"There's been a sighting."

Regina glanced up and arched an eyebrow at her mother. "Another one?"

Cora rolled her eyes. "This one's a sure thing."

"Excuse me if I don't immediately run for the door, Mother, but the last six sightings have been sure things, too."

"So cynical for one so young." The older witch sighed, patting her daughter's face much harder than was necessary. Then her face hardened and she bent to lean closer to Regina, lowering her voice to a hiss. "This time it's the blood traitor Weasley that's been spotted. He's on his own, but maybe we can get him to lead us to the Potter boy."

Her interest piqued at the knowledge that Ron was alone, Regina schooled her features into an expression of reluctance and stood up. "Where is he?"

"He was spotted on the outskirts of Barnton in Cheshire by Rawle and Rookwood. They were going to apprehend him, but decided to contact me first." She smiled dangerously. "I thought it was better to send you to talk him into incriminating himself than let those two idiots do so much damage he can't tell us anything."

Picking up her cloak, Regina sent her mother a quick look over her shoulder. "You do realise he's probably gone by now?"

"For your sake, dear, I hope that's not the case."

Ignoring the threat, Regina nodded once and headed out of the room. Making her way out of her mother's home and along the driveway, the witch didn't even break her stride as she crossed the invisible boundary and Disapparated. Shuddering against the sudden drop in temperature, the woman glanced around for a sign of the young man she was supposed to be tracking down. Instead, her eyes fell on the two Death Eaters who had sent the message that Ron was there to her mother.

"Rawle, Rookwood?" She strode towards them, drawing herself up to her full height and staring at them irritable. "Where is he, then?"

"'E went in that shop." Rawle informed her, nodding towards the small building on the corner of the road. "Been in there about ten minutes."

"Thank you. I'll handle it from here." She said simply. When they didn't move, she arched an eyebrow. "You can go."

"I dunno if that's a good idea."

"Of course… because he's much more likely to talk to me with you two hanging around? How ridiculous of me not to realise that."

"Is he likely to talk to you anyway?" Rookwood asked, snorting in amusement.

Regina scowled at him. "I'm his former professor, he's more likely to speak to me on my own, rather than if I am being flanked by two Death Eaters."

There was a moment of uncertainty when the two men looked at each other, apparently weighing up their options. Then, with synchronised shrugs, the two Death Eaters Disapparated, leaving the witch alone in the dark street. Smiling to herself, Regina headed in the direction of the lights and paused outside the shop. Tilting her head slightly, she considered her surroundings, weighing up the likelihood that she would be able to speak openly to the teenager.

Pushing the door open, deciding that it was better to just get on with it, Regina stepped inside. She was immediately overwhelmed by the temperature difference, a small shiver running up her spine as the warmth spread through her body. Spotting Ron immediately, she headed in his direction, wondering how on earth he had expected to avoid detection. Seconds later the seventeen-year-old spotted her heading across the shop towards him and turned to flee.

"Wait!" She called, almost desperately. As though hearing something in her tone, Ron hesitated just enough for Regina to catch him, laying her hand gently on his arm. "Please, listen to me."

"Why should I?" He demanded suspiciously, gripping his wand tightly.

Regina held her hands up to show that she wasn't going to use her own wand on him. "Despite what you believe, I am on your side."

"Like I believe that!" Ron scoffed. "I heard what happened at the wedding."

Exhaling sharply, the brunette glanced around uncomfortably. "We shouldn't be talking here… it's dangerous for both of us."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

Barely restraining herself from glaring at him, Regina looked around again. "Mr Weasley… do you really want to hang around here in plain view. The Death Eaters and… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named... have eyes and ears everywhere."

"Bloody hell… even Death Eaters aren't saying his name anymore?"

"There's a Taboo jinx on it." She informed him calmly. "Saying his name breaks any protective enchantments and alerts him to the whereabouts of the speaker. I would advise you to refrain from using it." As Ron raised his hand, Regina furrowed her eyebrows in concern and grabbed his wrist. "What happened?"

"Splinched myself escaping from some Snatchers…" He informed her reluctantly.

"You should be more careful."

"Funny, I was concentrating more on getting away than keeping all ten of my fingernails."

"Fair enough, Mr Weasley. So… can we go elsewhere so you can hear me out?"

There was a pause as the teenager considered her. Doing her best to keep her patient expression in place, Regina waited for him to come to a decision about whether to trust her or not. When, sending her the tiniest hint of a nod, Ron opened his mouth to speak Regina grabbed hold of his arm and Disapparated.

Ripping himself out of her grip, the teenager looked around anxiously, trying to work out where they were and what she might be planning. Raising her hands again, the witch waited for him to calm down or ask her a question so that she could explain herself properly. It took several minutes but, when no Death Eaters came swarming out of the marram grass towards them, Ron turned to look at her curiously.

"Where are we?"

"Tinworth, Cornwall." Regina replied simply. "Your eldest brother and his wife live around here somewhere, I think."

"Why… why have you brought me here?"

"Mr Weasley… you have, for some reason, left Mr Potter and Miss Granger's company and decided to embark on some sort of solo mission. I thought that you would perhaps like some home comforts for a while." She reasoned. "Besides, as I pointed out earlier, it's dangerous out in the open these days."

"So… you're helping me?"

Regina was unable to stop herself rolling her eyes. "Yes, Mr Weasley, I am."

"Why?"

"Various reasons…" She said slowly, not really intending to enlighten him any further. "All I need from you is–"

"To know where Harry is." Ron guessed, scowling at the woman. "I wouldn't tell you even if I knew."

"Why would I want to know where Potter was?" Regina asked. "It's easier to tell people I don't know if I really don't know."

"So…?"

Sighing deeply, the woman allowed a fond smile to cross her face as she regarded him. There was a lot about Ron that reminded her of her own son. They shared a fierce sense of loyalty and a remarkably similar expression twisted their features when they were trying to work something out. As a totally confused expression covered his face as he attempted to work out what she wanted, if it wasn't information about Harry and Hermione, Regina chuckled softly at the way he screwed up his nose. Ron's confusion seemed to deepen and he folded his arms, regarding her carefully. There was a long silence as they stared at each other, wordlessly attempting to communicate.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to keep this meeting a complete secret." Regina told him softly. "I don't want you to speak a word of this to anyone."

"Why?"

With a huff, Regina furrowed her eyebrows at him, again thinking of the resemblance the boy in front of her bared to Henry. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Come on, Professor Mills." Ron shook his head in disbelief. "You're the daughter of the closest thing You-Know-Who has to a girlfriend. You can't blame me for being a little bit suspicious."

Unable to stop herself, the woman chuckled. "I'm sure my mother would be delighted by that description. I, however, am not. The fact of the matter is, Ronald, that your mother is looking after my son and so I am attempting to return the favour."

"This is about my mum?"

"Amongst other things." She met his eyes imploringly. "Please, Ron. I want your little friend to stay alive as much as you do. Despite what you might think I am not, and never have been, a Death Eater. I am not under You-Know-Who's control, but staying at Hogwarts means I am best placed to help those who need it. But that, in itself, relies on no one realising that I'm a double agent."

He nodded slowly. "OK… OK… I won't say anything."

"Thank you."

"And… thank you." Ron replied immediately, going red to the tops of his ears. "Is… is my sister OK?"

"Ginny has an uncanny knack for spotting the most dangerous and troublesome situations and throwing herself into them without stopping to consider the consequences."

Ron grinned. "She's putting up a fight, then?"

"She is indeed." The witch agreed with a nod, a fond smile tugging at her lips. "She has, thus far, managed to stay in one piece."

"Thank you." Ron repeated, sending her a small nod of gratitude.

As he started walking away across the sand, Regina cleared her throat. "Mr Weasley? I would advise you to rethink your solo mission. Go and find Mr Potter and Miss Granger. Whatever happened between you, you may end up regretting it if you don't."

Ron seemed to consider her for a moment, before sending her a lop-sided smile and pushing his hands into his pockets. Regina watched his progress over the sand dunes until he was swallowed up by the darkness. Then, with a deep sigh, she Disapparated.

Heading straight back to her mother's house, Regina arranged her features into an expression of intense irritation and stormed through the lobby towards the parlour. Throwing open the door she scowled at her eldest sister, who was lounging on the sofa in the corner, before fixing her attention on her mother.

"Another wasted trip to the backend of nowhere." She snapped. "Rookwood and Rawle assured me that the Weasley boy was in the corner shop. The only person in there, the woman behind the counter, assured me that no one had stepped foot over the threshold, apart from me, for hours."

"Perhaps he–"

"He wasn't there, Mother. Next time you stumble across a 'sure thing' get someone else, someone reliable, to check it out first. Otherwise don't bother to waste my time."

Cora blinked at her. "You're not serious, Regina?"

"Deathly." She replied in a low voice. Shooting a look in her sister's direction, she swept back towards the door. "I have work to do."


As October turned into November, Emma found herself getting more and more frustrated with Regina and her lack of understanding about what was going on with the brunette witch. Since their conversation, Regina had been pointedly avoiding her around the castle and refusing to even look in her direction in the moments they found themselves close enough to speak.

The Halloween feast had been tense, completely unlike the celebration of the year before. There was none of the party atmosphere around the Great Hall. Instead everyone seemed to be anticipating something, as though everyone was convinced that there was going to be some big event to mark the occasion. Before long, however, the feast ended and the students were ushered back to their dormitories by the Prefects and Heads of House.

Several evenings later, Emma had hesitated in the doorway under the pretence of talking to some of the seventh year Gryffindors, while she waited for Regina to finish her conversation with the Headmaster. It looked tense to the blonde at the other end of the Great Hall. She watched the brunette running her hands through her hair several times and shaking her head at the wizard in front of her, who appeared to be attempting to console her or convince her of something or other. Pushing his hands away, Regina turned and began stalking across the flagstone floor. As her eyes met Emma's, her step faltered slightly, but then she hardened her expression and continued towards her.

"Reg– Professor Mills." Emma started, but the brunette completely ignored her, sweeping through the doorway and heading towards the dungeons. "Oh, come on!"

"What do you want, Professor Swan?" Regina demanded angrily, rounding on the younger witch who had followed her down the steps and along the dungeon corridor. "It's late and I'm tired."

"Can I come in?" The blonde asked as they reached the door to Regina's living quarters. She leant against the wall as the older woman studied her for a moment, before reluctantly nodding. "Thanks."

"Well? What do you want?" Regina asked again as soon as she had seated herself in the chair by her desk. It was an attempt to distance herself from the other woman; something that Emma was entirely aware of.

"What were you and Snape arguing about?"

Regina stared, open-mouthed, at Emma. She couldn't believe the audacity of the younger woman; asking such questions about things that didn't concern her. Then again, Regina reasoned, it was entirely like Emma to do just that. For a couple of moments she simply studied her wondering what, if anything, to tell her.

"How's Henry?" She asked at last, changing the subject completely.

Emma looked taken aback. "Henry? He's fine. Why wouldn't he be?"

"You tell me, Professor Swan. My son hasn't spoken to me since August."

"What?" Exhaling sharply, the blonde looked stunned by the admission. "You're kidding?" Seeing the expression on her face, Emma winced. "Sorry… of course you wouldn't joke about that."

"Severus wants to reintroduce some of Dolores Umbridge's Education Decrees." Regina informed her quietly. "In particular Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four."

"Which is?"

Regina hunted on her desk for the scrap of parchment she'd written the full description of the Decree on after her discussion with Severus the previous day. "All Student Organisations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. An Organisation, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re-form may be sought from the Headmaster. No Student Organisation, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the Headmaster. Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organisation, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the Headmaster will be expelled."

"Well…" Emma exhaled sharply once the brunette had finished reading aloud. "That's a bit shit."

Despite herself, Regina chuckled. "Yes, Professor Swan, it is a bit shit."

"So… what are we going to do about it?"

Regina frowned. "We? We're not going to do anything, I…" She trailed off as her eyes fell on the clock on her mantelpiece. "You should go, now, Professor Swan. Good night."

"But… what?" Emma blinked in confusion as the older woman manhandled her towards the door and all but pushed her through it.

No sooner was the door closed in the blonde's face, than there was a flash of light from the fireplace. Giving herself a moment to compose herself, Regina turned to find herself looking at her mother. Cora arched an eyebrow as she took in the younger woman's appearance, wondering at the fact that the usually composed witch looked slightly flustered.

"Regina?"

"Yes, Mother, sorry… I had to deal with a student who–"

"I don't care, Regina." Cora cut her off bluntly. "I've come to tell you that the Minister has approved Severus' request to invoke Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four, with further permission to invoke any others at his discretion."

"Wonderful."

"Now, about that information Henry gave you." Cora continued, not noticing the almost pained expression on her daughter's face. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron and managed to break up the meeting."

"Did you capture any of the Order?"

"No." The older woman snapped bitterly. "They got away."

"Oh…"

"Quite. But Rodolphus overheard them saying that something would go ahead next Tuesday."

"What?" Regina furrowed her eyebrows. "What have they got planned?"

"We don't know; that's why we need Henry to find out for us. So far his information has been good and we feel that we're getting closer to capturing several prominent members of the Order."

"Mother, asking Henry for that sort of information is risky. It's too specific."

"I have every faith that he will handle the task brilliantly." Cora replied bluntly. "Just ask him, Regina; don't make issues where there are none."

Instead of responding, the younger witch simply nodded and watched her mother return towards the fireplace. She paused for a moment, before shaking her head and throwing Floo powder into the grate. Regina watched as Cora stepped into the flames and vanished from sight.

Regina waited a couple of moments before moving back to her desk. From the magically locked drawer at the bottom she pulled out a tiny oblong and set it on the surface in front of her. Tapping it once with her wand Regina muttered, "Engorgio" and waited for the object to regain its original size. Almost immediately it became a notebook with a crimson leather cover. Flipping it open, Regina picked up her quill and started writing on the enchanted paper. It had been simple enough to cast the Protean Charm on the notebook and the copy that was in her elder sister's possession, along with a Colour Change Charm to alert them to when a new message had been written on the pages.

Regina paused for a moment, before continuing her correspondence.

Andromeda,

I need to ask you about a possible meeting or planned attack by the Order which is due to take place next Tuesday (November 11th). You know I wouldn't normally ask about specific events, but I am sure you can guess why I am now.

Severus has obtained permission from Thicknesse to reinstate Umbridge's Educational Decrees, starting with Number Twenty-Four, which deals with the disbanding of student organisations. Clearly this is a response to the on-going campaign by those students calling themselves Dumbledore's Army who are going out of their way to make life less comfortable for those they feel are working against the Order. Naturally I am expecting the announcement of Decree Twenty-Four will only fuel them to even worse behaviour.

Hopefully I'll hear from you before, but if not, I'll see you tomorrow – usual time and place.

Regina

She tapped the notebook with her wand. "Illegibilus." She tapped it again. "Reducio."

Returning the now miniaturised book to her desk drawer, the witch crossed to the table on the opposite side of the room and picked up the decanter that lived there. Pouring herself a generous measure of Firewhisky, Regina headed slowly back to the chair behind her desk and pulled a sheet of parchment out of the bottom drawer. She cast her eyes over the names written there thoughtfully, formulating a plan.