Once upon a Midnight Dreary - Regulus Black

Chapter 13

"𝔄re you all right?" Regulus prompted. "You've been distracted all afternoon."

Jiao blinked herself out of her stupor. "Hm?"

She didn't seem to follow the thread of the conversation, her expression vacant. I hadn't seen her since visiting James' flat last week; the difference between then and now was astonishing. She was in an odd mood, fidgety and absentminded. She was still wearing her regular office worker outfit after finishing her shift at the Ministry. She was now sitting with us in her kitchen, chin on hand. Frowning, her eyes were set wide under the elegant curve of her finely arched brows. She wouldn't say much during the past three hours, allowing me to do the talking all by myself. Regulus was studying her without any interruption, he himself keeping quiet as well.

It was now seven in the evening, the warm orange light of the setting sun stealing through the curtains. Since her mother and stepfather were working until ten at night, Jiao had invited Regulus and me to hang out with her at home. The three of us hadn't spent any time together since running into each other in London at the beginning of August.

"Another tough day at the Ministry?" I asked her in a light tone.

Still in a semi-coma, she replied tentatively, "No, it was actually quiet and peaceful... barely any trials at all. Next week should be a calm week, too."

It was now Regulus' turn to pry, "Did Jack say something to you?"

Jiao shook her head again, her gaze fixed upon a faraway point somewhere above the television.

"No, he was almost nice this morning. He even asked me if I wanted some coffee."

Losing the remainder of his patience, Regulus let out an indignant little huff. Unlike our mutual acquaintances – blokes like my cousin and his friends –, he never bothered with gossiping and hunting for futile rumors. Nonetheless, his curiosity usually wouldn't let him be until he got all the answers to his burning questions. Whether it had to do with the Dark Lord's theoretical Horcruxes, my real father's whereabouts or even the reason to Jiao's strange mood, Regulus wouldn't stop until he worked out the right solutions. Now, too, he was tirelessly sending her probing looks, intent on solving yet another mystery. Jiao, however, wasn't cooperating; I could tell that the lack of answers and her distraught attitude was really bugging him.

"What happened?" he demanded. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

She hesitated, her eyes troubled. Once she made up her mind, she drew a deep breath and established herself more comfortably in her chair.

"I finished earlier yesterday," she began, "so I decided to visit James. He just got back from Glasgow... he had to run an errand for Professor Dumbledore there."

She kept her eyes lowered, so she couldn't see that Regulus continued examining her features, a frown on his face. I was sitting next to him like a cumbersome mannequin, the long-standing humid weather wearing me out. It also didn't help that I had just spent the past hours talking without receiving any reaction from either Jiao or Regulus. Admittedly, I wasn't too interested in her likely quarrel with James, but because she always listened to my whining, I figured it was only fair if I returned the favor.

"I was going to surprise him. He told me I could go to his flat anytime I wanted, even when he wasn't around," she continued, her lips going dry and her eyes growing more concerned. "When I got there, he was out on the balcony... hugging Lily."

My eyebrows flew up and stayed there, nearly blending into my hairline. I thought they had an argument of some sort, maybe something related to Lily Evans and Jiao's insecurities or perhaps James' own jealousy towards Cole; I hadn't expected a full-blown juicy conflict like this one.