Slipping Through the Fingers

Chapter 2

Edlyn sat down on the couch in front of the fire. She dusted off her dress, even tough there wasn't any dust, and watched the fire dancing in the fireplace. She turned her face around as she heard footsteps drawing near and vividly got up when Regulus beamed at her.

He offered her his arm, "Shall we?" he asked, bowing. Barty rolled his eyes and walked past them, setting down on the couch.

"Have fun." he said bitterly.

"We'll be back before you know it." Regulus told the sulking boy but as he ignored the two of them, they set out of the common room. Barty used to be part of the Slug Club but professor Slughorn had preferred to exclude him after he had heard him once in mid-conversation with other students. Edlyn had never knew what he had said for Slughorn to be such horrified, but she didn't really care.

The hallways were cold and humid in these winter weathers. Edlyn was happy to leave the dark hallways of the dungeons and to walk up to the sixth floor of the castle, where Slughorn's office was and where the Christmas party would take place.

"You're very pretty." Regulus told his partner as they were ascending the many moving stairs.

"I did my best." Edlyn replied, looking around her at the numerous paintings and portraits. "You're quite charming too." she said without taking her eyes off the paintings.

"You should learn to compliment me while looking in my eyes, Edlyn."

"Why?"

"Vanity." he rolled his eyes, "You know why."

She knew, but she didn't want to think about it. At least, just yet. The Christmas holidays were around the corner, but for now, they were still students in Hogwarts, attending a party. And that was something she could deal with.

"Miss Carrow and Mister Black." smiled professor Slughorn. "My two favourite prefects! Come in, come in. Make yourselves comfortable. Don't go too far, Regulus, I'd like to introduce you to someone urgh- yes." The professor departed, disappearing behind the many guests.

These Christmas parties were always the same: a lot of people, some introductions with Ministry employees, fake smiles and etiquette.

Fortunately, Edlyn and Regulus knew how to behave and how to be as pleasant and well mannered as Pure-Bloods should be. Even more fortunately, they both didn't like it and could spent their nights talking to each other and eating. At least when they didn't have to pretend to be interested by someone their professor introduced them.

The music ringing allowed some students to dance together at the centre of the room. It was definitely a rock song, but Edlyn didn't know it. Still, her head bounced slightly while she looked at the students gathered in pairs.

"Wanna dance?" Regulus asked her out of the blue.

"To this song?" she looked up to him. "Are you mad?"

"What?" he laughed. "What would be so terrible?"

"I only know waltz." Edlyn crossed her arms and looked back at the crowd. Regulus grabbed a petit-four and shoved it into his mouth.

"As you wish." he said, chewing. Slughorn appeared from behind them and Regulus instantly regained his composure, swallowing before smiling with closed lips at the two men that stood before him and Edlyn.

The four of them talked together, mostly about the man's job at the Ministry, but as soon as Slughorn had walked away, the discussion changed. They were soon joined by Lucius Malfoy, now Regulus's cousin by marriage, and the four of them quietly talked about Blood Purity. Still to this day, it struck Edlyn on how Death Eaters could talk so freely and openly about their ideologies. This side of the War was considerably gaining power, and Edlyn couldn't help but think that, after the Christmas holidays, it may be expected of her to join them.

Before the party touched its end, Regulus and Edlyn sat down in a corner of the office, finishing their drinks. The guests had all left, and only the students remained, dancing a last song with their partner. A memory came back to her. They had been sitting around this corner, just a year ago, at the Slug Club Christmas party. The ambiance wasn't high anymore either, the party was touching its end. Edlyn decided that it was time she could slip out without being rude, but before she could get up, Regulus had sat down next to her, and, without warning, talked about what she had seen in the boy's dormitory, a few days before.

"Will you keep it to yourself?" he had asked.

"Of course." she had replied. She wasn't fond of gossiping, and who would she tell it to? She didn't have any good friends. She had always been shy, avoiding crowded rooms, losing her composure if she had to talk to gathered people. Still, she didn't have her tongue in her pocket. "You should be more careful, though."

"Are you surprised?" he had asked. He was slouching in his chair, looking relaxed. But his hands were fidgeting.

"I'm not, you two have always been careless. Not really show-offs like Potter and Sirius, but-"

"I didn't mean that. Are you surprised about me and Barty." his voice had dropped down. He looked at Edlyn now, waiting for her response.

"No." she had simply said. She didn't know what Regulus had hoped for an answer but it didn't seem it was this one. He looked back at the crowd. "You can love whoever you want." she had shrugged. She had grown up in a homophobic environment, but she didn't need to be the brightest spoon of the drawer to get that love was love.

"We're not queer." he had said, almost deficiently. Edlyn had looked back at him. His jaw was set but he hadn't met her eyes.

"Okay."

"We're not- we're not together." he had admitted. Edlyn didn't see what she had anything to do with that information. The music had shifted to a slow, classical one; the last dance of a party. Regulus had got up and offered her his hand. Without thinking, Edlyn had take it and followed him on the dancefloor. They had waltzed together, not taking their eyes off each other. It would have been very romantic, if only they would have smiled to each other. They did not. Their face expressions were stoic, but their dance was not. There was something going on here, and Edlyn couldn't put a word on it, yet.

They had bowed to each other at the end of the song, like they have been taught in their Pure-Blood households, and had departed from the party together. They had walked silently until reaching the second floor where Edlyn had took Regulus hand and pulled him in an empty classroom. They had looked in each other's eyes for a brief second before stepping forward and kissing each other.

From then on, they had met sometimes together, just for sex. Not long after, did them and Barty started to meet together, even if Barty and Edlyn had never gotten along. And it had been going on like this for a year, sometimes the three of them, sometimes Regulus and Barty, Regulus and Edlyn, a few times Edlyn and Barty. All in secret.

They knew they were not supposed to do that. It was queer, even if Regulus wouldn't admit it. There was a lot of things they didn't talk about, but it suited them. They let their passion carry them to these forbidden escapes, and they loved it.