Don't Tell Anyone About This | Regulus Black

Chapter Four

Nera looked down at the scrap of parchment in her hands. Studying for the OWLs had gotten off to a rather overwhelming start and, for a short while, Nera had needed to get her mind off of it. So she'd counted down the days until she'd be going home for Christmas. It was her absolute favourite time of year and she yearned to be back in the comfort of her home with her dad again.

She was sat at the back of the library, tucked away behind a wall of bookshelves. Balling up the scrap of parchment in her hand, Nera turned her head slightly to read over the titles of the books in the shelf beside her when a two of them were pulled out of the shelf just at her eye-line.
Again, she found herself face-to-face with Edgar Bones.

It had been a few days since she'd last, and for the first time, spoken to the boy. But he didn't hesitate to smile at her.

"Nera!" He exclaimed with delight, "What a coincidence." Edgar suddenly vanished as he walked around the bookshelf and then reappeared as he joined her at the table. "Studying for the OWLs?" He asked.

"That's the plan." She said, gesturing to the piles of books she'd set up.

Edgar then suggested, "Do you want to study together? I was planning on taking my books back to the common room because there's no free tables in here but... You could really help me out?"
"Um, okay."

It turned out that perhaps Edgar Bones wasn't so bad after all. Clearly Regulus didn't know what he was talking about.
Nera had always assumed that the popular students in the school were stuck up and rude, but that wasn't the case. At least it wasn't the case for Edgar. He seemed perfectly sweet and friendly and perhaps that was why so many people liked him.

"Wait... Are you sure that there aren't any lacewing flies in Calming Draught? I was so certain there were." Edgar laughed slightly at his own mistake as he looked down at the list of potions and ingredients he'd composed over the past couple of hours.

"I'm positive. No lacewing flies. There is crocodile heart in it, though. Perhaps you got confused. I guess they're kind of similar?" Nera corrected without looking up from the Transfiguration textbook before her.

He slumped down and sighed, "Huh."

"I know you're like... Broadening your horizons and whatever," She began, "And I don't mean to be rude, but why aren't you studying with all of your friends?"

No matter how nice Edgar was, Nera still had her reservations. He had very much pushed himself into her life out of the blue one morning. It just seemed a little too odd to be natural.

"Because when I'm trying to concentrate, they're utterly insufferable. They don't study quietly and, obviously, you're the smartest in our year." He explained.
Nera took her glasses from where they sat on the top of her head and cleaned them on her jumper before pushing them up her nose. "I'm not so sure about that." She blushed.

"I am." He replied as he started to scrawl some more notes down on his parchment.
She blushed some more, "It's only because I spend so much time studying. Anyone could do that."
"You're just being modest."

Nera remained quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say. Then she responded, "You're plenty smart though. Surely you can't be worried about the exams?"
"I'd rather not leave it to the last minute. I always do that and I've learnt my lesson by now." Edgar explained, slicking back some of his hair. This didn't stop it falling right back over his eyes though.

She smiled slightly, glad to have the company. As she turned her head, hoping to look out of the far window, the smile was quickly wiped off her face.
Nera locked eyes with Regulus, who was sat on his own reading a very old, leather bound book. They stared at each other for a moment, not quite sure what to make of it. There was something about Regulus Black that was just so...