Friday came, and as always, Severus and I were on our way to meet Regulus in the library for another of our now-regular study sessions. It had become something of a quiet ritual over the past few weeks no matter how grueling Quidditch practice had been or how many essays he still had to finish, Severus never once let me go alone. Severus had just finished changing out of his Quidditch robes. His hair was damp at the edges, He smelled faintly of broom polish and the lavender soap.
"What's in the box?" he asked, tilting his head as he caught up with me in the corridor. His eyes flicked to the neatly tied ribbon around the little package in my hands, suspicious as always.
I grinned and held it closer to my chest. "It's a congratulations gift—for Regulus," I said, beaming.
He arched a dark eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my attempt at mystery. "What's in it?" he asked again, this time slower, as if he were questioning whether I'd snuck something illegal out of the Potions storeroom.
"A cake," I said proudly. "A celebratory one."
"Where did you get a cake?" he asked, mouth twitching in that way it always did when he suspected I'd done something mildly rebellious.
"I asked the house-elves in the kitchen," I said defensively, "but I decorated it myself and wrote the greeting, so it's technically mine."
He barked a laugh at that, then stepped closer and ruffled my hair. "I wasn't accusing you of stealing."
I swatted his hand away with a soft squeak. "It took me twenty minutes to brush my hair, Severus!"
He gave me that smile of his "Come here," he murmured, gentling his touch as he smoothed the frizzed strands and tucked them neatly behind my ear. His fingers lingered for a beat longer than necessary, warm against my skin. "There. Now it's fixed. Can we go now, princess?"
I let out a snort. "Yes, let's go, my loyal servant," I replied, drawing myself up regally and pretending to sweep down the corridor like a queen.
He rolled his eyes, but I caught the flicker of a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
We made our way through the quieter parts of the castle, our steps in sync as we crossed under torchlight and through tall archways.
The library loomed ahead, its tall doors half-open as usual. Warm golden candlelight spilled out into the hallway, along with the faint scent of parchment, old ink, and the occasional dusty leather binding.
Regulus was already at our usual table near the tall window, sitting perfectly straight with his textbook open and his inkwell lined up with geometric precision. His uniform was immaculate as always, his green-and-silver tie knotted perfectly beneath the collar of his robes. He looked up as we approached, his expression cool and composed at first but then his gaze dropped to the box in my hands.
"What's that?" he asked, his voice calm, yet touched with unmistakable curiosity.
I grinned. "A gift," I said brightly. "For, you know... winning the Quidditch match."
His eyes lingered on the box as I set it gently in front of him. He blinked once, then slowly untied the ribbon. The lid lifted to reveal a small, frosted cake charmed to stay warm from the kitchens with silver and green icing swirled across the surface. The words spelled out neatly in delicate script Congratulations, Regulus. We are proud of you.
For a moment, I expected a scoff. Some wry remark about how of course he'd win. But Regulus didn't speak. He stared at the cake, and then looked up at me again. His usual reserve softened just slightly, and in a voice more subdued than usual, he said—
"Thank you."
I smiled. "You're welcome."
Severus pulled out his chair beside me and sat down with a huff, brushing a lock of hair from his eyes. "Congratulations on the win," he said, his tone drier than parchment. "I always knew you were better than Amos Diggory."
Regulus's brows rose faintly. "Amos played well," he said with quiet fairness. "He's a great Seeker. I just—had luck on my side."
"No, you didn't," Severus replied at once. "You had skill. Amos isn't half as clever as you on a broom."
I turned to Severus with a raised brow. "Did... did Amos do something to you?"
Severus met my eyes, deadpan. "No. I'm just telling Regulus the truth."
I shook my head, amused, and opened my notes as we began to review the day's lesson advanced Transfiguration theory, specifically temporary-to-permanent object shifts. It was dense but Regulus absorbed it all like parchment to ink. He took notes in sharp, slanted cursive, occasionally asking thoughtful questions. Severus made a few sarcastic comments about the textbook's phrasing, and I tried my best to keep us all focused... mostly.
But I was distracted. My eyes kept drifting toward the cake.
I was hungry.
I hadn't eaten since lunch, and the cake's vanilla and cinnamon scent kept wafting toward me, tempting and sweet. But it wasn't mine anymore. I'd made it for Regulus. It was his celebration.
Still, I must have been staring too long, because both boys noticed.
Regulus looked up from his notes. "Do you want some?" he asked gently, already reaching for the cake.
Severus smirked. "I thought it was a gift?"
I shot him an annoyed look. "It is."
Regulus chuckled softly. "It's fine. Let's eat it together."
My eyes lit up. "Really?"
He nodded. "You made it, didn't you? Wouldn't be fair if you didn't get any."
Without waiting, I flicked my wand and transfigured three spare quills into spoons with a neat wave of my hand.
Severus blinked. "Merlin, you already have a spoon?"
I rolled my eyes and handed one to him. "Stop talking and eat."
He laughed and Regulus chuckled too as he sliced the cake into three tidy portions.
The first bite melted on my tongue fluffy vanilla sponge with just the right amount of cinnamon and a soft honey glaze beneath the icing.
"This is good," Regulus said simply after swallowing a bite.
I beamed. "You like it?"
He nodded once. "I do."
We ate a little more in comfortable silence, the soft sounds of spoons tapping against porcelain mingling with the distant rustle of pages and footsteps in the library. The little cake was almost half gone by the time I leaned forward, brushing crumbs off my robes.
"So," I said casually, "Hogsmeade tomorrow. Do you want anything? We can buy you something if you like."
Regulus glanced up from his slice, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth. "No need," he said coolly.
"Okay," I said, drawing out the word in a teasing tone. "But I'm buying you sweets from Honeydukes anyway. So you can either pretend to be surprised later, or thank me now."
Regulus gave a half-laugh under his breath and shook his head. "Fine. If you insist."
"I do," I said proudly.
Then I turned to Severus. "Where are we going tomorrow, by the way?"
Severus looked up from his last bite of cake, licking a bit of frosting off his spoon. "Anywhere you want," he said simply.
I tilted my head, pretending to think hard. "Let's go to Madam Puddifoot's."
He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
I bit back a grin. "Yes."
There was a beat. Then, to my surprise, Severus shrugged. "Okay. Anywhere you want."
"You're going to willingly walk into a place covered in pink bows and floating cherubs?" I asked, laughing.
Severus gave me a long-suffering look, but his lips twitched slightly. "If it's with you, yes."
I smiled, cheeks warming a little, and looked back at Regulus. "Let's all go together next year yeah?"
Regulus blinked, clearly not expecting the invitation.
Regulus hesitated just a moment, then nodded once. "Sure. Sounds... decent."
"Just decent?" I teased.
He smirked faintly. "Don't push it."
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