Midnight || Sirus Black

chapter 11

May

The reality of it all had set it. Esther thought back to that moment a month ago, with Sirius in the woods. How could she have to dumb to let that happen. She had a duty to her name, the Malfoy's, and she wouldn't let anything get it the way of that. She had been sitting on a ledge the entire day, with her many books, seeing that NEWTS would being coming up in the next month. June. She was terrified of the future, everything was already set in stone for her, she would be a married women at the end of June. She was already a death eater, she hadn't been to a meeting since that day in December. Esther thought about Sirius, how would he react to her mark? That thought alone made her scared, and she was not easily scared. Looking back down at her potions book, she skimmed through, writing down tips, and things she wanted to go through later with Emilia, which her brunette best friend was with Amos. The two had gotten closer together. Esther figured they were tucked away in some part of the library, talking carefree. Oh how she wished that upon herself.

"Esther?" Regulus called out to her, making her snap her head up. Tense, but when she saw the young Black boy she eased up,

"Hello Reggie." She moved the books, patting a spot on the ledge.

"How have you been holding up?" He asked while sitting down, "With... Everything." Esther went quiet. She didn't reply know how to answer that.

Regulus waited, his gaze gentle. He had always been a quiet presence in her life, someone who, despite his own burdens, seemed to understand the heaviness of hers. She turned to him with a sad smile.

"This marriage, the mark... it's like I'm being slowly boxed in, cornered. I thought I was strong enough to bear it all without question, but lately..." Her voice trailed off as she looked down, clutching her arm instinctively where the mark lay hidden beneath her sleeve.

He reached over, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I get it, Esther. It's like... you're forced to be someone else just to fulfill everyone else's idea of you."

She nodded, grateful that someone finally put words to what she felt. "Yes. Exactly that. And it's not that I don't believe in my family's ideals, or that I want to disappoint anyone. But I want—just once—something that's truly mine."

Regulus sighed, glancing at the castle. "I think we all do. Sometimes I wish things were simpler. That we could just... choose, without any of these chains."

Esther looked down, emotions swirling. She thought of Sirius, the fiery, untamed passion they'd shared that day in the woods, a rare moment of release from the weight of duty. She shook her head, pushing the thought aside, though a small part of her still clung to the memory.

"Thank you, Reggie," she murmured. "For listening. Sometimes, it feels like that's all we have, just each other to lean on."

He gave her a soft smile. "Anytime, Esther. We're in this together, after all. Even if we're trapped by fate."

"Now how have you been?" Esther turned to the boy again

Regulus glanced away, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he let out a soft sigh. "I've been... managing, I suppose," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of weariness. "The expectations, the family's watchful eyes... sometimes it's hard to know who I am under all of it."

Esther gave him a knowing look. "It's the price of being a Black, isn't it? Always a role to play, a legacy to uphold."

Regulus nodded slowly. "Exactly. It's exhausting. Sometimes I envy the ones who aren't bound by all this tradition."

Esther reached out, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You're not alone, Reggie. We may not have the freedom to choose everything, but we can still choose how we bear it. And you have me, and others who understand. That's something, isn't it?"