Warnings - mentions of prostitution, faking being dark, mentions of sex and homophobia, dark arts, double crossing, throwing a fit, crying, nervous laughter, angst, pining, mentions of alcohol, flashback
I bounded up to him immediately, not really caring who saw in that moment. He wore a gorgeous silver suit. I wore a pale blue dress that danced in the candle light. We could have been twin icicles. The thought made me giggle.
"Don't tell me you've hit the alcohol already," he smirked, but didn't look up from his journal. The Black Mask was in place, even if it cracked a bit for me.
"No, just excited to see you," I said honestly. It'd been a week since our last rounds, the only place we really got to talk, and before had been a week of barely any speaking.
"Me too, sorry I've been absent, I've been doing reconnaissance, and such," he said.
"What's that mean?" I asked. He slipped my his journal easily, and if he'd been so inclined, I thought he'd probably be a good pick pocket.
I read through his plans for an anti death-eater team as he spoke.
"The week with you was amazing, don't get me wrong, but it made soft. I've been building back up my name as the ancient and noble Black I'm meant to be. I've been avoiding you because it gives away my true feelings."
"My true feelings" the words rang through my ears. How badly I wanted to know what those were.
"Well, you can't let me sit by the wayside Regulus, I want to be apart of this. Plus I've missed you like Hell."
I almost felt like I'd cry. Yes I had Arita, but she was so involved with her brothers, and I darent give away Regulus's secret, so I hadn't told her what we were doing was directly against them. Then there was Andromeda, but she was often with Ted. I'd seen Hagrid a time or two but he wasn't my age. I hadn't talked to any of the Marauders. It was pretty clear visiting me in the hospital wing was just a last kind gesture, we were pretty much over. Regulus was the only one who felt purely mine, not tainted by anything else. I wondered why that was. He was Sirius's brother, Andromeda's cousin, he was well immeshed in a world I hated, full of blood status and dark arts, yet he felt whole and pure, and mine, because I didn't mind any of his baggage or quirks.
"I know," he said, and slipped his hand into mine. My heart went wild. "I've missed you like crazy too, but you've got to understand. I've been getting the side eye from these people. I need them to think they can trust me."
"Oi!" I heard a voice. I dropped Regulus's hand in fear. I was back in that hallway. I felt my body being ripped open. Lucius's hair glowed in the fire light. He stalked to us, in poison green dress robes.
"I thought I said no inter-house mingling," growled the blonde. On his own, without his mad friend, and his stoic, yet greasy, hanger on, he wasn't that fearsome. He was just a pretty boy, and not a pleasant one like Reg.
"I can do as I please," I snarled.
"You don't make the rules here. You better stop bothering Regulus before you skip the hospital wing and head straight for Saint Mungos!"
"You insult or threaten her again, and you'll wish you'd been born without a tongue to form those words," said Regulus darkly, even I shivered.
"We talked about this Black! You need to prove your loyalty. Hanging out with naïve, Gryffindor adoring scum is walking you backward!"
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. It would save both Regulus and I, but I would probably need to give up completely on the Marauders. Most likely Arita, and maybe Andromeda as well, but it was my only option to save Regulus, who I knew wouldn't stay away now that he had a friend. It wasn't in his DNA, if he knew I needed him, he'd make time for me, so I'd do this for him. Because over the last week I'd realized something. I didn't have a crush on Regulus Black, no, I was in love with him, and I'd do anything for him. I was in love with Regulus Arcturus Black, and I wouldn't, couldn't, do a thing about it, but I could save him here.
"Where is Narcissa?" I asked, placing a hand on Malfoy's chest. "You two have a falling out?"
Malfoy looked stunned. I'd softened Regulus yes, but not enough for him to not go along with my plan. He was still just as calculating even if he trusted me.
"What are you talking about?"
"I know alllll about your group."
"Regulus!" Lucius barked.
"And you better thank him for telling me, because I can provide your group with some lovely assets."
"What are you on about?"
"I hear god ole' Tom wants to keep the lines pure, is that right?"
"You wouldn't call such a powerful wizard that if you knew what was good for you," Lucius fumed.
"Well then maybe," I said yanking him by his tie. "Realize that I mean business since I did use that name!"
"Just explain, whore," he snapped.
"Exactly," I smirked. "Whore."
I felt an anxious hand on my back. Regulus did not like this, but I had to help him. He couldn't be seen as weak and untrustworthy for hanging out with me.
"I'm not following," Lucius said.
"Not only am I incredibly smart, I know you've seen my grades. They're near Regulus's. I'm a talented flyer as well. I've also got the ability to carry children. Riddle wants more pure wizards? Fine, but marriage isn't the way to go. I offer pure blood that can diversify the gene pool."
"You're joking," Lucius scoffed, and Regulus applied more pressure.
"I'm not, don't you think it's smart?" I asked.
"It could work, I just don't buy, it, plus, it'll just provide half siblings instead of cousins," he said.
"Yes, but they'll get further apart, it's a step."
"I'm still not buying it," he shot back.
"Who do you see me hanging out with when it isn't Regulus," I demanded.
"Those Gryffindors who are your brother's friends," he growled. I gave him a feral grin.
"And what do the three who aren't related to me have in common?"
"I dunno, I guess. Well they're all blokes, and they're idiots."
"What they lack in smarts they make up for with other parts," I said in a sing song voice.
"Wait? Really?"
"Mmmhmmm," I nodded. Regulus's grip hurt now, and I could feel his eyes burning into me.
"Lupin is gay," Lucius challenged.
"How do you think he knew that?" I said with a laugh. I hated that I had to rely on the stereotype that you had to "check" your sexuality, by trying it with the opposite sex. However, if there was anything I'd bet a galleon on it was that Lucius Malfoy, along with being a blood purest, was a homophobe. "We checked a couple times if I remember correctly."
"So you're saying you're for our cause?" He asked.
"Regulus convinced me, yeah. I thought why not switch up my three? Remus, Sirius, James could become Regulus, Lucius, Severus. Or perhaps Rosier, Crouch, Regulus." I said easily, and heard a horrible noise from my best friend.
"You mentioned Regulus twice," Lucius countered.
"Look at him, he's got a pretty face," I said. Lucius did look, and funnily enough seemed to agree, because I saw a sight nod.
"We'd have to wait until you were of age, for pregnancies I mean. We want to try to do everything by the law until the end," he explained. That sentence made me want to puke. All the horrible things that could mean were beyond imagining.
"Of course, I can always stay buddy buddy with the lion squad for details on the other side if you want," I smirked.
"You did good Regulus," Lucius gave Regulus a grin. "Nice rack too," he said as his eyes gazed down my form.
"I'll talk to my people, since neither of you has been marked yet," he said.
"Fair," I said crossing my arms, intentionally pushing out my breasts. Lucius took another look.
"If you want to succeed in this line of work, word of advice, it's not Tom anymore, it's Lord Voldemort."
Regulus had yanked my arm as soon as the blonde had left, and was pulling me out of the party. We were in an empty classroom. Soon, he was throwing chairs and punching walls. He was a whirlwind of anger and pent up rage.
I finally grabbed him, and pulled him to me. He wrestled out of the hug. Stared at me for a moment, tears entering his eyes, and fell back into my embrace.
"Why!" He demanded. "You're going to get yourself killed."
"You said we had to do things. This way you look loyal, I'm in, and we can still hang out."
"But, all those horrible things you said you'd do, you can't!"
"We will have won by the time I'm able to do any of it," I said, and he looked at me skeptically. We both knew I couldn't promise that.
"I hate that you're doing this for me," he said, cupping my face for a moment.
"I'm doing it of my own accord, you didn't force me to do that."
"Would you have done it if I wasn't a factor?" He challenged.
"That's unfair, it was to save someone. It could've been someone else. You can't take you out of the question because that's like saying 'would you still add two and two if you didn't need a result of four?'"
"That doesn't really make sense," he said with a little laugh. Suddenly we had burst into nervous and scared laughter that was coming out happy. We needed some release and screaming didn't seem to be an option.
"You could add 3 and 1," he offered.
"I like 2 better," I said, touching his cheek gently. I knew it made no sense, but I hoped he knew what I meant.
"I keep forgetting to ask," he said abruptly. "What do you want for Christmas?"