𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 ⎼⎼ 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤

vii. harry potter part two

Mairead was now squished between a group of small redheaded children, hoping she didn't step on any of them. She assumed they were all siblings because the older redhead with the baby kept scolding them about trying to steal sweets. Regulus watched Mairead try not to hit any of the swarming children desperately and tried not to let people see him smiling. Everyone noticed he was smiling a little easier around his new friend, and they were proud that he actually made a friend easily.

They also were super intrigued by his friend. She was easily nervous and tried to make a great impression. She also clung to Regulus' side, knowing everyone there fought in the war. They all wondered if she knew it was over. It had been over for about a year now, and she still seemed super timid. Yet, she was friendly and really trying to seem normal around everyone. When Mairead saw people take out their wands to do simple spells, they noticed that she flinched.

"Alright, get ready to sing!" James called. Lily then walked into the room singing Happy Birthday while carrying a cake in the shape of a broomstick with Harry's name written in bright blue frosting. Everyone joined in, and Mairead noticed her accent stood out among the others. Harry had the brightest smile on his face when he blew out the small candles. Everyone cheered and gave him a pat on the back, and the smallest redhead boy ran up to Harry and they both did some weird handshake. Slices of cake were handed out, and soon every small kid in the room had blue frosting from the letters smeared all over their faces. Even Mairead had a bit of bright blue on her lips.

"She seems nice." Sirius said to Regulus. Regulus looked warily at his brother and nodded. "Does she know it's over? The war, I mean. She's been timid all day." Regulus sighed. He really didn't know if she knew. Maybe she could tell because of the wave of calm that everyone felt?

"No clue. She hasn't used any magic or been around magic in three years. She left her wand in Dumbledore's office. Plus it's a topic we don't talk about. Magic in general. Just let her enjoy the party before you harass her. Mairead's got a lot on her plate." Regulus picked at his cake with his fork. He didn't want to talk to his brother. Not since Sirius left him at Grimmauld Place. Even after the war was over and sides were swapped, some cuts were left untreated. Some battles still fought.

Sirius nodded and shut his mouth. He didn't want to ruin Regulus' first friendship that wasn't a pureblooded family they were forced to hang out with. It was showing everyone that he was finally not the prejudiced Slytherin boy they took in, no, now he was a man with strength in his soul. It was hard for Sirius to accept the fact that he could be good after getting the mark branded on his arm. But yet again, Regulus proved him wrong. And Sirius felt like a dick for doubting him.

"Those two twins just tried to take my cake! Little pups. They tugged on my pants and told me that their older brother needed help! They almost got it too. Buggers." She flopped onto the couch on the other side of Regulus, eating another forkful of her cake. Regulus saw a blue stain on her lips and tried to hide a smug smirk.

"You've got a little frosting there..." He pointed at her lips and she licked them once, trying to get off the stain.

"All gone?" She asked. He shook his head no and was holding in a laugh when she tried scrubbing it off her lips. Eventually he gave in and let out a small snicker, leaving Mairead to frown at him. She swatted his arm and went back to trying to get the frosting off her lips, all the while, Sirius was watching the two. How was Regulus so comfortable with her if they had known each other for a month? Regulus was a hard person to warm up to and even harder for him to reciprocate that liking, so how'd Mairead Walsh manage to do it? It bugged him endlessly.

"I hate you." Mairead grumbled after Regulus had stopped snickering. He raised his arms in defeat, and bit his lip to stop laughing at her.

"I did nothing." The two just watched the rest of the party go on while sitting on the couch. It was quieter than the backyard, where a game of Quidditch had started. The window near the couch had a perfect view of the game from there, and it was quiet enough to chat without having to yell over anything. Lily had handed out flutes of champagne to the adults, and Mairead lied saying she was twenty one.

"Little does she know." Mairead sipped the flute. Regulus raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"I'm not twenty one. I'm twenty. My birthday's in like, four months." She gave a smug smile before sipping the flute again. His mouth dropped to a line and he gave her a blank look.

"Oh, Salazar, we have a rule breaker on our hands. So bold." He said sarcastically. She snorted a very unladylike snort, and set the flute down on the coffee table. She kicked her legs up on the table and watched the Quidditch game happen calmly, like she didn't have a care in the world. Regulus did the same, folding his hands on his stomach and letting his head rest on the back of the couch. He breathed in once, then let it go. He hadn't felt that relaxed in a long time. No wars to fight, no sides to pick, no stress, it was paradise. In a child's birthday party.

"You should go play. I haven't seen a proper match in a long time. What I can remember, you were good. Really good." She suddenly spoke. He looked at her, shaking his head, then turning back to the game.

"I'd rather sit here with you." He simply said. She looked away and smiled, knowing he would rather be there with her than being out there doing something he enjoyed. "Don't let it get to your head, Walsh." She turned back to him.

"Just call me Rey. So much easier. Plus, all my friends call me Rey." He looked at her, and they both looked at each other's features. Mairead saw the sharpness of his cheekbones and the defined edge of his jawline. Small, sort of invisible freckles dotted his nose from the sun. A curl dangled from his hair into his face, making him look almost boyish. And up closer, she could see his eyes were gray, but they had small flecks of blue.

Regulus saw tons of freckles that kissed her face, the slope of her nose. Her cheeks were a light shade of pink from being out in the sun all day. Her jaw was rounded, and her features made her look younger. Her hair was now starting to frizz and a few baby hairs flew out of place to rest on her forehead. Her eyelashes fluttered softly and her honey colored eyes searched his face. The honey color from further away looked darker, but here in the pure sunlight, it made them look tons lighter. And he now noticed how close their faces were from each other's.

But neither pulled away. It was just nice to study the person in front of them in silence and not have to question it. All Mairead did was question anything and everything, but it was nice to have her mind finally be silent and just look at what's in front of her. And Regulus didn't seem to mind.

From across the way, the group of Quidditch players were walking back to the house, and now saw the two studying each other through the large, open window. Lily shushed everyone as they were talking, and pointed at the two adults. Sirius saw his brother looking at the girl with such fondness he looked at Remus with, and his heart ached. He wanted his brother to be happy with him and accept him as a brother again, but he seemed happy with Mairead instead. Lily sighed and leaned on James' shoulder, watching the two.

"I bet they'll get together by Christmas." Marlene whispered.

"I'll take that bet. Seven galleons for a month after Christmas." Mary whispered back. The two shook hands and Lily shot them a glare. The two adults on the couch seemed to have noticed there was no noise from the game, and turned to the window to see everyone, even the kids, watching them. Mairead's face went bright red and she hid her face in her hands. Regulus sighed and ran a hand over his face, trying to hide the pink creeping up his neck and ears. Everyone just laughed, and after that was said and done, people left the house and said their goodbyes.

When it came time for Regulus and Mairead to leave, Mairead still clung to Regulus' arm and hoped she wouldn't get sick on the way back. They made it through the tube-like experience with Mairead only getting dizzy, so she claimed that as a win. Regulus insisted on walking her to her door before leaving to go to his own house, and they stopped right before Mairead's door. The crickets and fireflies were now out and her porch light was on.

"Well, this is where I leave. Goodnight, Rey." Regulus did some sort of bow that Mairead cracked a smile at, then she did a little curtsey.

"Goodnight, Regulus." She watched him walk away, turning his head back to look every so often before disappearing behind the latter fence. She smiled brightly once before turning to go into her house, thanking the world for the day.