Remus Lupin was not just looking back at him, he was staring. His eyes hadn’t left Reg’s face and Regulus was forced to gulp back nerves that had suddenly risen in his throat. Nobody ever looked at him like that…and perhaps even more frightening was that he didn’t want to look away either. Remus’ eyes finally darted down to the book and Regulus’ eyes instinctively followed, then looking the older boy up and down briefly as Remus mumbled.
Reg couldn’t help but smile again, pushing off from the bookshelf and pacing around a couple of steps to stand in front of Remus. They were almost the same height, Remus would have only been a couple of inches taller if he wasn’t hunched over. There was something comfortable about that. Regulus exhaled a light laugh – make friends, meet new people “…Now why would I want to do that?” He grinned, then furrowing his brows with humoured curiosity “I think you’re mistaking me for someone else.” He teased, stepping forward and tilting his head to the side, flicking through the pages of the book in his hand.
“I know a lot about you. I mean…for one, I know that you’re super into…” Regulus flicked the book over in his hands “…Magical Lawn Pests..” He laughed, stepping forward, right into Remus’ personal space and reaching past him to put the book back on the shelf next to his head, not breaking eye contact as he did so. “Do you know anything about me? Other than…whatever lies my brother has told you… do you actually know who I am?” He tilted his head, genuinely curious.
That was just the thing, wasn’t it. Nobody knew who he was, nobody had gotten close enough - everyone seemed content with surface value or just…assumed that if they knew Sirius, they knew Regulus too - how could Regulus possibly be any different. Nobody bothered, they didn’t need to. But maybe, maybe Remus would care…or could care.
“…Would you like to know?”
Strangely, it was the sudden closeness that helped Remus start to piece together some sort of normal front, another little bit of familiar he could grab onto. James’ frequent affectionate touches, arms slung around shoulders, ruffling hair; Sirius’ own playful disregard for his friend’s personal space, Remus knew how to handle those. And this was different from last time -- the library was far from an isolated corridor at night, even alone in the aisle together Remus could hear the hushed chatter of other students and the occasional snap of the librarian, a buffer against the wildcard of being truly alone with Regulus again. He’d already kissed him, after all. What more shocking than that could he possibly do?
“I think it would be close to impossible to mistake you for anyone.” Remus remarked finally, eyes narrowing a bit out of that underlying confusion, doing his best to ignore the next step ( - and maybe thinking about kissing Reg again had been a mistake when the other seemed to think that just a little bit closer was not close enough).
Don’t break eye contact. He’ll just win again, it was easy enough last time. Except with that final third step, Regulus’ words took precedent over the distraction of his proximity and Remus’ brow furrowed in immediate response, unconsciously mirroring that little tilt of the other’s head. He didn’t know him -- nothing beyond what was easiest to learn, what tidbits had slipped from the iron safe locking up Sirius’ past, but hadn’t he wanted to? Wasn’t that the whole point of the venture that had gotten them in this mess to begin with? And here was Regulus offering him the answers on a silver platter. It seemed too good to be true and it probably was, but the temptation was there, itching at him with threats of missed opportunity.
What was the best thing to say to him? The truth -- that Sirius had rarely talked about him at all, but for the fact that their parents had managed to keep their claws stuck in their youngest son even after losing the first? Would lying and saying Sirius had dripped all sorts of venom about his brother into the Marauders ears be what Reg wanted to hear; would that be the most validating? Remus swallowed thickly and went for the opposite of answering, already knowing the affirmative in his heart either way.
“Would you tell me the truth?”