WEST COAST ╱ REGULUS BLACK
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
prologue ━ ❛ old name, painful memories ❜

It was late in the day. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat on the floor in the boys' dorm. "We need to know more about him, Mione," Harry began. "We need to know more about Regulus—how he's important in all of this, because he is... important."

"I'm very aware of that, Harry," she sighed, adjusting her position on the floor so she was more comfortable. She went quiet for a moment, racking her brain of the thoughts that filled it, contemplating whether to tell the two boys the information she knew or not.

Her fingernails picked at the skin of her fingertips as her nerves grew. Ron noticed this and said, "What is it, Hermione?"

She looked up at him, seeing his bright red hair and bright blue eyes. "I know someone that knows him better than anyone, better than even Sirius does," she told them, looking back down at her hands.

"Who?" Harry asked, furrowing his brows.

She looked up at him, and her stomach wrenched, causing her to feel nauseous. She didn't want to use the information that was given to her for personal gain—the information that was provided to her at a vulnerable time and was given to her by someone she admired. But she needed to, right? She needed to tell them, right? They could find something that could save a lot of lives.

She had to.

"Professor West," she muttered, looking away from him again. Her stomach twisted, she began to feel queasy, and a fragment of the story she had been told entered her mind. She only knew a portion of their story, but what she did know was something she'd never forget—it was so raw and tender, something that made her love and hate it at the same time.

"Professor West... what?" He furrowed his brows, though she didn't see it because she wasn't looking at him. "How does she know him better than his own brother?" Harry asked.

"She just does, Harry," Hermione stated. She couldn't explain it, but she felt protective of the woman and her heart. "They were... in love during their sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts." Her eyes met his as he looked at her through his round glasses.

She sighed, looking between the two boys in front of her, who were still looking at her with confusion. They didn't believe her, and she could tell. She didn't know why they didn't, but she knew they didn't—it was apparent on their faces.

"But Regulus was a Slytherin, a Death Eater, and a blood supremacist; how could they ever be in love if she is a Gryffindor and a half-blood?" Ron asked. "That just doesn't make sense."

"I mean, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin falling in love—I can believe that—but someone who literally hated people of her blood status falling for her while being a Death Eater, I cannot," he added, a small laugh breaking out but quickly disappearing when she gave him a glare.

"Fine, if you don't believe me, then ask her yourselves." Hermione stood, preparing to leave, her anger growing. "She's in her classroom now; go on then, ask her," she said.

"Maybe we should," Harry said to Ron. "It's worth a shot; I mean, maybe she could tell us something." He stood, wiping his hands on his jacket. "Anything is better than nothing," he added. He still didn't believe Hermione when she said they were in love, but Professor West must've known something about Regulus.

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A knock on the door sounded, causing Elysian to look up from her desk, where she was grading assignments. When her eyes caught on the three students she adored, a bright smile overtook her face. She stood up. "Ahh, Harry, Ron, Hermione—come in, come in!" she cheered, walking to stand in front of her desk.

"Hello, professor," they replied, sending her awkward smiles.

"Is there something I can do for you three?" she asked, sitting slightly on the edge of her desk. Her hands intertwined and rested on her legs, her eyes searching theirs as they looked at each other, trying to decipher who was going to speak.

And after a moment, Harry stepped forward. "We need you to tell us about Regulus Black," he said. He didn't miss the smile slowly disappearing from her face, being replaced with a slight frown as her brows furrowed in sorrow.

She looked at Hermione, seeing a regretful look. "I'm sorry," the Granger girl mumbled.

Elysian took a deep breath. "It's alright, darling," she replied, trying to muster a smile. "I haven't heard that name come out of anyone's mouth but mine in a long time," she said, looking at Harry. "Come on, sit down," she smiled, gesturing to the seats in front of her.

She moved a chair so that she could sit opposite of them. They looked at her with vast interest, and it took her a moment before she started speaking. "As you know, Regulus was a part of the Black family, and he was a Death Eater," she began, recalling the information. "I didn't really know him that well when I first came to Hogwarts, but I knew of his family," she added.

"Where our story began was during our sixth year here at Hogwarts, which I suppose is the time you want to know most about." She took a deep breath once more, fighting back the tears that threatened her. "That's when everything changed for him—that year is when he became one of them, officially," she continued, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Let's see... it was 1977, and the day was cold."

꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ . ✺ ◛ ⋆⁺₊⋆

━━━━ ella's speaking !
hi, so i actually really love this prologue && that's literally the best thing ever bc for a while i have not been fully satisfied with my writing !!

i hope you liked this and decide to continue reading bc i'm so excited for this book omg

don't forget to comment and vote, it really means a lot to me!

kisses !

━━━━━━━━━ west coast,
© -LOSTGARDENS,    dec 2022

word count: 956. written: 12.14.22. published: 12.15.22.