Author's Note! This chapter will have perspective change in it, so when you see a dividing line later on, that will signify that the perspective is shifting. Also, for those of you wondering about a Regulus Black before his time, this Regulus Black is actually Regulus Black I. Sirius' brother from the books was Regulus Arcturus Black, a later member of the Black family with the same first name. Trivia: Regulus I's brother's name was Arcturus! The Regulus from this story was born in 1906, so he does fit into the time period. I try to do research on various pieces of history according to the canonical Harry Potter literature and also what I know from Pottermore to help with accuracy. I don't always get it right I'm sure, but I try! Anyways, thank you to everyone who reads my story, it is one of my favorite things to see how many people enjoy it. I also love reading your reviews, they can make my day. I hope you enjoy the chapter, it's quite a bit longer than my usual chapters, so I hope you'll be able to bear with it! Thank you again for all your support!
-Pneuma
Zia had to show Regulus where the money exchange office was so he could change his galleons for pounds, after explaining to him that the large gold coins would not be accepted in muggle shops. Then they left Diagon alley, Regulus carrying her larger luggage and she directing him towards a small shop that sold men's clothing where she often bought Tom's clothes. Eyeing his robes nervously and wondering how the shopkeeper would react to the strange clothing, she pushed open the door and motioned for Regulus to go into the shop.
"Welcome back Miss Gaunt, who is accompanying you today?" The shopkeeper looked expectantly at Zia, waiting for the name of what he must have seen as a very strange man. Zia tried to suppress a smile as she watched the shopkeeper's battle to maintain an aura of professionalism despite the unusually dressed person next to her.
"This is Mr. Black," Zia told him. Regulus was starting at the man with more curiosity evident on his face than the shopkeeper's. She surreptitiously jabbed him in the back using her knuckles with the hope that he would pull himself back together. With difficulty, he did.
"Regulus Black, good to meet you," Regulus said, and to Zia's slight surprise, he offered his hand to the storekeeper. The storekeeper shook his hand.
"What are you here for today, Mr. Black?"
"I'm here for some mug—a new outfit," Regulus replied. The salesman nodded, obviously prepared for the request, and set to work taking a few measurements and then moving from one rack to the next scooping up pants, shirts, jackets, and finally a hat.
"Try these on, let's see how they look," he said putting the clothes on a rack in a fitting room and pushing Regulus inside. It was a while before Regulus emerged, at last looking like he belonged in the muggle world.
"How is the fit?" the worker asked. Regulus looked at Zia, as if asking her whether it worked or not. He seemed unused to the kinds of clothes he was wearing. Zia nodded.
"It fits well. I'd like to buy these," he said.
"Alright, go back in and change back and I will total your purchases for you."
"Actually, he would like to wear this out of the store, if that is alright?" Zia told the shopkeeper. The salesman eyed the robes hanging in the closet, and then looked back at her.
"Of course," he said.
As soon as the clothes were paid for, (Zia had to help Regulus work with the money) they exited the shop and walked to the bus stop. Sitting down on the bench, Zia patted the spot next to her and Regulus sat there.
"These clothes are quite strange," he said casually.
"You'll get used to them. How was it meeting your first 'real' muggle?" Zia asked him.
"He seemed normal. I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had a wand somewhere in that shop," Regulus replied. He was staring at his hand as if waiting for it to develop a rash or something.
"So it wasn't so bad?"
"Not at all."
"Alright then. I'll give you one more hour today, but after that I'm going back to my family," Zia shifted her packages around. She'd been carrying them with her the whole time, and they hadn't become any less heavy. Regulus watched her rearrange the stacks to keep them all balanced, then rolled his eyes and stood. He looked around, then pulled her in the direction of an empty alleyway nearby.
"You're a witch for goodness sake, Zia. Use your magic," he said exasperatedly as he pulled out his wand. She kept her eyes on it suspiciously, but all he did was flick it three times in the direction of her packages. They shuddered for one moment, then shrank down to pocket size. She caught them in her hands then looked over at him.
"How exactly am I supposed to get these back to their original form?" she asked as she deposited them into her purse. He looked at her incredulously.
"You don't know how to do an enlargement charm?" he goggled at her with such an expression of shock that it was almost comical. She pursed her lips and stocked out of the alley, irritated.
"I was never properly trained," she grumbled when he easily caught up to her. "It's none of your business, like the majority of my life. Anyways do you want the extra hour or do you plan to keep pestering me?" He held his hands up and shook his head.
"I didn't mean any offense."
"Okay then. Well I suppose I'll take you to an ice cream shop then," she said, then looked over at him. "I expect that you'll put my packages right before I get on the bus for home."
"Of course."
She walked through the streets toward a local ice cream parlor that was usually fairly busy. There would be enough people to observe without looking strange doing so, and it was the best she could come up with on short notice. He followed her, gaping at nearly everyone they passed, head swiveling around like a kid in an amusement park. To compensate for his bizarre behavior, she did her best to look as normal as possible. It did remind her a little of the beginning. She was fairly sure she'd watched everything around her the same way.
They arrived at the ice cream shop and walked to the counter. She ordered a basic sundae, and he followed suit, then they sat down at a table in the corner. She poked at her ice cream with the spoon, watching him to ensure he wouldn't do anything harmful. It felt almost like letting a lion loose in a herd of unsuspecting zebra. She had no idea how he would react.
"Are those two courting?" Regulus asked under his breath as he nodded toward two teenagers sharing an ice cream. Zia glanced over at them then back to him.
"Probably."
"But that group is just friends who came here?" he surreptitiously pointed at a group with his spoon.
"Looks like it."
"Fascinating. It's just like wizards really. The ice cream is a little different, but still tastes good enough," he commented as he put another spoonful in his mouth. She kept herself from rolling her eyes.
"I told you there was really no other difference than magic. How else do you think people could fall in love and then have children? Muggles aren't a different species," she sat back and watched him. "I was raised as a muggle." His eyes widened and he stared at her, and she noticed that he physically leaned away as far as the chair allowed. Some things were too ingrained to change so quickly, it seemed.
"So you are a mud-a muggle born," he corrected himself this time before the full word slipped out.
"Basically."
They stared at each other across the table. Zia sized him up. This was an even bigger threat than Tom Riddle Senior had been. There was no chance of her winning a duel with this man, not with wands. She supposed she could fight the muggle way, but she didn't know if that would be enough. She wasn't sure what he was doing while he studied her, but she wanted to be prepared for whatever happened. After a few tense moments, he relaxed. She followed suit, but only slightly.
"I wouldn't have known," he said quietly, fiddling with the hem of his suit jacket. "If you hadn't told me I wouldn't have known."
"Isn't it that way with every muggle born? If you didn't know their name, if you didn't recognize that their family wasn't one you recognized, would you ever be able to tell the difference on sight alone?" She leaned forward and subtly gestured towards all of the muggles seated around them, laughing, talking, just living in the world. "Even them. If they were all dressed in robes and in the Leaky Cauldron. Would you know?"
He looked around at everyone there, taking it all in again. "No." Zia nodded. They finished their ice cream in silence. She wasn't sure what he was thinking about exactly, but she hoped that it was something in the right direction. People were just people, magic or not. She placed her hands on the table, lifted herself off the seat, and stood.
"Your hour is up, so I'll be going," she dug into her pocket and held out the tiny packages. "I'll need your help with these." He looked down at her hand then nodded.
"Right. Let's go somewhere else for that." They exited the shop and he took her hand and tugged her into a deep alcove along the street. Nobody would see them there. He gestured for her to place the packages on the ground, then waved his wand and restored them to their usual size. She stacked them carefully, to ensure that she could carry them all without dropping them. He helped steady them as she balanced them against her side.
"Well good luck with everything I guess?" she said, not really sure what exactly she was supposed to say at this point. She turned away and walked in the direction she knew the nearest bus stop was. Yet again he caught up to her easily. It was becoming quite frustrating, the way he continued to do that.
"Can we do this again?"
"Do what?"
"Can you bring me to other muggle places? Show me other things?" He looked at her hopefully. She considered him for a few moments.
"I guess...if I make time...maybe."
"Maybe?" he looked away as a woman bustled past them on the street. Zia sighed and stopped walking.
"Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron in two weeks. Saturday. Around two in the afternoon." He nodded.
"I'll be there."
"Bring your muggle clothes." He looked down at his ensemble as if he'd forgotten he was wearing it, then looked back up at her.
"Got it."
"I'm taking time away from my family, who I care about more than anything, to do this for you. So...don't make this a waste of my time," she finished, scrutinizing him. He flinched slightly at her words, then held his head up and straightened his shoulders.
"I won't."
"Good."
Two weeks later, in the Leaky Cauldron, Zia shifted nervously in a chair at a heavy wood table. Tom the barman had brought over a small glass of butterbeer for her and she was sipping it slowly as she waited. It was ten minutes past two. She wondered if he'd forgotten, or if he'd decided that muggles really were scum after all. She would wait a little longer though. She took another sip of butterbeer, then nearly jumped when a finger tapped her shoulder. She looked back and saw Regulus standing there, looking at her expectantly.
She finished the butterbeer in two gulps, then stood. They studied each other again. She was in her muggle attire as usual. She didn't own robes, saw very little point in it just for basic excursions into the magical world. She still worked and lived in the muggle world. She'd had to take part of the day off, in fact, just to accommodate this. Papa Charlie had been more than willing to give her the half day, and Nana Mary was excited that she was finally "making friends her own age." She hadn't told them anything about Regulus other than that she was meeting a friend. They didn't even know that he was a he.
She did not want to put any ideas of a relationship into either of their heads. This was strictly...well she wasn't sure exactly what it was. They weren't even really friends. It was more like she was a teacher again, except now she was taking an adult on an educational field trip instead of a pack of students. The amount of watching she did was no different though. She figured one wizard-supremacist-raised wizard was about the equivalent of a class of middle schoolers when it came to potential chaos.
"Where are we going today?" Regulus asked in a low voice as they exited the Leaky Cauldron and emerged on the street. She motioned towards an empty alley a few buildings away, then at his clothes instead of answering. He blinked and hurried away, then emerged minutes later fully dressed in his muggle clothes. She hoped he'd used magic to do it instead of just...changing there. She decided she wouldn't ask. She didn't want to know.
"We are going to see a movie," she told hem when he waited in front of her. He stared at her blankly. "It's...like a moving portrait. Except it's a load of people and it tells a story. And they don't talk back to you. You just watch them talk to each other."
"That sounds...strange. But I'm game to give it a try," he said looking over at her again. She stalked down one road, then another, until they reached the cinema. There was already a line outside for people to purchase their tickets. She stepped to the back of it and Regulus followed. He walked stiffly, like he wasn't sure exactly what to do surrounded by so many muggles.
"Relax," she hissed at him. He looked embarrassed and she noticed that from then on he was careful to keep relaxing his muscles any time he started to look nervous. She wondered if maybe she shouldn't have said anything. She didn't realize he was so nervous about something as simple as watching a movie. After they purchased their tickets, she glanced over and noticed that there was a vendor outside the theater selling popcorn. "Let's get some and take it in with us." She pointed out the popcorn vendor.
The popcorn was cheap, which she was grateful for because she didn't have much money to spend. Then they entered the theater and found a place to sit. Regulus tensed up immediately when another moviegoer sat next to him. She nudged him with her elbow, and he looked down at her. She was surprised to see that his eyes were wide with what seemed like fear.
"Are you going to be able to handle this?" she whispered as quietly as she could while he could still hear her. He was plastered against the side of his seat closest to her and looked away embarrassedly. He took a breath and edged back toward the middle.
"I'll be fine."
"Yes, you will. Just watch the movie, okay? Don't think about it," she whispered back. He nodded, but she noticed that he was still gripping the sides of the chair with white fingertips. She suppressed a sigh and relaxed in her chair, waiting for the film to start. It was in black and white of course, but there was sound for which she was grateful. She was so focused on whether or not Regulus was coping well that she was only half paying attention to it.
When the movie ended, she waited in her seat while the others filtered out of the theater, then she stood. Regulus stood too, and followed her out of the theater. They walked silently through the city until Zia found a park she liked to go to, and sat on a free bench. He sat at the other end of it, but turned to face her.
"That was...different. But I enjoyed it," he said, sounding like he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"Well you survived," she chuckled. He flushed, and looked away from her. She raised one eyebrow. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"
"No."
"Do you need my help getting back to the Leaky Cauldron?" She watched him shift uncomfortably on the bench, then was surprised when he caught her hand.
"No. But...I want to keep doing this. I feel like...there's a lot that my family didn't teach me, that I want to learn," he looked up at her, and she saw that all traces of his confidence that she'd seen the first time they'd met in Diagon Alley were gone. This was someone who was being forced to re-evaluate his beliefs, and he didn't like what he was finding.
"It's healthy to learn new things," she replied. "It helps people grow."
From then on, every two weeks on Saturday afternoons, they met at the Leaky Cauldron to go do basic muggle activities. He relaxed more and more over time, and started to actually interact with the muggles around him. Small talk in lines, smiling and nodding at those they passed at a local fair, complimenting the food in a restaurant. As he grew more relaxed and open, she worried less about what he might do. She was fairly certain that he was enjoying not just the rebellion against his family's belief system, but also just being around people who had no reason to pretend with.
It must be liberating to be in a place with no preconceived ideas about who he was supposed to be based on his family name. An entire year later, she prepared to meet him for their usual muggle field trip. Except this time it would be different.
"So you're going to bring this gentleman back to meet us?" Nana Mary squealed excitedly. She clapped her hands with glee. Zia tried not to groan. The immediate conclusion that Nana Mary and Papa Charlie had jumped to was that Zia and Regulus were, as he would put it, courting. They were not. They were, however, friends now.
"Yes," she replied, as she tied back her hair. "His family is...not very family like. I thought maybe if he spent time with ours it might be a good experience. Just be ready."
She stepped through the door, and was about to set off toward the bus stop when Tom's tiny arms wrapped around her legs. She bent down and gave him a hug.
"This man is a wizard, right?" Tom asked in a quiet voice. Zia smiled and nodded.
"Yes. This is the one I've been teaching about people with no magic," she replied to him. She ruffled his hair and he smiled a little.
"A wizard. You have a friend who is a wizard. I have so many questions..." Tom let go of her and skipped back into the house where Nana Mary was already scrubbing potatoes for dinner like a woman on a mission. Zia watched him enter the house, waited for the door to close, then set off. She was still nervous about all of this. Regulus may be doing well in the muggle world, but it was different letting him meet people who meant so much to her. She refused to let anything happen to them. She didn't care who it was, she would not tolerate that. She couldn't.
When she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Regulus was already there. It was later in the day than their usual meeting time. Usually she was there first, but it seemed the later hour was easier for him to show up on time at. She was so nervous that it took her several moments to gather her courage and cross the pub to where he sat. He turned to look at her and gave her a casual smile, then held up a mug of butterbeer towards her. She took it, rubbing her thumb over the handle nervously, and sat down.
"You feel comfortable with...everything now, correct?" she asked. They never specifically said what it was they did anywhere in the Wizarding World. Too many people knew who he was. Too many questions could result in damaging answers.
"Yes, why?" He finished his own glass of some kind of fizzing glowing drink, and stood. She set her mug down, untouched. He looked at her suspiciously, but didn't comment on it as he followed her out of the pub and into muggle London. When they'd gone down several streets and stopped at a bus station she paused. He waited patiently, clearly expecting something.
"I'm taking you to meet some people who are very important to me. My nephew Tom is a wizard, so he obviously isn't unfamiliar with magic. We're going to have dinner in the home of an older muggle couple, and I consider them part of my family. The man's name is Charlie, and his wife is Mary, but Tom and I call them Papa Charlie and Nana Mary. If you do anything to harm them, or set a bad example for my nephew, I will ensure that you are never able to reproduce." Regulus nodded solemnly.
"I understand. From the way you talk about your nephew, it almost sounds like a mother talking about a son instead of an aunt talking about her nephew. Are you two close?"
"I've been raising Tom since he was a year old, of course we are close." Zia shifted uncomfortably, disliking how unexpectedly insightful Regulus was. She'd avoided talking about her family for the most part. "His mother died after childbirth and he doesn't know his father."
"Oh." Regulus was silent during the wait for the bus, and on the bus ride. Zia was always amused by his reaction to riding the bus, it was clear that even now he wasn't used to that means of transportation. Mostly they walked. Now he gripped the seat as if clinging to life, and seemed immensely relieved when the bus stopped and Zia stood to exit.
"Still not used to the muggle bus?" she asked him, her lips twitching to keep from smiling.
"Yes. I'm always afraid it will give way at any moment."
"I could tell. Anyways, the house is just a bit farther, see that place with the white fence?" Zia pointed at Nana Mary and Papa Charlie's house.
"I see. Lead on then," Regulus said, gesturing for her to take charge. They reached the gate and immediately the door to the house flew open and Tom sprinted across the front walk, Nana Mary and Papa appearing at the doorway to watch.
"Auntie! Auntie I learned how to ride a horse!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I mean I've been learning to ride one, but now I can do it on my own!" Zia nodded, held her arms out for a hug, and Tom wrapped his chubby little arms around her as she scooped him up and kissed his forehead.
"Then you can ride a horse better than I can," she said. Tom smiled, but then the smile wavered slightly when he saw the man standing behind her. Zia knew he was probably torn between starting to pepper Regulus with questions and deciding whether or not he even liked the newcomer.
"That's him?" he asked flatly. Zia looked back at Regulus.
"This is my friend Regulus Black," she told him, then added in a whisper, "the wizard." Tom's eyes widened with understanding as he stared at Regulus, scrutinizing him for any detectable sign of his magic-ness. Regulus gave him a little wave. Nana Mary and Papa Charlie had progressed up the front walk and were now smiling expectantly at Zia, obviously waiting for her to introduce the newcomer.
"Nana Mary, Papa Charlie, this is my friend Regulus Black. Regulus, Mary and Charlie," Zia said, making all the introductions. Nana Mary and Papa Charlie both moved up the path to where Regulus was, both of them looking surprisingly happy.
"You're the first person Zia has ever introduced us to. So good to see that she has someone her own age to talk with," Nana Mary said clasping Regulus' hands in both her own and shaking it warmly.
"We were afraid that she would never have friends you know," Papa Charlie said, taking his turn shaking Regulus' hand. Regulus looked over at Zia and raised an eyebrow. She frowned back at him. "Well come in, come in, we've got dinner all ready for you," Papa Charlie said, gesturing for them both into the house.
"You have a very interesting name," Nana Mary commented.
"Oh yes, my family has a tradition of naming their children after stars and constellations," Regulus told her.
"Fascinating!"
As they entered, Regulus looked around curiously at all the appliances, and seemed to be very interested in the design of the house. Then when Nana Mary, Papa Charlie, and Tom were ahead of them setting everything out, he looked over at her.
"So, you don't have any other friends?"
"Too busy for that. I work and take care of Tom," she replied stiffly.
"You take care of that little kid on your own?"
"Mary and Charlie help out, but yes for the majority of things I take care of him."
"I see." Regulus looked at her thoughtfully as they entered the dining room. He was very good during the meal, making small talk easily with the older couple as well as making sure to include Tom. Zia couldn't help but be impressed by how well he handled himself, this close in contact with muggles. He'd never actually interacted with them on a level as personal as this. At the end of dinner, she smiled as Tom tugged on Regulus' sleeve and asked to talk to him.
"In private," Tom requested.
"Certainly," Regulus said. Zia as well as Nana Mary and Papa Charlie watched as Tom tugged Regulus into the other room.
"So," Tom began. "You are friends with my Auntie, and I don't know much about you. Auntie tells me everything, usually, so you tell me what's happened here," he said shrewdly, eyeing Regulus.
"I met your auntie a while ago, and when I found out that she knows muggles, I asked her if I could meet them. She didn't let me until now."
"Interesting. So you don't have any non-magic friends of your own?" Tom watched Regulus amusedly, since it was very clear that Regulus had not been expecting this kind of intelligence coming from a five-year-old. It was a common reaction of people besides his auntie to him, but Regulus recovered more quickly than others. Tom wondered if it was because he was used to unusual things since he was a wizard.
"I do not. My family isn't very supportive of those kinds of friends." Tom frowned, his aunt told him once that not all wizards thought non-magical people were as good as them. Regulus' family must be one of those types.
"So your family doesn't think much of, as you call them, muggles?"
"No. But I wanted to meet them for myself, because I think it's unfair of me to judge people without knowing about them. From what I've seen, I like them very much." Regulus glanced back to the kitchen. "Your family is actually a lot nicer than my own family."
"Auntie says that family is people who take care of each other and make each other happy, even if they're not all blood related," Tom told him, watching Regulus' face carefully to gauge his reaction to this news. Regulus looked past Tom and into the kitchen, gazing at Zia talking and laughing with Nana Mary and Papa Charlie.
"Your aunt is a smart woman," he told Tom.
"Yes, she is," Tom affirmed, eyes narrowing as he looked at Regulus. "Mr. Black, if you hurt my auntie I will kill you. If you do anything bad to my auntie I will make sure you suffer for it. If you hurt my Nana and Papa, I will kill you for that too." Regulus looked down at Tom with surprise, and Tom smiled sweetly back up at him, making sure that Regulus knew he was serious. "Auntie wouldn't be very happy with me if she heard me saying this, but I want it to be clear for you that these people are my family, who take care of me and make me happy. If you mess with my family, you will regret it."
"I understand, Tom. I wish my family was like yours. You love your auntie as much as she loves you, I can tell."
"Yes." Tom considered Regulus. "Perhaps you could be a little bit part of my family, since yours isn't very nice. You could be a cousin maybe?"
"I would like that Tom."
"Okay, I will let auntie know that you're being added in."
"Thank you. And Tom, I know Zia is your real auntie, but since you say family isn't just about blood, I'd like to make a suggestion," Regulus said. Tom looked up at him quizzically, wondering what Regulus wanted.
"What is it?"
Zia watched as Regulus and Tom rejoined the group in the kitchen, everyone helping clean up after dinner by washing dishes and sealing away leftovers. She caught Regulus sneakily using his wand to clear up some old stains on the wood table, and raised her eyebrows, but he simply smiled. When everything was done, she and Tom went to pack up Tom's luggage. They'd stayed with Nana Mary and Papa Charlie overnight, but it was time to return to their own apartment. Tom was in charge of holding Honovi's tank firmly in his hands so that they could bring her home safely, and she hissed a quick hello to Zia. Regulus helped bring everything downstairs, and after they said goodbye to Nana Mary and Papa Charlie, Regulus helped them to the bus stop.
"I've got to go now, there will be people wondering where I am. It was nice to meet you all. Nana Mary and Papa Charlie gave me your telephone number, whatever that is, but also your address which I do know how to use, so I'll be by to visit soon, if that's okay?"
"I suppose that would be fine." Zia said, and Tom nodded his agreement.
"See you then," Regulus said, and after a quick glance around there was a 'snap' and he vanished.
Tom fell asleep against Zia on the bus ride home with Honovi's tank on his lap, and Zia kept an arm around him to secure him over the bumps, but let him sleep. When they reached their stop, she gently nudged him awake, and he clasped Honovi's tank closer as they got off the bus and walked to their home. Leaving the luggage in the front room, Zia took Tom to his room and had him change into his pajamas, then tucked him into bed.
"Auntie?" Tom was looking up at her with nervous eyes, and she wondered what was wrong.
"Yes Tom?"
"Is it okay if I call you mum instead?" Zia couldn't speak for a while, feeling her eyes brim with tears and an unexpected intensity of emotion. "If you don't want me to it's okay, you don't have to cry," Tom said, clearly concerned and anxious over her tears.
"Oh Tom, these aren't sad tears. People can cry happy tears too."
"So I can?"
"Of course."