"HI MOTHERFUCKER" A flash blinded Regulus before he saw his friend's face, lips spreaded in a toothy grin.
"Gi! What the-" He was still rubbing his eyes, did she take a picture of him?
"Oh so I'm no longer Nolano now, hmm I can see that happening, Reg." She said with a mischivieous smile, she definetly had missed him.
"Don't-" He weakly protested before he saw the camera she was holding in one hand, and the picture she was admiring in the other.
"What is it Reggie?" Gigi said teasing him.
"As long as you don't call me Brown or some other color, it's fine I guess. By the way, you should do something about that foul mouth of yours".
"Excuse me, how am I suppose to express myself then?"
They climbed on the train and sat in a compartment with Anissa, William and another boy of their year in Ravenclaw, Moses Zabini. Giovanna was playing exploding snaps with Regulus, still trying to grasp the rules.
"How's your sister doing Zabini?" William asked while looking dreamily at him, as if he had grown longer hair and breasts.
"Fine I guess." Zabini seemed to notice the way he was staring at him and looked disgusted for a minute, moving further away from the boy's legs, hitting Gigi's back who was playing on the floor. He apologized and she blushed a little, Anissa scanned her friend's face, did she just blush?
"I don't want to play anymore." Regulus got up and took the seat next to Anissa, her incredulous look growing by the second.
"Why not? We aren't finished yet, I still have to kick your arse." Gigi added playfully, hoping to see a smile or something other than the frown he had on his face.
"Am I the only person in this compartment? Why don't you ask Zabini?" He snapped. For a second, he could read disbelief in her eyes and regretted his reaction, why did he do that?
"Fine, Zabini enjoy a game?" The blush crept back more vivid than before, and as he sat in front of her, she intended to shuffle the cards without looking up, feeling her face warm up. What was happening? I mean yes he had a cute smile and warm eyes but what was all the blushing for, control yourself for fuck's sake!
They played until they grew tired of it and changed into their robes. The rest of the ride was eneventful and rather calm except for William's remarks about Zabini's sister, that seemed to get on the nerves of the -oh so beautiful- dark skinned boy.
"Care to explain?" Anissa said while sitting on her friend's bed.
"Explain what?" Gigi was avoiding her questoning eyes, looking at her sheets.
"You were approximately as red as Lily is when James gets on her nerves."
"For real? Merlin I can't hide it, can I? I swear I tried but he's just so cute.." She was now staring dreamily at the wall.
"Do you know who else was red?" Anissa asked with a sly smile.
"Please tell me it was Zabini, and I miraculously didn't see it." Gigi said, hope in her eyes.
"God you are so oblivious. It's almost scary." The small brunette sighed at the lack response.
"Whatever, I'm too tired for this shit anyway. Have you seen that prick Regulus though, can you believe that he won't talk to me?! I'm the one that should be mad here!"
Anissa laughed, Giovanna was indeed really dense.
"You shouldn't have coffee at such a young age." Severus eye the curly haired girl sitting next to him, observing that she had taken this seat since the first ceremony and never left.
"I have a shampoo that could do miracles to your hair, I could even cut it a little." Giovanna smiled, ignoring the dark gaze he was sending her. She felt a presence behind her.
"Want to go for a walk?" Regulus was, in appearance, still the perfect little ice prince his parents made him. Gigi saw however that he was toying with the aim of the sleeve, really the only sign of nervousness he showed.
"I guess we have time for that."
They exit the Great Hall together, tension at it's highest. They headed for the lake, it was freezing and snow was covering everything.
"I have to apologize for my previous behavior. I should not have talked to you like this." He was looking apologetic, the pout was back and she couldn't resist the pout.
"You know, doing shit like this and apologizing after isn't always going to work, it works now because I have a soft spot for you, but don't push me too much."
He turned his gaze to the lake but she could see a smile playing on his face.
"I loved the gift by the way, thank you."
"I knew you'd love it! Have you kissed it?" She could instantly see the blush creep on his face.
"I have." His voice was barely a whisper. "'For my favorite stupid git', at least the engraving is well made."
"You don't remember? It's the first insult I've ever said to you."
"How could I forget." She laughed loudly at his grimace until she felt something really cold all over her face.
"Oh. My. God. You're so screwed." A snow fight started between the two, until Gigi pushed him to the ground and threw herself with him. They were laying next to each other, panting and wet from the snow. She rolled on top of him and looked at him, she liked him, he was nice and patient with her, he was her best (male) friend.
Regulus scanned her face, chocolate eyes scrutanizing him, she was like dark chocolate, warm, sweet and natural, he decided. With a good dose of chili in it. Spicy dark chocolate, that was it.
"Can I kiss you, as a friend?" The innocence of her question made him forget about how cold his back actually was.
"What, on the-the lips?" She nodded, looking into his eyes. He nodded as well and she kissed him, it was just a second, but it was soft and warm and made him feel all funny in his stomach.
"Well thank you." They both laughed at the situation, not knowing what else to do.
"We're still friends right?" Before he could answer, they heard some shouting.
"Well, well little brother, I see that you are quite enjoying yourself, mom would be pleased. Let's just hope your girlfriend doesn't faint this time." Black Senior said with a sneer. Gigi and Regulus got up in a second, embarassed that someone saw them.
"She is not my girlfriend." Regulus muttered.
"Didn't you two just kiss?" Potter asked. Gigi didn't like that one, fucking stupid bully.
"It's a friend kiss, like a.. display of affection. Did you know that monkeys fuck each other when they become friends? Glad we don't do that, spares me the sight of you lot sweating like pigs. Gross." She said matter-of-factly. Even Regulus turned to look at her as if she had just lost her mind.
"Do I look like a monkey to you?" He said in the library. After that clever answer, the pair had awkwardly left, leaving the quatuor dumbfounded. It was much later in the afternoon now, they were studying for a test they had next morning.
"No you don't. Why are you saying that?" She knew he was making a reference to this morning, she just didn't know why he was mentioning it right now.
"I don't know, you said it like I was some kind of animal."
"Listen, you forced me into this library, do you want to study or to get fussy about a metaphor from this morning." She asked, slightly annoyed.
"Merlin we kissed Gi, this was my first kiss I-" he was hissing almost furiously, looking around like a mad-men.
"It was mine too if that makes anything better. You didn't like it?"
"It's not about that, it's just.. I mean we shouldn't be doing that, we're not courting."
"Wake up Reg this isn't the 1900's anymore. You can kiss anyone without being engaged to them or courting. Besides we're eleven, it was just, a way to show that I care about you, but if it puts you in such a bad mood I won't do it again." She said, returning to her book.
Regulus choose not to respond anything. Why did he feel like that? This isn't how things are supposed to be. First of all they are friends, friends shouldn't kiss and even if they kissed HE was supposed to kiss her not the other way around, why does she keep on doing that, turning everything around? The weird thing was even though he wasn't used to this, he liked it. She didn't expect anything from him, she didn't look at him like some kind of title (he could barely imagine the number of purebloods families that had already imagined his wedding with their daughter). She was just herself and he could be himself around her.
He just couldn't talk yet about his beliefs with her, she seemed to avoid the subject everytime it came around. He knew some girls could be more sensitive, but he decided that he would talk with her about it, and that she wouldn't run away from it this time.
Obviously, when I told Nini about the kiss she freaked out. She even asked me if we were dating, he is my friend, that would be weird. William laughed for nearly ten minutes and Severus eyed me curiously just like the four other wankers did everytime we crossed paths. Whatever. Today's Reg's birthday, we're going to the Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor quidditch game, my first one.
"Are you going to take pictures of the game Nolano?" I looked up from my camera to face Zabini's gorgeous smile.
"Well yes, more like pictures of my friends looking at the game." I smiled a little, feeling the blush creep from the roots of my hair down to my neck.
"Gigi! Come on, we need to get the good spots!" Anissa yelled, her short black hair flying to odd places. I quickly apologized and ran up to my tall tree of a friend.
If there is anyone as obsessed with quidditch as Regulus it is Anissa. It's like both of them are playing their lifes on this, and it's not even Slytherin on the pitch! Thankfully I still have Severus and William to complain with.
"I'm coooold." I whined. Anissa threw her scarf at me.
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO HOLD YOUR BAT? FUCKING DIMWIT! WHO LET HIM ON THE TEAM?!" She yelled, again. She is spending way too much time with me. Beginning of the year, she would be embarassed everytime I said something remotely impolite and now, there she is, screaming profanities at the poor Gryffindor beatter.
"ARE YOU BRAINDEAD? EVEN I CAN SEE THE SNITCH AND I AM IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD!" I obviously took multiple pictures of them, both red and insulting people? That was something to see, William asked for a picture as well, claiming he would send it to old Walburga. That name. It was a legitimate reason to not like someone. Thankfully the game ended and we all headed back to the common room. Many people had wished Reg a happy birthday, people I didn't even see him talk too. 'Pureblood society' he said, as if it was an excuse for being fake.
"Here! Open mine!" Reg had already opened all his presents from the others, even his brother had gotten him a tiny quidditch pitch. He eyed my present and quickly opened it. It was a picture in a green frame Anissa had taken of Reg and I while she was experimenting with my camera. We were playing exploding snap, apparently it was one of the only times I had won since I was smiling happily and holding Willibat over my head, Reg was laughing at the cat's desperate face. He thanked me and everyone else that had gotten him something, telling them there was no need for that.
The more time passed, the more I wished to tell Nini or Reg about my secret. But I was afraid, afraid they might use it against me, even if they didn't wan't to. Severus was still helping me with potions and I grew to aprreciate even more his dark humour and snide comments. William was always a good laugh and Zabini.. well it was kind of hard to say because I couldn't get two straight sentences without stuttering.
Reg and I were closer than ever (our bond was almost comparative to the one I had with Anissa) by the end of the year, he told me about his brother's issue with their family. I didn't dig in more than what he told me, afraid that he would clam up. He did try to corner me about my beliefs and what I thought about the 'dark lord'. I just hoped that "I only believe that the best firewhisky is grandma's" was a good answer for now, but judging by the exasperated look on his face it wouldn't last long.
[It would really make my day to have a review on my work, thank you for reading]