Chapter Text
It was his first weekend back at Hogwarts since before the summer holidays and Regulus was in the library, choosing to spend his free time alone with a good book.
That was when he heard it for the first time.
"Oh, come on ," a voice from the other side of a bookshelf whispered excitedly. "Have you not seen the way James has been looking at him?"
James?
The stranger suddenly had Regulus' full attention.
"I mean, to me, he looks at him the same way he always has," a second voice joined. It sounded like Marlene McKinnon, whose voice was only familiar to Regulus because she was Dorcas' girlfriend and therefore hung around the Slytherin's often.
Regulus couldn't identify the person the first voice belonged to.
"And how has he always looked at him, then?" they questioned.
Who are they talking about? Regulus wondered, far too nosy for his own good.
Marlene didn't speak for a moment, seeming to hesitate. "Uh, I don't know. I don't pay that much attention to the way James looks at people, Mary," she eventually responded.
Mary. Regulus tried to recall a face he could put to the name.
"Okay, but you must've noticed at some point that James obviously doesn't see him the same way he used to," Mary—Regulus assumed it was Mary MacDonald, fellow Gryffindor to Marlene—insisted.
"How did he used to see him?" Marlene asked.
Regulus shifted toward the shelf to hear better.
"I assume just as his best mate's little brother, and not much else."
What?
The gears in Regulus' brain turned, piecing the story together slowly but surely.
James. Best mate. That would be Sirius. Sirius' little brother…
Regulus stopped breathing for a moment.
No.
Marlene hummed thoughtfully. "I guess so," she said. "So you're saying he's recently been seeing Regulus in a… different way?"
Regulus. Me. They're talking about me.
"Yes," Mary confirmed. "I think James has finally noticed Regulus is attractive . He probably had some huge revelation the moment he stepped onto the train and spotted him."
Marlene snorted. "I can already imagine what Sirius' reaction will be if you're right and his best mate really is drooling over his baby brother."
Mary cackled. "Oh, we absolutely cannot tell him. It'll be best to wait until James starts to act on his desires."
"Shouldn't be too long from now," Marlene pointed out. "James is quite determined when it comes to pursuing those he likes."
Those he likes.
Regulus abruptly stood up from the library chair he had been sitting in, no longer in the mood for reading or being alone. He had to tell someone about this or it would indubitably push him to the brink of insanity.
As he hurried out of the library, he caught a glimpse of Marlene McKinnon and Mary MacDonald sitting at a table together, pausing their gossip session to watch him flee.
☆
The first person Regulus wanted to talk to was Pandora, but she'd mentioned the day before she would be working on a transfiguration essay and he didn't want to interrupt her (but he was more so too lazy to walk all the way to the Ravenclaw tower).
His next options were Barty and Evan. The only issue with them was they were birds of a feather; a package deal, like a pair of shoes; if Regulus told Evan, he would have to tell Barty too, and that wasn't something he wanted to do because Barty was a massive blabbermouth.
If there was one thing Barty was more attached to than Evan, it was gossip.
So, those two were off the table and would only cause Regulus more problems if they found out. He didn't want the entire school to hear about and join in on Mary MacDonald's delusions.
He couldn't tell Dorcas, because she would tell Marlene and then Mary would find out from one or both of them. Then there would be a possibility of the two of them bothering him about it to his face.
He would rather drown than have to deal with that.
Without Dorcas, that meant the only people Regulus had left were… Well, no one. He didn't have anyone left to talk to about what he'd witnessed, unless he wanted to go to Sirius and be scolded for the rest of his life for provoking James , which he hadn't even done. At least not intentionally.
Regulus rounded the corner of a corridor, still walking at a brisk pace, and was so deep in thought that he ran into someone. Literally.
"Oh—" the other person made a surprised noise as their bodies collided.
Regulus was more startled than in pain, although his foot had been stepped on. He looked up, expecting the worst; an angry professor perhaps, and was taken aback by the sight of none other than James Potter standing right in front of him.
Oh no.
Regulus tensed and his face grew warm out of embarrassment. He hoped it wasn't obvious that he was well aware of James' newfound… feelings toward him. If Mary was correct, that was.
She's not, he sternly reminded himself.
"Watch where you're going, Potter," he snapped.
"Oh, hey, Reg," James said, once he overcame his surprise. "I mean—sorry, Reg. I wasn't paying attention."
Reg. What happened to him calling me Reggie?
Regulus blinked. "Me neither."
James coughed, a bit awkwardly. "Are you in a rush to get somewhere?" he asked.
He had been, but because all of his friends were either busy or addicted to gossip, he supposed he wasn't anymore.
"Not particularly," Regulus answered. "Why?"
James shrugged casually, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "Nothing, really. Just curious."
Regulus raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Okay…"
He began to walk around James to leave, when a hand clasped onto his wrist, dragging him back.
"Wait—" James blurted out. "Ah, sorry about that." He released Regulus' arm.
Regulus glared up at him, having nothing better to do. "What do you want?"
James shifted in the place where he stood. "I just wanted to say…"
From the way he trailed off, Regulus could tell he didn't have anything specific to say. Perhaps he just wanted to talk to Regulus.
You're an absolute idiot if you think that, Regulus told himself.
"Well, get on with it then," Regulus spoke. "I don't have all the time in the world."
James' eyes darted up to meet his. "Right, sorry. I just wanted to let you know you look… nice."
"I look nice?" Regulus repeated, somewhat startled by the words.
"That's a shit compliment, I know," James laughed a little. "But it's true."
Regulus felt as if he was frozen in place. "Thank you?" He hadn't intended for it to come out sounding like a question, but he was genuinely confused.
"Well, I've got to go now. See you around, Reg." James gave him a slight wave and a small smile, then rounded the corner and was gone.
Regulus was left standing there like an idiot, bursting with strange news to tell his friends. Except he couldn't.
Merlin, what happened to him?
The James whom Regulus was used to wouldn't have been that awkward. He would have flirted with him or teased him or done anything other than compliment him directly. He was supposed to be annoying. Infuriating, even.
Regulus wasn't sure if he liked this version of James or not.