𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 - regulus black

chapter ninety

"Regulus..." she spoke softly, kneeling by his side. He didn't make a move. Not sure on what to do next, she just got out his birthday gift, the locket he had asked her. "I've got your birthday present..." she nervously added while letting the pendant hung in front of his face. The boy slowly looked up, talking a hold of the object. His grey eyes analyzed it as he turned it around gently in his palm before opening  it. The ghost of a smile crossed his features once he took notice of the photo staying inside the pendant. And of course, Adena didn't fail to notice this.

"I don't have any recent photo, so I hope you don't mind having a picture of me at six years old."

"No... I like it. You're smiling."

"You're smiling too..." she murmured while looking at his face. Regulus finally lifted up his gaze to meet hers. "You're finally smiling."

"Because of you..."

"But why... why not before..." she couldn't hide her worry anymore. She was facing him, looking deep into his eyes, trying to understand him. But he averted his gaze from her hazel one.

"You didn't see the news? I guess it must be in the Daily Prophet right now..."

"What... You mean... The murders?"

Regulus stared at her again, nodding slowly with what Adena could guess was an apologetic look in his grey eyes.

"We... I mean the Dark Lord planned this the other day, right before coming back. He just said we should erase any Mudblood present at the moment but that we could toy with them if we wished to." As he was talking, Adena watched as her boyfriend's eyes slightly widened in fear, as if he was imagining the scene.

"That was the reason of the change in you then?" asked the girl quietly, as she took a hold of his hand, the one not holding onto the locket.

"Hm. I could only think of that. It was the most unbearable meeting I had. Someone brought up a Muggle-born working at the Ministry and they..."

He couldn't even finish. She knew how hard it must be for him to tell her that. She knew her boyfriend wasn't sensitive but whatever they did must have been traumatizing enough for him. And maybe he was sensitive but buried this side of him. Adena had the urge to protect him. He was still a boy, just like she was still a girl, and even if you were old and mature, she knew this wasn't something anyone should ever witness.

"Bella said it wasn't the first time. I can't even imagine how much blood flew on this table. I couldn't shake the image off my head, all those people being tortured to death, begging for freedom, it's been keeping me up at night... I still can't stop imagining what must have endured those people today..." By the end of this sentence, the brunette heard his voice crack a little because of all these emotions overwhelming him. He too was torturing himself without realizing it, all those images coming to his mind, she only took notice now of what he was going through.

Taking a hold of his face, Adena brought his head closer to her, until he was against her chest. She then just hold him in her arms even though he still wouldn't return the affection or move the slightest bit, still frozen in place.

"Don't think about this anymore," she whispered, caressing his hair slowly. She would do anything to erase those horrifying images and thoughts from his mind, she couldn't bear seeing him in such state. 

Regulus and Adena went to his bedroom after staying in each other's hold for a while. They were sitting side by side on his bed, and he had laid his head onto her shoulder. He really didn't want her to see his troubled and anxious expression at the moment.