maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

54. always have a plan b

TO SAY THAT the relationship between Sirius and Regulus Black was rather strained would be a polite way to put it.

The two had grown up in the most natural way, at least as natural as two sons of such despicable people as Walburga and Orion Black could. They were close in age and both boys, so it fell naturally that the two had a bond that only brothers could have.

But, when Sirius started Hogwarts and gotten sorted into the Gryffindor house, much to the disappointment of their parents, they immediately started to drift apart.

Regulus then arrived as well, and he was sorted into Slytherin. Sirius had found a new brother in the form of James, and suddenly the relationship between the two was pretty much gone.

It was the kind of thing were they would nod at each other in the hallway at home, but never at school. Sirius had a small hatred for his brother for being a Slytherin, and Regulus Sirius for being a Gryffindor.

And, when Sirius got disowned, zero interaction had been done, despite the simple little fact that Regulus missed him and felt completely and utterly abandoned.

Regulus had always been the more calm and understanding brother. So, when he had managed to calm down a completely head over heels Claudia in the hallway after her accidental overdose of Rosamund's love potion, Sirius and his friends arrived and Regulus understood everything simply by looking into his eyes for just a few seconds.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Sirius asked his brother accusingly as Claudia giggled on Regulus' shoulder. "Did you drug her?!"

"I-"

"Or did you smuggle her a fucking love potion or something?!"

"I...really don't know how to answer that," Regulus said awkwardly.

"What?!"

"Look, it's extremely confusing and to be honest I don't even know why we did this in the first place, but-"

"Did what?!"

"That's what he's trying to tell you!" James snapped.

"Yeah!" Peter stepped in. "Let him talk."

"Thank you?" Regulus said, extremely confused to why the two boys didn't join in on the yelling. "Basically I gave her a love potion, and-"

"Oh, you fucking-"

"Let him finish!"

"And we...I accidentally gave her too much," he said as Claudia played with his hair. "And I'm not going to tell you anything else in case she doesn't want me to. But you just have to remember that this was...consensual."

"How the hell can a love potion be fucking consensual?!" Sirius exclaimed. "That's the whole point of it! It not being consensual!"

"This time around it was, okay?" Regulus said calmly as Claudia wrapped her arms around him again.