Chapter 2
REGULUS
“She is the largest moving object ever made in all history,” Mr Malfoy, was telling them over dinner, “and our master shipbuilder, Mr Lovegood here, designed her from the keel plates up,” Mr Malfoy points to the man who is standing next to him. When Regulus first saw them earlier that morning he thought they were brothers, or at least related but after hearing their names he was mistaken. When he looked at the two men, though, he started to realise that maybe it was just the hair they had in common. Their pale blond hair was bound to be a common trait in at least one, if not both, of their families.
“Well, I may have knocked her together, but the idea was Mr Ismay's. He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale, and so luxurious in its appointments, that its supremacy would never be challenged. And here she is willed into solid reality,” Mr Lovegood says and Regulus can tell by how he is purposely avoiding their gaze that he doesn’t like the attention. “You certainly did a good job,” Walburga smiles at him, “both of you,”
“Yes,” Sirius pipes up,
“Making an unsinkable ship is not an easy feat,”
The waiter comes a few minutes later to ask for their order, “We’ll both have the lamb. Rare with mint sauce,” Walburga says sternly, gesturing to Regulus, “You like the lamb don’t you, darling?” Sirius watches Walburga with a look of disdain. His brother was seventeen for god’s sake, he doesn’t need his mother to order for him. “So you going to cut his meat for him too there, mother?” Walburga turns to look at Sirius which makes Regulus shrink back in his chair.
Sirius had never got on well with Walburga, he always talked back or made snide remarks which had only ever got on her nerves, causing her to get angry. Regulus remembers how ever since their dad died the arguing had become constant and it was a miracle that they had managed to stay civil for this long, (it had only been two days).
Regulus pulls a cigarette out of his pocket and lights it, causing Walburga to divert her attention from his brother. “Come on Regulus, you know I don’t like it when you do that,” Regulus knows, and perhaps, it was even his intention. “I’ll go outside,” Regulus gets up, leaving his brother and mother in the dining room with Mr Lovegood and Mr Malfoy.
JAMES
James is standing on the lower deck with Remus, Evan and Barty when he sees him. Standing on the upper deck looking out at the ocean smoking a cigarette is the most beautiful man he’s ever seen and James can’t seem to take his eyes off of him. Of course, it would never happen, at least not in this life. They were too different, like a princess and a pauper, where the man standing in front of him was the princess and James was the pauper.
The first time James fell in love he was eleven. It had turned out to be nothing more than a petty crush in the end but it had still hurt him in ways he didn’t how and he can still remember it as if it happened yesterday. His primary school crush had walked up to him and told him she wasn’t interested, just like that, with no sympathy whatsoever in her voice.
James doesn’t know why it had affected him so much, it was, after all, just a stupid crush, (as Remus liked to phrase it). Except it wasn’t, not to James. He got too attached to things, he never meant to but he did, that’s just how it was and how it always will be.
But this was different. This wasn’t going to end like his primary school crush because it wasn’t going to start. What was a man like him going to do with someone like James? But James had already fallen in too deep and there was nothing to help him get out.
Nothing at all.
REGULUS
Regulus wishes it was dark outside because then he wouldn’t have to deal with his mother. He wouldn’t have to go back into the restaurant and endure at least a couple of hours more conversation with Mr Lovegood and Mr Malfoy. They were quite boring to talk to if he was being honest, always going on about the mechanics of the ship and how it was built. Regulus doesn’t want to listen to that, he wants to lie outside on the upper deck of the ship and look at the stars but the sun is out and he can feel someone’s eyes burning into the side of his neck, urging him to turn his head and face them.
There are a pair of hazel eyes gazing back at him and Regulus feels himself deflate, all the anger rushing out of him. Because how can he be angry at someone who looks so nice and so genuine?
“Ah, there you are Reg!” Regulus breaks his gaze with those hazel eyes and turns to face his brother who is walking towards him and Regulus realises how long he had been out there. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” Sirius looks at him before bursting into laughter, “This isn’t really fun though is it Reg?” “Anywhere without Walburga is fun, Siri,”
At this, Sirius snickers because he couldn’t agree more.
“Come on,” Sirius takes Regulus by the arm, “Let's go back in and we’ll deal with her together alright?” and Regulus nods, wishing that he was still staring at those hazel eyes.
JAMES
James supposes he has always believed in love at first sight. Ever since he was eleven and met that girl, it had been instant and perhaps that was what would eventually bring his downfall in the end. Loving too much right from the start because what was he doing? He didn’t even know that man's name and yet he thinks that he could spend a lifetime looking at him, admiring him.
“There’s no point, James,” Remus is standing across from him, staring at him with a pitiful look on his face because he knows that this can only end badly. “One can hope though,” James looks thoughtful and glances to the empty space on the upper deck where the man had been standing only a few minutes earlier. Remus snickers at this, “When pigs fly, James,” he says,
“When pigs fly,”