Homeward Bound | Regulus Black

Chapter Eleven

"Are you... Are you sure this is safe?"

Esme folded her arms tightly across her chest as she leant in the open doorway and raised an eyebrow. "No." She replied, "This isn't safe and I've lured you here to get you arrested."

"Well I'm sure glad you've kept your wit over all these years." Dirk Cresswell muttered with evident disapproval.
She smirked, "You're welcome."
Regulus chuckled as he entered back into the living room. "It's like nothing had changed, huh?" He asked rhetorically.

Dirk, sat precariously close to the edge of his seat and hunched under the stress that was weighing on his shoulders, sighed and ran a hand through his hair before asking, "Does Levi actually know where he's coming to? The man is useless with directions."
"I don't suppose he ever had to learn." Esme snickered, "What with his army of assistants."

"Is the first thing your planning to say to Levi after twelve years an insult?" Regulus asked as he settled down in his armchair with a mug of steaming tea in his hands.
She thought for a moment before admitting, "Probably."

Just on cue, a knock on the front door sounded off. Immediately, this set off Walburga's painting to unleash a bombardment of shrill shrieking.
"Oh, that's just delightful." Esme muttered to herself. Though, even if she'd spoken at a louder volume, nobody would have been able to hear her over the screaming.

"I'm sure Levi will appreciate the warm welcome." Dirk chuckled somewhat uneasily as he watched Regulus leave the room to go and answer the front door. As he left, he pulled the living room door shut which mildly muffled the painting's cries - giving Dirk and Esme's ears a break.

A few moments later, after some muffled conversation by the front door, Regulus opened  the door to the living room and led the way in, shortly followed behind by Levi Rogers. In response, and partly because she didn't know what to do, Esme rose straight to her feet.
Levi Rogers had perhaps changed the most out of all of them over the years. His tall and lanky days were long behind him as he stood before the group. He'd grown into his broad shoulders and had grown out a dark layer of stubble over his sharpened jaw.

"Wow." He combed a hair through his wavy brown hair as he stepped further into the room, "Long time no see."
"Smarter than ever, I see." Esme quipped without skipping a beat.

Levi, grinning as he saw Esme smiling back at him, moved forward and opened his arms to pull the woman into a sudden hug.
"Oh." She replied, gently wrapped her own arms around him as she peered over Levi's shoulder to look at Regulus - who was holding a hand to his face to mask his snicker.

"You've barely changed." Levi remarked as he stepped back and lowered his arms.
She replied, "I'll take that as a compliment."
"I meant it as an insult, but whatever you want."

"Oh!" Esme exclaimed, "So you're just as annoying, huh? That must have taken a lot of work to keep that up over all these years."

"I'll go get drinks, shall I? Tea and coffee for everyone?" Regulus asked.
"Tea, please." Levi nodded with a smile.
"Three teas and a coffee then?" He double-checked, earning a nod of confirmation from Dirk.
Dirk then offered, "I'll come and help." And then the two men left the room.

Esme sat back down on the sofa. "I suppose we should 'catch up'. Though I have next to nothing going on in my life at the moment."

"I should... Uh... Should tell you something." Levi began, a hint of apprehension in his voice.
"Is it about your assistant?" Esme effortlessly cut in, "Dirk kind of told me something had happened between you two but he didn't seem to know any details. I wouldn't normally care, but there's nothing else to do around here apart from listen to gossip, and I'm dreadfully bored."