Glancing at each other, the two women started up the long driveway towards the large Manor House. Following the red-head's lead, Regina waited patiently for the front door to be answered, standing back as a woman nearly Aurora's double, though obviously older, pulled the younger woman into her arms for a tight hug.
When Allegra Rose released her daughter, she turned to Regina with a wide, warm smile. "Mary, sweetheart, it's always a pleasure to see you."
Regina struggled to keep the smile on her own face as the woman pulled her into a tight hug as she had done with her daughter. Aurora chuckled at the scowl that was struggling to break through Regina's expression, before taking pity on the uncomfortable woman and distracting her mother into letting her go.
"I've actually come to visit Aunt Briar, Ma." She said carefully. "One of my second years asked me something I wasn't entirely sure about the answer to about the moons surrounding–"
Allegra waved her question away. "You know there's no use telling me, sweetheart. I've never understood your fascination with stars and planets. It must come from your father's side of the family." She smiled warmly at the two women. "Briar is in her room, I think. Would you like to join me for tea while Rory speaks to her, Mary? I know how they can be when they get going on the subject."
"Thank you, Mrs Rose, but I'd quite like to know the answer myself. Rory has been babbling on about it since lunchtime." Regina replied, putting emphasis on the younger woman's nickname.
"We'll come and have tea with you before we leave, Ma." Aurora promised, unable to stop herself jabbing the brunette hard in the ribs.
Regina simply sent her Mary Margaret's most serene smile in response and followed as Aurora led the way up the winding staircase towards her aunt's bedroom. They took several corners and several more staircases until they stopped and Aurora raised her hand to knock on the door lightly. There was no response for a moment or two, so the woman knocked again. After a couple of minutes they heard footsteps crossing the room and the door was pulled open.
A tired looking woman in her early fifties stared out at them for a moment. It seemed to take her several seconds to realise who was standing outside her bedroom door, but then she broke into a cheerful smile and stood aside, ushering them in. Regina looked at her curiously. She had only seen a picture of the woman when she was in her late teens and, although Briar had aged more than thirty years since then, Regina could see the pretty young woman shining through her middle-aged counterpart.
"Rory! It's wonderful to see you, my love. And Mary too." Briar stepped back to examine them closely. "You both look tired; you shouldn't work so hard. Is Dumbledore expecting too much?"
Aurora laughed; quick to reassure her aunt that they were both absolutely fine. "Of course not, Auntie; things are merely a bit tense at the moment, what with everything going on at the Ministry and with You-Know-Who. Phillip is barely home at the moment and David is much the same."
It took a moment for Regina to realise that, as Mary Margaret, she was married to the man. She barely concealed a wince. "Yes, I rarely see him."
Briar peered at her. "You've put on weight. Is there a little Nolan on its way?"
Regina almost choked at the insinuation. Then she remembered, for the second time in as many minutes, that the woman in front of her thought that she was Mary Margaret. "No… no, there isn't." She smiled weakly. "Post-Christmas weight gain, that's all."
Aurora didn't even attempt to hide her amusement at the expression on her friend's face due to Regina's discomfort. As Briar turned to face her, the smile fell from her lips and she took a deep breath. "Actually, Auntie, there's something we wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh?" The older woman glanced between them. "That sounds ominous."
Checking that the door was firmly closed, Aurora glanced at Regina. "This isn't really Mary Margaret." Regina blinked in confusion. She hadn't been expecting the other woman to expose her true identity until they had left the house. "This is Regina… Regina Mills."
With a wave of her wand, the brunette's disguise melted away and she stood in the centre of the room in her own body. Briar's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she stared, open mouthed, at the younger woman.
"Miss Rose… I've come because of my aunt, Ma–"
"Maleficent…" Briar breathed. She moved forward quicker than Regina would have believed she was capable of, gripping the younger woman's hands tightly. Her eyes roved over Regina's face pleadingly. "Is she alright? Has something happened?"
"She is…" Regina struggled to find a suitable way of describing her aunt. "She is at Hogwarts." She settled on finally. "Aunt Mal came to me this evening begging to see her rose, her love. She requested my help and I will always do what I can to help her."
"You've come to… help me escape?"
Aurora blinked in confusion at her choice of words. She hadn't realised her aunt was imprisoned here and yet, now she thought about it, she had never known the older woman to leave the grounds. It was rare that she ever left the house and, Aurora realised, she had never seen Briar out in the gardens alone.
At once the red-head felt anger welling up inside her. She had been lied to since she was born; her parents had lied to her. They had kept Briar away from the woman she loved, merely because they didn't fit into their neat little picture of what life should be like. Aurora clenched her hands into fists and exhaled sharply.
"Are you alright, dear?" Regina asked in a low voice.
Concern was evident in her tone and her eyes, which threw Aurora even more. She had thought she knew Regina Mills and she had thought she knew her own parents, but it seemed that she had gotten everything completely backwards. Here was her aunt imprisoned by her parents and being reunited with her love by Regina. It threw everything Aurora thought she knew into question.
"Yes, thank you." She managed to reply evenly, before smiling at her aunt. "Yes, Aunt Briar. We're here to help you escape. We're taking you to Maleficent."
Briar beamed at them, before dragging both women into a tight hug. While Regina didn't seem to be enjoying the physical contact with the two women, she didn't refuse the gesture or pull away. That was something else that impressed Aurora; the brunette was clearly allowing her own discomfort to be pushed aside by the comfort the older woman was receiving.
"Now," Regina stepped backwards and straightened her robes as soon as they were released from Briar's grip, "I think Briar should take on Mary Margaret's appearance and leave with Aurora. I will remain here until someone has noted my presence, before leaving. That way we'll have a little more time before anyone suspects anything."
They both agreed with her plan and watched as Regina waved her wand and transformed Briar Rose into a precise copy of Mary Margaret Nolan. Then they said goodbye to the Regina-Briar who appeared before them moments later.
Regina waited nervously for what felt like hours, until there was a light tap on the door and it opened. Allegra set a cup of tea on the table beside her bed and began to chat mindlessly about Aurora and Mary Margaret's visit, asking whether Briar had enjoyed seeing the two young women. Regina agreed easily, mumbling something that she hoped would pass as Astronomy talk. It seemed to do the trick as Allegra laid a hand on her sister-in-law's arm and smiled, before leaving the room and closing the door firmly behind her.
When she was sure the woman was gone, Regina transformed herself into a fly – not her favourite disguise, she had to admit – and flew through the keyhole of the door. She headed through the labyrinth of corridors, finally making her way to a partially open window and out into the cold night air. Once she was free of the Rose Manor grounds, Regina regained her own form and Apparated back to Hogsmeade.
She began the long walk towards Hogwarts expecting not to see anyone, other than the Aurors guarding the gates to the school, until she reached the Castle. She was surprised, therefore to see two figures waiting a little way in front of the gates. They moved as she approached and Regina was immediately on her guard, pulling out her wand and holding it tightly in her hand.
"We thought you'd be longer than that." Aurora said with a warm smile as Regina realised who the figures were and lowered her wand in relief.
"How long have you been back? You obviously managed to convince your mother that Briar was Mary Margaret, considering she seemed none the wiser when she brought me cup of tea."
"We've only been here ten minutes or so." The older woman told her. "I'm rather impatient to…"
"Of course." The brunette nodded curtly and approached the Aurors at the gates. Her luck seemed to be in as she saw that the guards had been changed while they had been away and her niece was grinning at her from the other side of the defensive barrier. "Dora, dear. This is Professor Rose's aunt, Briar Rose. She's coming to stay at Hogwarts for… a while."
Tonks looked past the brunette and looked at the older woman with raised eyebrows. "As in the Briar Rose that Aunt Mal was in love with?"
"The very same." Regina agreed, not pointing out that Maleficent wasn't in any way related to the young metamorphmagus. "Now could we possibly–"
"And that's her?"
"Yes, dear, but–"
"And I heard that Aunt Mal had turned up at the Castle looking for you. Are you trying to reunite them?"
"We are." Regina agreed with a sigh. "So can we come in?"
An expression of sudden understanding washed over Tonks' face. "Oh! Right, of course!" She raised her wand and removed the magical defences on the gates just long enough for the three women to walk through. Her attention was immediately on the middle-aged, mousy-haired witch who was walking with her arm linked through her niece's. Tonks beamed at her, sticking out her hand to shake the older woman's. "Nymphadora Tonks, but everyone calls me Tonks. I'm Maleficent's step-great-niece."
Briar looked bemused, but shook the proffered hand politely. "Pleasure to meet you."
"I always knew you were a hopeless romantic deep down, Auntie Gi. But you do realise Grandmother's going to kill you for this?" Tonks asked, arching an eyebrow at her aunt. "She's kept them apart for forty years and now you've just–"
"I'm well aware how displeased my mother will be."
"Auntie Gina…"
"Dora, dear, I'd rather like to get back to the Castle and you have a job to do." Regina cut across her bluntly. She had no desire to talk about how angry Cora would be when she realised that Maleficent and Briar had been reunited, especially in front of the two other women. "I have no classes after lunch tomorrow if you want to…"
Tonks nodded and smiled. "I might pop in."
They sent each other small smiles, before Regina turned and began to stride through the darkness towards the Castle in the distance. Behind her, Aurora and Briar hurried to keep up, none of them speaking until they were in sight of the building, passing between the great lawns that lead up to the walls.
"Just how angry is your mother going to be with you, Regina?" Aurora asked as they began to climb the steps to the wooden doors.
"It'll be fine."
"Cora will be far from 'fine' about it." Briar said with a frown.
Turning away so that they couldn't see the anxiety on her face, Regina pulled open the doors. "I can handle my mother."
The two women trailing behind her exchanged a look, neither particularly reassured by her slightly flat tone, but they didn't argue. They made their way straight up the grand staircase and through corridors to the Professors' wing of the Castle. Regina spoke the password to her chambers and opened the door, ushering Aurora and Briar in before her and closing the door firmly behind them.
The rooms were in semi-darkness, the only light coming from the dying flames in the fireplace. They were bright enough to illuminate the sleeping boy in the large armchair that Regina usually sat in. Smiling fondly, Regina pulled the throw off the back of the chair and tucked it around her son carefully, before bending to press a kiss to the top of his head and straightening up.
"Let's go and see Aunt Mal, shall we?"
Aurora felt her aunt's hand slip into hers and hold on tightly as Regina opened the door to her bedroom and walked inside. The red-head took a moment to look around, surprised by the style of décor the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher had favoured. It was far more homely than the younger woman had been expecting, with photographs and personal items dotted around.
Regina barely registered the other two women behind her as she crossed the room and sat gently on the bed beside her aunt's sleeping form. Picking up a vial from the bedside cabinet, she raised it to Maleficent's lips. Tilting the woman's head so that she could ingest some of the potion, Regina sat back and waited for it to take effect.
Slowly the blonde began to stir. She stretched luxuriously, almost dislodging her niece as she pushed out her legs. After a moment, her eyelids began to flutter, before finally opening. Her gaze settled on Regina for a moment, her lips twitching into a smile at the bright one on the brunette's face. Then she looked past the younger woman and seemed to realise who was standing behind her.
"Is… is that… it can't be…" Maleficent sat bolt upright, her mouth dropping open.
"Mal…"
"Bri…"
Normally Regina would have found the scene sickening. The two women leapt towards each other; Maleficent almost knocking Regina off the bed for the second time as she brushed past her and Briar causing Aurora to stumble into the doorframe in her haste. They collided in the middle of the room, a tangle of limbs as they tried to get as close to each other as possible. After thirty years, Regina mused, she supposed it was to be expected. It didn't mean that she wanted to witness it, though.
Sidling over to where Aurora was leaning in the doorway watching the reconciliation with a delighted smile on her face, Regina nudged her gently with her shoulder. "As touching as this is, I think perhaps we should go in search of more… suitable… accommodation for them."
"But they've just seen each other for the first time in years!" The younger woman reminded her with a sigh. "It's so romantic! You can't break up their reunion!"
"Professor Rose, while I am overjoyed with the outcome of our efforts, I would prefer that our aunts get reacquainted somewhere other than my bedroom."
Aurora's eyes widened almost comically as she realised the meaning behind the brunette's words. She nodded hastily and stepped forward, clearing her throat. When that did nothing to distract the two women, she coughed loudly. There was still no reaction from the two women and Aurora glanced at Regina, wondering whether she should physically attract their attention.
With a sigh, Regina flicked her wand towards the two women and they were forced apart, like repelling magnets. As one, they both turned to frown at the dark woman, Maleficent opening her mouth to scold her niece.
"I'm sorry." Regina apologised, not looking remotely as though she meant it. "But you can… get reacquainted… later. We need to go and see Dumbledore."
Maleficent eyed her niece irritably for a moment, her gaze met by an almost identical glare. Then she relented and nodded, reaching out for Briar's hand. Regina nodded approvingly and left the room. She spared a look at her son in her chair and briefly considered waking him. She changed her mind quickly, remembering that Henry could sleep through anything.
The trek through the Castle to Dumbledore's office was quick and uneventful. The corridors were empty and the four women assumed that all of the students and other staff were already settled in for the night. As they reached the Gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office, they stopped.
"Cauldron Cakes."
The Gargoyle jumped aside at Regina's words and the brunette led the way up the spiral staircase and paused outside the door, waiting until the others joined her. Knocking lightly, she pushed it open and entered. Dumbledore smiled as the four women filed in, not looking the least bit surprised at the intrusion.
"Ms Mills, Ms Rose, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked with a smile, ignoring the younger women and focusing on their aunts.
Regina was the first one to overcome her surprise and answer him. "Headmaster, would it be possible for my aunt and Briar to stay here for a while in the Castle?"
"Of course, of course." Dumbledore wafted a hand at them, peering at the two women over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "Thank you for bringing them to see me. I'll see to it that they are given adequate accommodation."
And with that, both Regina and Aurora knew that they were being dismissed. Exchanging a look with their aunts, the two Professors took their leave and made their way back down the spiral staircase and emerged from behind the Gargoyle. It sprang back to its original position, guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office.
There was a pause as they struggled to find something to say to each other. Regina, now that the immediate challenge of reuniting the women had passed, was focussed on the fallout that would undoubtedly follow. Cora had separated Maleficent and Briar all those years ago and now her daughter had led them back to each other. There was no way there wouldn't be repercussions for that. Aurora, for her part, was wondering how her parents would take the news.
"What do we do now?" Aurora asked weakly, attempting to break through the darkness that seemed to be engulfing the older woman the longer they stood in silence. "Regina?"
The brunette almost jumped as she felt a hand being laid on her arm. "You, dear, try to forget your involvement in this situation."
"What?" Aurora was confused. "Why?"
"When my mother works out what has happened, as she undoubtedly will, she will be on the warpath. I am far more able to handle an angry Cora than you are. Believe me when I say that she will not listen to excuses or tolerate people interfering in something she thinks to be her business."
"But won't she be just as angry with you?" Aurora asked, still confused.
Regina chuckled darkly. "I expect so, dear." The smirk fell from her face and she wrapped her arms around herself defensively. "Goodnight, Professor Rose."
