A/N: Completely rewritten version. I hope you enjoy it!


Beginning

Their relationship could never be described as an easy one. He, Regulus Black, was a Slytherin, the heir of the noble and most ancient house of Black, with the secret wishes of being a Death Eater growing inside of him.

She, Jillian Conor, was a Gryffindor, one year older than he was, a friend with mudbloods and blood traitors – with Sirius, Regulus' good-for-nothing brother – and had become a mother only few days after her sixteenth birthday.

It wasn't about love at first. They started it because of her silly proposition, which she made because she was so lonely and tired, and he consented because he needed something new and he thought Jillian was the best answer to those needs.

But how did the story of two so different people begin in the first place? What made Jillian say aloud that suggestion of hers?

Like every great story, it started one evening at the Hogwarts' library, in late October.

Jillian had a habit of coming there after lunch and staying an hour, maybe even two unless she had something better to do, which she most of the times didn't have. Two days after giving birth she had decided not to disappoint her parents anymore in any way, and better grades were a part of her plan.

Regulus, on the other hand, wasn't very interested of his success at school, but when even Slughorn, who was very fond of Regulus (whether it was because of his surname or not, Regulus didn't know or want to know), had hinted about the possibility of Regulus not getting through his exams, he had decided to even pretend he cared.

The library was quiet at that time. There were a few little Hufflepuffs in the corner, but they wouldn't have even imagined of harassing the Regulus Black. But Jillian Conor, sitting in a corner table and looking up when she heard Regulus opening the door, could very well imagine herself doing what they wouldn't do.

Maybe things would have gone differently if they both wouldn't have wanted the same book. Jillian reached to take it, and her fingertips were just brushing its cover, when Regulus snatched it to his own hands. She pressed her lips to a tight, stern line (and even if she didn't know it then, she looked just like her mother).

"I would love to have my book back, Black."

"I don't see your name on it, little princess", answered Regulus. He didn't really need the book, but he would rather have died than given it to her.

Jillian bit her lip. A sensible thing to do in that situation would have been to turn away and glide away with dignity. But she wanted that book now even more she had wanted it when she had reached for it, and so she did what was the only reasonable thing for a Gryffindor queen to do in such circumstances.

Few moments later the war was raging, and so was the librarian.

After they had been banished and banned from the library for next four months, they ended up in some empty classroom. First they were hexing each others with a fiery passion and the next thing they knew was that one very angry Minerva McGonagall was giving detention to them. And taking twenty points from each house.

"And don't even try to complain, Conor", McGonagall said harshly, noticing that the girl standing in front of her had opened her mouth defiantly. "Duelling in a classroom like that! You should be glad that I'm not taking fifty. Now, both of you, go to your common rooms, and I swear that if I ever see you two again in a situation like this..."

Both of them obeyed and made their ways to their common rooms – Regulus to his precious, green and silvery dungeon, Jillian Conor, still angry and upset because of losing points (she never lost points, not even when she had actually done something – she always blamed James, who took the blame on his shoulders more than happily), to Gryffindor's red and golden tower, where Lily Evans and James Potter were doing what they did and loved best – bickering. Jillian and Cora exchanged a long, suffering look and then Jillian slipped to her dormitory.


Regulus had been sure that the girl would appear from somewhere during the next day and try to continue their fight. Really, he expected it. But Jillian didn't come to him.

Actually she didn't even look at him during the following days. To her, he didn't seem to exist. And that was what made Regulus angry. That Gryffindor girl had no right to treat him like air – that was his sole right!

So whether he wanted it or not, Regulus Arcturus Black began soon to care a little more about Jillian Adriana Conor than he would have liked. He started to follow her, so carefully that she wouldn't notice (and she didn't, either) and learned many things about his enemy, even the greatest and most well-kept secret of hers.

And one weekend, when it was nearly December, they collided again.