The Empress of Magic

Chapter 117 : Farewell Good Friend of Mine

Something was amiss.

That was the first thing Regulus noted upon making his way to the Pitch with the rest of the team following close behind him.

The weather was good compared to the days and weeks before. Perfect for playing Quidditch in the middle of November, in fact...

His friends were up in the stands cheering for his team's victory and it was his first match as a Captain.......

He should have felt elated.... This was the day they had trained so hard for after all.....

Yet.... Something within him felt hyper-alert... Like someone was closely watching him, lurking in the shadows and waiting for the right moment to strike when he was most vulnerable.....

,, Captain?" asked Bletchley, snapping the younger Slytherin out of his thoughts by placing a hand on his shoulder. ,, Are you all right?"

Regulus, who had been standing at the entrance leading to the Pitch for the better part of three minutes, simply staring ahead could do nothing but lift his hand to massage the bridge of his nose feeling his eyes sting from not having blinked for too long. ,, I'm fine....." he replied, shaking his head at his own actions. ,, Just didn't get enough sleep...."

That was a lousy lie if he'd ever heard one....

None of his teammates seemed to believe him either by the looks they exchanged.

,, * Sigh * Let's just go......" he said, turning away from their concerned expressions and Draco's silently questioning gazes, to instead lead them out into the dazzling sunlight awaiting them.

They dutifully followed, creating a wall of defense that gave the impression of being unbreakable to outsiders.

A roar of sound greeted them in which they could still make out the faint whispers of singing from within, which they smirked at. Even muffled by the sound of cheers and whistles the song was able to travel as far as the Gryffindor side full of red and gold....

, Good....' thought Regulus, his eyes catching sight of a strange young man sitting in the stands on the Slytherin side.

His brown hair was extremely curly and kept short in the front, while the back was long and straight, dyed in the color purple. On top of his head rested a crown made up of vines and gold, the plants having intertwined themselves with his curls and gifting him a roughed-up yet handsome appearance.

He looked incredibly out of place and seemed bored to a certain degree that he had even got the galls to pull out a flask and take a long sip from it as if wanting to mess with the Professors and students surrounding him...........

, What in Salazar's name........' wondered the Black Heir, shaking his head in disbelieve, before turning his focus back to the now approaching team of lions, which were greeted with the same round of applause and cheers as they had been.

,, Should we start now, Reg?" asked Draco, his excitement visible for all those present as he fixed the silver crown badge he had charmed and distributed to the rest of the House earlier in the day.

,, Not yet...." replied the older Black. ,, Remain patient until we're up in the air."

,, Is it just me or does Reggie kind of distracted?" asked Aiden, squinting at the Slytherin in question.

,, Hm?" asked Hunter, his mind still caught up on the fact that Celestia nor Aspen had returned as of now. ,, Maybe he's just nervous? It's his first match as Captain after all...."

Aiden and Blaise shot him confused looks.

,, Regulus? Nervous about a match?" asked Aiden, wanting to make sure he had heard him right. ,, I'd sooner think he willingly swallowed one of 'Tia's deadly concoctions than him being nervous about playing against Gryffindor."