Chapter 6
Lily insisted on bringing him to her apartment the next morning, when he was still hungover, insisting he gets dressed and comes for breakfast. He only agreed because she hadn’t actually mentioned stopping by her apartment, where she decided to change too.
She pushed him onto the couch, ignoring his protests, and disappeared down the hall. He twisted his fingers in his lap, examining the fading cut on his knuckle. It was almost completely gone.
“Who’re you?” Regulus jumped at the voice of a blonde girl who had appeared in the doorway.
“Regu-“
“Regulus Black!” She pointed at him and then clapped her hands. “Sirius’ baby brother!”
He cringed at the term, nodding. “That’s me,” he confirmed.
“Wow,” the girl grinned, stepping back into the hall behind him. “Mary, c’mere! There’s a tory on the couch!”
“I’m not a tory,” Regulus defended. He could hear footsteps nearing, a girl nudging her friend out of the way.
“A member of the Noble House of Black! On our couch!” The blonde said, shaking her head.
“Is this the one Sirius hates?” The other girl asked.
“He’s a guest! Be nice!” The girl ducked her head, cringing slightly at the reminder the blonde gave her. “Do you want tea? Or coffee?"
“No, I’m okay,” he rose his hand slightly. “I’m just waiting for Lily.”
“She’s back?” Mary asked, looking down the hall. Regulus nodded. “She didn’t come home last night.”
Regulus didn’t say anything, but the blonde stared at him. “Was she with you?!”
“You’re both so nosey!” Lily shouted from down the hall, her footsteps getting closer. She finally arrived at the doorway, standing behind her friends. In a fresh outfit, her hair wet. She’d obviously had a very quick shower.
She flashed Regulus a smile as her friend began to grill her. “So, you were! What happened to James? If you’re cheating on him, you have to know, we don’t approve and would have to tell him.”
Regulus let out a snort of a laugh, unable to control himself. All three eyes were on him, curious looks on Lily’s friend's faces, and amusement covering hers. “Sorry.”
“I’m not cheating on James. Regulus is my friend.” She gave her friends a stern look. “We’re going to breakfast.”
“Can we come?”
Lily looked at Regulus, who shrugged. “Fine,” Lily nodded at them, and they both squealed.
They ended up in a cafe near Hogwarts, all four of them squeezing around a small table. They all ordered pancakes, because Marlene, the blonde girl, said they were the best things on the menu. Marlene and Mary began grilling him as soon as their coffees were dropped off.
“What do you study?
“How old are you?”
“What was Sirius like as a kid?”
“Do you read a lot?”
“What are you gonna do after uni?”
“Do you go clubbing?”
“Are you single?”
Regulus answered all of them, in between bites of his food. He asked questions too. He found out Marlene had a brother who played football, and she was a natural blonde, and she definitely had a thing for Dorcas, who she mentioned 3 times, but Regulus didn’t know. Mary did modelling in her free time and had a cat who lived at home with her parents, and she really liked the Notebook, which she told Regulus twice, going into detail on the plot.
They were both very nice to him, smiling every few seconds, and taking great care to include him when they talked about stuff he wasn’t very clued up on. When breakfast was over, Mary touched his arm, smiling. “We should do this again.” He nodded in response, agreeing easily. She grinned at him.
Marlene left first, rising and bidding her farewells with a nod. Mary followed a few minutes after, claiming she had a class. “They like you,” Lily said when they were alone.
“They’re nice,” he agreed.
She shook her head, an airy laugh escaping her lips. “No, well, Mary likes you. She thinks you’re cute.”
He looked at the door, where they’d just left, eyebrows raising. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, she’s like a moth to the flame,” she laughed further. He laughed too, joy aching his chest.
“I have class soon,” he sighed when the laughter died down.
“So do I. Walk me, cmon.”
They both wandered to Hogwarts side by side, Lily shaking her head occasionally, and tangling her fingers through her hair in attempts to dry it, while Regulus laughed at her. “They’re having a party Friday,” she said after the conversation had grown quiet for a few moments.
“Cool,” Regulus nodded.
“You gonna come?” Lily asked, shaking out her hair again. They were nearing her building.
“Wasn’t invited,” he shrugged. The memory of Sirius’ angry face told him the best idea was not to go. But Lily was frowning.
“James’ll want you there, I’m sure. And Mary’s going!” She smirked at her afterthought. Of course, she did, You’d have to be insane to not want to see Mary in a party setting. She was a model, for Christ sake. And she had an interest in him. But Regulus was stuck on the first part of her sentence. James.
He felt guilty, all of a sudden. Lily, who’d come over and spent her Tuesday night with him, listening to him complain, and bought him breakfast, and pizza, was completely unaware of what Regulus thought of her boyfriend. He had hated her before last night. Or, at least, hated the idea of her. “Maybe, yeah,” he lied, nodding. “I gotta get to class.”
She nodded, giving him a squeeze on the arm, and a grin. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?”
“Course,” he nodded, forcing a smile back.
They parted ways.