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

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. The beginning of the problems. Fourth year.

The beginning of the summer was joyful. Since they didn't have their books yet, the first two days were spent at watching the Muggle TV and talking with the Evans, who were glad to have the twins in their house. On the first Monday of the summer, they went at Diagon Alley to buy their furniture. They were in the book shop when they met, once again, Emma Swan. Lily hugged her, and Mrs Evans greeted her warmly, remembering her from the previous year. Regina's head dropped, she reddened and didn't say a word. Severus held her hand, and said hi to the girl, who answered the same way.

"Still working on the private beach, this year?" Lily asked fondly.

"Yeah… I kinda have to" shyly answered Emma.

"Can't your parents afford to help you?" Mrs Evans asked, concerned.

"No they really can't" Emma smiled.

Regina looked at Emma, who didn't look back. Does Lily know about her parents? She thought. As if Emma had read her thoughts, she looked at her and moved her head from left to right, negatively. Regina nodded her understanding and lowered her gaze immediately. Nobody had witnessed the silent exchange. Mrs Evans was talking to Lily about the importance of being independent like Emma.

"I know, Mom. It's just that we prefer to train during the summer" Lily gently apologised.

"You're lucky you have good results, young lady" Mr Evans smiled.

"She is the best" vehemently said Emma.

Regina blushed once again, and Severus squeezed her hand.

"We're happy to hear that. Although we thought that our two favourite twins weren't quite bad themselves." Laughed Mrs Evans.

Severus and Regina beamed at her, proud to hear the endearing name.

"They're also the best" admitted Emma, laughing. "Regina even succeeded in teaching me how to change a hedgehog into a pincushion in less than an hour! And believe me, that's huge".

The Evans laughed, and Regina kept focusing on her feet.

"Would you stay with us for the rest of the day?" proposed Mrs Evans, obviously charmed with the blonde girl.

Emma suddenly seemed very uncomfortable, and looked at Regina who had raised her head when she had heard the question. She gently smiled at Emma, who smiled back and positively answered to Lily's mother. This time, the exchange was noticed by everyone, but nobody commented it. At the end of the day, they had brought everything they needed, and the Evans had offered ice-creams to the four students. Lily and Severus were joyfully explaining their entire new books to the Evans, who completely focused on what they were saying, and Emma and Regina were sitting quietly, listening to them.

"God, I feel very bad, now. I don't understand half the stuff they're saying" suddenly murmured Emma.

"Don't worry it's not that bad." Reassuringly smiled Regina.

"Too bad McGonagall never reassigned us together, you could have helped me" smiled back the blonde girl.

Regina blushed, knowing why McGonagall never did, since it was her who had asked her not to, and muttered:

"I can ask her to let me help you, if you want"

"I'm not sure she'd listen, but I'd be glad if you tried" brightly smiled Emma.

"Okay. Look Emma, about what happened last week, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. But if you agreed to be friends, I would be glad" Regina murmured, not daring to look at the girl.

She had no idea where that had come from, she hadn't thought about saying it. But she didn't regret it. She was being sincere, she realised.

"And in two months, you'll resume ignoring me?" gently smiled Emma.

Regina looked at the greenish eyes, and solemnly answered:

"No, I won't"

Emma beamed at her and said:

"Great. I'd be happy to be your friend then, Regina"

At this moment, Evan arrived, and landed on her shoulder. She petted him, and detached the letter from his tiny leg.

"Ow, you have an owl, now! It's beautiful!" Emma enthusiastically said.

"I do, it's a present from my entire family" proudly answered Regina, looking at the Evans and Severus.

"What's its name?" asked Emma, almost reverently.

"His name's Evan" smiled Regina.

"It's almost the same as me! And he's golden and I'm blonde! This is what I'd look like if I were an owl then! It's nice to meet you, Evan" cheerfully said Emma.

The Evans laughed out loud. As if he had understood, Evan flew off from her shoulder and landed on Emma's. He then let her pet him.

"He's beautiful" whispered Emma.

None of them had realised that they were all smiling and looking lovingly at Emma. Regina more than the others, considering the fact that she had feelings for the blonde girl which were a little more than purely friendly. She had never thought about Emma and Evan's resemblance, and felt even more in love with her baby owl (who wasn't quite a baby anymore).

"He's also completely spoiled" smiled fondly Severus.

"This is because he's our last born child" teased Mr Evans.

They all laughed and shared a comfortable silence, enjoying their ice-creams. Once they were done, the Evans declared that it was time for them to go home, and proposed to Emma to drive her back. She gently declined, thanked them, and said goodbye to their friends.

"You forgot to open your letter" she smiled at Regina when she turned to her.

"I've been distracted and it can wait" declared Regina, smiling back.

Emma laughed and kissed her on the two cheeks for the first time. It provoked a very weird feeling in Regina's stomach but she didn't say anything. When she left, Emma's eyes were sparkling, and Regina felt overwhelmed.

The rest of the summer passed in a blur and Regina sent many letters to Emma who answered her. Lily also sent letters along with Regina, but the latter noticed that the letters were shorter, and less frequent than hers, which warmed her in a way she didn't understand (or didn't want to understand).

The trio spent their summer practicing magic. They even did a little number for Lily's parents who cheered for them, proudly. When they weren't training, they were laying on the grass, talking and tanning. At the end of the summer, Lily and Regina had a beautiful golden skin. Severus' feelings towards Lily seemed even more intense than before. And even though Lily was more and more beautiful, Regina knew that her brother wasn't attracted only by her beauty. It was an infinite love of everything Lily was.

On the 1st of September, the goodbyes were difficult, as usual. The Evans invited them for Christmas again and they happily accepted. Our parents didn't even ask us if we were okay, bitterly thought Regina.

In the train, they crossed Emma's way. She was beautiful. Her skin had tanned during the summer, as theirs, and her eyes seemed even brighter than before. Her blonde hair had grown and were wavy now. She's never been so beautiful…

"Hi, guys!" happily greeted Emma.

"Hi!" Severus and Lily answered in the same tone. Regina's one was shyer.

"How was your summer?" asked Regina.

"It was okay, but busy as you know" playfully answered Emma. "How was yours?"

"Great and not busy" laughed Lily.

"Lucky you" smirked the blonde.

Ruby suddenly appeared behind Emma and hugged her. Regina reddened and looked at her feet. Surprisingly, Emma reddened as well.

"We need to find a compartment" apologised Severus "Have a good day, guys"

When they sat, Lily asked to Regina:

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she answered, a little defensively.

The Gryffindor girl dropped the subject, and they happily talked about the fourth year programme. When they sat at the Slytherin table for the welcoming diner, Bellatrix rushed to Regina, asking her how her summer had been. Regina answered that it had been okay. Bellatrix then pecked her lips furtively, winked at her, and sat next to her. Soon Regina was back in her bedroom and Bellatrix invited herself in her bed.

"I'm not crying" smirked Regina.

"I know, but I missed kissing you" admitted Bellatrix.

"What about Rodolphus?"

"He has a moustache" Bella complained.

Regina snored, and they made out for a bit, before they fell asleep. Regina dreamed about Emma for the first time, that night.

For the fourth year in a row, Gryffindor and Slytherin shared the Transfiguration class. They also shared Defence against the Dark Arts and Charms. Regina kept her promise and went to McGonagall during the breakfast, as soon as she had had her timetable.

"Snape?" McGonagall said surprised.

"Hello, Professor. May I talk to you?" shyly asked Regina.

"Come over here." Regina followed the teacher outside the Great Hall. "I'm listening"

"I promised Emma I would help her this year, in your class… I would like…"

"You're telling me that now you want to help her?" interrupted McGonagall.

"Yes?" Regina timidly asked.

"I suppose you've settled your issues, then" the teacher smiled.

"Yes, Professor" Regina answered, relieved.

McGonagall looked at her knowingly and went back to the Great Hall, without making any other comment. Regina was about to follow her when Emma's voice stopped her:

"What does she know about our issues?" she asked surprised.

Regina turned around, blushing.

"Hum nothing exactly… I mean, I dunno…" she stuttered.

Emma came closer to her and whispered:

"You asked her not to pair the two of us anymore, didn't you?"

Regina looked at her, still blushing and bit her lips, not answering. Emma's eyes fixed her lips for a second, before returning to her eyes, and she gently answered:

"Probably a good idea at the time. Guess I'll see you in Transfiguration, then"

She fondly smiled at her, and left.

The lessons were as annoying as before, but now Regina looked forward Transfiguration. She could laugh with Emma and she felt so carefree she wished these lessons never stopped. Emma was a fast learner, and often asked deep questions. The second week, she suddenly said to Regina:

"Must be hard to become an Animagus, like McGonagall"

"It is"

"Have you ever tried it?"

"Never, but I read that the animal you turn into is often the same as your Patronus" she explained.

"Have you succeeded in making a Patronus?" eagerly asked Emma.

"I did" Regina blushed "Severus and Lily, too" she added.

"And what are your Patronuses?"

"Lily and Severus' are hinds" she said, still blushing.

"What's yours?" enquired Emma, curious.

Regina reddened even more, and looked pointedly at her wand instead of Emma.

"It's a swan" she murmured.

"Oh" exclaimed Emma. "Mine too" she smiled fondly.

"How do you know?" Regina exclaimed surprised.

"Duh. I tried it!" Emma laughed. Seeing Regina's astonishment she added "I'm not quite bad in Defence against the Dark Arts"

"I… Good for you" stuttered Regina.

"It's funny we have the same Patronus, isn't it?" smirked Emma.

Regina didn't answer and berated Emma to focus on the task at hand. Emma did, but five minutes later, she asked again:

"What do you think we'd have to do to transform into an animal?"

"I already told you that I'd never tried that before" annoyingly answered Regina.

"Yes, I know, but what do you think you'd do to succeed?" eagerly asked Emma.

"I don't know… focus on your inner being, maybe? On the importance for you to do it, on the animal you feel connected with, and become one with it?" thought Regina out loud.

Emma thought about it too for a moment and declared:

"Yeah, you're probably right…"

"Why are you asking me this?" Regina asked.

"I don't know… it just would be cool to become an animal, you know?" smiled tentatively Emma.

"Yeah… speaking of which, how comes Lupin and your girlfriend disappear once a month, during the full moon?" smirked Regina.

Emma's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She tried to deny it by stuttering:

"What the… What? I don't kn… what do you mean? I…"

"Hey Emma, it's ok." Reassuringly smiled Regina. "Your secret's safe with us"

"Us?!" Emma almost screamed.

"Shush! You don't want everybody to hear you, do you?"

"What do you mean by us, Regina?" angrily whispered Emma.

"It's Severus who figured it out" shrugged Regina.

"Oh" whispered Emma relieved. "I had thought you'd have spoken about it with… never mind. And it's no big deal to you? You don't care being surrounded by…" Emma couldn't finish her sentence.

"By werewolves? Not in the slightest. I'm more concerned with you dat…" she suddenly stopped speaking, realising what she was about to say.

Emma did as if she hadn't heard her, and they both focused on their guinea fowl. They never spoke about it again. And Regina didn't tell Severus that he had been right.

The more Regina spoke to Emma, the more she wanted to. Emma was like a drug, Regina realised. Ruby obviously wasn't happy with this new friendship, but never said anything in front of her. When Gryffindor won their first match, and Emma scored 60 points, Regina couldn't help feeling proud of her. She surprised herself wanted to kiss the blonde girl and felt ashamed for it. She's your friend, she reminded herself. Severus didn't look happy on the other hand. His arguments with Potter were stronger than ever, and Emma didn't manage to stop them.

"Why is he like this with my brother?" asked Regina to Emma the evening after the match.

They were alone in front of the lake. On her way back to the castle, Regina had seen her, and had asked her friends to leave her alone with the blonde girl.

"Please, Regina. You know why" sniggered Emma.

"I honestly can't say I do" answered platonically Regina.

"James's in love with Lily. Severus's too. They're both fighting over her. And honestly, you can't say your brother doesn't look for it!"

"What? Severus doesn't look for it!" vehemently defended Regina.

"Of course, he does. As does James. It's a man thing or something" said Emma, matter-of-factly.

Regina thought about it for a second and said:

"Severus has been in love with Lily since the first time he's seen her. It's been more than six years, now. He shouldn't even feel the need to fight for her, he'll always be more important to Lily than Potter" she angrily stated.

"You don't know that, Regina. First, Lily doesn't seem to share his feelings. And second, the day she falls in love with someone else, that someone else will be as important as Severus, if not more" wisely said Emma.

"No, not more. Even if I fell in love with… someone… that someone could never be more important than my brother!"

"But Lily's not your sister"

"She's like a sister to us" protested Regina.

"Yeah… a sister your brother would be in love with, then" emphasised Emma.

"Well, incest exists" smirked Regina.

Emma laughed out loud and answered:

"Touché. But all I'm trying to say is that sometimes friendship doesn't last" winced Emma.

"Ours will" confidently said Regina.

"When you mentioned… falling in love with someone?" hesitantly began Emma.

"Yes?" apprehensively answered the brunette.

"Were you talking about Bellatrix?"

Regina laughed.

"What's so funny?" smiled Emma.

"This question. You. I don't know, it just seems surreal. Had someone told me we'd have this conversation two years ago, I'd have thought they were completely crazy."

"And yet, here we are, and you still haven't answered my question" Emma smirked.

"I'm not in love with Bella" simply said Regina.

"But you're with her?"

"Not really…" Regina winced, embarrassed. Seeing that Emma was waiting for further explanations, she added "We just like to… kiss… sometimes. But we're not a couple, and I don't love her"

"I see…" Emma blushed.

"Do you love Ruby?" Regina whispered.

Emma reddened even more, looked at Regina and stuttered "I…" before lowering her gaze. "I don't really know… I like her very much, but I don't feel the way I… I mean… I think I'm not in love with her, even if I like her very much. Does that even make sense?" Emma snored.

"I think it does" empathically smiled Regina.

"We just had a big fight" murmured Emma.

"What about? If you don't mind me asking, of course." Quickly said Regina.

"Nah, it's okay. But I'd rather not speak about it…"

"Of course."

There was an embarrassed silence, both of them lost in their thoughts when Emma suddenly said:

"Do you often kiss Black?"

"Hum… I don't know what often is… but probably every other day?" answered Regina, surprised.

Emma quietly groaned but didn't say anything. It made the brunette smile.

"May I ask you a very intimate question?" Regina suddenly said.

"I'm sure I am going to regret saying yes…"

"Is that a yes?"

"Yeah" confirmed Emma.

"Okay" smiled Regina. "Have you ever had sex?"

Emma's eyes comically widened, and then the blonde girl laughed out loud.

"That's what's called a very intimate question!" she kept on laughing.

"I told you so…" Regina smirked.

"Well, to answer you… no. I never have. I want to wait for… the right person" she smiled. "Have you?"

"No. I wait for the right girl, too" Regina smiled back.

"Thought you preferred women" Emma winked.

"I'm starting to reconsider my preferences" the brunette brightly smiled.

"Or maybe you've always liked girls, but you didn't want to admit it?" suggested knowingly Emma.

"Or maybe, I've always liked women who were childish enough not to realise they were grown-ups"

"I fail to see the difference here, Miss Snape. Isn't a girl the same thing as a grown-up who doesn't want to be a woman?" Emma pointed out.

"Hardly" Regina smirked. "A girl is a child. A woman is a grown up. A woman who refuses to grow up is a woman with a childish brain. But still a woman"

"Okay. So I'm a woman with a childish brain now?" exclaimed Emma, pretending to be offended.

"I thought we were talking about a hypothetical theory. But you seem very confident in your… attributes" Regina said, checking out Emma's body.

"They're obviously working." Emma laughed. "But you're right, we were talking about a hypothesis, I shouldn't have concluded anything about it"

"Thank you for admitting it, dear" Regina replied.

Silence surrounded them once again. Regina looked at the lake, and found the vision beautiful. She suddenly had an idea, and whispered:

"Expecto Patronum"

A beautiful and graceful swan escaped her wand and landed on the lake. Its floating didn't provoke any flow. The image seemed surreal and so peaceful the two teenagers were stuck at fixing it.

"What was that for?" reverently whispered Emma.

"I was feeling happy. I just wanted to see the result" murmured quietly Regina.

"Expecto Patronum" muttered Emma.

The same swan as hers came from Emma's wand, and joined the other one on the lake. The two of them looked at each other, and didn't move anymore. The shape of their bodies looked like the shape of a white heart which would have been drawn on a black paper.

"They're beautiful" Emma whispered.

Regina turned to the girl and looked at her. The light of the swans illuminated her face, and her eyes were shining. She was so beautiful it took her breath away. Emma also looked at her, and they couldn't divert their eyes anymore. Regina felt glued to the girl's eyes. Suddenly, Emma's swan disappeared, and the blonde stood up.

"I really should go back, now" she smiled apologetically. "Thank you for the company"

Regina smiled back, unable to answer anything and silently watched the blonde student's departure. Her swan vanished too.

The months passed, and they were now in mid-November. Emma and Ruby were spending less and less time together. The blonde girl always seemed happy when she was with Regina, though. So Regina guessed that it was probably no big deal. Her brother and Potter didn't miss an occasion to curse each other, now. Most of the time, it was pretty innocent spells, and the duels were fairly balanced. It seemed to entertain Black, Pettigrew, Mulciber and Avery greatly. Regina and Lily were just sick of it. The two Slytherins had once again approached Severus after a duel, and had taken him under their wings. Lily and Regina didn't like that, but they knew their friend needed some masculine acquaintances too. So they quietly accepted it, even though they both hated the guys.

"They're malevolent" whispered Lily.

"Yes, they are" sombrely said Regina.

"And they hate Muggle-borns" added Lily.

"I know" Regina admitted.

"What Severus is doing with guys like them?" she continued, disbelievingly.

"He's probably trying to… I dunno what he's trying to do" Regina sighed.

The trio went to the Slug Club that night. It was almost the only night they would spend only the three of them, now. Regina cherished these evenings.

"As you know my dears, in two weeks, the ones of you who are more than fourteen years old will be able to come to our Slug party! You have to wear a dress robe for the occasion, and invite someone to go with you. A date or a friend, as you wish" brightly smiled Slughorn.

Regina dragged Emma in an empty room at the end of the hour. Emma laughed quietly and asked:

"What the hell, Regina?"

"I wanted to ask you… would you go to Slug's party with me?"

Regina hadn't stuttered and she mentally high-fived herself. Emma seemed pretty embarrassed, though.

"I… I can't Regina."

"Ruby?" bitterly guessed the brunette.

"Yeah" admitted Emma, blushing.

"It's okay. I'll see you in Transfiguration" smiled Regina.

She then quickly left the room and didn't look back. You have to stop trying, she's only your friend, she berated herself.

When she entered her bedroom, Bellatrix was there, and she asked her if she would be her date for Slug's party.

"Of course, I will" happily exclaimed the girl.

At least, I won't be alone, she thought. It turned out that Severus had asked Lily to go with him, and the girl had accepted. The day before the party, Lily suddenly asked Regina:

"We should look at our best, sweetie! You'll come in my bedroom to prepare tomorrow night?"

"I'm not sure we're allowed to do that…" carefully answered Regina.

"Who cares? This is stupid, you're my friend, I don't understand why you should be in my House to see my bedroom. Take everything you need and meet me in front of Gryffindor's entrance at 7.30 p.m. sharp, okay?"

"Okay" enthusiastically answered Regina.

The following day, she was at the meeting place, with her dress robe and her make-up in a bag. Lily welcomed her, and let her come in, and they went upstairs in her bedroom. One hour later, they were ready. Lily was wearing a beautiful green gown which highlighted her eyes and her hair. Regina had a red dress, hugging her womanly curves perfectly, and glorifying her body. The two friends had also some make-up on. Lily's one was light while Regina's one was darker, bringing out her sparkling eyes. They looked at each other, appreciatively complimenting each other, when Ruby angrily exclaimed:

"What the hell is she doing here?"

"Excuse me?" Lily answered, furious.

Regina disconnected her mind from the heated conversation and focused on Emma. Her mouth was wide open, and her eyes were openly checking her out. Regina smirked. Emma's eyes found hers, and the blonde girl raised her eyebrows at her. Regina simply winked, and Emma bit her lips, which attracted Regina's focus. She was suddenly interrupted in her contemplation when Lily grabbed her arm, and dragged her downstairs.

"She's insufferable" she complained.

"What happened?" Regina asked a little dizzy.

She noticed that every guy they crossed ways with were unable to divert their eyes from them. She couldn't say if they were gawking at her of Lily, but smiled, flattered anyways.

"What do you mean what happened? You were there, weren't you?" angrily replied Lily.

"Yes, I was. But I got a little distracted" she murmured.

Lily suddenly stopped walking.

"Distracted?" she asked.

Regina blushed.

"I see" Lily winced.

At the Slug Club's door, Bellatrix and Severus were waiting for them, and they both whistled appreciatively when they saw them. Lily and Regina laughed and both took their friends by the arms. Bellatrix was also really beautiful in her black dress, Regina couldn't help noticing. They all danced with each other, and laughed a lot. Even Bellatrix seemed fine with spending the night with a Muggle-born. The four of them were talking when Emma entered the room.

She wore a red dress very similar to Regina's one. Her breast was so highlighted by it, that Regina caught herself staring at them without even noticing it. When Emma approached the group, she finally looked at her face and had to admit that Emma was gorgeous. Her make-up was light and her hair tied in a perfect bun. Even her smirk added something to her face.

"Regina, can I talk to you in private?" she solemnly asked, still smirking.

The brunette was still quite taken with Emma's appearance and it took her several seconds to confirm the request. Emma grabbed her hand and led her outside the castle. None of the two girls noticed Lily and Severus' snores, nor Bellatrix's angry face.

"Where are we going?" Regina asked, a little breathlessly. "Why aren't you with Ruby?"

"I broke up with her" admitted Emma, expectantly looking at her.

Regina nodded and kept on following her. Emma was heading towards an oak, at the lake's edge. Once she was close enough to touch it, she turned around, brought Regina closer to her, and pined her against the tree. Regina's breath sped up, with anticipation. Emma's face was now a few inches away from hers, and their bodies were pressed together. Emma looked intensely at Regina and whispered:

"I've been dreaming of doing that for a very long time…"

And then she kissed her. Emma immediately deepened the kiss, and Regina loudly moaned when their tongs met for the first time. She felt billions of butterflies exploding in her stomach, and she grabbed Emma's hair with her two hands to bring her even closer to her. Emma's hands travelled to her legs, parted them, and she lifted the brunette up, wrapping her legs around her waist. Regina's core was boiling. She didn't understand half of the emotions she was feeling, but savoured them anyways. She didn't even notice that she was rubbing against Emma's stomach. Had she noticed, she wouldn't have cared though. Emma, on the other hand, did notice the pressure and the feeling made her moan. She grabbed Regina's hands, untied them from her hair, and pinned them above Regina's head, without detaching her mouth from Regina's. Their fingers intertwined and the kiss became even more heated. Regina was so turned on, she felt something strong building inside her stomach.

"Emma" she whispered.

The blonde only groaned inside her mouth and Regina's movements became sporadic. Her moans were louder and louder. Emma detached their lips, and pressed her forehead against Regina's.

"Wait, baby. We don't want to have sex here, right now, do we?" she smirked, her tone happier than Regina had ever heard.

"Is this what we are doing?" asked breathlessly Regina, surprised.

"I think it is" confirmed the blonde.

"Well, then… yes we do want to have sex here, right now" laughed Regina happily.

Emma laughed with her, and the vibrations provoked the same funny things in Regina's stomach. She instinctively started to rub against Emma again, and tried to kiss her. But the blonde girl released her hands, and grabbed her pelvis, immobilising her.

"Not now, honey" she smiled gently.

Regina felt overwhelmingly frustrated.

"Why not?" she pouted.

"I want to do things right, with you" Emma murmured.

"I suppose that molesting me against a tree to kiss me for the first time, seems like the right thing to do to you?"

Emma laughed out loud and Regina continued sniggering:

"I can't wait for you to make love to me, then."

"I didn't molest you!" playfully protested Emma.

"Really?" teased Regina, grabbing Emma's head and bringing her closer to her face, up until their lips were brushing against each other.

"I merely got a little carried away" lustfully explained Emma, furtively licking Regina's upper lip, which made the brunette groan.

"Please don't stop, then" she sighed.

"I wouldn't wanna molest my Queen" Emma snored.

"Your Queen is a willing victim, Miss Swan. You may proceed" she emphasized her last word by biting Emma's upper lip.

"Nice try, Your Majesty" laughed the blonde girl, before releasing her.

Emma took a few steps back and then sat against the oak. Regina bit her lips, frustrated. She waited for her breathing to calm down, before making red cushions appear.

"Let's have a good sit, at least" she smiled.

"Awesome! I didn't know you could do that! Isn't it the seventh year programme?"

"I don't know" Regina shrugged.

Emma quietly laughed and arranged the cushions in order for them to sit comfortably. She then motioned Regina to take place between her legs, and hugged her from behind. Regina contently sighed and rested her head in Emma's neck. The blonde girl tightened her grip around Regina's waist, and kissed her forehead.

"You said you had wanted to kiss me for a long time…" Regina whispered.

"I did" Emma chuckled.

"How long?"

"I'm not sure exactly…" Emma hesitated. "I think I really understood I was attracted to you the first time we met at Diagon Alley, and you called me by my name… I thought maybe you were feeling the same towards me, but then you ignored me" she sighed.

"Yeah…"

"Why did you?" Emma asked, curious.

Regina reddened, remembering why.

"Lily may have told me that you… had kissed Amy" she muttered.

To Regina's surprise, Emma laughed. Regina gently hit her hand, playfully.

"It's not funny" she said.

"It really is. The only reason why I kissed Amy was because I knew you had kissed Daniel"

"Not really my most glorious moment" muttered Regina.

"I was desperate for you to talk to me, and I didn't even know what had gone wrong. This is why I wanted to be a part of the Quidditch team" whispered Emma.

"You… you went in the team for me?" Regina exclaimed, surprised.

"Yeah, I did. I wanted to impress you" Emma smiled.

Regina giggled and turned her head to kiss Emma. The kiss was less heated, gentle. Grateful. For the first seconds. Then it became once again feverish. Regina grabbed Emma's hair again with one hand to bring her head closer, and without noticing what she was doing, she took Emma's hand and brought it to her breast. Which made her gasp. Emma parted her lips from Regina's and whispered:

"Regina…"

But her implicit plea was contradicted by her hand tightening around Regina's breast.

"I don't know what we're doing, Emma. But I feel like I want more than kisses…" whispered the brunette.

"Me too, but I don't know what to do. And I want to make it right" admitted Emma.

Regina thought about it for a few seconds, and murmured:

"You're right. I want to make it right too"

She smiled at the blonde girl, who smiled back, and Emma's hand returned to the brunette's waist.

"It's very frustrating, though" Regina pouted.

Emma chuckled and confirmed. They silently looked at the stars for a few minutes before Regina asked:

"Why did you break up with Ruby?"

"Because I didn't love her… and it took me an entire year to realise that I… was attracted to someone else."

"Why did you go out with her in the first place?"

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but at first it was to make you jealous."

"Well then you knew you were attracted to me…" pointed out Regina.

"I did, but I didn't want to acknowledge it" laughed the girl.

"And when I admitted my feelings to you?"

"You didn't admit your feelings to me per se, Regina. You just… admitted you wanted me."

"Which was a huge step already!" defensively said Regina.

"Sure, but rumours had it that you were secretly with Black. I didn't want to be a replacement" Emma explained.

"She was…" Regina murmured.

"She was what?"

"A replacement… of you. I mean, not at first. At the beginning she was just a mean for me to forget about my brother and Lily who weren't with me… and then she became… what I wanted to have with you"

"Then, you really were together" Emma stated disappointed.

"No, we weren't Emma. She just kissed me sometimes. And I let her, because I needed it. I've never felt for her… what I'm feeling for you." Regina reddened.

"And what is it you feel for me?" Emma smiled.

"You're pushing it, Swan."

"Come on, Gina! Tell me" Emma laughed.

"It's hard to explain… I feel attracted to you in all possible ways. I mean, I always think about you and… I don't know. It's not just about desire. It's not just about your beauty. I feel challenged by you, and I like that" she stuttered.

"Challenged by me? Please, you're the best student I've ever met!" Emma laughed.

"You're talking about school here. And I'm talking about more than that. You're smart, you're independent, you're funny, you're stubborn… This is all very challenging to me, you know?"

Emma started to kiss her neck, then. Her hands tightened around Regina's waist. She suddenly kissed her in a very sensitive spot, and Regina never would have guessed she could feel so many things with such a simple gesture, and in such an innocent place. She loudly gasped and gripped Emma's hand. Emma froze, feeling Regina's changing mood, and decided to bite the same spot. Regina moaned. She was about to claim Emma's lips when they were interrupted by voices. Severus and Lily's voices. They both listened to what they were saying. Regina heard them speak about Amy, and then about something James had done for her brother, and then Lily's threatening sentences. They were gone before she could proceed it all.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered, taken aback.

Emma seemed surprised, too. But not for the same reasons.

"You don't know anything about it?"

"Not at all! What did Potter do for my brother? And what was the thing about Amy?" she exclaimed, completely shocked.

"I don't know if it's my place to explain it all to you" sombrely said Emma.

"Please" Regina begged, desperately.

Emma looked at Regina's eyes and answered.

"It's a long story. About Amy, it's the easiest to explain. Your brother hangs out with Mulciber and Avery as you know. They absolutely despise Muggle-borns. Lily's been spared because of your brother, I guess. But nobody besides her is. Amy is a Muggle-born. Last week they hung her up in the air, to make fun of her. Not your brother, though. But he was laughing with his new friends"

Regina had tears in her eyes, now.

"I don't understand… he said he would never do that. He's… he's not like this with me! I didn't know, he didn't tell me…"

"I don't know why he's acting this way, Gina… but I know that Lily's tired of it. She resents him greatly… even though she loves you two too much to really say anything about it. She's pretty much in denial, or something"

"My brother's a good person! There's no denial! She knows that!" Regina was crying now.

Emma softened.

"I'm sure he is, baby. But he doesn't really act like one, right now."

"I'll talk to him… what about Potter?"

Emma stiffened and slowly answered.

"You know Remus and Ruby are… werewolves. I told them you were aware of it. Ruby repeated it to Sirius. And… Sirius thought it would be… funny… to tell Severus to go where Remus and Ruby transform during the full moon… when James heard about it, he saved your brother, almost dying in the process."

"How the hell did you know where they transform anyway?"

Emma heavily sighed and answered:

"What I'm about to say, nobody knows. And nobody can know. Can you keep a secret?"

"You know I can" Regina said, ill-at-ease.

"We figured out about our friends'… condition… quickly. And we were sorry for them. For the past two years, we tried to become Animagi to be with them when they'd transform. We finally succeeded two months ago… after you gave me your advices" Emma murmured.

"Are you telling me… that you're an Animagus?" asked Regina disbelievingly.

"Yes" Emma answered apprehensively.

"A swan?"

"An owl, actually" Emma smiled.

"No way" Regina laughed.

"Yes way" Emma laughed back, relieved. "I look like Evan!" she joyfully added.

"Can I see it?" Regina asked shyly.

Emma smiled tenderly, and stood up. Regina looked at her expectantly. Emma focused for a few seconds, closing her eyes. And she slowly transformed into a beautiful golden and white owl. Regina gasped, and came closer to the bird, who was patiently waiting on the ground. Emma quietly hooted. The brunette carefully caressed the golden animal's head, and Emma playfully bit her finger, which made Regina laugh. She then transformed again into the blonde girl she knew.

"Wow" Regina simply said. "It's unbelievable that you succeeded to do that!" she exclaimed.

"And it's so great to fly! You have no idea! Although it took me many nights of training before I could properly do it!" she laughed.

Regina sat back at her place, and asked Emma to join her, hugging the blonde girl as the latter had done before.

"Who succeeded to change?"

"James and Sirius were the first to do it. They're really gifted, you know. Sirius's a dog and James's a deer… and Peter is still trying to change… he's almost succeeded last time. I think he'll be a mouth or something" she laughed.

"Does Lily know about this?"

"I told you, nobody knows about it. And I won't even tell the guys that you do know about us. It's between you and me, okay?" Emma asked, worryingly.

"Okay, baby" Regina said, smiling.

Emma beamed at the name, and kissed her. The kiss was very quick, though. Emma immediately parted from her and looked even more embarrassed.

"Also… we should keep our relationship a secret for the time being…"

"You want to spare Ruby's feelings, don't you?" Regina guessed.

"I do… and the guys wouldn't understand… they hate your brother…" Emma admitted.

"And I suppose they hate me by association…"

Emma reddened and didn't answer.

"It's okay, Em"

"They just don't know you, and don't see you as I do, honey" Emma whispered.

"I understand" Regina reassured her. "We can meet here, at night?" Regina suggested.

"We… we often go out at night with the guys… but every other day wouldn't be too suspicious for them" Emma answered.

"What are you doing at night with them?"

"We explore the castle!" proudly said Emma.

"Must be fun" Regina sarcastically answered.

"It is, smartass! We found many hidden spots!" she beamed.

"Sure you did… never been caught?"

"Not yet" Emma laughed.

She then rested her head against Regina's neck and closed her eyes.

"You're a troublemaker, Miss Swan" Regina berated her.

"I am. Does that bother you, Your Majesty?" Emma sniggered.

"Not in the slightest" the brunette answered. "Although you seem to spend an awful amount of time with Lucas…"

"If it comforts you, we only publicly kissed… I refused to kiss her when it was just the two of us…"

"Why not?" exclaimed Regina, surprised.

"It didn't serve its purpose" enigmatically answered the blonde.

"What purpose?"

"Making you jealous" Emma snored. "I guess this is one of the reason we broke up… she figured it out… she had known it for a long time anyway, I think… even if she didn't want to admit it!" explained Emma.

"You've been cruel with her" Regina could allow herself to be empathic to Ruby now.

"I know" Emma answered ashamed.

They remained silent and laid down, intertwined. They fell asleep like this, and woke up hours later, with the sun rising. They laughed happily looking at each other, and ran to the castle, exchanging loving looks. They didn't kiss goodbye, afraid to be caught (even though the castle was still desert) but Regina mouthed:

"Tonight?"

And Emma nodded, affirmatively. They smiled one last time at each other, and parted ways, each of them going back to their dormitories. When Regina entered her bedroom, Bellatrix was waiting for her.

"Where were you?"

Regina was stunned for a moment before she answered.

"With Severus, Lily and Emma. Why?"

"Really?" she asked disbelievingly.

She then approached the brunette and tried to kiss her, but Regina avoided the kiss.

"Stop it, Bella, this is stupid."

"So you have a new girlfriend, now?" she bitterly asked.

"Not at all, Bella. But I don't see why we should kiss. We're not a couple, and you're acting jealous. I don't like it" Regina explained.

Bellatrix didn't answer anything but grabbed her things and left. Regina sighed, relieved. She took a shower, dressed and went downstairs. She crossed Severus's way in the common-room. He was with Avery and Mulciber. She went to him, and dragged him in a corner of the common-room, where they would be far away from prying ears.

"I heard your conversation with Lily, last night" she said without greeting him.

"I see" sombrely answered Severus.

"Since when do you hide that kind of things from me?" she tearfully asked.

"Since you hide things from me" bitterly answered Severus.

"What the hell did I hide from you?" she disbelievingly asked.

"The fact that you kissed Bellatrix? That you asked McGonagall to pair you up with Emma? That you knew about Lupin's being a werewolf for sure? The list is quite long, sis"

"You almost died and you didn't tell me, Severus!" cried the girl.

"I didn't and you didn't need to know" nearly screamed Severus.

"Why are you even angry at me?" Regina asked disbelievingly.

"Because you pried, and all of this is none of your business!" Severus answered, badly.

"How can you say that?" whispered Regina, dumbfounded and still crying. "You're my twin brother. We've always told everything to each other"

"Oh but you know that isn't true, sis… everything that truly matters, we never talked about" he pointed out.

"But we didn't need to talk about it" Regina objected.

"Maybe we did, but we weren't brave enough. I would have needed someone to talk about all this. But I never could with you. No more than with everybody else…"

"I'm not everybody else, Severus"

"Aren't you?" her brother answered.

"Sev, please. Talk to me. Why are you acting like this? You promised me you'd never behave this way! It's always been you and I against the world, against our own parents! What are you trying to do here? Throw it all to hell? Throw me away?" gasped the girl.

Regina saw a crack in Severus' eyes and a second later, he was hugging her tightly.

"Of course not, Gina" he answered. "I'll never throw you away, you know that" he said tearfully.

"Then what are you doing?" she sobbed.

"I'm trying to find out who I am… and I need to do that alone…" he said.

"You don't have to" Regina tried.

"Yes, I do." He said, before releasing her. "You're hungry?"

"No" calmly answered Regina, tears silently falling from her eyes.

He grabbed her hand and said:

"Don't be stupid, of course you are. And you have some things to explain, young lady"

"Why would I? You don't explain yourself to me, obviously" she murmured.

Severus looked at her, hurt.

"See what it's like, my brother?" she bitterly smiled.

He didn't answer, and kept on walking.

"Sev, can I tell you an important thing?"

Regina had stopped mid track in the stairs, and was waiting for her brother to turn around.

"Sure"

"It's not like that, that you'll win her over. If you keep acting like that, you'll only lose her…"

"I know that" he muttered.

"Why are you doing this, then?"

He looked at her so desperately that she wanted to cry again.

"Because this way… she'll have a good reason not to want to be with me. I'll be able to believe that she's not in love with me because of my behaviour, and not because of something else" he sadly smiled.

"What?" Regina asked disbelievingly. "You're giving her a reason not to love you back?"

"No. I'm giving me a reason not to hate myself more than I already do. This way, it prevents me from looking into a mirror and realising that I'm not beautiful enough, or strong enough, or… brave enough for her."

"What does your courage have to do with this?"

"Everything. You and Lily are always protecting me. Without you two, I'm just this helpless little boy who can perform magic but can't defend himself… who's not good at sports. Who's not brave enough to fight like a Muggle."

"And you really think this has anything to do with Lily's feelings? You never thought that maybe she has always seen you as her brother?"

"Yes, I did. But we grew up, Gina. And I see her look at Potter…"

"Please! She despises the guy…" protested Regina.

"But she's physically attracted to him" muttered Severus.

"You don't know that!"

"Actually, I do. I don't even think she realises it yet. But I know it. I see it in her eyes. And I've spent hours watching her… I probably know her better than she knows herself. And yes, I love her. But she'll never reciprocate my feelings. And I'd rather pretend that it has something to do with my actions than with my… personality. Even if I don't believe it for one second"

Regina suddenly hugged him tight and whispered in his ear:

"Okay… do what you have to do to feel better, my baby bro. But never doubt that she loves you. Not the way you'd like her to, but she does. And I love too… so damn much… please don't do anything stupid."

"If I do… will you still be there for me?"

Regina didn't even hesitate before whispering:

"Always and forever. No matter what you do. No matter what you think. You'll always mean the world to me"

"Okay" he murmured. "Thank you, I needed to hear it. I love you, Gin"

When he stepped back, Regina saw his tears. He smiled at her, and they resumed their walk. When they sat for breakfast he finally said.

"So… will you tell me about last night?"

Regina mischievously smiled.

"I am having a secret relationship, now" she whispered.

"I knew it" he laughed.

"Of course you did. You didn't tell me about Potter's incident by the way…"

Severus' face darkened.

"Another thing to add to his courage" he muttered.

"Sev…"

"No, it's okay. But my version of the story is that he came by and tried to save himself. I just happened to be here, too" he said.

Regina chuckled, and Severus couldn't help chuckling as well when he looked at her.

"You're so fucked up" she finally said, still chuckling.

"I know" he recognised "Stop making fun of me…! God, how much I hate that guy…" he admitted.

"I do too"

"Really? Even if he… helped me?"

"He didn't help you. He just happened to be at the right place at the right moment" Regina winked at her brother.

Severus smiled gratefully at his sister, and they both ate in a comfortable silence. Lily joined them five minutes later.

"Hi guys!" she joyfully said.

"Hi" the twins answered, smiling.

"My parents sent me back Evan and are asking if you're still coming over for Christmas!"

"Hum… probably not, Lil…" hesitantly began Severus.

Lily seemed very hurt, and Regina knew why Severus didn't want to, so she decided to help him out.

"Actually, it's my fault, Lil. I'd rather stay here for Christmas…"

"Really?" she asked disbelievingly "And may I ask you why?" she added, angrily.

"You may, honey." Regina answered, pointedly looking at Emma, who looked back at that precise moment, smiled, blushed and lowered her head. Lily had followed Regina's gaze.

"Oh" she exhaled, surprised. "I see… is this why she broke up with Ruby?" she whispered.

Regina nodded affirmatively.

"I see" Lily repeated. She still seemed to be angry, even though Regina didn't understand why. "Well, I get it. Have a good holidays, then"

She smiled and went away.

"Thank you, Gin. But I think she's mad at you, now…" Severus stated.

"Thank you for the heads up, Sherlock. Care to share why, since you know her so well?"

"Well, many reasons. First, I decided to stay with you, which means I chose you over her. She's disappointed to see that I'm not her brother the same way I am yours. Second, she likes Ruby and disapproves what you two did to her. And finally, she'll be alone with her family, which didn't happen in a very long time. She's glad and pissed at the same time about that. Glad because it means she'll have her parents for herself, and pissed because she realises we're not truly part of her family. And she'd really want us to share the same blood…" he calmly stated.

"Wow… you really do know her" she exhaled, surprised.

"I do" he winced. "And I'd prefer not to…" he murmured.

"You'll find someone who will love you the way you deserve to be, Sev"

"No, I won't. She's the one, Gin"

"Please, Severus you cannot be serious! We're fourteen!"

"Fifteen in three weeks…" he pointed out.

"Fine, let's say fifteen. We still have our lives ahead of us."

He simply shrugged and didn't answer.

After the sunset, Regina slipped out of the castle and went to the oak. She made the red cushions appear again and waited for Emma. In the meantime, she decided to practice. She created blankets, and conjured her Patronus to feel less lonely. The swan sat next to her, and rested its head on her knees. She tried to caress the animal, but she couldn't. It was like a ghost, but warmer. One hour later, Emma had still not arrived, and she went back to the castle, sad and angry.

She settled in her bed, and Bellatrix joined her a few minutes later.

"Bella, I thought I told you I wanted this to end…" protested Regina.

"Oh please, Gina! We've always enjoyed kissing" Bellatrix whispered.

"I'm not in the mood anymore. Can't we just be friends? Without the kissing thing?"

"Sure… can I at least stay and hold you?"

Regina thought about it, and figured that there was no harm in sleeping in the same bed as her friend. So she accepted. In the morning, when she woke up, Bellatrix and her other roommates had disappeared. Regina went down the stairs, and met Severus who was waiting for her.

"Had a good night?" he asked.

"Horrible… Emma stood me up, and Bella wanted to sleep in the same bed as me" Regina winced.

"Did you agree?"

"Yeah… no big deal about it, right?" she asked a little self-conscious.

"I suppose not" answered Severus, thoughtful.

"It's Sunday! What do you want to do?" the girl asked.

"I don't know! Spend the day with Lily for once? Next week it's the holidays and we won't see her after that…"

"Sure!" Regina answered enthusiastically.

When they approached the Gryffindor table, they noticed a weird agitation among the discussions, which immediately stopped when they saw them. Regina didn't think anything about it, but when she caught sight of Emma, the blonde girl glared at her, furious, and immediately diverted her eyes. Regina was shocked, considering the fact that she had been the one to stand her up, but sat next to Lily anyways.

"Hey Lil! Wanna go out with us today?" she asked.

"No, thank you. I already have plans." The girl answered, not too gently.

"Please, Lil! We won't be able to spend time with you for a long time after that…" tried Severus.

"I really can't today. I'm sorry." She smiled apologetically.

"Can we at least eat our breakfast with you?" Regina asked.

"Of course, you can!"

Once they were sat, and eating, Lily suddenly whispered.

"Gina, I don't know if it's true, but you should know that rumour has it you slept with Bellatrix last night…"

"Yeah… so?" Regina asked, lost.

Lily's eyes widened, Severus loudly coughed and murmured.

"I think Lily means slept as in had sex with Bellatrix, Gina"

"WHAT?" Regina exclaimed and chocked on the egg she was eating. It took her several minutes to regulate her breathing. She quickly glanced at the spot where Emma had been sitting, but she was gone, now. Fuck, she thought.

"I have to go" she murmured.

She looked for Emma throughout the entire castle, and the garden. But she didn't find the girl. She stopped trying, and went back to her brother who was in the library. She stayed with him the whole day, not succeeding in concentrating on her work. She was sure Emma had believed the gossips… at diner, Bellatrix sat next to her.

"Bella. From now on, you won't sleep in my bed anymore, understood? No kisses, no hugs. We will be normal friends. Ok?" she coldly said.

"Why would you want that, all of a sudden?" Bellatrix asked, disappointed.

"Everybody in the castle seem to think that we had sex last night, Bella…" Regina explained angry.

"Yeah, I heard that. Rodolphus has been a pain in my ass the whole day. But why should we care about what people think?"

"I care." Regina simply shrugged.

Bellatrix's eyes turned icy, and she turned towards Mulciber and Avery.

"Hey guys, traumatised any Muggle-borns, today?"

"Not yet, but the day isn't over" the two guys laughed.

"Will you let me join you?" Bellatrix asked.

Regina disconnected from the conversation. She was sick about it all. She glanced at Emma, but the blonde girl was focused on her plate. She wanted to go speak to her, but it would be too suspicious to her friends, and Emma wouldn't like that. She simply waited, fixing her and praying she would look at her. She didn't.

At the end of the diner, she was one of the first to get up, and escape the Great Hall. Regina forgot about the need to be discreet, got up and ran after her. She caught up midway through the stairs.

"Wait, Emma!"

The blonde girl didn't turn around.

"Emma, don't make me curse you!" Regina threatened.

Emma finally turned around.

"What do you want, Snape?"

"I didn't sleep with Bellatrix, Emma. I mean we did sleep in the same bed last night, but we didn't have sex, or anything."

"And why would you sleep in the same bed, in the first place, Regina?" Emma asked, tears in her eyes.

"I don't know! She wanted to, and I didn't think it would make such a fuss! Anyway, why didn't you come and meet me last night?" Regina asked, hurt.

"I was… with the band. Peter… we shouldn't talk about it, here. Come with me"

Emma grabbed her hand, and Regina felt the butterflies relive in her stomach. She dragged her to their oak, and pretty much like the first time they had kissed, Emma pined her against the tree and lifted her up in her arms, wrapping her legs against her waist. She didn't lose time and immediately began to kiss her. They both moaned, relieved to be together. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Emma parted her lips and buried her head in Regina's neck.

"I thought I had lost you, Gina" she murmured.

Regina hugged her tightly and kissed Emma everywhere she could reach her – in other words, her hair, her forehead, and her neck.

"You haven't lost me, baby" she reassured her. "Now, will you let me down and sit with me, or do you want us to have sex against our tree?" Regina tried to joke.

Emma looked at her, and playfully answered:

"The second option is tempting…"

She gently kissed her, and Regina's heart raced. But Emma immediately withdrawn and sat, smirking. Regina cleared her throat, and conjured the cushions. She then sat between Emma's legs, and created a blanket, protecting both of them from the cold.

"Okay, so will you explain why you weren't there yesterday night?"

"Peter finally managed to transform! He's a rat" she laughed.

"And?"

"And we needed to be sure he could change every time he wanted to and not become human again after that. Because if he does while we're with Remus and Ruby during a full moon, it'll be some kind of a catastrophe, you know? I'm not sure James and Sirius will be able to control two werewolves at the same time, and I couldn't blind them long enough for Peter to escape! Anyway, we needed to train…"

"I see."

They remained silent for a few minutes, and Emma started to kiss Regina's neck again, directly finding Regina's soft spot.

"What are you thinking, baby?" Emma whispered.

"I was wondering what I would transform into if I were an Animagus…" Regina quietly admitted.

"Why don't you try it? I'm sure you'd be an owl just like me! Or a swan maybe…"

Regina laughed.

"And why would I try to change?"

"Well, if you're a bird, we could fly away, just the both of them" contently smiled Emma.

"What if I'm not?" Regina contested.

"You'll be" Emma confidently said.

"Okay, we could try that during the Christmas holidays, then?" Regina suggested.

"Great!" exclaimed Emma. "Plus, I'd have been alone if you hadn't been there!"

"Where will Black be?" asked Regina surprised.

"At James'. He stayed at his place last summer, and his parents loved Sirius." Emma explained.

"I see. Well, it'll be just the two of us at night, and the three of us at daylight, then" Regina enthusiastically said.

"Three of us as in with Severus?" Emma guessed.

"Yeah… I'd like you to really meet him" Regina admitted.

"It'll be an honour, then…" confirmed the blonde girl.

Regina happily kissed Emma.

"We should keep a low profile for the rest of the week… anyway, on Wednesday, it'll be the full moon…" Emma suddenly sadly said.

"Okay… I'll see you in Transfiguration anyway"

Emma laughed and tenderly answered:

"That you will"

They kissed again, and hugged for an hour before deciding to go back to the castle.

The last week passed by quickly. She never saw Emma outside the classes they shared. Lily would hang out with Molly and Ruby, so she didn't see her friend much as well. Severus stayed with her, while Bellatrix got closer to Mulciber and Avery. They often heard conversation between the three Slytherins about becoming Death-Eaters. The name alone sent shivers down Regina's spine.

"What do you think about Death-Eaters?" had asked Regina to her brother.

"I don't know…" he had shrugged.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

"Yes." He had admitted.

"Why?" she had asked disbelievingly.

"Freedom" he had simply answered.

"You won't be free, you'll be at the beck and call of You-Know-Who" Regina had pointed out.

"Maybe so. But I'll be freed from my feelings. Freed from the obligations…"

"Sev, you don't even believe Muggle-borns are inferior"

"I don't. But I can pretend very well…"

"Why would you do that?"

"It's easier to pretend than to actually feel and fight, Regina" he had answered, annoyed.

"Maybe you're right, then…"

"About what?"

"You're not brave enough…" she had answered, disappointed.

Severus had darkened and hadn't answered. Now it was Saturday, and the holidays had begun. The students had left. And Lily hadn't said goodbye…

"I would like you to meet someone, Sev" Regina shyly said.

"Let me guess… Emma" he snored.

Regina blushed and walked to the lake, where Emma was supposed to join them. Severus silently followed and they patiently waited for her to arrive. The afternoon was a little awkward. Regina noticed that the two of them didn't particularly liked each other. She knew her brother couldn't help thinking that she was friends with Potter. The simple fact wasn't helping him to see her worthy of his attention. And Emma must have felt it, because she was a little cold with him. But both of them were civilised, probably for Regina's sakes and never argued. They ate dinner together, with the teachers, and Severus said he needed to sleep.

Emma and Regina furtively returned to their oak.

"So… wanna try the Animagus thing?" joyfully said Emma.

"Sure. What do I have to do, Professor?" Regina smirked.

Emma whispered to a silent Regina what she was supposed to feel for hours. The brunette had closed her eyes, and was trying to focus. But it wasn't working.

"I can't do it" Regina said, discouraged.

"Of course you can!" Emma protested.

"What did I tell you that day that helped you so much?"

Emma blushed and slowly answered:

"You told me to become one with the animal I felt connected with…"

"Okay and this seems embarrassing to you, because…?"

"Because, when I tried to focus on the animal I felt connected with, I… I thought about you and Evan…" Emma murmured.

Regina closed her eyes, and rethought about that day, when Evan had landed on Emma's shoulder. She thought about the way she had felt connected with the both of them. How she had found them beautiful. She thought about Evan being petted by Emma and suddenly felt the desire to be an owl. To be able to fly with her girlfriend. To be free. Emma suddenly screamed and Regina opened her eyes, frightened. She was at Emma's feet. She suddenly realised that she had probably succeeded, and suddenly freaked out. How the hell am I becoming myself again?

She flapped her wings, which freaked her out even more. Emma lowered and took her in her arms gently.

"Hey Gina, calm down. Listen to me. You're scared because you don't know how to control your wings?"

Regina protested. Which came out as a hoot. But Emma seemed to understand her anyway.

"Okay. Then you want to become human again but you don't know how to do that?"

Regina hooted again, positively and relieved Emma had understood.

"Okay" Emma smiled. "It's the easiest part. You just think about yourself. How it feels to have two legs and two arms… Close your eyes, it'll be easier this way" Emma advised her.

Regina did as she was told, and five minutes later, she was herself again.

"Wow!" Emma exclaimed. "I seriously cannot believe it! How the hell did you succeed that during your first try?"

"I've been trying for hours, now!" Regina pointed out.

"Please, I've been trying for years!" Emma answered.

"But nobody helped you" Regina reminded her.

"Are you telling me you succeeded because of me?" Emma asked proudly.

"Of course" Regina laughed "You're seriously a great teacher, Emma…"

Emma beamed, and brought her close to her to kiss her. They made out for several minutes before Emma detached from her.

"I can't believe it, Gina! Do you want to fly with me?" she laughed and fidgeted, almost hysterically.

Regina hugged her, and whispered in her ears:

"I feel like flying every time you kiss me, baby…"

Emma hugged her back tenderly, possessively. Me too, she answered so quietly, Regina almost didn't hear her. They intensely looked at each other, and smiled.

"But I would like to try and fly for real, with you" Regina admitted.

"Then you need some theoretical lessons because we begin the real stuff…"

Emma spent the next two hours explaining to Regina how she was supposed to fly. Regina would never have guessed this would be so difficult. At the end, she felt as if she could fly in her human form. They were laying on the grass, intertwined, Emma talking, Regina listening and both looking at the stars.

"Let's try this?" Regina asked enthusiastically.

"Not tonight, baby. You need to sleep right now. And me too. Plus I feel better to know that you're alone in your dormitory tonight…"

Regina laughed and suggested:

"Maybe you could come sleep with me?"

Emma looked at her from head to toe, and answered suggestively:

"I'm pretty sure that's a terrible idea. We need to wait, remember?"

"We don't need to wait… you just decided we had to…" Regina muttered.

"Baby…" Emma snored, warningly.

"Fine. Let's go to sleep, then. Apart" she added regretfully.

Emma laughed happily and they went back to the castle.

"You really are gifted, Regina" Emma proudly looked at her.

"About the owl thing? Transfiguration is my thing, honey. Remember?"

Emma sniggered and answered:

"How could I forget?"

The pride in her eyes didn't falter and seemed to even grow. Regina felt overwhelmed. They regretfully parted, but kissed goodbye for several minutes.

The following day, Regina had only one thought in her head: flying with Emma for the first time. Severus noticed their agitation, but didn't comment it. Finally night came, and the dinner finished. The two girls ran to their spots, and after an hour, Regina succeeded in transforming again. Emma transformed too. When she hooted, Regina understood mostly what she meant: to follow her lead. Emma opened her wings. Regina did the same. She began to beat her wings slowly first, and then quicker and quicker. She finally slightly bended her legs and gave a hard push, elevating in the air. Regina did the same. It took her several minutes to adapt, and find her balance. She was already exhausted (flying was more physical than she had thought) but didn't want to stop there. Emma hooted, encouraging and congratulating her, and she elevated a little more. Regina followed her, until they were higher than their oak. Regina wanted to laugh. The sensation was amazing. Emma landed at the top of the tree to rest her wings, and the dark owl did the same, relieved. They looked at each other, and Regina pressed her head against the golden owl. Maybe we could look for Evan, she suddenly thought. But she dismissed the thought, wanting to enjoy her time alone with Emma. The latter slowly hooted, silently asking if she was ready to keep on. Regina nodded. She looked straight ahead of her, admiring the moon reflecting on the lake, and opened her wings. And she rushed forward, Emma right behind her.

They had flown all night long. It was breakfast, and Regina was exhausted. They had flown over the castle several times, then over the park and the lake. Regina had never felt so free. The feeling was marvellous and liberating. They had chased after one another for hours, playfully. They had landed at the top of the castle to look at the sunrise. And finally, they had changed back. Regina had felt clumsy for the first minutes, as if she had forgot how to properly walk. She immediately regretted her wings, even though her arms were sore after flying so much. The two girls had only slept a couple hours before breakfast time, and were now falling asleep in their cocoa.

"Girls, what did you do yesterday night to be so exhausted, now?" Severus smirked.

"You have no idea…" Emma muttered.

"I'm sure I have some…" Severus replied, sarcastically.

"Trust me, you're far from the truth, Sev" Regina countered, vaguely amused, but too tired to really care.

"You should go back to sleep…" Severus suggested.

The girls looked at each other, and nodded. They were too sleepy to properly say goodbye, and fell asleep as soon as their heads touched their pillows. Regina woke up at 3 p.m. berating herself for leaving her brother alone. She took a shower and looked for him. She finally found Severus at the library, reading stuff about Dark Magic.

"Why are you reading this?"

"Because nobody teaches it, here" he answered, matter-of-factly.

"Because it's not worth our time" Regina replied.

"How was your night, big sis?" Severus asked, suggestively.

"It's not what your think, silly…" she playfully hit his arm. "We just talked all night long…"

"I see." He simply answered, disbelievingly.

"You're not supposed to doubt your big sister, baby bro"

"You're not supposed to lie to your baby brother, big sis"

Regina couldn't help laughing at his comeback. She didn't answer anything, though. He was right, she was lying, even though he was far from the truth concerning the lying.

"Just be careful, okay?" he suddenly said, concerned.

"Of course. She's really nice, Sev." She answered soothingly.

"If you say so…"

She didn't want to argue, so she remained silent. When they went out in the park, Emma was sitting at the edge of the lake, speaking with Slughorn.

The rest of the holidays was very similar to this. They would meet during the afternoons, fly during the nights, and sleep through the mornings. They didn't offer each other any present at Christmas. They didn't need it. Severus bought Regina a beautiful dress, and the girl offered her brother, a watch with a black leather bracelet. They didn't receive anything from Lily for the first time (the twins sent her a pair of earrings), although her parents sent them a beautiful card and many sweets.

"She's really mad at us" stated Severus, the day before the end of the holidays.

"Yeah… she didn't even send a postcard" Regina deplored.

"Well, maybe she would have liked you to be there with her…" Emma suggested.

"Of course she would have" Severus angrily replied. "It doesn't mean she has to be so sensitive…"

"Well, I don't know her as much as you do, so…" Emma backpedalled.

"Indeed, you don't" Severus interrupted her, meanly.

Emma looked at him, offended, but didn't answer. She remained silent for the rest of the day. That night, she told Regina:

"You know, I get it, it's none of my business what happens with your brother and Lily. But I'd appreciate greatly if he didn't lash out on me…"

"He didn't really lash out… he's just hypersensitive on the subject" Regina tried to explain.

"And again he doesn't have to get mad at me…"

"It's the last day of the holidays…" Regina slowly began.

"So?"

"So I was thinking… does that mean we still pretend that there's nothing between us?"

Emma thought about it for a moment.

"I think it would be best, indeed…"

"Why?" Regina asked, a little angrily.

"Because… the band wouldn't understand. And I don't wanna get into a fight with them, yet. We don't even know if it's gonna work between us…" tactlessly said Emma.

"I see…" Regina darkened.

"Do you?"

"Yeah, it's okay. Will we still meet at sunset?"

"Of course… but we'll have to be extra-careful. They always explore the castle during the night… let's say on Wednesdays and Saturdays?" Emma suggested.

Regina greeted her teeth but nodded. Her life became very strange during the next six months. She turned fifteen on a Thursday, and Emma sent her Evan to wish her a happy birthday. But she didn't properly see her girlfriend for two days. She would see her on Wednesdays and Saturdays but couldn't talk to her besides those stolen nights. Once or twice they crossed Potter and Black's way, but the girls were in their owl forms and they didn't recognise them. Twice the full moon happened during their reserved nights, and Regina didn't get the chance to spend the night with her girlfriend. In March, Emma turned fifteen on a Sunday, and Regina had to wait to properly wish it to her.

But the situation didn't really bother her, during the first four months. Emma made her feel like the only girl in the world every time they were together. She felt loved (even though Emma had never said the three words), and desired (their kisses often becoming so heated that it was hard for them to stop). But in May, when Ruby made a scene during breakfast, Regina realised she couldn't take it anymore. Ruby wanted Emma back. And the whole castle had heard that… even the ghosts knew about it and laughed about it. For days, the only gossips alimenting the corridors was Ruby Lucas' love for Emma Swan. And Regina was sick of it. When she had talked about it with Emma, the blonde girl had dismissed it, saying something like "what we both have is far more important to me than everything I could have with her". She had been relieved for a few moments, but had soon realised that they were just words.

In the meantime, Lily had considerably avoided the twins, and had tried to limit their time together. Severus was hurt because of it, but never complained. However, he fell a little more into his attraction to Dark Magic and never helped Muggle-borns when they were assaulted by Bellatrix, Mulciber or Avery. Either he pretended not to see it, or he bitterly laughed at their misery. Even though Regina knew why he was acting this way, it hurt her to no end.

Bellatrix had stopped "visiting" her. But she had warned her to carefully and wisely choose her side.

"What do you mean?" Regina had asked.

"I mean that working for You-Know-Who would be judicious choice for you…"

"I will never work for him, Bella. You know my opinion about this all. It's not gonna change"

"You really are a fool. You know, I've defended you for years now. I thought you were worth it…"

"Can't we just agree to disagree on the subject?" had replied Regina.

"No, we can't" Bellatrix had soughed. "Not about that…"

"You weren't so closed-minded, before…" Regina had deplored.

"Times change, babe"

"But not always for the better, obviously"

"Depends on the point of view" sniggered Bellatrix, before leaving.

Their friendship had stopped like this. But Bellatrix always greeted her. It was a little colder than before, but it was something at least. The girl Regina had known wasn't dead. On the other hand, Emma and her friends never ceased to be with each other, and their friendship never faltered. Regina felt more and more upset about it. Not only Potter would be detestable with her brother, but he also would steal her girlfriend from her. She was absolutely sure she didn't want her friends to know because of him. She despised the guy even more. Emma seemed happy. She won on all counts. Her friends were always there, and her girlfriend was here when she wanted her. The more Regina thought about, the more unfair she found the whole situation.

She had pretty much lost Lily because of Emma. Her friend had never approved their relationship because she liked Ruby very much. She also had lost Bellatrix when she had stopped their comforting relationship. And even if her brother didn't like Emma much, she had told him about the two of them, and he had accepted it. If he could, why Potter couldn't?

One week before the summer holidays, Regina decided to talk about it with Severus. They were in their common-room, and it was too crowded for anyone to pay attention to them.

"Sev… Emma still doesn't want to talk to her friends about us… we've been together for almost six months, now" she slowly admitted.

Severus looked at her, painfully.

"I know, baby girl" he winced.

"What should I do? Do you think it's… normal in a relationship?"

"I wouldn't know, honey… but for the girl I love, I would be ready to everything. And I wouldn't care about others' opinions, that's for sure"

"Even if the other's opinion was your sister's?" Regina doubtfully asked.

"Your opinion is the most important thing to me, honey. But I also know you love me. You would never want to hurt me… so contradictory, your opinion would be the one I'd fear the least. Plus, you are my sister… Potter and Black aren't related to Emma."

"I need to speak to her, don't I?" Regina asked worryingly.

"I think you do…" Severus answered regretfully.

Regina waited for the very last day to speak to her girlfriend. It was Friday, and they would all go back to their respective homes for the holidays the following day. So Regina had sent Evan to Emma to ask her to meet her at the top of their oak. She had been sitting there for ten minutes, when Emma landed softly and carefully on her shoulder. She hooted lovingly, and pressed her head against Regina's.

"We need to talk" Regina said as coldly as she could.

Emma got settled next to her, and transformed into her human form.

"What is it, baby?" she asked, concerned.

"I can't keep on pretending I'm nothing to you, Emma. I need you to publicly admit our relationship" she whispered.

Emma didn't seem to understand the importance of her request and simply laughed.

"Seriously, Gina? We talked about that a hundred times! I can't. They already know I'm hiding something anyway! They're not dumb, they've noticed I went out without them every Wednesdays and Saturdays…"

"Well then it gives you a good reason to tell them who you're meeting!" angrily said Regina.

"It's not gonna happen, Regina." Emma said with conviction.

Regina looked at Emma for the longest time, with a neutral expression, and Emma started to fidget, ill-at-ease.

"Are you ashamed of me?" she finally asked.

"What? Of course not. I just don't want to make a scene and deal with all the drama. That's all" tried to explain Emma.

"I see. However, you could have thought about this before you kissed me, don't you think?" threateningly replied Regina.

Emma bit her lips.

"I'm sorry, baby. I can't. They're my only friends. They accepted me for who I am. I had never had any friends before them. They're important to me."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, Emma. I thought I was important to you too. I'm not the girl you can whistle and who will come running to you. I'm not a dog. And I thought our relationship was worth more than what you're making it."

She stood up, and regretfully looked at Emma, trying her best to keep the tears out of her eyes. For now.

"I don't want to make you choose between your friends and I. I lo… care too much about you for that. So I'll make it easy for you. It's over. I don't want to be with you, anymore." she whispered.

"WHAT?" Emma screamed, her mouth agape.

She tried to stand up, and grab Regina's hand, but the brunette jumped in the air. Before colliding the ground, she turned into an owl, and flew away. To forget about her shattering heart, she focused on the emotions the flight procured. The sounds. The colours, more vivid in the night than her human's vision. The feeling of her wings flapping in the air. She dismally hooted and the desperation in her cry could have been understood by anyone.

She didn't sleep that night.

In the train, Severus and Regina were alone. Emma didn't try to come see her.

"What do we do, this summer?" Severus asked.

"Lily didn't propose us to go at hers" Regina answered, indifferent.

"But her parents did" Severus reminded her.

"I don't care. You just choose."

"I think we should go at the Evans'. This would allow us to speak with Lily. Plus, we miss her parents. And I know you don't want to see our parents probably as much as I don't want to see them…"

"Okay" Regina shrugged.

The Evans showed them the same affection as always. Regina wore for the first time a mask with them. She pretended to be happy. Happy to see them. Happy to spend the summer with them. But inside, she just felt empty. Shattered. Destroyed.

Although the Evans didn't notice it, Lily and Severus did. They saw the way she looked right in front of her, in order to avoid seeing someone she didn't have the strength to see yet. They saw her stiffened body and tensed posture. They saw her frozen smile and her blank eyes.

So they both silently seized one of Regina's hands. Severus on her right, and Lily on her left. They both squeezed her hands as hard as they could, in order to give her the energy she lacked. They both wore the same mask as Regina. The one of the pretended happiness. But inside, they shared all the misery Regina felt. All her sadness. All her desperation. And they squeezed her hands even harder. Because no matter how different they all were, no matter their issues and their struggles, one thing would never change: their love for each other.

And while the trio wore that mask and held hands, they all remembered what friendship meant.