Diptych

Chapter 10

The students of Hogwarts didn't need to be given an excuse to dress up, and so when they were given one, it was expected that they would go all out for the occasion. One of the newer Professors, the one for Muggle Studies that Regulus still hadn't caught the name of months into the school year, was said to be giving out a prize for the best costume of the night, an apparent muggle tradition on Halloween. The first he heard of it was in his own dorm, from Montague. Edwin was tying a bow around his neck before the mirror, hair curled up in some ridiculous way and fake blood dribbled around his lips. Regulus actually thought it to be an improvement, and considered asking who exactly he was dressed up as, except that he knew it would earn him some long and overly-enthusiastic explanation of a show or movie Montague watched with his mother, and Regulus would only get lost in the details. So instead he gave a polite pat to the boy's shoulder, told him that he thought the finishing touches were probably enough by that point, and made his way out to the common room. Out there, Carmen was carefully draping spiderwebs across her collarbone, adorning each of them with rain so that they sparkled in the light like jewels. Willa had enchanted a pair of wings onto her back and looked rather like a fairy as she stood in the middle of the room, long golden hair twisted up like a circlet. Other students tied hats and ribbons into place, laced up boots and cast dozens of spells that they were unlikely to have tested beforehand. Regulus did nothing of the sort.

It wasn't as though he didn't enjoy fun, or took himself too seriously to dress up. Regulus just felt somewhat uncomfortable pretending to be something he wasn't, and having the spotlight be on him in the way that it would be as people tried to guess the meaning of his costume. Regulus would much rather walk the long corridors of the castle, taking in other people's costumes and noting his personal favourites to Tom when he retired for the night. He'd go up to the party for a bit later, once he'd heard back from Lucius.

Up by Gryffindor Tower, Regulus spotted his brother. Sirius and James Potter were going about dressed as werewolves, tufty lumps of fur tied to the tops of their heads and long tails hanging limply from their waists as they hurried past him. Lupin followed them in his usual attire, a woollen jumper and corduroy trousers, muttering something about shooting them both with silver bullets. It seemed he was no more amused by the costume competition than Regulus was. As for Pettigrew, Regulus saw him later on with a girl and they were wearing matching costumes, another reference that went straight over his head. Since it was the Muggle Studies professor running the competition, many of the students had seemingly attempted to cater to her tastes, which didn't help in piquing Regulus' interest.

Regulus wasn't the only Slytherin to skip the competition, though. When he saw Selwyn, his dorm mate was wearing the same thing he had been all day, and Snape wore his same dark garb, too. Regulus didn't say anything to Selwyn about it, ask why he hadn't decided to put on something special, because he had no real desire to speak to him any more frequently than he had to, especially not when he could already half guess what the answer would be. Yet in the same breath, it wasn't as though he really wanted to speak to Snape either. He just found himself calling out to him as they passed one another in the corridor. Perhaps it was because Severus was skulking about alone, neck twisting back every two seconds to be sure he wasn't being followed. Maybe it was because he was still waiting to hear back from Lucius, and knew that Snape kept in contact with him. Or perhaps it was because he was Sirius' brother, and deep down, he just couldn't resist the chance to annoy Snape. Either way, Regulus raised his voice just enough that Severus would definitely hear him as he paused in his journey.

"Not enjoying the festivities tonight?"

"I've other plans." Severus said, after several moments in which he had turned to face Regulus and visibly argued with himself as to whether he should say something more, or keep quiet. He spoke at nowhere near the volume Regulus had, but looked so pleased with himself for having said plans, that he'd clearly struggled to keep those plans to himself. His usually dull eyes shifted back and forth, conscious of the fact that anybody could walk by and overhear them. Regulus didn't share his concerns when he asked,