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chapter one,
a ticket to ride
As they lay under the stars, Beatrice felt her heart begin to race (a feeling that was becoming a regular part of their night-time conversations at the top of the astronomy tower).
Regulus took Beatrice's hand and guided her pointer finger towards a shining blue star. "That one there is Uranus," he said, before moving her hand down slightly, "and that's its moon, Ophelia."
"Ophelia," she murmured, the words falling softly from her lips.
"Isn't it strange," Regulus began, "that there are so many other planets, with moons just like ours? When I was younger I wanted to escape to one of them, live up in the stars. The muggles say it isn't possible, but surely with magic..." he trailed off longingly.
Beatrice let her hand drop, and rolled over so that she was facing him. She found herself searching Regulus's face intently - for what, she was not sure. His hair had grown a lot from the short cut Walburga had given him over the summer, and now dark curls fell loosely around his face, in a way reminiscent of how Beatrice used to wear her hair back in first year when she was trying to make some sort of political statement. Regulus's pale skin gleamed brightly in the cool moonlight, which was reflected also in his blue eyes, so different from his brother's.
He looked beautiful, and it suddenly seemed very important that Beatrice told him this, but she simply couldn't find the right words.
"Regulus, I—"
And then his mouth was on hers.
☾
Five years earlier...
Beatrice Theodora Salvatore clutched the handle of her trunk very tightly, dismissive of how it was making her knuckles turn a strained yellow. As she looked around Platform Nine and Three Quarters she did not feel any of the magic and excitement promised by her older cousin Lucius - she just felt scared. Her mother Theodora, seeming to sense her unease, lent down and swooped the young girl up into a large hug in her willowy arms.
"Hey now, there is no need to be so worried. You know Lucius will look out for you," she said in a soothing voice.
"I know, Mummy," Beatrice managed to choke out, withdrawing from her mother's arms and facing her father.
