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Regulus settled down in one of the wooden chairs at a round table outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Sirius on one side of him, Narcissa on the other. Grandmother Irma smiled affectionately at them, while Grandfather Pollux leaned in. "How about some ice cream to celebrate Bellatrix's graduation?"

All five of them were eager for some ice cream, and once their grandfather returned, Regulus clutched his cone tightly as if it would run away if he gave it more space. Of course, they were here to celebrate Bellatrix's graduation from Hogwarts, but really, the opportunity to indulge in ice cream was what mattered most.

The attention shifted to Bellatrix. "So, what do you plan to do now that you're out of Hogwarts?"

Bellatrix sighed. "I've been thinking..." but her voice trailed off.

"Do tell us, Bellatrix. We're here to listen." Grandmother Irma put a hand on her shoulder in support.

She took a deep breath and spoke up. "You know how I've always wanted to be a career woman—the family life isn't for me. I despise children, men, needlework, gossip, all that housewife stuff. The Ministry has always held my interest, a way to fight for what is right and make a difference in this world. But now... I'm not so sure any more."

"But you always talked about that. What changed?"

Bellatrix took a deep breath. "Recent rumours... They speak of a man who seeks to restore pureblood supremacy—by force if need be. He wants to rid our world of the impure."

Narcissa gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "What are you saying, Bella?"

"I'm saying I want to find this man."

"You think the rumours are true?" Regulus asked as he watched his cousin's expression darken. He didn't fully understand what she was saying, but he understood the seriousness in her words.

"I know they are. I can feel it. I want to find that man, and offer him my allegiance. If there's a chance to take back what is rightfully ours, I want to take it."

Grandfather Pollux let out a heavy sigh. "Bellatrix, my dear, I understand you want to play your part, but this isn't the way. It is dangerous, and you're still so young..."

"I have to try, Grandfather. This world needs someone to stand up and fight for what is right. If it's not me, then who?"

"Leave it to the men, the ones better equipped for such battles-"

"I will not sit idly by and watch this world go up in flames just because I'm a woman, Grandfather. Your views are ridiculously outdated—I was the top of my class in school, yes, better than my male classmates as well, because magic doesn't discriminate!" She forcefully pushed her chair back and stood up. "I will find this man, and I will show you, I will show all of you that I have what it takes. I will restore our power, mark my words, I'll be the greatest witch that ever lived, and everyone will remember my name for eons to come!" And with that, she stormed off, into the crowds of Diagon Alley.

Bellatrix didn't come back that evening. Regulus, his brother, and their cousins were staying at their grandparents' for the entire first week of August but Bellatrix seemed to have completely disappeared—they even asked Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Druella if she had gone home, but no. She was nowhere to be seen.
-
They remained in this state of uncertainty for nearly two months, which was when Bellatrix's head suddenly appeared in her parents' drawing room fireplace, just as Regulus was visiting, engrossed in a game of wizard chess with Narcissa when the flickering flames in the fireplace suddenly showed Bellatrix's face.

"Bella!" He called out, and Narcissa turned around. They both rushed to the fireplace. "Bella! Where have you been? We've been worried sick!"

"Are Mother and Father home?" Bellatrix replied shortly.

Narcissa nodded. "I think so, yes. They were outside earlier."

"Go get them. Quick."

Narcissa rushed out of the room, while Regulus still stood in front of the fireplace, eyes wide.

"Regulus," she said, obviously excited. "What I'm about to tell your aunt and uncle—it's a good thing. They may not think it is, because they think me a fool, they think girls unfit for fighting."

Regulus tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Trust me, Regulus. You've got to trust me."

"I trust you!"

"This man I mentioned before, he's gathering followers-"

"You found him? Who is he?"

"I haven't found him, and I can't say his name out loud," Bellatrix replied, her voice lowered. "But he's gathering followers, Regulus. This is my shot."

Before Regulus could answer, Narcissa returned with her parents.

"Bellatrix Black," Uncle Cygnus stormed towards the fire. "You better come home right now, or-"

"Or what, Father? I'm eighteen. I'm old enough to make my own choices, you know."

Uncle Cygnus was visibly furious, and slammed his fist against the fireplace. "Do you have to ruin everything?!"

But Bellatrix's head had disappeared. Uncle Cygnus hit the fireplace once more, letting out a string of curses as he did.

Aunt Druella sighed deeply and turned to Regulus. "Did she tell you anything more?"

He nodded. "Something about a man... She said you wouldn't like it..."

His aunt and uncle shared a few knowing looks. "Regulus, I think it's time to go home."
-
"We cannot just let those Mudbloods and Muggle sympathising blood traitors ruin our entire way of life!" His mother's angry voice echoed through the room. "That filth may try to get rid of us, to dismantle everything we hold dear, but mark my words—words they'll face the consequences to their actions soon enough. Oh,if these stories are true... Oh, we all know it's high time someone actually did something about this!"

His mother was pacing around, shouting at nobody in particular—sometimes Regulus wondered if she just liked the way her voice sounded when she was screeching so much, that she forgot how to use her normal voice.

"You know those riots were a necessity, a display of our strength, but they were obviously not enough. Those filthy Muggle lovers will never back down unless we show them what we are truly capable of!"

Regulus glanced at his brother next to him. It was the day before his birthday but instead of preparing for his celebrations, they were stuck here. Their father sat in the corner of the drawing room, reading the Daily Prophet as usual, even though he had been the one to call them in, to have a talk. But instead of a talk, they just got their mother's screaming.

"Those fools! They are fools to underestimate us, to think those riots were the worst we have in store for them, oh no, they won't underestimate us for much longer, certainly not!"

Their father finally cleared his throat, putting away the newspaper as he got her attention. "I think it's time we talk to the children."

"Talk to the children?!"

"Yes, Regulus and Sirius, we called them in to explain the situation."

"Yes. Right," she sighed as she finally lowered her voice and found herself a seat.

Their father stood up from his chair, staring right at Regulus, then at Sirius. "These rumours..." he paused. "The world outside is becoming more and more dangerous every day, and it's important for you boys to understand why."

Regulus nodded solemnly, listening to his father as he took in every word.

"It is a tale as old as time. As I always say, don't feed the dragon, it will come back for more. And then, when you don't give the dragon any more, it will burn down your house. Do you understand?"

Regulus shook his head.

"What dragon?" Sirius asked the question that was burning on Regulus' tongue.

"You see, it all started when some wizards came around who held some strange beliefs, they united and started to spread their propaganda around, telling us that Muggles were our equals, that we should accept them as worthy beings, to treat them with respect and let them waltz over us like they did all those years ago. They gained some popularity, and many wizards now think that that filth deserves the same kind of rights as we do, the same kind of treatment. But that wasn't enough, no, now they want us to mate with those creatures, they want us to contaminate our precious pure wizarding blood. These people are like those dragons—don't feed them. Don't compromise, for they will stop at nothing to weaken us, to destroy us. That is their ultimate goal: to destroy the wizarding world."

"But—"

But his brother didn't get to say anything, as his mother interrupted. "Silence! We are Blacks, we must unite our strength to fight this propaganda, you mustn't be swayed by misguided notions of tolerance and compromise!"

Regulus flinched back and looked between his angry mother and his brother, knowing very well that these kinds of arguments could last hours if nobody interrupted, so he was grateful when their father did.

"Walburga! Let him speak. They'll never understand if they cannot ask questions."

"Nothing," Sirius shrugged as he crossed his arms, staring defiantly at a spot somewhere on the wall in front of them instead of looking at anyone. Regulus sighed, knowing that little things like these didn't help the general atmosphere at home, nor the relationship his brother had with their parents. He just wanted everyone to get along.
-
It was just before Christmas when Bellatrix appeared in the drawing room of 12 Grimmauld Place, stepping out of the fireplace with a big grin on her face. She seemed different than last time they spoke face-to-face, there was a glint of madness in her eyes that wasn't there before.

"I've found him!" She exclaimed. "I've found that mysterious man, our Lord Voldemort!"

"Lord what?" His father looked up from their game of chess, clearly uninterested in what Bellatrix had to say.

"Lord Voldemort, he is the one who will restore our true power and greatness!" Bellatrix's face betrayed her excitement as she looked between Regulus and his father.

"Who is this 'Lord Voldemort', Bellatrix? What do you know about him?"

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed at the tone of the question. "Our Lord Voldemort is the only one who understands our true potential, who still sees the worth of pure blood and is not afraid to stand up for what is right, to fight in order to restore us to our rightful place at the top of the wizarding hierarchy, to finally rid this world of all that filth who try to taint our bloodline, once and for all!"

"But who is this man?"

Regulus could see Bellatrix's face twisting as anger was building, he knew the symptoms well enough. Normally this was his cue to run,but with his father present, Bellatrix wouldn't do much, that much he knew. "I just told you, our Lord Voldemort-"

"Bellatrix, I know what you said," his father interrupted her as he got up from his chair. "But we must be careful, do you even know anything about him?"

But Bellatrix was undeterred. She stepped closer to him, her eyes burning. "Uncle, I've seen him," she growled. "I've seen the power he possesses! I've seen, I've felt the loyalty he inspires and the strength, the protection, the opportunities he provides for us to shape the world according to our standards, not those of dirty Muggles. He will not allow us to be pushed to the fringes of society any longer!"

Regulus wished he could be anywhere but here as he watched his cousin's feverish devotion to a man his father clearly didn't trust at face value. Arguments between family members usually made him uneasy but this time he felt genuine nausea. He knew that this was more important than silly arguments between his brother and his mother, his cousin was talking about real-world trouble.

"Tell us, Bellatrix. What is it this 'Lord Voldemort' requires of his followers?"

His father remained calm, and his question seemed to have quieted Bellatrix's anger because her grin reappeared, wider than before. "Loyalty and unwavering devotion to the cause, to rid society of the cancer that weakens it, to purge the world of those who contaminate what is right. Those who disagree... They will learn. Lord Voldemort will make sure that those who oppose us face the consequences of their actions. Nobody will ever challenge us again!"

There was a short silence. His cousin was still staring at his father, who let out a sigh.

"Are you sure about joining this Lord Voldemort?"

"Oh, I already have joined him! And mark my words, we will be unstoppable!"

"So what do you want from us?" His father interjected, his tone suddenly cold as ice.

"Join him! Make the wizarding world the way it used to be, the way it should be. Make a difference, join Lord Voldemort!"

"Bellatrix, we aren't your parents and you're old enough to be in charge of your own life, so whatever decision you make regarding this—we will support you. It is admirable you are willing to do something about the situation, but we need time to think this over and consider the consequences."

Bellatrix's expression hardened. "You are blinded by your ignorance," she said sharply. "Lord Voldemort is greater than any 'consequences' you might face! Admit you are a coward-"

"Bellatrix!" His father raised his voice, something that rarely happened, and it silenced Bellatrix in an instant. "I appreciate your passion, but you cannot expect us to dive in with you. I think you should go."
-
On the last day of the year, as Regulus was playing a game of chess with his brother, he realised that from now on, everything would be different.

The doors to the drawing room flung open and both Sirius and Regulus turned to see their parents, deep in conversation.

"We've got to do something, don't you see! We can't just sit back and watch anymore," their father hissed as their mother started pacing around, both of them seemingly unaware of the boys.

"I know you think it's nothing. A few disappearances here and there—so what? Nobody will miss a couple of miserable muggles. But Bellatrix has signed up. And she's not the only one who sees potential in this man, and this man is not just after Bellatrix. He'll want to recruit others, and who better than members of the House of Black?"

"So what?!" Their mother yelled. "What do you want us to do, Mr. I-Know-Everything?"

Their father sighed. "I don't know. But we've got to be cautious with what we decide to do-"

"It could endanger our family either way, so what does it matter?! And think of our reputation!"

"I prefer to think of the children, Walburga," his father's reply came, voice cold.

It was as if this made them realise that they had children in the first place. They stared right at Regulus and Sirius, who had been watching the conversation unfold in front of their eyes. Their mother seemed to snap back to reality at this, calming down slightly before turning back to their father. "You can't deny him. We can't deny him. If what Bellatrix says is right, then he can help."

"You can't seriously be considering supporting this man, Mother? He's a monster!" His brother spoke up and Regulus' heart sank. He knew that every time Sirius pulled a stunt like this, the conversation was lost. His parents didn't tolerate such comments, and he couldn't figure out why his brother would keep making them. Part of him thought that maybe he did it because he believed what he was saying, secretly he knew that to be true based on conversations they'd had in the past, but he pushed that feeling away. If Sirius believed that, they were in bigger trouble, so he preferred to think that his brother was just saying things to piss off their parents. Often enough he would disagree with things that had nothing to do with any of this, so there was enough evidence for him to back it up.

This time, however, their parents seemed to be remarkably patient. "You may not understand, but the world is changing, and we must adapt to survive," their father explained. "This Lord Voldemort promises power and security. We cannot afford to be on the wrong side."

Sirius shook his head. "There has got to be another way."

"Sirius, these are things we have to consider. You're too young to understand. Leave it to us."

"But—"

"Listen to us when we tell you something! These are matters for adults! Up to your rooms, both of you!"

"Walburga!"

But Regulus hurried out of the room, not wanting to anger his mother any more than she already was. His brother followed him, grabbing his arm once they had left the drawing room. "Come on, Reg."

Regulus followed him up to the topmost landing but yanked his arm away as soon as they got to the door leading to Sirius' room. He didn't have the patience to be with his brother anymore, he couldn't keep calm.

"Why do you have to keep doing this!" He yelled as he backed away from him.

"What do you mean?!"

"You're ruining everything with your stupid comments!"

"I can't just keep quiet and let them-"

"Let them what, Sirius? They're not doing anything wrong."

Sirius let out a laugh. "Not doing anything wrong? I see how it is."

"How what is?"

"Dromeda warned me about this, you know. Said you're a little sneak. Told me to watch out around you. You see and hear everything and never speak up. Telling me to just be quiet like that's even possible!"

"Well, why not?! It would make everything so much better. Don't you see what you're doing to me? To Mother, to Father? To yourself?!" Regulus couldn't hold it anymore. Couldn't he see that with this behaviour, they soon wouldn't have a family anymore?

"Whose side are you on, really?"

"What do you mean by that?!" Regulus didn't understand why everyone was always talking about sides nowadays. Side this side that, all he knew was that he was on his family's side, but what side was that if Sirius was talking about sides with him now, too? All this talk about sides made his head hurt.

Sirius didn't answer the question. "I think you should go," was all he said before he disappeared into his room, leaving Regulus alone.