Hermione surreptitiously cast a privacy spell around their three-person party as they walked stealthily down the corridors. The walls literally did have ears after all and she knew they had certainly called Dumbledore's attention to them enough for one day.
"You know, I think that went pretty well, thanks to Luna," Pansy suddenly stated lightly before Hermione could begin, "it's a good thing we have her around to distract from how suspicious Hermione always is. You may have some semblance of Slytherin cunning Granger, but you're about as subtle as Hagrid in a kitchen full of elves. Luckily, no one is able to focus on that for too long with Lovegood over here confusing the hell out of them." Pansy let out a loud good-natured laugh that was very different from the fake ones she once felt compelled to give within these same walls.
Hermione rolled her eyes fondly, well aware that she was no great actress, while Luna sported a grin that almost shined with atypical pride. The expressions just caused Pansy to giggle harder while her friends began to chuckle softly at her exuberance.
Suddenly, all three sensed a presence and halted their movement as naturally as possible. Hermione turned to Luna inquiringly while said blonde girl merely tilted her head in thought, as if tuning in an antenna.
"He's very conflicted," Luna began vaguely while Hermione rolled her eyes fondly at her friend's habit of giving roundabout answers, "I believe he wishes to speak with Hermione but is also very wary of doing so. Perhaps, we should part ways as to give him the opportunity to approach her alone?"
"But who is it, Luna?" Pansy asked in slight exasperation.
"Regulus Black," Luna informed them simply, shifting her luminous blue eyes to regard her friends seriously.
Simultaneous breaths were inhaled as Hermione and Pansy took in this information. Both had been aware of the boy's presence within their House but had put shifting his allegiance on the backburner because it was assumed Regulus Black joined Voldemort because he truly believed in his cause. It was only later that Regulus supposedly became disillusioned with his Dark Lord and made the ultimate sacrifice. Now the enigmatic R.A.B. wished to speak with Hermione, a known muggleborn?
"Very well," Hermione spoke almost immediately, "We'll take this opportunity to further influence our peers in this time period. Then, this coming Hogsmeade we will move to destroy the next Horcrux."
Luna and Pansy nodded in unison before splintering off in the direction of their respective dormitories.
Shite. Here they come. Regulus thought nervously as he lay in wait near the Headmaster's office. He watched curiously as the three seemed to share a good-natured laugh.
From the very beginning he'd naturally been curious about the mysterious transfer students just like any other member of the student population. At first he had been horrified when it was discovered that a muggleborn was placed in Slytherin but his horror slowly turned to shock as he continued to watch her and her pureblood friends practically laugh unabashedly in the face of Hogwart's social constructions. His perception then shifted to a grudging respect as he witnessed the Durant girl take the castle by storm in both academics and in gossip. The other Slytherins were wary of her, and ironically so were the Griffindors, while the other two houses seemed to be fascinated by the trio's every move.
Regulus himself had actually begun to doubt some of the ideologies he had been raised with as a result of his observations. Could it be that generations of purebloods were wrong in their depictions of muggleborns?
In any case, the ultimate reason Regulus had finally decided to talk with Hermione revolved around his estranged brother Sirius. After Regulus had been sorted into Slytherin, Sirius would have nothing to do with him and it had actually pained Regulus greatly to lose his only ally in a house encompassed by coldness. To see two Slytherin students bridging the gap between the rival houses with such ease and so publically had awakened some sort of hope within Regulus that he had long since thought dead. Perhaps he need not be permanently separated from his brother.
As he was about to make his presence known, the three girls seemed to suddenly split apart as Summerbee drifted dreamily off in one direction with Peasegood strutting confidently off in the other. Durant continued on her path toward a puzzled Regulus until she was suddenly standing directly in front of the dark alcove in which he was hidden and staring straight into his eyes expectantly.
If he were not raised within the Noble of House of Black, Regulus was certain he would have been blatantly giving away his uneasiness at being so abruptly approached. As it was, his demeanor did not change in the slightest as he continued to lean casually against the ancient, stone wall of the alcove and met her gaze head on.
Then he saw her smirk of all things.
"You really do resemble your brother," Hermione Durant stated bluntly and without introduction.
Regulus was once again startled but kept his face carefully blank like any good Slytherin.
"I take it you know who I am," he drawled in a self-assured manner typical of his station and ancestry.
Her smirk widened and then, to his astonishment, turned into a strangely encouraging smile.
"Regulus Black, I presume?" She stated it like a question but with a tone that suggested she already knew the answer.
He raised an eyebrow imperiously, though still feeling slightly discombobulated by her continued confident appraisal of him.
"Indeed," He responded, still not letting on that he was anything but self-assured, "Do you also presume to know what I wish to speak to you about?" He continued only half mockingly.
He watched curiously as her face shifted from that friendly demeanor to one of a more serious nature.
"I have a few ideas," she started ominously, "but feel free to take the lead in the conversation."
Regulus wasn't sure he believed her but at the same time, felt a strange chill run up his spine at her tone of voice.
"It's about Sirius," Regulus finally stated, watching as an involuntary smile returned to the mysterious girl's face.