Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything concerning him belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Sort of sister fic or sequel to Age of Seven I suppose, just Regulus rather than Harry this time.
Age of Eighteen
i.
When James Potter was eighteen years old, he was happier than he had been for years. The girl he loved seemed to love him back, his friends were always around and even though the war was constantly in his mind, he was happy with her and searching for a ring was harder than he thought it'd be. He fought for what he believed in and he had his friends at his side and things didn't seem so bad.
ii.
When Sirius Black was eighteen years old, he had lived on his own for at least a year already. He was independent, brilliant and wonderful in every possible way (at least he thought so, although not everyone would agree) but he had already started to miss school which had always been the place where he belonged and now he couldn't go there anymore because of his age and he wished that he could have remained fifteen years old.
iii.
When Remus Lupin was eighteen years old, he had felt more pain than some do in their entire life but it wasn't that bad anymore and he didn't feel that awful anymore. He was used to it and life always seemed easier when his friends were around to help him. The war was not going their way at all – people died everyday and there was nothing they could do about it – but they all knew that they were not alone in their fight and that made it slightly easier.
iv.
When Peter Pettigrew was eighteen years old, he was no longer alone. He had more friends than he had ever had before (loads, he reckoned) and they were so-so and took care of him. Perhaps they were better than his old friends… perhaps they let him in on what happened more than his old friends did… perhaps they were more sharing. Perhaps he had been left out during his school years and finally found that he belonged. Maybe all he had ever wanted was to belong.
v.
When Lily Evans was eighteen years old, she was like she had always been; kind, gentle, loving and beautiful. Even though she had vowed she'd never like him in any way, she had found herself breaking her own vow and finding him actually quite likeable - and loveable and she didn't want to let go of him and hoped that he wouldn't let go either.
vi.
When Severus Snape was eighteen years old, he was pleased with himself. He had reached the place he had longed to reach and he was no longer who he had been as a child. He was useful to someone and he was much better than Potter and Black would ever be and the only problem was that she had chosen someone else rather than him. He was pleased with himself, but the bitterness and hate was buried underneath.
vii.
When Regulus Black was eighteen years old, he was no longer the pitiful child he once had been. He was no longer the quiet, pale boy in the corner nor was he just 'Sirius Black's younger brother' (Sirius was no longer his brother) and he was where he wanted to be and thus he ignored the voice in his head that sounded awfully much like his non-existent brother that told him what to do with his life. He tried holding his hands over his ears, but he could hear the words despite that.
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