Hiraeth | Regulus Black

Chapter Fifty Nine

"So, I'm sorry, let me get this straight." Piper furrowed her eyebrows and massaged her temple as she tried to comprehend the complexity of what she was being told.

"I don't think you can get anything straight." Esme snickered.
"Oi!" Piper gasped, trying to hold back her smile.

The night, all in all, had been utterly chaotic. Everyone felt a little betrayed, some people had emerged more hurt than others, but finally everyone knew the whole truth.
Everyone except Ignatius, that was.

Esme had been keeping a close eye on her brother the whole day but he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. At one point Levi Rogers even bumped into the Slytherin boy in the corridor and Ignatius didn't bat an eyelid as he was preoccupied with mocking Snape.
It seemed that Dirk's charm had saved all of them.

"So, Dirk and Levi thought Regulus was a Death Eater... And he was going to turn you into one too?" Piper asked, looking at Esme who sat opposite her in the Great Hall that afternoon.
She nodded, "Yup."

"How ridiculous! Why would he do that to you when he's clearly utterly infatuated with you?" The blonde girl scoffed as the corners of her mouth tugged upwards into a playful grin.

"Ugh," Esme groaned, "You're gross."

"Anyway! Ignatius overhead Dirk and Levi talking about this, and he didn't tell them the truth. Ignatius then told Bellatrix about your plan. You and Regulus nearly get caught. Dirk and Levi plan to confront you about becoming a Death Eater. Ignatius stops them and convinces them to follow you two out to the Forest where they think you're about to become a Death Eater, but Ignatius thinks he's going to get proof of your plans to defeat the Death Eaters." Piper inhaled a deep breath, "Dirk then removed Ignatius' memories of the whole thing and you were nearly attacked by a werewolf?"

"Ding, ding, ding." Esme tapped on her nose.
She had, however, deliberately omitted the fact that she and Regulus had been saved by some Animagi - one of whom turned out to be Sirius Black. Esme thought Regulus would appreciate that as few people be involved in that as possible.
Even that morning, when she had asked Regulus about what he wanted to do in regards to his older brother, he had turned very tense and literally just walked away from her.

Piper shook her head, "I mean, you really are just a magnet for utter chaos and danger. But... About what Dirk and Levi did..."
Esme sighed softly, "They didn't know what they were doing. I-I was so mad at first. I could have torn both their heads off. Really, though, they were just trying to help me. It's Regulus who should be mad."

"How is he?" She asked.
"I don't know." Esme admitted with a slight shrug, "He's been quiet."
Piper pursed her lips, "That's not super unusual."

"I suppose." Esme mumbled, her attention starting to wander elsewhere. As the hours passed, she was growing more and more concerned about Regulus. He was touchy on the subject of his brother at the best of times, but this was really putting his patience to the test - knowing that at some point he would need to confront his older brother.
Esme had no idea how to help.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Piper waved her hand in front of the girl's face.

"What?" Esme blinked, dragging her gaze up to Piper, sat opposite her.
She shook her head in disbelief, "You just completely tuned out."

"Yeah... That happens..." Esme tilted her head slightly to the side so she could peer past Piper. Squinting, she watched a group of boys sat at the table at the opposite end of the Great Hall.

"Esmerelda!" She exclaimed, tilted her head to the side so she blocked Esme's view, "What is up with you?"
"Huh?"

Finally, she made eye contact with the boy she'd been watching.
Sirius Black lifted up his head, wiping a stray strand of curly hair out of his eyes as he stared across the room, right back at Esme.