Chapter Fourteen: Insufferable Individuals

"This bud of love, by summer's ripening

breath,

May prove a beauteous flower when next

we meet."

–William Shakespeare

"Mmff—Reg—"

He groaned into her mouth. She felt his hands slid up her sides as he pushed her harder against the brick wall. He mumbled against her lips as she ran her hands through his hair.

"Not—here—people—"

He leaned back and gave her a smirk that made her legs shake. "Do I look like I care about anyone other than you right now?"

Lyn bit her lip and snuck a glance toward the crowd of people passing the small enclave within Diagon. No one seems to be paying attention… she sighed lightly and met Regulus' eyes. There appeared the usual smirk, barely covering what Lyn could only recognize as lust. Oh Merlin…His head tilted down again and captured her lips in his.

Her head spun as his tongue slipped between her lips, and once more they danced. He is a snake to the core, Lyn mused as his lips left her own to move lower. A viper; he's poisoning me. A soft gasp escaped her mouth, and his fingers clamped harder around her hips. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt the vibrations against her neck when he released a groan. He continued his relentless assault on her neck, while one of his hands moved upward to her own hair; the other ran down her side, where his fingers danced at the hem of her skirt. Rowena help me.

She pulled his head up and slammed her mouth against his—rushed, yet thorough.

When finally they pulled away from each other, Lyn felt her face flush at their position. She glanced down at his hand on her bare hip, as her shirt had ridden up just enough, and then to the side where she could still see the passerby. She was sure he could feel her heavy breaths on his skin, as she could feel his own.

"We, um," She coughed when her voice cracked slightly. "We should probably head over to my place."

She felt him shift rapidly, and jumbled against the wall with her loss of balance. His eyes were wide when she looked at him, and she could feel him fiddling with his hands against her waist.

Lyn raised an eyebrow. "We're having dinner with my parents, remember?"

Regulus let out a breath and ran a hand over his face. "Bloody—right, of course. Sorry."

"No, it's fine." Lyn pushed off the wall and hopped off the curb. "Do I look alright?"

Heat went to her cheeks as his eyes raked over her form. She nervously pulled at her shirt to cover her midriff, and in doing so revealed more of her neck. His eyes shot to the spot just below her chin and I'm definitely flushing with that look he's giving me.

"You're perfect." He bit his lip. "But ah—we may want to get you a scarf or something."

Lyn's hand flew to her neck. "What? Why?"

Regulus, being the of age wizard, pulled out his wand and muttered a spell. He held a mirror up to her.

"Merlin's pants!" Lyn was surely blushing now. "You gave me a bruise!"

"I believe the term is hic—"

"I bloody well know what it's called, Reg!"

Lyn began shuffling her feet with her hand still against her neck. "My parents can't see me like this," she muttered and looked up to see Regulus stifling a laugh. She gave him her fiercest glare, likely hindered by her hand against her neck and her face sufficiently flushed.

"I can fix this—don't worry, love." She rolled her eyes as he waved his wand around in thought, but couldn't help the corners of her mouth from turning upward slightly. Love.

He looked up suddenly, and Lyn found herself with his wand in her face. She reminded herself that Regulus Black is a capable wizard, and before she could move out of the way he spoke something softly and flicked his wrist. Her neck burned for a moment, and she quickly removed her hand. She caught his eye and gave him a questioning look. He floated the mirror up to her face and she took it to angle it better. A smile spread across her face.

"Thanks, Reg." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, no longer afraid to let her neck show with his mark gone. "No—I take that back. This was your fault."

"Yes, well." He shrugged and came to take her arm. "I can't have your parents killing me on our first meeting, can I?"

Lyn rolled her eyes as he spun on his heel. The familiar pull of apparition tugged at her core before she found herself in front of her family home.

The Grey family home was unlike most pureblood homes in that it did not appear to be a mansion. From the outside, in fact, it looked like any other home in the area: a dark, shaded, two-story home with purple flowers in the front lawn. They lived in a wizarding neighborhood, of course, but everything could be Muggle if looked at with an untrained eye. The houses in the neighborhood were ancient, that much was obvious; however, they were not small in the slightest—at least from the inside. Lyn led Regulus up the cobblestone walkway, and through the initial wards that protect her home from unwanted visitors. The summer sun beat down on the walkway, and Lyn could almost feel the heat through her black boots.

"Your house is a close second on the creepy-pureblood scale." Regulus mentioned as he looked around. "I didn't get a clear view earlier, you know, when you jumped me."

Lyn glanced back at him when they came to a stop at the doorstep. "I'll have you know this house has—"

"Lynnette? That you?"

Lyn paused and reached for the door. "Mum? I'm back with Regulus."

The door opened, and Honora Grey stood before the couple. Her hair was up, the same texture and color of Lyn's own, only with less brown and more gray, and she wore floor length dark robes. She practically breathed intellect, and it was no surprise that her, along with her entire family, ended up in Ravenclaw.

At the moment, however, all her observational talent was being poured into her study of the male that her daughter had brought home.

"Hi mum," Lyn forced a smile. "This is Regulus Black."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Grey," Regulus smiled softly and nodded his head. "Lyn has said so many wonderful things about you and your family."

"Oh, you need not say such things, Mr. Black. I'm not the pureblood you need to please." Lyn's mother smirked at the look on his face. "That would be her father, who shall be home at any moment."

Regulus glanced at Lyn to see her biting her lip at her mother's antics, before turning back to her mother. "I assure you, I meant—"

Honora waved her hand. "It's nothing to worry over, I assure you. As long as my daughter is happy and content with her life, I would have nothing else. She is happy, isn't she, Mr. Black?"

"Yes." He said with conviction. "I do everything in my power, Mrs. Grey."

"Then you are welcome in my home." She swept to the side to allow Regulus and Lyn in. "Please, come in. The house elves will have dinner prepared shortly. Lyn, your father will likely be home soon, so please do not go too far."

Lyn pushed Regulus gently through the door. "Yes, mum. I'll show him around the library, I think."

Lyn tugged on Regulus' hand as she walked past the entry way and down a dark hallway. Although the house looked average from the outside, it is clear once you steps past the wards that all is not what it seems. The Grey family home, along with the other nine homes at the base of Haggard's Hill, has an enchantment on it that allows for as much space as needed. There are countless rooms in the mansion, even though it is only two floors. When the homes were originally built, they were designed for magical people to escape into—as not to be burned at the stake. A single home could fit a village.

The Grey family was one of the first clans of wizards to attempt to survive away from Muggles. Around the same time, Hogwarts was founded. Other clans had lived in similar homes, scattered around England, but as time went on they moved to live amongst Muggles. Of the nine homes at the base of Haggard's Hill, only four were occupied daily.

"Your mother is different from what I expected." Regulus breathed as Lyn took a turn at the library. "Where are we going?"

"My room—and yes. My mother only ever acts like that around me though. Well, when I was younger she would in front of my father, but things have been different lately." Lyn paused at a door and Regulus bumped into her. "It's been a while; I'm known to get lost in here."

"I can see why," Regulus muttered as he looked around. All the hallways and doors looked the same. He looked back to Lyn to find an open door. Stepping through, he grinned at her. "This is lovely."

"Shut it," She laughed and threw a Ravenclaw blue pillow at him. "I have house pride, excuse me."

"You've even got the stars." He noted as he looked at her ceiling.

"Yes, but Reg? We don't have long and there are some things I wanted to mention. I probably should have said this earlier, but I didn't." She took a breath. "My father is—well, he's a—"

"Pureblood?" Regulus suggested with a smirk. "Lyn, I heard what your mother said. I'll be on my best behavior."

Lyn felt her cheeks warm. "It's not that—I know he'll approve; I mean, you're everything he wants for me in a, well you know. You're a Black. Good ah, background."

Regulus sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They didn't speak for a moment, letting the quiet consume them. She understood his family, what with his older brother running away. They're dark, but my father is too. You're everything he would want me to be with; you'll provide me with a stable future in the darkening times. Lyn sighed and buried her face in his neck. He smells like Butterbeer and new books.

There was a sudden crack from downstairs, and Lyn looked at Regulus. "My father's home."

"We'd best go down for dinner then," He stood up with a grin and held out his hand. "M'Lady?"

Lyn rolled her eyes with a smile, and took his hand anyway. "I apologize now for any questions he springs on you."

Regulus put a hand to his chest and appeared to look affronted, but Lyn could see a smile creeping onto his face. "I've been trained how to act around purebloods since I could walk; I assure you, I am prepared for anything your father asks."

"So, Regulus, what are your intentions with my only daughter?" Ico Grey asked as he took a sip of his wine.

Lyn bit her lip and looked at her hands. The meal was wonderful; the House Elves outdid themselves as always. The conversation, however, was just short of heart stopping. When she and Regulus had first entered the room, Regulus immediately went up to her father and introduced himself in a way that only the highest class of pureblood wizard could. Lyn gave her father a smile, but was ignored as she took her place at the long table.

Too many seats are going unused, Lyn thought to herself. This is horrible.

Her mother had yet to say a word other than mentioning the food and the magnificent work of the House Elves, to which her father said something negative toward the creatures. Ico Grey was not a man to sit quietly, however, and insisted on interrogating Regulus in his every free breath. Regulus had answered the questions to the best of his ability, which was quite impressive. There is nothing more attractive than a man who can speak eloquently and politely with underlying threats.

Regulus hadn't been joking when he said he'd been trained his entire life for moments like these; Lyn didn't doubt that he had been, but his actions over the course of dinner seemed to be proof enough. As a young girl, she had gone through similar courses at the hand of her mother, but she didn't feel nearly as capable as Regulus in those moments.

"Well sir," Regulus gripped her hand under the table. "I have every intention to spend the rest of my life with her."

I think my heart actually stopped.

Her father's eyes narrowed. "And have your mentioned this at all to your parents? It has been a long while since I have been in contact with Orion and Walburga Black."

"I have mentioned her, yes sir. They will meet her at my cousin's wedding in a week."

It went unsaid that they would send word soon after whether Lyn was acceptable or not. Why must the life of a pureblood always be so complicated?

A/N: don't kill me?

Next chapter: actually Lyn's birthday (I got caught up in the fluff), + Narcissa's hen night