CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
A Blooming Garden
June 7th, 1979.

     Mallory did not feel happy nor sad when she woke up this morning. She felt nothing. The sky was awfully grey for a summer morning and she felt a pinch in her chest as her feet hit the ground. Not much had happened since she had begged Regulus to not go by himself in that cave. They had decided to listen to Albus Dumbledore and wait for the weather to get better.

Regulus, on the other hand, had been procrastinating most of the time. His mother hadn't asked much of him, too caught up in her work—whatever that was. Kreacher had gotten better, after Regulus had tended to him. He could not stop thinking about Mallory, even if he tried hard. The way she had begged him to come with him, the way she whispered his nickname as if she owned it or the way he had kissed her in that library.

He could not get enough and he found that overly scary.

"Regulus," the screeching voice of his mother echoed through Grimmauld Place as he rose from his chair, headed downstairs and went immediately to her office. "Have you and Mallory talked about further plans?"

"Such as?" He asked with a frown.

"Well," she kissed her top teeth, linking her hands together. "Perhaps, getting married, dear."

The words made Regulus sweat a bit as he had not expected such a hurry coming from his mother. Mallory and him were aware that it could go as far as getting married but they had never talked about it. He recalled very well that it took years for Narcissa and Lucius to seal their fates.

"You see," she continued, seeing he was not answering. "Your father and I cannot wait for Mallory to join the family. She will make a lovely addition indeed. Besides, you are coming of age to have children."

"Am I?"

"Surely. It is very important that you secure our line and may Mallory bore you a son," she whispered, offering a smile.

He didn't think he had seen his mother smile that much before. All she had to say was her name and she would smile until her cheeks hurt too much. At least, he was not the only one who had been completely charmed by Mallory Abbott.

After a moment of debating, he decided to head outside to clear his head and perhaps he would knock on her door, and speak. As he watched the sky, it was awfully grey, almost as if a storm was coming and he felt uneasy. All of a sudden, a hand grabbed his shoulder pulling him back as his eyes widened in shock.

"What is this?" He exclaimed loudly.

"Thank Merlin, you are here," Regulus could have sworn it was Edgar Bones. "We've been looking for someone familiar for hours."

"Edgar?"

"Oh, great," he smiled rapidly. "He remembers me," he notified Samira and his eyes drifted towards her, then the bump. "Have you seen Mallory?"

"No, not yet."

Something in Edgar's voice made Regulus frown. He sounded so scared, confused and perhaps a bit sad? And Samira looked panicked.

"What happened?"

"Just—just lead us to her, will you, Reg?" Edgar pleaded.

Despite being concerned, he led them to the flat. After all, they seemed to be completely all over the place. So, Regulus led them to her. When they finally reached the flat, Edgar and Samira seemed too nervous to knock so he did it. Mallory frowned at their sight, letting them in. Regulus did his best to ignore the way her eyes gazed at him as he walked to the armchair where Pen slept peacefully.

"Mal," Edgar started quietly, his hands reaching her shoulders as if he was preparing her to stay still.

"What is it?" Mallory chuckled, not comprehending what was happening. "You're scaring me, Eddie."

Samira bit her lower lip, taking a step closer as well and pushing Edgar out of the way, "Moody sent us–your parents are dead, Mallory."

Regulus watched as Mallory's face hardened and her frown deepened as she watched the pair. And for the first time since the war had started, Mallory was lost. Her mouth was dry, the hot tears pricked her eyes and the lump forming in her throat made her almost choke for air. Samira and Edgar whispered words that she could not hear, it was simply a buzz getting louder and louder with each word. Edgar's hands were still on her shoulders going up and down, trying to soothe her but nothing worked. Her parents dying was her worst nightmare. How was she supposed to function if they were not here anymore?

"I–I need to see if it's them," she finally found the courage to mumble after what felt like an eternity. Despite her weak knees, she managed to stand still and strong as if her feet were anchored in the floor. "Can I?"

"Of course, love," Samira whispered sweetly. "Edgar can come if you need to."

Mallory shook her head, "No, I'd like Regulus to come, please," she murmured loud enough for Regulus to hear as his eyes widened. "Will you come with me, please?"

"Of course, Mallory," he replied with a nod.

Edgar and Regulus shared perplexed looks as she grabbed the nearest coat, threw it on and hooked her purse on her shoulder. Regulus sent a look to the couple as if he was reassuring them he would make sure she would be okay. Before leaving, Mallory asked them to stay at the flat as someone needed to look after Pen.

Regulus followed wordlessly, trying to not lose her in the crowd. Soon enough, she reached for his hand and she exhaled shakily. He didn't question the path nor the destination, he just let her be. If he had learnt something with Mallory these past few months, it was to let her talk first and not push it.

Twenty minutes later, the pair stood in front of a huge manor, probably as big as the Malfoy manor which surprised him a bit. He had no idea where they were. He could not hear a single noise that he used to hear in the city and he could not see any neighbours. The sun shone down on the manor as the flower stood proudly at the entrance.

"My mum loved gardening," she murmured quietly, caressing a rose. "What do you reckon happened to them, Regulus?" Her voice was fragile like a vase that stood too close to the edge.

With his hands pinned behind his back, he replied, "I wish I could tell you but I have no idea, Mallory."

"Right."

Mallory marched right to the front door and to their surprise, the door had been left unlocked and she couldn't help but mumble words of hatred under her breath. Regulus hadn't seen a house so welcoming. The whole atmosphere felt as if he was embraced into a warm and tight hug as soon as he walked in, and he felt his heart sink as they were about to discover their bodies.

"Merlin," she breathed out, the palm of her hand covering her mouth in a shocked manner. "Who did this to you?" She whispered, her voice breaking at the end as she knelt near their bodies.

"Mallory, I don't know if you're allowed to—"

"They're my parents, Regulus," she cut him off sharply. "I'm allowed to do anything I fucking want, alright?"

He stayed silent as he watched. Mallory caressed their faces delicately, kissing their forehead tenderly. A few tears dropped on their faces and he could hear her sniffles, but he didn't move, afraid he would get hexed if he did.

Her parents' corpses weren't in the best condition. When they walked in, their eyes were still wide open but Mallory had taken the time to close them. The interior of their forearms were scarred, and Regulus could not help but think of Death Eaters. But, he couldn't understand why they would go after them. He hadn't attended any meetings where the killings of wizards had been mentioned—though, he was well aware that he was not told everything.

"This—" she murmured, her finger grazing the scar on her father's forearm. "This is the work of your people," she mumbled, looking up at Regulus.

All of a sudden, any trace of sadness had been replaced with anger and she was quick to rise on her feet and lunge herself at him. He was taken back to that day where Moody had captured him and she had pinned him to the wall with her blade pressing on his neck—back to the day where she loathed him and he loathed her.

"Tell me," she spoke in a muted tone, her breath hitting his face. "Did you know?" Regulus couldn't bring himself to answer, too shocked that she would even ask this. "Tell me, Regulus! Did you fucking know?" Now, she was screaming and he closed his eyes quietly.

"Release me, please," he said softly. To his delight, she did so. "I had no idea, Mallory. Do you really think I could play double spy?" He asked with a frown.

She shrugged, "I don't know, you tell me."

"I have been nothing but good with you, even on the days where I loathed you," he argued a bit hurt. "I cared for you when I could have let you die. I protected you from Rodolphus. I did everything for you!"

"How can I know that—"

"Use legilimency," he cut her off. "Go ahead and browse through my dearest memories, Mallory! If that's what it takes for you to believe me."

"Okay."

Her two hands glued themselves on each side of his skull and he shut his eyes tightly at the feeling. For some unknown reasons, Legilimency was not very pleasant whenever it happened. He could feel Mallory diving through his mind, and he was not sure to like it but if it was what it took for her to trust him then he would stay sitting on a chair for hours.

Once she was done, she pulled away and glanced at her parents. A sob escaped her lips as soon as she settled her eyes back on Regulus, and he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her frame.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her hair as his shirt was soaked with her salty tears, but he stayed like this for a long time. "I'm sorry," he said, shushing her softly.

Once she had no tears to shed anymore, she pulled away with puffy eyes and a red nose to look at Regulus. Her mouth opened but no sound came out, and Regulus felt himself getting choked up at the sight of Mallory being in so much pain and utter confusion.

Was it how it felt to have loving parents and to mourn them?

"Would you like to get a tour?" Mallory finally proposed with a small smile. "I have no idea when they will fetch their bodies, hopefully soon."

"I would love a tour."

For once, Regulus took her hand in his first and gave it a soft squeeze that told: I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. She dragged him through the manor, eager to get it out of her head for a moment and they started by the garden. As expected, the garden was full of beautiful flowers all being bathed in sunlight.

She explained that her mother would spend her winter planting the flowers, watching them bloom in the spring, admiring how beautiful they were in summer and taking care of them in the winter. Eloise Abbott did love her garden very dearly from what he had heard.

On the side, there was a bench near a pond with fishes inside. Mallory told him that her father would read on that bench while her mother planted the flowers, and sometimes he would feed the fishes.

Then came the upper part of the manor and her room. Compared to his, her bedroom was full of lights. The tapestry was a light shade of yellow that complimented the decoration very well. Her shelves were full of books in different languages, and the wall in front of her desk was covered with polaroids. All of her friends were on it; starting from the twins to Emmeline Vance.

"We shall stay here for a bit," she said, her back hitting the mattress with a soft thud. "Wait for their bodies to be gone–just to make sure, you know."

"Of course," he replied with a nod. "Would you like something while we are here?"

"Come next to me, Regulus."

Mallory patted the empty space beside her as he gulped, taking off his vest that would probably cause him to be uncomfortable laying down. He was still not sure about the proximity, but he found himself unable to say no. A minute later, he was next to her, his back pressed against the tender mattress and his eyes glued on the ceiling.

"Thank you for coming," she spoke quietly as he turned his head to look at her, and found her already staring. "You didn't have to."

He frowned, "Of course I did," he argued softly and it brought a smile to her face. "Why are you smiling?"

"I'm just happy that it is you who's here today," she admitted.

"Why's that?"

He was staring at her so deeply that he didn't know how she found the strength to stare back; if it were him, he would have looked away a long time ago. He could have sworn that she had scooted a bit closer as her breath was now hitting his lips that had gone completely dry. Regulus could feel Mallory getting closer and closer with each breath he took but a loud pop echoed in the room, making him sit up rapidly, afraid to be caught.

"Ah, who is this?" An elf shrieked, gazing at Regulus. "Master Black," she then concluded.

"How do you know ab–"

"Kreacher talks," was all she said then focused back on Mallory with teary eyes. Before any of them could utter a word, she started wailing in the middle of the room. Mallory apparently used to these outbursts knelt on the floor near the elf and tried to calm her down. "Pilm could not do anything!" She repeated over and over again.

"I know, Pilm. I know," she reassured. "I'm sure they're happy where they are."

"How will Mistress Abbott be happy without a garden?" She cried again, hiding her face in the palm of her hands. "And Master Abbott without Muggle fishes?"

"They will have plenty of it, Pilm," Mallory told her with a reassuring smile. "Trust me, alright?"

Her eyes found Mallory's and she grabbed her hands in hers, "Is Miss Abbott to stay with Pilm now? Pilm cannot stay lonely."

"I am, Pilm. I am," she cooed. "Go fetch us some tea, will you?"

"Are you staying here then? In the manor?" Regulus queried once Pilm was out of sight.

Mallory nodded her head, facing him, "I mean...I have to," she answered. "I can't let it go to ruin," she added.

"Of course."

"Will you stay with me?" Her voice came out as a soft whisper and almost scared. "I need you here."

"I'm going to see my mother, I will come back," he promised, rising to his feet.

Mallory uttered a tender thank you that made him weak to his knees and without realising, he stood in front of her and leant down to press his lips on her forehead. The only time he had done that was when she was sleeping next to him, and he froze realising what he had done. But when he pulled away from her, she did not seem angry or confused, instead her cheeks were slightly red and she wore a shy smile on her face.

Later that day, the bodies were gone and Regulus had come back with Pen and a bag full of clothes. That night, they once again shared a bed where Regulus could not find sleep as he kept watching her. Mallory Abbott was the object of all his desires and he loathed to admit it to himself, but he craved her.

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authors note, despite the book not getting too many reads, i'm so in love with regulus and mallory