A/N: I just want to reiterate how thankful I am for all of your support, encouragement and reviews. As I told one reader, I always try to reply to every review because it's the LEAST I can do after you lot take the time to leave a review. I wish I could do more honestly. A few notes, remember this fic is rated M for violence and language, not smut (I can't write smut, it makes me go all ognowene) and Rowan is far from perfect as you gleaned from the last chapter, and her many flaws will be revealed over the course of the story as we move on to them finishing school. She's probably my favourite OC to write because she has so many flaws actually. Ok with that being said, here we go!

Regulus glared up at the canopy of his bed. He hated this.

He hated that somehow all of her big problems, became his big problems.

Girls sucked sometimes. And she wasn't even his stupid girlfriend.

She was his friend however.

Funny how sometimes those two words often shared the same set of problems.

He hated seeing her so unhappy. Whatever Sirius did, however big, however stupid, however disastrous, he wanted to thrash the stupid bugger's head.

That or either chop of his brother's hair.

Yeah, he could totally do that, he sarcastically thought. He'd just rappel down the side of the Gryffindor Tower, break into the Seventh Year's Boy's dormitory, put a silencing charm on his brother and the cut off his hair.

Yeah.

He just wanted to see her smile again. He did not like seeing her so unhappy.

He spent an awful lot of time in the library of Hogwarts, and had read a good amount of books in his years, but he had yet to find a book that explained how to handle girls.

This was hopeless. He was hopeless.

The world, is hopeless, the very pessimistic voice in his head said.

Shut up, the seldom heard optimistic voice countered.

Oh great, now he was hearing the voices in his head.

Shut up, voices, he grumbled.

Her unhappiness was eating him up alive, and he couldn't even confide in anyone because no one, in this stupid stinking house would understand.

If he tried talking to Snape about this, Snape would probably look at him incredulously and wonder if he had accidentally inhaled some weird potion fumes or something like that.

And he very well couldn't tell anyone else, Narcissa, Rosier, Wilkes, anyone, he couldn't tell anyone.

Ugh this was driving him bonkers.

What the heck he was supposed to do? Dance the Mexican hurracha while wearing a tophat?

He needed someone, or something to tell him what the fuck he should do. This is like trying to locate a bloody piano in this school.

He might have better luck trying to locate the stupid piano than trying to figure out what was bothering her. And then with sudden realisation of what he ought to do, he sat upright in bed, wanting to face palm himself for not even thinking about this earlier.

"What do you want?" She said so quietly her lips not even moving.

"You want to hear me play the piano?" Regulus whispered hovering right behind her.

She was shut up in her books yet again, locked away in one of the corners of the library that no one ever came in, especially now since the whole school knew she was furious with Sirius.

"What?" she whispered back jerking her head up.

"Ow!" Regulus cried quietly as her head bumped into his chin.

"Sorry!" she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"You have a hard head," he grumbled.

"They don't call me stubborn for nothing," she replied dryly.

"Anyway. Do you want me to prove it to you that I can play the piano or not?"

"What conked you in the head? Regulus, are you really that daft, I am not in the mood to have my chain yanked around,"

"This is not me trying to pull the wool over your eyes, last chance, take it or leave it. Do you want me to prove it to you that I can play the bloody piano or not?" Regulus hissed growing annoyed.

Rowan shot him a sharp look. "Ok fine, let's go see this prodigal piano player," she got up.

Regulus slapped a hand on her wrist. "No so fast Nimbus 1200,"

Her eyebrow rose. "Did you just refer to me as a broom?"

"The fastest broom in the quidditch world currently!"

"I am," her diction exquisite. "Not, a broom,"

"Shut up will you? Meet me at the corner of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach the trolls ballet. And you have to dress up,"

"What?" she asked incredulously. Because that was the most ridiculous part of it all.

"You want to hear me play the piano then you have to dress up. As in Winter Formal kind of dress up," he repeated.

"Why?"

"Because I don't really want to play the piano just like I know you hate dressing up. It seems fair that we both do something we don't really want to do,"

"Then why do you insist on doing it? You don't really have to play the piano you know!" she said irritated.

"Because I cannot stand seeing you look this miserable!" Regulus exclaimed exasperated throwing his arms out.

Rowan opened her mouth but her barrelled over here. "Look, whatever my idiotic brother has done, I'm really sorry, really, but guess what Rowan? You can't go about looking like you're going to kill someone and throw people into walls and rubbish,"

"But—" he cut her off with a wave of his hand. "No buts. See this is the thing, you have to bear in mind that other people are affected by your actions and moods too. It's safe to say that rest of your little…group or mates or whatever are just as miserable as you when you're in this foul mood. And that's not fair. You cannot go around sending suits of armour toppling down, you cannot go around and cause the girls bathroom to flood, again,"

"That was Moaning Myrtle!"

"You cannot go cutting classes and loosing your temper at first years for taking your chair in the Common Room," he talked over her.

"How would you know any of this!"

"People talk," he replied loftily.

"Your brother fucked up really bad!" she stated angrily.

"I know and I'm sorry, but that is not my problem. Neither is it Potter's, Evan's, McKinnon's or whoever else. You shouldn't take it out on them. It not fair. You need to remember again, that your actions and moods affect the ones that love you the most. Whatever problems you have with my brother, you have to deal with them with him, I'm sorry if I sound like a bastard but you're acting like a bitch and that isn't fair to your mates or to anyone." Regulus said flatly.

Rowan gaped at him. She couldn't believe that he had just said all that. He had called her out. He had called her a bitch.

He was right.

The maddening thing was that he was right. It annoyed her that none of her mates had the guts to call her out on this; she had been acting atrociously the past month or so.

"So guess what Forlani, straighten yourself up. This isn't the you that I know," Regulus said in harsh voice. She inwardly winced. He was pissed.

Swallowing, she met his eyes. "Yeah okay. You're right. I'll…pull myself together and try to handle this a little better,"

"Good. Remember. Eight o'clock. Don't be late. I'm not a fan of tardiness, and dress up" Regulus replied briskly before getting up.

"Right. See you at eight," she affirmed.

Regulus gave her a long, hard look before nodding his head slightly. Rowan felt very small under that look. This was the first time someone had ever kind of...disciplined her. It felt strange. She was so used to bending and flouting rules and conventions and getting into trouble and all that sort, and no one had ever called her out on her behaviour before. School detentions were not the same thing as having someone you care about tell you bluntly that you need to pull yourself together.

Regulus Black, she mused as she gathered up her things, was just full of more and more surprises. She liked that. In this mad cap school, she was beginning to feel he was the only person who was truly sane around here. He had his head firmly planted on his shoulders which was a good thing because right now her head was dangerously swinging off its hinges and if things continued to be like this between her and Sirius, it might was fall off.

Stupid bloody Black Brothers, she thought. You two are making my life one big long potions exams.

This was stupid.

She looked stupid.

Rowan tugged at the bodice of her dress and twisted around to see if everything looked all right and was in the right place. She was going to give Regulus a piece of her mind once she saw him. She really hated dressing up.

She didn't hate dresses, she just hated dressing up because she felt like she looked like an idiot in them. She hated dressing up nearly as much as she hated wearing high heels, which she also had to do tonight.

This night was already off to a fantastic start, Rowan thought sourly as she leaned into the mirror. She applied the one lipstick she had and then stepped back to study the effect.

She didn't look so terrible, she thought. And at least she didn't have to deal with the entire school watching her this time. People's attention on her freaked her out a lot, she had almost an irrational fear of people looking at her. Her brother said that was intense paranoia.

Rowan slipped on her schoolrobe and then carefully set out to climb down the stairs. As she did, she was relieved to find that none of her mates were in the common room. The last thing she needed to do was for them to see her all tarted up. What was even a greater relief, and even stranger was that she didn't run into any familiar faces at as she made her way to where Barnabus was. The only person she walked past was Benjy who cave her a curious look as he past her in the hall. Rowan barely even saw him as she was so lost in her thoughts. At last she found Regulus lounging outside the tapestry of Barnabus, his hand shoved inside his pockets. He was wearing a suit, and looked very handsome, she thought.

"Hey," she called out.

"Evening," Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Your school uniform doesn't count as dressing up,"

"Show me the piano and I show you the dress," she replied.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Stand here," he gestured with a hand.

Rowan watched curiously as Regulus walked back and forth a stretch of the carpet, his eyes screwed shut, his lips mouthing something. A few moments later, a large door materialized. Regulus opened his eyes and smiled.

"C'mon," he wrenched open the door and waited for her to go in before him. She eyed him warily. "What is this?"

"Go in and see," he encouraged.

Rowan took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold and Regulus grinned when he heard her explain "HOLY SHIT!"

Her voice echoed in the handsome marble ballroom that had greeted her eyes. In awe, she turned around in a circle, her eyes huge as she took in everything. Her fingers undid the clasp of her robe and she shrugged it off, not noticing Regulus' sharp intake of breath as he saw her properly in the light of the ballroom.

She was so, so lovely, he thought as he scrutinized her appearance. She wore a strapless, long, deep blue dress that had a slit than ran up her thigh. On the bodice glittered delicate bead work that emphasized her chest. Her hair, of course, was tied up in its usual bun, and fancy chandelier earrings dangled from her ears.

She really needed to dress up more often, Regulus thought tearing his eyes away from her.

"What is this place?" she asked curiously.

"The Room of Requirement. A magical room that transforms itself into whatever you need it to be,"

"Ah,"

"Yeah it's one of those rarely used room in Hogwarts. Not many people know about it. And those who do, usually come across it by mistake and then never find it again as they don't really know what the room truly is,"

"So how'd you find it?"

"I have my ways," Regulus answered a little enigmatically.

"Now I know why you told me to dress up, this place is amazing," she said studying their reflection in the huge mirror that was on the wall across from them.

No, not really, Regulus thought wryly.

"Sit," he gestured to the elegant armchair that was beside the baby grand piano.

Rowan gave him a soft look and she eased herself in the armchair. "Holy mother of merlin, this chair is comfy," she sighed sinking back.

"Glad to hear it," Regulus slid into the piano bench and flexed his fingers. For a minute there was silence and then he placed his hands on the keys. This was the first time he was going to play for someone that wasn't his teacher or his family. He hesitated for a moment.

"Ok Regulus, I'm ready to be amazed," she said eagerly.

He bent his head down to hide the smile that was threatening to ruin his concentration. "Ok then,"

And then he started to play.

Rowan's mouth dropped open in astonishment. She was completely blown away. He wasn't just good, he was incredible. Her eyes widened as she saw his fingers fly over the keys easily.

There was no sheet music, she realized. He was playing from memory, and judging by the tempo of the music and how fast his hands moved up and down the keys, it was a complicated piece.

Music was a powerful thing, she mused as she shifted in her seat. And listening to music live, when it was played right in front of you was very different than listening to it on the radio or the gramophone. When it was played live, you almost felt as if the music was a tangible thing that wrapped itself around you, surrounding you. When music was played live, sometimes Rowan thought you could almost see the music swirl around you.

She once told this to James and he had thought she was off her rocker. Then she told this to Sirius who after a beat, agreed with her saying that he understood what she meant.

Jesus. The two brothers were more alike then they'd like to admit, she thought realizing it with sudden shock. And now her problem was growing a little bit bigger because she was caught smack dab in the middle of them.

Rowan focused her attention on the current Black brother she was with. This was amazing really, six months ago if someone told her that Regulus Black was a bona fide piano player, she would have slapped the back of their heads for lying. Hell, if someone had told her three months ago that he could play, she still wouldn't believe them, and this was the time they started talking.

The song had changed, she became aware that that song had changed, it sounded a little darker, it was slower, there was something very haunting about it. Rowan felt goose bumps appear on her skin.

It was just so beautiful. All of it. The ballroom, the music, the glossy piano, the slight boy playing it. It was all just so perfect and Rowan had never been exposed to this kind of level of finery.

She wondered if Regulus' home was like this, all marble and mirrored walls and sparkly chandeliers. She wondered if he had grown up happy in it.

It was funny, the hand of cards that life dealt out to each of them. Rowan had grown up in near poverty for her most of her life. Money had always been, and most likely would be, very tight for her and her family. Money was tight for all Roma gypsies. If it hadn't been for the fund that Hogwarts had for poor children, she nor her elder brother might have gotten an education. Her two eldest brothers stopped going to school once they came to England and her sister had gotten married in Romania before coming to England with them.

She knew was it was like to go hungry. When they had first come to England, there were a lot of nights where there wasn't enough food for everyone. Rowan would bet her life that Regulus had never, ever gone hungry before in his privileged life.

Rowan did not hold this against him though. It was not his fault that he had gotten that particular hand of cards, look at the hand that Sirius was dealt, and they came from the same family! Rowan did not hold anything against anyone who had grown up better than she had, who had more access to opportunities and resources than she had. She'd just have a big talk with the man upstairs, or rather maybe the man who ran the downstairs when it came to where she went after dying.

Maybe she could make a ship to shore or rather hell to heaven call if she was in hell to give the big man her talk if she didn't make it to heaven.

Rowan snapped out of her thoughts and focused on Regulus again. He was truly brilliant at playing the piano, gifted even.

She wasn't sure how long he had been playing for, it could have been five minutes or half an hour.

His fingers began to slow and then they stilled as the last notes of the song faded into the air.

Rowan sat up, and then began to clap. It echoed in the huge ballroom but she didn't care. He deserve to have an entire theatre or auditorium clapping for him. So instead, she clapped harder.

Regulus twisted around and gave her an amused smile. "What's with all the clapping?"

"You're incredible!" she exclaimed.

He flushed. "No, not really, I'm ok. Not good enough to become a professional piano player,"

"Is that what you want to be?" she interrupted.

"No. I kind of see myself as something other than someone dressed in a tuxedo or suit every night," He replied.

"So what do you want to be?" she pressed.

Regulus shrugged. "I'm still not sure. Back when we had career consultations with the Heads of our Houses, I told Slughorn that I really did not know what to do, so he said it'd be wise to try and get an E on the core subjects and continue with them at NEWT level so that I'd still have some options,"

"Did you fail any of your OWLs?" Rowan asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Nope. I got an A in History of Magic but it's History of Magic and who the hell cares about that?"

"No one. Except Binns. And even then, he's dead so he doesn't really count,"

"Too right he doesn't. No, I really don't know what I want to do but I would like to take a year off after graduation,"

"Why?"

"To travel," he shrugged. "I've never been out of England before, I've never seen any places or things, I've just read about them in books. I've never been anywhere before and I'd like to go. Not to learn more magic, but to learn more about the world in general you know?"

"Yeah, I know," she immediately understood him.

"So yeah. I'm not sure how it's going to pan out, I don't know if my parents would be too keen on the whole idea of taking a year off,"

"So do it anyway. You'll be seventeen, you don't need your parents permission," she interrupted.

Regulus gave her an enigmatic look. "Unlike my brother…I don't like raising my parent's blood pressure. I don't particular enjoy disobeying them or upsetting them,"

Rowan's face darkened slightly at the mention of Sirius. "The prodigal son," she said a little caustically.

Regulus turned fully to her and gave her a sharp look. "Of course you'd say that, you've only heard one side of the story," he said in a brittle voice.

A/N: I know some of you have been itching to see Sirius back in the spotlight, but this chapter and the next one is important in regards to Regulus' character! You'll see, and don't worry, Sirius will be front and centre in a couple of chapters or so. I'll try to get him on stage as fast I can, Sirius (and I) would love if you could please review! xoxoxo