Chapter Three: Act I, Scene III: Valentine


A/N: As always, a HUGE thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. I'm glad y'all are finding Beth to be relatable! This chapter is very heavy on the Regulus x Beth content, so enjoy. Don't worry, Mariam has not been forgotten about ;)


Beth avoided Regulus upon their return to Hogwarts. She certainly hadn't meant to, and it wasn't done out of malice. The more she thought on New Year's, the more she thought about Regulus and Claudia kissing as green and white fireworks exploded in the night sky overhead. She was also confused as to precisely what her kiss with Mariam had meant, now that she knew Mariam was into girls.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only Black sibling she was avoiding. She'd gotten into an argument with Phoenix after learning that her best friend was in a relationship with Lupin. It had stung to realise that Phoenix had been sneaking around behind their backs, and Beth's hurt had manifested into icy words she hadn't meant. Not that Phoenix had been any kinder, but it was no excuse.

Fortunately, OWLs were keeping everyone busy, so Beth staying quiet and keeping her nose in her textbooks was of no consequence. She tended to sit by the hearth during the late-night homework sessions, colour-coding her notes and relying on the warmth of the flames to keep the winter chill from her bones.

"Beth?" A familiar voice drew her from the crackling of the logs, making her jerk to attention and almost spill her pot of ink at Regulus's sudden appearance. "Can we talk?"

"Um, sure." Beth gestured to the empty spot across from her. "Step into my office."

Regulus raked his dark hair out of his eyes. Beth made no attempt to stop jotting down notes, partly out of her anxiety about why Regulus would want to speak to her. She hadn't seen him with Claudia since the New Year's party, though that didn't particularly mean anything. Was it because of what she'd said to Phoenix?

"Beth." Regulus sighed heavily. "Can you please stop hiding behind the Charms assignment?"

Reluctantly, she put her half-finished essay down. She had planned to reward herself for finishing it tonight with a reread of Romeo and Juliet, another of Muggle playwright Shakespeare's works. As she fidgeted with the hem of her school jumper, she noted there was an odd intensity in Regulus's grey eyes.

"I wanted to talk about...about New Year's."

"Oh." Her heart sank, and she wanted to melt into a puddle of goo. She brushed her blonde hair behind her ear. "Um, what about it?"

"The whole thing with Claudia and I."

"You mean, kissing her?" The words escaped Beth in an awkward rush. "You're perfectly at liberty to kiss whoever you want. It's got nothing to do with me. Wait, are you telling me this because Claudia is your girlfriend now?"

"What?" Regulus's brow furrowed in confusion. "No. It's not like that. She just started chatting with me and...I don't know. It all happened so fast. I didn't even really want to kiss her."

"Yeah, you looked like you were having a terrible time," Beth said wryly. She remembered the way Claudia's arms had been wound tight around Regulus's neck.

Beth had, in fact, kissed Regulus before. It had been during a stupid game at the end of their third year, they'd partaken in Alexander's infamous flask of firewhiskey, and she doubted that he even remembered it. Phoenix did, and certainly teased Beth about it at every given opportunity. They'd barely been fourteen. It had all been pretty embarrassing.

"It was sort of like being kissed by an enthusiastic octopus." Regulus grimaced. "Her arms seemed to be everywhere, to be honest."

"Like snogging the Giant Squid." Beth couldn't help but smirk, which just made Regulus pull a face of disgust. "Seriously, though. What has any of this got to do with me?"

"You really don't know, do you?" Regulus observed her curiously, searching her face for an answer he couldn't seem to find. "Merlin, you don't. Beth, I asked you to come outside with me because, well...I sort of hoped you would be my New Year's kiss."

Beth was stunned into silence. She had been secretly hoping that Regulus wanted to kiss her, but if that was the case, why had he snogged Claudia? Was he making fun of her? She must have had a suspicious look on her face, because Regulus heaved a sigh.

"I thought it was a little obvious, to be honest."

"Why would you want to kiss me?" Beth demanded. She wasn't the sort of girl who was pursued by fit lads. She was the sort of girl who got absorbed in Muggle literature and was typically all sorts of invisible. The only time she was even noticed was when she was with Phoenix.

"Because I like you." Regulus said those words like it was so simple, but how could it be? He'd kissed another girl. Surely he couldn't like her that much. Beth sighed and started packing up her things, certain this was some kind of ruse to get a reaction from her. Had Phoenix, in her state of anger, decided to spill the beans that Beth had a crush on Regulus?

"You kissed Claudia."

"Beth, wait." Regulus rested a hand on her arm. "Please, don't leave. I know snogging Claudia wasn't...the best impression. But we've all kissed other people and it hasn't meant anything."

Beth examined him in the warm glow of the hearth. Merlin, he was so cute. Regulus lacked Sirius's arrogance, his shoulders slouched and his good looks often set in contemplation or irritation as opposed to Phoenix's bright smiles. Why would Regulus Black, with eyes like a brewing storm and hair like spilled ink, be interested in her?

Then Regulus leaned across the space between them and kissed her.

When they had kissed at the end of their third year, both of them had been shocking. It had been Beth's first kiss, and she suspected Regulus's as well. Because it had been part of a game, she had been full of insistence that it didn't really count for anything.

This time was different. This time, they'd both kissed other people, and Beth found herself marvelling at the fact that Regulus was actually a bloody good kisser. His hand reached up to touch her cheek, fingers cold against her fire-warmed skin, and somehow that grounded her back in reality and she drew back.

"Umm." Beth bit down on her lip. "I...I don't really know what to say. You did kind of just say we've kissed other people and it hasn't meant anything, so…"

Merlin's beard, she was fucking rambling. She had just kissed Regulus Black and here she was prattling on. A flush rose in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the hearth beside them and everything to do with the feeling of Regulus's lips on hers.

"So then let's do more than kiss." Regulus seemed to mull something over for a moment, before he spoke again. "Come to Hogsmeade with me for Valentine's Day."

Beth's eyebrows flew upward. "What, you mean…like, a date?"

"Exactly like a date." Regulus nodded fervently. "I know you're hesitant. I have been acting like a bit of a prat. But I want to prove that this isn't like kissing Claudia on New Year's. This is more. If you want it to be."

"Uh, yeah." Beth mentally cursed herself. "Fuck. I mean, yes, of course I'll come to Hogsmeade with you. On a date. For Valentine's Day."

"Cool." Regulus eased himself to his feet, and Beth was still reeling at what had just happened. She'd scored a date with her crush. Was this some sort of embarrassing dream, and she would wake up to her friends teasing her? "See you around, Beth."

She was going on a fucking date with Regulus Black. Beth resisted the urge to squeal in excitement, considering she still had a Charms essay to finish. Setting her homework neatly back down, she continued on with a feeling of euphoria. Maybe this year, OWLs aside, wouldn't be so bad after all.


Beth typically would have gone straight to her friends to tell them about her Valentine's Day date, but she decided that this was something she wanted to keep for herself. It was sort of nice to have a secret. Besides, Phoenix hadn't entirely been honest about her relationship with Lupin. Maybe it was Beth's turn to keep her cards close to her chest.

Although she tried to play it cool, convincing herself that she would just keep her appearance casual when it came to their date, she found herself tossing through her clothes to find something that appeared effortless, yet cute. She settled on a pale green sweater (it was still cold, after all) and dark denim jeans. She kept the makeup light, but put the eyeliner and mascara on heavy, slicking some gloss on her lips.

"Where are you headed, young miss?" Thomas's playful voice carried through the common room as Beth made her departure, making her freeze in her steps. She swivelled to face her older brother, picking at the hem of her sweater sleeve.

"Hogsmeade." She tried her best to keep her tone indifferent.

"Without your friends?" Thomas peered around as if expecting to see Phoenix and Lorna. When he didn't, he arched an eyebrow. "Suspicious."

"So is you without your posse." Beth folded her arms over her chest, suddenly defensive. What business was it of Thomas's who she was off to Hogsmeade with? If he knew she was going out with Regulus on Valentine's Day, he was bound to tease her even more.

"Ooh, she bites." Thomas laughed easily, undeterred. "Alright, well, you have fun."

Relieved that her brother wasn't going to torment her further, Beth made the trek out of Hogwarts and down to Hogsmeade. A thousand thoughts crossed her mind as she walked to Honeydukes, where she had promised to meet Regulus at eleven o'clock sharp. What if this was some kind of joke, and he'd set her up just to have a laugh? Regulus didn't strike Beth as cruel, but the company he kept certainly could be.

Fortunately, she needn't have worried. Regulus was waiting outside Honeydukes with his hands stuffed into his pockets, and the tension in her shoulders faded away at the sight of him. Smiling shyly, Beth tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she approached him, waving awkwardly.

"Hi."

"Hello." Regulus offered his arm. "Are you ready to sample the most delectable sweets you could possibly imagine?"

Beth thought he could have bloody said anything and she would have agreed with it. Taking his arm, she allowed herself to be led out of the frigid February air and indoors to the warmth of Honeydukes. She had, of course, been to the sweet shop several times since they'd been allowed to come to Hogsmeade since their third year. It didn't stop her perusing the shelves with a keen interest.

Spending time with Regulus was fun, but with an undercurrent of concern. Was there something she was meant to be doing differently because this was a date? She definitely knew it was, because he'd said as much. Was he going to kiss her again, or was she meant to kiss him? Beth knew she was completely overthinking things, so she took a deep breath and asked herself what Phoenix would do. Confident, bubbly Phoenix, who Beth was still on sour terms with.

"How about some Fizzing Whizzbees?" Regulus appeared around a corner with a basket of sweets, startling Beth who had been examining a shelf of Sugared Butterfly Wings while deep in contemplation.

"Erm...sure."

Once they decided upon their sweets, Regulus brought them up to the counter and paid for them. They stepped out of Honeydukes and headed over to an unoccupied bench where Regulus laid out their haul. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lighter, and Beth watched as he lit up and blew out a plume of smoke.

"You've been very quiet," he noted, "More so than usual."

"I guess I'm just thinking about...all this." Beth stared down at their haul. "Not the sweets. The date, I mean."

"Ah." Regulus offered her the cigarette, and she accepted it and took a drag. "Honestly? You make me a little nervous."

Beth had to stop herself from gaping. She made him nervous? He was most of the popular lads in their year! She handed the cigarette back and shrugged her shoulders, trying to play it cool. Boys liked a bit of mystery, didn't they? She wondered if there was any mystery to maintain when she and Regulus had known each other since they were eleven.

"You seemed fine the other night when you kissed me in the common room."

"I was struck by a sudden bout of daring." His lips turned upwards into a wry smile. "I was a little scared you might slap me."

"Slap you?" Beth burst out laughing despite herself. "Why would I slap you?"

Regulus raked a hand through his black hair. "I dunno, if you didn't want me to kiss you."

"I made it obvious I liked you." Beth busied herself opening up the Fizzing Whizzbees. "At least, I think so."

"Sometimes, Beth Fawley, you are a difficult person to read." Regulus leaned back against the bench, spreading his arms wide and draping one around her shoulders. "Who knew our year's most productive student had such a love of Muggle literature?"

Beth's cheeks burned with heat. "You can't tell anyone about that."

"Promise I won't."

For a few moments, the pair of them sat in comfortable silence, Beth biting back a smile at the fact that Regulus had his arm around her. Taking a risk, scared he might pull away, she leaned her head on his shoulder. She didn't dare look up at his expression, but the fact that he didn't draw away made her smile widen.

Beth hadn't really dated before. Sure, she'd shared a few kisses with several of the boys...and Mariam. Part of that had just been the process of growing up and sharing experiences with each other, but she hadn't actually been out on a date with anyone like this. If she'd been on speaking terms with Phoenix, she might have asked her for advice.

When they headed back to the castle, Beth's heart was full and she thought if she ate another sweet, she just might explode. Regulus linked her fingers through his as they entered Hogwarts, and it became apparent that he wasn't worried about anyone watching them. Whatever was happening between them, he wanted it to be seen.

They were about to descend the stairs into the Slytherin common room when Regulus caught her arm and steered her back into the nook she liked to read in. Judging by the mischievous gleam in his grey eyes, it was a fact he well remembered. Beth pressed back against the window, eyes settling on Regulus's mouth as he licked his lips.

"Beth." His voice was low. "Can I kiss you?"

"Okay," she said softly.

Regulus pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with more intensity than he had in the common room. Beth rested her hands on his shoulders, tugging him closer against her. She had thought a good deal on how she'd felt after Regulus had kissed her in the common room, and the truth was that she had felt great about it. She had secretly hoped that he might kiss her again, and she certainly wasn't disappointed.

Regulus's fingers tangled in Beth's blonde hair, making her arms tighten around his neck. She didn't even care that she was pressed back against the window and that it wasn't a very comfortable angle. Right now, all that mattered was Regulus's lips on hers. His mouth trailed down her jaw to her neck, making her gasp.

"We'd better stop before we get detention."

As reluctant as she was to put an end to what was turning into a heated makeout session, she didn't exactly want to be stumbled upon by her fellow Slytherins or a teacher. Regulus drew back, the tousled hair admittedly a very good look on him. Beth's red lipstick had smudged across his lips, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"You look very obvious."

"So do you." Regulus smirked, and Beth took out the compact mirror she kept in her purse and grimaced as she realised that her lipstick was smeared across her face. She actually squeaked in embarrassment, knowing she was going to have to really leg it through the common room to clean her makeup off without being noticed.

"Regulus." Beth caught his arm as they made to descend the stairs to the dungeon. "I'd really like to go on another date."

There was a heartbeat of silence during which Beth wondered if he was going to blow her off. He examined her with an expression that verged on confusion, as if he didn't understand why she'd want that. Then a smile curved his lips, still stained red from their kissing.

"I'd like that, too."