Regulus Black

Regulus didn't want to go. That much was certain. He’d never been one for the rowdy chaos that Lucius, Barty, and Evan thrived on. Yet somehow, they had managed to drag both him and Severus along to this new bar in Knockturn Alley a place that was far from their usual haunts. It was a den of debauchery, filled with the kind of hedonistic pleasures that could make even the strongest-willed men weak in the knees. The air was thick with the scent of smoke, the clinking of glasses, and the soft, seductive laughter of women who knew their power.

What the hell am I doing here? Regulus had thought as he downed his first drink. One drink turned into another, and another. It wasn’t long before the alcohol dulled his senses, making everything around him blur into a haze. He could vaguely remember Lucius betting on some ridiculous gamble, Barty flirting shamelessly with a woman draped in crimson silk, and Severus quietly nursing his drink in the corner, his eyes narrowed with disdain.

The women who had flocked to their group barely registered in Regulus's mind. They were all just faces in the crowd, none of them standing out, none of them making his heart race the way she did. And it was that one thought, that single realization of her, that made him reach for another drink.

Just one more, he told himself. One more to forget. But instead of forgetting, he blacked out before the night had even fully begun.

When he awoke the next morning, the world was spinning. His head throbbed as if it had been split in two, and his mouth was dry, tasting faintly of smoke and stale alcohol. He groaned, shifting to stretch out his stiff limbs. But as he moved, he became acutely aware of something or rather, someone warm and soft beside him.

His arm was draped over a waist, a warm, soft waist that immediately sent a jolt of panic through his muddled brain. The sleepiness that had clouded his thoughts evaporated in an instant as his eyes snapped open. What the hell? He looked down, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the ring on his left hand. A simple band, but unmistakably a wedding ring. His heart pounded against his ribs, panic rising in his chest as he slowly, cautiously, reached out to brush the hair away from the face of the woman beside him.

Please, Merlin, no. But as the last strands of hair were swept aside, there she was her. The girl from Hogwarts, the one he had been staring at for days, the one who had somehow gotten under his skin without him even realizing it. What have I done?

She was dead asleep, blissfully unaware of the chaos that was unfolding in Regulus's mind. He glanced around the room, trying to make sense of it all. There were empty bottles scattered everywhere, their clothes strewn haphazardly across the floor. It was a mess a mess that felt all too fitting for what had clearly been a night of utter recklessness.

His eyes caught sight of a notepad on the nightstand, the words "Las Vegas" emblazoned across the top in bold, black letters. Las Vegas? The words hit him like a bludger to the chest, knocking the wind out of him. How the hell did we end up in the States? And how the hell did we end up in Vegas? His mind raced, trying to piece together the events of the night before. Drinking... gambling... Lucius egging me on... Barty laughing... and then... Nothing. It was all a blank. A dark void where his memories should have been.

He turned back to look at her, at the ring on her finger that matched his own. What have I done? The question echoed in his mind, louder and more insistent with each passing second. What the hell have I done? Panic and dread settled in his stomach like a lead weight. He had to figure this out. He had to fix this, somehow. But as he sat there, staring at her peaceful, sleeping form, all he could think was how incredibly beautiful she looked even now, even in this chaotic mess of a situation. But this is wrong, he reminded himself, pulling his arm away from her waist as if he had been burned. This can’t be happening. This can’t be real. But the ring on his finger said otherwise.