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Chapter Thirty-One: The Restricted Section Part 2

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J A N U A R Y 1979

The new year began quickly and Romina found herself spending more time in the library. While for the most part she was studying for her OWLs, she was also trying to catch Regulus. Tonight was no different except for the fact that it was getting close to the beginning of curfew and she had already tucked herself away in a hidden alcove with the invisibility cloak draped over her entire body, hidden from the rest of the students and teachers passing by.

She tried to control her breathing, though was finding a hard time because her nerves were completely shot. Her hands rested at her sides as she watched students from each house weave their way in and out of the aisles around her as they exited the library to head back to their respective houses.

She held her breath the moment Madam Pince stepped before her. She had to keep reminding herself that she was invisible and safe, and even if she was caught, Madam Pince would probably not give her a detention.

The moment she was finally alone, not another soul in sight, the breath she had been holding escaped her mouth as she brought new air in through her nose. She made her way closer to the back wall, glancing around nervously. She was still covered in the invisibility cloak but still felt panic with what she was about to do.

The moment she got closer to the restricted section, Romina paused and watched Regulus slink out of the shadows with his wand in hand. He carried with him one tiny black book, something that looked similar to her old journal. Romina watched in silence, curious as to how he even got into the restricted section to begin with.

He whispered an unknown spell and before she could think twice about the consequences, Romina rushed forward to get through the gate right behind Regulus before he could close it without her getting in.

She couldn't remember the last time she took a deep breath because she was starting to feel a little lightheaded and claustrophobic. She gently leaned into the nearest shelf, her eyes remaining trained on Regulus as he started reviewing a large book wrapped in pristine leather.

She slowed her breathing even more the moment Regulus turned his gaze in her direction. She was terrified that he had figured out someone was watching him. She silently prayed that he would go back to reading the book in his hands, closing her eyes to calm herself down.

When her eyes reopened, she was staring into the dark cloudy ones belonging to the boy she thought she would have by her side until they were both old and gray. She knew she still had the invisibility cloak on, but there was something about his gaze that made her feel seen.

She finally let out a soft breath when he turned back around and went back to the pile of books. Romina stood her ground, afraid of making any sudden movement that would alert Regulus to her presence. She continued watching him curiously, squinting at the pages to steal a glance at the words written on the old parchment.

Regulus sat back for a moment and let out a deep breath. A bead of sweat began to drip along his right temple and he quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand. It was cold outside but there was a weird, unknown source of heat, in the back pocket of the library where the restricted section was. Regulus found himself slipping off his robes and rolling up the sleeves of his button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled as far as midway up his forearms, and when that wasn't enough for him, Regulus pushed them to his elbows.

The moment his left forearm flexed to the side, Romina found herself staring into the eyes of the black snake inked deep down into his once bare skin. A gasp escaped her mouth before she could cover her mouth. Regulus didn't even flinch, though she knew he heard her because much to her dismay, the gasp was rather loud.

"I thought you were better than this, Romina. Sneaking around, stalking me?" Regulus closed his eyes for a moment before he looked down at his forearm again.

She was still frozen in place, her eyes never leaving the nasty dark mark on his arm. She was afraid to blink, worried that the snake was slithering around on his skin preparing to leap at her.

"Come out, come out, whenever you are." Regulus taunted her with a laugh. There was no humor behind the noise that escaped his mouth. That sent a chill down Romina's spine.

She debated on leaving, on not showing herself, but the moment he turned around and looked up in the direction of where she was standing, she could sense the terror in his own eyes. He was scared, and she wanted to help. It was only in her nature. She needed to help him.

Slowly, the cloak came down. She let it drop around her feet, creating a shimmery pool around her on the floor. Her eyes were glassy with tears threatening to escape, pupils blown wide as she stared down at Regulus. "Reggie..."

"Save it!" He snapped, raising a hand to her to gesture for her to stop talking.

Immediately she dropped to her knees and grabbed hold of his arm. "What did they do to you?" She asked him through her tears, her eyes not leaving the dark mark that was placed upon his forearm.

Regulus let her grab hold of him, for only but a moment or two before remembering his place and yanking himself further away from her. "I did my duty." He spat at her, venom laced through every word that dripped from his tongue.

"Duty!?" She exclaimed, quickly forgetting that they were hiding in the restricted section after hours. Her hand moved to clamp down over her mouth as she stared at him in bewilderment. Her chest was heaving up and down as she worked to control her breathing. It was a struggle - her emotions were clearly on overdrive.

"Yes. My duty." Regulus moved to stand, collecting the books that he had grabbed. Romina watched as he started tucking some of the books back into where they belonged before she grabbed his hand again.

"What are you reading?" She asked now, looking up at him through the tears that were still streaming down her cheeks. "What is this?" She grabbed the smallest book that he was clutching to his chest and started skimming through the pages.

Regulus stayed silent. There was no more fight in him as he watched Romina skim through the book. Maybe she could help him. Maybe she could save him. No. That just was not possible. There was no saving him. He made his decisions, alone, and he would do this alone. He couldn't bring her into it. He couldn't be the reason she was put in any more danger than she already was in by just being Romina Lestrange.

"Reggie, what is this?" She set the book in her lap, wiped the tears from her face in order to clear her vision, before looking up at him. "What are you trying to do to yourself?"

Regulus couldn't help but laugh. By the sudden change in the tone of her voice, he realized she thought he was reading these books for his own benefit. That could not be further from the truth but this originally started out as something he was going to shoulder alone. He wasn't looking to bring anyone else down with him.

"It's not for me." Regulus finally spoke up, looking up and over her shoulder as she stood up with the book in her arms.

"Are you sure? Because this is ... dark. Even for, well... even for you." Romina admitted, not putting up a fight as he took the book back out of her hands. She grabbed the cloak and held it in her arms, waiting for him to explain.

"It is dark. Extremely dark. And I don't want you involved. I am...I'm trying to right the wrongs, Mina. Please let me do this."

"No. You're not alone. I won't let you be. Please, Reggie, please let me help." Romina stepped closer to him, one hand keeping hold of the cloak as the other one slipped up onto his shoulder.

"Nobody must know." Regulus whispered, the fear he was feeling was rather apparent in his voice now. "Promise me. Not even Si-" he paused, "not even my brother. Romina, I am serious."

Romina watched him in silence. She kept her hand on his shoulder for another moment before she pulled away from him. "My lips are sealed with my promise of secrecy, Regulus." She couldn't help but grimace at the memory of Regulus being the one to break his promise of secrecy against her. She knew he had betrayed her. She knew that Sirius would lose his mind if he ever found out that she was spending time with his brother again.

"What is it that you are studying?" She asked him once more.

Regulus took in a deep breath and gathered the rest of the books before looking back at Romina. He knew that his pausing for dramatic effect was getting under her skin. Her right foot began tapping against the floor, not making much sound as the floor was carpeted with a thick red velvet material.

"If you're not going to be honest with me, I will figure it out on my own." She told him simply, the frustration she was experiencing was beginning to bubble up and the only way she could help tamper it back down was walking away for some time to think things through.

She tugged the cloak back up around her shoulders as she turned away from Regulus, slowly making her way back towards the gated door to exit the restricted section.

"They're called horcruxes."