Children of the Revolution

by Istani

Marauders era. Will a friend, someone who really cares, manage to tilt the scales when the time comes for Severus Snape to make a crucial choice? Of love triangles and a Silver Trio. AU.

42. New York City

I'm sorry it took so long- I was hibernating...

42- New York City

Regulus was watching TV when the door opened and his friends entered the guest's living room. He arched a brow at them while the corners of his lips were beginning to form a smile- which immediately seemed to freeze under Severus' wipe-that-smirk-off-your-face scowl. So he turned his eyes back to the TV screen where some sort of a truck with extremely large wheels was crashing a group of smaller cars.

"Dear Merlin!" Raven exclaimed and instead of offering a good morning she asked, "You didn't watch that crap all night, did you?"

"That's no crap," the heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black defended himself quite stubbornly, but there was no use denying that he had, indeed, been watching TV all night long- she already knew him well enough to know that he had become quite of a TV junkie ever since she had introduced him to that sort of Muggle culture. "It's bloody amazing! Muggles are just awesome," he said without taking his eyes off the screen. "Look! Monster trucks! Absolutely brilliant, these Muggles... that's so much more fun than plain old Quidditch! I'm gonna buy one of those and become a professional driver myself."

"No doubt your parents will be thrilled about your choice of career," Severus quipped, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Regulus shot him a defiant glance. "So what? I don't give a damn anymore. It's my life, after all. And besides, I didn't ask for their permission to travel around half the world and destroy a bloody Horcrux either."

"True," Raven said with a grin, "but would you really upset mummy and daddy for a... monster truck? I mean, you don't even have a driving license."

"I'll buy one."

Trying hard to hide her amused smile, Raven glanced at Severus and was glad to see that apparently their mental connection hadn't suffered from giving in to carnal desires; it was still as strong as it used to be, showing his own amusement about the whelp's quirks. Then his mood changed abruptly when Regulus asked quite innocently, "How about you two? Did you have a good night, too?"

"That's none of your business!" Severus replied brusquely, and now Regulus was grinning. But before the foolish boy- sometimes he really reminded Raven of his older brother, always testing how far he could go without landing himself in serious trouble- could give a response that would only irritate Severus even further, there was a loud POP and Hula the House-elf appeared.

"Madam says breakfast is ready for dear guests and Madam not has all day... yes, yes, Madam is very busy always."

"Great!" Raven said, heaving a happy sigh. "I'm dying for a good cup of coffee."

-o-

She knows it, Severus realized immediately even though Professor Steel didn't spare him more than a fleeting glance, barely looking up from her newspaper when she wished them a good morning. But he was positive that she knew exactly what he had done last night; he was uncomfortably aware of it, no matter how much he tried not to think about it. On the other hand, he found it hard to not think about it... because every time he tried to, pondering whether it had been a wise decision to sleep with his best friend, there was a sharp pain of loss that seemed to suffocate him from within and he quickly forgot about regretting that incident. Besides, he had agreed to give it a try, to give them a chance, and he had to admit that he wasn't unhappy with that decision at all. He would have been more happy with it, though, if he could have banished Lily from his mind. But since he was incapable of doing just that, he felt torn and utterly confused, and his defences were up for no one to see his inner turmoil.

-o-

Alice Steel heaved a silent sigh- ah, to be young and in love, she thought with a pang of nostalgia as she flashed Raven a wry smile, feeling quite some affection for the girl who often reminded her of herself when she was young... so long ago.

But she quickly got a grip on herself again; there was no time to dwell on the past when it was essential that they kept looking ahead, always on alert. 'Constant vigilance!' as Moody would bellow his mantra. Too bad he'd become paranoid in exercising his job for he used to be quite a handsome Auror when he was young...

Resolutely, she refocused on the here and now, on the youngsters that were sitting at her breakfast table, tucking in like starved wolves. Clandestinely, she smiled again- but only briefly- and then her face took on the same old serious expression that was so typical for her. Not letting them see that watching them made her almost wish she wouldn't have taken her job so very serious all the time, but to have such fine young ones herself.

"I hope you don't feel too overjoyed about yesterday's success, because you are fools to believe that one destroyed Horcrux could possibly weaken the Dark Lord; he is still as strong as ever and a dangerous fiend if you decide to keep opposing him."

Raven glanced from Severus to Regulus and then back at Professor Steel. They hadn't yet talked about their further plans or how they wanted to proceed, but opposing the Dark Lord sounded like a good choice.

"Keep your cool, kids," Professor Steel continued, knowing exactly what Raven was thinking; it was in the way the young witch stubbornly lifted her chin. "Be careful and don't haste things. Act with the prudence and cautiousness that are the traits of your house, and leave all reckless bravery to the Gryffindors. If you want to fight the Dark Lord you will need the slyness of a Slytherin."

Severus nodded thoughtfully, while Regulus gave to consider, "What if we find more of his Horcruxes? I mean, we cannot always travel round the world and drop them in the maw of a volcano."

"That is correct. It is too dangerous to leave Wizarding Britain more often than necessary, even if you travel the Muggle way. You have to act as unobtrusive as possible, and your repeated absence may be noticed one day. Therefore I arranged something for you." Professor Steel searched the pockets of her grey robes and produced a small phial. Holding it in the palm of her hand, she contemplated it for a moment. "This wasn't easy to get, but I have some reliable sources and connections- friends that owe me a favour." She looked at the kids, giving each of them a stern glance before she finally handed the phial to Severus. "I know you will treasure the value of Basilisk venom."

He took the the phial with all the required awe, knowing quite well its almost priceless value. Basilisk venom was a very rare and therefore horrendously expensive potion ingredient. Also, it was known for its destructive quality- it was said that it could even destroy a Horcrux... Expectantly, he lifted his eyes to Professor Steel's wrinkled, withered face- the phial was small and its capacity was humble in measure; it surely wasn't enough to... drown a Horcrux in it. Was he supposed to use it in a potion?

The Auror shook her head no, thus answering his unasked question. "You do own a silver dagger to cut your potion ingredients, I assume?"

He merely arched a brow at her, waiting for her to carry on.

"Very well, and you also know of the magical properties of silver?"

Of course he did- it played a catalytic role in many potions and was so strong that even chopping ingredients with a silver dagger gave them more potentiality. Also (on a side note) using a silver dagger was a very effective method to kill werewolves... and ever since the incident with Lupin he did carry his with him all the times. Just in case...

"A few drops will be enough," Professor Steel instructed him. "Use it on your dagger and simply stab the Horcrux with it."

Severus nodded, briefly wondering if that clue would also make it easier to kill a werewolf, before he dispelled that thought and focussed on Professor Steel again.

"Now," she said casually, "it's time for you to leave. You have to return to Wizarding Britain before anyone notices your absence. Don't forget that it's essential for you to not raise attention." She placed an old and battered Coca-Cola can on the table. "This Portkey will take you back to New York, where you will spend the night at the Comfort Inn hotel near the Central Park. The next morning, you will take the plane back to London- your tickets are already booked.

"Don't contact me. Don't send any owls, do not use the Floo network. In case you need my advice, though, give me a call the Muggle way."

She shoved a scrap of paper in Raven's direction, knowing that at least the young witch was familiar with telephones.

-o-

Everything happened rather quickly, then. Before Raven even had time to finish her cup of coffee, she already got transported though time and space to a lonely, deserted alley. Next to her, Severus and Regulus appeared out of thin air, looking just as agitated and confused as she felt due to that sudden change of scenery.

She glanced at her empty hand and wished she had remembered to cling on to her coffee mug. She shivered briefly; of course, it was much colder in New York than in was in Hawaii. And there was no doubt that they were back in New York. Their surroundings appeared so much darker and louder, dirtier... the air they breathed was now filled with the pungent stench of decay that came from the many trash cans lining the alley, most of them belonging to a neighbourhood of cheap take-away restaurants.

The alley was also plastered with posters announcing concerts in Muggle clubs, and not all of them were outdated. All of a sudden, Raven's face lit up when she spotted the poster of a band she liked.

"Look, Sev!"

He stared at her; his brooding interrupted by her gentle nudge. He was still feeling insecure and uncertain whether he had done the right thing by agreeing to give it a try with Raven, still pondering if passion had utterly confused his mind, his ability to think clearly when he followed her bidding and glanced at the poster.

It was of a band he liked, too, and they were playing a gig tonight.

Wasn't it absurd? he thought and almost laughed out loud. Whenever he had dreamed about having a girlfriend, the picture of Lily Evans had always popped up in his mind's eye and he had envisioned how he would ask her out, taking her to a romantic candlelight dinner at a fancy restaurant (fortunately, he always woke from that dream before the waiter arrived with the bill). A punk rock gig, however, had never, not even in his wildest dreams, fitted with his conception of romantic entertainment program for a lovely young witch... well, until now. Now this very idea sounded almost tempting since he knew that Raven would love to go and see the band. And she was quite a lovely young witch, wasn't she? Also, she was sort of his girlfriend now (which still puzzled him tremendously) so he should at least possess the decency to ask her out. If he couldn't say those infamous three words to her, he could at least try to be a good and attentive friend and give her anything that did not require of him to utter these words that deep in his heart were still reserved for Lily.

Were they?

While pondering that very idea, he soon realized another flaw in his plan- they weren't alone. They couldn't go out to see a punk rock gig with the whelp in tow, and the stupid little Black boy had to remind him of that sad fact when he started nagging.

"Come on," Regulus said, looking around with unease. Apparently his concept of the oh-so-exciting Muggle world was wavering in regard of their seedy surroundings, therefore the posh little pure-blood wanted to get away from that alley as soon as possible. "Let's go! Professor Steel said we have to act unobtrusively and lingering here is decidedly counterproductive."

"But we're in the Muggle world right here and now," Raven objected, recalling the Auror's words. "We don't act suspicious at all when we look at posters, trying to decide what we want to do with our night in New York."

"We should go to the hotel Professor Steel booked for us." Regulus insisted. Sometimes he was still the good and obedient boy his parents had raised, never questioning the words of someone who commanded respect, someone who was higher up the ranks of society than he himself.

"Alright," Raven said since she didn't want to linger in that alley either. Nevertheless, she didn't agree to his understanding of Steel's warning. To her, acting as unobtrusively as possible did not mean to hide in the hotel until it was time to leave for the airport- it simply meant to make no stir in the wizarding world. They could still go out and have a fun night out in the Muggle world- Lord V would never know. "Let's go to the hotel before we make further plans for the evening."

The fellows walked towards the mouth of the alley. In the near distance they could already see the skyline of Manhattan and hear the sound of the never-ending traffic, when they passed a telephone booth that didn't seem to fit into the scenery ahead. It looked as old and out of date as if it was from the early days of Muggle telecommunication, and there was even a sign at the door that read 'out of order, which didn't surprise Raven.

That fact, however, didn't seem to bother some strangely clad people that occasionally emerged from the booth, only to disappear into thin air only a little later. They, too, looked as if their origin was way back in another century- of course, they were wizards and witches, Raven realized, and that telephone booth must be another doorway to the Magical Manhattan Mall.

She shrugged indifferently, glad that they didn't have to go underground to the magically, artificially lit commercial centre of wizarding New York. Instead of having to spend another couple of hours in the dingy Asphodel Guest House, they were going to enjoy the pleasantries of room service at a decent Muggle hotel and she was already lost in daydreaming of a bottle of champagne in a bathtub, preferably with Severus. But then her fancy dreams burst like the proverbial soap bubble because there was still Regulus to be considered...and Severus would not indulged in naughty bathroom games with her, knowing that the whelp was next door. So they had to get rid of him.

She sighed.

On the other hand, they were in New York and a great punk rock band was playing tonight-

That very moment, a young witch stepped out of the telephone booth, looking familiar. She was hardly older than Raven, dressed in dark emerald robes, and she walked with the very same air of superiority that was common for pure-bloods. Except that she carried a frog in her hands.

Or was it a toad?

Whatever, Raven couldn't help but being reminded of an old T. Rex tune.

'Did you ever see a woman

coming out of New York City

with a frog in her hand...'

To her surprise, the corners of Severus' mouth seemed to twitch a little, apparently also recalling the tune. All was well between them, they were still on the same wavelength, thinking just the same... He was still smirking slightly when Raven, all of a sudden, recalled the witch's name.

"Mellisandre McMillan?"

The witch stopped and turned her head to stare at Raven in astonishment. "Raven? Raven Lestrange? And... um- hello Snape! What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

"Mel!" Regulus rasped, standing rooted to the spot like a deer caught in the headlights, staring stock-still at the witch. His expression changed from disbelief to joy and then to guilt when she frowned at him and her face clouded with suspicion. Nevertheless, she kept her calm as her defences went up.

"Mr Black," she said politely.

-o-

It felt like a stab in the heart to hear her calling him Mr Black when he could still recall her scent, the way she tasted- but he'd blown it. He'd blown it tremendously back then when his parents' opinion had mattered more to him than... love. And yet he glanced at her with all the hope that was left, hoping beyond hope that she might forgive him his betrayal.

"Mel..."

But there was no hope in her eyes. Instead, Mellisandre turned to face Raven as if she was the only trustworthy Slytherin around.

"What are you doing here?" She asked again.

"We... um," Raven was at a loss. She knew that the McMillans had emigrated to the Wizarding States of America for a reason- although they were pure-bloods, they had never agreed to Voldemort's propaganda of pure-blood supremacy, and that made them blood traitors in the eyes of his followers. But that fact alone did not mean that Raven could simply tell Mellisandre the true reason of their trip to America. She had to keep the Horcruxes a secret, even though it would probably please Mellisandre to hear that Regulus had switched sides. So she came up with the only reasonable explanation she could think of. "We visited my parents. You know, they moved to the States some years ago."

Mellisandre frowned, apparently not quite believing Raven's excuse for it merely explained her presence but not Regulus'. And while she was momentarily distracted, the frog in her hand took the chance to escape her grip. It leaped to the ground and tried to disappear in the shadow of the trash cans.

"Otis!" Mellisandre cried out as she scampered to catch the frog. Immediately, Regulus joined in the frog hunt in order to help the witch he was still in love with.

Raven was watching them- perhaps Mellisandre would loose her restraint, her suspicion, and the two of them could have a little chat while searching for the frog. Perhaps things could still turn out well for them, just like they had (almost) turned out well for her. After all, Severus had agreed to give it a try. They were sort of an item now, and he wanted to go to that gig with her- provided they found a way to get rid of the Black boy for a while... and here Mellisandre came in quite handy...

But then Severus spoiled the moment. He rolled his eyes heavenwards and sneered as he whispered a spell, and only a fraction of a second later, Otis the frog was sitting in the palm of his hand.

Severus tsked. "You really should be more careful with your potion ingredients, Miss McMillan."

Oh dear, he's so adorably... clumsy when it comes to the mystery of human relations, Raven thought, but she was probably the only one who found that character trait of him adorable. Regulus was not amused at all; he had hoped to score with finding Otis for Mellisandre so he could get back in her good books.

Now, he flashed Severus a dirty glance for being such a spoil sport, while Mellisandre let out an indignant shriek as she hastily snatched the frog from Severus' hand.

"Otis is NOT a potion ingredient! He's my little sister's pet! I took him to the wizarding veterinarian at The Mall because he had a broken leg."

"Um," said Severus, apparently quite taken aback about the witch's almost hysteric behaviour, "as it seems, the veterinarian did a good job..."

Quickly, he Summoned an empty cigarette packet and Transfigured it into a frog box for Otis, so that Miss McMillan could carry him home securely. Alas, the box turned out to look exactly like the bags that were usually used for potion ingredients.

Mellisandre was still upset; she turned on her heels and was about to take her leave.

"Wait!" Regulus cried out in an almost desperate tone. "Please, wait. Let me explain. I really need to talk to you."

There was so much he wanted to tell her, so many things that were left unspoken for too long.

"Please..."

She hesitated before she very slowly lifted her head to glance at him, uncertainty flickering up in her eyes. "Why? What's there left to say?"

"Anything... everything..." he stammered, looking like a lovesick puppy. "I... I was wrong,"

Severus groaned inwardly. The very least thing they could use now was a lovesick fool. But Raven said, "Come on, Mel, give him a chance and hear him out."

-o-

Severus did not approve of her interference, knowing the boy would bungle it, would talk too much, say too much... carry his heart on his sleeves, and in the end they'd all be in danger only due to Black's sudden desire to win back the fair lady's heart. And Raven was willing to grant them a chance because she was a romantic fool.

And yet, somewhere deep down in his very own heart, Severus understood. He, too, would have done anything just to get back into Lily's good books. She was the witch of his dreams, the only one he would ever love, but he didn't know if love meant the same to a Black. Although they were partners in crime now, Severus still couldn't help but see the other, the hated brother when glancing at Regulus. There was just as much resemblance as there was distinction, and sometimes it was hard to act in an objective way when Regulus was concerned.

Apparently, Raven didn't have these problems; she had seemed to have come to trust the little Black.

But was she right to trust him? Merlin, the whelp was not to mention the Horcruxes! He was not allowed to tell anyone of these damned Horcruxes!

Gentle fingers were reaching out to get entwined with his own, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Severus glanced up to meet Raven''s gaze.

Trust in me, her eyes seemed to say.

Well, he did. Actually, trusting Raven was not the problem. Perhaps she was a tad too emotional sometimes, and she definitely carried her heart on her sleeves occasionally, but in the end he knew he could trust her when it came to judging people.

Although he knew that, he tried to deny it every time he was thinking of Lily since he refused to accept her harsh judgement of Lily... she must err in that at least...

And then he felt guilty again because he had promised her to give it a try

-o-

"She agreed to meet me!" Regulus said, beaming brightly as he joined his friends again.

"Ah?" Raven arched a mocking brow at him. "Well, you just met."

The boy kept on grinning as if he'd just won the jackpot. "Yeah," he drawled in a dreamily tone, "I mean, we're going to meet later, in that American Muggle restaurant. There-" Lost in reverie, he pointed to the neon lights of Manhattan and to a big yellow M with a red background that could be seen from afar.

Raven recognized the logo and couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh well, now that's gonna be a very romantic date."

"It's not really a date," Regulus corrected her, although his eyes betrayed him; they took on a rather love-struck expression. "All she agreed to was to meet me at a public place and hear me out-"

"Don't even dream of telling her how you... so heroically... destroyed one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes only to get laid," Severus cut in with a scowl on his face, once again worrying that the boy might bungle it... after all, he was a Black.

"It's not my intention to get laid, Snape," Regulus hissed indignantly. "Don't mistake me for my brother. I just want to rectify what went wrong between Mellisandre and me because I was a fool to let her go. You know that feeling, Snape, don't you?"

Oh no, Raven groaned inwardly; she didn't like the direction the conversation was taking since there was a great potential for anger and... unpleasantness ahead- as usual when it came to Lily. She didn't want to hear any of that now. She wanted to believe that things could turn out well, or at least as well as they were in the morning, in Hawaii, and so she tried to change the subject before Severus could say anything that would only hurt her. "Boys," she cut in, heaving a sigh. "Please, be good. There's no use bitching now. Let's just go to our hotel and talk things over there, alright?"

-o-

In the end, they agreed. Neither Severus nor Regulus were in the mood to argue. Regulus was smiling happily and Severus scowled at him, thinking he was a love-stuck fool. He hoped he'd never look as dumb as the boy, not even- no, he wouldn't think of Lily now. It wasn't... right. Not after what had transpired last night. He would try like he had promised to give Raven a chance. That much he owed her.

And the best way to get started was to get rid of the boy for a couple of hours. Therefore it was a lucky coincidence that they had met Mellisandre McMillan.

On the other hand he really feared that Regulus could act foolishly...

-o-

"I'm not an idiot, Raven." Regulus protested when Raven instructed him what he was allowed to spill and what not. "I know I cannot talk about the Dark Lord and his Horcruxes, although it would be so much easier to explain-"

"Yeah, but life's not easy and you already had your chance with Mel. It was your decision to blow it. I don't have to remind you of how much more is at stake now, do I?"

He shook his head no because he knew damn well; he was not like his older brother to whom life was just a big adventure, never fearing any consequences. Regulus, however, had already learned to face the consequences of his actions. That was why he was here, in New York. He had made a grave decision when he had turned to Raven and Severus for help that very day some weeks ago, and he didn't regret his choice. Finally, he was beginning to live his own life, which held a lot of exciting new promises and perhaps another chance with Mel. But it wouldn't mean the end of the world to him, should she choose to reject him because of his stupidity in the past.

"Alright," he glanced at Raven again, "now where did you say your parents live? I remember you told Mel we went to visit them."

"Las..." Raven changed her mind before she could say Vegas. Instead, she corrected herself and said. "Los Angeles."

-o-

Regulus didn't notice her little slip of the tongue but Severus arched a quizzical brow at her. She shrugged ever so slightly. It wasn't that she mistrusted Regulus- she had quite some faith in him, actually- but when all was said and done it was always better to be safe than sorry. Although she mightily doubted that Lord V bothered himself with things like geography (should he ever invade the boy's mind and see images of the sea), then he could still search all coastal towns of the Wizarding States of America and would never find her parents.

Severus gave a short nod of understanding. It pleased her to know that he'd figured her out and seemed to approve to her little lie for their wordless understanding of each other was a thing she treasured most in their... friendship? Relationship? What?

Yes, he had agreed to give them a chance, but so far he hadn't acted accordingly to that at all. She yearned for a touch, a kiss- anything.

-o-

If someone had told him that one day he'd feel very much at ease at a punk rock gig, he would have laughed out loud and thought it absurd. But it was true. Perhaps it really needed the rough sound of punk rock music, the wild beat of the drums, the crude accords of a screeching guitar and the cocky lyrics of a singer who rather yelled than sang, to make him not only forget but almost appreciate his upbringing. Here, he was at home- despite the smells of Spinner's End that seemed to be lingering in the air. His... anger that so often was the friend of his childhood, did subside when the music was loud and rugged, and he didn't even think of Lily then.

In the smoke-filled air of a dingy New York club, visiting a punk rock gig with Raven, Severus was completely at ease with himself. Within the punk rock scene, he was accepted just the way he was since nobody would judge him because of his poor background. The musicians on stage, the audience- they were all just like him and they didn't hide in shame because of it. They shouted out their anger as a protest for all the world to hear.

And yet, it was a silent understanding. It was to be found in a glance, a nod of approval- here, he didn't have to fake anything. He didn't have to pretend he was of purer blood or anything like that because these people didn't care about such things. Be yourself, the music seemed to tell him.

So he decided to give it a try and to finally pay Raven the attention she was craving for all day. Although he didn't like to display affection in public- it was too much like wearing his heart on his sleeves to be any good- he simply couldn't help but give in to her charms, and the way she kissed him made him feel just as dizzy as last night.

Merlin! He gasped quietly when they were in the hotel's elevator, going up to their room. Why does it feel so damned good? So... right? Severus was certain that he didn't deserve this.

It would have been so easy to forget everything else and simply enjoy another night of bliss, but life was never easy. Even when they were stumbling in their hotel room, snogging and groping at each other in anticipation, he couldn't forget, couldn't blind out as completely as he would have wished. Instead, he noticed immediately that something was amiss.

They were not here to give in to frivolous amusement. They were supposed to share this very room with the damned Black boy. But Regulus Black wasn't there- well, he could have looked upon that as sort of lucky coincidence if not for the fact that apparently Black hadn't returned from his date with Miss MacMillan yet. And that made Severus frown.

Of course, there were about a dozen different explanations for Black's absence, but Severus' mind disagreed with the most plausible one- meaning the boy had found himself a girl and was having fun. Instead, he immediately thought of betrayal since he still found it hard to trust a Black.

-o-

Raven heaved a frustrated sigh. She knew that this wasn't the greatest love story ever told even if they had been snogging in the elevator only moments ago. Now, he was all reserved and brooding again. It sucked. Of course, they were just friends giving in to temptation, although he had promised to give it a try. In the end, he was not in love with her. One couldn't try to be in love with somebody- and yet, she was still alright with his decision, his attempt to have sort of a relationship with her. At least that was way better than to never get a chance of kissing him again.

At the very moment, however, his passion seemed to have dissolved into thin air because of Blackie's absence. It worried him- he was pacing the hotel room like a caged tiger, cursing Regulus Black for not being trustworthy and her for having faith in him. For the umpteenth time, he glanced at his watch...

Yeah, it was already past 3 AM and they were due the train to the airport in a couple of hours- meaning that Regulus still had time to return to the hotel, and she didn't doubt that he would show up just in time.

Nevertheless, Severus was worried.

She tried her best to soothe him, but it didn't seem to work until- finally- Regulus decided to grace them with his presence.

He simply entered the room with a smile on his face and was still grinning happily as he, unceremoniously, let himself drop onto one of the beds, heaving a sigh.

"I assume you enjoyed yourself?" Severus hissed with a dangerous undertone in his voice that, however, didn't seem to bother Regulus.

"Yeah," he drawled; that silly smile still being plastered all over his face. Then he sat up, glancing at his friends. "We met at a very strange restaurant where you had to get your food yourself and then it was delivered on a plastic tray-"

"Aw, no silver cutlery or fine china for you, Black? I reckon that must have been a rather... traumatic... experience."

If Regulus noticed the sarcasm dripping from Severus' words, he didn't show it. Instead, he replied, "It was... weird, indeed. But isn't it amazing what these Muggles come up with?"

"Well, a certain lack of style isn't one of their greatest accomplishments-"

"Ah, don't be such a spoilsport, Snape. The food was rather tasty, and after that, we took a long walk in the park."

"How very... romantic..." Raven cut in, sounding almost as sarcastic as Severus. "Did Mellisandre enjoy it, too?"

The boy's face fell and he decided to hush that part of the story. Apparently, it hadn't gone that well, she gathered considering his reaction. In a softer tone she asked, "Well then, what went wrong?"

First, he merely shrugged. Then he said, "Nothing. Actually, she even said she still loves me." Regulus heaved a weary sigh. "Well, and I love her. But we can't be together- Merlin, I couldn't even tell her what caused my change of heart or why we're in the Wizarding States. I know, I'm not to talk about the bloody Horcruxes, though it would have made things easier to explain. I... all I could tell her is that I've changed my mind about the Dark Lord, but without a proper explanation I doubt she believed me." Quickly, he changed the subject. "Now, when do we have to leave for that aeroplane station?"

"It's called airport," Raven corrected him; she just couldn't help it. Nevertheless, she noticed the sadness in his smile and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look at the bright side, Reg. The less she knows, the less she is in danger- and you're aware of the fact that we're playing a dangerous game, aren't you?"

It was a poor comfort, and she knew that. When it came to matters of the heart, the least you wanted to hear was sensible reasoning. And yet, there was so much more at stake than a broken heart. He would get over it- after all, life's a bitch and not always fair; sometimes you just didn't get what you wanted. She knew that feeling only too well. Although Severus had agreed to give them a try, there was still the everlasting shadow of Lily Evans- Potter- looming over their newly... relationship? affair?... rendering it fragile.