The Bug Collector | marauders

New Years Day 1974

"Regulus!"

Rose yelled shaking the boy awake.

"We fell asleep! It's got to be midday by now! We missed breakfast!"

Regulus groaned and rubbed his face. His black hair had fallen messily around his eyes. He stretched out a bit before looking up at her.

"You are very loud."

"Oh there's no time for all that now get up."

She pulled the boy up and allowed him find his balance before letting go.

"Everyone will be coming back tomorrow so we must make the most of today." 

"Are we going on another one of your schemes?"

"...I was hoping so, yes." Rose answered though unsure of what they could get up to.

"We'll go to the common room first, I need to get my things. And I need to unpack if you'll help with that."

"You haven't unpacked?"

"No, I came strai— I just haven't unpacked."

The truth serum had worn off then.

They made their way to the Slytherin common room then to the boys dorms. Regulus placed his coat gently on his bed then pulled the trunk his things were packed into on it as well. Rose thought how Sirius would have been different, how he would have tossed his jacket on the bed, a large smile on his face. Were Rose and Lily this different? Or do the differences in siblings only start when they grow apart?

"It's really bleak in here. Don't you guys decorate?"

"Why would we do that?"

"I don't know...to make it feel more like home."

Regulus gave Rose and odd look at that, and she realized something through his wistful gaze.

He doesn't know what home feels like.

"Well, to start, did you know adding candles makes it warmer? And the light flickers along the walls—" Rose was standing away from him now, running her hand along the wall to demonstrate. She turned back to look at him again.

"It's nice."

"I can make some candles."

Regulus was a very skilled wizard. Especially in transfiguration and potions.

"I know you can."

Rose said while Regulus began to unpack clothing and some new books.

"Have you ever read a muggle book before?" She asked

"No I haven't, probably best I don't."

She nodded as he took out a journal, black leather with a string wrapped around it, when he unwrapped it a small piece of paper fell out, it looked like a paper plane that has been squished flat.

"Barty makes these. Sometimes I pick them up."

"Are they nice? Your friends?"

"That's not exactly the word I would use to describe them, no." He said while taking out a green quidditch jersey "Black" written in big white letters on the back.

That switched her focus from his friends to quidditch. She ran her fingers over the letters.

"I almost forgot you play, I must say I didn't expect it but I've heard you're rather good."

"From who?"

"...James Potter"

And that led Regulus to tell Rose something she did not know, apparently James had tried a good few times to chat with Regulus if the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams had crossed paths during practice, Regulus just figured he was trying to spy for Sirius. In reality he was probably impressed with his flying.

"He's very excitable." Rose said happily, Ready to see James' smiling face again in the coming days

"I'd say loud."

"Kinda talkative isn't he?"

"Annoyingly overbearing."

"You sound like Lily."

"And you sound like Sirius."

Rose gasped.

"You take that back!" If he was Sirius she would have shoved him to the floor for saying that, seeing as he had such a negative view of his brother, but instead she just huffed and changed the subject.

"Want to add some herbs to these candles?" She asked, during their discussion of James and quidditch(for which Reg was a seeker) he had transformed some book pages into short white candles.

"What will that do?"

"Make them look interesting? And maybe smell nice too. Plus I've had these in my pocket for days."

"That can't be good for the herbs."

"They are dry anyway! I will say however, these may cause your candles to attract unicorns."

Perhaps they should market them as unicorn attractant.

"What?" Regulus gave a rather confused look.

"Oh, nothing."

Her Veritaserum had completely worn off as well.