Enter for the International Wizarding School Competition – Round 3 - Beauxbatons
Theme: Beauxbatons: Manhunt
Year 7
Mandatory prompt: 3. [Dialogue] "Are you decent?" / "Not morally, but I'm wearing pants if that's what you're asking."
Optional prompts used: 15. [Word] Comfort
Special rule: None
Word count: 1,693
Warnings: Good Black Family
My brother's idiotic plan
"Good evening, Mother, Father," Sirius acknowledged them cheekily, making Regulus groan under his breath and clench his eyes shut. "What a lovely night, huh?"
It was in that moment that Regulus realised that following Sirius' plan was the worst thing that he had done that day.
Regulus Black had always followed his older brother; ever since he was little, he had always done what Sirius told him to do or gone along with his brother's plans. Even when they went to Hogwarts and got sorted into different houses, they didn't stop being partners in crime.
Sirius was Regulus' safe haven, Regulus' source of comfort when things got too chaotic at the Blacks' house or when he was overwhelmed because of the exams at Hogwarts or when he was just feeling down; he knew that Sirius could be blunt sometimes, but deep down, Regulus knew that his brother loved him.
It was in one of these times — Regulus was feeling overwhelmed by the news that his mother had shared — that he went to Sirius to see if his brother could help.
"Are you decent?" Regulus asked, knocking on Sirius' bedroom door and listening to the sound of Sirius moving around inside. He hoped that meant his brother was awake enough.
"Not morally, but I'm wearing pants if that's what you're asking," came his muffled answer, and Regulus rolled his eyes. "Why are you bothering me so early, Reggie?"
"It's almost three o'clock in the afternoon, and I need your help! Can you open the door?" Regulus said exasperated, trying to make his brother understand his worry.
"I can, but I don't want to," Sirius replied, and Regulus took a deep breath to not hex his brother into oblivion.
"Sirius, stop being a pain in the ass and just open this door!" Regulus almost screamed.
He was glad that it had worked because Sirius opened his door with an eyebrow raised.
"What? It's Saturday, and we're on Easter break, so I think I can sleep however much I want," Sirius said, scratching his naked chest. Fortunately for Regulus, he did have his pants on, which was a miracle as far as the younger Black was concerned.
"Mother wants to talk to you about something, and I think it's best if you go put a shirt on and go see what she wants," Regulus said before returning to his bedroom.
Sirius sighed but did as his brother had told him to do, knowing that it was better to know what his mother wanted before she started yelling at him. Again.
Regulus thought that enough time had passed after Sirius' talk with their mother, so he went toSirius' room only to find him pacing.
"GO AWAY!" Sirius yelled at the top of his lungs, startling Regulus who had just opened the door.
"What on Earth..." Regulus said, his eyes widening at his brother.
"Sorry," Sirius said somewhat sheepishly. "I was yelling at my responsibilities."
Regulus blinked owlishly. "And you thought that would work?"
"Could have worked, but Mother still wants us to go to that dinner with our cousins, and I'm in no mood to deal with Bella today."
"You're never in a mood to deal with Bella," Regulus said, smiling a little at seeing Sirius so worked up. "What do you intend to do?"
It was like a Lumos was cast in Sirius' head, and the way that he was smiling should have been a warning to Regulus about what was about to come out of Sirius' mouth.
"I had a thought," Sirius said. The smile on his face didn't inspire any trust in Regulus. Every time he had seen that look on Sirius' face, Regulus had known trouble was coming his way.
"Oh no," he moaned, dropping his face into his palms, afraid of what was coming; he knew he was going to regret it, but he couldn't help but want to hear his brother's idea.
"I swear it's a good one this time!" Sirius exclaimed, smiling wider. "No one will be hurt this time, I promise!"
"You say that like it's difficult," Regulus muttered but realised that no matter what, he would still agree with Sirius. "What do you have in mind?"
"Today is the Wigtown Wanderers' match against Appleby Arrows — and you know how much I like the Wanderers," Sirius said, bouncing on his place, looking like a child that received a new broom. "If they can have a family Quidditch team, why can't we Blacks have one too? Never mind, this is off-topic."
Regulus couldn't help but chuckle at how passionate Sirius got when it came to Quidditch; he also couldn't shake the image of his cousins flying on brooms and cursing the other team as they usually did at Hogwarts.
"If we escape before dinner, we can go to the match and won't have to suffer through a meal with Bella. It's the perfect plan!" Sirius had a maniacal smile, and Regulus started to get worried.
"And you think this will work? What if Kreacher tells Mother about us running off to a Quidditch match?" Regulus asked, knowing very well what the house-elf would do when he realised that both teenagers were gone
"That's why you're going to tell him not to say anything to Mother," Sirius said in a matter-of-fact tone. "We both know that you're his favourite."
Regulus could feel the sincerity in Sirius' words: Kreacher doted on Regulus — serving him breakfast in bed and giving him ice-creams when he was sick with the flu — all things he'd never consider doing for Sirius and the other Black family members. Sighing, Regulus agreed, and Sirius whooped.
It didn't take too long for Regulus to convince Kreacher not to say anything about their plan, and soon, Sirius and Regulus were free to enjoy the game without thinking about the responsibilities of being good Black heirs.
Sirius was having the night of his life, watching the match with his little brother by his side. He knew they should have asked their father to come to the match with them, seeing that he liked Quidditch just as much as they did, but he hadn't thought about it — until the Patronus arrived.
Both brothers knew Orion's Patronus, and seeing the silver jaguar appear in front of them was both amusing and terrifying at the same time.
"Sirius, Regulus… I don't want any excuses; I just want you two back at the house now! Don't waste any time!" Orion's deep voice came from the jaguar's mouth, and Regulus paled while Sirius just stared at the Patronus until it disappeared.
"Are you scared?" Sirius asked, looking at Regulus who looked like he could faint at any moment.
"No," Regulus deadpanned. "I have this terrified look on my face 'cause I'm having so. Much. Fun!" Regulus' teeth were gritted, and Sirius felt that he was starting to regret following his plan.
"Don't worry, little brother, Mother would never fight with us; we're her precious babies," Sirius said, trying to make Regulus relax, but not even Sirius himself was buying what he was saying.
"We are so going to die when we get home... I just know it," Regulus muttered while Sirius was dragging him to wait for the Knight Bus. "I just hope that Mother kills me painlessly."
"Stop being such a pessimist. Mother won't kill us… I hope," Sirius said, trying to maintain his happy façade for Regulus' sake. For now, he just needed to get back home and discover how mad his mother was.
Even with all the comforting words and Sirius' constant reassurance, Regulus still was worried about the reason why their dad resolved to send a patronus to them. Sirius desperately hoped that when they arrived, they could enter without anyone seeing them, but his plan was thwarted when they tiptoed into the house and found their parents waiting for them near the stairs.
"Good evening, Mother, Father," Sirius acknowledged them cheekily, making Regulus groan under his breath and clench his eyes shut. "What a lovely night, huh?"
"I will ask this just once: who was the brilliant mind behind this?" Walburga asked, trying to intimidate her sons while Orion looked put out for some reason.
"I have to take credit for this," Sirius said, looking at his mother with a smile on his face, while Regulus face-palmed by his side.
"I think you mean blame," Regulus yelled-whispered from his side, hiding from his mother's stare. "Don't make things worse, Sirius."
"What? Mother asked who the brilliant mind was, and it was me. I'm glad she recognises my intelligence." Sirius smiled, and Orion laughed but it turned into a choked cough under Walburga's glare.
"I can't believe you decided to leave your responsibilities behind to go to a Quidditch match!" Walburga said, glaring at her sons. "Are you serious?"
Sirius' eyes shone with a glint, but before he could say anything, Regulus put his hand over Sirius' mouth, cutting the snarky reply he would give their mother. The old, 'yes, I'm Sirius', joke.
"Sorry, Mother, this won't happen again… Maybe we can make amends and ask our cousins to dinner another night?" Regulus suggested, barely holding back his grimace when he felt Sirius' tongue on his hand.
"I'll talk to your aunt, and we'll see… For now, go to bed. Both of you." Walburga glared in their direction and left for the parlour, leaving the boys with their father.
"Next time you try to avoid your responsibilities, it's better if you take me with you," Orion said with a twinkle in his eyes. Regulus and Sirius just stared at their father, who winked and went after his wife to placate her for the missed dinner.
Regulus dropped his hand and wiped Sirius' saliva on his trousers while glaring at him.
Sirius only grinned in return.
"I think we should ask for Father's advice next time," Sirius said with a smile wider than his face.
Regulus rolled his eyes at his brother, but he was glad to know that Sirius was already thinking about their next adventure. How did he end up in these situations with Sirius, anyway?
