Regulus lay sleeping in his bed; Dexter curled up on the pillow next to his head. Eleanor closed the doors of the Hospital Wing softly behind her and walked quietly over to Regulus' bed. Dexter raised her head from the pillow and looked over at her suspiciously. Eleanor sat down next to Reg's bed and slowly, carefully extended her hand to pat Dexter. Dexter pulled her head away and Eleanor dropped her hand. Regulus stirred slightly, his lips moving ever so slightly, as though he was whispering something. Eleanor poured herself a glass of water from the jug beside his bed. She pulled a book out of her bag and opened it.

"I'm going to read to you, Regulus," she said softly. She cleared her throat and began to read. She paused occasionally to see if Regulus had woken. After ten minutes, when Eleanor had read two chapters of the book, Regulus stirred and opened his eyes slowly. Eleanor closed the book, using a piece of parchment to mark her page.

"Hello, Regulus," she said smiling.

"You're here again."

"Of course I am."

"Why?"

"Because I want to keep you company."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"Why?"

"Because I enjoy it."

"I'm not very good company."

"You're sick, you don't have to be."

"I'm never good company."

"I doubt that."

"You shouldn't."

"Lucius likes your company."

"Don't mention him to me."

"Why not?"

"I hate him."

"Lucius cares about you."

"No, he cares about Abbey."

"Can't he care about both of you?"

Regulus stared at her, clearly surprised that she was standing up to him. "You don't act like I thought Hufflepuffs would…"

"How did you think Hufflepuffs would behave?"

"I don't know…but I thought you'd be more scared of me."

"Because you're a Slytherin?"

"Umm….well…."

Eleanor laughed. "At the moment, you're not incredibly scary."

Regulus looked down and a ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Well I hope you're not planning to use that to your advantage."

Eleanor grinned. "You're the Slytherin here. I'm the lovely one."

Regulus' smile grew wider and his eyes grew brighter.
"Does your cat always refuse to be patted?"

"I'm her favourite person. Generally, she doesn't let anyone else touch her."

"What if you say that it is okay?"

"She'll listen."

"Well can I pat her?"

Regulus smiled. "Sure. She has to see that I trust you before she'll let you though."

"How can you show her that?"

"Well if I hug you…is that okay?"

Eleanor smiled. "You don't have to ask. Of course it's okay."

Regulus blushed slightly. "I don't generally hug people," he said softly.

"Why not?"

"I guess I don't have many people to hug."

"Not even Lucius?"

Regulus clenched his fists. "No. I don't hug Lucius."

Eleanor studied his face carefully. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I just don't want to talk about Lucius."

"Alright. Can I pat Dexter now?"

"Yeah."

"So are you going to hug me?"

"Yes," Regulus replied, slowly sitting up and leaning towards her. Eleanor leaned closer, smiling reassuringly at him. Regulus slowly reached out to her and wrapped his arms around her body. Eleanor rested her head softly on his shoulder, smiling. Regulus relaxed, comfortable with his arms around her. He pulled away just a little and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Eleanor blushed and Regulus pulled away.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I shouldn't have done that."

Eleanor smiled sadly and reached out one hand to pat Dexter. Regulus watched with interest as she scratched Dexter at the top of her neck, just where she liked it. Dexter closed her eyes and purred softly.

"How did you know she'd like that?"

"My grandmother has a cat. I just thought that Dexter might like the same things."

Regulus smiled. "Are you close to your grandmother?"

Eleanor nodded. "Yes, very close. I always have been. She has taught me a lot."

Regulus had always been surprised when people told him they were close to their family. Ever since Sirius had left, he had hated almost all of his family and he couldn't imagine ever being close to them now. Eleanor's long blonde hair fell across her face, as she spoke to Dexter softly. Regulus couldn't help noticing how innocent and beautiful she was. He shook his head. He'd just been hurt by someone he loved. He couldn't risk that happening again. He looked away, fixing his vision on a crack in the wall beside his bed. Eleanor looked up from Dexter, concerned.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You seem…distracted."

"I'm fine."

"If you're sure…"

Regulus reached out and scratched Dexter between her ears. He was careful to not let his hand brush Eleanor's. Eleanor pulled her hand away and leaned back in her chair to watch Regulus. Dexter climbed onto his lap and curled up in a tight ball. Regulus smiled down at her, and continued scratching her between her ears. Eleanor smiled. Regulus didn't notice her watching him and he wasn't worried about being affectionate towards Dex in front of her.

"How are you feeling?"

Regulus shrugged. "I guess I'm feeling better. The potions must be doing their job."

Eleanor nodded. "That's good. Has Madam Pomfrey said when she will let you leave?"

"She wants to keep me in until she is sure I'm okay."

"Does she know what caused it?"

"She thinks that a combination of lack of sleep and stress caused me to faint. She says that she's never seen anything like it."

"Does she think you'll be okay?"

"Well for now I should be. But she wants me to come back if anything like this happens again."

"I'm sure Lucius will keep an eye on you."

Regulus laughed bitterly. "I doubt it. All he cares about is that little slut of his."

"I don't understand why you hate her so much."

"She clearly seduced him into dating her."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he had feelings for someone else."

"Who?"

"I…that's private."

Regulus could tell from her eyes that Eleanor thought there was more to it, but she didn't push it.

Regulus cleared his throat. "Can you read some more of the book?"

Eleanor smiled widely. "Do you enjoy it?"

"Yes. I think it helps."

"My grandmother always said it did," Eleanor replied.
Regulus smiled. "Don't you get a bit self-conscious about reading out loud to people you don't really know?"

"Well I did at first, but I'm used to it now. I like keeping people company."

Eleanor was so unlike anyone else Regulus had every met and every time she spoke, she said something that surprised him. Eleanor stood up and poured Regulus a glass of water, handing it to him with a smile. She returned to her seat and started to read. Both Regulus and Dexter closed their eyes, letting her soft, soothing voice wash over them, like the small waves of a rock pool.