CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: 21

As arranged, Sirius and Remus returned around five. It was fully dark by then; the lights in the room were on, and there was a warm fire blazing in the fireplace. She'd laid out the coffee table with a red tablecloth and wide yellow ribbon as tribute to Gryffindor, and then had the bright idea of having Regulus transfigure the balloons into star shapes. As the room came together, and all the food and baking was laid out, Regulus started to feel slightly more interested in the impending party—especially when Flora went to change and came back down in one of her shortest mini dresses. It had long sleeves, a collar and bow at the neck, and a hemline which just grazed the very top of her thighs. Had she not been wearing thick tights, Regulus would've seen far more every time she bent over.

Before Remus had left, Flora asked him to bring Butterbeer and "wizard sweets," as she called them, and he fully delivered on this promise. The room looked akin to Honeydukes. Overall, it was warm and cosy, and Sirius was amazed by the effort she'd put in to give him a nice party.

"It's like the Gryffindor common room, Flo," he remarked fondly. He embraced Flora sideways and gave her a chaste, brotherly kiss on the cheek, and Flora found this time she didn't squirm and blush so dreadfully. Nevertheless, Regulus still cast his brother a rather dark look, although Sirius didn't notice for being distracted by all the food on the table.

When he saw the cake, Flora quickly informed him, "Regulus helped too. He did the jam bit, and it was his idea to use the stars."

Sirius looked as every bit of surprised as Remus had when she'd told him. The two shared a glance. Sirius then looked over her shoulder at his dour little brother, who was standing back by the fireplace like he didn't know what to do with himself.

"It looks very nice, Reg," Sirius said, resisting the urge to tease him.

Regulus glanced aside, feeling awkward. He had no gift for him, having not taken up Flora's suggestion of making him a card. It felt too childish. He'd made Sirius numerous cards and pictures when they were little boys— mostly pictures of dragons and kneazles and magical creatures. He'd needed no occasion to make them. He would just push them under Sirius' bedroom door and then run off to draw more. Regulus had no idea that Sirius still had them.

"Were you watching to make sure he didn't poison it?" Remus asked, his mouth full of food.

Remus was already helping himself to the fairy buns Flora had prepared—she'd made two batches of them (in fact, she'd made two of everything) knowing they wouldn't last long otherwise. Her mum used to say Remus had hollow legs, and given he had very long legs as well, it took a lot to fill him.

"Stop being mean," Flora warned.

Remus, perplexed by this sudden defence of Regulus, looked at her oddly for a moment. He didn't like this one bit, and in truth would have preferred to see them bickering and fighting. Sirius also looked at her with quiet bafflement, though less surprised than he had been last night when he saw—no thought he saw—them holding hands. Sirius had since reasoned it away, blaming the darkness of the evening, a trick of the increasing moonlight. Regulus had been holding his wand for light and it was possible Flora had just been standing close in order to see her way.

She moved away from her brother to put music on. She had carefully chosen every track (lots of Bowie, ABBA, Blondie, and Queen) and placed them in order, which she then got Regulus to charm so they would automatically switch over every time a song ended. Regulus liked using magic around Flora simply because it was so easy to impress her with it. She beamed at him when the first record removed itself from its sleeve and dropped itself on the record player, which then also began to play by itself.

In addition to sweets, Sirius and Remus had also brought a lot of alcohol between them. This was a twenty-first birthday celebration, after all, and the drinking started with immediate effect.

"Did you call the boy from the shop?" Sirius asked, sidling up to her with a glass of rum for himself and a white wine for her. Flora took the drink with thanks and shook her head.

"No," she said. She wanted to add 'not yet' but Regulus was standing beside her, half involved in the conversation by default. She didn't know if Remus knew about the note, but Sirius only brought it up the second Remus disappeared upstairs to the toilet, so she figured not.

"He was asking about you."

"Was he?" Flora asked a little too quickly.

"I told him you'd gone back to Wales," Sirius nodded.

"What did he say?" She replied, her curiosity burning.

Sirius shrugged. "Not very much, although he looked quite disappointed I'd say."

Flora heard Regulus snort derisively under his breath. She wasn't sure whether it was a laugh or a scoff—probably both, knowing him. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he went over to the coffee table to pour himself a drink.

Sirius eyed Regulus, then leaning closer to Flora and speaking in a very low voice, he asked, "Reg didn't go out that night too, did he?"

"No," she replied, looking at her drink and then quickly taking a large sip. Regulus returned to her side and cut the conversation to an end.

The party was soon going. Flora gave Sirius the knitted dog she'd made, which he couldn't stop looking at, in awe of the fact she'd made it without magic. And then the fire whiskey was brought out and Sirius was soon more drunk than Flora had ever seen before; like on Flora's birthday, he danced with her, twirled her around like a doll in a music box. She remembered how she'd loved this last time, thrilled to be in his arms, but now she felt quite different about it. For one, she noticed how his eyes often wandered over to Remus, who sat back watching and drinking quietly. It was as though the weight of the 'secret' kept Sirius anchored to her, as a way to hold him back from displaying his true feelings. He clung to her like a shield, almost erratic with this façade he was fighting to hold up. Flora yearned to tell him she knew and that it was okay.

The second thing was Regulus. Regulus was more animated than he had been at her party; he was splayed out on the floor at ease, eating sweets and half talking to Sirius, even sometimes laughing with him. Like Sirius though, his eyes were always on something else, and that was Flora.

He found he minded less that Flora was dancing with Sirius, for the time being anyway. He kept watching Sirius to ensure his hands stayed where they should. He wanted to dance with her himself, but pride firmly held him back. He didn't want Sirius and Remus—particularly Sirius—to know he was fond of Flora. If fond was the right word to use; he was more than fond of her, if he was completely honest with himself. But he couldn't let anyone else know that. Flora tried to pull him to his feet once or twice, wanting to dance, but he coolly resisted and she soon gave up.

So he remained a silent observer, guarded, but largely indifferent until Sirius reached towards Flora's neck and held her necklace between his fingers, his head leaning in close to hers. Regulus had noticed she was wearing a new necklace, but had never wondered where it came from. Girls usually had copious amounts of jewellery, after all.

"You like it then?" Sirius asked her, swaying unsteadily on his feet.

"Mhm," Flora smiled, nodding. "Thank you. It's very pretty."

As she lifted her face to look at him, it brought their noses closer. Sirius looked at her with a lazy smile. "Just like you," he said.

"Oh, I bet you say that to all the girls," Flora giggled, equally as unsteady and grabbing his arm for balance.

"Only the very beautiful ones."

"And Remus," she said before she could stop herself.

Sirius' smile faltered, evidently surprised by the statement. The equally surprised look on Flora's face at once revealed she felt she had misstepped and said something she shouldn't have. Remus snatched a glance at Sirius, and Regulus sat up like he was expecting a very good live soap opera.

"I mean," Flora began, confused, "Remus is also very beautiful because he takes after me."

"You mean you take after me, you numpty," Remus put in, quickly trying to quell the awkwardness that had descended upon them.

"That's what I said," Flora frowned.

"Of course," Sirius said with a laugh. "Remus is very handsome."

"Why don't you buy him pretty necklaces then?" Regulus interjected snarkily, "And dance with him?"

Sirius' smile grew tight as he narrowed his eyes on his brother. Before he could reply, Remus cut in—

"Regulus, why don't you keep your nose out of things for a change?"

"Oh, he can't help that," Flora said lightly, trying to brighten the mood before it completely went out. She moved away from Sirius to sit down beside Regulus on the floor, taking the box of Every Flavour Beans from his hands to help herself. She nibbled on the corner of one before popping it into her mouth.

"Shall we sing Happy Birthday to you now?" She then asked Sirius.

"Yes," Remus stood up. "I'll go get the cake."

"I'll help," Flora jumped up after him and clumsily followed her brother into the kitchen.

Two separate conversations in low voices ensued. Sirius, direly warning his brother to shut the fuck up, and Flora as she attempted to broach the truth with Remus. She watched him count out twenty-one candles, but she could tell from the way his hands were shaking that he was agitated.

"Are you alright?" Flora asked, leaning across the counter on her elbow.

Remus shot her a small, brief smile. "Yeah… just—just it's the full moon soon."

Flora's inhibitions were loose and Remus had nearly put the last of the candles in place. If she wanted to speak, she had to do it now.

"I do know, Remus," she said quietly, never taking her eyes off him.

He didn't look at her as he replied with an air of nonchalance. "Know what?"

"About you and Sirius," she said, and then added in Welsh, "You love him."

Remus went still, the last candle poised between his fingers. Remus rarely spoke in Welsh anymore, but hearing this he at once switched over to avoid their conversation being overheard in the other room.

"How long have you known?" He asked stiffly.

Flora shrugged. She didn't want to tell him the whole truth, knowing how he despised Regulus. "I figured it out. And when I was staying in London, it was more obvious."

Remus had gone rather pale. "Flora—"

"And it's okay with me," she put in quickly, "but why didn't you ever tell me?"

Remus let out a long, slow breath. Her tone of acceptance had surprised him, but he was not particularly glad to be having this conversation. He wasn't ready for it.

"I was worried about how you'd react," he replied finally. "Not many people know."

"Does James and Lily know?"

"Yes."

"And Peter?"

"Yes."

Flora looked hurt. "But you couldn't tell me?"

Remus' expression softened as he saw the hurt in his sister's eyes. He sighed, looking away for a moment, then turned his eyes back to her face. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, Flora. I just…I wasn't sure you would understand."

"What wouldn't I understand?"

"I mean, you're so sheltered and—"

"That's hardly my fault," she objected indignantly.

"No, I know," he said quickly. "I know."

"You keep me here. I should be at university and going out and meeting all kinds of people," she ran on over her words, her voice slowly rising and cracking. She hadn't meant to cry, but her eyes were welling up with hot tears. She hated that she always cried when her emotions were wound up. Being drunk only made her cry more.

"Flora, please don't cry," Remus said, his eyes wide and apologetic.

"And you won't let me do anything! You won't let me go anywhere."

"Sori am fod yn dwpsyn… I'm sorry… I know… I'm sorry…" he gently pulled her into his arms, letting her bury her face against his chest.

Sirius came into the room with a worried look on his face, flanked by Regulus looking somewhat sheepish. He knew very well he had contributed to this mess. One look from Remus told Sirius what was going on. Sirius, however, from not understanding their conversation assumed Flora had taken it badly.

"Flora…" Sirius tried gently, approaching her hesitantly. His hand hovered over her shoulder, uncertain whether she would allow him to touch her.

Regulus stood back by the door, watching on in guilty silence. He'd spoken out of bitterness, irritated by Sirius' blatant and careless flirtation with Flora, and hadn't intended to bring things to this level of escalation. Flora held tight to Remus, her eyes red and wet, staring at the floor.

"Why don't you tell me things? Either of you?" Flora finally said in a small voice, addressing both Sirius and Remus. "You treat me like I can't understand anything."

"This is…it's complicated, Flora," Remus said carefully.

"Is it?" Flora lifted her head. "Of all the things you avoid telling me, this is the simplest one to understand and accept. Why did you never tell me? Even Regulus knew."

Remus' brow furrowed. "How did you know Regulus knew?"

Sirius glanced at his startled brother, frowning. "Because he told her. I knew he did."

"He did, but he didn't tell me it out of malice," Flora said, wiping at her face and moving back from Remus. "Don't be angry with him. Please. I don't want to spoil the evening even more having you two shouting at him."

Remus sighed softly and rubbed his face. Everybody was a little drunk.

"We'll talk about this another day," he said.

A silence fell over the group. For a long moment, nobody knew what to say, what to do. Flora wiped at her eyes, her gaze fixed on the floor; Regulus likewise stared at the floor, and Sirius and Remus looked at each other.

Finally, Sirius' eyes wandered to his birthday cake, which only needed the candles lighting.

"The cake looks really nice. Thank you, Flora," he said, smiling gently. His eyes then moved over to Regulus and he added, "And Reg."

Flora nodded, sniffling. She smiled back weakly. Regulus said nothing.

"Aren't you going to light the candles for me?" He asked next, his tone cheerful, desperately trying to restore the carefree joy that had been there ten minutes earlier. "You're only twenty-one once."

The dark mood cleared as Remus lit the candles with his wand and they all moved back into the living room to sing Happy Birthday to Sirius. Even Regulus quietly joined in. He sat next to Flora with his leg against hers, casting her a reassuring glance while Remus and Sirius cut the cake. Flora, whose hand was resting on her thigh, slowly and discreetly moved her fingers to brush against Regulus' fingers. He looked at her sidelong with a small, barely perceptible smile on his lips.

They were just about to begin eating their cake, pretending to forget about what had happened, when Flora shrieked in alarm, pulling her legs up and backing into the sofa like a mouse had run over her feet. A transparent, silver-blue stag elegantly leapt through the window and circled the room above their heads before landing delicately in the centre in the room. A patronus; a message. From its mouth came the voice of James Potter—

"Sirius, Remus: the Order needs you here immediately. Don't bring Regulus."

It was a short message, and the stag patronus dissolved quicker than it had arrived. Regulus, at once indignant, scowled and demanded the empty air, "Why don't bring Regulus?" He then looked at Sirius and Remus, who were already jumping to action, ignoring his question.

Flora stood up, confused and dismayed. Above all, outraged. "You're leaving?"

"I'm sorry, Flo," Remus said, touching her arm. Sirius stood at his side, looking even more apologetic.

"Don't let Reg eat all the food," Sirius said, still trying to be upbeat. "We'll come back tomorrow if we can. I'm sorry, Flo. I know you worked so hard, it's been really lovely."

"But why?" She demanded.

"That's what we need to go and find out," Remus replied.

Flora folded her arms and stood back sullenly. She felt suddenly like crying again and bit the inside of her cheek, glad for the moment that Regulus was kicking up a fuss to take the attention away from her.

"Why can't I come?" He trailed his brother into the kitchen.

"Regulus," Sirius said in irritation, "I heard exactly the same message you did. It wasn't whispering any additional secrets in my ear. I don't know."

"Let me come anyway."

"No," he replied, putting his jacket on. "Stay with Flora."

"Or how about we bring Flora?"

"No!" Sirius and Remus said in sharp unison.

"If you want to help, stay here," Sirius reiterated. "That's your job, remember?"

Regulus scoffed. "Job? Feels more like weak pacification."

"We were specifically told not to bring you, Regulus," Remus put in shortly. "So stay here and look after my sister." He briefly swept back into the living room to hug Flora, though she kept her arms folded and wouldn't look at him when he kissed her cheek. Likewise when Sirius came to do the same and thank her again for the party, she remained stubbornly silent. She knew it was a little childish, but she didn't care. She'd worked so hard.

Regulus, as soon as they'd gone, skulked back into the living room with a dark scowl on his face. "Said they trusted me, the lying bast—" he stopped. The already fragile dam had broken and tears were rolling down Flora's cheeks. Regulus went to her at once, placing his hands on her bent arms, which she then unfolded to wrap around his neck. Regulus, in turn, wrapped his arms around her slender frame and held her close. He rubbed his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion as her body wracked with heartbroken sobs.

"Flora," he murmured, wanting to comfort her but unsure of what to say. He wasn't very good at expressing himself when it came to her. He cared so deeply for her, but speaking the words that conveyed this was like stringing together words in a language he was still learning. He cleared his throat softly, hesitated a moment, then simply said, "Don't cry."

"I worked so fucking hard," She said in a choked voice. "They don't care—they just care about that stupid Order. Like—like their whole lives are devoted to it."

"I know," he continued to rub circles on her back. "I know… it's a difficult time though."

Flora just sniffled, so he added, "They said they'll come back tomorrow."

"It won't be the same," she replied quietly. She lifted her face to look at him; mascara was running down her cheeks, and her nose was red. "It's not just about the party though… it's—it's the way they treat me like a child, like I'm too young to understand anything. Even their relationship. I'm so sick of it all."

"I know, but they're scared," he said softly, pushing her hair back behind her ears. "Everybody is scared right now with what's going on. Your brother does some really dangerous work, and it's not just a threat to him, but to you too. Greyback will look for any weakness to exploit. You're part of the equation, unfortunately."

"I'm just a muggle."

"You're Remus Lupin's sister. You're a leverage opportunity if they get their hands on you… or paws, I suppose," he said with a small smile.

Flora let out a small laugh, wiping her eyes. She took a breath. "I must look a mess."

"No," he shook his head. "You don't."

She held onto him for another long moment, resting her head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat and the crackle of the fire in the background. The music was still playing, but it was indistinct as she'd turned it down when Sirius and Remus left.

"What do we do now?" Flora murmured. She glanced at the clock over his shoulder. "It's only nine o'clock."

"Keep drinking?"

Flora lifted her head from his chest and held her hands in his, kissed him softly, and nodded as she felt slightly cheered by this suggestion. "They did leave the fire whiskey…"

Regulus smirked, gripping her hips. "So we should finish it off."

"I'm just going to fix my face first though," she said, stepping back.

She disappeared up to her room for some five or ten minutes, then reappeared with a clean, tear-free face and fresh eyeliner. Regulus, meanwhile, had already helped himself to another glass of fire whiskey and poured Flora a glass of wine. They sat together in front of the fire, facing one another with their knees touching. Within the next twenty minutes, they were stretched out on the floor together, Flora resting her head on his chest and drawing invisible pictures with her finger on his bare stomach. His t-shirt had been pushed up to his chest.

"Okay, okay, what's this one?" She traced a circle around his belly button and then more circles around it, her face set in concentration. When she'd finished, she looked at him expectantly.

"A flower."

"How do you keep getting them right?" She frowned.

He ran his hand through her hair idly, his mind hazy and slow. "Because they're so bad," he smirked, "They're obvious."

She huffed and pouted, then sat up on her elbow to begin another invisible drawing. "Okay, try this one," she proceeded to trace lines and shapes across his warm skin, shapes that Regulus couldn't hold in his mind as she kept crossing and circling back over. He frowned in confusion. Flora looked triumphant.

"Can you guess? Bet you can't."

He shook his head. "Go on."

"Botticelli, the Birth of Venus," she said.

He raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "What? The version painted by an absolute nutter?"

Flora lay her head back down on his chest, draping her arm across him. "I'm surprised you know that painting."

"I'm not completely ignorant of muggle culture."

"You know Botticelli but not how to work a toaster?"

"Oi, I can work the toaster, thank you very much," he replied, sitting up a little so he could pull her on top of him.

"If you like cremated toast, I suppose it counts," she said, now straddling him. She caught hold of his hands and leaned down to kiss him. His hands were resting below her hips and he returned her kiss eagerly, digging his fingers into her soft thighs. As their kisses grew more heated, so did Flora's curiosity. She shifted her position slightly so that she was centre with the hard bulge in his trousers, and rolled her hips down on him, eliciting a moan from Regulus' lips.

"Flora—" he breathed out, "Fuck, don't—"

"Don't what?" She murmured back, her lips whispering over his.

Regulus closed his eyes, letting his head tilt back against the carpet as she ground down on him harder.

"Don't tease me," he finally managed to say, grabbing her hips sharply to still her movements.

"But don't you like it?" She kissed him lightly and then sat up, her hands resting on the centre of his chest.

He looked at her through half-closed eyes for a moment, then lifted himself onto his elbows. "Yes, I do like it," he replied, sitting up properly now so he was face-to-face with her.

Flora looked at him for a moment, but then her relaxed, content expression slipped into a look of mild hurt. "Oh," she sighed, drawing back.

Regulus frowned, confused by the sudden shift in mood. "What?"

"It's because I'm a muggle."

"What? Flora, no," he said, his frown deepening. He cradled her cheek against his hand, rubbing his thumb over her skin. "No, that's not it at all."

"Then what is it?" She asked.

"Well," he paused, considering his next words. He was unsure how Flora would take it, to be told her inexperience made him hesitate. "I don't exactly know how much—how much experience you have. I'm guessing not much."

Flora stared at him for a moment, her expression a mixture of confusion and irritation. "So your problem is that I've never had sex?"

"I'm not saying it's a problem," he replied. "It's just, and feel free to correct me, but I feel you're in a rush to do things simply for the sake of doing things. If I went along with it, I'd feel like I'm taking advantage."

Flora didn't correct him, but she still regarded him with irritation. When she didn't speak, he continued—

"I care about you," he admitted in a quiet voice, as though it were a great secret. "You've been stuck in this house for Merlin-knows-how-long, never seeing anyone except your brother and Sirius, and you've been left behind. I don't want you to do things out of some kind of urgency. If we're going to do anything, I want to be sure you really want to do it."

"I do want to."

"We're also a little drunk," he added, kissing the corner of her mouth.

Her expression softened and she sat back on her heels, lowering her gaze. She then lifted her eyes to his again, frowning. "I get what you're saying, Regulus, but to hell with it. I know myself. I don't need a lecture. I might not be ready for sex, but I want to try…other things."

Regulus exhaled slowly, his eyes on hers. "Alright," he said slowly, moving his hand down her arm. "Like what?"

"Like…like the things you wrote in that letter."

Regulus looked at her for a long moment, amused. "Pity I don't remember what I wrote," he smirked.

Flora smacked his arm playfully. "Yes, you do. I'm sure you'll never live it down."

"Only because you'll never let me live it down," he groaned, rubbing his face. "It's humiliating."

She caught hold of his hands as he pulled them away from his face. "I want to do those things though," she said in a lower voice. "I want to do them with you."

Regulus knew he would be a fool to argue with her. He lay back down, pulling Flora down with him. His mouth found hers once again and kissed her deeply, his hand cradling the back of her head. Their tongues and hot breath mingled together; they both tasted and smelled faintly of fire whiskey, a scent that lingered on their skin and breath. They were at intoxicated ease, but felt oddly sober at the same time.

Flora let Regulus take the lead. He touched her breast over her dress, then moved his hand down to the hem of her dress and pushed his hand up underneath it, touching the bare skin of her stomach for the first time. Her waist was small; he felt he'd be able to encircle it with both hands and have the tips of his fingers meet on either side.

"Is this alright?" He murmured against her mouth.

"Yes," she breathed. "You—you can go higher."

Her dress was loose on her body, so he was easily able to move his hand up higher to touch her over her bra. His fingers skimmed along the edge of the lace and swell of her breast, caressing her. Flora sighed into his mouth, pushing herself down on him like she had earlier, getting as close to him as she could get. Her hand, which was resting on his chest, then slowly trailed down to the top of his trousers and wandered, at first lightly, over the hard bulge. She lifted her hips slightly to do this.

Regulus made a soft sound, something like an intake of breath. Flora then pressed her hand against him more firmly, feeling the shape of his cock. She paused in her kissing, glancing down; she hadn't expected it to feel so thick. Regulus looked at her, noticing the surprise on her face; he followed her gaze, and then watched as she fumbled to undo his trousers. When she had done this, she paused, uncertain and looked to him for some guidance. Regulus took her hand and gently guided it, letting her feel him through his underwear, and she rubbed her hand up and down his full length. She paused and then tentatively wrapped her fingers around the head of his cock, feeling the wetness that had seeped through the fabric of his underwear. The pressure of her hand made him moan under his breath.

Flora lifted her eyes to look at him again. She'd never seen such an expression as the one that was presently on Regulus' face.

"Does…does that feel good?" She asked quietly.

Regulus pushed himself up into her hand a little more, nodding. "Yes," he said.

She kept rubbing for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. Regulus was about to ask her what she was thinking when she said aloud, "It feels really big."

He smirked, letting out a small laugh through his nose. "Well, I'm certainly not going to argue with that."

Flora smiled and moved her hand away to the waistband of his underwear. "Can I…"

Regulus again nodded, swallowing thickly in anticipation. Flora shifted her position slightly, moving so she was sitting just above his knees, and then tugged his underwear down below his hips. She looked at his penis for a moment, her eyes wide, interested. She'd seen penises before in anatomy textbooks, and she'd seen her brother's, but she'd never seen one like this: hard, veiny. She took it in her hand and gave it a slow, experimental stroke. Regulus let his head fall back and shut his eyes tight for a moment, letting out a breath through his mouth.

"Is that right?" she asked.

Regulus opened his eyes and nodded. He then took hold of his cock himself, covering Flora's hand, and moved it up and down in a few languid strokes. "Just like that," he murmured, releasing his hold and letting Flora take the lead again.

His reaction spurred her on as she slid her closed hand up and down the length of his cock. She liked how it felt in her hand; she was surprised by how soft and velvety the skin was. She watched the action of her wrist for a long moment, then looked at Regulus' contented, half-lidded expression. Emboldened, she shifted her body lower until she was positioned between his legs; Regulus opened his eyes to see what she was doing, barely having a moment to react before she dipped down to kiss the head of his already dripping cock.

"Fuck—Flora," he gasped out. He obviously hadn't expected it.

She did it again, then pressed her tongue to it before taking more of it into her mouth. Regulus threaded his fingers through her hair, pushing his hips up. She kept moving her hand up and down as she sucked, taking in as much of him as she could. In his letter, and in his mind, he had imagined Flora to be the one writhing, and yet here he was writhing under her. She was good at it—surprisingly good. Regulus knew he wouldn't last long.

Flora lifted her head to meet his eyes, still stroking him with her hand. "Is it still good?" She asked. "Am I doing it right?"

Regulus sat up, his eyes misty with pleasure. He reached for her and found the zip on the back of her dress, which he tugged down impatiently while briefly meeting her lips to kiss her. He needed to see more of her. Flora quickly understood and pulled her dress off herself, leaving her in a white lace bra and black tights. His hands wandered over the curve of her breasts, over the shadow of her nipples which he could see through the lace, while she moved her mouth back down to his cock. She tried to take more of him, pushing him as far back into her throat as she could. She'd read this in a romance novel she definitely shouldn't have been reading at fourteen, but the knowledge served her well now.

Regulus let out a choked gasp. "Flora," he grabbed her hair again, pushing his fingers through it. His eyes were fixated on her mouth, then her encased breasts, and the shape of her slender legs. She kept going. Regulus moved one of his hands from her hair down to her breast; her bra strap had fallen down her shoulder, and Regulus slid his hand under the lace to feel her breast without any covering. It fitted in his hand perfectly; he squeezed gently, rubbing her nipple with his thumb.

Regulus felt he could sob from the pleasure she was giving him in this moment. Her mouth was hot, wet. Her tongue seemed to move instinctively, knowing exactly how to elicit a reaction in him. She'd figured him out completely.

"Fuck, Flora—I'm going to—"

She briefly raised her eyes to look at him, but she didn't draw back. She tightened her grip slightly, moved faster, and shut her eyes as he came in her mouth. She made a stifled choking sound, but kept her lips locked around his cock. She felt it twitching in her hand. She swallowed quickly, unsure of what else to do, and pulled her mouth away. Something in her expression gave her the appearance of being surprised.

Regulus was breathing heavily; his curls, now damp, were stuck to his forehead in places. He kept his eyes shut for a moment as he tried to compose himself, and Flora wiped her mouth, touching her lips which were now tingling oddly.

"Did I do it right?" She asked when he still didn't speak.

Regulus let out a low breath. He opened his eyes and sat up, reaching for her. "Come here."

Flora quickly crawled back up to him and lay down on her side. Regulus pulled her close and kissed her forehead as she curled up to his chest.

"How the hell did you know to do that?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Swallow."

"Well," she frowned, feeling suddenly defensive, "If I hadn't, it would've been messy."

"Do you forget I'm a wizard?" He said. "I could clean it in seconds."

"Was I not supposed to have swallowed it?" She sounded suddenly worried.

"No, no, I'm just surprised you did, that's all," he replied, tickling her back gently. He yawned and kissed her on the head again. "It was really good."

Flora felt oddly embarrassed. She lay with her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as a silence fell over them. He continued to tickle her back, his hand wandering lower sometimes until his hand stilled and she heard soft little snores coming from him. She lifted her head slightly, frowning a little as she discovered he really was asleep. Disappointment and indignation settled in her stomach. She'd thought there would be more.

She looked at him for a moment, simply observing him. Irritated as she was, he looked so peaceful and content, and she felt a glowing sense of pride that she was the cause of it. She brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead and traced her fingers over the contours of his jaw. Regulus stirred, opened his eyes again sleepily.

"Shall we go to bed?" Flora suggested, beginning to feel uncomfortable on the rug.

Regulus nodded wordlessly. It took him a minute to sit up so he could adjust himself and fasten his trousers up. Flora stood up and tended to the fire, which had burned to orange embers, and waited for him to follow her. He rubbed at his eyes, blinking slowly as Flora picked up her dress, took him by the hand, and led him freely to her bedroom.

She was tired now too, and felt more tired as soon as they settled down in her bed together. Regulus wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently.

"Tomorrow…" he mumbled incoherently.

"Mm?"

But he had fallen asleep.

AN: 'Sori am fod yn dwpsyn' means 'sorry for being a fool.' btw I must reveal the truth: I'm not Welsh, I'm English. so I have to do some language research lol. I've lived in Wales and spent many holidays in Wales, so I am largely familiar with the culture and country, but I am actually English and have never properly studied Welsh. I'm not even past unit one in Duolingo.