𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆, regulus black

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟕: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

"Congratulations," uttered Rune, trying her best tone of indifference. "You figured it out."

Regulus shrugged cockily. "I am intellectually brilliant." 

"Could you take your intellectual brilliance and use it to help you turn around and leave?" 

"Sorry?" 

"Leave," said Rune curtly. 

"Did I do something wrong?" 

She scoffed. "I don't know, you tell me." 

"I don't think I did." 

"Right. I didn't think you would." 

He lowered himself down until they were nearly eye-to-eye. "Shouldn't I be the one who's mad at you?" 

"Please, enlighten me on what I did wrong." 

"You didn't come." Regulus' voice turned a whisper quieter. "I waited in Madam Puddifoot's all night for you." 

Rune waded her hand through the water as she shrugged. "I had a date." 

"Conveniently. You didn't have one when we spoke a couple days before. You purposefully got yourself a date and had it in Madam Puddifoot's." 

"It had nothing to do with you. I just wanted a date. It was Valentine's Day. Ask everyone. The go-to spot is Madam Puddifoot's." 

"When did you find out?" 

She looked into his eyes. "Why should I tell you?" 

When he continued to stare at her expectantly, she relented. "I saw the ring on your brother's finger. How did you find out?" 

"You lent me The Picture of Dorian Gray. I saw it in your room after that." He opened his mouth to say something before pausing to contemplate it. It seemed he decided against it. 

Instead, he shifted forward and then slowly entered the spring and moved towards her. 

Rune's eyes stayed on Regulus as she backed away. 

He mused, while still getting closer, "Don't worry, blondie. I'm not the one who bites." 

"Not with your teeth. The pain you inflict seems to hit deeper than surface level." 

There was no further for her to go. She had to remain still and let him enter her space.

Water covered them until their shoulders. Despite the warm water flowing around them, goosebumps rose all over Rune's skin.

He was too close. 

"You're not still hung up on what I said before O.W.L's, are you?" He reached up and took a piece of her hair between his fingers. "Do you want me to apologize?"

He pinned her with his intense gaze as he hummed, "I'm sorry, Rune. Tell me what to do to make it up to you; I'll do it." 

"If I tell you to fail your exams this year, will you do it?" 

"I'll do it." 

A shudder ran down her spine and he must have noticed it because he leaned even closer. 

"Anything you want."

Rune couldn't do this with him. She wouldn't.

"I'm going to bed," she announced as she tried to thread past him to get away.

He caught her and held onto her arms to keep her in place. "Come on," he pleaded as his fingers traced her bare arm. "You spent hours talking to me when you didn't know who I was. Now you don't even want to be around me for two minutes. What happened?"