𝓟𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓫𝓲𝓪 || Regulus Black

1.2 - Advice

"The Levitation Charm." Said Professor Flitwick to the room full of first Years. "One of the simplest charms you'll learn. That's why we teach it early. So say the words 'Wingardium Leviosa' and make this movement with your wands."

"Wingardium Leviosa" The children repeated, trying out the charm for themselves on feathers they each had laid out in front of them.

Pandora, Regulus, and Ophelia's feathers all lifted up at once. Barty tried the spell twice before he could get the feather to float. 

"Hey, how did you guys get it to work so fast?" A redheaded Hufflepuff whispered to Ophelia from the seat behind her.

Barty piped up. "Mind your own business and try a little harder, Hookum."

Ophelia shot him a nasty look and then turned back around to look at the girl behind her.

"Take a breath first, then hold your wand firmly and try the charm again, Daisy." Ophelia told her. "You just need to get out of your head."

The girl took a small swish of her wand and repeated the charm. Daisy's feather had started to rise to her head level and her face burst into an ear-to-ear smile.

"It worked!" She beamed. "How did you know?"

"My mum taught me that trick before I left to come to Hogwarts." Ophelia said proudly.

Regulus looked over at Ophelia in admiration as she turned around, facing forward again and watching her feather levitate above all the students' heads.

"Well done, everyone!" Flitwick congratulated all the students, who just learned one of the first charms on their way to graduating the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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"Do you know what my mother told me before I left for Hogwarts?" Regulus said to Ophelia once class ended.

"What?" She asked.

"She said 'You better be in Slytherin'." Regulus told her with a perfect poker face.

"No pressure, though." Ophelia giggled, "Well, I could be the one to give you life advice."

Ophelia and Regulus smiled at each other, knowing they could be a great duo.

"Fine, give me a piece of advice right now." Regulus said.

Ophelia squinted her eyes and pretended to think of a piece of advice, even though she knew exactly what advice to give him.

"Don't let your family define you." She said. "You're away from them for now, try figuring out who you are without them."

Regulus hesitated for a second as he processed the advice. After a second of silence, Ophelia started to worry that Regulus was upset about what she told him. She wasn't sure how he should react, and neither was he.

"Alright." Regulus smirked. "My new advisor. I won't tell my mother just yet, though. Don't want her to feel bad about being replaced."

Ophelia held back a sigh of relief. She smiled, then winked at Regulus.

"Smart. I would be upset if I was replaced by someone younger and better than me immediately after sending my son away."

As Regulus and Ophelia arrived at the transfiguration courtyard, Barty caught up to them, grabbing onto Regulus' arm, pulling him away from Ophelia.

Regulus went along with it, and started to walk where Barty was pulling him.

"Alright, so that means you have to be my best friend and my advisor for the next seven years." Regulus said, walking away from Ophelia.

"Sounds good." She smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

Ophelia turned around, walking towards the Great Hall. She was blushing, and she really was looking forward to being close with Regulus for the next seven years.

Regulus was looking forward to it as well, he just didn't know it as much yet. It takes a while to get close to someone new when your family is as messed up as the Blacks.

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Ophelia and Pandora were separated during meals, as they were both in different houses and had to sit at two separate tables. But, they could still see each other, as they were only about five metres away from one another. Most importantly, they could see when the other was sitting alone, waiting for her best friend and his new buddy to come eat lunch with the rest of the school.

Suddenly, the doors of the Great Hall opened, and in came running Regulus Black and Barty Crouch Jr., out of breath and exasperated by the time they sat down next to Ophelia.

"Where were you?" Ophelia asked with a frown on her face and her arms crossed. 

"The forest." Regulus said quietly.

Ophelia's eyes widened in shock. "You were in the for—" She started, when Barty instinctively covered her mouth to protect himself. His hands smelled like cedar and were sticky with sap, and it was nauseating when it was that close to Ophelia's nose.

"Don't shout, there are professors all around." Regulus said.   

"It's not a big deal, Effie." Barty said, removing his hand from her face. "We barely even went past the first line of trees."

"It is a big deal, and don't call me Effie." She said firmly. "You could get kicked out of school in your first year if a professor finds out about this."

"So don't tell anyone." Regulus said. 

Ophelia wanted to keep on her straight face, but it was difficult when Regulus was laying on the charm like he was. 

Barty rolled his eyes. The kind of eye roll that Euphemia would call 'silently deafening' if James or Ophelia tried it at home. 

"Ugh, are you sure you're a Slytherin, doll? You seem awfully uptight and boring." Barty asked, licking his upper lip. Ophelia's only known Barty for three weeks, and she was already sick of Barty's lip licking.

Regulus reacted by slapping Barty on the upper arm. Regulus wasn't always one to stand up to bullies, but he would always help Ophelia. 

"And you seem awfully immature and childish. Are you sure you're not a toddler?" 

"Alright, okay." Regulus stepped in. "Ophelia's a Slytherin, Barty was joking, and we're all going to pretend like nothing happened. We've been eating lunch with you the whole time, and everything is great."

Ophelia and Barty gave each other the death stare, then rolled their eyes, and started eating. 

Ophelia began preparing her newest piece of advice for when Regulus asked her next. "Stop hanging out with Barty."