origami. . . REGULUS BLACK

nine.

CHAPTER NINE
A Brothers War
March 5th, 1979.

          Regulus and Mallory strolled around Diagon Alley because Alastor Moody had asked them to be more public, so no one would question their new found relationship. Besides, it helped them be more at ease with each other and also they both discovered that they weren't that bad. The ball had taken place a week ago, Mallory had never talked about what had happened and Regulus never pushed it either.

"This is ridiculous," Mallory laughed, eating the ice cream Regulus had so kindly bought earlier. "You are telling me your mother wanted to marry your father so badly that she forced their union!"

Regulus snorted, he couldn't believe that he was telling all of this to Mallory Abbott, "Believe it or not, Mother can be very persuasive," he chuckled. "Is the ice cream alright?"

"Brilliant. Want to taste?" " she replied, handing him her ice cream. "It's strawberries."

Regulus used the spoon to taste it and nodded, "It's good."

"Right!"

"What's a funny thing your mum or dad did?" Regulus queried as she thought for a moment but before she could answer, Regulus had gone completely rigid next to her as if he was made of stone. "Salazar."

"What is it?" She asked with a frown.

"There's—there's," a brief pause as he grimaced, grabbing her forearm and pulling her closer. "Sirius is here," he notified, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his pounding heart. He must have looked ridiculous because Mallory reached for his cheek and gently cupped it.

"Regulus, it will be alright. I don't think he saw u–"

"Ah, how surprising," the familiar voice reverberated behind them and Mallory hurried to take her hand away from his face. "Kitten, what is it?"

"Kitten, really?" Regulus snorted, a tiny feeling of jealousy hit him. "Bloody ridiculous."

Mallory nudged him softly, "Sirius," she said, greeting him as she ignored the way his foot tapped the floor impatiently. "It is not what you think."

"Oh, isn't it?" He exclaimed, glancing back and forth between the two. "Because if I'm not mistaken, you are with my bloody little brother who is a—" he stopped, inhaling. "You know what he is!"

"Oh, would you stop?" Mallory exclaimed, glancing anxiously around to see if anyone had heard them. "Can't we go back to your place so we can talk properly?"

Sirius frowned, not very happy with the fact that he would have to show his flat to his little brother but his curiosity got the best of him, "Fine. Remus is not here."

"Where is he?"

He shrugged, starting to walk, "I don't know," he told her. "Dumbledore had been coming more and more lately to ask him to go on those secret missions. He refuses to tell me shite," he sighed.

"I'm sorry," Mallory said as he simply hummed, not bothering to even glance at her.

Regulus didn't say anything, instead he followed quietly. Mallory would turn her head to look at him sometimes, though he suspected her to be only checking if he hadn't run away from them. Regulus was nervous to be with Sirius. All of their interactions had ended badly when they were still in Hogwarts, and he didn't want things to end badly now as well.

Not long after, they reached the flat and Regulus couldn't help but notice how the whole building screamed the opposite of Grimmauld place. It wasn't so bad. Mallory entered the place as if she owned it while Regulus stayed back a little, not used to being here and around Sirius.