Chapter 25

The weather was turning colder, and Christmas break was just a few days away. This Christmas, the three of us decided to stay at school.

Even if Severus went home, he'd be alone, and staying at school would allow him to work on his potion research. Hughes had recently been promoted, and he and his wife decided to go skiing in Scotland for the holidays. I didn't want to leave Severus alone for Christmas, so I stayed at school. Seeing that we were staying, Lily decided to stay too. Petunia wrote a resentful letter, complaining about being bored since none of us were coming home. With Lily staying, James Potter also decided not to go home, and Sirius followed suit. Remus usually stayed at school, and Peter always stuck with the other three. As a result, Hogwarts was lively this Christmas.

I was in the hospital wing's office, helping Madam Pomfrey organize potions, when a student came in. I heard Madam Pomfrey exclaim, "Oh! Dear, are you alright? What happened? Lie down quickly!"

I rushed out of the office and saw a thin black-haired boy limping towards a bed. As I got closer, I realized it was Regulus Black, and his face was covered with strange red rashes that spread from his neck down into his clothes. The boy had already taken off his shoes and was half-leaning on the headboard.

"Child, can you tell me what happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked while raising her wand and casting a diagnostic spell. A pale blue light swept over the boy's swollen ankle. "Your ankle is just a bit swollen, not dislocated. Sawyer, can you help him?"

"Sure, Madam." I stepped forward and used a spell to reduce the swelling in the boy's ankle, which still looked red.

"It was an accident," the boy muttered, not offering any further explanation.

Madam Pomfrey examined the red rashes on his face and instructed him to change his clothes before pulling the curtains and heading to the office with me.

"Mr. Black's rashes are likely caused by a failed spell, a magical injury that will take some time to heal," Madam Pomfrey noted in the medical register. "After a thorough examination, I'll need to consult with Professor Slughorn about brewing the right potion for him. Can you watch over him for a while?" she asked.

"No problem, Madam." Watching over him wouldn't require much—just being there in case he needed anything.

When I returned to the bedside, Regulus had changed into hospital robes. Madam Pomfrey lifted his shirt to check the rashes on his body. Regulus squirmed uncomfortably, likely due to my presence. I stifled a laugh.

After finishing the examination, Madam Pomfrey gave a few instructions and left through the fireplace. I pulled up a chair and sat by the window, chatting with him.

"Are you alright? Do you need some water?" I asked the frail boy with concern.

"No, I'm fine. These rashes don't hurt or itch; they just look scary," Regulus shrugged.

"Who did this? Gryffindors or Slytherins?" I guessed it could only be students from those two houses.

"There's no evidence. They wouldn't leave any trace."

"So, Slytherins then?" I concluded. Such meticulousness couldn't come from Gryffindors, who preferred open confrontation.

He didn't confirm my guess explicitly. "Seems you know Slytherins well."

"Yes, I've come to understand them a bit, thanks to my best friend being a Slytherin," I said, thinking of Severus with a smile.

"You mean Snape, right? I admire him, but he's always been cold towards me," Regulus said, a bit regretfully.

"It's Severus who showed me many admirable Slytherin qualities, but I've also seen their tactics. In our first year, Severus dealt with many troublemakers," I said proudly. "He's not friendly to anyone, so don't take it personally. But your brother constantly bothering him probably didn't help."

I noticed Regulus's expression darken at the mention of Sirius. "Is it because of Sirius?" I guessed.

After a moment of silence, he sighed. "He came to the dungeons a few days ago, asking if I was going home for Christmas, wanting me to stay with them. A lot of people overheard."

"If he wasn't Sirius, your brother, I'd suspect he did it on purpose."

Regulus gave a bitter smile. Having such a brother was certainly troublesome.

"Are you going home for Christmas? The rashes will take some time to heal, and resting at home would be better."

"No," he shook his head. "I don't want my family to know."

He didn't want them to worry and didn't want them to know he was being troubled because of Sirius. He still cared about his brother. I didn't press further.

"Don't think too much. Have a good Christmas. Severus and I are also staying at school, so it'll just be you two Slytherins staying. For now, rest in the hospital wing. I'll bring you dinner later."

"Thank you, Hill."

"Call me Sawyer, Regulus."

"Alright, Sawyer."

Regulus stayed in the hospital wing for a few days before returning to his dormitory for the holiday. The rashes on his face had faded a bit, at least not looking as scary. Over these days, we became quite familiar.

On Christmas Eve morning, Severus and I ran into Regulus in the hallway. He greeted us, "Good day, Snape, Sawyer."

Severus nodded curtly, while I smiled back. "Good day, Regulus. Feeling better today? Remember to get more potion from Madam Pomfrey if you've run out."

"I will. Goodbye."

He waved and walked away. Severus glanced at Regulus's departing figure. "Regulus? Sawyer, I didn't know you two were so close," Severus remarked, almost too casually.

"Regulus spent several days in the hospital wing, thanks to his wonderful brother. We got along well. You should try talking to him. He's not bad."

Severus's expression stiffened slightly, and he huffed, not saying anything.

After that, Severus was even colder to Regulus than before. Regulus privately complained to me, wondering what he had done to offend Severus. He blamed it on Sirius.

On Christmas morning, I woke up naturally, feeling well-rested. The dormitory was empty—Lily had already gone out. She had plans with James and his friends. Stretching and yawning, I opened my eyes to find a pair of large eyes staring at me. I gasped, barely suppressing a scream. Why did I have to be startled like this on Christmas morning?

"Tito? What are you doing here?" I recognized the house-elf, even though they all looked similar.

"Yes! Miss Sawyer recognizes Tito! Tito found Miss Sawyer! Oh… Master Xia will praise Tito for sure. Oh, poor Master Xia…" The elf cried, its high-pitched voice echoing.

Was this a Christmas surprise? A wailing house-elf? I endured the shrill noise, silently complaining.

"Tito, calm down! Quiet!" I had to shout to get it to stop. It quieted down, only sniffling. "Can you tell me what's going on? Why are you here?"

"Oh… Miss Sawyer doesn't know… Poor Miss Sawyer, growing up in a Muggle family, must have suffered. Tito is a bad elf… bad elf!" Seeing it about to bash its head against the bedpost, I quickly stopped it.

"Explain first! I don't understand—" I vaguely sensed that I was about to learn something significant.

"Tito should tell Miss Sawyer everything—" The elf started recounting a tragic love story from fifteen years ago, tears streaming down its face.