Heart Scars ||| Remus Lupin

Nine

Regulus was sitting in her bed with her, just staring at the wall. Every couple of minutes he would mutter the word 'halfblood' and then smack himself in the forehead.

"Reg-"

"Her name is Sabine Marie Dubois, her favorite color is purple, she smells like lavender and peppermint, she has a cat named Pearl, a little brother named Pierre Frances Dubois, and her mums a witch and her dads a muggle." He slams his fist on his knee and groans.

"Reggie-"

"I can't believe my luck. The first time I feel something for a girl, she's a halfblood. How stupid am I? Her blood status should have been my first question. I shouldn't have asked her all those other things that made me like her more." He throws himself backwards on the bed, and Adhara sighs.

It was the day after the party, and Reg had woke her up at dawn to come complain about his problems. He had cast a spell so he didn't wake Alecto, and then he started complaining.

"Regulus, calm down. It's not like you're married to this girl, you've spoken once." Adhara sets down this week's copy of Witch Weekly, and smiles at her brother.

"You didn't feel it, Ara. It's like- it's like my whole world stopped when she smiled at me. Merlin, those big brown eyes were so gentle, no one's ever looked at me so gently." He smiles up at the ceiling. Fear grips at Adhara's core.

Regulus was the last male Black heir. All hopes for a future of the Black house were riding on Regulus marrying a pureblood girl and producing heirs.

"Regulus, you know your du-"

"Of course I know my duty." He snaps, "I'm to marry and produce heirs, that is all I was put on this earth to do." He stands abruptly, and Adhara goes to follow him. They walk to the common room.

"Regulus, stop it." She snaps. Regulus just waves her off.

"Regulus Black, you listen to me right now." She yells, not caring if she woke half the house int he process. Regulus turns to her slowly, anger clouding his grey eyes.

"You are so much more than just the heir of the House of Black, yes that is why you were put on this earth, but that is not your only purpose. You can have a good job, you can marry, even if it's not for love. You can have children, and you can love them, and give them everything they could ever want." She sighs.

"I don't want that!" He yells, "I don't want a job in the ministry that I'm going to hate, I don't want to fall asleep next to a woman I don't care for, and I don't want kids that I only had so they can carry on my name. That- that's not what I want. Not anymore." And then he walked away from her, and disappeared out of the common room.

"Give him time, he's being bombarded by feelings." Pandora says from her spot on the floor by the fire, Adhara hadn't noticed her before.

"Hm. Reg and I don't fight much." Adhara settles on the floor next to Pandora, and lays her head on her shoulder. The blonde laughs lightly.

"Neither do Evan and I, but when we do, it's usually over something reasonable." She whispers.

"It's just, I've already lost Sirius, and Regulus is slowly slipping away from me. I just- I feel so alone." Adhara turns and buries her face in her knees.

"Hey, Ara, you're not alone. For as long as you live, you will never be alone. You'll always have us. Alecto, Amycus, Dorcas, Reg, Evan, Severus, Barty, and I, we're always going to be by your side." She assures as she rubs Adhara's back. Adhara turns her head and smiles at the girl.

"Thank you, Panda."

"Anything, Ara."

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