It's been a while... ouch. Sorry!
Seven for a Secret Never to Be Told
"Go on Black, how do you spell 'illiterate'?"
"Nah, that's too hard for him, Nott. How about just plain 'dumb'?"
It was taking every ounce of will power that Regulus possessed to remain composed, and still it seemed to not be enough, despite the struggle he was having to keep his hand from shaking as he scrawled words across the page, concentrating on staring at the words rather than actually taking into account what he was writing at all.
"What was it the old boy said again?" Macnair continued, sneering as Nott and Crabbe sniggered, Regulus's quill juddering to a halt. "Oh yeah, something about Black's spelling being a danger to society. What was it you completely decimated, Black? Something easy. Hey, how do you spell 'easy', Black? Or 'cat'. How do you spell anything at all?"
The nib of Regulus's quill snapped as he pushed it violently into the table, but before he could reach Macnair, another had got there first.
"What exactly is going on?" Narcissa asked in her cool, silky voice, and Regulus's three tormentors immediately stopped, shaking their heads. His cousin raised a slender eyebrow, before glancing back at her group of seventh year friends. "No, come on," she said, the placid tone of her voice a thin ice cover that Macnair was just a little too heavy to tread safely upon. "Isabelle and I heard laughter, didn't we?"
The beautiful Isabelle nodded, her lazy gaze passing over the three boys, before she added in her thick husky accent, "We were most eentrigued to 'ear what eet was zat was so amusing. Rosier and Avery love good 'umour, do you not, boys?" She nodded back at two of the more menacing looking boys, and Macnair visibly recoiled.
"So, gentlemen," Narcissa said delicately, the rest of her expression hardening to match that of her glacier blue eyes, "is there something humorous other than your good selves? You are a bit of a joke."
"No," Macnair said, and Narcissa nodded.
"I thought not," she replied. "Go now. And if you ever think of messing with my family again," she added in an undertone as she stepped forwards, Macnair turning faintly greenish, "I can guarantee that Avery will find something very funny to do with you. Understood?"
It obviously was as the three boys scattered almost immediately. Narcissa, looking somewhat satisfied, turned to her group of friends, all of whom looked somewhat bored, and nodded, an action that clearly seemed to give a command of some sort as they all began to file off in different directions.
"I don't understand how boys as unintelligent as that ever get into these associations," Narcissa sighed, her characteristic bored drawl back as she draped herself on one of the arms of a black sofa opposite her cousin. "They rather bring down the standard."
Regulus said nothing. He had a slight fear that if he opened his mouth or even moved in any way he would start crying, and how would that look? He was thirteen years old and about to start crying because some boys were being mean about his spelling. Narcissa probed him quickly with her chilly gaze, before she shrugged elegantly, her blonde hair spilling forwards from the glamorous knot she had twisted it into.
"As a matter of interest, what were the buffoons on about?" she asked delicately, and Regulus shifted uncomfortably under her watch, before swallowing.
"It was a Defence lesson," he said, and Narcissa continued to survey him with the same indifferent look. "We got an essay back and mine was... well Professor Rowle was all over it to point out how many mistakes there were."
"Oh?" Her voice was still silky, but there was a perceptible change to it, a slight raise in the intonation that made him glance up at her, meeting her blue eyes. "And?"
"And, well, I don't know, I just... I just have trouble reading sometimes, and... and spelling is hard. Mother and Father don't know, Sirius used to correct it and the tutors liked me more so they'd overlook it but... but I'm thirteen and I thought that y'know, I should be able to spell by now..." His cheeks flared up, and he fought to keep his lip from trembling.
It took Narcissa a moment to answer. "And what exactly did Rowle say?"
Regulus shook his head, wiping his face furiously. "He just... he drew attention to it, and he kept asking me how to spell things, and I couldn't and... and he started making out that I was stupid when... when I always used to get Os and he gave me a T because of my spelling and... and now Macnair and Rosier are being... it just... I don't understand why I can't, but the words, they swim, and if Mother and Father knew, they'd just say I was lazy, and he's threatening to write to them..." It was all gushing out of Regulus's mouth now. "It's been going on all year. Everything I write, he marks down and he makes stupid comments and I just don't know what to do. If Mother and Father ever found out, they'd just think I was stupid, and I'm not, I just..."
Narcissa's face was almost the same, but there was something different in her eyes, something that looked as if it was bordering on anger. Finally, she breathed in deeply. "Is that so?" she said lightly, and when Regulus nodded, she outstretched her hand, examining her fingernails. "Do you know, I've heard tales about Rowle. Apparently, he is of the promiscuous sort. I'm sure that the governors would be very interested to hear about his misadventures. Speaking of which, were you aware that Papa recently became installed on the list of governors, Regulus? I'm sure he is very concerned over the welfare of the students."
Regulus frowned, looking up. "Promiscuity?"
Narcissa shrugged, pushing herself to her feet. "Well, perhaps that's an exaggeration, but I'm sure we could overlook it. After all, we can't break a trend and have a Defence teacher for more than one year running. That would rather disturb the running of the place, no?"
There was something wrong about this, but Regulus was too surprised to worry. "You'd do that for me?"
She turned to look at him and sighed. "Perhaps. Though don't mention this to anyone. I'd rather not people think I like you."
Okay, sorry, it's been a while, hasn't it? And I didn't want Narcissa to seem completely nice because we know that she must have a nasty streak, but I do like her, so I felt really mean writing her like this.
Hope you are all okay!
