Chapter Text
Regulus flinched violently as Walburga came towards him. He had no idea what had happened with Sirius, but whatever it was clearly did not end well given her livid state. Her eyes were dark and there was a fury in them that he could not understand and did not want to. Her face was contorted into such a rageful glare that he felt his entire body shake in response to her fury. He wanted to know what happened to Sirius. There had been screaming-standard between Sirius and their mother-and fighting, but now there was utter silence and it was the silence that terrified him more than anything else.
"Maman," Regulus whispered softly, staring up at his mother who did not grant him any response to his soft whisper, but a firm grip on the back of his neck as her painted nails dug into the flesh there, and dragging him forwards and down several flights of stairs. He stumbled down the stairs, felt the skin rip open from the edges of her sharpened nails cutting into his neck and he knew that they would take at least a week to heal from the poison she typically coated her nails in. Harmless poison, just something that would cause pain.
Regulus went willingly, struggling to keep up, knowing that if he fought that it would make things worse. He did not know where she was taking him, or why she was angry, focused too much on trying to see Sirius somewhere, but there was nothing, and Regulus knew for a fact that Sirius had not returned to his room, either by himself or by Kreacher apparating him in. He would have heard it, and so not seeing his brother left his heart rate jolting upwards in fear. Was he dead? He had to be, right? Their mother had finally lost her marbles and killed her faviorte son. Regulus did not begin to struggle until he saw them descend the final layer of stairs from the first floor into the magical basement. The one you could not get out of unless it was opened from the outside. The one that would leave him aching and desperate for any sort of light or warmth. Then he began to twist, to turn, to plead and beg, but his mother was entirely unresponsive to his desperation and simply threw him in unceremoniously, turning and locking the door before Regulus even had a chance to pull himself up from where he had fallen down the short stairwell. Regulus was shut in darkness...and in the silence of the basement he felt tears drip down his cheeks. He had no idea if Sirius was alive, but he doubted it. Not if his mother was this livid and Sirius had been provoking her. He had been sent to his room long before the fighting ended, and it would not surprise him if Sirius had finally lost control and infuriated his mother so much she had killed him for certain. If she could kill Sirius, what would stop her from killing him? Regulus was the forgotten son, the one that was only there when it was obvious. He kept out of sight, because for him out of sight out of mind was true.
He felt cold wrack his body once more as he curled up against the door of the basement. Every once in a while, Kreacher popped in to give Regulus food and drink, which he hastily scarfed down thanking his friend profusely. Kreacher would just give him a sad look with his big eyes and say that 'young master Regulus does not deserve this'. They both knew that, but there was nothing to be done and Regulus knew that Kreacher was talking about something more that he did not know, but knew just as well that Kreacher would be incapable of telling him. He still did not know what happened with Sirius, Kreacher was unable to speak on it. This only cemented the thought that his brother was dead because why else would Kreacher be ordered by Orion not to say a word?
It had been almost a week before something changed. The door flew open, and Regulus scrambled down the tiny stairs and slid to a kneeling position on the tile floor, knowing that he would have to be perfect to avoid punishment, expecting his mother-but the hand that gripped him was decidedly soft in nature, and the nails were a natural pink not the painted violet his mother had. He glanced up to see Narcissa, her eyes wild and unnatural. For a distinct moment, Regulus feared that the madness had come for her as it had for Bella, but she did not speak, merely pulling him forwards and out of the basement with a finger to her lips. She shoved a scrip of paper into his hand and told him to use the flue and hunt down Sirius as quickly as possible once he got there. Regulus stared at her in shock.
Sirius was alive? Sirius was alive!
"S-Sirius is alive?" Narcissa nodded, hastily glancing backwards before shoving him by his shoulders into the fireplace.
"You must be quick, before your mother finds out. She has...Regulus the madness has taken her." She whispered fearfully. "She wants to...to sell you off...Said she would imperio you if you do not agree, said it did not matter and while I can ignore many things I cannot just allow her to take your will from you like this." Regulus felt his breath catch in his throat. So there had been a reason for his isolation. It was to break him down, to tear down his spirit, and he cursed himself mentally because it had worked. Of all things it had worked. "You must be quick, and when you get there, you must get to the muggle town and run as fast as you can. Do you know how to use a muggle telephone?" Regulus shook his head. She sighed, running fingers through his hair comfortingly. "It does not matter, someone will. You must ask. Here." She shoved a bag at him. "It has an extension charm. I put all of the things you and Sirius had in there, as best I could, along with some of the books in the library I knew where not traceable. Go, I will see you at Hogwarts, Petit Prince," Regulus nodded hastily.
He threw the powder into the fireplace, and said the words-he was not sure where it was but that did not matter. He could hear nothing and see nothing but his cousin's soft blue eyes full of care and warmth as he was whisked away.