The proposal
Harry had always been… Intriguing so say the least. A mystery. A marvellous, handsome, intelligent, and breathtaking mystery. And Regulus had noticed him immediately, among the 11 years old new students he was standing, tall and fit and confident, no, not confident, adamant. His posture straight and his eyes not as straight, if the way he had ogled Regulus was anything to go by. Oh yes, ogled was certainly the most appropriate inappropriate word to use at this moment.
His eyes were as bright as the emeralds embedded in the wooden canopy of his bed at Grimmauld Place, but so, so much more alive. As alive as the thin grass blade outside of the castle, moving on the path of the wind.
God he’s so fucking found of him it’s embarrassing, is the first things that Regulus thought after looking at Harry for 3 minutes straight without blinking, desperate to inlay his face in his eyelid so he could see him even when his eyes were closed. The weather outside was terrible and his mood was even worse. One year had passed since Harry had arrived at Hogwart and was sorted into gryffindor. Oh, the day Harry was sorted was definitely something, the hat had talked endlessly with the kid for everybody to hear, hesitating on which house he should put him into. Harry had eventually said out loud that he didn’t care about being sent to the lions or the snakes, as long as he could -for the love of god- sit somewhere and eat because he was starving and his back was bloody sore. Which made a good part of the students laugh and him being sorted to gryffindor.
So Regulus was simply sitting with his fellow slytherin, eating and drinking while taking a glimpse of Harry from time to time, his crush for the boy was getting ridiculous, he knew that, but still he couldn’t take his eyes off of him. His ruffled hair, his mesmerizing eyes, the way he was moving like he didn’t care about anything, his broad shoulders and the Adam’s apple who was already prominent thank to puberty, how his fists looked, all tense and vein were visibly pulsing after he had punched his older brother, James Potter, for hanging Snape (a half-blood Prodige in dark arts and potions) upside down by the foot during one of their numerous altercations (started by James and Sirius as always), and the way he was so good at debating and could speak for hours about how the wizard’s ministry was worse than the British one (witch was apparently really hard to achieve).
It seemed like Harry knew a lot, a LOT about the Muggles' world, and even though Regulus wasn’t particularly fond of it (especially their music) he could spend hours listening to Harry talk about it.
However, he wasn’t too outspoken, Harry is the type of person who wouldn’t force their opinion on others and intrude themselves into other people’s conversations, unless they were saying something REALLY fucked up, or if they asked his opinion on a certain subject. Clearly, the opposite of his older brother James, apparently the golden child of the two. The Potters had suffered from fertility issues until they had James, which means they covered him with gifts and love.
Regulus used to have a crush on him, he must admit. Something quick and pathetic, because right after he had given James a blowjob in the Quidditch’s changing rooms, the red and golden boy had thrown him away, telling him to never tell what happened to Sirius or Lily. That shit had affected him really badly, not that he had been forced, he was more than willing to do that. James was strong and popular and good-looking as hell. But he had felt used. That’s what had hurt the most. He was used to be… Well, used by his mother as a trophy, the perfect straight slytherin only heir of the Black family, or used by his father, as a thing to bring to look good when they were going at dinners with other pureblood families. But James ? His brother’s best friend ? His crush since he was 11 ? That was something else.
So now he was halfway through his breakfast still looking at the other boy his age with a weird-shaped scar, when suddenly, he turned around, looking directly at Regulus who immediately looked down, abruptly really interested in his toast and his over-sugary coffee. He expected the boy to laugh at him, maybe whisper something about it to his friends. But then he looked up again, and Harry was still looking at him, this time with a little smile on his face, and Merlin he clearly felt his heart skip a beat. Why was he looking at him ? Did he have something on his face ? Was his hair messy ? And why was he so bothered about it? It’s not like Harry would ever care about him.
But then the green-eyed stood up, still looking at him. And Regulus started fidgeting a bit, happiness and anxiety both rising at the same time, but it’s not even as if they were strangers, he was used to their small talk and deep conversation when they had to work together, or when they both needed fresh air and met by chance under the same tree. They knew each other for sure, but were they friends ? All of this mess was so confusing. He felt like he could tell anything and everything to him, not just because he was in love with him, but because he trusted him, he had told so many things to Harry, and Harry had told him a lot of things too. Their families, their dreams, their brothers. How it felt to be in the shadow of the golden child, and how it felt to be the golden child unwillingly, their opinion and beliefs and if yes or not Trelawney’s prophecies could be trusted (it was ‘’absolutely not’’for Regulus and ‘’sometimes’’ for Harry). But does that mean they were close ? And why is Harry getting closer from where he’s sitting when they made sure to keep their friendship as discreet as possible ?
Progressively, he gained the strength to look back at Harry who was still looking at him. Some murmurs were rising around them, a gryffindor walking straight to a slytherin never bode well, and in their head nothing would be different. It was getting obvious that Harry was targeting him too, and as his eyes locked on him. He started to understand.
His more-shiny-than-usual eyes, the constant eye contact, and the little discomfort right behind his eyebrows.
Harry was using wandless magic, legilimency to be more precise, and so he kept his eyes locked on him, a challenge, even though he was scared of what Harry might have read in his head. He was starting to build mental walls using occlumency, he wasn’t as good as Snape, but it could work either way, plus, Harry was terrible at occlumency, so that definitely made him feel like he had won.
At some point harry was at less than 2 meters from his table, and Regulus finally decided to stand up, circumventing the table and pressing his hips on its side as his arms crossed naturally, maybe an attempt to look like the bad boys in the muggle magazines his brother was hiding under his bed at their place, all confident and cool when their crush passed by ? That wasn’t what Regulus was doing, absolutely not, no fucking way he was that crazy for him to the point of behaving such a revolting way.
But that wasn’t important for him right now, what was really important was that Harry-fucking-Potter was right in front of him, his smile a bit malicious because he had certainly figured out that Regulus was stopping him from penetrating (ha) his mind.
"What do you want ?" Perfect, his voice was stern, calm, a bit cold, but nothing out of the ordinary so Harry knew he wasn’t truly annoyed by his presence.
"You." Harry started, and Regulus’ brain stopped working. "No ! I mean, yeah, but… Eh… Not like that?? But, I mean… Like… On a… date?" Harry started stuttering and stumbling on his words, And the grey-blue eyed boy felt his heart melt as he realise what was happening. But still he got a bit wary, which was illogical, he knew Harry would never do that, but after what happened with James last year he couldn’t bring himself to give all his trust to someone again that easily.
"Is that a joke ?" Regulus asked, half-happy half-scared-to-death. And Harry’s lovely slightly flushed face went pale. The heir of the black family stared at him for a while, not understanding why Harry had suddenly stopped looking so cocky and shy at the same time.
"I… Oh." Why did Harry suddenly look so unhappy ? He hated it. What was happening ?
He replayed what had just happen in his head, before suddenly realising.
"No no Harry I- Bloody hell that’s not what I meant."
Harry looked back at him, a flash of hope sparkling in his eyes. And Regulus was breathless, looking at this boy so damn delightful and sure of himself and still a little shy.
"... So?" Harry asked getting closer from Regulus until there was only one meter between the two of them, a way to let him have his living space.
"I'll say it more clearly since apparently you can't…" Regulus started, grinning at the green-eyed boy who looked quite offended by this statement. "Harry, do you want to go on a date with me?"
"You're the one to ask. So I assume you'll be the one to pay." Harry answered with his cheeky smile back on his ridiculously adorable face. And Regulus bit his tongue to stop himself from saying that out loud. "And… yes. I would love to."
"Well I hope so, you're the one who asked after all"
"Oh shut it little snake you know what I mean." And he knows, bloody hell he knows he should get all up in Harry's face for the embarrassing nickname but if he had to be honest, the delicious warmth in his chest was, indeed, very pleasant.
"So. Umh… What about Hogsmeade tomorrow? Maybe I could take you to dinner?"
"Hog's Head?"
"I'm pretty surprised you want to go there."
"Why? Wanted to take me to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?"
"Hell no it looks… I don't even know how to describe it. This place isn't my cup of t-" Regulus put his hand on his mouth. Stopping him from saying one of the most horrendous jokes he could ever come up with.
"Alright, hog’s head will be just fine."
"Only a slytherin would think hog’s head is a good place for a date."
"Lucky us I’m one and you’re almost one too." Harry giggled, trying hard not to crack up but at the same time soundique quite done with him, before looking quickly around them, realizing their comrades looked completely lost.
"How the hell can you even cast a muffliato without a wand ? You’re impossible!!" Regulus rolled his eyes, couldn’t Harry just appreciate the fact that he was making sure their conversation was private by stealing one of Snape's spells ? Oh no, he cares too much about his classmates going mad from the constant buzzing sound in their ears to do so. Not selfish enough, if someone asked his opinion on the matter, but maybe that’s part of the things he likes about him. Harry took his wand in his pocket (who put their wand in their pockets? Everybody knows it's dangerous) and quickly casted a finite incantatem.
"You're too kind for your own sake."
"I’m not so sure about that." Harry answered, getting closer and stepping in his space in order to get a hand on Regulus' neck and press a soft sweet kiss on the corner of the paler boy's lips. Which didn't fail to make him blush like the teenager who-almost-got-kissed-by-his-crush-on-the-lips he is.
He couldn't hear nor care about the people around them. All he wanted was to turn his face and catch Harry's lips between his. But he was already backing off out of his reach. So he affirmed, pretending to be calm when in reality his mind was blowing up.
"Tomorrow. 10am. We're going to hang out at Hogsmeade and before you leave I'm going to kiss you so fucking good you'll forget your own name."
This time it was Harry who turned into a blushing clumsy mess, And Regulus couldn’t be more satisfied. The boy with the scar sighted and looked at him directly in the eyes, his cheeks still slightly pink and his eyes even more mesmerising now that they were so close to him.
"Goodbye Regulus, and beware, I have the feeling our brothers are going to kill someone."
Regulus couldn't do anything else than agree, he could feel the eyes of two particularly annoying gryffindors on the both of them and he knew that if he dared to go at them to deal with this situation they were going to flip out on him.
"Killing you or me ?"
"The both of us."
"To die by your side sounds like a dream." He couldn't help but say. Which made The younger Potter’s cheeks turn into a beautiful crimson.
"Bloody hell Regulus." He put his hand on his mouth, visibly trying to regain control of himself.
"I apologise."
"Don’t, I like this gloomy funny bone of yours. He sighed, before looking back at him. ‘’Now eat in peace, I’ll deal with the little lions."
Regulus simply nodded, whispering a low "see you later" before Harry left to go back to his table.
Wow, did that just happen ? Regulus couldn’t believe his eyes, Harry had asked HIM out on a DATE, like… a REAL date not just some quick studies or reading hidden behind a tree.
Someone popped his bubble full of love and flirty conversation.
"I cannot wrap my head around the fact that you just consented to go out with him, I am aware that he is a pleasant person, but he’s still James’ brother."
"Out of us two, someone had to pull their green-eyed gryffindor, Snape."
"You are a veritable abhorrent individual, and also. Fuck you."
The slytherin did his best to hide his laughter, returning his gaze on Harry who was still walking toward his table, making a point in ignoring the both of their brothers, as a way to say ‘’yes what you just saw did happen’’. And for the first time in a while he thought that maybe. Just maybe. He was allowed to make his own choices.
As long as he could be this happy and careless, he would cherish every single second of it. And more for himself that anyone else he murmured.
“He is nothing like James.”