#Orion–Cygnus Arm

[bimoonphases]

@wolfstarmicrofic September 6 - prompt 6: Time-Turner [word count 622]

It had become a sort of routine, the first night after they all came back to Hogwarts after spending the holidays apart. After the train ride, and the banquet, when they closed the door of their dorm, they kicked off their shoes and gathered on James’s bed. There, Sirius finally let the cheery mask he had worn since that morning drop and nestled in James’s arms, James delicately passing a hand in his hair. Remus kneeled at the bottom of the bed and slowly rolled up Sirius’s trousers, doing his best not to grimace at the sight of the new wounds appearing on the back of Sirius’s calves, and delicately applied a healing pomade Poppy gave him every Full, before bandaging them. Peter then carefully measured the right amount of drops of the Sleeping Draught he had brewed to give Sirius a good, dreamless night of sleep without knocking him out immediately. After that they all relaxed back on the pillows, or on James’s chest in Sirius’s case, and played the Time-Turner game.

“If I had a Time-Turner,” Peter was saying in that moment, “I would travel back and meet the founders of Hogwarts.”

“That would be cool,” Remus agreed. “I wonder how different they were to how they’ve been pictured in History.”

“I’m a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin, according to family lore,” Sirius yawned, the Sleeping Draught evidently close to achieving its goal. “So he must have been insanely hot too.”

“Of course, Pads,” James smiled, patting him on the head.

Remus caught himself nodding and stopped immediately, but not before Peter shot him a knowing look and he turned away, feeling his cheeks heat up. Damn that stupid crush of his on Sirius fucking Black of all people.

“If I had a Time-Turner,” James went on, “I would travel back and watch a Quidditch game when McGonagall played Chaser for Gryffindor.”

“That would be awesome!” Peter exclaimed. “Also, can you imagine her at our age?”

There was a moment of silence, then they all shook their heads laughing. Sirius managed to yawn mid-laugh and ended up closing his eyes, his nose buried  in James’s shirt.

“If I had a Time-Turner,” Remus said, “I would go back and meet Merlin himself.”

“I kind of imagine him like Dumbledore in a way. Maybe you would find out they’re related,” James smiled, moving his hand in Sirius’s hair. “Pads? Do you want to keep playing or are you asleep?”

“If I had a Time-Turner,” Sirius mumbled without even opening his eyes, “I would travel back and stop my mother and my Uncle Cygnus from murdering my Uncle Alphard, so that he could live on and take me and Regulus in.”

A stunned silence followed, the only sound Sirius’s snores. They looked at each other, eyes wide, each wondering if what they had just heard was true, each of them knowing deep down it was. Nothing was past the so-called Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and they were well placed to know not even their own members were safe. Remus’s hands balled into fists as James’s arms closed protectively around Sirius’s sleeping form.

“If I had a Time-Turner, I would go back and blast both Orion and Walburga Black out of existence,” Remus whispered.

He swallowed, his eyes moving from Sirius’s bandaged calves to his face, finally serene in his sleep. Peter leaned closer and silently pried Remus’s hands open just before he could break the skin.

“Unfortunately,” Remus went on, his voice trembling, “they did manage to make one of the things I love the most in this world and I would never want to lose him.”

He was grateful his friends chose just to nod and smile at him.

[luigilore]

[1:17 AM]

luigi's limbs and your own are entangled together, one of his arms thrown over your waist, pulling your back close against his chest. you haven't felt any movement from him except his rhythmic breathing and start to wonder if he's actually asleep until you feel his touch gently move across your bare shoulder.

his palm warmly slides across your spine and the direct contact makes you shiver a little- in a really good way. one of his fingertips moves across your back, almost like he's tracing something, but you can't quite discern what it is. still, the gesture itself makes you feel so incredibly endeared that something blooms inside of you that you can't entirely understand in the moment, something like overwhelming love. 

“what're you doing?” you mumble, voice hoarse from not speaking for a while. you stay with your back to luigi, not having the energy to turn around and face your boyfriend, and not wanting to mess up your current comfortable and cozy position.

he responds easily, his low voice makes your heart beat a little faster. “just tracing the constellations.” luigi continues softly, “this is orion.” you feel him gently trace a pattern along your skin. “and this is cygnus,” he says as his fingers continue to graze across your skin.

"i didn't know you knew the constellations," you smile, although not that surprised. you've known luigi long enough to not be shocked at all the things he somehow manages to know, the bits of knowledge he seeks out and retains.

you can hear the grin in his voice when he repsonds, "yeah, i had this big book of constellations when i was a kid. i read it all the time."

"it's all muscle memory now," he mutters, as tracing the same patterns he used to spot in the sky, his own little constellations, fingertips warm against your skin.

“feels nice," you sigh simply, enjoying his soft, warm touch. "show me another," you murmur, now turning your body to face him as he smiles widely at your request.

“this is cassiopeia.” luigi thumbs a small pattern on your skin that resembles a simple zig zag. “it’s supposed to be a seated queen.”

“let me try,” you find yourself surrounded by luigi's as your arms find their way around his neck. you trace a similar pattern to the one he showed you on his own bare shoulder blade. his eyes flutter shut as he shudders, “that was good, really good.” he says softly, eyes remaining closed but he's still smiling back at you, totally relaxed.

“good,” you whisper back, continuing to trace the zig zag pattern up and down his back, slowly lulling him into a content sleep. there's something satisfying watching luigi fall asleep. it's something he deserves but is not so often granted to him and you love that he feels safe and comfortable with you. you shift to return back to your original spooning position- but not before pressing a sweet kiss to his forehead.

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:2 C:44.3]

(Siffrin) [Loop] {Mal Du Pays} <Null>

[Polaris belongs to @neoncityrain ]

(Tonight was your favorite kind of night. It was a clear night, with every star in the sky shining bright. Stepping out from the inn, it struck you speechless. Not that you were speaking to anyone in the moment, but if you were, you'd have stopped.)

{. . . It, really was, beautiful. . .}

(Huh? That's, not something, I- w-well-)

{Am I not allowed to appreciate the stars?}

(. . .R-right, sorry. . . Why where you out here, again?)

{Polaris.}

(Right, Polaris.)

(Soon, you would be going your separate ways. Polaris, Wren, and Vixul to Jouvente, and you and your family to Wolworth. You may never see each other again, so, if you wanted to talk to him, it was tonight, or not at all. Besides, you were asked to.)

(“You’re both from that island.” Vixul said, “if anyone could help him, it’s you.”)

{“He’s not an idiot.” Wren said, “But he is stubborn. He won’t ask for help, so you must go to him.”}

(And tonight, he would be at the favor tree. He was at the favor tree every night, from the moment the stars came out, to when he was dragging himself to bed. That’s where you headed now, walking along the small path up the hill, to the grand tree that stood taller than the rest.)

(The small figure with darker hair stood at the favor tree; a book on the ground to his side. You saw the leaf in his hands, how he whispered into it. How he folded it closed, and let it fall to the dirt. The tree rustled in the wind. The night creatures were silent. He turned, and jumped, surprised that you were here.)

“W-what, what’re you doing here?”

“It’s a nice night.” (You shrug.) “I couldn’t just leaf an opportunity to see the stars.”

(Polaris makes a face, then turns away.) “Well, then go see the stars somewhere else. I’m busy.”

“. . . I wanted to talk to you, Polaris.” (You step forward.)

“Vixul gave my name away again.” (He sits down at the base of the tree, arms crossed.) “I told her not to, stupid, blinding-”

“N-no uh, you did, actually.” (You sit down a few feet in front of him.) “S-sorry, uh, it’s, complicated. How about we try this again?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” (He pouts.) “I told you my name, even though I don’t remember. But yeah, go on, take two on introductions, and then you can blinding leave!”

{Stars.}

(You let out a little sigh.) “My name is Siffrin, he/they.”

“. . . Polaris. He/him” (He grumbles in response.) “Can you go now?”

“No, sorry.” (You chuckle awkwardly.) “. . . You’re from that island, too, right? The one no-one can remember?”

(This got a reaction out of Pol, he didn’t respond for a few seconds, and when he did, his voice was softer.) “. . . Yeah, I am. You too?”

“. . . Yeah. . .”

(The two of you sat there for a few seconds. Polaris moved a bit to the side, making room for you. You sat next to him, wordlessly. The two of you ended up looking to the sky.)

(The stars were. . . . Beautiful. Each and every one twinkled in the lightless canvas. The galaxy, the Universe, spread for all to see. Yet, almost no-one in Vaugarde knew about the stars. You felt like a crazy person here, sometimes.)

“. . . . . Big Dipper.” (Polaris points to the sky, to a constellation.) “And, Orion, Andromeda, Cygnus, Vela, Pyxis, and, and. . . .”

(He paused, taking a shaky breath.) “. . . Ursa major. Ursa minor.”

“. . . Are, those two important to you?”

“. . .” (He looks away, voice wavering.) “I. . . Don’t know.”

(The silence returned for a time.)

“. . . . Pisces.” (Your turn, you point to the constellations in order.) “Leo, Cetus, Virgo, Perseus, Capricornus. . . Cancer, Aries, Cassiopeia.”

“. . . . I always liked Cassiopeia.”

“Yeah. . . Me too.”

(There was another rustling of wind. Silence returned like a blanket. A place of comfort that you didn’t want to leave, but you knew you had to eventually. You look to Polaris, his face was. . . Sad. He was sad.)

“. . . It means north star, right. . ?”

“Huh?” (He turns to you.) “Oh, right. My name. Yeah, it means north star, or star that guides. I think.”

“Vixul gave it to you?”

“Not, really.” (He gives you a suspicious look, then turns away.) “More that she just, knew that’s what my name was. She knew it, I didn’t. She promised me it’s what my name was, but she won't say why.”

“Right. . .” (After the other day, you had only grown more curious about her.) “. . . How, have you been dealing with it? Forgetting, and all.”

“. . . . I’m not.” (He tucks his legs to his chest under his cloak.) 

“. . .” (Stars. . .) “I. . Would, you like to talk about it?”

“No, I wouldn’t like to talk about it!” (He shoots you a nasty look.)

“B-but, I’m sure I could-”

“Just leave me alone!” (He fully turns to face away from you.) “Like you could help. Those other stupid blinding idiots couldn’t help. No-one could help. Not even the stars could help!! So, just, leave me alone!!”

(You pause. He, yeah. . . He’s, he reminds you of you.)

{No-one could understand your obsession with stars. Your accent. Who you are.}

(. . .) 

“. . . Could, you let me try, at least?” (You want to reach out to him.)

“Why, so you can get my hopes up?” (Polaris grumbles, and grabs the book on the ground. He shoves it into your arms.) “Sure, go ahead, try.”

(. . . . .)

(The book was worn. It was a sturdy notebook with a hard cover. There were words on the cover, it was a journal. A, a journal from home? You, open it to the first page.)

(. . . The first page has words you can’t read. Depictions you can’t make out, it’s. . .){Home. You say the words on the page. “Dedicated to furthering the studies of Astronomy.”}

“. . . It’s, a scientist's journal. A researcher's journal.” (you turn the page.)

{It’s a description of the constellations, and of the stars that make them up. You say some of their names. You turn another page, more constellations. You skip forward a few pages, and it’s now talking about something called-}

“Stellar drift?” (You say, turning to Polaris.) “Do you know, what-”

(He’s staring at you. Eyes wide.)

“. . . Polaris?”

“Y-you can read that?!?” (He asks, voice shaky, you nod.) “D-don’t stop! Keep, keep reading!”

(You turn back to the book turning pages and describing what they were. Thank you, Mal.){It’s nothing. This page is on the death of a star, of iron, of its importance in culture. The pages after are about wishing rituals, and what happens if they are done wrong. The next few dozen pages are illegible. After that, there’s pages on reversing wishes, theoreticals, what-if scenarios.}

{The writing gets more frantic, the diagrams, sloppier. The next entries were on how to work around a wish, or how to fix a wish. The entries after you couldn’t read.}(You had, such a headache. You had to pause.)

(. . . You felt Polaris staring at you with anticipation.)

(You shake your head, and flip through the last few pages, most of it was impossible to read. The only thing you could tell was that you probably couldn’t understand it anyways. They were all scientific diagrams like the type Odile would use.)

(. . . Except the last page.)

“. . . There’s. . . T-there’s, I think it’s a message. On the last page.”

(Another glance at Polaris. His face was. . . . He, he was, desperate. You didn’t need a response.)

(You turn to the book, and read the message aloud.)

“‘Dear, uh, t-there’s, there’s a name here I can’t read.” (Polaris nods for you to go on.) “O-okay.”

“Dear, name.”

“I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you. Things are going fast right now and this is the only thing I could think to do. I love you, you mean everything to me, little brother. I don't know what's happening, but I just want you to be okay, and if that means knocking you out to get you on this boat then so be it. I hope you find a good life, a good family, a good home. I love you, little brother. I hope you're ok. I hope that no matter where you end up, no matter who you decide to be, that you’re okay.”

“Please, don’t try to come back. It’s too late now, too late to stop it. Something’s broken, falling, rotting. I, I can’t fix this on my own, but, but I have to try.  I just hope, little brother, that one day, you might learn to forgive me.”

“I’m sorry. Name I, can’t read.”

(You’re holding the book, shaking. That name, those words, those last words. They, they were so, so familiar. You knew those words, by heart. You knew what they meant. What they are. What, they must have, meant. That name you, you couldn’t read it but, but you knew it! You KNEW that name!!)

“T-that’s. . .” (Polaris, he’s talking. His voice was wavey.) “O-older, older, sibling. I-I, I. . .”

(He’s hyperventilating.) “I-It, it was, their name, I know them. T-them, and, ma, pa, a-and, the island it, it, i-it was, called-”

(WAIT-) “DON’T!!”

(Polaris collapses to the ground. You’re by him in a flash, hand on his shoulder. You saw the blood, the shade. You- y-you-) “P-Polaris! A-are, are-”

“I. . . I-I. . . I, need to-” (His voice was raspy, desperate.)

“N-NO! No no no d-don’t, don’t try please, d-don’t!” (You’re breathing faster.)

“B-but, I can, I-I, I-”

“Polaris!” 

{You don’t remember this person. This older sibling. The owner of this book. You don’t know their age, height, appearance, hair, anything. But their voice, it comes to you like it was your own. Their voice, on your tongue.}

{Polaris freezes.}

“Polaris, you’re safe here, okay?” {Your voice was deeper, closer to Nilles. A bit thicker in an accent that was barely familiar.} “A good family, a good life. Don’t throw it away. Don’t throw your big sibling away. Don’t throw the chance away. Okay?”

“. . . . . I. . .” {He’s crying, not looking up at you.}

(Mal?!? How, h-how are you-)

“Live. For them.” {You speak in a voice that doesn’t belong to you.} “Will you?”

“. . I . . . I-I. . .” (He wipes the blood from his mouth, and looks up at you.) “. . . I’ll, I-I’ll try. . .”

{You nod. And then collapse back, dizzy.}

(MAL!?!?!?! WHAT DID YOU DO!??!?!)

(. . . . . . It's gone.)

(You look at Polaris. He’s holding the book close. Still some blood dribbling from his mouth, and tears from his eyes. He’s looking at you.)

“. . . P-Polaris, I-” (Your voice catches.) Ï’m, I’m sorry I, didn't, mean to-”

“Navi. . .” (Polaris finally mumbles.) “Their name, was, Navi. . .”

(. . . . .)

(The two of you stare at each other for a moment. You shuffle back to your spot, Polaris does the same. You both sit there, thinking.)

(Navi. . .)

“. . . . That, means navigator, doesn’t it.” (You finally respond.) “O-or, one who reads the stars. To navigate the oceans.”

“Yeah. . . .” (Polaris was still sniffling.) “. . . . . The ocean navigator, the star that guides. . .”

“. . . Heh, I bet you two were close.”

“I hope so. . .”

(The silence returned, you let it stay for a few more minutes before asking it to leave again.) “. . . What’d you wish for?”

“Huh? Oh. . .” (Polaris is looking at the book.) “. . . For, for my sibling to be okay. Wherever they are.”

“Oh. . .” (The tree rustles in the wind.) 

(. . . . . .)

(You stand up, and look in the dirt.)

“. . . Uh, what’re you doing?” (Polaris asks.)

“Looking for a leaf.” (You pick one up. One that represents you.)

(. . . You whisper your wish into it. You want Navi to be safe. Wherever they are, you want them to be safe.)

(It’s. What. You. Want.)

(You repeat it six times, then fold the leaf, and let it fall back to the ground.)

(You stretch your arms.) “I’m going back to the inn.”

“. . . I. . .” (Polaris is looking at you, dumbfounded, before grumbling as he stands up.) “I should head back too.”

“Head back?” (You stick your tongue out.) “Isn’t your head supposed to be on your neck?”

“UGH!” (He storms down the hill to the inn.) “I’m leaving.”

“Good to meet you leaving!” (You walk side by side with him.) "My names Siffrin-”

“Shut UP! I HATE you!”

“Nuh uh~”

“What do you MEAN nuh uh!!”

“I mean nuh uh!!”

“Well, well NUH UH to you back!!”

“Yuh huh.”

“UUUUUUUGH.”

(The two of you continued like this until you were back at the inn. That night, you spent your time with Navis notebook. Transcribing as much as you could before passing out.)

[lulublack90]

Prompt 5 - Whump

@wolfstarmicrofic July 5, word count 994

Not gonna lie I had no idea what this prompt meant so had to look it up. I hope it's right 😅

CW - Torture, use of the cruciatus curse

His father grabbed him by the collar and forced him to walk down the hallway towards the library. He struggled as best he could, but Orion Black knew what he was doing. He flung Sirius onto the hearth rug. Sirius grunted at the manhandling but stubbornly got to his feet and glowered at his father. He hadn’t even done anything this time. He’d been lounging on his bed reading a wizarding history book for Merlin’s sake. 

The library door opened again and a procession of family members filed in. Bella and her husband, Cissa and Lucius, Cygnus and Druella. Then finally his mother. This wouldn't be good. 

He automatically stood up straight with his head held high like he’d been trained to do his entire life. 

“Father, what is going on?” His voice adopted his old accent as a form of self-preservation. His eyes flickered to his mother’s side where Regulus’s grey eyes peeped from. 

“Stop being pathetic Regulus,” Walburga scolded her youngest son, dragging him from behind her. Sirius’s eye twitched as he watched Regulus grit his teeth in pain as Walburga’s hand squeezed tightly around his arm. Sirius had to tense his muscles to stop himself from crossing the room and wrenching her hand from his brother’s arm. 

“It is time for you to take your place in this family, Sirius.” Orion brought Sirius’s attention back to him. His ears pricked as Bella laughed her horrid cackle, but he never took his eyes off his father. He swallowed and steadied himself. 

“What would you have me do, Father?” He kept his jaw clenched tightly, silencing himself. 

“It is time you proved yourself the true heir of the Black family and join us in the new future that shall soon begin.” He felt his stomach sink. This was more than just taking over from his father. 

He allowed his eyes to quickly scan the room. The only ones that seemed uncertain were his aunt, Narcissa and Regulus. His eyes rested on his mother and her superior scowl. This was bad. 

“Enough pretty words Uncle,” Bellatrix burst out, ripping the sleeve from her forearm. “It is time, little cousin, to take the mark and join your family in our rightful place.” She rasped proudly, the snake and skull tattoo stark against her pale skin.

“Father, you can’t be serious!” He turned back to Orion, panic creeping into his voice. 

“We have allowed your little rebellions for too long, Sirius,” Walburga took over as he knew she would. “You will take the mark, Sirius, and you will find more suitable companions. From this day you will no longer associate with the Potter boy and the other riff-raff you seem so fond of.” He couldn’t help it, he shook his head at her. No. “If you won’t agree on your own, then we will make you!” She raised her wand at him. “Crucio!” She spat the curse at him. He watched in slow motion as the red spell crackled its way towards him. 

The pain was unlike anything he’d ever felt. His skin was melting from his bones. A thousand knives sliced into his nerves. Time meant nothing as the pain engulfed him. Then, just like that, it was gone. He was on the floor. He didn’t remember falling. He lifted his head defiantly. 

“Crucio!” Bella cackled with glee. The pain shot back through him, harsher than the first time. He screamed, his throat felt like it was ripping itself apart. He was on the floor again, panting, when his cousin lifted the spell. His body spasmed with aftershocks. But again he raised his head. 

“Crucio!” Orion drawled, flicking his wand at his eldest son. Sirius’s scream croaked out of his burning throat as he thrashed about on the floor. Orion let up sooner than his mother and Bella had, but at this point it meant very little.

It took him what felt like hours to raise himself onto his knees and raise his head this time. He glared at his mother. Seeing Regulus’s blank face beside her. 

“Crucio!” Multiple voices said in unison. He had no idea which of his family members had cursed him this time, but the pain spread to every part of his being. His spine curved backwards and his neck followed. His muscles were so tense he was sure they were tearing. He felt his mind starting to bend towards madness. But he refused to let them win. He conjured Remus’s face to the front of his mind, blocking out what he could. His vision became fuzzy and blackness crept in at the corners. As he lost consciousness, he kept that vision of Remus close.

When he came to, the room was empty. They’d tortured him until he couldn’t take it any more and then left him, broken on the floor. 

“Sirius,” A whimper came from the corner. “Sirius, can you get up?” Regulus’s face appeared above him. “Sirius, you have to go! They’ll kill you,” Something dripped onto his scorching face.

He was rolled over and over and into green flames. “Potter Manor!” Regulus choked out. Sirius’s last view of his family home was of a shaking, tearful Regulus as he swirled away in green flames. 

He landed with a thump on the hearth of Potter Manor in the middle of the night. 

“Sirius?” A voice he’d know anywhere gasped into the quiet room. Candles around the room suddenly burst into life and Remus was holding him, stroking his hair from his face. Sirius burst into tears and grasped at Remus, needing him closer. Remus wrapped him in his arms, murmuring sweet words to him as he gently rocked him. “You're safe now. I promise you’re safe. I won’t ever let them hurt you again.” And for the first time in a long time, Sirius felt safe. He spotted the Potters coming down the stairs and let his eyes close as he lost consciousness again, safe in Remus's strong arms.   

[thatdyingacewhoneedstheirspace]

Yule Party 1969

It was the annual Malfoy Yule party and boy did they invite everyone, there where the obvious guests like the Lestranges, the Blacks and the Rosiers, but they also invited the Potters, the Longbottoms and the Crouches, plus the Bones and the Prewets and the Weasleys, just about every Pureblood family of any standing was there.

The decorations where the best of the best, this year’s theme being white and silver. The hall decorated with ice swans and peacocks, strings of silver tinsel, the ceiling enchanted to look like snow was falling, every table having cloth that shifted from silver to white depending on where you stood.

It wasn’t long before guests began to arrive the Rosier’s with their twins, the Lestranges with their boys, the Abbots, the Bones. Of course, when the Black’s decided to show they made sure to have a dramatic entrance Walburga and Orion Black turning heads with their admit deviance from the theme choosing to dress in their usual black and green, their two sons though had silver and white embroidery on their robes, Sirius having already rumpled them and Regulus mostly just hiding behind him. Druella and Cygnus Black only vaguely following the theme their daughters almost entirely not, Bellatrix wearing a black dress with a little white embroidery, Andromeda on the other had in a gorgeous white and silver gown, and Narcissa mixing the perfect amount of white and silver and black looking utterly stunning.

It wasn’t long until the Potters arrived of course they made much less of a fuss Fleamont came in with Euphemia on his arm occasionally glancing at her with a lovesick look on his face with James tailing behind them with his gravity defying hair, crooked glasses and massive grin.

You see the Malfoys planned everything perfectly having the more light aligned families on one side, the dark on the other, with the gray in the middle. They just had one fatal flaw in their plans, they forgot that some of these families have smaller children and included a chocolate fountain when they where decorating.

Once everything was settled and the adults where at least two glasses in (some more than that *cough* Orion *cough*) the kids slipped away from their parents young Andromeda placed herself near the fountain to keep an eye knowing full well that her troublesome cousin would soon be over there.

It wasn’t long before the Rosier twins, Barty Crouch Jr, the Black brothers, and young James Potter were gathered around the fountain, Sirius, James, and Barty all naturally wanted to catch the falling chocolate and where huddled close to the fountain.

“Sirius get down from there,” Andy scolded “you’re going to fall in”

“But chocolate” he protested

“Get the stuff that’s already fallen.”

Sirius and James shared a look.

“You know what never mind, I’m going to talk to Cissy if you fall in and get in trouble that’s on you” she said getting up and leaving.

The two boys now scrambling to get on the edge of the fountain to catch the chocolate, and Barty being the actual demon spawn he is decided to get behind them and push them in. James and Sirius landing in the chocolate with a splash causing the adults to look over.

Now Walburga Black and Euphemia Potter were making their way over here, Walburga looking furious to a point where steam could be coming out her ears, and Euphemia her face twisted in concern and worry for her son. Regulus and Pandora were working to pull the two boys out, of course not all that successfully due to Sirius and James constantly slipping back in.

Walburga grabbed her eldest son by his collar and yanked him out of the fountain, she was fuming practically threw him on the floor all but screaming at him telling him what an embarrassment he is and how he should know better. Euphemia on the other hand helped her son out and checked if he was alright glancing sadly over to Sirius and Regulus as Walburga shoved Regulus away when he tried to help Sirius stand.

[mrstellmeafuckingsecret]

walburga and sirius.

(i threw this together instead of sleeping/studying.)

when walburga is thirteen she has thought of her first born's name and when it is improbable for her to conceive she wants to rip out her skin. she takes every potion under the sky and all but imperio-s her husband.

when her womb grows she cant bare hiding it, she wants everyone everyone everyone to know how precious precious precious the child growing inside her was and she doesnt care what people say and when she holds sirius for the first time she thinks his fate is the stars and he shines brighter than them all when she nurses him she says every sweet thing she never heard and when he's ill for the first time she forgets her name and how to breathe

when he cries she screams and silencio-s him. it's only because it hurts her to see her baby upset.

walburga loves sirius so much she hates him , she sees herself in sirius and she nurtures it , she sees her father in sirius and pushes him away , sirius is hers and she is sirius' , sirius knows her better than anyone (orion is afraid of her and he should be , regulus is young & too much like his father , alphard is a pest , she has to keep too many appearances up with cygnus), sirius is perfect perfect perfect she favors him shamelessly he is cunning and charming and witty and brave and ambitious and good looking he is everything everything everything a man should be and she forgets her husband for her son so she can feel some semblance of companionship in her life

sirius doesnt rebel.

he doesnt he doesnt he doesnt so why is he? he is good and he shit-talks people who deserve it so why why why is he yelling at walburga that morning no no no this . this is her baby this is her star the brightest the brightest the brigh why does he scream like she does and walk away the same way he's not like her he is better he is supposed to surpass her surpass them al .

she tries to help him . she's gentle , she never cuts too deep she always makes sure he's mobile she makes sure he knows how much it hurts her because she's not a bad mother she is good she is exceptionally good and lenient and gentle and cygnus thinks she's stupid but what does he know? andromeda is having an affair, he should focus on his own children.

but sirius sirius sirius he goes to hogwarts and she feels as if her soul has been ripped in two she feels she feels she feels so much that she doesnt see anyone for days

maybe she's too harsh but she loves him she loves him so much she doesn't even scar him when he comes home no matter how much orion anyone says he deserves it because her baby's home he's home he's

when she leaves again orion says she has regulus too and she tells him she knows but he isnt sirius

her son stops visiting and she misses him every christmas and birthday and thanksgiving and easter and new year's and

when sirius angry, he screams and walburga screams louder still because why is he angry? what did she do wrong? nothing, she thinks, nothing. hogwarts has made sirius small, his filthy friends have tainted sirius and she wishes she could chain him to the foot of her bed so he knows how much he means to her.

sirius mentions something about andromeda not being so bad and walburga wants to kill cygnus

he grows taller than her, her voice grows deeper and louder and walburga feels threatened when he yells, now, and she cant she cant she cant because that's her baby.

he was in her. he was in her. he was her.

he's starting to look like her father. she strikes him for it. why was he torturing her?

she's going mad, and it's not . it can't be because of sirius.

she clings closer to regulus when sirius stops appearing for holidays. she grips his arm too tight and she fixes his posture with more venom but it's only because sirius was born perfect . walburga never did have to teach him , did she?

when sirius is back for fourth year she is scared and angry and she tells him off and she tells him everything he does wrong and he looks at her like he hates her

walburga doesn't know what she's doing till sirius is screaming . mom mom mom im sorry im sorry im sor

she's not bad. she's not evil. sirius is simply misguided. (alphard said he liked him, that once. maybe he had a talk with him. maybe she should kill alphard for taking her boy away.)

after hogwarts, she will fix him again and he will be hers and she will be his

sirius comes home from christmas in his fifth year.

walburga never wants to let him go. sirius never wants to, either.

that summer break, he leaves.

he doesn't return.

she screams till her mouth is of blood and she curses each healer who tells her to calm down

how can she, when sirius isnt here and he never will be ever ever again

.

she clings to regulus, he's not in his room anymore

she looks to her husband and he's not there anymore

she's bitter and mad and no one visits her anymore

she is full of bitterness . she tells every portrait and every bird. she tells kreacher. when sirius appears in her dressing room mirror she tells him she hates him for what he did to her

blood traitor. had she not sent him to that bloody school, had he never interacted with those plebs, he would be hers. and she would be someone's. (for once.)

[greycloudsinwinter]

Yandere Cygnus Black and female reader and yandere Orion Black headcanon.(polly) Can you write ? Please.

YANDERE POLY ORION BLACK AND CYGNUS BLACK X READER

🐍oh my god.

🐍first of all they are terrifying not are they willing to slice others throats they are willing to do it to one another.

🐍they cross paths with you at a ball most likely and are mesmerised by your beauty and your pure blood.

🐍both trying to get the upper hand, showering you in gifts and trying to sabotage the other’s reputation.

🐍only when there are rivals do they team up. Both are eager to get rid of the dirty blooded wizard/witch.

🐍rivals they kill instantly if they can or a few days after meeting them.

🐍they begin to work together after two months of rivalry.

🐍after three months of knowing you they propose an arranged marriage with your family.

🐍when you find out you beg them to call it off but they only chuckle at you thinking it’s just the nerves talking(it isn’t).

🐍your wedding is small however you are welcomed with open arms into the house of black family after they find out your blood status.

🐍they want many children . They often use there children against each other. Or brag about there child in front of the other ‘my son can count to twelve and he is only five months old!’ Says orion to which Cygnus sneers and says ‘my daughter can count to 100 and she is only one and a half!’.

🐍they can get so terrifying with there rivalry.

🐍hates when the other gets attention.

🐍both equally possessive and obsessive with a twist of delusion and unpredictable.

🐍either way just hope you can get away (you can’t but just hope).

Thank you for the request ❤️❤️

[aeligsido]

[WM — September 2024] Prompt 23 — Pensieve.

Rating: G.

TW: none.

Characters: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Tom Riddle; heavy mention of the Black family in general.

Additional Tags: reality tv show au; the Black have a reality tv show; press; media article; implied prongsfoot in the article; implied James/Lily/Sirius/Remus in the fic; it is very much a thing in this au tbh; a bit of domesticity.

Summary: Sirius Black Returns: A Black Lives Exclusive!

Words count: 691.

A/N: Heya! I got the idea of this au some time ago and decided to have a bit of fun here eheh. I hope you like it! 💕

@wolfstarmicrofic

read on ao3.

-

SIRIUS BLACK RETURNS: A BLACK LIVES EXCLUSIVE!

Black Lives, the most watched reality TV show first in the UK, then in the world, from Pensieve Production, is well-known, and so is the family the show follows. The Blacks, from the late English nobility, started this project almost fifteen years ago, and it had since been going strong. The shows followed closely Walburga and Orion Black (or as many call them, THE power couple), beloved Alphard Black, Cygnus and Druella Black, as well as frequent apparition from Lucrecia née Black now Prewett and her husband Ignatius. Other usuals guest stars were Arcturus Black, the family patriarch, and the five family children: Bellatrix, Andromeda, Narcissa, Sirius, and Regulus, whom the show started centering itself on.

Andromeda created the scandal nine years ago when, then aged eighteen, she renounced her family to marry a commoner. (Since then, she gave birth to an adorable daughter!) Four years later — and thus five years from now — the heir of the family himself, Sirius Black, stopped appearing on the show. The family at the time told us the sixteen years-old wanted to focus on both his studies and mental health and as such, was taking a much-needed break. Of course, multiple theories spawned following this statement — but need for it no more!

Just this morning, Pensieve Production announced Sirius Black’s return in an upcoming, special, exclusive season!

“It is with great joy that we are welcoming Sirius back with us,” states Tom Riddle, the Blacks’ manager. “We missed him during those years, but we know how important it was for him. And now, he will, if he wishes so, tell you more about it himself!”

We got more details about this exclusive season as well:

“We will follow Sirius and his brother Regulus on a vacation across the Mediterranean,” announced Riddle — to the glee of quite a lot of us, I would assume! “They will be joined by a few friends, some of which are quite familiar to our long-time viewers.”

Some of those friends are already confirmed. As such, we will greet James Potter (Sirius Black’s long-term best friend, and maybe more), as well as Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and a young lady somes could have forgotten but who appeared a few times in Sirius' last season on the show, Mary Macdonald.

Riddle teased—

“What are you reading?”

Remus startles, his phone almost falling out of his hands; Sirius, thankfully, catches it. Not thankfully, he starts reading the article — and groans rather unnecessarily, if anyone asks Remus.

“How many times did I tell you not to read those?”

“It was in my recommendations?” he tries innocently.

Sirius sends him an unimpressed look.

“James!” he hollers, and then waits; from somewhere on the ground floor of their house, James hollers right back.

“Yes?”

“We need to keep Remus away from Internet!”

“Hey!” he protests, but Sirius just drops a kiss into his hair with a smirk and no answer.

“Okay!” unhelpfully agrees James; it would be it if Lily hadn’t appeared in the doorway, then, a pile of her favorite fluffy towels in her arms.

“What for?”

Sirius waves Remus's phone as if its answer enough. Lily reaches for it, checks the screen, and sighs.

“Oh, Remus,” she says with a soft, concerned tone he hates having directed at him.

“I just wanted to read a few comments,” he mutters.

“It’s my first time and even I know it’s a bad idea,” she notes, handing the phone back to Sirius. They exchange a look, and she nods decidedly before leaving again.

“Easy to say, everyone loves her,” Remus mutters some more. He has grown disaccoutumed of the show and all it entails over the years, perhaps. He’s feeling almost anxious now.

Sirius drops on the bed beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders and embracing him protectively.

“And we love you,” he reminds him softly.

Remus burrows himself against his chest, feeling Sirius’ heartbeat under his ear. “Yeah, I know. I love you too.”

“Good.” Sirius kisses his hair again, tender and fond, and Remus wants to bottle it and drink it every time he feels down.

[star-named-riddle]

Day 23 - Collared

Lord Voldemort observed the room, his sycophants hanging from his every gesture. Not only his Death Eaters, but the elite of the pureblood families that were gathered at Malfoy Manor for the Yule Ball.

At his right-hand side, stood Abraxas and Lucius, both proud of Narcissa's work as hostess. Clad in white and gold, the newest addition to Malfoy family stood a little further away, a protective hand on her cousin Regulus' shoulder.

The young man stood tall and proud, clearly in awe of him, his family next to him. He took a moment to nod to Orion and Walburga, who had been his schoolmates, and reveled at the way Walburga's mind still reeled, her pride rearing its ugly head. Outwardly, she did not show any displeasure, the same way she had been keeping a stiff upper lip about her first born being absent.

He spotted Cygnus, not far from his sister, his thoughts wandering, along those of his wife. They, too, were missing a child tonight, though theirs had been gone for longer.

Then, his eyes landed on the Lestranges. His favourite hellhounds, loyal to a fault. The most dangerous amongst his ranks, utterly bound to his will and one another. Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan formed a tightly knit unit, one whose weave went back to Hogwarts, and further back to their childhoods, when getting in trouble and out of it together had been a way to spend their privileged days. All three discreetly bowed their heads to him, though Bella did not lower her eyes.

He kept his eyes on Bella as he led the toast to a blessed Yule and a bountiful New Year.

“To a better Britain,” he said, raising his glass to the room.

The room echoed his words, raising their glasses towards him. There was but a moment of silence as everyone sipped from their drinks. Not that Lord Voldemort had noticed, enthralled as he currently was by the sight of his Bella.

His favourite. His paramour. His most lethal creation, prettily collared in a necklace he had given her for her last birthday. He had given her a second, secret, necklace that night, too. A neat little row of purple blooms across her chest, just bellow what her cleavage usually exposed. Just for him to admire the next morning.

The small but thick silver chain, from which the darkest of diamonds dangled - sitting precisely on the hollow of her throat - had caught everyone’s eye. Multiple witches had commented on the jewel, and on how it suited her, their often envious thoughts crossing the room and being picked on by his mind. Some even suspected him as the origin of such a piece of jewelry, though they were careful not to mention it. The pity some held for Rodolphus reached him too.

His Bella did not pity her husband. Her husband did not pity himself either. Theirs was a game with plain, though unwritten, rules. Bellatrix’s was the Dark Lord’s above all people, then her own, and only then whoever else’s she decided to be.

Lord Voldemort openly stared as the most dangerous witch in the room unhooked her arm from her husband’s and walked straight towards him. The fingers of her right hand lightly caressed the gem on her neck, and she smiled that demure little smile she had just for him when they were surrounded by others.

A promise.

She stood before him in her forest green dress, the silk of it dancing in the light with the smallest movements of her, and he realised just how distracted he was when it took him a moment too long to leave his glass on a floating tray and extend his hand, palm up, to her.

She took it, and he led her to the midst of the dance floor, where other couples were quick to give them room.

Bellatrix smiled up to her Master, her grey eyes inviting him into her mind as they waltzed together. Once Lord Voldemort took her bait, he found her to be reminiscing about the same necklace of cruel little bite marks.

Lord Voldemort vowed to give her a new one before the night was over.

Later on AO3

(While the AO3 isn't updated, hitting the tag 'bellamort december' in this post will show you all of the fics so far)

[zennywrites]

What about the black family have a family dinner with Druella Cygnus Alphard Walburga Irma Pollux Narcissa Bellatrix Andromeda and Orion and its so chaotic because Irma doesn’t like Druella or Alphard and Walburga doesn’t like Orion and Alphard is teaching the kids pranks

the black family dinner was a cacophony of clinking silverware, half-hearted laughter, and simmering tensions. in the lavish dining room adorned with dark wood and opulent decorations, the air felt thick with unspoken grievances and the aroma of roasted meat.

druella sat at the right side of the head of table, her elegance contrasting with the chaos around her. she caught cygnus's eye, a silent plea for a quiet evening together. but cygnus, sandwiched between his siblings, looked like he was wrestling with the idea of packing everyone up and sending them home. his expression was one of polite exasperation.

across from him, alphard was in the midst of a mischievous lecture to his nieces, bellatrix, andromeda, and narcissa. “and that’s how you make the best exploding snap!” he proclaimed, demonstrating with exaggerated hand gestures. the girls giggled, eyes sparkling with the promise of mischief.

“honestly, alphard, must you be such a bad influence?” irma, their mother, huffed from her seat, arms crossed tightly. her grumpiness seemed to radiate like a storm cloud, making the air heavier. “you’re going to turn them into little terrors!”

druella suppressed a laugh, enjoying the way irma's disapproval bounced off alphard like a quaffle. “let them have some fun, mother,” he shot back with a smirk, undeterred.

“fun? you mean chaos! you’ll ruin them!” irma’s voice rose, drawing the attention of pollux, who was lazily sipping his drink and reading the newspaper. he glanced over the top of the pages, bemused.

“dear, can’t you just let them enjoy their childhood?” pollux offered, but irma rolled her eyes.

“don’t encourage him, pollux! you’re not even paying attention!” she snapped, her mood darkening further. “you’re just sitting there like an old man!”

“because i am an old man,” he replied calmly, his tone light. but before he could continue, irma’s frustration boiled over.

“i’m done with this! i can’t stand the sight of alphard teaching them nonsense!” she exclaimed, standing abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. “i’m going for a walk!” with that, she stormed out of the room, leaving pollux to shake his head and rise to follow her.

“father! you’re going to let her go off alone?” walburga’s voice cut through the room, sharp with annoyance. she glared at pollux, hands on her hips. “honestly, go after her!”

pollux paused, a bemused expression on his face. “i’ll give her a moment to cool off. she needs space.”

walburga sighed, her frustration bubbling over. ��space? you can’t just let her walk away like that. she’s upset! you should be—”

“i know how to handle your mother, walburga,” pollux said, his tone firm yet patient. but walburga shook her head, determination glinting in her eyes.

“fine. i’ll go after her,” she declared, pushing back her chair. before orion could even react, walburga was already striding toward the door.

orion, her husband, glanced at pollux, who waved him off dismissively. “she’s quite capable of handling it,” pollux muttered, still reading his newspaper.

but orion stood, a resigned look on his face. “i’ll follow her,” he said, moving to catch up with walburga.

as he exited the dining room, walburga was already in the hallway, her voice rising in irritation. “Orion, i swear to merlin, you never leave me alone! why is it that you can’t just—”

“shut up, woman. i'm going with you. I don't give a shit if that bothers you or not!” orion countered, his voice laced with exasperation.

“ugh, you're insufferable!?” walburga shot back, turning on her heel to face him, her frustration evident. “I swear i'm going to—”

“you're going to what—”

their argument faded as they trailed after irma, the sounds of their voices mixing with the remnants of the dinner chaos behind them.

back at the table, cygnus sighed, glancing at druella. “this is what family dinners are like?” he asked, half-exasperated and half-amused.

“every single time,” druella replied with a smile, feeling the warmth of the moment amidst the chaos. “but it’s kind of fun, isn’t it?”

“fun? more like exhausting,” he said, but his lips curled into a smirk, betraying his enjoyment. “i just wanted to have a quiet evening with you.”

alphard caught the exchange and winked at his brother, “don’t worry, little brother, once mother and father sort their argument, we can get back to more important things—like teaching these lovely ladies how to prank their parents!”

andromeda perked up at that, a devious grin spreading across her face. “what should we do first?”

“let’s put a charm on father’s drink!” bellatrix suggested, eyes glinting with excitement.

druella leaned back, watching the chaos unfold with a blend of amusement and exasperation. “just make sure it’s harmless,” she called out, laughter dancing in her voice. “i want to keep this dinner somewhat intact!”

“consider it a family bonding exercise!” alphard announced with mock seriousness as the girls leaned in, eager to concoct their plans. the evening spiraled into a whirlwind of giggles and conspiratorial whispers, the lingering tensions forgotten in the face of the impending chaos.

[gil-notskajla]

ko-fi | favourite nightsky objects. can you find all 8 constellations?

Drawn my favourite nightsky (except sun) objects which I like observing with either naked eye or my humble telescope. We've got here the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Big middle star and smallest dot and 8-armed stars are just for decoration, but biggest 4 armed stars are a collection of 8 constellations (placement of constellations and their distance from eachother is not accurate to their real-life position): Cygnus, Cassiopeia, Orion, Pleiades, Big Dipper, Dolphin, Corona Borealis and Andromeda (including the galaxy with same name). Below are pics of marked constellations.

[thefiery-phoenix]

Hello. How are you? I hope I'm not bothering you. I'm so sorry your old blog is gone. But I believe you can start over. I wish you the best of luck on your new blog. Can I make a request if requests are open? You shared it once. I wonder if you can do it like part 2? Can you share more for yandere husbands Pollux Black, Cygnus Black, Orion Black, Alphard Black and Severus Snape ? Please

Don't worry you're not bothering me dear, and thank you for the kind wishes for my new blog, I really appreciate the love and support I've received from all of you during those difficult times. I was pretty dejected when my blog got deleted for no reason but it's okay, I'll start over, a fresh start and sure, let's get into this

I'll have to write only for Pollux and Cygnus unfortunately, you've requested for too many characters 😭 Please request for not more than 2 or 3 characters at least for a scenario next time, it gets overwhelming to write for more. I sincerely apologize 😔

Pollux Black: Pollux might love you and be obsessed with you but if you dare to act up in front of him he's not going to appreciate it. As much as he cares for you he's really not above using the Cruciatus curse on you when you misbehave with him and demand for silly things like your freedom and wanting to see your friends and family. He's your family now, you're supposed to be content staying with him, he's already providing everything for you despite your constant tantrums and protests which he's willingly and patiently tolerating, and yet you say you don't want to be with him?

As soon as those words come out of your mouth, you'll be wishing you'd never said that in the first place judging by the dark look that's now plastered across his face. After he's done with torturing you for a while, he'll lock you in a room and ignore you till you apologize to him by literally begging him to pay attention to you, which is what he wants. You better hope and pray to whatever God you believe in because this deranged lunatic will hunt down every friend, family member and person you've come in contact with at least once in your lifetime and murder them right in front of you

If it's a random stranger who bumped into you on some random day, even better as he'll taunt you for having the blood of them on your hands and gaslight you by saying how all this is your fault because you refused to love him and reciprocate his feelings back. This is why I called him a deranged lunatic. When you finally do apologize, his personality will change drastically, like going from a zero to 360 in just a matter of seconds. He'll gently kiss your hands and tell you that you've been a good little darling for him as he patches you up, this bipolar MF 😒 All in all, just be good and you won't have a hard time dealing with this lunatic and try not to make him jealous by mentioning other people in front of him, things will get messy

Cygnus Black: Cygnus is quite fond of books and if you're a writer, lady luck just graced you with good fortune, however of course, as usual there will be consequences since well, is a Black after all. Cygnus will allow you to pursue whatever interests and hobbies you have after he's taken you because he knows you'll be lonely staying cooped up indoors all day long without magic. If you're fond of art, he'll get you the best art supplies galleons and knuts can buy from a reputed store. If you're fond of reading books he'll gladly join you when you're reading as he slowly wraps a protective arm around your waist and pulls you in closer to him while the two of you read. He won't really mind it if you decide to lay down on his lap, he'll be thrilled that you're finally trusting him after so long as he secretly basks in his moment of victory and gently runs his fingers through your hair

This man is territorial and possessive, you can't do anything without taking his permission first and unfortunately that rule applies to you wanting to get your books published for everyone else to read. You decided to ask him about this one day during dinner. He noticed there was something on your mind and you were unusually quiet, at first he thought of using Occlumency on you to find out what you were thinking about, however he decided to be generous and gave you the chance to explain yourself. He'll most definitely use his Occlumency skills on you later though, you know, just as a precautionary measure to make sure you aren't thinking about anything silly like trying to get away from him

"You're quiet today...quiet than usual, I can tell there's something on your mind" he said in a nonchalant voice as he sipped his Earl Grey tea and surveyed you with a calculating look in his eyes, silently trying to draw an answer from you. You slightly fidgeted with the hem of your robes and spoke "I was wondering if I could publish a few of my works to the public..." You were greeted with silence in return as you mentally winced at yourself for coming up with this idea in the first place. You could tell he didn't appreciate the question you've just asked him judging by the way he was starting at you with an unreadable expression on his face

He got up from his chair and strode towards you as he lifted your chin with his finger. "Dear, why would you want insignificant pathetic vermin to tell you how good your work is when you already have me? Is my presence for you not enough?" You were struggling to think of saying something that wouldn't anger him as he continued to speak. "Your writing is one of a kind my love, the others... they're like mere flies who have no experience when it comes to writing, they don't know how creative and beautiful your mind is when you imagine something and put those very thoughts on a parchment. And yet some of them dare criticize you, your work is reserved for me and ONLY me, they don't know you like I do.... the sooner you get rid of this silly notion of yours, the better" as you nodded your head silently and kept eating your dinner

Sure enough he kept a close eye on you whenever you wrote something to make sure your writing didn't go public. Part of him was worried that you'd include some secret message in your writing and then he'd lose you, no.... he couldn't lose you.... he won't lose you, you're his and he'll make sure people pay dearly if they dared to take you away from him

[otrtbs]

hello trying smth. a bit. different under the cut?

Druella

Bellatrix is born on Halloween. On October 31st 1951, she becomes the eldest daughter of Druella and Cygnus Black, and she doesn’t cry. She just peers up at Druella with wide-round eyes and a calm, unaffected disposition. It’s eerie. It’s haunting. That’s something that always worried Druella– the Halloween birth, Bellatrix’s refusal to come into the world kicking and screaming and fighting for air like a normal child would. Druella worries that Bellatrix is cursed, born on the day of skeletons, death, evil spirits, and darkness. She tried to hold out a few more hours, she begged the mediwitches at St. Mungo’s to delay the birth somehow through grunts of pain and the sweat forming on her brow. She attempted to not push through her contractions, but it was pointless. 

“They say babies born on Halloween are immune to evil spirits,” the mediwitch whispers to Druella as Cygnus sleeps in a chair in the corner of the room, arms crossed and shoulders slumped. “The veil between the living and the dead is thinnest tonight. So she’ll probably have a strong connection with the spirit world. She might even be given the gift of second sight,” she adds sagely, attempting to calm Druella’s fears. “A blessing.”

Druella holds Bellatrix in her arms, she’s sleeping and swaddled in a soft blanket, a peaceful expression on her face, but Druella can’t escape the feeling of hesitant fear bubbling beneath the surface. A bomb waiting to explode. “She didn’t even cry,” she lets out an exhausted sigh. 

The mediwitch gives her a soft smile. “It happens. Her heart rate is stable and she is breathing normally. She’s perfectly healthy.” The witch finishes cleaning up a few things around the room and removes her gloves. “Be sure to let me know if you need anything. Someone will be here to check on you shortly.” As she turns to leave, she pauses for a moment with her hand on the handle, debating something. Then, with a quick look back and a sharp breath she says, “It’s going to be okay.” 

Druella wishes she could believe her. 

Bellatrix grows a little every day. She’s healthy, she never cries, her bones aren’t weak, her limbs aren’t mangled, her cheeks are pink and fat and not sallow. She looks nothing like a cursed child, acts nothing like a cursed child, except for the small birthmark just below her left cheek. A bad witch’s mark. 

Walburga and Orion come to the house to see the new baby. A cruel, satisfied smile overtakes Walburga’s features when she sees it’s a girl, confirming with her own eyes that the chance to have the next heir is still within her grasp, but Druella takes her own pleasure in Walburga’s still slender frame.

At least Bellatrix proves that Druella isn’t barren. She can have children, healthy children. She could provide an heir. It was only a matter of time. Walburga and Orion had been married nearly three years before Druella married Cygnus and yet their house remained empty. 

Walburga always hated Druella. Hated that Druella and Cygnus got to live in 12 Grimmauld Place with the family heirlooms the libraries, the portraits, and the tapestry detailing their lineage. She always believed it should belong to her and Orion. Druella was a Rosier by birth. It was only right that true Blacks lived in Grimmauld. She had married Orion earlier. It was only right that she reside there. The next heir to the Black family name got to reside in Grimmauld. So it wasn't just a race to bare a male child, but also a claim to the family residence.

Because Druella can't help herself, she takes Walburga to the drawing room with the tapestry for tea and revels in the looks Walburga casts at the family tree.

Druella was barely healed from her first pregnancy when Cygnus demands that they try again. One child was only enough if it was a boy. She counts the cracks in the ceiling and does her best not to shout in pain in those early days after Bellatrix’s birth. She washes too many bloody sheets before anyone else can see them. 

She tries to spend time in the nursery, but baby Bella, as the house elves had taken to calling her, hardly interests her. Cygnus never goes to the nursery to see Bellatrix, he couldn’t be bothered. Rather, he immerses himself in his work. Druella knows it is her job. It's her job to dress Bellatrix and feed her and bathe her and sing to her, but she leaves most of those tasks to the house elves. 

Bellatrix feels like a stranger in her home. A thing rather than a person. Something haunted and hard to bond with, even if she looks just like a normal child. However, there was still a sense of pride, even if Bellatrix wasn’t a boy. Druella had given birth to a child. She could be a mother. She could do what was expected of her. She just needed a boy.

More days pass. 

Druella busies herself with planning Christmas parties and elaborate dinners and pruning her winter garden of Christmas roses and Goose Grass. She attends charity meetings and plans galas for the Museum of Modernism and Moda. The mediwitches assure her that Bellatrix’s witch mark will fade as she grows older. 

Days turn into months, and just after Bellatrix is ten months old, Druella finds herself pregnant once more. Cygnus’ once stormy mood had shifted to one of gentle ease. He comes home earlier, he speaks softer, and he scowls less. All of the ladies drop by to place their hands on Druella’s growing stomach, to offer their well wishes, to bring gifts. 

This time, it was going to be a boy. Druella can feel it in her bones. All of the divination midwives say as much. She dreams about it. 

“Of course, we’ll name him Sirius. Something strong and commanding. The brightest star in our sky,” Druella was saying over tea as Walburga pursed her lips tightly. 

“I think that’s a wonderful choice,” Irma nods in approval. “Lots of Sirius’ in our family history. He’ll fit right in. Splendid.” 

Druella catches Walburga’s eye and grins wickedly. This house is hers, this life is hers, the family favour is hers. 

They decorate the nursery blue and paint constellations on the ceiling that glimmer in the dark. By the time April comes, Druella doesn’t even mind that it’s raining when she goes into labour. Torrential, thunderous skies and rolling black clouds. Another bad sign, but one she ignores happily.

Cygnus meets her at St. Mungos. He stands by her side and holds her clammy hand through the hours of painful birth. She hears the mediwitches buzz around her and whisper nervously as she screams in her potion-dulled pain. She worries about all the blood staining the sheets and feels her head heavy with Merlin knows what. 

She struggles to keep her eyes open as hospital staff swarm around her and wheel her to another room with bright, artificial lights. She tries to listen to what they’re telling her, but their voices sound gargled and warped like they’re talking underwater. It’s too hard to keep her eyes open anymore. She lets herself drift off and she dreams of her son. 

When she wakes, she’s in a new room. A quieter room. A mediwitch rushes in and places a swaddled baby in her arms. She talks in slow deliberate sentences. 

Druella barely hears her. 

Complications with the birth. Postpartum haemorrhage. Beautiful baby girl. So lucky. 

Through chapped lips and a dry throat, she asks to see her husband. 

The mediwitch informs her that he left shortly after the baby’s birth. She hands Druella some water. 

Alone in a private room at St. Mungos, she decides to name the baby Andromeda. She holds the small infant to her chest, only hours old, and she weeps. 

Cygnus barely looks at her. The days pass and Druella watches over the girls in the nursery and tiptoes around her husband as she tries to ignore the walls of the house closing in on her. She tells herself there is still time, though the doctors at St. Mungos disagree. They all tell her another pregnancy is risky. Fatal. Nearly impossibly in her state. 

Druella doesn’t breathe a word of this to Cygnus or to anyone else. She shuts herself up in Grimmauld Place and avoids everyone’s prying eyes, their disappointed looks, and Walburga’s triumphant sneers. 

As days turn into weeks that turn into months, Druella grows more and more desperate. She finds herself under the guise of heavy glamour charms, back in Knockturn Alley, begging the shopkeeper for more fertility potions. Pills that will ensure a male child. She swallows down glowing green vials of bitter liquid that smelled faintly of baby’s breath. She crushes up black beetle eyes and crunches into the red bulbs of Witch’s Ganglion with wild abandon on the smooth tiles of her bathroom floor, and she waits. 

She leaves the family Christmas dinner early as she feels the familiar trickle of warm blood run down her leg. She stays in bed for days at a time. She leaves her two daughters to the house elf. 

Her third pregnancy nearly kills her as all the doctors had promised. She tries to hide it from everyone as best as she can. Cygnus doesn’t bother showing up to the hospital with her. 

On a cold and bleak day in early January, Druella gives birth to her third daughter. The chill from outside worms its way around her heart and solidifies in a sickly, icy, frost. Narcissa takes what little Druella had left with her that day and keeps it for herself. 

Three daughters. Their little lives just beginning. Girls who will have hopes and dreams and ambitions. Druella feels all of hers dwindle as she hands her third child to the house elf once more. Their stories begin as hers ends. Druella thinks that it’s unfair, having girls. She married Cygnus to give him sons. Not to love him or to look after him in his old age. She was made to produce heirs. What use would she be to him now? 

He’ll want to keep trying, even if it kills her. Without a boy in the family, Druella was better off dead to him anyway. She was plagued by awful visions of her own mother, shut up in a room all alone after the death of her brother. Too old to produce any more male heirs, her father left her mother to claw at the walls and floorboards of her bedroom. Allowed her to be shut out and ignored by every family member who was once so warm towards her. He locked her away in a dark, stale room somewhere for failing him, and acted as if she never existed. 

She felt the frost seep in. Her daughters, her own children had damned her to the same fate. Even if they didn’t know it. How could she hold them and be happy? How could she wipe the tears from their face and act as if everything was fine? 

She’d like to swim in the ocean, or work at the ministry, or travel the world by herself. She’d like to go out at night and not worry about a home she’s obligated to come back to. She closes her eyes and lets herself dream these dreams for a while until Narcissa’s shrill cries wake her up and she feels her fate close in on her all at once.

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

CW: Mentions of self harm and suicide.

Sirius was miserable. And that was a gentle word for what he was going through.

Yeah, it was true that he had been prepared for this. From a young age, Sirius knew he had to be the heir and take the company after his father, who would take it from his grandfather.

He was chosen, some said. He was lucky, others complained. Because everyone wanted to be in his position. And not only Black Family Members. But The Lestranges, and the Malfoys and the stupid group of old white shake holder men he met the other day.

Sirius understood it was about power and money. Fame as well, for being a public figure.

But God! It was bloody awful.

Now that Sirius was seventeen and turned eighteen this November, he had to start getting familiar with the company and the businesses.

His Grandfather wanted everyone to meet him. To know he would be their future boss.

Sirius never questioned his destiny. Mostly because he wasn't interested in anything else. Not an alternative career or future plan. Only having fun and being able to do as he wished.

But right now, he was understanding what his life would actually mean. He would be his Grandfather's puppet. He would be the key for Walburga and Orion to have the company to themselves. And he would be the enemy of everyone else.

Why was he standing this bullshit, you might be asking...

For his little brother.

"I'm doing all this for you, Reggie"

Sirius had been extra nice and extra gentle with Regulus after that fatal night. Not only Sirius had cried on the way to the hospital. But also Walburga and Orion. They understood what it would mean to lose Regulus. And Sirius had seen real feelings in his parents. That's why they agreed to be better and get along. For Regulus.

"You don't have to do anything for me just because I am depressed"

That was exactly what Sirius was doing.

"I promised to be nice, didn't I?" Sirius chuckled "Who knows? It can be fun working with all our family..." he added sarcastically "Pissing Bellatrix every day. Watching Lucius cry and call Cissy for comfort. Be the boss of Uncle Cygnus and tell him what to do. Hire a new cute assistant each week..." he winked to emphasize.

Regulus giggled even if he knew Sirius was lying.

"Fucking hell, it would make you miserable, doesn't it?"

Sirius shrugged "Ending up the same as Grandfather? Having people around me only because of fear but talking bullshit behind my back? Yeah, my dream life"

Regulus twisted "I don't think you have an alternative"

"What if I don't want to do what everyone else does? What if I want to be free?"

Regulus looked at him as if he was bonkers "And what would you do?"

"I don't know. I don't care. I'll figure it on the way" Sirius grinned.

"Sirius, you can't..."

"Why not?"

"Because if you don't do it then I'll have to replace you!"

Sirius was taken aback by the how scared Regulus sounded. He was grabbing his arm, where the bandage was.

Maybe all this pressure had made Regulus hurt himself. The stupid Heir thing. It wasn't the bloody crown. Though it felt like it.

"Regulus," Sirius turned to his brother. And held his hand so he won't squeeze his wound until it bleed again "Let's run away then"

Regulus swallowed.

"Are you insane?"

Sirius knew his brother would be reluctant.

"Why do we have to do everything they say?" Sirius snapped, letting his brother's hands go "Do  you want to work in that bloody company for the rest of your life? Marry someone you don't even love and have children just because you oath to give an heir?"

Regulus shook his head slowly.

"Then why do you have to do it!! Why is that the only alternative for your life?"

"We are not like other people, we have a duty. We are part of the House of Black"

Regulus was playing with the fabric of his sweater.

Sirius groaned openly "Regulus..."

"Who will be the heir if we leave?"

"Who the fuck cares?"

"We can't just leave everything behind" Regulus began to be nervous "They are our family after all, Sirius... We have to stay and try..."

"For what? So you can do this??" Sirius grabbed Regulus's wounded arm.

Regulus was immediately angry and he pulled away.

Sirius regretted talking about it and claiming him about his mental health. It wasn't fair.

"Reg..."

"Get out of my room!" Regulus spat. Great. He had tears in his eyes now.

Sirius had been trying. He had been trying really hard to be nice with his brother and do everything for him. So that he would be at peace. But it was hard when Sirius was bloody miserable in that house, in that company, in that family.

Regulus practically pushed Sirius to the door of his room.

"Reg, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, you can leave me alone" he snapped "I'm not going to kill myself if that's what you are worried about!"

And with that, he closed the door on his brother's face.

Sirius groaned loudly again. Life was so freaking hard. Would he be able to get out of this cycle and be happy?

[lulublack90]

Prompt 6 - Extinct

@jegulus-microfic August 6, Word count 919

CW - Broken bodies

Previous part First Wolfstar part

James clasped his hand over his mouth to silent the gasp he inhaled as the entire extended Black family entered the room. Orion Black sat in the large leather armchair beside the fire. Cygnus Black, took the matching chair opposite, while the three ladies, Walburga, Druella and Narcissa took the wide settee. James and Sirius were stuck.

“Cygnus, Druella, I want to start things off by saying how sorry I am for your loss. The family’s loss. Bellatrix was the best of our family. We and I’m sure the Dark Lord will miss her presence.” Orion spoke solemnly. The gathered members raised glasses of red wine and firewhisky that had suddenly appeared beside them and toasted to Bellatrix. 

“It is a shame that she did not think to conceive, before her untimely end. But I suppose she thought she’d have more time. Plus the loss of the last of the Lestrange’s to boot. It was a dark day when the Order attacked them.” Cygnus sighed, staring darkly into the depths of his whisky glass. 

“Albus Dumbledore's holier than thou little group of do-gooders, murdering all those witches and wizards? Come now, Cygnus, you don’t believe that for a second, do you?” Orion scoffed. 

“But the Dark Lord—” Cygnus began, but Orion cut him off. 

“No, it was ferocious. I saw the destruction left behind. They were animals. Tore them limb from limb. I couldn’t tell the Lestranges apart. The only way I knew it was Bella was by her hair and the wand clutched in her arm a few feet away from her body.” Orion tutted. “Absolute animals. I have no idea who the others were with them and there's no record of the prisoner in the dungeon. Merlin knows who they had down there.” He finished drinking deeply from his glass. 

“But who would do such a thing?” Druella sniffled, taking a silk handkerchief from her robes and dabbing at her eyes. “My poor Bella, so much talent gone to waste.”

“And now we are without an heir, again!” Walburga spat unhappily. “I suppose it will have to be Narcissa, but I am loath to let the Malfoy’s get their claws on our riches. Dragons, the lot of them!" 

“But what about Sirius? He’s the only one who can carry on the family name,” Orion argued. James felt Sirius stiffen beside him and grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip. He’d been so caught up in the conversation he’d almost forgotten that they were actually standing in the room. 

Walburga leant forward, her teeth bared, not unlike the werewolves when they got angry. 

“I would rather have our family name become extinct before I welcome that worthless excuse for a son back into the fold.” She sat back and composed herself. “Regulus may not have been the best choice for an heir, but at least he followed orders. It’s an irritating inconvenience that he didn’t live.” She turned to Narcissa, seated beside her. “You are the only one left who can carry on the bloodline, it’s just a shame you were born a female and there aren’t any other Black family members you could have married.” Narcissa squirmed uncomfortably in her seat just once, before correcting herself. 

“I’m sorry, Aunt. I promise any children Lucius and I can bear will be raised with the Black family values the same as I was,” Narcissa said with no emotion in her voice. 

“As I would expect,” Walburga barked. “When they are old enough you will bring them to me for instruction. I was too lenient on my own sons, but I shall remedy that.” Sirius scoffed and James had to nudge him, reminding him they needed to be quiet. Orion turned his head in their direction, his blue eyes, the same as Sirius’s, slowly examining the area where they were standing. His eyes crinkled and the corners of his lips twitched. James felt his stomach drop. Did Orion know they were there?

“Yes Aunt,” Narcissa said, her jaw clenching. James watched as her hand fluttered over her stomach and rested gently against her dress.

“I believe lunch is being served. Shall we?” Orion stood and gestured to the others. He waited for them to go, using his drink as a way to delay his exit. James and Sirius watched as he took a quill and a scrap of parchment from a drawer and scribbled something down. He looked again to the corner James and Sirius stood in and smiled warmly before walking out of the room, leaving the door open for them. 

Before James could stop him, Sirius was dragging him across the room to see what his father had written. 

‘Take whatever you need. Be safe and don’t linger, Sirius.’

Sirius froze at the words, his hand brushing across the parchment. He snatched up another piece to leave a message of his own. 

“Sirius, no!” James hissed under his breath. “If anyone sees it, you’ll be putting us all in danger,” Sirius stopped, his quill hovering over the parchment, dripping a few spots of ink as he warred with himself. 

“I have to, Prongs,” He said before scribbling across the parchment. 

‘The dog saved the cat from its strange underground cage. They took to the trees where they both are free. 

A Riddle they have found. A Riddle they will end. Only then will they be seen again.’

“Poetic shit. Alright, let’s go!” James hurried Sirius from the room, and they fled the house as silently as they could. 

Next part

[besiriusiamwild]

Oh, Regulus remembers

Regulus vs the sea—a very angsty drabble.

Regulus still remembers the first time that he went to the beach.

It had been a stolen pocket of time in the dark realms of his childhood—when the arguments punctuated by slammed doors, and the sharp clap of a hand hitting a cheek finally stopped for one moment.

Before Sirius went to Hogwarts and everything changed. Before Andromeda was disowned. Hell, even before Alphard was nothing but a burnt and blackened curl of wallpaper on the tapestry.

The Black family had gone to France for two weeks of the summer to stay in one of the estate’s many mansions. This particular one sat atop of a hill that overlooked the dainty village just outside of Trouville-sur-Mer. Sunshine soaked every building, spanning from the masses of tall, white townhouses to the winding streets of sprawling cottages.

The sea had glittered. Blue, Regulus remembers. And then, shortly after, the exasperated yet gentle chiding of his older brother:

“The sea’s not blue, silly! It’s reflective so, whatever colour the sky is, that’s the same for the ocean.”

Regulus remembers being amazed by that information, his seven year old brain drinking in every word from Sirius, staring up at him in that mesmerised way that he perfected as a child. He had just adored everything about Sirius, worshipping the very ground he walked on, and hiding from the storms in his arms.

Because there was nowhere safer than a hug from Sirius Black.

The village that Walburga and Orion had taken them to hadn’t had a Muggle in sight (which was exactly why the Blacks owned a holiday home there, obviously).

Regulus remembers that their cousins had come along, making it a true family holiday. All of them smiling stiffly for the photographs on the promenade, postures perfect and upright, and trying to pretend that they weren’t the most dysfunctional family to ever walk the pier.

Oh, Regulus remembers.

“Father, may we please go to the beach?” Andromeda asked.

Her dark eyes were wide and pleading, which was a surprisingly childish expression for a thirteen year old—something that made Bellatrix laugh a little underneath her breath.

“I don’t know, Andromeda,” Cygnus responded, exchanging a look with his wife.

“Your dresses will get dirty,” Druella added.

She was already dabbing at Narcissa’s collar with a handkerchief even though, for the life of him, Regulus couldn’t see a single stain. The eleven year old stood completely still; the picture of good behaviour.

Sirius couldn’t relate.

At the other end of their group, Walburga was attempting a similar action but, in Sirius’ case, he did actually have an ice cream stain snaking its way down his waistcoat. But, oh, how he wriggled and squirmed away from his mother, trying to insist that the trickle of mint choc-chip simply “added to his outfit” and made him look “so much cooler.”

“Sirius, you look like a slob. You are embarrassing me,” Walburga snapped.

Regulus looked around at the other families swarming the promenade around them, hoping internally that they were all miraculously deaf. He didn’t want anyone to look at them, and see right through the cracks that were already there.

The cracks that had been there from the beginning, really, from the moment Sirius and Regulus became less like babies, and more like heirs.

“Well, let me go and wash it off in the sea then!” Sirius protested, eyes wide with hope. This comment made Regulus perk up.

He’d never been to the sea before, and it had looked so beautiful in the summer light, sparkling with every crash of the wave against the shore; white foam riding atop, and being left behind in the dark, damp, and golden parts of the sand.

“If Sirius can go in the sea, then why can’t we?” Andromeda whipped around to face her mother, accusation written all over her face.

Narcissa piped up too and, before Regulus could even blink, their cousins had embarked into a full-blown argument. This was just a common occurrence for Black family members, he knew this. But, still, he took a step back.

Away from them.

Towards Sirius.

“Look, I don’t see why not. Just behave yourselves,” Orion directed the last part of the sentence at Sirius, stern eyes boring into his older son.

He clasped a heavy hand down onto Regulus’ shoulder, making him jump. “And look after Regulus,” he added.

Look after Regulus?

That was rich, considering the fact that that was all Sirius did. It was all he had ever done, ever since he was old enough to stumble over to Regulus’ crib when he was screaming his lungs out, face reddening, for a mother that never even tended to him, let alone nursed him back to sleep.

The brothers didn’t need telling twice, though.

For once, they were being allowed to do what they wanted and, yes, it might have been due to the fact that Orion had just gotten an important promotion at the Ministry. Yes, it might have been because Walburga was being slightly more lenient than usual.

But it was enough. It was a moment, snatched in a dash away from their parents as their cousins complained behind them.

Oh, Regulus remembers.

“C’mon Reggie, keep up!!” Sirius cried, shoulder-length hair flying out behind him in the wind that was whipping the heat into further humidity; stifling breeze hitting Regulus in the face.

“I can’t!” Regulus whined.

His legs were smaller than his brother’s. Sirius had had a growth spurt since turning eight, and he was now even taller than Regulus. He’d lost all of his baby fat as well now, whereas Regulus was still left with slightly chubby cheeks, and a deep envy for Sirius’ now rather elegant-looking cheekbones.

Sirius did, admittedly, slow down but, once Regulus had caught up, he simply grabbed his brother’s hand, and tugged him down the steps onto the beach, palpable excitement thrumming between the two of them.

If the sight of two children running alone on a beach, clearly far away from any parental supervision, was concerning to any of the locals or other tourists, it wasn’t mentioned. Everybody just left the Black brothers to their own little bubble of happiness, identical grins full of adrenaline spreading across their faces.

“This is where you put your swimming lessons to test, Reggie,” Sirius said.

They left their waistcoats, shoes and socks in a small cave that bordered the beach; a relieving shady escapade from the burning heat of the French day. Rolling their trousers up their legs as far as they could go, Sirius and Regulus walked hand-in-hand to the shore, slipping through the throngs of people that were dotted, here and there.

“I don’t know whether I remember how to swim,” Regulus said mournfully, suddenly feeling rather scared.

Their Uncle Alphard had taught the two of them how to swim back when Walburga used to pawn her children off on her brother, stating that they were too much for her mental health to ‘contend with.’

“Don’t be silly, Reggie,” Sirius admonished playfully.

There was a laugh in his voice; a spark in his blue eyes as clear-cut as the ocean stretching out in front of them and, in equal measure, the cloudless sky. “You don’t just forget how to swim. It’s muscle memory, right? S’long as you keep your head and don’t panic, you’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like I’m gonna let you drown or anything.”

His gaze was warm and Regulus couldn’t help but feel so safe when Sirius wrapped him in such a blanket of reassurance.

“Okay.”

Regulus took a deep breath and, ever-so-slowly, dipped his toe in the water that was running thin at the edges, see-through and showcasing all the shells and seaweed twisted into the wet sand.

The sea was cold, dancing over his feet, and Regulus laughed in delight, wiggling his toes. And then Sirius was following suit, but he crashed into the ocean with no care for his perfectly tailored clothes, throwing himself forwards and sinking underneath the waves.

For a second, fear gripped ahold of Regulus’ chest and made it very hard to breathe. But the feeling was gone as soon as his brother resurfaced, grinning like a madman with his hair plastered all over his face.

“Sirius!” Regulus smacked him on his now-soaked chest, moving further into the water to do so. “You gave me a fright! Also, you’ve got all your clothes wet!”

“Oh no, whatever shall I do?” Sirius retorted mockingly, pulling a face at him.

He splashed him violently, so that Regulus got an entire mouthful of salty water, choking on it as it slipped unwelcomely into his lungs.

“Now you’re wet as well,” Sirius beamed and Regulus couldn’t even be mad at him because, again, he was at that stage where he absolutely adored everything that Sirius did and said.

“But our clothes…”

“...will dry,” Sirius cut him off gently, holding out a teasing hand to entice Regulus further into the water. “C’mon, Reg. Live a little. Let’s swim.”

Regulus hesitated, still only ankle-deep. “What if I don’t—”

“You’ll remember,” Sirius read his mind, like always.

Kindness seeped from him in waves, drowning Regulus in a flood of relief because, for all the times he took the piss, Sirius really knew the right thing to say at all times.

“Swim towards me.” Sirius kicked back so that he was submerged in the water, arms poised to ‘catch’ Regulus.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

And Regulus believed him. Of course he did. Sirius wasn’t going to let him drown.

Throwing himself forward into the deeper sections of the ocean, where Sirius was, Regulus swam towards his brother. Sirius was right, as always. Swimming was muscle memory, and Regulus suddenly remembered how much he loved it; how much joy he got from moving seamlessly through the water.

He surpassed Sirius, resulting in a yelp from the older boy who clearly felt like he’d been bested. And then they were swimming around, treading water to keep upright in the deeper parts.

Regulus remembers feeling so light; so weightless whilst swimming in the ocean with the sun burning down on them.

He remembers the bubble of happiness squeezing around him and Sirius as they laughed, splashing each other and shaking water from themselves like dogs, competing to see who could be the most dramatic (Sirius won).

He remembers feeling in his element; so at ease, and almost untouchable as the gentle waves were no barrier in racing Sirius from one rock to the other (Regulus won).

The day passed them by, morning bleeding into afternoon, and, if anyone noticed that the little boys from earlier still hadn’t been checked up upon by an adult, they didn’t mention it.

Honestly, even Regulus didn’t notice.

He was too caught up in the childish joy of actually being a child; of smiling until his cheeks hurt; of swimming and swimming and swimming until his fingers pruned, and Sirius was calling him a grandad.

He wished he could’ve stayed in that moment forever.

Just him and Sirius, alone and yet together.

Swimming around without a care in the world. Swimming around in the way that children were supposed to, without the weight of overbearing parents, and ridiculous expectations tugging them down into the icy depths. Bobbing above the water, breaths only slipping away in the form of delighted giggles, and not from the iron grip of a proverbial hand to the throat; oesophagus breaking from the strain that their parents choked them with.

Because Regulus remembers where it all went wrong.

He remembers returning from the beach, reluctantly dragging his feet because he really just wanted to stay in the sea forever, for the rest of eternity.

He remembers moments like that happening again, every summer, because Walburga worked out that, if she carted her children off to the beach, they would simply entertain themselves all day, and not bother her with their presence.

He remembers laughing with Sirius in the ocean as they got older, and taller, and wiser.

He remembers swimming with Sirius, even as the waters rose around them and tension twisted at their ankles like seaweed attempting to drag them underneath.

He remembers the last few summers before Sirius left him for good, when their previous laughter was nothing but an echo, and conversations were professionally awkward.

But they still swam. Sometimes in silence.

Sometimes with a hint of nostalgia riding on the waves around them; nostalgia that was instantly left in the groves of the damp sand, the foam withering into nothingness over time.

Sirius always went into the sea first, though.

And he’d always turn, a small smile twisting his features as Regulus followed.

Because he’d always follow his brother.

Except when he was asked to do exactly that—to walk out of the door with Sirius at the start of the summer before his fifth year, and he’d choked.

Shaken his head, tears trailing silently down his cheeks as Sirius had held out his hand and gone:

“C’mon Reg. I won’t let you drown. Swim towards me.”

Oh, Regulus remembers.

He remembers the first time Sirius didn’t come on the family holiday.

The wound of him running away had still been fresh, gushing blood out of Regulus and making him feel empty.

Lifeless.

Looking at the sea had been like pressing on a bruise, digging your finger in so harshly that the skin turns white. Even standing on the beach had made Regulus run to the cave, the very one that he and Sirius always dumped their stuff in, just to throw up.

He hadn’t gone in the sea that summer.

What was the point, when there was no Sirius to swim towards? To catch him if he slipped on a miscellaneous shell, or traitorous piece of seaweed lurking underneath the surface.

To splash him so hard that it actually became impossible to see…Regulus just constantly wiping water out of his eyes with laughter shaking his every bone.

To just be there, like he promised.

By the time the next summer came around, going to France wasn’t even an option. The war had swept everyone up, including Regulus’ parents.

Not to mention that Walburga, for all of her heartless and twisted ways, was still a mother.

And she could sense when her child was hurting; when Regulus missed Sirius.

Which meant she probably knew, all too well, that taking Regulus to the beach which reeked of Sirius, his very footprints carved permanently into the sand, would be a bad idea.

She’d managed to dredge up the tiniest scrap of sympathy still remaining in her rotted heart for that, at least.

Regulus made himself forget, clawing the memories out one by one. And he did.

Forget, that is.

He forgot the way that Sirius’ hair looked after he just rose from underneath the water.

He forgot how his brother’s hand felt in his when he pulled him in.

He forgot the sensation of floating; of feeling on top of the world because he was with his favourite person in his favourite place doing his favourite activity.

He forgot what it felt like to be truly, indescribably happy.

He forgot how the waves sounded, crashing against the shore with unwanted abandon.

He forgot how the normally soft particles of sand appeared after the sea rushed over it with no care, leaving nothing but torn pieces of seaweed or a broken shell.

He forgot what it felt like to sink under the waves, and feel at peace for however long he could hold his breath for; gasping for air in an exhilarated way whilst locking eyes with Sirius, who had usually surged for the surface earlier than Regulus.

Always leaving him behind.

Shouting at him, “C’mon, Reggie, keep up!!”

But not waiting this time, not holding out a hand for Regulus to grab.

Or, maybe he did.

Maybe Regulus was just too weak.

Maybe his legs were still too short. Maybe he was more inclined to dive for Sirius’ hand, but skin his knees on the harsh wood of the promenade instead, grazing them and oozing blood in a way that Sirius never seemed to do.

Because he was always one step ahead, one pawn move in front of the game.

Until he wasn’t.

Until Regulus was the one so ahead of the curve that it became a sphere, rolling him all the way back down to the bottom like a hamster wheel, winding him.

The irony twisted through the situation, like the seaweed necklaces that he and Sirius used to plait into practice for each other.

Because, of course.

Of course it was fucking Regulus who ended up on a beach again, when he swore he’d never go to one without Sirius again; when he tried so hard to forget that, when the memories come tumbling back, there’s a sharper ache than usual.

Oh, Regulus remembers.

He remembers thinking how different this beach was to the one he frequented with Sirius in the youthful capsules of their childhood—the only moments they were actually allowed to be children.

He remembers thinking that the sand was rocky, uncomfortable underfoot, and the jagged points forming an entrance to the cave weren’t very welcoming.

“Not exactly the best holiday destination,” Regulus muttered to Kreacher.

The house elf just looked up at him with wide eyes, flappy ears trembling from the flashbacks that were probably surging at him with unprecedented force.

He felt a stab of regret, but soothed it over. It would be okay—they’d be out of here soon, and then Regulus would finally be able to catch up to Sirius without him even having to slow down.

Kreacher had managed to apparate them directly to shore - he just couldn’t surpass the barriers to get into the actual cave. Regulus found himself being thankful that Kreacher saved him a boat ride over, though, as the January air was bitingly cold, and whipped the pale complexion of his face into a harsh red, making them feel raw.

Exposed.

The wind howled angrily, not exactly adhering with the sunshine-filled memories of his childhood.

In a way, that was better though.

The less memories, the better.

Unfortunately, that didn’t appear to be the case because, as Regulus stepped into the dim and narrow passage, all he could think about was that the fear probably wouldn’t be choking him as much if Sirius was here.

Closing his eyes, Regulus placed himself back on that beach in that one week, (sometimes two if their parents were feeling particularly sick of the sight of them) where everything was perfect.

Untouched, even.

Innocence running like the first trickle of the stream, weeping down in its cleanest form until, before you’re even aware, it’s transformed into a filth-ridden tsunami rearing its ugly head and roaring towards you.

“Master Regulus?”

Ah, yes.

The task at hand, though unnerving in the impenetrable darkness, didn’t seem too daunting at first. Regulus cut his palm, barely even wincing, to allow them access and he slipped in with a shivering Kreacher at his feet.

The wound seeped blood, open and unhealed. Regulus didn’t even care, nor did he really notice. He was numb to pain by now, to the point where it had almost become somewhat of a friend.

The sea glittered. Black, Regulus remembers. Like a massive canvas of the sky—oh.

“It’s reflective so, whatever colour the sky is, that’s the same for the ocean.”

“Looks like you were right once more, Sirius,” Regulus murmured. He tasted the bitterness on his tongue, mixed with the bittersweet nature of his statement; the foreign sensation of fondness mingling there.

The memories were sour, making his mouth convulse like he’d just swallowed a lemon, so he forced them out of his head, shoving himself back into the moment.

It took him a while to assess his surroundings, senses rather blunt due to the entire atmosphere being doused in a darkness that wrapped around Regulus like a suffocating blanket of discouragement.

Taunts echoing in the whistles of the wind that hissed past him like shrapnel whizzing through the air, aiming for intended victims.

A full-body shiver radiated through him, terror gripping his insides and squeezing.

Maybe he was next.

Pathetically, Regulus found himself looking for Sirius’ hand.

But it was nowhere to be found.