The Chain|Regulus Black

Goodbye baby

Regulus would wait outside her common room every day, trying to grab Delilah to- not apologise, but maybe, try and explain? No, even thinking that it was a stupid idea. He'd make up an excuse and she wouldn't believe it but she'd still forgive him and her chipped nails would comb through his hair and they could go back to pretending.

But every time he missed her, it had been a couple of weeks and Regulus was not in a good way. He wasn't sure what was happening to him, but he didn't exactly like it. Forget surviving, he was holding on by a thread, a very thin one at that.

It annoyed him that the world could keep turning despite knowing Delilah wasn't by his side. But she needed space, Delilah needed to decide if her love for him would counter every aspect of rationality she had, so she hid out in her sister's dorm, the Marauder's thought Remus looked depressed before a full moon, but they'd never seen Delilah without Regulus because she was far from fine.

"It'd be a lot easier if you told us what he's done," Sirius spoke from Remus's bed, Delilah looked up at Lily from her lap, her sister always found a way to fix things, but she gave her that motherly smile instead.

"He hasn't done anything. That's the problem." Delilah looked down at the ring, fiddling with it.

"Very descriptive, as always Lilah," James announced from the floor, he and Peter were stretched out playing Wizard's Chess when Delilah noticed Peter's left arm wrapped in bandages.

"What's up with everyone's arms recently? You shooting heroin or something?" Peter's eyes went wide before pulling his sleeve down over the bandage, giving Delilah a dirty glare that made her laugh. "He's not telling me something. And it's destroying him, he doesn't eat, he never fucking sleeps and he always looks like he's ready to fight someone."

"Maybe he's following his brother's footsteps," Peter remarked, glancing at Sirius.

"Yes, but Sirius never sleeps because he's busy banging Remus. Entirely different equation." James replied nonchalantly, moving his king. There's a ripple of laughter before a knock at the door reminds them there's an outside world, waiting to strangle the happiness from them. They all turn to Delilah before Remus sighs and strides to the door.

"It's just Marlene and Dorcas."

"What do you mean 'just' Lupin? I am a ray of fucking sunshine, act like it please." Dorcas slammed the door shut, Marlene laughing, tugging at one of her curls.

"Definitely my ray of sunshine." Delilah wandered over to her, wrapping her arms around her friend.

"I'm glad I found you actually. Well, maybe not. It depends."

"Depends on what?" All the Marauder's are standing, listening in on every word.

"Depends on how well you react to hearing that your boyfriend is staggering the halls of Hogwarts fucked out of his brains on firewhiskey?" Delilah's face dropped, "I take it not that well."

"Come on boys, Lily you stay here with Delilah." James kissed the top of Lily's head before they're shrugging on jackets, slipping wands into their pockets. Sirius faltered for a second, looking to Remus for guidance before he offered a soft smile.

"And I'll just stay locked up here?" Delilah followed them.

"Actually, Lily we may need you. You know a good stunning charm or two."

"You are not hurting him!" Delilah wrestled towards Sirius. "He wants to see me, so just-"

"I don't want my brother seeing you in this state, do you hear me? It'll ruin him and upset you. Just let us deal with it." Like she would ever listen to a boys advice, fighting past them, Sirius sighed, wrapping an arm around her middle, Sirius dragged her to James's bed before everyone slipped out the door.