The Brothers Black

Chapter 35

I must have fallen asleep because the sun was well past set when my eyes opened to an empty dorm. It was supper, most likely, and I was hungry. What I wanted to do most, though, was check on Regulus.

I entered the hospital wing to a beaming Madame Pomfrey.

"You got your herbs this week, dear?" she smiled. Even though I feel better lately, she still checks on me with the latest medicines.

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"He's over there," she winked. "Doing much better. He's ready to go, but I wanted to let him sleep."

I made my way to Regulus's cot. His fluffy brown hair floated over his closed eyelids, and the only proof of life was the rising and falling of his chest. The bandage was gone, but a purple bruise covered most of his upper body. I must have been a bit noisy because his eyes began to flutter open. 

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey."

I reached out, tracing the mark on his bare stomach with my finger, following it up his ribcage to near his heart, where he reached out and put his hand over mine. 

"I tried to find you after the game," I said. 

"They brought me here pretty fast. But I'm okay," he said, a smile fluttering at his lips.

"Okay with losing, you mean?" I grinned.

"Shut it. At least let me leave the hospital wing before you gloat in your victory."

"You're cleared, by the way. Pomfrey told me."

He straightened up with a bit of difficulty, and I sat down on the side of his bed. 

He reached out for my chin. "I kind of like it in here, though."

I leaned in to his grasp, teasing him with my lips against his before I jumped up. "Too bad, I'm hungry. You made me miss supper, so now you're going to have to take me to the kitchens." 

Due to Regulus's strange but beneficial connections with all the house elves, we could eat whenever we wanted.

Stumbling out of the kitchens with mouths and pockets stuffed of bread rolls, we made a picnic under the moonlight in the courtyard. 

I looked around. "Wow, this is almost like a date."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

I blinked, surprised at the frustration in his voice. "You, Regulus Black, have never been one for dates."

He sighed, looking away at the mountains beside us. I could tell something was on his mind by his frown.

"What?" I asked.

He fidgeted with his collar. "I was thinking the other day that we haven't really done things the customary way, and I know that nothing's ever customary with us, but I don't like it. Well, what I'm trying to say is that it's been six months that we've been together, or at least, when we started telling people, which is what I count as us being together. But I realized I've never officially asked. Well, I wanted to, but I never actually said it. And I know it's late, and I hope you don't think that you're not what I want to ask you, because you are, but I wanted to ask."

I laughed. I loved how flustered he got when he was nervous. "What?"

"I never asked you to be my girlfriend." Regulus blushed, and took a deep inhale. "So, will you, Addy Potter, be my girlfriend?"

I smiled, nodding back at him. "Yes, Regulus Black, I will be your girlfriend."

"I got you something," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a black box with a red ribbon.