Clafoutis
At eighteen, Regulus decides to leave home on his own. Pandora had just become pregnant and this gave him the strength to finally get out of his parents' ties. That's when his uncle Alphard said he would pay for his college, but that in return Regulus would continue to attend therapy. Regulus accepted, at first he didn't like his psychologist very much, and after changing more than fifteen times he managed to get out of this situation. Alphard never realised that Regulus stopped doing therapy, he was always a good liar anyway.
College was important, Regulus learned techniques from the best teachers in France, but all his experience was in restaurants where he has already worked. Regulus at the age of twenty-two won his first Michelin star, it didn't take long for him to discover his true path. His cuisine has always been highly praised, the most important dish of his career without a doubt is his Boeuf Bourguignon, with the sauce made of red wine seasoned with the finest herbs.
However, his true passion is desserts, he has always had a weakness for sweets. As a child, before his demons appeared, Regulus used to steal chocolate from the kitchen with his brother help. They ate hidden from their parents, mixing the piece of chocolate with the sour cherries from the house’s garden.
Regulus wanted to create this kind of memory for Luna. He knows that Pandora was not the best cook in the world, but Luna misses her mother and Regulus wanted the best for his goddaughter.
So he wakes up earlier on that cloudy winter day. He starts with Clafoutis, chopping the cherry and making a reduction with sugar and a little vanilla, soon after he beats the dough until everything is millimetre well done. After putting the Clafoutis in the oven, Regulus decides to start making the nuggets for Luna, putting the chicken in the processor with a onion and smoked paprika, making the shapes of stars with a cookie cutter, for the accompaniment he decides to sauté some carrots with butter.
This is a child's meal, isn't it?
God Regulus hopes so.
It’s around noon when Luna wakes up, still sleepy she appears in the kitchen.
“On- Uncle Archie, what are you doing?”
Regulus smiles at the girl. “Lunch, are you hungry?”
“Uhum.”
“Well then let’s eat.” Regulus says taking the goddaughter in his lap and taking her to the kitchen table.
Regulus makes a presentation for the dish, Luna however does not seem very excited to try the food. Regulus sighs heavily, it would have been two weeks since Luna had a full meal.
He was starting to run out of options at that moment. What would he do for Luna to eat?
Regulus knew how to cook everything, except something that Luna liked.
The concern settled in the chest. Luna was living on croissants with jelly and madeleines that Regulus regularly makes for his goddaughter not to starve herself, but she hadn’t put sustainable food in her mouth for weeks.
“Pétit Lune, why don’t you eat a little?” Regulus asked pushing the plate in the direction of the girl.
Luna doesn’t even blink watching the food in front of her. “What is that?”
“Chicken nuggets, don’t you like them?”
“Can I go play in my room?”
“Luna, you need to eat something.” Regulus is serious.
Luna seems desperate with that situation. “Uncle Archie, I’m not hungry—“
At the same moment the phone rings. Defeated Regulus just cuts a slice of Clafoutis and puts Luna at least not to faint from hunger. The girl, however, only plays with the fork without any pretence of eating the dessert. Regulus gets up to the phone that rang for the second time, it’s Saturday which means that he would stay until later at the restaurant.
“Hello?” Regulus says.
“Reg it’s you?“ It’s Dorcas who’s talking.
Regulus made a face. “It’s obvious that it’s me, you call my apartment and wait for Taylor Swift to answer?”
“You’re so funny.” Dorcas says ironically. “Look, we’re going to have a full house today, we need you here now.”
“I can’t leave Luna alone. I promised her that I would take her to play.”
“I’m sorry, Archie.” Dorcas says in a loud sigh. “Or you come or James is in charge of the kitchen.”
“Shit.” Regulus murmurs. “Take me a few minutes and I’ll be there.”
The line is silent. Great, Regulus would have to take Luna with him to the restaurant. It’s not the best place for a child to be, at least Barty and Dorcas would be there to keep Luna entertained. Regulus would have to reward the girl somehow, spending the day in a high-class restaurant is really not the best option for a child, but it is what he had in hand at that moment.
Without much choice, Regulus arranges Luna in the best way he can.
“Mommy didn’t do my hair like that!” Luna taps her foot annoyed.
Regulus must have been trying to fix Luna’s hair for about thirty minutes. He actually had many talents, he knows how to play the piano, can decipher the name of any food with his eyes closed, he speaks French and Italian fluently. But certainly making hairstyles was not his best talent.
Luna was angry. It’s obvious that she was, she’s a child who had just lost her mother and her uncle couldn’t even make two braids without knotting her hair.
Everything was wrong.
“Lune, please, I don’t know how to do that.”
“I just want two braids!” Luna screams angrily.
Regulus sighs tired. “Why don’t we ask Cass to do this?”
Luna crosses her arms sullenly. Regulus makes only a very poorly made bun and takes the hand of a very sullen Luna out of the apartment. They go by taxi since Regulus’ car was under overhaul, fuck it, he was about an hour late.
The restaurant was still closed, but they would have to make the menu of the day. Because it’s Saturday, the restaurant would be ten times more crowded. Regulus is feeling terrible dragging Luna into that mess, but there was nothing he could do.
Okay, Benjy had said he could keep an eye on Luna when Regulus was working, but in fact Regulus was ignoring him. He didn’t want to go out with Benjy, God Regulus hated the possibility of going out with Benjy, but he promised he would do it.
The good side is that Benjy hadn’t touched on the subject anymore, Regulus was thanking God for that. His mind was never prepared for relationships, Regulus hated the idea of someone seeing him so emotionally defenceless. It’s wrong to think about it, Regulus always wants to be stronger than the others, the only person who has ever seen him at his worst was Pandora.
All the outbursts, the tears, the screams. The two saved themselves in the middle of so much sadness that they both felt. In a very strange way they understood each other, Regulus saw a sister in Pandora. His soul mate, the person who suffered in the same way as him.
No one ever understood Regulus. Not even he understood himself, his cloudy days where only sadness is present in his life. The constant feeling that he was disappointing everyone around him grew every day, so his sadness turned into anger, he got hurt, stopped eating and didn’t want to talk to anyone.
Cooking was therapeutic, he loved creating new recipes, staying up until dawn just to finish a dessert.
On days like this, not even the kitchen looked like Regulus’ refuge. He hated feeling like that, he hated knowing that someone could see that he was so vulnerable.
Regulus’ mind is like a black hole, always sucking everyone vitality into sadness. Regulus just wanted to stop thinking.
“Oh my God, what happened to your hair?” Dorcas asked as soon as he saw Regulus and Luna entering the restaurant.
Luna makes a sullen face. “Uncle Archie.”
“Can you fix it? I tried everything, nothing works!” Regulus says delivering the backpack with Luna’s things to Dorcas.
“Of course,” Dorcas said, guiding Luna to one of the restaurant’s tables. “what will you want, princess?”
“Two braids and a lot bows!” Luna screams clapping her hands.
Regulus left them alone and walked to the kitchen. Barty was there with Fabian peeling potatoes while Gideon washed the seafood.
And there he was.
James Potter stirring something on the stove with his colourful flower apron. Pathetic, Regulus thinks.
It’s as if James read Regulus’ mind since at the same moment he turns around with a smile on his face.
“Oh, hello.” He spoke with an annoying joy in his voice. “I’m doing the wine reduction.”
Regulus wrinkles his nose. “Gideon is the one who does this.”
James shrugged. “He didn’t care much about giving me this task.”
“That—“ Regulus starts talking but his words die in his mouth. “Whatever.”
James opens another radiant smile. “I wanted to know what seasoning you put in the reduction, I mean it’s the most famous thing in the restaurant and no one has any idea what the secret seasoning is.”
Regulus makes a face. The secret seasoning is ginger, not even Gideon knew that, it’s Regulus who makes the finishing touches. James could never know that, it’s something so personal that Regulus never even opened his mouth to talk about it.
There was also the fact that it was Sirius who created that sauce. It was unintentional of course, Regulus’ brother was a denial in the kitchen, he only ended up pouring some ginger chips into the wine reduction that Regulus did, and in the end everything worked out in a very annoying way.
Regulus kept that secret for fear of people taking that part of Sirius from him.
And people like James Potter were certainly a great threat to Regulus and his kitchen.
“It’s called a secret for a reason, Potter.” Regulus says poisonous.
“Right.” James says looking away. “What’s your problem with me?”
Regulus gets a little confused with that phrase from James, he had a lot of trouble sharing his kitchen and living with someone noisy who turns the workplace into a rave. The messy hair caused a mixture of anger and anxiety in Regulus, as well as his colourful apron and his red sneakers stained with a pen.
“You’re here to replace me.” That’s just what Regulus says.
James makes a lost grimace. “What? I’m here to help you.”
“I don’t need help. We were well before you got here.”
What James does next is something totally confusing for Regulus, he removes his apron throwing it on the floor and walking out of the kitchen. Everyone is silent watching that dramatic exit.
Regulus doesn’t know why but he follows James out of the kitchen. Alphard left his office to observe that dramatic situation that they all found themselves in.
“What the fuck—“ Alphard says with interconnecting his gaze between James and Regulus. “What are you doing outside the kitchen, James?”
“I’m leaving.” James said shrugging his shoulders while packing his backpack.
At that time everyone was already quite entertained watching all that scene.
Alphard turns to Regulus. “This is about you, isn’t it?”
Regulus shrugged. “J’ai juste dit que nous étions bien sans lui ici. C’est lui qui fait la scène.” (“I just said we were fine without him here. He's the one who's doing the scene.”)
“Tu n'as pas le droit de dire ça Regulus!” Alphard yells at his nephew. “James, please, this is a misunderstanding. Let’s go to my office to talk about it alone. We need you here.”
("You don't have the right to say that Regulus!")
James crosses his arms looking at Regulus with arched eyebrows. “I want to hear that from him.”
That can only be a joke! Regulus refuses to say that he needs James’ help. It was annoying the way his uncle pretended he was nobody as soon as the precious James Potter entered through that door.
It’s as if Regulus was worthless.
In a very distressing way Regulus was taken back to the day Sirius left, saying that he had found a family that really loved him. A brother who wasn’t crazy and supported him.
Regulus would somehow be replaced by James, it was just a matter of time.
The restaurant he worked all his life would be given to James.
Regulus would lose everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything.
Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything. Everything—
“Uncle Archie?” Luna’s voice hums in the back of his mind.
Regulus looks at girl. Dorcas made her hair, two long braids full of coloured clips and two bows at the end. The girl was adorable. “Look at you, you’re looking like a princess!”
Luna laughed. “It was Aunt Cass! You should learn from her.”
“Yes, I should.” Regulus says kissing the girl’s forehead tenderly. He sighs tiredly turning to James.
“I’m still waiting for an answer.” James hummed.
Regulus swallows his pride. “Stay with us Potter, we need you.”
As if a key changed inside James’ head, he opens a smile and claps his hands excitedly. “It will be a pleasure to share the kitchen with you Regulus!”
“Why didn’t you kill me right now?” Regulus says looking up.
Alphard laughed. “Stop being dramatic, and go to work.”
Regulus rolls his eyes holding Luna’s hand. “Lune, uncle needs to do a few things—“
“We’ll stay with her” Mary said.
Dorcas nodded. “What do you think about colouring a little?”
Luna opens an excited smile. “Can I Archie?”
Regulus looks tenderly at his goddaughter. “Of course.”
“Let’s go then.” Mary extends her hand to Luna who takes excited.
Dorcas stays behind, probably wanting to talk to Regulus. “So, have you already managed to make her eat?”
“Nothing.” Regulus says tired. “I did what you said, but the only thing she managed to eat was a piece of pie.”
“That’s fuck it up.” Dorcas analyses. “I’ll try to make her eat a little then.”
“Thank you.” Regulus murmurs.
He goes back to the kitchen. James was cutting something on the bench, without escape Regulus just decides to follow him. The beginning of any French dough is to have a lot of butter, that’s how Regulus starts his rotten dough right next to James.
The two are silent. Regulus manages to work like this, just ignoring James in the most effective way possible. He cuts the raspberries, a little strawberry and begins to prepare for the reduction of red fruits.
“Is she your daughter?” James asked without looking at Regulus.
With no way out he takes a deep breath while squeezing the lemon into the mixture of red fruits. “Goddaughter.”
“How old is she?” James asks again.
“Eight.” Regulus answers.
James cut onions on top of a wooden board quickly. “I have a nine-year-old son, maybe we should take them to play one of these days.”
“No.”
James lets out a drily laugh. “Is your hate for me so big that you will deprive your goddaughter of making friends?”
Regulus rolls his eyes. “Fine.”
“How about tomorrow?” James asked.
“Whatever.” Regulus shrugged.
“So in my house or in yours?”
Regulus widens his eyes. “Sorry, what?”
“For the children to play. My house or yours?”
Why did James Potter have to be so insistent?
“There’s a park near my house, we’ll meet there, can we?”
James opens a smile. “It looks adorable.”
…
Regulus was cleaning the kitchen when he realised that there was only him, James and Luna left who was playing something on Regulus’ cell phone quietly. Of course, Regulus hated Luna addicted to screens and electronics, but the school would only come back from recess next week, which meant Regulus trying to somehow make Luna entertain herself with other things.
Regulus cleaned his counter while watching the girl. Not even Dorcas could make her eat, Regulus was starting to get worried.
“What is that?” Regulus asks, observing James with three plates in his hands.
The man shrugged. “Bolognese pasta, for me, you and Luna.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it’s almost midnight and you two haven’t eaten anything.” James says putting a generous portion on each plate.
Regulus shrugged his shoulders. “You didn’t need to.”
James rolls his eyes. “Shut up and call Luna.”
Regulus still a little lost does what James says, Luna doesn’t seem very excited to have to stop playing with the cell phone, but follows Regulus silently to the improvised table that James had put.
The girl climbs on one of the chairs still a little suspicious.
“For you Pequeña Luna.” James says handing the plate to Luna, who looked at Regulus looking for a silent confirmation. Regulus just nods his head.
The most random thing happens. Luna takes the fork from James’ hand and starts eating.
Oh.
Now Regulus’ pride was hurt.
Luna eat James’ food without even making an ugly face, while Regulus’ food she refused to eat!
If Regulus didn’t love his goddaughter so much, he could certainly commit a crime at that very moment.
At the same time Regulus feels happy to finally see Luna eating. Is this the feeling his friends felt when Regulus finally stopped being so reluctant against food?
It’s certainly a sensation of peace.
“Thank you.” Regulus whispers while watching Luna eating the pasta with such pleasure.
James, who was putting butter on a toast, shrugged. “I heard you talking to Dorcas, I just made my son’s favourite dish.”
Regulus takes some of the pasta to his mouth. God, that was fantastic. How did someone so strange like James manage to cook something so delicious?
They are the striking flavour mixtures in Regulus’ mouth, he has always disdained the simple cooking. Pasta with tomato sauce, fried chicken, Regulus never bothered to learn how to cook that kind of food.
His taste is more exquisite. Like duck with wooden sauce, scargot, that’s what they told him to eat when he was Luna’s age. He didn’t eat Bolognese pasta or any simpler food.
“She doesn’t eat anything I make.”
James laughed. “Sometimes the simple is enough.”
“I didn’t grow up with the simple, so it’s hard.” Regulus murmurs.
“It’s never too late to learn.” James said giving a wink.
“Uncle Archie, can I eat a little more?” Luna asked with her mouth dirty with pasta sauce.
Regulus laughed taking a napkin to clean the goddaughter’s mouth. “Why don’t you take my plate?”
“Really?” Luna says with her little eyes shining.
“Of course, it’s all yours.” Regulus says pushing the plate to the girl.
Anyway, he wasn’t hungry.
“You know, you should eat.” James says.
“And you should take care of your own life.”
James puts his hand on his chest pretending that Regulus had hurt him. “Are you always so defensive like that?”
“Only with people I don’t like.”
James laughed, running his hands through his hair, throwing his head back. “I’ll still make you like me Archie.”
“Regulus.”
“I know your name is Regulus.”
“You called me Archie.”
“Everyone calls you that.”
“Only my friends call me that.” Regulus spoke sullenly. “You’re not my friend.”
“Right, this one hurt.” James says making Regulus roll his eyes.
“Lune,” Regulus calls the girl almost asleep on the table after eating so much pasta. The scene was even cute, Luna with her head resting near the plate of pasta with her mouth dirty with sauce. “darling, let’s go home.”
Luna answers only a murmur while raising her arms for Regulus to pick up her.
“Are you driving?” James asked.
Regulus arranged Luna on his lap, the girl didn’t even open her eyes because she was so tired. “I order a taxi—“
James cut it. “Don’t be silly, I’ll take you. I’ll take the opportunity to see where you live.”
“Are you a serial killer by any chance?” Regulus asked with arched eyebrows.
“I’m just a man who really wants to be your friend.”
Regulus rolls his eyes.
Why did James Potter have to be so annoying?
…
The morning was cloudy, the negative temperature caused discomfort in Regulus. He arranged Luna in the most comfortable way possible, with her navy blue cold set. Dorcas had taught some simpler hairstyles for Regulus to do in his goddaughter’s hair, which didn’t work out very well, so Luna’s hair had several clips of different colours attached in a very ugly way.
What matters is that Luna liked it.
Regulus walks hand in hand with Luna on his way to the small playground that was on the street of his apartment. Even though it was cold, Luna walked excitedly pointing to the trees without leaves and some flowers that managed to survive the brutal winter of London.
“Look Archie, a flower!” Luna says taking the small flower from the ground and delivering it to Regulus. “When summer arrives, can we pick flowers to put in a diary?”
Regulus seems lost. “Like, categorise the flowers?”
Luna makes a face at that difficult word Regulus said. “Mom did this with insects, but I do it with flowers!”
“It’s okay darling, we can do this as soon as the snow melts.” Regulus returning to take the goddaughter’s hand. Right in front was already James sitting on a bench. He wore a red hoarse as well and a scarf of the same colour, a large dark blue jacket and a pair of black jeans. Right next to him was a dark brown-haired boy with round silver glasses, - unlike James’s who was golden, - he was all in red. It was like seeing a miniature version of James.
“Oh hello Regulus, I see you managed to find us.” James spoke pulling his son by the shoulders leaving him in front of Regulus and Luna who was in the same position.
Regulus rolls his eyes. “It’s impossible to lose sight of you with this ridiculous cap.”
James laughed. “Well, this one is Harry. Haz this is Luna.”
The children stare at each other for long seconds until Harry opens a smile without his two front teeth, which makes Luna laugh.
“Do you want to make snow angels with me?” Harry asked, blowing his nose.
Luna looks at Regulus after a silent confirmation. Regulus nods calmly. “Only if we can make a snowman later!”
Then the two children run away holding hands.
How easy it is to make friends at their age.
“So, I brought hot chocolate.” James says pointing to the bench where there was a backpack.
Regulus sighs. “Let’s sit down.”
James indeed takes two thermos bottles from inside the backpack, handing one to Regulus who opens it soon, the sweet smell of chocolate invades his nose in a light way. Regulus was in fact a sweet type of guy, he loved anything with sugar. James’ hot chocolate is something very innovative, the taste instead of being cloying like most hot chocolates, was light. Regulus could spend a whole day just drinking that stupid hot chocolate that James Potter made.
There was no denying it, James was really very talented in the kitchen. Whether for savoury dishes or sweet dishes.
“It’s cinnamon.” James says closing the bottle as if he were reading Regulus’ thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“I put cinnamon in hot chocolate, my ‘Ma recipe.” James says watching the children play. Harry was on his stomach in the snow opening and closing his legs while Luna laughed out loud. “They seem to get along well.”
Regulus likes to hear Luna laughing, it’s been so long since he heard that sound. “It’s good to see her laughing.”
“It’s a sound that I wouldn’t change for anything.” James answers by going back to drinking hot chocolate.
“There are days when it seems that Luna is a mini adult, locking herself in her room and with a closed face—“
“Just like you?”
Regulus rolls his eyes. “Very funny Potter.”
James laughed watching Luna throw some snowballs at Harry who was running laughing loudly. “Sometimes I think I live with a pre-teen, Harry is a child with a lot of personality.”
“Just like you?” Regulus repeats what James says.
“Well, the appearance reminds me, but the personality is totally his mother.”
Oh. Okay, it’s obvious that James is married. Not all adults were a denial with romance like Regulus was. James looks like a guy who married his high school sweetheart right after graduation, he has a house with a white fence and a flower garden. A sweet and beautiful wife is waiting for him for dinner ready to talk about the day.
Everything Regulus would never have.
“And what she’s like?” Was Regulus really bringing up the subject? God, why doesn’t he just ignore James until Luna asks to leave?
James looks inattentively at Regulus. “Who?”
“Your wife.”
“I’m not married.” James speaks.
Regulus feels like he could die. “Oh, I’m sorry— I didn’t know. I assumed you were married—“
“It’s okay.” James shrugged. “I was but not anymore.”
“I’m really sorry.” Regulus says in despair.
James just moves his hands as if he wanted Regulus to leave that subject behind. “All right. I have a great support relatives, my brother usually keeps an eye on Harry while I work.”
“That looks good.” Regulus murmurs. “My support is usually my downstairs neighbour, but I think he’s only been helping me because he wants to fuck me.”
James widens his eyes. “And you want it?”
“That he fucks me?”
“Yes?” James says uncertain.
Regulus shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.”
James denied with his head. “Well, when you decide, let me know.”
“I’ll think about it.” Regulus raising his snoby face.
The children ran back from one side to the other. It had been a while since Regulus had seen Luna so happy.
“Is she already enrolled in any school?”
Regulus looks back at James. “Ladbroke.”
“Oh, what a wonderful surprise! Harry studies there too.” James says opening a smile. “My brother’s boyfriend teaches there, you’ll love it!”
“I hope Luna loves it.” Regulus says hiding a little from the cold. “She needs to have contact with more people besides me and the restaurant staff.”
James pushes Regulus’ shoulder lightly. “She’ll be fine. Harry will be there, and believe me, he is very protective of the people he likes.”
“Luna is totally the opposite, she lives well in her little world, you know?” Regulus says remembering when Pandora called him in the middle of the night crying because of the things Luna was going through at school. Even at a young age Luna has already known how the real world can be cruel to different people. People like her. Regulus wanted to protect her forever. He knows that Luna is a sensitive child, shit, she is like a scared and very curious kitten. Just like Pandora, Luna sees life in a different way than the others. “I only worry about her.”
And that’s what scares him the most.
He also sees the world differently, and maybe some people are not prepared to deal with Luna in the same way they did not deal with Regulus and Pandora.
The only difference is that Regulus would never send Luna away because he didn’t want to deal with her differences.
No.
He wasn’t like his parents.
“Listen to me, if she’s with Harry the last thing they’ll do is mess with Luna.” James says almost as if he were reading Regulus’ mind. Again. What the fuck was that? “He is almost a born leader.”
Regulus laughed. “Oh, he’s going to take Luna to the dark side of the force, isn’t he?”
James’s eyes shine. “Is that a Star Wars reference?”
“Yes?”
“Fucking shit, are you a nerd?” James asked laughing.
Regulus made a face. “No. I mean, I watched some of the movies.”
“I’ve never thought of you like that.”
Regulus arches his eyebrow. “And how did you think I would be?”
“Well, at first I thought you had come out of a horror book by Edgar Allan Poe.” James said with a low laugh. “Or a novel, like Dracula or Nosferatu.”
“Did you think I was a vampire?”
“You’re pale as one.”
Regulus rolls his eyes. “We live in London, there’s no way I can keep my tan up like you.”
James laughed out loud. “My tan is called genetics.” He lifts the sleeve of his T-shirt as if the cold didn’t bother him. “My Latin roots are happy to hear this coming from you.”
“Idiot.” Regulus murmurs in response.
The two are in a relatively pleasant silence, just watching the two children run from one side to the other. Regulus likes to stay there, he likes to see Luna playing with someone her age. It’s been a while since Regulus had good days like that. Having his routine changed was a strange feeling, Regulus hated changes, but Luna came to brighten his life.
There’s no way not to think of Pandora. She would love to be enjoying that morning next to her daughter, she would probably be running with the children and then deciding that it would be the perfect time to go butterfly hunting. Regulus doesn’t let himself think about his friend so often, he misses Pandora.
And God, Evan was practically missing. Barty didn’t talk about him anymore, neither Dorcas or Regulus knew what was happening.
Everything is a big huge mess. Regulus wants his friend back. He wants to complain about James with her, he wants to talk about how winter is annoying him.
He wants to ask how to raise Luna correctly.
The sadness was so much that Regulus felt his heart could explode.
“Hey Regulus,” James called him. “Sorry, I think I scared you. Is everything okay?”
Regulus looks at the man in front of him. “Yes, it’s okay, yes.”
“You said that Luna looks at life differently, I had some problems with Harry in the past but—“ James itches his throat. “Anyway, I have a good contact with a child therapist.”
Regulus doesn’t stop being curious. “Oh really?”
James nods his head. “If you want, I’ll give you her contact.”
“It would be great.”
“Tell me your number.” James says extending his hand to Regulus. “I must have a pen around here.”
“What?”
James takes a pen out of his backpack and reaches out again. “Write down your number in my hand and I’ll send you the contact.”
Regulus takes the pen with caution, James’ skin is hot. Maybe it was because of the heavy coat on his shoulders, but it’s a touch that Regulus had never experienced before. He notes in silence, holding his breath against his chest.
What the fuck—
“Archie!” Luna comes running towards Regulus with something in hand.
Regulus looks at the girl worried. “What happened?”
“Harry and I found a kitten, look.” Luna shows the black cat cub shaking against her body. Harry was right behind her looking worriedly at the little kitten. “Can we stay with her?”
“Pétit I don’t know—“ Regulus says observing the cat that was now miaowing in despair, probably hungry.
“Please!” Luna says blinking those big blue eyes.
James laughed. “Oh, she’s good at it.”
Regulus sighs loudly. “All right. But it’s you who will take care of her, that means cleaning the sandbox and giving food.”
“Yay!” Luna screams excitedly jumping with the cat in her hand.
Harry makes a sullen grimace. “I also want a cat!”
James runs his hand through his son’s hair laughing. “We already have the padfoot, he gives us a hard time.”
“Papá!” Harry grumbles loudly.
“You can go visit the kitten in our apartment whenever you want Haz.” Regulus says in an annoying naturalness.
Harry’s brown eyes shine, very similar to James’s. “Really?”
“Of course!” Luna screams. “Daisy will be very happy to see you!”
James gets close to Regulus. “Thank you for getting rid of this, my brother is allergic to cats.”
Regulus automatically remembers Sirius, his brother was also absurdly allergic to cats. What made Regulus immensely sad, his dream as a child was to have a kitten, but his parents were never very in favour of this idea, and Sirius was all red just being near a kitten. So Regulus’ dream had to be postponed to the present day, well, until now since Luna looked happy with the kitten in her hands.
“Luna wouldn’t leave me alone if I said no.” Regulus says smiling small seeing the goddaughter sitting on the floor accompanied by Harry playing with the little cat. “Harry can go at any time to play with Luna.”
James also smiled. “That seems like a good idea to me.”
Regulus knew at that moment that James Potter might not be a villain, he’s a good person.
And Regulus might have judged him wrong.