"Regulus..." she spoke softly, kneeling by his side. He didn't make a move. Not sure on what to do next, she just got out his birthday gift, the locket he had asked her. "I've got your birthday present..." she nervously added while letting the pendant hung in front of his face. The boy slowly looked up, talking a hold of the object. His grey eyes analyzed it as he turned it around gently in his palm before opening  it. The ghost of a smile crossed his features once he took notice of the photo staying inside the pendant. And of course, Adena didn't fail to notice this.

"I don't have any recent photo, so I hope you don't mind having a picture of me at six years old."

"No... I like it. You're smiling."

"You're smiling too..." she murmured while looking at his face. Regulus finally lifted up his gaze to meet hers. "You're finally smiling."

"Because of you..."

"But why... why not before..." she couldn't hide her worry anymore. She was facing him, looking deep into his eyes, trying to understand him. But he averted his gaze from her hazel one.

"You didn't see the news? I guess it must be in the Daily Prophet right now..."

"What... You mean... The murders?"

Regulus stared at her again, nodding slowly with what Adena could guess was an apologetic look in his grey eyes.

"We... I mean the Dark Lord planned this the other day, right before coming back. He just said we should erase any Mudblood present at the moment but that we could toy with them if we wished to." As he was talking, Adena watched as her boyfriend's eyes slightly widened in fear, as if he was imagining the scene.

"That was the reason of the change in you then?" asked the girl quietly, as she took a hold of his hand, the one not holding onto the locket.

"Hm. I could only think of that. It was the most unbearable meeting I had. Someone brought up a Muggle-born working at the Ministry and they..."

He couldn't even finish. She knew how hard it must be for him to tell her that. She knew her boyfriend wasn't sensitive but whatever they did must have been traumatizing enough for him. And maybe he was sensitive but buried this side of him. Adena had the urge to protect him. He was still a boy, just like she was still a girl, and even if you were old and mature, she knew this wasn't something anyone should ever witness.

"Bella said it wasn't the first time. I can't even imagine how much blood flew on this table. I couldn't shake the image off my head, all those people being tortured to death, begging for freedom, it's been keeping me up at night... I still can't stop imagining what must have endured those people today..." By the end of this sentence, the brunette heard his voice crack a little because of all these emotions overwhelming him. He too was torturing himself without realizing it, all those images coming to his mind, she only took notice now of what he was going through.

Taking a hold of his face, Adena brought his head closer to her, until he was against her chest. She then just hold him in her arms even though he still wouldn't return the affection or move the slightest bit, still frozen in place.

"Don't think about this anymore," she whispered, caressing his hair slowly. She would do anything to erase those horrifying images and thoughts from his mind, she couldn't bear seeing him in such state. 

Regulus and Adena went to his bedroom after staying in each other's hold for a while. They were sitting side by side on his bed, and he had laid his head onto her shoulder. He really didn't want her to see his troubled and anxious expression at the moment.

"Regulus," she started. Her hands were caressing one of his as she took a deep breath, getting ready to speak up again. "You don't mind if we talk a little."

"Maybe we should..." he quietly replied.

After a while she spoke again, "Why... why did you join the Dark Lord's army in the first place? It was obvious that it wouldn't get you positive things, and even if you shared his views, it doesn't mean you'd want to do the same things..."

The boy didn't answer right away. She could hear him let out a small sigh. He was thinking hard, wondering how he should put this.

"For my parents..." he finally answered.

"You mean... they forced you?"

"No. Not really. But I understood that it was what they expected from me."

"How can you be sure."

"I can't. I just knew that I had to make my parents proud. Honestly, I wasn't even interested in the Dark Lord's actions in the first place. But when my brother left... I was in third year and I knew I should prove my parents from that moment that I supported the same views as them... I did, I was educated this way after all, it was all I was taught to believe in, and I didn't mind. But I felt it wasn't enough. To my mother, it was like she only had one son, so I wanted to be better."

She was listening with attention to each of his word. But she felt like he had more to talk. And so, she remained quiet until he was ready.

"All these years, I convinced myself that it was what I wanted to do. Being a Death Eater. And actually, I didn't think there was another end for me. When I started getting interested in the Dark Lord, my parents were so proud and supportive. And I was happy, happy that I wasn't a disappointment like my brother and that they could forget about him. I wanted to show them that I wasn't like him. Maybe I was just a confused thirteen-year-old... I had been left alone, under the pressure of my parents... and did I have a choice? No, I didn't! I couldn't be like him, I just complied to what my mother wanted and endured all of this just to please her. But now..."

He suddenly detached himself from the brunette, and bent over his lap, his shoulders shaking a little. Adena was watching him, frightened and saddened by the sight.

"I was wrong! I should have never got into this!" he screamed, and the girl felt it was needed. When was the last time he had let his emotions escape. "But I had no other choice! And I regret all of this now! I'm not made for this... I hadn't expected this to be so intense and violent... I... I'm so weak, I can't bear this..." he stated weakly, his voice trembling as he talked.

For a moment, Adena even wondered if he still remembered her presence or if he was too caught up in his emotions. But just at the same time, Regulus spoke up in a broken voice.

"I'm sorry Adena. I'm weak and pitiful. I'm sorry I got involved in this. I was so stupid."

"Regulus... don't say that..."

He broke down in sobs when she murmured his name. No matter what he was saying, what emotions he was showing, if he was vulnerable and hateful, her voice stayed her usual gentle tone. When she embraced him, her touch remained warm and comforting. He felt ashamed of showing himself in such a pitiful state. He had never shown a vulnerable side of him to anyone and he hated that the one he loved the most had to witness this.

"I'm sorry Adena..." his broken voice said in the crook of her neck.

"There's no need to be sorry, I understand."

Even in this moment, Adena was comprehensive. And Regulus couldn't help but smile through his tears. He had never realized how much he needed to be held the way she was holding him. Her hands were rubbing up and down his back. Regulus had never been comforted like this, it only made him cry some more. But Adena was patient and could hold him that tight for as long as he needed this.

"Adena... I feel horrible for being part of this..." he muttered sadly.

"Don't... You didn't do anything wrong Regulus. You have done no bad action..."

"It'll eventually come..." he said sobbing.

"You'll find a way to avoid this. And if you can't, I'll be there for you."  Her voice was warm and soft against his hair, it felt good to hear.

"You're so good to me Adena..."

"Because I love you Regulus."

"I love you too but I'm so scared... Scared of what will happen, scared that you might leave me... I'm so scared please don't leave me..." he murmured quietly, preventing his voice from cracking more under the emotions.

"I won't, I promise."

"I've always needed you, it was you and you only, and I feel happy now that I've found you..."

Upon hearing this, Adena could feel he had calmed down, but that wouldn't make her loosen her hold on him.

"I'm so tired..." he told her after a long moment.

"Sleep then."

She could remember something similar had already happened between them. They were there for each other in the worst moments. She felt good thinking about that.

Regulus moved in her grasp and she let him lie on the bed. When she got a look at his face, he really did look exhausted. Tears remained on his pale cheeks and the sight was heart-breaking. But when he stared at her, his grey eyes held their usual softness.

"Please, hold me Adena."

She quickly got rid of her shoes and came to his side. The young girl let her arms go around her boyfriend's body, holding him like he had asked, and he returned the gesture, his hands clutching onto her clothes.

"I'm glad I have you. I wouldn't have been able to bear this if you weren't there for me. Thank you for listening to me."

"Thank you for trusting me enough to share this with me."

She wanted to heal his pain as much as she could. She would try her best to at least make him happy. Adena hated seeing her boyfriend this vulnerable, she would have never expected him to hide so many dark feelings and dark thoughts deep inside him. He had been devoured by resentment, fear and so much more for so long and had never opened up about what he felt. How could he bear that, he was such a mystery to her even until now. But she realized he was even stronger than she thought he was, he just amazed her. Adena didn't want him to go through so much pain anymore, she couldn't let him fall too deep in the dark hole he had been living in for years. Just thinking about his suffering, made her heart wince. He didn't deserve this. He was still a boy, he shouldn't live under that much pressure, be held into darkness. She would do her best to make him feel youthfulness, as long as he was a boy, she would try to make him feel that young and innocent happiness he was allowed to know too. Adena would try to be his light as long as he needed it, in order to leave darkness.