CHAPTER XX:
take her hand
( January 1979 )
"COME ON, REG, HOW ABOUT WE DO SOME MORE WALKING?" Dupont stood from her seat after they had paid for the small things they ate and drank. Regulus had come to learn that even if he wanted to retaliate on one of her suggestions or ideas, he would soon be taken by the hand right into it no matter what. Which is exactly what she did. She took his hand and walked with him outside.
There was a slight swing to their intertwined hands, courtesy of Libillule's inability to let any part of her body stay still.
A group of boys had been nearing them, Regulus recognized the colors of their scarves to be identical to that of his house. Emerald and Silver. As they neared, Libillule paid no mind to them, far too occupied in looking at the sights around them. But Regulus? He kept his eyes on them, the closer they came, the more he felt like a weight had been put on their hands. And so he dropped it. He dropped her hand shoving his own in the depths of his coat.
The boys passed, all of them sparing glances at Regulus who nodded his head acknowledging their existence while he pretended that Libillule was walking by him by chance. And Dupont felt the cold of January hold her hand just as Regulus did.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence, well, uncomfortable for Regulus. The girl had stopped the swivel of her head while she examined every crevice of Hogsmeade like she hadn't been there before. Her eyes stared down at the trail ahead of her while she buried her nose into her yellow scarf. Regulus hated it. She was quiet, stiff, and her eyes hadn't seemed as wide as they usually were. He wondered if this was what it was like to be around himself?
The cold stares, the silence, the lack of imagination.
Black sighed. Then Libillule felt the embrace of Spring on her hand. She would've compared it to summer if the weather were any colder but Regulus' hands weren't all too warm to begin with, so Spring would have to do.
She glanced her bug-like eyes up at him only to see him acting as though he hadn't done anything. If only he knew the things he did to her heart.