Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Harry Potter books. If I did, we would see a lot more Regulus than James.
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Regulus sits tall in his chair at the dining room table. He isn't normally allowed to sit with Mama and Father; Walburga and Orion tend to let the house elves feed their children in the nursery.
Or just Regulus, the way it's been for the past year, since Sirius has gone to Hogwarts and become a Gryffindor disgrace.
But today is a special day. Today, Regulus turns eleven. The nanny elf has been reassigned to kitchen duty; Regulus is a big boy now. He's expected to eat with his parents, and pay attention to news of the adult world.
Like that 'young upstart' Tom Riddle, who's in the running for the Minister of Magic, after the old one oh so tragically died of pneumonia. He wants the support of the House of Black in his platform.
Mama's against it, Regulus figures out as his parents argue. Father thinks it's a good idea, because Uncle Cygnus does.
Regulus stares out the window at the muggles he can see but who can't see him. He searches the sky, looking for the dark spot of an owl who will bring his Hogwarts letter to him.
And finally, when dinner is almost over, an owl appears on the horizon. Regulus sits quietly, waiting for one of the elves to bring the letter in, even though he wants to jump out of his seat and begin celebrating.
As Heggie and Tildy are clearing away the plates, Kreacher hurries into the room. "A letter for Master Regulus," he says, bowing next to Walburga's chair.
Regulus quivers with excitement. In a moment of kindness and love, Walburga hands her favorite son his letter.
Regulus opens it.
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Soon after, his older brother Sirius is home for the summer, full of tales of Hogwarts, and Gryffindor Tower, and his group of best friends.
"You're going to be Sorted to Gryffindor too, right, Reg?" Sirius jokes. At least Regulus hopes he's joking. Because Gryffindor might be fine for Sirius, but Regulus absolutely plans on being a Slytherin. He's heard Father tell stories of the common room beneath the lake, and of the secrets you can find there.
He wants to be a Slytherin. Sirius wants him to be a Gryffindor.
Regulus is scared that he'll lose his brother if he's sorted to the house of the snakes.
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Before they get on the train, Orion nods at Sirius. Walburga gives him a kiss with a sour look on her face.
"I don't want any owls home from you this year," Orion says. Then Sirius runs off to go say hi to James, and his parents.
Orion and Walburga take much longer to say goodbye to their youngest. Walburga kisses him and says she'll love him whatever house he's in, so long it's not Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.
Regulus understands. Ravenclaw is acceptable, but Slytherin is hoped for.
Orion tucks a few galleons into Regulus' hand. "Just in case," he mutters as he gives his son a hug. Then they send him off onto the train.
As he gets on, a boy he recognizes as James Potter and his own brother stick their heads out of a compartment window. Out of the corner of his eye he sees his parents look away from the yelling spectacle.
"Hey, Snivellus!"
"Look, the grease ball's back!"
Regulus is knocked over by a red-haired blur that rushes past him to go stand by a sallow boy saying goodbye to his mother.
As he's getting up, brushing his knees off, the redhead returns, the boy trailing behind her.
"Did I knock you down?" she asks, her brow creased.
She's pretty, Regulus realises. Vibrant red hair, and emerald green eyes. "I – I'm okay," Regulus says, seeing the black-haired boy behind the girl glaring at him.
"Here." The girl extends a hand. "I'm Lily Evans. This is Severus Snape. Are you a first year?"
"Yes," Regulus says, letting her pull him up.
"Why don't you sit with us?" Lily invites. "We usually get a compartment on our own."
"Sure," Regulus says. "That would be nice."
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Regulus gets sorted into Slytherin. The boos that had come from James and Sirius for every other Slytherin student don't come for him. He sits next to Severus, at the first year end of the table. Lily waves from Gryffindor. Regulus shyly waves back.
"How come you don't get booed?" A burly Slytherin first year demands to know.
"Because I know where they sleep," Regulus replies with a small smile.
Let them make of that what they will.
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His second year starts the same way, at the train station. He sits with Lily and Severus, but this year, Lily brings some of the friends she's made in Gryffindor – Mary and Alice. The girls seem a little apprehensive at first, sitting with two Slytherins, but on the way toward the carriages, Regulus hears Mary tell Lily that he's 'perfectly charming'.
He smirks a little at that. He watched his brother charm the pants off of all the ladies last year. Over the summer, he decided he'd use his brother as a guide, not a role model.
And Mary decided she 'much prefers him to his stuck up, arrogant older brother'.
That just gives him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
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Something becomes very obvious to him during his second year. Severus likes Lily, not just platonically.
He confronts Severus about it, and the older boy admits that it's true, but he'll hex Regulus if he tells anyone.
Regulus tells him it's so obvious, anyone with half a brain could figure it out on his own.
Severus won't talk to him for a month after that, not until Lily forces them down to the lake to 'sort out whatever issue you two have cooked up down in that dungeon of yours'.
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Fourth year starts out fine. He and Severus share a compartment with Lily and her friends.
At the Sorting Feast, Severus tells all the Slytherins about some hexes he thought up over the summer. After the feast, he has some of his friends use the hex on James Potter.
He tells Regulus it has nothing to do with the fact he saw James flirting with Lily during the feast.
Regulus doesn't believe him. He tells him so, and also tells him how illogical that attack was.
"It wasn't like she was paying any attention to him," Regulus reasons. Snape goes off and sulks the rest of the night.
He doesn't hear Regulus' argument with the boys Severus got to do the deed, telling them not to use the spell too much, or the Gryffindors will start using it too.
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Severus and Lily become quite unbearable as the year goes on. Any given day could find them in the library, neck deep in papers and books.
"You don't understand, you have money," Snape says irritably one day after Regulus complains that they're no fun anymore, trying to get them to take a break. "These exams can make or break us."
"I thought those were the NEWTs," Regulus says cluelessly. Lily laughs and pats his hand.
"Oh, Regulus," she sighs.
He does get her to come study out on the lake. Snape sulks and moans and refuses to leave the library, but Lily agrees to come. Regulus spreads out a picnic blanket, and quizzes her on the different things she needs to know for the exams.
It would've been a perfect day if his idiot brother and his crew of friends hadn't decided to crash the party.
"What're you doing, Regulus," Sirius asks.
"Helping," Regulus says flippantly, looking down at the book again, and asks Lily a question.
"What're you studying for," James asks, sitting behind Lily and putting his chin on her shoulder.
Lily stiffens. Regulus stiffens. "OWLs," Lily says sharply. "You should be studying too."
"I did," James shrugs. "Got better things to do now. Want to – say – ditch this little boy and the books and go sneak into Hogsmeade?" He flips a book out of Lily's pile.
"Stop!" she cries. "I had these in order, you – you – you toerag!"
James laughs as he pulls the book she's holding out of her hands. "You should relax for once," he says. "Don't be so worried about the exams."
"Did I do that?" Regulus interrupts him, talking to Lily.
"Same vein," she says. "The whole, oh I'm rich so I don't have to worry about this, attitude."
"Sorry," Regulus says.
She laughs at him, James forgotten. "You already said that."
"But this time I mean it."
James stands up. "Are you making fun of me, little boy?"
"No," Regulus says, getting his wand out and twirling it. "But I think you should go now."
Sirius pulls James back a few steps. "Come on, James, we should go," he says, watching Regulus' wand. Walburga and Orion don't believe in the laws against underage magic. It's one of the ways the new Minister Riddle won them over. Regulus hexed Sirius last summer, when his older brother barged into his room without knocking.
He's good with little, cutting hexes and charms. So Sirius pulls his gang of friends away, probably planning on telling them, 'you're welcome' later.
Lily looks at Regulus. "How'd you chase them away?"
He flashes a smile at her. "My mad skills."
Her laughter echoes across the lake, and Regulus feels like he wants to preserve this moment forever.
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It all goes bad after exams. Lily and Mary and Alice are sitting by the lake when Regulus passes by with a few of his Slytherin friends who are willing to overlook the fact that he spends most of his time with a Gryffindor muggle-born in favor of the Black money. Lily stops them, and they're talking with the three Gryffindor girls when Lily notices a commotion up by the tree Regulus and her had been studying at not so long ago. Severus is being hung upside down with a spell of his own making, showing his underwear. Regulus tries to stop her; he knows Severus won't appreciate being seen in his weakest moments by a girl he likes.
But Regulus is too late to stop Lily, and she runs to Severus, trying to stop James.
And Severus strikes out at her, using a forbidden word.
Mudblood.
Lily stalks off toward the other end of the lake after he hisses that unforgivable word at her. Regulus, Mary, and Alice rush after her.
"Maybe you should stay behind," Alice suggests. "You're Slytherin too…"
"I'm Lily's friend first, though," Regulus says firmly, and neither Alice nor Mary say anything about him coming along after that.
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"How could he say that?" Lily asks Regulus a few days later. "How?"
"He was upset," Regulus says. "He wants you to forgive him now."
Lily shakes her head. "Reg, I don't think I can."
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Their little group of three is broken. Lily and Regulus write regularly over summer vacation, but when the time comes to return to school, they don't sit together. Regulus sits with his Slytherin friends.
And Lily slips into a compartment of Gryffindors, giving him a sad smile.
They're all estranged. Regulus doesn't know who Severus sits with.
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It's the second night back at Hogwarts when an owl arrives for Regulus at dinner.
It's from Lily.
I know we're back in school, she writes. But can we keep up our correspondence?
They write every night after that.
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They keep writing, even though they hardly see each other.
He knows when she dates James. He knows all the little things she found hilarious, what she spends her Saturdays doing.
And when she graduates, it's him she smiles at as she gets her diploma.
They keep writing all through Regulus' year. He laughs with her about his old attitude towards OWLs and NEWTs.
But they don't see each other for over a year.
After graduation, Lily suggests they meet up for ice cream, at Fortescues.
I'd love to catch up in person, she writes.
And he agrees.
It's not as awkward as he thought it would be. They hug, and get their ice cream, then continue as if their letters were a part of a long conversation that they can now pick up when they see each other face to face.
She asks about Severus.
"I don't think we'll ever be great friends again," Regulus says. "But he's doing fine. Working as a Potions Master in France."
She nods and licks her ice cream.
"He liked you, you know," Regulus says. "Thought he loved you."
"I know," she says. "But…he's not the one I liked."
Regulus nods.
Not long after, the ice cream's gone, and they make plans to meet again.
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It comes on quietly. No big revelation, no pining the way Severus did. Regulus just looks at her on one of their little meet ups and knows.
It's in the way she smiles when she sees him, the way she understands everything he says. The way he feels like he can tell her anything, and that she can solve any problem.
That day, as they plan their next meet up, Regulus asks if she wanted it to be a date.
"I'd like that," she says. They both part with smiles on their faces.
Regulus' smile disappears as he apparates into his luxurious apartment.
Sirius was disowned when he married the werewolf, Regulus thinks. I'm the sole heir. Will they – will they accept a muggle-born?
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Regulus tells his parents ahead of time what Lily's heritage is. His mother is shocked.
"I thought we raised you better than this!" she screeches.
"You raised me to know quality from yesterday's trash," he says quietly, appealing to them both, father and mother. "And Lily – she may be muggle-born, but it doesn't hinder the understanding of this world, nor her intelligence in the many fields of magic."
It's an uphill road, but after the third time they meet with her, they are thoroughly enchanted.
Sirius throws a fit when he realises that Regulus won't be blasted off of the family tapestry the way he was.
James throws a fit when he walks in on Regulus and Lily kissing in Lily's flat.
"I thought you weren't with anyone!" he howls. "I thought you were taking a break from guys!"
"That's the last excuse I used when he asked me out," Lily whispers to Regulus after James storms out. They laugh together over that.
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There are plenty of whispers at the wedding, but since Lily's parents are dead, it's quite easy to pass her off as a half-blood, which is what Walburga tries to do.
"Inbreeding, you know," she says 'confidentially'. "It's best to bring in some new blood every once in a while."
"Muggle blood?" A relative inquires snidely.
"Magic blood," Walburga replies imperiously.
Regulus refuses to play his mother's games.
"My Lily is perfect the way she is," he tells anyone who asks about his bride's heritage.
And as they swirl around the dance floor together, he kisses her, not caring who is watching.
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Eighteen months later, Lily is bent over the toilet, cursing Regulus for doing this to her even as he holds her hair back and reminds her that she wanted a child.
Six months after that, she holds a tiny baby boy in her arms, as Regulus holds her in his arms.
"Name?" he asks softly, stroking the baby's tiny tuft of black hair and perfect skin.
"Harry," Lily says. Regulus smiles.
"Fine," he says. "But a star name too. Otherwise my mum will throw a fit."
"Fine," Lily says. "Rigel."
"Harry Rigel Black," Regulus says quietly. He kisses his wife, and then leans down to kiss the baby on the forehead. "Welcome to the wizarding world, my son."
The baby opens his eyes, and Regulus smiles at the shocking green colour of them.
"Like mother, like son," he murmurs.
And that is the picture that their first family portrait is painted from. The three of them in a circle, the family resemblance between their child and his parent visible in the brilliant green eyes and jet black hair.
Welcome to the wizarding world, Harry Rigel Black.
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