Black Rose [Regulus Black]

There was dead silence as he apparated them back into her flat, and Alessandra's eyes nervously darted to him, following him as he flopped down on to the couch.

"I give up. I don't think Death Eaters can even conjure a Patronus," Regulus said miserably.

"I don't think having a black brand on your arm defines you or your abilities," Alessandra slid her arm around him. "Besides, Moody did say it takes time."

"I don't think time is what I need. I don't really have what it takes, you know?"

"What do you think it takes?"

"Happiness. A good person."

"And you don't think you have either of that?"

"No."

"That is bullshit. You are willing to sacrifice yourself if it means saving the lives of people who have been biased against you your whole life."

"Yeah, but for selfish intent."

"Partly selfish intent, Regulus, what are you even saying? You could continue living like this, just serving that evil man. You'd be in the upper echelons of society if Voldemort wins, be given status and wealth and respect, but you didn't choose that. Voldemort is a safe bet - the man is immortal. But, you chose to defy him because you felt guilty, and because you want to live life on your own terms. That, to me, is a good person, so don't sit there and say you aren't one when you are hands down one of the bravest people I've ever met."

"But...I'm still selfish."

She stared at him in disbelief. All those wonderful things she'd said about him, and that was what he chose to focus on? "There's nothing wrong with being selfish, everybody is. There's nothing wrong with having self-preservation. You wanting to save your own life isn't wrong at all. Besides, you were willing to die to take a horrible person down. That is hardly selfish."

"Even if I am not selfish-"

"Even this, even that. It. Doesn't. Matter. Yes, you're a product of your circumstances which are unfortunate, but you're still here, fighting. You still have a choice to lead life the way you want it. How can you be happy when you don't even want to be happy, much less try to be happy?"

"I'm just a miserable person."

"You sound awfully self-pitying right now, and it's sad to watch," she said firmly. "You won't be happy if you don't even want to be happy to begin with."

"So you're saying the key to being happy is simply wanting to be happy?"

"Of course not, there's more to work on. My point is, how can you achieve something if you don't have the drive for it?"

He sighed. "I don't know. If I'm destined to be happy, shouldn't I get to be happy automatically?"

"Nobody is destined to be happy."

Reg raised his eyebrows. "Gee, thanks."

"No, I mean that you aren't destined to be happy. You create your own happiness. Yes, things happen and your life falls to shit and it's understandable that you're sad, but eventually, you should get back up and fight for yourself and your happiness. And, who said you aren't happy? A complex spell shouldn't decide that for you."

"Maybe you have a point," he conceded. "But still, realistically speaking, Death Eaters haven't been able to-"

"Shut up and let me hug you," she mumbled, leaning sideways to wrap her arms around him. "It's going to be fine. We have time, you can practice. You will be fine, Regulus Black, Patronus or no."

⚜

"I can't believe you're naturally good at this," Regulus grumbled, although he was grinning at Alessandra's excitement. "It took me years to master it."

They were sitting on the couch in Alessandra's home, the room messy but still welcoming. Three different jars of biscuits were open on the table, along with two cups of tea, one empty and one half-full and cold (the one that wasn't empty was Regulus': he had an odd habit of finishing only half his tea). Small sunrays flit in through the open balcony, although they didn't do much against the cold. Still, she was thankful for them because Regulus' face was amazing, but Regulus' face with sunrays dancing across it?

A dream.

"Do it again," she fidgeting excitedly in her chair, loving the new branch of magic she was exposed to. Legilimency was cool.

He rolled his eyes. "I also can't believe you want me to invade your mind."

"Oh, no, I'm not too worried about it. It's not like you're succeeding." She flipped her hair.

He gasped in mock outrage, lifting his wand and placing at her temple. "Legilimens."

In an instant, a sense of calm washed over her and she tried to focus on the most mundane things ever, essentially emptying her mind like he told her to. Part of Occlumency was not letting her emotions show because that was the whole point - not letting the other person read you - but it was a struggle not to laugh at Regulus' frustrated expression.

Then, something changed in his expression and she caught a glint in his eye before he lunged for her and placed his mouth on hers. She squeaked in surprise, her hands automatically coming up and curling in his hair.

She gasped in shock when there was a white flash behind her lids and she was transported to when she was five years old and staring at her favourite bracelet. She instantly shoved him away, glaring at the cocky grin on his face as he pushed himself off her sofa and made his way to her kitchen.

"You cheater!" she yelled at him, a scowl on her face. "That was cheating!"

She could hear the bastard's laughter from the kitchen, and folded her arms, the scowl still on her face when he came back with two glasses of water.

"Still upset?" he snorted.

She didn't say anything, just narrowed her eyes at him.

"You realise that when people are actually performing Legilimency on you, you'll either be busy doing something else, right? They're not gonna warn you that they're going to read your mind."

She knew he had a point but didn't want to concede.

He picked up a biscuit and offered it to her. "Biscuit?"

She stared at him. "Are you offering me a biscuit in my own house?"

"Yes."

She grudgingly took it. "So how do you perform Occlumency in difficult situations?"

"The key is to keeping calm. You have to stay grounded. Pretend like you know nothing, and make your mind believe so too."

"That's it? That's the advice? I just gaslight my brain? No special charms or anything?"

"No, that's it. There's a reason why it's one of the most difficult branches of magic," he said, and then grinned at her, eyes lined with pride that made her heart leap with joy. "But you've mastered it way too quickly. It's been less than an hour - you're a natural."

"I try," she flipped her hair, trying to act modest, but her cheeks were burning. "I want to try Legilimency."

His expression turned guarded. "You can try it on me but I don't think what either of us will see there will be enjoyable."

"I mean, if you're not comfortable with it."

Regulus ran his hand through his hair, looking like he was really contemplating it. "No, I'm fine with it, but to an extent. The moment you see something, just step out."

"Alright," she said slowly. She would respect that but was a little concerned. "So how do I do this?"

"There's two parts to the process: infiltrating someone's mind and processing the information. I'll start with processing information - sometimes, what you want isn't given directly, you have to infer it from the memories you can see."

"So like reading comprehension?"

"What?"

"Nothing, continue."

His eyes roamed over her for a moment before he continued. "When infiltrating someone's mind, if they're not an Occlumens, it's easy. But, if they are, you likely will have to work on their mind for a while, trying to detect when their barrier goes down, even if only for a moment. Most Occlumens aren't complete experts, the strength of their Occlumency walls varies with time and what they're thinking about. You have to grasp the moment their walls are let down, even if for a split second, and enter as subtly as possible."

She inhaled deeply. "Okay. Anything else?"

"No, that's it for now. Just point your wand at my head and chant the spell, Legilimens."

"Legilimens," she said slowly, testing the word before actually going ahead and using it. "Alright, can I try?"

"Go ahead."

They both looked incredibly nervous as Alessandra raised her hand and pointed it at his head, taking a deep breath and uttering loudly, "Legilimens!"

Regulus went flying, slamming into the wall and clutching his head, and she was briefly paralysed with terror, before coming to her senses and rushing over to him. "Oh my God, what was that?!" she was freaking out now, feeling completely light-headed at the sight of Regulus slumped over with his head in his hands. "Regulus? Should I call somebody?"

He rocked from side to side, shaking his head lightly with his eyes squeezed shut. "I feel like you just took a hammer to my head."

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she choked out, her heart thumping ridiculously fast. She was crouching beside him, completely frozen because what was she supposed to do, offer him biscuits? "Reg, Regulus, are you sure you're fine? Should I call somebody? Kreacher?"

"Kreacher," he groaned, kneeling forward so his temple touched the floor. He was writhing in agony and she remained frozen, not sure whether to touch him.

Hot tears were now dripping down her cheeks and she stumbled to her feet with her hand clapped on her mouth, looking around to see if there was anything she could do. It wasn't like she could call an ambulance or offer him tea and biscuits. She would not lie, she'd briefly considered walloping him over the head with a book, maybe to get his head on straight, but something told her that would worsen his pain.

Her breath caught in her throat as there was a loud crack in her apartment, and Kreacher stood here. Relief flooded her - she'd never been so happy to see someone.

"Master?" Kreacher croaked.

"Head hurts," Regulus groaned. "Don't...tell...Mother."

Kreacher nodded, taking Alessandra's hope along with him and she stared at the place he'd been with wide eyes. That was it? He was gonna leave Regulus to die?

There was a pop and Kreacher came back with a small vial of green potion, unscrewing it and handing it to Reg, who pulled a face after he downed the vial, slumped against the wall on the floor.

"Are you crying?" Reg looked up at her, wincing a little due to the pain that had now died down to a throb. "Shit, why are you crying? Did you get hurt?"

"I thought you were gonna die!" she sobbed, crouching down on his level and wrapping her arms around him, practically smothering him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine," he patted her back. "It was just a mild headache."

"Mild headache?" she choked out. "You looked like you were going to die right then and there! You probably would have if Kreacher hadn't come."

"No, I wouldn't have, don't worry," he was now rubbing small circles on her back. "Your attack was just very forceful."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"It's alright. If it helps, your torture appears more effective than the Dark Lord's. I told you you're good at magic."

"Torture?!"

"Yeah, he uses Legilimency as a form of torture," he mumbled absent-mindedly. "You either pry the information slowly or go in with full force to hurt the other person."

Clearly, that was the wrong thing to say, based on the strangled sound she let out, and he rushed to reassure her. "I was joking. You really are good at magic, there's just an art to Legilimency you have to master. Practice will make it better."

She drew back from him, her hands on his shoulders, and he inhaled loudly. Even though she'd almost killed him and her eyes were puffy and her nose was red and her cheeks were wet, she looked stunning.

"Good enough to try again?" she joked feebly.

 "Absolutely not." He was going to say 'over my dead body', but if she tried that again on him, there definitely would be one - his.

⚜

"Hello!" Lily greeted them in a sing-song voice, practically looking like an angel against the white landscape with her red hair and green eyes. She swung the gate open and struck a pose. "What do you think of our new home?"

"It's beautiful," Regulus said honestly, surprising himself. It was true though - their cottage looked nice. The exterior was a light, pleasant shade of brown. Smoke was puffing out the chimneys, snow had gathered on the roof, and someone had hung up Christmas lights. The delicious smell of cooking food wafted out of their house, and through the windows, he could see that the interior was well-decorated.

"If you think the outside is good, the inside is better," Lily beamed. "James spent so much time decorating the house and getting it ready, it was such a surprise. I didn't think we'd get a new home so soon but this is perfect."

"That's wonderful," Alessandra sighed, happy for them.

"I have to say," Lily's face became serious and she turned to Regulus. "Thank you so much for warning us. If you hadn't let us know, we probably would've been worse off. Someone could have even died. The fact that you risked your life means so much to us, I don't think words or even actions could ever convey how grateful we are to you."

Regulus could feel his cheeks burning, and Alessandra smiling at him proudly didn't help either. He was probably an embarrassing shade of red at that point. "It's no problem," he mumbled, not understanding why he was so tongue-tied around Evans. He just did not know what to say to her sometimes, she was just so...unlike him. Kind and bright and optimistic and welcoming...

Then again, so was his girlfriend, so maybe it would just take some time for the awkwardness to thaw. Besides, his friends had always bullied her and countless others at Hogwarts for being Muggleborn and he never said anything against it, and thinking back to it made him feel guilty sometimes.

Why was she letting him into her home again?

Alessandra smiled at him encouragingly and slid her hand into his, walking down the pathway.

"The gardens don't look great at the moment..." Lily gestured to her left at a quite dreadful looking sight. "Poor James, he tried, he's just bad at gardening."

Alessandra and Regulus made eye contact and looked away, their lips pressed together. A clump of weeds would have looked better than that monstrosity in their garden, honestly, it was that bad.

"But... take a look at the inside, it will blow your mind away." Lily twisted the door handle and ushered them in, and goosebumps rose on Reg's skin from the instant warmth. He didn't understand what was so mindblowing about a house, it wasn't like it was his first time seeing a house. It was just that, it looked so different from all the houses he'd gotten to see. This house was smaller than the manors he was used to but somehow better - it wasn't just the warm shades of the walls or the scented candles that were lit or the small decorations and pictures hanging on the walls. The sofa was ordinary, the stairs were ordinary, as were the tables, but it was different.

And then it hit him. Even though this house was bigger and more spacious, it reminded him of Alessandra's because in both the cases, the homeowners took what they had and tailored it to their own liking. Homes weren't about size or grandeur, they were about comfort. And Alessandra and the Potters' had both taken what they had to transform it into something worth living in and coming back to everyday and having memories in.

It was then that he made a vow to himself - if he made it out of this war, he would move out of Grimmauld Place and buy a nice home for himself, somewhere almost nobody knew about, and make a home for himself there. It would be a place he wouldn't dread to go back to everyday, a place he could put things without worrying about hiding them, a place where making noise and laughing was allowed, a place where he could put up pictures of things or people he loved without worrying about judgment.

"It looks amazing," Alessandra exhaled. "I love the scent of the candles, it really adds on to the atmosphere."

"Right?! I nearly fainted when I walked in, it was marvelous," Lily said proudly, going into the living room. "James has outdone himself, truly."

"He really has," she agreed.

They stood there in front of the door, hands clasped together as they looked around the home, a bubble of bliss surrounding them.

And then Sirius came.

It was nice while it lasted.

"Reggie!" he cheered, wrapping his younger brother in a hug. Regulus looked at Alessandra, who was barely holding in her laughter, and she gestured at him to hug his brother back. He did so, albeit stiffly and grudgingly. Sirius pulled away and raised his arms, going to hug Alessandra but the glare Regulus sent him was so lethal he stepped away, settling for a high-five.

They were so funny.

"So, that just leaves Moony. I wonder when he's coming."

"Pettigrew isn't coming?" Reg questioned politely, trying his best to hide his disgust for their other friend.

"No, unfortunately. Poor Peter, he's just been so busy with his mother," Lily said, looking sad for her friend, and Regulus held in a snort. Unless his mother had somehow become the Dark Lord, which was a thought he refused to entertain - Alessandra could not be related to that vermin - that was a load of bullshit.

"His mother?" Alessandra questioned, careful to keep her voice nonchalant.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "She's been very sick the past few days. It's why Wormtail couldn't show up to dinner the last time."

Of course.

"I was actually thinking of going to her house and giving her a gift basket, I thought it would be a nice pick-me-up, but Peter said that because of her fading health, her memory is also getting worse and she might not remember me, and she gets shocked by strangers. He didn't want to risk it.

Reg couldn't help but feel disgust. It was one thing to lie to his own mother, but it was another to lie about his mother's health to his friends who evidently care too much about him. How could Pettigrew possibly betray these people who had never once treated him like the despicable vermin he was? It was nauseating.

Alessandra nudged him from his left and he realised there was a slight scowl on his face, so he slipped the blank mask back on his face.

"That is unfortunate," he said stiffly.

Alessandra resisted the urge to slap her own forehead.

"The food smells great," she said, changing the subject.

"It won't smell that great when we all die of food poisoning."

"Sirius!" Lily nudged him with her elbow. "Don't say that!"

"I'm not wrong! The last time he made food, I actually came down with food poisoning."

"That was a prank," Lupin announced as he walked in through the door, shutting it behind him and running his fingers through his hair. He looked slightly tired, his scars and eyebags more prominent, and Alessandra felt pity for him. Reg had told her about Lupin's condition, and it sounded incredibly painful. "The pie was shaving cream with a whiff of scented oil."

Sirius spluttered. "That- how dare he-"

"You'd somehow managed to loosen the bolts of his bed on his third date with Lily."

"Oh."

"That was you?" Lily exclaimed. "I broke my back."

"I mean, that was likely to be the outcome either way, so-"

Alessandra clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles as Regulus led her away, shaking his head in amusement.

⚜

An hour later, after they were well-fed (and none of them had dropped dead, yet), they were sitting in the living room around the Christmas tree, getting ready to open their presents. So far, it was going well. Sirius had given Regulus and Alessandra matching dog collar bracelets, Regulus and Alessandra had given Sirius a set of potions that changed your appearance for three hours, Regulus had given Remus a box of potion that was said to help with werewolf transitions, James had given Sirius a suspicious looking package that he told him not to open while his wife was there.

"For you." Lily placed a large box on James' lap and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Go on, open it."

James sat forward eagerly and rubbed his hands, opening the first box... only to reveal a second box. He took it out, and then opened the second box to reveal the third, and the third box to reveal a fourth, and the fourth to reveal a fifth.

"Did you not get me a gift?" James pouted. "Is this because I wasted all the pepper to line Sirius' pants?"

"What?!" Sirius exclaimed.

"You what? You know what, never mind," Lily shook her head. "Just open it."

James eyed her suspiciously, and then got back to opening his present. He opened the fifth box to reveal the sixth, and opened the sixth box to reveal the seventh box. "I think this is it."

He opened the box to reveal a small yellow onesie, instantly dropping the box's cover like it was poison.

There was silence for a grand total of five seconds, in which all five of them shot forward to gape at her belly as though they were expecting the baby to pummel its way out in that moment. Then, chaos erupted.

"WHAT?!" Remus yelled so loud that it was a miracle Regulus, who was sitting beside him, wasn't rendered deaf.

"I'm going to be an uncle?!" Sirius shot to his feet, practically dancing around the table.

"Oh my God, congratulations!" Alessandra squealed.

James gawked at his wife, eyes darting between her face and her stomach as though he couldn't believe this was actually happening. Regulus had to admit, this was the first time he'd seen Potter shut up for so long - it was entertaining.

Lily ought to do this more often.

"Really?" James whispered, eyes brimming with tears. "Are you actually serious?"

Sirius was too caught up in his celebrations to notice. He'd pulled a surly Regulus up and they were now waltzing (it was just him spinning Regulus around like a top while the younger brother glared).

"Yes, idiot," Lily rolled her eyes fondly. "Do you think I'd be joking about something like this?"

"I don't know! I don't know, what if it's an elaborate prank?" James spun around and pointed a threatening finger at Sirius. "You. If you've planned this, I will kill you."

"He didn't do it," Lily interjected. "I'm actually pregnant."

"Really?" James clapped a hand over his mouth.

And then he burst into tears, wrapping his arms around his wife.

As he was being spun around by Sirius, Regulus stuck to his previous statement - Lily should do this more often.

And based on the way Alessandra was shaking her head at him with a small smile playing on her lips, she knew what was going on in his head.

"So, Reg, what did you get for your girlfriend?" Sirius did that regular eyebrow waggle thing, and Alessandra shook her head, having given up on denying it.

"Maybe it's a picture to repair the one you broke when you broke into her house months ago."

There was a beat of silence, and all three of the Marauders winced.

"WHAT?!" Lily's shriek shattered the silence, and Reg watched in amusement as Sirius and James scuttled behind Remus, who looked equally as terrified. "You broke into her house?!"

"But it's all good now?" James squeaked.

"James Fleamont Potter..." Lily began threateningly, and the Marauders were now practically cowering.

Regulus took his moment then, laughing inwardly as he grabbed a wide-eyed Alessandra and dragged her into the Potters' huge backyard. They both burst into laughter the moment they were out of earshot. "That was so mean!"

"They deserved it," he shrugged.

"They're so scared of her, it's comical," she sniggered, hearing James trying to plead his case to an apparently furious Lily.

"It's always been that way," he recalled all those times Sirius and James used Lupin as a shield whenever they did something stupid (which was most of the time). "Speaking of what Sirius said about gifts..."

"Oh, that's fine, we agreed on no gifts, I don't really mind."

"You said, I listened." He drew out a small box from within his pocket, and the amusement on her face was wiped with alarm.

A man taking out a small box while they were surrounded by beautiful scenery. What was she supposed to think? Not to mention, said man's family was obsessed with him getting married.

"Um. That's really not necessary? I feel guilty now, I didn't even buy you a gift."

"I don't want a gift, I want you. Now open the box."

Her brain had melted too much with that statement to even object, and she took the box in a daze and gently opened it to reveal a silver pendant. It looked stunning - the metal seemed to be manipulated in a way that it looked like a rose, petals curving to make it look very realistic. There were small jewels set here and there that made it glint, and it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"I can't- oh, wow," Alessandra breathed out. "Wow, this is amazing."

"You haven't even gotten to the best part yet," he said proudly. "Look, it can be opened."

He gently took it from her hands and pressed on the edge, and there was a click and the pendant swung right open to reveal-

"Oh my God," tears were gathering in her eyes now and she made no effort to rub them off, too overwhelmed. "Is that us?"

In the pendant (or was it a locket now?), there was a picture on each side. On the left, there was a picture of them all dressed up for the Malfoy ball. And on the right, there was a picture of two babies who couldn't be older than two, one with a head of pale hair and one with a head of dark hair. Their pudgy fists were moving, each clutching one side of a piece of string.

"Yep," he nodded, biting back his grin. Her reaction was beyond anything he'd hoped for. "Kreacher helped me find it, it was hidden away in a corner of the house."

"It's so amazing," she rubbed her eyes vigorously. It was the most precious thing she had. "Thank you."

"Put it on first, then thank me." He picked it up and put the box in his pocket. "Turn around."

She held her breath as the cool metal slid around her neck, and she looked down at the intricate pendant, unable to believe that something like that was hers. But, beyond anything, it was a relic to her because of the pictures. They were what added to the beauty for her.

"Merry Christmas," Regulus mumbled as she head the click of the clasp, and she turned around to plant a kiss on his lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she drew him closer, never wanting to let him go, and his arms wrapped around her waist and-

"Not dating, my arse!" they heard Sirius call out, and they turned to see everybody standing there, wolf whistling and cheering.

Regulus drew out his wand and flicked it, sending a pile of snow flying into Sirius' face.

"You arsehole!" Sirius spluttered through the snow. "I spent hours on my hair!"

James burst into laughter, and Sirius ducked down and grabbed a handful of snow, smashing it into his best friend's face.

"Lilyflower!" James squawked indignantly. "Did you see that? He just abused me!"

"Alright, drama queen," Remus muttered, and it was James' turn to smash snow in his face.

Remus rubbed away the snow from his face and turned to look at Regulus, who had approached the house at this point with an arm around Alessandra. "Don't you dare," Regulus warned.

"I dare!" Sirius popped up from behind there and chucked a large ball of snow at Regulus. However, his aim was terrible and ended up hitting Alessandra in her hair.

"You-" Regulus stormed off towards Sirius, ducking on his way to grab a large pile of snow.

"Prongs!" Sirius backed away. "Help!"

"You smashed snow onto my face," James roared, jumping onto Sirius and sending them both tumbling into the snow. "I can't feel my fucking face, Padfoot!"

Sirius let out a desperate scream when Regulus jumped in. "Not the hair!" he wailed, not even trying to cover his face and instead covering his hair as Regulus pummeled him with snow.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Remus muttered, approaching them, Lily and Alessandra in tow.

At the end, they'd all ended up on the Potters' crimson couch with a warm bowl of soup each, left with splitting headaches and awful colds and wonderful memories.

"Idiots," Lily shook her head.

⚜

New Years' came and went, and Regulus stared at the Muggle fireworks' display with an arm around Alessandra, thinking to himself about how 6 months ago, he didn't think he'd see 1980.

But here he was, much to his own surprise, and he was the happiest he had ever been.

But, in his world, happiness did not last forever.

⚜