Chapter 2. The beginning of the process. Second Year.
The summer was better than what the twins had expected. A routine had been put into place very quickly. Regina and Severus would escape their house early, and would wait for Lily next to the lake, under their tree. The tree wasn't far away from their house which allowed them to perform magic without being discovered by the Ministry. They would spend the morning together, and then go at the Evan's for lunch. Regina loved Lily's parents. They were always kind with their daughter's best friends and treated them with love and consideration. Petunia, Lily's sister, was not as understanding as her parents, though. And Regina knew she secretly hated the twins. But Petunia remained quiet and didn't do anything – except for the angry glares she would send their way every time they would laugh with her parents.
Then, the trio would go out for the rest of the day, with a picnic prepared by the Evans, and read their books over and over again. Lily was fascinated with Hogwarts: A History. They had read it a hundred times. Moreover, while most of the second years hated the History of Magic, with all the dates and goblins' names to learn, the trio was passionate with the subject. They often had long discussions about the history of their world, especially with the Evans, who were enthralled with learning everything about magic. Even Petunia, who didn't say anything, seemed enraptured when they would speak about goblins, dragons and wars.
The three of them were now capable of turning a hedgehog into a ball, and to attract objects to them. Their thirst for learning was insatiable, and their dreams were infinite. The more time they spent together, the more they needed each other. They were only completely happy when they were together and were already afraid of the start of the school year, when their routine would be different and they wouldn't be allowed to be together anymore.
"It sucks" complained Lily.
"It so does" confirmed Severus.
"Guys, we're gonna be fine. It's not like we won't speak to each other anymore" soothed Regina.
"It won't be the same" vehemently protested Lily.
"Plus, Lily will be all alone during some of the classes" deplored her brother.
"Besides, I will be with The Rascals" concluded Lily.
The Rascals was a code name they had found for Potter and his band. All their features darkened at the mention of their name.
"Maybe they'll be nicer this year?" suggested Regina.
"Do you think they are able to grow up like normal people?" laughed Severus.
"Well, I'm sure they won't be that bad for ever." Continued Regina.
To be honest, the pronoun she employed was mainly (if not only) directed to one person of the group: Emma. She had thought about her a lot throughout the summer.
"Do you think they'll be uglier, this year?" asked curiously Lily.
"Well… I certainly hope not for Pettigrew… if he gets any uglier than what he already is, he will be sent to Azkaban!" exclaimed Regina. The three friends laughed out loud and changed the subject, although Regina couldn't help wondering what Emma would look like this year.
The three friends had considerably grew up during the vacations. Severus hadn't quite changed (except for the fact that he now looked older than his age), but Regina and Lily had already begun to have more womanly figures. Their faces had become finer, and their breasts were slowly showing. They were completely different, and yet as beautiful in more ways than in one. Lily's eyes seemed to become greener and shinier, just like Regina's were darker and more sparkling. Both their hairs had grown. Lily's red mane was beautiful and Regina's black hair was marvellous. To top it all, the twins had turned twelve on the 9th of January and Lily on the 30th of the same month, but any person who would have crossed their ways would have thought the teens were fourteen or fifteen. The way they spoke, the way they looked and the maturity they transpired made them appear much older than they truly were. But what was really beautiful about the two little girls was not their precocious and unmistakable natural beauties, but the fact that they had no clue about it. Regina could see that Lily was very good-looking, and the latter realised Regina was handsome, but they never would have described themselves as beautiful.
The three friends saw the end of the summer arrive far too quickly to their liking and reluctantly said goodbye to the Evans. The train travel was dull. And Regina was disappointed: they hadn't seen the Rascals yet. As soon as they entered the Great Hall, they were torn apart when they realised that for the first time in two months they wouldn't eat together. They didn't say anything, but exchanged sinister looks when they separated. Regina and Severus didn't talk much that evening, and often looked at Lily who looked back at them, a painful smile on her face. A movement on Lily's right caught Regina's attention, and she saw Emma laughing while messing James' hair up. Emma captured her gaze and glanced back before quickly diverting her eyes. Regina, embarrassed, focused hard on her plate and didn't look at the blonde girl again. She felt stupid for even staring at her. What's wrong with me? Stop thinking about her, you idiot! She reproached herself. Bellatrix asked her a question and she gladly welcomed the distraction.
Her first night felt much the same as the one she had previously spent one year ago in the castle, and Regina didn't sleep well that night.
At breakfast, Slughorn gave them their new timetables, after warmly welcoming his favourite students. As soon as they had them, they joined Lily to compare their schedules.
"We're having Potions, Charms, Herbology and Transfiguration together! That's even better than last year!" beamed Lily.
"We also have Flying together" sombrely added Severus.
The three of them winced, already knowing what was going to happen.
The first week was not exactly a walk in the park. First, their new lessons seemed pretty boring, considering the fact that they had been training all summer with the fourth year programme. They were already able to accomplish everything in all their classes, which also had its bright side, since they gained many points for their Houses. The Rascals' turbulence often resulted in losing the points Lily had obtained, which brightened the twins' mood. Of course, they wouldn't have told so to Lily, not wanting to upset her. But she obviously didn't need that to resent the idiots.
Second, the Flying lessons were even worse than what they had expected. Even though Potter didn't dare say anything, he looked at Severus mockingly, provocatively, and smugly. The three of them hated it. When they trained on their broomsticks with the Quaffle, Potter always threw it violently to Severus to try and destabilise him. Which often worked. Moreover, Potter seemed to look a little too pointedly at Lily to Regina's liking, and Severus obviously shared the impression, since he kept on throwing at Potter murderous looks, probably aimed at dissuading him of trying anything.
And finally, Emma had ignored Regina all week. She didn't want to think about it and tried her best to pretend that the girl didn't exist, but she was having a very hard time to convince herself, now.
They were currently in a Flying lesson, and Potter had the Quaffle. Already knowing what his next move would be, Regina prepared herself, and leaped to catch the ball once it was thrown. She didn't see that Emma had acted the same way, and didn't see her coming just in front of her, too focused on the ball. They violently collided, and fell off their brooms, Emma crashing on her. They weren't high so they didn't hurt themselves, but they were high enough for both girls to be unable to properly breathe for a few seconds. Emma had fell flat on Regina and was trying to stand back up. While trying, her eyes caught Regina's and she asked her, concerned:
"Are you okay?"
She mostly chocked the words, still a little knocked out, but Regina's breathe stopped. She suddenly heard her brother's scream, shook her head, and growled:
"Get outta me, idiot! And watch where you're going!"
Emma's eyes looked hurt and offended, and Regina immediately regretted her words. The blonde girl quickly stood up, took her broomstick and flew away before Regina could straighten up. Severus was already next to her.
"Are you okay, Gina?" he worryingly asked his sister.
"I'm fine" she frustratingly answered him.
"Did you see that?" he suddenly asked.
"See Emma knocking me out? Yeah, I was there" she snapped at him.
"No, silly. I was speaking about the fact that she also tried to stop the Quaffle…" he slowly murmured.
Regina thought about it, and felt even worse. Emma had tried to protect her brother and Regina had acted like… like Potter would have acted! She was feeling nauseous, now.
"Guess I owe her an apology" she muttered.
Severus raised his eyebrows but didn't comment. Emma didn't look at her for the rest of the lesson and avoided her in the locker room. She won't be able to avoid me tonight, at the Slug Club, thought Regina. The diner passed quickly, and the trio soon headed towards the Dudgeons. When they arrived at the door, Regina grasped Lily's hand and quietly asked her:
"Is Swan already inside?"
Lily was surprised, but looked inside the class anyway.
"No, she's not." She murmured back.
"Fine, go ahead, I'll join you later, then."
Severus looked at her understandingly, while Lily seemed lost, and they both entered the room without saying anything. Regina turned around, waiting for Emma to come, more and more nervous about what she was about to say to the girl. A few minutes later, Emma arrived, breathless. Her features tensed when she saw Regina, she averted her eyes and tried to bypass her to enter the class. Regina prevented her and annoyingly said:
"Wait, please. I would like to talk to you."
"In case you haven't noticed, Snape, we're already late. I'm sure this can wait" she angrily answered back, and tried once again to bypass the brunette.
Regina grasped her arm and murmured:
"Actually, it can't."
Emma lowered her eyes to her hand still grabbing her, and Regina quickly let her go. Emma then looked right in her eyes and calmly said:
"Ok. I'm listening."
Regina bit her lip, clenched her fists and finally inhaled deeply. Who could have guessed it would be so hard to apologise to someone?
"Sorry" she mumbled.
"That's all?" Emma, once again calmly asked.
"Yes. No. I mean I don't know, you're the first person I'm apologising to…" she admitted, still biting her lip.
"Well usually, you explain why you apologise" smirked Emma.
"And you would know that because you have many things to be sorry for, I suppose" Regina bit back.
"I know that because people often judge me without knowing me, and feel the urge to apologise once they realise how much they love me" smugly responded Emma.
"Be assured that I'm not apologising for misjudging you, and it has nothing to do with my feelings for you." Snapped Regina.
"Because you have feelings for me, Regina?" winked playfully Emma.
She winked at me again! Regina thought, before realising what Emma had just said.
"Wait, wh… what?" she stuttered.
"You just said…"
"I know what I just said" angrily interrupted Regina.
"I'm sure you understand the necessity to explain why you apologise, now" smirked Emma again.
Regina was having a headache. She wanted this conversation to be over as soon as possible.
"Right. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, I shouldn't have done that. And thank you for trying to catch the ball."
"It's okay, and you're welcome, Regina. Although I didn't do it for you." Flatly said Emma.
"Why did you do it?" asked Regina, curious.
"Because I hate bullying." Simply answered the blonde girl.
Regina blankly looked at her. Inside of her, the storm raged, though. She was moved by Emma's admission, and wanted to thank the girl again.
"You know Regina, I know you hate me and quite frankly, I don't like you much either. So, let's just go back at ignoring each other, and everything will be fine, yeah?"
Without waiting for an answer, Emma stormed off, and let the door open behind her. Regina simply followed her, and sat next to her completely numb. She doesn't like me, she thought. Well, of course she doesn't, but you don't either, why would you care? The rest of the hour went by in a blur and Regina didn't even notice the concerned looks on Severus and Lily's face.
Two weeks had passed since the discussion, and Regina had still not forgot about it. The three friends were in Transfiguration, and Regina was looking at the other students struggling to turn a bird into a goblet. Hers was already in front of her, just like Severus' and Lily's.
"Will you just tell us why you seem so sad these days?" asked Lily.
Had Regina not looked at her when she had spoken, she would never have believed she was talking to her.
"Sad? What do you mean sad? I may be a little thoughtful, but certainly not sad" protested Regina.
"You do seem sad to me, too, Gin" stepped in Severus.
"Yeah, of course" Regina sniggered. Typical of Severus to take Lily's side, she thought. As if Lily was guessing her thoughts, and wanted to prevent Severus from responding his sister, she subtly changed the subject.
"Have I already told you that Potter is going to present himself to the Griffindor players' recruitment?"
Severus' head immediately turned to Potter and measured him up.
"Do you thing he stands a chance, Lil?" he asked, obviously worried.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised…" slowly answered the girl.
"What position does he want to play?" asked Regina, trying to focus on the discussion.
"I have no idea"
They were still looking at the Rascals when Severus suddenly said:
"Hey! Have you noticed that Lupin isn't there, today? Didn't he miss a lot of classes, last year?"
Regina thought about it, but she couldn't care less about the sick-looking guy. Therefore she couldn't quite remember. However, Lily did.
"Yes, you're right. He is often absent"
"This is weird…" commented Severus.
Regina shrugged, not really interested. But she was still looking at the Rascals, as if she was indeed interested. The truth was her gaze was focused on a certain blonde girl who was vainly trying to change the bird. But she didn't seem really concentrated. Potter kept on making her laugh, and Black went one better. The sight made her grit her teeth. How can she be friends with these losers? She's the first to say she hates the bullies! Suddenly, her bird turned into a goblet with wings. She appeared so happy with her result, Regina couldn't help smiling. Emma turned around, probably checking if McGonagall had seen her progress, and her gaze met Regina's. The latter immediately averted her eyes, and stopped smiling. Idiot, she berated herself. When she looked at Lily to ask her if she would go to the Griffindor trials, Lily was already looking at her, quizzical.
"What?" innocently asked Regina.
"Nothing" smiled Lily.
But her smile seemed a little too understanding to Regina. She didn't make any comment. She didn't want Severus to ask questions, while he looked so oblivious to anything but Lily.
"What do we do, tonight?" asked Regina.
"Have you forgot Slug Club?" gently replied Lily.
"This is tonight?"
"Yeah"
Her throat tightened.
"Right. I really am out of it, nowadays" she tried to joke.
Both Severus and Lily fondly and soothingly smiled at her.
"It's ok, honey. You sure you don't wanna talk to us about it?" asked Lily.
"It's nothing, really. I'm just bored with all these lessons. I feel like we're wasting our time, you know?"
She wasn't entirely lying. She did get bored in class. It was just not the whole truth.
"Well, if you feel so bored, Miss Snape, please feel free to leave." McGonagall's cold voice said behind her.
Regina turned around, reddened and stuttered:
"I didn't mean… I don't want to… this is not…"
McGonagall seemed to soften with Regina's obvious distress.
"Your goblet is perfectly done, Snape. But if you feel so bored, why don't you try to change it into gold? Or stylish it?"
"Yes, Professor" apologetically said Regina.
Her cheeks probably still very red, she focused on the goblet, which instantly turned into gold. Regina was shocked. But her teacher was even more. Her mouth was slightly open.
"Well that deserves at least 20 points to Slytherin… and you will come to see me at the end of the class, Snape."
The teacher turned around and focused on other students. Regina's gaze once again crossed Emma's path, and they both diverted their eyes, reddening. At the end of the class, Regina waited for the students to leave to be alone with her teacher. Lily and Severus shared reassuring and encouraging looks with her, before leaving.
"I am sorry, Professor, I didn't mean any disrespect" she immediately said to McGonagall as soon as they were alone.
"I certainly hope so, Snape. But this is not to hear excuses I asked you to stay." The harshness of her words were compensated with the kindness of her voice. Regina waited patiently for her to continue.
"You are a very talented student, Regina. Your brother and Miss Evans are, too. But you seem to have the best predispositions. Do you train yourself frequently?" she curiously asked.
"Yes, Professor" shyly answered Regina.
"Do you train with Snape and Evans?" she continued.
"Yes, Professor" repeated the girl.
"Have you trained during the summer?"
Regina hesitated but decided to be honest once again, and responded affirmatively.
"How far have you gone?"
Regina frowned, not sure to understand the question.
"I suppose you haven't trained only with the second year programme?" further explained McGonagall.
"No, Professor. We finished the third year programme, and almost finished the fourth one too" she said.
"I see. And what would you say of helping some of your comrades who are having difficulties?"
Regina's thoughts immediately went to Emma, and she nodded.
"Perfect. Then, I would like you to help Black"
Regina's eyes widened and she furiously refused.
"No way! I'm not helping that… I mean, I'm sorry Professor, but I do not wish to help that boy"
"I was not talking about Sirius. Although he isn't as good as you are, he's a very talented student. However, Bellatrix does present some difficulties from time to time."
"Oh." Simply answered Regina.
"So, your answer?" McGonagall's voice seemed to become quite irritated.
"Yes. Yes, of course, I will, Professor."
McGonagall smiled a very small smile, thanked her and turned around. Regina saw it as her cue to leave. She was about to when the teacher's cold voice reasoned again:
"The fact you so categorically refused to help Sirius… is it because he's a Gryffindor?"
For the first time, Regina felt annoyed with the teacher.
"I think my friendship with Lily answers your question, Professor" her voice had turned icy, and she regretted her outburst. After all, McGonagall had a right to ask the question. But the latter seemed to warm up with Regina's answer, as cold as it may have been.
"Indeed, it does. Have a good evening, Regina"
"You too, Professor."
Regina graciously smiled back and finally left the class.
That night, during the Slug Club, Emma ignored once again Regina. She refused to answer Slughorn's questions about her family, while smiling politely. Regina's curiosity was hardly under control, now. For the whole weekend, every time she would cross her way, Emma would divert her gaze, and ignore her. Regina grew more and more frustrated, but didn't show it, this time. She's being ridiculous anyway, she fumed.
Unfortunately for the three friends, James Potter was selected to be the new Gryffindor's seeker. He screamed it in the Great Hall on Monday, at the breakfast. Lily, who was sitting not far from him, stiffened when he approached her. The twins were too far away to understand what he was saying, but they asked her while going to the Transfiguration class.
"So, what did Potter want, Lil?" asked nonchalantly Severus.
"He was bragging, of course" disgustingly answered their friend.
She genuinely seemed annoyed but Regina couldn't help thinking that there was more to it than Lily was willing to share. Severus however seemed pleased with her answer and oblivious to the rest, so she kept quiet. When they arrived, McGonagall asked the students who still absolutely couldn't transform their birds into proper goblet to pair with those who managed. Lily was sent with Pettigrew, Severus paired with Mulciber, and Regina sat with Bellatrix.
"So, this is your punishment for bragging in class?" laughed Bellatrix.
"What are you talking about? Helping you is not a punishment… plus, I wasn't bragging" nonchalantly answered Regina.
"Of course you were not… I am so good, I am bored with doing this easy stuff" mimicked Bellatrix.
"That is not bragging, dear. It's called the truth." Smugly whispered Regina.
Bellatrix laughed so loudly that half the class turned to look at them, and McGonagall coldly said:
"Miss Black, Miss Snape. If you do not wish to have a detention, I would advise you to be quiet"
The two girls lowered their head shamelessly.
"I kind of like you, Snape" murmured Bellatrix.
"Good to know, Black" muttered Regina.
She tried to look at Lily, but she was busy with Pettigrew. Before she lowered her gaze again, she however noticed that Emma was glaring at her.
"Well, tell me. How do I turn the fucking bird into a damn goblet, Mistress?" mocked the Slytherin girl.
"My, my, Bella. With such a language, you should probably wash your mouth, first". Sarcastically answered the brunette.
"And you should be completely washed anyway, Gina. You're hanging too much with Muggle-borns."
"Ok, well, first of all, when you focus on the bird…"
And Regina tried her best to describe the way she used to accomplish the transformation. Bellatrix listened and at the end of the hour, her goblet was fairly done, except for its beak. But Regina felt proud for helping her friend. Obviously McGonagall too, since she gave the both of them 5 points.
At the end of the class, Severus and Lily were not as enthusiastic.
"Seriously, Mulciber's head is so thick he couldn't even understand what I was advising him to do!" complained Severus.
"I hadn't any luck with Peter, either" deplored Lily.
"Peter?" asked Regina, surprised her friend would say the boy's name.
"Well, yeah. Except for the fact that he hangs with the wrong persons, he's quite a nice boy" explained Lily.
"Really?" sceptically asked the Slytherin girl.
"Have he told you why Lupin was absent on Friday?" curiously asked Severus.
"Yeah, he did! Apparently, his mother is very sick" answered Lily, obviously sad for Lupin. "Anyway, you didn't seem to have the same problems with Bellatrix, Gina!"
"No, I didn't. I honestly think that Bella is really smart. She's just not interested in accomplishing what the teachers ask her" shrugged Regina.
The rest of the month passed by quickly. The classes were still boring to Regina, but in Transfiguration she could help Bellatrix, and it was quite an achievement to her. Maybe I'll be a teacher later, she thought. Emma kept ignoring her, even though she could see from the corner of her eyes that the blonde girl often fixed her when she was laughing with Bellatrix.
Soon the first Quidditch game arrived. The weather was beautiful and Gryffindor was playing against Ravenclaw. The latter team had won the year before, and all the players had remained the same. Considering the fact that the seeker was 12 and that Ravenclaw was a great team, everyone thought the blue team would win. The trio sat in the terraces, waiting for the game to start. Black had convinced McGonagall to comment it.
"I don't even know if I want Gryffindor to win now… Potter would be insufferable" complained Lily.
"Well we root for Ravenclaw, that's for sure" enthusiastically said Severus.
The game started and Gryffindor was led by 50 points to 0. Severus was ecstatic but Regina was more guarded. Potter did fly pretty well; he had already avoided two Bludgers in quite a spectacular way. Ravenclaw had scored two other goals when the Gryffindor seeker suddenly sped towards the red and gold terraces. Everything happened so quickly that nobody saw the game was over. But Black had, and he was screaming his joy in the microphone. The trio growled when they saw the smug look on Potter's face and his huge triumphant smile. Then, the worst-case scenario happened. He flew towards them, grinning, and he screamed to Lily loudly enough to cover the cheering:
"This victory's for you, Evans!"
He winked at her, and disappeared in the fray of his happy partners. Severus clenched his fists and greeted his teeth but didn't say anything. He simply stared at Lily. The latter seemed shocked and not really flattered, contrary to what Regina had expected. She worryingly looked at her friends and said:
"I have no idea why he said that, but can we pretend he didn't? I'm pretty sure he's just trying to separate us…"
Regina thought about it. It was indeed possible that Potter tried to hurt Severus by pretending to be in love with their best friend. But Lily was a beautiful teen, and it was also likely that he had noticed that. She preferred to keep quiet and didn't comment it at all. She saw Emma hugging Sirius Black, widely smiling and screaming. And she saw Potter joining them to celebrate his victory. When she looked at her brother, she saw the envy and the jealousy in his eyes, but didn't comment that either.
"You're right, Lily. Let's not talk about it anymore. Anyway he's just a rascal." Quietly said Regina.
"Absolutely" confirmed her friend.
But Severus didn't say anything, and they left the stadium in silence. They stayed outside, near the lake and pretended to read their notes while they were in fact thinking about it all.
By the end of December, Gryffindor had won another game, and surprisingly, Slytherin had also won the only game they had played against Ravenclaw. But the two teams still hadn't played against each other yet. Christmas was rapidly approaching and Lily told them she had to go back home. The year before, Lily had chosen to stay with her friends, but her parents wanted her to come back now. And she wanted to spend time with them as well. Severus and Regina understood it. Had they had the chance to have a loving family waiting for them, they wouldn't have hesitated for one second.
The last Friday before the holidays, the Slug Club was forbidden to students under the age of fourteen. It was probably because of the dances and the celebrities invited. Slug didn't want children to ruin anything. They would have to wait to see those parties.
The castle emptied, and only a handful of students stayed. Severus and Regina remained together the whole time, seeing no one else but teachers who would greet them. Lily wrote to them every day and both of them answered each time. The morning of Christmas, she sent them pastries from her parents, and two similar bracelets. Both were black, with an infinite sign in silver. She said they would all have the same, and that it would symbolise their friendship. The twins had never received a gift that meant so much to them before.
The day passed quickly, and they went to the Great Hall for the meal. One single table had been set, and the teachers were sitting with the students. It was cheerful, and the Headmaster, Dumbledore, tried his best to make the students laugh. Regina had seen him the year before, and she enjoyed his company very much. They were eating their starters when Emma and Sirius Black came in and sat at the other side of the table. Regina stopped eating. She didn't know they would stay for the holidays for she had not seen them the year before, nor in the castle in the past few days. Slughorn also seemed surprised, and welcomed the blonde girl with much exuberance and delight. He asked a question to the Gryffindor girl and Regina listened without looking at them.
"I didn't know you would stay for the vacation, dear! What a pleasant surprise! Your parents couldn't have you back, this year?"
Emma's face darkened, as Sirius', but before she could answer, Dumbledore cleared his throat and asked for attention.
"Well, since we're all here now, what about some jokes I heard this summer? Let me know what you think of them…"
Regina stopped listening and laughed when the others did. But she fixed Emma, trying to decipher her mood. The blonde girl was looking at Dumbledore thankfully and pretended to listen to his jokes, even though Regina could easily tell that she didn't. Her eyes were blank and she was lost in her thoughts. Severus gently poked her arm, and she turned to him.
"Why do you fix her like this?" he whispered.
She reddened and tried to answer casually:
"I don't know, I'm just trying to know why she's here, and not home…" she murmured.
"Well, you won't know that by looking at her…" stated sarcastically her brother.
"You're right… don't you think it's odd? She never told about her family. Maybe her parents are like ours" she shyly said.
"I fail to see why we should care" haughtily shrugged Severus.
"Right. But ever since she tried to help you with that Quaffle, I feel like we owe her…"
Severus' features softened and he smiled at her, squeezing her hand.
Dumbledore's jokes were over, and the conversations had resumed. Slughorn suddenly spoke out loud to the twins.
"So, I have the all Snape's family tonight! Where is Lily, my dears? I thought she would also be here!" he exclaimed.
"She went back home, Professor" smiled Regina.
"But you didn't" stated the fat man.
God, he really wants to make it awkward, Regina thought. She noticed Emma was staring at her.
"No, we didn't" she shrugged.
"And why is that, my dear Regina?" smiled fondly the man.
Severus tensed. Inside of her, Regina was screaming with the Professor's indiscretions. She was beyond annoyed, she was angry at him. First Emma, now them? He really didn't know when to shut up and respect his students' privacy. Her eyes went icy, as her voice when she answered.
"Because we don't like to be hit" she distinctively and slowly answered.
She didn't notice Emma's softening and empathically face, nor Sirius' smirk, nor all the teachers' awkwardness and sorrow, nor Dumbledore's angry look, nor Severus' gritted teeth and blanched features. She was fixing Slughorn, threateningly and murderously for making her say that, wanting him to regret it. Maybe, he'll understand now when to shut his mouth, she thought.
Everybody had stopped eating, and Regina didn't even care. She just looked at Slughorn's face which was distorting and listened to his nonsense stammered answer:
"Ye… yes, of course… nobo… no one would li…want that, of course…"
He broke the eye-contact and focused on his plate, eating up. She never stopped coldly staring at him. Several seconds later, McGonagall asked her gently:
"Where are you now, in your programme, Regina?"
The question was so out of the blue, and the kindness in her voice so present, she simply stared at her, shocked and stuttered:
"Hum… I… we…"
"We began Cross-Species Switches, Professor" answered Severus.
Dumbledore fondly asked them:
"Aren't you second-year students?"
"They are, Albus. They're quite advanced for such a young age, as you can see. Regina turned a bird into a goblet, and then the goblet into gold when I asked her to. At the first try." McGonagall answered, emphasizing the last part.
Dumbledore's eyebrows raised so high they disappeared under his hat.
"Impressive" he complimented her. "I guess these two students are in you Club, Horace" he impishly asked the potion professor.
"Of course, they are Albus!" the professor beamed. "They have joined me every other week for one year and four months, now! As well as Miss Swan here"
Regina's attention went to the said girl, who was already looking at her. The voices suddenly turned mute, and she lost herself in her eyes. Regina saw in them the pain she had experienced for so many years and the empathy she probably felt for her. In this instant, it felt as if the two girls were looking at each other for the first time. As if they could understand each other without speaking.
"Emma?" spoke loudly Slughorn.
They diverted their eyes, and Emma answered the question after the Professor repeated it. Regina crossed Dumbledore's gaze, and he smiled knowingly at her, his eyes sparkling. She reddened, he winked at her discreetly and turned towards McGonagall to ask her something Regina didn't hear. She turned to her brother, who was looking at her quizzically.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"Nothing" he carefully answered.
She raised her right eyebrow. Which made him laugh.
"Enjoying your night, yeah?" he added, smirking.
"Absolutely not, I'd much prefer be in our common-room, eating Chocolate Frog" she nonchalantly said.
"Of course" he sneered, not believing her for one second.
"What are you insinuating, Sev?" she asked, annoyed.
"I'm insinuating you would probably like to have… a discussion with our Gryffindor comrade, here." He gently answered.
"Nonsense" she murmured.
He laughed again, but dropped the subject. At least, my brother knows when to stop, she thought. She furtively looked at Emma, still talking with Slughorn, and diverted her eyes immediately. When the meal finished, she stood up and quickly left, Severus following her.
They were halfway down the stairs when they heard footsteps and a breathless:
"Wait!"
Regina's heart stopped. She had recognised Emma's voice.
"I'll wait for you in the common-room" quickly said Severus.
She turned around, looking at Emma who was now walking to her.
"Hi" she shyly said.
"What do you want?" asked coldly Regina. She regretted her tone immediately.
"I'd like to talk" murmured the girl.
"About what?" Regina exclaimed, surprised.
"Let's go outside?" suggested Emma, dodging the question.
Regina simply nodded and followed her silently. They arrived in front of the lake a few minutes later, and Emma sat. Regina was conflicted about sitting next to her, or remaining on her feet.
"Won't you sit with me?" smirked Emma, as if she knew what the girl was thinking.
And Regina sat. Unbelievable, she thought.
"What do you want to talk about, Swan?"
Emma bit her lip, obviously embarrassed. Regina of course knew what she wanted to talk about, but she didn't want to ease it for her. So she patiently waited.
"So you already can do four-year stuff, uh?" finally said the girl.
Not what she wanted to say, thought Regina.
"Yeah."
She suddenly felt sorry for her, and decided to help her.
"But I'm sure this is not what you wanted to ask me. Come on, Swan. Ask your damn question"
"The Slytherin girl curses?" playfully asked Emma.
"Nothing's impossible" smiled Regina.
"Ok… here's the thing. I'm sorry Slughorn pushed you to admit… some uncomfortable things… in front of everyone." She stuttered.
"Who says this is true? Maybe, I just wanted to make him ill at ease" nonchalantly said Regina.
"Oh, I have no doubt this was your purpose, indeed. But I also know it is true." Smiled apologetically the young girl.
"Really? And how could you possibly know that?"
"Because I do. I know you told the truth, Regina."
Her answer was so pure and convinced, Regina remained silent, flabbergasted.
"I found you very brave, and I admire that. And I also wanted to tell you… I understand… what it is. To feel like a burden. Not to feel… loved" she kept on, in a whisper.
"You don't have to tell me this, Swan" gently but firmly said Regina.
"But I want to. I need to." She timidly admitted.
"Ok" carefully said the brunette.
"I have never spoken about my family, like you probably noticed. I always said that I had nothing to say. Because it is the absolute truth. I don't have any family per se." the blonde girl murmured, avoiding Regina's eyes. "I am an orphan. And I have been in many families in the past ten years… but none loved me or cared for me, and some… some have even been violent. I just wanted you to know that… I understand you" she said, finally looking into her eyes.
"I am sorry to hear that" empathically answered Regina, not knowing what to say to soothe her.
Emma smiled at her, and looked at the lake.
"May I ask you a question?" slowly and quietly asked the brunette.
"Of course"
"Why weren't you here for Christmas, last year?" asked Regina, really awkward now. Why did you even asked that? It's none of your business, she berated herself.
Emma bit her lips and murmured:
"My last family wanted me to come back, but… it didn't work out, and they sent me back this summer"
"Well, their loss" gently smiled Regina, not wanting Emma to think she was pitying her. "Truth be told, I quite envy you, in fact"
Emma's eyebrows raised and asked her why disbelievingly.
"At least, you have a chance to someday find the right family" soothingly said Regina "I'm stuck with my parents and must endure their cruelty or their indifference, knowing my own parents hate me and wish I were dead." She sombrely added.
"But you do have a loving brother" soothed Emma.
Regina smiled fondly, thinking of her brother and told her:
"That I do, thank God."
They looked at each other, brightly smiling. I like her, thought the brunette.
"Thank you for sharing your story with me. I know these kind of things aren't easy" the brunette said.
"Let's not talk about it anymore, shall we?"
"Absolutely" confirmed Regina.
"We should go back, it's getting late" regretfully said Emma.
They silently stood up and went back in the castle. They soon parted ways, wishing each other good nights, and Regina entered her common-room five minutes later.
"What did she want?" smiled Severus.
"She just wanted to talk…" shrugged Regina.
"About what?"
"Magic. She wanted me to help her out, considering the fact that we're quite advanced" lied the girl.
"And what did you say?" he continued.
"That I'd think about it. I'm tired, I need to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow Sev" she smiled.
They kissed good night, hugged and Regina went upstairs. She didn't like to lie to her brother… actually as far as she could remember, this was the first time she openly lied to him. But she felt as if she couldn't betray Emma's trust. She felt as if this was just between the two of them. And she didn't want to break that. She was a restless sleeper that night.
When Lily came back, life took up its course again. Regina's days were monotonous: meals, lessons, sleep. But she was happy. She would spend all her free time with Lily and Severus and they would laugh for hours before bed time. They had spent the three birthdays outside, enjoying each other, and celebrating their 13th birthday.
Severus pointed out several times that Lupin was absent again. James seemed to hit on Lily at every play of Quidditich, which really bothered the three friends, but they pretended not to see it. They avoided the subject as much as possible.
At the end of the year, a Hufflepuff shyly came to Regina, and asked if he could speak to her. She looked at Lily and Severus, surprised. They shrugged and she accepted.
"I'm sorry, but I'm quite sure I don't know you" she hesitantly said.
"No, you don't. I'm sorry, I'm Daniel. You probably never saw me, I'm a fifth year" he gently smiled.
"Yes, I've seen you. I just said I didn't know you" she smiled back.
The guy was quite handsome. He was probably fifteen or sixteen. And he played as a seeker in his Quidditch team.
"Good to know. I wanted to ask you if you would like to spend the evening with me, tonight" he timidly proposed.
Is he asking me out? She thought. Until now she hadn't really thought about boys. None had ever attracted her physically. And even if she admitted that the guy was cute, she wasn't sure she wanted to try anything with him.
"Hum… I'm not sure. Why would you want to spend your evening with me?"
"I would like to know you" he confidently answered.
"Okay" she said.
"Okay?"
"Okay"
They both laughed, one feeling relief, and the other one awkwardness.
"I'll see you later then." He brightly smiled.
"I guess you will" she answered.
She went back to her friends who immediately asked her what the guy wanted. She repeated their conversation.
"I don't like him" immediately said Severus.
"What do you mean you don't like him? You don't even know him" indignantly answered the brunette.
"I guess that what Severus wants to say is: I will destroy him if he touches you" sarcastically explained Lily. Severus vigorously approved.
"I don't think he'll do anything I don't want him to do. I know how to defend myself, bro" she playfully said.
Behind her brother, she saw Emma approaching them, smiling at her. Severus answered her, oblivious to Emma's presence.
"I know you can defend yourself, Gina. But I don't want you to be alone with him, tonight. It could be dangerous. And he certainly didn't ask you out to speak about the weather" he said forcefully.
Emma winced and cleared her throat.
"Sorry to disturb, I just wanted to… never mind, it can wait." She quickly said.
"Wait!" exclaimed Severus gently. Regina was sure he had never forgot that Emma had tried to help him at the beginning of the year. "Is it about the magic lessons you asked Regina?"
Regina's heart dropped. How can he remember this? I told him that six months ago! She thought.
"What magic lessons?" asked Emma, surprised.
"The ones you talked about at Christmas, remember?" tried to help Regina.
"Wh… Oh! Yes, yeah. Well no, it was not about that. As I said it can wait. Thanks, Regina."
She looked at her, thankful, trying to communicate her relief that she hadn't told her story to anyone, but also looked really sad when she turned around and walked away. I wish I were with her instead of Daniel tonight, Regina thought. Wait, what? Where the hell does that come from? She loudly cleared her throat, trying to think to something else, but Lily didn't help her.
"So anyway! Do you like him? He's quite cute!"
"Who? Daniel?"
"Of course, Daniel! Who else?" retorted Lily.
"I don't know… I'm not sure he's my type…" thoughtfully said Regina.
"Then why would you accept?" disbelievingly asked Lily.
Regina just shrugged and didn't answer the question.
"Tell me, sis. What is your type exactly?" slowly asked Severus.
Blue/green eyes popped in Regina's head. Shut up, she shushed her mind.
"Never really thought about it. Guess I don't care just yet"
Severus knowingly looked at her, but didn't say anything.
"So, next week we're in holidays" enthusiastically said Lily, changing the subject.
That night, Regina went out with Daniel. And when he kissed her, she didn't shirk. She let him. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, but it was far from good. And yet, he didn't try to stick his tongue in her mouth or nothing disgusting as she had heard girls complain about. He just pressed his mouth against hers, holding her tight. But she felt highly uncomfortable and finally pushed him away.
"I'm sorry, I can't. I don't want a boyfriend, I'm not ready for that" she shyly and innocently apologised.
He sadly smiled and answered, caressing her cheek.
"You're very young, it's quite understandable."
"I'm not that young, I'm thirteen!" she indignantly exclaimed.
"It's still young compared to me" he gently smiled.
"Then maybe, you should try someone your own age" she coldly said.
She turned around and walked to the castle. But he catch her again, held her arm and gently turned her around.
"I won't find someone my own age, because they're of no interest to me. I'll wait for you, Regina"
"Why?" she disbelievingly asked.
"Because you're different" he fondly smiled.
He kissed her gently on the lips and proposed to walk her back to her dormitories. She refused but he insisted. She finally accepted, and they parted ways ten minutes later when they arrived. He thanked her and kissed her one last time before leaving her alone. Severus was waiting for her.
"So?"
"We kissed" she admitted.
"You agreed?" he worryingly asked.
"Of course, I did" she answered.
"And? Did you like it?" he curiously asked.
She bit her lips and honestly murmured:
"I'm not sure I did. I said I wasn't ready to have a boyfriend and he understood but… I'm not sure I enjoyed it…"
"Why do you think you didn't enjoy it?" he tenderly asked.
"I don't know, Sev" she said, biting her lip.
"You should probably ask yourself the right questions, honey" he carefully advised her.
"What do you mean?" she exclaimed, surprised.
He shrugged, smiled and hugged her. He then whispered in her ear:
"I love you, big sis"
"I love you too, baby bro" she whispered back, tears in her eyes.
They kissed good night and went to bed. Regina thought about what her brother had told her for hours. What did he mean? Why wouldn't he tell her? She thought about the kiss again. And about what she had felt. And she wondered what it would have been like if it had not been Daniel but someone else… blue/greenish eyes appeared in her head again. And suddenly she understood what Severus had meant.
The week before the summer holidays, Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup, thanks to the incredibly talented (and yet unbelievingly annoying) seeker. Regina noticed how much it hurt Severus' feelings to witness his victory. The fact that Potter never stopped eyeing Lily probably made the whole event even more painful for him, and she hated the guy for hurting her brother. She actually never thought she'd be capable of so much hatred. But she was too lost in her thoughts to contemplate it. Every time she would see Emma, she would redden and duck her head, not daring to look at her. Surprisingly, Emma seemed to react the same way. Daniel tried to speak to her again, but she avoided him as much as she could. He was a painful reminder of her feelings.
On the last day, he became even more annoying, waiting for her at the end of the Transfiguration class, and proposing to carry her books for her. The fact that Emma and all the other students had witnessed that, probably made her answer even harsher than she had first intended.
"Listen to me closely, Daniel. I already told you what I thought about this. Now the way I see it is very simple: either you get the fuck out of here this instant and never bother me again, or I'll let my brother and my best friend deal with you."
Severus and Lily raised their wand to emphasize her point. God, I love them, she thought.
"You do realise you're second years, and therefore not really impressive, right?" he condescendingly asked.
The trio didn't answer, but raised their eyebrows. Daniel sighed and went away, looking at Regina one last time with regret.
Regina exhaled her relief and smiled at her friends.
"Thanks guys" she murmured.
They went to the Great Hall, not looking back. Had they looked, they would have seen Emma fixing Regina and smiling.
The End-of-Term Feast was sublime. Slytherin won the House Cup. Regina and Severus brightly smiled to each other, knowing they had highly contributed to their House's success. Lily cheered for them in the distance, and they laughed, delighted. Regina noticed that none of Lily's comrades seemed pleased with the Slytherin's win and she felt even more joyful.
Dumbledore thanked them all, wished them to have great holidays, and the banquet ended. The three of them went back home. The twins fearfully, and Lily joyfully. The Evans were waiting for them at King's Cross.
"Hello, dears!" happily greeted them Mrs. Evans, hugging the three friends.
"Hello" the trio answered in the same kind.
"Would you join us for dinner tonight? We have an entire year to catch up!" enthusiastically proposed Mr. Evans.
The twins beamed and accepted. While Mr. Evans helped Regina with her suitcase, the girl saw Emma in the distance. The blonde girl was looking at them. Regina remembered that she had nowhere to go, or at least no family to welcome her. She felt awful and her heart raced. Without realising it, tears formed in her eyes, and she waved the girl. Emma smiled at her and waved back, mouthing "happy holidays". Regina mouthed "only two months", regretfully looked at her one last time, and followed the persons she considered her family. The drive back home was filled with Lily and Severus' stories and banters. Lily bragged they had won the Quidditch Cup and Severus bragged for the House Cup, each of them arguing on the most important of them. The Evans listened carefully, laughed happily and smiled fondly at the children. But Regina remained mostly silent, thinking about Emma. I need to speak to Severus and Lily, she thought.
The diner at the Evans was cheerful, and sweet. Mrs. Evans hugged Regina for several minutes, noticing her silence and guessing it had to do with the fact that they were back. She probably thought that it was because Regina was scared to see her parents. This wasn't the reason of Regina's quietness, but she welcomed the hug thankfully. At the end of the evening, they all kissed good night and Lily promised to join them under their tree, the following morning.
She kept her promise, and at 9 a.m., the trio was back together. It's now or never, thought Regina.
"Guys…" she slowly began, still hesitating "there is something I need to tell you…"
TBC.