𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 || 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Regulus POV

a/n: it's finally here!! quick warning before you read, there are mentions/suggestions to smut, actual smut, mentions and descriptions of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. i will put a warning before the smut, but everything else will not have a warning before it, so please do not read if you are not comfortable with any of the things mentioned above.

other than that, enjoy!

Monday 1st September, 1976

It was the first day of school and Regulus was desperate to get on the train. Unfortunately, his parents did not share his desperation and kept him by their side, the perfect picture of the perfect family. The collar of Regulus' shirt was digging into his skin and he had to actively stop himself from tugging on it to loosen it.

He saw Barty from across the station, eyeing him, and suppressed a sigh. He knew all too well that as soon as he got on that train Barty would give him shit for wearing something so formal to school. Barty's own father had given up on him years ago and didn't even blink at the sight of his son in shabby leather jackets and patched up trousers.

Regulus suffered his parents for a while longer, keeping his face carefully neutral as they greeted family members and friends, though those two categories often went together, what with the inbreeding and all. He was pretty sure even Barty and him were distantly related, and he knew for a fact that Evan and him were fifth or sixth cousins.

"You remember what we told you, Regulus?"

He ignored the instinct to flinch as he heard his mother's voice. He turned to face her, eyes reluctantly flickering to her face, more importantly the stormy grey eyes there, so similar to his own it hurt sometimes.

Regulus nodded his head silently, knowing she was going to repeat it anyway. Hopefully not to the length she had all summer, otherwise the train would leave without him. He dutifully listened to her words, trying to focus. He found it hard when the train was right there, but he knew his mother wouldn't let him go until she was satisfied he understood her rules.

"...and you are not to talk to Sirius under any circumstances, do you understand?"

Regulus nodded his head, a bitter taste in his mouth. It was always Sirius now, never your brother. She'd stopped referring to Sirius as family a long time ago. After Sirius left this summer, her hatred for him had only grown and often it was all she could talk about.

Regulus couldn't deny his own anger when he thought of his brother leaving him stranded in that house, but to go as far as hatred made Regulus feel sick. Even though his brother had betrayed him, he wasn't ready to let him go.

It was stupid, though, because Sirius had already left. Regulus was holding onto nothing. A ghost of someone he once knew, but would likely never know again.

Finally though, after what had felt like hours, his mother let him go with a stern 'be good' and stiff 'goodbye'. Regulus could barely get himself to care about his mother's lack of affection, not when he was already getting on the train, free from his parents for at least three months, maybe more if they allowed him to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas.

Regulus walked down the hallway of the train quickly, not even bothering to peer into the windows of the carriages. Regulus and his friends had used the same compartment since their first year, and after a vicious fight in their third year involving some second years, everyone had known to leave that compartment to them. Sure, there was the occasional first year that didn't know, but Barty usually scared them off, and if that didn't work, well, they had Regulus for that.