Once upon a Midnight Dreary - Regulus Black

Chapter 18

𝔗he storage room was dark, warm and extremely odorous. It was a low-ceilinged and small space, barely able to accommodate one person, let alone two. I was too tall and sturdy to fit in here without having to crouch. Regulus had previously cast a handy Charm to make the closet soundproof; no one could hear us talk in here, but we could still hear all the noises going on outside.

For now, the hallway was eerily silent, as the guests were still in the distant drawing room where everything went on as usual with music, talk and fake laughter. Cygnus and Druella Black's home was similarly unpleasant as 12 Grimmauld Place, though it had no dead house-elf heads on the wall, something Walburga never failed to express her regrets for.

"I watched you and listened to you talk to people all evening," I told Regulus, my voice only a whisper in the stillness.

"I know. I noticed you staring at me."

"I couldn't help it. You look really handsome tonight," I said, and it was no exaggeration because no one could ever come close to him in perfection and eloquence neither on the outside nor on the inside. "And you always say something smart. I heard your conversation with Selwyn's father about goblin and house-elf rights. You've got so many nice thoughts and express yourself so well. I could only listen to you in awe."

He scoffed at my fawning. He rolled his eyes at me with skepticism, but he couldn't control the faint blush spreading across his cheekbones.

"You sound very nice, too. I really like your voice." I breathed a sigh of affectation. "I barely got to be with you for over two weeks, but it feels like it's been two centuries instead. I wish I could wake up with you every day and fall asleep in your arms every night. I'm burning up just thinking about you."

I gripped him tight and drew him towards me. He slipped his long arms around my neck, one hand caressing my nape, the other resting upon my cheek. I savored his delicate touch, his fingers combing my hair. I snuggled into his embrace more when his fingertips began massaging my scalp, the sensation sending shivers down my spine. I nuzzled him, my face buried into the warm crook of his neck.

"You know what being away from you does to me?"

"It turns you into a romantic hero?" he counterquestioned cynically.

I gave a small entertained snort, my breath puffing against his soft skin.

"You said I wasn't good enough at courting, and now when I'm trying my best to woo you, you don't appreciate my efforts."

"Well... you're certainly better-spoken these days," he admitted, amused.

After one more caress, he removed his arms from around me and placed his hands on my shoulders instead, trying to get me to back a step. I wouldn't budge and planted myself where I was, pinned to his body.

Regulus stopped trying after a few seconds and said, in a bleak attempt at convincing me, "We should go back. They could be looking for us already."

I pouted in mock indignation. "It's really cruel of you to blow me off just like that."

"I'm not blowing you off. I don't want to leave, either."

"Then let's not," I suggested promptly.

My hands lifted to his silk-clad arms, and clung firmly to the fine fabric of his dress robes. His sweet scent was pulling me, his proximity swirling through my thoughts and senses. Unfortunately, his self-control was much stronger than mine, and he shook his head no.

"We're in my uncle's house."

"So?"

The purse of his lips indicated his dissatisfaction with my carelessness, as did his frown and his next answer.