walk of shame [regulus]

[DEVON REDWOOD]

The Great Hall was filling with students quickly. It was breakfast time, the one meal that pretty much every student and teacher shared. Lunches were staggered according to classes, and dinner was a free for all for several hours so that students could come in and eat when they were comfortable. But breakfast started the day, and took place just before class for only an hour, gathering the entire school into the Great Hall to eat and wake up together.

Devon Redwood headed to the Gryffindor table, a couple of friends flanking him. He was chatting somewhat animatedly, thought he would be the first to admit he wasn't a morning person. He had been awake practically the entire night, though, and was wired from his lack of sleep. The night before, he had been wandering the empty corridor on the second floor when he had discovered a drunken, weaving Regulus Black in the same place. He was sure that they both would have gone on their separate ways if the Slytherin boy hadn't dropped the expensive bottle of whiskey he had been slowly downing that entire night. Devon still didn't know what had driven the other boy to drink. The thought had been one of the things he had mulled over in his insomnia, lying in bed, still dressed. But as it was, Black's slip-up had drawn the attention of Filch, the live-in janitor of the school, and he and Devon had ended up occupying a ridiculously small broom closet together to avoid detection.

Then they had performed the unspeakable.

At least, Devon had convinced himself that he would never speak of it again. A kind way to put it would be to say that Devon had been a virgin when he entered that closet, and when he left, that was gone. Black had never stricken Devon as a -- well, a complete and total slut, but what he had shown Devon in that little broom closet had shown that to be the truth. Another thought that had kept Devon up the night before had been just how many other boys that had happened to. How many others had Black snared late at night or in corners unseen? He knew he shouldn't have felt jealous, but something in him said that Black now in a way belonged to him. He knew as well that he would in no way be able to hold Black to that, but it wasn't a logical feeling. It was instinctive.

He was drawn to the middle of the Gryffindor table by his friends, keeping up with the mindless laughter and conversation. The rest of the Great Hall was caught in a murmur of conversation, most of the students still tired from the night before. Devon took his seat and pulled a plate to him, loading it with food. He was starving, as usual, and being awake all night without any food had just about driven him crazy when he remembered how hungry he was beyond thoughts of Black and what he had done.

It was scary, really, how much he had enjoyed it all. Black had practically forced him into it at first, though he had found -- reluctantly -- that by the end of it he wanted more. He had even stolen a final, rough, harsh kiss from the smaller boy just for the hell of it, a fact that he was embarrassed to remember this morning. In fact, started to think about how much he was still craving it again, though he would never, ever admit it out loud. His eyes tilted up and he scanned the rest of the Hall, looking for that head of black hair at the Slytherin table. He wasn't thinking about it, but he wanted to see Black. He wanted to see if he was as affected by what had happened as Devon was.

[/blockquote]

[mitzeh]

Regulus Black was not, by any means and under any circumstances, a morning person. Granted, he also wasn’t a person who would sulk and complain openly, or even let it be known that he was in a mood worse than usual – yet, some of the younger Slytherins had found it reasonable to get out of his way this morning as he had stumbled out of his dorm, yawning widely, alternating between wishing he could just go back to bed for another few hours and cursing everything and everyone around him. Not loud, of course, since any noise made him feel like his head was about to explode.

He entered the Great Hall about fifteen minutes late, but the tardiness was most definitely worth the result seeing as he was in a relatively better shape than he had been right after waking up. So, yes, he was still deadly tired after only a few hours of sleep, but at least he wasn’t hangover anymore, thanks to a special potion he had prepared himself and kept under his bed along with the supply of alcohol just for situations ike this. It had already proven more than useful a couple of times; he just wished it could be mixed with a potion that would make him feel less like he was about to fall asleep in his walk. Oh well, what did he have coffee for. At least it tasted good, unlike the elixir, he would know.

His hair was still a bit damp after the morning shower that he hadn’t missed despite the constant urge to yawn – one had to have priorities, after all, and hygiene was high on Regulus’ list, not to mention a shower was always a refreshing experience – but other than that, he looked just about as composed as usual. His expensive robes were well ironed and fitted his frame nicely, but that was common for the young boy; he didn’t spend hours in front of his mirror, but he liked to look good, if not for himself, then for the sake of appearances. He also made a beeline for the Slytherin table, taking his place there without so much as glancing in the direction of any Gryffindor – no, well, he had looked at some kid with utmost irritation when she had bumped into him, but that was about that.

And then he proceeded to act as if absolutely nothing was out of ordinary; even him being late to breakfast had gone unnoticed, since it most certainly wasn’t the first time, as well as it wasn’t the last, he could guess. He nodded at the people he knew or who knew him – which is to say, the majority of his House, because they all kept an eye on the others more or less and he was, after all, a Black, someone whom they were all bound to have heard about even before Hogwarts. He even answered a question of one of his classmates, although he wasn’t sure because he was focusing on finding coffee – only then, when he was already sipping the black liquid, he took interest in other things around him, like food. And his House mates. Someone made a snide remark about him being out so late, and really, no Slytherin above the age of thirteen would mistake that look you had on you last night for anything it wasn’t, so who was it this time, Black?, but he just rolled his eyes and muttered, “At least I am getting laid, Avery”, smirking all the while. Nothing new at the Slytherin table indeed. They all knew that he was no virgin, to put it mildly – most of them weren’t any better – but they also knew better than to make a big deal out of the fact that he liked to mess around with both girls and guys. Someone had tried, at the beginning of their fourth year if he remembered correctly. Nobody had tried to make the same mistake after what had happened to the poor guy.

Slytherins were, in general, cynical bastards, all of them. Well, with few exceptions perhaps, but Regulus wasn’t one. He was good at compartmentalization, too, and he had long learnt that it was much wiser to treat sex as just a mean to an ends rather than a goal itself. There was little place for romance in the Slytherin House and so to the youngest of Blacks last night was just that – a quick fuck in a storage closet with some guy he hadn’t known and didn’t even want to know now that they’d done it. He had been drunk, he had been miserable, and Devon had been willing enough eventually – a dangerous combination indeed, but in the end it all turned out to his advantage. He had released the unpleasant tension that had been building up in him for the past few days and he had forgotten about all the disturbing feeling that had been plaguing him lately, for now at least – which was exactly what he had wanted, no more, no less. Really, Regulus didn’t see the need to make a big deal out of a one night stand.

He just never thought that the other party might have different views on this whole sex thing.

[DEVON REDWOOD]

Devon saw Regulus as soon as he stepped into the Great Hall. His breath caught and he swallowed, looking down with a soft blush on his face. He was remembering just what went on the night before, and his heart sank a bit as he realized that Black was completely unaffected by anything that had happened. He was embarrassed, too. Black had taken his first time with anyone and as much as he told himself that it should matter to him as little as it mattered to Black, that wasn't something to scoff at.

His mood noticeably dampened, he turned to poking at the food he had piled onto his plate. His appetite was gone and he felt mildly ill as he surveyed the buffet. He considered storming over to the Slytherin table to give Black a piece of his mind, but he didn't know what he would say. He didn't want to out that he had fucked another boy in the broom closet the night before, not when he told himself that he was straight and only liked girls. Besides, what could he say that would really affect Black? The Slytherin was the sort that would scoff and laugh at him, send him trudging back to his table of red and gold with an entire table of Slytherins laughing at his back.

He stabbed a piece of sausage on his plate with his fork and tore it in half savagely with his teeth. His eyes moved from Regulus to his twin brother, Alastair. Shame washed over him anew. What would he do if Alas found out? What would Alastair do? Rake him over the coals, of course, When they were away from home, Alastair acted as a substitute parent, trying in vain to keep Devon out of trouble. If he knew where he had been and what he had been doing, Alastair would be not only disgusted, but ashamed. He didn't want to deal with that. It was better just to forget it all happened. Or, if not forget, at least get on with his life. Move on, he told himself. Black didn't care, and neither would he. It would never happen again and the fear and shame would fade off. As would the desire, he thought. He hoped.

[/blockquote]

[ALASTAIR REDWOOD]

Something about the morning felt a bit off to him, and he hadn't been able to put his finger on it until coming down to breakfast. He had entered the Great Hall just in time to see his twin take a seat opposite his own house table, where the other Gryffindors sat. He seemed distracted, even surrounded by his friends it was easy for Alastair to see the subtle nuances that indicated something was on his mind.

The hall wasn't as loud as it usually was, partly owing to the fact that it was morning and breakfast was always a more subdued affair than lunch and dinner, and the students were still slightly shaken up about the Hogsmeade incident. News kept coming every morning from the Daily Prophet via owl post, and things definitely looked as though they were taking a turn.

Alastair took his seat, nodding to a fellow fifth year who began to engage him in conversation as he began filling his plate with sausage and toast. He did not fail to notice when Devon turned his gaze toward the Slytherin table, eyes shifting slightly as though he was looking for someone. Alastair had the distinct feeling he wasn't looking for him.

Some time later, he drew a connection in his mind as Regulus Black joined the table and his twins eyes seemed immediately drawn to the other boy. Alas narrowed his eyes shrewdly, tilting his head and wondering what on earth his brother was searching Black out for.

Catching snippets of the conversation around him, he leaned forward to grab another piece of toast when he heard Black's voice cut through. Alastair rose an eyebrow slightly, an amused glint in his dark blue eyes. He was no stranger to the comings and goings of Regulus Black. The boy had quite a reputation among their house.

"I'm surprised to see you here at all." He said, leaning slightly down the table to better see Regulus, "I would have expected you to have a bit of a lie-in."

He could feel Dev's eyes on him now and he paused, a piece of toast still without jam,hanging loosely from his fingers. Blinking over at his twin, he shot him a pointed, interrogative look, wondering what on earth it was that he was looking for.

[mitzeh]

Regulus turned his head towards Alastair. The expression on his face could probably be considered a grin, if he was the kind of guy who ever grinned. No, Regulus was just smiling, quite mischievously at that. That, and the fact that something very close to some fiendish mirth flickered in his grey eyes as he looked at his classmate – oh, and the twin brother of the guy he had had sex with last night, right – was probably enough to give him away quite soon. He couldn’t help it, though; he was feeling rather content, now that he had had his cup of coffee (and was nursing another one after that) and no longer felt so god damn tired. Sex, especially good sex, had that effect on people, and the youngest Black was no exception here.

“That’s rich coming from you, Redwood, seeing as you were the one who woke me up in the first place,” he retorted, rising an eyebrow in clear amusement. Something was telling him that the conversation between them wouldn’t be so friendly once Alastair connected the dots between his brother’s constant stares and the memory of Regulus stumbling into the fifth years’ dorm in the middle of the night, smelling of alcohol and recklessness and sex. Now that he was more sober and in a relatively better mood than the night before, he had actually taken some time to ponder possible outcomes of his and Devon’s hook up. The preferable option was, of course, that they both would just forget about it and go on with their respective lives, but the Gryffindor’s behaviour was a clear indication that this was out of the question. So Alastair was bound to find out, well. Regulus suspected his almost friend wouldn’t be at all happy with this whole situation. If it was anyone else, the Slytherin prefect would probably laugh at the Gryffindor’s naivety, but Redwood cared about family, something that Black understood perfectly. But while he didn’t care much who Sirius slept with (and he wouldn’t even if they were on speaking terms with each other), he couldn’t be sure if that was also the case when the Redwood brothers were concerned.

He followed Alastair’s gaze and almost laughed at the Gryffindor’s expression. Raising the cup of coffee to his lips, Regulus smirked at Devon, one elegant eyebrow raised in silent question, or maybe a dare, it was hard to tell. “I believe there is something your brother would like to tell you after breakfast, if the looks he’s been giving you are anything to go by,” he offered off-handedly before taking a sip of his beverage. His collected manner was standing out even more compared to Devon’s admittedly suspicious behaviour, as he turned his head to watch Alastair. If the other boy had had any more doubts, Regulus’ comment had probably disillusioned him for good, and dear Salazar, he’d be damned if he didn’t see Redwood’s reaction to the news.

[DEVON REDWOOD]

Devon was embarrassed to be caught looking by the two Slytherins, like he had been caught listening in on their conversation even all the way across the hall. Furious, he dropped his eyes to his plate again and did his best to jump back into his friends' conversation. It only served to make him angrier. They were talking about some Hufflepuff girl that one of them had taken to Hogsmeade and eventually to bed. They were calling her a slut, and Devon had to take a bite of a biscuit to keep from snapping at them that having sex with one guy didn't make a girl a slut.

His eyes turned to Regulus briefly, then away again. They were talking. Devon prayed that Black kept his mouth shut. Honestly, what would Regulus do if Sirius found out about their romp in the broom closet? He realized that he was more afraid for his own standing in the sixth year's eyes than Regulus's. He looked up to Sirius, not to mention James and Remus, and even Peter for being their friend. If Sirius or any of the others were to find out about this, it would reduce him significantly in their eyes.

"Oi, Redwood." He realized he would jabbing idly at a rolling sausage, glaring at it fiercely and very nearly about to break the plate with the force of his prods. He looked up at his friends, wondering which of them had called his name. He was getting angrier now. This was affecting him too much. He needed to stop thinking about it and move on.

"Just tired, mate," he muttered, pushing his plate away. "Pass the coffee." He poured himself a mug and took a sip, wincing at the flavor. He hated the taste but was attracted to the waking-up potion.

[/blockquote]

[ALASTAIR REDWOOD]

"It's not my perogative to plan my schedule around your unseemly nighttime hours." He returned, an amused smirk in place, eyes glinting slightly in the morning glow. Alastair had never been much of a late night person and despite the reputation his house had, he did not live up to such a pattern.

He wasn't really interested girls (or boys) and drinking and general debauchery the way Regulus seemed to be. It wasn't that he was completely asexual, or naive, he was just far too focused. Alastair was a prime example of Slytherin ambitiousness, resourcefulness and leadership. His brother often said he needed to loosen up, but his brother didn't fully understand the scope of Alastair's goals.

Indica had brought a bit of a change in him though, being friends with the girl had opened him up to a whole new realm of possibilities and feelings, but they were relative to the situation. He didn't constantly dwell on the burgeoning newness of his relationship with her (not that they were anything beyond friends.....)

Devon was watching he and Black with an odd expression that Alastair likened to the one he usually wore when he had done something he didn't want anyone, especially his twin to find out about. Giving Dev a shrewd look, he turned back to Black as the other boy addressed him, taking a bite of the jamless toast.

He gave Black a deliberate look, not quite following his meaning, "What about Devon now?" The brunette asked, thought clouding his clear blue eyes. Why was Black bringing up Devon? What did they have to do with each other anyway? It wasn't as though they knew each other, he highly doubted they would have any reason to even talk to each other much less throw unexplained looks across the tables at one another. Then suddenly, something seemed to click in his mind.

It didn't make sense at all, and frankly it horrified Alastair so much that he knew it couldn't actually be true. "Wait a minute Black." He said, lowering his voice so that only Regulus could hear him, "I don't know if I believe what you are insinuating."

Alastair wasn't a fool, he was quick and intelligent and even if it made absolutely no sense at all he knew that it was the most logical explanation. All the pieces fit, except for one. Well two. Devon wasn't into boys, and Devon hated Slytherins.

He shot his brother a calculative look, eyes narrowed, looking him straight in the eye and holding the gaze past the point of comfort.

[mitzeh]

The other Slytherin rolled his eyes, aiming for looking irritated, but only ending up looking amused. He and Redwood weren’t enemies – which was already a lot to say about two Slytherins that weren’t related to each other by blood – most of the time they stayed out of the other’s business. In a way, they were friends, at least in the understanding of the word common in their House. They were the same age, they shared some classes, and sometimes helped each other with schoolwork. (Although among Slytherins it wasn’t as much “helping” as it was “doing favours”, with full expectations of getting something in return.)

Regulus knew that Alastair didn’t quite understand why he chose to entertain himself the way he did, but he never condemned him out loud. Black, in return, respected the boy’s ambition and hard work as he had been taught to do, even though he didn’t really get the necessity of the latter as someone who had never had to study especially hard to learn spells or memorize various theories. Magic came to him as naturally as breathing – he liked to think it was because of his pure blood – and he could, in some ways, be considered a genius. Granted, he wasn’t as good a dueler as Redwood, but he made up for it with his cunning ways and analytical thinking. Still, it was obvious (if slightly surprising) that out the two of them it was Regulus who represented their House's more promiscuous side.

He raised an eyebrow slowly as Redwood appeared to not be following his train of thought at first. And here he had thought the other boy was intelligent. The expression itself was an answer needed, and soon enough Regulus could admire the wave of shock that crossed Alastair’s features before he regained control over his face. Delicious, Black thought, smirking again. “You don’t have to believe in anything I say, Redwood,” he answered truthfully, lowering his voice as well. Some of their colleagues shot them curious looks, but didn’t seem too interested in eavesdropping. “I could, however, tell you a very interesting story about your brother and a tiny, dark broom closet…” Regulus took another sip of his coffee, before following Alastair’s gaze. He smiled at Devon, oh so deviously, licking his lips suggestively. “…well? I could spare you the juicy details.” The boy cocked his head to a side, looking thoughtful for a while. “Although then there wouldn’t be much left to say, I’m afraid.”

Really, whoever thought Sirius was the more troublesome of the brothers, had obviously never got to know Regulus’ darker side.

[DEVON REDWOOD]

Devon nursed his coffee through breakfast, barely managing to eat a bite of his breakfast in between sips of the hot, bitter liquid. He added more cream and sugar, until he could hardly taste the coffee. He was beginning to wake up more, seeing as his second wind had worn off sometime between getting to the Great Hall and catching that look his brother cast him.

He could see that Black was speaking to him, and though he knew that shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did, he had the distinct feeling that they weren't sharing a friendly breakfast conversation. He could see his brother's tell-tale narrowed eyes, that expression that said he didn't understand or didn't comprehend what Black was saying. That look that said he was putting everything together in his head.

He was still staring when Alastair's sharp eyes caught his. His breath hitched enough that his mates noticed and looked at him with questioning glances. Devon's expression was guilt-ridden, and finally he dropped his eyes to avoid the suspicion in his brother's own identical eyes. He felt like a right shithead about now. Alastair might not know yet what had happened, but he would figure it out. He was smart.

Chewing nervously on his lip, Devon rested his head in his hand, stirring his coffee quickly to make it swirl. It was light brown now, from all the milk he had thrown in. The bubbles on top popped as they touched his spoon. Finally he stood, unable to take just sitting there subject to his brother's condescension, and climbed over the bench to leave the Hall. He figured he could skip first block and take a nap before the rest of his classes. If he could sleep without feeling like he had to sort everything out in his head again.

The tables were long, though, and unless he broke into a run he wouldn't get out of the Hall quickly enough for his liking. Another glance toward the Slytherin table and he saw Black leaning in closer to his brother, that seductive gaze and lick of the lips that made him trip over another Gryffindor's outstretched leg. Eyes front again, he hurried toward the door, cheeks burning. Damn that Black.

[/blockquote]

[ALASTAIR REDWOOD]

Alastair choked slightly, flashing Black an look of incredulity and gritting his teeth, "What did you do?" He asked, his voice low, though lacking the oddly seductive quality that Regulus managed to ooze.

He could hardly see his brother initiating something like that with the boy who not only was a Slytherin, but the hated brother of a boy in Dev's own house belonging to a group of friends of which Devon was rather taken with. Alastair honestly had never seen the appeal that James Potter and Sirius Black had. They were fairly popular, even beyond Gryffindor house and if one thing above all else was known it was that they highly disliked Slytherin.

Hated them basically, for there was no other way to describe their attitudes towards its members. Not that Slytherin was the guileless victim in this dynamic of course, they had their fair amount of dislike for Gryffindor as well.

Alastair had only had a run in with the Gryffindor boys a few times and needless to say they were probably completely unremarkable and unmemorable times to the sixth years. But Alastair remembered them quite well and he had developed a distaste for them instantly. Other members of his house seemed to bear the full brunt of their dislike much more so, such as Severus Snape who seemed to be their prime target. He thought that the Gryffindors were rather foolhardy to be pushing around someone like Snape, who was more than likely biding his time before doing something truly gruesome to them, knowing the sheer depth of his shared hatred and vindictiveness. But Alastair himself had been able to slip under their radar and gladly, for he didn't have time to encourage silly games of house politics.

Regulus however.....Alastair wondered if the boy ever considered the ramifications of his actions, or if he just truly did not care. The latter would not have surprised him and he didn't even fault the boy for it. It was logical enough that someone with a promiscuous reputation such as Black wouldn't see the harm in messing around with a random student. However Alastair knew his brother, his stupid, artless, sincere twin brother in all his Gryffindor ideals of right and wrong would be affected by this.

He sat back in his chair, a kind of cold anger gripping him. The brunette caught the panicked expression light across Devon's face and watched as he rose from his seat and made a very hasty and graceless exit.

"Dammit." He growled, blue eyes mere slits at this point as he got to his feet followed after him with a quick, liquid sort of pace.

Time to get down to the bottom of this.

[mitzeh]

Regulus shrugged, looking rather indifferent to the whole thing – though it was clear to anyone who had ever spent more than a few minutes in his company that he was still feeling genuinely amused by it. He had just always been rather secretive when it came to emotions, and rarely ever showed them openly – the only exception to that being probably the times when he got drunk, which didn’t really count as far as he was concerned. “So you want the details after all?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in what could only be mocking bemusement. He would love to tease Redwood more, but quite honestly he didn’t feel like antagonizing the boy for such petty reason. Alastair was right when it came to Regulus – despite being a rather analytical person in other situations, Black never thought about consequences of his random hook ups, partly because he had never had to worry about them before, and partly because, well, that was just the kind of person he was. Not to mention that people who were pissed out of their mind usually had impaired judgment, so most of the times Regulus felt at least partially excused. Still, noticing the other Slytherin’s more and more visible anger, he sat up straighter, for a moment looking slightly more serious. “Before you hex me however, I would like to remind you that it takes two to play this game, Redwood,” he added coldly, “Your brother was more than willing. If you are this worried about his nonexistent virtue, perhaps you should talk to him instead of me.”

And just like this, next thing he knew was that Alastair was no longer glaring holes in his face, but following his twin, who had decided to flee the Great Hall. What a shame. Then again, perhaps it was better like this – it was just as likely that he and Redwood would come to some sort of agreement as it was that he would end up with one more enemy to watch out for. It would be a pity that one one night stand could ruin such a beautiful friendship, wouldn’t it? Regulus watched the brothers leave, mildly amused by bewildered looks of Devon’s Gryffindor friends and curious glances some of the more observant Slytherins were throwing alternatively him and the other Redwood brother. He just shrugged again, returning to his coffee. He could go on the whole day without food, but giving up coffee? Never.

After swallowing down the last sip of the delicious liquid, however, Regulus decided that following the Redwoods was not such a bad idea after all. He kind of wondered what Alastair was up to – really, if he was somewhere out there, patting his poor brother on the back and cooing at him to make the boy feel better, well, he seriously gave the bastard more credit than he deserved. He was vaguely aware of having a class in about thirty minutes, but honestly, how could he be bothered while there were much more interesting things he could be doing? The boy stood up, all catlike grace and smooth moves, and walked out of the Hall without having eaten anything. If he got hungry, well, he could always pay a visit to the kitchens; he knew for sure that the elves would be more than happy to feed him between the meals. He was pretty sure he would manage until the lunch, though. Yawning, Black wondered where he should start looking first. Hopefully Alastair and Devon had not wandered off too far; it hadn’t been more than three, maybe four minutes after all. Maybe he would be lucky enough to find them right outside the Great Hall, who knew.

[DEVON REDWOOD]

Devon ended up just outside the Great Hall, fretting. He had seen his brother stand up, eyes on him, and knew already that he was following him out. That made him indescribably nervous. Black had said something, he was sure of it now. There was no other reason for Alastair to come after him when he left the Great Hall. For all Alastair knew, he was going to get ready early for class. Then again, Alastair would know better than that.

He started a few steps down the hall, then stopped again. Alastair would want an explanation. He would also probably want to rip Devon a new one, if Black had spilled it all out to his twin brother. Either way, it wasn't smart to run from Alastair, it would only upset him more.

He looked back at the door of the Great Hall, swallowing as he heard it open. What was he supposed to say to Alastair? Yes, I had sex with Regulus Black. Yes, he is a Slytherin. Yes. I enjoyed it. Alastair would hex him without thinking about it. He could envision a duel between his twin and Black, and as of yet couldn't imagine who would win.

One thing was for absolute certain, he was in trouble. Even if Black hadn't told him everything, Alastair would be able to figure it out. Any tiny clue that Black had relinquished would just add up and connect in Alastair's mind until he figured it out.

[/blockquote]

[ALASTAIR REDWOOD]

"Dev!" He could hear the way his voice sounded as it resonated through the near empty hallway. He sounded angry, and it surprised him as he suddenly realized that he was angry. Not at Regulus, he understood, in his own Slytherin way that this was how Regulus was and to expect any more or any less of him would be to not understand him at all.

Alas knew the boy fairly well, having lived alongside him for the past five years. He considered the boy a friend, even though they were both guarded people. That was the norm in his house though. Slytherins were nothing if not self-preserving.

He finally caught up to his brothers hurried strides and grabbed him by the arm pulling him against the wall and glaring heatedly. He had not even been aware at how intense this anger had been, it had so seemingly sprung itself up on him and he did not quite know what to do with it. It seemed preposterous. The whole situation.

He hesitated, eyes burning into the other boys with so many unanswered, impossible questions. "What the hell is going on with you and Black?"

[mitzeh]

It quickly turned out that finding the Redwoods was anything but hard, especially that most of the other students were still in the Great Hall, enjoying their breakfast. Because of that the Hogwarts corridors were mostly quiet – well, much quieter than they usually were during the day, at least – and so Alastair’s voice could be heard from a distance, if someone knew what they wanted to hear. Regulus did, but even he was surprised at the heat in the other Slytherin’s words. Huh. He hadn’t thought it would make Alastair this angry for sure. To him, the whole thing was rather amusing, because, really, it’s not like he had been planning to seduce Devon, out of spite or something equally ridiculous. He had no reasons to go against Alastair, after all. Whatever had led to the Broom Closet Incident had been a spur of the moment kind of decision, and also something that Regulus honestly believe would never happen again – and not just because Alastair seemed ready to murder one of them with no thought of consequences.

All this, of course, had done nothing to discourage Regulus from finding a nice spot just around the corner, where he could lean against the wall and, well, eavesdrop. He’d never liked using euphemisms, really. He did, all the time, he couldn’t not use them while talking to his family and other Slytherins, so as a result it had grown on him, becoming his second nature; but he much preferred calling things exactly what they were. Also, if someone caught him – which was unlikely to happen, but still – he could hardly claim to just have stopped in such a convenient place. He was listening in on the brothers, ready to become a part of the conversation as soon as his assistance was needed.

Well, ‘needed’ might be a very relative term here; he was however more than willing to provide some necessary and undoubtfully very enlightening commentary when he saw it fit. Full of murderous intents or not, Alastair would be quite fun to tease, and recent events in Regulus’ life had made it hard for him to give up such entertainment. Really, who could blame him? He certainly felt excused, thank you very much. (He had, however, made sure that he did have an escape route, in case Redwood – either one – decided to reach for his wand.)

[DEVON REDWOOD]

Devon heard his brother call his name and guilt immediately came over his face. He even bowed his head as Alastair approached, but then he was grabbed rather rudely and slammed against the wall. He groaned, lifting a hand to rub the back of his head. "Shit, Alas," he muttered, frowning at him. He didn't know his brother had it in him to be that harsh, but he realized shortly that Alastair was very, very angry with him. If he knew the truth, Devon figured he couldn't very well blame him.

He cut his eyes away, turning his head, but he had to flick his eyes about his brother's person, to be sure he didn't have a wand in hand. He knew well that his brother wouldn't hesitate to hex him. He could be puking slugs for an hour if Alastair wanted and the Slytherin would probably see it as a fitting punishment. Nothing fatal, or even really all that damaging, other than to Devon's pride. It had happened before.

Devon winced when Alastair asked the question, the one that he very well did not want to answer. He looked exceedingly guilty, but still he thought perhaps he could get away with a lie. "Nothing," he said stubbornly, his face falling into a frown. He had pulled this expression mostly with his parents, his eyebrows down and drawn together, his shoulders hunched, eyes cut hard to the side. He even crossed his arms, shaking Alastair's hold on him. "Bloody nosey, you are."

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