Regulus

Lauren and Sev ate something and demanded a bedroom in the Room of Requirement, the one where she had spent the nights after May fifteenth. They slept together, hugging and calm, until the next morning.

Sev left the Room of Requirement before Lauren, to stop by the house and go normally with the family for breakfast. She did it already at breakfast, arriving late to it, to avoid Dumbledore seeing her on his Map. It didn't matter, neither of them had an exam that day.

Sev spent Monday morning in the Library, helping Heather with Arithmancy problems and Hippolyta with Astronomy. She was already better at it, she never made mistakes and she did them at greater speed.

He had planned to spend the afternoon cleaning Lauren's Fidelius, and when he arrived he found it already cleared of desks. Lily… she's been here working and she hasn't told me anything.Oh…

The teacher's desk, two chairs and the small closet similar to the one they had in theirs had been left, already clean. He opened the drawer, there was a note.

Hello, loves. What a surprise, huh...? So that you don't have so much work and can enjoy it as soon as possible. Sev, for everything you worked on ours.

I'm sorry I didn't spend more time on it, I did it with Time-Turner sneaking out after lunch to coincide with Albus' nap. Did I it well? Am I finally learning to hide?

There are more surprises in the closet.

Kisses kisses.

He opened the closet, inside it were six cushions similar to the ones they had used to make the bed in their Haven, except that three were green and three were black. Our colors, Lauren's and mine.What a detail.

He responded to Lily's note, there was already a quill and inkwell in the drawer as well.

Thanks Princess. I loved the surprise, but I'm also very sorry that you didn't tell me, I would have come with you.

Of course you did it well, you did it perfectly.

I love you, I really want to be with you.

Indeed I am going to recover the feeling I had for her, I am already feeling it again, and it has been enough for me to simply feel her presence here. She is wonderful, so natural and attentive, taking so much care of me even though I have momentarily abandoned her.

She was also behind Sirius' proposal, precisely during the week in which I didn't pay much attention to her, and I haven't even thanked her. Tonight I am going to dedicate the entire dinner to her.

He cleaned the floor and windows thoroughly and set up a bed with four of the cushions. He Summoned candles and candlesticks, torches and stands, and installed them on the wall. Since he had time left, he also Summoned some decorations and two mattresses to practice Duel. The Panther's Lair was ready for use.

There was still a while until dinner, so he went to the Prince's Haven and also cleaned everything, since when they had been there on Saturday the previous week they had not done so. He arrived late for dinner, so that Dumbledore wouldn't see on his map where he came from.

He bonded with Deborah. "You girls keep an eye on Hippolyta today, I'm going to dedicate dinner to Lily."

"Okay, Prince."

He unbonded from Deborah, bonded with Lily. "Hello, Princess, are you busy?"

"No, Sev, we have already finished reading. All in order. You are late for dinner."

"Yes, I come from the Haven. I went to clean Lauren's and I found your surprise."

"Oh…" excited. "And what did you think?"

"I loved it, I was very excited and it made me very sad that you had not told me that you were going, I would have gone with you," he responded.

"Ugh… If I had known that you wanted to be with me I would have done it."

"I'm sorry, honey, I've behaved very badly with you." He cried.

"No, honey, don't cry, come on, have dinner in peace," she reassured him. "It's okay, it's normal.The weekend overwhelmed you, too many emotions.Then the exams, in which you have not failed us, you have been at the top of the canyon, and Deborah has also told me about Hippolyta's problem, you have many worries.I don't need you to take care of me all the time, you've been doing it for seven years, nothing happens for a week.You know that other times we have also had to separate for longer and we have resisted it well.A week is nothing, my love, as if it had been a month or a year.I've always told you, ours is forever, no matter what happens."

"Thank you, Lily."

"Tell me happy things, come on. How was your time with Remus and Sirius on Saturday?"

"They haven't told you?"

"Yes, but I also want to know your version."

Sev told her some things, especially the jokes, they laughed. He also thanked her for working out the Dueling Chair plan with Sirius.

"It was all his thing, huh?" she told him. "I had no merit, I only answered his questions."

"Well, you realized that I gave up the position of Potions professor."

"But it was also because he made me think about it when he asked me about my position as a Potions teacher, I remembered the conversation we had under the beech tree in detail and it dawned on me. That day was very special for me. It was the first day I spent comfortable with you being in love with you and the first time I got horny with you."

"Wow… you had never told me, but I already noticed it," he remembered. "You were about to kiss me."

"Well yes, I wish I had done it, we would have saved ourselves almost two months of suffering."

"So you got horny with me before I got horny with you, incredible."

"When was the first time for you?" she asked.

"When we had the huge fight."

"I already noticed it too. Wow, Sev… never before?"

"No, Lily, I only felt adoration for you, not desire. It was a very innocent feeling, which is what I'm feeling again now. I like it more than the other, I would just stick with that."

"Wow… who would have thought? You never cease to amaze me."

"I haven't gotten horny in more than a week," he confessed.

"Wow, Sev… you were constantly like this before."

"Well you see, it happened to me suddenly."

"Let's see if now you're going to leave me wanting all summer," she told him.

"Maybe yes."

"I do not belive anything."

"Believe it," he said. "I slept with Deborah on Saturday and with Lauren last night, and nothing at all."

"Well, then we will be as usual. If you feel like it, we can sleep together without doing anything. I'll be delighted with life, embraced by you."

"Wow, Lily... I feel like my chest is bursting."

"Wow… Sev, how intense and deep you are. For that alone it is worth being by your side, whatever it may be."

"Thanks my love. How about Sirius?"

"Great, delighted with life, very fond of me."

"Yes, I realized it on Saturday," he said. "Did you talk to him about what happened to me this week?"

"I do not, Sev."

"He gave me a hint. I told him and he told me that you were going to wait for me, I looked at him and he winked at me, he was referring to himself."

"Probably, because he had not talked to me about the subject at all. He maintains absolute discretion in that regard, he doesn't ask me anything about our relationship."

"Yeah, he doesn't do it to me either, on Saturday we talked about things because Remus got it out of me," said Sev.

"Of course, boy secrets. He's not going to ask me about those things with you, that would be indiscreet. What do you do after dinner? Are you going to the Library?"

"No, honey, I have flying class today, and as Remus told me at noon, Sirius is also going to sign up. Professor Wing invited him on Saturday, he flies great despite not being bonded with us."

"Wow… how good," Lily was happy. "Remus and Sirius have already told me how well you do it, you don't know how much I would like to see you."

"Yeah, I would also like you to see me. You will do it in the summer at Deborah or Jack's house, and next year, when you too start training. And also, the people at home are going to let me play a game. I am an excellent Seeker, I caught the Snitch in less than three and a half minutes."

"Wow… And what game are you going to play?"

"Against Gryff, against Potter," he responded.

"Good! I knew it."

"I'm going to give him a good beating, even Sirius says he's going to cheer me up."

"He is already more of a friend of yours than of Potter's," she commented.

"Yes, I know, we have a lot in common, and I already consider him as good a friend as Remus. I have a concern about him. I screwed up by asking him about his brother, you know? Regulus, fourth-grade Sly, already an aspiring Death Eater at the age of fifteen, and he was devastated. See if you can talk to him about it and comfort him."

"Sure, I will, Sev, maybe tonight I will meet him, since we have so many days off."

"Yes, please do it, because I was uneasy. Maybe he will change his mind and in the summer he will stay a few days at his parents' house to try to convince him to return to Hogwarts, but he very much doubts that his parents will let him."

"Ugh… what a drama, right?"

"Well yes, I suspect that Sirius has had a very bad time in life, and that his way of being cruel at times has been due to that," he deduced. "Try to get him to talk to you about it, let him vent, because I suspecthe doesn't tell his own friends anything because he's ashamed."

"Ugh, Sev... How awful…"

"Another person hurt from a young age, but now, also mature and profound."

. . . . . . . . .

That night Lily met Sirius in the corner of the Common Room. He, as always, arrived later than her and sat on the other side of the candle she lit.

"Padfoot… you always make me wait…" she complained.

"Yeah... I'm sorry... You know, Peter snores and doesn't let the rest of us sleep."

"It's okay, what a rest it's going to be for everyone when we get rid of him."

"Indeed, you don't know how I want," he admitted.

"How was your flight class? Remus told me you did great on Saturday."

"True, even I was surprised. It was my first time flying in formation and I barely missed it, despite having to dodge the Bludgers."

And despite not being bonded, incredible, and he also fights great.He is one of the most promising warriors, Lily thought. "Wow... how glad I am, you don't know what I would give to be able to go see you all."

"Why don't you and Cecile escape the next time we have it?"

"And when is it?"

"We don't know yet, Sev has to tell Remus," Padfoot responded. "Probably after the exams, you know, Defense and Transfiguration are Thursday and Friday, and the girl we're chasing also has an exam both days, and on Saturday the Quidditch final."

"Hippolyta, right? Remus told me."

"Yes, Hippolyta," admired. "The queen of the Amazons."

"What is this about the Amazons?" she asked.

Sirius told her.

"Ugh… how awful," Lily exclaimed.

"Keep in mind that they were exceptional warriors. Sev was telling us things about her and you don't see. She had the same idea as me, being in third year, to get the addresses of all the Death Eaters to go look for them one by one at their houses and snack on them."

"Wooow…" laughing. "I really want to meet her."

"Well yes, today I was chatting with her on the way back from the field and she is wonderful, to be eat," he said. "She was excited to meet me because she says I'm a spy."

They laughed.

"She herself suggested to me again about the Death Eater addresses," continued Padfoot.

"Oh…"

"I haven't told her that it had already occurred to me, I have congratulated her on her idea."

"That's great," Lily approved. "You're going to stop by the house to get your things on holidays, right? "

"Yes, of course."

"How are you going to do it? Are you going directly from the Express?"

"No, I haven't done it in years," he replied. "James's parents pick us up and I go to my house from theirs."

"Ugh... Your parents have abandoned you."

"Take away, take away, better. The further away the better, they are horrible, very cruel."

"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked.

"Sure, do it."

"Have you ever been mistreated?"

"Not physically, but psychologically, denigrating me for not being of the same ideology," Black responded. "They don't love me."

"And does it hurt you?"

"Not at all, not anymore. I'm over it, I don't love them either, I don't care at all what they think of me."

"Oh, Padfoot... What a fight you must have had," Lily lamented.

"No fight, I always had very clear ideas, even before I came to Hogwarts, for something I had a fight with the Hat when I was eleven years old."

"You are admirable, Padfoot. And your brother?"

"Ugh... my brother... We were hand in glove as kids until I started school, but the first Christmas, when I came back, he had changed a lot about me," he explained. "Since they disavowed me for having fallen into Gryff, my parents did everything possible to ensure that I was not, in their opinion, a bad influence on him, and they subjected him to a good brainwashing. Being alone at home with them, they pampered him and spoiled him, and when I arrived he stopped being the absolute center of attention and took it out on me too."

"Ugh, Padfoot…"

"I still loved him but I was also little, a little more than a year older than him. I felt very alone at home, I spent hours locked in my room studying the Transfiguration books that I secretly bought in Diagon and writing to James, Remus and Peter."

"Ugh, Padfoot…"

"The few moments that I spent with my family were horrible, I spent them enduring downpours, or not, because I rebelled and we argued a lot. Many times I would get up from the table without finishing lunch or dinner because I couldn't stand it anymore, so I got used to eating little."

"Ugh, Padfoot... then you were also hungry when you were little, like Sev."

"Not at all, later I attacked the cupboard at night."

They laughed.

"Rebellious and breaking the rules, you are more Sly than Gryff," she appreciated.

"Yes, except for the dissimulation. On Saturday Sev gave us a good scolding, in his own way, laughing at us, for how we screwed up last Sunday by laughing with the Muffliato. He had to resolve the mess right before taking his Charms exam."

"Yes, Remus already told me. We have gone off topic. How did things continue with your brother?"

"From bad to worse," Sirius answered. "The following year he entered Sly and began to associate with all the ilk. At school we never spoke or saw each other, as if we were not brothers, we ignored each other completely. I was going about my business, I didn't worry about him."

"Well, it's normal, if you already had a difficult relationship at home too. It was because of your parents."

"Yes, of course it was. But we spent nine months a year here, maybe if I had been interested in him I would have been able to get him back on my side and he wouldn't have turned out so bad. I abandoned him."

"Well, Padfoot, you were small too, you didn't realize it."

"Yes, Lily, I did realize it, I'm telling you that I was very aware of those issues since I was little, but when it came to relationships I was very unconscious. I was only good with the Marauders, you know how I handled my relationships with girls and how we made life miserable for you and Sev. And the same with my brother, completely ignorant of him, what I tell you, as if we were not brothers."

"But that wasn't your fault either, Padfoot, you didn't receive a good education in that regard. Did you go to school when you were little? Did you interact with other children?"

"No way, always at home alone Regulus and I."

"You still love him."

"Of course I love him, a brother is for life and he is the only one I have," he responded.

"You're right. I also have a sister, three years older than me, Petunia, with whom I have gotten along terribly since I manifested my magic at the age of six, because she was jealous of me, she is a Muggle. And at Easter Sev managed to fix things between us despite her animosity and my resentment towards her."

"Wow, Sev, always fixing everyone's life, as if he didn't have enough of his own."

"All is not lost, spend a few days with your brother in the summer," Lily suggested.

"Yes, I'm probably going to do it, even if it's just to say goodbye to him properly. It was Sev himself who proposed it to me on Saturday and also suggested that I try to convince him to go back to school and that he would take care of him at the Sly House. But even if I managed to do it, which I highly doubt, my parents wouldn't let him. Maybe he's even already training with Voldemort's army."

"Booff…"

"And I still made Sev feel bad," Sirius added. "You see, he regretted not having taken an interest in him before the fifteenth of May so that he wouldn't leave, when I, his own brother, haven't done so in all these years."

"Yes, Sev has a lot of guilt, and from what I see, so do you, something more in which you are alike. You have to get over it, Padfoot, it wasn't your fault, but the fault of the family you were in and the segregation in the school Houses."

"Do you know what terrifies me?"

"Tell me."

Sirius started to cry. Lily held his hands very tightly.

"Meet him in some battle," he said.

"Oh... of course... I hadn't realized it." Lily started crying too.

"I would protect him," Sirius said.

"Of course."

"But I don't know if I would recognize him, I don't know if you know that Death Eaters dress in capes and wear the Dark Mask."

"Yes, I knew it," she replied. "Tell him when you see him in the summer, he may not be able to go back to school but you would make him stop becoming a Death Eater."

"I will, because I might kill him and not even know I did it."