Timeless

Regulus

“I said I do not wish to dance right now,” I almost yelled at the wizard boy who'd followed me outside. He'd been chasing me all evening and while I seemed to have escaped the others by excusing myself for a breath of fresh air, this arse did not seem to catch on. 

“But miss Black-”

I opened my mouth to try and find yet another way to phrase the word no as his level of comprehension really proved itself below menial, however, another voice spoke out before I had the chance to.

“Have you not been taught the meaning of the word “no”, sir? Or are you just so ignorant that you will not hear it when it is being said to you?” 

I turned myself to find the source of this voice which had softly brushed over me on its way to attack the object of my nuisance. I found there the most handsome human being I had ever laid my eyes upon. 

He was taller than anyone in my family, his skin a shade of a darker tan that even the sun cannot gift you but only your ancestors. A trail of freckles lined his right cheek, shaped like stars. A constellation. Suddenly I found myself wishing I shared that soulmate inking with him. 

What? 

No. 

No, I didn't. 

He was an asshole is what he was. I had been perfectly capable of solving this situation myself. Infuriating. Outrageous. “Excuse me, but did I ask for your assistance or do you just lack the basic manner of keeping your nose out of other people's business?”

“I'm sorry. I just wanted to help,”

Why were his eyes so goddamn brown? “Yeah well, I didn't need help. I was perfectly fine, thank you very much,”

“Right,” 

One of us was going to have to break the eye contact at some point but I was not about to be the one to lose the staring contest. 

“Words,” he mumbled and I blinked in confusion, “Words speak I,”

“Are you having a stroke or something? Should I call for a healer?”

“No-no. I just. You're pretty and-”

I rolled my eyes, “Is there a point to this other than what the boy you just scared off failed to accomplish, and I must warn as will you, or may I ask you to leave so that I could, at last, get that moment of serenity I came here to seek?”

“Yes. I mean no. I mean yes, there is a point and no, it is not to ask for a dance,”

“What a pity,” if he asked like two or three times I might've actually agreed. Wait. No. Wrong reaction. 

“I can ask for a dance as well if you so wish me to, however, there is a different question I need answered,”

“I meant it's a pity I cannot get my moment of freedom and must continue to entertain your mannerless self,” I took a step back and seated myself on a bench, both standing my ground as well as putting distance between the dangerously gorgeous stranger and myself. “Let's get this over with then, shall we?”

“O-kay,” how had he been so confident earlier when scaring off the unwelcome follower and yet was now struggling to get out words? Maybe he was having a stroke after all. Would grant a new, literal, meaning to the saying “drop-dead gorgeous,”

“I am looking for Regulus Black, do you know where I could find him?”

My name. 

That was my name.

My real actual name.

He knew my name and the way it rang in harmony with the hum of his voice. The buzz in my stomach was a blaring alarm and yet I wished to grab onto it.

Except if I did I might die.

I didn't have a soulmate inking yet and so my soulmate was unlikely to have been born yet, even less likely to be him. But I was not taking chances.

But he knew my name.

My true name.

And I had only ever told that to one person.

“Did Sirius send you?”

“What would make you think that?” he avoided the question, giving me enough of a confirmation.

“Too cowardly to come himself was he? What is it that he wants? Ten years I have not heard from him and now he's chasing after me as if I was the only thing that could save his life. Tell him to leave me alone, will you?”

“Wait, are you-”

“Regina Black, his little sister. I would add “at your service” but I'm hoping never to see you again so that would be quite untrue,”

“Shit.”

“Excuse me?”

“No, it's just. Fuck. Well. I mean. Might as well ask you the question Sirius begged me to come and ask you,”

“Begged? Now that sounds like a fun thing to witness,” I bet I could beg better. Would you like that? If I got on my knees and- NO. Nope. No no. We are not going down that road. That is. Nope. We hate him. I let out a cough. “So? Your question is?”

“Did the wedding invite get to you?”

Oh. Right. That. “Yes. I have it. Happy? Can I get some peace now?”

“Right. Yes. Sure,” he turned to leave. I sighed the world finding a balance in its newfound state of constant quaver. “Will you come?”

Nevermind. “What?”

“To the wedding. Will you come?”

“Did he ask you to ask me that?”

He shook his head, “No. I'm asking.”

“No. No, I won't.”