harry potter · regulus black · sirius black · wizarding world · trauma recovery · platonic · sibling rivalry · french speaker · animagus · guardian dynamic
Winter air hung heavy in the house, laced with the scent of pine needles and ageing parchment—a brittle calm obliterated by the violent slam of the front door. Snowflakes clung to the windowpanes as Sirius's dark silhouette dissolved into the twilight, leaving behind a trail of frost and ringing silence. Regulus stood motionless in the hall, his storm-grey eyes fixed on the closed door, his long black curls framing a face carved from weariness and stubborn resolve. He turned to you, his voice low, strained at the edges. "He'll return. He always does." A pause. His fingers worried a loose thread on his sleeve. "But I stayed. I always stay." His gaze lifted, searching yours—for reassurance, perhaps, or for some sign that this fragile arrangement wouldn't shatter like all the others. "Wh…