Crimson Rivers

Chapter 21

Horace Slughorn looks mildly surprised to find Sirius requesting to speak to him, but he dutifully steps out of the gamemaker room, shutting the door behind him. Sirius plasters on his brightest smile, like his best friend isn't injured and his little brother isn't losing his mind.

"Sirius, m'boy, how can I help you?" Slughorn asks. "I'll have to ask you to make it quick, whatever it is, because we're hard at work, you understand."

Hard at work destroying lives, Sirius thinks, but he only chuckles and says, "Oh, yes, I don't doubt it. A good turnout, isn't it? Six dead all so close together. We haven't seen such action like that in...years, honestly. Positive reviews so far?"

"Overwhelmingly positive," Slughorn confirms, giving Sirius further reason to lose all faith in humanity. "Again, I have to thank you. I did not expect James and Regulus to be such a focal point this year, if I'm honest, but they're all anyone can talk about. James' moment with Vanity was especially moving, and now your brother is a mess at the thought that James is dead. The reunion will be magical, surely."

"Oh, if only," Sirius says, adopting an apologetic frown, and Slughorn's eyebrows furrow. "It's just-well, I'll admit that Regulus will likely be relieved when he finds James again, but I'm sorry to say that he'll still be quite withdrawn. I fear the viewers might end up being disappointed, after all."

Slughorn looks startled. "Surely this is enough to bring the boy's feelings to the surface. It warrants a kiss, at the very least. Perhaps a love confession?"

"Regulus won't see it that way," Sirius murmurs, feeling sick that he's standing here, talking about his little brother's love life, plotting how to use it to their advantage while pretending to let Slughorn use it to his advantage. "See, you asked before what it would take to, ah, break through to Regulus, what push he needs, and I'm here to tell you."

"Yes?" Slughorn prompts, watching him eagerly, focused.

Sirius reaches out and gently squeezes Slughorn's shoulder, lowering his voice like he's trading secrets. "Hope. Regulus needs hope."

"Hope," Slughorn replies, leaning back a little to blink at him.

"Mhm." Sirius nods his head and gently squeezes his shoulder again. "Regulus isn't the type of person who believes in the saying: it's better to have loved and lost than never love at all. In fact, he will go out of his way to avoid love if he knows he's going to end up losing, you see, but if he had hope..."

"Well, unfortunately he'll end up losing regardless, so I'm not sure what you mean," Slughorn says.

"The thing is, Regulus wouldn't keep holding himself back if he knew he had a future to look forward to with James. A future to fight for," Sirius tells him, his heart racing as he works to keep himself outwardly calm. If this works... Fuck, if he manages to pull this off... The mere thought makes his hands shake, but he covers it well, and Slughorn doesn't notice. "He'd put up a fight like no other if he had that hope."

Slughorn is silent for a long moment, and Sirius can see the idea taking shape in his eyes; Sirius knows what it is, because he's leading Slughorn right to it. He just has to say it, like it's his idea, and Sirius will play him like a fiddle. Come on, come on, you're almost there, Sirius thinks.

"A future," Slughorn muses thoughtfully, and again, Sirius gently squeezes his shoulder-reinforcing good behavior and approval through body language. Sirius has this down to a science after years of being a mentor. "If I could give Regulus hope, you say? Hope for a future? One in which he could be with James, even...past the games?"

"That would do it, yes," Sirius assures him.

Slughorn hums. "That would facilitate all the proper romantic peaks everyone is looking for between them?"