From Eden - Regulus Black (Complete)

Chapter Forty -

GIRL'S NIGHT

Marlene spilled her strawberry juice back on the cup as Mia went on details on how she met Monty, insisting that he was swimming naked on the half-frozen lake on her family property because his friends dared him to. Lily laughed loudly, throwing her head back, her whole body shaking as she struggled to breathe again. Anne couldn't stop laughing either, throwing herself on a lying position on the ground and holding her tummy.

"I'm absolutely serious," Mia said. "I screamed as loud as I could when I saw him through my bedroom window. My father ran outside with his wand pointed at him, but he was shaking so much in the snow that he pitied him and brought him inside."

"Did you call the aurors?" asked Marlene.

"No, I just fell in love," Mia said. "He smiled at me as he warmed up near the fire with my brother's clothes and said that he was sorry that he had scared me. He wanted to seem cool for his friends and made a stupid decision. He had been so calm and relaxed, truly taking responsibility and even telling my father that he had committed a crime by trespassing. I fell in love."

"That's so sweet!" Lily said.

"That absolutely crazy!" Marlene said. "You fell in love with a criminal."

"Well, not an official one, after all the next year he started auror training and I followed. We were unbeatable! Everybody was terrified of us. My father was so angry that I had decided to stop my career in music, but he was so proud that Monty was so supportive of me that he didn't even scold me. Monty did a lot for me... I got pregnant a few weeks into the marriage and... that's when I lost my first child."

The silence in the drawing room made Anne's stomach drop.

"My mother had a stillborn last year," Marlene said, sounding a it hollow. "I can't imagine how it was to you. I'm sorry."

"Thank you, dear. It was hard. I had miscarriage before I even knew I was pregnant; I miscarriage two more times after that. That's finally when I got James. I did everything I could to get him healthy and strong; I stopped working, I barely ever left the bed and I only ate the healthiest of things."

"Perhaps that's why he's so spoiled," tried to joke Anne.

Mia smiled at her.

"Absolutely!" she said. "I did everything he wanted all the time. He's a much better person now, especially now that you're here, Anne. I hope you understand that he got mad at you for disappearing because he was worried; he didn't mean to scream."

Lily turned to Anne.

"He mentioned that he was scared he had ruined your day," Lily admitted. "He really cares about you."

"I don't doubt that," Anne dismissed.

"They all care about you, we all do," Marlene said. "Remus, Sirius, Peter, James. Lily and I. We care, Anne, and we're glad you invited us over for tonight. It must be a hard moment for you."

"It's... weird," Anne admitted.

"Because of your brother?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "We used to take some leftovers from the house we grew up in and sneak them into where we slept to make our own little party since we weren't allowed to celebrate our birthdays. It's odd being so open about it now."

Lily frowned.

"Your parents didn't allow you to celebrate your birthday?" she was confused, almost disgusted.