Chapter Text
It has been five years now since Regulus Arcturus Black ‘died’ in the wizarding world. Five years since his friends ‘died’ one by one and left everyone wondering what the hell happened.
Regulus could still remember the day he started to plan his ‘death’. It was true that he was forced to join the Death Eaters. At first, his older brother and his boyfriend believed him when he told them the truth.
And Regulus could not have been happier. But then, during one of the Death Eater’s meetings, the Dark Lord introduced to them the newest addition to their team. Peter Pettigrew stood before them all, unable to meet Regulus’ gray eyes.
He remembered using the first chance he got to meet up with Sirius and James, needing to warn them. He remembered telling them that Peter would betray them, that he had betrayed them. And that was where it all went wrong. They didn’t believe him.
“No, he wouldn’t betray us. Peter said we could trust him.” Sirius had uttered and Regulus shook his head. James wasn’t even looking at him, not trusting the words that came out of Regulus’ mouth.
“Peter lied.” Was all Regulus said before James glared at him and shook his head. They didn’t believe him, he realized. Why didn’t they believe him, he wondered.
“He put you up to this, didn’t she?” Sirius asked and Regulus frowned, not sure what he meant.
“Who? What?” He asked, a frown etched on his face. James gulped and turned his back, refusing to look at him, refusing to let Regulus plant a seed of doubt in his friend group.
“Orion, our father. Or that monster. You’re trying to make us start doubting one another, right? I bet you weren’t even forced to take on that Mark.” Sirius had spat in anger and Regulus still remembered the deep breath of realization he took. His brother didn’t believe him. He probably never believed him. And James still had his back turned. Did his boyfriend doubt him too?
Regulus remembered letting out a dark chuckle while tears gathered in his eyes. He remembered shaking his head and straightening his back. He raised his chin, having already made his decision to make them all suffer.
“No, they didn’t. No, I am not lying. Yes, the mark has been forced on me. But believe what you want. By all means, kill each other. What do I care?” Regulus had asked and walked away. That was the last time he saw his brother and boyfriend. It had been the last time he heard anything about the Marauders too.
Regulus and his friends made a plan then. They would destroy the Horcruxes, giving the Wizarding World a chance at winning. And then they would all disappear one by one. They would never again take a wand or enter the wizarding world. They would leave it all behind.
Regulus was the first one who ‘died’. He had been alone in that cave with Kreacher while he destroyed the locket. He remembered giving it to Kreacher and telling him to bring it to Dumbledore, to tell him how Regulus had drowned. Then Kreacher dragged him out of that cave, saving him. He stayed in the wizarding world in the shadows while Pandora figured out how to get rid of his dark mark for him.
She learned soon afterwards a very brutal way to get rid of it. Barty was the one who dared take a knife and carve the mark out of his flesh. Regulus had nearly bled out but at least the Dark Lord believed him to be dead too.
Regulus remembered Evan telling him how Sirius and James were constantly asking him about Regulus, where he was and when he was coming back. Evan nearly cursed them once in retaliation.
Evan and Dorcas were the next two to die. They had been fighting the Dark Lord together and had managed to discreetly protect themselves from his killing curse. They still pretended they were dead when he came to check on them. And thanks to Regulus and Pandora’s skills when it came to potions, they had managed to actually stop their heartbeats too.
Once the Dark Lord was gone, Barty and Regulus dragged them away to safety. They restarted their hearts and now there had been three out of the friend group who were ‘dead’.
Barty was the one who died next. He remembered taking a potion that Pandora made for him only minutes before he entered his home, knowing that he would start a fight with his abusive father. He didn’t know that he would actually nearly die.
They were fighting when his father took out a wand and threw a spell, pushing Barty back who tripped over a small table behind him and fell on the floor, hitting his head on the corner of a metallic table in the living room.
His father had screamed in terror and then thanks to his potion, his heart actually did stop. His father had gone outside to call help when Regulus appeared from the shadows with Kreacher. They dragged him through shadows and disappeared, making his death the most mysterious one out of the friend group.
Pandora was the one who ‘died’ last. She had actually been summoned by the Dark Lord when Regulus made Kreacher promise to tell him that Pandora had been experimenting with spells when one of them backfired and killed her.
The entire wizarding world was in uproar afterwards, confused as to how a friend group died in a span of a week. Sirius and James were beyond themselves in grief and only days later Regulus was proven right when Peter brought the Dark Lord to their doorstep.
They barely escaped alive, nearly going mad with grief now that they knew Regulus had been right about it all. And so the war broke out. It was bloody, long and many died to protect the wizarding world.
It was still over quicker than expected. Sirius took it upon himself to clear the names of Regulus and his friends once Dumbledore told them who destroyed the Horcruxes that allowed them to kill the Dark Lord.
The Slytherin friends were not there to see any of it happen. They were in the Mortal World together. They had given Kreacher all of their wands for safekeeping, promising that they were done with magic and the wizarding world forever.
At first, they had all been confused with muggles. Neither knew what to do with themselves. They started by getting the most random jobs one could get. Regulus and Pandora worked in a coffee shop. Barty and Evan worked in a tattoo shop. And Dorcas worked in an animal shelter.
A year passed before they got the idea to create a band together. They did so, not expecting to actually get famous. But one of their covers had gone viral on the internet. It wasn’t long after that before an agent reached out to them, wishing to represent them.
Only five years later passed and they had become world wide stars. Barty and Evan were amazing at writing songs. Pandora and Dorcas were playing the guitar while Barty and Evan took care of the drums. Regulus would sing most of the songs.
Five years passed since their escape from the wizarding world when Sirius dragged James and Remus to a concert of the newest band he had been obsessed with. For whatever reason it had been, Sirius refused to look at their pictures online.
They were still mourning the loss of Regulus but Sirius was determined to distract himself and his friends with this concert. He had no idea he would come face to face with the one person he has been mourning, having believed him to be dead.
No, none of them expected to sit on the VIP seats while they watched Barty come to the stage. Remus had been the first one to recognize him.
“Oh- what? Padfoot, doesn’t that kind of look like Crouch with green hair?” He had asked and both Sirius and James turned to look at the first drummer to come on the stage. Their eyes immediately widened. Sirius narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side.
“I thought he died, his father pushed him and he died or something?” James asked, his voice still lower than it had been before Regulus died. Remus doubted that he would ever get over the death of the love of his life.
“He did. But that-” Sirius started and carefully observed while Barty pulled his sleeves up, revealing a snake tattoo he had there. The same tattoo that everyone in his friend group had. Sirius still remembered Regulus laughing while he tried to explain to him that they had been so drunk, they went and all got matching tattoos.
“Guys look at his forearm. That IS Crouch!” Sirius exclaimed, earning himself a few looks from the cheering fans around him.
Then another person came out. A blond boy Barty had been obsessed with. Evan Rosier with his killer smile and calm demeanor. James looked at his forearm and saw the same tattoo. Evan had bowed to the fans before he went to sit behind his drums.
James took a shaky breath, afraid of even hoping to see Regulus step on the stage. Then two girls stepped on the stage, holding hands. Remus took a deep breath when he recognized them. Pandora and Dorcas.
“I don’t understand. They all died, right?” Remus whispered and watched his two friends nod their heads. Sirius was now biting his nails while James refused to blink.
“Pads- what if- what if he also-” James started speaking and stopped when they saw the last member step on stage. All their eyes widened while the crowd started to lose their minds. Regulus Arcturus Black stood on stage with a huge smile on his face. His hair was a bit longer now, coming to his shoulders and he even had a few tattoos but there was no doubt in James’ mind that this man was the love of his life.
He would recognize that face anywhere. But none of this made any sense to either of them. They had all died. How were they alive and here? How were they this famous? James looked at Sirius who already had tears rolling down his cheeks, disbelief and relief clear in his eyes while Remus held his hand. Then Regulus started to speak and if there had been any doubt in his mind that this was him, it was gone now.
“How are you all doing tonight?” Regulus yelled into the microphone and smiled widely when the crowd started to cheer. Sirius could not tear his gaze away from his very much alive brother. James refused to blink, fearing that this image would disappear if he did. Remus just sat between them, holding their hands while they started.
“You all know how this goes. Stay until the end if you would like to see which surprise covers we have prepared for you all today. Are you all ready?” Regulus yelled again and the crowd started to cheer once more. Regulus made a sign with his hand and the music started.
He started to sing and James sniffled, comparing his voice to the voice of an angel despite how sad and dark all of their songs seemed to have been. The crowd was dancing, jumping, singing and screaming along to the songs. Sirius had leaned forwards, resting his arms at his knees, not believing his eyes were right.
“How? This doesn’t make sense.” James whispered and Remus had turned to send him a sad look. He smiled sadly and turned towards the stage again. Two hours of relentless singling had passed before Regulus took a break. He used a towel to erase the sweat on his forehead, pushing his dark curls back. They were taking a ten minute break when James turned to Sirius.
“Siri, this makes no sense. I- I thought they all died. I thought Reggie died.” James whispered and Sirius frowned, feeling anger overwhelm him.
“So did I, but I guess it’s good I bought backstage tickets then, huh?” Sirius asked and James took a breath of relief. They sat in silence while other fans screamed and sang songs when the group stepped on stage again. Regulus seemed more collected, less sweaty and was no longer as red in the face as he had been before.
“And so we are near the end of the concert. How are we feeling now?” Regulus had asked and taken out his earpiece to hear the crowd better. The crowd started to complain and Regulus chuckled.
“Relax everyone. We still have those few covers we promised, okay?” Regulus asked and the crowd started to cheer again. Sirius noticed the way Barty and Evan were smiling as well. They had never smiled like that in Hogwarts. It almost seemed like they were finally free of all the pain they experienced while there.
“Okay so the first one is for all of you motherfuckers who feel like you had to fight to survive.” Regulus called and then the first song started. James held his breath when he recognized the song. The song that perfectly described the entire band, not like the muggles they had as their audience would ever understand. Regulus was dancing around while he screamed the lyrics he didn’t write. He meant every word though.
“Not only will I soar again, I’ll own the fucking sky, yeah, So I put my middle finger up” Regulus screamed, pushing his hair back and leaning forwards.
“I’m done being your slave, my generation’s had enough and you should be afraid” he continued to scream, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. He had escaped Voldemort and was no longer his puppet, that was the meaning, James was certain.
“You couldn’t even look me in the eye when you let me go and then left me to die, there was no question that I would survive” Regulus yelled into the microphone and turned to look at his friends, a smile on all of their faces. They survived Voldemort and the wizarding world. Sirius was certain that this was what they all meant.
“So I put my middle finger up, I’m done being your slave, my generation has had enough and you should be afraid” Regulus sang and James took a deep breath, wondering how they were ever supposed to fix this mess.
“Ain’t got time for dyin, I’m too busy thrivin, more than just survivin, heart is beating violent, living like a riot, setting off the sirens” Regulus continued to sing until the end of the song and once the last note was played he bowed down and looked over the crowd, his eyes never once going up to the VIP seats. Something told him not to look up. Something didn’t let him but Barty did.
His eyes widened when he saw Sirius and James there and he turned to look at Evan. James watched him motion towards them with his head and then Evan’s eyes widened too. And if they had for a second thought that the group was just a group of doppelgängers of the people they once knew, the theory was destroyed now. There was no doubt in Sirius’ mind now that those were the very same people he believed to have died before the war ever started.
Then another song started and Barty’s eyes never left the group of friends he once called the Marauders. Regulus took the microphone again and started jumping around the stage while he sang.
“When I’m gone, don’t bury me in roses, let me sink to the bottom of the ocean, I’ll take these problems to my grave, throw my soul away to you.” Regulus sang, or rapped, James wasn’t really sure what to call this. His eyes never left the form of the man he loved dearly, alive and well in the muggle world.
“Take the pain away, bite my tongue, I’m a disgrace, can’t seem to face the ugly truth” Regulus sang and danced around, enjoying his life on the stage, not aware of the very familiar eyes observing his every move.
“Don’t think that I was meant to stay” Regulus continued to sing, a small and sad look showing up in his eyes. James knew then and there that Regulus was thinking of his old life in the wizarding world.
“Don’t tell me anything ‘s okay, don’t act like you can take my pain. I’ll take these problems to my grave!” Regulus continued to sing the entire song with his entire heart. Sirius was now crying judging by the way his cheeks were wet and red. Barty’s eyes never left them. Remus hugged Sirius sideways and observed the scene before him. Regulus sang another song after that, not that James had the capacity to listen to it, if he was being honest.
Then the last song came and Regulus smiled while he looked at his audience.
“And this one is for all of us who had to run and leave a lot behind.” Regulus spoke before the song started to play again.
“Welcome to the show, let everybody know, I’m done playing the game, I’ll break out of the chains, you better buckle up, I’ll pour another cup” Regulus started and James closed his eyes. He gulped and opened them again to look at the man he loved more than his own life.
“This story is my truth, I, I went to hell and back, to find myself on track, I broke the code, whoa-oh-oh” Regulus continued singing and dancing around with the crowd for the rest of the song. Once it was done, he stopped in the middle of the stage, pushed his hair back and took a deep breath before he bowed and straightened his back again. He thanked everyone for being there before the rest of the band stepped forwards. They held hands, raised them up and then bowed once more before the crowd.
James took a deep breath and watched them all leave. Barty was the last one to leave the stage, looking at James once more, now in the light, almost as if to make sure he saw right. He took a deep breath when he recognized him, raised his chin and walked away.
Sirius immediately stood up and took a hold of Remus’s hand. Remus looked at him to see anger and fear in his eyes, fear that he would lose his brother again if he wasn’t fast enough.
“Come, Moony. Come on, Prongs. Hurry up. We need to go.” He spoke and ushered them backstage where the security told them to wait for a few minutes before the group rested for a few minutes.
James was leaning on the wall when he saw Dorcas coming towards the backstage. Her eyes locked with his and then they widened in disbelief. She closed the doors and then the security opened the doors, letting them inside. Remus entered the room first, followed by Sirius and then James.
Regulus was nowhere in sight. Barty and Evan were sitting together on a sofa, Evan’s legs in Barty’s lap while they observed the three newcomers. They just stared, not saying anything.
Dorcas was sitting on a windowsill, her arms crossed at her chest while she observed them with a frown on her face. She still disliked them, it seemed, Remus thought and gulped, looking towards the white haired girl.
Pandora stood in the corner of the room, her arms crossed as well while she observed them, not sure what to make of the situation. Suddenly Evan cleared his throat and spoke.
“Everyone out.” He said and the staff looked at each other in confusion. A few minutes passed and when no one moved Barty turned to glare at them.
“You heard him.” He said and they all left the room, giving them all privacy.
“Where is he? Where is Regulus?” Sirius found himself asking and Barty raised an eyebrow.
“Where is Peter Pettigrew?” He asked back and Sirius clenched his jaw and looked away. He deserved that. They deserved it.
“Regulus is no longer your concern.” Dorcas spoke with a smile that others would consider kind. James knew better than that.
“Dorcas, please, we thought he- we thought you were all dead. What the hell is going on?” James asked and then the doors opened again. Regulus walked inside, shocking the Marauders. He seemed to be cleaning something off his shirt and did not even notice the three newcomers. He walked towards the mirror on the side while he rubbed a cloth on his shirt and tksed.
“Nose stopped bleeding?” Barty asked and Regulus hummed.
“Yeah, now tell me how the fuck do I get blood out of my clothes?” He asked and continued to rub. When no one spoke after that, Regulus turned around, his eyes falling onto his brother immediately. His eyes widened in disbelief before he looked at James and gulped.
“What the hell is going on, Regulus? How are you alive?” Sirius asked and Regulus raised his chin in pride, all the shock disappearing from it while he observed the three people he had hoped never to see again in his life.