Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Effie made them sit around the dining room table. It felt so formal; they rarely used this room apart from at Christmas. They explained everything that had happened the previous year. Effie and Monty were silent while they explained. 

“He’s not a werewolf any more?” Effie gasped, tears in her eyes. Monty put a comforting arm around her as they waited for James to answer. 

“He can still turn into the wolf, but he isn’t dangerous any more. He can’t turn anyone into a werewolf. He’s like an animagus now,” James explained. Effie shook her head. 

“I cannot believe that you thought it was a good idea to illegally attempt to become animagi. It’s so dangerous.” 

“Can we see?” Monty asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement. Effie swotted at him, but stared at them all waiting. 

Regulus went first and transformed into Midnight, sitting in his chair, looking across the table directly at Effie and Monty. Barty and Evan followed next. Barty hopped up onto the table to be seen. Effie and Monty looked expectantly at James, who blushed. 

“I’m too big to transform in here,” Monty’s eyes widened. 

“Follow me,” James sighed, picking up Midnight and leading his parents outside. He placed Midnight on the steps and strode onto the grass.

James transformed into Prongs and trotted around in a circle before coming to a spot in front of his stunned parents. He snorted a breath and bowed his head. 

Effie moved closer and stroked the top of his head, being careful to avoid the antlers. 

“I won’t deny I’m very impressed by you all, and I understand why you did it, but I still think it was a very dangerous and stupid decision,” she told them. 

“And can we please borrow your notes?” Monty added. James transformed again. This was not how he’d expected this conversation to go. 

“Erm, yeah, sure,” he answered, completely perplexed by his dad's request. 

“We’re going to go out and look for Remus now,” Effie told them. “No more shenanigans. Stay inside. Barty, Evan, you are more than welcome to stay. We’ll send a patronus if we’re going to be late.” 

“Be good boys,” Monty said, hugging each one of them, and then he and Effie went back to London to attempt to track down Remus. 

“We’ll find them both,” James told Regulus, trying to reassure himself as much as Regulus. 

Regulus turned his face up to meet James’s, his eyes full of resolve and fire. 

“They have no idea what they’re dealing with, and I promise by the time we get Sirius back, they will do.” He moved out of James’s arms and stormed back into the house, heading for the library and scoured the shelves for texts on location spells.  

Chapter Text

Regulus woke in James’s bed. He didn’t remember going to bed. The last thing he knew he’d been doing was poring over books in the Potters’ library. 

He got up and went to find James. His stint in the library had revealed nothing anyway. It didn’t matter how powerful or how advanced the tracking spells he used; his family remained hidden. The Black family properties had centuries of protection charms and blood magic on them. Not even a mouse could find its way into one of those houses. 

Effie and Monty were dozing on the sofa in the living room. They must have been out all night looking for Remus. Regulus felt guilty; he should have gone with them. He left the room quietly, not wanting to disturb them. 

James was nursing a cup of tea in the kitchen. He jumped when Regulus poked him in the arm. 

“Oh, love, you’re awake!” James beamed at him. “Are you hungry?” 

“I can do it,” Regulus protested when James got up and started making him toast. 

They’d just sat down at the table with fresh cups of tea and a mountain of toast when the back door opened and Remus, looking worse for wear, walked in. 

“Remus!” They both exclaimed in unison. James hurried to Remus’s side and helped him into a seat, pressing his cup of tea into Remus’s hands and summoning another plate so he could pile toast onto it. 

“What happened?” James asked him once he’d devoured a slice of toast. 

“I don’t know,” Remus admitted quietly. “Moony took over, and I let him. We ran for miles until I managed to turn us back towards yours. I’ve only just been able to transform back.”

“Oh! Remus, darling!” Effie ran across the kitchen and nearly knocked Remus off his chair with the force of her embrace. “Don’t you ever do that to us again. We were so worried,” she chastised him while smothering him with her hug. 

“We told her everything,” James warned. Remus’s eyes widened, but he relaxed into Effie’s hug. 

“Eat up and then off to bed with you. You must be exhausted," Effie ordered. 

“I’ll come up with you,” Regulus offered. 

“Thanks,” Remus’s eyes were filled with sadness, but his gratefulness shone through. 

They both finished their plates of toast and headed upstairs. He didn’t bother turning into Midnight. He wanted to talk to Remus, and as Remus didn’t speak cat, his human mouth would have to do the talking. 

“As soon as he’s on the Hogwarts Express, we’ll pin him down if we have to and get the antidote down his throat. Sirius is not lost to us. We’re going to get him back,” He’d promised Remus so many times now that they’d get Sirius back, but he meant it every time. 

“I know, Reggie,” Remus hummed, pulling him against him as he fell asleep. Regulus thought that Remus’s casual use of his brother's nickname for him would annoy him, but it just made him feel Sirius’s love. 

“Night, Moony,” he whispered as Remus’s soft snores filled the room. 

Chapter Text

Weeks slipped past them. Regulus and Remus were thick as thieves. Disappearing off together to read through text after text, trying to find anything that could help them find Sirius.  They spent most of their waking hours together and more than half of their nights. For James, this was turning out to be the worst summer he’d ever had. Peter was in the south of France for the entire summer, and apart from the occasional pop-in of their friends. James was pretty much on his own. 

He’d got quite good at knitting now, having very little else to do. He’d knitted an army of floppy teddy bears and would send drops of magic into them, making them dance around the living room. It amused him for a while, but he always ended up feeling alone. 

Two weeks before the end of the summer, James finally had enough. He’d grown used to having Regulus beside him when he slept, and Regulus hadn’t slept with him in over a week. He got out of his bed and crept into Remus’s. 

They were fast asleep, Regulus curled up in a little ball against Remus with Remus’s arm curled around him. James gently lifted Regulus and slipped in between the sheets. The bed really wasn’t wide enough for three nearly fully grown boys. He settled Regulus on his chest and fell asleep with Regulus snuggling into him, wishing that September would hurry up and come, and everything could go back to normal. 

Chapter Text

Regulus was so warm. He burrowed into it, clinging to the warmth so he wouldn’t be left in the cold. He woke slowly, disoriented by how high up he was. He blinked a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes and realised what the problem was. He was lying on top of James, who was staring up at him, his features soft as he brushed Regulus’s curls away from his face. 

“Morning, love,” he murmured. Regulus’s chest swelled. He felt lighter than he had in weeks. He knew he’d been neglecting James, but here he was, beaming at him as though he was the best thing he’d ever seen. Regulus leaned forward, James’s hands moving to his back to support him, and kissed him. 

It was slow at first, quickly transforming into something deeper. They hadn’t done much of anything since Sirius had gone with Walburga, and it was only now that Regulus realised how much he missed James. Missed the intimacy, missed his kindness, his warmth. He’d been so wrapped up in saving Sirius and then the potions that he’d taken James for granted. But James was still there, patiently waiting for him. 

He glanced over at Remus, who was thankfully still sleeping. 

“Can we go to your room?” He whispered in James’s ear. James didn’t need to be asked twice. He tightened his arms around Regulus and swung his legs out of the bed. Regulus wrapped his legs around James’s waist as James stood up and nestled against him as James carried him out of the room. 

“Don’t forget to cast a silencing charm!” Remus called after them, surprising both of them that he’d woken. “And lock the door!” Regulus made sure they did both and readied himself for James’s special brand of torture. 

Chapter Text

James and Regulus spent more time together after that morning. As one, the occupants of the Potter household decided that it would be best to wait until school started again to help Sirius. There were just too many places his parents could have taken him. Even Regulus had no idea how many properties his family actually owned, and not all of them were in Britain.

James had, to everyone's surprise, been made head boy. They had received their letters a week before the end of the holidays and rushed to Diagon Alley. Regulus had also received his O.W.L. results. Outstanding in all categories. Effie and Monty had doted on him and taken them out for ice cream and bought Regulus a fancy new potions case as a reward for his outstanding results, and James got a new racing broom he’d had his eye on as a reward for being made head boy.  

James had been crossing off the days left until the 1st of September, and on the final night before, he could barely sleep with the anticipation of seeing his best friend again. 

It took ages for him to get ready in the morning. He’d promised to pack his trunk the night before, but Regulus had looked so cute tucked up on his windowsill with a mug of tea clasped in his hands that James had forgotten what he was meant to be doing. 

He flew around his room, throwing anything that came into contact with his hands into his trunk. It was overflowing, and he had to jump on it a few times to get it to close, but finally, at ten o’clock on the dot, he was ready. 

“Got everything?” Effie asked as he dragged his trunk into the hallway. 

“Yes, Mum,” James sighed dramatically before he gasped and charged upstairs. He’d forgotten his broomstick.

It took a few more attempts to leave. But, finally, after twenty minutes, they were apparating to Kings Cross with the promise that if James had left anything else behind that they would send it on to him.  

They arrived in an alleyway just outside the station and hurried across the road and into the building, dodging Muggles on their daily commute and ran through the barrier between platforms nine and ten with plenty of time to spare. 

James and Regulus hopped onto the waiting train to store their belongings. James had to carefully stack his broom above their seats in a more stable way, as the first two times it had rolled off his trunk onto his head. Then, with everything safely stowed, they went back out to say goodbye to Monty and Effie. There was no sign of Sirius yet, but they still had time. 

Chapter Text

They watched the seconds tick by, the minute hand getting closer and closer to even o’clock. The guard began slamming the carriage doors closed, and they had to abandon their posts on the platform and board the train. Regulus kept his face pressed against the glass, searching the throng of parents and younger siblings waving madly to their children and siblings as the train began to slowly chug out of the station. Sirius had never arrived. 

“But they can’t keep him out of school, surely?” Peter said, poking his head out of their compartment, as if Sirius would be out there, walking down the corridor. 

“They can do what they want,” Regulus scowled, changing into his robes already and affixing his prefect badge to them. “I’m going to go check the other carriages in case he got here before us,” He needed something to do. He couldn’t just sit there for hours doing nothing. 

“I’ll come with you,” James offered, standing up and following him to the door. They looked back at Remus, expecting him to jump up too, but he didn’t. 

“He’s not on the train,” he said simply. “I’d be able to smell him. He’s nowhere near London.” 

“Yeah, maybe last year you’d know, but we haven’t tested you since then. What if your wolfie senses aren’t as good now?” Peter asked. He was so tanned, Regulus hadn’t recognised him at first when he’d greeted them on the platform. His hair was also a few shades lighter from spending so much time over the summer on the beach. 

“Actually, we did,” Remus drawled. That made Regulus look over. Remus was emulating him. Hiding his true feelings. Remus was devastated that Sirius wasn’t on the train. They’d pinned all their hopes on it, and he just wasn’t there. 

“Well, we’re going to check anyway,” he said loudly, grabbing James’s wrist and pulling him through the door. 

It didn’t take long to check everywhere. They had to break up a few heated arguments along the way, but nothing out of the ordinary for a Hogwarts Express journey. 

They came to the final compartment. James slid the door open, and they looked in at the nervous first years whose conversation had abruptly stopped when the huge seventh year and the sullen-looking sixth year filled their doorway. Something sharp ached in Regulus's chest. This had been their last chance at finding Sirius, and with it gone, Regulus didn’t know what to do. 

Chapter Text

The rest of their train journey was quiet and subdued. James, Regulus and Remus all had head boy and prefect duties to perform. Lily, being head girl, had divvied up the trip into time slots for each of the prefects, so they didn’t have to patrol for all that long. She did, however, break him and Regulus up, sending Regulus off with Remus while she and James partnered up. 

“So still no news on Sirius?” She asked as they wandered up and down the carriages. 

“No, we thought he’d be on the train, but—” he shook his head; he couldn’t get the words out. He’d been keeping it together for Regulus and Remus’s sake, but with Lily, he didn’t have to be the strong one. “I’m scared we’ll never see him again. They’ve been giving him this mind control potion. Reg figured out the antidote, and we’d planned to give it to Sirius as soon as we saw him, but, well, he’s not bloody HERE!” James punched the carriage wall. He yelped and cradled his hand to his chest. 

“Let me see,” Lily sighed, taking his hand gently in hers and stretching out his fingers. “Not broken,” she declared and tapped it with the tip of her wand. A warmth spears across James’s hand, and as it ebbed, it took the pain with it. 

“Thanks, Lil, sorry,” he apologised. He very rarely lost his composure, but things had been piling up. “You’ve got a talent for healing, you know,”

“Thanks,” she grinned, tucking her chin, trying to hide her smile. James let her; he didn’t have the energy to convince her she was.  

They talked a bit more, but soon their patrol time was up and they went their separate ways. 

He went to bed that night with Regulus curled up beside him. They’d left the feast early, as all anybody wanted to know from them was where Sirius was, and he got tired of not having a different answer than ‘I don’t know’. Tomorrow, they’d talk to McGonagall and see if she had any news. 

Chapter Text

Regulus glared across the great hall at McGonagall. He had no idea why his brother and his friends thought the sun shone out of her arse. She was bloody useless. Regulus seriously questioned her ability to educate her charges.  

They had been back at Hogwarts for a week, and nothing had been done about finding Sirius. McGonagall had apparently sent an owl, but it had come back with the letter still attached to its leg. Regulus had sent out his own owl after that disappointment, but it hadn’t come back, and now he was known as the owl murderer to his friends, who reminded him loudly and often. 

He was sitting with James at the Gryffindor table for breakfast when Barty came running into the room, a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hand, waving it madly above his head. 

“REG, REG, REG!!!!” he shouted, causing all conversation to stop and the great hall to plunge into silence. “Reg. You. Need. To. See. This!” He gasped as he tried to catch his breath, tossing the paper onto the table in front of Regulus. 

Regulus peered down at it and raised an eyebrow at Barty. 

“That your dad is being awarded an Order of Merlin First Class for his work in tracking down those wizards that were torturing Muggles?”

“What? No! That fucker, he’s going to be lording that over us for the rest of our lives,” Barty spat. “No, this,” he flipped the paper over, and Regulus began to read. 

“Durmstrang Institute was evacuated three days ago due to an infestation of giant snails. The snails proved too much for the professors and students alike, and the school's governors decided to set up temporary accommodation for all its students while the pests were dealt with.

This comes months after Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was plagued with a similar problem, though our professors banished the beasts far more easily than their Durmstrang counterparts. 

Are giant snails soon to become a staple in our children’s schooling? Who will be next? Beauxbatons? Only time will tell.” Regulus finished reading and looked up at James, Remus and Peter. “We found Sirius.”

Chapter Text

James was stunned. Sirius had sent them a message in the most Sirius way possible. He hadn’t noticed that Regulus and Remus had got up and were currently storming towards the teacher's table with Barty in tow, until Peter nudged him. The peace he'd found from knowing that Sirius was at least safe. They shot to their feet and hurried to catch up. 

“Sirius is at Durmstrang,” Regulus flung the paper down in front of Dumbledore himself. His eyes blazed, daring him to test Regulus’s patience. McGonagall leaned over and they began to read. 

McGonagall was the first to look up, her mouth pursed as she considered her words. 

“Have you tried to contact him?” She asked, her eyes landing on James. 

“Regulus sent an owl, but it hasn’t come back yet,” he answered her question. 

“And how long ago was that?” 

“Whatever day you told me yours had returned with the letter for Walburga and Orion undelivered,” Regulus cut in, glaring daggers at McGonagall. 

“Then there is still a chance that the owl will return with a response. This event occurred three days ago, and we are only just now hearing about it. Owls take time to fly that far. If the owl has not returned by Wednesday at the latest, I will personally go to the Ministry, and if they won’t do anything to get him back, then I had better dig out my thickest cloak.” 

James’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe that McGonagall would do so much for a student. She was beyond measure, the best teacher Hogwarts would ever have and a true hero.

“That’s not good enough,” Regulus spat, his eyes narrowing impossibly further. “We need to go now, before that bitch can get her claws into him again.”

“Mr Black!” McGonagall began, but at that moment, Dumbledore slowly lifted his head and said. 

“If I might speak, Minerva,” he waited for McGonagall to sit back in her chair and continued. “If we go now, we would break hundreds of international laws.”

“I don’t care about the laws! Sirius needs to come home now!” Regulus hissed, his ire turned on Dumbledore now. 

“If you would let me finish, Mr Black,” his voice was soft, but James could detect the warning behind it. “If we go in with wands raised, there is every chance that we will not be able to retrieve Mr Black. This requires thought and planning for a successful outcome.” Something in Dumbledore's words must have made sense to Regulus as he stood down. 

“Wednesday, at the latest, and I will be going to Durmstrang with you,”

“Mr Black…”

“Agreed,” Dumbledore inclined his head and, before going back to his breakfast, signalling that the discussion was over. 

James really hoped that Regulus’s owl would return before Wednesday, as he wasn’t sure how he would continue if both Black brothers were out of reach.   

Chapter Text

The objective was simple: get Sirius back, so why was it taking so long?! He’d been waiting as patiently as possible, but Wednesday was too far away. Sirius could be moved by then, and he might not get the chance to send another message. They should have gone as soon as Barty had shown them the newspaper article. He was so stupid. He should never have involved the professors. If he had just gone, he could have crossed Europe and had Sirius by now. Involving adults had never worked for him, bar Effie and Monty. 

He’d spent a lot of the last few nights running through the forest with Moony, Prongs and Wormtail. He found that, as Midnight, he wasn’t as anxious about feeling so useless when it came to bringing Sirius home.  

Wednesday finally came. Regulus ignored his breakfast, choosing instead to watch the spot where the owls usually flew in from. A soft whooshing of wings alerted him to their presence, and he watched the birds swoop in and circle until they had picked out their recipients. The owl he sent to find Sirius was not among them. He felt his heart sink. He hadn’t realised how much he’d been hoping it would fly in. Hot tears flooded from his eyes, and James’s warmth enveloped him. It was up to McGonagall now; it didn’t exactly instil him with confidence.

He was about to ask James to go with him into the forest when Regulus’s owl alighted on his empty plate. A howler clutched in his beak. With trembling fingers, he took the red envelope from it and whispered. “Thank you,” before it took off for a well-earned rest. 

Regulus looked down at the howler, clutched in his hand, the corners had started smoking, and he tore it open. 

Chapter Text

The howler lifted from Regulus’s hands and floated in front of them. There were a few moments of silence, and then Sirius’s voice filled the great hall, sending vibrations through the tables and crockery. 

“REGULUS, THANK FUCK YOU SENT THIS WHEN YOU DID!!! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOUR LETTER WOULD HAVE GOT TO ME IF IT HADN’T ARRIVED EXACTLY AT THE TIME IT DID, AND I WAS OUTSIDE THE DURMSTRANG PROTECTIVE WARD! 

THAT BITCH GAVE ME SOMETHING! I HAVE NO MEMORY OF ANYTHING OVER THE SUMMER! THE LAST THING I REMEMBER IS ARRIVING AT GRIMMAULD PLACE AFTER SHE TOOK ME, AND THE NEXT THING I’M WAKING UP IN WHEREVER THE FUCK DURMSTRANG IS!!! 

I SET MY SNAILS ON THEM! THEY HAVEN’T GOT A CLUE HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM! The whole SCHOOL HAS BEEN EVACUATED!

ANYWAY, I’VE MANAGED TO ESCAPE AND I’M ON MY WAY HOME. IDIOTS GAVE ME MY WAND BACK. BIGGEST MISTAKE THEY EVER MADE!

SHOULDN’T BE TOO LONG GETTING BACK, I DON’T THINK. SNUFFLES IS A GREAT HELP IN THAT REGARD!

I LOVE YOU,

SIRIUS!

OH AND REMUS, I AM SO GOING TO SNOG YOUR FACE OFF WHEN I GET BACK, AMONGST OTHER THINGS! I LOVE YOU! 

JAMES, I KNOW YOU’RE LOOKING AFTER EVERYONE. I LOVE YOU, KEEP BEING YOU!

PETER, YOUR OTHER SHOE IS ON TOP OF THE CANOPY OVER JAMES’S BED! SORRY MATE, THERE WAS A FLY AND I MISSED IT AND THEN REMUS DISTRACTED ME. I ALSO LOVE YOU! 

I HOPE THIS THING OPENS IN THE GREAT HALL AT BREAKFAST BECAUSE MINNY, MY LOVE, MINNY, I’M COMING HOME!”

With that, the red paper burst into smoke, its ashes drifting down onto Regulus’s empty plate. 

“He’s coming home,” Regulus whispered, clinging to James and Remus’s hands. 

“I didn’t even know howlers could go on for so long,” Peter said quietly, watching the remnants of the howler slowly descend. “And I knew he had something to do with my shoe’s disappearance!” He added less quietly.  

The next minute felt like a complete fantasy. As though it had all been made up by some mad author and stuck in a fairy story. 

The moment the final ashes settled, both doors to the great hall banged open, and Sirius strode in, his best dazzling grin plastered across his face. 

Chapter Text

Sirius! Sirius was standing right there! Regulus stared at his brother as though he were an apparition. 

“Dramatic little shit,” Remus breathed before jumping out of his seat and darting across the great hall to scoop Sirius into his arms and kiss him, claiming him as his own. 

“Sirius!” Regulus yelled and followed Remus across the great hall. 

Remus put Sirius down and stood aside so that Regulus could run into Sirius’s arms. Regulus was trembling; he could feel the tears leaving his eyes, but he didn’t care. Sirius was home. Sirius was home. 

James and Peter joined them and each gave Sirius an awkward hug as Regulus refused to let him go. Remus eventually managed to peel him off Sirius and relocated him to James, who wrapped him even tighter in his arms than Sirius had. 

Mary, Marlene, Lily, Pandora, Dorcas, Barty and Evan joined their group, blocking the door completely and making it impossible for anyone to leave the great hall. They chatted excitedly, telling Sirius how glad they were that he was back. Regulus clung to James, completely stunned. All he could do was stare at his brother. He’d never thought he could feel so happy to see him. He didn’t even want to snipe at him. 

Their little bubble of joy was popped when McGonagall and Dumbledore appeared behind them, and their chatter died down. 

“I think it would be best if we made our way to my office,” Dumbledore suggested, and off they went, all fourteen of them. Regulus squirmed out of James’s arms, making sure to grab his hand before he dragged him closer to Sirius and took the hand Remus wasn’t holding. Sirius grinned down at him and winked, making Regulus feel like he was six years old again. He grinned back. His smile was as bright as Sirius’s for the first time in a long time. 

Chapter Text

Dumbledore’s office was just the same as it always was, except as they walked through the doors, the spindly tables with delicate silver instruments balancing on them flew against the walls, the instruments waving precariously, creating space on the floor for three large sofas and two armchairs. Dumbledore waved them towards the seat as he and McGonagall took the chairs. 

Regulus dragged him, Sirius and Remus over to the sofa directly opposite the professors while Marlene, Dorcas, Pandora and Lily took the one on the left, and Barty, Evan, Peter and Mary took the remaining sofa on the right. Once they were all settled, Dumbledore began to ask Sirius questions. 

“I honestly don’t have much to say. I woke up in Eastern Europe in an unfamiliar castle. Seriously, though, what is it with wizarding schools and castles? I was informed that my parents had enrolled me and that I was to have a close eye kept on me. Let me tell you, those Durmstrang professors are something else. Well, I knew I had to get out of there on my own as I wasn’t allowed to send any owls or make any floo calls. I hadn’t made any friends, as they had all been warned to leave me alone, so I couldn’t get anyone to send a letter on my behalf, not that I think that would’ve worked anyway, as they check all outgoing and incoming post. 

I started with the beginnings of a plan during their version of herbology. I have never seen so many poisonous plants in my life. We were on pest control. We were supposed to be using spells we’d learned that morning to dispose of the slugs and snails. Well, I couldn’t just kill them, so I collected as many as I could and turned the rest invisible. 

It wasn’t until later that day that I found out how good a plan that had actually been. Apparently, no one likes the feeling of an invisible slug or snail climbing up their skin. Total chaos,” he grinned wickedly, and McGonagall gave him a look which settled him down. 

“So I realised then that no one was used to any sort of pranking. They’re all so stunted in that regard. Anyway, that’s when I tried my snail charm, and all I can say is you and the other professors dealt with my little prank with far more skill than the Durmstrang lot. It got so bad in the castle that they had to evacuate. Someone tried to curse the snails or something and set the Gemini jinx off again, and the castle became overrun with my babies.

We were out of the grounds, staying in an old building not far down the road, and that’s when your owl arrived. The building hadn’t been charmed like the castle, so I was able to send out a response. And then, in the dead of night, I made my escape. Not a single person saw me. I doubt they’ve even told my mother. There isn’t enough gold in Gringotts for them to invoke my mother’s wrath like that. And here I am,” he finished. His voice was a bit more hoarse than when he started, and he looked exhausted, but James could see how happy he was to be back. 

“You seem to have had quite the adventure, Mr Black,” Dumbledore said, his moustache twitching as James suspected he tried to conceal a smile. “I will allow you the day off, Mr Black, along with your dorm mates, as I assume they would skip classes no matter what I tell them,” he peered over the tops of his half-moon spectacles, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “The rest of you I expect to be in classes,”

“What about Regulus?” James sat up. Dumbledore had only mentioned Sirius’s dorm mates, himself, Remus and Peter. Dumbledore raised one snowy white eyebrow at him. 

“I believe the younger Mr Black is residing in your dorm room, is he not?”  

“Oh,” James felt his cheeks flushing. 

“I shall alert the Potters to your return, Mr Black. I’m sure they’ll want to see you. For now, though, you are dismissed.” They rose as one and filed out of the headmaster’s office, chatting out Sirius’s story until their group split up, and it was only the Marauders left. 

“I need bed,” Sirius yawned, and they turned towards Gryffindor Tower as a complete group once more. 

Chapter Text

Everything over the next week was pretty peaceful. Life went on as usual at Hogwarts. Regulus, at Remus’s insistence, had shown Sirius his memory of what Sirius had been like when they’d tried to rescue him with the help of Dumbledore's Pensieve, though the headmaster insisted on viewing the memory as well. Dumbledore didn’t say much, but Sirius was pale and shaky when he lifted his face from the Pensieve. Dumbledore excused them, and Sirius spent the rest of the day curled up in Remus’s lap as Padfoot. 

Regulus and Remus hissed at each other over Sirius’s sleeping form the next morning. After the previous day, Regulus didn’t want to bring it all up again, but Remus told him that either way, Sirius was going to know, as if Regulus didn’t tell him, then Remus would. Regulus had never felt more ire against his brother's boyfriend. He’d told Sirius himself, of course. Remus was likely to leave out important information. 

“So James stabbed you?” Sirius asked once Regulus had finished explaining, ignoring the spectacular work Regulus had done to brew not only the exact potion their mother had given Sirius, but the antidote too. 

“Yes,” he held up his hand. There wasn’t even the ghost of a scar there, but James reacted every single time. 

“It was an accident!” he huffed. 

“I cannot believe my best friend stabbed my brother,” Sirius shook his head sadly. “You know this means I need to avenge him. An eye for an eye and all that,” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Regulus purred as Sirius stood up and walked towards James menacingly. “I’m going to stab James over and over tonight until he’s screaming my name,” Sirius’s hand shot up to cover his ears. 

“Damn it, Regulus! I’ve been through hell and back, and you want to talk about how you’re going to shag my best friend! I do not need to hear that!” Sirius said, slightly louder than usual, as his ears were covered. 

“Sorry, I just wanted you to know you didn’t need to seek vengeance and that James will be unavailable tonight for any shenanigans you might have planned,”

“Is it too late to transfer to Hufflepuff?” Peter groaned from his bed. Four pillows flew across the room at him. Finally, everything was back to normal. 

Chapter Text

James had always excelled at his studies, but N.E.W.T.s were something else altogether. With the immense workload on top of his Quidditch captain duties, Quidditch practices, and not to mention the Head Boy stuff, James was finding it very hard to get any time to relax and spend time with Regulus.  

Remus, Sirius and Peter were struggling too. The only one with any free time was Regulus, who sat and read beside them or went off to hang out with his friends while they scribbled notes on The Soap Blizzard of 1378 for History of Magic, which sounded like it should be fun to study, but it really wasn’t. 

They hadn’t heard anything from Sirius and Regulus’s parents yet, but they were on tenterhooks waiting. There hadn’t been any reports of a missing student from Durmstrang, let alone the Black heir, but as Sirius had suggested, they were probably too scared to tell anyone. 

There was a Hogsmeade trip coming up, and James was seriously thinking about skipping it and going to study in the library, as it would be quieter, but an owl from his mum that morning had changed his plans. Both of them were coming to Hogsmeade on that weekend and were taking them all out to lunch. She’d even extended the invite to include Pandora, Dorcas, Evan, Barty, Lily, Marlene and Mary. According to the letter, Monty had hired one of the upstairs rooms in The Three Broomsticks. Nothing could bring down his good mood at the thought of seeing his parents again so soon. That was until Snape muttered something as they passed him on the way to Transfiguration. 

James didn’t hear what he said, but Sirius and Remus did, and before he knew it, Remus had Snape by the throat, shoved up against the wall, looking like he was about to rip his throat out. 

“What did you say?” Remus growled, his eyes flashing dangerously. Snape didn’t reply. All the blood had drained from his face, and he’d taken on a grey pallor. “Answer me,” Remus barked, smashing Snape into the wall again. 

“I said, better watch out, Mummy’s on her way,” Snape spat at him. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said,” Remus snarled and squeezed Snape’s throat a bit harder. 

Snape’s panicked eyes spun around the gathered friends. James took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was Head Boy; he should really stop them. He moved forward and put his hand on Remus’s shoulder. 

“He’s not worth it, mate,” and Remus let him go, after leaning in and snapping his teeth near his neck. Snape had let out a loud shriek and dropped to the floor in a crumpled heap. 

“I’d keep your nasty words to yourself if I were you,” James said warningly. “And I think ten points from Slytherin for starting a fight,” he added, turning his back on the pathetic boy. 

“Better hide your precious boyfriend, Lady Black is on the warpath.” And before James knew what he was doing, he’d spun around and punched Snape hard in the nose. He felt the cartilage crack as blood began to pour from his nose. 

Snape clasped his hands to his face, got to his feet and ran.

“He deserved it,” Sirius said, his own fists clenched. 

“Yeah, but still, we’d better hope he doesn’t tell anyone,” Peter pointed out, and the adrenaline left James’s body to be replaced with a cold dread. Not over Snape, he wasn’t scared of that greasy git, no, over the news that Walburga must know that Sirius had escaped from Durmstrang and was back at Hogwarts.

Chapter Text

Regulus was lazing about in his mostly abandoned bed in the Slytherin sixth-year boys' dorm room. He had a free period after Herbology, and it seemed stupid to walk all the way up to Gryffindor Tower when everyone was in class or go almost as far to the library when he could go into the Slytherin Common room, read his book and wait for his potions lesson to begin. His peace didn’t last long as the sound of thundering feet came up the stairs. He let out a long sigh and closed his book, waiting for Barty to get to their door. 

“Reg! You are not going to believe what Potter's done!” He grinned gleefully; his eyes had that wicked spark in them that they sometimes got at the expense of others' pain. 

“What?” he asked, worried that James was hurt.

“He punched Snape right in the nose!” He cackled, throwing his head so far back that Regulus was amazed he didn’t topple over. 

“Why on earth would James punch Snape? That’s not like him,” Regulus got up from his bed and walked towards the door. 

“Wait for me!” Barty yelled after him and ran after him, slipping on the last two steps and landing in a heap with a bruise already forming on his head. 

“Barty, why is the simplest thing a challenge for you?” Regulus scoffed and yanked him up by the back of his robes, and they walked up the marble staircase to meet James and the others coming out of their Transfiguration lesson. Slughorn wouldn’t care that he was late; he’d already brewed a perfect hiccuping solution. 

They arrived just as McGonagall dismissed the class and waited for them to come out. He leaned against the wall opposite, crossing his arms across his chest and quirking an eyebrow when he spotted James. 

James’s eyes went wide, and he hurried over to him. 

“We need to talk,” he said in an urgent voice, his head whining left and right up and down the corridor. Regulus felt his stomach sink. Something was wrong. 

Chapter Text

James had barely listened to McGonagall during his transfiguration lesson, scared that someone was going to come in and tell her what he’d done right outside her classroom. It was a relief when the bell went, and Regulus was waiting for him on the other side of the door with Barty in tow. “We need to talk,” James told him, turning his head nervously to check that Walburga wasn’t about to swoop down on them. Regulus nodded wordlessly and followed him along with Sirius, Remus, Peter and Barty. 

“I take it this isn’t just about you punching Snape in the face?” Regulus said, his voice cold and detached. He didn’t fool James for a second. Regulus was worried. 

“Snape made a passing comment to Sirius. He said Better watch out, Mummy’s on her way.” What little colour there had been in Regulus's face vanished. His eyes widened with fear, and James saw the little boy Sirius had always protected there. “Remus grabbed him and shoved him up against the wall,” James continued as Sirius and Remus flanked Regulus, each wrapped an arm around him protectively. “I got Remus to let him go and then, and then…”

“And then he said some shit about you and Prongs walloped him one, right in his stupid nose,” Sirius finished for him, knowing that James was struggling. 

“So she’s coming to get me,” Regulus said, matter-of-factly. “I’m still the problem. She can’t take Sirius unless he goes willingly, but I’m still underage.”

“Yeah, by like three months, surely we can fight this somehow?” Sirius said, looking at James for help, but James knew just as much as he did about underage wizarding laws. 

“Oh, for fucks sake,” Barty moaned from beside the window where he’d been leaning. He ran his hand down his face and groaned. “We know one person who could help and would be more than happy to get one over on old Orion Black,” he said with a grimace. 

“Who?” Everyone but Regulus asked. 

“Why, my father dearest, of course.”