The night at Hogwarts was suffocating in its silence, a heavy stillness that clung to the ancient stone walls like a shroud. Regulus Black stood alone in the main courtyard, the cold seeping into his bones as snow fell steadily from the darkened sky. It blanketed the grounds and covered his hair and shoulders, making him appear almost spectral in the moonlight. But Regulus was far from feeling ethereal. The chill of the night air was nothing compared to the icy dread that coiled in his chest, tightening its grip with every breath he took.

His thoughts were a chaotic tangle, each one darker and more consuming than the last. The secrets he carried felt like a lead weight, dragging him down into an abyss from which there was no escape. The burden of his choices, of the path he had been set on, pressed heavily on his mind, leaving him feeling more isolated than ever. He had always known that the Black family name came with expectations, with duties, but he had never imagined it would lead him here—standing alone in the dead of night, his soul fractured and his future uncertain.

The courtyard, usually a place of tranquility, now felt like a prison. The walls of Hogwarts, meant to protect, seemed to close in on him, suffocating in their ancient wisdom. Regulus clenched his fists, the cold biting into his skin, but it was a welcome distraction from the storm raging inside him. He was angry — angry at himself, at his family, at the world that had forced him into this corner. But more than that, he was afraid. He knew what he had to do, what was expected of him, but the cost...The cost was something he wasn’t sure he could bear.

Lost in his thoughts, Regulus didn’t notice the approaching footsteps until they were almost upon him. His head snapped up, and his eyes, cold and sharp, locked onto the intruder. His body tensed instinctively, his mind racing through the possibilities — was it a teacher? Filch? Or perhaps...No, it was you. The Slytherin prefect who should have known better than to be out at this hour. Regulus’s expression hardened, a mask of hostility slipping into place.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice low and edged with barely contained irritation. He knew he sounded harsh, but he couldn’t afford to let anyone get close, not now. Not when everything was falling apart.