#personal para

[herethereismagic]

“Once upon a time, in a land not far from where we are now, a brave wizard named Regulus Black, was captured! He’d been taken in by a band of terrible witches and wizards, all of them eager to stake their claim on his head! For you see, a mighty but terrible tyrant of a wizard had deemed him a traitor! Regulus Black had turned his back on the very faction of magic users that had spurred him on to his own greatness. It was with them that he found a deeper power, albeit it a darker power. For months, if not years, Regulus allowed it to consume him. It was the reason for his very being. He, Regulus Black, would be feared, he would make a name for himself, he would stand above all of magic kind. Those with little power, no power, those who were born from muggles were to fear him.

During this time, though, he fell in love with a beautiful young witch named Mave. She was strong and intelligent, cunning and quick witted. Regulus was smitten. It was for her that he turned his back on the group he had once so willingly taken part of. Love was stronger than the promise of power. 

The Dark Lord lacked a soul though, and love was something trivial. Love was something that could come and go, people so easily swayed by their emotions. Power was something different. You could gain more, and more, and grow in it. Power was something you controlled, not something that controlled you as love did.

Sensing his betrayal, the corrupted wizard put out the word that he wanted Regulus dead! Little did he know that there were others in his ranks seeking to escape. His words had become meaningless, useless...there was no rise to power, no claim on the magical world. They had achieved nothing. Those who wanted to escape, but were too afraid, warned the young wizard, Black! If he could escape from the cold grasp of the oppressive wizard, then maybe there was hope for them yet.

But alas...those who were loyal seized Regulus, they laid upon him with such fervor he would surely be dead instantly! If it weren’t for their pettiness, arguing over which of them should present their master with such a choice gift it might have been so...

Through their ranks crept a young witch, a fierce fire alight in her emerald eyes. — she was driven by the one thing the rest of them lacked. She was driven by love. 

With her wand at the ready Mave set in on the group! With the element of surprise, she managed to take down several of them. The group had been thrown off guard by the sudden infiltration. Was she one of them? Was she a traitor as well?

It didn’t matter. Two sacrifices would surely be better than one. The group set their sights upon the witch, all of them thirsty for blood. If they could show their Dark Lord how ready, how willing they were to stand beside him, perhaps they would reap a reward.

She struggled against their bonds but her efforts were useless. Other witches and wizard looking to escape fled in the confusion, a few simply kept their head down. If this is what happened to those that tried to escape, it was a far better life to murder others than be murdered yourself.

It was a grim ending for our two lovers. He had sacrificed power for her, and she had sacrificed safety for him. Perhaps love made you blind...perhaps the cruel wizard was right — love achieved nothing...

Regulus couldn’t lift his gaze to face her. He had promised to protect her, to keep her safe and out of harm. He had failed. Though he tried valiantly to be the hero, he would, in fact, remain the villain...”

|| PART TWO

@the-defected-one

[herethereismagic]

Small Kreacher

Where: The Black House When: Early Evening Who: Celeste, Adrian & Regulus ( @the-defected-one) I briefly wrote as Regulus again because that’s just what was in my head? Will never say that I write him as beautifully or as well as you...

"Father, there's a woman for you at the door..." Adrian said as he slipped back into the sitting room. "A pretty woman," he added.

Regulus glanced over at Mave in his brief confusion, noting the way her eyebrow cocked. "The only pretty woman that I know is your mother...and even then she's beautiful!' he announced, leaning in to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek before he rose to his feet and followed his son back to the front door.

He stopped short. The blue eyes and blonde curls were unmistakable now. He'd missed it at first because she hadn't recoiled from him the moment she'd seen him in her shop. Out of habit, his upper lip curled into a sneer —  he watched as an amused smile lit her own features as she noticed his reaction. His face quickly became expressionless.

"Muh-" the word almost escaped his lips. Had he ever called her by her name? Surely he'd used it before but...he glanced down at his son who was studying both of them curiously.

"It's small," Celeste said, fingers pulling at the tape that held the brown paper around the frame.

Adrian leaned in curiously, his interest in the word that had died on his father's lips was replaced. "What is it?" he breathed, trying to peek around the paper as she pulled it off. "Look, father, look!" Adrian exclaimed excitedly once the paper had fallen, "It's Kreacher!" he grinned in delight as he looked back at his father when he spoke. "It looks just like him!" Adrian giggled happily.

Celeste smiled warmly at Adrian’s reaction to the painting. She hadn’t met him yet, but it was obvious who he was with the way Mave spoke of him. He looked so much like his father...it was almost a little strange to see someone that looked like a young Regulus look so happy.

“Did you paint this?” Adrian asked his attention on Celeste now. His gaze flickered down to the painting of the curmudgeonly old House Elf. His fingers almost skimmed over the face of the painting, but he pulled them back before they did. “It’s beautiful!” he announced. “I mean, as close as Kreacher could be to being beautiful!” he giggled again.

Her smile stayed on her face, watching the boy, “I did...your father came by my shop a few weeks ago and commissioned it.” she looked back up at Regulus. He hadn’t paid her for it in any manner, but some part of her had done it just to spite him. The way she let her smile morph on her face as she looked at him seemed to suggest just that.

[herethereismagic]

@quietuptownx has become a Super Nova.

Mave downed another shot and closed her eyes. She could feel the alcohol as its warmth blossomed in her chest, crawling down the rest of her body. Why had she agreed to it in the first place? There was no reason she should have ever had to come out from behind her drums. She wouldn't have except Alexander and Falcon had written a love song, and while Alexander would have happily sung it with Nova, they'd insisted that she sing it instead. Mave had given in to their request — she knew neither of them would stop asking until she did, especially Alexander. There was also some curiosity as to what it would be like to perform with Nova. 

She and Nova had rehearsed, they knew the lyrics, they had the timing and yet, that hadn't stopped her from messing up. It was evident that Nova had a different sort of energy when he performed. She'd seen him like that before, but it was something else entirely to be the one performing alongside him. Somewhere in the middle of it all, when she'd looked at him under the bright stage lights, his hand slipping into her own, he seemed to shine just as bright as they did.

That's when she missed her verse, the moment her heart skipped a beat. Nova seemed to have sensed the shift, and he rapped the beginning to her part with a few modifications to the lyrics. He ended it with a gentle squeeze to her hand letting her know he was passing the song back to her. She released his hand, holding it made her feel breathless. Moving upstage, a surge of butterflies filled her stomach leaving her feeling as though she were singing the words to Nova instead of with Nova.

Alexander and Falcon had been impressed at the sudden adaptation of the song. Thankfully all of Alexander's talking on the drive back to the house had kept her from having to speak at all. The eldest DuMont was managing to gush over Nova enough for the both of them. 

Back at the house, they'd shared a celebratory drink. It'd been their largest audience yet (admittedly, Nova had been the cause for that).   Afterward, Falcon had excused himself, it'd been a late night already, and he had a test in the morning. Nova left for the bathroom and Mave had been left alone with Alexander whose curious look managed to get under her skin. "Stagefright," he'd said, though she understood he believed otherwise. He'd given her his usual grin before announcing he was going to get his notebook; he wanted to get Nova's version of the lyrics written down.

Left alone, Mave had indulged in a shot, and another, and another. There hadn't been any real counting done, all she knew was that the burn of the alcohol was enough to distract from the anxious wings still fluttering in her lower abdomen.

[herethereismagic]

@simplyamplex wants to play a different game.

“Ma petite étoile, are you alright in there?” Gerard rapped softly on the bathroom door. Celeste had been in there a while. She'd opened the door briefly after entering to make sure he had meant to hand her what was tucked away in the pastel pink box. Gerard had reassured her, and she'd vanished back inside. His question greeted by silence, he made to knock again when the door opened. Instinctively, he stepped back, allowing Celeste room, "Are you—" his voice fell silent as Celeste emerged. 

The outfit hugged her slender body, stretching, moving with her as she walked out of the bathroom. She'd traded in her breezy, summery makeup for something darker to match her new outfit. Celeste seemed to exude a new sense of confidence as she gave Gerard a sultry stare.

The older man laughed, more out of surprise than anything else. He was used the young blonde being bright and bubbly. Her current outfit seemed to have brought a shift of attitude. Her familiar blue eyes now seemed icy as she studied him through her lashes, lips pursed along with her judgemental stare.

"What's so funny?" Celeste asked. Her usual curious tone traded itself for something more challenging. Her question came with a tap on his chest with her riding crop. "Get on the bed!" she ordered, the crop flashing as she gestured across the room.

Gerard's lips twisted and pulled but he managed to suppress his grin. She almost seemed to be a bit of a sexual deviant dressed like this. He was far more accustomed to the way she curled up against his side, ran her fingers over his arm in simple patterns. In those moments she always gave him a look he found to be rather curious; it always seemed like she was asking permission to kiss him.

Following Celeste's order, Gerard lay back on his bed. He had no pleasure in being dominated, but he was interested in seeing where the usually demure young woman would take things. His smile toyed on his lips as he watched her move to the edge of the bed, unable to take his eyes off of the way her hips swayed. He would indulge her for a few more minutes, but then he had every intention of giving his present to her a new home on the floor.

The bed shifted beneath her weight as she crawled on top of Gerard, one hand placed on either side of his head. Her curls spilled past her shoulders, nose bumping against his jaw before her lips brushed against his ear, "I want to play with you," the words buzzed on her lips, a hand now trailing over his chest.

That was it. Gerard released a loud laugh, his hands moving to grab Celeste's hips, suddenly pulling her into him. He had some idea of what she was trying to achieve, but something about her comment seemed more endearing than sexual. After all, she was his petite étoile, a role like this wasn't meant for her.

"I apologize," Gerard smiled, brushing back her hair her body falling in on his own. He could sense her disappointment at the disruption of her game. "I enjoy my time with you just as you are," he assured Celeste, a light laugh still playing on his lips. He shifted his weight, her body now beneath his own his fingers trailing over her exposed skin. "Though I do approve of your new look," he growled, nipping at her ear. The happy smile he wore became smug upon hearing her soft moan. "Shall we take it off to keep it from getting dirty?"

[herethereismagic]

@collectingyourdreams​ is toying with a nightmare.

“Morning, Rosie Posie,” Ruben grinned, flopping into the chair across from the other demon. Rosalie sneered at the use of the nickname; His smile widened.

Dark eyes narrowed at Ruben, no doubt he was already contemplating which of her buttons to push. So few creatures wormed their way under her skin — the self-aggrandizing bastard in front of her was reigning champion.

"It is one in the afternoon, My Love," she responded testily, lips curling into a cruel smile.

His wrist twisted upward, gaze falling on the smooth expanse of skin as though he were checking a watch. "Ah, so it is, My Love!" he mocked. "I had an appointment that was far more interesting." Still smiling, Ruben leaned across the table. "You've got a little something just..." his thumb swiped at her lower lip. The red mark came away clean. It was tacky but — "Frosting?" his brow furrowed giving Rosalie a puzzled look. In all honesty, he'd been expecting blood; there was a part of him that was relieved it wasn't what he thought it'd been. The sickeningly sweet smell had given it away.

Rosalie waved her hand at the crumb-filled plate sitting in front of her. "Cupcake," she said as though it were obvious. "One must keep up appearances,"

"Then might I suggest not nibbling on the humans?" His teasing earned him a darker look. This one silenced him until he dared to ask why she'd sent that shadow of hers to summon him.

Her elbow rested on the edge of the table, chin in hand, "He has a name, Ruben," Rosalie reminded him. Admittedly it was rare for a shapeshifter to take a name, much less work for a demon. Rosalie was all Ivan had at this point.

Ruben stared her down. He had no intention of saying Ivan's name.

"Shame," she sighed, "and he likes you so much," Ivan's interest in Ruben puzzled Rosalie but the shifter was allowed to do as he pleased. "He insisted he be the one to fetch you," she admitted her free hand trailing through the air dismissing the thought. Rosalie had no intention of telling Ruben that Ivan had been there at the cafe before the demon had even seen the young witch. "You'll make him cry!" she laughed.

"I'll send him tissues for Christmas," Ruben offered, still waiting for Rosalie to answer why he was there.

Her cruel smirk lifted her lips, "Is it so unbelievable that I just wanted to check in on you?" she asked. The silence that hung between the two of them answered her question; Yes, it was. "I desired to make sure you were fairing well...after your little witch started making playdates with others of our sort."

His little witch. Did she mean Mave? Ruben almost broke out into a laugh. If Mave had heard Rosalie referring to her as his, she'd undoubtedly throw a fit. The only thing that kept him from that was the remark that followed that statement.

He didn't know Mave to be an idiot, able to handle things on her own, she wouldn't summon demons without reason — and some part of him felt possessive. If the young witch was looking to summon a demon, it should be him. They had a history after all, why not reach out to him?

If Ruben were surprised by the information, it didn't show, he looked to be more in a state of disbelief. Drumming her fingers on the tabletop, she waited for him to put the few pieces she'd offered up, together.

The demons! He'd laughed at Mave's paranoia. Demons were demons if they were following her around they had a reason. These demons had the most unfortunate reason; they worked for Rosalie. How else would she know he'd met up with Mave? How did she know where to send Ivan...unless. Mave was a dead man walking. The look on Rosalie's face told him that she knew what he was thinking.

"She is a cautious sort, especially when it comes to our kind." Rosalie's gaze fell to the table. Ivan's natural form, as Ruben had referred to him was, in fact, a shadow. He was a creature with no face or figure of his own. "No one thinks to check their own shadow, do they?" she mused.

If Mave was summoning other demons, there was nothing he could do for her. If it had been a lesser demon, he might have humored her. Meddling in Rosalie's affairs didn't even make it on the bottom of the list of things he wanted to do.

"Now, now, Darling," Rosalie purred. She'd been watching his face as he ran through things in his head. "I'm not here to take away your plaything," she reassured him. Most would say you couldn't take a demon at their word, but Rosalie was unabashed when it came to the truth. She'd tell you precisely what she was thinking; there was nothing you could do concerning what she devised. "We all need something to keep us entertained."

It was Ruben's turn to narrow his eyes. "Then what is this about, Rosalie?" he asked forcefully. He opted for using her full name. She might have been honest with him, but she was still pussyfooting around. If Rosalie had taken an interest in Mave, there was nothing he could do. He wasn't attached to the witch so much as he was their dealings. Mave was always ready to ask the extreme and never hesitated to uphold her end of the bargain; it was tiring hunting down humans who believed they could escape their contract.

"I believe you know him?" Rosalie murmured sliding a small image of a smiling boy across the table.

"And if I do?" he grunted. Count on Rosalie to answer his question but keep it on her terms. She wasn't one to hand over the reins, preferring to remain in control. The picture Rosalie had produced, Ruben knew both the boy in the image and from where she'd stolen it. He had been the reason Mave had formerly summoned him. "Your little shadow should return that to her locket before she finds it missing," he added, he wasn't going to allow Rosalie to steer the entire conversation; that was difficult since he was still in the dark.

Rosalie studied him through her lashes. Mave had initially summoned Ruben with the intention of bringing Damien back to life — she had stopped herself from making that contract. It turned out to be for the best, Ruben never would have found Damien anyways. He wasn't dead. "What if she found him instead?"

He stared at her blankly. "Maybe you should stay away from cupcakes, Rosie Posie," he sighed lumbering to his feet, the use of her nickname was his way of signaling that the conversation was over. "He's dead, and unless she's about to off herself or strike up a deal..." he rolled his shoulders. "Not my business."

"Your witch is smart, Ruben," Rosalie spoke again, though the teasing note she'd carried in her voice during their conversation was suddenly absent. She sat back in her seat, "Too many demons are getting lazy, not reading the fine print on their contracts." Their eyes locked. "All those little missing demons..." her finger tapped in rhythm to her words. "Her doing, every one of them. Failure to comply with the stipulations of their contract in the allotted time." Rosalie smiled up at Ruben. "I like her," she admitted. "She made me curious, so I looked into things — it was best that I did. No demon can complete what she's asking of them." Her finger fell on the edge of the picture, pushing it further across the table towards Ruben. "He's not dead."

Ruben froze, he now understood Rosalie's buildup to the moment. Reaching out, he picked up the small image, examining the face smiling up at him. "How?"

"I can't have her killing all of us off, now can I?" There was a sense of glee in Rosalie's voice — it was apparent she'd piqued Ruben's interest. "Witches, Demons, Shapeshifters..." her voice trailed off, letting Ruben fill in the rest. Damien had never died. He'd become something else entirely.

[herethereismagic]

She was sweet that summer

@obliviia

“I’ll stay with Mave,” Christopher assured Eadrick, his hand tightening on that of the five-year-old girl who stood in front of him. His free hand moved to the top of her head, “Maybe we’ll go on the teacups again,” Christopher suggested with a smile as he waved off his friend’s apologetic look.

It had been Mave who coerced the two older boys to take them to the amusement park that day. In spite of this, the only two rides she’d been on were the teacups and the carousel. Falcon was proving to be the more adventurous of the two youngest Blackstone, dragging his older brother on almost every ride they saw.

Green eyes wide, she watched her brothers take off towards the line for the rollercoaster — her stomach flipped. Instinctively she stepped closer to Christopher. With every ride she refused to go on, Christopher stayed behind with her. Like Mave, he'd only been on the teacups and the carousel.

"How about we go get everyone ice cream?" Christopher suggested, switching which hand held hers. He'd noticed the troubled look on her face — though he wasn't quite sure if it was because of the rollercoaster, or the fact that her brothers were about to ride it.

As she looked up at him, her expression changed. "I want sprinkles!" Mave announced her grip on his hand tightened, already leading him towards the shop just off of the main plaza they stood in. "Falcon wants walnuts," she spoke for her twin. 

He chuckled as they got in line, "What sort of ice cream does he want to go with his walnuts?" he asked, not at all surprised by how quickly she answered.

"Chocolate!" Mave sang out and pulled him forward. She got on tiptoe to peer in at the tubs of ice cream. Jabbing a finger at the glass she turned her head to look at Christopher over her shoulder, "That one looks like a rainbow!" Mave exclaimed. Letting go of his hand, she moved up and down the display trying to choose what flavor she wanted as Christopher ordered the rest of them.

“Don’t forget the walnuts!” she insisted when she heard him ordering for Falcon.

Christopher couldn’t help but smile. Mave was the more outspoken of the twins and always took time for her brother. She listened to what he had to say and made sure to take care of him. Mave prided herself on knowing everything about Falcon.

"Chocolate with walnuts," He emphasized the order, making sure the small girl heard. He earned a wide grin and a bob of her head. He got French Vanilla for Eadrick and with no Butter Pecan Christopher settled for a scoop of sherbert. Have you decided what you wanted yet, Mave?” he asked, stepping back towards her side. 

She turned her face up towards the older boy, eyes bright. “Rocky Road!” she declared. “It’s kinda like getting a bunch of toppings!” Mave added with a giggle as she moved over to him, instantly slipping his hand back in her own.

Each of them carried two cones, their own and one for one of the boys, as they headed back towards the rollercoaster. Before they’d left the ice cream shop, Mave had been kind enough to donate a couple of her sprinkles for Eadrick’s vanilla. The white expanse was now disrupted by blotches of brown mixed with yellow, pink, and green. 

“We’d better hurry, they’re probably wondering where we are,” Christopher urged. He shorted his steps to match her smaller stride.

“Won’t they be surprised?” she asked, her step turning into a skip as they continued. “We didn’t tell them we were getting them ice cream!” Mave giggled happily and bit into her own ice cream. There was already a smear of chocolate on her face.

They slammed into her shoulder, pushing past, ignoring the small girl. Her feet already in the air from skipping had made her more off balance than usual and she was sent tumbling backward into Christopher.

Christopher grabbed her dropping his sherbert in the process. “Are you okay?” he asked, his arm wrapped around her shoulders from the front, pulling her into his side. Though she was nodding her head, Christopher could see the tears forming in her eyes already. Releasing her, he crouched down and pulled a napkin out of his pocket. She was still young, an accident like that could make her upset.

“Don’t worry,” he urged softly, listening to her sniff as he cleaned off her face. “I’m sure they’re sorry,” Christopher lied for her sake. He doubted that person cared they had startled Mave. They hadn’t even bothered shouting a sorry over their shoulder as they fled. He drew back when she gave a sharp shake of her head. He lifted his eyebrows, “No?” he voiced her action trying to figure out what she was getting at. Christopher wouldn’t put it past her if she was telling him that person hadn’t been sorry. If he hadn’t needed to tend to Mave, he likely would have yelled at them. Just because they were older, just because they were bigger didn’t mean they could shove their way around in the world.

Her arm shot up, finger pointing at something sitting on the ground behind him. When he turned his head, Christopher saw the overturned cone, his scoop of sherbert melting quickly on the hot pavement, That’s what she’s upset about?

Christopher’s head fell back as he laughed loudly. Mave hadn’t cared that someone ran into her, she cared that he’d dropped his sherbert. Grinning, he crouched in front of her, tucking her dark curls behind her ear. “It’s okay, Mavey,” he assured her, holding her wrist gently, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he smiled.

Mave sniffed, still silent she pushed her own ice cream towards him. The sprinkles had started to lose their color as the ice cream melted. There were rivers of color running through the brown. She had made him drop his ice cream. Eadrick had always told her it was good to own up to your mistakes — and now she’d made one. She continued to sniff, still offering up her ice cream, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Why don’t we share?” Christopher suggested softly. She was sorry for an accident that wasn’t even her fault. Taking her hand in his own, he brought the ice cream up to his mouth, slurping it loudly. The noise made her giggle. “Come on, let’s go find your brothers,” he hummed, “I doubt Falcon will want chocolate walnut soup.”

[herethereismagic]

At Least Out Loud...

Where: Slytherin Female Dorm When: At Night Who: Mave & Regulus(ish) @the-defected-one

Mave inhaled deeply, her eyes closed. “I’m sorry...” she murmured, only to frown. “I’m sorry,” she repeated the words again. With a frustrated huff, she rolled over on her bed and scowled. I'm sorry wasn’t a phrase she used often, and when she did it was generally only directed at one of her brothers. Other people weren’t generally deserving of the phrase. At least, until Regulus Black had managed to worm his way into that group.

Grunting, she sat up, her fist smashing into her pillow. She couldn’t quite rid her thoughts of his ridiculous lopsided grin. The one that always seemed to suggest he knew something. At the very least he did seem to know her. Which made it all the more frustrating.

Letting her head fall back to her pillow she scowled heavily. She’d been so busy making sure everyone else was staying arms length away that somehow Regulus had snuck up on her. She hated him for that. This feeling...these emotions. She wasn’t supposed to feel them for him. Only Damien was supposed to make her heart flutter, make her cheeks flush, make her pulse race.

Everything Damien had done, Regulus was doing to her now. For a second, she felt a small twinge in her chest. Damien was gone...it wasn’t like she was betraying him by feeling like this, was she? If not...then why did she feel so guilty about it?

She’d been a little short with him the last time they’d spoken. You look lovely... “Ugh!” Mave expelled a frustrated growl. The thought had made her heart skip a beat. For a moment she tossed herself angrily around on her bed before finally settling on her back, staring upwards with a slight crease in her brow.

Regulus Black...with his mess of dark hair, that devious smirk, that pleased glint in his gaze.

Mave inhaled sharply, her heart thrusting itself against her ribcage as she pictured the boy. “It’s not supposed to be like this, Chaos.” she whispered to the small black feline curled up down by her feet (he’d been less than pleased by her thrashing about). He pushed himself up to his feet and padded over to her, climbing on top of her chest, settling back down with a low mroow while giving her a single blink of his large green eyes.

“I don’t!” she told him quickly, though she wasn’t entirely sure what she was protesting. “At least...” her thoughts buzzed frantically in her head. “I don’t think I do...I don’t think I...” She inhaled deeply. Love him...