Written for the QLFC Procrastination Thread Boot Camp.
Prompt: Royalty (2)
Level: Hard
Character: Regulus Black
/
From a young age, Regulus Black was taught that Blacks were the best, that they were the top of the top. He never had reason to doubt that: he knew that his family had a lot of money, that they were powerful. No more confirmation was needed for him.
One day, when he was five years old, Sirius had somehow managed to get his hands on a Muggle book. Thinking that it was written by a wizard, Regulus had read it and immediately went to his father, Lord Orion Black, with questions.
"Father, why doesn't the Wizarding World have kings and queens and princes and princesses?" he asked, sitting on an armchair, his back ramrod straight, his legs folded together in the way that all pureblood wizards were taught from birth.
Orion stopped scribbling on the piece of parchment in front of him abruptly. He frowned at Regulus. "What do you mean?"
"I read a book that Siri got me, and it talked about kings and queens and princes and princesses," Regulus replied primly. "But there aren't any kings or queens or princes and princesses."
Orion groaned mentally and cursed his eldest son in his head. Damn Sirius!
"Why?" Regulus prompted. "I asked Sirius, and he said that it's because the Wizarding World is completely outdated. That doesn't make sense."
Orion ran a hand down his face. "Regulus, who was the book written by?" he asked, in a long-suffering voice.
"Don't know."
"Did Sirius say that the author was a wizard?"
Regulus frowned deeply, and contemplated his father's question for a moment. "No," he finally admitted. "But Sirius can't have gotten a Muggle book! He hasn't been out of the house today!"
"I know he hasn't," said Orion. "How about yesterday?"
"No."
"The day before?"
Regulus frowned. "He did, but only for a little bit. He just went onto the street outside."
Orion leaned forward. "Regulus, the street outside is full of Muggles."
Regulus paused, then exclaimed, "Sirius took it, then!"
"Apparently," said Orion. He leaned closer. "Any questions?"
"Yes. Why isn't there a king or a queen or a prince or a princess in the Wizarding World?"
"Because," said Orion, trying to figure out how to explain this very complicated matter, "we have a Minister. A king is essentially a ruler - the same as the Minister. The queen is the king's wife. She rules alongside him. And -"
"But Millicent Bagnold is a witch," Regulus pointed out. "Sirius said that a king is always male."
"Yes," said Orion, privately wondering what he had done to get into this conversation. "But both the Minister and the king rule their domains."
"Okay," Regulus nodded eagerly.
"And the princes and princesses are the children of the king and queen."
"Okay."
"Got it, Regulus?"
"Yes," he grinned. "Thank you, Father! I'm going to go tell Sirius!" Then he paused. "One more thing."
"Yes, Regulus?" Orion asked, his voice slightly tired now.
"You said Blacks are the best. Are we...are we basically the royalty - that's what Sirius called the kings and queens and princes and princesses - of the Wizarding World?"
Orion paused. "Maybe, Regulus. It depends."