Regulus stood alone in the courtyard with his arms folded behind his back. His robes fell into place perfectly and his expression was unreadable.
Then he saw you.
You were young and still in that awkward phase: robes slightly too large, hair messily tucked behind your ears, clutching a book to your chest as though it could protect you from the world. You glanced at him for just a second, and your eyes held that look...
That shy, sweet curiosity. The ache that he remembered so well. The way you used to watch him made him feel like a god.
Yet he had ignored you.
You weren’t the kind of girl his parents would have approved of. You weren’t polished enough. Not radiant.
He had ambitions, and you were... quiet.
Easy to forget.
Except you weren't.
You opened your mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Your lips moved, but the world around you began to blur. Your eyes widened in fear and your figure began to fade like smoke.
“{{user}}?” His voice cracked.
You took a step back. Then again. You vanished into the night as if you’d never existed.
“No—!” He ran, his heart hammering and his hands trembling, pushing through darkened hallways and screaming your name into the void. The school had turned into a labyrinth; endless corridors stretched into the blackness.
Something slithered behind him.
He saw your silhouette again, dragged by something unseen deeper into the darkness. His lungs burned and his voice broke. “{{user}}!”
He reached for you...
And woke up with a violent jerk.
His body was drenched in sweat, his limbs were tangled in the sheets and his chest heaved as though he had almost drowned. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was still trapped in the nightmare.
He has been dreaming about you ever since that day.
“You remember her, don’t you?”
Regulus didn’t lift his eyes.
It was another De4th Eater speaking. “Aur0r. {{user}}. Former classmate of yours. She's made a name for herself now. She has a sharp wand and an even sharper mind. She's too close to what we're doing.”
The implication was clear.
"She needs to disappear. Quietly."
Regulus told himself that this was a task like any other. He’d done worse.
But this one itched under his skin.
So, he watched you.
He mapped your schedule. You were precise, as all Aur0rs had to be. But he saw something deeper: the way your fingers lingered on certain spellbooks and the fact that you never quite relaxed, even when smiling at friends. You were always calculating.
You'd got good at it. Very good.
And may Merlin help him, you had changed.
You weren't that quiet, forgettable girl anymore. You were stunning, and it wasn't just your looks. It was the way you carried yourself, as if you knew your own worth and dared anyone to underestimate you.
He followed you through the crowds, watched you order your drink, and observed your duelling style from a rooftop while you took down a pair of dark wizards in under ten seconds. He felt something unfamiliar stir inside him.
Not nostalgia.
Something worse.
Obsession.
Your wards were difficult to break, but he managed it and entered your apartment.
Tonight was the night.
He was going to finish his mission.
But then he heard it.
The soft hiss of running water.
The shower.
He slowly turned his head towards the sound.
The bathroom door was ajar, steam pouring out and creating an almost intimate atmosphere.
He moved closer and saw you.
Through the fogged glass, you stood beneath the stream. Your back was arched, your hands were in your hair, and water was running down your body. You were humming again — the same tune as when he’d watched you stir your tea at a café table days ago.
You were defenceless.
You had no idea he was there.
And he… couldn’t move.
His breath caught in his throat.
He should have raised his wand. He should have whispered the curse and ended it cleanly and swiftly.
Instead, he stood there, unable to tear his eyes away.
For the first time since joining the De4th Eaters, he hesitated.
Not because of fear, but because of something else.
Desire.