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Chapter Five: The Wedding Present

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*~* A/N : Trigger Warning: violence/torture/death. *~*

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Romina found herself walking through the crowd towards the doorway. Her eyes flitted across each face as she went, ignoring the sound of Avery and Mulciber beckoning her over to join them.

"Reggie," Romina reached over and slipped her hand into her friends. By the look on his face, she could instantly sense that something was off with him. So, without thinking of the consequences, she pulled him with her so that they were in the hallway and out of the view of everyone in the ballroom. "What's wrong?"

"He left."

"What? Who?"

"Sirius."

Romina took in a deep breath and gave his hand a squeeze. No matter the animosity between the two brothers, she knew that they loved one another.

"Like, he went home?" Romina questioned, keeping herself close to Regulus' side as she noticed the tears filling his dark eyes.

"No. He left. For good. He just lost it with Mum and said that we'd never have to see him again." Regulus sniffled and wiped at his nose with his free hand before he looked down at the ground. He didn't want anyone else to see him becoming emotional – especially over his brother who was branded the filthy blood traitor.

"Oh... Reggie, I'm sorry." Romina whispered softly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held herself against his chest. A small smile appeared on her lips as she felt him wrap his arms around her shoulders, keeping her against him as he got a hold of himself.

"I know I shouldn't be crying over him but he's still my brother." Regulus found himself telling Romina, his lips brushing against her ear as he remained wrapped up in her warmth.

"It's ok. You don't have to explain to me." She whispered back, gently brushing her lips against his cheek before she reluctantly pulled away from him. "Come on, let's go sneak out to the gardens. It's snowing."

Regulus chuckled softly, finding himself feeling extremely grateful for having Romina in his life. He wasn't sure how he would survive without her. She was his saving grace. She helped balance him out. And he knew he would take as much of her as possible before he lost her to Avery.

"Sure." He wiped his face and ran his fingers through his hair to try to put himself back together.

They were just about to make it to the end of the hallway before she heard their names being called.

"Mina! Regulus! You're going to miss the show. Rodolphus has a special wedding present for Bellatrix and everyone is being requested to join the ballroom again."

Avery glanced at Romina first before letting his gaze fall on Regulus, his eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed the closeness between the two. He knew there was nothing romantic between Regulus and his future bride, but Avery was a very controlling, jealous boy and because Romina was promised to him, he absolutely refused to let her meander around with anyone else.

"A special gift?" Romina repeated, her head tilting to the side. She was curious, and quite surprised that this was the first time she had heard about it.

"Come on. The snow can wait." Regulus nodded, following Avery as his hand rested on the small of Romina's back. The closeness of her body brought him comfort, especially in this time of need.

Once they all entered the ballroom again, Romina noticed that most of the guests were forming a circle around an opening in the center of the room. She could see Bellatrix clapping her hands together with excitement. A sickening smile was spreading wide upon her lips and Romina suddenly felt a sense of dread wash over her.

"Romina. Come to the front." Avery reached down and grabbed onto her hand roughly. He dragged her through the crowd, her head turning back to face Regulus as she held her free hand out for him to take. Whatever this gift was that they all needed to bear witness to, she wanted him by her side.

Regulus grabbed on and followed through the crowd. Once they made it to the front, Romina was frozen in horror at what, or rather who, was kneeling down in the opening of the crowd.

Rodolphus had his wand pointed down at the older couple who were clutching onto one another on the floor. They were crying, begging for their lives, and all Romina could do was clutch onto both Avery and Regulus. She didn't even realize she was still holding Avery's hand, the shock of it all blocking her awareness.

"Disgusting mudbloods, they are." Avery whispered down to Romina, stepping behind her now as he pulled her hand from Regulus. "They're going to get what they deserve." He hissed in her ear, his hands running down her arms, squeezing as he went.

Romina instantly felt like she was going to get physically sick. She glanced over to Regulus quickly and she could see that he was much better at putting on a brave face than she was.

"Please. We didn't do anything wrong. Please let us go. We won't tell anyone!"

The pleading and hysterical crying from both the man and the woman sent Bellatrix into a cackling fit. She was excited and that made Romina's stomach turn. Avery had been so twisted up in what was happening that she was able to step to the side and grab back onto Regulus' hand, wrapping herself around his arm.

"Reggie, I don't want to be here." She whispered to him.

"I know, Mina. But you have to be here. Don't let them see you cry." Regulus whispered back, squeezing her hand tightly in his as he moved to lace their fingers together.

"You mudbloods are nothing but disgusting filth." Rodolphus began, his eyes were dark and blown out. His sleeves were now rolled up to his elbows and this placed his dark mark on full display. Romina stared and watched the snake that was inked into his pale skin, slither and shake with its dark magic.

"You don't deserve to breathe the same air as us. You are dirtying the same ground that the greatest dark wizard to have ever been born walks on." Bellatrix joined in, her wand now poised and at the ready.

In all honesty, Rodolphus and Bellatrix were made for one another. And this was just a testament to their madness. Together – they were quite terrifying. Romina made eye contact with both Rabastan and Rodolphus and took in a deep breath. She had a feeling that they could both sense her fear and that once the house was void of the party guests, she would have to face the consequences.

"Keep your eyes open." Regulus muttered out of the side of his mouth now. His hand stayed tight in Romina's, and he did not break eye contact with the scene unfolding before them.

"Crucio!"

Bellatrix and Rodolphus, at the same time, had their wands pointing to the couple as the unforgivable curse was bellowed proudly from their sinister lips.

Romina jumped at the sound coming out of the lips of the muggles writhing away on the floor before her. She began blinking away the tears and held tightly onto Regulus for support. She couldn't watch this. This was making her sick.

Growing up in the pureblood society this was what she was taught. The idea of muggles, mudbloods and half-bloods being inferior to her. So, this was what they deserved, right? Romina was feeling extremely confused. Unlike the rest of her family and friends, it seemed like she did not have the stomach for torture. And it was possible that her beliefs were not really what she had thought they were all along.

The couple would not stop screaming and Romina was almost sure that they had been screaming so loudly and for so long that their vocal cords were now going to be permanently damaged.

Though, once she realized what was really going to happen tonight, that did not matter. They wouldn't need their vocal cords. They wouldn't need anything because they weren't going to live past midnight.

Looking over at the majestic grandfather clock in the corner of the room, Romina realized that there was only ten minutes left of the night.

Her body was pressing close to Regulus as she turned to look up at him. She could see that he was also uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure if it was because he was still worried about his brother or with what they were being forced to watch.

She turned back and continued watching the unfortunate spectacle that was Rodolphus' wedding present to Bellatrix. She could feel the bile rising within her throat wanting to escape. She knew she would feel much better if she just looked away. But Regulus was right. She needed to watch. She needed to do what she could to not show any weakness. Although Rodolphus was her brother, that did not stop him from being abusive towards her if she so much as walked the wrong way.

Rabastan would atleast try to talk his brother down, and there had been a few times where he was successful – saving Romina from any kind of further emotional pain, as well as physical pain.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Romina let out an audible gasp as the green sparks shot from both wands, hitting the muggle couple square in their chests. Regulus tightened his grasp on her hand and glanced over at her amongst the chaos around them.

Everyone was cheering as though their favorite quidditch team just won the world cup. Romina stared down at the dead bodies, her stomach lurching at the scared expressions that would be forever etched onto their faces. She had never seen the killing curse used before. She had never watched the life leave someone's eyes – unless her pet rabbit when she was a little girl counted – but that was certainly very different than what she had just witnessed.

As soon as she noticed that both of her brothers, as well as Bellatrix, were distracted with the celebration of the murders they had just committed, Romina spun around and sprinted from the room. She was struggling to keep her composure. She could feel the cracks making leeway in her soul, her hands gripping tightly onto the skirt of her dress as she lifted it slightly so she could run.

After what felt like hours of running, Romina found herself back in the library. She was now trying to catch her breath, pressing her fingertips against the cold glass as she peered out the window at the snow. The falling snow had almost come to a complete stop at this point, and she found herself wondering if she would freeze to death if she walked to the gardens in nothing but her dress.

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J A N U A R Y 1976

The new year had passed in a blur. Romina found herself feeling more withdrawn than ever and the fact that the night of her brother's wedding replayed in her mind every time she closed her eyes did not help.

Romina situated herself in the hidden corner of the library, a large book resting open in her lap. Regulus sat across from her, twirling his wand between his fingers in silence.

Romina would be lying if she said she was studying. She used the library as a hiding place from Avery and Mulciber. Avery had become more obsessive with his attempts at intimacy with Romina, and that was just something she refused to sit back and let happen.

"You've been staring at the same page this entire time, Mina." Regulus finally spoke up to break the silence between them.

Looking up from the book, Romina sighed. Regulus was right. Merlin, she hated when he was right. She had been staring at the same page in this blasted herbology text for a little over an hour now. "Well, I'd rather be here than trapped in the common room with those two gits."

Regulus shook his head. "Mina, maybe you should give him a chance. He can't be all that terrible."

"What?" Romina gasped, slamming the book shut as she sat up in her chair. Her eyes, like daggers, narrowing in on Regulus as she watched him shift uncomfortably upon the realization that what he said was the wrong thing. "You're losing your mind if you think that, Reggie."

"I'm just saying... you shouldn't try to make things any harder than they already are." Regulus suggested with a shrug.

Yet again - Romina knew he was right. Well, maybe just a little bit. But she also knew that in the weeks after the wedding, and after Sirius ran away, Regulus was under constant scrutiny to be the best son he could be.

"Reg, where is this coming from?" Romina stood up and slipped around the table, so she was squeezing between the arm of Regulus' chair and his side.

With a grunt, the brunette shifted over a bit to give her more space. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again." He whispered, his arm wrapping around her shoulders to hug her against his side.

He was trying to change the subject, of course, because he hated seeing his best friend get hurt. It pained him almost as much as it did whenever Sirius would get into it with his parents.

Romina cuddled into Regulus' side and let her head fall against his shoulder. "I don't know how I'm going to survive this summer with Bellatrix taking over the house. I may come stay with you if that's alright." She kept her voice low, her eyes fluttering shut as she listened to the sound of his breathing.

"Yes, you know that's alright with me. You know you are more than welcome to stay the whole summer. The real question is will Rabastan and Rodolphus allow it?" Regulus began running his fingertips along her arm, brushing against her in a soothing manner.

"I don't know. But I can try to spend atleast as much time as I can with you at Grimmauld Place." Romina smiled at the feeling of Regulus holding her close. When they were together, she felt free. She could close her eyes and not have those visions of the dying muggle couple on her ballroom floor. That was another reason why she didn't want to be at home. How could she sleep soundly knowing that innocent people were murdered under her roof? And by her brother and his new wife, no less.

Regulus was getting ready to speak up again when they were interrupted by giggling. The shelf behind them shook slightly and a book or two fell to the ground with a loud bang.

"Bloody hell, you've got to slow down."

Another girlish giggle.

"Someone is going to find us back here."

Regulus knew who the voice belonged to instantly. He glanced down at Romina and grabbed her hand once she shot out of the chair. "Don't. Let's go back to the dungeons."

Romina shook her head and walked over to the next aisle over. "You know, if you wanted to find the perfect place for a quick shag, the library would be last on my list." She snapped, her arms folding over her chest as she stared over at Sirius who had a blonde girl in blue robes perched up on the ledge in front of him.

Romina had seen her fair share of indecent exposure over the years but the last thing she wanted to see was the bare behind of Sirius Black – which is exactly what she was faced with right now. Salazar, she hoped he wasn't actually in the middle of shagging this poor girl. Romina wasn't sure if she could witness any other sacred body parts of the oldest Black brother right now.

"Merlin's beard!" Sirius gasped, quickly reaching down to tug his trousers up around his waist as he turned to face Romina. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Studying. You know...since we're in the library." She told him with a sigh. She found herself looking over the girl, who looked to be two years older or so than her. She watched as the Ravenclaw girl fixed her robes and brushed hair from her face.

"I'll see you later, Siri." The blonde whispered, pressing her lips against his in a goodbye kiss before she rushed away, brushing past Romina with a glare.

Romina narrowed her dark eyes back at the girl before softening almost instantly as Regulus stepped up behind her.

"Romina, let's go. He's not worth your time." Regulus hissed at her. His hand slipped into hers, lacing their fingers together once she was no longer standing there with her arms angrily taut over her chest.

Romina kept her eyes trained on Sirius. If she were to be honest, she wanted to lay into him about leaving Regulus. Even if Regulus was the obedient son, which he was, there was still going to be situations that he could have used his big brother to protect him.

"You're right, Reggie. Let's go." She finally spoke, ignoring the twisting sensation that she was now feeling in the pit of her stomach. "See you later, Siri." She said with a laugh, her lips forming a smirk as Sirius stood there in silence and watched them turn to walk off.

"Reg, wait!" Sirius called out.

"Sshh!" Madam Pince's voice could be heard from a few aisles over.

Romina squeezed Regulus' hand, keeping herself close to his side as Sirius caught up to them.

"Are you ok?" Sirius asked, "I mean, at home. You understand why I had to leave, right?"

Regulus was gritting his teeth, staring over at his brother. There was so much he wanted to say to him but now that he had the chance to do so, nothing came out. Panic was rising within him, fast, and it felt as though his throat was beginning to close in on itself.

"We understand that you think your beliefs are the right beliefs but I think it would be best if you don't try to speak with Regulus anymore. I mean it's really in your best interest to leave us alone." Romina sucked in a breath as Regulus tightened his grip on her hand again. It was a silent thank you, and Romina knew that they would talk once they got back to the dungeons.

"You're going to let that psychotic man dictate who you keep in your life, Reggie?" Sirius flat out ignored Romina's response in Regulus' silence. He stepped closer now, but Romina reached over with her free hand and pressed it against his chest to stop him from coming any closer.

"Don't you dare speak of our dark lord like that." Romina spat. She was praying that Sirius was dumb enough to not see through her façade. It was killing her, rotting her away from the inside out, to go along with this charade. But she knew that if she valued her life, which of course she did, she would go along with it and do what she was raised to do.

"I asked you to take care of him, Mina." Sirius' voice was soft now. He was still angry, but he would do just about anything to get more time with his brother. "Please." He didn't want this life for Regulus. He knew he still had some time before Regulus would be ready to take the dark mark. The disgusting black ink that was branded on his cousins' and their husbands' forearms.

"Regulus is no longer your concern, Sirius." Romina removed her hand from his chest, wiggling her fingers once her hand fell back at her side. "I guess consider this as me taking care of him. Leave him alone. Leave the both of us alone. Please. It's what is best for all of us. I know you understand. You're just making this harder."

Regulus felt like a coward. Having Romina fight his battles amongst the other Slytherin boys was one thing, but against his own brother was something new.

"Fine. If that's truly what you want. I'll stop. You won't ever hear from me. I'm never coming home. I've found a real home, you know," Sirius knew this would hurt. A small slither of his soul started decaying at the knowledge that once he said this, there would be no turning back. "James is more of a brother to me than you ever have been or will be."

With that final blow, Sirius pushed past the two and walked down the aisle before disappearing out the large oak doors.

Romina quickly glanced to Regulus. The hurt was apparent on his face, and she slipped her hand along his chest to provide comfort in the silence amongst them. "Let's go back to the dungeons. I've got some treacle fudge in my dorm, and it's got your name written all over it. What do you say?"

Regulus reached up with his free hand and grabbed onto Romina's. "I hate that you have to fight my battles for me. I- I don't know why I can never fight back against him."

He was embarrassed, and annoyed even, but Romina didn't mind. "It's fine, Reg. You know you never, ever, have to thank me for something like that. Now let's get going. Curfew is coming up, anyway, and I really don't feel like listening to Slughorn try to reprimand us for being out."

A small smile appeared on Regulus' lips as they turned and walked out of the library together – hand in hand.

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A few hours later, after having finished the entire box of treacle fudge, and regretfully so, Romina found herself laying on her side in the bed with Regulus stretched out beside her.

"I love you, Mina. You know that right?"

Regulus turned to look down at Romina as he spoke up. He slipped his hand back into hers again.

"Of course, I know that, Reggie. I love you too." Romina smiled up at him. "Now, are you going to finally tell me what was bugging you so much earlier since we had been rudely interrupted?"

Regulus let out a soft laugh. After the fact, he was able to find the entire situation quite comical. He knew the reputation of his brother, and catching him in the crude act, made him laugh. If he didn't laugh, he would most likely end up crying.

"Well," he sighed and shifted so he could lay on his own side and look down at her. "Next summer is going to be very different. For the both of us."

Romina raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

"We're going to be sixteen." He began, "And Rodolphus says we'll be old enough to take the mark."

"The mark?" Romina repeated softly before she pressed her face into his chest. "It's ugly. I don't want that on my body. Your cousin, Cissy, she doesn't have it. So why do I have to get it?"

Regulus sighed and shook his head, "I don't know why. But, Rodolphus says we should be proud and happy that we're being chosen to be marked. This will mean big things for us."

Romina was concerned that her brothers didn't speak with her about this directly. Romina also wasn't sure how to feel about the small hint of excitement in Regulus' voice. He was always a people-pleaser, and Romina thought that maybe because this is what his parents wanted, he would not think twice about it.

If she thought about it, truly thought about it, she knew that they were born for this. This was their destiny. To better the wizarding world – purify it. They were nothing but pawns in Lord Voldemort's war, in his so-called game of life and all Romina wanted to do have the independence she could only dream of.

"Big things for you." She finally spoke, pulling away from him as she now stood up from the bed to head over to her desk. "But for me," She untied her hair from the plait it was tightly secured in before sitting down to face the vanity. "All it means is that I'm going to be bred like cattle, Reggie. That's the only reason why I'm important in any of this."

Regulus sighed. He hated that there was a part of him that knew she was right. He didn't like to defy orders, especially those directly given by the Dark Lord, but for Romina he knew that he would do just about anything to protect her.