𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 : regulus black ( @unforgivablle )
𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 : the square in diagon alley.
𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 : 22nd of september of 1984.
her memories of regulus are all sort of outdated. while she could see sirius all too well roaming around her shop with his wicked grin, a hand going through his far too long hair ( she has begged him to cut it how many times now ? ) and the other on a vial or two, hoping she will not notice when it goes missing, all she sees of regulus is that sweet cheeked infant that barfed on her christmas dress — mother had thrown quite a fit, and kreecher had hurried to take the baby away from her while their own elf wiped her up; in that very evening, she had went to regulus’ nursery and whispered that it was not his fault and, if anything, he did make her night. the last she had seen him had been at dinner on the first night of vacation for the boys, over ten years ago. by then, he was still moderately plump and only moderately sweet ( there is only so much sweetness one can retain under their household, after all ), but he had been a child regardless.
the man she sees now is not a child. taller than her, he bears little semblance to sirius — she is very uncomfortable to notice that he, instead, resembles both father and uncle orion far more, with a tightness in his posture that is all too familiar to her ( after all, hadn’t she walked just in the same manner? dreading to step out of the way. had she stayed in the ministry, regulus’ job would be hers. the thought alone is horrifying, and it is worse to think just what sort of thing regulus has been exposed to under her father ).
shuddering gently, she snaps out of a daze, blinking as she removes her gaze from her cousin to the list of names in the clipboard she holds onto just a bit too tight. there’s at least a dozen of names on the list, a number that is perhaps daunting as she considers how she will have to separate groups not to cause an explosion too big in the square, though despite it all, andromeda would be willing to add one more.
“you could take part of the potion contest, if you’d like.” the confidence in her voice is entirely fabricated, but the smile on her lips as she tentatively approaches her cousin is genuine. “i can waive the age rules for you.” she taps her nails on the clipboard for emphasis, purposefully ignoring how silly it was to ask a twenty and something to participate in a competition for children — something that, on its own, is all too telling of how she perceives regulus. “even a ministry official should have some fun in this festival.”
she didn’t know him. far, far from it. it was clear in the way she looked at him, the way she spoke to him. when andromeda looked at regulus, she saw a boy that was a foot shorter, twelve years younger, and full of a youthful optimism that had not yet been burned from him. that was an unfortunate happenstance that she had brought upon herself. regulus might have stood taller, but she took careful consideration to ensure she spoke down to him, and if he hadn’t been so furious of the reminder of her leaving, he might have felt some comfort in it. ( after all, wasn’t this exactly why he had drifted to her sister in the first place? when narcissa looked at regulus, he wanted to be the child she had once known. expectation didn’t weigh so heavy when you were eleven years old and freshly introduced to the world. such a young boy, not yet exposed to the true harsh reality of connection with others. with narcissa, he went back, back, back. ) andromeda had done nothing to earn the right.
his spine felt stiff, impossibly straight as he built himself higher, daring her to see him up and not down. how DARE she see him as he was ? a blinding reminder of the fact that she left. abandoning one’s family was of the highest betrayal, and the thought alone lit regulus’ shrivelled heart on fire, burning him from the inside out. he’d always been irritable, but the fury he felt now was incomparable. ( only one comparison. if his eyes found his brother. ) years of biting his tongue came to him like training, and though he felt as though his insides were being torn to pieces, he remained impossibly still, a neutral expression gracing his features. he wouldn’t allow her the pleasure of knowing the effect she had on him.
“i’m not here for myself,” he replied, his tone cool as ice and unwavering. “i’m sure you're aware of some other ways a ministry official such as myself could be entertained. so no, i am not here to put my name down.” for the first time since he’d entered the square, regulus pulled his eyes away from his cousin, surveying what was on offer. “what do you have that would be suitable for a young girl? a child.” a real child. andromeda’s own niece, to perhaps be more precise, though regulus kept that part to himself ─ for now.