You all might be tired of me saying this, but this one was hard to write and so long! But it was worth it.

I like to call this chapter 'The Blacks Need Therapy', and honestly it fit far too well for me not to mention it. Anyways, our Regulus' birthday is finally here, and nobody is enjoying it as much as it was meant to be enjoying... at least not until next chapter (hint lol).

LEAVE COMMENTS for the 10000 words that I wrote (oof)

Regulus had insisted on not having a party on his birthday since Evan and Pandora, whose birthday had been just a few days before, had not had parties either because of Pandora's approaching wedding. However, his parents had insisted on a little gathering during luncheon since he didn't want a ball in his honour, and he had accepted for only one reason: he would be able to see Luna without anyone raising their eyebrows.

"You are a pathetic, disgusting little man," complained Evan in Regulus' bedroom before the luncheon started. "You really spend most of your time reading poetry and daydreaming about your girlfriend."

Regulus' bedroom was tidy.

The dark wooden double bed was put with its headboard against the wall and its footboard towards the middle of the room, its green and black silk canopy pulled back against the wall and pinned in place, which side had a bedside table of the same dark wood that the bed was made of. The bedding was fresh, green and white with white pillows. The curtains of the room were pulled back to allow the bedroom to be flooded with sunlight, but the glass windows were closed and locked. The wall behind his bed was draped in emerald and silver, Slytherin pride loud and clear, but it was the Black family crested which he had painted over the bed along 'Toujour Pur' that made it look his – he had done so after Sirius had decided to not come back; a reminder that he was now Heir, and his family was everything he was living for. The other walls were adorned with other parts of him. One of the walls had a moving photograph of the year before of the Slytherin Quidditch Team; he was there, beside the captain, looking proudly at the camera as the seeker. There was another photograph, also of the year before, where he stood beside Pandora and Evan, smiling at the camera and trying his best to hide Pandora's glass of whiskey (she couldn't drink at the time, still trying to get used to her potions). Beside such photograph, there was a big shelf filled with books – his private library; those books were collected on birthday gifts and bought in Hogsmeade when he could spare time, mostly story books and poetry, perhaps one or two that were non-fiction.

"Well, I don't have a lot of free time," Regulus said, rolling his eyes.

Evan sighed, throwing himself on Regulus' freshly fixed bed and lying on it, rumpling the covers, making Regulus grumble under his breath about it. He stood, shirtless, trying to find a good enough button up without complaining about Evan messing up his bed.

"That's because you've been spending most of it wanking," Evan said.

"Merlin's Bollocks, Evan. Do you have to be so uncouth?" Regulus said.

Evan raised his eyebrows. "And am I wrong?" he asked.

Regulus pulled a white blouse, liking the way there were a few ruffles around the chest. It would look good with the black trousers he had on since it was high-waisted, and his boots would look nice as well.

"You're not denying it," Evan said, raising his voice.

"I'm well aware, thank you," Regulus said. "But even if I did deny it, you wouldn't believe me regardless."

Evan chuckled.

"That's bloody right I wouldn't believe you, not after whatever the fuck was that waltz of yours," Evan said.

"It wasn't that bad. You're making that fickle dance into something that it wasn't," Regulus said, dressing the blouse and buttoning it up before doing the lace around the ruffles. He fixed its collar. "It was pleasant, but it was just a dance."

"A dance that left you hard the whole night, I'm sure," teased Evan.

"Can you, please, think a bit less of my cock and worry about yours? Barty told me what happened at the ball. He was terrified your mother would murder you, and I had to convince him not to go to Rosier Manor, break down the wards and drag you out," Regulus said. "Tell me, did I make the correct decision, or should I have left him to gather a Ministry army?"

Evan slowly sat up, crossing his arms and pressing his lips together.

"It wasn't so bad," he grumbled.

"How bad was it?" Regulus asked, turning to look at his friend.

The blonde boy looked at the bedroom window and sighed.

"Papa wasn't involved. Mama decided she could deal with my insolence all on her own, which means that she was truly worried over his reaction if she did tell him what she saw, or at least what she thinks she saw," Evan said.

Regulus frowned and crossed his arms. He leaned against his desk.

"This is dangerous, Evan. You know your family, and you know your limits," Regulus said.

"My limits are alright. My family doesn't need to get involved," Evan said.

"But they will. That's how our families work, they get involved in everything that we do," Regulus said. "They will get involved and they will find out, and you'll have to be the one to deal with the consequences."

"Well, consequences in my family are not usually losing money," Evan whispered.

"There has to be a bargain there," Regulus said, shaking his head.

Evan scoffed, shaking his head in annoyance at Regulus' hopeful disposition.

"I never thought I'd have to dissuade you from your fantasy world, Regulus. Usually you're as realistic as possible," Evan said, some forceful disappointment making everything sound over rehearsed. False. "There's nothing that I can offer that would make up for my unnatural interests, at least according to my mother, of course. I stay quiet and I do what my parents tell me."

There was a bitter taste on Regulus' tongue when he looked away, pressing his lips to keep his words in his mouth, not allowing his thoughts to slip out. Had it not been disrespectful to Evan, Regulus would have a lot to say about Lady Louise Rosier; a stubborn, closed-minded woman that was overly controlling in every aspect of her children's lives, who was most likely worse than his own mother in her thirst for control. He had little to say about Evan's father, however; Raphael was overly violent with his son in fear that he would not turn out exactly like he wanted but had never touched his daughter or tried to have much control over her. Evan's hatred for his father was fair, but quiet.

"Your mother knows nothing at all," was all that Regulus said.

Evan shrugged, pretending not to care at all.

"I'm safe, if that's what you're driving at, Reggie," Evan said.

Regulus said nothing on the nickname.

"Glad to hear it," he said.

Evan watched him for a second, taken aback that he had not mentioned the hated nickname. He fixed himself on the bed, messing with his own cravat.

Regulus glared at Evan, not liking how his bed was becoming messy with the boy's presence in it.

"I'm rather glad that you're not into men, Regulus," Evan said.

"Oh?" Regulus said, going to the mirror and fixing the collar of his blouse once more. He put on a black waistcoat. "And why is that?"

"Because my mother doesn't care that I spend time with you since the rumours about your sexuality died down. I suppose I have Luna to thank for that," Evan said. "She asked, you know? If I had an affair with you."

Regulus sighed.

"Why do people think I'm queer? Merlin's Beard," he grumbled under his breath, buttoning himself up.

Evan chuckled.

"You're too pretty for a straight man, and I can agree with that," he answered.

"Well, yes, I'm handsome," Regulus said, rolling his eyes.

"No. Regulus, you're pretty," Evan corrected, smiling in good humour at his friend's confusion. "There's a reason most men don't wear blouses like the very own you're wearing right now. Most of them would look ridiculous in it, but you wear it well and confidently – either because of the Black raising or the Black beauty. Regardless, you wear it."

Regulus glanced at the mirror.

"I like this blouse," he said, frowning before looking at Evan through the mirror. "Must I change it?"

Evan shook his head, rolling his own eyes.

"Regulus, it's not a bad thing that you wear blouses or that there were rumours of your sexuality in the past. You wear it well, and I'm quite certain that Luna will like it when she sees you," he answered.

"Do you think so?"

"You filled up well from last year because of the training. The blouse shows it off. Find an excuse to get rid of the waistcoat and Luna will be happy for the night," Evan said.

Evan looked up at the ceiling while Regulus checking himself out in the mirror again.

His arms had become stronger since he had started helping out the Captain of the Team with the training, taking some more responsibility with Quidditch and carrying more equipment. While the lean structure was desired for faster flyers, Regulus had managed to gain some muscles, especially in the abdomen and arms, and keep his velocity with enough training of his own during the summer.

Though, perhaps, some of the late nights with his hand down his trousers the last couple of weeks were helping as well.

"Evan, do you think you can cover for me tomorrow?" Regulus asked.

"Sure thing. What do you need?" Evan asked.

"I need you to tell my mother that I'll be at your house, helping you with some of your sister's wedding contract negotiations," Regulus said.

"I'll actually be at Xenophilius' cottage most of the day. I'm helping my sister with moving everything," Evan said. "Pandora will be at home with my mother, but Xen and I will be fixing up the cottage. Just way that you're with us." He threw his legs to the side, getting up from the bed. "But where will you truly be? – that's the question."

"Diagon Alley," Regulus answered, he pressed his lips together, keeping some words inside.

Ever the vain man, Regulus fixed his hair, using his fingers to fluff his curls.

"Why can't your mother know that you're in Diagon Alley?" Evan asked.

"Because I'll be at an unchaperoned date with my girlfriend in Diagon Alley," he answered. "At a pub and inn."

Evan's lips twitched, a malicious glint in his eyes.

"...inn?" he whispered, trying to keep a smile from coming to his lips.

Regulus looked away, swallowing down his saliva as he nodded. "Yes," he said, voice falsely distracted.

Evan knew that Regulus, ever so shy, was just trying to find a reason not to look at his face when the confession came, hence why Regulus suddenly was gathering the books on the bedside table and putting them back on the shelf in the corner of the room. He followed Regulus around the room with his eyes.

"And is there an activity planned for the inn?" Evan asked. "Whose idea was it?"

Regulus licked his lips, shifting his weight.

"Luna offered. It's somewhere she has been before with... someone else," he said, back still turned to him. "But she is right to say that it's a good, private place where we can talk unchaperoned and without someone seeing us. She knows the owner, and she's a good friend of Lady Potter, so Luna's reputation is certainly protected. Meera Lohar won't open her mouth."

Evan frowned, leaning forward.

'Someone else', certainly it was Sirius, Evan thought. And he wasn't happy about how Regulus was talking about it. With his back turned to him, he couldn't see his reaction and that certainly was concerning, especially because Regulus' voice was firm and cold. So, until he could find a way to touch said subject, he decided to move the conversation along.

"Meera Lohar? You mean the Meera Lohar? She's still in England after everything that happened? Nobody's heard from her in years." Evan asked, voice high-pitched in his surprise.

Regulus turned.

He wouldn't say how grateful he was for Evan ignoring the clear problem with the idea, even though he knew it was just enough time for Evan to word his thoughts better.

"She's retired, stepped out of the public eye and opened a pub with bedrooms for rent with her wife and daughter," he answered.

"She's remarried? Good for her," Evan said. "But that's sort of impossible. How can she be married to woman?"

"It's probably not legal marriage, just symbolical," Regulus said with a shrug. "I have not talked to her. Luna's her friend, apparently."

Evan hummed.

"Does she know who she is?" he asked.

"Not at all. To her, she's just the innkeeper of where she would meet Sirius," Regulus said, lip curling a bit at the thought. "I'll tell her tonight. One would think she would like to know."

Evan watched him for another second before biting the inside of his cheeks.

"We're not talking about it, then?" Evan said.

"About Meera Lohar?"

"No. About the fact that you're going to the same inn that your girlfriend would meet your brother at," Evan said, frowning at Regulus' response. "Don't tell me that it isn't on your mind, I know you well enough to know that jealousy of your is simmering just under the surface. What makes me think, why did you agree with meeting her there? There must be other places to meet."

Regulus sighed.

"I'm sure there are," he dismissed, lip twitching as he kept his face as neutral as possible.

"Regulus –"

"I hate it. What else do you want me to say? It's where she feels safest to meet, and it is indeed a safe place for a conversation and for privacy, it's proven. There's a reason Luna's reputation is standing," Regulus said, turning sharply at his friend and glaring. "I've told her that I hate it, and she offered to find somewhere else, but I want to meet her. I want to... stay with her, and if it must be somewhere where she's been with someone else before me, it's how it shall be. I'll just... bear it."

Evan frowned, uncomfortable. "It is something to be borne, Regulus. It is to be enjoyed," he said, voice tight.

Regulus cheeks flushed as he looked out of the window.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted. "If anything was to happen, I don't know what to do."

Rosier glanced at the closed bedroom door, thinking. "It's mostly instinct. One cannot do it too wrong."

"Evan –"

"Regulus, really, I don't think you should do anything," Evan admitted, cutting him off and turning to look at Regulus completely. Regulus turned to him, face grave. "If you think this is something you should bear for her sake, then you're not ready. Even if you want to, and I know you do, it's not something that should be taken lightly – yes, it's fun. Yes, it can be just for fun, too. But it won't be just for fun for you."

"What do you mean?" Regulus asked.

Regulus crossed his arms.

"You're not made for casual sex, that much is clear. It means a lot to you, and that's alright, don't get me wrong," Evan said, quickly adding the last part when Regulus' face went darker. "Between two people like you and Luna, where there's more than just attraction, sex might blur some lines that are not ready to be crossed yet."

"What do I do?"

"Talk to her."

Regulus turned his face, distasteful with the answer he received.

Before Regulus could verbalise how 'talking' to Luna Lupin just terrified him sometimes, even though she was his girlfriend, Walburga Black opened the door – no knocking, no hesitation – and put her head in.

"Evan, Regulus, the guests are arriving. Why don't we all go down to receive them?" she asked.

"Yes, Mother," Regulus said.

As Evan prepared to go down, Regulus gathered his thoughts and feelings and shoved them into his mind – he went with hiding them where he could access later quickly, so he hid them in the notes of a harp.

Walking down the stairs, Regulus felt Evan standing behind him, near his shoulder, like some sort of bodyguard, watching people walking into the house and smiling at them.

Orion was already drinking and had a cup of whiskey in hand, putting away the newspaper he had been reading as soon as the family started pouring into the sitting room. Walburga stood beside her sitting husband, greeting the guests.

It was a common enough luncheon that was supposed to take place in the garden; informal, casual. Still, his father was in his best casual robes, of dark blue like the night sky and silver details on hi tie, and his mother had a dress on without much form, a white one that hit her ankles and was only tight around the chest but had no structured bodice – it wasn't a gown, just a dress.

The dressing rule seemed to have reached everybody's ears, because all the women had similar enough dresses, no gowns or structured bodices, just common enough wizarding dresses. Narcissa found her way into a long-sleeved baby-blue dress that was just a finger longer than ankle-height that went perfectly with her husband's tie. Bellatrix's dress was slightly shorter, just barely reaching her ankle with short sleeves and some cleavage that surprised Regulus, but seemed to delight her husband, but did not please her mother by the face that Druella did when she walked in, fixing her baby-pink dress. Even Pandora was in white dress as well, one as short as Bellatrix's, but with a modest collar and long-sleeves.

"Aunt Druella. Cousins," Regulus greeted. "Miss Rosier."

"Hi, Regulus," Pandora said.

Had it been anybody else, probably there would've been a scolding, especially because Druella was there to watch over Evan and Pandora since their parents couldn't come, but everybody looked the other way when Pandora broke social rules. They had corrected her so often and she had ignored them time and time again, so they just gave up after she reached thirteen or so.

"Baby Reggie!" Bellatrix squeaked, coming forward to pinch his cheeks.

Her long, dark nails hurt his skin, but he didn't move away.

"Bella," he greeted through his teeth.

He hated when they used that nickname, but he wouldn't dare scold his cousins in front of the rest of the family so early in the luncheon.

Roddy – oh, how he dreaded the man – smiled, looking Regulus from the top to the bottom.

"You look well, Regulus," he said.

"Thank you, you as well," he answered.

Evan held back a smile, going to stand beside his sister, leaving his friend to fend for himself.

Narcissa leaned to kiss his cheeks, caressing the side of his face as she pulled away, mumbling a greeting.

"Cissa, how was the honeymoon?" Regulus asked, politely.

"It was well. The Malfoys in Santorini are absolutely delightful," she answered. Regulus raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yes. Hm... We stayed at Lucius' relatives' house for a few days before going to our own."

Walburga made a little noise, glancing at Lucius before turning to Narcissa and smiling. Nobody but Orion would've known that it was a fake one.

"How modern!" Walburga said.

Orion smirked to himself.

Regulus glanced at the fireplace.

"We're waiting for your grandfathers, Alphard, your friend and your girl, and then we'll go the garden," Orion said, noticing his son's attention moving.

Druella smiled.

"Ah, yes. Crouch's boy," she said. "He's sweet."

Evan glanced to the side, watching Druella for a second before looking away and shifting his weight to the other leg.

"He's got a bright future," Walburga said with a nod. "Good connections, polite and intelligent. If he plays his cards right, he might get quite the position in the Ministry someday."

"The boy's capable of going into politics, if he so wishes," Orion said, voice deeper than usual as he looked down to the newspaper he had put on the table, finishing his reading quickly. "He'll certainly do a better job than his father."

"His father is in Law, not politics," Evan said, frowning.

Orion gave a tired chuckle. "Well, nowadays it's the same thing," Orion scoffed.

Hence why Regulus was to go to the Law Academy once he was done with Hogwarts, no matter what he wanted to do. Either he went to Law or politics, he needed to graduate the Academy with wonderful grades, like his father before him.

The fire in the fireplace roared, turning green and showing Pollux and Arcturus. Arcturus rolled the wheels on his wheelchair quickly, trying to get away from Pollux before another second went by, but Pollux smiled and walked right behind him.

"My grandson! Sixteen!" Pollux celebrated, voice upbeat. Regulus didn't answer. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Regulus said.

He couldn't hide the defensiveness and coldness in his voice, no matter how much he tried to make it look like a normal luncheon. Still, the disgust in Regulus' mind was clear when Pollux pretended nothing was happening when his every decision had led them to where they stood – with a ruinous man, a traumatised woman and a messed, power-hungry family.

Now, even with all the letters sent, they still had to wait for Gringotts' decision of blocking any money of Cygnus that he had no managed to get from his own job and his access to the main Black Family's Vault. Besides, Walburga was struggling with keeping a conversation open between herself and Euphemia, also struggling with starting a friendly conversation with Lydia Zabini.

Arcturus wasn't a stupid man, he had been told what was happening, and he – like many in that room – could feel the tension between everybody in that room.

"Regulus, happy birthday. Congratulations for your sixteenth year," greeted Arcturus from where he sat, slightly behind Pollux. The man stepped to the side for Regulus to see.

"Grandsire, thank you for coming," Regulus said, politely.

Evan exchanged a look with Regulus, questions clear, but he held back, looking back at his sister and smiling a bit at her.

Arcturus turned his eyes to the women in the family, greeting them first before greeting his own son.

"Where's Alphard?" Pollux asked.

"He went to Crouch's Residence. He'll bring my friend over," Regulus explained.

Pollux eyed Regulus' blouse. He said nothing.

Regulus raised his chin.

"And the girl?" Arcturus asked.

Walburga turned around, opening the doors of the sitting room to offer the family the way towards the garden soon enough. Orion put his whiskey away, walking to stand beside his wife near the doors.

"She'll be here with her Guardian at any moment," Regulus said.

Arcturus watched Regulus for a moment, amused that he had used the word 'Guardian' over the word 'chaperone', but narrowing his eyes at him. There was some interest that Regulus didn't want there, in the unknown dark.

Again, nobody said anything.

It was beside the point, of course, because the fire roared once more and Alphard appeared with a huge grin on his face to whatever it was that Barty had just said to him, shoving his fingers through his hair to push it back into place. Barty, beside him, was just as tall, even if he looked so young, especially with his cheeks flushed with some colour.

"Son," greeted Pollux.

"Hello," Alphard greeted. "Where is --? Oh, there he is. My sweet nephew! Happy birthday!"

Alphard stepped forward, still smiling, to put his hand on Regulus' shoulder. He looked over his own shoulder to make sure Barty was following him out of the fireplace and pointing at Regulus with his chin when Barty approached.

"Regulus, happy birthday!" Barty said, offering Regulus his gift.

Barty had been the only one to bring a gift with him. Most people would usually send the gifts by owl ahead of arrival's time. Regulus liked when he received gifts from people's hands other than by owls.

"Hi, thanks," he said, taking the box. He hesitated. "May I open it?"

Barty nodded.

Carefully putting the box down to untie the bow, he smiled at the content as soon as the box's cover was taken away.

"Evan, Pandora, come see!" Regulus said.

Evan smiled, quickly making his way through the people with his sister and made a little noise at the gift. Pandora's smile grew.

"Where did you get it?!" Evan said. "I went after it for such a long time, and nobody knew anything!"

Barty smirked.

"Allow me to have some secrets, Evan," he said, looking away from Evan to look at Regulus. "Do you like it?"

"This isn't Latin," Regulus whispered. "This is Spanish. You got the newest version!"

The book's cover was brown, hard. The pages gilded and the title leaned to the side, golden. It was all in Spanish.

"Las Artes Más Obscuras y sus Explicaciones Teóricas," Barty said. His words slow and deliberate. "It took me a while to learn to say it, but it means 'The Darkest Arts and its Theorical Explanations'. They said it was easier to find a good enough translation spell from Spanish to English than Latin to English. Besides, if push comes to shove, I'm sure Luna will help you."

Walburga pressed her lips together, not liking the familiarity that Barty had said Luna's first name. The boy needed to learn his place. Barty was a pureblood and he was rich enough, but he wasn't in the same level of influence and political influence as the Black Family. He wasn't raised in the same way that those people were, and she knew that, and she also knew that Regulus would not like her to correct his friends' behaviours, especially about something that Regulus seemed to take so lightly.

"She insists her Spanish is poor," Regulus said.

"Miss Lupin speaks Spanish?" Orion asked, surprised.

Regulus looked up at her father and watched as his surprise was quickly morphed into nothingness again. He still felt uneasy whenever he found something that he didn't know about the girl.

"Some. Mostly English and Welsh, but her mother's family derives from Spain for the most part," he said. "Her grandfather is Spanish-German and her grandmother was Portuguese, they met and lived in Spain for a long time before they came to England for her grandfather's job." He turned to Arcturus. "He was one of the muggles that fought in the war that earned your title, Grandsire. He's a doctor, something like a Mediwizard for muggles, but with specialisation in brains."

Orion looked away, masking his jaw's tightening.

Arcturus hummed with the information, taking it in while not curling his lip in disgust at the thought.

"I suppose that's a good job," he said.

"I'd imagine so," Regulus said, looking back at the book. "Thank you, Barty. This is going to come in hand, certainly. I have some theories that I'd like to see others' opinions, this way I don't have to test them."

"We already talked about using the Dark Arts, Regulus," Walburga said in warning.

He tried his best not to roll his eyes and threw his mum a nod. She had scolded him when she had caught him writing down some theories about the Dark Arts, especially abouts its rules and limits, which she didn't like. The Dark Arts were only to be used when one knew how to use it, and he was too young to learn yet – his father was to teach him before he took over the family's title, probably after he was graduated from the Academy or a bit earlier if he was responsible enough.

"Well, thankfully, Barty gave me a book that might answer my questions, this way I don't have to try it out myself," Regulus said, shaking the book to show it off to his mum.

Walburga looked at Barty with a grateful glint in her eyes. She didn't thank him, and just looked away.

"Boys and their books!" Alphard said, humorous.

"Better than the start of the summer. Regulus was stuck on his broom most of the day before I got him something to do," Orion said.

Evan smirked.

"Tiring yourself out for a good night's sleep, were you, Reggie?" he teased.

"Don't call me Reggie," Regulus grumbled, putting the book gently back into the box. Evan snorted. "Kreacher!" the elf popped. "Put it in my bed, will you? Thank you."

"Yes, Young Master," he said, taking the box.

The elf gave a low bow, large eyes reflecting genuine happiness of being part of at least a little bit of Regulus' birthday.

Walburga sighed.

"Must you thank the help for doing their very job?" she said, annoyed.

"He's doing it well. Thanking him might encourage him to keep up the good work," lied Regulus.

The truth was that he rather liked Kreacher, even if he was the type of elf to tell everything that he saw to Walburga at the first question or necessity. Kreacher was kind and had, whether anyone in that house would admit it or not, helped raise Regulus – he had been the one to teach him to use a fork and a knife, to dress himself, to wash himself and groom his hair in the way that Walburga wanted him to without making him go ask her for her help. Nowadays, Walburga was a lot better, but Regulus still remembered how much angrier and how her temper had been shorter. That was, at least, when she showed any emotion at all.

Still, he grew to understand that Kreacher was more than a servant, he had been his silent protector growing up, and a constant in a very shifting childhood. An alliance that nobody would be able to break. Regulus was grateful for a lot more than Kreacher taking boxes up to his bedroom.

"The boy's right to keep a good relationship with the servants, Walburga. They are the ones making the food, cleaning the house and keeping the secrets," Arcturus said. "A house-elf's loyalty can be broken with the simplest of loopholes, unless they have a reason to respect the House."

"Yes, of course, Father," Walburga said, lowering her eyes.

Regulus locked his jaw. She hated when Walburga called her father-in-law by 'Father'. It often led to Pollux sulking and Arcturus looking as smug as someone with as few facial expressions as him could look.

"Our dear Reggie is good in keeping a good relationship with people in lower classifications, Aunt Walburga," Bellatrix said, smirk growing on her red lips.

Regulus turned her eyes to her cousin.

"Dare you say what you mean, Bella?" he asked, voice careful.

"I dare. I shall. I don't know how you found your girl, Reggie, but she's low, even if she's interesting," Bellatrix said.

Druella turned her eyes to her daughter, narrowing them in warning. Narcissa turned with a little gasp, hanging off her husband's arm and grip tightening.

"Bella!" she scolded.

"You know that I'm right, Cissa!" she said, rolling her eyes so far on the back of her head that Regulus cringed internally. "She's a half-blood, and a poor one at that!"

"Careful of how you speak of my partner, Bellatrix," Regulus warned, putting his hands into his trousers' pockets.

Pandora was under the watchful eyes of her brother and had opened her mouth to speak, but Evan held her wrist, not looking at her, but quietly warning her into silence. She seemed to tremble under his grip, but she kept her mouth shut.

"It was amusing when Pandora was dragging her to spend the summer in her house, an odd little pet. When you announced the courtship, I thought it'd last the year, hoped even, but this is going too far," Bellatrix said. She turned to her husband. "Roddy and I have been talking to some very interesting people, and they all agreed that the courtship you're in a youthful decision that needs to come to an end."

"He's young –" started Walburga.

"He's sixteen. It's time to grow up," Roddy insisted, cutting the woman off.

Walburga's sharp, cold gaze turned to the young man, eyes widening slightly in warning. He didn't seem to notice that she didn't like being cut off.

Pollux shifted his weight from leg to leg and looking around, uncrossing his arms. He seemed to be searching for something to say.

"He has time to grow up," Arcturus dismissed, tone final. "The girl's good fun and good distraction. Let him enjoy it. Regulus knows how far it can go."

Regulus fixed his posture.

Pollux rolled his shoulders back.

"Miss Lupin is aware of the limitations in our courtship," he said.

The contract hidden underneath the floorboards under his bed made sure of it, even if they were tired of the limitations.

Arcturus' eyes bore into his, but didn't search for any weakness. There was some acceptance in his twitch of the lip.

"Good. Then she's as smart as I thought she was," he commended.

Bellatrix turned to Arcturus.

"Sir Arcturus, certainly you understand that –"

"Quiet, woman!" Pollux said, jumping into the conversation. "This is none of your business. Can't you see that your opinion wasn't requested?"

Shocked that her own grandfather had dared to speak in such a way with her, she turned to look at him and raised her eyebrows, challenging into speaking a single other thing against her.

Regulus, too, was shocked that Pollux had crossed Bellatrix, because even if he hated outspoken women he had never gone against Bellatrix's ideas and opinions, often patronising them, but finding them amusing, nonetheless. Still, his outright support had caught unprepared

"Do you think –" she started, disgust lacing her voice.

Thankfully, before the tense situation could get any worse, the fireplace's green fired roared and grew once more, allowing Euphemia Potter to come through while holding onto Luna Lupin's hand gently.

Walburga never thought she would be so relieved to have the Potter woman into her house again.

Regulus opened a smile, though most people in the room knew it to be fake.

"Lady Potter, Miss Lupin," he greeted.

Luna took one look at him before suspiciously looking around, searching for anything amiss. He never loved her more for knowing him so well that a single glance would let her know that he was upset.

Euphemia stepped out first, helping Luna through and banishing any cinder from them before they could step into the priceless carpet.

Euphemia wore a Western dress of dark toned magenta with short sleeves, but its collar was around her collarbones, modest and loose around her form, but not ill-fitting at all. If Regulus wasn't a man in a relationship, he might have looked a bit too long at how her eyes were darker around the edged, making them look deeper, and how she had a thick, golden necklace shining appearing just at the edge of her clothes.

"I fear our small delay was my fault, and I apologise," Euphemia announced, smiling. "My son has received a letter to announce his position as Head Boy this year, I was quite overwhelmed."

"Oh... It's no problem. Congratulations," Regulus said after a moment of hesitation.

James Potter as a Head Boy would certainly be an experience.

"James seems happy," Luna said.

Regulus turned to her, finally feeling free to pay his whole attention. He had to ignore the nervousness growing in the pit of his stomach and how his first thought was of how they would meet the following day.

Luna wore a mint-green dress with thick shoulder straps, but no sleeves. It was long and somewhat modest, even if the cleavage left the start of the swell of her breasts appearing. One of the straps was decorated with the Gupta brooch, which Regulus knew was covering up her scars for her. He smiled at the fact that she wore heels, white and low, but heels, nonetheless.

"You look beautiful, Miss Lupin," he said.

Without any other greeting, any other words, Luna was taken aback by his compliment. Still, she smiled.

"Thank you, Mister Black," she said, voice airy, though there was some teasing in her calling him 'Mister Black', something she never grew used to. She cleared her throat before smiling. "I like your blouse."

Evan coughed somewhere behind him. Barty pinched his friend's side in silence.

Euphemia smiled to herself, putting a hand on Luna's shoulder and squeezing it lightly in teasing.

Walburga cleared her throat. "Shall we go to the garden? Our group is finally full," she said, glancing at Regulus in warning, not enjoying the unpolite blurted out compliment. Regulus looked away. "Kreacher will lay down the table."

"It's ready," Orion said, looking through the doors at the laid-out table. "He's done it already."

Regulus was tempted to tell his mother that it was the sort of 'good job' that he had been talking about on Kreacher's behalf.

They walked through the house, getting to the French doors made out of glass and silver. Walburga opened it and led them through the garden, where the flowers were well taken care of and, midst it, there was a long wooden table laid-out with food for a lot more people than the group gathered.

Orion sat at the head of the table, leaving the other end to his father. Pollux insisted on sitting by Arcturus' right, much to his dismay (which he showed by scowling at Walburga when she found no way of saving him). Walburga sat at her husband's right, leaving his left to Regulus – she said nothing when he requested Luna to sit beside him, even if it wasn't a proper thing to be done. Alphard sat beside his sister, across from Luna and smiling at the girl when he invited Euphemia to sit beside him. Unfortunately, such a move left Lucius Malfoy to sit beside Luna and Rodolphus Lestrange to sit beside Euphemia and Bellatrix on his other side. While improper, Narcissa didn't seem to mind too much when she sat beside her own husband, smiling when Evan sat beside her with Pandora beside him. Barty, uncomfortable, sat beside Pandora and tried his best to not frown when Druella tried to start a conversation with him from his side.

Once the food was served and the polite conversation died down, it was Pollux – surprisingly – that started a deeper interaction.

"Since Hogwarts letters arrived, I wonder. Did you get a place in Alchemy, Miss Lupin?" Pollux asked, sipping his cup of wine.

Luna looked to the furthest end of the table, where he was sat.

"Yes, I did, Mister Black. Thank you for asking," she said politely. She took a cup of water and sipped it before licking her lips. "I knew I would get in when I got my school report last schoolyear."

"Ah, good grades?"

"Indeed. Miss Lupin got third overall," Euphemia said, turning to Pollux. "She's a very academically driven young lady."

"Regulus was second. But Barty Crouch was first overall. It was quite impressive," Evan said, looking at Barty and smiling at him. "He should've been with Miss Lupin and Pandora in Ravenclaw, I say."

Arcturus' eyes stopped at Barty, putting down his knife and slowly reaching for his own cup. He took a long sip before licking his teeth under his lips.

"What do you plan of doing with your grades, boy?" he asked.

Barty stuttered before taking a moment in silence to take a deep breath.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, Sir Arcturus. I do plan on going on Curse-Breaking, though I'm not certain which area of it. I have been talking with some of my father's friends about it, trying to find an area that I can follow," Barty said.

"Hence the books he can find. He's wonderful in networking, it's impressive," Evan said with a nod.

Luna was relieved that the conversation that moved away from her, but she pitied the shy Barty, whose face was flushing under the compliments and questions.

"Finding that book for my grandson was certainly something. Where did you get it?" Arcturus asked.

"A friend of mine is the son of a collector. I called in a favour," Barty said.

"Which friend?"

Barty swallowed forcefully.

"His name is John. John Hastings," he answered. He glanced at Evan before looking down again. "He's the son of Alexander Hastings, the book binder and collector. He has books from the 16th century, forward."

Evan narrowed his eyes at Barty, question at the edge of his tongue, but he looked away and sipped his wine, swallowing down the words alongside the alcohol.

"Alexander Hastings; now, now, it's been a while since I last heard that name," Orion said, tasting the name with some nostalgy. "He was a few years above me. I had not heard of his marriage."

Barty's cheeks burned.

"He didn't, Your Grace," Barty said.

Orion raised his eyebrows, leaning forward and not looking away from Barty when the boy avoided his eyes.

"Oh, I see. A bastard," he said.

"Yes," Barty whispered.

"And the boy's in Hogwarts?" Pollux asked.

"A year above us, a Hufflepuff," Barty answered. "Smart. Hardworking. Already has a spot guaranteed in Cardiff's Academy of Ancient Runes."

"Impressive," Pollux mumbled, interested. "And how come you befriended the boy?"

Barty sipped his water in silence, pretending that he was too busy with it to answer immediately. He gathered himself before answering it out loud. His throat tightened.

"I'm interested in Ancient Runes and did some extra work for credit. He was assigned to help me through it. It was a good connection to make, and I thought of keeping him around," he said.

Regulus narrowed his eyes at the answer, but did not look up from his plate to question his friend's real motives of keeping this boy that he hadn't heard about around – until he understood at once, letting the truth sink in.

If Barty was hesitating and throwing such logical reasons for the boy to be kept around, something that Barty would do in real life, it meant that the boy was not a friendship that he often shared publicly. It was a lover. And it took Regulus just a moment longer to understand that he was most likely the 'John Smith' that Barty had mentioned before, protecting his identity from everybody, including Regulus and Evan.

His friendship being exposed was a lot more serious than Barty seemed to admit.

Barty could feel Regulus' eyes on him, tentatively probing, but he kept his gaze down, focusing on the pattern of his plate and the food it. He wasn't hungry anymore. His stomach was starting to hurt.

"You know another name which I have heard recently?" Regulus asked, raising his head. "Someone in Hogwarts mentioned the name 'Meera Lohan'."

Orion did a little noise, leaning back in his chair.

"The lawyer?" he asked.

Regulus nodded once.

Luna turned her head to look at him, schooling her expression into a blank one. She didn't seem happy with his sudden conversation shift, but said nothing of her frustration.

"Someone you know from work?" Druella asked.

Orion looked at her.

"Have you not heard of her name before, Druella?" he asked.

"Neither have I," Narcissa admitted.

Bellatrix scoffed. "Sister, you have not heard of the world," she dismissed Narcissa's words.

Narcissa looked at her sister, somewhat hurt by her accusation. She turned to her husband, searching for some protection, but found only comfort in his discreet touch on her leg under the table. She knew Bellatrix had been right then; she really knew little of the world, and nobody seemed willing to teach her.

"She used to be a lawyer fighting for women's rights, but had to step out of her position after her and her family were threatened," Euphemia explained directly at Narcissa. The blonde woman looked at the other, blinking at the information. "Her husband was almost killed by a group of men that were against women's positions in politics. She decided to step away; she was pregnant at the time."

Euphemia's smile didn't waver, but there was some sternness in her eyes when she looked at Bellatrix after she was done talking.

"Now, that's just awful!" Druella said, frowning. "Attacking a pregnant woman like that."

Euphemia seemed to want to say something, but held her tongue.

"Positions in politics?" Luna asked, frowning as well. "What are we talking about?"

"Seats in Parliament," Orion answered, turning to the girl. "Positions and titles."

"Women are not allowed it?" Luna asked.

Bellatrix scoffed again.

"Of course not," she said.

"Miss Lupin was not raised in our midst, Bellatrix," Walburga said, not looking away from her own plate of food. She was cutting her chicken in silence for a while before then. "There are things that she's not obliged to know."

"It's basic knowledge," Bellatrix insisted.

Euphemia put her cup down and joined her hands in her lap. Her smiled tightened, becoming so clearly fake that Bellatrix's smile grew.

"Not to muggle-raised, it is not," Euphemia said. "Women have more rights in the muggle world's politics. Just last year they declared International Women's Year and organised a World Conference on Women; all over the world they are earning their rights. There's a Sex Discrimination Act going through, as well."

"Which would be?" Bellatrix asked, raising her eyebrows.

She didn't seem interested, more like she was testing Euphemia's knowledge.

Luna locked her jaw before forcing a smile.

"It makes the discrimination on grounds of sex or marital status unlawful, therefore a woman can find a job as a single woman or married, with or without her husband's permission, or even as a divorced woman," Luna answered.

"Such as your mother?" Bellatrix asked, blinking sweetly.

Luna's tight smile grew in her anger.

Her fingers tightened around her glass. She could feel the weight of Bellatrix's gaze like a physical pressure on her head, but she was careful to make sure her Occlumency shields were in place. Luna didn't want to be scared, but she was. Luna was scared, but she was too angry to care.

"My mother never stopped working, before, during or after her marriage. She's not been idle a single day of her life," she said.

Bellatrix's face twitched and, for a moment, Luna wondered if she would throw a curse from across the table, but then her lip twitched, and she let out an awful laugh – a cackle of laughter which made Regulus cringe.

Luna froze.

Bellatrix's laugh wasn't like Sirius', even if they were both sudden and loud. It wasn't bark of someone that tried to hold back the laughter and failed; no, it was like laughter was just how every single one of her emotions overflowed, and she was always on the edge of pouring out. Bellatrix's eyes didn't soften through her laughter, they continued glued to Luna through the whole moment.

"You are a brave one, you are," Bellatrix commended, looking at her husband in amusement, as if to make sure he was watching the scene as well. "Interesting little girl," she mused.

Rodolphus looked at Luna, appreciating the view for a second before turning his eyes at Regulus, who was already looking back at him, waiting for him to notice his cold gaze resting on him. Roddy looked at his own wife.

Luna looked down, heart quickening. Those compliments were not good; something inside of her made her stomach churn and her intestines knot. Bellatrix was an unpredictable woman, and her interest was dangerous.

Regulus reached for Luna's hand under the table.

"Regulus mentioned your maternal grandfather was a Muggle medical," Alphard said, raising his eyebrows, trying to move the conversation into a more comfortable situation. "And he fought the Muggle war?"

"Brain surgeon, yes. And he was part of the army during the Second World War," she answered, nodding at him and squeezing Regulus's hand under the table.

"Surgeon?" Druella asked.

"Yes," Luna answered, nodding.

"It's the type of medical professional that does surgeries. They open people up to fix them," Pandora said, nodding to herself, proud of knowing such a thing. "It's really impressive to do so without magic, don't you think?"

"It's gruesome!" Druella shrieked.

"Completely horrendous," agreed Walburga, grimacing.

Euphemia chuckled.

"One is not awake during the surgery," she said.

Luna blinked, eyebrows twitching.

"There are no surgeries in the Wizarding World?" she asked. "What does it happen when someone is born with a bad heart or something?"

Walburga turned her eyes to Luna. "Well, if the child survives, they survive," she said, coldly. "Otherwise, it isn't worth it."

Orion looked at the sky, seeing the clouds moving with the breeze.

"There are spells that work, of course. We don't simply let it die if it's born at all," Orion said.

"Last year, my mum was talking about the first foetal cardiac intervention. It was ventricular tachycardia that was corrected before the babe was born," Luna said, quite proudly. "It was controversial in the health area, but mum was so excited. She's been working at the Chief Nurse for the Surgical Team this year, so she's been in contact with the Neonatal Team – that's the group for babies – and she's so interested."

Arcturus served himself more wine.

"You seem to know a lot about surgeries. Is that why that brooch of yours has a glamour?" Arcturus asked.

Luna felt her spine stiffen and her hands squeezed Regulus' so tightly under her table that Regulus locked his jaw in place.

"Grandsire –" Regulus started.

Euphemia turned, ready to speak as well.

"Yes," Luna lied.

The table stilled.

Pandora frowned, looking down. Her neck twitched and she looked skyward before looking at her brother, but Evan wasn't looking at her.

"I have a heart condition, that is common knowledge. It was fixed to some extent when I was a child, I have scars due to it, which I do not like, but I do not want to make them go away. They are a reminder that I survived it," Luna said. Regulus let go of her hand so his could rest on her leg. "A heart surgery means that they open the chest up, took the heart, fixed it as best as they could and put it back."

"Nobody minds the scar. Most of us have scars, and from far less noble reasons," Regulus said, jumping into the conversation.

He glanced at his parents before looking back at his girlfriend.

Orion had a scar on his knee from a curse that went wrong in his first duel when he was fifteen. Walburga had a scar in the inside of her thigh from when she fell off a tree and scraped herself when she was nine. Regulus had a scar on his back from a beating his father had given him, and that was a scar he wasn't willing to erase – he wasn't ready to forgive and forget, and he wasn't ready to not think of the scar as a reminder of when to shut his mouth against his father.

Bellatrix's grin was more of a stretch of lips than an actual smile.

"Did it hurt?" she asked.

Her question made it clear that there was a part of her that wished it did.

"I don't remember much. I was medicated throughout it all," Luna said.

It was true enough.

While it had not been a surgery, but an attack, she had been well taken care of at home. Her mother had stolen some morphine while she recovered. She remembered bits and pieces of the feverish days and nights, and most of it was tainted by her accelerated thoughts of death and what would come afterwards. Pain wasn't the foremost memory, it was fear.

Regulus' hand squeezed her leg, just above her knee. She turned to give him a small smile.

Alphard did a noise of absolute delight.

"I must talk to your mother once more, Miss Lupin, my dear. Her knowledge of the human body is most certainly entertaining," he said, once more moving conversations. "I have been painting this one piece of mine that has been giving me trouble; sure, there are some elves there that are making the situation worse, after all it's of the Revolution of 1788, but she must know better of what war bodies might look like."

"My mother has never been to combat, Mister Black, but she has healed soldiers before. She might be willing to help you," Luna said, sweetly.

Alphard smiled.

"Wonderful! I'd be grateful," he said.

Alphard was the one to carry the conversation through the end of luncheon, away from Luna and her family and towards the public gossip of some of the other families, some which he had heard while painting portraits for their marriage-aged daughters and sisters.

Euphemia did not speak a single word throughout the luncheon, just watching Luna with lips pressed together and a worried nature overtaking her facial expressions. She had not liked how quickly Luna had Occluded and how easy it had been lying, even if she had been grateful for her surprising ability.

Once desert was served, Regulus turned his face to the side and lowered his head and voice:

"Tomorrow, Meera's Lodge, midday," he whispered.

She looked at him and gave a firm nod.

Luna looked at the mirror in the bathroom and sighed, discontent with how her hair looked. No matter how she twisted and knotted it, her braids were not looking as good as she wanted it to, so she had forgone it completely, letting the hair fall over her shoulders and back. She wore a white tank-top with a buttoned up green flowy shirt over it. She had put one denim trousers and trainers. It was a common enough outfit that it could be ignored in the Muggle world.

Leaving the bedroom, she walked down the stairs with as little noise as she could manage, but it wasn't sufficient. Remus looked away from the telly as soon as she crossed the sitting room.

"Where're you going?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Park," she lied.

He deadpanned an expression and his jaw locked.

"Are you going to meet Sirius?" he asked. "When you said you were going to the park before, you went to meet him.

She turned to him, aghast.

"Fuck's sake! I'm going to meet Regulus," she corrected. "Not that it's any of your business."

Remus looked her up and down before sighing and nodding.

"Be back before mum. I'm not going to cover for you for more than twenty minutes. You went to meet Pandora before the wedding at the park, that's your story," Remus warned.

Luna scoffed, thanking him under hear breath before slipping out of the house.

She didn't need his help with her covers, she had been doing it for over a year and nobody had ever caught her. In all honesty, Sirius and her had been caught because of Sirius; he was the guilty party.

She walked to the park and turned the street, marching into the hotel. It was common Muggle hotel; the only difference is that it had a floo connection in the back. All she had to do was say she wanted to use the connection and she would be led to a room where there was a phone and a fireplace – which connection the person working there thought she would use, then it was none of her business, but nobody questioned when she didn't come back until hours later.

By the time she got to Diagon Alley she was slightly late and had to jog down the street, through the crowd of people buying last-minute provisions for Hogwarts. Still, she got to the small inn at the secondary street just five minutes late.

New River Inn wasn't all that big, nor all that known, but it was beautiful, nonetheless.

At the ground floor, there was a restaurant which Meera's wife (a Pakistani woman named Aaliya) was responsible for. Luna didn't often eat there, she never stayed for time enough for meals afterwards whatever she had gone there for, but the smell always made her stomach grumble in protest for her ignorance. The tables were spread across the space with tables being further away from everything else and protected by thin curtains made out of lace, which gave privacy to the people in those table.

On the first floor there were a few of the simplest bedrooms. On the second floor, there were the most expensive bedrooms, which counted with the presence of bathtubs and a nice view of Diagon Alley and part of Muggle London.

She smiled at Meera when she walked in.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Oh, hi, dear," she greeted back. She was wearing Western clothes, a shirt and trousers. She seemed to have just gotten there as well. "Sorry, my daughter was sick, I was with her at the hospital."

"Is she alright?" Luna asked.

Luna thought of asking her about her last job, but she didn't dare.

"Just the flu, dearest, she's just resting now," she dismissed. She looked at the door. "Just you today?"

"Actually... I'm waiting for –"

"Luna?"

She turned, seeing Regulus appearing from behind one of the curtains near the tables. He had his hands behind his back and no expression in his face.

"Hi!" she said, smiling at him. She turned to Meera again. "This is Regulus Black, I'm with him."

Meera's eyes narrowed for a second before she looked away.

"As you say, lassie," she dismissed again. She smiled at Regulus and Luna. "Anything I can get the kitchen started on?"

Regulus slowly walked across the room to stand beside Luna and watch her reaction, but when he saw no recognition in her face nor any guesses on her tongue, he relaxed a bit. He requested some water until they could decide and soon moved with her to the booth, closing the lacy curtains.

He sat across from her.

"Hi," he said.

"Hey," she said, even though she had already greeted him.

"I wanted to meet you today. I wanted to talk to you," he said. She nodded. "I want to burn our contract."

Luna's eyes went to his face and her mouth opened, but Aaliya came over, putting a water jug on the table and two goblets. Regulus thanked her in such a dismissive tone that Luna looked up and thanked her as well, giving her an apologetic smile.

Once she was away, she turned to him.

"Burn our contract?" she asked, confused. "Do you want to... finish this?"

"No! No, Luna!" he said, taken aback by her association. "The official contract signed by our parents will continue standing, I meant our contract, which he wrote and signed when it wasn't real. I fear it cannot stand any longer. Let us deal with it ourselves before it's too late and we're found out. I have been concerned with a written proof of our ruse being left out in the open by accident."

"My copy of it is hidden with my school supplies. I didn't bring it," she said.

Regulus put his hand in his pocket, putting his copy of the contract on the table.

"We can start with mine," he said.

"Why so suddenly?" she asked.

Regulus' cheeks gained some colour.

"I want to make this as real as possible and forget that one day it wasn't," he admitted.

Luna softened, reaching for his hand over the table and holding it.

"A contract that we signed before means nothing to our relationship now, but we can burn it if it'll make you feel better, and we'll burn mine at Hogwarts, away from everybody else," she said.

"Yes," he said.

Luna smiled.

"Alright, then. That's decided. Now, what do you want to eat?" she asked, reaching for the menu.

Regulus looked at the menu suspiciously before glancing up at her and opening his mouth. He closed it and took a deep breath, opening the menu and going through it before gathering his courage again.

"What did you usually get?" he asked.

Luna froze as she turned the page, but soon after recovered.

"I never ate here," she admitted in a low voice.

"I see," Regulus whispered.

Luna slowly closed the menu, still undecided of what she wanted to eat. There was something more important for her to say before then.

"Regulus, I spoke of meeting here because I knew it was safe. It means nothing," she said. "If you want to go somewhere else, I'm game. Really, I don't mind going anywhere."

Regulus frowned, not looking away from his menu as he turned the pages. The photographs and descriptions of dishes were certainly appetising, but he wasn't hungry even though he hadn't eaten yet.

"I'm not a jealous person –"

"Yes, you are," she said, cutting him off and lowering her eyebrows. "You are jealous, and that's alright, because I would be jealous in your place as well. Nothing is going to happen between Sirius and I ever again, but it did before, and I don't think I'd be as mature as you're being about it if the roles were reversed."

Regulus closed the menu and put it on the table. The sound it made was slightly too loud.

"Well, I am jealous. I don't like it," he admitted.

"Alright."

"And I don't like the idea of doing the same things as he did, but I don't want you to be neglected," he said. "Coming here, where you met him, knowing that if I were to take you upstairs I would fail to make you feel as... completed as him due to my lack of experience is shameful."

"Fuck's sake, Regulus, no!" Luna said, shaking her head. "This isn't a comparison or a competition at all."

"It certainly feels like it."

"In your head."

Regulus' face flushed in anger and his hands formed fists as he pulled them closer to his body. Luna crossed her arms, leaning away from him and resting against the booth's back as silence grew in between them.

"We don't need to go upstairs," Luna said, finally. "I won't ask for something that you're not ready for."

Regulus looked away, turning his face so far to the side that Luna had to admire his profile. Even in his anger, Regulus was as handsome as a Greek god with a beautiful angle on his nose, sharp jawline and his dark curls.

"I want to," he admitted. "That's the worst part, Luna. I want to go upstairs. I want to take you and hide away from the world, learn how to do everything that I can in a single day. But I don't think I can stay in the same bedroom as you and him –"

"Do you think I'm cruel, Regulus?" she asked, cutting him off.

"What?"

"Do you truly think I'd get the same room or ask the same food, as if I'm pretending that you're him?" Luna asked, frowning. "Regulus, you are not him. I don't care about him anymore – I'm in love with you. I love you. I'm here because I know the people here will take care of us regardless of who we are."

Regulus' heart double its speed as his eyes widened.

Being in love with someone was something wonderful and all but receiving more than that – receiving a 'I love you' was so much more than her admission of being in love with him. It felt permanent. It felt his.

Possessive as he was, he barely had any control when he leaned over the table to take her lips into his so suddenly and so forcefully that she moaned with the pressure that almost became pain, but melted against him regardless.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, breathless when he pulled back.

Luna stared at him, unspeaking. Stupid.

"No," she blurted out once she realised the silence.

"What bedroom should I take?" he asked.

Her cheeks burned.

"Not the 105," she whispered. "Any other."

Regulus watched her face for a second, taking in every detail.

"I'll take the most expensive one," he decided.

Without saying anything else, he turned on his heels and marched right out of the booth.

Luna served herself some water while she waited for him to return, trying to control her breathing and wet her dry throat, letting her nervousness die down – she had no reason to be nervous.

It was just Regulus.

It was just the boy she loved.

Evan giving relationship advice will never not be funny to me, and now - at least - we know Regulus is struggling with control, even if he doesn't let other people know about it. Barty almost exposed himself, but Regulus is too protective to let it happen.

Luna and Regulus are learning to communicate (finally)!

How far do we think of going next chapter?