Truce

5

Regulus-

Hogwarts had never seemed so unwelcoming. The four friends sat on the boat, the cold air causing bumps to form on their previously smooth skin. They waited until the boat docked, allowing the four to slowly enter the cold castle. Regulus could hear the loud laughter of his brother and immediately turned around, wondering if Sirius had actually been worried for him. Or maybe it was all a joke, a cruel joke to make Regulus feel secure and wanted. Needed. Pandora grabbed Regulus' hand, smiling softly.

"Let's get dinner," Regulus sighed, allowing Ophiuchus to climb across his shoulders. Pandora pulled Regulus into the Great Hall, the two ignoring the obvious stares as whispers filled the hall. Pandora ignored them, sitting across from Jacob and Gene who were bickering about a small inconvenience.  

"It is not dumb to keep Loki's name!" Regulus rolled his eyes, rubbing his eyes from any previous exhaustion. Jacob snorted.

"It is if your cat is named after a God." Gene scoffed.

"Oi, fuck off. Loki is a perfectly good name. Matches his ears and everything- fucking prick!" The curse was loud enough for the rest of the Ravenclaw table to look at the quarrel. Jacob had stolen a piece of chicken from Gene's plate and was now chewing as slowly as he could. Gene, growling, carefully took Loki off of his lap before stealing all of Jacob's mashed potatoes.

"Hey-,"

"You took my chicken," By now the Hufflepuffs were also glancing at the two in curiosity and the whispers only grew louder.

"You're mad over a fucking chicken?" Jacob laughed, stealing yet another piece. Gene gasped, grabbing Jacob's cup before chugging down the drink. He hated apple juice and yet he gladly smacked his lips in delight. "Bitch,"

"Cunt,"

"Dick,"

"Asshole-,"

"Reg." The two quarreling kids immediately grew cold, glaring at Sirius who had appeared at the head of the Ravenclaw table. Regulus and Pandora gave Sirius a small smile, something that Sirius was honestly not prepared for. 

"Sirius, I believe we have a lot to talk about." The whispers only grew louder as Regulus could feel the heated glares from the Slytherins behind him. Sirius felt his chest grow light as he smiled.

"We do. Are you free this week?" Regulus nodded, politely sipping on his cup of water. "Let's meet after lunch on Thursday."

"Okay." Sirius nodded before glancing at Gene.

"You have some mash on your-,"

"I know," Gene sniffed indignantly, wiping the mashed potato from his previously spotless robes. Sirius gave his brother and cousin one last smile before returning to the Gryffindor table. James, who had been watching the interaction with extreme interest, perked up when he saw Sirius' cheery mood. With possibilities swarming, he quickly scrambled up from his seat and attempted to rush towards the Ravenclaw table. Remus quickly stopped him when he realized that Jacob was about to bolt.

"Not the time, James." He whispered and went back to reading. James sat down, frowning to himself before stabbing the pork cutlet on his plate. This was the worst. He had no idea where his younger brother was and his mother made it seem like nothing was wrong. The worst had happened but no one at his house batted an eye. Weren't Gryffindors supposed to be good? Then why were Jacob's actions more heroic than any of his mother's actions combined. And Jacob was a bloody Slytherin! He was supposed to be evil. James glanced at his brother who was bickering with Gene. Jealousy began to knaw at James' appetite and he threw his fork against his mash. Peter jumped but said nothing while Lily looked on in worry. She glanced at James before following his heated gaze towards Jacob, an idea brewing in her mind.

~

"I don't understand him," with dinner hot in their bellies, Jacob and Regulus lay restlessly on their beds. Ophiuchus was sleeping underneath Jacob's bed, the heavy breaths echoing through their small room. The other Slytherins did not want to associate themselves with blood traitors so the two were forced into the smallest dorm available. Ignoring the sneers and unwelcoming glares, Jacob had led Regulus through the crowd and into the room where all of their items lay scattered across the room. The words 'blood traitors' were painted on the walls with green paint. It took the two an hour to remove the paint and another forty minutes to locate all of their belongings. Luckily Ophiuchus wasn't hurt, their peers weren't heartless, but Ophiuchus was so shocked by the treatment that she passed out the moment the room was clean. Regulus turned a page in his book, Jacob's complaint breaking the previous quiet. 

"Who?"

"James." Regulus sighed.

"Ah yes, Potter." Jacob rolled his eyes but smiled.

"It's like he wants me to forgive him the moment he does something nice."

"He didn't even do anything-,"

"Exactly!" Jacob flipped to his stomach, his wand etching doodles into his bedsheets. "He hasn't even done anything, why does he feel the need to be forgiven?" Regulus glanced up from his book before he shrugged.

"He's your brother," Jacob rolled his eyes. How helpful. He glanced around the room, a smile slowly gracing his face.

"I like this room,"

"Really?" 

"We can do what we want here," Regulus glanced around the depressingly empty room. The two beds, dressers, cabinets, and one large desk made the room feel unbearably dull. The grey walls and creaking floorboards made the room seem smaller than it was and it filled Regulus with a sense of claustrophobia. 

"We can barely move," Regulus grumbled, stretching out his legs before resting on his stomach. Jacob sat up from his bed, giving Regulus a teasing smile, before taking a large stride forward. The floorboards creaked but Jacob continued moving with his own free will. Regulus bit back a chuckle. "You're three heads shorter than me-," Jacob scoffed, hitting Regulus' leg.

"I am not," Regulus bit back a smile. He placed down the book he was reading, making sure to tuck it securely under his pillow before sliding off of his bed. He rummaged through his luggage before pulling out a newspaper clipping that he found pinned to the train station walls. It was about a muggle murder that had happened days before. Quietly, he pinned the article on the wall, allowing his attention to slowly melt back to Jacob whose eyes had gone dull. 

"We should start keeping track. If we want to know how to stop him we have to understand his methods." Jacob nodded before frowning.

"You won't join him, right?" Regulus, in spite of himself, let out a cruel laugh. A laugh that burned his throat and made his eyes tear. Jacob, who had no idea what to say, did nothing but stare. 

"I'm going to live for at least five more years, then I'll decide what to do." With that, the conversation was put to rest. The two went back to their beds, Jacob blew out the dim candlelight, plunging the two into darkness, and the two were lulled to sleep.