The Beginning

by Slopopina

Regina is Severus Rogue's twin sister. They soon meet Lily Evans, who becomes their best friend, if not family. This is the story of their years of study in Hogwarts. Friendship, love, family, hatred, suffering. All those things who make us the adults we are, the three students will go through them all. Warning: It's a SQ story. Rated M

11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11. Redemption

Regina couldn't believe what she had just read. And yet, she wasn't surprised. Her wife was repeating without a pause "he's at Hogwarts"… which clearly meant she was looking for someone. She must have turned into an owl to escape. She hesitated about telling the truth to Dumbledore. But she decided against it. There was no point in doing so, and she didn't want the headmaster to interfere.

She implicitly agreed with him, though: she wouldn't look for Emma. If Emma wanted to contact her, she would do so. If not… she chased the thought away. Of course, she would. Eventually. They would be back together, she knew it.

The days passed and nothing happened. The boys were constantly happy. They didn't do much, since they couldn't leave the house, but they were busy at playing games and exchanging letters with their friends. Regina was a little surprised they didn't ask for private lessons from her. But she didn't complain. They were doing what they wanted to do, and it was perfect with her. They would have the whole year to study.

For Henry's birthday, the trio was invited at Molly Weasley's. She accepted the distraction gladly.

"Hello, my dears!" Molly welcomed them as soon as they entered the Burrow.

"Hello" Regina greeted politely.

She extended her hand for Molly to shake it, but the other woman wouldn't have it. She took her in her arms and kissed both her cheeks. She did the same with the two happy boys who ran to Ron to play with him. They looked at them go fondly.

"Where is Arthur?" Regina inquired.

"Still at work. He should be here any minute now" she answered while leading her to a big tent in the garden.

They sat down and Molly served her some tea.

"Thank you. What does he do?"

"Arthur? He works at the Ministry" Molly quickly answered.

But Regina felt something wasn't right. Molly was reluctant to say something and although she didn't want to push it, she also wanted the woman to know she wouldn't judge her, whatever Molly hid. For God's sakes, my wife is in Azkaban for the murder of her best friends, she thought. Or rather was…

"Really? In what Department?"

Molly sighed and finally answered:

"The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office"

"And… you don't like it?" Regina tried to guess.

"What do you mean?" Molly asked surprised.

"I'm sorry I certainly don't want to offend you, but you seemed… a little off… while telling me his job… so I was trying to understand why" Regina stammered, which really wasn't a habit for her.

Molly's eyes softened and she reddened.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I really shouldn't be ashamed of… but… well… I'm used to hearing people make fun of Arthur's job. They don't understand how a wizard would want to work on Muggle's stuff" Molly explained.

"That's just plainly stupid" Regina protested indignantly "I worked with Muggles for a very long time, and the wizards would learn many things from them, I can assure you!"

"Really? What did you do before teaching at Hogwarts?" Molly asked, really interested now.

"I worked for the Prime Minister. The Muggle one. I was in charge of his protection when You-Know-Who was powerful"

"So you knew Sturgis?" Molly exclaimed.

"I did. We worked together" Regina confirmed.

"He was in school with us…" Molly got distracted an instant "You know… he was a part of the Order, back in the time… and he once told us that his colleague had saved Elsa White's family… was he talking about you?"

Regina smiled and shrugged humbly. Molly smiled brightly.

"That was an honourable thing to do"

"Thank you"

"Anyways… did you work with Muggles besides the Prime Minister?"

Regina's heart clenched. This question brought back many memories.

"I did. Twice. During the summer of my sixth and seventh years. On a beach as a waitress"

"A waitress for the Muggles?" Molly clarified.

"Yes"

"How did you find the job?" Molly asked, interested.

"My wife…" Regina blushed and stopped her sentence. She didn't want to talk about Emma "I'm sorry this is a sore subject for me"

Molly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"I understand. We don't have to talk about the past" she said reassuringly.

Regina smiled gratefully at her and was about to respond when she was interrupted.

"Mom, Dad arrived" the twin brothers shouted, approaching them "When do we eat?" Fred asked.

As soon as they saw Regina though, they straightened and tried to brush discreetly their hair.

"We didn't know you had arrived!" George exclaimed.

"We would have come right away if we had" Fred went one further.

Regina wondered for a moment if they were afraid of her, or hitting on her. She sniggered.

"Hello to you two, boys."

The twins winced, obviously not pleased at being called boys, but didn't dare protest.

"How's your vacation" Fred eagerly asked.

Definitely flirting, Regina thought amused.

"Not bad…" she answered while looking at her sons playing a little further away "What about yours?"

"Better now" George sniggered.

"Go get your Dad to join us, this instant" Molly reprimanded them. "And everyone else!"

She looked mortified. Regina didn't know what to say, she just wanted to laugh.

"I'm so sorry, their behaviour is… it's…" she seemed at a loss for words and decided she would help the poor woman.

"Boys will be boys. I'm just glad they listen in my classes" she laughed "And you know, they're actually ones of my brightest" she added as an afterthought.

"They should study more" Molly grumbled "But what do you mean brightest?"

"I mean that I'm sure they will go far. They're very talented" Regina answered sincerely.

"They're troublemakers" Molly grumbled.

And I've always had a soft spot for those, Regina thought.

"This is not necessarily a bad thing, you know" she tried to reassure the woman.

Although, look at Emma, James and Sirius… she could only hope the twins wouldn't end up like them.

"They should be more like Percy! He's a hardworking, clever boy!"

Regina had never had him in classes before. She had caught a glimpse at him and couldn't say she truly enjoyed his nature.

Arthur appeared and greeted her jovially. He was a very gentle man. Molly called for everyone to join them and the kids rushed back. Harry and Henry settled on each side of Regina. Molly seemed to notice and smiled at them. The twins weren't as pleased. Percy arrived next, with a little girl. As soon as her eyes landed on Harry, she blushed furiously and sat down abruptly, nearly falling off of her chair.

The lunch was a success. Regina helped her hosts. But most of the time she realised she got distracted. She had thought Emma would find them there. Without the Fidelius Charm, she could have apparated here. But she never did. And Regina was disappointed. It was their son's birthday, after all.

Henry opened his presents and couldn't contain his excitement. Regina took a photo of the moment. Her wife still deserved to witness all the moments she had missed.

"I know Harry's birthday is in two weeks… I know you can't invite us, so I thought maybe we could celebrate it here again?" Molly offered.

"Molly, I don't know if I can accept. You already organised this one" Regina blushed.

"Nonsense, dear. It really is my pleasure. And the kids would be happy" Molly answered, looking pointedly at Harry.

She followed her gaze and saw Harry looking at her, hopeful. And she couldn't say no to him.

"I mean… if you're sure it's no bother to you…"

"It really isn't! We'd be glad" Molly insisted.

"Thank you. It will be our pleasure to come back, then. And I will cook the main course if you'll let me"

"Perfect" Molly concluded merrily.

The kids around the table beamed. The day had been a success.

Coming back home, she prepared her own birthday dinner. She baked a cake and made Henry's favourite dishes. Then, she wrapped all the presents she had got him. He would love them…

She was about to set the table when Severus arrived. She enlaced him and hold onto him.

"How have you been, baby bro?"

"I've been good. What about you, big sis?"

"Okay"

"Where's my favourite godson slash nephew?" he roared.

They heard Henry's running and laughs way before he arrived. He jumped in his arms, delighted.

"Uncle!"

"Hey birthday boy!" he cheered.

They began to speak enthusiastically and Regina left them. She set the table and waited for the boys to join her, drinking a glass of wine. Harry was the first to arrive, looking impassive. He was about to sit down next to her when she caught his hand and motioned for him to come on her knees. He indulged her, smiling.

Regina burrowed her head in the crook of his neck and blew against his skin. The noise looked like a fart and Harry laughed. She kept on until he was wriggling.

"Stop! Stop!" he laughed.

She finally did and he nestled against her, content. Severus and Henry arrived and sat down. Severus looked at her sister with disgust and she shot him such a threatening glare, he lowered his head.

She let go of Harry, enjoining him to sit next to her, and brought the diner with a flick of her wand. The diner went as well as it could go with Harry and Severus in the same room. But every time Harry said something sweet to her or Henry, she could see her brother's eyes thaw. She didn't comment on it. Hope exists, she reminded herself.

When it was time for the cake, she got up and went for the presents. Severus followed her. She thought it was to help her… but she was wrong. While she was in the process of collecting all the wrapped things, Severus said:

"Emma contacted me"

Her arms fell to her sides, the presents crashing on the ground.

"What? When? Why?" she frantically demanded.

"I mean she didn't contact me in person. She sent me an owl. Here's the card… and the gift"

The package was a palm-hand's size. Red and gold. She took the card and read it quickly: "Happy birthday, son. Whenever you will need me, I'll be there". But she didn't really want to open the present. It wasn't her place to do so. Although she was afraid. It may be a trap…

"How was the owl?"

"The owl?" Severus asked surprised.

"The one that brought the present, how was it?" she clarified.

"I don't exactly remember… is it important?"

"Very" Regina urged him.

Severus took a few moments to try and remember.

"It was a golden owl… with some white feathers near the chest and around the beak, if I recall correctly…"

Emma delivered it herself, then…

"Okay… did you open the gift?"

"No… I didn't think Henry would want me to. But maybe we should check it. We wouldn't want him to be endangered by a mysterious sender"

"The sender is anything but mysterious" Regina smirked, dejectedly.

"You're sure it was her, then?"

"Yes"

"Okay"

They came back to the boys and offered Henry his presents… excluding Emma's.

He opened them all and roared his joy when he unwrapped the Nimbus 2000.

"I thought it will be fairer when you play with Harry" she explained.

Harry beamed at her, and Henry exulted.

They ate the cake, Regina postponing the moment she would have to give him Emma's present. Severus looked at her pointedly once the cake was eaten. The two boys were chatting happily, planning to fly together the next day. Regina sighed.

"Henry…" she began.

Her voice was so small it broke at the end of the only word. However, she had the unfaltering attention of her boys, who looked at her apprehensively, knowing something was off.

"There's a last present I need to give you"

Henry didn't smile. His eyes watered. He had understood.

"Is it Momma?" he asked.

"Yes"

She handed him the little package with the card. She wasn't surprised to see him put down the gift and eagerly read the message.

"What does it say?" Harry whispered after a few moments.

Tears were silently flowing from her son's eyes.

"Happy birthday, son. Whenever you will need me, I'll be there".

His voice didn't falter.

Regina lowered her gaze and stared at her plate, internally contemplating Henry's strength.

Henry finally lowered the card to grab his present. She heard the paper tearing and composed herself to look at the present. Noises shut down as Henry looked at his gift, and she couldn't help the curiosity anymore. She raised her gaze. In Henry's hands was laying a golden cuddly toy. It seemed very fluffy. Regina didn't understand what it was at first. Then as Henry turned it, she realised. The toy was the exact replica of Emma transformed into an owl. She breathed sharply and got up. With a last flick of her wand, the table was clear and the silverware cleaned.

She kissed her son goodnight, wishing him a happy birthday, kissed Harry and Severus and went to bed before breaking down in front of them. She didn't want the kids to witness that. Less than an hour later, Severus joined her.

Her brother spent a few days after that with them. He helped her, knowing she needed him. On the bright side, her mental breakdown had helped Severus and Harry's relationship. They spoke politely, if not nicely, to each other. She knew it was mostly for her sake, but the change was welcomed. Henry's owl was on his bedside table, Regina noticed. She took great care not to look at it anymore.

Henry seemed a little withdrawn for a few days. Luckily, Severus was there to cheer him up which worked. She even saw Harry and Henry flying with him. Severus and Henry exchanged a ball while Harry tried to catch it. Knowing how Severus hated to fly, it was a little miracle in itself. Especially with James' son.

After two days, Severus came to her. The kids were outside and she was cooking. A relaxing habit.

"I have to go" he informed her.

"I know"

"The owl Emma gave Henry… It's the same as the one that delivered it" he said hesitantly.

She didn't answer anything.

"I was wondering…"

He didn't dare to finish his sentence. She remained silent. He sighed and kissed her.

"Call me if you need anything"

"Thank you" she nodded.

Severus was leaving when she thought about something.

"Wait! I actually need something!" she called after him.

"What is it?"

"Can you lend me all the books you have on the Dark Arts?"

Severus gravely looked at her.

"Will you use them to do something stupid?"

"No!" she protested vehemently "Don't you know me better than that?" she eluded.

He remained silent for a few seconds.

"They will be in your chimney tomorrow morning"

Two weeks after the whole event, Regina and the kids were back at Molly's for Harry's birthday. Regina had been extra careful after Severus' departure to look joyful and content. Henry and Harry were not fooled but they played along.

Molly and Regina were becoming fast friends. Although they didn't really know each other, they felt in trust. Regina implicitly knew that she could count on Molly if needed. Molly did too. Harry received many gifts too. She saw the happiness in his eyes, even if he was still uncomfortable when he was the centre of attention. Regina couldn't help noticing that her friend wasn't the richest person she knew… quite the contrary, actually. And yet, she was welcoming warmly four more people into her home.

"And Ginny is starting her first year! She cannot wait, I can tell!" Molly enthused.

Regina looked at the little girl. She was currently wiping the contents of the glass she had just dropped after seeing Harry smile at her. Her heart went to the poor girl.

"Molly… If there is anything I can to help you, let me know. You will have five kids going to Hogwarts this year, and I know how much it will cost… maybe I could help you with the furniture of the little one? After everything you have done for us this summer, it would be my pleasure and the least I could do" Regina said, trying not to sound condescending.

"Nonsense, dear. We'll manage, don't worry for us" Molly declined, gently.

"Molly… I really do not want to push and make you uncomfortable, but I insist. You offered presents to both Harry and Henry. Please, let me take care of Ginny. It will be my presents to her. It would make things even between us, and I would feel better about all this. And moreover, I would be less embarrassed to come at yours all the time!" Regina insisted.

"We'll see" Molly eluded, clearly not agreeing to anything.

"Fine. I guess this is the last time you see me in your house, then!" Regina really didn't want to trap-guilt her host, but she knew if she didn't, Molly would never let her help.

"You're really something else! It's my pleasure to welcome you!" Molly exclaimed.

"I am sure you can understand it is my pleasure to do something for you, too!" Regina retorted, smiling.

Molly grumped a little, but they finally reached an agreement. Regina would have Ginny shopping.

They were about to go back home when Molly enlaced her and told her she was welcomed to come visit her anytime. Regina squeezed her, hoping to communicate her gratitude with the words she was unable to say, and they left.

After kissing the boys goodnight, she went to bed and opened once again Severus' books. She hadn't been lucky, so far. Nothing about surviving death, and she was losing patience. She was slumbering when she heard her door opening. She sat up straight and saw Harry in the door frame.

"What's wrong honey?" she asked worryingly.

"There was a house elf in my bedroom" he whispered.

"What?" she shrieked.

She immediately got up and ran to it. She searched the empty room in vain.

"He left" Harry murmured.

She turned to him, anxious.

"What did he want?"

"You believe me?"

"Of course I believe you! Why wouldn't I?" she asked.

"Well… it seems farfetched, doesn't it?"

"Of course, it does… that's not a reason to think it's untrue" Regina soothed him.

"But the Fidelius Charm?" Harry asked, stressed.

Regina laughed. She had no idea how Harry knew about it. She shouldn't be surprised though, by now.

"Obviously doesn't apply to every magical creature. I'll speak about it with Dumbledore. Now, tell me. What did he say?"

"He said that I would be in grave danger if I went back to Hogwarts"

Regina gulped silently. She didn't like the sound of it all…

"What else?"

"That's pretty much it… he didn't want me to go back" he answered uncomfortable.

"Anything about the grave danger?"

"Only that it had nothing to do with Voldemort"

"Did he say his name?"

"Dobby. His name was Dobby"

"Okay… I'll put some extra spells to ensure no one can come into our home. Don't worry, nothing can happen to you, here. I'll protect you" she promised him.

"I trust you" he answered, wholeheartedly.

She tucked him in, hugged him goodbye and went back to her room. She sent Evan to Dumbledore explaining the situation and thought about ways to protect her house. Once she was satisfied with her work she returned to the Dark Arts with gusto. She absolutely needed to find out what they were up against. They needed to be rid of Voldemort for good, now. And by the break of dawn, she had found it…

"Horcruxes?" Severus snapped.

"Will you tune it down?" Regina whispered furiously.

The kids were outside but she was afraid to be heard after what Harry had told her. And after what she had discovered… She had sent for Severus first thing in the morning and needed to speak about it with him before going to Dumbledore. She had showed him the book he had provided her with and he was done reading it, now.

"Sorry… it's just that I had never thought about that before"

"You had the book" she seethed.

"I know… and I must have glanced through it…" he answered apologetically.

"Do you think that's what he did?" she asked seriously.

"It's a possibility. I wouldn't be surprised if he had…"

"What do we do then?"

"Well… looks like finding an Horcrux will be coming first in our to do list now" he said sombrely.

"Are you serious? We don't even know where to begin!"

"We need to speak about it with Dumbledore… maybe he'll know where to look first?"

"Maybe he won't" she replied.

"We won't know until we try"

Regina sighed exasperated. Severus looked at her quizzically.

"Why are you so reluctant to ask him?" he asked, suspicious.

"Because what will we do if he's clueless?" she murmured, distressed.

Severus squeezed her hand.

"Then we'll think twice as hard and find it" he reassured her. "Are you sure this is the only reason?" he persisted as an afterthought.

She didn't reply. She didn't have the answer to that.

The end of the summer was near, and the boys needed their school furniture. There was an awful number of books to buy. Especially in Defence Against the Dark Arts: the teacher was obviously very fond of Gilderoy Lockhart. She couldn't say she shared their enthusiasm about the author. A quick trip to Diagon Alley was in order.

"Mom… can I ask you something?"

They had just finished their breakfast and were readying themselves to leave. Regina was distracted and didn't notice her son's worried tone.

"Hum?"

"I would like you to…"

Henry didn't finish his sentence. Regina turned to him just in time to see Harry punching lightly his arm.

"What would you like me to do, Henry?" she smiled.

She was afraid of the answer… what if he wanted to go to Azkaban? Or more details about Emma?

"To buy me an owl?" he finally mustered the courage to ask.

Well… close enough. She had no doubt about where this desire came from. But it was better than what she had feared, at least. That was something she was ready to indulge him with.

"Sure. We'll go to the Magical Menagerie first, then"

Henry beamed and rushed into her arms.

"Thank you, Mommy" he whispered.

Once the three of them were ready, they departed, using the chimney. Henry went first, followed by Harry and finally Regina. They now were in the Leaky Cauldron, the boys waiting for her. She quickly grabbed their hands.

"Hello Tom" she greeted the barman.

"Hello Regina" he greeted back, bored out of his mind, without even looking at her.

The Weasleys were waiting for them.

"Thank you, Molly for keeping your promise!" Regina exclaimed, cheerfully.

"Thank you, Regina, for taking care of my daughter" Molly blushed, embarrassed.

Regina smiled brightly and enjoined the little girl to take her hands, motioning to her boys to go ahead.

"Mom! Can we go with Professor Swan, too?" Fred almost whined.

"You stay with me, and you shut your mouth, right now!" Molly reprimanded him not so gently.

"We will see you later" Regina laughed, leaving with the boys and Ginny.

She held her word and led them to the Magical Menagerie first. Henry was so excited, he couldn't help bouncing. She remembered the first time she had seen the shop. She had been so entranced with it. She had spoken to Emma, there. That had been the place where she had learned that her wife was attracted to girls… she couldn't help smiling at the memory. If only she had known back then how easy it would have been to just ask Emma out.

They entered the shop. She immediately looked for the seller, wanting advices, but Henry had run to the side, staring at the volatiles. Harry and Ginny remained close to her. She finally saw the seller and was about to go speak to her when she heard Henry scream:

"This one, Mommy, this one!"

She chuckled and turned to look at the one he was showing her and she froze… it couldn't be.

The seller came to her.

"Hello. I'm glad your son loves this owl but I'm afraid I won't be able to sell it to you"

Regina didn't answer the woman. She was focused on the golden owl. It hadn't moved from its perch. But it was staring at Henry without blinking. Fiercely. It suddenly flapped its wings and landed right in front of him, allowing him to pet it.

"That's truly unbelievable" the seller muttered next to her.

She winced. She could do it. She approached Henry and the damn "owl". Once she was nearer, she realised that there was no possible mistake. The owl was indeed Emma. Not the slightest chance it wasn't. The owl didn't even glance at her. She looked intensely at Harry, though.

"Mommy, I want this one. Pretty please?" Henry begged her.

Regina was furious. How dared she? She had to buy her goddamn own wife as a gift for their kid? Regina gritted her teeth. She didn't notice the seller next to her again.

"You know, this owl is special. She came to us on her own. Ever since she's been here, many students have wanted to buy her. But she always refused it very clearly. Seems like she finally chose her owner"

Regina sniggered. She chose her owner alright. Henry was delighted. She did that on purpose! She knew that Henry would want an owl if she sent him one. And she knew he would choose her as soon as he would see her. Regina seethed internally.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Henry questioned.

"A girl" Regina growled.

The woman looked at her, impressed.

"You know about owls?"

"How much do I owe you?" Regina answered not so politely and without tearing her furious gaze from her wife.

The woman looked at her for the longest time.

"Nothing. This owl was waiting for you. It would be stealing to make you pay" she smiled.

"Thank you" Regina answered, rigid. "Now… do you want a pet, you two" she said, struggling to smile genuinely to Harry and Ginny.

Harry turned to Ginny and the girl almost choked on her own saliva. Regina bit her lips not to laugh out loud at this. She was so cute.

"No, thanks Gina. I'm good" Harry declined.

But Regina knew he just didn't want to impose. She promised herself she would buy him an owl for Christmas anyway.

"What about you, Ginny?"

The girl blushed and nodded negatively. Regina smiled and took her hand, motioning to the volatiles.

"What about this one?" Regina pointed to a large dark owl.

Ginny looked at them all and Regina noticed her stare was mainly attracted to a little grey owl, awfully cute that looked like a baby.

Regina turned to the seller and asked if the owl could be shown to Ginny from up close. Ginny tried to protest but Regina turned a deaf hear. Ginny's eyes lighted up when the pet landed oh her hand, asking for caresses.

"How much?" Regina asked the seller.

"No Mrs Swan, please, I cannot accept, it's too much" Ginny protested.

Regina kneeled down and looked in the little girl's eyes very seriously.

"Outside of school, you may call me Regina or Gina, honey. And your mother accepted to let me shop with you. But when you do shop with me, you have to let me take care of everything. Whatever you want, you can have, you just have to ask. Okay?" Regina told her, sweetly.

Ginny nodded shyly, and thanked her wholeheartedly. Harry smiled at his godmother and Regina paid for the pet. Ginny and Harry both took one of her hands, she took a glance at Henry who was still petting Emma, and they left, Henry happily trotting behind them.

She didn't have the strength to look back. Emma would protect their son anyway if something bad happened. Or so she hoped.

"What's wrong, Gina?" Harry murmured.

"I… feel like I saw a ghost from my past" she decided to say.

It was only half the truth, but it wasn't a lie. And she wasn't in the mood of lying right now.

"Is it because the owl looks like the one Emma sent to Henry?" Harry guessed.

"You're far too intuitive for your age, honey" she tenderly replied.

Harry smiled emphatically at her but didn't ask any questions anymore. She knew he would deduce his own story about her reaction and the ghost from her past. Whatever he would imagine would never be close to the truth, anyway. Still… you shouldn't underestimate him… remember the Philosopher's Stone, she thought.

They were walking when they crossed the Grangers who came to them. Hermione jumped on Harry, hugging him tightly. Regina kissed her too.

"It's nice to see you, Hermione" she told the girl.

"You too" she beamed.

"Hello! I'm Hermione" the girl said, turning to Ginny.

"I'm Ginny" the girl blushed.

"Nice to meet you"

She then turned to Henry.

"You bought an owl" she exclaimed, excited.

"She chose me" Henry beamed, clearly proud.

"It's so great! I want a pet, too!"

She tuned off their discussion and turned towards Hermione's parents. Harry soon came back to cling at her free hand. Her heart mended with his presence. The Grangers seemed overwhelmed by everything around them. Regina could understand it.

"We need to buy the books now but we forgot where the shop is"

"It's the third shop on your right, this way" Regina explained. "We will meet you there, but first we have to go to Ollivander's"

Once Ginny's wand chose her, she kept her promise to the Grangers and brought the three kids to Flourish & Blotts. The shop was full. She turned around and asked Henry to stay close. She couldn't help noticing the owl perched tightly on her son's right shoulder, and still very much ignoring her. She tried to contain her boiling anger.

She soon understood why the shop was so full. Lockhart was giving an autograph session. Considering the number of books the children had to buy from him, it wasn't exactly a surprise he showed up himself.

She saw Molly from a distance and went to her.

"Hey" she greeted her.

"Oh hello, dear" the woman answered earnestly. "Everything's okay? Ginny is behaving?"

"She is an angel" Regina confirmed.

Ginny blushed furiously once more and squeezed her hand in gratitude.

"You came today to see Gilderoy too?" Molly inquired.

"Not really" she recognised.

Regina took note that Lockhart's public was essentially feminine, and they all seemed to have a crush on him. Molly and Hermione included, which surprised her.

Ron and Harry seemed disgusted by all those reactions. That made her smile. Gilderoy was speaking and she couldn't care less about his bragging but Molly was rooted on her spot and she wanted to wait for her. She needed the moral support. Lockhart was trying to catch her attention, she soon realised. He kept on looking at her pointedly and smiling like an idiot. If this is the best you got, she thought disgusted. He approached her, not so subtly, women stepping aside around him and finally came almost close to them. He seemed to realise she was holding hands with children and looked disappointed… before noticing Harry's scar.

"Is this Harry Potter? Harry Potter came to meet me?"

Regina's built-up exasperation exploded.

"Harry Potter is leaving" she coldly stated.

They tried to turn around but Lockhart grabbed her arm, and she lost grip of Ginny's hand.

"Wait! You can't leave before I give a signed book to both of you!" he exclaimed with a bright smile.

His kind words were contrasted by his forceful grip on her. She was about to take her wand and teach him a lesson, when Emma flew to him, batting her wings in his face and threatening him with her claws. He let go immediately and Regina went to Henry. The owl pre-empted her and landed back at her former place. Regina rolled her eyes and growled at her:

"I didn't need you to get rid of him"

Emma didn't respond and went back at ignoring her. Her look was impassive but Regina knew her wife had just acted out of jealousy. She rolled her eyes again and moved away, Henry on her heels.

"You talk to the owls?" Henry marvelled.

"They perfectly understand you" Harry confirmed.

"You can talk to your owl, I'm sure she'll comfort you if need be" Regina sarcastically completed.

"Wicked! You know… we should give her a name" Henry suggested, thoughtful.

"She already has a name" Regina muttered through her gritted teeth, while searching distracted the books she needed.

"What? What is it?" Henry exclaimed happily.

Regina winced. Idiot, she thought. She spun around and noticed Emma's amused expression, even though she was still looking at everyone but her.

"Swan!" she exclaimed.

Emma startled, and Henry giggled.

"Like our name?"

"Exactly like our name"

"Swan" Henry murmured "It suits her. I like it"

"Her name is Swan Swan?" Harry laughed.

Suddenly, he let go of Regina's hand. Looking down she saw him observing people near the entry of the shop. The Malfoys. She grabbed the books she needed and went to them. The boys followed her reluctantly.

Lucius Malfoy. God. It has been a lifetime since I last saw him. Lucius was discussing heatedly with Arthur Weasley. Ginny was with them. Regina vaguely heard some insults directed from the Slytherin to her friend and she intervened. Had she not, the men would probably have fought. Muggle style.

"Lucius" she greeted him in a dazzling smile.

"Regina?" he asked surprised. "Oh my God! The last time I saw you, you were fifteen or something!" he chuckled.

"I know" she tilted her head in acknowledgment.

He looked at her appreciatively from head to toe, commenting something like "Time did you well, you…" when he stopped mid-sentence. He was now staring at Harry, who remained close to her.

"Is this…?"

"Lucius, meet my godson, Harry"

"Harry Potter. Your godson. It's a… hem… an honour to meet you" he said coldly "Looks like you made your choice, then, all these years ago" Lucius stated with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I did" Regina confirmed, still smiling.

Lucius nodded and with a quick "Let's go, Draco", they were gone. Arthur looked at her and she could see all the questions he was burning to ask.

"Let's go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour" Regina exclaimed.

She needed some fresh air. The kids were ecstatic. Arthur said they would join them as soon as Molly was done and Regina left with the Grangers, the Weasleys children, her boys and Emma. They all sat on the terrace, saving two seats for Molly and Arthur. The three adults sat at the edge of the table. Florean came to take their orders and Regina quickly asked how much she owed him. After convincing the Grangers, that it was on her and her pleasure, she paid with an extra, explaining to Florean that two more ice creams would be asked.

The Grangers kept on talking little nothings with her. Arthur and Molly finally arrived.

"What was that?" Arthur exclaimed immediately.

"What was what?" Molly asked surprised.

"Regina obviously knows Malfoy, I wanted to know how and what he meant by you chose your side!"

Arthur's tone wasn't accusing in the slightest. More like incredibly curious. As if he was about to find out something special. That was the kind of tone he always used when he asked questions about muggle devices.

"Arthur! That is none of your business!" his wife raged.

"It's not a problem, Molly, really. We met at Hogwarts. He was our Prefect, a few years older, and slept in my brother's room" she explained.

"Your brother?" Molly asked, suddenly intrigued.

Regina tried to remember the moment she had talked about him but found none. She realised they didn't know anything about her.

"Severus Snape" Regina clarified.

Molly's eyebrows rose so high they disappeared under her fringe.

"You were a Slytherin then" Arthur stated.

His tone was still the same. So very curious and amazed. Molly, for once, seemed to share his enthusiasm on the same topic. She smiled.

"And you dated a Gryffindor" Molly smiled.

They were now bordering some subjects she didn't want to broach. She answered nonetheless.

"I married one" she sniggered somewhat bitterly.

The Weasleys felt it and changed the subject.

"When he said that you chose your side, he was referring to… Death-Eaters" Arthur whispered the last word.

Regina nodded positively and sombrely. She then realised that anyone could have jumped to conclusions. Her brother had been on a trial for being a Death Eater, and her wife had been sentenced for being one. She was a Slytherin and anyone could have wondered if she wasn't a spy. But not the Weasleys. Her heart swelled with gratitude.

"You know… I sometimes think Hogwarts Sorts too soon" Molly said nonchalantly looking at her fingernails.

Regina heard the compliment loud and clear. She cleared her throat.

"Thank you, Molly. But you know, Slytherin isn't that bad… I really need to finish my errands. I think it will be faster if I do it alone"

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you here with the boys" Molly encouraged her.

"Thank you" she said sincerely.

The Weasleys visibly understood that she wasn't thanking them just for watching her kids.

Regina took her time to buy some extras for Ginny, she guessed she could use them, and the same for her kids. When she came back, Regina remained in the shadow of the shop's corner. She wasn't spying per se, just observing. Emma was now on the table, spoon fed some ice cream by her son who was laughing with his friends. Emma was looking at Henry and Harry hungrily. And somehow reverently. What was more surprising was that she often stared at Ron, too. Insistently. As if she was waiting for something.

"Why didn't you join us, Regina?" she heard Lucius' voice next to her.

She didn't detach her gaze from Emma, though.

"Because my place wasn't there, Lucius"

At the sound of her voice, the owl's head turned to her. Their gaze met briefly before Emma averted it again. Regina now knew she was listening to them. They were far away, but as an owl, the vision and the earing were heightened.

"The Dark Lord looked for you earnestly. And Bellatrix would have loved you to join our ranks"

"Bella never loved anyone or anything" Regina smiled.

"It may be true, but knowing her as I do, she would have chosen you over Rod in a heartbeat" he murmured.

From a distance, Regina guessed the owl's was growling, judging by Henry's worried glance at "Swan". She smirked.

"We weren't meant to be, Lucius. I truly liked her and I think she liked me too… but… she turned out to be completely insane"

"She became what they made her… she still could change"

"I hope she will find the right person to help her, then… but it could never have been me" Regina concluded.

"You still would have been happier with us" Lucius persisted weakly.

Regina laughed out loud at that.

"Trust me, if I hadn't met…" she trailed off, wondering what her life would have been without Lily. Would she have still met Emma? Fallen in love with her? Remain in the light? Or sink in the Dark with her brother? "Under other circumstances, I have no doubt my life would have been much easier alongside your ranks, as you say. But it is what it is"

"Are you happy?"

She finally detached herself from the table, and turned to him, advancing in the shadow, sure now that they wouldn't be seen by anyone.

"Why do you ask Lucius?"

"If the Dark Lord returns… will you join us?" the man urged her, impatiently.

"Why would the Dark Lord return?"

"Just answer me, Regina!" he said exasperated.

She was about to answer of course not when she remembered what Harry had told her. Grave danger in Hogwarts. Does Lucius know something about it? She tried to use Legilimency gently, on the man standing in front of her but his walls were strong and she wouldn't break them without Lucius noticing her intrusion. She wondered if it was worth the shot… Legilimency is the dull brother of Psychology she remembered Dumbledore's words.

"Depends on what the Dark Lord can offer me" she chose to answer to lure him in.

Lucius smiled, victorious.

"Anything. With us, you would have the world at your feet"

"The Dark Lord will not return, though" she pointed out.

"Oh yes, he will. I have a plan"

She was about to ask him about it when Emma appeared from nowhere and attacked Lucius in the same way she had with Lockhart. Regina was furious. She immobilised her before she could hurt the man and caught her before she crashed on the floor. She took her in her arms and looked at Lucius.

"Sorry, you've got to go, my son will come searching for it" she said showing him Emma.

Lucius nodded, still dishevelled and left.

Regina ended the spell, gripped Emma in both her hands, raised her at her face level and hissed angrily and lowly:

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Emma was back at ignoring her and persisted to avoid her eyes.

"He was about to tell me what his plan for hurting Harry was" she seethed.

Emma seemed confused.

"I don't recognise you… I'm not sure you know me either, anymore" she brokenly relented, releasing Emma and taking off to her friends.

She sat down gracefully and smiled apologetically to Molly.

"You found everything?"

"I did, thank you for watching over the boys. And here is everything Ginny will need for this year"

"You didn't have to buy all this" Molly blushed, noticing the amount of her purchases.

"My pleasure" Regina answered joyfully. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Emma was back on Henry's shoulder and heard Ron tell him "See? You didn't need to worry. I told you she just needed to poop after all the ice cream you gave her" and she choked on her own saliva. "Where are the Grangers?" she asked to prevent her from chuckling.

"They went to the Magical Menagerie. Hermione wanted a pet" Arthur answered her amicably.

"Do you want me to watch the kids while you finish your errands?" she offered.

"Oh, no need, we already finished them" Molly countered "Do you want to come over at ours for a drink?"

Regina was torn. She wanted to go back home and sleep.

"Tomorrow is the start of the school year and we won't be able to see each other again for a year! Plus, you promised you'd come back if I let you shop with Ginny" Molly insisted.

How could she say no to that?

"You're right" she capitulated.

They came back home late. The Weasleys were adorable and Regina liked them but she needed to stop eating so much when they went at theirs… the kids were extenuated but happy. Emma hadn't left Henry's shoulder except for going on Harry's from time to time. Henry and Harry had used the Floo Powder before her, and she had been kissed again by the whole family before leaving (the twins had tried to kiss her twice and Molly had got angry at them), so when she arrived home, the kids were nowhere to be seen. She wasn't worried, though.

"Boys?" she loudly called after them, out of habit. Better safe than sorry.

"Yes!" their joined answer came back muffled, from upstairs.

"You brush your teeth, you go to the toilets and then straight to bed!" she reminded them.

"Yes, mom"

She sat down on the sofa and slowly retrieved her stilettos. Her feet were killing her. She then poured herself a glass of wine, even though she was already tipsy after all the drinks Molly had offered her. But she didn't care. She felt like she needed the liquid courage. She was certain Emma wouldn't come to her tonight. She didn't want to speak to her, that much was clear. And Regina was furious.

She drank silently, numb, until she didn't hear the boys' steps anymore: time to say goodnight. She went to Henry's room first. She noticed that the owl was nowhere to be seen, but the window was opened. She didn't ask him where Emma was.

"Mom, Swan needs a nest to sleep" Henry pointed out sleepily.

She obliged him and created a cute little nest with the Gryffindor's colours. Henry smiled at her and enlaced her. She was about to close the door when Henry prevented her from doing so.

"Don't! What if Swan needs something?"

"What would she want?"

"I don't know, but this way she can discover the house"

"Henry we are going to Hogwarts tomorrow…" she sighed.

Henry seemed deflated and acquiesced. But she couldn't resolve to see him so sad. So she let the door open. She then went to Harry and tucked him in too before kissing him.

"I love you, Gina"

"I love you too, honey"

"Thank you"

"What for?" Regina asked surprised.

"The holidays! It was great. It would have been awful at the Dursleys" he confessed.

"You're my family. You don't have to thank me for taking care of you, honey. This is why I'm here for, you know. And I'm glad to do it" she told him.

Harry smiled so gratefully and happily at her she wanted to cry. Poor boy… he would have been so cherished by his parents. She looked at the pictures of Lily and James next to his bed and sighed. Harry followed her gaze and squeezed her hand.

"You don't need to feel sorry for me. I don't anymore"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have any parents… but I do have the best godmother, you know" Harry smiled.

Regina smiled back and hugged him tight.

"Thank you" she murmured.

She went back to her room. The owl was on her bed, looking at her bedside table and her walls, prostate. Regina knew why. There were photos of hers and Lily's all around them.

She ignored her and began to undress. She felt Emma's stare. Now you choose to look at me, Regina smirked. She slipped on her pyjamas and lied down next to the owl. She was about to ask her if she would eventually speak to her, but the owl suddenly flew away. I guess not…

They were late… Regina had overslept and now they were really late.

"Harry, call the cab please" she enjoined him while putting on her stilettos.

It's all Emma's fault. If she wasn't back home, I would have slept soundly, she thought exasperated.

"Hello, we would like to go to King's Cross station, please" she heard Harry say.

She magically and quickly made their suitcases and made them fly in the entry.

"1, Mifflin Street" Harry was saying.

Clever boy. He didn't give the correct number of the street, knowing it doesn't exist for Muggles. She winced, realising they would have to walk a short distance, though. She quickly put a weightless charm on the luggage.

"Henry, hurry up" she screamed.

"Coming!" the boy shouted, running down the stairs "I didn't have the time to brush my teeth, you packed my toothbrush too fast" he reproached her.

"You weren't quick enough" she answered sternly, seeing her wife on his shoulder once again "You'll just have a bad breath for the rest of the day"

Henry shot her a dirty look.

"What? You were not planning on kissing anyone anyway, were you?" she smirked.

"Mooom!" Henry whined petulantly.

Regina chuckled and she saw Harry refraining from laughing. He couldn't help smiling widely, though. Henry approached her and blew pointedly at her face.

"Henry! Stop that" she exclaimed, laughing.

"Do you want a kiss, Mommy?" he devilishly smirked.

She kissed his forefront, murmuring always, and grabbed the luggage.

"You'll have to help me, guys. Take yours and let's go. What time did they say, Harry?"

"They'll be there in five"

"Perfect"

"Wow, are you sure all of our stuff is in there?" Henry asked.

She quickly closed the house and walked down the street, the boys hot on her heels.

"Sure. Why?" she replied distractedly.

"Mine weights as heavy as a feather"

"That's because of the weightless charm, Henry"

"God, I love magic"

Harry nodded vigorously. They saw the cab from a distance and hurried. Why do I keep on wearing stilettos?

The driver offered them to put the suitcases in his trunk and they refused eagerly. No need, don't worry, we can do it. Regina got in the passenger's seat next to the driver, and the kids behind them. Then, they took off.

"Mom, I think we will miss it" Henry pointed out.

"Nonsense" she murmured.

"It's fifteen to eight" Harry informed her.

She turned to the driver.

"We have a train at eight, sir. Could we go as fast as you can? I promise to leave a good tip if we're on time" she asked with a dazzling smile.

The driver looked at her with a dumb and gentle face.

"Of course, Ma'am" he answered eagerly.

They arrived at the Station within five minutes. She left him a hundred, enjoining him to keep the change and hurried to the trunk with Harry and Henry. The driver followed them discreetly and they were already closing it when the man told Regina:

"I can give you back the change, and in exchange you give me your number?" he offered timidly.

Had he been mean, she would have had no problem to reject him. But he seemed like a gentleman. The boys screamed they were going to be late.

"I'm sorry, we're in a hurry! Maybe another time" she shouted, walking fast behind her running boys.

Henry and Harry ran straight to the Platform Nine and Three Quarters and instead of walking through it, they bumped into it hard. The shock made them fall several feet away from the wall. Emma sent a worried hoot, seeing the boys on the floor – she had flown away just before the impact on the ground. Regina hurried and kneeled next to them.

"Are you okay? Nothing's broken?"

"That will teach you not to let your kids run all around like that" an elderly woman looked down on her.

"Get lost lady, before I give you a reason to run, too" Regina growled sending her a murderous look.

The woman left.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine" the boys answered, rubbing their heads.

"Why is the portal closed?" Harry asked, worried.

"The train just left" Henry sighed, defeated.

Regina inhaled, furious. Fuck the damn portal, fuck the station, fuck the cab, fuck Emma, fuck, fuck, fuck… She touched the wall. It was indeed solid.

"It's alright. Let's go back home, we'll use the Floo Powder" Regina soothed.

"Can we?" Harry asked, visibly surprised.

"Of course. You still have to go back to school, honey"

They went out of the station and were about to call a cab when Regina spotted the driver from earlier. He had seen her too. She approached him reluctantly.

"You missed the train, didn't you?" he asked amused.

"Unfortunately…" she responded.

"I'll have to give you a free ride and still give you back some change, then" he offered charmingly.

Regina was about to protest when Emma hooted displeased. So, Regina accepted. When they arrived in Mifflin Street, the man turned to her:

"I saw you walk from over there. Do you want me to drop you off closer to your house?"

"It won't be necessary, thank you" Regina declined politely.

They exited the car and retrieved their items.

"You're forgetting something" he called after her, while the trio was already leaving.

She turned around, surprised.

"Your number" he reminded her, smiling.

The owl was almost growling. "I know, Swan, I don't like it either but be good" Henry was murmuring. Regina huffed.

"I'm married"

"Oh… I'm sorry. I assumed you weren't" the man said apologetically.

Regina knew she shouldn't ask the question, but the words slipped out of her lips anyway, unwanted.

"Why? You saw my kids"

"But not the ring" the man answered, indicating her marital finger. He had the grace to smile, spun around without waiting for her reply and drove off. Regina was stunned for a moment. When she turned to the children, Henry and the owl were looking at her angrily.

"Told you to put the ring on" Henry reproached her.

Fuck the damn cab, fuck the fucking ring and fuck Emma, fuck, fuck, fuck. She furiously tore off her necklace, extracting the ring from it, and put it on, throwing the chain away.

"Happy now?" she seethed.

She took off, without waiting for them and heard their hurried steps.

"You could be a little nicer to her" she heard Harry say reproachfully. "You would do the same to your mother" Henry grumbled "No I wouldn't" Harry answered, indignantly "Would too" Henry childishly persisted "Not if she offered me everything I wanted like 'Gina does to you" Harry replied almost angrily. Henry didn't answer anymore.

Something wasn't right… they were standing in front of the place where their house should appear, but nothing happened. The house reacted to them as if they were Muggles. It wasn't showing. Regina surreptitiously got her wand out and pointed it between the two muggle houses, muttering incantations. Nothing happened. She was getting anxious when she thought about fairy magic and whispered a very old charm. That worked and the house appeared. The kids ran inside while she remained in the garden and she checked all the protections she had cast before – they were intact. She started to be scared.

Henry appeared in the entryway.

"Mom, the Floo Powder doesn't work"

Really scared.

"It's okay honey. Sit down in the garden with me for a little while. I'll think of something in the meantime"

The kids looked at each other worryingly but did as they were told. Regina felt a little pressure on her shoulder and realised Emma had just landed on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she lowly hooted.

Regina distanced herself from the kids feigning to inspect the magical wards.

"Some unknown fairy magic prevented the house from appearing to us. And now I have the sense that the wards I put down in place with Dumbledore haven't been touched. But the Floo Powder doesn't work. Something's wrong" she summed up quietly.

"If it was Dark Magic, we would feel it" Emma reasoned.

"Dark wizards aren't the only threats in the world" Regina countered.

"We should leave and apparate with the kids near Hogwarts" Emma suggested.

"Too risky. We would need to go in the street and anyone could see us… and before you ask, no we can't find a shadowed place. It's still risky"

"What about a Desillusionment Charm?"

"What if something goes wrong and one of you is splinched?"

"What if you repaired the Chimney's connection? You could probably do it"

"What if it's a trap and brought us at the wrong place?"

"You could go first and I would watch Henry and Harry"

"Need I remind you, you don't have a wand anymore?"

"What do you suggest, then?" Emma asked annoyed.

"A portkey"

"You will need Dumbledore's permission and help to use a portkey directly into Hogwarts"

"You're right…" Regina pondered.

"You could send him a Patronus"

"Good idea"

She cast the spell containing the message it should deliver. She took one of her books from her suitcase and created the portkey, then sat next to her kids, Emma still perched on her shoulder.

"We'll use a portkey to go back" she informed them.

"What is it?" Harry asked, excited.

"An enchanted device that magically transport one person from one point to another. It makes fuzzy feelings in the belly and spins a lot, but it's harmless"

"Okay" Harry approved.

"Why did Swan come to you?" Henry asked, suspicious.

"She wanted to check if I was doing everything correctly to protect you"

For the first time, she felt like she didn't lie about the owl. Emma flew back to her son.

"Really? She wants to protect me?" he murmured in awe.

"Of course. You're her owner" Regina chuckled.

She thought Emma wouldn't be happy with being seen as a possession but she rubbed her face against Henry's cheeks, as if to confirm his mom's words.

"Tell him I love him" Emma hooted tenderly.

"She loves you" Regina repeated. Her stomach constricted.

Henry beamed and caressed her head lovingly, whispering in her ear that he loved her too. Regina lowered her face, suddenly ashamed to witness the first motherly exchange Emma had with Henry in twelve years. Harry grabbed her hand, noticing her distress. She shot him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand, thankful.

Their moment was interrupted by a soft blue emanating from the book.

"Be quick, grab your luggage and touch the book, the portkey is about to leave"

The boys listened to her instructions and Emma landed on the book, softly grazing all of their fingers. They waited a few seconds. Then they were gone.

They arrived in Dumbledore's office. They were still sitting in a circle, feeling slightly dizzy. She noticed Severus was there too.

Regina stood up immediately and went to kiss Dumbledore and her brother.

"Hello Albus, hey baby bro"

"Hello, dear. How was the journey?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Stressing" she mumbled, then a little louder: "Fine, thanks to your rapidity" she added quickly and very lowly: "we really need to talk about several things"

The boys were getting up, still disoriented.

"Ah yes. The first time with a portkey is always a little disturbing" Dumbledore chuckled.

"Hello Sir" they greeted him smiling.

Henry went to hug his uncle.

"You can leave your luggage here, a house elf will take them to your dormitory. Enjoy the empty castle while you can" he dismissed them gently.

The boys looked at her, checking if she didn't want them to stay. Then, they hurried off. Emma hadn't moved, torn between her desires to follow them or stay with her wife to hear the important conversation. She finally made her choice and left without a look back. Dumbledore and Severus were looking at her retreating form thoughtfully and Regina felt the danger.

"Albus. I have many concerns" she began.

"I'm listening, Regina" he said, going back to his desk and sitting.

She explained to them everything that had happened that morning, then she talked about Dobby and finally about the Horcrux. Dumbledore deeply sighed before answering.

"We will go to your house this afternoon. We need to verify the wards" he started.

Regina nodded approvingly.

"Although I don't think there's any risk for you there" he kept on.

"How can you be so sure?"

"You said the house elf only wanted to warn Harry about coming back here? And you felt fairy magic in your house? Seems to me like this elf tried everything he could to prevent him from returning. I'd say he was trying to help, not to harm"

Regina's mouth fell. She hadn't thought at Dobby as the culprit for one second. She felt so dump, it disgusted her. How can I be so stupid? When will I learn?

"My lessons only just began, dear. Don't be so hard on yourself" Dumbledore chuckled while Regina closed her mouth and smiled at the man's perspicacity. "Furthermore, I must say that I am impressed concerning your progresses concerning Voldemort"

"You think we're right?"

"We'll come back to that question later. For now, I would like the two of you to tell me what Voldemort would have used as a Horcrux if he had created one" Dumbledore asked.

"I was counting on you for that one" Regina replied tersely.

"Something he deemed valuable. Something worthy to receive his soul" Severus played along.

Dumbledore beamed.

"What could that be?"

Severus paced the office, thinking hard. Regina felt out of place. She knew nothing about Voldemort. She had always tried to distance herself from him. Physically and emotionally.

"Only someone who knew him well could answer that" she rebuffed.

"Yes… and no. You see, I knew Voldemort when he was just Tom Riddle. And I can assure you. No one ever knew him" Dumbledore replied calmly.

"He didn't have any friends?"

"He had admirers he considered as pawns"

"What about the Death Eaters?"

"We were admirers who he considered as pawns" Severus confirmed.

Dumbledore nodded his approbation.

"Don't say we, Sev" she weakly protested.

"I used to be a Death Eater" he calmly replied.

"You used to be a spy" Regina countered.

"You're wrong. I always loved you enough to make you come first and protect you. But I always followed his orders, until…" Severus trailed off.

"Until he decided to murder Lily" Regina ended the sentence.

"Or you" Severus corrected "Until the very end, he hesitated between the two of you"

"The three of you" Dumbledore added.

Regina looked at him, surprised.

"You forget about the Longbottoms" he answered her unasked question.

"He never really considered Neville Longbottom as his potential defeater" Severus shrugged.

"Although Neville was the only Pureblood" Regina pointed out.

Dumbledore smiled brightly at her.

"Precisely"

His reaction made Regina ponder her last words.

"He wasn't a Pureblood" she guessed.

"Precisely" Dumbledore repeated.

"That's why he chose Harry. He was the exact same one as him: one of his parent a Pureblood and the other one a Muggleborn" Severus confirmed.

"That's probably what decided him to kill Harry, yes" Dumbledore answered thoughtfully "But the Secret Keeper of James' revealed their emplacement, while yours didn't… I am not certain he would have made the same choice if Severus had" he confessed.

"Why wouldn't he have? Harry matched him more than Henry considering his origins" Severus replied.

"You forget we don't know about Emma's origins" Regina intervened.

"And that Voldemort considered Regina to be a bigger threat than James and Lily reunited. Maybe even a bigger threat than me" Dumbledore completed "A feeling that will be increased once he comes back" he added as an afterthought.

"Because of what happened with Quirrell?"

"Yes"

"But Henry can't be the one of the Prophecy" Regina said in a strangled voice.

"No, he can't. The Prophecy was about a boy who would be marked as his equal from the Dark Lord. And Harry was, not Henry"

Regina felt relieved. Then she remembered that it meant Harry couldn't live as long as Voldemort was alive, and she didn't feel relieved in the slightest anymore. At the very least, it's not about the two of them.

"Anyway, we didn't make any progress concerning the Horcrux" Severus noted.

"We need to know him for that" Regina answered him.

"And that job will be mine" Dumbledore conceded.

"Then you think we're right"

"I think you may be onto something, yes" he replied.

"What is our job, then?" Severus inquired.

"To protect Harry, for the time being. According to… Dobby, was it? He's in grave danger. We need to know what it is"

She was late again. She had fallen asleep while thinking about the discussion with Dumbledore and now she was late for the Sorting ceremony. Thank you Emma! If you hadn't come back, I would have slept yesterday night, I wouldn't have been late this morning, and I would most certainly not be late now. When it came to her wife, Regina was lost. She didn't know how she should react anymore.

It somehow scared her. Did it mean she didn't love her anymore? If she didn't, what would be the meaning of her life? Who was she? She had only known Emma. She had grown up into adulthood, loving her. Emma felt like a piece of her. If she lost that piece, what would be left? A mother of two sons? A sister? A friend? She didn't know anymore.

She entered the Great Hall discreetly and made her way to the teachers' table. She felt many eyes on her but acted like she didn't notice. The Sorting Hat had begun his job. She sat down quietly next to her brother who had saved her a seat.

"Late again. Careful before it becomes a habit" Severus sniggered lowly.

"Shut up"

She noticed from a distance that Emma was, once again, perched on Henry's shoulder. Her chest constricted: she felt caged.

"Hello Regina" a familiar feminine voice said from her right.

"Elsa?" she exclaimed delighted "What are you doing here?" she asked surprised.

"Dumbledore offered me a job. It was becoming difficult for me. My sister got married and had babies, our house was a little too crowded… and I couldn't find a job that fitted me. So here I am!"

"That's great news, congratulations!"

She also noticed from the corner of her eyes Lockhart. She wondered why Dumbledore had hired someone like him. He was looking at her pointedly and she refused to acknowledge him.

"What will you be teaching?" she inquired.

"Charms. I will share my classes with Flitwick"

"I do the same with McGonagall"

"Really? How is it, then?"

Dumbledore wished them to enjoy their meal and their plates magically filled with food. The Great Hall became very noisy.

"It's okay. Feels like becoming a student again. Although this time we're on the powerful side. It's quite enjoyable to be able to give and take points from the Houses" she chuckled.

Elsa laughed with her.

"I've thought about you a lot, you know?"

Regina didn't answer, a little surprised at the admission.

"Your rescue all those years ago? My sister and I would have died if it weren't for you. I often wanted to contact you. But I learned for your wife… and then I figured you had other things on your mind… I didn't want to bother you. This job was the perfect opportunity for me to contact you" Elsa explained, blushing.

Severus sniggered and Elsa thankfully missed it. Regina didn't. She elbowed his ribs and he grunted quietly.

"I'm sorry I don't want to make you uncomfortable" the blonde girl kept on when she received no response from her.

"No, no, you really don't" Regina quickly reassured her "But you didn't take the job just to see me, did you?"

"Of course not" Elsa replied, reddening again.

The lie was easily detectable. And Regina was lost again. She eyed Elsa discreetly. She had turned out to be a beautiful woman. That much was undeniable. But she was sure she could never love someone the same way she had loved Emma. She chose to shut down her mind and just enjoy being courted by a beautiful woman. It was, at least, an agreeable change.

"You still wear your ring?" Elsa asked as if the answer didn't really matter.

"I do. As a reminder"

"A reminder of what?"

"Of what I will never accept again from a loved one" Regina flashed her a megawatt smile.

"To new beginnings, then" Elsa smiled back, raising her glass.

"To new beginnings" Regina imitated her.

Elsa flirted with her during the whole meal, and for once, Regina didn't feel un-at-ease by the attention she was given. On the contrary, she welcomed it almost gratefully. Elsa was an easy-going person, appealing, and she shared with Regina important values, such as family. The diner was soothing and liberating. They laughed and talked a lot.

Regina's mind was at peace when she left the Great Hall to go back to her room. She still felt extenuated, though. Entering her room, she didn't lose a second to take off her clothes. It didn't take her long to be in her underwear, considering the fact that she only wore her witch dress. As she carelessly threw it away, she stopped dead in her tracks. Emma was in her bedroom, next to the Chimney right in front of her. Only the bed separated them now. Emma's furious glare sent shivers down her spine. Her stomach clenched violently, butterflies erupting from deep inside her. Emma was beautiful. She had gained weight since the last time she had seen her in Azkaban, three months ago. She wasn't so pale anymore either. Not like it used to be but almost. Her eyes, though… they hadn't changed. She realised that they were roaming her almost naked body. She wasn't bothered. Her wife already knew it, even though she hadn't seen it in twelve years.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked.

She was glad to hear that her voice had remained strong despite everything.

"I needed to speak to you" Emma responded very calmly.

Her eyes were betraying her: she could easily read rage and lust.

"What about?"

"I need you to explain to me what I missed these last few months. From bribes of conversations between the boys I got some scary details I need to know more about"

"Is this the only reason of your presence?"

Emma seemed to battle with herself for a short time.

"Yes" she finally spoke through gritted teeth.

Regina nodded and sat on her bed, still in her underwear, getting closer to the blonde woman. Emma remained frozen. And the brunette explained the end of the previous year for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Emma listened to her closely, never interrupting. When Regina was done, Emma said:

"Okay"

And then she bypassed the bed, leaving her. But when she touched the window, she released it quickly as if burnt. She spun around, glaring at Regina with fire in her eyes. Regina stood up. And Emma came back to her until her clothes brushed Regina's naked skin. The gentleness of her hand grabbing her face was contrasted by the ferocity of her voice:

"Here's to new beginnings"

And then, she kissed her. As soon as their lips touched, Regina knew. Emma was the one, and she would always love her, no matter what. Her knees buckled. Like before. And Emma lifted her, wrapping her legs around her waist. Like before. Regina grabbed a hold in her hair and Emma's hands squeezed her everywhere she could reach… not seeming to know where to settle. Needing to roam, to feel, to remember. Regina moaned loudly. She felt her core clench and couldn't help grinding against Emma while kissing her deeply. Emma crashed them on the bed, pushing her whole weight on the brunette. Regina moaned again. Her hands began tearing off her wife's clothes blindly, but Emma tried to free herself.

"I have to go"

"Don't you dare" Regina growled, gripping hard on her ripped shirt, effectively preventing her from standing up.

"That's not what I came for" Emma whispered desperately.

"I don't care, Emma. Even if it's just for one night… please" she begged her wife.

Emma growled, swooped on her neck and bit her soft spot. She pulled at her bra so forcefully she tore it and Regina cried out in both pain and pleasure. The same fate happened to her panties. Regina needed skin contact so badly she could have died. Emma's clothes vanished and she didn't even acknowledge the wandless magic she had just performed. They moulded perfectly still. But the contact didn't last long as Emma pushed her on the cushions brutally and dived her head between her thighs. Her tongue immediately found her clit as her fingers plunged deep inside her and Regina screamed at the feeling. Emma moaned against her, which sent vibrations in her entire body. She was so focused on the sensations, she came forcefully within a few seconds. Emma freed her right away. The brunette was so scared she was about to leave, that she placated her on the bed, reversing their positions.

After making sure Emma wouldn't move, she went down on her wife, without losing time kissing her. They were so far past foreplay. She whined when she tasted the almost forgotten essence of her wife. She fingered her with force and rapidity while her other hand grabbed with all the strength she could muster Emma's hip. Emma was screaming too and didn't last any longer than Regina before coming.

The brunette kissed her way back up and rested her head in the crook of the neck of her wife, breathing the smell of her skin and letting her fingers caress her body. Emma's arms enlaced her.

"All those years" Emma murmured almost inaudibly.

"We won't have them back"

"I know"

"I still love you, Regina" Emma confessed.

"I still love you too"

"But we can't be together"

"Really?" Regina murmured dangerously.

"I mean not right now, at least" Emma corrected.

"Why?"

"Because I… there are some things I need to do. And I can't be distracted from it" Emma clumsily explained.

"What is it?" Regina insisted.

"I just need you to wait for me a little longer" Emma eventually whispered.

"Why?" Regina sniggered dejectedly "You intend to come back after that?"

"Yes" Emma simply answered.

"Tell me at least what it is about" Regina almost begged.

Emma hesitated for several minutes. Regina looked at her and brought their forefronts together, tenderly.

"I think I deserve to know" Regina finally whispered against her lips.

"It's for the same reason I left you twelve years ago" Emma murmured back.

"For James then?"

"And Lily, yes" Emma confirmed, very sad.

Regina stood up. She went to her nightstand, still very much naked and grabbed her wand. She magically dressed with a satin robe, set her wand back on the nightstand and sat comfortably against her cushions while looking intensely at Emma. Her mind was blank. She just stared at her wife who stared back.

"You're telling me the person you're looking for is in Hogwarts?"

Emma seemed surprised for a minute. Then she acquiesced, mutely.

"It's time for you to endorse your parental obligations" Regina softly said.

"That's what I'm intending to do" Emma agreed quietly.

"And it's time for me to have fun" Regina kept on as if she hadn't been interrupted.

Emma seemed ready to argue but she didn't answer right away. And then she lowered her head, defeated.

"You will do what you have to do, Regina. But just know one thing…" she seriously said, raising her head and staring right at her "Your life must have been extremely hard these last twelve years: raising our child alone, then Harry, protecting them, coming to see me, teaching here… but my life? It has been hell. I missed everything that really mattered to me and lost everything I knew. I wasn't having fun, either"

"I…" Regina tried to say.

"I wasn't done" Emma interrupted her.

Regina closed her mouth instantly.

"But… I'll be damned if I lose you, too" she admitted in a whisper "There is something I need to do, on my own. Something that is even more important than us. And I promise I will explain it all someday. But in the meantime, I will not be able to care for you… you are free to find someone who will. And if that person makes you happy, I'll be too"

Regina's throat constricted. She hadn't really meant it. She didn't care for anyone but Emma… she just wanted to hurt her, to punish her for keeping secrets from her. Luckily, Emma wasn't waiting for her reply and she kept on.

"You can be sure of one thing, though: if that person is still with you when I come back… I will fight for you. I will do everything I can to win you back. Nothing else will matter to me more than that, not even our son. You are mine, Regina. As I'm yours. And tonight is about reminding you of that"

Regina's heart raced, her stomach clenched as the passion rushed back in her veins. Emma's words hit her right in her chest and she felt so alive. Finally. The longing she felt for her wife at that moment wasn't a need anymore to be close to her, to feel again. It came naturally, like a puzzle. Like nothing had changed, like they never were separated. She slowly slithered her way back to Emma.

"You can be sure of something too, Emma. The permission you're granting me? It doesn't apply to you" she said with a very deep voice. Emma's pupils dilated. Regina straddled her knees. Her robe opened and her naked centre grazed softly against Emma's stomach. Regina grabbed her hair with both her hands, pulling Emma's face closer to hers, until their lips caressed and their noses bumped teasingly. She then purred in her ear: "I will never allow you to stray. I will never allow you to even kiss anyone else but me. Do you hear me?"

Emma's hands were gripping hard at her waist. She vigorously nodded her head: "I would never desire anyone but you anyway" she weakly muttered.

"Good girl" Regina praised her before kissing her hungrily.

"And thanks to you, I'm late again" Regina whispered, content.

They hadn't slept. Regina was lying in Emma's embrace. She knew she really was tardy and would have to skip breakfast to be on time for her first class. But she just couldn't get herself to care.

"I don't remember making you late often these past few years"

Regina chuckled.

"You gave me insomnia" she explained.

"Sorry" Emma answered distracted.

"You're not with me anymore, are you?" Regina sighed.

Emma held her tighter.

"I don't want to let you go" she softly admitted.

"Me neither… you still won't tell me who the murderer is?"

"It's my fault, so it's my mission to rectify that mistake"

"Are the kids in danger?"

"Not while I'm around"

Emma kissed her deeply and so feverishly Regina felt the desire resurface. But Emma got up and without a glance back, still very naked, she made her way to the window and opened it.

"When will I see you again?" Regina murmured desperately.

Emma didn't turn around but her head fell.

"I'll always be there, Regina"

She then transformed and flew away.

Regina stood up, refusing to feel sad. Their final reunion was just being postponed, that was all. It reassured her to no end. Her love hadn't died down: it just had been buried under tons of resentment and built-up frustration. She took a scathing shower, feeling cold without her wife. Once she deemed herself cleaned, she magically got ready and cleaned the room.

She was climbing the stairs to go to her first class when Henry's voice halted her.

"MOM!"

She looked at him, surprised. Her son was accompanied by Harry, Hermione and Ron. The three of them seemed worried and a little edgy. Henry was furious and literally shaking. He held a newspaper in his hands and Emma was on his shoulder. Somehow the owl succeeded in appearing both extenuated and worried. Regina couldn't help smirking furtively.

"Guys, what are you doing here? Your classes are about to start" she reprimanded them softly.

"We were looking for you" Henry addressed his mother, not so gently "I wanted you to explain to me why you didn't tell me Momma had escaped" his voice was full of reproaches.

She briefly looked at the newspaper in his hand… an edition of the Daily Prophet on which Emma's and Sirius' faces were portrayed. She glanced at Emma who looked sorry for her and finally focused on her son.

"I didn't… I didn't see the point, Henry. Don't get your hopes up. The Aurors will catch Emma and send her back to Azkaban" she apologetically answered.

"Not if we find her first" Henry erupted.

"Don't you dare" Regina seethed, suddenly. Her son was capable of putting his life in danger to find his mother back "Do you think you're not watched? Do you really believe the Aurors are dumb enough to leave us alone? They're expecting Emma to come to us. As they should. And your mother is clever enough to know that. She'll come back when the time comes" she whispered angrily just for their ears to hear "We have to trust her. She'll come back when it'll be safe for all of us"

"You haven't given up on her, then?" Henry asked in a small voice.

"I could never" Regina replied, while straightening up.

"Sorry, I thought you didn't care anymore" Henry mumbled.

Regina looked at him severely.

"We'll have a private conversation later, Henry. Now go back to class before I retrieve Gryffindor's first points"

They all hurried off and she heard Ron saying "that must be the Evil Queen look everyone is so afraid of" Henry replied faintly "Oh no, she can be far worse… you should have seen her with Voldemort". She shook her head, smiling, and got on her way. She suddenly felt like it was time to being feared again. After all, she knew it was Emma's favourite version of her.

She entered the Third-Year-Transfiguration room with her full Evil Queen mode on.

"Hello class. I hope your holidays were fun, because from now on, I'll become your worst nightmare" she coldly stated, making her way to her desk. The only sound heard were her black stilettos' clicking on the marble floor.

"I think not" a voice snorted in her back.

She spun around so fast, all the students pushed back on their chairs, frightened. All but two: the Weasley twins who were brightly smiling at her. She smirked devilishly.

"Mister Weasleys. I didn't quite catch what you just said" she lied in a threatening voice.

The twins hesitated, this time. They glanced at each other and Fred finally considered his next words were worth the punishment.

"My brother only meant that we would certainly dream of you but…"

"It could never be a nightmare" they finished in unison.

Some boys cackled, but mainly, the students looked at them with horrified and impressed expressions.

"We'll see about that, guys. Detention tonight, eight o'clock in my office. And if I were you? I wouldn't be late"

Going back to her desk in a deathly silence, she winced internally. She would have to make the twins an example, knowing perfectly that anything she would do would never stop them and yet she didn't want to. She truly appreciated these two kids. They were funny, bright without knowing it, straightforward and troublemakers. If she hadn't had a reputation to uphold, she would have given them ten points for bravery.

She missed the twins' exciting fist bump.

"Get your wands out. Today, you meet your inner fears"

"How was your first day?" Regina inquired that night, in her room.

Henry and Harry were having tea with her, before bed.

"It was… weird" Henry answered distractingly.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, surprised.

"Lockhart is really weird" Harry clarified.

"What did he do?" Regina chuckled.

"He gave us a test. On the books he made us buy! And you know what the questions were?" Henry erupted, offended.

"No?"

"Questions about him!" Henry exclaimed.

Regina frowned, not really understanding.

"His birthday, his favourite colour, his greatest exploit, that sort of things" Harry developed for her.

Regina laughed out loud, at that.

"Wow… Dumbledore really did hire a tool" she snorted.

"And then, he freed dozens of pixies in the classroom, and we had to cage them. He was totally incompetent to do it himself" Henry added.

Regina chuckled again.

"You will have to find a way to survive the year with him, guys"

"Can't you do something to help us?" Henry begged, hopefully.

"I am afraid I cannot. He is a teacher, and I am no headmistress"

"But you're very powerful" Harry stated, reverently.

Regina smiled at him.

"Speaking of teachers, Fred and George said that their detention was hell but they refuse to say what they had to do! What was it?" Henry pried, curious.

"You will never know" Regina smirked, devilishly.

"You're no fun" Henry pouted.

"Gina, when will you be our Transfiguration teacher?" Harry wondered.

"I told you, I will never be, sweetie"

"But everyone says you're the best they've ever had!" Harry complained.

"Trust me, Professor McGonagall is the very best"

"She's not as scary! They all love you in a frightening way!" Henry objected.

"And you do not love Minerva?"

"We like her… but I wouldn't say love… it'd be weird" Henry winced.

"If I were you, I would be happy not to be in my class… I will give them hell, this year!" Regina promised, winking.

Weeks passed. She was now only known as the Evil Queen and enjoyed herself at her fullest. She sometimes felt remorseful when she knew her students suffered because of her frustration, but most of the time she just loved the feeling. It felt like old times.

Emma had come to one of her classes, watching her from the top of a cupboard. She knew she just wanted to see the Evil Queen in action, and she had been extra careful to level up her game. The Seventh Years would be traumatized of this day for the rest of their adult lives.

"I've been watching Henry closely lately. He seems a bit off" Severus told her.

They were having a late drink in his office, celebrating their Friday night. They were missing the Halloween Diner in the Great Hall but preferred each other's company.

"Really? I didn't notice" Regina frowned.

"He's not the only one… his friends are too" Severus added as an afterthought.

"Do you know why?" Regina inquired, concerned.

"No idea"

"I will spend the afternoon with Harry and Henry, tomorrow. I owe them an explanation anyways"

"What explanation?"

"Emma… I've been avoiding this discussion, but I think it's time for me to face it"

"Ah yes… he asked me about her escaping"

"What did you say?"

"The truth. I don't know how she did it" he shrugged "How do things go with Elsa?"

"It's just harmless flirting"

"She's smitten"

"And I am most certainly not"

"You never told me about Henry's new owl…"

"What is there to say?"

"At first, it was on Henry's shoulder all the time. Nowadays, it often disappears God knows where"

Severus was right and Regina had wondered many times where Emma was going. But her wife had promised she would explain everything in due time and she intended to trust her.

"Don't we have anything more important to discuss than Henry's pet?" Regina feigned indifference.

"As you wish. Have you found out what's the grave danger Harry's risking?"

"You're really no fun tonight"

Severus smirked. They suddenly heard commotion coming from upstairs. They hurried up to the source of the noise, worried. The crowd was dense and the twins had to force their way through it. The kids looked afraid. She heard Filch threatening someone of death and he wasn't joking. Then Dumbledore's voice rang, calming and she finally saw what it was the students were gathering around. In a puddle of water stood Henry, Harry, Ron and Hermione, but Emma wasn't with them. Miss Ringworm was suspended in the air, unmoving. And on the wall, written in blood, one could read:

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware"

Regina felt chills ran down her spine. She knew about the Legend and everything that had happened in the castle many years ago. A kid murdered fifty years ago. Rubeus Hagrid expelled…

Dumbledore wanted to speak with the boys and Lockhart eagerly invited them into his classroom. She winced. She abhorred the arrogant man. She didn't want him to listen to their conversation but refrained from commenting, seeing that Dumbledore had already accepted his offer.

She looked at the four teenagers but they were obviously too ashamed to look back.

"You wanted to know about the grave danger Harry was risking? Looks like we just found out" she muttered quietly to her brother.

"Indeed" Severus sombrely answered.

They followed Dumbledore who, as soon as the door was closed, inspected Miss Ringworm. Filch was sobbing in a corner. Severus approached the headmaster and inspected the cat.

"It was petrified" Severus stated lowly.

Dumbledore nodded his agreement, sighing, and Minerva looked even more worried, now. It had all begun once again, just like the last time.

"That is exactly what I was about to tell you. I'm an expert in those things, you see?" Lockhart commented.

"He did it!" Filch accused Harry, pointing at him.

"Are you insinuating that my godson is Slytherin's heir, Filch?" Regina replied deadly. The man gulped.

"Potter and his friends were at the wrong place at the wrong time… but it doesn't explain what they were doing there in the first place" Severus said in a honeyed voice.

This is the voice he used to speak to James when he wanted to rile him up… So that's how he speaks to Harry? We really ought to have a discussion, she thought.

"We were invited at Nearly Headless Nick's party. It was his five hundredth death day. You can ask the ghosts, they were all there" Harry answered.

"And why didn't you go back to the Great Hall? What were you doing there" Regina asked, disapprovingly.

Harry reddened and didn't answer. None of them did.

"Albus" Regina kept on, turning to the headmaster "I need to talk to my sons and his friends in private"

"My cat was petrified" Argus Filch roared, his eyes bulging "I demand a punishment!"

Regina was about to outburst when Dumbledore patiently reassured him that they would be able to heal his cat, thanks to Mrs Sprout's mandrakes.

"You can go" Dumbledore confirmed, addressing her.

She nodded and exited the room, the teenagers on her heels. She led them to her office, and as they were walking, she heard Ron's furious whisper:

"You do realise that our day, as bad as it's been, is still paradise compared to Scabbers'?"

Hermione squeaked and silence fell on them once again. She wondered what all this meant. They finally arrived and she sat down on the couch, motioning to them to take place in front of her. Now that she looked at them closely, she could see that Henry and Harry seemed indeed preoccupied. Hermione was on the verge of tears, and Ron raging mad.

"Explain" Regina enjoined Harry to begin.

"I heard voices…" Harry murmured weakly.

"What voices?"

"I don't know. They came from inside the walls and were moving"

"What did they say?"

Harry hesitated a second.

"That they wanted to kill"

Regina shivered.

"Did you hear them, too?" Regina asked the three others.

They nodded negatively and she sighed. Why was Harry the only one to hear the voices? Was it related to Voldemort? Could be… after all, they were somehow connected. Maybe he had figured out a way to come back. But what did it have to do with the Chamber of Secrets?

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Harry asked in a small voice, interrupting the train of her thoughts.

"Of course not" she answered surprised "Why would you think that?"

"It's frowned upon to hear voices among the wizards" Ron pointed out.

"Do you frown upon Harry?"

"No" Ron answered, frowning, which amused Regina.

"Why would I, then?" she answered.

Harry smiled, looking relieved for the first time.

"So, if I get things right… you heard this voices in the walls and you followed them?" Regina clarified.

"It's not exactly voices… it's more like one weird voice, neither masculine nor feminine" Harry explained.

"Okay… And it wanted to kill…"

"Yes, it did. It said it had been for a very long time. That it was famished and smelling blood"

Hermione's hands were tightly clasped and Ron looked sick. Henry however remained tranquil and asked her:

"You said something about the Slytherin's heir before. What did you mean? Does it have anything to do with the inscription on the wall?"

Regina was surprised, both by his pertinent question and his calmness.

"Yes, it has everything to do with it" she answered thoughtfully.

She wondered what she should reveal them. The whole story? Or just a glimpse?

"Can you tell us about it?" Hermione's voice was small but very curious.

Regina hesitated again. But the four brave faces in front of her convinced her she owed them a part of the truth at least. They could take it.

"There's a legend about the founders of Hogwarts… you already know that Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin founded the school more than a thousand years ago. At that time, the wizards were hiding from the Muggles who persecuted them. They wanted children to learn magic in a safe place. At first, the four of them were fast friends. But Slytherin started to believe that the school should be reserved to wizard's children, for only them could be trusted with their knowledge. The others fought him on this issue and Slytherin eventually left the school. The legend says that before he went away, Salazar created a secret place where only his heir would be able to penetrate and retrieve the school from the persons who didn't deserve to be taught here… in other words, get rid of Muggleborns" Regina slowly explained.

"What an awful piece of…" Ron proclaimed angrily before being interrupted by Hermione.

"How did he plan to do that?"

Regina magically summoned a glass of cider and sipped at it, staring at Hermione, contemplative. The girl wasn't fazed by the scrutiny and waited patiently for her response. Hermione reminded her of Lily in so many ways. How wizards couldn't get it? Muggleborns were as gifted as purebloods. Some of them were far better. Hermione was so small, seemed so fragile. She wanted to protect her nearly as much as she needed to protect Henry and Harry… she cleared her throat.

"According to the myth… there's a monster caged in this Chamber that only Slytherin's heir can command…"

"What kind of monster?" Henry asked her.

"It's yet to be discovered" Regina answered truthfully.

"Do you believe this myth to be true?" Harry seriously asked.

And there was the tricky question… should she reveal that the Chamber had already been opened once? That a Muggleborn had died? She chose not to. Yet.

"I think it is"

"So… this heir… is he, or she, a student?" Hermione, ever the pragmatic girl, wondered out loud.

"Whatever the gender, they must be in the Slytherin's house" Henry pondered.

"They could be a teacher as well: many of them used to be Slytherins" Ron countered.

Regina raised her eyebrows. She hadn't even thought about that possibility. Ron, mistaking her surprise for a reproach, blushed furiously and stammered:

"I mean… I wasn't saying this for you… we all know you would never…"

"It's okay, Mister Weasley. I think you made a very valid point…"

Ron strutted, obviously very proud of himself. Regina thought about it hard.

"But I don't think a teacher would have opened the Chamber" Regina kept on, and Ron deflated.

"Why?"

"Because I personally know all of the teachers who used to be in the Slytherin's house. And I would have known it, if they had been the Slytherin's heir"

"Then it's a student" Henry asked for confirmation.

"I think it is"

"Must be Malfoy" Harry exclaimed angrily.

Regina chuckled.

"He may be an imbecile, but it doesn't mean that he's the Heir"

"I knew you didn't like him either" Henry beamed.

"I can't like persons who have a grudge against you. It doesn't mean I dislike him" she shrugged, remembering she was speaking to students.

Harry, Henry and Ron sniggered. Hermione looked meditative once again.

"That's what Harry must have heard, earlier. The monster of the Chamber"

"You should search for it. Maybe if it's a big cat you'll adopt it" Ron meanly threw at her.

Henry winced and Harry pursued his lips, refraining from interfering. Hermione was on the verge of tears.

"Oh yes? Would that be before or after it would kill me, Ronald?" she fought back anyway.

"I thought you liked killers" Ron bit back.

Hermione stood up and tried to leave the room, but Regina was faster. She grabbed her wrist.

"Don't go, Miss Granger. We're not done yet. We will need your brains to figure this one out" she complemented the girl, hoping it would appease her.

And it did. Hermione sat back down, stunned.

"Now, Mister Weasley. Will you explain to me what's going on between you two?"

"Crookshanks killed Scabbers this morning"

"Who's Scabbers?"

"My rat"

"And who's Crookshanks?" Regina asked, confused.

"Hermione's cat"

"I didn't know you had a cat"

"I bought him this summer. I really wanted a pet and nobody would adopt Crookshanks. So, I chose him" Hermione explained quickly, as if she wanted to give a good answer to Regina.

"And now I'm the one who doesn't have a pet anymore" Ron angrily stated.

"I am truly sorry for your loss, Mister Weasley. It really is sad to lose a being we love and consider as family. I understand you would be mad at… Crookshanks… but I do not really get why you would be mad at your friend" Regina frowned.

"Because she should have looked after him!" Ron cried out "She allowed him to be free, even though Scabbers wasn't feeling good nowadays. It was scared of her… monstrosity! She should have caged it! Her cat…"

"Acted like a cat" Regina finished for him "We do not buy pets to make them live in a cage, Ronald. They're free beings just like us. And a friend is as much a member of one's family as an animal, you shouldn't forget that" Regina gravely stated.

Ron seemed at a loss for words, and Hermione looked at her gratefully.

"Speaking of pets… where is Swan?" she inquired innocently.

"I haven't seen her since this morning" Henry shrugged.

Regina sighed internally. She could have prevented them from following the voice Harry had heard. Where are you Emma?

"Okay… I will lead you back to your quarters, now" Regina stood up.

"We can go back alone!" Henry protested.

"Not anymore. Do you remember Dobby?"

"You think he has something to do with the Chamber of Secrets?" Henry asked confused.

"No, but I think this was what he was warning you about. Now, I will ask you to be extra careful. Do not venture at night, always be with the other students, and generally do not do anything stupid. Do I make myself clear?" Regina demanded in her Evil Queen's tone.

"Crystal clear"

"Yes"

"Absolutely"

"Okay"

Were the immediate answers and Regina nodded, satisfied.

"I'm very serious" she insisted. "If you have a problem, you come to me. If you have suspicions, you come to me. If you have issues, you come to me. And if I ever learn that any one of you betrayed my trust, God help me, what I did to Voldemort will look like child's play next to what you'll suffer" she threatened.

She let her statement infuse, until the kids did look genuinely worried. Once she was certain her point had been made, she brought them back to their dormitory and wished them good night, kissing them all. She even whispered to Hermione to take care of them. Surprisingly, she trusted the girl and suspected her to be the most responsible, by far. She was about to leave when Ron called after her.

"Mrs Swan? When will you be our Transfiguration teacher?"

His voice sounded hopeful.

"Never" she threw above her shoulder, amused.

She wondered when they would be tired to ask her this question.

No more incidents happened for the next three weeks. She had talked to Dumbledore about what Harry had revealed, but he had been as clueless as her. Or at least, he pretended to be… Regina wasn't sure about his reasoning anymore. She had had the talk with Henry about Emma. It hadn't been easy, but she knew Henry needed it. He had asked many questions, and she had answered some of them. All in all, it hadn't been so terrible and Henry wasn't mad at her, anymore.

Emma hadn't come back: Regina was worried. Where could she be? Had something bad happened to her? At least, when she was there, she wasn't afraid of what could happen to the boys… now, she always had them in sight when she wasn't teaching. She was thinking of a way she could find them anytime but hadn't come up with a good idea, yet. It infuriated her to no end. The castle was big and the danger still very present.

She was so on edge, she paid attention to every little details: how Ron and Hermione seemed to make efforts with each other, how Harry was on his best behaviour, but seemed worried all the time, how Henry was upset with his owl, how Malfoy seemed happy, how the Weasley twins were reckless, how Ginny seemed scared, how the little Colin Crivey, a Muggleborn, seemed to have a veneration for Harry, and how the students were chatting.

For the first time of her life, she listened closely to the rumours. Some were highly entertaining – and were, of course, her favourites: Severus was having an affair with McGonagall, Regina was secretly in love with Dumbledore, Percy Weasley was going out with a Ravenclaw, Lockhart was a schizophrenic and so on. Some rumours were infuriating and mostly turned around Harry, Emma or Sirius being the Slytherin's heir. The students saw in the two fugitives' escape and the opening of the Chamber a coincidence too big to be just that. And finally, some rumours were very interesting: that was how she had learnt that Henry was Malfoy's biggest nemesis: she had always thought Ron or Harry to be, and she wondered why Henry was.

"A penny for your thoughts" Elsa's voice rang in her ear, effectively getting her out of her reverie.

They were having breakfast and Regina had been very silent, focused on watching the Gryffindor's table. She was certain that Harry, Henry, Hermione and Ron were up to something. Henry, Ron and Hermione were currently conspiring from what she could see. Where the hell is Emma when I need her?

"You're worried for Harry's game, aren't you?" Elsa kept on, not waiting for her answer.

Gryffindor was about to play against Slytherin. The players had already left to the locker room.

"I am" Regina seized the offered lie.

"Don't worry. His father was a champion! And you'll be here to protect him if something goes wrong"

Elsa had been very sweet with her since the beginning. Regina had yet to crush her hopes down, and she didn't know how to do that gently.

"I know, it is just… stupid" Regina smiled dejectedly.

"It's not stupid. He's your godson. That's perfectly understandable" she assured her, affectionately.

She was about to answer when she saw Emma, perched on the doors of the Great Hall, staring at her pointedly. She stood up quickly, vaguely apologised and went to her. The owl flew away and Regina followed her as rapidly as she could. Once she was sure no one was looking, she transformed and went after her. Emma led her deep into the Forbidden Forest and eventually landed on a tree.

"I need to speak to you" she said.

"Me too" Regina countered "Where the hell have you been?"

"I was searching for you know who… in vain"

"The Chamber of Secrets has been reopened"

"WHAT?"

"And I'm pretty sure that the Slytherin's heir is after Harry"

"Oh my God…"

"The kids seem to have a plan, they're trying to do something, but you're not with them anymore so I have no way of knowing what's going to happen… So now, tell me… is searching for that supposed murderer as important as protecting James' son?" she asked accusingly.

"Yes" Emma answered fiercely "The person I'm looking for is also a danger for him"

"You won't find Voldemort, he hasn't come back corporately yet"

"It's not him. And now is not the time to tell you who this is about."

Regina suddenly realised, and as always, marvelled at how blind she had been.

"You're talking about their Secret Keeper?"

"Look Regina, you'll have to protect Harry from the Heir on your own. I'll take care of the rest with Sirius" Emma eluded her question.

"Sirius?"

"Look down"

Regina did, and saw the not-so-unfamiliar big black dog, at the foot of the tree.

"Hello Black" she hooted forcefully in order for him to hear her.

"Regina" he barked back.

"Well, if you brought me here, I suppose it wasn't to say hello" Regina resumed their conversation.

"You have to promise me something"

"What?"

"If Ron finds his pet again, you will tell me"

"Scabbers? The rat?"

"Yes. Promise me"

"His pet is dead"

"I heard that, yes. But I will need to know it if it's not"

"I thought you were looking for the Secret Keeper, and now you tell me you're looking for a rat?" Regina seethed.

Emma was getting furious, Regina could feel her rage. She knew something was missing. She tried to think the way Albus Dumbledore would, but came up with nothing. For the life of her, she couldn't understand her wife. And yet, she knew she trusted her. Emma was still silent. And Regina caved.

"Fine. How will I contact you?"

"You won't. You'll come straight to me"

"And how will I know where to find you" Regina asked, exasperated.

"The same way James, Sirius and I did when we were teenagers. I created a special map for you, indicating where I am, even if it's not inside the castle. You'll also see where all the students and teachers of Hogwarts are. I left it on your desk just before coming to you. To read it, you'll just have to say "I am up to find them" and to make it blank again, "Mission accomplished""

"How did you do that? You don't even have a wand anymore" Regina couldn't help asking, amazed.

"I'm resourceful" Emma sniggered, cheekily.

"I never knew it used to be your way of finding each other"

"It was a lifetime ago…"

"This is… actually ingenious" Regina gasped, surprised.

"That way, you'll also be able to look after the children, even if I don't" Emma elaborated, sadly.

"Any chance the map will tell me what they're talking about?"

Emma didn't answer but laughed.

"Thank you… for everything" Emma sighed.

"I miss you" Regina whispered.

"You too"

"When will you come back?"

"When the… problem will be eliminated" Emma growled darkly.

"When will it be?"

"Impatient, aren't we?" Emma chuckled.

"For a psychologist, your mood changes would be a sign of bipolarity" Regina noted, amused.

"You tend to have that effect on me, yes" Emma admitted, seductively.

"You know… I still didn't take on your offer of cheating on you" Regina informed her.

"Good"

"But… I'm starting to feel… frustrated. You should hurry up before I take care of all this pent-up frustration" she murmured before flying away.

She chuckled, imagining Emma's reaction to her last words. Her amusement was short lived: she heard frightened screams coming from the stadium where Harry was supposed to play. She accelerated, transformed back at the border of the Forbidden Forrest, and ran to the stadium. She arrived just in time to see Lockhart bent on Harry.

"STOP" she roared.

But she was too late. When she finally got to them, Harry's arm was flabby.

"What do you think you're doing?" Regina exclaimed, outraged, taking out her wand.

"I was just… helping Harry" the man stuttered.

"And what, pray tell, was his problem?" Regina murderously inquired.

"His arm was… broken"

Red sparks ignited from her wand, and Regina almost jumped at the man's throat; but Henry stopped her.

"Mom, calm down. We need to take Harry to the infirmary" he reminded her.

Without a word but still glaring at Lockhart, she made Harry levitate.

"I'll come back, Gilderoy. And we will finish this conversation" she threatened him darkly.

She spun around, all the team of Gryffindor of her heels, alongside Henry, Ron and Hermione.

"Wow, this is so cool, Mrs Swan!" Fred enthused.

"Can you do this with us, too?" George added, looking at Harry – who was suspended in the air – with envy.

"Make all your bones disappear, and I'll see what I can do" she replied distractedly.

The twins looked at each other conspiringly and started muttering.

"You weren't watching the game?" Harry asked, disappointed.

She stared back apologetically.

"Something came up that I had to tend to… I would have preferred to be there"

"You missed the crazy bludger, then" Hermione stated, matter-of-factly.

"What bludger?"

"Hermione!" Henry hissed.

"What? That is the kind of things she needs to know about" she persisted pointedly "There was a bludger that attacked Harry during the game" she then explained quickly.

"What do you mean attacked him? Isn't it their purpose anyway?" Regina asked, perplexed.

"It is" Hermione recognised "But this one pursued Harry – and only him – for several minutes and broke his arm right before he caught the snitch"

Regina didn't reply anything, she felt nauseous. Why had she gone after Emma? She could have prevented this fucking bludger from harming her godson.

"God, I really can't leave you for more than five minutes without something bad happening" she raged against herself, not really realising that the children could perfectly hear her.

"You're right… maybe you should stay with us" George provided.

"All the time" Fred clarified.

"Right. Because she has nothing better to do" Hermione said ironically.

"We were just trying to find a solution"

Regina smiled. These kids were really something else. Harry and Henry didn't seem so pleased but remained silent.

"So you won the game?" Regina asked, trying to change the subject.

"We did!" Oliver Wood answered, overjoyed.

Regina noticed that he wasn't worried at all about her godson, and frowned. Another kid who considered winning games more important than health… They arrived at the infirmary without another word, and Madam Pomfrey rushed to them.

"What happened to his arm?" she asked, alarmed.

"Gilderoy tried to heal a broken bone" Regina answered, exchanging a knowing look with the nurse.

Madam Pomfrey loudly sighed and went to grab a flask in a drawer before coming back.

"Put him on this bed, over there. Perfect, thank you. Drink this potion, boy"

Harry almost spit it out at the first sip.

"What is that?" he wondered, horrified.

"Skele" Regina answered, sternly.

"Prepare yourself to have a bad night, boy. I can heal a broken bone easily, but it's very painful to make bones grow" Pomfrey warned him.

Regina winced. The nurse was right, her godson would suffer, and judging by his expression, the pain had already begun. She pointed her wand at him and cast a nonverbal spell. Harry immediately felt better.

"What did you do?" Henry, Ron and Hermione asked in unison.

"Something that will calm down the ache a little" she retorted "Now, out with all of you! He needs to rest"

Pomfrey smiled at her, appreciative, and left, murmuring something about dangerous sports and competent teachers. The students listened to the teacher and went away but Harry called out to her.

"Gina, wait. I… thank you"

"You are very welcome, sweetie. Do you need anything?"

"No, thanks"

Regina stared at him, sure he was hiding something from her.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Harry looked torn and didn't answer right away. He eventually said:

"No, Gina. There's nothing"

She nodded, a little disappointed, but respected his choice not to tell her, hoping against all hopes that she wasn't making a mistake by not pushing him to reveal his secrets. She left the infirmary and was surprised to find Hermione at the door, waiting for her.

"I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop the bludger without hurting Harry" Hermione anguished rapidly.

"It's okay, Hermione, I understand" Regina soothed her, taking her clasped hands in hers "You could not have done anything, even I could not have done anything"

"You are not disappointed in me?"

"I would be disappointed in you if you wouldn't trust me with your plans" Regina looked knowingly at her.

She almost regretted manipulating the girl's feelings when she noticed that Hermione was on the verge of tears. The little girl finally lowered her head, and without looking at her:

"We suspect Draco to be the Heir and we want to be sure before accusing him for good. I intend to make a Polyjuice potion to speak with him in trust, and see if he confesses" Hermione spoke very quickly, as if by saying it rapidly, it would be easier for Regina to hear.

Regina felt conflicted again. On one hand, she was so proud of the boys and Hermione, although she was pretty sure the idea came from the latter, who would also realise the potion… but on the other hand, it could turn out badly if the concoction wasn't prepared correctly. She thought about asking some to her brother, but then relented: she wanted to test their capacities. She needed to know what Hermione and the boys were capable of. Plus, if she showed her mercy and grace, Hermione wouldn't hesitate next time to tell her about their plans.

"Okay. You do the Polyjuice potion. But I want to see it before you drink it and I want you to find a very safe place for doing it. No one can know about it" Regina whispered.

Emma would be so proud if she was with them…

"You're not… mad at me? I didn't break your trust?" Hermione double checked.

"I am surprisingly not and you did not… Do not worry, I will not tell the boys I know about your plan. Just be careful and keep on watching out for them"

"Sure, Professor" Hermione nodded feverishly and seriously, before going away.

"Oh, and Hermione? I will never be your teacher… you can call me Regina" she said in a sweet voice, one she usually used with Henry and Harry.

Hermione seemed to notice it as well and beamed.

"Thank you… Regina"

Regina smiled brightly at her and left on the opposite direction… the next two visits she was about to pay wouldn't give her a reason to smile anymore.

"Why the fuck did you not protect Harry?" she roared, bursting into Severus' office without knocking.

Severus didn't even raise his eyes from his paperwork.

"Dear sister, do you really think Potter would still be alive if I had not?"

Regina's rage receded a little.

"Where were you?" he inquired, and she noticed his tone wasn't accusatory, just curious.

"Why did you not stop Lockhart from healing Harry?" she preferred to ask instead of answering.

"Because I figured the man wasn't a death threat to him. Why bother interfering in something that would be entertaining?" he mocked.

Regina seethed and wanted to scream at him for not liking Harry, for making his life difficult, and for not being able to see him as Lily's child, instead of James'. But she decided against it, and left Severus' office, who still hadn't raised his eyes, slamming the door.

She looked around the entire castle, but didn't find Lockhart easily. She had to ask two ghosts to finally get to him… in her own office.

"I've been waiting for you for more than an hour" he announced, clearly critical.

She raised her wand and immobilised him. The fool had the audacity to ask her:

"Dominant, aren't you? I knew it. That's what I love about you"

She smiled, devilishly, and he lost his splendour. She approached him slowly, until she was close enough to smell his disgusting cologne.

"If you try… ever again… to point your wand, to touch, or even to help my godson… I will murder you. It will be so quick, no one will realise it. And you will disappear, leaving a note explaining you had to be someplace, and no one will ever know what happened to you. Your body will vanish from the surface of the earth and I will spit on your ashes" Regina threatened him very slowly, keeping her Evil Queen smile in check "Am I making myself clear, Gilderoy?"

The frightened man nodded, unable to talk and Regina left. She only uncast the immobilising spell when she arrived in her room. Then, she saw the map on her desk, as Emma had said she would.

She took it and murmured "I am up to find them"; the blank paper immediately morphed into a map of the castle with tiny labelled figurines walking on it. She searched for Henry right away and found him in the Gryffindor dormitory, speaking with Hermione and Ron. She found Harry lying in the infirmary and Severus pacing in his office.

She couldn't help reminiscing her school years and everything that had happened from Emma's point of view. The first time they had understood Lupin was a werewolf, when they created this map, when they tried to transform into Animagi, when they explored the castle, the Forbidden Forrest, and so on. Their years had been so much more fun than hers. She kind of regretted wasting her youthful years, obeying the rules and trying to be the perfect student; granted, thanks to Emma, she hadn't respected all the rules. She had become an Animagus, as well, meeting with her Animagus girlfriend late at night, outside of the school. That had been fun.

She looked at Henry, Ron and Hermione again, imagining them plotting against Malfoy and she laughed. They were making a Polyjuice potion and she couldn't find it in her to be mad at them. She imagined Severus' reaction if he ever knew about it and laughed out loud. He would be so torn between trying to expel Harry and praise Henry… he would have to choose. And as always, he would choose his own godson, Regina was sure of it.

She poured herself a drink and sipped it, while looking at the map. She couldn't believe the level of magic that had been used to create such an artefact. She wondered how Emma and Sirius had managed to steal a wand right under Dumbledore's nose. The two of them were capable of anything. They even could have stolen Dumbledore's wand for all she knew.

Hours passed, and she was thinking hard about everything when a little dot appeared right next to Harry, in the infirmary. The map named it Dobby.

She jumped and ran. She didn't have much time if she wanted to hear what the elf had to say to her godson. In the middle of the night. Alone with him. Scary thoughts invaded her brains and she transformed into an owl to be quicker, without even checking if someone could see her. She didn't care anymore. She entered the room without a sound and without being seen. She listened carefully to the conversation. Dobby spoke about the Chamber of Secrets and refused to tell Harry who had opened it. He also refused to tell him the name of his masters. But he seemed to genuinely care about her boy. He was harmless. Suddenly he was gone, and footsteps echoed in the room. Harry immediately pretended to sleep.

Dumbledore and Minerva entered, quickly followed by Madam Pomfrey. But they weren't coming empty handed. Colin Crivey was with them, petrified. The poor boy had been found with a camera. But when they had opened it, hoping to find a picture of the monster, they discovered the film inside of it had been burnt to the melting point.

"The Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened again" Dumbledore said, observing the camera and Colin.

"Who…?" Minerva whispered.

"The question isn't to know who did… but how" Dumbledore replied.

Regina waited for them to leave. She knew Harry would still be awake and full of questions. She didn't want to leave him alone after this. She landed softly on his bed, but Harry startled anyway. She hooted, gently. He opened his eyes and smiled largely when he saw her.

"What are you doing here?" he chuckled.

She bit his finger playfully.

"Admit it! You were watching me"

Regina hooted again.

"You know, it really appeases me when I hear this sound. Did you hear everything Dobby said? And Dumbledore? Did you know the Chamber had already been opened once? Who opened it the first time? And how can we protect our friends? Will they really close the school? Please Gina, can you just be normal again and talk to me?"

Regina thought about it for a second, listening intently to be sure they were alone, and transformed back. She quickly casted a silencing charm around them and began:

"I wasn't there when it happened the first time, Harry. But I know of the story. It used to be a scary story that students told. For the longest time, I didn't even know if it was true."

"Tell me" Harry pleaded.

"The last time the Chamber was opened, a Muggleborn was killed. She was about your age, and her body was found in the ladies' room. No one knew what had happened, but a student was expelled."

"Who were they?"

"You know him… it was Hagrid"

"WHAT?" Harry shouted. Regina was relieved no one could hear them, he would have awoken half the castle otherwise. "Hagrid would never kill a student!"

"Dumbledore didn't think he would either… or he wouldn't have hired him."

"Why was he expelled then?"

"The Ministry needed a scapegoat not to shut Hogwarts down. And the former Headmaster wasn't brave enough to refuse to expel an innocent. It wasn't long before he retired after that. Maybe he felt guilty"

"But the crimes stopped after Hagrid left?"

"Yes, they did"

"How come?"

"No idea. Maybe the culprit knew it would be too dangerous to reopen it again"

Harry seemed lost in his thoughts. Regina hadn't wanted to frighten him, but the boy was too curious for his own good, and she'd rather answer his questions than letting him try to seek the truth on his own.

"Hermione is in danger, then" he finally murmured.

"Actually… yes, she is. But I think you might be too"

Harry looked at her, surprised.

"I'm not a Muggleborn, am I?"

Regina sighed.

"No, you are not. But Dobby was trying to protect you. From what I heard, he's a part of a family who seems a little… a little"

She then stopped. Dobby was a house elf. And only wealthy families could afford them. Regina thought about Malfoy, their wealth, their status, and what Lucius had told her in Diagon Alley. She berated herself for not thinking about him sooner. There were high chances that Dobby was Lucius' house elf. And that Lucius was behind all of it. But how? Hermione and the gang had had a brilliant idea with the Polyjuice, and once again, pride erupted in her heart.

"Regina?" Harry said timidly.

"Sorry honey, just thinking" she reassured him.

"Dobby's a part of what kind of family?"

"A dark type. A family who seems to like the Dark Arts" she precised.

Harry didn't say anything, but Regina was absolutely certain he was thinking about Draco and didn't dare to tell her. She chuckled. Harry looked at her, startled.

"What's so funny?" he asked, gently.

"You. Us. We're so much alike, and I love you so much. And I'm so proud of you"

Harry reddened and lowered his head.

"I love you too Gina"

"I'm so proud of you, Harry. Listen to me very carefully"

His eyes met hers again, and he waited, focused.

"Always trust your instincts. Your parents are looking after you, even if you can't see them. And sometimes I feel like they guide you. Trust them, trust yourself. And never forget, that I'll always be there for you, okay?"

Harry obviously struggled not to cry, and she didn't want him to feel vulnerable. So, she opened her arms for him to hide against her. He didn't say anything, nor did he make a sound, but Regina's elbow felt a little wet after a few minutes and silent tears began to roll down her own cheeks.

"Do you really believe that?" Harry murmured without letting her go.

"I really do" she confirmed.

"I wish they were here. All the time."

"Me too" she confessed.

"You miss my mom?"

"All the time. It's even worse here than when we're home. I have memories with her everywhere in this castle."

"Tell me about her, please"

And Regina told him every little thing that crossed her mind. At first, Harry was still clinging to her, but soon she realised that their position wasn't very comfortable for him. So she lied down, taking her in her arms, embracing him as if she could protect him from the world, never stopping her monologue. And Harry listened, laughing often about their silliness, and always smiling, she could feel him in the crook of her neck.

"…and then she cast the charm, and she was the first of us three to succeed!"

"Regina?" Harry cut her off.

"Yes?"

"You always speak about Snape when you talk about my mom… like you were always all together" he said hesitantly.

"We were" Regina confirmed, already knowing where that question was heading.

"If Snape liked my mother… why does he hate me?"

"He doesn't, Harry. But he's a little complicated. Even I don't always understand him, and I've known him my whole life. He absolutely adored Lily. But I guess… when she was sorted in Gryffindor, it didn't change anything between us… at first. Then, she made new friends. And I think he was angry at her for that. When she started dating your father, who was the boy he hated the most, he felt betrayed… and you know… you look very much like James. Physically at least. You're his spitting image, actually…"

She didn't want to tell him the whole story, for it was not her place to do so, but Harry deserved to know the bare minimum, at least.

"And you play Quidditch, just like your father. I already told you, James was a great man. But when he was your age, he was kind of…" she paused, not knowing how to phrase it without hurting her godson.

"Stupid?" Harry provided.

Regina briefly laughed.

"Yes, I guess we could say that. A little stupid, and he did stupid things, like fighting and calling names Severus. One time I even hurt him and Sirius, your godfather, really bad in the chest, because he attacked Severus" Regina confessed.

"Why did they?"

"At first, because it was like a game for them. And then, because Severus insulted Lily when she tried to defend him"

"What did he insult her?"

Regina winced. She should have not mentioned that.

"I don't remember exactly"

"Why did you attack my father if he was insulting Lily?" Harry persisted.

"I wasn't there at first. And even if I had been, I would have still protected my brother"

"Even if he was wrong?"

She could almost feel Harry's frown. He was upset with her.

"Harry… if Henry was bullied by Draco Malfoy, and he said something stupid out of the blue against Hermione or Ron because he feels humiliated… how would you react?"

Harry thought about it for a moment, and relaxed against her. She felt relieved he seemed to understand.

"But if he insulted my mom, you're sure he liked her? Maybe he was just being nice to her because she was like a sister to you" he rambled.

"Oh no, trust me, he liked her. But as I told you, he was very sad that she had kind of replaced us, even if she didn't exactly. He would have been perfectly happy with the three of us living together for the rest of our lives, without meeting anyone else" she laughed. "And he was probably a little jealous of James. So when Lily married him, it was too much of a betrayal for him to forgive her, you know?"

"You think that Emma will tell me about my father when she finds us?" Harry asked hopefully, after a pause.

Regina chuckled. Emma would spend hours describing their mischiefs.

"I'm pretty sure she won't stop talking about him" she confirmed.

Harry smiled and sighed happily.

"Tell me again about my mom"

The following morning, Regina wasted no time to go see Dumbledore. She had much to talk about. Even if her voice was raw after speaking with Harry for most of the night.

"Albus?" Regina knocked on his door.

"Come in, Regina" Dumbledore answered.

She entered and looked at him. He seemed exhausted.

"Long night?" she inquired.

"I'm torn" he admitted.

"About sending children back home or pursuing the school year?"

Dumbledore acquiesced silently. She pursued her lips but didn't say anything and sat down, instead.

"What do you think?" Dumbledore asked, looking defeated.

"I think that it has something to do with Malfoy"

"Why would you think that?" he frowned.

Regina explained everything. Her doubts about the Malfoys, Dobby, the children's idea with the Polyjuice potion and her decision to let them do it. Dumbledore nodded all along but didn't react immediately.

"I need you to figure out why Emma and Sirius escaped" he finally said.

Regina raised her eyebrows.

"You do realise it has nothing to do with what I just said?" she casually answered.

"I do. You're the most perceptive human being I know. You need to find out what happened to Emma and Sirius. I have a feeling it's all linked. And I agree with you about everything else, so there's not much to add about that" he explained.

Regina laughed.

"Well, we could ask for an investigation at Malfoy's manor" she suggested.

"It wouldn't help. Whatever Lucius has done, it's too late, and we won't find any answers at his place" he sighed.

"Why do I always feel like you know more than you're telling me?"

"I can assure you, if I knew more, I would act on it. But I can only guess. And I can assure you that Lucius Malfoy didn't enter the castle. The person who opens the Chamber is one of our students. And I am certain they aren't Draco Malfoy. But I agree with you about the children anyway: it will be a good test for them" he said, his eyes sparkling.

"The responsible side of me is urging me to try and stop them, though" Regina noted.

"But where would be the fun in that?" Dumbledore chuckled.

A curfew had been instituted to try and prevent the victims from being petrified. Christmas had come and gone so fast she almost didn't realise it. The kids had been overjoyed with the presents. Especially Harry. She had offered him an owl, to even things out between the boys. He had called her Hedwig and loved her. Regina had to admit, it was a splendid white owl.

But then, all hell had broken loose.

First, a duel club had been organised by Lockhart. Harry had used Parseltongue with a snake during a duel against Draco Malfoy, surprising and scaring everyone in the process. He had assured Regina that he was only trying to keep the snake from a certain Justin something – Regina didn't know him – and of course she had believed him. But almost everyone else didn't. Most of the witnesses were sure Harry had attacked the boy on purpose. Now, almost everyone was sure he was the Slytherin's Heir. Which was utterly idiotic, but she didn't know how to stop the rumours amongst the students.

Then, that Justin boy had been petrified. With a ghost. And who pray tell had found the victims? Harry Potter. He had been sent to Dumbledore's office by McGonagall and she didn't know what had been said. She didn't want to pry, so she had let it go. If Harry wanted to speak about it, he would. She was overly frustrated by all this, especially since she had learnt from Severus. She couldn't believe he was aware of the incident before her. And yet…

A few days later, Hermione had told her that the Potion was ready and Regina had approved them to use it once she was sure it had been prepared correctly. And she had been flabbergasted to realise that it had. Hermione was definitely a great student. Unbeknownst to anyone, she even gave twenty points to the Gryffindor girl for her achievement. She shared her doubts about Dobby and Hermione had promised to find a way to discover if the elf was Malfoy's. But unfortunately, Hermione had used cat's hair with the potion and had ended up in the infirmary. Regina had gone to see her frequently and the only thing they had learnt was that Malfoy wasn't the Slytherin's heir.

Regina was extenuated of the whole year already and couldn't wait for the summer holidays, but it wouldn't happen within a few months. Valentine's day had come and gone and Emma hadn't shown… not even to say hello. That was two days ago. Lockhart had organised some sort of love messages deliveries, by what she assumed were gnomes. And she had received dozens of love messages! From Fred and George, obviously. She even suspected Elsa in one of them… but none from her wife. Although when she thought about the message Harry had received, she deemed herself lucky. She chuckled at the thought. Poor Ginny. She really crushed hard on her godson. Too bad he didn't seem to reciprocate her feelings. Maybe one day… she would be happy to have Ginny in the family, she was a great kid. It was Friday night, and she was drinking a glass of wine, lost in her thoughts, when she heard a soft knock on her door. She quickly opened it, but no one was there. She frowned and tried to close it, but something was blocking her.

"Let us in, Mom" Henry whispered.

She closed her eyes, trying to relax and not hex her son into oblivion for breaking the curfew. Once she was sure they were safe in her room, she successfully closed the door.

"Do you care to explain what you're doing here in the middle of the night?" she said menacingly.

Henry appeared out of nowhere, with Harry. They kind of looked sorry, but it didn't appease her. She pointed at her bed, silently requesting them to sit.

"Sorry, Gina, we really needed to see you" Harry rushed to explain.

"What's wrong?" she asked worryingly.

"We found something while we were in the toilets" Harry explained.

Regina was torn between being really angry or overly amused and she remained silent for a few seconds. Her mood finally settled on the latter.

"It's getting so interesting... Were you with Ginny at the time?" she asked sarcastically.

Harry reddened and grunted.

"Moooooom… why do you always have to embarrass us?" Henry grimaced.

"You're right, sorry honey. Did you kiss someone else then? Do we need to have the conversation?"

The boys were mortified and Regina had so much fun she almost wished they had witnesses. Harry handed her a diary, without saying anything, as if it would stop her from her comments.

"If it's a girl's diary, you need to give it back, I don't want to intrude in someone's personal life… especially if it's Ginny's" she said tersely.

"It's not. Open it" Henry urged her, rolling his eyes.

"It's blank" she pointed out.

"Write in it" Harry insisted.

She sat down at her desk and took a pen.

"What should I write, Harry?"

"Anything…" he answered, more and more agitated.

She wrote a simple "hello"… and nothing happened.

"How anticlimactic" she murmured.

The boys read above her shoulder.

"Why did nothing happen?" Henry asked.

"No idea" Harry muttered.

"What is supposed to happen?"

"Yesterday night, when I wrote in it, the words vanished, and someone answered. He knew who I was, and then he showed me the memories of his timeline when the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the first time. He showed me Hagrid's exclusion of the school" Harry explained.

"What do you mean he showed you?" Regina interrogated, worried.

"A little window appeared in the book, like a little TV, and when I brought it close to my eye to see what was in it, I was sent into the book, and into the memory. I could see and hear everything as if I was living the scene, but no one could see me!" Harry explained.

"What the… whose memories were they? Did he say his name?" Regina asked, un-at-ease.

"Yes. Tom Riddle".

Goosebumps erupted down Regina's spine. The name rang a bell, but she couldn't place it. And she couldn't understand why the diary wasn't answering her. The whole thing didn't sound right, something was very off. She turned around, watching intensely her boys.

"I need to show this to Albus. I will keep it. But explain to me why you're showing me this just now?"

"Well, we thought it was the kind of important things we were supposed to share" Henry replied, angrily.

"It really is. But why didn't you show me before the curfew?" Regina insisted, growing impatient.

The boys looked at each other, embarrassed, but didn't answer.

"You do realise why you must not leave your dorm past the curfew, don't you? Something really bad is happening here, you could have been petrified… or worse. We are not dealing with the Forbidden Forrest, here. We don't know what we are facing. We don't know where it's coming from. And we definitely don't know who is going to be the next victim. I strictly forbid you to…"

"We know, we're sorry! It just happened last night" Harry exclaimed, feeling the danger as Regina's voice rose with each passing second.

"At first we didn't even think about showing you. But when we talked about it to the guys earlier, in the common room, Hermione said we had to tell you, and that we shouldn't wait" Henry added.

Regina tried to calm down… unsuccessfully.

"And I suppose she suggested you should come to me in the middle of the night…" she breathed out.

Harry suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting. But Henry was unphased.

"No, she didn't. She made some valid points though, and we wanted to see you right away to have your opinion" he said in a soothing voice.

Regina had very rarely screamed at her son. She rarely punished him and had never slapped him. But right now, her hand really wanted to meet his cheek.

"Your behaviour was reckless, and maybe you don't realise it, but you've put your lives in danger coming here tonight" she said, standing up and pacing.

She didn't know how to be a proper parent anymore. She wanted to make them understand the danger so that they wouldn't make the same mistake ever again, but it felt impossible. They were just teenagers, and she couldn't protect them. She had never felt so powerless before. And yet, their concerns were well founded and she couldn't punish them for doing the right thing about the diary. Was she such a shitty mother? And then, she felt Henry's hand in hers.

"We're really sorry, Mom. We didn't think. It won't happen again" he whispered solemnly.

His eyes were sincere. So were Harry's.

"You promise?"

"Yes" they both exclaimed, vigorously.

"Okay. Up to bed, now" she simply said.

Their relieved faces almost made her smile. They hurried to her bed and jumped on it to show her their understanding. She exhaled, relieved.

"Where will you sleep?" Harry asked, concerned.

She magically created a little bed out of her desk, and the boys' eyes bulged.

"So cool" Henry commented under his breath.

She knew he was trying to praise and coax her, and she smiled while getting into her bed. Using her wand, she turned the light off.

"You don't kiss us goodnight?"

It was Harry's voice, and it sounded very small to her. Worried. She sighed soundlessly and got up. She lied with them, taking them both in her arms, and they tightly hugged her back.

"I don't know what I would do if something happened to you" she finally breathed out.

Harry tensed and Henry hugged her a little tighter.

"I should have thought about it, I didn't want to disappoint you" Harry's broken voice finally resounded.

"You didn't disappoint me. You just scared me. I need to know that I can trust your better judgement and your maturity to sleep at night, honey" she replied, soothingly. "I can't lose you"

"Gina… there's something I need to ask you" Harry began tentatively.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Are you sure Hagrid didn't open the Chamber, the last time? He really did hide a monster in the school"

"Yes… Dumbledore trusts him. And I do, too"

"Okay. Thank you" Harry replied, relieved.

When she opened her eyes the next morning, the sun was already shining, and her arms felt sore. She woke up with a start. Without trying to be delicate, she got up and the boys groaned while her warmth suddenly disappeared.

"One more minute, Mom" Henry mumbled.

She looked at her clock. Thirty past eight. They had thirty minutes before their first classes.

"Oh my god, get up!" she exclaimed.

The boys opened their eyes with difficulty.

"We are going to be late! Get back to your dorm right now, take a shower, I will ask an elf to bring you a breakfast and run to classes"

The boys looked at her, confused, still waking up. Then at the clock. Then back at her, wincing.

"NOW!"

They jumped out of the bed and ran to the door. While she brushed her teeth, she suddenly remembered the diary. She wouldn't have the time to show it to Dumbledore before her first class. It would have to wait until lunch. She wondered where she had heard Riddle's name before and still came up with nothing. She found it troubling but she was convinced she would soon get an answer from the Headmaster. She quickly dressed, grabbed the diary and went to the kitchen. She didn't want her boys to starve, after all.

Her lessons passed by rather quickly. A Slytherin first year succeeded to make Regina's chair explode. Fortunately, she wasn't seating on it at that time, but it scared many children senseless, and Ginny Weasley even fell of her own chair. A Hufflepuff sixth year vomited on his neighbour what strangely looked like a giant snail so she sent him to the infirmary while the girl sitting next to him burst into tears over her dress. And a Gryffindor third year boy decided her classroom was the best place to declare his undying love to his Ravenclaw boyfriend. As if on cue, the doorbell rang when he finished his monologue.

"Jordan, detention tonight" she said, tersely "And stay here. The rest of you, get out of my class"

As they all stood up and almost ran to the door, except for the Weasleys twins who never seemed to be scared of her despite her best efforts. She approached Lee Jordan, her evil queen mask on.

"Explain"

Her tone was threatening and dangerous. But Lee only seemed resigned and ready to face the consequences of his actions.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. Some things need to be said and owned if one cares to pursue happiness"

"If you wanted to make a public announcement, why didn't you do so in the Great Hall?" she asked, annoyed.

"Because you're way scarier than a bunch of students and teachers. Ergo, doing so during your class will have a greater… impact, I guess?"

Regina noticed he wasn't scared, nor repentant.

"He didn't know you like him?"

She couldn't help being curious.

"He knew it alright. He just didn't believe I was ready to go public"

Regina looked at him, impassive. Lee Jordan finally caved and looked at the floor. She got closer to him and whispered:

"Ten points to Gryffindor"

Lee Jordan instantly brought up his eyes to meet hers, incredulous.

"For your bravery" she specified. A smile lighted up his face "You speak about that to anyone, and you will never have a chance to find out if your relationship was worth fighting for" she added threateningly.

Lee Jordan chuckled this time, thanked her, and ran to the door. Her evil queen façade had taken a throw, but she couldn't bring herself to care and followed the guy from a distance, hoping she would see the positive results of Lee Jordan's bravery. As she entered the Great Hall, she spotted the Ravenclaw student making his way to the Gryffindor table and she grinned, satisfied. She looked at the teacher's table, she saw Dumbledore and suddenly realised she had completely forgotten the diary on her desk. She spun on her heels and ran back to her classroom, almost knocking Ginny Weasley over, around a corner. She profusely apologised, feeling sorry for the poor girl who seemed terrified for the second time of the day and resumed running.

When she arrived, she was too late… the diary had disappeared.

"And you said the diary's owner was Tom Riddle?"

Regina had never seen the headmaster look so grave than in that moment. She quietly nodded positively. Severus was in Albus' office with them and he lowered his face, grimacing. Suddenly, she remembered when and where she had heard the name for the first name. Albus confirmed her suspicions before she could express them herself.

"It appears Voldemort has found a way to come back, after all"

She shivered.

"How do we stop him?" Severus interfered, without a trace of defeat in his voice and rather calmly.

Regina noticed he was staring straight into Albus' eyes. He didn't look scared for a second. She wished she had his strength.

"For now… I don't see how we could. We don't have the diary anymore, and Lucius Malfoy is trying to get me out of the school. I'm afraid it's a matter you'll have to figure out with your sister"

Regina suddenly felt their two pairs of eyes on her. Unfortunately, she didn't know what to do anymore.

"Does this mean you'll be leaving the school?" she asked in a somewhat controlled voice.

"Yes" Dumbledore answered simply.

"When?" she insisted.

"I have no clue. According to me, it shouldn't be long now"

"Won't you try to stay for the kids?" Severus burst out.

Albus focused on him, still grave.

"I will do everything in my power to protect them and stay. But when the time comes, I will go. I told you that finding about Horcruxes will be my mission. So, you see, I will not be doing nothing if I must leave Hogwarts. I trust you will do everything you have to do to protect them while I'm gone"

"Of course" Regina answered automatically.

"Then you see, we have little to fear" Albus smiled.

"It still doesn't help us find out how to prevent Voldemort from coming back" Severus emphasised.

"I have a feeling we will know what to do when the time is right" Regina exhaled.

She felt defeated and very concerned. She could have stopped the whole ordeal just an hour ago if she hadn't been so careless. Nonetheless, she wasn't scared. She knew they would be enough to protect the teenagers, even if Dumbledore couldn't. If she had to defeat Tom Riddle on her own, she knew she would, and nothing nor no one would stop her. She was confident.

"I have a feeling you will, too" Dumbledore confirmed, assured.

Months passed by without an incident. It was now April, and the rumours about Harry being the Slytherin's Heir had calmed down. The second Years had to choose their subjects for next year, and Hermione had asked her for advices. She couldn't choose, she wanted to study them all, which made Regina chuckle.

"When I was your age, I had the same dilemma"

"What did you do?"

"Well, as you know, I was close friends with Lily Evans, Harry's mother… and with my twin brother… none of us were interested in Divination, so we didn't take it. We were all interested in magic creatures, though: so, we all took it. And for the three others, we each picked one, so that the others would teach us what they had learned." Regina smiled, remembering.

"Did it work?"

"It did, at first. I still remember perfectly the Third Years lessons of courses I never attended" Regina chuckled.

"That was a great idea… but I don't think the boys will be thrilled by that prospect"

"I suppose they won't" Regina admitted, knowing full well the boys hadn't in them this thirst for learning.

"Is there another way for me to take all the courses?" Hermione practically begged her.

"I will speak with Minerva about it" Regina promised.

"You're the best, thanks Gina!" Hermione exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement.

During lunch, Regina was surprised to see Hermione running towards her from the Gryffindor table at the dessert. She waited for her, noticing that the boys hadn't moved from their seats. They were still eating and chatting, but obviously surprised to see Hermione act this way. She also took note that Emma was back with Henry which reassured her.

"I haven't had the time to speak with Minerva, yet" Regina informed her, when Hermione was close enough.

"I really need to speak to you" Hermione calmly said.

"Of course, I am listening" Regina encouraged her.

"Not here. Privately. Please" Hermione begged her.

Regina was getting nervous. Severus who was seated next to her, looked at the little girl suspiciously. She quietly enjoined Hermione to follow her and they both went to her office.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I may have an idea about the creature that kills Muggles" Hermione answered quietly.

"And what do you think it is" Regina replied, flabbergasted.

"We know it petrifies people. We know it moves inside the walls thanks to Harry. I personally think it uses the pipes of the castle. We also know that only Harry can hear it, and we discovered not so long ago that he can talks to snakes… he just heard it, actually" Hermione summed up, really fast, as always.

Regina only needed a second.

"A Basilisk" she whispered, horrified.

Hermione nodded, sombrely. Regina started pacing. She couldn't believe how blind she had been. But now, they needed to find a solution. They had a Basilisk to kill and hundreds of students to protect. How to do that without closing the school? Maybe they really needed to. After all, the Basilisk could kill from a simple glance. Hermione coughed subtlety. Regina turned to her.

"Hermione… you're the brightest witch of your generation, you need to know that" Regina praised her, sincerely.

Hermione blushed, and smiled brightly, unable to remain grave.

"You think I'm right?" she marvelled.

"I do. But I have no idea how to find that thing, the castle has been searched before… I think the reasonable thing to do would be to close Hogwarts" Regina murmured.

"For how long?"

"As long as it takes to find that monstrosity and kill it" Regina replied ferociously.

"But…" Hermione tried to interfere weakly before silencing.

Regina looked at her intently but Hermione refused to meet her eyes.

"But?" Regina encouraged her.

"Well… I don't mean any disrespect, and I understand you want to protect everyone… but you said the Heir wasn't a teacher… so the monster won't reappear if all the students leave the school" Hermione pointed out, still blushing.

Regina was no longer impressed with the girl's abilities. She knew she was bright. Maybe brighter than herself, even. And yet, she was still surprised somehow.

"I know, Hermione. We will need to search the castle. And if we do not find the hidden spot of the beast, I am afraid we will not reopen the school" Regina explained, a little ashamed of that solution.

"You can't do that!" Hermione almost screamed.

Regina understood that reaction perfectly. She would have been horrified too at twelve years old, if she had been told to go back home and never come back to Hogwarts. But it was the only solution.

"I cannot. Only the headmaster can take that decision…" she admitted, hoping it would calm down the girl.

"Please, Regina, don't suggest that to him. Try and dissuade him from closing the school. Some students here would rather die than give up magic" Hermione pleaded.

"No one would be asked to give up magic. There are other schools, other places to learn" Regina sighed, sitting down on one of her student's chairs.

"But not one in the UK" Hermione countered, sitting down on a chair next to hers. "Please, don't do this. Some parents can't afford to send their kids in France, or in the US or in any other place. Especially Muggle ones. When they will know their children have to leave the country, they will refuse them their right to be taught magic. They'll be scared. And take the Weasleys for example. They'll never be able to afford sending their four kids abroad…"

Regina didn't reply for a while.

"But what's the alternative, Hermione? We do not send them away, and they can die, any minute, any day"

"Or we find the Heir and stop them"

"Easier said than done. We cannot investigate on every child here. And even if we did, it would probably take months before we find the culprit. How many kids will be dead by then?"

"Then, give us a choice. If we want to leave, we can" Hermione suggested.

"The choice is not yours to make, Hermione" Regina chuckled darkly. "It's your parents'. And trust me, once we tell them what the monster is, no sane parent will accept for their kids to stay here. I know I won't"

Tears suddenly poured from the girl's eyes, silently. Regina' heart constricted.

"Come here" she said softly to the teenager, taking her in her arms.

After a while, Hermione untangled herself from Regina's embrace.

"I know this is the only solution. But I can't help feeling this isn't right. We need to fight. We need to learn to defend ourselves against that thing" the girl sighed.

"You're not a Gryffindor for nothing, I will give you that" Regina chuckled again. "I need to speak with the teachers." She said, standing up.

Hermione sighed one last time and followed her suit. She was about to leave the classroom when Regina stopped her.

"Wait. I cannot take you back to the Great Hall right now, so take this mirror and look into it at every corner" Regina instructed her, while conjuring the said artifact.

Hermione nodded, grave.

"Thank you, Regina"

"You are most welcome, honey. Take care, and be prudent"

As soon as Hermione was out, she went to the map, murmured "I am up to find them" and looked for Emma. She found her in the Forest. She didn't waste any time, transformed and flew to her. She found her near a lake, sitting with Sirius. They were both in their human forms, as if nothing could harm them. Sirius was eating what Emma had probably stolen from the dinner: chicken. As soon as Emma noticed her flying form, she got up.

"What's wrong?" she immediately asked.

"Nothing's wrong with Henry" Regina reassured her, while landing on her shoulder.

"Hey Regina" Sirius said in a voice that looked like a bark.

She didn't reply to him.

"We found out what the beast is"

Then, she explained to Emma the whole thing.

"And Hermione found out on her own?" Emma wondered, amazed.

"Found out what?" Sirius interrupted, his mouth full of food.

Regina realised he didn't understand her when she was an owl and he was human. Probably because he changed into a dog… she didn't lose too much time on the thought, though.

"The secret monster is a Basilisk" Emma surmised.

"Son of a…" Sirius murmured.

"I don't know what to do. Should I take the kids out of the school?" Regina resumed their conversation.

"I have no idea, baby. You need to find a solution with Dumbledore" Emma answered.

"I am not talking about the school. I am talking about Henry. You have a say in the matter. As Sirius does have a say too for Harry. He is his godfather…"

Emma gulped.

"Regina wants to know if we want to take Henry and Harry out of the school to protect them" she informed Sirius.

The man looked at the owl, taken aback.

"Why would you ask us about their education?"

"Because you're Harry's godfather. And I'm Henry's mother. She thinks we have a right to choose" Emma explained him.

Sirius was still staring at Regina and she was starting to feel self-conscious.

"Thank you, Snape. But I trust you. Whatever you decide will be fine by me. As long as you keep us in the loop of your decisions" he finally said.

"It's Swan. And I won't forget to keep you posted, then. Should I give you a daily report of my education?" she told him sarcastically.

Emma smiled.

"She'll tell us. And she reminds you her name is Swan, now. I would like you to remember that, too, Sirius" Emma translated.

Sirius snickered but didn't comment.

"I agree with Sirius, though. Whatever you decide will be fine by me, Gina" Emma told her softly.

"Thanks. But do you not have a preference?" Regina insisted.

"You don't know what to do, right?' Emma chuckled.

Regina rolled her eyes but didn't answer.

"And you're asking me for help? I ended up in Azkaban after a stupid mistake, and I stayed in there for twelve years, Regina. I'm really not the one you should be asking for advice" she pointed out, dejectedly.

"And yet, I am" Regina replied, calmly.

"Well… I know what I would do if I were a teenager, obviously. I'd stay. But as a parent… I don't know. I'd probably take back Henry and Harry. But then, would that be fair to them to rid them of their choice? Since it's a life-or-death situation I guess it is, but still… I don't know. You choose." Emma dismissed the question.

"You're not helping" Regina underlined.

"I know, baby. But I haven't helped you in the last decade anyway" Emma shrugged.

"Stop doing that" Regina admonished her.

"Doing what?" Emma asked surprised.

"Getting all guilty, and refusing to endorse your parental obligations like you have no right to them anymore"

"Well, I don't Regina. I kind of gave up that right a long time ago. Henry grew up without me, and you brought him up without me. I don't have the right to dictate you what to do, now" Emma argued.

"But you do, Emma. You have every right. You're his mother, too. I don't care how long you were gone, or if you were with us all the way. He is your son, he is your responsibility, and it is time for you to realise it. He loves you. And I know you do too" Regina was getting frustrated now.

"It's time for you to talk with Albus about all that, Regina. I think you should go" Emma sighed, sitting down, defeated.

Sirius was looking at the both of them silently, and surprisingly with compassion. Regina left.

When she came back, the entire school was in turmoil. Hermione had been found petrified.

Regina lied down in her bed that night, extenuated. She had asked Albus for a meeting with all the teachers. She had told them about Hermione's theory. There had been gasps and shrieks and a lot of frustration from the teachers for not thinking about the Basilisk earlier. Then, there had been a debate on whether or not the school should be closed. At one point, Emma, in her owl form, had come through the window and set on Regina's shoulder to listen to it. Regina had listened to all the arguments. The teachers were torn, just like her. Albus was sitting silently and very rarely interfered. Finally, Albus had started to talk and everyone in the room listened. He had talked just like Hermione before him. He didn't want the children to leave the school and wanted them to be taught as long as possible. But Quidditch games would be cancelled. There had been a vote. All the teachers except for Severus and herself had voted for keeping the school opened. Albus had turned to them and had asked if they wanted it to be closed. They had answered that they didn't want to vote. Dumbledore said he would find a solution for the kids to be safe. Then, the meeting was over and it was time for dinner.

Dumbledore announced that special glasses were at the student's disposal and that no one could leave the Hall without wearing them. He also said that they had to wear them at all times in the castle and could only remove them outside, or inside their dorms. Regina guessed he had found a way for them not to be killed by a simple stare of the Basilisk, but rather petrified if they ever encountered it. She was relieved in a way, but not completely. She had to have a chat with the boys.

And then, she was in bed, lying down, still torn. She didn't know if she should take the boys out of Hogwarts. Harry was clearly in danger of death. Henry would be by association. She was so lost she wanted to cry. Suddenly, something tapped on her window, and looking at it, she recognised Emma.

She got up instantly and opened. Emma was changed back in her human form in an instant.

"I could hear you think from miles away" Emma smirked.

"Good to know that at least one of us is amused by this situation" Regina replied, annoyed, going back to sit on her bed.

"I'm only kind of amused because I may have a solution" Emma retorted, sitting next to her.

"You do?"

"I gave a lot of thought about what you said earlier. And I talked about it with Sirius. We both think you're right. We think Sirius can keep on trying to avenge James' death on his own. And I can… how did you put it? Endorse my parental obligations from now on" Emma explained, gently.

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"By staying with the kids" the blonde answered simply.

"All the time?"

"Absolutely"

"You do realise you don't have any wand?" Regina pointed out sarcastically.

"Maybe so, but I'm not defenceless either"

"And Voldemort is probably behind this whole Basilisk thing" Regina kept on.

"Good for me, I'll get to avenge James and Lily a second time" Emma brushed it off.

"The Basilisk can kill you from a simple stare"

"Only if I stare back"

"We can't protect them from that thing" Regina outburst, getting up.

Emma stood up and took Regina's hands in hers, in an appeasing way. When the brunette finally looked at her, she softly murmured:

"We can protect them from anything, and we will"

"But how?" Regina whispered, frightened.

"When the time comes, we will know" Emma concluded, self-assured.

Regina remembered that only a few days ago, she had been certain of that, too. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and slowly nodded her approbation.

"I'll go to them right away… but one more thing… can I use your wand for a little spell?" Emma asked, joyfully.

At breakfast, Minerva announced that Dumbledore had been suspended, and Hagrid sent to Azkaban… Hermione's "accident" had been their downfall. She received a letter from Dumbledore later that day, basically demanding that she kept her mind open. He also wrote that he trusted her with all of the children and knew they were in perfect hands. She would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so tragic.

Severus and Professor Sprout were working on the potion to reanimate the victims of the Basilisk. It wouldn't be long now before they would finish it. Less than a month. Regina felt overly guilty about Hermione and couldn't wait to see the girl healthy again. How could she be so stupid and let her go without supervision when she knew what they were up against? So stupid… and she had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time she would feel this way in her near future. She was still missing something, she knew it.

"We know what the monster is" Regina explained Henry and Harry once she had managed to be alone with them.

"Really?" Harry exclaimed, incredulous.

"It's a Basilisk. Actually, Hermione was the one to find out. It's a giant snake" Regina elaborated.

"How do we kill it?" Henry immediately wanted to know.

"It's not about how we kill it… it's about how it can kill you. And the answer is from a simple stare. You stare in its eyes, and it stares back: you die. The glasses Dumbledore created are for this purpose. If you see its eyes through something else, you will only be petrified"

"That's why Justin, Colin and Hermione weren't killed! Justin saw it through a ghost, Hermione through a mirror and Colin through his camera" Harry guessed.

"Exactly. The second thing you need to know is that if you're bitten, you die. Its fangs are venomous and can only be cured by Phoenix's tears. And just let me tell you: you won't find any Phoenix tears in the following five minutes of the bite" Regina resumed.

"Do we have any chance against it?" Henry asked, angrily.

"Absolutely none. I order you to wear the glasses at all times, just like Dumbledore asked you to. No reckless moves, no wander through the castle at night, nothing! Promise me" Regina begged them.

Emma, still perched on Henry's shoulder hooted her complete approbation of Regina's statement.

"Fine" Henry relented.

"Okay" Harry confirmed, un-at-ease.

But without Hermione, Regina realised that the boys weren't coming to her anymore. Something was clearly on their minds, but they wouldn't confide in her. Maybe they were suspicious of her since Hermione had been petrified right after talking to her. She hadn't been able to protect her… she was untrustworthy now. And truth be told, she couldn't blame them. At the very least, Emma was with them and knew what was going on. She was positive that her wife would come to her if something really bad was about to happen… how wrong she was again.

Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.

Ginny Weasley was missing and a new message had been written on the walls. Teachers and students were looking at it, horrified. Minerva turned to them and slowly said that the school had to be closed. She agreed wholeheartedly but she couldn't leave Molly's only girl to die. Fred and George appeared from nowhere, right in front of her, but truth be told, she wasn't really paying any attention to anything but the bloody message on the wall.

"You have to do something" Fred practically yelled.

"You have to save her" Georges added.

Regina looked at them, lost. Seeing their determined faces awoke her.

"I know. And I will"

"Is it a promise?" Georges persisted, angry.

"I promise you, yes" Regina confirmed.

"Then we want to help" Fred exclaimed.

"You can help me by packing your bags" Regina dismissed them, leaving the dark corridor.

She threw one look at Severus who was just next to her and he followed her. But the twins weren't done with her, it would seem. They ran after her, shouting.

"We can do more than just packing our bags"

"If you have a plan, we can fight with you whatever this is"

"Or we can help you finding her. We know every secret passages here"

"Look guys. Your sister is nowhere to be found for now. I think it would be nice for your mom to not risk your lives, okay?" Regina countered, hoping it would be enough to dissuade the teens. She stopped walking and stared back at them. The twins froze, looking at her. "Please, listen to me and go back to your dorms. Get ready, pack your bags, and wait for my instructions, will you?"

The twins seemed torn between listening to her and protesting. They finally settled on listening, at the greatest relief of Regina and left.

"You trust them to do as they were told?" Severus inquired, amused, once they were back on their way.

"I do, actually" Regina answered simply.

"How naïve of you" her twin mocked her.

"Don't patronize me, Severus. I trust these kids"

"Do you trust Henry?" Severus asked.

"Of course, I trust him. Why would you ask me that?" Regina mechanically replied, a little annoyed, while pushing the door of her bedroom.

"Well because Henry and his two friends were right behind us, read the Heir's message and ran off when Minerva said she wanted to close the school" he enumerated calmly while closing the door behind him.

He took a seat on her bed without asking and stared at her. Regina frowned, wondering what they were planning to do and cursing herself for not closing Hogwarts before.

"Swan was with them" Severus added, as if having an afterthought, but still very much fixing her with a look.

Regina didn't comment. She was thinking about the Chamber and how to find it.

"Will you tell me about Emma, already?" Severus suddenly outburst.

"What about Emma?" Regina startled.

"The owl. Emma"

"How do you…?" Regina asked, surprised.

"I'm your brother. I guessed about her since she sent that birthday present for Henry" Severus shrugged. "Will you explain it all to me?"

Regina let herself fall on the nearest chair, exhaled, and told him everything. She didn't let anything out of the story, and Severus listened to her every word, never interrupting her.

"And then Emma gave me a map to help me find her if I needed her…" Regina paused in her account, finally understanding she had a way to find the Chamber and to find Ginny.

"A map?"

Regina quickly opened a drawer of her desk, taking the map.

"I swear I am up to find them" she said.

The map drew itself. Regina analysed it methodically, starting with the Great Hall. Silently, Severus stood up behind her.

"It's ingenious" he marvelled lowly.

"I know" Regina recognised.

"We should have thought about that a long time ago… Henry, Harry and Ron are in the girl's toilet room" he noticed.

Regina looked at the second floor and saw them too.

"What the hell are they doing there? With Lockhart?" she whispered, frightened.

"And Emma" Severus pointed out. "And… is that Pettigrew?"

A little bubble appeared above Harry's portrait, saying unpronounceable words.

"I think Potter's speaking Parseltongue" Severus noticed.

The toilet did something weird. It seemed to move. Then it was stable, and Lockhart disappeared in it.

"We have to go, right now!" she screamed.

She didn't even take the time to see if her brother was following her, she just took off, running through the corridors. She knew she would be too late. But she ran anyway as fast as she could. Without even noticing, her feet vanished and her hands transformed into wings. The gate in the toilets was closing and she didn't lose any second pondering her options, she rushed through it at the very last possible second. Then she was in the dark. Her volatile eyes took a little time adjusting. It seemed lighter if she flew down, so she did. While flying, she thought about Pettigrew. How could it be? Had he faked his death? Emma and Sirius had been jailed for his murder. But if he was still alive, could this mean they had been sentenced for nothing? She realised that Peter had been the Secret Keeper. That was why they had tried to find him. Emma, Sirius and Ruby. Pettigrew must have killed Ruby before faking his own death. But how could he be here now?

Finally, she was out of the bloody tunnel, or rather toboggan if she thought about it, and on a little sinister pathway. She kept on flying and found Henry and Ron (and in a corner Lockhart, speaking to a wall), trying to push huge rocks that were blocking the way. Harry and Emma were nowhere to be seen. Henry saw her and recognised her right away.

"Where is Harry?" she asked, while turning back rapidly.

Ron was gaping.

"There was a little crumbling. Nothing serious. But Harry and Swan are on the other side, looking for Ginny. Swan managed to take out this rock up there" he explained to her, somewhat guiltily.

Regina looked at the place he was referencing and guessed Emma had refused to let Harry on his own. She remembered the time she had taken her wand to curse herself with a spell Regina didn't know. She guessed now it was to give her some kind of a super force. When she had asked her, Emma had just explained it would her protect the kids. At least, she had been truthful about something…

"What's wrong with him?" Regina couldn't help asking, motioning to Lockhart who was making bubbles with his own saliva and would laugh every time they'd burst.

"He tried to curse us with Obliviate. But he used Ron's wand and it's broken… the spell backfired." Henry said, shamelessly.

"Good. You two, stay right here. I forbid you to move an inch. And before I forget Henry… you're grounded for the rest of your life, but we'll speak about that later"

Regina changed back and dived into the hole. Something caught her attention while she flew above Ron: on his shoulder was a rat. She remembered its name to be Scabbers. Peter Pettigrew used to change into a rat… She finally understood everything. But she kept on flying anyway. She would deal with all of this later. If what she guessed was true, Peter Pettigrew had found another enemy … Emma and Sirius wouldn't be the only ones trying to avenge their friends.

When she was inside the Chamber, her blood froze. Ginny was lying on the floor, unconscious. A masculine form, corporate but somewhat shady, was towering over her, shouting. Harry was kneeling down covering his eyes with both his hands. And a gigantic serpent was hissing and turning its head from one side to the other, right in front of him. Regina found herself unable to close her eyes. If the snake had looked at her, she would have died in a second. But she was too preoccupied with looking at her wife. Emma was literally and ferociously tearing the eyeballs out of the Basilisk. It didn't take her very long. Within a few seconds, the snake was blind.

"FORGET THE DAMN BIRD AND KILL THE BOY" the man shouted.

Harry was back on his feet, staring at the enormous monster, defenceless. The beast turned its ugly head to him. Emma was still trying to distract it, by assaulting it and biting everything she could reach, but the serpent was focusing of her godson.

Regina turned into her human form once again.

"Don't move, Harry" she shouted.

Her scream sent vibrations in the air, and the serpent turned to her. As well as everyone else, for that matter. Her wife went to Harry and perched on his shoulder, ready to protect him, if need be. The snake slowly approached her, and the man didn't stop it. Regina thought about the death curse, but she guessed the beast was immune to spells. She would have to kill it in the old-fashioned way. Now that it was blind, it would be easier, though.

"Regina" Emma and Harry screamed at the same time, one in a human voice, the other in an owl one.

"Do not move" she hissed at them.

She conjured a huge and bright sword, and with a spell, she sent it straight between the eyes of the snake at the same time it tried to plunge at her. The sword crossed the skull, leaving in its wake a bloody hole and embedded itself into the wall, far behind the beast. The snake collapsed loudly on the floor, dead.

"Way to go, Gina" Emma cheered in the distance.

"Regina Snape" the man spoke, murderously. "I had hoped we would meet at last"

He slowly approached her. He was quite handsome. She didn't know him… but she knew who he was.

"It's Swan. I assume you are Tom"

She approached him too, slowly. Emma came to perch on her shoulder, while Harry went to Ginny. The man didn't notice.

"Nobody calls me that anymore. You're too late, Regina. In a few seconds, Ginny Weasley will be dead, and I'll be human again" he smiled coldly.

Regina thought that if it was true, in a few seconds, she would be fighting the greatest fight of her life. But she didn't want Ginny to die… in the corner of her eyes, she saw Harry trying to pull a tooth out of the snake, using a rock. She winced. One scratch and he would die… but she trusted her godson. After all, he had managed to find the Chamber on his own. Voldemort frowned.

"You don't seem to be afraid of me"

"I am a good actress, then. Because you do frighten me" she replied calmly.

"Bellatrix would be glad to hear that. We had a lot of discussions about you" Voldemort kept on.

Harry succeeded in taking the tooth. There was a loud crack, then silence. Voldemort immediately turned to see what was the cause of the sound. Regina tried to stop him, but her hand closed on nothing but air.

"NO!" Voldemort wailed.

Harry was already running towards Ginny. He fell on his knees, still sliding from his course, held the tooth in both of his hands above his head, and forcefully stabbed the ground. Or so she thought, at first. She ran to him, and soon realised the tooth was planted in the diary he had once showed her. Ink was gushing from the book. Voldemort shouted hard and fell to the grounds. Seconds later,he had disappeared.

Harry turned to her.

"Is he dead?"

Regina looked at the book and the tooth. She kept on walking to him.

"I don't think so, honey"

She fell to the ground and took him in her arms.

"Is he coming back?"

"Not for a while, I suppose"

"I'm so sorry, Gina. I know I should have talked to you, but I knew you would prevent me from helping you" Harry apologised, hidden in the crook of her neck.

"You are right, I would have" she replied, sternly.

"Are you really mad at me?" he asked in a small voice.

"More than that"

He tried to get out of her arms, but she held on.

"You're grounded. No magic outside of the school. No TV. No Quidditch for the whole summer. The same applies to Henry once we get back to him" she said.

"No sweets" Emma added.

She was flying in a circle above them.

"And no sweets" Regina conceded.

"Okay… but do you still love me?" his small voice resounded.

Regina pushed him at arm length to get a good look at him.

"I am furious. So mad at you. But there is nothing you could do that would stop me loving you, Harry"

The boy grinned.

"It's fair. I know we kind of deserve this punishment. Even if we did save Ginny…"

"You cocky little munchkin" she laughed, taking him back into her arms, and ruffing his hair.

Harry was laughing too when Ginny came back to her senses.

"What happened? Harry? Mrs Swan?" she fretted.

"It's ok, sweetie. We are going back. You don't have anything to be afraid of, anymore. Harry saved your life."

"And you say he just vanished?" Albus inquired.

They were all in the headmaster's office now: Albus, Severus, Harry, Henry, Ron, Ginny, Emma and Regina. Minerva, Molly and Arthur were also there when they arrived.

Emma had carried all the children by herself in the tunnel when everything was over and Regina had simply followed them. The boys weren't surprised of her supranatural force, which led her to think it wasn't the first time they witnessed it. Severus had been utterly displeased when they had emerged in the toilets. Then, they all had been summoned by the headmaster. Albus appeared to have been reinstituted when a child had been captured. Emma was back on Henry's shoulder and occasionally she gave Harry a friendly pat on the head with her wing. Henry was looking at the floor quietly, and seemed to be ready to be sentenced to death. Ron seemed happy to be with his sister, whereas the latter looked really ashamed. Molly was crying while hugging her daughter, and Arthur was very pale. Harry himself seemed confident, for the first time. Neither guilty nor happy. Just confident. Harry had confessed everything about how they had found out about the Chamber thanks to one of Hagrid's protégé. He has hesitated to say something, and Dumbledore had helped him to tell the truth about Ginny: how she had been manipulated by Voldemort to open the Chamber. Then, it had been Regina's turn to explain how Voldemort had been vanquished.

"Yes. First, he screamed a lot. And then he was gone."

"And Henry's owl blinded the Basilisk?"

"She did" Regina confirmed.

Harry nodded. He looked at Regina as if she was all-knowing. She appreciated the sentiment but didn't feel deserving of it. Henry patted Emma on the head and the latter snuggled against him, which wasn't lost on the headmaster. Severus was looking at Regina, annoyed.

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

"If I had, we wouldn't be talking about it. We would be crying over two dead bodies if not more…" Regina replied, exasperated.

Severus grumped but didn't argue. Albus chuckled and looked at the three of them fondly.

"Well. It seems everything is back to normal"

"Thank you so much, Regina. Thank you, Harry. We are so lucky Ron befriended you" Molly cried.

Regina approached the distressed woman, and squeezed her arm.

"You would have done the same for us, Molly… And don't thank me. It was Harry who found the Chamber and a way to save Ginny. She owes him her life, not me" Regina said, proudly.

Harry mumbled something like "it was nothing" while looking in the opposite direction, shyly. Henry chuckled.

"Right, you just stabbed a book, after all"

Harry rolled his eyes but grinned back.

"I am not done with you, yet, Henry. It is in your best interest to keep your mouth shut" Regina reminded him, very gravely.

Henry lowered his face again, reddening. Harry looked at her pleadingly. She answered with a negative nod. He nodded positively his acceptance of her authority then lowered his head too.

"I think the Weasley family would like to reunite privately. You are welcome to the Gryffindor tower if you wish to prolong your visit, here" Albus gently dismissed the Weasleys.

"Where is Scabbers, Ron?" Regina inquired.

"He escaped when we were down there. He should come back soon" Ron shrugged.

Emma and Regina shared a dark look. The Weasleys hurried off, but not before profusely thanking them again.

"I think Henry and Harry should go, too" Regina said.

Albus didn't seem keen on letting them go but didn't interfere. The kids were leaving when Lucius Malfoy came in, accompanied by Dobby. Harry's eyes shot daggers at the man, who passed by him without noticing. Lucius was furious at Dumbledore for coming back to Hogwarts. Albus remained calm and smiling, explaining why the Wizengamot had reinstated him. Dobby was pointing at the diary and then at Lucius, and hit himself in the face afterwards. Regina understood why immediately.

"Lucius… Next time you try to attack one of the children of the school, I will make you regret it" Regina warned him.

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything"

"You gave the book to Ginny when we were at Flourish & Blotts, did you not? Last summer?"

"You will have to prove it, Regina"

"We won't be able to. This time. But next time you decide to distribute Voldemort's belongings to children, just know I will track you down and find proof to send you to jail" Regina kept on.

Lucius sent Severus a dirty look, as if he was the one blaming him and left the room, furious.

"Can I take the diary?" Harry quickly asked.

"Of course. Can I borrow this owl in exchange?" Albus gently answered, pointing at Emma.

"What for?" Henry said, surprised.

"I won't be long" Albus reassured him.

"Fine" Henry yielded, reluctantly.

"Great. Now, hurry up, there's a feast awaiting you two" Albus chuckled.

Regina watched her kids ran away. Emma naturally found her spot on Regina's shoulder.

"You can be proud of them" Albus emphasised once the door was closed.

Regina nodded positively.

"Both of you" Dumbledore added.

The brunette looked at the headmaster, expecting him to look at Severus. But she was wrong. He was looking at Emma. She winced. Albus knew the truth. So did Emma apparently since she changed back into her human form. Regina locked the door, just in case.

"Hello, Emma" Dumbledore greeted her, as if seeing an owl change into a wanted escapee/murderer was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hello Professor. Will you turn me in?" she immediately wanted to know.

"I would like an explanation first" Dumbledore countered.

"I didn't kill James and Lily"

"I know that. Voldemort did" Albus replied, still smiling.

"I mean, I wasn't their Secret Keeper" Emma developed.

"Who was?"

Severus looked at her, interested. Regina didn't say a word. She had understood it by now. Emma hesitated but finally gave in.

"It was Peter. Sirius and I convinced James that Ruby and Remus were too close of the Dark Forces. That someone was, maybe, reading their minds. Sirius and I were the obvious choices, so we thought that no one would suspect Peter. That we could hide him from everyone else, and keep the Potters safe." Emma explained.

"But it didn't go according to plan"

Emma's eyes watered.

"It didn't. I said I didn't kill James and Lily. I should have said I didn't kill them directly"

"What happened that night?" Albus inquired.

"To explain that night, I should go back a few years earlier. James, Sirius, Peter and I were animagi…"

"How?" Albus marvelled.

Emma hesitated again. She didn't want to betray Remus.

"We were close friends with a werewolf" she finally said, looking at the floor. "We wanted to be with him on the full moons, but we knew it would be too dangerous as humans. So, we trained to be animagi. James and Sirius were big enough to prevent him from hurting anyone if need be. I was an owl, so I could see miles around if a human came too close. And Peter was so little he could make us enter into the tree" Emma developed before pausing.

"Please, continue" Albus encouraged her, enraptured.

"You have to know that Remus would kill me if he knew I had revealed our secret. He was so grateful to you for giving him a chance. He constantly begged us to stop, he had nothing to do with our behaviour. We were to blame, but he really wasn't" Emma pleaded for her friend, looking straight in Albus' eyes.

"I believe you" Albus chuckled. "You were the troublemakers, but Remus never was one per se. He's not in any kind of trouble, you can keep on, Mrs Swan"

Emma looked relieved for a second. Regina took a seat and Severus did too.

"You know the rest of the story. That night we went after Peter. With Ruby and Sirius. Peter started shouting at us, that we killed James. I was taken aback by his nerve and didn't attack right away. Sirius was enraged but didn't attack either. Ruby startled and looked at us, unsure. I think she doubted us. In the split second she took to look at us, he killed her. Then, he killed all the Muggles around us. I was still looking at him, crying. I couldn't believe how wrong I had been all those years and frankly I knew I hadn't it in me to kill him, even after all that. The only way forward was to capture him alive. But he was possessed. All of my spells ricocheted near him. I never touched him. And Sirius just stood there. Then, Peter cut his middle finger and transformed into a rat. Sirius started laughing like a madman. And I just sat there, crying. I knew I had just lost everything"

"And now? Why did you escape?"

"Because Peter is in the castle. It's been adopted by the Weasley's family" Regina answered for her wife, looking at her.

Emma just nodded.

"How?"

"As a rat. Scabbers is his name now, I believe"

"Fascinating" Dumbledore whispered, still utterly impressed.

"Will you turn me in?" Emma asked for the second time.

"No, I won't. Your word is everything I need to believe in your innocence. I've had my doubts for years about you. Now, I know. But your word will not be considered enough evidence for the Ministry" Albus said, gravelly.

"I know" Emma nodded. "Can I stay here? As an owl? With Henry?" she suggested.

"You can stay here, yes. How would you feel about going back to school?"

"Well… yes, I guess since Henry will be here?" Emma confirmed, as if Dumbledore was retarded.

Albus chuckled.

"As a student, I mean"

Regina startled. Severus' eyebrows rose. And Emma laughed.

"Henry and Harry need guidance, protection and supervision. You need your years back and a new wand… I think this is a good compromise"

Emma got close to Regina who was still sitting and squeezed her shoulder from behind.

"What I need is my wife" Emma countered, softly.

"You will be with her this summer. You will see her every day, next year. Granted, not at nights, please. You'll have to sleep in your dorms"

"This isn't enough" Emma declined, smiling.

"You will get to be close to your son" Albus added as a final argument.

"He needs his mother. Not another friend" Emma countered, a little annoyed.

"I am not suggesting he won't know who you really are…"

"Albus, stop that. This is insane. There's no way my wife is going back to school as a student after all this" Regina exclaimed.

"Think about it, sis" Severus replied. "The kids do need to be supervised. With everything happening, we need someone we can trust with them"

"We are with them!"

"All the time" Severus emphasised.

"Once or twice a week, Emma can give you an insight. She will have a wand, and she will be able to protect them from harm" Dumbledore added, still smiling.

"I didn't need a wand to protect them from the Acromentulas" Emma argued.

"I beg your pardon?" Regina asked, suddenly feeling murderous.

"Well… you see, the kids always run everywhere. They do very stupid things…" Emma tried, panicked.

"May you tell me why I am learning about this just now?" Regina hissed.

"I would like to understand that too" Severus joined her.

"I don't know. There was always something up with them! I was terrified to leave them, only for just a minute!" Emma defended herself.

"Then, you just had to wait for the night, while they were sleeping!" Regina outburst, exasperated.

"Oh, because you think this little escapade happened by broad daylight?" Emma laughed sarcastically.

Regina stood up abruptly and advanced on her wife.

"Are you saying that my kids went in the Forbidden Forrest, at night, to see some Acromentulas?"

"It didn't happen exactly like that… but I suppose it's the gist of it, yes" Emma tempered, backing off slowly.

"This is exactly my point" Dumbledore chose this moment to interfere, to prevent the women from having a fight.

Regina stopped dead in her tracks.

"Let me guess: Emma will stay with them all the time as a student, to be sure nothing happens, right?" Regina closed her eyes and tried to breathe. But it didn't appease her.

"Yes" Dumbledore simply said.

Severus and Regina looked at each other. Severus shrugged, indicating her he wasn't convinced but wouldn't disagree with the decision. And Regina capitulated.

"Fine. We will do it your way"

"Hey! Wait a second! I didn't agree to any of this! I don't want to be a thirteen-year-old again!" Emma protested.

"You would just have to take a Polyjuice potion every day" Dumbledore chuckled. "It is not the end of the world. I assume Severus will be happy to prepare it for you" Regina looked at her brother who looked far from happy. "And who knows? You could save them again!"

"I've been in Azkaban for twelve years! I've been an owl for a whole year after that! And now you want me to be a teenager, again?"

"It's either that, or you spend the year as an owl again" Severus pointed out, matter-of-factly.

"Will Regina be my teacher?" Emma thought out loud.

"You would love that, wouldn't you?" Regina smirked.

Emma smirked back and reddened when she caught the amused expressions of Severus and Albus.

"Fine. I'll do it"

"Perfect. Now there is one last small detail we have to speak about. Harry" Dumbledore resumed.

"What about Harry?" Regina asked, immediately on the defensive.

"The diary. I suspect it to be far more than just an ordinary artefact" Dumbledore developed.

"You think it's a…" Severus replied, impressed.

"An horcrux, yes"

"Then… when we find Voldemort, all Harry has to do is kill him?" Regina asked, hopeful.

"On theory. If Voldemort made just one Horcrux, then yes" Dumbledore said, thoughtful.

Regina looked at the three of them, horrified.

"He could have made more than just one?" Severus asked.

"I believe he could have. I assume I will need to investigate more to be sure"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. What's an Horcrux?" Emma interrupted them.

"A very dark artefact Voldemort created to give him eternal life" Severus explained.

"As long as there are Horcruxes, he cannot die" Regina surmised.

"How is that possible?"

"He placed pieces of his soul inside the diary… and assuming by Albus, maybe inside other objects we have no clue where to find" Regina kept on, blasé.

"How the hell will we find them if there are others?" Emma protested, outraged.

"I will take care of that" Dumbledore reassured her.

"Looks like Ginny made a better job than you" Emma countered, exasperated.

"Technically, Lucius did" Severus rectified.

"Why did you not keep the book? Harry left with it! We could have studied it" Regina interrupted the silly accusations.

"Because Harry destroyed its power. We wouldn't have learned anything from it now. We could have learned some things from it while it was still… intact shall we say, in lack of a better word"

"Trust me, you wouldn't have let it intact much longer either" Emma sniggered.

"Tom Riddle has always been a bit too much" Albus conceded.

"And Ginny was dying" Severus added.

"What shall we do, now?" Regina put them back on tracks, once again.

"Now you leave me with the Horcruxes problem. And we need to speak about this summer." Dumbledore said, carefully.

"What about this summer?" Severus asked, intrigued. "Will we go on a hunt for Horcruxes?"

"I already told you, I'm taking care of it… I think, Regina, it would be wise to send Harry back with the Dursleys for the next two months"

"Why?" Emma asked, more surprised than outraged.

"Because I think it would be best."

Regina chuckled.

"Regina…" Dumbledore tried.

"Albus?" she replied, calmly.

"I know this is going to be difficult for you…"

"I assure you it won't be. Because there is absolutely no way I am leaving him to the Dursleys for two months… not even for one day" Regina interrupted him.

"I ask you to… no, I beg you to reconsider. He needs to go back" Dumbledore tried again.

"And my answer is no, Albus. I won't negotiate with you. I don't even want to discuss it any further. He stays with me. I am his godmother and only family left, his aunt does not count. I will never abandon him again" Regina simply stated.

"You are getting far too attached to him" Dumbledore gently replied.

"You are mistaken, Albus. I have always been attached to him. I agreed with your decision in the darkest days I have ever lived. Had Emma not been imprisoned, I would have taken him, against your opinion. It was Lily's last wish. And trust me, event then, it has been excruciating to let him go, but I chose to trust you. I have been regretting it every day since. It will never happen again"

"Are you saying you regret trusting me?" Dumbledore inquired, pained.

"I am saying I regret abandoning him in the first place" Regina protested.

"So, you just don't trust me anymore" Dumbledore affirmed.

"It's more complicated than that. I wouldn't be in peace without him anymore… I wasn't back then, either. But I had never taken charge of him at the time. Now… it would just be impossible, that's all."

"What if…" Dumbledore began but stopped.

He seemed pensive for a moment. Regina didn't push, and neither Emma nor Severus dared speak a word. He finally nodded.

"Very well. I won't fight you on this. Just keep in mind the prophecy, Regina"

Regina nodded although she didn't see the connection with the matter.

"What about Sirius?" Emma inquired.

"I must warn you; he won't come back to school while you're in it, Emma" Dumbledore chuckled. "I learn from my mistakes. But I will speak to him and we will find a suitable solution"

"I'll tell him"

"Now… I think you have a feast to attend to" Dumbledore smiled.

Emma turned back into an owl, and landed on Regina's shoulder. Dumbledore watched the three of them go, smiling sadly, and heard before the door closed "And just so you know, Emma: I will not be your teacher, next year". The headmaster laughed when he heard a protesting howling.

The feast was the greatest Regina had ever seen. It lasted for the rest of the night. The students were all in their pyjamas, astonished about what was happening. Harry, Henry and Ron won two hundred points each, which made Gryffindor insured to win the Cup for the second year in a row. Hermione and all of the other petrified students came back in the Great Hall by midnight. Minerva told everyone that exams were cancelled except for the 5th and 7th years. That made the students cheer and sing for at least twenty minutes. By three in the morning, Hagrid appeared in the Great Hall: he had been released from Azkaban. By four am, Fred and George gathered enough courage to make their way to Regina and hug her tightly, thanking her for saving Ginny, despite her protests it was Harry's doing. Right after this act of bravery, the twins were riding their brooms through the Hall, sending fireworks, while Dumbledore was clapping.

"You seem joyful" Severus told her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Regina asked.

"I assume you'd be broody and scared about everything" Severus shrugged.

"I will be tomorrow… right now, I just want to enjoy the show" Regina chuckled, a little tipsy.

"Too bad we don't participate as students… what a night it would have been!"

"We wouldn't have had any wine, then" Regina pointed out.

"True that! Cheers, sis!"

Regina downed her drink. Tomorrow and the following years wouldn't be as good, she was sure of it… but tonight was about happiness and she refused to let it tamper her mood.

The year was finally over. Gryffindor had won the House Cup, as predicted. Unfortunately for Oliver Woods, the Quidditch Cup hadn't had any winners, since the games had been suspended. Everyone was joyful on their way back home.

Emma was still constantly with the kids, consequently, she allowed them to take the train on their own. She would wait for them at the train station. But seeing them leave without her felt weirdly painful. Severus stayed with her.

"Will you spend the summer with us, Sev? I can prepare your bedroom if you'd like" she suggested.

"Thank you, but I think it'd do you good to be with your wife and the kids" he declined.

"But you will visit us, won't you?"

"Of course. Every other day!" Severus smiled.

"Fine." Regina answered, distractively.

"What's on your mind?"

"Sev… I've been thinking about adopting Harry" Regina revealed.

"What does Emma think about it?" Severus answered, impassive.

"Nothing. I haven't talked about it with her, yet"

"I suggest you do that before telling the boy…"

"Will you… are you okay with this?" Regina stuttered.

"It's not my place to disagree, Gina"

"I would like to have your consent anyway" Regina retorted.

Severus remained silent for an entire minute.

"You have it" he finally whispered.

Regina smiled brightly.

"Thank you, baby bro. I know this isn't easy for you"

"But it's not about me" Severus smiled back.

"Will you come with me to collect the children?"

"I'd rather not. You will have a lot of explaining to do when you get back home and I don't really want to be there when Henry finds out about Emma" Severus explained.

"Chicken…" Regina murmured, frightened herself about her boy's possible reaction.

At the train station, she was immediately caught by Molly who hugged her until she couldn't breathe. She thanked her again for the hundredth time, despite her protests that all this was thanks to Harry alone. She also saw the Grangers and greeted them. Lucius Malfoy, on the other hand, didn't spare her a glance.

She spotted the boys right away when they got off the train. They ran to her and stood by her, obediently. The farewells to everyone were joyful, with promises of seeing each other during the holidays. Hermione hugged her before leaving.

"Thank you" she murmured.

"For what? I didn't protect you, Hermione. I should have stayed with you that day" Regina recognised, ashamed.

"It was your mirror that saved me" Hermione pointed out.

"Oh please" Regina chuckled. "You had guessed about the Basilisk; you would have created it on your own without my help, anyway… you little bright witch" she countered affectionally.

Hermione detangled herself from her embrace and reddened.

"Thank you. I know it's not much but I truly admire you"

It actually meant very much to Regina. She kissed the girl on both cheeks and let her go with her parents. How glad she was that a girl like Hermione was in her boys' lives. She wished one of them would fall in love with her so she could consider her a daughter.

"We should go, too" she enjoined them, smiling at the idea.

"When will we see you?" Fred replied, blocking their departure.

"This summer, I believe" Regina laughed.

"It's too vague. We need a precise date" Georges replied, seriously.

"To count the days" Fred clarified, anxious to be well understood.

"Off with you two! When will you stop bothering her! Show some respect!" Molly outburst, exceeded with their behaviour.

"It's okay, Molly. I guess we could set the date for Henry's birthday?"

"That'll be perfect! We will wait for you!"

"Actually, I invite you, this time. I will ask someone to give you the address" she countered.

After a lot of protest – from Molly – and a lot of cheering – from Fred and George –, they had a deal. And the four of them took off in a cab, Emma still attached to Henry's shoulder.

"I see I have a competitor" Emma hooted lowly.

"Who? Fred and George?" Regina whispered, knowing Emma would hear. "Please. They're fourteen"

"I was actually talking about Hermione"

Regina laughed out loud. She had seen the girl with Lockhart, there was no way Hermione was crushing on Regina. And the girl was twelve! She heard Emma snigger, too.

"What's so funny, Mommy?" Henry asked.

"Nothing!"

The travel back home was far too quick for Regina's liking. As soon as they were inside their house, the kids took off to their rooms to unpack, speaking loudly and laughing. Regina crashed on the couch, tidied her stuff and cleaned the house from a flick of her wand, conjured a bottle of wine with a glass and poured herself a drink.

"Can I have one of those, too?" Emma asked, landing right next to her.

"Not as long as you're an owl" Regina answered.

"Then, I guess you'll pour me one in a minute" Emma murmured, anguished.

"Everything is going to be okay" Regina tried to reassure her, but her voice was a little strangled, and Emma moaned.

They stayed there silently until the boys came back running to them, in the living room.

"Mom, can we go play outside, now?"

"Actually, there is something I need to speak with you two" Regina slowly began.

"Is it about our punishment? We're still grounded?" Henry enquired.

"You so are, you know it. But it is not about that, actually. It's about Swan"

"My owl?" Henry asked, surprised, looking at his pet.

"Well, technically…"

To be continued.