THE dark tiles were cold beneath Regulus' aching body. He lay sprawled across the bathroom floor, cheek pressed against it. He was beyond exhausted, every part of him ached with an indescribable pain. Most of the blood had dried by now, caked against his skin and itchy. He pressed his hand flat against the floor just barely managing to push himself up. He slumped back against the wall, flexing his bloody knuckles. Even his fingers ached.

He tipped his head to the side. His eyes found his reflection in the full mirror. He grimaced. He was a dreadful sight. His hair stuck out in a wide array, frizzy and knotted. He looked like a madman with bloodshot eyes and blood splattered over his clothes. His blood.

His stomach turned. He forced himself to look away. He needed to clean up, he never liked the smell of blood. He gripped the bathroom counter till his knuckles turned white as he pulled himself up. He bit his tongue to keep quiet as he struggled to undress. Slowly he made his way to the shower. Warm water cascaded down him, washing away dirt and blood, yet his shame remained. Regulus Black was a disappointment to his mother and father, but Sirius was free now. And that was all that mattered.

He cleaned himself the best he could. He wrapped a towel around himself and grabbed the small first aid kit. He couldn't use a healing spell since he was still underage. He was grateful Sirius didn't take it with him. Yet even just look at the small red box had his eyes spilling over again. He sat with his back pressed against the wall as he clutched at the kit. Sirius always bandaged his wounds for him. Now it was just him. He was completely alone now.

-> THIRD YEAR <-

Regulus stood on the Hogwarts platform his trunk at his side. Tired eyes glanced quickly around. He wasn't ready to see Sirius again. Though maybe he didn't want anything to do with Regulus anymore. Sirius had escaped. Regulus was no longer his problem to look after. He was free. Regulus wished he were too, but he'd never be brave like Sirius.

He settled into an empty compartment, his body finally able to rest. He had been on edge all summer long. Walburga took any opportunity to punish him now that Sirius was gone. He was her punching bag, free to punish him for whatever she pleased.

"Reg?"

His eyes shot open, body tensing. His eyes darted up to see who entered. He was thankful to see Pandora. He slumped back, fear melting away just as quickly as it came. "Dora...I missed you so much." Those few words revealed all he needed to say. It's what he loved most about her. Pandora just knew. He didn't need to say it.

She closed the compartment door behind her before sitting beside him. Her smaller hands cupped Regulus'. Her eyes held many emotions but most of all love. "You okay?"

He tried for a smile but it landed as more of a grimace. "Don't worry, Dora. It's okay. How was your summer?"

She didn't want to brush past it. Especially noticing the bruises dusting his arms and jaw. Though she didn't push. She knew it wouldn't do any good. So she talked and talked. Regulus relaxed against her, his head leaning against her shoulder. His hand remained in hers. Soft hands and yellow nails holding his bruised ones delicately.

- - -

Regulus found himself splitting away from Pandora. She made her way over to the Ravenclaw table after giving him a reassuring smile. He sat down at the Slytherin table across from Barty and Evan. The two looked up at him both grinning. The two eagerly began chatting as Regulus listened. Though he felt eyes on him. He didn't have to look to know it was Sirius. He could feel his brother's eyes burning into him. He tried his best not to budge or look his way. He couldn't be sure he wouldn't break down and run to him. But he couldn't. Sirius was free and Regulus wouldn't ruin that.

-> SIRIUS BLACK POV <-

Sirius sat beside Remus, across from Peter and James. James was chattering loudly about the latest Quidditch Cup they saw during the summer but Sirius couldn't bring himself to join. All he could do was stare across the hall at his brother. His brother who looked exhausted with dark bruises littering his skin and bloodshot eyes. Sirius swallowed harshly. Their mother clearly lost it. Guilt washed over him. He hunched in on himself.

"Padfoot? You alright, mate?" James asked, finally catching Sirius' attention.

Sirius blinked, glancing at his friend. His lips curled into a frown, eyes glancing back to his brother. "I shouldn't have left him," was all he could manage to say. His friends shared a look before following his gaze to Regulus. They noticed what he did. Regulus didn't look well, they could all tell.

James tilted his head to the side, lips pressed into a line. "Maybe you should talk to him, Pads."

Sirius froze at the suggestion. "I can't. What if he blames me? I left him there."

Remus set his book down, resting a reassuring hand on Sirius's shoulder. He squeezed lightly. "He told you to leave Sirius. He wanted you to escape. He cares about you."

"I abandoned him." His voice cracked. He forced himself to look away from Remus, his eyes back on Regulus.

"You survived," he corrected. "Regulus wanted you to survive. To be free."

Sirius chewed at his lip till he could taste the familiar copper. "How do I talk to him? I don't even know were to start!"

The courtyard was bathed in soft autumn light, golden leaves drifting lazily across the cobblestones as students lounged between classes. It was the kind of peace that begged to be destroyed.

Regulus Black was exactly where Sirius predicted: lounging on the edge of the fountain, boots crossed at the ankles, sipping a pumpkin latte like a bloody fashion ad. His tie was loose. His robes were perfect. His hair was too shiny. He was surrounded by his little entourage—Barty Crouch Jr., Evan Rosier, Pandora Rosier (who was aggressively clinging to his arm), Dorcas Meadowes, and—oddly—Emmeline Vance.

Lily and Mary were already there, arms crossed and glaring death beams at both Pandora and Emmeline, who were doing an impressive job of pretending not to notice while practically melting into Regulus’s side.

“Gods,” Marlene whispered, watching from behind a stone pillar. “It’s like watching four cats fighting over a really pretty chew toy.”

“No way this ends peacefully,” Frank muttered.

“Odds on someone hexing Emmeline in the face?” Fabian whispered.

“Shh—James is about to cast it,” Gideon hissed.

James, crouched behind the stone bench, gave Sirius a thumbs-up and whispered the incantation. A thin, glowing thread of light shot out and struck Regulus dead in the chest.

He didn’t flinch.

Didn’t scream.

Just went terrifyingly still.

The courtyard hushed.

Regulus blinked once. Then again, slower. His pupils dilated. His spine stiffened.

And then—

“I walk to school with my best friend Pandora…”

His voice rang out, sweet and monotone. The same perfectly clipped, posh voice he always used—except now it was robotic, glassy-eyed, almost possessed.

“Surprise, surprise, she’s late again…”

The courtyard erupted.

“WHAT THE FUCK,” Evan yelled.

“Oh Merlin—” Barty clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Who cast it? WHO CAST IT?” Pandora shrieked, clawing at the air.

Lily paled. “They actually did it. Those idiots actually did it.”

Regulus kept singing, dead-eyed:

“She’s got a club she wants me in Don’t think I’ve ever raised a pen…”

Pandora was gripping his wrist like she could shake him out of it. “Reggie, love, baby, come on—snap out of it—”

But it was no use.

“I'll consider it, sure No fan of literature…”

Mary was already snarling, eyes locked on Emmeline. “You’ve been dragging him to that tower, haven’t you?”

“I should Obliviate you right now,” Emmeline hissed back, her hand already reaching for her wand.

“Books with less pictures than words Leave me a little bit bored…”

Lily groaned. “He’s singing it all. Every word is literal. He’s exposing everything.”

Pandora looked like she’d just seen her diary read aloud in the Great Hall. “Oh fuck—oh fuck—”

“But hey, they promised cupcakes So it's a chance that I'll take…”

“You made him cupcakes?!” Emmeline screeched at Mary, who looked smug.

“Four gorgeous girls await me Okay, I think that I'll stay…”

The four girls froze.

Absolute deer-in-wandlight.

“Oh no,” Remus whispered. “He’s singing about them.”

“Pandora's aloof and kooky Mary's sweet and cutesy Emmeline is deep and brooding Lily's brains and beauty…”

Peter looked horrified. “He’s got a bloody ranking system.”

“They’re all in love with him,” Alice whispered, horrified. “Like—actual—obsessed—”

The song kept going.

“There’s a festival needs planning Swear I won’t leave them hanging…”

Pandora hissed. “He’s remembering everything. Every spell. Every fight. Every mind-wipe—”

“So many clubs to rival us I guess it's just the five of us…”

“You used Imperio on him?” Mary snarled.

“I had to!” Pandora shouted. “He was pulling away!”

“Just the five of us We can make it if we try…”

The Slytherins were frozen. Barty was watching with slack-jawed horror. Dorcas looked like she might cry.

“But each day that passes by Is tearing pages from my mind…”

“He’s glitching,” Gideon whispered.

Regulus’s voice shifted. Glitched, stuttered.

His body jerked slightly.

“Just the five of us No escaping if I tried…”

“He’s not just singing,” Lily said, horrified. “He’s re-living it.”

“Though these maidens might seem kind There's something going on behind…”

“Stop the spell!” Mary shrieked.

“We can’t,” James yelled. “It has to run its course!”

“They looked so sad and lonely I sold my soul for poetry This hell is members only Why did I say Okie-Doki?”

Pandora lunged for Emmeline. “You made him say yes!”

“You’re one to talk, you psychotic nymph!”

Wands were drawn. Spells flew.

“I walk to school alone again I'm not a guy with many friends…”

Sirius looked horrified. “He’s—he’s not even blinking.”

“Reg,” Barty tried to say. “Hey, Reg. It’s okay—snap out of it—”

“I’ve got no club, I've time to spend So I read manga and stay in…”

Evan made a choked noise. “Manga?”

“I run into Lily Says that I should just join hers…”

Lily’s eyes gleamed.

Oh no.

It was her arc now.

“It's a club for books with words But they need some more members…”

The courtyard had devolved into full warfare.

Students were screaming.

Professors were approaching from the far hallway.

“I say okay I'll come along for just one day…”

Mary was clutching her hair.

Pandora was throwing hexes.

Emmeline was sobbing.

Regulus sang on, robotic, serene, doomed.

“But just you try and get away When three gorgeous girls beg you to stay…”

Peter whimpered. “What even is this spell?”

“Pandora's $$%%€€ Mary's brutish cutesy Emmeline is too into me Lily's brains and beauty…”

Sirius stared, pale. “We—we broke him.”

The air rippled.

A final glitch.

Regulus twitched.

The spell surged.

“It's almost festival time Could say we're cutting it fine The task may seem laborious I wonder where Pandora is?”

Pandora screamed.

“I GUESS IT'S JUST THE FOUR OF US!”

Students scattered as Pandora launched herself at Emmeline again.

“Well I'm back at school again Lily's my only friend…”

Lily’s pupils blew wide.

She stepped forward, radiant.

“Lily's my everything My beginning and my end My—”

He froze.

“Wait a second, Weren’t there other girls here?”

Gasps.

“No—no no no—”

“Lily's aloof and kooky Lily's sweet and cutesy Lily is deep and brooding Lily's brains and beauty…”

Mary fainted.

Emmeline collapsed.

Pandora screamed bloody murder.

“Lily sees right through me Lily's all that you need…”

Lily was glowing.

Positively, triumphantly glowing.

“I'm not an ugly guy But I can't understand why She'd be so utterly in love she'd leave her club mates to die…”

Gasps turned to shrieks.

“Lily's obsession is ominous to be honest Omnipotent Goddess concocting demonic sonnets…”

James had dropped his wand.

Sirius was slack-jawed.

Remus just muttered, “We deserve this.”

“I could delete her, but I never could harm Lily…”

“Delete me?” Lily whispered, eyes shining. “You love me…”

“So I'm trapped here forever Where's my head gone?”

The spell was ending.

“Never thought I'd get a girl Literally out of this world…”

Lily stepped closer, hands on Regulus’s cheeks.

“Guess she controls the universe Looks like it's just the two of us…”

Everyone held their breath.

“Just the two of us In this classroom in the sky Crimes of passion are just fine When enacted on AI…”

Sirius blinked. “What’s AI?”

“Shut up,” Remus whispered.

“Just the two of us Quite a drastic pickup line Leaving other girls to die Just to guarantee I'm yours…”

Pandora, Mary, and Emmeline lay in a heap—singed, shaking, muttering Regulus’s name like a prayer.

“She seemed so sad and lonely Don't think there's any hope for me…”

Lily cradled Regulus as he finally blinked.

“This hell is members only Why did I say Okie Dokie?”

Silence.

Pure, utter, horror-struck silence.

“...What,” Sirius whispered hoarsely, “the fuck was that?”

Lily smiled.

“You boys,” she said sweetly, brushing Regulus’s hair from his face, “should really learn to mind your own fucking business.”

Regulus passed out.

And chaos reigned.

The courtyard didn’t so much erupt as shatter.

Voices crashed into each other—high, hoarse, hysterical—like glass thrown into a storm. Someone screamed Regulus’s name. Someone else screamed Lily. Someone swore so loudly Professor McGonagall would’ve felt it three corridors away.

Pandora lunged first.

“Reggie—baby—love—” she sobbed, hands outstretched, fingers shaking as she tried to reach for where he lay crumpled on the stones.

Mary caught her by the collar and yanked her back hard enough that Pandora nearly fell. “Don’t you dare touch him—”

Emmeline snarled and shoved Mary away from behind. “You don’t get to decide anything anymore—”

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” Lily screamed, already moving, already furious, already incandescent with something that looked uncomfortably like triumph curdling into panic.

Pandora clawed at Emmeline. Emmeline hexed blindly. Mary swung her wand like a weapon. Lily tried to push through all of them at once, eyes locked on Regulus like he was the only solid thing left in the world.

None of them made it more than a step.

Each time one surged forward, another dragged her back—hands in hair, fingers digging into sleeves, nails raking skin. They were feral now. Screaming, crying, spitting Regulus’s name like a prayer and a curse all at once.

Around them, everyone else stood frozen.

“What—what just happened?” Peter croaked, clutching Remus’s sleeve.

Remus couldn’t answer. His face had gone ashen, eyes flicking between the girls, the spells still crackling faintly in the air, and Regulus’s unmoving body.

Dorcas dropped to her knees beside Regulus, hands hovering uselessly, afraid to touch him. “Reg—Regulus—please—”

Evan swore violently, backing himself between Regulus and the girls, wand up, jaw clenched. “Stay the fuck back.”

Barty was shaking. Not theatrically. Not dramatically. Actually shaking. “They—” He swallowed. “They did that to him?”

Sirius hadn’t moved at all.

He couldn’t breathe.

This was supposed to be a prank. A song. A humiliation. Something he could laugh about later and pretend didn’t come from a place that hurt.

This was—this was—

Regulus groaned.

Every sound died in the air like it had been strangled.

The girls froze mid-fight. Wands paused. Hands slackened.

Regulus shifted.

Slowly. Painfully.

He dragged himself onto his elbows, then his hands, palms slipping slightly on the stone as his body trembled under the effort. His hair fell into his face, sweat-damp and tangled. His breathing was shallow, uneven.

“Reg—?” Dorcas whispered.

His head snapped up.

Wild. Unfocused. Grey eyes blown wide with terror.

“Where—” His voice cracked. He whipped his head left, then right, panic spiking visibly as his gaze caught on the ring of faces, the wands, the chaos. “Where am I?”

Pandora surged forward again. “You’re safe, sweetheart—”

He scrambled back with a broken sound, palms scraping stone, slamming into Evan’s legs as he tried to put distance between himself and her.

“Don’t—” Regulus gasped. “Don’t touch me—don’t come near me—”

Mary froze, colour draining from her face. “Regulus…?”

He stared at her.

Recognition flickered—

And then horror.

“No,” he breathed. “No—no—no—”

His hands came up to his head like he was trying to hold his thoughts in place. His body shuddered violently.

“Oh gods,” Lily whispered, taking an instinctive step back. “That’s not—he shouldn’t—”

“Everything’s gone,” Regulus said hoarsely. “I—I can’t—I don’t remember—years—there’s—”

He retched dryly, gagging, clutching at his ribs.

“Potion withdrawal,” Remus said sharply, finally snapping into motion. “He’s been dosed repeatedly—Merlin—”

Sirius was moving before he realised it. Dropping to his knees, hands up, voice low and wrecked.

“Reg. Reg, it’s me. It’s Sirius. You’re at Hogwarts. You’re safe. I swear—”

Regulus flinched at the sound of his name.

Then his eyes locked on Sirius.

Something inside him snapped.

“You,” Regulus choked, and for a second Sirius thought—thought—that it was blame, that it was hatred—

Instead, Regulus surged forward and collapsed into him, fingers fisting violently in Sirius’s robes like he was the only thing keeping him upright.

“They—” Regulus sobbed. “They did things to me. All of them. They—”

The courtyard exploded again.

“No—” Pandora cried. “Reggie, that’s not—”

“LIAR,” Regulus screamed, raw and animal. He twisted violently in Sirius’s grip, pointing with a shaking hand. “You—all of you—”

Evan and Barty moved instinctively, flanking him, Dorcas gripping his sleeve as if to anchor him to the present.

“You erased me,” Regulus spat, voice breaking. “You took my memories—over and over—whenever I tried to leave—”

Mary sobbed. “We loved you—”

“You controlled me,” he screamed back. “You made me forget people—I couldn’t remember why I stopped seeing them—I thought they hated me—”

Emmeline shook her head frantically. “We were helping you—”

“You hurt them,” Regulus said, eyes blazing now, tears streaming unchecked. “You hurt people I cared about. You ruined them. You made me watch—made me smile—”

Lily stepped forward, hands trembling. “Regulus, listen to me—”

He recoiled like she’d struck him.

“No,” he hissed. “Don’t. You don’t get to talk to me. Any of you.”

His body seized again, a violent shudder ripping through him. Sirius tightened his grip instinctively, holding him upright as Regulus gagged, shaking, breath coming in ragged gasps.

“He’s crashing,” Remus said urgently. “Someone get Madam Pomfrey now.”

Frank was already running.

Pandora collapsed to her knees, screaming Regulus’s name like it was being torn out of her. Mary sobbed openly. Emmeline looked hollowed out, shaking, wand slipping from numb fingers. Lily stood perfectly still, face unreadable, eyes fixed on Regulus with something dark and calculating still burning beneath the shock.

The rest of the Gryffindors surged forward at once.

James hovered uselessly, pale and sick. Marlene swore violently and rounded on the girls like she might actually hex them into the ground. Alice knelt, murmuring softly, steady and calm, trying to ground Regulus with her voice alone.

Fabian and Gideon formed a loose barrier without even speaking, putting themselves squarely between Regulus and the four girls.

Sirius pressed his forehead to Regulus’s hair, voice breaking. “I’m here. I’ve got you. I swear—I swear—I won’t let them touch you again.”

Regulus clutched him like a lifeline, shaking apart in his arms as years of stolen time crashed back into him all at once.

No one laughed.

No one breathed easy.

And somewhere, deep in the wreckage of what was supposed to be a joke, the truth finally stood—bloody, screaming, and impossible to ignore.

The air was wet with screaming.

It hit like a storm—no warning, no reason, just the sudden detonation of Regulus Black’s voice shredding through the courtyard like a blade through silk.

“YOU USED ME!”

The sound cracked like lightning.

People flinched. Even the ones who weren’t part of it. Even the ones who’d just come to see a prank, a song, a laugh. Now it was blood. Now it was bones. Now it was truth.

“You think I don’t remember now?!” Regulus roared, eyes white-hot with rage, sweat sticking his fringe to his temples. “You think I forgot what you DID to me?! You think those memory charms held forever?! You think drugging me every fucking week was enough to keep it buried?!”

Mary backed up a step. Her mouth opened but no sound came.

Regulus lunged toward her, teeth bared, and it took both Evan and Sirius grabbing his arms to hold him back. He thrashed in their grip, lips peeled back, spit flying.

“YOU FUCKING RAPED ME.”

Dead silence.

Then screams. Sobs. A girl fainted somewhere to the left. Someone vomited into a planter.

Pandora was on her knees now, shaking her head so fast it looked like her neck might snap. “No—no, Reggie, we—”

“Don’t you fucking say my name!” Regulus howled, spit frothing at the corners of his mouth. “You think just because I smiled through it—because you pumped me full of lust potion and said sweet things—you think I WANTED it?!”

His voice cracked, then rose again, shrill with fury.

“You cornered me. You climbed into my bed. You—fucking—trapped me—like I was some toy you could wind up and make come on command!”

Lily’s face was pale. Stone-like. She didn’t move.

“You sucked my cock with tears in your eyes and told me it was love!” Regulus spat toward her, unhinged laughter bubbling out of his chest. “You’re all deranged. Fucking—feral. Like animals in heat with a god complex.”

Emmeline made a choked noise.

Regulus snarled at her.

“You liked the handjobs best, didn’t you? Thought I wouldn’t notice when you took your wand and made me hard in my sleep. Fucking—sick bitch—”

Sirius flinched beside him.

Regulus was shaking now. Not from fear—no. This was power. This was fury carving him into something electric and ancient and terrible.

“You made me fuck you,” he hissed, voice dropping into something guttural. “Over and over. You told me I loved you. That it was right. That I was broken before you. You’re all delusional.”

His hands clawed into his hair, ripping at the roots.

“I can still feel you,” he growled. “Your fingers, your mouths—on me, in me, your nails, your fucking breath in my ear—”

He gagged.

Actually, physically gagged. Doubling over as bile climbed his throat, raw and burning. But he didn’t stop. Not for a second.

“Everything I ever liked—every person I ever looked at—you ruined it. You made me hate myself. You made me forget myself. You—you said you were protecting me!”

He whipped toward Mary, eyes bloodshot, manic.

“You called me yours while I begged to be left alone. Do you remember that? Or did you erase it?”

Mary sobbed.

“SHUT UP,” Regulus barked. “Don’t you fucking cry now. You didn’t cry when I said no. You didn’t cry when I bled.”

Pandora made a keening sound.

Regulus’s laugh turned sharp. Serrated.

“And you, Pandora—always the ringleader, weren’t you? You called it a game. You said I was lucky to be chosen. Lucky to be fucked by a Rosier.”

He tilted his head, grin cracked and gleaming.

“I’ve had better from strangers in Knockturn Alley. You moaned like a banshee and came in less than a minute—how the fuck do you still act like you’re worth anything?”

Gasps.

Lily’s mouth trembled.

“And you,” Regulus hissed, gaze swinging to her, gleaming with acid. “The genius. The golden girl. You controlled me like a fucking experiment. Like a potions test. Measured out every fucking word like it was a variable to monitor. You stripped me bare and then told yourself it was ‘destiny.’ Fuck you.”

She blinked. Just once.

Regulus spat at her feet.

“You think I’d ever love any of you again?” His voice hitched up again, higher and hysterical. “I’d rather die. If you ever touch me again—I swear on every fucking star in the Black family name—I’ll fucking kill you.”

Dorcas gasped.

James took a step forward—

Regulus screamed and broke free of Sirius and Evan in one insane burst of motion, lunging like a rabid wolf toward the four of them.

“REGULUS—” Sirius shouted, grabbing his waist—

But not before Regulus swiped his hand forward like he meant to claw their faces off. A glimmer of magic sparked off his fingertips, dark and hot.

They all stumbled back, wands raised. Emmeline shrieked. Mary fell over. Pandora screamed like a banshee and nearly dove into the fountain. Lily didn’t flinch. Her eyes locked with his and held.

Regulus started to laugh.

Not quiet.

Not soft.

But full-bodied, manic, chest-heaving laughter, cracked and wheezing like he hadn’t laughed in years and now couldn’t stop.

“You should see your faces,” he gasped. “Crying like you’re the fucking victims. Crying because what? You miss me?”

He tilted his head to the side, wicked grin wide.

“You think I care how you feel?” he hissed, eyes wild, teeth bared. “You think I didn’t see how you lied to each other? How you fought over who got to fuck me first? You’re all the same. Pathetic. Sad little girls dressing up your obsession in friendship and pretending it wasn’t rot from the inside out.”

Mary sobbed again.

“You cried when I kissed her,” Regulus mocked, voice shrill with hysteria. “You cried when I slept with her. You told each other you didn’t mind, but you all watched. Fucking creeped. You took turns.”

He was unravelling. Words pouring out like blood from a wound.

“Do you remember when you made me choose?” he snapped. “And when I didn’t—you cast a fucking curse so I couldn’t touch anyone but you.”

The crowd was in shambles.

Some were screaming. Some crying. Some trying to leave and being trampled. Professors were in the distance, sprinting toward them like a cavalry too late.

“I’m not your fucking boyfriend,” Regulus hissed, voice trembling with rage. “I’m not your pet. I’m not a fucking doll to dress up and pass around and break when you’re done!”

He turned his head and spat again, shaking.

“I’m done. I’m done pretending any of this was love. I hope it hurts. I hope every time you remember me, you feel like vomiting. I hope you fucking rot.”

Then—quieter.

Softer.

“But most of all… I hope you never forget that I hate you.”