September 1978

Freya stared unabashedly at the Slytherin table, her eyes focused on one Slytherin in particular. She tilted her head slightly and barely touched her food as she watched the young man laugh with his friends, his dark hair just long enough that it was hanging in his eyes. She heard the blonde girl beside her speaking to her about something, but she didn't process her words. Suddenly, the Slytherin seventh year's eyes found Freya's, and his grey eyes twinkled mischievously before he winked at her. Freya grinned, allowing her hazel eyes to linger on him for a moment longer. A pair of fingers appeared in her line of vision, snapping at her. Freya rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her best friend, Diana Massey, raising an eyebrow at her. Diana repeated her question. "Why are you staring at Regulus Black?"

Freya chuckled softly. "I don't know. I just felt like staring at him. What's wrong with that?" she asked her fellow Gryffindor.

Diana shrugged, her tight golden curls bouncing slightly where the ends brushed against her shoulders as she did. "Just the looks you two were giving each other. It almost looked like you were flirting. You know your brother wouldn't like it, and Sirius wouldn't either."

Freya shook her head and gazed down at the shepherd's pie on her plate, digging her fork into it again for another bite. "It's just a look. James and Sirius can shove it. Besides, just because Sirius snogged me a couple times last year doesn't mean that he has any claim over me." Diana gave her a disapproving look as she ate a bite of her dinner. Swallowing, Freya said indignantly, "What? Sirius is the one who said he didn't want to get involved in a relationship, and that's just fine by me. It's not like he's a bloody fairytale prince or anything; he can be a right git when he wants to be, so I doubt it would've worked out anyway."

Diana sighed. "I can't blame you any there," Diana replied. "But do you really have to go proving it by flirting with his brother?"

Freya slapped her hand lightly against the wooden table. "Oh, for goodness sake, Diana. It's not flirting to simply look at a guy."

"What would you call it then?"

A roguish grin spread on Freya's face as she turned her eyes back to Regulus, who she found was watching her, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Admiring the view." Diana rolled her eyes at Freya's comment, but let the subject drop.

The Welcome Feast ended, prompting the students to exit the Great Hall and head to their respective houses. Freya walked out of the Great Hall with Diana and Charlotte Dolan, another Gryffindor, laughing as Charlotte divulged her summer exploits in the Muggle world with a local Muggle lifeguard. As the Gryffindor girls reached the foot of the flight of stairs in the Entrance Hall, a hand shot out and latched on to Freya's elbow, pulling her around the railing to a more secluded spot in the shadows under the stairs. Freya was pushed roughly up against the wall and pinned there by a strong, muscular body. Freya smirked mischievously when she recognized Regulus Black, who held a finger to his lips as he grinned at her, motioning for her to be silent. Freya could hear Diana and Charlotte noticing her disappearance, then begin asking other Gryffindors if they had seen where she'd gone as they continued to make their way up to the tower. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs filed past the two, heading for different parts of the dungeon, but no one noticed the pair, as Regulus had hidden them well in the shadows. After Diana and Charlotte's voices had faded, Freya asked, "What exactly are you doing, Black?"

Regulus laughed softly; Freya could feel the rumble in his chest as he chuckled, leaning against her body. "What, I can't say hello to a pretty pureblood girl?"

Freya shook her head, a playful smile lighting up her face as she observed the lust tingeing the look in Regulus's eyes. "No, you can't," Freya declared, her eyes tantalizing the man standing over her.

Regulus smirked. "My, my, Potter, aren't we a tease?"

Freya placed a hand on his chest and barely pushed against Regulus, who took the hint and took a step back, giving her just enough room to move past him the moment she chose to leave. "Only to bad boys," Freya said as she slipped past him, her body brushing up against his as she did so. Freya quickly stole away from him and up the stairs, blending back into the crowd of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws that were running up the stairs to their respective towers. Freya ran up to the Pink Lady just as a fourth year boy was giving the painting the password, then crept into the common room behind him. Diana and Charlotte were waiting for her when she reached her dorm room, ready to pounce. She waved her wand before they could say anything, place a silencing charm on the two girls. "I didn't go anywhere; I just fell behind. That's all there is to it. Can we just leave it at that?" The blonde witch and the brunette beside her nodded, and Freya removed the silencing charm. Freya went to her trunk at the foot of her four poster bed and dug out pajamas before changing clothes and collapsing into the bed, her mind flooded with a million thoughts and memories, drifting through the few moments she and Regulus had interacted in the past.

First year Freya Potter sat between her brother James and his best friend, Sirius Black, as the Hogwarts Express rocketed across the countryside towards Hogwarts. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew sat across from the other three, playing a game of Exploding Snap with James. Freya watched the game over the top of her book, and Sirius read the Daily Prophet. A card near her feet suddenly combusted, making Freya jump, bumping shoulders with Sirius. Freya looked at the boy beside her apologetically, and Sirius winked at her before going back to reading the latest on the international Quidditch scene. Freya heard a woman's voice calling down the hall and the clatter of trolley wheels, advertising sweets. James nudged Freya with his elbow. "Hey, want anything from the sweet trolley?"

Freya nodded and stood up. "I'll go get it. You want anything?" James shrugged, smiling at his baby sister. Freya smiled back. "Of course you do. Ok, I'll get you something too."

James called after her as she opened the door to the hallway, "Love you, sis."

Freya shook her head, laughing softly before saying back, "Yeah, yeah, love you too." Freya walked down the hall of the train car to where the middle-aged woman with wisps of grey in her dark hair stood behind a trolley piled high with sweets and a banner painted to read 'Honeydukes Express' hanging on the side, talking softly with the students who were her customers. Approaching the woman, Freya said, "I'll have two chocolate cauldrons please."

A boy's voice floated from behind Freya. "I'll have a chocolate cauldron as well." Freya turned around to see a boy, also a first year as his tie was still black, who looked eerily similar to Sirius, although perhaps not quite as good-looking, but still handsome nonetheless. He held out his hand to her. "Regulus Black," he said softly, staring into her eyes with an incredible amount of intensity.

It took Freya a moment to find her voice. "Freya Potter," she said, taking his hand. Regulus pulled her hand gently to his lips and kissed it. She laughed softly at the gesture. "Are you always so politely old-fashioned?" she asked as she turned and accepted the two chocolate cauldrons from the woman and paid her for them.

Regulus handed the plump witch ten knuts as she exchanged the money for the Chocolate Cauldron. "Only with pretty girls," he said charmingly, making Freya blush slightly. "You must be James Potter's sister?"

Freya nodded. "And you must be Sirius's brother."

Regulus chuckled darkly. "Well, biologically yes, but he's hardly been considered part of the family since he became a Gryffindor. Of course, he still could redeem himself in proper pureblood society in time, but I doubt he will even try to."

Freya smiled, deciding she didn't like this boy at all. "Is it this proper pureblood society of yours that says you have to talk like an old man all the time?"

Regulus's smile froze, and Freya smirked, knowing she'd gotten under his skin. Regulus looked down for a moment, then looked back up and met Freya's gaze. "I don't have to talk like an old man."

Freya replied, "Then why are you? For that matter, why are you saying any of that at all? All that pureblood stuff is such rubbish."

Regulus's smile turned into a sneer. "Blood purity is hardly rubbish," Regulus snarled. "And it's blood traitors like my brother who are ruining wizard society."

"Ruining society or improving it?" Freya asked. Regulus opened his mouth, but when he couldn't think of a good response, snapped it shut again, turning on his heel and storming off to the compartment he came from. Freya shook her head, then returned to her brother and his friends.

Late for her study session in the library with Diana and Remus, Freya bounded down the stairs from Gryffindor tower as she rushed to meet her friends to prepare for her O.W.L.s in a couple of weeks. Turning a blind corner, Freya slammed into someone and fell down, her parchment, quills, and books falling out of her bag all over the floor. Looking up from where she sat on the floor, Freya's eyes met those of Regulus Black. Freya sighed in frustration as she began collecting her things and stuffing them back into her bag. To her surprise, Regulus bent down and started handing her loose quills and pieces of parchment. Freya stopped, raising a suspicious eyebrow at the Slytherin. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Regulus didn't look at her, picking up her Charms textbook and handing it to her. "I'm helping you gather your things," he answered matter-of-factly.

Freya watched him another moment, then accepted the book and stuffed it into her bag. "But why are you helping me? You never help me with anything."

Regulus, handing her the last of the contents of her bag, said with a seductive charm to his voice, "What, can't I help out a pretty little pureblood girl like you?"

Freya felt tingles run down her spine when the Slytherin's grey eyes finally met hers. Shaking it off, Freya answered, "No, you can't. That's never really been your style when it comes to blood traitors."

Regulus smirked at her, then reached out and ghosted his fingertips over her cheek, the skin where he touched her heating up under his fingers. Regulus leaned forward and whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her skin, "Well, perhaps I should change things up a bit. What do you think?"

Freya shivered as his breath on her neck sent strange sensations through her body. Regulus seemed to be almost challenging her with his question, and Freya found herself getting nervous and backing down. She pulled away from him and grabbed her bag, standing up. "I have to study," she said abruptly before taking off running towards the library again.

Having the girl pinned against the wall, Sirius held Freya's wrists firmly on either side of her to prevent her from grabbing his hair again as he licked and nipped lightly down her neck to her collarbone in a hallway of the dungeons near the kitchen. Freya's breathing was quick and shallow as Sirius teased her. Arching her neck to give Sirius better access, she suddenly spotted someone watching them from further down the hallway. Sirius nipped harder at the crook of her neck suddenly, making Freya half moan, half say, "Regulus."

Sirius pulled back suddenly and stared at Freya hard, resentment clear in his eyes. "Say that again?" Sirius demanded.

Freya shook her head, trying to pull her hands free from Sirius's grasp. "No, no," Freya insisted. "Not you, Sirius. Down the hall; Regulus…"

Sirius finally followed Freya's gaze to where his little brother stood frozen. The sixth year Slytherin suddenly shook his head at the two Gryffindors, then disappeared around a corner. Sirius frowned, letting go of Freya's wrists and letting her stand properly again. "What was that about?" Sirius asked.

Freya shook her head. "I don't know any better than you do, Sirius. He's your brother."

Sirius grinned suddenly, pushing Freya back up against the wall. "That reminds me," Sirius purred as he ran his hands from Freya's hips up to her breasts on the outside of her clothes. "James is never going to find out about this, right?"

Freya laughed softly. "That'd be the last thing I need — an overprotective brother running around the castle like a chicken with its head cut off scaring guys from ever getting anywhere near me again." Sirius barked out a laugh, then swooped down and kissed her lips.

A week before Freya was to head home for the summer after her sixth year, Freya found herself sitting out on the grass by the Black Lake, staring out at the water as the Giant Squid's tentacles broke the water. She sensed someone sit down beside her, and looking over at her new companion, Freya was surprised to find that it was Regulus Black. He didn't look at her; instead he stared hard into the distance, seeming as though he were thinking about something exceptionally important. Freya watched him, remaining silent. After some time, Regulus finally broke the silence. "So, you and Sirius?"

Freya furrowed her brow in confusion at his question, but answered him truthfully. "Nothing special. He doesn't want to date anyone, just have a fling here and there. He just caught me in the same mood a couple times." Regulus nodded. Freya asked, "Regulus, is there some particular reason you want to know, or do you just like being nosey?"

Regulus grinned and looked over at her, but the smile on his face didn't hide the sadness lingering in his eyes from Freya. "Can't a guy just want to be sure a pretty girl doesn't have a boyfriend before he flirts with her?"

Freya decided that if Regulus was going to pretend everything was fine with him, then so was she. It wasn't as though she cared if something was wrong with him, she told herself. So she smirked back and replied, "No, you can't. You never do."

Regulus let out a short laugh that sounded similar to his older brother's. "Yeah, well, if I ever want to get past flirting, I suppose I should start, shouldn't I?"

Taken aback by his words, Freya took an extra moment to respond. "Umm, yeah, I guess so."

Regulus suddenly leaned in closer to Freya, brushing a piece of nearly brown auburn hair out of her face, saying softly, "So do you have a boyfriend, then?"

Freya felt her heart begin racing at Regulus's close proximity. "I've got a date with Lawrence Hudson in Hogsmeade right after term ends," she whispered.

Regulus chuckled slightly, smirking. "The Ravenclaw fifth year?" Freya nodded. Regulus said enticingly, "You could do a lot better than that." He suddenly tangled his hand in her hair at the base of her head, and roughly pulled her head back, granting him easier access to her lips. "Let me show you what a Slytherin man can do for you."

Freya's breathing quickened and her heart raced from the moment he had tugged her hair; the lust in his stormy eyes making her insides quiver. Leaning over her, Regulus brushed his lips against hers, then kissed her more forcefully. His hands trailed all over her body, lighting her skin on fire with every touch. Slipping his hand under her shirt, his fingers ghosted up over her stomach towards her chest. Out of the blue, Freya heard James's voice calling out her name, searching for her. Freya pushed Regulus off her as fast as she could, whispering, "Shit. I have to go."

Regulus grabbed her hand as she stood up. "I want to see you again, soon," Regulus practically demanded.

Freya sighed, "Send me a bloody owl then."

Both of their eyes turned towards the crest of the hill behind them, where they could just see James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter walking up to the top. Freya took advantage of Regulus's distraction from her, pulling her hand from his and changing forms. Suddenly she found herself much lower to the ground, staring up at Regulus. Darting off into a nearby bush, the girl, now a reddish-brown fox, watched as her brother and his friends approached Regulus. Sirius said, "Hello, prat. Seen Freya around anywhere?"

Regulus glanced around himself, confused, only now realizing that Freya was no longer there with him. Catching on to her game, at least partially, Regulus sneered at the four Gryffindors surrounding him, then said haughtily, "No, I have seen the Potter girl around anywhere."

"Really, now?" James said, his temper beginning to flare. "Because that's her sweater you're sitting on."

The little fox hidden in the bush that was Freya Potter mentally cursed. Suddenly, the little fox sneezed. None of the others heard it, but Remus's eyes immediately snapped over to the bush, staring at the exact spot where she was hidden. Freya cowered further into the bush, curling up into a small ball, her bushy tail tucked up under her. She heard Regulus say, "Oh, is it? I had no idea. I simply found it here. I was going to take it to Professor McGonagall later, since it clearly belongs to one of her bloody Gryffindors, but here." Regulus tossed the gray sweater at James, and the chaser caught it easily. "Now you can give it to her yourself like the good big brother you are to the little baby Potter."

Remus nudged James, then nodded in the direction of the bush. James's eyes lit up as he realized what Remus was implying. "Fine then, Black," James said. "We'll check further along the lake. Maybe she left it here when she went for a walk."

Regulus stood up lazily, then said, "Whatever. Enjoy your lion hunt." With that, the Slytherin sauntered back up to the castle.

Sirius demanded, "What the bloody hell was that, James?"

James rolled his eyes. "Moony found her, you git."

"Oh," Sirius said, chuckling, a little embarrassed.

Remus walked easily over to the bush where Freya was hiding. Freya managed to dodge his hand the first time he reached into the bush for her, but the second time his fingers brushed her fur. "Yep, she's in here all right," Remus called to the others, then yelped and pulled his hand out of the bush as fast as he could. He had almost caught hold of her on the third attempt, his hand nearly wrapped around her stomach, until Freya had used her sharp fox teeth to bite his hand just hard enough to cause him to yank it away.

Unwilling to stay cornered in the bush, Freya dashed out of the plant and took off running the opposite direction along the lake. Peter cried, "Oh, there she goes!"

Sirius and James switched to their animagus forms as well, then took off running after her, Remus running along behind them. Sirius was the fastest and easily caught up with Freya. Jumping in front of the little fox, Sirius growled, daring her to try to get past him. Freya skidded to a stop just short of his sharp teeth, then turned to try the other direction. She managed to weave her way through James's tall stag legs, and Remus tripped over her. Running up to Peter in his rat form, Freya bared her teeth and growled at the much smaller rodent. Peter squeaked in fear, then suddenly Freya felt something around her stomach and her feet left the ground. She yelped in surprise and turned her teeth on whoever had dared to pick up her up, and found herself about to bite James on the nose. Suddenly, the fox shied away from the fight, letting herself be cuddled to her brother's chest. Sirius ran up beside them, all of the male Animagi back in their human forms. "What the hell, Freya?" Sirius asked angrily. "Why did you make us chase you around like that?"

Remus came up beside Sirius and said, "I just can't believe she threatened Wormtail like that. She's never been anything but sweet to Peter."

Peter asked, "Are you sure this is Freya and not an actual fox?"

James nodded. "Oh, I'm very sure this is my sister." James held the fox out from his body and made Freya look him in the eyes. "Why are you acting like this, Freya? This isn't like you at all. If Regulus Black was being a bloody git to you, you should've just told us. You didn't have to hide."

Sirius studied the fox intently, then suddenly a light bulb came on in his head. "Prongs, I get the feeling he wasn't just being a bloody git to her. I have a feeling it went a little further than that."

Freya growled at the older of the Black brothers as he reached out towards her, then when he wasn't discouraged, she snapped her teeth at him. James frowned. "Sirius, you don't mean you think he hurt her? Why would he do that here? Surely he knew he'd get caught if he tried to use dark magic on her here."

Freya squirmed in James's grasp, trying to get back down to the ground and run away, but failing, as James's grip on the back of her neck and her legs only tightened. Sirius said quietly, "James, I don't mean using dark magic."

Freya's animal eyes grew wide as she caught on to Sirius's implications. Twisting her head, she tried to bite James's hands to get free, unable to believe what Sirius was accusing his brother of. James shook her, grabbing her attention. "Freya, stop it," James insisted.

Remus said quietly, "Let's take her up to the dorm room. She needs to talk to us about what happened."

Freya continued squirming as James tucked her away in his arms, and when she could finally get hold somewhere, she bit James's arm fiercely. He cried out in pain, but didn't drop her or even pull away, but merely continued to carry her up to the castle, the other three boys trailing behind. Seeing that biting him was getting her nowhere, Freya released James's arm and finally settled down, curling up in his arms. As they reached the common room, James's girlfriend Lily Evans approached him. Seeing the fox, Lily exclaimed, "Oh, what a cute little fox! Where did it come from?"

James shrugged. "Oh, just found it outside. It looked hurt, so we thought we'd take care of it till it was healthy again."

Suddenly noticing the blood on James's arm and Remus's hand, Lily gasped. "Did it bite you two? Why didn't you just let it go?"

James laughed softly at his girlfriend's concern. "Darling, it's all right. The fox was a little scared at first, that's all. Everything's just fine now. See? She's snuggling up to me, as sweet as can be."

Just to punctuate her brother's point, Freya smiled the way foxes do at Lily, then started licking at James's wounds in his arm from her bite. "Aww," Lily cooed. "Ok, just be careful to make sure Professor McGonagall doesn't find out. Foxes aren't approved pets you know."

Sirius barked out a laugh. "We graduate in a week; what can she do?"

Lily glared at Sirius. "Take away enough points from Gryffindor to keep us from winning the House Cup, for example?"

James rolled his eyes at his best friend and his girlfriend. "We'll be careful, Lily. Come on, guys." Carrying Freya up to their dorm room, the four Marauders entered the dorm. James set Freya on the floor, who immediately ran under Remus's bed. James sighed. "Freya, come back out here and turn back into a human being. I mean it, we have to talk about this."

Freya growled from where she hid, as far under the bed as she could get. Remus sat down on the floor beside his bed, reaching under the bed and trying to coax the younger girl out from underneath the furniture. "Come on, Freya," he cajoled. "We only want to help you. If Regulus hurt you, we have to know about it so we can do something about it."

Freya rolled her eyes, annoyed, but Remus had always been her favorite of her brother's friends. She crawled slowly out from under his bed and curled up in a ball in Remus's lap. Remus ran a hand down her furry back, and Freya purred softly at the sensation, then licked his hand where she'd bitten him in apology. Remus asked the fox gently, "Freya, would you turn back into yourself please so we can talk to you?" The fox huffed a sigh, then climbed off the werewolf's lap and transformed into herself again, sitting beside him on the floor.

James demanded angrily, "What the hell is the matter with you, Freya? What happened to you? What did that Slytherin bastard do to you?"

"Nothing," Freya insisted. "Nothing happened. Regulus didn't touch me. I heard him coming and ran and hid in the bushes, plain and simple."

"Then why did you bite Remus and James and run from us?" Sirius asked suspiciously. "And why were you so bloody mean to Peter? That's not like you."

Freya snapped, "Maybe because I didn't want to deal with your questions? I hid from Regulus, I forgot my sweater when I hid, that's all there is to it."

Remus asked tenderly, "Why would you feel like you needed to hide from Regulus unless there was something bad going down between you two? Maybe he didn't hurt you today. Has he hurt you in the past?"

Freya shook her head. "No," she insisted. "He's never hurt me. Can I go now?"

Everyone looked to James for an answer. Running a hand through his hair, James sighed and consented. "Fine, but you better be telling me the truth, Freya. If he ever so much as touches you…"

Freya said, exasperated, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'll be the first to know."

Freya apparated into Hogsmeade the week after school let out, ready to get her date with Lawrence Hudson over with. She had nothing against the Ravenclaw, but she didn't feel she had much in common with the boy. Looking around for Lawrence, Freya was startled to see Regulus Black walking towards her instead. "Hello, Potter," Regulus said smugly.

Freya sighed. "What are you doing here? Where's Lawrence?"

"Oh, he was here. However, after it was suggested to him that he would be better off going to Diagon Alley with a few extra galleons today instead of keeping his date with you, he happily took off. I decided if he was going to be so inconsiderate of you, I should wait here for you to arrive and take his place."

"Uh huh," Freya said suspiciously. "In other words, you bribed him to stay away from me and let you take me on a date instead?" Regulus smirked. "Fine," she sighed. "But I will not be seen out on a date with a Death Eater like you."

Regulus shrugged. "Fine." Suddenly, he threw an arm around her waist and pulled her into a side-along apparation. Reappearing, Freya looked around, startled by the sudden apparation. She found herself standing on a rooftop overlooking London. "Then you can be seen with me in my own home. Welcome to 12 Grimmauld Place."

There was a dinner set up on a table a few feet away. Nothing especially fancy, no candles or anything romantic like that, but a simple meal on a rooftop. "Regulus, what is all this about?" Freya asked skeptically.

Regulus sighed, enfolding Freya in his arms. Freya tensed up at the contact, but Regulus just smiled at her anyway. "Freya, I'm fascinated by you. I know my beliefs might repulse you, but does that mean we can't be into each other?"

Freya raised an eyebrow. "You aren't capable of being attracted to anyone for any other reason than their blood purity, and I have absolutely no interest in such rubbish."

Freya tried to pull away, but Regulus wouldn't let her go. "That's not true," Regulus insisted. "Let me prove it. Just spend the day here with me, get to know me."

Freya had gotten to know Regulus incredibly well that night, including memorizing every inch of his body. They had yet to leave Grimmauld Place on a proper date, but it never mattered. The two had fallen deeply in love that summer, and managed to keep it a secret from everyone. Freya smiled slightly, not knowing where any of this would take her, but at the moment, she didn't care.