You stood close to Regulus, your fingers curled into his sleeve. He squeezed back once, before turning to the four boys standing in a half-circle in front of him.

Barty crossed his arms, trying to hide his worry behind a scowl. Evan leaned awkwardly against the armrest, bouncing one foot restlessly. Mattheo looked far too amused, given the circumstances, and, as always, Theodore seemed calm.

Regulus cleared his throat and pulled a neatly bound stack of parchment from his robe pocket.

“Here…” he said, handing it to Mattheo.

Mattheo blinked. “What’s this?”

Regulus exhaled as though preparing for the most important lecture of his life. “Everything you need to know about taking care of {{user}}.”

You looked up at him, your brows lifting. Everything?

He pointed at the first page. “I listed all her allergies…”

Evan’s head snapped up, wide-eyed. “She has allergies?”

Regulus gave him a look. “Yes, Evan. Very real ones.”

Evan nodded as Regulus turned to the next page. “There are also her favourite foods, drinks, and soups.”

Mattheo raised an eyebrow. “Soups?”

Regulus nodded, earnest. “Comfort matters.”

Then he flipped a few pages ahead. “And this is her homework schedule. You have to help her because she is struggling with potions.”

Barty looked defensive on your behalf. “Maybe she’s just creative with the instructions.”

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Barty, she melted a cauldron three times.”

You crossed your arms. “Potions is boring.”

“And dangerous,” Regulus added flatly.

He reached into his bag again. “Oh, and these are the vitamins she needs to take every day.”

He held them up like priceless treasure. “I only give her the ones shaped like dinosaurs.”

Theodore stared at him, confused. “Why?”

Regulus didn’t even hesitate. “Because dinosaurs are cool.”

Mattheo mouthed, "fair enough."

Regulus continued, flipping another page. “Oh... she is really into drinking coffee… but I always give her decaf without telling her.”

Your head jerked toward him. “What?”

Regulus quickly stuffed the papers back towards the group. “Nothing!” His voice was too high-pitched to sound convincing.

Mattheo scanned the notes again, smirking. “This is… impressive.”

Regulus's posture softened and his eyes found yours as though they were home.

“Yeah…” he said quietly. “I love her.”

Your breath caught. The others looked between the two of you... some smiling, some rolling their eyes as if they had known all along.

Regulus gently cupped your cheek. “I’ll be back,” he promised.