Trouvaille - something lovely discovered by chance
A Slytherin and a Gryffindor are sworn enemies. Families, friendships, relationships, all are infected by house rivalry.
So are James Potter, proud and brave Gryffindor, and Aquila Black, cunning a...
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Regulus, frankly, had not expected it to work out this well.
From where Aquila lay on the bed beside Rowan, both of them poring over a book together, her sleeves pulled down to her knuckles, he could still see the spark of irritation and disappointment and some other emotion he couldn't quite place in her eyes whenever she glanced at him.
He could feel her waking up in a cold sweat at night. At first, he thought it was about the Dark Lord giving her the Mark, because he had heard Adrian sitting beside her and comforting her in the middle of the night as she sobbed in his shoulder. Then once, he felt her get up from her bed and shine a light on Regulus' face, and faintly whisper to herself, 'he's alright, we're alright, we made it through.'
And when he heard this, he couldn't help but wonder, was everything really alright? They had made it through alive, but had they made it through whole?
It had been three days since the night. Neither Aquila nor Regulus left the dorm, but not one word was exchanged between the two. Rowan and Adrian had been filled in by Aquila, who refused to even look at Regulus.
Regulus had promptly passed out after the ah, disaster of the other day and woken up by Aquila who had proceeded to shout at him until her throat got hoarse.
Since then, it had been dead silence between the two of them, only broken by Rowan or Adrian trying to dull the hurt for both of them.
"Aq," Adrian knocked on the doorframe. Aquila hummed in response, pointing her finger to a line in the book, making Rowan laugh at whatever was written. "Potter's asking for you. It's the seventh time, and he refuses to leave."
Aquila and Rowan groaned as she got up, Rowan's head falling off her shoulder. "I'm gonna see what he wants."
Rowan snickered. "What do you think he wants?"
Aquila threw a rolled-up sock at him and put on another sweater over the thin t-shirt she was wearing. Regulus'. Regulus hid a small smile behind his book. Aquila had picked it up from the floor, where generally only Rowan kept his laundry, but for a change, Regulus had as well. And Aquila was sure to have noticed it was Regulus' sweater, and she was still wearing it.
Not so angry after all, then.
- - -
James paced the length of the corridor outside the Slytherin Common Room. It had been two days, and Aquila had barely come out of the boys' dorm, James had noted over the Marauder's Map.
Yes, they had renamed it because Hogwarts - A Mystery sounded a Bathilda Bagshot rip-off and so unoriginal.
The slab of stone disappeared as the Common Room door opened. Aquila, in an oversized green sweater and dark pants, stood there with the sleeves of the sweater hiding her hands. Before she could react or he could think, he enveloped her in his arms and softly caressed a hand down her hair.
"Hey, Quilly," he said softly, feeling her lips curve up against his shoulder. "Come with me?"
She nodded as she drew back, and James dug through the sleeve of her sweater with a smile and finally laced his fingers with hers.
James dragged her with him, ignoring her half-hearted protests.
"James, I'm not wearing shoes!" she laughed, the sound ringing like bells in James' ears. James turned around with a grin and brought her closer.
He faced his back to her and gestured to his shoulders. "Climb on, my lady."
Aquila laughed. "I'm not climbing on your back."
James rolled his eyes and removed his shoes. Bending down, he lifted her feet one by one and slipped his shoes on her feet. "Happy now?" he whispered, raising his head so Aquila and his face were inches apart, what with her bent with her hands on his shoulders. She put a dainty finger under his chin and pecked his nose softly. "Very," she whispered back.
To her delight and James' embarrassment, he blushed a deep scarlet, making her smile even wider.
"C'mon, you," he murmured, getting up as Aquila pinched his cheeks. He swatted her hands away and grabbed one, intertwining their fingers again.
Up they went to the seventh floor corridor, climbing so many steps that Aquila almost sat on the staircase, and in front of the Room of Requirement.
James turned to grin at her just as the door appeared. "Cool, innit?"
Aquila traced a finger on the pattern of the door. "I knew it existed, but I've never seen it. It's not on your map, is it?"
"Nope. I checked Doom's map, too," James said, opening the door.
Aquila hummed, taking in the room. "It must be Unplottable."
In front of her lay the Potter home's living room, a well worn room with lots of memories and the scars to prove it. Burn marks on the walls, tears in the sofa that could have been easily removed but weren't. Aquila felt her heart warm at the sight of a photo frame with a younger James between who must be his parents.
He went in front of her and faced her, spreading his arms. "What do you think?" he asked, nervousness radiating from him. Aquila couldn't help but smile as she plopped herself down on one of the sofas.
"It's perfect," she said, beckoning James over.
He smiled that smile Aquila loved so much, that troublemaker's smile, and sat beside her on the sofa, facing her.
"How are you?" he whispered, his eyes flitting down to her covered left arm before darting up to hers again.
Aquila hesitated. Should I tell him?
I would rather you not, Regulus said.
Aquila scowled. I wasn't talking to you.
"Why are you angry?" James asked worriedly, biting the corner of his lip.
Aquila schooled her features into nonchalance.
Just imagine the coddling you'd get if he thinks you still have it, Regulus drily said in her mind.
"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth, now really starting to concern James.
You're saying you did it for coddling? She responded. And just like that, they were talking again.
You coddle me enough as it is, sister mine, he laughed.
"Quilly, you don't look alright. You sure you're good? Can I get something for -" James said, running a gentle hand down her back.
Aquila waved a hand, faintly smiling. "I'm alright, I'm alright."
