Every time Aria would finger his scars in astonishment, Regulus' body would tense and then shiver, sending electric tidal waves through his veins.
Finally, he placed his shirt down, covering his wounds. The pair sat in an awkward silence, before an...
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As the clock read 7 pm, the Gryffindor opened the door to the transfiguration classroom and silently took her seat.
Across the classroom was familiar raven-hair
"You two will be writing lines for me today" Professor Mcgonagall said, "'I will behave properly and conduct respectable behaviour from now on.' That is what you will be writing. You have until 11 pm, you may begin.
Almost synchronized, the two took their quills and ink from their bags and began to write. After two hours, Arias hand ached as she wrote her 400th line.
"Please excuse me will you? I have an urgent meeting with the headmaster so please stay in your seats and continue writing until I come back" Said professor Mcgonagall as she exited the classroom.
The next few moments were filled with only the sound of scratching quills on paper until Aria finally decided to say something.
"Why are you in here?" she said.
"Cursed Mulciber for torturing a first year" Regulus said as he took out another piece of parchment to write more lines.
"What are you writing? That's not what she said!" said the younger Black peering at the brunettes paper.
"It's nothing"
"Halloween prank!" he shouted, "You were scolding my brother for playing a prank when you're planning one yourself!"
"I didn't scold him for planning the prank, I scolded him for being caught and admitting to it" she said as she wrote more details for the prank.
Regulus huffed before resuming his lines. After a couple of minutes, his curiosity got the best of him and he stole the parchment from Aria's grasp and began to read.
"First of all this need changing, right over here" he pointed to the 7th word, "decorum is the spell to decorate not decoratus."
"Thanks" she muttered as she scribbled the word into the parchment that was still in Regulus' hand. She hadn't realized just how close they were until she heard a subtle cough from the other side of the room.
The two jumped in surprise as Professor Mcgonagall made her way to the front of the classroom.
"You too may be dismissed" she said as she enchanted the papers of lines into her hands.
Regulus and Aria walked in silent awkwardness all the way until they reached the Gryffindor common room. Before she entered, Regulus pulled Aria's hand until they were inches apart.
"I'm assuming my brother never thanked you" he began.
"For what?"
"For standing up for him, it was nice of you. So, on behalf of his obnoxious self, thanks"
"Don't mention it" she said as she darted past him towards the portrait.
"Wait!" Regulus exclaimed.
Aria slowly turned around, "Yes?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to Hogsmead this Saturday," he began while nervously rubbing his right hand against the back of his neck, "Since your new and all, I thought I could show you around"
"I would love to but someone has already asked me and I said I would go with them" she said avoiding his intense gaze.
"Oh, that's alright"
Aria turned around once more and headed towards the entry of the common room when she was once again interrupted.
"Who is it?" Regulus asked, "Who's taking you?"
"Sirius" she said nonchalant.
"Oh" he said though there were a million more words he would have liked to say.
Aria headed towards the common room, leaving Regulus alone to gather his thoughts. He was upset but he didn't know at what. Maybe it was the fact that Aria was going to Hogsmeade without him or the fact that she was going with non other than Sirius Black, his better-looking, more friendly, Gryffindor prince of a brother.
The older Black was a gorgeous, flirt who dated practically the entire school.
He doesn't deserve her, he thought.
Nonetheless, shoving all jealous thoughts to the back of his mind.
Sirius used his best mate. The two siblings would spend countless hours jousting with fake wands or fantasizing about thee rumored school of Hogwarts. They used to get along so well that even their mother, Walburga, found it suspicious.
After Sirius left home to attend his first year at Hogwarts, Regulus was left alone with nothing but his old, fake wand and no partner to point it at. That had been the worst year of his life.
Being the only child at home, he was now being punished more frequently and severely.
After Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor, Regulus felt even more alone. His parents punished him for the assortment, claiming that Regulus' bravery and chivalry had tainted Sirius blood.
To put Regulus in his place, both Walburga and Orion taught hm about the Dark Lord and his ambition at an early age. They did not want him to turn into Sirius, they wanted him to be a Slytherin.
After Regulus was sorted into Slytherin, Regulus felt the loneliest. He didn't have his brother, his parents, nor any friends.
He had Mulciber of course, and Avery, Evan and Snape. Though, they never felt like true friends to Regulus.
Thats why, when Aria came to sit with him that one morning at his table and he felt that spark, he knew he was no longer lonely. He had a friend.
Now, all these confusing thoughts wrapped around his head. What if he didn't want to be just friends?
Regulus headed towards the empty, lonely Slytherin common room where he had a restless night.
