Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the setting. The only thing I own is the plot.
Author's Note: Just a short one-shot that I dreamed up last night.
He had flaws, just like everybody else.
Though, his were darker. Much darker.
After Voldemort was killed. all those he turned into Inferi were were restored and brought back to life. Regulus Black had been one of those that had been freed. He was ecstatic to hear about the death of the Dark Lord, though he immediately went melancholy after he learned of the death of his brother.
He had always loved Sirius, but had always wanted to be the perfect pureblood son his parents had always yearned for, though he realized many years ago that the path he had chosen was the wrong one.
No one had really wanted to help him, except for Harry Potter, who Regulus thought to be James Potter until he learned that he was dead, and Potter's friend, Hermione Granger.
The pair lived at Grimmauld Place. Regulus had taken up solace in spending time in his old room, which hadn't changed a bit. It also calmed him to sit in Sirius's room.
Regulus soon discovered different things about the two friends. Apparently Potter was the one who killed the Dark Lord, even though he didn't seem like it, and that he was going to ask a Weasley girl to be his bride. He learned that Hermione was mourning over the loss of her boyfriend, Weasley's brother.
Regulus had always thought her to be very beautiful, and the more he observed her, the more he realized that she wore a facade, a mask. It fooled everyone else but him. It was her eyes that betrayed her. She had seen too much.
He tried to be near her as much as he could, so he helped her clean, cook, and cheered her up when ever she needed it. He could swear that he saw her eyes light up when he made her laugh, which he thought to be a good sign.
One day, he found her on the kitchen floor, sobbing her eyes out and hitting the floor with bloody, bruised knuckles. Regulus went over to the brunette and held her wrists in his hands to stop her from damaging her fists any worse.
Hermione looked up and continued to cry, though she seemed to have calmed down a bit.
" Why?" Regulus whispered, he hated to see her like this.
" My parents are dead," she said through heavy breaths and tears," they're dead and they didn't even remember that they had a daughter." Regulus didn't press on any further even though he didn't understand why the wouldn't remember their beautiful daughter. He let go of her wrists and pulled her close, rocking her back and forth.
After an hour of doing this, Regulus no longer heard the heavy breaths, but instead a shallow breathing. He looked down to see that Hermione had fallen asleep, though the tears continued to fall and stain her face and his shirt.
He picked her up in a bridal style and carried her to her bedroom. When he got there, he laid her down on her bed and sent her a spell that would clean the blood off. Regulus then leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
A few months later, Regulus still helped Hermione, though she seemed distant and didn't laugh as often, it was as though she wasn't fully alive.
Potter had moved out and now lived in Godric's Hollow with his with his new wife, Ginny, leaving Regulus and Hermione alone a Grimmauld Place.
Regulus sat on the couch one day beside Hermione, who had that, now common, distant look.
" I love you, Hermione." He said; Hermione turned her head towards him with a confused expression on her face.
" I have flaws," he continued," I'm not perfect. I've seen too much, same as you." Hermione said nothing, but instead laid her head on his shoulder and turned her head up to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Regulus gave a sad smile and kissed the top of her head before her began to rub her back.
" I love you too." He heard Hermione say quietly. Regulus pulled her closer to him and grabbed a blanket that sat beside him. He covered Hermione and himself with the blanket and continued to rub her back even after he was sure she was asleep.