Inferius | Regulus Black

Year Five

"Black?" Said Annabelle, spotting Regulus in the Black lake,

He'd waded down to his knees and seemed to be immune to the cold biting into his skin. Annabelle took off her shoes before wading after him,

"Bullocks, its freezing," she exclaimed, jumping a little bit before resuming her mission to be beside him,

"Just leave," said Regulus, he felt so, so, awful. But Annabelle shook her head, and he felt her presents right beside him,

"I will get hypothermia on a whim but I refuse to let you go through this on your own," said Annabelle, feeling the rocks beneath her feet and regretting removing her shoes, but she wouldn't dare leave Regulus' side right now, "Just out of curiosity, when did your legs go numb?"

"Did my brother send you?" Asked Regulus, his fists clenching,

"Probably wouldn't have come if he had sent me to be honest, bit of a plonker really," said Annabelle, and Regulus hummed in acknowledgement relief washing over him, before casting a warming charm over her,

The backs of their hands were touching but Regulus couldn't bring himself to do anymore than that, he could only stand motionless staring at how the stars were reflected in the Black lake,

"You're right." Said Regulus monotonously, "What are you doing here?"

"Good Samaritan," she said, bowing a little bit with the flourish of her hand and he wanted to snatch her hand as it moved away from his and keep it there, but first he would never be so controlling with her, and second he couldn't quite bring himself to move, "At your service,"

"Would you," he began but then he thought the better of it, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to process exactly what had happened in the final weeks of summer, in addition to wanting support but not knowing how to accept it, and when he tried the words got lost,

His hand must have twitched our something, because then she slipped her hand into his, squeezing his hand tightly,

"He left." Said Regulus, coming to terms with it himself as he thought about the argument, the aftermath, the letter, the encounter at the leaky cauldron,

"I did what you weren't brave enough to do!"

The words were played on a loop in his brain until he heard,

"Would you like me to break one of his balls for you?" She asked, her voice deadly serious, and Regulus let out a small laugh, the statement had caught him rather off guard,

"I didn't even say a name," said Regulus,

"He left you. A dick move if I do say so myself," said Annabelle, and he smiled, his hand gripping hers back, "It probably wasn't you he was leaving," she said quietly, and his smile faltered,

"He thinks I'm just as the rest of them," said Regulus, and Annabelle furrowed her eyebrows,

"Just to be clear we're talking about your Arsehole brother?" Said Annabelle, and Regulus grimaced, nodding, "The one who forced all the expectations placed on him onto you. Your home may be toxic but it's still home, and your one normal relative leaves you to soak up all those negative.... vibes?" he almost smiled, "Honestly, Black, I don't know how you're still standing,"

"Why are you like this?" He asked honestly, no human should be like this. People like Annabelle existed only on paper,

"I know what it's like to be alone." She answered, "No one I care about is ever going to feel that way,"

He laced their fingers together wordlessly, and allowed a comfortable silence to fall over them, and then she whispered,

"Do you have the answers to the potions homework?" She asked and then he laughed, he was caught off guard, and it made the fuzzy feeling in his stomach grow, or rather butterflies?