Forever (a Regulus Black story)

Chapter 3: Sleepless Nights

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It was a week after my first day of Hogwarts. I had settled in nicely, making time for school, the Marauders and the girls. But occasionally, I got homesick, mostly for my mother, and her lessons, and the fun we'd have while my father went on work trips. Even thinking about it now, while I sat in the common room with the Marauders before dinner, I got glassy eyed. "What's wrong?" Remus asked me. "Just thinking." I whispered. "What about?" he asked. "Memories." I sighed. He didn't press me further, we just listened to James loudly announcing that he'd get Lily to go out with him one day. "I hope you know that means in a long time, right?" I chuckled, but quickly stopped, pressing my lips together. To my relief, none of my friends seemed to notice the strange habits I had. Those habits mostly came from my fear of my father. He wasn't afraid to hit me or my mother, I had learned that the hard way.
I sat at dinner with the girls. "So, Y/N, you've been at Hogwarts for a week now. Do you fancy anyone?" Mary asked with a smirk. Fancy? I had never heard that word in that context. "What do you mean, fancy?" I asked. "It means, like, to have a crush on someone." Alice told me, munching on some lettuce. "Oh right. Sorry to disappoint, but the only boys I've interacted with are the Marauders." I laughed. Mary fake-pouted. Then, James sauntered over. "Hello Evans." he said smoothly. "Fortescue, Meadows, Mckinnon, McDonald." he said to the other girls. My heart sped up. Would he remember that I never told him my surname? "Y/N, what's your last name again? I keep forgetting." James turned to me. "That's because I never tell you." I muttered, half-hoping he didn't hear me. No such luck. "How come?" James asked. "Yeah, actually." Lily butted in thoughtfully. "I mean- I can understand you not wanting to tell him-" she jerked her thumb at James. "But you never told us your last name either."
I gulped. "I- um- don't.... Like it" I stuttered, turning red and starting at my hands in my lap. "Fair enough." James said and went back to the Marauders. Lily seemed to forget about the conversation as well, instead asking Alice for details on her relationship with Frank Longbottom, a boy in Alice's year.
We all went to bed at around 11pm, as the next day was Saturday. I had a lot of trouble falling asleep that night. I kept tossing and turning. Eventually, I decided to go to the Astronomy Tower for some air. I put my robe on over my pyjamas and slipped on my running shoes. I lit my wand when I reached the corridor. I was beyond nervous about sneaking around. If I was caught, the teachers would most likely send a letter home. If my father found out I was sneaking around, he'd drang me right back home. I just hoped my mother would receive the letter instead, if that was the case. I suddenly found myself at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the Astronomy Tower. I climbed the stairs quietly. The was a breeze, but it didn't bother me. I breathed deeply, the fresh air calming me. I barely got a moment to myself anymore, it was so different to being at home, and it was overwhelming. Then, I heard someone running up the stairs. What if it was a teacher? What if they discovered me. Why would they be running up the stairs though? I kept my eyes trained on the door as I sat frozen in palce. Soon the door opened, and my eyes met a pair of grey ones. At first, I thought it was Sirius, but then I realised that Sirius's eyes were lighter. This boy was paler, his face was sharper. His hair was shorter, and more tousled, yet still neat. He wore black pyjamas and a Slytherin robe. I still had absolutely no clue who I was staring at, but I fumbled to stand up. "I-I can leave.... Sorry." I said, blushing. "No, stay, please." the boy said. He was extremely polite. I sat down again and the boy sat next to me, though leaving plenty of space between us. He also sat closer to the edge, swinging his legs. "Aren't you sacred you'd fall?" I asked him. He shook his head.

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The girl at the Astronomy Tower was quite pretty. She had h/c hair and e/c eyes. She seemed quite shy and quiet, very different from all the other Gryffindors. She also seemed very reserved and private. The only thing I knew about her was that she joined 6th year, meaning she was probably 16, a year older than me. "I'm Regulus." I said, after a moment of silence. "I'm Y/N." she told me, almost hesitantly. I frowned. Why was she worried about me knowing her name? Maybe she didn't like meeting new people? Or maybe she had trust issues? "What brings you here?" she asked. "I couldn't sleep. What about you?" I told her. "I couldn't sleep either." she said. I noticed she had a very formal way of speaking, quite similar to me. I began wondering if she was a pure blood. "Do you happen to be a pure blood? Like, from one of those families that cares about blood purity?" I asked. She froze slightly, then relaxed. I found that odd. "Um.. Yes." she mumbled, so I almost didn't hear her. "Me too. I'm a Black." I said. Her eyes widened as she looked at me. "You're Sirius's brother?" she asked. I flinched slightly.

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I frowned. Why did Regulus flinch like that when I mentioned Sirius. "Uh... I guess you could say that." he muttered, avoiding my gaze. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Why don't we talk about something else?" Regulus suggested. "Like... What family are you from?" Regulus asked. I flinched. There it was. The one question that was off-limits. I had so many ways of getting around variations of that question, but it was difficult getting around a question so straight-forward. I was going to have to tell the truth. "I'm...not allowed to say." I told him reluctantly. "Oh." Regulus frowned. "I should be going." I said, getting up. "Ok.... Goodnight." Regulus said. "Goodnight." I said and snuck back to my common room.

Three chapters in one day. It won't always be like this, as I'll be more busy. Yay, Regulus has been introduced. Now, I just want to mention something about Regulus and Y/N's friendship. They are both reserved people, not used to talking about their emotions, so it will take a while for their friendship to develop.