A/N: So this is a one-shot on my latest little distraction Mary MacDonald / Regulus Black. Interesting and yet almost random. Read on, and don't forget to review when you reach the bottom of the page ;) By the way, this story goes against the timeline of when Mary was attacked by Mulciber. I hope you don't mind!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Jo does, and OneRepublic for the song inspiration.
'All this time we were waiting for eachother. All this time, I was waiting for you. We got all these words, can't waste them on another."
Mary Codnor was an elderly witch. Her frail bones moved slowly and carefully, but she still held head up high. Her grey hair reaching just below her shoulderblades was always kept in a single braid down her back. Mary MacDonald had aged, but she was still beautiful, in the same way she had been beautiful when she attended Hogwarts. Her lips were stained a shade of red, and her cheeks still went pink everytime she blushed. Mary Codnor was an elderly witch who had lost her husband Johnathan Codnor a long time ago. She lived alone, and never once enlisted the help of a house elf. Being muggleborn was easier for Mary these days, the blood-status hadn't mattered in a long time. She attended to her flower garden almost every day, she cooked and cleaned. Mary lived a regular life. She had seen enough pain in her life that she wanted to forget about everything. The letter she recieved when she was 11 years old, declaring her status as a magical being, had been a blessing and a burden. She had to carry memories from her Hogwarts years everywhere. Everywhere she looked she was reminded of the brave men and women she had attended school with who had died as a result of Lord Voldemort. Of course, back in those days she was known as Mary MacDonald. Mary MacDonald, the innocent Gryffindor girl who had brains, a knack for Herbology, and a secret that even she couldn't keep hidden forever.
Regulus Black knew Mary was not good for him. He knew she was a muggleborn, and he knew that his family would go against him. But Regulus had no one. Sirius had left him, and after their constant fights, Regulus was sure that Sirius was never going to forgive him. The pressures that his mother was now putting him under did not help this factor. Regulus was lonely. Mary MacDonald intrigued him. She was smart, kind, and beautiful. She had a certain beauty that you really had to admire, the kind that was almost so plain that you wondered why you were thinking about it constantly. Her lips were always a deep shade of red that clashed with her blue eyes, that, coincidentally, looked amazing with her deep brown hair.
He often found himself stealing glances at her in Potions class, her long hair tied in a simple braid down her back, her Gryffindor tie loosened a bit. He noted that she loosened her tie when she felt pressured. In a time as dark as these, Regulus was glad he had a distraction. It came as a surprise to him when he caught her blue eyes locked with his brown ones in the library one afternoon. She knew it was bound to happen. He had no idea she had been watching him aswell.
Mary Codnor died on a Tuesday. Her body lay lifeless in her bed. The elderly lady died alone, and that was how she wanted things.
"You're not as bad as you pretend to be Reg." Mary glanced up at her mate, he was a good head taller than her, and smiled.
"What makes you say that?" He smirked coyly. The past months had served good for Regulus and Mary. They spent most of their time together walking around the grounds. Often drawing unwanted attention by the Slytherin's with whom Regulus associated with. One October morning, he had even recieved a Howler from a very angry Mrs. Black, stating that he would be out of his family almost faster than Sirius had left. Laughs erupted from the Gryffindor table when they all heard that, and Regulus looked at his brother, trying to decide whether he looked more pissed off or hurt by his mother's words that had found their way across the Great Hall.
"Because you-" She slid her foot over and moved swiftly in front of him. "are special." Regulus studied her face, even in this cold weather, bundled up in her obnoxious Gryffindor scarf and robes, she looked at peace. Her face was still soft, her lips red, and her cheeks had just the right amount of pink in them. Two months had passed since he recieved the Howler, it was December, and Christmas Break was just days away. He had not been expecting what happened next, Mary, he learned, was unpredictable. She was special, and he cared for her. She lifted her hand, slid it behind his neck, and closed the space that had been lingering between them. Her lips were soft, and warmed Regulus up instantly. His hands were entangled in her hair, and it was perfect. Snow falling around them, the dim castle torches shining around them. Regulus and Mary. Slytherin and Gryffindor. He did not regret kissing her back at that moment. He cared for her, and their relationship was difficult, but he thought to himself that it would take time. He didn't know that he was taking time for granted.
By the time Regulus returned from Christmas Break, he was branded. He wore the Dark Mark underneath his longsleeves, not ready to admit that he had been attracted to such a dark cause. He forgot about the war that was approaching when he spent time with Mary. She forgot about the fact that so many people were dying, so many muggleborns. Mary felt safe with Regulus. But she had never seen the mark that was permanately etched into his forearm. The months flew by, and Regulus and Mary's time grew even more serious. When tragedy struck in early May.
Mary had been walking back to the Gryffindor Tower after a long study session in the library that had incidently kept her out past curfew when it happened. She was surrounded by Slytherin colors. Her screams were muffled as her body was twisted in ways that were not normal, her back arched, they were doing this for their own amusement. Classmates. People that Mary knew were torturing her for fun. A hand grabbed a patch of her hair roughly, she was dragged across the stone floor into an even darker corridor, she could hear them talking faintly. Mudblood. Filthy Mudblood. Regulus. Regulus would learn his lesson. Mary tried to cry, she tried as hard as she could to let the tears that were clouding her vision to fall down her face, but she was unsuccessful. She knew this was about him, and she recognized the muffled voices. Mulciber. He was in his last year at Hogwarts, and he was cruel, he was also a known follower of Lord Voldemort. Mary put the puzzle pieces together in the back of her head and she tried not to focus on the fact that the group was now cutting deep into her legs with their wands. It hurt, probably more than anyone would ever realize, but what hurt more was the sound of a familiar voice. His voice. Regulus was now there. She kept her eyes shut, she didn't want to believe it.
"What have you done!" Regulus was struggling, he lept at Mulciber, but was being held back by Severus. "You fucking bastard!"
"You need to decide where your loyalties are Regulus. Are you a Death Eater or are you some filthy mudblood loving prat." Mulciber's deep voice was hushed.
Regulus had made his choice. The boys had left Mary laying in the corridor, her body was broken, gashes in her legs, she wasn't found for at least a half hour. The girl was transported to St. Mungo's right away, and the entire castle was now on a hunt to find the people who had damaged her. Regulus had not regretted his decision. Because it was that night he decided that there was something worth fighting for. His love for the muggle-born witch whom he had seen tortured, she was worth fighting for. He was strong-willed and he decided that he would stop at nothing to get back at Mulciber. First, he needed to regain their trust, adn then he would find out their secrets and use them against his new enemies. He needed to do it. For Mary.
Mary Codnor opened her eyes, she knew what had happened. Her old age had caught up to her and she was dead. It was simple as that. She took in her surroundings, she was in an open field, the sun was shining bright and there was a slight breeze. She inhaled the fresh air and brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the bright sun. It was then that she noticed her skin, it was smooth and silky, not a wrinkle in sight. She grabbed a good handful of her long hair and examined it, the deep brown that she once had had returned. A smile made its way across her face before she took a step forward. A house formed right before her eyes, it was small, and looked rather interesting. She began to cross the field, making her way to the house.
This is what she was waiting for all her life.
The summer before their 7th year had passed quickly. By mid-August Mary MacDonald had been released from 's. She however, was not the same spontaneous and fun girl she had been before. She had realized that she had been lied to for most of the past year, and Regulus had not bothered to try and contact her for the months of her absense. Her parents had begged her not to return to the castle, but Mary assured them that would be safe. She didn't know for a fact that she was quite possibly lying to them, but they had hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go of their little girl. Mary had lost weight during her stay at St. Mungo's , and as much as her mother had tried to get the pounds back on, Mary's body simply rejected it. Mary stood on the platform, waiting to board the train to Hogsmeade Station, her clothes hung loosely on her now, but she had still managed to throw her hair back in a single braid. She took her trunk over to be boarded in cargo, and made her way onto the train, trying to find an empty compartment. She was lonely, not bothering to keep in touch with anyone over the summer. She didn't want anyones pity. For her attack, or her failed relationship with a Death Eater. It really was quite ridiculous, a muggle-born falling in love with a Death Eater. Because that is what she had done, she had fallen in love with Regulus Black, and she was convinced now that he didn't love her back.
Mary moved slowly down the train, she knew she should have come earlier. In every compartment there seemed to be enough people. Until she reached one closer to the back. The blinds were down, and she could see the shadow of only one body. Curious, she opened the door, and almost regretted it immeadiately. She was now face to face with Regulus. He looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks, and he had lost a considerable amount of weight as well. His once cocky grin was now replaced with an emotionless face. But when their eyes locked, he opened his mouth to speak. Mary let out a wimper, slid the door shut and made her way back to the front of a train. She would just have to join a gang of first years instead.
There was no denying it, Regulus Black was still completely smitten over the brunette Gryffindor who had stolen his heart the previous year. But he had been desperate, all summer he had tried to block all thoughts of her out of his head, and even when he arrived at St. Mungo's on a peaceful July morning, he had laughed at himself even thinking he could see her. So he left. He had spent his summer in meetings, Voldemort was rising, and Regulus was no longer sure if he could handle it. Muggle-born or not, everyone who was good enough to be accepted into Hogwarts must be good, he thought. These thoughts had consumed him as a whole, he didn't eat much, nor did he sleep. And when he saw Mary, looking as though she was a ghost, he was speechless. He wasn't expecting to come back to the same girl, but he definitely wasn't expecting what he saw either. They had ruined her. She was innocent, and pure, and Mulciber and the rest of his gang had ruined her.
The first couple of months of their last year had passed quickly. Mary engulfed herself into studying mode for NEWT's, whereas Regulus was still at war with himself over the decisions he had made, and the ones that had been forced upon him. It wasn't until January was almost over that he had finally gathered the courage to approach her. She was in the library, almost breaking curfew, her nose was inches away from the parchment that she was writing on. He could tell she was concentrated, and she jumped when he reached out to touch her shoulder with his hand. She was startled, and looked as though she had lost breath, her hand was now clutching her chest.
"What do you want." It was not her intention to make this statement sound like a question. But Regulus just motioned to the empty seat beside her.
"May I sit?"
"Do whatever the bloody hell you want Black." She was angry. He had hurt her. She certainly did not think he had any right to be sitting this close to her anymore. But there was no denying that when he had touched her bony shoulder that she had known right away who it was. She was never going to forget his touch, it was special to her, even now she held those memories close. He pulled out the chair, and took his place beside her. For a couple of moments he just sat there in silence, watching her, when she in turn was pretending to rummage through her school bag.
"Mary," He finally broke the silence, his voice was delicate and soft, not hard like it had been the last time she heard it. When he had been screaming at Mulciber, when he had left her lying there broken in a pool of blood on the floor, when he decided to choose them over her. She continued to search for absolutely nothing in her bag, only wanting to avoid Regulus' gaze. She knew he would look at her with pity, and she was scared if she looked at him she would return that stare. "Bloody hell Mary stop looking through your bag for a moment and listen to me." His voice was more stern. She lifted her head and looked at him with disgust. "Please." His eyes widened and she let out a sigh. He apologized to her that night, he told her everything. His doubts, his feelings, and even the fact that he had gone to St. Mungo's, only to be a coward and apparate back home. She told him about her recovery process, at first she was hesitant, but he assured her that he could trust her. That this time he wasn't abandoning her. She told him she knew about his dark mark, and he rolled up his sleeve and exposed it to her. All summer he had taken a liking to scratching it, as if it were just dirt that could come off, his forearm was raw, and she lightly ran her fingers across it. They stayed there for hours, in that library, sitting close with nothing to worry about other than eachother. She had admitted to him that she was just as much of a coward that he was, and that she wanted to write him countless times over the summer. He promised her that they would make it out of this, he would make sure she was safe, and the war would be over soon.
It took weeks before Mary gathered up the courage to kiss Regulus like she once had, they held hands in the library, and he walked her to classes. But they hadn't kissed. When she finally did it, he was sweaty from Quidditch practice, still in his Slytherin uniform. They were walking around the pitch, and she just leaned up and kissed him. It was a spur of the moment, unexpected kiss. He held onto her tightly. This, this was how he wanted to remember them. She was healing him, and he was keeping her safe. Their lips continued to smash together, his hands cupped her face, and hers were wrapped around his body. They stayed like that for several minutes, before breaking apart. Regulus knew right away what he was about to do. He kissed her forehead, hands still holding her face.
"I love you Mary." The words felt so natural coming out of his mouth, and he was surprised he hadn't said them sooner. She opened her eyes, Regulus' hands dropped to her arms, and she moved closer to him. She tucked her head underneath his chin. They fit together better than a puzzle, she felt safer than she had in months as he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing them up and down her back.
"I love you too Reg." He smiled, he knew he should be happier, but this moment just felt so bittersweet. It was filled with love, compassion and lust, but at the same time he knew eventually it would have to end. He just hoped it didn't have to end in heartbreak.
Mary continued to make her way to the house that seemed to get larger as she got closer to it. It was white, with a huge porch that held a porch swing. There were sets of shutters on every window, they were painted a soft red colour. She recognized the house almost immeadiately. It was her parents house. It was beautiful. Moments later she was standing in front of the steps. Mary wasn't sure if she wanted to journey into the house just yet. So she stood there, taking in every detail, her eyes scanning every inch of the house. They fell to the porch swing which was to her left, she wasn't sure if she had noticed it before but there was a dark figure standing with his back to her right in front of the swing. With this sight, she lifted her foot, and began her way up the steps.
April passed with rain, May brought blooming flowers, and with June came graduation. Mary held Regulus' hand throughout the ceremony, she cried, and he tightened his grip. They didn't know where their lives would lead them after graduation. Regulus was still affiliated with Lord Voldemort, and Mary had made it quite clear that she wanted nothing to do with the war that was going on around them. He promised her that they would be together, she had her secret doubts. But they enjoyed their last couple of days in the safe walls of the castle. Laying in the grass by the lake, staying late in the library reading and wrapped in eachothers arms, and for one night the fun Mary came back and they snuck off to snog in a broom closet on the 3rd floor. Mary and Regulus spent their last nights in Hogwarts simply loving eachother, having eachother as company, and they loved it. That was the last time that either of them were truly happy.
The summer went by slowly. Mary had given up any hope of hearing from Regulus, who had left her with the impression that he would be back in her life soon enough. She stayed with her parents, not wanting to hear about the war going on in the Wizarding World. She did not need any more painful memories, she did not need to hear of any lives lost, she just missed Regulus. Regulus spent his summer under Voldemort's orders. All year, everything that he had been working towards, was finally coming to a close. He knew of Voldemort's secret, he had studied every aspect of the Horcrux, and was pleased when the Dark Lord had confined in him earlier on. All his hard work to keep the people he cared about safe was finally working. So when Regulus took it upon himself to destroy the locket, he was ready to fully sacrifice himself. He knew he was about to die that night, the thought of Mary ran through his mind, she would be waiting for him to return to her come September, as they had planned. To her disappointment, he wouldn't come. He would be dead, and she would mourn his death. With a final thought about the girl he loved, and had left behind, he took a deep breath and accepted his fate.
Mary went to the Hog's Head on September 1st, just as Regulus told her. When he didn't show up, she knew what had happened. She sat in the dirty bar, sobbing quietly in the corner. It was a heartbreaking sight, the girl who had waited, had also been disappointed. Mary had given up the life she had once known, she had swore she wanted nothing to do with the magical world that had swept her off her feet long ago. That lasted a year, until she met Johnathan Codnor, she had been surprised when on their second date he had asked her if she was ever going to tell him she was a witch. He was charming, and had attended Durmstrang when he was younger. Johnathan made her forget about all her past troubles in the world she loathed, he shared everything with her, and soon they were engaged. She had asked him how he had known she was a witch, and he simply replied that she was easier to read than a Quidditch book. She really did love him, she loved him even more when they were married on a rainy April day. Part of her wanted to share the memories of her young love with Johnathan, but she decided against it. Regulus was her memory, and she held onto that until a breezy Tuesday in November, when she passed away in her sleep.
"Reg?" Her voice was soft, she hoped so much that it was him. That he had waited for her, and that she was about to be reunited with him. She was taken aback when the dark figure pivoted in her direction. Regulus Black, young, handsome, and healthy was staring back at her. The man she had fallen in love with had waited for her.
"Mary?" He stepped closer to her. Mary's eyes were clouded with tears, she let out a quiet wimper. He studied her for a moment. She couldn't have been more than 17 years old. Her cheeks held a healthy shade of pink, and her hair was still the deep shade of brown he remembered so much. He didn't know how many years had passed since he had last seen her, and he didn't want to wait any longer to hold her. Regulus launched himself towards Mary and wrapped his arms around her firmly, he kissed the top of her head, her forehead, and bent down a bit so he was now eye level with her.
"I've missed you Reg." Mary brought a hand up to her mouth, tears were now flowing down her face, and he began to wipe them away with his thumb.
"How long has it been?" To him, it felt like eternity. But it couldn't have been that long, Mary was still youthful. She still had her beauty that made him short of breath.
"It doesn't matter." She closed the gap between them, her kiss was filled with passion. Mary MacDonald and Regulus Black, both perfectly good souls, standing on the porch of her parents house. It didn't matter anymore that they had both waited 47 years for this moment, because they were together again, and it was perfect.
"So I'm straight in a straight line running back to you..."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! Please review! This is my first fanfic involving Mary and Regulus, and I would like some feedback! The song featured at the beginning and end is "All this time" By OneRepublic, which I had on repeat while writing this! Anyways! Happy reviewing ;)