Chapter I: To Find a Black
At the end of it, all he had was regret.
Regulus was drowning- he would think it was poetic, but it was more painful than anything else, and that distracted him from indulging in metaphors. His oxygen deprived mind was weakly telling his body to fight back, but his legs had been injured by the Inferi, and he was unable to swim up. His entire body burned from the inside as darkness webbed the sides of his vision, offering to take him out of his misery. He wished to go into the night, to leave this hell, but the monsters holding him in the water would not give him peace; they refused to let him succumb to death, as they held the boy down in the deeps of the lake, and the darkness swallowed him whole.
It felt like centuries before the dull pain exploded into agonizing torture, and his lungs fought for a breath they had long since survived without. There was a release of pressure from his legs, a pushing feeling growing on his back instead as he was thrown onto land, his feet stumbling before giving up, letting him fall to his knees. He was gasping for air, giving himself a few moments to adapt to the change in environment before lifting himself up. His legs shook and he had to lean against the cage wall for support as he looked around. There was no one near him, and the small boat he had created to come across was still there. The only sign of anyone being there was the sand, disturbed by footprints. It was interesting, but he didn't dwell on it too much, instead making his way slowly to the entrance of the cave. Nothing had changed, from what he could remember as he dragged himself down the hill, stumbling and falling multiple times. There was a small town nearby, and with his goal in mind, he walked; his eyes were half closed as he ran into the first set of people he could find- an older couple, startled by his appearance. He fell into their shocked arms, his body exhausted from walking after not doing anything for so long, and he murmured a small thank you before falling into the darkness that he once prayed for.
He woke to a beeping sound, and bright lights. Blinking multiple times, he looked around, not recognizing where he was. There was something in his arm, which was interesting, and he was examining it to find the best way to take it out when someone entered the room. She was an older woman, dressed like a Healer, with a clipboard in hand and a kind smile on her face; but when she saw what Regulus was trying to do, she rushed, pulling his hands away gently.
"No no no, we have to keep that in there, sweetie." She chided, and Regulus gave a dumb nod, not understanding what it was for. The woman didn't stop smiling as she met his eyes. "How're you feeling?"
He gave a shrug, and glanced at the side table- sure enough, there was a glass of water, and he picked it up. It was heavy and took effort, but he was able to take a sip, ignoring the look that the woman was giving him. When he was done drinking, she cleared her throat and took out- a quill without a feather?- before bringing it to the clipboard.
"We weren't able to find any information on you, and you weren't in any missing persons report, so we have to do this the old fashioned way, hon." She started. "What's your name?"
At his confused look, a look of pity grew on her face. "It could be that whatever happened to you was traumatic enough to make you suppress memories, so don't push for anything. Do you remember even a nickname? A last name?"
He paused, and with a whisper, answered, "Reg."
"Is that your name?" She asked, and he nodded. "Do you know if its short for something? Reginald, perhaps? My name is Winifred, so when I was younger I would always go by Winny, I completely understand."
She paused and studied the teen, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration. "You looked around sixteen, seventeen, is that right?"
He shrugged, and she wrote down her rough estimation. "Do you remember the meaning of that tattoo on your arm, Reg?"
She gestured to the Dark Mark and he shifted, shaking his head. The muggle healer pursed her lips but said nothing about his blatant lie. "Back a lot of years ago, there used to be bodies with that mark carved into their skin. Tortured to death. I think we need to tell Wool's Orphanage that you were possibly in a gan-"
"Orphanage?" He hissed out, shocked at what she was saying.
"Just until we can find your real parents, sweetie. You're still a minor, and amnesiac at that. You can't just stay at the hospital until you recover, that might take forever."
She continued to explain what was going to happen, moreso talking to herself than to Regulus, and the latter took the time to delve into his own mind, thinking of a plan. He couldn't just go and live with Muggles, he knew that… But at the same time, he was presumed dead. Would it hurt, in the end? To not use magic, but to save his life? He couldn't return to the magical world right away, knowing that Voldemort was out there, running around with horcruxes…
But at the same time, no one knew about the horcruxes except Regulus himself. He had to tell someone from the wizarding world about them, and then he would let his self-preservation kick it. Without a wand or anyone he could talk to, though, how was he meant to return to the wizarding world? He could go along with one of these- what did she call them?- foster families, and wait until he had a chance to escape to the Leaky Cauldron after healing fully. Or he could search for someone that would give him a chance. And he had just the person…
The woman's curious expression broke Regulus out of his thoughts and he shifted, uncomfortable with the gaze on him. She chuckled and got up, clicking her writing utensil and stashing it away at the top of the clipboard. "I'll leave you to-"
"Wait." He called out softly, and she turned to look at him, patient. Regulus' mind was yelling at him to stop while he had the chance, but he continued, knowing it was the best course of action. "Er… Tonks. Edward Tonks. He's… I remember him."
She paused, before giving a single nod, heading out and closing the door gently behind her.
(~)
It was easier than expected to find Edward "Ted" Tonks. He had some muggle job that Regulus, to be quite honest, didn't care to remember, and with a quick search the hospital was able to call and inform him of his relative "Reginald" being admitted. It was due to that call that Regulus was sitting up in his bed, his eyes resting on the couple in front of him. They seemed like they had seen a ghost, and Regulus knew that he didn't look much better- he could see that they were definitely his cousin and her husband, but Merlin, they were old.
"Regulus…?" Andromeda whispered, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Dromeda, what… What's the date?" When she gave it to him, tears started to form in her eyes at the genuine confusion and disbelief. It was confirmed that he was truly Regulus Black, in her mind- no one could fake the fear and disbelief that he attempted to hide. "But how…?"
"I think," Ted Tonks interrupted. "It would be best for Dromeda to catch up with you on everything that you missed while I fix up the situation of getting you out of here…"
And so Dromeda accepted her position as storyteller as Regulus listened and changed his clothes. She spoke of James' and Lily's deaths, of Voldemort's end at the hands of their child Harry; she spoke about Regulus' mother dying, of Sirius going to and breaking out of Azkaban after being wrongfully accused, all the way to Voldemort's rebirth less than a month ago. The Order of the Phoenix had reformed and requested for the Tonks family to join, but the elder two knew they would be best as mere supporters- Nymphadora, well, she was older than Regulus now, and she was happy to get involved. Regulus asked only a few clarifying questions, and once the story ended, the two lapsed into silence. It was interrupted with Ted coming in, a dazed healer next to him.
"We're free to go." He informed the two, and they nodded, getting up and (with help from his cousin) heading over to the light-haired man. "Are you alright enough to Apparate, Regulus?"
There was an uncomfortable pause as Regulus realized how Ted had been addressing him, and Ted realized the oddness of not calling the pureblood 'Black,' but the former nodded and grabbed lightly onto Ted's arm. With a turn, the three disappeared.
Regulus collapsed before his feet touched the floor, the world going dark around him.
Harry was having an all right day, all things considering. He had recently woken from an odd dream due to George explaining why they couldn't sleep longer. "Mum says get up, your breakfast is in the kitchen and then she needs you in the drawing room, there are loads more Doxys than she thought and she's found a nest of dead Puffskins under the sofa."
Half an hour later Harry and Ron, who had dressed and breakfasted quickly, entered the drawing room, a long, high-ceilinged room on the first floor with olive green walls covered in dirty tapestries. They cleaned as best as they could, and while Sirius and Mrs. Weasley tensely spoke about the possibility of a boggart in the desk, the children had taken a small break. In the middle of the conversation (About Quidditch, naturally), they were interrupted. A loud, clanging bell sounded from downstairs, followed at once by the cacophony of screams and wails that had been triggered the previous night by Tonks knocking over the umbrella stand.
"I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" Sirius said exasperatedly, hurrying out of the room. Harry heard him thundering down the stairs as Mrs Black's screeches echoed up through the house once more: "Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth!"
"Close the door, please, Harry." Mrs. Weasley requested. Harry took as much time as he dared to close the drawing room door- he wanted to listen to what was going on downstairs. Sirius had obviously managed to shut the curtains over his mother's portrait because she had stopped screaming. He heard Sirius walking down the hall, then the clattering of the chain on the front door, and finally a softer female voice that Harry didn't recognize rang through the air.
"Sirius, it's been a while."
Feeling Mrs. Weasley's eyes on the back of his head, Harry regretfully closed the drawing-room door and rejoined the Doxy party. The 'de-Doxying party' took the majority of the morning, and the appearance of Mundungus distracted everyone enough for Mrs. Weasley to get agitated and call lunch; everyone headed downstairs, settling around the dining room table. Harry tried not to stare at the woman and man (the former looking too much like Bellatrix for Harry's liking, the latter a homely contrast of her beauty) that were whispering with Sirius as he made his way to a nearby seat, trying to seem casual. But when it was a conversation that had Sirius even looking serious, well, Harry tried his best to figure out what was going on. His ears perked up as he tried to listen in as subtly as possible. If they weren't going to a private room than it wasn't that private of a conversation, right?
"A name would be helpful, Dromeda, why can't you-"
"You wouldn't believe me, Sirius. He's at our home right now but he needs to see Dumbledore, without anyone outside of the Order knowing he's here. It would be easier to hide him in a house that doesn't technically exist-"
"And," Ted added. "the comfort of other people around would be good for him. He hasn't seen people in a long time."
The three glanced at the stairs as more people came down, and with a shared look they stood up, moving the conversation to somewhere with less people. Harry mulled over what he had heard- the Tonks wanted to bring someone to the Order's hideout, but refused to tell Sirius who it was. Who could it be? He thought vaguely about it being Malfoy, remembering the family tree and seeing that Malfoy was indeed related to the Blacks and, through Andromeda, the Tonks, but he figured they wouldn't mind mentioning him. Who could it be?
Harry was snapped out of his thoughts by Hermione waving her hand in front of his face, getting his attention. He would have to solve the mystery another time.
The water was surrounding him, everything hurt, the Inferi were holding him down and he couldn't breath... Regulus gasped for air as he shot up into a seated position, shoving the sheets away and trying to let his body have its freedom. His chest moved up and down as he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself before anyone noticed he was-
Too late. Andromeda poked her head in, and at the sight of a sweat-covered teenage boy she entered, sitting next to him. "You alright?"
"Fine, thank you." He replied, his voice softer than usual- a difficult task, and one that successfully tugged at Andromeda's heartstrings. "Just a dream."
"Well, there's no use going back to sleep at this time. Get dressed, I'll get some water boiling." She instructed, and Regulus nodded, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and sitting up. He closed his eyes as the world swirled around him, and opened them once the world returned to equilibrium. It was with great effort that he pushed himself into a standing position, and it took twice as long as it should have for him to make his way to the dining room table, sitting next to Ted, who sat at the head. Andromeda had sent two cups of tea their way, and Regulus gratefully accepted, pulling it out of the air and cupping it with his hands, enjoying the warmth that came with it. Ted gave a small disappointed look, as if expecting coffee rather than tea; nonetheless he accepted it, taking a sip and smiling at the taste. The two men sat in comfortable silence, sipping away until Andromeda returned to the dining room table with plates of food held up by magic. She set them in front of her husband and cousin, and the three lapsed into a casual conversation as they ate.
Halfway through the meal, Andromeda realized she really had to address something. "Regulus-" Here, he looked over. "You're leaving."
It was as if she kicked a puppy as he gave her a resigned look, believing that he was being kicked out. She was quick to correct his assumption. "The Order has their own hideout and we think it would be best for you to go, if only because it will allow you time to chat with Dumbledore. As of right now, not many people are there, so the Order members figured it was as good a time as ever to situate you. Dumbledore should be available tonight."
Regulus nodded, understanding what she meant better as he took another sip of his tea. "I'll pack some of Ted's old clothes, if that's alright with you."
"It would be much appreciated, thank you." He agreed, and she gave a single nod. Regulus excused himself, quickly washing his cup and setting it back before heading up to the guest room he had been given. As he closed the door behind him, his body seemed to sag, and he barely made it to the bed. He would be facing the older versions of the Order. Everyone else would be more talented, know more spells, some of his brother's friends' kids would be there- some might even be older than he was! It was a terrifying idea, and one that would soon be coming alive. Maybe… maybe he was wrong to do this. But he couldn't back out now. He had to tell someone about the Horcruxes.
It was hours later that Andromeda knocked on his door softly, opening it. He could see the bag in her left hand from where he was, and Regulus got up slowly, realizing what was going on. This was it. He would have to confront the Order. He slipped on a cloak and Andromeda held her arm out for him. Without a second thought, he accepted it. The two swirled, and the room around them changed into a street that distinctly lacked people outside. They made their way to what Regulus assumed was the hideout- he couldn't see it, but he trusted Andromeda to not run him into a wall.
"Put your hood on." She instructed, and Regulus nodded, doing as she said. She knocked twice, softly, and it seemed like an eternity until someone actually opened the door. A redheaded woman, smiling kindly at Andromeda and trying to not show how suspicious she was of the cloaked man.
"It's good to see you again, Andromeda, please come in, we were just starting-"
"I can't stay, Molly, so sorry. Just here to drop him off." She informed the woman- Molly? Molly Prewett?- and the stranger nodded, reaching for the bag and giving a tense smile to Regulus.
"That's alright, I hope to see you soon, and Ted, too."
Andromeda gave a nod, before surprising Regulus, pulling him into a hug. She whispered good luck to him, before pulling away, twisting, and disappearing. The spot where she once stood was empty, and it only made Regulus dread the situation he was going in to even more- he would be completely alone.
"Up this way, you'll be sharing with Ron and Harry, I do hope you don't mind-"
"Not at all, ma'am." He assured her, and she seemed taken aback by his politeness. Regulus slowly took his hood off to leave him more room to study the house. It had changed, but it was still recognizable. As they made it to the bedroom Molly opened the door, and she let out a gasp as she turned to talk once more to Regulus.
"Oh, Merlin, I'm sorry, you just… You look exactly like the owner of the house-"
He smiled grimly. "I get that quite often."
She gave him a smile in return, and Regulus vaguely realized it was a test to see if he knew exactly whose house it was. "I bet that wasn't the best comment to get two years ago, was it?"
He agreed with her, but didn't have the slightest clue what she meant. Deciding to ask, and to unpack later, Regulus set his things at the edge of what he assumed was his bed (It being the only clean one), and the two headed back downstairs. Molly looked slightly worried as she heard a growing chatter, saying that it was much too early for them to be back... whatever that meant.. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw a black-haired boy and who Regulus assumed was her husband in the kitchen, and with only a greeting she got to work on finishing up lunch, Regulus silently moving to help out. He was thankful to not have been seen yet, as it seemed usual for strangers to come and go in the house.
"They were bound to clear you." A girl pointed out- she looked positively faint with anxiety only moment ago, and seemed to release all of her tension at whatever news they had shared with her. "There was no case against you, none at all."
There was a pause in Regulus' mind. This black-haired boy went to court?
"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off." Said boy pointed out, smiling. The girl seemed like she was going to defend herself, but said nothing about it as there was a change of subject and focus. Three redheads were doing a kind of war dance to a chant of "He got off, he got off, he got off-" It seemed that no matter how annoying it got, no one was particularly annoyed.
"That's enough! Settle down!" The redhead man shouted, though he too was smiling. He turned to someone that Regulus couldn't see out of the corner of his eye. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry-"
"What?" The voice made Regulus jump. It had the familiar tone that reminded Regulus of the brother that refused to help him long ago, but it was also older, accented with experience and age.
"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."
"Absolutely," Sirius assured him. "We'll tell him, don't worry."
"Well, I'd better be going, there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me. Molly, I'll be later, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner-"
"That's enough- Fred, George- Ginny!" Molly shouted at her children, as the man left the kitchen. "Harry, dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast."
Regulus wondered vaguely what crime he committed that he went to a trial for, as his mind wandered. Another redhead, the youngest male, and a brunette girl sat themselves down opposite of Harry, looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at Grimmauld Place. The gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; even Kreacher looked less angry at the world as he- Kreacher? Wait, Kreacher! Regulus excused himself quietly, and Molly gave only a nod to show that she heard him.
"Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you…" The conversation faded as he went farther away, following Kreacher up the stairs.
"Kreacher?" Regulus called, and the house elf stopped. His eyes were wide, wider than usual as he turned around, disbelief evident.
"Master Regulus? It can't be?" Regulus couldn't help the smile that grew at the sight of his old house elf, and he gave a nod, confirming that it was indeed him. "But Master Regulus has not aged a day? How can this be!"
"The cave… it's a long story, Kreacher, and I really have to return downstairs, but it's… it's good to see you again."
"Kreacher is most grateful to see Master Regulus again, most grateful indeed." They shared a nod before Regulus headed away, going back down the stairs; his ears caught the continuation of the conversation he had left.
"I bet Dumbledore'll turn up this evening, to celebrate with us, you know-" it was the same youngest redhead that was speaking.
"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron." Molly admitted, setting a huge plate of roast chicken down in front of Harry. "He's really very busy at the moment- Ah, are you hungry?"
Molly had caught sight of Regulus, and he cursed his bad luck as everyone else's eyes turned to him. The younger ones were confused, having not seen Regulus before; Molly was smiling kindly, not aware of what exactly she had caused.
And worse of all, there was Sirius- starting at him, shock evident on his face as he stood up, wand in hand. He pointed it at Regulus, and the younger Black flinched, reaching for his own but not pulling it. Instead, he attempted to explain himself- the first course of action would be to convince Sirius to not curse him to oblivion.
"Sirius, really," he drawled, and the wand pointed at him shook slightly. "First I come back from the dead to find that you took my house, and now you're threatening me?"
A/N: If you've been following this story, you know that a) I haven't updated in months, and b) Yes, this is an update. I'm restarting the story, with a much better outline and idea of what I'm doing. I will try to update at least once a week, but this will only be a few long chapters rather than multiple shorter ones, so it might take longer to get each chapter out. Have fun. Yayyyy.