epiphany ♕ | 𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

50

THE SENSE OF ABANDONMENT. Emptiness; that feeling is known so well. Being alone is something like a burden and a blessing. At the wrong times, it could be aggravating. Regulus Black was no stranger to that all too familiar feeling. He couldn't differentiate his dreams from real life, and it felt mental. He felt as if the whole world would stop—which was a bit dramatic—for days, entrapping him in a dream. In truth, it felt too real to be something created by his mind. He couldn't recall what had happened in detail, but he swore it wasn't fake.

"Are you even listening?" Siobhán Parten asked, shifting in her chair. Regulus flinched at her voice, setting his attention to the girl in front of him.

"Sorry," He murmured, playing with his fingers. Siobhán nodded, humming in response. "I've, uh, been distracted lately."

"I can see that." She pressed her lips into a thin line. "Has it something to do with the tasks?" Regulus met her eyes, letting out a deep breath.

"It must be that obvious." He gave a tight-lipped smile, man-spreading in his seat. "But you're correct. The task has been running through my mind for weeks now."

"Would you like to explain?" Siobhán motioned to him with a hand. Regulus stared at her for what felt like hours, but really, it was a minute. He merely nodded, turning his gaze to the floor.

"My most recent task was to hide a necklace." He began. "He told us that it was a part of him. The necklace was valuable, probably something you would get killed for losing."

"Where did you hide it?" She inquired, leaning forward. Regulus shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure." He looked back at her. "My cousin apparated us to a cliff. I'm positive it was still England, but it seemed so far. The waves of the ocean were crashing against these sharp rocks. I swore it felt as if I could fall in. If I tumbled down, I would never quite reach the surface."

"It must've been traumatizing," Siobhán muttered, leaning back against the chair. "Are you feeling better than before, though?" Regulus moved his head from side to side, signifying that he didn't know.

"I suppose my best answer would be to say yes." He smiled a bit. "But I'm not. I guess I'm just going through it in a way." Siobhán stood up from her chair, lending out her hand. Regulus eyed her shoes, eventually meeting her eyes. He arched an eyebrow, taking her hand quickly.

"Let's do something fun." She tugged him up from the chair he sat in, almost stumbling on her feet. Regulus steadied her, grinning at her clumsiness.

"Exactly what is your term of fun?" Regulus observed her go towards the door of the classroom. Siobhán turned around to face him, smirking mischievously.

"A walk." She paused for a second. "Or maybe we could go under the bleachers at the Quidditch stadium." Regulus hummed, giving her a sly smile.

"The Quidditch stadium does sound nice."

Siobhán opened the door, leading them out towards the corridors. Regulus staggered behind, glancing around to see if anyone was in the area.

"I've been sneaking around school forever." He began. "But nothing is more exhilarating than going around at night." Siobhán turned around to face him, humming in amusement.

"How come?" She turned back around. Regulus eyed her with curiosity, smiling softly.

"Doing something forbidden." He licked his lips. "It's something enrapturing. The more that I think about it, the crazier it seems."

"I get it," she muttered with a mere glance. "I sometimes find forbidden things to be the best out of anything." Regulus made his way next to her, glancing down.