epiphany ♕ | 𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

32

"Regulus, are you alright?" came the voice of Atlas Pucey, younger brother of Lennon Pucey. He gazed over at him with wide eyes.

"No." his voice trembled. Atlas got out of his bed and went towards Regulus. He was propped up, clutching the sheets of his mattress. Atlas sat down on the bed.

"If there's anything you want to talk about..." he trailed off, "I'm here." Regulus stared at the sheets in front of him. He wasn't sure how to take this into account. Atlas was a good man, always up to be protective of his housemates.

"I know." he chimed in, voice coarse. Atlas pressed his lips into a thin line. His vision was unfocused. "Have you ever thought of rebelling against your family?"

Atlas's eyes widened. He gazed around the vicinity, making sure the rest of the boys were asleep. Moving closer towards Regulus, he cleared his throat.

"In truth, yes," he stated. "My older brother is quite ecstatic about being the better family out of all the purebloods."

Regulus nodded. "I understand. My parents are the same. That ideal to be the best out of everyone is so infuriating. It drives me out of my wits."

The two boys sat in silence. Atlas gazed into his stormy eyes, cloudy and gray. He lost his train of thought as he realized that Regulus Black was misunderstood.

"Tell me about the Black bloodline." Atlas smiled. Regulus twitched. He was not ready to speak about his family and their problems. No one would understand how prestigious they were or how they had to be perfect.

"Okay." he softly said. Atlas shifted, the sheets beneath him rustling. "Well, long ago, my family members came up with a saying. Everyone takes this seriously—and if you even bother making fun of it, they'll disown you."

"Sounds terrible," he muttered. Regulus nodded quickly, clasping his hands. "Tell me more."

"We have a family tree." Regulus stared at Atlas, gazing into his green eyes. "Every blood traitor, muggleborn betrothed, and rebel are burned off. My mother blasts their face off that silk wall, and I feel utter sympathy."

Regulus ran a hand through his drying hair. Atlas heaved out a sigh, thinking about the horrible family. "The Black family is a tragedy."

"My brother is burned off that wall," Regulus whispered, voice breaking. "He ran away and never...came back. Mother was furious and took all her anger out on me."

Tears fell down Regulus's cheeks. They slowly dripped down on his sheets, making the silk damp. Atlas moved closer to Regulus. The wavy-haired boy in front of him laid his head on his lap, tears pouring down.

"Toujours Pur, " he mumbled. Atlas put a hand on Regulus's head, caressing it softly. "Always pure."

Atlas shivered as he heard the motto. It was all too known in the pureblood society. You have to keep your blood pure or become a disgrace.

"Always pure..." his breath was shaky. Regulus sobbed into his shirt, clutching onto the ends. Atlas glanced down at Regulus. His hair got on his face. He was muffling his sobs, Atlas rubbing his back.

—

Words carved into trees. S and R, simple yet beautiful. Siobhán Parten brushed her fingertips against the letters. They seemed old, fading, and the wood darkening. She wondered who inscribed these and what their story was. The forbidden romance seemed sentimental for this.

"Beautiful," she muttered. Winds howled against the battering leaves. They flowed rapidly, reaching their destination. Moonlight shone on the markings. They seemed like claws, bark rough. She traced the claw marks with her palm. It felt deep, history rewritten in every line.

Her expedition was interrupted by howling. She gazed around with fear. The full moon was shining brightly on her. Craters were visible from where she stood. Siobhán had gone near the forbidden forest, nothing intentional, fear arousing.

She started running in fear. The castle was a bit far, no one was around. Howling, leaves rustling, twigs snapping. She ran faster at every sound. Her black hood fell back. It revealed her face to the moonlight.

Siobhán's breath got heavier as she was out of the forbidden forest. Her eyes scanned the perimeter, finally landing on the gigantic willow tree. She knew not to get near. The tree fought anyone close.

She walked quickly towards the castle steps. Twigs were snapping closer and closer towards her. She gripped onto the concealed wand in her robes, gazing around with wary.

"Siobhán, what are you doing here?" seethed James Potter. She jumped and pointed her wand at the Gryffindor boy in front of her. He stepped forward. She backed away, almost tripping on the steps. "Calm down.

He came into the moonlight. She took in a good look at the shirtless boy. His hair was a mess, glasses in his pockets. She quickly stopped gazing at his toned chest.

"What are you doing out here?" he whisper-yelled. "Do you understand how dangerous it is?!"

She gazed at him with a blank expression. "What are you doing out here shirtless?" she remarked. James clicked his tongue in anger.

"Go back inside the castle and don't come out until tomorrow," James instructed, pointing toward the opening of the castle. She stayed put.

"Why?"

He growled. "The forbidden forest is dangerous. Please, just go back inside!"

Growls were heard behind them. James's eyes widened as he turned around. There he was, Moony, his Remus, standing in his werewolf form. "Run."

Siobhán shrieked loudly, running up the stairs. "James, come on!"

He stayed put, telling her to leave. She hid behind the pillar and took a peek at James. He wasn't a human anymore. He was a stag, giant and powerful. Her mouth was agape as he fought the werewolf in front of him.

Everything made sense. Their disappearances every full moon. Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter. They all disappeared. Her theory was that Remus was the werewolf. It explained the scars, and she knew not to be afraid. This was the kind boy she was friends with. He would never hurt her intentionally. So, she ran. She ran and didn't look back once.

She made her way silently towards the Gryffindor tower, making sure not to get caught by Filch. Her head was turning in thoughts. She had to classify each Marauder as the animals based on their nicknames.

First, Padfoot. Dogs seemed like an appropriate thing for him. She nodded, clasping her hands. Next, Wormtail. She figured this would be a rat. Siobhán had overheard them speaking about their patronuses. The other two would make her theory correct.

"Oh, you daft fools," she whispered. She had reached the Gryffindor common room. It was empty, the fire crackling. She went towards the couch and plopped herself down. "Just wait till I see you lot..."

She trailed off, her vision going black. The girl had passed out over the lack of energy and shock. She wasn't prepared for the sudden realization. Who knew what would become of her the next day.

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A/N

This was long overdue, so my apologies. I don't have much to say except Sib now knows about the Marauder's little secret. In two days time I will publish the actual confession of Remus telling her about how he became a werewolf and whatnot. Also, thank you for almost 2.6K views. I'm beyond happy. Until next time.