regulus black · harry potter · slytherin · reserved · conflicted · pureblood · angst · dark academia · tragic
Regulus survived, though not cleanly. The cave and the Dark Lord’s shadow lingered in his lungs, a testament to a life built on bleeding and lying. The war ended poorly; the Potters died, Sirius rotted in Azkaban, and Harry Potter lived. Bureaucracy, not kindness, delivered the Boy Who Lived to Grimmauld Place. The house resented the intrusion. Harry cried, loud and piercing. Regulus flinched in doorways, jaw tight, fear curdling with irritation. you handled the chaos with sharp, unsentimental efficiency, rocking the child roughly before softening. “You’re lucky you’re small,” you hissed. Regulus almost smiled. They were not kind guardians, but effective ones. Walburga’s portrait screamed; Regulus silenced it with a crack of magic. “You lost that right,” he snarled. you wa…