CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: FEUD
The moon rose with Flora's pleasure. Higher and higher. And when she cried out, neither of them heard the distant, low howl in the hills.
Chapter Twenty-Five
"I heard it again," Flora said in a hushed voice. She was wrapped in her crochet blanket, but otherwise naked. Her eyes were wide, fixed on Regulus. Only the light of the fire lit her worried face.
Regulus, sitting up on his elbows, was listening closely to determine how close the werewolves were. The next howl, when they heard it, sounded distant but slightly louder than the last. Flora jumped and looked back at him in horror.
"It's okay," he said quietly, pulling himself up into a full sitting position and cradling the side of her head. Another long howl only unsettled her more. Compared to last time, it sounded like there were more of them.
"They're close by," she fretted.
Regulus shook his head. "Even if they are, they can't find us."
"Please, can we just go to London?" She asked suddenly, panicked.
"Flora, it's okay. They can't—"
"Please! Regulus, I'm scared."
Regulus noticed how pale she had gone, like she was going to be sick. Only a short while ago, she'd been flushed and happy, drifting off to sleep on his chest. When he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, he could feel her heartbeat pounding madly against her chest.
"Flora, we're safe," he reassured her, rubbing circles on her back with the palm of his hand.
"I can't stand it, please!"
"If we leave, it will alert Sirius or someone and that would cause a whole lot of drama."
"Sirius will be at his flat, won't he?"
"Not necessarily."
"Then…where's that stupid mirror?" She scrambled to her feet, pulling the blanket around her tighter. It slipped off her shoulders as she began to turn over cushions and look under books.
"Wait, wait, wait," Regulus got to his feet, snatching his boxers up as he did so. "Flora, stop. Put your clothes on."
He gently placed his hands on her bare shoulders. She was trembling.
"Flora, please, calm down," he went on. "Get dressed, and we'll try contact Sirius. But really, we're safe. We checked and strengthened the wards only this afternoon."
"I don't feel safe," she said, her voice rising. "I had an awful nightmare last night about—about them. I have a terrible feeling. I dreamt something very similar the night that my—Please, let's just go to Sirius and Remus' flat. If nobody answers the mirror, we can leave a note."
Regulus regarded her, disturbed, and beginning to feel a little worried himself.
"Do you have a key to get into their flat?"
Flora paused, then shook her head miserably. Regulus sighed, pulling his boxers and t-shirt on, and then accio'ed the mirror from some corner of the room where it had been carelessly discarded.
"Get dressed," he said quietly before turning to the mirror. He said Sirius' name into it and waited. Flora watched anxiously as she dressed on the other side of the room, fumbling around with the back of her bra and growing increasingly irritated when she couldn't fasten it quickly enough. Regulus said his brother's name more loudly, and again waited. Flora looked on with increasing despair as the howling started up again, close enough now to hear barks and yelps.
"Reg?" Sirius' voice replied. Flora could've cried with relief.
"Sirius," Regulus said at once.
"Are you alright? What's up?" He asked with growing concern in his tone. "Is Flora okay?"
"Yes, she's fine," he said. "It's just…we can hear the werewolves somewhere around the hills. She'd feel better if she could come to London, to your flat."
"Please," Flora interjected, rushing up beside Regulus now she had her jumper and her skirt almost on. "Please, I can't stay here."
"Flo, the wards are up and they—"
"No!" She cut in, her voice almost shrill. "Why won't either of you listen to me? I feel so sick. Please."
"It's just… well," he said uncertainly, hesitating, "It's not the best time."
"Not the best time?" She retorted, incredulous. "It's not the best time for me if I get torn to shreds or turned into a werewolf!"
"Alright, alright," Sirius replied quickly, more for the sake of preventing hysterics. "Reg, can you apparate her over here? You know the location."
Regulus nodded, and Flora hurried off upstairs to pack some clothes and toiletries as quickly as she could. Regulus looked back to the mirror.
"What do you mean it's not the best time?" He asked.
Regulus heard another voice in the background just as he asked this question. Barty's voice—too muffled for Regulus to know what he was saying, but clear enough to know it was him. Sirius sighed, leaning his head back on the sofa cushion and letting out a resigned, heavy sigh.
"I'm babysitting your mate."
"Is that Reg?" He heard Barty clearly now.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Regulus muttered.
"Yeah," Sirius agreed, though for a different reason than Regulus. He moved abruptly, as though he were fending off someone trying to grab at him. "Piss off," he said, obviously speaking to Barty. "Go read your book."
"Let me speak to Reg!"
"No," he quickly moved into another room—the kitchen, by the look of it. "See if you can convince Flora to stay in Wales," he said in more of a rush. "You're both safe."
Regulus put the mirror in his pocket with a sigh and followed Flora up the stairs. She was in her bedroom, her door wide open.
"Flora," he said hesitantly, stepping in. She was pulling things from her drawers and stuffing them into her bag.
"Look, I know you think I'm being silly, but I don't care," she said without turning to look at him.
She moved to her wardrobe next and began to pull out various dresses and jumpers, which then went into the bag. Regulus frowned. Flora appeared to be packing her whole wardrobe and more.
"How long are you planning on staying?" He asked.
"I'm not," she replied. "It's just in case."
"Just in case what?"
"I don't know," she answered truthfully.
Flora couldn't shake the terrible feeling of dread inside her. Perhaps she was just paranoid, disturbed by a coincidental nightmare, but her instincts were telling her to flee and that was what she would do. It was better safe than dead.
"I think we should stay here," Regulus said.
"Why?" She replied, her voice rising. For the moment, the howls had died down, but Flora was on edge and expected to hear them again any minute.
"Flora, nobody can find us unless we step out of those wards," he replied, growing impatient and frustrated. "What are you not understanding?"
Flora picked up on his prickly tone at once and turned around, narrowing her eyes on him. "I understand it just fine, thank you. I just don't want to be here. What are you not understanding?"
Another woeful howl in the distance brought her to a sudden standstill, her hands hovering over her half-packed bag.
"Is it the noise?" Regulus frowned. "I can put a sound-blocking charm around the house as well, you know."
"No, are you stupid?" Flora jumped to attention, grabbing his hand to stop him from pulling his wand from his back pocket. "Then we'd never hear them if they came up to the house!"
"They're not going to come to the house!"
"You don't know that!"
"I know that with ninety-nine percent certainty nothing is getting past those wards!" he exclaimed in exasperation and absolute desperation to prevent her from meeting Barty Crouch Jr. "It takes very strong magic to take them down, and the witch or wizard who does it has to know where they are in the first place. Werewolves don't have that type of magic!"
"Remus does," she pointed out.
"Remus is an exception."
"They obviously know we're in this area," she argued, beginning to feel a little hurt that he wasn't taking her seriously.
"So fucking what?" He cried, pushing his hand through his hair in frustration. "Can't you understand that the magic protecting the house means we're completely safe? It's incredible how stupid you muggles can be when it comes to anything magical!"
"Oh, fuck off, Regulus!"
She zipped her bag and stomped out of the room, then paused at the door. "Is the mirror downstairs?" She asked, glaring.
"No," he returned tersely. "I have it."
Flora put her hand out. "Give it to me. I'll ask Sirius to come get me."
"I'll take you," he snapped, stepping towards her.
Fifteen minutes later, they were standing outside the door to Sirius and Remus' building. It had been a dry, clear night in Wales, but in London it was drizzly and foggy. Flora pressed the button for Sirius' flat number and waited for him to buzz them in, but Regulus stepped forward and used his wand to unlock the door. It only irritated Flora more because she was certain he was simply being spiteful. She marched through the door before Regulus, slightly unsteady on her feet; magical travel always made her dizzy.
"Flora, slow down," Regulus hurried after her with a huff, letting the door slam shut behind them loudly.
"No," she said, but he quickly caught up with her, for he had stupidly long legs. He grabbed her arm.
"Flora!"
She stopped and turned very suddenly, causing Regulus to stagger into her. He'd kept hold of her arm, but Flora wrenched it free, her eyes ablaze. Neither of them spoke another word; they looked at one another in a mixture of anger, disappointment, and sadness. Regulus took a deep breath to steady himself.
"Flora," he started again, more quietly this time.
Overhead, Sirius leaned over the bannister. "I've got tea on," he called down before he had fully assessed the situation, causing Flora and Regulus to jump apart. He'd had a small smile on his lips, trying to be cheerful, but it slipped a little when he saw Regulus jump back and pull his hand away from Flora like he'd been burned.
"Alright, Reg?" A second voice called down to them.
Barty's sneering, gleeful face came into view. His eyes briefly fell on Flora just before Sirius gave him a sharp jab in the side with his wand, glaring.
"Get back in the flat," he snapped grimly.
Surprisingly, Barty obliged with no argument or backtalk. Sirius looked back down at his brother and Flora, who remained standing in the middle of the stairs two flights down.
Sirius was waiting for them inside his flat with the door open, though he was distracted by Barty who kept touching things, and so was shouting at him to stop. Barty at once came to meet Regulus at the door as he stepped in with Flora, looking at the latter with interest. Barty, while amused by Regulus' situation, had never personally met a muggle before.
"Is this the muggle girl?" Barty asked. He was asking Regulus, but it was Sirius who replied with his wand raised threateningly.
"Her name's Flora and if you say anything unkind to her, I won't hesitate to—"
"I wasn't going to," he snarled back, indignant.
He looked tidier than he had the last time; his hair was combed back and his clothes, though they were clearly not his own and were too big on him, were clean. Regulus, by comparison, was the one who appeared considerably more dishevelled; he'd wanted to sleep when Flora had started to panic over the wolves, and his hair was knotted and sticking up in places from laying on the floor with her.
Flora took off her coat and shoes, avoiding both Regulus and Barty's eye. She was fully expecting a repeat of Regulus from three months ago—or something perhaps even worse. Regulus had been more guarded than anything else, and knowing he had his brother to answer to seemed to have deterred him from being as nasty as he could've been. Barty had no such reservations. She swiftly followed Sirius into the kitchen for a cup of tea and slice of cake.
"Did you make the cake?" She asked.
"No, it's from the shop," he admitted. "Anyway, it's Remus who makes the cakes. You know I'm hopeless at baking."
Their conversation became muffled as they walked away. Regulus, while also taking off his coat and shoes, regarded Barty with a small frown. He was already irate.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
Barty shrugged, leaning against the wall. "I don't know. Nobody tells me anything. Why are you here?"
"Werewolves," he grumbled. "Flora got scared and wanted to come here."
Regulus moved past him to walk into the living room. Barty followed.
"Rather pretty, isn't she?" He smirked.
"Don't start," Regulus warned, glaring at him sidelong. He sank down into an armchair.
"Don't start what?"
Regulus opened his mouth to reply, intending to speak sternly, but Barty cut him off—
"This is much better, having you here. Your brother is a moody old git, and that werewolf is even more miserable. I've been here all day, you cannot imagine the relief."
"I'm not here on a social visit, Barty," Regulus said.
Barty seated himself on the sofa. "Have you seen that?" He pointed at the television. "I've only seen them in books before, in Muggle Studies. It's called a television. Does the muggle girl have one in her house?"
"Yes," he replied tersely.
"And there's this other thing in the kitchen… it plays music and sometimes it's just muggles talking to each other."
"A radio."
"Yes, that's it," Barty replied eagerly. "I couldn't remember. But yes, that sounds right."
Sirius and Flora came into the living room, Flora carrying a tray of hot drinks—Flora wordlessly handed one to Regulus, then a second one for him to give to Barty. Sirius stared Barty down until he begrudgingly slid off the sofa and sat down on the floor instead, nearer to Regulus. Sirius promptly took his place, and Flora sat down beside him, tucking her legs up under her and leaning towards him slightly.
Sirius smiled at her, and Regulus was certain he saw his brother's eyes lingering a little too long before he looked away. Barty, meanwhile, looked down at the mug of tea in his hands, then brought it to his nose and sniffed it.
"You better not have put anything in this," he said with a deep frown.
"Believe me, I considered it," Sirius said dryly. "Anything to make you shut the fuck up for five minutes."
Flora snorted softly, and Regulus, in spite of himself, smirked a little. It gave him some satisfaction to know his friend was driving Sirius up the wall.
Barty sipped his drink and then fixed his eyes on Flora. Regulus, who was sitting in the armchair and had the vantage point of watching him, shut his eyes in dread as he braced himself for whatever Barty was about to say next.
"Hello," he said in a surprisingly pleasant tone of voice.
Flora blinked, unsure whether he was speaking to her. She glanced at Regulus over his head. Barty, in turn, also looked to Regulus.
"Wait, did you say she's Welsh? Does she understand me?"
"Of course I understand you," Flora snapped. She was absolutely not in the mood to deal with two idiotic wizards this evening.
"Oh," his face brightened. "Good. I'm Barty. I've never met a muggle before."
Flora wasn't sure how to respond to such a bizarre statement. His fixated interest on her made her feel like she was an alien with two heads. She sipped her tea, staring right back at him.
"What, never?" She replied.
"Well, not personally," he corrected. "I've walked past muggles in London before."
"Did you see Big Ben as well?"
While Sirius smirked, Regulus grimaced, despairing at Barty's ignorance and apparent inability to pick up on cues. The latter grinned at her flippant question, oblivious to the fact he was only pissing her off further.
"I did, actually," he replied. "But don't you all have watches? Why do you need such a big clock to tell you the time?"
"It's synchronised with all our watches," she replied. "If Big Ben stops working, the country falls into chaos."
Barty's eyes widened. "Really?"
"No, you idiot," Regulus grumbled from behind him.
"I'm not allowed to use magic now," Barty continued talking to Flora. He seemed eager to impress her. "Those gits took my wand away, and I've got these magical suppression cuffs," he held up his wrists to show her two thin, faintly glowing bracelets. "So I can't do any magic."
"What about card tricks?"
Barty considered the question, then looked at Sirius. "You got any playing cards?"
"No."
Flora was tired and wished he would stop talking. She was starting to see Sirius' point about putting something in his tea. Nevertheless, he went on talking.
"I'm Reg's best friend," he said politely. "He told me about you."
"Did he?" She glanced at Regulus coolly.
"I hope he's not too rude to you."
"Hm."
"I took Muggle Studies at Hogwarts and was always trying to get him to see you're not as stupid as we all think."
"That's kind of you," she said with stiff irony.
"Barty," Regulus grumbled. "Will you be quiet?"
"Most people know muggles aren't stupid," Sirius put in sharply, more for Flora's sake. He knew very well that the Wizarding world's attitude towards muggles was largely patronising, even if one didn't hold any particular animosity for them.
Barty rolled his eyes. "I was talking about Reg."
"Reg knows muggles aren't stupid," Sirius replied evenly. Flora stifled a scoff, rolling her eyes.
Barty frowned. "Since when? He thinks muggles are mindless brain-dead imbeciles who breed with—"
"No, I don't!" Regulus interjected, quickly going ashen-faced. "Would you shut the fuck up?"
"Breed with what?" Flora asked calmly.
"Flo, take no notice," Sirius said.
"No, tell me," she insisted, sitting up straighter.
"Breed with animals," Barty finished, seemingly having no idea how his words would sting.
The room fell silent. Barty's words hung in the air like an awful smell, and Regulus was crimson with embarrassment and anger. His jaw clenched and he stared at the back of Barty's head like he wanted to murder him. Meanwhile, Sirius looked troubled, his eyes flickering between Regulus and Flora—Flora's expression was unreadable, impassive, as though she had expected that and worse.
"I don't think that," Regulus said finally, his voice tight. His eyes were focused on Flora, willing her to look at him. "Not anymore."
"Yes," Sirius added, eager to stick up for his brother and diffuse the situation. "Reg has come a long way in quite a short time. Hasn't he, Flora?"
Flora said nothing.
"Yeah, well, you'll say anything to a pretty girl," Barty grinned. "Won't you, Reg?"
"Barty—" Regulus said in a low voice warningly.
"Especially if he's stuck in a house with one," he went on, as if not hearing Regulus. "At this point, Flora, I'm sure it doesn't matter to him if you're a muggle."
"Barty!" Regulus was livid.
"What?" He scowled.
Flora bristled and looked down at her tea, gripping it tightly as her heart constricted and twisted in her chest. She abruptly put her tea aside and stood up, forcing a smile as Regulus looked at her with anxiety written across his brow.
"Flora—"
"I'm going to the loo," she said to no one in particular.
"Wait, Flora," Regulus stood up too.
Flora frowned, glaring at him. "I'd like to go by myself, if that's alright."
He slowly sat back down, helpless, and watched her leave the room. A moment later, after a tense silence in the room, Sirius got up without a word and went into the kitchen so that he could intercept Flora when she came out.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Regulus turned his eyes on Barty furiously. His anger was always quiet, but never unmistakeable. He was boiling with rage and it was perfectly obvious to Barty, who shrunk back slightly, as though afraid Regulus would strike him dead with his eyes alone.
But then, not so much to Regulus' surprise, Barty's apprehension turned into a triumphant smirk.
"You're fucking her, aren't you?"
"I told you I'm not," Regulus hissed back.
"You're doing something with her," he replied perceptively. "Have I just ruined things for you?"
"It's common fucking decency, Barty! Why the hell did you say that to her?"
"Decency?" He snorted. "Since when do you care about muggles?"
"She's different," he replied with some reluctance. "And what I said was true. I don't think those things anymore."
"No, you mean you don't think those things about her. Because you're fucking her or getting off with her, I don't know," Barty retorted. "I mean, can't blame you. Do what you need to do and say what you need to say to get under her skirt. But don't try lying to me, Regulus. I've known you way too long."
"I'm not doing anything with her," he glared back at him darkly.
Barty rolled his eyes. "I could see it as soon as you walked in with her."
"What?" He frowned.
"That there's something between you and her."
"How on earth can you—"
"Lover's quarrel?"
Regulus blinked, stunned by his undeniable intuition. He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. "What are you talking about?"
"Come off it, Reg. You're shagging her."
Regulus fell silent, simmering with indignation. He heard the bathroom door open and then Sirius' low voice speaking to her. The bathroom door shut again, and he realised with a sinking feeling in his stomach that Sirius had stepped in to speak more privately with her. Regulus wanted to get up and go to her too, but doing so would only prove Barty right.
He couldn't admit it. Admitting to sleeping her, or nearly sleeping with her, would be the easiest option, but Regulus couldn't do it for the sake of his good conscience. It would quickly reduce Flora to an object. He recalled plenty of times he'd boasted about girls he'd slept with, and when his friends boasted of their own conquests; the depravity of the discussions that would ensue with the other boys was not something he was prepared to talk about in relation to Flora—was she tight? a virgin? no, but she was a dead fish. worst fuck ever. her body was great, but it's a shame about her face.
On the other hand, he couldn't admit his true feelings. Regulus had no real issue discussing his feelings with Barty; he'd had genuine feelings for girls in the past, and he would talk about them with him and Evan. But he was correct when he said Flora was different, and that was simply because she was a muggle. He saw his own hypocrisy when he looked at Barty, and felt his deep-seated shame acutely. In Wales, it was easy to forget or push those uncomfortable feelings aside because he was mostly always alone with her.
Flora's words came back to him suddenly, the question she'd asked him when they'd kissed for the second time—would you want people to know I was yours?
He was asking himself this question now.
Flora was standing by the sink, arms folded, desperately willing herself not to cry in front of Sirius. She didn't want to explain herself.
"Flora," he said to her gently, rubbing her shoulder. He seemed unsure of how to proceed.
"Sirius, I'm fine," she said snippily. She fixed her eyes on the shower curtain behind him. If she spoke any more, she was afraid her words would choke up in her throat and spill out with tears. She wasn't upset with Barty talking about Regulus' alleged beliefs; she knew his beliefs perfectly well, for she'd received and heard many of his rude comments in the past, and one of them only half an hour ago. It was the dread of thinking he was using her; she couldn't bear the thought now that she'd let him in, both emotionally and physically. Loathe as she was to admit it, she'd fallen for him, and now she was panicking.
"Take no notice of Barty. He's just trying to cause trouble."
"I said I'm fine."
Sirius went quiet for a moment, simply looking at her. Flora was indeed like a little sister to him; he'd known her since she was nine, after all, and like Remus was struggling to come to terms with the fact she was becoming a woman in her own right. She didn't need coddling, as she had often reminded them. Sirius thought this would have been easier, but she clearly didn't want or need his comfort right now. She wanted to be left alone.
"You know," he started, "Reg likes you quite a bit."
"What?" she asked in a small voice, finally meeting his eye.
Sirius smiled a little. "I've told you it before, and I still stand by what I said."
She felt so pathetic latching onto this sliver of hope, but she also wanted to scream at Sirius and demand what he could possibly know about it. He was seemingly oblivious to everything, least of all her stupid little crush on him. It wasn't gone. It had never gone. It had just been pushed aside to make room for Regulus. She doubted Sirius would get the hint even if she grabbed him and kissed him on the lips.
"May I ask you something?" He said.
Flora gave a shrug and nodded.
"Is there something going on between you and Regulus?"
Flora froze. Perhaps he wasn't as oblivious as she'd believed, after all. Sirius quickly tried to justify his question, rushing over his words.
"I just noticed you seem to be getting on better lately, and he seems…I don't know," he trailed off, then said, "Soft."
"If you mean soft in the head, then yes," she muttered. "Are all his friends as annoying as that boy?"
"I meant soft with you," he laughed. "And yes, very much."
"Why's he here?"
"Elphias Doge, the man whose house he's staying at, had to take his pet Puffskein to the emergency magical creatures' healer. I'm the only one on hand to keep on eye on him. He should've taken Barty with him, I think. Could've had him put down."
Flora looked at him for a moment, then dissolved into giggles. Sirius, too, began to laugh.
"Sirius, that's awful," she said, shaking with laughter. It felt so good to laugh like this.
"Perhaps that was a bit horrid," he admitted. "But anyway, you didn't answer the question."
Flora tilted her head. "I don't think you have any right to be asking me those kinds of questions. You didn't tell me about you and Remus for who-knows-how-long."
"Fair point," he nodded. "I am sorry, Flo."
"It's alright," she shrugged.
"I do want to—to be open about it," he said, looking a little sheepish. "At least with you. I wanted Remus to tell you for ages, but he wouldn't. He was scared enough when James and Lily found out."
"What did they say?"
"They were surprised, I suppose, but happy for us. It doesn't bother them. And Peter stopped talking to us for a little while, but he soon came round to the idea. He's still a little weird about it sometimes though."
"It doesn't bother me," she said, only half truthfully. "You're both lovely together. I was only upset because you never told me."
Sirius sighed gently, then opened his arms out to her. "Come here."
Flora obliged at once, wrapping her arms around his middle. Sirius held her tight, resting his chin on top of her head. Flora allowed herself to feel the weight of her crush this time, wishing suddenly that it was Sirius who wanted her and not Regulus. Sirius, at least, would not call her stupid.
"I'm glad you're understanding," he said, "Not many people are. You have a kind soul, Flora, and I think it's even breaking dear old Regulus down."
"Please don't tell Remus," she murmured.
"Huh? Don't tell him what?"
Flora lifted her face to look at him. "We have been getting on. We've been getting on very well. I don't want Remus to know, because you know what he's like… he'd be livid."
"Exactly how well are we talking?" Sirius took a small step back to look at her.
Flora cast her eyes down, looking askance at the floor tiles. "Well, we haven't had sex but—"
Sirius' eyes widened. "Flora!"
She brought her eyes back to him, narrowing them. "What?"
"Merlin, I thought you were getting close, but not that close."
"What do you think we do? Play Chinese Checkers all day?" She frowned.
"But—how long has this been going on?"
"Since Halloween."
"That was when he went out with you, wasn't it?" He replied.
"Technically, he invited himself," she rolled her eyes. "I was going out with Mark. Anyway, I'm not talking to Regulus right now because he called me stupid. Well, he called muggles stupid. So by extension, me."
Sirius was looking more and more bewildered by the minute. He'd barely had time to process a word of it when loud knocking ensued on the door.
"Oi! Will you hurry up in there?" Barty said. "I need a piss."
About an hour later, Elphias Doge contacted Sirius and told him he would come for Barty first thing tomorrow morning. His Puffskein was well, but he'd only just gotten home and needed to feed it the new food the healer had prescribed. Everyone but Barty looked crestfallen by the news. While he chewed Flora's ear off with his incessant talking, asking her about muggle things, Sirius gave Regulus very stern instructions on keeping Barty in check.
"Keep your wand on you. He can't use magic anyway, and he can't leave the flat, but still…don't let him touch it."
"Where is Flora going to sleep?" Was Regulus' only question when Sirius had enlarged the sofa for him and Barty to sleep in.
"Mine and Remus' room."
"Oi, oi," Barty snickered.
"I'll separate the bed or make it wider," Sirius continued, ignoring him.
"Reg, he's going to steal your girl," Barty said.
Flora was already in her pyjamas, ready for bed, and half asleep already. She wouldn't look at Regulus, let alone speak to him, but she looked at Barty and snapped, "Good thing he's got you tonight then," and with that, she flounced off.