Tuesday 18th November, 1976
Pain shot through my spine as I was slammed against the wall. I let out a hiss of discomfort and looked up to find Mulciber leering down at me, a twisted smirk on his face.
Before I could even think of it, Mulciber snatched my wand from my pocket and threw it away, a small clatter echoing around the room as it landed on the stone floor. He let out a nauseating laugh as he watched my expression form into one of fear as I realised I was alone, defenceless, with Mulciber pinning me against the wall.
I immediately started struggling, jerking my body left and right in an attempt to escape his grip, but Mulciber was too strong and slammed me against the wall, again. I flinched, sucking in a sharp breath.
"Consider this payback," the Slytherin snarled, before bringing up his knee to my stomach.
I doubled over, hands going to my stomach as pain exploded inside my gut. I panted, trying to catch my breath, but then Mulciber had his hands on me and his fist was connecting with my jaw, a sickening crack following the action.
Stars spotted my vision as he punched me again, busting my lip in the action. It hurt. Everything hurt. I didn't know what to do. Panic was clawing at my throat, stopping me from calling for help. What was I supposed to do? How could I stop him? He was stronger than me, and I was defenceless, my wand laying discarded meters away.
I was alone. There was no-one here to save me. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Mulciber had complete control. It terrified me.
I felt Mulciber's hand curl of my shirt and pull. I lurched upright, staggering on unstable feet as Mulciber reared his fist back. I closed my eyes, waiting for the blow.
It never came.
There was the sudden sound of thundering footsteps and my eyes flew open, searching for my potential saviour. My stomach dropped when I recognised Regulus standing there, watching us with wide eyes.
I remembered, back at the start of school, when our positions were swapped and it was Regulus Mulciber had pinned against the wall, not me. I remembered what he'd said, after I saved him. I hate you and you hate me. Leaving me would have been priceless revenge. I would have done it.
I would have done it.
Whatever hope I felt went down the drain as I remembered those 5 words. Regulus would not save me. I would be left here, alone with Mulciber, while he went to his class pretending to be oblivious to what was happening to me. Or maybe he would stay and watch.
I was surprised when he didn't do any of those things. I watched, as if in slow motion, as Regulus stalked up to Mulciber and punched the smug grin right off his face. I stood there, frozen, as Mulciber cursed, clutching his nose that was now currently gushing blood.
Regulus had his wand out and pointed at Mulciber's head, his eyes darkened, and mouth curved into a sneer. I had the brief thought that he was going to kill Mulciber, but it was quickly forgotten when I pushed myself off the wall in an attempt to stand, only to stagger forward, the ground coming closer at an alarming rate.
Before I could hit the floor, two warm arms wrapped around me and lifted me upright, steadying me. I gripped Regulus's arms, squeezing my eyes shut when the world seemed to tip. My head was throbbing, thanks to Mulciber's punching skills. I felt like my skull was cracked open and my brain was seeping out of my head. I desperately hoped that wasn't the case, and moved my arm to shakily check if any brain juice was escaping.
When my hand came back dry I let out a sigh of relief and leaned heavier on Regulus, feeling my energy deplete by the second.
"Where's Mulciber?" I rasped, noticing the Slytherin boy's absence.
"I told him to get out of here," Regulus answered. I winced at how loud his voice sounded. "You need to go to the Hospital Wing."
I shook my head vigorously, then immediately regretted the action as the pounding in my head increased.
"No Hospital Wing," I said. "If I go to the Hospital Wing, my brother will find out. I don't want him to find out."
Regulus sighed, shaking his head, but relented and started guiding me down the hall, away from the direction to the Hospital Wing. We walked slowly, Regulus making sure I was leaning most of my weight on him instead of trying to manage on my own.
I wanted to ask where we were going but kept quiet, unsure what exactly was happening between us. Soon enough, I realised where we were going when we passed familiar hallways, so I wasn't surprised when we arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.
Regulus led me into his dorm, careful to hide me from the few Slytherins milling about in their Common Room. Regulus's dorm was dark when we entered, but light quicky filled the room as Regulus carelessly flicked his wand.
"My wand!" I exclaimed, wincing at the volume of my voice. "I forgot my wand-"
"I've got it," Regulus said, cutting me off.
I let my racing heartbeat slow down at his words, assuring myself it was okay. Regulus steered me to his bed, sitting me down as he rummaged around his bedside table, eventually finding a first-aid kit in one of his drawers.
I was surprised, to say the least. Why did Regulus Black, a Slytherin pureblood with a family full of pureblood idealists, have a muggle first aid kit hidden in his room? I was about to ask, opening my mouth, when Regulus started taking out muggle items from it. I closed my mouth, keeping it shut firmly as I watched him unpack and get supplies ready. What were those things for? Why did he have all of them?
Whenever I'd gotton a scrape on the knee or a paper cut as a child, all I would have to do is go to my parents and they'd fix it with magic. I'd never had to heal myself using the muggle way before, and I was hesitant at best.
Regulus grabbed a cloth and dipped some sort of liquid onto it before facing me. I stared at the cloth, wondering if he'd just put poison in it and was planning to kill me. Regulus noticed my hesitance and was quick to explain what it was.
"I put some saline solution on the cloth," he said slowly. "It's a liquid used to clean wounds and get rid of bacteria to avoid infection," he paused for a second before continuing. "Can I use it to clean your injuries?"
He waited silently for my answer, one I wasn't sure I had. He could easily be lying, and this could be another elaborate prank to humiliate me further. He saved you, a voice reminded me, why would he save you only to hurt you now? I couldn't very well fight with that logic, could I? I nodded my head, giving Regulus permission to continue as I tensed, waiting for the cloth to meet my face.
Regulus focused on my busted lip first, leaning closer so he could lightly brush the cloth over the wound. I hissed as a stinging feeling accompanied the action, and an apologetic expression briefly flashed across Regulus's face before it was gone.
I sat in silence as he continued to clean my busted lip, positioning himself between my legs so he could reach my face better. I tried to ignore how that made me feel. How something inside me alighted when Regulus stood that close, eyes fixed on my lips.
I felt everything inside me tightening, but this time it wasn't because of the pain. It was anticipation, but for what I couldn't say. Regulus was just cleaning my lip, nothing more. Those excuses were forgotten when Regulus's eyes slid to mine, and I felt the whole world stop.
The way he looked at me, eyes clouded and hazy, lips slightly apart, his hair dangling over parts of his face. It made me want to do things, things I knew I would regret. So, to distract myself, something I desperately needed, I asked the first thing that came to mind.
"Why do you have a first aid kit?"
That worked well enough. As soon as the words left my lips Regulus moved back, almost recoiling, and I pretended I didn't feel the disappointment spreading inside me as he left. He cleared his throat, looking at the ground uncomfortably. I wanted to tell him he didn't have to answer that, but then he started speaking.
"At my house, my mother would often... hurt my brother and I when we did something wrong. We didn't have wands at the time, and even when we did we still weren't allowed to use magic outside of school, so we had to figure out other means to help ourselves. That's why we have first aid kits. I guess I keep one here as well out of habit, just in case."
I stared at Regulus after his confession, unsure what to say. The thought of Walburga hurting him and Sirius filled me with such rage, but it wasn't like I could do anything about it. Sirius had already left, and he'd made it clear Regulus would not follow in his brother's footsteps. Why, I couldn't say.
"I'm sorry you have to live like that," I eventually said softly. I wasn't sure what else to say.
Regulus looked at me, an unreadable expression on his face, and he walked closer, continuing to clean my wounds in silence. He wasn't as close as we were before, careful to leave some space between us, but I wasn't as tense as I was last time.
He finished his work rather quickly after that and started taking out other things to rub on the already forming bruises. I trusted him and his muggle supplies, but I was thankful when I noticed him take out a wizard ointment that was to be rubbed on bruises or marks, and then by the next day they'd be gone. I noticed uneasily that more than half the tin had already been used and wondered how long he'd had that tin, and how many more he had stashed away.
He applied the ointment to my bruises, and I felt it tingle as the magic seeped into my skin, already working. After he finished, he moved away and started packing up everything into his first aid kit, and I noticed how much better I felt. My head felt less woozy, my busted lip barely hurt anymore, and my jaw was aching significantly less than when Mulciber punched it.
"I should probably take you back to your Common Room now," Regulus said, breaking the silence between us.
"What about class?" I asked.
Regulus's jaw clenched, almost as if he was irritated at me for wanting to attend class than resting and getting better.
"Class can wait," was all he said.
I relented and followed him out of his dorm and the Slytherin Common Room, letting him lead me through the hallways and corridors. We were walking through an empty corridor when my mind strayed back to what Regulus had said about not saving me, and I found my curiosity growing. I wanted desperately to ask him about it, but I was also scared to hear his answer. What would he say? Would he get mad I brought it up?
"Why did you save me?" I blurted out eventually when I couldn't keep the questions at bay any longer.
"What?" Regulus gave me a confused look.
"When I helped you, all those months ago at the start of school, you said you wouldn't save me, you said - leaving me would have been priceless revenge. I would have done it – but you didn't. You didn't leave me, you saved me. Why?"
Regulus was silent as he listened, and that silence lasted long after I finished speaking. We continued walking, but at a slower pace as it was clear Regulus was deep in thought. I was just thinking that he may never answer me when he spoke.
"I guess things changed," he answered, looking straight at me.
I felt a warm feeling uncurl in my stomach, the heat spreading across the rest of my body at his words. I guess things changed. What did that mean though? Things between us, as in our relationship? Or his own morals? Or something completely different? I didn't know, and I didn't know how to respond.
We arrived at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, saving me from answering him, but before I could say goodbye, four boys walked out of the Common Room. James was first, followed closely by Sirius, then Remus, and then finally Peter.
When they saw me, they froze, eyes roaming my bruises and cuts, before their gaze strayed to Regulus's bloody fist, hanging limply by his side that he must have forgotten to treat while treating me. James Potter was usually a kind person. He didn't get mad very often, but when he did, it was not pretty. Like right now for instance.
"What the fuck did you do to my sister?" James growled, already lunging for Regulus.
I moved in front of Regulus, flinging my hands out to put my brother to a stop. He skidded to a stop and stared at Regulus, livid, a fire burning in his eyes. The rest of the marauders watched on in hesitance, except Sirius who was as stiff as a board, a blank expression on his face.
"It's not what you think!" I pleaded. "He didn't hurt me."
"Bullshit," James snarled. "Look at his fist."
I let out a frustrated groan, annoyed at how things turned out. "He didn't punch me, he saved me from the guy who was punching me."
James scoffed. "You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect you to believe me," I answered calmly.
James didn't have a comeback for that, and slowly but surely took a few steps back, attempting to gain control of his emotions and calm down. When he'd taken a few deep breathes, Remus took a step forward.
"What happened then?" he asked gently.
I glanced at Regulus, who, for a guy who was usually hard to read, looked a lot like he wanted to die on the spot. I wondered if he regretted saving me, because if he hadn't, he wouldn't be in this situation right now which was obviously something he dearly wanted.
I took a deep breath, similar to the ones my brother was still taking, and started explaining the events that occurred earlier today. I talked about being ambushed by Mulciber, careful to keep his name from being divulged, and the aftermath of Regulus using a first aid kit to help heal me.
I noticed Sirius visibly flinch when I mentioned the first aid kit, like memories had launched themselves at him without his consent. That was likely exactly what had happened. I hated what the two Black brothers had been through. I hated how both of them weren't inclined to open up and share those feelings with anyone, especially each other. I hated how I couldn't do anything to help.
There was a deafening silence between all of us after I finished speaking, my words echoing in everyone's minds.
"Who was it that hurt you?" James asked calmly.
"That doesn't matter," I retorted immediately.
I'd known that was coming. It was why I hadn't wanted to go to the Hospital Wing; because if I had the marauders would have found out and then they would have wanted to give my assailant pay back, similar to what was happening now.
"Y/n," James said through gritted teeth. "Who did this to you?"
"It doesn't matter," I stated firmly.
Then from behind me, Regulus spoke.
"It was Mulciber."
I swerved around to look at him, giving him a piercing glare but his focus was fixed firmly upon James's face. A look of understanding passed between the two of them before James nodded and started walking away, no doubt in search of Mulciber.
Remus and Peter trailed after him, sending worried glances behind their backs at us, but Sirius stayed rooted to the spot. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but Regulus quickly cut him off, bidding me a stiff goodbye and walking away, leaving Sirius to stare longingly after his brother.
He blinked, as if just noticing I was there, and quickly regained his composure, sending me a twisted grin.
"Gotta go Y/n. Can't let Mulciber get away with what he did to you."
There was a deep hatred in his voice. It was obvious the thought of Mulciber laying his hands on me angered Sirius just as much as James, and now that Regulus wasn't there to distract him his attention was fixed solely upon revenge.
With that, I found myself alone standing outside the Gryffindor Common Room, wondering how the day got derailed so fast and led to this.
A/N:
i suck at cliffhangers bc i'm supposed to wait but you guys seemed so desperate i felt bad.
i hope you enjoyed the chapter, i quite liked it myself.
also, i have a pinterest and recently started posting photoshopped pictures of the marauders at hogwarts. you guys should go check it out:
https://www.pinterest.com.au/LoonyLupinBlack3/my-creations/
thats all, have a good day/night, love you all <3