𝕄𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕

The music blared in the Slytherin Common Room. The lights were dim, the walls cast in a green glow. Students could be seen drinking Firewhisky and indulging in some merchandise that the Hufflepuffs had supplied. The atmosphere was euphoric with the addition of the Halloween decorations. One thing was for sure, Slytherins knew how to party.

Despite the usual inter-house rivalries between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Halloween was the one time of the year in which everyone set their differences aside. That’s why, when Sekhmet and her friends joined the party, they saw none other than Sirius Black dancing on one of the tables. He had a drink in hand, and was swaying his hips to “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie.

“Oi! Isn’t that your brother Black?!” Mulciber shouted out from his group of friends, trying his best to embarrass Regulus after what had happened on the train at the beginning of the year.

Regulus leveled him with a stare and said nothing. Sekhmet too looked at him, her eyes quickly dividing their attention between Arianna Brown, Mucliber’s muggleborn girlfriend, and Esmeralda Zabini, his betrothed. Mulciber’s face went from amused to silently fuming in a matter of seconds. Regulus moved away, his costume glistening as he walked through a ray of light.

The whole group had dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz. Regulus wore a costume resembling Tin Man. His skin was charmed to sparkle a light silver color and he wore a chunky silver suit with the signature smoke stack on top of his head. Despite his somewhat ridiculous costume, he looked as regal as ever to Sekhmet.

Sekhmet was dressed up as Dorthy for Halloween. She wore a plaid white and blue dress that had puffy white sleeves, and lace on the edges. Her shoes were a sparkling ruby color, and she had matching ruby bows for her braided hair. She had quite a lot of fun getting dressed with the girls before the party. Pandora had let Sekhmet apply her makeup for her Glinda costume, and Dorcas had went for a more scandalous looking Wicked Witch of the West costume.

As Regulus walked away, Sekhmet went to find someone to talk to in her group. She didn’t care much for the people at parties, but she loved the carefree atmosphere that they brought with them. As she walked through the crowd, tucking past people who were already tipsy, someone grabbed her arm. Sekhmet whipped around to face the offender, her face set in a steely glare.

“Where do you think you’re going you little git?” Mulciber crowed drunkenly, his eyes dark.

“What do you want?” Sekhmet asked, her tone short and face stern.

Mulciber clutched tighter on her arm. Sekhmet observed her surroundings whilst never breaking eye contact. She realized that she had found herself in a somewhat secluded section of the party up against a corner.

“Didn’t think I forgot about your little comment on the train do you?” He sneered, her upper lip curling in a disturbing manner.

Mulciber quickly pulled her closer, his breath reeking of alcohol. Sekhmet ripped her arm from his hold, moving to grab her wand. Just as she was about to cast a spell Mulciber ripped it out of her grasp, smacking it away from the two of them. He moved in even more, his eyes wandering over her costume predatorily.

“Didn’t think you’d look so good with a dress on. Especially with one as lacy as that….” Muliber smirked, his voice gruff and sinister in a way that made Sekhmet’s stomach turn.

He kept moving closer. Before Sekhmet could react he had his wand pinned under her throat, digging into her skin. Her breath hitched, though her face made no move to show her discomfort.

“You do know what will happen if you go through with this don’t you? I’ll never stop hunting you down…” Sekhmet threatened, her tone holding a promise.

“Why you bi-“ Mulciber was suddenly cut off, his body flung onto the ground.

There Regulus stood, his face stony and his eyes full of a rage Sekhmet had never before seen. He stood over Mulciber like a predator evaluating its prey.

Sekhmet caught her breath, her facade falling for a moment. She was unbelievably grateful that Regulus had come. She had no idea what would have happened if he hadn’t. She also knew that, if Mulciber had tried anything, she make him regret it in a way he would not soon forget.

“You come near her again…” Regulus seethed, his whole demeanor filled with calmly concealed rage.

Mulciber looked up at Regulus in fear, his face turning pale. Despite being drunk, he knew damn well the rumors of what Regulus Black did when angered. What anyone from the Black family did for that matter. Although Sekhmet’s family was rumored to have been involved in dark magic it hadn’t yet been confirmed by the general public. On the other hand, everyone with a lick of smarts knew that the Blacks had studied the dark arts as if it was a life source for generations.

Mulciber stood up swiftly, stumbling over his feet as he did so. His face was still set in a cross expression as he walked away, looking ever so frequently over his shoulder.

Regulus walked slowly over to Sekhmet and grabbed her hand. He took her palm into his and started slowly tracing it, trying to break Sekhmet out of her frenzied thoughts. She was lost behind the eyes, her gaze completely fogged over as if she was no longer in the room.

“Let’s get out of here?” Regulus offered, his tone exceedingly soft and gentle with her.

He carefully pulled Sekhmet over to a more secluded section of the party. Her eyes finally met his, and in a look of understanding he knew that no words had to be said.

While Regulus was incredibly talented in Occclumency, Sekhmet had a unique talent for Legilimency. When they were both thirteen they had decided to learn how to speak to one another through their minds. It had taken months of effort and countless amounts of research but they had done it. That skill always came in handy during situations like these.

“I don’t know…. I’m not sure what he would’ve…. “ Sekhmet spoke to Regulus, letting him in her mind so that he could hear.

“It doesn’t matter now.” Regulus reassured back through the bond, “I’ll always be there for you darling, never doubt it”

The two broke the bond and shared a soft genuine smile. At that moment Sekhmet realized how utterly screwed she was. Her thoughts went wild, but one thought in particular was more prominent than anything else:

Merlin, I think I like Regulus Black…