Runaway love | Jegulus

Chapter 3

I hope this makes sense but tell me if it doesn't. Isla

Regulus stared out of the window of his new bedroom, watching clouds drift past the moon. He curled up on the window seat, his chin resting on his knees, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. The room was smaller than his old room but still large by any standard, it had all of the same furniture the other room had but these pieces were made from sand coloured wood and not painted black and sickeningly polished like his had been. The wooden floors weren't cold, the curtains weren't thick, black ones that blocked out all light sources, it was nothing like the room he'd spent 15 years in. It was more inviting, more open. He sighed heavily as he gazed over the vast garden. He would never return to that room. He would never be able to undo what he had done.

Regulus's room was filled with darkness when Mrs Potter entered with her medical kit, just after 10 O'clock, and it didn't surprise her. After all, some people become accustomed to living in darkness. Regulus didn't seem to notice her enter at first. She watched him for a moment, noticing how shallow his breaths were and thinking to herself that he looked so small, lit only by the white moonlight. She knocked on the open door. Though she had done this incredibly gently Regulus jumped up instantly, his eyes wide and filled with fear. He softened slightly when the light was turned on and he saw Mrs Potter's kind face smiling sympathetically at him from the doorway. She had her long, silver hair pinned into a neat bun and wore a gold night-dress.

With a gentle flick of her wand, she moved a large, crimson armchair from the corner of the room to edge of the bed and sat in it. Regulus watched silently as she carefully laid out a few small potion vials and a bandage. She patted the edge of the bed gently and Regulus took this as his cue to sit down too. She explained the process to him in complete detail, making sure he knew exactly what she was going to do and what to expect. Then, she disappeared out of the room, only to return moments later with Sirius in tow. He smiled sheepishly at Regulus, who nodded slightly, and took a seat next to him on the bed. Regulus did not acknowledge Sirius further, but deep down he was comforted by his presence. For years he had struggled with the loneliness of being left behind, but having Sirius next to him again, he felt himself breathe slightly easier. He would never admit this though, it was too painful.

"Right, lets get this over with then, shall we?" Euphemia leaned forward and began to inspect Regulus's wrist. She tutted to herself as she cast diagnostics on it before beginning the healing process, a simple one that no one had cared enough to do before. She knew the break was old and that it must've been causing the boy considerable pain, but she also knew he wasn't anywhere near ready to talk about it with her, so she resigned herself to helping fix it for now. She handed him a small vial of painkiller, which he drank gladly. She then began to slowly manipulate the bones back into the correct places, lining up every fragment perfectly, constantly checking Regulus's face to see if the painkiller was holding. When she was happy everything was in line, she handed him the Bone-Growing potion and chuckled slightly as he tried not to gag from the disgusting taste. She tenderly bandaged the wrist and handed Regulus an extra pain potion, in case the other one wore off too soon. When she was satisfied, she said goodnight to the brothers and turned to leave the room, kit in hand.

"Thank you!" Regulus said quietly, looking up at her with wide, sad eyes. She smiled at him again and left, closing the door behind her, leaving the Black brothers alone.

Regulus could feel Sirius building up to say something, but he couldn't bare it, he couldn't pretend everything was okay. He couldn't pretend he didn't feel incredibly guilty for choosing to come to Sirius's new home, for forcing his way back into the life of someone who had chosen to leave him behind. He wasn't ready for the emotions he knew he couldn't control.

"I'm tired." This was all Regulus could say as he climbed under the covers of his bed. Sirius seemed to deflate slightly, as though the wind had been knocked out of him by Regulus's dismissal of his company. He got up and walked to the door, opening it slowly, as though he was waiting for Regulus to change his mind. He glanced at his brother, catching his eye for a moment before he rolled over, turning his back to Sirius.