The Bug Collector | marauders

Communication and Energy

September 1st 1977
The Hogwarts Express

"Potter, sit down." Lily whispered yelled back at James(who to be fair, was standing up in his seat) from a few rows ahead, he smiled widely as she huffed and faced the front once more, carrying on conversation with her friend Mary.

"Lily is paying attention to you, James." Rose said excitedly as he flopped down next to her.

"That she is, mate." He responded triumphantly, giving her a playful shove.

"So you're telling me she ACTUALLY fancies you, Prongs?" Peter asked for what must have been the third time since they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"Yes, mate, she actually fancies me. Hard to believe it took so long, honestly." James responded, leaning back into his seat.

"Yeah...hard to believe." Peter said in response as the last passengers entered the train, Regulus Black among them, his mates already seated near the front of the train.

Rose tried not to look at him, tried to hide her hands that were adorned with silver rings that were mostly his, but she failed at both of those things.

The boy walked by, eyes as cold as ever, face as hard and unforgiving as ever, but he wore a black silk shirt beneath his robes and his hair was pulled back neatly. He'd grown over the summer.

I have another situation like ours. I have for quite a while.

He must have felt her looking, because he glanced over at them and in that moment the Black family scowl was replaced by the Black family smirk, and his eyes met with— not Rose's, but his brother's.

It was a split second interaction, but Sirius bristled at it.

Regulus continued on his way, before stopping suddenly.

He lifted a hand and made a face like he was contemplating his next action. That's when he turned around, and walked over to their group.

"Evans?" He asked, addressing her directly, much to the horror and confusion of each of the Marauders.

"What?" She said carefully, his own friends were looking back at him.

"Forgive me, but as I passed I felt the need to ask, when your group of lions here are gone, what will you do?" He inquired, tilting his head slightly as he did so.

Rose was rather blind sighted by the question, so Remus responded for her.

"Fuck. Off." He said.

Regulus lifted his hands in mock surrender.

"I was only curious." He spoke, glancing down at Rose's hands. Eyes lingering there.

"Apologies." He added before making his way to his lads.

"I don't trust your other brother for one second, man." James said.

"I'm not sure I do either, Prongs." Sirius responded, he looked utterly uncomfortable.

Meanwhile Peter was looking over at Rose for any type of reaction, he didn't find any.

She did nothing.

I have another situation like ours. I have for quite a while.

—

September 2nd 1977

Now, Rose took a seat next to Regulus in the only class they shared with none of his companions, Care of Magical Creatures. Rose didn't particularly care for it, but Regulus did and they had coordinated to have it at the same time.

"What was that about yesterday, Black?" She whispered to him.

"I wanted to speak to you, my friends were listening, yours were listening, what was I meant to say?"

"What would you have wanted to say?" She asked, voice low.

He thought for a moment before responding.

"Tu me manques" he said quietly, and in French.

"What does that mean?" She asked, watching the professor as she did so.

"You see, that's the thing about me knowing a second language that you don't, I don't have to tell you what that means." He whispered back, making that face he often made when he tried to stop himself from smiling.

"Please." She pleaded, politely.

"Tu me manques." He responded

"Reg." She said, a tiny bit louder.

"Tu me manques." He repeated, matching her volume despite a few students turning their heads towards them.

"Fine, even if you won't tell me, there's still something I need to tell you. You think you could meet me in the greenhouses during free period?" She asked, directing her attention back to the front of the class.

"Of course I can." He responded, doing the same.

—

"Okay. You stand here." She directed, shutting the door of the greenhouse behind her.

"Regulus, it's extremely important you don't tell anyone what I'm about to show you. I just figured that you'll know eventually so I should get it out of the way." She said.

"If you've hidden a body in here I'm not surprised."

"No! It's nothing like that just— erm let me show you." She said, stepping aside before shrinking down to her little orange snake form, thinking that was the best method of explanation.

"Oh." Was all he said, looking down at her.

Rose hissed loudly, as if to challenge his "oh".

He chuckled at that, and picked her up, bringing her to his eye level.

"You're very portable this way. I could just put you in my pocket and you'd be trapped in there."

She hissed again, and tried to bit his thumb.

"Yeah, you're going in my pocket."

Another hiss.

"What? You've just showed me the best way to keep you around."

She bit his thumb.

"Sorry! It seems very convenient for me!" He argued, a childish smile washing over his face.

At that, she gave in, curling around his hand and looking up at him expectedly.

"Okay. We've reached an agreement." He said, taking a seat against the glass window, bringing Rose's eyes up to his again so he could speak to her.

"We'll stay here for the rest of the free period, you'll change back, and from now on when you wanna see me I'll just come pick you like this." He said, chuckling a bit, finding the whole thing rather amusing really.

Rose hissed in response, sticking her forked tongue out at him.

"You see now I don't know what YOU are saying."