Here we go, the missing thread to my very own Black family tapestry^^. Thanks for reading!


Regulus wasn't a complicated child. He just wanted people, and foremost his family, to like him.

Mother was easy : he smiled and hugged her and did what she said. He called her Mummy in private and Mother in public. He called her beautiful (and she was!) and rarely went a day without saying 'I love you'. Mummy acted sometimes distracted, and most of the time she didn't say it back, but Regulus' words and easy affection made her softer. Regulus learned to pay attention to Mummy's furs and jewels and perfumes, and to find the right type of praise to get Mummy's eyes to crinkle. The best days, she would even call him handsome right back. By the time he was five, Regulus had discovered the power of 'you're my favorite' and triumphed at seeing her smile. Not that Regulus lied. He loved her desperately, and he needed her to love him back.

Kreacher was easiest : Regulus would say please and thank you and ask Kreacher to sit on the bed when he wants someone to talk to. He'd been caught and told not to, because Kreacher was the House Elf, but it was one of the things he realized he just couldn't do. Oh, he'd stopped asking Kreacher, he just patted the bed, so Kreacher could tell Mummy that young master had stopped asking. Satisfied, Mummy stopped asking too. Regulus wasn't happy to lie, but Mummy just didn't understand. Nobody did.

Yes, Kreacher was the servant, ugly and squeaky, but Kreacher was never bored with Regulus and always took his side. Kreacher never hurt Regulus or looked at Regulus like he was a failure. When Regulus was six, he told Kreacher he was his best friend. Kreacher's eyes misted up but he got stern and said "young master can't be talking like that," and a whole lot of things about being a Black that Mummy would have unfortunately approved of. But Regulus wouldn't have it. "It won't make me a better Black to lose my friend," he'd warned. "But you're right, you're too old to be my friend, you should be Uncle Kreacher instead."

Of course, he never said that when anybody could hear. He'd be told it was beneath him, and unbecoming. Sirius would tease. He'd say it was sad.

Regulus didn't love Kreacher as much as he loved Mummy, because Mummy was Mummy. But Kreacher was safest and there was no doubt, ever, that Kreacher might stop loving him.

Father was harder : Father liked obedience and quiet and Regulus could do that. Father liked people to appear proper and Regulus took pains to dress neat and stay stoic, especially in public. But Father also liked power and excellence and Regulus realized early it took him three times the effort it took Sirius to make their tutors proud. Oh Regulus was good at making Mr. Goshawk and Ms. Warrington happy. They said 'Very acceptable, young man' with warm smiles because they liked him. Sirius would get scowled at and told his attitude was appalling, but his work was excellent.

Regulus wished Sirius would help him get smarter. Sirius called him a pillock and a suck up instead.

Sirius was hardest. Sirius wasn't good at making Mother happy. Sirius got in trouble all the time. With Father, things were more complicated : Sirius got Father angry, but Father was also proud. He wanted Sirius to learn to be better, but he didn't seem to doubt Sirius (Father looked at Sirius, whereas Regulus rarely was worthy of his attention). Of course, it made sense. Sirius was powerful and clever and handsome, and even quite funny when he wanted to be.

But all too often Sirius got upset at Regulus, and Regulus couldn't understand why.

Regulus tried to make Sirius like him, by not telling on him, or by sneaking him stuff when Mummy punished him. Sirius hated Father, and Mother worse. Regulus knew that Sirius hated him least, but that was cold comfort. Regulus wished Sirius wouldn't shove him off and call him a baby when he tried to hug him.

Luckily, there was just two of them, so Sirius had to play with Regulus. Regulus usually didn't mind Sirius making the rules, as long as he got to play. Even if it wasn't fair that he always had to be the goblin when they played goblin wars (Sirius got to be the goblin when they played goblin and robber, and Regulus once got locked in one of a barely-big-enough chest and told to pretend he'd been buried underground while Sirius took on a goblin voice and called him names. Suffocating in the cramped darkness, Regulus had panicked and called Kreacher, who'd vanished the chest. Sirius had called him a baby and refused to play with him for two whole days...)

After Sirius left for Hogwarts, nine-and-a-half years old Regulus was sad, and bored, but also relieved : there would be no one at home to upset Mummy. Of course, after Sirius sorted Gryffindor, Regulus realized that Sirius didn't need to be here to make Mummy furious. Sirius was only two years older than Regulus, but somehow he took up ten times the space. But perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise : Sirius was the heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black, whereas Regulus was just... Reggie.


Regulus had a collection of feathers. Pigeons', starlings' and magpies' mainly : they would crash against the house's wards and leave wing feathers behind. Feathers were pretty and soft and useful. Regulus would paint them colors and cut them into quills. He liked to write letters to himself in his best penmanship. Sometimes he pretended he was Sirius and that Sirius told him all about Hogwarts and couldn't wait to show him. He wrote 'I miss you, Reggie' and 'I realize now nobody's a better friend', and it felt nice to see the words written even if it was all pretend. Sirius barely ever wrote.

At Yule, Sirius hadn't wanted to come back from school. Regulus hadn't even known you could do that. Luckily Father and Mother went to Hogwarts and dragged him home. He got punished, of course, but he didn't seem to care and he was gloomy all the time. He said 'I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts', and worse 'Maybe Meda had the right idea.'

There was a big hole on the family tapestry, where Andromeda's name had been. Everyone was in a bad mood. Regulus still couldn't wrap his head around it, how a single owl a few weeks back had shook the family worse than a blasting curse.

They stayed home for Yule, even if Regulus had begged to go to the Rosiers. It was all Andromeda's fault. At least Narcissa was here with them. Cissy was his favorite cousin. Like him, she was good at not getting in trouble and making adults happy. She smiled at him and listened when he wanted to say things. She hugged him back.

Yule got even worse when Bellatrix and Sirius didn't show up for the family dinner (dinners were adults and children younger than thirteen sat together were rare, and Yule was important). It turned out they had been racing on their brooms in the attic (Regulus scowled, because they hadn't even asked if he'd wanted to come). Cousin Bella had set up a ward, so the adults were busy screeching at her and struggling to take them down, while she and Sirius zoomed about laughing their heads off (Cousin Bella was powerful, not normal powerful like Sirius, something more. She didn't seem to care about being told she was too old to misbehave, and even Father seemed scared to punish her).

Kreacher told him Cousin Cissy was in the tapestry room, so he went to find her, eager to avoid the screaming match upstairs. She was standing quietly, her hands clasped before her and her face blank as she stared at the tapestry.

Narcissa, Bellatrix, in looping silver threads, and next to them, charred darkness. It didn't look right at all.

Regulus walked up to Narcissa and wrapped an arm around her waist. His head rested against her upper arm. "Sometimes, I'm upset at Sirius too. I love him, but he's mean. I'm not sure he loves me."

Cousin Cissy's lips thinned and something hard tightened her eyes. "When I'll have a family," she whispered thickly, "it will be perfect."

"Will I be invited?" He smiled hopefully because he'd learned smiles from others were easier to earn if he smiled first.

The blonde leaned back into him, her expression softening as she smiled back. "Of course, often." She was really pretty on top of nice, and since Mother and Father were cousins and had married, sometimes he caught himself picturing Narcissa as his future wife. In those futures together, things were quiet and easy. Nobody shouted or sneered at each other.

"You're my favorite cousin. My favorite even. I mean... Mummy comes first but you're my second favorite."

A soft laugh left Narcissa's lips and she squeezed him tighter. For a second, instead of knots, a relaxed warmth filled Regulus' chest.

They stayed there for a while, in front of the tapestry in each others' arms, relishing in rare calm. Narcissa broke it with a soft sigh.

"How do you do it, Regulus? How do you say things like that so easily? Where did you learn? Who speaks to you like that?"

Briefly, Regulus' mind flashed to Kreacher. 'Young master is the bestest, but young master can't be boasting about that. It not being proper master-elf relationship. Kreacher being self-indulgent.'

'Stop calling me that, you call Sirius that too.'

'Favorite young master?'

'Reggie. Come on, it makes me happy.'

'Reggie makes many impositions on poor Kreacher.'

'That's why I'm your favorite.'

'Yes, master Reggie.'

He shrugged slightly. "It just... It's true."

Narcissa gifted him a photo-camera before the end of the winter holidays. He hadn't expected second presents. It was awesome.

"Pictures stay," Narcissa said. "Make them nice."

"Want some beautiful pictures of you? My tutors say it's wise to start with easy projects."

Narcissa had looked lost in thought, and that look that meant Andromeda (but not 'let's talk about it', nobody wanted to talk about Andromeda). Still, Regulus' words tore a smile from her. He smirked slightly, proud of himself.

"Alright, let's be frivolous for an afternoon. Come to my closet, I want to try some clothes on. And perhaps we'll be able to play on Sirius and Bella's vanity and get them eager to stage pictures for you too."

He struggled to hide how thrilled he was it when they did. Sirius was such a peacock and he charmed his robes red and gold (because of course he did), and he looked bloody proud about it when Regulus protested. Nevertheless, they had fun, together.

Regulus wasn't quite ten years old, but he held no illusions about Narcissa marrying him (things might have been different, if he'd been heir, but as things were she would snatch up someone way more important than him).

"Marry someone who likes me," he therefore said, "because I like when we plan things together. They work."

It was shortly after that, that Narcissa pulled him and his photos-full camera aside and sat him down in her room. "Reggie, you're going to listen to me, because, in Slytherin, you're going to have to protect your heart a little."

Of course, Reggie listened, thrilled she'd take the time to teach him about important things (he got taught the basics, after all he wasn't a fast learner. Sirius was the one who got additional theory and lessons on politics.)

During the summer, Sirius found the letters Regulus had written to himself. The one's he'd pretended were from Sirius. Sirius called him pathetic. Regulus told him 'Fine, go stay in your ugly Gryffindor room, I don't care!' Except his voice was too high, his eyes too wet, and Regulus vowed that when he was eleven, he'd never cry again. Not in front of Sirius at least.

Sirius was even more horrible than usual, yet for some strange reason, it hurt, to see Sirius in pain because he wasn't getting to eat anything other than red stuff (which meant horribly spicy food, even at breakfast). Regulus had no idea how Sirius had charmed his bedroom Gryffindor red and gold. It couldn't be standard first year Hogwarts magic or Father would have reversed it in a blink.

Regulus tried to get Sirius in a good mood. "Father's really upset you out-magicked him," he said. "I'm impressed."

For a second, it worked. Sirius looked smug despite his pallor. He swallowed the banana Regulus had sneaked him in big, painful gulps and lounged backwards on his bad, admiring the scarlet walls.

"It's nice, isn't it?

"Why, though? It's just color. You knew they'd punish you. Why do keep causing trouble?"

"I don't cause trouble. I just... I exist. You're the favorite because you have no personality."

Regulus ducked his head. His lips quivering. He didn't know why he bothered-

"Reggie..." Regulus looked up because for once, Sirius sounded sorry. "They're wrong you know, they're wrong about so many things. And they're evil."

"That's not true!"

Sirius' fleeting good mood was replaced by a dark scowl that made Regulus flinch. "You're just too stupid to see it. Go away. Go hug Mummy."

Sirius was really, really difficult.


September 1973

Hogwarts was beautiful. Regulus was going to take so many pictures. He'd sat with Narcissa during the train ride, soothing his nerves as she explained about corridors, classrooms and prefects. She was in seventh year and knew everything, and he was so grateful she'd sat with him and not her friends.

Except now he was in the middle of the Great Hall, with a a ratty too-big-for-Regulus hat shoved over his head, a hat which happened to also be a thousand year old artifact. Was that awkward silly stool they'd forced him on also an artifact? Why couldn't he have a dignified seat? He'd not expected there to be so many people he knew nothing of. People beneath us, Mother called them. Half-bloods and mudbloods and riff-raff with no business mingling with people like us. So many people, staring.

'So full of love and loyalty. Hardworking too, I see. Your greatest wish is to have your parents' and your brother's love and approval.'

Slytherin, I need to sort Slytherin!

'I see... I admit that when you're a Black, a united, loving family is a very ambitious goal indeed. You've had to be cunning to get affection from people so ill used to giving it. Hufflepuff would teach you to value yourself and cultivate healthy relationships without losing your kindness.'

"Don't you dare," Regulus hissed. Blacks didn't sort Hufflepuff. 'I won't let you wreck our family even more!'

'You'd see it that way, wouldn't you? Well, Slytherin will also teach you a lot, doubtless a more painful road, but in the end, you will hopefully find yourself.'

Perhaps I'll teach them things too.

Laughter, the hat's laughter, filled his head, but it was not mocking. Regulus relaxed slightly and straightened on the stool, not wanting to look weak.

'Yes, Mr. Black, perhaps you will.'

"SLYTHERIN!"

Regulus sighed in relief. He couldn't help looking at the Gryffindor table. Sirius wasn't clapping. He was scowling. Regulus' chest tightened. It wasn't fair.

At the feast he said little. He was used to testing the waters whenever he entered a room. To see if Mother was angry or in a good mood, if Sirius might want to play or if he'd just take out his temper on Regulus. Four boys and seven girls had sorted Slytherin, and his Rosier cousin (Evan, or 'Junior' when his father was around), introduced him to some of the third years. Narcissa made a point to come over and plant a kiss on his forehead before sitting back with the older students, and that suited him just fine.

He did stand up just before the end, and took his camera out. Most of the first and second years looked at him weird, but some of the older students crowded around and started posing, some solemn as you like, others making grotesque faces and gestures.

"I miss not having Hogwarts pictures from my first year," Narcissa said with a beautiful smile. "I'll take a couple so you can be in them."

Regulus didn't miss how some faces smoothed over at that, how some people imperceptibly shifted or moved away. There was an edge to Narcissa he hadn't noticed at home, something powerful and intimidating. It filled him with warm pride, but he was also acutely that Narcissa wouldn't be there next year, and that he had just ten month to make a place for himself.

"Hey, hey hey, over here!" a deep voice boomed. "I don't want to miss out!"

Regulus had to chuckle when his grinning head of house, wide as three first years, shoved himself playfully between them. "Now that's a fun way to start the year, kids! Hopkirk get over here, a smile won't kill you!"


The dark stones of the dungeons glowed with unexpected warmth. Floating bulb-like lights gave the impression of being underwater, in a way that whispered magic and secrets to be uncovered. Half the common room walls were covered with huge tapestries holding thousands of names. No name was charred, and the dates beneath had to be the Hogwarts years. Over forty generations of Slytherin students.

'The dates correspond to years these people spent at Hogwarts, look at the first generations of students,' Slughorn would soon tell them. That's when Regulus noticed that, while the newer names almost all had seven years of schooling (with the occasional eight), it wasn't uncommon for the older students to have spent fewer, sometimes much fewer years at Hogwarts than seven. 'That's why we have rules, children. Magic is a powerful force. It's much easier to destroy than to build. I expect you all to be civilized. I want everyone to graduate alive.' The first years had swallowed as one, muttering promises to follow the rules.

Regulus excitedly went to find his dorm, glad two of his three dorm-mates weren't complete strangers.

Arcesius Diggle was thick-armed blonde boy with a golden crest ring and a serious face. His great-great-grandfather had owned the biggest illusion circus in England, but his heirs had been a disaster and Diggle's father had been left with almost nothing to inherit, while minor cousins had made a fortune in masonry and warding. Diggle's parents were friends with Mother and Father, and Regulus had often played with Archie, while the adults lamented the rise of half-bloods and undeserving riff-raff over tea.

Roland Podmore Regulus knew less well. His mother was a dressmaker at Twilfitt and Tattings, and the sister of Regulus' tutor, Mr. Goshawk. Mr. Goshawk would take Regulus to the luxurious shop for fittings, and Podmore would be there. Regulus remembered fun hide and seeks in the shops' wide storage rooms, and pretend-play where they'd been founders and built their own school with domesticated dragons and huge goblin-crafted water-slides. Podmore was chubby, but with the kind of cute face and thick curls that got mothers cooing (well, not so much his mother, but he'd seen the customers at the shop do it a lot.) Regulus didn't tell Mother they fooled around. He acted like Podmore just helped with the fittings, as befitting of the son of an artisan. Not that he wasn't allowed to talk to Podmore: Mother and Father both agreed that it was important to have good relations with the people who dressed you, only, you wouldn't want to forget who was who.

But Hogwarts was different, surely, else why would they be allowed in the same dorm?

"Dorm picture!" Regulus announced, camera in hand.

"Ugh, you sound like my mum," Podmore said. The boy had tomes full of printed pictures of him. They were great pictures, the kind you advertised children's robes with. It reminded Regulus he should ask Mrs. Podmore for photography lessons.

"I'll send the film out and ask for copies," Regulus said, unbothered as he stole a first shot. "You'll post them to your mother. It'll make her happy."

That earned him a massive glower. "Don't be daft. For Yule perhaps. Else, she'll end up asking pictures every week."

"Isn't a film without copies two galleons?" Archie said with a frown. "And one of those cameras like forty?"

"Cousin Narcissa gifted it to me for Yule. It's money well spent."

Archie looked like he disagreed. He was weird about money. Podmore made a noncommittal hum before turning to the third guy. "I know Black and Diggle, who are you?"

The last boy was blonde and pale, with blue eyes, freckles and a lanky frame. Ian Redclove, Regulus remembered. Nobody he'd ever met or heard about.

"Redclove. I have board games," he added, diving into his trunk.

He pulled out a stack of games. "Awesome," Reggie exclaimed. "I brought a couple too. This is going to be fun."

"We can't stay locked in here playing games, we need to meet the older years," Diggle said "I know Avery and Bulstrode well, they can introduce us."

"I know Rosier, and Crouch, and Bulstrode too. We can play board games with them later. Unless you think you're good enough at conversation to enthrall a fourth year?"

Archie scowled. It wasn't mean, but it did suggest Regulus didn't understand anything about life. "Board games are for babies. We're at Hogwarts now."

Ugh. Archie could be so serious. "I'm confident I can get Narcissa to play with us. You'll have the opportunity to call her a baby to her face."

Archie kept scowling, but it lost all its bite. Despite their differences, Regulus wasn't too worried about them getting along. Archie wasn't mean.

Redclove chuckled. Podmore was smiling slightly too, but then his eyes narrowed at Redclove once more.

"Seriously now, where do you come from, Redclove? What do your parents do?"

Annoyance flashed on Redclove's face. "Wales. It's just me and my dad. My mum was foreign and she went back to her country. Australia. Dad makes a lot of money. Didn't got to Hogwarts himself." Redclove crossed his arms. "Don't worry, if people notice me, it'll because I'm going to be better than you at everything."

"You think you're better than me?"

"I don't know about better, I think I'll try harder and succeed better because I care more. I'm don't take things for granted."

Regulus had to frown at the assumption Podmore took anything for granted. His family had no Lordship and they didn't even own a manor.

Podmore's jaw tightened. "How do I know you're not a mudblood?"

Redclove's eyes widened. His cheeks flushed. "What's your problem? And no, I'm-"

"Um guys," Regulus intervened, wishing his voice were deeper, "we have live together for seven years."

"Exactly, I want to know who I'm living with." Podmore shrugged. "I'll find out soon. After that little speech, you better win us points, Redclove."

"I'm surprised you have such an old owl, with such a very wealthy father," Archie added, sparing a glance for Redclove's gray owl.

"She's been mine since I could write," Redclove snapped. "She's a pet, not a thing."

"Arguments are boring." Podmore cut in. "Why don't you show us your boardgames, Black?"

Redclove's flush worsened, but his shoulders slumped. He shuffled next to Regulus, holding back a little. Regulus felt a little bad for him, but he didn't want Archie and Podmore to get angry at him. Besides, if Redmore came from nothing, he should be extra nice, not snap at them like that.

And Regulus wanted to play. So he smiled. "Mines is the most fun for beginners. You're a robber and have to avoid the goblin's dragons to steal various treasures from the vaults. The cards move and the dragon fire is hot, so watch out."

"What's those scribbled cards?" Archie asked, pulling out the stack.

"Oh that's the family's extra rules. Cousin Bella said we should be allowed to kill the patrolling goblins, but we then had to add a game mechanic about having to hide the bodies or the game wouldn't be balanced anymore." He bit his lip. "Don't tell actual goblins we did that."

Archie bit down on his lips as a smile dug into his cheeks. He dropped his crossed arms and stopped acting like games were for babies. "Fine, I'll talk to Bulstrode tomorrow."


It was two days until Regulus finally ran into Sirius. It was half past five and Regulus was done for the day. He'd wanted to explore alone, to not have to worry about being judged for chatting to portraits or following ghosts around. A nervous smile crept up his lips, mostly because it was Sirius, but also because there was another dark-haired boy with him. It had to be the Potter heir.

"Want to play, Brother? Or just show me around?" Hogwarts was huge.

"Sure, Reggie, how about you tell me where the Slytherin common room is?"

Regulus' face fell. "You know I'm not allowed to do that."

"Come on, just be sneaky about it, nobody has to know."

Why did Sirius have to be a tosser? Regulus crossed his arms. "Stop being mean. Let's do something else."

"Welp," Sirius said with a sigh. "Boring and whiny like I remembered."

"I'm James Potter."

Wide eyed and curious, Potter had finally stepped forward. "Sirius has occasionally admitted to missing you."

Sirius shot Potter a glare. Potter just grinned, earning himself an eyeroll while Regulus recovered from shock. Sirius had missed him? Really?

"Charmed," he managed. Pride. He had to play on Sirius' pride. "I refuse to believe you've discovered nothing show off worthy in two whole years."

"Why should I show it to you?" Sirius said. He was teasing, that mean teasing that made Regulus' stomach tighten.

"Would showing the kid around really be so bad?"

"Eh watch out, James, he's one manipulative little snake. Fine, tomorrow at eight, by Old Mother Madge's portrait on the third floor."

Regulus hid his smile. Showing happiness would only invite more teasing.

Perhaps Potter wasn't all that bad, if he could make Sirius be nice.


He shouldn't have trusted Sirius. He never should have gone. And he'd been a fool to think Potter was any better than his brother.

He missed Kreacher so bad right now. Kreacher would have fixed this.

Regulus took a deep breath as the wall slid open, allowing him back into the Slytherin common room. Predictably, everybody turned to stare.

A fourth year boy was the first to burst into laughter. Then a sixth year girl. Soon, it felt like everyone was crying from laughter. It was worse than anything. Hot and flushing, Regulus desperately wished he could disappear.

He did remember Narcissa's words : 'if you pretend it doesn't bother you, people won't smell weakness. They'll follow your lead.'

"My brother, brave Gryffindor that he is." Regulus said as things got a little quieter. He couldn't gesture at his body to show what he was talking about, but nobody needed to be told what to look at. "And Potter. Cousin Cissy, I need to learn some spells, fast."

"You make a very handsome snake." She was smiling a little, but she hadn't laughed. Regulus was grateful.

Regulus hopped up to her, his knees and feet locked together. His sleeves had been elongated and spelled shut, trapping his arms uselessly against his body. The rest of his school robes had been similarly enlarged then spelled tight, so much he couldn't move his legs and could barely breathe with the way his collar stuck to his upper neck. Hypnotic snake-scale patterns shone all over his cursed robes, and spelled out SNAKIE.

His wand stuck out of his pocket, tantalizing close but out of reach. Regulus didn't doubt that it was only still there because stealing wands got you expelled.

"Do you know a spell that'd make Sirius furry, yellow and mewling?" He managed to ask despite the weight of over fifty judging stares.

The laughter began anew and Regulus feared he'd faint from shame.

He learned then that Sirius was popular, even in Slytherin. He was an enemy, but the kind of enemy people liked to have, because he stirred things up and made people laugh.

Sirius was such a tosser.


Regulus let himself fall on Narcissa's bed with a sigh. She had a whole room to herself. He wondered if there were more dorms than students or if she'd hexed people to get her own space.

She caught him staring. "There used to be the three of us, then Andromeda and Bella left and no one new came."

Narcissa quickly loosened his robes with magic, and handed him a blanket to wrap himself into while she undid Black and Potters' transfigurations and charms.

"How did you get your sisters to like you?" he said miserably, bundled in the thick blanket, naked except for his pants.

Andromeda was (had been?) intimidating. And she'd been already a teenager when Regulus had spoken his first sentences. She loved books and she had that piercing look that judged you. Regulus had never quite known what to say around her. He'd wanted her to find him interesting or funny but... Meda had liked Sirius best anyway, she'd not really paid him much attention.

Bellatrix was kind of like Sirius: loud and unpredictable. She could be so funny and Regulus liked watching her, but he'd always been a little scared to get too close. Trouble clung to Cousin Bella's skin. Not that Regulus didn't love her. Bella was often eager to play, but it was often the kind of play in which Regulus ended up the Quaffle in a game of broomless Quidditch. That had been great fun at first (he'd been so full of cushioning charms he'd painlessly bounced off anything) but he'd ended up throwing up all over the floor from being tossed around so much.

Narcissa, who didn't roughhouse or even raise her voice much, nevertheless had found her place among them.

"We just did." Regulus winced at the sudden coldness in Narcissa's tone. He hadn't brought up Andromeda, but it was almost as if he had. "But perhaps I should rethink what I thought I knew."

Perhaps he should just focus on Bellatrix. "How's Bella been, now she's out of Hogwarts? Does she write you?" He'd bought Wimbleton Wasps robes when Bella had started working for them. Besides, the team was winning a lot these days.

"Occasionally. She's comfortable with her job and her friends. Bella has a passion for dueling and advanced magic, and she's found like-minded people."

There was still something about Narcissa's tone that made Regulus hesitant to pry. So he switched back to a safer subject. "Could Bella get Sirius to mewl?"

"Cousin, I can do that. Don't underestimate me," Narcissa warned, her slight smile belying her falsely wounded expression. "Not by transfiguring his vocal chords or his skin, but by altering perception. I can make it so that everyone else just hears mewls when he speaks. Better, I can make him also hear everyone around him as if they were mewling, to keep him confused long enough for us to enjoy the fallback."

"And the fur?"

"Human transfiguration is complex, but robes I can transfigure easily. A fake fur lion coat, tacky as you please, glued to his skin." She frowned. "The spells are not the issue, not getting caught is. The teachers will know Sirius deserve it, but we cannot be too obvious."

Regulus was all too happy to help her plot.

After a moment, knocks revealed Podmore. He bowed his head at Narcissa.

"I just wanted to check in. Did that hurt? I brought a change of clothes, I figured your cousin might not have any to lend you."

"No... Well, my pride hurt... Thank you." Now he had to slide on the robes without looking ridiculous. His hands on the blanket surrounding him, he hesitated. A gray mist suddenly surrounded his body, like a screen of smoke. Narcissa, wand pointed at him, smiled knowingly. Regulus grinned back, cheeks pink, and hastily changed.

Podmore cleared his throat. "Eh, you could have hid in a spare classroom until the spells dissolved, but you didn't. Your brother won't be able to say you're a coward. Will your robes be fine?"

Regulus chuckled, somewhat hysterically as his nerves finally got the better of him. "Thanks. Narcissa's got this."

"I... I have siblings too, you know. Primeveire, and Sturgis... I doubt they'll sort Slytherin. They're really close, not so much with me... Mum wasn't Slytherin, Dad made a point to tell me he didn't mind if I didn't sort it."

"Sirius is a git," Regulus grumbled. "I'm sure some people manage to stay friends with siblings across houses..."

"Yes," Narcissa agreed.

Podmore bit his lip. "I... You plan to get back at your brother? I could help."

Regulus had to smile. "You are aware he'll be Lord Black one day?" Podmore had always seemed a stickler for rank, and the way he acted around Ian Redclove proved it wasn't just a show he put on for his elders.

"Yes, well, I don't intend to do anything vile, Black. Just... proportionate. I'm good at modifying clothes. I got my wand in April and Mum taught me a whole load of spells."

"Didn't I tell you to call me Reggie, years ago?"

"My uncle forbade me to. He said it wasn't proper."

'Proper' was wholly overrated. "Mr. Goshawk's not here, Roland."

The boy smirked. "Sure, Reggie."

Sirius would be a lot less smug once the three of them figured out a plan.


Author's notes : I've lightly edited the "the Black Gryffindor" and "Narcissa Malfoy" chapters to keep the timelines consistent.