First position
The only thing that Regulus Black was able to hear was the sounds of his shoes hitting the floor and the music as it crescendoed. That’s the way that he liked it. When the music was this loud he was able to only focus on the notes and what steps, leaps and twirls were associated with them.
He always described himself as a vessel for music.
Communicating what it whispered to him.
This is why he continued dancing - there was no need to overthink the things that were ingrained into him, no need to think about what he was going to do once the music stopped.
It was just him and the music, working through the routines that made him feel free.
He landed just as the music stopped, his chest heaved, it felt much lighter than it did when he first closed himself into the studio.
He heard clapping, instantly knowing that it was Sirius behind him. He slowly turned to meet his brother’s eyes, “Cosa vuoi?” He asked, leaning down and grabbing his water bottle. Sirius placed a hand over his heart, “Perche presumi sempre che io voglia qualcosa?” He asked.
Regulus rolled his eyes, “Because you usually do.” Regulus replied, he walked over to the barre to stretch. Sirius followed him, leaning against it to stare at his brother, he scoffed, “Aren’t you going to ask why I came to bother you?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Regulus sighed, bending forward to stretch his back, “If you could recall something that happened more than two seconds ago, you will find that I did start this conversation by asking you what you wanted.” He explained.
Sirius laughed, “Right well, we leave tomorrow, have you packed?” He asked. Regulus sighed and straightened back up, “Ovviamente.” He replied, Regulus was a million things, and at the top of that list was over prepared. He raised an eyebrow at Sirius, already knowing the answer to the question he was about to ask, “Have you?” Sirius gave Regulus a sheepish look, Regulus shook his head and sighed.
“I was going to but I kept getting distracted!” Sirius protested, “Pre tre mesi?” Regulus asked, “What could have possibly been doing for three months?” Sirius shrugged, “This and that, you know how it is, busy dance schedule and all that.”
“Have you forgotten we take the same classes, at the same dance studio?” Regulus asked. He honestly had no idea how Sirius had even been accepted into the Hogwarts Dance and arts academy. Well- actually, he did; Sirius was an excellent dancer, he had to be, he was raised the same way.
The brothers had been raised from the ages of four till now, in and out of studios all over the country, practically eating, sleeping and breathing dance. Their parents needed them both to be the perfect ballerinas, and they did just that.
Regulus’ biggest fear when they were taken in by their Uncle was that he was going to have to give up the biggest part of himself.
He didn’t know what he would be without ballet.
One of the good things about going to live with their Uncle was that, not only did he encourage them to keep dancing, he made sure that their parents had no idea what studio they were dancing for, and was at every single performance.
Uncle Alphard was born in Italy, just like his sister, but stayed when Walburga moved to France, eventually meeting Orion and getting married. Only moving back after Sirius reached out and said they needed help. Sirius had just turned fifteen and Regulus was only thirteen. It was a long battle for custody, but after everything Alphard had won and they moved to Nice.
To this day, Regulus still didn’t know how Sirius had found their Uncle.
“Petite étoile?" Sirius asked, breaking Regulus out of his memories. “Désolé.. Got lost in my thoughts, how much packing do you have left?” He asked, shoving all of his things into his bag, before sitting down on the floor to take off his ballet shoes.
Sirius sighed, “Too much, I have all my dance stuff packed, and all my clothes.” He said Regulus paused the motion he was in the middle of, to look up at Sirius, “That certainly sounds like you have everything packed.” He said, pulling his left slipper off and placing it into his bag carefully. Sirius grinned down at his brother, “Oh but I haven’t packed any of my shoes..” Regulus rolled his eyes, throwing his toe pad at Sirius, “You cannot be thinking about bringing every single shoe you own.” He said.
His older brother laughed, “Oh but Reggie, I must, how will anyone know how cool I am?” He asked, Regulus rolled his eyes, shoving his feet into his outdoor shoes. “You’re a mess, no one is going to think that you aren’t cool because you don’t have a different shoe for every occasion.” He said, shouldering his bag and heading the short distance to the door.
“Mi hai ferito.” Sirius said, jogging to catch up to Regulus, who was already halfway out the front door of the studio. Regulus sighed, “How am I younger than you and I am still the one you need to fix your problems?” He asked.
“I truly don’t know where I would be without you.” Sirius said placing his hands over his heart, “Most likely late to everything, outfit fucked up, and without shoes.” Regulus said, he inhaled. The cool air of the evening made his head swim a bit, he enjoyed being outside, especially being away from any of the major tourist cities.
“You are so rude Reggie! Who taught you to speak like that?” Sirius asked, shock playing across his face.
“You did.” He said, shifting his bag before he started down the stairs. “Are you going to start walking or are you going to stand there all night like an idiot?” He asked, looking over his shoulder to where Sirius was still standing.
“Sei cosi drammatico.” Regulus said, “Bisogna esserlo per riconoscerlo.” Sirius responded, he must have realized that Regulus was going to leave him behind if he didn’t start moving, because he was jogging down the stairs.
Regulus was glad that Sirius always showed up right when he was done dancing to walk him home. His brother never admitted that’s why he always showed up to the studio one the days he didn’t need to be there, just to make sure that Regulus wasn’t walking alone. He used to be so paranoid that somehow, their parents had figured out where they moved, and where they danced, that he missed two weeks of classes.
It was around that time that Sirius shared his own anxieties about the same thing.
Since that day, Regulus could always expect Sirius to be there to walk him home.
Though they never spoke of it.
“Are you nervous?” Regulus asked, breaking the comfortable silence that they were walking in. Sirius blew out a breath, “Do you want the real answer or the answer I’ve been telling Uncle Al?” He asked. Regulus watched him for a moment, “The real answer.” He said. “I’m fucking terrified.” Sirius responded.
Regulus chewed his lip, his eyes flickering from the ground to look at Sirius, a mix of anxiety and curiosity swirling in his stomach.
“Me too.” Regulus mumbled. Something about his older brother admitting that he was scared made him feel better about his own anxieties towards the whole thing. “It’ll be good, except I do have some bad news.” Sirius said, Regulus stopped walking, “How bad?” He asked.
“Not the worst, but not ideal.” Sirius said. Regulus could see him chewing on his lip, the same nervous response that Regulus had.
“Tell me.” Regulus said, it was better to rip the band aid off now.
“We got dorm assignments today.”
Regulus felt his heart drop to his stomach. He could tell where this was going.
“We aren’t together are we?” Regulus asked, his voice coming out a bit choked.
Sirius shook his head, “No, but the good news is that I’m down the hall from you, like five doors down actually.”
Regulus nodded slowly. Okay, he could do that, he could live down the hall from Sirius, they didn’t have to be together twenty-four seven.
He started walking again, “Did you open my dorm letter too?” He asked. Sirius nodded, “One of your dorm mates was approved.” Regulus turned quickly to face Sirius, “Pandora?” He asked. A giant smile started spreading across Sirius’ face, before he nodded. “Oh well then, fuck you I’ve got Pandora.” Regulus said.
“Ouch Reg, are you really going to toss me aside for Pandora?” Sirius looked hurt, but Regulus knew instantly that it wasn’t genuine hurt. “Yes, I’ve been stuck with you for twenty-one years of my life.” He said as they turned the corner.
Sirius scoffed, “And you’ve known her for seventeen years!” He said, as they grew closer to the house. Regulus shrugged, pulling his keys out of his bag, “Sí, I’m so glad you can count.” He explained. Sirius huffed, stepping onto the front stoop and waiting for Regulus to unlock the door, “I can’t believe that you are more excited to be roomed with Pandora, than you are about not being roomed with me!” Sirius exclaimed loudly as they stepped inside.
“Ragazzi, cosa c’è con il rumore?” Uncle Alphards voice rang through the hallway, Regulus shot Sirius a look. “Niente zio, Sirius è solo un idiota!” Regulus called, kicking off his shoes. “No Regulus è solo drammatico!” Sirius said.
Regulus scoffed and threw a shoe at Sirius, just missing him.
Goddamn Ballerina timing.
“Basta cosí!” Alphard said, Regulus could tell that he was chuckling at them. Regulus carefully hung his bag on the hook by the door, “He’s just upset because we got our room assignments today.” Sirius said, walking into the kitchen and sitting on the counter, right next to where their Uncle was cooking.
Alphard waved his spatula at Sirius, who just rolled his eyes and hopped back down off the counter. “I’m not roomed with Regulus, but he got roomed with Pandora.” Sirius said, as always continuing on even when he was prompted to. Alphard smiled, “Ah Pandora, è un’anima meravigliosa.” Sirius threw his hands up.
“You missed the part of Regulus not being in my dorm.” He said Regulus pulled out a chair and sat down. “Ah well, Reggie is twenty-one and you are turning twenty-three soon, you have to let him out from under your wing at some point.” Alphard said. Regulus made eye contact with Sirius and stuck his tongue out.
Sirius stuck his tongue out back, pulling a face that made Regulus burst into a fit of laughter.
Alphard sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Boys, this is your last night here, can we not spend it bickering?” Regulus, who had just finished laughing, spoke up, “Zio, Sirius l’ha iniziato!” Sirius shook his head, pulling out his famous puppy dog eyes, “Reggie, why on earth would I do something like that?” He asked, making sure their Uncle saw his face.
“I know exactly what you are doing Sirius, and it’s not working, not this time.” Their Uncle said pointing his finger at Sirius, who instantly dropped the face that he was making, “Well it was worth a try.” He shrugged. Regulus dropped his head into his hands, “Gesù cristo.” He muttered.
Sirius just flashed him a smile, “Uncle, are you sad that we are leaving?” He asked. Regulus felt himself go cold. He was so wrapped up in his own feelings that he didn’t even think about how their Uncle, the one who had saved them, would feel.
Their Uncle just laughed, “I’m glad to get some peace and quiet around here.” He said, pulling something out of the oven, “But I will miss you both immensely.” He said, setting the food on the table. Regulus felt his heart twinge, he wasn’t ready to face the real world without his Uncle, but he knew that he needed to be pushed out of the nest at some point.
He was grateful for everything that Alphard had done for him, making sure that the curtain that Regulus was hiding behind was closed tightly so that no one knew what he was doing behind it. Making sure their parents hadn’t the slightest idea to where Sirius and Regulus were, and now that they were going to be in America, it was almost one hundred percent certain that they would have no idea where they would be, plus Regulus was finally able to change his name legally so that it was harder for them to track him down.
Regulus was broken out of his thoughts by Sirius, who was pouring red wine into Regulus’ glass. “Grazì Siri.” He said smiling, before turning to look at his Uncle. “See? Posso essere educato.” Alphard just rolled his eyes. “We have to leave the house at three in the morning, so after dinner I want you two to make sure that you are packed and get to bed.” Alphard said. “Sì Zio.” Sirius said, Regulus just responded by nodding.
The rest of dinner passed with pleasant conversation, Regulus offering to do the dishes with Alphard while Sirius left to sort out the rest of the packing that he needed to do. Regulus stood next to the sink to dry the dishes that Alphard was handing him, “Zio, did you happen to sort out the medication issue?” Regulus asked, the plate that he was drying suddenly becoming the most interesting thing on the planet.
Alphard nodded, “Sì, Se hai bisogno di qualcosa, chiamami.” Regulus nodded, he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to access the things that he needed when he was in America. “Grazì..” Regulus said, placing the dishes that he was drying into the rack.
There were a million things that he needed to worry about, making sure that the instructors all knew his situation, making sure that Pandora or Sirius were able to help him with his shots, and introducing himself to new people.
Of all the things off the list, he was the most nervous about introducing himself to new people.
“Andrà tutto bene.” Alphard said, drying his hands and pulling Regulus into a hug. He nodded into Alphards shoulder. His Uncle always knew what to say, even if Regulus didn’t know what he wanted or needed to hear.
Alphard held him close for a few moments before he pulled away, patting Regulus on the back. “Go get some rest, I’ll see you bright and early.” He said before pressing a kiss to the top of Regulus’ hair and heading upstairs.
Regulus stood there for a few moments before pushing himself up onto the counter, pulling his legs underneath himself. His heart was hammering in his chest, Regulus could feel the anxiety coursing through his veins with every heavy beat.
He was itching to move and dance, but knew that it wasn’t entirely possible at the moment. He leaned his head back against the cupboards and closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he tried to push all the bad thoughts out of his brain with his breathing.
Slowly, he felt his heart stop hammering, he fluttered his eyes open, meeting a pair of identical gray eyes.
“Sirius, you can’t stare at me when my eyes are closed, it’s fucking weird.” Regulus said, adjusting his weight, “How did you know where I was anyway?” Sirius shrugged, “I saw Zio come upstairs but not you, I figured that you were in the kitchen, since you didn’t immediately come to my room like you usually do.” He said, stepping forward and hopping onto the counter across from Regulus.
Sirius sighed, “You know, if Zio ever saw you sitting on the counter like this he would lose it.” He said Regulus couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled from his lips. “You’re right, I can hear him lecturing me now.” It was Sirius’ turn to laugh, “Scendi da li!” Sirius said, crossing his arms over his chest in the perfect impression of their Uncle.
Regulus’ laughter continued, “Sei cresciuto in un fienile?” Regulus said, waving his hand at Sirius in a motion their Uncle did often, making Sirius clutch his stomach with laughter.
For the first time since they got their letters of acceptance, Regulus let himself feel the happiness that he usually stored only to show to those closest to him, he let the excitement start in the pit of his stomach and over take the rest of his body.
Laughing with Sirius in the kitchen where everything had fallen apart on them multiple times, felt like everything had come full circle.
Sirius was the first to collect himself, Regulus following shortly after, “You know I am a little nervous to not be in your dorm.” He admitted, Sirius looked up, meeting Regulus’ eyes. “I know, but you are welcome to visit my dorm whenever you want, plus you and Panda are in the same dorm.” Sirius said.
Regulus smiled softly. Having Pandora in his dorm would make Regulus more comfortable, and since Pandora had been at the school for a year, she would be able to show Regulus around.
Sirius yawned, “We only have a few hours to get some sleep, unless you are planning on staying up and sleeping on the plane like a crazy person.” Regulus’ lips curled up, “Siri, you must know that I am a crazy person.” He said with a twinkle in his eye.
“How are we related?” Sirius asked, shock playing across his face. Regulus laughed, pushing himself off of the counter, his brother following. They walked up the stairs in silence, when they arrived in front of Sirius’ door, he pulled Regulus into a hug, “Buonanotte Reggie, dormi bene.” Sirius whispered.
Regulus couldn’t help but smile, “Buonanotte Siri..” He responded, before they broke away from the hug, Sirius slipping into his room and Regulus making his way to his own. He highly doubted that he would be able to sleep.
His mind was still buzzing.
He pushed the door to his room open; it was strange to see everything in his life packed into a few huge suitcases. Regulus took a breath, opening the first suitcase to make absolutely sure he had everything.
The first suitcase had all of the things that he would need for dance, he didn’t need the pair of almost dead shoes that he had in his bag downstairs, so that suitcase was all set.
The second suitcase had all of his clothes. Regulus smiled, he was glad that he could fit all his clothing and shoes into one suitcase; granted it was a massive suitcase, but still.
He made sure the suitcases were closed before heading to his bathroom to take a shower. He really didn’t want to, but he had danced today and he really needed it.
Regulus peeled off his clothes, dropping them into a pile on the floor, before turning on the shower and inhaling the steam that rolled out. He stepped in before starting his routine, taking his time letting the hot water run down his body.
He never used to take his time, in fact, he couldn’t stand being naked for more than five minutes at a time, taking the shortest showers, he probably should have earned a world record at the speed of which he showered.
Not anymore, not after surgery two years ago.
Regulus stepped back out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his body and one around his hair. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, studying the light dusting of freckles that he had across his cheeks, taking a deep breath before leaving the bathroom and getting changed into pajamas.
He sat at the foot of his bed, staring at the four walls that surrounded him. Blowing out another breath, he pushed himself to his feet and moved to push the window out, so that he was able to sit on the ledge. His eyes scanned the sky, finding Sirius’ star and smiling. His eyes kept scanning to see if he was able to see his star, knowing that it usually came out during the spring, but still worth a try.
The heart of the lion.
He knew it was probably stupid to others, but the fact that he could look up into the night sky and see himself and his brother, always comforted him.
He hoped he would be able to find them in America.
Regulus leaned down to pick up the book that he was reading, using the low light of the lamp in the corner of his room, letting himself get lost in the story that was playing out on the pages in front of him.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but the next thing that he knew, there was a knock at the door.
“Sì?” He called out, the door pushed open and a disheveled looking Sirius stood in the doorway. “Zio has been calling your name for like ten m minutes, we have to leave soon.” Regulus closed his book, tapping his phone screen to see the time, “Merda!” Regulus said, moving too quickly and falling off his perch on the windowsill.
Sirius laughed, “Have you slept at all?” He asked, Regulus looked up at him from his place on the floor. “Does it look like I have?” He asked, Sirius shook his head in response. “Then no, Siri, I haven’t slept.” He said untangling himself from the blanket that he had wrapped himself in.
Regulus let out a long string of curses, before he was finally free of the blanket. “Come on, Zio wants us packed into the car in ten minutes.” Sirius said, Regulus shot him a glare, “This would have been much faster if you had helped me.” Sirius just pushed off Regulus’ door frame and walked out.
Regulus went to flip Sirius off, only to find an empty doorway. He pushed himself to his feet before moving to the bathroom, and stared at himself in the mirror, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and shaking his head.
He really hoped that Sirius wasn’t downstairs telling their Uncle that Regulus had stayed up all night. It really was a miracle that Sirius was even up, - Usually Regulus had to throw multiple things at his sleeping body before he got any movement.
Regulus changed as quickly as he could before starting to lug the heavy suitcases down the stairs.
After what felt like hours, Regulus had pulled the suitcases to the front hallway. He dusted off his hands before joining Alphard and Sirius in the kitchen. Alphard smiled and handed Regulus a cup of coffee, “Alright boys, as soon as you’re done with your coffee, we need to hit the road.” He said, placing his mug into the sink, “I’ll start loading up the car.”
Regulus watched over the rim of his mug as Alphard left the kitchen.
Sirius was leaning both elbows on the table, his head drooping dangerously close to the wood surface beneath him. Regulus downed the last of his coffee before walking over to Sirius and leaning close to his ear, “Siri!! You missed the plane!!” He yelled.
The response that Regulus got was even better than he would have hoped, Sirius jumped two feet into the air before falling onto the floor, at least this time there was no punching. Regulus bent over, the laughter rolling out of his mouth, Sirius rubbed his eyes before looking up at Regulus, “What the fuck was that for?” He asked.
Once the laughter subsided, Regulus was able to respond, “That was for laughing at me and refusing to help me this morning.” He said, staring down at his brother. Sirius glared back before pushing to his feet, “And to think, I was being nice and didn’t tell Zio that you were up all night.” Sirius said, rubbing his eyes again.
Regulus shrugged, opening his mouth to respond, when three short honks came from outside. “Time to go!” Sirius said, turning on his heel and leaving Regulus in the kitchen alone. He took a final look around before turning off the light and meeting Alphard and Sirius in the car.
—--
Regulus had never been thankful for an almost eight hour flight. He was able to catch up on all the sleep he missed the night before, because when they landed, they needed to deal with customs, and Regulus wasn’t entirely sure he would have been able to handle it with no sleep.
They made it though, thankfully, without incident.
And they were really there.
New York.
Sirius, of course, had forgotten that they actually needed to wait for their luggage and was staring out the window at the city, “Reggie! Guarda! Siamo davvero qui!” He said. Regulus was busy, trying to pull one of Sirius’ suitcases off the belt, “Lo so, ho gli occhi.” He said.
“Now could you come help me?” Regulus asked, struggling with Sirius’ second bag. Sirius finally pulled his eyes away and ran over to help Regulus, “Désolé!” He said, moving to help Regulus lift the suitcase from the belt. “Gesù cristo, what did you pack? Bricks?” He asked when they finally got the bag in an upright position.
Sirius just laughed, “Come on Reggie, I packed the whole house.” He teased. Regulus just rolled his eyes before pulling his own suitcases behind him. He could hear Sirius running behind him, the wheels of the suitcases pounding against the concrete floor.
Regulus pushed out of the airport, the fresh air feeling amazing after being stuck on a plane for eight hours. He took a deep breath, looking around for the car their Uncle had ordered for them. Sirius sucked in a breath next to him, “It’s nice to be out in the air, too bad we are going to deal with a long ass car ride to University.” He said it was his turn to lead Regulus to the man standing with a sign.
Letting out a huff, Regulus followed, helping Sirius and the man load the cases into the boot of the car.
He yawned as he leaned against the seat of the car, Sirius was already striking up a conversation with the driver. He rolled his eyes and pulled out his headphones, placing them over his ears and pressing play on his phone.
Regulus leaned his forehead against the window and watched the scenery as it passed by, humming softly along with the song that was playing, his eyelids started to droop again. He really shouldn’t have stayed up all night.
—---
“Reggie! Reggie!”
Regulus batted at the hand that was shaking him, groaning, before realizing it was Sirius and he would pester him until he was acknowledged. He opened his eyes and pulled his headphones off, “This better be important Siri.” He said, looking up at Sirius, who looked like his face was going to split open with the way that he was smiling.
“We’re here!” He said, pushing himself out of the car and shutting the door behind him. Regulus rubbed his eyes, pushing himself up and looking out the window.
He remembered the school from when they auditioned, but Regulus was looking at it from a whole new angle now. This is where he was going to live for the foreseeable future.
It was his turn to push himself out of the car, gathering his suitcases and bag from the man, and thanking him. He turned to see that Sirius was already halfway to the front door, “Merda.” He said to himself, before chasing his brother and meeting him at the double doors that led into the school.
Regulus’ breath caught in his throat as they pushed into the lobby. The ceilings were the highest ceilings that Regulus had ever seen, even that extravagant ballet academies in France wouldn’t be able to compare to the way these ceilings were intricately decorated.
The walls were covered in black and white photographs of dancers, pianists and violinists. He craned his neck, trying to take in everything at once.
“Wow…” He breathed.
He turned and saw that Sirius was having a similar reaction.
They had done it.
Regulus allowed himself to feel overwhelmed for a few more heartbeats, before turning to find a woman standing near the front desk, talking to another woman that was seated. “Excuse me, we are new students, we need to be shown to our dorms.” He said, hoping that his voice didn’t come out as shaky.
The standing woman looked down at her clipboard and then back up at the two brothers, “Names?” She asked.
“Sirius and Regulus Black.” He said, the woman flipped a page on her clipboard, still searching. For a split moment, Regulus feared that their names weren’t going to be on there, that this whole thing was really a dream, and he was about to wake up back in his bed in France.
The woman nodded, “Ah yes, you have traveled far haven’t you?” She asked moving from behind the desk, nodding a goodbye at the other woman. “I’ll show you both to your dorms, I’m sure that you are both very tired.”
“Grazi..” Regulus said, glancing to make sure that Sirius was still behind him.
Thankfully, his brother hadn’t wandered off this time.
Regulus tried to listen to everything the woman was saying, but found it quite hard to pay attention when the corridors that they were walking down had so much to look at.
When they stopped, Regulus almost ran into her back, “Sorry!” He said, the woman just smiled, “It certainly is a lot to adjust to, especially after the day I’m sure both had.” She said, Regulus nodded, turning bright red. Sirius was trying to hold in his laughter, covering it with a cough.
“Right Regulus, your dorm is up that elevator and to the left.” She said pointing at the lift at the end of the hallway. “What number?” He asked, fidgeting with the string of his hoodie. The woman smiled, “My apologies, it looks like your dorm number is..” She paused, flipping through the papers on the clipboard, “Ah, 208.” She said, Regulus nodded.
Sirius finally spoke up, “And me?” He asked, Regulus tensed, he was so caught up in everything, he almost forgot that his brother wasn’t roomed with him. The woman smiled, “You’re on the same floor, room 213.” She said with a smile.
“I would walk you all the way there, but I need to deal with..” She turned around, her eyes landing on two boys who looked like they were trying to take a picture off the wall. “Pettigrew! Lupin! What do you two think you are doing?” She called, her voice echoing off the walls.
The two boys froze, looking at her with their hands behind their backs, quilty looks crossing their faces, “Sorry Minnie!” The taller of the boys said, the woman rolled her eyes, “If you’ll excuse me.” She said, the brothers nodded and watched her stride to where the two boys were, now trying to right the picture they had been touching.
Regulus started towards the elevator, Sirius on his heels. They said nothing as the lift took them up to the second floor. The dorm hallways had a more homey feel, carpeting and less photographs. Regulus started down the hallway, looking at the dorm numbers before finding his own.
He turned to look at Sirius, who was chewing his lip. “When you get settled in, text me and we will find some food or something?” He asked. Regulus just smiled and pulled his brother into a hug, “Promessa.” He whispered.
Regulus smiled as he watched Sirius roll his own suitcases down the hallway to his dorm.
Regulus took a deep breath before he lifted his hand to knock, the second that he did, the door whipped open, and standing in front of him, was none other than Pandora Lovegood.
“Regulus Black!” She said, placing her hands on her hips. A smile lit up Regulus’ face, “Pandora Lovegood.” He said it took her about two seconds for the stern look to drop off her face and she was pulling him into a hug. “Vous avez promis d’appeler quand vous avez atterri!” She scolded, “Désolé, longue journée.” He said.
She pulled back from the hug, “I’ll allow it.” She said, smiling and grabbing the handle of one of Regulus’ suitcase and pulling him and it into the room.
Regulus allowed his eyes to scan his new room, it was quite big compared to what Regulus was expecting, each corner of the room had a bed in it, as well as curtains that you could pull around them for more privacy. Accompanying the beds, there was a bedside table, and a chest of drawers for each corner.
Pandora pointed to a bed that clearly hadn’t been slept in, “That one's yours.” She said, before moving her finger and pointing to the bed in the opposite corner, “That’s me, you should be glad, I almost had to fist fight Barty for it.” Regulus laughed.
“I’m assuming that’s one of the other roommates?” He asked, Pandora nodded, pulling his suitcase further into the room, before flopping down onto her bed. “They should be back soon, I think they went somewhere to make out.” She said, waving her hand. Regulus couldn’t help the blush that spread across his cheeks.
“I’m kidding, lord knows they are too stupid to realize the feelings they have for eachother.” SHe said, popping her head up to grin as Regulus, who was moving his suitcases closer to his bed. He laughed, feeling the tension release from his body. He moved to sit next to Pandora.
"Tu m'as manqué.” He said looking at Pandora’s blonde hair spread elegantly around her, much like a halo. “I missed you too.” She said smiling up at him, she looked like she wanted to say something else, but the door was swung open.
“I told you that would be a terrible idea.” A new voice said, Regulus turned his head to look at the two boys that had just entered the room. One was a tall blonde boy, and the other was shorter with dark curly hair. Regulus made eye contact with the curly haired boy, “Oh hell yeah he’s here!” He shouted, Regulus winced, “Oh he’s super fucking cute.”
“Barty! Volume control, have you heard of it? And keep it in your pants, you just met the guy.” The blonde one said, before making eye contact with Regulus, whose cheeks heated up the minute they made eye contact. The blonde boy smiled, “That’s Barty, he’s harmless really, just doesn’t know how to control his volume, I’m Evan, It’s good to meet you.”
Regulus turned to look at Pandora, “Tu ne m’as pas dit qu’il était mignon.” He said raising his eyebrows, Pandora turned bright red. Regulus furrowed his brow, not understanding why Pandora was acting embarrassed.
“Le mignon peut aussi vous comprendre.” He heard Evan’s voice say, Pandora covered her face with her hands, bursting into a fit of giggles. It was Regulus’ turn to blush. He looked back and Evan was smirking at him, Barty just looked lost.
“I uh, didn’t think you would be able to understand that.” Regulus said, switching to English like his life depended on it. Evan shrugged, “No worries, I take the compliment.” He said with a shrug. Regulus covered his face with his hand before falling backwards onto Pandora’s bed. “Uccidimi ora.” He muttered.
Pandora patted his arm. “You didn’t know, and I wasn’t able to warn you in time.” She said, Regulus sucked in a deep breath, before sitting back up. Barty was standing a few inches away from his face, causing Regulus to yelp and jump back, “Where are you from?” He asked.
Evan sighed and pulled Barty away, “Jesus christ, give him a little space will you?” He said, throwing Regulus an apologetic look. Regulus just nodded, “I’m from France, Nice technically.” He explained, he didn’t want to get into how he moved all over France for a while, before settling into Nice, since it was fifteen miles from the Italian border.
Pandora nodded, “We danced in the same academies!” She said, sensing Regulus’ slight discomfort.
Thank god for Pandora.
Barty was looking at Regulus, and he was sure that there was going to be another question that followed, but there must be some divine power that was watching over Regulus, because right then, his phone started ringing. He pulled his phone out and answered the call, “Ciao Siri..” He said, knowing that it was his brother without even needing to look at the caller ID.
“Per favore, dimmi che la tua esperienza sta andando meglio della mia.” Sirius said, Regulus looked up at Barty and Evan who were now arguing softly in the corner. He chewed his lip, “Non lo direi..” He replied.
“Perche?” Sirius asked, Regulus could tell that he was pacing. “Ho chiamato il mio compagno di stanza carino e capisce il francese..” Regulus admitted. He pulled the phone away from his ear as Sirius laughed loudly. “Yeah, Yeah, laugh at my pain, why don’t you.” Regulus said, rolling his eyes.
“That’s quite funny, I needed that grazie..” He said once the laughs subsided. Regulus sighed, “Cazzo di stronzo.” Regulus grumbled. “I’m going to take a nap, just wanted to let you know.” Sirius explained, yawning.
Regulus could also use a nap, his body really wasn’t built to stay up all night.
“Ok, Ti chiamo più tardi.” He said, Sirius agreed before the line went dead. He placed his phone on the bed next to his leg. Pandora smiled at him, “Siri?” She asked, Regulus nodded, “His dorm situation is not going the way he had hoped.” He explained.
Barty and Evan seemed to have stopped arguing, because they were sitting on the floor watching Regulus. Who was still embarrassed that Evan understood when Regulus had called him cute.
“The language you were just speaking wasn’t French was it?” Barty asked, Regulus shook his head, “Italian.” Barty’s face lit up, “So not only can you speak French, you can also speak Italian?” He asked. Regulus nodded, “My mother is Italian and my Father is French, we were raised to speak both languages.” He explained, hoping that they wouldn’t ask him to expand on his family history.
Barty turned to Evan, “Why can’t you be cool and speak something other than French and English?” He asked, Evan slapped Barty on the knee. Regulus watched them with interest, he needed to know what the relationship between these two was.
“Barty, no offense, but you can fuck all the way off, you only speak English.” Evan said, “Yeah you aren’t in the cool bilingual club!” Pandora chimed in, Regulus laughed. “You know what’s cooler than two languages? Three!” Barty protested, looking to Regulus held his hands up, “Listen, I just got here.”
Evan laughed, “This is an ongoing battle, If you really want to see him throw a fit, only talk to Pandora and I in French.” He said with a wink. Regulus nodded, Barty sighed loudly, “So Evan is allowed to flirt with him but I’m not?” Pandora waved her hand, “Because we all know you’re all bark no bite.” She said Barty looked offended, “I couldbe all bite.” He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
Pandora moved off the bed, sitting cross legged on the floor, she patted Barty’s knee. “There there, we all know you’re a slag.” She said, causing Evan to lose all his composure and fall onto his side, clutching his stomach with laughter.
Barty deepened his frown, “That’s not funny Pandora.” He said, sticking his lip out in a pout. Evan looked as though he was going to pass out from laughing so hard. “A slag in theory but not in practice.” He said between fits of laughter. Regulus snorted, Pandora turned to him, “Don’t you start Reg, I know all your secrets.” Regulus stopped laughing at once.
“You wouldn’t dare.” He said. Pandora raised an eyebrow in a challenge. Regulus shut his mouth instantly, he knew better than to challenge Pandora in anything, the last time he did, he was up at four in the morning going on runs with her.
So yeah, he didn’t challenge Pandora anymore.
Barty laughed, “I for one, want to hear all about this.” He said Regulus looked at Pandora, who was making sure that it was okay before she spoke. Regulus thought for a moment, deciding that it was okay, before nodding once.
His best friend’s face lit up, as if he had just given her the best christmas gift ever.
Pandora clapped her hands excitedly, “What a good way to get to know our newest roommate!” She said Regulus groaned, he knew that he gave Pandora permission, but she really liked to embellish the stories that she told, which is what she almost always did when telling embarrassing stories about Regulus.
“What story to tell, what story to tell.” Pandora said, tapping her finger on her lips, “Il suffit d’en choisir un il y en a tellement.” Regulus mumbled, Evan snorted and Pandora rolled her eyes. “That’s the problem, there are way too many to choose from.”
Regulus flipped her off, she placed a hand on her heart, “Reggie! What would Uncle Al say?” She asked, “Considering you are trying to embarrass me, I am sure that he would be supportive of it.” He said, rolling his eyes.
“Enough with the bickering, I want to hear embarrassing stories about Regulus.” Barty said. Regulus pushed off Pandora’s bed before sitting next to her on the floor. Instantly Pandora leaned her head on his shoulder, “I’ve known him for seventeen years, I have a large backlog of stories.” She said, causing Regulus to bat her knee.
“Should I start with the fact that Regulus still hasn’t had his first kiss?” SHe asked, Regulus just scoffed, “Not my fault, I don’t feel the need for it right now.” He said with a shrug. Barty’s mouth dropped open, “How old are you?” He asked, Regulus blinked, “Twenty-one?” He said, the statement sounding more like a question.
“Twenty-one?!” Barty shouted, Regulus winced his ears ringing. “Barty for fucks sake, what the fuck, can you stop shouting for literally one night?” Evan asked, “And not all of us are you and had our first kisses at the age of thirteen.” Regulus smiled at Evan thankfully, Pandora patted his knee, “I for one, wish I had saved my first kiss.” She said, making a face.
“Are you talking about Xeno?” Regulus asked, Pandora made a grave face and nodded, Regulus laughed, “He was so fucking weird Panda, I tired to tell you! Never date a contemporary dancer.” He said, shaking his head. Evan raised an eyebrow, “A contemporary dancer? Oh Pandora, what were you thinking?” He asked.
“A momentary lapse of judgment.” She said, shaking her head sadly. Regulus laughed again, “A lapse of judgment is a minute or two, not a whole two years.” He said, Pandora waved her hand again, “Fine, a two year severe lapse in judgment.” Regulus nodded, “Better.” He said with a yawn.
“Do you want to get some sleep?” Evan asked, Barty looked like he wanted to say something in protest, but a look from both Evan and Pandora shut that down quickly. Regulus nodded, Pandora rose to her feet gracefully, holding her hand down to help Regulus up.
Once he was on his feet, Pandora showed him the bathroom, and demonstrated how to pull the curtains around his bed. “The three of us are going to go get our new schedules, I’ll grab yours.” Pandora said, Regulus nodded and pulled her into a hug.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Regulus opened his suitcase, pulling out the first comfortable clothing that he was able to find, and headed towards the bathroom, he blew a breath out, leaning the palms of his hands on the cool porcelain of the sink, and stared at his reflection in the brightly lit mirror.
He ran a hand through his curls, All in all, he really liked his roommates, Pandora was an added bonus. He had no idea what he would have done if he didn’t have her there to ease his nerves.
Barty and Evan seemed pretty easy to read, he could tell that both of them were people that could get along with anyone and everyone, and Regulus was glad that he had roommates like that.
Regulus turned the water on, scrubbing his face with his hands, before changing and slipping out of the bathroom and into his bed. The second that he rested his head on the pillow, his eyelids felt heavy. He was thankful that Pandora had pulled the curtains around his bed, he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to do it now.
His eyes fluttered as he tried to fight off the sleep that was taking over his entire body.
He had one last thought that came to him right as sleep was overtaking him.
This experience will be different, I’ll make sure of it.