𝕄𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕

Sirius Black smelled of cigarette smoke, worn leather, hair gel, and expensive cologne. This, Regulus knew. Regulus also knew that, according to letters from a few dozen of his secret admirers at Hogwarts, he smelled of mint, books, broomstick polish, and the sea. Regulus looked a lot like his brother; defined facial structure, lean build, and captivating grey eyes. It was a comment he would have appreciated hearing in his younger years. But as he got older, and Sirius left him in 12 Grimmauld Place alone, he started to resent looking like his brother. They got compared at every turn growing up and it seemed as though, even when Sirius left, Regulus couldn’t escape the persistent shadow of his older brother. This was part of the reason why Regulus became such good friends with Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch Junior. They both managed to make him feel like his own person. Like he deserved to steal the limelight from Sirius if even for a moment. Regulus also continued to contribute this line of reasoning as to why he had his best friend, Sekhmet Arafa.

With 3 older brothers in a traditional pureblood household, Sekhmet certainly knew what it was to be in someone’s shadow. The Arafa’s were a renowned pureblood family from Egypt who had moved to Europe in 1966. Sekhmet’s father, Set, moved the family over when he struck a business deal within the circles of the Sacred 28. Set was an older gentleman in his late 50s who worked as an undisclosed businessman in the darker magical scene. Regulus and Sekhmet had first met at age 5 during a large gathering of the Sacred 28 for the Black Annual Holiday Ball. Regulus had seen Sekhmet hiding behind her older brother, Osiris, and had meandered over to introduce himself. That was only after his brother had given him a proper push forward that almost had him landing promptly on his face with a "go-off you twat" as encouragement.

“Regulus Black,” he introduced, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Regulus wasn’t very sure in his words, as he was only 5, but he held himself with the posh mannerisms that were drilled into him since birth by Walburga Black, his mother.
Osiris took a moment to study him. Sekhmet knew that he was overly protective of her. Osiris was a very severe 8-year-old boy who, when in thought, looked quite intimidating. Sekhmet spared a very terrified Regulus by stepping up and talking before Osiris could finish his judge of character.

“Sekhmet Arafa. This is my older brother Osiris, “ she acknowledged gesturing to the tall boy beside her, “Don’t mind him. He’s not nearly as scary as he looks.” She joked.

Her accent was heavy and a little awkward, but Regulus smiled at her attempt to comfort him anyway. She held herself with the same air that all pure-blood nobility had, but he could tell that something about it was different. The Arafa’s were said to have descended from literal gods, hence their rather strange names. The blood of pharaohs ran in their veins, and there were many rumors surrounding the Arafa’s proclivity for the dark arts. Regulus, of course, didn’t yet know the entirety of what Sekhmet’s family was rumored to be, so he stepped closer.

“My older brother Sirius is similar” He eased her tension. “But he ends up being very kind once you get to know him.”

Sekhmet smiled shyly, her green eyes meeting his. Regulus smiled back. Sekhmet giggled a little at the action, making his grin widen in turn. She seemed kind in a way Regulus had hardly encountered with his family. What they both did not know, however, was that this friendship would become much more important than either of them could have ever imagined.