꧁ʙᴏʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜʀᴘʟᴇ꧂

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 5

"Of course she has. Of course you do"

She winks at him in good luck, that Romie probably needs more than he does with the temper that's flaring inside of him, begrudgingly approaching the girl already dipping happily into his riches. He busies his hands by unbuttoning his coat rather than yanking those plaits free from her head, voice gruff and dark when he says,

"You have some nerve, Lupin"

Romie's head raises, and prompt laughter tears through her throat at his face full of annoyance. She snaps her book on werewolves closed, unable to stop grinning as he perches across from her stiff and rigid and so sour faced it looks like he's had five acid pops in the past five minutes.

"I did tell you to not keep me waiting, Black. It's not my fault no one does it like Rosie" She defends, hiding the book from his spying view.

No one needed to know she was researching werewolves, specially Regulus Black. As much as she hates to admit it, he's one of the brightest of their age, and it wouldn't take long for him to put two and two together, ultimately revealing Remus' condition that she's working so hard to find a cure for.

There's a glow to her eyes when Regulus locks onto them again, warning and protective over whatever she's hiding. He dismisses his thought for another time, raking a hand through his tousled curls, sighing,

"Let's not make this any longer than it has to be. What do you want?"

"You"

Short, bold and to the point. Regulus asked what she wants, and what she wants is him. To some extent. The Slytherin's generous adam's apple bobs and he swallows, staring right back at her, unusually still. Not in the way that screams I hate you and being around you pissed me off, more of a you've definitely just caught me by surprise.

A smirks tugs at the Gryffindor's lips, elbows coming down to rest on the wooden table between them, supporting her when she leans forward towards him, querying smoothly,

"Did that make you nervous, Black?"

Regulus' jaw ticks, her smug undertones bringing him back to the present. Silver eyes narrowing and nose crinkling, he bites back assertively,

"No. It made me nauseous"

An unconvinced snort of laughter sounds from Romie, telling him straight that she doesn't believe him one little bit. One point scored to her tally. He crosses his arms over his chest, cursing himself for originally being so curious. For still being so curious. He should be jumping up and charging out of the pub with how insufferable she's already being, yet he finds himself wanting to know more. Know why.

"You know, for someone who says they want me, you're not doing so well winning me over" He declares, dropping his own elbows onto the table and leaning to meet her half way. Challenging.

Romie never falters, if anything encouraged and spirited by his daring nature. Fluttering her eyelashes and licking her lips, she puts on her best, soft, wooing voice, murmuring,

"You want me to sweet talk you, Black? Tell you how pretty you are? That when i'm having a bad day, I think of you and suddenly my world lights up?"

"Please. Don't stop, i'm swooning" Regulus deadpans, wearing a flat look through and through when Romie's gaze flicks over his features, up close and wonderful.

So close that she can, for the very first time, spotting the flecks of blue amidst the piercing grey. She'd never noticed that before, she's never been close enough to. Sirius' are darker grey, sometimes like rings of charcoal depending on the light, Regulus' are lighter, icier, more cutting and sharp. Makes sense, really, considering he's got a heart made out of cold stone.