Black Hole

"Mama I Don't Wanna Die; But Sometimes I Wish I'd Never Been Born at All"

December 24, 1976, around 8 o'clock, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London.

Regulus Arcturus Black was five years old the first time he failed his big sister.

And at the ripe age of fifteen, he was doomed to once again repeat.

The ball had started, and the two youngest Blacks stood arm in arm, false smiles plastered on their hollow faces.

"I reckon Auntie Druella looks a bit..." Lyra-Jade murmured, leaning onto Regulus' arm, "... unprepossessing, don't you think?"

"Unprepossessing?" He smirked, leaning down to his sister's level.

"It's a prettier word than ugly."

He laughed.

Regulus Black's laugh was feathery and light. Those who heard it were blessed with the sound, their nerves easing and their hearts content.

That night his Mother dressed him stylishly, with a dark velvet suit with ruffled sleeves and collar. His sister wore a dark floor length gown with a matching black corset on her waist. Under the midnight dress was an under shirt similar to his, ruffles cascading from the top of her neck to her chest. Her usually unruly hair had been charmed pin straight, and a green ribbon had been placed upon her head to push back her bangs. Their Mother had forced her into heels, insisting that if she were to "catch someone's eye" that night, she had to be tall enough so that no one had to crane their neck to talk to her.

Ezra was approaching them, glasses in both of his hands. "Here you are m'lady." He said, handing one to Lyra-Jade. "M'lord." He handed the other to Regulus, their hands brushing. Electricity surged through his arm. 

No. No, Regulus.

"How official." Lyra-Jade said, with a smirk.

Ezra stood on the other side Regulus. As the three young wizards stood and conversed, Regulus peered at the large crowd before him. He spotted Narcissa and Bellatrix in the left corner of the ballroom, talking to some Malfoys. Narcissa had informed him earlier in the year that she was to be wed to Lucious Malfoy the upcoming summer after her graduation. Lucious, Regulus did not know well. All he knew was that he was much older than his cousin and had an impressive Ministry job.

Just as he shifted his gaze to the right side of the room, he spotted his Mother urgently walking towards him.

"Fuck." His sister muttered, plastering a fake, toothless smile on her lips and squeezing onto his arm.

"Now. Now is the time. Come on!" Walburga grabbed each of their arms and pulled them away from Ezra, ushering them over to the grand piano.

"Good luck! Be good!" The dark-skinned boy called after them, earning and eye roll from both siblings.

At functions such as the Annual Black Family Winter Ball, Lyra-Jade and Regulus were always forced to perform for the mass of extended family and family friends. That year, their Mother had pushed the importance of the duet, asserting that once "the men heard Lyra-Jade's voice, they would ignore her other features" and immediately fall massively in love with her.

It was true, his sister had a beautiful singing voice. She would sing classic wizarding songs in an angelic, opera-esque way, effortlessly enchanting the crowd. While the guest would go wild, she would just look bored and tired.

And he, well, he had been a piano protegee ever since he could remember.

He found himself in an oh-so familiar position on the leather-coded stool as he took out his sheet music and eyed his sister. She looked at his sheet to remind herself what song they were to perform and stood with one arm on her stomach and one on the top of the piano.