- ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴜs ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ғᴀɴғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ
"You. Me. Hogsmeade. Tomorrow" Romie demands, leaving no room for objection.
Regulus slowly lifts his head from his book, briefly wondering if he's managed to land himself into a similar alternate dimension,
"Come again...
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꧁✧✧✧꧂
𝕾etting foot on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Regulus doesn't hover around.
It's not as though his farewell would consist of a tight squeezed hug, warm kisses to the forehead and teary stay safe, I love you's. More along the lines of a lectured speech he's had memorised for a while now and a stiff nod if he's lucky. Walburga and Orion didn't have to tag along, their son perfectly capable of walking the ten minute walk to Kings Cross Station himself, they just like to remind him who's in control. A puppet can't move without its strings.
He stalks through the bustling crowd, parting hastily to make a clear pathway for such high nobility. He should say thank you, smile and all, establish from the git-go his family's reputation isn't his own. He doesn't. As dark and broody as ever, he boards the bright, shiny red express, pushing right past the gaggle of giggling girls, fourth or fifth year, not so subtly checking him out with enormous hearts for eyes.
He's the first to the compartment, but the solitary doesn't last long, sheeny waves the colour of the sea's pearls and misty eyes full of intuition appearing through the glass moments later. Without so much as taking a glimpse, as she perches opposite, Pandora hums,
"You're downbeat"
"Really? What gave you that impression? My aura?" Regulus snarks, feeling a stab of regret almost instantly after the words left his mouth.
That wasn't fair. Pandora's nothing but liberal and patient and so unbelievably considerate that it's arguable it's somewhat a flaw. Because Regulus isn't certain he deserves considerate right now. Especially when the Ravenclaw simply nods, like he hadn't just treated her the same as the rotten bullies he and Romie have hexed on multiple occasions.
"Yes. Anger too, but you don't want to be, do you? Just like you didn't want it to happen"
A shiver, bone-chilling and disconcerting, creeps up his spine, erupting goosebumps across his covered arms. Pandora finally regards him, the small smile etching across her pastel rose pink lips strangely effecting him significantly more than her comment. Undeserving of consideration, undeserving of one of those smiles. He reckons it'll be one of his last for a while.
Anything else that could be said is nipped in the bud, the opening slide of the compartment door diverting their attention to who's joining next. As happy as larry to be back, Hestia Jones enters, squealing as she rushes to scoop her Ravenclaw friend into a long embrace. Regulus doesn't receive an identical greeting which, admittedly, he's not too fussed about, accepting the broad smile and little wave she sends him instead. He's not a hugger. Bar one or two exceptions.
In return, he offers the stiff nod learned from his parents, retrieving the book tucked up in his pocket and getting to reading whilst the girls chat extensively about their Easter holiday's and speculate what their missing piece has been up to for the two week period. The inevitable happens shortly, as the other two Slytherins finally show their faces, in a time span suspiciously close together.
