aluinwe

[aluinwe]

fail - @black-brothers-microfic - wc: 611

James didn't hear the front door open. He didn’t hear the keys jingle, or the careful click of polished shoes stepping into their flat. He was too busy sulking under a duvet cocoon, face half-buried in a pillow that still smelled like Regulus’ cologne and laundry soap.

It wasn't even raining outside, but it felt like it should be.

Regulus stood in the bedroom doorway, briefcase in hand, head tilted just enough to catch the lump on the bed with a fond sort of exasperation. James Potter was not quiet by nature. Not still, either. But here he was, face turned toward the wall, shoulders hunched, blanket pulled up over his ears like he was trying to disappear into the mattress.

Regulus didn’t speak. He set his case down, toed off his shoes, and crossed the room. Gently, he perched on the edge of the bed.

“You’re home early,” James mumbled, voice hoarse like he’d been lying there breathing too hard, too slow, too sad.

“I had a feeling,” Regulus said simply, reaching a hand out to trail through James’ messy curls, pushing them off his forehead. “Did you get the results?”

A beat passed. James didn’t answer right away. Then, finally, his voice cracked a little as he whispered, “I failed.”

Regulus said nothing. No gasps, no reassurances. He just nodded, fingers pausing in James’ hair for the briefest second before continuing with the same quiet tenderness.

“Barely?” Regulus asked.

James snorted weakly, then let out a short, bitter laugh. “Not even close.”

Another pause. Then, Regulus moved carefully around the bed, lifting the blanket and sliding in behind James. James didn’t resist — he never did, in these rare moments. He shifted automatically, pressing his back against Regulus’ chest, curling forward just a little more so he could be held.

Regulus wrapped an arm around him, firm and grounding. His nose tucked behind James’ ear.

“You studied,” Regulus murmured.

“Didn’t matter,” James muttered.

“You tried.”

James’s shoulders trembled. “Still failed.”

“I know.”

James sniffed. “I feel stupid.”

“You’re not.”

“But I feel it.”

Regulus didn’t argue this time. He let James feel whatever he needed to feel, held him tighter when the shaking in his shoulders turned to full-body tremors, when he bit his lip to keep the tears quiet.

He didn't offer solutions. James didn’t need that right now.

What he needed was this. Warmth. Safety. A quiet, steady rhythm of Regulus’ breathing behind him, a thumb brushing slow circles against the back of his hand. He needed to be small for once, to let go without needing to put on a brave face.

So Regulus held him, and didn’t say much more than what mattered.

“You’re allowed to be upset,” he whispered against James’ neck. “You’re allowed to fail.”

“I wanted to make you proud,” James confessed, voice muffled and thick. “You always do so well and I just— I wanted—”

“You do make me proud,” Regulus said firmly. “You’re brilliant. Kind. Relentless. One stupid exam doesn’t take that away.”

James squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m going to try again,” he said after a long silence. “Even if I hate it.”

“I know,” Regulus replied. “And I’ll be here. Every time.”

James turned in his arms then, finally meeting his gaze with tear-bright eyes and a weak, grateful smile.

Regulus leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Then another, just beside his mouth.

“Now go back to sulking,” Regulus murmured, pulling him close again, “and let me take care of you, for once.”

James exhaled into his chest, the tension starting to ebb.

“Only for tonight,” he whispered.

Regulus smiled.

“Take all the nights you need.”

[aluinwe]

Okay but we idolise the marauders as the perfect friend group who would never drift apart BUT that’s because they never got the chance to grow up into their twenties when they probably would have drifted…. Okay that’s all.

[aluinwe]

"who do you think will be at your grave the longest, remus?"

remus: " i don't know"

no one cause he died last

[aluinwe]

blossom - Jegulus - @into-the-jeggyverse - word count: 597

On Regulus Black's tenth birthday, he found himself in the magical section of the exotic gardens at Kew. Regulus had taken a seat on a bench beneath a perpetually flowering cherry tree to observe his brother's attempts at escaping the watchful eye of their governess to slip through the barrier separating this section from the Muggle side of the gardens.

It was sitting on this bench, surrounded by the scent of cherry blossom in full bloom, that Regulus first looked into the eyes of James Potter – warm, hazel and twinkling with mischief – and Regulus fell in love. James gave Regulus a cheeky, lopsided grin and bounded back to his parents.

On his eleventh birthday, he received a letter from his brother, wishing him well and telling him how much he missed him at Hogwarts, that all his friends were excited to meet him the following year, enclosing a photograph of four boys. Regulus looked into hazel eyes again, and a feeling in his chest began to stir.

On his twelfth birthday, he sat alone in the great hall, looking across to his brother who was determinedly not returning his attention.

Birthdays thirteen through fifteen followed much the same pattern, though Regulus gaze increasingly shifted from his brother to the boy sitting to his right, with warm eyes that still twinkled but never in his direction, that familiar grin aimed towards the red haired girl several seats over 

On his sixteenth birthday, his mother had written to relay a warning. She wrote of a curse laid upon the family line of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black generations ago. He learned that members of his house were cursed to fall in love only once in their lifetimes. If the love was unrequited, or if it was reciprocated but he allowed his heart to be broken first, a great tragedy would befall him.

His cousin Bellatrix had been the victim of unrequited love, and the curse had taken her sanity. Narcissa allowed herself to be broken by her love, and the curse had severely damaged her ability to bear children. She would be lucky to have even one.

Andromeda had married below her station for her great love, and had been cast aside because of it. Sirius had already left the family by the time he found his, and he had grasped onto it with both hands. Regulus often caught him in hidden alcoves with Remus Lupin on his prefect rounds and always quietly let them be after casting a subtle notice-me-not.

Regulus would have known even without the cherry blossom scent of the amortentia that he brewed in potions class later that day, that he had already found his one love in James Potter.

On his seventeenth birthday, he took his seat in the great hall and as always, directed his attention to the Gryffindor table. He gave a passing glance to his brother, before fixing his focus one seat to the right. To James Potter, who was entwined with Lily Evans and looking every bit as in love with her as Regulus was with him.

That night Regulus was pulled from his sleep, coughing into his pillow to reveal a handful of cherry blossom petals, tinged slightly red with blood. As his lungs rapidly filled with the petals, and the faint tint of blood grew first into droplets then mouthfuls splattering across his bedsheets with every hack and cough, he thought it fitting that the curse would choke his very last breath from his lungs by surrounding him with that comforting scent one final time.

[aluinwe]

broom - jegulus - @into-the-jeggyverse - word count: 460

If pressed, Regulus would admit to being a little nervous about spending this Christmas with the Potters. Just under a year ago, he had arrived at Potter Manor with only the clothes on his back, the wand in his hand, and a set of fresh bruises blooming all over his body courtesy of his mother and her recent discovery of his relationship with the Potter heir.

He knew James loved him, he told him every day, not just in words but in little actions. He knew Sirius loved him, as he’d taken to loudly proclaiming the fact at least once a week across the great hall. He even knew that Mr and Mrs Potter (“Please Regulus, don’t be so formal, call us Monty and Effie) loved him, when he received their regular care packages filled with his favourite sweets and a copy of Potions Monthly already annotated with Mr Potters insights on the articles, and questions for Regulus to answer.

So yes, Regulus was nervous, as this was the first Christmas he would be spending with this family, his family, and he desperately needed to make sure the gifts he got for everyone were perfect.

Sirius was easy, he’d teamed up with James and got him a brand new leather jacket and several patches to customise it with, along with a promise to teach him the sewing charms he’d need to ensure the seams never frayed. Sirius thanked them with tears in his eyes, and only a minor amount of ribbing about “couples presents already” and “don’t think you’ll get away with this every year”.

Mr & Mrs Potter were slightly more tricky, but he accepted their thanks along with their hugs for the matching stirring rod and wooden spoon he had got them, both their passions symbolised.

But James was impossible. What do you get for the boy who already owns your whole heart?

He had been struck by inspiration in the middle of the night – a memory of their first date, chasing a slightly wonky snitch that had been caught a few too many times across the Hogwarts quidditch pitch, quickly losing light but barely noticing as they had been lost in each other. When they finally landed, gracelessly bounding towards each other, their first kiss with James’ hands cupping Regulus’ face, and the feeling of the splinters on James’ fingers because he never cared for broom maintenance. James saw any moment spent with his broom that wasn’t flying it as a waste of time.

“Broom polish?” Sirius exclaimed, as he watched James open the gift. “I love you brother, but is that really the best you can do? If Moony got that for me I’d–”

“No” James interrupted, tears in his eyes. “It’s perfect. Exactly what I needed”.

[aluinwe]

sirius and regulus graves are both empty. thought i would share that information

[aluinwe]

I think we’re too nice to people who use AI in fandom spaces

Those people deserve to be pointed at and mocked

[aluinwe]

The problem with the Smiths is that they’re soooo good but you have to shake your head when you’re listening to them so everyone knows you disapprove of Morrissey

[aluinwe]

Do you think Regulus cried out “Sirius” instead of “Mum” when he got injured as a child?

follow-up question: Do you think he did it again out of reflex as he was dying?

[aluinwe]

Sirius: I hate my last name

James: oh, padfoot, do you want my parents to adopt you and we can share my last name then?

Regulus: I hate my last name too

James: marry me

[aluinwe]

And Fred and George because just making it marauders characters wasn't painful enough

found this impossibly cute picrew and i just had to make it as james and regulus(will make more of this)

[aluinwe]

I hurt myself making these

found this impossibly cute picrew and i just had to make it as james and regulus(will make more of this)

[aluinwe]

usually i hate sirius when he gets all melodramatic about the jegulus reveal like that's your best friend and your brother nobody is good enough for them except for each other you should be happy for them

but when it's a band au and sirius realises james has been making him play sexually explicit and/or sad pining love songs about his own brother for several years? you know what that's valid, crash the fuck out

[aluinwe]

Do you love Regulus Black or do you just love the idea that you can be as mean and awkward and judgmental as you want and the perfect person will fall in love with you as you are?

[aluinwe]

Regulus Black never lived in a world without Sirius or James

Sirius Black lived in a world without either

[aluinwe]

we need to stop collectively pushing the marauders as effortlessly cool kings of the school agenda

those boys had nicknames for each other

they had a group name

three quarters of them mastered an advanced transfiguration ritual at the age of fifteen (?)

they created the map which is something you can only assume dumbledore wasn't even able to do (because he absolutely would have if he could) - the research alone would have had them living in the library for years

fact is, those boys were massive nerds and i won't hear otherwise

(follow up - james absolutely did spend six years pursuing lily but it wasn't grand romantic displays and shouting across the great hall it was blushing and stumbling over his words)

[aluinwe]

“silver has always been a werewolf’s biggest weakness” says remus lupin while talking about sirius black’s eyes