Love & Scars

The Identity of the Unknown Man

Regulus had just gathered all his ingredients and placed them neatly on his workspace when a small knock came from the door.

"Come in." Professor Slughorn called out. The door creaked open and to Regulus surprise and relief, Isabelle entered the classroom. "Oh, miss Black. Come in, come in." He smiled broadly, gesturing her in. He never stopped calling her miss Black, it seemed to have stuck. "Professor Flitwick already informed me you were coming. Let's see -" He was starting to rummage through his papers on his desk. Regulus tried to catch her eye, but it was firmly fixed on the Potions' professor. "Here we go." He laid the parchment flat on his desk. "These are the potions that are a possibility for your NEWT's. I listed them as the most likely to least, so I suggest you start at the top." He tapped the first potion with his chubby finger. "You're welcome to sit anywhere."

"Thank you, professor." She smiled at him, taking the parchment. When she turned, she looked around the room and when her eyes fell on Regulus, she walked over with a small smile. The sixth year Gryffindors looked at her curiously, but she sat down next to Reg. "Hi."

"Isabelle." He engulfed her in a tight hug, not caring if people were staring at them. He breathed in her familiar scent. "Where have you been?"

"I needed time alone."

"But I saw you in Hogsmeade disappear with some man." He said as he pulled back.

"I'll explain later, okay? To everyone."

"A-alright." He said a little disappointed. "What are you doing here anyway? Don't you have Charms?"

She quickly explained her change in schedule to prepare her for the NEWT's in just a few months before she started working on her first potion on the list. Regulus kept shooting her sideway glances, trying to read her face but she could be put in Slytherin with a blank face like that. She showed no emotion whatsoever. He scribbled down a note for Remus, pretending it was notes for Potions before sending it on its way. He thought, he saw Isabelle's gaze shift to him, but she didn't say anything. When she reached the part where the potion needed to shimmer for ten minutes, she cleaned up her workstation. Once clean she sat back down next to him.

"So, you and Remus came forward?" She suddenly whispered.

Regulus blushed, keeping his eye on the potion. He knew she was smirking. "Uhm, yeah. I don't want to hide anyone I love. And it's been okay. The other houses glance and whisper but nothing more. I get snarky remarks and dirty looks from some Slytherins but that's about it. Evan and Barty have my back, I can still stay in the common room. Nobody's trying to hex me or anything."

"They better not." She huffed. "Or they literally won't know what hit them."

Regulus gave her a crooked grin. "You're so protective, you love me." He chuckled.

"Of course, I love you. You're my brother."

"If I'm your brother -" He started slowly, carefully. "What is Sirius?"

"You don't want to know what I think about him right now." She said before going over to large shelves on the wall that were filled with vials. She grabbed one from the shelve and headed back. "I'm happy for you and Remus." She said as she ladled the potion in the vial before he could say something.

"He's miserable." He leaned closer to whisper. She snorted as a response. "Talk to him."

"He can talk to someone he trusts." She snapped, grabbing the potion from the desk and headed over to the professor. She walked out of the classroom without looking back.

"Shit." He muttered. Now she's mad at me. Great few days for the Black brothers. He thought to himself. He jotted down another note and send it to Remus.