Ink in Paper - Regulus Black

Chapter Twenty-One -

This is the longest chapter I wrote in a while. More than 6000 words. I thought about dividing it in two chapters, but it didn't feel right, so you have this real big one. I hope you all like it. I deserve a lot of comments for this one lmao.

Anyways, I started my mandatory intership in Uni. It was shit. A kid threw up on me. I want to die. Help.

Morgan's Marvelous Munch was a beautiful restaurant in the richest part of Diagon Alley that made Luna hesitate walking in, thinking about how much water would be in there.

The hall was filled with round tables of several sizes, covered in white tablecloths and overly large number of silverware and three different plates piled in each place of the table. The male maître was dressed in expensive black robes and tight white gloves, waiting at the front door, but the female serves were moving around the restaurant in white, long dresses with long sleeves and high necks, no gloves.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" the man asked.

"Under Black," Regulus answered.

Straight away, the man's back straightened and he stepped away from the podium he stood, quickly showing the way, mumbling something that Luna didn't understand. He led them further into the hall, taking them to a distant table near the windows and away from the kitchen and bathrooms.

McGonagall walked with them just a few steps behind them and watched in silence, but with her frown lessening significantly, as Regulus pulled a chair for Luna, waited for her to sit down and fixed it before walking around the table to sit right across from her, so he would be able to see her throughout the dinner – ever the romantic boy that people expected him to be while in a courtship.

As the maître stepped away, McGonagall cleared her throat.

"I'll take my leave now. Behave and do not leave the restaurant until your parents come. I'll be here in the previously agreed upon time, and I do not want any tardiness," McGonagall warned them.

"Aye, professor," Luna said, casually.

"Yes, ma'am," Regulus answered, cooly.

Once the professor walked away and out of the restaurant, Luna turned to Regulus straight away.

"I do not know how to use these plates and silverware," she warned.

That got a laugh out of him.

"You don't need to understand the plates, the serves will lead you instinctively, but the biggest plate is just the service plate, so don't worry. Now, the silverware is simple enough; it's English manners, work inwards – from the outside in," he said, pointing discreetly and touching the outer spoon in the right. "Soup spoon for the first course. These at the top are dessert cutlery. This plate and this knife are for bread."

"Bread?"

Regulus ignored her.

"This is supposed to be somewhat informal, so it's four courses, not five," he warned her.

"Four?!"

"I thought you knew, that's why I didn't explain anything beforehand," he said, rather annoyed, but swallowing down any anger he had towards her to continue explaining. "Appetizers, then soup, the main course and finally the dessert."

It sounded like something out of a romantic-comedy film from Hollywood. She felt exposed and informal, too far deep into somewhere that she did not belong in, but too late to back down before embarrassing herself.