ENCHANTED ⇒ jegulus

NINE

Birds whistle lowly outside the window, they sit; perched, on the windowsill. James blinks, rolling over. He groans a little at the brightness leaking in through the miniscule slit in his curtains.

Stretching his arms, James sighs, pulling back the blankets. He throes on a pair of dark pajamas bottoms over his underwear, hauling a loose t-shirt over his head. James grumbles, making his way to his and Lily's ensuite to wash his face and brush his teeth.

He decides he'll go for his morning shower in a bit. First he requires some kind of espresso.

James trails down the stairs. He reaches the bottom with a thud. He almost shrieks when he spots the pile of luggage until he remembers who it all belongs to. Regulus. Regulus who must still be asleep upstairs. James makes a mental note to move as quietly around the house as he can. He doesn't think Regulus and his baby need to be awoken before ten o'clock.

James switches on the kettle, accioing a jar of coffee beans into his reach. James shuffles around the kitchen, almost silently, humming a little bit as he does so.

He pops some toast into the toaster before taking a seat, reaching for yesterday's newspaper; just in case he had somehow managed to miss something from yesterday's world events.

Finally, both his coffer and toast are prepared and James takes a seat at the lonely kitchen table.

As he skims through the inked pages of The Daily Prophet, the floo makes it's signature noise. James glances towards the fireplace, waiting for the incomer to appear.

Lily appears in a denim skirt and a cream colored blouse, sunglasses on her head. "Oh," She starts. "I wasn't expecting anybody to be up yet,"

Two thoughts enter James' head.

One; Lily knows he's an early bird. She's lived with him for years. She knows this about him. Either she's trying to offend him actively or she simply had lost all interest in James' traits and habit over the years. James can't decide which feels worse.

Two; Perhaps she wanted it this way. Perhaps she wanted both he and their new housemate to be sullenly slumbering as she navigated her way through which items she deemed necessary to bring to her parent's house. Perhaps Lily hadn't wanted to run into Regulus. The next thought that occurs hurts James more,
though; maybe Lily did not want to risk running into him.

Fancy that. Lily sneaking around their shared home. What had become of them? James can not begin to identify when exactly this had started and he's sorrowful to confess to himself that he is unsure of when it will be finished.

"Good morning," James greets, as cauaslly as he can for somebody who has Regulus Black sleeping above him in a spare bedroom. James takes a sip of his morning coffee. "Um, how...how are you?" He asks, genuinely curious, but additionally; genuinely concerned for her sudden departure.

Lily shakes her head. "I...I can't do this, James. I-I don't want to live here with him, I don't want him in my fucking house,"

James swallows. He nods. "I...I understand that, Lily, I...I do," He pauses. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you about it first, but he needs this. He needs to be closer to me, specifically, right now. The baby needs that. I'm not going to let an innocent baby come into harms way because you don't like the person who's carrying them,"

James considers that he also doesn't want Regulus to fall into harm's way. Somehow, James still envisions Regulus as Sirius' little brother, this kid with a tongue far too sharp for him and a wit far too clever not to put to use.