The Avery family were one of the few truly pureblood wizarding families left in society. They took pride in a long line of thoroughly talented witches and wizards who all bore the proud status as not only pureblood, but also Slytherins.
Lucas Avery...
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Tense is the inability to relax due to nervousness or anxiety. To say things had become tense would be an understatement. Esme could practically feel the knots growing in her shoulders as time wore on. She couldn't take it anymore. So that was why, really, despite what trouble it might cause her with Regulus, Esme had made another plan. Though this time she swore it wasn't dangerous.
"You're bloody lucky, you know that?" Sirius grumbled as he begrudgingly followed Esme down the hill.
Regulus Black had changed. He hadn't meant to, but he did nevertheless. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get it out of his mind. Every time Dirk and Levi looked at him, their eyes were filled with guilt. He had tried countlessly to convince the boys he held no grudge towards them as a result of what had happened in the Forbidden Forest - for now they knew he posed no such threat. However, it was the pity Esme's tone carried which really hurt.
She knew that Regulus' only real concern was his brother. For longer than he cared to admit, he had harboured resentment for his older sibling. Not only had Sirius abandoned their family, leaving Regulus struggle to fill the hole in his parent's hearts, but he'd also been angry at Sirius long before that. Sirius has always had the courage, and sometimes the privilege, of being able to do and say whatever he wanted. It didn't help that Regulus was younger and when he came along there was so much pressure resting on him to meet the expectations of his family. For Regulus to address his brother now, it would be to address years of dissatisfaction and that was very overwhelming to the Slytherin boy.
"Lucky?" Esme scoffed, "Having to put up with you is some sort of punishment, honestly."
Esme was tense because she could feel the stress radiating off of Regulus whenever he was nearby - which was an awful lot. Add into the mix the fact that she was now in the company of the ever-bothersome Sirius Black, Esme was under enough tension to last a lifetime.
"You're annoying as well. How does Reg put up with you?" He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear but not loud enough to warrant a response.
"Hey? Did you hear me?" Sirius hurried to walk beside the girl so he could wave his hand in front of her face. She sighed irritably, coming to a halt as she quipped, "I'm doing this for Regulus, alright? He deserves some answers from you and you're going to give them to him."
"What? Are you hosting some sort of intervention?" He scoffed, starting to scuff his shoes on the floor as the continued walking down towards the quidditch pitch. Esme shook her head, "If that's what it takes. This whole thing is bumming Regulus out, and that's putting a damper on my mood and I have other things to worry about."
"Like what, exactly?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, "Wouldn't happen to... I don't know, involve a certain You Know Who?"
"What?" She snapped sharply, "Shut up. You don't know anything about me." He smirked, "Don't I? I struck a chord. I did used to know your family, very well." "Things change. People change. You never cared to know me. Oh, and shut up!"
