THE HIEROPHANT
upright — tradition, conventionality,
conformity, education, knowledge, beliefs
reversed — rebellion, unconventionality,
non-conformity, new methods, ignorance
APRIL 1974
IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME until Regulus blurts out a fragment of the truth weighing on his mind. It comes unexpected, but if Amaris had a say in it, it only attests to the fact that maybe there was actually some progress on her self-proclaimed mission, be it as minuscule as it seemed.
She eventually learns that it was the partial reason why she found him in the Astronomy Tower the first time around during that winter night. It was a quick glimpse of the emotions he held against his aristocratic family— A hint, one may say.
And believe him, that was going to be a rather deep hole to look into.
That night happened to be the first time she gains a growing suspicion of how damaged the boy could possibly be and knowing Amaris Leclair, she's unable to suppress the urge to help him in some way or another.
.
Regulus Black was almost nothing like his brother. He never displays his animosity outright, carefully wearing that facade he tended to.
Don't get him wrong, he doesn't hate his family per se… It's just— Most days, he'd rather be without them than be stuck with them.
The pressure is excruciating but he fulfills his role diligently without wearing his heart on his sleeve because only an imbecile would be foolish enough to ask for trouble.
It's better— It's simpler this way. He can just suck it up like he usually does, be passive to a fault, and continue to please those around him. It's his duty for the sake of his family's honor.
Nevertheless, just like anybody else, if you just look a little deeper and watch a little longer, you'll be able to catch the hidden cracks on his mask.
That's always been the trick to it, hasn't it?
A watchful eye and an open mind; all it takes is a little perspective.
It was the same aspect that distinguished Amaris from the rest of the people he had been acquainted with.
.
The conversation started simple. The Hufflepuff had asked him amidst one of their evening rendezvous prior to the holiday, "What are you planning to do this Easter? You're going home too, right?"
When the girl had brought up the question, she had no intention to offend him. The young witch never held such values in the first place. It was simply well-meaning, a way to learn more about him and engage in small talk.
She doesn't miss the way his shoulders tense at the mention of his home, but to her surprise, instead of evading the subject, Regulus gives a fairly decent answer.
"I suppose. Though, if I had a say in it, I'd rather stay here."
"Why?"
"There's not much to do aside from those pretentious galas my mother forces us into."
"Pandora told me about those," Amaris recalled the Ravenclaw's complaints. "She said she would usually cast some spell to feign sickness. That way, one of her brothers would cover for her and she can slip away without any trouble. I could ask her for it if you'd like."
The boy sneers at the thought of asking for a blood traitor's assistance, "I'd rather kiss a toad."
"Well, I suppose you might not have it as bad as she does. Your pure-blood goons are coming with you, right?" she speaks teasingly instead of using her words to insinuate any malice.
Regulus only replies with a grunt, ignoring the little remark. She doesn't fail to notice how uncomfortable he was with the subject and it causes her to quickly revert back to her attempts of easing his problems.
"Either way, I'm sure your brother would help you out. Something tells me that he's not fond of such events either—"
"Over my dead body," Regulus immediately scowls at the mere mention of Sirius before insisting with great emphasis, "He's a complete arse, and I will never ask him for anything in my life."
That's what truly gets to her.
.
The maiden was slightly taken aback when the Slytherin had cut her off derisively. Hostility was clearly evident in his tone. His jaw tightens and his grey eyes are colder than ever but Amaris finds his reclusive behavior a tad bit more concerning than his resentment towards his own brother.
"It's not bad to depend on others sometimes, Reg," the Hufflepuff frowns. "You don't have to put up with everything."
If this was anybody else, they would ask about Sirius— pry into their history and snoop their nose into his business. He'll end up lying because it was the only way to hide the chinks in his armor.
But Amaris doesn't pry and so, he doesn't find the need to lie.
Regulus can't fathom how she, of all people, was still able to understand him and look past what others tend to dwell too much on. The manner in which she spoke to him easily coerces the truth out of him and something about it leaves him unsettled.
"Easy for you to say. You don't have a banshee for a mother."
"You don't get along with your family?" she finally expresses her observations although it comes out as more of a question than a statement.
"Does it matter?" Regulus counters back with a dismissive scoff, refusing to disclose any more than that.
"I suppose it shouldn't," She respects his decision and merely waits for the opportunity when he chooses to tell her. Instead, Amaris mused, "You can't change what made you what you are. You just learn to live with it and make do with what you can."
He can't comprehend why it's so easy for her to say such things. In truth, it leaves him utterly speechless.
Everything always seemed so simple in her eyes, and as much as that aggravates him, something about it also manages to assure him.
.
By the time he snaps out of his thoughts, the girl had still been speaking. Amaris had always taken it upon herself to keep their conversation flowing regardless of the way he would often refuse to speak about certain matters, much less spare them his attention.
She hasn't even been bothered by his lack of response nor the fact that he had tuned out what she'd been saying some time ago as if she, in her own way, was trying to take his mind off of things.
"—If you want an escape, you can come and visit me. My sister recently got married while I was away at Hogwarts. She and her husband wanted to host an Easter egg hunt for the local children. I suppose they're also trying to have kids and they want to see if they're ready for it—"
'Shut up,' he thinks for a moment.
He doesn't fail to notice the twinkle in her bright blue that often lit up when she talked about the people she loved.
"—I don't know if the magical community also does it. We'd hide chocolate eggs around the park and tell kids the Easter Bunny hid them. Sometimes we just like to paint eggshells. I know it's a little mundane but it's a lot more fun than you'd think—"
There's that stupid smile that's somehow always plastered on her face as she talks and she talks and she talks.
"—My sister once said that I'd spend hours decorating mine when I was a kid. Though, I suppose the Wizarding World would probably have a lot more fancy agendas—"
'Salazar, does she ever shut her trap?'
"—I don't know if you ever entertained the thought but, it's a little confusing being torn between two worlds, isn't it?—"
"Why tell me all this? Do you honestly think I care?" he finally interrupts her, heaving an exasperated sigh after having listened to her ramble on and on.
The unwavering brightness present in the maiden's demeanor always manages to strike a nerve.
He hates how easy she had it.
He hates how she manages to speak fondly about such menial matters.
He hates how he's jealous of this Mudblood because instead of a warm and loving home, all that's waiting for him in 12 Grimmauld Place is hours and hours of screams after screams.
Hell, even the silence in his supposed home had always been unnerving.
.
The Slytherin was perfectly aware that taking his anger out on her was rude and uncalled for. Amaris herself wouldn't deny it, but instead of chastising him, she smiles as she tells him simply, "It's the opposite."
"What?" the boy furrows his eyebrows in confusion, eyes narrowed at her.
"I'm not usually this chatty, you know?" Amaris admits sheepishly. "You're easy to talk to because I know you won't care. It doesn't matter what you think of me, I have nothing more to lose and that makes it easier to speak my mind."
He doesn't know how the hell he ought to respond to that because Amaris Leclair had always been the only person ballsy enough to look him in the eye and face him head-on.
"You feel the same way, don't you? You don't hold me in high regard so you tell me things because you know that my opinion won't matter to you," her azure eyes meet his grey orbs as if she's trying to analyze him by expressing her own observations and gauging a reaction out of him.
But still, he thinks, 'She's wrong.'
He may feel the same way but it was in a different sense.
He doesn't dare to correct her but he knows she's (partially) wrong.
He can be true to her because she's the only one who's been adamant to remain by his side no matter how many times he pushes her away, the only one who cares enough to sit through his grievances, the only one who's ever bothered to listen to his side—
And sometimes, that's all anyone needs to be able to act like themself.
.
.
.
JUNE 1974
AMARIS LECLAIR had been so bloody patient, and at this point, she should get an award. (Not that she's going through all this trouble for such.)
As much as the maiden had poured enough time and effort into her little mission to change the pompous Slytherin's prejudice against her kind, it had already been months since she took it upon herself to do so—
And yet, here she was, barely making any sort of progress.
.
There's a dedicated page at the back of one of her notebooks as she continues to mull about how to win the Slytherin boy.
She scribbles on the parchment, trying to come up with various ways to help them see eye to eye. It had already become part of her daily routine—
But Merlin, it was already June. Summer holidays were right around the corner and she doubts she can get through to him before the new school year begins.
She contemplates the rundown of her plan, tapping her pen on the table as she stares at the single page.
How to Change the Pompous Pure-blood's Mind on Muggles and Muggle-borns
(a.k.a. an observation log on Regulus Arcturus Black and maybe a few ways to befriend him)
The Hufflepuff recalls her minuscule progress throughout the past year, going through each bullet she had once written.
1. Share food (Maybe candies or potato crisps. Preferably those that aren't available in the Wizarding World. No one turns down free food, right? They did say that food brings people together.)
'No,' Amaris frowns as she recalled the look on Regulus' face. 'That went down the drain as soon as the pretentious arse scrunched his nose in disgust.'
2. Muggle Games(Rubik's cubes or other puzzles? Not sure what might spike his interest. Try to observe first.)
'Ignored me as soon as I suggested it,' she crossed out the next bullet rather hastily.
3. Muggle Music(Always the best ice-breaker. He sounds like the classical music type of lad but it's not too bad to try other genres.)
'But then he said that the Walkman looked stupid after sparing it a single glance.'
The maiden strikes that one out too.
4. Share something about yourself rather than expecting him to open up first.(You can't expect something from someone when you aren't willing to give it up yourself.)
Amaris purses her lips together, contemplating whether or not she could count the last one as a success seeing as she's only learned a handful of things about him, but in her defense—
'It's like he's not even trying!'
Her determination to accomplish her mission hasn't wavered one bit but the thought had inevitably entered her mind due to her growing exasperation.
Not expecting to catch the attention of her friends, Amaris groans in defeat, "Ugh, what do I do?"
.
Mary MacDonald and Pandora Lestrange immediately avert their eyes toward the Hufflepuff as they ate their lunch together in the Great Hall, deciding to enjoy each other's company for one last meal before the End-of-Year Feast later that evening.
The Gryffindor girl is the first to ask, "Do what, Ames?"
Pandora equally expresses her concerns not a second later, "What's wrong?"
"Well…" Amaris smiled sheepishly, having worried them for nothing. "I've been working on this project for so long and I'm not any further along than when I started."
"I didn't know you were doing a project for some extra credit," the Ravenclaw peers momentarily from her book.
"We're going home tomorrow. Will you even be able to make it?" Mary chimes in.
"It's not for school," The Hufflepuff assured, catching the attention of the other two Gryffindors seated at their table.
"Oh? What is it then?" Gideon asks while his twin opted to swipe the notebook away from her.
Amaris merely purses her lips impatiently, waiting for them to return it, but instead of settling the matter peacefully, with their typical flare for drama, they chose to gasp exaggeratedly.
"No. Merlin's beard— You didn't."
They look back at her as if she committed a crime atrocious enough to send her to Azkaban.
It's probably the wrong time to think about it, but she can't tell whether their synced response stemmed from the fact that they were twins. The identical astonished expression on their faces certainly supported the notion.
.
Unable to help her curiosity, even Pandora shuts her book to give them her full attention, asking, "What is it?"
"She's trying to befriend—" Fabian lowers his voice to whisper harshly, "Regulus Black!"
"Hm… Good for you," Mary MacDonald answers absentmindedly, too invested in her meal before it dawns on her. The girl almost choked on her food as she exclaimed, "Wait, WHAT?!"
Amaris could've sworn that all eyes in the Great Hall shifted to them due to her friend's outburst.
"Shhh!" she placates them, heaving an exasperated sigh once the embarrassment washes over her. "Settle down, would you?"
Mary complies, albeit her voice still comes out louder than she would have appreciated. "The Prince of the Slytherins? Amaris, are you out of your bloody mind?!"
"Calm down," she waves them off as if it was a mere overreaction on their part. "I've been at it for almost two years now."
"Two years? We've barely been friends for one," Gideon points out.
"Yes, as you can see, it's a delicate work in progress," the Hufflepuff states flatly.
As calm as her tone was, Pandora, on the other hand, goes about it bluntly, "It's a bad idea."
"She's right. I mean, it's not just any Slytherin," Fabian spat. "It's Regulus fucking Black. The worst of the lot."
"Language, Prewett," Amaris chastised. "You kiss your baby nephew with that mouth?"
"That should be the least of your concerns," Mary rubs her temples in aggravation.
Amaris looks at all of them as she blatantly questions, "What's wrong with Slytherins?"
The other four second-years are left gaping. They can't seem to tell whether or not their precious friend was acting dumb because Hufflepuffs may be kind, but surely they can't be this foolish.
.
Fabian is the first to regain his composure. The redhead sputters disbelievingly, mocking her with her words, "What's wrong with Slytherins?"
"What's right with them?" Mary slams a hand on the table in agreement, trying to prove her point. "The other day, Carrow threatened to hex me to death!"
"Yeah, but he's a real prat," Amaris defends, "I've known Regulus for two years and he hasn't pushed me off the Astronomy Tower nor did he ever threaten to jinx me."
"It's the house where all the bad witches and wizards go," Gideon tells her, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Godric, Ames, it's the house where You-Know-Who was from!"
"I don't know who the hell that is."
The three pure-bloods look at each other and heave a sigh.
.
Pandora herself took it as a cue to stop trying, reverting her attention back to the book she was reading whilst the twins continued to rant heatedly.
To Amaris' surprise, Fabian's tone finally softens as he informs her gravely. "Look, we don't speak of his name… He's an evil wizard— Bloody hell, that's putting it lightly."
"You-Know-Who is the root of the current conflict in the Wizarding world. Some say it's already led to war, I honestly think it's just the beginning," Pandora chimed in regardless of the way her eyes never left the page she was reading.
Mary listens intently alongside Amaris, but the latter doesn't fail to retort, "But what does that have to do with Slytherin students? They're just kids like us."
"Slytherins have a knack for Dark Magic. They're Death Eaters in the making, aspiring followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, murderers of Muggles and Muggle-borns alike," Gideon continued for his brother, prattling on to remind her of the gravity of things.
Although the thought certainly did strike some fear in her, Amaris still stubbornly insisted, "Okay, I get that… But like I said, if he wanted to hurt me, he'd have done it a long time ago. You can't possibly label the whole lot of them diabolic."
The twins sigh even louder at the futility of their attempts.
"Godric, there's no hope. She's mad."
"She's gone absolutely mental."
.
Mary inevitably nudges the girl beside her, "Pandora, would you please talk sense into our friend?"
Despite the glare that she sent the Gryffindor, the Ravenclaw eventually shuts the book she was reading to face her best friend.
"Amaris, are you fully aware of what your actions entail?" Pandora matches her calm demeanor, speaking rather rationally compared to the other three who had been driven by their emotions.
Amaris nods quietly, feeling as if she was being berated like a child. It was bad enough that the other three can't seem to recognize her side of things, but she hoped that at least Pandora would believe in her words.
"We're not saying all Slytherins are nefarious," the Ravenclaw assured her, expressing their intentions. "But plenty are and we don't want you to take that chance."
"I know that, but I've thought this through, Dora," Amaris insisted. "And I'd like to believe that I have a rather good eye for people. I got you all as friends, didn't I?"
The other maiden doesn't allow the serious expression on her face to waver as she continued, "And if something bad were to happen?"
"I'll stand up for myself or worse comes to worst, run to you guys for help," Amaris answers confidently.
A small proud smile finally breaks through her best friend's face.
.
Satisfied, Pandora turns to the three to let them lay off the girl, "Alright. You heard her."
"That's it?" Mary frowns, but she finally drops it after another glare from the Ravenclaw.
Fabian doesn't give in as easily, arguing, "Dora, you gave me a one-hour lecture when I dog-eared a page in your book!"
"Oh, believe me, I wanted to do more than that," she hisses back.
"She's going to get hurt."
"I'm not her mother, who am I to stop her?"
"You're right," Mary joined in on their little argument, turning to the Hufflepuff to drag the very person into the conversation. "We can't ask you to stop her so I'll give it a go."
She started threateningly, "Amaris Selene Leclair—"
The blonde girl frowns, "I should have never told you my middle name."
"—We are saying this for your own good. It's simple enough! Don't get close to Regulus Black."
"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist."
To their surprise, the Ravenclaw is the one who defends her side,
"Amaris sounds like she knows what she's doing. Have a little faith in her…" Pandora attempts to talk sense into them instead, rendering the three Gryffindors silent. "Besides, she'll learn a lesson either way."
They hate the fact that she actually has a decent point.
The Hufflepuff gives them a triumphant little grin for having won their little row despite being oblivious to the real reason the other girl had given in to her persistence.
.
Pandora Lestrange sneaks a glance back at the Slytherin table before averting her attention back to her book.
She doesn't dare point out how she had met Regulus' eyes for a mere second, having caught him looking at Amaris despite the sea of people present in the Great Hall.
The Hufflepuff didn't seem to notice the way the boy's gaze lingered towards her, but it had allowed Pandora to easily come to the conclusion.
'She gave me a chance. I don't see why it would be wrong of her to do so for somebody else.'
So she gives Regulus Black the benefit of the doubt because she believes in Amaris herself; because deep down she knows what it's like to be wedged deep into the pure-blood society, knows that everyone deserves a chance at redemption—
Because in the end, she knows that if anyone could do it, Amaris Leclair would have been the most likely to succeed.
Regulus Black is slightly taken aback when he arrives at the Astronomy Tower later that night only to find the blonde little Hufflepuff so invested in gazing at the evening sky that she fails to notice his presence.
Had it been a year ago, the boy wouldn't have spared it much thought, but they've been too far along with their usual late-night encounters that he finds it unsettling to break their routine.
Ever since she held the resolve to befriend him, not once had she failed to greet him with a smile.
Don't get him wrong, he can barely give a damn.
It shouldn't affect him in the slightest bit. It's peaceful and quiet this way. It's not always that she keeps her mouth shut, and he might as well bask in the rare opportunity while it lasted.
Besides, he's not exactly new to the sight of her solemnly brooding.
The first time they met, it had gone the same way. He found her leaning against a pillar, watching the sky whilst the ethereal moonlight gently glossed over her features.
The times were simpler back when they barely even bothered to look each other in the eye but something about this side of her makes him yearn to learn more— makes him want to pry. Instead of feeling relieved, it rubs him off in the wrong way.
He wonders if this was how she felt.
.
Despite all his quibble, Regulus ends up being the one to break the silence by sitting right next to the girl and taunting her in an attempt to mask his concern, "You're awfully silent for a change. Is the world coming to an end?"
Amaris' bright blue eyes slightly widened in surprise as if she had only noticed him right then.
Regulus doesn't dare mention it but he feels as if a weight had been lifted from his chest when she gives him one of her usual smiles.
"I was just lost in thought. I didn't hear you coming." She shifts the subject back to him, recalling the way he'd brood over how much he dreaded his return home before every holiday, "How are you feeling?"
He doesn't miss the way that this particular smile doesn't seem to reach her eyes yet despite whatever it was that was troubling her, here she was asking about him.
.
Disgruntled by the way she was trying to turn things around, he merely returns the question, evading her attempts to talk about his problems.
"What's weighing on your mind?"
The maiden's sapphire eyes widen for a second, slightly taken aback by the way he was the one asking about her for a change.
It's only when she takes another second to heave a deep breath that she returns his question with one of her own, quietly mumbling, "Do you think I'm being stupid for trying to change your mind about Muggles and Muggle-borns?"
He keeps his usual nonchalant demeanor, hiding how startled he was by her inquiry because he had never imagined her to dwell on such menial matters.
"It's not like that ever stopped you," Regulus scoffs. "Why'd you ask?"
The Hufflepuff frowns, "You didn't answer the question."
"I never said I'd answer your question. There's no merit in giving it a response," the boy easily counters back. A smug little smirk plays on his lips as he looked at her knowingly, "Whatever I say, you're still going to keep pestering me, are you not?"
"Not forever," she huffs defensively. "It's not my intention to bother you. I'll stop if you tell me to but only if you mean it."
"Whatever," the Slytherin dismisses her words with ease, impatiently prodding her to cut to the chase. "Now, answer the question. I don't want to stay up too late hearing you beat around the bush. I have to reserve my energy before returning back to that wretched place."
"I told you, you can come and visit me if things get too hard for you," Amaris reminds him. Her azure eyes peer right through him.
"And associate myself with even more Mudbloods?" Regulus sneered, "Not a chance."
She doesn't badger him any further, "Suit yourself."
.
"So, what is it?" Regulus narrows his eyes at her futile attempts to get off track. "Stop changing the subject. You're wasting my time."
Although his words would seem offhanded to anybody else, the maiden finds a tad bit of comfort in the thought that he actually cared enough to keep pressing her on for an answer.
She finally cuts to the chase, admitting the cause of her worries, "My friends and I got to talking. They think I'm 'mental' for trying to befriend a Slytherin."
Just the mere recollection of it leaves a foul taste in her mouth. She had already lost her appetite after their little argument during their lunch but this time around, she can't help but wonder how'd he'd feel about it.
It's nothing new in his case.
"That's it?" Regulus raises an eyebrow, unfazed by the way the other students saw him as. "I thought it would be bigger than that for something to have troubled you."
She frowns at his response, feeling as if he was belittling his own emotions over the issue, "How are you not bothered by this?"
"The distinguished elites and those brawny hero wannabees have always been sworn enemies. It's how the world works. Simple as that."
"Now, that's stupid," Amaris wrinkles her nose at the infamous petty rivalry of the two houses.
"It's the truth, though," he goes about it rather dismissively and it does nothing to assure her worries. If anything, it only aggravates them. "Haven't you heard of my brother and his cronies? How they're always coming up with those juvenile pranks against us Slytherins?"
"That mentality is what's making it true," Amaris argued back, chewing on her lip in aggravation.
He fails to comprehend why she's so affected by it when she's not even the one involved. "Why are you so hung up on it, anyway? It's not like you're at the other end of this mess."
"That's not the point."
.
Amaris Leclair rarely, if ever, loses her composure. She dwells on the brighter side of things, careful not to displease anyone and also adamant not to antagonize others but things like this never fail to aggravate her. Even more so when the boy in front of her is speaking about it so lightly as if he had grown to accept it as a norm.
Well, social norms can go fuck themselves.
Amaris isn't going to stand for any of it because she knows what it's like to be different, to be ostracised by her Muggle peers, to both live in two worlds but not belong at the same time.
It's not fair to fit people in a box, only to expect the worst of them when they begin to conform to the caricature built of them.
If Gryffindors are required to be brave, then won't some of them suppress their own fear and act as if they weren't allowed to feel that way?
If Ravenclaws are expected to be geniuses, then won't they force themselves into the subjective quality, ignoring how people can all be different types of smart?
If Hufflepuffs are known to be the pushovers, then won't they be cast in the shadows because people fail to see how much they value the real things that matter above all else?
If Slytherins are determined to be sinister fiends and are brought up on unchanging views, then won't they inevitably succumb to the archetype made for them because their actions that prove otherwise will always be overlooked?
.
"Prejudice is one and the same," Amaris tells the boy beside her. Her tone is serious and stern. It lacks any ill-intent but he's never known her to speak that way.
"Some call the Muggle-borns filthy. Others call the Slytherin pure-bloods Death Eaters. Everyone is judged for being different but they force us into those stupid stereotypes, generalizing us based on stupid assumptions and our worst aspects," she looks distantly at the stars above them as she spoke her mind.
Had he not known any better, Regulus would have thought that her words were just another way to butter him up and gain his affection to take a step closer to her goal, but he's observed her enough to know she's beyond those pathetic tricks. She can't be any further from a sycophant.
He's never seen her so frustrated —never even thought she was capable of feeling that way— because despite all his futile attempts to strike a nerve, the girl had never once cracked.
Regulus snorts with false derision, "How naive of you to think such."
"Do you honestly think I'm wrong?" she sincerely asks him, eyes looking back at him as if dismayed by the thought that she was the only one who dared to think such.
"Not at all," his grey eyes meet her sapphire orbs as he confirms her words. "I know you're right."
Hearing him admit that doesn't fail to astonish her. She's almost left gaping, but then Regulus doesn't fail to add, "But that doesn't make you less naive."
"I can't even begin to fathom how you can easily put your trust in someone despite everything you hear," he spoke rather bluntly. "Whether they're jumping to conclusions or not, people tend to put their guard up because there's too much to risk if ever it is the truth. It's called self-preservation, you dolt."
Amaris gives him a pointed expression as she deadpanned, "What? So you're telling me that you might be a Death Eater all this time?"
"Perhaps."
She can't understand why he keeps trying to make it seem like he's a bad guy, almost as if he's been constantly warning her about him, but regardless it takes less than a second for her to state plainly, "I don't believe you."
"See, this is exactly why—"
"You're not like them," Amaris cuts him off resolutely in order to defend him, "You're not like them, you've had more than enough chances to prove otherwise."
"And like always, you're basing this on the fact that I have yet to hurt you?" he retorts just as easily but she doesn't waver one bit.
"No, I'm basing it on the way you hear me out even if you couldn't be bothered by my business, on the way you're not blatantly pushing me aside, that you're at least trying to change how you view us," she rambled heatedly. "How is calling you a Death Eater any different from calling someone a Mudblood? It would be hypocritical of me to think the worst of you when I'm trying to change your prejudice against us."
Regulus' exasperation grows when he finally accepts the truth he had been adamantly denying:
He never knows how to face this girl in front of him because Amaris was unlike everyone else he's known.
To make matters worse, the Hufflepuff finishes by declaring, "I may have a tendency to put my faith in people but I make sure to base it on what I see for myself."
Her brightness overwhelms him like the light that stood out in the dark.
.
"I take it back, you're not naive," Regulus sneered. "You're a bloody fool at this point."
"I think you're the fool for trying to fit yourself into that stupid caricature," Amaris countered back as she insisted, "You're not as bad as you make yourself out to be, Reg."
That's the first time anyone's ever called him a fool.
It's also the first time he realizes just how much he needed someone to see him for himself.