Unstable

Chapter 12

Remus was right, Regulus had concluded, Dally and Johnny seemed to have something. It was only an assumption from how they interacted and how protective Dally seemed. When it became more apparent, as the characters were developed more, he wondered if that was the reason Remus had chosen it. Was he trying to normalize it in Regulus' head? The reference that James was like Dally stuck with him, too, as it would make more sense to compare Dally to Remus or Sirius. If James was Dally and Lily was Cherry, then who was Johnny? It didn't serve much of a purpose to dwell on whatever subtext was behind Remus' actions, so he attempted to not overthink it.

The days were becoming colder and fall was in full bloom. Cold nights made him think about what awaited him during the winter break, but he still had time before then. Unconsciously, he found himself rubbing his pale forearms and examining them. He was surprised that James hadn't pushed him to talk about his future as a Death Eater, but was thankful nonetheless. Avery, Snape, and Nott were destined to receive the Mark at some point, but only he would be bound with it so young. Sixteen. Wars had raged for longer than he was alive. Dogs had lived longer than he had been alive. Yet, he was promising his future to a single cause, a single man.

The first Quidditch game of the year was Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Breakfast was filled with chatter about who would win, especially since it was James' first game as captain. From the Slytherin table, he could vaguely hear James and Sirius hyping the players up, and the Hufflepuffs were expressing their optimism. Evan had mumbled something about wishing he could sabotage the Gryffindors, and Crouch had mentioned his excitement of watching how terrible James' leadership would prove to be. He didn't say it, but he was sure that the Gryffindors would win. Recent events had made a part of him hope that they did, and hoped that James would come out victorious.

The players left the hall before everyone else, needing to warm up before the game and prepare. Eventually, the rest filed out and walked to the pitch, where he saw James practicing drills. Slytherins had the best spot, right in the middle of the stands, so he had a good view of the two teams practicing. His eyes were drawn to James, who was shouting commands and participating. Then, he spotted Sirius who was struggling to take James seriously but was still obeying, giggling slightly every now and then. The Slytherin girls in front of him were gushing over some of the Hufflepuff boys, to the annoyance of his friends.

"Your brother is winking at his twink boyfriend." Snape aimed at Regulus, but he didn't acknowledge it.

"Potter looks like a tool. I should blast him out of the sky." Rosier complained, his empty threat received noises of agreement. There was many times when the boy had annoyed him, but that wasn't one of them and he was confident that they were complaining out of necessity or hatred rather than a real issue. He was the first one to point out when James looked like a tool, but as he flew around his teammates and screamed encouraging phrases or criticisms, he was more respectable than usual.

At one point he had met Regulus' eyes and gave his usual, genuine smile, but no one else had even noticed. If he was honest, it might have been at some nearby girls or just at the stands in general. The control he had over his broom, as if it were another limb, was incredibly admirable and something he hadn't noticed prior.

Madam Hooch alerted for both teams to finish their warm ups and get into position. James took his spot with the other Chasers, smirking at one of them. Once the whistle blew, both teams were off and the Seekers took position above the other players. Sirius wasted no time, and within a few seconds had already sent a Bludger at one of the Hufflepuff Chasers—hitting them square on the back. With a victorious smile, he momentarily looked towards the stands, most likely at Lupin. The Chaser dropped the Quaffle, which James expertly retrieved by diving under him, then he flew towards the other team's Keeper. A crowd of people followed after him and a girl was almost close enough to steal the ball, but he quickly passed it to a Gryffindor down the field, who threw it right through one of the rings.