Not Our World
Being Regulus

Madam Pomfrey took the time to join him for lunch, bringing over a tray of food for each on a trolley and some tea. Eating something and drinking tea helped calm his nerves, although his little finger would twitch every so often.

"Feeling better?"

Regulus looked up, smiling at the school's healer. "Sorry for the trouble, Madam."

"It's not a problem, but you're no trouble. Trouble was your older brothers and his friends," Madam Pomfrey smiled. "And I didn't mind them keeping me busier than usual, so long as it was the usual teenage stuff.

"Sometimes it could get out of hand, couldn't it?" Regulus smiled nervously as he sat there.

"Sometimes," Pomfrey said. "And sometimes you had a habit of overdoing it. Still do."

"Sorry about that."

"You need not worry. This is my job."

"Yes, but I'm a professor now, not a student."

"I don't know. Even the professors saw me for remedies, but it's easier for a professor to isolate when they've come down something, and I often go to them."

"Yeah, that's true. It doesn't change the fact that today was an embarrassment," Regulus let out a soft laugh, looking out the window as the sun shown down.

"Well, many of the older students adore you regardless of the house they're from. And I've heard you quite fair, which every year those from Gryffindor are surprised at finding you're that way, given you're the head of Slytherin. So, the first-year students will end up coming around eventually."

"The ones outside of my house more likely than in. Even before the incident with the student mentioning that particular creature, I was already taking points from Slytherin. Still, the rest had told me of the staff not to brush off students' attempts to undermine my authority if I realize I'm doing it."

"Can I ask how you knew this time around?"

"The girl started her sentence with, 'you do know' while proceeding to correct me, telling me the class wasn't Care for Magical Creatures."

"But there's an overlap," Pomfrey frowned.

"You're thinking of Professor Kettleburn's missing limbs, aren't you?"

"See. There are Professors here who are much more troublesome than you are, though to label you as troublesome is a stretch. And, you're a joy to converse with, even when you were an eleven-year-old."

"My peers didn't think so. And some of the things I say and do…" Regulus frowned, looking out the window. "It's childish, I guess? Unsettling? Inappropriate behavior for an adult. Socially unacceptable. Stuff, that's the reason Sirius is my legal guardian."

"I wonder, though, or is it us who is wrong?" Pomfrey said. "I mean, you're an intelligent adult."

"Who couldn't take care of myself if I were living on my own," Regulus let out a laugh.

"You do just fine, but part of becoming an adult is learning to take care of yourself. And for some, it takes longer."

Regulus let one of his eyebrows lift. "You are aware of what people say? The only reason I was pardoned was that I'm inept, right?"

"I thought your pardon was tied to you becoming a Death Eater as a minor. That, and I for the life of me can't believe that you would have ever chosen to harm someone. Talk is talk." Pomfrey said. "Though I am aware that your family used public opinion against you to get the Ministry to rule, you needed a legal guardian. Thankfully, Sirius was named, so you get to work here with us while getting to be yourself."

"Yeah. Because I know some of the other family members would have preferred that I'd end up locked away at one of the Black family residents, or worse, a perminate residency at St. Mungos." Regulus took the last sip of his tea before glancing up at the clock. "It's way past the lunch hour but not yet dinner time."

"Do you feel up to venturing out? You're still a little twitchy, Professor Black."

"A good stretch of my legs will do me good, but I'll become even more anxious if I stay still for too long. It's honestly a wonder I didn't get into trouble as my brother did."

"That would be because you put your mind to more constructive pursuits," Madame Pomfrey said, prompting him to open his voice, "and don't you say there wasn't anything constructive outside of being a Death Eater. If I recollect, one of the things you found yourself in here was Quidditch injuries. And Slughorn said something about your painting."

"Oh. Yes. A howling picture of my mother that he thankfully confiscated and hopefully burned," Regulus shuddered, to which Pomfrey laughed.

"Well, there's a reason why I started reporting the major infirmary incidents to your grandfather rather than either of your parents. Dealing with your mother was always far from pleasant. So be off."

Regulus placed his cup down, made a polite bow and a muttered thank you to the Madam before wandering off, breathing in the fresh air as he passed by some of the more open areas, with absolutely no heeds to where he was going until he spotted Crookshanks who stopped, looked at him.

Twitch went Crookshanks' tail.

"Want me to follow you? Fine by me."

He followed the orange ball of fluffy goodness to who knows where, passing by some of the students while a few let out a soft chuckle and others—possibly first years, starred. And he kept going until he saw Crookshanks start towards the feet of a group of students to entwine around the feet of one student in particular.

"Hey! Stop that!"

Regulus looked up, recognizing his godson's voice. "Draco. What are you—oh." His head tilted, the smile still plastered on his face, seeing the mouthy student from that morning, yet Draco didn't seem pleased to see him, or so he thought. "What's going on?"

"What's going on is Parkinson is…"

"I didn't do anything, Malfoy!"

"Yeah," the girl from the Bulstrode family said.

Draco glared at them while Regulus stared. "So it's not me you weren't happy to see?"

He'd pointed to himself while Draco looked at him, his mouth twisting up in a manner that said he'd committed a social faux pas while Parkinson's mouth twisted in a sneer as her small nose turned up as she attempted mimicking the sneers practices by many Pureblood ladies only, in Regulus' opinion, failing. "Why would anyone want to see you?"

"Because he's my godfather," Draco snapped. "But as I was saying, Parkinson is bound and determined to make us lose points, and it's only the first day. I mean, mouthing off to a professor who's also a member of the Black family is dumb enough, but…"

"Don't you dare! Blood traitor!"

"Hold it," Regulus narrowed his eyes. "What is this about?" The first-year girls suddenly froze, looking at him, but they seemed afraid for some reason. "I admit I may not be the most observant person in the world, but do you really think I won't believe something isn't going on with you throwing language around like that?"

"Well…" Parkinson glared at Draco. "Don't you dare tattle?"

"And be in trouble when he does find out that you seem to have some kind of vendetta against the Granger girl for some reason? I mean…"

"She's the reason we lost points today!"

"No, you are the reason you lost points today." Regulus startled as Crookshanks continued rubbing against Draco's feet. "Wait. Where is she?"

"The bathroom," Draco stated. "Professor Prewett and Professor Prewett asked us to stay after class, and Parkinson decided to waylay her. Not very resourceful or clever, was it?"

"Only because you…"

"Parkinson. Please. I'll be writing a letter to your mother," Regulus sighed.

"Not that she'd care."

"Oh, so she wouldn't care that you're fooling yourself and not acting like a respectful Pureblood. I, for one, know my mother would be sending Howlers for such behavior. She sent plenty of Howlers in the case of my older brother, who didn't know how to behave properly. And there's quite a lot that I shall be writing to her."

"That. Please don't."

"Then how about detention instead?" Regulus said, smiling. "And were any of your friends in on this little shenanigan of—what did you say to her that made her run off into the bathroom to get away from you?"

"I simply pointed out that nobody wants to be her friend because she's such a know-it-all," Parkinson said, raising fingers to flip her black locks of hair. "Not a big deal."

"She's your daughter, though," he remembered Olivia saying. "I meant she's as smart as a whip…"

"And she said something about how the Gryffindor girls noticed she'd rather be friends with the boys," Greengrass piped up.

"Not a big deal either," Bulstrode snorted. "I'm fine with both." Which caused Pansy to glare at her. "What? I'm able to lick them in a fight."

"Please don't let me catch you fighting Bulstrode. I don't want to give you detention as well, or for you to be a cause of our house lousing points," Regulus said. "And, if it wasn't a big deal, then why say it? After all, we know what your intent was, Parkinson. Don't we?" To which the Slytherin girls looked at him in fear.

And they stared.

Regulus smiled. "So. Why are you still standing here?"

"Sorry, professor!" Greengrass said, grabbing only Parkinson's sleeve only for it to be yanked away. "Let's go! Before we get in more trouble."

"It's Parkinson who's in trouble, though," Bulstrode muttered, moving to walk away while Parkinson followed. And…

"You just frightened a bunch of first years," Draco said.

"What?" Regulus turned to look at him. Then he blabbered out, "I didn't mean to!"

Draco turned to look at the door of the bathroom, frowning.

"Well, I'd best check on her then, right?"

"Hold on!" Draco was startled as Regulus pushed the door open. "That's the girl's bathroom! You…"

Something told Regulus Draco wanted to call him an idiot, yet in his head, Regulus felt he needed to do something about the situation as it was students from his house who caused it. He took a deep breath. "Granger. I…"

"You're not my father!"

Regulus stopped staring, his stomach clenching.