( 𝘨𝘪𝘧: 𝘳𝘦𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 )
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎
𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢 ─ 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵
"𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵, 𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑺!"
Regulus Black ignored Slughorn's voice, drowning the shrill noise to background sound as his grey eyes stared at Penelope Greengrass. Her forest green eyes were cautiously read the instructions for the Amortentia the professor had paired the two to brew, teeth gnawing on her bottom soft pink lip in concentration. A lock of her auburn red hair fell, dangling above her eyes before she leaned back, sighing in frustration.
Her eyes met his grey ones, and Regulus quickly looked away, and hoped his best friend didn't notice. He hated his pale skin, as his light blush must be obviously apparent across his sharp cheekbones.
"I don't understand shit, Reg!" Poppy slammed her book shut, pouting slightly as she tucked that loose strand behind her ear.
"Language, Miss Greengrass!" Slughorn exclaimed from the other side of the classroom, making the red-head mutter under her breath in annoyance, before plastering a fake smile for the professor, sending Slughorn an apologetic look.
Regulus softly smiled at her, grabbing the book from her hands and opening it. "With that attitude, we'll never get the Felix Felicis."
Professor Slughorn had promised that the pair that had made the best Amortentia in the class will gain a small vial of Felix Felicis. While other students muttered excitedly between themselves about why they wanted or needed the lucky potion, Penelope thought that, surely, no one needed it as much as herself ─ a girl on the brink of death.
Weighing her chances, Poppy pushed the sleeves of her white-buttoned shirt upto her elbows before nodding at her best friend. "Okay then, where do we start?"
"We might actually do better if you don't get involved─" Regulus let laughter escape his thin lips as Poppy whacked him with her old, tattered Potions book, slightly glaring at him amused. "What? It's true! I don't want to end up with half an eyebrow again."
Poppy pouted. "That was only one time!"
When Regulus raised an eyebrow, challenging the hot-tempered red-head. Poppy hesitated, before giving in, sliding the book across the desk towards the raven-haired boy. It wasn't a lie ─ Poppy was amazingly atrocious at concocting potions. Spells? Easy. History? Memorised. But forget potions ─ unlike another red-head named Lily Evans, Penelope Greengrass hated the subject.
Luckily, she had been paired up with Regulus.
The first five minutes passed slowly, the grey-eyed boy focused on the task in front of him as Poppy swung her legs, too short to reach the floor. Sighing in boredom, the sixteen-year old leaned forward, her head on her hands as she glanced at Regulus. She didn't know what she would do without him ─ not just about the potions, but for always being by her side for the past six years of her life. Poppy couldn't imagine a life without Regulus Black.
Not that she'd have a life in a few months.
Shaking the shuddering thought out of her mind, she began to count the freckles on Regulus's face. Poppy wasn't stupid ─ she knew about the history of the Black family. Not only because of the rumours, but because of what Regulus had told her. The loneliness he felt for not agreeing with his family's ideologies siding with the rising dark wizard. It was the reason why is brother, Sirius, had left ─ Regulus couldn't blame him. Yet Poppy could. For leaving his younger brother, someone as sweet as Regulus, alone to fend for himself in that horrible household.
Penelope's family wasn't too bad. Apart from her father, Poppy loved her mother and brother, and would do anything for them. For them and her friends.
Regulus glanced at her, raising his eyebrow at catching Poppy staring. She raised an eyebrow back, smirking slightly. "What'cha looking at?"
"You, you baffoon." Poppy snorted, but her smile faded. "Trying to capture your face in a mental picture to remember when I go to heaven. Or hell ─ I'm not bothered."
Poppy's non-chalant shrug pained Regulus ─ he couldn't stand the chance of losing the young, red-head beside him. He wanted to watch her grow, watch the grey in her hair appear, and her chastised face smiling. Not her sixteen-year old face frozen in death for the rest of eternity.
"Poppy . . . we'll fix this."
Her sad forest green eyes met his, and Regulus could see that Poppy had made peace with her fate ─ resigned to her doomed ending with a shrug. He wouldn't ─ couldn't ─ accept that. "How, Reg?"
Clearing his throat, Regulus played with the rings in his hands. He had come up with an idea ─ one he disliked, but anything to save his beloved. "I . . . I might have organised a date for you, this afternoon."
"What?" Poppy exclaimed, eyes wide as an explosion erupted in the back of the room. The two teenagers turned around to observe their friend Marah with a scowl on her face as she glared at a James Potter, who's glasses leaned crooked on his nose. Once Slughorn escorted the two to the infirmary, with Marah swating James's hand away, Poppy focused on Regulus again.
"Before you say no─"
"No way, Reg!"
"─just listen." inhaling slightly, Regulus composed himself. "You could go on a few casual dates, here and there, and who knows? You might find your true love. Bam! Curse lifted, and a happy ever after."
Poppy stared at him unconvinced. "Regulus . . . "
"Give it a chance, at least? Nothing to loose, right?" Regulus smiled at her, but his heartstrings tugged inside of him. Poppy might not have anything to loose, but he seemed to lose his heart to her everyday more.
Sighing, Poppy pressed her lips to a thin line. "Okay. With who?"
". . . Gilderoy Lockhart."
Poppy pulled a face, making Regulus chuckle. "Are you serious─no, that's your brother. Gilderoy? All he does is talk about himself."
"Maybe you can shut it up with a kiss."
Poppy faked gagged, and laughter erupted from both of them. Once it died down, the two best friends stared at each other, silently enjoying each other's company as they got lost into each other's eyes. There was something so captivating about Regulus . . . Poppy just wasn't sure what exactly.
Slughorn's exclamation from across the room broke the two student's stare, as he pulled out a vial from his pocket to give it to the winner. "Congratulations, young Severus! Excellent job, as always."
Poppy rolled her eyes, turning back to Regulus. "Really? You lost to Greaseball here?"
"Don't you mean 'we'?" Regulus drawled sarcastically, running a hand through his mess of black curls. "And don't call Severus that ─ you know he hates it."
Poppy shrugs, packing her things into her bag like the rest of the students, as the class had ended. Before leaving, she leaned down, sniffing Regulus's made Amortentia slightly before scrunching her nose. "Your potion truly sucks, Reg. It only smells of you."
With a nudge, Poppy trotted to join Freddy, who had been sitting at the back of the class with Remus Lupin ─ unlike the other Slytherins, Freddy couldn't care less what house you were in, but rather your level of intellect in a conversation. Remus proved to be of a certain high level.
Regulus stared at Poppy, glancing at the potion in confusion. There's no way Poppy smelled him ─ he must have made it wrong. Out of curiosity, Regulus leaned in to sniff his potion.
"Nicely done potion there, Mr Black!" Slughorn startled the young Slytherin, clapping his hands. "Needs some improvement, but it's nearly there. What do you smell, dear boy?"
Regulus blushed, stuttering slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "Erm . . . just sea salts, old books and . . . lavender."
With a satisfied nod, Slughorn allowed Regulus continued to his next class, ignoring that voice in his back of his mind that reminded him that a certain red-head loved using lavender-scented candles.
∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎
"I'm going to murder you, Regulus Black!"
An infuriated red-head stormed down the middle of the tables in the Great Hall, her hair flying past as it nearly matched the shade of her face. A frown pulled her facial features down, black shiny shoes stomping across the tiled floor as she neared the end of the Slytherin table. Seemingly unaware of the curious looks that followed her, she continued storming past.
At the Gryffindor table, a surprised James scratched the back of his neck, messy hair sitting on his head as he nudged Sirius, who had his face stuffed in a plate of chicken. "What'cha think your brother did?"
Sirius shrugged, mouth full as he spoke. "Dunno."
"If he's anything like you, Sirius─" Lily added from across the table, glancing up from the newspaper she read with a raised eyebrow. "─then he probably deserves it."
With the familiar black curls, Regulus glanced up surprised, meeting his best friend's forest green eyes that were fueled by anger. "I'm sure I deserve it, but what have I done this time?"
Marah, who sat beside him, tutted as she shook her head. "If you have to ask, then you've certainly screwed up big time─"
Before Poppy could open her mouth and tell her story, Freddy strolled in, taking a seat as he grabbed an apple and stared at Poppy. "Did you really go on a date with Gilderoy? I expected better from you, Pops."
Poppy groaned in frustration, sinking into a seat next to Freddy. "Ugh! He told you?"
"Not personally. He's been telling the whole school you tried to sleep with him."
"Bastard." Poppy muttered, pushing herself up, but Freddy quickly pulled her down before she did anything she could regret. This, however, didn't stop the red-head from glaring the Ravenclaw table. "This is all your fault."
Regulus pouted, amused, slightly relieved at the idea that the date had gone wrong. "I'm only trying to help."
"Yeah, well, that was the first and last time. No more." Poppy crossed her arms across her chest in determination.
Marah sighed, reaching across the table to grave her friend's hand. "Look, Penelope─"
"Don't call me that."
"─it was a mistake making you go on a date with that creep. He's obviously not going to be your true love. So beneath you." Marah paused, black hair cascading behind her back as Poppy smiled softly. "If I was in charge, I'd set you up with girls and boys that deserve you, you sexy goddess."
Poppy tilted her head. "That last part was unnecesary."
"Also─ what about me? That was my job." Regulus protested, quietened by Marah's glare."
"What, so you can set her on dates with more losers, like yourself?" the snarkiness easily slipped from Marah's tongue before she turned to address Poppy again. "Pretty please? It is, literally, a matter of life and death, and ─"
"Okay, fine! Whatever." Poppy slumped over, glancing as Freddy put his arm around her.
"Cheer up, Popsicle! Just think of all the perverts out there─"
"Freddy!"
poppy and regulus scream 'cardigan' vibes by taylor swift