MAKES ME FEEL ALIVE → regulus black

05.

I USED TO BE AFRAID OF THE WORDS BUT WITH YOU I'VE LEARNED JUST TO LET IT OUT NOW MY HEART IS READY TO BURST

24th November 1976

Rose found herself gazing out of the window during yet another tedious Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.

With their O.W.Ls quickly approaching, their professor, a woman in her late fifties and of a short stature, had decided that the class needed to focus on theory.

Rose could name all the seven ways of identifying a werewolf, but couldn't quite be sure how to do the simplest wandwork.

It didn't help that Professor Schuyler had an affinity for anything related to hinkypunks, and would often find a way to lead any topic to the one-legged creature.

Rose couldn't help but smile when the stout teacher once again mentioned hinkypunks - how she managed to connect defensive spells in combat to the creature, she would never know - and glanced over to Regulus.

Not it, was on the tip of her tongue, as it had become a past time of theirs to mutter the phrase whenever their teacher mentioned her favourite animal, and whoever said it last would have to the other's DADA homework for a week.

Regulus, however, hadn't even registered the use of the dreaded word, and was staring blankly at his desk, his mind elsewhere.

Rose sighed, and her own gaze returned to the window, and the grounds beyond it.

This had become a regular occurrence, ever since the two returned from the summer holidays. Regulus was distracted, moody and surly, and Rose couldn't figure out why. He wouldn't open up to her, and she feared prying too much, resulting in him pushing her away yet again.

Several times she'd considered approaching  Sirius Black, Regulus' older brother, in the hallway, or even one of his Slytherin friends, though she knew their opinion of her was about the same as that of a house-elf, but dismissed these ideas, deciding that Regulus would open up when he wanted to.

Today, though, she was fed up of her friend's moodiness, and resolved to do something about it.

"What is up with you lately?" Rose demanded, approaching him in an empty hallway after class.

"What d'you mean?" He only shrugged, and it filled Rose with irrational anger.

"I mean," She said, annoyance clear in her tone. "Ever since we came back you've been distracted. You barely pay attention in lessons, I can't remember the last time I saw you smile like you meant it, and yesterday that first year was so terrified of you she burst into tears."

"I didn't mean to swear so much, but she was trying to steal my quill," He muttered.

"Regulus-" Rose started, but then he was looking at her, and it wasn't that she hadn't noticed the exact shade of his eyes before, it was that she had it mesmerised, yet every time he looked at her like that, her heart skipped a beat.

"I have quidditch practice."

"No, you don't," Rose frowned.

"I- what," He looked a little confused she'd seen through his flimsy excuse.

"Gryffindor's are practicing tonight, like they have been for the last three years."

Regulus opened his mouth, no doubt to find another reason to avoid talking about whatever what was bothering him, but Rose beat him too it.

"I'm your friend, okay, and despite what you seem to think, I care about your emotional well being. So, what the fuck is going on with you?"

There was a long pause, before Regulus hesitated. "My brother. He, um, moved out over summer. Him and my parents, they don't exactly agree. On anything. And as far as he's concerned, I'm just like them," Regulus' tone was bitter.

"And d'you know what's worse?" He said, so softly Rose almost doesn't hear him, as he locks eyes with her. "Sometimes, I worry he's right."

Rose wanted to say so many things, but he looked at her and saw them all.

"I don't want to talk about my brother anymore," Regulus said, and then his lips were on hers.

when you accidentally hit the publish button before you finish the chapter rUDE

it's actually a little sad how much I do that whoops rip my readers

anyways, I hope you like this chapter, and by the way, I've published a clizzy fanfiction called Sanity that I'll be starting when I finish this, you should check it out if you're in the tmi fandom :)

maybe vote and comment?

— Ellie