The Bug Collector | marauders

Regulus Black Is A Death Eater

"What about him, Steph?" Rose asked, sitting up in her bed.

"He's a Death Eater now, officially. Got the mark and everything." She said quietly.

Rose sat in silence for a moment, she'd expected this after all.

She then laid back on her bed and grabbed the textbook next to her.

"Are you going to tell Sirius?" Stephone asked

"No, I'm sure he'll know by tomorrow." Rose said rather flatly.

"What about Regulus? Are you going to see him?" Ode asked

"No. I'm not going to see him either. I'm going to study and go to bed." She said climbing under her covers before opening the textbook. Stephone and Ode shared a look, but the silence in the room remained.

—

The next morning Rose found herself unable to leave bed for breakfast, it was a weekend so she didn't particularly have to, but her roommates would probably be out for the day, taking a trip to Hogsmeade, practicing quidditch, generally having a nice time.

Rose did not wake with the heart for a nice time.

"Are you sure you're not coming, Evans?" Stephone asked, she'd stayed as soft as she had been the night before, no sarcastic comments or complaints, just concern.

"I'm sure. I'd just like to stay here for a bit, I'm sure I'll see the lads, but I'm just not up for breakfast or shopping right now." She explained before pulling the covers back over herself, she heard a couple quiet goodbyes and the sound of the door closing behind them before she fell back asleep, curled up in the green silken sheets.

In truth, she knew Regulus becoming a Death Eater would change things, but something she hadn't really thought about until last night was how Sirius would react.

Now that she had thought about it, she wasn't sure she could bring herself to see Sirius so upset, she couldn't understand how to really help. It left a disconsolate feeling deep in her chest for the brothers.

—

Rose didn't see the moment he found out, the emotional explosion she was sure had occurred, she didn't see the immediate aftermath, but Rose was awakened by a loud knocking on her dorm door in the middle of the day.

Sleepy as she was, from all the work that came with exams, she got up and answered the door, and Sirius stood there looking at her.

"Where are the lads?" Is all she could think to ask, before rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn.

"Probably not far. None of them wanted me to come here." He said, long curly hair a mess, half covering his face.

"I didn't want to see you if I'm honest." She said sleepily

"Some friend you are." He responded in a biting tone.

"I didn't want fo see you hurt, Sirius." She said walking away from the door, taking a seat on her bed and nodding for him to follow.

He did just that, shutting the door behind him and sitting next to her.

"So you know?" He asked in a dreadful tone, nothing like the cocky voice she'd come to care for so much.

"I knew last night. Tried to sleep it away, but it's still true I see." She said looking down at her feet dangling off the side of the bed.

"Yeah. Still true." He said rather sharply.

"He's a little prick, Rose. Always was." He said after that, notably less sharp.

Rose made a quick fist, looking down at the "R" tattooed on her finger.

"I stayed as long as I could. I use to stay with him when our parents would fight, I tried to stop them every time they hurt him, I stayed as long as I could." He said, voice riddled with guilt.

Perhaps he'd used up all his anger with the boys, perhaps that's when he yelled and screamed and threatened to duel his sibling, perhaps that's when everything Rose has expected happened.

"He's my brother, Rose. He's who I ran around with sticks in the garden with, he's who I taught about pirates and dragons, and he's a Death Eater now." Sirius said as he laid back on her bed, the chain around his neck fell back and Rose got a better look at the tattoo that sat lowly on his neck.

It was the Leo constellation.

"Leo" was written in the middle in very small lettering, and each star point was marked with a dot and a letter. One, however, was marked by a simple snake.

Rose recognized that as were Regulus' star should be.

"I've chosen Regulus so many times. I had to make a choice for myself, Rose. So why do I feel like I'm the one who's done this? Like I burned the dark mark into his arm myself?" He asked looking over to her, she laid there next to him.

"It's not your fault. If anyone's to blame it's Regulus, your parents, and his awful friends. Snape was the first of them to join I believe, and the oldest, I hate to say it, but Lily's old friend probably had a large hand to play in it all, Sirius." Rose said, placing a hand gently on his cheek, she wanted to comfort them both, she wanted Regulus to know his brother cared, but now it would be even harder to see him.

The thought pulled at her stomach and made her eyes burn the way they do when tears are there under the surface, but refuse to show themselves.

"He did. Didn't he...." Sirius said aloud, not particularly to Rose, just aloud. His voice sounded less hopelessly than before, in fact it sounded rather venom-filled.

"I think you've given me a much needed realization, Thorns." He said while stretching out on her bed, his hand brushed against something then, and he pulled a little black journal from under her pillow.

"What's this?" He mumbled to himself as he opened to some of the latest entries.

"Sirius, no. Not right now!" She practically yelled as she went to grab for the book out of his hands, he moved over as to keep it in reach, reading from it to himself before he made the correlation.

"You've written about us in here!" He said, his usual carefree vibe suddenly back to him.

"Please give that back! It's not for you to know!" She said while reaching for the journal again

He continued to read off the same page.

"That sounds exactly like something I'm supposed to know, you're talking about me in this dirty little book!" He teased but allowed her to grab the journal out of his hands.

"It wasn't always dirty. It only got that way....recently." She said looking away from him, the situation had shifted so quickly.

"Well" he started, laying out all the way on the bed and pulling her up to lay beside him, one of her hands was placed gently on his chest as she sat the book down with the other.

"If you're roommates are going to stay out, I'll stay here if that's okay with you, Thornsie." He said before planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Do you think you'll be alright?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I'll be fine." He said with a nod.

A smirk formed on his lips then, and he held her closer to him.

"You might even have to make some new additions to your little book later."

Rose gave him a look of warning and he smiled.

She couldn't help but smile back at him.