The first week of terms had flown by. In the halls the Death Eater recruits attempted to associate with Regulus, taking advantage of the holidays and his recent birthday, to strike up a conversation. It seemed like everyone had somehow understood the balance of power had shifted, besides Barty who seemed to find Regulus infuriating.
It was Friday by the time Regulus was able to see Slughorn. They’d yet to have a potions class. His friends, besides Edmund and Evan, had stayed on in year six, meaning they had perfect pairs since. Regulus preferred to work alone usually, and luckily seventh year had been mostly individual work. Assignments were more difficult but Regulus liked the challenge, producing exceptional results on his own made him feel powerful.
Slughorn’s cauldron was emitting a soft blue vapor that had filled the classroom in a twisting mist as Regulus entered. The collection of seventh year students separated into their usual groups, friends rather than houses now that there were so few of them.
“You don’t think it’s a test do you?” Imogen Spinnet worried, her friends shrugged.
“I bet it's the Sleep of Death Draught!” said Pandora, rounding on Regulus, Victoria, and Darren.
“Likely,” Victoria snipped in a superior sort of way, “the hue would suggest that,” and began setting up her scales and potions supplies with Darren. First term she had shared the same side of the table with him, but Regulus didn’t mind the change. He had been expecting it since their midterm exam when he’d beat her in accuracy and timing on a pretty complicated healing tonic. Victoria was gracious but he could tell it was her breaking point. Slughorn never noticed her next to Regulus, not that she wasn’t receiving stellar marks, he was just valuable . Quietly grateful for the hopeful end of potions bitterness, Regulus pulled out his own copy of Advanced Potion-Making and flipped to page 427.
How would she feel if she knew what his life was like outside of lessons? Certainly much better about herself. Regulus could picture her haughty expression and cruel judgment, her words were so vicious, but pointed and observant, she could eviscerate someone if she wanted to. And most importantly she was not a liar. He watched her, friend and foe and hoped she would never find him out.
“It’s faint blue smoke,” Regulus said looking ahead in the textbook, “year seven curriculum, we covered sleeping draughts last year.” His friend's eyes widened, Regulus was pleased. He’d remembered in their sixth year Slughorn gathered them on the first day and took them through the swirling mists of what was to come, the knowledge they would obtain. They remembered the lesson too it seemed, though he had solved it first. Darren and Victoria turned and began speaking to each other very quietly. Pandora rolled her eyes at the pair and nudged Regulus in the side. His talent for flaunting his intelligence and skills was a reflex not always admired by his peers.
“Nice going,” whispered Pandora.
“I’m helping them,” he discreetly pointed to the pair who were furiously flipping through a shared copy of the potions textbook muttering. Pandora again rolled her eyes and turned to face the front. Regulus waited until they’d found the page and began murmuring together, allowing him to finally sit properly as the chamber door opened. Slughorn entered the room with a tight smile, the vapor obscured his broad outline.
“Looks quite old these days doesn’t he?” whispered Darren. Slughorn did look rather meek compared to the last time they had seen him in December, Regulus could see that the professor’s eyes were bloodshot and his face was somehow gaunt as if he were ill. Slughorn’s lavish wardrobe seemed to follow suit, his robes were rumpled- a shoe scuffed. He was worrying about something. The new decade had brought the war in a different direction and everyone was feeling it.
