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Autumn exams were fast approaching. This year Regulus was determined to get good grades, all he wanted was to be at least on parr with his academically gifted brother, Sirius Black. No matter what, Sirius would effortlessly score top marks without studying while Regulus spent every moment he could nose deep in a book.
So here Regulus was, spending his weekend off hunched over his notes in the Great Hall. Regulus enjoyed the calming atmosphere of the hall; he adored how all you could hear was the soft scratting of pen against parchment or the buzz of the weather coming from the enchanted ceiling. There was no rush, nothing to disturb you.
At least that’s what he thought.
“REGGIE!” a voice vigorously called out.
Regulus’ head snapped up at the sheer volume of the voice, just to be greeted by none other than James Potter.
“I told you not to call me that, Potter.” Regulus said while turning back around to consult his notes.
Unsatisfied, James plopped himself down onto the bench beside him and leaned over to catch a glimpse of what had the raven-haired boy so distracted.
“Are you revising? Come on Reggie it’s your day off for Merlin’s sake!” James whined from besides him.
“Not all of us can wing and exam and still miraculously pass” regulus responded coldly.
James just looked at the boy and grinned, he knew what regulus said was meant to damage his ego, but he couldn’t help himself and took it as a complement, Did Regulus really think he was smart? Surely not… right?
“That’s beside the point.” James protested, “Anyways I came to invite you my Halloween party- well the Gryffindor one but I’m hosting this year.” He continued.
Regulus’ quill froze mid-air; he knew a Gryffindor parties meant his ‘beloved’ brother would be there, he wasn’t sure he could face him after everything that’s happened at home; he needed more time to think. Regulus turned to look at James but stayed silent. A hint of reluctancy glimmered in his dark eyes but was quickly blinked away, but not before James noticed.
“Listen-” James began after sensing his hesitation, “you don’t have to agree just yet, but just think about it. It would do you good to get away from exam stress, even if it’s just for a little while. Here the details, I’d love if you’d come Reg” he said while sliding a neatly folded letter across the table.
Regulus reached for the letter with a slightly shaky hand. Before he could question the invite or even thank James he was gone, leaving Regulus alone again with nothing but his notes and the soft hum of blended background noise.
Later that night, Regulus lay on his bed flipping the crisp letter between his fingertips. He was procrastinating, it was no secret that Regulus wasn’t studying he was quite fond of parties; but this was different. Regulus knew would be an outsider among friends and even worse, he would be there.
Regulus took a deep breath in, what’s the worst that could happen? He questioned as he carefully slid opened the envelope as if he were trying to preserve it. Inside was a handwritten letter that was unmistakably wrote by James, Regulus could recognise that messy handwriting anywhere. Regulus chuckled to himself at the thought and began reading.
Dear Reggie,
I hope you reading this letter means you’re at least considering coming to the party, every single day I see you sat alone revisiting notes or scanning through texts, seems stressful. So, I thought this could be an escape for you, even if it’s only for one night. I promise if you do come, I guarantee I'll help you have a great night and even get you to try a few of my signature drinks.
Anyways, back to the details. Party starts tomorrow at seven o’clock, but feel free to come later, I know Gryffindor’s aren’t your people (especially when sober). The party itself is in the common rooms; the painting should be open so let yourself in.
It would mean a lot if you came, ill take it was a win if you stayed just for an hour.
Think about it.
- James (P.S. It’s a costume party, come dressed up!)
Regulus dropped his hand onto his face, “He never said it was a costume party” He muttered to himself while slowly moving to stand up. Growing up regulus was always surrounded by luxurious parties; he never had gotten the chance to go to something as simple as a Halloween party.
He strolled across the room towards his dorm wardrobe in search of something to wear for the party. The moment he opened the doors his attention was drawn to an tailored suit and matching sleek, matte black cloak hanging in the far corner. Regulus instantly knew who he would be.
The House of Black was always known for their arrogance and obsession with blood purity; they rarely ever associated themselves with anything lower than their blood class, especially when it came to Muggles. Regulus hated the way his family though of nobody but themselves, he wanted to enjoy the simplicity of Muggle life to be able to enjoy their culture, but he understood the weight his family name carried.
Sirius was always known as the ‘rebellious’ child, but regulus had his own ways of defying his status. Regulus often found himself in the forgotten corners of library’s entranced by the endless amounts of Muggle literature. But there was one book he fell in love with the moment he laid eyes on – The Phantom of the Opera.
Regulus captivated by its air of mystery and tragic twists. Something within him always resonated with Eric, as if understanding what it was like to be him, to be tormented, obsessive but also severely unseen. He knew he had to be the Phantom.
Regulus stood Infront of his dorm mirror, its sleek silver design framed him like a picture. He looked majestic. He was fully attired in a tailored, silky black suit, with a crisp white blouse and matching bow tie beneath. A long, flowing cloak hung loosely over his shoulders, giving him an extra air of mystery.
Satisfied with his work, he smirked lightly knowing he would attract the attention of everyone in the room while still staying hidden. But his look was not yet complete, there was one thing missing – his mask.
Regulus turned his attention to the glossy, half-face mask that lay on top of the wooden chest at the foot of his bed. He picked it up and carefully pressed it against the right side of his face, with a quick enchantment it slid into place, staying stuck to his delicate features even after he let it go.
Once again Regulus turned towards the mirror, but this time his gaze remained fixated on his mask. He adored the way it complemented his look and fit perfectly as if it were second skin, but something deep within him hated its purpose.
He knew why he chose a masked character; he was a Slytherin after all, an outcast. Regulus though if he hid his identity them maybe he’d be accepted, less hated for once in his life. He sighed, now was not the time to be thinking about this.
Regulus looked down at the silver watch that circled his wrist, the party had started over thirty minutes ago now, surely people would be settled in enough for him to slip in fashionably late. He left his dorm hoping nobody would question his absence and made his way over to the Gryffindor side of the school.
The scent of liquor and bad decision could be smelled from down the hallway, Regulus knew he was walking unto unknown territory but didn’t think it would be this bad this early.
Regulus continued walking, using the scent and increasingly loud music as a map toward the common rooms. As James had predicted the lady in the painting was drunk herself, leaving the painting loosely hanging just open enough for regulus to climb in and join the party.
The moment he entered he took note of how different Gryffindor parties were to the ones he was used to. Slytherin and deatheater ‘parties’ were often formal, cold and existed purely to strengthen family connections between purebloods, while this one was alive, busy and buzzing with pure enjoyment. It was unfamiliar, but yet… inviting.
The room was already crowded making it hard for Regulus to spot a familiar face within the chaos. He scanned over every face looking for James but was met with the faces of dozens of Gryffindors he didn’t even know went to this school.
Regulus sighed, he knew this would be a long night if he was alone. He needed a drink.
One thing regulus could kudos the Gryffindors on was their drinking habits, upon arrival at the drinks table Regulus was greeted by a wide range of hard liquors and mysterious juices that were bound to be spiked or enchanted. He stared for a moment slightly overwhelmed by the choices, before settling for a simple glass of whisky.
The tangy, citrus aroma filled Regulus’ nostrils as he went to take a sip of the golden liquid. He always loved the sweet yet spicy flavour of the drink and how it left a pleasant burning sensation at the back of his throat with each sip. In some way it reminded him of home, how something can be so comforting but painful in the end.
The music seemed to fade away around Regulus as he got lost in thought, he doesn’t know how long he stood staring at the glass in his hand before a familiar female voice snapped him back to reality.
“Regulus! Is that you?” the voice called out just loud enough for him to hear but not enough to draw unwanted attention.
Regulus turned to face the voice, he knew exactly who it was. “Hello Evans” he replied with a slight smile. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he had always had a soft spot for Lily, after all they were friends but more importantly they were academic rivals.
“Wow, you look… amazing” she whispered under her breath while admiring Regulus costume. Her eyes landed back onto Regulus’ with a glint of realisation; she quirked an eyebrow before going to speak.
“What are you doing here?” she asked with genuine curiosity, “I didn’t think parties were your type of thing, I assumed you’d spend the night studying for next terms N.E.W.T.s”
“Don’t remind me, I’m only here as a favour” Regulus replied with his usual guarded tone before sipping his whisky again.
“A favour?” Lily asked, her green eyes beamed with excitement. “Who asked you to come?” she questioned further despite knowing exactly who asked, she even helped them with Regulus’ invitation.
“James… he told me I needed to take a break from studying” He explained.
Lily glanced around room, before her gaze stopped on a group playing drinking games in the far corner of the room. At the dead centre stood James Potter surrounded by cheering people with a bottle of liquor held above his head like a trophy. Lily smirked, she knew James was nervous, but she didn’t know how much he had drunk until now.
“Well, what are you doing over here alone? I’m sure James is waiting for you” she said while indication over to the group.
Regulus looked up from his glass, he instantly spotted James in the crowd, partly because of the large antlers on his head sticking up over the sea of people, but also because his eyes always found themselves being drawn to him no matter what.
In a room full of people, he’d always look for James.
Lily shot him an amused look, “Go on then” he jokingly encouraged. Regulus thanked her and began weaving through the mass of people towards James.
Another voice rang out causing him to stop dead in his tracks
“James!” it called out. Regulus’ breath hitched. He knew that voice far too well.
Sirius.
Regulus froze in the centre of the room, people continued dancing around him as if he didn’t exist.
Lily stood watching the events unfold from the liquor table, from the times her and Regulus had been paired up together in class he had enough time to get to know him, what he likes, and most importantly – his family life. She knew exactly why the Black brothers had stopped talking, she knew exactly why Regulus was now stood frozen in the middle of a busy party.
She set her drink down and pushed through the crowd towards the Slytherin boy, “Regulus, are you okay?” she asked while guiding him back over to the drinks table.
“I’m fine. Just forgot he would be here.” Regulus replied coldly.
“Forget about him, you’re here for James.” She said while going to pour him a fresh drink. “Here, you’re going to need this.” She said while handing him a glass of amber liquid.
Regulus downed the liquid, wincing as it aggressively burned the back of his throat. “God, what was that” he breathed out between coughs.
“Fire whisky” she shrugged casually. Right, of course it was.
“Now-” she said turning her full attention to him, “you’re going to go over there and speak to James, we both know you want to. You didn’t wear this costume for no reason” she continued, catching Regulus of guard. “Besides it makes you mysterious, Sirius won’t even recognise you. Trust me” she finished off while smiling.
Regulus fixed his mask, making sure his identity was still at least partly concealed. Lily was right, he wanted to impress James. He liked James. He needed to go talk to him.
“Thank you, Lily. I owe you.” He said in his usual, calm tone before disappearing into the flood of flushed together bodies.
When Regulus finally reached James, he was sat slumped in the corner on the dorms velvet sofa with an alarmingly neon drink loosely gripped in his hand. In the soft light from the fires glow paired with occasional flashes of colour from the nearby party lights, James looked straight out of a movie.
Despite his slightly dishevelled state Regulus though he had never looked better.
James was dressed in a simple outfit. He had opted to wear one of his signature brown flannels, which was left open over a white shirt along with a matching pair of light brown jeans. His clothes aren’t what caught Regulus’ attention, it was his perfectly painted deer makeup that stretched across his nose and forehead paired with a hyper realistic set of antlers that really made Regulus’ heart flutter.
Regulus pushed past his thoughts and made his way over to the sofa after realising James was finally alone. He stopped a few steps Infront of James and patiently waited for the Gryffindor to notice his lingering presence.
Soon enough James looked up, his glossy eyes locked onto the figure stood before him. In his drunken state it took James a few moments to figure out who the person was, to realise who was behind that mask.
James froze; his still glossy eyes went wide with surprise. James looked exactly like a deer in headlights. Ironic.
“Regulus… I- wow” James stuttered out from a mix of surprise and alcohol taking its toll.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Potter” Regulus chuckled to himself.
“I didn’t think you would show” James replied sounding surprised.
“Neither did I” he replied jokingly, “I will say, you’ve really outdone yourself” he continued while glancing around the room at detailed decorations and students truly enjoying themselves.
“Thanks Reggie” James said with a slight red tinge appearing beneath him makeup. “Listen I wanted to talk to y-” he began but was swifty cut off by a group of approaching Gryffindors shouting his name.
“OI JAMES” one of them shouted, Regulus recognised that loud, overconfidence from the quidditch team so backed off in fear of being recognised. “Come take shots with us, games are starting soon” they collectively encouraged.
James looked over at Regulus with a glimmer of regret, “I’ll come find you before the games start?” he questioned knowing he wouldn’t want to risk getting exposed by the quidditch team.
Regulus nodded hesitantly in agreement. Deep down he didn’t want James to go, something in him desperately wanted to spend time with him, besides he had already had a lot to drink adding shots to the mix is a recipe for disaster.
Defeated, Regulus shrunk down into the sofa where James was sat. He began questioning what he would have to do to get James’ attention or to at least be able to spend some time alone with him. For a while he let himself get lost in thought while staring into the blazing fire, its warmth calmed him, stopped him from spiralling too far. But it wasn’t the warmth he craved, he wanted James’ warmth.
An uproar or cheers snapped him out of though, he turned to face the sudden noise just be greeted by none other than Lily Evans being cheered on as she makes a move on Pandora Lovegood. At least someone having fun.
Regulus glanced down at his watch; it had been almost an hour since James had disappeared. Surely, he would be back by now, right? A mix of paranoia and protectiveness clouded Regulus’ mind, he had to find James.
His thick black cloak trailed behind him as he searched around the room, he tried not to draw to much attention to himself but couldn’t help himself, he knew James could handle himself, this was his party, his friends Afterall but worry still consumed him.
Soon enough he found James slumped up against one of the common room counters, Regulus let out a sigh of relief, James was totally fine, just very drunk. He walked over to him and tried to ignore the overwhelming scent of fire whisky that was radiating off of James, he dreaded to think how many shots he took.
“Oh! heyyyy Reggie” James slurred out. It was painfully obvious he was no longer fully in control of his speech.
“James, Your drunk. I’m going to take you to your room so you can sleep this off, okay?” Regulus questioned but it came out like more of a command.
“No no, the games are starting now. I was just getting myself another drink” James replied with drunken confidence as if he wasn’t about to pass out on the floor.
“James. No, you can’t even hold your head up properly” Regulus stated after noticing how much James is leaning on the cabinets.
“Reggie, please-” James whined.
Regulus looked down at James, he had a drunken plead plastered across his face. How could he say no to that?
“Fine. One game.” Regulus stated firmly, he knew he had a weak spot for James, but he wasn’t going to let him take advantage of it.
James’ face shifted into a sloppy grin, even when intoxicated he knew he had won.
Using all the strength he had, James hauled himself up into a half standing position. The moment he tried to take a step the effects of the fire whisky all hit at once, James couldn’t even take a step without staggering into a nearby piece of furniture. Regulus rushed to his side, terrified that his legs would give out any second.
The pair walked out and rejoined the main party. Over in one of the far corners a fairly large group had formed a ring and had begun playing a series of drinking games, Regulus took that as his sign to make his way over towards the commotion.
Regulus guided James over to an empty spot on the floor, before himself taking a seat on the opposite side of the circle, there was no way he was leaving him alone in this state. He didn’t care if he was caught playing, he just cared about James and nothing else.
“Next game – spin the bottle!” a Gryffindor girl announced before placing an empty butterbeer bottle in the centre of the circle. Regulus froze, he internally cursed himself ever joining the game, if the bottle landed on him, he was screwed.
A few rounds passed by, and Regulus was safe. Each spin thankfully landed at a comfortable distance away from him, and the same for James. But the inevitable was bound to happen, it was James’ turn to spin the bottle.
Regulus could feel his face getting progressively redder; he hated to admit it but the thought of James kissing someone else ignited something in him. Regulus held his breath as James reached over and swiftly spun the bottle, all he could focus on was the soft scraping sound the bottle made as it glided across the floor and who it was pointing at.
After what felt like an eternity the bottle began to slow, a collective gasp broke out from the players as the bottle came to a stop pointing right at Regulus.
fuck.
James looked up from the bottle with his signature smirk, his eyes locked onto Regulus with a strong look of lust masked by the glossiness of alcohol.
James slowly staggered over to Regulus who was still staring at the bottle in shock of what just happened. The didn’t rip his gaze away from the bottle until his view was physically blocked by a familiar figure.
Regulus looked up to fun James kneeled down Infront of him, his breath hitched in surprise as he tried to convince himself this wasn’t real.
“Reggie.” James whispered low enough for only him to hear.
Regulus couldn’t reply, his heart was beating too fast for him to focus. James saw his hesitation but was too drunk to think clearly, instead he wordlessly started leaning in.
“wait” Regulus finally spluttered, he planted a soft hand again James’ chest to push him away “James, your drunk. This wrong” he continued while starting to get up.
“Come on, you said on game then bed” he said while reaching to help James up.
As much as Regulus wanted to lean in and kiss James right there and then, he knew when enough was enough, he knew James wasn’t in the right mindset. He knew it was wrong.
Regulus helped James up to his door, cautious not to move to fast on the stairs or to let James fall. Upon arrival, He noted how different the Gryffindor dorms were to Slytherin, they had a cozier feeling with vibrant browns and reds while Slytherin was decorated to be cold and unforgiving.
After taking in the room, he walked James over to his dorms shared bathroom, it was small and unsurprisingly messy, but Regulus didn’t care, all he wanted was to help clean up James and leave him to rest. Regulus took the next ten minutes cleaning the now smudged makeup off James’ olive skin. By the time he had finished James was barely able to sit up right, the alcohol was making itself known.
James was lolling in and out of consciousness as time went on, not wanting him to pass out on the cold hardwood floor, he hooked his arm around James’ waist and hauled him to bed. Despite his usually cold tone and reluctancy to show it, Regulus really did care for James. Before leaving he made sure James was comfortable and had both water and some healing vials to help with his guaranteed hangover.
Satisfied by his work, Regulus turned to leave but stopped when he heard weak murmurs coming from behind him.
James.
“Reggie” he said loud enough for Regulus to hear this time. “I never got to tell you what I wanted to talk to you about earlier” he continued while shifting to sit up against the bed’s headboard.
Regulus instantly knew what he was talking about, the entire night he has been waiting to hear what James was going to say but never got the chance to ask.
He turned around but stayed silent, allowing James to continue.
“listen” he said sounding more sober, “I- I don’t know how to say this but… I like you Regulus. I always have.” He stopped for a minute and stared at Regulus as if searching for any emotions in his usually empty eyes.
“For years I’ve questioned if you like me back, if we would work together but so much has happened recently, I haven’t had the chance to get to know you…” His voice slurred slightly, showing how the alcohol was still partly speaking for him “…but I’d like to” James admits.
Regulus’ eyes soften, “James, promise me you mean it, that you like me.” He says while slowly walking over to the side of the bed.
“I promise. I don’t think it’s possible for me to not love you” James confesses.
Regulus smiles, genuinely smiles. “I’ve liked you since I first saw you, I’m sorry I never showed it. But, In every single room I’ve every entered, I have looked for you.” he says, “listen, its late and you’re going to have a horrible hangover. Let’s talk more about this tomorrow, okay?” he added after seeing how noticeably tired James looks.
“Okay, also Reggie I’m sorry for getting so drunk.” he says while groaning from his growing headache. Regulus just laughs and turns to leave. “Goodnight James” he says while softly shutting the heavy wooden door behind him.
The moment he shut the door, Regulus let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding in, all couldn’t pull his mind away from what just happened. Did James really just admit he liked him back? He smirked to himself as he made his way back to the party, he needed to tell lily what just happened.
The sound of echoing voices made him stop dead on the stairs, there was nowhere for him to go besides down but he couldn’t be seen, not after everything that’s happened. He pulled his mask further across his face in hopes of concealing himself and continued down the cobble stairs, pushing past the people on his way.
“OI, watch where you’re going” one of them calls.
Regulus turns round to apologies, as much as he didn’t want to be recognised, he also didn’t want to be rude, after all he did just push them into a wall mid make out.
“I’m sorr-” he began instantly shut up when he saw who it was.
Oh Shit.
“REGULUS? WHAT THE FUCK” Sirius shouted.
“Sirius calm down. Oh, hey Remus” Regulus said once he realised who the other figure was.
“Hey Reg, what’s this I’m hearing about you and James?” Remus joked trying to lighten the increasingly tense atmosphere.
Sirius’ face dropped. “You what?” he said in a scarily low voice. Regulus considered running away right there and then, or just straight up obliviating his brother.
“Nothing, enjoy whatever this is. Bye Remus!” he shouted while continuing down the stairs, Regulus had learnt in the past not to cross Sirius when he was annoyed, especially when it involves one of his best friends.
“I’m going to kill that little shit someday” Sirius grumbled. “Anyways, where were we” Sirius wrapped his arms back round Remus waist, wasting no time getting back into what was interrupted.