The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

What's Happened

What's Happened

"I'm glad you came with me," Regulus whispered. He was leaning over Maryrose in the corner of Slughorn's party, trying soooo bloody hard to be cool, even though every nerve ending in his whole body was singing. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve the smiling fates to allow him to end up with Maryrose agreeing to come along to Slughorn's little get together, but whatever it was, he hoped to be able to repeat it a hundred times over. She looked dazzling in the faerie lights and he felt his stomach twist when he saw she'd changed her hair colour - the first time he'd seen her do it since James Potter had shattered her heart. "Your hair looks fantastic," he whispered, "You... you're happy, then? Since you can do it again?"

"Yeah," Maryrose smiled shyly and she reached up and adjusted Regulus's tie, "I'm pretty happy. Are you happy?"

"I'm bloody ecstatic."

She laughed.

"For real. I doubt it's physically possible to be happier than I am right now, Maryrose."

She leaned forward and kissed his chin, right in the cleft below his lips and her nose caught his lip and he kissed it softly. Regulus felt as though he were intoxicated or having an out of body experience. It was the first time her lips had touched his skin and it set off a wave of emotions and feelings that he hadn't been expecting, just coursing about through his veins like magical fire.

"You're so ruddy adorable," she whispered.

"Is that what I am?" he breathed, unable to get his brains working properly to answer her with something more clever.

That was when McGonagall had come in the room and the look on the professor's face had sobered Regulus up right quick. The grim expression, the shaky voice... He looked across the room as Lily Evans got up from the spot where she was sitting with James Potter and left with the Professor and he felt a bit worried. She was one of Sirius's friends - and Severus's, too. Regulus looked at Maryrose. She looked concerned, too.

"Wonder what happened?" she whispered.

Regulus murmured, "Somebody must have died."

Maryrose covered her mouth, "Oh... Poor Lily."

Regulus nodded. "Yeah. Poor Lily..." He hesitated, then said, "I don't want to go but I need to. I gotta go talk to Severus... She's his friend, he'll want to know. He'll want to be there for her."

Maryrose nodded.

Regulus hurried out of the party, leaving Maryrose. It killed him inside to do it, tear himself away from her with how pretty she looked and how well they were getting on... but his concern for Lily Evans - and even more so for Severus Snape - was so great that he couldn't put it off. He ran down the hall and through the door to the Slytherin common room and, not seeing Snape about, he jogged up the steps to the fifth year dormitory and banged his fists on the door when he found it was locked. "Severus! Severus, please!"

Purposely, he left his mind as open as he could. It's Lily. It's Lily Evans. It's Lily.

The door opened so quickly that Regulus nearly fell through it. Snape caught him. His eyes were flashing darkly. Regulus could tell the way Snape stared at him that he'd seen the projection of Lily Evans walking out of the Slug Club brunch with Professor McGonagall coming from Regulus's mind. Severus pushed past Regulus and down the stairs, through the common room and out into the corridor, his robes billowing around him as he moved, practically running, set on getting to her.