The Four Interchanging Lives of Regulus Black (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Obviously Not

Regulus' eyes blinked, confusion setting into his brain as he looked at his father, clearing having heard the man say, "Ah! Here he is."

His brother peeked around their father, looking just as confused as he did, but the questioning, "What?" from Sirius, confirmed what Regulus wasn't sure he could read.

His head tilted, responding with his own, "Huh?"

"Sirius has been looking for you, little one," Orion Black said, grinning.

"Sure," Regulus said, pondering why Sirius, let alone anyone, would be looking for him as his head twisted slightly; looking around at the sight of Kreacher's cupboard, one of his places of sanctuary at Grimmauld Place, he remembered his grandfather obviously bringing him back home from the bookstore, yet obviously his grandfather wasn't there. "I doubt Lord Black would set foot in Kreacher's closet, so..."

"Hey!" Sirius snapped, glaring at him.

Regulus cringed, recognizing the look as Sirius' anger felt as familiar as their mothers, even though their mothers seemed always directed at his older brother rather than him. He continued looking around, rather than at Sirius, muttering, "Where's grandfather?"

"What?" Orion said. "Arcturus isn't here, sweet boy." The nickname, feeling like a long-forgotten thing, something he heard less as he got older, felt like music to Regulus' ears. "Do you wish to visit your grandfather?"

"No," Sirius blurted out. "Please, no. Don't make me see the old man."

"Sirius," Orion said, the same tone as when their father uttered, "What" in response to Regulus asking where their grandfather was, the memory of the bookstore and the person Regulus called Lettie lingering in the back of his head, a feeling he should know the boy lingering there as well. Orion let out a sigh. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," Sirius blurted out.

Regulus sighed, feeling that his older brother was planning something, as something obviously got into his older brother, something he couldn't quite place. "After all, he was purposefully looking for me, for some reason."

Orion let out his deep breath, reaching out to squeeze Sirius' shoulder, only for Regulus' older brother to flinch away, which didn't surprise Regulus given how much Sirius hated the family, something he wasn't sure where the whole thing began. Their father turned to look at Regulus, frowning. "Anyways. As I said, your older brother was looking for you."

"Sure," Regulus repeated, under his tone of breath.

"Hey!" Sirius snapped again while Orion looked at him wide-eyed.

"Well? Sirius hates me," Regulus said.

Orion sighed, got on his knees, and reached out, grasping Regulus' shoulder. "Regulus."

Regulus swallowed, cringing, knowing that tone of voice he rarely heard, yet in their house, always meant far more serious business than the tone their mother used when they were in trouble, or at least to Regulus, it did. He swallowed. "Sir?"

"Look," Orion said, smiling despite using the tone that indicated Regulus was in trouble. "I know you're upset with your mother for what she said this morning, but please, don't take it out on your older brother. He does love you, and you don't need to take the situation to your grandfather. You're going to Hogwarts, I promise."

Regulus' eyes blinked, his head turned, and he looked right at Sirius, his mouth opening. He wanted to protest their father's declaration, but then, "This is before I started at Hogwarts. Before Sirius," Regulus swallowed, tears forming in his eyes. "Before he disowned me for being sorted into Slytherin. Before that..." Regulus reached a hand up, frustrated at how his younger self so quickly showed certain feelings. "He cared. But him caring—that's scary."

"Regulus?" Their father said, then came the order. "Regulus, hold still for me."

"Sir?"

"Please."

"Yes, sir," Regulus said, then—

He didn't expect Orion to pull him into a hug gently, but apparently, neither did Sirius, who simply stared, perplexed by it all. Regulus' eyes blinked, then he returned the hug, or at least he attempted to do so, the attempt being awkward, something he felt unfamiliar with in that tiny body of his, but he felt his father tense upon feeling him hug back.

"Regulus?" Orion's breath drew in tightly. "Did you..." The man said. "Did you actually return my hug just now?"

Realization dawned. "Sorry!" Regulus said. "I'm sorry!" He quickly wiggled from his father's embrace, moving away, but not without catching the look of surprise on Sirius' face as his older brother's jaw dropped. He swallowed, heading to a different hiding place to escape them because he knew—he knew just as they did. "Hugging back—that's seriously out of character for me."

And yet, for some reason, doing so felt right, even though a part of him screamed how wrong that was, how out of character, something he suspected Walburga Black would throw a fit over if she even saw.

So, he decided to hide to the best of his ability.