unlikely | jegulus

five.

Regulus stood in front of the mirror, analyzing every aspect of himself. He took in the way the black slacks that fit too loosely around his thighs, product of being unnaturally skinny. He studied the shine of his silk green button down and how the top two buttons were undone, exposing a sliver of his chest. He even tried something different with his hair. usually neatly combed and controlled, was now loosely hanging around his face.

He wasn't sure how to feel about himself. He thought he looked alright, but then again he wasn't really sure what party attire was, seeing as he had never been to one.

"Regulus, there's a girl in the common room nagging everyone about where you are." Evan informed, walking into the bathroom unannounced, which really agitated regulus who chose not to speak on it.

"Shit, Mary. Alright, I'll see you later." Regulus muttered and made his way down to the common room, where a very loud Mary Macdonald was asking a group of second years where her friend might be.

"Mary! I'm here, now leave these poor souls alone." he spoke, approaching her.

"Merlin's left ballsack! You look stunning, Regulus! Now let's go before everyone's no longer sober." She spoke, dragging him by the sleeve, out of the common room.

"Alright, alright. You look amazing as well Mary!" The girl was dressed in a skin tight dress with bight red heels and matching lip stick. "And where exactly are we going?"

"Well, we're going to meet up with the Marauders and their peeps first, then the room of requirements. Now hurry along, I'm telling you, it only takes about 40 minutes before someones piss drunk and dancing on a table and Sirius will be furious if he isn't one of them."

Before he could register what Mary had said, he realized they were walking through the portrait of the fat lady and into the Gryffindor common room. Regulus wanted nothing more than to turn around and go straight back to his dorm, but Lily had seen them the second they stepped in.

"There you two are! Well, let's get going."

And as they filed out one by one, regulus was left standing, staring straight into the eyes of his brother. Sirius awkwardly cleared his throat as he turned to give James and Remus a 'go ahead' sort of look.

The two boys were left standing alone in the common room.

"Hey Reg."

"We don't have to do this."

Sirius looked shocked and confused, "Do what?"

"Act like were okay! Merlin Sirius I'm trying to accept the fact that we aren't apparently family anymore and suddenly I get roped into coming to a party with you and your gang of buffoons? What is this?!" Regulus sighed, shaking his head, "We don't have to keep pretending that we need to be friends."

"Honestly Reg, I never meant to hurt you! You're just as much my brother as he is! I couldn't stay there and you know that so please, just please stop avoiding me. I need my brother back." The hurt was evident in Sirius' voice which left Regulus confused.

"I just," regulus let out a big sigh, "I just thought that if I acted like it didn't matter, then it wouldn't. But god, it meant everything, Sirius, you left! And you didn't even tell me, or send me letters, you didn't even tell me where you were going! I had to find out from Narcissa!"

"Regulus, come with me. When we get Christmas break, we'll get you out, you can come live with James and I, it'll be just like how it used to."

"Sirius, I can't leave. And we can't go back to how it used to be, you know that. Just don't shut me out of this new life of yours, okay?"