Chapter Text
It was six days later, a Friday, and Sirius and Regulus were preparing to leave for the Wizengamot where the trial would be held. Classes were finished for the day and the brothers were in their respective dorms getting ready to depart.
Regulus was nervous, he had changed his clothes at least six times and was debating changing them again. Severus, Barty, and Evan were seated around the room, giving him an occasional tip, but mostly listening as he fretted about.
“Maybe not this one, it drains me.” Regulus muttered as he tore off the shirt he was wearing and started looking through the pile of robes by his feet for another one.
“You’ve tried them all on, why don’t you just pick one?” Evan groaned and flopped back onto the cushions of his bed, not noticing the glares Barty and Severus sent him.
“It has to be the perfect one.” Regulus replied without looking up from the pile of fabric he was tearing through. “It has to be proper enough that the council will take me seriously, but not so proper that they’re able to forget that I am still a poor child that was tormented by his parents. Everything about court proceedings has a meaning behind it. Every word, every move, even what you wear is a strategy.”
Evan and Severus looked with wide eyes while Barty only nodded along in agreement, he’d had plenty of experience regarding the court system and how it worked thanks to his father’s job. It was moments like these that showed just how much of a true Slytherin Regulus was.
“He’s right.” Barty chimed in and jumped up from his position on the floor, letting the book he hadn’t been reading fall from his lap and onto the tiles. He skipped over to where Regulus still was tearing through his clothes before essentially diving into the pile himself. He emerged after a few minutes holding a set of robes that he then chucked at Regulus who stumbled as he tried to catch them. “These should be perfect.”
Regulus looked down at the clothes in his arms uncertainly for a moment before his eyes widened slightly and he nodded approvingly at the garments. He then walked into their shared bathroom to change - still too uncomfortable with showing his scarred body off to others. He came out a minute later wearing a set of black and gray-blue robes. The robes were pristine, not a wrinkle in sight, but the design was seemingly fit for a wizard of younger age rather than an adult. This made Regulus look very proper while at the same time also enhancing his youthfulness, precisely what he had been going for. The gray tie made his eyes stand out which brought attention to the scar that ran across the left one. This in itself would be perfect for swaying the judges onto their side. No judge would be able to look at the stark evidence of abuse and torment by parents permanently etched onto their child’s face and not want to immediately sentence them to life in Azkaban. This in combination with Regulus’ puppy eyes that on occasion even had Severus bending to his will would maybe even land them each a dementor’s kiss.
“Perfect!” Barty exclaimed happily while looking Regulus up and down proudly. Regulus stood in front of the full-length mirror they shared and looked himself over. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded once more and his lips spread into a small satisfied smile.
“This will do just fine.” He agreed before turning back to his friends just in time for the clock to strike noon. The lighthearted atmosphere that had settled over them seemed to evaporate as the time for his departure drew closer.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Evan asked him grimly. “You know you don’t have to. The amount of evidence they have is guaranteed to land your folks in Azkaban without your statement.”
“I know that you only want to look out for me, but I have to do this.” Regulus said determinately. “After everything they’ve put my brother and me through it’s only fair that we return the favor. They have been the cause of our misery and pain since before I can even remember, I was just too blind to see it back then. Even if I wouldn’t be doing this for myself I’d still do it for Sirius. For years I stood silent and watched as he took hits and hexes and other punishments to protect me. I was too scared to speak up and I was more concerned with gaining my parents’ approval than I was helping him. This is my chance to protect him the way he’s done for me throughout our entire childhood.”
“I get what you’re saying, but doing this for your brother alone shouldn’t make you do something you don’t want to do.” Evan tried to reason and Regulus was partially touched by his concern and partially irritated at his lack of faith.
“I know that.” Regulus huffed. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t absolutely certain I could or wanted to. What do you take me for? A Gryffindor? After all the shit my parents have put me through I want to be the one that sends them to Azkaban. Figuratively, of course.”
“Well, then you better be on your way.” Severus interrupted and glanced at the clock. “Because you’re supposed to meet with your brother and Dumbledore in his office in a few minutes.”
“Shit.” Regulus hissed as he too noticed the time. He quickly gathered the things he’d need for the day before turning to leave. Barty, Evan, and Severus were gathered by the door and he went up to them to say his goodbyes. He’d only be gone for a day if everything went well, but he’d still miss them. He’d rather be in his dorm and spend the day with his friends than face his parents in court any day.
He first faced Evan, who was looking just as stoic as himself. Evan’s lips were pursed and he was looking unhappy with the thought of Regulus going, but he held his tongue and nodded curtly before placing a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Be safe, alright.” He demanded rather than pleaded. Regulus nodded with a smile, this was about the most affectionate that Evan got with anyone who wasn’t Barty. Regulus didn’t know quite what their deal was, but he knew that their connection was deeper than they let on. But he respected their privacy and wouldn’t pry… yet.
“I promise.” He replied before turning to Barty who didn’t hesitate before throwing himself at Regulus and embracing him, although it felt more like Barty was attempting to squeeze the life out of him.
“Okay, Barty, I’ll miss you too, but please remember that I’m still not quite healed up yet.” Regulus wheezed amusedly as the ache in his ribs flared up. Barty immediately let him go and gave him an apologetic smile that Regulus returned with a comforting one.
Lastly, he turned to Severus who was standing a step away from them, watching them with his arms crossed over his chest. Before Regulus could even open his mouth, Severus was talking.
“I’ll walk you to Dumbledore.” He said and turned around before disappearing out the door. Regulus looked at the other two boys before he shrugged at them and followed Severus out. He caught up with his friend and they both walked towards Dumbledore’s office in silence, and though it wasn’t tense Regulus could still practically hear the thoughts flying around in his friend’s head.
“You know, if you don’t let those thoughts out of your head through your mouth soon I’m afraid your head is going to explode.” He said and nudged the taller boy with his elbow. Severus barely reacted and Regulus would have thought that his friend hadn’t heard him if he hadn’t sighed in defeat after a moment of silence.
“What if they don’t get convicted?” Severus asked, his voice so low that Regulus barely heard it.
“What makes you say that?” He asked, anxiety building in his chest. He knew that it was a serious question, and a horrifying possibility, but he had managed to avoid thinking about it much until now.
“It’s just…” Severus trailed off and Regulus hated seeing his normally whip-smart friend unable to find the words and the hint of fear in his dark eyes.
“It’s just what, Sev?” The younger boy asked, noting that his friend didn’t correct the usage of his nickname. Severus looked forward for a second, seemingly lost in thought, before blinking and an ice-cold look came over his face.
“There are so many people who get away with this every day. People who hurt their children, beat them bloody, or nearly kill them, and then get off with just a slap on the wrist, if even that. And powerful people with money rarely get punished. And that’s not to mention that your cousin isn’t being charged with anything. What if she comes after you?” Severus eventually said, a hint of bitterness in his tone. Regulus knew that he’d had his own fair share of maltreatment at the hands of his muggle father, and that the muggle authorities had been involved more than once, but that no action had ever been taken in order to protect Severus or his mother who faced just as much cruelty as her son. Regulus swore that once this trial was over that he would make sure to get Severus out of his situation, he refused to leave his friend to the same fate that he had narrowly escaped with his life.
“There wasn’t enough evidence to charge Bellatrix, she knew how to cover her tracks so it would just be her word against mine. But given what happened with my parents and her very public support of You-know-who it wasn’t so difficult to get a restraining order against her. The spell they cast on her makes sure that she can't come within a hundred yards of me or she will be crumbling to the ground in pain and Aurors will show up within minutes. Besides, she’s pretty much gone into hiding ever since she attacked me. And this won’t be one of those cases, it will work.” Regulus said determinedly and Severus cast him a doubtful look before rolling his eyes.
“You’re starting to sound like a bloody Gryffindor.” He huffed as they reached the empty hallway leading toward Dumbledore’s office.
“You take that back.” Regulus snapped in mock offense to which Severus, once again, rolled his eyes. “I’m serious, though. With the amount of evidence, testimonies, and eyewitnesses we have there really is no doubt that my parents will face some sort of punishment for their actions. Especially now with tension running high with You-know-who and the publics' general contempt for his sympathizers, which it’s no secret that my parents are. If not for their actions against my brother and me, chances are that their connection to You-know-who will land them a considerable punishment.”
“And there is the Slytherin in you.” Severus smirked as they reached the headmaster’s office door. Both boys went still as they looked at the door. They could hear the low murmurs of who they could identify as Sirius and Dumbledore talking to each other from behind the wood, though not clearly enough to figure out what they were discussing.
“I guess this is it then?” Regulus breathed shakily as his left hand came up to his face to fiddle with the edge of the scar that ran across it, a nervous habit he had picked up on as it had healed.
“Hey, look at me.” Severus said and turned towards him before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got this, you said it yourself, the risk of them getting out of this unscathed is minuscule. Today is going to be hell, but you’ll get through it and once you do you can move on.”
“I know, I know I have to do this. For me and for my brother.” Regulus responded, whispering the last part. It was a reminder to himself that he had to be strong, not just for himself but for Sirius, as well. His brother needed him just as much as Regulus needed him, and he’d be damned if he let the matter of their parents tear them apart once again.
“Alright then, you ready?” Severus asked and raised his fisted hand towards the door, waiting for confirmation. Regulus nodded curtly and three heavy knocks fell on the door, the sound that emitted from them was like someone was banging a drum right by his ear.
“Come in.” Dumbledore’s usual pleasant voice came through and the door opened. The first person Regulus saw when he stepped in was Sirius. His brother was dressed in his finest robes and his hair was tidy for once, Regulus could see that Sirius had gone for the same idea when choosing his clothes as Regulus had. The brothers looked each other up and down before sharing a knowing look. He then looked around and saw James slouched onto one of the chairs across from Dumbledore and Remus leaning against the fireplace. As his eyes came across his boyfriend he saw Remus staring at him with wide eyes, a hunger shining within them. It was then Regulus realized that he was wearing the same shirt he’d had on their first date, the one Remus had so lovingly removed, revealing miles of temporarily unmarked skin before-
Regulus cut that thought off quickly, looking away from his amused boyfriend with a blush steadily climbing up his neck. There was no doubt that Remus knew what he had been thinking about.
“Hey, Reggie.” Sirius said and approached his brother and Snape, seemingly unaware of what Regulus had just been thinking about. “Snape.”
“Black.” Severus acknowledged with a nod, and Regulus pleasantly noted that neither of their greetings towards each other had been laced with contempt, but had actually been rather polite. Or, as polite as these two were capable of being to each other. The two held each other’s gaze for a moment before James spoke up.
“James is a very popular name, you know? Strong and traditional, any lad would be lucky to have it.” He said while looking at the two. All eyes turned to him, most of them confused while Dumbledore just looked amused at the exchange.
“What are you going on about?” Sirius asked his friend.
“Oh, just some suggestions, you know? In case the two of you want to start thinking about baby names?” He said nonchalantly with a smirk. Sirius sputtered incoherently in offense while Severus took a step back and rolled his eyes while muttering something about ‘Gryffindors’. Regulus couldn’t hold back a laugh of his own and he saw Remus from the corner of his eye attempting to stifle a snort himself.
“Now, now, boys.” Dumbledore chuckled before standing up from his seat. “As glad as I am to finally see some inter-house camaraderie, we must depart now unless we wish to be late.”
A somber atmosphere took over the previously light one and Remus and James walked over to the other three boys.
“Are you two sure you want to do this?” Remus asked the brothers. Regulus and Sirius looked at each other before turning back to the werewolf with determined expressions on their faces.
“We’re sure.” Sirius replied for the both of them, followed by a confirming nod from Regulus.
“Then you better hurry.” Remus added with a sorrowful smile, he didn’t want his friend and boyfriend to go through any of this at all, but he knew that they needed to do this for themselves.
The brothers started saying their goodbyes, James was the first to wrap them both into a warm embrace which they both returned happily. Next up was Severus.
“Good luck.” He said plainly, but his eyes held a warmth that he usually reserved for Lily, but now only had for Regulus, the brother he never had. He then shifted his eyes towards the older Black briefly. “Both of you.”
He stepped away before either could say anything and then there was Remus left. As soon as the werewolf approached the brothers his eyes locked with Regulus’. Sirius looked between his friend and his brother before excusing himself to go stand by Dumbledore who was waiting by the fireplace, not that either seemed to notice his departure. James and Severus went to stand by the door, not wanting to intrude on the couple’s private moment.
“Will you be here when I come back?” Regulus asked. They both knew that he didn’t mean it in the sense of Remus’ physical presence, they knew Regulus meant it in a ‘will you be here for me when I get back?’. It hurt Remus that Regulus had to ask, although he knew that his past actions had made him deserving of his boyfriend’s hesitation, and he had to remind himself that this was part of rebuilding the trust they had had for each other before. Specifically, the trust Regulus had had for him before.
“I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.” Remus assured comfortingly, longing to bring the other boy into a hug. Regulus, seemingly reading Remus’ mind, hesitated for a split second before throwing himself into the werewolf’s arms. Remus, not prepared for the onslaught, stumbles as he catches the other boy before stabilizing them. Regulus didn’t seem to notice their tumble, instead, he kept a tight hold of his boyfriend, hugging him as if this was his last chance to hold him. Remus didn’t waste any time hugging him back the second he was sure that they wouldn’t fall to the ground.
“I’m scared.” Regulus whispered into Remus’ chest.
“I know, love.” Remus whispered back into his hair, his heart breaking in his chest. “But you’re gonna be alright, you have all of us right here by your side, and no matter what happens you’ll be alright. Do you understand?”
Regulus didn’t respond verbally, but the Gryffindor felt him nod against his chest before pulling away. His gray eyes were reddening and his jaw was clenched in an attempt to keep his composure.
“Reg, we have to go now.” Sirius called softly from the fireplace.
“I’m coming.” He said back before turning to Remus one last time and squeezing his hand before dropping it and walking towards his brother and headmaster.
“Now, my boys.” Dumbledore said before preparing the floo. “Let us go.”
“Are you ready?” Sirius whispered to his brother while stepping forward.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
**********
“How long do you think this will take?” Sirius asked agitatedly after twenty minutes of waiting in the courtroom without seeing any trace of their parents. To anyone else, it might have seemed as if Sirius was eager to start the trial and get it going, but Regulus knew his brother well enough that Sirius’ behavior and attitude were signs of stress and nervosity. He knew that Sirius was dreading the proceedings just as much as he was but that their approach toward the situation was vastly different. In comparison, while Sirius dreaded the upcoming procedure he still wanted it done and over with as soon as possible, meanwhile Regulus would rather procrastinate and avoid it altogether if he could.
“I don’t know, but did you see the Aurors outside earlier when we got here? They’re already here.” Regulus whispered back while fidgeting and biting his lip, wincing when he bit too hard and a drop of blood started to well up on his bottom lip. He jumped a bit when their attorney handed him a handkerchief without looking up from the pile of documents in front of him. He thanked him quietly and accepted the piece of fabric and pressed it against his lip.
“Patience, boys.” Dumbledore spoke up from beside them, seemingly perfectly content with sitting there and simply observing the people around them. “I’m sure it’ll start any moment now, don’t you think so, mister Williams?”
“Certainly.” The attorney answered curtly, his eyes glued on the papers on the papers in front of him. Christopher Williams was a tall and handsome man with dark brown eyes and hair which went perfectly with his light complexion. Both Regulus and Sirius had taken a moment to appreciate the attorney's physique before they had been introduced.
“Stop ogling him.” Sirius had whispered with force and a blush spread across Regulus' cheeks.
“You’re staring too.” He hissed back.
“Yes, but out of the two of us, I’m the one who's of age and don't have a boyfriend waiting for me back at the castle.” His brother smirked.
“Oh, really?” Regulus said with a teasing grin. “And here I thought you and Severus had something going on, the two of you have been very chummy lately.”
“Shut up, or I’ll knock your teeth out.” Sirius threatened and Regulus let out a laugh before being shoved away, but not before he saw the light blush creeping up his brother’s neck.
Williams was not only ridiculously handsome, but he was also one of the best attorneys the wizarding world had to offer and a good friend of their uncle Alphard, so he had been more than happy to help out his friend’s beloved nephews. Alphard Black had done everything in his power to help Sirius when he had first run away from home and was in charge of the Black fortune and properties now that their parents were under arrest and would continue to be so until their release if there would be one. Because of his old age and lack of stability in his life - he was constantly traveling and keeping company with some questionable people - he had been unable to take either of his nephews in when they had run away but had done his best to help them by making sure that their parents couldn’t reach them afterward. He had a lot of connections and influence in many aspects of the wizarding government and had been able to help with the process of getting Fleamont and Euphemia Potter temporary custody of his nephews, just long enough until they turned seventeen and then afterward could decide for themselves. He had always had a soft spot for both boys, but especially for Sirius who reminded him of himself in his younger days and was sad that he couldn’t attend the trial, but business had him stuck in Germany for the next couple of weeks. Sirius, when he had spoken to his uncle over the floo, had assured him that he and Regulus would be perfectly fine without him and that they had Dumbledore, and he had also taken the opportunity to thank his uncle for his help. Regulus hadn’t heard the conversation but recalled his brother exiting the room with a smile and red-rimmed eyes.
Suddenly, the door opened and four Aurors stepped in, each pair with one of Regulus and Sirius’ parents chained between them. Both brothers were taken aback at the sight of them. Their parents, who always prided themselves on their elegant and put-together appearance, looked like they both had been put through the wringer. Regulus couldn’t remember ever seeing his mother in anything other than fine robes and her hair styled to perfection, never a strand out of place no matter the time of day. And yet, here she was, dressed in nothing more than the prison rags everyone at Azkaban wore and her hair a birds nest on her head, dark bags beneath her eyes, and mania shining in them. She - and her husband who didn’t look any more put together than she did - was unrecognizable. It wasn’t until her eyes landed on him and he could see the glint of hatred in her gray eyes - identical to his own - that it really sunk in that this was his mother and he immediately broke eye contact. Regulus didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Sirius, however, did, and Regulus had to dig his elbow into his brother’s rib to get him to stop giggling like a schoolgirl at the sight.
“Behave.” He snapped quietly enough that only Sirius heard.
“You!” A familiar voice screeched at him. He looked back to see that his mother had not looked away from him, but was actually glaring at him and Sirius with wide eyes and bared teeth. “You foul, disgraceful, wretched-”
“Mrs. Black!” The judge called out loudly causing Walburga to snap her mouth shut and fold in on herself. “May I remind you that this is a courtroom and that shouting and petty insults will not be tolerated? If you cannot control yourself I will have no choice but to silence you.”
“I like this guy already.” Sirius whispered to him and even Regulus couldn’t hold back a small smile.
“Now.” The judge called out and sat down in his chair. “We may begin. May the plaintiff please take the stand?”
**********
“When do you think they’ll be back?” James asked as he poked his food. He, Remus, and Severus were sitting by the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, eating dinner in silence and ignoring the stares from the remaining Gryffindors who were looking at Severus distrustfully.
“I don’t know, could be hours.” Remus muttered as he roughly sliced through the piece of steak on his plate.
“Or days.” A voice piped up from behind them. The trio looked up just in time to see Barty and Evan sit down on either side of Severus who was sitting across from James and Remus. The two Gryffindors were startled at the sudden appearance of the two boys while Severus just looked mildly irritated and yet slightly relieved. Barty didn’t acknowledge their surprise, instead, he kept talking. “Whenever my father goes on about these sorts of things he says that trials can go on for days at a time.”
“Ehh…” Remus and James looked at each other, then at the newcomers who were acting like this was perfectly normal, then at Severus who only rolled his eyes, then back to each other before finally settling on Barty and Evan. “Not that we mind… but what are you two doing here?”
“Eating dinner, what does it look like, Potter?” Evan replied with a raised eyebrow while scooping up some mashed potato on a plate before handing it to a beaming Barty before preparing himself a plate. Severus sighed loudly at the bewildered expression on the two Gryffindors’ faces.
“It’s alright, they know everything.” He simply said before taking a bite of his food.
“And do you want to tell us why that is?” Remus asked, feeling unsure of their new company.
“Why do you look so surprised? You tell each other everything, and so do we. Barty and Evan are mine and Regulus’ friends.” Severus said as if it was obvious and that Remus was unreasonable for even asking.
“So they know everything ?” James asked suspiciously.
“Everything that is important? Yes.” Severus said as if he was talking to a child for which James flipped him off.
“Important like what ?” Remus kept asking, getting increasingly stressed.
“Oh, nothing major. We know what their parents did to him and his brother, that he’s been talking to Sirius for a few months now, that you and Reg have been dating for a while, that-”
“I’m sorry, that Regulus and I have been what !?” Remus hissed loudly, ignoring the curious looks he got from the other Gryffindors, and even Severus looked shocked.
“Why do people keep interrupting me?” Barty pouted and crossed his arms over his chest like a child. “Yes, we know about your secret romance , Evan caught the two of you snogging in the hallway a few months ago on patrol when he was gonna give Reg the cloak he forgot in our dorm.”
“Wait, you knew and didn’t say anything?” Severus asked astounded.
“Well, we obviously knew that you knew, Regulus never keeps anything from you for too long. And we didn’t want to ambush him with our knowledge of the fact that he was dating a male, half-blood, Gryffindor, we wanted him to feel comfortable enough to tell us himself.” Evan explained matter-of-factly.
“Merlin’s beard.” Remus muttered while rubbing his face with his hands. Barty leaned over across Severus to Evan and whispered loudly to the older boy.
“Is this a bad time to mention that we are also aware of his furry little problem ?”
**********
“And with that being said, I hope that all of you can see what my clients truly are; a pair of concerned parents who, despite some wrongdoings throughout the years, have only done their best to take care of their sons.” Walburga and Orion’s attorney, Garrett Miller - a short, bald, weasel of a man finished his emotional statement before retaking his place by his clients who were doing their best to appear somber before the judges.
“What a load of shite.” Sirius hissed under his breath, making sure no one but his brother heard his words and Regulus was inclined to agree. It had begun with Williams taking the stand and reading up the charges that were brought up against Walburga and Orion Black which then lead to their attorney laying out their side of the story which was really just a cocktail of lies and exaggerations. Regulus’ blood was boiling when Miller glossed over all the abuse and hurt they had been put through in their lives at the hands of their parents and tried to spin it in a way that made Walburga and Orion appear as caring and concerned parents to two disobedient and unruly boys.
“Thank you, mister Miller.” The judge said and it was impossible to get a read on his opinion based on his outward reaction, the man was good at appearing neutral, he hadn’t even blinked when the gruesome charges against Walburga and Orion were read up in the courtroom. “Now, would the plaintiff like to take the stand?”
“Certainly, your honor.” Williams smiled and there was something predatory about it that both had Regulus nervous and relieved. “I would like to call Walburga Black to the witness stand.”
“Go ahead.” The judge confirmed and Walburga was led to the witness stand by the two Aurors that were assigned to escort her.
“Mrs. Black.” Williams greeted with faux politeness.
“Williams.” She retorted coldly, knowing exactly who he was and not being fond of him since even prior to the trial.
“Mr. Miller mentioned earlier in his statement that in your upbringing of your sons that you only ever had their best interest in mind, is this true?” He asked.
“Yes.” Walburga replied.
“So tell me, do you believe that physical assault and curses are appropriate ways to punish one's children?”
“Certainly not!” She said with a very convincing look of surprise.
“Is that so?” Williams asked with a raised eyebrow and looked incredulous. “Then how come those were regularly applied means of punishment that both you and your husband inflicted on both of your children throughout their childhood?”
“That is preposterous! I would never do something like that to my children! All I ever wanted was to keep them safe and happy.” She gasped and was even able to bring tears to her eyes. Both Sirius and Regulus were staring at her with wide eyes and mouths agape. They already knew that she would spin some outrageous story and avoid the truth coming out at all costs, the Slytherin within her would ensure no less, but they were not expecting this approach. They looked at their attorney and were relieved that he seemed perfectly calm despite her continuing on with her statement. “I love my children with all of my heart and I would do anything for them. I don’t understand how everything could have gone so wrong. I bet it was that Potter boy that poisoned my babies’ minds against me!”
“Now, now, Mrs. Black, we both know that is a lie, don’t we?” Williams said as if he had been expecting this response and barely managed to withhold the roll of his eyes as Walburga sniffled and was handed a handkerchief from an Auror. “I happen to have evidence in the forms of written testimonies by a vast range of healers and witnesses as well as medical records that Sirius and Regulus Black, your sons, were regularly subjected to brutal beatings and dark curses as children by the hands of you and your husband. With your honor's permission I would like to bring up evidence exhibits one through twenty-five before the court?”
“Sustained.” The judge agreed, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
**********
The two Gryffindors and three Slytherins had relocated to a secluded part of the library and had even put up a couple of muffliatos as a precaution. It had been a few hours now since Regulus and Sirius had left with Dumbledore and the time to go back to their respective houses was nearing. Remus was still feeling a bit lightheaded after the revelation that both Barty and Evan were fully aware of not only his relationship with Regulus but also his deepest, darkest secret. After Barty had ‘let it slip’ that they were aware of his condition they had promised him that they had no intention of telling anyone, but not before James had to literally catch him before he fainted onto the floor. After that, they decided to move the conversation to a bit more private location. While the other boys were discussing whatever, Remus was pondering about who else in the school might know since apparently Regulus - though with a bit of help from Severus - Barty and Evan had been able to deduce it themselves. The two Slytherins tried to assure him that they were most likely the only ones who knew since no one else had any reason to observe him as they had after finding out about him and Regulus.
“How are you feeling, mate?” James asked with a grimace at his pale complexion and his general air of exhaustion.
“Take a guess.” Remus deadpanned and didn’t react as his friend winced in sympathy.
“Maybe a blunt approach wasn’t the best option?” Barty piped up sheepishly as he leaned into Evan.
“Now who could have predicted that?” Evan rolled his eyes and accommodated his position for the other Slytherin.
“Shut up.” Barty pouted and Evan chuckled at him when he instantly lit up as the older boy handed him a piece of chocolate from his bag.
“Must you two be so sickeningly sweet while in my presence? I think I’m developing cavities.” Severus asked with a downturn of his lips, although his eyes held no animosity.
“Aw, Sevvie, you’re just jealous. Don’t worry, you’ll find your prince charming soon enough.” Barty teased and barely dodged the balled-up piece of parchment heading toward his head.
“Don’t call me that.” The other boy mumbled and returned to his book with a roll of his eyes.
“How is this my life?” Remus sighed and rubbed his temples as he felt a headache approaching.
**********
“Now, as you can see these records clearly indicate a very different story than the one you provided, Mrs. Black.” It had been nearly an hour of going through the many pieces of evidence that he provided, and both Regulus and Sirius knew that there was much more based on the ridiculously high pile of documents on the table next to them. Throughout the process of dissecting each piece of evidence and essentially tearing Walburga’s lies to shreds. The usually proud and confident witch had sunk further into herself the more Williams talked and whenever he would ask her a question he was ready to tear into wherever statement with scary efficiency. Her facade of a weeping and grieving mother had long since fallen away and been replaced with a mixture of rage and panic. It had been satisfying and tragic to see their mother’s holier-than-thou attitude crumble. “So, I’ll ask you again, do you believe that physical assault and curses are appropriate ways to punish one's children?”
“I have not abused my children.” Walburga gritted out once more despite the steadily growing mountain of evidence proving the opposite.
“That wasn’t my question, Mrs. Black.” Williams smiled condescendingly.
“Oh, he’s good.” Sirius gleefully whispered to his brother and Regulus, while managing to stay composed, couldn’t help but feel vindicated as piles of evidence of their mistreatment finally came to light, exposing the hell they’d been put through their entire lives.
“My question to you…” Williams continued. “Is if you consider physical assault and curses suitable punishments for one's children?”
“No.” Walburga said again, but her voice lacked the determination it had the last time she answered the question.
“Then how come they were used frequently on your sons by the hands of you and your husband throughout their childhood?”
“Objection! Calls for speculation!” Garrett Miller exclaimed and stood up from his seat.
“Sustained.” The judge admitted, but the damage was already done. The jury knew even without a confession what Walburga and Orion Black had put their children through throughout the years - if only a small part of it.
“Alright, then how about this?” Williams replied, unbothered. “Mrs. Black, did you ever use physical assault and/or curses as ways to punish your sons when they were in your care?”
“No.” She replied after a moment, her eyes set in a glare against the attorney.
“Is that the truth?” Williams continued.
“Yes.”
“I have no further questions for the witness for now, your honor.” Williams said, and Walburga was led away by the Aurors. As Williams headed back towards their table, Miller went up to the stand and the two attorneys passed each other, a look of animosity passing between them for a split second. Once Miller took his place on the stand he called out.
“I would like to call Regulus Black to the witness stand.” He said looking straight at Regulus. The young boy tensed before shooting a look toward his older brother, he knew that he’d be called up as a witness sooner or later, but he was unprepared for it to be this early on in the trial. Sirius was glaring at Miller before turning back to his brother with his jaw clenched.
“Are you ready?” He asked.
“Do I have any other choice?” Regulus sighed before standing up on trembling legs. He slowly made his way towards the witness stand and settled down onto the chair that his mother had occupied just moments before. He cast a glance out towards the jury and found them studying him. He realized that they had yet to form an opinion on him and with that in mind, he folded in on himself a bit and tilted his face down slightly before looking up with his wide, gray eyes, making sure his scar was visible to them. He knew exactly how to present himself in a way that portrayed him as an innocent, wide-eyed child, and that most adults were prone to fall for his charms once he set them in motion.
“Mr. Black.” Miller addressed him.
“Yes, Mr. Miller?” Regulus replied, making sure to keep his voice lighter and more childlike to reflect his youth, but not too much so as not to seem like he was overdoing it or infantilizing himself. He could see from the corner of his eye how some of the jury’s eyes softened as he spoke and one of the women even smiled a bit toward him. He cast a glance in his brother's direction and saw that Sirius was looking at him with a pleased expression, he knew exactly what Regulus was doing. Regulus knew precisely what Sirius was thinking; ‘ a true Slytherin indeed ’, and for once, it wasn’t in contempt.
“How would you describe your relationship with your parents?” Miller asked while looking straight at him. Regulus took a deep breath and began to tell his story.
“My relationship with my parents wasn’t a good one. My entire life, they expected nothing but perfection from both my brother and myself, and if we failed to achieve those expectations - which in their eyes was always - we would be punished with either a fist or a wand. I grew up doing everything in my power to please my parents, but it was never enough. I was never enough. Neither one of us was. I lived in constant fear that one day… one day they would take their punishments too far, that they would kill me or my brother, and then they nearly did.” Regulus looked up, his scar impossible to miss. “I nearly died at their hands, and I have the scars to show for it. I am nearly fully blind in one eye, and one of my arms has almost been rendered useless because of them. Because I wasn’t good enough for them. A few days before I went back to Hogwarts for my sixth year my mother carved the words Toujours Pur into my arm with a curse so that it may never heal. Hadn’t it been for my friend it never would have and I don’t even want to think about the damage that might have caused. She carved it with her own wand to remind me that my life belonged to them and that I meant nothing to the world other than uphold our family’s name.”
Someone gasped in the crowd when Regulus told them that his own mother had carved words into the boy’s arm, but Regulus paid them no mind, he was like a man on a mission.
“But my physical scars are nothing compared to the ones on my heart from realizing that no matter what I did my parents would never love me. In fact, they hated me so much that they nearly killed me in our dining room because I disappointed them. My only regret regarding our relationship is that I didn’t realize sooner that it was doomed from the start, I would have saved myself a lot of pain by doing so.”
The courtroom was so quiet by the end of his speech that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone was staring at him with different emotions. Sirius was looking at him with sorrow and pride, Miller with frustration, the jury with open sympathy - a few of them even had tears in their eyes - but most noticeable of all were his parents looking at him with open disgust and disappointment, something he was very familiar with. Had this been a few months ago he probably would have shrunk in on himself in shame for disappointing his parents, but now he felt nothing but relief. Relief at having finally been able to tell the truth and not having to fear facing any repercussions for it. He felt free.
“I see.” Miller snapped and Regulus' attention immediately shifted to him. “Now, I would like to ask you a few questions.”
**********
An hour later they were granted a dinner break and Regulus felt as if his head was about to explode. Miller had been relentless with his questions, some had been laughable and some had been downright appalling, like asking about what he had done as a child to deserve the punishments he was given or trying to downplay the severity of the nature of the abuse as if a child could do anything that warranted being beaten to a pulp or cursed until he was unconscious and bleeding all over. He even went as far as to indicate that Sirius had been the one responsible for the abuse he endured, something Regulus had vigorously shut down.
Currently, he was sitting next to his brother while Williams and Dumbledore were sitting across from them, quietly discussing the trial and eating their food. Regulus was merely picking at his meal, too tired for the effort of actually bringing the fork to his mouth.
“You okay?” Sirius asked him for what felt like the millionth time that day. “He went pretty hard with those questions.”
“I’m fine.” Regulus assured and rubbed his temples. “Just tired, I can’t wait for this to be over with.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Sirius agreed and leaned back on his chair.
“Alright boys,” Williams started, getting the attention of the two brothers. “After our break is our turn to do the questioning, I’m thinking that we start with Sirius. We’ll talk about how you experienced your childhood, what led to your running away, and what you witnessed happened to your brother afterward, how does that sound?”
“Sounds good to me.” Sirius agreed.
“After that Miller will probably want to ask you some questions, but you just answer them as truthfully as you can, I have no doubt that the truth will be in our favor. Just remember to keep calm, he knows your history and your… temper. He’ll try and goad you but don’t give him the reaction he wants. If you do, your credibility will be non-existent. If you stay calm and give the proper reaction then he’ll end up looking like the fool that’s bullying a poor, abused child. Got it?” Williams commanded more than he asked. Sirius only nodded obediently and Regulus was very amused at seeing his rebel of a big brother following Williams’ instructions like a puppy.
“Good, now finish your food, we have to get back in thirty minutes. Regulus, eat now, I don’t want you fainting on the stand.” Regulus was quick to comply, shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth at the attorney’s sharp command and elbowing his brother in the side when he snickered at him.
**********
“Now, Mr. Black, why don’t you tell me, in your own words, how you experienced your relationship with your parents growing up and their treatment of you?” Williams asked Sirius kindly as the young boy sat at the witness stand.
“Well, our it was awful, to put it plainly. I was everything they hated. They wanted me to be a good Slytherin pureblood supremacist who always obeyed their orders, but that wasn’t me. Every time I spoke back I was met with brutal beatings or torturous curses, and on many occasions I would end up unconscious on the floor, bloodied and beaten to a pulp.” Sirius explained, the look in his eyes growing distant, as if he was reliving the many instances of brutal abuse he was subjected to as a child, unable to defend himself against his father’s fists and his mother’s curses.
“And these assaults, how often would you say that they occurred?” Williams asked, a glint of sympathy in his eyes.
“A couple of times a week on average, sometimes more but never less.” Sirius admitted with a low voice and Regulus ached to comfort his brother. He hated to see his normally outgoing and radiant brother being reduced to this because of their parents. He hated them for nearly succeeding in putting out his light.
“I see… And can you give us any examples of these punishments?”
“It was usually the same thing, either my father would beat me or mother would curse me, it was usually curses that would make it feel like I was on fire, or like I couldn’t breathe. Sometimes… sometimes she’d even use the cruciatus curse.” Sirius forced out and gasps and hurried murmurs were heard throughout the courtroom.
“Order!” The judge shouted while banging his gavel against the table. “Order in the court!”
The murmurs and whispers died down, but the attitude had shifted tremendously, it was one thing to accuse one's parents of abuse, but a whole other to accuse them of using an unforgivable. No matter what Walburga, Orion, or Miller came up with after this it would be too late. The damage was already done.
“Thank you, your honor.” Williams said as the sounds died down before turning back to Sirius. “Now, Mr. Black. You said that your mother had used the cruciatus curse on you, do you have any instances of when this would occur and why?”
“Well, the first time she did it was when I was eleven. I had just come home for Yule in my first year at Hogwarts. I had been sorted into Gryffindor which she didn’t like. I had barely made it through the door before they were screaming their heads off. Before I knew it I was on the floor with my father beating me to a pulp. I don’t know how long it went on but it was quite a while. When he finally got off of me I was about to pass out, but then I felt a pain unlike anything I had ever felt before. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t even scream, I just laid there. I don’t know when she stopped because I passed out after a while. I woke up in the cupboard of the kitchen. I was told to stay there until Yule day without food or water. I probably would have died if my brother hadn’t snuck me food, water, and medical supplies whenever he could. That was the first time of many that she’d use that way of punishment.” Sirius explained, his face getting paler and his breath coming out shorter the more he spoke, the memories that had haunted him for years finally coming up to the surface.
“We’re almost done, Mr. Black. Do you wish to take a break before we continue?” Williams asked while looking genuinely sorry for the boy in front of him.
“No.” Sirius rasped out. “I want to keep going.”
“Alright then.” Williams nodded before continuing with his questions. “So you’ve told us of the physical punishments your parents dealt you as a child, like physical assault, curses, isolation, and withholding food, water, and medical supplies. Is there any other form of abuse you can recall that you were subjected to?”
“Yes.” Sirius verified instantly, and a pained look came over his face. “When Regulus and I were children they would use us against each other. Not that Regulus ever needed to be threatened into obedience, he was scared into that already, but they would threaten and hurt me wherever they felt that what he was doing wasn’t perfect enough. And as for me… Well, physical and magical abuse only did so much, they thought. They discovered early on that if they threatened my brother that I would comply, they knew that I would never let them hurt him, especially not because of me. I remember when we were eight and seven. Mother was yelling at me about something, not like that in itself was anything out of the ordinary, I can’t even remember what it was we were fighting about. I remember just standing there and taking it, what else was I supposed to do? Then I look behind her and I see Regulus standing behind the door, looking in. Mother saw that I was looking behind her and she turned around and saw him. Usually, she would just tell him to leave, but this time… I remember how she looked at him and then back at me, and there was something in her eyes that made me feel cold all over. Before I could blink she had him by the hair and was dragging him into the room with us. He started crying because he was so scared and she was hurting him. I remember how she told me that either I do as she says or she’ll hurt him. He… he looked so small and so scared there I didn’t know what to do. She then hit him across the face before telling me again that either I do as she says or she’ll hurt him. I couldn’t do anything other than nod and agree to whatever it was she wanted. She did that many times over the years. She would threaten to hurt him or even kill him. It didn’t matter if he was present or not, she would still do it and it would always work.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Mr. Black. Can I ask how long the abuse went on for?” Regulus was looking at his brother as Williams kept questioning him and he was trying not to run up to him and embrace him. He had always known that Sirius had been protective of him and that their mother would sometimes threaten him to make Sirius do what she wanted was something he remembered, he had just not been aware of how often it had apparently happened.
“It went on up until the day I ran away.” Sirius admitted.
“I see, and can you tell us about it? You running away from home, I mean.”
“Yes.” Sirius agreed before clearing his throat. “It wasn’t one particular thing that made me leave. It was all of it. The abuse, the isolation, the constant torment, and the impossible expectations. It was the hatred of anything and anyone that wasn’t like us. Eventually, it became too much and so I left. I ran away to my best friend’s home and I’ve lived there ever since. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t take my brother with me at once. I wrote him letters throughout the summer but they went unanswered. I thought he didn’t want to see me anymore but it turns out our parents had burned the letters before they could reach him.”
“And when did you see your brother again after you ran away?”
“I saw him again on the first day of my seventh year at Hogwarts. We were at King’s Cross Station with our parents. We didn’t approach each other, but he looked awful. He had lost a lot of weight, he was paler than usual and dark beneath his eyes. He was jumpy and he just looked exhausted. A friend of mine is a prefect along with Regulus and they were assigned as patrol partners so he gave me some insight into my brother’s condition. The more I heard the more concerned I became, it was obvious that they had hurt him badly after I had left. After that, my sole focus was getting my brother back and away from our parents.”
“Thank you for telling us this, Mr. Black. I have no further questions.” Williams smiled kindly at him before heading back towards their table. Regulus subtly looked over at the jury and barely managed to contain a smile, the jury was absolutely captivated by his brother and his stories. Most were looking at him with sympathy and those who weren’t were sending little glares in his parents’ direction. Orion and Walburga were perfectly aware that, as of now, the odds were not in their favor. Miller, who was sitting by them, was already up and heading towards the stand before Williams had even reached their table.
“I would like to cross-examine the witness.” He stated and was given the go-ahead from the judge. “So, Mr. Black. I’m not going to waste your time, I only have a few questions for you.”
Sirius didn’t answer, he just kept looking at Miller with an uninterested expression. Miller sneered before scolding his expression, plastering on a fake smile.
“You told us earlier that when you ran away from home that your only regret was leaving your brother behind, is that correct?”
“Yes.” Sirius answered, looking confused.
“So why did you?” Miller continued.
“Did what?”
“Leave your brother behind.”
“I-” That seemed to have taken Sirius by surprise. “I didn’t-”
“Because you have let us know time and time again how much you love and value your brother, how much you want to protect him against the alleged abuse of your parents. And yet, you still seemingly had no problem leaving him behind to go live with your best friend. Is it possible that the alleged abuse you and your brother went through was not as bad as the two of you made it out to be?” Miller interrupted him, pushing through his statement making Sirius shrink in on himself while he tried to explain.
“That’s not-”
“Objection! Leading!” Williams called out with a glare aimed at Miller.
“Sustained.” The judge agreed before letting them continue.
“Alright then, then may I ask why you decided to leave your brother behind?” Miller asked with a small grin and Sirius felt himself getting fired up. But before he could go off on the attorney Williams’ words came back to him, Miller would try to rile him up but he had to keep his calm in order not to ruin his credibility. He could still turn this around in his favor. Sirius took a deep breath before looking up, genuine tears filling his gray eyes.
“I didn’t want to leave him behind. But I knew that if I stayed any longer then they would kill me. I regret not taking him with me at once, but my goal was always to get him out of that house. I was worried sick about him, but I knew that their abuse of him was always more psychological than physical like it was in my case. I knew that if I managed to get out of there then there would be a bigger chance of us both escaping eventually with our lives intact. I knew that they would never let me leave and take my brother with me at once, at least not alive, that is. So, while I hated myself for leaving him behind I knew it was better to leave him now and get to him later than us both attempting to leave and die in the process.” He explained and he could see Miller’s smug smile falter the more he spoke. Miller opened and closed his mouth like a fish a few times, trying to come up with something to counter what the eldest son of his clients had said, but came up with nothing.
“I have no further questions.” He grumbled and stalked back to his seat.
“You idiot .” Walburga hissed at him as he sat down.
“Now, for the next witness.” The judge called out as Sirius went back to their table, taking a seat next to his brother and giving him a reassuring smile.
“I would like to call Alastor Moody to the witness stand.” Williams called out as he stood up.
“Sustained.” The judge allowed it. The Auror limped up to the podium, his scarred face grim and his one working eye was looking over the crowd in an assessing manner.
“Mr. Moody.” Williams greeted as he approached the Auror who only nodded and huffed in acknowledgment. “Can you tell us exactly what happened when you arrested Walburga and Orion Black?”
**********
Remus was laying in his bed and looking up at the ceiling. It was still early in the evening, but James had gone out with Lily and the Slytherins had gone back to their house so Remus had decided to retire early. He figured that he’d distract himself by reading a book he’d been trying to finish for weeks but as he lay there he couldn’t seem to concentrate on the words. Thoughts of Regulus, Sirius, and the trial ran through his head. He had been tossing and turning for at least half an hour at this point, his book fallen and forgotten on the floor, with images of different scenarios and questions occupying his every thought. He was wondering if they were finished soon, if they were winning, how the brothers were handling facing their parents again, and a myriad of similar questions…
He sighed and rolled over for what was probably the hundredth time that evening before he gave up and got out of bed. He started walking around the room aimlessly, feeling restless but not wanting to venture outside the dorm and running into someone, thus being forced to socialize. He paced around for a moment, trying desperately to ease his mind when out of the corner of his eye he saw something peeking out of the pile of clothes on his trunk by the foot of his bed. He didn’t know why this particular garment caught his attention, but he pulled it out of the mountain of clothes and ended up with half of them on the floor which he paid no mind to. It took a moment before it clicked - this was Regulus’ shirt. There was nothing special about it, it was a regular navy-blue t-shirt, one of his first pieces of muggle clothing, but Remus had noted how well it suited him. He had forgotten it when he had stayed over last, leaving it on his brother’s bed and somehow it had found its way into the pile of clothes that had steadily grown on Remus’ trunk, made up of the discarded clothing articles of Remus, James, and Sirius.
The werewolf smiled and brought it up to his face before taking a deep breath. He immediately felt all tension just melt off of him as Regulus' faint - but still present - scent filled his nose. Remus had always thought that he had been cursed, or at least done something truly heinous at some point in his short life to deserve all the trials and misfortunes that had befallen him. That had been until he had found Regulus and fallen in love with the boy, that in itself had been a blessing since he never would have imagined being capable of feeling a love like that. Sure, he’d had a couple of girlfriends and even a boyfriend during his time at Hogwarts, but none of those feelings he’d had for any of those people held a candle to the love he felt for Regulus. And then the younger boy had not only reciprocated his feelings but also done so knowing that Remus was essentially the embodiment of everything Regulus had been taught to hate since the day he was born. He had looked at the werewolf and seen him for everything that he was and still decided that he was just worthy of love.
Remus did half a spin before falling back onto his bed, shirt still pressed against his face, and just breathed .
**********
Back in the courtroom, Garrett Miller had just finished his - frankly - pathetic and humiliating attempt at a cross-examination of Moody regarding the arrest of Orion and Walburga Black. Not only had Miller come up with some of the most outrageous theories about how Moody not only was being bribed by Fleamont Potter to arrest the couple on false charges but also how instead of Walburga and Orion using the imperius curse on Regulus it was Regulus who was using it on Moody to get rid of his parents. But Moody was very quick to shut all of the absurd theories down with brutal force, tearing the attorney's arguments to pieces and leaving Miller red in the face from embarrassment after being so thoroughly and condescendingly shut down. Sirius and Regulus weren’t even offended at the implications, they were actually quite amused but also felt the secondhand embarrassment heavily. Even Dumbledore looked highly entertained at the proceedings.
“I have no further questions.” Miller grumbled as he returned to his seat, pointedly avoiding the glares Walburga and Orion sent him.
“Mr. Williams, your next witness, please.” The judge instructed while rubbing his temples tiredly after Miller made no move to call up a witness of his own. There was a distinct lack of witnesses on Walburga and Orion’s side besides Walburga herself, although that came as a surprise to no one. They weren’t exactly popular or well-liked, for that matter, so it was no surprise that none of their so-called ‘friends’ had shown up to vouch for them. Their tactic seemed to just be trying to discredit their sons’ witnesses, something they had been failing at spectacularly. The boys had briefly entertained the idea that their father would take the stand but knew that the chances of that happening were slim to none. Their father had always been a silent man, happy to let his wife do the talking and only expressing himself through facial expressions or his fists when he deemed them necessary.
“I would like to call Regulus Black to the witness stand once more, your honor.” Williams said and nodded at the youngest Black brother.
“Sustained.” The judge agreed with some curiosity. Regulus stood up and made his way back to the stand. They had discussed this earlier during the short break between Williams’ examination and Miller’s cross-examination of Moody.
“Listen, I know you probably don’t want to do this again.” Williams had begun as they went out of earshot from the rest of the crowd. “But you need to get back up on the witness stand.”
“Why?” Regulus asked curiously.
“Because you’re going to be our, hopefully, last witness since your parents and Miller seem to have no witnesses of their own, including themselves. So we need to finish strong. You need to tell them about what happened when you ran away. That’s our best shot at winning this thing.” The older man explained as they came to a stop. Regulus bit his lower lip in contemplation, he had no desire to get back on the stand. He then glanced over to where his brother was chatting with Dumbledore a few feet away from where they were standing, oblivious to their conversation. His brother looked so tired, more tired than Regulus could ever remember him being. He knew that despite Sirius’ cool demeanor that this trial was taking a toll on him. Having to bring back every childhood trauma he had been subjected to by the two people that were meant to love and protect him in front of a bunch of strangers was weighing his brother down. He couldn’t imagine what it would do to Sirius if they should lose the trial, no matter how unlikely it seemed at the moment. And he knew that Williams’ was right, Regulus telling everyone what had happened the night he had run away was their best shot at winning this trial.
“I’ll do it.” He agreed eventually.
Regulus took his seat once again by the podium, his heart pounding and drops of sweat were starting to break out on his forehead. He was fighting the urge to loosen his tie as he felt the garment constrict his airway. Everything was hanging on his upcoming statement and he knew it.
“Welcome back, Mr. Black.” Williams started off and received a polite greeting from the boy. “Now, I would like to ask you some questions regarding the night you ran away from your parent’s home. Could you tell us what happened?”
“Yes.” Regulus began and winced at the choked-out way it came out. “Well- I, um, I…”
“It’s alright, take your time.” Williams assured him kindly and gave him a rare, beautiful smile and if Regulus hadn’t been hopelessly in love with Remus and far too young for the attorney - not to mention in a severely compromised emotional situation - he would have not hesitated to pursue the man. So, the boy cleared his throat and forced himself to speak clearly to the crowd.
“I apologize, it’s just really hard to think about that night.” He said with his eyes cast downward and managed to hide his satisfaction at the faint sound of a sympathetic ‘awe’ coming from the direction of the jury. “Well, it all began when I came home from Hogwarts for Yule break. I hadn't even gotten through the door before I was beaten to a pulp by my father because I was a prefect and taking orders from the Head Girl who is a muggle-born witch. After that I spent the next few days in my room, my house-elf would bring me food and water so that I didn’t have to leave. After a few days, my mother informed me that my cousin Bellatrix Lestrange would be joining us for dinner that evening. I went downstairs at around eight o’clock and they were all already seated at the table. We started talking a bit… It all seemed normal at first, but then…”
Every eye was on him. The people in the courtroom were listening so intently to his story that no one dared to breathe too loudly. You could hear a pin drop, it was that silent. Regulus tried to ignore the stares and instead focused his attention on Williams who was also listening rather intently but managed to hide it quite well.
“My parents and Bellatrix informed me that I was to join You-Know-Who and take his mark.” He continued and ignored the multiple gasps and murmurs that echoed throughout the courtroom as he told his story. “I denied, of course. I knew what their intentions were prior, they had made no secret about it, but I wanted nothing to do with any of that. I- I told them that it was too soon because I knew that they would push the matter so I told them that it was better to wait until I finished my education. My plan was to make more time so that I could come up with a solution so that I wouldn’t have to take the mark at all. But then they revealed to me that they were aware that I had gotten back in contact with and was being influenced by my brother and… and my boyfriend.”
Regulus had been unsure about revealing that last part, he had been afraid that it would affect the way the jury saw him and somehow affect their judgment, but the look on Williams’ face assured him that it was no problem and Regulus felt himself relax just the tiniest bit.
“They told me that a boy named Peter Pettigrew had told them. Pettigrew was a friend of my brother’s and had assaulted me back in Hogwarts, though we do not know where he is now, he’s been gone for months. My parents were furious. They told me that I was a disgrace for whoring myself out to a Gryffindor, half-blooded boy and Pettigrew despite the fact that Pettigrew had forced himself on me. My mother even said that she should send me to a brothel and be done with it.” He choked out. He left out the part about Remus’ lycanthropy, sparing a thought about the fact that his parents hadn’t revealed his boyfriend’s condition to the public, although he was fairly certain that Dumbledore had something to do with it and for a brief second he was grateful for the headmaster’s favoritism.
As the memories rushed through his head and out his mouth he heard several gasps throughout the crowd at the revelation of his assault and his parents’ treatment of him, though he didn’t have it in him to care at the moment. He was too focused on getting the words out to waste energy trying to read the room.
“I remember her throwing a bottle of wine at me which barely missed my head and instead broke against the wall and the shards cut my face. I remember her beating me and then dragging me across the room. She pulled my left sleeve up and she was furious to find out that I had gotten the carving she had left on my arm healed. Then she- she pulled my arm so hard I felt my shoulder dislocate before… She dragged my arm over the fireplace and burnt it.” He distantly heard someone retching, but the words kept tumbling out of his mouth.
“I just remembered the pain. I don’t know how long she held me there, but by the end of it the scar that was left was completely burnt off and I could see the bone. I was in so much pain that I barely noticed the curses she cast at me. It was like whips tearing at the flesh of my body, one of them even cut across my face which is why I’ve got this scar now and am almost completely blind in my eye. Somewhere even Bellatrix joined in with the crucio curse.” He explained and made a vague gesture to the fain - but visible - scar on his face.
“It was at that point that I realized that she wasn’t going to stop until I was dead. I managed to get to my wand and cast a bombarda at them which got them away from me. While they were down I tried to heal myself the best I could so that I’d be able to escape. I was able to get up and make my way to the main entrance where my house-elf, Kreacher, was. At first, he wouldn’t let me go, he had been instructed to do so by my parents. In the end… He chose to come with me. I gave him my tie, cutting his ties with the Black family, and took him as my own elf. He apparated us out of there. I had almost lost consciousness by this point but managed to instruct him to apparate us to the Potter Manor, I knew we’d be safe there. We ended up right outside their wards and it was then I passed out from my injuries. I don’t remember much after that but the Potters took me in and got me the help I needed. They saved my life and I’ve been staying there with them since along with my brother.” He finished his statement. It took him a moment to pull himself out of his head and the memories and get back to the present. Once he was able to gather his thought he looked around.
First, his eyes met his attorney who - to the best of his abilities - was trying to keep his composure, but Regulus could see that his story had affected the stoic man greatly. Then his eyes traveled across the room and he was surprised to see the members of the jury all look different levels of upset, some even had silent tears streaming down their faces, and even the judge himself looked moved by his statement. He then turned his gaze to where Sirius was sitting and found his brother silently sobbing and the headmaster trying to comfort him while looking sad himself. Regulus was momentarily taken aback at seeing the usually cheerful headmaster look so gloomy.
Despite trying to avoid it, his eyes still found his parents. He had expected a myriad of reactions from them ranging from hot fury to cold rage, he even expected a show of indifference from them. What he had not expected was for them to look defeated . His eyes briefly locked with his mother’s identical ones and Regulus could honestly say that for the first time in his life, he had looked her in eye and not been afraid.
“I have no further questions, your honor.” Williams’ voice cut through the silence and drew everyones’ attention to himself.
“Mr. Miller.” The judge spoke up, his face back to an impassive expression. “Do you have any questions for the witness?”
“No, your honor.” Miller replied, looking just as defeated as his clients.
“Mr. Williams?” The judge directed the question at the other attorney.
“No, your honor.” Williams said, as well. Although far more pleased at the situation than Miller.
“Then I see no reason to drag this out. Would the jury like a moment to think through their decision.” A chorus of ‘no’s echoed through the jury and the judge nodded. “Very well then. All who consider Walburga and Orion Black guilty for the charges brought up against them which are; child abuse, attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, torture, unlawful use of dark curses, unlawful use of two out of three unforgivable curses, and conspiracy on behalf of You-know-who, please raise your hand.”
**********
It was late the next morning and Remus, James, Severus, Barty, and Evan were once again finding themselves huddled together by the near-empty Gryffindor table.
“Do you think it’s gonna continue today?” James asked as he poked through his scrambled eggs with his fork.
“Maybe.” Evan mused with a frown on his face. “There is an awful lot to cover and these things can take days. But, then again, Reggie and Sirius have a pretty solid case going for them so it might be shorter.”
“Ugh! This sucks!” James groaned and leaned against Remus who was not paying him any attention. James looked at his friend and frowned. He could tell that Remus had not slept at all by the dark bags under his eyes and his laser-sharp focus on his bland oatmeal.
“Hey.” He nudged the werewolf in the side which got his attention. “You alright?”
“Yeah.” Remus rasped out before clearing his throat. “Just worried, you know?”
“Yeah, I know, but they’ll be fine. It’s like Rosier said, they’ve got a solid case.” James tried to reassure his friend.
“Sure, but you know how their parents are. They will do whatever it takes to crush them.” Remus growled.
“You’re right about that.” Severus spoke up from where he was buttering his toast next to Barty who was trying - and failing - to steal his pudding cup. “Walburga and Orion Black are some of the most heinous, despicable, merciless people I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. But , as mentioned, Regulus’ and Sirius’ case is solid. No matter what their parents try to pull it won’t be enough to discredit the amount of evidence the boys have against them. No jury on earth would look past any of that unless they’re being threatened or bribed and given the fact that neither Walburga nor Orion have had any outside contact since their arrest and that their social support is essentially none the odds of that are minuscule.”
“What about Bellatrix then?” Barty piped up as he happily dug into the pudding cup that Evan had provided him. “She seemed rather attached to her aunt and uncle.”
“Oh, please.” Severus scoffed with a roll of his eyes. “Bellatrix might be some sort of ally to her aunt and uncle, but she’d not fond of them. She’s already under enough scrutiny as it is and needs to lay low. Do you really think that she’ll risk herself to come to their aid in a case like this ?”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Barty agreed after a moment.
“Aren’t I always?” Severus smirked and smoothly avoided the spoon headed towards his head without looking up from his toast.
“Shut up.” Barty laughed and accepted the new spoon from an amused Evan. He then groaned before leaning back against the other Slytherin. “But why does it have to take so long ?”
“Out of everyone here, you should know that things like this take time.” James chuckled at the younger boy who only stuck his tongue out at him.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that…” Evan trailed off while staring toward the entrance of the Great Hall. They all followed his gaze and fell silent as they saw Dumbledore standing there with Sirius and Regulus Black on either side of him and the group didn’t say anything as the brothers’ eyes found them.
For a moment everything stood still. Remus didn’t let go of his breath as the gray eyes of Regulus Black met his own brown ones. The werewolf didn’t know how to react, he was trying to see something in Regulus’ face that indicated how the trial had gone but found none. At least until the younger boy’s face split into a large grin and he grabbed his brother’s hand before making his way to the group and dragging Sirius along. Remus didn’t even feel himself get up. One second he was sitting down, the next he was sprinting down the hall trying to reach his boyfriend and best friend. He was aware of the other boys hot on his heels but he paid them no mind, his sole focus was on the two boys in front of him.
He came to a halt once he reached them, barely avoiding a collision. He and Regulus were standing right in front of each other, eyes locked and breaths coming out heavy. Neither of them paid any attention to the chaos around them with Sirius and James essentially tackling each other in a hug and whooping loudly, or even Severus, Evan, and Barty who were asking questions at a rapid pace, nor Dumbledore who was looking pleased and slowly making his way away from the group and to the teachers’ table where McGonagall and the other teachers were seated and waiting for him to tell them evrything.
For a moment Remus just stood there and took in the sight of the boy in front of him. He absorbed it all, from the paleness of his skin to the tiny freckle under his eye and even the faint, silvery scar that ran across his beaming face. To Remus, he had never looked more beautiful.
“Hi.” He said and mentally smacked himself across the face. Regulus, however, only laughed at the greeting.
“Hi.” He said back before enveloping his boyfriend in a tight embrace, one that Remus didn’t hesitate to return just as fiercely.
“How did it go?” He breathed out.
“Azkaban for life!” Sirius shouted from where he was still embracing James which had Barty and Evan laugh with joy and they even pulled Severus into a hug.
“Really!?” Remus beamed as he partially let go of Regulus so that he’d be able to look see his face.
“Yes!” The younger boy confirmed and Remus felt like his heart was about to explode from all the joy. “We did it! We won !”
“Thank Merlin, I’m so happy for you!” The werewolf laughed and then almost lost his balance as Sirius pulled them both into a group hug.
“I can’t believe it’s finally over.” The older one of the brothers breathed, still in disbelief at the verdict. They had known that their case was more or less solid, but there had still been a gnawing fear within them both that somehow their parents wouldn’t be found guilty and be let go. The feelings that had rushed through them both when all of the judges had unanimously found Orion and Walburga Black guilty were indescribable and the brothers could do little else than hug each other tight and weep.
“Just be glad it is, I’ve seen these things take weeks !” Barty chimed in which had Regulus and Sirius stop in their tracks and take a second look at him and Evan.
“Hang on a minute…” Sirius began only for Severus to hush him.
“They know everything. It’s a long story and you might as well get used to them.” The Slytherin explained amusedly. Sirius looked wide-eyed between the group before shrugging and tossing his free arm across Severus’ shoulder, something they all noticed he didn’t shove off.
“You know what, we’ll do the whole ‘explaining’ thing later. For now, we need to celebrate! Let’s head to the Three Broomsticks! I’ll buy the first round!” Sirius decided which was followed by cheers and the group started to make their way out of the Great Hall. Regulus and Remus followed but fell behind as they exited the hall.
The two boys looked at each other and smiled. There were a lot of unspoken words between them that needed to be said, but both were reluctant to break the silence. Eventually, Remus gathered his courage and stood in front of the other boy, and took his hands in his own before he spoke.
“I’m so happy for you.” He began and felt his nerves calm down as Regulus’ smile turned warmer.
“I know.” He said back and Remus felt him squeeze his fingers.
“I love you so much.” The werewolf choked out as tears filled his eyes and a lump formed in his throat. “And I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through but more than that I’m sorry for what I put you through. I know I’ve said it before but I swear on my life, Regulus, that I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“Hey now, don’t worry about that-” Regulus started to comfort him, but Remus interrupted. He needed to say this.
“No, please, let me finish.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “I love you, Regulus Arcturus Black, with all of my heart. I have never, and will never, love anyone else as much as I love you. I am so honored to know you the way I do, and that you let me love you like this. I promise to love you and protect you for the rest of my days. I will follow you to the end of the world and beyond. Whenever the moon haunts me, you are the star that lights up my sky in the night, reminding me that with you there is still beauty within the pain. I swear on all of this if you’ll let me, that is?”
“Of course I’ll let you, you silly boy.” Regulus blurted out through the tears that were making their way down his cheeks and the sobs that were tearing their way up his throat. “I love you so much that words can’t describe it.”
“I’ll be here, always and forever.” Remus promised and pressed his lips against Regulus’ in a searing kiss that the other boy eagerly returned.
“Always and forever.” Regulus agreed as they momentarily broke apart.
**********
Remus would make the same vow years later as he slid a ring onto Regulus’ finger as they were surrounded by their cheering family and friends. And he would keep that vow until the day he died.
Always and Forever.