In Silence We Part - a Snape/Regulus fic
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Snape/Regulus
Summary: Severus awakens to find that everything is about to change.
Prompt: he didn't look back, for rarepair_shorts
Word Count: 894
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild angst and melodrama
Thanks to militantstemmed for the beta.
I wake abruptly when I feel a hand close over my mouth. My heart pounds wildly and for a moment, I’m afraid it’s my father. An arm comes down across my chest, pressing me into the mattress, and I struggle against it.
“Bloody hell, Severus. It’s me.” The voice is rough and annoyed, but holds a note of amusement too. All the fight goes out of me as I realize when and where I am. The hands release me, and I search the darkness for my visitor. I can just make out an outline by the dim glow of the fireplace. But the shape is familiar to me, and welcome.
“Regulus?” On the other side of the room, Avery turns over noisily, grumbling in his sleep. “What are you doing here?” I hiss, when the other Slytherin has settled back into sleep.
“I need to talk to you” is the whispered reply. “Come on.” Hands pull at me in the darkness, urging me out of bed. I comply, stumbling as I stand, still half asleep. He steadies me, and then moves silently out the door.
The slow, even breathing of my dorm mates reassures me as I cross the room; all three are safely asleep. I carefully slip out the door and close it without making a sound. The closed doors of the other dormitories muffle any noises from inside. There are no snores, no rustling movements. Only silence as I pad down the hall to the common room.
I yawn as I enter, sprawling into an armchair next to Regulus. His hair is even messier than usual, but his eyes are awake and bright with excitement. And why is he fully dressed, in the middle of the night? I sit up straighter, a little worried now.
“What’s going on?” My friend doesn’t answer. When I reach out a hand toward him, Regulus stands abruptly and turns away, avoiding my touch and my eyes. “Reg?”
“I’m leaving tonight.”
“What? But-“
“And I want you to come with me.”
“No, I…” I force myself to breathe, glad that he can’t see my expression as I try to get control of myself. When I feel a little steadier, I try again. “We talked about this.”
“And I told you I couldn’t wait.” Regulus starts pacing, still not meeting my eyes. “I’ve got a whole year left, and there’s nothing left for me to learn here. I’ve got all the basics, and it’s not like the Dark Lord requires a certificate of education. You’ve taught me more advanced magic than the teachers here anyway.”
I watch, helpless, as he paces up and down the room. His voice is low and urgent, one sentence running quickly into the next, so as not to allow me any time to object. When he finally stops talking, I don’t know how to respond anyway. Madness, all of it. And how exactly am I supposed to reason with that? “But I’ve only a few weeks left. It would be stupid to-“
“You’ve finished your NEWTs. They’re the only part anyone cares about.” Regulus finally meets my gaze, but the desperation in his eyes is worse than avoidance.
“True. But you haven’t, and there’s still so much for you to learn.”
“You can teach me anything I need to know.” Regulus sits back down again, his eyes frighteningly intense as he leans toward me. “If you’ll come.”
“Even if I wanted to join, and I’m not saying I do, it’s just not possible.”
“Why not?”
I can’t believe this. How can Regulus not understand? “I’m a half-blood.” The phrase is bitter on my tongue, but it’s not enough. “They would never let me join them.”
“It’s not like you’re a Mudblood.” By necessity, I’ve learned to say the word, but I’m again shocked by the naturalness with which it comes from his lips. “You still have wizard blood.”
“It’s doesn’t matter. Not to them.”
“But you’re a great wizard.” He takes my hand, pleading now. “You’d be valuable to them.”
“No. It’s too dangerous-“
“Dangerous.” Regulus drops my hand, turning away in disgust. When he speaks again, his voice is steady and determined. “I’m going. Tonight.”
“Please-“
“I know what I have to do. And nothing you can say will stop me.”
“Regulus-“
“I don’t care what you think. The only ones with the power to make things better are hiding. Afraid they’ll be found out by the Muggles. We have a responsibility.”
I snort, still amazed by his naivety and stupidity. I don’t speak, though. We’ve had this argument too many times for me to think there’s any point in responding.
“It’s our responsibility as wizards to take care of those without the power to change things.”
“Enough.” I can’t listen to this. Not if it’s going to cost me my best friend. “If you’re going to go, just do it.”
Regulus just stands there, unspeaking. It hurts to breathe, so I try not to. My chest is unbearably tight. And still he just stands there. “Go.”
And I watch as my friend walks away, leaving me behind. At the door, he hesitates, but doesn’t look back. His voice is only a whisper. “Come with me, please.”
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks and I stop. I close my eyes, waiting, and listen. But there is only silence.
Author's note: This is a stand alone piece, but it's also a prologue of sorts for a series. There will be ten parts total, all for rarepair_shorts. The series focuses on their friendship and actions within the Death Eaters, so slash won't be obvious in every section, but it is there, sometimes blatantly. I intend this to be 100% canon-compliant, even if it's sometimes a creative interpretation. If you notice something that completely contradicts the books, please let me know so I can fix it.
Pairing: Snape/Regulus
Summary: Severus awakens to find that everything is about to change.
Prompt: he didn't look back, for rarepair_shorts
Word Count: 894
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild angst and melodrama
Thanks to militantstemmed for the beta.
I wake abruptly when I feel a hand close over my mouth. My heart pounds wildly and for a moment, I’m afraid it’s my father. An arm comes down across my chest, pressing me into the mattress, and I struggle against it.
“Bloody hell, Severus. It’s me.” The voice is rough and annoyed, but holds a note of amusement too. All the fight goes out of me as I realize when and where I am. The hands release me, and I search the darkness for my visitor. I can just make out an outline by the dim glow of the fireplace. But the shape is familiar to me, and welcome.
“Regulus?” On the other side of the room, Avery turns over noisily, grumbling in his sleep. “What are you doing here?” I hiss, when the other Slytherin has settled back into sleep.
“I need to talk to you” is the whispered reply. “Come on.” Hands pull at me in the darkness, urging me out of bed. I comply, stumbling as I stand, still half asleep. He steadies me, and then moves silently out the door.
The slow, even breathing of my dorm mates reassures me as I cross the room; all three are safely asleep. I carefully slip out the door and close it without making a sound. The closed doors of the other dormitories muffle any noises from inside. There are no snores, no rustling movements. Only silence as I pad down the hall to the common room.
I yawn as I enter, sprawling into an armchair next to Regulus. His hair is even messier than usual, but his eyes are awake and bright with excitement. And why is he fully dressed, in the middle of the night? I sit up straighter, a little worried now.
“What’s going on?” My friend doesn’t answer. When I reach out a hand toward him, Regulus stands abruptly and turns away, avoiding my touch and my eyes. “Reg?”
“I’m leaving tonight.”
“What? But-“
“And I want you to come with me.”
“No, I…” I force myself to breathe, glad that he can’t see my expression as I try to get control of myself. When I feel a little steadier, I try again. “We talked about this.”
“And I told you I couldn’t wait.” Regulus starts pacing, still not meeting my eyes. “I’ve got a whole year left, and there’s nothing left for me to learn here. I’ve got all the basics, and it’s not like the Dark Lord requires a certificate of education. You’ve taught me more advanced magic than the teachers here anyway.”
I watch, helpless, as he paces up and down the room. His voice is low and urgent, one sentence running quickly into the next, so as not to allow me any time to object. When he finally stops talking, I don’t know how to respond anyway. Madness, all of it. And how exactly am I supposed to reason with that? “But I’ve only a few weeks left. It would be stupid to-“
“You’ve finished your NEWTs. They’re the only part anyone cares about.” Regulus finally meets my gaze, but the desperation in his eyes is worse than avoidance.
“True. But you haven’t, and there’s still so much for you to learn.”
“You can teach me anything I need to know.” Regulus sits back down again, his eyes frighteningly intense as he leans toward me. “If you’ll come.”
“Even if I wanted to join, and I’m not saying I do, it’s just not possible.”
“Why not?”
I can’t believe this. How can Regulus not understand? “I’m a half-blood.” The phrase is bitter on my tongue, but it’s not enough. “They would never let me join them.”
“It’s not like you’re a Mudblood.” By necessity, I’ve learned to say the word, but I’m again shocked by the naturalness with which it comes from his lips. “You still have wizard blood.”
“It’s doesn’t matter. Not to them.”
“But you’re a great wizard.” He takes my hand, pleading now. “You’d be valuable to them.”
“No. It’s too dangerous-“
“Dangerous.” Regulus drops my hand, turning away in disgust. When he speaks again, his voice is steady and determined. “I’m going. Tonight.”
“Please-“
“I know what I have to do. And nothing you can say will stop me.”
“Regulus-“
“I don’t care what you think. The only ones with the power to make things better are hiding. Afraid they’ll be found out by the Muggles. We have a responsibility.”
I snort, still amazed by his naivety and stupidity. I don’t speak, though. We’ve had this argument too many times for me to think there’s any point in responding.
“It’s our responsibility as wizards to take care of those without the power to change things.”
“Enough.” I can’t listen to this. Not if it’s going to cost me my best friend. “If you’re going to go, just do it.”
Regulus just stands there, unspeaking. It hurts to breathe, so I try not to. My chest is unbearably tight. And still he just stands there. “Go.”
And I watch as my friend walks away, leaving me behind. At the door, he hesitates, but doesn’t look back. His voice is only a whisper. “Come with me, please.”
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks and I stop. I close my eyes, waiting, and listen. But there is only silence.
Author's note: This is a stand alone piece, but it's also a prologue of sorts for a series. There will be ten parts total, all for rarepair_shorts. The series focuses on their friendship and actions within the Death Eaters, so slash won't be obvious in every section, but it is there, sometimes blatantly. I intend this to be 100% canon-compliant, even if it's sometimes a creative interpretation. If you notice something that completely contradicts the books, please let me know so I can fix it.