Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Song Rec: (Ugo - The Dead Pirates)

Every time Regulus was about to kill, a memory replayed in his head.

The same memory every time since his first kill.

“You are allowed to give up when you die. Only then, would I forgive you for that.”

Click.

Boom.

A thud to the ground.

“Damn, Reg if we were still a modern society you would’ve been great at being a sniper. You never miss truly.” Barty fake a sighed in admiration looking down at the rotter that had a gun wound straight through the forehead.

“Not all of us would choose to kill back then either asshole.” Evan rolled his eyes coming from behind Regulus before laying his hand on the raven haired boys shoulder.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it out sooner. You okay?” Evan asked eyes trying to grasp Regulus’ attention but his eyes were still on the rotting corpse he had just killed.

It’s funny after a while the meaning of being ‘okay’ seemed to shift. At one point being ‘okay’ to Regulus was being able to write poetry in his room before going down to eat dinner. Now his ‘okay’ was trying not to have a meltdown after killing someone he never knew. And not just someone. Multiple. 24 now. Regulus kept count.

The real answer was no. He was never okay and hadn’t been for a long time. Maybe even before the virus. But there was no time for self-pity.

“Regulus I know you don’t like to hear this, but they were already-“Evan began to speak softly only to be cut off by a glare from the shorter boy.

“Alright well, we need to get a move on then. I don’t think we’re too safe here anymore. That’s 5 in the past two days.” Evan sighed, gripping the backpack strap that lay over his shoulder.

“Not to mention they are more aggressive than usual. Faster too.” Barty scoffed before stomping his boot down into the rotter's head, crushing his skull. Regulus made sure to keep his eyes glued to Evans.

“Jesus Barty!” Evan threw his hands up in the air before grabbing Regulus by his backpack and pulling him to follow. He managed to grab the gun from Regulus’ shaky hands and attach it to his hip.

“You want this motherfucker dead for sure or what?” Barty yelled running after them to catch up.

Everyone coped differently. Regulus understood that. They all coped, and they all coped different. Barty was angry a lot. You could blame it on the fact he woke to the rotter's eating his parents' bodies in their bed. Evan held a lot of sadness. His whole family got spilt up during the riots in the city. And Regulus well. Regulus felt nothing. It was quite possible he never would again.

Three years ago a virus began to spread across the globe. And it spread fast. Faster than media could even get the attention out before all communications cut. There were three solid days for Regulus before the rotter's reached him and his city. Neighbors talked, citizens gathered in town trying to get through any communication barriers, but nothing for three days. No one was scared then. Everyone assuming things that made sense to them at the time. Until the night that changed Regulus’ life.

Much like Barty, Regulus was asleep when the first scream of terror woke him. He remembered his eyes bolting open to his room, completely still in that moment. The only light coming from the streetlamps outside. The first scream was faint, but it was closer than he would have liked. Before he could process his reality, another shriek erupted from outside of his home causing him to scramble to his feet.

“Mom? Dad?!” Regulus yelled towards his door, too scared to move in that moment even at the age of 18.

Silence.

“HELP!” a woman shouted sounding a lot closer than the last one.

Acting completely on impulse, brain still not completely aware of his fate yet, he ran to his window immediately pulling back the curtain. The sight made his heart stop and left his lungs empty.

Across the street he could see his neighbor being attacked. No... not attacked. This figure was..eating her. Not just eating her, ripping out every intestine in her body. Regulus was completely frozen in his place unable to move a single muscle and eyes unable to tear away from the horrific sight.

It wasn’t long before he noticed this was not only happening to his one neighbor, but it was also happening to them all. Three houses down he could see a man with a gun shooting at another person. A car sped down the road, sending a body flying into the air and slamming into the ground. Alarms were blaring now too in every direction. His once calm neighborhood was full of absolutely chaos.

Regulus stumbled back, his knees showing no strength nearly causing him to lose his balance. His grey eyes filled with panic and disbelief. The threat of vomiting was rising in his throat. But he didn’t have time to deal with that right now.

“MOM!” Regulus shouted through the house, shooting out of his bedroom and down the hallway. The noise from outside nearly drowning him out in the spacious house that made everything echo. His heart was beating so loud he could hear it in his ears.

“Dad please! There’s something wrong outside we need-“

As Regulus swung open his parents' bedroom door, he was met with a fully made bed. His parents nowhere in sight. It was almost if they hadn’t been there in weeks, even though he had just seen them before he went to sleep.

On the bed, directly in the center, lay a hard back book. Approaching it slowly in confusion, Regulus saw it was green with a card on the top that read:

“For our little star.”

…

“Haven’t we walked far enough? My legs are hurting and I’m hungry.” Barty complained dragging along the back roads they had decided to take in order to be more discreet.

“I can help you with that. If I punch you in the face you won’t think about the pain in your legs anymore, will you?” Evan smirked looking back at Barty who just flipped him off.

Regulus had pretty much been silent for the past two hours. He always was after he had to be the one to kill. That’s why usually Evan and Barty would do it for him. But in some situations, there’s not always that option.

Evan and Barty never said anything about it though. They usually would just wait until he felt comfortable enough to speak again. Regulus really appreciated that.

“According to google maps here, we are very close to a small city and I'm betting there’s some Debbie cakes hidden up in there somewhere.” Evan teased looking down at the paper map in his hands.

“Yeah I bet there’s some rotter's hidden up in there too.” Barty sighed before cocking his gun.

It was silent for a moment as the three walked down the road, a path clearing in the distance.

“Hey, just stick between us. We won’t let you have to do that again today okay?” Evan nudged at Regulus arm trying to comfort him. But to be honest, nothing was comforting anymore. There was nothing anyone could do or say that would put Regulus at ease. Not in this situation. Ever.

Regulus looked over at Evan for the first time in a while. His blonde hair was so vibrant against the trees behind him. And that smile that said ‘everything is going to be okay’ even if it was a lie. Evan was pretty much the leader. He had an energy about him that made Regulus want to listen to him and take his advice. Not to mention, he was crazy smart. If he had ever made it through high school, Regulus was sure he would’ve gotten a scholarship with flying colors.

“Okay.” Regulus nodded simply before turning back to look at the broken pavement he was walking on. His grip tight around the knife that lay in his hand.

…

As they approached the city, they made sure to stay silent. Being cautious of their surroundings was mandatory. Especially in a city of any kind. It seemed it was just a small square of a city. Deserted shops and Restaurants lined the block along with one small convenient store. In the center of the square, a courthouse lay, vandalized and in critical shape.

“Okay, remember, get what’s needed. Nothing more. We need to be in and out as quick as possible. It seems clear but you can never be certain in places like this.” Evan whispered pulling his gun from his hip and aiming it down towards the ground.

“Barty, behave.” The blonde boy glared only receiving a smirk back. Evan turned then to look at Regulus with a raised eyebrow.

“Grab and go. Ready?” He asked one more time awaiting a response from Regulus.

Regulus looked at Evan as if it was the last time he would see him. Because it very well could be. No day was promised. Not nowadays.

With a nod, Regulus took a breath following straight after Evans lead, making sure to be light on his feet.

The whole city was quiet besides Regulus’ heartbeat invading his ears. He surely didn’t want to run into a swarm right now. He had barely recovered from his last kill two hours ago. Every thought of his brain surrounded by it.

Was he a father?

Was he a husband?

Were people looking for him?

He just killed him.

Broken glass covered the sidewalk in front of the convenient store allowing them to slip right inside. Evan used a finger motioning at Barty to check the other side while he led Regulus down an aisle. Most of the aisle was already empty. Which Regulus expected but there was always something left behind.

It was dead silent. The only sound coming from the wind blowing into the vacant store. The only light source being the 5pm sun beginning to go down. And they really did need to get out of here quick before the nighttime hit. You never want to be in a city during the night.

As they reached the end of the aisle, Regulus spotted some cans, and some beat up saltine cracker boxes. Evan nodded down indicating Regulus to start packing it into his backpack but still holding his gun in front of him.

As he bent down to unzip his backpack, Evan rounded the corner looking to make sure the coast was clear in the rest of the store.

It wasn’t huge. Only about 5 aisles. Regulus in the middle while Barty and Evan were on the two opposite ends. In the back of store against the wall were refrigerator doors, Regulus assumed once lit up when working properly. But since there hadn’t been power in years. It was pitch black behind those doors.

The last saltine box was in his hands as he heard the muffled clicking growl.

There was silence.

Then there was a crash.

Glass flew through one of the refrigerator doors along with a rotter who was screeching a terrible harmony. Unfortunately, landing right in front Regulus who sat on his knees frozen in place.

He wasn’t scared. At least not of the rotter's or what they could do. More of the fear of guilt. The fear of knowing another death was on his hands even if their brains were already corrupted and they would never go back to normal. Maybe even the fear that this would forever be his reality.

“REGULUS!” Barty shouted from a couple aisles down pacing over to see the rotter who was scrambling to its feet at an alarming rate. But Regulus only watched, his hands not reaching for the gun around his waistband.

Barty began firing shots towards the rotter nicking it in the side and arm but missing the kill shot. The rotter let out another high-pitched screech in Barty’s direction before turning its attention back towards Regulus and running full speed towards him.

Later, he would wish this was his final moments. That the rotter would’ve ripped out his heart and swallowed it in one bite. That it all could’ve ended right there. He would never have to wonder again if his brother was okay. He would never have to wonder why his parents left him alone to fend for himself. He would never have to kill again.

But life was never kind to Regulus Black.

The rotter flung itself at Regulus managing to gain control on top of him.

Every rotter was at a different stage of the virus. Some were completely consumed by bubbled flesh and dirt. And some were in the early stages. The early stages were worse for Regulus because they still had features to them even only if some. They were still identifiable. They were still people at one time. With lives and families and goals and history. And now they were rotter's who live off human flesh.

This rotter was a woman. She had strands of blonde hair in patches along her head. Her flowery dress covered in dirt and fresh blood from her last victim. All rotter's eyes were a hazy blue so that didn’t stand out to him. But she did have a tattoo of two birds on her collarbone flying with their wings out.

Regulus wondered what the tattoo meant to her as a bullet flew through her skull, splattering a dark liquid all over his shirt and face.

The cold body of the rotter who was once a woman fell directly on top of him.

Regulus just stared at the ceiling.

Chapter Text

Song Rec : (Spies - Coldplay)

“No. Absolutely not.” Sirius stated firm before looking back down at the papers that lay on his wooden desk. James on the other hand was pacing back and forth while rubbing his temple at the same time.

“Sirius! We can’t just sit around and wait for the death eaters to find us first- “

“They haven’t found us yet and they won’t.” Sirius hissed in that voice that told James he needed to shut the fuck up for now.

James sighed before throwing his hands up in the air in pure defeat and plopped down on the leather sofa that lay in front of the desk.

Three years. Three years had gone by, and it felt as if they barely had a glimpse of what they were against. At this point no new information was coming in because the last few spies they had, never returned. And they couldn’t afford to lose any more people. Or even worse, lose everyone from them being tracked down.

Radio communication wasn’t coming through either. Usually, they would pick up conversations between the organization they assumed to be responsible for the infection. Recently Sirius hadn’t pick up any other signals and all communication was cut other than that. The messages never made any sense though. The last message they heard was in a code they were still trying to figure out. And that was a week ago.

“Sing as tears melt by your survival.”

The fuck is that supposed to mean?

The information they did have come from the spies that had made it back successfully, which included Sirius.

After Lily had made a device allowing them to tap into communication signals across the country, they were able to pinpoint an area the signals were coming from. Yeah, Lily was some type of prodigy.

Sirius demanded he be the first one to go out on his own. Which no one protested too because if anyone was going to be able to handle themself it would be Sirius Black. James however did not get a lick of sleep that night and by the time Sirius had returned the next morning the inside of James’ cheeks were sore from him biting them nervously.

Sirius had gathered information on an organization armed by what looked close to a military defense. It couldn’t have been more than two hours from where they were. Barbed wire lined the underground entrance as far as Sirius could tell. Along with over 100 guards accompanied with high grade military guns. They had deemed them as the "death eaters."

During Sirius' first mission he had hid in a building not too far from the scene, he watched as a black van pulled up to the gate. The guards immediately aimed their guns towards the van as one of them stepped up to the driver's side window. The guard then pulled out what looked like a phone before holding it up to the window. A blue laser pattern scanned the area of the driver's seat before lighting up green. The guards all lowered the weapons as the gate opened in front of them and allowed the van to go through.

Sirius went back a few times before the buildings surrounding the area also became filled with death eaters waiting for anyone to kill as if there wasn’t enough of that in the world already.

Once the spies they had sent out amongst the small community they had built didn't return and the messages stopped coming through they knew something was up. What was up? They had no fucking idea. And quite frankly it made James nervous as hell. Not only was the Marauders hide out less than two hours from hundreds of death eaters but now they could possibly know about the spies they had sent out. There was no telling if they were dead or alive or being tortured for information. James felt like Sirius' wasn't taking this into consideration enough. But Sirius Black called the shots around here.

Just as James was about to open his mouth again clearly not done with the conversation at hand, Lily and Peter walked in causing James to sigh in relief.

"How many times must I ask for a simple knock?" Sirius sighed now putting his head in his hands knowing now the conversation had just begun.

"You lost your privacy when you decided to lead me and 200 other people blindly through a zombie apocalypse." Lily pointed out sassily as she walked in with no hesitation heading straight towards the bowl of apples that sat on a table against the wall.

"You do realize you aren't a one-man council, right? Are the three of us chopped liver?" Peter spoke up as well, closing the door behind him and taking a seat next to James who just stared at Sirius intently with a nod.

The marauders were a rebellion headquarters founded by Sirius and James.

They had found the abandoned warehouse a couple months after the virus leaked and infected 1/4 of the population almost immediately. The two of them were childhood best friends and were fortunate enough to be together when all electricity and communication went out. After James' apartment got raided a day later by the rotter's the two set out purely on survival mode.

The warehouse was a blessing compared to sleeping in trees which of course Sirius had suggested knowing all things about survival.

Before the virus spread, Sirius worked as a defensive tactic's instructor for 3 years. At the ripe age of 20 years old he was teaching grown men in their 40s how to not only defend themself but stay alive in warzones. When asked where he learned these skills he always just replied "I did what i had to do to protect myself" and that was the end of that conversation.

James on the other hand was a music instructor for kids, he had always had a passion for piano, so he mainly taught piano and guitar. He thought about his students everyday hoping they were alive and healthy. Even if deep down he knew that most likely wasn't the case.

The location of the warehouse resided far off the main roads and conveniently hidden away in the woods near an area that no one could just stumble upon. The only reason the two boys had found it was following a deer they were hoping to capture for a meal. The cement walls were covered in vines which helped it look more vacant and, in their minds, they had just hit the jackpot.

After entering the building and checking to see that it was empty of rotter's, they discovered a hidden latch leading down into an untouched under ground floor. The floor level being as big as the warehouse above them only separated into different rooms. But the most shocking part was the last room they encountered which held guns, knives and ammo lining the walls as well as boxes of canned and dry foods stacked in the center.

James can still remember the shock and dumbfounded expression on their faces.

They wasted no time in making this a safe space and a place to recruit other people who needed somewhere to rest their heads at night. After going on on their own for weeks seeking out to help others in need, it wasn't long before they had 50 people hidden along with them underground. And it only multiplied. Everyone had deemed Sirius to take some sort of control considering the fact he was usually the one taking charge during their routinely runs to bring others back. Well, that and James was no competition compared to him. Sirius began to divide everyone into groups of four, depending on the skill he deemed fit for you. The four groups being: shoppers, healers, wizards, and darts.

The shoppers did the supply runs. Typically, the shoppers were light on their feet and able to keep themself unnoticed from the rotter's and more recently the death eaters. To be a shopper you must be trained to defend yourself since this requires leaving the warehouse. As well as being assisted with at least one dart on standby. This group is also very resourceful and able to tell which fruits plants were safe for intake and medical use. James ran this group.

Healers were majority what they sound like. They have some type of medical knowledge from being EMTs to simple medicine practice. Along with taking care of the small community they also seek out knowledge on the virus and attempt to actively find more information on a cure. This group also unfortunately decides whether someone has been infected fully or not. In simpler terms, whether they live or die. Peter was the leader of this group considering his masters degree in epidemiology.

Wizards are the brains of the Marauders. These individuals can think on a rational level as well as being highly intelligent. Any information that had come back from the spies went straight to them under Sirius' approval of course. This group reads through newspapers and books that are found through shoppers while simultaneously making theories and trying to connect dots. Lily, of course, was the sheriff of that town.

Last but not least in the slightest were the DARTS aka the defend attack respond team. Clearly run by Sirius, these human beings were chosen carefully, this being the most dangerous group amongst the community. Before the spies were cut out, this was the group they were assigned too. Sirius required two weeks of full training with him before he allowed anyone to join this group. They also had to fit up to Sirius' standards or that was an automatic no. They were taught extendedly how to work a gun properly, survival tactics, and given specific instructions that were mandatory. Anyone who dared to act a fool was cut from the group with no re-entry. There were sublevels to this group that divided them into guards, assisted shoppers, enforcers and formally, spies.

This making Sirius, James, Lily, and Peter the council of the Marauders.

Any rules, updates, decisions, and information went through them. And trying to collectively agree recently had been a struggle due to the stress levels of the unknown.

"Unfortunately." Sirius muttered in response to Peter's question only making James' sass intensify.

"First of all, I take offense to that considering we are co-founding fathers." James sat up in his chair pointing a finger at the raven curls in front of him before turning to point at Lily, "And second off, don't YOU agree it is too risky to stay here anymore? First, we lose four spies in a row. Then communication cuts and all we are left with is a coded message from, may I ADD, a week ago now-"

"A week ago?" Lily was now speaking pausing with an apple in her hand, confusion written in her furrowed eyebrows. Peter's face also twisting before looking between everyone.

Only then did James remember why he didn't get sassy anymore and just kept his mouth shut.

As he slowly turned his head from the red haired girl, he was met with a grey eyed glare that very well could have killed him if it were a weapon. James decided to zip his lips and sink down in his seat, looking around the room to avoid eye contact with a seething Sirius Black.

The last message they received came through when James was having a conversation with Sirius about a shopper run. James clearly being in the wrong place at the wrong time considering he could not hold a secret to save his life. To be fair he was never found of lying. Sirius had decided best if he kept them message on the down low considering the chatter already surrounding the spies that hadn't returned. Everyone was on edge, and he couldn't risk everything falling apart under his control. Sirius held a lot of guilt.

But leave it up to James Potter to be cursed with running his mouth before thinking.

"You said the last one came in two weeks ago and nothing since." Lily was now on Sirius' ass making sure to also drill holes in the back of James' head as well.

"There was another a week ago. Just one." Sirius rested his chin on his hands, looking at lily through the black long curls that fell into his face staying laxed even under hot fire from Lily Evans.

"And why weren't we informed of that?" Peter spoke the obvious question after a moment of tense silence, everyone's energies suffocating each other.

Oh, James was in a lot of trouble.

"They never make sense anyways. We have tried every pattern. I didn't want this to get out and alarm everyone over something as simple as a death eater telling another death eater, he wants his shift to be over." Sirius now snapped his head over to Peter who physically tensed up. Sirius had never taken a liking to Peter but couldn't deny the knowledge he held.

"Has your power here finally made you dense?" Lily, the only one brave enough to go against Sirius' word, asked in disbelief.

"Sense ever been made or not, you don't just dismiss information based on your empathy."

Sirius and Lily now held a gaze so strong James didn't even have to see it to know. Usually, Sirius would never make a decision based on his own morals and feelings. He was usually very rational. James had noticed but didn't want to try and pry, that never went over well when he did. But if he had to guess the stress and guilt was weighing on him from the lost spies.

Lily was 99% of the time right. She was a genius, not only in the brain, but ethically. This very well could be the reason Sirius allowed her to challenge his word. This being only proved further as Sirius reached over on his desk to lay the paper with the audio transcript on it. Not saying a word.

Lily only let out a sigh of frustration before walking over to grab the paper, apple still in her hand. Peter tried leaning up to get a view only for both of them to tilt their head in confusion.

"Sing? As tears melt by your..survival? Is that a saying?" Peter read the words as if saying them slower would help make it make any sense.

"What kind of fucked up saying is that?" James was now looking at Peter with utter disbelief before shaking his head in disappointment as Lily grabbed a pen from the desk.

Everyone stayed silent a moment watching as Lily used the different decoding methods not even lasting seconds before she paused, pen still on paper. Her face was shocked, and her jaw was slightly agape as if she was not able to process the information in front of her. Her face visibly becoming a paler shade.

"...Lily?" James asked now sitting up in his chair looking at the girl in front of him who stood frozen leaning over the piece of paper. Silence.

The three boys glanced between each other in confusion and worry before Sirius slid the piece of paper back over to himself squinting down at it before his face gave an unexplainable expression, lips thinned.

"Hello?! Is anyone going to say anything or are we supposed to read your minds?" Peter now spoke in clear distraught noticing the energy change throughout the room. A wave of fear and shock filling the area.

James could tell from Sirius' expression something was about to change massively. Something that was far out of anyone's control even Sirius'. This would be the moment James' parents had taught him from a young age about.

Nothing in this world lasts forever.

Sirius stared down at the paper a little longer before reluctantly turning the paper around to lay in front of James and Peter on his desk.

Both boys leaned in cautiously as if the information on the paper determined their life.

And to their surprise, they were right.

Along the paper were only three decoding methods they had used multiple times with other messages, none ever seeming to work. But this time one did.

Once James had laid his eyes upon the "second letter" system his eyes widened so much they could've fallen out if they weren't intact. An immediate rush of blood to his head as he backed away from the paper but didn't take his eyes off of it.

Using each second letter in every word a message was spelled in Lily's handwriting and would be burned into his brain for the rest of his life.

"I see you"

James' chest rose and fell understanding that he was righter than he ever would have liked to be.

Lily, finally coming back to her reality, let her apple fall to the ground with a thud before looking to Sirius with venom in her voice and her fist clenched.

"Nice one idiot. Your empathy just killed us all."

Chapter Text

Song Rec: (Snap Out Of It - Arctic Monkeys)

"What's it about this time?" A seventeen-year-old Sirius asked sitting in the window seal of Regulus' room, smoking a cigarette out the window.

Their parents weren't home, if they were the cigarette that dangled from his fingertips wouldn't be in sight.

Regulus lifted his pen from his journal to look up at his older brother, even at 12, his expression was always blank.

"My feelings." Regulus replied simply as he always did before turning back down towards the half-written poem he had started a few days ago. He felt like he never had time to write. Or never had time to express.

"You say that every time you know?"

"And every time its true. Can you lean more outside? If mom and dad smell a lingering aroma of tobacco in this room they are going to flip. I don't know why you want to get in trouble." Regulus looked up at his brother with a frustrated look clearly not wanting to be questioned further on the details of his poems. But also fearful of the thought of his parents finding out.

Regulus had become very private and introverted over the years. That definitely had to do with how strict his parents were on them, and Sirius knew that, but he never said it.

He decided to dismiss the last comment knowing very well his younger brother didn't know the extent to what was going on between him and his parents.

Their parents disciplined them separately behind closed doors so neither knew the details but they did share the gist. Mainly because Sirius would hold Regulus as he cried silently after every time.

They had each other and that kept them going.

Regulus however eventually began to stop crying in the recent years, coming out with the same numb expression he had gone in with. He stopped talking about anything related to the punishments he got with Sirius, and he only ever left his room to do chores.

Sirius did as he was asked though and leaned further out the window taking a long drag as silence filled the air. The soft winter breeze causing his shoulder length curls to flow with it.

Sirius had wanted nothing more in his life than to take him and Regulus as far away from his parents as possible. He was working two jobs to not only pay the wrongful rent he was given by his shitlord of parents but also saving up to get his own place and eventually file for custody of Regulus.

He had decided to keep this to himself not wanting to get the younger boys hopes up but also not wanting to stress him out. But when the time was right, he had every plan to tackle it full throttle.

"Do you ever write about mom and dad?" Sirius finally broke the silence, not daring to look over at his brother knowing he was already walking on eggshells with the question.

The silence was back now but Sirius could feel the way Regulus tensed near him.

Regulus stared at his brother in uncertainty. Even opening his mouth as if to speak only to close it again deciding against the words that wanted to leave his mouth.

Regulus wanted to trust his brother and overall, he did. But he was also wanted to trust his parents. And he definitely did not.

"No." Regulus chose to lie but he may have given too much time in-between the question and his answer because Sirius was quick to reply.

"Because if you did that's okay. I write about them too."

There was something so comforting and monumental in the moment that Regulus knew he would remember it forever.

Sirius was never much of a person to show vulnerability. Even after his own punishments he would come right out and ask Regulus if he was okay not a single hint of pain or fear in his voice.

He never cried. He never said anything hurt him or his feelings. He stayed strong for Regulus because who was going to do it if not him?

Regulus always admired that about his brother.

"I mean of course not as delicate and beautifully as I'm sure you convey in your poems but i journal. And those entries are nor delicate or beautiful more uh.. spiteful and full of rage." Sirius used a playful tone, but he was dead serious. The amount of F bombs written took up 99% of his choice of words on his thoughts about his parental units.

A small laugh fell off Regulus' lips and Sirius felt like someone stabbed him in the heart with a sharp-edged knife.

He hadn't heard his brothers laugh in so long it almost felt foreign. When Regulus was a baby, Sirius was the only one that could get him to giggle.

He cursed his parents in his head viciously for being the reason he never did anymore.

Regulus stayed quiet only clicking his pen with a million thoughts in his head Sirius would probably never begin to hear.

But he would be damned if he didn't try.

With a flick of his cigarette off the roof, Sirius leaned back in the window, letting his legs hang inside. He looked down at Regulus' short hair, barely growing past his ears. Memories of him raising the younger boy flooding his head.

His baby brother.

"Try not to be hardheaded and actually trust and listen to the words that are about to leave my mouth." Sirius began, leaning down a bit to meet eyes with Regulus, waiting for him to flick his gaze up.

Silver eyes meeting silver.

Regulus didn't speak but Sirius could tell in his eyes he was listening with open ears.

"When you think you have no one left to turn too, you can always turn to me."

-

Regulus sat in front of the fire, his knees raised to his chest while he rested his arms on top. The fire glowing against his skin and reflecting off his dull eyes. Damp curls tickling the back of his neck from the lake bath he took immediately following the events from earlier.

Luckily for them there was only the one rotter and not a swarm ready to take them apart relentlessly at the convenience store.

They had escaped in enough time to not engage with anymore after the sound of the gunshots rang through the square as well.

Regulus didn't remember much else other than being thrown over Evans shoulder and a string of whisper shouting profanities coming from him and Barty.

His next memory is the two boys shining flashlights in his face and asking him questions as he lay on the ground. Though those questions just went through one ear and out the other.

He didn't even feel them moving his body all around while they checked him for any scratches or bite marks.

After he was clear and Evan and Barty could finally properly breathe again, they took him to the closest water they could find. Which happened to be a small lake off the back roads they fled down.

Barty left Evan to help Regulus wash the thick dark liquid off his body in attempt to find some type of relatively safe shelter for the night.

In their favor there was a storage shack previously used as a hunting shed. Not only providing them some shelter but also supplying them with some hunting knives and various tools that could be useful down the road.

The woods were actually one of them more safer options nowadays than the cities. Rotters tended to group in hives as if they fed off each other's energies. If you were to encounter any in the forest it would most likely be a straggler and in the woods a gunshot blew with the wind.

Still, Evan liked to always play it safe and kept the fire relatively small not wanting to bring any more attention to the three of them for the night.

The wind blew a soft breeze resulting in the leaves brushing against each other above them.

Regulus heard footsteps coming closer to him but he didn't move a muscle.

Barty let out a sigh of relief as he sat down right beside Regulus. He let his legs stretch while his palms pressed into the grass. His black short hair falling behind him as he leaned his head back gazing at the stars above him. The one green strip of his bangs standing out against the rest.

There was silence for a few moments the only sound coming from the fire crackling in front of them. Regulus knew this wouldn't last long considering Barty was one to always address the elephant in the room. Or in their case, the forest.

"You almost gave us both heart attacks today. I'm pretty sure Rosier pissed himself a bit." He finally spoke still never being able to be serious at any given moment.

Even with something as horrific as this.

Regulus didn't know if he was thankful for that or not.

Regulus stayed silent, his only movement being from blinking.

There were a few times where Regulus had put all three of their lives in danger. Not on purpose of course. He just always hesitated to pull the trigger.

But usually he was the main one affected from his lack of impulse.

A few weeks ago they had a small group of rotter's trap them on the second floor of a house they had been squatting at. Barty was on watch duty but had made the mistake of falling asleep.

A simple mistake could be the end your life now.

Regulus woke to gunshots and a yell from Barty down the hall causing him to shoot up from the floor of the room he was in with Evan.

"Barty!?" Evan called out in confusion clearly also just awakening from a deep sleep.

The room was pitch dark beside a candle lit in the corner.

Before Regulus could process his reality the clicking growl rang through his ears and another round of gunshots set off down the hall.

"SWARM!" Barty screamed in the distance causing Evan to act immediately, standing to his feet with his flashlight only to be met with a rotter relocating and dislocating its limbs in the doorway.

Regulus froze in his place on the floor, the usual response to him seeing a rotter. Especially one in such an early stage.

This boy couldn't have been any older than him.

A mix of emotions fled through Regulus.

Anger towards the virus.

Confusion on why this was all happening.

Pain from the sight of such a young boy being such a monster.

And fear, knowing he may be the one to kill him.

Another clicking noise filled the room, but this growl did not come from the boy in the door way.

Evan quickly flashed his light over to the corner of the room where a final staged rotter stood hunched over. The bubbly flesh had covered this rotter entirely, barely able to decipher the anatomy of their body any longer.

Within seconds Evan was firing at the rotter in the corner knowing a stage three was much more lethal than one of an early stage. Stage 3 rotter's were an automatic infection whether bitten or scratched.

At that same time unfortunately, the boy who was once in the doorway was now lunging towards Regulus.

The sound of the gunshots had caused Regulus' hearing to dull and ring. Luckily there was enough light for him to see the boy dodging for him and quickly sprang to his feet, the rotter slamming into the floor where he once was.

Muffled screeching and yelling filled the only audio he could hear.

Everything felt as if it was in slow motion.

Regulus had a gun attached to his hip. All of them were always armed with an automatic due to instances just like this. But it was rare Regulus ever detached it from its place on his hip.

And this time wasn't any different.

The rotter scrambled to its feet and reached out towards Regulus, sharp nails aiming straight for his throat.

Regulus managed to grab the boy's wrist, the texture of its skin resembling slime.

The rotter was shorter than him, which was surprising considering his staggering height of 5'8, but he was much stronger.

Taking control of the raven-haired boy, the rotter used its strength to push Regulus back sending the back of his head straight through the window.

The blunt forced cause his grey eyes to blur but he kept his grip on the rotter not willing to give up yet. The upper half of his body now leaning out the window threatening to send him over the edge.

Even then Regulus didn't attempt to reach for his gun.

The rotter now testing his strength as it lurched forward repeatedly chomping on its rigid teeth.

Regulus only stared into its hazy orbs with a pain of sadness in his heart before the rotter haulted to a stop.

The boy's eyes filled with dark liquid as he fell to the ground, a knife sunk deep into the back of its skull.

The boys absence now revealing Barty who stood with a deranged look, panting, as the house fell silent once again.

"You've got to start defending yourself somehow Reg-" Barty began, sitting up and glancing at the shorter boy only to be cut off.

"I'm not asking you guys to protect me." Regulus' voice cracked from not using it for a few hours.

"That's not what I'm saying hard head." Barty narrowed his eyes using a serious tone now, something he rarely does.

Regulus let out a sigh, letting his eyes flutter close staying silent to invite Barty to continue even if he didn't want to hear it.

"Evan and I, will always protect you. That's not the issue. The issue is when we aren't there to do so." Barty cut his gaze from the raven curls beside him to the small fire that resided in front of them.

Regulus felt a lump form in his throat and tugging against his heart strings knowing what he was being asked to do.

Evan had always told him there would come a day where he would have to add killing to his normality.

He supposed after almost 3 years that day started today.

"We would be devasted if something happened to you especially if it was because we weren't there to save you." Barty spoke more quietly this time most likely to keep from sending Evan into a spiral over the thought.

Evan was always clearly distraught after Regulus failed to protect himself.

Which was fair. He had already lost one family and didn't want it to happen to his new one.

He tried to be discreet about it usually saying he was going to "scope the area" or would isolate himself but Regulus wasn't dumb.

Regulus hadn't seen him since after his bath. He had entered the shack but had yet to leave it.

"Every time I'm in that moment i wonder what i would do if it were my family." Regulus spoke low now, vulnerability spilling from his lips.

It was true. Regulus felt as though he thought deeper than surface level. He had always felt his brain was wired different than others. Where some people could only see the bigger idea, Regulus paid attention to detail.

Barty didn't move, his lips just pursing into a thin line, the fire displaying an orange tint against his face.

"But they aren't your family Reg. They are strangers who no longer have a cognitive thought of who they once were or what they have become."

"What about when it's not a stranger? What happens if one day it's me you have to shoot through the head?" Regulus left no time in-between replying.

Barty sat as still as a statue. The empty silence returning to let their reality set in.

The saddest part about Barty's silence was the truth behind it.

There was nothing he could promise or say that would change the possibility of that happening. They had seen it happen many times throughout the three years.

Barty even having to be behind the trigger of his own parents.

"I'm sorry it's just-"

"Fucked up. Yeah, I know, no need to apologize for the world being fucked up. No offense but not even someone with the name Regulus Arcturus Black could've have caused this much destruction alone." Barty scoffed breaking his silence with a small smirk on his face.

Regulus rolled his eyes before letting out a small chuckle. Barty's choice of backhanded reassurance causing him to roll his eyes.

Barty was an absolute annoyance, but Regulus wouldn't trade him for the world.

"I'm serious though. Please just push yourself a little further. If we would've lost you in that house i would have never forgiven myself and god knows what Evan would do.... we would fall apart at the loss of you." The older boy spoke with a hint of weakness.

The reference to what happened on the second floor causing Barty to let out a shaky breath.

"If you can start pulling the trigger we can prevent stumbling upon that situation."

Regulus could care less after three years of fighting for his life whether he died or not. But the fact was he owed Barty and Evan his life.

They were the ones to find him starving to death at 18 years old, hidden in a random neighborhood tree house. Blood was gushing from his side from being attacked by a man who wanted his backpack. A whistle was the only thing he had left from the backpack he was left by his parents.

Using his last option of hope he blew into the high-pitched whistle that resembled much of a dog whistle.

This resulted in his life being saved by Barty Crouch and Evan Rosier.

"Okay." Regulus confirmed he would attempt the request causing Barty to form a grin ear to ear.

"Wow, Regulus Black actually doing something someone has asked of him? There must be something changing in the air for sure."

Little did they know just how right he was in this moment.

Barty then pushed himself off the ground, rising to his feet with a stretch of his arms. Regulus lifted his head now to look up at the other man, a little bit of life coming back into his grey orbs after his moment with his friend.

Regulus couldn't physically say he loved anyone. In any form or fashion. That was taken away from him long ago by his parents.

But he loved Barty and Evan, and they knew it without him having to say it.

"Alright, c'mon angsty. You're sleeping first shift to make Evan feel better. By the time you wake up for your shift he will be mister sunshine again I promise." The older boy grinned holding a hand out for other.

Regulus took Barty's hand in his.

Chapter Text

Song Rec : (Hunger Of The Pine - Alt-j)

"Maybe the message wasn't for us! What if the death eaters were just talking to each other?" Peter's voice was frantic and begging anyone to tell him he may be right.

James wished he could have been right too.

"That code was one of the easiest out of every decoding method in the world. Not only was it for us, but they are also mocking us." Lily spoke through gritted teeth. as she led the group through the cove area.

Immediately after the discovery, the four of them followed Lily who demanded that Sirius talk to Pandora Lovegood.

Pandora Lovegood was the wizard division's golden child.

Also known as Lily's mini me.

Pandora was extremely intelligent and bright for her age. And if it weren't for her being nineteen, she would have been in the council under her own division.

The Lovegood family was known for their brilliance in technology throughout the generations. William Lovegood, Pandora's father, had graduated with a master's degree in technology and owned a million-dollar company manufacturing computers. A new generation dropping each year.

Pandora never saw a day of public school, her father saying she would end up naive and clueless if she did. So, he taught her himself.

All day. Every single day. As soon as Pandora could walk, she knew how to use a phone and even what numbers to press on a calculator.

Pandora was also one of the first 10 recruits Sirius had brought back to the warehouse.

Sirius swore up and down that it was only her age that kept him from allowing her into the council, but James knew it was also because he saw her as a little sister.

And Sirius could not lose another sibling.

"Then shouldn't we be getting everyone out and moving quick? That message was from 7 days ago! They could already be on the way." Peter talked so fast he was tripping over his own words. He spoke in a whisper shout but loud enough to be able to be heard by the four over the chatter from the community around them.

The blueprint of the underground floor was built starting with Sirius' office on the end leading into the biggest room of the layout they called the cove.

From there a hallway led down into four rooms, two on each side, splitting each division into one room.

The cove is where everyone slept on sleeping bags and resided when they weren't working within their group. This room was also used for meetings and generally where everyone ate their meals.

"You can blame your noble leader for that one." Lily scoffed referring to Sirius, but he just followed behind the group silently, "First we see if Pandora can confirm whether this came from the death eaters and possibly where it was pinged from. Then we make a plan and not run into this like chickens with our heads cut off."

Upon walking down the hallway they were met by a purple door opening to reveal the wizards swarming around the room doing various things.

James always felt like he was in a news bureau every time he stepped foot in there.

Lily made her way through casually, the chaotic environment not phasing her whatsoever. To be fair, she did run this division.

James' anxiety was already skyrocketing after his fears were confirmed and the wizard's nest was not helping. Not a single human being in the room turned their attention to the four of them entering the room. Lily took her team very seriously and it showed through the hard work and dedication everyone under her wing put in.

Pandora was sat in the back at Lily's desk, usually in charge when Lily wasn't around. Her platinum blonde hair always making her easily spotted in any crowd.

James had turned back to make sure Sirius was still behind them being met with the raven-haired boy's eyes glued to the ground. He was clearly undergoing many emotions. Guilt and shame being the main two.

"Oh, hello famille." Pandora spoke, now looking up with admiration in her brown eyes, as the four of them approached.

James hated being a part of the reason those eyes were about to fill with fear.

"LG, I need you to look at the file Sirius just sent to you and scan for any possible location pins." Lily was quick to cut to the chase, walking around the desk to stand next to Pandora who was already clicking away on her keyboard.

"Another radiogram? I can try but we've never been successful in that category. I wouldn't be surprised to see the same result, petal." Pandora hummed but did as she was told.

"Today is full of surprises apparently."

Much like Sirius, Lily viewed Pandora as her little sister. Both had a different bond with the younger girl which may have been the reason they butted heads so much. That technically made them siblings too.

Nothing worse than two older siblings fighting over what's best for their baby one.

The five of them now stood in silence, drowned out by fifty wizards all conversating around them. Pandora typing away codes into different software's.

Their currently technology resembled something from the military back in the 80s. Black screens with green font and only ever able to be read if you know machine codes.

And luckily, they had Pandora Lovegood, daughter of a tech god.

The few moments felt like hours to James as he bit the inside of his cheeks raw.

'Nothing in this world lasts forever.'

Peter stood his hands on his head clearly in distress.

Sirius was dead silent, still refusing eye contact with anyone in the room.

Pandora hummed a soft content tune clearly not expecting the abrupt stop as she read the mix of letters and numbers to herself, her eyebrows kitting together as she leaned in.

"Oh, uh I got a pin but... why would you ask for the location of something pads said?" Pandora asked and all attention turned onto Sirius who was now looking at her completely dumbfounded.

Pandora was fascinated by hackers which led to her only ever referring to them by their so-called hacker name given by the blonde-haired girl herself.

She had given the nickname, Pads short for padfoot, to Sirius after he had killed off two hunger crazed dogs trying to kill her the day they met.

The reason in her words being "You're like the top dog! No one can else stands a chance against you."

Sirius smiled every time he thought of the memory unlike the current discontentment plastered on his face.

"What... do you mean Pans? If you play the audio that clearly isn't my voice." Sirius spoke for the first time in a while attempting to clear his name.

James now stood puzzled.

It didn't make any sense that the message would have come from Sirius. Even if he had managed to alter his voice, who would Sirius be saying "I see you" too?

The curly brown hair boy looked between Sirius and Pandora until she finally spoke up again.

"Then why did the file transmit from here?"

Then nobody spoke.

None of them moved a muscle.

Lily was still staring at the coded language on the screen. Pandora was looking at Sirius. Sirius looked like he was going to be sick. Peter stood in disbelief. And James...

Well James' whole world began to crumble in that moment. Oxygen no longer effortlessly filling his lungs.

"How..How is that possible if I'm the only one with access to communication." Sirius spoke clearly stating it wasn't him who televised the message.

All of Sirius' stuff was constantly locked inside his office on the rare occasions he wasn't in the room self-loathing.

The platinum haired girl contorted her face in a look of disorientation. Everyone watching as the gears in her brain rotated.

"Well either someone else sent it through your device or.." Pandora trailed off beginning to connect the dots a little too fast, "Or someone overrode the original location and manually entered geographical pinpoints themself."

Without a single thought to either possibility, everyone sprang into action.

"Peter, get everyone together in the cove immediately no questions asked or answered. Tell them this is mandatory. James, grab a couple shoppers and use the wagon to grab as many supplies as you can. Food, Guns, Aid, I don't care grab everything in sight. Lily, you and Pans create a safe route as far off the main roads as possible." Sirius spoke sharp before turning to head towards the purple door they had just entered moments ago.

"So, we are supposed to listen to YOU after you made the mistake of keeping this off everyone else's radar!" Lily yelled currently letting her fear turn into aggression.

The whole room went silent now, every wizard's attention on the back of the room where Sirius had stopped in his tracks.

James had never been in a room full of so many people and not one of them say a single word.

When Sirius spun back around his expression was blank and almost numb walking straight up to the desk before pressing his palms to the wood.

His eyes piercing into Lilys green ones as if no one else was in the room.

"I can admit my faults. I was wrong. But if you chose to do anything other than listen to me, that will be YOUR mistake. Will YOU be able to admit that while a rotter is chewing through your vocal cords?"

Sirius' words will filled with bluntness. Showing no remorse.

But carrying 200 human beings on your back will do that to a man. Especially in their situation.

Sirius didn't give time for lily to respond before turning on his heel and slamming the door on his way out.

And Lily did as she was told.

"You going to tell us why our only instructions today are to grab everything our arms can reach?" Frank asked filling the busted Tahoe with gasoline from a barrel into the funnel.

"Yeah, where's my list? I'm not as great of a shopper with no grocery list." Marlene chimed in teasingly, adjusting her belt that held an array of knives and daggers along her hip.

James stood with his back towards the other two, reloading the ammo in his gun.

To be honest he didn't know what to say.

Even if he did, he probably still wouldn't have said it in that moment.

Who would want to tell their friends their life was on the line and there was nothing anyone could do about it? Not even him.

Frank Longbottom and Marlene Mckinnon were the top two strongest shoppers James had. Frank was actively on duty when the outbreak hit. His naval base being one of the first to be taken out by a swarm. Marlene was a star archery player, her knowledge stimming from years of hunting with her father. James had formed a pretty solid bond with them over the years now. Both could most likely go on a run alone and make it back without any assistance from a dart, but Sirius was strict on his rules.

James being the only exception.

If James was attending the run, no dart was assigned.

This only being allowed due to Sirius training James since day one of the virus leak. He was still nowhere near as skilled as the older boy, but he was the next best thing. Sirius didn't take no as an answer from James in the matter.

"Rule number one of the Marauders, never question Sirius Black." James chose to keep the mood light for as long as he could, shooting a grin over his shoulder while simultaneously cocking his gun.

"Amen brother." Frank laughed with a shake of his head not knowing the fate that lay ahead of him.

"Okay now right! Wait no...Left. Yeah left!" Frank nodded correcting himself as James looked at him from the driver's seat with utter incredulity.

"You're telling me...You were a NATIONAL guard, fighting for our country, and you can't tell your rights from your lefts?" James blinked trying to process his disbelief before taking the left turn down a one lane highway.

"I even circled the area on the map so you wouldn't have to look for the coordinates. Why is Marlene the one in the backseat?"

"Because women are always brushed past even when the reality is god was a woman." Marlene clapped back quick, picking at the nail polish on her fingernails in the middle of the back seat.

James and Frank shared a look of defeat and fear deciding it was best to change the subject before being subjected to Marlenes daily feminist rant.

James was all for the cause and even would say he was a feminist himself, but Marlene turned into a heated beast by the THIRD hour of her rant.

And they didn't have the time nor emotional capacity for that right now.

"Where are we even headed?" Frank cleared his throat looking down at the half a map they had of the area.

"First stop is actually a military base." James spoke wearily not wanting to trigger anything in Frank. "We are restocking on weaponry. Not sure if we will have too much luck but it's worth a shot."

"Brought me as a lucky charm, eh? Unfortunately, luck and I aren't the greatest of friends." Frank muttered with a sarcastic laugh.

The sarcasm attempting to hide pain.

Upon their arrival, the gate at the entrance was already torn off. Warning signs hanging from the metal bars. But not a single rotter in sight.

Following the long road leading down to the base building the three saw the remains of what was once, chaos.

Various metal parts and mystery items covered the grass field around them. Along with half a plane that looked as if it had crashed nose down into the ground.

The car screeched to a stop, none of them moving for a moment as per usual when they knew what the consequences of their actions could be.

"90 seconds. In, out, and back in this car before one." James spoke using a more direct tone.

He needed too; he was a leader.

Marlene and Frank only gave a nod, they knew the procedure.

As soon as the doors were open James had started his stopwatch and was clutching his backpack as he ran towards the shelter.

Once the other two had caught up, he took the lead silently, creaking the door open with his foot allowing any rotter to make themself known. Having no response, he motioned for the others to follow after him into the building.

His flashlight revealed the mess around them, things scattered all over making the shelter very cluttered.

Using his index finger to motion the two in separate directions, James tip toed around the cement floor analyzing his surroundings.

30 seconds had already passed, and it was not a good sign until the tall boy stumbled upon boxes of different ammos, none full but each had at least a few.

James silently praised but also cursed God for his current circumstances.

He looked at the other two flashlights around the room, noticing Frank and Marlene were both also stuffing things in their bags.

As James emptied the last contents of the boxes into his bag his blood chilled at the sound of a faint scream muffled from outside of the building. Both flashlights now turned on him and reflecting off his glasses.

James quickly scrambled to his feet, pulling his gun from its holster and holding it tight in his fist, he made his way to the entrance door kicking it open. His gun leading the way.

At first James was met with nothing but silence and chilly air hitting his freckled skin. Sun nearly blinding him from the adjustment.

Then.

James turned hearing another scream closer than last time, snapping his body to aim his gun at what he assumed to be a rotter.

But the screams weren't coming from a rotter.

Emerging full speed towards him from the woods were three human beings. Only identified from their movements.

Rotters didn't function like human beings.

Frank and Marlene appeared catching up to James but stopping in their tracks behind him seeing the sight

"RUN!" one of the voices screamed in the distance causing James to tilt his head. As far as he could see there was nothing chasing the trio.

"The hell is-" Frank began but his question was already answered before it had left his mouth.

Only seconds after the three figures appeared, a swarm of rotter's fled from the forest hot on their trail. A mix of stages.

"Motherfucker." James slammed his gun back in its pouch before dodging towards the driver's door.

"Frank hold em down. Marlene get ready to assist." James ordered as he twisted the car key igniting the engine. He left no time to think acting purely on impulse and adrenaline.

Frank immediately pulled the AR from behind his back using a scope before sending bullets flying behind the trio and straight for the rotter's. Marlene, slung open the car door and hoped in allowing James to turn the car around and reverse it towards the fleeing humans.

The swarm had to have been at least 30 flesh eating rotter's right off sight and any normal human would run in the opposite direction.

James was not a normal person, and this proved it.

Would he risk his life for three individuals he barely knew?

Yes. And Marlene and Frank were right there with him.

As soon as James got as close as he could without the possibility of running them over, he screeched to a stop. smoke flying from under the car. Marlene sending the trunk flying open as if they had planned this all out.

"Put a little pep in YOUR STEP BOYS!" Marlene called out as James caught a glimpse of the figures he could now make out as three young boys.

The tallest boy was a blonde and was just about as toned as James was. A dark-haired boy who resided on the opposite end had blood seeping from his mouth. And the last boy, who was also the smallest of the three, ran in the middle. A familiar hair style full of raven curls accompanying his head.

As the boys took their last steps off the ground and dove into the back of the SUV, Marlene slammed the trunk closed and smacked it twice indicating for James to fucking go.

But James, even in such a life-threatening situation was distracted.

His hazel eyes drilled into the mirror that reflected back on the boy from the middle. Curls falling into his face not allowing James to get a good glimpse of him. Even then, just the boy's presence felt nostalgic.

'Nothing in this world lasts forever.'

'Things change, People change,'

The words of his mother repeated in his brain right before he was knocked back into reality with a punch so hard he may never recover.

"Reg, is Crouch okay?"

The nickname causing him to wince as well as his body to tense up in denial. The world slowing into half a millisecond now. At least to James.

But when the smaller boy looked over towards the other exposing his side profile, there was no denying.

That was Regulus Arcturus Black.

Sirius' baby brother.

Alive.

Right in front of his eyes.

"The fuck are you doing Potter?! Fucking drive!" Frank hoped in through the window of the passenger seat, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

James, only then being able to tear his gaze away from Regulus Black for the first time in years.