𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘. 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸

002

***

Dear Narcissa,

I  hope your marriage went well. You are lucky to marry Lucius and not some stranger. I am writing to you in urgency, I am currently stuck in a situation that I do not want to be in and you are the only one I could possibly talk to. 

You probably know what situation I  am talking about but if you don't it's okay because I will explain it to you later. 

I  know this is very sudden, but I would not write to you if this was not serious. Meet me in Three Broomsticks alone back in Hogsmeade tonight at 3  AM.

- R.A.B

*** 

NARCISSA KNOWING REGULUS TRUSTED him that whatever situation he was in (and no she was not aware of the situation he was in and did not know why he assumed she would), it was serious.

Florence did not allow her to go by herself through the floo and to Hogsmeade by herself in the early hours of the morning and went with her. Three  Broomsticks was closed, Narcissa frowned to herself as she peeped through the glass door.

"Why would  he tell me to meet here if it's closed?" She wondered.

"Maybe he has a key, surely he wouldn't just talk about this super urgent matter outside, super late in the night," Florence said, her breath fogging the glass. 

"Unfortunately I will be."  A familiar voice she hadn't heard in a while said. 

Regulus wore a black cloak, he removed the hood revealing his face. The light reflected the darkness that rested in his eyes, the loose curls were cut short and his face looked hollow. 

"Reggie." Narcissa breathed surprised. 

He turned to look at Florence, "Do you mind?"

"Where are you going with her?" She asked. 

"Over there," Regulus replied after a pause pointing at an empty table for two hidden in the shadows. "So can you leave?"

Florence hesitated, Narcissa nodded reassuringly before walking away with her cousin to the table. 

"What was the urgent matter Reg? Are you okay? Are you getting bullied? Is seventh year bad?" She rushed before he shook his head quietly. 

"Mother and Father made me come home for Christmas. They had a great Christmas gift waiting for me at home." Regulus said bitterly before rolling his sleeve up.

Narcissa knew what it was going to be when he started his sentence, their family had been planning for it for ages. But she doesn't know why she gasped at the sight of the mark as if that was her first time seeing it, as if she hadn't seen the very mark stain the people she loved's arms.

The skull stared at her menacingly. She looked up at his face who was carefully watching her reaction. 

"What the hell." 

"It wasn't supposed to happen now, it was supposed to happen after I got into the Ministry but after Sirius left my mother had rushed the plan. He's so fucking selfish." 

Narcissa stared at the dark mark again. "I don't think this is Sirius's fault."

"Whatever" He spat. "It was supposed to be him not me, he was supposed to be there for me when it got bad. That's what he promised when we were boys, and guess where he is now? With his new brother."

She closed her eyes breathing in sharply before opening them again. "What the actual hell."

"I'm not even seventeen yet."

"Is this all you wanted to tell me?" Narcissa asked, while it was a bad question to ask, Regulus should have been okay with the fact that it was inevitable, he spent years preparing for the day.

Regulus shook his head, "I don't want it, Cissy. Whenever I look at it I want to rip it out of my skin, its making me feel so slimy."

"It must suck." She said sympathetically remembering Lucius's first days with it. "There's nothing you can do.  Have you been invited to the Dark Lord's meetings yet?"

"I have been told to but I haven't gone yet. I was going to go in early February."

Narcissa nodded, "The only thing I guess you can do is to practise your Occlumency, you're pretty good at that already. Also, there's no point going against him, he's always going to be stronger."

Regulus sighed, "I guess."

"If it scares you Regulus, just think that the only reason you're going is to learn and slowly make your way up the ranks. I can always tell Lucius to take care of you, he's pretty high up for his age and perhaps  put a good word in?"

Regulus worryingly nodded wordlessly. He ran his hands through his short curls, "I'm scared."

"I get it." She whispered. "But trust me, you will be fine."

"Sirius is not going to be happy with it."

Narcissa gave him a sad smile, "He wouldn't be... Look.... The higher you are in the rankings, the more you have to go into battles unless Bella or someone else would drag you, then I guess you're stuffed."

Regulus  gave her a small smile, "I know this isn't as urgent as you probably thought it would be, but I really was panicking so thank you."

Narcissa nodded "Of course." 

They stood up and she hugged him tightly. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

"Of course."

And they parted ways. Florence who was watching them but couldn't hear their conversation gave her a questioning look. 

"Everything is fine now. He was just a bit stressed."

"You're telling me I waited in the freezing cold, in the dark instead of being in my bed for some teen to just get some reassurance because he was stressed for N.E.W.T.S," Florence said in disbelief, Narcissa laughed taking her hand and interlocking it before pressing her lips to it. 

"No, it was a different kind of stress." She replied and somehow Florence understood immediately. She always did that, she understood Narcissa in a way no one else did.