Written for a prompt on tumblr (BartyReg using the quote "Please stay.")

x

You heard a knock at your window, a sharp rapping you prayed to gods you didn't believe in that your parents couldn't hear. Pulling yourself out of bed, you saw Regulus' face from behind the panes and glanced over at the alarm clock on your bedside table. 2:00 a.m.

You undid the latch on the window with a tap of your wand and opened it, standing back as he pulled himself through.

"What the hell are you doing here, Reg?" you demanded in a whisper. "You know what'd happen if my father sees you—"

"I know." He put his face in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. As he looked back at you, you noticed his eyes were red and puffy. Regulus bit his lip, eyeing the door, practically waiting for Barty Sr to come bursting through it. "I'll make this quick."

"I'm listening."

Regulus didn't respond. He kept his eyes fixed on the carpeting in the corner of Barty's room - not that he could see much through the dark.

"I had to say goodbye."

"What d'you mean goodbye?"

He let his head fall back, eyes closed, before turning to look at you. It didn't seem like it'd been a long time since you'd last seen him, but you couldn't help but notice how much older - how much more defeated - his eyes looked now. Their grey was much duller, and it pained you to see it. It was as if your lives were spiraling into disrepair and this was one of the first visible signs.

"I won't see you again. This is it."

You tried to take it in, but what he said wasn't processing. "Reg… How can you say that?"

"Look, Barty, it's—" You could see his eyes beginning to shine with tears you knew he would never let fall in front of you. Always the strong, honourable heir. "There's nothing to be done now. I'm sorry."

"What are you doing?" Your voice rose louder, but you didn't want to worry about that. Not now.

"Goodbye, Barty. I'm sorry. I love you."

"Please. You don't have to do this. Please stay, Regulus."

But he cast his eyes - oh so far from childhood now - upon you for no more than a second before he was gone with a pop.

/./

Morning came, and with it came the reason for you to throw off any attempt at sleeping any more. You sat up all night, eyes not moving from the spot Regulus last stood.

You trudged down the stairs at dawn, knowing your father would be awake. You didn't want to face him now, not after what happened (and you knew you could never tell him what had happened), but what choice did you have?

The morning's Daily Prophet already sat on the kitchen table. The front page confirmed your suspicions.

Black Missing - Confirmed Dead.

Dead. The headline was burned into the back of your eyelids, so that all you saw when you blinked was a gut-wrenching truth.

Somehow, optimistically, you hadn't thought of his goodbye as anything more than temporary.