𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊 ╱ 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆.

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖆· .

“And they’ll never let us forget it. It’s not like most of us even had anything to do with it.” She shrugged. Thalia didn’t have any idea who had killed Bertram, but she was fairly certain that it someone she shared a common room, or even a class with. “So do I, but if I don’t do well, I’m not opposed to some slightly dodgy dealings if it helps me out.”

❝ yes, well, i’m surprised more people aren’t pointing fingers at us slytherins to be perfectly honest. ❞ he scratches the side of his face rather thoughtfully. regulus is not so naive to think it couldn’t be one of their own who had done the deed but he is quite sick of the assumption of guilt always belonging to slytherin house. ❝ isn’t that usually how things go when something bad happens around here ? ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖑𝖚𝖈𝖎𝖚𝖘 .

“I suppose that depends upon your perspective,” he said. Lucius rather thought that Hogwarts was frequently the wrong place, if for no other reason than it seemed to foster a decidedly pro-muggleborn attitude. Not to mention that he was chomping at the bit to leave and do something that mattered in the world. “Don’t tell me you actually believe what they say about this place.”

“Well one can hope,” Lucius said, not trying nearly so hard as Regulus to lower his voice, though he softened it a moment later. He couldn’t resist talking about things he knew little about if he thought it sounded impressive. “Though I tend to think it is all a matter of leverage. There must be something to be gained by killing a student and, by implication, threatening the lives of the others. It must be part of a larger plan otherwise what is the point? The target was not really the boy, he was just to make a point - you mark my words.”

❝ no. of course not. ❞ he says quickly and in a tone of great defensiveness. regulus seems quite worried lucius might think him stupid if he had any thoughts contrary to his own. of course, he knows a thing or two about wards. after all, his father had covered every square inch of number twelve with every ward imaginable. ❝ nothing can be truly impenetrable. if theres a will there is a way. ❞

yes, of course. it’s leverage and a threat of more to come all at once. that all seems a perfectly reasonable assessment by the elder slytherin and thus regulus will happily adopt it as his own. he nods slowly, giving himself time to calculate his next words. ❝ you seem rather knowledgable on the subject, lucius. i must admit, you never really struck me as a fan of all matters dark wizardry. ❞ he means ‘ fan ’ facetiously here, of course. it’s true, though. lucius always seemed more concerned with himself and his status. where regulus might consider himself an avid follower of the dark lord’s dealing, he had never thought the same of lucius.

[regvlvs-blck]

𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖙𝖔𝖓‌:

remington halted his movements as regulus took his seat. ‘point two to regulus’ he thinks, tossing his bookbag back onto the chair beside him. the moment of ataraxia abolished by the kindling of his competitive side. the only thing he knew about regulus from his own deductions was that he was smarter than him. only marginally, but still enough to get under his skin. dragging a hand through tousled hair, he returned to his book, humming at the other’s words. 

the usual cacophony of the library was understandably diminished, and although the very pandemonium of it usually tested his ephemeral patience, he missed it. it left him too aware of the recent incident, no matter where you canvassed on the entire school grounds you could not avoid it. that was his main motivations for his current residence, to distract himself long enough to forget. so far, it hadn’t worked. he hadn’t managed anything over a five minute period before his eyes trailed to the gryffindor girl sitting at the opposing end of the room, absent-mindedly gazing out the window in a seeming state of shock. remington felt almost selfish for being so affected by the whole ordeal, he’d never even encountered the victim.  regulus was, albeit an endearingly infuriating one, a welcome distraction. he slid the book across the table.

“counter,’ he confirmed, peering at regulus through his eyelashes. “i’m perfectly fine with the curses themselves, the counter courses are just so stupid that i can never recall them when i need.” 

he notices the subtle look remington casts towards the gryffindor girl a ways away but regulus does not follow suit. instead, he takes the opportunity to briefly look up from the pages of curses and counter-curses and steal a sideways glance at the boy across from him. as it quite often the case with regulus, who is always concerned with the opinion of others, he begins to wonder what remington thinks of him. 

he made a good show of one-upping him on the matter of simply knowing of the other and seemed to establish his position as the smarter of the two. a fair feat when the one you’re attempting to best is a ravenclaw of considerable intelligence in their own right. of course, regulus would never pay remington his dues aloud. 

glancing back at the book, regulus nods. ❝ that’s fair. i can’t say that i’m any better at them, honestly. if your basic ‘ finite incantatem ’ worked for everything, i don’t imagine they’d have an entire ward at st. mungo’s dedicated to undoing curses. ❞ he continues thumbing through the pages of the book, quickly scanning them as he does so, until finally regulus arrives at the section on counter-curses and sets the book back down between them. ❝ is there any one you struggle with particularly ? if so, then we should start there. ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖑𝖚𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖊 .

lucrèce had her books and parchment spread out in front of her, but she had given up on actually studying long ago, and was far more focused on tending to her cuticles when regulus spoke up. she couldn’t help but glance around at the others in the study hall, who all looked too nervous to speak their minds. des lâches. “ — not school children, ” she said languidly, her gaze returning to her nails. “ — their PARENTS. what is more terrifying than the thought of your children being hurt, non ? ”

he eyes the older slytherin girl as she speaks. some parents do indeed give thought to the safety and well-being of their children. though, at the moment, he can’t imagine orion and walburga being particularly worked up about the murder themselves. sure, they’ve probably read about it in the daily prophet but, their line of thinking being similar to regulus’ own, they more than likely thought his safety was hardly at risk. ❝ while you’re probably right, i should think some parents have more reason to be worried than others. ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖆 .

“Because it makes sense.” Thalia shrugged. She had been feigning indifference since she heard, she stuck to what she knew, being short and snarky, brutally honest. It was working, mostly. Truthfully, it wasn’t even her she was afraid for. It was Beatrice. Sweet little Hufflepuff, half-blooded Beatrice. She needed to protect her, she just didn’t know how. 

“Bertram wasn’t special, he wasn’t anybody. That’s the whole point. Showing that anyone can die. As for it being at school? It stokes the fear in us, widens the gaps between us and them. And it scares the shit out of the parents. If they kill a kid, what won’t they do?”

❝ i don’t know if i’d let the others hear you say ‘ bertram wasn’t special ’. ❞ regulus says, warningly. there’s a smile on his face that entails he’s not dead serious about it, however. ❝ they’ve all already turned him into a bit of a martyr, haven’t they ? ❞

he folds up his star maps and sets aside his ink and quill, leaning into the conversation as he does so.  ❝ your thoughts on the matter are rather similar to mine, actually. that it was meant to scare the parents, i mean. ❞ he now turns over his shoulder to gaze about the study hall for a moment, taking in their number, before his grey eyes settle back on her. ❝ personally, i give it about a week before half of this room are pulled from hogwarts for the year. ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖋𝖑𝖔𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 .

Florence raised an incredulous eyebrow. She was certain that Regulus Black had said less than two words (if any) to her throughout her past five years at Hogwarts. The boy had always seemed rather…indifferent towards her if not unaware of her existence. Florence shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Speaking with Regulus on this subject seemed strange.

The death of Bertram Aubrey had left her shaken though. Dumbledore’s words that next morning in the great hall had given her no comfort. Up until now, Florence had been able to push her worries about her own safety out of her mind but Bertram’s death…no murder hung around her neck like an albatross.

“I know Aubrey wasn’t muggleborn, correct?” The words glided off her tongue before she could stop herself.  Was that an inappropriate question? The whole issue of “blood purity” had always left Florence feeling rather clueless.

theres a flicker of surprise in regulus’ expression, the person speaking to him is not who he expects. florence inoue is in his same year but is a hufflepuff. the house divides being what they are and regulus, keeping the company he keeps, they’ve never really spoken a word to each other. he is, however, immediately more intrigued by the conversation. so naturally he sits a little straighter, folding his arms over his star maps. he smudges some ink that had yet to dry completely but doesn’t seem to mind.

while others might think her question impolite, talk of blood-status during casual conversation often is, regulus treats it as though it was perfectly innocent. ❝ i’m afraid that i didn’t know him well enough to find out. ❞ he says with a shrug but he adds ; ❝ he certainly wasn’t pure-blood, though. i would know if he was ... ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖊𝖒𝖒𝖆· .

Compared to most people, Regulus seemed to be calmer, less ruffled by the news of murder on the Hogwarts grounds. Some people might have found that to be disturbing. Some might’ve confused his stoicism for lack of empathy. But for Emma, Regulus Black seemed like someone she could trust in this moment for that very reason. He wasn’t swayed by the drama of it all, wasn’t panicking or causing a scene like some students had. Like Emma had. Now she gravitated towards him, wanting to seek out a conversation that wasn’t about Bertram’s murder. Unfortunately for Emma, she had no such luck. “I – how would I know? I want to say that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time… but how on earth could Hogwarts be the wrong place? How could a party be the wrong time? Someone said that they want to scare people by using us as pawns. But it could’ve just as easily been us. It could’ve been you. Or me.”

❝ i think we’re safe. ❞ he says, slowly. he’s referring, of course, to him and emma. he’s been a keen observer these past few months and there remains a prevelant theme with these attacks. while he has no true knowledge of bertram’s blood-status, regulus does have a sneaking suspicion as to what it might’ve been. he and emma are both pure-blood. which is probably why he’s hardly unnerved by the whole ordeal the way the rest of the school seems to be. he thinks his status makes him untouchable. he does not dare voice this hypothesis aloud, however. lest someone take it the wrong way and cause a stir.

he looks over emma, the way she speaks clearly indicates she’s been quite effected by all this. a small reassuring smile taking it’s place amongst regulus’ features as he speaks his next words ; ❝ well, they’ve made their point now, haven’t they ? i doubt they’ll risk another attack at hogwarts. if thats of any comfort to you. ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖑𝖚𝖈𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖆‌ .

Lucinda had not been herself since the dark mark had appeared. It was as though she had looked at the menacingly beautiful mark in the sky for a few moments, and as a result it had crept inside her, sinking beneath her skin, leaving her cold. She had barely slept, her mind racing with many thoughts, all taking on lives of their own and causing too much noise inside her head. She had not known the boy who had died, but the more she wandered through the mourning castle, the more miserable and despondent she felt.

In an effort to take her mind off of the current mood and circumstances, she had made her way to the independent study hall, found herself a seat in the far corner, and attempted to revise transfiguration. After a few hours of study, she found herself relaxing a little, her shoulders feeling less tense and her mind began to focus on one thing for the first time. Until she had heard a voice from close by. Her head rose to meet Regulus’s eyes and she sighed.

“Perhaps because he was alone” she guessed, shrugging her shoulders as though she had never wondered the same thing. There could have been a million reasons, but Lucinda was certain that she would never actually know. “I don’t know Regulus, maybe they were trying to send a message. That nowhere is safe, and there is no line that can’t be crossed?”

lucinda is right. bertram had been alone. at least by all the accounts he had heard thus far. and, well, there in lied half the problem. who wanders off on their own in the forbidden forest ? if a dead body had been the only thing to appear that night, perhaps it would’ve been written off as an unfortunate accident. alas, the dark lord’s symbol had appeared in the skies above them. just like it had in the diagon alley attack this past summer. 

he listens to the rest of lucinda’s statement and it’s about half-way through that he finds it’s all rather hollow. or at least she doesn’t sound as intrigued by the menagerie of possibilities and meanings behind the event as he is.

so, regulus finds himself searching lucinda’s face to gauge her true feelings on the matter, as it’s exceedingly rare when she neglects to give voice to them. he takes the lacking bluntness of her commentary to mean that she’s been a bit shaken up by the event. which he can’t quite understand himself but he likes lucinda, he would even as far as to consider her a friend, which is perhaps why he’s a little less insensitive with his next question. ❝ right. i suppose the one in diagon alley wasn’t enough. was this one to dumbledore then, do you think ? he seems the likely recipient ... ❞ 

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖑𝖚𝖈𝖎𝖚𝖘 .

Lucius was not frightened by the Dark Mark, nor by its appearance at the school. It was not ideal to have to deal with the atmosphere of panic and gloom that now hung over the castle, but he was intrigued by what the Dark Lord might want with Hogwarts. His father was a Death Eater and Lucius had every intention of following in his footsteps after graduation. It was frustrating for him to know so little about what was going on.

“Who can say. Wrong place, wrong time?” Lucius shrugged his shoulders, his eyes trained on the Daily Prophet. He had spent the time since the news had spread pondering many of the same questions that Regulus now raised. Had he known more about his peer he might have been able to put forward a better hypothesis but, alas, he had cared to know little about Betram prior to the incident and cared even less to ask questions publicly about him now.

“Perhaps it was not to scare us, but to send a message,” he said. “Children may not hold much influence, but we all have parents - some of whom hold more influence than others. Or it might have been meant for the Professors - who can say? Though if some of those who were so easily frightened are persuaded to leave after these events, it might not be such a bad thing.”

❝ when has hogwarts ever been the wrong place ? ❞ asks regulus with an indignant snort that implies he’s never quite believed hogwarts was the impenetrable fortress so many had claimed it was. especially so, when the forces that were trying to penetrate it were that of the dark lord. glancing down now to mark mars on his star map, he keeps lucius and the daily prophet in his peripheral.

he listens and absorbs exactly what lucius is saying. he’s right, of course. people were already starting to lose faith in the ministry after they’d botched the handling of the attacks this past summer. surely now they would start to lose faith in the only other institution left. regulus can’t fathom the parents of his peers maintaining much faith in dumbledore after this. this is not to mention his own parents, who had never held much faith in dumbledore to begin with. though, he imagines he’s a bit safer from harm than others ...

❝ what do you mean, exactly ? ❞ he inquiries once more, though he drops his voice into a whisper and leans in closer to the center of the table so that unwanted eavesdroppers are less likely to hear. he thinks that he understands the gist of what lucius is getting at but he wants more confirmation. ❝ you think this would frighten the muggleborns enough to make them leave ? ❞ there’s a increase in his pitch that makes it sound as though he doesn’t regard this as a bad thing.

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖙𝖔𝖓 .

at the comment, he finally looks up. tongue between his teeth and eyebrow quirked, he meets the others stare. the boy is familiar, but not enough for remington to know his pressure points. remington can feel his eyes glinting with malicious intent, he’s never wanted someone’s company to remain after throwing malevolence at them.

they both hold the stare, they must’ve looked a sight for the other students frantically cramming information around them. the boy is familiar, but not familiar enough to know his pressure points. it’s equal parts imposing and exasperating. remington’s the first to break the contact, turning to make room, to move his bags from beside him. one point to the other. 

he doesn’t answer his question, he won’t give him the satisfaction. “remington.” he offers, turning in his seat to fully face the slytherin. “i have to say, i’m almost disappointed you didn’t choose the tantrum option. i’m in dire need of some entertainment, but your ‘help’ will have to do.” 

❝ i know who you are. ❞ he says to the other’s introduction and now pulls out the chair across from remington, slinging his rucksack over the back of the of it. ❝ i’m regulus. sorry for the disappointment. ❞ he removes a sheet of parchment and a quill from his bag and sets it on the table before finally settling into his seat, ❝ but i’m afraid i have far too much self-respect to be throwing public tantrums. ❞

recent events have seemingly soured the collective mood of students and faculty alike. of course, classes are cancelled. he figures it’s both so a proper investigation can be carried out by the ministry and perhaps to give students time to grieve. as he had no real connection to the victim, regulus simply shrugged it off ( disregarding the way his stomach churned when he had first heard the news, of course ). classes would be back in session soon enough. things would return to normal and he would be more than prepared for that eventuality. so too, it would seem, would remington. he’s grateful then, that at least one other person in the entirety of this school seems to be carrying on with business as usual. this will be a nice moment of refuge from all the useless grief and mourning around him. 

❝ so what is it you were studying then ; curses or counter-curses ?  ❞ he asks, holding his hand out for remington to pass him the book in question.

[regvlvs-blck]

no sooner had the jubilation of the masquerade party arrived than it had been swept away in the wake of the news that a murder had occurred on school grounds. at first, regulus had simply thought it an innocuous rumor started by restless underclassmen but that soon proved to not be the case when the body of bertram aubrey had been discovered hours later. 

once again, the overall mood of the school had shifted back to what it had been at the start of term. however, regulus seemed to be in his usual spirits. meaning he was decidedly neutral about the whole thing. unfortunate, that one of their own had been murdered right under their noses but regulus found himself more so intrigued by the dark mark that had hung over all their heads that night.

❝ why do you think they targeted bertram ? ❞ regulus wonders aloud to the others in the independent study hall that afternoon. classes had been canceled but he was presently revising his star maps for astronomy, regardless. though this was all rather dull considering the elephant in the room and he seemingly did not care if this was neither the time nor place to be having this conversation. ❝ and why hogwarts of all places ? what do they seek to gain out of stoking fear in school children ? ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖙𝖔𝖓 .

remington rolled his eyes with so much vigour his entire body physically felt it. he wished himself invisible as the conversation carried over to the section of the library he’d hidden in. but, of course, the footsteps still approached. the other still halted just before them, shattering the momentary illusion of peace he’d set up for himself. 

“i would’ve looked up if i were finished with it” he hummed after a moment, letting an uncomfortably sized silence hang after the other boy’s words. a poor attempt of a smile ghosted on his lips, morphing more into a sneer. his eyes didn’t budge from the book in front of him. “why d’you need it?” truthfully, remington had spent most of his week in this very same position, pouring over the contents of the book in manic preparation for their upcoming exam. ‘are you the kind with the mental capacity to wait for fifteen minutes or are you going to throw a temper tantrum?” 

at his question a smirk begins playing on regulus’ lips as he says ; ❝ might be because i suddenly have a strong desire to curse someone, ❞ countering the other’s indignation with his own. arms crossed over his chest, regulus shifts all of his weight to one side, settling in. he’s looking directly at his fellow fifth year now. 

at his final comment, regulus simply rolls his eyes. there remain very few instances where regulus would stand to have his intelligence scrutinized. however, he was trying to get his hands on that book so ... best not to get into a frivolous argument with the one who’s currently in possession of it. which is why he's forcefully genial when he next speaks.

❝ do you perhaps want help — ? ❞ he cranes his neck to get a better look at the rest of remington’s study materials. he’s figuring offering an extra mind to the fray might help move things along quicker. ❝ it’s defense against the dark arts, yes ? this week’s upcoming exam ? ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

@remingtonleroux

having been to the library three times in the past week in his search for a specific text, madame pince was decidedly unhelpful, informing him that all copies of that particular book had been checked out by other students. until today, however, when she had pointed him instead to a boy in the corner of the library a little ways away. regulus immediately recognized him as remington le-roux. he was in regulus’ same year but had been sorted into ravenclaw. as such, they had rarely crossed paths, regulus preferring to keep his company limited to those within his own house. still, there never was a better time to make new friends than when you’re in desperate need of something.

he adjusts his bag, which is presently hanging off one shoulder, as he approaches. he stands there for a few moments, as though waiting to be noticed before he decides to speak up. ❝ are you done with curses and counter-curses ? ❞ he asks and, as he’s seemingly too cool to make direct eye contact, regulus’ gaze flickers from remington at the table to the window at his left. ❝ unfortunately, it seems to be the only copy currently in the library and i rather much need it. ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖊‌ .

rose offered a bemused nod, willing to cede that hogwarts proved to be an enigma in more ways than one. brunette waves framed her face as she swiveled her head back and forth slowly, taking in those who surrounded them before a sigh decompressed her chest.  ❝ the wards are supposedly top notch.❞

what rose left unsaid alluded to an even bigger problem. if there was a body, it had to have been an inside job. and if it weren’t, what in merlin’s beard got through the wards?  ❝death isn’t something you leave unchecked.❞ rose countered before nodding.  ❝ i’ll never understand this round of underclassmen. i swear we were never so foolish. ❞

❝ yes, so dumbledore says. ❞ he’s says in a tone that implies he might simply be playing devil’s advocate here. he doesn’t doubt the abilities of the most powerful wizard in the world to keep them all safe it’s just ... well, can anything truly be impenetrable ? he’s sure the wards his father put on number twelve could be passed by if the wizard attempting it was smart enough. so why not hogwarts ? certainly, he doesn’t think one of his peers could manage something so sinister as a murder.

❝  i’m not sure i understand you’re meaning, ❞ he says in regards to her statement about not letting death go unchecked but he laughs at her next comment. ❝ no, we had at least a single shred of dignity shared amongst ourselves. ❞ he says with a smirk.

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖌𝖎𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖔𝖞· .

“That sounds… particularly less pleasant than monkey’s, flying, falling or otherwise.” Gil winced. “Of course! I’m a prick, but I’m not that nasty.”

❝ if you say so. i think it’s just simply that i haven’t got the imagination for anything as exciting as monkeys. ❞ regulus shrugs, decidedly unperturbed by the way the spiked punch had effected him. he raises an eyebrow at lockhart, however. ❝ strange thing to admit to — supposedly being a ‘ prick ’, i mean. ❞

[regvlvs-blck]

                                                                                           regulus a. black

[regvlvs-blck]

* 𝖊𝖑𝖘𝖎𝖊 .

“I don’t know, I mean sometimes we are all a little prejudiced against each other, so it’s kinda nice taking all the labels away for now.” She said before he said his name. Black, now that was a last name she knew. She had heard of the black sisters, and of course she knew Sirius black. Whatever thoughts she had on the Black family, she thought them best to keep to herself. “Nice to meet you regulus! Can I call you reg? Or reggy? I’m Elsie Crouch, pleasure to meet you!”

❝ yes, i suppose a little show of unity every once in a while can’t hurt. ❞ he says, placatingly. he gathers that she doesn’t quite share his altogether cynical take on the festivities presently transpiring. no matter. he’ll simply have to adjust his talking points accordingly.

❝ it’s a pleasure. ❞ he says in response to her introduction. he, of course, knows of the crouch family. aside from the fact that they’re noted pure-bloods, the younger barty crouch happens to be only one year above him in slytherin house. if he was perhaps too rigid before, his posture is even straighter still now that he knows who he’s associating with. however, at her question about what to call him, regulus bristles. ❝ er — i’m not much of a fan of nicknames, actually. ❞