A/N: Thank you ForeverTeamEdward13, .2017, and lojosmom for your reviews! I love it when you guys comment on the story :)

The theme song to this chapter is: Coming Down by the Dum Dum Girls. Check it out.

One thing Slytherins enjoyed more than holding a grudge, was the humiliation of blood-traitors and muggles. Regulus found himself back on top, with his Slytherin classmates—especially his male classmates—who congratulated him on stealing his brother's girlfriend and making a fool out of the 'filthy blood-traitor'. The shaggy haired boy tried to explain his actions to Lucienda, but she was too distraught and embarrassed to hear it. It wasn't until Emma Vanity showed Lucienda her debut in Young Witches to Watch, that the brunette witch felt any sort of victory. Lucienda was just collateral damage.

Regulus embraced his reacceptance into Slytherin society thinking that it would benefit Arielle as well. He sat anxiously in the common room counting the minutes until it was time to meet Arielle in the astronomy tower. He knew she was probably freaking out. Her obsession with her social status was an inherited trait; all pureblood elite families were a little self-obsessed, his own included. Over the years, Arielle had managed to inexplicably associate her popularity with her self-worth. During her first year at Hogwarts, Arielle was able to boss anyone and everyone around, her little gang of first year Gryffindors always carrying out her orders. However, once her brother graduated, Arielle struggled to maintain her throne and her place in the school hierarchy. That's when she really latched onto Sirius and the conflicts with her family began. Regulus always admired how Arielle was friends with his brother who was a known blood-traitor. She continuously defied her family's orders to stay away from the trouble-making lion, something Regulus himself was unable to do. She was stronger than him and he use to hate her for it, as he proved many times over the past four years by spewing out insults and playing harmful pranks on her. Or at least he deluded himself into thinking he hated her. In fact, he admired her courage to go against her family's wishes, her wit, and her intelligence. When Evan first admitted to him that he liked Arielle in their second year, it gave Regulus the excuse he needed to stop feeling— just like he did with Sirius. Now that he managed to ensnare the young lioness, he grew more and more apprehensive at the thought of losing her. Regulus, a usually stoic and impassive man, became more enamored with her with every encounter and this sudden affliction of emotions terrified him. It didn't help that his former best friend was staring at him darkly from the corner of the room.

Arielle patrolled the upstairs corridors of the castle with Lily. During the first hour, the black-haired witch gave out five detentions and confiscated a pocket full of contraband. Lily seemed impressed with Arielle's newfound adherence to the rules; however, the redhead knew her friend was taking out her anger on the other students.

"Detention!" Arielle shouted, pointing her wand directly at a second-year Ravenclaw who tried desperately to explain that he was on his way to the hospital wing for an upset stomach.

"Well, next time you should follow the rules and alert your head of house to escort you. Now get out of my sight!" Arielle commanded.

"Don't you think detention for the stomach flu is a little harsh?" Lily asked after the Ravenclaw boy practically ran away clutching his stomach.

"No."

"I know you're upset about the article…" Lily began.

"Upset? I'm not upset. Any press is good press right?" Arielle squeaked.

"I guess that's one way to look at it…" Lily said hesitantly.

"Good, well that's the way I'm going to look at it."

Arielle and Lily headed back to the common room. She would have to wait for Lily to go upstairs to the dorms before she could sneak out and meet Regulus at the astronomy tower. As soon as the portrait door swung open, Lily's eyes widened and Arielle scowled. Sirius was snogging Chloe Chalice on the couch near the fireplace. Chloe was a fourth year Gryffindor like Arielle. During their first year at Hogwarts, Chloe was part of Arielle's gang of spoiled brats. However, once Lucius graduated, Chloe quickly turned on Arielle. The blonde was always jealous of Arielle's relationship with Sirius—even though Arielle assured the witch multiple times that she had no interest in Sirius whatsoever. The two had been at odds ever since. Arielle walked over to the couch and sat in the chair directly across from the two snogging lions expecting them to stop immediately. After a minute, Arielle had to clear her throat to get their attention.

"Really Sirius?" Arielle said lazily looking over Chloe with a bored expression. Chloe opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by Sirius.

"Give us a minute doll." He said with a charming smile that Chloe just couldn't refuse. The blonde shot Arielle a dirty look who in return shot Chloe a look of pure distaste.

"Enjoying yourself?" Arielle said once the blonde was out of earshot and seemingly gossiping with a few other fourth year lions in the corner.

"I never realized being the scorned lover was so popular amongst the ladies. We should have done this ages ago." Sirius said winking at a group of third year girls across the room whom all starting giggling.

Arielle rolled her eyes.

"Yeah Chloe Chalice is a real catch." Arielle said sarcastically.

"Oh come on Arielle, she's hot and you know it. She's grown up quiet a lot since she was one of your little minions." Sirius laughed.

"I liked her better when she was scraping the gum off the bottom of my shoe."

Sirius snorted, "Okay, you're highness. The least you can do is let me have a little fun. You did use me to make Reggie jealous. How is my brother by the way?"

Arielle glared at him.

"You've been hanging out a lot with Snivellus lately too. I suppose you've chosen to go to the dark side then." Sirius said coldly.

"I haven't chosen anything Sirius. And even if I had, do I really have much of a choice?" Arielle uttered.

"Merlin, you are spending too much time with Regulus, you sound exactly like him." Sirius claimed.

"I do not! And do you guys….ever talk about this? You know this...chasm?" Arielle asked hesitantly.

Sirius's expression changed from calculating to sorrowful. "Not really anymore."

Arielle studied her friend's solemn expression. Sirius had been more compassionate towards his brother in recent weeks than he normally was. She wondered what sparked the switch. Maybe it was her?

"Lily's gone, so you can go sneak off to the astronomy tower now and I can finish snogging my new lady friend."

Arielle grimaced and walked towards the door. She couldn't help but hear whispers lurking throughout the common room of people speculating on where she was going and who she was meeting.

"She's not cool, she's a whore Angela, sleeping with Sirius and his brother….that's pretty gross." A fifth year girl whispered.

Arielle slammed the door shut as she left the common room. Regulus was already waiting at the astronomy tower when she arrived. He offered her a smoke and she took it eagerly.

"Arielle, I'm so sorry…" Regulus lamented.

"It's my own fault for talking to that stupid Rita Skeeter anyway…" Arielle said calmly.

Her lack of anxiety frightened him. She must be really out of her mind.

"I saw you following after Lucienda, how is she?" Arielle asked feigning interest. She did feel awful for her former Slytherin friend who was probably plotting a thousand ways to kill her right now but her own misfortune was weighing more heavily on her mind.

"Once Emma showed her the column in Young Witches to Watch, she seemed less distraught. I'll try to talk to her tomorrow, she is still my wedding date after all."

"Good." Arielle said taking a long drag from her smoke. "I'm sure Narcissa will still scold you for this transgression."

"I'll be there with you, when you have to face your family. I swear it Arielle. I'll take all the blame..." Regulus added still irked about how well she was handling this scandal.

Arielle smiled and stomped her cigarette out on the ground. She closed the distance between herself and the Slytherin prince pushing him up against the tower wall, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Arielle grabbed his robes roughly and crashed her lips against his. Once they broke apart panting, she began grazing his neck with her teeth and Regulus could feel himself becoming more and more aroused. He wrapped his arms around Arielle, picked her up, and put her back against the wall, his thigh positioned strategically between her legs. The second she started grinding on his leg, Regulus lost all control and let out a low groan. Arielle moved her hips slowly at first, forward and then back again, before picking up the pace. When she got really close to him, she could feel his erection underneath his robes against her, which sent an electric shock through her body that pooled between her legs.

"Arielle, please...if we don't stop soon…" He managed to mumble as she slid forward on his thigh once again and twisted his earlobe with her tongue which unleashed another low groan.

"I don't want to stop…" She sighed as Regulus ravaged her neck with his mouth. Arielle began fiddling with the button on his robe and the black material dropped to the floor. She grabbed his tie and pulled him in for another feral kiss. Arielle gasped when Regulus applied pressure between her legs with his thigh and practically tore the black material off her body.

Things were more heated now than they had ever been. Arielle slowly traced her hands down Regulus's muscular body feeling every inch of his hard flesh underneath his dress shirt, while he managed to undo her tie and the top few buttons of her shirt. When his lips brushed across her chest swiftly, she let out a loud moan.

It was a sound unlike anything he had ever heard before. He had been with many girls but none that brought him so close to the edge without even taking his pants off.

"Oh Regulus…" She said with eyes half closed as he tore open the rest of her dress shirt and began caressing her breasts. She grinded hard into his thigh and it was his turn moan. In that moment their eyes meant. Her dark blue eyes twinkled in the moonlight and her chest heaved.

"Are you sure?" He whispered, his grey blue eyes filled with desire, and emotion Arielle couldn't place.

"Everyone thinks we're having an affair, might as well dive right into it." Arielle smirked wickedly. However, her response seemed to have the opposite of its intended effect and Regulus recoiled away from her.

Arielle reached out to pull the Slytherin boy back towards her but he swatted her hand away.

"I knew this whole thing was bothering you more than you let on." He stated plainly.

"It's not." She defended.

"Clearly, it is or else why would you say something like that?"

"Say what? That everyone thinks were having an affair? Half of the Gryffindor common room thinks I'm shagging you right now, and I'm sure so does Slytherin house. And what's wrong with you anyway? It's not like you haven't slept with a girl to prove a point before." Arielle said coldly.

"That's different and you know it." Regulus said buttoning up his shirt and straightening his tie.

"Fine. I get it, you don't want to sleep with me now that I'm considered the biggest slag at Hogwarts thanks to that stupid article." Arielle said fixing her skirt and dress shirt.

"That's not it either." Regulus said staring at the raven haired girl as she fastened her robe.

"Then what's the problem?" Arielle yelled.

Regulus stood silently and looked away. He wanted to tell her—tell her that he had been dreaming about this night for a long time and wanted it to be special. Not some twisted way for Arielle to prove some point to herself, and to others, that she would probably later regret and resent him for. She wasn't ready. Her entire life was recently unhinged and he could see as clear as day now that she was desperately trying to claw her way out of the darkness that she had been sucked into the night of the Witch Weekly party—a darkness that he himself knew quite well. The article seemed to push her over the edge as she desperately tried to mask her pain and humiliation with biting sarcasm and aloofness. Regulus knew better than to fall into this trap she was subconsciously laying for him.

He remained silent.

"I think it's best if we don't see each other again until after the wedding." She said feeling rejected.

Regulus cleared his throat.

"Agreed." He said reluctantly.

Sorry for the short chapter! I am going back to university next week so I have been busy preparing for that. I will try to update at least once, hopefully twice before taking a break (I have 7 classes and I work 18hrs/week).

I know some of you will be disappointed that things seem to be falling apart for Arielle and Regulus. However, Arielle is about to go through a huge transition in her life. I think deep down she always knew her family was associated with Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but it wasn't until recently that she had to acknowledge this truth instead of pretending like it didn't exist. Also, Regulus has his own issues to work out, mainly learning how to experience and deal with emotions, something that he is not very good at.

That being said, what did you guys think of this chapter? I am excited to introduce a new character Chloe Chalice, who I can't wait to write more about in the story. Also what did you guys think about Regulus rejecting Arielle? I think it showed great insight on his part. It's like he knows her better than he knows himself. Also I've been thinking about adding a theme song to each chapter, would you guys be interested in that or no?

xoxo