Once upon a Midnight Dreary - Regulus Black

Chapter 5

"𝔉elix!"

I turned around at the sound of someone fretfully whispering my name; Jiao was out on the terrace of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, crouching behind an African Fig. She peeked through the luxuriant green foliage, her expression wary. She probably didn't want to risk getting me into trouble in case a nosy acquaintance noticed us interacting. I was cautious for the same reason, and glanced thoroughly around to make sure that no one was watching.

Luckily, this part of Diagon Alley remained empty and silent. Those few people I saw on the streets were in a hurry to run their errands and get home in safety. With the war going on, and the Ministry cautioning everyone to stay indoors as much as possible, not many felt like making a little excursion this gloomy Sunday morning. Much like Fortescue's ice cream shop, most stores were eerily abandoned with no customers inside.

I made a circular motion with my hand, gesturing for Jiao to go around the building. She caught on immediately and climbed to her feet. By the time we met up behind the ice cream store, it even started raining.

No one could possibly spy on us here, unless Fortescue himself decided to step outside. Behind his shop, there was a narrow alley, but the gate itself was blocked in and the window overlooking the back street was bricked-up as well.

"I'm meeting up with James soon," Jiao told me as I seated myself next to her on the ground, under the eaves of the building. "I noticed you walking up and down the street earlier, but didn't know if I was allowed to talk to you... since you didn't have anyone with you, and there weren't many people around, I thought –"

She would have deserved not having to sneak around as if she were a thief guilty of pity crimes, yet she was forced to lurk in the shadows due to her blood status. She was willing to hide, too, so she could keep being friends with Regulus and me. I reckoned this sacrifice was mostly for Regulus' sake; I was merely attached goods, but I appreciated her thoughtfulness either way.

"You reckon he'll find you here?" I gestured around the blind alley, a distant thunder drowning out my voice. The sound of the storm was everywhere; rain flowing in the nearby sewer, tapping the roof, splattering on the back of my hand and falling softly on her hair and her brow.

"I still have another fifteen minutes. I just like to arrive early," she shrugged. "I'll go back to the front of the store when it's time."

"Not unless I keep you here with me," I opposed in a friendly conversational tone. "My need of your company is surely greater than his."

I knew my words would have certainly freaked her out in the past; I still remembered her continuous futile attempts at escaping me. Now she wouldn't even give me a startled look nor would she bother to pull away from me, even though my arm almost touched hers. My right feet kept colliding with her left one as I ceaselessly bounced my leg, another annoying habit of mine.

No doubt, as much as I valued her acceptance of me, I also couldn't help but keep pushing the boundaries to see what her outer limits were. She was too good for her own good, her kindness her best and worst trait at the same time, and my most messed up part of me was eager to see how long it would take until she got fed up with me. Then once she did, I would have been able to blame myself for my incapability to treasure her friendship.

While I would always regret my crudity, I still couldn't seem to stop myself from making the same mistakes; I took a sick kind of pleasure in my own self-loathing and often strived to ruin things, so I could hate myself even more.

"Regulus sent me a letter when you finally reached out to him, so I wouldn't keep worrying about you, too," she said, unbothered by my previous remark, "but I was worried regardless, because I thought he was really upset. Is he still angry with you for disappearing last week?"