Arcane (Regulus Black)

twenty-five

I got nothing but a letter and i withheld his promise.

-

December 1979

I looked at myself in the mirror as I adjusted my black dress. I smiled, he would have loved this dress. He would have-

"Are you ready Elizabeth?" Sirius asked with Remus.

I jumped in surprise and turned to them. I nodded, words could not come out simply because this did not feel real.

In the sombre setting of the funeral, where mourners had gathered under a heavy, grey sky, Regulus had stood with a quiet dignity that belied the turmoil within. His tall frame had been stoic, his posture straight, yet his eyes had betrayed a depth of sorrow that had seemed to pierce through the veil of grief that had hung over the gathering. That was what he deserved but sadly, nobody attended it but Remus, Sirius and I.

There was a gravestone that looked like something was dug up and a box was put in but the truth was that the box was empty. Nobody found Regulus's body, nobody knew what happened to him, he just disappeared, presumed dead.

Dressed in dark, formal attire, Sirius had exuded an air of solemnity as he had stood, his presence echoing the solitary state of melancholy and isolation we all felt with Regulus. His usually vibrant brown eyes had been dulled by sorrow, that reflected the weight of loss that had hung heavy in the air. As the mournful dirge of the funeral hymn had filled the air, Sirius had stood with bowed head, his dark hair tousled by the gentle breeze that had rustled through the surrounding trees. His hands had been clasped tightly in front of him, fingers intertwined in a silent gesture of mourning.

Despite the heaviness of grief, there remained a quiet strength in hope thatt somewhere perhaps he was alive. That was what Sirius chose to believe in. "he still chose them" Sirius choked out, I gasped and turned but Remus intervened and tried to talk to him.

"Whatever, Elizabeth, if he wanted to change he would have fought and done something about it." he turned back around, "he would have, he could, he should have come to me and told me, I would have-" he broke away and left. Remus paced towards him but paused and looked at me, I nodded and forced a smile on my face as Remus followed Sirius to comfort him.

"Oh Reg," I whispered, tears streamed down my face. I heard steps and looked around to find nobody. "Remus" I called out. Someone walked towards me and I gasped as memories rushed back. "Kreacher" I whispered.

"Master Regulus left this for you" Kreacher bowed and gave me an envelope.

I opened it to find his ring with his initials RAB and a letter. I paused and put the letter back into the envelope. Truth was as this war raged on I grew unsure on what to hold onto, my life had lost purpose. This war grew but James had Lily, Remus had Sirius but I stood alone.

We had made so many promises, what we were to do after we graduated, in this lifetime how he would- I sighed, it would never happen. Now everything turned hollow and empty. All was gone. Regulus had drawn memories into my mind I could never erase. Painted colours in my heart, i could never replace. The light in my sky had gone.

I remained rooted to the spot, my gaze fixed on the final resting place of the departed. In that moment of quiet contemplation, i hoped to find solace amidst the sorrow, a flicker of hope amidst the darkness of loss but nothing was there, not even Regulus. I held his ring in my hand and brought it up to my rest under face as I sat by his grave.

"Master Regulus also left this for you." he walked towards me and I hesitated as Kreacher took his hand out. I wiped my face lightly as I felt the mascara fall down my face. I took the box from Kreacher and opened it, I gasped. The necklace I had, he gave me from when we were kids. "I'll always find my way back to you." I remembered that I cried that day, more than I had ever cried before in my entire life. Where were you, Regulus? Why have you not come back to me?

In the end, i was ready to give it all up—everything. I was half out of my mind with love, but I found the letter tucked in one of my books on my shelves. My hand shook as I hesitantly opened it. I sighed.

Some people are born with tornadoes in their lives, but with constellations in their eyes. Other people are born with stars at their feet, but their souls are lost at sea. I wanted people to know that half of my soul, my beating heart, was not lost at sea, gone forever, never able to return, but I owed it to him. So in the end, Regulus Black did teach me something, he taught me that life gives you tornadoes and to deal with them head-on, even if death comes around, because the truth is that you are meant for death in some twisted, non-sick, non-toxic way, but there's nothing wrong or nothing to be scared of. Instead of fearing this moment, you should live it that way when it comes; you won't regret anything. And that's what I did. I decided to live for Regulus Black. I, Elizabeth Black, lived.

I decided to work harder to win the war. I decided to live for him. Regulus's death would not have been in vain. Hence this book.

I vowed to keep my promise to Regulus, to remember him in the future, and to ensure that there are good people in the world. Change is possible, and Regulus is an example of that. This book proves it. This is the book.

This is my story, our story. Regulus and mine. Arcane and whole.

***

THAT'S A WRAP! Genuinely, I have no idea how quickly I wrote this because I have been in the BIGGEST reading and writing slump because of my dissertation, but listening to this new Taylor Swift album has got me back into it, so with that said, I hope you enjoyed it! I may write some bonus chapters; comment any requests! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS!