Andante - R. Lupin

96.

{.96. The last supper.}

The warmth of the kitchen was a welcome reprieve from the biting cold outside. It was unusual to be so cold as the months moved towards the end of July. Ally put it down to the war, everything felt different this summer. She couldn't be excited for the new babies that were due to arrive imminently. She still hadn't received the thoughts of Peter the rat going around in her head. It was too much and it was starting to show as she was struggling to eat and function properly.

It had been a long time since Regulus Black had sat at a table like this. No longer the boy caught between the fear of his family's legacy and the reluctant pull of the Dark Lord, but still weighed down by the choices he had made. He had loved Ally since he was a child, they had always been closer than the others. Alcyone Estella-Nova Montague was the only girl Regulus Arcturus Black would ever love.

The table was set simply—rustic, but with care. A pot roast, roasted vegetables, and bread, all expertly prepared by Alcyone. Her hands were steady as she poured wine into each glass, her movements fluid, comfortable, like nothing had changed. The look in her eyes, though, betrayed the weight she carried. She was on edge.

"Reggie, I'm worried about you," she whispered.

"You shouldn't be." He told her sincerely "I'm okay Estelly, really."

"I've always thought that about people who follow him," Remus murmured, his eyes narrowing as if he were looking at something far off in the distance. "It's never just about power with some of them, is it? It's fear."

Regulus felt a pang in his chest, the words resonating too deeply. He looked down at his glass, swirling the wine inside, fighting the urge to admit just how close to the truth Remus was. He was here tonight because he had his own set of fears to deal with. Fears of the Dark Lord, yes, but also fears of losing everything—of having nothing left to protect.

"So, tell us," Alcyone broke the silence, glancing at Regulus with that unguarded expression she always wore when she asked questions that danced on the edge of things they didn't want to talk about. "How are things between you and Caspian? You two seem... different lately. Also, where is he? He promised me he'd be here." She spoke quickly to try and ease the tension that was appearing in the room.

She didn't want it to be awkward but she had an indescribable feeling something bad was going to happen. She couldn't put her finger on what or why but she had that tingly feeling when she knew it wouldn't be long before something went wrong.

Regulus tensed. He met her eyes briefly before glancing away, focusing on the bread in front of him. "We're fine," he said, his tone clipped, betraying a flicker of discomfort.