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The second someone mentioned you were all alone
I could feel the trouble coursin' through your veins
Now I know it's got a hold
When Sirius ran away to James and his parents, he knew that he was leaving behind his brother. His quiet, determined, dead-smart brother. And Sirius knew that he was fracturing that relationship, could feel his heart-breaking with ever limped step out of the house in the dead of night. But he'd tried. He'd desperately tried to get Regulus to come with him. Begged and pleaded and watched as his little brother stared at him. Silver eyes haunted and pained and scared. So fucking scared. But he'd told him no. That he would not disgrace the Black name like Sirius was doing.
And so, Sirius left. But not before stopping in front of Regulus' door and leaving a small package. The second half of a two-way mirror that he and James had always shared. A notebook he'd had Remus help him spell before they left school that would allow them to send messages back and forth, and a small paper inside of it that told him that. And a vault key, most importantly his vault key, one he'd opened with the help of James' parents and put ever Knut that his mother and father had graced him with, and another note telling Regulus to use it if he needed to get safe.
"I will always be there for you if you need me, Reggie. I love you." He'd said after knocking once on the door. Hoping his brother had heard him.
And as he limped away, toward safety, toward home, he could only hope it was enough.
Just a phone call left unanswered had me sparkin' up
These cigarettes won't stop me wonderin' where you are
Don't let go, keep a hold
By the time summer was ending, Sirius had healed. His hands still sometimes shook with aftershocks from the Cruciatus that his mother had held him under for long, long minutes. But physically? He was healthier than he had been in years. He still jumped at every sound that was louder than normal, and stared off into space sometimes, but he was fine. He kept the other half of the notebook he'd sent to Regulus on him at all times. In fear or hope that his brother might reach out, he didn't know.
As the months passed, the fear grew.
But as summer neared its end, and school was going to be back in session, he felt his heart-breaking again. The smoke from cigarettes that the boys, Remus and James and Sirius, had managed to get out of a muggle convenience store that Remus showed them, drifted in the air. The grey-white wisps spiraling in the stark black that was the night sky. He could only hope that he hadn't been too late.
When he opened the notebook the night before they were to go back to school and saw tiny writing, in his brothers ridiculously neat script, the fear crescendoed. Until he read it of course.
"Meet in the classroom. I love you, too. Reggie."
Sirius was smiling as he fell asleep.
If you look into the distance, there's a house upon the hill
Guidin' like a lighthouse
To a place where you'll be safe to feel our grace
'Cause we've all made mistakes
If you've lost your way
When the boys make it back to the school, the year starting without much fanfare. The world seems darker. There are whispers and rumors and an ache settling in the castle that has always felt like home to Sirius. But he watches, watches children huddle together and whisper and cry and hold fear in their hearts. Not to say that he isn't afraid, but he's held that very real fear in his heart for years. The fear that they are all just now experiencing. The fear of true evil. The fear he knows his brother is still facing. Though hopefully not for long.
But when he sees his brothers face in the crowds, his eyes steely and his face sharper than it was at the beginning of summer, the fear strengthens. He fears that he was too late, too little, not enough. But he catches his brother's eye, just briefly, but there is a spark there. And his brother nods minutely toward a hall, one that had an abandoned classroom that no one else ever used. Sirius nods back, just as subtly, listening as James and Peter talk about a new prank they want to pull. He tells them he has something he has to do and takes off, not immediately to that hall, but to a secret passage he knows will lead him around the castle, so he can approach from a different direction.
Because he may be a Gryffindor, but the Hat had argued for Slytherin.
I will leave the light on
I will leave the light on
I will leave the light on
I will leave the light on
When he gets to the room, Regulus is sitting in one of the abandoned desks and looks up, his eyes wide and tired, so very tired. And when Sirius casts privacy charms on the door and a silencing spell, he doesn't move. Doesn't move until Sirius walks up to his younger brother and wraps him in a hug, and then he falls apart. "Is it too late to join you?"
"Never, Reggie. Euphemia already set a room up for you at the start of the summer. Has her elves keeping it clean and everything." Sirius says, holding his brother tightly. "You don't ever have to go back. I will always be there for you, Reggie."
"I only said what I said because of the portraits. They... I knew they had been reporting everything back to Walburga. I had to keep us both safe. You are not a disgrace, Siri. You are the bravest and best of us." Regulus says, hiding his face in Sirius' robes.
Sirius just rubs his back and kisses the top of his brothers' head. "I don't know, Reggie. I'd say you're pretty brave, too."
Tell me what's been happenin', what's been on your mind
Lately, you've been searchin' for a darker place to hide
That's alright
But if you carry on abusing, you'll be robbed from us
I refuse to lose another friend to drugs
Just come home, don't let go
They sit in the private classroom and talk, once Regulus has calmed down and escaped Sirius' arms. Walburga has been getting worse, with Orion being sick. Sirius can see the tremors in Regulus' hands, and he feels a rage burn inside of him. He digs into the bag he slung on the floor, pulling out a nerve tonic. As he hands it to Regulus, he smiles sadly. "James' Da, Fleamont, he's a potioneer. Made me some nerve tonic to help with flares. Take it." And he does, eyes wide and wet and amazed. "You're my brother, Reggie. I will do everything I can to keep you safe."
"We need a plan." Regulus says softly, downing the potion with no hesitation.
"A truly Slytherin plan. Mum and Da will help. James and Remus too." Sirius says with a wicked grin. "We can use the notebooks. Talk it out. I'll spell another and send it to Mum and Da.
If you look into the distance, there's a house upon the hill
Guidin' like a lighthouse
To a place where you'll be safe to feel our grace
'Cause we've all made mistakes
If you've lost your way
"She wants me marked next summer. Apparently a lot of kids are going to get marked during the summer." Regulus whispers after he takes the potion. His tremors dying down. Sirius' eyes shoot up to him, and the growl he lets out is more dog than human.
"That won't be happening." Sirius manages to get out from his clenched teeth. Holding back enraged snarls.
"I know." Regulus says, smiling at him. There are tear tracks on his cheeks. "You've always kept me safe."
"Not just you, Reggie. We can try to save some of the others. They can't all want to do it. We'll... We'll figure it out. Together." Sirius says, grabbing one of Regulus' hands and squeezing it softly. Regulus smiles at him and nods.
I will leave the light on
I will leave the light on
I will leave the light on
I will leave the light on
I will leave the light on
Hours pass with them talking before they leave, Regulus to find Barty and Evan. And Sirius to find James, once he finds him, he moves them to their dorm and casts the same privacy spells. Sirius explaining what he'd just learned. They grab Remus from the common room and explain things again. Remus helps Sirius spell another notebook to link to two others and together write a letter to Euphemia and Fleamont asking for help and ideas. Over the course of the semester, and then much more in depth over Yule break, where Regulus manages to leave Hogwarts and officially meet Euphemia and Fleamont ("Call me Mum, sweetheart." and "None'a that. It's Da, now."), they come up with a plan.
Masters willing to take apprentices, even if only for a few months over the summer. Rooms made up for those they know are going to be arriving, and several extras just in case. Elves sworn to secrecy and contact with the Goblins to ensure nothing could happen to the children in question. Plans, well made, with backups and failsafes were set.
And wounds, long since carved into the brothers of Black House began to heal.
If you look into the distance, there's a house upon the hill
Guidin' like a lighthouse
It's a place where you'll be safe to feel our grace
And if you've lost your way, if you've lost your way
When the year-end feast comes, Regulus isn't the only Slytherin that is going to the Potter's. Somehow over the course of the year, Regulus had made a list of strays that needed saving and sent it off to his new Mum and Da. And they, such lovely people, more his parents than his own ever were, had made more plans.
And so, a horde of teenagers descended on Potter Manor as the year closed. Barty and Evan bracketing Regulus. Remus, as was usual, standing off to the side, making sure everyone made it through the floo okay. The surprising ones were Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black, and Severus Snape. Five of the Slytherins stood, once exiting the floo, nervously. All watching their surroundings, fear evident on their faces. Sirius came through the floo and just smiles, pulling Regulus from in between his friends and into another hug. "You're safe, little star. Promise."
"I know. You've always kept me safe." Regulus says softly, hugging his brother back tightly.
I will leave the light on
As the floo fired several more times, the last of their party filing through, he let Regulus go, and smiled at him. Regulus just nodded back, a small smile on his face. As Euphemia and Fleamont started showing their newest arrivals around, Regulus joining them with a smile and hugs from both, James and Remus came up to Sirius and bumped his shoulders. "You did good, Padfoot."
And Sirius beamed.
And I know you're down and out now, but I need you to be brave
Hidin' from the truth ain't gonna make this all okay
I see your pain
If you don't feel our grace and you've lost your way
All the teens converged on the library, a private enough place for them all to talk now that Euphemia and Fleamont had shown them around. The six Slytherins were still obviously afraid, nerves wracking their bodies as they observed everything around them. Sirius sat at the table, James and Remus by his side. He watches as Regulus pulls Barty and Evan to the table, and Narcissa caught his eye and pulls Severus and Lucius along as well. Once they were all sitting, he sighed softly and nodded. "Reggie, did we get everyone we could?"
Regulus nods. "They're the only ones I could trust."
Well, I will leave the light on
"At least we got some safe." Sirius said quietly and turned to look at the Slytherins who were staring at him wide-eyed. "Sorry. This has been almost a year in the works. It's... It's nice to see some sort of result, I guess."
Severus' eyes narrowed and he sneered at him. "We're results, are we then, Black?"
Sirius flinched slightly at the tone and shook his head, his eyes dropping to the table. "Much more important than that, Snape. You're safe from the Dark Lord, and others." When he looked back up, the boy was wide-eyed and quiet. "You get used to seeing the signs, I suppose." Sirius added with a dry and humorless laugh.
Lucius spoke up next. "What about our parents? Won't they cause trouble?" He was the oldest, the only one of age, so he had technically just finished school.
"They would. If you hadn't just accepted an apprenticeship in duelling with one of my father's long time friends. Sadly, he lives on the mainland and doesn't permit his apprentices from traveling to and from for the entirety of their apprenticeship." James said with a very put upon sad smile.
"But I didn't-" Lucius starts.
Regulus looks at him and raises a brow. "Master Bernard is a duelling champion on the mainland that very rarely takes an apprentice. His last one was nearly a decade ago. You should be so lucky as to have his teachings."
Lucius stares at Regulus before turning to Sirius, and then James. "Did... Did he truly accept? Your father... He mentioned, but he didn't..."
Sirius watches as James grins and nods. "He was brought in on the plan, when we were trying to figure out how to get you out from under your family the easiest. We haven't duelled you personally, but the seventh years in the tower swear you're crazy good at it. His husband is a healer and has already agreed to a small apprenticeship for Narcissa, Evan, and Barty for this summer, with the same stipulations about travelling, funnily enough."
They all laugh softly, and Regulus bumps Evan's shoulder, before punching Barty's, grinning. Narcissa gets through a soft thank you before Evan exclaims it loudly, a wild smile on his face. Barty just looks at James with wide eyes, mouthing the words silently.
I will leave the light on
James turns to Severus. "Da's got an apprenticeship spot open for you as well. We know how much you like potions, so we thought you might like that."
Severus continued to stare, blinking a couple of times before nodding slowly. "I... My thanks."
"Not necessary." James says with a shrug. "We're just doing what we can. We are children, and only one of us have even graduated, and even the ink on that is still drying. This isn't our fight. We don't see why we should be the ones being torn apart because of our parents decisions. So, we decided to start a middle ground. A... Grey space."
'Cause I will leave the light on
And unbeknownst to the teenagers in that room, the future had shifted. Swirled and swept itself up and watched. As one boy, one strong and impossibly bright boy, refused to give up on his younger brother. His star in the impossibly dark night. And with that one action, that one change and fragment of hope shrouded in fear, changed the fates of so many around him.