Chapter Text
Summer of 1972, France.
There was nothing much to do at Black Manor besides reading in the library. At least, that’s what little Regulus Black believed. Since he could remember, his family would spend the summer in their ancestral state in France, and his brother and cousins loved it. He also adored the place; don’t get him wrong. But where the other Black children spent their days basking in the sun and playing in the pond, he had always been a sickly child, and, at ten years of age, his mother wouldn’t permit him to engage in such “strenuous activities”. That’s how Regulus Black spent his summers, and how he thought he would spend his life, trapped in the dark and forced to see the fun of others through the window.
And so, as soon as he learned how to read, he spent his days in the family library researching the many powerful wizards in his family line. He found it comforting; the many magical feats accomplished by his ancestors were almost a fairytale to him. His mother thought it most proper, but his brother, on the other hand, found it boring. Sirius Black was a child full of energy and a born leader, as their mother loved to boast at galas. He loved parading Regulus around as his second-in-command and hated it when his mother wouldn’t let him get his way and take little Reggie out for a while.
That summer, however, everything had changed. Regulus would start his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by the end of August, and Sirius was in “a rebellious streak”, as Father liked to say. The previous year, his brother had been sorted into Gryffindor, much to the distaste of their family. He had been the first Black to end up in the house of the lion in centuries, if not ever, and had started to frequent “distasteful companies”. He had started to talk back to their parents, and their punishments did not take long to arrive. Regulus tried to lay low for a while, immersing himself into his magical studies, and Sirius started to look at him differently.
“You know that’s all rubbish, right?” he said one day at the library. “Pardon?” asked Regulus without looking up from his book. Sirius’ eyes filled with disdain. “All that blood supremacist theory that you read, Reggie!”. Now, Regulus was paying attention. “My studies have nothing to do with blood supremacy; maybe if you stopped looking down your nose at me, you would have realized”. That only worsened the other’s mood. “I don’t want to mess with dark magic, thank you very much!”. Regulus knew his brother wouldn’t understand, but he couldn’t help but reply honestly. “I don’t see why not”. As if that was the worst thing he could have said, his brother turned around and left hurriedly.
Regulus’ obsession with his studies didn’t come just from purely academic purposes, though. He had a little secret that fueled his search for knowledge; he saw things. Not in a psychotic kind of way, far from that, he saw things that were happening were he couldn't reach or things that had happened even long before he was born. He had always had very lucid and vivid dreams, but the important things came to him when he was awake. He never lost things, for he always knew where everything was; he knew all the best-kept secrets, even if no one had told them to him; and always knew everyone’s names even before they introduced themselves to him. Most assumed he was just very careful and perceptive, but he knew better. He researched and found that many with his blood had the sight. It wasn’t a well-known fact, as none of them were oracles and their abilities were not seen as something useful, a “party trick” as his grandfather told him.
This, however, did not discourage him. The Blacks were declared dark wizards, and with that came a basic knowledge of the dark and light rites, but he knew there were many different branches of magic, and he wanted to explore them.
October 1972, Hogwarts.
Things were going as expected, well… more or less.
He was sorted into Slytherin, as expected.
He was doing well in his classes, as expected
His parents were pleased, as expected.
His relationship with Sirius had grown distant because of it, which was also, although sadly, expected.
His research on the branches of magic advanced rapidly now that he had access to a library whose main focus wasn't exclusively the dark arts, which was also expected.
However, there were some things not even he could predict: he had made friends, good ones. Regulus had always been a quiet child, forever in Sirius’ shadow, and many in his family feared he wouldn’t fare well at school, himself included. But surprisingly, that was not the case; he thrived in Slytherin. His dorm-mates, Evan Rosier, Dorcas Meadowes, and Barty Crouch Junior, were loud and outgoing, which got him out of his shell, but it was Pandora Rosier who truly helped him. She was the first to notice his abilities and convinced them all to do research with him.
She had an almost clinical approach to it, though. Dorcas was appointed to take note of every stimuli that made him see, while Barty and Evan put together the necessary literature for her to analyze the data. That’s how they arrived at the second unpredictable event of the year: as it turns out, Regulus was more partial to earthly magic.
Everyone thought he would declare for the dark; he was a Black after all, but he knew that wouldn’t be the case. It was Dorcas, in her infinite wisdom, who, after compiling the data, suggested a lesser-known kind of magic, earth magic, as her family and she herself were declared earthly mages. The others continued with their research, for “self-discovery,” affirmed Pandora, and although the Rosier twins confirmed their inclination for dark magic, Barty discovered a surprising aptitude for the light, much to his dismay.
They started to celebrate the rites of the wheel of the year together, much to Sirius’ disdain. After that summer at Black Manor, where their parents had tried to violently correct his ways, Sirius had completely repudiated the wizarding culture as a whole. Regulus realized this rather abruptly when he approached his brother and his friends to invite him to the Samhain celebrations. He had looked at him coldly and said, “I don’t associate myself with dark wizards”, and there was that. In retrospect, Regulus should have seen it coming.
Christmas of 1978, London.
It wasn’t until years later that all his studies came to fruition. Times were getting tougher, people were growing restless, and the wizarding world was more polarized than ever. Sirius had run away to the Potter’s two years ago, and since then, their parents had gotten more vigilant. They were insistent that he declare for the dark, but he had been able to keep their exigences at bay by attending every celebration of the wheel. It was during the night of the Yule celebration, after a guidance rite, that he saw it in his dream.
The faceless man.
The green light.
A ring under the floor.
A book on a shelf.
A cup in a vault.
A locket inside a cave at sea.
They were all one. They were all him.
He woke in a cold sweat, and he knew what he had to do. At first, Regulus thought about doing it alone, but as soon as that idea crossed his mind, the crystal plate next to his bed, leftover from his quick dinner the night before, cracked. Regulus was not one to ignore a dead omen.
He concentrated on his friends. Pandora and Evan were at the Rosier state; for some reason, so was Barty. However, Dorcas was occupied with a blonde in Glasgow, and it looked pretty intimate, so Regulus left that alone and flooed to the others. He woke them up quickly and sent an owl to Dorcas’ location, telling her where to meet. There was work to do.
Summer of 1980.
They had spent two years on the hunt. Regulus and his friends had destroyed three of the first four Horcruxes, but the maniac had made one more. His brother’s so-called brother, Potter, recently had a child with that redhead he was obsessed with at Hogwarts. He preferred not to think about that, but there was talk that the brat was on Riddle’s radar due to some kind of prophecy. Time was running out; they needed to work faster.
It was the night of Lammas when he finally decided to do it. Beltane, the night for balance and rebirth, would have been more appropriate for this ritual, but it would have to do. The five of them were reunited for the celebration when his turn came, the last of the night. “On this night, I wish to perform a rite of power”. The eyes of his friends were on him; he could feel that they knew what he was going to do, but they were hoping he wouldn’t. “I ask the Earth to reinforce my clairvoyance gift.” There was a collective gasp, and Barty let out a soft “Reg-” but Evan quickly hushed him; they all knew they couldn’t intervene. “I ask the Earth to aid me, and for that, I willingly renounce the earthly sense of sight. Tonight, I close the eyes in my body to fully open the eyes of my mind.” He closed his eyes and chanted, “Tibi oculos meos do ut videre possim”. He felt the earthly magic enveloping him “Tibi oculos meos do ut videre possim”. He felt the freshness in his face, “Tibi oculos meos do ut videre possim.” When he opened his eyes, there was nothing for him to see. Pandora closed the circle, thanking their guides. It was done.
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It took a while to get used to being blind, if one could truly call him that. His eyes didn’t work anymore, granted, but Regulus saw better than ever. He saw his visions and dreams more clearly now, and he could read the omens the earth sent his way without a fault. He still knew everyone’s secrets and names, even if they hadn’t even uttered them out loud. He still knew where everything was, even if he hadn’t touched the objects.
That’s why, months passed the ritual and with the diadem, the new Horcrux, taken care of, he felt especially uneasy when Evan found the location of the cave at sea. He had been postponing this moment, leaving the locket for last for some reason foreign to him. He knew if he put his mind to it, the location would be revealed to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it and had to relegate the task to his friends. He couldn’t postpone it anymore; they had to end this. The group was somber when they apparated to the cliffs, and he knew why. The moon had blood in it.
It was decided that he and the twins would go in and retrieve the locket while Barty and Dorcas stood guard outside the cave, and so, he opened the cave with a cut on his hand. Once they set foot in the cave, a wave of dark magic hit them like a wall. He realized what they were just a second before Evan declared, “Inferi” with a solemn face. The Rosier twins were dark wizards, but where Evan specialised in death magic, Pandora leaned heavily towards healing. “We need the boat,” announced Regulus.” It only fits two people”. “Reg and I will go to the locket,” declared Pandora. “You stay here and keep them at bay”. Regulus assumed the twins were having one of their silent conversations and waited until Pandora grabbed his arm. “It’s this way, Dora.” he guided her to where the hidden boat lay, and they took off towards it.
After a while, the boat touched rock, and Pandora helped him get off. It was cold, and he could hear the waves crashing. “It’s inside the basin,” He explained. “You’ll need to make me drink the potion.” She tried to protest, but he cut her off, “We wouldn’t be able to heal you, it has to be me”. She knew he was right, so she gently guided him towards the basin and helped him drink. He felt excruciating pain at the first sip. He was thirsty; he was dying; he needed water. Pandora was saying something he couldn’t understand and forcing more of that wretched liquid down his throat. By the time it was done, he couldn’t stand by himself. He knew Pandora was still talking, but he couldn’t even hear her anymore. Regulus knew he shouldn’t, but he started to crawl towards the water. He heard her scream, but by the time she reached for him, he was already underwater.
He knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it, he knew it.
He had seen it.
There was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon, there was blood on the moon.
He had seen it.
It was his.
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When Regulus woke up, everything hurt. He tried to sit, but a hand pushed him down gently. “You scared us there.” Said Barty. “It took Dora eight hours to fix up your arm; you almost lost it.” He drank the water they gave him and fell right back to sleep. In his dream, he saw Tom Riddle. He was midst battle when a rogue spell hit him. The green light surrounded him, and he fell to the floor. He was no more, and chaos ensued.
Regulus smiled.
The blood on the moon wasn’t his this time.
Autumn Equinox of 1985, France.
Regulus left England after the night it all ended; there was nothing left there for him. He settled in a cottage by the sea in côte d’Argent. His friends lived nearby and would come and go often by floo. Pandora often brought little Luna to play by the shore, and Regulus loved having his goddaughter around. It was a quiet life, far away from the chaos he left behind.
Back in the UK, things hadn’t ended when Riddle died, far from it. The victorious party had spent years rounding up the remaining Death Eaters, and no one went unpunished. Even his cousin’s family was affected. Good old Lucius Malfoy tried to flee to escape Azkaban, leaving behind his wife and kid to bear the brunt of his crimes. He was unsuccessful, of course, but that didn’t calm Narcissa’s anger. She wrote to him, the new head of the most ancient and noble House of Black, now that his parents were dead and his brother disowned, to reclaim the surname for her and her son. “Malfoy will no longer have an heir if I can help it,” she had said.
Regulus was watering the rosemary by his back-garden gate when he felt it. The broom by the door had fallen; a visit was due. He rushed back inside the house just in time to hear a knock on the door. He opened it and greeted the one behind it. “Ah, Draco Black, welcome”. The five-year-old started to explain with a trembling voice, “My- My mother said-” but Regulus interrupted him before he started to cry, “I know, child. I am sorry for your loss.” He usered the blond boy in “C’mon, get inside. There are some rules you must follow” He told the frightened child. “In this house, we have chocolate cake for breakfast, and we never bother with silly little things like bedtimes or brushing our teeth,” Little Draco giggled, walking inside the cottage, and Regulus followed behind, levitating his luggage. Narcissa Black was gone, and the heir of the most ancient and noble house of Black was now his ward. So much for a quiet life.