ARSONIST'S LULLABY ━━ r. black¹

𝖛. taste of ecstasy

彡 chapter five
( taste of ecstasy )

FRAGILE BONES AND lungs struggling to fill with air, Regulus Black felt like a helpless child when his feet rested firmly on the ground, head forced to remain far from the clouds it longed for. He smiled bitterly, as he always had, a toothache lingering in his jaw, for the disease in his noble blood had managed to conquer every inch of his flesh, and rise to the bone.

The sole heir left to a once sprawling family tree knew that appearances were everything. Practical, sensible, yet extravagant enough to boast how full the family coffers were, even the simplest of everyday tasks such as picking a wardrobe was a difficult task for Regulus Black.

Walburga Black would have a fit if she ever saw him after Quidditch practice when the pitch had been soaked by the storm that had barely ebbed away, just in time for Halloween. 

There was one place that Regulus Black sought out attention, unusual for a boy who enjoyed the shadows. Too much of anything, and it will be loathed, and the spotlight became just that for Regulus, yet he never grew tired of the praise he received for his prowess on the Quidditch field.

Caked in dirt and shining with sweat, his walk from the field to the pitch to the Slytherin common room took a quarter of an hour, and it was that time of the morning, when fog chilled bone, and the warmth of his exhale formed shapes in the frosty air, that he enjoyed most. Regulus Black enjoyed the beauty of a lonely walk, just him with the wind whistling softly in his ears and caressing his cheeks.

His solitude was disturbed when he heard a feminine voice call out his name as he entered the Great Hall, Morgana emerging from the crowds with a gentle, beaming smile softening her features. "Black!" she repeated, skidding to a halt in front of him, hitching her satchel up her shoulder from where it had slipped. "Professor Babbling just mentioned that she enjoyed our translation of the text she had assigned for the project."

"Oh," Regulus managed.

"Listen," Morgana added. "There's a party tonight in the room of requirement, after the Halloween feast. You should come."

Regulus cleared his throat, coughing softly. It felt like daggers were scratching the flesh of his trachea, hindering any attempt at a normal conversation. "There's a Hogsmeade weekend next week," he choked out. "Would you like to come?"

"Like a date?" she asked coyly, smiling at him, green eyes rimmed with charcoal kohl that perfectly accented their emerald hue.

His cheeks grew hot at her question. "Only if you would like it to be."

"A date sounds perfectly reasonable," she assured him, gently touching his arm. "I'll meet you outside the room an hour after the feast ends, okay?"

"Are any other houses coming? I wouldn't want to intrude on a Gryffindor only party," he added. She beamed at him, nodding.

"Everyone is invited. I don't know about you, but I desperately need to get drunk. Sixth year has not treated me very kindly."

"I'll drink to that," Regulus finished softly. "I'll see you in Charms."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

PUMPKINS, SWEETS, AND fluttering bats decorated the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, and Margot had pinned a small pumpkin to Regulus's robes, insisting it made him look more festive. He was sipping at his goblet of pumpkin juice, waiting for dessert to appear, when he met eyes with Morgana, who was sitting on the opposite end of the Great Hall, facing him. She waved shyly. "I like the pin," she mouthed, Regulus chuckling.