a legend?
They talked for hours, until the point the sun started to rise.
“Shit, mother can't know you're here.”
“Well, she can just fuck off.”
“Sirius.”
“Yeah, alright, I'm going.”
“I'll see you soon, ok? I'll find a way.” that seemed to calm Sirius a bit.
“Please don't ignore me again like that, reg, ever.”
“I'm not making any promises.”
“What?! Why not?”
“Because I don't know, maybe I want a break from your stupid head sometimes. I know you; you'd see me promising as a free pass to annoy me.” Regulus laughed
“There might be a bit of truth in that”
“Do you mean to say: ‘you are completely correct’?”
Sirius “No, my head is not stupid.”
Regulus just raised one eyebrow as response and walked away.
They spent every second that they could together, though that wasn't much due to Walpurga and Orion's many interferences.
They barely ever really celebrated Christmas; their parents thought it was a waste of time, they both got a pair of fancy quills. That was everything, no tree, nothing.
Regulus couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts. Due to Sirius' questions about his friends, he realized how little he really knew about them. He has never opened up to people that quick, but he felt more open to it now.
The train would leave the next day, so he wouldn't have to wait long.
“Reg?”
“Oh, hi Sirius. What's going on?” he said scanning Sirius' face, but not quite being able to place the emotion.
“I- I just wanted to ask if you wanted to sit with me on the train?”
“Why?”
Sirius looked hurt by that answer, it made Regulus want to take it back.
“Because you're my brother and believe it or not, I want to spend time with you.”
“I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I want to talk with my friends. I haven't seen them for two weeks.”
He saw the disappointment in Sirius's eyes, but he nodded. “Okay, Reg, I guess I'll still see you tomorrow before we leave this mouldy house.”
“Of course.”
Tuesday 2nd January 1973
When they arrived at the station it took a few minutes for him to spot his friends, but eventually his eyes caught sight of Pandora, with her light blonde hair. Evan was standing next to her, his hair almost as light as Pandora's. It was the first time Regulus noticed this similarity, thinking it was quite funny how alike they look.
“Hey guys,” he said.
“Hi Regulus!” Pandora returned cheerfully, whereas Evan just gave him a warm smile.
“I see you two are getting along.”
“Evan is truly an amazing person to talk to! I wonder why we had never really had a conversation before, Reg is amazing at making friends. Speaking from experience. Though I'm surprised you're still here, most people run away after a minute or two.” she turned to Evan “I haven't even prpoerly introduced myself where are my manners?” she held out a hand, waiting for him to take it.
He took it with a tiny smile on his lips “Evan Rosier”
“Rosier? We must be family. Pandora Rosier” she said, shaking his hand. “It’s possible, I'm adopted. My birth parents they- they couldn't handle me. that's what the adoption centre told my adoption parents.
Evan letting go of her hand “I'm sorry.”
“For what? Unless you are secretly my dad, you have nothing to be sorry for.” She laughed.
“I'm sorry for you that your biological parents were too stupid to see how amazing you are.”
“Aren't you a gentleman?”
Regulus blinked a few times “You are related?”
“As we've just established.”
“Panda, why didn't you tell me your last name?”
“Must've slipped my mind.”
The conversation continued as Barty joined them as well.
“What are we talking about?” he asked.
Regulus replied “we are not talking about anything. Panda and Evan are just talking family business.”
“Panda?”
“Pandora Rosier. The girl right in front of you. Literally the only other person Evan is talking to.”
Barty mumbled some excuses, but he moved on quickly “wait, did you say family stuff? You are related?!”
“Ten points to Barty” Regulus returned sarcastically
“we've just found out. isn't that a coincidence?” Pandora filled in
“How did you not meet before?”
“Barty we're not going to repeat the entire conversation.”
“But I want to know!”
“Then you should have been there”
Barty scoffed “You guys are no fun”
“Cheer up.” Evan laughed.
They stepped in one of the carriages, even though it was a bit crammed. Pandora sat on Dorcas's lap so Evan, Barty and Regulus would have enough space. When they arrived at the castle it was already dark, so all the students gathered in the great hall for dinner.
Regulus lost his friends in the crowd, so he decided to skip dinner, he knew the first day back was always the hardest. His eating scedule at home was all over the place, since Walpurga didn't mind making him skip dinner as a punishment. He knew the only way to be able to handle it at home was to force himself to keep himself from building up a pattern at school.
He walked along the lake, until he found a tree where he made himself comfortable against. Looking out over the lake.
He felt a cold breeze of wind, it was fairly cold, but Regulus couldn't be bothered.
He sat there watching fish jump out, and back in the water. It looked as if they were performing some kind of dance, that consisted solely of plunging up and down. He was really enjoying himself.
That thought was abruptly cut off, as tentacles emerged, the squid straight up ate the dancing fish. Regulus's shock faded quickly, turning in to interest. He heard rumours about a giant squid, but he hadn't known if he should believe it or not.
The squid seemed to be aware of his presence. He looked wishful, somehow, it still was a squid, Regulus was kind of disappointed as he couldn't understand what he wanted.
The squid was staring at him, it was really quite creepy, so when Regulus spotted a stone near him, he decided to throw it in the hope to avert his attention. When he heard the stone splash in the water, he swore he could see a slight twinkle in the eyes of the squid as it rushed off.
He felt some of the tension leaving his body, though he hadn't noticed it was there in the first place. The Squid really was scary, even so, his fascination took the upper hand
He barely had any time to be relieved it left, before it reappeared. He held his breath, a bit scared of what it would do. He really thought it was going to be the end, when one of its tentacles shot out of the water towards him.
He couldn't swim, let alone when some enormous squid was dragging him down.
The tentacle stopped moving right when it reached Regulus, it uncurled and dropped something at his feet. It was the stone. Regulus blinked once, then twice. He couldn't believe it. That what most people called ‘the monster of the black lake’ was playing a game with him?! He slowly bowed down to pick up the now wet stone, he threw it again, and the same thing happened.
He let out a laugh, finding this extremely hilarious. He was quite literally playing with the giant squid. In his head it wasn't more than a myth, some nonsense that started not more than a year ago. But now he had proof.
Regulus entered the common room, his mind still with the giant squid. He didn't know whether he should or shouldn't tell his friends about his latest discovery. But his thoughts were disrupted by Evan, “Hey Reg, where were you? You are aware that's its well past curfew?” he was sitting on the couch, braiding small braids in Pandora's hair, who was sitting in front of him on the floor. Regulus wasn't sure if he had eve looked up since he walked through the door. He always seemed to just know who was in the room, like some sort of sixth sense.
“Obviously, I was just taking a walk. And technically Panda is braking curfew as well.”
"Pandora is a Slytherin by association, so it doesn't count” Barty said. He hadn't even noticed Barty on the other side of the common room.
“Do you want me to leave already?” Pandora pouted.
“Never.” Regulus sat next to her, flinging an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, closing her eyes.
“So why were you taking a walk?”
“Because.”
“That's not an answer.”
“Alright, I just needed some air,” he settled on.
“That still doesn't explain why you were so absent minded, you practically jumped in your grave when I startled you. You're always aware of your surroundings, but suddenly you don't notice me?”
“No, that's Evan's thing.”
“Yours too. But that's beside the point.”
“I was just processing some stuff.”
“Mhm.”
“You are not going to let this go, are you?” Regulus asks.
When Barty shakes his head, he sighs. “Alright, I saw the giant squid.”
“Reggie stop messing with us, we just want to help you,” Barty says, including Evan in the conversation.
“I'm telling the truth!” Regulus protested. “I went outside for a walk, and then I saw the giant squid."
Evan squinted, “are you serious?”
“No, his brother already is,” Barty laughed doubling over.
“Ha. Ha.” Regulus deadpanned.
“Come on, that was hilarious.” Barty protested.
“It really wasn't,” Evan shook his head.
“I'm still not convinced If I should trust Reg...” Barty moved on
“Me neither, honestly Reg, are you sure it was a squid? It's dark outside, it could've been anything.” Evan added
“I know what I saw.”
“Ok then.”
“You believe me?”
“No,” Barty and Evan laughed as they both stood up to go to their dorm.
Evan stopped just before he walked out of sight. “Oh, Reg, make sure Panda goes back to her dorm, will you?” and before Regulus could say anything, “Thanks.”
Regulus sighed looking to the side, where Pandora was still leaning against him. She had fallen asleep halfway through the conversation, and Regulus felt bad for having to wake her. “Hey Panda,” he said softly, trying not to startle her. She shook her head slowly, mumbling something about not wanting to leave. “You have to wake up darling, your roommates will be concerned if you don't return.” this time Pandora opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times because of the light. It looked adorable.
“I don't think they'll care honestly,” she muttered. She still sounded very sleepy. “What do you mean? They'll surely go looking for you?”
“I really don't think they would. They hate me.”
“How could anyone hate you? you're adorable,” he said, wrapping his arms around the girl.
“They think I'm a freak, they went to Dumbledore to ask if they could switch dorms.” She sighed, sinking into his embrace.
“Then they don't deserve you. Please don't listen to whatever they say, because you're amazing. Really. You know that right?”
Pandora mumbled something that didn't sound half as convincing as he needed to hear.
“Panda, please, you're one of the best people in this entire school. You shouldn't let others bring you down like that.”
“I know. I just-” She took a shaky breath, “I've been told I don't belong since I was a kid and honestly, I don't believe people anymore when they say otherwise.”
“Belong where?” He ran a hand through her hair in the hope that she would relax a bit.
“Anywhere.”
“But why did you believe that?”
“Because.”
“That's not an answer Panda”
She sighed, “I never had a lot of friends. Not any, now I think of it. People always ran away from me, saying that I was a monster or a freak. They said my parents should've put me in an adoption centre. Ironic, isn't it? They were right about that, so why should I think otherwise about the rest that they said?”
“Shit. That's messed up.”
“It's fine. I've accepted it”
“You shouldn't have to”
“Why? They were right.”
"No, the fact that what they said had actually happened doesn't mean that it was right. From both of them, they weren't right by saying that and your parents weren't right by giving up on you.”
“It doesn't matter anyways. I just heard too many people saying negative stuff about me, and regardless of if they were right or wrong, I still believed them. And I know in my heart that I shouldn't, and that I have no reason to believe them, but I can't get rid of it.”
He felt angry towards all the people who misjudged her. Pandora was that type of person to who you would wish nothing but the best. She didn't deserve this, no one did, he knew how it felt. How you could feel so restricted within yourself, so out of control. “I know what you mean.”
“You do?” She looked surprised. Even after she had clearly been trying to keep her tears in, she finally broke down, tears rolled over her cheeks, it made him even angrier and sadder though he didn't know how that was still possible.
“It's like- it's like a beach ball, you know. Like when you tried to keep the ball under water as a kid, but there is too much pressure from the ball, so it jumps back up from right under you. The beach ball is like those nasty comments, you try to repress it, to keep all of that under water where you don’t have to deal with it. But you need all your energy to keep it there, and meanwhile the pressure builds and builds because people keep saying more nasty things, before you had time to let go of the old ones. Then at some point it's just too much, you're exhausted because of all that effort so, the ball resurfaces. The thing is, you can't do this alone. It's just too much. Because just as the pressure builds up from underneath, you can add weight on top by letting others help you keep it under water. And then when you feel a lot less of that pressure, you can use that energy to convince yourself that those stupid people are wrong. Because they are. And then the pressure slowly decreases, to the point where you can let it go. Because you simply do not need to bother, as the existence of the ball simply doesn't matter to you anymore.”
“Wow.”
“Sorry.”
“What?! What can you possibly be sorry about?”
“Sorry for that stupid metaphor.”
Pandora laughed, “you're saying sorry for giving a perfect explanation for a feeling I didn't even quite understand. Did you hear that? Past tense. You literally explained my feelings to me, and you still dare to apologize. I thought no one would ever understand me, and now here you are, saying you do. I feel seen, understood, no one ever makes me feel like that. You're sitting here apologizing for the thing I want to thank you for.”
“You don't have to thank me.”
“But I will.” Pandora grinned, “Thank you.” she reached out pulling him into a hug again.
“Oh, piss off.” He never knew what to do with affection, Sirius was the only one to hug him when he was younger, and half of the time that wasn't even allowed because his parents were present.
“You love me, really.”
“Of course I do. Now, you have to go to your dorm, it's getting way too late. You should try to get some more sleep."
“But-”
"Panda.”
“Okay okay, I'm going”
She pressed a kiss on his cheek, and then she left.
Regulus sat there for five minutes thinking about how he got so lucky for meeting Pandora.