RISE OF THE FALL | R.B.

XV.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter World belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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CHAPTER XV.

It was peaceful in the compartment for a while.

Quite a short while, at that, because after a few moments Reia spotted Regulus on the platform through the window and she tensed, unable to stop fidgeting with her wand as she watched Walburga and Orion give their son a nod; Reia couldn't tell if it was one of approval, goodbye, or just some other gesture that she couldn't decipher.

"It's not good for you, you know," Josie said as she followed Reia's gaze to find Regulus, "For you to be worrying so much. About everyone. About the world."

But Reia didn't hear what Josie had said and just absently nodded in answer as she watched Regulus swiftly take his things and drag it across the platform, towards the train.

He looked like he had last year, with the same black hair and grey eyes.

Except he looked so pale; so nervous as he tugged his left sleeve down lower and glanced around, as though checking if anybody had noticed.

Walburga and Orion Black were already gone, so Regulus was on his own—not that his parents had been particularly warm to him anyway, from what Reia could tell.

And when Regulus saw Reia watching him from through the compartment window, his eyes met hers—and she didn't blink, she didn't flinch away.

She held his gaze, until he quickly averted his eyes, not even giving him a smile or a wave like he usually did, before he disappeared into the crowd and Reia lost him among the swarm of students and parents.

With a frustrated sigh, she turned back to Josie and said, "What's wrong with him?"

"He's stressed, Rei," Josie replied with a shake of his head, "Sirius has been disowned, so he's left to take the position of the eldest child even though he's the youngest. And the Black family have very high expectations—they didn't give him a choice on the matter." Josie sighed and rubbed her left forearm absently as she murmured, "Not that they gave me a choice, either."

Reia heaved a sigh, "Things are so hard now. We're not Third Years anymore, laughing over jokes and food and candy. We're...we're..."

Josie just nodded grimly as she said, "We're going to be a part of this war. And I...I'm going to be on the...opposite side to you, Rei."

***

Reia waited. And waited. And waited.

Minutes became hours, and she tried to pass the time by making small-talk with Josie, but the other girl was too caught up reading to make much conversation.

With an irritated groan, Reia finally decided that she wouldn't wait for Regulus to come—she wouldn't just sit here and wait.

She had expected him to join them, like he had done every year in the past; she'd expected at least Lucius to come by and at least acknowledge their presence.

Her presence.

"I'm going to find them," Reia said abruptly as she grabbed her robes and added, "I'll be changing on the way."

Josie nodded, "Okay. Be back soon."

And so Reia tucked her wand into her pocket and stalked out of the compartment.

***

She checked through each of the windows of every compartment in the train, and Regulus, Lucius and Fagan Nott were occupying the last compartment, along with Narcissa Black.

Reia knew she probably should've given them some warning, but instead she barged into the compartment and turned her glare on Regulus.

"Where in the world have you been?" She snapped, "I've been waiting for you to come by, at least say hello to Josie and I, and yet you're here. After all that has happened—,"

Regulus shook his head and turned his gaze away, "Reia—,"

"Don't 'Reia' me," Reia's voice was soft now; quiet in a scary way, "I get it; maybe you don't want to talk to me. Maybe you don't want to face the truth; you don't want to face the reality of what's going on in the Wizarding World right now. Maybe you think that it'll just be awkward, or uncomfortable, or strained—,"

"I'm not—,"

"Shut up, shut up!" Reia said, frustrated, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I get that you think it'll be awkward, or uncomfortable—or that you're just not ready to face me about what happened and what's going on yet. But what about all of the years of friendship for the past, oh, six years? Just because o-of recent events—which, by the way, you probably didn't even have a choice in—doesn't mean that the past six years don't count anymore, Regulus!"

She had tried to prevent her voice from shaking and her worry to show in her tone, but it had. Even she had heard it in her own words. And even though Reia didn't directly say it, she knew that Regulus had gotten what she'd been trying to tell him:

I care about you, and one thing like this, which you probably didn't want to do, isn't going to change that.

The others in the compartment had fallen silent.

"I'm sorry," Regulus shook his head.

He had intended to straight up tell her to stay away—to stay away from Death Eaters and to not become a target; but he knew that Reia Hope Lupin—one of his best friends—wouldn't ever listen to him, even if he said it to her a million times.

She wouldn't stay away from him, or Lucius, or Narcissa, or Josie.

Because she was their friend.

And friends don't do that.

Reia felt tears welling in her eyes—tears of frustration; of worry, of stress, of anger, of sadness, of loneliness, of hopelessness.

Regulus finally met her eyes, and he felt so unused to seeing Reia—the confident, proud, strong girl that he'd known for so long—feeling so hopeless and lonely and unsure and...and...

Afraid.

It was like seeing a flame lose its light. Or like seeing a bird lose its song.

Or in this case, like seeing Reia Hope Lupin lose her hope.

Author's Note:

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