Forever Winter

Regulus Arcturus Black was considering going to church.

(If only to pray that James Potter would be struck with some mysterious illness and miss the Hogwarts Express).

But God doesn't heed the calls of magic folk - especially not those who wash their summers away with anything thicker than water. James Fleamont Potter, in all his stupid glory, was standing on the platform, waiting for the train.

He'd planned the day down to a science. He'd arrive with Sirius, make a few polite greetings, then book it to the back of the train with the stoner Hufflepuffs and their Slytherin counterparts. From there, he would sit with his house during the sorting ceremony and retire to the commons immediately after.

No harm done; he would just ghost all of his friends... maybe forever. As long as he didn't have to see James.

But then Sirius' fingers wrapped around his wrists and dragged him to where James was collecting a crowd. That idiot was the sun.

Dazed in orbit around him were boys and girls alike, some of which were familiar faces and others Regulus couldn't place a name to. Lily wasn't there, much to his surprise. After a moment of following James' gaze, though, he found her with her nose buried in a book.

How very shitty-novel main character of her, Regulus thought with a snarl. He turned to look for Mary or Marlene, but found it awfully difficult to look away from her.

Why her?

Why not her? She was perfect, after all.

Remus seemed to materialize out of thin air, finding his place beside Sirius. Regulus' nose crinkled at the cigarette smell that hung around him. In typical Remus fashion, he was wearing steel-toe Doc Martens and a sweater well befit for a grandpa. He offered Regulus a chocolate frog, "You look like you need it."

"I am fi-"

Remus produced a second and pushed it into Regulus' hand. "Either you accept my chocolates or I beat some sense into you."

"Chocolate fixes," Sirius nodded in agreement.

"I don't know why everyone-"

"Say, is the world spinning?" James laughed loudly. Reg had almost forgotten they were standing in the thick of a crowd dedicated to listening to James talk. Worse, even, he was telling the story of how he hurt his hand.

Regulus wanted to kick something. He wanted to go over there and scream at him. How dare he? Regulus wanted to go home. Back to the shitty apartment he and Sirius shared in muggle London. Anywhere that wasn't here.

So he twisted out of Sirius' grip and pushed his way into the train. He didn't care that the only people on the train this early were first years. He pushed them all to the side and made his way to the very back.

He hadn't registered the bodies in front of him until it was too late.

Each of the boys was six feet of corded muscle. Seventh years, by the looks of it. Regulus was the same height as them, but his wiry frame did him no justice.

"And who are you?" One asked, voice gruff.

"I'm-"

"Don't care," The other said, looking him up and down. "This compartment is invite-only."

A sharp laugh emanated from behind them. "Loosen up, boys. Let them in."

The two parted to reveal maybe ten people lounging around the compartment. Three were sitting on the floor, passing a blunt around.

Ah, yes, the famed Slytherpuff 'club' apartment.

"Reggie," A girl squealed, jumping up from a table where she'd been playing Wizchess. Cordie, as bright and sunny as always. It was almost blinding to look at her.

"This is who all that fuss was about?" One of the girls on the floor laughed. He recognized her voice as the girl who had ordered the boys to move.

"Summer," Cordie scolded, pretending to whack her. "You remember Regulus."

The girl, Summer, fixed her narrowing eyes on me. "No," She decided, "I don't."

"My ex," Cordie whispered loudly.

"The one who dumped you at Pettigrew's?" Summer's eyes widened, and something about the gesture reminded him of Cordie. In fact, now that he saw them side by side...

The girls were nearly identical, except for their hair and eyes. Where Cordie was golden, eyes a shimmering blue, Summer was a drab blonde with tired eyes. Everything about her, even her voice, seemed like a faded version of Cordie.

He would have believed it completely, if not for the way she was twirling her wand. Everything else about her may have been still and unassuming, but not her fingers.

"Reg, this is my twin Summer." Cordie was still squealing. If he had any second thoughts about dumping her, they were well forgotten. "I meant to introduce you when we were together but..."

"But he dumped you," Summer deadpanned.

"She's a sweetie, I promise," Cordie whispered. "You just have to get past some... exterior things."

"Is she the oldest?" He whispered back. Summer was no longer looking at them. Whatever one of her stoner companions was saying seemed to interest her much more.

"Oldest of four," Cordie replied. Then, as if they'd never had that conversation at all, she perked up and asked, "Will the rest of the gang be joining us back here?"

"No, I don't think so," He replied. "We usually stick to a compartment about halfway up and to the left. They're probably loading in right now if you want to see them."

She blushed. "Yeah, sure." Then, more to herself than to him, "Just to say hi."

"She just wants to see Peter and Lily," Summer said once she left.

"Believe me, I know," He responded, taking a seat on the floor beside her.

She looked at him critically, though not unkindly. At last, she said, "You didn't break her heart, so I'm not mad at you."

"What would you do if you were mad at me?"

"You'd be dead, prettyboy."

"That's comforting."

She shot him a glare, but he could have sworn there was a wisp of a smile on her face.

Maybe an hour later, Cordie still hadn't returned. Reg had taken the time to get ridiculously high and tell Summer's friends about James. Summer herself said nothing.

When had she put a Slytherin jacket on? He wasn't surprised by her house, only that they'd never crossed paths before.

"Gryffindors are more trouble than they're worth," One of the girls - Sylvia - muttered. "Fuck 'em"

They all raised an imaginary drink to that... except Summer, of course, who snorted and mumbled something that sounded like "You certainly did."

There's nothing Regulus Black loved more than a challenge. A riddle to crack, a code to cheat. Which is precisely why he let it slide.

There was a story there, but the Slytherin in him knew to wait. Give it a second. Let itself unfold.

Sylvia didn't seem to hear anyway.

By the time the Hogwarts Express arrived at school, Regulus felt like shit. His throat was dry, his hands shaky, the back of his neck damp and feverish. Even as the other upperclassmen waved goodbye to the first years as they paddled across the lake, he stayed on the floor, just staring at the ceiling.

What was the use, anyway? Not a single marauder had come looking for him the entire train ride. Not a single one cared that James was selfish and cruel. And Regulus' new companions certainly didn't give a shit about him

Really, did anyone?

"You're gonna wanna take this," Summer nudged his shoulder with the toe of her shoe - Docs, just like Remus. She thrust a little white pill into his hand, just like Remus had with the chocolate frogs.

He swallowed it dry and immediately felt less burdened. Nothing shook without invitation, nothing was feverish. A bit of water, which Summer handed to him, fixed the dry throat.

"That's..."

"Magic," She nodded. "I know a few people in the herbology business."

He thought to make a joke about her being a stereotypical eldest daughter, but he swallowed the urge when he saw her face. A single scar ran from the tip of her ear to the part of her hair. She quickly covered it up when she saw him staring.

"You remind me a lot of my friend Remus," He said softly.

"I'll take that as a compliment," She chuckled, "I heard he and his gang gave Snivellus hives in first year."

"Oh, that's the least of what we've done."

She gave him an odd look and left him alone in the compartment. "Get your ass up or the train will take you right back to London," She called over her shoulder.

"If only." Returning to London meant no James. No Lily. No Lily and James.

But he did as he was told and peeled himself off the floor. "Let the games begin," He muttered.