The Story of Regulus Black - Years 1-4

XV. Valentine's Day

Orion Black sat in the library of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. It was Tuesday, 13 February, and he had a plan.

The following day would be Valentine's Day, and Orion Black knew that Milo Bell absolutely could not resist chocolate. He had a small box of chocolate before him - which he had laced with very minuscule amounts of baneberry juice, which, even in small doses such as the ones contained in the chocolate, could kill within seconds - and a smirk was playing on his lips.

He just needed to pretend to be the right person... it hit him. Orion grabbed a small square of parchment from beside himself and began to scribble a carefully crafted note; he was careful to keep his handwriting as loopy and 'girl-like' as he could. When he was done, he blew on the parchment lightly to dry the ink and smiled to himself, reading over the note:

Dearest Milo,
I hope you enjoy the chocolate that I have sent you, I know how much you love it. I miss you. We should see each other when you come back from Hogwarts.

Love, Penelope Burke

He tied the note to the top of the box and carried it to the window, tying it to the leg of an owl that he had borrowed for the occasion. Orion watched the owl disappear out the window and into the sky, congratulating himself for his brilliant plan.

Milo Bell received the owl the following morning.

He was sitting in his classroom, waiting for the last of his second year Gryffindors and Slytherins to arrive, when he heard the tapping. He glanced over and cocked his head; swiftly, he walked over to the window and slid it open, allowing the strange owl access into the classroom. He untied the odd parcel from the owl's leg and dropped a knut into its pouch, which it hooted gratefully for before sweeping from the room.

He furrowed his brow at the box and opened the lid, revealing an assortment of chocolates. Bell was about to read the note with which the box had been sent when the four Gryffindor boys entered the room, all shouting at one another and laughing uproariously.

Milo Bell smiled and shook his head; the note on the box of chocolates was forgotten.

"Alright, class, today we will be learning - yes, Mr. Black?" Milo Bell began speaking, but Sirius Black's hand had shot up into the air within seconds.

"Professor, can I switch seats today? Sniv - er - Severus, here, keeps distracting me with his... smell." Sirius pointed to the boy sitting next to himself, and Severus Snape's face lost all of its color.

"Stop being a bully, Black!" Lily snarled from behind him, standing up in her seat to defend her best mate.

Sirius turned 'round to face Lily and feigned innocence. "Oh, come on, Evans, I wasn't being mean! You can't tell me that you can't smell him from where you're sitting!"

"Mr. Black, Miss Evans is right, stop being rude to Mr. Snape here," he paused and his eyes darted towards Remus Lupin, who was shaking his head and staring at Sirius. "You may move to sit next to Mr. Lupin if Mr. Rookwood doesn't mind sitting beside Mr. Snape today," and he turned to face the board with a smile on his face.

He heard shuffling behind him, and when he turned 'round, Augustus Rookwood was sneering down at the desk from beside Severus Snape, and Sirius Black was beaming at Remus Lupin.

"Alright, as I was saying," he shot Sirius Black a pointed look, but he couldn't seem to keep the small smirk from his face, "today, we'll be learning absolutely nothing," and he turned around, walked 'round his desk, and plopped down in his seat with a sigh.

The class was silent - everyone was glancing around at each other. "Yes, Miss Evans?" Milo Bell asked, noticing the red-headed girl's hand - which had shot up into the air.