𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆, regulus black

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐: 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐧

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Regulus pursed his lips and stared up at Rune as she dabbed a cold, wet towel on and under his nose. From up-close, he noticed the color of her eyes for the first time in his life. They were like ice. 

His eyes moved over the rest of her face. He frowned when he realized that no matter how much he looked at her, he still found her beautiful. 

She misread his frown as pain, and said for the hundredth time, "I'm so sorry." 

"It doesn't hurt," he said, and then his eyes darted to the side of her room. "No roommates?"

"Nope." 

"Why?" 

Without even a blink, she lied, "I pay extra."

"How much?"

She faltered for a split second and if he wasn't that close to her, he would have missed it. "2000." 

"A year?"

"A month."

At that, he broke into the first genuine smile she had ever seen from him. 

"Wow," she said, pressing the towel to the bridge of his nose. "All it takes is a broken nose to get a smile from you." 

"Do you know what our school fees are?" 

"No," she shrugged. 

"Around 1500 galleons," he said. "I'm just amused that the cost of a single room is over 12 times that amount for a year." 

She pulled back and stared down at him. She motioned around her room, knowing her lie was caught but not willing to give it up that easily. "It's a good room." 

Regulus allowed his eyes to roam around the room. She seemed to be living in luxury. Her walls were lined with shelves which overflowed with books and trinkets. Pot plants sat in every corner. Streamers, in Slytherin colors, hung from the ceilings along with beaded strings. There were posters and vinyl records and quilts. But most importantly, there were books. 

On the couch, on her bed, on the floor, on her dresser. It was basically an overflowing library. 

"Sorry," she murmured, bending down to pick up sweaters. "It's a mess, I know." 

"Do you think I could look around?" 

Rune glanced at her room nervously. She realized that before this- before him- not one person had ever set foot in it before. The fact that it was Regulus Black in her room made her feel an emotion she couldn't quite place. 

"Yeah," she said calmly. She hoped she managed to sound like her entire soul was not on edge. 

Rune followed him with her eyes as he pushed off her bed and walked around her room. He started in one corner and slowly made his way across, tracing the spines of her books as she did. 

As he walked, she grimaced at the realization that her collection of erotica's was placed all over. She hoped he wasn't as well-versed in fiction as he was in non-fiction. 

"I knew you liked to read but this is... a lot," he drawled. 

"It's not even my full collection," she said, walking up to him and joining him in front of the shelf that held most of her classics. "This is my favorite shelf." She pulled out her copy of Wuthering Heights. "I got this one right outside The Colosseum in Rome!" 

"You've been to Rome?" 

Rune realized at once that she had overshared. And with the wrong person because he'd never forget.