The last two weeks of term passed quickly. Regina decided that Henry returning to the Burrow for the Christmas holidays, as had been the plan since long before their reconciliation, was still the best idea. Neither she nor Henry had discussed their relationship with anyone, other than Henry's conversations with Emma. Privately each thought keeping it between themselves was the best, and safest, course of action; although neither mentioned that fact to the other.
Regina, for her part, had spent Christmas at Malfoy Manor with the rest of her family and various associates of theirs including, to Regina's discomfort, Voldemort himself. It wasn't a particularly joyful occasion, with more attention being paid to the Death Eaters' various missions and plots than the festivities. Regina felt sorry for Draco, stuck in the middle of the planning and pure venom that hung around the house. She tried to talk to him, to take his mind off things, but he was surly and unresponsive and, finally, his aunt gave up.
On the day before New Year's Eve, Regina was standing in the atrium of her sister and brother-in-law's Manor, staring out of the window and deep in thought. She had spent the morning arguing with her mother over further alterations at Hogwarts, backed up by Severus who cautioned them on making any drastic changes. He told them that things were running smoothly, that the Dark Lord's agenda was being followed and that they could see a definite drop in the hostile action from students. Regina chose not to dispute any of those allegations, seeing how they would benefit her and everyone else at the school if Severus' line was accepted.
"Ms Mills?"
"Selwyn?" She turned and addressed the man behind her sharply, almost angry at the intrusion.
"Xenophilius Lovegood has sent word that Potter and his associates are at his house."
"And?" Regina arched her eyebrow at him.
"Your mother said that if he–"
"Then I suggest you speak to my mother." Regina snapped.
She watched as he sloped away, leaving her on her own with her thoughts. With a deep sigh, the brunette turned and headed down towards the basement of the house. She hated what that area had been turned into with an absolute passion, but she knew it wasn't a fight she could win and so she tried not to let her disgust with the situation show.
Striding towards the bars that separated one side of the basement from the other, Regina pointed her wand at the brazier on the wall and it burst into flames. She repeated the action with the other braziers until the area was bathed in light.
"Hi, Professor Mills…"
"Hello, Miss Lovegood." Regina smiled as she approached the bars. "How are you? Mr Thomas? Mr Ollivander? Griphook?"
None of the males answered her question, Dean going so far as to stare at her suspiciously while Ollivander and Griphook simply refused to meet her eyes. Luna answered politely enough, but she was still far from her usual, bubbly self. Sighing softly, Regina asked whether there was anything she could get them to make them more comfortable, smiling as Dean immediately requested more food.
Chuckling softly, thinking that all teenage boys were the same, she promised to return with something for them to eat. Leaving the fires burning in the braziers, Regina headed up the steps and made her way towards the kitchen. She opened the door to the parlour, musing over what she could take down to the prisoners that wouldn't be missed. The brunette wasn't sure how long her mother would stand for her 'sympathetic attitude' towards the inhabitants of the jail cell.
"Regina? I hope you're simply peckish and are not intending to take that down to the prisoners." Cora said, making her daughter jump.
Turning quickly, the younger woman shrugged, keeping her face expressionless. "They won't be much use to us if they starve to death, Mother."
"They're not going to starve, Regina, don't be ridiculous." Cora scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Put it back."
"No, Mother, I won't." Her daughter refused. "We don't need it… they're hungry."
"If you do this–"
"You'll what?" Regina demanded, arching an eyebrow. When Cora didn't move or speak, she shook her head. "I didn't think so."
Taking a deep breath and holding it until she had safely left the kitchen with the armful of foodstuffs she had gathered, Regina headed back down to the basement and unlocked the cell with a wave of her wand. Setting the items down on the crate they were using as a table, she stood back and smiled around. Seeing that the prisoners were reluctant to help themselves, she broadened her smile and signalled towards the food.
"Please, help yourselves."
Slowly those in the cell moved towards the crate. As soon as they'd satisfied themselves it wasn't a trap or a trick, they began eating with gusto. Assuring them that she'd make sure they had enough food to eat at each meal, Regina backed out of the cell, locking it behind her. She was reluctant to do so, but she wasn't stupid enough to think there wouldn't be serious repercussions if she allowed the quartet to escape. At the moment, she couldn't afford to get into that sort of trouble. There was far too much riding on her staying in one piece.
Not long after she'd returned to the parlour there was a knock on the door and Selwyn and Anstley stepped inside, looking around nervously. Cora rose as they entered, using her whole body to show just how high above the two Death Eaters her position was. Regina, on the other hand, leant back against the cushions of the armchair she had settled herself in and regarded the man with undisguised distain.
"We went to the loony's house but there was no sign of Potter or the others." Selwyn informed them, apparently nervous. "The damage to Lovegood's house was pretty extensive."
As Anstley sniggered, Cora turned her sharp gaze on him. "Are you sure he wasn't there?"
"We looked, he weren't there." Selwyn assured her, shooting his accomplice a scowl.
"If I find out that Potter was right under your noses and you missed him, then you will be very, very sorry." The older Mills woman informed them in a low, dangerous voice. She advanced on the two men slowly and they, although being at least a head taller than the witch, shrank back visibly. "I don't have time for your idiocy."
Dismissing them with a flick of her hand, Cora stalked out of the room and left them staring after her. With a dark chuckle, Regina climbed to her feet and followed her mother's path glad that, for once, it wasn't her in the older witch's bad books. She found Cora easily, pacing backwards and forwards around the dining room, her arms crossed over her chest and her face screwed up as she thought hard about her next move.
"It's all about actions and consequences, Regina." She almost murmured, causing her daughter to jump as she hadn't realised that Cora knew she was there. "When things don't go as planned there are always consequences and the trick to staying alive is to stay one step ahead of everyone else."
"What are you saying, Mother?"
"I'm saying that there will be a consequence to what happened this evening and in order to prevent myself coming under threat of whatever reaction the Dark Lord has to the news that, yet again, Potter has slipped through his fingers, I need to deflect attention elsewhere."
"Selwyn and Anstley said that they looked and there was no sign of Potter. What makes you think there will be any consequences?" Regina asked with a frown.
Cora sighed deeply. "Lovegood might be at the wrong end of the sanity scale, but he knew what was at stake. He wouldn't have risked his daughter's life by calling us to his house if Potter wasn't there." She shook her head. "No, Potter was there and those two missed him."
"But, Mother, how can the Dark Lord possibly blame you for this?"
"Regina, darling, don't be stupid. It doesn't suit you." Cora informed her bluntly. "I'll be the one telling him the bad news and the adage 'shooting the messenger' will be wildly accurate."
Regina shrugged. "Let them tell him, then. Say that you aren't aware of the outcome of their visit and let them take the fall."
"And you think he will believe that I'm not aware?"
"It's New Year's Eve and you're a grandmother." The younger woman replied with a small smile. "Tell him you were spending time with Draco and hadn't been informed yet."
There was a pause as Cora considered her words thoughtfully. Then she smiled and nodded, reaching out and touching her daughter's cheek with more tenderness than Regina could ever remember. "I suppose I should go and find my grandson, then."
Regina smiled and watched her leave the room, her heels clicking on the floor. As soon as her mother was out of sight, the smile dropped from her face and she scowled. The brunette was well aware that most of her mother's actions revolved around plotting and planning and finding ways to keep herself out of the firing line at the expense of others. Regina had never thought she would be the one encouraging her to do so.
Irritably, Regina decided that she needed some air. She stalked towards the front door of the Manor, stopping only to retrieve a thick, fur lined cloak, and let herself out into the crisp night air. It was almost blisteringly cold, her breath forming great clouds in the air in front of her. Making up her mind in a split-second, Regina strode towards the gates and the boundary of Lucius' property, Disapparating as soon as she was out of the jurisdiction of her brother-in-law's land.
Despite all the fear and anxiety that surrounded them in the times they were living through, Christmas at The Burrow was a greatly enjoyable experience. Molly and Arthur had extended their invitation to lunch on Christmas Day to all members of the Order and their friends and almost everyone had accepted. All the Weasleys were in attendance, apart from Percy, Bill, who had decided to spend his first Christmas as a married man at home with his wife, and Ron. Emma and Henry were there, along with Eugenia and Ruby Lucas, Remus and Tonks. Neal and Killian had also accepted the invitation, but David and Mary Margaret, Philip and Aurora and Belle had opted to spend the holiday with their families. Andromeda Tonks had been invited along with her daughter and son-in-law, but she had politely declined, claiming that she wasn't really in the mood for celebrating and being sociable while her husband was still on the run.
After being asked, specifically, by Regina to make sure Henry enjoyed his holiday, Emma had devoted herself to doing just that. Her relationship with the boy she thought of, stupid as it would sound if she said it out loud, as her stepson was stronger than ever. They felt a bond, both of them connected by their renewed belief in Regina, which acted to draw them even closer together.
On New Year's Eve Emma had found herself pulled into a Quidditch match in the orchard behind The Burrow that started just after breakfast and lasted well into the evening, with various players dropping in and out of the game as they felt like it. Emma and Ruby had charmed several candles to light their pitch so that the match could continue even after the sun had set.
Emma laughed loudly as Ruby toppled sideways after a very well aimed Bludger from Charlie caused her to dodge, leaving the floating barrels that were acting as goal posts, unguarded. Henry took advantage of her lapse in concentration to dart forward and throw the Quaffle into the middle floating barrel.
The fourteen-year-old flew back towards Emma, Neal and Charlie, all three of them whooping exuberantly in celebration. Ruby, Killian, Fred and George bickered good-naturedly, each blaming the others for the fact they had conceded the latest goal. As Ginny, who was taking her turn as referee, bellowed for them to be quiet so she could reset the game, ready for the next round, Tonks appeared through the gloom and attracted their attention by waving her arms wildly in the air.
"Molly says dinner's ready and you've got to stop this ridiculous waste of precious time." The metamorphagus announced, putting her hands on her rounded stomach and smiling broadly at the bitter complaints her slur against their beloved sport had caused.
The players descended to the ground, along with the floating barrels and candles, and headed back towards the house. They teased each other good-naturedly and, although the teams had switched around regularly throughout the day, it didn't stop Charlie, Neal, Emma and Henry from gloating that their team had won by 640 points to 590.
"We didn't even have a Snitch." Fred whined as his older brother grabbed him in a loose headlock.
"Yeah and the Bludger was a charmed football." Emma pointed out with a grin. "A football that, I am reliably informed, you stole from some Muggle children when you were ten."
"That's slander." George retorted, feigning outrage.
"No, it's theft." Charlie corrected, laughing loudly.
Ruby shrugged, a sulky pout on her face. "So the score doesn't even count because we only had one Bludger, three on each team and no Snitch."
"You're such a sore loser, Ruby!" Neal teased her, scooping up the brunette with ease and throwing her over his shoulder.
They all laughed as he ran towards the house with her, Ruby squealing theatrically all the way. Spotting Killian making a beeline for Emma, Henry headed him off by placing himself at her side and grinning up at her. Not realising the cause of his actions, the blonde ruffled the teenager's hair and threw her arm around his shoulder.
Something caught Emma's attention out in the darkness and she squinted towards the boundary of the Weasleys' land, beyond the protective enchantments and spells that were keeping them safe and hidden from those who would cause them harm. A dim light was shining a little way away; somewhere that Emma knew was uninhabited and should therefore be completely undisturbed. Hesitating for a moment, the witch paused in her step, making Henry look up at her curiously. Seeing where her attention was focused, he squinted into the darkness as well.
"Is that…?" He muttered, slowing his pace so that they dropped back behind everyone else making their way towards the house. "No way…"
"Henry, I can't see who that is and neither can you. Hell, I don't even know if that is someone."
"But if it is her… maybe she's in trouble? Why else would she come here? What if she needs help?" Henry pressed.
Emma sighed, seeing the logic in what he said. "OK… I'll check it out. But I need you to cover for me, Henry."
"Obviously." He agreed, rolling his eyes.
Smirking lightly, Emma winked at him and turned, heading out into the darkness towards what they had spotted. As she stepped over the invisible boundary, Emma felt a cold sensation trickling down her spine and knew that she was now unprotected by the enchantments that had been cast on The Burrow. Glancing over her shoulder, the blonde smiled as she realised that she could no longer see or hear the building where she knew there would be limitless talking and laughing and, possibly, even some singing later on; especially if someone gave Molly a few glasses of Eugenia's extra strong Nettle wine.
"You're brave." A familiar, rich, slightly amused voice met Emma's ears as she walked through the long grass in the direction of the light she and Henry had seen. "Not that I ever thought you were anything else."
"Regina… what are you doing here?"
"Not pleased to see me?" Regina asked, clearly attempting to sound nonchalant, but not fooling Emma, who could hear the slight waver in her tone.
"You have no idea…" The younger witch admitted, stepping closer and smiling softly. "But it's dangerous out here in the open."
Shrugging, Regina sighed. "I realised something terrible today…"
"What?" Emma prompted when the brunette trailed off.
"In trying so hard not to be like my mother, I'm becoming more like my mother than I ever imagined." She admitted softly.
"You are nothing like Cora."
"That's just the thing… I… I said something today that… I couldn't believe I'd said it. I offered my mother a way out of a situation by sacrificing… I couldn't…"
Wordlessly, Emma gathered Regina in her arms, sensing that it was what she needed and holding her tightly. Her eyes slipped closed as the brunette buried her face in Emma's neck and she felt the older woman's tears soaking through her jumper. Taken aback, not having realised just how upset Regina was, Emma gently disentangled herself so that she could look the other woman in the face.
"Regina… what have you got yourself into?" She breathed, worried about just how deep the brunette had found herself.
"It's not…" Regina sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's not anything to do with the Death Eaters or… him. It's... it's easier to show you. Will you come with me?"
Emma hesitated for a moment, before nodding. In return, Regina smiled brightly, her whole face lighting up. If Emma had any doubts about putting her life in the older woman's hands, they melted away as soon as she was blasted with the full force of her former girlfriend's beauty. Holding out her hand, Regina tangled their fingers together and, without any warning, Disapparated. Emma was too focused on the feeling of her hand being clasped so tightly by the brunette to make any sort of complaint or question her plan of action.
Instead, she simply blinked several times, before turning to frown at Regina in bemusement. On first inspection they appeared to be on a lonely mountainside. Mist rolled over the ground in front of them and added to the intensely creepy atmosphere of the area. Apart from that, it was too dark for her to see anything, which didn't do much to settle the unease that was rolling around inside her.
"Where are we?" She asked after a couple of moments, looking around in complete confusion.
"We're in Mid Wales… the locals call this area the Epynt." Regina informed her, dropping her hand and starting to walk briskly towards a single, dim light in the distance. "Not that any Muggles come here very often… there are so many enchantments and protective spells on the area that there's very little for them to see anyway. The few Muggles who do come here are either just taking a shortcut or passing through on their way to the bigger settlements on either side, or members of the Military on maneuvers. They aren't looking out for anything unusual, anyway."
"What d'you mean? What's unusual about this place?"
"This is my big secret, Emma." She said with a wry smile. "I know you've been watching me… you've been suspicious about my actions for a long time. You think I've got something to do with those students who've run away from Hogwarts."
"I…"
"Don't deny it, that's beneath you." Regina told her, arching an eyebrow. "Besides, you're right. I am up to something and I am behind all those disappearances." She paused, tilting her head and examining Emma closely. "Do you trust me?"
