December 1978

Christmas morning, Freya woke up cuddled up against Regulus's side in his bed, both of them stark naked. As the light of dawn illuminated Regulus's face, Freya couldn't help but smile at her sleeping husband. Carefully extricating herself from Regulus's arms, she got out of bed as silently as she could in order not to wake him up. She dressed quickly in warm clothes and a fleece-lined red cloak, leaving Regulus a note on the nightstand so that he could join her later, not willing to wake him after the late night of love-making they'd shared. Slipping quietly down to the fireplace in the basement, Freya flooed over to the Potter house. As she stepped out of the fireplace into the living room of what had until very recently been her home, Freya stifled a laugh when she found James asleep on the couch in front of the Christmas tree. The seventh year grinned mischievously as she crept over to where her brother lay fast asleep, then suddenly jumped on top of his stomach, laughing and shouting, "Merry Christmas, Jamie!"

James woke up with a start, yelping slightly at the weight of his sister on his torso. As he woke up and realized that Freya was bouncing on top of him, he grabbed hold of her waist and started tickling her. Freya shrieked with laughter as her brother attacked her ribs. She heard someone bounding down the stairs as James demanded as he held in laughter of his own, "Do you give up yet, silly little girl?"

Freya giggled as she exclaimed, "Yes! Yes, I give; you win. Jamie, please, stop!"

James let out an evil laugh. "Apologize for calling me Jamie," he insisted as Freya heard soft laughter on the other side of the couch from whoever had come downstairs.

It took a couple more minutes of tickling before Freya caved to her brother's demands. "All right, all right, I'm sorry; I'll never call you Jamie again."

James laughed and ceased his attack. As her laughter died down, Freya noticed Sirius standing behind the couch, a wide grin on his face. Pulling Freya off James and over the back of the couch, Sirius pulled Freya into a tight hug, her feet not touching the floor. Sirius planted a rough kiss on the spot where her jaw met her neck, then whispered, "Merry Christmas, Freya."

A shiver ran down Freya's spine as Sirius set her on her feet, the skin where Sirius's breath touched her tingling. Freya swallowed hard, then replied softly, "Merry Christmas, Sirius."

James said excitedly, "What are you doing here, baby sis? I figured you'd still be off somewhere on the mainland doing the whole honeymoon thing with Regulus."

Sirius glowered at the floor at the mention of his brother. Freya smiled at her brother and answered, "We're not going anywhere for our honeymoon yet actually. With it being so close to Christmas, we're staying at Grimmauld Place so we can still be with family for the holidays."

James nodded. "Well, the others will all be up soon. The whole family is here, and Remus and Peter are upstairs too, so the whole gang should be making their way downstairs soon."

By midmorning, Charlus, Dorea, Lily, Remus, and Peter had all gathered with the other three around the Christmas tree, eating breakfast and opening gifts. Freya had just opened her gift from James — an extensive book on defensive magic from Flourish and Blotts — when the fireplace changed from the usual roaring fire to giant green flames, a man appearing in the fireplace. Regulus stepped out of the fireplace, and Freya instantly felt the room tense. James and Sirius each had an arm thrown around her shoulders as the trio sat on the couch, and Freya could feel their hold shift from casual to protective. Regulus's eyes finally landed on her, and he seemed to breath a sigh of relief. Charlus stood up and greeted Regulus, offering him his hand, which Regulus quickly accepted. "Hello, Regulus. I see you've finally caught up with my little girl; she said you were still asleep when she left and in need of some rest. Did you sleep well?"

Regulus nodded, eyeing Freya curiously. "Yes, yes, I slept just fine. I'm afraid we can't stay, though. My parents have requested our presence for Christmas festivities. I do believe they'll be occupying our attention for the rest of the day."

Dorea answered understandingly, "Of course, Regulus. We understand, don't we?" James grumbled something under his breath that Freya couldn't quite understand, and Sirius glared at his little brother. "You two go enjoy your holiday, but first, Regulus, we have a present for you."

Regulus looked surprised, but took the gift wrapped in red paper anyway. Opening it, he found a broomstick compass inside the small package. Charlus said with a smile, "This way you can never get so lost that you can't find your way home to our little girl."

Regulus offered a small smile and said politely, "Thank you, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter."

Dorea insisted, "Oh no, please, call us Charlus and Dorea."

Regulus nodded and replied, "Of course. Well, Charlus, Dorea, as much as I hate to say it, but I have to steal Freya away for Christmas with my family. It was good to see all of you, and thank you for the compass."

Dorea replied as Freya stood up slowly, "It's fine, Regulus; we understand. Please feel free to come over anytime to visit. We'd love to see you both."

Regulus smiled. "Thank you, Dorea. Come on, Freya; let's go." Sirius grabbed Freya's hand as she started to retrieve her cloak, his eyes pleading for her to stay. She smiled at him and gently pulled her hand free, grabbing her cloak from the hat stand by the fireplace and walking over to Regulus, taking his hand. Regulus said goodbye for them both, then led her to floo back to Grimmauld Place. Freya smiled at her husband as the two stepped out of the fireplace, only to recoil in shock at the sudden pain of a hard slap across her face. She stared at Regulus, eyes wide with surprise and fear as he said harshly, "What the bloody hell were you thinking? I had no idea you were planning on going to your parents' house today. That was incredibly stupid of you! If my parents or any of the other Death Eaters had found out that either of us had been in that place full of blood traitors and mudbloods today on friendly terms, it would have gotten us both tortured or killed. Never do that again. We're already on shaky ground with the Dark Lord because of our sudden marriage and your membership in Gryffindor, the last thing we need is a holiday with scumsuckers like Sirius and James working against us too."

Freya felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she tenderly rubbed at the sore spot on her cheek. Still in a state of disbelief. Freya whispered, "I'm sorry, Regulus."

Regulus's eyes softened, and he gently pulled Freya to his chest, hugging her and planting a sweet kiss on top of her head. "It's ok; nothing seems to have come of it. My parents aren't even here today, so I don't think there's a way for anyone to find out we were ever gone. Just promise me that you'll never do it again, please?"

Tears escaped down her cheeks as Freya buried her face in Regulus's chest. "I promise," she mumbled.

Regulus smoothed her auburn hair lovingly as he replied softly, "Thank you, Freya. I'm sorry for losing my temper, darling. Is your cheek ok?"

Freya shrugged. "It hurts," she mumbled quietly.

Regulus sat her down at the table in the basement room they stood in, examining her face where he had hit her. Already, a dark purple bruise had began to blossom on Freya's skin. Regulus frowned at the bruise forming on his wife's face as he said sorrowfully, "I'm sorry, Freya. I panicked and overreacted. I'm sorry for hitting you; it was just plain stupid."

Freya answered softly, "It's ok. You're right; it was dangerous and stupid of me."

Furrowing his brow, Regulus muttered, "Still, hitting you like that, it was stupid too. I love you too much to be treating you like that."

Freya flinched as Regulus put slightly too much pressure on her bruise, pain shooting through her cheekbone. Freya whispered, "It's ok, really. I love you too much not to forgive you."

Regulus let a small smile cross his face. "Thank you," he said quietly.

January 1979

Freya boarded the Hogwarts Express hand in hand with Regulus, who floated her trunk along behind them as he tugged along his own. As the newlyweds searched for a compartment to sit in, Freya was surprised when she was tackled in a hug by Diana. As Diana let her go, she saw Charlotte standing behind her; the Muggle-born seemed sad. Diana exclaimed, "Freya, it's so good to see you! We've missed you. How was your break after the wedding?"

Regulus signaled Freya to hurry along by squeezing her hand. Freya nodded at him, then said, "I'm sorry, Diana. I'm afraid I'll have to tell you about it in the common room later. We're supposed to spend the train ride with some of Regulus's friends." Turning her attention to Charlotte, Freya said, "I'll see you later too, ok?"

Charlotte said bitterly, "Sure, whatever."

Regulus tugged Freya on down the train until he found a compartment where several Slytherins were gathered. Entering the room, Regulus said, "I'm sure you all remember my wife Freya from our wedding." All eyes turned to the couple, the attention making Freya fidget nervously. "Freya, you remember Barty, of course. The rest are Reid Avery, Alecto Carrow, Edgar Crabbe, Simon Mulciber, and Zane Travers."

Alecto leaned forward, eyeing Freya suspiciously. "Yes, I remember the wedding. It was a bit sudden, wasn't it? Those of us closest to Regulus didn't even know he was the least bit interested in you," she said easily, though there was a wicked grin on her face.

Regulus snapped, "That's enough, Carrow. Unless you're wanting the Dark Lord to hear that you're discouraging a pureblood from showing her loyalties to the cause on the pathetic grounds that she's a Gryffindor?"

Alecto sat back, looking stunned. "I never said anything about…"

Regulus cut her off. "Don't act stupid, Carrow. It's plain to see that you're trying, rather pathetically I might add, to intimidate my wife, and seeing as I'm the only one here with the honor of having the Dark Mark already, I seriously doubt anyone here would dare to contradict my word. I would accept that Freya is one of us and leave her alone if I were you."

Alecto crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, making Barty laugh beside her. Turning his eyes to Freya, Barty winked at her and said welcomingly, "It's good to see you again, Freya. How was the honeymoon?"

Freya blushed as she sat down between Barty and Regulus. Zane asked, "Oh yes, are you two pregnant yet? Never too soon to start bringing more purebloods into the world. After all, nothing would please the Dark Lord more."

Regulus chuckled softly. "No, Zane, we're not having little pureblood babies yet, but we'll get there. When it happens, it happens, and that's all there is to it. Don't think that doesn't mean we aren't trying, though," Regulus said with a wink at his wife. Freya blushed furiously, and the rest of the train ride was spent easily enough with games of exploding snap and exchange of holiday stories.

Freya trudged up to the Fat Lady after the return to school feast, dreading the coming confrontation with Diana and Charlotte. Over the break, Diana didn't once mention Freya putting her and Charlotte under the Imperius Curse or marrying a suspected Death Eater, but Freya knew she couldn't avoid the fight forever. Giving the painting the password, she stepped into the Gryffindor common room, and not seeing her two best friends anywhere, she headed up to the dorm room. Stepping into the room, she found Diana and Charlotte sitting together on Freya's bed, waiting for her in the otherwise empty room. Charlotte instantly turned on Freya and snapped, "How could you do this to us? To me? First you Imperius us into lying to your brother and forgetting you're in trouble, then you go and get married out of the blue, and I'm not even allowed to come? I thought I was going to be one of your bridesmaids, Freya! What, would Black not let you invite me because I'm a Muggle-born?"

Freya said defensively, "As a matter of fact, yes, that's exactly what happened! I was protecting you by not inviting you. Having you there would have just made you a target. You would've had Death Eaters all over you wanting to torture and murder you by the end of the ceremony, and not to mention torture Regulus and me for having you there in the first place."

"Lily got to go, and she's a Muggle-born," Charlotte shouted.

"Lily is married to my pureblood brother," Freya yelled in return. "No one wanted her there either but me. They merely tolerated her because of her marriage to James. Hell, James and Sirius were barely even tolerated by the Slytherins!"

Diana added, "She's telling the truth about that. I saw James nearly get into a duel with Crouch, Jr. towards the end of the reception."

Freya frowned, not having known about any sort of disagreement between her brother and the best man at the wedding. She'd have to remember to ask James about that later. Charlotte argued, "I don't care! It isn't fair; I've been one of your best friends since first year and don't even get to go to your wedding?"

"I'm sorry," Freya said sorrowfully as she felt tears build in her eyes. "I wanted you there so badly, Charlotte, I really did. I wish I could've done something to change it, but I simply couldn't. I'm so very sorry."

Charlotte snapped, "Well, that's just not good enough this time, Freya. Maybe it would've been, but after the way you cursed us with an Unforgiveable Curse? How could you do that to us?"

Freya growled, "I was protecting you two! How else was I supposed to keep you safe? You were running around asking dangerous questions about Regulus and me, questions that we couldn't answer yet. If the other Slytherins or the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord had found out about us back then…"

Diana said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, the Dark Lord? Since when do you not call Voldemort by his name, let alone call him the bloody Dark Lord?"

Charlotte baited, "Maybe her precious new little Death Eater hubby's speech patterns are rubbing off on her. Before we know it, she won't just be using the Imperius curse on us and not inviting us places, she'll be sporting the Dark Mark and calling us all mudbloods and scumsuckers."

Freya retorted, "That is not the least bit true, and you know it! Nothing has changed."

Charlotte sneered. "Oh sure," Charlotte said with a humorless laugh. "You just can't be seen with your best friends in public anymore. I get it. Tell me something; are you still planning on becoming an Auror? How do you think that sweet little Death Eater of yours will react when he finds out you're going to become a dark wizard catcher? Do you really think those stupid pureblood elitists are going to let you work anywhere at all, let alone as an Auror?"

Freya pulled out her wand and pointed it at Charlotte. "Just shut up, Charlotte," Freya hissed.

Diana stepped in between the two arguing girls. "Freya, put the wand down," she urged gently.

Freya huffed. "Forget it," she said angrily. "I'm going to the library."

"Isn't the library closed today?" Charlotte said curiously.

"What do you care?" Freya shouted as she left the room. Pushing open the portrait hole, Freya made sure no one was watching her, then turned into her fox form. Jumping out of the common room and into the corridor, she made her way down to the dungeons and sat in front of the spot in the wall she knew was the entrance to the Slytherin common room until a prefect came along to enter the common room.

Finally, sixth year prefect Barty Crouch, Jr. came along and opened the entrance to the common room, allowing Freya to slip into Slytherin house behind him. Following him into the boys dormitories, she stuck her head into each room until she saw Regulus sitting on one of the beds, bare-chested in his pajama pants. Smiling the way foxes do, Freya ran into the room and jumped up on the bed beside him as Regulus joked with his roommates over a large bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "What are you doing here, little fellow?" Regulus said, picking up Freya and checking her underside. "My mistake, little girl."

Freya licked Regulus's face as the boys around him laughed. Reid Avery said, "I think you've got yourself a new pet, Regulus."

Regulus laughed and allowed Freya to curl up in his lap until the boys all finally went to bed. Freya curled up on her husband's chest as he laid down, the two of them easily falling asleep. The sounds of the lake gently beating against the walls of the dormitory took getting used to for Freya, but she soon fell asleep, happier than she would have been sleeping in Gryffindor Tower that night.