To my lovely Pufflebae JasperandGemma on Tumblr. Love you, darling.
He almost choked on the first panicked breath he took, scrambling into an upright position on the cold stone floor in an attempt to ease the flow of air into his lungs. After what felt like an eternity of gasping, he had gained enough control over his breathing to swipe the back of his hand across his watering eyes and glanced around.
She was sitting a few feet away, watching him eyes that spoke of death and posture that spoke of war. Her clothes were muggle, rumpled, but clean, and the sleeves of her button down were rolled up. His eyes were drawn to the angry red scar on one arm, a scar which had healed so unkindly that he knew a cursed blade had been involved, and nausea rolled in his stomach as he recognized the word.
"He won," she said, her voice like stone. "You died and he won."
He stared at her as his lungs finally found some semblance of a normal rhythm and took her in. Muggle clothes. Wild spirals that refused the bun she'd confined them to. A wand in one hand and a scar on the other wrist. She may have looked like death and war, but he could see a hint of satisfaction in her nearly lifeless eyes. A flicker that, he assumed, had something to do with his sudden return to the mortal world. A flame that made him see Pyrrha, Nike even, instead of Eris and Ate.
"Then why am I here?" He asked.
The flame in her eyes burned a little brighter and her lips pressed into something that was not quite a smile, but not wholly neutral either. "So we can fix it."
She told him her plan and he assured her that her blood status was of little consequence to him. She let him out of the dungeons soon after and he learned that they were in his home. That his entire family was dead, but Kreacher was still alive and gave the mysterious, powerful witch before him a surprising amount of respect.
"Lady's done it, Lady's brought back Master!" The old elf had cried as soon as they'd reached the main level. "What can Kreacher get Lady and Master?"
'Lady' was very polite to Kreacher and asked that he bring them breakfast in the drawing room if it wouldn't be too much trouble. The elf was gone with one last tearful welcome towards his master and a bow.
"My name is Hermione, by the way," she said while he was studying his family tree. "Hermione Granger."
"Regulus Black," he said, then added, "But you already knew that."
She hummed in confirmation and when he turned around, she was digging through a small bag that clearly had an extendable charm worked into it.
"Complicated bit of magic, that," he said.
"It was useful when we were on the run," she said absently.
"We?" he asked.
She told him about the end of the first war and the beginning of the second while they ate. He asked questions and she was a never ending fountain of answers, making him fond of her already.
"So this plan of yours," he said. "How are we going to avoid a paradox?"
For the first time since he'd woken up, she smiled. "Leaving will rip a hole in this universe and going to a new one will, in turn, make it tear. We bring that universe into existence by going to it, and by merging our current selves with our parallels, we split that universe in half. One half for us, and one half that fell to pieces."
"How do you know it will work?"
Her smile faltered. "I don't."
Regulus spent the last few weeks of summer in a haze of confusion, worry, and déjà vu. Living with two versions of himself in his mind was hard enough, never mind being eleven again.
He didn't have a dark mark, his brother hadn't been disowned yet, and though the world wasn't quite right, it hadn't succumbed to disaster yet either.
"Reggie!" Sirius called from the bottom of the steps, his voice carrying through Regulus' cracked bedroom door. "It's time to go!"
He found her on the train.
She had her fingers on the handle of an empty compartment when she spotted him and for a moment he was afraid she didn't recognize him, that her plan had failed on her end and she didn't remember him, but then he saw relief briefly flicker through her eyes.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?" He asked, playing his part.
"Not at all," she responded and slipped into the compartment first.
Regulus glanced over his shoulder, spotting Sirius and his friends as they crowded into a compartment together, and shook his head before he followed her.
"I'm Regulus, by the way," he said, "Regulus Black." They had appearances to keep up and he hadn't wanted to know how she'd planned to integrate herself into a point on the timeline that predated her natural birth, so he planned to keep pretending until she signaled otherwise.
"Hermione Prince," she replied and he tried not to look shocked.
He bought them snacks from the trolley and she put up wards to prevent anyone from noticing that they had empty seats before he asked, "Do I even want to know how you managed to make yourself a pureblood?"
She arched a brow, black instead of brown, like her curls now were, and her dark blue eyes, again, not brown, provided a pleasant contrast against her slightly paler skin. But aside from that, she looked the same to him.
"I pulled some strings," was all she said on the subject. "I added a variable to my arithmancy equation on a hunch. Being a Prince will let me save someone no one else bothered to care about."
He found out who she was talking about not ten minutes later when Severus Snape and Lily Evans passed their compartment while having a hushed argument about who they'd sit with and why. Lily ended up huffing in frustration and continuing down the train towards, presumably, her Gryffindor friends, and Severus back tracked. Hermione jumped up and opened the doors before he passed them a second time.
"Severus?" She said, earning a suspicious glare from the older Slytherin.
"I don't know you," he said harshly. "What do you want?"
"Sorry!" She said with only slightly feigned nervousness. "Of course you don't. I just heard your name as you passed by and wondered...You are Severus Snape, right?"
His glare deepened, causing Regulus to finger his wand as Severus gave her a curt nod.
"Brilliant! I'm Hermione Prince," Hermione said cheerfully. "We're cousins."
An unimpressed brow quirked on Severus' face and annoyance raised goosebumps on Regulus' skin.
Hermione's smile faltered when Severus said nothing in response to her statement.
"Um...do you need somewhere to sit? We've got plenty of room..." She offered weakly, fidgeting in the doorway.
"Why?" Severus asked, still glaring. "My mother's family has never wanted anything to do with us before. Why are you so eager to get acquainted?"
Regulus admired Hermione's ability to blend acting and genuine emotions as she frowned, seeming to be deeply hurt by Severus' veiled accusation.
"We're cousins," she repeated. "The family is so small...I just thought maybe you'd be excited about having more family too."
Severus' glare turned into a confused frown. "But why would you want to know me? My mother's disowned."
Hermione made a face and shrugged. "That was Grandfather's doing. Grandmum never forgave him for it..."
Severus still hesitated even after Hermione retreated into their compartment long enough to grab a sweet from their pile and offer it to him. "Pumpkin pasty?"
He accepted it with murmured thanks and, before joining them, mumbled, "I'm not very good at making friends..."
Hermione blinked at him and gave him a sheepish smile. "It's hereditary, I think," she said.
Severus almost smiled.
Regulus snagged one of the empty seats beside Severus once he was sorted and found himself hit with a wave of anxiety. Hermione had been a Gryffindor in their previous lives and this plan of theirs would be much harder to execute across houses. With her last name so far down the list, he had enough time to work his stomach into knots and annoy Severus in the process.
"If you're really her friend it shouldn't matter what house she's in," he snapped. "You'll just have to deal with people constantly telling you why you shouldn't be friends."
Regulus frowned, remembering what Hermione had told him about Snape's fate in their other world, and said, "It doesn't matter, but it would be nice to have her close."
Regulus pretended not to notice Severus' quiet sigh of relief when Hermione was sorted into Slytherin and grinned at her when she sat across from them.
"Surprised?" He asked her.
"Given the circumstances, not really," she said with a shrug, flashing a grin at Severus, who hesitantly returned it.
"Anything advice for us first years, cousin?" She asked.
"Avoid the attention of the Marauders," he muttered.
Regulus frowned. "My brother and his friends are idiots."
Severus smirked. "You said it, not me."
The sorting ended and the trio focused on their food and light banter for the remainder of the meal. Regulus was so entertained, relaxed, and in a generally pleasant mood that he didn't notice he hadn't caught Sirius' disappointed stare this time around.
A few days before the first Hogsmeade weekend, a package arrived at breakfast for Hermione. After inspecting the contents, she smirked at her cousin.
"Grandmum says hello," she said, tossing a small pouch of coins and Severus' chest and making him scramble to catch it.
"I don't need—" he began indignantly.
"I think she's trying to apologize," Hermione interrupted. "You're her grandson. If you'd known her your whole life, you'd be used to letting her buy you things. She'll be horribly distraught if she can't even offer you the means for a few treats and supplies."
His cheeks were still flushed when he pocketed the coin purse and Hermione couldn't have looked more proud of herself when he returned from that weekend's Hogsmeade trip with treats for all of them, some books, and new boots.
Hermione gave James Potter a sneer that would have put Draco Malfoy to shame. "You should leave," she told him coolly. "We wouldn't want you to get hurt and miss tomorrow's Quidditch match."
Regulus glanced at his conflicted brother, then at an equally furious and, Regulus assumed, comforted Severus.
"Look, Padfoot," James chided, "Snivellus has first year body guards."
"James," Sirius warned.
"Careful, Potter," said Regulus. "I wouldn't make an enemy out of this one."
"She's cleverer than you are," Severus added.
The shield Hermione threw in front of herself and the boys was both wandlessly and silently cast, and deflected James' unimpressive hex with ease.
"It would serve you well," said Hermione, "to stay away from my cousin and my friend."
"Is that a threat, little snake?" Asked James hotly.
Instead of answering, Hermione slid her gaze to Sirius. "An attack on Regulus is an attack on me."
"And an attack on Hermione and Severus is an attack on me," said Regulus, his eyes full of challenge. "Let this stupid little feud go, Siri."
Sirius frowned and sighed in frustration. "Leave'em alone, James," he muttered. "Let them find out Snivellus isn't worth their time on their own."
Before they left, Hermione frowned at Remus and pulled a still-wrapped chocolate bar from her pocket. "You look a bit down," she said as she tossed it to him. "It'll help."
Remus caught the treat out of reflex and gave her a look. "Um. Thanks?"
"It's probably poisoned," Peter muttered.
"You know what they say about making assumptions," said Hermione. After looping her arms through Severus' and Regulus', she gave James and Peter condescending glares, and the three Slytherins walked away.
"Grandmum wants to know if you two would like to stay with us over the holiday," Hermione said offhandedly on a seemingly trivial afternoon in the library. "The manor is always so quiet and I'm certain she's lonely with only the elves for company."
"I'll write mother," Severus murmured without looking up from the textbook in his hands.
"I should probably keep my idiot brother out of trouble," Regulus sighed. "But if he ends up at the Potters' again, I'm sure Mother and Father wouldn't mind."
"Let me know," she said.
"Father," Regulus said, "I'd like to introduce you to Hermione and Severus Prince."
Orion gave his son's friends a small smile. "I've heard a lot about the both of you. I look forward to you spending part of the summer with us."
Hermione and Severus returning Orion's sentiments and added the appropriate gratitude to the end, successfully gaining the Black patriarch's approval in the process. A little ways down Platform 9 ¾, Sirius was saying goodbye to his friends and begrudgingly following his mother towards the others. He sent Regulus a dark glare when he noticed Severus and Hermione.
"Alright, Siri?" Regulus asked with false concern and a warning glare that went unnoticed by their parents.
Orion produced a portkey to take them back to Grimmauld Place, and just before they were tugged away, Regulus heard Sirius' quietly muttered, "Kiss arse."
Hermione and Regulus were in the Prince Manor library when Severus burst in with red eyes. He sprinted to Hermione, lifted her off the chaise she'd been on, causing her book to clatter to the floor, and trapped her against him in the most public display of affection Regulus had ever witnessed him commit.
"You," he said into her hair, his voice thick and shaky, "are the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Hermione hugged him back, confused, and after wiggling enough to get some breathing room, she said, "Thank...you? I'm not sure what I did exactly."
"Mum's here," he mumbled. "She left Father, Grandmum's taking her back in and I never have to see him again."
Hermione squeezed him tightly. "Welcome home, Sev," she said. "Welcome home..."
Regulus conjured two handkerchiefs while Hermione summoned an elf to bring them tea and passed one to each of them, otherwise pretending not to notice their tears.
Later that night, after they'd had dinner and met Eileen, Regulus and Hermione sat on the balcony in her bedroom watching the stars and doing their summer homework.
"What about Evans?" He asked. "He doesn't live near her anymore."
"He doesn't need Lily," she said. "He needs someone who's depth of feeling for him doesn't start and end at childhood sentiment. Someone a little less focused on status."
Regulus shrugged. "He's been accepted back into his mother's pureblood line. That's significant."
"And she can piss off," Hermione said darkly. "Lily can follow her own path without driving Severus into Voldemort's ranks. He has us and his mum. That's all he needs to lead a happy life."
"Okay," he said. "Just checking."
Hermione looked guilty. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap."
He brushed off her apology. "There are two people inside our heads," he said quietly. "I think I can forgive a little malice that wasn't even aimed at me."
She smiled at him and without even having to think about it, he smiled back. Hermione was a hell of a witch, he mused, not for the first time, and a hell of a friend.
Second year was a blur, as was the beginning of third. Regulus and Hermione remembered most, if not all, of the curriculum and Severus had always been clever as well. Slytherin had a ridiculous lead for the house cup, which Slughorn decided was a direct side effect of the trio's shining example, making his not subtle favoritism all the more obvious.
Hermione kept Regulus up to date concerning events they needed to change or influence, but most of them were minor, like Severus having real friends that weren't going to lead him towards the Dark Lord and the fact that he was no longer subjected to an abusive household. Severus' interest in the Dark Arts wasn't a means of escape from the Marauders anymore, but he still studied them with Hermione and Regulus in a much more theoretical manner.
Those changes, however, did not prevent Severus' biggest confrontation with the Marauders, but Hermione was ready for it.
A shield was cast as soon as James Potter's spell left his wand and sent the spell ricocheting back towards him. Hermione and Regulus reached Severus' side as James was lifted into the air, too panicked and foolish to cast a finite. Hermione glared up at him as Professor Slughorn, distracted from the distraught third year he'd been speaking with, came running towards the commotion.
Of course, by the time he got there, everyone had already seen James' Santa hat-wearing golden snitch boxers.
Regulus eyed his brother as Slughorn gently helped James back to the ground. Sirius was outraged on his friend's behalf, but once he caught Regulus' stare, his anger fizzled out a bit.
"Now, someone explain to me just what is going on here!" Slughorn demanded, still panting from his sprint.
"That little troll—" James started vehemently, but Hermione cut him off.
"I apologize for the trouble, Professor," she said sweetly. "Regulus and I were on our way to meet Severus here —This is just perfect weather for a bit of light reading, don't you think? — but I saw that Mr. Potter had his wand out. I cast a deflecting shield around Severus and the spell bounced back to Mr. Potter…That's such an awful spell, Sir. It seems like it was designed to humiliate a person."
Severus picked up on his cue and gave Hermione a hesitant smile. "Thank you, Cousin," he said quietly, as if he were embarrassed that she'd had drawn her wand quicker than he'd thought to.
She smiled back, though it was weaker. "I'm just glad I got here."
Slughorn gave Hermione a warm, proud smile. "Take fifty points, Miss Prince, for an exemplary display of maturity and looking out for your housemate." He turned a disappointed frown towards James. "Mr. Potter, I hope this is a lesson to you. Bullies don't get very far in life and they certainly aren't well liked along the way. Don't burn bridges, as they say. Now come along. I believe we need to speak with the headmaster and your head of house."
A fuming, mortified James reluctantly followed Slughorn out of the courtyard, much to the relief and amusement of his audience. His friends, on the other hand, stayed behind, some more upset than others.
"We did warn you," Regulus said to his brother. "Enough of this, Sirius."
Remus put a hand on Peter to keep the smaller boy from doing something to make the situation worse. "Let's go wait for James in the common room," he suggested quickly.
Once they were gone, Severus turned to Hermione suspiciously. "You always have unfathomably excellent timing, cousin."
"Probably best not to question that, mate," said Regulus.
"When it's safe, I'll tell you," Hermione promised. "You just have to trust me."
Severus sighed begrudgingly and took Hermione's free hand. "Alright."
By the time the end of first term of fourth year neared, Regulus realized he was in trouble. His older and younger self had finally settled into a consistently peaceful compromise, so to speak, making him feel less like a freak and more like a young man. A young man who had dated, lost his virginity, and graduated Hogwarts once already, but still a young man. He was mentally balanced enough for his mind to stop worrying constantly about the future and Hermione's plot, instead sometimes wandering to girls he'd had crushes on the first time he'd been fifteen, finding them much less desirable the second time around, especially considering he knew how incompatible he was with them already.
That didn't, however, keep his thoughts from traveling to the opposite sex. Often, at that.
Unfortunately, the cleverest, most respectable witch he knew was his best mate and his other best mate's cousin. Trying not to notice Hermione's transition from girl to woman was impossible, especially considering he'd met her as an adult. He already knew what to expect, already knew he'd like what he saw.
He'd been hiding his unwanted interest very well, or so he thought, until there were whispers in the corridors about a Yule Ball. He knew, at least in this time period, that formally inviting someone to such a dance, whether there was a preexisting courtship or not, was the pureblood equivalent of saying 'I enjoy this person's company and, perhaps, would not be against marrying them.' There were, of course, informal invitations: the very public, embarrassing displays in the halls that followed the official ball announcement were prime examples. Formal invitations were more intimate, almost business-like in nature, and expressed the highest respect towards the person (and family) you were inviting.
His fourteen year old self wanted nothing more than to write his parents and tell them of his desire to formally invite Hermione, so that they might begin socializing with the Princes. The eighteen year old who'd been brought back to life not even five short years prior, on the other hand, was reluctant. He had no idea how she felt about him outside of their friendship, let alone if she had deeper feelings for him. He didn't even know a large portion of the details regarding her 'save the world' plan, or where a romantic development may or may not fall within her Arithmancy equations.
He didn't want to overstep, but he desperately wanted to be the one to take her to the Yule ball. Not that he knew how he'd even begin to broach that subject.
There was only a month left until the dance and Regulus still hadn't made a decision, but he'd worried and fretted and driven himself mad over the issue. He'd avoided spending extra time with her when he could, for fear that she'd realize how he felt or somehow know what was bothering him, and he didn't think he could handle her reaction.
He may have hid from Hermione, successfully at that, but Severus was another issue.
"You're running out of time," he said. Regulus jumped, having thought the common room was still empty when he set out to finish an essay for Slughorn. "Someone's going to realize that you haven't asked her yet and ask her themselves."
Regulus stared at his friend in disbelief. "You aren't—"
"Mad?" Severus guessed, looking offended. "You say that as if the two of you aren't horrible obvious."
"What are you on about?" Asked Regulus.
Severus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Idiot. Have you written your parents yet?"
"No," Regulus said.
"Might want to get on that."
He frowned. "Sev..."
But Severus only shrugged. "You're running out of time," he repeated. "Rosier and Mulciber were talking about asking her in the halls earlier. You need to make a decision."
Severus went to bed, leaving Regulus alone once again with nothing but his forgotten essay, anxiety, and a sense of dread, but he be damned if Mulciber or Rosier asked her first...
Regulus tried, unsuccessfully, to eat his breakfast like a normal person the morning his owl arrived for Hermione. She was distracted by, he assumed, the arithmancy equations she'd worked into a journal that helped her keep track of the events they were changing in this timeline, not even looking up when the Lyra held out her letter. She absently pet the feather's above its beak, took the subsequent affectionate nips in stride, and offered it a few bites of her half eaten chicken biscuit.
It wasn't until she's took the heavy missive from the bird that her brows drew together and she glanced up at what was in her hand.
Regulus stared into space, trying not to watch her out of the corner of his eye and ignoring Severus, knowing his friend was watching them both and far too amused for Regulus' liking. On autopilot, he brought his fork to his mouth, not tasting his eggs, nor his pumpkin juice when he remembered to take a drink.
Act normal, he thought. Don't be a coward.
His internal mantra was easier said than done, especially since his heart was already pounding in his chest, causing blood to rush through his ears as he waited for her to do...something. Anything to let him know if he'd just royally fucked up or, perhaps, taken a particularly fortunate gamble, though he doubted the latter considerably.
He had his parents' blessings. He had Sev's blessing — Severus, who had warned Regulus of his 'competition' and implied that he was overlooking something when it came to his relationship with Hermione. Severus, who was still glancing between them, watching as color left Regulus and seemed for all the world to shift from his face to Hermione's.
The worst part, Regulus decided, was that she didn't have to answer him within any given time frame. She could wait until moments before the dance to turn him down. Such a practice was considered bad manners, but she could if she chose to, leaving him with no time to find another date. He was at her mercy. It was bad form to pressure a witch, or wizard, into accepting a formal invitation, not that he'd ever dream of doing so, but he had no way to know when he'd receive her answer, if she gave him one at all.
His throat closed, causing him to almost choke on the eggs he couldn't stomach any longer, and he ended up leaving the hall early with a mumbled excuse about needing to use the loo.
He didn't glance at her once as he left. Nor during classes, between them, or afterward. He felt like a coward, and in truth he probably was one, but it didn't matter. That night he hid in the divination section of the library until curfew and Hermione had already gone to bed by the time he entered the common room.
"You two are pathetic," was Severus' greeting. "Pathetic, but terribly entertaining."
"Sod off," Regulus muttered, deciding to follow Hermione's example and trudging off to his dorm for the night.
If he was this miserably anxious after one day, how would he manage if she rejected him?
She wasn't at breakfast the next morning, causing his already low spirits to plummet further. Severus still seemed to be laughing at him, even when his expression was nearly blank, which wasn't helping either. Regulus had barely eaten when they left the Great Hall with Hermione still unaccounted for, when Severus asked if he could borrow a quill.
"Tip broke on mine last night while I was working. I'll give it back after the next Hogsmeade trip," he promised.
"Don't worry about it," Regulus mumbled, sliding his satchel forward so he could hunt through it. "I've got a—" He froze, stopping dead in the middle of the corridor and staring at the letter than certainly hadn't been in his bag earlier that morning when he'd been getting ready for classes. The letter addressed to him. In Hermione's handwriting. "Fuck."
Severus snorted. "Idiot."
With shaking hands, Regulus decided to just bite the bullet instead of trying to ignore it, and had only just taken out the fine stationary of her reply out of its envelope when he heard his brother call his name.
"Oi!" Said Sirius, running up beside him much to the annoyance, or in Remus' case, amusement, of his friends. "Bloody hell, Reg, why didn't you tell me you'd invited someone!"
"She only got my invitation yesterday," Regulus muttered weakly.
Sirius grinned. "Is it your little princess, then? Well hurry up you prat, before we're all late for classes. What'd she say?"
With numb fingers, Regulus took his brother's advice, his eyes raking over the words but not really absorbing them until Sirius slapped him on the back hard enough to sting and roughly messed up his hair.
"Atta boy, little brother!" He laughed. "She's a scary little bird, but clever. Powerful. Well done. Don't do anything I wouldn't do and all that rot."
Regulus rolled his eyes as they all went their separate ways, and ended up spending his entire free period in a trance. By the time first period let out, he failed to make even the slightest progress on the essay due in Transfiguration the next day. He left the library only just barely able to keep what was surely a very stupid smile off his face, but didn't manage to keep the heat from his cheeks when he reached charms and found Hermione already sitting in her spot next to his.
"Hey," he said quietly.
Her cheeks were flushed too, which made him feel slightly better, and she murmured a quiet greeting in return. They didn't talk, not that Regulus had a clue what to say, but several shy smiles were exchanged when they caught each other stealing glances.
When class let out, he waited for her to finish packing up like always, though things were still slightly awkward between them as they headed to lunch. Feeling not bold, but something akin to it, Regulus took one of her hands in his and threaded their fingers together as they made their way towards the Great Hall.
She didn't pull away and he didn't acknowledge the whispers that followed them.
Regulus was certain that at some point between seeing her that morning and the ball, Hermione had transformed into a winter nymph and he was not complaining. Her dress was stunning to say the least, and the clever little wrap draped around her shoulders and arms was little more than various silk-string snowflakes held together by nearly invisible threads. It shouldn't have been functional from a warmth and comfort standpoint, but when he took her hand and led her out to the dance floor for the first of many times that evening, he found that the flimsy thing radiated warmth.
"Warming charms woven into the threads," she explained, not bothering to hide her smugness.
"Clever witch," he said, smiling as the first waltz began. "You always have a trick up your sleeve."
She smiled, causing nervous excitement to flutter through his stomach. His fourteen year old side was overwhelmed by the depth of the affections he held for her. The eighteen year old, on the other hand, was weighed down by warmth and contentment.
"Have I buggered anything?" He asked her quietly as they glided around the Great Hall with the other couples. "Do you have to redo the equations?"
Her cheeks flushed and she suddenly found the decorative silver buttons on his dress robes rather interesting. "There were a few random variables that kept appearing no matter what I changed," she said. "The only thing that changed was their probability...I just didn't think you'd..."
Regulus frowned. "How could I not?"
Her beautiful dark blue eyes flicked back up to his and if they'd been alone, he would've kissed her in that moment. Instead, he kept to propriety, pressing his lips to her temple instead. Her blush darkened as she leaned up and reciprocated his subtle claim by kissing his cheek in return, and he smiled.
Sirius entered his line of vision briefly and Regulus almost smirked at the stunned expression on his brother's face.
Yes, he thought in Sirius' direction, I plan to keep her.
He kissed her hand, his lips lingering a beat or two longer than necessary, and bid her goodnight in the common room. Most of their housemates were doing the same or, if their date had been from another house, were already trudging towards the dorms. Most were content, some appeared as stupidly happy as Regulus was, and only one or two looked a touch disappointed for some reason or another.
When Severus entered the common room a moment later, Regulus was still staring at the stairs that had taken Hermione out of sight. His daze was interrupted as Severus came to stand beside him.
"This ought to be implied," he began, "but if you hurt her, I'll kill you."
Regulus looked his friend in the eye, his gaze steady. "If I hurt her, I'll beat you to it."
Satisfied, Severus nodded curtly. "Just making sure we're clear."
"Crystal," said Regulus. "Perfectly crystal."
By Halloween of Regulus and Hermione's fifth year, the Daily Prophet had been leaked too much anonymous information to keep pretending Voldemort wasn't on the rise. His horcruxes came to light, leading to the Auror department banding together with several curse breakers and going to the cave Regulus had died in. When they returned with the locket as proof, Dumbledore graciously offered them the use of Gryffindor's sword.
Voldemort was losing his advantages and the wizarding public, now informed that this would be dark lord was little more than a vexed half-blood, was significantly less afraid of him. Wizarding Britain was irate that Tom Riddle had attempted to pull the wool over their eyes and his number of supporters dropped.
Every time Regulus heard Voldemort's name, he was thankful all over again that Hermione brought them to a world where he didn't have the mark. And neither did Severus.
In June, Severus, Sirius, the other marauders, and Lily Evans would graduate. Regulus wasn't certain if Severus and Lily were still friends, as he hadn't seen them speaking to one another James' failed bullying attempt two years prior. All he knew was that Evans and Potter had been an item since the end of their fifth year, and everyone expected a proposal by the time they sat their N.E.W.T.s.
It was that fact, and Slughorn's not at all subtle, slightly drunken chat with Regulus at the last Slug Club meeting, that made Regulus start worrying about his own love life. There wasn't any doubt, per say, for him personally. His adult self was confident that her reciprocated feelings were strengthened by their school years together, as his were, but his younger self was concerned with timing. Would Christmas be too soon for pre-engagement bracelets? Would next Christmas be too late? Did she want to wait until they'd graduated to even consider the idea?
It was expected of him to propose before they left school, if he was planning to. He knew how things would look in societies eyes if he didn't at least buy promise bracelets, but it wasn't as if he could sit down and ask her without potentially straining their new, fuzzy, comfortable relationship...
Regulus caved in early November. He wrote his father, asked Severus to distract Hermione so he could pretend he was just off studying somewhere, and got permission to leave the school for a day.
He'd been expecting Orion to be surprised, but if anything his father seemed quietly pleased when he collected Regulus from Hogwarts and Floo'd them to a quiet, high society shopping district.
"Do you have something particular in mind?" His father asked as they slipped into a surprisingly low-profile jewelry shop.
"Nothing concrete," Regulus answered quietly, his eyes scanning the glass display cases around him. "Figured I'd get a sense of what would suit her by browsing."
Orion's thoughtful hum marked the end of their conversation as a very posh assistant made their way towards the two.
Regulus managed to slip over to a display case while he half listened to the two men conversing behind him.
"I can pull down some of our newest collections for the two of you to look over, Mr. Black," the assistant offered. "And your limit...?"
"He doesn't have one," Orion said, making Regulus lose any and all focus he may have had on an assortment of diamond bracelets. "The young lady in question is a very humble, exceptionally bright witch, however, so I imagine simplicity and elegance will be preferable to statement making pieces."
When the clerk disappeared to another part of the store, presumably to gather collections for Regulus to look over, Orion joined his son at the display cases.
Regulus was still shaken. "Father, I don't need—"
"Nonsense," Orion interrupted. "You focus on finding a suitable trinket. I don't even want you to look at the prices, understand?"
"Yes, Father," Regulus replied automatically. "...Thank you."
Orion ran an affectionate hand through Regulus' hair. "You've found yourself a brilliant, powerful, positively delightful witch, my son. And beautiful on top of that. She deserves nothing less. You both do."
They left the shop several hours later with two promise bracelets burning a hole in Regulus' robe pocket and butterflies on a warpath in his stomach.
"Should I expect news around Christmas?" Orion asked, leading them deeper into the shopping district towards what Regulus assumed was a restaurant, but the buildings all looked too similar to tell. "Or are you waiting until New Year's?"
"I'm not sure," he answered slowly. Since finding the bracelets, his mind had been heavy with thoughts, but they raced so quickly he couldn't focus on any of them in particular. "Just…whatever feels best at the time, I suppose."
Orion wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders. "Take your time. No one's rushing you except yourself and I'm certain you'll have no trouble being able to judge the correct moment when it comes."
By Christmas Eve, Hermione had figured out that he was hiding something. She didn't know what and she never exactly called him on it, but he'd caught her giving him suspicious stares and odd looks as the holiday drew nearer.
All but two of their housemates had gone home for the break, one being Severus and the other being a fifth year who kept to herself. Severus didn't really care what Regulus and Hermione did so long as no one else knew he wasn't actually chaperoning them at all times, which led to Regulus sneaking off to the astronomy tower with his witch as midnight drew nearer.
Even with their heavy cloaks, Hermione managed to be cold. Regulus was all too happy to have her pressed against him for warmth, and together they leaned against a stone pillar to watch moonlight gleam off the blanket of white that had covered the grounds.
"You saved me, you know," he murmured against her hair. "You saved me from a world content to leave me dead and gave me a chance to right my wrongs. I can never repay you for that."
Her head, which had been settled comfortably against his chest, lifted. "You saved me too," she said. "If luck had been on my side, I wouldn't have dabbled in necromancy and universe manipulation to begin with. None of this would've happened if I hadn't needed to run away."
He brought a gloved hand up to rest on her cheek. "You could have picked someone else to bring back, but you chose me and while I don't know why you did it, I'm eternally thankful you made that choice."
Frowning slightly, she propped up on the tips of her toes and pressed their noses together. "You owe me nothing," she said. "We're even."
"No," he said, "no we aren't." His pressed his lips to her hairline, trying to distract himself from the increasing speed of his pulse. "Because in spite of all that, I have a favor to ask you."
"And what's that?" she asked quietly. "What could possibly be so grave that you think you'd owe me a debt afterwards?"
He pulled her bracelet out of his pocket with a trembling hand and, keeping his lips against her skin, said, "We're not kids, Hermione. We're following the rules because in this world our bodies are only fifteen but we're adults, and last time I checked, begging someone to spend the rest of their life with you was a hell of a favor to ask."
He felt her fingers, also gloved, brush against his own as she inspected the silver, laurel wreath shaped bangle. A shaky breath left her and the accompanying puff of white mist dissolved in the charged silence between them.
"Reggie…" she whispered unsurely.
"Stay with me," he begged. "Not because we came to this universe together and not because we're stuck here but because I love you and can't fathom my life without you in it anymore…"
A kiss was his answer, a proper one instead of the chaste, acceptable socially acceptable pecks he'd been living off of for months. He managed to slip the bracelet on her wrist while their lips and tongues were fused and tangled. He handed her his much simpler, less diamond encrusted duplicate when they broke apart, shuddering when she slipped it on his wrist magic between the two items surged before settling to a steady hum.
"I love you," she said quietly.
He brushed his thumb against her bracelet as he pressed their lips together again. It was much more effective, she'd taught him, to show her how he felt than to rest the weight of his feelings solely with his words.
When Voldemort fell over a year later, his horcruxes accounted for and destroyed, Regulus presented her with a restored family heirloom and asked if she'd still have him. He could see the looping figure eight pattern of white and black diamonds set against the dark metal of the band, all of it framing the main stone. It distracted him in the best possible way to see a little patch of light on his desk, light reflected off her diamond the entire time they'd sat their N.E.W.T. He was amazed to find that the fuzzy cloud that patch of light had stirred in his mind hadn't effected his scores in the least.
At graduation, he asked her what date he might tell his father. She smiled as he helped her into their boat and said, "November third." He returned her smile, albiet confusedly, and was more than happy to accept the gentle peck she pressed to his lips even though he didn't quite understand the significance. "The day I brought you back."
"That's less than five months," he murmured, refusing to let her pull away. "I'm certain my mother, your aunt, and your grandmother will have fits."
He felt her smile. "They'll get over it."
Lady Prince and Eileen forgave them as soon as they saw Hermione in her dress robes on that chilly November morning, but Walburga held her halfhearted grudge until until her first grandson was born.
Antares took after his mother with his dark curls and her blue eyes, but his temperament was a mirror to his father's in nearly every way. He was nearly three when his brother Caelum, a carbon copy of Orion, joined them, and was the perfectly excitable age of six when his sister Gemma was born.
By then, of course, Walburga was beside herself with children to spoil, and the only person left to be annoyed with the most recently appointed Mr. and Mrs. Black was Sirius.
Honestly, couldn't his brother have named one of the children after their favorite uncle in some way?
A/N: Gemma, another name for the Alpha Coronae Borealis star. Yes, Jas, the irony pleases me greatly :P
Thanks to everyone for reading! Until next time~