As A Directioner Since 2015 And A Human Being, I Cannot BELIEVE That A Company Will Go As Far As Abusing

give me Regulus Black who runs the family business, iron face, not one of his workers has ever seen his expression change, the few who worked with his parents theorize it's the trauma from having people like that raise you (they're correct) those who didn't think he must be a vampire, and then, one day, in the middle of the board meeting, his phone rings, and not only does he pick it up, he SMILES

'Hey Jamie...I'm in a board meeting, could I call you back?...Yes... Sunday works, tell Amma I'll make a dessert... I'll call you back mon soleil...Alright, see you then, love you too'

and he hangs up, smiles at his phone, turns back to the room and suddenly his face could be carved from stone again

'Mulciber, what were you saying about this month's return rates?'

There is new company folklore about the boss's mysterious sun

“i should be studying” BUT THE INDIAN ARMY SAID BOOM 💥 SO NOW I’M HAVING A NATIONALISTIC MELTDOWN INSTEAD

I know I’m supposed to be studying right now. My end-semester exams are breathing down my neck, and my notes are lying open in front of me, untouched for the past two hours. But how am I expected to focus—how is anyone expected to focus—when the Indian Army just conducted Operation Sindoor?

bro. BRO. THE NAME. “Sindoor.” Not just a military op, but an emotional uppercut to avenge the widows of the Pahalgam attack?? That’s not warfare, that’s poetic justice with a side of ballistic missiles and I’m LIVING FOR IT!!!!!!!

Indian Army: conducts precision strikes on nine terrorist-linked targets in PoK Me: sobbing, saluting, punching the air, knocking over my coffee mug, failing my exams but winning at patriotism.

Pakistan: threatens retaliation Global community: nervous peace noises Me: holding my tricolor and vibrating like a Nokia in 2003

and now I have 3 tabs open:

notes I’m not reading

wikipedia page on Operation Sindoor

my rapidly deteriorating sanity

I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling. A kind of sharp, defiant pride. It’s not bloodlust. It’s not warmongering. It’s the feeling that someone finally said: enough. That justice, or at least something close to it, wasn’t just spoken about in parliamentary debates or editorials—but enacted, precisely, purposefully.

I should be memorising case laws right now. But my thoughts are with a widow somewhere in Pahalgam, who might have woken up today to the name “Operation Sindoor” echoing through the news. I hope it brought her something—solace, recognition, maybe even a sliver of closure. I hope it meant something.

So yes, I will get back to studying. Eventually. But tonight, I needed to feel this. To witness this. To let it shake me a little. To cry a little, maybe. And to remember that sometimes, history happens right outside the margins of your syllabus—and you’re allowed to look up and watch.

I may flunk this semester but at least I’ll flunk it knowing India clapped back with strategic, emotionally devastating precision.

This both broke and healed something in me.

Look at this

LOOK

I’ve never made this connection before…at the beginning of DH Hermione tells Ron and Harry how a wizard who’d split his soul could heal himself, save himself…remorse oh, harry

Harry James you precious baby

I’ve read this second bit before, the whole try for some remorse thing, and thought it was just a Harry stabbing in the dark, but nO

It was so calculated

He remembered that conversation

Hermione’s research

actual, possible redemption for Voldemort

he kept that hope, however slim, that Voldemort could be saved

before they cast their final curses, after all that happened, Harry was actually trying to get Voldemort to mend himself back together

Harry james potter you compassionate jerk trying to save your mortal enemy before he utterly and finally destroys himself

the image i have in my head of that-

Regulus who brews Amortentia repeatedly the year before he died because that was the only way for him to smell James

birthday.

In honour of what would've been Regulus' 63rd birthday, here's a small one-shot. June 25th, 1975

Regulus never slept the night of his birthday.

Ever since Sirius let slip that Regulus was born at 4:44 am on the cool morning of 25th June 1961, Regulus always stayed awake to celebrate the moment he officially completed another year in solitude. Sirius tried to join him many times, but, after the fifth consecutive year when Regulus made it very clear that he did not want anyone with him at that moment, Sirius decided to wish his brother at exactly 4:46 am, giving Regulus two minutes to enjoy completing another year before he was smothered.

And Regulus loved it.

He loved how calm London was at the early hours of the morning. The glow of the lightbulbs weren't that much at Grimmauld Place, and it was probably the best place you could stargaze from. Even better, both his and Sirius' rooms had balconies where one could sit and watch the stars on end. Sometimes, Sirius would join him from his balcony, but most times, he would wait for Regulus to have his moment.

Regulus looked up again. The Leo constellation shone brightly in the sky, and it didn't take him much time to find the star he was named after. Regulus. A star from the lion constellation born into a family of snakes, traitors and blood-supremacists.

He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The special clock struck once, reminding Regulus that there was just one more minute till he officially turned 14. Wow, he thought, this year went by really fast. He was finally growing into the Black genes, and it didn't go unnoticed that Regulus' Black's jawline had become more defined, his nose longer and the shadow of maturity rising in his features. Although he was slightly taken aback with that change one fine morning, he was glad, at least he looked as aristocratic and melancholic as he felt. And while third year was nice, third year was great, he looked forward to fourth year. Maybe Sirius would talk to him at Hogwarts too, now that neither of them were no longer children.

The clock struck twice. Thirty seconds.

Regulus traced his fingers over the small engraving on the railing and closed his eyes. That was the first time he had broken a rule -- he was around 5 or 6 at that time -- and for some reason, it was never noticed. It was his little secret, and he loved to keep it that way.

As it had happened on all his previous birthdays, tears began to pool in Regulus' eyes. Most of them were happy, this time, but it was more gratitude that he had lived another year. Gratitude for the friends he had. Gratitude for his experiences. Gratitude for having whoever he had, because had it not been for them, he would never have become the person he was.

The clock struck twice again. Ten seconds.

Regulus took a moment to take a deep breath. His tears were overwhelming him, but if there was one thing he hated, it was entering a new year with a tear-strained face. It was poetic, though. Every time he entered a new year, he entered it crying, just like he did when he came out of his mother's womb.

Thank you, he said over and over again, although he wasn't sure who. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for everything.

The clock struck thrice.

It was 4:44 am.

Regulus opened his eyes with a soft smile on his face. He felt a rush of excitement and joy course through his veins, just like every other year, but there was something special about this one. Regulus knew at that moment, although he didn't know how, that that year was going to be vastly different from what he had imagined. Something was going to happen, and it was going to change him forever. A grin formed on his face at that thought.

Looking up at the star he was named after, Regulus took another deep breath before uttering his next words.

"Happy birthday, Regulus."

Quietly losing my mind over the fact that Elon Musk has straight up orchestrated a coup of our executive branch and like....I don't even know what, if any, system we have in place to fix this. Like... He's just taken control of the money and locked out the actual appointed officials. What the fuck.