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Regulus woke with a headache. The sun coming in through the door from Pansy’s studio was blinding and his stomach rolled. It wasn’t doing great after the night of drinking they had. The night had started at the Potter’s home in the city and the two of them had been stuffed into a cab near four a.m. and sent home after most people had already left. After getting to her flat, Regulus realized everything was a bit of a blur.
He still had his sleeping joggers on and, he looked to check on Pansy, she was in the long white slip she wore under her dress the night before. That was a good sign. They didn’t usually get that tipsy.
The incessant ringing and vibrating from his phone finally registered. He reached over Pansy, blinked, and then tried to focus with one eye. It was Sirius.
Regulus barely was able to greet him, “What did you two do?” Sirius screamed in his ear.
“Pardon?” Regulus closed his eyes and laid back in her plush bed. “I just woke up, brother.” He ran a hand through his sweaty hair and continued, “I’m pretty sure I’m still drunk.”
“Remus, don’t take the phone!” Sirius yelled.
“Regulus?” Remus asked.
“The voice of reason?” Regulus sighed. “What is he on about?”
“I think you should look at the shop’s instagram.” Remus chuckled.
His head pounded. “What? Why?”
“Put us on speaker, and look at your instagram,” Remus told him calmly.
Struggling to sit up, Regulus put him on speaker and then pulled up instagram. He immediately dropped the phone onto the duvet. The shop’s latest video had three million views, six hundred thousand reactions, and over ten thousand comments. “Remus, what did we do?”
“You should probably watch it,” he said, muffled from the duvet. “We’ll wait.”
Shaking, Regulus picked the phone up and blinked. Seven hours ago he evidently posted a video of Pansy. The sound of his brother’s first single Grimm played in the background and he watched his partner turn her head from where she was looking into the mirror over the beautiful facade of her gas fireplace. The soft dark folk strumming came from the tinny speakers and Regulus caught his breath. It was his favorite song off of Sirius’ first album.
She held her black bullwhip between her hands, the thin tail of it was resting on the floor and it slithered as she turned her body and stretched her arms over her head, readying to aim the whip. To the beat and with a crack, the whip snapped the head off of a peony flower in the vase she used for arranging floral still lifes. Pansy brought the whip back up and over her head, wrapping it around her body like a robe and turned in her black heels back to the white marble mantle and leaned against it.
“Regulus?” Remus asked.
“I need to watch it again, give me a second.” Regulus watched the video replay. Her silk slip hugged her generous curves and he watched her body. The dark tattoo on her breast was a deep shadow through the top and the triangle at the apex of her thighs was almost visible with how thin the slip was. When she rested against the mantle, well, Regulus didn’t want to look past the swell of her ass.
He pulled the tags up and closed his eyes. They had tagged their personal profiles, Remus and Sirius’ author profiles, Sirius’ music account, Narcissa’s master gardening page (because where else did Pansy get peonies that shade?!), and twenty other tags that brought the simps to her feet.
“Regulus!” Sirius barked from the phone.
“What!” Regulus yelled back and Pansy turned over next to him.
“I think he needs time to process, love,” Remus said gently.
~~
It wasn’t that Sirius was unheard of, but his audience was generally between the ages of forty and sixty. There were always those younger fans that caught the songs on university radio and then found his new music, but they were few and far between. But somehow, the tags Pansy labeled the video that had found the right influencers and the likes and reacts poured in.
His spotify streams increased ten fold in twelve hours. Regulus watched. He refreshed the app every hour. And the best part, according to Draco, was that Sirius was self represented so the small percentage of every pence he made was staying in his pocket. (Thanks to Uncle Alphard, the gifts he was able to give them before his death kept coming in mysterious ways.)
His landlady had called Regulus and asked about the line outside of the shop that he was doing nothing about and Regulus explained the viral video. She just laughed and said all the other shops she rented out on the street were going to have a great day while people waited for him not to open up.
At Malfoy Manor, the extended Black family congregated and all of them, minus his grandmother and Lucius, were hungover. “It is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first record,” James said and drank a large pint of water.
Pansy had her head in his lap with a thick pair of sunnies on and Regulus ran his hand through her hair. “Did we even talk about the record last night? Does anyone remember?” Regulus asked.
The group of them looked between each other and Draco spoke up, “No one had mentioned anything by the time Harry and I left.”
Tonks patted Daphne’s knee. “Nothing by the time we left at two.”
Regulus shook his head and stared at the group. “I am never drinking with any of you ever again.”
“We were thinking about doing a small anniversary tour,” Remus said pleasantly, “we just hadn’t mentioned it to any one yet.”
“Must be nice to have jobs,” Pansy scowled in his lap. Regulus had to save her phone when the National Gallery had called earlier and said “her off duty behavior was unbecoming of an employee of theirs” and had sacked her.
His grandmother shook her head and Regulus squeezed Pansy’s shoulder. “Until you find another, you know we will help,” Melania said. “You can work on your art until you find something worth your while.”
“You can just film dominatrix videos,” Sirius laugh-snorted unhelpfully, “it seems you already have a bit of a fan base.” Draco gagged and Harry shook his head. Pansy lifted her hand and gave him two fingers. Regulus watched Lily punch Sirius in the shoulder. “Ow, Red!”
Regulus looked over at his cousin, Narcissa and Lily had that look between them, like they had already spoken about it. Like they had the answer. It was interesting when Andromeda cleared her throat and spoke up. She was nursing a steaming cuppa of something overpoweringly herbal and Ted had his hand on her knee. “In line with…that idea, thank you Sirius, and your lyrics,” she continued gently and Pansy tilted her glasses down to look at her, “maybe we could produce a music video?” Andromeda smirked behind the porcelain. “Us ladies have been giving it some thought.”
Pansy pushed her glasses back up and Regulus sighed. “Hear us out before you write us off, Pansy. Sirius’ music and Remus and his author page and the shop’s page needs someone to run social media for a little,” Narcissa said to the point. “All three pages have exploded…”
Lily went on, “and you are absolutely wasted in the National Gallery.”
“The only thing you liked about the job was huffing the fumes,” Draco agreed.
Regulus felt Pansy sigh. “Dorcas is drawing up a contract for fair pay for a temporary position for Marauders Records and you can focus on your art. Or being a dominatrix. Or learn Japanese. And,” she took James’ water, “Dorcas and Marlene are looking over your contract with the National Gallery to make sure they didn’t fire you unjustly.”
“I told you it would be ok, love.” Regulus tucked her dark hair behind her ear.
“I worked my ass off to get that job.” Pansy grumbled, “I earned that job without my parents pulling any strings or calling in favors.”
Harry laughed and shook her foot. “Sometimes, being friends with us has perks though, Pansy. Sod working for a bunch of stiffs.”
She sat up and pushed her glasses up. Regulus wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her in place. She pointed at Harry, “You’re going viral next and we will see how you like it when Scotland Yard gives you the boot.”
Sirius whooped.
Regulus smirked.
His grandmother teased, “Pencil me in some time so you can teach me that trick with the bull whip, dear. I’ve only ever really used a riding crop.”
From his spot in his favorite wingback chair, Lucius steepled his fingers and chimed in, “Narcissa might have a catsuit that’ll fit you, if you’d like, Pansy. If you’re going to go viral, you better look good while doing it.”
Pansy looked at Regulus with pink at the tops of her cheeks and he said, “She already has one.”
“Oh my god,” Draco cried and buried his head in Harry’s shoulder.
His grandmother reached out and squeezed his knee and laughed with everyone else in the room, “Oh to be young and in love, darlings!”