Chapter 2
Looks like it actually was going to rain, just sooner then the three thought. And, since Barty was being slow as a snail, they made it to the Rosier manor soaked wet and dripping water everywhere. Fortunately the door opened as soon as they stepped in the porch.
"I told you not to go far." said Evan's sister, Pandora.
She was like an angel came from heaven to make sure that his brother and Barty didn't end up in prison or in worst problems and, since now Regulus is used to go around with the two, she started making sure he was okay aswell.
"I'll make some tea to warm you three up." she said as she disappeared in the kitchen, leaving the three be free to go change and dry their hair.
"Thanks, Dora." Barty and Evan said almost at the same time.
The joint effect still didn't disappear, expecially for Crouch since that idiot smoked almost half of it by himself.
They decided to split to change so that everyone could have space and privacy. Evan changed in his room and Barty in the first floor bathroom, while Regulus was left in the bathroom of the ground floor.
He took off his sweater and shirt to wipe away the water from his torso and back with a towel he found below the washbasin. He flinched enough to almost fell when he heard knocking at the door.
"You must need dry clothes." said the feminine voice of Pandora as she waited him to open.
Well, it made Regulus panic. Open the door? While shirtless? God, he'd rather keep the wet clothes on all day than to open the door.
At the same time he didn't want to be rude to her, she was too sweet and caring, that was surely the last thing he wanted to do.
So he opened the door, the hand he placed on the handle was clearly shaking. He opened it just a little, only enough to peek out with the head.
"Thank you." he said as he reached to take the clothes she offered him, receiving a warm smile from her.
As she turned around and stepped away, he closed the door again, the fact she left didn't help the shaking of his hands and the apparent struggle to breath that was making his chest raise and follow so quickly.
He let the clothes on the counter and quickly reached for the medicine bottle. He menaged to open them even with the shaking of his hands.
Three pills fell on his palm and without hesitation he put them in his mouth and swallowed them without even the need of water.
He was used to swallow them without water since not always he could have anything to drink when he needed them.
Because he needed to keep the anxiety under control and without the pills was hard.
No one knew he took them, it all started when he was little, ten years old or maybe eleven. He saw Sirius take them when he was having flashbacks, that's how he called them since his brother never explained what it was.
Regulus took one once, when his hands were shaking so bad he couldn't even hold the bottle of pills without making it fall on the floor.
He clearly remember how easily it made it feel to calm down, in less that two minutes his hands were so still he could have made a surgeon envy the firmness.
Since that day he started stealing one or two pills from the bottle, making sure to not get caugh by his brother.
But when Sirius stopped taking them since he got better, he had to find a way to get them on his own.
He had to snatch the old prescription his brother used and he was lucky that in the place where he usually get them no one did really mind if he was clearly too little to be buying those pills.
He took a deep breath and changed his wet clothes with the one which seemed to be Evan's given by how big they were on his small body.
Once he quickly changed the clothes he shoved the bottle of pills in the pockets of the sweatpants Pandora gave him and then walked out the bathroom, not even minding his still pretty wet hair.
He followed the noise of the voices and reached the kitchen where Barty and Evan were bickering about something stupid, while Pandora was making tea like she said before.
"Hey, Regulus." Pandora said with her usual calm and sweet tone. "Want some tea?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as she saw how he seemed to be zoning out.
"Yeah," Regulus quickly said as he stepped beside her. "Can I help?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty how much she always does for him and the other two and he wanted to give her at least a little of help when he could.
She gave him the two cups for Barty and Evan, who still were sat at the table, still bickering over the same useless thing as before.
Regulus's eyes focused on the small draughtboard left on the small armchair close to the fireplace.
He stepped closer without realizing he was moving. He looked at the small pieces shaped carefully, watching how they were placed on the chessboard as if in the middle of a game.
"I was trying to study a new opening." Pandora said as she stopped beside him, titling her head slightly, as if studying the expression of the younger Black.
"You know how to play?" she asked as she saw how much Regulus seemed interested in those little figures.
"Yes." he said as he snapped back to reality, but his eyes stayed on the daughtboard, studying the positions.
"My uncle taught me when me and Sirius lived with him." he added mindlessly, usually he never talked about the years before they transferred there.
"Wanna play?" Pandora asked, not questioning anything about his uncle or why they lived with him.
Regulus sat down on the floor, Pandora did the same, placing down the chessboard between them and both started placing the pieces in their start place.
Pandora gave him the first move, so Regulus opted for the French Defense as he remembers it from the time his uncle taught him.
He moved his pawn in e4 and waited for her move.
Pandora was really good at it, she never moved a piece without analyzing every chance to lose it or having already thought about where to place it the next move.
She won, of course, but she also noticed that, even tho the obvious lack of knowledge Regulus had about how to play, he was really quick about studying strategies.
"Nice game." she said and offered her hand like they do in big tournaments.
"Next time I'll teach you some openings, if you want." she said with a warm smile as the boy took her hand.
"Would be great." Regulus said as the corners of his lips in a small smile.
Then he felt someone came up up behind him, messing his hair even more.
"Always said our Reggie is a genius." he said, both mocking but also really meaning what he said.
"Remember us when you'll be famous." Evan added as he poked the side of Regulus's neck to annoy him further.