#just never tell Regulus he’s smaller than Sirius

[james-sunshine-potter]

Going in order of talllest to shortest, this is my opinion of the marauders era characters height (with no explanation) ->

> Remus - 6ft 5

> James - 6ft 3

> Dorcas - 6ft

> Evan - 6ft

> Barty - 5ft 11 1/2

> Sirius - 5ft 11

> Regulus - 5ft 9

> Mary - 5ft 7 1/2

> Marlene - 5ft 7

> Peter - 5ft 7

> Pandora - 5ft 5

> Lily - 5ft 3 1/2

[my-castles-crumbling]

Of Romance and Play Practice

@wolfstarbingo2024 - square: nerdy Remus - rating: G - no warnings - word count: 974 - based on @probs-reading's HC - AO3 link

To this day, Remus still couldn't figure out how they all were friends. They took up vastly different social circles. Like a smaller version of the Breakfast Club, he, Sirius, James, and Peter were as opposite as could be. James was the school basketball star, cheerleaders constantly hanging off his elbows (much to his boyfriend, Regulus's, disgust). Peter ran the yearbook, and was never seen without a notebook and a camera. Remus, of course, was the textbook definition of a nerd: he was the president of Chess Club, and took more AP classes than all of his friend combined. And Sirius....Sirius was perfect.

Sirius was the star of the theater program, having finally figured out how to put his dramatics to good use. He lived for the stage, and the audience ate him up no matter what his role. Of course, Remus ate him up, too. Or at least, he wanted to.

They'd all been friends since elementary school. Perhaps that was why they were able to stay close, no matter their differences. But Remus's crush on Sirius had developed quite recently, and for some reason, he couldn't shake it.

Perhaps it was the way Sirius oozed confidence. His smile was absolutely contagious and it made Remus literally weak at the knees, often times he had to sit down after Sirius grinned at him. Maybe it was the way he felt safe with Sirius. Though they loved to tease each other, Sirius never judged him when it mattered, and they'd been friends for so long, they knew each other as well as they knew themselves.

Of course, it helped that Sirius was fit as fuck.

But that wasn't it. It was...Remus couldn't help but feel warm when he looked at him. It was a bit disgusting, really.

But one night, when Sirius asked him to help run lines for the new play he was a part of, Remus agreed, because he wanted to help. He figured eventually, this crush would go away, so he should just continue spending time with Sirius like normal, acting like nothing was different. But when he read the name of the play, he froze.

"Erm...Romeo and Juliet?" he asked Sirius, who was sat on his bed, shucking his leather jacket and making himself comfortable.

"Mmm," he hummed noncommittally. "Good thing McKinnon's as flaming as I am, or I'd be dreading the kiss," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

And of course. Of course, Sirius needed him to practice running lines for the most romantic play in the fucking universe. What else?

"Alright," he murmured, sitting nervously on the edge of his own bed, as far from Sirius as possible. "Erm, what scene?"

"Let's start..." Sirius flipped through the script, stopping at a page and pointing. "There. I'm having trouble with the emotion, to be honest. If you could just read for McKinnon, that'd be amazing."

But Remus's stomach flipped as he looked over the script, recognizing the scene. The fucking balcony scene?

"Erm, alright," he nodded, trying to pull himself together. "How camest thou hither- er - tell me, and wherefore? Erm, the orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art, of any of my, erm, kinsmen find thee here," he recited disjointedly.

Sirius chuckled and responded fluidly, "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls. For stony limits cannot hold love out." His eyes were wide, genuine, and Remus became entranced as he listened. "And what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me."

It took Remus a second to realize he was done. That it was his turn to respond. Because hearing Sirius speak of love like this, it was doing things to him. "Oh!" he nearly yelled as Sirius gave him an expectant look, jumping a bit. "Erm. If- if they to see thee, they will murder thee. Fuck, this is intense, huh?" he commented, scanning over the script.

Sirius laughed and ignored his comment, going on, "Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords. Look though but sweet, and I am proof against their enmity." He said those words with a small smile, eyes on Remus's.

"I...I would not for the world they saw thee here," Remus nearly-whispered, looking at the paper and back at Sirius, who was still watching him with a strange look in his eyes.

"I have night's clock to hide me from their eyes," he whispered, moving closer to Remus- and when had he gotten so close, they were side-by-side, now!- grabbing his hand lightly. "And, but thou love me, let them find me here. My life were better ended by their hate than death prorogued, wanting of thy love."

Remus swallowed, drowning in the look Sirius was giving him, squeezing his hand and allowing the heat and tension to wrap around their bodies. He wasn't imagining it, was he? Was Sirius feeling it, too? The way the very air was pulsating, urging him to move forward, to bring their lips together?

He hoped so.

"Sirius," he murmured, his head hazy, hardly bothering to look at the book, too distracted by the moment.

But Sirius seemed to be contemplating something. "Move not while my prayer's effect I take," he murmured, causing Remus to wrinkle his nose in confusion, before Sirius leaned forward, hand grazing over Remus's jaw and pulling their lips together.

And it was like fireworks. Hearing Sirius talk about love with the words of a poet had just made Remus's crush bloom into something more, and he couldn't resist grabbing for him, wrapping his arms around the other boy, pulling him closer until they were completely entangled in each other, their lips and teeth fighting for control of the best kiss Remus had ever had in his life.

[villain-crown]

neutral | @jegulus-microfic | words: 1,309

critical care, part 9 (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8)

* a small amount of explicit content!!

a Jegulus nurse!AU

Regulus Black was an absolute nightmare. 

James knew this because he was watching the evidence of it in real time, in awe of the sweet-looking Slytherin who he knew to be anything but. 

After the heart attack-inducing moment when Sirius has unknowingly advised James to have dirty, unprotected sex with his precious little brother, James knew he was going to need something a lot stronger than coffee to get through the rest of this shitshow of a day. Since injecting vodka directly into his fucking bloodstream wasn’t in the cards, he’d begged, bribed, and bullied most of Gryffindor to order takeaway drinks with him from the nearest boba shop. He was just relaxing into the peace of his first sip when who else but the menace occupying his thoughts came sauntering up to the Surgical ICU nurses’ station.

James choked. 

“Hey, Reggie!” Sirius sang from near his elbow, rifling around the cardboard cup holders containing twenty plastic containers. “I have your order here.”

Taking advantage of his best friend’s momentary distraction, James couldn’t stop himself from checking Regulus out. He looked as fit as ever in his cute forest-green Slytherin scrubs, tilting his head with a devastating smirk when he caught James’s eye. 

The Gryffindor could feel his face redden as the other man’s eyes drew a long, heated line from his face, to his chest, to his waistband, and then finally, to his—

The suggestive look vanished like it was never there, replaced by something much more neutral when Sirius straightened up, holding a purple drink. 

“Here you go, kid.”

“I don’t want that one,” Regulus said with the most adorable pout James had ever witnessed in his life. He suddenly couldn’t figure out where to look or what to do with his hands when Regulus turned that look on him. “What did you order, Potter?”

Sirius raised a finger immediately as James tried to remember how words worked. “No. Don’t tell him, Prongs! No, you’re not getting your way this time, you little brat. You wanted the taro, I bought you the taro, you’re having the taro!”

Meanwhile, James thought he might pass out from the sheer intensity of Regulus’s undivided attention. 

Fuck, he’s pretty. 

“James,” the petite Slytherin cooed, and damn he was so screwed as Regulus bit his lip just so, his dove-gray eyes wide. He stepped closer so that his smaller build seemed even more obviously so compared to James’s height and muscle. Regulus’s powdery, amber scent was almost too much to resist as he tilted his neck, as though to show off the soft, unmarked skin there. “Please?”

“I… I already put my mouth on it,” James said stupidly, his lips oddly dry. 

“Oh, I don’t mind.”

That only prompted James’s imagination, which supplied a fantastic picture of Regulus not minding where else he put his mouth. For instance, Regulus with two of James’s fingers stuffed past his lips, coating them in saliva and teasing him with the warm, wet twist of his tongue. 

“Ugh, here, just take mine, Reggie.”

James was jolted back into awareness by a takeaway cup labeled Sirius being thrust into Regulus's line of sight. 

Panicking, James nearly tripped over himself for the opportunity to offer his sugary milk tea to him instead. 

“No, wait! Here, Regulus, try mine! It’s okay, really!” 

Sirius rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t encourage him, Prongs. It’s bad enough he’s got me wrapped around his stupid little finger. There’s still time to save you.”

No there bloody isn’t, mate.

“I’m supposed to be reinforcing boundaries with you,” Sirius added to his little brother accusingly. “And I didn’t have to buy your drink order, you know. You’re not even floating here.”

“Thank you,” Regulus offered with the loveliest combination of wicked eyes and innocent smile that James had ever seen on anyone.

Sirius sighed, folding immediately as he shook the drink labeled Reggie vigorously before stabbing the plastic top with a thick straw. “You’re bloody lucky I’d do anything for you, you little monster.”

That pulled a real smile to Regulus’s lips that made James want to melt.

“I’m going to bring Remus his. He’s about to admit a liver bomb and you know how busy that will be.”

Sirius wandered off, nursing his new drink, leaving just James and Regulus standing there, staring at each other. 

“What did he mean by that?”

Regulus blinked. “What?”

“That he’s supposed to be reinforcing boundaries with you.”

The Slytherin sucked at James’s straw, unconcerned. The Gryffindor watched him do so closely, imagining Regulus’s pretty curls framing his cheeks as they hallowed to suck the fluid from James’s cock. 

“Our therapist told him that.”

“Your…?”

Regulus looked at him like he was an idiot. “Therapist. You don’t survive our family without needing one. You’re his best friend. I figured he’d told you we were in family therapy.” 

James couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. While Sirius had not in fact told him so, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. From what he’d gathered about Sirius and Regulus’s parents’ underhanded and emotionally manipulative tactics, it sounded like Sirius had a hard time letting people see any sort of vulnerability, despite their years of friendship. 

But James had seen it. 

He’d seen it in the way Sirius bought his little brother boba and in the way he’d called him “kid.” It seemed like a poor repayment of their friendship, James turning around and railing Regulus in his bed for as long as the other man wanted it and his stamina allowed.

But Regulus… fuck, he was stunning and mean with an unexpectedly wicked sense of humor that was definitely going to get James killed.

Maybe if I just fuck him once, I’ll get it out of my system, James thought desperately. Sirius doesn’t have to know. 

“What’s this?” Regulus asked as he examined the white board next to them, oblivious to how his mere presence was twisting James’s thoughts and feelings into pretzels. 

It was a busy board, boasting the day’s nursing assignments as well as the names of the interns, residents, fellows, and attendings staffing the unit for July. At the top of the board in Doctor McGonagall’s severe cursive was the riddle of the day: her way of connecting with the Gryffindor staff, who James secretly thought she viewed as her own children.

“It’s the unit riddle. You text McGonagall the answer if you think you know it, and she gives you a prize if you’re right.”

“Wouldn’t people just Google the answer?”

James gaped at him, offended. “That’s cheating!”

Regulus laughed, a real, genuine laugh that made his heart stutter in his chest. A faint blush of pink dusted across the Slytherin’s fair cheeks, giving him a truly beautiful glow that was even more appealing than crowding him up against the wall of an elevator or watching him verbally overpower Tom Riddle (though it was a damn close call).

“Let’s see. ‘I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees. I have water but no fishes, and islands but no breeze. What am I?’ Did you guess it yet?”

James was so wrapped up in the sheer pleasure of listening to Regulus speak that he didn’t answer immediately. “Oh. Yeah, but I wasn’t right about the answer.”

Speaking of riddles, if Sirius did hypothetically find out, he should only be too grateful that it was James Regulus was seducing instead of someone like Tom Riddle, who was honestly the most arrogant doctor James had ever had the displeasure of knowing. He still couldn’t believe Regulus had tolerated the man long enough for them to couple. 

Sirius hates Riddle, James told himself as Regulus contemplated the puzzle, smirked to himself, and pulled out his phone—presumably to text McGonagall his answer.

So I’m basically doing him a favor, sleeping with his brother.

((Click “keep reading” for the answer to Dr. McGonagall’s riddle! 🫶))

Answer: a map 🗺️

[deathnguts]

Little regulus black with an array of porcelain dolls with dresses similar to the ones he’s forced into for public appearances and dead eyes with long lashes just like his own. He earns one every time hes good when Sirius is not. He earns one when Sirius embarrasses the family and he doesn’t. He’s only six and he doesn’t know why this makes Sirius mad.

Sirius is ignoring him. Regulus looks through his dolls and picks one with long black hair and gray eyes darker than his own. He throws its dress off to the side and takes the boy clothes off a dressed teddy bear and redress the doll. He shows it to Sirius and tells him the name he gave it. ‘I named this one Sirius, Siri. He looks just like you.’

When Sirius is mad at him, which happens more and more as they get older and regulus doesn’t know why, he holds his smaller Sirius close and pets it’s hair. He talks to it, tells it the sort of secrets he used to tell the real Sirius. It’s good he learned to do that, because he’s nine now and real Sirius is leaving for hogwarts.

Sirius has been gone for a month and regulus has quickly learned to never let the one he owns go. Little Sirius goes with him everywhere, they do everything together. Little Sirius gets told all the things future regulus will learn to put into a diary, little Sirius attends meals and sits in regulus’ lap, little Sirius gets tucked into bed and his hair brushed everyday, little Sirius’ face paint gets blotchy with all the tears soaking into it these days. Regulus feels awful one night when he apologizes to his doll and he admits he still likes real Sirius more. He hopes little Sirius understands.

Sirius comes back for Christmas and mothers still angry he’s in gryffindor. Regulus can’t find it in himself to care because he’s home. He’s shaking with excitement when Sirius and father step into their home and he crushes him in a hug. Sirius is happy to see him too, later in the night when mother isn’t yelling at him. They stay up and talk like regulus does with little Sirius. He brings little Sirius to the talk and real Sirius laughs at him, saying he’s right here, why do you need the doll? Regulus pouts and hugs it closer. Sirus scoffs and talks about hogwarts. Hogwarts, hogwarts, hogwarts. James, James, James.

Sirius leaves when his break is over and regulus misses him even more. He holds his hand tight while they wait for the train. When it pulls in with a gust of red, glittering smoke, Sirius is pushing him away to run aboard it. Regulus has been alone plenty of times in his life. He has never felt more alone before now. He tells little Sirius that he doesn’t like hogwarts. He doesn’t want to go anymore.

Sirus doesn’t come home from spring. He sends regulus a letter, mother doesn’t let him read it. Regulus doesn’t want to anyway.

Sirius is home for summer. He’s mad. He yells at regulus, he ignores regulus, he pushes regulus, he locks him in his room. He’s done these things before, regulus has never hated him for it. He hates him for it now. Late in the night after real Sirius threw him out of his room, glaring and telling regulus hes not a baby and doesn’t need regulus to talk to him about every fight he has with mother anymore and that regulus is the baby for crying about it, regulus cries to little Sirius and tells him he’s sorry again but now he likes little regulus more than real Sirius. Again, he hopes he understands.

Sirius goes to a different house for the rest of summer. Regulus is angry. He has to leave for school. This isn’t for school. He just hates them. Them. That used to be mother and father. Now it’s regulus too. Well, regulus hates them too. James and Sirius.

Regulus is ten. He still sleeps with little Sirius. He still takes good care of him, like real Sirius used to do for him when he was small and real Sirius still loved him. Real Sirius has been gone at his second year for a few months. Regulus pretended he didn’t notice. He comes back for Christmas and he pretends he can’t see regulus. Regulus hates this game.

He doesn’t see Sirius again until summer. He’s holding little Sirius when he asks real Sirius if he’s going to be leaving again. Real Sirius tells him yes. Yes, he’s going to leave. He hopes he never has to come back. He hates this house. He hates them. He like hogwarts, he likes James. Regulus feels the tears burning his eyes and Sirius just stares at him. He’s going to say something but regulus is already running away.

He goes to his room and he locks the door this time. He’s angry. He’s more angry than he’s ever been. He yells and he kicks things. Father can’t hear him from his study and mother will think it’s Sirius. He doesn’t care. They don’t care. No one cares. Not even Sirius.

Regulus looks at his only, small friend made of porcelain and delusions and he throws it at his door as hard as he can. Its head explodes into dust and rolling gray eyes. Serves it right. Serves him right.

Regulus cleans up his mess before mother and father can be upset with him. They don’t take notice to its absence at the table later. They’d been wanting him to kick the habit anyway, with him going off to hogwarts in two months and all.

Regulus goes ti bed after dinner. He feels empty. Just like the inside of little Sirius’ head turned out to be. He sits up and slowly makes his way to the garbage. He grabs the cotton body. The arms and legs are still in tact besides a missing finger. The head hole is leaking yarn cuttings and lined with sharp porcelain. Regulus cuts his finger pulling it all out. He cuts a whole in his nightshirt and used the small bit of fabric to patch over the leaking head. He pokes his fingers doing that too. He brushes the skull dust off of the little dolls clothes, getting a few small dots of blood soaked into the collar, and sits it on his dresser. He stares at it for a little while. It’s very late and the sun is coming up soon.

He leaves his room and wanders downstairs. The house is even more quiet than usual. He see real Sirius sitting at the table. They stare at each other. Sirius says he’s waiting for nine o clock. Regulus asks why, his voice is raw and it hurts. Sirius isn’t looking at him when he says it’s because he’s going to james’ house then. Regulus turns around and goes to bed, headless doll tucked under his arm beneath the covers. Tears soak into the broken doll’s cloths as regulus hugs it like a life line, choking and sobbing agaisnt it as if he can only breathe when through the plush body.

‘I hate him, I hate him, I hate him…’

[cassielovesdeadwizards]

Safe | R.Black x platonic!reader

regulusblack x platonic!fem!reader

Synopsis: you are Regulus’ safe space, the person he can be himself around. And he is yours.

Warning: MCD, mentions of ab!se????

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

Sometimes, you just like to be alone.

Now, this isn’t to say you don’t like being around your friends, because you love each and every one of them. But the thing is about being in a friendship group with four troublemaking boys, and living in a dorm with four loud girls, is that peace can be rather hard to come by.

You were an introvert by nature, but an extrovert around those you could trust, and other than your little Gryffindor family, there’s only one other you can truly be yourself around.

Regulus Black.

In your third year, and Regulus’ second, you and him had crossed paths on a midnight stroll to the kitchens.

You’d been wary at first, only knowing of him what Sirius had told you, but you soon found that Regulus could be just as sweet and kind as any Hufflepuff, as smart as any Ravenclaw and so incredibly brave that it put most Gryffindors to shame.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be down here.” He had said, a cold exterior to his voice that seemed unnatural. He turned to leave.

“You don’t have to leave, I normally just sit here and read anyway.” You tell him, taking a seat at one of the kitchen tables.

Regulus looked hesitant, as if merely associating with you would get him in trouble. Eventually, however, he took a seat on the furthest table from you, pulling out a notebook and his quill.

After that, it became a sort of tradition, sitting at your respective tables doing your respective tasks. However, as time went on, the space between the two of you got smaller, as you both gradually moved closer to the middle table.

“Do you think he’ll come back?” He asked you now, a single tear escaping and falling down his cheek.

You thought of the way Sirius spoke of his family, the way he despised them all and promised to never return. The way he practically fell into your arms when you arrived at James’ after the news.

“I don’t think so, Reggie.” You told him.

One thing you and Reggie had promised each other, was that you’d never lie to the other. You were both raised on lies, in completely different ways. Regulus had been told his whole life that his only purpose was to serve; his mother, the dark lord, produce an heir. You had been told that you didn’t deserve the same love you shared, you were told that no one would ever reciprocate the love you feel for others, and so maybe you should just stop.

Regulus looked down at his hands, holding the picture he carried in the tiny pocket of his tie. A little moving image of him and Sirius looked up at him, a relationship he believed would never be salvaged.

“You don’t have to either, you know.” You say, reaching to take one of hands in yours.

“I have to, it’s my responsibility.”

“No, it’s not. You think your mother cared about responsibility when she used that curse on you?” It was harsh to say, but you would say anything to make him understand that that house was not his only home. Not the only place he belonged.

“You do understand, Reggie, that I will get you out of this,” you told him, looking the boy you now saw as a little brother in the eyes, a secret promise in your stare. “I won’t let you get that mark, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“You can’t stop it, nobody can, don’t you understand?” He grabbed your arm, trying to make you see his sense, but you were relentless. “Since Sirius left, my mother had a grip on me so tight it’s hard to breathe, y/n.”

“And so have I.” You pulled him into a rare hug.

Regulus was never one for affection, verbal nor physical. He never saw the desire to be in a relationship and he saw even less sense in physical intimacy such as kisses and sex. It didn’t interest him. But you did, in a pure and platonic way.

See, Regulus has friends in his house, but not the kind you can talk to, not the kind you can sit and just exist with.

He found a blissful form of existence with you. You didn’t expect anything from him, didn’t want him to be anything he didn’t want to be. And you didn’t think of him as worthless when he couldn’t do something, instead you made room for him to be exactly who he wanted to be, and that was enough for you.

“Please, Reg. Come home with me.” You asked.

Regulus had read many books, many romances and fantasies and books his mother definitely wouldn’t approve of. When someone asked you to come home with them, it usually had explicit intentions, the act of taking someone home had undertones of possession, or intimacy.

But with you it meant safety, salvation, a place to exist and be safe. A place to call home where you don’t have to watch over your shoulder and keep your form. A home where peace can be felt in the foundations of the walls, and the threads of the carpet and tapestries.

With you it meant love, and affection.

In a way Regulus had only ever felt with you.

He thought of you often, when he felt alone or when he felt helpless. You had never made him feel any of that, not once.

He thought of you as the mark was imprinted into his skin, the sharp pain shooting from his forearm to his bicep, up to his shoulder.

He thought of you when he realised just how out of his depth he was, staring at the sketch of the locket he was hunting to steal.

He thought of running to you, instead of following through, asking for your help, your salvation.

He thought of you and his Brother as he was dragged into the depths of the ocean, falling deeper into the black abyss as the inferi clawed and reached at him, pulling him down, down, down.

His last thought as the burning of his lungs became too much, as the peace of the water turned to silence, as his limbs stopped responding to his brain, his heart stopped beating, was you. The thought of you hopefully being safe, of never having to fight a war that was not yours to fight. The thought of his brother having someone as pure as you to exist with, as he did all those years.

He wanted his last thought to be of someone safe, and it was, because his last thought was you.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

Somewhere in the middle of London, a young Gryffindor girl felt a burning in her lungs.

She felt a part of herself being ripped away, a pain she’d only known once when she lost her mother. And deep down she knew, that her truest friend had been lost to the war he neither started or wanted to fight in.

And she blamed herself.

[mourningliliesmorningglories]

Marauders as things I've written

James: Two lives cannot overlap - one must be forgiven to forge the other. 

Sirius:  It’s haunting to know that you still cry for something today that you also cried for 15 years ago.

Remus: It is strange to cling onto remnants of someone who is no longer there.

Peter: In every story, someone has to leave. This is not a burden taken lightly, nor is it one that can be shared.

Lily: The sunflowers turn to the light, but the sun will never recognise their presence.

Regulus: One day we all realise that the first thing we lose is ourselves.

Pandora: Nobody talks of death lightly. Nobody talks of what it tends to leave behind.

Evan: He carried on with his journey but made time to be part of mine.

Barty: You can love something that does not exist anymore. Something that has never existed cannot be loved.

Dorcas: All prior things are made of shards, of tatters. All prior things look different in the daylight.

Marlene: One day I will sit in an urn, and I too will be smaller than the day I arrived.

Mary: I wonder if forgetting is betrayal or if it’s a favour, a privilege of rest.

Andromeda: We learn that just because one person escapes the inevitable, the other does not.

Narcissa: Love is always a choice, even when we make the wrong one.

Bellatrix: Sometimes, it feels like I have been exiled from my life and no one has thought to tell me.

If you'd like to know more about why I chose each of these quotes, please refer to this ask here!

[vajazzly]

mlm (and not in the gay way) reg, as a treat

Around the age of 21, Sirius gave up all hope that Regulus would ever pull his head out of his ass.

Twenty, they figured, was an age at which one was expected to start thinking for oneself, and though Regulus had always been a bit of a late bloomer, holding onto the false hope that Regulus would ever be the brother they wanted was starting to become more of a burden than anything else. And at 21 Sirius had acquired several things - a lovely boyfriend, a prescription for HRT, a therapist, and a bit of perspective, most notably - that softened the blow of their brother’s rejection. At 26, though they never thought it would be possible, Sirius barely thinks of Regulus anymore, more of a passing thought during the holidays or around his birthday, the lump of resentment and grief smaller each year, something they can sit with and then dismiss with a firm hand.

So when, on the eve of Sirius and Remus’s second wedding anniversary, Sirius receives a follow request on their very private instagram from regulusablack, it comes as rather a shock, enough to make them sit up straight from where they were lounging with their husband on the couch, half-asleep with Keeping Up With the Kardashians on in the background.

“The fuck?”

“Mm?”

Sirius tilts their phone screen so Remus can see, and he makes another soft, confused sound. “Weird.”

“Isn’t it?”

“You gonna accept?”

Sirius pauses, for just a moment. A voice in their head, small but mighty, tells them no. They’ve worked hard over the years to scrub any trace of themselves that their family could track from the internet, only using their private instagram under a vague username, and they like it that way, like the anonymity and the disconnect and the sense of safety that comes with it, even now, when their family can’t really touch them. It’s the control more than anything else, probably, or the need for the freedom to be themself without the constant second thoughts, the anxiety, knowing their family will see. 

They click on Regulus’s profile, which is public - scroll through his posts, all awkwardly posed photos of him in suits with a rotating cast of other formally dressed people, some outside of their old church, others at what must be an office or business conferences of some sort. It’s all horribly generic, expected. Sort of soulless. Still, it makes Sirius smile, seeing him grown out of his awkward boyhood into a man, sends a spark of something through his gut. 

“Dear god,” Remus says, with a note of amusement in his voice, and Sirius chuckles, scrolling back up to the top and pausing with their finger over the accept follow request button, considering. Everything about this is more than a little suspicious - Regulus seems to have settled into the life that was expected of the both of them, and they were never very close, even as children - Regulus has no real reason to contact them, unless…

Sirius presses accept follow request firmly and sets the phone down next to them, turning to peck Remus on the lips, reveling in his contented hum. A few years ago something like this might have sent them spiraling, but now, with a family of their own with Remus and their dogs, Lily and James and Harry just down the street, the sting of their family’s rejection has faded into a dull ache, a bruise - painful when pressed, but easily soothed.

Sirius hasn’t even gotten Remus’s fly all the way down when their phone lets out a soft ping, and despite themselves they pause to check it, curiosity briefly winning. It’s a DM from Regulus’s account, and they open it.

Hey bro! Hope you’re doing well. Recently I’ve been working towards a promotion, and I’ve got an incredible business opportunity…

Sirius tries to read through the rest of the message, but once they see the phrase more freedom than a 9-5 they break - at first into giggles, then full-on stomach-cramping fist-pounding laughter, dropping their phone onto Remus’s chest so he can read it - which he does, chuckling incredulously.

“Is this - is he trying to recruit you for a pyramid scheme?”

[ticigi]

Good Boys Can Keep Secrets

@microcest

Prompt: Shhh…don’t let mom hear 

Word count: 1,649 (I'm so sorry, this is so far from a microfic, but I tried. I swear next time I'll stay within an acceptable word count.)

Warnings: underage

Pairing: Sirius/Regulus

Summary: Sirius shows Regulus something only grown ups do.

Regulus’ underwear was pooling at his socked feet. His small hands were trembling as he clutched nervously at the hems of his robe, keeping it up, his lower half fully exposed: the thin legs, the redness on his knobbly knees, a purple or two ruining the otherwise alabaster skin – evidence of Sirius’ harshness and creativity for making up plays that’d end up bruising one or the other.

His nudity wasn’t something he used to be embarrassed about – Sirius and he had a fair share of baths together when they were smaller, and his brother’s lack of sense of privacy kept the vision of their growing bodies known to each other.

But having Sirius facing his…private parts directly was far too embarrassing. Especially when he felt his brother getting closer, his hot breath bruising against him. It made him feel tingles in his lower stomach, and his penis, to his horror, started to move.

“Are-are you sure? You said adults do this, but it’s dirty, I mean, I’m not dirty, but I pee from there…” he asked, certain it was all a mockery, and Sirius would stand up and laugh at his face at any time.

His brother looked up with a devilish grin, but instead of finally revealing it was a lie, he did something far more audacious. His tongue, soft and hot and moist, did something that made Regulus see stars, his mind went blank for a second: with deliberate slowness, Sirius licked his cock, - there, he finally allowed himself to think the dirty word - from the base to the tip, never breaking eye contact, though Regulus couldn’t quite focus, with his shuddering breath and the familiar shame that came with the warmth of tears pooling on his eyes, ready to fall any instant.

“I promise you, Reggie, they do. I saw it myself. Look, you’re getting hard from it. What I just did, didn’t it feel good?” Sirius asked in an unexpectedly soothing voice, looking almost uncertain. 

“It-it did, it’s just…very intense,” Regulus responded, his soft voice lending a whisper-like quality to his words.

“I’ll put it in my mouth, okay?”

Without waiting for an answer, Sirius dived down again as Regulus nodded anyway. 

This time, it was even more intense as Sirius engulfed what he could at once. It was by far the most pleasing feeling he had in his whole life – almost unbearably so, and Regulus instinctually let out a shuddery moan and faltered on his knees, but Sirius caught him just in time.

“Shh…don’t let mum hear,” Sirius chided, his mouth producing a pop sound as he lifted his head. Regulus felt the tingles again at the sight of his cock, pink and covered in drool, so close to his brother’s face.

“Sorry,” he whispered, biting his lower lip as Sirius went down on him again.

This was better than spending holidays in their villa, Regulus thought. And he really, really loved the summer. Sirius gave shivers a whole new meaning: nothing else ever made him shiver for how good a sensation was. His brother’s wet, hot mouth felt even better around his cock, humming and moving up and down, making embarrassing noises, than it felt when Sirius told him for the first time that he needed kissing lessons, for when the time arrived Regulus wouldn’t embarrass himself.

Regulus practiced thoroughly whenever his parents were around and felt quite good in his abilities, even daring to stand on his toes and taking the initiative sometimes. The noises Sirius made when they french-kissed was proof of his skills. It sounded as if he was enjoying the experience. Regulus didn’t particularly fancy any girl, but doing it with Sirius was nice enough that he didn’t have the courage to tell his brother that this new ability wouldn’t be put to use for a long time, excepting Sirius.

If he already thought Sirius was amazing at this – and the thought he might have practiced on some other boy was rather unpleasant –  it was even better when his brother went further down and choked a little, and he could swear his cock would move by itself, had it any space. Regulus didn’t even think of being concerned, because he felt the tip of his cock brushing against the back of Sirius’s throat, but quickly it ended.

“Fuck,” his brother cursed, his voice a little coarser, gasping for air, “your little cock is so pretty I wanted to swallow it whole, but that’s harder than I thought. I’m not sure you can actually come yet, but try to keep quiet, okay? I’ll make you orgasm…promise it’s better than anything you’ve ever felt.” 

Sirius’s breath near his cock was making him want to both squeeze his tights together, and open them further apart.

“Can- can I try it later? I mean, I want to try to make you feel the tingles as well,” Regulus felt his face hot. He must look like a mess, struggling to keep his posture straight, hair rubbing against the wall, sweat on his forehead.

“Sure, baby brother. I’ll feed you my cock whenever you want. We’ll know if you’re good enough if you make me cum.” He tilted his head, “Have you ever? Cummed? You know, the white thing that comes out of men’s cocks?”

Regulus shook his head, feeling his face burn at the obscenities and trying not to think about how it felt good hearing it. 

“Well, it’ll happen when you grow a little more. Actually, It won’t take long, I guess. There’s a little hair growing here. Very thin and sparse, though. But you’ll let me know, won’t you?”

Regulus nodded dutifully, squeezing his legs together for a moment. “I will.”

Sirius gently caressed his inner thigh, smiling with fondness. This Sirius was the one Regulus adored the most.

“Of course you will, you’re such a good boy, always…”

Whatever his brother would say next was swallowed down as he closed his mouth around the head, giving it teasing suckles and little kisses that were making Regulus bite his sore lower lip to stop making noise. Then, Sirius looked up, his hungry gaze locked with his, and Regulus' heart skipped a beat when he attempted to reach the back of his throat again. His palms must have been bleeding with how much effort he was putting into not letting go of his hem and pulling Sirius’ hair. He wasn’t authorized – Sirius hated it when he was showing something new and Regulus acted without asking for permission. Plus, it’d be incredibly rude. He’d have to ask to touch Sirius’ hair…or any part of him next time, gently, of course.

Sirius increased his rhythm, and all it took was three times more in the hot, tight and wet moving fast when he felt it. This time he let go of his robes, which fell over Sirius’ head and hid him from view. But the covering of his brother’s beautiful face didn’t matter, because Regulus’ head tilted up against the wall, closing his eyes and curling his toes. He could feel his brother’s hands on him, keeping him steady. Regulus hoped he could make Sirius’ toes curl like his and his knees lose strength too.

He felt a kiss right under his belly button before his brother lifted his head out of the dark fabric, looking amused. “Yeah, nothing came out, but it was lovely anyway. We’ll see next time.”

“You say such scandalous things,” Regulus pouted, suddenly upset by the notion, “It seems like you have done it before. To other boy.”

“Why would I? I have the prettiest one right across the hallway,” Sirius responded, his smug smile back.

Regulus blushed, feeling silly for asking. His brother slipped his forgotten underwear up his legs, hands touching as much skin as they reached on the way and adjusted it over his hips, spreading his hands over Regulus’ backside before moving on to close the buttons of his robes. Regulus felt like a child, being dressed by someone else. He felt inadequately young and uninformed compared to his brother, who was showing him things only adults did.

“I-I wouldn’t want anyone else to…to teach me the things you do. Or say such indecencies. When other boys talk about dirty things, I don’t like it. But with you, it feels different.”

Slowly, Sirius rose to his feet, his knees moving a bit stiffly. Regulus would have to remember to use a cushion next time. Tenderly, his brother planted a kiss on his forehead, making something in Regulus’ stomach coil.

“That’s because I’m your big brother; I’m the one you’re supposed to learn things from, even the ones Mother and Father don’t want you to hear. They think you’re too much of a baby for that. They coddle you. But I know better. You’re grown up enough, so as long as we keep it a secret, I can make you feel good.”

His brother was larger than life; a magnetic presence Regulus wanted to be around for as long as he was allowed. Sirius trusted him, and his heart raced at the thought of breaking his brother’s trust. He’d never dare. Sirius would be angry. Plus, he really wanted to prove he was grown up enough, like Sirius said, and snitching was not the right path for it.

“Where did you learn it? What you just did?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head over this, pet.”

In the hallway, a stunned Walburga lingered by the door. She had intended to check on the boys before dinner, adept at the art of moving quietly, a skill essential for any mother dealing with a mischievous child. With a quiet sigh, she retreated downstairs. "What a worthless husband," she muttered to herself, feeling both embarrassed and humiliated. A serious talk with Orion after dinner was due. “Can’t even remember putting up the privacy spells.”

[pickinglilahs]

Blackeclipse for the soul

Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 6.5; Part 8 this has come out waaaaaaayyyyy longer than I thought it would I will be copying this to AO3 at some point CW: Talking about Self Harm and finding better coping mechanisms

Remus was going to strangle James.

And Sirius.

And Regulus for good measure.

"I'm sorry?"

James jumped in, "Remember how, in first year, Sirius was telling us about his little sister? Then in the second year, he said she died but he wasn't really upset about it? And we were all confused because he never told us about his brother?"

Remus stared at him, then slowly turned to Regulus.

Regulus gave a small, awkward wave. Then he shrugged and cleared his throat. "Honestly, I feel like I should have known given how quickly he accepted me. And how he seemed to know more than I did at times. That summer was... eventful. But he wrote Dumbledore and everything, making sure I was in the right dorm and my paperwork had the right name. I'm still not sure how he kept it all from our parents."

"They still don't know, right?" James was looking at Regulus with concern. The implications of that, that Regulus spent his summers as someone he wasn't, hit Remus hard.

Regulus closed his eyes, one hand coming up to rub his forehead. "While I was packing to come back this year, Mother came into my room. She saw..."

Remus, still sitting close to Regulus, reached out to take his hand. He squeezed it gently, reassuringly. Regulus looked up at him gratefully.

"Evan keeps most of my stuff for me. Over the summer. I-" He sighed. "I knew it would happen eventually but- I guess I was just-" He paused to collect his thoughts. "I was hoping that if I could just wait it out, until I came of age, I could still inherit the title and..."

Regulus pulled his hand back and pressed the heels into his eyes.

James moved the food out of the way and came up to Regulus' other side. "Can we hold you?"

Regulus shook his head and rubbed his eyes hard. He looked up, eyes trained on the ceiling. "I'm fine."

It was James' turn to shake his head. "No. You're not. You've been abused and forced to endure things no one our age should even have to think about. And you’ve been pretending to be someone you're not on top of everything. You are allowed to not be okay. You are allowed to cry and scream and break things and be held and shown love and whatever else you need."

James held his hand out for Regulus to take. After a moment, he did.

James went on, using his no-nonsense quidditch captain voice. "What you are not allowed to do, is bottle this up until you need to hurt yourself. You are not allowed to hate yourself. And you are not going back to that house."

Tears were rolling down Regulus' cheeks now. Remus held his arms open in invitation and the taller boy slumped against him. James took Regulus' legs into his lap.

They stayed like that for a long time. Remus running his fingers through Regulus' hair, James rubbing soothing circles along his shins.

Their peace was disrupted by a knock on the door. Peter's voice drifted through the door. "Umm...Siri wants to know if you guys are decent."

James laughed and Remus called, "You can come in, Tails."

Regulus sat up and scrubbed his eyes, turning his face away from the door as it opened slowly.

Peter stuck his head in with a hand over his eyes. James snorted. "We're all dressed Pete."

Peter slowly lowered his hand and shuffled in.

"What's up Pads?" Remus was trying really hard not to laugh as Sirius appeared behind Peter like he was using the smaller boy as a human shield.

When he saw the trio just sitting on the bed, Sirius bounced back to his normal, hyperactive self. "It's lunch! And you guys have been up here for HOURS!"

He flopped onto the double bed, sprawling across James' now empty lap. Peter was standing nearby looking at the change in furniture apprehensively.

Remus smiled at him. "Don't worry, Pete. This is just for convenience."

Sirius sat up to assess, then nodded derisively. "Definitely enough room." He then proceeded to change into Padfoot and rested his head in Regulus' lap.

Regulus froze with his hands in the air, unsure how to handle this new development.

James was laughing and Remus sighed. "Pads, this was not for you."

Sirius changed back, looking heartbroken. "So... I can't..."

James gave Remus a disapproving look. "Of course you can still come to us, Pads. Just, make sure you ask when your brother is up here."

Sirius looked at said brother confused. "You aren't moving up here?"

Regulus looked uncomfortable so Remus jumped in. "He can go back and forth whenever he wants. He's allowed to spend time alone and with his friends. He isn't used to sharing beds all the time like us."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully, then, out of nowhere, proceeded to tackle his brother in a hug. "Sirius! Get off of me!"

James looked like he wanted to help, but Remus shook his head. He could see the underlying affection and exasperation in Regulus' face. The two might have a rocky relationship, but they did love each other.

The brothers wrestled for a moment before Regulus managed to shove Sirius off the bed. The older boy fell to the ground with a hard thump.

"OW!" Sirius sat up from the floor, rubbing his head.

Before he could retaliate, Remus clapped his hands. "Lunch."

He might as well have flipped a switch. Sirius immediately brightened and jumped to his feet.

"Yes!" He bounded over to his wardrobe and shucked off the shirt he was wearing.

While he changed, for some ungodly reason, the trio slid off the bed and found their shoes.

"James, put a shirt on."

At Regulus' admonishment, James looked down in confusion, then realization, before hurrying to pluck a shirt out of his wardrobe.

The five boys then proceeded down the stairs and made their way to lunch. Regulus walked between Remus and James, hands brushing occasionally. He didn't reach for them though, so the boys left it be.

At the entrance to the Great Hall, Regulus murmured a quick goodbye and James and Remus smiled at him. Then they hauled Sirius away before he could start protesting and trying to convince Regulus to eat with them.

James and Remus sat facing the Slytherin table, watching as Regulus was interrogated by his friends. He would look over at them occasionally, clearly amused by his friends' questions. Eventually, one of the girls caught on and followed his gaze.

She gasped, clearly looking at the Mark on Remus' face. She then promptly had everyone else turning to look at them.

Regulus was rolling his eyes, but James smiled and waved. Remus was trying very hard not to blush and focused on his salad.

Sirius was trying to get James to go flying after lunch and Peter had turned to gossip with the girls. Remus borrowed a quill and some parchment from Lily and wrote a note to Regulus. He let James read it before he folded it into a bird and sent it flying over.

James is going flying with your brother; I'll be studying in the library. Feel free to join either of us. Otherwise, we'll see you at dinner. 🔆 🌙

Regulus smiled as he read it, then set it on fire before his friends could snatch it out of his hands.

After lunch, Sirius promptly dragged James outside, so Remus went with Peter and the girls back upstairs. Lily and Mary walked with him to the library, but he declined their offer to sit with them. They shrugged and he made his way to the back of the restricted section.

He wasn't surprised Regulus wasn't there. Remus expected Regulus' friends to not let him out of their sight for the rest of the day.

As it was Sunday, Remus decided to get a head start on this week's homework. Because of the soul bond, the day before—and even the day of—the Full had been manageable. He went back over his notes from Friday just to be sure, but he was confident there was nothing he needed to re-do.

Remus took a minute to appreciate how far he had come in the last two months. Not only had he found his lost Soulmate, but he had also gained a second as well. Both were far more than he ever could have dreamed of finding and he was determined to be deserving of them.

He didn't dare think it, for fear of jinxing himself, but there was a beating deep in his heart daring to dream that maybe, just maybe, his luck really had changed.

@poetrypirate @niad4827

[mea-laetitia]

So I’m reviving my Jegulus Triwizard Tournament AU fic! I’m super excited about it I have big plans for it hehe the first chapter is up right now and here is a little preview of chapter 2. Enjoyyyy!

-

The Marauders had never found it so easy to score weed than they had that night. Now that Sirius and Regulus were reunited, they had an almost unlimited supply. James couldn’t remember exactly when, but at some point Regulus had become the school’s unofficial weed dealer, growing batches under his bed with some strange magical lights as well as somewhere off in the forbidden forest that no one else was privy to. Until now, they had been fortunate enough to procure what little they had, albeit very rarely; Regulus had always favoured Remus for they had a shared love of muggle literature. Who knows how that was discovered, James never bothered to ask, but Remus would occasionally turn up after studying in the library with a telltale grin and a small black bag he had charmed to be void of smell. How he managed it, James didn’t care. As long as they had weed, he was happy, and now they were positively rolling in it and he was absolutely over the moon.

“Merlin bless your brother Sirius.” He sighed wistfully as he finished rolling up the fattest joint of his life.

They were sat in their usual smoke spot overlooking the Black Lake, the shared bounty between them was larger than it ever had been, and they had decided there was no better way to celebrate the commencement of their final year of school than to smoke in excess, something they had seldom been able to do before.

Peter’s own was several times smaller than the rest of theirs. He hadn’t smoked since fifth year, when he had horribly greened out and swore it off for the rest of his life. But Sirius was not about to let him miss this golden opportunity.

“What was the point in me reuniting with my brother if you’re just going to let it go to waste?”

James didn’t see fit to mention that it certainly wouldn’t have gone to waste if Peter didn’t join them. Peter high was a phenomenon he had sorely missed, for the boy would become a giggling mess and say some of the funniest things in the world that even while high James wasn’t sure his own mind could think of.

When they were all finished, they stuck their joints together in cheers and Remus used his wand to light them all at once.

“That is some good shit right there.” Sirius said proudly, relishing in exhaling his first puff.

Remus took another drag and peered at Peter with concern. “Okay so far Pete?”

The boy nodded almost too enthusiastically and took another puff that turned him into a coughing mess. James pat him roughly on the back a few times with a fond grin.

“Attaboy Wormy. More you cough the higher you get y’know?”

“That’s a total myth Prongs.” Remus rolled his eyes. “How would that even work?”

“It recycles it through your lungs.”

“Honestly listen to yourself mate.”

Five minutes later even Remus wasn’t making much sense. James leaned back against the tree they were sitting by, staring into the sky and wishing not for the first time that he was capable of taking his broom out for a fly right now, but any time he tried to form an intelligent string of thoughts he was reminded that that was most likely a terrible idea. The only downside of Peter’s newfound drug lust was that he could no longer take them each in turn for a fly on the back of his broom. Oh well.

“What’s even the difference between the stuff he grows outside versus under his bed?” James pondered aloud.

Sirius’ eyes were comically bloodshot. “I think the outside stuff he grows the muggle way, whereas the charmed lights and shit he uses for the inside weed makes it stronger. I think, he’s never actually told me.”

The four stared silently at the bank of the Lake as it lapped softly from whatever movement from a creature within stirred it.

“So what are we smoking right now?” Peter asked.

James examined his own joint as if he would be able to tell the difference just by looking. The ember at the end slowly devoured the weed, gradually making it smaller and smaller. He took a hasty drag so as not to allow it to all burn up.

“Muggle shit I reckon. He’s not been at Hogwarts long enough to have grown a proper batch of the good stuff yet. But he said the stuff he grew in the forest he just left there all summer, so I’ll bet he has an absolute motherload of it.”

The thought of Regulus tending to his plants makes James grin. He had never really pictured Regulus as being a person with his own life and hobbies, despite knowing for years that he had been doing this. But certainly, he must have been passionate about it enough to take the growing so seriously. James wonders what Regulus must be like when he smokes.

“He’s aggravatingly no different to when he’s sober.” Sirius replied, James hadn’t realized he wondered that question out loud. He thanks his good fortune that the sun has lowered enough by now that no one can see his burning face. Really, he shouldn’t care so much about his best friend’s twin, but the boy was fascinating to him, and now that he was allowed to mention him, he just couldn’t help himself.

“When did you smoke with Regulus?” Remus puzzled. “Surely your parents wouldn’t allow that under their roof?”

Sirius smirked. “When have my parent’s rules ever stopped me?”

“Fair.”

“Hey, the top of that tree looks like it’s flipping me off right now.” Peter pointed across the lake. “Is that just me?”

James laughed loudly and looked at the tree in question, which sat inoffensively still and very much was not flipping Peter off.

“You should go give it a piece of your mind mate. I wouldn’t let that slide.”

“I dunno, it looks pretty intimidating to me.” Remus grinned.

Sirius used his wand to relight his own joint and added. “Yeah Wormy be careful, you’re clearly on thin ice already.”

“What did I do to it?” Peter whined, throwing his head back in exasperation.

“Um, dude you’re literally smoking a fellow plant right now. That hash was probably it’s best friend.”

“WELL YOU’RE ALL SMOKING IT TOO!” Peter shouted defensively.

The other three laughed uproariously at their friend. Thank Merlin Peter was a stoner once again because James dearly missed fucking with him when he was high. After a few moments Peter cracked a grin and started to laugh as well, and even though James was utterly content he still couldn’t help the thought from creeping in that moments like these were in short supply now, a year from now they’d have to find a new smoke spot. Or maybe they’d all be separated doing different things with their lives.

James pushed the thought away, grateful that at least that was a year away. He could worry about that later. He took another drag and looked at his friends with a smile.

[mycupofrum]

I think it’s time to make a pinned post.

Hello!

Welcome to my little corner on Tumblr! This blog is mostly for Harry Potter and Prongsfoot related things – and whatever else happens to interest me in any given moment.

I enjoy James/Sirius in a romantic sense the most. They are what soulmates are made of, and I write mostly about them. I also like Jilypad and Drarry.

I'm not into Wolfstar or Jegulus. It doesn't bother me if you're into them. I just block those tags. ✌️

I don't share JKR’s hurtful, transphobic views.

I blog/reblog NSFW content (writing/art) from time to time so I hope you’re +18.

I don't mind being tagged to ask games or WIP snippet posts etc. I'll happily take part if I have time, energy or any new writing to share.

My ask box is open if you want to talk about Prongsfoot or something else.

Sideblog: @mischief-managed-moodboards

Miscellaneous: #zodiac moodboard, #prongsfoot meme

Art tag: #my art

My fanfiction on AO3: English, Finnish

My writing on Tumblr

See below. 👇

Drabbles & microfics

The most logical conclusion

Autumn fluff. Prongsfoot, T.

Like a brother

They're so platonic. Prongsfoot, E.

Husband

James and Sirius spending a lazy weekend morning together. Prongsfoot, M.

Out of time

Sirius goes back in time and meets a certain Dark Wizard. Sirius Black/Gellert Grindelwald, G.

Imagine

Sirius confesses his feelings to James a little too late. Prongsfoot, G.

What it's always been

"We shouldn't have done it." James and Sirius fall in love in their 30s. Prongsfoot, T.

Regardless (I love you)

Sirius always makes everything better for James. James & Sirius, G.

Darkness

James battles with his dark side. Prongsfoot, T.

Grief

The Grim looked far more beautiful than any books had given it credit for. Grim!Sirius & Luna, G.

Guilt

"You never tried to contact Harry." Sirius and Remus have a difficult conversation. Sirius & Remus, G.

Academics

"Mrs Weasley says you can't tell Harry from James." Sirius & Hermione, implied Prongsfoot, G.

Jealous

He had an uncanny way of getting under your skin. Sirius & Peter, implied Prongsfoot, G.

Azkaban

"Hello, cousin." Sirius & Bellatrix, G.

Payback

James needs to let out some pent-up tension. Sirius knows exactly the way to do it. Smut, dirty talk, revenge plotting. Prongsfoot, E.

First day of work

James is ready to start at a new job. But he really should've asked the name of the stranger he had a one-night stand with the weekend before. Billionaire CEO AU, one night stand, hot boss. Prongsfoot, M/E.

The art of seduction

James wants to know how Sirius would seduce someone. Friends to lovers, one thing leads to another. Prongsfoot, T.

Happy tonight

James and Sirius escape the war for one night. Recreational drug use. Prongsfoot, G.

Permission

Time and time again James tore down his walls. Romance, light angst. Prongsfoot, G.

Jeepster

They had been sharing secrets that night, slowly moving from smaller to bigger ones. Friends to lovers. Prongsfoot, G.

One of these days

For two smart, brilliant blokes, they can be surprisingly thick when it comes to love. Oblivious James, oblivious Sirius, POV Remus Lupin. Prongsfoot, G.

Deleted scenes

1 (from Specialised in you)

2 (from A lesson in love)

3 (from Guilt)

4 (from Jealous)

My fics (Tumblr posts)

In the middle (Prongsfoot, Jilypad, E, 6k)

Birthday boy (Drarry, E, 3.9k)

Professor Black (Prongsfoot, E, 4.5k)

Out of time (Sirius Black/Gellert Grindelwald, E, 2.8k, WIP)

The easiest truth (Prongsfoot, T, 2.3k)

Just one kiss (Star Wars: Obikin, M, 5.4k)

Specialised in you (Prongsfoot, E, 11.9k)

Need you tonight (Prongsfoot, E, 1.6k)

Enchanted (Prongsfoot, E, 11.8k)

Practice makes perfect (Prongsfoot, E, 4.5k)

Fashion (Prongsfoot, T, 2k)

Surrounded by Black (Sirius/James/Regulus, E, 6.5k)

By my side (Prongsfoot, T, 1.4k)

A lesson in love (Prongsfoot, M, 6.6k)

Nothing like the feel of your hand (Ronarry, M, 1.9k)

What are best friends for (Prongsfoot, E, 2.4k)

Bathe with me (Prongsfoot, E, 4.3k)

[wendynoire]

Cutie

James had to admit he really didn't understand the relationship between the Black brothers. Sirius put everything about Regulus before him, except explaining.

It was Regulus that Sirius had asked to have stay at the Potters, he was so surprised when James told him both of their rooms were sorted and to come whenever.

Besides, after getting together Remus and Sirius were awful company. Yes, James knew everything about Remus' body, the two had had sex for crying out loud! They only did it once and decided to forget it happened, never telling anyone. Sirius, though, seemed to want to talk about everything to do with Remus, up to and including his body during sex.

James had had enough, he was going to read a book in the old, unused classroom on the way to the Astronomy tower. It had a large window ledge which was comfortable to sit on and had the best view of the grounds. Apparently some students had hexed the window several years ago causing the window to always let the air flow even when it was closed. James didn't mind though, he, like every Quidditch player, loved the feeling of the wind on his face and through his messy, fluffy hair.

But when James got there, he found there was already someone there. They were rather smaller than him, with short, black, dead straight hair that made it look like they had never had a bad hair day in their life. Their eyes were a greyish blue, and their cheeks had similar high cheek bones to Sirius. They were wearing robes with a Slytherin crest stitched on with neat, black thread. The light shining in through the window seemed to bless the person with more beauty than James thought anyone but Lily could hold.

"Hello." The person had moved to fix their eyes on James, making his breath hitch. Though they were clearly looking at him with mistrustfulness, their eyes were truly a beauty.

"Hi, mind if I sit here too?" James tried to breathe as the wind caught the individual's hair perfectly.

"as long as you don't mind sitting with a Slytherin." They gestured for James to sit. "Why is James Potter in a place like this, alone, anyway?"

"It's not like we're all joined at the hip." James grinned, sitting down. Conversation was better than reading, so long as it wasn't coming from Sirius right now, who seemed to decide that this week was tmi about Remus, or complaining about his relationship with Regulus. "I just wanted some time away from our star complainer."

"Oh," The Slytherin nodded, they were really cute.

"By the way, what's your name?" James wanted to know, he wasn't a stalker like Snape, but it was nice to know the name of crushes.

The cute Slytherin looked James up and down, before turning to the window again.

"Why should I tell you my name? You'll probably just use it to annoy me." Their cheeks were a little flushed as they spoke though.

"Oh come on, you know my name." James pouted and leaned forwards towards the Slytherin.

"Literally everyone knows your name, Potter. You make it damn hard not to know about your group." The cute Slytherin rolled their eyes.

"Fine, then I'll call you 'Cute Slytherin'." James also turned to look outside. Though cold, it was a sunny day, the serene lake looking like it was trying to trick the viewer into thinking it's summer.

"The fuck did 'Cute' come from?" The Slytherin snapped, their cheeks really going red.

"Well," James folded his arms as he grinned mischievously. "You are adorable."

"Ugh."

"Your cheeks are so pokeable."

"Fuck off."

"And your voice is also cute."

"I swear on Merlin I will find something to hit you with."

"Then tell me about yourself." James had moved back so he was leaning against the wall he was in front of, avoiding Cute Slytherin's swats at him.

"How about you tell me about your 'Chief complainer'?" Cute Slytherin sat back, sure they weren't going to be able to stay in silence, though they had known that when they let James join in the first place.

"Oh yeah, Sirius," James missed Cute Slytherin's slight flinch at the name, biting their lip in an attempt to keep their face neutral. "I mean, I know I don't have siblings, but I feel like it shouldn't be as complicated as he makes it."

"From my side, as a Slytherin, I don't think it seems that complicated." Cute Slytherin looked everywhere but James. "Sirius hates his brother and avoids him?"

"That's exactly the problem!!" James yelled, tossing his book across the room. "Everything Sirius does in front of his brother makes it look like he hates him, but when we're in Gryffindor he's always complaining about how his brother doesn't like him. I have told him to talk to him, but he refuses."

"What is it you want them to talk about?" Cute Slytherin looked interesting.

"Everything Sirius complains about to me. How he stopped talking to him while at home because he was suddenly being the one punished after watching what their parents did to his brother and was now taking the blame for everything. How he literally only thinks about his brother and not even himself. You know he was surprised when he realised that I had asked for him to come to mine too? But does he tell his brother about that? Nooo! 'I don't know which students are Death Eaters' 'I don't want to put him in more danger from our parents' bla bla bla. He has a place to stay that's not their parents!" James hadn't realised quite how angry he was with Sirius, or rather Sirius' situation, he guessed that explosion was good for him.

Cute Slytherin seemed to be scared of James' explosion though, staring at him with wide eyes that didn't seem to know where to look and an open mouth.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have put all of that on you." James deflated, looking out the window.

"I need to go." Cute Slytherin looked away from James, standing up and summoning his book. "And Regulus Black is actually nonbinary, they/them."

"Oh thanks, sorry." James took the book, watching Cute Slytherin walk away.

"And... It's probably not good to keep all of that to yourself. I come here every Friday, you can talk to me any time." Cute Slytherin finally slipped out of the room.

"Well fuck." James muttered to himself, cheeks warm. Yes, he definitely had a new crush, not that he wasn't still in love with Lily. Perhaps he wanted a polyamorous relationship?

Over the next month, the two met every Friday, talking about whatever. There were a lot of discussion about the Black siblings, almost all from Sirius' side, but it did seem Cute Slytherin knew Regulus.

"Cutie!" James called, opening the door dramatically, arms wide.

"'Cutie'?" Cute Slytherin raised an eyebrow at the new nickname.

"Eh, it's shorter than 'Cute Slytherin', so now it's 'Cutie'." James shrugged, plopping down on the window sill.

"Whatever. Fuck you." Cutie rolled his eyes and looking out the room again, cheeks very red.

"Awww, aren't you a cutie." James laughed.

[aniwahstan]

Want some Marauders era angst?

Regulus survives the war, and goes with James to attend the funerals of their fallen friends.

From the fic: Night and Day (3 pt trilogy of Marauders era, war, and post war)

🩶🖤🩶

In the wake of a war, the Wizarding world holds more funerals than in its known history. Like a collective silent agreement, no one honored their dead properly until the war was officially declared over, and now they all pay the price of collective mourning.

On a Tuesday, they attend the late funeral of Evan Rosier. James, Sirius, Remus, all flank Regulus as he approaches the Rosier manor. Lily, Emmeline and Dorcas stand just behind. A small, broken group. Pieces missing on every side.

There’s clear shock on Evan’s mother’s face when they walk-in to their home, a place Regulus has only been to once before, when Pandora was still at their side.

She nods at Regulus, before her eyes land on everyone behind him. He can’t determine if the surprise in her tight face is because Regulus has just walked in with a plethora of mixed-blood wizards and witches, or if Evan’s mum is simply surprised that Evan had this many friends on the other side of the war.

They each shake her hand as they pass her, and he overhears Lily telling Mrs. Rosier that Evan was kind and clever. That it was an honor to know him. She speaks only the truth. Evan was always the gentlest of their trio. The kindest, the silliest, till the very end.

Regulus waits until the service is complete before he addresses Mrs. Rosier himself. He clears his throat, and tries to his best to look her in the eye as he says,

“Evan was one of my only mates. One of the best people I’ve ever known. He understood me like few others ever had. I know he died fighting for something he believed in. Something he loves. I hope you can be proud of him.” Regulus looks to his left where James is standing patiently and quietly.

“We’re proud of him,” he finishes.

Regulus turns to where the rest of their small and fractured group stand. They all nod, giving small smiles of comfort.

He turns back, giving Mrs. Rosier a final shy smile.

She tries to smile back, but the tears come swiftly. She bows her head then, pulling Regulus into a brief embrace before releasing him back into a world where Evan Rosier no longer exists.

On a Wednesday, they attend the funeral of Marlene McKinnon

Marlene’s service is large. Cousins and friends and professors alike all squeeze into a grand hall in the McKinnon home. They listen to people speak of her skills, her smarts, her power. Her father speaks of her childhood, how she was unruly and wild and so beautiful when she ran through the fields behind their home.

When Lily steps up to the front of the room, she looks at the photo of Marlene, swallowing hard before addressing the crowd,

“Marlene loved chess,” Lily begins.

“Well,” she pauses, looking over at each of them. “She loved to win at chess.”

This brings the entire room into a shared laughter. The briefest reprieve from the pain. It’s a gift only Lily seems to be able to give to others. The reason she’s been the chosen leader in both the Order and their smaller group for so many years.

Regulus sees Sirius’ shoulders shaking, Remus’ long arm slung around him and pulling him in closer. He moves toward Sirius, and puts a hand on the back of his shoulder. Something he feels strongly he’s earned the right to do, after all they’ve endured together. After each tiny tear they stitched back together.

“I never got to say goodbye to her,” Sirius says later when they’ve all made their way to the sunroom, where tables of food are left untouched.

Regulus nods at his brother, stuffing his hands in his pockets and staring down at his own shiny black shoes.

“I was there,” Regulus says quietly. “When Evan was killed.” He pauses, the memory of Barty screaming and clawing toward Evan’s body sending a shiver down his spine. “It was my fault.”

Sirius looks at him with wide eyes, utter disbelief befalling him.

“If my counter curse hadn’t missed, he would have lived.”

“Reggie. You can’t know that,” Sirius tries, but Regulus cuts him off with the wave on his hand.

“I’m only saying. There is no comfort in death. No matter how close or far away we are when it happens.”

On a Thursday, they visit the small town of Exeter and walk into a cafe. The waitress has dark skin and long braided hair. She’s beautiful and tall and elegant, as she always has been.

She sounds like Mary Macdonald. Her voice is the same. Her eyes are the same shade of brown. But her voice is a little different. A little more hesitant.

They all freeze when she approaches the table, mouths agape, staring at Mary as if they’ve seen a ghost. She stares back, clearly confused by a table of seven all going mute in surprise at her present.

When she shakes herself from their shared staring, she flips her braided hair over one shoulder and smiles, bright and warm.

“Can I get anyone something to drink? Coffee? Biscuits? Tea?”

They all start to bumble before Lily speaks for the group, ordering each of them tea, and a small cakes.

“Thank you,” Lily says when she’s done ordering. Mary lingers on Lily’s face for a moment, a nervous swallow obvious before she turns back toward the counter.

Lily stares at Mary nearly the entire time she’s moving on the other side of the counter, tracking her like a woman staved.

Emmeline and Dorcas exchange sympathetic glances, while Sirius and Remus exchange confused ones, but Lily doesn’t notice. Her eyes never leave their old friend as she brings the tea. Nor when she brings the food. Nor when they pay at the end, and all begin to stand.

“Are you coming?” Remus asks as they all start to wander through the glass door in front.

Lily looks at her friends for a long while, then back at Mary for even longer. Mary looks up from refilling a coffee on the counter, catching Lily’s gaze and holding it. For a moment, Regulus wonders if she’s remembering something. A familiar feeling that she may know Lily. Know all of them. Know that there is magic sizzling just under the surface, waiting to be used once more.

“No,” Lily finally says, looking at Remus. “I think I’ll stay awhile.”

She walks toward the counter and sits, her back turned to them all, and waits for Mary to come back to her.

Outside, Regulus watches his friends' backs as they wander down the street. James stalls behind the rest, waiting for Regulus, a hand extended to him. Regulus takes one more look at the cafe, and can’t help but feel this was a funeral of its own kind. A life still taken. A half of something that still hurts them each as if it was a whole death.

On a Thursday, Regulus finds himself alone on a muggle train. He’s been on one a few times now and can navigate it well enough, but it’s always an odd experience.

He has a piece of parchment clutched in his hand. A single line of address scribbled there that was sent by owl. The handwriting was familiar. All those potion notes passed back and forth in school, Regulus could never forget it.

He watches the world pass him by through the window. He studies the people at each station, the children across the car, the older gentleman reading about finances in the muggle world. He hopes they live boring, simple lives. He hopes he’ll find something similar at the end of this line.

He departs the tube station, then boards a metrobus for fifteen stations, getting off at a small town called Tatsfield. The doors close loudly behind him, causing him to wince as he steps to the pavement.

He brushes a small amount of dust off his trousers, and when he finally looks up, bright yellow hair catching the sunshine greets him from across the road.

He smiles, wider than he has in years, when he looks down to see a bundle of blankets wrapped in Pandora’s arms.

“This is Luna,” she says as she hands the tiny infant to Regulus.

He holds her as if she’s glass, terrified and bewildered at the pale sleeping face in his arms.

“Luna,” he says softly, running a thumb across the softest cheek he’s ever felt. “She’s beautiful, Pandora.”

“She is,” Pandora says with reverence, staring at the life she’s brought to the world. Something innocent and precious in the midst of their world crashing and crumbling around them.

“Now, let’s get you to our cottage. I think we have much to catch up on, yes?”

Regulus smiles at her, keeping Luna in his arms as he follows Pandora past a flower stand. The sun beats down as they walk along the cobblestone, a crisp wind blowing by every few minutes.

When they arrive at the cottage, a quaint place with dark wooden beams and cream walls, Regulus pauses at the black iron gate, handing Pandora’s daughter back to her.

“Pandora,” he says, pausing her cooing of the wiggling baby in her arms. “Love you.”

Words he’s not sure he’s ever said to her before. He tries to recall if he’s ever said such words to a friend, and his heart squeezes tightly at the sureness that he hasn’t. “I missed you. More than you know.”

She beams at him, her tall yellow sunflowers in the front of the house swaying behind her. Sunshine incarnated, the entire scene.

“I love you too,” she says before kissing Luna’s forehead, and leading Regulus inside to her new life.

[feelin-sad-and-gay]

"I don't really think we could work James." "But why?! Just tell me why we can't and i'll leave you alone! Please just tell me!" James looks at Regulus, a pleading, desperate look in his eyes. "Please Regulus. I love you", he whispers, quickly looking away, because he didn't want the other boy to see the tears slowly forming in his eyes.

They were standing infront of each other, just beside the transfiguratuion courtyard. James' class had just ended, when he spotted the younger Black a few meters away from him, walking among the mass of students heading towards the great hall. Now, all students have left, leaving James and Regulus alone in the cold, eerily quiet winter air.

"Don't say that. Please. You and I can't be together. It would never work. Please, just stop trying, I'm begging you."

Icy wind was blowing around the castle, tinting Regulus' cheeks pink. Silent tears were running down them, making their way down his neck, but he made no effort in wiping them off. His eyes had an undefinable, slightly pleading look to them and James wanted, more than anything, to step forward and gently wipe those tears away, but he knew he couln't. Not right now. It broke his heart. "Please Reggie."

He tried anyway. He always did. Always trying, never really loosing hope.

"No. I can't. I'm sorry. I am the new heir James. I am to be the perfect son and marry some pureblood girl. I can't afford to just do whatever I want to. The pressure lies on me now and if I mess up or disobey, they are going to destroy everything. Barty, Evan, Sirius, you... All of you. Everyone important to me. Do you understand that James?" James stared, his own tears falling freely now, but he didn't care anymore. The frustration and fear in Regulus' eyes scared and hurt him in a way he's never expierienced before.

This time he couldn't stop himself from stepping forward and pulling the smaller boy into his arms, who immediatly gave up any restraint, burying his face in the crook of James' shoulder, letting himself be comforted by the gentle hand stroking his back.

"We'll get through this together, Reg. I promise you. We can do this. I love you so much." He felt Regulus faintly nod against his neck and hid his own face in Regulus' fluffy black hair, letting himself be comforted by the warm body pressed against his own.

[leogichidaa]

Where is the Loyalty? Regulus and Peter

It occurred to me yesterday (note: this has been in my drafts since October 8. Yesterday was over a month ago) that I've made a meta about the parallels between Remus and Regulus (The Great Pretenders) and James and Regulus (Mine!) and I'm constantly comparing and drawing parallels between Sirius and Regulus, but I've left poor Peter out! Which is really an oversight, because there's plenty to draw from in comparing their arcs.

A while back, I was discussing why I related to Regulus with a colleague. I brought up Regulus' (largely self-imposed) limited agency and the fact that he goes along with others' expectations, just floating through life like a leaf in a stream, subject to the mercy of the current. And my colleague's reply was, "Well, he was the ultimate follower until he wasn't." I think that applies to Peter as well.

The Ultimate Follower

Regulus, at least from the information we get in canon, was happy to follow the path laid out for him by his parents. Later, as an adolescent, his rebellious teenage act appears to be becoming an underling doing the bidding of a fascist terrorist leader. Kreacher tells us (emphasis mine):

and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so proud, so happy to serve 

So happy to serve...setting aside what it means for a house elf to talk about his beloved Master as someone who is eager to serve, that is quite the statement. Regulus, who was raised to believe that his blood made him superior, reportedly took pride in being an obedient and loyal follower and allowing himself to be subservient to others in the name of the cause.

Peter is also described consistently as a follower who seems to delight in taking a backseat to more powerful, assertive, and ambitious men. The first time he is ever mentioned he is described as "tagging around after" Sirius and James. He "hero-worshipped Black and Potter" according to McGonagall (and Regulus' Voldemort collage also smacks of hero-worship).

Everyone in Three Broomsticks during this conversation also calls Peter "little" about a hundred times. Regulus, too, is described as "smaller, slighter" than Sirius. A minor detail, but metaphorically, this plays into the idea that they are weaker, softer, less capable, and thus more naturally inclined to follow the lead of others.

Sirius mentions in the Shrieking Shack in PoA that Peter wanted to make sure Voldemort was the "biggest bully in the playground" before he committed to supporting him. He said that Peter "always liked big friends who'd look after you" and implied that Peter snuck around with "people who were stronger and more powerful" than him. Sirius also describes Regulus as "soft enough to believe [their parents]"; he sees Regulus as pliable and inclined to fall in line with stronger minded people.

Sirius also claims that he suggested the change in Secret Keeper because Voldemort would never suspect that a "weak, talentless thing" like Peter would be entrusted with the duty. He tells Harry "I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person." He uses Voldemort's assumed low opinion of Peter and Regulus as a way to further degrade their value (which is...interesting).

It's worth noting that I think Sirius' assessment of both of them is flawed. I think he underestimates Peter to his great detriment. And, as I've mentioned before, he minimizes Regulus' agency and crimes to make Regulus' choices more palatable.

I don't think there's anything soft, weak, or cowardly about joining a war. 'Oh, but Leo, they were followers,' you might say. 'They were peer pressured into joining because they were too frail minded to decide not to actively fight in a war.' But that doesn't add up, imo, especially when you consider that they each betrayed their side in the end. When I was that age, I was soft-spoken, people pleasing, and cowardly. If my besties from high school were like, "hey, we're going to fight a bunch of violent bigots and risk torture and death, come join us," I would have wished them luck and then fled the country. Fuck that shit, I'm out.

The fact remains, though, that both Regulus and Peter were perceived as weak and inferior boys who clung to the apron strings of stronger friends and allies.

(It's interesting to note that in PoA, Harry imagines the scene of Sirius cornering and killing Peter and he pictures Peter looking like Neville. It's unsurprising that Harry makes that link with the information he has at the time, but the comparison to Neville isn't entirely off base in the end. Neville is also thought to be soft, weak, and incompetent, but turns out to be much stronger and more assertive than anyone would have expected.)

Until He Wasn't

Peter, who was "never in [James and Sirius'] league, talent wise", and Regulus who was never "important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person" had their limits to loyalty, as it turned out. We don't get any solid indication about why either of them decided to turn traitor to their side, but I'm going to speculate that being constantly underestimated didn't exactly engender allegiance in them.

In the glimpse of the marauder dynamic that we get in Snape's Worst Memory, it is clear that Peter is at the bottom of the friendship hierarchy. He plays the role of James' cheerleader and ego-booster and he's mocked by Sirius for it. In fact, the Pottermore article on Remus confirms that James and Sirius were never really inclined to be friends with Peter in the first place:

Remus, always the underdog's friend, was kind to short and rather slow Peter Pettigrew, a fellow Gryffindor, whom James and Sirius might not have thought worthy of their attention without Remus's persuasion.

Not thought worthy of their attention...ffs. Well, he certainly got their attention in the end and showed he was talented and clever when he systematically ruined their lives.

For Regulus, I think Voldemort discarding Kreacher was very much symbolic of the lack of care and respect that Voldemort had for the old pureblood families, like the Blacks. I think the horror of the Horcrux was the primary motivator for Regulus to disavow Voldemort, but I think the disrespect was deeply important to him as well. His letter to Voldemort starts with "I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret." It was not enough for him to steal the Horcrux, he needed Voldemort to know that it was little teenage Regulus who fucked him over in the end. Unfortunate that Voldemort never actually found out he stole it because Harry got there first.

I think that both Regulus and Peter had strengths that were often overlooked because they were compared to more boisterous, outspoken people like Sirius. I think they were both eager for some recognition of their value and had a strong desire to prove themselves, which was likely a draw that brought them into the war in the first place. But in the end, they were neither of them content with the way their side treated them. Regulus decided, more wisely, "fuck everyone", stole a Horcrux, and promptly died. Peter, for whatever reason, decided to keep being an underling, just for a different, objectively worse, boss. In the end, though, he, like Regulus, died at the hands of Voldemort's magic for defying Voldemort.

[heartofspells]

Masterpost

@wolfstarmicrofic

Prompt: sticky

Andromeda settles him on the sofa before she disappears to her kitchen to make them some tea. Her house is smaller than what Sirius had ever imagined, quaint and cozy, resembling nothing of how they'd both grown up, surrounded by gloom and dark colors, a coldness seeping into walls that could never be extracted.

When she returns, handing him a cup, Sirius takes it in nearly numb fingers, not even drinking it before setting it down on the small table beside him. Andromeda eyes him but says nothing immediately as she sips at her own cup.

"Tell me," he demands, watching as two dark brown eyebrows raise slowly on his cousin's forehead. "Please," adds Sirius.

Andromeda leans back in her chair, crossing one leg over her other as she regards him. "Drink your tea, Sirius," she instructs, but Sirius scowls.

"I don't want bloody tea," he protests. "I need answers."

"And I will give them to you," responds Andromeda, "but first, drink. You'll likely need it for this."

Sirius glowers at his cousin, but she doesn't relent, staring him down. He finally huffs in frustration, grabbing up the abandoned cup and downing the liquid as quickly as he can without scalding the inside of his throat irreparably. It's only when he disposes of the porcelain again that Andromeda clears her throat.

"You still can't remember anything, can you?" Sirius shakes his head, and Andromeda frowns. "Regulus has been working on that. The spell didn't take properly, so your memories should be there. We think there's some sort of block keeping them held back."

Sirius opens his mouth to speak, but his cousin lifts her hand into the air, silently telling him to remain quiet. She readjusts a little in her chair as she studies him.

"I'll tell you what I know, but you must not interrupt and listen to what I have to say," she informs curtly, leaving no room for arguments. "The details are…sticky. It's easy to get trapped in them and lose the plot on all else. Just listen, Sirius, and when I'm done, you can ask all the questions you still have. I'll answer them if I'm able."

Sirius eyes her speculatively. He doesn't know Andromeda anymore, never really had to begin with, him being so young when she'd run and hidden herself away. He has no reason to trust her, except he does, so he nods in silent promise, and Andromeda offers him the tightest of smiles.

"The night Regulus approached you and tried to bring you back to him," she begins, leaning forward a little, "you met Remus at the pub. I understand James and Peter have told you what they remember of that night, but they don't know everything. They left earlier than you, and once they did, you found him. Sent him drinks. You had an interest and it eventually came to a head in the lav, or so I understand it. Remus scratched you during that encounter. That's where the mark on your hip came from."

Sirius glances down at himself, his frown deep as it forms over his face, but when he looks back up, Andromeda is staring at him intently as though she's sizing him up, silently judging if he's worthy of what she has to say next.

"Remus is a werewolf, Sirius," she finally says gravely. "He has been since he was a child, attacked because of his father's own foolishness." Sirius startles a bit, but for some reason, the information doesn't feel as though it should be surprising for reasons he can't seem to settle with. "He is a werewolf, but he is kind and compassionate, soft spoken, and possesses the most lovely, wonderful soul. He's warmth personified when he decides to show it. I was friends with his father Lyall during school and became the closest of confidants with his mother Hope until she passed. Remus and my daughter grew up together. He is my family."

Andromeda pauses, her expression hardening at the edges. Sirius thinks he understands why she's told him all this, the care and love she feels for this man that still so strange yet familiar to Sirius, so he nods, keeping his promise not to speak and interrupt. Andromeda seems to relax a little.

"That night was a full moon," she continues in her explanation. "He was very close to his transformation, so when he scratched you, it did things to your body, things I still don't fully understand. Werewolves are…fascinating. There are so many things about them that no one knows or cares to find out. Most view them as monsters and cast them off as such, never digging deeper into their physiology and the magic behind the curse that's been forced on them. I have spent nearly twenty-three years researching and watching, but even I don't know half of all there is involving them.

"What I do know, is that the scratch on your hip will scar. It will never fade. It was too close to his transformation. I also know that it protected, whatever magic it contains, an extension of Remus himself. It blocked Regulus' spell, dispersed it, which is why some of your most recent memories are scattered and sparse, but to do that, it had to lock down your mind, which is why you were in a comatose state for so long. It was continually blocking it out until the spell could be released, until the threat had passed."

"Released?" asks Sirius insistently before he can stop himself, snapping his mouth closed quickly, but Andromeda doesn't scold him or look angry, only nodding.

"Remus had already spoken with me, told me where you were and everything he knew that had happened to you," she continues as Sirius shifts to the edge of the sofa, watching her without blinking. "When I found Regulus at St Mungo's and he admitted to what he'd done, I went to Remus with a plan. Potter had already made a decision, something we were all adamant about preventing, Remus nearly frantic. We went to you to test a theory. Remus scratched you again, reopened the wound, and your body, reacting to that same protective magic, funneled the spell out. That's why you woke up. The danger was over, you weren't under attack anymore. Remus saved you, once in that pub, and again in St Mungo's. He's the reason you're still here, Sirius."

Sirius remains silent, rolling it around his head, sorting through it, trying to process what she's said. It doesn't make sense, but there's something in it that does. He has questions; so many questions they're creating towering walls inside his mind, but one stands out above all the rest.

"How did he know?" he says, mostly speaking to himself, halfway forgetting about Andromeda's presence at all.

Andromeda gazes at him, seeming to hesitate. Her eyes drift to the side like she's trying to look over her shoulder without turning her head. She finally exhales a breath and sighs as she stands, motioning with her head for Sirius to follow her, which he does, his cousin leading him into her kitchen and to the back door.

"Why don't you ask him?" she suggests, pulling the door open.