The Storm | Regulus Black

Decency

Agatha did not expect her and Black ever to become anything near friendly. Their Tuesday patrol had gone worse than she could have ever imagined. Their Thursday patrol went by in complete silence, other than sending two Ravenlaws back to their dorms after giving them detention. What kind of mask had he been wearing on their patrol on the first day of school? Why had it been so... easy to talk to him?

Now it was Tuesday again and Agatha was seriously considering faking a headache. Still, she walked down the stairs and didn't greet Black in any way, only curling her lip into a sneer when she saw him, they walked out of the Common Room in silence.

"Wilkes, hm?" is the first thing he asked her when they had gotten to the second floor.

"How do you know about Wilkes and I?"

He smiled mockingly. "As far as I know there's no Wilkes and you, have you even talked to him yet?"

"No, but my love life is undeniably far more romantic than yours, even when barely anything happens."

He chuckled darkly. "We both know that's not true."

She laughed humourlessly. "You can't exactly call whoring around a love-life, more like a sex-life."

"And what would you know about the matter?" he asked smoothly, "From what I've heard you lost your virginity to Rabastan Lestrange after a party."

"And what do you know about decency? That's not how you talk to a lady." She looked at him as if he were a literal piece of shit—which, granted, he kind of was. "Isn't it tiring? Being such a cretin all the time?"

He leaned down to her ear. "I have outstanding stamina."

"Oh fuck you."

He looked genuinely surprised at her language and stopped in his tracks. She faced him, surprised as well since she swore very rarely.

He pushed his tongue against his cheek and let out something like a chuckle as he took in her appearance. "Yet you ask what I know about decency. That's not how a lady ought to speak... I didn't expect you to have such an filthy mouth. Poor Burke, did I piss you off?"

"Well, you have to admit that my inquiry was fair since..." she looked at him sadly, "decency and manners have a tendency to stem from family. And well," she shrugged, "we both know how yours is." Then she laughed, "You know, especially after how your brother came out— I'm surprised you're not a blood traitor, mud-blood lover as well—"

Something flashed in his eyes, rage. He tutted. Tutted. Oh she knew it was going to be bad.

"You have no right to talk about family as if you know anything," he started with an incredibly soft albeit threatening tone. "You were practically a mistake, you must know that," he spoke with a cruel, smooth, low drawl, "no one really wants to have a second child—especially not a girl—if they've already got a first born boy...."

She stared at him with an unfaltering, cutting glare. "You're a second child, you have nothing to say."

He sized her up before continuing, completely ignoring what she had said, "Perfect Agatha Burke," he said her name with malice, "Are you really just that perfect? Or is it all just a facade? Show what's underneath that mask Burke. I'd really like to know..." He started walking toward her slowly and his voice became even lower, she took slow steps backward, matching his pace. "...since the boys treat you as if you had a larger-than-life inheritance between your legs."

Her back hit the wall.

"It makes me wonder... perhaps I should test the theory." His voice had become a soft, quiet one, almost as if he was calmly telling her that he was going to hex her. He gently pushed a stray piece of blonde—almost white—hair behind her ear. Then he leaned closer to her face, they were only inches apart. "You'd be foolish to think that Wilkes would actually want you for anything other than your body. He's a good guy, Wilkes. In my opinion you'd grow bored of him. You should be with someone who's more like you..."