James Potter peered through his mask at the other people present at the party. He didn't know who had thrown it—hundreds of people had received the same invitation to the masked ball apparently, as the enormous gilded hall was full of people. But no one had signed the invitation.
James, along with his best friend Remus, had been unable to resist the mysterious lure of the anonymous party. They had bought masks—James had settled on a golden eye-mask with painted wooden antlers protruding from the top, and Remus wore a full-face mask that was pearlescent in colour, with a wolfish snarl on the mouth. It was quite elaborate, but Remus had been set on it.
"This is insane," James whispered to Remus. A snub-faced waiter in a smart black suit offered them both a flute of champagne, which they eagerly accepted.
"I don't know why Sirius didn't want me to come," Remus said. "This is amazing! The money this must have cost...the effort that must have gone into it…"
There was a grand stage set up in the centre of the hall, with a podium elevated at the front. Behind it sat a full orchestra, who were playing soft, delicate music to the masses of people.
"Maybe he knows who's hosting the party?" James suggested.
Remus scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Well, Sirius did come from some fancy rich family," James continued. "I know he never told us much about his family, but who knows?"
"He would have told me." Remus drained the last drop of his champagne.
James shrugged. "Everyone has secrets."
They continued milling around the party without mentioning anything else on the matter. The idea that Sirius could be keeping secrets had caused Remus to suddenly become quiet, as though he was brooding over something. James regretted saying anything, so he tried to redirect Remus's attention to all the different fancy masks that people were wearing.
One couple, both with icy blonde hair and dark green outfits wore ornamental masks that were decorated with peacock feathers. Another man had a heavy-looking mask of some kind of silvery metal that had winged edges. Three women huddled together and whispering between themselves wore tight-fitting black gowns and simple golden masks.
Then there were the people that were milling around separately, though they were wearing similar outfits and masks. They all wore black or dark coloured clothes, simple dresses or suits and silk black masks encrusted with emeralds. Their skin was ethereally pale and their hair thick and dark.
"They kind of remind me of Sirius," Remus murmured to James. "Especially that one." He nodded to a young man who was standing by the wall in front of the tapestry. He had a mop of thick black hair and was slightly shorter than Remus and James. His eyes were like chips of jet behind his mask.
James noticed that Remus was pulling on the collar of his shirt uncomfortably.
"Are you okay?" he asked his friend, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Remus replied. He was still looking over at the man by the tapestry. "It's just...are you hot? I'm so hot."
"It's probably your mask," James replied, though he noticed that others around the hall were also starting to fan themselves with their hands or tug at the buttons on their outfits. "I'm okay, myself." He nudged Remus with an elbow. "Stop staring at that bloke, you're acting weird. I'll tell your boyfriend."
Remus shook his attention away, turning to stare firmly at James, who was grinning. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me."
James grabbed another two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. "Have a drink, bloody hell." He sipped from his own glass and Remus did the same.
"I might go get some air," Remus replied. "I need to take this mask off."
James nodded, watching Remus move through the crowds, looking for an exit. Then he moved towards the man by the tapestry, interested in the art that he was looking at. "I'm guessing this is your party?" He asked, once he reached the man.
"What makes you say that?" replied the man, without looking at James. James noticed that he had no drink in his hand, unlike all the other guests. When he glanced around at the others who wore the silky black masks, he realised that none of them were drinking the champagne.
"You're wearing the same outfit as all these others. You have the same look about you. You're all milling around the edges, watching what's going on." James grinned. "I've cracked the big secret."
"Perhaps," the man said. "But you still don't know who we are."
There was a sadness to the man's voice, James realised. A kind of dim gloom behind the flowery language he tried to cover it up with.
"What's your name?"
The man turned to look at James. His brow furrowed above his eye-mask and his lips pursed. "Why do you want to know that?"
James shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation."
"I…" the man paused. "Regulus. My name is Regulus." Gone was the mysticism that Regulus was trying to decorate his speech with. "What's yours?"
"James."
"James…" he paused, then moved closer to James. "Listen. I'm only going to say this once, and it's really important." He glanced around, as though making sure no one else was listening. "You're taking a risk coming here. You need to leave."
James raised his eyebrows. "What? What are you talking about?"
But that was all Regulus would say on the matter. "Goodbye, James." He said, and he walked away from James, moving back through the crowd. James tried to catch up with him, but the people barely budged, and by the time he had gotten through a throng of people, Regulus was nowhere to be seen.
"James!" a strangled voice cried out. James spun around and saw Remus, with his mask propped up on his head. His face was flustered and red. As he started to move towards Remus, a smooth, feminine voice started speaking over a microphone.
"Welcome, guests." James looked up at the podium, and saw a beautiful woman speaking. She wore the same black mask as Regulus, a form-fitting gown that was accentuated with flowing, sheer black fabric, and her dark hair fanned around her shoulders. The party guests moved forward suddenly towards the podium, pressed up against each other in their desperation to get closer to her. "Thank you so much for coming to our soirée. I hope you have enjoyed the champagne."
James didn't like the way her red-lipped mouth cracked into a hungry smile when she spoke. He glanced back at Remus, who had his eyes on the woman now too, and was trying to move towards her with the rest of the party. What on earth was going on?
"Remus!" he hissed. Remus was within earshot, but didn't turn around. He was fully, completely entranced by the woman.
The other black-masked individuals were standing around the podium, listening along with the guests, though they didn't seem as strangely enraptured. He scanned them, but none of them were the man he'd just been speaking to. Regulus seemed to have fled the nest.
There was something strange going on, and James had a horrible feeling. The more the woman spoke—odd things about gratitude and health and longevity, the more James wanted to get out of the hall. Regulus's warning rang in his head. You need to leave.
He rushed forward and grabbed Remus by the arm, then started trying to drag him back to the exit. Remus put up more resistance than James expected, and he had to put all his strength into uprooting Remus from the spot he was standing. When Remus finally managed to tear his eyes away from the entrancing woman, his face was pale. "What's going on?" he whispered, his voice wobbling.
"I don't know," James replied quietly, continuing to pull Remus away from the crowds. He didn't let go of Remus's arm, terrified that if he did he would be sucked back into the trance again. "But we need to leave."
"I came back in to get you," Remus said as they edged against the wall, out of sight from the others. "I saw Sirius. He told me I needed to come and get you straight away."
When they reached the exit, James cracked the door slowly, desperately trying to avoid attention. Even though the party hosts hadn't made any attempt to keep anyone in so far, he still expected them to suddenly attack at the idea of someone leaving.
Thankfully, they were able to leave without anyone noticing. The party guests and the mysterious hosts were too interested in what the woman on the podium had to say. They stumbled down the steps outside, James still half-dragging Remus by the arm. Once they were a few metres away from the building, it was Remus's turn to pull James into the forest opposite.
They were only a few steps into the trees when Sirius stepped out from the shadows. He looked almost sickly pale, his face awash with worry. He grabbed Remus by the face as soon as he was close enough, checking him over and glancing into each of his eyes.
"Sirius, I'm fine," Remus mumbled, trying to pull away.
"You don't know that," Sirius said. "You already look dreadful, like all the blood has gone out of you. It's going to take you hours to recover."
"Recover from what?" James asked suddenly. He realised Sirius seemed to know a lot more about what was going on.
Sirius turned to James, but ignored his question. "Are you okay? You don't look…"
"I'm perfectly fine," James replied. "I don't know what was going on in there, but everyone suddenly started going crazy, especially when that weird woman started talking."
"My mother," Sirius said suddenly. He was looking in the direction of the hall, his dark eyes clouded over. "I have a lot to tell you both."
...
"I couldn't tell you," Sirius said. "I couldn't tell you why you shouldn't go to the ball, not without telling you what I am...what I was."
They had gone back to Sirius's downtown flat, and were sitting in the living room, drinking sugary tea that he had prepared, mostly for Remus's benefit. Sirius had stayed quiet during the taxi ride home, refusing to say anymore until they were inside.
"...and I couldn't come in and get you," he continued, looking distraught. "I wanted to come and get you so bad...I followed you both as soon as you left. I was so angry with you for not listening to me," he added to Remus. "But I couldn't blame you, not really. Not when I couldn't give you a real reason not to go. I couldn't come in and get you. They would have recognised me straight away, even with a mask on, and it would have been even worse for you."
Remus drank from his cup shakily, and James leaned forward to listen to Sirius's story.
"You're not going to believe this." Sirius rubbed his face with his hands. "And if you don't, fine. I can't make you. But it's real, and scary, and those people in there—my family—could have killed you."
"Killed us?" James exclaimed. "Isn't that a bit much?"
Sirius shook his head. "They're dangerous. Just listen, okay?"
James and Remus nodded.
"We're—they're—not human. They're of this world, but they're older than mankind, older than most things on the earth. They're demons, real, evil fucking demons, okay?"
James and Remus gaped silently at Sirius, but said nothing.
"You'd never realise what they really are, because they can glamour themselves to look like humans. It doesn't work completely, that's why they still look all weird and pale and too attractive, but it doesn't matter. You wouldn't notice anything was amiss, because by the time you found yourself in their company, you'd be caught in their spell. You'd be completely enchanted by them to the point that you wouldn't even care if it was a man or a woman, you'd just be so wrapped up in them that you'd give yourself to them completely."
"What do you mean by give yourself to them?" James asked. It was the weirdest story he'd ever heard, and he was struggling to believe it, but that was the first question that sprung to mind.
Sirius looked slightly uncomfortable. "They get sustenance from lust."
Remus dropped his cup suddenly, and it shattered at his feet on the wooden floor. James flinched, but Sirius didn't move a muscle. He was staring at Remus, waiting.
"Does that mean…" Remus started. His face was grey.
"No," Sirius said suddenly. "No."
"But if you're...if this is true, and those...those things are your family, you...you're one of them…" Remus swallowed nervously. "And we...Sirius, we've been…"
Sirius stood up and moved over to Remus and dropped to his knees in front of him, ignoring the shards of porcelain that lay on the floor. "No. No. Listen to me." He grabbed Remus's hands. "I'm not like them. Not anymore. I'm just the same as you."
Remus didn't say anything, but he didn't snatch his hands away from Sirius either. "How?"
"It's...it's a long story. I did something to earn my freedom, that's the general gist of it. I promise I'll tell you eventually, but right now I just need you to trust me. I'm not like them."
Remus nodded shakily, and gripped Sirius's hands with his own. "I trust you."
"I'm finding this hard to believe." James leaned over and put his empty cup on the coffee table. "Demons? Really?"
"You wouldn't believe it," Remus replied. "They didn't affect you."
Sirius looked back at James, his eyebrows raised. "What?"
"Everyone else was...well, like zombies. Myself included. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe—I could only see your mother up there, and I just wanted to climb up on there and be with her…" he shuddered. "If it wasn't for James practically yanking me away, I probably would have let her do whatever she liked to me." He paused. "Same with that guy who was staring at the tapestry. The one you tried to stop me looking at, James."
"Regulus," James replied, remembering the strange man who had given him the warning.
"Regulus?" Sirius repeated. He stood up from his kneeling position on the floor, letting the shards of Remus's broken mug drop. "Is that what he said his name was?"
James nodded. "He was...different."
"He's my brother."
"What?" James and Remus both said in unison.
"What did he say to you?" Sirius asked. "Why did he tell you his name?"
"I...I don't know, mate," James scratched the back of his head, recalling the short conversation he'd had with Regulus. "He was just looking at the artwork on the wall. He seemed a bit sad, but he was trying to act all spooky and mysterious, but he just seemed like he didn't want to be there." James paused. "He gave me a warning. He basically said we shouldn't have gone there, and told me to leave."
Sirius looked over James's shoulder, his eyes misty. "He doesn't want to be there. He never did. But he didn't have the guts to leave like I did, and…" Sirius closed his eyes. "He liked the power. As much as he wouldn't admit it, he did." Sirius looked back at James. "And you didn't feel weird around him? At all?"
"No," James admitted. "I don't know what was going on with everyone else."
"They were in a trance," Sirius said. "It's a natural seduction charm that they release. You should have been sucked into them like Remus was."
"I don't understand," James replied.
"I don't either. But I think I know how I can get you to believe."
…
The night was nearly over when James and Sirius returned to the edge of the forest by the hall. Sirius had insisted that Remus remain back at his flat, refusing to let him come into harm's way again.
"How do you know he'll come?"
"He'll come, believe me," Sirius replied. "You will have intrigued him. A human who didn't respond to the charm? He gave you his name," Sirius stressed the last word. "That's not something they just do. Giving away his name gives you the opportunity to erase his power, possibly even kill him. We're told from an early age to never share our names with humans."
"But how will he know we're here?"
"He'll be able to sense you."
"Will the others?" James worried, dreading the idea of seeing Sirius's terrifyingly beautiful mother again.
"Not unless they attached themselves to you like I'm assuming Regulus has."
James didn't reply. The words Sirius was using were confusing him a little. Sense him, attached to him. His brain felt full of all this new information, and he didn't know what to do with it.
As the sun began to rise over the roof of the hall, bleeding orange over the horizon, James noticed a shadowy figure exit the building.
"He's there."
Regulus walked straight across to the forest, still wearing his party suit, though he no longer had his mask on. James realised at that moment how handsome Regulus was. Like his brother, he had a strong jawline and glossy thick black hair, pale smooth skin and dark, sparkling eyes. But there was something noticeably different between Sirius and Regulus, though James couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was almost as though Regulus's skin glowed, whereas Sirius's was dull.
"Brother," Sirius said immediately, his eyes softening.
"Sirius," Regulus answered, but his eyes were on James. "James."
"Thank you for coming," Sirius replied. "I'm...I'm assuming the rest of the family are out of the way?"
"They are resting after the party," Regulus said. "They overindulged, as usual."
"You didn't?"
"No," Regulus's voice was sharp. "They are getting out of control. Mother is getting out of control. She doesn't seem to care that people are beginning to notice missing people, or the amount of human life that she is just relentlessly taking. Her greed has soared since you left us. You wouldn't recognise her."
"I'm sure I would," Sirius replied. "She was always batshit crazy."
Regulus chuckled, and James's heart soared at the sound.
"I need you to show James your true form," Sirius said suddenly. "I know you're not meant to, but there's something different about him."
"I know," Regulus said, turning to look at James. "You couldn't be seduced."
"Were you trying to seduce me?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not something I generally try to do with anyone." Regulus's voice sounded sad once again, and James wished he hadn't said anything.
"Why couldn't I be?"
"The only explanation is that there is someone in your ancestry who may have been a demon, or became a demon. Their resilience has been passed down to you, as it will have done to others in your family." Regulus explained.
"I told him as much as I could about our kind," Sirius continued. "But he needs proof."
Regulus nodded. "I can show him."
"Really?" James and Sirius both said.
"I want him to see."
Regulus backed away from the two, and removed his suit jacket, dropping it on the floor. He turned away from Sirius and James, and relaxed his shoulders, looking up at the sky.
His shoulder blades rippled suddenly through his shirt, then the fabric ripped suddenly as the horned points of two leathery black wings were forced through. They spread out behind him, stretching almost two metres each way, then curled demurely at his back. When Regulus turned around, there were two short grey horns protruding from his forehead. His white skin was positively luminous now.
James had never seen anything like it in his life.
"Do you believe it now?" Regulus asked, and his voice seemed to echo in an otherworldly way.
James nodded slowly, unable to tear his eyes away from the creature.
Regulus glanced back at his brother, then stretched out his wings once again and took flight, soaring into the sky towards the rising sun, and out of view.
"Woah," James whispered, squinting into the sky where Regulus had just been. "You used to be able to do that?"
"A long time ago."
"Do you miss it?"
Sirius smiled sadly. "Not one bit. Now come on, let's go."
James reached onto the floor and picked up Regulus's abandoned blazer. "Sure."
…
It was three days later when James saw Regulus again.
He hadn't really expected to. Since that fateful day of weird discoveries about Sirius and his lineage, James had distanced himself slightly from his friends. It was too odd, too unusual, and thinking about demons and his strange ability to not be affected by them made his brain hurt. So he settled for a few days at home alone while he tried to collect his thoughts.
In the early hours of the morning, James was woken up by what sounded like nails tapping on his bedroom window. He jumped out of bed, startled from his sleep, and went over to the window.
Regulus was on the other side of the glass, standing perfectly balanced on the narrow windowsill. His dark hair was swept back and his skin glimmered white in the moonlight. He was wearing all black again, though it was comfortable clothes this time, not a suit.
James slid open the window to allow Regulus to jump in.
"That was mistake number one," Regulus said once his feet landed on the bedroom floor. "You should never let a demon enter your room so easily."
James swallowed. "Why? Have you come to seduce me and get sustenance from my lust?"
Regulus raised an eyebrow. "My brother really did tell you everything." He laughed, a short, high sound. "No. My seduction doesn't work on you, as we discovered the other night."
James held back a smart comment that was sitting on the tip of his tongue. Just because Regulus's natural demonic charms weren't working on him didn't mean that James didn't find him ridiculously good-looking and attractive. It probably wouldn't take much seducing for James to succumb to him.
"Why have you come here, then?" James asked instead.
"Firstly, you have something that belongs to me." Regulus nodded to the back of the bedroom door, where his suit jacket hung neatly.
"Oh, yeah, sorry." James rushed over to retrieve it and gave it to Regulus. "You left it behind after you...flew off. It looked expensive, I thought I'd hold onto it in case…" he didn't want to say 'in case I saw you again'. It sounded pathetic in his mind.
Luckily, Regulus seemed to understand. He gave James a small smile, and took the jacket from him. "Secondly, I came here to help you. You're in imminent danger."
James looked alarmed. "What do you mean?"
"My mother keeps a strict register of the people who attend her...parties." Regulus rolled the last word around on his tongue distastefully. "She knows how many she kills, how many she just feeds from, how many she keeps as thralls. And she knows if anyone leaves." He paused. "I hoped that you and your friend managed to slip out of her radar, as she was so intoxicated by her greed that night. But you didn't. She knows that two people escaped the party, and she wants them back."
"We didn't even escape!" James exclaimed. "The door was wide open. No one tried to stop us."
"That's the other thing," Regulus continued. "None of my family has ever needed to stop their victims from escaping before. It's not something that they generally want to do."
"So...what are you saying?"
"Mother knows there was someone at the party who resisted her charm," Regulus explained. "And that scares her. She wants to know why. She wants to know who you are, what you are—how you did it." Regulus took a shaky breath. "The last thing she wants is to have someone—or something—running around that isn't affected by her powers."
"What will she do if she finds me?" James already knew the answer.
Regulus looked at his feet. "You don't want to know. It won't be anything good, that much I can assure you."
James sat back heavily on the bed, folding his arms over his shirtless torso. What was he supposed to do? How had his life come to this? Three days ago he didn't have a care in the world—he was blissfully ignorant of sex demons and their wrath. "I wish I didn't go to that bloody party," he grumbled. "What do I do? Is Remus safe?"
Regulus nodded. "So long as Remus stays with Sirius, he will be fine. Even if my mother does end up finding out where he is, she wouldn't go near Sirius. She's so appalled and disgusted that he had the nerve to sign away his powers that she wouldn't even give him the satisfaction of a demonic death," Regulus said. "She thinks he deserves to live out his life as a human and die like one."
"Okay." James released a breath, thankful at the knowledge that his friends would be safe. "And what about me?"
"You need to come with me. I'm going to hide you where they least expect it—right in the heart of our home."
James stood up, throwing a crazed look at Regulus. "Are you mental, mate?" he snapped. "What kind of stupid idea is that? They'll find me!"
"They will be looking everywhere for you," Regulus replied smoothly. "They won't be looking in their own home. My family is too proud and sure of their strength and ability to put fear in the lives of humans. Believe me. They would never expect you to be hiding in our very home."
"How long will I need to be there?"
"Until they give up the search," Regulus replied. "Or until I think of something else."
James ran a hand through his unruly hair, hating everything in that moment. "How do I know I can trust you?" he asked Regulus. "How do I know you're not just luring me back to your house so your family can have sex with me and eat me?"
"That's not how it works," Regulus said swiftly. "But I suppose you'll just have to trust me."
…
James didn't know what kind of house he would be taken to, but he certainly wasn't expecting a perfectly normal manor. The interior was fairly dark and gloomy, with enormous hanging portraits and tapestries like the one back at the masquerade hall, but other than that, it was a completely normal, if not enormous manor house.
"Don't worry, there's no one awake," Regulus said quietly. "My kind are generally nocturnal, though we don't have to be. The rest of my family tend to prefer to be active through the night."
James nodded, hardly daring to speak. There must have been a hundred doors that they passed as Regulus led him through the manor until they reached Regulus's bedroom.
"I expected you to sleep in a coffin," James looked around at the perfectly normal bedroom. Regulus had a simple double bed in the middle of the room with pale grey sheets and a dark green comforter. He had minimal furniture around his room and not much decor, but it was a calming and subdued environment. The walls were plain, and James thought idly of the bedroom back at Sirius's flat, which had posters of motorbikes and scantily clad men and women plastered over the walls. The two brothers couldn't be more different.
"I'm not a vampire." Regulus rolled his eyes, closing the bedroom door behind them. "You'll have to stay in here, all the time. You can't go wandering around the house. It's vitally important."
"What if someone tries to come in here?"
"It shouldn't happen," Regulus hesitated. "But I have a hiding place. Here."
He led James over to a plain space of wall beside a chest of drawers, and crouched down. There was wooden panelling on the lower half of the wall, and Regulus ran his hand along the wood until he found purchase on something. There was a seam in the wall that James would never have noticed unless Regulus had pointed it out. There was a creak, and a small door swung open in the wall. It was only big enough for someone to climb through if they were on their hands and knees.
"What the…" James raised his eyebrows as Regulus climbed into the crawlspace behind the wall.
"Follow me."
"I don't know, mate," James said. "Is this where you lead me to my demise?"
"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already." Regulus's voice was a quiet echo in the crawlspace as he vanished from sight.
James shrugged, and dropped to his hands and knees to follow Regulus into the narrow tunnel. They crawled a few metres, then suddenly opened into a larger space. It was pitch black, but a warm glow suddenly illuminated the room as Regulus turned on a light.
It was a very small room, longer than it was wide. There were a few bean bags thrown on the wooden floor and the walls were lined with bookshelves, which were packed with books. There was another entrance to a crawlspace opposite the one that they had just come out of. "Where does that go?"
Regulus glanced over at the dark space. "Sirius's old room. That's where you need to go if something goes terribly wrong. When Sirius left the family, Mother had his door removed and the wall bricked up. So there's no entrance into his room, besides this one."
"No one knows about this...secret room?" James looked around at the bookshelves curiously.
Regulus smiled. "Not a single soul, except for myself, Sirius, and our deceased Uncle Alphard. Sirius's room used to be his, you see, and he built this room to get away from the...pressures of living in this family. He told Sirius and I about it when we were little, and we used it to escape when we needed to get away."
James nodded slowly. "Okay."
"So, you can stay in my room if it's safe, but when it's not, you come here."
"Understood."
…
It turned out that the rest of the demons in the house really were spending all of their waking hours searching for their escaped meal. Whenever James woke up during the day, Regulus would bring him food and announce that the house was empty.
The food really wasn't up to scratch, but James was too polite to say anything. His stomach grumbled desperately on the fourth day of hiding out in Regulus's bedroom, after Regulus had brought him a packet of walnuts and a glass of water. Is this what it's like being in prison? He thought to himself.
"Thank you," he said gratefully, opening the walnuts to shell a few.
"I'm sorry I can't get you anything warmer," Regulus said. "I think my family would smell hot food and get suspicious. I figured the nuts would sustain you until lunchtime."
Initially, James had thought that Regulus was deliberately trying to starve him. The paranoid side of him wondered if this was just part of his elaborate plot to weaken him to make him easier to attack. But after a few days, he realised that Regulus just didn't understand what James—or any other human—needed to actually survive. Regulus never ate any actual food, so he didn't have a clue what food would be nutritious to a person.
If it were anyone else, James would have called them out by now and probably begged for a real snack. But there was something endearingly sweet about the way that Regulus would bring him pockets of sweets or nuts, a bag of crisps here and there, a chocolate bar. He always seemed pleased with his offering, and intrigued to see whether James enjoyed what he had brought him. James didn't know if he had the heart to tell him.
But there was only so long his grumbling stomach would go unnoticed.
"Are you still hungry?" Regulus asked after James had thrown the last few walnuts into his mouth. "I can hear your stomach making noises."
James rubbed the back of his head. "I mean...I guess...a little…"
"Is it not enough what I've brought you?" Regulus's voice was slightly sharp, and he raised an eyebrow. James felt his heart sinking.
"No. I mean, yes, it is, of course it is. I'm grateful for what you're bringing me, and what you're doing for me…"
"But?"
James hesitated. "I don't know what you eat, Regulus…" he tried not to suggest that it was 'people'. "But a handful of walnuts isn't really enough...not for me, at least."
Regulus was silent for a few moments, assessing James with his dark eyes. Suddenly they softened, and he jumped up from where he had been sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm so sorry, James," he said solemnly. "I should have asked about what sustained you. I can't bring you hot food, but there should be more things I can provide for you. What can I do?"
James was slightly surprised by Regulus's response, and he wasn't sure what to say.
"I...I mean…" he tried to think quickly, feeling suddenly put on the spot. "Cereal, I guess? Bread, cheese...I can make things like that work."
Regulus nodded. "Of course." He moved towards James, and reached out to take his hand. "I'm so sorry, James," he repeated. "I...I didn't know."
"It's okay," James breathed, surprised. He really didn't expect Regulus to be so apologetic.
…
Sharing a room with Regulus eventually meant sharing his bed. It had been an awkward decision—Regulus had been willing to sleep on the daybed by the window after insisting that James have the bed, but James wouldn't hear of it.
"I'll sleep on the daybed. This is your room. I don't mind; I've slept in worse places."
"Absolutely not. You're my guest here, and I've already made you suffer enough with your lack of sustenance. You will sleep in the bed."
They went back and forth like this for a few moments, until James finally threw up his hands. "Fine. I guess we're both sleeping in the bed."
A pink tinge spread across Regulus's face. "Pardon?"
"We'll both sleep in the bed." James shrugged. "I'm not bothered, if you're not." He grinned. He really didn't mind the idea of sharing the bed with Regulus.
"Are you sure you're comfortable with that?"
"Well, I am immune to your charms," James replied, though he didn't entirely believe it. "So it's not like you're going to be able to...I don't know, whatever it is you do."
Regulus didn't reply for a few moments, appearing to dwell on the idea. "Okay then," he finally agreed, seemingly nonchalant.
For the first few nights, they slept as far apart from each other as they could. Regulus slept curled up at the furthest end of the bed, keeping his back to James. James continued to edge over during the night, pretending to be asleep if he slung an arm over Regulus's waist, feeling pleased whenever Regulus flinched in response, but didn't move away or budge his arm. Before long, James and Regulus would both pretend to be asleep as they moved closer to one another in the night, until Regulus was quite happily sleeping in James's arms.
As soon as light started to shine through the curtains however, Regulus would scoot over to the other side and act as though nothing had happened by morning. James was desperate to bring it up or crack a joke about their midnight cuddling sessions, but he knew Regulus was dreadfully embarrassed about the whole thing.
James didn't entirely know why, but he had an idea. He figured Regulus was worried that his seduction charms really were working, and that was the only reason James wanted to be so close to him during the night.
Maybe that was true. James didn't entirely know.
…
It was terribly boring, waiting in Regulus's bedroom, with no real idea of whether the family of demons were still searching for him. Regulus would have to leave for periods of time during the night sometime, so that he could keep up appearances with his family and pretend he was searching. James found those times the worst—he started to loathe being alone in the bedroom.
He spent hours in the secret cubby hole, reading through all the books—but they were boring, snobby novels about rich aristocrats and their romances. James couldn't imagine Sirius sitting and reading these books. The idea did make him laugh, and he swore to make sure he teased him to death whenever he saw Sirius again.
If he ever saw Sirius again. Or Remus. James asked Regulus almost everyday if his friends were still safe, and Regulus promised that they were. His mother had no interest in seeking out Remus, especially once she became aware that he was safely shacked up with Sirius.
Apparently a life spent with her worthless son was a fate much worse than death at her hand.
James looked forward to the days he could spend with Regulus, when the rest of the family were sleeping and he was awake. But even then Regulus would vanish for hours at a time, returning with the smell of perfume or aftershave lingering on his skin.
It started to make James jealous.
"Who are you sleeping with everytime you leave?" he finally asked, after three days of Regulus leaving at the same time each day.
Regulus looked instantly flustered, his pale skin flushing pink. He pulled on the collar of his shirt, unbuttoning the top few buttons. "What makes you think I'm sleeping with someone?"
"You're leaving all the time, and coming back smelling of sex and shame."
"I'm not ashamed," Regulus replied, though he did look quite ashamed when he spoke. "James, I'm not sure it's any of your business, but…"
"I'm sorry." James stood up from where he had been lounging on the bed. "I suppose it's none of my business, but seeing as I'm stuck here and you're the only person I get to see or speak to, I suppose I…" his voice tailed off. He didn't know what he 'supposed'. He didn't know where he was going with the conversation. Suddenly he felt ashamed of putting Regulus in such an awkward, embarrassing position. "I'm sorry," he repeated.
"It's okay," Regulus said. "It's...I have to…"
"You don't have to tell me."
"No, I do." Regulus sat down on the bed and gestured for James to sit back down beside him. "You already know what I have to do to survive," he explained, his eyes on the floor. "I have to."
"Who do you go to?"
Regulus's face was practically crimson and he looked like he was going to burst. "I don't like to do what the rest of them do," he continued. "They just take. It's cruel what they do to people. I go to...I don't know what you want to call them. Professionals. I pay them for their services. They're doing their job, and I'm getting my sustenance." He paused. "It's still not right; they don't know what I'm really taking from them, but it's the only way I can do it and still be able to sleep at night."
James was silent for a few moments while he processed what Regulus had just told him. He wanted to be angry with him for some reason—but he just felt sorry for him. Sirius had been right; Regulus really didn't like being what he was. It would be easy for him to just do what the rest of his family did and just take sustenance from the seduced people that threw themselves at him, but he wasn't like that.
"I don't want you to have to go to prostitutes," James said suddenly. "You don't have to do that."
"I do," Regulus insisted. "Because I'm not going to take from people that don't have a choice, even if they think that's what they want...they're charmed, they're seduced. At least when I pay for it...they might still be charmed, but it's a...an exchange of services, I suppose." He kept his head down, as though scared to look at James. "I don't want to be like them; like my family."
"No," James continued. "No, you don't have to. You're not like them. You're better than the rest, Regulus." He swallowed, almost nervous about what he was going to say next. "What if...what if there was someone else who would be willing to help you stay...sustained?" He paused. "Someone who isn't able to be seduced by your charms?"
Regulus looked up at James, his eyebrows raised. "You don't know what you are suggesting, James."
James shrugged. "Of course I do. It's an exchange of services."
"What do you get out of the exchange?" Regulus asked.
"I suppose I'm bored," James replied with a sigh. "But also, I'd like to know if I truly am...immune to your charms." The words came naturally out of James's mouth, but he wasn't sure it was the truth.
"I'll…" Regulus looked away again. "I'll think about it."
…
After James's offer, Regulus vanished for several days.
James didn't know what he'd done wrong, or if he'd offended Regulus somehow. He didn't hear any sounds in the house, even in the dead of the night. By day three, he was desperate to leave the bedroom and search for some clue as to why Regulus had gone. By day four, he just wanted to leave.
It took every ounce of strength to remain where he was, and he was pent up with frustration.
He started being plagued with visions of what Regulus was getting up to in his absence. His daydreams usually involved Regulus in various situations with men and women, sometimes both. At first the idea angered him and made him ridiculously jealous. He had offered himself to Regulus on a plate, but he was still leaving to pay for sex? As angry as he was, his frustration still brimmed over, and the thoughts of Regulus in sexual situations started to make James feel a completely different type of way.
There was only one way to deal with his feelings.
Unfortunately, during one of the times James had taken to laying in the bed and stimulating himself to try and ease his frustration, Regulus decided to make a reappearance. When the door swung open, James was completely naked on the bed, his hand down in his nether regions.
"Shit!" James shouted, throwing the covers over himself and sinking down into the mattress. Regulus stood with his mouth agape, letting the door close behind him. "I...oh...you've caught me at a really bad time."
"I can see that," Regulus breathed. He was looking at James in a strange sort of way, and his eyes shone with something that James didn't quite recognise. Was it hunger?
"I'm sorry," James rushed, pulling the covers up to his neck.
"Don't apologise," Regulus replied softly, moving closer to the bed. "Do you need time to…finish what you were doing?" he blushed when he spoke.
"No, no, of course not." James reached for his underwear at the side of the bed and struggled into them under the sheets. Once he was suitably covered up, he climbed out of the bed and started to put clothes on quickly. "Jesus, Regulus, I'm so sorry, this is so embarrassing—"
"—I'm sorry," Regulus interrupted. "I've left you for nearly a week. I'm sure you were feeling…"
"Where did you go?" James said, determined to change the subject. "Were you…paying for services again?"
"No." Regulus sat down on the day bed. "My family hosted another one of their parties. I had to be present for that."
"It lasted five days?"
"It was in the Ukraine," Regulus continued. "I had to travel there and make appearances." He looked tired and sad, and he gazed out of the window.
"Are you okay?" James asked softly.
Regulus was quiet for a few moments, and James didn't pressure him. When he finally spoke, his voice was wobbly and full of emotion. "I'm so tired of this," he said. "I'm so tired of my mother. There is no need for us to exist this way. We could be peaceful with humans. We could make connections and co-exist and get what we need without the violence." He paused. "They...they don't even need to take as much as they do. They don't need to hurt people. They don't need to kill." A tear slipped down Regulus's cheek, and James hurried over to the day bed to sit next to him.
"I...I wish I knew how to help you."
"I didn't partake," Regulus said, turning to face James. "But Mother is starting to notice that I am not participating with them. She hasn't said anything yet, but I feel that she is planning something to make me join in with the violence."
James remained quiet. He slowly reached for Regulus's hand with both of his, and clasped their fingers together.
"The only positive is that Mother seems to have stopped her quest for vengeance on the missing victim," Regulus continued. "They haven't been searching for you for weeks now. She is so confident of herself, she probably thinks that she's scared you to death."
"Does that mean…"
"You should be safe to leave, soon. If we give it a couple of weeks, just to make sure."
James kept his hands entwined with Regulus's. He didn't know how he felt about that. He supposed he should be happy to be able to go back to freedom; to be able to see Sirius and Remus again and get on with his life. But would that mean he wouldn't get to see Regulus again?
"I should rest," Regulus said softly. "I haven't slept for days."
"Have you…" James rubbed a circle with his thumb on the back of Regulus's hand. "Have you had a chance to…" He didn't know how else to say 'slept with someone to feed on their lust' in a polite way. Luckily, Regulus knew what he meant.
"No." Regulus prised his hand free of James's, and took off his jacket and shirt. Normally he would hang up his clothes neatly, but this time he threw them on the floor. His bare, pale skin surprised James. Normally Regulus was quite demure about undressing; he would leave and go to another room to put on pyjamas and politely keep his head turned when James was changing clothes.
James wasn't sure where to look. He didn't want to make Regulus uncomfortable by staring, but...James sighed. He certainly was nice to look at.
Regulus kicked his dark jeans off and climbed into bed in his underwear. After a few moments, James moved to join him, hoping that Regulus wanted company. He threw his clothes down with Regulus's and slid into bed beside him.
They lay in silence, waiting for the sky to darken outside and plunge the bedroom into darkness. Regulus's confidence grew as it became darker, and he turned to face James and started to edge closer to him, as they often did.
James had missed the feel of Regulus in his arms while he'd been away. They seemed to mould into each other; Regulus settled into the crook of James's arm and pressed his cheek to James's chest, right over his heart. But there was something different this time—while James normally slept shirtless, Regulus never did. Suddenly James was hyper-aware of the skin-to-skin contact between his own body and Regulus's, and he felt goosebumps rise on his skin.
"Regulus?" James whispered into the dark. He didn't expect Regulus to answer, as they usually pretended to be asleep during their midnight cuddles.
"Yeah?" Regulus replied back.
"Can I kiss you?"
There was a long silence, but Regulus didn't move away from James, so he took that as a positive. Finally Regulus turned to face James. "Okay."
James rolled onto his side and Regulus lay back on his own pillow, letting James look down on him. He was beautiful, James thought. Even in the dark, he could see Regulus's skin almost glowing white and his dark, nervous eyes shining. He leaned over Regulus slowly and pressed their lips together softly.
Euphoria rushed over James when Regulus kissed him back. When Regulus pulled back, James gasped at the loss. "Be careful," Regulus warned. "This is dangerous for you."
"I already offered myself to you," James whispered. "Why don't you want me?"
"I do," Regulus replied. "You don't know how badly I want you, James. But...there's something about you, I feel something so desperately for you, and I don't want to hurt you…"
"You won't hurt me." James leaned forward and kissed Regulus softly again, and ran a hand down the expanse of Regulus's body. "Let me be with you."
Regulus sighed at James's touch, and James could see that hungry look in his eyes again, even though he was trying desperately to hide it. "James…"
James's hand reached its destination, and Regulus closed his eyes. "Just let go." Regulus let his head roll back, and James used the opportunity to kiss the exposed skin of his neck.
…
Regulus was a completely different person in the morning. He jumped out of bed, full of spritely energy and determination to seize the day. On the other hand, James felt terrible, as though he was hungover.
He didn't understand why he felt so bad. The night spent with Regulus had been amazing. He'd been in sexual situations with other people before, but he had never experienced anything like the night he'd had with Regulus.
"You can stay in bed," Regulus said. "I'm going to bring you things to bring your energy back up."
"Why do I feel like this?" James groaned. He tried to sit up, but his headache knocked him back down on the pillows.
Regulus looked guilty. "There's a reason that sex and lust gives us power, James," he said. "I took your energy from you. This is why...this is why I didn't want to do it to you."
"I don't regret it," James said suddenly. "I promise you, I don't regret it."
…
It was a week later when Regulus announced that James could leave.
James didn't know if he wanted to. Regulus had been reluctant to let James be intimate with him again, even though James tried to convince Regulus that it was okay and a bit of lethargy and headache wasn't about to stop James wanting to sleep with him.
If anything, James got the feeling that Regulus was ready for James to go. He was almost afraid to be around James now, as though he was almost sure that he would hurt him.
It hurt James to be kicked out of the house so suddenly. It felt alien to be standing in the daylight outside, feeling the wind on his skin and smelling the flowers. "My family have moved temporarily to the Ukraine," Regulus explained. "I have to join them soon, or they'll notice my absence. You'll be safe now."
"Thank you for…" James paused. "For protecting me, I guess."
"Anytime." Regulus smiled sadly.
"Will I see you again?" James asked, praying that Regulus would say yes. He couldn't imagine his life without him now.
"I don't know," Regulus replied. "I don't know."
Before James made to leave, he grabbed the back of Regulus's head and pulled him forwards to kiss him. Regulus tried to resist initially, but melted into the kiss quickly. When they pulled apart, there were tears sparkling in Regulus's dark eyes.
…
Sirius and Remus were thrilled and surprised when James returned to Sirius's flat. Sirius popped open a bottle of white wine and poured them all hefty measurements, and Remus went about ordering chinese food. While they sat on the sofa, Sirius eyed James suspiciously.
"I know that he's had sex with you," he said. "I can see the loss of life behind your eyes."
"Don't talk rubbish," James replied.
"Maybe you just can't remember because of the charm."
"He didn't put his charm on me!" snapped James. "It doesn't work, remember? If you must know, Regulus didn't want to sleep with me. He was terrified of hurting me and being like your family. I wanted to sleep with him, not because of the fucking charm, but because—" James struggled for the words, suddenly realising just how much he'd said. "Because I love him."
The words hung in the air for a few moments. Remus and Sirius both stared at James.
"You can't love him," Sirius said. "You just can't."
"Why not?" James asked. "Remus loves you."
"That's different. I'm not like Regulus anymore."
"But you were once," James continued. "What changed? How did you manage to become human?"
Sirius's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter. Regulus will never do what I did. He doesn't want to lose his powers."
"I don't think you know him as much as you think you do, mate." James leaned back on the couch. "Just tell me."
Sirius sighed and rubbed a palm over his face. "It's...it's a deal. A deal with the devil. It's not possible to just get rid of being a demon without giving it to someone. I had to…" Sirius looked awkwardly at Remus, as though hating that he was going to have to hear what he was going to say. "I had to perform a ritual, then join intimately with a human under the devil's watch. They would receive my powers; they would become what I was."
"You made someone like you?" Remus asked.
"I did it to be human. So I could be with you."
"And the person you made a demon?" Remus continued.
"It was a willing party," Sirius insisted. "You'd be surprised how many people long for that kind of power."
…
James's first night back in his own bed was a sad night. It felt empty and cold without Regulus's presence beside him. Whenever he drifted off to sleep, he awoke suddenly, feeling lost in the huge bed without another person beside him.
He was in the throes of sleep when he heard tapping on his window, and he grumbled in response. "Go away. It's too early."
The tapping continued, and finally James rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He jumped out of bed and threw open the curtains. To his surprise, Regulus stood on the other side of the glass, his dark hair tousled messily and his clothes a little rumpled. He didn't look...himself.
James pushed the window open and let Regulus climb inside. There was something slower about the way he moved; he wasn't gliding like he normally did. His skin didn't glow in the dark in the ethereal way James had become used to. His hair was messy, like he'd been running his hands through it.
But James didn't care. His heart still swelled at the sight of Regulus, and he pulled Regulus close, kissing him desperately. "I didn't expect to see you again," James murmured. "Especially not so soon."
"I regretted letting you leave," Regulus replied. "I need to ask. Are you still attracted to me?"
It was a strangely formal question, and James raised an eyebrow. "Are you crazy? You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen."
A small smile crept onto Regulus's face, and James furrowed his brow.
He was different. He didn't walk like he usually did, didn't talk the same, didn't move the same.
"You…" James paused. "You...did the deal, didn't you? You've made yourself human?"
Regulus shifted his feet. "I don't know what you know about how it works." He took James's hands in his. "But I had to do it. I think I've needed to do it for a long time, but I just needed an excuse to go ahead with it." He looked up at James. "I think you were my excuse." He paused. "I needed to know if you were still attracted to me, because…I needed to know that it wasn't just because of what I was."
James kissed Regulus again. "You gave away your powers for me?"
Regulus nodded. "All for you."
"You've abandoned your family...your mother...she'll be so angry with you…"
"I don't care," Regulus continued. "We can leave. We can run and hide until she gets bored, like she did with Sirius." He paused again. "And when she does, I want to find her. I want to kill her, and I'm sure Sirius will feel the same. I don't want her, and the rest of my family, to carry on ruining lives and killing people unnecessarily."
James pulled Regulus to his chest, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'll help you. Anything for you."
"I love you," Regulus murmured into his chest, wrapping his arms around James's waist.
"I love you too," James replied. "More than you'll ever know."
Written For:
- August Auction/Day 15 Auction 2: Incubus/Succubus!AU
- Assignment #5/Psychiatry Task #3: Write about someone wanting intimacy/sexual contact.
- Writing Club/Gotta Catch Em All: 18. (character) James Potter
- Writing Club/This or That: First Job 5. (emotion) Nervous
- Writing Club/Showtime: 15. (feeling) Shame
- Writing Club/Film Festival: 10. (emotion) Frustration
- Writing Club/Elizabeth's Empire: 19. (emotion) nervous
- Writing Club/Sophie's Smut Bucket: 7. (action) Getting goosebumps
- Writing Club/Throwback: 18. (word) burst
- Writing Club/Hobby Hole: 4. (colour) Green
- Writing Club/Artist Appreciation: 2. (dialogue) "You're better than the rest, [Name]."
- Writing Club/Buttons: Emotions 4. Euphoria
- Writing Club/Resolution Evolution: Writing Resolution 7. Write a fic with an AU you like but have never written before.
- Writing Club/TV Spree: 12. (emotion) Jealousy
- Summer Seasonal/Indoor Plant Week: 8. (emotion) flustered
- Summer Seasonal/International Body Piercing Day: 61. (word) Dangerous
- Summer Seasonal/Creative Ice Cream Day: 2. Beer (Regulus Black) & 26. Boston Cream Pie (James Potter)
- Summer Seasonal/Gryffindor Characters: 15. James Potter
- Summer Seasonal/Gryffindor OTPs: 5. James/Regulus
- September Monthly/Cat Herding: Cat 37. Regulus, Location 6. "You've caught me at a really bad time."
- Celebrating Women Club: 8. (setting) sunrise
Word Count: 9,513