Chapter Text
Lily has never worked in a pair in Potions before. It's always been the three of them - her, Mary and Marlene. The thought is making her sad. But she'd agreed to the new set up and there's nothing to be done now. She is standing at the cauldron with Severus, as Regulus walks up to them.
“Can I join you?” he asks politely but coldly.
Worry immediately creeps into Lily, taking the place of her immediate surprise. She hears snickering from behind her where Remus, James and Peter are. Sirius is working with Mary and Marlene. He wanted to work with his girlfriend, and Lily agreed to change her usual group for Sev. He's also her friend, and a great potioneer so she didn't mind. But she didn't consider someone else joining them. Yet alone, that someone being Regulus Black.
Regulus stands beside Severus, so that Severus is between them, right behind the cauldron, and the two of them are on either side, where most of the ingredients and tools are spread on the table. Regulus sways from behind Severus to face Lily.
“Lily Evans. I believe we have never spoken before. Regulus Black” he says leaving her surprised at the formality of all this. And by him. She thinks she has never seen a person looking so… polished and unreal. He has the same regal beauty that Sirius has. Pale, clear skin, high nose bridge, unnerving symmetry. But Sirius always makes it look disheveled, on purpose, she thinks, by wrinkling his clothes and ruffling his hair. Regulus looks like a statue. Smooth. No nervous fidgeting to him at all. When he's still, he's still. When he moves, it's like a cat. No stumbling. His face is still at all times. The only asymmetrical thing about his looks being a little white streak in his hair on his left side. Even though he just spoke to her in a soft voice, there's no smile or glimmer.
They start working together and it becomes blatantly obvious that Regulus is a good potioneer. A better one than Severus, even. No wonder he got offered to take the lessons with the year above. Working with him feels… seamless. No awkward touches, clanks, clumsiness. Severus’s been delegated to stirring, mostly, and he does everything that Black tells him to, which makes Lily uncomfortable. But Regulus is polite and quiet most of the time. She doesn't mind. No bossing her around and calling her mudblood, like she'd expected. She chops up the spider ivy leaves, takes a big pinch and proceeds to add them in. Regulus stops her gently.
“Can you open your fist for a second? Let me see how much we're adding” he says.
“Ah! Of course.” she responds, bashful, and props up her open palm for him to see.
“Why didn't you use everything you've chopped?” Severus asks, irritated. “Doesn't the recipe call for exactly four leaves?”
“No, that's great, Evans. Add on” she does. “Snape, I’d expect you to know that not all leaves are equally large, and we need to take that into consideration and take some liberties” Regulus explains calmly, his face devoid of emotion, but somehow soft and not strict. His mimics remind Lily faintly of Dumbledore. “Was that intentional?”
“I just…” Lily doesn't know what she “just” did. She's left a few stray leaf pieces on the cutting board, is all. Regulus just nods at that, and they start working in silence again.
By the end of the lesson, they're the only group that has managed to brew the potion correctly. She's glad she got paired with Regulus and Severus.
“Good job, Evans” Regulus says suddenly. “You're a talented potioneer.”
“What? No, that was all you. I followed your instructions” she denies, but Regulus shakes his head.
“You're intuitive. Lean into it” he says, and leaves the classroom.
She starts packing her things into her sling bag, Severus says his goodbyes and leaves too. The boys behind her fuss with their stuff and take longer just because of their banter and bickering.
“Now, what was that? How was working with two soulless beings?” Marlene jestes.
“Marlene, you know Severus is my friend, don’t say that” Lily quickly reprimands her. But Remus and Peter have already joined in.
“It already feels colder where they were standing!” Peter exclaims with a grin. Remus pretends to tremble.
“Pete, move away, you might slip on Snivellus’s oil stains” Sirius wheezes.
Lily leaves the classroom.
__
It's no surprise, the next week Lily, Severus, and Regulus group together too, without saying anything. They just exchange polite nods. She doesn't feel threatened by him anymore, though she still feels on edge. He hasn't called her a mudblood last time, nor has he said anything negative, but she doesn't trust him regardless.
As the third week rolls by, she's standing at the cauldron with Severus and they small-talk about something unimportant. The lesson starts and Regulus isn't here. Well, they'll manage nonetheless, she supposes. Severus is great with potions, and she is diligent. Should be fine. But after a few minutes, the door opens and Regulus walks in. He apologizes to the teacher and walks up to her and Severus.
“Oi! Isn't that the Sleeping Prince joining us?” Severus teases.
If that was Sirius, Lily thinks, he would be beaming at the opportunity for retaliation right now. Regulus doesn't beam though, he glares. He doesn't change his expression, but his eyes get a slight shimmer to them and he scoffs softly, almost a laugh.
“Is this a regal convention, The Princess and The Frog?” he asks, his eyes gliding across Lily for the word “princess” and Snape for the word “frog”. She chuckles instantly.
Lily's heartbeat skips. She's just witnessed Regulus share his brother's mischievous spirit, something she didn't think was there. And he seemed to appreciate the joke about him, something Sirius could practically never take. She feels warm looking at Regulus shuffling beside them. What an unexpected thing. Maybe him and Sirius could be brought together, after all.
Severus seems to be pissed off. He stirs the potion just slightly too vigorously.
“Snape.” Regulus says. “You need to be stirring with intention, you know. And the intention shouldn't be to kill me. Switch with Evans.” Lily laughs at that, but she feels sorry for Severus too. He was in such a good mood before Regulus showed up. Her poor friend should learn to take a joke, especially if he's the first one to fire one. She takes the ladle from him, and coos.
“Sev, don't worry. You're great at potions, just… don't let this silliness affect you that much. It was just a joke, wasn't it, Black?”
“Partly, yes” he responds. She thinks the part that was a joke was her being anything of a “princess”, but she hopes Severus didn't catch that subtext. She holds Regulus’s gaze, but that gives her nothing.
When they're done with the potion, Severus speaks again.
“This weekend is the Hogsmeade weekend”
Fuck, she thinks. She forgot about that. Mary will go with Sirius and Marlene has already told them she's not going. She wants the pitch for herself. Shit. She likes Severus, really, she does. Just not like that, and she's been suspecting he feels differently. But she doesn't want to lead him on, she doesn't want to make it awkward. Really, she should just stay in the dorms, though she really wanted to go to the bookstore.
The next person to speak is Regulus.
“Oh, thank you Severus. Lily, would you grant me the pleasure to go to Hogsmeade with me?”
She's shocked instantly. What the actual fuck? Was Severus Regulus's wingman? Did Regulus play it off as him being his wingman? Is Regulus actually into Lily?
“Sure” she says, throat dry.
—
After the last lesson of the day, James was planning to go for a run. The rest of his folk scattered, too. Remus went to the library, apparently, Sirius probably holed up somewhere cosy with Mary, Pete was asking to play exploding snap, but as Remus and James had other plans, he said he'll just rest in the dorm. So, James got his muggle sports attire, and began his stroll down the stairs, to go outside. That's when his plan fell apart. Snivellus and Mulciber cut his stride. A few other, younger, Slytherins pass them, but otherwise the staircase is empty. James left his wand on the bed in his dorm, he doesn't need it for running, so if anything - his fists will have to do.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” asked Snape.
“I'm about to do sport” he exaggerates the word. “You wouldn't get it” James says with a snicker.
“I have something else to exercise though, and you'll be of help to me” Snape says.
“Dream big” James goes and scoffs.
Snape raises his wand. “Imperi-” he starts. James's eyes go wide, like a deer’s.
Regulus feels the time slowing down. Not enough for him to be able to get his wand from his holster though.
He flings himself at James, tackling him to the ground. Ground that is covered with grass. He apparated them away from the danger.
James stares wide-eyed as Regulus's face is hung only inches above his, Regulus's hands on either side of his face in a half push-up, while the rest of his body is weighing on James's.
“Regulus? What the hell? Why did you–? I mean, oh Merlin, thank you, but wha– how?” is all James manages.
Regulus rolls off James to the side and stands up. So does James. He's still in shock, but another sensation starts to pierce through to him. His skin is tingling where Regulus has just been, the lack of another person's weight on him feeling weirdly off. Maybe it's because the cold of the outside has started seeping into him, and Regulus had been so warm. Some sense is starting to come back to James. He sees Regulus walking off.
“Regulus, wait! Where are we? You need to apparate us back!”
Regulus turns to him.
“I don't need to do anything. You can do it yourself, as for myself, I'm intending to walk back”.
“I can't apparate,” he says earnestly and bashfully, “I don't have a wand on me. Where are we?”
“Can't you tell?” Regulus quipps coldly, cocking his eyebrow up.
Weird, James thinks, he has looked so scared hovering above him, and now he's all back to his cold, pricky self. Arrogant. Aloof. Nothing left of the warmth James still feels? Unknowingly, he rubs his hand on his chest, where Regulus’s torso has just been. He looks around, and then looks at Regulus sheepishly.
“No?” he says, voice small. Regulus closes his eyes and James thinks he's seen the faintest hint of a smile, that Regulus quickly concealed. He opens his eyes again and points at something. James squints his eyes to see better and spots the castle. Regulus apparated them to some meadow. At least 5 miles from the castle, which James didn't immediately notice. Might even be closer to 8 miles. That would be like two hours of walking.
“And you intend to walk?” James asks.
“Yes” Regulus says simply, and gets going. James moves too, and jogs up to him.
“Why?” he asks.
“Potter,” starts Regulus, irritated, “just because I just saved you from being imperiused, doesn't mean you need to “entertain” me with conversation. Or walk with me” he says sarcastically.
James grins.
“Sure, but we are walking together, and we will probably be for two hours. I say, we should talk. Or you could at least tell me why you don't want to apparate.”
“I just fancy a walk. But I'm starting to get unsure. Why can't you just apparate away and leave me alone?”
“I've told you already! I don't have my wand!”
“Can't you do wandless?”
“Not apparition, sadly.”
“Maybe you could practice instead of chatting me up?”
James grins again.
“No, I think I'm happy chatting you up.” Now, why the hell would he be? “So, why do you reckon Snape tried to imperius me?”
Regulus keeps a steady stride towards the castle. He keeps his hands in the pockets of his robe, and his chin slightly more down than usual. Maybe to watch for rocks. James is quite comfortable in his tracksuit, just the right insolation for Scotland's September weather. Regulus isn't saying anything, but his cheeks and nose got a pink hue. James looks at it mindlessly, waiting for an answer.
“Well, he doesn't like you, does he? I also did something that must've pissed him, so he was probably already on edge. Sorry about that.”
“What did you do to him?” James asks earnestly.
“I won't say. You'll surely find out soon enough.”
“Okay…” James murmurs confused. “And why did you stop him, though?”
“Ah, that.” Regulus says, not looking at James. “He's not exactly my friend, but an acquaintance, surely. An ally in some ways, maybe. I wouldn't want to see him doing something that he'd regret or what he'd get expelled for. Especially because of me.”
That, James can understand. Though the scared look on Regulus's face when they were landing on the meadow, didn't feel quite adequate just to that intention.
They continue the march. James keeps on glancing at Regulus. He can't help but miss the second year, when Sirius has just only introduced them. When they were still talking to each other. Reg was still so small then, now being a bit taller than James, and lankier. He was all smiley then. James can't help but wonder, when did that change? Could it have gone any other way?
Fuck, Regulus thinks, fuck these muggle clothes and how pronounced his muscles look in them.
—
“Where's James?” Lily asks, joining the table where Sirius, Mary, Remus and Pete are sitting. “And Marlene?”
“No clue” says Remus.
“Maybe that's for the better. I need to get something off my chest” she states and looks at Sirius with an intense, serious gaze. She holds it. “Your brother asked me out to Hogsmeade.”
They all get very quiet for a second, and then an incoherent uproar of “whats” and “no ways” begins.
“No way Regulus fancies Lily!” Sirius exclaims.
“Why wouldn't he?” Peter asks.
“Right.” Remus says, dragging his hand along his face. “You're beautiful and smart, Lily, it's hardly surprising someone took interest. Did he show any prior?”
“Uh…” Lily starts. “Now that I think of it, maybe. He told me I'm good at potions, intuitive. He also…” she’s embarrassed about that part. “He also called me and Sev The Princess and The Frog.”
Remus huffs a laugh. Mary smiles too. Perhaps Sirius would too, but he is too mad at the conversation being about his brother. Oh, this is just too good, Remus thinks.
“That makes no sense! He didn't even compliment her looks or anything!” Sirius continues, exasperated. Remus rolls his eyes.
“Well, did he have to?” Pete asks another pointed, sarcastic question.
“There's more to it than looks, Sirius. Perhaps Regulus is into Lily's brains. Hard concept for you to grasp, surely” Remus states.
“He called her a princess, by the way” Pete adds. “Aren't we forgetting that?”
“Yeah, that too.” Remus agrees.
“It was not like that.” Lily counters with her head in her hands. “Severus called him a Sleepy Prince for being late and he retaliated.”
Remus huffs. Sirius stills for a moment.
“Maybe he is my brother after all. Shit, maybe he asked you out to get back at Snape more! And piss me off!”
Lily looks up from her hands, eyes sad.
“Well, that might be it” she says. “I'll just… go and see.”
James joins their table, looking slightly flushed. He must've been outside. A walk before dinner, perhaps? That's likely. But Marlene's still nowhere to be seen. Mary saves her something from the table.
“Whatcha talking about?” he says as he steadies himself into the chair and starts grabbing food.
“Lily's date.” Peter states, straightforward. James pretends not to be jealous but his breath clearly hitches and his lips thin.
“Oh?” he huffs weakly. “With who?” Everybody quiets again, bracing for the impact.
“Regulus Black” Mary declares, amused. From here, everything goes berserk again. Lily and Mary get up from the table, running away from the boys’ chaos.
Oh. That's what he meant. James thinks.