Beauty

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, although I worship it. Does that count for something?

Severus Snape was not by anyone's standards beautiful. He was tall and thin, with sallow skin and ebony hair that always looked greasy. His eyes were dark and empty, his nose long and hooked. He had thin lips that curved into a sneer quite often, and he walked with a slouch. He was cold and sarcastic, with a tongue that could slice through the thickest of skin.

He was generally unliked, mostly by the Gryffindors. But there was something about him that Regulus Arcturus Black was drawn to. He loved the way Snape's hair fell over his face when he wrote, the way his slender lips pursed whenever he was thinking, the almost deathly pallor of his skin, white as fresh snow, the tiny, tiny smile and look of absolute of peace and serenity that took over his face whenever he brewed a potion. The Black boy admitted it; he was smitten.

Regulus studied Snape, watching him closely. He followed the other boy around like a duckling, skipping classes to watch Snape from the halls, noting important details about the older boy such as the subjects he liked, the places he frequented, his schedule, and the people whom he liked and the many whom he didn't.

Unfortunately, Regulus was not as stealthy with his studying as he wished, resulting in his placement on the large list of people whom Severus Snape despised. Like a moth to a candle, the younger boy had a habit of coming too close, always being burned. Little bit by little bit, this not-so-beautiful boy was singeing the youngest Black boy, slowly burning him from the inside out. And every time, Regulus found himself coming back; it was a fatal attraction that could only result in pain.

"Regulus?" Startled, Regulus roused himself. His cousin, Narcissa Black, sat next to him in the Slytherin Common Room, looking concerned. Narcissa's long blonde hair fell to her waist, pulled away from her face by a blue headband. Regulus was reminded of the girl Alice from the Muggle book Alice in Wonderland. He knew his mother would be furious if she found out he had read Muggle trash, but he had found it in Sirius' room and had read it out of curiosity and boredom.

"Regulus?" Narcissa repeated, and he turned his head. "Yes?" "Are you alright? You seem rather... spacey," Narcissa said carefully, worry evident in her blue eyes. "I'm fine," Regulus replied cheerfully, resisting the urge to look at Severus, who had just entered the Common Room. "Are you sure? You should see Madam Pomfrey if you're feeling-" "No thanks, I'm okay, Cissy. I'll be right back, I have to grab something from my dorm," Regulus lied. He stood and bounded to his dormitory.

Rushing to the bathroom, Regulus gazed at himself in the mirror. He checked his appearance; his long raven hair fell past his shoulders in slight waves, contrasting with his cream-colored skin. His cheeks were flushed deep red, lips full and rosy, his eyes soft and silver, unlike his brother's sharp grey eyes.

He was a more feminine version of Sirius, with softer features and a more girlish body. He swallowed tears at the thought of his brother, then quickly got himself together. Dashing out of the bathroom, Regulus forced himself to walk calmly over to the door of the Common Room. He saw Severus walking towards the exit as well, carrying a large stack of books. Perfect. Regulus walked outside and waited.

Seconds later, Snape came outside, a stony expression fixed on his face. Regulus then happened to "accidentally" walk into him. The tower of books toppled over, flying in all directions. One hit Regulus right between the eyes.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

"Black!" Snape snarled, looking furious. "Sorry!" Regulus exclaimed, covering his nose quickly; it was bleeding. He bent down and started to pick up a book, but a low voice said, "Don't."

A pale, spidery hand stopped him. The youngest Black boy's heart beat excitedly as he stared at the hand trapping his wrist. What was Snape going to say? "I don't want you dripping blood on my books," Snape spat, and poor Regulus' heart sank. "Of course," he mumbled.

He was startled when Snape pulled his hand away from his nose. The older boy pulled out his wand and murmured, "Episky." He felt the bones in his nose right themselves. "Thanks," Regulus grinned as Severus took his hand and siphoned the blood off of it.

The younger boy began to pick up some of the many books, giving them back to Snape. Severus was bossy; he wanted his books in a certain order, and whenever Regulus failed to arrange them properly (which was often), the older boy would mutter insults and curse the day Regulus was born. Regulus did not mind, though. He was close to his crush; Severus had even touched him!

"There!" the boy exclaimed proudly as he placed the last book back onto Snape's pile. "Very nice, Black. However, next time, watch where you are going," the greasy-haired boy sneered, sweeping away.

Rather than turn another way, however, the younger Slytherin followed. "What are you doing, Black?" Severus asked exasperatedly. "Coming with you," Regulus answered promptly. "Just like your brother, annoying and bothersome," the taller boy sighed, and Regulus' face tightened. He loved Sirius, but it was hard to think about him now.

"Are- Are you alright?" Severus asked, startled by the youngest Black's silence. In the months that Regulus had been practically stalking him, he was rarely silent. The child was always chattering and laughing, asking stupid questions and gazing up at Snape with those ridiculously sweet silver doe eyes. Regulus Black was never silent.

"Peachy," Regulus replied, bouncing back to his annoyingly happy self, and Snape felt concern flood out of his body, only to be replaced with the usual irritation.

"Go away, Black," he hissed, and was startled when the child replied with a cheerful "Ok" and skipped off.

Severus stared after the boy in shock, then shook his head and continued on his way. Little did he know of Regulus Black's next plan.