The Brothers Black

Chapter 25

Regulus being completely out of my life was really messing with my head. I couldn't focus in any of my classes, and I kept being forgetful. I would walk somewhere and forget why I came, or I would get lost walking to classes I had been to hundreds of times. Even during Quidditch! Luckily, we had beaten Hufflepuff, but I had played the worst game of my life. Everything was just boring now. It felt like every day was exactly the same. The truth was that I missed him. I missed hanging out with him, talking with him, not talking with him. I even missed fighting with him.

The weeks seemed to take forever, but at the same time, they were flying by. Before I knew it, finals were coming up. 

"Ugh!" I groaned. I was late for Arithmancy, but I was lost again.

I felt like I kept ending up in the same dead end, an empty hallway with nothing but a supply closet at the end.

I turned left and walked straight for a bit, but I was spit out into the same place. I tried going right, but it was a circle too. None of it made sense. The castle would play tricks on you occasionally, but never this badly.

I breathed out in frustration and checked my watch. Arithmancy had started 20 minutes ago, and there was no way I was going to find a way out of here.

"What do you want from me?" I shouted at the castle. I collapsed on the floor, my head in my hands. I was trying to think of anything that I could do to fix this.

I looked at the door at the end of the hallway. It wasn't the same old wooden color as the rest of the closets in the castle; it was brass, and a lot bigger than any closet I had seen. It couldn't hurt to open it. Maybe it was a secret passageway or at least had some directions.

I glanced up at the ornately crafted doorway and slowly pulled the handle open. To my astonishment, one of the most beautiful rooms I had ever seen stood in front of me. It was the size of two large classrooms put together, and the walls were lined with books. An ornate design of swirls and loops was carved into the ceiling, with similar designs lining the shelves. Throughout the room were a mix of tables and couches. It was the perfect place to study, and I knew I had to explore.

I barely had time to make a lap around the room before I heard the door creak open.

I turned around in surprise, and my heart dropped to the floor.

Regulus was standing at the entrance to the room, looking even more confused than me.

I had been able to avoid him these past couple months. We were pretty much silent in Potions and hadn't spoken outside of that, but it looked like I was going to have to talk to him now.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" he asked.

The word 'Potter' hit me like a punch in the gut. It would have been better if he was angry or upset that I was here, but he talked as if this interaction meant nothing to him. As if I meant nothing to him.

I sighed, "I... I just walked in."

His eyes narrowed and he started speaking quickly, jumbling all his words together. "Look, it's just not a good time, and I need some peace and quiet, and the only place I can get it is here, so could you just leave?"

I sighed. "I wouldn't like anything better." I picked up my bookbag from the couch and strode past him without so much as a nod goodbye. I pushed the door open, but it didn't budge. I tried again, harder, but it stayed stuck.

I was shaking the door handle up and down when Regulus finally yelled, "What is the problem?"

I stared at the floor. "It's stuck."

He scoffed in disbelief and walked over to try. After a couple 'Alohamora' spells and a few minutes of yanking on the door, he seemed to agree that it was indeed stuck. He fell backward on the couch. "Just my luck,"he mumbled. Then to me, he said, "Just be quiet."