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Regulus was sitting next to Evan and his sister in the library, this was the only time she had to hang out with them. Caroline was a year above them, same as Sirius, she was doing some early prep for OWLS which weren’t until later in the year. 

Evan was supposed to be working on his Transfiguration homework but instead, he folded the worksheets into paper cranes, making them fly above them. Regulus wasn’t doing any school work at all, he was reading the new astronomy book that was published the week before, he requested it from Madam Pince at the start of the year. 

Busying themselves for an hour or two, someone else joined their table. They sat next to Caroline, and Evan grunted at them, sitting up and accidentally kicking them under the table.

“Sorry, but you don’t mind, do you? Everywhere else is full.” A strong welsh accent annoyed the younger Slytherins, it was Remus Lupin. 

Of course, he would sit here, Regulus doubted that this was the only open spot. What about the common room? Study session in the great hall was full too? Doubt it. It was a Thursday night, if you weren’t studying you were sleeping and if you weren’t sleeping you’d be enjoying the quiet before the weekend. He looked at the boy diagonal from him with a blank expression. 

“No, not at all! I was just doing prep for OWLS, do you understand arithmancy? Usually, Gideon helps me but he’s at practice.”

Damn you Caroline for being so nice. Evan drew his eyebrows inward, confused at his sister's friendliness with this Gryffindor. Paper cranes fell onto the table, surprising everyone with the sudden contact. 

“Hush! All four of you!”

Caroline tried her best to hold in her laugh, Madam Pince must’ve not noticed it was Regulus and not Sirius. She was standing behind him and gave the group a stern look. Quickly she moved on to another part of the library, resheveling any loose books. 

Evan kicked Remus again, this time he really meant it,  he received a small hiss from the older boy. 

“What’d you do that for?” it sounded very jumbled and forced together, Remus reached under the table to rub his new bruise. 

“Why are you here? Did you really have no other place to study? No one else to study with?”

“Evan don’t,” she snapped at him, knowing sometimes he can lose his filter. 

“My mates are at practice and I dunno where the others went. Why does it matter?”

Evan sat up straight again, ready to argue, but Caroline gave him another look. Regulus let his arm fall to the table, allowing his book to fall shut, pulling the attention to him. They were confused and or annoyed. Remus seemed to move on pretty quickly from the noise, ignoring the previous conversation and bringing arithmancy back up like it meant nothing like he wasn’t sitting at the same table as his best mate’s younger brother.

He doesn’t know why Lupin sat at his table, surely he didn’t think he was Sirius. He wouldn’t be caught dead in the library, let alone with Evan and his sister. But, then again she did seem quite fond of Remus. 

Later that night Regulus managed to sneak away into the music room. After avoiding several close contacts with the prefects he casts a simple, but strong, silencing charm. He preferred the grand piano compared to the little one in most of the dorms. He also enjoyed the little moments away from everybody, being alone with just an instrument to take his mind to another place.

He sat on the bench for a few minutes, staring at the keys in front of him not knowing what to play. He was in a bit of a slump, not knowing which emotion to correlate into a song. Regulus took a deep breath and let his body guide him into playing a sad angry melody. Song after song, nothing quite fit, he just kept trimming and trimming until it fell through.

Now lost in thought, he played a single key before he heard a very faint creak in the floorboards. Stopping abruptly, he looked around the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Closing his eyes, he listened carefully. Daring to hear the sound again but nothing was heard. Regulus played one more song, a long one, before cleaning up. He stood next to the instrument and looked around the room again. Feeling some sort of presence near him, like someone was holding their breath.

It was impossible for someone to have heard him in the hallway, he made sure of that. The door never opened and there was only one window open but too small for anything, or anyone to get through. Soon enough he picked up his robe and left for the dorm, making sure the room was clean and still empty.

~~~

Friday morning Regulus woke up turned around in his bed, he couldn't fall asleep hours before so he pulled his pillows to the foot of his bed and laid backward. Letting the stuffed lion lay on his chest while he stared at the ceiling until he was tired enough to drift off.

Leaving his sleep sweater on, he pulled on his uniform trousers and grabbed his robe. Oh if only mother dearest could see him right now, she’d throw a fit. Regulus rubbed his eyes and let his roommates sleep a bit longer. As he walked out of the common room he saw Pandora a few steps ahead, picking up his pace, he fell in line with her and she linked their arms without sparing him a glance. 

They silently walked to breakfast together and basked in the silence just for a moment more before entering the dining hall. There he saw Remus again, he was laughing with the McKinnon girl who could barely keep herself from choking on her food as James piled toast after toast, creating some sort of structure. Then came along Gideon, he sat down pretty roughly which caused the table to shake and the toast to come falling down. James threw his hands up in defeat and looked at his friends, it looked like this wasn’t his first attempt. 

Soon enough, Pandora sat them down at the nearest table. She poured both of them a cup of tea before putting any food down on her plate. Regulus stirred in one spoonful of sugar, and took a long-needed sip, letting the hot liquid warm him up. After about twenty minutes passed, Evan and Barty joined them. Barty was wide awake and Evan hid in his arms to shield the light.