Gemma lay in the hospital wing, hating her life, staring at the ceiling with utter boredom as her healing leg throbbed.

Iz had come to see her, as had Ted and Luke, but Regulus hadn't yet. She wasn't quite sure why, she'd been there for almost two days now. 

Speak of the devil. Regulus made his way to her bed. She was about to joke and ask him why he was so late, but one look at the scowl on his face and the smile stopped dead at her lips. 

He took her hand in his, and inspected it weirdly.

'What happened?' He said coldly, not looking at her. 

'Minor scuffle,' she said, brushing it off.

'Really,' he said. He ran his thumb over the the snake ring on her index finger. 'With Bellatrix Black?' 

She stared at him, and he stared back. 

'What?' She said stupidly. 

'You think my cousin wouldn't tell me when she was attacked?' He snapped. 

'Well no, I wouldn't have thought she had the time, between killing people, eating children, cutting off people's - '

'Would you please stop trying to be funny, and take something seriously for once in your life?'

'I mean I can try but-'

'She said she was attacked by a blonde girl with the ring of a snake on her finger. Sound familiar?' Damn, she thought. How on Earth did Bellatrix have time to inspect her jewellery?

'Um, was that rhetorical or-' But once again, he cut her off.

'You know, I became friends with you because I needed someone who wasn't... wasn't connected with all of this. This messiness. But you are so... so stupid-'

'I don't-'

'Do you think your doing this for me? Do you think somehow you can help me by joining the war? Do you think this makes you a hero or something?' His grip on her hand was tightening, to the point where it was almost painful.

'I- no- I don't- '

'Because I didn't have a choice, Gemma. I don't have a choice. You do. Don't risk your life for this, because it isn't worth it.'

'I'll decide that,' she said slowly. 'I'll decide what to do with my life, Regulus, because like you said, I have a choice.'

'You think you can help? You can't even perform a spell, Gemma. What use would you even be, to anyone?'

That one hurt. 'At least I'm on the right side! The one not killing innocent people! And what the hell, Regulus Black weren't you the one telling me that you aren't a death eater, less than three months ago?'

'And you were stupid enough to believe me,' he snarled. 'Everyone in Slytherin house knows where I stand. Isolde does, Luke does, hell even Ted does. So why are you always the slowest person in the room?' He was crushing her wrist now, but she refused to let him know that it hurt.

'I do know that you don't have the dark mark on your arm!' She yelled. 'I check all the time, just to make sure!'

'Maybe I don't now, but I will-'

'That's is not a good thing!' She shouted. 'Stop acting like it's some achievement you're working towards! '

'To be among those chosen by the Dark Lord would be an honour bestowed upon me and my entire household,' he said quietly. She stared at him.

'You don't mean that.'

'I do.'

'Then apparently I was wrong. I wasn't supposed to be trying to help you, I was supposed to be running away from you, because apparently-'

'Help me?' He let out a hollow laugh. 'How exactly have you helped me?'

'I- I've tried to get you to tell me-'

'Well it hasn't really-'

'Stop cutting my sentences off,' she snarled. 'If you really wanna turn this around and try to make me the bad guy, fine. Go to your cousin, murder some mudbloods,' he flinched, either from the word or from the way he said it she couldn't tell, 'and enjoy ending up in jail.'

Pause.

'I see,' he said, dropping her hand. 'Well, if- when you end up dead, don't expect me to attend your funeral.'

'Oh please,' she snapped. 'Please go ahead and leave, scurry back to your little death eater friends, right to the Dark Lord with your tail between your legs. You don't even have any real friends other than me.'

Maybe he was going to say something, but Madam Pomfrey arrived, looking very annoyed.

'What is all of this commotion!' She hissed. 'This is a hospital wing! Mr Black you are upsetting my patient. I would kindly ask you to leave.'

'Gladly,' he said, returning to his icy demeanour. He turned, and left, at the same a different, more friendly Black entered. He raised an eyebrow at her. 

'Here again?' He asked, his upbeat tone really not matching her mood. 'You live here or something?'

She stared at him, but not really at him, more like past him, where Regulus had just left. He waved his fingers in her face, and she blinked.

'Not you again,' she snapped. 'Do you live here or something?' 

'That's what I said!'

'Great,' she sighed. 'You know you've lost brain cells when you start talking like Sirius Black.'

'That is just rude,' he said, crossing his arms and pouting. She rolled her eyes.

'Why are you even here?' 

He spread his arms out wide. 'Take a guess,' he said. 

'Detention?'

'Ding ding ding, correct!' Madame Pomfrey made her way over to Sirius.

'Ah Mr Black, again,' she said wearily. She lead him over to the bed a few meters away from Gemma. 'Mr McLaggen has unfortunately been knocked unconscious. I need you to clean out the chamber pot beneath his bed, and then move him onto the other bed and change his covers, since he seems to have vomited on them.'

'What!' Sirius blurted. 'I have to clear up his shit!' Gemma burst out laughing, while Madam Pomfrey scolded him.

'And his vomit,' Gemma added.

'Such use of profanities is completely unnecessary!' She said indignantly. 'The sooner you do this, the sooner you can go. Oh, one more thing.' She took his wand from his hand, and left before he could say anything. Black looked at Gemma, who was killing herself laughing. She caught him glaring at her, and raised her eyebrows.

'Go on Black, you heard what she said. Clear the shit!'

'This is such bullshit,' he whined. 

'Actually it's McLaggenshit.'

'I am highly unimpressed at that sorry excuse for a joke.'

'Ah shut up, at least I'm not scraping up shit.'

Outside, Regulus listened as she laughed with his brother. Less than five seconds and she was already back to normal. How was that even possible? 

Maybe this was a good learning experience. Be like Gemma, he thought, as he began walking to the common room to meet Elladora. Don't let anything affect you. Always have fun. Always laugh, don't take things too seriously.

But it was infinitely harder to be like that in his position than hers. 

He absolutely hated her. In that moment, god knows, if he could wish her dead he would. She was his only insight into a normal life, the only person that made him feel ordinary and happy, and she had to go and ruin it by joining the stupid Order.

What was worse was that he knew that she was in the Order, and she knew that he would be a Death Eater. This lead to so many complications with everything. He ran his hand through his hair. Stupid stupid stupid, he thought. Rule number one is to not have friends, because they never stick around for more than a week. Except Elladora. She would be with him forever, he was sure of that. 

But the worst part was that he'd gone and told her everything! Like an idiot! One term and two kisses with someone was all it took to break his weak walls, apparently. Well, from now on he wouldn't talk to any of them, not Luke, not Ted and not Isolde, although he probably wouldn't miss her too much. Only Elladora, Mulciber and Snape were apart of his life now, and if someone else was in it, he would not get attached. 

He sighed. He was starting to sound like one of the idiots in a Shakespeare play.

Life sucks, he thought.

a/n- hands up who agrees with regulus lmao 🙋‍♀️