sandcastles | 1977 | james + regulus
april 1977
fifth year
quidditch pitch, hogwarts
@magnificentprongs
Regulus sat high in the quidditch stands, Potions book in his lap as he watched the Gryffindors’ practice. It was a closed practice, and technically Regulus wasn’t allowed since he was on an opposing team but that hadn’t stopped him for the past two practices. Nobody, save for the captain, had ever noticed him, and if they did they hadn’t said anything to him. He was thankful because the last thing he needed was confrontation. Watching the practices never hurt anyone and he didn’t use any of the information, or plays he seen to his advantage. They would lose to Slytherin, either way. He was more concerned with Gryffindor team Captain and Chaser, James Potter.
James Potter was by all means his boyfriend, his very secret boyfriend whom nobody knew about. His friends suspected that he was seeing someone because he had come back to the dorms late on more than one occasion with messy hair and swollen lips, but never in their wildest dreams would they expect it to be Gryffindor’s resident mischief maker. In all honesty, Regulus never would’ve suspected someone like James Potter to be into someone like him, either, but he was for reasons Regulus couldn’t even begin to explain.
And Regulus was into him. He didn’t know how it happened. It started with a joint detention in mid-December, and somehow ended up like this, with Regulus sneaking into Gryffindor practices to watch his boyfriend. It was funny to think about how he used to despise James and blamed him for taking his older brother away from him, but now his opinion couldn’t be any more different. James Potter was a God Send. He was funny and charming; surprisingly intelligent, always offering stimulating conversation and witty banter, and he was patient when it came to understanding and getting to know Regulus. He got Regulus to smile even when the other wanted to rip out his hair in frustration. The excellent kissing and gentle touches that left goosebumps on his skin and made his heart race was just a plus.
At some point Regulus had gotten lost in the book he was using to occupy his time, and when he looked back up all he could see was an empty pitch and a setting sun. Regulus guessed practice was over, and James had let them go before it got dark. How sweet. He carefully marked his page before shutting the text and holding it in his lap, eyes scanning the surrounding area for any trace of his Chaser boyfriend.
