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*ੈ✩‧₊˚CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN the sixth year ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ
𝓣he four appeared in the treehouse, the wood dark and lifeless. "When the hell were you gonna tell us" Ariyah shouted, pushing away from Sirius' grip and standing infront of Elora and Regulus. The two said nothing, Sirius growing confused as he spoke up. "What do you mean?" He asked, looking between the two.
"They were working for him, Riddle" Ariyah almost laughed, looking away as she couldn't quite believe it. "You what" Sirius screamed, pointing his wand towards the two who just held hands tightly. "You don't understand-" Regulus spoke but the older brother cut him off immediately.
"Don't you dare speak to me, you are no brother of mine and you" He turned to Elora who looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I thought of you as my sister, my family, and now I am disgraced to have considered you as so"
Elora reached forward, tears beginning to fall as she tried to reason with the two. "We didn't know what he was capable of" She spoke up, Ariyah and Sirius laughing at the girls words. "So you didn't help him kill myrtle?" This send Elora to silence, the girl struggling to say anything as she realised everything she had helped Tom do.
"You both disgust me" Sirius spat, grabbing Ariyahs hand and taking her away from the tree house. "Ariyah wait" The blonde called out, running after them but Regulus held her arm back. "Elle, its no use" He whispered, pulling her close as the girl cried into his shoulder. "I never meant for any of this to happen, you told me it would be okay, you told me nothing bad would happen" She sobbed, the boy rubbing her back and holding her close as he felt the most guilty, he knew all the pain the girl was now feeling was on his hands, he had dragged her into this despite her wanting no part of it.
"Come on" He whispered, leading her into the treehouse and down on the mattress covered in pillows and blankets. "She's never going to forgive me" Elora cried even more, her heart breaking with her best friends absence. "She will, you just need to give her time" Regulus whispered, holding her close than ever before and eventually helping her drift off to sleep.
..⃗.🕊•̩̩͙⁺゜
Elora had lived at Regulus' for about a week now, his mother and father saying nothing as the girl walked round the house, ate at their table and slept in the same room as the boy. They were reluctant at first but eventually gave in to his demand. "Have you two got your things ready for your first day back?" Walburga asked the two, in which they nodded their heads, their two different uniforms and ties standing out clear in the household. "Just like Sirius" His mother whispered, shaking her head and walking away from the couple.
A dull ache hit both Elora and Regulus' chest, neither Sirius or Ariyah had spoken to the two, despite the numerous letters they sent but nothing, a whole week it had been but they knew better than expect them to be forgiven that quickly.
"Its going to be okay" Regulus whispered, holding the girls hand tightly as the two walked through the train station, their luggage in their hands and their heads up high. "I don't know if I can do this" She whispered but the boy held onto her hand tighter. "I am going to be there with you, its me and you against the world Elora and its always going to be that way, I promise"
..⃗.🕊•̩̩͙⁺゜
The two climbed onto the train, finding an empty carriage and placing their trunks inside. They took their seat next to one another, a group of friends walking by and automatically opening the carriage door. The marauders shared a laughter which was instantly silenced by the two presence. "It appears we have to find somewhere else to sit, seen as the smell of traitor is gassing up the air" Sirius snapped towards the two, a disappointed frown on his face and a miserable one on the rest of the groups.
"wait" Elora called out, walking towards the door and facing the others, "Please, just let me talk to Ariyah" She asked, Remus speaking up towards the blonde. "She has nothing to say to you, traitor" He spat, the brunette looking away and not liking the harsh words used towards Elora but she equally hadn't nothing else to say.
The marauders disappeared down the train, leaving Elora to stare into an empty corridor. "Elora" Regulus whispered, pulling the girl down to sit against him. Tears fell from her eyes but her expression remained weak, her head on his shoulder and her heart in his hands. "You know I love you so" He whispered in her ear, shushing her when she needed it and reminding her when she was broken.
Just as the train was taking off the door opened, each one of the death eaters walking in, Tom took a seat infront of Elora, Bellatrix next to him and Lucius next to Regulus. Behind them followed Severus Snape, Narcissa Black and Rudolphus Lestrange. "I see you are both well" Tom smirked, pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth as he glared over at Elora.
"We will find another carriage" Regulus spoke but Tom was quick to cut him off. "oh there will be no need for that now Black, seen as you are one of us, you both are, and so you will act like it" The dark haired boy smirked, lying his head back against the wall.
"What happened to trying to kill me?" Regulus spat towards the boy who only laughed, "I have changed my mind, it seems you will be use to me after all" He replied, everyone falling silent as the train began to move towards Hogwarts.
Elora and Regulus remained silent the whole way down, despite Bellatrix's rude remarks towards the girl, the blonde didn't even have the energy to reply. The week before returning the two had mostly stayed in his bedroom, only eating when necessary and sleeping for most of the day. Regulus tried to convince her to get up and go out, into the garden but she refused, she stayed in the same spot of the bed for days, reminiscing the moment Ariyah told her she despised her. Truth be told she had never expected the pain of that moment to be so significant, but it was, even with Regulus around. She knew the boy had been using every night, when he would disappear to the bathroom and return barely able to walk, climbing into bed with her an kissing her more than usual. Or when he would grow angry at her for not saying anything, he would get out of bed and demand for her to talk to him, and when she wouldn't he would sleep on the floor.
Once the boy had fallen asleep she would place a blanket over his body and a pillow under his head, kissing him once on the forehead, once on each cheek and chin, along with his nose and lips. She really loved him, more than she had ever loved anyone, her life wouldn't be liveable without him in it, but she equally ached for Ariyah, missing her mother like ways and her kind touch. She wanted the girl to tell her she loved her, to hug her when she most needed it and make her laugh when she was sad, but now she only had Regulus.
The train finally pulled to a stop, the girl and boy walking out of the compartment with their hands still linked, their heads hung low and their frowns falling. "It will be okay" Regulus whispered but the girl knew better, nothing from now was going to be okay, and they both knew it.
