Chapter 13: Summer Lovin'

Chapter Text

Dear James,

I'm sorry I didn't leave with Sirius. I wanted to, I did. But I can't leave. Not yet.

Mother keeps threatening to burn his picture on the family tapestry. I honestly think Sirius would help her…

I've stayed out of the way, hidden in the Black Library. There are all sorts of books in here, some are very dark. It's got me thinking. About Grandfather's plan.

Anyway,

I hope your summer is going better than mine.

I miss you.

Love,

Regulus Arcturus Black

Regulus put the letter in an envelope and handed it to Kreacher, who bowed and disappeared with the click of his fingers. Why was he using Kreacher instead of the family owl? Well, it was something he and his Grandfather had thought of, at the end of last year. Ordering Kreacher to never speak of where his letters are sent to, it was so simple, Regulus didn't know why they hadn't thought of doing it before.

It was the summer before his third year, and it had started off very dramatically with Sirius storming out of the house blasting music by Led Zeppelin. No, literally. He left his record player on full volume and placed it on a permanent loop, with his door wide open super-glued to his room, so no one could shut it.

He didn't think Sirius had run away, so to speak, not officially. But he was betting on Sirius packing his bags and leaving next summer.

Regulus would have laughed about it, if he hadn't had to deal with his mother's incessant screaming, every day. Eventually, a whole week later, his mother cursed the record player into oblivion, by setting it on fire. His mother stood, laughing as it burnt, like something he would find in a horror story.

From that point on, Regulus stayed away from her, for as long as he could. This meant spending time in the one place she wouldn't ever step foot in.

The library.

He was reading the book about Occlumency that his grandfather had given him. He was halfway through and had only just reached the in-depth history section along with the techniques for clearing his mind. He knew the techniques would help him to stop powerful wizards, like the Dark Lord, from entering his mind, reading his every thought. The thing was, he soon found out, that it could go both ways. Once a door had been opened into a room, there was no limit as to how many people could enter. He could, theoretically, enter the mind of someone who's too busy reading his own, to think of blocking theirs.

He thought this was clever— dark , but clever.

It was suppressing his emotions that he found difficult; he was always anxious about something or thinking of someone. He just had to find a way to calm his thoughts. Place them in the back of his mind, hide them from any unwanted visitors. He had tried doing that for two years now, and to be honest, he was surprised his grandfather hadn't given up on him, yet.

There had to be a technique he didn't know about, that he could use.

He closed his eyes and made a mental list of all of the places he went to and things he did, that made him feel calm.

Reading

Flying

Being by the lake

Regulus opened his eyes, he suddenly had an idea. It wasn't the lake that calmed him. It was being with James .

Of course, it was James. He wasn't surprised at this point. So, now that he had found out what, or in his case, who calmed him… he could move on to the next stage.

Regulus closed his eyes once again and imagined James was sitting next to him, messing up his hair, his glasses falling off his nose as he tried to study. The way he scrunched his nose and frowned when he would read something he didn't understand. Along with that smile that would tug at his lips, when he realised Regulus was watching him.

His mind and emotions cleared, Regulus could feel it happening. His thoughts were deep in his mind, and his emotions weren't anywhere near the surface.

His mind was blank. Completely blank.

Then, he decided to get creative. If someone was going to try and enter his mind, why not make it so that they got lost somewhere on the way? Regulus imagined the Black library, his mind filled with dozens of books that he could organise.

It would take time, but it would definitely be worth it when he had finished.

Many hours later, he still wasn't even close to completing his task, but he was interrupted, and surprisingly, he didn't jump.

"Master Regulus, Sir, he responded to your letter. Blood-traitor, ungrateful Heir, Sirius Black also gave me a letter," Kreacher said, bowing, and Regulus's eyes narrowed as he took both letters. He nodded and dismissed the elf.

Lionheart,

Meet us at Diagon Alley next week.

Sirius

Short and simple , Regulus thought as he put the letter in his trouser pocket. He then opened the letter from James with a small smile on his face.

Dear Reggie,

It's okay, I understand. Though, I was disappointed not to see you with Sirius, too. It's boring without you here.

Oh, I agree, he would give her a helping hand. He said that he couldn't stand to be there any longer. But he's been saying that since our first year.

Be careful, Reggie.

I actually have been doing a lot of research this summer about becoming an Animagus, and I am pretty sure we could do it this year. Not one hundred percent, but we're nearly there. Sirius and I have been doing some extra work on it. But, maybe next year will be better. What do you think?

Looking forward to seeing you next week, I'm sure you've got Sirius's note, by now. We wanted to have a day out, like we did last summer, you know? Maybe we could slip away from them and walk around by ourselves. I'd like that.

See you soon,

Love,

James Potter

Regulus smiled to himself, his heart beating just a little faster than before.

I'd like that too, he thought as he started to write a reply.

Dear James,

I think we need to be careful. If you're not a hundred percent sure about it, then we should wait until next year. I'll help you research as well, if you like. I don't trust you and Siri to actually do a thorough job.

I'd like that too.

Love,

Regulus Arcturus Black

OoO

Regulus rolled up his red sweater sleeves as he strolled through Diagon Alley with James, Sirius and Remus. Peter couldn't make it, something about being in Paris, Regulus wasn't really paying much attention to the story. He had been busy looking at James as he spoke about it, which involved Regulus trying not to smile when James did.

They had arrived about an hour ago and Regulus had just wanted to go into Flourish and Blotts, then the Quidditch shop, and then get ice cream. But James insisted that they walk around first, taking their time, and go into every other shop.

It was getting warmer, and Regulus really fancied having that ice cream. He didn't dress according to the weather, as it was cloudy and chilly in the early morning. So, he had chosen to wear the sweater James had got him and loose trousers with light brown furry boots. He was already regretting that decision.

"You go on ahead, we'll catch up," James said, interrupting his thoughts, and Regulus blinked, glancing at James, who gave him a subtle wink.

Regulus rolled his eyes fondly, while Sirius raised his eyebrows at them. Regulus gave Sirius a look, to which Sirius smirked and linked arms with Remus.

"Alright, meet you at the ice cream parlor," Sirius said, grinning as he walked on ahead with Remus.

Regulus glanced at James after watching his brother and Remus leave. James smiled at him, and Regulus felt as though a Hippogriff was trampling on his chest, his heart clenched within its sharp talons as he met James' gaze, both staying silent for a few moments. Until James took his hand and led him towards the path that headed to Hogsmeade.

Regulus was struggling to think of what to say. Since what he had said at Christmas, he wasn't sure if James had figured out what he had meant, and if he had figured it out… would he still want to be friends with him? Would he even say anything about it or just ignore it? He didn't know, and he didn't like not knowing.

There was so much he wanted to talk to James about: how he felt when Sirius walked out, or how much he wanted to stay at the Potters, instead of being at Grimmauld Place. Or how he liked James's hair today; it was messy, like always, but also curly and slightly longer than it usually was, so his fringe kept bugging James's eyes. Or how he really wanted to give up on the plan and be truly happy.

But he couldn't say any of those things, not really.

Regulus almost bumped into James as they stopped walking, and he frowned before seeing where they were. There were trees all around them, their branches swaying in the breeze slowly as though they were dancing to a waltz. The grass beneath their feet was slick with dew and birds were chirping away. He looked to where James was staring, and Regulus's frown deepened. He walked forward to get a better view and found it was a fenced area, with an old shack inside. He leaned on the fence, with James standing closely next to him.

"What -" Regulus started, but James interrupted him when he squeezed Regulus's hand.

"- This… the shack, it's where Remus…" he trailed off, and Regulus's eyes widened with concern and shock.

"How did you find out about this place?" Regulus asked, voice just above a whisper.

"He told me, but he didn't mean to. It was put in place for him," James whispered and Regulus gulped, his insides turning. He couldn't imagine how horrible it was for Remus to go through… well...

Regulus frowned, facing James with concern in his eyes. "No," he said sternly and James looked at him with a frown of his own.

"What -"

" - No, you don't know enough about turning into an Animagus. It could go seriously wrong!" Regulus said, and James's eyes softened, but he had a determined expression on his face.

"He's alone in there, Reggie!" James replied, voice shaking. "I can't watch him go through the shift and not be able to help him anymore, I just can't!"

Regulus's heart was beating heavily, and he sighed. He still thought James should wait a year, but he couldn't bear to see James like this, either. So broken, and so full of an aching desire to help his friend. Regulus squeezed James's hand once more and shook his head with a small smile on his face.

"I know," Regulus whispered, and James blinked at him with a confused expression.

"Wha -"

"Help him, Jamie. He shouldn't be alone any longer," Regulus murmured, and he would have melted if he could, at the look on James's face.

In that second, James looked at Regulus in a way Regulus couldn't understand, but he didn't have to wait long to find out what it meant.

James stepped forward so their foreheads were just inches apart, taking hold of both of Regulus's hands. Regulus was fairly sure he was blushing an embarrassing shade of red, but he couldn't help it. Not when James was being this unpredictable and was so close to him. James's eyes stared into his own before they closed, and he leaned in. Their lips touched, and Regulus stopped breathing as James kissed him softly. Regulus froze for only a second, and then, everything else was on autopilot, as he kissed James back. He swore fireworks went off with a loud bang as he closed his eyes.

He didn't know if they kissed for only a few seconds or longer, but he knew it ended too soon when they broke apart, both a little out of breath, grinning at each other.

"What was that for?" Regulus asked after a moment, biting his bottom lip nervously.

James shook his head at him while rolling his eyes.

"For being you," James replied, his voice soft and eyes shining with something Regulus couldn't quite name. "Now come on, the others will be wondering where we are," he said, although he didn't move and Regulus didn't want to leave either.

"But…" Regulus started and James just smirked at him.

"No buts, come on. I'll race you?"

Regulus opened his mouth in shock, hearing his own words come back to haunt him as James started to run off, without waiting for his answer. Regulus ran after him, not entirely believing what had just happened between them.

They ran back along the path connecting Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley, James a little further ahead than him, as Regulus weaved through the crowds, grinning brightly. Once he finally made it to the ice cream parlor, James was sitting next to Sirius like he had been there the whole time.

Regulus collapsed next to Remus, out of breath.

"Did you two really just race through the Alley?" Sirius asked them and they both nodded.

"James cheated," Regulus said in between his panting.

At that, James put a hand over his heart, pretending to be offended.

"Hey! How could you suggest such a thing?"

Regulus snorted, rolling his eyes. "Quite easily."

"So where were you?" Remus asked with amusement in his voice.

Regulus and James glanced at each other, both blushing lightly as they smiled.

"Quidditch sho -" Regulus started, but James had also begun to speak at the same time.

"Flourish and Blotts -"

"Hmm..." Remus rested his chin in the palm of his hand as he leaned his elbow on the table and studied the two of them.

"We went to the Quidditch shop first," James said, glaring at Regulus half-heartedly, who shrugged sheepishly at him, "And then Flourish and Blotts."

"Sure, whatever you say," Sirius replied.

Regulus leaned back in his seat and smiled to himself, thinking back to the moment he had shared with James. It was something he was never going to forget.

"Reggie, did you want an ice cream?" James asked, and Regulus was brought out of his thoughts as he nodded in response, watching James leave the table.

"Something definitely happened," Sirius said to Remus not very quietly, because Regulus overheard. He blushed and tried to stop smiling, but it didn't quite work. He turned to his brother, who was studying him carefully.

"I don't know what you're on about, Siri," he said. "Nothing happened, nothing at all."

James came back with their ice creams, and Regulus' lips tugged upwards into a smile. "Thanks, Jamie," Regulus said softly.

James grinned at him and winked as he sat down again. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The fact that nothing happened," Regulus responded and he couldn't help but grin at James's expression, his eyes widening as if remembering something important.

"Y-yes," he stuttered, "Nothing happened."

"I don't know about you, Remus, but I'm not convinced," Sirius said, sounding suspicious.

"Leave them alone, Sirius. They'll slip up, eventually," Remus replied with a smirk.

"Whatever," Regulus muttered as he ate his ice cream, thinking about the kiss he and James had shared while choosing to ignore his brother and Remus for the rest of the time they were in the parlor.

OoO

Regulus blocked his grandfather out of his mind, using his library that he had created as a force field. When his grandfather stopped, out of breath and shocked, Regulus smirked at him.

"Is there a problem, Sir?" Regulus asked with a little sass in his tone. His grandfather straightened his back and looked down at him with an impressed expression on his face.

"No problem, Regulus. In fact, I believe you are ready."

Regulus nodded in response. It was the end of summer, and the start of his third year would begin tomorrow. As he stared at his grandfather, he made a promise to himself.

He wasn't going to be loyal to the Dark Lord. Not ever. He wasn't even going to be loyal to the House of Black.

He was going to be loyal only to Sirius and to James.

He was going to protect them. No matter what.