Chapter 5
Only spewing a few petals out of his mouth, he pockets them, and looks back down to his books he gathered, forming a plan inside his head. He could deal with this, manage it and even find another cure for it. He considers himself one of few of the brightest wizards of his time.
He considers the help of his friends; they all hold knowledge he’s sure he doesn't have access to. He looks up to Pandora, masking the panic he feels in his gut, but she is still gazing around the library, people watching.
Feeling his eyes on her Pandora slides her eyes over to Regulus. She tilts her head at him knowingly.
“What’s wrong Reg?”
Regulus looks back over to Sirius’s table only to find he’s looked away, chatting now with Lupin but James, oh James was still looking at Regulus. Or maybe he had looked away, only looking again in sync with Regulus. He would never truly know. Either way they made eye contact for the second time today, something Regulus does not appreciate. He can see the question in his gaze.
Regulus drags his gaze to Pandora.
“Not here, Dora. But I do need to talk to everyone later.”
“At the dorm?”
“At the dorm.”
She sighs with finality knowing she won’t get what he needs to say out now, it isn't yet in the cards or the tea leaves. She knows how this situation will pan out and while she’s not excited for it, she knows it must happen. The perks of being a seer Pandora thinks to herself.
Regulus stands up taking his three children's books back over to their correct shelves and instead grabbing actual textbooks figuring he should get some homework done. Although it is easier said than done as he cannot focus on the task. Instead, he brainstorms.
The book that had helped him confirm what he could be afflicted with, but it ended terribly, the girl got Hanahaki basically died but last second was saved by the love of her life, it's all predictable and not something that would happen with him, so he needs to find another way to get rid of it. With his and his friends' knowledge there’s no way they don't find another cure.
Pandora has gone back to looking around leaving him in silence to spiral in his mind as he looks at the pages of his textbook.
As the sun reaches high in the sky, Regulus has managed little. He sighs, snapping the book closed. Pandora had left only a few minutes ago to acquire food for them. He sets his book aside to notice oh so happily that his brother and their little group of ‘Marauders’ were still there.
Regulus is surprised. Sirius isn’t one to enjoy being stuck in a ‘stuffy library’ all day. He stares and stares at how they all act together, observing their dynamic. He gets caught by Sirius eventually who stares him down with a glare. Regulus finds this funny, messing with Sirius. He holds Sirius’s stare smirking and tilting his head. He can see him start to fume and has a hard time holding in his laugh.
He starts to get up from the table but James who was watching the altercation grabbed his arm and pulled him back down hard, Regulus could hear the smack of the chair from where he sat. James snapped his eyes over to Regulus with a mix of disappointment and irateness.
Regulus only felt slightly chastised because of James but still he considered himself victorious.
He raised from the table walking over to the entrance where Pandora had just come in with the food from the Great Hall.
“Let’s take lunch outside today, shall we?”
She laughed holding all their food.
“We shall be Lord Black of the Mighty House of Black.”
Regulus laughed back to her and conjured a blanket for them to sit on once outside. He felt lighter after getting his frustration out on his brother and it was such a nice day. He was content for the moment. He offered her his arm as she levitated the food in front of them to take it.
As they exited the library he could feel two pairs of eyes on him.
The rest of the day went by smoothly. After lunch he laid outside with Pandora cloud watching and talking about the most random things. Barty, Evan, and Dorcas had joined them outside later. Pandora and him had to sit up so they all could fit on the blanket. The three boys hate sitting on the grass, it irritates their skin. Pandora and Dorcas make fun of them for at least 10 minutes every time they run into this issue.
Once they had realized the sun was setting, they all rushed inside to make it to dinner, quickly eating and dispersing. Regulus had not asked to talk to all of them, he hadn't wanted to ruin the good day with a conversation he knew would throw gray clouds all over the good memories they had made.
Regulus was now currently wandering around the castle with no destination in mind, but he felt restless and sick to his stomach thinking about what he was going to say when he inevitably had to have the conversation with everyone.
Another few minutes and he ended up passing by the Forbidden corridor where he knew Evangeline to be. He looked down the dark hallway and knew he didn't have the energy to talk to her tonight. He wasn’t interested in keeping up with her.
Continuing his walk he was startled when his upper arm was grabbed from behind. He spun around quickly grabbing his wand from his robes pointing it at his assailant. He was horribly disappointed it wasn't someone he genuinely wanted to hurt. He needed to get more of his restless energy out.
“Potter.”
Regulus pulls his wand down but doesn't fully put it away.
“Just what do you think you’re doing grabbing me in a dark corridor?”
James just stares and stares at Regulus. The silence drags on as his question goes unanswered. His arm still gripped tightly in James’ hand; he starts to struggle to drag it out.
“If you don’t let go of me this instant Potter I swear -”
“Did you know you’ve got flecks of blue in your eyes.”
“What.”
Regulus’s jaw just drops, he can't even help the shock that flows through him.
James smiles at him, again with that damn smile. He sighs.
“Yeah.”
James snaps himself out of the staring, thinking to himself that staring into his eyes is not what he tracked Regulus down for.
Regulus watches as his eyes go sad, pitying almost towards Regulus and he immediately feels bitterness rise up inside him.
“I wish you wouldn't bait him.”
Regulus raises his eyebrow.
“Bait who?”
“Sirius, you know? Your brother.”
“Don’t call him that. He doesn't deserve the title.”
The pity is still in his eyes.
“Why doesn't he? He tried to help, and you denied it.”
“No, I didn’t, he never asked, he lingered outside my bedroom door that night, but he never knocked, never asked me to come with. And I would have gone with him had he done so.”
With every word Regulus becomes more and more angry.
“Oh.”
He scoffs.
“Yeah, oh. Now I’m stuck in that house until I have the means to get out, so no he doesn't get to be my brother anymore because my brother wouldn't have acted so cowardly.”
“What if he asked you now? Would you go?”
It’s Regulus’s turn to stare now.
“No.”
“No?”
“No. You don’t get to shove your way into our business. I don't want him to ask now because it would be your interference that got him to me. I refuse.”
“I will not have him choose me through you. If he wants to reunite, he can come to that conclusion on his own.”
The pity finally leaves his eyes. Anger replaces it.
“How is he supposed to choose you when you do nothing to jumpstart it? You constantly argue with him. He can’t get a word in when you decide to jump in with some smart comment.”
Regulus crosses his arms.
“He is tired of constantly arguing with you. He wants to talk to you, but you never give him the time of day!”
“I never give him the time of day because one of you ‘Marauders’ are always hanging around him! I can’t have a conversation with him by ourselves because you all have the premonition that I’m going to kill my own brother!”
James smirks.
“Fuck you.”
“You called him your brother.”
“Shut up for Merlin’s sake Potter, I cannot stand you.”
“On the contrary I think you enjoy my presence.”
James had taken his good day and soured it with his aggravating personality. Regulus both desires him and hates him at the same time, and he cannot decide which side will win.
He starts feeling the itch of his throat and can guess which side is currently winning. He coughs a few times to clear it, but it doesn’t. Regulus manages a sentence.
“If you don't mind, I will be taking my leave now, it's past curfew at this point.”
“Well it’s a good thing I’m prefect then, now isn't it? Can’t get in trouble if I’m the one taking the blame for keeping you out so late.”
Another cough. Regulus clears his throat for a solid ten seconds.
“No, really, I’m okay. I don’t need you to walk me back like a damsel in distress.”
Oblivious to his inner turmoil James insists he can walk him back.
“No, Potter, I need you to leave.”
The coughing is continuous now. The itch worsening with each cough, each effort to clear his throat. James laughs.
“Oh, I forgot you purebloods are not to be seen sick by anyone below your station.”
He rolls his eyes playfully, but walks ahead of Regulus, only knowing he’s behind because of the rough coughs emanating from the boy.
“I won’t look, you have my word, but if I don’t walk you back and you get caught, I will feel so guilty for ruining your perfect record.”
James smiles to himself. He thinks himself so funny.
Regulus is spitting up blood now, but no petals have come out which is strange he thinks. Suddenly he feels it, something dry working its way up his throat. James is still walking ahead humming to himself while Regulus lags.
What feels like hours was only seconds later, Regulus spits out a fully formed flower.
The first one.
Oh shit.
There is so much blood covering it and the amount of blood he hacked up wasn’t looking so great either. He wandlessly casts Evanesco, a vanishing spell getting rid of the flower before all his energy feels zapped out of him and he collapses.
James whips around after hearing the thump. Seeing Regulus laying on the ground he freezes before snapping into action. He slides down next to him on his knees and picks his head up, seeing a bump quickly forming at the top of his forehead.
“What the fuck Regulus.”
James looks to the rest of his face, seeing blood dripping from his mouth.
“Shit. What happened?”
Deciding there is no time to play doctor he picks up Regulus with little struggle and rushes him to the infirmary where Pomfrey is organizing bottles of medicine. He rushes in so quickly, she doesn't even register they are there until James is yelling.
“Pomfrey! Help me!”
She flutters over.
“Oh goodness, he’s back.”
“Move away James, I’ve got him now.”
James stumbles away the adrenaline leaving his body as Pomfrey takes over. He looks down to see his hands are shaking. He settles himself down by taking deep breaths and sitting down in a chair nearby where Regulus lays.
The only way to describe how Pomfrey works is fluttering, she mutters to herself quietly but works fast going from one side of her patients to the other, gathering herbs and tonics quickly and administering them just as quickly. She works miracles and James is very thankful for her.
He considers buying her a big gift basket after this just to show how much he appreciates her. It works in distracting him wondering what he could buy her while she fixes Regulus.
Eventually she sighs and he takes that as his cue to come back to reality. He looks at her as she stares down at Regulus.
“So?”
“He is stable now. I administered a blood replenishing potion and gave him another to keep him asleep for a few hours.”
James lets out a breath of relief.
“What was wrong with him? Why was he coughing up blood?”
She finally looks at James.
“I’m going to be honest James; I truly do not know. His case is very strange I can’t see what's afflicting him.”
“I’ll be keeping an eye on him though, you do not need to worry, you can go back to your dorm now James.”
James stiffens at her words.
“No, I would like to stay if I can.”
He looks down to Regulus then back up to Pomfrey.
“Please.”
She sighs.
“I’ll allow it. Let me get you a pillow and blanket though, that chair cannot be comfortable, you can sleep in the bed next to him.”
“What if someone needs it?”
Pomfrey laughs and gestures to the rest of the infirmary where all the beds are empty except three. Two of which are at the very end of the room and one that holds Regulus.
“I think I’ll manage James.”
“Thank you.”
He smiles at her. He's going to give her like a million galleons, he’s decided.