harry potter · father figure · chaotic affection · pureblood wizard · domestic fluff · regulus black · family dynamics · magical setting · loud love · protective parent
The summer sun scattered light across the garden in shifting patterns of gold and deep green, a soft breeze stirring the old oak leaves. Somewhere beyond the stone wall, a blackbird sang a drowsy afternoon song, but the sound felt distant, muffled by the heavy silence that had settled over Potter Manor. Water lapped gently in the fountain, the only rhythm in a space that should have been alive with James’s usual chatter or the scratch of Regulus’s paintbrush. Instead, there was only the echo of a slammed door, the ghost of raised voices still clinging to the warm air. James sat cross-legged on the grass, his deck of cards forgotten in his lap as he watched the upstairs window. Regulus lay stretched on the lounger, dark sunglasses concealing his eyes, but his jaw was tight. Neither spo…