True Knowledge
Today, see if you can stretch your heart and expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom you can give it easily, but also to those who need it so much.
Aristotle
[ — ]
“What’s going on here?” Regulus grumbled, looking up from his book. He pointed with a finger between the three boys sitting in front of him. “I don’t like this, why are you all looking at me like that?”
James nodded to Sirius and Peter to signalise them to leave. Peter understood and stood up immediately, pulling Sirius up by one hand. “Come on, Pads. Let’s play ball outside,” he grinned, winking at James on their way out. Sirius wore a pretty thoughtful expression, but still left without saying a word.
Regulus had already settled in the kitchen, the only place downstairs that he would go to except Fleamonts’ experimental room. He was making himself a tea. James knew that he only enjoyed Earl Grey the best, though he always added one sugar to it. James sat down by the kitchen counter, waiting patiently for him to turn around and notice him.
Then, he did. A cup of hot water in his hands and a tea bag waiting for him on the counter. He blinked for a second, confused. Then he caught himself, his expression going back to the frown that just never seemed to leave his face for longer than two minutes. “Can I help you?” he asked, clearly annoyed just by James’ mere presence.
“No,” James smiled warmly. Regulus scoffed, shaking his head slightly as the tea bag sinks into the water, colouring it in a dark shade. “What are you reading right now?” he wondered, glancing at the book that was lying on the counter, trying to sound somewhat interested.
It seemed to work, as Regulus’ head snapped up from where he was staring at the tea, seemingly trying to avoid any eye contact with James. Was he the sun or something? Why couldn’t Regulus just look at him for one second? He looked him up and down for a moment, and then answered, “Kant.”
“Hey, no need to be so rude,” James scolded. There was a slight twitch in the corner of Regulus’ mouth, almost smile-like.
“Immanuel Kant, you cunt.” James blinked, tilting his head in utter confusion. There was a moment of complete silence between them where Regulus slowly dragged the tea bag around in the water, making it get flavour faster — probably so he would be able to leave quickly — and James thinking, hard and also slowly, very much so. Regulus looked at him with his lips pressed into a thin line, then he just gave up on James, held up the small book to let him read the title himself. Immanuel Kant.
In attempt to overcome the awkwardness, James just smiled and said, “Never heard of him.”
“Clearly.”
“How do you know him? Was he a well-known wizard? I don’t really know a lot about wizard literature.” Or literature in general, James thought. And even though he didn’t say it out loud, he knew Regulus was thinking the same thing.
Regulus sipped on his tea and James could almost taste the burn himself. “He was a muggle,” he smiled to himself, looking down at the book as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
“A muggle? Then how do you know him?”
Regulus shrugged. “Back at Hogwarts, they didn’t really have a lot of muggle literature — and I was always interested in their culture, ‘cause, you know, anything even remotely muggle related was banned from the Black household. Guess I have a thing for forbidden things,” he said, glancing at James briefly, before looking back down to his tea. “So, when we moved here and I saw all the muggle books in your shelves I just started getting invested in the way muggles write. It’s nice to know that even in a world that lacks magic, a few seem to find it still. It’s kind of comforting, you know what I mean?”
James stared at Regulus the whole time he talked. He looked so mesmerising when he got caught up in an interest of his. This was probably the most Regulus had said since... Well, probably since they met. It was nice, James thought, knowing that there was more to Regulus Black than just being cruel.
Regulus shifted uncomfortably on his feet, clearly embarrassed about how much he’d said. “It’s very unfortunate that you don’t even know the books that you own.”
Okay, maybe he was still a little cruel. “My family owns them! Not me.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Regulus mumbled, sipping on his tea again as he walked past James and went back upstairs. And, indifferent to every other conversation they have had, James found himself smiling like crazy after talking to Regulus.