Barking Mad Male Gargoyle
It's a chilly night, moonlight streams in through the large windows on the fourth floor corridor and subtly shrouds the stone walls. James breathes slowly, peacefully, savoring this moment of solitude as he makes his way to The Old Theater under the Cloak of Invisibility.
He stops to take another full breath, and before he can move again, he hears quiet footsteps approaching, carried by an equally quiet echo. It can't be Argus Filch, because he has never patrolled this floor at night before. Nor is it his cat, because Mrs. Norris doesn't wear boots. Just like most cats.
James sticks to the wall, tilting his head back and waiting. Who might be creeping in here?
And then he finds out it is, of course, Regulus. He emerges from around the corner, walking millimeters from James' face. And he seems to sense something, because he turns around with a confused expression on his face and sweeps everything around with his eyes. Maybe he smells something, maybe he feels the heat emanating from James' body.
Regulus gives up searching, crinkles his eyebrows and turns away, walking on, and James decides to take a risk by starting to follow only five steps behind him.
And apparently his intuition does not fail him, because he turns around again, with the same flurried look on his face, the same haughtily lifted chin and the same piercing grayish eyes. He knows someone is following him, but he can't see anyone, and it's bloody frustrating.
James smiles under his cloak.
However, his face fells as he slightly looks behind too, some horror clenched between his teeth, because he's convinced he heard a soft shuffling at the end of the corridor.
He widens his eyes and presses his lips into a tight line. Apparently someone is following James, who is following Regulus, and Regulus only knows about this someone who is following James, but he doesn't know about James. If that even makes sense.
"Oh damn you, don't be shy, show yourself," Regulus throws those words into the dark recesses of the castle.
He gets nothing but an even more blunt silence in response.
"I know you're here."
James gulps.
"Hate to break it to you, but you're not too good at sneaking around."
Some more shuffling.
"He, he, he, come on, Black, I thought you'd be scared to death," cackles a slightly squeaky voice, "that you'd be terrified that I'd pull your nose or ears, he, he! As if you were a mascot."
Regulus sighs heavily. The figure of a snow-white cloud looms just behind James, who slowly and noiselessly tries to turn his head to look at Peeves, who is twitching merrily.
The little man jumps up and down on one foot and then on the other. He grins broadly and nastily, flying in a ghost-like way right to Regulus' face.
"Want a candy?" he offers, pulling a pink piece of paper out of the pocket of his freaky, gaudy jacket.
"Oh, I think I'd rather be executed."
"Mhm! This haughtiness is certainly a family trait, he, he," Peeves sweeps Regulus with a mischievous glance of his slanted orange eyes.
He floats in the air, staggering around, rubbing the yellow bow tie, and the bell at the top of his hat makes a high-pitched sound every time when he nods with mocking recognition.
"Don't you have any bathrooms to flood or cats to lock in your basements?" Regulus asks.
Peeves twirls his short dark hair around his finger. "No! I came to see you because I have a... rhyme for you!"
"Spare me."
"Never! Listen. Are you listening?" he grins maliciously, snaps his fingers, and some kind of transparent scroll appears in his hands. He clears his throat.
"All the bloody Blacks and their pride, no wonder you won't have a bride," the tip of his nose would touch Regulus' forehead by now, but it melts like steam as soon as he gets too close, "and you must h i d e! Or else we'll meet on the other side!"
"I'm afraid you won't make a good poet."
"He, he, don't pretend you didn't like it," Regulus starts to walk away, but Peeves glides smoothly through the air by his side. "I know you did."
James uses the moment to duck around a corner and pull off his cloak, quickly trapping it inside his bag.
"Praise my rhyme, or it'll tell Filch you come here sometimes," Peeves threatens, "or maybe he already knows...? He, he."
Regulus rolls his eyes, "he doesn't know, and he never will. Why? Because we have a deal," he hisses, "remember."
Peeves strokes his beard.
"But who said you can trust me, Black?"
"Pretty much anyone would say I can't," Regulus replies and brings his face close to the ghost's ear and pulls his bow tie down a bit, "but they don't know a lot, yeah? So, let me tell you something."
James watches closely, leaning slightly, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't hear the words Regulus whispers to Peeves.
"He, he. See, Black? You can if you want. I'm on it!"
The poltergeist makes a funny face where he pouts his mouth and raises his eyebrows before turning completely invisible.
James waits a moment before reaching Regulus, who turns annoyed at the sound of someone approaching him again, but his face softens when he sees who it is.
"Potter."
"Befriended a ghost, I see?"
"Peeves is not, strictly speaking, a ghost at all," he mutters, "we just call him that. But he's more... some kind of spiritual flash. And most of all, he's not my friend. I truly hate him."
Slughorn complained about him, specifically "he can be invisible like a non-being, mist like a ghost, or solid like a human, but he chooses to be obnoxious and obtrusive like a wart," this was after Peeves blew up the entire classroom.
"I didn't think you'd come," Regulus speaks up and stands still, narrowing his eyes.
"Mhm! I was hoping to find you."
"I'm often found here, no hope is needed."
"Oh, yes, I heard. Peeves... said that," James awkwardly scratches the back of his head and smiles sheepishly.
"How much of our conversation did you hear?" Regulus asks harshly.
"Don't worry, not much. I just got here," he lies.
Regulus turns around, looks back as if scanning to make sure they're not being followed. He also focuses on James's dimly lit face for a moment to see him blink his eyes innocently. He sighs.
"Since you're here, I guess I can show you something cool."
"So now we're showing each other cool stuff, huh?" he smirks.
"Unfortunately, we somehow made it to that fake-relationship stage, yes."
Regulus turns left and James follows right behind him, looking from side to side, "you know there's a Hall of Mirrors here, right?"
"Of course."
"Did you know that there is a secret passage behind one of the mirrors in this corridor?"
And James knows it all too well, of course, having seen it on the map countless times, but he shakes his head with a gentle smile.
"Wait, really? Show me," he says, and Regulus is excited but tries not to show it. Not quite well, though. Anyone could guess.
"A password is needed."
"Let me guess. Best Quidditch player?" James smiles.
"No. Hint is the biggest moron. Try your name."
"James Potter," he says.
Regulus smirks as the mirror actually gives way to reveal a dark, dusty room that gradually narrows into a corridor. James opens his mouth slightly in disbelief, raises his eyebrows and widens his eyes as he realizes that Regulus must have enchanted the entrance to respond to his name, which also means he, in fact, expected to meet him here. This lying, sneaky prick. He snorts.
"Where does this corridor lead to?" James asks, knowing the answer all too well.
The interesting truth about James Potter is that he has sneaked out of the castle using this corridor a million times before, but he can't get enough of Regulus biting his lip in excitement. And he probably doesn't even realize what he looks like right now.
Regulus smiles proudly, "why don't you take a guess?"
"How? I've never been here," James says, trying to suppress an amused smile, "you surprised me, you know?"
"Eh? You are no fun today, Potter."
"Hate the taste of your own medicine, don't you?"
Regulus snorts, shakes his head, and starts to walk, or rather run, down the corridor. After a short while, James realizes he's left alone in the dark hall and the light in front of him is receding fast, so he chases after it.
They run outside, the January air hits their nostrils mercilessly as if they had been punched in the face. James looks around for Regulus and starts to panic because he can't spot him.
"Reg?" he calls out, "Reggie?"
There is a moment of silence in which James wriggles awkwardly in a circle, like a cat that has had a mouse run right under its paws, completely unnoticed.
"Regulus?!"
"You better shut it, Potter, unless you want to give us away," he suddenly appears right in front of James' face, hands cover his mouth, he is smiling excitedly.
"You got me worried, you know."
Regulus turns his head and raises one eyebrow, "you say it as if that wasn't my intention," he laughs, "let's go."
"What? To Hogsmeade? At this time?"
"Why not?"
"Mostly because everything is closed in the middle of the night, Reg," James whispers, examining Regulus's face carefully as the moonlight falls on it, "and all normal people are already asleep."
A sharp jaw line, high cheekbones, eyes glittering with excitement, a pointed nose whose shadow falls on a frozen cheek, chapped lips, black curls falling over the forehead. James is tempted to brush his hair back, tuck it behind his ear, but he holds back. Merlin, he may have some flaws, but no one can accuse him of not being so bloody beautiful.
James' heart seems to be beating faster, his breathing is definitely loud. Regulus can hear him.
"We're just going for a walk, you can take me shopping another time," he says, smiling.
"Oh, sounds like a date," James teases.
"Call it whatever you want, I don't care."
"I call it a date then. It's settled."
Regulus shrugs.
As James looks back one last time, Hogsmeade looks like a picture from a postcard: the little thatched cottages and shops are covered with a layer of melting snow; wreaths of holly hang on the doors, and chains of enchanted candles dance in the trees, which will bob so merrily until spring.
He is already thinking about next winter.
The return to the castle passes pleasantly, except for the chill that pierces their feet through the soles of their shoes. James wraps a scarf around Regulus's lower face as he sees his jaw clench in coldness and his teeth grit as he tries to speak. He bends in half, dodging the piercing wind.
They talk about the dark shop windows, the outline of the black mountains beyond the village, the bend in the road leading to Hogwarts, and the dim light coming from one of the windows. Regulus seems very pleased, and that in itself makes James happy.
"But tell me, Potter," he starts, stepping on the frosted grass that grinds ridiculously, "how the hell do you stick those notes everywhere?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, it drives me crazy. I need to know," he says, standing firmly in James' way, "right now."
"Perhaps you're not as attentive as you think?" James smirks miserably as his frozen cheeks hurt whenever he does literally anything, "or maybe you underestimate me, and I'm better at sneaking around than you?"
"Can't be it."
"Must be it."
"No."
"Whatever, love. Your opinion is my opinion."
"You are calling me love now?" Regulus laughs, "that's hilarious."
"You won't even call me by my name, so someone has to take that first step."
"I did once."
"Oh, once?" James runs a hand through his hair and looks up at the night sky. Clouds are visible. "Once?! Bloody hell."
Regulus shrugs and squeezes himself into the narrow corridor. He peeks his head around the corner, making sure it's safe to go inside.
But it's always safe on the fourth floor during the night hours. Peeves took care of that and has been doing it for months now due to the deal he made with Regulus. And James, funny enough, didn't seem to question the fact that Filch hadn't blocked their path once, as if he just accepted the fact that he simply might be a lucky fellow.
"You don't even remember it, do you?"
"Not really, no. Somehow I missed it. I guess you have to do it again," James whispers.
"I don't know about that."
"Come on, Regs."
"You'll have to earn it," he says, smiling slyly, "just try harder. Alright, Potter?"
James rolls his eyes in amusement. "Alright. If I show you something funny, will it be enough?"
"Oh, so we're for real showing each other things now. It's that stage already," Regulus raises one eyebrow, "fine, Potter, depends if I laugh."
"You are only making this task more difficult for me," he replies and begins to slowly walk into one of the darker corners, so Regulus pulls out his wand again, "so far there is only one portrait of Brutus Scrimgeour in the castle, but they intend to display more. And by the time they actually do so, the first one will always be, luckily for us, on this floor."
"Brutus Scrimgeour? Was once a headmaster, wasn't he?" Regulus narrows his eyes, "and I believe he wrote The Beaters' Bible. Was it him?"
James nods vigorously, stretches out his arms. "Mhm! About that. Come, hear what he says when you get closer."
Regulus takes a hesitant little step close to the wall. The painted figure notices him, adjusts his pointy hat, looks from side to side and mutters in great excitement in his direction. "Take out the Seeker first! Always start with the Seeker!"
Regulus laughs, "I will remember."
"Good!" Brutus turns his head and returns to his original position.
James wrinkles his nose, "he was a Beater."
"Really? No shit!" Regulus says with amusement, because it is just so obvious, "shock, horror."
"Anyway, I can show you more things," he speaks softly, as if it's some kind of promise, "lots of things you've never seen before."
"You say so?"
"Mhm, for example, er... there's also a talking gargoyle on the balcony here..." he says, scratching the knuckles of his fingers, "he usually doesn't respond to the students. Remus named him Barking Mad Male, but I have no idea why."
"Maybe he's just a Barking Mad Male?"
"So with no, like, hidden meaning... or philosophy behind it?"
Regulus turns his head, studying James' face. "I don't know. Maybe."
James purses his lips, "let's check it out then, shall we?"
"Oh, yes, with pleasure, I am just so, so interested," Regulus says, but James pretends not to sense the sarcasm in his words and smiles cheerfully, pulling him by the wrist towards the balcony door.
"Hello."
The carved statue on the rise of the concrete wall was, well... still. As usual with statues. Most of the statues.
"I said hello," James repeats.
"Yes! And I tried to ignore you," says a carved figure of a wild boar, or something like a boar... maybe a hog?
"Why is that?"
"Why is what? Why are you even talking to me? I can't talk."
Regulus laughs, as he watches James struggle with the gargoyle.
"No, apparently you can talk."
"Shhh, listen. You hear that? Silence. Nobody is talking."
"Well—"
"No, no! Not again! Bird poo on the horizon, birds, birds, birds!" says the statue and Regulus grins even more, "hide! Birds are coming! Birds, birds, birds!"
They get up quickly, both squeeze through the narrow door almost simultaneously and burst out into the corridor, laughing out loud. A bit too loud. Their voices echo in the nooks and crannies of the castle.
"What! What a nonsense!" Regulus squints and the corners of his mouth lift in amusement, "he really is barking mad! Bloody hell! I think he was almost starting to breathe fire at us."
"Hideeee! Birds, birds, birds!" James parrots, making a face like the vampires on the covers of horror movies, and Regulus covers his mouth, trying to cover up a laugh that he can barely contain.
"I can sleep peacefully thanks to this experience."
"Wait, are you sleepy? Will you let me walk you to your dorm?"
"Not tonight", he says and smiles teasingly before turning on his heel, "sweet dreams to you too, James."
"Yeah! I earned it!"
"You did."
Evan groans over his plate. Dorcas and Regulus exchange an amused glance, while Barty and Pandora look rather concerned.
"Are you alright, mate?" Barty asks.
"No! I'm not," he pouts.
"Is it about that Gryffindor boy of yours again?" Pandora raises her eyebrows.
"Maybe ask Regulus for advice, he got himself one," Dorcas laughs, "they're a special kind."
Evan reluctantly lifts his head from the table, looks at his friends with feigned sadness in his eyes. Regulus knows that expression, and it's definitely just for show. He's not that sad at all.
"He makes me feel unlovable!" he laments, "Remus bloody Lupin. No one ever said no to me! Except for him."
"You're being dramatic," Dorcas rolls her eyes, "come on, he's head over heels in love with Sirius. Everyone knows that."
"Well, Sirius doesn't seem to know that," Pandora laughs and Evan snorts.
"Regs, do you think I'm attractive?" Evan asks, staring at him over a loaf of bread.
"No, no, no. Don't you forget he has a boyfriend," Barty says, his mouth stuffed with bacon and eggs, "but I, for sure, do find you attractive," Barty says.
Fake-boyfriend, Regulus wants to point out, but remembers he can't.
"Oh? Really?" Evan smirks, "I'm in a good mood again. We can keep on living."
Dorcas puts down her fork with a clatter. "Don't you two flirt over my bloody beans, alright? Get yourself a room."
Barty laughs in response and awkwardly runs a hand through his hair. Regulus seems to be the only one who notices that he is being... shy. He rarely gets a chance to see Barty with pink cheeks, so he stares.
"You sound almost jealous," Evan comments.
"She is! Come on, tell them what Marlene said to you this morning," Pandora nudges her shoulder encouragingly, and Dorcas sighs.
Barty shifted in his chair, intrigued.
"She said that maybe in the future we will be good friends if this continues."
"Oof!"
Evan pretends to pull the dagger out of his heart, and his head drops to the back of the chair next to him.
"Now that's what I call critical damage," Regulus says.
"Friends?! I thought you two snogged at the last party," Barty frowns, "how callous."
"Yeah, we almost did. But she pulled away. Perhaps she was too drunk, I don't know."
"But still... she doesn't even consider you a friend right now?"
Dorcas shrugs, reluctantly, lazily glances at the Gryffindor table. She doesn't know why Marlene is acting like this. And she thought something sparked between them, really. She told herself that she wasn't the only one who saw the sparks flying in front of their noses.
But Marlene pretends to be clueless. Okay, maybe she doesn't fancy Dorcas, that's fine. But she shouldn't think that she can play on someone's emotions with impunity and then conclude that they are not even friends.
Bloody friends.
Although she does have her friends around her right now, and Dorcas can't be found sitting there with them, can she? Somewhere between Lily Evans and Mary Macdonald, across from Remus, Sirius and Potter.
They're laughing at something, stuffing their mouths with breakfast.
Dorcas looks away.
Regulus doesn't.
He can't.
His fake boyfriend, whom he has no right to be jealous of and whom he doesn't even like and barely tolerates, is staring at Lily with loving eyes and Regulus grits his teeth because damn it, bloody James Potter. Whatever the hell he earned last night, he just lost it.
And apparently, Regulus is possessive, even when it comes to something that isn't quite his.
Barty says Dorcas and Evan can be an insufferable duo from time to time. If you ask Regulus, he thinks that they never actually stop being an insufferable duo.
Evan jumps around him like an annoying fly, and Regulus tries to swat him away with his hand. Dorcas laughs and throws lollipop wrappers at them, swinging her legs.
"So... where did your boyfriend take you on a date last night?"
Regulus sighs again. For the hundredth time, probably.
"Fake. Fake boyfriend. We were just out for a walk. That's it."
Evan doesn't seem to believe him and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Well... I don't know if it's completely fake. Have you seen the way he looks at you?" he teases.
"Besides..." Dorcas says, "this relationship was supposed to be a show for all of Hogwarts, wasn't it?"
Regulus confirms with a nod.
"But so far, all that's happened is you kissed him after the game and gave him your tie once, yeah? He hasn't actually done anything in public. So you're way more invested in... that... pretending that he is. Want to know why?" Dorcas grins broadly as she hangs onto her friend's shoulder, "because he doesn't have to pretend at all!"
"Don't forget the hickey, but that must have been Regulus' idea too," Evan laughs, pointing his index finger.
"We've agreed that he won't do anything against my will, so he doesn't! I guess it's normal for him to respect my boundaries, isn't it?" Regulus angrily slams the door shut behind him, but his friends force their way through and keep talking.
"To me, it looks more like you're using him. Even though he came up with the whole silly proposition himself," Dorcas says a little more quietly as they weave through other students on their way to their classrooms, "does he even mention it? The bet? Or Evans? Anything?"
Evan tugs Regulus by the back of his shirt, so he doesn't get lost in the crowd of people.
"You said he promised you popularity," he laughs maliciously, "but he seems to keep it all private. Like a real lover. Night strolls, you know, he, he."
Dorcas snorts. "Oh! And I talked to Marlene. Apparently she, er... suggested you to him, you know! And she told me that James talks about you pretty much all the time, so Remus, Sirius and Peter don't feel safe in their own dorm anymore," she laughs, unwrapping another lollipop from colored paper, "he's down bad, Regs. Seriously, those puppy eyes he gets every time he sees you. It's sickly cute."
"He wants to win the bet, I have heard that they have some fair prizes set. Plus there's still Evans, don't forget," Regulus shrugs, deliberately avoiding Evan's stare, who bore a hole in him with his bright eyes, "he's a good actor."
"The tips of his ears turn red when he tries to cheat on exams," Dorcas raises her eyebrows, amused, "everyone knows James is a terrible liar."
"Reg," Evan says, louder now, as they finally descend to the less crowded first floor.
That sounds a bit more serious. All this time his friends have been teasing him, but now they stop against one of the corridor walls, so Regulus stops too.
"I know you probably don't want to even think about it, but if he really likes you... it might be a bad idea to pursue this."
Dorcas purses her lips into a tight line, "you know, unless you want to see him bloody depressed. It's even a little like you. Honestly, I'm kind of curious what it would look like, too. I mean... he's always so happy."
Regulus snorts indignantly, "what the hell are you talking about? I'm not cruel. And James doesn't like me. It's just his personality. He's like that to everyone."
"If you say so," Evan scratches the back of his neck, "and when, er... you know, when are you going to tell Barty?"
"Soon," Regulus wrinkles his nose in annoyance, "will you give me a break already?"
Dorcas and Evan exchange a concerned look, "you know, we don't really care about Potter's well-being, Regs. But we do worry about you. About how hard it will be for you to handle all this."
"Why would it be?"
"You had a crush on James when you were kids, right? And he's your brother's best mate."
Dorcas nods, "don't risk your relationship with Sirius. We know that you don't actually want to mess it up. All of that just to play with James' feelings or to get rid of Talkalot or to make Barty jealous. Whichever reason prevails for you, I don't know, but... are you a masochist, Regs?" Her gaze is condescending and sad, and Regulus wants to vomit every time he sees anyone taking pity on him.
"I'm not playing with his feelings." He's playing with my feelings. "And it's not about Barty anymore, now I'm only ashamed to admit it to him. I would tell him if it wasn't so embarrassing."
"What else is it about, then?" Evan has an indulgent expression. Regulus bites his lip in disgust, "if not Sirius, not Barty, not Talkalot."
"I don't know. Maybe James. We both enjoy spending time together, and he can win the bet while doing it. Maybe I want to help him? Have you thought that maybe at this point, I'm doing this for him, with no ulterior, vicious motives? Do you really see me in such a terrible light?" he asks, fingers clenched, "the fact that he doesn't keep reminding me that we're just pretending proves he's not a fucking arsehole, not that he is being for real!"
"No, wait, no, Regs," Evan holds his hands out in front of him in a reassuring gesture, "we're just trying to say that..."
"You've said enough already."
"Come on, don't be a bitch," Dorcas grabs his arm, Regulus winces at the gesture, "I love you, Reg, you are my best friend" she gently slaps her hand on his head as if she's trying to knock on the door, "so tell your funny little brain to stop sabotaging you."
He snorts, smiling slightly at Dorcas.
"Yeah, well, er, sorry. I guess... sometimes a silly voice in my head acts like this, and hardly notice," he whispers.
"It's okay," Evan says, "you will do what you think is right. And you probably think it's right to do something wrong, so remember that we can always bury Potter if we need to. I even dug a grave, just in case."
Regulus scoffs. "I want to continue until Valentine's Day. Then their bet ends, me and James fake break up. That's it. Plus Sirius isn't mad at me about this, so our hard-built brotherly bond isn't compromised," Regulus explains, "and I won't break Potter's heart."
"That would be some achievement, wouldn't it?" Dorcas laughs, nudging him with her arm.
"And what if he breaks your heart?"
"How?"
Evan doesn't answer. He just shrugs, ruffles Regulus' hair and smiles innocently.
"Let him stay in denial a little longer," Dorcas mutters, dragging Evan's wrist toward the stairs, "we are leaving now, you go study, nerd."
And Regulus had, in fact, a really special urge to study, but something much more interesting came up, so instead he sits tucked away behind one of the library's bookshelves, eavesdropping, grimacing and thinking about how pathetic he'd feel if anyone caught him right now.
Lily sits at the table near him, painting Mary's nails, and right next to them, Marlene plays with her wand, legs resting on the back of a chair.
They're talking about him and James.
Regulus puts his ear close to the books, so he can hear better, but also to make it look like he's really thinking hard about what to read if someone suddenly appears next to him.
"James seems... gentle with him," Lily says with some tenderness in her voice, she's for sure smiling, he can tell, "he very obviously respects Regulus. I remember he always admired him greatly, especially when it came to Quidditch "
Mary nods, "I don't know much about sports, but everyone says Regulus is a good Seeker, so it must be true."
Marlene puts the tip of her wand to her nose, her expression blank, reminding Regulus that she is the only one of the girls who knows their relationship is fake.
"Better than Sirius," she says with amusement, "but it is not hard to be better than Sirius."
"About him. I heard he reacted badly when he found out about James and his little brother?" Mary wonders, looking at the red color Lily puts on her nails, "he's pretty overprotective. Remus said so."
Somehow, Madam Pince hadn't found them here yet, and had not thrown them out of the library for their outrageous behavior, so she was probably circling somewhere else, breathing down the necks of the freshmen as they explored the hundreds of narrow aisles.
"Apparently he tried to bite him," Lily laughs, "and James had to swear that he'd be good to Regulus. Otherwise, Sirius wouldn't have let him go."
"But I guess he's keeping that promise, isn't he? He really can't keep his mouth shut about his new boyfriend. I'm not even exaggerating." Marlene now tries to spin the wand on the tip of her nose like basketball players do with a ball on their fingers, "Seriously. James is unbearable."
Regulus unconsciously pushes his cheek even further into the bookshelf. He waits for Lily's response, but he doesn't get to hear it because he jumps back as someone gently touches his shoulder.
He turns around, annoyed.
"Hey..." Lucinda Talkalot stands in front of him, her cheeks pink, hand tentatively outstretched towards him, "need help finding a book?"
Regulus rolls his eyes. "Hey. Oh, no, no. Just what I was looking for, right here" he says, then grabs one of the books, pretending to be entranced by its cover, and walks past the girl.
He mentally curses her for speaking so loudly and for giving away his position.
"Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed?" she says hesitantly, turning to follow him.
"Yeah! Magic for a wizard in a hurry!" he shouts, walking past Lily, Mary and Marlene, leaving Talkalot behind.
He turns the book over in his hands and sighs loudly, putting it on the random shelf he passed on his way out of the library. So much for his eavesdropping.
"He heard us, didn't he?" Mary covers her mouth with her hand, "why can't any of us bloody whisper?!"
"How long was he standing there?" Lily wonders, going back to picking out her next nail polish color, "or was he just passing by?"
"What if he heard me talking about Dorcas?" Marlene asks, her face vexed. She puts her wand down on the table and buries her face in her hands, "Merlin, I hope not."
"Why?"
"She's literally his best friend, Lily."
"Yeah, but... maybe it's even better if someone else does it for you and tells her how you feel," she shrugs, but Marlene looks dubious.
"No. I think she should tell her herself," Mary interjects, "that's a much better confession than an indirect one."
Marlene groans. "I don't want to do it at all. What if she thinks I'm weird?"
"Relax, love," Lily smiles fondly, "why don't you try sending her a card then? Valentine's Day coming soon."