𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗜𝗜𝗜 ━━ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘
098. regulus black

( songs for the chapter:
I miss you, I'm sorry — gracie abrams
hope ur ok — olivia rodrigo )

BRIDGET'S HOUSE
OCTOBER, 1979

          𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗠𝗡 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧, 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗢𝗗𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 they resided in, right by the lake where fiery wind flew. The House was always cold, the expanse covered in autumn leaves creating a harmony of red, orange and yellow. Scarlet thought she might even have been cursed with frostbite—having lived in shivering-cold houses since she was born. 

      Sirius had gone to visit James, Remus and Peter in that shabby little restaurant in the furthest corner of the country that they always visit.

      There was a knock at the door, and she moved on to look through the small see-through dot to see a very familiar figure. A scoop of curls and an all black attire that she would recognise anywhere. 

      She opened the door, a small smile on her face. Seeing that genuine smile, the second their eyes met—it was like the anxious nerves from Regulus Black's face wiped away, and the corners of his lips tugged upwards.

"Mother told me about you and Sirius."

Scarlet sighed, "Of course, she did," said the girl, and then took in his vivid, stone-cold expression, "what about it?"

"I don't care for it, really, it's none of my business." Regulus said at the door.

"Sirius isn't here," she softly spoke, moving aside to allow his quiet figure in. He took off his overcoat and Scarlet took it from him, hanging it behind the door. Regulus was shivering, hands shoved in his trousers' pockets after he took off his green scarf.

"I'm not here to see Sirius," he spoke his brother's name with a chill distaste, stuttering a little from the outside's cold. The girl led him to the fireplace where the atmosphere was significantly warmer, he turned to her directly, standing eye-to-eye, "I wanted to see you."

      Scarlet nodded understandingly, moving to her kitchen and pouring themselves two cups of green tea from the kettle. When she came back and sat next to Regulus who absentmindedly played with his rings, she saw an unexpected look on his face. It was as though she grounded him, he looked sane—he looked comfortable.

      For a moment, he felt like he was just Regulus. Just him.

"What's going on?" There was no chipperness in Scarlet's tone as she spoke. Regulus picked up the cup and melted into the warm touch on his hands. He smiled weakly at her question.

      He took a deep breath, then lifted his head up to meet Scarlet's caring gaze. He hadn't come here to ask this question, but for some reason—it was on the tip of his tongue.

"Are you afraid of death?"

The question caught Scarlet off guard. Certainly, she has thought about it many times before but for Regulus to ask her such a question was unexpected. Scarlet

"I-I'm not sure... why?" she spoke softly. She wondered about a truthful answer; the girl always believed that when it is time for her to die, she would go covered in blood and anguish — not by old age or anything of that sort. She did not have the heart to tell Regulus that honest response. 

Regulus hesitated to answer.

"I..." he nervously spoke, piercing his gaze into her green. "I don't know what happens during this, or after that for that matter; I—I didn't know who else to go to about all these... absurd thoughts, so, I came to you." He looked a bit frustrated by his own mind, as though there was a storm of rage and dissatisfaction in his mind. 

      Scarlet knew he was referring to the war by 'this', but by 'that' ...

"You mean after death," she whispered with a small, understanding nod.

"What if after all this, it's just... void," his voice was oddly calm, despite the weariness of it. "If it's just darkness... and nothing at all."

His description felt a lot like her night terrors, and she shook herself away from the shiver from it.

"I'm not scared of dying..." Scarlet said in a quiet murmur, filling the room. "I mean—I like to believe after death, there's peace..."

"Peace?" he asked, a little puzzled.

"Just..." she sighed, "not... nothing— that's too depressing. I think all our worries will be gone, maybe, we'll have a chance to reconcile things with our loved ones and come to terms with unpleasant things... and we'll be in the arms of the people we find the most solace in..."

Regulus' smile was weak, but it was there. He loved hearing Scarlet talk—he could listen to her voice for hours. He nodded calmly, feeling a bit more eased with her comforting words.

"If there is such a thing as peace in the afterlife... I hope I'm with you in it."

Scarlet smiled slightly at him, almost feared at the fact that this seemed like a goodbye. Regulus was making it seem like he was here for unfinished business. It can't be, she convinced herself.

"Why are you suddenly talking about death, Reg..." she asked.

"Because I'm scared," he truthfully answered, the mask he wore slipping away. "I'm not sure I'm going to survive this, I had to talk to you... 'cause I don't want to die with you disappointed with me."

      Scarlet felt her heart shatter. Tears immediately brimmed at her eyes. She understood Regulus was struggling to find hope ever since he took the mark—but hearing it out loud? She felt the string between them unravelling, as though he was slipping away beyond her reaches. And it hurt her heart.

"You're not dying—" she was quick to put down the thought with a genuine smile. "Because you still have many more years to live, mister, you'll live well into your eighties, or maybe even nineties— if you decide to start taking me up on my healthy eating tips."

      Regulus actually laughed lightly at the end of the sentence, like a knock-off effect. Scarlet let out a small and short laugh too.

"You're gonna make it through this, Reg... you're not dying," said the girl after the laughter died down.

The corners of Regulus' mouth curved into a smile. "Neither are you."

Scarlet then held up her hand with her pinky-finger extended, and as Regulus looked down at it, he let out a scoff, mixed with a small laugh at the notion.

"I'm not doing that," he shook his head, looking away quickly.

"You'll be cursed, if you don't," said Scarlet seriously.

Regulus turned back into looking at her eyes, then his gaze slowly dropped to her finger, "Who teaches you these things,"

He shook his head defeatedly and held up his own hand with his own pinky finger extended too.

And then they connected their promising gestures, lightly shaking them as they looked into each other's teary eyes with mirroring weak but genuine smiles.

"With you til' the end, Black,' ' She whispered.

"Til' the end of time..." he winked playfully, allowing their initially intertwined fingers to fall onto their own laps.

But the lingering realisation laid thick in the air, and it was not a mistake that Scarlet never denied the disappointment she felt with Regulus. And Regulus knew that everything Scarlet did, she did it for a reason. Nothing was ever accidental. However, it didn't bother him that much now that he finally spoke to Scarlet the way they used to all those years ago.

      After the conversation, which consisted of a lot of laughs and tears and gasp worthy stories, he made a conclusion in his mind. He was going to have to die (if that does occur) with Scarlet's disappointment, and Sirius' hatred. The latter hurt him more than any other pain — it was like death by a thousand cuts, however, as he grew, he learned to stop blaming Sirius and take accountability for his own actions. 

      If there was anyone Regulus will always trust wholeheartedly, no matter how bad it gets, it would be Scarlet.

      Scarlet watched him grow up, gifted him with unrelenting protection. Even when nobody does, Scarlet Bridget will always know Regulus Black.

      Regulus Black. This was the boy who would let Everest put flower crowns on his head even though he hated them. The boy who would speak up for Scarlet whenever someone would misbehave with her. The boy who would cry and apologise to her after purposefully breaking Scarlet's priced possessions back when they were kids. The boy who thought his brother was going to die and never shared that fear with anybody.

      Regulus Black was never a good person. He may have been arrogant but he was never proud. Bigotry was in his blood, could it ever be unwritten?

      Regulus Black was not a good person. But he was not fully bad either. 

      Spending the next hour brought him peace. He knew what he had done was wrong, and it tore his heart right out of his chest to acknowledge that he failed to live up to Scarlet and Sirius' expectations, that they would always think of him as an unjust, malicious Death Eater. He made a wrong choice and it would haunt him until he took his very last breath. When he joined the cause, a sense of pride burned in his chest—he was not going to deny it, it was the truth—but if he could go back and change it all, he would.

      He would elope with his older brother. He would take Scarlet's offer to run away.

      When it was time for him to leave and the night sky was still starry, he stood by the door as Scarlet helped by putting his overcoat around him — just like the old times when she would help him put on a coat or do his ties.

      Scarlet smiled at him softly, and he nodded in a gesture to say goodbye.

      Scarlet stood by the door as Regulus walked away, however, about six steps into the path of the pavement, he whirled around sharply. 

      Without any other words, he wrapped his arms around her with an enormous billow of force, sending her stumbling back a few steps.

      Scarlet allowed her eyelids to fall shut in defeat, a fragile feeling hitting her heart for the first time that night. She really thought she could get through this without breaking down, however, it seemed impossible at a time like this when her Regulus hugged her in such a manner. As though if he let go, she would dissipate into thin air and never come back to him. She ran her delicate fingers through his fine black curls.

      When he pulled away, he touched his forehead against hers, his eyes still shut.

"Be brave, Reg," she whispered, pursing her lips. 

      Regulus whispered something back—and this was a moment that haunts her forever—in an inaudible voice, Scarlet could not make out his words and did not ask for him to repeat. She did not know what he had said to her before he turned away without another glance. His grave coat billowed from behind. 

      Regulus walked out into the starry night, and faded into a shadow. All like nothing but a phantom.

      AN UNFAMILIAR SNOWY OWL DROPPED A LETTER TO THE BRIDGET'S HOUSE THE NEXT DAY, AND SIRIUS was the one who found it. He was blissfully unaware of the initial presence of his brother that roamed this very rooms just a few hours ago, and came home drunk and cheerful.

      He also seemed to have forgotten that he is engaged to her, and was completely enamoured by the sight of Scarlet the moment he entered home. "I know you're a stranger but I think I just fell in love with you," he slurred out last night, and with a tiny laugh, Scarlet raised her ring finger and showed him her engagement ring. This simple action made him break down into tears.

      Of course, he does not remember these events and does not believe a word Scarlet reminds.

"BLONDIE! LETTER FOR YOU!" He yelled for her, and watched his fiancée cascade down the stairs whilst rubbing her eyes tiredly from the paperwork she had been doing early in the morning.

"Must you scream like a maniac?" she scoffed with annoyance, "who's it from?"

She turned to look when the pause extended, and watched a pinch forming between Sirius's brows as he studied the paper, "Abraxas Malfoy."

"What?" Puzzled, Scarlet reached for it. Abraxas has not contacted her for almost a year now, and often spent most of his time locked in his office day and night. 

"What does he want?" Sirius scrunched his nose a little.

"He wants to meet this evening," a murmur came from the blonde. Sirius looked at her and raised a brow to ask if she will go, and she nodded, "I'll go and see what he requires, and you may call your friends over but do not crash the place."

"Very well, fiancée," he winked mischievously, approaching her, "as you say." After all these months that they have been engaged, Sirius relentlessly resorts to call her fiancée or Mrs Black, which is recently beginning to get excessive but the girl does not find him at all.

      Sirius stood directly before her, and bathed his fingers in her soft hair.  Boldly, she reached forward and ran a hand under his shirt, cold touch against his skin which earned a satisfying hiss.

      His lips parted, and not being able to wait any longer, he crashed his lips to hers — a sea of fireworks erupting in her chest. Sirius kissed Scarlet hungrily, desperately, and she started to stumble back a little until her back hit the counter. The action and the way his utterly soft lips moved sent a euphoric bliss down her body. 

      He picked her up with a tight grip and sat her down on the counter, tugging at the hem of her short satin dress. His other arm was tightly wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as he stood between her legs. In a harmonic rhythm, his lips moved lustfully down her neck, around the expanse behind her hair.

      Scarlet was starting to breathe heavily, and when she let out a large exhale at the feeling of his teeth grazing down her neck passionately, he was tempted to thrust his hips against hers roughly over the fabric of their clothes. His hand brought her closer by the neck, preferring being in control whenever they were in the process of their activities, and she bit down on her bottom lip harshly to stifle a moan as he trailed wet kisses all over her neck. This often caused some sort of unspoken fight over dominance in bed, just because both of them were so darn stubborn. 

      Most times, she would be left a whimpering mess beneath him and later state she let him take control — which was a lie, of course — in order to make sure his ego does not reach the sky. 

"Je te veux," she whispered seductively, softly brushing her lips with his jaw in a feather-like touch.

"All yours, Blonds." He whispered in her ear, "all yours, always."

      SCARLET ARRIVED A FEW MINUTES LATE IN A BLACK TRENCH COAT AND LEATHER GLOVES, and knew her Uncle would give her a wild lecture about something.

      Abraxas Malfoy stood in the corner, staring off at the sky with his gloved hands hovering over his wand. He was in an expensive robe, hair as straight and pale as ever with his straight posture against a wall. He looked like a well-dressed statue.

"Uncle Abraxas," Scarlet declared herself, looking around. "A tad odd place for us to meet, is it not?"

"It is good to know you are aware of what we are worth." Abraxas went straight to a firm tone, no soft greetings or how are you's.

      Scarlet stayed silent, and waited for him to continue. Abraxas often spoke quietly and slowly; spoke little, never too much for anyone's ears. People considered it to be a privilege to hear him talk. When he did talk, it was rigid and cold and shattering. One could feel the world caving in whenever Abraxas stated something, and the thought made Scarlet grin a little.

"Why are we here?" She raised her chin.

"There were rumours that you are now on Dumbledore's side, doing his dirty work and playing his good-willed games to bring equity in a world we should be ruling. I did not believe it. I could not—you are Scarlet Bridget. You're part Malfoy. I laughed in their faces, I said my niece would not be caught dead on that side." He shook his head, clearly trying to keep his tone calm and yet rage overpowered his will. "Then my suspicions, too, rose. I see you mingling with blood traitors and mudbloods on papers, I hear you're having drinks with that filthy half-blood huntress girl— that Chasseur—"

"Uncle Abraxas, is this all truly necessary?" Scarlet shot back, amongst all the words, it was the dig at Everest that snapped her patience. "After all these years, I thought you would come to realise what I am. Who I am and what I stand for, I cannot believe you would doubt my intentions."

"I hear from others that you are spilling your blood—my blood, Malfoy and Bridget's blood fighting for Mudbloods' safety." Abraxas was clearly furious, cheeks pale and his eyes darkened. "Then I realised that the Sacred Families would not keep good terms with you if you were betraying our blood. The Blacks, my son, the Lestranges—they all speak highly of you. Then I understood... he got to you."

      Abraxas was speaking about Voldemort, the way he said he made it clear.

"Must I remind you that your son has the same mark on his arm?" Scarlet mused. She knew Lucius told his father about being a Death Eater.

"You're not Lucius." Abraxas hissed. "You both are powerful and cunning and a worthy asset to my family but you're not Lucius. What differs you is that you don't do what you're told, you do what you believe is right. You don't follow, you lead; I have been so incredibly proud of you for it. When Lucius took the mark, you know what I told him? I said he's a fool, I said Scarlet would never."

"Clearly, you do not understand what is going on. You're relying on crude gossip as your sources of information instead of speaking to me directly." She retorted. 

"Who are you trying to protect, Scarlet?" Abraxas took a step forward, he was tall and intimidating and a petty part of Scarlet thought she should have chosen higher-heeled shoes. "Why are there talks that you are on both sides? Are you spying and if so, why? I always knew you were an intelligent girl, always experiencing both perspectives on every matter before concluding but when I hear—!"

      He gritted his teeth, as though he was filled with fire and rage. He was trying to keep calm and keep his voice down but it proved to be immensely difficult, he was practically heaving.

"When I hear," he was burning in anger. "That my blood, my family, my niece is doing the bidding of two half-bloods, stuck as a little pawn between their games as they play tug-of-war with your life. Have you lost your mind?" He exclaimed the last part, and Scarlet looked around the alleyway with wide eyes to make sure nobody listened.

      Then he went ahead and said something that hit her nerves.

"I am so very disappointed, Scarlet. What would your mother think?"

"Don't you dare," she fired back in a chilly, low tone, staring right at Abraxas' eyes with venom dancing in her tone. "Do not dare bring her up to prove your point. I will not tolerate any misuse of my mother's name."

Abraxas had the nerve to smile. "There, now I see that Malfoy power and rage in you. Not when I hear you're kneeling to that half-blood."

"You people are the ones who collected the woods for centuries for a fire he started." Scarlet said. She was not defending Voldemort of all people but she was not going to allow Abraxas to keep speaking without her protest.

"I will not stand by and watch my sister's daughter go ahead and bow to a filthy, orphaned half-blood who will never be worthy of our presence. Out of all people, I thought you had sense. I had expectations, I told the Sacred Families you were destined for great things, for power and resilience and you would bring just as fantastic effects as your mother and I did to the country!" His voice kept getting higher and higher, ageing really made him lose his sense of awareness.

      He took another step closer threateningly, except, he looked glad that she did not back away or look afraid. "If I see you spill another drop of our purest blood for the sake of saving or killing mudbloods, I will personally take Dumbledore and Voldemort out."

"But you cannot do that, can you?" She taunted. "It must be humiliating to see a half-blood you resent leading a war for a cause you stand by, a cause written in our fate for centuries. He started a war none of you could and you're ashamed of it."

"That is where you are wrong, where all our children and grandchildren are wrong. A decent, wealthy, powerful pureblood would never start a war so nasty. We know our worth and place, we know our dignity and power. We do not need to assert dominance in the form of a horrible war to remind people of our name."

      He then straightened his robes, tugging them closer underneath the cold shiver of the night, and Scarlet understood he was taking his leave. It did not feel all that great to be lectured by her uncle. He had points, somewhat, he was looking at his family's best interests and maintaining his dignity through her. He could not convince Lucius but he thought Scarlet would be smart enough to stay out of it. To be fair, if her mother was alive, she would get a similar lecture.

      Abraxas and Celeste were eerily alike.

      Celeste may have married into the Bridget's but she carried every bit of Malfoy blood's dignity till her last breath. She has always been a Malfoy.

"I promised Celeste that I'll keep an eye on you. I've seen you grow into an incredibly powerful and good woman and I know in the end, you will make the right choice. In the end, it is family."

      Family is family. Even a scornful, vengeful and cold family. In the end, blood is blood. Scarlet did not believe in such things but she grew up in a family that dug those words into her brain. If our blood is spilled, you take revenge. Family is all that matters. An eye for an eye.

      Scarlet started to live by these mottos, except, it was not only for Bridgets and Malfoys. It was for the family she chose.

"You must take care of yourself, Scarlet," he said in a softer tone. 

"You know I will." She said in a rigid tone.

Abraxas sighed, "Listen to me," his tone held some sort of strange desperation and carefulness;

      "When dust settles, there will be loss. There will be ruins and deaths and dynasties will fall. You must keep standing. You shall always favour our blood, you will choose our family. That alone shall be our win. Dumbledore or Voldemort will fall as the war comes to an end but our families cannot be erased. The Lestranges and Rosiers shall keep their titles. The Noble House of Black will be kept standing. The Malfoy and Bridget line will never come to an end. You must remember to choose your family."

𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺

as u can tell, I was getting a tad bit 
freaky w/ the details. 

ik the meeting with abraxas was random
but I needed to get into that strange family
dynamic.

also, regulus?? my baby?? gosh writing that hurt.