sink or swim - r.a.b

𐙚 chap. 11- christmas break pt. 3

Yours, Regulus Arcturus Black

The four words that haunted your mind for the past twenty-four hours. What did he mean by that? You tried to brush it off, say it was just a polite way to end a letter, but at the same time, he'd written that right after he asked you to go to his family's Christmas ball.

Maybe James was correct when he called you psychotic when the two of you were younger. Considering you seemed to over analyze every little detail. You just tended to do that sort of thing when Regulus was involved. Studying his facial expressions instead of the potions coursework. It wasn't your fault that he was a distraction. It was most definitely his.

You'd only tried your dress on at least a thousand times, picked three different hairstyles you would do, and declared that you needed all new make-up. You'd also tried to reply to Regulus' letter, but it was easier said than done -- which brought you right back where you started. Yours, Regulus Arcturus Black.

After banging your head on the edge of your desk, you groaned, and picked the quill that was marinating in a glass vile of ink once again.

Dear Regulus,

Yes, I received the invitation from your mother. I've decided to go. I apologize for the time that it took to respond. When it was delivered to my house, I was out, and I fell asleep soon after I read it. I agree with you on the sensible company part, the boys here are killing me. I wish we were back at Hogwarts.

With Love, [Y/N] Euphemia Potter

Finally. A half-decent letter. You folded it, and stuck it into an envelope. You sealed it with the wax stamp of your family crest, and went to the greenhouse to find the family owl. After tying the letter to it's leg, which he kindly stuck out for you, he flew off.

⋅˚₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

It'd felt like an eternity until the night of Christmas Eve. You where shaking with nerves as you did your hair, making sure every strand was set in place. Once you were all prettied up, you made your way to your parents' room. You knocked on the door, and your mother answered.

"Oh, [Y/N]. You look absolutely lovely." She praised.
"Thank you, mum." You responded. "We should get going. I'll floo back home, I believe they'll allow me to." Of course, she already knew that. The two of you had discussed the plan at least twenty times. She nodded in response, and you grabbed her arm.

The sensation of apparating was never enjoyable. You supposed it helped when you braced yourself. A second later, you were outside the house of the Black family. She gave you a hug and a kiss on the forehead for good luck, and apparated back away. You took a few deep breaths, and walked up to the door.

After a tentative knock on the door, a house elf opened the door. He looked at you scrutinizingly, and asked for your name. After he found it on the guest list, he reluctantly allowed you inside. The foyer was grand, it was a beautiful home. He directed you to the ball room, and you said your thanks.

Upon entering, it seemed no one noticed you. There were groups of giggling girls, and of course the fathers were laughing over champagne. You had never felt more out of place. Sure, your family had hosted the occasional ball, but it seemed as everyone else was aware of something you were not privy to.

You scanned the room looking for familiar faces, but with the crowds, it was quite hard to. You tugged your bottom lip between your teeth, and quickly remembered your lipstick. You ran your teeth. That was when you spotted Walpurga Black. She was beautiful in a dark sort of way. You figured the boys would be floating near her, considering Regulus was never one to socialize, and Sirius hated these sort of things.

After what felt like hours of searching, you saw the obsidian curls that had been plaguing your mind ever since the break started. You quickly started over in that direction, before someone grabbed your arm. "[Y/N]?" You heard Sirius' voice ask. You froze. Oh, he hadn't known you were coming, did he?
"Sirius." You replied, turning on your heel. You offered a sheepish smile, and he gave you a puzzled look.
"How'd you get in here? Kreacher is at the door, checking everyone that comes in is on the invite list."
You sighed in defeat, knowing this was coming sooner or later. "I might've.. made acquaintance with Regulus." At his look, you quickly piled on. "And Pandora and of course Emi."
"Pandora? As in Rosier?"
"Yes," You nodded.
"Oh, I thought she was hard to get to know. Everyone seems to think she's an airhead."
You frowned. "She isn't. She's very nice." Sirius must've realized he'd said something wrong, because he let go of your arm, gave you a reproachful look, and walked off.

Great. You were back at square one with nobody you knew to talk to, Regulus was once again lost in the crowd, so you just sighed. At least you'd spotted the drink table. You beelined towards it, and grabbed yourself a glass of champagne. You downed it in one go, and frowned at the carbonation that was bubbling in your throat.

When you were about to pull your lip back between your teeth, you remembered what happened earlier, and opted for the inside of your cheek. Well, fuck. You mentally cursed. This was a waste of time, you couldn't find Regulus. Was this just a waste of time? No, you wouldn't let yourself get deterred.

After scanning the room for what already felt like the millionth time, you saw where everyone you knew seemed to be. They were gathered around a table near the wall of the ballroom, and that was your next set destination. Once you arrived, you cleared your throat, and everyone looked up at you -- everyone being Pandora, Emi, Barty, Evan, and Dorcas Meadows. You didn't really know her, but she hung around the same group you did. Emi's face lit up.

"Well, hello [Y/N]. Didn't expect to see you here." She greeted.
"Yeah, me neither. This isn't really my scene. How do you guys stand this. I've been looking around for a familiar face for ages." You groaned, slumping into a chair.
"It seems my seat has been stolen." The voice of Regulus Black drawled from behind you. You turned your head so fast you thought you might get whiplash.
"Regulus! I've been looking for you all night, which hasn't been too long considering I've been here fifteen minutes at most, but still."
"Hello to you, too." He responded. Barty went to pull up another chair, and everyone scooted to accommodate for it. Regulus sat in the seat, and the table fell into random topics of conversation.

⋅˚₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅
The night had dragged on, but at the same time, felt as if it flew by. The boys eventually disappeared, and when they came back, they were all pale. "[Y/N]." Regulus dragged you up from your seat. "You have to take Sirius home with you, hurry." He dragged you to a secluded room not too far away from the ballroom. Sirius was on the ground, writhing with pain.

Bellatrix Black stormed out of the room, and you paled. Regulus tossed a handful of floo powder into the fireplace. "Potter Manor." You quickly said. You casted Regulus one last glance, and hurled both you and Sirius into the green flames.

A/N
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heyy guys! i've left you on a semi-cliffhanger for a month.
not too proud about that but uhm! i know i said i would
update more and then didn't but we all make mistakes..
sorry. let's fuel our parasocial relationship real quick!
i saw sonic 3 in theaters. shadow is bad, no notes.
i hate school so much omg.
oh and i made a playlist for this fic!!
link;; https://open.spotify.com/playlist/32e3WyLCuXwBIlvQKHEkFP
ok bye!!