𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 || 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Chapter 54

Saturday 26th April, 1977

As soon as I walked in the Great Hall I felt eyes on me. I saw them too, the dirty looks shot my way, the hushed whispers, the stunned stares. I saw it all and tried not to let it affect me as I walked to the Slytherin table.

There were even more glares coming from the Slytherin table, but one look at Barty, who, alongside Evan and Regulus, were shielding me from view, stopped them from voicing whatever thoughts they had about the current situation.

I looked over at the Gryffindor table to find James staring at his plate, jaw clenched as he gripped his utensils tightly. My eyes searched the rest of the table, but Sirius wasn't there. He hadn't even bothered coming to breakfast, or maybe he just really didn't want to see me.

Both thoughts were depressing.

"So, have fun last night?" Evan asked, raising his eyebrows at me suggestively.

I rolled my eyes but smiled, knowing he was trying to get my mind off everything that was happening.

"What happened last night?" Pandora asked.

Before I could say nothing, Barty, Evan, and Avery all launched into a long, completely false explanation of the 'canoodling' we did last night.

"Dude, no one calls it canoodling," I said.

Avery scoffed, giving me a very judgmental stare that only he would be able to pull off. "They do so, because I just did."

"Actually, she's right. Literally no one-" Barty went quiet very fast at Avery's look and mumbled something under his breath, head bent as he sulked.

I smiled at their antics, feeling my shoulders relax a bit. Yes, things were shit and I was balancing very precariously on the edge of bursting into tears, but I still had my friends. My friends, who were there for me, ready to fight anyone who looked at me twice. My boyfriend was also a huge help, and I just hoped he didn't blame himself for this whole debacle.

When breakfast finished we left to go to our first class, Charms. We hadn't been partners while fighting, and though we had resolved our issues we still had to sit away from one another. It was hard, because then I was forced to endure the whispers alone, without an anchor or comfort to get me through it. I could only imagine Regulus was feeling the same.

When Charms ended though, we sat at our next class together, which only increased the rumours. It was nice, though, being able to be with him without hiding. Strange, but nice. I kept thinking what I could do to make it seem like we hated each other, only to remember that everyone already knew we were together. It would take some time getting used to, and though I still wished none of this had happened, it was nice finding a bright side in all of it.

After that class I met up with Dorcas for Herbology. As we did our work, she made me explain everything that she had missed out on, because I hadn't had a chance to explain things yesterday. She was a good listener, gasping at all the right moments and promising to make all the right people pay. Mainly Selena Rowle.

When it was lunch and I entered the Great Hall, I noticed the Gryffindor table devoid of all marauders. I took this chance to go over to Lily, Mary, and Marlene and explain to them what had happened. They were all very supportive, thankfully, and told me they didn't care who I dated. I was so relieved to have their support, to know that they didn't hate me, that I hadn't lost even more friends.

"How are Sirius and James?" I asked hesitantly.

The girls shared an uneasy look, making me feel queasy. I'd hoped maybe they'd just needed time to chill off, but from their reactions I guessed that was not the case. I only hoped they wouldn't stay mad at me for too long.