black | sirius black

Regulus And The Stag

"We do not have two sons, Orion. We only have one." Walburga Black's loud voice echoed through every room in the house of Black.

"Whether you burn his image off the tree or not, he is still the oldest and is the heir of our family. If anyone were to marry for an alliance, it would be Sirius." Orion Black gritted through his teeth, tired of fighting with his wife.

"I don't see a problem with our Regulus being the one to do it instead." Walburga stood her ground.

"It's either going to be Sirius marrying that Selwyn girl or there's going to be no alliance at all!" Orion stated.

"Well, good thing the Selwyns don't mind marrying their daughter to our Regulus." Walburga scoffed.

"What was that?" Orion frowned.

"That's right, husband." Walburga sneered. "I knew you would make such a fuss, so I went ahead and asked the Selwyns for their daughter's hand in marriage to Regulus. And they agreed. The boy is aware as well."

Orion stared at his wife in bewilderment.

"You dare do so without my permission?" Orion growled in anger.

"I don't understand your problem-"

"The problem is that it should always be the FIRST-BORN IN THE FAMILY! NOT THE SECOND-BORN, NOT THE THIRD-BORN! WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, SIRIUS BLACK IS THE FIRST-BORN IN THE HOUSE OF BLACK-"

"He has left. And we have disowned him. Mentioning him is like mentioning the name of a dead person," Walburga calmly stated, her voice cold and resolute, echoing through the opulent halls of 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Walburga, I—"

"Dear." Walburga placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, a gesture that seemed almost tender amidst the palpable tension.

"Regulus is our only son. We have no other. He is in Slytherin, he is a perfect student, and he is talented—so talented that even the Dark Lord himself wants him in his army! He is the true and right representative of our household."

As Walburga's words consoled and convinced Orion Black, they did nothing but cast a shadow over the boy listening upstairs in his room.

Regulus, hidden in the shadows, clung to the words that confirmed his worst fears.

His mother's definition of a perfect son was one who embraced the darkness, who willingly aligned himself with the very forces that threatened to engulf the wizarding world.

In his dimly lit room, Regulus felt a heavy weight settle over his chest.

He couldn't deny the pride that surged within him hearing his mother speak of his talents and achievements.

Yet, intertwined with that pride was a suffocating realization—that his family's definition of success and greatness was synonymous with servitude to the Dark Lord. He strained to hear more, every word from below striking like a blow to his already conflicted conscience.

The choice he made, to defy the Dark Lord and walk away from the dangerous path that awaited him, had severed the ties that bound him to his family.

The disownment, however expected, reverberated through the air, carrying a finality that stung more than he cared to admit.

Summer hasn't been very ideal for Regulus.

Hearing his parents argue and plan out his marriage was stressful.

But, what bothered him more was them getting involved in his plans after Hogwarts, which is nowhere close. And all the talk about Sirius wasn't helping either.