origami. . . REGULUS BLACK

five.

CHAPTER FIVE
Pure Madness
January 25th, 1979

          Mallory watched as Fabian paced back in forth in her bedroom, his shoulders were tense and he kept silent. Not a single word had been spoken ever since she had told them she was meant to go back home. Home without them. It wasn't much of home then, was it? If they weren't here anymore, then their home wouldn't feel like a home. That was not the point, far from it, right now it was about how mad she was.

After a few minutes in complete silence, he sat down at the edge of the bed next to her and let out a sigh, "You are mad, Mallory," he uttered, burying his head into his hands. "Do you realise how dangerous it is?"

"I know."

Was it the worst of this ridiculous situation? The fact that she could die or be tortured for being her, or being around them. Weirdly, she was awfully okay with it. Gryffindors traits, Lily would remind her.

"I have agreed, though," she reminded him.

"But, this is mad!" Gideon agreed with his brother. "You—Mallory, you can't just—you can't leave here and infiltrate these mental families!"

"I'm a pure blood after all."

Fabian snorted, "Not like them. You do know that."

Mallory shifted her body so she could face him as Gideon sat in the chair in front of them, and said, "Mal, they are different kind of pure blood. Fab and I, we are pure blood too...Just not like them."

"But—You know, I could easily switch side," she murmured. "Not really switch side but I could. And I will."

"Reckon you'll be able to visit us? Or owl us? Anything, really," he muttered softly. "Gid and I get pretty lonely without you, you know."

Gideon chuckled, "That is, sadly, very true."

Mallory cupped Fab's face as he looked up at her, "I will be at home, our home," she reminded them both. "If you want to see me, use the Floo, I will let it open for you two."

"Is it safe?"

"Safer than walking through the door," she told them. "You'll be able to visit, alright? I will make sure of it."

Fabian and Gideon both nodded with a hum and Mallory smiled, "I'm going to be alright," she reassured. "If things get out of hands, Moody won't be far."

"How do we know Black is not going to try anything?"

Ah, she should had known this would come up. Really, she didn't even know herself. But after her conversation with Black and how quick he had assured it was okay for her to be scared, she felt like she could trust him. Perhaps something had switched between them, they did spend lots of time together without even meaning to at first. Then, it would end up in spending days in the library together and chatting about the books they were reading or when he would try to annoy her in the kitchen. Maybe Regulus Black was nice and not the arsehole Sirius had described the whole time.

Mallory still recalled vividly how Sirius' opinion completely changed. The youngest Black went from Reggie to Regulus to wanker. It went from happily going back home to reluctantly going back to never step foot in Grimmauld Place.

"He won't."

"How can you be so su—"

Mallory cut him off, "I know it, Fab."

He released a sigh and shook his head, "If you say so."

"Trust me," she breathed out, smiling at them. "That is all I'm asking for. To trust me."