Chapter 23

Kreacher was bustling around the kitchen, trying to make sure that the food that went out to the guests was perfect. He knew that his mistress demanded only the best quality, especially at a party such as this. So when Master Regulus entered, supporting a girl with chestnut hair and flushed cheeks, he didn't quite know what to do.

"Kreacher; could you bring that stool over here?" Regulus asked, as his grip on Vivienne's back tightened. She wasn't all that heavy, but it was still a relief to his arms when he could set her down on the kitchen stool that Kreacher hastily brought. Vivienne plopped down on it, the skirt of her dress hanging off the seat gracefully.

"Oh hello, Peppy," she said lightly, when she saw Kreacher. "What are you doing here?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "I don't know who Peppy is, but that's Kreacher, our house elf. Kreacher, this is Miss Vivienne Rosier. She's had a bit too much to drink."

Vivienne only proved his statement true by giggling and sticking her hand out happily to Kreacher. The house elf's eyes widened, as he looked unsure what to do. It wasn't every day that a witch offered to shake his hand. Had Vivienne been in her right mind, she certainly wouldn't have done it. Glancing warily at his master, Kreacher let his fingers lightly brush Vivienne's hand before dropping it hastily. She smiled happily at him. "Isn't he the perfect gentleman? Your house elf has got better manners than you, Black."

"I'm sure," Regulus replied drily. "Kreacher, please tell me that you can find something which will sober Vivienne up? A potion?"

Kreacher's eyes widened. "Kreacher does not know of any potion which can counter the effects of Firewhisky, master."

Regulus sighed. What was he supposed to do now? He glanced down at Vivienne, who was fiddling absent-mindedly with the hem of her skirt. If he let her go out like this, no doubt her parents would notice that something was wrong. And since he'd taken her into the kitchen, he might be blamed. "We need to get her to think straight," Regulus insisted. "A Wit-Sharpening Potion? Will that clear her head?"

Kreacher nodded. "Yes, Master. Kreacher can brew a Wit-Sharpening Potion in a few minutes."

"Thank you."

Regulus was a little relieved as the house elf went about the kitchen to gather the necessary ingredients. Vivienne was still fiddling with her skirt silently. He pulled up another stool and sat beside her. "Merlin, Rosier, you just love giving me trouble, don't you?"

Vivienne shrugged. Her lower lip was jutting out in a pout and her fingers played with the hem. "I'm lonely," she said finally, looking up at him as her shoulders slumped. "Do you ever feel lonely, Regulus?"

Oh, for the love of- "No, Rosier. And you're not lonely either, you're just drunk."

"No, I'm lonely," she replied sadly. Her big chocolate brown eyes looked so pitiful that Regulus almost felt a rush of sympathy towards her. But then again, this was Vivienne Rosier. She could make any bloody person in this world love her, how could she possibly feel lonely? "I think you're lonely too. Are you?"

"No."

"I am."

"Yes, I got that."

Vivienne was silent again, and Regulus didn't quite know what to do. Part of him wanted to laugh. Clearly Vivienne was prone to self-pity when she was drunk; she wouldn't be the first person who was. He glanced at Kreacher, who had just put the cauldron on. The Potion would take a little while. Maybe he could have some fun. He leaned back and smiled. "Why are you lonely, Rosier?"

Vivienne looked up at him. "Because nobody loves me. People only love me because I lie to them. About how they look and things like that. I don't want to lie. But if I don't, people won't love me. So I'm lonely."

Regulus wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or feel sympathetic. Deciding that it was probably better not to laugh, he sighed. "Maybe you don't give them a chance to love you. You don't have to flatter everyone the moment they meet you, Rosier. You should give people a chance to know who you really are, underneath all the sycophancy."

Vivienne blinked. "What does that mean? Sy-sycophancy? Is it food?" she glanced around the kitchen. "I'm hungry. I hope it's dessert."

Regulus sighed and got up from the stool. What was the point in giving her advice if she wasn't even paying attention? He walked to the other side of the large kitchen and leaned over the potion that Kreacher had bubbling in the cauldron. It smelled right; it should only take another two or three minutes.

A loud voice broke the silence. "Regulus! For Merlin's sake, what are you doing in the kitchen?" demanded Walburga Black. She was standing in the doorway, looking annoyed. Regulus' eyes widened and he quickly walked over to his mother, closing the kitchen door behind her. "Is this Vivienne? Darling, is everything all right?" she asked her, in a much softer voice.

Vivienne's big chocolate brown eyes were watery. "Mrs. Black, I'm such a terrible person!" she wailed suddenly, from where she was sitting on the stool. Regulus could only watch in silent horror as the girl stood up and threw her arms around his mother. "I'm so sorry!"

Walburga Black looked startled as Vivienne sobbed against her shoulder. She froze for a moment, and then awkwardly patted her back, while glancing at her son. Regulus looked as though he wanted to slam his head against a wall repeatedly. Was this really the time for Vivienne to be repenting all her mistakes? Regulus' mother gave him a shocked look, before turning her attention back to Vivienne. "There, there, dear. Why don't you tell me what happened? Was it Regulus? Did he upset you?"

"Mum!" Regulus cried indignantly. He was bloody trying to help the girl and somehow it was his fault that she was sobbing her eyes out? "Honestly, it's fine. She's a bit upset about something, I don't think she wants to-"

Vivienne nodded her head, as Walburga Black carefully helped the girl sit on the stool again. "Mrs. Black, I've been lying to you this whole time. And I'm sorry, because you've always been nice to me, and..." Vivienne sniffed, as Regulus wondered what she would say. No doubt she was about to blurt out something stupid and he needed to stop her.

"Kreacher!" Regulus insisted. "The potion, please, now!"

"What potion?" demanded Walburga Black. Turning, she glared at her son. "Regulus, you will explain to me what potion you are brewing and what has dear Vivienne in tears this instant!"

Regulus sighed. "Mum, I will in a minute, I just think it's a good idea if we give Vivienne the potion before she says something stupid."

"I'm not going to say anything stupid!" Vivienne cried indignantly, glaring at Regulus. She was sniffing again. "Mrs. Black, I just want to t-tell you the truth! I-I lost the bet that we had and-" she paused, hiccupping slightly. Her hoarse voice was making it difficult to understand what she was saying. "And I-I had to tell you that I was having an a-affair, so that you'd hate me, but everyone already hates me, and-"

Bloody hell. Regulus sighed in relief as Kreacher finally brought over the finished potion. He gestured for the house elf to make Vivienne drink it, as he took his mother's arm. "Mum, can we please talk while Vivienne drinks the potion? I'll explain everything, I promise."

Walburga Black followed her son to the other end of the kitchen, looking both confused and angry. "Regulus, what is the meaning of this?"

"Mum, she's drunk. She had some Firewhisky, she doesn't know what she's saying. I had Kreacher make a Wit-Sharpening Potion so that nobody would find out," Regulus explained quickly. No lie was elaborate enough to explain what was going on, and Regulus preferred to stick to the truth. "I probably should have come to you first."

Walburga Black's anger melted away. She glanced at Vivienne sympathetically, who was still crying and shaking her head while Kreacher attempted to coax her to take the potion. "Oh, the poor dear! Did she pick up the wrong glass or something of the sort? Those men; they don't even know how to be careful with their drinks when there are children about!"

Regulus raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Perhaps it was better not to mention that Vivienne had taken the Firewhisky intentionally. "Erm, yes."

Walburga shook her head with a sigh. "But what did she mean about lying to me? And she said something about an affair, Regulus; do you know what that's about?"

Regulus cleared his throat uncomfortably. "No clue, Mum."

"Don't lie to me," Walburga replied tersely. "I'm your mother, I know when you're lying. Now Vivienne might have been drunk, but she certainly wasn't spinning stories out of thin air. Is she really having an affair with someone? Merlin, Regulus, was she talking about you?"

Bloody-How the hell was Regulus supposed to explain this now? He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The truth was too complicated, and Regulus had never been very good at telling elaborate lies. Walburga Black's eyes widened once more, in a mixture of delight and disappointment. "Regulus Arcturus Black, do you mean to tell me that all this time, you've been with Vivienne, and you didn't tell me? No wonder the poor girl is racked with guilt! Honestly, if you'd said that the two of you had feelings for each other, we would have arranged a betrothal instead of all this unnecessary secrecy! Your father and I would most certainly have approved!"

Regulus was speechless. "What? No, Mum-it's not like that, really-"

"Don't be silly," Walburga Black replied, frowning. "Judging by how guilty Vivienne looked, I'm sure it was all your idea to keep this a secret. I will not let you create a scandal out of what would be a wonderful match for you. As a matter of fact, I will go speak to your father right now and we will talk to the Rosiers about a betrothal."

"You can't tell her parents about it! She'll go mental! Not that she already isn't, but-"

"I most certainly will be telling her parents! I'm very disappointed, Regulus, I think we raised you better than this. You shouldn't have had a secret relationship with Vivienne. I can only hope that for Merlin's sake the two of you haven't crossed any boundaries that shouldn't have been crossed!"

Regulus flushed red as he understood what his mother was saying. "No! Mum, that is not what happened! There isn't any secret relationship!"

Walburga Black raised an eyebrow. "Then please explain what Vivienne was talking about."

"I..."

His mother shook her head. "We'll finish this discussion after the party. You will help Vivienne straighten up and once the guests are gone, we will talk about this."

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Once Walburga Black was gone, Regulus walked back over to where Vivienne was sitting. Kreacher had finally coaxed her into taking a swig of the Wit-Sharpening Potion, and her nose scrunched up as the disgusting liquid went down her throat. "Merlin, this stuff tastes awful. Why is my face all wet? Have I been crying? Oh, thank goodness that buzzing in my head has stopped, it was driving me insane."

Regulus folded his arms across his chest. "My mother thinks we're having an affair."

Vivienne looked up at him calmly. "I don't think the Potion worked. I'm going to take another sip and then you say what you just said again, all right?"

"Oh, it worked," Regulus replied sharply. He took the flask from her hands and banged it down on the kitchen counter. "Listen to me, Rosier. You got yourself drunk and you blurted out some nonsense to my mother. Now she thinks that we've been having an affair all this time and she's about to go to your parents to suggest a betrothal."

"What? No, you can't let her say anything to my parents! Where did she even get that idea from?" Vivienne demanded. Her brown eyes had gone wide. She opened her mouth to yell again, but her head exploded with pain. "Ohh... I feel like someone's bashing my head in with a hammer!"

"Well, that's what happens when you have four glasses of Firewhisky!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Vivienne cried. She looked like she was going to cry again, and Regulus softened a little. He stayed silent for a moment, as she waited for the sharp pain to subside. She finally looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much I'd drunk."

Regulus sighed. "Well, we can't help that. But we need to do something or we'll find ourselves betrothed to each other this time next week. I'm assuming you don't want that to happen?"

"I don't know. I can't think," Vivienne mumbled. "I suppose not. Do you?"

Regulus paused for a moment. He hadn't really considered it. Although the idea of spending the rest of his life with Vivienne Rosier was a little scary, the thought wasn't exactly... unpleasant. Regulus had never expected to marry for love, he'd always thought that his parents would find some pureblood girl once he was of age. But why not Vivienne? She was beautiful, and his mother loved her. Regulus had to admit that they'd been getting along lately. He was even attracted to her, and maybe, they could love each other at some point. Regulus' stomach started spinning at the thought. Was he really considering marrying Vivienne? "I, erm, I don't know either."

Vivienne looked up at him in surprise. She stood up slowly from the stool and grabbed the counter to steady herself. "Well, I just had four glasses of Firewhisky, so I'm not in a fit condition to make any decisions. What's your excuse?"

"My excuse?" Regulus' throat was dry, as Vivienne moved closer to him slowly, the stool being the only thing that remained between them. Her big brown eyes were staring up at him expectantly, and he didn't know what to do. How could he tell her that the idea of being married to her wasn't repulsive at all? That it was actually rather... appealing? He moved closer to her as well, and suddenly he could smell the faint tang of Firewhisky and her perfume. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Are you thinking about it?" she asked him softly. She looked a little confused, but there was no smug grin or teasing glint in her eyes. "The betrothal? You're actually thinking about it?"

"I suppose I am," Regulus admitted uncomfortably.

"Why?"

"Because you're completely drunk and you made a mess of tonight, that I had to clean up, but I still..." he took a deep breath, and his hand reached out to touch her cheek. Her skin felt so soft against his thumb, and he held it there for a minute, on her flushed face. "I don't know. Does it repulse you? The idea of being married to me?"

Vivienne shook her head. "It doesn't repulse me at all. I just... I just don't want your mother telling my parents that we've been having some sort of affair. You don't know my father. If he thought I was having an affair with someone, even though you're a pureblood and everything, he would be furious. I don't think I could face him. Regulus, you can't let her say that to my parents."

Regulus sighed. "Well, I don't know what to do."

"Do anything, please," Vivienne whispered. She could still feel his cool fingers on her cheek and his grey eyes looking down at hers. There was no mistaking the expression in them. "Let her suggest the betrothal, as long as she doesn't say anything about an affair."

"And if your parents agree to the betrothal?"

"I... I don't know," Vivienne muttered. She sighed. "Merlin, Regulus, I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I just wanted to try some Firewhisky, I probably should have done it while I was alone. I didn't mean to get you into a situation where you'd be forced to agree to marry me because your Mum thinks we've been shagging each other."

Regulus gave her a wry smile. "I still don't know if I can talk her out of telling your parents about the affair. She wouldn't keep quiet about something like that if she thinks it's true. There's no changing her mind."

Vivienne was silent for a moment. Her head was still feeling a little fuzzy, and she smiled up at Regulus. He was watching her with an expression so serious that for a moment, she wanted to laugh. "Well, if she'd going to tell them anyway, we might as well make it true. I'm not going to get the scolding without ever having had the fun."

"What?"

Vivienne's grip on his shoulder tightened as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his softly. He was taller than her, but the moment their lips brushed, Regulus shifted the hand that was on her cheek to the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Their lips were still barely touching when Vivienne made to pull away. Regulus held her in place with his hands. "Don't play games with me Vivienne," he mumbled, his grey eyes narrowing slightly. "I don't know if I can stand it."

Vivienne smiled lightly. "I'm just trying to get this bloody stool out of the way," she replied, as she pushed it aside with her foot and stepped closer to him. Regulus grinned back as his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. He could still feel her warmth and smell that intoxicating perfume. "Better, isn't it?"

"Much," he replied hoarsely. Vivienne glanced up into his eyes once more, before his lips crashed down onto hers. She tasted of Firewhisky, and Regulus wasn't sure whether the buzzing in his head was because of the alcohol or the way Vivienne's lips melted against his. She gasped lightly into his mouth as he pulled her towards him until their bodies were flush against each other. Vivienne was tugging at his hair lightly. For a moment, neither of them remembered the kitchen or the fact that Kreacher the house elf had bolted out of the room as soon as he saw them start to kiss. Vivienne could only feel the passion coursing through her body, and the giddiness that was almost making her feel drunk again.

"You're bloody driving me crazy," Regulus whispered as his lips slowly danced over her jaw. Vivienne could only nod; the way his warm hands were stroking her lower back was sending shivers through her body. His lips paused on her neck. "I don't want to play these games, Vivienne. I think I want to marry you."

Vivienne froze, and Regulus slowly lifted his head until he was looking her in the eyes. He couldn't believe that he'd just blurted that out, but it wasn't as if he could take it back. He waited for her to respond as her mouth dropped open slightly. "You're not... you're not serious?"

"I am."

Vivienne stared at him, as she took a deep breath. All the blood had rushed to her face, and she still felt kind of fuzzy. Regulus' grey eyes were staring at her so intently that, coupled with the after-effects of the Firewhisky, she couldn't think straight. Had he just asked her to marry him? Merlin, I'd do anything if it meant that he would kiss me like that again. But she shook her head, trying to be rational. "I don't want to say something that I'll regret, Regulus. I should probably think about this."

For some reason, that made Regulus smile. Vivienne was a little surprised. She thought he might be upset that she wasn't more eager, but for some reason, he was grinning at her. "Sorry, it's just a little odd that I'm being impulsive while you're actually thinking things through logically. What have we done to each other?" he asked.

Vivienne grinned back. "I don't know. Maybe it was the kiss. We should do it again and set each other straight."

"I don't mind trying that."

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A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; sorry it took a while.

Let me know what you think!