Chapter Text
I am not a bad person. I never meant to hurt anyone. To the people who were hurt by my actions, I am so sorry. I swear that nothing I did was personal; I only did what I thought was best for my family. Maybe that was the root of all the problems in my life, trying to do the right thing for others but never for myself. Never letting myself be happy and feel free. I have never felt free, even for a day. I am forever trapped in this house, this body, and this name. To the people who once believed in me, I am sorry. I am sorry that I couldn't be what you thought I could be. I wanted to, but I just couldn't. There are so many things I regret in my life, and disappointing you is my biggest regret. To those who once loved me, I am most sorry to you. I am sorry that I wasn't worthy of your love, and I am truly sorry that you didn't trust someone more deserving with your heart. I wish I could go back and erase the damage I did to you, but this letter will have to suffice. I want you to know that this was always the outcome. I always had to go, and you really couldn't have loved me better. We were always meant to say goodbye.
R.A.B.
If you are receiving this letter, Regulus Arcturus Black has passed. Please contact the appropriate authorities for further details regarding funeral preparations.
Reggie
The boy in the mirror didn’t recognize himself as he stared at his reflection. Who was this man? Why did he have the face of Regulus Black?
Certainly, this wasn’t Regulus Black. Regulus Black was a boy, not a man. Yet the man in the mirror looked so like Regulus. He was tall and so skinny he bordered on looking frail. His cheekbones should be sharp, but instead, look delicate on his pale face. His tamed curls rest just under his chin. His steely grey eyes were dim and emotionless. He is wearing a grey day suit that is considered fashionable in the current pureblood society. His grey eyes shine brightly back at the matching face in the mirror. When did he become like this? When did he become a man? He wasn’t ready to become a man and face the challenges of adulthood.
Then again, when has he ever dealt with the kind of problems that children are supposed to experience? It seemed like all he ever dealt with was politics, punishment, and piety. He was fifteen years old, and he knew before long his parents would expect him to accept his role as the heir of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. He never thought that those particular responsibilities and titles would be his. It was certainly never the plan for either him or his parents. He wasn’t the son who had been trained at it since birth, no, that was his brother, Sirius. He was always the backup plan, the spare child, the just in case everything goes to hell, child. Well, if what had happened last Christmas wasn’t the definition of everything going to shit, then he honestly didn’t know what was.
The plan was to have plenty of boys between his father, Orion, and his uncle Cygnus, so this would have never been a problem. They would have never had to resort to disowning one child and being forced to make do with the backup child. The weak son. However, things never did go precisely according to plan in the House of Black. Cygnus and his wife Druella had no boys, but instead three girls. Since the girls would not be able to keep their maiden names when they married, none of them could inherit, although they were all older than the two Black brothers. Bellatrix was the eldest, followed by Andromeda, and then Narcissa.
His father, Orion, and his mother, Walburga, were blessed with Sirius Orion Black about three years after the last daughter was born to his aunt and uncle, finally a child worthy of the Black inheritance. Sirius had always been the favorite of all his cousins, being that he was the one destined to continue the most impressive House of Black. His parents, never particularly fond of each other, a likely result of being first cousins, decided to have one more child, just in case they needed a spare heir. In case something happened to their firstborn, the child they wanted. They had their second-born about a year and a half after Sirius was born, and named this boy Regulus Arcturus Black.
He grew up quite a bit differently from the firstborn. The firstborn was treated like a little prince, always receiving everything he wanted, while Regulus was treated more like a burden. The child who was of no use to the family. They were, of course, treated differently, as one was the heir of the family and the other was a walking safety net. However, Sirius and Regulus were both children of the house of Black, and as a result, both had vigorous training in calligraphy, manners, and speech eloquence. It certainly wouldn’t do for them to embarrass the family with sloppy handwriting or improper speech. Sirius also had lessons on how to manage the family finances with their father. Regulus spent a lot of time alone as a result of this.
His parents did not like the boys to associate with the Muggles they lived near, so the boys were each other’s only playmates for many years unless, of course, their cousins visited. Regulus became close to the Black family’s house-elf, Kreacher, as another playmate when his brother was busy. He assumes that his ability to adapt to being lonely as a child is probably why he never made strong connections with his classmates. He had a few mates, but not like his brother had. His brother had three extremely close friends and dozens of other friends. Guess it’s not exactly surprising with how charismatic Sirius has always been. Regulus had never had the natural charisma his brother possessed.
That was probably the reason his mother never much liked him, or at least not in the way she liked Sirius. She would never admit it, of course, given that Sirius was now a blood traitor. Regulus wasn’t ignorant, though; he noticed that his mother had always respected Sirius in her own way. She respected his stubbornness and fiery attitude; she thought it was exactly what an heir should possess. Unfortunately, she had to make do with a weak heir who did exactly what he was told.
He was adjusting his hair once more in the mirror when he heard his mother calling him down to leave for the train to Hogwarts. Well, he supposed this was probably as good as it was gonna get. He called for Kreacher to grab his stuff and thanked the elf politely when he appeared next to him.
He straightened his shoulders and wiped his face clean of emotion, then walked down the stairs. His mother always said emotions were a weakness, and you could never let people see you as weak. It’s funny she never minded people seeing her emotions of anger, hatred, and disgust. I guess those were not emotions that she considered weak. His mother and father were standing at the bottom of the stairs with matching emotionless expressions, waiting for him. He knew they were waiting to give him a lecture, as this was the first year he was going to go back to Hogwarts since Sirius had left last Christmas.
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and nodded slightly to his father. His mother looked him up and down, appraising his attire, and nodded slightly in approval before beginning her speech, “Regulus, I think you understand how important this school year at Hogwarts is for you and our family. You have OWLs this year, and of course, you will need to receive all O’s. As you well know, the reputation of this family is in a very precarious position since the little blood traitor disgraced our name. You need to be absolutely perfect this year to put us back into a position of excellence again. And of course, to make sure that the Dark Lord will still take an interest in you after what happened at Christmas. If you disobey either your father or me while at school, then there will be severe consequences.”
She scowled when she brought up Sirius as if the very thought of him churned her stomach.
His father stepped forward, put his hand on Regulus’s shoulder, and spoke in a way that made it seem as if he was promising something. As embarrassing as it was, Regulus leaned into his father’s touch a bit; his father never touched him, in fact, he hardly even spoke to him. The man was more than a little disappointed to have to train Regulus as his heir when he had already spent years on Sirius. He often neglected to teach Regulus at all. “Regulus, you will bring pride back to this family, and you will go nowhere near Sirius, do you understand? Do you understand what will happen if we hear that you have had contact with him?”
Regulus felt his heart clench at the idea of what his parents would do to him. He kept his face clear of emotion and nodded as he spoke, “Yes, father and mother, I will make you proud.”
They did not respond, but his father motioned for him to grab his trunk, placing his hand back on Regulus’s shoulder, and apparating them to the station. When they arrived, his father gave him a nod goodbye and apparated before Regulus could respond. He looked at the space where his father once stood, thinking bitterly of a time when his father and mother would both escort Sirius and him to the station. Then again, of course, they wouldn’t do that for the spare heir. He shook those thoughts out of his head; he was no longer the spare, now he was the only child of Orion and Walburga Black.
He walked through the crowd of excited first-years and bored seventh years, before boarding the train. He found a compartment in the Slytherin section of the train. He put his trunk away before heading to the prefect’s compartment. He had gotten the letter over the summer, and he wasn’t sure he was very excited about being a prefect. His brother had never been one, so it was something he had accomplished that his parents couldn’t compare to Sirius. Still, he didn’t particularly relish the idea of all the extra work required when he already had to do perfectly on his OWLs this year. Not to mention his parents weren’t exactly proud of this accomplishment, it seemed as though they expected it from him, which he didn’t think was fair. They never expected Sirius to be prefect and to get all O’s on his OWLs; then again, Sirius was probably the reason he had to be perfect this year.
He arrived in the compartment when there were just a couple of other prefects there. His Slytherin prefect partner, Abigail Hoss, was there already. He didn’t mind her, but she was kind of annoying; she never shut up. She immediately waved him over and began talking about some mundane subject that he couldn’t give a shit about. It was only as the meeting began that he realized that she had talked through the train taking off and the rest of the prefects joining the cabin. Merlin, this girl needed to learn to shut her trap. He looked across from him and saw Lily Evans and James Potter seated next to each other.
What the fuck was he doing here? Potter wasn’t the prefect for sixth year; Lupin was. He must have been staring too long because Potter caught his eye and raised his eyebrow, sufficiently knocking Regulus out of his trance. He immediately turned back to listen to the Head Boy and Girl speak.
“So now that we’ve introduced ourselves, we should probably introduce our new prefects this year. So starting with Hufflepuff, we have Sharlotte Waspo and Daniel Frewder, for Gryffindor, we have Shawn Voit and Melissa Stanely, for Ravenclaw, we have Tarrant Pike and Lissy Gushwa, and lastly, for Slytherin, we have Abigail Hoss and Regulus Black.”
Everyone clapped lightly, and Regulus had to tell himself not to blush at the attention. Blacks don’t get nervous from a little light attention. He wasn’t used to having people’s eyes on him.
“Also, we have a change in our Gryffindor sixth-year prefects. Remus Lupin found the patrol schedule to be too demanding and has rescinded his position. James Potter has now been chosen to take his place.”
Everyone clapped again. He noticed the girls in the cabin clapping a bit louder this time, as if they thought that adding the eye candy that was James Potter would be very beneficial to the prefect team. Regulus couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He noticed Potter watching his reaction to the news with a curious expression. Regulus shot him a quick glare that led the prat to snort, how unbecoming, before turning to listen to the Head Boy and Girl once again.
So, Lupin couldn’t handle the stress of being a prefect? Regulus didn’t know what to think about that. From the little he knew about Remus Lupin, he knew the boy cared a lot about his studies. If he thought that being a prefect was too stressful, then maybe Regulus would need to give it up, too. Then again, he didn’t think his parents would appreciate that very much; the idea that a Black couldn’t handle a little stress was unthinkable. However, Lupin could have found the whole prefect thing to be a lot on top of studies, but being a werewolf probably didn’t help.
Regulus had known Lupin’s little secret since third year; it was pretty obvious if one was paying attention. Regulus made it a priority to pay attention. He paid attention to the absence of Lupin during mealtimes around the full moon. He paid attention to the scars that would appear on his body when he finally did return. He paid attention to his brother and his other friend’s secretive manner when Lupin was missing. He paid attention enough to figure out most things people tried to keep a secret. Regulus wasn’t particularly worried about Lupin’s condition, given that he was only dangerous for like twelve hours every month, plus the staff wouldn’t have allowed him to go to Hogwarts unless they had him contained. He figured Lupin’s containment had something to do with why they put the heinous whomping willow on the grounds the year Sirius arrived. He remembered his cousin Andromeda complaining that, as a prefect, she now had to keep her house away from it, and it was just an extra responsibility.
Remus Lupin and James Potter were both extremely close to his brother. They had formed a little group, along with another boy named Peter Pettigrew, and called themselves the Marauders. Regulus thought that it was not only a ridiculous name but also that it was extremely egotistical to name your friend group. Sirius had always been extremely vain, though, so he really shouldn’t be surprised. James Potter was probably the most arrogant prat in the entire school, so he was sure he had a hand in picking out their name as well. Pettigrew and Lupin didn’t really seem all that egotistical, but then again, he didn’t know them well. His brother had met them in their first year and proceeded to talk about them nonstop whenever he got the chance. Regulus had pretty much despised the three other boys before he had even gotten to Hogwarts, James Potter in particular.
Regulus had been so sick of hearing the names of the boys who had stolen his brother’s attention from him the summer before he had started Hogwarts. His brother and he had always been each other’s best friends, but when Sirius met them, he never called Regulus his best friend again. Instead, it was, “Remus is a really cool lad, Reg. I can’t wait for you to meet him” and “Peter is the best, wait till you see”, but his favorite was “James is my absolute best mate. Reggie, you’ll love him when you meet him”. Regulus had met them on the train in his first year. They were nice, he supposed, but after introductions were made, he ended up feeling like a fifth wheel. Before leaving the compartment, he said he had to visit the bathroom, but never came back. That was when he met Evan and later Barty.
Regulus snapped back to attention when people began packing their things together before leaving the compartment. Shit, he had zoned out throughout the entire meeting; he hadn’t even heard the patrol schedule or the new password. Fuck, he was starting to regret not turning down the prefect duties. Potter made eye contact with Regulus and quickly blurted out to the Head Girl, “Wait, Jess. You said that you’d give us the patrol schedule and the new password on a piece of parchment after the sorting, right?”
Regulus’ attention snapped to Potter in surprise; it was as if he had read his mind. He was smirking at Regulus in his typical arrogant fashion. The Head Girl rolled her eyes at this question, “Yes, James, like we have said five times already, you will receive a parcel immediately after the sorting with your schedule and password. As the Head Boy and Girl, Donaven and I will take the first patrol, so all of you can settle in for the year. Now, are there any more questions?”
At Potter’s head shake, she continued enthusiastically, ”Great! Now that this meeting has concluded, let’s have a great year, everyone!”
As Regulus packed his stuff up to leave the compartment, he considered the idea that James Potter had only asked the Head Girl about the schedule because he realized that Regulus had not been listening. He shook away that thought because, really, why would James Potter ever try to help him? How would he even know that Regulus wasn’t listening?
He was one of the last people to leave the cabin, besides the two Gryffindor sixth-year prefects. He was treated to a front-row seat to James Potter’s pitiful attempt to woo Evans. It was honestly so pathetic to watch. He had to admit that out of all the Muggle-borns in the school, Lily Evans was probably the least vile. So he did understand a bit of the attraction; however, he did not understand the obsession. James Potter was a wealthy pureblood heir who was athletically gifted, popular, and handsome to boot. So why was he wasting all this time on one girl who wouldn’t even look his way? It simply did not make sense to Regulus. Blood traitor or not, James Potter would have been a catch for any girl in the Wizarding World. Yet he trails around like a puppy dog after a Muggle-born who had no interest in him whatsoever? Regulus would call that stupidity at its finest.
Regulus watched as Lily Evans stormed out of the cabin, obviously mad at whatever asinine pickup line Potter had attempted to use on her. Potter looked confused, dumbfounded, perplexed, even, that somehow his charm could not break the barrier that was Lily Evans. Absolutely Pathetic. He began heading towards the door about the same time that Potter was. They had an awkward moment where they both tried to get through the door at the same time. This leads to Regulus stepping back and letting Potter go through first. However, he didn’t expect Potter to stop outside and wait for Regulus to follow him through the doorway.
He looked at Potter’s stupid, friendly expression, feeling the bitterness curl up in his stomach. Regulus glared at the Gryffindor, “What do you want, Potter?”
Potter looked almost smug, a completely different facial expression than he had worn only two minutes ago when Evans had stormed off. He seemed to be in the mood to tease Regulus, “What do you mean, Reggie? I just thought I’d better make sure you made it out alright, considering you zoned out the entire meeting. Now don’t get me wrong, I respect that those meetings are more boring than Moony described, but considering this was your first meeting, maybe you should have paid a little more attention.”
He laughed loudly; it was a booming sound. Regulus had heard Potter laugh before, but that was usually from across the Great Hall; up close, it was clear that the Gryffindor laughed with his entire being. Regulus was unamused by what Potter had said, and he really didn’t like the tone that he used. He sounded like a condescending dick, more than usual anyway. Potter, not noticing the ice in Regulus’ glare, continued speaking in his superior tone, “You’re just lucky that Jess doesn’t have much faith in my ability to pay attention, or you would have been fucked after the feast tonight.”
Regulus scowled at him, secretly hoping Potter and his big head would implode from the heat of the stare. How dare he speak to Regulus in that way? As if Regulus was a helpless little kid who needed his hand held as he crossed the street. The absolute disrespect in his voice made Regulus livid. The Black family’s temper wasn’t a myth, but Regulus had never felt it quite as heavy as he did when he heard James Potter’s smug tone. Sirius was always the one who had the real temper, the one who could snap and bite your head off in just a matter of minutes. Maybe it was because now that Sirius was officially out of the house, Regulus was finally growing into the family temper, or perhaps it just took the special annoyance of James Potter to bring it out in him.
Regulus mustered all the venom he had inherited from Walburga Black before he spoke next, “Listen, you smug piece of shit, nobody talks to me that way. Especially not some egotistical Gryffindor idiot. And if you ever call me Reggie again, you’d better have your Will finalized.”
Regulus whipped around, about to strut back to his compartment, when Potter began clapping as if he was applauding Regulus rather than mocking him, “Wow, that wasn’t dramatic at all, bravo. Oh, and sweetheart?” Regulus glared, turning back to the complete ass, “I'm not egotistical. To be egotistical, you need to exaggerate your good qualities. I just tell it how it is.”
Regulus let out a sharp, cruel laugh, “Please, Potter, if I wanted to kill myself, I’d climb up to your ego and jump to your IQ. And don’t fucking call me sweetheart.”
Regulus didn’t know what it was about his tone that told Potter he was joking, but the boy barked out a booming laugh almost immediately. He laughed as if he’d never heard something so funny in his life. He laughed as if Regulus were a comedian and Potter was his audience. Regulus hated his damn laugh, and he despised being laughed at. “What exactly is so funny, Potter?”
“You, Reggie. Merlin, Sirius, and you are so much alike, more than I even thought. I remember the first time I called him Starboy. I thought it was hilarious, but he certainly did not. It was at dinner, and he ended up putting a fork to my throat until I apologized. I guess it’s that classic Black temper, but no need to get angry. They’re just harmless nicknames, and besides, I know Sirius calls you Reggie.”
Regulus couldn’t help but flush at the comparison. The idea that Sirius’s best friend thought that they were alike was insulting. It made Regulus angry, angry because his brother had left him, and now, even when Sirius was out of Regulus’ life, he was still being compared to him. He spoke slowly, wanting Potter to get this through his thick skull, “We are nothing alike. For example, I didn’t abandon my family as he did, and he doesn’t call me Reggie anymore. He doesn’t get that privilege anymore, and you never had it.”
Potter’s face became solemn at Regulus’s words. Regulus didn’t know how he could have possibly forgotten that Sirius had left Regulus in that damn house, considering Sirius had been at the Potters’ all summer. Obviously, Regulus wouldn’t just forgive Sirius for what he had done. How could he forget that Regulus was all alone because of Sirius? Did he think Regulus wouldn’t be angry? Did he believe Sirius would still be his brother after he had abandoned him?
Potter’s following words were delivered in an indignant tone, “Come on, Regulus, like you didn’t know that he was drowning in that house. I think you and I both know that he wouldn’t have survived another year there. I know you are your parents’ little puppet, but even you must’ve realized that. You are not unintelligent, so don’t play dumb with me.”
Potter’s words were like water thrown on a fire; they quickly simmered his temper. Regulus didn’t really think Sirius would have been dead if he had remained in that house for another year. However, he knew that if Sirius had remained, then his spirit would have been broken, kind of like Regulus’ already was. Sirius always had a more vibrant personality than Regulus anyway, so it really would be a shame if it disappeared. If one of their spirits had to be broken, then it made sense that Regulus’ would be the one to go; he was never worth as much as his brother was. Regulus spent his entire life walking three steps behind Sirius, and when Sirius was no longer there, Regulus received the full brunt of his parents. Obedience and discipline are enough for two sons forced onto one.
Regulus didn’t actually want his brother’s spirit to break; he just never wanted to be alone. Sirius was the one person Regulus knew would always be there for him. Even after they drifted apart, they were still brothers in the end. Then Sirius left, and now he had no brother, but Sirius got a whole new family. Regulus attempted to wipe the emotions off his face, hoping that Potter hadn’t already noticed. Regulus’s voice almost comes out in a whisper, “Yeah, Potter, I know. I’m the bad guy. I’m the villain. I’m the reason for everything, and that anything bad ever happened to Sirius. So it’s almost poetic, then. Now I’m the only one left in that house. Good for him. Later, Potter.”
Regulus turned and rushed away before James Potter could see the broken look on his face. Mother and father always said the Blacks aren’t weak and nobody should ever see your crown fall.
When Regulus finally gets back to his compartment, he is almost immediately assaulted by noise. Damn, Regulus had forgotten how loud Evan was. Barty Crouch Jr. and Evan Rosier were the only Slytherins that Regulus could actually stand for longer than a few minutes; luckily, they happened to be his roommates. Evan Rosier came from a family that was somewhat similar to the Black family, which meant his parents didn’t mind his affiliation with Evan. There were so many people his parents disapproved of that Regulus couldn’t be friends with. The few families that his mother and father did approve of happened to have sons whom Regulus despised. The Mulicibers, the Averys, and the Notts, to name a few. Regulus hated them. They were cruel to everyone and just plain ignorant. Being a blood supremacist was bad enough, but Regulus didn’t understand why they felt the need to be so obvious. It often got them in trouble with the staff.
Evan was more forgiving of this behavior, unfortunately. While he wasn’t exactly obvious about his dislike for anyone not pureblood, he seemed to understand why they felt the need to be obvious. Rosier was someone whom Regulus wasn’t sure if he would be a lifelong friend. Sometimes Evan did things that Regulus couldn’t pretend to be okay with, and sometimes he was the friend Regulus met on the train in the first year. Evan could be fiercely loyal, or he could betray you in a heartbeat. Sometimes being friends with Evan was more like being friends with two completely different people. Regulus was never quite sure which Evan he was going to get.
Barty was another story altogether. He wasn’t from the same type of family as Regulus; while he was a pureblood, his father was very vocal about his dislike for the dark arts and anyone tied to it. Barty’s father was a political climber; he couldn’t have anything damage his chances of becoming Minister of Magic, especially his son. These days, the Slytherin house is considered a synonym for the dark arts. When Barty was sorted into Slytherin, his father was so disappointed that he proceeded to separate himself from his son as much as possible. Regulus remembered in the first year when he would hear Barty crying in his bed with his curtain closed, the first week of school. Barty didn’t deserve how his father treated him. Now, Barty does everything he can to separate himself from his father as well. He was whip-smart, but he often did foolish things, hoping to get back at his father. He also used the word Mudblood as if he were describing the weather, which had always made Regulus a bit uncomfortable. The sad part was that Regulus wasn’t actually sure Barty cared much about blood supremacy or if he just wanted to be the opposite of his father.
As he walked into the compartment, Rosier stood up, clapping him on the back, “Black, where have you been? We’ve been waiting for you for like an hour. I want to tell you about this chick I met.” Regulus smirked slightly at Evan’s enthusiasm before quickly responding that he was at a prefect meeting. Evan snorted at the idea of Regulus being at a Pompous meeting, as they used to call it. He quickly moved back to telling Regulus about the girl he’d met, “Well, I was in France and I met this beautiful French pureblood. She wasn’t too bright, but who needs that in a wife, am I right? Her name is Melanie Cortaca, and she’s perfect.”
Regulus rolled his eyes at his friend’s forgetfulness. He drawled in a sarcastic tone, “Right, Rosier, I’m sure that your parents will be completely okay with you ditching the girl you’ve been engaged to since you were four and taking up some Frenchy.”
Barty burst out laughing at the offended expression Evan adopted. He smirked as Regulus came down to sit next to him, ”Wow, Regs, I have missed you. Who else would be around to tell Rosier that he is an imbecile?”
Regulus quirked an eyebrow up at him, smirking back, “Well, you always could.”
“I could never! I guess I am just not as heartless as you.”
Regulus rolled his eyes at his friend’s mock innocence. If any of the three of them were heartless, it was Barty. The boy hardly ever missed an opportunity to point out when they were being idiotic. Barty chuckled a bit before swinging his arm around Regulus’s shoulder, “So you were at your prefect meeting? Always figured you’d be the prefect of the bunch. Such a stickler for rules and so damn boring.”
Regulus doesn’t miss a beat and promptly tells Barty to shove off.
A second later, Rosier, who has gotten out of his stupor, finally responds, “Come on, Regs, you don’t know. Maybe I can convince them. Well, probably not, but still, she gave fantastic head. So not a complete waste. Fingers crossed that Allison Private can do those things with her tongue as well. Otherwise, I might have to have a side chick when we’re married. How was the meeting anyway?”
Regulus laughed at Evan’s ability to say so much in one sentence without really saying anything of substance. The three of them spent most of the train ride catching up about each other’s summers. Regulus had skillfully avoided mentioning Sirius until Evan decided to bring it up, “Hey, Regs, this is awkward, but there have been some rumors going around, and I feel like I should ask. Did Sirius leave? I mean, I knew he hung out with blood traitors and half-bloods, but did he actually leave the family and give up being the heir?”
Regulus could tell by the glare Barty sent towards Evan that the two of them had been discussing it before he had gotten there. He didn’t know why he was so surprised; of course, everyone would know about what had happened last Christmas sooner or later. He was surprised it took them this long, but when Sirius didn’t show up with Regulus and his father, people must have drawn their own conclusion.
Regulus had never told them when it happened last year, so he hoped they wouldn’t get angry at him for keeping it a secret so long. “Yeah, actually, he left last Christmas. I never said anything because it was all kind of fresh, but he’s been taken off the family tapestry and everything. It’s official.”
The boys didn’t say anything, but Evan looked uncomfortable, and Barty gave him a pitying expression. He hated being pitied. Thank Merlin, Evan did not struggle with finding words, no matter how ridiculous they were. His awkward expression morphed into a hesitant smile before he was full-on grinning, “Wait, doesn’t that make you the heir? Shit, Regs, you are going to be filthy rich!”
Regulus couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s enthusiasm on the matter, which seemed to be enough to bring a change of subject forward as they neared Hogwarts for his fifth year.