#1976;

[eigabaka]

油鬼子 (The Oily Maniac) (1976; Ho Meng-hua)

[toujoursrab]

love potion no. 9 | 1976 | remus + regulus

february 1976. fourth year. potions lab, hogwarts. @moonyinthedark

Regulus didn’t have many regrets in his life, but right now getting caught by that bloody cat Mrs. Norris and her Squib caretaker was at the top of the list. All he had been trying to do was nick a few potion ingredients from Slunghorn’s private storage when he had been caught by that stupid cat. Regulus had stolen from Slughorn plenty of times and had been overconfident in his abilities to successfully get away without being apprehended. It wasn’t even stealing as much as it was borrowing, more often than not, Regulus would order the ingredients and replenish Slughorn’s cabinet with what he had taken. Regulus just couldn’t wait until his owl order went through to the Apothecary when he was working on a very important potion.

 Slughorn confessed he was a little disappointed that Regulus had tried to steal from him, but he didn’t think it was a big issue. Instead of detention, Slughorn decided to go easy on him and have him tutor a couple of students.  Regulus would’ve preferred to take the detention than to waste his time tutoring someone. This was hell, torture, really, and he didn’t even know who he would be tutoring. He hoped it was someone he actually got on with, maybe a Slytherin in a younger year. Someone who was willing to actually learn from him. His first tutoring season was to start in five minutes, and Slughorn had reserved the whole potions lab just for them.

 The fourth year killed time by flipping through his own Potions book, he didn’t know which Potion he was going to have his victim brew since he didn’t know his tutee’s skillset or the year they were in. He would have to decide that on the spot after assessing them. They had two hours to spend together, so he had to make sure it was a Potion that can be brewed to completion in that time. Regulus heard the door to the Potions Lab open, and turned to look over his shoulder.  He blinked in confusion, and then laughed miserably at the sight he was to behold. He hoped that it was a mistake because life couldn’t be that cruel. “Please tell me you’ve got the wrong room.”  

[toujoursrab]

tightrope | 1976  | mary & regulus

march 1976. fourth year. dungeons/hospital wing, hogwarts. @mxrymxc

There’s a loud bang in the dungeon’s corridor and it makes Regulus Black nearly jump out of his skin. Sickening laughter follows, and it makes something in the fourteen year-old’s stomach turn. It’s too late for loud noises and laughter of that kind. It’s almost one in the morning, and the dungeon should be emptied. The teachers were in bed, and the prefects were done with their rounds. Whomever was making such a ruckus this late at night was up to no good. Regulus almost thinks it’s his brother and their lot, but he doesn’t hear Sirius’ laughter in the mix, and his brother’s laughter was something he could recognize anywhere. It’s because of that the younger immediately knows something is wrong.

He heard the laughter again, just as chilling, and paused, wondering if he should take a different route to the common room. He was threading on dangerous territory, because whatever it could be might see him and that wouldn’t end well for him. That doesn’t stop Regulus from taking a shaky breath, making a split decision to head towards the laughter instead of away from it. He heard another crash, and then a voice – harsh and cold – telling whomever he was with to keep it down. Regulus stayed along the dungeon wall, taking slow steps in an effort to keep himself from being detected.

A group of Slytherin males come in to focus, and there has to be about three or four of them there. It’s dark, and even with the light coming from the tip of one of their wands, he can’t make out much. There’s someone writhing in between them, and Regulus knows it’s not from pleasure. He has to shut his eyes, and hold his breath before he could do anything because the last thing he wants to do is make himself more nauseous than he already was from the scene before him. This was the last thing he expected to happen upon during his late night trip to the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library. He took out his wand, knowing he needed to get them away from her but not having a set plan he casted the first spell that came to mind. A statue nearby exploded at the hands of his Reductor Curse, bits and pieces of marble flying between the boys, and the corridor became coated in dust.

There were coughs, before someone asked “What was that?” and it made Regulus freeze in his tracks, wand still pointed for protection; he recognized their voice.

“Let’s go check it out.” said another.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He was only hoping that it would scare them enough to leave, but no, now they wanted to check it out. What kind of idiots! Regulus didn’t know what to do but knew they would find him if he didn’t act quickly. He cleared his throat, and pointed his wand to his neck casting a simple voice changing charm with Filch in mind. “Students in the corridor. Students out of bed.” The charm worked perfectly, and his voice transformed from awkward teenaged boy into that of the Hogwarts Caretaker. The words were something he had heard Filch mutter to his cat when he patrolled the corridor. It seemed to do the trick, because before he knew it, he heard footsteps running in the opposite direction, and the sounds of people scrambling away. “Leave her there! Nobody can prove it was us. Our words against the mudblood, nobo--” he didn’t hear anything else after that, their voices getting lower and lower until they were out of earshot.

Now what? Regulus moved his wand from his neck, the charm automatically discontinuing as he walked towards where they had once stood. It was still dark so he was careful, and he didn’t want to use a lightening spell and attract any attention if they were to come back. He could see the beginnings of a girl as he continued to take his careful steps. His heart beat wildly against his ribcage when he bent down and although her face was becoming swollen and decorated in blood, he could still recognize her.

Regulus didn’t know her personally, but he had seen her plenty of times around the castle. She was the Gryffindor in the year above him. A muggleborn. And now she laid beaten and unconscious on the dungeon floor. “What did they do to you, MacDonald?” he knew she couldn’t answer. He waved his wand and broke the silencing charm over her. Although he hadn’t been there when it was cast, he knew that she would’ve screamed or done something more to try and get away. The portraits would’ve heard her and alerted the Headmaster.

He didn’t know what would be best, picking her up or levitating her. Regulus knew that when someone was injured badly it was better to leave them as they were and place them on a stretcher, but he didn’t have one of those and summoning one at this hour would cause too much attention to himself. His hands were shaking, and for that reason he chose not to use levitation because he might hit her head against the wall and cause further damage. Regulus didn’t trust himself right now. He took a deep breath and lent down, easily picking up the slender girl bridal style and holding her in his arms as he made the walk to the Hospital Wing, not even caring that her ‘dirty’ blood was staining his robes.

[toujoursrab]

gravity | 1976 | alecto & regulus

december 1976. fifth year -- winter holidays. carrow manor, england.   @ms-alectocarrow

Regulus had been to the Carrow Manor plenty of times but most of his visits were scheduled. This one was not, but he figured it didn’t matter. He just needed to get away from the suffocation that was 12 Gimmauld Place and what better way than to visit Alecto. Mr. Carrow had told him plenty of times that he was always welcome into his home because for some reason he actually liked Regulus. He was ‘a fine young man’ with a ‘good head on his shoulders’ and a ‘true Black unlike that brother of yours’. The heir to the House of Black was used to comments like that, but something about the way Mr. Carrow said it rubbed him the wrong way.

 But yes, here he was, trying to escape his family. He was still on the outs with his family, but staying over at Hogwarts for the holidays was out of question. He had to grin and bear it, and spend most of his time between his friends’ houses. Alecto was the lucky one today, she would get his time and affections. He wrapped his coat tighter to his body and used the door knocker to knock on the door. He had two presents in his hand, one for Amycus and one for Alecto. They were neatly wrapped in silver and green paper, something Regulus had done himself. He preferred to wrap his own gifts rather than to let the house elves do it.

 Speaking of house elves, one of them opened the door and smiled brightly at Regulus, greeting him and inviting him into the home. “Hello,” he didn’t remember which elf this was since their family had many, but he let her take his coat anyway. “Is Alecto available?” It was freezing on this cold December evening, and anyone who went outside for fun was either mental, or cast a very good warming charm, but they were underage and couldn’t cast anything outside the castle. Regulus didn’t think Alecto would let that stop her.

 “Missus is in her bedroom, if Mister Black would wait right here I will go see if Missus is accepting gue---“

 Regulus cut the elf off. “That’s quite all right. I’ll go to her myself. I remember the way.” The elf looked worried, and a bit forlorn at his suggestion. Regulus lifted his brow, and before the elf could open their mouth to object he thrust one of the presents in their direction. “Will you put this present with the others?” He would bring Alecto the present he got her himself. He wanted to see her reaction when she opened it.

 The fifth year made his way up the staircase, and took the familiar path to Alecto’s room. Once he arrived he knocked on the door and called her name in a soft coo, before he found the knob and turned it without hearing her call back to him. When he did enter her bedroom, the first thing he noticed was the gathering of the family’s elves huddled around the brunette, whose back was to him. His brows furrowed in worry at the scene before him. “Alecto?”