Black Rose [Regulus Black]

"Hello there, darling," the man greeted her as she walked up to him, holding a steaming tray of food.

Alessandra had never seen him before yet she could already tell he was one of those typical clichéd rich businessmen who strutted around like they owned the place and objectified women. She gave him an uninterested smile, trying not to let the absolute irritation she felt show on her face. It was too late for this nonsense. Thankfully, she only had to sweep the floor and she'd be out of there soon enough. She only had to bare with it for a short while, might as well smile while doing it.

"You all should smile more often," he commented, watching her as she set the food down on the table. "The waitress who took my order was absolutely sullen-faced, I tell you, it was the expression of someone who clearly has no interest in holding down a job."

"Our apologies, sir," she replied politely, resisting the urge to take the tray and smash it over his head. Unfortunately, it would go against their policy that the customer was always right, so she restrained herself.

He merely grunted and began digging into the food, so she walked away and grabbed the mop from the supply closet. Humming lightly, she began cleaning the floor, wishing the man wasn't there so she could just snap her fingers and have everything cleaned within a second.

"OI!" she heard a man call out, and turned to face the very red-faced customer.

Quickly placing the mop elsewhere and washing her hands, she rushed towards him, wondering what he could possibly want.

"I've been calling you for ten minutes now," he snapped, annoyed.

She wanted to snap back that it'd only been ten minutes since she'd gone, but she calmed herself. "I regret the inconvenience caused."

She truly didn't.

He instantly relaxed. "Perhaps you could make it up to me later, eh?" he winked, and she felt discomfort rise up in her.

She chuckled uncomfortably. "Is there something you require?"

"Just the check. Unless, of course, there's something else you're willing to give me."

She cringed slightly, yet remained composed. "I'll bring you the check."

Ten minutes later, he was out the door, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. She waved her hand across the expanse of the room, watching in satisfaction as everything began to tidy itself up. Grabbing her bag, she walked out, locking the door behind her.

"Hello, sweetheart."

She jumped slightly as she turned to face the same man who she'd served only minutes earlier. Giving him an awkward smile, she nodded and began to walk down the street to her house. This was why she took the last shift, it was when the streets were empty and the creeps came out to play. She could defend herself, but what about the other poor girls who didn't have magic?

"Say, are you going back to your house? Would you like some company tonight?"

"No, thank you," she muttered. Despite knowing that she could protect herself if it came down to it, situations like these always terrified her.

"You sure?" he questioned, perfectly sober yet sounding so drunk at the same time. "I don't make bad company, princess."

"I'll have to refuse. Have a good night," she tried to bid him goodbye, but to no avail. She continued walking, her heartbeat speeding up as she felt his footsteps trail behind her.

"I will if you come with me. Or for me, whichever you prefer."

"Did you not hear her say she's not interested? Get lost," a voice rang out behind them, and her heart nearly stopped beating as she turned to face the newcomer.

Regulus.

What was he doing here?

"Who are you?" the man demanded gruffly.

"That's none of your business. Leave her alone."

"And just who do you think you are, boy? I could have your job by the end of the week with a snap of my fingers."

"I could have your head on a silver platter by the end of the hour with a literal snap of my fingers," Reg replied calmly.

"This has nothing to do with you. This only involves me and the princess, so quit meddling."

"Alright then, let's ask your princess," he said mockingly, gesturing towards her. She couldn't help but shiver at the way it fell off his lips like honey. It was a name she despised, yet her heartbeat skyrocketed when he said it. "Would she like to spend the night with you?"

"No," she blurted out quickly, ducking her head slightly as the man's predatory gaze fell on her with easily discernible anger. "I don't."

"You heard her." Reg strolled over to her nonchalantly as though he'd just met his friend at the park and not saved her from a creep. He grabbed her hand, and waved mockingly. "Goodbye."

He then apparated her away a few streets down, and she turned to look at him in surprise.

"Won't the Muggle have questions if he sees two people apparate in front of him?"

He shrugged, his posture casual yet his gaze scrutinizing. "He'll think his mind is playing tricks on him, they always do."

"Oh." She was truly at a loss as to what to say. Conversation usually flowed so easily between them, yet she didn't quite know how to go about interacting with him considering what had happened the last time they'd seen each other. 

Her friend would go so far as to call him a knight in shining armor for what he did, but it wasn't really literal considering he was in his regular all-black attire. He did, however, stand out amongst the dark shadows on the street, his fine features glowing and sharpened in the dim streetlights.

"Where have you been, Alessandra?"

"I've actually lived in London my entire life. I was raised in the-"

"You know what I mean."

Confrontation. It was something she was fantastically wonderful yet pathetically horrible at. It actually depended on what her mood was like, and at that moment, she didn't quite care for it. Dealing with a complicated situation wasn't something she'd planned out for her night.

She sighed. "I... have been busy."

"Working at a restaurant and then going home? You don't seem very busy."

"You don't have to be so mean about it."

"You just disappeared on me like that, I think I have a right to be mean."

"You know why I disappeared," she argued. "I didn't think you'd want to see me after that."

His eyes softened. "I'll always want to see you, no matter what."

She shrank back slightly, feeling a mixture of emotions erupt within her. She couldn't tell what each of them were, but she did know that she simultaneously felt like she wanted to jump with joy and melt into the streets.

What could she possibly say to that?

"This feels like one of those movies where the main characters are having a moment and then a car comes and hits them," she giggled.

"What's a car?"

"It's basically this big metal object Muggles use to get around."

"Aren't those called trains?" he frowned.

"Those are other metal objects, they're larger and carry more people. Cars are different, they carry lesser people and are smaller."

"Why do they have different metal objects for the same purpose?"

"I guess because you can control where the car goes and stuff," she waved it off. "At any rate, we shouldn't be standing in the middle of the street. I refuse to become a corpse in a coffin and a small bloodstain on a road after eighteen years of being so perfect."

"Fair enough," he laughed softly.

⚜

Regulus stared at the bottom of the cup filled with rich broth and noodles in fascination, wondering how Muggles had managed to do something like this. Even the wizards hadn't managed to whip up food within five minutes, yet the Muggles had done something so simple without magic.

"Reg? Are you...okay?" Sandra asked, worried that she was being unhospitable. She didn't have the energy to cook as it was eleven at night so she'd given him cup noodles, thinking that he wouldn't expect something of extremely high standards from her considering they saw each other almost every day.

"It's a miracle," he whispered, turning the cup around in his hands. "How did they do it? They had to have used some sort of magic..."

"Nope, fully Muggle," she replied, setting her cup aside as she placed her feet on the table. She wanted to ask him about the situation with his mother but she wasn't that excited to do so as she didn't think she'd like the answer she'd get.

But he'd still decided to visit her despite it all, right? Even though they'd gotten all the information they needed, he still chose to remain on good terms with her, right?

She was so confused, she didn't even know how she felt anymore. Emotions weren't her forte, especially the ones that used to show up in Reg's presence, and she didn't know how to deal with it. What did they mean? Could she have feelings for him, considering she'd only known him for two months?

Did it even matter if she had feelings for him? It wasn't like he felt anything remotely romantic towards her. He'd already told his mother that she and him weren't together and never would be, so her feelings on the subject didn't matter.

"Sandra? Are you alright?"

She looked up to see him watching her, his grey eyes so transparent yet so guarded at the same time. It was strange how easy it was for her to read him, but there was still so much she couldn't figure out.

"Reg... is it really a good idea for you to be here? Your mother clearly doesn't want me around."

"It's not like she's going to find out, we're in a Muggle neighbourhood so she wouldn't even dream of setting foot here."

"I think she'll take a guess once she realises you're out past ten thirty. Also, it isn't just that. It isn't like you can get away with hiding this for the rest of your life."

"I can try."

"She'll probably find out within one week, and will tell that Dark Lord person, and then he'll kill me and you."

"Even if she does, she won't tell a soul," he promised her with such conviction that she almost believed him. However, she couldn't quite bring herself to fully trust Walburga. There was just something off about the woman. She didn't view Reg as a son, she viewed him as a heir. When she saw her son, she didn't see her own flesh and blood or the boy she'd raised since the day he was born. She saw an opportunity or an asset.

And though Alessandra knew nothing about mother's love (or anyone's love, really), she knew that it was a deadly position for Reg. If he did something she wasn't pleased with, Sandra was convinced his mother would find a way to make him pay.

Of course, she didn't voice her concerns to Reg. She couldn't. No boy wanted to hear that his mother could betray him solely for not following commands. If she told him anything like that, he'd walk out and never return. Alessandra didn't want to separate Reg from his mother, and she had no right to, so she was helpless.

All she could do was bide her time.

"Sure," she smiled thinly. "Do you want anything else to eat? I'd make something but I'm dead tired, I've been working for over five hours."

"No, it's fine. Why have you been working for so long though? Don't you have other people there to work?"

"There are other people, but I take longer shifts deliberately."

"Why burn yourself like that though?"

"I'm aiming for a promotion. The restaurant is fairly popular, and if I get promoted, I could finally start cooking. And," she mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed that she was telling someone as rich as Reg about her financial dilemmas. "I need the money. I need it to pay rent and fund my trip."

"Trip?"

She hummed. "I've always wanted to travel the world. It sounds childish, I know, but it's kind of been a lifelong dream of mine. I probably won't get to ever do it, but one can only hope."

"Really?" It made sense to him. If she had the means, she'd have most certainly traveled the entire world by now.

"Some chefs and food critics are so lucky, they get to travel around and try all these different cuisines. I want to do that one day." Her eyes were distant, yet he could see the passionate sparkle in them.

"You will, eventually," he promised. "You know what? If you die an early death, I'll put you in a coffin and load you onto a ship, and you can travel the world that way. It's the least I could do for the cup noodles you generously provided me with."

"That would be lovely," she grinned. "Or I could just marry someone rich and then mysteriously become a widow."

"I'll make sure not to marry you then," he replied, smiling as though they weren't discussing such a gloomy subject during such dark times. It was just the kind of person she was, he supposed. She exuded happiness, and he was glad it managed to rub off on him, or he didn't know how he'd cope with the things he'd seen.

⚜