Mastermind

Neptune

Warnings: Jealousy
referenced injury, assault

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I'm only honest when it rains
If I time it right, the thunder breaks
When I open my mouth
I wanna tell you, but I don't know how
I'm only honest when it rains
An open book, with a torn out page
And my inks run out
I wanna love you but I don't know how
- Neptune by Sleeping at Last

They are halfway through November. It's getting cold outside. Regulus hates the cold. He hates winter. He hates snow.

James loves it. He keeps staring out of any window he comes across waiting for the first fall of snow. – As if the landscape would change from one window to the next. As cute as James is when gets excited like this, Regulus hopes it won't get cold enough for the snow to come. Then again, maybe James will spend all day in bed with him, cuddling him and keeping him warm.

Regulus sits in his common room in front of the fireplace. He wishes he could be in the Room of Requirement with James. The fire there seems warmer to him. But James has Head Boy duties with Lily, then needs to report with her to Dumbledore about their "Junior Order" business. No time for Regulus.

Regulus reads a textbook about occlumency, while making sure Barty does the same. Barty keeps getting distracted by Evan, who is not interested in reading anything but whispers dirty things into Barty's ear every once in a while.

There is hope for them. Regulus decided, he will give them the same kind of chance, James keeps giving him. They love each other so much, they can't be simply evil. They got sucked into this entire Voldemort mess – just like him. They can get out together. His friends can be happy. And maybe, just maybe, if they can get out of this, happy and together, so can Regulus and James.

They fight for each other. Regulus will fight for them.

Snape comes into the common room and throws his book on the next table.

"That stupid mudblood," he hisses and drops himself on a chair.

Regulus rolls his eyes and leans to Barty to show him something in the occlumency book.

"Oi, Snape, what's going on?" Mulciber calls from the other side of the room.

"Potter and Evans are dating," Snape kicks the table.

Regulus tenses up. What? My Potter?

"The ginger mudblood? What are you still hung up on her?" a number of students laugh mockingly, including Evan and Barty.

"No," Snape says after a while, "But you know, Potter being even more of a blood traitor than before."

"Yeah, now he's shagging a mudblood slag. But that family was lost anyway. Fuck Potter, Evans will be history soon enough. Potter can cry his arse off about her then."

"Yeah," Snape rasps, "Potter's a fucking blood traitor. Maybe his family should be next."

Regulus grabs for his wand. Take his name out of your fucking mouth! Barty places his foot against Regulus' shoulder and shakes his head at him. Regulus clenches his jaw.

They can fucking try doing anything to him. They won't like what follows.

"The Potters will get what they deserve soon enough," Avery is by Snape now, "And so will that mudblood."

You're not going to touch either of them. Regulus hisses in his head. I will force bleach down your throat, burning you from within. I will watch it eating through your body while you scream and cry and beg. But you can't beg. Your tongue already dissolved. Blood in your mouth, running down your pretty Death Eater robes.