i really loved him

chapter 34

Friday, 19th November – Mulciber got captain.

Inevitable, given that he easily scored the most goals of the team all year. Though, Regulus felt this a shallow approach; anyone with a scrap of quidditch knowledge could have observed that for the vast majority of those goals, it was Avery and Emma who set him up. But then, for all his hearty boasts, Slughorn didn't hold a scrap of quidditch knowledge.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays were their usual team practice days, since James called Saturdays before the year even started, and Ravenclaw booked on Sunday afternoons. The Hufflepuff team just tended to take the pitch whenever it wasn't otherwise being used, with all their patient and adaptable ways.

Regulus could never have thought that like that. He liked order, routine.

Now, however, he was happy to attend last-minute training, the day before their first match of the season. Mulciber had taken that technique straight from the old captain, but no one pointed that out.

Most of them wouldn't dare. Regulus just didn't see a point.

There were two new additions to the team, now that Emma and Mara, the old keeper, had left: Madeline Parkinson, third-year chaser with whom Regulus had scarcely spoken, and the tall, reedy fourth-year keeper, Barty Crouch Jr.

17:09 – The team had gathered immediately after lessons came to an end; Regulus had requested to hold the practice before dinner, as his prefect rounds took up most of the evening. Mulciber had agreed without complaint.

However outwardly towering and aggressive he was, any of them were, Regulus knew that they feared him. He had never done anything to suggest they should, as such, but his family name, along with the manner in which he carried it, was enough to earn their caution.

People thought Regulus didn't know about the whispers that followed him; the rumors that he was knee-deep in dark magic, attending Hogwarts in order to spy on Dumbledore for the Dark Lord. It wasn't true, but Regulus was almost surprised his parents hadn't tried it yet.

In practice, he essentially did whatever he wanted. Mulciber was too busy roaring instructions towards his fellow chasers, and it wasn't as though he could have taught Regulus anything new. He used the time efficiently, devising speed and agility drills for himself, otherwise improving on specific techniques; he got plenty of game-style practice during the sessions with James.

In the middle of his third set of shuttles, Regulus slid his eyes shut, let out a deep exhale, felt the wind blast against his face in order to regain his focus.

He and James were meeting to study later. When exactly, Regulus hadn't been able to tell him; a result of both the late notice quidditch practice and Mulciber's inconsistency as a captain.

"I don't know how long it will take," he had warned.

"Just come and get me from the common room whenever," James had shrugged. "Password's 'Pumpkin'."

Then he'd seen Regulus' hesitation and added, "No one'll care if you come in, Reggie. They won't say anything."

"I don't care whether they say anything," he replied bluntly. "But I'm not welcome there, and you know it."

"Why, 'cause you're a Slytherin?" James smirked. "Trust me, if I can get over that—"
"—Because I'm a Black, James," Regulus cut in. "You must have read what my family have been spreading. I hardly think those in Gryffindor would appreciate my presence after that."

His parents were quoted in the Daily Prophet every other article, nowadays. Their influence reached far across the Wizarding World, and they were, unsurprisingly, using it to pledge their support to the cause of restoring blood purity. Never outwardly promoting the Dark Lord's methods – they were far more strategic than that – but consistently praising his message and lacing in their approval between every carefully selected word.