Under the tree by the lake
The first quidditch match of the year was a big deal at hogwarts. James and Sirius had made the gryffindor team and since it was gryffindor against slytherin Grace and Regulus we’re more than excited to go.
“You think you’ll make the team next year?”Asked Grace taking a seat next to Regulus,Tiberius,Ari and Severus.
“Oye well both be making the team, isn’t that right Black?”laughed Tiberius shoving Regulsu who sat next to him, his eyes g led to the field.
“Of course.” His reply was short but Grace was too busy trying to get Lily and Remus’s attention from across the field to notice.
“Hey, you sure this is a good idea? Whispered Regulus over to Severus who was seated next to him.
“Yea, it’s fine Sol’s on the slytherin team, anything goes wrong and he’s there to fix it.” Severus gave Tiberius a small glance which sent him running down to the field.
“They wont get hurt right?” Asked Regulus watching Tiberius
“It’s harmless Reg, all it’ll do is scare them, man up”
“Ok, fine’
“Reg! Look there’s Sirius and James!” Graces voice flooded his ears making him dismiss the anxiety that was previously over taking him, Sirius and James walked onto the field beaming in their new quidditch jerseys gripping their brooms. James nonchalantly winked at Lily who did nothing but roll her eyes back at him. Regulus smiled as he saw his brother pick up his broom and take off.
The game moved fast keeping Grace thoroughly entertained but confused enough to tug at Regulus’s sleeve every few minutes to ask him a question which he always happily answered.
“Oye, now” Tiberius’s shout came from under the stands and suddenly Regulus spotted Severus slightly raise his wand and mutter some thing and then he saw Sirius and James’s brooms shoot straight up.
“Is, is that supposed to happen?” Grace tugged at Regulus’s sleeve. He didn’t answer her but kept his eyes glued onto Sirius.
“Regulus? Is that supposed to happen?” She asked again tugging harder.
“It’s a stupid prank, it was Snapes idea.”
“They’re too high Regulus!” Her voice quivered and she squirmed in her seat as the crowd started reacting.
“Snape, quit it, they’re too high” whispered Regulus over to Snape who was smiling at the boys who’s faces had turned pale.
“A little longer, don’t worry they’ll be fine.”
“Snape i said stop!” He took the wand from Snape’s hand and suddenly the boys started rapidly falling to the ground.
“Fuck!!” The crowd started screaming as they watched Sirius and James shoot down towards the field. Almost immediately Sol flew up after them and caught James. Regulus froze as he watched Sirius’s body continue to fall.
“Oh thank god!” Grace sighed falling back into her seat tucking her face in between her hands and Professor Mcgonagall pointed her wand at Sirius and slowly lowered him to the ground.
“Sirius! Sirius are you ok?” Regulus ran down to his brother pushing Snape out of his way.
“What the hell happened?” Sirius’s eyes shot up at Regulus hitting him with an unbelievably heavy wave of guilt.
“I-“
“Reg!” Grace pulled Regulus into a hug, “Don’t say a word” she whispered into his hair and quickly let go of him.
“It was Severus Snape professor.” She quickly made her way towards Mcgonagall.
“That’s quite a serious allegation Miss Evans, do you have any proof?”
“Um, well no”
“Then i suggest you keep those accusations to yourself, you may follow Mr Black here back to the slytherin dorms, as for the other Mr Black, you will go to the hospital wing with James and allow Madam Pomfrey make sure you are well.”
“How will i know he’s ok?” Asked Regulus still sitting by his brother.
“I’ll be fine Reg, but Snivellus better watch his back, do as Minnie says, I’ll be fine k? I promise.” Sirius gave his brother a short hug before being rushed away by Madam Pomfrey.
They both walked to the dorms in silence until they reached the common room.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Snapped Regulus turning towards Grace. His tone had caught her off guard and she kept her back facing him.
“What?”
“You told on Severus?”
She quickly turned towards him, her eyes furrowed staring him down.
“Yea, so?”
“He’s going to be pissed at you, bloody hell he’s gonna be pissed at me, it wasn’t your place to say anything, it was a harmless prank!”
“Well it was him or you Regulus, i honesty couldn’t care less if Severus is mad at me, it wasn’t a harmless prank, James and Sirius could have died, you could’ve prevented that, I don’t know why you were involved in whatever they had planned or why you allowed it , but if youre going to be an ass because i got you out of trouble then don’t do stupid things, I’m sorry I didn’t want you expelled Regulus.” She said it quickly and without raising her voice once, it felt like a demand, not a punishment, and it completely terrified Regulus.
“I’m sorry” he looked down, refusing to meet her eyes.
“Good, don’t ever snap at me again.” She walked up the stairs without another word leaving him in the common room.
“Girlfriend mad at you?” Ari’s voice squeaked from the couch.
“Bloody hell, what the fuck have you been there the whole time?” He jumped at her voice and then flopped down in the open space next to her, “She’s not my girlfriend, we’re friends.”
“Mhm, did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That Severus was going to do that.”
“It wasn’t supposed to go that far.”
“But you knew.”
“Yes, don’t tell anyone please.”
“I wont, but i understand why she’s mad.”
“Me too, do you think you could talk to her, help me figure out how i can fix this?”
“Why? It’s not like she’s your girlfriend.” Ari smiled at her own response and picked herself up from the couch.
“When I find Regulus I’m going to kill him!” Sol’s voice boomed from outside the common room.
“And that's my cue to leave. Good luck Regulus, with both things.” She smiled and quickly ran up the stairs into the girls dorms.
“What the fuck were you thinking!” Sol shouted in Regulus’s face.
“Can we do this upstairs Zabini, we don’t need more attention.” Muttered Snape shoving past the boys into the dorms.
“Fine” spat Sol letting go of Regulus’s collar]
“Look, I didn’t know that would happen.”he slowly backed into the walls cornered by Sol.
“It wouldn’t have happened if you let us handle it!”
“You guys were taking it too far, they were going up too high!”
“But we had it covered Black, they almost died because of you, you! It’s your fault they fell,, its your fault we were almost expelled, man the fuck up!” Sol spat in his face.
“Yes” his voice wavered and he swallowed down the painful lump in his throat.
“From now on you do not interfere, you do as we say, understood?”
“Yes”
He walked over to his bed as soon as Sol stepped out of his way. He sat down on his bed and pulled the curtains and waited for everyone to fall asleep. Once he couldn’t hear anyone he crawled out of his bed and into the bathroom quietly closing the door. He cast a quick silencing spell that Grace had taught him, he slumped against the bathroom wall and cried.
The next few days felt like torture, grace would barely talk to him aside from when they were partnered in class. Sirius and James had been fine but they were angry and Sirius had been avoiding him.
“Where’s Grace?” Regulus turned to Dorawho was talking to Posie.
“I dunno.”she shrugged turning back to Posie.
“Ari, where’s Grace?” He called over to Ari who had just walked into the dining hall alone.
“She sent me to get you,she’s in the field.” As she sat down she pulled him closer to her and whispered “I don’t know what’s wrong”, she looked genuinely worried for her friend and watched as Regulus grabbed a biscuit from the table and left the dining hall.
He found her where she always was on nights like these, sitting by the lake under a tree.
“Grace?” He sat down next to her leaving adequate space between them. She didn’t respond but she handed him the piece of paper she had crumbled up in her han.
To : Grace
Stop sending me letters, I don’t want to hear from you.
Petunia Evans
“Grace” he whispered again, immediately moving closer closing the space he had left between them.
“I miss her”
“I know”
“I didn’t do anything, she hates me and I didn’t do anything.”
“I’m sorry”
“I know, i forgive you” she sighed and he knew she meant she forgave him for snapping at her.
“Have you shown Lily?”
“No, she’s upset at me”
“Why?”
“I defended you,for what happened.”
“They know it was me? That it was my fault?”
“No but Lily didn’t want to accept that it was Severus so she blamed it on you and then Sirius got mad and i sided with him.”
“Sirius defended me?”
“Of course he did, you know he’d do anything for you right?”
“Yeah, i know.”
“What’s in those letters your mom sends?”
The question didn’t surprise him but it hurt a little not knowing what she might say when she saw the letters.
“Here” he handed her one of the letters he had received that morning.
Regulus,
Your grades are merely satisfactory, they need to be perfect. You were spotted getting emotional at the quidditch game where your brother was acting a fool. I cannot have both my son’s humiliating me, grow up, you’re a Black. This cannot happen again if i hear of this one more time you will surely experience much worse than you did last summer.
Walburga Black
“I think you’re doing great.” She said leaning onto his shoulder and handing him the letter.
It was a simple sentence but it meant a lot, he was never told he was doing good, non the less “great”, and hearing it from Grace made it even better.
“Thanks”
“From now on no more deadly pranks,ok?”
“Ok”