Chapter 14: Hide-and-Seek

Notes:

WOLFSTAR! WOLFSTAR! WOLFSTAR!

Drunk James is so pitifully obsessed and I'm here for it.

Regulus, darling, it's only a matter of time.

Chapter Text

When Regulus heard the loud whispers and clomps of feet coming down the
hall, he released an exasperated breath. They were clearly well into the
firewhiskey already, based solely on the giggles from Peter and Sirius. He
stood up from his bed and straightened his shirt. Realising he was primping
for no apparent reason, Regulus huffed derisively. Shaking himself clear, he
pulled open his door.

The four buffoons were in various stages of drunkenness, from what he could
tell. Remus appeared the least affected, but then again, Regulus wasn’t sure
if that was because he’d actually had less to drink or if he simply had a high
tolerance. Sirius and Peter were completely intoxicated, leaning on each
other and stumbling over their own feet. Potter was quiet, for once, but his
eyes were glazed over.

“I thought you were going to wait until-” Regulus began, frowning at their
flushed faces.

“Couldn’t wait! Had to celebrate!” Peter announced, pointing at Sirius. “He

and Remus snogged!”
Regulus’s confusion cleared and a smirk lit his lips, “Oh really? How’s that,
Remus? I’d say pretty bloody effective if you beat your two week timeline.”

An amused huff escaped the taller bloke, “Why do I have a feeling I owe you
one?”

“You definitely do,” Regulus agreed, chuckling as Sirius abandoned Peter and
latched onto Remus’s waist instead. His wayward steps nearly tripped Remus
as he mumbled an apology.

“Alright, take it easy,” Remus soothed, touching Sirius’s shoulder. “You need
to lie down.”

Sirius squinted up at him, “With you?”

Remus arched an eyebrow, “To sleep, you twat.” Though his expression
remained unaffected, the back of Remus’s neck flushed bright red. “You’re
completely bladdered.”

“Not tired yet!” Sirius announced, reaching past Remus to push open the
door to Potter’s room. “A feewww more drinks.”

Peter released a loud burp that seemed to startle him. He shook his head and
then blinked rapidly, “Pardon me, I think I’d best go off.” Turning abruptly, he
slammed face first into his door.

Trying desperately to hold in laughter, Regulus reached around him and

opened it. He guided Peter to his bed and watched him collapse onto the
mattress. Leaning down to examine his face, Regulus grinned, “Had a bit too
much already, I take it?”

“Nonsense! Only had three!” Peter declared, pointing vaguely at the door. He
suddenly pushed up from the bed and narrowed his eyes at Regulus, “Who
are you again?”
“No one important,” Regulus replied, patting his shoulder. “Get some sleep,
Peter.”

As he stepped out of Peter’s room, Regulus closed the door quietly behind
him. Walking down the hall, he paused at the open doorway to Potter’s room.
He could hear Remus and Sirius playfully arguing about sleeping
arrangements. This was quickly followed by a thud and a startled laugh from
Remus, as Sirius apparently passed out on the floor.

Regulus continued down the hall to his own room. He hadn’t really wanted to
get pissed anyway. It’s not like he could trust himself around Potter, not
when he’d stripped down to his trousers in front of him the last time he was
impaired. There was certainly no reason to tempt fate. He shook his head as
he walked back into his room. One of them had to keep their senses about
them.

He moved to close the door behind him when a large hand grabbed the edge
and stopped it. Regulus jumped back in surprise, then leaned around to peer
into the hall. Potter was standing on the other side with a determined look on
his face. Grabbing his wand from his pocket, Regulus eyed him critically. If he
had to hex his hand off the door, he bloody well would.

“What do you want, Potter?” Regulus asked, levelling an unimpressed glare

at him.

“To talk…to you,” Potter replied unsteadily, his eyes squinting as if he couldn’t
quite see Regulus. That’s when he noticed that Potter wasn’t wearing his
glasses. He spotted them perched amid his curls.

“Do you even know who I am?” Regulus checked, pointing at his hair. “You’re
glasses are on top of your head.”

Potter stared at him and then squinted again, “Sirius?”

Regulus shook his head, “Nope, try again.”

“Reg?”

“Don’t call me that,” Regulus huffed, rolling his eyes. “Just go away. Sleep off
the alcohol, Potter.”

There was a long silence as Potter worked out where his glasses were and
lowered them to his nose. He looked through the lenses eagerly, then his
face lit up with a goon-grin. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Regulus repeated curtly, fighting back the urge to match his ridiculous
grin. It was stupidly adorable the way his face lit up when he recognised
Regulus. No, just stupid. Definitely not adorable.

Potter leaned on the door, pushing it open further, “Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing now,” Regulus answered honestly. His curiosity got the best of him
as he watched Potter sway slightly. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t remember,” Potter said, furrowing his brow. His gaze drifted to the
ceiling as he considered the question further. Suddenly, he smirked and met
Regulus’s eyes, “I know! I want to snog you.” He grabbed Regulus’s wrist and
pulled him out into the hall. Pressing his back against the wall, Potter linked
their fingers together. Potter planted another hand near his head and leaned
over him, gaze flicking around his face until it landed on his lips.

Regulus’s breath caught in his chest and he swallowed hard. He wasn’t

expecting that answer and was wholly unprepared to respond to it. If he’d
had any lingering doubts about Potter fancying him, that pretty well put them
to rest.

Internally, his body screamed at him to agree. Just once, to let his guard
down and enjoy himself, consequences be damned. His mind was not the
least bit swayed, reminding him of the multitude of reasons it was a terrible
idea. Not the least of which was that Potter was clearly impaired.
Clearing his throat, he looked past Potter’s shoulder, “Remus, can you collect
this twat?”

“James? Where did you go, mate?” Remus called back, appearing in the
doorway. As soon as he spotted Potter, he lunged forward and grabbed his
shoulders. “Come on, you. Let’s leave Regulus alone.”

“No! I want to snog Reg!” Potter protested, pulling back. His voice turned
desperate as Remus tugged him away, "Please? He's so pretty!"

Remus burst out laughing, losing his hold on Potter and leaning back against
the wall. He waved his hands at his face as he recovered before trying again.
Looking at Regulus intently, Remus grinned, “Regulus, do you want to snog
James?”

Startled by the question, he stared at Remus. Silence filled the space

between them as his mouth refused to form the word. It was simple. Just
two letters, ‘n-o’. Say it, imbécile. Shaking his head clear, Regulus shifted
back into his doorway, “No.”

It was a bold-faced lie and they both knew it. The quirk of Remus’s eyebrow
made that abundantly clear. “Sorry, mate,” Remus said, patting Potter’s
shoulder. “He said ‘no’, so that’s the end of it.”

Potter frowned, but allowed himself to be dragged down the hall. He looked
back at Regulus wistfully until he was forced into his own room. Before the
door closed behind him, Remus stuck his head out and smirked. He mouthed
‘your loss’ and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Regulus pressed his lips together and closed his door. He quickly put an
impenetrable charm on it and spun away. The fact that it took him a solid
minute to turn down a drunken snog from his sworn enemy spoke volumes
about how desperate he was. It was time to find a new distraction, the
minute he got back to Hogwarts. This was getting entirely out of hand.
 * * * * *

Two days. There were still two more days until the end of break. It was an
eternity and he didn’t think he was going to make it. Regulus closed his eyes
and pushed off the ground with his feet, allowing the swing to gently rock
him. He’d spent most of the last three days hiding from Potter. Which
normally meant he’d be hiding from Sirius as well, but with his brother
wrapped up in his new infatuation with Remus, neither of them was getting
much time with him.

Perhaps encouraging Sirius to pursue Remus before he’d managed to

separate him from Potter was a terrible move. Although, the result was
essentially the same, if he was honest. Sirius followed Remus around like the
puppy he was, so neither had much opportunity for any sort of bonding. He
should have waited until the end of break, at least.

His current strategy was to wait until he heard Potter return from his
morning practice to sneak out for breakfast and his own flight around the
pitch. Then, after an extraordinarily awkward lunch where he purposely sat
himself between Effie and Remus, he would disappear up to the lab where he
could read and study in relative peace. So far, Monty only blew up the lab
once while he was inside. Unfortunately, that meant it was unavailable today.

Peter was visiting again tomorrow, so they could enjoy one more day
together before returning to Hogwarts on Sunday. Today, however, he was
doomed to an exhaustive game of hide-and-seek with Potter. Regulus was
tired of maintaining the level of snark and sarcasm necessary to fend him off.
Especially when Potter was trying so hard to be nice...for some reason.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding me,” Potter teased,
halting the swing with his foot. He dropped onto the bench next to him and
then pushed off again.

Regulus blinked open his eyes and glared, “I am absolutely avoiding you.”
“I think you enjoy being chased,” he refuted, smirking widely.

Potter’s hair was still wet from his shower, but the curls sat neatly for once.
Regulus wondered if he’d actually attempted to control them before initiating
this encounter. Anyone who spent time with the bloke knew his habit of
ruffling them would have them sticking out wildly before long. He just
couldn’t keep his hands away from his curls, and much to his chagrin,
Regulus could hardly blame him.

“It couldn’t possibly be that I want to be left alone,” Regulus snarked,

crossing his arms over his chest. He couldn’t even summon the strength to
sneer at him, he’d wasted it all on the glare. It was simply too hard to be
mean to someone so ridiculously charming.

Potter leaned closer and draped his arm on the back of the swing, “Agreed,
you definitely need entertainment. I have a few ideas, if you’re interested.”

“I’m not interested,” Regulus replied dryly, leaning away from him. His
imagination unwisely decided to offer ideas of its own that were...decidedly
smutty. The harder he tried to push the images away, the more firmly they
took hold. He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and chewed on it
pensively. It was getting harder to ignore Potter’s appeal.

“You think this act of yours is working, but I assure you it’s not,” Potter
advised, stroking his fingertips along the nape of Regulus’s neck. “Granted,
it’s taken me all of hols to sort you out. I admit, I’m shite at riddles, but you
certainly didn’t make it easy.”

Regulus refrained from leaning into the touch, but couldn’t be bothered to
pull away. It had been so long since he’d revelled in the attention and
affection from someone he fancied. Not to mention, watching Sirius and
Remus together was getting to him. They were such a strange combination of
personalities, yet it seemed to work somehow. He could admit that much, at
least. Finally, he sighed resignedly, “Sort what out?”
“That you do actually fancy me, but think you can’t have me,” Potter replied,
shifting closer. “I know it’s probably related to your family and everything,
that’s quite understandable. It’s just that…I fancy you too, so we should find
a way to give it a go.” His pronouncement was quite definitive, with no room
for debate.

Choking on his own spit, Regulus reeled back and stared at him, “Pardon?”

“I can be discreet!” Potter insisted, meeting his gaze intently. “If you can’t be
open about it, I get that, I really do. You mentioned to Sirius that you
weren’t ‘innocent’, so I presume you’ve had a quiet relationship before.” His
eyes searched Regulus’s face curiously, “Right?”

He swallowed hard and looked away from the hazel eyes that demanded
entirely too much of him. Regulus nodded slowly, “Yes, I’ve had ‘quiet
relationships’ before.”

“So, I’m right?” Potter asked, his fingers returning to their soft strokes along
his nape. “Despite all the attitude and snark, you do fancy me back. Will you
go out with me?”

Regulus didn’t answer, he just stared at the tree on the other side of the
garden until his eyes unfocused. It wasn’t as easy as Potter made it sound.
He’d spent countless hours sneaking around, relying on his friends to help
him with alibis or offer distractions. While the physical side of things was
usually satisfying, he always walked away from the ‘relationships’ feeling a
bit empty. As though his heart knew he’d pressed so close to the real thing
and let it slip through his fingers.

He presumed too that what Potter proposed wasn’t just a physical release. In
the short while he’d been around him, Regulus discovered Potter was playful,
kind, and a complete romantic. The stories he’d overheard of his overtures
toward Evans and a few others, as well as the bloke’s unrepentant response
to them, spoke volumes. Remus, whose opinion he was learning to trust,
assured him that Potter was an ‘all in’ sort of bloke, who would be a brilliant
boyfriend.

None of that mattered.

“You don’t have to decide right now. Just think about it, alright?” Potter said
softly, his hand gripping the back of Regulus’s neck as he massaged gently.
“I’m not trying to rush into anything, Regulus. It can go as fast or slow as
you like, I won’t ever pressure you for more than you can handle.
Emotionally, physically, whatever.”

Clearing his throat, Regulus tried to find the energy to tell him off. To
demand that he shove his suggestion so far up his own arse that it choked
him. He really tried. It just didn’t exist. After nearly two weeks surrounded
by Potter, Sirius, and their friends, Regulus was too weak. They’d worn him
down with their annoying inside jokes, clever taunts, and openly affectionate
jibes at each other.

He almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Knowing that he should have seen
this coming. To think that he could spend an entire two weeks in the Potter
house without falling apart was mental. Regulus was well aware of his
weakness for sweet words from fit blokes, so this could only be self-imposed
torture. No one to blame, but himself.

So when the words “I’ll think about it” left his lips involuntarily, Regulus
didn’t even cringe. He simply dropped his chin to his chest and leaned back
into the gentle pressure Potter was applying to his neck. It was futile to fight
when his heart wasn’t in the battle. Even if he wasn’t willing to admit it
aloud, he definitely fancied James Potter.
 Chapter 15: Is he Serious?

Notes:

There is no escape my sweet, sassy Regulus!

James is over the moon about the latest development.

Lily is so done with all of them.

Chapter Text

The train station was packed full as multitudes of students returned to

Hogwarts after winter holidays. As Regulus stood next to his brother and
watched the general chaos around him, he searched for familiar faces. His
fingers stroked his green and silver tie anxiously, internally panicking that he
would not longer fit in with his Slytherin counterparts after a long two weeks
surrounded by obnoxious Gryffindors. Not that he ever really fit there either.

“Regulus!” Pandora squealed, bursting from a train car and bounding across
the platform. She attacked him with a tight hug and then grinned up at him
excitedly. “Did you have a good holiday? Have they corrupted you?” she
asked eagerly, eyeing the four Gryffindors with pure mischief.

He laughed lightly, relieved that Pandora could see right through him. It
would save him a great deal of explanation later on if he was partially
transparent. As they talked, Regulus noticed Potter studying him intently
from the corner of his eye, watching his hands slip up and down the length of
his tie. Ignoring him, Regulus dropped the tie and followed Pandora on
board, guiding his trunk along behind him.

The last two days of hols, Regulus spent in a strange sort of limbo with the
group. Potter remained at his side as much as possible, subtly shifting his
attention from one Black brother to the other. No one seemed to take much
notice though. Remus and Sirius were completely caught up with each other,
while Peter was thrilled to have company of any kind. Though he hated to
admit it, Potter wore him down. By the end, it was entirely too much effort to
fight him, as Peter predicted. The clever git.

No official decision was made and Regulus assured himself that when he
returned to the safety of Hogwarts, and the hallowed hiding places he often
burrowed into, he wouldn’t have to make it at all. Potter would lose interest
in him when he was out of sight and Regulus could return to his lonely
brooding. Granted, he’d agreed to ‘think about it’, and he’d done nothing but.
A part of him wished it was possible, that he could step that far outside of
himself to take such a risk. Another part of him panicked at the concept
entirely. He wanted to say ‘yes’, but he knew he should say ‘no’.

The holiday break wasn’t entirely wasted. He and Sirius were on far better
terms, even if his original goal was unfinished. An unexpected twist was
simply added to the plan. He should have just assumed Potter would make
his life uncomfortable and complicated.

“Barty said his holiday was horrid. His father was a right git the entire time,
degrading him for everything,” Pandora explained. She rolled her eyes,
“Never liked the man, but the way his mother just stands there and takes it?
Honestly, I just want to shake her back to her senses and tell her to run for
it.”

“Witch of her time,” Evan dismissed, stepping past them in the hall. “My
mum is the same. They were raised to believe wizards should run things.
Load of bollocks that is. My dad’s done nothing but run our family name in
the dirt.” Pandora nodded sagely in agreement.

As the three of them stepped into their usual compartment, Regulus was
startled to see a Gryffindor tie seated next to Dorcas. His eyebrows shot up
to his forehead when he recognised the Head Girl above the tie. Glancing at
Pandora, he was given a half-shrug. The Ravenclaw tended toward the
acceptance of strange things, rather than questioning them.

Jumping up from his seat, Barty began loading their trunks up to the racks
with his wand. He settled them in neatly before dragging Regulus onto the
seat next to him. Pandora followed, settling in on his opposite side and
straightening her blue and bronze tie proudly. As he glanced around the car,
Regulus realised they were only missing a Hufflepuff in their contingent for a
full set. Surely he could rectify that himself. In theory anyway.

“What’s this about then?” Evan asked, eyeing the Head Girl curiously. His
gaze darted to Dorcas for an explanation.

Dorcas smiled benignly, clearly unconcerned, “Evans is here to see you,

Black.”

Surprised, Regulus blinked rapidly at her before turning to Evans, “Why?”

“I’d hoped to speak to you privately,” Evans began, an earnest expression on

her face. “However, Ms. Meadowes won’t allow it. As your seventh year
Slytherin Prefect, I respect her concerns.”

Smiling genuinely, Dorcas bumped her shoulder, “As you should.”

Evans met her grin with one of her own, “You’ve proven yourself, Meadowes.
I trust your judgement, especially of your own.”

“Good. The feeling is mutual, now that you’ve dumped that snake,” she
teased.

“Let’s not discuss my incredibly poor judge of character, shall we? At least
not in front of the young ones,” Evans replied glibly, her gaze landing on a
fourth year tucked in the corner.
“Fair request,” Dorcas nodded. She stood up and waved curtly at Regulus,
“Up you get, Black. We need to find an empty carriage.” Regulus followed the
pair out of the car, glancing back at Barty and Evan with a shrug.

Evans and Dorcas continued their companionable discussion down the

hallway. Regulus gleaned enough from the conversation to realise the two
were rather friendly. He kept his thoughts to himself, but was more than a
little surprised by that development. Dorcas wasn’t all that impressed with
Gryffindors overall. Although, Evans was far less reckless than the rest of
them.

Sweeping her hand inside a carriage near the end of the train, Dorcas waited
for Evans and Regulus to enter first, before following them inside. She locked
the door and promptly set a muffling charm. Regulus slipped into the corner
of the bench and watched the pair warily. With no context, this meeting had
an ominous tone to it.

“Now, Mr. Black,” Evans began, her voice formal and stern. “I understand you
spent the hols with the Potters and their assorted friends.”

Dorcas’s lips twitched with amusement, “Funny, you failed to mention that
before we left.”

Regulus furrowed his brows, “Why is that any of your concern?”

“You realise that Potter and his friends are the primary cause of the chaos at
Hogwarts, correct?” Evans asked, tilting her head to the side. “Your brother is
very much included in their pranks.”

“I am aware of that, yes,” Regulus conceded, still thoroughly confused. “He’s

still my brother though, and I wanted to spend the hols with him, rather than
be stuck alone at the castle.”

Evans smiled softly, “I understand. Sibling relationships can be complicated. I

imagine it's been especially so when you’re sorted into different houses.”
“I’m unconcerned with house rivalries,” Regulus deadpanned. He truly
couldn’t care less about house points and house cups. It was simply a poorly
concealed attempt at pitting the students against each other. Generally
speaking, he found competition based on arbitrary personality traits rather
stupid.

“That’s true,” Dorcas agreed. “Black makes no attempt to earn house points,
despite his exceedingly high marks in Potions and Charms. If anything, his
obsession with isolation costs us more. Always late for curfew.” She winked
at Regulus, “For good reason, I hope.”

Regulus stared at her blankly, unwilling to acknowledge the accusation or the

ribbing. The last thing he intended to do in this impromptu meeting was
establish some sort of camaraderie with Evans. The Head Girl was hardly
someone he felt the need to impress or befriend. If anything, he’d done
everything within his power to avoid her. Even more so than he had the Head
Boy. Not that he cared to analyse that particular detail at the moment…or
ever.

Shifting in her seat, Evans studied him curiously before getting to the point.
She tucked a hand in her pocket and pulled out a small pin, handing it to
Dorcas. After a cursory examination, Dorcas nodded and handed it back to
her. Evans palmed the pin and then offered it to Regulus, “I’d like you to be
the sixth year Slytherin Prefect for the remainder of the year.”

His gaze dropped to her palm and then lifted to her face, “I’ll pass.”

“Black, she’s being polite,” Dorcas admonished, her voice stern. “You don’t
actually have a choice, and neither does she.”

Inhaling deeply, he crossed his arms over his chest, “Is this punishment for
going to the Potters’ then? How are the two related?”

Evans sighed, “I’ll be honest with you, Black. I don’t know.” She held out the
pin more firmly, “All I was told was that the current sixth year Slytherin
Prefect was no longer attending Hogwarts and that you were chosen as his
replacement.”

Regulus straightened up, eyes narrowing, “What happened to Smith?”

“His parents advised the headmaster that he wouldn’t be returning,” Dorcas

answered promptly. She took the pin from Evans and slapped it into
Regulus’s hand, “Welcome to the team, Black. You’ll hate every minute of it, I
assure you.”

“Professor McGonagall mentioned in her letter that the headmaster was

aware of your holiday plans and suggested to Professor Slughorn that you
were a suitable replacement,” Evans offered, holding her palms up in
supplication. “Professor Slughorn readily agreed.”

Dorcas snorted derisively, “Of course he did. Old Sluggy didn’t want to waste
time wading through student files to sort the matter out himself. Come on
now.”

Evans pressed the back of her hand against her lips as she fought back a
laugh. Shaking her head, she released an amused breath and refocused on
Regulus. “I mentioned your visit with the Potters because you will definitely
be targeted by the four of them. They tend to harass the Prefects more than
anyone else. However, you will also have access to the Prefect loo, which is a
nice perk.”

“I’m not bothered by my brother, or his friends,” Regulus replied flatly. “Sirius
is well aware of the consequences of interfering with me.” His gaze flicked
over her, “As is the Head Boy.”

“Oh, I see,” Evans replied, sitting back against the bench. “What exactly
would those consequences be?”

Regulus smirked, “I’ll hex their bollocks off.”

Dorcas burst out laughing, clapping her hands together as she collapsed
against the seat. She wiped at the corner of her eye and then pointed at him,
“That’s why we love you, Black.”

“Is he serious?” Evans checked, eyes wide.

“No, I’m Regulus,” he deadpanned, arching an eyebrow.

The breath Evans sucked in was equal parts exasperated and amused. She’d
clearly heard that pun entirely too often, but hadn’t expected it from him. To
be fair, it was beneath him, but he’d spent two solid weeks around a pack of
fools. He couldn’t be expected to be at his best immediately afterwards.

“Right,” she said, rising to her feet. “Meadowes, as always, it’s nice to see
you. I’ll let myself out.” Evans undid the lock on the door and exited, closing
it quietly behind her.

Dorcas grinned, “Alright, Black. Explain yourself. What did you do to piss off,
or impress, Dumbledore?” She folded her arms over her chest and eyed him
curiously, “If he knows you at all, this is a punishment. If he doesn’t, it’s a
reward.”

“He doesn’t,” Regulus huffed, staring down at the pin. “Probably thinks I’ll
control my brother.”

“Unlikely, Dumbledore finds him entertaining,” Dorcas corrected. “More likely,

he’s hoping Potter will influence you.”

Regulus’s head snapped up, “What? Why?”

She smirked, “Oh, that got your attention. Have you changed your tune on
the Head Boy then? Two weeks in his house and you’re a fan?”

“No, of course not,” Regulus refuted, desperately hoping his face wasn’t as
red as it felt.
Dorcas grinned lasciviously, “You’re a terrible liar, Black. Might want to work
on that.” She nodded toward his hand pointedly, “Put it on. We have to join
the other Prefects.”

“Now? We just got onboard!” he protested, shoulders dropping.

“Now. Put it on,” Dorcas insisted, her deep brown eyes piercing as she stared
him down.

He knew better than to argue, she was tenacious on a good day. Regulus
glanced down at his chest as he affixed the pin to his robes. The silver was
rather heavy and pulled at his robes uncomfortably, he hated it already.

Dorcas led the way out of the empty compartment and down to the other
end of the train. It wasn’t until he stepped into the Prefects’ compartment
behind her that Regulus remembered Potter would be there too. His face lit
up when he spotted Regulus and he winked. So much for being discreet.

“Alright everyone,” Evans called out, waving a hand in the air. “A couple of
quick notes before you begin your rounds. We have a new Slytherin sixth
year Prefect, Regulus Black. He's finishing out the year for Smith. Please
make him feel welcome.”

She waited for the group to settle back down before continuing. “Secondly, I
want to remind you to have all of your schedule requests handed in to Potter
before the end of the week. He’s agreed to handle the scheduling as we
approach NEWTS, for some reason.” Evans looked completely bewildered by
that decision, though she avoided looking at Potter directly.

“Thirdly, due to an uptick in political attacks on Muggles, be prepared to

comfort Muggle-borns in your houses. It’s a very dangerous time for their
families, and we must serve as examples, as well as friends,” she insisted,
nodding at each of them. “If you find yourself with an inconsolable little one,
bring them to me. I’m happy to help.”
Evans smiled congenially at the group, “Now, you may begin your rounds. Mr.
Black, if you’ll remain please. Meadowes, you as well, if you’d prefer.”

“He’s on his own now,” Dorcas declined, shaking her head. “I just didn’t want
him to hex you for his unexpected promotion. That was for your safety,
Evans, not his.” She promptly turned and exited the carriage.

Eyeing Regulus warily, Evans frowned, “I hope you’re not intent on causing
trouble, Black.”

He ignored her, watching out the window instead. This was probably the
worst day he’d had in a very long time. Prefects were expected to do a ton of
extra work for nothing, and often were the first to be blamed by Heads of
Houses when things went awry. It was quite possibly the last position he’d
ever intended to find himself in.

“Potter, can you handle this?” Evans checked, glancing from Regulus to the
Head Boy in concern.

Nodding avidly, Potter smiled, “Of course. Go on, Evans.”

The moment the door closed, Potter was at his side, “I didn’t hear until I got
on the train! This is brilliant!” He grinned down at Regulus, “Especially if you
finally say ‘yes’. It’s much easier to sneak around as Prefects and I can
schedule us together for rounds.”

“Grand,” Regulus replied haplessly. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the

idea. All of that time, alone with Potter. Grand was right.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want it?” Potter asked, leaning down to meet his
eyes.

He shook his head dejectedly, “No, I don’t. It’s just more work and directs far
too much attention to me. It’s better if I can slink into the shadows and
disappear.”
“Regulus, you’ll be fine,” Potter insisted, dropping down to the bench. He
tugged Regulus’s sleeve insistently until he sat next to him. “Don’t worry,
alright? It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

Glancing up at him, Regulus fiddled with the badge, “I hate it already.”

Potter chuckled, then pulled out his wand, “Let me fix it.” He tapped the
badge and then grinned, “Is that better?”

Startled by the sudden change in its weight, Regulus stared down at the
badge. It looked exactly the same, but was far lighter. He frowned, trying to
examine it more closely, “What did you do?”

“Made it tin. That way it won’t pull on your robe so much. Plus, it doesn’t
bother Remus,” Potter explained, then quickly pressed his lips together.

His eyebrow slid upward of its own volition, “Why would my badge bother
Remus?”

Potter flinched, then shrugged, “I don’t know exactly. He thinks silver is

bougie and gets annoyed by it.” He quickly changed the subject, “So, does it
feel better?”

“Yes, actually,” Regulus admitted, ducking his head. “Thanks.” He’d given up
challenging every word from the other bloke’s mouth, finding it much easier
to accept defeat. Potter was entirely too charismatic for Regulus’s limited
willpower. At least for now.

“Good! Let’s get started on rounds then, yeah?”

“Alright.”
 Chapter 16: You Love It

Notes:

Am I spoiling you with multiple chapters a day because I am

obsessed with Regulus's reluctant simping? Yes, yes, I am.

Lily is suspicious. As she should be, really.

Humiliating Regulus in front of James just seems like a very

Slytherin thing to do, honestly. I'm here for it.

Chapter Text

“How did you manage that?” Evans demanded, shooting a glare at Potter.

“Manage what?” he asked, immediately defensive. “All I did was talk to him.”

She eyed him narrowly, “He was avidly against this position when I gave him
the pin, now he’s completely fine with it after five minutes alone with you, of
all people. What did you do? Did you confound him, or something?” Her voice
was filled with disbelief.

Potter huffed, “No! I’ve just spent more time with him than you. I know how
to calm him down.” He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin
defiantly, “What did you do that upset him?”

“On second thought, did he confound you?” she asked, squinting at Potter.
“He did mention that you were a bit afraid of him.” Evans frowned,
“Something about you knowing the consequences of interfering with him?”

He smirked, side-eying Regulus mischievously, “He's pretty quick with a hex.

Powerful too. No one’s likely to mess with him.”
Evans nodded slowly, “Dorcas said something similar. I can’t decide if that’s a
good thing or a bad thing.”

“Depends on whether or not you get on his bad side, I suppose,” Potter
offered with a shrug. “I would recommend the good side, personally. The bad
side is quite painful.”

“How would I do that?” Evans checked, studying Regulus carefully.

Potter snorted a laugh, “In my experience? Leave him alone and don’t ask
stupid questions.”

Regulus rolled his eyes, “You both realise I’m right here.”

“Alright then,” Evans said, glancing between them suspiciously. “Just do your
duties and I’ll leave you be. Understood?”

“Mmm,” Regulus hummed noncommittally, looking past her shoulder.

Evans sighed, “Fine, Potter. He’s your problem. Let’s avoid hexing bollocks
off, please.” She spun on her heel and walked away, her robes flying around
her.

“You don’t like her,” Potter noted, eyes flicking between Regulus and Evans’s
retreating back. “She’s not used to being blatantly ignored.”

“Can’t say I care one way or another,” Regulus replied curtly, adjusting his
tie. “So long as she stays out of my way, I don’t have a problem with her.”

Potter grinned, “Are you jealous?”

“Of what? Her? Hardly. Being Head Girl sounds awful,” Regulus retorted,
focused solely on arranging his uniform. They were expected to supervise the
train soon and he was actively avoiding making eye contact. He didn’t trust
himself at the moment, especially around Potter. Besides, forced eye contact
was stressful on a good day, and this was not a good day.
“Alright, if you say so,” Potter said, reaching up to fix the collar he was
fussing with. “You look fine, try to relax.”

Regulus’s eyes fluttered closed involuntarily as Potter’s fingers slid up his

neck to cup his jaw. The one thing that surprised him about their interactions
in the last few days was how comforting Potter’s touch could be. They hadn’t
kissed again since the surprise snog in the library, though Potter definitely
touched him more often. The warmth of his hand against Regulus’s skin was
annoyingly calming.

It was the small things that wore him down, like brushing hands when they
walked next to each other. Or soft caresses, like this, when Regulus was
clearly stressed. Nothing like the intensity of that kiss though. He would
never admit it, but he hadn’t thought of much else since it happened. Even
though he knew it was destructive, Regulus secretly hoped he’d try it again.

“That’s better, just breathe,” Potter whispered, stroking his fingers along the
line of his jaw.

Inhaling deeply, Regulus opened his eyes again. He was much closer now,
only several centimetres away. Regulus’s gaze fell to Potter’s lips against his
will, pulling his own bottom lip into his mouth and biting it. Just lean forward
a bit further and he would be able to-

“I just heard the good news!” Sirius exclaimed, suddenly appearing in the
doorway.

Pulling back abruptly, Regulus dropped his eyes to the floor. Potter didn’t
seem to notice, turning to address Sirius instead. Once the details were
explained to his brother, Sirius embraced him enthusiastically. Regulus patted
his arm with a placating hum, “Thank you, I guess.”

“Oh, Reggie. Leave it to you to focus on the negatives, instead of considering

all the new pranks we’ll be able to pull now!” Sirius enthused, hugging him
tighter.
“I’m not getting involved in your-“

Sirius hugged him tighter, squeezing the air out his chest, “Shhh! Don’t ruin
the moment!”

“Take it easy, he’s a bit overwhelmed,” Potter advised, distracting Sirius with
a folded piece of parchment. “Here, take this to Remus. He had a brilliant
idea for our first prank.”

Excitedly, Sirius grabbed the folded parchment and sprinted off, leaving
Regulus reeling in his wake. Potter offered a sympathetic grin and a
steadying hand on the side of his neck, “You alright?”

Regulus inhaled deeply, met Potter’s eyes, and then regretted every life
decision that brought him to this moment. Evan appeared in the hallway,
took one look at the two of them, and bolted back to their compartment. He
knew immediately what was about to happen and promptly grabbed Potter’s
sleeve to pull him down before it did. Potter stared at him in confusion as a
hex flew past his head, then threw his hands up in surrender as Barty
pointed a wand to his throat.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded. Eyes flitting over Potter’s face, he

narrowed his gaze menacingly. “Are you snogging my boyfriend?”

Openly annoyed, Potter just stared at the lanky bloke. He glanced at Regulus
for some sort of confirmation, and then frowned, “No. I wasn’t snogging
anyone.”

Barty scowled, eyes nearly disappearing, “Best not be. He’s mine, Potter.”

“We are not dating!” Regulus exclaimed, jumping to his feet and heading
toward the hall. “You’re a terrible friend and I hate you,” he tossed over his
shoulder.
“Nonsense! You adore me, and if anyone is going to get their hands on that
glorious arse of yours, it’s going to be me!” Barty insisted, abandoning Potter
and lunging at Regulus. “Come here and show me you love me!”

Regulus’s eyes widened as Barty grabbed his face and kissed him soundly. He
spluttered in protest, shoving him away, “Are you mental? Piss off!”

Barty patted his cheek and grinned, “Don’t pretend, you love it.”

Within seconds, Regulus’s wand was in his hand and Barty was pressed back
against the wall. Digging the end into the bloke’s sternum, Regulus muttered
as he wiped the saliva from his mouth. Barty dropped to the ground in a full
body bind, his asinine grin permanently etched on his face.

“Should I be concerned with how regularly you get snogged by surprise?”

Potter asked, his expression caught somewhere between murderous and
amused.

Mortified, Regulus turned the wand on him, “You did not see that.”

Potter arched one eyebrow, “Is this new, or are you that close with all of your
friends?”

His face burned with humiliation, “You. Did. Not. See. That.” Regulus
enunciated every single syllable with a sharp warning.

“Don’t you snog all of your friends?” said a sweet voice, seconds before she
grabbed Regulus’s tie and wrenched him down to her level. Pandora kissed
him softly on the end of his nose and then grinned, “Hello, lovely. I’ve missed
you.”

Regulus threw his hands out in frustration, “Have you all gone off it?”

Evan appeared in the hallway and promptly followed suit, kissing him on the
cheek and brushing his hair back tenderly, “Ah, Reg. Our favourite!”
“Stop it!” Regulus demanded, his face florid as he stalked away. The laughter
that poured out of Potter only added to his complete and total humiliation. It
was moments like these that made him question the logic of having friends in
the first place. Their absolute joy in embarrassing him at all opportunities
pointed to masochistic tendencies.

Behind him, Pandora confronted Potter with a stern reprimand, demanding

his ‘intentions’. When Potter chuckled and replied, “All of them, especially the
naughty ones,” Regulus bolted down the hall.

He ducked into the empty compartment at the end and slammed the door
closed, locking it before he crumpled against the bench. This was the worst
day of his entire life. Regulus decided that it couldn’t possibly get worse than
having his friends publicly announce they snogged him for fun, directly in
front of the bloke he fancied. There was simply nothing left to live for
anymore.

As the lock on the compartment fell, Regulus half-heartedly pointed his wand
at the doorway, “Piss off.”

“Stop pouting, we saved you from the worst mistake of your life!” Evan
announced, bounding into the compartment.

Pandora followed, “Exactly. You’re quite welcome.” She settled onto the
bench next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Barty peered in, eyeing Regulus before smirking widely, “Yeah, sure. We were
‘helping’, not just looking for an excuse to snog you for our own personal
enjoyment.”

“Do not speak to me. You might as well be dead, as far as I’m concerned,”
Regulus ground out, turning his head toward the window. His jaw was
clenched tight and his lips pressed firmly together.
“Always so bloody dramatic, Black!” Barty chastised, stepping into the
compartment.

Linking their hands together, Pandora rested her chin on his shoulder, “Now,
Regulus. We’re only looking out for you. Evan swears you were about to snog
Potter and we both know you would have regretted it later.”

“I was not,” Regulus denied, shaking his head curtly as he watched the trees
fly by.

Evan huffed, “You were too! Barty stares at me like that all the time!” He
crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Barty, “It’s disturbing how
frequently that happens, actually.”

“Can you blame me? Look at you!” Barty teased, leaning forward and running
his fingers through Evan’s hair. “Delicious.”

Swatting at him, Evan leaned violently away, “Stop that! I am not food!”

“I would definitely eat you,” Barty countered, chuckling as he leaned back

against the door.

Pandora waved her hand at the pair dismissively, “Alright, that’s enough.”
Turning to face Regulus again, she smoothed a hand over his back, “What
were you doing then? It looked awfully cosy in that compartment for mortal
enemies.”

“He’s not my mortal enemy…anymore,” Regulus admitted, refusing to meet

her gaze. “We sort of…get along. For Sirius’s sake, of course.” Liar. We're just
saying things and pretending they're real. Grand.

“Of course,” she placated softly. Leaning forward to see his face, Pandora
smiled, “You and I both know that’s a complete load of bollocks, but
whatever you need to tell yourself…” She trailed off with a pointed look.

Barty cleared his throat, “Are you intimating that they’ve already shagged?”
Studying Regulus closely, Pandora shook her head, “No, but they’ve definitely
snogged.”

“How do you know?” Evan asked, shifting further down the bench to get a
better look at Regulus. “Is there some sort of sign for things like that?”

“The same way I know when Barty’s gotten his end way,” Pandora replied
matter-of-factly. She gestured in his direction, “You all have tells.”

Barty cackled with laughter, “Right. My ‘tell’ is that I actually announce it

when I strut back into the room!”

Pandora sighed, “No, you twit. Your tell is that you stop licking your lips for
more than a minute.” She nodded toward Regulus, “For him, it’s that his
anxiety gets cut in half. If he’d been shagged, he wouldn’t be nearly this
tense.”

“We are not having this conversation,” Regulus interrupted, glaring at the
three of them. “What I do in my private time is no one’s business, but my
own.”

“Oh ho ho! Now Potter is your business, is he?” Barty laughed, launching
himself from the doorway. Dropping to his knees in front of Regulus, he
folded his arms over Regulus’s legs, “Tell me everything! Is he a good snog
at least?”

Huffing a laugh, Pandora pointed at him, “He must be decent because

Regulus protected him from that hex. If it had been shite, he wouldn’t have
bothered.”

“Fair point!” Evan agreed, nodding avidly. “Not to mention, he was definitely
looking for another one. I mean, I don’t even like you people, but if Regulus
looked at me like that I’d be sorely tempted,” he teased.

“I do look at you like that!” Barty shot back.

Evan rolled his eyes, “You look at everyone like that. Regulus does not, it
would be more meaningful from him.”

“I am not snogging you, Rosier,” Regulus groused.

“Thank Merlin for that!” he retorted. “Nearly gagged kissing your bloody
cheek!”

Pandora giggled, “You did not. You kiss my cheek all the time.”

“Only because you’re adorably naive and I love that about you,” Evan
corrected, pointing at her. “Do not take that as carte blanche to believe that I
like kissing you, or anyone else.”

“Oh Evan, I do love when you speak French!” Barty sighed dramatically,
clasping his hand to his chest. “Be still my beating heart!”

“Shove it, Crouch,” Evan grumbled.

Regulus fought back a grin, refusing to let their antics colour his fury with
them. He gripped hold of the anger and wallowed in it, trying to reclaim
some of the melancholy and indignation that he’d long clung to as
comfortable companions. A few obnoxious comments later and he caved,
unable to reach the depth of despair when a part of him was buoyed on the
quiet contentment he’d found with Potter.

It was infuriating, or should have been anyway, if he had the capacity for it.
He felt like he’d been stripped bare of his carefully constructed defences and
lay helplessly weak. Regulus wasn’t sure what to do with this feeling. Both
new and severely unwanted, this exposure of his vulnerabilities was
debilitating in some ways. He couldn’t stop himself from leaning into Potter’s
caresses any more than he could control his eyes as they followed the bloke’s
every bloody move.

Disconcerting wasn’t a strong enough word. Evan was rather fond of

‘disturbing’, but that didn’t fit either. Destructive was a bit far, though
probably the most accurate. Particularly if his mother heard about his
weakness for the Potter boy.

“It’s more than a fancy, isn’t it?” Pandora whispered, pressing a kiss to his
shoulder.

Regulus glanced up warily at the two blokes harassing each other before
meeting her gaze, “Not yet, but I’m afraid it will be, if I let it.”

Pandora released an amused breath, “It’s adorable that you think you have a
choice in the matter.”

“You think it’s inevitable then?” he asked, worry marring his brow.

She nodded, “You’re dealing with an experienced romantic with several years
of wooing practice under his belt. He’s clever enough to figure you out and
charismatic enough to pull it off.”

“He said he could be discreet, but I have my doubts.”

A snort of laughter escaped before she clapped a hand over her mouth, “Not
a chance. He’s the opposite of discreet.”

“I’ve been putting him off for the last three days. Is stalling him an exercise
in futility?” Regulus checked, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth. If he was
honest with himself, he already knew the answer to that question.

“Knowing Potter? Yes. He’s arrogant and annoying, but he isn’t stupid,
Regulus,” she pointed out. Pandora trailed a finger along his spine until he
shivered, “He won’t let a catch like you escape without a fight, you know that
right?”

Regulus sighed, “He’s so fit he’s impossible to ignore, ridiculously persistent,

and cloyingly sweet. What am I supposed to do with a bloke like that,
Pandora?”
“Shag him senseless?” she suggested, a grin slipping over her lips.

“It’s not that simple, he wants a real relationship.” Shaking his head, Regulus
rubbed his hand over his face, “On top of everything else, if she finds out,
she’ll hurt him.”

Pandora’s face fell, “Oh Regulus.”

He nodded slowly, “I know. If I’m foolish enough to pursue this, we’d have to
be careful.”

“Not just careful, love. Secret,” she corrected.

 Chapter 17: Don't Get Attached

Notes:

TW: Mention/reference to child abuse/Crucio as punishment. I

hate Walburga with every fibre of my being.

When and where Regulus fell, and fell hard.

James outing himself to Sirius in real time is entirely

predictable.

Remus knows best.

Chapter Text

“Reggie!” Sirius bellowed down the hallway.

Spinning around, Regulus waited for him to catch up, “Sirius?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Sirius huffed,
screeching to a halt.

Regulus smirked, “The one place you'll never go.”

Sirius tilted his head to the side and frowned, “The library? I definitely
checked there.”
“No, the Slytherin Common Room. I was studying with Barty,” Regulus
replied, lips twitching with amusement. “You really should go to the library at
some point, Sirius. You have NEWTs in a few months.”

“Don’t worry, Remus is dragging me with him tomorrow night,” Sirius

groused. “Worst date ever.”

Chuckling lightly, Regulus shook his head, “I think it sounds nice. How about
if Remus takes me on the library date instead?”

“No! He’s my boyfriend! If you think for a second I’m not going to drag him
into the stacks for a cheeky snog, you’re mental,” Sirius retorted, prodding
Regulus’s shoulder.

“That still sounds nice,” Regulus sighed wistfully, dropping his gaze to the
books in his arms. Once he’d collected himself, he smiled at Sirius and
waved, “Have fun. I’m late for Defence.” Sirius waved distractedly, his face
screwed up in thought.

As he slipped into the back of the class unnoticed, Regulus breathed a small
sigh of relief. He’d managed to sneak in while the professor’s back was
turned, saving him from detention. It was rare that he received them, but
given his tendency to wander the castle and grounds aimlessly…he’d gotten a
few. He’d prefer not to end the first day of classes post-hols with a
reprimand.

Pandora automatically handed him her notes, never taking her eyes off of the
book in front of her. Whispering his thanks, Regulus quickly copied them and
caught up to the professor’s current topic. He glanced up in time to see the
professor introduce a large beetle. Surprised to see an actual animal in
Defence class, he sat up straight and studied the creature.

“Alright, I will begin our next spell with a few warnings and advisements. This
beetle has been given a pain tonic, so while it will still react strongly to this
spell, I assure you that it feels no pain,” he said quickly, lifting the container
in the air. “I would never purposefully harm a defenceless creature simply for
a lesson.”

Regulus nodded along with the rest of the class, curious what sort of hex
they’d be learning today. Surely if it was pain inducing they wouldn’t practise
on each other. Just the thought made his skin crawl a bit…

“Crucio!”

Out of sheer instinct, Regulus dropped to the floor and covered his head. The
fear consumed him as he waited for the sharp bolts of pain to surge through
his limbs and render him unconscious. He never handled physical pain well,
his mother called it his fatal flaw.

The beetle shrieked and Regulus’s head snapped up in surprise. The

professor was pointing his wand at the creature as it spasmed wildly. Regulus
gasped in horror and gripped the arm that Pandora dropped around his
shoulders from her seat. She hushed him softly, holding his face against her
side so he couldn’t see.

He could still hear it though, and the sound ripped through his chest like a
thousand knives. Covering his ears, he wished fervently to disappear, to be
anywhere but this room right now. Even through the muffled air, the shrieks
broke through, making him shudder.

“I think that’s enough, professor!” Barty shouted, standing up from his seat
so abruptly that it scraped loudly against the floor.

The shrieking stopped and Pandora’s arm relaxed as she inhaled deeply.
Regulus swallowed hard as he pulled back from the safety of her robes and
was surprised to see that he wasn’t the only one trembling in fear. Three
other Slytherins and two Ravenclaws were having their own meltdowns.

As the professor glanced around the room, his hand clasped to his mouth. He
took a deep, steadying breath before speaking again, “I had no idea…I
apologise, profusely apologise.” The defence instructor was new this year and
either very green or particularly inept.

Regulus surreptitiously slid back into his seat, beyond grateful he’d been late
enough to take a seat at the back. Normally, he sat up front with Barty and
Evan. Inhaling deeply through his mouth and out through his nose like Ms.
Pomfrey taught him, his heart rate slowly returned to normal. The anxiety
attacks were infrequent these days, but an unexpected Crucio would
certainly set one off.

Laying his forehead against the cool surface of the desk, he desperately tried
to erase the memories that surged back with the word. He didn’t receive
nearly as many as Sirius, he’d feigned respect far better than his habitually
argumentative brother. The pain was always the worst part for him, but
Sirius hated the mental strain far more. He swore his mind would fracture a
little each time. Regulus was so overcome by the pain, he never stayed
awake long enough to experience that bit. The sharp twinges immediately
made him pass out. Sweet relief really.

“I believe that’s enough for one day,” the professor said quietly. “You’re
dismissed.”

Regulus felt Pandora’s hand on his elbow, guiding him up from his seat,
“Come along, love. I know what will make you feel better.”

“Firewhiskey would help,” Regulus muttered, collecting his books.

“Even better,” she promised, looping her arm through his and leading him
down the hall.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Regulus lectured his muscles to stop
twitching. There was no curse to react to and no reason to panic. It was over,
he was fine. Just bloody fine-

“Oi! Head Boy! Over here!” Pandora called out suddenly.

Regulus jerked back in surprise, eyes blinking open in time to see Potter race
across the corridor toward them. He glared at Pandora, “Do not even think-“

“You hush. I promised to make you feel better and I have it on good
authority that the Head Boy is extremely comforting,” she whispered with a
mischievous grin.

Potter’s hand clasped his shoulder as he leaned down to meet Regulus’s

eyes, “What’s wrong? You’re shaking like a leaf!” He glanced at Pandora,
“What happened?”

“That putz of a Defence professor just performed a Crucio in class!” she

exclaimed, lifting her hand to cup Regulus’s cheek. “He had a complete
meltdown, poor thing. I have to run to the library, can you take him-“

“To the hospital wing, of course,” Potter agreed readily.

Pandora feigned a giant sigh of relief, “Much appreciated. Glad you were
nearby.”

“Not a problem,” he replied, swivelling Regulus around and guiding him

toward the infirmary.

The glare Regulus aimed at her had to be deadly, because she ducked behind
a group of Hufflepuffs to avoid it, then sprinted up the stairs. Regulus was in
the midst of compiling a list of ways to seek revenge on the tiny twit when he
realised they were no longer headed toward the infirmary. Glancing around,
he vaguely recognised this hallway as one on the seventh floor. As James led
him back and forth down the same hallway several times, Regulus sighed.

“Why are we walking in circles? I really don’t need the nurse,” he insisted.
“Just a strong drink and a kip, then I’ll be fine.”

A door that he was pretty certain wasn’t there on their last pass by stood
ominously in front of them. Potter pushed it open and led Regulus into a
massive hearth room of sorts. It was small, but comfortable, with a roaring
fire at the hearth and a large red overstuffed chair.

“I agree, you don’t need a nurse,” Potter replied, plopping into the chair and
tugging him closer. “Come here, Regulus. Just sit and relax for a minute,
yeah?”

“Sit where? There’s only one chair?” he pointed out, gesturing broadly at the
room.

Sighing in exasperation, Potter leaned forward and grabbed the back of

Regulus’s hips. Startled, he flailed as he was dragged into Potter’s chair. Once
he landed unceremoniously in his lap, Regulus attempted to scramble to his
feet.

“Regulus! Would you relax? Please, sit,” Potter instructed, firmly depositing
him across his thighs and wrapping him up in his arms. A warm knitted
blanket slid over them both. “I promise it will help, don’t overthink it.
Nothing awkward or intimate about it, just breathe.”

“Isn’t this a bit…”

Potter shook his head, “No, it’s fine. I hold Sirius, and even Remus
sometimes, when they need it. Just let it happen, Reg.”

As much as he wanted to force himself to climb right back out of this chair,
Regulus was now entirely too warm and comfortable to do so. He couldn’t be
bothered to question it further. Potter said it was fine and Regulus made the
intentional decision to trust him on that. Resting his head against Potter’s
shoulder, he felt his body relax. It was still quaking, though the muscle
spasms were finally calming at least.

He remained quiet, which surprised Regulus. Potter always seemed to have

something to say. Closing his eyes, he surrendered to the warmth and the
steady beat of Potter’s heart. The gentle rhythm lulled him to sleep rather
quickly.

* * * * *

A door hinge protested noisily, followed by a flurry of footsteps. A voice

demanded…something. He could hear it, but couldn’t be bothered to sort out
the words. Regulus was entirely too cosy and warm and...safe. Oh. He was
safe. That was a nice change.

As the thought landed hard in his mind, Regulus stirred. He nuzzled deeper
into the neck of someone safe, mumbling incoherently. The voice cut short,
then released an exasperated huff. A soft rumble in the chest of his safe
person caught his attention. It sounded like…

“James, why didn’t you just bring him to the Tower?”

“He was shaking, Sirius. I wasn’t sure he’d make it that far. Did you hear
what that toff in Defence did? What an arsehole.”

A soft sigh, “Yes, I heard. Pandora found me on the stairs and went on quite
the rant. She wants him fired, and I can’t blame her, the lunatic deserves it.”

“I agree. What possible reason would he have for illustrating that curse?”

“Besides triggering purebloods? Can’t imagine,” Sirius replied, shaking his

head.

“He’s on the bloody list, I don’t care if he’s a professor or not.”

The chair shifted slightly as a weight settled in on one arm, “She said he hit
the floor and hid in her robes as soon as the word left his mouth. I know that
fear well. He used to hide behind me.”

“She used it on him too?”

“Sometimes, but only to keep me in line. She knew he was my weakness. I’d
take the brunt of them to protect him.”

“Do you think she still does?” Potter asked, his body tensing.

“Merlin, I hope not. He’s a good four inches taller than her now, and likely
stronger too.”

“I can’t even conceive of using an unforgivable on anyone, let alone your own
children. Just disgusting.”

“He was sort of lucky though, he passed out cold every time. Never suffered
very long. I know that sounds dire, don’t look at me like that.”

“If I ever run into your mother on the street, I’d be sorely tempted to give it
a go.”

“Don’t bother, she’s well aware of how it feels. It’s a Black family traditional
child-rearing method. Time tested, she claimed.”

“That explains so much,” Potter retorted, his voice not much above a harsh
whisper.

“Doesn’t it? I always thought so too.”

A long, pensive silence filled the room. Regulus was partially awake now, but
in no hurry to disturb his cocoon of safety and warmth. It wasn’t often he felt
safe and he wanted to soak up as much as possible while he could. Besides,
the soft sandalwood of Potter’s cologne was nice.

“How long has he been out?”

“Not sure, what time is it now?”

“Just after four.”

“About an hour then, the class was released early,” Potter said quietly.
“Do you want me to take a turn?”

“No, I don’t want to wake him up trying to fumble around. He’s not heavy
anyway, all legs.”

“Any idea why Pandora chose you?”

“I was conveniently located, I think. Plus, Head Boy and all.”

“Right, of course.”

“What’s with the tone? You doubt that?”

“It just seems a bit…coincidental,” Sirius noted.

“How’s that?”

“James.”

“What?”

“You can’t be that oblivious to yourself.”

Silence filled the air again, but this time it was tense. Regulus felt Potter’s
arms tighten around him protectively, as though he expected Sirius to drag
him away. He noted the harsh swallow Potter took before he spoke.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do. Don’t be a twat, just admit it.”

“Are you…angry?” Potter checked hesitantly.

“No, but I hate that you thought you couldn’t tell me straight out.”

“We haven’t really talked about it, Sirius. There’s nothing to tell. I asked him
out three days ago and he hasn’t answered yet. I think he’ll say ‘yes’…well, I
hope he does.”
“Has he said anything?”

“Well, no.”

“James, don’t get attached. Give him the space to sort himself out, mate.”

“Too late.”

“James!”

“I can’t help it! Just look at him, how could I not?”

“I should hex your bollocks off, you knob,” Sirius growled.

“You won’t though.”

“Arsehole.”

“I didn’t even do anything!”

“You swear it?”

“Alright, I may have snogged him once.”

“James!”

“Sorry!”

Sirius inhaled sharply, “You’re incredibly lucky I like you. I wasn’t nearly as
nice to that bloody Hufflepuff.”

“What Hufflepuff?”

“The one who broke it off with him last year. He tried to pretend like it didn’t
bother him, but it did. I could see it. Coerced Pandora to give me his name
and hexed him good, the prick.”

“Oh.”
“Oh?”

“I’d like his name as well.”

“James, no. I already handled it.”

“Fine. On a completely unrelated note, our next prank should be on the

Hufflepuff boys’ dorm. I’m thinking something poisonous.”

“Actually, I’m on board with that idea. Maybe a specific Hufflepuff boys’ dorm
though. Wouldn’t want to injure too many people at once, that just draws too
much attention,” Sirius suggested, nodding avidly.

“Agreed. What are we thinking? Acromantula or-“

Regulus grumbled, “You’re both mental.”

“How long have you been awake?” Sirius demanded, leaning in closer.

“No idea,” Regulus mumbled, refusing to move from his hiding spot. Despite
knowing full well he’d been awake for seven and a half minutes, he
shrugged. His face was firmly pressed into Potter’s lovely, deep bronze neck
while his body was tucked in between his strong arms and chest. He knew
he’d have to give it up soon enough, but he wasn’t going to be the one to
initiate its end.

Sirius prodded his shoulder, “You alright?”

“I’ve been better,” he replied. That was a complete lie, but Sirius didn’t need
to know that. Regulus had never felt more relaxed, content, or just bloody
safe in his entire life.

“Mind coming out of there, so I can see you?”

“Hard pass.”

“Reggie.”
“Sirius.”

“James?”

“You’re joking, right?” Potter huffed. "No way."

“This is ridiculous.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Stop that! It was cute when you were five, Reggie. Now, it’s just petulant.”

“Big word for you.”

“Oh piss off!”

“Oi! Be nice,” Potter intervened, scowling at Sirius.

“He’s making fun of me!”

“And when it’s your turn for trauma recovery, you can be snippy too.”

“James, do not start with me. It was enough of a heart attack to see your
names together on the-“

“Leave it, Sirius. Nothing to worry about, clearly.”

“Yet.”

“Go away,” Regulus muttered.

“Absolutely not.”

The door swung open and Remus’s voice called out, “What possible reason
would the three of you…what’s going on?”

“Reggie had a shite day and now he won’t let go.”

“So? They’re just cuddling, Sirius. You’ve done the same with James after a
night terror.” Remus rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yes, but not for over an hour.”

“He was taking a kip!” Potter defended.

“And now he’s awake!”

Remus heaved a deep sigh, “Regulus? Are you alright in there?”

“Mm-hmm, he’s warm,” he hummed.

“That he is,” Remus agreed. He reached past the chair and grabbed Sirius’s
arm, “Come on, it’s almost dinner time.”

Sirius whined, “I can’t just leave…this.”

“You really, really can. Please? I’m hungry.”

“Alright, Moons,” he acquiesced, “we’ll get you fed.” Sirius glared at Potter,
“No hinky stuff!”

“Got it, no kinky stuff,” Potter agreed, chest shaking with internalised
laughter. Before Sirius could have a full blown tantrum, Remus whisked him
out of the room with a threat to start a riot if he didn’t eat soon.
 Chapter 18: Defending Us
Chapter Text

Pandora climbed into the alcove with him and prodded his knee, “Budge up a
bit, then tell me everything.”

She knew exactly where to find him when he wanted to be alone, though she
rarely respected his desire to be alone in the first place. Pandora refused to
acknowledge that hiding helped and tended to drag him out eventually. At
least here, in this abandoned outbuilding, no one else could find him.

It was fairly close to the Forbidden Forest, but as long as he stayed quiet,
Regulus didn’t draw attention from there either. He was content with his hole
in the wall, exposed to a beautiful view of the woods and no voices cluttering
up the space. Until now, anyway.

He pulled his legs up and shifted further back, “There’s nothing to tell.”

“Liar. You were gone for hours yesterday, and then barely made it to dinner
with your hair all mussed up,” she persisted, tapping her leg against his. “Did
you at least snog him?”

“No, he just sort of held me while I took a kip. Then, I made a hasty,
awkward exit and have avoided him ever since,” Regulus rattled off, staring
glumly at the cracks in the stone wall ahead of him.

Pandora huffed, “Regulus! Why?”

“I don’t bloody well know!”

“Did you talk to him at least?” she pressed, leaning in closer. “Tell him you
fancy him back?”

“No…I just sort of erm…ran.”

She shook her head, “I know you like your space, but it’s not like you to act
so cowardly.”

Regulus huffed, “Thank you, Pandora. That makes me feel so much better
about the whole situation.” He ruffled his hair in frustration, “I can’t get past
the fear of what she’d do if she found out. What if she hurts him?”

“She hasn’t hurt Sirius since he left? Surely she knows what he means to
you,” Pandora pointed out. “Sirius, if anyone, would be a far more poignant
target for her, I’d think. She’d be punishing you and him.”

“You have a point.”

Patting his knee, she smiled softly, “I know that’s not the only reason. What
else has you tied in knots?”

“I don’t want to hurt him myself. I'm not a nice person,” Regulus admitted.
He toyed with the end of his robe, “What if I can’t stop myself from saying or
doing something awful? I don’t think I could bear it if he looked at me with
hatred, even if I deserved it.”

“That’s going a bit far, you don’t hurt any of us?”

Regulus shook his head, “Only because you don’t take things personally. I tell
the lot of you that I hate you on a near daily basis. I’ve shoved Barty into the
lake at least a half dozen times, even though he’s terrified of it. Evan won’t
even walk outside with me anymore after I hexed him last time.”

“Well, for one thing, we know you don’t actually hate us, it’s how you express
frustration. For another, Barty isn’t terrified of the lake, he just enjoys taking
the piss out of you,” she continued, rolling her eyes. “You don’t have to be
mean to him, you realise that?”

“Yes, I do. It’s as much a part of me as any other,” Regulus insisted. He

threw his hands out, “Potter gets really annoyed by it sometimes. Others, he
laughs it off.”
Pandora released an amused breath, “It’s just something he’ll have to get
used to then. I’m sure you’ll have to adjust to his idiosyncrasies too.”

“You mean idiocies,” he corrected, fighting back a grin. “I do enjoy watching

him antagonise Sirius though, it’s rather amusing.”

“That’s fair, actually,” she agreed, grinning back at him. “Just this morning
the two of them were teasing each other and Sirius ended up with syrup in
his hair. Threw a royal fit too. Lupin had to escort him out.”

Regulus chuckled softly, “Yesterday they were going back and forth so fast, I
could barely keep up. It was annoying, but entertaining.”

She poked his dimple, “There it is. He makes you laugh, that’s a good sign.
You know you can’t hide from him forever, Regulus.”

“I know, he always finds me anyway,” Regulus admitted. “The dorm is the

only place he can’t go and I can only handle so much of Barty and Evan’s
quarrelling.”

A soft laugh escaped her, “They are as bad as each other.”

“If I thought Evan liked blokes, I’d think it was sexual tension,” Regulus
teased, leaning into her shoulder.

“Right? I’m not convinced Evan likes anyone though. He’s never shown much
interest,” she agreed.

Regulus nodded, “He’s said as much. Just doesn’t find the whole idea
appealing.”

Resting her head against his shoulder, she nodded slowly, “I think I’m the
opposite. I like everyone. Problem is, they don’t seem to like me.”

“They just don’t know you, that’s all.”

“Hard to get to know me when you lot are the only ones I talk to,” she
replied, shaking her head.

He shrugged, “Don’t the other houses have parties? You could go?”

“Ravenclaw definitely doesn’t, but I know Hufflepuff and Gryffindor do. Just
never been invited.”

“You wouldn’t go alone anyway, would you?” Regulus checked.

Pandora scoffed, “Right, so I can sit in a corner and get pissed? No thanks.”
She stretched her arms behind her head, “You know…there’s a Gryffindor
match coming up. They always have parties after, if they win.”

Nodding, he eyed her warily, “What’s your point?”

“We should go.”

“Me? You want me to go to a Gryffindor party? It’s official, you’ve gone off it,”
he refuted, rolling his eyes. “Even if I wasn’t abhorrently against the idea, I
doubt they would be thrilled to see a Slytherin in their Common Room.”

She nudged his knee with her own, “I know someone would be thrilled to see
you there.”

Regulus sighed, “I don’t want to create conflict, and it would draw far too
much attention.”

“You overestimate your importance,” she teased. Pandora smoothed out her
robes as she shifted toward the opening, “While your name garners you
plenty of respect in the dungeons, in the towers it’s as meaningless as mine.
If anyone’s going to rat you out to your mum, it won’t be a Gryffindor. Most
of them aren’t even purebloods to begin with.”
As she dropped out of the alcove, Pandora turned to lean on the edge, “Think
about it, alright? If you can get an invitation, I’ll go with you. Might do both
of us some good.”

“You keep saying that, but I’m not sure you know what it means,” he replied
snarkily.

“No, you just refuse to accept what, or who, is good for you!” she objected,
swatting at his arm. Pandora’s head snapped to the side as she peered over
her own shoulder. The woods were restless today, he’d noticed that himself.

Regulus ducked into the back of the alcove, out of her reach, “You’re
delusional and so is he. This entire endeavour is doomed to failure.”

Tilting her head to the side, she studied him, “You believe that.”

“Of course I do, experience has taught me it’s inevitable. They always leave
eventually, so if I see it coming I end it first,” Regulus huffed, crossing his
arms over his chest. “Either I’m too clingy or too distant, I’m never enough.”

“Oh Regulus-” Pandora’s sorrowful eyes cut him to the bone.

It was entirely too late in the day for pity. He didn’t have the energy to fend
her off and was short on temper control as well. “Don’t pity me, it is what it
is.” He waved at her dismissively, “Just go on, I’ll be in soon.”

Pandora glanced behind her and frowned, “What is that noise?”

“What noise?” he checked, eyeing the woods warily.

“Some sort of…grunting, I think? It sounds like an animal,” she said, stepping
away from the alcove’s entrance.

“Pandora, do not go into the woods!” Regulus lectured, scrambling out of the
alcove after her. “Last time, the wood nymphs nearly set you on fire-”
A loud grunt and ruffling wings stopped him cold. He inhaled sharply and
reached out to grab Pandora’s shoulder, “Move very slowly, back away.”

She did as she was bid, stepping back silently as he guided her behind him.
Regulus’s hand slowly withdrew his wand from his robe pocket. Careful not to
point it at the creature, he held it firmly in his hand. The sharp eyes of the
hippogriff eyed him warily as it paced in front of them. A massive creature,
its wings ruffled in agitation along its back. It was clearly annoyed. Whether
it was because of their presence so close to the forest, or something else, he
wasn’t sure.

Regulus waited, looking for some sign of its intent. He wasn’t about to bow to
an angry hippogriff; the bloody thing would likely slice him to pieces.
Instead, he remained as calm as possible and maintained eye contact. Not
wanting to appear threatening, he kept his arms at his sides. If the animal
planned to attack, it would already have done so. It appeared more curious
than angry, now that he’d observed it, though its wings ruffled regularly.

“What’s it doing?” Pandora whispered, peering over his shoulder.

“I have no idea,” Regulus answered. “I just hope it doesn’t see us as a

threat.”

A bleating sound startled all three of them as a thunder of hooves bounded

over the lawn. Regulus blinked rapidly at the massive stag that appeared
from nowhere, headed straight for him. He heard Pandora gasp as he backed
her up against the wall, his wand raised in front of his chest. Suddenly, the
animal was no longer focused on him, but instead on the hippogriff.

The deer slowed its approach, stepping between Regulus and the hippogriff.
It lifted its antlers high in the air and straightened to its full height, eyes
narrowing. Snorting, the stag pawed at the ground in warning. As the
hippogriff watched intently, the stag let out a low grunt and waved its antlers
menacingly. Toe to toe, the animals were similar in height from antler tip to
hoof and head to talon.
“Regulus? What’s happening?” she whispered, her breath hot and frantic on
the back of his neck. He felt her hands gripping his robe anxiously.

“The stag is either defending us, or just really hates hippogriffs,” Regulus
replied quietly.

A loud curse was quickly followed by a flurry of black hair and a wild bark.
Regulus jumped, wrapping his free arm around Pandora behind him and
pointing his wand at the third animal to join the fray. As soon as the massive
bear-shaped dog paused, he breathed out a sigh of relief. That relief was
short-lived when his mind caught up. If the dog was Sirius, that meant the
stag was…merde.

Padfoot bounded around the two animals, barking like mad at both of them.
He snapped his teeth at the stag’s legs and leaped at the hippogriff playfully.
As the stand-off continued, the hippogriff’s attention was divided between
the two of them. It clawed at the dog when it came too close, then hissed at
the stag.

“For fuck’s sake,” Remus shouted, running toward Regulus. He tapped the
stag on the rump as he passed and cast a shield charm over Regulus and
Pandora. “What is going on?” Remus demanded, eyeing the three animals.

“We were in the alcove,” Pandora said, nodding toward the opening three
metres away. “When I climbed out, the hippogriff was there and wouldn’t let
me leave. Regulus got between us and then the stag appeared, followed by
the…is that a dog? Where did a dog come from?” She leaned her chin against
his shoulder, “Have you ever seen a dog in the Forbidden Forest?”

Regulus shook his head, “No.”

Taking a deep breath, Remus let out a low whistle. The dog’s ears perked up
and his head snapped toward the three of them. He winked and then
continued his harassment of both animals. Remus huffed, “You arsehole! Get
out of there!”
Padfoot ignored him, bounding around the two much larger creatures in a
circle. After several overly excited lunges at the hippogriff, the animal swiped
out fiercely with its claws, barely missing him. Remus jumped forward and
growled, the deep, rattling sound bursting from his chest. The sound startled
the hippogriff and it began backing away slowly, its eyes darting between the
stag and Remus.

At the sudden change in dynamics, the stag began an aggressive

combination of shaking its antlers and bleating loudly. The hippogriff shrank
back, its movements uncertain as it stepped into the shelter of the treeline.
Padfoot bounded over to Remus’s side and planted himself beside the bloke,
watching the stag steadily continue forward, encouraging the hippogriff’s
retreat.

“This is…” Pandora whispered, her voice disappearing into the air.

“Agreed,” Regulus whispered back, relaxed now that the shield charm was in
place. He glanced at Remus curiously, “I’ve never heard a person make that
sound before.”

Pandora nodded against his shoulder, “I have, but not as a threat. Lupin
seems to know the dog, it’s protecting him now.”

She was right. Padfoot’s hackles raised as he bared his teeth at the
hippogriff. He no longer seemed interested in toying with the two animals.
Every time Remus shifted, Padfoot moved with him, remaining between him
and the stag. A sharp bark of warning sounded when the hippogriff stepped
forward instead of back. The animal reconsidered, withdrawing its paw.

The situation was still tense, but appeared to be under control. As the stag
stepped forward, the hippogriff hissed and swiped, then stepped back. It was
a dance of sorts and the stag was finally leading. Shaking its antlers one last
time, the stag charged. Regulus’s breath caught in his chest as he watched
the two creatures disappear into the woods. Padfoot bolted after them,
barking wildly and gnashing his teeth. With a low curse, Remus chased after
him.

As soon as all four were out of sight, Pandora grabbed his arm and dragged
him back toward the gardens. “We are getting out of here, now!” she
insisted, watching the treeline over her shoulder every few steps. “If that fool
wants to chase a dog into the woods, then he can bloody well save himself!”

“Shouldn’t we tell someone?” Regulus asked, struggling not to panic.

Potter might be intimidating as a stag, but he wasn’t convinced he could

actually take down a hippogriff. Chewing his lip, he followed Pandora, but he
kept his eyes locked on the treeline. They were nearly at the castle by the
time Remus stepped out of the woods and waved him off.

Breathing in deeply, he waved back and turned away. Pandora scoffed, “Well,
at least he made it out. The ruddy idiot.”

Regulus nodded mutely, pulling open the big wooden door and shooing her
inside. Moving quickly, they made their way down to the dungeons, as far
away from the chaos they’d just witnessed as possible. As they hurried by,
Regulus spotted the groundskeeper bolting out a side exit. He was still
holding a sandwich in one hand, but the other was flailing at students while
he shouted for a clear path.
 Chapter 19: Couch-Boy

Notes:

Barty is feeling a bit...left out? Overlooked? Jealous?

Pandora is not having it. She's on a mission of her own...

Chapter Text

“He’s sitting with us, now piss off!” Barty snapped, wand aimed at Sirius’s
belly.

Rolling his eyes, Sirius shoved his wand away, “Reel it in, Crouch. I wasn’t
even talking to you.”

“Barty, relax,” Regulus admonished. He shook his head at Sirius, “I don’t

think that’s a good idea. Gryffindors get a bit tetchy when Slytherins are
around, you know that.”

“Fine, then I’ll sit with you,” Sirius said, shrugging.

Regulus inhaled sharply, “That’s even worse.”

Snorting a laugh, Evan leaned against the wall of the castle, “Right, I’d like to
see you make it through the whole match without getting hexed. Especially
since it's against Hufflepuff, we rather like them.”

“Sirius, let’s just go,” Peter pleaded, eyes flicking between Barty and Evan
warily.

“No, I want to sit with my brother,” he pouted, crossing his arms over his
chest. “I haven’t seen you all week.”
That was not entirely true. They’d run into each other in the hallway twice
and had that…altercation outside of the Forbidden Forest on Tuesday.
Granted, Regulus was doing his best to avoid any and all Gryffindors at the
moment, for his sanity’s sake. He could feel himself slipping and desperately
needed to hold it together. Every time Potter came within visual range, he
couldn’t help but stare. It was getting out of hand…again.

Despite Pandora’s assurances, he wasn’t convinced that it was safe for either
of them. If his mother found out, he’d definitely face some sort of retaliation.
She didn’t care about the bounds of the ministry or what would happen to
her, his mother cared only about the Black family name and its lineage. It
was her last chance to keep the name alive. He was the last male to carry
the name forward in the future.

Pity then that he was so very gay. There was no chance of him agreeing to
bed a woman and even less of him agreeing to marry one. He might never
find happiness, but putting himself, and her, in life-long misery was equally
out of the question. No one deserved a relationship built on lies, and any
match he made with a woman would be just that.

Pulled from his musings, Regulus caught Barty’s wand mid-swipe, “Stop it.
We can all sit with Pandora. The Ravenclaws can’t be bothered with house
rivalries outside of tracking the points.”

Evan scoffed, “Pass. You lot can battle over Regulus, if you like. I'm sitting in
our stands.”

“Fine with me,” Sirius answered easily, a smug grin lighting his face.

“Fine,” agreed Barty, still glaring at Sirius.

Regulus sighed heavily as he turned away from both of them. After his
interest in Potter became more obvious, Barty became incredibly defensive.
He didn’t trust Gryffindors on the whole, which was part of it, but he also
didn’t trust Potter especially. Every time the name came up this week, Barty’s
face contorted with fury and his body tensed. Sirius was connected to Potter,
so he was treated with equal suspicion.

It was exhausting Regulus to listen to his grumblings about the

‘blood-traitors’. He knew better than most that Barty didn’t actually care
much about that sort of thing, but his father certainly did. While Barty Sr.
was a well-respected ministry man, unassuming in a lot of ways, his thoughts
on blood purity were…intense. The bloke was nearly as fanatical as his own
parents, which was saying something.

Peter fell into step next to him as Sirius and Barty continued to quarrel
behind them. He grinned up at him, “How has your week been? Miss the
Potters yet?”

“It’s been busy, I suppose,” Regulus said quietly. He wasn’t sure if Peter was
aware of the hippogriff incident, but he’d chosen to keep it quiet from Barty
and Evan. Pandora agreed that it was unbelievable at best and sounded
delusional at worst.

“He’s still waiting for your answer,” Peter pointed out, nodding toward the
sky.

Ignoring the comment, Regulus glanced up, watching the red speck loop
around the hoops while a yellow one zipped past the announcer’s stand. The
team Captains were zipping around the pitch, verifying everything was in
order for the match. As they caught up with the crowd, Regulus refocused on
the people around him. It took Pandora a full thirty seconds to spot him, then
another five minutes to work her way through the crowd.

“Hey, what are you doing all the way over here?” she asked, slipping past a
tall bloke. Pandora wrapped her arm around his waist in an effort to stay with
him against the crowd’s tide.

“We’re sitting with you today,” Peter answered, smiling politely at her. “I’m
Peter Pettigrew, by the way. You’re Pandora?”
She smiled back, “Correct. Nice to meet you, Peter.” Turning to Regulus, her
face lit up, “Really? Sitting with me for a match?”

Regulus nodded, then glanced back at Sirius and Barty, now walking in stony
silence behind him. He rolled his eyes momentarily in her direction to give
context. Pandora watched the pair for a moment, then sighed, “Barty’s still at
it then?”

“He is,” Regulus replied curtly.

Pandora squeezed him tighter, “Give him time to adjust to the idea. He’s just
a bit jealous, I think.”

“That’s foolish,” he huffed, draping his arm over her shoulders. “Barty knows
I’m not interested in him.”

“Knowing it is one thing, accepting it is another,” Pandora advised, shrugging

lightly.

Peter led the way up the stairs to the Ravenclaw stands. He puffed a bit as
he went, his shorter legs making things difficult. Pandora smiled to herself as
she watched Regulus shuffle a bit to keep from tripping over Peter’s feet with
too long of a stride. Once they reached the top, Regulus glanced around for
an open spot.

Pandora didn’t hesitate, dragging him along to the top of the stands while
Peter hurried to keep up. She leaned in close to Regulus, “I’ll keep Barty
distracted during the match, alright?”

He nodded, mouthing ‘thank you’.

As they stepped onto the last row, Pandora released him and latched onto
Barty. She immediately assaulted him with a barrage of questions about
quidditch. Her eyes were blown wide with the enthusiasm of a small child.
Sirius swivelled around Regulus to take a seat on his opposite side while
Peter followed suit, sitting next to Sirius. Regulus was relieved when Pandora
plopped down next to him and eagerly invited Barty to sit with her.

“I never realised you knew so much about quidditch!” she gushed, patting his
arm. “I can never remember the positions, but I remember the balls. The
quiffle and the badger, right? Then the little one is a stitch.”

Barty’s brow furrowed as he shook his head, “No, no. That’s not it. The
bludger is the sadistic one that gets walloped around by the bat, used by the
Beater. The quaffle is the ball that doesn’t move on it’s own, just gets tossed
about by the Chasers. Easiest position on the team, actually.”

He sniffed derisively, “I certainly wouldn’t waste my time with a mere Chaser,

personally. Captain or otherwise.”

Ignoring his commentary, Pandora looked over the pitch in feigned awe,
“Regulus is the snicker, yes?”

Regulus fought back a grin, amused by her overly dramatized ignorance.

“Seeker,” he corrected haughtily. “His job is to catch the little gold ball, the
snitch. Most important position on the team. He ends the game.” Barty loved
correcting people, especially about quidditch. He considered himself an
authority on the sport, despite barely making the team this year. “The one
who defends the hoops is the Keeper.”

When the announcer began his introductory welcome, Pandora gasped, “You
know what it is, don’t you? That clever chap that does the announcing has a
bit of an accent. I’ll bet my brain just scrambles things up when he speaks.
He has such a lovely voice and I get distracted by the unique vocal tone.
That explains it.”

“Possibly. He’s Welsh, I believe,” Regulus agreed, nodding. “I like his voice
too.”

“Biassed as fuck, but sure, his voice is nice,” Barty grumbled.

Regulus scoffed, “Just because he accidentally called you Couch instead of
Crouch one time…”

Barty pointed at him angrily, “He did it on purpose!”

“Oh, that’s an honest mistake!” Pandora insisted, prodding Barty’s thigh.

“He’s a Hufflepuff, there’s no way he was biassed against Slytherins in a
match.”

“We were playing the Hufflepuffs,” Barty retorted, eyes narrowing at the
announcer stand. “Bastard was trying to make a fool of me.”

Regulus hummed a note of dissent, “No, you did that all by yourself when
you slammed your bat into the stand. Cost us a foul and we nearly lost the
match.”

He arched an eyebrow, “As if there was any doubt you’d catch the bloody
snitch.”

“It could happen,” Regulus shrugged nonchalantly. It was false modesty and
they both knew it. Not a single one of the other Seekers was as fast as him.
Even if they spotted the snitch first, Regulus overtook them every time. He
never missed.

“That was you?” said a Ravenclaw girl in front of them. She peered over her
shoulder at Barty and laughed, “You’re Couch-boy?”

Barty’s face paled, “What?”

The girl tapped her friend’s shoulder and pointed at him, “That’s Couch-boy!”

As the bloke and a few others spun around to stare at him, Barty sank back
against the stands. His face was completely blank, but Regulus was sure he
was mortified. Ignoring the attention, Barty stared across the pitch instead.
Pandora did her best to deflect, but he stopped responding.
Sirius leaned in and whispered, “Why are you friends with such a prat?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Regulus shot back, eyes flicking to
Potter as he dove down to the ground, then leaped off his broom, and
grabbed it before it fell. Always the show-off, Potter flashed a bright smile at
the approving shouts of the Gryffindors.

“Perhaps you have a type,” Sirius teased, chuckling at the startled expression
on Regulus’s face.

Regulus stared at him, surprised by his brother’s suddenly causal,

unconcerned attitude toward his preferences. He was contradicting himself,
as well as undermining his stubborn determination to keep them apart.
Brows furrowing in suspicion, Regulus searched his face for some glimmer of
his true intent.

“Don’t look at me like that, this is not approval,” Sirius refuted, shaking his
head. “It’s reluctant acceptance. You can thank Remus for that, he’s insistent
that I let you decide for yourself.”

“Alright, I will,” Regulus answered, still unconvinced. “Speaking of, where is

he?”

Sirius nodded toward the castle, “Resting, he had a rough night.”

“You can say that again,” Peter agreed, shaking his head. “He was all over
the place, so bloody restless.”

“He’s just anxious about NEWTs,” Sirius explained, hushing Peter.

They shared a look Regulus couldn’t decipher and then turned back to the
field. As the game began, Regulus noticed that Potter glanced toward the
Gryffindor stands often. He nudged Sirius, “I think he’s looking for you.”
Sirius watched him for a few moments and then nodded, “Probably right. He
always asks for my thoughts after, in case he missed something
strategically.”

With the first goal, Sirius jumped to his feet and put his wand to his throat.
Through his amplified voice, he shouted at his best friend, “Well done,
McKinnon! Get off your arse, Potter!”

Swivelling around, Potter spotted him and grinned, then flipped him off. He
played well, zipping through the busy centre of the pitch. Sirius’s presence
seemed to reassure him.

Regulus kept an eye on him, but was more interested in the Seekers circling
the top of the pitch. They were well matched. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff
preferred small, speedy Seekers over the Ravenclaw and Slytherin’s
agile-minded, tactile versions. Both strategies were effective, but Regulus
was a combination. He was quick, clever, and extremely sensitive to the
snitch’s presence.

As such, he ignored the obvious feint by Gryffindor’s Seeker, but the

Hufflepuff didn’t. The two began an awkward chase around the goals, trying
to figure out if the other spotted the tiny gold ball. Regulus knew it was
lower, he could almost hear it. Which seemed odd for how loud the
spectators were.

Frowning to himself, his hand shot up and batted at the buzzing sound
around his head. When his fingers connected with the snitch, he closed his
hand around it out of instinct alone. Sighing at his own idiocy, Regulus waited
until the crowd jumped to its feet to cheer the next goal. He stood up and
threw it back onto the pitch, hoping no one noticed. As he settled back into
his seat, the buzzing sound soon returned. Regulus huffed in annoyance.

“Sirius,” Peter whispered, staring at Regulus.

His brother’s head snapped toward him as a startled laugh escaped. Eyeing
his disgruntled expression, he grinned, “Hold still, Reggie. It’s right behind
your ear.”

Before Regulus could react, Sirius swiped hard at the ball, sending it soaring
out into the fray. Both Seekers reacted at once, diving after it. Within a
minute, Gryffindor’s Seeker was flying wildly toward the Ravenclaw stands
after the snitch. Sirius grabbed Regulus around the waist and ducked low
between the benches just as the snitch halted above his head. The Seeker
snatched it up and shouted triumphantly, her hand raised in the air.

“That was weird,” Sirius grumbled, lifting Regulus back into his seat. “Had
that been a bludger, it would have knocked you about.”

While the Gryffindor team celebrated, and their house stand screamed
excitedly, Potter zipped across the field in the opposite direction. The
Ravenclaws were already filing down the twists of stairs, but the few still
remaining called out congratulations. He nodded politely before landing
directly on an open seat right in front of Regulus.

As he dismounted, Potter met his eyes with an intense curiosity, “You

alright?”

“I’m fine,” he replied quickly.

Sirius nodded toward the pitch, “The snitch was drawn straight to him. Might
ask McGonagall to have a look at it.”

Potter frowned, tilting his head to the side, “Just the once?”

“Twice,” Peter answered.

Regulus shook his head, “Thrice, actually. I threw it on the field during the
last goal and it came right back.”
“Then, I knocked it pretty hard,” Sirius agreed, pointing toward the centre of
the pitch. “And your Seeker followed it back.”

“It’s not supposed to leave the pitch,” Potter huffed, shaking his head. “It
might need replacing. I’ll check it out myself.”

Barty crossed his arms and glared, “Are you accusing him of something,
Potter?”

Glancing in his direction, Potter’s gaze flicked over his hostile expression,
“No. Are you?”

“Why would I accuse my own Seeker of tampering with the snitch?” Barty
sneered. “Sounds like you’re setting up an excuse!”

“How is replacing a faulty snitch after the game we won ‘setting up an

excuse’?” he asked. “It’s not illegal for the snitch to wander, just unusual.”

“Unusual ? That’s what you’re calling it?”

Potter rolled his eyes, “Come off it. I was concerned when I saw Sirius haul
Regulus to the floor.” Turning back toward Regulus, the tension left his face,
“Well, we won. That means we’ll have a party tonight, any chance-“

“He will be there,” Pandora insisted, looping her arm through Regulus’s.
“Mind if I come along too?”

His face lit up, “Sure, you’re welcome to come.”

Barty opened his mouth at the same time Pandora pointed her wand at him,
hexing him over her shoulder without even looking. As his mouth clamped
shut, she grinned up at Potter, “Brilliant! Let’s go!”