I practically ran up to my room. Six months. I threw open the door, grinning, and flopped on the bed. It had been way too long and way too unfriendly. I held the navy pillow to my chest, clutching it hard. I liked how familiar it was. The baby blue of the home in Texas hadn't felt like this in all my months staying there. I loved this room. Even when my mother died, I was going to refuse to move to the master bed. This was my room. From the day I was born, it was mine, and I wasn't about to give it up.
I looked around and smiled. Nothing had changed. Nothing except for me I suppose. Being in America, I learned so much about their culture- and England's. I never really had anything to compare England to until now. I was quite good at golf once I discovered that the point wasn't to see who could hit the farthest, rather to get it in the hole. And it gave me an excuse to dress up. Well, dress the way I liked. I hated the suits I had to wear around here if mother was home. I'd prefer just to wear a polo and dress pants. And a hat. Because hats were unheard of if it wasn't snowing. I liked my hat. It was going into the false drawer with my other favourite things.
I just lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. That was probably my greatest achievement. The ceiling. Similar to the one at my true home, Hogwarts, it was enchanted to look like the outside sky. But my ceiling was a bit different. It was always what it looked like above the clouds. It was always sunny, or the stars were out. I had labelled the stars and constellations too, so I could keep track of where all of my family members were at any given time, though I practically had it memorized by now. I had started it the summer after Sirius left, and I only finished it after I graduated. I only got in trouble once from the ministry for using magic, but they kind of turned a blind eye to me. Powers of being the only remaining heir to the most powerful and rich family in the wizarding world.
I sighed and smiled, getting up after a while. I stretched until my palms were on the ceiling and my back cracked. I started to unpack before there was a knock on the door. I turned, dropping my boxers on the floor and carefully padded over. I didn't know why I was so scared. Perhaps because I knew it wasn't my mother- she just would have walked in. I half hoped it was Arvie or Sirius, but I knew the chances of that were very slim. I felt my wand in my pocket and twisted the handle, peering around the door before opening it. It took me just a good minute to register who it was and when I did, my eyes widened.
"Can I get anything for you, Master Black?" She asked me quietly, staring down at my feet. In six months she was inches taller, and at least a few thinner. Her voice didn't have the usual excited fire. Her hands were shaking, violently. Her regularly curly hair hung in limp waves down her back. But the thing that was most different to me about her was that she had never looked so unconfident, especially around me.
"Don't call me that..." I whispered, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face, making her suck in her air and flinch. I scolded myself for being so stupid. I had gotten used to the kind hands while I was away. I wanted to make her smile. It looked like nothing would be able to, and I wanted nothing more. I suppose it would have been hard to believe by looking at her, but to me she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was like a freshly bloomed flower that was being restricted from the water - still mesmerizing, but masked by a faltering stem. I couldn't let her leave. She looked so down, and I hadn't seen her in months. Believe me, it was some way to be reunited with the gal you love.
"The only thing I need is someone to talk to," I mumbled softly, reaching for her hand. She didn't move, and instead just slid her small hand into my big one. She walked forwards into my room with me and I shut the door behind us again. I walked her over to my bed and she sat down carefully on the edge. She played with her fingers and I kneeled in front of her. I carefully removed the shoes off of her feet and set them on the floor. Her nails were painted pink, and I found that odd. Where would she get that in this house? I slowly allowed my eyes to drift up and find hers. I searched the deep blue pools and confused myself further more. She was stiff and unseeing. Her eyes gave nothing away, but were rather a mask, hiding everything. She was normally so easy to read. Not now. Not today.
I slowly moved up to sit beside her and gently lay on the bed with my arms around her. This was something that had always been mostly comfortable for us. But she didn't cuddle into my chest for me to protect her like she did when she had a bad dream or felt lonely like she always had in the past. She just closed her eyes and gently pressed her palm to my cheek. The amount of effort it seemed to take her was excruciating.
"What happened to you?" I whispered to her, not realizing the words were out of my mouth until the ringing silence that followed. Her jaw was set and for a second I thought my stubborn Arvie was coming back. The answer I expected, however, was not the one I heard.
"Do you want me or not, Master Black?" Her voice cracked and her eyes didn't open. My heart skipped and fluttered. Something as drastically wrong here. My imagination went wild, fearing the worst. Why had I gone away? Why hadn't I gotten her out when she was begging me for help the day I left?
"Of course... I love you. I love you. But I can't. I have to get married to Elizabeth. If I could, I would, you know that, I-" I tried to explain to her, but she cut me off.
"That's not what I meant, Regulus!" She snapped hotly. My eyes widened and I swallowed. I had a mixture of anger and shock welling up inside me. No one had ever talked to me like that before. Ever. I was trying to sort out what to do when she stood, pulling her sweater tighter around her. She left her shoes on my floor and walked out without another word.
I just lay there, staring at the door for a few minutes, contemplating if it was even the same woman. I slowly got up and tiptoed to Sirius's room, opening the door just a crack to see if she was in there. She was curled up in a ball, crying into her knees. I closed the door again and let her be. I gnawed on my lip and slowly made my way downstairs. I headed towards the door to take a run. I just needed to clear my head.
"She has to earn her keep, Regulus, and she can't do that any other way," my mother called to me as I opened the door. I left it open as I jogged out, not wanting to know what she was talking about. I looked up at Sirius's window as I went by and the blank blue eyes were still following me. I kissed my hand and held it up for her to see. That was the first time I saw her smile in over half a year.