The morning passed quickly and, before they knew it, it was time for lunch. Severus had appeared by that time and told Regina that Dumbledore was planning on leaving the Castle again the next day. The Headmaster graced them with his presence for Christmas Dinner, acting as though he didn't have a care in the world. It was nice, though, the brunette decided as his calmness created a relaxed atmosphere in the Great Hall that infiltrated everyone.
"I'm surprised that you stayed here over Christmas." Regina said, looking sideways at Emma, who was shovelling roast potato into her mouth with gusto. "Didn't you want to go home?"
"I don't exactly have a home to go to." The blonde told her with a small shrug. Noticing the curiosity on the other woman's face she smiled and elaborated. "I was in foster care in the muggle world when Dumbledore came to tell me that I was a witch. None of my foster homes kept me for very long because of the weird stuff that seemed to happen to me. I couldn't explain how things happened and so everyone just thought I was a bad kid. Dumbledore told me that it was because of my magic.
"So then I came here. I think the kids' home were told that some distant relative had left provision in their will for my schooling and no one really asked many questions; they were probably glad to get shot of me. I either spent the holidays here or alternating between staying with Mary Margaret's parents or Ruby's Grandmother.
"When I left school I went down to London with Neal. That lasted less than a month, before we broke up and I headed back up North. Granny – Ruby's Grandmother – gave me a job. She runs a B&B and café on the Yorkshire Coast and I spent six years working for her. Then I went back down to London and got a job as a secretary at the Ministry. It was so boring I didn't last long and after just less than a year I quit. Then I bounced around doing various things for a couple of years before I came up to Hogsmeade.
"Neal and Killian had started running The Hog's Head for the owner and they gave me some shifts and let me stay with them. After about a year I moved into Mary Margaret and David's spare room and picked up some shifts at Honeydukes as well."
"How did you come to be working here?" Regina asked, frowning slightly. None of Emma's story so far seemed conducive to leading to the woman becoming Hogwarts' Charms Professor.
Emma chuckled, realising what the brunette was thinking. "I'd been living with the Nolans for two years, doing shifts at The Hog's Head and Honeydukes to pay my way, and I think they wanted their house to themselves again. Mar heard that Professor Flitwick was retiring and, before she even consulted me, she went to talk to Dumbledore about giving me the job. Luckily Professor Flitwick put in a good word for me and I became his replacement. This is my fifth year."
"That's…" Regina wasn't entirely sure what to say. Emma had been so open with her story. She hadn't held back or hidden anything, as far as Regina was aware, in telling her about her past. The brunette wasn't used to such honesty. "Why did you tell me all of that?"
The blonde blinked in confusion. "Because you asked me."
"I know… I mean… why did you tell me?" Regina sighed, knowing she wasn't being very clear. "I'm not used to people being so… open."
"Oh…" Emma smiled and shrugged. "I trust you, Regina. I want you to know things about me. I want to know things about you." She saw the other woman's eyes widening a little. "I know I'm going to have to be patient with you and wait until you trust me enough to tell me things, but I can do that. I can wait as long as it takes for you to realise that I want to know who Regina Mills really is."
Regina actually blushed. She refused to meet Emma's eyes when she spoke. "I'd like that. But… you may be waiting some time, dear. I've never been very good with trust; I tend to find that it leads to being hurt."
"I'll never hurt you, Regina."
The sincerity in the younger woman's tone caused the brunette to turn and face her. Regina's eyes roved over Emma's face looking for any trace that she was lying; any hint that the woman was just trying to trick her. But there was nothing. As chocolate eyes met sea-green, Regina felt a warmth settling in her chest. Emma meant what she said.
And Regina trusted her.
The rest of the holidays seemed to speed by. Emma spent a lot of time with Regina and Henry, who seemed deeply amused by the way things were going between his mother and his Charms Professor. He thought it was funny how they tried to pretend that they were just friends. Henry could see the way they looked at each other when they thought they weren't being observed by him or each other.
After a couple of days like that, he began to make excuses to avoid spending time with them, leaving them alone. He would arrange something, a visit to Hogsmeade or a walk in the grounds, before cancelling at the last minute when Emma and Regina were waiting for him. His excuses ranged from wanting to get some of his holiday homework done to forgetting he'd arranged to do something with his friends. He encouraged the two women to stick to their original plans, though, grinning as they walked off together, desperately trying to pretend they weren't happy to be spending time alone.
Emma didn't push Regina to take their relationship further than the strong friendship they had established. She had made it clear to the brunette that she would like to pursue a romantic relationship with her, but Emma had also assured Regina that she would leave the decisions up to her. Regina hadn't felt as though she was in control of her life for a very long time, if ever. She was touched and immensely grateful to the blonde for giving her all of the control in how they progressed.
Part of Regina wanted nothing more than to replicate their kiss from the night of Slughorn's party. Another part of her, the stronger part, wanted to keep Emma as far away from her as possible, for the blonde's own sake. It was a vicious battle of heart versus head that raged inside the woman whenever she was left alone with her own thoughts. When she was with the blonde in question Regina forgot all about her doubts and her worries. While they were apart, however, it was a totally different situation.
Severus, irritated after going in search of his best friend and, yet again, finding her in the Charms Professor's company, felt the need to remind Regina that she needed to stay focused. With everything that was going on, the danger that they were already in, she needed to concentrate on more important things.
"Sev, I am focused." She assured him with a sigh after Emma, sensing the tension in the room, excused herself and left. "There is nothing more important to me at the moment than helping Draco… than keeping my nephew safe."
"You are allowing yourself to get distracted, Gina."
She shook her head. "Sev, I'm not."
"I know love when I see it." He told her stonily.
Regina's mouth fell open. "What are you…? I'm not… That's…" She swallowed and frowned at him. "Severus, I've realised that I like Emma far too much to fall in love with her. I won't let anyone die because of me again and if my mother found out…"
"Cora would kill Emma without a second thought." Severus finished the sentence that his friend could not. "Just like Daniel."
"Precisely. So rest assured, Severus, that isn't going to happen. I… I care for Emma enough to want her to be happy by any means possible and I know that being with me will only bring her heartache and probably death."
"Does Swan know that? Or does she think that she'll be able to win the ice Queen over?" He favoured her with a rare smirk. "Does the Charms Professor think she can charm you into thawing enough to let her into your heart?"
Regina winced at him, before reaching out and slapping him on the chest. "Making jokes really doesn't suit you, dear." She informed him, arching an eyebrow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Professor Snape, I have lessons to plan before the students return tomorrow. Unless you'd like to do it for me? I'm not particularly looking forward to the practical lesson on Bogarts I'm intending to do with my third years next week."
"I believe that when Lupin did that particular activity with Potter's year, Longbottom's Bogart took on my likeness." Severus said, unable to hide the amusement that pulled at his lips. "I was rather thrilled to find that I was someone's biggest fear."
"You would be, dear." Regina told him, laughing and rolling her eyes as she ushered him towards the door. "Now, go and work out how you're going to become the Bogart for even more of the delightful children who will be roaming the corridors this time tomorrow night and leave me in peace."
The feast to welcome the staff and students back to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays was in full swing when the doors at the end of the hall swung open and Filch appeared with a tall, thin woman. She had a mass of wild blonde hair that seemed tangled and matted. Her skin was pale and papery and her gait was awkward, as though she was trying to walk on an injured leg.
The students slowly fell silent as the pair made their way towards the top table. It wasn't clear whether Filch was aiding the woman, or dragging her towards judgement of some kind. All eyes were on them as they got closer to the staff.
And then the click of high-heeled boots cut through the stunned silence in the Great Hall. Everyone watched as Professor Mills strode along the aisle in the middle of the tables and stopped in front of Filch and the woman. Those sitting closest could just about hear a whispered, angry conversation between the brunette Professor and the caretaker, before Regina cupped the blonde's face and looked at her carefully, with more tenderness than most had seen her display before. Apparently getting whatever answers she was looking for, she wrapped an arm around the older woman's shoulders and pulled her towards the doors without a backward glance. As they reached the doors, a boy joined them and, after regarding her son for a moment, Regina nodded and they vanished into the Entrance Hall. Filch followed quickly, closing the doors firmly behind them.
Slowly the noise levels began to rise again, but this time the topic of conversation was the two Mills' and the strange blonde woman. At the staff table, Emma frowned at the heavy wooden doors, wondering what was going on. Her gaze shifted to the brunette sitting on her left as Ruby dug an elbow into her ribs and nodded her head towards Aurora, sitting further along the long table. The Astronomy teacher had gone a strange ashen colour and was clutching her goblet so tightly that Emma was surprised it hadn't snapped in half.
"What's wrong with Rory?"
Ruby's eyes flicked over their auburn-haired friend for a moment and then shrugged. "I dunno… I think it's got something to do with that woman Regina just took out…"
"Who was that woman, anyway?" Belle asked quietly from Ruby's other side, leaning forwards so that she could see Emma.
The blonde shrugged. "No idea… I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
