Chapter 4
Bellatrix Black was a fucking menace and, frankly, Regulus wasn’t sure how he was going to manage being in her irksome presence so often. Not only was she downright insolent, but she didn’t know a thing or two about cooperation – yes, Regulus was aware that it was hypocritical for him to be complaining about lack of cooperation but alas.
Walburga informed them that a well-known producer, Walden Mcknair , was working on arranging the song for their pair-skate. He had a speciality in classical music and orchestra, which was what Regulus preferred to skate to over the likes of radio pop music. He wasn’t a hater, per say; Regulus did have a fair share of commercial pop music in his spotify playlists just for the sake of nostalgia, like Fireworks by Katy Perry or Dynamite by Taio Cruiz. There was just something to the layers of orchestra and intricacies of overlapping melodies that broke the boundaries of industrial music and spoke right to his soul. It created a mirror to the complexity of human emotion, representing it in the form of melody, harmony and structure.
It was perfect, because Regulus felt as though with each movement on ice, he was drawing a symbol of musical notation and writing sheets of music on his blades that would rival the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. In the rink, Regulus was a fanatical violinist telling stories with no words.
The piece the two of them were skating to was La Terre vue du ciel . It was a beautiful track, composed mainly of piano that gradually layered up to delicate melodies of violin. It was delicate. Fragile. Graceful.
Everything Bellatrix was not. On ice, she was raven-feathered while Regulus was a dove, two opposite charges who repelled from each other. He had to find a way to overcome the force, though. No matter how impossible it seemed, they had to build some type of chemistry for it to work out. Without it, well, they were fucked.
Walburga had briefed them over the choreography of their program. Regulus was relieved to find that pair skating had a significant amount of similarities with single skating – it was the same scoring system which were based on the same elements like transitions, jumps and the like. There were new terms he wasn’t too familiar with, though; like shadow skating, which was when the skaters performed symmetrically with each other. Then there were things like death spirals that had Regulus frowning – why the fuck had they named it that? The element he was most dreading, however, were the lifts.
Lifts are the most impressive component of pair skating, as well as the most difficult one. It wasn’t the complexity that had the nails of his fingers digging harshly into his palm, though; it was the prospect of touching. Of wrapping his arm around someone’s waist and propelling them into the air. Of skin meeting skin, flesh meeting flesh, the weight of bones on his hands.
Regulus knew he had to suck it up eventually – that didn't stop the twitch in his muscles, though.
“Now, there will be a throw triple toe loop after the first segment of sequences, “ Walburga explained evenly, “I do not expect this to be difficult to perform as both of you have no problem landing the toe loop in Singles.”
The pair of them nodded, listening attentively. It was strange to see Bellatrix so pliant, but then again this was Walburga Black they were being coached by. Though they were being dual coached by Mr. Rosier, too, their morning sessions would primarily be led by his mother. Regulus hadn’t met the man before so he wasn’t sure if it was a blessing in disguise or not.
Walburga turned her gaze so she looked solely at Regulus. “However, throwing is something you have not come across. We will use this morning session to begin familiarising the two of you with it.“ Regulus bit back a groan as he glided alongside Bellatrix to the centre of the rink. It was clear that she didn’t like the idea of trusting Regulus to launch herself into the air; every muscle in her face fighting back a scowl.
Though they were cousins, the only things they shared in common were the fact that they were both figure skaters and shared a second name. Regulus had always preferred her sister, Narcissa. She was much less boisterous than Bellatrix and, like Regulus, appreciated the stillness in air when there were no words being passed between them. Not to mention she had that same sarcastic sense of humour that Regulus found himself to be fond of. It was too bad that she had the hots for Lucius Malfoy of all people – at one point, Regulus had a sort of moral conflict after he debated pushing a knife right through his chest. He was irritating, bothersome and generally the biggest nuisance and God did Regulus wish he would clamp his mouth shut. The man was a manipulative bastard, though, who liked to use his mother’s intimidation against him.
A flaring competitiveness at the idea of seeing the scowl on Lucius’ face after beating him at the Olympics surged through him. Oh, he was going to have a lot of fun seeing him crumble.
Walburga cleared her throat, pulling Regulus out of his fantasies, “The best way to build up momentum for the throw is to shadow skate. After that, Regulus, you will place your hands on Bellatrix’s waist,” the two of them groaned lowly, causing Walburga’s eyes to narrow, “You will then spin enough to propel Bellatrix into the air. The amount of force you put into the throw is extremely important. Increase your speed moments before launching – this will ensure Bellatrix is able to spin higher and farther.”
They nodded instinctively, “Begin. I will be watching from afar.” She added before turning around and skating towards the edge of the rink. Regulus felt some of the tension in his shoulders release, but it quickly returned as he took in the infuriating smirk on Bellatrix’s face.
“If you drop me, I will castercate your heart, “ she threatened lightly.
Regulus chuckled, “ You’re all bark but no bite, Bella. It’ll be just as much as your fault if you land face down on the ice.”
“Just- Do me a favour and shut the fuck up, yeah?” She hissed. Regulus could tell she was nervous by the way she was clumsily patting her hair down.
“Gladly.” To be honest, Regulus wasn’t confident at all – this was his first attempt and both his partner and coach were not too pleased at the prospect of failure. If it didn’t go well, they would direct their blame right at him and Regulus couldn’t risk his ego being bruised by the likes of Bellatrix.
He could do this.
Shadow skating was a simple concept; it was like dancing in unison without making any physical contact. They stood for a moment beside each other before gliding forward with about less of a metre distance between them, propelling one leg behind and one arm in front of them. They danced with poise, crossing one foot over the other to gain speed as the throw approached. The choreographic sequence came to an end following a perfectly executed camel spin, and Regulus looked over determinedly to catch Bellatrix’s gaze. He would see the quick inhale and exhale of her lungs, scoffing at her agitation.
Moving forward, Regulus wrapped one arm around Bellatrix’s waist, swallowing back the uncomfortableness creeping up his skin. Fuck , he hated this. The contact burnt his fingers and Regulus wondered briefly if Bellatrix could feel the imprints being left on her skin. She let him manhandle her as they spun twice to build speed before Regulus put every muscle in his body to work as Bellatrix’s blades left the ice and she was launched into the air.
He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the sound of body meeting ice, of air being knocked out of lungs, of groans of pain – but it didn’t come. The only sound was the strain of blades on ice as Bellatrix stumbled briefly to catch herself.
She ripped her gaze up to look at Regulus, who had a small smirk tugged on his lips. “That was absolutely your fault, you know? Didn’t know you were incapable of landing something as simple as a toe loop, “ Regulus mocked. He knew he executed his part well, but they wouldn’t see that.
“Fuck you. If you had put more force into it maybe I wouldn’t have stumbled, lanky bitch,” she spat. Regulus could tell she knew it was her fault by the humiliation tinting her cheeks, but she continued to use him as a vessel for her to hurl her insecurities and blame.
They tried it again, and again, and again until Bellatrix finally landed the toe loop without skidding. His whole body was exhausted from the excursion and Regulus wanted nothing more than to throw himself under his covers and not move for at least the next twenty hours.
Much to his annoyance, there was a conference they were both expected to attend later that day. It was being held by the ISU as a way to build up excitement as the Olympics approached and all competitors were anticipated to show up and answer a few questions from reporters.
Somehow, Regulus had managed to convince Walburga to let him drag Remus along with him. It wasn’t a secret that Regulus hated almost all forms of social interaction so the whole sit behind a panel and answer grating questions thing was pretty infuriating. He was expected to force his lips into a smile and make himself likeable in front of the hundreds of cameras pointing at him.
Regulus was a lot of things but being likeable wasn’t one of them. He was built from a foundation of sarcastic remarks and cold scowls, biting insults and indifferent expressions. He wasn’t James , the sun personified, who held his heart on his sleeve and let people claw at it even if he could feel the muscle strain against him. Regulus hated him for it – how he put other people above himself even if it was weighing him down, just to be likeable.
Surprisingly, Walburga called it a day after they had mastered the throw triple toe-loop. There was no doubt in Regulus’ mind that it was because she wanted them in top shape for the conference rather than due to any genuine sympathy after the hours of practice. Regulus didn’t think she was capable of sympathy, really. Everything she did was rooted in her own selfish desire – to see the Black family name flourish in order to cement their legacy and because any success of Regulus’ was her own, too.
Regulus reached for his phone from the back pocket of his jeans at the sound of a notification. His shoulders untensed at Remus’ contact name.
[11:34] are you alive?
[11:34] unfortunately
[11:35] ignoring that
[11:35] do you need me to pick you up?
[11:35] no
[11:36] my arms kill but she wasn’t too terrible today
[11:37] define ‘ too terrible’
[11:37] because your standards are ridiculously low
[11:38] made us practise a throw jump
[11:38] it went better than I thought but bellatrix was being a bitch
[11:39] nothing new then
There was a pause.
[11:40] i’m going to pretend i know what a throw jump is
Regulus chuckled lightly at his friend's confusion. Don’t get him wrong, Remus did try his best to understand all the technicalities of figure skating but he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around it all. Regulus didn’t mind gently reminding him.
[11:40] it’s in the name
[11:41] basically like just any other jump but one pair throws the other into it
[11:41] …
[11:42] thoughts and prayers
[11:42] thanks
[11:42] you’re still down to coming with me to the conference right?
[11:43] course
[11:43] i’ll come find you in the parking lot 10 minutes before it starts
[11:43] have i ever told you how much i love you?
[11:44] no actually
[11:44] great because that would be a lie
[11:45] i will take a nail clipper to your teeth
[11:45] oh i like that one
[11:45] you think bellatrix would like it?
[11:46] i am not going to be the one to blame when ure six feet under
[11:46] i’ll include her teeth in my will and dedicate it to you
[11:47] how romantic
Regulus laughed lightly, turning his phone off and making his way towards the locker rooms. Yeah, his social battery was absolutely going to be drained by the end of today but at least he’ll have Remus to charge him back up.
✰
To say that James was excited for the conference was an understatement.
He was ecstatic because that meant talking to new people, listening to other skaters answer questions and sharing his own elation for the Olympics, too. James didn’t have to force a grin on his lips at the sight of the arena they had booked for the panel. Minerva had given Sirius permission to accompany him, which was always a plus. The two of them had a special bond that they liked to believe went beyond the boundaries of friendship. Like the way the moon belonged to the stars, James and Sirius belonged to each other. They were the modern day Bonnie and Clyde, never themselves without the other. James brought out the inner child Sirius grew up to repress, pulling out genuine huffs of laughter and sincere smiles from him.
James pushed the door of the car open, stepping out into the parking lot of the arena. Thankfully, it was private so no reporters were allowed in their vicinity. Yet.
“Booking a whole arena for a conference is a bit much,” Sirius remarked, wrapping one arm around James’ shoulder after jumping out of the car behind him.
“They’re probably just doing it to flaunt their wealth to the DE,” James added. He looked searchingly for the entrance, his eyes landing instead on a figure leaning against the wall. Sirius seemed to notice them too, eyes squinting in an attempt to make out who it was.
“In the mood to make a new friend, Pads?”
“You read my mind, Prongs. Shall we?” Sirius gestured his arm dramatically, causing James to chuckle. The person hadn’t seemed to notice them approaching, gaze still fixed intensely on their phone. They weren’t typing – more like waiting for something. James’ eyes widened with recognition once he noticed the familiar grandpa-like jumper the man was wearing.
“Remus!” James exclaimed, waving in his direction with a wide grin plastered on his face. Remus jumped slightly at the voice, but quickly relaxed once he realised who it came from.
He slipped his phone in his pocket. “Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure, Potter?” James tugged on Sirius, who seemed to have slowed down for a moment as they approached him. James didn’t notice the flustered look on his face as he pulled the boy in so they were standing in front of Remus.
James pointed at the building, “Conference. And you?”
Remus' eyes wandered towards Sirius, who had his lips parted slightly in a silent gasp, “Accompanying a friend. Who is..” He averted his gaze to gesture towards Sirius loosely.
James perked up, “Oh! Sorry, Remus this is Sirius – my best friend – Sirius this is Remus,” he paused for a moment. Should he introduce Remus as his brother’s best friend? Probably not. Yeah. That wouldn’t be a good idea. He wouldn’t be lying to him, not really. He was just omitting a detail out for his own sake. “My co-worker.” James added, his eyes meeting Remus’ for a brief second, who had his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Hi,” Sirius said airly with a small wave.
“Hello,” Remus replied, a soft smile on his lips, “ I applaud you for being able to deal with James. Tell me, is he always aggravating?” James reprimanded him with a gentle hit to his shoulder, causing Remus to hold it in mock pain.
Sirius laughed. “Pretty much.”
“What the fuck? You two just met each other and you’re already one upping me. I hate this,” James groaned into his hands, a small pout on his lips.
Remus hummed, “Think we need to knock his ego down a few notches. What do you say?”
“Oh, absolutely. He’s gotten too into his head, this one,” Sirius added gravely, keeping his gaze on Remus who was laughing gently at the profanities slipping from under James’ breath.
Oh, he liked that sound. Sirius felt as though he was a star who understood the magic of the moon for the first time. His eyes wandered almost frantically over Remus’ features as though he was trying to memorise all the lines and curves of his face. God, he was beautiful .
“I’m leaving,” James announced, arms crossed over his chest.
“Sorry, sorry. We’ll stop, right Sirius?” Say it again. Say my name again. Please please please-
Sirius narrowed his eyes as though he were deep in thought, before grimacing, “For now.” He responded.
Remus reached for his phone at the sound of a vibration, “The conference starts in 10. I’ll come find you two inside? Just need to wait for Re-”
James' eyes widened. “Yeah! Yeah, sure. Let’s go Sirius,” James tugged on Sirius’ jacket, who looked at him strangely.
“Wh-”
“Remus?” Regulus Black was looking between them with an odd expression – as though he was trying his best to make sense of the whole situation. Sirius snapped his head around at the sound of the familiar voice, words catching in his throat.
Remus’ eyes darted between the two brothers bewilderedly, “ Why do I feel like I’ve been fraternising with the enemy again?” He took in James’ expression and worried for a moment that his eyes might bulge out from its sockets. What the fuck was going on?
“You have.” Regulus said dryly, his eyes still locked with Sirius’. The two of them communicated a thousand words without a single one being spoken. Fuck you. I hate you. Even as I say this, I miss you.
Sirius tilted his head, an unreadable expression on his face, “ He has, has he?” Regulus’ jaw tensed but something warm inside him bubbled at the sound of his brother’s voice. Fuck, he missed it so much.
Regulus hummed, ripping his gaze from Sirius’ to look at Remus, “ So? What were you talking about with my brother ?”
Remus sputtered, eyes wobbling widely, “ Your- What?” He looked between the two of them and oh. Yeah, that makes sense. They both had similar hair, though Sirius’ was much longer than Regulus’, and the same shade of amber glimmering in their irises – they were undoubtedly brothers and Remus felt stupid for not recognising his best friend in his brother the moment he saw him. Probably because you were too enamoured.
“What are you doing here? I was led to believe you, ah, retired from the business , was it? Quite a dramatic statement to make at such a young age, I must say.” Regulus mocked, a small smirk on his face. He knew why he was here – quite obvious by the fact that James was standing beside him. It still felt nice to twist the knife in Sirius’ chest, though.
A muscle in Sirius’ jaw twitched at the mention of retirement, “I’m here for James.”
“James,” Regulus enunciated slowly. He turned his face to look at the brown boy, and Regulus pitied him for a moment at the sight of his distressed face. There was nothing more he wanted to do than move forward and smoothen the stressed lines on his forehead.
“You introduced the two of them, correct?” Regulus asked.
James swallowed, biting his lips, “Yes. Yes, I did.”
Regulus laughed almost manically, “And you what? Omitted the fact that Remus’ best friend is his brother , did you?” He spat the word ‘brother’ out with venom, as though it pained him to speak it.
James didn’t respond, lips pulled into a thin line. Regulus nodded, “Great conversation,” he looked down at the watch on his left wrist, “Two minutes. Come on, Remus.” Regulus said lightly, turning around towards the entrance. Remus gave Sirius and James one last questioning look before following behind Regulus.
“Well. That didn’t go as bad as I thought it would,” James rubbed the back of his head. He wasn’t lying – honestly, he expected a bit more screaming and perhaps a few fists being thrown, too.
“You’re going to be late,” Sirius said dryly, walking almost robotically towards the entrance of the arena.
Fuck my life.