Young Enough, Dumb Enough, Tough Enough // Regulus & Evan
Since returning to Hogwarts, Regulus had been spending increasingly more and more time with the house elves in the kitchens. It was peaceful there. There he didn't have to think about the increasing demands of his parents, the war waging outside the castle walls, or anything at all. The elves were kind and always willing to help. They had a special place in Regulus's heart. One elf brought over another steaming mug of peppermint tea. Regulus thanked the elf and smiled at the creature. Peppermint tea was one of his favorite drinks. He took a careful sip of the hot liquid and turned his gaze to his book once more. As he read, he couldn't help feeling a bit of sadness creep into his heart. His thoughts drifted away from the words he was reading and he couldn't capture their meaning. Loneliness stalked his veins. He took another drink from his mug hoping that he could steal the warmth of the liquid and regain the feeling of at least contentment that he had felt before.
It was not meant to be. He couldn't shake the shadow that fell over him. He was alone. The words circled in his head. He had hardly anyone he could consider a friend. He was alone. He spent his days down with the elves. He was alone. Life was passing him by, but he couldn't seem to figure out how to capture it. He took another drink of tea. There seemed to be no warmth to it anymore though he could see the steam still curling upwards. His free hand was balled into a fist. His nails dug into the flesh of his palm and his teeth dug into the flesh of his bottom lip. The urge to cry was on the verge of overwhelming him. He couldn't seem to keep it locked down tight and under control. Then quite suddenly he heard the door open.
He drank the last of his tea and bit down harder on his lip. The pain centered him and he slowly released the tension of his body. Whoever had entered would not see him cry. Regulus would not allow it.
