Chapter 6. The beginning of realisation. Sixth Year.
Regina actually enjoyed her summer. In the train, Emma had showed her some Muggle money (a hundred Euros note), and she had created fifty more of them. Emma had laughed, establishing that it wasn't normal for someone to be that talented, and Regina had felt happy.
They had travelled to Saint Tropez, and Emma had introduced her to August Booth, a thirty-year-old man, rather good-looking. He had immediately authorised her to work with them, especially when Emma had mentioned the fact that Regina was her girlfriend. August knew their ages, and asked them to pretend they were 18 (the legal age in France). However, he didn't know they were witches, and didn't know anything about sorcery. Consequently, they couldn't use magic here. The Ministry would immediately find out if they did.
August gave them a little flat above his kitchens. The establishment was massive. The private beach contained at least two hundreds deckchairs, and besides the kitchens, there were a huge gaming room and a pool for the customers who didn't enjoy sunbathing.
August had given them one week to enjoy their holidays, before beginning the work. He seemed to love Emma very much, and care for her like a big brother. He told Regina he would pay her 500 Euros per week, and that she could keep the tips. She would be a waitress, and bring the drinks to the clients. Regina didn't know anything about the Muggle money. So, during their holiday week, while they enjoyed the beach, the sea and the sun, Emma had explained everything to her.
"Generally, I make at least 300 Euros per week with the tips. The clients here are pretty rich, and not cheap. Which means that we get 800 Euros each week, and we work around 7 weeks."
"So, we'll have 5,600 Euros at the end of the summer" Regina quickly calculated.
"At least. I think we're safe to round it up to 6,000 Euros each"
"Okay… and how much does this represent in Galleons?" Regina asked.
"Almost 2,500" Emma had shrugged.
Regina's mouth fell open.
"I've never had so much money in my entire life!" she exclaimed.
"Well, Muggles are very nice sometimes with paychecks" Emma laughed.
"Thank you…" Regina whispered.
Emma stood up and grabbed her hand before dragging her in the sea where she kissed her. And took advantage of the water to pinch her bottom. They laughed and kissed again. That first week was wonderful. Emma cheered Regina up enough for the brunette not to feel desperate. One night, she was thinking about her brother and Lily, when she suddenly exclaimed:
"Shit, I wanted to learn how to drive this summer!"
Emma came in the bed to lie down next to her, and said:
"It's okay baby! I can ask August if he can teach us"
"But when? We'll work" Regina pointed out.
"Don't worry about that, sweetheart. We'll find time"
She slowly kissed Regina in the neck, temptingly. The brunette instantly closed her eyes.
"You know… we never tried to have sex again, since that last time" Regina murmured.
Emma moaned, licked and bit her pulse point. Regina's breath became erratic. Emma's head raised and she kissed her passionately. They didn't lose time to undress one another, and were soon screaming their pleasure. Regina had forgot how great that sensations were. She couldn't get enough of Emma's fingers deep inside her, and she couldn't get tired of hearing Emma scream her name. Her entire body became a new experiment, and Regina discovered it as if she was discovering a treasure. She searched for every sensitive places. And Emma did the same. It would take time for them to know each other's bodies by heart, but Regina already felt like their second time was even better than the first one. Their lovemaking lasted for hours, and they finally fell asleep just before the sunrise.
When Regina woke up, Emma was there this time. And she was already looking at her.
"Hey" Regina groggily said.
"I didn't wake you, baby?"
"No, you didn't. How long have you been awake?" Regina inquired, a little self-conscious.
"A while." Emma admitted, laughing. "I didn't want to miss a thing!"
"There was nothing to miss, honey. Just me sleeping" Regina replied.
"My point exactly, baby" Emma smiled to her.
"You know, we should receive our results today…" Regina changed the subject.
"Great! How many Outstanding are you expecting?" Emma smirked.
"I'm sure I'll have at least three in Transfiguration, Dark Arts and Charms…" she answered calmly.
"Okay… well I think I'll have one in Dark Arts, too. Besides that, I have no idea" Emma admitted.
"You're hungry?" Regina inquired, gently.
"Always" Emma brightly smiled and stood up.
They were cooking when the two owls arrived. The results were there. Regina opened her letter, vaguely apprehensive, but mostly confident. She had an Outstanding in all the subjects… Emma seemed happy, too. They exchanged their notes, and Regina saw that Emma had two Outstanding (in Dark Arts and in Transfiguration), only one Acceptable in History of Magic and Exceeds Expectations everywhere else.
"Congratulations on your Outstanding in Transfiguration" Regina brightly smiled.
"Thanks to you! They only asked questions you had taught me when McGonagall paired us! Congratulations to you, Regina. You really are the best student of Hogwarts" Emma laughed.
"Severus and Lily probably had great results as well" Regina muttered, heart-broken to think about them.
"Maybe you should write to them? And even if they don't answer right away, you could keep on anyway?" Emma suggested, concerned.
"You're right" Regina sadly smiled.
For the rest of the summer, she wrote one letter per day for both her friends. Every time she sent Evan, who came back only every other days – without any response. She wrote to the Evans once a week as well. And she had responses from them. Both Lily's parents answered her in the same letter. They asked her if everything was okay, and why Lily was mad at the twins. Regina didn't detail the events, but explained the most of the argument. They said they were sorry to hear that, and that it didn't change anything for them. They said they were still very welcome in their houses whenever they needed it. They congratulated her for her results and her job. They kept on writing to her once a week. And their answers were the only ones she got.
They worked hard all summer. But it wasn't too tiring. The clients were indeed nice people. They seemed to already know Emma (some of them at least), and were happy to meet one of her friend. As Emma had predicted it, the fact that she didn't speak French wasn't an issue. Many clients were English and were glad to hear a native speaker. She learnt French anyways, and within two months she understood it, and - a little difficultly - spoke it.
Emma kept her word, and they also learnt how to drive. Regina was mesmerised to see everything the Muggles could do without magic. She enjoyed driving so much, she wished she had a car. Truthfully, she fell in love with this world. She didn't understand why the Muggles were so hated by the wizards.
On the 30th of August, they left Saint-Tropez to go to London. They needed to buy their new books. When they arrived in Diagon Alley, Emma suddenly exclaimed:
"Shit, Gina! We didn't think about the subjects we'll take next year! It's important for our future jobs…"
"Right… what do you want to study?"
Emma thought about it for several seconds before answering:
"Charms, Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions and Herbology"
"If I'm getting things straight, you want to be an Auror?" Regina smirked.
"Yes, I do" Emma answered calmly. "What will you take?"
"The same" Regina smiled.
"You also want to be an Auror?" Emma exclaimed, surprised and delighted.
"No, I don't. But those subjects are my favourite ones… minus for Herbology, but Lily will probably take it…" Regina answered without thinking, before realising what she had just said.
She immediately darkened, feeling stupid for caring so much about the girl. Emma smiled sympathetically and squeezed her hand.
"Anyway, where are we going first?" Regina inquired.
"First, we need to go to Gringotts Wizarding Bank… And exchange our Muggle money" Emma said.
Regina didn't have any bank account, and the Goblins created one for her. It wasn't placed very deep in the ground, they arrived to it in thirty seconds, and Regina was glad to see that Emma's account was two doors away from hers. The Goblins brought their money and left them alone for a few seconds. Regina took 300 Galleons with her, thinking it would be more than enough (considering that she used to only have 50 Galleons to buy her things).
They then bought everything they needed, and didn't hesitate to buy the best products.
"Would you like to buy brooms?" Emma suggested.
"I don't know anything about brooms" Regina vaguely protested.
"Don't be silly, we'll buy the same. We still have 200 Galleons! The Nimbus 1997 just came out, and it's only 150 Galleons!"
"Only 150 Galleons?" Regina asked disbelievingly.
"Come on! We worked for that!" Emma pouted.
"Baby, need I remind you that we don't need brooms to fly?" Regina whispered in Emma's ear.
"But we can't in the daylight" Emma insisted.
Regina glared at her, and Emma dropped the subject.
"Honey, we still have the 5,000 Euros I transformed at the beginning of the summer" Regina suddenly remembered.
"Oh yes! Awesome! We can change the Euros into pounds, and do some shopping in the Muggle shops" Emma proposed.
"We don't need to do that… we already can create those clothes" Regina shrugged.
Emma looked at her as if a second head had grown on Regina's neck.
"What?" the brunette asked defensively.
"You created those clothes?" Emma asked, shocked.
"Of course. I don't have any Muggle clothes" Regina answered, not understanding Emma's point.
"You created the clothes." Emma repeated, for herself.
"Honey, I just said that" Regina replied, annoyed now.
"Even the shoes?" Emma continued.
"Yes, even the shoes, Emma. God, what's wrong with you? It's no big deal!"
"It's a fucking great big deal, Gina! You created cushions, that's something. But creating Muggle clothes is an entire different thing!" Emma exclaimed, impressed.
Regina softened, finally understanding.
"Thank you, baby. But it's really no big deal. I'll learn it to you" she smiled.
"Well, anyway, all this Muggle money, we still can enjoy it! I would like to buy you nice things!" Emma said.
"You want to buy me nice things with the money I created? You're so generous, my love" Regina ironically said.
"And very romantic" Emma laughed.
They spent the rest of the day, and the following one in London streets. Emma bought them so many clothes, she had no idea where she would tidy them. They slept in the Leaky Cauldron for their two nights in London, and Regina suggested on their last night:
"We should rent a car to carry all our things, tomorrow…"
"We need a licence for that" Emma explained to her.
"Didn't August give us one?" Regina asked surprised.
Emma laughed wholeheartedly.
"No baby he can't. The Muggles have to take real lessons, and then pass a test to have a licence." She explained.
"This is stupid! We perfectly drive!" Regina protested.
"Don't worry, my love. We'll take a cab" Emma soothed her, still laughing.
"Stop making fun of me, Emma" Regina said, not really bothered.
"Make me" Emma smiled mischievously.
And like every nights of their summer, the two girls enjoyed one more time their nocturnal activities. They used to fly during the night. Regina realised that making love with Emma felt like flying too. She closed her eyes, and she felt as if she was in thin air, falling, but never crashing. Gravity never applied when Emma was with her.
The following day, they sat in an empty compartment. They were early, and they had many choices of seats. Regina was looking expectantly through the windows.
"Have you written to them the past days?" Emma asked her gently.
Regina nodded negatively her head.
"It's okay, baby. I'm sure they'll come to see you"
Suddenly Regina saw the Evans. Emma noticed them too, and turned to Regina.
"Let's go say hello" the blonde girl, exclaimed.
"I'm not sure, Em" Regina winced.
"What d'you mean you're not sure? Of course, you are! Come on!"
Emma almost dragged her outside the train, and they silently approached the family. Mrs Evans immediately saw them, and beamed. Mr Evans too once he realised who his wife was smiling to. Lily's face was impassive. Her parents came to her and hugged her tightly.
"Hello, dear. How are you?" Mrs Evans asked warmly.
"I'm okay" she shyly answered.
"How are you, Emma?"
"I'm fine" Emma smiled to her, shaking their hands.
Regina turned to Lily and said hi, smiling. Lily returned the word and the smile. But it was a cold one. Not the ones Regina was used to seeing on her face.
"Did you receive my letters?" Regina asked, not smiling anymore.
The mood shifted from light and embarrassed to heavy and awkward.
"Yes, I did" Lily answered, calmly.
"But you didn't think it'd be appropriate to answer" Regina stated coldly.
"I didn't find the time" Lily answered, her tone icy.
"Of course you didn't. Looks like politeness doesn't run in the entire family" Regina ironically answered.
"Sorry I took my driving test" Lily replied, angrily.
Regina laughed humourlessly and answered.
"I took it too, Lily. And I worked. And I cooked. And I took care of my girlfriend. But I still found time to think of you, and write…"
Her look wasn't angry. Her tone wasn't either. But she was hurt and disappointed. Lily bit her lips, and blushed. Mrs Evans took Regina in her arms.
"How was your work, sweetie?"
"It was… necessary. Thanks to Emma, we made money. I even learnt a bit of French" Regina smiled.
"We're glad. Thank you, Emma" Mr Evans said.
Emma nodded politely, but her eyes were focused on Lily. Regina felt really awkward, now. She excused herself, and said she had to go back to the train. The Evans tried to hold her back, but she insisted and they let her go. She thought Emma would be right behind her, but when she arrived in their compartment, her girlfriend wasn't there. Through the window, she saw her talking with Lily. The latter didn't seem to talk much, though. She was listening. And the Evans looked coldly at their daughter. Regina was astonished. Suddenly, Emma came back to the train. When she saw Regina looking at her from the train, she smiled apologetically at her, and hurried.
"What did you tell her?" Regina calmly asked her once she sat next to her.
"My way of thinking" Emma gently replied.
"It could have waited tonight. You're sleeping in the same room" Regina remarked.
"But I wanted her parents to hear it too" Emma shrugged. "Look, Regina. The way she's treating you… it's not acceptable, you know? I understand that she's pissed. Your brother's becoming a Death-Eater, and she's angry. But he's not you, she shouldn't be associating you two" Emma explained.
Regina looked coldly at her girlfriend.
"You're wrong" she stated.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked surprised.
"The only thing that Lily did correctly was to associate us. No matter what my brother does, he's my blood. I don't care about it. And I'll take his side no matter what. If she doesn't want to speak to him anymore, she might as well not speak to me" Regina said, icily.
"How can you say that? He didn't gave a damn about you for the entire summer! You could have died, he wouldn't have known it! Have you even heard about You-Know-Who?" Emma replied, truly shocked.
"Of course, I did" Regina shrugged, haughtily.
"Then, how can you not condemn your brother's behaviour?" Emma asked, angry.
"I do not wish to speak about that anymore, Emma."
"You realise that in five years from now, your brother will be the kind of guy I'll be chasing and arresting if I become an Auror, right?" Emma kept on anyway.
"Well, good luck with that" Regina replied, smirking.
Emma looked at her, flabbergasted. She didn't speak for the longest time, and seemed lost in her thoughts. Even when Regina saw her brother and tensed, Emma didn't take her hand, nor spoke to her. But Regina didn't want to apologise. Severus had been her world since they were babies. Of course she wouldn't stand against him.
He saw her too, and jogged towards the train. When he entered their compartment, Regina stood up. He smiled at her, and took her in her arms, hugging her closely.
"Why didn't you answer my letters?" she asked.
"I couldn't, baby. I'm sorry." He apologetically answered.
"Where were you?"
"At Lucius'. With some of his friends" he murmured.
"Death-Eaters?" Emma interrupted them.
Severus freed his sister and calmly sat in front of Emma. He invited his sister to sit next to him, and hugged her with one arm. She happily rested her head on his shoulder, relieved.
"As a matter of fact, yes. Death-Eaters" he answered challengingly.
"This is why you couldn't answer me?" Regina inquired.
"Yeah… they're not exactly the family type" Severus winced.
"Because you are?" Emma snored, disbelievingly.
Severus coldly and haughtily looked at her.
"Em, be nice" Regina interfered.
"Tell me something, Snape. What if your sister had been in danger? What if something wrong had happened to her? How would you have known?" Emma kept on.
"She wrote to me every other day, Swan. I knew she was fine" he coldly replied.
"What if she had not?"
"Never mind, it's okay, I'm fine. Please, Emma. Anyway, what about your OWLs, Sev?" Regina asked.
"Same results as you. Straight O." he smugly answered.
Regina beamed, exclaiming "I knew it". Emma was looking at her, shocked.
"We made loads of money this summer, Sev! I've opened a bank account, you can have the keys too, if you want to!" Regina added.
"Don't worry about the money, Gin. You-Know-Who is taking care of his friends' families"
Regina frowned and Emma's eyes widened.
"You know him?" they simultaneously asked.
"I actually do. He was very interested when he saw my grades to be honest" Severus answered.
"What about Lily, Sev?" Regina murmured.
His face darkened, and became impassive. He gritted his teeth.
"What about her?" he slowly replied.
"She's a Muggle-born" Regina shyly stated.
"I'm aware of that. She'll be protected. Don't worry about her"
"Is this why you wanna be a Death-Eater? To protect Lily?" Emma asked ironically.
Severus didn't answer the question, and kept on speaking with his sister. The more they talked, the more Emma's features darkened. Regina noticed it, and she soon sat on her girlfriend's knees. Emma opened her legs and settled her in between, hugging her from behind. Regina sighed contently, and her brother smiled fondly at her sister's obvious happiness. But Emma's eyes were shooting daggers at Severus, behind Regina.
"With your results, my dear Regina, you could easily become the Minister of Magic in five years!" Slughorn enthusiastically said.
It was the first day of school, and she was in a meeting with her Headmaster to figure out which subjects she would choose. Surprisingly, Dumbledore had insisted to assist her meeting. And she was now facing the two men, without knowing what to say.
"I'm not attracted to politics at all, Professor" she gently replied.
"You need ambition, Regina" he replied fondly but severely. "What are you attracted to?"
"I don't know yet, Professor. But I worked for Muggles this summer, and I enjoyed it greatly"
Slughorn winced. Dumbledore chuckled and smiled fondly at her.
"You obviously amuse Albus as much as you entertain me, Regina. But you need to choose a concrete job…" Slughorn persisted.
"I thought I would keep on with my favourite subjects" Regina shyly said.
"What are they?" Dumbledore asked, still smiling.
"Erm, Transfiguration. The Dark Arts, Charms, Potions and Herbology, Professor"
"So you don't exclude the possibility of becoming an Auror" Slughorn beamed, delighted.
"I don't, but I don't think I want to be an Auror" Regina answered, blushing.
The truth was, she knew what Severus would be doing in a few years, and she would never want to be opposed to him in any way. Dumbledore looked at her knowingly. She was fed up with his obvious omniscience, and she regained the confidence she had lacked since she had been back with Emma.
"And if I want to work with the Muggles later, I really don't understand what would be wrong with it" she told Slughorn, angrily.
"Nothing would be wrong…" the fat teacher muttered.
"Because they're very kind and surprisingly intelligent considering the fact that they don't have magic" Regina added, haughtily.
Dumbledore smiled at her, again. She didn't get what she had said that could have pleased him, but the man obviously was anyway.
"And what does Severus want to do, Regina?" Slughorn suddenly asked.
"I don't know, Professor" Regina answered impassively.
"Didn't you talk about it?"
"We weren't together, this summer"
"Why is that?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"He wanted to spend the summer with his friends. And I wanted to spend it with my… friend" Regina hesitated on the last word.
"Lily?" Slughorn asked, curious.
"Emma" Regina couldn't help smiling at the name.
Dumbledore discreetly chuckled.
"Oh yes, I heard you were… very close" Slughorn suggestively giggled.
Regina raised her eyebrows at the men. Who do they think they are, she angrily thought.
"Well, Regina" Dumbledore began, very serious again, "I'm looking forward to seeing your results next year. And I can only encourage you with the subjects you chose."
"Yes, me too" Slughorn added, still smiling brightly.
She didn't answer, and exited the room. Emma was already waiting for her.
"Something wrong, honey?" she asked, concerned when she noticed Regina's mood.
"They insinuated something about us" Regina angrily replied.
To her surprise, Emma laughed.
"What's so funny about it? Am I the only one who doesn't get it?"
"That's not it, baby. Just think about the conversations our teachers must have when they drink their teas." Emma chuckled.
"I fail to see the funny fact" Regina coldly replied.
"Don't you find it entertaining to know that they also gossip on their students?"
Regina smirked.
"My point exactly. Imagine McGonagall's head when she heard that we were dating" Emma giggled.
Regina took Emma's hand, still walking.
"Well, maybe we could give them more things to gossip about" Regina suggested mischievously.
"And what do you have in mind exactly, Regina?" Emma playfully asked.
"I don't know… you could kiss me right here, right now. Just like the first time you kissed me" Regina said still smirking.
"I don't see any trees around" Emma pointed out.
"But I see many walls…"
Emma sneered, and pinned her immediately against a wall, Regina putting her legs round Emma's waist, and encircling her arms around her neck. Emma's hands fell on her thighs.
"Well, that's better, Swan. Now ki…" Regina whispered against Emma's mouth, but she was interrupted by a kiss.
Moments later, it became more and more heated, and she vaguely heard someone clearing their throats. Emma parted from her, and started to angrily say, while turning around, but never letting go of Regina:
"Hey buddy, take a walk, o…"
She froze when she saw Dumbledore and Slughorn watching them.
"Fuck" she whispered, finally letting go of the brunette. Emma was blushing, and Regina smirked.
"My dear girls, please hold yourselves back" Slughorn chuckled.
The two teachers smiled at them and left. Regina kept smirking.
"Well, now they'll have great gossips" Regina whispered, joyfully.
Emma looked at her disbelievingly and laughed out loud.
The months passed rather uneventfully. Many students had dropped school after their results. Bellatrix was gone. Severus told Regina that she was now a Death-Eater. You-Know-Who was very fond of her, and had taken her education himself, saying that she had a great potential. Many Slytherins had fled the castle, such as Avery and Mulciber. And when Regina had asked her brother why he had decided to stay, he had simply answered that he wanted to graduate with her. She suspected him to have doubts. Plus he probably wasn't ready to let Lily go.
Surprisingly, Lily stopped being so distant with the twins. She greeted them politely, and often smiled to them. But it wasn't the same anymore and Regina knew that something was broken with her forever. But she also knew how much her brother was important to her. She didn't approve his choices, and tried to dissuade him, but she couldn't stop talking to him, as Lily had been able to.
She shared almost all her classes with the Gryffindors, except for Botany and Charms. Mr Gold seemed fonder of the twins. Especially Regina. He insisted on giving them private lessons during which they could extend their powers, and the Snapes had accepted. Regina was very conflicted about her feelings. She didn't know if she liked these lessons (for they gave her the impression that she was indeed powerful) or hated them. She sometimes felt as if she didn't have a say in the matter, and wasn't free anymore. It was as if Gold waited something from them, and he hadn't told yet what it was. She felt like a pawn in the teacher's great scheme and she hated it.
Things with Emma were as perfect as before. They would meet at night and do whatever they wanted to do. Once a month, they would cross Lupin, Pettigrew, Potter and Black. They were then transformed into animals, and weirdly, they were far more interesting than when they were humans. Regina was surprised to be okay with them when they all were unhuman. She even surprised herself having fun with them. She would tease them, pinching them while flying (not Pettigrew, though, she would have killed him without meaning to), and they would try to playfully catch her. They never succeeded, of course. But she found herself appreciating the big dog, the deer and the werewolf a little more than she would have suspected.
Potter hadn't stopped flirting with Lily. And Regina had to admit that he seemed to have changed during the past summer. He seemed less full of himself, and a little more respectful. Things with Severus were as tense as before, though. Severus had gained a little more self-confidence with the Death-Eaters, and he wouldn't hesitate to attack Potter and Black every time he crossed their ways. And the fights were far more balanced now, even though Black and Potter were two against her brother. Regina noticed how much Severus had improved in duels, and she suspected Voldemort to be the cause of it. She was glad Severus didn't need her to defend himself anymore, but she wasn't sure she liked the change either. Emma still didn't like Severus. Her brother was actually the only issue they would argue about.
It was nearly the Christmas holidays, now. And Emma and Regina were preparing for the Slug's party. Their teacher had invited many celebrities this time. A great champion of Quidditch, the Minister of Education, and a famous writer. The girls weren't really impressed with them, but they were eager to see if it could give them new perspectives for their future. Emma was in Regina's bedroom to change. And once again, the brunette couldn't take her eyes off of Emma's body.
"Stop that" Emma chuckled, her back turned on Regina.
"Stop what?" Regina answered innocently.
"Stop staring at my ass"
"I can't. Plus, I know you love it" Regina smirked.
Emma turned around, and faced Regina who was sitting on her bed.
"You know Regina, you have a dirty mind" she teasingly said, slowly approaching the brunette.
"I'm pretty sure you dirtied it with your body, Emma" Regina calmly answered, although her eyes had darkened.
Emma sensually straddled Regina's knees, and began to bit her neck. Regina moaned.
"You naughty girl" Emma whispered in her ear.
They were about to kiss when one of Regina's roommates entered the room. They parted, finished to dress up, and silently exited the dormitory. Regina was wearing a very tight (and short) leather skirt, and a red shirt that emphasised perfectly her cleavage. Her heels made her look like an adult, and her make-up like a femme fatale. Emma wore a beautiful suit, which gave her a masculine touch, even though the feminine side couldn't be denied. She even had a loosen tie, and Regina couldn't stop staring at her girlfriend, completely mesmerised by her. Emma herself looked as if she was about to jump on the brunette at every corner of every corridors they passed through.
When they arrived, the room was full. But as soon as Slughorn saw his two students, he ran to them, and dragged them to meet the Minister of Education, Rufus Scrimgeour.
"It is nice to meet you. Horace spoke a lot about you two" the man politely said.
"Nice to meet you too, sir" Emma responded, shaking his hand.
Regina didn't answer but smiled back, nodding.
"So tell me. What year are you in, now?"
"Sixth" Emma answered.
"Did you have good results at your OWLs?" he enquired.
Slughorn chuckled and interfered.
"Of course they did, Rufus. You know me, don't you? Emma here passed all her subjects, and even had two Outstandings. Regina had Outstandings in all her subjects" proudly explained Slughorn, as if he was the one who had the results.
Scrimgeour's eyes stopped on Regina.
"Impressive. I think Albus is the last one who had that kind of results, isn't he?"
"My brother had them, too. Sir." Regina interrupted Slughorn, who was about to answer.
"Is that so? Where is your brother?" Scrimgeour asked, more and more interested.
"Severus, come here, my boy" Slughorn shouted towards her brother.
He reluctantly walked to them, and quizzically looked at Regina. She shrugged and rolled her eyes, which made Emma snore. Severus smirked and politely asked:
"You called me, Professor?"
"Indeed, my boy. Please, meet Rufus, the Minister of the Education. Rufus, this is Severus, Regina's twin brother."
"You don't really look alike" the minister pointed out.
Severus' face darkened.
"We actually don't. I'm sorry, Professor, I've seen one of my friend, I would like to talk to him" Severus answered.
He didn't add anything else, and left, without any other look at the Minister and without waiting for an answer. Regina felt furious at the old man. Who did he think he was for saying such things? Severus went to the buffet and started eating, not even bothering to pretend to speak to someone. Regina smirked.
"Looks like I offended your brother. I'm sorry this wasn't my intention" Rufus apologetically said, although Regina could tell that he didn't really think it.
"I can assure you… Sir… that he's not the only one offended. If you'll excuse me" Regina coldly answered.
Scrimgeour seemed flabbergasted and Slughorn's eyes were bulging. She left, and joined her brother.
"Don't listen to him, Sev. We are very much alike" Regina tried to soothe her brother.
"No, we're not, Gina. But it's okay, don't worry about me." He bitterly smiled.
"You really think that? Seems to me we have many things alike. Aren't we the two only students who had straight Os?" Regina smirked.
"He wasn't talking about our brains, sis" Severus replied.
"I know what he was talking about. But he's wrong. We have the same black eyes. The same height. At least when I wear my heels. And the same hair."
"Please, baby. First, yes we have the same eyes, but yours are hypnotising while mine are cold. As for the hair…" he chuckled darkly and without humour.
Regina didn't know what to answer to that. So to soothe her brother's pain, she hugged him and held him tight. They then smiled at each other, and drank some wine, enjoying an innocent banter. Emma joined them a few minutes later.
"The Minister is highly interested in you two" she brightly informed them.
"Really?" Severus asked. "We weren't that much polite" he snored.
"True. I think you impressed him" Emma explained.
"I don't really care, to be honest. This party sucks. Don't you want to go out, Em?" Regina asked.
"Sure baby. Let's go" Emma beamed.
"Sev, will you join us?" Regina gently offered.
"No, thank you. I have some things to do" he smiled back at his sister.
The two girls left the party, and went to their tree, trying their best not to be discovered.
"James and Sirius are leaving tomorrow. Just like the rest of the band" Emma informed the brunette.
"So?" Regina replied, uninterested.
"So, it'll be just the two of us for a week" Emma beamed.
"The three of us…" gently remarked Regina.
Emma's face darkened and she didn't answer.
"Why don't you like my brother?" Regina asked, annoyed.
"You know why. And you don't want us to speak about it" Emma answered in the same kind.
"Well, now I want us to speak about it!" Regina replied.
"Voldemort has killed a father of three child two days ago. Because he was a Muggle-born. He also killed three Aurors last week, because they wouldn't surrender to him. Rumour has it that he wants to list all the Muggle-borns and take their wands from them. All of this just seems okay to you?" Emma vehemently said.
"He can't do that, Emma. He'd need to be part of the Ministry…" Regina weakly answered.
"You perfectly know he already is… if not by himself, he has spies in it." Emma interjected.
"What do you want me to say?" Regina asked, angrily.
"I want you to admit that your brother's a jerk, and that you'll fight Voldemort. Not only because it's the right thing to do, but because it's the only thing to do" Emma calmly stated.
Regina took her time to answer that. She looked at her fingers, and didn't make eye-contact with Emma. She then spoke, slowly.
"I will never fight him frontally. I am against all those things that are happening. I don't understand them. I hate it all. But if I do anything against Voldemort openly, my brother will be in trouble. Or Voldemort will ask Severus to kill me. And we'll both die. I'll always protect my brother, no matter what. Because he's not a jerk."
Emma looked at her through all her speech, and didn't interrupt her. But when she saw that Regina was done, she said gently and reassuringly:
"He's not the only one you have to be scared about. He's not the only one who needs your protection"
"But he's the only one who shares my blood" Regina pointed out.
Emma shrugged and lowered her head, defeated.
"I don't want to argue about it anymore, Em. You know my point of view, and you know I can't do anything about it" Regina said, taking Emma's hand in her own.
"I know. But you also know why I can't stand him, now. And I will eventually fight him…"
Regina's heart broke while thinking about it. Her love against her brother. The thought alone brought tears to her eyes.
"Anyways" Regina tried to change the subject. "We'll have a whole week for us, then!"
"We will" Emma painfully smiled.
"What do you want to do, baby?"
"I really need to work a little. If you want to help me out, it'd be greatly appreciated" Emma answered.
"Of course" Regina beamed.
"What's your favourite colour?" Emma asked suddenly and out of the blue.
"Red and violet" Regina laughed. "What's yours?"
"Blue" Emma answered, smiling.
"Ok. My turn. Your favourite animal?" Regina continued.
"Duh." Emma answered playfully.
"Owls?" Regina guessed.
"Tigers!" Emma corrected.
Regina laughed again.
"Your favourite name?" Emma asked.
"Male of female?"
"Female"
"Yours" Regina smiled, fondly.
Emma beamed.
"And male?"
Regina thought about it for a second before answering:
"Henry"
"Henry?" Emma was surprised. It was an old name and she wouldn't have thought about it.
"Yeah… when we were children, our parents would beat us. One time, Severus and I were five, they broke my brother's nose. We were in the woods, trying to fix it. And he was crying because he was suffering. And I didn't know what to do. And a man heard our cries. He came, found us and soothed us. Then, he magically healed Severus. And he entertained us with magic for the whole afternoon, making us forget about home. We already knew about magic, but our parents never had done that kind of things for us. We were both mesmerised by him. At the end of the afternoon, he told us to go back home, and to take care of us. He didn't dare accompany us. When I think about it again, I think he probably was a coward, too weak to face our parents, but kind enough not to let two kids alone. He was leaving when I asked his name…" Regina explained, lost in her thoughts.
"Henry" Emma guessed.
"Henry" Regina confirmed, smiling.
"Did you see him again?" Emma inquired.
"Never. But his memory never left us. He's been the first adult and probably the only one before the Evans to treat us correctly and kindly."
Emma squeezed Regina's hand and said, smiling:
"Henry's a nice name"
"What's your favourite name?" Regina asked.
"Well, Regina, of course. And for a guy… I dunno. Guys never been very nice with me when I was a kid. And I don't like James, Sirius, Peter or Remus that much!" Emma laughed.
Regina laughed with her. She then kissed her deeply. And they resumed their nocturnal activities, losing one another in each other. The bliss procured by their love-making was comparable to no other, and Regina finally understood that she was becoming addicted to it. She now needed Emma like a drug. And the thought wasn't even frightening.
The night before Christmas, the couple decided to celebrate it early, intimately, just the two of them. Regina offered Emma a Nimbus 1997. The blonde girl was so happy, that Regina thought it was worth it just to see that kind of reaction. Emma offered her a beautiful Dior (Regina supposed it was a rather expensive Muggle brand) red dress, and a pair of matching heels. And let's be honest… the physical thanks didn't hurt.
On the morning, while Regina returned to her dormitory to clean and dress, she found her brother in the common room, waiting for her.
"Hey sweetie" he greeted her, smiling.
"Hey baby bro" she answered enthusiastically.
"I wanted to offer you something…"
He raised his hand and opened his fist. Regina saw the bracelet she had given him back the year before.
"I kept it. I thought we should never forget what we shared with Lily. As painful as it is now, it's still beautiful. She's still part of our family…"
This brought tears to Regina's eyes, and she couldn't answer anything. So she took the bracelet, and let her brother attached it.
"And I also thought that we should have our own bracelet." Severus kept on.
He took a black bracelet in his pocket and said:
"It's enchanted. Anytime you'll be unsafe or harmed, I'll know it, and feel where I can find you… and I also added a little swan on it which will turn red every time you need me" he explained. "Just think about it, and I'll be with you"
Regina chuckled while crying, and hugged her brother. She whispered her thanks, unable to properly speak. Several minutes passed and she finally said:
"You have no idea how much that means to me."
"I do. I'm waiting for you to create mine, though" he teasingly smiled.
"Give me two hours, and I'll offer you yours!" she enthusiastically answered.
In the afternoon, it was done. She offered it to him. And she had another present: a brown owl.
"Oh my God, it's beautiful, Gina! Is it for me?" he asked, disbelievingly.
"It is. She's supposed to be your Christmas present! Now, you have your hind bracelet, and your owl! And you'll have no excuse not to write to me, if I ever ask you to!" she laughed. "What will you call her?" she eagerly asked.
He thought about it for a moment and finally answered:
"I want to name her Lola. It suits her"
"Well, looks like Evan has a new sister, then. We should introduce them!" Regina brightly smiled.
"There's something I'd like to show you first!" Severus interrupted her.
He sent Lola to the aviary and dragged his sister to the park. He then used the Accio spell to bring a bird to him. The animal landed in his hand, and he petted it to comfort it.
"I created a new spell" he slowly explained. "But I still haven't any counter-spell and I need your help"
"What's the spell about?" apprehensively asked Regina.
"Sectumsempra" Severus said, clearly.
Immediately, the bird began to bleed. Regina noticed that huge and deep cuts were appearing everywhere on its body and she began to cry.
"Stop it, Sev! It's just a bird!" she begged her brother.
"I don't know how to stop it" he answered, uncomfortable.
Regina took the bird from her brother's hands, and lied it on the grass. She kneeled next to it, and took her wand. She focused on her feelings, and her desire to make it stop, to save the bird. And words fell from her mouth effortlessly, as she stopped the bleeding and the cuts. Severus was laughing now.
"You're incredible, Gina! I've been working on a counter-spell for months and you just came here and found it in seconds!" he enthusiastically exclaimed.
"For months?" she cringed. "How many birds did you kill?"
He winced and didn't answer.
"They're just animals, for fuck's sakes! What had they done to you?" she screamed, shocked, pained and raging.
He didn't answer anything once again, but looked mortified. Regina shook her head, and groaned.
"Fuck Sev. I really don't understand you, sometimes."
She then left, leaving her brother alone.
She found Emma in the library, studying. She sat next to her silently, and opened the first book she found on the table. Emma didn't ask any question, and she felt grateful for that.
By the end of the holidays, Severus had apologised several times. And as per usual, Regina had forgiven him. She just couldn't be angry at him more than a few days… and even a few days were hard for her. The classes resumed. Emma and Regina sometimes argued about Severus, but everything besides that fact was perfect between them.
Lily still wouldn't speak to them, but she was clearly closer to James' band. James had considerably changed his attitude. He wasn't the arrogant boy she had known anymore. His hatred towards her brother hadn't changed, but Regina believed that it had something to do with Severus' own attitude and the fact that he had hurt Lily. Even though he had never wanted to.
Regina was more and more conflicted with the path she should follow in her future. She, of course, read the newspapers every morning. And what she read was dreadful. She hated Voldemort with all she got. As much as she loved Severus more than her life. What would she do later? This question was eating her alive when she was alone. She was completely lost.
Emma was considerably improving in all her classes. The teachers noticed it, and never failed to congratulate her. They would look at Regina appreciatively as though it was thanks to her. But the brunette knew that she had little to do with her girlfriend's results. Emma was drowned in her work because she had a goal in her head. She wanted to be an Auror, and McGonagall had pointedly encouraged her at the beginning of the year.
Severus was as brilliant as always. But his dark thoughts showed. The closer Lily would become to James, the more Severus would fall into the Dark Arts. Regina understood. He was still in love with her. And probably nothing would change his feelings. His only escape was dark magic. And Regina couldn't blame him for that… she probably would react the same way. They were twins, after all.
As for Lily, all the teachers loved her. She was a very good student. Her attitude was always perfect. Her smile never left her mouth. And she had grown to be a beautiful woman. Nobody could deny that, and Regina certainly wouldn't.
Severus, Lily, Emma and Regina were now seventeen. For their two birthdays, the girls had flown the entire day on Emma's broomstick, and the whole night in their animalistic forms – or at least, a part of the night. Regina had loved every second of those two days, and even though they could seem like their habits, they were entirely different. Regina would never forget the way Emma's eyes shined when Regina made her laugh. The way they would moister when Regina told her how much she loved her. The way they would darken when Regina kissed her. Those two nights, Regina completely lost count of how many orgasms Emma gave her. And she also lost count of how many times Emma screamed her name. They didn't sleep at all. And while the sun rose in the February sky, neither of the girls saw it. Regina's eyes were closed, focused on her building orgasm… and Emma's head was between the brunette's thighs. Regina was begging Emma to make her come – the latter softly torturing her – and both of them were completely oblivious to the risks that anyone could see them now. And as Regina finally came hard in her mouth, Emma thought to herself that she had never lived a happier birthday. Then, they both realised it was morning.
"Fuck" Emma groaned.
"Good fuck, though" Regina smirked.
"Best fuck" Emma broadly smiled, while hurryingly dressing up.
"Not that you could compare with any other" Regina pointed out.
"I don't need to compare. No one could ever best you" Emma lovingly smiled at her girlfriend.
Regina smiled back, and passionately kissed Emma. They were now fully clothed, and it could appear as though they had just gone out of the castle for a morning walk. But their hands started to roam again, and the desire, never faltering, showed up one more time.
"We really need to stop, baby" Emma moaned, between two kisses.
"I know" Regina answered in the same tone.
"I can't wait for this summer" Emma chuckled lightly.
"Why?"
"Because then, we won't have to hide anymore. And we will be able to make love all day long. And all night long"
"And we'll have to work, too" Regina reminded the blonde girl, smirking.
"That's just a detail, honey. We can make love between our shifts. In the kitchens. Or in the water. Or in…"
Emma was interrupted by Regina's lips. Their eyes still opened, they both could read the passion, the lust, and the infinite love that was passing through them. And it didn't help to stop. Regina jumped on her girlfriend, and rounded her legs around Emma's waist. They were loudly moaning in each other's mouths, when they were interrupted by chuckles.
"My, my, girls. Get a room." Potter laughed.
"You blinded me for life" Sirius complained, smirking.
"Piss off, guys." Emma angrily said, blushing.
"We need to talk to you, Wingy!" James seriously said.
Wingy was the idiot nickname the band had given to Emma. Regina hated it. It sounded so common, when her girlfriend was so extraordinary.
"What is it, Prongs?" Emma asked, annoyed.
Sirius looked pointedly at Regina, still embraced in Emma's arms, and the brunette took it as her cue to leave. She turned her face back to Emma, and whispered:
"I'll see you later, my love."
"I love you" Emma murmured.
"You too" Regina smiled.
They tenderly kissed (as much as they could tenderly kiss, which meant that it was a little less heated than before, not to wake their desire again… or not more than necessary anyway), and Emma let go of Regina's legs. They smiled at each other one last time, and Regina left. When she entered the Great Hall, Severus was already there and eating. Regina joyfully joined him.
"You seem very gay, this morning" Severus smirked.
"I'm pretty sure I've been gay my whole life" Regina said, nonchalantly.
Severus sniggered, and so did his sister.
"How was Emma's birthday?" Severus inquired gently.
"Great. Magical. Tiring" Regina fondly smiled.
"I see. Did you sleep at all?"
"Absolutely not"
Severus laughed again.
"You really are one of a kind"
"I'm your twin, baby bro" Regina pointed out.
"That you are" chuckled Severus. "Where's Emma, anyway? Asleep in the woods?"
"With Potter and the band" Regina shrugged.
Severus grunted in acknowledgement. Then he changed the subject:
"By the way, Bella wrote to me yesterday. She says hi to you"
Regina winced but didn't answer.
"Do you want me to send your greetings back?" Severus continued.
"That won't be necessary…" Regina grunted.
"Why not?" Severus asked, shocked.
"You know how I feel about Death-Eaters" Regina murmured.
Severus' face closed but he didn't say anything. Indeed he knew…
The end of the year arrived quicker than Regina had expected. Regina, Emma and Severus successfully learned how to apparate and disapparate, and got their license at the first try. Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup as always. And Slytherin won the House Cup. As always. Regina and Severus' results were perfect, and Emma and her band's were almost perfect, too. The day before the holidays, Regina was sitting near the lake with Severus, and waiting for Emma to join her. Severus suddenly said:
"I don't know your plans for the summer, but I thought we could maybe go back home"
"What do you mean by home?" Regina frowned.
"I mean at our parents'" Severus calmly explained.
"Why?" Regina asked, shocked.
"Because we are of legal age, now. We can defend ourselves with magic if they're violent. And because I would like to check up on them. See if we really can't be close to them… if we have to definitely erase them from our lives" Severus struggled to justify.
"I see…" Regina murmured.
"You think it's a bad idea…" Severus affirmed.
"Not at all. I… I think I agree" Regina stammered.
"But?"
"But Emma will be disappointed…" Regina said.
Severus winced and remained silent, staring at his feet.
"You will always come first, you know?" Regina reassured her brother.
He looked at her, surprised. And then his face lit up with a bright smile. She smiled back at him, fondly. No words needed to be said.
That last night, Regina explained to Emma why she wouldn't go to Saint-Tropez this year. It didn't go well…
"What do you mean you have to see your parents? Why don't you erase them already? They're jerks!"
"Maybe they've changed! I haven't seen them in four years!" Regina exclaimed.
"That's maybe for a reason! They haven't even tried to write to you" Emma objected.
"I have to know, Em" Regina tried to soothe her.
"Will it always be like that between us? Will you family always come first even if they're not here for you when you need them?" Emma angrily asked.
Regina bit her lips. The answer to that question was yes. But it was difficult for Regina. Her heart was torn between reason and love. From one side, Severus had always been there for her when they were children. This kind of love couldn't be denied. On the other hand, Regina had never loved anyone as much as she loved Emma. And no one else could move her like Emma did. However, Severus was her blood. And Regina knew that nothing could ever destroy that. While her relationship with Emma… no one could know for sure if it wasn't just a fling or a silly love story which wouldn't last. And Regina had always been a rational type of person.
"I see" Emma dejectedly said.
She then turned around and left. Regina tried to make her stay, but the blonde girl didn't listen. She refused to talk to her at breakfast, and in the train, the next day. When Regina left King's Cross with her brother, she looked one last time at Emma, but the girl pointedly averted her eyes. Regina cried on her way back home. And Severus silently comforted her. She hadn't even said goodbye to Emma.
TBC