Chapter Text
Remus
Remus can see Sirius' mother’s white-knuckled grip on his arm from where he’s waiting for his friends by the stairs to board the train. At this point, he hasn’t necessarily learned that stressing about what happened over the summer helps his friend at all, so he’s drumming his fingers on his arm and trying not to scratch at the new, itchy scars littering his body.
Hope Lupin tries her best, but her skills in healing magic just aren’t the same as Madam Pomfrey’s, and he’ll be glad to have her back for the fulls the next couple of months. Her presence was a welcome one each time his body became his own again. Her cool hand always soothed his feverish face, and her healing remedies aided his aching body and open wounds.
“Alright, Lupin?” A bright and familiar voice says behind him. Remus turns to find James smiling before the boy’s eyes follow in the direction Remus had been previously looking, a dark look becomes James’ expression, and a muscle in his jaw flexes. James shares the same feelings about Sirius’ family that Remus does, maybe even more so. Remus tries not to let the fact that Sirius confides more in James about his family than himself or Peter bother him too much. He reminds himself that their friendship works because they all have different dynamics with each other, and Remus’s specific friendship with Sirius is one that no one else can claim. Then Remus reminds himself of his friendship with James and why it’s so important to him.
James Potter was one of the best things to happen to Remus in his first year. Remus could honestly say he doesn’t know where he would be if he had never met James. If he hadn’t met James on the train last year, he wouldn’t have met Sirius and Peter, and so on. James was a bright spot in Remus’ long-dreaded first year. He created their friend group and he gave Remus a place to go when he was too tired to pretend. More than once, he almost told them the truth.
He almost told them what kind of monster sleeps not five feet away from them every night, each time he had nearly convinced himself that they would not see him the way he saw himself. That James would look at him with the same warmth and support he’s grown too used to. That Peter wouldn’t cower at the sight of him, wouldn’t act like he’s not the same person he shared his chocolate stash from home with. And Sirius-
“Alright, James?” Remus returns when James tears his eyes from Sirius’ family only after his mother releases him. Though he lingers only slightly when Walburga shifts her attention to a smaller boy who could be a carbon copy of Sirius, Remus thinks they practically share a face though Sirius’ is more angular.
The boy could only be Regulus, Sirius’ younger brother. Sirius spoke of him only briefly last year so Remus doesn’t have much to go on.
“That woman gives me the creeps.” James shivers dramatically. “If I look at her too long I get the chills.”
“She sort of reminds me of a corpse,” a higher-pitched voice says.
“Merlin’s beard!” James jumps and he and Remus spin to find Peter behind them looking every bit the same as he had when they parted ways three months earlier. “Pete, we need to get you a bell or something, mate.”
Peter flushes in embarrassment. “Sorry.” He leans around Remus’ tall figure to get a look at Sirius. “I forgot it would be Regulus’ first year at Hogwarts. Do you think he’ll want to hang out with us and Sirius?”
James puts on what Remus likes to think of as his ‘thinking expression’ which entails furrowed brows and a straight-set mouth.
“Maybe,” he says, “though Sirius didn’t talk about him that much last year.”
“You know how he is about his family,” Remus says. James would know better than anyone what goes on in Sirius’ mind when it comes to his family and his brother.
James shrugs. “It doesn’t matter either way, we’ll be there for him however he needs. And hey, if Little Black wants to hang out with the likes of us, we’ll be the best damn friends he’d have.”
A gasp makes all three of them jump. “James Fleamont Potter! Watch your language!” Euphemia Potter smacks her son over the head lightly in admonishment.
“Sorry, mum. Hey, I wasn’t being rude actually!” James says in his defense.
“I know, love, but you mustn’t use such coarse language in front of-“
“In front of respectable adults and/or strangers,” James dutifully recites, ignoring the snickers of his two friends who had been watching the whole exchange and the twinkle in his father’s eyes.
“Exactly, my sweet boy.” His mother bends to press a kiss into his hairline and tucks a wayward curl behind one ear.
James makes a noise of disgust and dodges his mother’s affections. “C’mon, mum!”
A loud whistle cuts through the station and Remus feels Peter jump next to him. Mrs. Potter shoves his trunk into his arms and nudges him towards the train. “Right then. Off you go, boys!”
Mr. Potter claps a hand on James’ shoulder and chuckles, “Don’t make us send you any howlers, son!”
Remus and Peter snicker at the way James pales.
Sirius appears like a ghost at Remus’ elbow with an identical shadow in tow. Remus pretends he doesn’t watch Sirius muster up his most convincing smile and looks over at him obediently when he chirps, “Alright, lads? Ready to head?”
James’ parents turn and leave while the boys perk up at seeing their friend for the first time since school let out last year. A mischievous smile appears on James’ face. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to baby black, Sirius?”
Remus thinks he hears Regulus mutter something like, “Hope that doesn’t catch on.”
Sirius smiles brightly and proudly says, “Marauders, this is my baby brother, Regulus. Reg, these are the Marauders, James, Remus, and Peter.”
Remus nods hello while Peter and James speak on top of one another, “Good to meet you, mate.”
Regulus’ expression remains neutral like he hasn’t heard a word spoken in the last three minutes. Remus thinks he’s a little too serious for an eleven-year-old boy, though perhaps being a Black has something to do with it.
The train whistles again as a last call and the boys all hurry to board it. They find an empty compartment quickly enough and they all spread out within it, Regulus tucks himself into the corner closest to the door away from the rest, and opens a book that he had in the pocket of his robe.
Remus’ attention is forcibly shifted when Sirius throws himself down between Remus and Regulus, huffing out a large breath. Remus nudges his friend's arm and murmurs, “How was your summer?”
Sirius tilts his head at him, looking up through a couple of strands of hair that are longer than they were since the last time Remus saw him. Sirius gives him a look of pure incredulity, like how dare Remus even imply that Sirius’ summer could have been anything other than straight out of the deepest pits of hell. Remus offhandedly hopes that Regulus is only half as dramatic as his older brother.
Remus grimaces and looks away towards their two friends who are arguing over who gets the last lolly. James because he bought them and Peter because James had more than he did, and really, James’ parents gave him the galleons for the trolley so Remus thinks Euphemia or Fleamont ought to have the last lolly.
Remus followed the younger Black’s lead and sunk into his most recent read. Sirius remained mostly silent aside from contributing to James and Peter’s conversations as they traveled closer to Hogwarts.
Stepping off the carriages in front of Hogwarts felt like a breath of fresh air and Remus could feel a tension, one which he hadn’t known he’d been carrying, lift.
It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate all that his parents did for him during the fulls, it was only that he felt more secure and took comfort in the knowledge of the steps Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey took to ensure he wouldn’t hurt anyone.
Sirius perks up like a flower that hasn’t seen the sun in years almost immediately. “Alright lads, let’s shift ourselves, we don’t want to be the last ones there!”
Remus and James shared a look behind his back, James spoke up, “Do you think your brother will be alright?”
“Ah, he’ll be grand.” Sirius waves him off. “I don’t want to get a bad seat, come on.”
He lifts his luggage in one hand and sets off towards the staircase of the castle. The rest of the boys have no choice but to follow.
The boys proudly take their seats at the Gryffindor table, James brings a knee up to rest against the table nonchalantly while Peter slumps into himself so much you might not see him unless you looked straight at him.
Sirius keeps his gaze glued to where the first-years are gathered around Professor McGonagall where she attempts to line them up in an orderly fashion, Remus thinks it’s a lost cause where the undeniable giddy energy first years bring with them. The excitement they have been building up since they received their acceptance letter. Remus remembers his own anticipation tinged with dread at the prospect of going through the fulls anywhere with less space than his parent’s fifteen acres of farmland for the wolf to prowl.
Once his eyes find the younger black brother Remus figures out why Sirius is staring so intently. Regulus has found himself his very own parasite in the form of a small, skinny, sallow boy with ink-black hair that falls over his forehead, almost into his eyes. The boy has a permanent grin plastered onto his face even though his mouth won’t stop moving. Even from where he’s sitting, Remus can practically see the boy vibrating where he stands.
Regulus’ face is carefully blank, you could almost think he doesn’t hear the boy if he wasn’t talking directly into his ear, although Remus can see the slight tightening of his expression that indicates irritation.
The boy moves to the side slightly and Remus catches sight of the smaller boy he had by the wrist the whole time. The boy comes into view and his healthier, darker complexion contrasts the first boy’s strikingly. His hair is also the complete opposite, light in color and different strands are twisted artfully, it’s intricate and Remus guesses he couldn’t have done it himself.
It looks as though the pale boy is introducing Regulus to the new boy and vice versa. Finally Regulus comes to life and speaks for what looks like the first time since he met the paler boy.
“Reggie’s already making friends.” If he didn’t know his friend better, he would have thought Sirius sounded sad. Like the fact that his little brother could thrive without him, hurts him more than he thought it would. Either way Remus sets a hand on Sirius’s knee under the table while James coos teasingly.
Sirius reaches around Remus to pop James on the back of his head, almost making his glasses fall onto his dinner plate.
Then the sorting ceremony starts and the boys don’t pay much attention at first until they get to the Bs.
“Regulus Black.”
The boy in question looks up sharply as if he hadn’t expected his name to be called so soon.
The group of four boys sit up straighter and Sirius starts to wring his hands like some harried housewife.
Regulus walks towards the stool, looking as if he’d headed for the gallows. He takes his seat and his eyes scan the crowd until they land on his big brother and some of the tension in his shoulders ease. Remus sees him take a deep breath and nod at McGonagall that he’s ready.
She sets the hat down and the Sorting Hat comes to life, humming and mumbling for a minute or two until it seems to make up it’s strange sentient mind that Remus will probably never understand.
The hat sucks in a breath in preparation to yell, “Slytherin!”
Sirius snorts into his water goblet, Remus hears James hiss quietly and Remus sneaks a look at Peter to see a sympathy grimace twist his expression.
Sirius looks nothing short of devastated when Regulus seeks his gaze out again with what looks like fear taking over his features. Then all at once his face is blank as if he physically wiped it clean, Remus thinks he sees Regulus slightly tear up before he hops off the stool and hurries to the Slytherin table where their older cousins snag him by the arm and pull him down next to them. He drops his chin to his chest and doesn’t look up again.
Sirius picks up his goblet again and Remus looks at his other two friends who he knows are thinking the same think he is. Sirius will be in one of those moods where he acts like nothing’s wrong but he gets angry at every little inconvenience until he explodes.
They watch as another round of kids get sorted and then Regulus’ new friend steps up once his name is called. Remus now has a name to put to the face.
“Bartemius Crouch Jr.” Professor McGonagall calls and the boy with the flat-inky hair skips up to the hat and waits for it to be set on his head. After some deliberation the hat reaches a decision.
“Slytherin!”
James scoffs in disbelief and mutters under his breath, “Dad won’t believe this bullocks.”
Peter makes a questioning noise.
“My dad works with Crouch Sr. at the ministry, the man’s got a broomstick shoved up his arse, according to him.” James shakes his head. “He’s going to go ballistic when he hears this.”
After Crouch, it takes a good long while to get to the boy Crouch had dragged over to Regulus by the wrist in an effort to force a friendship between the two.
“Evan Rosier.”
One more time.
“Slytherin!”
Rosier makes a beeline to where Crouch had sat himself, in the near vicinity to Regulus. The three boys start a quiet, reserved conversation, one where Crouch still laughs uproariously at whatever Regulus says.
The first meal is quiet and Sirius doesn’t touch his dinner roll.