Hello, and welcome back to the story my friends!
Thank yous to all who Followed, Favorited and Reviewed last chapter. GhostWriter1864, DeadDelta, Raven that flies at night, Jily71102, Calimocho, Navy Bow, xXMizz Alec VoulturiXx, and pianomouse; every single one of you make writing this just a little bit easier, thank you!
And, here we go...
Hermione looked around the new private chambers that Dumbledore had designated for her. It was similar to Professor McGonagall's in style and décor, but was much smaller in size. She guessed this was because she was just a teaching assistant and didn't have the position of Deputy Headmistress. But Hermione smiled as she looked over the charming room and felt a bit of pride bubble up inside of her.
This was hers; she had earned this.
Yes, Minerva had helped push her into the idea of teaching. But Hermione had been selected by the school governors based on her academic achievements alone; she had made sure of this before accepting the position. McGonagall had only helped her replicate her originally O.W.L. scores and grades that she had received at Hogwarts in her time, but Hermione had been elated to find out that they had only really considered N.E.W.T. scores when looking at teaching positions since they was the most recent evaluation of your knowledge.
"Where do you want these boxes, Love?"
Hermione chuckled a bit as she took in the sight of Sirius. His face was completely obscured by a giant pillar of boxes he was levitating in front of him. She could only make out his legs, "Just by the bedroom door is fine, thank you."
The witch caught herself sighing; she wasn't sure if it was out of relief or exasperation though. It had been a month since the fiasco with Bathilda Bagshot and her 'false' nephew. Sirius, Lily and James had been extensively interviewed about the incident and Remus and Peter had been brought in to establish a comparison so they could discover when the nephew had been replaced by a Death Eater.
Hermione had been strategically left out of the interviews on Dumbledore's request; but this time she was actually delighted to be kept away from Order business.
Unfortunately, they hadn't learned much about the situation. The only real information that had been deduced was that Bathilda's nephew had been replaced sometime between Remus and Peter's visit and the visit when the Death Eater had been exposed.
The other issue that had been brought to light due to the incident, had been if the recent Hogwarts graduates were indeed prepared for these kinds of situations. Dumbledore had decided that everyone in the Order needed to be trained a bit more, especially the new recruits, to ensure their safety. A few mandatory training sessions had already been conducted, and according to Sirius, they had been grueling.
Hermione had not been very pleased to be left out of these sessions. Regulus had been somewhat interested in the training as well, so the witch had made a note to find a way to train with the other Black brother secretly during school if time allowed.
"You alright, Hermione?"
The witch nodded her head, "Fine; just thinking."
Sirius, now empty handed, came up behind her and enveloped her small waist with his arms, "About what this time?"
"The Order, training, the timeline, your brother… everything basically," Hermione smiled in spite of the anxiety she felt. It was difficult to ignore the comforting feeling that Sirius provided, the warmth and security that even just a hug from him delivered was puzzling yet always welcome. She placed her hands over his and leaned back into the embrace.
"Come now, you don't need to think about that right this second. Enjoy this," Sirius motioned to the room, "be happy; even if it is just for a small moment of time. Worry about all that nonsense tomorrow."
"But I do need to update the current timeline in the Sitting Room, and I need to make sure that the other timeline is accurate… there are events coming up that possibly need to be addressed. I have to prepare for them," Hermione frowned as she began to count all the responsibilities that needed to be evaluated on top of her new teaching duties that would be beginning soon as well.
But before Hermione could continue making a list of things that needed to be done, Sirius had scooped her up into his arms, "No; no more of that today."
The witch tried to glare intimidatingly at the wizard as she was carried through her living quarters, "Sirius, put me down. I have far too much to do before the new term starts next week."
"Which, as I stated before, you can begin worrying about tomorrow," Sirius grinned wildly at the disgruntled witch in his arms, "Right now, we are going to go find something to distract you." He unceremoniously dropped Hermione onto the giant four post bed that had come with her new accommodations.
"And what, pray tell, are you planning to use to distract me?" Hermione thought she had a general idea of what the wizard had in mind, but it was always entertaining to play along and tease.
Sirius's smile turned into a smirk and a mischievous glint crossed his eyes as he leaned forward and closed the gap between them, "I'm sure you'll figure it out quickly, Love."
"Ow, ow, ow, ow," James was sprawled out in the middle of the small sitting room of the new apartment that he and Lily had just begun renting.
Lily gently dropped a bag full of frozen peas on her fiancé's head; he winced under the sudden cold pressure.
"How much longer do you think the Order will make us train before we're deemed ready again?" James closed his eyes and tried not to think about how his speed had failed him during the duel with Frank Longbottom. He had been unceremoniously thrown backward and had hit his head rather badly; all because his shield charm had been a half second too slow.
"Probably not until they believe we're prepared well enough. That is the point of all this, making ourselves better fighters so that I won't have to put frozen vegetables on your injuries." Lily laid down on the floor beside James and used his abdomen as a pillow, "You did at least get a few good hexes in before Frank blasted you."
James chuckled, "Thanks Lil, but we both know it didn't go very well. I'm a decent fighter, but Frank is top of the class." He began to play absentmindedly with a stray piece of red hair that was fanned over his stomach.
"Where was Sirius today?" Lily smiled to herself as James wound her hair around his finger.
"I think he was helping move Mia into her new chambers in the castle today," James readjusted the frozen peas so that he was laying his head on the bag now, instead of holding the bag to the top of his head.
"Do you think he'll manage alright by himself while Amelia's at the castle during term?"
James smirked, "I'm sure he'll be fine. They'll make it work. And anyway, Padfoot asked Moony and Wormtail to move in with him. They'll keep him company and out of mischief while she's off molding young minds."
The redheaded witch stifled a snort, "Merlin… that could be dangerous; all of them together like that… especially when you visit them." Her smile faltered and she caught James's other hand in her own, "Are you disappointed you can't join them?"
"You mean live with those three again?" James gingerly sat up and Lily's head shifted so that she now lay in his lap, "Never. You are a far better roommate, and much prettier… but don't tell Padfoot I said that." He flashed her a wide grin that Lily quickly returned.
"I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing," her soft laughter filled the room, "Though I'm afraid Sirius would say the same of you if asked how you compare to Mia."
James's lopsided smile sagged, "I'm sure he would. But… do you… I mean, I like Mia well enough. She definitely made Padfoot more manageable..."
Lily sat up and faced the stammering wizard in front of her, "What is it James?"
He looked directly into the witch's eyes and tried to find inoffensive words to express his concern, "I know she's a good person. And she's a member of the Order, so she's on our side… But I feel like she's keeping secrets. There's still so much that we don't know about her."
She knew this conversation would come up eventually. James was naturally a curious person and Lily had known that he would bring up some interesting questions about their friend, "I'm sure that when she's ready, Mia will explain everything. She… she's been through a lot James. Sometimes people need time to completely adjust to what has happened to them."
"You know something, don't you?" James eyed his fiancé with playfully narrowed eyes.
""Possibly; but it's not my place to tell, even if I did know something," Lily made sure her statement had a final sense to it; like the matter was closed until further notice. She knew that James had issues letting go of things, so she hoped that he trusted her enough to let this one go and just be patient. Lily wasn't even sure if James could handle the idea of someone knowing his future; his personality was too curious for his own good. "Come on; we need to figure out what to do for dinner."
James watched as Lily stood up and hurried off to the kitchen to see what was left in the refrigerator, "You know that I'm going to keep asking… do I at least get a hint about what you know?"
Lily shook her head before returning to her search for food, "No James. You'll just have to take my word that she'll let us know everything when the times right. That's all I know anyway." This was mostly the truth, since Hermione had not informed her about the future yet.
"Fine Lily-pad, I'm putting my faith in you then. I'll try to be patient," James walked over and kissed Lily on the forehead. He pulled down the serving dish that had been a few inches out of her reach, "did you forget you were a witch, Lil?"
"No," Lily huffed and rolled her eyes. She chuckled at herself, "Well, I've never learned to cook magically so sometimes I forget that I don't have to do things the muggle way in the kitchen."
"Ok," James grinned like a child, "teach me how to cook the muggle way. I'd love to see how this works out."
The witch narrowed her eyes at the messy haired wizard, but she knew that he didn't mean anything by remark. So instead of hexing his skin green, Lily decided to teach James how to make one of her mother's specialties; shepherd's pie.
Regulus glanced at his watch nervously. He was seated in a small tea and coffee shop deep within Muggle London. It had taken him almost twenty extra minutes to find the place, but thankfully he had given himself a half-hour buffer before he was supposed to meet the Order member he had been assigned.
His leg bounced anxiously as he continued to glance at the unmoving door at the front of the shop. He couldn't believe that the Order was forcing him to have a designated contact person. Dumbledore's was right about Sirius, or anyone in his circle of friends, not being a suitable point person. But Regulus didn't really understand why he needed a specific contact point to the Order.
Would he not just attend a meeting once in a while?
No… that was ridiculous…
He should have realized sooner that attending meetings once school began again would be completely unfeasible. And the thought make his stomach churn.
Regulus didn't view himself as a hero; far from it actually. He viewed himself more as a bystander. He grew up listening to the unfiltered rantings of his mother, but her words had never really affected him until this past year; Walburga Black's voice had really just been white noise.
That was, until the day that Sirius ran away and Walburga disowned him.
Regulus remembered the summer before Sirius's sixth year of Hogwarts as being very loud. His mother and older brother seemed to have a subject to scream about at least every other day. Reg had lost count of how many days he woke up that summer to the walls of his room reverberating from the shrill voice of his controlling mother.
That had been the real problem; that Walburga Black didn't feel like she had control over her eldest son. Sirius was the heir of the Black house; he was expected to act a certain way, marry a certain type of girl, and live a carefully predetermined life. But the successor of the Black line didn't want any of those things.
Regulus used to chuckle to himself when Sirius would go on tirades about how much he hated his life being planned out for him. He remembered Sirius pacing the floor so much that the path he took was slightly discolored from wear. Regulus had always thought it quite funny how Sirius couldn't at least pretend to conform to their mother's will. But now he realized how dangerous and bigoted that will actually was.
The wizard sighed and glanced at the door again.
Two people exited but no one entered.
He glanced at his watch again and noticed that there was still three minutes until the scheduled meeting time.
A heavy sigh escaped his mouth as he took a quick sip of his steaming hot tea.
Regulus had never wanted to be a Death Eater. He had realized that he had never really believed in blood purity, so the basic ideals of Voldemort's teachings had not resonated with him as much as his mother would have liked. Hermione had been the best argument against these elitist ideas. She was a half-blood or a muggleborn, Regulus wasn't exactly clear on which she truly was, but either way… she was one of the most powerful and brightest witches that he had ever met. He had thought a lot about this over last year, even before speaking to Hermione about the future, and he had come to the conclusion that he definitely had not wanted to become a Death Eater.
He rubbed a thumb over the inside of his left forearm.
And yet, here he was; a full-fledged Death Eater.
But at least he wasn't a true follower. Regulus knew that he would be expected to do terrible things, even more awful than what he had already done. But he hoped that his soul would remain intact.
He was trying to fight for the side of the light, after all.
The chime on the door rang again and Regulus looked up to meet a familiar pair of sharp blue eyes staring right at him.
She smiled tentatively at him before her gaze fell to the floor.
The former Ravenclaw, blended in quite easily with the rest of the muggles in the shop. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a loose fitted shirt, that Regulus was sure he had seen another one of the patrons also wearing. But what was she doing here?
The girl walked over to his table and Regulus jumped up from his chair automatically. Years of etiquette classes had drilled a few gentlemanly habits into the boy; he stepped over and pulled out the chair across from his own.
The blonde grinned again and took the offered seat, "Thank you."
"Can I order you anything to drink?" Regulus felt mortified as he heard the words spill from his mouth before he could stop himself.
"No thank you. I'm fine at the moment." The witch glanced around the small shop and seemed to be comforted by the surroundings. She leaned her elbows onto the small table, "Would you happen to know that spell all the Slytherins in my year used to muffle people's ears?"
Regulus nodded and whispered a quick Muffliato over their little table, "I'm surprised you knew what that spell was for. I thought that the acquaintance of mine only developed that charm to thwart my brother and his friends."
"Yes, well... I got to see it in action on a few occasions," the witch smirked, "Ravenclaws are fairly observant when we want to be. We are supposed to be the brightest house you know."
"Then what are you doing here acting so cordial with a Slytherin?" Regulus mirrored her smirk.
"Oh," the blonde shifted nervously in her seat and tucked a strand of her straight hair behind her own ear; she hadn't realized that his comment had been teasing, "…I was the only one that fit the qualifications Dumbledore requested."
The smirk fell from Regulus's expression immediately, "I'm… I'm so sorry you were dragged into this. I'm sure if you're not comfortable with this the Order can find…"
"No, no!" The witch placed a strained smile on her face and waved her hands in front of her in an attempt to physically halt his words, "I want to be here. If I can help, then this is what I want to do. It's just…"
Regulus furrowed his eyebrows as he contemplated the confusing look on the witch in front of him. He had no idea why she looked so dazed or why she had suddenly blushed a deep scarlet color, "What qualifications were Dumbledore requiring?"
The blonde girl placed a hand over her eyes and tense laughter filled the air between them, "Well… had to be a girl, already graduated obviously so that I can meet you at your convenience. Had to be pureblood so your family would buy the ruse, and I guess my intelligence and the fact I'm not a Gryffindor could help with the deception…"
"What deception…"
"They… Dumbledore thinks…" The witch chuckled again and took a deep breathe to calm down and collect her thoughts, "The Order believes that the easiest ploy to cover our real relationship of fellow Order members would be to use… a romantic relationship. So this is essentially our first date." The blonde smiled apologetically at the wizard across from her, "Sorry."
Regulus sat still from shock for a few seconds, "Well… there are much worse things." He tried to sound encouraging, but he was a little blindsided by what the Order had decided to use as a cover. "Are you… are you certain you want to do this? You barely know me."
She nodded her head, "That's true. But I do know a few important things already; you are very intelligent, you're on our our side," the witch reached out and placed a hand on Regulus's left arm, "And you are risking quite a bit. This might not be a real romance, but I would like to get to know you so that we can become actual friends."
"If you're certain," Regulus tried to muster a kind smile, though he felt absolutely miserable at the idea of this girl risking her life by tying herself to him. He held out his right hand, "Regulus Black."
The blonde took his offered hand and smiled, "Marlene McKinnon."
Sorry there wasn't a lot of action this chapter; needed to lay a bit of foundation down for future chapters.
Did anyone guess correctly about who our Ravenclaw was?
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Misha
Ps. Check out the other stories by me: 'Begin Again,' 'The Bookworm and The Prankster' and 'Penelope Jackson: The Lightning Thief.'