T W E N T Y S I X

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Can and Madeline shared a look then laughed. "Oh life must be so hard."

"Easy for you to say. You actually have a boyfriend who sleeps 30 feet away from you, Miss Camilla."

"Yeah I guess I'm pretty lucky."

"That you are." Madeline chimed in.

~

They arrived back at Hogwarts and headed straight to their room to unpack before dinner. Alyssa and cam went down first, Madeline said she'd meet them in a second.

She walked over to her bed side table and opened the top drawer she pulled out a picture and turned it around given it was upside down.

The girl stared at it with a small smile on her face, that smile quickly faded and without warning a tear fell down her face and landed on the picture. The picture was of Regulus sitting on a blanket in the grass, moving towards the camera with a scrunched nose and a big smile on his face.

She took the picture during one of their study sessions last fall, on the hill near the lake.

"I really have lost you forever, haven't I?" She said in a soft quiet voice. 

"Knock knock." She heard someone say at the door.

She hurried to put the picture back in her drawer then turned around and saw her brother.

"Jamie!" She smiled and ran into his arms.

"Long time no see." He smiled.

"It feels like the longest time we've been away from each other." She chuckled.

"Other than my first year here when you were back home. Yes." He laughed.

"I got you something. But I'll give it to you later, I'm hungry." Madeline said walking out of her room.

"What were you just looking at?" He asked, referring to what she shoved into her night stand.

"Oh nothing, really."

"I can tell when you're lying." He chuckled. "But I won't bug you about it if you don't want to talk about it. But I do want you to know that I know it's about Reg."

"No way." She gasped sarcastically.

"Do you really not want to talk about it?"

"Not with my brother, no." She patted his back.

"Fine. But you have a lot of people to talk to if you need it, okay? I won't let this drain in you forever."

"Got it." She said stepping out through the painted lady door.

~

James and Madeline walked and chatted their way down to the great hall, mainly about each other's break. He had told her that Remus had a more violent episode but she didn't know how violent till she saw him later that night.

They turned the final corner to the doors of the great hall and just then Sirius Remus and Peter were turning the corner at the opposite end of the hall.

"Is that who I think it is?" Sirius asked.

"I think it is." Peter chuckled.

"Little Potter." Remus added.

Madeline smiled at the three boys and rushed over to pull them all into a hug. "Hi boys."

"Hi"
"Hey you."
"Hey."

Madeline looked at all of them, starting with Sirius on the left then Peter who was in the middle then she turned to see Rem and what James had meant.

"Oh my god." She said quietly. He had two long wounds across his face, starting at the top left corner of his face and it went to the opposite corner on the bottom of his. She brought her hand up and lightly trailed the side of the bottom cut. "Rem..."

"It's okay, it doesn't even hurt, and it'll leave a cool scar." He smiled.

She shook her head and chuckled softly. "Have you seen Camilla yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well I think your girl is inside already, prepare for more concern and constant 'are you okay' she means well." She chuckled.

~

"I want her back. I don't care anymore. I just want to be with her." He said with his head resting in his hands at the Slytherin table.

"I can't stop you, and I want you to be happy, but is it worth getting hurt again?" The platinum blonde haired girl said.

"Maybe she won't hurt me again. Maybe this time it'll be perfect. Maybe it'll be worth it. I miss her, Cissy." He looked over at the Gryffindor table.

"Maybe it will be. And I can't tell you what to do. If you want her go get her. Or let her come back to you."

"No, maybe you're right. I should let it go. Move on." He looked away from the girl who was laughing her her friends.

"You are so bipolar sometimes." Narcissa chuckled.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna move on. It's the right thing to do. Right? Right. It was just a little school crush. Nothing more. Everyone gets in many relationships during their teen years." He tried convincing himself.

"I guess?"

"Do you like anyone?" He changed the subject and looked at her.

"Oh umm. Well. Sort of."

"Oh really?" He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Does this person have a name."

"Yeah, she does." She said quietly as she looked over at the Gryffindor table.

"She?" He followed her gaze and tried to tell which girl she was looking at.

"Keep it down. No one knows." She looked at him.

"I feel honored to be the first to know then." He winked.

"Yeah well don't take it personal. It slipped. I wasn't even gonna tell you. Could you imagine if our family found out. I don't think they would approve."

"Well it's not their love life is it? It shouldn't matter to them. Now, you gonna give me a name? For all I know you could have a crush on my girlfri- ex. Ex girlfriend and that's why you don't want me getting back with her." He chuckled.

"Oh god no. I mean she's gorgeous. Anyone can see that. But no she's not my type. Try the girl sitting in front of her."

Regulus looked back over at the table. "Cam?"

"No." She chuckled. "Okay to the front and to the side."

He looked again. "Marlene? Marlene McKinnon?" He whispered.

She nodded her head and blushed a little.

"Oh yeah she's pretty. Do you think she feels the same way?"

"I don't know. I mean there are definitely signs there but what if she doesn't like girls and I embarrass myself?"

"You could ask Sirius if he knows?"

"Good idea, cousin." She smiled at him.

And so she made it her mission to talk to Sirius about Marlene McKinnon by the end of the week.

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