The Four Interchanging Lives of Regulus Black (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Awake

Regulus let out a groan.

His head ached, yet he sat up, only for his head to spin and his stomach—

"Hold on. Don't..."

The contents of his stomach came up as someone reached out, supporting him as he threw up. He breathed in and out after he finished, keeping his eyes closed, then wiped his mouth, swaying slightly. "What happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure?" And then, "A concussion, I think? Well, you're showing signs, but all I really know is I..."

"Lettie?" Regulus' eyes opened, his head turning to look at the man who supported him. His eyes blinked, remembering.

"...found you passed out."

"I saw you there," Regulus muttered, glancing around, trying to think. "Can I have some medicine for the headache?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Good, because there's something I need to do."

"Yeah, no. You're not going and doing something because my sister will kill me."

"That's right. Lettie is her older brother, so when I ended up at the bookshop at that timeline, I, of course, saw him there as well as her before that place started really messing with my head. Kind of like Alice in Wonderland?" Regulus' eyes blinked. "Alice in Wonderland?"

"Say what?" Lettie sighed. "Look..."

"Where is it?" Regulus said.

"What?"

"What you've been keeping for me? All of these years?"

"That..."

"My wand," Regulus said, holding out his hand.

"What happened to..."

"My brother needs me," Regulus said, his mind reviewing everything. "He said this stupid veil was in the ministry of magic, mysteries, and death." He tapped his head, irritated. "Got to get that straightened out before I get there."

"I'm your brother."

Regulus paused, looking at Lettie, his mind going over what he remembered of the ministry building whenever his grandfather took him there, or his father, the fact they were Lord Black and heir getting them into some places others didn't, but never...

"Hey. Are you listening?"

"Do you remember?"

"I remember a lot of things."

"How was I scared of letting you in? Because I thought older brothers..."

Lettie took a deep breath, ruffling the top of Regulus' head. "Because of that older brother of yours that you never talk about, you thought older brothers are mean banes of their younger siblings' existences?"

"Yeah, that?" Regulus closed his eyes, letting out a hum. "He needs me."

"He hurt you."

"It's okay." Regulus held out his hand. "Meds and wand, plus a hood. Headache medicine first?"

"I don't like this. Why would you help him after he kept hurting you?"

Regulus gave him a look.

Lettie held up his hands. "Okay. I know you've not talked much about this brother of yours at all, but getting you to trust me was like pulling teeth, and I don't want to see you get hurt, so why?"

"Because I'll get hurt if I don't," Regulus said, sighing and rubbing the back of his head as he closed his eyes. "You're the one, and everyone else, who taught me what siblings should be like, and I, for my life, can't turn my back on those lessons even if it means me getting hurt by him again. But I think..."

"You think what?"

"Maybe Sirius was hurting as well?"

"He's the one..." Lettie sighed. "Okay. So I don't know what he did."

"It might be my only chance to resolve things with him. To make things right between us, and I want that."

"Fine." Lettie handed him some medicine, sitting down on the bed.

"The bed's Lettie's. At the bookshop because he lives above the shop, so I must have passed out here."

"So. What are you going to do?" Lettie reached for the drawer by the bed, pulled it open, pulled out a wand made of vine, and handed it to Regulus.

"I'm going to hack the ministry of magic, that's what," Regulus said, taking the wand in his hand; then, he took a deep breath, placing it against his face, the familiar feeling of magic within the wand feeling so wonderful.

"Huh?"

"You heard me," Regulus said.

"No. I mean, how are you going to hack something that isn't technology? And can you even hack a computer?"

Regulus laughed. "Oh, that mother of mine. She'd hate me using Muggle words, but it's effectively the same thing." He opened his eyes, looking at the wand, grinning ear to ear. "It's one of the things he'd set me to figuring out, but I doubt they've changed any of their security features in the last sixteen, seventeen years because they're right sods at updating anything."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I'm going to hack the magic," Regulus said, looking at Lettie, grinning. "I'm a nerd, after all."

"Yes. We all know you're a nerd," Lettie sighed. "Tolkien. Doctor Who. All of that that I introduced to you here in the shop."

"Uh-huh," Regulus said, taking a deep breath. "When the medicine kicks in. You have a hood?"

"A hoodie, you mean," Lettie said, getting back up. "Hold on." He reached into the cupboard, where he kept his clothes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Definitely, and I'm sorry if I don't come back."

"Bloody," Lettie said, stopping what he was doing. "Are you going to make me apologize to my sister if you don't come back, you nitwit?"

"Yup," Regulus said. "But she'll understand."

"Sure. She'll understand. She'll understand that her husband has yet again put his life on the line for some great plan he's not telling anybody about."

Regulus twirled his wand, sighing, rolling his eyes only to regret it as the headache medicine hadn't kicked in. "It's not as if I could without putting others in danger."

"You're missing the point."

"Even more so now, since I've no connections." Regulus took a deep breath. "But I'll concede that I should have the time before maybe found someone to help with my madcap plans."

"At least you can admit you're mad?"

"Oh? Didn't you know? My family is cursed!"

"Say what?"

"Everyone is doomed to inherit this madness, so..."

"Stop! Not funny." Lettie took a deep breath, tossing a hood at him. "Promise me you'll come back."

"But..."

"I don't care that you can guarantee you'll fulfill that promise. Promising makes it more likely for you to fight for it because you'll hopefully remember you made a promise. And..." Lettie pointed a thumb at him. "I really want to give this brother of yours a piece of my mind."

"Okay. I promise you'll be able to give Sirius a piece of your mind."

"That's not..." Lettie sighed. "Oh, never mind." He sat down, then wrapped his arm around Regulus' shoulders, hugging him. "Just come home in one piece."

"I promise that as well."

"Thank you!"