Quite a bit happened the last chapter! Severus recalled how he took the Dark Mark and felt the pain of it the next day. His shortened nerves led to him slapping Regulus, and on his birthday, too. Regulus went and had a brotherly bonding session with Sirius, then a brief verbal spar with Rosier. He met a boy (who may or may not be real) who revealed that he has been watching over Regulus. After ending the night receiving a present from Severus, Regulus challenged his boyfriend: Severus must win a full smile and a kiss within five days, or the couple is through. Severus tries hard and the two have a picnic, which is crashed and ruined by Rosier. Whew! Sorry, I'm bad at summaries.
The floor was brightly polished, the walls large, circular and golden. Candles lit the room so that it glowed even brighter, light bouncing off of the walls. Heavy blue curtains were pushed back to show the full view of the moon dancing in the sky, visible from behind the balcony's glass doors. The cool night air felt delicious on Regulus' skin as he stepped out onto the balcony. He was startled to find that he was not the only one there.
A man wearing black dress robes was standing near the shadows. Regulus could not quite make out his face, but his hair looked soft and shiny, skin pale as the moon. He was rather thin but tall, and he looked so familiar...
"Severus?"
The man seemed so calm, and his body language was so smooth, it couldn't be- but as the man stepped from the shadows, Regulus barely bit back a gasp. It was his boyfriend, and he was smiling slightly, if not nervously.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked, and Regulus stared at him for a long time. "S-sure," he agreed, a blush rising to his cheeks. Severus chuckled lightly as his own face grew red, but he put an arm around Regulus' waist and whisked him away into a waltz onto the dance floor.
It had started when Regulus had woken up and found a note on his dresser table from an anonymous person telling him to meet them at the Room of Requirements at 8:15 sharp and dress fancy. He had never seen the handwriting before; it was elegant neat cursive, with wide loops and full strokes. Regulus had never seen handwriting like that; it was so beautiful.
Throughout the morning, Regulus weighed the pros and cons of going to meet this person. He was nervous; what if it was someone who wanted to hurt him, like Rosier? Or if it was someone angry with him? Maybe it was Sirius? He debated showing the note to his brother, but discarded this idea almost immediately. If it wasn't from Sirius, the older boy would never let him go. He would make Cissy distract him or even lock him in the bathroom; Sirius had done that before to "keep him safe".
"What's the matter, Reg?" Narcissa asked curiously as she watched her youngest cousin chewing his lip. The two were sitting in the common room before classes started, surrounded by other students who giggled and spoke among themselves.
"Ah, nothing, Cissy," he replied quickly. He was relieved when she began to tell him about her N.E.W.T. exam studies and how nervous she was.
"You'll do fine, Cissy. You're so smart, I know you'll pass. I'll help you study starting tomorrow night if you want," he suggested, and the blonde's face lit up.
"Oh, will you? Thank you so much, Reggie!" she beamed, embracing her cousin tightly, and he smiled. His mind wandered as Narcissa turned to her friends and began to chat. He ran a finger across the note, which was in his pocket. He thought hard. Who could have sent it? A sudden idea came to his head. Could it be Leo, the blue-haired boy from his birthday? Something in his mind said no, and he continued on. Severus' name popped up in his head briefly, but he pushed the thought away. Severus wouldn't bother. Besides, that wasn't even how he wrote.
Another, sudden thought crossed his mind. Should he tell Severus? They were currently kind of estranged, kind of together, should he inform his kind-of boyfriend about this note, or should he keep it a secret?
By the time lunch rolled around, Regulus had made the firm decision not to tell Severus about the note, at least not now. He was finding it quite hard to stomach lying to his boyfriend, however, and was quite jumpy as a result.
"How were your classes?" Severus asked as he sat down next to the boy. "Fine," Regulus tried to be cold, but the worry crept into his voice and made his voice rise. The older boy raised an eyebrow, but continued on to question Regulus about his Charms work; he knew that Regulus loved Charms.
"It's, um, great, we're doing lots of Summoning and Banishing Charms, I think I'm doing well!" he said hurriedly, and Severus smiled. "That's great. Can I see it?"
Regulus took his wand from his robes and said, "Accio pumpkin juice! Oh, oh no..." The goblet of juice he had pointed at zoomed halfway across the table before stopping suddenly and sloshing all over the shirt of a poor second-year girl. As Regulus hurried over to her to apologize and dry her clothing, Severus puzzled over the boy's strange behavior. His magic was never that weak or half-hearted.
"It's a work in progress!" Regulus laughed nervously when he returned, tugging a loose piece of hair, a habit Severus noticed he had picked up when lying. "What's going on?" he questioned, but Regulus shook his head quickly. "Nothing, I just have to get to class, I can't be late, you know-" he was gathering his books with one hand, filling a napkin with rice with the other.
Severus stared at him for a long time.
"There's half an hour until class," he pointed out, and some of the grains of rice spilled onto his lap.
"Ah, you know, I like to get to class early! And I have to, um-ask McGonagall a question, so I'll see you soon, Sev!" Regulus gave a half wave, accidentally spilling even more rice onto both Severus and the floor, then hurried off.
Severus watched the smaller boy go, thoughts drifting beyond the Hall. He was no longer thinking of Regulus' odd behavior; he was now deliriously happy that Regulus had called him 'Sev' again.
"Um, Professor McGonagall?" Regulus stood at the doorframe, watching the witch anxiously. McGonagall looked up from the papers she was grading and straightened her glasses.
"You're awfully early for class. What is it, Black?" she commented, standing as he ventured into the room.
"Professor, I'm not sure if I feel well enough for today's lesson," he said bluntly. McGonagall looked drawn aback, but she recovered rather quickly.
"And why not, Mr. Black?" she questioned, and he hesitated before taking the Glamour off of his face. The professor gasped as the full damage to Regulus' face was revealed. "I've had it for a few days now, but it hasn't been healing. It's been getting worse," he explained, wincing as he touched his own cheek slightly.
Had it been another time, he would have been openly amused at the way the woman's lips kept moving silently, but as she was completely serious, he kept his face straight. In all honesty, he was becoming desensitized to the image of the bruises across his face. He was still quite angry with Severus about it, but the older male was showing true signs of remorse and displaying his ability to be a loving boyfriend. Regulus appreciated it quite a bit, though he was always sure to keep his feelings hidden. He would let them all out at the end of the five days.
Regulus was brought back to the present when McGonagall found her voice. "What happened to you, Black?" she whispered, stepping closer. Her arm was outstretched, as if she were about to touch his face.
Please don't, he thought fervently before thinking up a lie. "I um, got into an accident with my-er, Whomping Willow. I was clipping its branches and it... it got annoyed and whipped out and smacked me," he decided. Thankfully, she did not question his hesitations, only reached out as though to hug him.
He swore he would never be able to look at Professor McGonagall the same way ever again if she hugged him. It would just be too awkward. He was praying to the stars now, begging for the woman to keep her personal bubble... But she was recovering from her tiny display of emotions; her hands were down again as she looked down at the floor and straightened her glasses.
"Yes, of course. Go ahead to the hospital wing, Mr. Black," she nodded. He thanked her quickly and departed the room, displaying an impressive combination of wincing and giggling.
"You're back awfully early," Narcissa commented at the end of the day when Regulus returned to the common room, breathless and pink-faced.
"Herbology was dismissed a bit before the bell," he panted before kneeling at the fire.
"A bit? You're out forty-five minutes early," the blonde pointed out, but Regulus shrugged. "You're here."
"I'm studying."
"Are you? It looks to me like you've been talking with Lucius through the fires," the Black boy commented innocently as he stared at the Floo powder on the carpet, laughing when Narcissa threw a quill at him. "I was studying and Lucius was helping me," she huffed, but he was no longer listening, he was so busy giggling.
Narcissa was not quite as amused. "You giggle like a girl, Reggie," she told him, but he did not appear to hear her. By now, he was rolling on the carpet laughing, though his cousin could not see what on earth was so funny about her and Lucius talking through the fires. When she asked, she was not given an answer, only more hysterical laughter.
The blonde was beginning to grow annoyed. "Reggie, if you don't shut up I won't give you your birthday present," she threatened. Though the occasional hiccup of a giggle slipped from Regulus' lips, he was for the most part quiet as he sat up suddenly and crossed his legs.
"Birthday present?"
"That's right, Lucius and I got you something," she nodded, expecting more enthusiasm, but all she managed to get was polite interest.
"Thank you, Cissy," he thanked her, and she looked confused. "Don't you even want to see it?"
He shook his head.
"Not yet. But Cissy, can you do me a favor and put it on my bed? I want to open it later before I go to sleep, right now I've got an urge to study," he explained, and she rolled her eyes. "I suppose," Narcissa pretend-sighed, delighted when Regulus crawled forward and hugged her legs.
"Thanks so much, Cissy!" he beamed, and she smiled back. She had been worried about Regulus as of late, he had seemed so...dark. But now he seemed as though he were returning to his regular self, at least part of the way.
"So, how was your birthday? Sorry I wasn't around to celebrate with you."
Regulus froze and thought for a moment before replying in a forced tone. "It was rather nice. I, um, spent time with Sirius, he made me a cake." Thankfully, Narcissa did not seem to notice his stiffer pattern of speech; rather, she seemed pleased that he and Sirius had spent time together.
"That's great, Reggie, maybe you and Sirius will be close again!" she encouraged, but he shook his head. "I doubt it for some reason."
They lapsed into peaceful silence before Narcissa suddenly began to cry. Startled, Regulus stared at her for a few minutes. He had no idea how to respond; he had only seen Narcissa cry when they were children. She had stopped showing her tears at a certain age, as all Blacks were required to keep a stiff upper lip in the public and even in private.
"Cissy, what's wrong?" he demanded after regaining his composure, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as the tears dripped down her cheeks. "Reg- you've changed so much, Sirius has changed so much, everything is so different!" she sobbed into his collarbone, small shoulders shaking. When he asked how, she launched into a tearful explanation.
"Everything has changed so much since we were children. Sirius has distanced himself from the family, he's even moved out of the house, and he's in Gryffindor! You're growing up, dating, kissing, and you always seem so sad and hurt- Bella's getting married this summer, and I'm engaged!" Narcissa was wailing now, cupping her face in her hands and pressing herself onto Regulus' shoulder.
Regulus was stunned. "Engaged? Since when, Cissy?" he asked.
Narcissa's long blonde hair was a mess around her face. "Since your birthday," she sniffled, "Lucius told me to skip classes and come down to meet him, said he had something to tell me. We went out, into London, and he proposed right there, and I accepted, but only because I love him and I can't embarrass him like that in public, but I'm not ready-" Nervously, she showed him her ring, a ridiculously large diamond encrusted with seven other diamonds on a silver band.
"It's gorgeous," he said distractedly, taking her hand and examining the ring. "Bet he paid more than a few pretty pennies for it. Anyways, Cissy, change isn't always bad. I mean, yes, there are definitely days when I wish things could go back to the way things used to be-" he swallowed the tears rising in his throat- "but think of all the good parts. After all, yes, you're scared, but you're getting engaged to Lucius, and you love him so much! It's the start of your life, Cissy! Pretty soon, you'll be out of school, getting married, having babies..."
She smiled slightly at the idea of babies. "Lucius and I would have pretty babies," she sniffed, and he grinned encouragingly.
"Perfect, pretty blonde babies," he nodded, relieved when Narcissa began to smile again and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. "I hope so," she said as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief Regulus handed her.
"I know so."
Narcissa grinned at him. "Thanks for that, Reggie. I've been needing a shoulder to cry on." She giggled as she noticed the wetness of his shirt, stained with tears from his shoulder to his mid-rib cage. Her cousin laughed back, his dancing, singing laughter so unlike Sirius' bark of a laugh.
"Any time, Cissy."
Regulus gazed at himself in the mirror as he nervously put together the clasp of his locket. He watched his reflection with a critical eye; he was beginning to not only detest mirrors, but his own appearance as well. He had not yet put the Glamour on his face, so the bruise showed itself with all of its ugliness. His skin was too pale and ghostly in his own eyes, his eyes too wide and awkward in his face, his hair too boring, not fitting his face. He touched his collarbone, which seemed to bulge out of his skin, and his neck, which seemed too short for his body...
Regulus shook his head to draw himself from his negative mood. He had just taken a bath and donned the new robes Severus had given him. He felt slightly guilty about wearing the clothes Severus had given him to see another, but told himself it was simply because he had not yet washed his fancy robes (he refused to acknowledge that he could do it magically).
After wrapping his hair around his wand, he was pleased to notice the soft curls he had created. He left his hair down, letting his curls hang loose over his forehead and right eye. The Black family locket that he wore at his neck complimented the green of his robes quite nicely. He was not satisfied with his appearance by far, but it was acceptable.
He checked his watch; it was eight-oh-three. He had twelve minutes to get to the Room of Requirements. Perfect.
As Regulus slipped out of the common room, he was relieved when no one stopped him or called out to him. He was going by completely unnoticed- he bumped into a hard chest suddenly, and nearly fell to the ground.
"Alright, Black?"
If Rosier said "alright, Black" one more time, Regulus swore he was going to destroy the older male, he thought angrily as he straightened and forced a sweet smile on his face. Might as well play nice.
"Yes, thank you, I'm fine," he nodded, inclining his head slightly before starting around Rosier, but the redhead was not quite done.
Regulus was chagrined when Rosier stepped in his way once again. "Where are you going?" he questioned. Regulus laughed lightly. "Just to detention," he replied, thinking fast. The redhead raised his eyebrows. "In dress robes?"
"All my other ones are destroyed, don't have time to fix them," Regulus explained nervously, ducking underneath Rosier's arm and out of the common room. He broke into a quick walk, checking behind him every so often to make sure Rosier was not following him.
Regulus was relieved when he reached the Room of Requirements at eight-fourteen without any companions. He found another note taped to the wall written in the same elegant handwriting as the earlier note. This one said:
Regulus; think about needing a beautiful room with your nighttime companion. Hopefully, it will work. If not, exit the room and try again.
Feeling incredibly nervous, Regulus closed his eyes and thought hard about what had been described. He pressed his hand to the wall, feeling the cool stone turn warm and smooth underneath his fingers. He opened his eyes to find a golden door gleaming brightly. Trembling, he opened the door.
The floor was brightly polished, the walls large, circular and golden. Candles lit the room so that it glowed even brighter, light bouncing off of the walls. Heavy blue curtains were pushed back to show the full view of the moon dancing in the sky, visible from behind the balcony's glass doors. The cool night air felt delicious on Regulus' skin as he stepped out onto the balcony. He was startled to find that he was not the only one there.
A man wearing black dress robes was standing near the shadows. Regulus could not quite make out his face, but his hair looked soft and shiny, skin pale as the moon. He was rather thin but tall, and he looked so familiar...
"Severus?"
The man seemed so calm, and his body language was so smooth, it couldn't be- but as the man stepped from the shadows, Regulus barely bit back a gasp. It was his boyfriend, and he was smiling slightly, if not nervously.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked, and Regulus stared at him for a long time. "S-sure," he agreed, a blush rising to his cheeks. Severus chuckled lightly as his own face grew red, but he put an arm around Regulus' waist and whisked him away into a waltz onto the dance floor.
They danced smoothly and sweetly, with Regulus unable to stop staring at the older boy. Severus was an incredibly wonderful dancer, he thought dreamily, though he was still dazed. He noticed an invisible orchestra playing in the background, a piece that was classical with a modern, exuberant twist.
The couple spun around the dance floor, unable to take their eyes off of one another. Regulus was struck dumb by the whole scene. He eagerly drank in Severus' every feature, marveling and filled with awe; he had forgotten over the past few days just how truly handsome and wonderful Severus was. Joy was rising quickly in Regulus' stomach, jolting and rising when Severus twirled him then lowered his body close to the floor. It felt so right.
"Severus, you arranged for this?" he asked when the music stopped. They separated slightly, with Severus' hands still lightly touching Regulus' hips.
"Mmm, I did," the older boy agreed with a nod. He looked to be enjoying Regulus' confusion.
"Why?"
Severus chuckled and pulled Regulus in closer as the music began again, this time with a slow violin solo. "Well," he began, "I remembered your agreement, and decided to really go above average. So I went and set up the Room of Requirement then wrote the note. It took awhile to change my handwriting, make it fancier so you wouldn't think it was me. Do you like it?"
The older boy was worried when Regulus grew silent. He stared up at Severus for a long time, and the older boy grew nervous. Would Regulus grow angry? Would he scream or even worse- would he break up with Severus?
A wide grin took over Regulus' face suddenly, and he threw his arms around Severus' neck.
"Oh, Sev," he laughed into the other's shoulder, and Severus gently reached for his chin. He stared into Regulus' eyes carefully, leaning in slowly to give the boy time to pull away if necessary. When he did not, Severus closed his mouth over Regulus'.
Relief and happiness burst from Severus' chest as he kissed his boyfriend. He had missed Regulus so much over the past three days, his sweet, lovely, perfect one. There was so much adoration pouring from the bottom of Severus' heart and into his lips that he nearly suffocated the smaller boy. At last, when Regulus pulled away, he was laughing as tears poured down his cheeks.
"Promise me you won't ever do that again," the Black boy demanded as he was rocked back and forth in his boyfriend's arms.
"I promise," Severus vowed, and he truly meant it.
I didn't like this chapter, I'll be honest. And just so y'all know, I NEVER condone violence or domestic abuse, nor the forgiving of abusers. Seen too much of it to accept it; it's not an acceptable way to live. Be that as it may, my mind is insane and this is the product. I want to (hopefully) keep it lighter from now on. Only a few more chapters until the end!
Shout-outs to fan girl 666, 11Violet11, and ImaginationWalks; you guys are the reason I keep writing : ) Sorry if I don't reply to PMs, trying to get the puppy adjusted to home life.
See you guys (hopefully) soon- we've got a storm coming towards us.