Chapter 7: Attendance

Remus Lupin, sixth year Gryffindor and Prefect of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry walked into the Great Hall for dinner and made his way to where his friends were already eating, a worried and thoughtful look on his face.

He sat down and absentmindedly started putting food on his plate.

"Alright there Moony?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded, but looked at the boy with messy black hair who was stuffing chicken into his mouth. "James?"

James looked up, a piece of chicken hanging out of his mouth. "Wha?"

Remus hesitated. "Have you…talked to Emi-...your sister lately?"

James became sober, Sirius looked at Remus like he was crazy, and Peter almost dropped his goblet in surprise.

"Moony…I don't have a sister." James said evenly.

Remus almost sighed in aggravation. "James, it's been four years since she was sorted into Slytherin, does it really matter that she isn't a Gryffindor? She's still your sister."

"I know," James narrowed his eyes and clenched his hand so hard his knuckles turned white. "And I don't care that she's a Slytherin-"

"Really?" Sirius asked, surprised.

James let out a breath to calm himself. "Yes, because she always was a little too ambitious, I should have realized there was a chance she could be sorted there…" He spat. "But she was no longer my sister when she called Lily…that name!"

"You know that's not true James!" Remus said. "The moment she was sorted into Slytherin you ignored her or scorned her."

"Why are you defending her?!" James asked loudly.

Sirius placed a hand on James's shoulder and looked between him and Remus. "Calm down, we're all mates here." He looked across the table at Remus. "Moony, what's with the touchy subject?"

Remus looked at his plate. "I…I was only asking because I saw her in the library-"

James snorted. "Probably taking books from the Restricted Section and brushing up on her Dark Arts."

"No." Remus said slowly. "I saw her and…Regulus Black behind a bookshelf…together."

James and Sirius stood up. "What?"

Just at that moment Emily walked into the Great Hall, eyes momentarily locking with both James and Sirius's eyes before looking away entirely and continuing towards the Slytherin table.

James and Sirius watched as Regulus grabbed her around the waist as she passed him and made her sit next to him.

James moved away from the table and would have stomped over to the Slytherin table if Remus didn't reach across the table and grab James's arm. "Don't James. If you think that threatening her and telling her what to do is going to suddenly turn her back into the innocent eleven year old she was four years ago…then you really have forgotten what kind of a girl your sister is."

James shook off Remus's hand and sat back down, glaring at Emily. "I have to agree…I no longer know what kind of girl she is." He gave a humorless laugh and buried his head in his hands. "I don't even know why I care. She's chosen the side she's on."

Remus sighed. "More like she was forced onto that side."

James looked up and glared, making Remus immediately quiet.

Sirius watched as Regulus leaned closer to Emily and whispered something in her ear, causing her to smile and kiss him on the cheek, and rage burned through him.

"Hey…Sirius?" Peter questioned the still standing boy nervously.

James looked up at his best mate and grabbed his arm, pulling him back into his seat. "I know you must be just as upset…seeing as it's your brother."

"What brother?" Sirius spat.

Remus heaved another sad sigh. Both are so cold when it comes to family.


Time passed quickly and word of Emily Potter and Regulus Black's relationship spread like wildfire.

Emily took it all in stride, ignoring the jealous looks from some girls, and hiding her surprise when Bellatrix, Narcissa, the rest of the Slytherins were either acting civil or trying to become her friend.

She was currently sitting in a compartment with some other Slytherins on the Hogwarts Express, heading back to London for winter break. Her compartment buddies included Bellatrix, Narcissa, Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, and Regulus, who had his arm around her casually.

Emily silently complimented herself for climbing so far up the social ladder to where she was at that moment.

Working on my looks so much and using others as my stepping-stones really did pay off, no matter how shallow it makes me seem.

She gazed out the window, remaining silent as her fellow Slytherins conversed about the rising Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort. She inwardly rolled her eyes. Who ever would have guessed that this happy bunch would want to join him?

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Bellatrix questioned Emily on her opinion.

"The sooner nuisances that don't seem to know their place are taken care of the better and I will happily follow one powerful enough to do that." Emily said coolly, her attention only momentarily turning to the other occupants of the room.

Bellatrix's lips curved up in a cruel smirk. "It's wonderful that you think that. It's such a shame that the rest of your family are such blood traitorous bastards, especially that brother of yours, don't you think?"

One of Emily's fists clenched. She's challenging me. She slowly looked at Bellatrix, face blank. "Yes…but then again, there's always at least one or two in a family that choose the opposite path and go against tradition. I would think you would see the similarities of my situation with the few black sheep of your noble family."

Regulus's grip unconsciously tightened on her shoulder and Emily assumed he was thinking about his brother. She looked up at him for a moment before looking at Bellatrix again. She was looking at Emily intently; a calculating and cold look in her eyes.

"This type of talk is unimportant at the moment." Narcissa interrupted. "What's more important is the engagement/Christmas party being held at Regulus's home. I'm sure he's mentioned it. It's in honor of Bella and Rodolphus's upcoming marriage after they graduate."

Emily nodded. "He's…mentioned it."

Narcissa leaned forward in her seat. "Well you must come."

"I must?" Emily questioned, looking at Narcissa then to Regulus, who smirked.

"It would be wonderful if you came. I'm sure mother's dying to meet the girl I've been telling her about in my letters home." He said.

"All of which are good things, right?" Emily questioned.

"Regulus wrote nothing but good things." Rabastan, a sixth year Slytherin, said, smiling from Regulus's other side.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Regulus let's you read his letters to home?"

Regulus gave Rabastan a look. "No, he took it from me and read it."

Rabastan ignored Regulus and continued to smile at Emily. "I'm still curious about you. What is it about you that earned the attention of Regulus Black? And how did you go from the being a girl no one knew of, to one of the most wanted girls in Hogwarts?"

She smiled sweetly. "One of the most wanted huh?"

Rabastan grinned.

Narcissa cleared her throat. "So…Emily, will you attend?"

Emily's smile faded and she looked at Bellatrix and Rodolphus. "I think it depends on if the happy couple wishes for my attendance."

Rodolphus grinned charmingly at her. "We'd be glad for you to attend, right Bella?" He asked the girl next to him.

Bellatrix looked at Emily with a disinterested look, an air of arrogance still around her. "I suppose you could come, if you want."

"Of course she wants to come." Regulus said immediately.

Emily smiled coolly and turned her attention back to the window.

Of course…I wouldn't miss an opportunity like this.