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Tweak says, "COMFORT HIM, ALREADY. ):<"

Holly J. Frye (happyhollydays) wrote in incanesco_rpg,
@ 2011-07-03 02:23:00

Entry tags:

holly frye, incomplete, regulus black

Who: Holly Frye & Regulus Black
What: Clandestine Hogsmeade encounters
Where: Elephantine, in Hogsmeade
When: Saturday, 2 October, midafternoon
Rating: PG
Status: Incomplete

There were both good and bad things about not having any friends (outside of your twin brother with whom you don't really get along). On the good side, if you're a solitary person, as Holly is, it means a lot of time to yourself. When you're shopping, eating dinner, or just passing time, you don't have to take other people into consideration; you can simply do whatever pleases you. On the bad side, it is really rather lonely.

For years, Holly had convinced herself that the good outweighed the bad; that she was friendless by choice; that she liked it better this way. Of course, those were simply lies. For a girl who understood even the most complex academic concepts with ease, she was unable to figure out how to make proper friends.

At least, that was how it had been up to now. Fairly recently, Holly had had a couple of conversations over the journals with Regulus Black that almost sort of counted as friendly. They certainly seemed to agree a lot, and Holly, at least, had enjoyed their conversation. She knew Regulus because he, like her, was an overachiever, and they shared several classes and clubs. Still, they hadn't exactly spoken properly until then. After that, they had struck up what seemed to be a suspiciously friend-like relationship. Regulus had come and sat next to Holly in History of Magic, and they had continued to have pleasant, enjoyable conversations, just in person instead of over the journals. Because they had been actually getting on, Holly did not feel weird smiling at Regulus in the corridors, or saying hello when they passed. She was rather proud of her newfound social skills, actually.

Holly hadn't seen Regulus yet today, but then, she didn't know whether or not he was planning on going down to the village. Though Holly was not among them, some older students elected not to go to Hogsmeade more often than not, because the novelty had worn off for them. In Holly's opinion, Hogsmeade visits were a much-needed respite from the sometimes claustrophobic castle...and anyway, she had some shopping to do. She was already carrying a couple of bags when she ducked into her favourite shop in the village, Elephantine.

To Holly, the shop felt like home. It was small and tidy, though decorated with several somewhat bizarre objects that reminded her forcibly of her mother. In addition, it sold books, stationery, and tea, three of Holly's favourite things. Almost every Hogsmeade weekend, Holly would choose to forgo the sickly sweet butterbeer and crowded atmosphere of the Three Broomsticks for the strong tea and quiet, sunny bay windows of Elephantine.

Usually, she would browse around a bit, purchase half a dozen books, and read one of them right there in the shop. Today, however, was a little different. Almost as soon as she entered the shop, the quiet chime of a small bell announcing her presence, Holly noticed a familiar shape perusing the muggle literature section. A smile on her face, Holly headed directly over. "Regulus," Holly greeted the boy happily, tapping him on the shoulder. "This is my favourite shop in the village. It figures I'd find you here, considering everything else we have in common."

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toujoursreg
2011-07-04 12:33 am UTC (link)

If Holly was pleased with her progress concerning social interaction, Regulus was over the moon with his own. In all his time at Hogwarts, never had he once put himself forwards in order to make a friend. Even before Sirius left the family home and gave him reason not to trust people, the younger Black brother had never been especially willing to open himself up to the dangers that came with trusting somebody. But ever since he and Holly had interacted (through their journals, no less!) he had been curious to see if anything could come from it. He had pulled himself out of his own designated comfort zone for the first time in his life, mustering up enough courage to ask whether he could sit next to her during one of their lessons. Really, things had only gotten better from then on.

Likewise, Regulus hadn't seen Holly in Hogsmeade yet. He definitely wasn't so confident as to ask her to accompany him and so he had made for the village alone as was customary. He avoided the usual haunts of the students from Hogwarts, since Honeydukes held no appeal for him and it was still far too mild to warrant a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. No, instead he had come directly to Elephantine, where he knew that he would be able to browse the shelves in relative peace and while away his day with tea and a good book. After browsing idly for a while, he slyly made his way to the Muggle literature section whilst tentatively peering around to make sure that nobody was watching. He was more than sure that his choice in reading material would be frowned upon by those of similar blood status to himself and the last thing he wanted was for word to get back to his mother.

Happily tucking himself out of the way as much as possible, Regulus browsed the displays before plucking a volume from the shelf, opening it slowly and trying his hardest not to crack the spine. Indeed, he was half way through the first page when a tap on his shoulder pulled him from the book. His first instinct was to panic, the cover of the book hastily snapping shut as he hurriedly placed it back on the shelf. Once it had been disposed of, he turned his full attention to the blond and tried his best not to let worry shine through his otherwise genuine smile.

"Holly," he said politely, nodding in greeting. Really, he wasn't surprised to see the girl at all, seeing as they did have rather a lot in common. Yet even though he didn't suspect that she'd judge him for his literary choice, he was still a little on edge. "It is my favourite too, although that must be painfully obvious now." Letting his eyes catch sight of the bags in her hands, he looked back at her, "I see you've been busy. I hope you've bought yourself something nice."

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happyhollydays
2011-07-06 09:53 am UTC (link)

Holly certainly noticed that Regulus shelved his book immediately after he noticed her, but chose not to comment on it. Though they were friends (right?), she was not yet comfortable enough with Regulus to nag him as would have been her usual inclination. Instead, she just widened her smile and proceeded with the conversation as though Regulus hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.

"I'm quickly ceasing to be surprised by our similarities, Regulus," Holly replied happily. She truly had never met someone as similar to herself as the boy in front of her, and for a girl with a polar opposite for a twin, the feeling was wonderful.

When Regulus commented on the bags, Holly's smile turned slightly sheepish. She had bought rather more than she had intended to, but she did so very rarely, and she hoarded her pocket money judiciously for occasions such as these. "More somethings than I meant to, really, but Tomes and Scholls got in a truly excellent shipment, Scrivenshaft's was having a sale, and the bazaar had a few stalls' worth of people selling the contents of their attics, so..." Holly shifted her bags a bit as she stood. "Have you done any shopping today?"

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toujoursreg
2011-07-07 08:55 pm UTC (link)

Regulus was pleased that Holly didn't mention the hastily stowed-away novel. He wasn't entirely sure what he would have said should he have been questioned about it. Thankfully the conversation moved on swiftly, with the Slytherin smiling pleasantly at Holly's words. "As am I," he returned, slowly moving in order to hopefully indicate that they should go somewhere else.

As he moved over to one of the vacant window seats, Regulus shook his head. "I don't think you should feel any shame in purchasing things of need," he said calmly, offering the blond a small smile before looking away. His hair fell in front of his eyes at the movement, his fingers coming up to brush it behind his ear. Truthfully, he was still getting used to wearing it so long. "As for myself," he went on to say, "This was my first stop. I am afraid that time passes me by quickly once I step in through the door." Really, it was a wonder if he ever went back to the castle with anything not bought at Elephantine.

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happyhollydays
2011-07-08 06:29 am UTC (link)

Holly noticed Regulus moving, and followed him easily as the conversation continued. The large windows in Elephantine were big enough for two, so she placed her bags on the ground and sat on the left side of the window, leaning against the panes and pulling one leg up on the seat to wrap her arms around, the other dangling off the seat towards the ground.

When Regulus tucked a piece of his hair behind his ear, Holly mirrored him unconsciously before responding to his comments. "The same happens to me, so I always try and make it my last, or else I don't get anything done," said Holly with a knowing smile. "I get some tea and a few books, and I really only intend to stay for maybe an hour, but I lose track of time and suddenly I've got to run to make dinner." Holly paused for a moment, thinking of how many times she'd done precisely that, and then continued. "Have you found anything interesting so far today?"

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toujoursreg
2011-07-08 12:09 pm UTC (link)

With an understanding nod, Regulus got himself settled on the other side of the seat. Unlike Holly's relaxed posture, the Slytherin's remained somewhat rigid, his back almost poker-straight as his hands came together to sit folded in his lap. "I understand all about that," he commented, giving her an understanding nod. Really, how many times had that happened to him? He was sure that there had been times where both he and Holly must have been in the shop at the same time, yet neither had paid the other any mind. Odd how that seemed to work out.

At the mention of finding interesting things, Regulus felt a hint of colour spring up in his cheeks. He had been browsing the muggle section and had found one or two things of interest, yet he felt rather ashamed. He most definitely wasn't going to openly admit to what he had been doing though, instead shaking his head ever so slightly as he continued to avoid Holly's gaze. "Not quite yet," he replied quietly, "Although there is still plenty of time to peruse the shelves."

Clearing his throat slightly, Regulus looked at Holly almost coyly once he was sure that his cheeks had subsided back to their usual paleness. Giving her a small smile, he waited just a moment before asking, "Would you like some tea?"

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happyhollydays
2011-07-10 03:44 am UTC (link)

As Regulus talked about how he had lost time in the shop for hours before, spending entire Hogsmeade visits there, Holly was thinking much the same thing he was: how strange it was that they'd both been in the shop for hours and had never really noticed one another. Holly knew she had a tendency to bury herself in a book and forget the world around her, but even so, it was still surprising to her.

An observant person by nature, Holly noticed Regulus' flush of colour and avoidance of her eyes. She thought about the question she had asked, but she failed to see how asking him if he had found anything interesting would elicit a reaction like that. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly in confusion, but her countenance cleared once he smiled up at her. Something about his expression made her notice, in a way she simply hadn't before, that the boy in front of her was really rather good looking. What that revelation meant, if anything, was not yet clear to Holly.

She mused on that for a second before she realised that he had asked her a question. "Oh, um--yes, let's get some tea, I've been looking forward to it all morning," she recovered with a smile.

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toujoursreg
2011-07-10 06:24 am UTC (link)

Regulus didn't notice Holly staring at him. Instead he stood once she'd answered, turning to her whilst maintaining his smile. He then proceeded to ask her how exactly she liked her tea and what variety before stalking off to the counter to order. As he waited, he took a moment to scan the nearest shelf for something of interest. He didn't want to head back to the table with no book, especially considering the haste with which he'd returned his previous one to the stacks upon Holly's unexpected arrival. Luckily for him, it didn't take long for him to find something, nor did it take especially long for their tea to be ready.

Setting both cups down on the table nearest to the window seat, Regulus sat back down before inclining his body towards the Hufflepuff. "I really am not surprised that we have the same preferences when it comes to tea as well," he confessed, continuing to smile and actually feeling very much okay with doing so. It had been a while since he'd truly smiled, so long that he thought he might have forgotten how to do so.

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