𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗 - ʳᵉᵍᵘˡᵘˢ ᵇˡᵃᶜᵏ

Chapter 32: Sirius Black A.K.A. Public Enemy Number One

[ March 11, 1978 ]

IT WAS just passed midnight when she found herself outside of the Slytherin boys' dorm.

      Her throat was raw from the crying, the yelling, and the three cigarette's she'd chain-smoked after Eve left; her skin sticky from the tears, the snot, and the makeup that was surely smeared across her face. Really the last place she should want to be in her current state was where Regulus was—according to the map she'd only just stuffed away in her pocket—but she barely spared a thought for his presence. She wanted to be with Evan.

She'd considered going back to her own dorm. It probably was the proper thing to do. However, she couldn't stomach the idea of facing Pandora and Sybill, not now that they knew the truth. She didn't want their pity or their awkwardness or—worst of all—their questions. She worried Sybill would be mad; the girl was always going on about how they shared everything with each other, given she was the only one who knew about Theona and Regulus (aside from Evan and Barty, but Sybill said they didn't count because they were Regulus's friends.) Pandora would probably be understanding to some extent, ever the pacifist, but that didn't necessarily mean she wouldn't be upset.

Evan was the only close friend Theona had who didn't know her deepest darkest secret. It was a comfort, to have someone who only knew Theona the way she wanted to be known. He was the only person she could fathom the idea of being around.

Perhaps it was rude to barge into his dorm as late as it was, but Evan had said if she needed an escape she could come to him and she had taken that to heart. She just hoped she wouldn't wake him. She'd never seen him right after waking up, but she had a feeling it wasn't a pretty sight. He didn't seem like the type to appreciate interruptions to his beauty sleep.

Still, no matter her concerns, she knocked.

She was under James's invisibility cloak, so when Barty opened the door, his brows crinkled. He poked his head further out, swinging it back and forth to peer down the hallway. She took her chance to slip passed him.

     Regulus was on the floor, sitting criss-cross-applesauce in front of a chessboard. The game looked about halfway through and it seemed like Regulus was winning by a far margin—not that Theona knew much about chess. Still, he was staring intently at the board like his next move would make or break the game.

      "Must be a first year being a little dickhead," Barty huffed out behind her. She could hear the click of the door following his words, preceding his footsteps as he returned to the game of chess.

     Evan was sitting in his bed, a book laid open in his lap. He didn't appear to be actually reading it, though, as his eyes were trained on Barty, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. She made a mental note to make fun of him for it later, before unceremoniously plopping herself on his bed and yanking the curtains shut in one swoop. Evan let out a yelp of surprise, but she paid him no mind as she wordlessly casted a sticking charm. It should work to keep Barty and Regulus out—for a little while, at least.

     "Evan?" Regulus called out, a shuffling sound coming from outside the barricade of curtains.

     "E, what the fuck?" Barty questioned.

     Theona pulled the cloak off of her body, watching as Evan's already wide eyes widened further. She pressed a finger to her lips, silently pleading for him not to mention her presence.