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Today marks the beginning of the Holiday break, and Josephine has already exchanged gifts with Dorcas, who is eager to spend time with family and Marlene during the winter break. Josie and Pandora accompany Dorcas all the way to the carriages, expressing warm wishes for a good break.
As Dorcas prepares to leave, Josie can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. It is unusual for her to stay at Hogwarts during the break, and saying goodbye to friends feels strange.
Alora, too, is heading home, and Josephine has already bid her farewell, asking Alora to convey greetings to Karina.
With a smile, Josephine wishes Dorcas well, "Have a good break, alright?" Dorcas laughs and promises to do so before hugging Pandora.
Coincidentally, it also marks the one-year anniversary of Josephine and Regulus getting together. Despite the passage of time, Josie isn't certain if Regulus remembers. Her thoughts wander, wondering if he has, as she hasn't seen him at all that day.
Amidst the farewell moments, Josephine notices James and Sirius engaged in conversation, patiently awaiting the carriages that will transport them to the train journeying home.
She absentmindedly picks at her nails, bidding Dorcas farewell once again before approaching James and Sirius with a hint of hesitation.
"Josie," Sirius immediately notices her, smirking as he moves closer. "Sirius," she replies, glancing at James.
Turning her attention back to Sirius, she says "Have a good break."
In that moment, it seems like James and Sirius realize the significance of what happened last year during the break. It's etched in her memory, evidenced by the scar on her face and the lingering nightmares.
James, taking a few steps closer, nervously fiddles with his glasses. "You could come home if you wanted," he suggests hesitantly.
Her hands continue their nervous picking at her nails. "I don't want—" She reconsiders. "I can't, nor do I want to. Fleamont never liked me much."
The use of his name, not "Father" but just "Fleamont," causes a slight flinch in James.
"But maybe you could get a few things from my room?" she proposes. "If everything's still there."
"Everything's the same, no one's touched it," James responds with an understanding yet somber tone.
"Just get me some of the books and clothes...and shoes. I could only take so much with me."
James smiles slightly. "Yeah, I'll get it all for you."
"Thank you, James," Josie takes a deep breath. "Have a good break," she repeats before turning away. She waves at Dorcas once more and makes her way back to the castle, noticing that Pandora has already returned.
Inside the castle, Josephine's thoughts are consumed by that fight with Fleamont. The memory has resurfaced, and she despises it.
She hates the way her throat feels constricted. All she wants is to be alone, perhaps cry in a secluded bathroom somewhere—
"Josephine."
Not that she dislikes Regulus in any way, but she craves solitude and doesn't want to wear a fake smile around him. She has already been too vulnerable in his presence.
"Regulus," she greets, turning around and forcing a fake smile.
His small smile fades slightly. "What's wrong?" He takes a few steps closer.
It dawns on her once again that it has been a year since they got together. Josie contemplates if she could pretend to be happy for a few hours to make their anniversary enjoyable. The answer is no, but she decides to give it a try.
"Nothing," Josephine clears her throat. "Happy anniversary," she attempts to make her smile more genuine.
Regulus shakes his head. "Don't lie. Just because it's our anniversary doesn't mean you have to pretend to be happy for my sake."
She continues picking at her nails as Regulus approaches. "I'm fine. I don't want to ruin today," her voice is subdued.
The truth is, part of her mind insists that enough time has passed, and she should be over everything. However, she isn't fine, and that is the problem.
She still finds herself missing certain things.
"You won't ruin anything," Regulus' voice matches hers in its subdued tone. His gray eyes scan the hallway. "Let's go somewhere to talk, hmm?"
"It's fine, we really don't have to—"
"Come on." He turns and begins walking. She sighs before following him.
Navigating a few hallways, he waits until they are away from prying eyes before stopping at one of the many tapestries on the wall. She arches a brow but follows suit.
The setting reminds her of a place she had once shown him. Regulus pushes the stone wall, and it slowly groans open. They enter the small passageway, initially cramped, but she continues walking as Regulus closes the door behind them.
The passageway eventually leads to a more spacious stone room. Regulus, now behind her, illuminates the candles with a casual wave of his hand. At least it is clean.
The room isn't overly large, allowing them to sit on opposite sides and stretch their legs, although it is a bit more cramped for Regulus due to his height.
Josephine concentrates on her nails, attempting to halt her mind from overthinking, trying to prevent tears.
"Talk with me," Regulus leans closer.
"It's just about James and Fleamont," her voice lowers to a whisper. She is aware that Regulus harbors some dislike toward James, and she understands.
From his perspective, James has essentially taken away his brother.
"I said goodbye to James, and he just mentioned them," Josie shares, shaking her head as if attempting to ward off tears. "I don't even know why I'm upset. I feel like I should be over what happened during the last break. I thought I was, but one mention of it, and I want to cry."
Regulus gently takes hold of her hand, preventing her from picking at her nails. His cold skin provides a stark contrast to her warmth.
"I guess I didn't take much time to process all I have learned in the past year. I simply moved on, kept going. And sometimes it catches up with me, and I can't outrun it anymore."
"It's still alright to be upset," his voice remains just as low. "Especially if you didn't take time to process it at first. And even if you did, you're still allowed to be upset about it. You were told a lot of information about where you came from, who your parents were, and what happened to them. It's normal to be upset."
The idea that it is okay for her to feel upset resonates, making her want to cry even more. Regulus maintains his grip on her hand, absentmindedly tracing shapes on the back.
"Thank you," her voice filled with emotion.
He continues to draw shapes on the back of her hand, and they sit there until Josephine feels okay enough to leave.
~~~~~ Guys you should go check out my TikTok where I post edits of this book🙏🏻 @ is regulusxwife ALSO GUYS WHAT IF I told you i'm writing a Tom Riddle fic....MAHAHAH
