A/N: I don't own anything you recognize.

It was spring, the season of rebirth. Of new life. Cora had never felt so in tune with the meaning of the season. The world around her was new; she touched the fabric of her bed's blankets, and even they seemed like something from an old, far-off age, born anew into this dreamlike world. Dreamlike, but then again, she felt like she had just awoken into it, finally coming out of a lifelong sleep into her true reality. She looked behind her at her desk, where so long ago she had sat writing those pivotal letters. The chair was still slightly pushed out.

When would his next letter come during the break? They hadn't said anything about writing - but she was expecting something. A note with a single location on it, a place they both knew and could apparate to. A place where they could be with the one other person who had made them realize they had been wandering alone for too long. Stuck behind a wall, each on opposite sides. A wall with both sides made of the same brick.

She hadn't even mentioned Regulus to her parents. She knew how they would react; they would assume that the relationship was romantic, that she'd fallen in love. She would get red and her stomach would ache and her teeth would clench. She'd never liked discussing romance with her parents. She'd always been a child when she was around them, and the thought of mentioning to them any romantic feelings she had made her feel an annoyed sort of anger. Not that what was between her and Regulus was necessarily romantic.

It was the second day of Easter holiday, and her parents were prying her away from her intense studying for the upcoming exams to attend a family picnic in the park. Her grandma had put it all together. She wanted to stay home; she did need to study - but, also, her eyes were trained on her bedroom window in search of an owl. However, here she was, in a pair of overalls over a pale pink shirt, curls pushed back by a crowning braid, waiting for as long as she could before her parents called her down.

It was two minutes after their car pulled out of the drive that an owl dropped an envelope on the porch steps.

Regulus had written this letter as soon as he had awoken from his fitful night's sleep. In his scrawled cursive it read:

Have you been to Regent's Park in London? Meet me there at three o'clock this afternoon?

-Regulus

Cora fidgeted beside her grandma on the picnic blanket. It was two in the afternoon, and the family was just bringing out the pudding. There was a letter waiting for her at home, she knew it. She looked at the willow's tendrils swaying in slow motion across from her; they were telling her it was there, sitting idly on the front steps. Those words in ink sitting so idly in the breeze and the sounds of cars passing by her house, waiting for their meaning to flow forth once she could finally read them.

Regent's Park. Her dad had grown up in a flat two blocks from the park, so naturally he chose this location for their picnic as he had so chosen it since his boyhood. It was a drive into the city; a drive away from the letter waiting.

"School still going well, Cora?" asked her Uncle Bert, her grandma's brother, who was sat on a cushion across from her, a digestive biscuit in hand and crumbs in his beard.

She nodded, smiling without showing her teeth. Her fingers held loosely onto the end of her fork, which dragged idly across the whipped topping of the banoffee pie slice in her lap.

"I've ne'er seen y'eat a slice a'banoffee pie so slowly," said her grandma.

"I'm just full, really," said Cora.

Her grandma's eyes remained trained on the girl for several moments more before slowly pulling back to the conversation of the other adults.

The fingers of a breeze stroked the surface of the lake a few footsteps away from their blanket, sending light ripples expanding out across the water. The same winds urged the clouds across the sky, which trudged along slower than Cora's eyes could notice. Not that she was trying to notice - her eyes mostly glanced at her watch as subtly as possible. 2:34 p.m.

Regulus's feet dug into the grass. He knew where he had landed; he was in the northern region of Regent's Park. An area he knew, and had been several times before. His visits here with his family had been pleasant memories, but now they left him feeling angry, worried. They brought up his feelings of doubt, of worry - the thought of his parents evoked the very conflict that haunted his every thoughts these days: choosing between his past loyalties to them, to their desires, or what Cora had shown him. The images of him walking down the path he had just landed by, Sirius to his left, were tainted by this constant, nagging worry. He emerged from the bushes, looked to his left and right, and walked onto the pavement. He slipped his hands into his pockets.

He pulled out his pocket watch. 2:46. He was early, but what if she was, too? He could use the extra time to search for her in the park, anyways. Where would she decide to apparate to? What was a familiar sight for her when she thought of Regent's Park? He saw the threads of a willow's leaves hanging down, tickling the grass below the tree. They swayed; he smiled. Somehow, the tree looked like her. Calming. Innate comfort.

There was a family sitting behind the willow's tendrils; he could only make out an old man working his way around the outside of some sort of biscuit, his mouth like a furry gerbil's whiskered snout. The breeze lifted the willow's leaves, revealing a girl sitting with her legs curled beneath her, and her hair a dark version of the willow itself. Cora.

He felt his heart lift like the wind had lifted the leaves. But she'd brought along the whole family… he hadn't thought about her parents knowing who he was. He hadn't even considered it; they were just Regulus and Cora, with no outside connections. He paused, and then walked confidently up to the family on the blanket.

"Afternoon," he said, emerging from the willow's drapes.

Cora's parents, grandma, and great uncle stopped eating, staring up at the young man. Cora twisted around, her eyes widening. "Regulus!" she said.

He smiled nervously, suddenly feeling very, very wrong. "I-uh," he began.

She stood up quickly. "I'll be right back," she said to her family, nodding towards Regulus and hurrying down the path with him. When they were quite far away and hidden behind multiple areas of foliage, she stopped. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Didn't you get my letter?" asked Regulus.

She furrowed her brow. "Letter?"

Regulus laughed. "Yes! I sent it this morning. The one asking you to meet me in Regent's Park at three this afternoon."

Cora shook her head. "Regulus, I never got your letter. I must've left before it arrived."

"Then how'd you know to be at Regent's Park?" he asked.

"I didn't, it was my dad's pick!" said Cora, laughing.

Regulus smiled, astonished. "Good choice on his part," he said. "I was wondering why you brought the whole family along."

Cora slapped his arm. "You've embarrassed me!" she said, laughing lightly, although there was still a tinge of sincerity in her voice.

"Oh, come on, now," said Regulus. "I'm not embarrassing."

"Well, no, not inherently. But my parents will assume," said Cora.

"Assume?" repeated Regulus.

"You're a boy," said Cora.

"Thank you for the reminder," said Regulus.

Cora laughed again, putting her hands against her face in exasperation. "No, stop making me laugh!" she said. "I don't...I don't talk about guys or anything with my parents."

"But it's just me," said Regulus.

"But they don't know that," said Cora quietly, smiling.

"Do they not know who I am at all?" asked Regulus.

Cora chuckled exasperatedly again, this time at herself. "No."

"Well, I'll admit. My parents don't know about you, either," said Regulus.

"That's a bit different, though," said Cora. "My parents wouldn't...well, they wouldn't be as against you as your parents may be towards me...well, you know what I mean."

They met eyes and paused before both laughing. "This is getting dark," said Regulus, chuckling lightly still.

Cora coughed a last laugh, nodding.

"Y'know," began Regulus. "My parents are gone today visiting my cousins. You should come visit while they're away, just for a little bit."

"Really?" asked Cora.

"I just want to show you my humble abode, for some reason," said Regulus.

"Well, I'd like to see it," said Cora.

Her family was still sat on the blanket, though her grandma was practically breaking her back to see around the willow in search of Regulus and Cora. Cora came back up to them, nervous about what she would say.

"Who was that, dear?" asked her mom.

"Funny enough," began Cora, already sounding unnatural. "That's one of my friends from school. I never thought I'd run into him in the middle of London!" She paused, giving a laugh. "He was wondering if I could stay with him for the rest of the afternoon, to catch up."

Her parents exchanged a glance.

"Well, yes, I think that'd be alright," said her dad.

"How will you get home?" asked Uncle Bert.

"She'll manage jus' fine," said her grandma, giving Cora a knowing nod.

The process of getting into the front door 12 Grimmauld Place was certainly the most extensive Cora had ever seen.

"Mother?" Regulus's voice echoed at first into the darkness of the front hall as they peered in through the door, but then his words seemed to be absorbed into the thick shadows. He motioned to Cora to follow him, and they made their way down the black hall.

"It's nice!" said Cora, polite as she could be.

Regulus threw her a smirk. "It certainly fits the family surname."

Cora smiled smally, and they made their way up the steps. She took it all in: the ornate fixtures, the seemingly endless doorways and adjacent halls. The many rooms with memories untold. All in dark velvets, deep floral patterns hardly discernible in the shadows. This was his home, his world. This was the home that had shaped Regulus Black.

"Master Regulus," said a new voice.

Cora jumped. They'd been caught, and now she was trapped.

"It's alright," said Regulus. "It's the house elf."

A pale, shriveled elf emerged from behind the banister, his eyes narrowed by the weight of his sagging eyelids. "And you've brought a friend, I see." His voice was gnarled and low, seemingly evil. But Cora didn't want to see him as evil.

She smiled. "Hello," she said. "I'm Cora Danes."

"Master Danes…Danes…" said Kreacher, ruminating over the name. "I've not heard of the family."

Regulus went to speak, but Cora got there first. "Oh, well, you wouldn't have. We're not a wizarding family."

Kreacher shot Regulus a look of horror. "Master Regulus," he said, almost angrily. "You shouldn't."

Regulus was hurriedly searching for the words to say. "Don't worry, Kreacher. My parents don't have to know. You can't tell them."

"You're asking me to hide the fact that a muggleborn was traipsing about the Black family home?" asked Kreacher.

Regulus paused. "Kreacher," he said. "Please. I knew you'd be home, but I just...I wanted to show Cora around."

"Wanted to show her around…" muttered Kreacher.

"Kreacher," said Regulus again.

"Yes, Master Regulus," said Kreacher finally.

"Thank you," said Cora sincerely, watching the elf kindly.

And Kreacher felt her kind eyes upon him, and begrudgingly knew she was of a good heart.

A good soul.

The two moved past the house elf, continuing up into the house.

"I can tell that he likes you," said Cora. "He follows your orders for more than just being your house elf. You must be kind to him."

Regulus shrugged. "Sirius was...not so kind. But I've never seen a reason to treat Kreacher badly in any way."

Cora nodded, smiling to herself as she watched him walk in front of her.

"And this is...my room," said Regulus, swinging open a door.

Dark was the first word that came to Cora's mind. She thought of her own room, with its decorations and colors and blankets draped over cushions. Not that this room was barren; on the contrary, it was beautifully trimmed and adorned with ostentatious embellishments. However, nothing about these embellishments was homey and cozy. Everything was black and fancy and gothic. She felt an intimidating sadness come over her.

"Do you ever open the curtains?" she said quietly, nodding towards the window.

Regulus shrugged. "Would you like me to?" he asked.

"No, no, that's alright," said Cora. She stepped further into the room. "Your home is very nice, Reg."

He sat down on the bed. "It's home," he said. "Not Hogwarts, but, it's home."

Cora smiled. "Well, nothing's quite like Hogwarts," she said.

"I'm scared to leave it," said Regulus, smiling and looking down at his hand resting on his knee.

"Oh, I know," said Cora. "Although...well, sometimes I'm scared to be there."

Regulus looked at her. "What?" he asked. "It's the safest place you can be in these times."

"It's just that, as of late, well...I've just felt targeted. As a muggleborn. The other Slytherins, you know, they're...they can be ruthless," she said.

Regulus nodded. "Yes," he said. "They can be. You shouldn't worry, though. There are plenty of muggleborns at Hogwarts, and the Slytherins would never truly hurt you. Not in Hogwarts. You're safe."

Cora chuckled. "I suppose it would be dumb of them to attempt anything with Dumbledore a few rooms over."

Regulus smiled. "Even though, how much intelligence can we really attribute them?" They descended into laughter.

"Would you have done this a year ago? Even six months ago?" asked Cora, her laughter dying down.

"Do what? Sit on my bed with Cora Danes? No," he said, still laughing.

She smiled. "No, no, I mean...talk about the other Slytherins like that. About your friends," she said.

Regulus's smile waned, and he coughed. "No, probably not. Not out loud, anyways."

"Well," said Cora quietly. "You've changed."

"You're right," said Regulus firmly. He met her eyes.

"Do your friends see it?"

"Yes, I think they do. A bit," said Regulus.

The two fell into a moment of silence while Cora observed her surroundings. She glanced down at her watch. "I'm not sure when I should head back," she said. "It's four o'clock."

Instinctively, Regulus pulled out his pocket watch.

"You should get that fixed," said Cora over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at her.

"The hands are pointing to 12:12," laughed Cora casually.

Regulus's head snapped back to the watch. She was right. 12:12.

The hands will point to 12:12 when you view what you desire most.

"Reg?" asked Cora. He'd fallen into a stunned silence, staring down at the pocket watch's face.

He coughed, pulling his face back towards her. "Hm? Yeah, I should get it fixed," he said quickly. He sat up straighter beside her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He looked back at her. "Yeah," he said quickly. "Of course." Her eyes watched him concernedly; they were so deeply colored, so endless and full of emotion and intelligence. Her skin so soft and pink; her entire countenance the picture of gentle kindness. Her hair framed it all in that mass of black curls. He would do anything for her. He felt a pulling in his chest, a tugging in his throat. It was like he wanted to scream as loudly as he could. He felt like he knew her entirely; he was sitting beside the one part of his soul that he'd been split from his whole life. And she knew him more than he knew himself. His hand gripped the pocket watch, its cold shell growing hot in his palm.

He loved her, with every thought, word, and piece of his soul.

"I guess I really should be getting home," said Cora.

Regulus was staring at her. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Yes, you should get back to your family."

She hated the thought of leaving him in this dark, shadowy house all alone. But this was his home; he would be fine. "Thank you, Regulus," she said. "I loved seeing you, and seeing your humble abode." She said these last words with a smile, her tongue peeking between her teeth.

He smiled and nodded. "Come visit whenever you like," he said. He shut his eyes briefly. "Actually, no, don't-don't do that. My parents…"

She laughed. "I know. I know."

Of course she knew, thought Regulus. She always knew.