January 16th 1979

It was a Saturday evening. No stars nor moon were in sight as dark giant clouds formed together up the night sky. One drop after another went, and smaller drops soon turned into bigger drops as heavy rain poured down onto the small neighborhood streets of Borough Islington, London.

Seated by the far edge of a long table inside the well lit dining room of a seemingly quiet townhouse, Regulus Arcturus Black, stared long and hard at the clock that was fixed upon the dining room wall. Laid perfectly presented in front of him was a plate of a steak gone cold and forgotten. With a fork in hand and a weary look etched on his face, he silently counted the minutes that slowly ticked by.

When he soon grew bored of counting however, he decided to shift his attention elsewhere. Tearing his gaze away from the clock, he turned his focus onto the fireplace that was situated in the middle of the room. Basking in flames, the fireplace made a loud crackling sound and he watched as the bright flaming embers danced around the hearth, flitting captivatingly.

The scent of burning firewood masked by the aroma of eucalyptus that lingered in the air, drove away the cold ambience that was brought by the chilly rain, replacing it with a more pleasant one. Warm, comforting and homely. It strongly pierced in through his nostrils and wrapped around him like a cozy blanket, reminding him of a feeling he knew all too well. One that he hadn't felt in quite awhile.

The feeling of peace.

It was like a spell was being casted upon him, like his senses were being bewitched. And before he knew it, he found himself slowly being drawn to a state of losing consciousness. Dazed and eyes nearly shuttering to a close, he tried to fight it at first but ended up relenting, and was taken over by the pleasant feeling. And it was just at this time when he had almost drifted on to sleep, that a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Regulus"

Snapping out from his trance-like state, he blinked a few times before turning his head over to the other side of the long table, and there he saw two of his most beloved parents, sitting across from him.

Seeing their bewildered expressions, he quickly straightened his back and sat up properly, fixing his composure as if he had not almost fallen asleep on his chair.

"Is something the matter?" Walburga asks, tone slightly laced with worry.

" No, no" Regulus shook his head. " There is none mother, I am fine"

She pressed on. "Are you sure?"

"I can assure you, mother, that I am certainly well. I was merely—" He paused, trying to come up with a lie. "Caught in the moment"

His mother raised a brow at this, not in the slightest bit convinced with his response. But instead of saying anything more, like he had expected to happen; she had turned away from him and conversed with his father instead, changing the subject altogether and finally leaving him alone, much to his relief.

Picking up the knife that was placed on his left, he stabbed his uneaten steak with his fork and using the knife, proceeded to cut a piece off meat; Keeping himself occupied with his dinner as he listened to his parents' conversation. He was never the type of person to join in a talk, he was more of a listener and had only spoken when spoken to.

"Dear, have you read the letter that arrived earlier this morning?" Walburga asks, gazing at her husband.

The Head of the Black family in turn, looked at his wife with a slightly raised brow. "Letter? The one that the Malfoys had sent?"

Walburga hums. "Yes, and there was an invitation too. In the next upcoming month, their eldest son Lucius and Cissa would be married off. The wedding will take place at the Malfoy manor at exactly three in the afternoon and we are invited to witness the occasion"

Dabbing a napkin lightly on his lips, Orion gave a nod of approval. "Well it's certainly great news, they have been betrothed for more than five years. It's only right that they marry now and start planning the future"

"Indeed. With how they started off, I didn't think that they would ever get married but I was clearly wrong, this news brings me with such great joy and reassurance. The Malfoy family could have never been more right with their choice of lady, Narcissa is the perfect match for their only son and heir. And with their marriage, it could strengthen our alliance and blood line" Walburga says, smiling at her husband before looking over to her son.

"Wouldn't you agree, Regulus?"

At the mention of his name, Regulus came to a halt. A piece of meat sliding off from his fork and dropping onto his plate with a plop as he shifted his head up to glance at his mother, who was staring back at him, seemingly awaiting for an answer.

"Well–" He began, but then came to a stop. He didn't know what to say.

Keeping mum, he tried gathering all his thoughts to form a sentence yet still, nothing came; With no responses uttered, his mother turned away from him once more and carried on.

"Speaking of marriage, don't you think it's time that Regulus also settles down, my love?" Walburga says, smiling at her husband.

He choked, eyes widening at the word. Marriage?

"He is now eighteen, the right age to get betrothed. As a member of the Black family, it is his sole duty to continue with our tradition and have heirs of his own to do the same. We should start preparing for an arrangement. It wouldn't be long before all the good ones get taken but I doubt that Regulus wouldn't be able to get a match. There are many pureblood families that would love to take him as their son-in-law. After all, our Regulus is smart and eligible, much more so than–" Walburga paused, her face hardening.

"That good for nothing bastard"

Hearing the latter part of what his mother said, he suddenly felt something boiling inside of him. He saw red, vibrant red. Clenching the cutlery in his hands, he gritted his teeth. Knuckles turning white by the minute as he glared down at his plate. Noticing this change of behavior, his father decided to cut in.

"Walburga" Orion began, attempting to stop his wife's ramblings. "Enough"

"What? It's the truth" His wife snarled. "We tried raising him properly and as best as we could, we gave him everything he had asked for and what does he repay us with? By gallivanting around and uttering nonsenses, preferring to be surrounded by those blood traitors, especially those filthy, filthy mudbloods—"

Having heard enough, Regulus decided to put down his knife and fork before quickly rising from his seat; The sudden action had made his mother stop talking abruptly and his father to look at him in surprise.

After what felt like a minute of silence, he breathed in and cleared his throat. "I believe I'm full and will be returning to my quarters now. Thank you for the meal, it was delicious. Goodnight" He says.

And as swiftly as he finished his sentence, he turned on his heel and walked out of the dining room. Leaving both of his parents behind, completely startled and speechless.