Distractions
Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry, the place many young minds called a home. The place where many people found comfort and the true definition of family, where unbreakable bonds were created, and where magic was taught to an extraordinary level, fostering some of the greatest known wizards in history. It was also the place where Regulus was supposed to learn to make a name for himself. The place where he was sent, like many of his ancestors, to gain some knowledge in order to follow in his parents' footsteps. He would not call it a home, but it was not void of that feeling. He felt that he had some freedom in these halls, at least. He had friends and people he could actually rely on.
Above everyone else, Regulus had Pandora. She was his childhood friend as well as someone he held closer than his own brother. No one knew more about him than her. He couldn't imagine life without her, not after everything they've shared, although they both had others. There was Barty, who was the cause of most of Regulus’ bad behavior and decisions, although they always had fun together. He gave Regulus some odd form of relaxation and relief. Along with Pandora came Evan and, along with Barty, came Dorcas, both of which Pandora was particularly fond of and Regulus was gradually becoming accustomed to. They had their little group, and no matter what Regulus claimed, he would defend and support them no matter what. He valued trust, and even though he had a hard time finding it in other people, he would never go against his word. Anyone who truly knew him also knew they could trust him wholeheartedly.
Hogwarts was full of bonds exactly like the ones Regulus had with his strange band of Slytherins. Watching the first years being introduced to Hogwarts for the first time, it wasn't hard to pick out all the groups that would stick together until the end of their school career. It always seemed to work that way. It has been like this since the year the school was founded.
Regulus had a lot on his mind the first dinner of the year, and so he was spaced out the majority of it. Countless thoughts ran through his head faster than he could process. Thoughts about many different things all at the same time. With the first years all sorted and dinner served, he still could not pull himself away from them. Family, friends, home, the dark lord, spells, words, books, O.W.L.s. All of it crowded together and stuck in his brain. He looked for closure around the room, but the things he found only made it worse.
He ended up locking eyes with a particular Gryffindor. When he figured out who it was, he quickly looked away and bit his tongue. Remus Lupin, Gryfindors infamous prefect boy. In Regulus’ opinion, Remus had always been the most dignified of Sirius's friends(However scrappy), but that didn't change how odd he seemed to him. Although they shared a similar interest in books and school, there were way too many questions Regulus had about Remus to be comfortable with him, especially comfortable with the fact that he was staring directly into his eyes. It made it worse knowing the kind of relationship that he had with his older brother.
Sirius, who Sirius chose to be around, and who Sirius decided to snog in a terribly kept secret were the last things that Regulus wanted to think about. In fact, they were the exact opposite of what he wanted to think about. He hated Sirius’ group, not only because they were smug blatant show offs, but because no matter what Regulus did, they all looked down on him. They all thought terribly of him. He was nothing more than a no-good immoral Slytherin, who Regulus was sure Sirius described as a kiss-up and momma's boy. He was certain all they saw when they looked at him was Sirius's pathetic little brother who couldn't stand up for himself. He was far from that, no matter what anyone else said about him. They were nothing more than giant bugs, but at least he was the bigger person about it.
Thankfully, he was pulled back to Earth by Pandora, who was excited about all the classes she was going to take this year to prepare for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. Regulus focused on her voice, tried to clear his head, and ignored the eyes he had on him. He tried to get his mind off Gryffindors and whatever the hell they had to do with him, family and what they were forcing him to do, and all the inevitable things that came with this new school year. He was tired and in desperate need of a break, no matter how much he hated to admit it. Surely, Pandora noticed. She always had a knack for seeing things no one else could.
“Well I suppose we better be off now, right Reggie?” Pandora asked, wearing the same warm nostalgic smile she always bore. Regulus nodded in response, standing up and cleaning himself off of any grime.
“Should I walk you to the dungeons?” Pandora didn’t answer him. Instead, she just got up and took Regulus’ arm in hers as if to say yes. Impossibly so, her smile seemed to grow even warmer. She really was the sweetest girl Regulus knew, even though not many people would describe her that way. He supposed she was a bit slippery, but if you took the time to get to know her, you'd understand how much light she saw in everything. In reality, she was the reason Regulus saw any light at all.
As they left the great hall and began their descent to the Slytherin dorms, the mood shifted. Warm candle lighting and crowded areas faded into a cold moon-lit empty space, and the loud chattering of students was drained out. The moon was bright tonight even though it was not full, filling every corner of the halls with an ethereal pale blue glow. It suited Pandora wonderfully, framing her ivory and silvery features just right. She belonged to the moon and stars. Despite the beauty of everything, the nature of it made it feel surreal. Everything was fuzzy, like a memory you couldn’t quite place but cherished, or a lovely dream that you ached to have again. Something you longed for. He often felt this way when he was alone with Pandora. Honestly, if he didn't know better, he'd think she was his guardian angel. He felt safe in her company.
“Regulus,” Pandora started, her voice careful and soft, but her smile gone. “You should do whatever you feel is right, okay? We're all relying on you. It's going to be alright again because of you.”
No matter how many questions Regulus had, he knew he would not get a proper answer if he asked any of them. After years of knowing Pandora, he knew better than to question her. She had a peculiar way of doing things that no one truly understood, yet it was more comforting than anything else he had ever been told because he knew that Pandora was far more intelligent than most people, more than people took her for. That was one of the many things he loved about her. It was one of the things that made her so great, so special, so extraordinary.
He did nothing but nod. As soon as he did, she smiled warmly again. “Good, thank you, Reggie.” She continued to walk, although this time with a more comfortable stance. She seemed to be pleased with his answer, no matter how simple it was.
The only thing Regulus did not enjoy about the Slytherin dormitories was the state of the dungeons. Just outside the entrance to the common room, it was stuffy, slimy, and cold. He supposed it fit a snake's character, but it often disgusted him. Pipes that had been ignored for decades endlessly dripped, causing a loud thunk sound against the mossy brick environment, and there was basically no ventilation. He was thankful, at least, that the Slytherin dormitories themselves were generally kept pristine.
The common room had been strangely nostalgic for him when he first arrived at Hogwarts. It was decorated in eerily similarity to his childhood home(with added emerald green). The decorations complimented the ancient architecture of hogwarts. All the furniture was a dark polished antique. Candles, placed on nearly every surface, gave the entire room a dim and calm lighting, and the fire that was constantly burning in compensation for the nasty cool atmosphere only added to that effect. Empty space on the walls was covered in many different portrait paintings of Slytherin greats, with the exception of a few landscapes of lush green environments. The rest of the room was not void of green and silver either, full of Slytherin themed tapestries, table mats, rugs, throw pillows, and blankets. The only other color evident in the room was black. In spite of the usually comfortable decorations, the entire room was designed to appear sleek and elegant. Regulus found that most of his Slytherin peers were the best behaved here. He assumed that was due to the serene vibe the students all shared in each other's company.
Slytherins were misunderstood, and that was something they all could bond over no matter their background. They had mutual respect for each other because everyone knew the burden that came with the color tie they wore. It was all stereotypes. All of the other houses judged them based on Salazar Slytherin, all of the criminals to come from their house, and the untainted pureblood families that once stayed here, blind to the lot of Slytherins who had hearts of gold. He knew the stereotypes were not completely untrue, but he also knew enough sweet Slytherins for him to consider it out of hand. It was all the disgusted looks and discrimination that tainted the good ones.
Regulus walked Pandora as far as he was allowed, just outside the girls' rooms. She thanked him and kissed his forehead exactly like she always did, then disappeared behind the doors. He let out a quiet sigh, deciding it was best to retreat to his own room before the common room was crowded with all the Slytherins coming back from dinner.
He felt a bit better when he sat on his bed. His side of the room had not even a speck of dust and remained clean constantly. Regulus, according to Barty at least, was a clean-freak. He often made his dorm mates stay at least a bit tidy as well. He couldn't stand to live in a mess, and he would not stand for senseless grime in his room. It was one of his non-negotiables.
Their dorm was just as green as the common room, but Regulus much preferred their decoration choices over the common rooms. Although hints of the classic emerald green remained around the room, it was drowned out by a rich forest green color paired with much more black. Posters and a few letters were plastered on almost every inch of the walls instead of paintings, giving the room the same look as a scrapbook. Regulus’ side of the room contained quite a lot of plants. It had started out as a way to make his own potions, but it quickly turned into an unexpected hobby. It made him feel a bit more peaceful, and it was something nice he could keep all to himself(and his dorm mates, he supposed). He also had a massive collection of books and blankets. The blankets were simply because of how easily he'd gotten cold. One of his many weaknesses was his low tolerance for any temperature lower than 21°C. He was often bundled up. The books, on the other hand, were something entirely different.
In the context Regulus was raised in, there was very little he had to do, or more so, that he was allowed to do. The slim amounts of free time he had could hardly be called free. Every hour of his life was controlled and planned. Books were an exception. The Black family fostered knowledge and was boastful on how intelligent their Kin were. Regulus was allowed to read any book he found in their family library, and he exploited that simple privilege exponentially. By the ripe age of nine, he had read every single book in that ancient private library, including all new additions. This habit carried onto Hogwarts. By the third year, he had read every book in the entirety of Hogwarts collection within his reach, and in fourth year, he had got hold of the restricted section in the library. Not only that, but he was steadily grabbing hold of the Hogsmeade library as well.
No one found this fact about Regulus particularly strange and just chalked it up to wanting good grades, but they were a bit confused about how obsessive the hobby had become recently. Ever since Regulus was old enough to read, it was one of the few escapes he had from his less than decent life. Lost in a story, he could be whoever he wanted to be. It was an unconscious coping mechanism, like drugs to an addict. Endless words drowned Regulus’ mind the same way cigarette smoke burned holes in a junkie's head.
Cigarette smoke started to fill his room. His room, where he made a particular rule about smoking. He would sigh at the defiance, but he was sure he'd end up coughing his lungs up if he did so much as inhaled. He stormed to the first window he could reach, quickly slamming it open.
“I didn't think I saw you at dinner,” Regulus scoffed, eyeing the lengthy boy that just sat on the bed next to where he was. Barty bitterly smirked, baring all his teeth with his cigarette still clasped between them. He undoubtedly knew what he was doing, and Regulus bet he smoked with all the windows tightly shut and sat on Regulus’ bed just to piss him off. He bet he was messing with all his personal things, too, before he was in the room.
“I don't recall being there,” Barty beamed snarkily.
“You are such an arse.” Regulus groaned, pulling the cigarette away and putting it out as soon as he had the chance.
“You would know, wouldn't you?”
Regulus graciously slapped Barty in the back of his head, and Barty immediately busted into laughter. Regulus had to admit the sound warmed him up a bit, and he started to crack a smile, too. He sat next to Barty again against his better judgment.
“Yeah, I missed you too, Reggie-boy.”
“You know what I missed? Having my room to myself with no potheads in it. You'll have to tell me where you get that trash. I seriously don't understand how you can get four packs of straight non-magical drugs a week.”
“Oh, trust me, I would, but you wouldn't believe me.”
Regulus stared Barty down for a second as if it would make Barty spill out every secret he had. It would've worked on anyone else. His deadly stare was one thing he was glad to inherit from Walburga.
“Alright shit-head, have it your way. I'm glad to see you haven't changed over the summer.”
“You're as cold as ever, too, RB.” Bartys smirk turned to a smile, and he leaned closer to Regulus. Barty always had been and always will be a violation of personal space to everyone around him.
“What are you still here for? Expecting a kiss? Get to your own bed, poof.”
“Third year you would be longing for a kiss, just saying.” Barty shrugged the conversation off, getting up and slamming himself on the bed across Regulus’. Regulus rolled his eyes and turned his focus away from Barty. He felt a bit of relief as he got comfortable in bed. Without the constraints of a tight fit uniform and forced social interaction, he was able to sit down and really think without getting overwhelmed or interrupted.
Family. Regulus couldn’t honestly say he had one. He felt isolated from the people he shared his last name with, even now that he became the heir. The Black family brought nothing but pain and abuse to its members. Regulus had spent his entire life climbing an infinite ladder of parental validation and still has yet to make any progress at all. He had come to terms with the fact he would never be enough, and there was nothing he could do to change his future of failure. He had no choice but to live his parents' shadow. His life was written out for him in impossibly permanent detrimental ink.
School. Classwork, homework, and exams hadn’t bothered him. In fact, it came easily to him. There was no way it could be hard. With all of the long hours that his childhood was devoted to learning the artistry of magic, he was basically a prodigy. He was more bothered about the people in it. Every person, to him, stood as a distraction. Regulus wished he could shut out everyone besides Pandora and the few teachers he appreciated. He wanted everyone to disappear. He wished he could forget about Sirius and his stupid friends. He wished he could forget about all the looks from his cousins and other students who had decided Regulus and his friends were some kind of spectacle. He wished he could forget about the teachers and staff who claimed to care about him when he knew he had zero worth or value to them. He wished he could forget the pressure of being something, someone, in the one place he felt he had some kind of independence.
On the outside, Regulus appeared to be lost in a book in the retreat of his bed. On the inside, his heart sped up and jerked on his chest while harsh reality ran circles in his head and swirled the words on the books pages into unintelligible mush. It was a while before he was brought back to life from his daze of emotion. He was thankful that his dorm mates were too oblivious to Regulus’ behavior to notice that in the past ten or so minutes, he had yet to turn a page in his book. In the time that Regulus was zoned out, Rosier and Wilkes had already moved completely back into the bedroom like they’d never been gone. Although seeing them wasn’t as comforting for Regulus as seeing Pandora was, they still lifted some of the burden off his shoulders. They were his dorm mates, after all.
While Barty and Regulus had stayed the same over the course of their summer, Evan and Wilkes were a different story. Evans' demeanor was less up tight, more relaxed. Not only that, but he carried a different style. His clothes were looser and were worn in a way that scarily reminded Regulus of Bartys' care-free fashion but with his own strange sparkle. Regulus could also see a few new journals Evan had stacked on his bedside table.
Wilkes, on the other hand, appeared to be tainted. Regulus didn’t pretend to know who Wilkes was. In fact, he hadn’t even known his first name. He was Evans' friend, not Regulus and Barty’s. This year, however, Wilkes was almost an exact mirror copy of each one of the death eaters Regulus met before. Regulus knew that stone cold expression all too well from every one of the secret meetings his family held. He knew what it looked like to be brought to the dark lord's side. He knew that this time next year, he too would walk into this room wearing the same act, fake or not.
Evan waved when he noticed Regulus staring. Regulus simply sighed and set his book down. Evan, in a lot of ways, was similar to his sister Pandora. He had the same smile, same stature, and same innovation, but he didn’t even come close to her. He did not carry the same warmth, same ideals, and same intuition. Regulus didn’t even truly know him until right before they were officially enrolled at Hogwarts. Throughout the years, however, they became close enough to be considered friends. Regulus secretly hoped that Evan and Pandora did not follow the same path all of their friends were destined to follow. They didn’t deserve that fate. They were better than everyone around them.
“RB! You will never guess what.” Barty started. Regulus couldn’t be bothered to listen. “Evan, for some odd reason, started doing arts and crafts over the summer. I mean, what kind of-”
“Goodnight, Crouch.” Regulus interrupted, causing Barty to scoff and roll his eyes. He hadn’t noticed Barty sitting on Evans' bed.
“Goodnight, Regulus,” Evan said with a slight chuckle at the two. Regulus could hear Barty and Wilkes mumble a goodnight, too, once Evan had. He returned to the retreat of his bed, remembering to shut the curtains this time.
It would be a long night exactly like how it was a long day. He often found himself like this before bed, but it was becoming more and more exhausting as it stretched into his days as well. Despite being so tired, Regulus was far from sleep. He tried to focus on his friends and the new subjects he would learn this year, though. The rest of his night was spent staying up, practicing new spell incantations over and over until he couldn’t lift his wand anymore.
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At exactly seven thirty-six am. sharp, Regulus walked into the common room dressed and ready for class. His tie was fixed up perfectly to his collar, secured with a pin, and his robes were pressed and fitted. Without the maid that they had at home, though, Regulus wasn't able to get his hair exactly right when he slicked it back. Subtle curls shined through his desperate attempt at straightening his hair. You could evidently see his two platinum blonde streaks, and it fell on his face every once in a while. This gave him a nasty habit of pushing back his hair every few minutes. Not many people would notice things like that, however.
Pandora sat in one of the common room chairs with Dorcas. To them, seeing Regulus at this hour was anything but ordinary. He always made a point of waking up early, far before seven thirty-six sharp. Though today, exactly how yesterday night and the summer was, was unordinary. Regulus wasn't his normal self, and his usual habits inhabited that fact. Dorcas was happy to see Regulus, nonetheless.
“You look tired Reg,” Dorcas mused with a small smile, turning away from her conversation with Pandora.
“You try sharing a room with Barty Crouch Jr.” Regulus sighed, adjusting his robes so they sat right on his shoulders. He was headed to grab a quick snack in the great hall while it was still breakfast time, then straight to the library before his first class started.
Dorcas mumbled something along the lines of ‘touche’ and ‘fair enough’ before Pandora changed the subject. “Where are you going, Reggie? We still have a lot of time before class. You can sit with us.”
Although tempted to stay, he had far better places to be. “I’m going to make up for lost time. I spent far too much time in my dorm. There's a reason I wake up so early, you know.”
“That's rather vague, innit,” Regulus heard Dorcas say, but she did not speak fast enough to catch him before he left the dormitory.
In the halls, especially in the dungeons, it felt a bit colder than usual. Regulus held himself tightly to fight the breeze and continued to speed walk. The cold was something he never seemed to be able to escape from. He lived with the constant feeling of goosebumps as spine chilling cold rushed through him. Most people would claim he was overreacting.
He could feel the stares on him as he rushed through the hallways. There was some quiet sound, like whispers of wind ringing in his ears. He only felt more eyes as he walked into the Great Hall. The sound was getting louder, forming into something less like whispers of wind and more like crowded voices. He hated people. Loathed, even. He hated their judgemental beady eyes. He hated their hypocrisy and injustice. He hated their cruel and senseless actions. He hated everything about humanity as a whole. He hated how even he could not escape these truths. He could stand up straight, do everything he’s told, accomplish everything this small world had to offer, and treat everyone with the utmost respect and fairness and he would still be just the same as the vermin that is humanity. That's what hurt the most. He hates everyone that surrounds him but hates himself far more because he knew deep down he was no different.
The multiple stares from the Gryffindor table particularly unnerved him, but he would not bother himself with the people who were as careless as them, at least not this morning. Regulus was disheartened but not surprised to find only scraps of food left on the table. They soon would be replenished, yes, but he could not withstand the wait. He grabbed some crackers and a shiny green apple and headed out of the hall once more. Regulus failed to realize the sour expression he shot back to everyone as he left.
As he took the first bite of his food and walked through empty halls, Regulus felt a bit of weight lift off his shoulders. Now, it was more solemn and quiet compared to the unnerving feeling of being in a crowd. While a cold breeze still swept past him, he could handle it a bit better than he could before. He no longer had to hold himself as tight or rush past the scenery.
Regulus always enjoyed the walk to the library. It was almost as comforting as being in the library itself. He took the same windy path there routinely. His shoes clicked on the cobble of the floor, and despite being on the first floor, he could see the entire field that spanned around Hogwarts from the quidditch pitch to the forbidden forest to the path to hogsmeade. If Regulus could say one thing he undeniably enjoyed about this strange castle, it was how beautiful every detail was. Although he would much rather go to a school that wasn’t as careless as this one, he could not deny that they put extreme care into making this a place where students could retreat, if so needed. Their academics were not utterly terrible either. Hogwarts was the birthplace of many great wizards, after all. The architecture was great as well. Even though you had to look closely to see it, there was extreme detail and care into making it something amazing. It was built strong and sturdy. Everything inside and out had some weird or finite purpose, that not many people saw the point to. The spellwork on the building itself was remarkable, and secret passageways, rooms, and doors were all over. Not many knew about this backway to the library, and that was something Regulus felt proud of, no matter how seemingly unimportant.
He opened the creaky old backdoor and stepped inside. He wasn’t sure if Madam Prince heard him come in, but he wasn’t sure if it mattered either. It never seemed to matter before. Regulus was welcomed into the library with the extremely warm atmosphere and the smell of old dusty parchment. Although many people adored the smell of new, freshly made books, Regulus was far more adapted to the smell of old dusty books. The mysterious feeling of opening a book far older than anyone Regulus associated with was something that could not be replicated.
With a newfound inner peace, Regulus started to wander the various shelves, unsure of where he should start this year. He supposed the astronomy section would do well to review, considering it was the newest class he was going to take. Astronomy was something he was always fond of. His family held astronomy deep in its roots. Every child to come from the house of Black held a name with some astronomical meaning, as did most of the noble houses. Regulus Arcturus Black; Regulus, the brightest star in the Leo constellation, harbinger of spring, with the title of king. Arcturus, brightest star in the Boötes constellation, guardian of the bear. Regulus had less than nothing to say about his last name, but his first two names he carried with pride at their meaning, even if he felt they did not exactly suit him.
Once in the astronomy section, he met eyes with Remus Lupin, seemingly in the same nature as the night before. Of course this would be how Regulus ended up. There just had to be something else to strike down what little good mood and routine he had left. This time, Regulus did not shy away from his stare. He stood tall and approached Lupin. It just so happened that the taller scruffier boy was in the way of the one book Regulus wanted.
“Would you politely excuse me, Lupin?” Regulus asked in a posh manner. Remus didn’t seem to mind at all. He moved over for Regulus swiftly and looked away, too. He quickly rook Remus’ place, pulled out the book he needed, and started flipping through the pages.
“You’re in here a lot,” Remus spoke quietly, interrupting their short silence. Regulus felt repulsed at the thought of conversation.
“I suppose I am,” he responded plainly, pretending to ignore Remus’ persistent stare.
Remus paused before speaking, but it wasn’t long before he went right back to talking again. “..I’ve seen you read that book before.”
“It’s something around the fourth time, actually.” He's read it seven times exactly. It's his favorite book on this subject. “Is there something wrong with a little review, Lupin?” Regulus snapped his book shut, quickly turning to look at Remus again. Remus shrugged and turned back to the book shelves.
“I just feel like you’re the type to get bored with a book after a while. You have a good memory, too, I wouldn’t expect that you’d need to read them again.”
“Well, you’d happen to be wrong.”
Regulus couldn’t quite place why, but something had seemed significantly different about Remus. It wasn’t that he had changed over the summer, no, it was something more recent. The picture he had of Remus Lupin in his head, even an exact picture of Remus from just last night at dinner, did not resemble the Remus Lupin in front of him. Regulus found himself lost in thought over the matter, rethinking every interaction he had with the tall Gryfindor. He replayed memories over like how you would rewind a tape recorder. Only once he had gone through everything did he begin to realize every memory of the boy he had was not his own. In fact, this is the closest he had ever stood to Remus. Him and Remus had never had their own private conversation. The only time Regulus had even seen Remus was across halls or tables. His idea of Remus wasn’t something he made up himself based on interaction. His idea of Remus was just what Sirius had made of it. His idea of Remus was Sirius Black's charming boyfriend(or rather just a strange and horrible secret infatuation for each other) who has the best smile(Most annoying and crooked smile) and comes up with the best plans(Most elaborate and bothersome pranks or spells).
“What do you see in my brother, Lupin?” Regulus impulsively mumbled. His mouth tinged with regret as soon as sound left it. He was overthinking again. He was slipping away from himself.
“What?” Remus said almost with a laugh. Regulus started to see the boy that Sirius saw, but it lasted less than a second.
“He is insufferable and careless. You are much better off with that Evans girl you lot hang out with.”
“I’m not so sure, Regulus. I think there's more to him than you care to realize.” Remus smiled as he spoke, shelving and pulling out books in such a comfortable manner that it bothered Regulus. He felt belittled and angered. They were not friends, and Remus made it feel like they weren’t even equals.
“I grew up with him, you know? I figured you’d like a warning before you go fall into his weak arms. I just think you’re much better than him,” Regulus whispered with a harsh tone before closing his book and walking away from the conversation he accidentally started. He didn’t need to be friends with any ignorant Gryfindors, and he certainly didn’t need to be below them.
As he walked off and returned to the sanctuary of the books that surrounded him, he was able to shake off a bit of the bitterness that built on him from the less than pleasant interaction. What did Remus Lupin know anyway? Never mind that. It was meaningless to think about. He needed to pull his mind away from everything that wasn’t academics to avoid leaving any room for distractions.
He flipped open his astronomy book again, this time focused enough to admire the pages. His favorite thing about this book specifically was all of the ornate drawings and maps. It already had great descriptions, but the illustrations made the book far better. Not to mention the extreme precision that went into making the historical aspect of astronomy within the book accurate, expansive, and organized. Regulus wished he could say that this was the book that got him interested in astronomy because of how wonderful it was, but that was far from the truth. It would always be one of his favorites, however. Reading it again reminded him that he needed to check if the Hogsmeade bookstore had a copy. He was sure his parents wouldn’t protest the purchasing of this book so that Regulus could have his own copy.
It was then that Regulus realized the amount of time that had passed while he was in here. Waking up late had finally started to catch up to him. He sighed and closed his book, moving to go check it out. Usually, he had time to read at least half a book in the morning. He’d have to make note to never wake up late again. That didn’t matter at the moment, though. For now, he would need to focus on getting to all his classes in time while continuing his usual morning habits.
.
.
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