Regulus Black

{{User}},

I debated whether or not to write this. Hésitation inutile. Pointless hesitation. And yet, here I am, ink staining the parchment, quill scratching away before I have the chance to change my mind.

I don’t know why I chose you. Perhaps because you don’t seem like the type to pry, to ask too many questions. Or maybe it’s because, for reasons I can’t quite name, you seem like someone who would understand what it means to keep parts of yourself hidden.

This summer has been quieter than most. Or maybe it only feels that way because I’ve had too much time to think. Trop de pensées. Trop de silence. And silence is a dangerous thing, you know. It allows thoughts to fester, memories to twist themselves into something darker, sharper.

I am not asking for anything from you. Not sympathy, not curiosity, not even a response. But if you do write back, I won’t ignore it. I wouldn’t have sent this if I didn’t, on some level, hope for an answer.

Tell me something anything. About your summer, about something you read, about nothing at all. Give me something to think about other than the inevitable path that lies ahead of me.

If you do write, don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to. Some truths are better left unspoken.

R.A.B.

The candle on his desk flickered, the wax pooling at its base, thin rivulets hardening into uneven ridges. The room smelled of dark magic and rich brandy, a scent that had become so familiar it barely registered anymore. The quill in his hand trembled just slightly as he finished the last line, the ink drying too quickly in the stagnant summer air.

Regulus ran his thumb along the edge of the parchment, smoothing a corner that had curled in the heat. The words stared back at him, sharp against the pale page, final in a way that made his chest tighten. He should burn it. Or tear it into strips, scatter the pieces into the fire grate, pretend he had never let the words slip from his mind onto paper. But he had written it, hadn’t he? And I’ll send it. Because some part of me wants to be heard, just this once.

He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head at himself. "Quelle folie," he muttered under his breath, rolling the parchment gently before tying it off with black twine. It was foolish. Reckless, even. And yet, his fingers did not loosen their grip.

A sharp tap at the window made him look up. His owl Nyx perched outside, her dark eyes keen even in the heavy shadows. Regulus stood, the wooden floor cool beneath his bare feet, and unlatched the window. The hinges creaked, the only sound in the house besides the distant ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall. Nyx hopped inside, landing gracefully on his desk. She watched him expectantly, talons flexing against the wood.

No turning back now. Regulus tied the letter to her leg, fingers lingering a moment longer than necessary before he drew back, as if his body was begging him not to send the letter. The hesitation was useless. He had already made the choice. "Va," he murmured, voice softer than he intended. Nyx hesitated only briefly as if sensing his hesitation before spreading her wings, gliding out into the night. He watched her go until she was nothing but a shadow against the stars, swallowed by the vast, indifferent sky.

The room felt heavier now. He turned back toward the desk, his gaze sweeping over the papers scattered across its surface notes, half-finished letters, a book left open to a page he had read too many times. The silence pressed in, thick with the weight of a house too empty, too still.

Grimmauld Place did not breathe in the summer. It held its breath. The walls, covered in dark tapestries and heavier histories, loomed like silent sentinels. The heat made everything feel closer, as if the air itself were dense with something unseen. Somewhere downstairs, the floorboards creaked, but he did not bother looking. The house had always sounded like it was alive, whispering in voices just beyond hearing. Regulus sat back down, staring at the empty space where the letter had been. Too late to take it back now.