The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

From Out of the Shadows

Regulus Black was certain he was going mad.

He sat in the Slytherin common room, pouring over some of his textbooks by the ornate green fireplace, his feet up on the coffee table, parchments and books spread about him, his concentration deep on the topic of Transfiguration when he heard a distinct, yet strained hissing sound. He couldn't understand it, but it was as though it were a language of some sort, and he thought involuntarily of Voldemort's skill at parseltongue. He lowered the book he was reading to look about. 

No one else seemed to be hearing the strange words that seemed to permeate the air. There weren't many other Slytherins in the common room, but those that were there hadn't looked up or paused what they were doing. Not one of them. 

Regulus shook his head, the voice gone, and turned back to his textbook, telling himself it was nothing... until he heard it again. 

He looked around the room, shuffling his books into a pile, trying to ascertain which direction the voice was coming from, but it seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once, as though being broadcast throughout the very ceiling of the room. He glanced up at the dark water that shone through the globular window high above him, the water of the lake as black as could be, only a faint silver quiver high, high above indicated the presence of the moon.

Regulus carried his things up to his dormitory, passing Severus Snape on the stairwell. He was tempted to pause, to ask Snape if he could hear the mysterious hissing sound, but Snape seemed utterly distracted and Regulus didn't want to get involved in whatever it was that was concerning him.

In the dormitory, Regulus was relieved to find he couldn't hear the hissing any longer and he sank with relief into the chair at his desk, arranging his books about the wooden top and opening his desk to get a fresh pot of ink for his quill. But even without being able to hear the sound, he couldn't stop his mind from ruminating on it, turning the question over and over and over again... What was it? And it wasn't long before Regulus found himself leaned back in the desk chair, straining his ears, as though he wanted to hear it again... to seek it out, and find whatever it was that was making the noise... as though it was calling him.

"I think we should have a date," James announced.

Lily was swinging his hand between them as they walked the corridors of Hogwarts, checking that all the common room doors were safely shut up for the evening and finding the stragglers of student rushing to get back to their dormitories for the evening. James had just sent a Hufflepuff boy off to the kitchens to get to bed after finding him attempting to break into the kitchens, having been given incorrect information about how to open the portrait that blocked the entrance - telling the banana "orange you glad?" jokes. 

Lily looked up at James in surprise. "A date?"

"Yes," James answered, "A proper one. Not just our Headboy and girl rounds, but an actual proper date."

Lily smiled, "And what do you propose we do?"

"I haven't thought it out yet, but I reckon I'll come up with something bloody romantic that will make you thank Merlin you've found me," he answered. "If you say you'll go on one with me, that is."

Lily replied, "Dunno, I'll have to check my schedule."

James grinned, "Yeah? Dunno if you're available for your boyfriend?"

Lily shrugged.

James's smirk only grew. "Well, let me know when you're available to be wooed."

"I'll have my people tell your people," Lily said, repeating a joke from long ago.