A/N: My only excuse for being late is that I was working for the last month, so hate me if you want. I have a buttload of money now so I can take it :) Thank you to my beta, CrazyMuggleborn44, for helping me with one part of this chapter that bugged the living hell out of me. Props.

Chapter Dedications: Tobi's Only Girl, , mEEEm, lolly59034, brainyravenclaw5, and Jacob M. Thanks for your feedback.

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Expecto Patronum!" Rain cried, waving her wand. This time, instead of a puff of light, a large bird soared out of the tip of her wand.

James and Sirius whooped and clapped.

The Patronus soared in a loop before landing weightlessly on Rain's shoulder. She was nearly blinded by it's brightness, but she could make out it's size and the shape of it's beak, and determined that it was a hawk.

"Wow, Rain," came Remus' voice from behind her.

She turned to find that both Remus and Peter had come to see her practice her Patronus one last time before they all went on holiday.

"What did you think about this time?" James asked.

"We only ask because all the other thoughts you used before didn't seem to be working," added Remus.

"Yeah, his one must have been really happy," Sirius concluded.

Rain blushed as she remembered the happy thought she had used to conjure the Patronus.

Sirius noticed the change in her complexion and put the two together. "Were you thinking about Regulus under the mistletoe?" he asked with a knowing grin.

Rain's face turned tomato-red and she nodded mutely.

"Ha! I knew it!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Oh, leave her alone, Padfoot," Remus said exasperated. He turned to Rain. "So are you two going out now?"

Sirius perked up excitedly.

Rain's hawk Patronus dimmed slightly as she frowned but didn't answer.

"What's wrong?" James asked, concerned that the topic would depress her enough that her Patronus would loose some of it's light.

"I don't know if we could work out," Rain said finally, sitting down on the grass.

"What do you mean?" asked Remus. "He obviously fancies you back."

"Yeah," James added. "He kissed you!"

"It's not that..." she trailed off.

"It's their social standings," said Sirius, catching on to what was depressing Rain. "He's pureblood, raised on pro-pureblood morals, and she's Muggleborn."

"I thought we agreed that he wouldn't care about that," James recalled. "Wasn't it about two minutes before he kissed her that we discussed this?"

"Yeah," said Rain as her Patronus dimmed some more. "But I can't stop thinking that no good can come from this."

"Everything will be fine," said Remus.

"Yeah, just relax," James added.

"Moony's right," said Sirius. "Things are gonna turn out fine."

"Okay," Rain said reluctantly as her Patronus faded out of existence.

The next afternoon found all five Marauders on the Hogwarts Express headed toward Kings Cross. James had bought them all sweets from the lunch trolley and they were munching through them while chatting happily.

"First, we'll spend Christmas day with our own families," James was saying. " Except for Padfoot, who will be spending it with my family."

"Why won't you be spending it with your family, Padfoot?" Rain asked.

"I think you've noticed that my family doesn't like me very much," Sirius explained.

"Right."

"Anyway," James continued. "As I was saying; Next I think you should all come to the Christmas party my parents are throwing at Potter Manor that evening. In fact, your whole families are invited."

"Except mine," Sirius added.

"Well, Regulus can come if he wants to," James amended. "And Andromeda, Ted and Dora."

"Who are they?" asked Rain.

"My favourite cousin, her husband and her daughter," Sirius explained with a smile.

"I thought you said your family didn't like you, how can you have a favourite?" Rain questioned with a teasing smile.

"Haha," Sirius said sarcastically, then grinned. "Actually, Andromeda isn't like the rest of my family. To be fair, though, there are a couple of decent people I'm related to, but not many."

"And Andromeda?" Rain asked.

"She married Ted Tonks, a Muggleborn," Sirius stated simply.

"Really?" Rain's heart soared with hope. "How did your family react?"

"My dear mother removed her from the family tree and refused to add Nymphadora when she was born."

"Oh, that's terribly cruel of her."

"It's okay though. Andy is well clear of our family now, and Dora doesn't have to grow up in that environment. I know why you're so interested in this topic, though," Sirius added knowingly.

"Well, if Andromeda can marry a Muggleborn and the worst she gets is disownment from people she didn't want to be related to in the first place, then maybe things could work out for me and Regulus," Rain explained, confirming Sirius' speculation.

"So are you coming to the Christmas party, Talon?" James asked looking at Rain, who stared back at him, confused.

"Who, me?" Rain asked, pointing to herself.

"Yes, you," James said grinning.

"Why did you call me 'Talon'?"

"Because you wanted a Marauder name," he said simply.

"Okay, but why 'Talon'?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" Remus asked. "Your Patronus is a hawk."

"And hawks have talons," Peter piped up making the connection. "Good one, Prongs!"

"Do you like the name?" James asked.

"Yeah, I do, actually," Rain said. "It sounds fierce."

Sirius snorted.

"Did you want to comment, Padfoot?" Rain retorted with a smile. "Your name sounds like a kitten's name."

Peter squealed with laughter, while James and Remus snickered at Sirius' expense.

"Oh, real mature," Sirius scoffed.

Rain and James exchanged a look and gasped dramatically.

"Padfoot is talking about being mature!" James said in mock shock.

Rain suddenly burst out laughing. She fell out of her seat and on the floor laughing hysterically. The boys stared at her, confused.

"What's so funny, Talon?" Remus asked when she stopped for breath.

"Sirius is being serious," she said, still giggling.

James, Remus and Peter burst out laughing.

When there was only about twenty minutes until they reached London, the compartment door slid open. Regulus stood there, his eyes on Rain.

"Hey, Reg," Sirius greeted. "What d'you need?"

"I need to speak with Rain for a minute," he said quietly, looking at her.

James nudged Rain, grinning knowingly.

"Okay," Rain said, getting up. She turned to the Marauders. "I'll meet you on the platform and I can introduce my parents to yours."

"Sure thing, Talon," James said while the others nodded.

Rain followed Regulus out of the compartment and down the train.

"Talon?" he queried.

"Pet name."

"Ah."

They walked in silence for a moment before Rain asked a question of her own.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Not here," he said quietly. "There's an empty compartment ahead."

He led her to the very back of the train to the only empty compartment. While Rain sat down, Regulus closed the door and drew the shutters closed.

"What's with all the secrecy?" Rain asked when he finally sat down opposite her.

"I don't want Narcissa to see us."

"Why?"

"Because she'll tell my mother, and I'd rather she not find this out at the present time. Or at all for that matter."

"Find what out, exactly?" Rain's heart was suddenly beating very hard.

"Well, about...er...us?" the answer came out like a question.

"And what are we, Regulus?" She wanted him to say it, she needed him to tell her that he was her boyfriend because she desperately wanted him to be.

"We're...er..." he trailed off, scratching the back of his head and turning a bit pink.

Rain thought he looked so cute, the way he couldn't figure out what to say. She decided to help him out. Instead of sitting across from him, she got up and sat next to him, her face inches from his.

"Er..." he said, startled.

Before he could say anything else, and before she lost her nerve, Rain firmly planted her lips on his, successfully shutting him up.

When they broke apart, Regulus' face was as red as a Gryffindor's Quidditch robes and Rain was a little more than pleased with herself.

"W-what was that f-for?" he stammered.

"Because you got to kiss me the other day, so I thought I'd return the favour," Rain said, not knowing where her words came from. "That, and I really wanted to."

"Oh..." he said, stunned.

"So what was your answer?" she asked sweetly.

"Er... what was the question?"

"What are we?"

"Oh, that. Right...well..." he seemed breathless after the shocking kiss. He took a deep steadying breath. "Well I had originally planned to ask you how you felt about me, as I was concerned that what happened before was just a mistletoe thing, and you didn't really react the way I thought you would."

It was true, when he had kissed her, Rain had completely froze up and had to be dragged out of the Three Broomsticks by the Marauders in a very humiliating fashion. Her only consolation was that no one but the Marauders had seen what transpired under the mistletoe.

"But now I think I have a fairly good idea, so now I'd like to ask you something," he continued.

Rain found herself fascinated with how easily he bounced back from his earlier discomfort. "Ask away," she invited.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he blurted.

Rain thought at that moment, if she were to cast a Patronus, it would be able to turn night into day with it's light. She was too happy for speech. Instead she threw her arms around her new boyfriend and planted another kiss on him.

A/N: So, show of hands, who thinks there's going to be a bunch of drama soon? R&R!