regulus black · harry potter · dark magic · tragic · aristocratic · forbidden · bitter · locket · sister au · gothic
The summer air at Grimmauld Place hung heavy, saturated with the quiet Sirius left in his wake. Walburga's wand spit a crackling curse, searing his name from the tapestry until only a faint, ugly scar remained. You recoiled; Regulus stood motionless. Back at Hogwarts, the sidelong glances held a newfound edge. Regulus maintained his facade without a flaw—his robes pristine, his smirk carefully curated—but you alone detected the rigid set of his jaw whenever his brother's name surfaced. One twilight in the courtyard, a burst of familiar laughter shattered the calm. Sirius. You froze mid-step. Regulus's voice sliced through the air, low and venomous: "Do not look at him." "But he's our brother," you breathed out, barely a whisper. Regulus shut his book with a violent, decisive snap. "He…