Once upon a Midnight Dreary - Regulus Black

Chapter 8

"𝔒h my God! Felix, are you okay? Your nose is bleeding!" Jiao cried out the moment she opened the door and her eyes fell upon me.

Her voice was distant and echoey, as if we were in a tunnel. My vision was fuzzy and I couldn't make out the details of her face; it was just a blur in the afternoon shadows. I blinked a few times, trying to focus my gaze on her; I stared at her until I felt my vision clear again, and saw the way she stood on the threshold, holding onto the knob so firmly that even her knuckles went white.

"I was in the neighborhood. I thought I'd drop by," I said, wiping at my nose with the back of my hand.

For a moment, my benumbed brain wouldn't register her answer; I kept looking at the dark blood droplets on my skin. I glanced up when Jiao grabbed me by the wrist and hauled me into the hall with all her strength. I followed her obediently, my body dull and heavy as I walked sluggishly behind her.

"Tao Jiao, what's wro –" Potter paused at once as he saw us come in through the kitchen. He rose to his feet immediately as if ready to fight, then took a step back in shock and seated himself again. "What's going on?"

The sight of him jolted me and I stopped short, no longer cooperating with Jiao as she tirelessly tried to drag me over to the kitchen table where Potter was sitting.

"I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll come back later."

"No, sit down, sit down. We need to fix your nose first," Jiao insisted, clutching me with both her hands. "You're freezing cold, too. I'll make you some tea... peppermint, that's your favorite, right?"

I sniffed a little, my nose still oozing with warm blood from sheer exhaustion. It only lasted for a second before she drew her wand and cast a healing spell, then siphoned the clot off my chin.

"Yeah, stay," Potter agreed, though I could easily detect the slight reluctant tone in his voice. Truce or no, he was still not crazy about the idea of spending his free time with me when he could have been with his girlfriend, too. He noticed that I remained in place, my gaze drifting off towards the front door, and he quickly went on, "Tao Jiao was going to make us some tea, anyway. You should drink some – you look like death. You need the energy."

Still not convinced, but too dazed and tired to protest, I slowly lowered myself onto a chair opposite him. I was going to stay for a little while; I had come here, after all, to take advantage of Jiao's calming presence. Seeking her company was the first thing I had thought about the moment Theodore left my room and my shock somewhat wore off.

"Regulus sent me a letter yesterday." Jiao was standing at the counter with her back to Potter and me, preparing the tea she had promised us. She was using two different type of teabags, a classic black one for Potter and herself and a mint-flavored one solely for me. "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting. You're unwell."

"I wanted to get some fresh air to clear my head," I replied, too slow to notice that Potter was staring at me inquiringly until he spoke.

"This is like déjà vu or something," he noted, looking at me over the top of his glasses in the most scrutinizing manner. "You looked exactly this bad a few weeks back when you suddenly disappeared without telling Regulus where you went."

"I read the court documents... How are you doing?" Jiao handed me a steaming mug of tea.

I took it from her but wouldn't take a sip of it, the burning in my stomach so violent that I could feel all my intestines shrivel up. It was time for me to drink my second potion of the day, but I had failed to do that when I left home without a word. I had wandered around London since then, suffering from sunstroke and anxiety. How I had ended up in Ashwell once again remained a mystery; I had felt a strong pull towards Jiao, hoping her quiet wisdom could soothe my disturbed mind.