Not forbidden, just hard | Regulus Black

Chapter 1: First train ride, first friends

"Come on Eve stop dragging your feet."
"Well I wouldn't have to drag my feet if you would stop dragging me through the cart." Everly bit back.
"Aha here we are." James pushed open the cabins door, revealing Peter on the left and Remus on the right. Pete was talking very loudly and animatly about his trip to America over the summer, Remus was listening but staring out the window searching for someone, who Everly assumed was Sirius.

"Lads!" James shouted at both of them who looked and jumped to their feet to give him a hug. James sat down and shoved Everly between him and Pete across from Remus. James elbowed her saying, "Don't be rude Eve say hi, you know them."

Everly looked at Pete and Remus "Hi guys." they both waved and said hi back before she turned to her brother again. "James these are your friends come on why can't I sit somewhere else and find my own friends?" "Come on we are the best people that go to hogwarts."
"Hell yea we are!" Everyone turned to the voice who had just shouted. Sirius stood in the doorway of their cabin beaming before James stood embracing him in a hug, it looked a little suffocating but neither if them seemed to mine. Behind Sirius was a boy who looked about everlys age and was the spitting image of Sirius but with shorter hair. He stood their awkwardly before sirius sat next to Remus and forced the boy into the seat next to him. "What's up Everly! Glad you came and sat with us" Sirius beamed holding out his fist.

"I'm being held against my will" She stated before bumping his fist and glaring at her brother. "Ah being forced to hang out with the best people ever doesn't seem so bad." He smiled again and bumped fists with James. "Guys, if you couldn't already tell this is Regulus, my brother. Say hi Reggie." Sirius said throwing his arm around his brother.

"Hi." He said very quietly.
"Wow it looks like you don't want to be here either." Eve said looking at Regulas who looked back and smirked a little before nodding.
"Oh cut it out Eve, it's not like you have anywhere better to be."
"I'll have you know oh brother of mine, Lily invited me to sit with her and her friends." She said smiling from ear to ear as her brothers face dropped. "What?! When did she say that we didn't see her on the platform?"

Everyone in the cabin was practically dying with laughter. James had been obsessed with Lily Evans since day one, and she has cursed him more that 100 different ways since day one but that never stopped him.
"She and I have been writing letters to eachother all summer. honestly James you say you love her but all you do is annoy the botts beans out of her."
"Oh this is wonderful" Sirius barked through fits of laughter, leaning on Remus to stay up straight.
"Sirius you are squishing the poor boy get up." Regulus said, pulling his brother off Remus who looked very relieved despite the blush on his cheeks.

"Honestly Everly I can't believe you've been writing to the love of my life all summer!" James said ignoring everyone's laughter.
"Honestly James, she won't even talk to you without hexing you, I'll end up with her before you do at this rate." she stated making everyone, except James, erupt in laughter again.
The cabin door slide open and Lily popped her head in, "Oh there you are Potter, I've been looking everywhere for you."
"EVANS!" James shouted standing up to greet Lily.
"Sit down you fool not you Potter, your sister." she retourted
"Hi Lily!" Eve smiled up at her before turning to see the redness on her brother's face grow 2 shades darker.
"Are you coming to sit with me and the girls?"

Everly looked around quickly before looking back at her, "I'll be there in a couple minutes Lily."
"Oh wonderful! We are just a couple cabins down on the right, see you in a bit love!" and she was gone from the door.

Everly smiled again looking at the boys who were still red-faced from laughing so hard. "anyone want to make a bet with me? I'll get Lily before James does?" Everyone stared at her shaking their heads with a smirk, James just huffed. "Come on Remus I know you're the betting type." Everly said poking remus's leg with her shoe.
"No way Eve, you're only a first year but I'd still loose that bet."
She smirked as sirius and Pete laughed again
"Remus how could you!"
"I'm sorry mate, she's probably right." James huffed again and crossed his arms. Regulus who had been looking a little bored beside the laughter caught eves eye for a little before looking down at the floor.
"Come on reggie" Eve said standing up and grabbing his arm, "Let's go find another cabin before James blows a fuse." James looked up as the two made there way out of the cabin, "Yea whatever get lost." James spat. "Love you" Everly sing songed over her shoulder while dragging Regulus down the hall.

She stopped and turned after a little ways and dropped Regulus's arm. "I'm sorry I didn't really give you a choice in leaving did you want to go back? You just looked like you didn't want to be there as much as me."
"It's alright. I didn't really want to sit with them either, my brother forced me." He said looking down at his feet.
"Ah our brothers, aren't they lovely?"  Everly chuckled.
"The greatest." he said back, looking at her and smiling.
"Do you want to sit with Lily and her friends or do you want to find an empty cabin?" Everly asked turning around and walking a few more feet looking in some cabins that were all full.
"Could we find an empty one?"
"Of course. I should tell Lily though so she's not waiting for me the entire ride."
"Ok." he said following her to Lily's cabin.
Everly opened the door of the girls cabin, where Lily was sitting with 3 other girls who all turned when she slid the door open.
"Hi everyone! Um Lily me and regulas," she turned and pointed toward the boy who was behind her, "Are going to find our own cabin."
Lily looked at Regulus with a look that he couldn't read before looking back at everly. "Alright Eve that's totally fine. You guys are welcome here if you can't find one though. Unless you are like your brother Black, then you can find your own."
Regulus looked startled by her speaking directly to him, but smiled once it registered. "I'm not going to prank everyone who breathes if that's what you mean." He said calmly.
"Well then, come by anytime you like. Good luck with the sorting ceremony!" Lily said with a smile before the two continued on their way down the hall.

After a couple minutes of searching they found and empty cabin and sat opposite eachother. Eve staring out the window and reg staring at her. A few minutes of silence passed, it was not uncomfortable or awkward silence, but peaceful. Regulus was fascinated that he could feel so calm sitting near another person, it was a refreshing thing after being with his family for so long.

Everly could feel his gaze for a while before she finally spoke, "Should I wait until you finally pipe up the courage to say what you want to say or am I going to have to ask you?" She questioned, her eyes meeting his. She noticed the faint blush that appeared on his cheeks and smiled.
"I- um. I was just thinking about the sorting ceremony. About how Lily said 'good luck'."
"It's not something you really need luck for, the house you end up in is the house that's meant to be, it's nothing to stress over. It will all work out in the end." Regulus stared at her for a moment wondering how she could be so calm about it. She two is apart of a family house legacy. All potters are sorted into Gryffindor, while all blacks are sorted into slytherin. Or they were until sirius. Everly didn't go back to looking out the window, she stayed staring at Regulas as if knowing he had more to say.

"What house do you think you will be sorted into?" he asked.
"Ehat house do I want to be sorted into or what house do i think i'm going to be sorted into? Those are two different questions. Which is the one you want the answer to?" she said thoughtfully.
"Does everything you say sound philosophical?" He asked. Everly laughed before saying, "I don't mean it I promise." She looked back out the window smile fading a little. "I want to be sorted into whatever house I am, not the one that has been in my family for years, does that make
sense?" Regulus made a questioning noise so she continued.
"I don't want to be sorted into Gryffindor just because everyone in my family was, I want to be in a house because I got myself there not years of family."
"The hat is never wrong," Regulus said moving up in his seat so he could put a hand on her knee, "Whatever house we get sorted into is the house we belong yes?" Everly looked down at his hand on her knee and put her hand on top of his. "Now who sounds philosophical?"