Chapter Text
April 28, 1977.
This is bullshit. Big shit. Huge shit. Giant shit.
He knew he shouldn’t have agreed to smoke a cigar with Evan, but he was stressed, and as many who know Regulus intimately know, he tends to run away from his problems and avoid them, until eventually he has to face them.
Evan had offered him a cigar, and the opportunity to clear his thoughts was right there in Evan’s hand. So he accepted. They smoked for quite a while in his dorm room, taking advantage of the fact that his roommates were grounded. There were no problems afterward because they easily made the smell and smoke go away.
But now he is facing the consequences of smoking for the first time in his life. He has a massive headache, and even the potion he took half an hour ago isn’t helping him much.
He could have done other things to avoid the endless thoughts of his problem, like immersing himself in research on a new subject, studying for exams he won’t have until June, helping Pandora with her plants, annoying his brother, or just reading something until his eyesight blurs.
But no, Regulus had to make a bad decision, as usual. He doesn’t even blame Evan for offering him a cigarette. He’s mad at himself for agreeing to it knowing he’d never smoked in his life.
He’s fucked up. Really fucked up.
He wishes that at this very moment the giant squid would jump out of the lake and drag him to the bottom. He knows the squid won’t do that, as much as he wishes it would now.
Oh, and there’s something worse: the first class he has is History of Magic. 7:30 a.m.
It’s fucking over.
For starters, who was it who made the schedules? Because Regulus is going to make that person’s life a living hell. What was the need to put such a boring class at that fucking time?
The only good thing about that class is that he shares it with the Ravenclaws. Because of the dynamic the professor imposed of sitting with a student from the other house, Regulus will be able to sit with Pandora and she will pick up right away that he urgently needs to be quiet, because if he hears even the slightest noise, his head will explode and his blood will spill all over the room. No one would want that.
When he enters the classroom, there were only half of the students chatting with others and the professor Binns reading something at his desk. He quickly spots his two Ravenclaw friends talking amongst themselves, and heads in their direction with Evan hot on his heels.
Barty was the first to notice them, giving them a big smile as a greeting.
“Reg, Rosie, they’re finally here!” he half shouted, raising his hand as if he wanted the whole hall to see it. It worked, because many heads turned to scowl at the idiot who shouted at a very early hour. Even the teacher gave him a dirty look.
“Barty, I’d really appreciate it if you’d shut up for a while,” he spat.
“Oh,” he let out a gasp, feigning surprise. A hand went to his heart. “I think someone got up in a bad mood.”
“It’s Reg’s normal attitude,” Pandora defended. Was that a defense? He doesn’t know, but he’s grateful.
Evan hurries to sit next to Barty, and Regulus is happy to sit with Pandora. Her presence is very warm and welcoming. What he doesn’t like is that Barty is now behind him and has started prodding his back with the feather.
“Reggie, Reg, Reginald, Lu, Arty, baby Black, star, stella…”
Beside him, he can feel Pandora trying to hold back a laugh.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?" he whispers.
Evan takes pity on Regulus and distracts Barty so easily by asking him something Regulus didn’t pay attention to, he’s too tired and stressed. He can very barely keep his eyes open or avoid raising his hand to massage his head.
The room has already filled up and the professor finally decides to start the class. Everyone pays attention, but after a few minutes a few yawns start to be heard. Regulus doesn’t blame them, the professor has a very slow and low voice, which makes everyone half asleep by the end of class. The professor never notices his students falling asleep (or maybe he does), but a week ago he punished a boy because his snoring was so loud.
Regulus likes History of Magic, but not if Binns teaches it. He has managed to pass his exams with the second highest mark (damn Barty) only because he likes to read, not because he learned something from the professor.
Thanks to Salazar that the potion has started to take effect after twenty minutes into the class. The pain in his head has subsided considerably. Only another twenty minutes to go and he can leave for the next class, which is with McGonagall.
Unfortunately it is shared with the Gryffindors. They are so rowdy and on this day he wishes for some quiet.
Maybe he will regret all day long having a cigarette yesterday, but chances are when Evan offers him another one again, he will accept. Maybe if Barty were sharing a dorm room with them, he would keep them both from smoking, especially Evan, who has a slight addiction since Rabastan offered him one at a party.
Evan has been very strange since he returned from Easter break. Regulus suspects very strongly that it has something to do with the soulmate mark, because the Rosier twins turned sixteen on April second, right around the vacations.
None of their friends or Regulus know what their marks look like.
They all decided to make a promise: to show their marks when they all had it. It was a promise they made in the second year, but they have kept it because they are all faithful to keep promises, even if they are stupid and childish.
The first to receive the soul mate mark was Dorcas (obviously, because she was a year ahead). Although she also promised not to show her mark until everyone had it, they all knew that her soulmate was McKinnon. It was something they thought when they started seeing them together a few months ago.
Next up were Pandora and Evan. Compared to Dorcas (who got to see her excited face when she received her mark in Evan and Regulus’ dorm room), no one got to see the reactions the twins had after they saw their marks. It was somewhat disappointing, but they both assured them that they were surprised when they saw their marks, each being in their own room.
Pandora continued to act normal when they returned from vacation, probably because she was satisfied with her mark or because she didn’t care. Pandora is like that: she doesn’t care about anything. Regulus wishes he could be like her.
Evan, on the other hand, came back from vacation more… closed off. He’s always been quieter than Barty but more outgoing than Regulus, so he was surprised by his attitude. The other sign that he’s really messed up is that he smokes at least two cigars a week. Regulus hasn’t asked him anything, because he knows Evan and he knows he takes his time to analyze things, he’ll tell what’s going on later. Evan will attack him or ignore him if Regulus asks him and he is not ready to talk.
Barty is next in line to receive the mark. His sixteenth birthday is May 10, and it’s only twelve days away. He has been bouncing with excitement, and counts down each day until his birthday arrives. Pandora told him in whispers that he has a calendar in his bedroom where he marks the days, and May 10 is circled in red.
After Barty, they will have to wait a little over a month and then it will be Regulus’ birthday. They have all agreed that June 25 will be a full day for Regulus, so the next day they can have a sleepover showing off their markings and drowning in candy. Pandora pointed out that Regulus and Evan’s dorm is the most suitable to have the sleepover, because Ravenclaws are nosier than Slytherins. And Regulus has no problem with throwing out his two dorm mates.
Fortunately, before Regulus can go on with his thoughts and ends up having his current problem on his mind (again), the professor ends the class. Pandora gets up and starts putting her materials away. She is one of the few people who doesn’t fall asleep in class.
Behind him, he can hear Barty yawn noisily and Evan let out a groan of annoyance. Regulus understands them perfectly.
When Barty finally puts all of his things away in his backpack, they leave the classroom without bothering to run to the other classroom. Evan lets out a murmur, something akin to a thank you to his teacher for releasing them ten minutes before the other hour begins.
Barty lets Evan lean against his body, apparently realizing he’s more tired than usual. It’s kind of cute and weird to see someone as tall as Evan lean on Barty, who is definitely about the same height as Regulus, only having a difference of five centimeters.
Pandora is also a tall girl, probably by genetics; however, Regulus beats her by at least two centimeters. The Ravenclaw has never made fun of the fact that they are almost the same size, but Barty has. Many times he has laughed it off, saying it runs in the family. Though then Evan tells him he’s short too and Barty’s smirk is wiped away.
Regulus is so deep in thought that he doesn’t notice the footsteps of someone following him, until he hears a shout.
“Reg!”
Evan and Barty stop abruptly, and with chilling slowness, turn to look at Regulus with playful smiles on their faces. Regulus wishes he could smash them against a wall.
James makes his way through a huge group of students and bumping into others who appear to be first years. He makes his way towards the four of them with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his glasses misplaced, but smiling as he always does. Suddenly, Regulus has an urge to reach up to his face and adjust his glasses.
He smiles broadly when Regulus looks at him, and doesn’t stop until he’s in front of them.
“Hey guys, are you going to have class with Minnie?” he asks addressing everyone, though he looks only at Regulus, who tries to look normal.
Barty, with a teasing tone in his voice, replies, “Yeah, it starts in about eight minutes.” A hint that they need to hurry.
Evan and Pandora look at James, who begins to smile even more. How is it possible for his smile to look happier even though he’s already smiling? Regulus thinks. He decides he needs to talk so he doesn’t sink into his thoughts. Ignoring won’t do any good.
He disguises a throat clearing as his arms cross. “How did you know we had class with McGonagall?”
At least he has the decency to look embarrassed, because a small, barely visible blush appears on his brown skin. Despite his shyness, he pulls himself together very quickly. “I have my tricks, Reggie,” he speaks followed by a wink.
He winks.
What the fuck.
James fucking Potter.
“Oh yeah, so your stalker skills would be considered a trick?” he replies, because that’s all he could think to say.
James raises both eyebrows with a strange smile on his face.
Before James can answer and Regulus goes into a meltdown, Pandora takes pity on him.
“Don’t you have class, James?” she asks and it takes James a while to take his eyes off Regulus, until he finally looks at the blonde.
"I have an hour off, but I thought I'd walk you to your next class, if you don't mind."
Evan mutters something unintelligible to Regulus, but not to Barty because he snorts. Pandora’s lips pull up into a warm smile, oblivious to the two idiots behind Regulus having an exchange of funny comments. Regulus tries to stay out of it, but it’s becoming impossible.
After Pandora thanks James for wanting to join them, she starts leading the way now being ahead, with Barty and Evan following in her wake. The former doesn’t even dissemble as he turns his head and tries to watch them. He literally looks like an owl. Someday Regulus will get tired and decide to poison his food. It’s lucky he’s friends with the kitchen elves and has a book of deadly potions (given to him by Pandora for Christmas).
James interrupts his mental plan when he steps in front of him, with a smile less wide than before, but definitely more tender.
Oh, Merlin, his dimples.
“How was your History class?” he asks, trying to start a conversation.
Regulus takes a few seconds before composing himself. “Boring. The professor’s voice makes me want to sleep for hours.”
They start walking behind their friends, a little further apart. Regulus has his gaze focused on the ground, preferring to avoid making eye contact with the older one. He tries to find the things he comes across on the ground interesting.
The problem is that James Potter makes Regulus a completely different person, because he can’t stand it anymore and looks sideways at James. He has a worried look behind his glasses, just as his lips have a pout.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
He asks that sounding so worried that Regulus is afraid to show anything in his eyes. He’s thankful to keep pretending to look at the way and stare at a stray feather stuck to the wall, underneath a painting.
“I slept well, but I think I got a build up of sleep from days ago, and now I’m sleepy all the time.” Regulus doesn’t know why he’s telling James this. His words come out so easily and he doesn’t think about them before he says them, as if he’s meant to be honest with James, because James is a nice person who doesn’t deserve to be lied to.
Regulus is screwed.
The Gryffindor seems to think something, because he doesn’t answer right away, but he speaks before Regulus can turn to look at him. “Let me help you with your backpack.”
For a second, Regulus’ mind short-circuited.
It seemed as if a red light started flashing in his brain and a shrill, annoying sound echoed, kind of like when an emergency happens in the Muggle movies Ted taught him. This time, Regulus’ heart is the emergency, because it has begun to beat very fast.
“I don’t need you to carry my backpack, Potter. I can manage on my own.” A complete lie, Regulus feels so tired, and that casual comment from James has made him feel like he’s going to fall over at any moment.
But he won’t let James carry his backpack. He is not a fairy-tale damsel in distress who needs rescuing. No. Regulus is fine as he is. He is weak and in the mood for murder if someone breathes too hard, but he still has pride.
The two have stopped in the middle of the hallway, so they are facing each other. The few students around aren’t interested in what’s going on with them, and good thing, because Regulus is about to murder James if he keeps looking at him like that with those brown eyes.
James clasps his hands together at his chin, and begs . “Please, Reggie. Let me help you, just this once.”
And so much for Regulus’ pride.
Feigning annoyance, he grimaces and hesitates for a few seconds, purposefully. James’ face lights up as he sees that he’s hesitating. “Fine. Just this once,” he agrees brusquely. “And don’t call me that, or I’ll drag you to the Astronomy Tower and throw you off,” he threatens him.
Regulus knows James well enough to know that this time won’t be the only time.
James doesn’t seem to be affected by his curt response, let alone the latter, because his face lights up like a child on a Christmas morning; a very different reaction than an ordinary person would have to a threat. His chocolate eyes begin to sparkle behind his glasses, and the corners of his full lips turn upward, so that he can see James’ white teeth.
Regulus has always been annoyed by people smiling all the time. Ever since he was little he has only seen expressions that are the opposite of happy, and, if he saw any smiles at all, they were terribly forced and fake. Regulus hated them.
Again, though, James is the fucking exception. Regulus would never admit that James's smile was the cutest and most full of life he'd ever seen over the years.
Fuck, he can feel his own features betraying him, because he’s sure he’s not feigning annoyance right now.
James gently grabs the backpack hanging from Regulus’ shoulder, and he cooperates a bit by moving to allow him to remove his backpack. Now, because James has his own backpack on his right shoulder, he places Regulus’ backpack on his left shoulder.
James looks as if he has won the Quidditch Cup, with red fireworks in the background and huge banners with “Potter, No. 1” raised above him.
Regulus quickly averts his gaze and focuses back on the way, taking hurried steps and not worrying if anyone bumps into him. A second later James is at his side. He doesn’t see him, but he knows he wears a big smile on his face that perfectly marks his dimples on his cheeks, very close to his full lips.
Regulus decides to think of something else or he will commit something stupid and worthy of a Gryffindor. Maybe he should stop hanging out with his brother and his idiot friends so much.
Pandora, Barty and Evan are still ahead of Regulus and James, but it seems they had stopped a moment ago. He and James had taken a while talking and trying to resist giving him the backpack, so the three of them should be further ahead, they should have even been getting to McGonagall’s class by now.
It’s very obvious that they had been waiting for them, and that means they likely know that Regulus no longer has his backpack on his shoulder, but now James has it, looking very content with carrying it.
Regulus’ backpack is not weighted. It has a featherweight spell on it so it wasn’t necessary for him to carry it, but, clearly, he won't tell him that. James must also know about the spell by now, but he’s happy to help Regulus anyway.
Regulus feels like he’s going to go into cardiac arrest at any moment.
Fortunately they immediately arrive at the Transfiguration classroom. If Regulus stayed a few seconds longer with James, he wouldn’t know if he would have murdered him in the middle of the hallway or kissed him against a wall, clearly not caring about the few students that would be passing by.
James stops when they reach the corner of the hallway, a few feet from the entrance to the hall. Regulus stands in front of him, trying to maintain his posture even though it is very difficult for him.
Damn James Potter and his ability to weaken Regulus.
“I hope to see you soon, Reg. And if not, I’ll see you at lunch.” He smiles, as he takes Regulus’ backpack off his shoulder and passes it to him. As he takes the backpack, for a split second he touches James’ fingers with his own. He feels a shock run through his entire body, so he hurriedly puts the backpack on.
“I could have carried my backpack by myself, Potter.”
James glares at him. “Yes, I know you’re capable of that and more. I just wanted to help you, you look really tired.”
James and his stupid ability to read him.
He wants to kiss him until he’s breathless.
“It was just that one time, you won’t be carrying my backpack anymore.” Regulus isn’t sure about that, but he pretends he is.
“Whatever you say, Reggie.” And the really stupid guy winks again. “See you in a bit. Best of luck with Minnie.” He waves goodbye. He walks backwards a few steps without taking his eyes off him, until he almost collides with a person and finally turns around, disappearing around the corner of the hallway.
Someone whistles behind her back. He doesn’t need to turn around to know that Barty is about to laugh until he cries. Not that he wants to turn around either, Regulus must have his cheeks painted red, and if he turns around, even the Rosier twins will scoff.
With a “fuck you” directed at his friends, Regulus enters the classroom with hurried steps, not letting anyone see his probably red face. He’s lucky they arrived two minutes before it starts, because Professor McGonagall doesn’t allow delays.
In this class everyone sits with their housemates, so Pandora and Barty sit together, followed by Evan and Regulus. He shouldn’t feel grateful that Evan is too tired to talk, but Regulus can’t take one more conversation, let alone one where the goal is to make fun of Regulus.
Barty never misses an opportunity to tease him, as does Dorcas when she’s with the four of them. Evan used to tease too, but now he’s so fucked up he keeps quiet. Regulus just waits patiently for the moment when he decides to talk to them. Pandora, on the other hand, is the least teased. Yes, least, because he’s seen her hold it in for a laugh on a few occasions, and when James came over a few moments ago, Regulus could see the subtle smile on his best friend’s face.
Sometimes he wishes he didn’t have friends, but then he remembers the cute moments with them and he’s glad he has them.
Even though right now he wants to murder them.
Ever since Regulus confessed his feelings for James to them before Easter break, they haven’t stopped trying to get them alone. James doesn’t even realice it, and Regulus is relieved about that. I couldn’t put up with the embarrassment of him knowing what was going on. Much less could he put up with a rejection from him.
Unfortunately, that’s the problem Regulus has. The problem that has been bothering him for weeks and encouraged him to take a cigarette to take his mind off of him.
You see, for many decades now, wizards and witches have been granted soulmate marks. They appear on the sixteenth birthday somewhere on the body, but it is almost always on the torso, back or arms (depending on some people’s experiences). As the name says, they are marks to find your soul mate. Only two people can have the same one.
His older brother, Sirius, who turned sixteen more than a year ago, received the mark on the underside of his collarbones. It’s a black to gray spot that forms a moon in its crescent phase. Regulus knew immediately who it was, as did Sirius. In March of last year, his thinking was confirmed when Remus received the same mark and in the same place.
It was very lucky for him that he found his soulmate in the same school, as there are many cases where quite a few witches and wizards found their soul mate until years later. There are very few who never found their other half.
Sirius has been very excited to find out who Regulus’ soulmate is, or at least know the shape of the mark. He says it’s a very nice and special experience to see the mark appearing on your skin in the morning.
Because his brother knows him so well, he knows Regulus has been nervous, so he often distracted him by telling him about the experiences his friends had when their marks appeared.
Pettigrew received his mark on his upper back, near the back of his neck. So far they haven’t found his soul mate, but he doesn’t seem so worried about that. Dorcas’ girlfriend has the same mark as her, Sirius told him, but for promise reasons they don’t know the shape. He mentioned that they’ve been glued to each other since they started dating. Regulus can confirm that, because many times Dorcas doesn’t show up in the dungeons.
Lily Evans has her mark located on the left side of her chest, above where her heart is. Her mark is the shape of a bouquet of flowers and leaves, but Sirius doesn’t know the name of the two flowers that stand out in the bouquet. James has been in love with her since they met, much to Regulus’ pain. However, Sirius told him that James’ mark is not the same as hers. Regulus didn't get to know what the mark looked like because the same boy they were talking about had arrived, interrupting Sirius in the middle of their conversation.
Regulus wasn’t aware of his feelings for James back then, when James turned sixteen in March of last year. So, when Sirius half-heartedly told him about James’ mark before James interrupted him, Regulus didn’t know why he felt bad, he just decided to avoid thinking about it. It wasn’t until winter break that he realized his obvious feelings.
Since then he had been wallowing in his misery, because what were the odds that James and he would have the same mark? Zero. Regulus and James were not compatible, how could they be soulmates? Soulmates are two people who fit together, as if they were from the same puzzle.
There can’t be a universe where James Potter matches Regulus Black’s feelings, let alone this one. They don’t complement each other. They don’t fit together. James is fucking sunshine and Regulus is drowning in his misery of unrequited love. No, just no. James could never fixate on someone like Regulus. Ever.
Regulus has had enough of getting out of an abusive house. He doesn’t want to suffer again, but the world hit him when he started having unrequited love. Well, maybe he’s exaggerating, normally the suffering of unrequited love doesn’t compare to having gone through a life full of abuse, but Regulus feels that they both have their way of hurting terribly.
Maybe he should have put more effort into trying to push away his feelings for James, but the idiot always finds a way to get back in his mind, because he never stops trying to talk to him every day. It’s become like a routine. Regulus often caught himself waiting for James to arrive and escort him to his next class (this being the first occasion where he helps him with his backpack).
Sometimes their schedules didn’t coincide, so Regulus would glance over at the Gryffindor table every so often, waiting for James to see him and greet him with a big smile. Usually James would already look at him when Regulus entered the Great Hall. He never had to strain to get his attention from him, James was always looking at him.
Sometimes Regulus would ignore him because he got nervous enough to look him in the face, but he could see out of the corner of his eye that James didn’t look away. He kept waiting for Regulus to turn around, as if it was necessary to see him to make his day better.
Bloody, idiotic, handsome Potter.
Regulus wished he knew how James would behave in a relationship. He really believes in that he would be a total gentleman, doing acts of service, quality time with his partner, smiling like an idiot in love and having lots of sweet and tender physical contact.
Many times he has dreamed of feeling that. Regulus would die to know what it felt like to be loved romantically by James Potter. But then the thought that has plagued him for days now pops up again, telling him that it’s impossible for the two of them to share the same mark of soul mate.
Even if Regulus is a very selfish person and wishes to become James’ mate, remember that they will not have the same mark and James’ true soulmate will be waiting for him, and Regulus will only be someone momentary in James’ life.
Some time ago, when he was still locked in that house full of darkness, he might have accepted that idea. He might have done the impossible to have a small part of James, knowing that he didn’t belong to him. Regulus would have done anything to get close and finally know what it would feel like to be near the sun, until he eventually fell into the void. He wouldn't mind falling because he had touched the sun, if only for a few moments.
But now, living a happy and peaceful life with Sirius, Andromeda, Ted and little Dora, he doesn’t want to suffer anymore. Yes, he might get a few special moments with James, but it would be temporary. James would never belong to him and he wouldn’t stay with Regulus; in the end, he would end up suffering.
Surprisingly, it was Ted who said that. Regulus had approached him since they ran away, and although he didn’t directly confess to him that he’s in love, Ted was very kind and respectful in telling him that he didn’t deserve to get just a piece of a person.
“You deserve to get all the love in the world, Regulus,” he told him, looking at him fondly. “Never settle for getting little. We all deserve to be loved properly.”
Regulus had a meltdown in his room after that, but he felt better than before.
So, yes, Regulus has decided not to try anything with James. He will bury his feelings until they disappear, and pretend he doesn’t care when James’ soulmate shows up.
He will treasure in his mind all the cute moments with James Potter, and in a little hidden box in his heart, he will seal his feelings.
Thank Merlin he didn’t have any more headaches. Evan is also starting to feel better, because he has started to talk to Barty when he talks to him about anything. Regulus is aware that Pandora knows about Evan’s situation with his slight addiction, and possibly also knows the reason why he is so depressed. Pandora had not stopped watching him discreetly, and when Evan was distracted, she would place healthy food on his plate along with the occasional fruit.
Regulus had also left Evan a muffin. Compared to Regulus, who doesn’t eat when he’s stressed, Evan eats whatever he can find, especially sweet things. He only passed him one, to keep him from abusing the four muffins Regulus decided to hide and take them to the dungeons. He may not be that hungry now, but in the evening he will be, and today he wants to avoid sneaking off to get to the kitchens. He doesn’t mind going because he gets to see the elves he adores, but he hates it when there is the risk of running into someone and being punished.
He has never been found out, but prefers to avoid that happening in the future. He only sneaks out when hunger gets the better of him, or when he can’t sleep and decides to go to the Astronomy Tower to relax.
It’s been fifteen minutes since they arrived in the Great Hall and he knows James has been watching him. Regulus only glanced back at him twice, and since then he’s taken to pretending to be focused on Pandora. He doesn’t want James to suspect something is wrong. He can be very distracted, but he can tell when Regulus is hiding something.
Evan was able to finish his meal without overdoing it, thanks to Barty distracting him by telling him about some new gossip he found out about. Regulus was able to understand something about them discovering a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff together in a cupboard at midnight.
“I don’t think the fuss was because it was a Hufflepuff with a Slytherin, but because the Hufflepuff boy already had his soulmate, who is his same housemate…” and he kept talking.
Regulus froze.
Of course, not a day goes by without the discovery of new gossip involving soul mates.
Ever since the soulmate marks appeared, there’s sort of a rule that you shouldn’t hang out with someone other than your soulmate, unless you haven’t discovered it yet. In this case, the Hufflepuff boy already knew about his soulmate, and didn’t mind meeting a Slytherin.
Pureblood families do not agree to date their soul mate if that person is not a good fit for them, both because of blood supremacy and because of politics. They feel it is better to continue to keep the blood line clean. That’s exactly why Andromeda ran away, because they wanted to marry her off to an heir of an important family, and Andromeda had already met her soulmate: Ted. She ran away with him when she had the chance.
The whole soulmate marking thing is a very cute and romantic thing, but if you’re from a noble and pure family, give up on the idea of marrying your soul mate. The important thing in those families is to keep it pure.
He’s very happy he made the decision to run away with Sirius.
And speak of the devil, Sirius caught up with them as soon as they were out the big doors.
“Reggie, wait!”
Regulus and the others stopped. Behind them came Sirius with James, Lupin and Pettigrew. The last two come further back, talking intensely about something, but James and Sirius hurried to where they were.
Sirius immediately put his arm around Regulus’ shoulders, giving him a near hug. His older brother’s laughter rang throughout the hallway, due to the fact that Regulus has started to push him away with a grimace of annoyance.
“What do you want, Sirius?” he spat with a scowl.
“You don’t have to pretend you didn’t miss me,” he said in a loving voice. His hand squeezed Regulus’ cheek until it began to ache. It reminded him so much of when Aunt Cassiopeia or Narcissa would do that to him.
He could hear the laughter of his friends, and he glanced sideways at James, who was smiling very happily at the interaction of the two brothers. Regulus blushed and slapped Sirius’ hand away. He doesn’t even look sorry for his action, instead, he looks very amused. He has always told him that his job as a big brother is to embarrass him.
James saves him from Sirius doing something else to embarrass him. The bespectacled one places a hand on Sirius’ shoulder, pushing him away to give him space.
“We want to treat you to an outing to Hogsmeade at the weekend,” Lupin says as he stands next to James, with Pettigrew following him.
Sirius nods his head frantically, as if he’s a dog. Which in fact, he is, Regulus reminds himself. Sirius has never been very discreet with his plans, just like his friends.
“This Saturday or Sunday?” Evan asks with a grimace. Monday is the match, so Sunday is a special day to train.
Pettigrew answers right away, with a coy smile. “Saturday, sure.”
Pandora and Barty are considering the invitation, if their faces don’t say otherwise. Evan, on the other hand, looks like he wants the earth to swallow him up.
“Is there an occasion?” Regulus decides to ask, raising an eyebrow.
Sirius rolls his eyes. It’s a gesture that has rubbed off on him over time, and Regulus thinks it’s his fault.
“We don’t need there to be an occasion to go out, Reggie. We just want to have fun, and we thought we’d invite them. We already extended the invitation to Meadowes and she said she’d accept if you guys went.”
"We'd be happy to go," Pandora replies before Regulus can open his mouth.
She deliberately ignores his threatening glances by smiling at Sirius, and then his brother's attention is on him. Regulus ends up letting out a resigned sigh. “Alright.” His friends seem to agree with his decision. Evan and Barty nod in agreement and Pandora smile very happy.
Sirius makes a noise of satisfaction as he raises his hand, glad to have convinced Regulus. James is also very happy. His hands keep moving, until they end up resting on his glasses, which are again misplaced. Lupin and Pettigrew seem pleased with their response.
“Then we’ll see you on Saturday! At noon, don’t forget.” James lifted his chin with a very cheerful smile. He was giving small glances at Regulus, who was ignoring him. He didn’t want anyone to see him blush.
“Thanks so much for the invitation, guys. We’ll be there,” Pandora told him, very kindly.
Regulus looks at his brother's excited expression.. “Whatever. This outing will be good for me to buy Dora something for her birthday,” he adds, knowing that Sirius has probably forgotten.
He is correct when Sirius’ eyes grow wide in panic.
“Dora’s birthday?!”
Pettigrew, Barty and James look like they’re about to burst out laughing. Evan, Pandora and Lupin have the decency to hide or hold back their smirks.
“Yes, Sirius. It’s the second of May, did you forget?” he asks purposely.
Sirius’ whine and mini-panic is worth accepting this way out. He tries to convince himself of that, while avoiding the thought that he’ll be going on an outing where James will be there too, even if they’re not alone.
“Alright then, hopefully we’ll see you guys on Saturday,” Lupin says after seeing that Sirius has started talking to himself, probably planning what to get Nymphadora.
“I hope to see them at my birthday party as well,” Barty comments with a sly grin and feigning a very obvious disinterest, as if he’s not thrilled that the four best troublemakers at Hogwarts are coming to his party. Regulus rolls his eyes.
Pandora’s eyes seem to sparkle. “Oh yes, on the tenth of May we’re having a party at Ravenclaw Tower.” She begins to articulate excited phrases of the party they are planning for Barty. Evan flashes a smile at the small talk and adds a few details.
Pettigrew and Lupin seem very interested in going to a party at Ravenclaw Tower, as they are not well known for throwing celebrations. This would be the first time the Marauders have gone to a party there. Even Sirius has put aside his gift rambling to pay attention to Barty about the plans he has in mind.
Regulus smiles slightly at that. He had never expected his friends to get along so well with Sirius’ friends, especially Evan and Barty. Evan because he was a Slytherin, a bit quiet but aggressive when he felt attacked; and Barty, who although he was a Ravenclaw and had the same energy as Sirius, also had a bit of a snake streak, adding that his ego and arrogance was huge.
Since Sirius and Regulus fled Grimmauld Place, they strengthened their brotherhood. Regulus has let Sirius into his life and personal space, and Sirius has leveled his energy when he is with Regulus (sometimes). Now he has decided that he wants to get to know Regulus’ friends well. He’s already met Dorcas and liked her, and thought it would be a good idea for Barty, Evan, and Pandora to like him. Likewise he doesn’t have to try hard, they three have confessed to Regulus that they like Sirius.
“What are you thinking about?” A voice snaps him out of his thoughts. Regulus avoids jumping at the fright, and thankfully James didn’t notice.
He puts on a neutral expression, practiced with so much effort. “None of your business, Potter.”
“You were smiling.” He points a finger. “Keep thinking about whatever you were thinking, I want to see that smile again.”
James looks so casual saying that comment, as if he doesn’t give a damn about what he’s saying. Maybe for him it’s the most normal thing in the world to say that, which is akin to flattery. James compliments all people. Regulus shouldn’t react, but inevitably his heart flips.
“You’re hallucinating. I didn’t smile,” he replies, not wavering in his stance. “Do you even need to be taken to the infirmary? I think you’ve hurt your head.”
Not at all surprisingly, James doesn’t flinch at the comment that is intended to be offensive.
“Are you worried about me, Reggie?” he says with a smile and a soft tone of voice. Before Regulus protests, he continues speaking, “Maybe I do need to go, but only if you’ll take me.”
Regulus begins to feel the back of his neck heat up as well as his cheeks. He wishes he had more control over his blushing, but loses all strength when it’s James speaking to him.
He swallows saliva discreetly. “Get lost, Potter. For my sake, crawl alone until you get to Pomfrey.”
“I won’t crawl unless you’re fate.”
He feels that if he opens his mouth to reply, Regulus will let out an embarrassed sound.
Bloody James Fleamont Potter.
He mentally thanks Merlin, Salazar, Morgana, or whoever is taking pity on him. Pettigrew approaches James, telling him that they need to leave for their next class. James replies and backs up a few steps, Regulus hadn’t even realized how close they were. Pettigrew averts his gaze to Sirius and Lupin (who are talking intensely to Barty, he assumes about the party), so James’ eyes focus back on him.
Thanks to the interruption he was able to pull himself together from James’ comments, but he suspects his cheeks are still painted pink.
“We’ll see you Saturday, Reggie” he says, maintaining a small smile full of happiness. His eyes sparkle with a feeling Regulus can’t quite decipher.
“I’m looking forward to that day quite a bit” he speaks with a sarcastic tone and a serious face. James laughs openly, causing his glasses to lift a little from the wrinkles on his nose. It’s a very pretty sight.
The four of them say goodbye to Regulus and the others, heading off down the corridor until they turn around. The entire time Regulus never took his eyes off James’ back, and just a second before he took his gaze off of him, he noticed James glance at him one last time before turning the corner.
He's really looking forward to that day, but that is nobody's business.