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Regulus almost reverently accepted the small, square piece of enchanted glass. He held one side of the two-way mirror up to the light, and instantly, Sirius's face appeared in the reflection, grinning back at him. His older brother looked devastatingly young, fiercely vibrant, and completely full of hope.
Looking at that brilliant, untainted smile, a sudden, heavy wave of crushing melancholia washed over Regulus.
His modern mind rapidly, automatically cycled through the horrific, canonical fates awaiting almost every single person connected to this room.
All of the older figures who would eventually sacrifice themselves to protect Harry Potter... Sirius falling through the Veil. Dumbledore falling from the Astronomy Tower. Snape bleeding out in the Shrieking Shack...
And then there were Lily and James, who would bravely face Lord Voldemort wandless in their own hallway, dying violently right at the very start of the story just to protect their infant son...
And right here, sitting at this very moment in this cozy Muggle cottage, were Andromeda's kind husband, Ted Tonks (murdered by Snatchers), and his adorable newborn niece, Nymphadora Tonks (killed at the Battle of Hogwarts). And there sat Uncle Alphard, the rogue bachelor who wasn't heavily featured in the original work, but who also canonically died tragically young...
And then... there was him.
Regulus Arcturus Black.
Dragged beneath the black waters of a subterranean lake by a horde of Inferi, dying completely alone in the dark at the age of eighteen, his sacrifice entirely unknown to the world.
No, Regulus thought, his grip tightening painfully around the edges of the enchanted mirror. Their endings shouldn't have to be like that. None of them.
"What's wrong, Regulus?" Sirius asked, his grin fading slightly as he noticed the sudden, intensely dark shadow crossing his younger brother's face.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about how incredibly, strategically helpful these mirrors are going to be to us!" Regulus quickly gathered his scattered, morbid thoughts, forcibly burying the dread and strengthening his absolute resolve to change the timeline.
He turned his full attention back to the roguish wizard sitting across the table. "Uncle Al, where exactly did you purchase this set of two-way mirrors? Do you happen to have any more of them?"
He was incredibly eager to pinpoint the origin of such highly advanced, tactical magical items. They were practically untraceable walkie-talkies.
"Oh, I didn't buy them," Alphard smiled, a cocky, deeply confident smirk playing on his lips as his self-assurance shone brightly. "This is just a little experimental gadget I made myself."
!?
So the actual, literal Grandmaster of crafting was sitting right beside him this whole time?! In Regulus's highly opportunistic eyes, it suddenly seemed as if a literal, glowing, sacred halo had spontaneously materialized behind Uncle Alphard's dark hair.
"Wow... that's absolutely amazing," Regulus breathed, his dark eyes instantly lighting up with deep, calculating admiration. He leaned forward over the tea table. "Could you... could you possibly teach us how to make things like this?"
(Regulus's internal monologue: Master! Please accept my deepest bows! Please guide me! Please teach me your overpowered crafting recipes!)
"Uncle Al actually has his own massive, fully equipped Alchemy laboratory hidden inside his townhouse," Sirius chimed in, leaning back proudly. "I've even sneaked in to see it once. It's brilliant."
Regulus's eyes lit up even brighter, practically shining with Galleons. He couldn't help but marvel internally at the sheer, terrifying concentration of raw talent within his bloodline. The Black Family is truly full of absolute magical experts and unrecognized geniuses... it's just a tragic shame that their internal family relationships are a complete, toxic mess.
"It's not that I'm unwilling to teach you boys," Alphard said, offering a helpless, slightly patronizing smile as he tried to let them down gently. "It's simply that you are both far, far too young. Many highly advanced spells, complex transfigurations, and especially the volatile science of Alchemy... those are extremely dangerous subjects that you can only legally choose to study after you've successfully passed your O.W.L. exams and achieved a significant number of 'Outstanding' grades."
"Is a wizard's actual, raw magical power level really that strictly correlated to their biological age?" Regulus pressed, arching a skeptical eyebrow.
"Well, besides your innate, genetic control and theoretical understanding of magic, the absolute most important factor in a young wizard's magical ability is raw, physical practice," Alphard explained patiently, adopting a professorial tone. "And realistically, both your magical core capacity and your practical experience will naturally, safely improve as you age."
Alphard gestured with his teacup. "For example, if a fully grown, twenty-year-old wizard successfully casts a corporeal Patronus Charm, that is considered very good, but it's certainly not surprising to the Ministry. But if, say... a thirteen-year-old boy like Sirius managed to successfully cast a full Patronus Charm? That would be considered truly, terrifyingly remarkable."
"The Patronus Charm is the highly advanced, incredibly difficult spell specifically used to resist Dementors," Andromeda added softly, looking between the two boys, clearly worried they might not recognize the specific terminology.
Alphard nodded in agreement. He was just about to offer his two nephews a few more words of standard, adult encouragement, when he suddenly noticed that Sirius looked completely, utterly stunned.
"Wait... Uncle Al," Sirius Black spoke slowly, dragging out the syllables. He slowly turned his head to look at Regulus, asking his brother uncertainly, "What if an eleven-year-old wizard... could cast the Patronus Spell?"
Sirius paused, amending his statement. "Well, technically, the kind of wizard who's about to turn twelve next month."
The three adult wizards instantly understood the heavy, incredibly specific implication behind Sirius's question. Three pairs of eyes, filled with absolute, utter disbelief, slowly swiveled to look directly at the youngest boy in the room.
^_^
Regulus didn't bother mincing words or pretending to be modest. This was the perfect opportunity to prove his competence.
He smoothly drew his hawthorn wand from his sleeve. He closed his eyes, intensely focused his mind, and aggressively bypassed all the dark thoughts of the future. Instead, he forcefully, vividly imagined a wildly happy timeline: his brother Sirius laughing freely; his friends Severus, Lily, and James all getting along; the infant Tonks growing up safe and happy... all of them living brilliantly, completely untouched by war.
He snapped his eyes open. "Expecto Patronum!"
A brilliant, blindingly bright silver light erupted from the tip of his wand. A chubby, incredibly fluffy, kitten-like silver creature—a majestic, miniature lion cub—leaped gracefully from the wood. Its lithe, adorable, glowing body darted playfully around the coffee table before bounding away, disappearing into the kitchen behind the living room, leaving a trail of shimmering silver mist in its wake.
The three adult wizards present all fell completely, dead silent. Jaws literally dropped.
"Sirius can do it too," Regulus added brightly, instantly and shamelessly betraying his brother to break the stunned silence.
Since we're already staging a highly dramatic magical performance for our estranged relatives to secure funding and training, Regulus thought pragmatically, of course the brothers need to present a united front and work together seamlessly.
"Come on, Sirius. It's your turn. Show them."
Sirius smirked, deeply enjoying the shocked expressions on his adult relatives' faces. He deftly drew his carved oak wand. He took a deep, centering breath, completely ignoring the gloom of Grimmauld Place. Instead, he vividly, desperately imagined a perfect future: everyone successfully mastering their Animagus forms; Remus never having to endure the agonizing pain of turning into a wolf alone ever again; Moony eventually starting his own family, and all of them living happily as neighbors down the street from Regulus and James...
"Expecto Patronum!"
A massive, magnificent, fiercely loyal silver dog erupted from the tip of his wand. It let out a silent, joyous bark, bounding across the cottage and running toward the somewhat dark kitchen, leaving behind a brilliant, lingering trail of liquid moonlight.
The adult wizards remained doubly, suffocatingly silent.
"Well, naturally, Sirius's guardian spirit is a massive, incredibly dramatic dog," Regulus said with a light laugh, easily breaking the heavy, awe-struck tension in the room.
"Of course," Regulus added, adopting a highly humble, academic tone, "we were only practicing summoning our guardian spirits in the safety of a well-lit, heavily warded home. We obviously weren't being actively threatened by the soul-sucking aura of a real Dementor... so theoretically, it might not really be considered a true combat-ready Patronus—"
He was aggressively interrupted before he could finish his fake-modest disclaimer.
"How on earth can you possibly say that doesn't count?! You are being far, far too modest!" Andromeda cried out, tears of absolute shock and pride spilling over her eyelashes. She practically threw herself across the room, rushing to her two younger cousins and hugging them both fiercely tightly. "That is absolutely, unbelievably fantastic! That's wonderful! Oh, I am so incredibly happy for you both—your raw magical talent... it is truly, genuinely amazing. Sirius... Regulus..."
Regulus was practically breathless, his ribs aching from his older cousin's surprisingly crushing, highly emotional hug. Across from him, Sirius's face turned a violent shade of red—though the arrogant Gryffindor would absolutely, until his dying day, refuse to admit that he was actually blushing furiously from being so openly, genuinely praised by a family member.
"Meda, let them go, you're going to actively strangle the boys to death before they hit puberty," Alphard chuckled. He leaned back in his chair, his roguish face full of absolute, undeniable approval and deep respect. "I've honestly always known that Sirius was an incredibly, fiercely talented wizard... but I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that little Regulus was this terrifyingly good..."
"That was simply amazing..." Andromeda whispered, stepping back, looking as though she were genuinely about to start openly sobbing with pride.
"How on earth did you boys even come up with the utterly insane idea of attempting to learn this specific spell at your age?" Alphard asked, his curiosity burning.
"It was entirely Regulus's suggestion," Sirius stated instantly, betraying his brother right back without a single ounce of hesitation.
Alphard leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands, staring intensely at Regulus, actively seeking an answer from the twelve-year-old prodigy.
Regulus thought for a moment before delivering a perfectly crafted, highly logical response. "I read extensively about the Patronus Charm in a restricted library book. Firstly, it is undeniably an incredibly powerful, versatile defensive charm. Secondly, and most importantly for our situation, aggressively practicing it surprisingly carries absolutely zero physical or magical side effects—unless, of course, you are a deeply corrupted Dark Wizard whose magic is entirely fueled by malice. Which inherently makes it a highly suitable, perfectly safe advanced spell for two underage wizards to secretly practice at home..."
Suitable for practicing at home. Upon hearing this wildly cavalier comment regarding one of the most notoriously difficult spells in magical history, Alphard was almost entirely stumped by his young nephew's terrifyingly pragmatic line of thinking.
"Alright. So how exactly did you practice it? What were your theoretical takeaways?" Alphard asked again, his tone shifting. He was no longer treating them like children; he was clearly, seriously testing Regulus's academic understanding of the magic.
"To successfully cast a corporeal Patronus Charm, one needs to intensely concentrate on recalling a highly specific, overwhelmingly happy memory," Regulus explained smoothly, slipping into lecture mode. "In other words, the raw power of the spell is entirely fueled by the concept of beautiful things. And I theorized that the beautiful things in a wizard's mind are enough on their own; they don't even necessarily need to be real, historical memories. I think the spell feeds on absolute 'hope,' 'pure happiness,' 'the desperate desire to live,' and 'unconditional love'..."
"So," Regulus concluded, gesturing between himself and his brother, "Sirius and I simply started thinking about—actively imagining—highly specific future scenarios that generated those exact emotions..."
"The emotional projection simply has to be sincere enough, and the desire must be intense enough to manifest physically," Regulus finished.
Honestly, Regulus thought privately. What could possibly be more joyful than actively envisioning a bright, completely war-free future alongside your surviving family and friends? And what could be more sincere than the massive amount of physical effort we are currently putting in to achieve it?
In short—it was exactly like aggressively drawing a massive, highly detailed pie in the sky for yourself, and then magically forcing it into reality.
It definitely had a distinctly, slightly cheesy "powered by the magic of friendship and love" shōnen anime feel to it, but the results were undeniable.
"And we ruthlessly practice our spellcasting every single day," Sirius added, eager to contribute. "Honestly, Uncle Al, it's all completely because of Regulus constantly pushing me. I've literally never worked this incredibly hard at anything in my entire life..."
"Of course," Regulus mused aloud, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "I personally think our training would be infinitely more effective and combat-ready if we somehow managed to acquire a live Boggart to practice against in a controlled environment."
Just as Sirius and Regulus were starting to get deeply, genuinely embarrassed by the prolonged, silent, awe-struck stares of the adults, the heavy silence was finally broken again by Alphard.
"It is absolutely, terrifyingly amazing that you boys possess such a profoundly deep, theoretical understanding of advanced magic at your age," Alphard concluded, shaking his head. His two nephews and his niece had provided him with far, far too many massive surprises today. "My dear, miserable sister... your mother... wow. She really, truly has absolutely no idea she gave birth to two incredibly wonderful, terrifyingly powerful sons."
Ted and Andromeda both nodded repeatedly, offering deeply validating, highly emotional smiles.
Sensing the mood was perfectly primed, Regulus immediately, shamelessly pivoted and brought up the only topic he currently cared about.
"So. With all of those impressive magical credentials established..." Regulus leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, a brilliant, calculating smile on his face. "Back to our previous topic, Uncle Al. Can you formally teach us Alchemy now?"
"Wait until I get back from Sweden," Alphard laughed heartily. He looked at the two devastatingly handsome, fiercely ambitious faces of his nephews, and finally, completely defeated, he nodded with a massive, approving smile. "Yes, boys. I will teach you."