"Em!" Ruby stepped forward as soon as the door to Professor Dumbledore's office opened later that evening. The tall brunette stopped abruptly as she realised who was standing beside her friend. "What's she doing here?"

"I asked Emma to persuade Regina to join us this evening." The Headmaster informed the brunette pleasantly. "I believe she will be able to offer us an insight that none of the rest of us is capable of."

Regina held her head high and stared at the members of the Order who were standing in Dumbledore's office defiantly. The old wizard was smiling gently at her, while Ruby watched her with distrust. Beside the female werewolf, Mary Margaret was looking as though she would rather be anywhere else at that moment and Severus was standing a little way away looking totally bored by the entire situation.

"We're just waiting for Professor Rose and then we can–" He smiled warmly as the red-head appeared in his office. "Ahh! Shall we?"

The seven teachers crowded around the fireplace in the Headmaster's office and waited as he took a handful of flu powder from the pot on the mantelpiece and offered it round. Each of them copied his motion, threw it into the fire and stated their destination. When it was just the two of them left in the room, Emma nudged Regina in front of her with a reassuring smile, indicating that the brunette should step into the fireplace first.

"12, Grimmauld Place." Regina stated clearly, hoping that she wasn't going to regret it.

Something about the address registered in her mind, but she was too caught up in imagining being ripped to shreds by the other members of the Order when she stepped out at the other end to think about it properly. As soon as different rooms stopped whirling in front of her eyes and they settled on a solitary room, she stepped forward, dusting imaginary soot off her clothes and staring around carefully.

"Auntie Gigi?" A familiar voice met Regina's ears as her eyes swept over the dingy kitchen she had arrived in. A solid mass connected firmly with her, without any warning, knocking her backwards slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Dora…" The brunette winced as her niece knocked the air from her lungs. "What have I told you…?"

Tonks turned to the assembled witches and wizards with a slightly contrite expression on her face, making her look younger than she was. "Auntie Gina told me that if I didn't stop calling her Gigi, like I used to when I was little, she'd set fire to me."

"I did nothing of the sort, Nymphadora!"

"No, OK, but she did threaten to tell my parents about the night she had to come and rescue me when I'd drunk too much Mead."

Regina smirked at her. "And that threat stands, dear. So stop pushing it."

"What's going on?" A harsh voice asked.

Turning, Regina found herself under the intense scrutiny of a short, plump red-headed woman who was fixing her with an angry glare. She had her hands on her hips and was looking at the younger woman as though she was about to physically attack her. Even Regina, who was used to Cora's furious glares, looked wary. She stood her ground, though, and, in her high heels, she stood a good five inches taller than the older woman.

In the end Regina didn't have to defend herself against a physical or verbal attack. Aurora, who had come through the flu network just before the brunette, inched forward and put herself between the two women. She smiled brightly at the other red-head and laid a placating hand on her arm. She ignored the frown aimed at her and linked her arm through the older woman's, pulling her away.

"It's OK, Molly." Aurora assured her, pushing her into a chair. "I trust Regina… we should all trust her."

"How can you be so sure?" Mrs Weasley demanded, still glaring at the brunette. "Rory, dear, you weren't involved the last time You-Know-Who was at the height of his power. She was there, right in the middle of it all, with her mother and sisters. Do you know how many witches and wizards they killed between them, not to mention muggles? Good people… innocent people who got in their way… she… my brothers!"

"I'm truly sorry about your brothers." Regina said softly. All eyes snapped to her face, the vast majority of figures in the room never having heard that tone from her before. "You're right, I was there, but I tried… I know you won't believe me, but I tried to help them. Antonin Dolohov and Rodolphus had one of your brothers cornered and Bellatrix and Mother were going after the other. I tried to distract them, but…" She looked pained, shaking her head and dropping her gaze. "I was twenty years old. I'd been forced to join the Death Eaters at eighteen and spent two years trying to avoid getting involved. I didn't want that life… I wanted…"

Emma reached out and squeezed Regina's arm, knowing that she was thinking about the life she and Henry could have had. "I trust her too, Molly. I'd rely on her to have my back." The blonde looked around the assembled members of the Order of the Phoenix. "I think we should give her a chance… give her the benefit of the doubt."

"I agree." Aurora chimed in quickly, nodding firmly from her position beside Mrs Weasley.

"Me too." Tonks said, moving to push her arm through Regina's and slide her hand into her aunt's. "I know Auntie Gina and she's nothing like Cora or Bellatrix. Every single one of you knows what my grandmother and my aunt are capable of… imagine growing up with that… being influenced by it all."

"Regina has more reason than most to hate Cora." Emma told everyone.

"Emma!" The brunette gazed at her wide-eyed, pleading with her not to say anything more.

The younger woman nodded and slid her fingers down Regina's arm to hold her hand. "We can trust her. And she can help us; who knows more about some of You-Know-Who's closest supporters than Regina?"

"I assure you, Molly, I do not believe that Regina will betray our trust." Dumbledore tried to promise her gently.

"None of you have children to protect." Mrs Weasley pointed out, glaring at them. "I have to think about their safety."

"Just as I worry about my son."

Strangely, that simple sentence seemed to be just the thing the older woman needed to hear. Mrs Weasley stared at Regina for a moment before nodding stiffly and standing up from the chair Aurora had pushed her into. She turned away, lining up mugs on the dark wooden counter behind her and bustled about making tea.

"Everyone else is waiting in the parlour." She informed them in a business-like tone. "I'll make tea and then come in and join you." As everyone nodded and beginning to file out, she coughed and caused them to snap their eyes back to her. Mrs Weasley fixed her gaze firmly on Regina. "Perhaps you'd give me a hand?"

Emma's grip on the brunette's hand tightened, but Regina simply nodded and smiled at her before releasing her hand and moving towards the older woman. Sending wary looks over their shoulders, Emma and Aurora followed Ruby, Mary Margaret, Dumbledore, Tonks and Severus out of the kitchen. Apparently the latter two members of the Order had decided that either the danger had passed or Regina would be able to look after herself.

As soon as they were alone, Mrs Weasley folded her arms once more and stared at Regina. The brunette said nothing, knowing that she needed to wait for the older woman to make the first move. Having her approval wasn't necessary, but it would make things a lot easier for Regina.

"How do we know that you're not a double agent?" Mrs Weasley asked bluntly. "How can we be sure that you won't run back to your mother and tell her everything?"

"You can't." Regina acknowledged with a slight incline of her head. "And there is very little I can say to convince you that the trust Dumbledore and others have place in me is justified."

The woman considered her for a moment. "So how do you suggest we proceed, Professor Mills?"

"Regina, please." When there was no response, Regina sighed. "Let me prove myself, just as Severus has done. He is my oldest and closest friend and he has told me more about the Order's activities than he probably should have… but neither he nor I have ever passed any of that information on and neither do we intend to." Seeing that Mrs Weasley's expression hadn't changed she sighed. "Fine, fine. You're obviously not going to think about starting to trust me. But rest assured that I will do whatever it takes to protect my son; especially from the woman who murdered his father."

Picking up the tray that the mugs of tea had been piled on, Regina strode from the room with her high heels clicking noisily on the floorboards and echoing along the narrow corridor. She pushed open the door to the parlour, briefly wondering how she was sure she knew where she was going. Everyone looked up as she entered; several encouraging faces and several mistrustful ones. Placing the tray of mugs on the table in the centre of the room, Regina looked around, defiantly meeting the faces pointed towards her.

Emma reached out and pulled her down onto the sofa between her and Aurora. The two women seemed to be determined to act as her own private bodyguards. Across the room, Tonks was beaming at her, Severus nodded approvingly and Dumbledore was smiling benevolently at everyone.

"Excellent tea, Regina." He praised, taking a sip and smiling contentedly.

"You have Mrs Weasley to thank for that, not me." She replied with a small smile.

Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth, the parlour door opened again and the woman herself appeared with another tray containing biscuits and a large coffee and walnut cake. She put it on the table beside the first tray and moved to take the recently vacated armchair that Killian had leapt out of when she entered the room.

"Thank you for your help, Regina, dear." She said with a smile.

Everyone looked surprised by her warm tone, but no one more so than the brunette in question. She just about managed to school her features and return the smile, a little uncertain as to just what had happened between her leaving the kitchen and Mrs Weasley entering the parlour.

"Now, then, if no one else has anything to say on the matter we were discussing before the refreshments arrived?" Dumbledore asked, looking around. His tone was light, as was his expression, but his eyes were hard and serious. Regina instantly knew what matter it was that had been under discussion and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. When no one spoke, Dumbledore nodded. "Right, then, we should turn our attention to the pressing matters at hand. Remus… how are things going underground?"

"Easier than they were." The unusually pale, slightly ragged looking ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor informed him carefully. "My continued presence seems to be helping me integrate more smoothly into the werewolf community."

"Rather you than me." Ruby said with a shudder, looking disgustedly at her cousin. "I'd rather keep secrets and live with normal people."

"Ruby…" Lupin sighed tiredly. "How many times does Granny have to tell you–"

"That we're just as normal as everyone else, just in a different way. Yeah, yeah, I know…"

As the hurried, almost whispered conversation between the cousins ended, they both looked up to see everyone watching them. Ruby blushed, ducking her head and letting her long hair fall over her face. Lupin simply shook his head at her, before turning back to Dumbledore.

"There's been talk of attacks on the children of witches and wizards who won't do what the Death Eaters want. Fenrir Greyback…"

As one there was a sharp inhalation of breath. The two mothers in the room looked more panicked than anyone else and Regina had a strong urge to leave and refuse to have anything to do with the Order. Putting Henry in the way of the most vicious werewolf in generations had not been part of the deal when she agreed to attend the meeting. Mrs Weasley looked just as anxious as the younger woman.

"I'll hear of any planned attacks in advance." Lupin told them quickly, sensing the fear permeating the room. "We can keep your children safe."

Molly nodded at once, but Regina looked less convinced. Her main goal had been to keep Henry safe from Cora, but it seemed that there were far more dangers than she had anticipated. Regina cursed internally, angry with herself for not thinking about the true extent of what was facing them.

"Things have been… interesting… in the Hog's Head." Killian chipped in as silence fell over the group.

"Interesting how?" Dumbledore asked calmly, displaying none of the urgency everyone else felt.

"We've had the pleasure of the company of one Cora Mills-Black several times since Christmas."

Regina dropped her mug. With a flick of her wand, Emma cleared up the mess and repaired the damage, before turning to the brunette warily. Regina was staring at Killian as though she couldn't believe what he had said; as though he'd been speaking a different language.

"Cora was in Hogsmeade?" Tonks asked warily.

"Mmm…" Killian nodded slowly. "Neal was behind the bar a couple of days after we saw Regina and Cora there. He said that she was disguised and he had no idea who she was until he overheard the conversation. Even then he wasn't sure until Cora mentioned Hen–"

"She mentioned Henry?" Regina demanded, leaning forward and fixing him with a furious glare.

"In passing… it was something about her daughter and grandsons being up at the school…" The dark-haired man told her carefully. Neither of us have heard him mentioned since… only you two," he looked between Regina and Severus, "and Draco."

Several pairs of accusing eyes flickered in her direction, but Regina ignored them. "What did she say? Who was she with?"

"We weren't sure. They were disguised… human transfiguration or polyjuice potion, we couldn't tell. There might have been other meetings that we didn't know of. They only times we realised was when something they said raised our suspicions. On a busy night or if there was nothing that attracted our attention… they could have been there and we'd never have known."

"But… why?"

"She's your mother, you tell us!" Ruby muttered irritably.

"If I knew I would." Regina snapped back.

"Would you?"

"Rubes!" Emma glared at her friend, putting her hand on Regina's thigh without even thinking about it in an attempt to calm the older woman. "Think about what you're asking. Of course Regina would tell us… d'you think she'd put Henry in danger by not mentioning something important? If she knew, she'd tell us."

"Whether you believe me or not, the fact remains that we need to find out what my mother is up to." Regina said in a surprisingly calm tone, drawing comfort from the hand resting firmly on her leg. She ignored the snarl Ruby was still sending in her direction and concentrated on the more friendly faces among them instead. "Whatever she's planning it's not good. I think perhaps I should go and see her."

"Are you crazy?" Emma demanded, her eyes flashing as she gazed at her lover.

"Gina… Cora is still furious with you for going against her wishes before Christmas." Severus reminded her in a steady voice. "You know she won't let your disobedience go unpunished."

Regina clenched her jaw and felt a chill run through her veins as the memory of just how her mother liked to punish her for any hint of rebelliousness. "I'm a big girl, Severus. I can handle my mother."