Regulus and James visit a hidden part of the black lake and share โfunโ facts
based on a headcanon/ edit by skylarihardlyknowher on tiktok posted on July 14, 2022 and a stiles quote
tw: mentions of drowning, angst ???? (icl not 100% sure what that means)
a/n: hereโs the Marauders oneshot !! Sadly the Stranger Things one didnโt get finish but once I return from my trip it will be the first thing I post after this :))
Regulus Black was often called the second ghost of Slytherin House.
It was rather easy for him to move from place to place making little to no noise, his feet practically floating above the ground beneath him.
No one would ever see him enter a room but his presence would be known and acknowledged as soon as he spoke.
Despite how easy it was for him to get around unnoticed, James Potter always noted how heโd run off down the same particular path almost every day.
He never saw him return, but heโd always see him go.
If James had been closer to the boy heโd probably have asked him where he was going, but seeing that he only knew him through Sirius for now heโd just have to wonder.
โI think I know a spot,โ were the first words out of Regulusโ mouth when James recommended they hang out.
Theyโd become acquaintances a bit ago and James wasnโt about to pass up the opportunity to make someone else his friend, so they needed to spend some quality time together.
โRight, ok,โ he tried to hide the smile on his face as he followed Regulus down the path heโd seen him traverse for so many days.
It was so beaten he wouldโve believed it was put there purposely if he hadn't known the younger boy had formed it himself.
โHowโd you discover this place?โ Jamesโ asked, as they were now entering sections of the school grounds he didnโt even know existed.
Regulus shrugged, โEvery day I just walked farther and farther away from everyone else until I found a spot I liked, nothing too special.โ
Jamesโ didnโt believe anything Regulus did could not be special, but that was just his opinion of him.
Curling around another bend, James made work out of avoiding the branches and brush that threatened every moment to knock glasses off his face with their springy nature.
Soon after he heard and honestly felt the new squelch of the mud beneath his feet, accompanied by a view of a lake. Well, not a lake, the black lake.
Somewhere along the way, they mustโve looped around, because there was no mistaking the murky ominous aura of the most well-known body water at Hogwarts. Either that or Jamesโ had been too busy focusing on the twigs in his hair versus paying attention to where they were going.
Regulus had also not been paying attention, but that was because he knew the area better than he knew the manor he, unfortunately, had to grow up in.
As to what he was using the free time to think about, well, to sum it up quickly, water.
Water was all he could think about.
It consumed every thought without mercy or hesitation.
โI have to let it in,โ he muttered to himself as he came to a stop, โI have to-โ
โWow!โ James unknowingly interrupted, putting his hands on his hips, a wide grin spread across his face, โitโs beautiful out here.โ
Even though the lake was intimidating, it always smelled like a mix of the earth after rain, and whereever you called home.
โSo what do you do here, just sit?โ He looked over at him.
โSometimes yeah,โ Regulus took a seat and James followed after him. He was unsure whether to tell him the truth. โJust to think things over.โ
โAlright,โ James looked back at the water, โIโm not the kind to sit and think, but Iโll give it a try.โ
Regulus had never seen James look as calm as did during those fifteen minutes he was sitting there.
All the while he would occasionally share a random fact he knew that he found wonderful.
โDid you know humans like the sound of rain, because our brains see it as a non-threatening noise,โ his voice slowly trailed off at the end, his lips once again forming a small smile.
โHm, no I did not know that.โ
Despite how bothered others were by it, James never really minded how Regulusโ reactions to things were, lackluster, as some would say.
โWhy donโt you tell me something?โ James had run out of fun facts.
โMy facts arenโt really, I guess, light you would say.โ
โIt's alright, I donโt mind.โ
Regardless of what Regulus mightโve thought, James honestly didnโt mind.
Somewhere along the way the two of them had moved closer to the water.
Instead of stuttering, Regulus just stayed silent for a moment, mulling over what he was going to say.
โYou know when youโre drowning you donโt actually inhale until right before you black out,โ he started running his hands along the surface of the water.
James made no response but Regulus knew he was listening.
Pausing for a bit, he put his feet in the water, half hazardously deciding whether or not he wanted to stand in it.
โItโs called voluntary apnea.โ
At that point, he had lost all regard for the dryness of his shoes and pants and had resolved to wade at his pleasure.
His wandering thoughts brought him back to what he usually did in the lake.
Forcing himself under, purposely preparing to let the water in, as would inevitably be needed.
โItโs like no matter how much youโre freaking out,โ he was simply speaking from experience, โthe instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you wonโt open your mouth until you feel like your headโs-.โ
He struggled to find an accurate adjective.
โExploding,โ eyes still closed, James spoke barely above a whisper, but Regulus heard it.
Either the famed James Potter was also an astute mind reader, or Regulus was just that easy to understand. Or at least easy for him to understand.
โThen when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting.โ
Regulus had never gotten to that part. If he ever did, there would be no one around to save him.
โWhat do you do here, Regulus?โ James was looking at him now, but Regulus wouldnโt meet his eyes.
There was no way he was going to. Telling that to anyone was a death sentence, and he tried to avoid those.
โI practice,โ he finally looked up at him, trying his best to make his face seem warm.
Regulus had never seen James look so cold. He surely wouldโve been frozen to the touch.
He knew, and Regulus knew he knew. But neither one of them would ever form the words to confirm or deny the suspicion they both had.
Just silence that would leave both of them dissatisfied.
Regulus never took James back to that part of the lake, and James never went back.
Not because Regulus didnโt trust him, but because he didnโt want to associate James with that part of his life.
James was the only thing still connecting him to the land of the living, and he didnโt need that sentiment muddied up by his funeral planning.
Plus it wouldnโt have been fair for him to know, James didnโt need another thing to worry about, and Regulus wasnโt going to be the person to give him another.
James worried about him anyways.
Tysm for making it to the end and I hope you liked it :) (James saved Regulus by the way and everything was fine no more sadness)
Have a nice day and night !! ๐ธ
