seeker (DH, Ch. 6).

Was Regulus a pureblood supremacist? Yes. He was raised with the belief that pureblood wizards were superior to all others. Sirius says his parents had “pure-blood mania” and Regulus was “soft enough to believe them” (OOTP, Ch 24).

Did Regulus support Voldemort? Yes. According to Kreacher, Regulus talked about Voldemort’s plan to “bring wizards out of hiding to rule the muggles and the muggle-borns” and joined the Death Eaters at 16 years old (DH, Ch. 10). Hermione found old newspaper clippings about Voldemort pinned to Regulus’s wall (DH, Ch. 6).

What was asked of Regulus as a Death Eater? The only task we know Regulus did as a Death Eater was to volunteer Kreacher when Voldemort said he needed an elf, one year after he joined, believing it was “an honour for him and for Kreacher,” but insisting Kreacher “come home” afterwards (DH, Ch. 10).

What changed? Kreacher told Regulus what Voldemort forced him to do in the cave and how Voldemort left him behind to die in the water, which really upsets Regulus (DH, Ch. 10).

Did Regulus care about house-elves? Yes. Kreacher said “Master Regulus always liked Kreacher,” was “very, very concerned” when he came back poisoned, and drank the potion himself in the cave rather than give it to Kreacher a second time (DH, Ch. 10). In addition, part of Kreacher’s battle cry at the Battle of Hogwarts is “fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus!” (DH, Ch. 36).

How did he defect? Sirius found out after his brother’s death that Regulus “panicked” and attempted to quit the Death Eaters when he discovered what he was expected to do, but couldn���t because “it’s a lifetime of service or death” (OOTP, Ch. 24). This implies Regulus didn’t know it was a lifetime commitment or that he would be expected to hurt people. We don’t know exactly at what point this panic happened, but Remus said that Regulus was killed a few days after his defection (HBP, Ch 6).

When Kreacher returned from his trip with Voldemort, Regulus ordered him to stay in hiding, then left. He returned “strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind” (DH, Ch. 10). Shortly afterwards, he tells Kreacher to take him back to the cave. Regulus orders Kreacher to swap the necklaces, destroy the original, leave without him, and never tell his family what he’s done. He then drinks the potion himself and experiencing the psychological torture, before he is dragged into the lake by the inferi (DH, Ch. 10). His note to Voldemort shows that he is prepared to die in this endeavour in hopes someone else can finish what he started.

Why did he defect? In his letter to Voldemort, Regulus states his purpose is to make Voldemort vulnerable to death, so that when he “meets his match,” he will be mortal and able to be killed (HBP, Ch. 28). Kreacher’s abuse at Voldemort’s hands seems to be a trigger, but we do not know exactly what happened or how much time transpired between Kreacher’s return from the cave and Regulus’s appearing “disturbed in the mind” sometime later (DH, Ch. 10). Based on the fact that Regulus’s letter mentions the “horcrux” by name and he knows what it does, his claim that “it was I who discovered your secret” implies he researched horcruxes by himself and his reaction was horror at what he learned (HBP, Ch. 28).

[spideyanakin]

Hiiiii its me again 🤭

I keep rereading the part where reader tells sirius their son name. Sirius smiles and it got me thinking of them being kids choosing names for their future kids. Like they are looking over the stars and they like the name Perseus Sirius Black. Oh the agsnt and tears 😩

THE WAY THIS ASK HAS A CHOCK-HOLD ON ME!!!

Thank you darling for those gorgeous requests 🩵

all I think about now - masterlist

summary - sirius black x malfoy + slytherin! reader, you watch the stars with sirius

warnings - mention of extremely minor character death lmao

The grass was high this year, enough to reach your knees when you walked and engulf you whole as you laid in it.

You weren’t sure if it was a deliberate choice from your parents, or if it was because the muggle gardener had been eaten by those magical plants your mother had asked to be planted last autumn.

Sirius was sure it was the latter, because gardeners, especially wizard ones were hard to find these days: he didn’t know if it was true, that’s just what he heard his parents say anyways.

"Well, you don’t have a garden, do you?" You had mumbled as your gaze lifted up to the night sky, pushing some rogue grass blade away so you could get a better view of Sirius lying by your side.

"No," he sighed, "but Kreature keeps the rooftop and balconies nice. I think my father is growing a mandrake up there, not sure why, but Kreature keeps complaining." The sudden thought of the Black household elf repotting a mandrake was making you laugh, and Sirius joined in your giggles, adding wood to the fire, "he keeps muttering insults every time the thing grows! My father says he is the only one who should do it because house elves are immune to their screams or something.”

"Poor Kreature," you giggled.

"Hm," Sirius didn’t seem convinced by the use of the word poor to describe his house elf. Although he did everything his parents didn’t wish to do, he was almost treated like a third child by his mother. Which meant that Kreature heard all her gossiping and complaining when she talked about him, and the elf did not hesitate to voice the same views on Sirius’s chaotic antics whenever the two of them dared to cross paths.

It also meant, the elf didn’t care as much for Sirius as he did for his brother, and saw great pleasure in sabotaging him. He saw it in the little things, like adding extra salt into Sirius’s plate, or folding one of his shirts not yet dry, or not quite ironed perfectly like his mother liked.

Imagine Walburga’s face when Sirius arrived at dinner with wrinkles on his shirt, and of course, he was obviously the cause of it because, this shirt had just been freshly ironed, or was it?

"You know how to read the stars, do you not?" Your soft voice broke his reminiscing, and he found himself looking at you, adoration filling his bright eyes.

"I do!" He smiled brightly, and you found yourself blushing at his enthusiasm.

"Will you teach me? I need to know them if we are to be married, do I not?"

"I guess so," his smile turned shy as you scooted closer to him, heads lying barely inches apart.

From so close you could see the clouds in his beautiful grey eyes, and the faint freckles from the freshly arrived summer sun that kissed his nose. His hair smelled nice, you noticed. Like fresh jasmine and eucalyptus.

After seconds that felt like minutes of staring, his gaze broke with yours and climbed up to the sky, his hand pointing towards his star, Sirius, as if on instinct.

"You see that bright one. That’s mine."

"The really bright one amidst the two little ones?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed happily, "and with these, it’s the Canis Major constellation." You nodded with a smile as you spotted all the stars he was pointing too. He pointed further down the sky, "now look up, straight from my star, you see these three little stars that align?"

"Yeah."

"That’s Orion’s Belt, and the few stars around it creates the full constellation. You can see his bow right there."

He watched you struggle to spot it, brows furrowing as you attempted to find the shapes in the stars.

"Here," Sirius scooted closer to you, taking your hand in his to point at the stars, skin burning where he was touching you. "These little ones are the bow, and this one is his head."

"Oh, I see it! This is the one your father is named after?"

"Yes," he smiled brightly at the proud sparks in your eyes. "Now if you go up right there, directly from my star, there is Regulus."

"The bright one?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "Reg’s the star leading to one of the paws, you can easily see the lion shape."

"Oh! I do see it!"

"You’re doing amazing, took me hours to find it the first time."

"Thank you, but you are the one who is a great teacher,” you blushed.

"What else do you want to know?"

There was a quiet silence, almost shy before you looked back to his stormy eyes, shining in the moonlight.

"What will we name our children?" your voice was quiet.

Sirius’s eyes widened, his heart racing to his ear as he watched the shy smile on your features. Suddenly, a large grin rose upon his lips, and he managed to keep his own blush at bay.

"Well, do you have any star names that you like?"

"I asked you first! Do not cheat!" You awkwardly giggled. "Do not tell me you have not thought about it."

“I have," he smiled, and your gaze lingered for a second more before his signature grin took over again and he stared back at the stars. "I always loved the name Rigel, but I hate the fact that it’s Orion’s foot." That got a new laugh out of you.

"I agree, it is a no for Rigel then."

"My mother loves Cassiopeia," he shook his head, a scowl forming on his features. "That's what she would have named us if either Regulus or I had been a girl," you watched him think, "but her story is ghastly."

"I remember reading about her." Your tone spoke for itself.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "I like Ara better for a girl."

"Ara,” you smiled, "that is beautiful, Sirius."

"I know right?" He mirrored your smile as the two of you locked gazes again. "Brought victory and luck to the gods, a name meant for someone great."

"I love it."

You don’t know how long you spent, staring at each other, grinning with smiles full of love and admiration for the life you were yet to live. A life where Sirius had been gifted to you.

You let yourself imagine what Ara would look like. Dark curls, with his fine nose, and if you were lucky, she would have his stormy eyes that you could spend hours diving into.

You whispered into the silence, "and for a boy? If not Rigel."

"My parents would love Arcturus, after my grandfather, but I hate it."

"I hate it too," you scrunched your nose. "No offense to your grandfather, bless his soul, or to your brother."

"None taken, my brother despises the name more than anyone."

"What do you have in mind then?"

He smiled so brightly it gave your head a spin. Your stomach fluttered at the look in his eyes, he lifted his upper body from his place in the grass and rested on his elbows.

"Do you see these few stars, the ones that look like a w," he pointed somewhere in the sky, you rose too, leaning against him, but you couldn't seem to find it.

"Here," he took your arm again, black curls brushing against your cheek as he gently took your hand. "These ones."

"Yes," you whispered, heat rising to your cheeks at the closeness of it all.

"That is Cassiopea, look right underneath it, right above the skyline. That long line of stars, with the one in the middle."

"Yes, I see it."

Your breath caught in your throat when he leaned even closer, almost whispering as he explained, "That is Perseus. Hero of the sky. He saved Andromeda, did things no one thought possible."

All words died in the back of your throat as the two of you stayed, watching the constellation without making a move to change position. Your heart was beating loudly against your chest and you feared he could hear it.

Finally, you felt him smile. You looked to the side to see him already looking at you. He pressed an awkward kiss to your forehead before coming back to lay on his back.

"Perseus Sirius Black, it sounds nice," you smiled as you followed his movements to lay by his side.

"As beautiful as Ara Y/n Black," you smiled at the name falling from his lips. "Goes well together don't they?" He noticed, "Ara and Perseus Black."

"Yeah."

"Cannot wait to meet them."

[sweetnnaivete]

the black brothers.

sirius:

walburga’s favorite, until he was sorted into gryffindor. he encapsulated the traits of a true gryffindor: fiercely loyal, incredibly brave, prideful to a fault, and prone to changes in temper, much like walburga herself (who was almost a gryffindor, but she fought against it and ended up the perfect slytherin pupil). above all else, the trait that made sirius stand out was his deeply caring nature. while all his friends were more preoccupied with themselves than with others (self-obsessed james, selfish peter, and self-conscious remus), sirius truly believed in helping others, as he did with regulus, with harry, and so on.

he always had a deep connection and understanding for his little brother, having practically raised the boy, and he saw regulus in everyone younger than him. when he left home, he thought about bringing regulus, but he knew that was selfish. it was regulus’s turn to grow up. and perhaps that was cruel, but he was raised by walburga. tough love was his upbringing, and he knew of nothing else until he found his friends, a different kind of love – warm, unrelenting, gentle. the type of love he’d always given but never received. regulus had to find it for himself, and he wouldn’t find it in his creepy little friends.

sirius was no casanova, but he was cool, mixing bourgeois wizard style with working class muggle style and growing his hair out like a rockstar. it was as effortless as it looked, and authentic to his personality as well. all the girls loved him, but often only platonically. it was clear he was in love with james, and remus was in love with him. truth be told, sirius dismissed remus at first, for being too quiet and boring. but he realized his mistake soon. he became fascinated with the mysterious boy, and he was the one who discovered that he was a werewolf. it was only later in life that they truly fell in love, and the road to come to that realization was treacherous and full of regret. the three great loves of his life were james, remus, and, surprisingly, lily. lily and sirius were like siblings, and although they only really got along in their twenties, they became each others’ support systems.

sirius got many tattoos, but his favorites were a stag’s antlers, a lily flower, the phases of the moon, and the crown of a prince.

regulus:

cold, harsh, sinister – orion’s copy. maybe that’s why walburga was always scared of the little boy that hung around dark corners with the house elf, because in all other aspects he was the perfect son. he pursued his studies religiously, going above and beyond the level expected for his age, always feeling an attraction to powerful dark magic. unlike his predecessors, he wasn’t talented socially, and couldn’t make friends for the life of him – a thing the rest of his family relied on to uphold their status in society. it was a wonder barty crouch’s boy took a liking to the child, otherwise he would’ve gone to hogwarts without a single ally, and that could’ve been even more detrimental to the black family legacy than a gryffindor son. barty crouch jr brought a bit of humanity into the cold husk of a boy, and there would always be a part of regulus that loved barty.

but the only one he had always loved was sirius. his older brother was the only person who had ever tried to understand him, instead of dismissing him as an enigma. sirius saw the softness, the awkwardness, not just his morbid nature. when he left, regulus waited like a princess in a tower for him to return and rescue him, but he never did. it got into his head: what had regulus done that was so terrible that his own brother hated him? he stopped talking, stopped eating, stopped caring about his academics, and walburga’s wrath toward him worsened. when he got the dark mark, something he’d always wanted, it felt wrong to him. he was no longer interested in the dark arts, and he had never been very interested in the cause. he missed being loved.

he found himself becoming friends with kreacher again, as he was in childhood, before walburga forbid him. she couldn’t control him anymore; he was her only heir, and he was working alongside the most dangerous wizard alive. he knew he was a threat. kreacher and him understood each other, and regulus vowed to protect the elf from harm. so, naturally, when he discovered what voldemort had done to kreacher, he knew it had to be amended.

his last acts of life were those of devotion and love, and his last thought was of sirius.

[ruinofchimera]

Regulus Black.

The boy who cracked Voldemort’s secret, turned against the Dark Lord, and gave his life to strike a decisive blow for the greater good. Sounds impressive, right?

But don’t let the fanon fever dream—or the Chalamet cheekbones—fool you.

1. The Fanboy Who Bought His Own Propaganda

How did Regulus get into this mess in the first place? He wasn’t dragged kicking and screaming into Voldemort’s inner circle. He wanted it. This was the boy who looked at Voldemort’s genocidal cult and thought, “Yes, this is my moment.” Voldemort wasn’t just a leader to Regulus—he was an idol, a pure-blood messiah, promising everything Regulus had been raised to worship.

His parents weren’t even Death Eaters themselves. Walburga and Orion preferred to clink their glasses from the sidelines, content to watch the chaos from their pure-blood balcony seats.

But Regulus? He wanted center stage. For him, the Death Eaters weren’t a prison—they were a playground. He signed up for the dark glamour, the exclusivity, and the chance to be on the frontlines of Voldemort’s “vision.” Regulus wasn’t coerced or manipulated—he was all in, fully convinced he was playing for the winning team.

Until, of course, Voldemort stopped being the star of Regulus’s dark power fantasy. And when reality set in, Regulus had a change of heart. But did he admit, “I was wrong”? Did he stand up and fight for the people he’d helped oppress? No. He folded.

2. The Master Plan That Wasn’t

Regulus was practically spoon-fed the truth about the Horcruxes. Voldemort’s most guarded secret was gift-wrapped and dumped at his feet, courtesy of a tortured house-elf.

And this wasn’t just any secret. This was the kind of revelation that could’ve turned the entire war around. But instead of responding with precision, foresight, or even basic competence, Regulus managed to botch it at every possible step.

Step 1: He stole the locket.

Stealing the locket sounds like a bold move, right? On paper, it’s the kind of Gryffindor-level defiance fandom loves to romanticize. But in reality, it was a tactical nightmare.

Regulus didn’t just take the locket from a location Voldemort’s obnoxious ego would’ve eventually exposed. No, he took it and hid it in Grimmauld Place.

Instead of leaving it in the cave, where someone might’ve uncovered it, Regulus thought, “You know what? Let me stash this in my creepy ancestral house, where only my guilt-ridden, traumatized house-elf knows it exists.” Revolutionary thinking, truly. Because when dismantling a Dark Lord’s immortality, the best plan is obviously to make the Horcrux even more inaccessible, right?

The only reason the locket ever surfaced was because Harry inherited Grimmauld Place. If not for that stroke of luck, the locket would’ve sat there, untouched and invincible, for decades. Maybe centuries.

Or worse—as we saw happen in canon—it could’ve been stolen, passed from hand to hand like a cursed trinket, and lost forever. Voldemort would’ve cackled his way to world domination while the wizarding community fought a battle they couldn’t ever win.

Step 2: He didn’t destroy it.

Destroying a Horcrux isn’t easy—I’ll give Regulus that. But did he even try? Or did he just hand the locket to Kreacher with the world’s vaguest instructions, essentially saying, “Figure it out, sweetie,” before marching off to die dramatically?

Kreacher, bless his loyal, trauma-ridden heart, spent decades torturing himself trying to destroy an indestructible object with no tools, no guidance, and no real chance of success. He tried everything he could think of, punishing himself endlessly for failing a task that was never within his power to complete.

Regulus doomed him. Instead of empowering Kreacher to carry out his wishes, Regulus turned his act of “redemption” into a lifelong burden for someone who had no choice but to carry it.

Step 3: He told no one.

Now here’s where Regulus truly shines in sabotage disguised as sacrifice. Whether it was arrogance, misplaced pride, or a refusal to meaningfully contribute to Voldemort’s downfall, he ensured that the secret he uncovered—the one that could have turned the war on its head—was buried right alongside him.

Perhaps the poor boy couldn’t stomach the idea of contacting Dumbledore or joining the resistance. Maybe the thought of lowering himself to grovel before the Order, confessing his sins, and actually helping was too much for his delicate pure-blood ego.

But what, then, compelled him to entomb such precious knowledge alongside his corpse? Would it have killed him—again—to ensure Kreacher delivered the locket and its significance to someone who could actually do something about it?

Instead, Regulus left behind nothing but a moody breakup note to Voldemort that helped absolutely no one.

“I hope you will be mortal once more.” Oh yes, that glorified Dear John letter. Maybe he thought his scathing parting words would haunt Voldemort forever. Perhaps Tom was meant to reread it late at night, questioning his life choices.

3. What Could Have Been

Regulus had options. So many options. The fact that he chose the least effective course of action is almost impressive in its sheer incompetence.

He could’ve swallowed his pride and gone to Dumbledore. Say what you will about the man, but Dumbledore was Voldemort’s greatest fear for a reason. Armed with Regulus’s intel, Dumbledore could’ve started breaking apart the Horcrux network years earlier, crippling Voldemort before Harry was even born.

He could’ve warned the Order. Regulus could’ve shared this revelation with his brother. He could’ve even scrawled a quick, anonymous note: “Voldemort made Horcruxes. Here’s one.” That alone could’ve shifted the entire war.

He could’ve destroyed the locket himself. With access to cursed objects, forbidden magic, and centuries of pure-blood knowledge, Regulus had the resources to figure it out.

If Regulus had simply done nothing—if he had left the Horcrux untouched in Voldemort’s lair, waiting for someone more competent to find it—it still would’ve been a better choice than what he did. At least then, it wouldn’t have been stashed in a location even less traceable than Voldemort’s own cursed lake.

4. The Fallout of Failure

Regulus didn’t just fail—he left behind a colossal mess for others to clean up.

Kreacher suffered for decades. The loyal house-elf blamed himself for a failure that was never his fault. Regulus didn’t just abandon the locket—he abandoned Kreacher to a lifetime of guilt and self-inflicted punishment.

The Order fought blind. Deprived of any knowledge about Voldemort’s Horcruxes, the Order spent years floundering in the dark, waging desperate battles against Death Eaters while the true key to victory—Voldemort’s immortality—remained untouched.

The Trio cleaned up his mess. Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent months hunting down a Horcrux that could’ve been destroyed decades earlier. Their entire mission to find and destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes was prolonged and made infinitely harder.

5. Fandom’s Saint of Aesthetic Suffering

In the end, Regulus was just a boy who stumbled onto a world-shattering discovery, fumbled it completely, and left behind a legacy so utterly useless that it took sheer dumb luck to untangle long after his dramatic exit. Regulus’s actions didn’t just delay Voldemort’s defeat—they actively sabotaged the resistance.

But none of this matters. Fandom doesn’t love Regulus for his actions—it loves him for his aesthetic.

A brooding boy with tragic eyes, a flair for melodrama, and three vague lines of backstory ripe for fans to twist into epic sagas of angst and redemption—and to demand the rest of us bow down in worship of their self-styled martyr.

[maravdrs]

happiness is a butterfly . . .

　　　ᯓ 　my desired realities . . .

1920s wizarding　⁀➴　orion black i 　　kathryn colibri is a former ravenclaw prefect who now teaches at hogwarts. she teaches muggle studies (and the muggle art and music classes). she is in love with her closest friend, orion perseus black i, who is a former slytherin and wannabe auror.

being human　⁀➴　john mitchell 　　kathryn has just moved to bristol for a job opportunity. she is unaware of the supernatural that lives amongst her and that she, too, is part of that world as a witch. she's always had visions, she just never knew what they meant until her neighbor john graciously listened.

bridgerton　⁀➴　benedict bridgerton 　　kathryn kingsleigh has recently been uprooted from the lower echelons of society and thrusted into the spotlight. the american barely understands the vernacular and is written about in the most prominent gossip column quite often because of it. she finds comfort in sneaking away from the ballrooms and admiring the art with a certain benedict bridgerton.

bg3　⁀➴　gale dekarios 　　kathryn is a half-elf who never imagined the fate of the world would fall on her (and a group of tadpole-infested strangers). as she navigates the unfamiliar faerûn, she finds herself relying more and more on the well-read wizard, gale dekarios... who just so happens to have a magical affliction that needs curing.

game of thrones　⁀➴　daenerys targaryen 　　kathryn nereides resides in a kingdom outside of westeros. marin, the 'weeping isles' as most say, is a prosperous nation with various trading posts. she is their new heir. however, instead of preparing, she is more curious about the woman continents away; daenerys targaryen.

house of the dragon　⁀➴　rhaenyra targaryen 　　kathryn hart finds herself in the middle of a war after illegally marrying the rightful heir and queen rhaenyra targaryen. the red priestess and the usurped monarch must come together to gain back the throne.

lord of the rings　⁀➴　none 　　kathryn of the shire is a half-elf raised by hobbits. when gandalf sends frodo baggins on a daunting quest, she is entrusted to follow and protect him (and his friends).

modern hotd　⁀➴　rhaenyra targaryen 　　kathryn hart is an indie musician who has been dating soccer star (and heir to a massive family fortune) rhaenyra targaryen. the two are very chaotic on social media and hardly ever are apart.

marauders college　⁀➴　pandora rosier 　　kathryn spindle is the first of her family to be seen in public in a generation. she is a skilled occlumen and seer. her twin brother, cathan, is a skilled legilimen. the two gryffindors often speak telepathically. pandora rosier is the first person to show interest in kathryn since arriving.

marvel　⁀➴　thor odinson 　　kathryn was raised on earth her entire life. she had no knowledge of anything abnormal. that was, until, her grandfather admitted when she was older that she came from a star . . . having hit the earth as a young child, like a meteor would. she does not understand the extent of her powers but she does know that the random asgardian at her door, thor odinson, might be able to help her figure her past out.

outlander　⁀➴　jamie fraser 　　kathryn wilburn accidentally time-traveled to the 1700s on her vacation in scotland. she had no choice but to follow a group of scotsmen, even as they whispered that she may be a spy. to save herself from english law, she married a wanted man to become a scot; jamie fraser.

ramazith's tower　⁀➴　rolan 　　kathryn has never known of another life besides the high forest. she did wish to travel but never on her own. so, when her mother asks if she'd like to visit her old grove, she quickly accepts. once in the emerald grove, kathryn meets tiefling refugees who have suffered from the fall of elturel. one grumpy wizard catches her eye, rolan, and she ends up trying way too hard to help him out.

rivals　⁀➴　declan o'hara 　　kathryn webber moved to rutshire for a new life . . . but it didn't exactly work out. she now works at a library, reading up on the culture (even more than she did before moving). she decides to get out more and, after meeting taggie o'hara, she ends up volunteering at promotional events for a new company called venturer. that's where she meets the tv journalist, declan o'hara.

the hobbit　⁀➴　kíli 　　kathryn of rivendell is a normal half-elf who works as an archivist and translator. she expects her life to be calm, but that quickly changes when the company arrives. after translating their map, elrond asks her to follow the dwarves since they will not heed his warnings. she ends up finding the prince kíli more than interesting, even with his hesitance to trust elves.

the last kingdom��⁀➴　finan 　　kathryn ragnarsdottir was born a saxon but raised a dane. after the death of her father, whom she does not remember, she was raised by ragnar ravnsson and his family. when he passed, she and her older brother, uhtred, had to go on the run. they were being wrongfully framed for his death. they ended up heading to winchester, where the saxon king lived. uhtred pledged himself and kathryn stayed there as collateral. she learned the saxon language and culture, becoming a skilled negotiator and translator. after fourteen years in winchester, she left to live with her brother in a small town he governed. she was more than happy to live there due to the presence of finan, her brother's closest friend.

the witcher　⁀➴　yennefer & jaskier 　　kathryn of kaer morhen knows only a few things: she is a half-elf, a sage, and a witcher. after being raised in kaer morhen, she wishes to explore and help people. her brother-figure, geralt, only will let her travel if he comes along. what they both don't expect is for her to fall for a flirtatious bard (jaskier) and a powerful sorceress (yennefer).

vikings　⁀➴　aethelstan ecberting 　　kathryn sturlasdottir is the ambassador for kattegat. she helps king ragnar and keeps the peace. when king ecbert went back on a deal, she attends the meeting in wessex to find out how they can rectify this. it ends with her being proposed to ecbert's youngest son, aethelstan.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Any HC's or theories on Regulus Black?

Hi! This was a really fun ask actually and I ended up blabbering a lot about Regulus Arcturus Black because I have thoughts.

Okay, so I'm going to do something similar to what I did with Theodore Nott since there isn't a lot of info about Regulus, but there's a lot implied and I love extrapolating. I think Regulus is a fascinating character that can be read in multiple ways (part of the fun!)

It got a bit long, but here are my thoughts about him:

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

“Leave?” Sirius smiled bitterly and ran a hand through his long, unkempt hair. “Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal . . . my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them . . . that’s him.” Sirius jabbed a finger at the very bottom of the tree, at the name REGULUS BLACK. A date of death (some fifteen years previously) followed the date of birth. “He was younger than me,” said Sirius, “and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded.” “But he died,” said Harry. “Yeah,” said Sirius. “Stupid idiot . . . he joined the Death Eaters.” [...] “No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the Wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having purebloods in charge. They weren’t alone either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colors, who thought he had the right idea about things. . . . They got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first.”

(OotP, 112)

So, first, we have some background. Regulus Black was the younger brother of Sirius. Part of the main male line of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

What we know of Sirius' childhood is that the Blacks were pure-blood fanatics. From Elladrora who hung house-elf heads on the wall to Araminata who billed the ministry to legalize muggle-hunting. Not to mention the Blacks' tendency to disown and disinherit anyone who doesn't fall in line with their standards of purity. They are, after all, "Always Pure".

So Regulus grew up wealthy in a family that considered themselves magical nobility (and probably are, in that I think they have a family Wizengamot membership). He never lacked anything, but his childhood came with expectations, more so after Sirius left.

I've seen many write Walburga and Orion as abusive, but I don't think they cursed their children. I don't think they were great parents, but I truly believe they never raised a wand (or hand) against one of their sons. What I think they did, was heft some impossible standards on their sons.

Sirius is the eldest, the heir, therefore as children, he would've carried most of these expectations. Sirius would be the one Walburga and Orion dotted after. Kreature says Sirius leaving broke Waburga's heart and I honestly believe it to be true. I think Sirius was Walburga's favorite. The eldest, the brightest, the cleverest, the most handsome. The brightest star in the night sky.

Regulus, as a child, would always come second. He would see his brother cause havoc and get all their parents' attention, so, in his bid to get attention too, he did the opposite of Sirius. If Sirius got attention for being a rebel, Regulus would follow each and every standard their parents put down to the latter. This is something you see in many families, each sibling wants to have their own "niche" so they tend to do the opposite of the sibling that came before them. And that's exactly what we see with Regulus. Sirius was the rebel, so Regulus became the dutiful, obedient perfect pure-blood son his mother wanted to win her affection and differentiate himself from Sirius.

These comparisons between them Sirius mentioned, they probably went both ways. Walburga reminded Sirius of how dutiful and reliable Regulus is and "Why can't you be more like your brother," but Regulus heard the exact same sentence. "Why can't you be as witty/talented as you're brother".

And after Sirius left, I think these comparisons got worse. I think Walburga and Orion talked about Sirius constantly after he left.

I believe Sirius and Regulus were actually close as young children and started growing apart once Sirius started school. Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor was a new point of tension in the home. The constant comparisons they both heard to each other made resentment grow and after Sirius left, Regulus couldn't speak to his parents without hearing "Oh, Sirius would say this" and "Sirius would think that" I think that resentment and bitterness got worse. So, he did what he always did to differentiate himself from Sirius — be the perfect Slytherin pure-blood.

I think this helped his decision to join the Death Eaters. Not the only factor, mind you, I don't think it's Sirius' fault Regulus joined the Death Eaters, it was still Regulus' decision. But I think the situation at home after Sirius left factored into it.

Who was Regulus as a person?

Now I want to talk a little bit more about Regulus' personality before covering his untimely end everyone is familiar with.

It was a pompous little sign, neatly lettered by hand the sort of thing that Percy Weasley might have stuck on his bedroom door. Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black

(DH, 163)

They moved over the threshold together, gazing around. Regulus’s bedroom was slightly smaller than Sirius’s, though it had the same sense of former grandeur. Whereas Sirius had sought to advertise his diffidence from the rest of the family, Regulus had striven to emphasize the opposite. The Slytherin colors of emerald and silver were everywhere, draping the bead, the walls, and the windows. The Black family crest was painstakingly painted over the bed, along with its motto, TOUJOURS PUR. Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cuttings, all stuck together to make a ragged collage. Hermione crossed the room to examine them. “They’re all about Voldemort,” she said. “Regulus seems to have been a fan for a few years before he joined the Death Eaters . . . ” A little puff of dust rose from the bedcovers as she sat down to read the clippings. Harry, meanwhile, had noticed another photograph: a Hogwarts Quidditch team was smiling and waving out of the frame. He moved closer and saw the snakes emblazoned on their chests: Slytherins. Regulus was instantly recognizable as the boy sitting in the middle of the front row: He had the same dark hair and slightly haughty look of his brother, though he was smaller, slighter, and rather less handsome than Sirius had been. “He played Seeker,” said Harry.

(DH, 164)

I believe you can learn a lot about a person from their living space. Regulus' (and Sirius') bedrooms remained unchanged by their parents from the moment they left them. As Regulus died when he was 18 or 19 the room is frozen as it was when it served him. So, what does Regulus' bedroom tell us about him?

Harry refers to the sign on the door as something pompous, and written in a nice handwriting. I believe the sign was put up when Regulus was younger, specifically against Sirius. It's one of these signs children put on their doors specifically against their annoying siblings who steal their stuff or rummage through it. And even after they grew out of it, after Sirius left, Regulus kept the sign up. I think he couldn't really muster to put it away even once Sirius wasn't around to poke into his room anymore.

As I mentioned above, Regulus tried to be the opposite of Sirius and decorated his room accordingly. The most Slytherin pure-blood child of Hosue Black there could be. The Hogwarts memorabilia is some of that perfect Slytherin son image, but it's also really sad. It's a reminder of just how young Regulus was when he died. Sure, he would've probably kept a lot of it as an adult, but it's unlikely he would've displayed Slytherin banners and pictures of the Quidditch team in the same way long after school was over. But Regulus graduated a year before his death, he didn't have time to grow up and grow away from his school experiences. So his room, like him, is stuck at 19.

The Black family crest and motto painted above the bed is another extra mile to show Regulus' dedication to being the perfect son, the perfect child his mother wanted. I headcanon this was painted after Sirus left. A sort of sign to say that Regulus wouldn't leave. That he cares about his family.

Harry also mentioned Regulus was a Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team, according to his seating in the photo. It doesn't tell us much more about Regulus, I think it's just more of him trying to please his parents. That and I think he genuinely liked Quidditch, which is a fun little tidbit.

Now, we don't know much about Regulus at school, but I'd say he was a good student. He wasn't as naturally talented and gifted as Sirius, but Regulus knew to work his ass off. The neat handwriting on the door sign is probably his, I bet he had really organized notes in school that everyone wanted to copy. Regulus as the second best to Sirius, would be more of a hard worker than Sirius in general and strive for perfection in his school work out of his desire for attention and recognition from his parents.

Now, let's talk about the newspaper clippings elephant in the room...

Regulus the Death Eater

Sirius said his parents thought Voldemort had the right idea about muggles and muggleborns, and it's clear Regulus agreed with them. Regulus was a Voldemort fanboy before he became a Death Eater, yes, the circumstances he grew up with and his resentment towards Sirius were part of it, but it was a choice he made. He thought it was a good idea, he thought muggles and muggleborns should know their place. I think there are a lot of parallels between Regulus Black and Draco Malfoy, especially when Kreature talks about how Regulus was at first as a Death Eater:

“Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress’s heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper order; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood. For years he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns . . . and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so proud, so happy to serve . . . And one day, a year after he joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said . . . he said . . . ” The old elf rocked faster than ever. “. . . he said that the Dark Lord required an elf.” […] “Oh yes,” moaned Kreacher. “And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honor, said Master Regulus, an honor for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do . . . and then to c-come home.” Kreacher rocked still faster, his breath coming in sobs.

(DH, 168-169)

Like Draco, Regulus was proud to be a Death Eater, excited to do something against the "filthy mudbloods" plaguing their society. He considered helping Voldemort an honor. A good thing. Same as how Draco talks about it at first. But like we see with Draco in book 6, that it became too much for him, that he was having mental breakdowns in the toilet with Myrtle, I think Regulus experienced something similar.

He grew up spoiled, well-treated, well-mannered. He wasn't raised a soldier, a killer. I don't think Regulus had it in him, same as Draco. He couldn't bear to torture and kill.

Regulus, Kreature, and Empathy

The other interesting note in the above quotes is "Master Regulus always liked Kreacher". I find this adorable and jarring. We see how Sirius treats Kreature, he doesn't treat him as an equal being, he treats him like a slave, like a house-elf. Sirius does it because that's how he was raised to see house-elves, even the Weasleys think of house-elves in this way. It's a societal thing. But Regulus doesn't.

Regulus is kind to Kreature, and cares about him, likes him. It's kind of insane for a blood-purist Death Eater to show affection for a house-elf, especially the kind of affection in which Regulus chose to die instead of torturing his elf (his choice to die had other factors in it, and I'll get to it later). It's just, I don't know, the dynamic Regulus and Kreature had is really precious to me, okay?

Like, the fact it could happen goes to show how compassionate Regulus was even with his bigoted views and choice to become a Death Eater. Sirius calls Regulus "soft" and I think he is 100% right. Regulus was the "softer" and more empathetic of the two brothers. That softness doesn't mean he didn't think muggles and muggleborns are lesser and chose to become a Death Eater on his own accord. But that empathy is what probably made him uncomfortable among Death Eaters and get cold feet once he saw what was going on inside.

I imagine Kreature and Regulus were friendly for years. Kreature has served the Hosue of Black for a good while, which means he likely raised Regulus and Sirius. I think he helped with Regulus more than with Sirius, just because of how they reacted to him differently. Also, Waburga and Orion probably had less attention to give to Regulus when he was just born as Sirius was still really young then (a year or a year and a half old), so their attention would be more divided and Kreature would help more. I headcanon when Regulus was a young child Kreature would, like, sneak him extra desert and such and a young Sirius would complain he's not getting any.

How do we know what happened to him?

“Was he killed by an Auror?” Harry asked tentatively. “Oh no,” said Sirius. “No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort’s orders, more likely, I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don’t just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It’s a lifetime of service or death.”

(OotP, 112)

Now, what's interesting about this quote is how Sirius found this out. Why would he know that's what happened? Who could he have spoken to that would've known to tell him this?

Voldemort killing traitors is known, and many other characters mention it, but who would know Regulus turned traitor?

Other Death Eaters. Specifically, highly valued Death Eaters that are related to Regulus, like Bellatrix, who happened to be in Azkaban with Sirius.

I believe Sirius "found out" from Bella or other Death Eaters in a neighboring cell who told him that's what happened. I just don't really see any other way he'd come to this conclusion on his own. It's either that or wishful thinking on Sirius' part.

I think the inner circle Death Eaters were told Regulus was killed for treachery but nothing beyond that. I didn't really write about how I think the Dark Mark works, but I think it allows Voldemort to magically know when a Death Eater dies (and a bit more). I don't think he knew how Regulus died, just that he did. But Sirius mentioned he knew Regulus betrayed Voldemort, it means someone had to know. It means Voldemort likely knew Regulus was a traitor and told some of his Death Eaters. The same ones Sirius was in Azkaban with.

Regulus' betrayal and Death

“So what happened when you got back?” Harry asked. “What did Regulus say when you told him what happened?” “Master Regulus was very worried, very worried,” croaked Kreacher. “Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then . . . it was a little while later . . . Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell . . . and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord. . . . “ […] “And he made you drink the poison?” said Harry, disgusted. But Kreacher shook his head and wept. Hermione’s hands leaped to her mouth: She seemed to have understood something. “M—Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had,” said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. “And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets . . . ” Kreacher’s sobs came in great rasps now; Harry had to concentrate hard to understand him. “And he order—Kreacher to leave—without him. And he told Kreacher—to go home—and never to tell my Mistress—what he had done—but to destroy— the first locket. And he drank—all the potion—and Kreacher swapped the lockets—and watched . . . as Master Regulus . . . was dragged beneath the water. . . and . . . “

(DH, 171)

To the Dark Lord I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B.

(HBP, 609)

So, there are a few things to talk about here:

1. Why did Regulus choose to betray Voldemort when he did? What changed?

As I mentioned above, I think Regulus was always empathetic, just not towards muggleborns (at least until he saw torture first-hand perhaps?), but he was towards Kreature. That worry over Kreature, that's the first big seed of doubt about Voldemort. Regulus cares a lot about Kreature and he's clearly clever. He's smart enough to realise Voldemort must think Kreature is dead so it'll be better if he didn't see Kreature, hence why he told the elf not to leave the house.

I think seeing Keature in a state after he was in the cave is what really caused the shift in how Regulus thinks about Voldemort. I think there were doubts before, I don't think Regulus was ever on board with being the one to torture and murder, he doesn't strike me like the sort, but as long as he didn't really need to partake and it was only "filthy mudbloods" he could kinda excuse it to himself. And whenever a pure-blood was killed or tortured (the first war killed more pure-bloods than muggleborns) he could excuse that too, "they were against us, after all". But then Kreature was hurt too, it was the final nail for Regulus. That's what he couldn't excuse to himself as "justified" anymore.

So Regulus continues being a Death Eater, but he is suspicious, he doesn't trust Voldemort's goals are what he always promised them, and he is uncertain about the means being justified anymore. He is unsure if he is willing to go as far as Voldemort is. So he watches, and study, and waits for his chance.

And that chance came when he found out about the Horcruxes.

After Regulus finds out about the Horcruxes Kreature describes him as "disturbed in the mind" and "strange", it's clear the something rattled him. A lot.

I think finding out Voldemort made a Horcrux pushed Regulus' betrayal to happen. Like, I think Horcruxes are very taboo magic, even among wizards who practice the dark arts. As I mentioned in the past, you need to essentially kill yourself to make a Horcrux. I think messing with your life and soul is considered perverse and twisted even for dark wizards, and Horcruxes even more so. I mean, I think it's uncomfortable to learn you swore your allegiance to someone who's willing to kill himself to gain immortality. It means that someone would stop at nothing to achieve their wishes.

And Regulus is already disenchanted with how far Voldemort is willing to go for goals he isn't even certain of anymore, and then he discovers the Horcrux. A magical item that says that as far as Voldemort went with the war, he could go further, because he is a man who'd stop at nothing, not even self-mutilation is too high a tool for him. That is frightening. Following the orders of someone like that, someone who doesn't care for you and is never going to say "maybe this is too far" is terrifying. The idea of someone like that ruling a government is even worse... no wonder Regulus turned traitor the moment he learned about the Horcrux...

So I think finding out about the Horcrux is why Regulus decided to turn on Voldemort and destroy the Horcrux.

As you can tell, his opinions on muggles or muggleborns aren't the main factor I believe changed Regulus' mind. The means, and how far Voldemort was willing to go is what mostly caused the change of heart. I think Regulus had too much heart for it, even if he thought muggles and muggleborns lesser, he took no sadistic joy in others' pain the way some Death Eaters do. And seeing pure-bloods like him could be hurt in the same way (the Order were mostly pure-bloods), I think was especially abhorrent to him.

2. Why did Regulus choose death?

Regulus chose to drink the potion because he wanted to spare Kreature. This is the same kindness and empathy that I've already discussed, but he could've ordered Kreature to take him back home, nothing stopped him from doing that... and Kreature would've, happily so. So why didn't he?

In the letter Regulus outright said he'd be dead by the time Voldemort reads it, he went into the cave with the full intention to die, he never planned to leave. Kinda like how Harry walked into the forest in Deathley Hallows... but why? Why did he choose death?

I think Regulus chose to die because he knew he wouldn't be able to hid his treachery from Voldemort. I mentioned already I believe Voldemort told his inner circle Death Eaters that Regulus turned traitor and died for it. Voldemort knowing Regulus is a traitor makes Regulus' decision to die make more sense.

The phrase "I want you to know it was I", makes me think Voldemort suspected someone had learned of his Horcruxes but didn't know who. Maybe Voldemort suspected there was a traitor who knew about the Horcruxes, and after Regulus died Voldemort investigated after the fact and figured it was Regulus that turned traitor. Maybe he even checked on the cave and saw Regulus was dead there, so he didn't bother to check on the Horcrux. I don't think he would've expected Kreature to have been there too, otherwise, he'd see no reason for Regulus to be dead. Because for Voldemort, it wouldn't make sense to allow yourself to die like that, he wouldn't really understand why anyone would choose to die if they had the choice.

So Regulus even kept the secret of the Horcrux being taken at all by his death.

Additionally, Regulus chose to die and take out the Horcrux while doing it to avoid being tortured and killed by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. By dying, he also protected his family from being hunted down to try and locate him. He died to protect himself and everyone he cared about from the treatment of Death Eater traitors. Which we know is not pleasant...

3. How did Regulus find out about the Horcruxes?

This is something I'm less sure of and is foraying into heavier speculation. The only hint we really get is: "I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret" from his letter, but what exactly does this mean?

Well, Kreature told Regulus everything he saw. He told him a locket was placed in a cave filled with magical protections. Kreature's information about the locket is probably how Regulus made/bought the replica. But how from "well protected magical item" Regulus reached the conclusion that it's a Horcrux? How did he discover the secret?

I don't know how he was discovered, as for the Horcrux, I have a guess.

Regulus said he discovered the secret, I think what he did was piecing the puzzle together not unlike Dumbledore. He knew from Kreature that Voldemort had an item he guards very securely, he might've heard from Bellatrix that Voldemort is immortal since I'm pretty confident she was told what the cup in her vault is. And I think Regulus, as a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and a clever enough dark wizard, could trace a book about Horcruxes and figure out that's likely what the locket is.

Some random headcanons

1. I think Regulus could be just as much of a little shit as Sirius. I mean, there's a certain edge to how he words his note. I like to think, that when they were young, before Hogwarts, they'd pull pranks together in balls or other stuffy functions and get in trouble together.

2. I have little to no basis for this headcanon, but I'd like to think the painting of the Black family crest and motto above Regulus' bed was painted by Rregulus. I mean, he can do nice calligraphy on the sign on his door, I see no reason he couldn't also paint.

3. And finally, to a kinda sad headcanon, Harry actually saw Regulus in the cave:

the wandlight had slid over a fresh patch of water and showed him, this time, a dead man lying faceup inches beneath the surface, his open eyes misted as though with cobwebs, his hair and his robes swirling around him like smoke.

(HBP, 565)

I assume most of the corpses are muggles, and most of them are actually described as worse for wear than the one robe-wearing wizard corpse Harry describes above. For these reasons, I believe this corpse is Regulus. It's a sad thought, but it crossed my mind when I read this passage in my recent HBP reread.

[veritas-scribblings]

fray - @black-brothers-microfic - words: 996

[note: I will never not love writing Sirius from Lucius Malfoy's point of view. Also, this is an excerpt from a longer Lucius POV, Regulus POV and Draco POV fic I'm writing that I may very well just keep to myself, because it's precious to me. But I enjoy this scene because Lucius is so disdainful of Sirius, so have it anyway.]

They’re crossing the Quad on their way back to the Slytherin dungeons when they hear shouts of outrage coming from somewhere in the nearby corridor just through the entranceway. Lucius groans and rolls his eyes in exasperation because this is just what he needs. Someone, probably first-years or second-years from the sounds of the squabbling voices, has chosen to start a fight just as their shift is ending.

Lucius recognises the boy with his silky black hair and his stormy grey eyes and that familiar riotous, cock-sure expression on his face. He’s an unholy terror. A rumbustious nightmare who the Blacks have unsuccessfully attempted to reign in and keep in line. Orion has stopped bringing him to the manor ‘on business’ because the boy is an embarrassment who frequently sasses Abraxas and was last caught attempting to sneak sweets to the Malfoy’s house elf. 

"Say it again! Go on, say it again!" The little hellion is on top of what looks like a fellow second-year, furiously boxing the other boy around the head because the idiot has apparently forgotten he’s a wizard.

"Say it! Say it! Go on!" he screams shrilly. There’s a menacing, unhinged ring to his voice that is emblematic of the Blacks. He pulls out his wand, presses the tip against the throat of the boy he’s sitting on, who is smaller and paler, almost sickly looking. "James, hold him down. If he’s not going to say it, I’ll just wash his mouth out with a Scourgify."

Lucius grabs the collar of the closest boy—James, apparently—and drags him off. His hands are stronger now, though there’s still a twinge of protest at the weight they’re being asked to bear.

"Keep fighting, kid," he warns when James thrashes, "and you’ll send the rest of the year in detention scrubbing toilets with your tongue."

"Well," Narcissa says firmly, "care to explain which spirit of insanity has possessed you, Sirius? Or have you lost all common sense due to the amount of time you’re spending around Gryffindors." She has Sirius by the arm and is dragging him away from the boy he had been pummelling. 

"His face offended me," Sirius bites back.

"Really? That’s pathetic, even for you. Try again." Narcissa's tone is dangerously sharp. She has the energy a viper about her, like she’s ready to strike. Unlike Andromeda, who seems to find Sirius rather entertaining, Narcissa has always borne Sirius’s behaviour like a personal slight against her House. 

The Slytherin boy pulls himself to his feet. Straightens his robes. Runs his fingers through his limp, greasy hair. His name is Severus, Lucius learnt, from all the times the boy has followed him around like a lost shadow. He’s a tiny thing, spindly, gaunt like he’s barely been fed or watered or sunned his whole life. He scowls at Sirius and just barely manages to look threatening. 

"I had the misfortune of being downwind of him. I just suggested that he wash his hair, because personal hygiene and all. It’s not my fault he took offence," Sirius says, eyeing Severus with more than a little disdain, "but then again, maybe I should have been more sensitive. From the state of his robes, I assume he can’t afford shampoo, can he."

"He called us—" James starts to argue, but Sirius elbows his friend sharply in the ribs. A silent conversation passes between the two boys. Lucius can only assume that James wants to tell the truth whereas Sirius has always been mistrustful of authority and is the kind to continue poking the irate dragon just to see whether it’ll attack. Sirius turns away and stares defiantly up at Narcissa, challenging her to even try him.

Lucius clears his throat. "As riveting as this all is," he drawls, "I honestly do not care why you decided to throw fists like a savage. That’s your own business. Twenty points from Gryffindor each and if you have any qualms—"

"—excuse me, what about him?" Sirius exclaims, and gesticulates wildly in Severus’s direction.

"—and you can raise any qualms you might have with Professor McGonagall. Standard procedure, of course, is to bring matters of violence to your Head of House." Lucius pauses and cannot resist a mild smile. It may be petty of him, but he’d been on his way back to the Slytherin dungeons and the inconvenience of dealing with the little Black boy grates at his nerves. "Alternatively, if you would like to avoid your inevitable detention, I would be happy to write to your father about this matter and we can leave natural consequences in his hands. I know how Blacks like to deal with their own…delinquents…internally."

Sirius huffs. He doesn’t say anything. After a sidelong glance at James, he seems to accept his fate. But Sirius has always been proud, and so he tips his chin up and meets their gaze and straightens. Holds himself high.

Lucius doesn’t blame him. It’s no secret that Orion and Walburga have no love for the boy. He’s a simple creature entirely lacking in survival instinct who never learnt to play the game. Instead, he just screams blindly into a void and hopes that something will come out of it.

Lucius has never understood why Andromeda is so fond of him.

Narcissa elbows past Lucius. "The least you could have done is use your wand like a civilised wizard," Narcissa says firmly, grabbing Sirius’s upper arm and dragging him down the hall. "Come on, we’re going to McGonagall."

James trails after them looking like he wants to hex Narcissa for touching Sirius, but is conflicted about whether or not it’s a wise decision in light of their current dilemma.

"And I will be writing your father about this," Narcissa continues. "Brawling in the halls is unbecoming of a Black." Sirius doesn’t resist. He just gives her a glare so venomously pure and absolute that Lucius is almost surprised she doesn’t simply dissolve from it.

[professorshape]

My mind is full of BG3 but as my laptop is shitting the bed and I cannot get to decent Wi-Fi until Monday, I must sit and stew and write my ideas instead of playing with my favorite gay people. So here are my little thoughts.

I love the way that the characters names have something to do with their pasts. Gale is from a sea fairing city, so he is named after strong wind that pushes the sails of ships. unseen forces moving massive instruments. I wish we were able to actually meet his mother, she a spit fire!

Wyll's will is such a strong theme for his character, discipline is a key part of his character, despite being a warlock and under the hand of literal devil. A name also reflects massively on what the parent wants for that child. Very few parents will name their child shit burrito for good reason. I sometimes wonder if Wyll's mother, Francesca Ravengard, wanted to name Wyll Wyll. I wonder if she had other ideas, and dreams for her son before she passed. She might have been perfectly healthy up until the end, but labor is like battle and there is no sure chance one will come out alive. I sometimes think of the nights Ulder Ravengard spent without Francesca Ravenguard, holding his son. I wonder if Wyll was ill and Ulder was faced with the reality he may lose his son as well as his wife in the span of a few weeks. I wonder if he could stand to be in the same room as his son or if he worshiped the baby, the only living thing left of his late wife. I think that Wyll is a perfect name of him.

Shadowheart was a name that Shadowheart gave to herself. At first it was proof of her devotion, to the point others in her cult laughed at her. But in the end the change of the name also aided the cult in tricking her, it pushed away her family's influence and memory, while also making her feel like she had agency, leading to further disassociation from her past. Names have so much connection to the past it is one of the only things that really remains from the baby you once were to the person you are now, if you choose to keep the name. I think that the cult pushed her to change her name, subtly or not. It is easier to sever that connection with a new name.

Astarion is interesting to me because it's not a name outside of cannon. it makes me think his parents were romantics, artists maybe. His name makes me think A Star Orion. Maybe he was named after a character in a book or play. I'm not a fan of his name being juvenile, that he was supposed to be renamed as an adult elf. He was a magistrate in Balder's Gate, this man had a big boy job sending big boy men to big boy prison and everything, let's not infantilize him lol. I do like the nickname Star, but i think he would hate it. The drunks he lead to Cazador would shorten his name with their weakened tongues so he is not a fan.

I think it is crazy that there aren't more bard wizards. There is magic all around us and we can manipulate it to the point of making godly headshots, but I can't make my spells more powerful by adding harmonies??? Honestly i wish there more stuff for bards, but I automatically go for bard anyway unless i am playing brick the barbarian.

It would be so fun to have special character reactions to having your character named after another. Just let me slap Mystra's face onto my Tav's face and give Gale and mini heart attack when he's pulled from the stone. I need to play around with the game and see if there are any limits to the names, we can give ourselves.

I think that Jaheira and Astarion would make a good pair, he could be useful as a night assassin, and it would keep him fed. Also, I feel like Jaheira would appreciate a companion with some reference to what happened years ago without it feeling like to grandmother's talking about the good old days. I usually turn my Astarion relationships into friendships, and i think having someone who wants connection and intimacy without sex would be good for Astarion. Stable but not too invasive. He still gets to have control over his body.

Anyway, there are my gay little thoughts before school takes over my life again!

[lulublack90]

Prompt 8 - Patronus

@wolfstarmicrofic September 8, word count 730

Previous part First Wolfstar part

“Sirius!” His father repeated. His book was left discarded on the floor as he leapt from his seat and wrapped his arms around his shocked son. Sirius bristled for a second before he relaxed a bit. Orion’s wand was on the side table and Sirius’s was in his hand. 

“Erm, hi,” Sirius squirmed uncomfortably. This was not going the way he’d thought it would. 

“Come, sit, sit!” Orion let him go and waved him towards the only other chair in the room. “Rorbey!” He bellowed, and the little elf appeared at once. 

“Yes, Master Orion,” He squeaked, bowing low. “Bring tea and cake, Sirius is home!” The broad smile on Orion’s face unnerved Sirius. He’d expected a fight of some sort or at least terse words, but Orion seemed over the moon to see him. Sirius had to school his face into neutrality when his thoughts almost made him snort. Rorbey popped back into the room, laden with a heavy tray. He quickly levitated it onto a table and then disappeared again. Orion made a show of pouring the tea just how Sirius liked it and handed the delicate china teacup and saucer over to Sirius. Sirius took it and awkwardly held it while Orion fixed his own. 

“I got your note,” Orion said more calmly, sipping from his cup. “Is Regulus? Is he really alive?” Orion swallowed his eyes raw with emotion. 

“Yes, he’s safe, he’s with me, hidden,” Sirius didn’t want to give anything away. Orion's teacup rattled on the saucer as his hands shook. He put it down and then wiped his eyes with a napkin. 

“I thought both of you were lost,” He admitted quietly. “There were rumours that you had disappeared along with your friend, I forget his name and so soon after Regulus’s death. Your Mother didn’t believe you were dead for a second but, but I wasn’t so sure. There was nothing, not even a whisper of you, and then I heard your scoff in Grimmauld and I knew for sure you were alive.” His eyes were waterier than usual and Sirius had to think carefully before he spoke. 

“I heard what you said about me and what she said. You didn’t seem to think I was dead then,” He narrowed his eyes. The stories didn’t add up. Orion sighed. 

“I had been to Gringotts earlier that day and the Goblins checked the inheritance line while I was there and your name was still showing as the heir. If you’d been dead, it wouldn’t have shown up.”

“I thought Reggie was the heir,” Sirius screwed up his face. The story was getting stranger and stranger. Orion shifted in his chair. 

“Ah, well, yes, I never did get around to doing what your mother asked me to do in regard to the line of succession.” He shrugged. Sirius’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. 

“Wait, what?! I’m still the heir?!” All these years, oh, Walburga was going to go spare. 

A sliver-blue wolf hurtled into the room, skidding to a stop in front of Sirius. It was Remus’s patronus. 

“Padfoot, she’s coming! You need to get out now!” Remus’s voice sounded from the wolf’s open mouth. 

“Quickly, have any of the death eaters got a new spring in their step since the incident at Lestrange Castle?” Sirius questioned his father urgently. Orion’s brow furrowed. “Please,” Sirius begged. “It’s vital. Please,” Orion nodded. His brow furrowed further as he thought. 

“The Crouch kid. The one that was friends with Regulus. Lucius’s nose is out of joint over it as he’s only young and apparently hasn’t earned the right to be as close to the Dark Lord as he is,” Orion was on his feet again and hugged Sirius close. “Call Rorbey if you need to contact me. He’s a good elf and won’t tell your mother,” Orion told him. “Be safe, I love you, tell Regulus the same,” Orion squeezed Sirius one more time. “Rorbey!” He called, and the elf came running. “Take Sirius wherever he wants immediately.”

“Orion!” Walburga called from down the hall. Sirius flinched at his mother's voice. 

“Go,” Orion urged him. Sirius was suddenly overcome with emotion and pulled his father back in for a hug. 

“I love you too,” He held out a hand and Rorbey whisked them away just as the handle on the Trophy Room door turned. 

Next part

[midnightstargazer]

Why did Regulus join the Death Eaters?

Note: Regulus is my problematic fave, and I love him. I'm starting with the assumption that he did genuinely support the Death Eaters at first, and was not forced to join. However, I'm also assuming he was a bit more complex than the average Death Eater and had some positive qualities, based on the ways Sirius and Kreacher describe him and the circumstances of his death.

under the cut because it's pretty long

Reasons I don't think fit:

Aside from what I've already mentioned, there are a few other potential motives, seen in other Death Eaters, that I don't think fit Regulus at all:

He was willing to turn against Voldemort, so I don't think he had the sort of deep personal loyalty to him that Bellatrix and Barty Jr. had.

He doesn't come across as especially bloodthirsty or prone to cruelty; Sirius and Kreacher's descriptions both suggest quite the opposite. I'm sure he did unpleasant things as a Death Eater and probably rationalized them as being necessary, but I doubt he joined mainly for an excuse to torture and kill people.

Even beyond not being forced to join, I find it hard to believe that he would have joined out of fear, or out of a pragmatic "he's going to win and I want to be on the winning side" sort of sentiment. I mean, come on, he literally chose to die a horrible death rather than keep working for Voldemort once he had turned against him. He was many things, but not a coward.

With that being said, there are three main factors that I think led him to join the Death Eaters:

Accepting his parents' ideology without question

This is literally the first thing we're told about Regulus. When Sirius mentions him to Harry, here's what he says:

"Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them..." (OotP, ch. 6)

This is repeated again in Kreacher's description of him:

"Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress's heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood." (DH, ch. 10)

In both cases, the two brothers are contrasted, and Regulus's conformity is mentioned in the context of Sirius's rebellion. Orion and Walburga were not Death Eaters, but their views aligned with the Death Eaters' goals, even if they didn't personally get involved in the war. So, by embracing his parents' ideology, Regulus ends up (mostly*) agreeing with the Death Eaters, and by rejecting it, Sirius ends up opposing them.

*I say mostly because, I don't know where Regulus got the idea that Voldemort was going to "bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns" (DH, ch. 10), but that's not standard Death Eater ideology. The Statute of Secrecy is not something they actually talk about much. Regulus's long-term goals would've probably made him better suited to be a follower of Grindelwald.

An "ends justifies the means" mindset

I said before that I didn't think he was a cruel or bloodthirsty person. This comes mainly from Sirius, who describes him as an "idiot" who "got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out" (OotP, ch. 6). Of course, he doesn't know the whole story, but he does know what sort of person his brother was. They grew up together. Sirius thinks he would've been hesitant about the Death Eaters' more extreme actions, and I see no reason not to take his word for it.

There's also the potion. It's hard to imagine the average Death Eater drinking it themselves, given the option to have a house-elf do it instead. Or an Imperiused Muggle, for that matter. Regulus either didn't consider those options or decided against them.

On the other hand, he knew the Death Eaters were violent terrorists when he joined them. His collage of newspaper clippings showed what sort of things they were doing. It couldn't have come as a surprise; it must have been something he was willing to accept.

So I don't think he enjoyed the Death Eaters' methods, but what I do think, is that he was able to excuse and justify them to himself. Including the stuff he participated in. He believed in their ideology, he thought they were going to change the world for the better, and he was okay with using violence to get there.

Personal ambition/desire to prove himself

When Dumbledore talks about Tom Riddle's school friends who became the first Death Eaters, he describes some of them as "the ambitious seeking some shared glory" (HBP, ch. 17) - this is the same sort of mindset that I think made the Death Eaters so appealing to Regulus.

He was in Slytherin, and I don't think that was a mistake. As courageous and self-sacrificing as his death was, it also shows great cunning and ambition. When he realized he was no longer willing to serve Voldemort, he planned out carefully when and how he was going to defy him to cause the most damage possible. If a few things had gone differently - if Kreacher had been able to destroy the locket and it had been the only Horcrux - then his actions could have made a huge impact on the war. And clearly, he wanted to be remembered, or he wouldn't have left a note.

As a younger sibling, Regulus was likely overshadowed by Sirius during their pre-Hogwarts childhood, and when he became the favorite, it was because Sirius had become too defiant and rebellious. He would likely have felt that he had something to prove, as the spare-turned-heir and the brother of a blood traitor.

He's also compared to Percy, who - despite being a Gryffindor - is one of the most ambitious characters in the series. Specifically, the note that he put on his door is described as something Percy might have done. I think this suggests that Regulus's relationship to Sirius was a bit like Percy's to the Weasleys: not completely devoid of affection, but something he would set aside in favor of his own self-interest and ambition. (of course, Percy eventually reconciles with his siblings, which has interesting implications for AUs where Regulus survives his betrayal of Voldemort, but that's another topic)

I imagine Regulus being desperate to prove himself, to live up to his family's expectations and even achieve more than they thought possible. And I think the Death Eaters in his life (Bellatrix, Lucius, possibly his school friends) could easily have used that desire to persuade him into joining.

tl;dr

He did it voluntarily, and not out of fear or pragmatism.

It also seems unlikely that he felt a strong personal loyalty to Voldemort.

He was taught a similar ideology at home and accepted it without question, while Sirius rejected it - leading them to end up on opposite sides of the war

I don't think he was necessarily thrilled with the Death Eaters' methods, but he was aware of them before joining and was willing to accept them, most likely with an "ends justifies the means" mindset

There are hints in canon that he was ambitious, and he likely felt he had something to prove after Sirius ran away and became a blood traitor.

Just my interpretation, but hopefully it makes sense.

[impcrios]

( lorenzo zurzolo | cis-man | he/him ) — was that regulus black passing through diagon alley? those close to them say they remind them of an intricate tapestry of names and constellations, a family crest that’s starting to crack, a broken family that you don’t know how to live or even die for, a toppled pedestal of what you once believed in, a bittersweet memory of two small boys in grimmauld place’s garden, which i suppose seems to fit slytherin alumni. they’re actually pretty self-preserved, loyal, and intuitive for a twenty-two year old, but i wonder if it serves them well when working as unspeakable. rumor has it that the pureblood is aligning with the death eaters. i wouldn’t have guessed… but this is a conversation we should be having somewhere else.

name — regulus arcturus black nickname(s) — reg, reggie name meaning — regulus: little king. arcturus: watcher, gaurdian. black: dark. age — twenty-two date of birth — july 23nd star signs — leo sun, scorpio moon, cancer rising place of birth — london, england sexual orientation — homosexual religion — atheist spoken language(s) — english, french, german occupation — unspeakable education level  —  hogwarts, unspeakable apprenticeship  residence — grimmauld place family — orion black ( father ), walburga black ( mother ), sirius black ( brother ), kreacher ( his elf )  finances — when the wixen class war begins eat regulus first boggart — sirius dead patronus — if he were happy : hippogriff ( he doesn’t deserve this but i’ve done the stupid quiz numerous times and get the same results ) those with this unusual patronus are truly unique in character. people with the hippogriff are fiercely loyal to those who earn their trust, often willing to go the extra mile for those who they care for. if you have a friend with the hippogriff it is likely they are the most loyal to you above all others. those with the hippogriff patronus are often very proud and self assured. they do not forgive insults easily. occasionally this pride can drift into arrogance and cause friction with those around you. the characteristic which makes it so rare to find people with the hippogriff is the large heart. not many people have such a large loving heart as those with this patronus, something very special indeed. wand — laurel wand with unicorn hair 14 inches, hard flexibility, a wand belonging to a skilled witch or wizard who is likely to be precise, focused, and capable of powerful, controlled magic, with the laurel wood signifying a strong sense of purpose and the unicorn hair core providing consistent and loyal magical output.

tw: i mean he's a death eater with death eater views , brief mention of drowning

while not the eldest nor the heir to the house of black regulus knows all about taking up the mantle and what it means to take up duties that should have gone to his older brother. if he thinks about it too much he swears that the rumoured black madness might actually be real. regulus’ mind was wired different, he used to think, at least. if it weren’t for family pride, he might have settled well in ravenclaw. but the thing about regulus is that he loves his family too much to ever truly swing any other way than towards his true north ( which has always been the house of black ). even still, regulus has always looked back for his brother, and if he couldn’t find him he’d look to the stars. 

regulus was a quiet boy growing up, he loved his alone time in grimmauld garden, often calling sirius to come look at the pretty flowers that were blooming, and if sirius didn’t come then he’d call for kreacher, who he loved. 

when he had gotten a toy broom for his birthday he knew that it would be one of his outlets for when the world seemed too much. regulus enjoyed flying he thought about how when he would go to hogwarts how perhaps sirius and him would be on the same team. while regulus never said he loved his brother growing up he would always show it in actions. talking about their future together, because there was no way that there wouldn’t be one without the other, regulus saw the whole world in sirius’s eyes. their family was always about loyalty and he was always loyal to his brother. 

things changed when sirius left to hogwarts, and was put in a different house. he thinks that was the start of the change within their family. regulus had always been self aware of himself, if not been drilled in by their parents growing up, he knew that he couldn’t do what his brother did. 

so, he did everything right. the only real indulgence he gave himself in hogwarts was being on the quidditch team. he became prefect and headboy, and attended every single slug club party and schmoozed his way into an easy apprenticeship with the unspeakables. regulus yearned for knowledge, but more so yearned for secrets that he could never tell. 

the first stirrings of the dark lord intrigued him. regulus might have been a calm and gentle child growing up but his love for knowledge and power called to him. while always on the outside looking in, he doesn’t fully trust voldemort, but regardless of whether he trusts him his name holds power and regulus has always been interested in looking at powerful men’s weakness. 

so far, the dark lord has found regulus favourable, he says things about regulus being the youngest death eater with the mark on his arm. forever branded by a mad man. 

regulus is not a good person, he still holds his pureblood views while also being such a contradiction in himself. he thinks that he knows himself well but he doesn’t even realize how utterly lost he is. there are some days when he thinks that he’d betray his mother and father for sirius, while thinking the next that kreacher and regulus will escape somewhere very far away together, but as it stands now : regulus is to be betrothed, have an heir, and carry on the black name. the perfect son, heavy on his shoulders of things that should have gone to his brother if he had stayed. 

quietly, he thinks that this is the gift that he could give his brother was freedom. the weight off his shoulders to carry on the noble house of black. 

in the end it won’t end up mattering much anyway. 

if regulus had any last thoughts, he would have thought of his brother, and all the time they did have together, how he should have cherished it more. there’s a memory of them in grimmauld place garden, calling to sirius because he wanted him there, just to hold his hand, his eyes ever searching for kreacher to hold his other hand. his favourite people. 

regulus, like icarus, flies too close to the sun – doomed to fail, and much like icarus, he drowns. 

his father has recently died and he’s been struggling with that becoming the new master of the house.

[oc-rp-blog]

Welcome to my rp blog!

- Hello! Here is all of my info that you might need:

- This blog is an Indie and non-selective rp blog for fantasy based and sci-fi based oc’s of mine

- Blog owner: @blood-of-the-eldritch-rp

- Mun and Muses are all 25+

- No minors (anyone under 18)! You will be blocked on sight!

- Be nice please! Do not rush replies!

- All muses have storylines that contain 18+ so if this bothers you, do not follow

Muse Info under the cut (wip):

Main Muses:

Simon: Mad scientist/doctor

Charlotte: Somnambulist/Spirit Speaker

Cressida: Cute Mage OC

Secondary Muses:

Olwin - Unicorn fae

Orion - Witch hunter

Morgaiyn - Sea elf

Lillia - Space opera based oc

Ubrias - Wizard’s apprentice

Tolkien OC’s:

Manó - Tolkien/Silmarillion OC, Maia of Mandos