Regulus was used to being ignored.
It came with being the spare son of a pureblood family. No one took notes of him as long as he did not make a spectacle of himself, which he never did. In every event Mother insisted he attend, Sirius would also be there, as he was the main priority. Sirius was the heir of the family, the future face of the most noble house of Black, so it was only natural that he would always be the center of attention. It probably didn't help that Sirius had a penchant to cause a ruckus.
So Regulus found it most peculiar when he suddenly detested being ignored at Hogwarts.
Now, don't be mistaken. Regulus would rejoice the day Pyrites and his crew ignored him. He knew they only followed him around under their parent's order, just like how he initially befriended Rabastan under Mother's order. Regulus had also grown to be nonchalant to how Sirius ignored him. It had happened repeatedly before, especially every time after Mother disciplined Sirius. And while he hadn't expected Sirius to ignore him for a whole year, Regulus could not say he was completely surprised when Sirius did just that at Hogwarts. He learned to (bitterly) move on.
This was why Regulus saw it peculiar that he detested being ignored by Madeline Crouch.
He had waited for two weeks - two weeks! - for her to bring her schedule to him so they could start studying together. But then suddenly Crouch came to him and said that she couldn't study with him that month.
He knew, of course, that the girl was under no obligation to accept his offer to study together. Crouch was the smartest student of their year, so it was likely that he was the one who would gain more in this alliance. But, well - she had accepted it, hadn't she? Why would she retract her words? Why would she dismiss him that easily?
(And why did he dumbly nod and accept her excuse easily? He swore Crouch had a confundus charm on him whenever she talked.)
He ranted as much to his few trusted people the night Crouch did it. It was late at the common room, the heat from the fireplace reached him, making Regulus felt hot to add to his already state of vexation. A couple of upper years were there with them, playing chess on two sofas over, but Regulus was assured by Malfoy that no one would dare to eavesdrop on their conversation as long as the older boy and Narcissa were there with him.
Rabastan, upon Regulus' rant, furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"I must have misheard," He said carefully, his arms crossed. "I thought Crouch just said she won't be able to start studying with you this month?"
"Exactly," he stressed, frustrated that his friend did not get the implication of it. Regulus, of course, had figured out the delicate implication of Crouch's action, as he was blessed to have female cousins. Poor Rabastan only recently had Bellatrix as cousin-in-law, so Regulus graciously enlightened him.
"That is just a girl's language to say they don't want to do it. Right, Narcissa?" He turned to his cousin.
Narcissa's expression was unreadable as she took her time to reply to him.
Regulus stared expectantly.
"I did say that," Narcissa conceded finally, her eyes looking away. She then tilted her head, her fair long hair fell to Lucius's shoulder (Yes, they were sitting that close to each other. Regulus wondered if they were still feeling cold even with the fireplace this close to them...) "I don't know anything about this Crouch girl, though. She could be sincere when she said it. What excuse did she give you, precisely?"
"That she has her schedule packed this month for her private project," Regulus quoted.
Malfoy let out a snort. "Now you know she's lying. What first year has their schedule fully packed?"
Regulus' eyes narrowed.
Malfoy was an annoying git and his voice was no less annoying, but the older boy, annoyingly, had a point. What if Crouch had lied to Regulus, just to avoid studying with him?
"She could be telling the truth," Rabastan countered, stopping Regulus's mind from spiraling. "I've never seen her take a break. Always with her bag, disappearing to Salazar knows where."
Regulus paused.
Now that Rabastan mentioned it… Crouch had always been busy, hadn't she? Regulus knew that the girl often skipped dinner, and there was that time when she exited the dorm early in the morning on a Saturday...
"Disappearing?" Narcissa mildly repeated, which earned her a nod of confirmation from Rabastan.
"Disappearing. We thought she spends most of her time in the girl's dorm, but Orpington often looks for Crouch because Crouch isn't in the girl's dorm or the library."
"There you have it," Narcissa declared with finality, startling him out of his thoughts. Regulus put his attention back to his cousin as the older girl stood.
"Discover if she really is busy. If she's telling the truth, then you only need to be patient until her schedule is free to have your study session with her. But if you find her not busy at all when she 'disappears', well - then you can ask for me to help you in seeking retribution."
At her words, Regulus hesitated, his eyes glancing to Rabastan, who was also glancing at him in uncertainty. He cleared his throat, looking up to his cousin in inquiry.
"Retribution?"
Narcissa smirked.
"We're the Blacks, cousin. We don't take light to anyone who crosses us." She paused, eyeing him with one eyebrow arched. "You are crossed with her, aren't you?"
Was he?
Maybe.
Regulus made up his mind as he nodded. "I am."
Narcissa's knowing smile settled on her face.
.
For a month, Regulus discreetly watched Crouch as she came and went. Crouch, he realized, always walked with a purpose, her confident stride made others pause to make her way. It reminded him of how assured adults walk, something he aspired to achieve. No one else in their year managed to do it.
She also gave anyone who let her pass first a small smile, gratitude evident in her eyes as she thanked them softly under her breath. It was a nice gesture to see. He liked it when she did that.
- But that wasn't the reason he watched her. No, he was searching for what she was doing when she disappeared.
Unfortunately, Regulus's every effort to follow her was thwarted, either by Crouch's luck or by some cosmic joke. He swore she could vanish in one corridor to appear in another in the blink of an eye. But he knew that one can not apparate in Hogwarts ground - And there was no way Crouch could apparate. They would only get the lesson in sixth year, after all.
Then there was a whole week of peculiarity - Crouch was suddenly very relaxed and agreeable. Not that she wasn't pleasant to begin with, but she usually had this polite reservation when she conversed. In this week, however, she actually displayed her emotion when she was happy - Can you believe her? She's so happy because Wilkins didn't forget to move the cauldron from the fire before he added the porcupine quill into the brew that she even complimented him!
Yet, even at that time, she still managed to evade him.
Regulus had almost given up. Even those Hufflepuffs who were spying on Crouch for a week seemed to have given up too. Regulus was ready to accept that maybe, maybe, Madeline Crouch just didn't want to study with him. Who would have wanted to study with Regulus, anyway.
The keyword being almost, because when Hogsmeade came on the second weekend of March, he caught her sneaking out of the common room with her loyal bag. He dragged Rabastan along with him on his quest to spy on the girl.
That was how they ended up on the seventh floor, searching every nook to find where Crouch had disappeared into.
"Are you sure she was heading this way?" Rabastan asked from behind him as they scout the corridor one more time. The clear doubt in his tone made Regulus scowl.
"I am. I'm not mistaken."
"That depends on whether Crouch is in this corridor, don't you think?"
Regulus ignored the other boy as he looked around. He knew for a fact that Crouch did go to this corridor, as he had counted her climbing to the seventh floor while he waited patiently at the bottom of the grand stairs. It was only a matter of time until they catch her, Regulus was absolutely certain in this.
Then he froze.
He felt Rabastan crashed behind him, but Regulus paid his complaint no mind as his eyes were still locked to the figure that had captured their sight.
Not far from him, in this very corridor, stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
Her curly fair hair seemed to be rioting under the ray of sunshine that peeked over the window, framing her angelic face, and they bounced as she walked towards him. During her walk, Regulus was finally made aware of her long legs, covered only from mid-thigh up by her dress. He snapped back his eyes to her face, meeting a pair of striking blue eyes in the result.
"Are you lost, boys?"
Her voice was velvety and low… He gulped, feeling his throat dry.
Now that she's nearer, he could see how long her lashes were, how rosy her cheeks were. The girl was as tall as Narcissa, her pretty eyes downcasted as she looked at them. She had a sharp gaze, though her angelic face softened it. It reminded Regulus of…
Rabastan cleared his throat.
"We are not," Regulus heard the other boy said. "We have our reasons here."
The girl nodded. Her pretty curls moved along with the motion, making some of them fell and framed one side of her face more. "Try not to loiter in the corridor, alright?"
The girl eyed Rabastan, which made Rabastan automatically replied with a quick 'Of course.'
When her blue eyes were on him, Regulus only managed to silently nod.
The girl exhaled, her shoulder slightly loosening before she gave them one last nod and walked past them.
Thinking that the spell was over, Regulus finally breathed, making him realized that he had been holding his breath this whole time. But it was at this moment that Regulus's nose caught a whiff of something sweet and refreshing. Something that he familiar with.
"Crouch," he blurted out.
Loudly.
He heard the girl pause, and Regulus finally realized what his mouth had just shouted.
What was wrong with him?
"I beg your pardon?" Came the girl's voice, and Regulus turned around to face her again.
"Sorry," he quickly said, his cheeks warmed. The older girl had also turned to them again, her face visibly addled. Regulus explained. "You smell like our classmate, Madeline Crouch."
There was a pause.
The girl was staring at him in uncertainty and Regulus, idiotically, stared back at her, stuck in her gaze once more. He thought he wasn't breathing again so he inhaled, deeply.
The girl was still staring. He exhaled.
The trance was broken when at the corner of his sight, he saw Rabastan moved closer to him, his head leaning in as he quietly, but not quietly enough, asked,
"Smell?"
If he could curse Rabastan at the moment, he would.
- Oh, Merlin, now he felt even stupider. Smell?
Did Regulus just say he smell the girl? No wonder the girl looked so confused!
His thought went automatically to any memories regarding smell. He needed reasons. Reasons to excuse him, for bringing up her smell. There must be some reasons when one brought up the subject of smell in their talk.
- He got one.
Regulus gave her a polite smile, his voice pleasant as he repeated what once was said in his presence, "Would you mind sharing the name of the place you get your perfume from?"
There was another pause.
He tried to stay calm as he finally processed his own words. Now that his words were echoing in his head to fill the silent pause, he cursed aunt Druella for putting that subject of talk in his head. Perfume?!
J ust - why?
The girl's eyebrows went higher at his words, the corner of her pink lips quirked up… Salazar, she's laughing at him with her eyes.
Regulus wanted to die.
Rabastan, the berk, was not helping with his barely contained snort.
Traitor.
"Your classmate probably will share it with you if you ask her," the girl replied, amusement filled her voice. "That is, if she uses any perfume."
He nodded, dumbly, because when had he had not been dumb?
The girl nodded for one last time. "Good day."
Regulus watched as the girl turned around, and he still watched as the girl walked away.
Even the way she walked was pretty.
"She's pretty," Rabastan said, voicing the obvious after the girl's figure was gone from their sight.
Regulus exhaled.
It was pure misery, meeting pretty girls. He needed to work on his nerves. He couldn't just nod dumbly every time pretty girls spoke to him.
"I don't think I've seen her around before," Rabastan said again, frowning. Not that Regulus noticed his frown, as his eyes were still glued to the place where he last saw the girl.
"But there's something familiar about her…"
Regulus snapped out his thoughts at this, meeting the other boy's eyes. Rabastan must have felt it too. The girl felt familiar. Regulus was ready to talk about it, but then Rabastan, upon meeting his eyes, smirked. Regulus got the feeling that he wouldn't like what would come out from the other boy's mouth.
"So," Rabastan started, his head tilted in curiousity. "How does Crouch smell like?"
Regulus gave him his nastiest scowl.
.
March 17th, 1973
Madeline,
Do not try to meddle with adults' matters. Tell the vile woman that i have enough of this. I will not talk to her.
I will only repeat this one more time: Stop exchanging letters with the woman or i will speak to Dumbledore and add my special ward in Hogwarts.
Bartemius Crouch.
.
March 17th, 1973
Dear Granddaughter,
I am surprised that you have read up on the patronus charm. Indeed, the patronus charm shares a similarity with the dark arts. It is probably because the patronus charm is invented by a dark wizard. Now, I could sense your skepticsm just as I wrote the last sentence. Just read my next words, dear.
Many have thought that the inability to cast the patronus charm is a mark of dark wizards. The truth of that sentence depends on how you define 'dark wizards'. I, as a dark arts practioneer, am able to cast the charm. However, there were some years when I couldn't cast it. I suppose those years were my darkest time, when I delved too much into the dark and forgot that there was a light. While I encourage you to learn the arts, I must warn you that the dark consumes, and one must always remember positive feelings, such as happiness and hope, to not be consumed by it. This is why I think that all dark arts practioneer must learn how to cast the patronus charm.
If you define dark wizards as someone who practice dark magic, the statement that claim their inavility to cast the patronus charm could not be more wrong. However, of you define it as someone who delved too deep into the dark and became consumed by it, in which case this someone would likely bring harm to many others, then the statement rang true.
Why did I think the patronus charm was invented by a dark wizard? Well, that is because I used the first definition of it. And I know, without doubt, that a thousand years ago, every wizards and witches practices the dark arts. They used their emotions to aid their magic, rather than breaking their magic apart to find a methodical approach and lazily used the minimum amount of power to cast a spell. This is probably why wizards and witches were stronger back then. Now, if you have read on the patronus charm, you would read that no one knows the inventor of the charm. To be as old as it is, the charm must have been invented by a dark arts practioneer. By an Old Ways practioneer.
Do you want more books in the matter, darling girl? I must say, you made me very happy when you show me your willingness to be open minded. Let me tell you something: hidden in old lady's chamber of heart, her books towered and a beloved name is carved. The name is now yours, Madeline. We have never met, but I have already felt a deep connection with you. I hope we can continue our correspondence for longer. You won't heed your father's order, will you?
Well, onto the most unpleasant part of this letter.
Your father is a coward. A mere cockroach that hides under the nastiest potioneer old cauldron, withering at the prospect of being found out and got gutted to become another potion ingredient for the potioneer. He can save us a lot of grievance if he will just read my letter, yet he still refuse to do so! Just because he can not get over the past! I am ashamed that I had raised a man like him. Well, you can tell him that I am done. I give up. Tell him that I do no need that thick head of his. Tell him that he will rue the way he obstinately refuse to listen to me.
Your Grandmother,
Charis Ursula Crouch
.
Her eyes twitched in surpressed anger as she read the letters. How dare they used her like- like an an owl! And then they had the gut to not reconcile in the end, wasting all the effort she invested in them!
"The audacity," she hissed, crumpling up Father's letter. Grandmother's, unfortunately, had to stay undamaged as she still needed to read the dark magic part again.
Orpington looked up from her plate, her gaze questioning. Madeline shook her head as she kept the letters in her bag.
"It's nothing."
She resumed her meal, her mind wandering to Grandmother's explanation on dark magic and the patronus charm. Her plate was emptied in no time.
It was when she reached for her drink that she saw Black and Lestrange, sitting quietly diagonally to her at the table, their eyes eyeing every inch of the great hall and plates untouched.
She frowned. Were they being extra-careful? She knew that gesture everywhere - it was Harry's gesture when he knew that Fred and George was going to prank them. Madeline was not in the mood to be a prank subject.
"Black, Lestrange," she called them. Both boys turned to her, though Black expressionlessly lowered his gaze to his plate. "Is there something we should look out for?"
"There isn't," Black replied, his tone clipped. "We're just searching for someone."
Rabastan nodded. "Perhaps you would know? A girl, around sixth or seventh year. Blond hair, blue eyes."
Ah.
"And her house?"
"Unknown. It was hogsmeade day when we saw her."
She nodded at Rabastan's reply, taking a sip from her drink.
Lestrange's last words confirmed it. They were looking for her, or rather, the teen-her.
Madeline's relief had been immeasurable when both boys had not recognized her upon their meeting. She had half of her mind thinking that she needed to obliviate them if they recognize her, and realization came upon her that she hadn't practiced the spell in Madeline's body. Luckily, she didn't have to do it. She made notes to start practicing with the obliviation spell.
It was a close call, though. She didn't realize that Black's sense of smell could be that strong.
Better to stay away from this conversation. "Then I'm afraid I can't be of help."
"Are you sure?"
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up to meet Black's searching gaze on her, his face focused.
Did he suspect something? How? She didn't even wash her hair today! Was it her lotion? She only used a minimum amount of it every day… What was she supposed to do, exactly? Put a smell-concealing charm? It would only make him more suspicious!
Madeline nodded, her face giving away nothing. "I'm sure."
Black, however, was persistent.
"Say, do you use any perfume?"
That did it.
Madeline didn't actually want to use this against him, but if it got him off her trails, then she would do it without any regret.
It was something she got from their last interaction: Black, it turned out, had a weak spot for pretty girls.
And Madeline Crouch was pretty.
She tilted her head, blinking her eyes before setting them straight to his. "Am I bothering you with my scent?"
She was embarrased that she had to resort to this trick, making her cheeks reddened. It only made this trick worked even better.
Regulus Black flushed.
"It's nothing like that. I was just -"
"So you like it?"
"Of course," he said, and then pausing.
Madeline celebrated her triumph in her mind. She got this.
Black reddened some more and he looked away, suddenly very aware that Madeline's eyes were still on him. It was quite funny that she could see the moment his soul escaped his body as he realized what he had just agreed to. The boy tried to meet her eyes once more.
"I mean. It is pleasant to smell."
He tried. He really did.
But Madeline must bit her lip to stop herself from smirking. His words only made himself redder, and Madeline could see that the boy was eager to leave.
And leave he did.
Black rose from his seat in haste, never mind that his hadn't eaten his meal. He nodded at her.
"Well. See you in class."
The boy did not even wait for her reply. Madeline watched Black's back, his robe billowing behind him, as the boy hurriedly left the great hall.
It was probably cruel of her to do this.
Alas, Madeline Crouch's activities outside classes could not be found out. Her eyes met Lestrange's, who appeared to have been watching her during the whole conversation with interest. She arched an eyebrow questioningly.
"He's a bit shy," the boy explained lightly.
Madeline looked Lestrange right in the eyes, her face straight.
"Really? I can't tell."
The other boy smirked.
.
For a few days during the week after she got the book, Madeline read Carl Jung's book with a dedication that Hermione Granger showed when she crammed on all subjects for her OWLS. One of Jung's case examples made her think that the only way to stop these dreams, or to make it not bother her she supposed, was to start introspect on them, as Jung said that dreams were just their unconsiousness telling something that her consciousness had not been aware of. Upon this revelation, Madeline had decided to write all her dreams and her thoughts on them. Like a dream journal that Lavender and Parvati used to write, only Madeline wouldn't be trying to predict her love life through it. It would probably be a while before she saw the result, but Madeline did not mind the wait. The muggle way beat any potion with side effects.
When Friday came, she found herself more relaxed.
"Well done," she said to Wilkins on Potions. "You've actually read ahead." The boy had brewed the hair-raising potion by himself, and not once did she have to intervere to stop the boy from mucking the potion up.
The boy's cheeks grew faintly red. "Yeah, well… you asked me to."
She hummed, still taking notes of the brew for her report. "You've improved so much you don't need my help to brew this.
"I couldn't have done it without you."
"Don't sell yourself short," she cut his idle attempt at demurring. "It's your hard work."
She finally finished writing her report after some time, a satisfied smile bloomed in her face as she checked that all the signs of a successful hair-raising potion was there. She turned to the chubby boy.
"This is perfect. You can even switch back to your previous partner next week, and you'll be doing just fine."
The boy, oddly, froze at her words.
Madeline internally shrugged when the boy did not offer her any reply. She started to clean her work station methodically, putting all the tools back to its place and wiping the table's surface. After some time, Wilkins started to follow her example and helped clean their table, even if he was still silent.
"You know Crouch," Warrington said from the table in front of her, "I think I just got the most brilliant idea."
"Yes?"
The boy turned to face her. "What if you're the one who partners up with Dowson?"
So the boy had been listening to her conversation with Wilkins. Madeline was not surprised. She kept her silence, letting the boy elaborate himself.
Elaborate he did.
"She's dragging the house down by being as bad as she is. Maybe she'll learn a thing or two if she works with you."
"That's right," Pyrites quipped in from beside him. "You also already have a better tolerance for their kind."
It was because she felt more relaxed than ever that she was not quick to anger. In fact, she was quite amused at their bold words.
"And have you asked Dowson's opinion before you offer her company to me?"
Her tone was mild, and Pyrites waved her question away. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"Or you could ask her yourself," added Warrington lightly.
She turned to look at the still quiet Wilkins, who seemed like he was not objecting at all to his friends' suggestion. So much for being grateful.
Madeline wondered when she had presented herself as a push-over to these oblivious boys. Madeline perhaps had freely given them directions, but she had never given them any indication that they could speak to her like that. How bold of them to speak to her like that, when it was likely that they could need her again in the future. She gave them a saccharine smile.
"Or maybe," she drawled, "you can ask her to be your partner. It's your brilliant idea, after all."
As her table was already spotless, she stood, her report and her potion sat on her hands. She nodded at Wilkins. "I will report your progress to professor Slughorn so he may relieve me from my babysitting duty. Good day."
"What a grouch," she heard Pyrites said as she left their table. It only made her smile, again feeling amused at them. That was not her being a grouch at all.
When weekend passed by, everyone was hyping over the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Madeline could not be bothered with it of course, as she was tucked away in the room of requirement, practicing her obliviation charm to a couple of rats.
This was how she practiced it, back when Hermione Granger was in her sixth year. First, she gave the rats some food until they were full. Then, she obliviated one of them to make it forget it was ever eating. She gave both rats more food. If the obliviated rat eat again while the other did not, then she knew that her charm had worked. If both of them eat again, well - it would mean that they were still hungry.
Of course, practicing on a rat was very different from using it on human. She would work her way up, starting from a rat, a cat, a dog, a horse, then an owl. Obliviating an owl was the hardest, as an owl was a magical creature with an enhanced mind. If she could do it, then it was probably safe for her to start obliviating humans.
Probably.
She never knew what happened to Hermione Granger's victims from this charm.
She met her Hufflepuff friends before she retreated to her dorm, allowing them to regaled her upon the day's events. Gryffindor, it turned out, had just won a match against the Hufflepuff, and a couple of lions saw it fit to change the tie color of all the Hufflepuffs to red as a joke (Four guesses who, Madeline internally thought). Bethany pouted as she shared her this information.
"I mean, I know that they're happy because of their win, but did they have to rub it in?"
Amanda scowled. "Yeah, it's not very nice of them."
Madeline tilted her head, taking their vexed state. There was one way that she knew for certain would help them out of it.
"Do you want to make it even? I can help?"
It was, apparently, the wrong thing to say as both Hufflepuffs widened their eyes in panic.
"No, no! We don't want to get even with them."
"We will beat them next year instead," Amanda added solemnly.
Madeline nodded, thinking that she probably shouldn't have taken Barty as an example when speaking to them. "Okay… well. I also wanted to tell you the progress on my sleeping problem."
Amanda perked up.
"Oh? How is it? Does the book help?"
She beamed, "it did. The book gave me an idea to write a dream journal. I think I am more relaxed now that I have started thinking about the dreams right after it happen, rather than letting it be burried again in my mind and have them emerge during days."
"I'm glad," Amanda replied with a smile, to which Bethany nodded in agreement.
"We're glad."
The three of them exchanged a smile.
.
Now that she had made a progress on one of her problems, Madeline felt that it was time to fulfill her words to a certain boy. She told Orpington to go ahead to have breakfast without her as she wanted to meet the boy.
The great hall was buzzing that morning, still riding on the euphoria of last Saturday's game. The Gryffindors were still celebrating, every one of them wanted to speak with their quidditch team members to congratulate them. She saw the 7th year Prewett twins regaled four wide eyed boys with their overly animated story on one side of their table, and Madeline felt a pang of longing. She moved her gaze to the other tables.
The Hufflepuffs were cheering each other, as they had one more chance to gather points during their next match against Slytherin. The Ravenclaws were neutrally commenting on the match, as the Slytherins discussed how they would beat the Hufflepuffs next month. She put them all on the back of her mind as she made a beeline towards the boy who was surrounded by their male yearmates.
They were probably talking about the match.
She paused as a thought occured to her. Perhaps she should wait until he was alone.
But just as she wanted to take her eyes off the boy, she saw Lestrange said something, which made the boy turned to her. Their eyes met.
She gave him a small, polite, smile to hide her awkwardness for being caught staring at the boy.
Black stared.
Realizing it was probably too late to change her mind, she moved forward to the boy. Black, with a scowl on his face, seemed to say something to the other boys, which made them resume their talks while he returned his eyes to hers.
She nodded when she arrived at his side.
"Black."
"Crouch."
"Do you still want to study together for potion?" She asked, because it was presumptuous to assume that the boy's offer still stood even after over a month of no words of it.
Black gave away nothing as he slowly blinked at her.
"Have you finally got time?"
She nodded. "One of my projects finally met a conclusion."
His grey eyes glinted under the sunlight at her words.
The both of them ended up sitting side by side at breakfast, with his schedule in her hands and vice versa, as the chatter from the others boys beside Black filled their silence.
She made notes that Black used all of his week nights for assignments and revising the subjects materials. He used Sunday fully to revise. Saturday was completely empty, and so were the hours before dinner after the classes were over.
"Your schedule is... interesting," she heard Black said hesitantly. She looked up to meet his eyes as he continued, "and full. Interestingly full. Are you sure you want to add another activity in it?"
Madeline glanced at her schedule. It was not as full as it used to, though it probably looked full compared to Black's schedule. She nodded.
"I can make time. Project Charm, Defense 1 and Defense 2 are not time-sensitive."
Black glanced at her parchment, and then back at her. "If you say so…"
"I said so," she repeated, assuring him. Her deadline for all her training was 1981, after all. They weren't like the nightmare problems, which hindered her daily life, or the necklace projects, whose deadline was christmas to make it an appropriate presents…
Presents.
Birthday presents.
Barty's birthday present.
Madeline widened her eyes as she realized that March was almost over - and she hadn't prepared anything for Barty's birthday.
"Snap," Madeline hissed under her breath. She turned to Black urgently, "I'm sorry Black, I've just remembered -"
- Black's carefully blank face was a split second too late, as she caught his crestfallen expression just before.
"- that I think project charm is time sensitive after all. I can only spare the defense projects…" she said instead, weakly.
It was probably best that she did not go back on her words again. She had made him waited this long, after all.
This decision visibly brightened the boy, as he nodded and eagerly looked back to her schedule. "There are six blocks of them in a week. We'll manage."
Madeline put on a smile as her mind wandered to Barty's present. Barty had given her a way to make her sleep more restful. He helped her out of her problem, even after she ignored him because of it. She must think of a way to repay him.