One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 112

Gwen stares at the letter laying before her.

She rarely got owls, rarely got anything delivered to her besides her magazines. So when a scraggly looking grey owl dropped a letter in her cereal this morning, she'd felt an uncomfortable twinge of fear.

Letters sometimes meant that something bad had happened. She didn't want anything bad to happen. Dorcas had offered to open it, but took the Veela's silence as a no. So she just sat quietly, silently supportive while they both stared at the letter.

The rest of the Ravenclaw table was loud, boisterous even. A stark contrast to their quiet bubble. Gwen sighs and finally reaches to grab it from her bowl, shaking off some of the milk that was dripping from the envelope.

She hesitates before shoving it in her bag, muttering, "I'll read it later."

"Gwen," Dorcas starts, voice dying out when the Veela just stands and walks away, mind busy with thoughts. She hated this type of thinking. This wasn't riddles or intuition. This was emotional. She crinkles her nose, too distracted to notice the boys lingering at the end of the hall until she bumps into one.

"We meet again,"

Her irritation flares at the purred words, her eyes flickering up to stare at Gabriel Pucey. He looks just as slimy as last time. Horny git. A horny, prejudiced, evil git. She blinks before saying flatly,

"Fuck off."

They stare, stunned as she moves to brush past them, but then a hand clamps down on her arm. Painfully tight. She doesn't wince, just sighs when the Slytherin yanks her back and hisses, "What did you just say, bitch?"

Gwen laughs sarcastically, momentarily stunning the three boys. Cillian Avery and Amacus Carrow are seemingly especially charmed by the sound. Though it quickly breaks when the Veela says simply, "I forgot how stupid you all were. I said fuck off. Need me to repeat it?"

She was feeling reckless today, wild with the thoughts scrambling her brain. She knew what she should do, blend in, just try to get past them. But she was confusingly emotional, and more than eager to make the unnamed emotions anger. She always dealt with anger just fine.

Carrow bristles, shoving past Avery to grab her other arm. His voice is dangerously low as he growls, "Shut your mouth before I give it something else to do, pet."

"I'm almost certain I would have trouble finding your poor excuse of a dick, let alone having enough of it to put it my mouth," Gwen responds smartly, eye twitching slightly when the grips on her arm grow tighter. She's not sure what to expect when she sees Avery reaching for his wand. But whatever god is watching heeds her silent ask for help.

"What do we have here?"

Gwen peers over her shoulder, eyes flickering back and forth between a boy with greasy hair and a beaky nose, and one with a familiar grey gaze.

Regulus.

Her lips quirk into a smile as she drawls, "Just having a bit of fun, Little."

Regulus stares blankly at the scene, assessing the situation quickly from his spot beside Snape. He hates his parents for their many lessons, but greatly appreciates one. Their ways of arrogance and their ability to mask their emotions.

Regulus' mask morphs into a sneer and he spits, "Watch your tongue, harpy."

Pucey and Carrow smirk, Pucey wondering slyly, "Care to join us in seeing what her smart mouth is good for?"

The group of three are far too eager for boys that are supposed to be disgusted by her blood. Though perhaps her charm or the promise of good luck from the conquest outweighed their issues with purity,

"Hardly. If anyone is fucking my brother's whore, it's me."

Regulus feels sick saying it, but the laughter that erupts from the Slytherins tells him it's working. He can feel Snape glancing at him, but he ignores it. Guilt and horror twists in his gut when his peers shove Gwen. Hard. She skids across the floor and lands in a mess of limbs at his feet. He wants to help her up. Gwen wants him to help her up. But that's not the role that either of them were given to play.

She slowly climbs to her feet, flinching dramatically when Regulus grabs her upper arm. It's gentle, reassuring. He gives her a subtle squeeze and grunts, "Cmon, harpy. Let's go."

Gwen stumbles after him, a smile tugging at her lips as soon as they round the corner. Regulus pulls her behind a statue and whispers anxiously, "Merlin, Ninnie. Are you okay?!"

Gwen blinks at him, silent for a few painstakingly slow moments. Then she grins and asks cheekily, "Have you ever considered theater, Little? You put on a bloody good show."

Regulus chokes out a laugh before pulling her into a hug, resting his chin on her head. Gwen gently pats his arm, reassuring, "I'm fine. My ego is a little bruised. But otherwise completely unharmed."

She pulls back and teases, "If only Sirius had heard you say you were going to fuck me. You'd be dead."

Regulus snorts before pausing and growing stern. He sighs and says firmly, "We have to tell—"

"Absolutely not," Gwen interrupts, waving away the notion. Sirius could not know about this. At all. His father spitting on her had been enough, he certainly didn't need to hear the things said to her today.

Regulus frowns and opens his mouth to insist, clamping his lips back together when Gwen says flatly, "If you tell, I will tell Sirius that you and Remus snogged on his bed."

His eyes grow wide. Her lips twitch into a smile when he grumbles, "Bloody seer."

Gwen laughs and pulls him in for one more hug. She gently pats his back, her brows furrowing as he mumbles, "I've been looking for you anyway. I wanted to know what you're doing about this invitation."

She pulls back, tilting her head and wondering, "Invitation?"

Regulus quirks a brow and nods, saying slowly, "Yes, the Potter's invitation. To their New Years Eve party. James said I was welcome to stay for the whole break, so I assumed you would be there too."

Gwen reaches into her bag and pulls out the envelope, wrinkled from bathing in her cereal. She quickly rips it open and pulls out a beautiful white card with silver and gold embossed letters. Gwen flinches as she reads the date and time, her heart hurting when she sees the note scribbled in ink on the back in familiar handwriting.

Euphemia Potter.

Please do attend! Fleamont and I are dying to hear all about how foolish Sirius is over his new girlfriend. We miss you! Love, Mia.

New Years Eve. She wasn't even sure where she would be Christmas Eve. Gwen clenches her eyes shut, thinking hard. Sirius was going to be furious, absolutely furious.

"I'm sure you can say no," Regulus interrupts her nervous musing. "I might—"

"No," Gwen says quickly, reaching for his hand. Regulus looks at her in surprise, especially when she says, "You should go. The whole break. Be with your brother for Christmas."

Regulus hesitates before whispering quietly and guiltily, "My parents..."

"Tell them you are staying at Hogwarts for the holiday. Tell them you're studying for your exams. You have to go Regulus. The Potters..."

She pauses briefly, a reluctant smile appearing on her face. She sighs and says quietly, "The Potters are the nicest people I've ever met. You'll be uncomfortable at first, I was too. But it's only because they are what we've been missing."

The Regulus from last year would bristle, defend his parents. But this Regulus, the one that feels free, feels reborn...he can't help but be a little excited.

"Okay," He replies. He squeezes her hand and hesitates before murmuring slowly, "You won't be there, will you?"

"I'll stop by," She says as upbeat as she can. Regulus stares at her silently, his jaw clenching slightly when her unnerving eyes lock on to his. The lie hangs between the both of them like a bloody dung bomb.

Obvious, and on the brink of exploding.