𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧

━ four

THE DAY OF THE Halloween ball was arriving rapidly, and the girls of Hogwarts were in a frenzy. Maddie, surprisingly, got many gifts from admirers. She, of course threw away the ones that she could tell were dosed with weakly made Amorienta, she had ended a Gryffindor relationship, and had covered the bedstands of anyone who had names that related remotely to flowers, such as Clover Parkinson and Violetta Ronan. Their bedstands had not been heard from since.

Maddie sighed at the hopeless girls who were trying to get the boys. Regulus Black, another fifth year, had told the whole fifth year that he wasn't interested in even going to the 'stupid, irrelevant Halloween Ball', to which half of the girl population started crying. 

Regulus had then proceeded to tell the female population that girls were also a waste of time, in which Maddie had cursed him on behalf of the girls who wanted to, but were to scared to do so. 

And then Maddie found Regulus in an empty hallway, looking like he was crying. 

"Umm, Black, are you okay?" Maddie said. 

Regulus spun around, looking at Maddie in bewilderment. "I'm fine, Snape," Regulus spat. 

"It looks like it," Maddie said sarcastically. 

Regulus glared at Maddie, but said nothing. 

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong, or am I going to have to force it out of you?" Maddie said, after a few seconds of silence. 

"He left. And didn't even think about bringing me along," Regulus said brokenly. 

"Who?" Maddie asked. 

"Sirius," Regulus told her. 

"He left you, like at a carnival?" Maddie asked. When Regulus gave her a weird look, Maddie sighed. "You've never been to a carnival?" 

"No," Regulus replied shortly. 

"We have to go to a carnival. But anyways, what do you mean Sirius left you," Maddie asked. 

"He left the family," Regulus said. "Mother burned him off the family tapestry. But he didn't leave a word of notice, didn't even think about taking me out of that place." 

Maddie frowned in concern. "He left you with who?" 

"With my abusive family," Regulus said, laughing deliriously.

"Why don't you leave, then? Maddie said. 

Regulus sighed. "Then my family would be looked down upon, and not in a good way," Regulus said. 

"But if they're abusive, then you should run away," Maddie said. 

"It's a pureblood thing," Regulus said, sighing. 

"Black, you can't stay there!" Maddie said. "You literally just said that your parents are abusive." 

Regulus sighed. "It's not like that, Maddie. In the pureblood society, your parents are the ones who decide everything for your future," Regulus said, his tone leavind no room for argument. The two sat in silence, looking at the sunset beyond the castle walls. 

TO SAY REMUS LUPIN was nervous was an understatement. He waited patiently outside the Slytherin Common Room, earning varying glances from the Slytherins that were filing out. 

And then, there she was, Maddilyn Snape, in all her splendor. 

She walked over. "Hello, Remus," Maddie said, smiling slightly. Remus glanced behind her, where Severus Snape was glaring at Remus, wand shaking in his hand.