Chapter 6
Regulus hasn’t seen James all week, not in his classes, not at dinner or breakfast. Frankly, he’s starting to get worried. He barely sees Sirius either, always disappearing after dinner with Remus and Peter. They haven’t spoken since their conversation. Regulus doesn’t know where to go from here. James is gone and even if he could he wouldn’t know how to even try and talk to him. Not after what he did. It’s understandable why James doesn’t want to see him. Regulus just did it again, hurt him again, and left him again.
It’s only after Regulus purposely seeks out Sirius he finds out what happened. James was hit with a bat during quidditch practice and has been healing in the hospital wing for the past week. And oh… That strikes something in Regulus, worry, fear, anger? His stomach is churning with so many tangled-up emotions and all he wants to do is go see James, to make sure he’s okay and protect him from anything else that would hurt him ever again.
Before he can think too much about it he’s leaving his last class and heading towards the hospital wing. When he gets there he lets himself in through the large double doors without knocking immediately locating James’ bed and making a B-line for it. Madam Pomfrey storms out of her office and begins berating Regulus stopping him in his tracks.
‘Excuse me! You cannot enter the wing without me letting you in. Why are you here?’ She scolds and Regulus almost rolls his eyes but instead he puts on his softest smile and a voice as sweet as honey to reply.
‘I’m so sorry I wasn’t thinking, I was just so worried about my friend I entered without thinking. Is it alright if I stay?’
The Medi-witch purses her lips but concedes to the boy. ‘Fine, but you must be very quiet.’
‘I will,’ Regulus assures her and with one swift brush of her cloak she disappeared behind her door again and he could finally get to James. When he pushes back the curtain James is awake and staring at him with a quirk in his eyebrows.
‘That you talking to Pomfrey?’ He asks like Regulus didn’t completely lay him bare and abandon him last time they spoke.
‘Uh, yeah it was,’ he replied, unsure now that he was here of what to say.
‘Oh, okay.’
There’s a piercing silence.
‘Is there any reason in particular that you’re here?’ He inquires, voice dead and devoid of any emotion.
Regulus takes a breath. ‘Listen, James, what I did to you was… wrong-’
‘Wrong?’ He scoffs. ‘Wrong doesn’t even cover it. You fucking left me again. I mean what do you get out of this Regulus? Where do you get off on hurting my feelings? You’re just toying with my emotions and maybe I’m fucking over all of it.’ His voice is cracking now. ‘One minute we’re friends, then we kiss and you hate me and then you don’t hate me when you want to get off with me and then you hate me again? It makes no sense and I’m sick of trying to figure it out.’
Regulus doesn’t know what to say, his sudden outburst has left the boy opposite to him out of breath and tired. Regulus knows that everything James said was right and he has a right to be angry with him, hell Regulus is angry with himself about it but hearing him say it to him stings. So he says the only thing he knows to say.
‘I’m sorry,’
‘Yeah sorry doesn’t quite fucking cut it this time.’ James’ gaze is harsh and his tone is unforgiven. Regulus crumbles beneath it and everything floods out of him.
‘I’m sorry I left you, twice.’ He begins and James laughs, it’s cold and twisted and wrong, and it makes Regulus flinch. ‘And I know I hurt you and there’s nothing I regret more, truly. I need you to know that because… because I really do like you James. Leaving you there in the library and in the classroom was such a genuinely shitty thing for me to do I know that and I’ve spoken with Sirius about it and I’ve realised all the shit I was doing because I thought it would be better for us was just me trying to hurt myself and you without knowing it. I’ve registered that I was just struggling with coming to terms with being… gay.’ The word is tough and bulky in his mouth, saying it sounds wrong but he’s trying to be better.
‘Christ Reg, fuck you making me feel bad for you now,’ James says.
‘That wasn’t my intention I swear!’ Regulus tries to amend it.
‘I know, I know… just- Reg c’mere,’ He pats next to his bed and Regulus inelegantly shuffles his way to sit next to James on the bed. James reaches for his arms and pulls him down into his chest and holds him there. Regulus puts his ear to James’ rib cage and just listens to his heartbeat. When James speaks again Regulus can feel the vibrations in his head.
‘I’m still really angry at you, you know?’
‘Yep,’
Then James wraps his arms around Regulus' waist and they lay there together intertwined until the night falls away and Regulus has to return to his dorm.
Regulus starts to make frequent visits to the hospital wing to bring James his favourite dessert from the kitchens (tiramisu) or to just talk to him about the latest book he’s been reading. They spend hours together just talking or holding each other until curfew comes and Madam Pomfrey comes to politely tell Regulus to get out of the hospital wing. Its become such a routine now that Regulus brings his homework and does it with James so that he doesn’t forget, too caught up in visiting James.
James is supposed to be released within the next week, his head bandages have already been taken off and Regulus doesn't know what he’s gonna do then, will this all just stop now that there isn’t the buffer of the hospital wing? Will they still hang out as they used to in the library? He hopes so.
One night, an hour before curfew James leans in to whisper into Regulus’ ear when they’re studying. His breath tickles Regulus’ ears sending sparks of heat down his spine. Regulus can’t quite help himself from going red.
‘I have something I want to show you, it’ll let you spend the night without Pomfrey noticing.’
Regulus leaned back, feeling the flush on his face. ‘Oh?’
James reached behind his pillow revealing a shimmering pile of fabric, it took Regulus a few seconds to recognise it for what it was.
‘An invisibility cloak?!’
‘Shhh!’ James puts his finger to Regulus’ mouth and Regulus feels his heartbeat pick up. ‘But yes it is one, I was thinking you go under it before curfew and I’ll just tell Pomfrey you left early.’
Regulus smiles. ‘Where did you even get one of these?’
‘My dad,’
Regulus rolls his eyes. ‘Of course,’ He’s heard all about how James’ father was a trouble maker back in his days just like James. He thinks James likes to take after him.
As the sun got lower and lower in its descent James told Regulus it was time for him to don the cloak. He slipped the sparkling material over his head and crouched down, lying half under James’ covers and the other half sitting up covered with the cloak. When Pomfrey finally came out to send him out Regulus held his breath, she pulled back the curtains surrounding James’ bed and poked her head in, looking a bit like a floating head so much that Regulus had to try and stifle his laughter at her concerned face.
‘Mr Potter, where is Mr Black?’
James just grinned. ‘I’m afraid he’s gone off back to his dorm early because he needed to hand in a very important essay.’
Pomfrey eyed him suspiciously. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Completely positive!’ He chirped.
‘Hmm…’ She obviously wasn’t convinced but with no evidence to back up her suspicions, she just swept back into her office. Regulus took off the stuffy cloak and began to laugh giddily, James joining in.
‘I can’t believe that worked, this thing is great! What else do you use it for?’
‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ James teased.
‘Oh shove off,’ He joked.
They spent the rest of the night conversing in hushed whispers eventually Regulus falling asleep on his chest the cloak covering both of them.
When Regulus woke James was shaking him frantically, he was still a bit dazed until he remembered the cloak and staying in the hospital wing.
‘Woah, what is it?’
‘Pomfrey’s getting up soon, you’ve got to get out of here!’
‘Oh shit.’
Regulus shot out of the bed, trying to quickly pat down his clothes before racing out of the wing. The walk back to the common room was long and his hair was mussed and clothes rumpled and he got loads of questioning stares. The rumours the next day were sure to be glorious, everyone wondering where The Regulus Black was overnight that would make him look so dishevelled, none knowing he spent the entire night tucked up into James Potter’s arms. He smiles to himself as he walked down to the dungeons.
Words spread quickly throughout Hogwarts and sooner than he thought Regulus’ friends were coming up to him asking him about his nighttime ventures and why he hadn't come back to the dorm. When he avoided their eyes looking down at the floor, they all heckled and teased about James. Regulus told them to piss off but he couldn’t deny the quickening of his heart and the flicker of excitement he felt in his stomach.
Regulus spent most of his day trying to avoid the stares and whispers that followed him everywhere, everyone speculating whose room he was sneaking out of. People asking their friends if they saw him, trying to remember which direction he was walking from to see which common room. The words flew through the air bouncing off Regulus as he strutted to his last class.
The class was painfully average and boring especially for Regulus, trying to ignore all the whispers floating behind him, that disappeared as soon as he turned around. The entire work was just copying down as Professor Binns dictated so it was a whole period of listening to his monotone voice unnecessarily dragging out syllables as Regulus jotted down notes. By the end of class, his hand was tired and wanted nothing more than to just visit James before heading to bed.
He was on his way to the hospital wing when a stray arm shot out of a broom cupboard and caught him, dragging him into it. Regulus pulled back as the broom cupboard door shut behind him. It was James, of course, it was James.
‘Hey,’ He says casually.
Regulus rolls his eyes. ‘Hi, James I thought you weren’t released until next week.’
‘I begged her to let me go, I’m all good she just wanted me there for rest.’
‘She said yes?’
‘Of course, she did, she loves me.’
‘Sure,’ Regulus says dripping with sarcasm. ‘Why did you drag me here? Please don’t drag me into something crazy,’
James puts on a hand on his chest, playing offended. ‘How dare you assume just because I drag you away from your painfully mundane life means I’m going to do something bad,’
‘My life is not painfully mundane it’s quite interesting actually,’ Regulus points out.
‘Ah yes but only because I’m in it.’ James winks.
‘Shove off,’ He snaps but their no anger in his voice.
‘Okay well please get under my cloak and I’ll show you something you’ve never seen before,’ James reaches out his hand and reveals the invisibility cloak throwing it over himself and holding out a bit for Regulus to crouch under. Regulus scoffs and rolls his eyes again but gets under the cloak. James opens the door and they both shuffle out awkwardly onto the grounds. James takes them to the edge of the lake and they walk along it for a bit before coming to the boat house. James somehow procures a key and unlocks it stepping into it with Regulus on his tail. James whips the cloak off of the both of them shoving it into his pocket.
The air is damp and cold and it stinks of seaweed so much that Regulus wrinkles his nose. There's a small dock with the boats that the first years use sitting in the water of The Black Lake. Through the windows, he can see the sun just starting to set over the large mass of water casting an orange glow over the castle and the room. James is bouncing on the balls of his feet behind him but Regulus doesn’t feel all too dazzled.
‘What are we doing here?’ He asks not sounding at all impressed.
James just grins at him. ‘Step into the water,’ He says, pointing to where the dock starts, there's a small step just submerged in the water to help the first years get out of the boats. Regulus looks as if he just told him he was on the moon.
‘But I’ll get my robes wet.’ He says incredulously.
James just shrugs and steps down into the water soaking the ends of his black robs with water, he offers up his hand for Regulus to take. Regulus stands there petulantly refusing to get in. James sighs and grabs his wrist tugging him into the water, Regulus tumbles down onto the step splashing water over the both of them.
‘James!’ He shrieks clutching onto the other boy for dear life.
James just laughs putting one arm around his waist to secure him. ‘It’s fine Reg, just give me a second.’
He lifts up his wand and begins murmuring a spell, as he does a shimmering transparent bubble starts to form around the two of them, lifting them ever so gently out of the water as it closes them in. Regulus gasps softly and James smiles. James swishes his wand gently and the bubble starts to go into the water taking James and Regulus with it. The water doesn’t penetrate it as they go deeper and deeper down into the lake. There are large bunches of green seaweed sliding along the sides of the bubble but they stay completely dry, save for their ankles from earlier. The sun peeks through the layers of water giving them a spectacular view of the sunset through the glassy water. Fish swim around them, unperturbed and Regulus thinks he catches sight of a large tentacle slipping through the weeds.
He’s completely awed. ‘James where did you learn to do this bit of magic, this is quite powerful,’
James just smiles. ‘I learnt it for a prank, no big deal,’
‘Was that the one where you floated all the food in the great hall?’ Regulus gasps, remembering when his bacon and eggs were stolen from him.
James huffs a laugh. ‘Yeah, that’s the one, took me a couple of weeks to get it down and do it on a large scale though.’
‘You’re insane,’ Regulus breathes still staring out of the bubble at the underwater world. A mermaid flies past them, shooting through the water.
‘James where are we going?’ He inquired as the bubble kept moving.
‘Just wait we’re almost there,’
The bubbles went through a large patch of kelp that surrounded them from all sides, barely letting any light through before bursting out the other side into a small seaweed garden. Lush green seaweed surrounded them, pushing gently on the bubble. The sun shone through in the water leaving orange smudges of light on the bubble. It was breath taking as Regulus spun around staring at the scenery. Colourful fish swim in schools around them, scales reflecting the glowing light. He looks up at James who is looking nowhere but Regulus.
‘This is gorgeous James,’ He tells him.
‘Just like you,’ James replies.
Regulus moves closer in the bubbles until they are almost chest to chest, looking at each other the setting sun illuminating their small bubble of safety under the water. James leans forwards and Regulus meets him halfway, their lips crashing together in pure ecstasy.
The bubble pops.
The bubble fucking pops, plunging them into the cold water immediately. They both gasp immediately taking in breaths of water. They push upwards towards the sun, spluttering out water as soon as they break the surface their robes completely waterlogged with some seaweed stuck in their hair. James is gasping for breath but also simultaneously trying to speak.
‘I- got distracted-’ He stops for a breath. ‘Forgot- about the spell.’ He rasps.
All Regulus can do is laugh about the incredulity of the situation, the two of them, James Potter and Regulus Black floating out together in the centre of the Black Lake. It doesn’t take long for James to start laughing too as they hold onto each other’s sopping robes treading water to stay afloat. The sun is setting behind them and the water is glowing with its light. Regulus leans over and they kiss again holding each other’s faces and laughing against each other’s mouths, shivering from the cold but it doesn’t matter to them.