Summary: Sometimes life was sweet, but with a bitter ending. Sometimes it was the opposite. Just like butterbeer.
Full Summary: James Potter was in his prime. He was Quidditch Captain for Gryffindor, he had become Animagus to help Remus, and his group of friends were at their height in their pranking career. Now all he had left was to woo the girl. Lily Evans. But of course, James doesn't do things halfway, and all he needed was someone to help him. Now, who fit's the role? Only, Olivia Grey. Of course, Slytherin's aren't always the most helpful type, and Sirius Black knows so. Could she be hiding any ulterior motives?
Author's Note: If Harry Potter were mine, I would cry. Every day.
Ships: Maros (Mary MacDonald x Amos Diggory), Simbre (Sirius Black x Embre Shines), Jarlene (James Potter x Marlene McKinnon)
Regulus' POV
There's something unsettling about hot November days. They're not as common as they used to be, and part of me is grateful for that. Sirius used to love them. I don't really know what he loves anymore. On days like these, before Hogwarts and disapproving mothers, we used to play with each other outside of our immaculate home. We would stay out for hours, our parents never really cared where we were, and we would only go inside when the stars came out because we used to joke that sitting under the stars was like being with our relatives. We're different now, mostly me. But that doesn't mean that I still don't have the inexplicable feeling of adventure on a rare day in November when the sun shines brighter than anything else. Of course, I can't openly enjoy them. So I steal away in the Forbidden Forest where no one ever goes so that I can mourn for the lost days on my own.
I never go too deep into the Forbidden Forest and I usually manage to avoid creatures on these excursions, but standing in front of me, a Thestral was staring at me with unblinking eyes. My first instinct was to touch its glossy back, but the fear that I would scare it off or taint its fragile beauty overcame me and I held back. So, instead of acting upon the instinct that had always ruled my life, I looked at the sad but content creature with a wistful expression.
"If I live to see a thousand sunsets, I'll do it here." I sighed and took a small step towards the beast. "You and I are the same, aren't we? We're both alone and only seen because someone else has left." The thestral made no sound, but it bowed its head in acknowledgment.
"So melancholy today. That can't be good for your overall health, can it?" I knew it was Vanessa before I saw her. Part of me wanted for her to find me here, but the other part was adamant in the notion that she didn't care at all. She's one of the few people that can sneak up on me, and I didn't show my surprise of her presence as I slowly turned to greet her. Of course, forever a Hufflepuff, she had a flower crown balancing on her head. It was a dark green with tiny, light yellow flowers, which greatly contrasted with her pale features, but seemed to complement her House robes. Her subtle yet bold appearance almost distracted me from her word choice. 'Melancholy.' Why? Because 'serious' hit too close to home? Or is it because she's afraid of calling me sad? She must have caught onto my train of thought because she corrected herself. "Melancholy because it's a removed feeling and not serious because that's not who you are."
"Well said."
She had a ghostly laugh as she approached me the same way I did the Thestral. "And if you're talking to a Thestral, which I imagine you are, you'll have to tell me where it is so that I don't run it over." Ah, changing the subject always was one of her strong suits. Sometimes I call her out on it, but today I think I'll just ride the waves, see where it takes me. Humming a soft tune, she twirled and sort of danced over to me, taking her flower crown and placing it on my head. Her tune seemed to scare the winged creature just a bit, and it galloped away without disturbing the ground at all.
"Now, would you look at that. You scared it away. Maybe your happiness was too much for it to take."
Her features broke out into a sunny smile that rivaled the sun itself. I turned towards the light radiating from her and felt my heart ease up a little like a crocus opening its petals to the sun after it had been closed all night long. "I already told you, I can't." I smiled even though there was nothing at all funny about her sentence. She sat down and leaned up against one of the massive trees. She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes tickling her skin, and it occurred to me that her eyes were green. The very color I hated.
Green.
The color that I wore every day like a protective shield, the color that gave me a place to hide, the color that gave me excuses for my behavior. The color that my brother could not - would not - see past. It was the color of our short-lived family tree, forever prospering in the depths of a thick and forbidden forest. The very forest I was standing in now. Green meaning sickness, death, the end of everything I've ever wanted.
But it was also the color of her eyes.
The color of the windows to her deepest thoughts that had vines full of blossoming and beautiful flowers on them. The color that pops out on her face and looks like grass pushing through the snow of her platinum blonde hair. The color that was vibrant and infinite but also intensely secretive and hidden like an emerald in the heart of a cave. The green of a newly made sweater, the color having yet to fade.
"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to tell me what you're thinking?" She opened up one eye in a lazy way and I was hit full force by the brilliance of her eyes. I don't know how I could have missed them before.
Merlin, I'm turning into Sirius. Aren't I? Well, at least we have one thing in common, even though it is odd to admit that we are similar. Her single eye searched my face for a clue as to what I was thinking, and for a heartbeat, I considered giving her one. But then my restraints kicked in and stopped me from acting on my instincts. "Ambition isn't bad. It's just the intention behind it that can be. But ambition is neutral." Like the color green.
"Yeah." She sat up and opened both eyes, now. She smoothed down her skirt and continued on. "It's the road that ambition takes you down that decides whether or not it's bad. I think most everything is like that." Vanessa passed me a reassuring smile. I took the flower crown off of my head, admiring but not touching the tiny yellow flowers that were woven into the green foliage like sunspots dancing on the forest floor. I sat down next to Vanessa and places the crown on her head once more. The slight waves in her hair seemed to curl around the crown like a halo.
"You'll always know who I am. Won't you?" I hadn't wanted the ending of my phrase to be a question. I didn't want to sound so unsure. But I did, and I cringed just a little bit. My father would have sounded sure and steadfast. But I never have been the heir they've wanted.
"Of course." Her voice was as smooth as honey, and only I could hear the undertone of worry lacing it. The sound of fear made me tense just a bit, but it also told me that I wasn't alone in my doubt.
And that's comforting, in a removed way.
…
Embre's POV
"WHAT?!"
"Shh! Keep it down." Olivia scolded me from across the table and went back to not-so-subtly spying on her brother who was sitting on the other side of the Three Broomsticks with his friends and Abby Smalls from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. She has spent the past five minutes going on about how it was too soon after a particularly nasty break-up to get a new girl, and how Abby was too young for him anyways. I tried to argue that she was only a year younger, but Olivia retorted that all fourth-year students are a bag of overflowing hormones, and I couldn't really argue. Vanessa, who had made it to Hogsmeade a little later than everyone else, nodded at me as she sat down.
"J's mom sent him a letter. Andrew told me he's never seen J like that. Said he was really freaked out." Vanessa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a sip of Olivia's butterbeer when she wasn't looking. "I saw both of them near the Shrieking Shack on my way here. It was pretty intense from the look of it."
"He's not going to leave. You two have too much faith in the fact that he'd leave for his family. He only really cares about Liling, and he knows she's better off without him."
Olivia didn't look away from her brother, but it was obvious she was talking to us. Vanessa gave an exasperated sort of sigh like she was already done with Olivia's aloofness even though the day had only just begun. I looked at both of them with a slightly stern expression. "And I think you have too much faith in the fact that Jianyu doesn't care about his family."
This caught her attention, and she looked at me with an almost blank expression. Oh, no. I immediately saw what I did wrong and I opened my mouth to apologize, but she held up her left index finger to stop me. "I'm not mad. I can see that you're sorry and that's what matter. But." There's always a condition, isn't there? "If you and Vanessa want to make 'Operation Save-Chang-From-Himself' a thing, don't be upset when he says he doesn't like you interfering when he has his life under control. I'm going to find Amos… err… Lily… Regulus… someone."
She walked off, and it took me a minute to realize that most of the people she had named already had a date to Hogsmeade. She'd probably end up doing something alone or going back to the castle early. And while there are a few things I don't know about Olivia Grey, I do know that she's sensitive and that running after her would only tick her off. Best to leave her alone. Vanessa and I looked at each other for a moment.
"So, about that Operation…"
…
Olivia's POV
Is it wrong for me to hang out with Regulus because he's the closest thing I have to my younger brother? I mean, Anthony hates me, and Regulus needs guidance. I want to help my brother, but he won't let me in. Regulus is second best. I know what being second best feel like too, so I can connect with him. I can help him be better so that he won't make the mistakes I've made.
"So, a little Pukwudgie told me that you and Vanessa are quite the pair." Reg was looking at the Seeker gloves in Spintwitches when I found him. There were just enough people in the shop to make a low buzzing noise to effectively hide our conversation, but there weren't so many so an undesirable would overhear us. "That's quite an achievement. Not only is she a year older, but she's a Hufflepuff too."
"The saying is 'a little pixie told me'. You Americans always mix things up. And no, we're friends." I rolled my eyes at his pompous attitude and followed him up to the counter, effectively moving away from a crowd of gossiping third years. "You of all people should know that Vanessa has a more… refined taste in men."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Regulus gave the shopkeeper a Galleon and held out his hand for change as he faced me. "You mean you don't remember her crush on Gilderoy Lockhart? So sorry, but her type seems to be 'Ravenclaw-that-can't-play-Quidditch-to-save-their-life-and-has-nothing-in-their-brain.' And last time I checked, I don't fit that description." He pocketed the four Knuts he got back and started to walk out of the shop. Of course, I followed him. He's only being slightly rude and sarcastic because he's upset and confused. Trust me. I know Regulus Black.
"That was in her fourth year, Reg. And - would you please slow down!" He stopped in his tracks and I walked a couple of paces to catch up to him. When he looked at me, there were tears in his eyes. The pit in my stomach opened up and I felt my heart fall to the bottom of it. He looked so little, so afraid. Even though it was Regulus staring at me I saw my brother. "Reg?"
He looked away and pulled at the sleeves of his shirt. I saw a tear make the smallest of stains on one of them. "Mother is going to do it this Christmas. I'll be a monster." I sucked in a deep breath and pulled him close into a long embrace, not caring that a couple of people were starting to stare. Not Regulus. He has so much to give. He's a good person. He cares about people. There are people that care about him.
He was crying into my sweater and I didn't have to imagine that he was my brother, because, in this moment, he was. "I don't want Vanessa to find out. I don't want to let her down."
I rubbed his back and whispered in his ear that everything would be fine even though the feeling of dread told me something different. It hadn't happened yet, and it wouldn't for at least two months, but when I closed my eyes I could see the image of a skull imprinted on Regulus' left arm. I could see the flash of green and a serpent sliding out of a jaw like a morbid constellation. I saw it hanging over a lonely house, and for a split second I saw Regulus beneath it, his wand pointed towards the sky.
I shut my eyes tighter and the image disappeared. No.
Regulus isn't a Death Eater.
He can't be.