on-the-gray-hound
"Don't go. Please." Gracie says through her sobs. She clings to the front of Regulus's robes, trembling. He looks down at her, a rare flicker of tenderness in his eyes as he strokes her hair. "Why would I do that?" He says it so matter-of-factly, like he wouldn't leave if his life depended on it. Gracie sobs a bit harder. "Because everyone else always has." Regulus closes his eyes for a moment, pained. He opens them slowly, looking down at her once a gain. He gently grabs her chin and tilts it so she's looking up at him. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not everyone then, isn't it darling?"
The world has never been kind to Gracie Starling. Her father has a stronger love for firewhiskey than he does his daughter, and her mother is only focused on pureblood glory. So when Regulus Black, Slytherin's most elite and her best friend, notices the bruises blooming upon Gracie's body, she is more than ready to let herself be loved for once.
Regulus Black has a bit of a mean streak. At school, he's the infamous brother of Sirius Black. At home, he is practically worshipped by his mother, Walburga Black, but not for anything he actually wanted to do. When a scrawny and bruised Gracie Starling steps into his life, it turns his entire twisted world upside down. But he's not exactly complaining.
Credit to allthemagicwemade on Pinterest for the image of Regulus on the cover.
This story is now on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/74960586/chapters/195856136