You’ve talked a little about your hypothetical OC for Regulus and I’m curious who do you think would approach the other first? In my eyes- I imagine this witch as being more outgoing, because I could see Reg being reserved enough for two people 😂, but I could also see this being an opportunity for Regulus to gain some more confidence. Of course you know her better than me, so I’d love to hear more of your thoughts :)
I could tell you about who she is and how they met, but she's really not one for letting others talk for her, so it would be far better if I showed you :)
Regulus’s fingers clung tight to the icy handrail as he slipped on the owlery steps. Regaining his balance, he shuddered as the bitter December chill washed over him. The morning air was icier than usual, even for winter in Scotland, and the young Black had no desire to spend a moment longer out in it than necessary. But alas, this most pressing of jobs simply could not wait for the snow to cease.
“Estella!” he called up into the bird-laden beams of the tower. “Estella, come down here!”
The snoozing owls screeched in protest at the noise as they buried their heads beneath their wings for warmth. Regulus craned his neck as he circled the space below the beams. His heavy breath clouded his upward view, leaving him at a loss as to how he was meant to pick out his own owl from the flock. Perhaps she’d gone out? Surely not in this weather.
Aha. Regulus finally spotted her up on a high beam. The haughty-looking eagle owl seemed to scowl down at him, refusing to budge off of her perch even as her glaring gaze met his own.
“Estella, come down here, I’ve got a job for you” Regulus urged through chattering teeth.
A fresh gust of icy wind ripped through the tower and he felt his annoyance flaring as his body tensed against a fierce shiver. There were far better places to be spending a Saturday morning, he thought to himself as images of the blazing Slytherin common room fireplace taunted his mind’s eye.
“Damn it, bird, get down here now!”
“I’m not surprised she won’t come down if that’s the way you talk to her”
The soft, feminine voice made Regulus jump. His head whipped round towards the voice, to a darkened corner of the owlery where a girl was crouched in the shadows. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and, perched atop one of them, was a large barn owl which nibbled happily at seeds from her outstretched palm.
“I’m sorry” said Regulus, awkwardly. “I didn’t realise anyone else was up here”
“Clearly” The girl’s voice (with a distinct, rather musical-sounding accent, Regulus thought to himself) was hushed so as not to disturb the owls. Her tone was not unkind. From the flicker of pale sunlight in the shadows where she crouched, Regulus could make out a faint smile. “I wouldn’t have thought you were capable of such an outburst. You didn’t even shout that loud when you won the Quidditch Cup last year - not that you deserved to win after you stole that Snitch from me”
Regulus felt a wave of realisation wash over him.
“Oh, it’s you!” he exclaimed before he could stop himself.
The girl let out a small laugh as she gently coaxed the owl off of her knee and rose to her feet.
“Yes, it’s me” she replied as she stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Her porcelain, heart-shaped face held a warm smile. “Though I’d prefer it if you called me Aneira”
She took a step towards Regulus and held out her hand.
“Ah yes, of course” Regulus said hurriedly as he gave her hand a rather awkward shake. “That is, I really ought to have known that. Your name, I mean. I apologise”
“Well, why would you?” Aneira shrugged off his apology. “This is the first time we’ve properly met - aside from on the pitch, of course”
Images of last year’s Quidditch Cup final played over in Regulus’s mind’s eye. Memories of chasing, soaring and deep-diving in pursuit of a faint flash of gold raced through his mind - and the lightning-fast Ravenclaw Seeker, ever hot on his tail, who’s image raced through his mind in a blurred flash of blue-and-bronze.
The same blue-and-bronze of the scarf wrapped around the girl’s neck, accentuating the delicate strands of bright strawberry blonde hair tumbling loosely about her shoulders.
It was true, Regulus thought to himself, that despite being in the same year, he’d scarcely noticed Aneira off of the Quidditch pitch before now. But then again, his year of Slytherins shared very few classes with their Ravenclaw counterparts. If they did, he felt sure he’d have noticed before how the fine strands of her hair glinted rather strikingly in the light, or how her jade-coloured eyes sparkled when she smiled.
"I don't suppose you'd like to introduce yourself, then?" Aneira quirked an eyebrow expectantly.
"Oh. Yes. Of course" Regulus fought to keep his voice even in spite of his ever-growing desire to kick himself. "Regulus. Regulus Black"
"Well then, I'm Aneira Selwyn, if we're keeping it formal" Aneria smiled again as she shook anew the hand Regulus had forgotten she was still holding.
"Pleased to meet you. Properly, anyway." Regulus withdrew his hand at last and tugged at the neck of his green-and-silver scarf, wondering when the usually incredibly draughty owlery had become quite so stuffy. “So, ah, what brings you up here today?”
“The same as yourself, I should imagine” Aneira replied, pulling an envelope out from the inside pocket of her cloak. “Sending a letter”
Regulus, internally cursing his own stupidity, noticed the letter in her hand with “Papa” written in elegant cursive and finished with a single kiss. With enviable ease, Aneira glanced up at the beams and beckoned down one of the school's own barn owls, who seemed only too happy to offer its leg for her to attach her letter.
“Oh. Yes, of course” Regulus reached into his cloak pocket and fiddled with his own envelope, addressed to ‘Orion Arcturus Black, Esq.’ “Yes, well. I’m sorry to have disturbed you, in any case. I’m sure you’ve other things to be getting on with. I won’t keep you”
Aneira smiled again and laughed, though not unkindly.
“Nothing more interesting than watching you argue with your owl, I can assure you” she remarked as she took the owl to the window and sent it off gently into the sky.
Regulus felt his cheeks tingle.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that” he murmured. “Estella certainly can be stubborn at times”
And that’s putting it mildly, he seethed to himself as he glared up at his owl. Estella’s bright orange gaze glared back at him stubbornly.
Aneira reached deeply into her cloak pocket and walked past Regulus to stand directly beneath the beam on which Estella sat high above.
“Estella” She called, lightly. “Would you come down here, please?”
She withdrew her hand from her cloak and held it up high for the owl to see the handful of pumpkin seeds which sat upon her palm.
Estella’s glaring eyes widened at the sight of the seeds and, to Regulus’s amazement, she gave a soft hoot and fluttered down to land neatly on Aneira’s shoulder.
“Thank you” Aneira offered the owl a seed.
The seed was gone in a second, and Estella pecked at the wool of Aneira’s glove, demanding more of the treats locked tightly beneath her curled fingers.
“Now, you may have another - if you agree to deliver Regulus’s letter. Does that sound like a deal?”
Estella gave a reluctant but agreeing hoot, and was duly rewarded with a second seed when she offered her leg for the letter.
“You have quite a way with her” said Regulus as he tied the letter to Estella’s leg. “It’s often rather the battle of wills before I can get her to do as I ask”
“Then perhaps you ought to try looking at it from her perspective” Aneira walked to the open window with Estella still perched on her shoulder. She beckoned the bird down her arm with another pumpkin seed and, with a fond stroke of her beak, gave her a soft launch out into the sky. “Would you want to fly hundreds of miles in this weather on someone else’s orders when you could be tucked up warm in bed?”
“I suppose it would depend on who was giving the order,” Regulus pondered, watching Estella fade into a dot on the horizon as she soared over the hilltops.
“The key is incentive” Aneira’s voice was brisk, in spite of Regulus’s withdrawn tone. “I find sunflower seeds work best but a lot of the owls enjoy pumpkin seeds, too. They have a good treat selection at the Post Office in Hogsmeade. I can show you, if you like? There’s a trip next weekend”
Regulus was taken aback by the girl’s forwardness.
“I, uh, know the way to the Post Office. Thank you” He cringed at how ungratefully dismissive his words came out. It had sounded far less prim in his head. He could have hit himself.
“Well, I thought as much,” Aneira chuckled, seemingly unphased, much to Regulus’s surprise. “I just thought you might like the company. Or some help choosing?”
She looked up at him expectantly, eyebrows raised expectantly. Regulus found there was something captivating about those jade eyes. They were kind, but expectant - in a way that suggested that her words were more of a declaration of intent than an offer of help.
“Ah… Yes” Regulus found himself saying, taking himself by surprise. “Yes, please. That would be nice”
“We could go for some tea afterwards if you like?”
Regulus hesitated, taken aback by the girl’s forwardness.
“I’m not entirely sure that would be appropriate” he stared down at his fingers as they fiddled with the hem of his scarf.
“Really, it’s an offer of tea, not a proposal of marriage”
Regulus couldn’t decide whether it was Aneira’s words or the way she rolled her eyes with a playful smile as she spoke which made his cheeks tingle again. He was sure they must practically be glowing.
“Of course” he forced out a chuckle, aided by a smile which came far more naturally than he expected. “Yes, then. That is- That would be nice. Tea sounds nice”
Perhaps she somehow didn’t notice his nervousness, or could it be that she simply didn’t care? Either way, Regulus was grateful for Aneira’s look of genuine happiness at his acceptance of her offer.
“I’ll meet you in the front courtyard at eleven, then?”
“Yes” Regulus found himself nodding. “Alright”
“Perfect” Aneira smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulders as she headed for the door. “It’s a date”
Regulus’s breath caught in his throat.
“A what?” He attempted to call after her, but she was gone, carried down the owlery stairs by the fierce wind before he could fully process what she’d said.
Regulus stood for a moment, stunned, wondering whether the whirlwind of last ten minutes or so had truly happened.
“Well” Regulus said to himself, wondering when exactly the grin plastered across his face had appeared. “I wasn’t expecting that”
