The Four Interchanging Lives of Regulus Black (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Embrace

The feeling of free falling, of being in a state of limbo—

The strange sensation left Sirius feeling relaxed, his mind noting the free fall after his cousin Bella blasted him through the veil at the Ministry of Magic felt gentler than a free fall should as a strange black mist swirled around him.

The calm feeling—

"Please try again."

Hearing a voice other than his own, Sirius closed his eyes, despite the strange feeling doing so would prove useless in that state of limbo, that there was no need to do so either when the sound of someone screaming—

Sirius' eyes snapped open as he looked down, confusion setting in at the sight of his younger brother biting him, his mind slowly registering the vague memory of having woken up in his own childhood bedroom across the way upon hearing the first scream, his hand reaching for his wand as he stumbled to the door staying, "Lumos."

There existed the definite sensation of his mind focusing on there being someone in the room across the way who needed his help, pushing aside the contradictory sensation nobody should be in that room. Still, without hesitation, he opened the door to see a petite figure in the middle of the bed that dwarfed them. He was in the middle of an apparent panic from whatever nightmare woke them, along with the uncharacteristic signs of nighttime incontinence from his younger brother.

He's moved entirely on instinct, and now—

Sirius stared, taken aback not only by the second scream but also by the sight of his younger brother biting him right after, his attempt to console failing miserably. His silver-gray eyes glanced at the floor, swallowing as he hoped nobody heard the screams before saying, "Silencio."

The spell proved pointless; Sirius heard the distinct sound of someone, then a second, someone stepping on a particular step on the stairs that led up to their bedrooms, his entire body tensing in preparation for the door to Regulus' room opening, flinching as their mother stepped in, her eyes wide in fury. "Sirius Orion Black! What have you done to your brother this time?"

Sirius swallowed, knowing his innocent pranks on Regulus weren't always so innocent that he sometimes took things too far, but without hesitation, he said, "Nothing!"

"Sirius Orion..."

"Walburga?" His father spoke more calmly, which drew Walburga Black out of her fury to turn and look at her husband.

"Orion?"

"I think Sirius simply heard Regulus having a nightmare as we did."

"Don't punish him!" Sirius blurted out, his breath sucking in, knowing full well his mother's need for perfection. "Punish me if you have to!"

He didn't expect his mother to look at him in surprise or raise one of his father's eyebrows. Then, Orion Black said, "Why don't you let me handle this, Burgie?"

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He turned, letting out a slight humph sound, which resulted in her turning on her heels and leaving the room. Orion moved to the other side of the bed, sitting down gently before turning to look his eldest in the eye. "Sirius, let go of your brother."

Sirius answered by trying to hold onto Regulus, who'd stopped biting him and moved to try to push him away tighter, shaking his head as he did so. Orion cleared his voice, an uncharacteristic short laugh escaping, which resulted in a shudder going down Sirius' spine; Orion actually interfering rather than not, for some reason, felt far more threatening.

"Sirius, I know you mean well, but when your brother is upset like this," Orion said, sighing and watching his two sons. "Attempting to comfort him by embracing him just makes matters worse. So, please. Let go."

He swallowed, letting go. Regulus pulled away from him, his tiny frame still shaking as Sirius watched his father. Orion reached out to touch Regulus' shoulder, only for his brother to flinch away from the touch. His father smiled gently and spoke gently. "Regulus?"

Regulus' head jerked slightly to the sound of his name.

"Regulus, I need you to look at me. You don't have to make eye contact. I need to know you're hearing me."

Sirius watched Regulus turn his head, looking at his father, wide-eyed, not making eye contact.

Orion took a deep breath and said, "You are safe, Regulus." He pulled out his wand, his movement slow. Sirius swallowed, wondering what his father intended to do. "Shush now. You're safe." Orion lifted his wand, waving it gently, casting a spell that made Regulus unconscious. Orion's other arm quickly reached out to catch his youngest, lowering him to the bed. With another swish of his wand, any trace of the nighttime incontinence disappeared.

"As if..." Sirius thought to himself.

"Silencing Charm?"

Sirius' head jolted up, swallowing. "I didn't—I mean."

"It's alright," Orion said, casting the counter spell, allowing Sirius to hear his brother's soft breaths as he slept. And then Orion looked up at him, making eye contact. Sirius sucked in his breath, the cogs turning as he tried thinking of a time his father intervened when the old man wasn't in his study. "Let's go to my study."

"But," Sirius said, unconsciously reaching out to grab the arm Regulus bit, his hand covering the bite.

"You're not in trouble, nor is Regulus." Orion stood up. "Let's get that bite on your arm taken care of."

"I'm fine," Sirius said.

"We need to talk," Orion said, leaving the room. "So, I expect you in my study."

Sirius took a deep breath and followed his father downstairs, stepping into the study, wondering when the last time he stepped into the room was as Orion flicked his wand, lighting the fire, beckoning Sirius to sit to see to his arm. Still, as he did, Orion said nothing.

Not until he finished.

"So I can go now?" Sirius said, letting out a deep breath.

"Seeing your brother like that," Orion said, taking a deep breath. "That must have been quite the fright?"

Sirius flinched. "It's not like Regulus. That's not like Regulus at all. He's not a..." But then his eyes closed, remembering...

Regulus would eventually become a Death Eater, a monster.

"Regulus is," Orion started saying. "Well, I honestly never expected you ever to have to see him like that." His father sighed, making Sirius look up, his eyes opening. "Look, this is your maman and my problem, Sirius. Something we thought you'd never have to know about. I mean, it's not as if he's had a panic attack like this in years."

"I could," Sirius started to say, swallowing, unsure why he said what he did. "Look out for him at Hogwarts, you know."

Orion took a deep breath. "Sirius, you're in Gryffindor. Maybe if we explained the importance of getting sorted—never mind. You were sorted correctly, after all."

"What?" Sirius said, his throat tightening, not expecting anyone in his family to say that, but then—Orion rarely, if ever, spoke, while his mother loved to yell.

"It was, I admit, courageous of you, but by being sorted into the right house, your bravery will mean nothing." Orion let out a deep breath. "Head to bed, Sirius."

Sirius got up, confused, stepping out of his father's study, but then realized something as the door closed behind him. "I've already been sorted into Gryffindor, but Regulus hasn't been sorted yet. I mean, he said 'will mean nothing,' not 'means nothing,' right?"