Chapter 5

Sirius wearily walked through the front door of the house, exhausted from the day's training. He rubbed his temples, and began climbing the staircase to collapse in his room. Halfway up the stairs, he heard a loud thumping noise from the kitchen. Worried that someone might be hurt, he quickly ran down the stairs.

As he got closer to the doorway, a small, but confident voice was singing. He crossed his arms, leaned against the doorjamb, and watched Isabelle sing and dance her heart out.

So, senator, so janitor,
So long for a while,
Remember you're never fully dressed,
Though you may be the best,
You're never fully dressed without a smile, smile, smile,
Smile, darn ya, smile!

"Brava," he said, clapping.

Isabelle froze and slowly turned to where Sirius was standing. "Hi."

"Hey, yourself. That song's from Annie, isn't it?"

"How'd you know?" she asked, amazed.

"Lucky guess."

It was Regina's favorite musical, he thought. She played the soundtrack incessantly when they were kids. He shook his head in a desperate attempt to get her out of his head.

"Where'd you learn how to dance like that?" he asked her.

"I don't know. Why, am I bad?"

"No. Actually, you're really good. Have you ever taken lessons?"

She shook her head no. He made a mental note to talk to Lily later. Isabelle seemed to have a real natural talent. But, more importantly, it looked like she enjoyed dancing. Her life was too rough not to have some sort of outlet, he decided.

"Do you know how to dance?" Isabelle inquired.

"Sure."

"Like Lily and James do?"

"Yeah, like they do," he laughed.

"Wow," she said, wide-eyed. "I could never dance like that."

"Sure, you could." He crossed the room and turned on the wizarding wireless network. "Come here. I'll teach you real quick."

She gave him a skeptical look, but walked over to where he was standing. In no time at all, she had mastered the basics, and they were dancing around the kitchen, laughing. Isabelle looked at Sirius adoringly, swearing that she would be the best dancer in the world someday. If she was, then maybe, just maybe, someone would look at her the way James looked at Lily when they danced.

~~~~~


Lily looked at the mountain of papers on her desk, and sighed. She closed her eyes, and clicked her heels three times. When she opened her eyes, she was still seated at her desk, and the pile of work was still there.

"So much for the ruby slipper theory," she grumbled.

She picked up her highlighter quill, took a deep breath, and dove into the largest set of papers. Almost immediately, she fell asleep. James bit back laughter as he snuck into her office at lunchtime. Her hair was coated in yellow highlighter ink, where it had fallen into the bottle and knocked it over, and she was sprawled all over the papers she was supposed to be reading.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," he whispered in her ear. She jumped up in her chair, sending highlighter ink flying all over the room.

"Huh?" she mumbled, blinking her eyes rapidly. "What time is it?"

"Noon," James laughed. "You know Lil, there are better ways of becoming a blonde."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said sourly, turning her hair back red. She yawned and stretched. "I'm glad my boss didn't see my little siesta. The papers started running together after a while. You'd think Ministry spies would make their reports at least a little more interesting."

"So much for the glamour and intrigue of the spy life. Guess I'm not missing anything."

"Not a thing. So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, just came to take my future wife out to lunch," he said with a grin.

"You came all the way from London for lunch?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "I got off early from work today. So, I decided to rescue you from the fascinating spy world and take you to lunch. In Paris. Then, I thought we could stay the weekend, see the sights, and spend Valentine's Day there."

"Oh, James, I'd love to," she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. Her face suddenly fell. "But, I can't. I promised Isabelle that we'd look at dance schools tomorrow and she was so looking forward to it."

"Taken care of. Sirius said that he'd take her to London tomorrow to look at the schools."

"And she's ok with that?" Lily said skeptically, narrowing her eyes.

"Yep. She wanted me to tell you that it's not fair that you get the good Valentine's Day date and she's stuck with Sirius."

"Well, he has been moody lately, even for him."

"True. But," James changed the subject, "I'd much rather be walking on the Seine than standing in your closet of an office, wouldn't you?"

"Not even a comparison."

~~~~~


A ray of sunlight passed across Severus' face, causing him to wake up far earlier than he intended. He stretched out his arm for Regina, and felt nothing but empty bed. Puzzled he sat up, wondering where she could be. She never got up before him, especially on a Saturday morning. Throwing back the covers, he yawned and walked towards the kitchen. She sat at the table, hunched over a letter she was writing at lightning speed.

"Morning, love," he said, kissing her and sitting down across the table. "Why are you up so early?"

"Oh, just wanted to get this off in the morning post," she said, not meeting his eyes. He raised an eyebrow.

"And what is 'this'?"

"A birthday card. It's Sirius' birthday."

"Valentine's Day?" He would never think of the day the same way, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Leave it to Black to ruin a perfectly good holiday. She laughed at the look on his face.

"Come on. Is it really that bad?" She picked up her quill and continued writing.

Severus bit his tongue. He knew they would never see eye to eye on some things, Black being one of them. Oh, how he wanted to tell Gina everything he knew about Sirius, and squash her high opinion of him. But, he could never hurt her, which is why he turned a blind eye to his in-laws.

And tried to stop wondering if she'll ever tell them she married him. No matter how much time went by, he knew that he'd always feel inferior, knowing that she married far beneath her. Since their wedding day, he swore that he'd make it up to her, make her proud of him somehow.

"Hey. You're a million miles away. Is anything wrong?" she asked, concerned. She expertly folded the letter, tied it to her falcon's leg, and sent it off into the morning sky.

"No," he lied.

"That's good," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Because I have been looking forward to spending the day with my husband all week long."

"Oh, really?" He smiled crookedly.

"Really."

All thoughts of his in-laws immediately flew out of Severus' mind. He knew that she loved him, and that's all that mattered, anyway.

~~~~~


"Are you nervous, string bean?" Sirius asked. He and Isabelle stood outside the dance school, where dozens of students were shuffling past them on the way to various classes.

"No." She set her jaw, determined.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in an hour and a half, then."

She nodded, and rushed into the dance studio for her very first class. Sirius began walking towards the wizarding part of London. Isabelle was doing so well, he thought. Her English was nearly flawless, and she had really come out of her shell. He never would've guessed that shy Isabelle would take dancing lessons.

He started to walk in the Leaky Cauldron, but thought better of it. Someone from work was bound to be around. Since rumors of a powerful Dark Wizard began circulating through the wizarding world, the Ministry was on high alert. He didn't want risk being called into work on his only afternoon off in a month. Besides, he might run into his father, who conveniently forgot his birthday for the nineteenth straight year. Angry, he turned around, and headed towards Hyde Park.

In his mind, he mulled over various ways to ask his boss for a field assignment. Part of him knew that he'd been passed over several times because of Isabelle. But, every other Auror had field experience except him. A desk job pushing papers for eight hours a day was not his ideal career. If it was, he'd be better off at Gringotts'. At least there he'd have a better shot at earning his father's approval for something.

He quietly pushed open the front door of the dance studio, walked down the hallway, and looked at the various classes. The mirrors in the classroom were set up so that the students only saw a mirror, but the other side was a window so that people could observe the class from outside.

Sirius finally found Isabelle's classroom, and peered inside. She was easily the tallest girl in the room. Both the teacher and the assistant hovered over her, correcting her every move. Finally, they moved out the way, and he could see her dance. He smiled with pride, realizing instantly why she was the subject of so much attention. Isabelle transformed somehow on that dance floor, showing not only raw talent, but also an enthusiasm he'd never seen before from the usually indifferent girl. The class ended, and the students filed into the hallway, and out the door.

"Excuse me," came a slight French accent. "Are you ze guardian of zis little girl?"

"Yes, I am. Sirius Black," he extended his hand to the teacher, who shook it firmly.

"Zis little one has a gift that I have never seen before, Mr. Black. If she disciplines herself, she could set ze ballet world on fire one day," the teacher beamed.

Isabelle couldn't believe her ears. She hugged herself, absolutely determined to make her dream come true.

~~~~~


"Oh, I love spring," Regina gushed. "It's like everything starts off brand new – like a second chance."

Severus didn't reply. She grabbed his hand as they headed down the street. He had been so quiet lately; it bothered her. But, every time he asked, he said nothing was wrong.

"What's wrong?" she asked again.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

She frowned. "You say that as if I'm a child and you're the scolding parent."

"I've told you fifteen times that nothing's the matter. Can't you just leave it alone?" he snapped.

"Sure," she replied quietly.

"I'm sorry," Severus said, as soon as he realized how harsh he sounded. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to think of a good way to bring the subject up. "I got another job offer last week, but I'm not sure if I'll take it."

Regina stopped suddenly in the middle of the street. "That's wonderful, isn't it? You've been wanting to get away from that bloody lab since Thanksgiving."

"There's a catch."

"Which is?"

"I'd be working for Tom Riddle."

"The expatriate, the one who Daddy says is a dangerous Dark Wizard?" Her brow furrowed.

"Yes." He sighed. "It's much more interesting work, and the pay's better. I could finally afford a proper honeymoon."

"But, Tom Riddle's against the Ministry, which means we'd be fighting against my entire family. I can't go against my own blood."

"Which is exactly what I thought you'd say, and is why I haven't brought it up. I was going to tell him no tomorrow afternoon."

"Good." She smiled. "We'd better hurry up; wouldn't want to be late to the club."

They walked the five blocks to the Zero Hour club, which excluded anyone who wasn't magical. The result was an incredibly wild environment. Anything could and often did happen at the Zero Hour. Severus and Gina were regulars, and were well known by most of the club scene. They immediately headed to the dance floor, where they spent a half hour showing everyone else up. Thirsty, they grabbed drinks from the bar and sat down at a huge table full of friends.

"I'm glad you got off that floor," Nathan Landon said, clapping Severus on the back. "You're making the rest of us look bad, here."

"It's not me, mate. Regina'd make even you look good out there," he retorted. "I can't help it if I'm with the most beautiful and talented woman on planet earth."

"No arguments from me. Hey, I heard that Riddle wants you to join our group."

"That's right," Severus said evenly. "And, I'm not interested."

"Not interested? Have you lost your mind? I thought you believed in the cause."

"I used to, but I changed my mind. Going soft in my old age, I suppose."

And the fact that Riddle wants to overthrow and kill my father-in-law helps the decision, too, he thought. He wondered how their group of friends would react if they knew that the daughter of England's Minister of Magic sat amongst them. Suddenly, he felt the need to protect her. He looked around the table, and saw her laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

"Everything," she proclaimed, twirling her arms around. "Whatever's in this is a keeper, Jeremy."

"In what? What did you give her?" Severus thundered, grabbing him by the shirt collar.

"A special little recipe I like to call Memory Eraser," he said proudly. "Don't worry, she'll come off it in a minute."

"Are you insane? You've never tested that on anyone before." Severus dropped Jeremy on the floor.

"She agreed to try it. What's the big deal?"

"First, you don't know the aftereffects of the drug. Second, Regina's not like the rest of us. She's lived a very sheltered life, and can be very naïve. So, stay the hell away from my wife." It was all Severus could do not to pound the small amount of brains Jeremy had in his head onto the floor.

He gathered her up, and walked her home, nearly carrying her up the stairs of the building. After giving her some crackers and every antidote he could think of, she fell into a light sleep.

~~~~~


James walked into the living room, accidentally stepping on Lily's notebook full of wedding plans. She gave him a dirty look, and quickly turned over a large stack of papers.

"Sorry," he apologized, wiping the dirt off a list of possible cakes. "What are you hiding?"

She flashed him a teasing grin. "Gina just owled over the designs for my wedding dress. You know you can't see them."

"I thought she was supposed to visit this weekend." James frowned. It was just like her to minimize the importance of her brother's own wedding. He had thought she'd be more considerate, especially since she and Lily were so close. Apparently not, he scowled.

"She hasn't been feeling too well lately. Says she has a mild flu that she can't shake, and she wasn't feeling up to travel," Lily explained. "Anyway, we still haven't set a date."

"How about tomorrow," he said with a rakish grin.

She pretended to consider his statement. "No, have to turn in a report at work. Guess we'll have to get married some other day."

"Well, damn. Had my heart set on it, too."

"Did you now?" she teased.

"Maybe," he said in mock indignation.

"Well, I think the summer's a bad time because everyone goes on holiday. And, winter's just depressing. So, unless you want to wait until next spring, fall's our best bet."

"This fall it is. What about Halloween?" James teased.

"Hey, that could work," Lily said seriously. "Halloween it is."

~~~~~


"The wedding's on Halloween day," Regina said, reading Lily's latest letter.

"So? It's not like I'm welcome there, anyway," Severus growled.

"Don't be silly. Of course you are. What would make you say that?"

"Oh, maybe the telling fact that we've been married for six months and you haven't even mentioned it any of your family."

"It's not exactly something that you put in a letter," she said defensively.

"What about when your parents visited last month, and you met them for dinner? Alone."

"Severus, you were working."

"I could've taken off if you had given me more than ten minutes' notice."

"I only had an hour's notice myself, if you remember correctly. Anyway, what are you trying to say?" She crossed her arms over her chest, which was starting to ache terribly.

"That you're embarrassed to bring me around your family, like some dirty little secret," he spat. She stood up, flinging her chair from the table.

"If you believe that, then you don't know me well at all," she said quietly.

"Maybe I don't, then," he replied.

She turned to storm out the room. Halfway across the living room, her legs buckled and she grabbed the back of a wingback chair for support. Her nails left lines in the fabric as she quickly slid to the floor.

"Regina?" Severus called, rushing over to her and kneeling on the floor. Her eyes opened briefly, and then her body went limp in his arms. Panicked, he picked her up, turning her face towards him. It had a deathly pallor, and tiny sweat beads popped up on her forehead. He picked her up and ran out the building, barking at the taxi driver to hurry to the closest hospital.

~~~~~


Severus paced up and down the hospital corridor, wearing a trail in the industrial-issue carpet. Voices calling over the intercom system and the incessant beeping of various monitors wore on his already frayed nerves. He paused and looked into the room where a small army of doctors and nurses tended to Regina. She was so small and frail. Why didn't he insist that she go to a doctor before now? The 'what ifs' plagued him.

A somber-looking doctor came through the doorway, removing his surgical mask in order to speak.

"Mr. Johnson?" the doctor asked.

"No," he said, waiving his hand absentmindedly. "Just call me Severus. My wife kept her name. How is she?"

"I'm not going to lie to you. She might not make it."

Severus clenched his fists tightly, trying to get his emotions under control for her sake and forced himself to listen to the doctor. Dr. Luke, the nametag read.

"Your wife has a rare virus called infective endocarditis. It attacks the heart, and can be fatal. I think we caught it in time, but she may never recover fully. We're treating it with antibiotics. If she does make it, she'll have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks for monitoring. I need to get back to the patient, but I wanted to let you know what is going on."

"Thank you, doctor," he managed to say.

He leaned against the wall. Several hours later, a nurse wheeled a ghostly white Regina into another hospital room. The beeping that was so annoying before gave Severus hope because as long as those monitors beeped, she was alive. He pulled up a chair, sat down, and took her lifeless hand into his.

"Please don't die," he whispered softly. "I love you."

"Severus, right?" Dr. Luke said, walking into the room. He nodded, never taking his eyes off her face. "I wanted to talk to you about how she got this disease."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this disease is very rare, but especially in someone her age. I've been doing research, and the only cause other than random accident could be drug use. Has your wife ever used drugs?"

Severus nodded, and put his head in his hands. "She's been clean for a month, though."

"When did she first show any symptoms of illness?" Dr. Luke inquired.

"About a month and a half ago. She complained of having a flu that wouldn't go away. Fever, chills, nausea, weakness, that sort of thing."

"She didn't have the flu. Those were the first symptoms of infective endocarditis," the doctor said as sympathetically as possible. "But, the good news is that she's responding well to the antibiotics."

The whole situation seemed surreal to Severus. "How long will it be before you know she'll be all right?"

"In a couple of days. Unfortunately, neither one of your insurance policies will cover her treatments."

"I'll get the money," he said firmly. "Just take care of Regina."

The doctor checked her vital statistics, made a few notes on her chart, and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Severus looked at her beautiful, porcelain face and swore he'd make a pact with the devil himself to keep her alive. Suddenly, he had an idea. He kissed Regina on her forehead, and hurried out the hospital.

He needed money – and fast. The most logical thing was to go to London and ask her parents for it, but that would cause more problems for her, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He could just imagine showing up on his father-in-law's doorstep. What would he say?

"Hi, you don't know me, but I married your only daughter, Regina. Who happens to be in a coma with a disease that I can't even pronounce. She might die, but even if she lives, she'll never be the same. Oh, yeah, I'm completely broke and can't afford her medical bills, so I'd like to borrow some money."

Sure, he thought sarcastically, that would go over real well. Especially when you throw in her overprotective twin and that daft git Sirius Black. No, he decided, he would simply have to find the money himself, which is how he found himself on Tom Riddle's doorstep.

He knocked on the door, gave his name to the butler, and waited outside, hoping Riddle was at home and willing to see him. The butler opened the door, and ushered him into a dark room. The only light came from a roaring fire, which made the room uncomfortably hot. A man sat completely upright in a wingback chair, placed in front of the fireplace.

"How can I be of service to you, Mr. Snape?" the man asked silkily.

Severus blinked – it sounded like he hissed as he talked. Must be his imagination, he convinced himself. He bowed slightly.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Riddle," he began, "but I was wondering if your job offer still stands."

"Of course. What made you change your mind?" Riddle hissed softly.

"My wife is sick, and I--"

"Say no more," he said reassuringly. "I will be happy to advance you whatever money you need. Don't worry about it. We'll work out the details later. You need to be with her right now."

Dazed, Severus nodded and followed the butler to the front door. Riddle cackled as the door closed. Everything was going according to plan. The young wizard had too much pride to go to the Potters, just as Riddle thought he would. It was a great stoke of luck that he recognized the Potter girl a few months ago at a party. Setting up her illness proved tricky, and kept him in New York City far longer than he planned. She was the key to the whole family's undoing, he decided, narrowing his eyes. Soon, he would put the next part of his plan into motion.

~~~~~


Sirius flopped down at his desk, tea in hand, and looked at a massive stack of papers that wasn't there yesterday. The only thing that cheered him up somewhat is that it was Friday, and that meant two whole days without hearing everyone else in the office talk about their upcoming field assignments. He tuned out the conversation behind him about tracking giant settlements in Ireland, and flipped through the paperwork. Nothing out of the ordinary – it would be yet another predictable, cookie cutter day. "Hey, Sirius?"

He looked up. "Yeah?"

Frank Longbottom looked up and down the corridor before pulling up a chair and sitting down. He was a couple of years ahead of Sirius in school, so he didn't know him too well before coming to work at the Ministry. Hardworking, Frank earned the respect of the entire office, and was probably the best liked person around. He pulled a large, sealed envelope from his cloak, and passed it to Sirius.

"What's this?" he asked. More paperwork. This day just keeps getting better, he thought sarcastically.

"I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. All I know is that this is a top-secret assignment, and Macnair specifically requested that you do it."

"Macnair? Whoa," Sirius whistled through his teeth. Very rarely did anyone get a direct assignment from a top Ministry official. Whatever the envelope contained must be very important – or very dangerous. Or, possibly both. But, he was more than eager to get out of the office.

"Good luck, mate." Frank clapped him on the back, and walked down the corridor.

He carefully slit open the envelope and removed the contents. His face turned a ghostly shade of white as he skimmed the instructions and accompanying background information. Now he understood why the assignment was classified.

"Are you feeling alright?" James asked.

Sirius looked up. Sure, he thought, completely brokenhearted. His mind simply couldn't process that Regina was married. To Snape. But, there the marriage certificate was, in black and white.

"I'm fine," he forced himself to say. "Just got a field assignment, so I had better go."

"Congratulations." James smiled.

He couldn't think of anything to say, so Sirius simply nodded and disapperated home. He threw some clothes into a bag, but couldn't bring himself to go to New York City. So, he walked down the hidden trail to Isabelle's fort to be alone and think. He stared at the water for hours, not realizing how much time had passed until he heard tiny footsteps heading down the trail.

"Sirius, what's wrong?" Isabelle asked, biting her lower lip.

Concerned, she sat down beside him. He opened his mouth to tell her to leave him alone, but thought better of it. She didn't cause the problem, and besides, it's her fort.

"Someone's in a whole lot of trouble, and I have to go help her," he explained.

She was adult enough to know not to ask questions, and patiently waited for him to continue. He pulled a small piece of paper from his robes.

"This is where I'll be. Don't give this to anyone unless it's an absolute emergency."

She took the paper, and gave him a hug goodbye. Sirius bit back tears.

"Oh, Isabelle, why? Why did she do it? If only I had--" he stopped before finishing the sentence. If only I had gone to New York, the thought miserably. "I wish you were older, so that I could explain everything to you."

"I'll grow up one day. You'll see," she mumbled underneath her breath, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, I have to go. I'll owl you, ok?"

Isabelle gave him one last hug, and Sirius walked out of the fort and down the trail. She watched him until he disappeared from view.

~~~~~


Regina sat on a park bench in a secluded part of Central Park, and drew her knees to her chest. She was so tired – physically and mentally. New York was supposed to be her land of dreams, but the dreams were rapidly becoming nightmares. Lately, walking up a short flight of steps took monumental effort.

But, she could handle her physical limitations if things weren't hitting the fan between her and Severus. Tom Riddle – Lord Voldemort – as he liked to be called, loaned them the money for their bills, but it came at a high price. Severus was rarely home anymore, and she knew his job was probably illegal. And when he did come home, all they did was fight. A shadow fell over part of the bench, and she looked up.

"Sirius?" she asked, shocked. He nodded, unable to speak. She pointed to the envelope in his left hand. "What's that?"

"Your wedding present from the Ministry," he said flatly. "It's a warrant for your arrest."

"My arrest? And, how did you find out about--"

"Snape?"

"Yes."

"Ministry officials thought it odd that you were supposed to be at Fleur de Paris, but no one named Regina Potter was enrolled in the program. But, you did have a post office box by that name here, and spies followed you home. Congratulations on your marriage," he finished quietly.

She flinched, knowing what Sirius must think of her. "Do-does anyone else know?"

"No. How are things?" he asked so sincerely that she could barely meet his eyes.

"Horrible," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Absolutely horrible."

Sirius could barely contain his relief. Maybe she would agree to his plan. "Regina, top Ministry officials told me to arrest you because you married a known follower of Tom Riddle. Now, I know how to keep you out of prison."

"How?"

"I can destroy any evidence that you were ever associated with Snape or Riddle."

"In other words, leave my husband."

"Well, you have a choice. You can either come home with me, and I can make this whole situation disappear. Or, you can stay here with Snape, but I'll be forced to arrest you. It's up to you."

She weighed her options carefully. If she was arrested, it would disgrace the entire family. And, she and Severus both would probably be sent to Azkaban. Or, she could keep him out of prison by leaving him. Either way, their marriage was over.

"I'll come home, Sirius."

~~~~~


Sirius knocked on the door of Regina's apartment a few hours later, which Severus opened, scowling.

"What do you want?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"To talk to you." Sirius forced himself past Severus, and into the living room.

"About?"

"Regina. The Ministry sent me to arrest her."

"What? But, she hasn't committed any crime. They can't do that."

"They can and they have. Guilt by association."

Severus leaned against the doorjamb in shock. How did the Ministry of Magic in England find out what he was doing an ocean away? And, why didn't they just arrest him, instead? This made no sense to him.

"It'll be a media frenzy. Imagine the disgrace of the Potter family when they find out one of their own was helping the enemy. She'll be found guilty before the first word is said at trial."

They both knew that was true. Sirius paused a minute before continuing for added effect.

"But, there is a way to avoid all this," he said carefully.

"Which is?" Another pact with the devil, he thought.

Sirius pulled out a long piece of parchment. "This is a divorce decree granting you a divorce on the grounds that Regina deserted you. If you sign it, I can make the charges disappear. But, if you stay married, what would be the use of my help? There's no way I could fix the next set of charges, or the next. Besides, she's your wife, and your responsibility. I can't go to jail for her – I have a child at home to think about."

Severus felt like every bit of oxygen was suddenly sucked out of the room as he stared at her untidy signature at the bottom of the parchment. No matter what he did, she was gone forever. He could at least let her maintain her dignity and reputation with her own family, he decided, while signing the parchment.

"Thank you." Sirius quickly left the apartment.

An intense hatred consumed Severus. He swore that he'd make Black pay for taking Regina away.

~~~~~

One more chapter in Part 1...then onto Part 2...

Thanks for the reviews, Kerry Leprechaun and Bexpotter! I replied to you, Bexpotter, in the reviews section, 'k? As usual, muchas gracias for reading and all feedback is welcome...