A/N: And that wraps Regulus up! I'll be back with a short epilogue soon, and please leave a review!

WC: 373

Friday 25th December 1970, 3:15 PM

The elves slowly take everything off the table, and soon it is clear, but no one moves a muscle. Well, apart from Meda who left the table as soon as Bellatrix was out of the door. Apart from her, they're all at the table, almost in a dream, or nightmare.

The adults look horrified and thoughtful, as if their whole world had been turned around. Cissy is crying profusely and keeps having to dab her eyes with a napkin. Her makeup has smudged and she looks like a panda, with big dark circles around her eyes. Sirius is smiling to himself, the only one of them who seems happy with the whole situation, but then again, Sirius can turn anything into a joke.

As for Regulus, he doesn't know what he did wrong. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that tattoo, but it slipped out of his mouth so naturally, he couldn't even control it. And then the whole dilemma between his mother and his cousin probably didn't help things, but of course he was going to answer to Mother when she asked him.

He just didn't know this was what was going to happen.

He knows he's missing something. Clearly, the tattoo means something, something that has something to do with the mysterious 'him', some you-know-who who's name they won't say. Maybe he should know who it is they're talking about, maybe he has all the clues in his hands, but he doesn't know how to put them together. He's not very good at that.

But most of all, he just wishes he could leave the table, go somewhere else, leave the tense atmosphere no one is daring to break, go find his toys or something, figure out for himself what went wrong, instead of just staying here.

Something has shattered in the family. Maybe it's the soft hypocrisy and falsity, maybe it's something that held them all together. Whatever it is, it's broken even he knows that. It's a real shame, because the day started off rather lovely.

Finally he plucks up the courage to say something. "May I leave the table?"

Mother gives a barely perceptible nod, but Regulus leaves the table anyway.

Some Yule this has turned out to be.