Angel ⟡ Regulus Black.

X. To Love & to Be in Love

                    Despite the imminent sense of dread that embedded itself into the bones of Maya every morning when she opened her copy to The Daily Prophet, the Wizarding World's newspaper, the time that was spent inside Hogwarts surely made her forget about it until the night.

     And that morning was an especially good one. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and most of the seventh years, including Maya, were beyond excited to go, seeing as it was their last chance to as Hogwarts students.

     Maya began the day early, something inside of her telling her that the day was going to be good. Exchanging the pair of pajama bottoms and tank top she'd worn to bed for a pair of sheer black tights under her black pleated skirt and a buttoned red top, the girl pulled on a pair of flat-toed heeled boots, tying up the laces. Running a comb through her curly hair, she left it the way it was, adding a cranberry red lip stain to her lips and cheeks.

     Practically dragging a sleeping Nikolai by the arm, the two were the first at the carriages, giving out orders to the rest of the prefects who'd gathered there. Maya moved to the side, watching the invisible thestrals, wondering what they were like as Kol went to talk to the girl he'd been pining over, some witch from Hufflepuff.

"Excuse me? I'm Bartemius, but my friends... my friends call me Barty," came the soft yet confident voice of a boy next to Maya. He seemed to be a year or two younger than her with a head of stringy, sandy-blond hair and light blue eyes that held his nervousness as he looked down at the girl. He was a Ravenclaw, if she recalled correctly. "Would you like to go to the Three Broomsticks wi—"

    "—No she wouldn't. Make yourself sparse now, Crouch."

     "You really didn't have to do that, you know?"
     "Well, I wasn't just going to let him ask my girl."

     "Your girl, Reg? I wasn't aware of such a development," Maya mused, head tilting up as her lips pulled upwards, smiling at the boy who was watching her with adoring eyes. A soft smile graced his lips as well, happily letting the girl fall into his embrace. "I like the sound of that, but you haven't asked me yet."

     "I have a remedy for that," nodded Regulus. Maya moved her head back to look the boy in the eye, feeling warm when his smile became even wider as he gazed at her. "You and me are going on a date, right now."

     "And what if I have plans? You can't just ask a girl to drop everything for you, Mister."

     Regulus tutted with a boyish grin, waving a playful finger in the girl's face who swatted it away with a pout. "I wasn't asking. And you have no plans."

      Maya gave him a look before succumbing. "Yeah, I don't. So what do you plan on doing?"

     "You'll see."

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                    "You were with my brother?"

     Maya laughed at the priceless look on Regulus' face as the two seventeen year old teens strolled through the woods the surrounded Hogsmeade. It truly was a sight to behold the reserved and uptight Black look so comical: eyes comically wide and mouth hanging so low with shock that he looked exactly like that one painting with the screaming man.

So far, Maya had learned that Regulus absolutely loved playing the piano, an utter disaster when he had a paintbrush in his hand, a splendid cook, and now starting to loathe the traditions he'd grown up with (he didn't say it, but Maya could see it: he was much more alive than the stuff hollow he'd been when they'd become friends).

     On the other hand, Regulus had learned that Maya was truly the second most affectionate person he'd come across (Sirius took the first, that man had no sense of boundaries), an enigmatic writer, and was someone who wished to see the good in everyone, even if it was just a speck (once again, she hadn't told him as such, he'd noticed it once he'd seen just how nice she was to him). And, since he'd asked how she'd gotten so close to his brother, he'd now learned that Sirius was Maya's first time.

Maya hummed, nodding as she took another sip of her Butterbeer. "What can I say? I guess I have a thing for Blacks. Besides, it was before he realised he has a thing for blokes."

     "But that was still my brother!" exclaimed Regulus once more before warm, grey-eyes turned sour and solemn. "How— how is he... by the way?"

     This was the first time Maya had heard Regulus ask about Sirius in almost a year: it was only a daily occurrence when they'd just become friends a year prior. And this time, the tone in which he asked held something different... it sounded like love.

     Howbeit, Maya had no answer for him. Sirius hadn't spoken to her in a while, the only letters she got were from Remus, who let her know how the Black was, and James, who kept her up to date on the Potter pregnancy (yes, they'd tied the knot earlier that year and yes, they'd also smuggled the girl out of the castle so that she could attend) and the fact that Lily was wrong and the baby would be a girl.

     "I don't..." upon the saddened look on Regulus' face on what she was about to say, Maya changed her answer in the nick of time, glad to see a smile on his face instead of a concerned frown. "I don't think he's done anything other than prepare to be a god, sorry dog-father, these past few months."

     "Dog-father?" asked Regulus, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. A deep chuckle escaped him when Maya started giggling at the name as she nodded.

     "Yes! He calls himself the dog-father. Fitting, innit?"

Regulus hummed in agreement while Maya found amusement in the entire idea of it. Cloudy grey-eyes turned a soft hue as they watched tints of crimson deep into mocha coloured skin at the unabashed sounds of laughter spilling from painted berry lips, not knowing this would be the last time he'd be able to witness what he found an angelic sight.