Angel ⟡ Regulus Black.

V. A Friend of Fallacy

             The Astronomy Tower was a world of its own during the time the rays of the sun left, the moon and its twinkling friends a beauty to behold from such a height. Maya and Regulus had somehow seized the chance, meeting every odd week, sitting in silence as they basked in the comfort of each other, their own world in that place.

"How's Sirius?"

Maya looked up from the frayed ends black knit sweater she was fiddling with, eyes now glued to the boy who was next to her. His own grey, star-like eyes were twinkling with unshed tears as he stared at the namesake of his brother in the sky. This was the first time he'd actually said anything about what'd been on his mind.

"He's been..." she swallowed, trying to think of how to paint a realistic yet light picture of what the jarring truth was: Sirius was downright miserable. "He's had his good days and bad, just it's— I really hope—" she sucked in a soft breath. "I pray on whatever is out there that those good days stay."

A silence blanketed them.

"How're you doing with all this?"

When Regulus didn't say a word, not that she'd expected a single sound to leave his tired self, she realised what she'd said and attempted to soften the brutally personal question that had fallen from her lips.

"You don't— you don't need to... I'm here if you... you don't need to answer that," she added, unsure of how she should talk to him.

Regulus finally turned to her, a soft, delicate look clouded behind a nightmare as he let a stiff smile grace his lips. "I've seen better days."

And the silence fell over them once again.

━━━━━━━━

                     "Where have you been?"

All but toppling into the body of Remus Lupin, Maya spun around as she wobbled on her feet, staring at the boy who was waiting for her on the common room sofa. His hands were fiddling with one of Sirius' old sketchpads.

"Sorry, mum," she began once she'd gathered her wits about her, "I thought that role was resigned to Jam?"

Remus shook his head, looking up at his friend. "Not when it comes to you."

He was right, Remus was Maya's first friend in school, Sirius and James becoming her friends only after the two had retaliated when the Potter—Black duo pranked Peter (in his defence).

"I was out."
"Yes, because that clears everything."

Shaking his head,  Remus patted the spot next to him on the worn, yet rather warm and comforting scarlet coloured sofa. "I'm just worried because Pete's been going around and so are you and with the war looming on—"

"Re," cooed Maya, ducking her head to look the hazel eyed boy in the eyes, a soft, calming look in them as opposed to the fretful, panicky ones she was met with. "Remus Lilian Lupin, I'm not going anywhere, alright? You are my boys, I'm not leaving you guys, especially when you're like a fucking heater."

And she flung herself on him, holding Remus like a child would cuddle into their most prized pet toy, refusing to let up on the oversized stuffed being.

Letting out an oomph! at the sudden contact, Remus chuckled as he moved his arms that were pinned to his sides by the brunette's unrelenting tight grip, knowing it'd be a while until she let go. Maya did that a lot, giving random acts of affection like hugs.

"How's he?" asked Remus, once the two had returned to their ritualistic places on the sofa: Remus with his legs on Maya's lap, the girl resting her own against the edge of one of the four other sofas in there, the two of them huddled under a blanket.

"How's who?"
"Regulus. Don't lie, I saw it on the map. Sirius keeps saying he is disappointed with Regulus being a pussy for staying back, but, you know..."

He trailed off, Maya nodding in understanding. Repeating the words she'd heard earlier in the night, she said softly, "he says he's had better days."

The two sat in silence after that, Maya picking up the book Remus had brought down to the common room with him, a copy of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, while the boy continued flicking through Sirius' sketchbook, Maya eyes occasionally starting and flickering over the drawings, most of them being the friend group themselves.

Hazel eyes stared hard into the grey ones that resembled the cloudy sky etched outside. Waiting for an answer as to why she'd been pulled away from her friend in broad daylight and into one of the unused classrooms of the sixth floor.

"Spit it out, Black," she spoke, her eye watching the boy fidget with his fingers, clearing his throat before looking up, straight at her.

"Reggie."

Upon noticing her confused state, he elaborated his original point, his fingers resuming their fiddling nature, yet his stare was confident.

"My friends— they call me Reggie."
"I was under the impression you didn't have any."

Regulus went to reply, when he noticed the look on her face. There was a smile and a twinkle of something he knew all too well: mischief. After all, it was always something at home in his brother's eyes.

"Alright, Reginald," Maya spoke, her playful smirk widening at how Regulus responded to that name —the loud groan of frustration showing he was already regretting his decision. "We're friends now?"

"I mean, seeing as you now know something about me," he shrugged, eyes now trained at his expensive leather shoe that was currently at work digging a hole into the stone floors of the castle. "Can't have you exposing me."

"Is that it?" she asked, noticing that Lily would be wondering what exactly was happening. "I was kind of busy before you practically abducted me into a dark, unused classroom to talk."

When he didn't reply she turned to the door, moving to open it when he spoke up.

"Maya!"

The girl turned, smiling at the boy when she realised the look on his face, one so similar to what Sirius held whenever he opened up to her.

"Could you... maybe not..."
"Don't worry, you're secret of spending an emotional evening crying with me is safe."

And Maya left, the door shutting quietly behind her, the girl not noticing the way Regulus let out a small smirk as he slipped out of the classroom after the brunette, noticing the girl evade the questions of the Mudblood as they walked away.

Regulus took the route opposite, a nod of subtle acknowledgment sent in Rosier's way when they passed each other, the smirk that sat on Regulus' face now being mirrored as it fell upon the lips of the older Slytherin.