Secret lovers - Regulus Black / short story

C h a p t e r F o u r

The Great Hall is full of Christmas decorations, students running in-between the tables with red, green and white chocolate cakes, laughing, smiling. There's snow falling from the ceiling, stoping right before the floating lamps. Magic is so wonderful. Christmas is only a week away. Julianna and James are going to spend the Holidays at home with their family, and Sirius, who lives with them. Julia is sad she's not going to see her lover for her favorite time of the year. Tonight, the marauders prepared a party in the Room of Requirements, they found a few weeks ago, at the secret couple's biggest disappointment. They had to cancel a few nights together because students were going in and out, on repeat. Of course, the marauders had found it, and told nearly everyone they knew! Really convenient. It was no longer a secret place, a rumor, a myth. For the night, they had requested the room for a big place filled with Christmas decorations, and a lot of tables, for the students to bring food, and drinks. There was one thing everyone in Hogwarts agreed on, whatever their house or year was: the marauders knew how to party.

As Julianna entered the big room with Severus and Regulus, she heard her inner voice saying it was going to be a night to remember. She smiled at the boys and squeezed Reggie's hand before letting it go and join everyone dancing and partying. The night was only starting and half of the people were already drunk on some new cocktail Peter brought. The marauders were probably the more drunk or maybe it was just the way they were originally, people can't really tell the difference. Julianna didn't like any drinks except for butterbear, that was the exception. And she wasn't allowed to drink alcohol, technically not everyone here was allowed, in magical society, it's pretty regulated, beverages with heavy alcohol were restricted to wizards over seventeen. There were a lot of Seventh Year students at the party but they weren't the only ones drinking. If teachers knew what was brought tonight, no party would ever be thrown again... But not a single professor wanted to show up at a marauder's party, they weren't welcomed and the whole school knew what the marauders would do to the teachers the next day if they showed up at the party. It happened once, and no professor tried to go against them.

The party kept going and everyone was enjoying themselves, so much that nobody noticed when Julia and Reggie were a bit closer than usual, holding hands discreetly, saying cute words, exchanging deep non-friendly smiles. It was almost midnight and Professor Dumbledore had strictly asked for the party to end before twelve. Everyone started leaving, only close friends of the marauders were staying for the "after party". Severus obviously had to leave whereas Regulus and Julianna stayed, sitting away from each other, joining their big brothers and their friends around cushions and blankets. A cozy night, were everybody was talking at the same time until Sirius asked to play a game. He wanted to mess around and be annoying as he always was, so he chose Truth or Dare. Julianna didn't really want to play, she wasn't a fan of the game and she didn't want to do any of her brother's stupid dares or answer embarrassing truths. But everyone wanted to play, she didn't want to be left behind or be laughed at for being a coward. They sat in a circle and started to play.

The game started nice, no one had to kiss anyone or say their deepest darkest secret. But the night wasn't over, and Sirius was only warming up. The first thing that made Julianna want to leave the room was when Vivienne asked Regulus to take off his shirt. Her head was on fire, she wanted to curse Vivienne for flirting with her boyfriend but she couldn't do anything. She could just sit on her pillow and watch Regulus doing the dare as everyone stared. The night continued and didn't get softer. Alice asked Julia to kiss Peter, which she did, while her brother was making jokes on how Severus would be happy to see that. Regulus was looking at them with knives in his eyes but nobody seemed to notice him. Remus and Sirius had to kiss, then it was Lily and James, Marlene also kissed Sirius, and Julianna was so sick of this game but she felt trapped, like she couldn't walk away. She could have but she was so scared they would be even more annoying with her if she did, or ask more questions about Severus that would lead them to find out about Reg. Staying wasn't exactly a good option either, because they could ask anything they wanted. Which they did eventually.