Chapter 16
He has spent hours since getting the letter about Antares trying to figure out how to go about the situation but so far he hasn’t come up with anything. That was three weeks ago. Regulus isn’t avoiding writing to Sirius or Antares, at least that’s what he tells himself. He has been planning his bonding ceremony and arranging baby related things with Pandora to distract himself from thinking about it. He even went as far as hanging out with Barty and Evan without Barty having to drag him out.
But today he refuses to think about those letters he has yet to write. It’s finally the day of his bonding. He is currently in his bedroom with Pandora, Evan and Barty getting ready. Well, technically he is already ready but the ceremony doesn’t start for another half an hour so they are just waiting. “Do you think everything will go well?” Worried Regulus. Huffing Pandora opened her mouth “Regulus Arcturus Black soon to be Riddle-Slytherin, you are my best friend and I love you but you need to stop worrying. Narcissa and I made sure everything is perfect for your day. You look flawless, so stop worrying about it as it is going as planned.” Silence rang out through the room for a few seconds before all the occupants burst out laughing. “Merlin, this reminded me of our school years when one of us would get worked up over something and Panda here would rant us into calming down. What is it with you and ranting at us anyway?” Said Barty while calming down.
“Well it works doesn’t it” Grumbled Pandora. “It only works because it’s you who does it little sister.” Responded Regulus, smiling softly, though inside he was worried. Dumbledore and his order have been more active lately even without any death eater activity. What makes it worse is that they have a traitor, somebody told Dumbledore of Marvolo having a soulmate. The order has been trying to kidnap him for a week now, unsuccessfully of course but still. They have kept it under wraps so that only the inner circle is aware of the situation, they didn’t want to worry people so close to the bonding but it is also easier to catch the traitor if they don’t know they have been found.
So Pandora, Barty and Evan are unaware of the situation, while Regulus and Marvolo are certain that none of them are traitors, it is safer for them not to know. “You guys remember when in I think our 3rd year we came back to school, all of us traumatised to Avalon and back by our parents. We were sitting in the common room after everyone had gone to sleep and Reggie was panicking because someone said something about the bruises from his parents that had yet to heal. Barty and I weren’t far from the same situation due to our own triggers and Panda was there comforting us. She ranted for 10 whole minutes about how shitty our parents were and that we were better than them. And somehow…all of us calmed down. I think that was the moment I chose her as my sister.” Said Evan with a reminiscent look in his eyes. Regulus and Barty nodded along voicing their agreements to the last statement and looked at Pandora, who was dabbing her eyes trying not to cry.
“Stop making me cry! I have to give my little brother away to his husband in…5 minutes I can’t look like I have been crying my eyes out” Sniffled Pandora, feeling touched that they thought so highly of her. The boys rushed to her and surrounded her in a hug trying to calm her.
Regulus took a little to look himself in the mirror and he didn’t really believe what he was seeing. It wasn’t the deep black bonding robes or the red accents symbolising his soulmate that shocked him nor the perfectly styled messy locks on his head but the glimmer of happiness in mercury his eyes that he had only seen in the pictures of himself from when he was a baby watching others do magic. Smiling a little of himself he looked away from the mirror and just thought of everything that made him happy.
By the time it was time to go they all looked as if nothing happened. Nodding to each other they left the room and apparated to the venue. Once there Barty and Evan went and took their places, while Pandora went to make sure everything was going smoothly. Regulus was left waiting behind for his cue to enter. While he was waiting Yaxley came by and whispered to him that the order had tried to attack the Black manor thinking that the wedding would be held there but failed. That worried Regulus greatly as nobody was supposed to know where the manor was located, it was under fidelius and only members of the Black house were supposed to know. That means the traitor was of his house, he would have suspected Sirius but as he was disowned he didn’t know where it existed.
Thanking Yaxley for information, Regulus decided to deal with this later and focused on the moment as it was still his bonding. Soon Pandora was by his side and it was time for him to go in. Entering the gardens of the Le Fay castle, it looked magnificent. The theme was white, silver and red, all the colours were placed tastefully and nothing looked like too much or too little. The aisle which Regulus was walking down from was lined with beautiful flowers and the floor was covered in silver sparkling carpet.
At the end of the aisle waiting for him was Marvolo with a rarely seen smile on his lips and eyes alight with happiness, never taking his eyes off of his soulmate. He was wearing the same black traditional bonding as Regulus but his had silver details symbolising his other half with his dark brown hair neatly styled on top of his head.
When Regulus reached the end of the aisle he flashed Marvolo a quick smile but otherwise didn’t say anything as he stood next to him and waited for the officiant to start speaking.
Everything was a blur for from then on all Regulus could hear and see was the golden ribbon being tied around his and Marvolo’s hands which were holding on to each other. The officiant started chanting in latin when the ribbon was tied and the moment he finished the ribbon glowed brightly, blinding everybody and then melted into their hands.
From then on it was a blur of kissing Marvolo, a lot of dancing, speeches and congratulations. At the end of the night they retired into their bed chamber in the castle, leaving their guests to enjoy the celebrations. Reaching their room they were all over each other and removing their clothes “I’ve been waiting to do this all day” Murmured Marvolo while kissing the other’s neck moments before he and Regulus fell into the bed and all Regulus could do was moan in response. They spent the rest of the whole night rediscovering each other over and over again.