H I R A E T H
lxxviii||promises cannot be kept in war
"It's hard to make promises when we don't even know whether we'll be alive tomorrow." She murmurs and he purses his lips, staring up at her with softer eyes.
"At least. . .promise me you won't do anything stupid." Regulus says seriously and she raises an eyebrow at him. "When I find out where the horcrux is and I go—if I die—"
"No." Maria shakes her head, standing up and getting out of the bath. "No—Regulus, you promised we're going. We—us, together!"
"I know—but I cannot be the reason you don't come home to your brother Maria!" Regulus says, following her into the bedroom whilst adjusting a towel around his waist.
"And what about your brother, Regulus?" She points at him accusingly, shrugging on a grey top and some navy blue and white tartan pyjama pants.
"It's different—"
"It's different?! Okay, what about Alyssa and Stanley—or Lily, because you know she cares about you like she's your big sister!" Maria argues as Regulus shrugs on his grey sweatpants. "Or Andromeda and Nymphadora?"
"I'm not going to let you die because of me!"
"You won't be!"
"Yes—yes I will, Ria!" Regulus shouts, stepping closer to the brown haired girl with tears in her eyes. "And that's on me. If I make it out of this and you don't what do you think I'll do! What will James or Remus or Mary do without you?"
"What do you think I'll do if I stay here and you die—knowing I could've been there to prevent it?!" She yells back and he stares at her for a few seconds. "I wouldn't be able to live with that—you know that!"
"Please, Maria—just hear me out—"
"No, Regulus!" Maria snaps, turning to him as she had walked towards her bedroom door. "If you go without me I will never forgive you!"
Regulus stares at her with pleading eyes before the door swings open and Sirius, Marlene and Mary stroll inside, Mary holding Maria's dress by the strap on her finger and Regulus blinks away his tears, turning around to wipe the ones that had fallen off his cheeks.
"Woah—did we interrupt something?" Marlene looks between the two, the tension between them thick, her words slicing through the intense silence like a razor blade.
"No, no it's fine." Regulus shakes his head, blinking a few times before walking out of the room to go to the spare one that he should be using.
Maria sniffles and shakes her head when Sirius goes to ask what had happened, walking out of her own bedroom and downstairs, out of the front door, slamming it behind her. She sees shadows in the thin curtains of people dancing to loud music she can hear from outside and the brown eyed girl sits on the wall of the porch, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Her lip quivers as she inhales heavily, hoarse breathes leaving her throat and she runs both of her hands through her hair before letting her fist come into contact with the stone pillar beside her. Despite the pain in her knuckles she hits it a few more times before a hand grabs her wrist and grabs her head, bringing her sobbing form into his chest.
"Stop—stop." Regulus mumbles as she wriggles to escape his grasp, his eyes red and bruises on his knuckles as well. "You're bleeding, sweetheart—hey! Stop it." He grabs her face in his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes and her bated breathes slow down.
"I can't lose you too, Reg." Maria whispers and he nods, stroking her hair as her body shudders slightly. "My parents are dying—Clary and Danielle are dead—"
"It's okay." Regulus whispers, pulling her back into his chest and kissing her head gently. "I'm right here."
"Please don't leave me." The chocolate eyed girl sobs and Regulus blinks away most of his tears, some dripping down onto her head as he bites his lip. Inside the manor, teenagers and young adults dance, completely oblivious to the heart wrenching scene occurring on the porch.
"I won't, I promise." Regulus murmurs, smoothing down her hair. "We'll go together, I promise, we will."
Regulus pulls away from her and takes her hands in his larger ones, inspecting the injuries on her knuckles and he looks at her making her sniffle and shrug her shoulders. The tousle haired boy rolls his eyes and gently pulls her back inside and into her room, to the bathroom where he grips her hips and lifts her onto the marble counter softly.
She watches as he opens one of the cabinets and pull out some antiseptic liquid as well as some cotton pads.
"It's gonna sting." Regulus warns her as he pores it onto the cotton pad making her sigh as he gently takes her hand in his, biting her lip and wincing when she feels the sting of the liquid on the bleeding grazes.
"Cant we just use magic?" She says and Regulus looks at her.
"We can, but we have to make sure it doesn't get infected before we heal it, and I don't know how to do that with magic yet." The boy before her says and she huffs, slouching her shoulders as he moves onto the next knuckle.
Once he's finished he kisses her knuckles before wrapping a bandage around her hand, Maria watching him carefully as her bites the tape to rip it and make the bandage secure around her hand.
"Better?" Regulus asks, looking up at her finally and she nods softly, leaning up kissing his forehead from the sudden height advantage she has perched on the counter.
"Much." She smiles softly and he shakes his head, tucking some hair behind her ear and gently pressing his lips to hers, sliding his thumb across her cheekbone as he cups her jaw. When they pull away she purses her lips. "We're babysitting for the Weasleys next week."
"We? They want me to babysit as well?"
"I asked and they agreed." She shrugs and he smiles, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear making her lips turn up. "But they said no drinking, no sex and no leaving Charlie alone within reach of a wand."
"Right." Regulus nods and she laughs at him slightly making him smile sheepishly. "I've only ever babysat Dora. . ."
"You'll be great, I promise." She says encouragingly, pecking his lips and he smiles. "Want to go and get some marshmallows?"
"God yes." Regulus grins and she chuckles, hopping off the counter and they stroll downstairs, peering into the living room where Sirius is sat on the coffee table making them grimace and look at each other. "Let's never eat strawberries there again."
"Absolutely not." Maria agrees quickly and they walk down the hall and into the large kitchen, their fingers intertwined between them and they see Mickey stood on one of the counters, snapping his fingers which makes some squeaky clean dishes slowly pile onto a cabinet.
"Oh—Miss Potter! Master Black!" Mickey greets them, bowing low and Maria smiles at the house elf. "Whatever can Mickey do for you?"
"Just some marshmallows please, Mickey." Maria requests politely and Mickey nods eagerly, snapping his fingers again and a bowl of fluffy marshmallows appear in his hands and he holds them out to Maria who smiles thankfully.
"Thanks Mickey—me and Reg will eat breakfast in here with you tomorrow." Maria smiles and Mickey nods eagerly. Her and Regulus have been eating breakfast with Mickey often when they're home at the Potter Manor, feeling as though no house elf gets enough appreciation.
Walking back to her bedroom, they sit on the window seat, Regulus' head lay on her lower stomach and her thighs over his shoulders as she tangled her fingers in his hair, the two of them munching on the marshmallows.
"I can go and visit my Mum and Dad next week." Maria says hoarsely making Regulus smile softly at her, rubbing his large hands up and down her legs.
"I'll go with you."
Maria nods, pursing her lips and Regulus squeezes her thigh making her look down at him, "you'll be okay, alright? I love you."
"They won't though." Maria feels tears sting the back of her eyes but she blinks them away rapidly.
"Hey. . .cry." Maria rises her eyebrows incredulously as Regulus sits up. "I'm serious, Ria, just cry."
Maria shakes her head but as soon as he pulls her into an embrace she feels her lip tremble as she lets herself fall apart in his arms.
"Mum and Dad are dying—I know James is heartbroken, and he can't talk to me—and I don't know what I'm doing." She sobs into Regulus' chest and he feels his t-shirt become damp from her tears.
"You're okay—I'm so proud of you, okay? I love you so much. . .and I know you. I know you're stupidly stubborn and I know that you won't show that you're heart is breaking. And I know that you feel like nobody understands—and they don't, okay? They really have no fucking clue." Regulus whispers soothingly in her ear, one of his hands stroking her hair down and the other rubbing her lower back. "And neither do I—just like you have no idea what I've been through feels like—or Sirius or Remus or anyone else in the world. But I promise, just because we don't understand properly doesn't mean we don't want to help you. I won't let you go through this alone, not like with the others."
Maria nods, sniffling as she pulls him closer and he kisses the top of her head affectionately.
"I love you."
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