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Keep My Secret


Regulus looked up as Professor Gaunt entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and waved his wand to close the door behind him. “Where’s Professor Urquart, sir?” Regulus questioned as Gaunt walked past to the front of the room.

“Indisposed,” Gaunt replied coldly. He waved his wand and the shutters slammed on each window, with loud bangs that made all the fourth year Slytherins in the room jump with surprise and in his surprise Barty squashed the spider he’d been torturing at last (Regulus sighed in relief for the poor thing). Reaching the front of the room, Gaunt said, “I don’t have any of you in my other class - Muggle Studies - seeing as your parents are all fit enough to have already taught you the truth about muggles...” he scrawled his name across the blackboard, then turned about to face them. Behind him, the word Pleiades Gaunt was scrawled over the board.

“Is he alright, sir?” Regulus pressed. He was apparently the only one that cared where Professor Urquart was. None of the other Slytherins were asking or even seeming to pay attention to the missing Defense teacher.

Gaunt said, “Yes.” Then, “I see in the notes here that he’s covered quite a bit with you… yes… And I’ve been given a demonstration on your -- talent…” He waved his wand and the dead spider was swept off Barty’s desk and into a rubbish bin that flew over and hovered at the side of the desk. Barty watched the bin go and flushed, about to come up with some tale to tell Gaunt to get himself out of trouble, but Gaunt continued, “A very fine talent indeed. One which more of you should have. Tell me, does this class only teach you pretty ways to block dark magic? Reflection and redirection for your own protection?”

“Yes sir,” Barty offered.

“Utter nonsense,” Professor Gaunt said, “Like dousing a raging fire with a small bucket of water!”

Barty’s eyes gleamed.

“Where did you learn that spell, Mr. Crouch?” asked Professor Gaunt, “Your filthy father certainly didn’t teach it to you.”

Barty lit up quite bright at the words your filthy father. “Certainly not,” he said, “He’d sooner throw his own flesh and blood to the dogs than teach anything that could be construed as dark, my father hates Dark Wizards.” Barty scoffed, “If he only knew! Ah well, he hated me anyway…” He grinned conspirationally at Professor Gaunt.

Gaunt stepped down from the raised plinth the desk stood upon at the front of the room and walked along between the desks. He stopped at Regulus’s side, his eyes focused on Barty, though. “So I ask again. Where did you learn it?”

“Evan Rosier taught it to me before he was expelled last year,” Barty said with a shrug, “I’ve practiced mostly on bugs since but I did get to use it on a filthy mudblood earlier this term.”

Regulus turned to look at Barty in surprise, his eyes filled with concern. “You did? Who?”

A smirk trembled over Barty’s mouth, “None of your business - blood traitor.”

Regulus grit his teeth and turned back forward.

Gaunt reached out and touched Regulus’s shoulder.

The moment he did, Regulus felt his Dark Mark blaze on his skin, burning white hot and he shouted out in surprise as it burned and burned and the others in the room turned ‘round to stare at him in confusion - except Barty whose eyes lit up even brighter, and he looked up at Gaunt in awe, realizing who this was.

Regulus, too, had realized, and he felt his stomach knot up tightly as the Mark continued to burn.

Gaunt released Regulus’s shoulder and took a step back, smirking as Regulus stared down at his wrist. “Now. The most effective way to defend oneself is with the use of Dark Magic…” and he turned, walking away from Regulus and Barty’s desk as the other students leaned over their desks, intently writing as a bit of chalk scrawled across the blackboard.

Regulus’s fingers meanwhile wrapped tight about the edge of the desk…




By the end of the class, they had been taught several advanced hexes, jinxes, and curses, each with a bit of malicious intent to them, sneaky little things that jet quickly and could be sent forward with generic little jab of the wand - “It’s harder to block if your curse cannot be told by its wand motion!” Gaunt advised - and they were gathering up their books and shoving them into their bags and Gaunt walked down the aisle and grabbed onto Regulus’s shoulder again.

Regulus managed to only cringe instead of crying out this time, though it took every muscle in his body to restrain himself as he tightened his grip on the book he held and grit his teeth. When he looked up, Gaunt was smirking in amusement. “Yes Professor?” Regulus asked lowly.

“You’ll stay behind, Mr. Black, so that I can speak with you, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Barty looked up hopefully.

“Run along, Mr. Crouch,” Gaunt said, and Barty’s face fell as he finished packing his books up quickly and he left without another word as Regulus sat back down in his seat and waited, afraid of what he was wanted for...

When he room had cleared out, Gaunt flicked his wand to lock the door and he set himself leaning against the desk before Regulus’s. “Look at me,” he commanded, and there was something different in his voice, something more like how he usually spoke, a bit higher register, more drawn out, as though everything he said bore an intensely weighted purpose, and Regulus looked up slowly, his heart in his throat.

He had thought that Hogwarts was the one place he was safe.

There are plans taking place this fall,” Walburga had said, “That will encourage some rather major staff changes.” The words echoed in Regulus’s head.

Regulus stared up at the calm face of Pleiades Gaunt… “How have you changed yourself?” he asked, “How have you gotten in… my lord?”

Gaunt smiled. “It was not easy, Mr. Black.”

“I wouldn’t dare to think so,” Regulus said, and he drew a deep breath and straightened his back and remembered himself, remembered how to hold himself before the Dark Lord, how his mother had taught him… “But you, my Lord, are so great and powerful, I am certain that any plan you have put into motion in your presence here is far, far greater than any I might conceive of.”

He worried that it would be too much, that it might come across as sarcasm…

But Gaunt’s grin only widened and he nodded, “Yes, far more great and powerful than you might dream up, my boy.”

“Of course, my Lord, of course it is!” Regulus found himself saying this in a tone that brought to mind the simpering girly curtsies and grovelling of Bellatrix Lestrange and he felt his mouth go dry at the realization. “My Lord… how have you done it? Please… please tell me of your greatness! Tell me so that I may be in awe of your beautiful mind, my Lord! And so that I might help your scheme go more smoothly as it deserves to do!”

Or tell Albus Dumbledore. Give them all warning before it’s too late.

Pleiades Gaunt smiled. “Oh Regulus… Regulus, you stupid boy. I will not tell you. Suffice it to know that I have a plan and that everything is going exactly as I have willed it to be. But I have seen today that I cannot trust you.” He shook his head, “I cannot put my confidence in you my boy.”

Regulus’s hand gripped his wrist beneath the table in his lap. “My Lord… whatever has made you question my loyalty…? I have never wavered from your path, my Lord. I follow you with all of my heart, my Lord.”

Gaunt smirked. “With all of your heart, Mr. Black? Or has a certain metamorphmagus squeezed her way in?”

Regulus shifted his weight.

Gaunt leaned down so that his palms splayed upon the table and he stared into Regulus’s eyes intently for a long moment and Regulus stared back, keeping his chin carefully straight, not looking away, just as Mother had taught him to do… “You’ve been practicing occlumency, Mr. Black,” Gaunt said after several long moments.

“Yes sir,” Regulus replied.

Gaunt asked, “Why? What is it that you hide from your Lord?”

“I hide nothing from you my Lord,” Regulus lied. “I hide from others. I did not know it was you in this… disguise… that you wear. I did not know so I have not sought you our for that purpose. But my Lord there are many legilimens in this school - one less with Severus Snape attending school at Durmstrang. But I keep your secrets, my Lord! I keep your secrets from Albus Dumbledore! What good would it be if Dumbledore were to find out through searching my mind where it is you stay - or, now, that you are here, at Hogwarts!”

He could only hope that this excuse would be good enough for the Dark Lord…

But just incase, Regulus worked at packing up his mind quickly, at sorting through his thoughts as fast as possible, leaving bits and traces of things that might appear vulnerable without being truly so… incase the Dark Lord requested entry to his mind, Regulus would need a sort of third layer of protection in his mind...and he started imagining his thoughts being gathered into a fortress, where there was the initial walls and then the courtyard and then the stronghold and his most precious things needed to pack into that stronghold so that if he was ordered to lower the gates for Voldemort to enter, all he could see would be the items in the courtyard and nothing more…

Gaunt seemed appeased by this answer, though, it was enough -- for now, at least.

“Is she pure, at least?” Gaunt demanded.

“Yes sir,” Regulus replied.

“You know that you are promised already to Lyra Greengrass, don’t you?”

Regulus looked up at Gaunt in surprise. Lyra was a third year Slytherin girl to whom he had barely ever spoken, and only to ask for her to pass the salt, please. “Promised?” he asked.

“You will wed her when you come of age... to continue the family bloodlines,” Gaunt explained, “So that the Blacks do not die away… Sophia is your cousin through your mother’s aunt, Cassiopeia. The match is good and has been contracted since the day Lyra Greengrass was born.”

Regulus didn’t know what to say.

Gaunt mused, “You come of age… in, what now, just two years?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gaunt smiled. “Hopefully you will produce offspring that is less disappointing to me than your father’s have turned out to be.”

It took Regulus a moment to work out that he was being called a disappointment. Him and Sirius both. He felt a knot in his throat tighten. Disappointments were disposable. Disappointments were murdered. And if Voldemort was here, in Hogwarts castle, there was no safe place that he, Regulus, had left to go. So he said, “My Lord, I - I would do… anything… to… to keep from disappointing you. Please. Tell me how I might please you.”

Gaunt’s voice was low. “You can keep my secret. For now, that is enough. But I may have use of you soon, when everything is set into proper motion… I trust that I will have your allegiance then.”

“Always, sir.”

“Very good.” Gaunt stood up and Regulus took this as a signal that he, too, ought to stand, and he took up his book bag, putting the strap over his head and tightening the belt that held it closed. Gaunt followed as Regulus walked toward the door and he flicked his wand at the locks. They clicked open and Regulus stepped into the corridor.

He was about to walk away when Gaunt touched his shoulder again and Regulus balled his fist as his left arm blazed again.

Surely he knew what he was doing to Regulus when he touched him like that.

Surely he was doing it on purpose.

Gaunt’s mouth curved into a smile, “I’ll have my eye on you, Regulus,” he said quietly. Regulus kept his face straight, not a single flicker of fear moved across it, not even in his eyes. And this made Gaunt’s smile widen.




Oh gods, Evans,” Sirius said, “I’m so glad that you’re here!”

Lily looked up from where she was tucking one textbook away to draw out another from her bag, “What?” She’d just stepped into their path coming off the stairwell on the way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that was how Sirius had chosen to greet her. She looked confused.

James punched Sirius’s arm. “Stop it you arsehole,” James complained under his breath.

Sirius had taken every opportunity he had for last twenty-four hours to use the phrase oh gods, Evans with that stupid idiot smirking grin of his.

Now, Sirius threw his arm about Lily’s shoulders. “I’m just glad to see you, deer Evans,” he said, walking in stride with her down the corridor. “It seems like years since I’ve seen you. How have you been?”

“Since breakfast?” Lily asked.

“Yes! Breakfast was positive centuries ago…”

“It was like two hours but alright.”

“What’ve you been up to my darling-dear-Lilith Samantha Evans?”

“That’s not my name.”

“It isn’t? Oh gods, Evans, I’m so sorry.” Sirius shot a look back at James, a twinkle in his eye.

As Peter scrambled to keep up with Sirius and Lily as Remus and James fell behind. “I’m sorry I told him about it,” Remus murmured.

“I ought to hex you for it,” James mumbled back.

They turned the corner to the Defense corridor and suddenly Regulus Black slammed into Sirius, sending Lily’s Defense textbook flying to the floor with a loud thump. “Ferfuckssakes, Reg, watch where you’re going, you little twatwaffle!” Sirius declared in a grand voice as he swooped down to pick up Lily’s book. When he stood upright though, he could see a sheen of sweat across his brother’s face and the panic in Regulus’s eyes. “The fuck’s the matter with you?”

Regulus shook his head, “Nothing.”

James narrowed his eyes and stepped ‘round Sirius to look at Regulus, “Sounds like something. Are you alright, Regulus?” he asked.

Regulus looked at James with suspicion and James had to remind himself that he’d made friends with Regulus in his timeline and not in the real timeline.

Regulus’s jaw set firmly. “There’s nothing.” And he ducked ‘round the Marauders and Lily and ran off down the hall quickly as possible as the five of them stared after him.

“That fucker’s up to something,” Sirius murmured.

Remus nodded.

“I’m going to find out what,” Sirius declared.

“Well right now you’re going to Defense Against the Dark Arts with the rest of us,” said James firmly as Sirius started to turn to go after Regulus. “You don’t want to miss the first day of a new teacher - just think, Professor Urquart could be back by next class and you might miss a whole line of I was Taught By Professor Insert-Name-Here merchandise. Your collection won’t be as complete as the rest of ours.”

“Yeah, alright, you’re right.” Sirius followed them ‘round the corner and into the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom, nearly slamming into Remus’s back when he skid to a halt upon seeing Pleiades Gaunt behind the desk.

Oh gods, Evans,” Sirius said as a curse.

James shoved him.