Stars and Mist | Regulus Black

c h a p t e r. t w e n t y - s e v e n

"Promise me you won't go."
"I promise, Gabiel."

***

Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies...

Gabiel Ollivander sat on a ledge in the courtyard, kicking the gravel that had gathered over time to surround the paths. It made a satisfying sound and the dust that kicked up was almost enough for him to forget.

Almost.

Yesterday, he'd asked Mirabel for a bit of alone time that day. The funeral, the pillars of cream clashing against the black attire of the people then. Sometimes, Gabiel could even remember glimpses of her, of her blue eyes so much like his father's, of her blond hair like his own, and even her laugh. But memories weren't enough for them to completely forget the loss of Varissa Ollivander.

Why was the female line of the Ollivander family extinct?

It was something Gabiel thought about a lot. His mother had died not too many years ago in a tragic accident; a trembling of hands when she was brewing a potion with toxic poisons. A trembling of hands had killed a witch because she married the firstborn of the Ollivander line.

The Ollivander Family's female line had a maledictus curse.

Sometimes, Gabiel wondered if this was some kind of large trick, something to spite him. His sister, Varissa Ollivander II, had already accepted her fate, but Gabiel was still worried. What if the curse applied to everyone under the family?

Did that mean that he'd be involuntarily hurting someone he loved?

Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies lies lies lies lies...

***

Blood dripped from the crevices of Anabel's hand, the warm liquid landing deftly on her robes as she continued. Smearing the cut palm onto the wall, she watched as the stone took it in, the crimson disappearing into the grey. She glanced down at the letter in her hand, clenching the bleeding hand into a shaky fist.

Sitting down, she zipped open her bag with her unharmed hand and popped the cork in the vial in the bag, drinking the contents in one gulp. Holding the glass under her bleeding hand, the thick liquid dripped in.

"You're crazy, do you know that?"

Anabel whipped around and instantly regretted it; the bleeding hand stung. Behind her, the ghost Myrtle flew in and sat opposite her. The ghost wrinkled her nose at the mess Anabel had made, but she couldn't do anything about it.

"Sure," Anabel replied. "I'm crazy."

Myrtle huffed and swooped around the bathroom. "You're so different from your sister."

Anabel's fists shook once she heard that, carefully closing and placing the vial on the floor.
"You don't get to say that," She said as her voice trembled. "You're just a dead ghost that no one cares about."
The glass vial filled with blood was flung across the room.

***

"Slytherins are so preoccupied with the Dark Lord and Voldemort. Don't you ever wonder what would happen if we weren't Slytherins?"

Regulus looked up in shock from the book he'd been reading- what kind of pureblood would ask that question? Ever since he'd been born, the fact that Slytherin was the superior house was drilled into his head. Noticing his puzzled expression, Liora shook her head.
"Never mind," she said. "I was..."

Thankfully, Regulus left it at that- those thoughts were dangerous, dangerous enough to warrant death or disownation in any house. But still, his mind sifted through the sentence, trying to find the right word to complete it. Speculating? Wishing? Joking? Sympathizing? Crazy?
"Uh, Regulus?" Libra waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Hello?"
"I'm here," He replied, scowling a bit. "Just... thinking."
"O-oh."

 
The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, staring into blank space as they thought; Regulus, about the choices he'd made, and Liora, about whether this was a good idea.

 
"...she's lying, isn't she?" A loud voice boomed. "She's telling fables. And you're falling for it. I can't believe-" Regulus's and Liora's heads whipped towards the sound, the two glancing at each other before opening their mouths.
"Maybe I should... go," Liora said carefully. "Uh, I have some things to do."
Regulus nodded his head aimlessly. "Yeah, cool with me. I'll see you tomorrow?"
She nodded before gathering her things and rushing back to the castle as a gentle breeze swept through the alcove they'd been sitting in. Regulus watched in shock as the breeze grew stronger and stronger and stronger.
"Regulus Black. I've wanted to speak to you for a while."