The Granger Way (Harry Potter fanfic)

You Are My Inspiration

"What is that screaming sound?"

"It sounds like a banshee?"

Regulus stared at the creation in front of him, taking note of what his fellow Slytherin said while looking slightly disturbed at the portrait in front of him, at the inspiration he 'd taken from his mother, only to end up with a deranged monstrosity in front of him.

What was in front of him wasn 't what he wanted to paint, as he occupied his free time and took a break from his studies.

Taking a deep breath, he covered the painting, wanting to forget that the image of Walburga Black was more in line with how Regulus knew his older brother saw their mother.

It had never occurred to him that he 'd see her in the same manner, but a part of his brain didn't want to know what he thought of his own family.

...

"What say you to that?" Regulus said, sitting on the couch from one of his older brothers, and not the one who was blood-related, but one of his brothers-in-law. "You're the psychologist."

"That I am," Richard said. "Since I'm a Muggle, little rabbit. One of the first ways we communicated during our sessions was through your drawings. This certainly explains your hesitancy in drawing something for me if that was your first experience with painting something."

"Yes, but why did the portrait end up being that way?" Regulus asked. "She's not...." He paused, closing his eyes. "Walburga Black, she's not normally like that."

"When is she?"

"When is she?" Regulus frowned.

"When did you feel like she was acting like a deranged lunatic instead of a sane person, Regulus," Richard said, knowing from their talks what Regulus' real name was, purposefully using it for their sessions.

"Whenever she and my brother got into it, to be honest," Regulus said.

"And your brother. Didn't he run away from home?" Richard asked.

"Yes, but what does this have to do with this."

"When did you make the painting? Why were you painting?"

"Slughorn, the head of the house I'd been sorted in. He suggested it because I was stressed."

"And you were stressed because?"

"Sirius had left home that summer and never returned," Regulus said.

"And there you have it," Richard said. "Your painting was a reflection of that. Because they were getting into it right before he left, right?"

"Yes."

"Which means that was your inspiration for painting her the way you did."

"Yes, but that's the way Sirius sees her. I never got into it with her, like, ever."

"That wouldn't matter," Richard said. "What matters is what happened between them bothered you, which is something that we can explore later, though this session, we're focusing on the painting because that's what you wanted to discuss today. Why did you bring it up?"

"Because I feel guilty," Regulus said. "For making her look like a banshee, should anyone ever see that painting? I honestly hope it got destroyed by the head of our house rather than him keeping it.:"

"Why would he?"

"He said I was quite gifted, that being able to do that showed how talented I was."

"Was he aware of what was going on at home?"

"That Sirius left?" Regulus asked. "Yes."

"That and the fact your mother and brother were going at it. Fighting."

"She sent a Howler more than once to school."

"So, it wouldn't have surprised him to see a portrait of your mother screaming like a banshee if what I remember regarding Howlers is true. It's about how you were feeling at the time, how you saw her, but I think a picture of your brother wouldn't be flattering as well."

"That's why I nixed doing the family portraits I wanted to do," Regulus said. "I felt so guilty for messing up on that one."

"Why? You didn't. She was as you saw her, at least at that particular time. It's not your fault you took inspiration from the arguments going on between those two. Their arguments were that it was their fault and their fault alone. Got it?"

"Yeah, but the painting."

"Not your fault, little rabbit. Not your fault at all."