maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

136. not on my watch

TW!!! Mentions of abuse.

CHAMPAGNE GLASSES HAD formed its own little group on the table next to Claudia. She was standing in a corner, hiding away from everyone and everything as her eyes scanned over the stupid ballroom where every guest of the Nott family were dancing around.

You see, mere hours after saying goodbye to Remus, Claudia had ended up in the Nott manor simply for just one reason: Regulus Black.

And, so far, she had not seen a glance of the boy. So instead, she had stayed put where she was as she made sure that Evan Rosier couldn't find her.

Because as she saw the wicked boy, she knew that he wondered where she was considering that his eyes were always somewhere other than on the girl he was dancing with.

Claudia sighed slightly to herself, because it had been a full hour and the boy of the hour hadn't shown up. But she wasn't going to give in quite yet and apparate way.

And that decision proved to be a good one - at least according to her - as she finally caught sight of some black locks of hair in the crowds.

Regulus was standing with his parents, keeping his head low and his eyes on the ground due to the fact that he most certainly didn't wish to be there.

However, a tiny little part in him was happy to be there as he finally spotted Claudia, who had tapped on his shoulder three times after he had failed to notice how his parents had walked away and how a certain boy with blonde hair watched him from afar.

"Claudia," he said, and the girl was pleased to find just the little hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"Regulus," Claudia replied, holding out her hand to the boy. "Walk with me?"

"Now?"

"Yes, now," Claudia said with a smile, but she wouldn't deny that she felt immediately sad as the boy seemed determined to say no.

But then, the choice of saying no he had made inside his head changed, because he spotted Evan checking Claudia out from afar, even though he was dancing with some girl.

"Okay," Regulus replied quickly, ignoring the confused look on the girl's face as he accepted her hand and immediately became the one who led the way out into the large garden, where they took to strolling around in the warm summer eve's air.

"So..." Regulus said after a while as Claudia caught a glimpse over her shoulder at the window of the ballroom where people were still standing. "What're you doing here?"

Claudia shrugged, knowing just why he asked that, "Wanted to see you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," she nodded. "Regulus, I've been meaning to-"

"If it's about what happened before summer I would prefer it if you'd just let it go," he said sternly before she could get another word in. "Please."