I Walk Alone,
Chapter 23, With Great Power Comes Great Enjoyment Of It At Times
"Where is Heather Toy," Raislen wondered. He glanced around the Slytherin common room as if expecting the very question to summon her.
"Best not call her that in case she shows up," Regulus warned. He, Raislen and Severus had just convened in the common room to decide what they'd do with their evening before dinner. Classes had just concluded for the day but they all still had plenty of energy left for a bit of fun. "So are we going to race on Dumbledore's stairs," Regulus asked.
"Yeah, probably, but let's wait for Heather Toy," Raislen said.
"Again be careful with the calling her that," Regulus said, frowning in open concern.
"She won't hit us, just him," Severus assured, properly reading the reason for Regulus's concern. "As long as we don't say the T word, we're safe. Granted hearing the T word constantly makes this more difficult than you might think," he added. It was his turn to scowl at Raislen, who didn't notice.
"She'll know where we are," Regulus said, picking back up with planning their pre-dinner activities now that he knew he was safe from being stomach punched by Heather Knight. "She'll just meet us at Dumbledore's office."
"Probably, but let's wait a bit. She probably got stuck with Prefecting," Raislen said.
Clearly impatient, Regulus sighed, slumping into the green couch on which he sat with Severus. After staring broodingly into the fire for several seconds, he sighed again and rose to his feet. "Fine then. I'm going to go and write Kreacher. If Heather gets here before I return, you aren't allowed to leave me. You waited for her, you can wait for me."
"No," Raislen said, a good natured grin of amusement playing over his lips as he pointed out the flaw in that line of thinking. "You know we'll be racing on Dumbledore's stairs, and Heather Toy does not. So you can go to Dumbledore's if we aren't here because you are aware."
Regulus shook his head, having a ready comeback with his own logical conclusion. "But the race will already be started, and that's no fair. You'll all be on your third or forth lap and I'll be far behind," he complained.
"I guess," Raislen agreed reluctantly.
"Thank you," Regulus said, mollified. "Say, how do you know that Heather isn't just doing something with her girlfriends, anyway," he asked. "How long must we wait about?"
"She does do things with the girls sometimes, but she always lets us know," Raislen explained. "She didn't mention it. We'll just wait for half an hour, okay?"
"Fine," Regulus sighed. "I'll go write that letter, and be back directly."
"Why are you writing a letter home so soon anyway," Severus wondered. "You've not even been at Hogwarts for an entire week." It was three days to be precise.
"Because Kreacher will wonder how it's going with me," Regulus said. "And he may have news to report for all I know. We always share news as well as our general thoughts on things. It's rather nice to have someone to do that with." Severus felt a stab of envy at that. He had Raislen and Heather now, but clearly Regulus had had Kreacher long before arriving at Hogwarts. Having a friend during those younger years would've been nice, Severus admitted silently to himself.
"Besides," Regulus said, an eager smile suddenly breaking over his face. "Kreacher shall just pop when I tell him about you, Severus!"
"Why," Severus asked. He couldn't help giving Regulus a startled glance, for he hadn't been expecting that.
Regulus chuckled. "Because Sirius and James hate you as much as they hate me and Kreacher, remember? Sirius really hates the fact that we became friends so quickly."
Severus grinned, because that was true. Though Sirius and James hadn't turned things physical, they'd given he and Regulus plenty of dirty looks over the past few days. They'd also attempted to turn Regulus against Severus the first day of classes. Sirius actually told his brother that Severus could not be trusted.
Except he called Severus that other horrid stupid name he'd come up with. Regulus had laughed in his face and otherwise ignored him. Of course that hadn't gone over well, but other than dark looks, Sirius had taken no action as of yet. Neither Regulus nor Severus was foolish enough to believe it wasn't coming, though. They both knew Sirius too well, after all. Sirius would never be content just letting them be. The very sight of their faces each day would be too much for him. "I still don't get why he thought you'd believe anything HE said of all people," Severus said. He raised his brows, giving his head a baffled shake.
"I know," Regulus said. "I'd never believe anything he says, which he ought to know. And even if I hadn't met you yet, I'd have befriended you at once upon hearing how much he disliked you," he told Severus, giving an amused smirk.
"He isn't smart, and he is desperate, so there you are," Raislen said. "He hates the fact that you have even more back up now. He really hates the fact that you'll have back up when Heather Toy and I are gone." Severus felt his stomach sinking at the very thought of Heather and Raislen no longer being with him at Hogwarts.
"That'll be a long time from now," he insisted hurriedly.
Raislen grinned, nodding. "That's true.""
"So now that you know what I'm going to write Kreacher about, I'm off," Regulus said dryly. He'd only taken a few steps away from the couch and toward the door of the Slytherin common room when said door flew open and a wild eyed Heather rushed inside.
"Oh gods, it was brilliant," she breathed, rushing over to them. "I was so amazing!"
Regulus and Severus both brightened with interest. "I can easily believe that," Raislen said. "What did you do?"
"Oh it was utterly, epically, awesome," Heather said. Her expression was nothing short of ecstatic as she whirled in a circle in front of the boys, then began excitedly skipping in place. "I made James Potter drink toilet water!"
Severus choked as his eyes flew wide. This may possibly be the best day of his life, he realized. "Oooh," he breathed. "How!"
"Why not Sirius too," Regulus demanded unhappily.
Heather shot him a dark look for not being as impressed as he should be. "Because, Prat. For some reason, he wasn't there."
Regulus sighed. "Very well. What happened?"
"Welllll," Heather said, clearly drawing out the moment as she continued to skip in place. "I went to grab a book from the library for that upcoming project for History Of Magic." She cast a look to Raislen, who nodded as he shared the upcoming history project with her.
"I thought you lot could help Raislen and I work on it today," Heather continued, nodding at Regulus and Severus. "I happened to hear James and Peter talking about slipping into Slughorn's office in order to find the answers to next week's potions test for third years." She grinned. "That's when I knew I had them. I said if James didn't drink toilet water from the lavatory just outside the Great Hall, I'd tell Slughorn!" Her brown eyes sparkled. "I said I'd recorded them on my wand, and would play it back to Slughorn if he did not comply. I reminded him that as a Slytherin Prefect, Slughorn would always take my word over his regardless. I bloody loved the sweet, sweet taste of power," she concluded breathlessly. She smiled happily at Severus as he gaped at her.
"Well, did he drink it," he asked.
Heather laughed. "You bloody bet he did. Just a swallow, but he drank it. He refused to drink more and said I could just tell Slughorn if that wasn't enough, but I told him that we're good this time."
"Why," Regulus demanded angrily. "They would've lost house points for cheating."
Heather gave a sigh of clear regret. "I know, but I didn't really record the conversation. There wasn't time. I didn't even know they were in the library until I heard them talking on the other side of the book shelf that I was looking at. Hey, I did tell him that this was for being rubbish to you all the time, Severus," she added, the happy smile returning to her face. "I showed him."
Severus blushed. "Thanks, Heather." Rising, he gave her a quick, awkward hug.
"That bloody ruled," Raislen said, reaching to clap Heather on the shoulder. "May I hug you too?"
"Thank you, Raislen, for the compliment, and no, you may not," Heather said. She did smile at him, though, and that softened the words a bit as Severus saw it.
"I must go and write Kreacher now," Regulus said. "I have far too much good news not to share it right away."
Raislen sighed. "Fine. We'll wait for you, but hurry."