The Chain|Regulus Black

Breaking, broken or broke?

"Salazar you manipulative bitch!" Leo cursed as Evelyn smiled triumphantly. Leo had planned on letting her win the game of scrabble but when she pulled words like insatiable and fervent from the depths, his masculinity felt more than intimidated.

"I feel like I've just been smacked around the face with my own chivalry. Fine." He tosses her the galleons they were playing for as Evelyn leans over the board, kissing the tip of his nose before he sulks. "Fancy a game, Delilah? Sure your Ravenclaw brain can muster a few pointlessly long words."

Evelyn scoffs as Regulus's fingers wind around Delilah's hair. Her head rested on his knee and she looked like the doting woman he never thought she was supposed to be, the submissive love of a villain.

Regulus bound her hair like a rope, one which he might use to strangle the rebellion out of her. He wasn't startled by how quiet she became around him, how calm, how invisible she tried to make herself when his temper threatened to spark a fire she used to be able to put out.

In fact, it quenched a thirst he never knew he had, but one Delilah suspected had been lurking at the surface. Because in her silence, he finds himself again, finds his love for her, finds reason to do better, to be better.

But just as he pulls her hair tighter, watches her lips parting, he feels his Dark Mark ripple under his skin, feel something swell inside. Something that wants to feast on her.

"Delilah is horrible at playing scrabble, she's pretentious." Evelyn glares at Delilah as the Ravenclaw smirks with an air of sophistication she could have only have learnt from one person.

"She's the type of person to deride at your word choice. Then ignore all her own rules and use the word 'cat' to win the game." 

"Sounds a fair game to me." Regulus defended, Delilah looked up at him as her face pressed further into his palm, how callous it was against her cheek.

How indifferent it had become. From a distance, things were fine, perfect. But up close, god was it terrifying.

How Regulus could silence her with a look and how she could unnerve him with a smile.

It seemed, in many ways, he were her master. Like a human with a cat, twining it's way between its owners legs, begging for a scratch behind the ears. Regulus was the itch, he was the little irritation she couldn't reach.

But when you found the itch, you scratched like mad, until you saw blood.

It was bordering malicious, it was terror and love at their worst, pushed to their limits, broken down and melted into this monstrous thing they labelled affection.

In reality, how far apart were terror and love? Their love was a wondrous thing, something to be in awe of, it was beauty. But as the poets say, Beauty is Terror.

"Heads up!" Nott bounced into the room in which they were lounging, his arms filled with today's post. Regulus seemed a little bewildered when he received a parcel from home.

"What is it?" Delilah peered over his knee like an inquisitive child, tugging at the wrappings.

"It's from home. It feels heavy, must be their disappointment in me."

"Don't say such things." Delilah slipped away and read her own letters from Lily, not that she absorbed the words anymore. It was all about murder and the Order, Delilah used to be excited about graduating, entering into the world as an adult, but with this swallowing up any prosperity, Delilah wanted to sink into the realms of childhood.

This letter was rather the same, more blood had been spilt, but there was a few lines which made her heart thud. Sirius had been in a fight with his own father, her eyes scanned the letter waiting for the news of his death, but Sirius, the lucky dog he was, got away with only a few scratches.