Regulus always had perfect handwriting.
People who did not know him called him perfect quite often, but he only ever considered his handwriting to be perfect.
He used to practice for hours. Perfecting each stroke and loop until gorgeous letters flowed out of his quill with ease. Regulus' desire for recognition and control over his life motivated a lot of his actions. But unlike everything else in his life, calligraphy never hurt him.
It was art. His art and it was as subtle and beautiful as he was. His life can be summed up in five letter that he wrote.
The first letter was addressed to Sirius and was dated September 2, 1971. Sirius was 11 and Regulus was 10.
It was arrogant, haughty and filled with childish pride. Just like the two brothers. The calligraphy was technically perfect, looked copied straight from a calligraphy guide, but it was hollow and had no personality. It was trying to imitate the template and sacrificed any true meaning because of it. The letter was the beginning of the end of the brothers.
It was found seven year later crumpled and discarded at the bottom of Sirius' trunk and it was immediately thrown into the fire.
The next letter was passed to a Ravenclaw girl in History of Magic in 1974.
It was just a letter asking for extra ink but it was so ironic and unnecessary that she burst out laughing and threw an ink pot across the room to him. Professor Binns never looked up from his notes. The calligraphy was not technically perfect but it was more personal. Slanted slightly from writing quickly but written on expensive parchment with the last of his ink. It was the start of a long friendship.
She still has the letter packed away somewhere, but it has not been touched in the all the years since it was packed away along with all the other memories of him.
The third letter was send to his parents in 1977.
It was a confirmation of what they had been hoping for. Initiation would happen during the summer. The letter was place delicately and prideful in a secret compartment in Orion's desk. The writing was formal and exact. Technically perfect, it was made to look proud and unafraid. But his hand was shaking when he wrote it.
The letter was thrown away in 1981 along with anything else that might have incriminated the noble Black Family.
The fourth letter was written to the Dark Lord.
For the first time in years, Regulus' handwriting was not perfect. His hand was shaking when he wrote this letter too.
The letter was found years later by the savior of the Wizarding World.
The last letter was never sent. It was written for Sirius Black a week before Regulus died. It was supposed to be hand delivered to him but Sirius could not be found in time. The calligraphy was beautiful. Filled with regret, fear, sorrow and hope, the words flew across the page in the naive hope that Regulus would not die with his brother hating him.
But the letter was never opened.
