Silent Riot | Regulus Black

FORTY SIX

A week before the OWLs started, and she'd managed to distract herself by studying in the library for the exams with Luke and Ted. They sat at a table of three because she couldn't bear the empty chair at their old table of four, and she flicked through the Goblin Wars while Luke hexed some first years for being too loud with uncharacteristic viciousness.

'This is stupid,' Ted moaned. 'I'm never going to remember it.'

'I told you start earlier,' Luke said smugly. 'I've been revising since the beginning of the year.'

'We're not all try-hards, Lucas,' he retorted, slamming his book shut. He lay his head down on the book, though his eyes were wide and attentive.

'What are you doing?' Luke asked.

'Waiting for diffusion to happen,' Ted said grandly. 'The knowledge will... diffuse into my brain...'

'Oh my god,' Luke said, shaking his head. 'Can you please go and be stupid somewhere else?'

'N- oh look, it's Black!' Ted's face fell immediately. 'And Avery- oh- ew...'

'Shut up, Nott,' Avery sneered as he and Regulus swaggered past. When you want me and not just somebody. Gemma caught the latter's eyes and immediately averted her gaze- but not enough to notice the chilling scowl the curly- haired boy shot at Elladora on his way.

'That was cold,' Ted commented. But he wasn't talking about Elladora or Gemma. 'He didn't even say hello to me!'

'Since when do you even like him?' Luke pointed out.

'He should still say hello!' Ted insisted hotly. 'It's common courtesy!'

'Yeah, you're right,' Gemma nodded, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. She turned around in her seat. 'Hey, Black, didn't your mother ever teach you manners?'

'Didn't yours?' He snapped back. 'Oh wait- she wasn't around long enough to.' Ted burst out laughing and Gemma turned back around to face him.

'Ouch,' she said dryly, as Ted continued laughing. He didn't stop until Luke slammed him in the head with a heavy textbook and he slumped onto the desk. Gemma genuinely couldn't tell if he was actually unconscious.

.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.

Gemma was thinking. The gears in her mind turned as she mulled over the words of the figure from the forest; but she didn't let herself sink into a depth of despair, no, she paid heed to his words as every one of them was vividly imprinted in her brain.

Dumbledore did this to you. Did what? Should she ask? Would she get an answer? How long could she avoid the headmaster for what he did to Iz- what about the next mission she had to do for the Order?

It was too late to go barging into his office though. Everyone was asleep, the lights were... but she couldn't sleep.

Groaning inwardly, she decided to go for a walk, if only just to sort out her thoughts.

She went down the stairs to see Regulus in the Common Room, asleep with his head resting in his hand as he sat over a sheet of parchment with Ancient Rune translations on them. He looked so at peace, and her eyes took in every detail of his face, before she shook herself out of her daze and continued on out of the room.

She breathed in the openness of the corridor, soaking in the thrill of breaking the rules as she went forward.

Not for the first time, she wished her magic worked, or at least just enough to light the tip of her wand so she could see better than the dim torches that lit the hallway.

She kept walking for about five minutes with no clue of where she was going or what she was doing, and she was almost suspecting she'd gone mad when a gasp behind her nearly caused her soul to jump out of her body. She spun round to be met by startled grey eyes.

'Sirius,' she said, placing her hand on her heart. 'You scared me.'

'Scared or shocked the living shit out of you?' He asked cockily, pointing his wand so it was squarely in her face, and she blinked at the brightness.

'Uh- what're you doing out?' She questioned nosily.

'Um, looking for someone,' he said enigmatically.

'Alone?' She asked at the same time Remus Lupin emerged from behind the wall with an 'oh there you are, I found- oh, erm, hi.' Of course, she thought, when was Sirius Black ever alone?

'Hello Lupin,' she said dully, nodding to the boy, who awkwardly waved and looked at Sirius, hoping the more confident boy would say something.

'This was a lovely not-awkward not-suspicious altercation!' The Black boy announced, clapping his hands together. 'But, alas, we must depart.' Her eyes trailed to something that was sticking out of his pocket, a piece of parchment.

'Alright,' she said, 'bye.' The second they turned their backs, she swiftly and gently pulled the parchment out of his pocket, and headed back to the Slytherin rooms, inspecting it. With awe, she found it was a map, one of Hogwarts, and everyone in it. She saw Regulus in his Common Room. Lily and Marlene in the Gryffindor ones. Curiously, Elladora with Dumbledore in his study. And McGonagall was patrolling the corridors... She was shaken out of her curiosity by this revelation, and she walked speedily back to the dungeons.

She walked into the Common Room, breathlessly slamming the door shut behind her and startling Regulus from his sleep. Excitedly, she sat down opposite him, spreading the map out on the table.

'What do you want?' He asked coldly, but she didn't notice it.

'Look what I found Black and Lupin with!' She said, pointing at it. He looked to it and his eyes widened and he seized the parchment.

'This- this is a map- '

'Of Hogwarts!' She said, a wide smile on her face. 'And it moves, too, look! Oh, your brother is a genius, seriously...' Regulus watched as she rambled on animatedly. He analysed the way her featured lit up with every action of her hands, and the way her eyes returned to him, and then to the map, and then widened again with newfound excitement.

She stopped talking, and tilted her head. 'What? Why are you staring like that?'

'Nothing,' he said. 'You haven't smiled like this in a while.'

'Astute observation,' she said mischievously. 'I would stay, but I'll come back when you want me and not just-'

'I'm sorry,' he said quickly. 'I didn't- I don't- '

'It's fine,' she cut in. 'You were right, I guess. Truth hurts or whatever.' They faded into silence before Regulus spoke up.

'But... seriously?' He asked. 'Snyde? Nobody better?'

'Better than Mulciber,' she joked. She considered, fleetingly, asking him about his predestined marriage, but when the future bride stormed in with tears hardly drying on her face, she dismissed the notion.

Regulus stood up at the sight of Elladora in the state she was, but then seemingly remembering something, sat back down again as the girl went straight up to her dormitory.

'Aren't you gonna help her?' Gemma asked, and he scowled.

'She can help herself,' he growled, and the blonde girl shrugged. She assumed they'd had a petty argument, and it would sort itself out sooner or later.

In hindsight, she was very, very wrong.

'What're you reading, anyway?' She asked, peering over his shoulder. She only saw the words split the soul before Regulus pulled it out of her view.

'Nothing,' he said. 'Why are you so nosy?'

'Why are you?' She muttered, her mood souring slightly. She pulled the map from him. 'I'll give this back to Sirius tomorrow, I suppose. Night.'

'Night,' he said, turning away from her, dismissing her with the action.