Threads of Emotion
A beautiful silver cat hurried off to fetch Dumbledore, leaving Regulus to slide down in her office's overly large stuffed chair. At the same time, McGonagall raised an eyebrow as she sat behind her desk before holding out a box. "Cookie?"
Regulus startled, glancing up at her, then at the cookie.
"Don't think I didn't notice you were not eating yet again last night, but goodness knows, having a cookie won't ruin your appetite," she said.
He stared, unsure what to do, when Dumbledore entered with his usual flourish. "Good afternoon. Minerva sent for me because there was an incident?"
"I know I messed up."
"But do you?" she said.
"Come now, Minerva. This is Regulus we're talking to."
"I know it is Regulus, Albus," Minerva said. "And you know," and then the words stopped her lips pushing together. "Take a cookie, Regulus. I didn't feel right not bringing the headmaster in on this."
"Well, I understand why," Regulus said. "I'm not that naive, contrary to what people think."
"Take a cookie."
He sighed, finally taking a cookie, and Albus followed suit. "So. What happened?"
"I can explain," Regulus said, thinking he should bring up the truth about him and Hermione. However, there was another thread of panic about revealing he'd broken the statute of secrecy with Hermione's mother all those years ago and how they would react to that on top of having overstepped.
"There's no need," Professor McGonagall said. "But to fill you in, Dumbledore, there was an incident where Regulus stepped in because members of his house were bullying a member of my house, so he stepped in. The question is, did you handle the situation appropriately?"
"Well, no," Regulus said, not wanting to eat his cookie, wishing she hadn't offered it, making him feel like he was a small child again even though the times he'd been in her office as a student never had to do with being in trouble like Sirius.
"Oh?" Dumbledore said. "So what was inappropriate?"
"I entered the girls' bathroom."
"That's where the bullying took place?" Dumbledore asked.
"Well, yes, sir," Regulus said.
"So you entered the bathroom to intervene?"
"Actually, I intervened outside the bathroom with the girls from my house and checked in to check on the other student," Regulus said.
"Well, I'm not sure what you did wrong," Dumbledore said. "We're dealing with young wizards and witches, so bullying sometimes escalates to spells being thrown."
Regulus frowned, knowing those girls bullying his daughter factored in, but there was a more critical issue. "The girls were in their first year. I'm unsure what damage they could do on their first day."
"Oh?" Dumbledore said. His mouth twisted into a smile, and his eyes twinkled. "And what could you do on your first day at Hogwarts, Regulus Black? If you were, theoretically speaking, inclined to bully others?"
Regulus closed his eyes, his fingers tightening around his cookie. "I'm a Black. But I see your point." He let out a sigh. "And now I'm even more confused."
"What if one of the students walked in, particularly with Malfoy, your relative, standing outside the door?" Minerva said.
"I think what Minerva is worried about, Regulus, is how this is perceived."
"Particularly with how others already misperceive you," Minerva said. "Some can't look past the fact you were a Death Eater. Some even feel you shouldn't have gotten off, but I think you know this. I just wish," she took a sigh. "Please, eat your cookie, dear." She waved her hand. "I worry about you."
"We all do," Dumbledore said. "Others look at the family name rather than who you are, so they don't understand you becoming a Death Eater isn't expected as it was with your cousin Bellatrix." The man nodded his head. "That's the best way to put it."
"So I shouldn't have?"
"Well," Minerva said, her mouth pushing together.
"How about you send a Patronus first next time something like this happens?" Dumbledore said. "You do know how to make a Patronus, right?"
"Yes sir," Regulus said, unsure of it was a good idea given the direction the conversation ended up going, wondering how McGonagal would have taken to the conversation between him and Hermione—his daughter, or anyone else for that matter. "I do know how."
"Yes. That would work," McGonagall said.
"You didn't," Regulus started, wondering if she'd thought something was happening.
"What?" McGonagall frowned. Her eyes then widened. "Oh. Regulus, I thought you'd realized that. From some of the things I said. I'm sorry you didn't."
"No, it's okay," Regulus said. "Can I go now? I've got a letter to a parent to write, and then dinner to attend. Or perhaps that will end up getting reversed?"
"Yes, yes," Dumbledore said. "You can go."
"Be sure to actually eat tonight," McGonagall said. "And take some cookies with you."
And with that, he hurried away, but not before the head of Gryffindor shoved a couple of cookies into his hand, and he finally took a bite, enjoying the buttery texture of a treat his mother wouldn't have allowed him to have when he was younger. He almost reached his office when, "Something the matter, Reg?"
Regulus blinked, caught off guard by Gideon. He kept his voice low, making him realize he'd found himself lost in thought about how for a moment that day, he'd thought things managed to work out for once for himself, only for items not to do so, his mind also remembering the comparison to Sirius suddenly.
"So. Busy day, I've heard," Fabian said, gently wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
"One could say that," Regulus muttered, his hand reaching up to brush Fabian's hand away, only to decide he was actually alright with the touch.
Gideon leaned over. "Cookies from McGonagall's stash? Lucky."
Regulus turned, giving Gideon a look. "Lucky? I got in trouble with her. Well, sort of."
"What kind of trouble?" Fabian said.
"Just, could we perhaps talk about this later?" Regulus said, remembering the warning about people perceiving what he did the wrong way.
"Hey. This wouldn't have anything to do with mentioning a certain creature in your class today?" Regulus turned his head, returning to reality as he looked at Fabian. "That's still not bothering you."
The chaotic threads of thought in his head weren't coming together. Yet, there was just the hint of recognizing threads of panic just at the edge of his mind as he looked at Fabian before saying, "Not exactly. No, not at all," he said, although he'd not really thought about the incident and what it meant; there were honestly too many things to wrap his mind around at that particular moment. "I'm over that, I think."
Gideon was the first to speak after a moment of silence, keeping his voice low. "Does this have to do with the Granger girl and—well, you know?"
Regulus let out a groan, shaking his head as he did so while not feeling like eating the food in front of him that one of his two cousins had placed in front of him without him realizing, which must have been the reason they realized something was off. "About that? Have you told Fabian?"
"He knows," Gideon said. Then, after another pause of silence. "Actually, you should know that Draco's figured it out."
Regulus turned his head, looking at his cousin, which made the threads of panic become a little more prevalent in the back of his head. "He knows?"
"We didn't tell him," Fabian offered up, even though Gideon said Draco had already figured it out. However, Regulus wasn't sure how his godson could have known when he'd not told anybody in the family about Olivia until Gideon visited him earlier in the infirmary.
"Oh," Regulus frowned. "How did he take that? I mean, given who her mother is?"
The two brothers looked at her. Gideon frowned. "Pretty well, I guess?"
"He kind of," Fabian said, only for Gideon to elbow him in the ribs, shaking his head.
"Don't worry him about that. Not yet."
Regulus frowned, wondering what they were getting at, only to shake his head. He grinned, suddenly motioning for Gideon to join Fabian in wrapping his arm around Regulus' shoulders until they got to the front table in the Great Hall, bringing some level of comfort before he turned his head to observe what Draco and Hermione were up to.