A/N: So here's your Christmas gift: an extra chapter! Your regular Thursday chapter will be up on Christmas Eve
Enjoy :)
Chapter 14 – "Big Brother at Work"
Emmeline followed Regulus back to Gryffindor Tower after their last lesson the following day, and Regulus decided to ignore his impulse to escape to his dorm and instead sat down with her in the common room. It would seem strange if he avoided her. People needed to see that he had a girlfriend now.
"How were your lessons?" she smiled and scooted closer to him so she was almost sitting on his lap.
Before Regulus could answer, Remus walked in and spotted them sitting together. He sent them a quick nod and hurried off to his dorm.
"Poor Remus," said Emmeline. "He's been so sad after Davies broke up with him."
"Yes, well... He's probably better off," said Regulus, looking longingly after Remus. He would a thousand times rather have sat with him half on his lap than Emmeline. If they had been alone in the room, of course. And Remus had not been a boy. It could never happen, Regulus knew that. He would have to get used to being with a girl.
"Perhaps…" said Emmeline. She leaned in to kiss Regulus but when he just sat there motionless, she sighed. "Look, you have to make an effort because right now it's like kissing a wall."
"Do we have to kiss all the time?" asked Regulus. "We barely know each other."
"That's what couples do! You don't like kissing?"
"Of course," Regulus said quickly. "I just think the honourable thing to do is to get a bit more acquainted first. So - tell me about your family?"
"Well, both my parents work at the Ministry for Magic." Emmeline talked about her family and home for a good ten minutes before she stopped. "What about your family?"
"Well, I'm sure you know about the House of Black. We're one of the oldest and most sophisticated families in the wizarding world. You've probably heard negative things from my brother, who doesn't really appreciate what he's got. Being the heir to the House of Black is a great honour."
"Yes, I heard he doesn't fancy that status very much," she said. "But if he doesn't want it, can't you just take over instead?" She sent Regulus a dreaming gaze as if she was already planning to be by his side forever.
"That would be completely inappropriate! It's tradition that that the oldest son take over."
"But what if he doesn't want to? I mean, then you would step in, would you not?"
"Yes, of course, but... That would be a shame for the family. I'm sure Sirius will do his duty when the time comes."
"Maybe," she said. "So what do you want to work with after school?"
"Well… I'm keeping my options open. Depends on the OWLs I get. And NEWTs, of course."
She inched a little closer and placed a hand on his thigh.
Regulus gulped and quickly thought of something else to say. "What about you? Know what you want to do?"
"Probably work for the Ministry like my parents but I'm not sure." She gave his thigh a squeeze and put her head on his shoulder.
Sirius, James and Peter had all sat down a little further away, working on an Astronomy chart, but all occasionally glanced curiously at the couple by the fire.
"Argh," groaned Peter. "If he doesn't soon start feeling her up, I'm going over there to smack him upside the head. She's got the best tits I've ever seen, and she's shoved them right up under his nose!"
Sirius grinned and turned to Peter. "I would like to see you smack him. You're terrified of him!"
"I am not!" said Peter in a high-pitched voice that made several students look up.
Emmeline was now sliding her hand up Regulus' thigh. He suddenly jumped up. "Err... have to go to the bathroom," he said and practically stormed out of the common room.
Sirius turned his head and then laughed. "Guess I have to have the talk with him soon."
"What do you need to talk to him about?" asked Peter obliviously.
"The talk,Peter," said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "About sex and girls, in case you're still not getting what I'm saying."
"Oh, that. Your parents didn't have it with him?"
"My parents?" said Sirius, raising his eyebrows. "I can barely imagine them having even had sex. I have a suspicion that some kind of ancient magic was involved in Reggie's and my conception."
"Poor you," grinned James, "You had to learn everything by yourself."
Peter, who had been snickering at Sirius' comment, now erupted in loud giggles.
"Exactly," grinned Sirius. "Lucky for Reggie, he has a big brother to give him a few pointers."
Regulus finally came back, ten minutes later. Emmeline scooted over so he could sit down next to her. "You were gone for a while," she said, studying him closely.
"There was a queue," lied Regulus.
When she laid her head against his shoulder and her hand ventured onto his thigh again, he suddenly said, "How about we do some studying together? I could help you with that Potions assignment."
He knew Emmeline was weak in Potions and hoped she would be grateful for some help and forget about cuddling for a while.
"I'd rather just sit here with you," she said but as he shifted away from her touch, she sighed. "Alright, let's do that then."
Emmeline settled for sitting close to Regulus while they were working, once in a while touching him suggestively. He didn't avoid it, thinking that this wasn't too bad. When they were done he excused himself and disappeared to his dorm.
"Well, there's your chance, Padfoot," said James, nodding in the direction of the dorms.
"Yup," said Sirius and got up. "Big brother at work." He flashed them a grin and hurried up the stairs.
o0o0o
Sirius walked in without knocking and found his brother sitting on the edge of his bed. "Your date isn't moving along too smoothly, is it?" He sat down next to Regulus. "You know, she fancies you quite a lot."
"Really? I hadn't noticed," said Regulus sardonically. "She's very pushy. What's wrong with taking things slowly?"
"I think you picked the wrong bird for taking things slow with, Reggie," Sirius laughed. "What are you waiting for, anyway? You know how it works with birds, don't you?" He eyed him with a grin on his face. "Good thing you have a big brother who can give you a few pointers." He leaned back. "You see, girls like Emmeline are pushy because they really want you to take some initiative. Kiss her and feel her up."
"Well, thank you for the advice," said Regulus, hoping that this was as far as Sirius had planned on going, but knowing his brother, he feared that it was not.
"If you really want to make her happy you should take her to your dorm and have a bit of fun. I'm not saying you should go all the way yet, but a little feeling up under the clothes is a good way to start and when you do decide to go further you can come find me and I'll give you details."
"What?" said Regulus, suddenly feeling terrified. "I'm not going to have sex with her!"
"Why not? Too soon?" asked Sirius a little puzzled. "I did it when I had just turned fifteen and you're almost sixteen."
"Yes, but you're a..." Regulus was about to say slut, but decided not to hurt his brother. "You're more mature than I am. And I'm not going to have sex with her ever, because I'm not going to marry her."
"Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Please don't tell me you're saving yourself for marriage? There is nothing wrong with testing the field. Get some experience before you get married so you can really satisfy your wife."
"Yes, I'm saving myself for marriage," said Regulus, feeling his ears burn red. "It's the right thing to do. It shouldn't just be the girl."
Sirius shook his head and sighed. "That's bullocks, Reggie. Times have changed. A woman will appreciate that you've learned something, and she will most likely not be innocent either. I bet Emmeline knows a thing or two and from the looks of it she's willing to teach you a couple of tricks."
Regulus swallowed. "Well, it's a private matter, and I don't need any instructions whether or not I decide to do it."
"Just living up to my big brotherly duties," said Sirius. "But I can tell you that girls really like it if you cup their knockers while you use your other hand for other stuff. You know, between the legs. Or better yet - use your mouth."
"W-what?" gulped Regulus. "M-my mouth? What do you mean?"
"Well, you can use your month on the knockers. That's really nice," said Sirius and waved his hand up and down. "Or between the legs. Drives birds crazy."
"D-down there?" said Regulus, shocked. "I'm certainly not going to do that! Sounds very unhygienic!"
"Just use your fingers then. It's good for her too."
Regulus looked away, hoping Emmeline did not expect him to be doing anything of the sort, and inwardly cursing his brother for planting a very unpleasant image of himself doing these things to his own girlfriend.
"Well, if you need any advice about anything about sex, you can always come to me," said Sirius and patted Regulus' shoulder before getting up.
Regulus snorted. As if he was ever going to ask Sirius about sex...
o0o0o
After Potions the next day, Slughorn asked Regulus to wait. To Regulus' annoyance, Emmeline stayed behind as well, holding his hand.
"Ah, Mr. Black, you and lovely Miss Vance have become an item, I see," smiled the professor. "You're coming to my party next weekend, I hope? And as you know, you're always welcome to bring a date."
Emmeline beamed at Regulus and laid her head on his shoulder. "Oh, that would be brilliant! We are going, aren't we?" She looked expectantly at Regulus.
"Yes... Yes of course," mumbled Regulus.
"Wonderful," beamed Slughorn, clapping his hands together. "Oh, and do try to talk you brother into coming for once, won't you?"
o0o0o
Remus was sitting with Sirius when Regulus walked in a little later. To Remus's relief, Emmeline was not with him. He was getting rather tired of her hanging on Regulus all the time, even though he knew it was wrong to be jealous of her.
"Slughorn asked me to beg you come to his next Slug Party," said Regulus offhandedly, knowing that Sirius would never agree.
Sirius looked up. "Why would I do that? He only wants me to come for my family name.
"Lily is coming," said Regulus, casting a glance at James, smirking. "I wonder if she plans on bringing a date."
"Little brat," mumbled James as Regulus walked away.
o0o0o
The Slug Party was not too bad. Regulus was used to playing the role at posh parties. Emmeline didn't try to snog him too blatantly because this was not that kind of party. She wore a beautiful dress and had spent hours on her hair. She looked absolutely stunning - even Regulus could see that - and drew the attention of most of the other boys, and in a way it made Regulus feel proud that she was his date.
"Oh, there you are, Regulus," sounded professor Slughorn's voice. "I have a guest I want you to meet: Courtney Wilfred, Puddlemere United's Seeker."
"Oh," said Regulus and excitedly followed Slughorn, Emmeline hanging on his arm.
Slughorn always had important and interesting people from the outside coming to his parties. Often old students who had made something of themselves, but also other people, even foreigners.
"Hello, Regulus," said Courtney Wilfred when Slughorn introduced them. "Professor Slughorn has told me about you. Says you're a great Seeker and an excellent student."
"Well, I do my best. I'm happy to meet you, ma'am, I've been a Puddlemere fan since I was little," said Regulus, shaking her hand.
"It's always nice to meet a fan," she smiled.
Emmeline, who was not that much of a Quidditch fan, quickly got bored by the conversation. "Regulus? I'm going to go talk to some of the others. Want to come?"
"Well, why don't you do that, dear," said Regulus. "I will come join you in a little while."
Emmeline sighed and left, taking another glass of champagne on the way.
"Your girlfriend, I reckon," Courtney smiled and took a glass herself. "You make a good couple." She took a sip of her champagne. "So you want to be a professional Seeker? Slughorn says you have the talent."
"Oh, I don't know if I would be good enough for that." said Regulus. "The competition is fierce, I hear. Anyway, my parents would never allow it. They expect me to get a prestigious traditional job."
"My parents were sceptical as well, but when they saw me play my first professional game they were convinced." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You should do what you want to do with your life and not get stuck with something your parents think is best for you. But you're still young. You will figure it out. "
When Regulus didn't think he could stretch it any longer, he went to find Emmeline, who was standing with a couple of Ravenclaw students as well as Rosier, who was clearly trying to chat her up.
Regulus, who did not like the Slytherin, especially after the way he had talked to him after he had saved the little girl, eyed the opportunity to get one over him. So he walked up to his girlfriend, wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her away from Rosier, and kissed her. "How are you, darling? Sorry, Courtney Wilfred was reluctant to let me go."
Emmeline beamed and put her arms around his neck. "It's alright. I know how much you love Quidditch so naturally you would want to talk to her."
It quickly became clear to Regulus that Emmeline was getting drunk. "How many of those have you had?" he asked, pointing to her glass of champagne. He had seen her take three, and she had probably taken at least another one while he was talking to Wilfred.
"Just a couple, darling," she smiled and let a hand run through his hair. "I can handle a few more." She leaned in and kissed him.
"I think you've had enough," said Regulus. "We're not even supposed to drink at school; you know that, so you raving about drunk is not a good idea. It's lucky for Slughorn that Dumbledore turns a blind eye to him serving champagne to students at his parties." Regulus himself had only had one glass. That was what his parents usually allowed him, and that was what he automatically stuck to.
Slughorn had hired a couple of musicians and suddenly there was music coming from a small stage at the end wall. The instruments were piano, cello and violin.
"Ooh!" said Emmeline. "Let's dance!"
Regulus nodded and followed her to the dance floor. He was a rather good ballroom dancer since he and Sirius had been forced to take lessons since they were eight and six. Regulus had always been better than Sirius, having a natural grace where Sirius was more of an uncontrolled bundle of energy, not good at concentrating on things he found boring.
They started out with a waltz, Regulus sweeping Emmeline expertly around on the dance floor. She followed his lead the best she could, smiling admiringly at him. They danced for three pieces of music and Regulus actually had fun. Dancing like this with a girl was tasteful and not so intimate. But then a slow song came on and Emmeline eagerly stepped close to him so their bodies were touching. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "You're so sweet, Regulus," she said, caressing his neck with her fingers, her body pressed against his as they moved slowly to the music.
Regulus resisted the urge to push her away. The whole point of having a girlfriend was so people would not get suspicious of him, so the more who saw them together, the better. When he noticed Lily and a couple of other Gryffindors watch them, he kissed Emmeline, hoping that they would talk.
o0o0o
Emmeline was leaning heavily on Regulus when they came back to the common room. Even though it was late, Remus was sitting on a sofa by the fire, a sleeping Sirius slumped next to him. Remus looked up from his book as they entered and he sent Regulus a soft smile.
"Oh, hi, said Regulus. "You're up still?"
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," said Remus and returned to his book without looking at Emmeline. "I thought I would keep Sirius company. He was waiting up for you."
"Oh. Too bad he didn't want to come Slughorn's party. It would have been a giant success if he had been there. The whole wizarding world would have held its breath," said Regulus sarcastically.
"Well, you know Sirius," said Remus and closed his book.
Emmeline tugged at Regulus' sleeve. "Come with me to my dorm. Please? I'm sure the others are sleeping." She smiled drunkenly at him.
"No," said Regulus, frantically looking for an excuse, but then he remembered, "You know the stairs turn into a chute when a boy tries to mount them."
"We can go to your dorm then.
Remus sunk back into his seat. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the jealousy that came over him whenever he saw them together.
"Not while my dorm mates are there," said Regulus. "That would be very distasteful." He escorted her to the bottom of the stairs to the girls' dorms. "Well, good night, Emmeline. You should get to bed and sleep off the champagne."
She looked disappointed but then gave him a kiss before going upstairs.
Regulus looked after her for a second and then turned with a sigh. "Girls..."
"You look good together," said Remus quietly. "Everybody thinks so."
"Er... thanks," mumbled Regulus. "Well, she really is pretty, isn't she?"
"She is," Remus nodded and put his book on the table. "And she is nice too. I'm... I'm really happy for you, Regulus. Was it a nice party? I hear they usually are. I have never been invited so I haven't experienced it first-hand."
"You will have to find yourself a VIP boyfriend, then. Davies didn't make the cut, anyway. It was alright. Good food and dancing. Interesting people."
Remus shrugged. "I probably won't find another boyfriend at Hogwarts..." He looked at Regulus and wished he could just tell him how he felt but he knew he couldn't. It would probably only make Regulus hate him and he couldn't bear that.
"Why not? There must be others with your inclinations here. Davies had others before you, didn't he? Maybe you could try one of them," said Regulus, feeling a little bad for not liking the thought of Remus finding another boyfriend, who was guaranteed to be at least as horrible as Davies.
"I don't want to go out with someone just because he happens to be gay. I want someone I care about. I cared about Noel but I guess it just didn't work out the way I had hoped."
"Why did you break up, anyway?" asked Regulus and sat down.
"We, er... Noel didn't think I was as committed as he was. That I held back my feelings. I don't know. Maybe I did..."
"Oh..." said Regulus, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. "So you didn't fancy him that much, then, did you?"
Remus bit his lip. "I did fancy him, but obviously not enough for him. So I just have to see if someone else will have me at some point."
"Oh, of course they will. They would be stupid not to. I mean... well..."
Remus smiled and pushed his fringe out of his eyes. "Thank you. It means a lot that you say that." I only wished you would have me... He gazed into the fire and grinned a little as Sirius started snoring. "He is going to be sore in the morning if he sleeps all night in that position."
Regulus didn't really register what Remus said. His eyes had come to rest on the normally a little pale face, now glowing a warm hue in the soft light of the fire. Regulus got a sudden urge to touch the face, feel how warm it must be. He suddenly realised what it was that made Remus so attractive to. The warmth to all his features, both looks and personality. His light brown hair that had a golden touch when the sun shone on it (oh, yes, Regulus had looked and noticed), the eyes a warm amber, and his nature, always so kind and gentle to everyone. Blacks were not warm. They were cold and beautiful. Many of them cruel. Remus was so very different. He did not turn people's heads, but when you took a good look at him you noticed a more subtle handsomeness.
Remus looked up at Regulus and blushed a little when noticed him eying him closely. Remus' eyes fell on his lips and he wondered if they felt as soft as they looked. Oh, how he wanted to know.
They were both locked staring at each other, until Regulus were torn out of it by Sirius' grunting in his sleep.
"Oh um..." said Remus and looked over at Sirius again. "I guess I better get him to bed."
"Well, good night, then," said Regulus and hurried Upstairs.
A/N: Remember to check the illustration for the chapter on Zayhad's deviantart. Link on my profile.