Thicker than Water (Marauders Era)

1 January, 1978 - Leaving

**

It was in the first few hours of the new year that Lavinia left.

Which, she supposed, was fitting. A new year, a new mistake. A new failure. She had made it to her room that evening bruised and bleeding and fully prepared to stay. Because that was what she had always done. Indeed, she hadn't even considered leaving until William walked into her room with Jilsey in tow and told her outright that if she didn't leave, he would find a way to make her.

The day had been a complete and utter disaster, from the moment Lavinia woke up late. The night before had been a bad one, as every night since the start of break had been. She'd left Hogwarts with the shadow of her own suicidal behavior hanging over her head and had arrived at a house that was about as far from comfort as it possibly could have been. Her grandmother had wasted no time in tearing Lavinia apart for all of the failings of the past three and a half years and hadn't really stopped since then.

The Christmas party had been her one respite because though Theia suffered no failings in her family, she also didn't air their dirty laundry out in public. The result was that Theia did what she always did at gatherings and turned into a sweet old lady whose pride and joy was her family. It was an almost terrifying shift and it left Lavinia more afraid of her grandmother than ever, if only because it became painfully clear that if it ever came down to Theia's word against Lavinia's, the old woman would win. She was, quite simply, the better actress.

The worst part of the Christmas party was Regulus. Or rather, the lack of Regulus. At sixteen, his parents had decided it was time for him to start taking up the family business, if you could call it that, and as a result, Lavinia had only managed to talk to him for about fifteen minutes late that night as he and his mother and father prepared to leave.

He'd pulled her off to the side as their parents exchanged cordial goodbyes and polite conversation. Lavinia followed, torn between annoyance and understanding and her usual vague sense of abandonment. She knew it wasn't his fault he hadn't been around, but it hadn't made the hours of smiling through her grandmother's lies any easier.

But then Regulus spoke and, "I'm so sorry, Vin," was the first thing out of his mouth. Lavinia felt the annoyance melt away replaced by a slight sense of guilt. She of all people couldn't expect him to go against his parents just to spend time with her. And by now she should know better than to assume that Regulus enjoyed doing all the things Orion and Walburga insisted on.

So Lavinia sighed and glanced over at her parents and grandmother, weighing her words. They were close enough to hear if they were trying and she remembered her mother's letter all too well. She had to be perfect. As much as she wanted to make some snarky comment or tell him off for how little time he'd spent with her lately or breakdown and confess how awful the night had been without him, she didn't.

She simply smiled and tucked her head slightly, the picture of the demure young lady. "Don't worry about it," she said, her tone light. "We see plenty of each other at school."

Regulus frowned. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," he commented. "We haven't spent nearly enough time together. Unless..." He trailed off uncertainty. "I assume you'd like to spend more time together.

Again Lavinia glanced as surreptitiously as she could over at the adults, trying to decide if they were far enough away for her to be honest. She came to the conclusion that if was better to be safe than sorry. And on this particular issue, it didn't largely affect her answer. "Of course I do, Reg," she assured him, sighing slightly. "I'm sure we've both just been busy."

Regulus nodded, still frowning at her. "Am I missing something here?" he asked finally.

She glanced to the side again, half hoping he would take the hint, before answering. "Of course not," she lied, smiling blithely. "I missed you during the party," she added. That much at least was both honest and harmless.