the youngest black

[nobleregulus-blog]

augustusirookwood‌.

There was so little that was normal about this that Augustus almost wanted to laugh at Regulus’ vague description. Kind of strange, indeed. Leaning against the wall next to Regulus, he shrugged in return. “I am doing fine. Mingling where I can and getting what information the guests will share with me. “ Augustus told the younger man, his day not that different other than what Augustus currently looked like. “It is a bit strange, I suppose. But who are we to disregard the honor it is to be here?” Orders from the Dark Lord were absolute and Augustus would fulfill them better than anyone.

Looking around, Augustus could see some prying eyes looking their way. It made sense, with Tamara and Lorenza probably having very little contact with each other with their respective occupations. “Come on, let us go wander for a bit. It will look strange if we stay in this corner until the ceremony begins.”  Augustus didn’t want to make the younger man uncomfortable, but believability was everything in a situation like this. 

          He wondered how people could be stupid enough to have a wedding at a time like this. People were stupid enough to believe they got even a second of happiness. This was war and of course a big event like this was going to be crawling with people that weren’t supposed to be there. Regulus wasn’t normally a big fan of large crowds of people -- and this was no exception. He’d done his best to mingle with other people, but it was also quite annoying to talk to other people. And he was doing his best to avoid Sirius and his friends. “People haven’t been too keen on sharing information with me.” But he wasn’t that god at talking to people about this kind of thing. It wasn’t something he was trained in that much. “Yeah. I guess it is an honor to be here. Still don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing.”

          Regulus looked around and watched as people eyed them. Honestly, they probably had their reasons, since neither of them would normally be the type to interact, but this was a wedding and the point was to mingle with people that they might not always interact with. “I mean no one’s really noticed me here in this corner and I’ve been here for the past ten minutes.” Normally, not that many people noticed Regulus, even when he looked like himself. “Come on, I can introduce you to some people from my department.” 

[nobleregulus-blog]

marauder-remus-lupin‌.

Remus nodded in understanding, but he felt a bit of disappointment at Regulus’s answer. He could see pain, on both sides now, with Sirius’s estrangement. His own childhood had been a lonely, miserable existence and on more than one occasion Remus had found himself longing for a sibling if only to have another person to talk to. Remus had known such a wish was selfish, and that his parents could never entertain the idea of another child in the house with the monstrous disease Remus carried. It was too dangerous to even dream about. The Marauders were his brothers, and for a moment, Remus allowed himself to imagine what it might feel like if they simply disappeared one day. Of course, he’d thought of that before, and a part of him still expected it to happen someday, but the pain at simply imagining being left alone was more than he thought he could bear. Remus could only guess that Regulus might feel some of that now, and while Remus blamed him along with all of the other Black family members for Sirius’s misery, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the boy left behind. “Of course. Just- if you change your mind..” His offer hung in the air, unspoken but clear. If there was anything Regulus might wish to say to his brother, Remus would be willing to pass it along.

At that, Remus assumed he would take his leave as there wasn’t much he could think to say to Regulus. He was surprised to hear a mention of their mutual social club, one where they did well to pretend not to notice the other most of the time. “I- yeah, I’ll be at the next meeting.” He said, surprised at the compliment. Remus didn’t consider himself much of an expert on art, but he enjoyed looking at the famous works, the trips to the museums, and most importantly the lessons on technique. Art was calming, a way for Remus to escape his troubles for just a moment and lose himself in some imaginary world. It shocked him to think that someone might appreciate his contribution to the club. “Thanks. I just- I like what I like, I suppose.” He huffed out a bit of laughter, the clarification not lost on him. “Are you going to be at the next meeting then?”

         Regulus came from a family that didn’t talk often about their emotional state, nor talk much about the problems that were bothering them. He’d learned over the years to bottle up all the emotions he was feeling and forget about them all. People said that wasn’t healthy, but at least Regulus didn’t cry at the drop of a hat or act like an idiot with his emotions. He knew that what he said was not what Remus wanted to hear; Regulus had stopped caring about saying things that he knew other people wanted to hear. Sometimes he just had to act slightly cold to others to not show the hurt on his face. Regulus felt so rejected by his own brother and seeing him with his friends, his new family, hurt more than he cared to admit. Maybe he wasn’t going about this the right way, but no one else seemed to care about what he was feeling, so he preferred to act the way he did even if it verged on cruel sometimes. If Remus was smart, he’d understand there were more complicated reasons why he didn’t want to talk about what was going on. “Thanks, but I won’t ever take you up on that offer.” His words sounded much harsher than he meant for them to sound, but he didn’t care. If it got his point across, why did it matter if he hurt someone’s feelings?

         The mention of the club was only to fill space that’d be awkward now that Regulus had refused to talk about their mutual connection. He supposed that they didn’t have to talk about anything and that Remus could go off and finish drinking alone or whatever he was here for. Regulus didn’t know why he brought up the club – but it was practically the only thing they had in common, as far as he could tell. Art was something that Regulus liked a lot more than he cared to admit and the club was a way for him to talk to others that also enjoyed art. The first time he’d seen Remus there, he’d wanted to walk out of the club, but his passion for art was more than the hatred he had for his brother’s friends, maybe even James Potter. “I wish I had the luxury to like what I liked,” Regulus replied, without thinking about what he said. He nodded at Remus’ question. “Yes, I try to make it to every meeting. Well, I look forward to seeing you there then,” he said, maybe sounding a bit more eager than he meant to sound.

[nobleregulus-blog]

thewarriorstar‌.

Bella/Ezra tilted his chin upwards and grinned at the compliment before sitting back comfortable. Being a man was easy enough. A little strange to get used to being so bulky and ungraceful with an itchy, hairy face. But as the week came to a close, Bella had gotten used to it. She vaguely recalled her and her sisters playing a bit of dressup with little toddler Regulus. She was surprised and pleased to learn he was not as rattled or annoying as the other men were in a woman’s body. At least her little cousin was confident in any form.

The mention of Andromeda wiped off the smile and he glanced out at the crowd. “I have.” She looked back at her cousin, eyeing him carefully. “And briefly with Sirius. I have to speak with everyone in this godforsaken place… What about you?”

          Unlike some of the other Death Eaters, Regulus had no real qualms about being a woman. At least he could -- for once -- openly check out men and not feel like he had to be ashamed for it. He had played dressup enough as a child to be comfortable in heels, though it had been a while since he’d worn them. It was odd seeing those people that he spoke to on a regular basis in their Polyjuice forms, but he did know there was a purpose for it, so he his his emotions easily. What he hated more was seeing those people who he didn’t want to see so close and not be able to yell at them -- he’d yet to talk to many of those people. 

          Regulus should have known the questions would backfire and be turned against him with his own estranged sibling. He didn’t want to talk about Sirius. “I haven’t gotten a chance to speak to her yet.” Looking down for a moment, Regulus sighed and then let his gaze fall on his brother. Their last conversation didn’t go very well and he hadn’t wanted to repeat it again. “That’s the downfall of being the groom, I suppose,” he shrugged. “To answer your question, no, I haven’t and I don’t plan on it. Our last conversation didn’t go very well.” 

[nobleregulus-blog]

theboldestblack‌.

How Regulus could say with a straight was that he wasn’t the “dramatic one” was entirely lost to Sirius. Regulus was nothing but dramatic. This moment right now was evidence enough. Sirius would admit that he also had a flair for theatrics. It was practically a family trait, really. But he was most certainly not on Regulus’ level of spectacle. 

He wondered how different things might have been, had he asked Regulus to come with him? Would they have finally started acting like brothers again? Or would Regulus have rejected him before their family ever did? Such questions often swirled around his head in the months immediately following his departure, but they had abated by now.

It hurt Sirius, to hear how clearly their mother and father had hooked themselves into Regulus. All this talk of owing one another, or not owing one another. It was his mother’s voice, speaking to him through his little brother. He could feel the dark tendrils of hatred reserved only for her wound their way around his vocal cords. He wanted to yell at his brother, ask him how he could have been so stupid to believe them, when he was so, so smart? He tried to calm himself, to think before speaking, but it was difficult. This was Regulus, after all, and as much as he might want to pretend they were strangers, Sirius knew better. Like it or not, they were brothers. After all, who made you more angry than your siblings? Sirius could think of very little, except for parents, of course.

“We’re not strangers!” Sirius shot back, exasperated. “As much as you might want that to be true, it’s not, Regulus. For better, or for worse, you’re still my little brother.” He shook his head, trying and failing to fight off the annoyance filling him up from the inside. 

          “If you don’t want to be treated like a child, then stop acting like one! Think for yourself, damn it, stop spouting off what Mum thinks.”

Sirius glanced downwards, his gaze caught by the sight of Regulus curling his fists. Some of his bad feelings dissolved at the sight. Angry as he was, he didn’t want to stress his brother more than he already had. Unfortunately, his feelings often got the better of him, no matter what he may have wanted.

         “I’m not asking you for forgiveness, Reg. I just want to talk.” He said slowly, exhaling through his nose in an effort to stay calm. That quickly went out the window, however, a split-second later. 

         “How dare you say that I don’t care about you?” He snapped, increasing his speed to stay in match with Regulus. “You know, for someone so smart, you can be so stupid. I wouldn’t be here, trying to get through that thick skull of yours if I didn’t care.” He tossed his hands up, a visual of his growing frustration. “If anyone doesn’t care, it’s you.”

         Regulus wasn’t trying to be dramatic about what was going on between the two of them. He was perfectly happy pretending that he didn’t have a brother. Regulus Black was an only child – mention of Sirius just didn’t happen anymore. Which he’d gotten used to by now. He wasn’t trying to be overly dramatic about this, he was just angry. And maybe his anger could be a little dramatic, but at the same time, his entire family was like this. Being dramatic and over reacting to everything. It was practically part of the Black blood to be this way.

         He’d long stopped thinking about what would happen if Sirius had asked him to go with him. Regulus used to think that he would have gone with Sirius, but now he wavered between shutting his brother out and going with him. Honestly, he didn’t know what he would have done. He didn’t understand how someone could just give up the power that he was given now by just being an heir. Why would anyone just walk away from this? And how could someone so easily walk away from someone they considered family?

         The younger boy clearly didn’t want to have this conversation, this argument. He wasn’t over the hurt as much as he wanted to. Regulus had put up walls that he didn’t want broken down and Sirius was the reason for those walls. He wondered if anyone else could feel the hatred, if his emotion was that strong that others could just tell he was angry. Regulus had never been the type to hide his emotions. He felt everything openly, especially his negative emotions. He told himself he didn’t care anymore, about anything, except himself – and maybe that was true on some level, but he obviously still cared deeply. He just didn’t know how he was supposed to handle any of this. He was smart enough to know that no one really cared about him, except himself. He was just doing what it took, within reason, to get by in this world they were in.

         If Sirius really believed that they were brothers, then why did he walk away so easily? Regulus knew why he got away from the Black family and he understood it, but that didn’t mean that he agreed with it. Especially not since he now had to deal with their parents. “The brother I grew up with would have never walked away from me.” Regulus tried to keep his tone even, trying not to let his emotions seep too much into his tone.

         “I’m not some mindless sheep, Sirius. Don’t you dare say that I am. Every decision I’ve made, I’ve made on my own and maybe you don’t agree with them, but they’re mine. I wouldn’t dare walk away from my family without even glancing back for a second.” He couldn’t hide the anger in his voice. For Sirius to even think he was just following the leader was ridiculous. Regulus had done everything he’d done because he knew it was the right thing to do, not because his mother told him that’s what he needed to do.

         The conversation was getting too stressful for him. Why couldn’t Sirius see that Regulus couldn’t do this? He was angry still, even though it had faded somewhat over time, just looking at Sirius brought some of it back, but it also made him remember that he still wanted Sirius to care about him. He desperately wanted someone to care enough, to pay attention to him; no one ever did.

         “Well, you’ve talked. I’ve not listened. Time for you to go.” The words came out more harshly than he intended for them. Part of him wanted Sirius to stick around, though he knew he was doing a good job of pushing Sirius away. Maybe he would just walk away, frustrated and stop trying. He wished that Sirius could just figure out what he was trying to do without him having to say the words. But of course, that would never happen. Even when they were closer, Regulus had always been more attuned to other people’s emotions. He sighed and closed his eyes, wishing that he was anywhere other than here. 

         “You’ve always been an idiot, Sirius; this is a new low even for you.” Couldn’t he see that Regulus couldn’t care about him even if he wanted to? Was that not obvious? He didn’t care at this point if his words stung too deep or hurt his brother because he’d been trying to push Sirius away long enough. “Just go. I can’t be here. I can’t do this. Not here.” Despite that there was no one around, Regulus still wanted to be cautious about what he said in public and who he interacted with. He knew that at any given time someone could be watching. A heated conversation with his brother would probably be watched carefully if someone was paying attention. With what little courage Regulus had, he looked at Sirius.

         “If you know what’s best for you, I suggest you just walk away from me completely. Forget I even exist and go back to your new family before something bad ends up happening to you.” Regulus knew he’d never be able to live with himself if he somehow caused an ill fate for Sirius. As much as he wanted to hate his brother, he knew, deep down that he didn’t hate – no, he merely hated that he had been left.

         Maybe it was how frustrated his brother seemed that softened him slightly or the little bit of courage that he somehow mustered up, but he couldn’t walk away just yet. Truthfully, Regulus was just afraid of letting anything mend between the two of them. What it might mean for Sirius later down the road when they might possibly be face to face in battle during the war. Or for himself when something happened that he couldn’t stop because he’d allowed their relationship to heal. “I am begging you to just leave me be, otherwise I can’t guarantee your survival. Please, just…” Regulus loosened fingers so his hands weren’t in fists anymore, and then slightly curled his right arm his left arm. Hopefully, Sirius would understand his message. If not, then all of his words would have sounded too harsh.

         “Can I go now?” he asked, an eagerness to his tone that he tried to hide as best as he could.

[nobleregulus-blog]

thewarriorstar‌.

“Oh, I most definitely am. And I am eager for the rest of the night.” She laughed, the sound coming out much deeper and much more masculine than she was used to. 

Bella/Ezra was still grinning as she took a seat beside her cousin. “You look…” She whispered. “Wonderful, cousin.” With a surprised and amused glance she leaned over. Remembering she was a man, however, Bella took care to keep a respectful distance. 

“Honestly. It all suits you well… Not many people have your grace and poise.” Bella/Ezra turned her sights on a particular blonde in the crowd. “I swear, I saw one of our… friends almost completely fall over a moment ago.”

          Having no idea what was going on, Regulus just smiled in response to the phrase. They had some purpose here, though what that was apparently was important enough that only a few people knew. Regulus wasn’t offended that he didn’t know the plan because he knew he was still young. Hopefully some orders would come soon enough because he was getting tired of mingling with people already and it was still kind of early. 

          “Thanks,” he replied, rolling his eyes slightly at the comment. Unlike some people, he hadn’t cared what person he transformed into with the polyjuice potion. It didn’t make a difference to him or their mission. He knew that the words were meant in a more teasing manner, but he was just going to ignore it. 

          “You don’t look so bad yourself,” Regulus replied. “Yes, well that’s what they get for not being careful. Should have asked me for advice on shoes before the event.” He didn’t mind being a woman for a moment. At least he could visibly check out other men without getting looks. “Have you spoken to Andromeda? I saw her earlier.” Looking around for a moment, he spotted Sirius and sighed. “I’m not very good at small talk.” 

[nobleregulus-blog]

marauder-remus-lupin‌.

Outwardly Regulus looked cold and callous, but Remus recognized something in him that warranted sympathy. Sirius could do that now and then, fall back on his cold upbringing from time to time. It was a defense mechanism of sorts, one that had been carefully conditioned in him since birth, and one that Remus saw in his best friend’s little brother now. Regulus’ question revealed far more than Remus assumed Regulus wanted to share with him of all people, but Remus could understand his concern. He was cornered in what could have been a very awkward situation, where he might be forced to face his estranged brother without preparation, and Remus was not cruel enough to allow him to agonize over it for any longer. “No. No I’m not, I promise you that.” Remus said quickly, his tone much softer this time.

Remus paused for a moment, knowing it wasn’t his place to involve himself in the Black brothers’ currently nonexistent relationship, but he couldn’t help himself. “He would like to see you though, I know he would.” How many times had Sirius wondered aloud as to his younger brother’s welfare? Of course, he never showed any sense of remorse for leaving his family, but if anything, Remus could tell part of him regretted not taking his brother with him or at least checking up on him sooner. “I’d be happy to pass on a message to him. If there’s anything you’d like to say.” 

         Regulus knew that he had never been as cold as his parent’s wanted him to be. The walls that he had up now were only for his protection. Normally, he was just kind of awkward and a little soft. But since his brother had left, Regulus had become more closed off – cold to a fault. He wasn’t going to be stupid enough to let someone in his life that might just eventually leave him. That was part of the reason that he kept to himself. With the exception of Severus and the few members of his family that he did see on a regular basis, Regulus spent most of his time alone. He never thought that was a bad thing either because being alone meant that he didn’t have a chance to get hurt. While most of the time it was boring, he’d picked up hobbies that were entertaining, even if they were just reading and talking to the people that came through the Black Manor. Regulus, of course, knew that he acted the way he did because he didn’t want to get hurt. He knew if he became too involved in some situations, he might not have enough strength to back out when the inevitable happened and he ended up hurt. He wasn’t a person that many people cared about. In fact, he could count the number of people that cared about him on one hand: Bella, Cissa, himself. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that his parents cared about him – as much as he wanted them to.

         It was a relief when he heard that Sirius wasn’t going to just show up. He knew that if he saw his brother, he’d probably leave and pretend he hadn’t been there. At some point Regulus knew his brother would seek him out and he hoped that would be later rather than sooner because he was not in the right mindset for that conversation. Regulus wasn’t sure he’d ever be for that matter. When it came to Sirius, he knew he wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. The two of them were both stubborn in their ways – Sirius got what he wanted and wouldn’t give up, but Regulus held onto his grudges for longer than necessary. At Remus’ comment, Regulus wanted to snap at him and say that the feud between the Black brothers was none of his business, but there wasn’t a point. Regulus had always maintained the idea that Remus and Peter had nothing to do with his brother’s choices – that it was all James. Which meant most of the time, Remus was just caught in the crossfire between the two. “Anything that I want to say to Sirius, I’d rather say to his face, but thanks,” he replied, nothing hostile in his tone at all. Regulus didn’t really know how to continue on a conversation with Remus. “Are you going to be at meeting?” Regulus asked, referring to their mutual club. “You always have good taste. In art, I mean.” 

[nobleregulus-blog]

noirnarcissa‌.

when: july 13th 1976, 12:05pm. where: ezra macmillian & eliza abbott’s wedding. who: narcissa black & anyone.

Her gaze surveying the wedding with a cursory glance, Narcissa’s lips curled to a slight smirk as it flickered over the various decorations that were rather ordinary, if she did say so herself. It was rather unfortunate that they couldn’t afford a real designer, or at least someone with exquisite taste, just like herself. But wasn’t that exactly why she wasn’t invited? After all — they hadn’t expected someone like Narcissa Black to attend such a lacklustre event, but here she was anyway; courtesy of her very dear friend Rita Skeeter. Moving easily through the crowd, Narcissa let an irritated sigh escape her lips briefly as she recognised many of the mudbloods and filth alike that had been invited to the nuptials of Ezra and Eliza — such an unfortunate thing that they had to be blood traitors just like the two unmentionables in her family. However as she began to pick up the glass of champagne offered to her from one of the various waiters, she began to feel the curious gaze of someone gazing or appraising her attire as she began to exclaim, “Don’t you think my dress is rather exquisite? I got it custom made just for this wedding!” She was sure she would most likely would have the most stylish dress out of anyone attending this event; especially after noting certain individuals and their rather drab garments.

          Weddings were always happy events and Regulus had no idea why anyone would choose to have a wedding at a time like this. Tensions were high and information was easy to find with the right tools. People had to be smarter than to have an event like this in the middle of a war. Then again, it wasn’t his decision. Surprisingly, he’d seen Narcissa at the wedding, which wasn’t someone that he’d ever expected to see at an event like this. Not only were people other than purebloods invited, but he’d also seen the traitors among his family around as well. At least he wouldn’t be approached by Sirius. Regulus didn’t need another argument right now. Despite the disguise, he set out to find Cissa, if only to compliment her dress since it was beautiful. However, Lorenza wouldn’t know her, so it was strange to just walk up to someone. Luckily, his cousin seemed to have spotted him checking out her dress and smiled. “It’s beautiful.” The dress Lorenza was wearing was a pretty pink that looked good, though nowhere near as pretty as the blonde’s dress and not custom made. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Lorenza Vane.” It was kind of strange introducing himself as someone else to someone he knew well, but Cissa didn’t know that. 

[nobleregulus-blog]

thewarriorstar‌.

Date: July 13th, 1976 Location: Ezra Macmillian & Eliza Abbott’s Wedding Availability: Regulus Black @nobleregulus

“Ah, Lorenza!” Bella/Ezra was boasting a good mood, simply because the festivities had only just begun and she had a lot to look forward to and anticipate. The plan was still in progress, the high of excitement was fresh and she had time to see how some of her favorite fellow Death Eaters were faring. 

Bella begun with Regulus. She’d made a firm point to know who he’d be disguised as before it all began. The fact that he turned out to be a pretty young woman was not as amusing as it was on Hades and Fenrir - luckily for Regulus. But she felt obliged to have some fun with her little cousin anyway. 

“Why aren’t you up there chatting with all your friends?” Bella/Ezra teased, grinning.

          “Ezra!” Regulus exclaimed, playing along with their fake identities to keep their covers safe. He honestly didn’t know much about the plan other than what he’d been told, but obviously Bella knew more than he did. Parties hadn’t ever been anything he was too comfortable with. The sidelines were always more enjoyable than they were being part of all the festivities, but tonight was different. He’d been trying to blend in with all the people at the wedding.

          He had to admit that it was jarring to see his cousin disguised as a man, but he did his best to hide the shock. At least he knew who Bella was. Everyone else he was still trying to remember what they looked like. He hoped that he did know that he wasn’t the only boy who ended up disguised as a woman. It was probably less jarring on him than some of the other people. 

          “Oh, I needed a break from all of it,” he replied, waving away the concern. “I’d ask if you’re enjoying yourself, but the answer is obvious.” Bella really did seem to be enjoying this -- though he’d expected nothing else. 

[nobleregulus-blog]

theboldestblack‌.

Regulus was the best when it came to beating a dead hippogriff. Sirius was more than aware of his brother’s tendency to hold onto things, especially anger. He wasn’t the forgiving type. As far as Sirius could remember, he never had been. And yet… he was still surprised to hear the venom behind Regulus’ words.  

                       “A traitor?” Sirius scoffed. “You’re so bloody dramatic, Reg.”

They were brothers, damn it. Estranged, yes, but brothers nonetheless. He wasn’t so naive as to think this conversation would go well, but he was surprised by how hurt he was to have that hunch confirmed. 

Most of the time, Sirius was fine about his relations with his family. During his last year at Hogwarts, he thought that maybe with some time and space, Regulus might come to see where Sirius was coming from. It was easy to put some distance between them— too easy, he might reckon now. Hindsight, and all. He had James, Remus, and Peter to fill the brotherly void that used to be for Regulus. And as much as it hurt sometimes to think it, the three of them were very much more than enough for him. When he left school, he continued to give Regulus space. He thought that maybe a year of not seeing each other might do them good. He couldn’t help but to write the letters. When they came unanswered, well… he reckoned he would try again further into the future. 

And here he was, in the future, still wrong.

Sirius kept pace with Regulus and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. You are not worth my time. The words swirled around in Sirius’ head. He knew that Regulus was hurt, but Merlin, did he have to be so thickheaded? He was playing right into their parent’s hands, like a damn puppet at the whim of its master. He tried not to let himself get too angry, but even so, he couldn’t help but allow a bit of his exasperation leak out. He pulled his hands from his pockets, tossing them up in a frustrated gesture. 

                “What do I want from you?” He shook his head, “Reg, I just want to talk. For once, without you running the other direction back to mother. Can’t you just stop? For one minute?”

         Holding grudges longer than necessary was something that Regulus was very good at. There were still times as children that Regulus could recount when he and Sirius had argued over little things and Regulus would bring up something that had happened years prior. He did so with everyone – Sirius wasn’t special. Anytime a person angered him, he remembered it so that later when he interacted with whatever person it was, he wouldn’t let their mistakes hurt him again. Regulus could bring up even the most minuscule events that happened ages ago because that’s just the type of person he was. He wouldn’t let people hurt him a second time, even if it meant letting go of a person that he so clearly loved.

         “I’m not the dramatic one, Sirius,” he responded in a tone that sounded mildly offended.

         Brothers or not, Sirius had acted more like a brother to his friends than he did to Regulus. Maybe when they were children things had been different between them. Deep down, he understood why Sirius had left, but it didn’t make it any less painful and Regulus didn’t want to stand around and watch as Sirius continued to choose his friends over his own blood relatives. They weren’t brothers anymore. Not to Regulus. They’d stopped being brothers the day Sirius walked out on the family.

         He didn’t understand how Sirius couldn’t see how hurt he was by all this. How could Sirius think that after just leaving him behind that he was going to forgive him so easily? Regulus liked holding grudges. But it was more than that. He was upset over his brother leaving. The power that came along with being an heir was something he never expected; now that he had it, he had no idea why anyone would just give it up. Regulus couldn’t afford Sirius to drag him down. He needed more than time and space to get over the awful feeling of being left. Regulus had never been truly important to the Black family until he was their only option – and it felt good to be wanted by his parents for once, rather than tossed aside. And he was not going to do anything to jeopardize losing everything for someone that didn’t even care about him to begin with.

         So no. If Sirius Black wanted forgiveness, he was going to have to wait forever – because Regulus was not about to forget what he’d done so easily.

         There were lots of reasons why he didn’t want to forgive Sirius too. Not just the fear of getting hurt or fear of losing his own power. It was also because Sirius was a weakness. Anyone that spent time with him would know that – after all, hatred was still passion of sorts. Caring too much, or at all, for someone at a time like this was dangerous. Regulus wondered if Sirius even thought like that. It was simple to hide behind his anger for his brother, but Regulus was afraid. Afraid of losing someone again, afraid of losing power, afraid of this war, afraid of his responsibilities as an heir. This was far more complicated than it needed to be. Regulus knew they were on opposite sides of this fight and Sirius had to at least think about that.

         “Yeah, because as far as I’m aware, you owe me nothing. And I don’t owe you anything either. Why pretend that we are anything other than strangers?” Regulus stopped in his tracks and turned to the older boy. “Don’t treat me like a child incapable of making his own decisions,” he snapped, balling his hand into a fist and closed his eyes. He could just disappear. Apparate out of this situation. But he had a feeling he wouldn’t get away that easily. “Why should I give you the time of day? Why should I let you try and defend what you did? Why should I give you any chance to come back into my life for even a second?” Regulus let his anger dictate the conversation, even if that was probably a mistake. He didn’t want to cause too much of a scene; he just couldn’t help it. “You don’t care about me and maybe you never did. So just go back to your family and leave me alone.”

          Regulus turned on his heel and started to walk away again. If Sirius wanted to follow, he could. He could argue all night if he had to. There was no way he was going to ever let Sirius Black back into his life. Even if he wanted to, Regulus was sure the Death Eaters, the majority of his family, and his friends would all shun him or hurt Sirius as a warning. If he let his brother back into his life he’d end up with no one. 

                              Why can’t you see, you lost me a long time ago? 

[nobleregulus-blog]

augustusirookwood‌.

Date and Time| July 13th,1976, 12:30 pm

Place| The Macmillian Wedding

Augustus Rookwood and Regulus Black (@nobleregulus )

There were quite a number of people here that Augustus recognized from the Ministry but for once he did not attempt to mingle with them. Not only did they not know him like this, but Augustus was also enjoying the chance to just observe for once. He could pass by and hear little snippets of gossip and had even been invited to join a group of Tamara’s peers as they shared the newest rumors and how they were doing. It was low stakes gossip, but Augustus was fine with that because they hadn’t been able to tell that Augustus was not their dear Tamara. 

Taking a sip of the champagne in his hand, Augustus scanned the room for something to occupy his time until he went back to socializing. There! In the corner of the foyer was the disguised form of Regulus Black. Augustus slowly made his way over, not wanting to trip on the heels of his shoes. He had been negligent in mentoring the younger man, all of them busy but it was just excuses in the long run. Sliding up close to Regulus, his painted lips spread into a pleased smile. He truly enjoyed the younger man’s presence, even if he did not fully respect the young, powerful heir. “How are you holding up?” Augustus asked as he turned to Regulus, lowering his voice to a dim whisper.

          Regulus didn’t know half the people at the wedding because these weren’t people he’d ever paid attention to before now. He vaguely knew who was who and even recognized some of the Death Eaters in their polyjuice disguises. He’d never been that observant when it came to recognizing other people’s faces, so seeing some of the people at the wedding was jarring. People that Lorenza apparently knew kept coming up to him and asking all sorts of questions. Never really good at small talk, Regulus did his best to channel his inner Sirius and try to act like a Gryffindor would in a situation like this. Apparently it was easier than he anticipated. People really were stupid. What he really wanted was to speak to a familiar person. He’d spotted Cissa a few minutes ago, but she seemed to have disappeared in the crowd. 

          Careful not to be the center of attention -- Regulus Black would not be the reason this didn’t not go according to plan -- he kept his cover up, but didn’t actively seek other people out. If he stood still then maybe people would just decided to leave him alone and he wouldn’t have to interact with other people until it was time. Sipping on some champagne, Regulus watched as an unfamiliar figure approached him. Luckily, he did manage to recognize that it was Augustus and not someone Lorenza would know from work -- really all of this was quite confusing. At the question, Regulus just shrugged. “Oh, alright, I suppose. How about you?” He was trying his best to blend in, rather than stand out. “Kinda strange isn’t it? All this.” Regulus pointed around. He meant both their disguises and the whole wedding in general. 

[kazualbrekker-deactivated202011]

R. A. B.

[vaememes]

✧   BROOKLYN  NINE  -  NINE  SENTENCE  PROMPTS   !  

*  A VARIETY & MIXTURE OF THE SHOW, CHANGE PRONOUNS AS NEEDED / FITTING .

❝ The next time I see you I’d like you to be wearing a necktie. ❞

❝ Get rid of the mouse, and get your act together. Now. ❞

❝ I see what you’re trying to do, but it’s not gonna work.. ❞

❝ Wow, looks like he hates you even more than me. ❞

❝ God, you must have been the worst fourth grader ever. ❞

❝ Giving him a name makes him human. ❞

❝ I’m fairly certain you would be caught. ❞

❝ What’s the most valuable thing in your office? ❞

❝ You mean my job as an amazing detective/genius? ❞

❝ Did you tell her we slept together twice? ❞

❝ I’m not gonna lie, that turns me on a little bit. ❞

❝ I’d wondered why all the birds had suddenly stopped singing. ❞

❝ You’re going to leave my precinct and my task force alone. ❞

❝ Come on, who wants to take this seriously? ❞

❝ I bet she tucked herself in the bed too tight and got stuck.  ❞

❝ Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!  ❞

❝ Oh, is he sore from high-fiving criminals he’s gotten out of jail? ❞

❝ Did he get a murderer off who then murdered him to celebrate? ❞

❝ A cop and a defense attorney sleeping together? That’s highly unusual. ❞

❝ It’s a personal matter, involving a personal friend and his personal uncle. ❞

❝ So you remembered to turn off your signature, right? ❞

❝ I promise you, as soon as they tell me, you’ll be the first to know. ❞

❝ You won. Go ahead and gloat, you toad. ❞

❝ Look, I promise I won’t tell anyone, alright? My lips are sealed! ❞

❝ This is a secret. Do you understand me? ❞

❝ You do know what they do to witches up there, don’t you? ❞ 

❝ Well, I think we handled that with dignity. ❞

❝ Are you making fun of my stutter? ❞

❝ Oh. Uh… Sorry. I think I’m feeling a little awkward. ❞

❝ How do we make it not weird? ❞

❝ I just realized I’m never gonna be able to say that to his face. ❞

❝ You know I’ve made a lot of improvements since you left? ❞

❝ I know we just met, and I don’t wanna be too forward… ❞

❝ I’ve got that feeling about you. I like you. I think tonight we- ❞

❝ They just gave me ten years in prison.. ❞

❝ You can’t do anything except disobey orders and screw up! ❞

❝ Why are you dressed up? You look like an idiot. ❞

❝ What’s up? How can I help? ❞

❝ Well, we’ll just break you down to nothin’ and see what time it is. ❞

❝ Speaking of which, I’m getting hungry. What’s for dinner? ❞

❝ Why do people like these things? They’re just shiny rocks. ❞

❝ We’re gonna talk to a lawyer and get a professional opinion. ❞

❝ Looks good! Can barely tell you hulked out in here. ❞

❝ I just threw a bunch of popcorn on the floor. It wasn’t that hard. ❞

❝ All I did was be the only person who believes in you. ❞

❝ Somebody’s tryin’ to kill me, and I need protection. ❞

❝ I can smoke as much weed as I want. ❞

❝ It’s this kind of bickering that makes us such an adorable couple. ❞

❝ I saw an opening and I had to take it. ❞

❝ But this isn’t over! I will hunt you to the ends of the earth! ❞

❝ What?! But we saw him throw them in the garbage! ❞

❝ Nobody’s ever gonna see that footage; the case was cut and dry. ❞

❝ It’s not like I’m dying to tell anyone I saw your- ❞

❝ I’m dating my son-of-a-bitch ex-husband; who am I to judge? ❞

❝ I’ll let you guys talk! I’ll just close my eyes. ❞

❝ I’ll let you give me a spray tan! Any shade you want! ❞

❝ Massage! I’ll give you a massage! ❞

❝ I’ll also give you full control over my hair and wardrobe. ❞

❝ That really freaked me out and I just want this to end now. ❞

❝ The cheese is amazing. It melts in my mouth. And in my hands! ❞

❝ Come on, you can be honest. ❞

❝ I want old, expensive books. I’ll send you a list. ❞

❝ The tow truck just got here, so that’ll buy us at least an hour. ❞

❝ Tow truck?! What the hell’d you do to my car?! ❞

❝ What we need in here is an armored personnel carrier. A tank! ❞

❝ Well, I’m gonna go follow up on a lead right now. ❞

❝ Woah, no! What’re those morons doing in there?!  ❞

❝ Why is everyone just standing around? Get back to work! ❞

❝ What’d you do? What’d you say? ❞

❝ I hear you can smuggle in crap from outside. ❞

❝ What’re you lookin’ at? You got a problem? ❞

❝ I like you. You got balls.. ❞

❝ I hate to rub it in, detectives, but I told you they’d find me. ❞

❝ Well, he keeps yelling, “Disability for life!” so I think he’s fine. ❞

❝ Who hired you? Who do you work for, pizza man?! ❞

❝ You look out there and see a problem, I look out there and see an opportunity. ❞

❝ What have I become? Was this whole thing even worth it? ❞

❝ All because we shut down a foot massage place. ❞    

❝ Oh, my God. The City has no mayor now. ❞    

❝ Put your magical hands where I can see them! ❞    

❝ Did they make their bust? Did they save the precinct? ❞  

❝ I was behind the bar the whole time. ❞    

❝ I bet they have some awesome name for it. ❞    

❝ Can a paring knife remove a human heart in under a minute? ❞    

❝ I think you guys might be our best option at finding this guy again. ❞    

❝ You know, a bunch of us are going out drinking tonight. ❞    

❝ How did you get over there? Who are they? ❞    

❝ I’ve been calling you. Why won’t you answer your phone? ❞    

❝ We’ve been onto you for weeks, and we finally got you. ❞    

❝ I’ve never seen them before! What is going on? ❞    

❝ We’re on the money trail, and we just found a new lead.  ❞    

❝ Okay, this is bad. This is really bad.  ❞    

❝ Wait… What? Did you say “eat people”? Are you a cannibal, [ Name ]? ❞    

❝ I’m always gonna be one step ahead of you. ❞  

❝ I’m so confused. I don’t know what’s happening right now. ❞

[nobleregulus-blog]

marauder-remus-lupin‌.

It never ceased to amaze Remus just how many physical similarities the two Black brothers shared while also managing to be so different in personality. Of course they looked like brothers, making the mix-up understandable in the dim lighting, but as Regulus spoke, Remus found it odd that his mannerisms and inflection reminded him so much of Sirius. It was an unwelcome reminder of their shared upbringing, the childhood that had made Sirius so miserable, and Remus wondered how Regulus could stand his overbearing parents and their immoral beliefs.

Remus had to force himself to keep from rolling his eyes at Regulus. Maybe you should get your eyes checked. Was the childish retort the best he could come up with? It had been an honest mistake. Rather than dignify his attempt at an insult with a reply, however, Remus chose to ignore it. “We have no business, as I said, I thought you were someone else.” Perhaps it was a bit snippy of him, but Remus always found his temper was a bit short the week of a full moon. Though, his tone was much less pointed that Regulus’s. He didn’t want to fight with Sirius’s little brother. Regulus could hardly be blamed for his parents’ wrongdoings and Remus knew that Sirius still had a soft spot for his estranged brother even if they hadn’t spoken in ages.

          If he was anywhere but in public, Regulus would have walked out, angrily curing his brother as he left. He had a few choice words for his brother and his friends. But he was in public and he couldn’t make a scene even if he so desperately wanted to. He didn’t think that the two of them were anything alike. When he’d been younger, he’d followed his older brother around, as if Sirius was the king of the world. He followed whatever his brother did because he’d always been in awe of Sirius. Though now he didn’t think that they had any similarities. Sirius had chosen his friends and his new family and didn’t need Regulus. Which is exactly why Regulus didn’t think that he needed to be civil around his brother’s friends. But as long as they were in public he wasn’t going to cause problems for them and didn’t think that he’d run into any of them around the manor or where he tended to hang around. 

          His comment wasn’t the best, or most mature remark he’d made, but Regulus didn’t care. He didn’t know what kind of things Sirius had said about him -- or if Regulus was even important enough for the other to bring up; he was under the impression that once Sirius left, he’d made his decision on where he stood with his entire family, including Regulus. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go, even if he’d wanted to. Sirius had been his only friend growing up. Regulus wasn’t looking for a fight with anyone. He knew that if he caused too many problems with Sirius’s friends, that the other would seek him out and he’d rather not talk to his brother. He wanted to ask how Sirius was doing, but he didn’t dare ask. He needed to stay strong and pretend that he didn’t care for his brother, even if he did. It occurred to Regulus that Remus could be meeting Sirius here. “You’re not... meeting him here are you?” Regulus asked, looking around for a moment before turning back to Remus. He wondered if there was a panicked look on his face, or if he was controlling it. The last thing he wanted was for someone to think that he was talking to people that were more than likely part of the other side of the war. He doubted that anyone of his brother’s friends knew his position in the war, that he’d pledged his loyalties to the Death Eaters at such a young age. 

[nobleregulus-blog]

andrcmedastcnks‌.

Looking at her youngest cousin made her forget what path she chose. All she could think about was how old he was getting. It seemed like only yesterday he was wandering around the holiday home in nothing but his diapers. Now he was out of Hogwarts and fully able to consume alcohol. It made her sad to remember that she had missed his graduation, but she knew it was for the best. She was with a man that made her happy and they have a child that is the center of their world. She wished her family and extended family could be happy for her, but sadly that wasn’t her reality. She had to let them go in order to achieve the happiness she wanted.

Her back straightened as Regulus talked. He was right. She didn’t need to be drawing attention to the two of them. Who knows what sort of people lurked in the crowd at this place. The last thing she needed was a newspaper posting that an ex-Black is shouting at one of their heirs, or worse, someone telling the so called dark lord she was talking to him. She didn’t know if Regulus was involved with that, but she hoped he was smart enough to stay out of it. He was a child. He didn’t need to be caught up in war. it was already bad enough that he held the responsibilities of an heir on his shoulders.

“Of course i remember.” She said coolly, though she couldn’t help but feel a hint of sadness. They had all come to her graduation, yet she couldn’t return the favor. It was sad to think about all of the family events she’s missed and will miss in the future. What will happen when her cousin and sisters get married? Or have kids? She won’t be around to celebrate any of that. Hell, Regulus and Narcissa are still unaware she even has a child. “Just because you’re old enough to drink doesn’t mean you should.”

         People often forgot that Regulus wasn’t as young anymore. He might not have left his teen years yet, but that didn’t mean that he was still a baby. He was capable of making his own decisions and being his own person. Family members seemed to have a difficult time separating the old image of him wearing diapers from the adult man he was now. He had to make his own decisions and learn to be his own person without people telling him what he had to do. As much as he wanted to, he’d never truly be left alone from other people’s opinions on his life – and he had slowly become accustomed to that over the years. With the power that he was gaining by being the Black heir, he knew that there were prices to pay for that power. Regulus wondered when people were going to start treating him like he was old enough to be his own person. Then again, he didn’t blame the cousin that he hadn’t seen in so long. Surely, she knew that he was old enough to be at a bar.

         He carefully watched as she straightened her back when he spoke. He honestly didn’t care if she caused a scene. But he didn’t want to be noticed and he preferred that people keep to their own business rather than listen into what the two of them were saying. His reasons for not wanting her to cause a scene were selfish. He’d never been the type to want attention from others, like some people that he knew. Regulus was fine with blending into the shadows. That luxury couldn’t be afforded to him that much anymore since most of the places he went he was recognized by at least one or two people, either family members or people he spoke to more often. Even people like Andromeda came up to him occasionally for conversation.

         “Right,” he replied, matching her tone. Regulus remembered playing with Andromeda when he was a child. Although she was older, Regulus always liked bothering his older cousins when they were together. It was strange how different they all were now. Every member of the Black family was completely different – and Regulus liked that about his cousins, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud. “Just because your older than me doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do,” Regulus countered. Andromeda couldn’t be that stupid to think that her comment would stop him from drinking. Regulus didn’t even like to drink, but now that she didn’t want him to, he kind of wanted to prove that he wasn’t such a child. “I’ll bet you don’t tell my brother the same thing.” 

[onlytomholland-archive-deactiva]

+

[nobleregulus-blog]

theboldestblack‌.

                                               “Oh, come on, Regulus.” 

It wasn’t like he thought it would be easy, getting his little brother to have a civil conversation with him, but did he have to just walk away like that? He pulled back from the railing, hurrying forward and around the stairs. Regulus hadn’t gotten very far ahead, and Sirius easily fell into step next to him. 

Regulus looked… more grown up than he had the last time Sirius had seen him. There was only one year between them, hardly anything, but Regulus had always felt so small to Sirius. He was someone that Sirius felt he ought to look out for, someone that needed looking out for. He’d failed pretty spectacularly at that one. He knew he would be leaving Regulus to the wolves when he decided to move out of his family home, and he knew that he wasn’t a very good brother during their time at Hogwarts. At least, he wasn’t a very good brother to Regulus. But he couldn’t have done anything differently. Why could Regulus see that? Why couldn’t Regulus forgive him already?

If Sirius had thought Regulus would have listened, then he would have brought him too. And Sirius had never been a very selfless bloke. Not even for his little brother could he have stayed in that hellhole they tried to pass off as a family. He hated that looking at Regulus filled him with guilt. Why should he be guilty for making that choice that may as well have saved his life? It was Regulus who was the true selfish one. 

                       — And yet, they were still brothers. They always would be. And as selfish as Sirius might be, he was also stubborn. He wasn’t going to let Regulus march on like he didn’t even care to see him. Sirius would force him to talk.

                 “What? You’re just going to walk away like I don’t exist?” 

         He was stupid to believe that he could just avoid Sirius for the rest of his life – it wasn’t as if the wizarding world was very large and with so few purebloods around, he was bound to see the older Black around. It was a pipe dream to never see his traitor brother again. Then again, he could have easily avoided him if he really wanted to by never leaving his house except when necessary. How could he just forgive Sirius so easily? There had never been an apology between the two brothers. Regulus didn’t think there was anything that he needed to apologize for anyway. He hadn’t been the one that left.

         Although only a year had passed since they’d really seen each other, it felt like much longer. Sirius looked different than he ever had in the past. It had always hurt him when they were at Hogwarts together seeing his brother off with his friends, seeing how different he was when he was away from their parents and the pureblood society that Regulus now had to deal with. He’d always chased after his brother; Regulus was the smaller of the two, less confident, and more easily led astray. Their relationship had been so easy until Sirius had gone off to Hogwarts. And it never helped that Regulus watched as Sirius and his friends tortured one of his best friends.

         If his brother thought that he would be forgiven so easily, then he really didn’t know a thing about his own brother. Regulus liked to hold grudges against people. Sirius had to have figured that out. They hadn’t spoken in so long and the letters had gone unanswered. Was the older boy that daft in thinking that Regulus wanted to talk to him? He’d been left to the wolves with no way to defend himself. What else had people expected of him? He’d never been jealous of the attention that his cousins and Sirius had gotten because he never wanted it until he realized how much that attention got him. How powerful he could become. No one was going to compromise that for him, not even someone he was related to. Regulus was never going to forgive Sirius.

         Brothers or not, he couldn’t just forget anything that happened between them. Regulus was a Black through and through. While blood might have linked the two of them, they’d never be anything other than enemies from the day Sirius left. He didn’t want to talk and he wasn’t going to. He could be just as stubborn as his brother. There were things he wanted to say to Sirius, but he wasn’t about to cause a scene. There was no point in wasting his breath to yell and scream, so it was better to ignore him. He heard the words come out of his brother’s mouth and kept walking, head held high in the air.

         “I have nothing to say to a traitor. You are not worth my time.”

          The words were untrue, he had a lot he wanted to say. Behind those words were bitterness and anger and sadness. If Sirius could easily leave him then it meant there was something wrong with him. That he wasn’t worth saving -- that he’d meant nothing to his own brother. He might have gone with Sirius, had he even been given the choice. But he hadn’t been, which meant that Sirius never cared about him; he was too wrapped up in his own friends to care about his own flesh and blood. They were far too different now. Deep down, Regulus didn’t want to see Sirius get hurt in the war, though he knew when it ended, if his brother was still alive, he wasn’t going to stop whatever punishment was given to him for being on the wrong side of the war. 

          “I don’t know what you want from me.” Because he couldn’t give the other what he wanted. Forgiveness. Regulus was not about to let Sirius back into his life just to watch him pick another person over him. Just to watch him die. Just to watch him get taken from him yet again. It was better this way. Easier to just pretend he didn’t have a brother. The alternative was too painful. 

[nobleregulus-blog]

unspeakableprewett‌.

How he hated being in pureblood society for this very reason. The Prewetts had always been held at a distance, since Fabian could remember. It had eventually developed to the point where they were no longer invited at all. But he still had memories of stilted, polite conversations in which nothing true was ever said and false smiles graced every face. He’d never been good at that game - Regulus was much better, but his eyes were tired, distant.  Still, he could imagine that Regulus indeed was prone to deep thought, even like himself in that respect. He caught Regulus’ slip, how close he was to saying what Fabian could only assume was his brother’s name. Two brothers, each the other’s opposite - it was a familiar story to Fabian, one he’d played a part in his whole life. He couldn’t help but feel glad it was not Gideon and himself on two different sides of a war. Perhaps it also strengthened his feelings of pity towards Regulus.  “It’s not always a bad quality,” Fabian smiled. “In fact, some days I’d say I valued my ability to think things through more than my ability to do magic. I think it solves more problems at any rate.” 

“Family is always complicated from the outside looking in,” He replied simply. “Perhaps one day we’ll be on better terms again.” Even he doubted the truthfulness of that comment. Fabian wished he could say that he did know Sirius, and that he still stood by his statement of the benefits of Regulus talking things over with his brother, but since their connection was through the Order, it was wiser to stay quiet about it - even with Sirius’ brother. Especially with Sirius’ brother, he amended. “Can’t say I know him well. I certainly heard he has a reputation for making trouble. But there’s a bit of bad and a bit of good to everyone. Maybe it’s your advice that he needs. Friends are important, but hardly a substitute for a brother.” In his diatribe against Sirius and his ‘idiot’ friends, Regulus might have let out the most honest feelings so far in their conversation.   And they were bitter feelings. So Fabian didn’t want to push him too far. He did regret not being closer to Regulus, being able to make an impact on him - cut off from Andromeda and Sirius, he imagined the boy had few people who could show him the other choices he could make. But it was too late now. He would be sucked into this war soon, if he hadn’t already been. I could end up fighting him, Fabian thought suddenly, feeling cold. “Alright. Forget Sirius, then. But do me one favour and be careful about that rightful place, alright? Thinking there’s only one rightful place, well, that never ends up well.”

         Regulus had never really cared much about the pureblood politics until he’d become the heir of the Black family. He’d grown up knowing it was important and his parents telling him that it was important, but it didn’t matter when he was younger. Now he understood why everyone thought the pureblood society was significant and he’d do anything to keep their values and traditions sacred. There were some people that didn’t agree with their views. Regulus was smart enough to stay away from those people, except when he had to be in public. In this world, anyone that he talked to was a potential enemy. Either they sided with the purebloods, or they were against them – there was no in between. Those that were neutral were just too cowardly to make a decision and fight for what they believed in. He was tired of the games, but knew they weren’t over. There was still a lot more that needed to be done to win. Regulus didn’t like to talk about Sirius, nor did he want to discuss his brother. “Intelligence is lacking in our world, I think. Far too many people think they know about our world, but don’t know a thing. It’s a shame that people truly stumble around thinking they are smart.” He could think of several people that fit that statement -- several people that he didn’t want to talk to or think about. 

         “Perhaps,” Regulus replied, a small smile resting on his features. He didn’t think that was true at all. Their families would probably never be on better terms, Regulus was sure of that. When the war ended, he hoped every last traitor would get what they deserved. Even if that included members of his own family, especially when it came to family. There weren’t very many members of his family that he even liked or were even on speaking terms with. “He has a reputation for a lot of things.” None of which Regulus approved of, because despite their estrangement, Sirius still carried the Black name and what he did reflected upon their family. If he ever saw his brother again, there were a few choice words he had for the other. “He has his own family now,” Regulus told Fabian, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone. Friends might not be a substitute for family, but Sirius surely didn’t believe that. Despite what most people thought about him, he was hardly ever lonely. While his own friends weren’t substitute for a brother, he listened to them and trusted them, as one should. Of course, there wasn’t one rightful place – Regulus knew that. However, he couldn’t think like that, he didn’t want to think like that. “Perhaps,” was all he said to the advice. “What’s important is that I know my worth.”