Author's note:

Dear readers,

another update for you to enjoy. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting and/or following my story. It means the world to me ;). Your comments are as always appreciated.

Have a nice weekend,

Vani12

Chapter 6 – Heartbreaks can reveal your real friends!

Regulus's room, 12 Grimmauld Place, London, December 1978

Regulus downed a Sober-Up Potion from Prince Potions in a haste. Damn, his best friends' wedding party had been a blast. They had danced all night, consumed liquor like water and sung karaoke. He was so happy that his best mate, Severus Prince, had found the love of his life and got hitched in a beautiful, creative Winter Wedding. They were the perfect couple: two stunning, academic and blissfully in love teenagers who wanted to make the Wizarding world into a better place with their inventions in Healing Potions and Restorative Charms as well as their consulting work for the Order of the Phoenix. Regulus smiled as he remembered their emotional, unique Wedding ceremony. Severus had been so nervous in front of the aisle, that he checked his outfit – a slim-fitted, black designer suit with a classic white dress shirt, stylishly patterned grey waistcoat and matching tie – a million times and paced up and down in front of the rosé, pink and lavender colored floral garlands. He had greeted their assembled close friends and families with polite smiles and nods and tried to calm down his nerves by citing Potions ingredients inside of his head.

Merlin, as his best man, Regulus had tried to reassure Severus that he was the luckiest wizard in the world and that nothing could go possibly wrong. Dressed in his best dark grey suit with a white dress shirt and pink tie, he had stopped Severus's pacing, messaged his tensed-up shoulders with a cheeky smile and teased him that he shouldn't be so anxious for he had already seen his bride naked and shagged her dozens of times. Obsidian eyes had glared murderously at him and scolded him for his bad humor. But Regulus had only shaken his dark-brown curls, twinkled at him mischievously with sparkling sapphire eyes and joked that he wished he would get as much action between the sheets as Severus. Severus had smirked smugly at him and voiced that he should find his one true love, propose to her and move in with her. His sexless life would be long buried history. He had leaned into him and stated in a conspirational tone, "My wedding is the perfect chance to confess your endless love to the lovely Camille Greengrass, my friend. As Olivia's maid-of-honor, she is required to dance with you. She will undoubtedly look stunning in her pink lace dress and be in a celebratory mood. We both know that she has a huge crush on you and only awaits your first move. So, be your charming self, dance closely with her, pay her some compliments and confess your feelings for her, Reg. You wouldn't be the first best man who finds his happily ever after with the maid-of-honor on his best friend's wedding."

Regulus had blushed crimson and playfully nudged Severus in the side. But Severus had been right. Camille looked like a blooming English rose in her midi, tight pink lace dress that matched the color of his tie and hugged her curves perfectly. With her captivating Jade eyes, luscious pink lips and high cheekbones on her olive face, the feisty brunette could enchant every boy at Hogwarts. She was a charming Ravenclaw in Regulus year, who excelled in Charms and Arithmancy, scored many goals for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a talented chaser and founded a Debate Club at Hogwarts. Regulus had fallen for her charms in their sixth year. They had always hung out in the same circle of friends, for Camille was Olivia's best female friend at Hogwarts. Hence, she had accompanied the Fawley heiress to their shared study sessions, legendary Slytherin Common Room parties and friendly outings in the Three Broomsticks. After Severus and Olivia had become the new it-couple at Hogwarts, Camille would secure the loved-up couple some cozy alone time by engaging Regulus in controversial debates about the rights of Magical Creatures, academical pop quizzes for Transfiguration or chats about their favorite Quidditch teams.

Regulus liked Camille's smart and sweet personality, her obsession with Quidditch and fight for the rights of all magical beings. She had always been a dear friend to him who would listen to his ramblings about Ancient Runes, challenge his interest in the Dark Arts and cheer him up with silly jokes and cheeky grimaces whenever he was feeling down. She helped him cope with his she-devil of a mum's stay in a St. Mungo's Institute for Mental Diseases, his fractured relationship with his brother Sirius and his fears of being branded with the Dark Mark against his will. He had opened up about his mum's emotional and physically abusive behavior and his dark nightmares filled with images of a dark curses throwing Walburga Black who kidnapped him to turn him into a loyal follower of her beloved Dark Lord. Camille had listened patiently, with huge, empathetic Jade eyes, to his painful experiences with abuse, comforted him with friendly hugs and reassuring words when he broke down in tears and called him a strong, kindhearted and funny survivor who would make a difference in the Wizarding world due to his Ancient Runes studies and advocacy for the rights of house-elves.

She assured him that his crazy dark witch of a mum couldn't hurt him anymore and force him to take the Dark Mark because she was treated for her Dark Arts addiction and mental disease in a closed ward at the St. Mungo's Institute for Mental Diseases. Walburga Black wouldn't be able to manipulate her way out of there and surrender her second son to the Dark Lord, for she was under surveillance 24/7 and couldn't leave her ward. Besides that, his friends, dad, and brother would protect him against any kidnapping attempts of the Death Eaters and his bad-ass training in DADA secured that he could win any duel with a lunatic Death Eater. Regulus thanked her for her belief in his abilities, positive mindset and comfort. She was his closest friend besides Severus and meant everything to him. But Regulus had only noticed in their sixth year, their first year without their friends Olivia and Severus by their side, in their late Charms study sessions in the library or laughter-filled cozy hours in the Room of Requirement that he had fallen in love with his best female friend. Hell, he hadn't been blind to her stunning looks, inner beauty or charming personality before, but something had changed in their sixth year. His heart beat faster whenever she smiled at him or laughed at his jokes, his skin tingled whenever she hugged him tightly or nudged him playfully in the side and his brain buzzed with sexual images whenever she challenged him in academic debates or teased him with sexy smiles.

He realized that it wasn't okay to have sexual dreams about your best female friend, masturbate to images of her womanly curves and luscious lips or daydream about the sweetness of her kisses. His whole mind was occupied by the beautiful, good-hearted and smart Camille Greengrass. He had fallen head over heels in love with her. But he couldn't confess his feelings to her because Regulus Black didn't know how a healthy, trust-filled romance full of love worked. He didn't do love, romantic dinner dates and midnight strolls. Naturally, Regulus had been attracted to many girls, dated them for a few weeks and engaged with them in passion-filled snogs or lust-driven shags, but he had never been in love with them. He has always thought that true love was a hoax. To truly love someone, you must be able to trust another with your life, accept all of their assets and flaws, tolerate all of their quirks and bad moods and put their wishes and life dreams first. Regulus guessed that his she-devil of a mum's abuse had destroyed his ability to trust a woman unconditionally and be his true self around her. Sure, he had always been able to be himself around his dad and his best friend Severus, but they didn't long to spend the rest of their lives with him in a romantical way or tolerate his moods and quirks.

He feared that his heart would be shattered into a million pieces by a woman who knew his true self. If his mum, the woman who had carried him for nine months in her belly and birthed him in a painful, difficult ten-hour delivery, couldn't love him and relished in his pain instead, how could another woman love him? But in his therapeutic chats with Camille and in his heart to heart talks with Severus, who had opened up about his own suffering under his cruel, alcoholic Muggle father, he learned that he didn't deserve the dark curses of his mum. He was not in the fault. His mother abused her power and exploited his longing for love, happiness, and kindness, to torture him emotionally and physically because she enjoyed seeing innocents wither in pain. Her addiction to the Dark Arts and her blind loyalty to the Dark Lord had turned her into a soulless, sadistic monster who was incapable of love. Thus, he slowly realized that nothing was wrong with him. Not every woman was as deranged and cruel as his mother.

Camille had shown him that she would always be there for him, see the best in him and love him as a friend. He could be himself in her company, enjoy his youth and experience some magical adventures with her. He could trust her with his heart. But the fear of being rejected and messing up their close friendship had prevented him from confessing his love to her. He knew that his brother would call him a coward for not risking everything in the name of love and his true happiness, but he wasn't some reckless, brave Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat hadn't sorted him into Slytherin for nothing. He could keep his emotions at bay, observe his environment patiently and be cunning about how to secure his happily ever after. Thus, he had decided to watch Camille's reactions to his friendly touches, jokes and charming smiles. He had registered that she blushed at his flirty remarks, shivered at his tight hugs and returned his smiles with beaming, beautiful smiles of her own. Merlin, he was in love with this beautiful, outspoken and smart young woman. And judging by her reactions, she might have a crush on him too. He thanked his lucky stars that he had convinced himself to give their love a chance. But he wanted to ask her out outside of Hogwarts. Hence, he had planned to make his perfect date proposal on Severus's wedding day.

Regulus chuckled to himself when he remembered how foolish he had been to wait so long. Naturally, he had wanted to confess his feelings to Camille in a special way and their best friends' wedding had seemed like the perfect location. Severus had encouraged him during his summer visit to New York to go for it, confess his feelings to Camille and be blissfully happy with his true love. He teased him that Camille was so smitten with him that it was a miracle that they weren't already tearing each other's clothes off and shagging like rabbits. Hell, he claimed that the sexual tension between them was electrifying and that he would bet his money on them being married next. He scolded Regulus for letting himself be controlled by his insecurities and fears of rejection. Camille would never say "no" to his dating proposal, for she had confessed to Olivia ages ago that she was deeply attracted to Regulus's sapphire eyes, handsome smiles and ripped body as well as to his gentle soul, funny nature and protective streak. Merlin, he couldn't understand why they wasted so much time on tiptoeing around each other, suffering in heartbreak and battling their anxiety and self-confidence issues. Life was too short to waste time on waiting for special moments.

If someone was in love with somebody, everything would be special about their love. Thus, he could confess his feelings for Camille on the dusty floor of the Ancient Runes classroom or the stands of the Quidditch stadium. It only mattered to her that he returned her feelings and finally acted upon them. Although Regulus had seen the merit of Severus's advice, he vowed to wait and woo Camille on Severus's wedding. Severus had shaken his ebony locks and mumbled that he admired him for his self-restraint and patience. He hadn't been able to suppress his hormone-filled desire and love-fueled passion for Olivia that long. Perhaps, he should award him a medal for being the only teenaged guy who could control his hormones and heart with a cool as a cucumber air. Regulus had only laughed at his best mate and admitted that he didn't know the half of it. Merlin, he needed to take a cold shower daily and remind his subconsciousness that it wasn't helpful to conjure up sexual fantasies of Camille.

Regulus smiled at himself. Thanks to his lucky stars, his plan had worked perfectly. Camille had looked to die for in her sexy dress, smiled happily at the happiness of her friends and celebrated their wedding with numerous close dances with him. It had felt so perfect to hold her tightly in his arms, sway with her to the tunes of the romantic music and lose himself in her Jade eyes. He hadn't been able to help himself and blurted out in an ungraceful way that he was in love with her at the end of one slow love song. Camille had beamed at him, caressed his face lovingly and replied in a teary voice, "I'm also in love with you, Regulus. You are my best friend with a heart of gold, killer abs to die for and the sexiest smile on earth. I'm ecstatic that you finally managed to throw caution to the wind and confess your feelings to me. If you hadn't made a move tonight, I would have indulged some Firewhiskey, led you in an empty alcove and snogged you senseless. So, thanks for sparing me this embarrassment." She uttered in a playful voice and kissed him passionately on the lips. He had returned her kisses with vigor, caressed her back and left arm lovingly and mumbled in a dazed voice, "Merlin, I must be dreaming. Thank you for making me the happiest best man in history, Camille. I promise that you won't regret dating me." They had stayed in each other's embrace, basking in the physical warmth of each other and beaming like two loons.

Severus had approached them with a happy smile, clapped Regulus brotherly on the back and smirked at Camille. "If he hadn't declared his undying love for you tonight, I would have forced him to apparate into your room and cite a romantic Sonnet to you with some nifty spells. I'm overjoyed that he finally had the guts to be honest with you, Camille. Haven't I mentioned yesterday, that your biggest wish would come true today? And I didn't mean witnessing your best friend getting married to some sarcastic grouch. I trust that I will be the best man at your wedding, Reg. Because you couldn't possibly find someone who can retell the most embarrassing stories about you with more dark humor." Severus stated in a playful tone and left the new couple to dance up a firestorm with his beautiful bride Olivia.

Regulus had only rolled his eyes, mumbled, "Sometimes, he can really be insufferable, but I can't help myself but love him", to a laughing Camille and joined into her laughter. They had spent the rest of the evening holding hands, dancing, kissing and celebrating their friends' wedding with laughter, liquor, and karaoke. They had fallen into an exhausted sleep in some guest room at Prince Manor with their limbs intertwined and feeling blissfully happy. He had left Prince Manor this morning with some passionate good-bye kisses and the promise that he would take Camille out on their first dinner date at 6 PM in the trendy London restaurant, Coco & Claire. He would ask her to join him on a cozy one-week skiing trip to St. Moritz after they had celebrated Yule with their friends and families. He trusted that she would say "yes" to their trip with a rapturous embrace so that they could enjoy some loved-up alone time outside of Hogwarts.

He had just wanted to check out his wardrobe for a stylish outfit when his distressed-looking dad burst into his room. Seeing his disheveled suit, reddened sapphire eyes and heavily breathing chest, Regulus feared the worst. "Dad, is something up? You look worse for wear. Did something happen to Sirius or did the wicked witch break out of her ward?", Regulus asked in a panicked voice and approached his dad with quick steps. Orion blinked at him, shook his head and clutched his hands gently. He looked at him with euphorically twinkling sapphire eyes and uttered in a soft voice, "No, Reg. Everything is alright. Sirius is probably nursing a hangover at the moment and your crazy bitch of a mum is most likely driving her healers into madness with her lunatic ramblings about the Dark Lord right know. You don't have to be afraid of her. She will never harm you again, my son." He squeezed his right hand tightly to stress the honesty of his words.

Regulus let out a relieved breath, calmed himself down and eyed his dad suspiciously. What had put his controlled dad in such a state? Was he developing the first signs of Alzheimer's or had he taken some drugs? Sure, his dad often times drank too much, walked through the halls of 12 Grimmauld Place with a sad face and loathed his job as the CEO of Black Investment. But he has always kept his cool. And the sparkle of euphoria in his blue eyes really troubled him, for he had never seen it before. "If everything is alright, dad, why did you burst into my room looking like a kid that is about to fly on a dragon? Something is clearly bothering you," Regulus implored in an empathetic voice. His dad laughed amusedly at him and replied in his deep baritone, "Nothing is wrong with me, my boy. I haven't felt this good in nearly twenty years. You need to tell me everything about the wedding of your best friend, Severus Prince. Did it take place at Prince Manor? And was his mother Eileen in attendance wearing an amber ring?" Orion inquired with hopeful sparkling eyes.

Regulus didn't understand a thing. Why was his dad suddenly interested in Severus's wedding? And the ring of his mum? He had always treated him with polite interest whenever he had been at Grimmauld Place – praising him for his high marks, new inventions in Potions and Spellcrafting as well as excellent dueling skills. But he had never asked him a personal question or inquired about his mum. Hang on. Why did his dad know the first name of Ms. Prince? Regulus decided to answer his dad's question and deduce why he was suddenly so interested in Severus's personal life. It couldn't be because of his wedding to Olivia Fawley. Orion wasn't one for gossip.

Thus, Regulus stated in a steady voice, "I don't know why you are suddenly so interested in Severus, but if it will calm down your escalating heartbeat, I will answer any of your questions to the best of my knowledge. Yes, Severus married his Hogwarts sweetheart Olivia Fawley in a low-key Winter Wedding yesterday at Prince Manor. As his best men, I helped to calm down his wedding jitters with some jokes and optimistic words. It was a lovely wedding ceremony full of love, happiness, and laughter. Naturally, his mum Eileen was in attendance. She returned to the Wizarding world roughly eighteen months ago, reconciled with her parents and took on a position as the head of the research department at Prince Potions after her recovery. I believe that she was wearing a white-golden ring with an amber center stone and a matching amber talisman. Why are you interested in Ms. Prince jewelry? And how did you know that she possesses an amber ring?" He asked in a puzzled voice.

Orion mumbled, "I was right, she still loves me", in a dazed voice, before he answered his son's burning questions, "Eileen Prince is the love of my life. I wanted to run away with her in April 1959. The amber ring is my promise ring to her. Regulus, you need to help me with arranging a meeting with her at Prince Manor. I have to see her again to clarify some things about our past. Please, my son, you have to help me. I can't live any longer without her." A stunned Regulus looked in shock at his dad.