✷ Chapter Six, Ditch
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WINTER HOLIDAYS WERE APPROACHING.

The vast expanse of the Hogwarts campus lay beneath a pristine layer of white, each tree, bench, and statue adorned in the ethereal beauty of snow. Yet, this winter charm held different sentiments for Regulus Black and Capella Lestrange.

Regulus, usually averse to the snowy landscape, found himself sitting at his desk in the Head Boy dorm. His focus should have been on a Defence Against The Dark Arts essay, but his thoughts were entangled in the icy tendrils of his past. The snow stirred memories of a time when family bonds were strong, when Astra, their mother, led them to the frozen lake on their estate. Back then, Callum was more than a dark figure, and Pandora was still Capella's sister, not a distant fragment.

On the opposite side of the castle, Capella savored the tranquility of the Ravenclaw Tower. In Maisie Peter's dorm, a refuge adjacent to the Head Boy and Girl tower, the chaos of the Slytherin Common Room felt like a distant storm. Capella, usually drawn to the snow, found solace in Maisie's sanctuary.

As Regulus gazed out of the window, he questioned the narrative of his own life. The silent snowfall mirrored the stillness settling within him. The unfinished essay in front of him became a metaphor for the unresolved chapters of his existence.

Simultaneously, Capella revisited moments of laughter and warmth, carried away by the flakes of reminiscence. The silence of the Ravenclaw Tower whispered echoes of a time when family ties were stronger. Maisie, sensing Capella's reflective mood, entered the room, breaking the quietude with a gentle inquiry: "Capella, you've been quiet. What's on your mind?" The warmth of her concern contrasted with the frosty emotions stirring within Capella's heart.

In this wintry tableau, both Regulus and Capella faced the unyielding weight of their pasts, the snow outside mirroring the delicate frost forming within their souls.
"I'm fine, Maisie. The real question is how's the relationship with Amos Diggory? He is really as good as everyone says? What is it like dating a slightly older man?" Capella asked. Maisie giggled and stood up. She opened the closet and took a lockbox out. She opened it and held a magical photo. Amos and Maisie were dancing, and he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Besides, he's two years older than me. We just want to start a family as soon as I'm done school." Maisie said, blushing at the thought.

Capella leaned in to get a closer look at the magical photo, a playful smirk on her face. "Starting a family right after school, aren't we ambitious? But I guess if Amos Diggory is as remarkable as they say, why not dive into the domestic bliss early?" Capella teased, her eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and mischief.

Maisie blushed even more, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, Amos is wonderful. He's patient, caring, and has this way of making everything feel calm. Besides, our families have known each other for ages. It just felt right, you know?"

Capella, though often distant and guarded, couldn't help but feel a twinge of warmth seeing the genuine happiness in her friend's eyes. "Guess love can bloom in the most unexpected places. Maybe there's hope for the rest of us, too."

As Maisie carefully placed the photo back into the lockbox, Capella couldn't shake the lingering thought of her own tumultuous family and the fractures that time had etched into their bonds. The snowy backdrop outside seemed to echo the complexities of their lives, a silent witness to the quiet conversations that unfolded within the walls of Hogwarts.

Regulus's eyes traced the patterns of snowflakes outside his window, each one unique, just like the intricate tapestry of his thoughts. The essay on his desk lay forgotten, the ink fading into insignificance against the blank parchment. He couldn't escape the haunting memories that the snowfall conjured, memories that were a mixture of longing and regret. The words he had written were a feeble attempt to capture the darkness that lingered within him, a darkness that seemed to mirror the ever-encroaching night outside.

His gaze shifted from the window to the fireplace, its flickering flames casting dancing shadows across the room. The Ravenclaw Tower, visible across the snowy expanse, held a quiet allure. Capella's presence there, hidden within its serenity, created a magnetic pull that he couldn't quite understand. There was an unspoken connection, a thread woven through their shared past, that made him question the solitude he had chosen.

Regulus sighed, the weight of his responsibilities pressing down on him like the heavy snow accumulating on the grounds below. He knew he couldn't escape the duty that awaited him as the heir of the Black family, but the allure of a different world, a world painted in Slytherin Green, tugged at the edges of his consciousness. In that moment, the Head Boy questioned whether he was truly living or merely existing in the shadows of expectations.

Capella, wrapped in her Slytherin scarf and cloak, stepped out into the crisp winter air, eager to embrace the familiar crunch of snow beneath her boots. The Slytherin common room, nestled in the dungeons, seemed to echo with the whisper of winter. She began her trek, the snowflakes falling gently around her, each one catching the glimmer of the castle's lights.

As she navigated the snow-covered grounds, her thoughts swirled like the whirling snowflakes. Memories of her childhood, shared with her sister Pandora and brother Callum, warmed her heart in the cold embrace of winter. She had always found solace in the beauty of the season, a fleeting escape from the complexities of her family's legacy.

In the distance, she spotted the imposing silhouette of the Head Boy, Regulus Black. His dark figure stood out against the white canvas of snow, like a figure in a moving painting. Intrigued by the unspoken connection that lingered between them, Capella altered her course to cross paths with him. The night held a quiet promise, a chance for two souls entwined in the enigmatic dance of fate to collide amidst the silent beauty of a winter's night.

Capella, her cloak wrapped tightly around her, approached Regulus with a soft crunch of snow beneath her boots. The cold air hung with anticipation as she stopped a few steps away from him. She spoke, her words carrying a hint of the warmth she usually kept guarded.

"Regulus, isn't it a beautiful night?" Capella's voice, usually laced with defiance, softened in the winter's hush.

Regulus looked up from his essay, meeting her gaze. "Indeed, Capella. The snow has a way of turning everything into a serene wonderland."

She chuckled, "Wonderland, in the middle of the wizarding world. Quite the contrast, isn't it?"

Regulus smiled, a rare sight. "Sometimes, the most unexpected places offer solace. What brings you out here?"

Capella hesitated for a moment, her eyes locked onto his. "The memories. Winter has a way of conjuring nostalgia, even in the most unexpected hearts."

The professors observed the scene with concern etched across McGonagall's stern features. "Albus, they are only children."

Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling with both wisdom and a hint of sadness, regarded the snowy tableau below. "Minerva, two lives over a thousand."

As the conversation unfolded, the professors couldn't help but wonder about the intricacies of the connection between Capella and Regulus, and how their paths, like threads in the vast tapestry of Hogwarts, were destined to weave together in unexpected ways.

Capella and Regulus walked side by side through the enchanted snow-covered grounds of Hogwarts, the crunch of fresh snow beneath their boots providing a rhythmic accompaniment to their conversation. The air was crisp, and the world seemed to quiet down around them as they strolled towards the castle.

Capella glanced sideways at Regulus, her eyes catching the glint of silver in his hair as snowflakes nestled in it. "Do you ever miss the simplicity of childhood? The times when everything felt like magic, and family was more than just a complicated web of alliances?"

Regulus considered her question, the weight of nostalgia and the echo of a more innocent time settling in his gaze. "Sometimes, especially in moments like these. The world felt different back then, and we were different in it."

As they approached the towering castle, the conversation shifted to lighter topics, laughter occasionally dancing in the air like the snowflakes around them. A snowflake landed on Capella's blushed red cheeks, and Regulus moved to wipe it away. They were practically touching each other bodies.

"Your eyes are really pretty close up," Capella said. Regulus smiled, and reached for a piece of her hair that had fallen out of her extremely complicated hair style. Their eyes met, as Regulus lowered her face down and stared into Capella's eyes.

Slowly, almost like they were stuck in a slow motion world. Regulus's lips met Capella's. She widened her eyes before kissing back. Her arms reached around his neck and into his tousled, unkept hair and his long man hands reached into her jacket and around her waist.

Their lips lingered in the sweet aftermath of that unexpected kiss, the enchanting snowflakes framing their moment like delicate witnesses to a budding connection. Regulus held Capella closer, the chill in the air softened by the warmth of shared emotions.

"Regulus, how did you know that I always wanted this? How?" Capella's question hung in the crisp air, curiosity laced with a hint of vulnerability.

"Oh, my angel, my winter solitude, it's always been you," Regulus whispered.

✷

AUTHOR'S NOTE━━━━━━━
i twist , you turn , who's the first to burn?

hiiiiii hru !
first kiss !!
i know kristen is shaking in her boots rn.