A/N: It just…attacked me! This…this plot bunny out of nowhere! I was happily taking a shower and thinking about how cute the idea was of James and Regulus spending the holidays at his house was. Then I remembered that Sirius might go too as he ran away there. Then I remembered that they could take the Knight Bus, and I liked the idea of Reggie sleeping on the Knight Bus. Then WHAM this plot bunny knocks me flat and begins to take over my mind. It wasn't fair! I wasn't ready!
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Which is probably good because if I did then Harry would never have come into existence.
Warnings: Slash (obviously). We'll see what else comes up in later chapters.
Summary: AU. Regulus goes with Sirius when he runs away, and finds a new home with the Potters. But can he keep his growing feelings for James a secret as well as fight to keep his freedom from his parents? JamesRegulus.
Authoress: Reggie
Title: I Give That You May Give
"Reg. Regulus. Reggie! Wake up!"
Regulus forced his eyes open, for all the change it did. He couldn't see the owner of the voice, but he knew it. "Sirius?"
"Get up and get dressed. Quickly."
Regulus sat up; staring into the dark where he thought Sirius's voice was coming from. He could barely make out a slightly darker shadow standing next to his bed. "What's going on?"
"We're running away."
Regulus threw off his blankets now, his bare feet now touching the hardwood floor. "We're what?"
"We're running away. Get dressed and pack a bag. We won't be able to take much, but I've saved up some money so we can replace things."
Regulus moved in the direction of his closet numbly. He wanted to ask where they were going. He wanted to know why he was going.
He could understand why Sirius wanted to leave. Life at Grimmauld Place was miserable for his older brother. All the expectations as the heir to the house of Black rested on his shoulders, and he was expected to become great. He always had to have the best grades, was expected to stay out of trouble, and was only allowed to have friend in the upper crust pureblood families.
Even being sorted into Gryffindor hadn't diluted these expectations. Sirius was just punished more frequently for breaking them because the new environment meant that some had to be broken.
What the fourteen-year-old Regulus couldn't understand, he realized as he took off his pajama top, was why he was so eager to go with him. Admittedly his life wasn't great. He certainly wasn't wanted by his parents- Sirius was the only one who ever seemed to want to be around him- but life wasn't bad either. Generally, since he'd been sorted into Slytherin as was expected of him, he was allowed to do as he pleased.
Perhaps it was the earlier events of the night. They had only gotten back from Hogwarts that afternoon, and already they had both been severely punished for the people that had accompanied them off the train. Sirius had expected it, but Regulus had not. He'd always considered Severus Snape perfectly acceptable company, pureblood or not.
Regulus blinked as Sirius forced open the shutters of Regulus's room that had long ago been sealed shut. Yellow light flooded Regulus's room from the street lamp below, and Regulus could see the dark bruise on Sirius's face from where he'd hit the door when he was trying to escape their mother's rampage and she had shut it.
Pulling on his socks, Regulus grabbed his nearby book bag and began trying to get as many things in it as possible. "Where are we going to go?"
"My friend James once said if I ever need him, to just show up. We're going there."
"How are we going to get there?"
"The Knight Bus."
"I don't have any money."
"Don't worry about it. I can't leave you here. I'm your brother, and it's my job to protect you."
Regulus smiled to himself; picking his stuffed cat up off the shelf he had placed it on the night before going to Hogwarts. Even though he would be turning fifteen in a month, he'd had the cat since he was a baby and couldn't stand to leave. As he slipped on his shoes he wondered if that was how Sirius felt about him.
A blast of cold December air hit his face and bare arms as Sirius slid the window open. Regulus walked over, clutching the worn cat to his chest.
"We're getting down this way?"
"Yep." Sirius answered grimly, picking his own backpack up from the floor by the window.
"How?"
"It's easy. All you have to do is jump. I'll catch you."
"Jump!"
"Yeah. What's the matter? You zoom around on your broomstick like you belong in the air."
"That's a broomstick. It's not free falling."
Sirius didn't answer. Instead he hoisted himself through the window and jumped out. Regulus ran to the window, sticking his head out to see Sirius rolling out of the bush below.
"Come on!" Sirius motioned down to him. Regulus was about to respond when the light from the window next to him turned on. Regulus turned his head to look, and could see shadows moving on the curtains. Their parents were awake.
Panicked now, Regulus looked down at his brother.
"Regulus, hurry." Sirius hissed. Regulus was about to climb out the window when he realized he'd forgotten his wand.
"Hang on, I forgot something."
"Regulus, come on! Just leave it!"
"I can't!" Kneeling by his trunk, Regulus began to clear out his spell books from prior years as well as the other odds and ends that had accumulated in his trunk. He could hear footsteps coming down the hallway and his heart began to pound in his chest. He could always shut the window and climb into bed, pretending to be asleep, but then Sirius might leave him and he had no idea how to get to James's house.
His hand found the heavy wood of his wand, and he jumped to his feet the same instant the door burst open.
"Hello, Regulus."
"Hello, Father." Regulus answered, backing toward the window and his fallen bag.
"You weren't thinking of leaving where you?"
Regulus swallowed. He was sure his father had his wand in his hand, though he couldn't see it. He kept backing toward the window. "Yes, actually. We are, and you can't stop us."
"Yes I can. I'm your father. You're mine for two more years. Just come inside and we'll forget this ever happened."
For a moment, Regulus thought about this. He though about how much easier it would be just to stay. Sirius could go, he deserved to go, and he could get away with it. Sirius would be seventeen in eight months, and able to escape them for good. As his father said, Regulus was still two years away. Even running away now, there was no guarantee he would be able to stay away.
He had to try, something inside him screamed. If he ever wanted to get away from them he had to try, while Sirius still cared about him.
Hoping for a moment of surprise, Regulus darted toward the window. He reached his bag before he heard his father react by the sound of his pajamas moving from movement. He looked up, wand outstretched.
"Petrificus-" his father started to yell.
"Expelliarmus!" Regulus shouted at the same time. Not waiting to see if his spell had worked, Regulus turned and climbed out the window, letting himself drop without hesitation.
He felt Sirius's arms catch him and they both crashed to the snow. Sirius was up again before Regulus was, grabbing his hand and dragging him away. "Run!"
The two boys stumbled, hand in hand, through the snow and down the road. They heard their father shouting curses after them, but they managed to get out of range before they were actually hit.
They both ran, two silent figures in the pale moonlight, until the lights of Grimmauld Place had disappeared from view. Sirius slowed down, and Regulus followed suit- panting beside him. Sirius withdrew his wand and flung his arm out.
There was deafening bang and a violently purple triple-decker bus appeared. Regulus, who'd put his hands over his ears, could read Knight Bus in gold lettering on the window. It stopped in front of them, and Sirius stepped forward. Regulus followed.
The doors opened a man- possibly in his late twenties and dressed in a uniform that matched the bus- hopped onto the sidewalk.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Leonard Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening."
"We need to get to Godric's Hollow," Sirius said confidently.
"That'll be fifteen sickles a piece, or a galleon to get you some hot chocolate, and one galleon three sickles will get you a hot water bottle and a toothbrush in a colour of your choice."
Regulus watched as Sirius pulled a handful of coins from his pocket. Carefully, the older Black counted out fifteen silver coins, and then pressed those and one gold galleon into the conductor's hand.
"Fare for me, fare and hot cocoa for him."
"Sirius you don't have too…"
"I know. Come on." Sirius walked onto the bus, Regulus in tow, and sat down on one of the beds while the young Slytherin sat down on the one opposite him. With another loud bang, the bus started its journey toward their new lives.