The next day when Regulus arose he found the house was quiet. A tired Kreacher informed him over breakfast that his mother had gone to meet with her magical baking group and would not be back for until after dinner, while his father was still ill. Regulus ignored Kreacher's protests and helped the elf clean. At midday Regulus apparated to the train station he was meeting Hannah at. It was in a small town where his Nana Melania lived with his Aunt Lucretia.
His hands were sweaty with nerves and he wiped them on his jeans as he watched Hannah get off the train. She was wearing her silly red hat that had the flowers on it, and a navy coat, upon which the broach he had given her sat proudly. It took her a few minutes to spot him but when she did she rushed over and hugged him. "Why are we meeting here? I thought we would meet at my village or in London?"
"Well… My Grandmother wants to meet you." He offered reluctantly, wishing that something would happen to stop this unfortunate event, this would be, in Regulus's mind, the perfect chance for a meteoroid to his earth.
"Your Grandmother?"
"Yes, my nana Melania insisted I bring you to meet her and so here we are. It's a good twenty minute walk from here to her house on the edge of the town."
"Alright." She looked nervous, "Will your parents be there?"
"No my father is ill and my mother has a baking club meeting."
"your mother bakes too?" excited at the prospect of having something in common with his mother.
"No no, Kreacher does all of our cooking, all they do is sit and eat baking." He grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs and out of the station. The walk was pleasant but cold and Regulus was almost glad when they reached his grandmothers. The house in which she and Lucretia lived in was very old. Lucretia's husband had bought it from a wealthy land owner decades earlier and it was regarded as one of the finest houses for miles around. Regulus's grandmother had lived with his parents at Grimmauld place until Sirius had been born and she had decided to retreat to Lucretia's quiet home.
"Oh my" said Hannah looking up, "Your grandmother must be loaded." She blushed, "sorry. I need to learn not to voice my every thought"
Regulus squeezed her hand, he was as nervous as she was, but he put on his most confident voice and said "Nana Melania will love you, I am sure of it."
He grasped her hand tighter as he pressed the door bell and were let in by a butler who led them into the living room. "Your grandmother has a butler?" Hannah whispered but before Regulus could answer Nana Melania was standing in front of him. She had her greying hair pulled back into a fancy hair style which would have been very popular in 1910 and she was wearing a red gown which sat loosely on her thin figure.
"Regulus, Darling." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. She pulled away looking at Regulus's hand which was still firmly gripped by Hannah before staring at the face of his girlfriend. "And you must be Regulus's Hannah." Regulus liked hearing her called his Hannah, but quickly reminded himself to focus, now was not the time for day dreams. He watched as his grandmother looked her up and down several times. Hannah seemed to shrink closer to him at every stare. "Well Regulus she is much more beautiful in real life than in that photo. Why don't you take a seat darlings and Alfred shall bring us some tea and scones."
Melania sat on the sofa, she appeared to be enjoying herself. Hannah and Regulus had no option but to let go of each other to settle into two separate armchairs that faced the sofa. "Regulus, is your father feeling any better?"
"No, he was still in bed when I left this morning."
"hmmm, and your mother? Was she with him?"
"No I believe she had a meeting." Regulus saw her nod. His mother was not a caring woman and her husband's illness would not stop her from doing what she wanted.
"Hannah. Tell me about your family."
"Well, I have two brothers. Mum and Dad divorced a few years ago, and they are both remarried so I have a half sister and baby half brother as well."
"Lovely. It is nice to be part of a large family."
Hannah nodded in agreement but their conversation was interrupted when the butler appeared with a tea pot and old china cups. "Regulus has a large extended family. But he is my only grandchild. Except Sirius." She sighed, "He sent back the present I bought him." She stared at a large wrapped box that sat under the Christmas tree. "Who even knows where he spent Christmas, has Regulus told you about his brother."
"Yes. He mentioned Sirius no longer spoke to their parents."
"Yes. Regulus's mother is a formidable woman, very proud. She sets high standards for her poor boys. And when Sirius voiced opinions different to her she acted quite awfully. No wonder Sirius ran away. I hear the Potters took him in off the streets. I wrote to them to thank them and sent him money. Don't tell your mother Regulus, or she won't allow me in the house again. That is reason her brother Alphard was not invited for Christmas, wasn't it?"
Regulus was surprised by his grandmother's words. She had always been quiet and strong, but Regulus had been the favourite grandchild, not Sirius. He also had no idea his Grandmother thought so little of his mother. "Oh Regulus do not look at me like that. You know your parents often take a ridiculous line on things. I mean we both know what your mother would say about Hannah and yet you are still going out with her."
Hannah looked shocked and confused; "you mean Regulus's parents wouldn't like me?"
Nana Melania laughed loudly "Not like you? They would detest every bone in your body. They would think you are the wrong choice for him, unworthy of his intentions. No, I bet Regulus never plans to introduce you to his parents for fear of their reactions."
At this Hannah burst into tears and ran from the room. Regulus got up and turned to his grandmother "Thank you for that." And as he walked out of her room he heard his grandmother say "You gave her Mother's old Broach. I knew you liked her but I didn't realise you were in love with her."
Regulus ignored her statement and took off after Hannah. He found her a few minutes later sitting on the kerb of a nearby street. He sat down next to her and wrapped his hands round her. She tried to push him away but after few second she gave up and started to sob into his chest. He tried to sooth her by telling her it was ok and kissing her on the top of her head. They sat like that for a long time before Hannah stopped crying. She pulled away from him with mascara down her face and puffy eyes and blotchy cheeks under the black marks.
"Was she right? Are you planning to never introduce me to your mother?"
"Yes." He answered honestly.
"Are you ashamed of me?"
"No. Of course not. How could I be ashamed of you."
"Then why?"
"Because I can't, they would throw me out of the house and never talk to me again. And it would kill my dad to lose another one of his sons."
"Why? Why would they act so extreme?"
"It's hard to explain."
"Try."
"They have in their head the sort of girl they want me to go out with and one day marry and she is nothing like you."
"This sort of girl…. Is she what you want to go out with? Are you just hanging out with me until you find her?"
"I thought she was the kind of girl I wanted until I met you."
She pulled a face as more tears rolled down her cheeks, "If we can never be together without you losing our family then we should break up."
Regulus didn't say anything. There was more to it than he could tell her. They could never be together without him losing more than his family. Thomas had been right when he said that Regulus was risking both their lives. But "I don't want to."
"Me neither."
"Then why can't we just keep this a secret and stay together?" He was fighting back his own tears at this point, he didn't want to break up with her.
She looked into his eyes and he couldn't help but admiring how lovely the brown colour of her eyes were. "Because I really like you and the longer I stay with you the more it will hurt when we do split up."
He thought back to what his grandmother had said as he was leaving to room, but then suppressed it and looked down at Hannah and nodded his head. "you're right."
Don't worry it is definitely not the last we will see of Hannah