Regulus Black- Drowning

Alphard and Elves

Alphard Black was the coolest man ever! That much had become clear to Sirius. It had been merely hours seems the ceremony was over but the stuffy party was still in full swing, Only it didn't feel stuffy. Not with Alphard there.

Infact Sirius had lost consideration for anything other than Alphard in the moment. He wanted to please the man and have fun doing so! He cared not where his parents were and had honestly all but forgotten Andy and Regulus.

Sirius had never really had a male figure of authority to look up to. Orion was out of the question, Cygnus was no better. But Uncle Alphard... Sirius had found a role model.

From spiking the punch, pouring salt in drinks and much more, Alphard had truly brightened up what Sirius had expected to be a boring event.

"You've got to be really quick though little man, can you do it?" Alphard whispered excitedly to Sirius, his aged eyes lighting up with youthfulness.

They were currently attempting to remove the clip holding Bella's unruly curls and Sirius had decided there was only one man for the job. Himself.

"Born ready." Sirius features were stiffened with such a focus that he found it almost comical.

He gave Alphard a semi-serious nod and crept through the large hall until he caught a glimpse of his target.

He grinned as he made a move. He could practically see her wild hair springing out as he reached for the silver clip.

This was going to be fun.

Regulus was not having fun. He had been once again abandoned by his brother, something he hoped would not become a common occurrence.

He found himself wandering through the manor again, only now he had no Narcissa with him.

She was off no doubt pleasing her parents as they searched for a match of her own.

So it was just Regulus. Alone. Again.

At first he had found this rather fun, his parents never let him off on his own, but they had to attend a meeting of some sort so Regulus had been told...ordered to 'stop hovering like an undignified gnat and leave.'

He had done so with nary a complaint for a while. He figured he would probably bump into Sirius at some point if he just kept looking, but it had been a lot of looking and he had yet to catch even a glimpse of his big brother. Something he was growing increasingly bitter about.

Regulus now strided through through halls and corridors with such haste it made him a bit dizzy, but it felt like such an act of rebellion that the energy around him felt palpable.

In his reckless stomping, or to put it in his mother's words 'petulant tantrum' he'd to some degree, forgotten to really look where he was going.

And in that cruel twist of fate he found himself crumpled on the floor, having bumped into something he could not yet make out.

Suddenly a small voice began to hastily apologize and beg for forgiveness.

"So sorry!- so sorry s-sir" it repeated.

Regulus scrambled to his feet only to see what was causing such a racket.

Infront of Regulus stood what must have been the tiniest house elf he had ever seen! The peculiar being was slamming a palm repeatedly into his wrinkled face letting out groans of pain in-between his apologies.

"Mitzi is not meaning to have harmed you little master. Mitzi is being sorry!" It squeaked it' hazel eyes large and watery.

Regulus rush to the house elf and got done on his knees.

"S-stop that!" He cried, he couldn't stand to see something so small and defenceless on so much pain.

Like clock work, Mitzi stopped but her hand twitches with the effort of stopping.

"But-but, Mitzi is having hurt a master so Mitzi must be being hurted." It croaked, now full on bawling as she tried to raise her hand again.

He was now on the floor as a very small house elf sobbed into his shoulder.

He had never been good with emotions or crying but something about this tiny little being made a part of his heart break.

He made a delicate move to grab Mitzi's wrists and he held them softly out infront of them.

"Please stop that. You're- you're okay... Mitzi is it?" He quietly asked, he lowered her wrists but hovered near them incase she started to hit herself again.

He didn't know a whole lot about house Elves, he had always been told that they were inferior and not worth enough to breathe the same air as he did. But seeing a creature like this made him feel some odd sort of guilt, a privileged guilt.

"Ye-yes S-sir" she croaked pulling back from his shoulder and staring at him. "You is being so small little master" she tearily smiled.

Regulus giggled, the sound soft and warming.
He truly was quite small, on his knees he was equal height with Mitzi. He had always been small and soft. 'delicate'.

"Me?" He grinned. "You're tiny!" He giggled again his features had lit up with some long deserved happiness.

Mitzi smiled to and seemed to regain control of herself, her shaky movements stopped and she let out a small laugh too.

"Me is being only a little bit smaller than most elfs." She told him. " Mitzi is being 78!" She still has some time to be grown."

"78! I am only nine!" He said his eyes widened in disbelief.

Mitzi sensed she had stumbles onto a topic he was interested in and eagerly started to speak again.

"Mitzi is knowing a elf who is 345!" She squeaked her ears perked in excitement.

"345!" Regulus squealed.

The two giggled and Regulus smiled when he realized something, he had made a friend!

"What is little master being called?" She asked when the laughter had died down.

"I am Regulus Black" he spoke proudly. But soon calmed down and offered Mitzi a hand to shake.

Her eyes reared up almost instantly as she stared at his out stretched hand, the implications were evident.

"Mitzi" she said as she took his hand. Her first ever handshake.

That day a great friendship was made, as was a great development in Master Regulus's life.

That day served as a reminder for Regulus for the rest of his life, that a little kindness goes a long way.