Written for:

Quidditch League - Season 7 - Round 2

Reserve for: Holyhead Harpies - Captain

Prompt: Write about a Gryffindor and Slytherin friendship.

Also written for Hogwarts - Assignment 9 - Wandlore - Task 10 - Holly: Write about being protective

Making Friends

AU - Regulus doesn't die

Regulus shivered from the cold as he walked through the dark street. The paper with the address was damp, the writing smudged yet he had it memorised. He had looked at it enough times to know it off by heart now.

Only a few months ago, he had been so sure that he had been doing something he believed in, but he wasn't sure what he believed anymore. He was in possession of something more dangerous than anyone even believed could be out there. He had something that could change the way this war was going.

He could feel the coldness from the locket through his clothes, and he pulled the borrowed jacket around himself, uncomfortable in the unfamiliar Muggle attire. He had worn it so he could blend in - defecting was punishable by death. You-Know-Who probably had something to alert him to the locket being gone and if he did, it wouldn't be hard to link the event to Regulus. Regulus was most likely being hunted at that very moment.

There was only one person he could trust. Someone who might slam the door in Regulus' face at the sight of him, but Regulus didn't know who else he could turn to. His brother, Sirius, was the only person who would ever even consider helping him in his time of need. Despite everything, they were brothers and had once been very close.

He reached the address faster than he had anticipated. He hadn't finished preparing his defence and as he brought his hand up to the wooden door, he knew he had only considered half of the arguments that Sirius could come up with. The locket would hopefully be enough to get his brother's help, even if it didn't get forgiveness. As long as he got in the door, he could work on everything else.

When the door swung open, Regulus was surprised to find that it wasn't Sirius. He stared at Sirius' friend.

"Lupin," he murmured after a moment. "Is my brother around?"

Remus stared back, assessing him. "He's not," Remus finally said, pushing the door open a little more. "Come in, but please hang your coat in the hall and leave your shoes there. You're soaked." A moment of hesitation. "I'll put the kettle on whilst you dry off, shall I?"

Without waiting for an answer to his question, Remus turned and walked down the hall. Regulus stared after him for a moment before doing as he was told, placing the coat on a nearby hook and taking his shoes off. He was soaked, but didn't want to risk using magic in case it was somehow being tracked.

He knew it was paranoia that was keeping him from doing anything, but Regulus couldn't help it. He had defied the most dangerous wizard since Grindelwald's reign and his days were now probably numbered. Either the locket would be discovered, or his absence noticed.

Regulus jumped as two teas were set on the table, along with a small bowl of sugar, a tiny jug of milk and two spoons. He had never seen anyone prepare tea so quickly. Suspiciously quickly in fact. He watched Remus as the other man withdrew his wand.

Regulus went to reach for his own, but Remus merely cast a spell to dry out Regulus' clothes and another to warm the room.

"Please, sit." Remus gestured to the sofa, before reaching for a cup.

Regulus stared at the other. Remus was being too nice. He didn't trust the situation.

"Or you could have this one," Remus supplied, handing over the cup. "And I'll take the poisoned one." His lips curved into an amused smile. "Or perhaps that's what's in the milk. Regulus, you came here for… I'm assuming you want Sirius' help. I'm quite sure that he won't be forgiving if I poisoned his little brother."

Regulus chuckled tiredly, taking the cup that Remus had left on the tray. He silently prepared his tea, enjoying the heat radiating off the cup.

"They'll be after me," Regulus admitted. "It may not be safe for me to be here, but I… I didn't know where else to turn. I thought Sirius lived here alone? I heard he was living with Potter but Potter got his own place."

Remus nodded. "You're partially correct. The three of us were living here until James' wedding," he explained. "It's just me and Sirius now." Another smile crossed his lips, one that Regulus couldn't understand the meaning of. "Sirius won't be back for a day or two, but you're safe here."

"Just like that?" Regulus asked.

Remus nodded. "It's what Sirius would want," he replied easily.

Regulus gave a slight nod of his head, choosing to glance around the room. There were a few picture on the wall, none of which were by artists that Regulus recognised, but on the fireplace stood a picture of Sirius and his three friends. On one side of that was Potter and his wife and son, and finally, on the other side, was a picture of Sirius and Remus hugging.

Regulus knew they weren't close, but it still hurt that there was nothing in this room that represented their relationship.

Remus seemed adept at reading his expressions though. "Sirius does have a picture of you and him," he said. "It was one of those… those staged ones. Your parents made you sit for the picture, all dressed up. You both look miserable and Sirius hates it. He hates the way you don't interact at all, he despises everything about it."

"Why does he keep it?" Regulus muttered.

Remus snorted. "Because it's the only picture he has of you," he explained. "It's probably the only thing that remains from… that part of his life. He kept a photograph he despised just because he'd get to look at it and see you. He hides it away the rest of the time though. He burnt everything else. The fire department was called..."

Regulus couldn't stop the smile at the words. It was so Sirius to do that in a dramatic fashion, but the idea of Sirius keeping that one photo made all of the difference. If he kept the photo, he had to care.

He glanced around again, his eyes finding the photos on the mantle over the fire. He looked at the Potter family for a moment, before looking back at the one where Sirius and Remus were hugging.

All of a sudden, he realised that there was more to their relationship than he had anticipated. Sirius was dating Remus, living with him. How long had this been going on and he had never noticed? They looked a lot younger in the picture so it had been years. Maybe even back in school.

"I don't know anything about him," Regulus said, saddened at the idea that even in school, they had grown that far apart that Sirius hadn't confided either his sexuality or his relationship. "Will he forgive me?"

Remus nodded. "He'll be upset, sad. Maybe even say a few things he'll regret by the next morning, but he will forgive you," he assured him.

"I've defected," Regulus explained. It felt weird to hear the words out loud. "I… I found something out. Something that… I couldn't be a part of that anymore. I just… I don't know what to do or who to trust."

Remus stared at him, amber eyes unblinking. "Yet you've just confided in me?"

"Well, Sirius must trust you an awful lot," Regulus explained. "I don't have many options right now and I think if I'm going to request to stay here, you deserve a reason."

Remus nodded slightly, choosing to remain silent.

"I stole something from him," Regulus continued, lowering his voice. Paranoia again because he knew no one could be listening. "I need to… I need to see Dumbledore, but I need Sirius first. I've never felt lost like this before. Is this how he felt when…"

"When he left home?" Remus filled in. At Regulus' nod, Remus let out a soft sigh. "I think that's probably a conversation to have with your brother. But he had the support of me, Peter and James. You don't seem to have the same support system which is perhaps why you feel like that. But I'm here for you, and when James and Sirius return, they'll stand by you too."

"I think this has made things easier," Regulus said. "Sitting with you and getting over my nerves before seeing my brother."

"Nothing is easy when it comes to Sirius," Remus agreed, amused. "Now, drink your tea whilst I get James' old room ready for you. I hope you don't mind - it still has some of his things. He crashes here after missions if it's very late and a risk to waking up Lily and Harry. I'll find you some pyjamas. Tomorrow we'll make a plan, okay?"

Regulus nodded. He brought the tea to his lips, enjoying the taste of the warm drink.

...oOo...

Regulus stared at the letters in front of him, frowning as he mentally rearranged them. His eyes moved to the board that sat between him and Remus.

"I was going to use that tile," he muttered.

"Of course you were," Remus replied, grinning. "Sirius was always going to use the tile I used too. Now, enough excuses and take your turn. Unless you can't think of anything…"

Regulus heard the challenge in his voice. He glanced up, narrowing his gaze at Remus for a moment before turning back to his letters. He had nothing.

He picked them all up one by one, shuffling them around in his hand before setting them out on the little wooden stand once more, hoping that the different order would trigger his brain somehow.

He sighed before picking up the Q from his rack. "Qat," he said, setting it down next to a previously played at.

"Is that a word?" Remus asked, frowning slightly.

Regulus nodded as he reached for the dictionary to double-check himself. "It's a shrub that grows in Africa I believe," he said, quickly flicking through to find the right page. His eyes moved down the page, settling on the word and he pointed it out to Remus.

Remus nodded, grabbing the pencil and noting down Regulus' points.

"Well, this looks cosy."

Regulus and Remus both looked over at the doorway. Sirius was leaning against the frame, his eyes moving between the pair. "Remus, why is he here?"

"We can trust him," Remus quickly replied, getting to his feet and walking over.

"Love, I don't—"

"Trust my judgement at the very least," Remus insisted.

Sirius shook his head slightly, storming from the room. "I want him gone by the time I get out of the shower," he said.

Remus shot Regulus an apologetic look before standing and striding from the room.

"Sirius, now's not the time to put on a show," Remus insisted firmly. Regulus couldn't help but overhear as the flat was quite small. "I know you. I know that you want to shout and rant at Regulus for things beyond his control."

"He's putting you in danger by being here," Sirius insisted. "Love, what if you got hurt because he came here? What if he hurt you?"

"He wouldn't," Remus insisted.

"How do you know?" Sirius demanded. "He—"

"Because he knows about us," Remus interrupted. "And I may not know your brother that well, but I've enjoyed his company these last three days. Sirius, I trust him and I think he can help the Order. On top of that, he's my friend."

"Three days and you're considering him a friend?" Sirius scoffed.

"I do," Remus insisted so softly that Regulus almost didn't hear the words. "He defected, Sirius. If they find him, they will kill him. I know you still hold some… some grudges about your upbringing and that Regulus is a reminder of all of that, but he's your brother and I know what he truly means to you. I know about all of your fears that you'd have to one day face him in this war and that you'd be unable to lift your wand against him. If we ask him to leave, he will be killed. So, you're welcome to go to James' if you're not happy with him being here, but I'm not going to let my friend come to any harm."

"Remus," Sirius murmured.

"If you want to get upset and storm off, I won't stop you, nor will I hold it against you," Remus continued. "If you need time to think about this, take that time. We both know that you want to fix things with Regulus. Don't waste anymore time. He's here. Of all the people he could seek out for help, he came to find you. Be the brother he needs."

"Do I really storm out that much? Am I that predictable?" Sirius asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Remus chuckled. "The only thing I can predict when it comes to you, is how supportive you'll always be. Now, you've got a lot to talk about. Regulus knows we're together, but we haven't talked about it. He has a lot of questions. He also has something that could make a difference in the war. We were waiting for your return before going to visit Dumbledore."

"Okay. I'm going to take a shower. How about we order in and I'll catch up with Regulus… and Remus?"

"Yes, love?"

"Thank you. If you weren't here, I'd probably have made him leave. You're right - this is where I want him to be. I can keep him safe now."

Regulus smiled. He'd never had a real friend before - someone to stick up for him like this, or believe the best in him.

Remus Lupin, his first real friend.

He couldn't hide the smile when Remus returned to the room a few minutes later with two cups of tea and a plate of biscuits. "You look happy," he remarked.

Regulus shrugged slightly. "Just happy to be your friend," he replied. "Thank you for sorting this mess out with Sirius, for believing me. Thank you for letting me inside when I first turned up."

"That's what friends are for," Remus insisted softly. "Now, whose turn was it?"

"Aren't we going to talk to Sirius?" Regulus checked.

Remus shook his head. "We've got time," he said. "Let's finish the game first, okay?"

Regulus nodded, glancing back at the little wooden scrabble tiles. "It's your turn," he responded, reaching for a new tile to replace the one he had used.