Chapter 29 – I Could just Eat You
"How is your new therapist working out for you?" asked Mrs. Black stiffly as the family sat sharing a rare Sunday breakfast.
"All right. I like her better than the old one. I can talk to her about my problems." Regulus thought he best give his mother a bit of encouragement so he did not risk her mingling in his therapist situation.
"That's good," said Mrs. Black and poured herself another cup of tea. She eyed her son a little and then asked, "So? Are you solving your problem?"
Regulus had to take a deep breath to prevent himself for telling her to sod off. "Which problem are you referring to?"
"Well, all of them. But especially the acting like a lunatic every time someone touches you."
"He doesn't mind me touching him," said Sirius. "Maybe it's just you he doesn't like."
"Watch your mouth," said Mr. Black, sending his oldest son a stern look.
"Well?" said Mrs. Black, her gaze piercing Regulus.
"People have no business touching me without being invited to do so. It's rude."
"I am your mother and it's my right to touch you whenever I see fit," sneered Mrs. Black and put her cup down. It wasn't really an answer that Regulus had given her and it was frustrating to listen to him avoid her question.
"My therapist says that in order to get more relaxed about it, people need to back off and leave me alone for a while. It gives me time to come to terms with the issue."
Mrs. Black snorted. "Oh, she says that, does she? Perhaps I should have a talk with her so I can hear it for myself."
"No," said Regulus quickly. "Her methods are working. Things like that just take time. But I have already improved. We've been practising handshakes." That was a lie, but he knew this was one of his parents' biggest frustrations - how difficult he was about greeting clients and business relations.
Mrs. Black's tense facial muscles relaxed a bit. "I see. Well that's always something."
"Good, said Mr. Black, pouring himself a third cup of coffee. "You can practice next weekend, then. It would be very suiting if both our sons attended the annual party at Gringott Hall. Baroness Yaxley has been asking about our youngest the past three years. I'm running out of excuses as to why we don't bring you. "
The Yaxleys were one of the richest noble families in greater London and their annual party was a very prestigious event. Regulus' parents had never dared bring him.
"Are you sure, Orion?" asked Walburga a little uncertain. "What if he embarrasses us?"
"He will not," said Mr. Black and narrowed his eyes. "He will behave and become a respectable Black if he keeps up the good work." He took a sip of his coffee and then put it down before looking from Sirius to Regulus. "Sirius will keep an eye on Regulus and make sure he behaves."
"He's almost seventeen," said Sirius. "He can look after himself just fine."
"I don't think I'm ready to go to such a big event," said Regulus, feeling a knot form in his stomach. "I can't promise anything."
"You will behave and honour our name," said Orion and flipped open his newspaper. "You are going to that party even if I have to drag you there by the scruff of your neck."
Regulus stared down at his plate, his appetite gone. He knew there was no more arguing when his father sounded like that.
o0o0o
"You'll be fine," said Sirius as he straightened his tie, checking himself in the mirror. "You just have to watch out for the baroness. She's not so good when it comes to personal space so you best stay clear of her."
He heard Regulus' phone ring and when his brother picked it up and a smile appeared on his face, Sirius could tell that it was Remus.
"Yeah?" said Regulus, putting his phone to his ear.
"Are you ready?" asked Mrs. Black as she stalked through the hall on her impossibly high heels. "Don't stand there wasting time talking on the phone, Regulus!"
"I'm ready," snarled Regulus, moving the phone to his shoulder. He put it back to his ear when his mother had left the room again.
"I just want to tell you good luck and I hope they aren't too pushy around you," Remus said at the other end. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah. If I survive the night."
"You will. Don't worry. I love you."
Sirius put on his jacket and turned around to look at Regulus. Clearly the boy wanted some privacy so Sirius left the room, pointing at his watch as he went.
"Mm... Me too," mumbled Regulus. It was still awkward for him saying the L-word, although he meant it very much and loved to hear Remus say it to him.
o0o0o
The limousine was already waiting outside and the driver came in to escort Mrs. Black out. Of course nothing less than a limousine would do to transport the Black family. If the manor had been closer, Regulus was sure his mother would have arranged them to go by horse and carriage ala the Royal family.
The good thing about riding in a limousine was that it was very clean and there was good room so Regulus didn't have to sit so close to his parents. They stopped on the way to pick up Sirius' new girlfriend Marlene - something his parents would never have allowed with any of his previous girlfriends, but Marlene came from a respectable rich family. Mrs. Black looked pleased when she saw her coming out her door in a classy evening gown, wearing a diamond necklace. Sirius put his arm around her as she sat down next to him, and just to provoke his parents he let a hand rest on her thigh.
Before stepping out of the car Mr. Black turned to look at Regulus and said in a dangerous tone, "You will shake hands with everyone and I will not hear you talking nonsense about bacteria or the apocalypse or any other nonsense. Do I make myself clear?"
Regulus sighed and checked in his pocket that he had remembered his small tube of hand sanitizer. If he was going to shake hands he was certainly going to disinfect them immediately afterwards.
The entrance hall was bigger than Remus' whole house, Regulus noted. A crystal chandelier the size of a small car hung from the high ceiling. There were many people standing or moving around and Mrs. Black's keen eyes scanned the room. "There," she said, nodding in the direction of the grand staircase. An important looking couple stood at the foot, greeting newcomers. The Yaxleys, Regulus figured.
Mr. And Mrs. Black moved over to the Yaxleys and motioned for their sons to follow.
"Oh how lovely that you could make it," the baroness said and then suddenly stopped as her eyes fell upon Regulus. "Is this... is this the youngest Black?" she asked, scanning him with keen eyes.
Afraid Regulus would give a tactless reply, Mrs. Black quickly said, "Yes, Regulus can't run from his genes. Looks so much like his brother, doesn't he?" She was about to put a hand on his shoulder in a false gesture of affection but stopped herself just in time.
"Yes." Mrs. Yaxley nodded, giving Regulus another elevator look. "A very handsome pair, I must say."
Sirius put a hand on Regulus' shoulder in a brotherly protective way and stepped closer to the woman to steal the attention. "So nice to meet you again, Baroness," he smiled brightly.
Mrs. Black gave Regulus a nudge with her elbow, sending him a stern look. Regulus knew what she wanted, so he sighed and stepped forward to shake both Yaxleys' hands. "Nice to be here," he mumbled. "Lovely house."
"Thank you, dear," smiled Mrs. Yaxley and was a little unwilling to let go of Regulus' hand.
Regulus slipped away quickly but his mother's claws caught him by the sleeve. "You will forget about your weird eating habits for tonight," she threatened.
"I'm not eating red meat or fish!" Regulus protested.
"I don't care which food you choose, but you will eat something!" hissed Mrs. Black through her teeth, keeping her voice as low as possible.
"And what about the other things? I don't even know if they're organic. I won't risk eating vegetables sprayed with poison or meat pumped with chemicals!"
"You will eat something and that is final!" said Mrs. Black, pointing a finger in his face. "You will not embarrass the family at this party, you hear me? The Yaxleys are very important people and we need to make a good impression. And take a glass of champagne or wine," she continued. "A few drops of alcohol won't kill you."
Regulus scowled as he stepped away from her. A waiter was just passing by with a tray full of champagne glasses and Regulus quickly took one. At least his mother could be content with this and hopefully leave him alone for now.
The first few hours went by without much difficulty. Regulus managed to behave and keep relatively calm until now by keeping to himself as much as he could and discretely rubbing hand sanitizer on his hands whenever he got the chance. He had put a few pieces of food on a plate which he carried around and occasionally nibbled a little on so it looked like he was eating.
At one point a waiter came by with a trey of small crackers tipped with goose pâté. A man next to Regulus took one and the waiter caught Regulus' attention. "Foie gras, sir?"
Regulus eyed the pâté with loathing. "No."
The waiter looked a little surprised and then moved on.
The man next to Regulus said, "You really should try it, lad, it's exquisite."
Regulus eyed the food in the man's hand with disgust. "Do you enjoy animal cruelty or are you just plain ignorant?"
The man blinked, looking taken aback. "Excuse me?" he said and looked from Regulus to the food in his hand and back again.
"Ignorance, then," said Regulus, seeing the man's expression. "I thought everybody with an education knew that foie gras is made by force feeding geese; jamming a funnel down their throats and blasting pounds of corn into their stomach. How anybody can enjoy eating this is beyond me."
The man eyed his cracker again and then hurried off before Regulus could say anything else.
"Scaring off my guests?" sounded a voice and Regulus turned to see Mrs. Yaxley standing beside him with a glass of champagne in her hand. "I never was much for that kind of food either but my husband insists on serving it. The old fool," she chuckled, shaking her head.
Regulus eyed her warily, wondering if she meant what she said or was just making conversation. He was betting on the latter. "Well, posh people want to eat it just because it's considered a delicacy," he mumbled, not caring that he was in fact insulting her husband.
She chuckled and took a sip of her glass, eying him with an almost hungry expression. "So, Regulus… It is so nice of you to finally come to one of my parties. Lord knows I have talked a lot with your brother and I have been dying to meet you as well."
Regulus swallowed nervously. "Why?"
"Well, I have heard interesting things about you," she smiled.
Regulus raised an eyebrow and took a nervous sip of his champagne. "What do you mean, interesting things?"
"Well," she said and took a step towards him. "You're a handsome young lad. And I'm sure you have some interesting tales of your own. Like the one you told poor Mr. Danes before about the birds."
Regulus took a step backwards, not liking how close the woman was standing. He remembered Sirius warning him about Mrs. Yaxley being bad with personal space. Obviously that was true. "It's not an interesting tale. It's a fact."
"Do tell me more, young Black," she said in a husky voice and let her hand touch his upper arm.
Regulus moved his arm away, reminding himself to not draw attention to himself so that he would not give his parents a reason to give him trouble about his therapy situation. He glanced nervously around, spying for an escape route, but he was getting close to the wall behind him and there were people standing on either side of him.
"Don't be shy, dear," said the baroness and stepped closer to him, clearly unaffected by the other people around them. She reached out her hand and let it run down his chest in a seductive manner. "You're just as handsome as your brother. Did anyone ever tell you that? I could just eat you."
Regulus stared at her, for a minute too surprised to react. Then he roughly pushed her away so she nearly fell. "KEEP YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF ME!" he screamed, his heart hammering in his throat.
Mrs. Yaxley looked at him in shock, as did all the guests in the room. The next moment the baron stood in front of Regulus. "What do you think you're doing, pushing my wife?"
"She was molesting me!" yelled Regulus.
"She did no such thing!" said Mr. Yaxley, red in the face as he turned to Mr. Black who had come running at the sound of his son's voice. "Orion – control your offspring!"
Mr. Black grabbed Regulus by the arm and marched him into the kitchen.
"SHE DID!" screamed Regulus, his head turning to look at Mr. Yaxley as his father was dragging him off. "YOU DIDN'T SEE!"
The whole room had gone silent, everybody staring at Regulus as he disappeared into the kitchen with Orion. Then the chatter broke out. This would no doubt be the topic of gossip for weeks in the upper class.
Marlene, standing next to Sirius, gasped. "What's wrong with your brother?"
"There's nothing wrong with my brother," said Sirius. Having been smacked on his bum more than once he knew from just how tactless Mrs. Yaxley could be. "He doesn't like people touching him and knowing Mrs. Yaxley, I'm confident that she did indeed give him a reason to feel violated."
"What the bloody hell is the matter with you?" snarled Mr. Black and grabbed Regulus by both arms, shaking him violently. "The Yaxleys are very important people! Your little stunt might make us lose a lot of clients!"
"LET GO OF ME!" screamed Regulus, close to full-blown panic, struggling to get out of his father's grasp.
In the entertainment room Mrs. Black was trying to explain away the situation, talking loudly so everybody could hear her. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Yaxley! My son is not well. He had been seeing a psychologist and we thought he was getting better, but he obviously isn't." To the left someone started talking about the incident at the party at Grimmauld Place in the autumn where Regulus had made a similar (although not nearly as bad) scene with his mother. Mrs. Black looked around in panic as she felt her words falling on deaf ears. She knew they shouldn't have brought Regulus, but her husband had insisted.
"I should never have brought you!" hissed Mr. Black and shook Regulus again. "You can't behave for one bloody minute!"
Regulus' brain had reached survival mode and he was no longer registering what Orion was saying, but screamed and kicked at him. When a kitchen maid shrieked in horror, Orion's grasp slackened for a moment and Regulus tore himself loose. In blind panic he fled through the door, continued past the guests standing between him and freedom (pushing many out of the way) and out the front doors. He heard footsteps behind him and Sirius yell his name, but he didn't slow down as he sped down the long driveway.
Regulus ran harder than he had ever run, ran until his legs were aching and his lungs burning. Finally, when he couldn't go on any longer he slowed down to a walk, gasping for breath as a dying man. When he had calmed a bit down he took a look around. He had no idea where he was, other than in the part of town where the manor was located. What was he going to do now? There was no way he could go home, not until his parents had had a considerable time to calm down. There was only one answer: Remus. But Remus' house lay in another part of the city - too far for even Regulus to walk. He finally decided on taking a taxi. It was the only way. The first two taxis he flagged down were too untidy for him so he waved them off again. The third looked acceptable, so he got in, sitting in the opposite side of the driver in the back, as far away as he possibly could.
o0o0o
Remus sat on the couch in front of the TV, watching a crime drama, when a light was cast though the windows and he heard a car pull up to the curb. "Mum, are you expecting company?" Remus called to his mother, who was in the kitchen making tea.
"No, dear."
Remus got to his feet and walked out to the front door and opened, looking rather puzzled when he spotted Regulus stumble out of the taxi. "Regulus?"
Regulus rushed through the door, his eyes wild-looking. Both Lupins had come into the hallway as well, looking stunned.
"But Regulus, what's happened?" asked Mrs. Lupin.
Regulus just pushed his way past them and darted up the stairs to Remus' room. Remus looked at his parents and they both nodded at him, indicating that he should follow him.
The taxi-driver marched up to the door, which the Lupins were about to close. "Hey!" he said, sticking a foot in to stop it from closing. "That crazy kid didn't pay! And it was a long ride too."
Mr. Lupin found his wallet and payed the driver. Then he turned to his wife. "He didn't look well. You think Remus can handle it?"
"I'm sure," nodded Mrs. Lupin and closed the door.
Remus walked up to his room and found the door open. Regulus lay curled into a ball on the bed, facing the wall. "Regulus?" Remus said, sitting down on the bed and putting a gentle hand on Regulus' shoulder. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Regulus was quiet for a minute. What exactly had happened? Well, for regular people it might not seem such a big deal, he realised. The woman had touched him in a way she wasn't supposed to, yes, but others would probably think that since it was just his chest it was nothing to react so this violently to. "I... There was a woman crowding me at the party." He turned and crept halfway onto Remus' lap, digging his fingers into his' shirt and pressing his face against his stomach.
Remus looked down at him and carefully let his fingers run through his hair. "It's alright. You're safe here with me now."
Regulus started sobbing, clinging to Remus. He didn't even feel ashamed. That would probably come later. He sobbed for a long time until finally he had tired himself out and fell asleep in the same position.
o0o0o
Regulus had dropped his jacket on the floor in the hallway and When Mrs. Lupin picked it up to hang it on the coat stand, she heard his phone buzz in the pocket. Fishing it out she saw 27 missed calls from Sirius during the past hour.
"Lyall - give me my phone," she said, not wanting to use Regulus' phone in case it made him feel violated, but his brother needed to know where he was.
Sirius replied instantly, his voice full of worry.
"Hello, Sirius. It's Remus' mother. Regulus is here. He arrived a little while ago. What on earth has happened?"
Mrs. Lupin heard a sigh of relief on the other end of the line. "Some bloody woman got too close to him and then father threw a fit because Regulus panicked. Regulus managed to escape but things aren't pretty here. Can he stay at your place until things settle down?"
"Of course he can. But Sirius... when do you think it's alright for him to come home? Not that he can't stay as long as he wants, but I'm thinking about your parents. He's underage. They have a right to know where he is."
"It's best they don't know where he is." Sirius sighed at the other end. "Look... I'll come by in the morning and check on him. Our parents are going on a business trip in two days so he can come home then."
"Alright. But your parents - what are they going to do if their son is missing for several days? Won't they worry? Won't they call the police?"
"Worry?" Sirius laughed drily. "The only thing they worry about is their bloody image."
Mrs. Lupin was silent for a minute. "Sirius... I don't know much about your parents, except that you and your brother are not having the best of relationship with them, but... if Regulus came home now, do you think they would hurt him?"
Sirius was quiet for a moment. "They might. My father dragged him off to the kitchen. I don't know if he hit him but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. That's why I think it's best he stays with you lot until they go on that business trip."
"Okay. Like I said, he can stay as long as he needs to."
"Good. Tell him I'll be by tomorrow around noon."
Sirius said goodbye and hung up, feeling relieved that Regulus had gone to Remus'. At least it was a place where he could feel safe.
o0o0o
Sirius came home half an hour later, and his parents (who had gone straight home from the party in a taxi) met him in the hallway. "Where is your brother? Did you talk to him on the phone?" demanded Mrs. Black
"No," said Sirius. It wasn't exactly a lie. He hadn't talked to him. Only Mrs. Lupin. He took off his jacket and wanted to head upstairs before all hell broke loose.
"Stay down here! You neglected your duty of keeping an eye on him!" screamed Mrs. Black.
"I knew we shouldn't have let him bring that girl. Took all his attention," said Orion.
"Don't talk about Marlene that way!" snarled Sirius and turned to face his parents. "I'm not his babysitter! If that perverse woman had kept her hands to herself this wouldn't have happened! And I know Reggie is telling the truth because she does the same thing to me."
"She does what to you? Molest you, you mean? Liar! Mrs. Yaxley is a noble lady!" screamed Mrs. Black.
"She pinches my arse and a leans close to me, touching my chest every chance she gets!" Sirius hissed. "I only put up with it because she's one of your clients. If she did something similar to Reggie, then I understand why he freaked out!"
"You expect us to believe that? In the middle of the house, surrounded by guests? I think people would have noticed if she did something like that!" said Mr. Black.
"They're too busy with their fancy food and drinks!" spat Sirius. "And she's very discreet. I'm not lying!"
"It wouldn't be the first time," growled Orion, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Go to your room! I'm tired of looking at you. Find out where your wretched brother is, and when you do, you tell us! He has to answer for this."
"I wouldn't tell you where he was even if I knew!"
Sirius felt awful. He was mad at his parents for forcing Regulus to come to the party and for their reaction to the incident, but he was just as mad at himself. Granted, he wasn't Regulus' babysitter, but knowing how Mrs. Yaxley could be, he should have stayed at his brother's side to protect him. But he had been too busy enjoying the attention and showing off Marlene.
o0o0o
There was a soft knock on Remus' door and his mother stuck her head in. "Remus?" she said in a low voice, seeing the raven-haired boy asleep with his head in Remus' lap.
Remus raised himself on the elbow. "Yeah?"
"Can you come talk for a second?"
Remus looked down at Regulus and carefully managed to slip out from under him without waking him up.
"I talked to Sirius," said Mrs. Lupin when Remus had closed the door to his room behind him. "He told me what happened at the party. Did Regulus tell you?"
"He told me some woman crowded him at the party. He started crying and then feel asleep. I thought I would just let him sleep. He was very upset."
"Good. Let him sleep, then. I would give him a diazepam, but I know he wouldn't take it." She gave Remus the full story Sirius had told her.
Remus looked a little shocked and his gaze dropped. "We can't send him home. I'm afraid something bad will happen if we do."
"No. Sirius says they might hurt him, so I told him that of course he can stay with us until they have calmed down. They don't know he could be here, do they?"
"No," said Remus. "I don't think they even know that I'm a part of Regulus' life. Friend or boyfriend."
"That's probably for the best. They don't sound like the tolerant type," sighed Mrs. Lupin.
Remus shook his head. "I'll go back in now. I don't want him to wake up alone."
A/N: To see Zayhad's illustration to the chapter go to deviantart dot com and look up Zayhad. She has a folder in her gallery with the story's name on it.