Inferius | Regulus Black

House of Black

"I have dined with the dark lord. The Carrows. An older gentleman I'm fairly certain was Grindelwald," Said Regulus, laying on Annabelle's bed next to her. "But no one amounts to your mother."

He was staring at the ceiling. It was covered in glow in the dark stars in the form of his constellation.

Annabelle was facing him, laying on her side.

"It could have been worse." Said Annabelle. "She could have-"

"Threatened to kill me?"

"She threatened to have you killed."

"Because it's so much better."

"Exactly. So glad you see it that way." Said Annabelle.

Regulus exhaled.

"It was circumstantial." Said Annabelle. "And she could have actually killed you. Mum's handy with a kitchen knife. And I'm about sixty percent sure she's the one who killed Uncle Rick. Look on the bright side of life, your majesty."

Regulus furrowed his eyebrows.

"I wanted your family to like me."

"Baby, my family doesn't even like me." Said Annabelle.

Regulus chuckled. She kissed his cheek.

"You're too ambitious, Regulus. Maybe you can start with wooin' Queen Lizzie and work your way up to my mother." Said Annabelle. Her fingertips traced one of his dimples. Regulus took her hand.

"I haven't seen you in so long." breathed Regulus. "I thought you might have been killed."

Regulus would not look at her. Instead counting the stars on her ceiling. Her mother and stepfather were having an argument downstairs. A massive one. About him, or about Annabelle, or about how it was possible they had not met Olivia's new boyfriend.

Annabelle was playing music to drown it out, there was a pillow beneath the door to keep the sound from travelling. A practiced routine.

Annabelle had paid Olivia twenty quid to keep out of her shoe box of a room. Regulus was fairly certain it doubled as Olivia's walk in closet. Or Annabelle just enjoyed looking at clothing. One or the other.

Annabelle was silent. Regulus could feel her eyes on him. Gentle, and adoring. There was a good song playing. Regulus did not recognize it. Something about Mars. He looked at the posters on her wall. Most were not hers. But he recognized the ones that were.

Stevie Nicks, Bowie, large drawings of cats.

There were stacks of books on the most bizarre subjects littering the room. There was no bookshelf only a few precarious piles of books. A series on egypt was stacked into a pyramid at the foot of her bed.

"Do you have any idea what it was like?" Asked Regulus, not bothering to conceal the tremor in his voice. "And how we left things, Belle, I-" Annabelle moved to hug him. "You, I mean, I can't-"

"Form a complete sentence?" Asked Annabelle. Regulus took in a shaky breath.

"You can't not reply. If you're cross? Send a dung bomb. Anything so I know you are not, not," He could not finish the sentence. His hold on her hand tightened ever so slightly.

She had not been replying and he had assumed the worst. That Annabelle was dead and Dumbledore had covered it up.

The inferi had been plaguing him as he searched the mail for anything bearing her beautifully dreadful handwriting.

"I-"

"I love you." Said Regulus firmly. She removed her hand from his.

"Sayre's dad wants you to marry her sister." Said Annabelle. "You aren't the best at going against your parents-" Regulus exhaled and ran a hand over his face.