𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 || 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Chapter 02

Monday 1st September, 1976

"Potter, a second please," the Head boy called just as I was heading to the Great Hall for dinner, the marauders having already got there.

"Yes?" I asked, slowing to a stop so the Head boy could catch up to me.

"You and Black will be patrolling the corridors tonight from seven till' nine. It's your job to tell Black."

I nodded my head pleasantly, and the Head boy left, when on the inside I was feeling anything but pleasant. I nearly cried when I remembered I was partnered with Regulus for Prefect duties. What did I do to deserve this torture?

I sat down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall in a bad mood, dreading the thought of spending 2 hours alone with Regulus Black. My bad mood evaporated when I saw the nervous first years milling about, waiting to be sorted.

I smiled, remembering my own sorting and how petrified I had been. James had been very supportive though, and when I'd gotton sorted into Gryffindor he was the one who had cheered the loudest.

When the sorting finished, Gryffindor having had recruited a decent looking group of new first years, the food finally appeared. The Great Hall was filled with chatter and laughter as students and teachers alike ate the delicious feast before them, me included.

I instantly started piling my plate with food. Taking a bite, I closed my eyes, savouring the taste. James snorted and I elbowed him in the side, smiling innocently at Remus when he looked over to me.

"You know, Halloween is coming up," Sirius drawled, sending me a wink.

I shook my head furiously. Halloween did not go well last year. We all went as Scooby Doo, a muggle show Lily and Remus had shown us, with James as Fred, Remus as Shaggy, and Peter as Velma. I was going to be Daphne but then Sirius decided he wanted to be her, so I had to be Scooby Doo. And wear an oversized dog onesie.

Another time we all went with ghosts and wore sheets over our heads. We ended up spending the night in the hospital wing because Peter had tripped on his sheet and fallen in a thorn bush. I might have also walked into a wall and gotton a concussion, but that wasn't important.

What was important was that Halloween with the Marauders was chaotic to say the least. Chaotic and stressful. Very stressful.

"This year I was thinking- "

"Absolutely not," Remus said, cutting Sirius off from whatever he was about to say.

"But you didn't even hear what I was going to say- "

"Doesn't matter, it would have been dangerous or immature or both," Remus said nonchalantly, acting like the mother he was.

James and I shared a look, grinning.

"But I spent so long figuring it out! And thinking of 6 people costumes are hard," Sirius moped.

"What's hard?" Lily asked, sitting down next to me.

"That's what she said," James and I said in synchronisation.

We grinned at one another again and fist bumped while everyone else groaned.

Lily had been my friend since third year. The first two years I was at school she hadn't wanted to talk to me, thinking I was like my brother, but when we studied together at the library once, she found out I wasn't like James. Ever since then, we had been really close, and I got along with her other friends too, Marlene and Mary.

The only bad thing about that was James, who was constantly asking me to help him get with Lily. I did try a few times, but Lily got mad at me so I stopped, to James's eternal disappointment.

"You guys are so immature," Lily muttered, but there was a small smile on her lips.

I sent her a grin and focused back on my food. I was eating some sausages with mash and gravy, the food tasting like heaven. I'd taken a few mouthfuls when my gaze just so happened to stray to the one and only Regulus Black.

I frowned as I saw him, and when his gaze suddenly slid to mine I stuck out my tongue. I wasn't sure what possessed me to do such a childish thing, but it must have gotton Regulus too because he raised his eyebrows before scrunching up his nose and making a weird face at me. I scowled at made one back at him.

A war broke out between us as we tried to make the weirdest face at each other. Obviously, I was going to win; I practically had four brothers for Merlin's sake, so I was very used to fights like this. Something did seem different with Regulus though; the faces he made at me were almost pleasing, as if some part of me enjoyed the way his attention was on me as his expression's changed.

I shook myself of these absurd thoughts and continued waging war against him with my expressions. This war of ours went on for quite a while until James hit me in the back of the head, bringing me back to the present.

"Y/n, stop admiring Regulus and tell Sirius that I'm right," James ordered.

My face heated at his words, and if looks could kill, James would be six feet under. How could he say that so casually when he knew I hated Regulus's guts?

"You were admiring my brother?" Sirius asked, somewhat offended that I wasn't admiring him instead.

"I wasn't admiring your brother, I was insulting him with my face," I said matter of factly.

James waved his hand, brushing aside my words impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Now tell Sirius that I'm right."

"What are you right about?" I asked him.

James held his head up high as he looked down his nose at Sirius. "Tell Sirius that I have a chance with Lily."

I stared at James, unblinking.

"But mum told me to never tell lies."

Sirius let out a roar of laughter, the sound echoing around the Great Hall. I spotted Regulus scowl at his brother, then me when he noticed I was watching. I rolled my eyes and focused my attention on my friends, blocking Regulus from my mind.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to not be on my side, and as I glanced around the room, I happened to notice Regulus Black leaving the Great Hall. I hadn't told Regulus about Prefect duty tonight because I'd planned to do it when we were leaving the Great Hall, but if he was leaving early I'd have to leave too so I could tell him.

"I'll be back guys," I told them before leaving the Great Hall.

I walked the hallway that Regulus had moments ago when I heard the explicit sound of a fist connecting with a jaw around the corner.

I turned the corner and my eyes widened as I saw Regulus pinned against the wall as an older Slytherin punched him, again and again.

Blood dripped down Regulus's mouth as his eyes slid to mine and widened ever so slightly.

Sadly, the guy punching Regulus noticed and turned his attention to me, a murderous rage in his eyes.