S O R R Y
xxiii||christmas at the blacks
Regulus wakes up to the sun peaking through the gapes in his curtains and instantly rolls over, facing away from the windows. He hears shouting downstairs, probably his mother — Walburga Black — telling the house elf, Kreacher, to clean up some more before the guests arrive. The events of the evening a few days ago flash through Regulus' mind making him bury his face into the pillow further, his tousled hair falling over his face.
"Regulus Black!" A sharp voice yells as loud footsteps approach the bedroom at the end of the hallway. The door slams open and Regulus jumps slightly, moving his head from his pillow and looking at his mother.
Walburga Black is a rather tall woman with jet black hair that's now tied back in a tight, neat bun at the back of her head, her eyes a dark shade of green, almost brown in the dim light of Regulus' bedroom and a long, black dress is what she's wearing.
Her pale face twists when she sees her son is still shirtless in bed at seven o'clock in the morning on Christmas Day when their relatives will be there in less than an hour.
"You get up, and you get up now, boy!" Walburga snaps before exiting the bedroom and shutting the door with a loud slam making Regulus wince and falling back onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. He rolls over and falls out of bed onto his feet, rubbing his face tiredly as he strolls across the room to the bathroom.
After he showers, Regulus gets dressed into a black shirt and some grey pants, taking Maria's copy of Romeo and Juliet for a few minutes to flick through a few pages that he left off on before trudging down the stairs and into the kitchens were Kreacher is bustling about making the Christmas breakfast for when the rest of the Black family arrive.
"Master Regulus." Kreacher greets, bowing low so his nose almost touches the ground and Regulus offers the house elf a tight lipped smile as he grabs a mug off one of the shelves and begins to make himself coffee. Regulus can't understand why families pressure everything on their house elves — the cleaning, the cooking, even shopping in some cases. So, he tries to help Kreacher when his mother isn't around to stop him, even though Kreacher isn't too pleasant, Regulus can tell he appreciates the help.
Regulus finishes making his coffee and gives Kreacher a nod goodbye as he trudges out of the kitchens and towards the dining room where his mother and father are no doubt sat arguing over stupid pure blood topics with a few other Blacks.
He walks in and sees his mother and father — Walburga and Orion Black — his aunt Druella and Uncle Cygnus, along with their daughters Bellatrix and Narcissa. They have another daughter called Andromeda but she fell in love with a muggle born wizard called Edward and ran off to have her own life with him, leaning her — like Sirius — disowned. Regulus secretly admired Andromeda for having that sort of courage, he certainly knows he couldn't do something so drastic and against his parents. There's also Narcissa's husband, Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix's husband and his brother, Rodolphus and Rabastan LeStrange.
"Honestly, I don't understand how people even class them as pure blood." Bellatrix says boredly. "People like the Weasleys and the Prewetts are why we have a bad reputation."
"We have a bad reputation because you can't keep that wand of yours out of trouble." Rabastan smirks and Regulus rolls his eyes as he sits next to Narcissa who gives him a warm smile.
Out of all of his cousins, Andromeda and Narcissa have always been his favourites. Narcissa has always shown Regulus kindness, even after she married her awful husband.
"Oh, he's finally here." Bellatrix smirks widely when she notices Regulus had taken a seat next to her sister and Regulus just locks his jaw with a curt nod and Bellatrix cackles slightly. "You look terrible, Reggie."
Regulus almost rolls his eyes at the childhood nickname that she's lost the right to use. See, Bellatrix prides herself of the bad she's done, she's one of the many witches and wizards that follow Voldemort and attack the muggles and muggle-born's for nothing but their own amusement. She would most certainly kill anyone that Voldemort tells her to, she'd probably kill Maria Potter if she found out that Regulus has been hanging around her a lot more than often.
Even though the Potters are truly pure blood, they're not classed in the sacred 28 because of their 'common muggle surname'. The Potters are descendent from a pure-blood wizard that lived in a muggle village, using his magic to help the muggles and try and produce medicines and was always pottering around the village. The villagers naturally called him the 'Potterer' which then was shortened to Potter. Regulus had read about the wizard one day when he was bored studying but Alyssa had insisted he study for a muggle studies essay.
"Nice ring." Narcissa says softly to Regulus who had previously been twirling Maria's ring on his finger and he offers her a forced smile.
"Well, we have good news." Bellatrix grins, shaking Rodolphus' shoulder. "The Dark Lord is recruiting new death eaters." She glances suggestively at Walburga and Orion, then at Regulus. "Says they have to be of age, what do you say Regulus?"
Narcissa glances at Regulus worrisomely and everyone in the room goes silent, Rabastan and Druella ending their conversation about his arranged marriage with a girl called Rosalée Mulciber, Ruben Mulciber older sister — by four years.
Regulus looks to his parents for aid, he knows it's stupid and that they won't be of any. But it's natural for a child to look to their parents for help when under pressure or in danger. And that's all Regulus is. A child that has his whole life ahead of him, not wanting to worry about war and what blood status someone is.
"We've discussed it." Walburga states in a monotone voice. "He will do it, as long as I have a say. You have to make the Dark Lord see that us Blacks can be trusted with the mark, Regulus."
The tousle haired boy swallows, the apple on his throat bobbing prominently and Narcissa quickly grabs her cousins hand under the table, something she's done since they were children and their parents were bickering loudly.
"Well, me and Rodolphus are off to have some fun." Bellatrix smiles wickedly. "Won't be too long."
The husband and wife leave, talking manically to each other as they prance out of the room. Regulus lets out a shallow breath and shared a look with Narcissa.
"Mulciber had told me his son's been talking." Lucius suddenly says, eyeing Regulus strangely and the boy gulps once more, his head spins slightly at the thoughts of what Ruben could've told his parents about Regulus. "Says he's seen you with some girl recently, Black."
"Rebecca Barnes, I should hope." Orion grunts and Walburga nods along with what her husband says, also eyeing their son.
"Hm, that's not what Ruben's been saying to his father, unless of course, the boy is lying." Lucius shrugs making everyone turn to him.
"Well who was he saying Regulus had been seen with?" Cygnus asks inquisitively, eyeing Lucius suspicion glistening in his dark grey eyes.
"Maria Potter."
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"How dare you?!" Walburga shrieks when the three Blacks reach a private room, shoving Regulus into it as Orion shuts the door loudly behind him. Regulus grimaces at her volume as he stands up straighter. "I am absolutely disgusted with you! You filthy blood-traitor! I expected you to turn out better than—than that!" She jabs a finger at the scorched mark on the family tree where Sirius' face once was.
"You can't actually believe Lucius?" Regulus asks them incredulously and Walburga laughs humourlessly.
"I don't know what to believe!" Walburga shouts at her son. "That you've been the boy we've always known you to be or some thing that your br—that created in you!"
"Mother, after all this time of following your rules, why would I disobey you now?" Regulus says to his mother loudly and Walburga glances at her husband for input.
"We shall believe you this once, boy." Orion says hoarsely, advancing on Regulus. "But if you so much as look at Maria Potter, you're gone."
Regulus swallows under his parents gaze and nods wordlessly before his parents storm out of the room to see back to their guests and Regulus lets out a shaky breath, falling back against the wall and sliding down it.
His elbows rest on his knees and his hands knot in his tousled hair as tears threaten to spill from his clouded eyes.
He thinks of Maria, Maria would want him to be strong. To be brave and stand up to his parents. But he can't. He's not a Gryffindor like Sirius, he won't get a happy ending like Sirius has now, all he had is a family that doesn't care about him, only what he does.
Regulus hears Bellatrix's maniac like cackles as her Rodolphus enter the home again, it must be late, at least ten o'clock at night by now. He hears muffled, excited shouts and walks to the door of the room, wiping his cheeks of tears and opening the door before freezing.
"Oh, look who's come to play." Bellatrix says, shaking the person who's captive in her arms with a bag over their head.
But Regulsu knows that luscious, brunette hair, he knows that beautiful fair skin, he knows that white, floaty dress.
Maria.
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