Chapter Text
Regulus nearly yelled at everyone the moment he saw Moody, if it was not for Remus’ hand on his shoulder he would have.
“Don’t, we can’t afford discord right now.” Remus said softly, "Go talk with your twin, we will no doubt have an order meeting now.” Regulus breathed in and out and left. They went upstairs, him and Harry and Harry was immediately hugged by Hermione who exclaimed how worried she was. Harry made a rude comment about how they could have sent him letters but Hermione said that Dumbledore told them that they couldn’t, it would be too dangerous. Harry frowned but said nothing, glancing to Regulus who just rubbed his chest, a sign to Harry about WHY it was too dangerous, which means what they always suspected, Dumbledore knows about the horcruxes, he knows or suspects that Harry is one.
“Hermione, Ron, I haven’t been truthful with you.” Harry said softly and Hermione drew back sharply and looked at him in confusion, “You see, Jaclyn and I? We already know about the Order of Phoenix, and have known since Sirius adopted us. Jaclyn wasn’t the only one who moved in here with Sirius, I did too, and sometimes when I dream and Jaclyn is still awake, I dream from his perspective.”
“Excuse me?” Regulus asked sharply and Harry flinched a bit
“I meant to tell you but then it was all focusing on me and it kind of just slipped my mind, Jac I swear I meant to tell you!” Harry was at the very least being truthful, Regulus rubbed his forehead and sighed, “If it's any consolation I don’t know anything about whatever you talk to Remus and Sirius with, but erm…I know that you erm write to that one person.” He said very hesitantly. “Do you have to write so-”
“Yes.” Regulus didn’t let him finish,
“To Nott?” Hermione asked
“If I meant Theo I would have said Theo.” Harry said
“Draco?” Hermione pressured and Harry kind of got this pinched expression on his face
“No…” He said and eyed Regulus
“Yes, I do send him letters, and Blaise, and Gregory, and Vincent.” He paused, “In fact I reached out to all of them, it's not that big of a deal.” He grinned at her, “Now, we need to start planning because while Dumbledore is happy to go about this in a plodding plotting manner I am not.” He settled down transfiguring the bed into a table with chairs and sent a patronus to the others who were left out of the Order of Phoenix.
“Oh?” George asked as he perked up in happiness.
“We are going to do what they are doing but at a Hogwarts level. Recruit from ALL the houses.” He grinned “And I won’t hear any complaints, I’ve already got the Slytherins.” He admitted, they all blinked at him and Harry was chuckling, “They are currently hiding in a Black family mansion in France for the Summer so we’ll head over there and bounce ideas off of them soon, once we lose the problematic adults of course,”
“How are we losing our mother?” Fred asked jokingly but there was an undercurrent of suppressed rage there.
“Oh you know I think your father would love a date night, it’s been so long after all.” Regulus said simply, innocently and said man chuckled as he entered the room,
“A date night sounds wonderful, you are such thoughtful kids.” He said happily and for a second he wasn’t the airheaded man who survives the ministry by being just that…airheade. “Dinners ready, come on down, children.” He turned and started to talk about muggle items and Regulus listened and corrected him where it was necessary until they got to the dining room. There Regulus fell silent. Molly was glaring at Kreacher who was glaring right back clutching something and Sirius was between them, his back to Kreacher and honestly Regulus never thought Sirius would ever defend Kreaccher.
“What happened?” He asked softly
“Kreacher is removing all the cursed items, Molly told him to just throw them away but Kreacher refused.” Dumbledore said “Sirius agrees with Kreacher and has threatened Molly not to touch anything.”
“As is his right,” Regulus said with a nod, “How would you feel if someone entered your office and just started to throw things away just because they didn’t like their history? Or the magic on them? Ignoring for a minute that touching anything cursed is a one way ticket to getting cursed.” Dumbledore regarded him with a calculating look, “This may not be home but this is still our property.” Regulus said “For that particular item Kreacher is cradling it would be like someone entering the burrow, declaring their clock cursed and tossing it.” He heard the gasps and hisses from the Weasleys, Molly grabbed her chest at the thought. “Kreacher, put that one back please. Cursed as it may be there is a reason.” Kreacher sighed in relief and listened, placing it where it was before and Sirius relaxed and checked it over, frowning and bending down to say something to Kreacher softly. Kreacher nodded and left. “It got smudged. He’s going to go get things to clean it without damaging it.”
“But wait, isn’t Sirius the last-” Hermione began to say and flinched as Regulus sighed, a very deep world weary sigh.
“Hermione, one favor, Learn to keep questions like that contained until you have the person whose personal life you are invading alone so they at least have the choice to not answer you.” Her shoulders dropped as she nodded.
“My adopted children are on it.” Sirius said simply which was true but also only half of what was on that damned thing. Narcissa, Bellatrix, Draco, Regulus, Harry, and Sirius were all on it yes but so was Remus, Barty, Evan, Charlie, Fred, and George too. Hermione made a sound of understanding and apologized for just blurting out her question, Sirius waved her off.
“So we are all in agreement that the house elf handles the Black family heirlooms and you all just stay out of his way?” Sirius asked tired of all of this and Regulus could relate.
“I-oh very well.” Molly said faintly and Sirius nodded, he didn’t look at Dumbledore, he just turned to Remus
“Alright so plans for the rest of the night?” He clapped his hands with false energy and Remus barely looked up
“Sleep.” Sirius chuckled and shook his head.
“And our kitten?”
“Out hunting apparently,” Remus replied, sipping at his tea and setting it down and stretching, “Lets go,” Sirius followed him out like a puppy and Regulus again wondered if he was really okay with this relationship and again concluded that yes he was.
“I miss Dore.” Regulus breathed out, watching the door longingly and then he turned to Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the others
“Well we should follow their lead, not like we can do anything to help.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll see Sirius’ friends out,” He told Harry who smiled and nodded and Regulus looked at the remaining adults expectantly and Dumbledore was the first to listen to his unspoken demand, He left with little words other than how proud James would be of Regulus for his leadership skills, a false sentiment
“Thank you professor Dumbledore, That means a lot coming from you.” Dumbledore left with twinkling eyes, Moody followed knowing to avoid everything about those close to Remus and just nodded. Tonks started to leave but Regulus stopped her,
“You still visit your mother, correct?”
“Yes?”
“Sirius wanted to give this to her but he got locked in this house before he could, it was always supposed to be hers.” He handed the ring that once belonged to Walburga Black before she gave it to Regulus himself over, the lie smooth and simple. Andy would understand the meaning since Regulus died with it on according to everyone, which wasn’t the truth he left everything precious in Kreacher's care to be given to Sirius upon his return to 12 Grimmauld place.
“Oh, alright.” She pocketed it and left, calling her mothers address. Then Kingsley left followed by Diggory who clapped him on the shoulder and then they were all gone and all that was left was the Weasleys. Molly started to insist on taking care of dishes but Regulus shut her down,
“It will upset Kreacher and we’ve done quite enough of that to the poor thing, if we are going to keep him locked up we might as well make it as enjoyable for him as possible. Go Mrs Weasley, you and your husband deserve to take a break and have some time together.” Arthur talked her into going back to the Burrow stating that the kids could always follow but for now they were all tucked in and it Had been a while. He sent a wink back to Regulus who just smiled serenely at him and waved.
Which left Bill and Charlie who watched that entire thing with wide eyes and open mouths,
“Alright we’re clear, operation I solemnly swear I am up to no good is underway.” Regulus said and the twins were there with Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry.
“Oh what are you up to,” Charlie said slowly grinning as he realized they were up to something.
“One rule,” They locked onto him, all their attention, “What we say never leaves this group. If even one party crasher adult learns we are all screwed.” He said and the two promised and Regulus lay out all the plans he spent days painstakingly writing.
“I nominate Moonwater as the group name.” Ron said and Regulus immediately shot that down
“MoonSeeker?”
“Seriously? Ship names? We are a large group, can’t we just steal our parents name and be done with it?”
“You want to be the Marauders?” Hermione asked
“Yes!”
“I like that,”
“I do too,”
“Ooh, no one will ever suspect we aren’t just playing pranks.”
“Or how large our group actually is.” And so they took their parents' group name as their own. And Harry muttered they should have unbreakable vows to avoid their very own Wormtail. They all agreed except Bill who tried to talk them out of it but Regulus didn’t see why, this way they didn’t betray each other.
“I just think you guys should think the parameters of the unbreakable-”
“We will never betray Jaclyn.” Harry said simply and Regulus stared at him with wide eyes, “We will never betray the soul that was born as my twin and named Jaclyn Regulus Potter” Harry clarified in an interesting way that had them all blinking at him, “No matter how he changes his ideas we will follow him from this moment until our last.” Charlie bit his lip
“I can work with that.” and so he and Bill wrote out several tries and landed on one and each and everyone in that room, plus Sirius and Remus who entered the room because they smelt that they were doing something that requires adult supervision.
“You two can’t take the vow.” Regulus countered and flinched as all eyes turned to him and Sirius made a pained sound, Regulus couldn’t explain why A. he didn’t need them to make a vow and B. they would be immediately breaking it so he just grabbed their hands and forced them together hoping they understood, “I will never need you two to make such a vow, or Harry but he’s not listening to reason.”
“I can’t expect others to take a vow I’m not willing to take,”
“And so why am I not making a similar vow?” Regulus countered,
“If you need to, you can vow to never betray Remus?” Harry asked with a frown
“I can do that.”
“No, nope, I don’t, just no.” Remus urgently said and hugged Regulus close.
“I agree, we don’t need you making that vow,”
“Because we are going to follow you no matter what.”
“You and your husband.” The twins said and grinned and that was something, Regulus blinked at them and knew that he would do everything to make sure that they all made it through this with as little self hate as possible, he was not going to be a second Dumbledore.
“I want to,” Regulus said softly and he earned a kiss to the forehead from Charlie, and then the vows started, Sirius said that the oath should be bound to him but Regulus stepped forward and took Charlie’s hand and smiled,
“It means nothing if my life isn’t at risk too.” And so the oaths started and completed Remus and Sirius casting the spell for them.
They all sat around the table and just let what they did solidify and then They were laughing, tickling each other and knowing that everything would be fine, the way the oath was worded was that it had to be premeditated for longer than a year, that they had to commit to it and death of those close to Regulus had to result from it and finally It had to be noted by two others to be completely and fully considered betrayal. No accidental deaths for them.
Sirius and Remus left them to their plotting and Harry wondered if he should leave since Voldemort might be able to see through his eyes and Regulus waved him off,
“As long as I keep active legilimency going on your brain he can’t.” That was the law of legilimency. Harry blinked
“And you didn’t mention this to the order why?”
“Moody.”
“Ah.”
“Yep.” Harry nodded and told him to go for it and it took them a while but they figured out a system where they could both think and process at the same time and separately and still have their minds connected and protected.
Regulus blinked and then he smirked and opened up the first notebook,
“Now on how to End He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” He started “First off he’s going to put a little taboo spell on his name, those who speak it will seconds later get visits from Death Eaters so stop making that habit now.” He said and they blinked at him and mentally documented that fact “Secondly we can call him Lord Snake-face if we so please, Snake is also okay, Voldey is pushing it but good.” They started to giggle and laugh.
“And on a more serious note?” Regulus bit his tongue so as to not anger Bill,
“We need to go to my Slytherins, they need to know what’s going on and what we plan to do, that the order of phoenix is moving and so is the dark lord, don’t, it's shorter I’m not wasting time.” He said immediately, cutting Bill off who just sighed and nodded.
“Alright so grab Jaclyn’s Slytherins, wait, aren’t you a slytherin?” Charlie asked and the twins chuckled awkwardly as Charlie glared at them
“No.” He said and looked up and glanced at them, “I don’t care if anyone thinks I am though, I love Theodore.” Charlie sat back with a soft
“Huh,” And then shrugged it off and then laughed, “Mum still thinks you are a Slytherin because of Fred and George.”
“Cool, okay focusing on-”
“See I knew she loved pissing off my Slytherins, I bet you that if she knew that Jaclyn is actually a Gryffindor she would apologize”
“But we aren’t going to tell her because it doesn’t matter what house I am in, I deserve just as much respect as everyone else.” Regulus said “And my husband is a Slytherin, and sometimes I forget I’m not.” He felt his cheeks becoming warm and heard the others cooing and rolled his eyes.
“It’s because of Malachite, it's really hard to be all like, ‘yes I am a Gryffindor,’ when you have Salazar’s beast on your shoulder” Harry said
“Yeah but Dore usually has him cause it helps his reputation, so I shouldn’t forget which house I am in.” Regulus grumbled,
“To be fair you forget a lot of things.” Hermione said gently, and he sighed and shrugged
“That’s true,” He settled all of the important documents and showed them all where to start and so they started reading and discussing the plans to completely tear Voldemort down one Student at a time followed by one family at a time, which ended in a complete ministry takeover.
“Maybe you should have been a Slytherin,” Charlie said with a soft laugh
“Or a Ravenclaw.” Hermione insisted and Regulus just giggled and she perked up, “You too?”
“Yeah, the hat said it would be good if I wanted to stay in the shadows, he sent me to Gryffindor because he knew we couldn’t afford that. Slytherin was off the table because Harry begged not to go to Slytherin.” Harry flinched
“I really wanted to be liked.”
“I know, it’s okay.” He kissed Harry’s forehead to reassure him. “We also need to get Neville and Luna.” He grinned and the others laughed and nodded along.
“Cedric and Cho Chang can be next.” George said,
“And June Avery because she and Neville are something.” Regulus added as he was writing the other names and all of his Slytherins and their partners.
“Oh right, I don’t like that because it's scary.” Hermione said Regulus just smirked and continued to write names of people to invite into the marauders. He couldn’t wait, he literally could not wait to tear the Death Eaters to pieces.