Except for, of course, the Potions in the high shelf of the closet.
Severus opened the door to the apartment. "Anyone home?"
"Back here!" Regulus called from the kitchen. Severus followed the sound of his voice.
"Hey... what are you doing?"
Regulus had papers spread out across the kitchen table. He was busy filling them out, and appeared to only have been through the first three or four.
He looked up and grinned. "I'm filling out applications for a job. I've been freeloading off you for so long, it hardly seems fair."
Perhaps if he was the sort of man who cried, Severus may have, but he wasn't, so he did not. However, he smiled and sat down next to Regulus. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have seen what I could do about getting you a job at the shop."
"I probably won't get a job," Regulus said. "Considering I haven't worked a day in my life. For all we know I'm lazy. In fact I know I am."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Severus said.
"It's strange, you know," Regulus replied, ignoring Severus' request. "It's been a month now and I haven't done any drugs. I don't know how to act. I think 'Hey, it must be time for a joint.' I'm a different person. I feel weird all the time now. So, this is what it's like to be clean. It's all fucked up. Do you like this new person?"
"I do. Regulus, I don't think you're aware that I love you. I don't think you could ever change so far that I wouldn't love you anymore."
Regulus stared at him. "You love me?"
"Of course."
"Oh... wow." Regulus wrapped his arms around Severus' neck and kissed him. "Do you know when Remus will be back?"
"No idea."
"Do you think we have time to...?"
"Yes," Severus decided.
Regulus didn't finish filling out applications that night.
The next day on his way home from work Severus ran into Lily Potter.
She smiled. "Severus! How wonderful to see you. How are you? How's Regulus?"
"I'm well. Regulus is doing better than ever. We're doing better than ever, both of us."
"That's great," she said. "Jimmy said that he heard Remus Lupin moved in with you guys. Weren't you two together? How's that working out?"
"Well," he replied. "It's working out very well."
"I'm so glad to hear it. After the last time we saw each other... I thought things were going to be downhill. But things are going great for Jimmy and me too. He's moved up, moved up a lot." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "He saw Regulus the other day, and said he looked really good."
Severus smiled. "He's eating better. James got a... promotion?"
"There's a new man on the street. He's taking in the small guys, seeing what they can do. Apparently he was very popular in Germany. He deals magical drugs, mostly. He doesn't bother with silly Muggle things. He doesn't care much for me, that's for sure," Lily said. "Being Muggle-born isn't favored, but he likes Jimmy."
"Since when have you and James dealt in magical drugs?"
"Since now. Jimmy still deals Muggle drugs on the side, but what we get in... we're bringing in so much more. He really feels like he's doing something with himself. I'm so proud of him."
"Good. Give him my best," Severus said without conviction. He continued walking home.
"Severus," Remus said, slightly panicked, as Severus walked through the door. Remus grabbed him by the shoulder. "Severus you have to stop this."
"Stop what?" he asked.
"What Regulus is doing. You have to stop him. He won't listen to me."
Severus pushed past him and went into the kitchen. This time, instead of papers sprawled across the table, it was green plastic bags. He looked at Regulus. "What's going on? What is all of this?"
"I found a job," Regulus said, smiling.
"What is it?"
"I got picked up by a new dealer. He sells magic drugs. Like the old ones we did back in the day." Regulus picked up one of the bags. "This is a kit to basically shoot up nearly anything you want. The glass is unbreakable and there's twenty needles, more than enough to start out for. And do you want to know how much one of these goes for?"
"No," Severus said. "I don't want to know. I thought this was a clean house."
"It is! I'm not doing this stuff, I'm selling it. I wanted to get a job, and, look, I'm good at this. I know where to go, what circles."
"I don't want that shit in the house!"
Regulus' pleased face turned dark. "And what's that in the closet? Enough Potions to make a jolly batch of pumpkin juice?"
"Th-that's different," Severus said.
"No, it's not. It's drugs that I haven't touched. I know that they're there, but I haven't touched them, not once. Even when I wanted to, even when I wanted to choke down a bottle of aspirin, I didn't. I stayed clean. And you know what, Sev? It was for you. When I wanted to go down and buy something, I didn't because I thought of you."
"Regulus-"
"No! You don't trust me to keep this stuff? I won't keep it. I'll sell it and make the profit. And then maybe I'll take that profit and move somewhere else. Someplace where I can do whatever I want."
"Regulus, be reasonable. I'm thinking of you. Do you really want to get involved with a drug dealer? Do you want to become one?"
"Maybe I do," Regulus said. "I know what I'm doing here. I know what it's like to need a fix. Maybe you're too holy to remember what it's like, but I do. These people are desperate."
"Regulus, Severus," Remus said in a gentle tone, "why don't we see how things go, slowly? Regulus can sell the kits, and if things go well, he'll stay, the drugs will stay, and the job will stay. If they go badly, Regulus, you need to get rid of the drugs and find another job."
"Reasonable enough," Severus said.
"I'm going to put these away," Regulus said, pushing his hair away from his face. His stubborn refusal for a direct answer clearly meant he agreed. At least that's how Severus took it.
Regulus shoved the bags into a cardboard box and shoved past Severus. "Of course you'll agree with your old shagboy."
Severus followed Regulus down the hall. "Regulus! Talk to me!" His voice was short and commanding.
"What?" Regulus turned. "What do you want to know? What more could you want to know?"
"This dealer, he's working with James Potter too, right?"
"Yeah, so what if he is?"
"When did you see James last?"
Regulus paused, his face going pale. "Three days ago."
"Did... James tell you about the dealer?"
"No. The dealer sought me out." Regulus was staring past Severus, not meeting his eye. "I saw James at a meeting with him. I wasn't sure if I was going to take the job. That's why I was filling out those applications. I swear, Sev."
Severus didn't respond to that. He simply asked, "This dealer, what's his name?"
Regulus then looked Severus in the eye and replied, "Voldemort."
