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Regulus was half asleep, he could tell it was early as he opened his eyes because of the light coming through the window, he turned his head and saw a stripy mug with steam coming from it sitting on the coffee table, he blinked for a moment before seeing beyond the cup. Hannah was sitting opposite him, curled up in a reclining chair with her hands wrapped round a cup staring over at him.

"Good morning." She smiled.

"Morning," he muttered in response, stretching his arms out, it was only then he realised he was lying with is torso exposed, his blanket round his waist. Embarrassed he pulled his blanket up round him and sat up. He grabbed his cup which was filled with a strong smelling coffee and leaned back sipping it. "Did you sleep well."

"Very. As did you, evidently." She was correct in her observations. It had been the first night's sleep which hadn't been fragmented by thoughts of horcruxes and visions of dead bodies, and he was putting the absence of it down to her ability to make him feel like all was right with the world. "What time is it?"

"A little after eight."

"ugh, I need to get up then as well, get ready for work."

"Is your work far?"

"No, unless I have to go report on something," he rubbed his eyes. He was reluctant to leave the room and her when he would have to go without her calming presence for the rest of the day but he had to get dressed. In the spare room he quickly threw on jeans, a shirt and his blazer and returned to the living room to see Hannah was now eating cereal.

"This is really good cereal. I love how some of the pieces are shaped like brooms, what are these pieces?" she lifted her spoon up to him revealing a slightly soggy piece of cereal shaped like a snitch.

Regulus just shrugged and grinned to himself as he poured his own bowl of Quidditch shaped kids cereal.

After eating a speedy breakfast Regulus gave Hannah his spare key and said goodbye. His day at work was largely uneventful. He had only been working for the prophet for a few weeks so his stories were still minor. The report he was doing that day was on the ministry's reforms to employment regulations. He doubted, considering the killing of muggles and the magic community up and down the country that anyone would read his article at all. But it paid the bills and allowed his to be in a prominent position it the wizarding world, pleasing his mother and the Dark Lord.

As he wrote his thoughts were again plagued by the evil of the Dark Lord. He cursed himself for being so stupid as to not see it so quickly. But he did not know what he could do? Leaving the death eater's was a death sentence. He was trapped. His mother's voice squealed in horror of the idea of him quitting the Dark Lord's service.

He was confused and worried. Over the course of the day he realised that he needed time to think of a plan. But he knew his reluctance could be spotted easily by the Dark Lord. He needed to learn occulency. With this decision he tried to finish his article quickly, a task which wasn't helped by the presence of Rita Skeeter.

"Regulus, hey." She said in a low voice that he guessed was intended to be seductive. "I was just wondering if your free tonight. I thought you could come round, with some firewhiskey and we could see where the night takes us."

Regulus was embarrassed to say it was an offer that a few days earlier he would have considered. But now this thoughts were consumed by two things, occulemency and Hannah, and spending the night with Rita wasn't desirable at all.

"Sorry, I will have to pass. I have plans with a friend." She looked disappointed with his answer but he barely noticed as he stood up and headed to Grimmauld Place. He snuck in and out without his mother's notice, only retrieving a book from his father's study before he returned to the flat.

Regulus knew he would be unable to practice so he sat and concentrated hard on the theory. Before he knew it the sun was being to set and he heard the key in the door as Hannah returned. He shoved the book under the sofa cushion and leaned back into a casual pose.

"Hey!" she smiled dumping her bag by the living room door. She looked over at him and giggled; "Why are you sitting so weirdly?"

"eh…" he readjusted himself as she continued to laugh at him.

He found her smile as contagious as he had when he had first dated her and soon he found himself relaxed and chatting to her about his article. "How was your day?"

"It was perfect. I signed the contract; I have a plan for how to design it, now I just need to find a decorator."

"Great! How about I take you out to dinner to celebrate?"

She paused for a second, "alright then, I'll put my coat back on."

After a brief deliberation in which Hannah swore she ate everything Regulus brought her to an Italian restaurant a few streets away which he passed regularly but had never got the opportunity to try. Inside the restaurant was practically empty but it had a nice quiet atmosphere and at least Regulus didn't have to worry about being seen with her.

They had eaten most of their dinner before anything out of the ordinary happened. Hannah had eaten the crust off her pizza, as she always did first and was about to start on the middle when she noticed a man staring at her from across the room. After a few minutes she looked up again but he was still staring.

She continued to eat her pizza for a minute or two and avoided letting her eyes wander before she leaned over towards Regulus and whispered "who is that man over there watching us?"

Regulus felt his heart start to race, he glanced to his left quickly, seeing a small man wearing a cloak, entirely ignoring his coffee and staring with a horrified expression at him and Hannah. Regulus had no doubt in his mind the man was a wizard. But what scared him more was that the man was familiar, and that he was clearly familiar to this man. Regulus was genuinely fearful, not for him but for Hannah. She was quite clearly a muggle, her clothes and behaviour indicated that, and if the Dark Lord found out she had been with him she would be killed. It was a moment before he thought that his own life was certainly in danger as well.

The man had a look of familiarity. Regulus searched his mind for where he knew him from, hoping all the while it wasn't from any pure blood circle, where his report would find his way back to his mother or a death eater. "I am not sure, he looks familiar though."

"If you know him we should invite him over."

"I didn't say I knew him, just that he looked familiar."

"He is creeping me out Reg, can you at least go talk to him or something."

Regulus had no argument that he could logically present to Hannah and thinking it could do no harm wandered over to the man.

"Hello, have we met before."

The man looked shocked at Regulus's addresses.

"No. But I know of you." His voice squeaked, "Can I talk to you?" he glanced over at Hannah, "Outside."

Regulus was frightful and confused; the man looked as panicked as he did so he agreed and after shrugging to Hannah followed the tiny cloaked man onto the quiet street outside.

"What's this about?" he asked looking down.

"Please don't hurt the muggle girl. If the dark lord has instructed you to do so please let us hide her, it will not be anything to you."

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Regulus was affronted by the notion he would hurt the girl he was eating with and surprised that this guy knew he was a death eater. Being in Lord Voldemort's service was secretive and he knew few of the people in it.

"I am Dedalus Diggle, I am a member of the Order of the Pheonix. I was sent to follow you, but when I saw you with the muggle girl I knew I couldn't let you hurt her."

Regulus felt a surge of affection for this stranger who was risking his life to save a girl he had never met. He also felt a pang of regret for choosing to be the enemy of such a brave man.

"I am not…. I won't hurt her. There is no reason to hide her. My intentions are good I promise."

"But why are you having dinner with her if you are not planning to trap her and lead her to some terrible fate? I mean your hardly on a date with her are you?"

"No. Not exactly." The look of surprise spreading across the small man's features indicated the mentions of a date had been sarcastic. "She is my friend. And we were celebrating."

The man nodded appearing to believe Regulus. Before suddenly, aware the girl was no longer in danger, realised he now could be. A look of panic graced his face before he disapparated. Regulus stared at the spot where the man had disappeared for a moment before returning to his friend, wishing more than anything, that it was a date.