The Story of Regulus Black - Years 1-4

LV. Watch Your Back

When the Daily Prophet was released the next day, it sent a panic through the school. Every house table was buzzing with activity - whether that activity be fear, adrenaline, or sorrow.

The names of the bodies on which the letters had been carved were released with the paper. There were people all across the hall reading those names and praying that they wouldn't find the name of one of their loved ones.

The Slytherins, however, had had a very different reaction. Many of them had started a contest of sorts - first person to figure out what the letters spell out wins. Regulus did not participate.

On Saturday, 2 November, Regulus awoke at three o'clock in the morning. He had been having a nightmare - well, more like reliving a terrible memory - and woke up with a start. His heart was beating double its normal rate, his breathing was heavy, and he was drenched in sweat. He felt as though the muscles beneath his skin were twitching in reaction to the Cruciatus that he had just endured in the dream, and he was just waiting for the blinding pain to start. When it didn't come, Regulus let out a sigh of relief. Though, it didn't help the shaking of his hands.

He tried to lay back down and go to sleep, but the adrenaline from the match that would be played later that very day and the dampness of his pyjamas made that quite impossible. So, he gave up, got up from his bed, and grabbed his clothes for the day.

Regulus had been planning on taking a shower after the match, but he was convinced that he would feel rather grimy throughout the day if he didn't take one now, too. So, he left the dorm and headed into the bathroom which was connected to the landing just one below his own. When he walked in, it was to find that it was completely empty.

He walked to one of the shower rooms, locked the door behind himself, and placed his clean clothes onto the shelf that hung on the wall. On the shelf just below that one, there was a stack of towels.

Regulus placed his wand - which he had grabbed just in case - onto the shelf beside his clothes. He turned 'round and gripped the knobs of the shower, turning it on and adjusting the water to his desired temperature. After getting undressed and tossing his clothes into the small laundry bin in the corner (Regulus wasn't exactly sure how it worked; they would toss the clothes in, they would disappear, and they would reappear folded on their beds within the hour), he hopped into the shower.

The water was hot - almost scolding - which was exactly how Regulus liked it. He felt the hot water cascading down his back and running through his curly black hair, and he let out a sigh of contentment. He washed his hair, which had grown out by almost an inch since his return to Hogwarts.

When he was finished in the shower, he used the towel to dry himself off and soak out most of the moisture from his hair. He got dressed, tossed the towel into the laundry, and left the bathroom with his wand in hand.

His hair wasn't completely dry, but he hadn't learned the Hot Air Charm yet, so it hung in damp clumps around his head. He stopped on the landing just outside of the bathroom, trying to decide where to go. Should he return to the dorm room, or go down to the common room until one of his friends awoke?

He decided to go down to the common room, but not without grabbing his homework. Regulus walked into his dorm room, completely silent, and grabbed his book bag.

Regulus spent the next few hours in the common room, pouring over his homework. He finished his Ancient Runes translation after nearly an hour, and moved onto Care of Magical Creatures. This was the homework that he actually liked, for it was the most interesting subject to him.

His homework that was due on Monday was fairly easy, as well, so it didn't take much time at all. He had to finish and neaten his bowtruckle sketch and write a paper on the traits of the creature, as well as a detailed description of what they ate. It took him less than an hour, and he read it over proudly when he was finished.