Time to put your galleons where your mouth is

Chapter 8

Cream of the Crop

Sitting down in a compartment on the Hogwarts express, Regulus Black let out a low breath. Finally, finally he was going to Hogwarts. Away from their mother and her loud grumbles about the attitude of her eldest son. Their father had been pretty insistent that maybe Turais was right. And he'd refused to hear anything on the Death Eaters in the house now. He'd done his own research, and he agreed with Turais. There was no evidence this Lord Voldemort wasn't a mud-blood or half-blood lording over pure-bloods as revenge for how he'd been treated. In fact, there was a great deal of evidence turning up that it was in fact a 'Tom Riddle' using the name Voldemort. Turais had made a good point on that topic.

Looking up as his trunk was stashed overhead, Regulus smiled at his older brother, who grinned back at him. Sirius was also sat in the cabin, having insisted that the three of them start this journey together, even if Turais would be pulled away ten minutes into the ride to begin his perfect duties.

Both parents had been exceedingly proud of their eldest in that regard. He'd beaten the younger Lestrange brother, when really, there wasn't much of a contest, to the shiny little badge, along with several other pure-blood heirs. Sirius claimed that there was no way Turais wasn't going to get that badge. Professor Slughorn, the head of Slytherin house, was all but in love with Turais, he was the perfect student.

Apparently he'd laminate poetically whenever Sirius had potions, all about how his older brother was the perfect little potions master, and that he was pleased that Sirius held some of the same talent.

Of course, Sirius didn't mention the fact Turais had been tutoring him in all of his subjects, more than happy to see his younger brother flourish. He'd spent a good deal of time teaching Regulus too over the summer, making sure he understood everything they'd cover in first year, even offering up his old textbooks instead of the nice new ones that mother had bought him.

Obviously, Regulus had dropped the new books like hot potatoes in exchange for Turais' old ones. When he was seven, Turais and their father had faced off against one another, considering the oldest Black sibling had gratified an ancient book in the Black library. They'd fought, until Orion had realized that Turais had corrected a flaw in the written work, which had incorrectly described how to do a spell, one which most Black's had just assumed they weren't meant to use if they couldn't work it from the instructions.

Regulus knew for certain his older brother would have not only gone through the text-books and corrected everything, but had no doubt added his own helpful hints, improvements, and if he were lucky, spells he'd created whilst bored in class. Sirius had rejected Turais' old books at first, until this summer when he'd flicked through them with Regulus, just out of interest, only to find several spells by the older Black scribbled hastily into the margin. He'd accepted Turais' third years books, and had been dying to try out a spell which when used to charm a tube of toothpaste, would lead to teeth falling out.

Regulus himself had found one in the first year books that would lead to a person developing elephant ears, and there were a few hastily scribbled notes in the back of the potions text that was playing around with the idea of a potion that would lead to a gender switch for twelve hours. Perhaps Turais had finished it in his second year?

"Feeling okay Reggie?"

Turais was grinning down at him now, having stood up and adjusted the perfect badge upon his robes. Nodding, Regulus pulled out his sketchbook, ready to try and capture the snoozing Sirius, who'd fallen asleep against the window in his seat.

"I'm off to go do perfect duties, I think Sirius' mad friends will be by soon enough, so don't panic when those little Marauders show up." Turais offered him another grin before sweeping out the cabin, the door sliding to a close almost silently after him.