Chapter 298: Stay the Night, Cousin Narcissa [bonus]
After the speech, Bella stepped back from the center of the crowd. Sound returned to the hall in slow degrees.
A few clusters gathered near where she'd stood, trading fragments of her words in voices still edged with adrenaline.
"Regulus! Regulus!"
Cuthbert pushed through the crowd, face lit up with excitement.
He'd dressed well tonight. Dark grey dress robes, the Avery family crest pinned at his collar.
Regulus gave Cuthbert a nod, then turned to the elder Avery and extended his hand. "Mr. Avery."
The older man clasped it, held for a beat, released. His tone was warm enough. "Cuthbert hasn't been giving you trouble at school, I hope?"
"We're friends. There's no trouble between friends." Regulus smiled, easy and unremarkable, the way any boy would when cornered by a classmate's father.
He added, "Cuthbert's been a real help to me at school, actually."