A/N: Written for Day 25 of August 2018's Romance Awareness. You can sense when your soulmate is in distress.

Other prompts and challenges are listed at the bottom, so as not to give anything away.

Word Count: 771

pain healed by hope

Regulus wrapped his arms around himself, determined to stay on his feet this time.

It was a Thursday evening and if any of his Quidditch team knew that he wasn't intending to sleep, they would have ridiculed him and cried blasphemy. He was notorious for early morning training sessions because the Ravenclaws were notorious for trying to spy on other team's practices.

A phantom twinge made him clutch his side. Regulus stepped closer to the window, gazing at the moon. Raising up his shirt, he peeled back the bandage cover his ribs. Remus wouldn't be impressed by the tattoo, but it was small enough that Regulus had been more than happy with it.

The moon on his skin mirrored the one in the sky, both full.

Before he had left, Remus had held him and Regulus had held him tightly as his boyfriend had trembled in his arms.

"Just rest tonight. You wouldn't run a marathon the day before you run a marathon. You have a match tomorrow."

At the time, he had placated and said what he had too. Then Regulus had had a very brief window when he could run and find James Potter. He knew that Potter was the leader of their little gang and Remus had told him about what the so - called Marauders had achieved.

Regulus had wanted to go with them. At first, James had laughed in his face.

"That's a piecrust promise," he'd said, "easily made and easily broken. You might love our Moony but what are you actually going to do?"

"Don't doubt me, Potter. I've spent months studying and I love Remus Lupin. I mastered the animagus transformation last week." He had been nearly incandescent with rage but something in his expression had made James pull him from where they were standing in an empty corridor, under a cream and burgundy tapestry and into a hidden alcove.

"Show me."

The House of Black was known for being 'old money' and deeply conservative. It was a family of extremes and yet no one had ever expected for any of them to be clever. Sirius had worn it like a badge of honour, regularly flaunting his good grades and intelligence whilst Regulus had always preferred to keep his cards close to his chest.

So Regulus had concentrated and transformed, his body shrinking, his sense sharpening. He had at first been stung by the fact that his animagus form was a feline. It felt too similar to Professor McGonagall and yet his form was larger and ginger with patches of white on his paws. James Potter had given a low whistle.

"You need a name. Crookshanks," he'd suggested and Regulus had wanted to curse him when he'd gone back to his human form. Slowly, the shock faded from James' face.

"I'm impressed Black, but there's no way you'll be able to come with us tonight. Let us take care of Moony and you can be there for him when he gets out of the hospital wing."

Regulus had wanted to protest. He had wanted to argue, to be stronger, to do more for Remus. A flash of lightning illuminated the room. Pain left him breathless and on his knees on the floor. He was in an abandoned classroom near the hospital wing which gave him a view over to the Shrieking Shack.

He loved Remus Lupin and he had since he was a child and he would spend every full moon screaming. Regulus had worked out that his soulmate bond meant he could feel what his soulmate was feeling, and realised that whoever he was bonded with was a werewolf before he was ten years old. His parents hadn't cared to know, whilst Sirius had thought Regulus was acting out for attention.

Regulus tried to breathe through the pain and concentrated hard. He focussed on happy memories, on the love he and his boyfriend shared. The pain built, it was blinding but Regulus forced himself to do his best to help.

The next day Remus was back in his arms, with new bruises and bandages wrapped around his arms.

"How did it go?" Regulus asked softly, expecting Remus to shrug and brush it off as he always did.

"I don't know why but somehow it was better," Remus said, his voice scratchy. "It sounds crazy but I felt like you were there. It helped."

Regulus kissed him, took his hands and smiled softly as he led his boyfriend towards the Gryffindor Dorms and somewhere he could rest. Hope made his heart lighter when Remus offered him a smile, Regulus felt like he could do anything.

A/N:

Character Appreciation: 2. Title: Quidditch Captain

Disney Challenge: Q5. "That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken."

Showtime: 4. (word) Blasphemy

Amber's Attic: G2. Write about someone getting a tattoo (not the Dark Mark) (5 bonus points)

Ami's Audio Admirations: Use the prompt set: (trait) determined, (character) James Potter, (dialogue) "You wouldn't run a marathon the day before you run a marathon."

Em's Emporium: 18. Write about the Black/White Sheep of a family.

Sophie's Shelf: 35. Remus/Regulus

Angel's Arcade: 7. (word) leader, (weather) lightning, (color) white

Lo's Lowdown: Q5. "Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." - Emily Dickinson

Bex's Bazaar: F3. Write about someone communicating without speaking.

Days of the Year: Hug Your Cat Day: Write about a cat animagus. (Doesn't have to be canon)

Colour Prompt: Cream

Flower Prompts: Hydrangea - (phrase) 'Old Money'

Element Prompts: (word) Incandescent

Shay's Musical Challenge: 10. 1776 - write about someone no one likes. alt, write about fighting for an unpopular cause