H I R A E T H
xcv||regulus' eighteenth birthday
Regulus is awoken by Nymphadora's yells behind his door. He had locked it the previous night to make sure no one came in to check on him and he was crying over Romeo and Juliet. He groans slightly as he sits up and walks over to the door, opening it wide and the seven year old girl leaps into the room, wrapping her arms around his legs making Regulus chuckle and ruffle her bright pink hair.
"Reggie—who's this lady? I recognise her." Nymphadora says, jumping on Regulus' bed and grabbing a picture he keeps with him of Maria. It's small, like a Polaroid. It's of her, just her in Paris, in front of the Eiffel Tower holding a large teddy bear and smiling brightly. She's wearing a beautiful blue dress reaching just above her knees with a small bit of bleak age and her eyes closed as she smiles with her teeth. She told him to throw it away, that she looks awful and hyper on it. But he thinks she looks ethereal.
"That, Dora, is someone I love very much." Regulus whispers with a cheeky smile as he watches the seven year old examine the picture.
"She's very pretty."
"She is." Regulus agrees, sitting beside Nymphadora who smiles excitedly.
"Can she come here?!" The hyperactive metamorphmagus asks quickly. "Please—please!"
"Maybe—maybe." Regulus laughs as his cousin launch's her tiny body at him but he grabs her and begins tickling her sides making her cackle uncontrollably, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
"What's her name?" Nymphadora says between laughs and Regulus pauses, giving the girl with bright hair a moment to escape and sit facing her cousin.
"Maria, her name's Maria." Regulus smiles and Nymphadora grins. "You have met her. You probably just don't remember. It was a while ago."
"Well, Mummy's making pancakes." Nymphadora smiles, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hall and into the kitchen/dining room.
He really does envy Andromeda's style of living. The cottage in the hills near the coast, the small yet cozy bedrooms and living room, but the spacious kitchen. There's a counters in an 'L' shape against one of the walls and a window looking over the garden where there's a slide and swing for Nymphadora. It's decorated in pale greens and whites, a small island in the middle where Andromeda is folding some washing when the two rush into the room.
"Morning." Andromeda raises her eyebrows and Regulus smiles at her, sitting at the round dinner table with Nymphadora. Ted strolls in, his usually lightly gelled hair now messy and curly and he's wearing dress pants and an unbuttoned white shirt with a vest underneath it. He has a mug of coffee in his hands as he goes over to Nymphadora first to jab her in her side making her yelp with a bright smile on her face.
"Ted." Andromeda scolds and Ted holds his hands up in defence. "Honestly, Reg, you'd think I was the only adult in this house."
Regulus can agree as it is his fourth day staying at the cottage and his eighteenth birthday is tomorrow. Andromeda wanted to do something special but Regulus had insisted that it just be the four of them, Andromeda had looked torn but agreed on the condition that she may be allowed to invite a few others. Ted is like a large child but Regulus thinks that is the reason why Andromeda was so drawn to him, because she has always been so grown up and mature. His immature nature made her laugh, made her feel like the teenager she was meant to be.
He thinks Ted had the effect on her that Maria did in him, made her feel whole again. Every member of the Black family needs someone like Maria, James and Ted. They're the reason the three disowned Black's escaped their family's strangling clutches before they were too far gone to be rescued.
"She loves us really, doesn't she Nymphy?" Ted pouts and Nymphadora nods, laughing. Andromeda gives them pointed looks. "She thinks I'm immature."
"I know you are." Andromeda chuckles and Ted makes a caught face making Nymphadora giggle and Regulus just smiles at the young witch.
"Come on, sit properly, Dora." Andromeda says softly to the girl who was stood on her chair, leaning on Regulus' shoulders for support and she huffs and sits down whilst her mother placed a plate of pancakes in front of her. "Pancakes, Regulus?"
"Uh—why not?" Regulus shrugs with a smile and Andromeda smiles, placing a plate in front of him whilst Ted goes to grab some of Nymphadora's pancake that his daughter had offered him but Andromeda slaps his hand lightly, placing a bowl of porridge in front of him. "So, who did you invite tomorrow?"
"Now, why would we tell you?" Andromeda rolls her eyes slightly as she sits between Ted and Regulus with her own bowl of porridge and strawberries before her. "It's a surprise." Regulus groans slightly at her words.
"Fine, fine."
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The next morning, Regulus wakes up to Nymphadora bursting into his bedroom and jumping on his bed. He groans, burying his face into his pillow as the small girl jumps on the bed beside him, falling on top of him but he barely notices due to her light weight.
"Reggie! Reggie!" Nymphadora giggles. "It's. . .quarter to three. . .in the after noon!" She recites like she isn't too sure whether it's right or not. "Come on! People are coming soon! Visitors—that's what Mummy said!"
"Alright, Dora, I'm up." Regulus sighs, his voice hoarse with sleep as he groggily sits up. Today is the day he turns eighteen. Nymphadora wraps her arms around his neck excitedly, dangling off him like a chimp. How does she have so much energy all the time? Regulus shakes his head and rubs his eyes with the back of his hand tiredly.
"Happy birthday! Happy birthday!" Nymphadora chants as Regulus stands up and walks into the hall with Nymphadora and into the living room where he freezes in the doorway.
"Regulus." Sirius says quickly, standing up as well as Andromeda. He examines his younger brother for a second, he's wearing red and blue tartan pyjama pants with a black hoodie on his top half, his hair messy and tousled on his head, as usual.
"Hi." Regulus says before Sirius grins and pulls his brother into an embrace, slapping his back as he does making Regulus grimace. "I get what that was for." He groans as he pulls away.
"Happy birthday—you old fuc—" Andromeda gives Sirius a pointed look and the nineteen year old freezes and looks at Nymphadora who folds her eyes with raised eyebrows. "Sorry, Dora." The girl giggles and wraps her arms around his legs tightly.
"Thanks." Regulus chuckles slightly, scratching the side of his head. "I'm gonna—get coffee." Regulus yawns and Andromeda rolls her eyes at his laziness.
Regulus sighs as he makes the coffee, running a hand through his hair and seeing Ted in the garden, showing Nymphadora, who had ran over to him eagerly, some tomato plants. He smiles. He wants something like this with Maria. Maybe they will get that miracle that Maria hopes one day she will. That they will get their own little home and raise their own child. He hopes.
Walking back into the living room with his coffee, Regulus sits himself on the sofa with Andromeda, Sirius sat in the comfortable armchair.
"Is she okay?" Regulus asks quietly and Sirius nods.
"She's better." Sirius swallows. "Never the way she was with you, Reg. Never. You've got to come back for her."
"I know." Regulus says.
"Regulus, it's bad." Sirius says softly and Regulus frowns, leaning forward. "She keeps getting these nightmares, I mean, we try to help but. . .she wakes up screaming. Your name. Just yours. Not good screams either. She's mortified, Reg, she needs you."
"Fuck. . ." Regulus mutters. "I had no idea—she seemed so happy in the letter she wrote."
"She's obviously not going to tell you, wanker." Sirius scoffs, sipping the water in his hand. "She's been sleeping with Mary in the one of the guest rooms. Can't sleep in her room for some reason." He shrugs. Regulus is just sat with his elbows resting on his knees and he's twirling Maria's ring around his finger nervously.
"You'd better get ready, sweetie, people will be here soon." Regulus nods at Andromeda's words, leaving Sirius and Andromeda to share a soft look.
When Regulus is ready it's around four in the afternoon and from the guest room he can hear people chatting in the other room. He sighs, he's wearing some jeans and a grey T-shirt with a dark blue jacket on, his hair tousled on his head and he smiles at the picture of Maria on the bed before walking out.
So much for a few people.
He's greeted with many bright faces and 'happy birthday's, Alyssa and Stanley are there, Sirius, Remus and Peter. James is with Lily by the small buffet table, his hand securely on her back as he guides her through some people. Mary, Marlene and Alice are by the drinks and Frank is chatting to Ted casually. Dora is running away from Charlie Weasley who chases her playing tag around the home, Mr and Mrs Weasley are there with their five children.
No Maria.
Regulus sighs. He hears a knock at the door and frowns, noticing that no one else seem to have heard and he skilfully avoids Charlie who sprints in front of him quickly. He makes it to the door and unlocks it, opening it to be faced with someone who makes his heart speed up.
"Oh, hi." Maria says, lifting her eyes from the floor to smile softly at him. "I didn't know whether you would be ready but I told everyone to come without me because I was really nervous and—"
Stepping forwards, Regulus grabs her face and pulls her lips to his roughly, Maria dropping the box in her hand to tangle her hands in his tousled hair as he kisses her slowly. His hands move from her face to her neck, then her waist and finally rest on her hips, pulling her body closer to him.
"Wow. . .thanks." Maria breathes when he pulls away for some much needed oxygen and Regulus rests his forehead on hers gently. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug that levitates her off the ground as he wraps his arms around her waist tightly. She has tears in her eyes as she finally clings onto him like she's wanted to do for the past five days. "I missed you."
"Don't ever leave me again."
"Don't ever sleep with another woman again."
"Don't ever—" Regulus thinks for a second. "Yeah, I've got nothing. I will never lay a finger on another female in a sexual manner ever again unless that female happens to be 5'7, brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. She also has this dimple that she hates—"
"Okay, shut up." Maria whispers and he chuckles, kissing her temple softly.
For the first time in months, they both feel at home.
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