metanoia

Chapter Sixty-five

"Happy early birthday, Dora." Winston Clearwater sang, dropping the Prefect's Quidditch Robes into her lap as he slid onto the bench between her and Xenophilius Lovegood.

Pandora unfolded her blue and silver robes, finding P. MALFOY and her number 13 on the back, realizing what her friend's gift to her was, "Wait, really? You're letting me play today?"

"We figured it would be a nice birthday present." Their Captain smiled, feeling good about how happy her decision made the platinum blonde.

"I, personally, was against it, seeing as we're playing Slytherin today," Gilderoy Lockhart divulged, still pouting that he was benched for the game so Pandora could play. "But I was out voted. So, happy birthday... I guess."

"Wow, you really are a dick," James breathed in disbelief, overhearing the Ravenclaw Quidditch team's conversation from his seat at the Gryffindor Table.

"Well, karma bit him in the ass," Emmeline snickered, catching the attention of her friend's at the Gryffindor table. "Genius over here decided to carve his name into the Quidditch Posts and McGonagall caught him so she gave him a detention with Filch during the Match. So, I guess it worked out that we agreed Pandora got to play today."

Sirius snorted, pretending to check his watch, "Oh, then you must be getting on your way then Roy. Don't want to be late to Detention, Filch hates it when you're late."

"Piss off, Black," Gilderoy hissed as he sulked out of the Great Hall to report to detention.

Pandora happily shrugged on her Quidditch Robes, following her team to the Quidditch Pitch to get ready for the Match, "Oh, this is surely going to piss Luci off. Happy birthday to me."

"Hey, Dora," James called, stopping the youngest Malfoy before she followed her teammates. When she stopped to look at him, he tossed her an acorn he collected that morning, "Here, Alex says it's supposed to be a good luck charm. Happy Birthday."

Pandora could not control her blush, feeling her cheeks turn scarlet as she caught the acorn, "Thank you."

Lily watched the exchange in shock, never having noticed Pandora's demeanor around James before just then. She started laughing, smacking her boyfriend's shoulder lightly when she met her friend's eye from across the table, "She likes you."

"What?" he gasped, looking frantically around the table trying to see if his friend's agreed with her assessment. "Pandora Malfoy does not like me. You're mental."

"No, she likes you," Remus and Sirius choked together, struggling to contain their laughter.

"Bloody hell, how did I not know before just now?"

Lisette snorted, looking sideways at his cousin as she finished her food and began to leave the table, "You're related to Alex. I guess being oblivious runs in your DNA."

"Haha, very funny," the blonde sarcastically laughed, throwing the strap of her messenger bag onto her shoulder and leaving.

Alex felt a light tap on her shoulder, pulling her attention away from her open novel. Glancing over the top of her book, she saw a figure standing in front of her that made her heart twinge: Regulus Black. 

Before she could open her mouth to speak to her friend's younger brother, he cleared his throat and pointed to the space beside her on the blanket she'd been sitting on, "Can we talk? Please."

The blonde looked around, scanning the courtyard for Narcissa who was supposed to be meeting her before the Quidditch match, "I-I guess. But aren't you supposed to be getting down to the Pitch to get ready for the Match?"

Regulus nodded, smiling as he sat beside her, "Yeah, that's where I'm supposed to be. I gave Cissa my spot, which is partially why I'm here she asked me to tell you. I've been going through some things and I needed a break. Can we talk, I don't really have anyone else to talk to?"

"Regulus, are you in some kind of trouble?"

She'd never thought much of Regulus Black before. He wasn't someone who occupied thought in her mind before last year when she began caring for his older brother. Then, when she began to experience and witness his death routinely in her nightmares she began to worry about him as if he were her own brother.

The dark haired boy looked up from his hands to meet her concerned blue eyes, wanting nothing more than to tell her what's been weighing on him, "No. I'm not the one in trouble. The thing is-"

"Alex? Reg? What the Hell are you doing with my brother?" Sirius demanded, leading the group of their friends who were attending the Match that afternoon through the courtyard towards their seat at the tree.

They knew how it must have looked to them. They were sitting close together on the small blanket, talking very intimately. For someone walking past it would seem like there was some kind of relationship between them, purely by how close they were and how concerned the blonde appeared to be for him.

Regulus quickly scrambled to his feet, feeling as though his brother was about to hit him, "Uh-"

"Sirius, calm down. It's not a big deal we were just talking," she explained, slowly pushing herself off the ground and began to shake the grass of the blanket.

The eldest Black brother looked between his best friend and his little brother confused as to why she would be talking to him after he was a part of the group that attacked her not months ago. Sirius began to speak but the words kept failing him, stuttering as he finally strung together a coherent sentence, "What could you two possibly have to talk about?"

Alex looked at Regulus, who clearly did not know what to say, then to her friends, who all waited to hear the explanation. She laughed, confusing everyone with the sound, "Narcissa is playing Seeker. He gave her the spot for today's Match and she sent him to tell me that, so I wouldn't think she was ditching me."

"That's right," Regulus agreed, straightening himself out as he relaxed. "I'm just the messenger, don't shoot brother."

"Well that was very nice of you, Reg," Lily cooed, smiling at the youngest of the Black family despite still holding anger that he'd hurt Alex back in November.

Regulus nodded curtly at the redhead, turning to the blonde before excusing himself, "Well I've told you what I was sent to say, so I'll be off now."

"You're not going to come watch the Match?You and I both know that it would mean a lot to Cissa if you came to cheer her on."

The Slytherin Prefect shook his head no, forming his mouth into a thin line, "No, I have some things I need to get done in the library."

"Alright then," James huffed, turning to follow Fabian, Peter and Lisette towards the Quidditch Pitch.

Alex raised an eyebrow at Regulus, hearing the tone of loneliness and dread in his excuse, "Are you sure? You can always go later."

He nodded, sadly looking past her at his brother and spoke in a low voice, "And besides, one of my only friends is playing so I wouldn't have anyone to sit with."

"You could always sit with us," Alex offered, remembering the nearly identical situation that took place last year with her and Narcissa.

Sirius looked down at the blonde with wide eyes, shocked to hear her extend an invitation to his Death Eater brother. He then remembers her nightmare about Regulus' death and their conversation about him not wanting to lose him on Lily's birthday, nodding as he smiled at his little brother, "Yeah, Reg. Come sit with us."

"Alright then. Thank you."

Alex and Sirius nodded, leading him to follow the rest of their friends. Alex lightly nudged the Sixth year, catching his attention as she whispered, "We can talk later. If you still want to."