They Were up to No Good

Elise was starting to be a pain in the ass.

Of course, Severus was too but he had always been a pain in the ass so Regulus was sort of used to it by now.

“Shouldn’t she be standing with the Hufflepuffs?” Severus hissed in his ear- rather pointlessly since Elise couldn’t hear him anyway. Regulus gave him an annoyed look, but honestly, he had just been wondering the same thing. Elise looked at them and gave a nod like she knew exactly what they were talking about, and not for the first time Regulus wondered if she faked being deaf. If she did it was probably the smartest thing to do- Regulus should’ve thought of it first.

If you couldn’t hear them anyway people stopped talking to you. How glorious it must be. 

Maybe he could pretend to lose his hearing so Severus would leave him alone…

“Elise.” Regulus turned to the girl, talking slowly and clearly, hoping that maybe she would read his lips. Or his facial expression. “Go away.” 

She narrowed her eyes then stepped even closer to them, the yellow in her tie and robes standing out between the sea of green. 

Probably out of spite, huh.

Regulus rolled his eyes then turned away. Maybe he could leave. 

Maybe if Severus was preoccupied with her he could sneak deeper into the crowds...although...he was sort of interested in the quidditch match for once. He just hated that the three of them were starting to look like a trio. They weren’t a trio.

Regulus hated both of them. 

Maybe he hated Elise a little less because she didn’t ramble about Lily Evans all day. 

“Wanna bet Slytherin wins?” Severus asked and Regulus realised that he was supposed to be answering him and conversing.

Regulus gave him a disgusted look, “We both want Slytherin to win, jackass.”

Severus shrugged, “Well, do you think I can trick Elise into giving me money either way?”

“Moron. She’s deaf, not stupid.”

Severus chuckled, “Yeah? If she’s so smart then why is she still standing here? Doesn’t she know that we hate her kind? Maybe if we hex-”

“Hey!” Suddenly Regulus felt himself straighten up, his posture stiffening, and the next thing he knew his fingers were curled around his wand, and his nose was just inches away from Severus’s, “Don’t talk about her like that when she’s standing right there. At least have some dignity. ”

Severus glared at him in disgust, “Why do you care so much? Normally we hex every mudblood that even looks our way!”

“ You do. Not me.” Regulus corrected him venomously, “Besides, I thought Evans was a mudblood. Or did her heritage suddenly change while I wasn’t paying attention?”

Severus’s eyes narrowed, “She’s different.”

“Right.” Regulus shrugged, “So is Elise then. Don’t hex her.” 

In truth, Regulus wasn’t sure why he was sticking up for her. It wasn’t because he was attracted to her or fancied her like he knew both Sirius and Severus assumed, and it wasn’t because he particularly liked her either. There was just something about her that he found...interesting. 

He was used to knowing things about people.

A house filled with Blacks made it easier for him to sharpen his deception and observation skills to the point where he knew things about people like how he knew that Severus was not only obsessed with Lily Evans but also in love, just by the way his eyes always drifted to her in a crowd and the creases in his brow always slightly lessened when he spotted her.

Regulus knew that Mulciber’s dad beat him because even though he never said anything, his chest was full of bruises that resembled some of Regulus’s, and when someone got too close his wand was always out in an instance.

He knew that Peter Pettigrew wasn’t attracted to people, not guys or girls, but instead to power and that even though most people were sure he fancied Mary McDonald the new Gryffindor, he simply spent time with her because he could sense that she held power as the only new girl in the whole school.

And Regulus could tell all this just from the tilt of Peter’s head, from the lick of his lips, from the squinting of his eyes and the way they zoomed around incredibly quickly, possibly trying to consume as much information as they could. 

But when Regulus looked at Elise all he saw was what everybody else saw. 

Curly black hair pulled into two messy buns at the top of her head, hair sticking out in all directions, light brown eyes wild and big and so crazy looking that if you stared at them for too long it felt like the world was spinning underneath your feet. 

Nothing else. 

There were no scars on her arms suggesting self-harm, or abuse, there were no wrinkles on her forehead or underneath her eyes that shouldn’t be there, there was no lick of the lips, no suspicious tilt of the head, no fidgeting of the hands that suggested she was anxious, or ready to fight. In fact, her hands were the most puzzling of it all. No calluses, no extra wrinkles, no burns or scars that could suggest abuse or clumsiness, no nail polish that could hint towards the personality, no bitten skin or nails that could suggest nervousness, or anxiety, or bad habits. Nothing. 

Fucking nothing. 

It was like his mind was being forced into overdrive, and he couldn’t stop it. 

“Just admit you fancy her.” Severus finally muttered, and Regulus had to resist the urge to push him out of the quidditch stands and into the pit. Maybe he could make it look like an accident. 

“Not everyone’s a horny bastard, like you.” 

Severus looked back at Elise, inspecting her for a moment, “I guess she’s petty. Not really my type though. Kind of plain isn’t she? Like...there’s nothing there.”

Regulus hated how accurate that description was, “If you don’t shut up in the next ten seconds I’ll push you into a knife. I don't mind spending life in prison.”

Severus shrugged, and there was a loud cheer around them as Slytherin scored a goal. 

It looked like Slytherin was going to win.

For some reason, Regulus didn’t feel happy. Maybe because Narcissa was on the team, and he was starting to grow about as fond of her as he was of the gum stuck beneath the soles of his shoes. 

“Oi, Elise.” Regulus turned around to face her before he knew what he was doing, “Let’s go.”

“What?” Severus interrupted, “Where are you going?”

“Fuck off.” Regulus took Elise's hand and said to her slowly, almost patronizingly, “Me and you. Go. Leave here.”

Her face expression didn’t change but she didn’t pull her hand away from his as they left so he assumed it was fine.

“YOU’RE GOING TO MISS SLYTHERIN’S WIN!” Severus yelled after them, but Regulus ignored him. "YOU OWE ME MONEY!"

He definitely ignored that part. 

Once they were out of the crowds and making their way back to the empty school Regulus let go of Elise’s hand. 

Now what. 

He hadn’t really thought of this in advance, all he had known in the moment was that he wanted to leave, and that Severus was annoying and that Elise was less annoying. 

He stopped in front of one of the walls to the castle and leaned against it crossing his arms. Elise stood in front of him for a moment, then went to lean against the wall with him. She crossed her arms too. 

“Sorry if you wanted to see the game.” Regulus said lamely, only now realising that maybe she had actually cared about quidditch. She didn’t answer which honestly felt a little shitty, but it’s not like she could hear him anyway. 

“...What are you two doing?”

McGonagall who had just been hurriedly running out of the castle stopped short at the sight of them. 

Regulus looked down at himself and then Elise, “We're just...We're standing.”

Minnie blinked, “Why?”

“...I don’t know Professor.”

There was a moment of silence. 

“Don’t you need to be at the game?” Regulus asked, “I thought I just heard you yelling at Sirius a few minutes ago.”

“I was.” McGonagall said, “I had to retrieve something from my office.”

She hovered awkwardly. 

“It’s fine Professor.” Regulus sighed, “I’m not my brother. When I say I’m just standing I am literally just standing. I didn’t want to be at the game anymore.”

"Why don't you go to your common room?"

Regulus sighed, "Then I have to leave this incapable twit on her own." 

McGonagall didn’t say anything but instead turned to Elise to sign something. 

Elise didn’t answer for a second but then she looked at Regulus before slowly raising her fist and doing a small knocking motion, eyes still fixed on him eerily. 

“Well then.” McGonagall brushed her hands off on her robes, “I better get going. I just hope Slytherin hasn’t won yet- I don’t want Sirius insulting half the team before I can be there to stop him.” 

Regulus wasn’t sure if she was joking or not, so he just watched in silence as she left. Personally, he almost didn’t mind if Sirius had already insulted the Slytherin team. Maybe he had insulted Narcissa. Maybe it had been funny. 

Maybe if he had been there he would have laughed. But he would never know. 

_ _ _ _

James loved losing. It was not something that he had ever thought before but in that moment, when Sirius’s voice declared that Slytherin had won, and when Lily Evans turned towards him and only him, and her eyes were wide in surprise, and her lips were curled in a slight sneer, but also a grin and her cheeks were flushed pink, he knew it with certainty.

Losing to Lily Evans was a win of its very own.

“How does it feel, huh Potter?” She yelled, and even though there were cheers all around the only voice he could hear was hers. 

She was talking to him.  

“Too shocked to speak?” Lily asked, her eyes glinting madly like she had just won a lottery and not a measly ten sickles, “I hope you have your money on you.”

James finally felt something break free and he laughed openly, “Always Evans. A win is a win, and I wouldn’t deny any woman her money.”

Lily rolled her eyes and the moment was disrupted by Remus who slapped a hand to his forehead grinning, “I can not believe Lily Evans just made a bet with James Potter and won !” 

“Hey-” James put up his hands, “Let’s not blow this out of proportion- she was merely lucky.”

Lily didn’t seem to think so as she spent the next few minutes bragging to all the people in her surroundings, ultimately leading to pretty much every Gryffindor knowing about the bet between the two third years. 

Whispers started echoing around them as the crowds made their way back to their dorms, James and Lily pushing to the front Lily pulling him forward by the arm ecstatic at the prospect of having beat him at something. “Hurry up, Potter!”

“Did you hear-” An older student close to Alice muttered. 

“Lily Evans-?”

“Aren’t bets against the rules-?”

“-Beat Potter?”

“Hey, Lily! Wait!” Lily turned suddenly, at the sound of someone addressing her. 

“Sev?” 

Lily, still grabbing onto James’s sleeve, let go and a few dozen people pushed into her stampeding through the corridors. She stumbled back a bit before grabbing onto Severus for support who was now close enough for her to do so. 

“Did you see the win by Slytherin?” Severus asked, awkwardly. 

Lily looked behind her shoulders where Marlene was and Dorcas were spinning in circles trying to spot her in the crowd. 

“Er...yeah-” Lily answered turning back to him, “Listen-”

“We should hang out and discuss the game like we used to-” Severus started but Lily cut him off, having made eye contact with Marlene. “Right.” She said distractedly, “Sure we can do that sometime. Anyway-” She flashed him a smile politely, “I need to go! It’s a long story but I made a bet with James-”

“Potter?”

“And now he owes me money-”

“-Wait a bet? Don’t you hate-?”

“And I have to meet him in the common room-”

“Wait but Lily-'' Severus started desperately. 

“I’ll talk to you later, alright?” She grinned, patting his shoulder for a split second before turning and running back into the crowd, immediately slinging an arm around Marlene's shoulder and another around Dorcas’s waist, the three of them laughing about something. 

“Ok!” Severus called after her, “Another time!” But he knew deep down that that wouldn’t happen. Just like the last time she had promised, and the time before that, and the time before that. She had also never participated in a bet with him, either. 

Life really must come easy when your name was James Potter. 

Severus made his way back to the common room alone.

_ _ _ _

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” Although Fabian was merely shouting into a stick he found on the ground outside of the castle his voice boomed throughout the common room. “I PRESENT TO YOU A LOSER!” He held up James’s wrist, and although this may have been embarrassing to anyone else James’s black curls bounced merrily, and while his glasses slipped down his nose, the eyes behind them were glittery and huge, and his mouth was wide in a grin. All he did was nod and shrug as the common room erupted in boos. 

“AND NOW I PRESENT TO YOU- A WINNER !” Fabian grabbed Lily from the crowd and held up her wrist too so that the three of them were all situated in the middle of the room, both of Fabian's hands holding someone up. Unlike James, Lily seemed less sure of herself but nevertheless, as everyone around her started clapping and cheering (Marlene especially) she laughed bashfully, eyes averted downward and cheeks pink. 

“NOW WE SHALL ALL WATCH-” Fabian dropped their hands, “AS MR JAMES POTTER WALLOWS IN HIS SHAME AND HUMILITY AND HANDS HIS PRECIOUS MONEY TO THE WITCH WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE AS LILY EVANS.”

James put a hand on his chest and reached into his pocket pulling out a handful of coins. Lily was about to reach out and grab them but he knelt onto the ground, knees bent, head tilted downward, hands brought up above him, coins presented to Lily as if they were some sort of prize, beyond their imagination. 

Lily rolled her eyes, and took the money from him dropping it into her pocket without even bothering to count it, “Alright Potter you can get up now you prat.”

James got up steadying himself on her in a not very subtle way, “Before you leave with my allowance-”

A few of the students that were still paying attention snickered, and Remus braced himself. He definitely knew what was coming. 

“I would like to ask you out on a date-”

“Not happening.” Lily interrupted him, but she was smiling and when he pleaded with her for a few more minutes she did nothing but shrug and step away. 

Remus was about to join her, when someone materialized next to him, “So what’d I miss?”

“SIRIUS!” Remus yelled not being able to contain his excitement. He jumped up, flinging his arms around the other boy. “You were hilarious today! Your commentating was so good!” 

Sirius laughed, stepping backwards, “Someone missed me, huh?” 

Remus blushed, letting go of his friend, “Never.” 

“You saw the game?” Sirius asked, hand on his head, “I didn’t think you would be able to make it...how...how are you?”

Remus quickly averted his gaze, “I was just being dramatic, Black. I’m as good as always.”

Sirius’s eyes narrowed but his voice softened, “That’s not an answer Remus. You were...freaking out.” 

“Let’s just forget about it ok?” Remus snapped, and his voice was so grave, that although Sirius wanted to keep pushing until he got an explanation that satisfied him he just nodded. 

“SIRIUS!” James and Peter rushed towards them, butterbeers in hand- the common room partying as if Gryffindor had just won and not their nemesis Slytherin. 

“Did you lot see me up there?” Sirius asked excitedly, eyes gleaming as he high fived Peter.  

“You were amazing!” Peter said slapping his hands as hard as he could. 

“I thought you were quite shite personally-” James shrugged taking a sip of his butterbeer and grinning. 

“OI!”

“But I expected worse so...”

“WHAT?”

Remus snickered into his hand. 

“I was quite worried too, at first,” Peter admitted, looking up at James as if seeking approval. “I thought if Remus wasn’t there maybe no one would laugh at your jokes.”

“WHAT?” Sirius bellowed, “You all laugh at my jokes! Why does everyone keep saying that?”

James shook his head grinning, “Anyway let’s get to the important stuff.”

The others straightened, “Yeah?”

“Well first of all I just asked out Lily Evans-”

Sirius groaned loudly, and Peter started snoring. “You ask her out everyday-!”

“Yes but this time she smiled!” James yelled, “Don’t you see the progress? She actually smiled at me! And not even because I was hurt! The only other time she had ever smiled at me was when I got hexed, or detention.”

“That’s...a concern.”

James shrugged, “I also gave her money which was great.”

“Oh yes,” Remus said sarcastically, “I love giving people my money.”

Sirius laughed loudly at James’s face expression which turned from a wide grin into a frown in less than a millisecond. 

"Don't you think-" Remus started, holding a scarred finger up in the air, "That maybe, Lily was simply smiling at you because she knew she was scamming you out of your money?"

“Now listen here Lupin-”

“Sorry to interrupt-” Gideon Prewett stepped into their circle, one hand in his pocket and the other cupping the back of his neck in a bashful manner. Sirius's eyes immediately squinted although he told himself to relax. “I just found some dung bombs by the fireplace and the markings of what looked like it was supposed to be a bogey sort hex?” Gideon continued, glancing around at them, “I thought that might have been your doing.”

“Ah shit!” James explaining throwing a hand up to run through his hair, “Those were supposed to go off when people used the fireplace!”

Gideon grinned bashfully, “Yeah that’s what I thought. They weren’t really doing anything though-”

“I’ll be back!”

Remus and Peter laughed good naturedly as James ran away to resolve the prank issue and immediately resumed their conversation but suddenly Sirius felt stiff. What was he supposed to be doing with his hands? Why was Gideon looking at Remus like that?

Oh shit, did Sirius just scowl at him?

“I liked your commentating.” Gideon said to Sirius, “It was...unique. Less boring than the last guy I mean.”

“Right,” Sirius said, trying not to make it sound like he wanted to strangle Gideon- which he did. “Thanks.” He added as an afterthought. 

Gideon smiled, but the two of them held eye contact too long for it to be natural and not long enough for it to be anything friendly.

At least not on Sirius’s end. To be honest he wasn't really sure what went on in Gideons head. 

“Hey Rem?” Gideon asked, and Remus perked, moving away from Peter. 

Rem. 

Gideon had just called Remus Rem. 

Sure, Sirius supposed it was a pretty normal nickname for a guy like Remus. It wasn’t like there was much else you could call him except for maybe Mus but that sounded strange. Still, Rem had always felt like a Sirius thing. Or at least a marauder thing. 

“-your visit go?” Gideon was saying and Sirius blinked, wanting to hear Remus’s answer. 

Right. Gideon may be “close” to Remus but he still didn’t know about the lycanthropy. Sirius squashed down the guilt he felt when he grinned at that thought.  

Right as Remus, who seemed to be struggling to come up with something to say, opened his mouth to answer Peter interrupted them, “I think Fabian is looking for you.” The four of them looked up to see Fabian spinning in a slow circle scanning the crowd, his hands seeming to be curled around two bottles of butterbeer.  

“Oh right.” Gideon smiled at them apologetically, “I’ll go...find him.”

“See ya!” Peter waved, and Remus raised his eyebrows politely, in a way that said goodbye without him actually having to say it. 

Gideon hovered for a moment as if waiting for Remus to say something more but when the young werewolf merely let his gaze slip awkwardly to the ground and his lips tighten, Gideon left hurriedly. 

Somehow the way that Remus had allowed Gideon leave without saying anything- not even a simple goodbye, made Sirius feel as though Christmas had come early. 

That mere eyebrow raise was something Remus never directed at the Marauders, and he definitely always told them about the full moon visits even when he didn’t want to talk. 

Sure he was quite introverted but that didn't exactly mean he was antisocial, and honestly Sirius often forget about Remus's shyness, as around the marauders he was everything but. 

Sirius worked hard to suppress the urge he had to throw his arms around the young werewolf and shout at the top of his lungs, see? He’s still ours! He’s still mine. 

Obviously, he didn’t do it, but it took an awful lot of restraintment when Remus turned to him and did a little eye roll as if they were sharing a secret, and both of them were happy Gideon had left so they didn’t have to talk to him anymore. As if they were a unit. 

“Let’s get some butterbeer before it’s all gone Black?” 

Sirius finally let a grin spread across his face but he turned his head away in order to make it appear less prominent, “Whatever you say Lupin.” 

_ _ _ _

How anyone could care so damned much about a Quidditch match Regulus didn’t know but a month later, Slytherins win was still the talk of the town. 

The only person who didn’t seem to care about it other than him was Elise who pretended to nod off anytime she saw a broom, or quidditch gear. A few times another Hufflepuff would half-heartedly attempt to include her in a conversation by writing her a note about the latest match, but even then all she did was stare them down.  

Regulus wondered what it was like not to have anyone talk to you, and if she ever got tired of reading notes about people flying around on brooms and hitting balls. Obviously, sports weren’t really her greatest interest, and although he could relate he personally didn’t really have any interests at all, since his parents never let him do anything. So he wasn't sure how much they really had in common. 

To him, the only good thing about Slytherins win was that Severus had finally shut up but that was only due to the fact that Lily Evans had once again rejected him, and even though Regulus should probably be used to it by now, it still almost awakened pity in him to see his begrudging acquaintance so down low. 

Elise even seemed worried for Severus, which was strange because Severus was a bastard, and even stranger because Regulus hadn’t really pegged Elise for the type to care about people. Something about the way that her face never changed its expression, and her eyes were always wide and unhinged had made Regulus assume that if he randomly keeled over and died the greatest reaction he’d get from her would be the raise of an eyebrow and maybe a hasty note with the words u ok? :(  written on them. 

Yes, that was definitely her sense of humour. 

Although he supposed Elise was a Hufflepuff and weren't they supposed to be kind or something?

So now, a month after Severus’s last contact with Lily, Elise was even patting the boy's back giving him a sympathetic frown, as if he wouldn’t jinx her in the first opportunity he got, and tried to trip her everytime she walked past them.  

Perhaps that was the first emotion she’d shown so far. Interesting.  Maybe he could start to figure her out...

“Reg!” 

His first instinct was to get out his wand and jinx whoever it was that had called him that but when he saw the small round face that had just uttered his nickname he wavered.

It was Pettigrew, the annoying blonde Sirius was friends with.

Regulus had seen Pettigrew just a few days ago during one of his meetups with Sirius, and he wasn’t too keen on speaking to him again, but before he could pretend to be needed somewhere else Elise was already half away across the corridor and by the small third year's side, and Regulus felt like he had no other choice but to follow her. 

“Will you sign this?” Peter asked holding out a clipboard and quill. 

Regulus raised an eyebrow eyes immediately falling to Peter's hands where his fingernails were bitten to a quick, “Depends. What am I agreeing to?”

“Right!” Peter exclaimed, “It’s a petition for Minnie to dye her hair pink!”

“Minnie…” Regulus said slowly, ripping his eyes away from Peter's fingers which were just telling him information he already knew- Peter was a nervous twat, “As in ProfessorMcGonogall.”

“Yep.”

“Right.” Regulus said, looking down at the clipboard and then up into Peter’s wide eyes. “No thanks.” 

He started to walk away but Elise gripped his arm. She tapped her ear, as if reminding him of her situation, and he frowned down at her. Its' not like he could ever forget. “Fuck you, I’m not your hearing aid.” 

Her eyebrows arched downward ever so slightly and she took the quill from Peter, writing down in clear handwriting, Regulus Black.  

“HEY!” Regulus grabbed the quill from her, “That’s identity theft!” 

"Um...yeah I think you're-" Peter started quietly but his voice drifted off, as he watched Regulus's calmness fall into madness. 

Elise didn’t say anything once again but watched as he angrily scrawled her name down. “How’d you like that?” He grunted, thrusting the quill back into Pettigrew’s hands.

“You...realise I just got two more signatures because of that right?” Peter asked nervously, “I thought you didn’t-”

“Shut up, I don’t care.” 

 This time Regulus left for real, with Elise still by his side.

What a pain.

If McGonagall showed up with pink hair anytime soon he’d be blaming Elise. 

A few minutes passed. 

Then half an hour. 

In fact, now that he was thinking about it the castle seemed darker than it had been when they signed that sheet. 

“Hey, you." Regulus snapped eventually, as Elise was still following him. To be honest he didn't actually have a destination in mind, but walking around the castle was oddly therapeutic when you were used to being confined to a small space most of the time. Or it should've been therapeutic. Instead, he heard the uneven footsteps of a crazed Hufflepuff wherever he went. "You need to go to your common room, pest,” Regulus tried again. He glanced over, not sure if Elise was reading his lips, or if she even cared about what he was saying.

“Oi.” Regulus grabbed her arm, and spoke to her in that slow way he always did when he wanted to make sure she was reading his lips, “Go to your dorm.”

She didn’t make a move. 

“You’re a Hufflepuff, remember?” Regulus said slowly. When she didn't answer once again he grabbed both of their ties in one fist full, and spoke in a slow patronizing voice, that he knew Andy would yell at him for using at a girl, “Look, you have an ugly yellow tie and I have a less ugly green tie.”  

Elise grabbed onto his hand with hers and swiftly pushed it away from her. 

She reached into her pocket to pull out her notepad and scribbled something down quickly. 

I’m teaching you sign language. You look like an idiot when you talk to me.

His first thought was that he didn't want to learn sign language and his second was that she should fuck off. 

He went with telling her the second option. 

 They started walking again, this time Elise leading them down the path to the Hufflepuff common room, the school around them turning dark, as the light from outside slowly vanished and windows were drawn, their only sense of direction coming from a few candles, near the walls. 

You don’t have to walk with me.

It was a note that Elise had handed to Regulus several times before and even now after he read it she kept it in her notepad, probably to use once more in the future. It was true that she was an annoying shit and that he hated having her around him all the time, but it was also true that he always walked her to her dorm at the end of the day. 

Regulus sighed giving her the same answer as he always did, “I’m not walking you because we’re friends. I just don’t want anyone to hex your sorry ass while you're getting back to your dorm.”

Elise stared at him for a moment and then her lips curled into a tiny smile, so small that it was barely visible. 

He couldn't explain it but suddenly Regulus wanted to wipe that smile off of her face no matter how big it was. 

“Because you’re a mudblood. You know that right?” He said then before he could stop himself. They stopped walking, the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room sitting in between them, and Regulus desperately hoped that she would turn away from him thrust the entrance open and slam it behind her. He hoped that she would be angry at him for weeks and that he would have to eat breakfast alone with Severus without her making stupid faces at them from across the Great hall where she sat at the Huffelpuff table. He hoped that maybe she would even slap him or jinx him, and he would feel guilty, and he could look back and think that he almost had a friend before he ruined his shot. 

Maybe that was weird, but nevertheless, Elise was weirder. 

She was laughing, her eyebrows bunched up in the middle of her forehead as if she couldn’t believe what he had just said. Not in a way that suggested that she was hurt but more like he had just told a horrible joke that was so bad it was laughable. 

She nodded a few times, her face still obscured by that terrifying sarcastic laugh that Regulus was sure he would never get used to, and she waved her hands around a few times, fanning her face and covering her mouth as she laughed.

Holy shit she was really losing it wasn’t she?

Elise stepped back a few times, before scribbling something in her noetpad and handing it to him in one quick motion. Before he could read it she was already vanishing into her common room. Then, she leaned forward one last time and bowed. 

It wasn’t a real bow, he could tell it was a mockery.

Finally when the Huffepuffs' door closed, Regulus looked down at the crumpled note in his hand and read, 

You finally did it huh?

He was glad that she was already gone in that moment because Regulus wouldn't have known what to say if she was there. 

He finally did it? He finally called her a mudblood, is that what she meant? Had she been expecting it this whole time? Is that what she thought he thought of her? Was it what he thought of her?

Yes, Regulus was sure. Elise was not his friend, and she never would be.