i really loved him

chapter 17

Regulus POV

Friday, 7th November, 20:45 – It was the day before the first match of the year, and Regulus was near certain that he couldn't be more ready. He had played more quidditch that year than in the majority of his life. And against James, he had no choice but to get quicker, sharper, and even more alert.

The practices with his team were helpful too; Regulus was grateful for an opportunity to train without the constant distraction that was James himself. Every so often, he would run a hand through his hair or reach to wipe the sweat from his brow and Regulus just wouldn't quite know what to do with himself. It was highly annoying.

Emma had called a short last-minute session as she usually did the night before a game, and they were just finishing off. As the rest of the team filed back into the changing room, however, Regulus remained, intending to fly for a while longer. Noticing him hold back, Emma broke away from the team and strode towards him.

"Staying out, Regulus?" she asked, and he nodded. "Excellent. I like your drive. I can't let you use the snitch, though," she added apologetically, holding up the locked case of quidditch balls. "Hooch wants these back by nine."

"Alright," Regulus said shortly. It was too dark to release the snitch now, anyway. He would settle for speed drills.

"Don't finish too late," Emma told him. "I need you well rested tomorrow."

"I won't."

"Good," she said. "See you at the game, then."

He nodded again, and she turned to follow the others back inside.

Regulus re-mounted his broom and rose back into the sky. Since the sun had already set, the air was bitterly cold against his exposed face and hands. He gripped the handle, ignoring the fact that his fingers were going numb, and raced off around the stands. One lap as fast as possible, followed by a short rest, then two fast laps, followed by an equally short rest, then three and four and five until he was dizzy and gasping for breath. Shuttles next. Regulus soared over to the far hoops and wove through each one before travelling to the other side and repeating. Every time he changed direction, he did so with the swift agility that he had been gradually building since joining the team; pure speed was useless if you couldn't control it.

Not long after beginning his drills, Regulus felt a prickling at the back of his neck. He glanced down at the ground and almost fell off his broom.

James was standing on the grass, clad in his scarlet robes with a heavy case in one hand. Regulus could see his gleeful smile even from high in the air.

"ALRIGHT, REGGIE?" he called.

After taking a moment to collect himself, Regulus swept down to join James on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

At one point during their sessions together, James had mentioned that he was near unable to function without a good eight hours of sleep, which Regulus found highly amusing and hadn't let go of since.

"Very funny," James grumbled. "Thought I'd come and help you get ready for the game tomorrow – nicked this from Hooch and everything." He put down the case. "You're welcome."

"It's too dark to start a game now," Regulus said. "If you really want to help, I've been doing some drills that—"

"—Nah," James interrupted with a mischievous smile. "Not help with drills. How 'bout we do something more fun?"

"Why?" Regulus asked, instantly suspicious. "If this is some convoluted trick to distract me from actual—"

"—Blimey, you really don't trust me, do you?" James laughed. Regulus gritted his teeth, though felt a degree of relief that it was still so easy to be infuriated by him. "All I meant was you could do with a bit of a break before the match. I watched all your games last year..."