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confession // rarity

@charity-whoisleft

Regulus’ evening had been nothing short of unusual. Conversations he had, faces he hadn’t seen in a while. Socialising with those he knew were frowned upon in front of people he usually wouldn’t dare to show. The party as a whole seemed to be somewhat of a success, and even with not so kind words exchanged throughout his time there, Regulus found the time at the party wasn’t so terribly awful. That was until he realised the continuous absence of Charity. He would approach her with a smile one minute, turn for a mere second and then lose sight of her. It didn’t bother him too much at first, but then he caught her expression. And the next time he found her, he laced his fingers through hers immediately as a way to keep her near.

“Are you feeling unwell?” He asked her quietly, pulling her away from the crowd and to one side. Regulus wasn’t completely in tune with everything his girlfriend was feeling, but he felt he knew her better than most. But this was a different look – something he’d never seen on her before. And he tilted his head to the side, showing genuine concern as he regarded her. “You’ve been looking unsettled for a while. I can walk you back to your Common Room if you like, it’s no trouble.”

#thread: charity #t: charity17

She is the Sunlight |

Regulus occasionally wondered how Walburga discovered his infatuation with Charity Burbage. His mother was not in Hogwarts, and his eldest cousin, who he thought would have been the most likely to report back to her, had graduated already. But she had found out – and while she only voiced mild disapproval in company, he could tell there was true anger dwelling within her. Did he constantly need to have an eye on the back of his head? But then – there were times like a week prior – where it was blatantly obvious how his parents might have discovered the truth about his relationship.

Charms, a class shared with Slytherins and Hufflepuffs alike, had an assignment set up. A partner was needed for the rest of their academic year. An automatic reaction should have been for him to turn to a fellow Slytherin, but instead, he’d stood up and wandered over to Charity as if it was nothing. Because, in his mind, it was nothing. He simply wanted to work on a project with his girlfriend, if only for an excuse to see her more out of lessons. And Charity had acted just as casually about it – which is what finally made him realise how his parents knew.

They were possibly one of the least subtle couples at Hogwarts without even realising it. Any one of the many students in his class could have mentioned it to someone who was in close contact with a member of his family. Or one of them could have mentioned it to their own parents who, in turn, told his. In the end, it didn’t matter who had told them. All that mattered now was that they knew – so, in theory, there was no reason to hide their relationship at all. Not that he’d been doing an excellent job at doing that in the first place.

The realisation that there was no way he could make his mother more irritated with him was almost freeing, and the ability to show open affection, as much as he was able to without having a minor panic attack of course, was something to be celebrated. That was how he found himself now, sitting next to his Hufflepuff in the library, absent-mindedly stroking his thumb across the back of her hand as he attempted to read at least some of the passage in the book in front of him. It was all pointless, of course. The downfall of being partnered with a significant other was that it was highly distracting.

He found his eyes wandering upwards every now and again just to observe her and think how unquestionably lucky he was. Regulus had never expected to feel anything like this – and it broke every tradition Orion and Walburga had tried to instil in him regarding marriage and love. So if it went against everything they tried to teach him, why did his heart skip a beat every time he thought of her or saw her smile? How could simply being in her presence cause him such a clouded mind?

So in awe of her, it took Regulus a moment to register that she’d said something. He felt his face heat up and shot his gaze back down to the book in embarrassment. “Er, sorry. What did you say?”

@charity-whoisleft

#let them be in love before it all gets ruined #thread: charity #t: charity14

chasing rubies | charity

Losing the match hadn’t bothered Regulus. He was genuinely worried about his Captain, but other than that, he had not been even remotely soured by the match. True, when he landed, he’d acted like the displeased seeker, grumbling about how it was unfair. It wasn’t – and he’d even had to resist the smile that shot across his face when he heard that Mary had caught the snitch. After all, she was an amazing player and she truly deserved it. He knew he’d make a point of congratulating her in a couple of days time to assure her there were no grudges. He didn’t think that needed expressing by now, but he wanted to make sure.

Some of the players had already vanished to see Lucinda, but the Slytherin wasn’t as close to her as some of the others and felt no desperate need to be by her side. He’d go and see her later or the next day during visiting hours to wish her a genuine get better soon, but other than that, he thought it was best to allow her closest friends to be there. When the changing room emptied, and Regulus had freshened himself up somewhat from the match, he left to head back to the Castle, unsure of what to do with the rest of his time.

On his way back, he heard mumbles that Gryffindor was having a victory party and knew the only way to hide from drunken students in the corridor around the night was to hide in his own Common Room, as reluctant as he was to admit it. Regulus had no qualms about the party, but was certain that Slytherins were more than likely not welcome. Even if they were, to even step foot there would be a risk. Who was he socialising with? Did he converse with older brother? Did he converse with Muggleborns? Too much to get back to his father, and decisively not worth it.

So he was prepared to spend his night reading and trying to ignore his surroundings, when he rounded the corner to the Dungeons and saw a familiar student. He paused in his step, eyebrow raised. “Charity?” He said, his voice laced with confusion as he grasped the fact that his Hufflepuff friend looked… concerned or nervous. “Charity, are you okay?”

[ @charity-whoisleft ]

#thread: charity #t: charity12

clearing the air

@charity-whoisleft

Usually, when it came to avoiding people he cared about, the action would be unintentional. When he’d spent too long away from Rabastan, it was usually when he had other things on his mind. When he didn’t speak to his cousins, it was because he hadn’t realised how much time had past, preoccupied with his studies. But this time, he had been going out of his way to avoid someone. More specifically, Charity. Which was proving to be far too difficult, especially with their shared classes.

Regulus would be lying if he said there was no maliciousness in his behaviour, even if it was overpowered by fear and concern. There was irritation there, that the Hufflepuff tried to bond with his cousins, despite his insistence that the feat was impossible. After everything he had told her about his family life, he was both annoyed and flattered that she still attempted some sort of friendship. But it had led him to the confrontation with Bella, and the anger he just couldn’t shake.

Something he didn’t want to take out on her.

The painful thing about their Charms class was that they were partnered. Sitting across the other side of the room and finding an excuse was not something he could do in this lesson. And while he was still happy to see her, he only greeted her with a small smile, rather than his usual fond expression and small talk. And he attempted to stay quiet for their entire lecture, only talking to her when the lesson required him to and ending it just as quickly. It felt unusual, and it felt cruel. But his thoughts were a mess, his emotions more so.

After the lesson, Regulus stayed seated, putting his hand on Charity’s arm to indicate for her to do so also. He knew the two of them would have to talk eventually. But he was scared for her, and for himself. While plenty had made it abundantly clear to him how inappropriate and dangerous his relationship with Charity was, he’d always felt he could protect her if it came to it. But Bellatrix proved how weak he could be. The threats were real.

When the room had finally emptied out, Flitwick included, he removed his hand with a sigh. “How many people know where you live?” He asked her, his voice void of emotion. “Just your closest friends, right?”

#thread: charity #t: charity18

broad shoulders | charity

Regulus was usually exceptionally careful about who he was seen with, in fear mostly because of what would have been reported to his parents. But when it came to Charity Burbage, it seemed that he was slacking. There was nothing overly aggressive about how his parents acted towards him, or anything that would give away the fact that they knew anything at all. In fact, Regulus was feeling relatively at ease until Walburga casually questioned which ‘half-blood he was infatuated with’ as she gestured the crowd. With the tone she used, she might as well have been talking about the weather. But her eyes spoke volumes.

The youngest Black had no idea how she knew. But it wasn’t as though they’d been particularly sneaky about spending time together. Even in their fifth year, when Regulus knew full well Bellatrix was around, he still made a point to be with her and improve their friendship. Even this year, with their not so subtle attempts to be each others partners in classes, he shouldn’t have even been surprised that someone might have mentioned it. Perhaps he’d just hidden his letters over the summer terribly and she’d found them. Maybe someone saw them over the summer. In the end, it didn’t matter how she knew.

Regulus chose not to answer, nor did his mother seem particularly eager to press on the subject either, although the way her nose wrinkled every time she looked at him after suggested she was mildly disgusted with him. But she was not about to cause a scene, and that in itself was a small mercy to him. Another mercy, or perhaps bad timing, was when he spotted the very girl she had asked about with her family. They looked far more at ease than he felt, and he yearned for the same happiness he felt during the summer when he spent time with the Burbages.

“I.. just need to ask my Transfiguration partner if she’s completed her section of our assignment.” Regulus told his parents, excusing himself. Orion seemed to take no notice, but Walburga watched him with a suspicious glare as he made a small bow and made his way over to the Burbage family. A part of Regulus felt guilty about how short he would have to be, searching his brain to figure out if he’d ever actually told Charity how prejudice and downright cruel his parents could be.

As he approached them, he sent an apologetic smile to her parents before turning to Charity and murmuring, “Can we go somewhere? Alone?” with a slight tone of urgency.