Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, neither are any of Robert Frost's poems. My imaginary pet llama is, though... I think.
The calm of heaven break
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iii. for the wood wakes, and you are here for proof
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The winter is cold. Ridiculously cold. This is saying something, coming from Regulus, who knows all too well how chilly a drafty house can get especially when father refuses to put any heating charms up. Sirius always delights in freezing his buttocks off, but he lives in extremes and such mundane things like half-way decent temperatures bore him.
Regulus sneaks a glance over at the Gryffindor table across the hall, trying to see if Sirius is rubbing his hands together like everyone else.
Of course he isn't.
They haven't spoken since the bump-in.
"Jolly good!" Tavius cries, "The owls are finally arriving!"
Regulus doesn't pay any attention, and neither do Julius and Ralph. Tavius is the only one who gets much owl post anyway, his parents seem to be convinced that Hogwarts is starving him and that a half of ton of sweets a week is the only way to keep him properly nourished. How on earth Tavius manages to remain skinny is the subject of much debate.
At the farther end of the table, Cissy too seems to be particularly pleased at the approaching mail.
(I think Cissy is going to get married to that Malfoy git. I wish she wouldn't, Reg, he is an arrogant prick who thinks he owns the world, but I guess they love each other. I know Cissy; it would be obvious if they didn't. Still I much prefer Andy's boyfriend, even if he is muggleborn...)
The last sentence was crossed out. Regulus never gave it much thought.
"Well, would you look at that! Somebody does love you after all, Reg," Julius' voice interrupts his thoughts and brings him to notice the envelope that some owl had dropped in his breakfast.
Regulus is surprised; he hadn't been expecting any mail. In fact, the only letter he had received since school began was a congratulatory note from his parents into being sorted into Slytherin. He double checks the name on the envelope, but unless there was some other Regulus A. Black that was a first year in Slytherin, it was definitely meant for him. He opens it carefully and takes a great deal of time unfolding the letter.
Regulus,
Would you kindly inform your brother that he is under no circumstances going to that blood traitor Potter's for Christmas. The Christmas Dinner is going to be held at our house this year, and we are going to make a good impression no matter what your brother thinks. He will attend, even if we have to drag him from his ears and he will behave. We wouldn't want another argument, would we?
I trust that you are making good friends at Hogwarts, and not committing the same mistakes as your brother.
Ever loving,
Your mother
He reads the letter twice. For a second he thinks that he is going to tear it apart, but instead he puts it into his book bag and tries to figure out when to deliver the message to Sirius.
"So, anything interesting in that letter, Reg?" Tavius asks, his mouth already full of chocolate.
"Nothing really. Just my mother telling me to come home for Christmas, we're going to have the family dinner at our house. Now are you going to share your sweets or will I have to hex you with my extensive skill?"
He ignores Ralph's questioning look (he gets enough of that from Ophelia, anyway).
-
"Oh there you are, Regulus, I was just explaining to Julius how Wingardium Leviosa was not actually a useless spell. I don't think I've managed to convince him yet, though, but alas! You can't win over everyone in this world, otherwise they would've banished disgusting vegetables long ago- And something's wrong."
Regulus slumps into the empty seat next to Ralph. Tavius is turning purple in his attempt not to laugh, and Julius has his face in his hands muttering or sobbing in despair, it is hard to figure out which. Julius had tried earlier to get rid of Ophelia from sitting at their Defense table, but Tavius had intervened finding her amusing. Plus, she is smart even beating Regulus who has been declared the 'nerd' of the quartet.
"What? Don't tell me I got question nine wrong, I spent half an hour on it… Or at least, Reg did," Tavius says, recovering from his laughing fit and worriedly checking over his homework.
"No, no, though I think you're missing something in question four, I'm talking about Regulus."
Regulus looks at her, confused.
"No, that can't be right. It's physically impossible for Reg to get stuff wrong on his homework. Sickening really," Tavius says distractedly, scratching his head in puzzlement over question four.
"Oh you're right, silly me, I misread what he wrote. My mistake," Ophelia says, but she keeps on looking at Regulus.
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Regulus is only too happy to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson out of the way, and would have been half-way down the hall to freedom if Ophelia's books hadn't come crashing down loudly right outside the classroom. He groans and goes to help her, Tavius clapping him on the book as he does so saying "Looks like chivalry isn't dead after all," before he goes off with Ralph and Julius.
Ophelia gives Regulus an apologetic grin as he crouches down to help her.
"I'll be honest; I dropped my books on purpose in order to talk to you. Because Regulus, something is upsetting you and however good of a liar you think you are, I know you better. So please, enlighten me on your troubles."
He doesn't look at her, and fiercely shoves one of her books into her bag.
"Nothing is the matter, and I wish you would stop pestering me. You don't know me at all."
Ophelia raises one of her eyebrows.
"It has to do with your brother, doesn't it?" She asks. He stops picking up her stuff for a moment, and bites his lip.
"My mother sent me a letter. She's going to force Sirius to go home for Christmas."
"But that's what you want isn't it?" Her voice is very soft, not much like her usual chattier tone.
He looks at her for a moment, (her eyes are very blue), then gets up and runs.
-
The letter in his book bag seems to be getting heavier and heavier as the days go by. He knows he has to give it to Sirius sooner or later, but he can't help but feel like a traitor when he thinks those thoughts.
Especially when he sees how happy Sirius looks with that Potter boy and the rest of his friends.
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"Did you see the look on Snivellus' face when I did that? If only I had a camera then, it was just that perfect!" Sirius says to the great laughter of two of his friends, and the quiet not very well restrained laughter of the other.
It's a week before Christmas break, and Regulus fingers the letter nervously having finally found Sirius. Regulus leans against the wall, and waits for Sirius and his posse to round the corner.
"Evans looked like she was about to murder you Sirius-" Potter stops mid sentence, looking startled at Regulus who had chosen that moment to pop out of the corner.
Sirius' eyes widen for a moment, but he quickly regains his composure and waves his friends off.
"I'll be with you guys in a moment, just need to take care of something."
Potter shrugs and continues walking down the hall, their short plump friend trotting after him. The one with the quiet laughter and slightly shabby clothes looks at Regulus curiously before slowly following his other friends. Sirius waits until they've gone out of sight before speaking to Regulus.
"If this is a letter from mum about Christmas, I don't want it. I'm miserable over there, and I can't take it anymore. I'll scream if I have to spend one more day in that rat-hole of a house, and they can't make me go. They can't."
Regulus stares at Sirius for a moment, and realizes that Sirius is pleading with him. It gives him a strange desire to laugh, except tears are falling down his cheeks instead.
"Reg, stop crying! You know I'm hopeless around crying people, that was always Andy's job and you're too big to cry anyway." Sirius looks so panicked that Regulus has to chuckle a bit, which makes Sirius give off that barking laugh of his.
"Sheesh, what an awful pair of brothers we make!" Sirius says, scratching his head a bit and grinning.
"Sirius, I know I'm going to sound selfish saying this, but could you please come home for Christmas. I don't want to be all alone, and nobody else sings Christmas carols quite as horrifically as you do."
Sirius' grin falters for a moment, but then comes back albeit a little more strained.
"Fine, I'll do it. But they can't make me behave, I'll make sure to be an absolute nightmare."
Regulus has to laugh at the manic gleam in Sirius' eyes. He's missed that a bit.
A/N: Holy fast update! This chapter was originally going to be about the Christmas dinner and stuff, but then Ophelia distracted me. I'm really miserable at planning this stuff out, but it wouldn't be half as much fun to write if I was. Please review and tell me what you think!