The holidays were over but the cold weather remained. Sitting outside the stairs of the castle entrance, you rubbed your hands together as more snow started falling from the sky. Everything in sight was white and brought you comfort that only the purity of snow could. All one color, cold enough to burn your skin if you played with it for too long, so beautiful yet so dangerous. You were tempted to bury your hand in the small mountain next to your feet.
But the cold hitting your face brought you out of your haze.
"Hey!" you squealed, your voice high from the cold snow sticking to your cheek. You brought your hand up to your face with half a smile as you turned in the direction someone hit you, your smile full once you saw your attacker.
"You were almost drooling over the snow there." Sirius said with a grin "Thought maybe I would give you what you wanted."
"Not funny." you told him, sticking out your tongue in his direction as you cleaned the melted snow with your sleeve.
"Your face says otherwise." he pointed towards you, your smile permanent on your face as he walked closer "Besides, I think James and Peter found it hilarious." he said, his hand rising over your shoulder and behind your back.
"Oh yeah, I bet this is all really amusing for them." you laughed, waving a hand in their direction as Remus was the only one to wave back, the other two still laughing. You could swear they put something in their food, they always had smiles on their faces and life wasn't that funny. At least not yours.
You patted Sirius in the arm, capturing his attention immediately "Watch this." you said, pulling your wand out of your pocket with the most discreet movement. You pointed towards the small mountain of snow where you sat before, murmuring the spell under your breath as it slowly levitated from the ground. You had your entire focus on the spell, your face contorted with concentration as you moved the snow in the air, missing the amazement in Sirius' face as his eyes gleamed with awe. The snow carefully flowed above the heads of James and Peter, the small flakes you couldn't keep in the air falling right over Remus' hair, his grin wide as he saw you, he took a careful step back just right before the snow fell.
Their screams filled the entire courtyard, the two boys buried as their faces emerged from the snow. They looked everywhere, confused faces taking glances at every voice that filled the courtyard with no luck. No one pranked the pranksters, but Sirius had taken hold of your shoulders in time to turn you and make it look like you had been talking all along.
"Thanks." you giggled, moving your hair out of your face.
"They'll get you for that once they found out it was you." he warned, his smile never leaving his face.
"You're telling them?" you asked, fake hurt filling your face as you placed a hand over your chest "Here I thought we were friends."
His eyes widened in surprise, his smile falling slightly for a more genuine one "Are we now?" he asked with some amusement.
"Y/N." you closed your mouth as soon as you heard your name being called, hiding your blush by turning in their direction with a tight smile "The train just got here." they told you with a smile, continuing their way inside the castle as you turned to Sirius.
"I have to go." you whispered to him, squeezing his hand once in response to his nod. You didn't wait to hear if he said anything, knowing you would be fighting yourself to stay or start running towards the station.
And Sirius watched you go, a smile on his face as he turned back to his friends. They were all getting the snow off their heads, murmuring about their secret prankster "We'll get 'em. Just wait." said James with a glint in his eyes.
Remus was the first to notice Sirius, looking over his shoulder to find you nowhere in sight "Where did she go to?" he asked, helping Peter to his feet.
Sirius shrugged his shoulders, taking one look back before he murmured "Regulus just got back."
*******
You were running to the station, footprints left on the snow every step you took. Once there it was a sea of people, standing on your tiptoes to find black hair and storm grey eyes. He shouldn't be that difficult to find, he was tall and had a posture that screamed to be seen. Still you couldn't find him.
You avoided all the people standing there. Some collected their belongings, others greeted their friends with hugs and pats on the back, some walked in the opposite direction you were headed. And at last, on the last door on the far end of the train you saw him, suitcase in hand as he closed the door behind him.
You didn't wait for him to see you, didn't stop to yell his name or to announce yourself. You just ran.
Your body clashed against his as you wrapped your arms around his neck, only his fast reflexes as a seeker in the quidditch team allowing him to properly catch you without tumbling to the floor.
Your laugh was a melody to his ears, his arm tightening around you as he realized he was back beside you. "Hello." he whispered in your side, dropping his suitcase as he hugged you properly, his arms lifting you the slightest from the ground but enough to make you hold on tight to him.
"Hi." you whispered back "I missed you." you said, taking a step back.
"I can tell." he said, holding onto one of your hands as he looked at you "I missed you too."
You stared at each other for a moment, taking in the small changes that could have occurred in the few weeks you spent apart. Nothing had changed, really, but you still put up the act to look for something. He saw nothing in you but your usual confidence and light air, you had a smile on your face that lightened the weight in his heart and that's really all he needed. You saw him like it was the first time, all those months ago in the library when you bumped into him. He stood tall and with a perfect look on his face, but you could still see through him, now more than before, and he had something to him that wasn't right. You suspected he was tired from the train and all he needed was a good night of sleep.
"C'mon," you tugged on his hand, circling your arm around his as you both started to walk, "Hogwarts is not the same without you."
"I'm sorry I didn't answer all of your letters." he said suddenly, his eyes looking straight ahead "But for someone who was completely bored and had nothing to do, you did write a lot. Every day in fact," he said, looking at you with a small smile "Multiple times a day, I would say."
You gasped loudly as you turned to look at him "I did not." you defended yourself "It was just a couple of letters, besides, that was at first."
"Right, your letters did lower in number by the end. You found something to do?" he asked.
Yeah, I spent time with your brother and his friends, that's all. Oh, how's that knife in your back? Your stomach turned at the feeling, guilt rising up your throat as you only managed a nervous laugh "I made some friends."
*******
"Where are you off to?"
It had been some peaceful days but now that classes had started again, you had to go back to the fast pace of life as a student. You barely had time to be with Regulus and the fact that you had some classes apart suddenly appeared in your head as you saw the books and notes he held on his arm.
"I'll probably just head back to the common room." you said with a shrug "I have some reading to do and Félix needs some help."
He raised his eyebrows, nodding his head as he looked back momentarily, lingering on a group of people walking just behind him "I'll see you tomorrow then." he said, not even turning back as his feet started to carry him away.
"Reg!" you called, taking his wrist in yours to stop him.
He looked down to your hand, his eyes finding yours with a frown as he stared. He said nothing.
"Are you okay?" you asked, letting go of his hand.
His eyes softened "Of course," he said with a nod "I'm just late."
You pursed your lips in a thin line but said nothing, nodding in his direction as he ran off. You walked in the opposite direction, your thoughts the only company you had as they circled you with no end, no rest.
Sirius' words had been a constant echo inside your head for the last couple of days, the Regulus he knew a completely different person from the one you had come to call a friend, a part of your family. It left you restless at night to think that maybe you didn't know Regulus as well as you thought, that maybe he showed you what you wanted to see in a friend. Then why didn't he have more friends? Deep down you knew you were overthinking it, that Sirius had a perspective from his brother and a family scenario, not the one you had of a friend. But still it scared you, to think Regulus could be what Sirius described, what he thought Regulus was. You didn't want to fall for his words and believe it without having tangible proof but it was undeniable that Regulus wasn't the same person that left right after the Christmas party. He had changed, and you couldn't tell if it was for the better.
It also didn't help that the guilt aching inside of you was a constant reminder of you lying to Regulus. You knew you two had classes apart, you knew he had some sort of thing you knew nothing about late in the day and that you didn't see him until the next day. You took the opportunity to meet with your new friend.
You sat on the side of the hall, the small bench cold to the touch. You waited a couple of minutes before his footsteps echoed the walls, his uniform made a mess as you lifted your gaze to him.
"Is there a tornado in the school that I need to know about?" you asked, sitting straight as you took a good look at him. His tie was undone, his shirt untucked and trying to escape the confines of his sweater. His hair was messy, hands running through it too many times to make it somewhat neater.
"No but that is a good idea," he said, flopping down next to you on the bench. "I'll talk to Moony about it."
"I swear the day you explain those nicknames will be the day my soul rests." you huffed.
"Not happening." he sang in a mocking manner, turning to you with a pout "I apologize for your troubled life."
You let out a groan, the curiosity killing you since the first moment you ever heard them talking amongst themselves.
"I'll figure it out myself if I have to."
"I really doubt it but you can try." he said with a smile, letting out a sigh as he rested his head against the wall.
You enjoyed the silence for a moment, the peace too precious to break it. But when it became too quiet you turned to him with a questioning look.
"Are you asleep?" you asked, poking his arm.
"Nope." he said, popping one eye open "Never better, actually."
"You're too calm, it's concerning." you told him.
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, just chuckling as he rested his head against the wall once more.
You observed him carefully, he stifled a yawn but in the end it came out stronger, stretching his arms as his body let go of some tension. "You're falling asleep."
"I am not." he fought back. He wasn't even convincing himself.
You shook your head and jumped to your feet, taking his hands as you pulled him up. He stared down at you, the trust you had in him still amazing him after he just opened up to you and you did the same. You had stopped running from him.
"I'll walk you to your common room." you told him "Clearly, you do run out of energy."
"That's insulting." he said, pointing a finger at you but following you anyway.
"For you, it's a relief for me." you said, walking the halls of Hogwarts in comfortable chatter. "What am I supposed to do with you when you're full of energy?"
Sirius had some comments to add but he reserved them for himself, pointing the more obvious "You say that as if you were to spend time with me everyday."
You widen your eyes, glancing at him with full shock at your own words. Maybe he wasn't the only one tired. But he looked relaxed, a playful smile on his face. "Well," you started, never noticing he had stopped "you never know, what if..."
You didn't get to finish your sentence when he was beside you, sushing you as he pulled you behind a wall. He lifted a finger to his lips, looking around the corner and over your head "Someone's coming." he whispered, and you stiffened.
Was it that late? It couldn't be that late for you to get in trouble for being outside. But then it hit you, the voice running along the walls as you closed your hands in fists.
"What about it?" Regulus asked, his voice unmistakable now that he grew closer to where you and Sirius hid. Sirius pulled you closer to him, trying to get you to walk in the opposite direction. And you would have.
"We don't don't want anyone thinking they are above their place, Black." said an unknown voice, but that had no relevance to you.
You stayed put in your place, feet glued to the ground as the words reached your ears. Nothing could move you, Sirius' words were a murmur in the background, his tugs in your hand a breeze you could barely feel.
"No one will think that." they had stopped, their voices put and not growing any closer "Can you make sure it stays that way, Malfoy?" Regulus said the name with disdain and you couldn't see him, but you were sure he just had lifted his chin, his face completely neutral as he stared down this Malfoy person.
"Y/N, we have to go." Sirius said, his eyes begging but you shook your head. Standing flat on the wall, he had nowhere to go but beside you, placing his body right next to yours as he held your hand to try and convince you to leave with no avail.
"We all know who the problem is here." said Malfoy again, a step echoing the hall as there was no other sound "Your little Ravenclaw friend is getting too confident."
Your heart stopped at that moment, Sirius putting up a silent fight again for you two to leave. You let go of his hand as you turned your body completely to the sound of Regulus' voice, your back at Sirius.
"She isn't a problem." he said, your eyes wildly looking for something to see that wasn't' a stone wall.
"Y/N, isn't she?" Malfoy said "Ravenclaw, same year as you."
"Not. A. Problem." Regulus said again, and then your heart broke.
"She's a half-blood. She's pure enough."
Silence filled the hallway, Sirius hand back on yours as he prevented you from making a sound.
"If you're sure." Malfoy said, and his footsteps faded in the opposite direction.
A small sigh could be heard from where you stood, your tear filled eyes dried up in an instant as he began to move, Regulus barely visible from where you hid. But you had no place to hide a broken heart.
Your own footsteps echoed the hallway as you stepped out of your hiding spot, Sirius cursing under his breath as you stood in the middle of the hallway.
"Reg?" you called.
His body froze mid step, and then he turned around.