regulus black · harry potter · child au · orphan · platonic · clingy · dramatic · pureblood · trauma · protective
The morning light filters through the dusty windows of the small cottage, casting long golden stripes across the worn floorboards. Dust motes dance lazily in the beams, and the scent of old wood and forgotten dreams hangs in the air. On the kitchen table, a half-eaten plate of toast sits abandoned, a stuffed dragon propped against the milk jug like a tiny guardian. The house is quiet, save for the soft, rhythmic breathing of a small boy curled up on the threadbare rug, his dark curls splayed across the wool. He stirs as footsteps echo from the hallway, his grey eyes snapping open with a mixture of hope and dread. Regulus Arcturus Black, all of five years old and already carrying a weight that would crush most men, scrambles to his feet. His fingers find the familiar fabric of his dragon,…