(Sunday, April 23rd, full moon)

Jugson was crouched in the woods surrounding the Shrieking Shack, waiting for the moon to rise. He had sent an owl to Heir Malfoy, asking for any information that might help him with his investigation into where the werewolf Snape had encountered might transform. From the pureblood heir, he learned two things: first, he did not recall seeing the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade before the school year beginning in 1970 which is also when the howling and shrieking began thus giving the abandoned house its name, and second, the Whomping Willow apparently had been planted the summer before term started in 1970.

The first point helped confirm his suspicions that the beast was a student. A student in his Year. It was obvious that the Shack was where the beast went to transform, but he wasn't sure how the Whomping Willow fit into the picture, if it did at all. Malfoy had only mentioned it offhandedly so it was entirely possible it didn't connect at all, but the timing was suspicious.

He had snuck out with Avery before dinner, but the other teen went to try some Polyjuice potion on a muggle, leaving Jugson to see if the Shack was where the beast went to transform or not. He'd been sitting in the surrounding woods since late afternoon with a notice-me-not charm on him, hoping to catch the beast in its human form before it entered the shack.

But no one had entered, despite the late hour. He hadn't seen a single soul since he parted ways with Avery. Even if the beast had disillusioned themselves, they wouldn't have been able to conceal a door opening and closing. Could he have been mistaken about this being where the wolf transformed?

A breeze ruffled his hair; the trees whispered, creaked, and groaned. Clouds in the dusk sky moved lazily. Birds sang, chirped, and warbled in the distance as the sun steadily made its way down and past the horizon. Still, no one approached the shack and now Jugson was sure he had it wrong.

"I'll wait for the moon to rise," He muttered to himself, shifting his weight to get more comfortable. His foot was falling asleep.

Bugs buzzed about, a few came too close to him and got swatted out of the air. Rabbits, or maybe squirrels, rustled in the underbrush, skittering and chittering to themselves. Just as slowly and stately as the sun had disappeared, the moon rose over the horizon.

Slowly at first, the ambient noises of the wood died out - the trees stood still, the bugs disappeared, the birds silenced, the rodents in the bush burrowed. By the time the moon was well above the horizon, an unnatural hush had swallowed the area, causing the hair on the back of Jugson's neck to rise.

Moonlight bathed the Shack in a ghostly pallor. It felt like the world was holding its breath, but for what -

A commotion came from inside the Shack, and - a howl tore through the night, shaking Jugson to his core. He could see something moving in the Shack through the slits of the boarded windows.

Heart hammering in his chest, he attempted to move closer to confirm if it was a werewolf or not. Two careful shuffling steps forward and he bumped into a barrier ward he hadn't noticed before. Prodding it with his wand, it shimmered, iridescent light rippling out from his wand tip and across the entire ward. From what he could see, it surrounded the Shack and wouldn't let him get closer than five meters away. Biting back a curse, he shifted his weight, snapping a twig. The sound was louder than a bombarda maxima in the unnaturally quiet area - a menacing growl came from inside the shack and then a pair of eerie green eyes were staring at him between boards on a window.

Jugson bolted, not caring for stealth - he wasn't about to hang around and see if the shack and the barrier ward could contain a fucking werewolf.

He crashed through the woods, heedless of branches that snagged at his robes and scratched at his skin. Another howl came from behind, his heart stuttered in his chest. He ran, and ran, and ran until he could hear nothing but the sound of his feet pounding against the ground and his heart thundering in his ears.

He only slowed once he was well within the wards surrounding Hogwarts, panting heavily.

It was undeniable - a werewolf lived in the area, and it was likely a Hogwarts student. All he had to do was keep an eye out for who was missing from classes tomorrow and he'd know who it was.

"Jugson," a voice whispered, causing him to startle violently. He spun around, fumbling for his wand, but saw it was just Avery.

"Avery," he hissed. Air whistled through his teeth, still trying to catch his breath.

"Was the beast there?"

"Yes," he shuddered. "It, it looked right at me - same green eyes on the beast of Snape's boggart."

"Merlin," Avery breathed, his eyes widening. "I can't believe Dumbledore let a werewolf come here."

"It serves our purposes rather well, however," Jugson said, getting his breathing under control. "I hope your night was as fruitful as mine - were you able to determine if Polyjuice can be used on Muggles?"

"It doesn't work on Muggles - they melt, at least the one I tried it on did," Avery said with a careless shrug. "But it does work on Squibs."

"Where'd you find one of those?" Jugson asked, scrunching his nose in disgust.

"Knockturn Alley, where else?"

Jugson gave a nod and then sighed. "We might not even be able to plant a fake Daughter Black in the Shack, there was a barrier ward around it that wouldn't let me get closer than five meters away. I never saw anyone enter either."

"Was the barrier up when you got there?"

"I don't know, I didn't approach it until I heard the beast howl."

Avery rolled his eyes. "We'll have to investigate before we can do anything else - no point in going to all of this trouble if we can't get in."

"True enough," Jugson said. "I'll go down next weekend and check." With nothing more to say on the topic, he asked, "Any progress with figuring out how Snivellus became Lord Prince?"

"No," came the waspish reply. "I haven't been able to get anything more than that bland story Snape's been giving everyone, which I sent to Malfoy."

"If we kill him, what would it matter then?"

Avery rounded on him, his eyes wild, but whatever tirade he was about to unleash died before it escaped. "Heir Malfoy seems to be pushing for that outcome," he said haltingly, quietly.

Jugson lit up. "So he'll help? More than he already has?"

"Not likely," Avery snorted. He jammed his hands in the pockets of his robes. "You know what Malfoy is like - he doesn't like to get his hands dirty."

Jugson waved him off. "Whatever, just as soon as you get that potion from Heir Black, Snivellus is as good as dead - even if the wards are up all the time, the beast has to get in there somehow and we'll find out how."

{Furius Draconis}

(Monday, April 24th, waning moon)

"I should've spoken up sooner," Peter said, not for the first time. They were sitting in the hallway outside of the Hospital Wing waiting on their turn to go in and see Moony - Madam Pomfrey really hadn't appreciated their last handshake so she had declared they could only see him one at a time. James was currently in there.

Sirius sighed and slung an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders, pulling him in for a hug. He fell against Sirius's side with little resistance. "This isn't your fault, Pete. There's no guarantee that if you told us sooner this wouldn't have happened. Besides, there's no proof that your mother had anything to do with - with the Potters."

"She had to have," Peter insisted, his eyes distant as he worried the cuffs of his sleeves. They were so worn out even Reparo couldn't mend them anymore. "Someone tried to breach the wards McGonagall set up around Remus's house, after she moved them."

"There's no way to weaponize Dragon Pox, Pete," Sirius said. "It just isn't done."

"Muggles have weaponized diseases in the past," Peter said.

"That's bloody barbaric," Sirius said after a moment of stunned silence.

"But it is done," Peter said. "There's nothing stopping wizards from doing the same."

"Even if someone did that, how would they have gotten it to the Potters? Eh? Their house is warded to the teeth."

"I just know it," Peter said, his fingers still worrying his sleeve cuffs. "There's ways around wards."

Sirius sighed and just gave Peter another squeeze. The teen was determined to blame himself over this. It didn't help that James was being… weird about it.

But in all honestly, Sirius couldn't really blame him for that. He was hurting and it helped to be able to direct your rage somewhere - after all repressed grief surfaces as rage, and Jamie was drowning in grief. Sirius needed to talk some sense into his mate though. It wasn't Peter's fault he had a shit mum anymore than it was Sirius's fault he had a shit mum.

The doors to the Hospital Wing creaked open as James slinked out. "One of you can go in now," he said, his voice rough. He looked back and forth between them, his face tight with emotion. "I'm going to see Lily." He shoved his hands in his pockets and took off down the hallway.

"I'll talk to him Pete," Sirius said, giving the boy's shoulder a squeeze. "Jamie loves you, he does. He's just hurting right now - it's not right for him to take it out on you though. Your mother's actions, whatever they may have been, aren't your fault or responsibility. You go see Moony, yeah? I'll wait out here for you."

"Al-alright," Peter said. "Thanks, Siri."

"Of course," Sirius said.

He sat there, rubbing the back of his neck after Peter entered the hospital wing, collecting his thoughts. Being an older brother and the once Heir of a large Pureblood family was helpful in instances of spats between his best mates, but he hadn't had to referee a spat as big or as deep as this one.

James, once wronged (or at least once he thought he had been wronged) held on to that hurt for ages. Just look at how they handled the whole situation with Snape and Lily, all from their first meeting on the train. He grimaced. Prince now, not Snape.

Hearing footsteps, Sirius looked up and bit back a swear, Speak of the devil and he shall appear. He had done his dead-level best to avoid the tosser after James's last interaction with him. Lily had also been very insistent that they stay away from him this year, and oddly enough, Remus had been as well. But Lily's pleas came from fear whereas Remus seemed to be coming from a place of protection. Which was weird. Sirius didn't want to think about it too hard. Marauders weren't friends with Slytherins, they pranked them.

"Black," the teen said, slowing to a halt in front of him.

"Prince," Sirius grunted. "What d'you want."

A brow quirked. "Nothing from you. Is the wolf in there? I would've thought his merry band of idiots would all be entertaining him by now."

Sirius shot to his feet and snarled, "Watch what you call him."

The Slytherin rolled his eyes. "Spare me the assuredly ironic lecture you have in store on the topic of not calling other people names - is he in there or not?"

He narrowed his eyes at him. "What does it matter to you?"

"If you must know, I have copies of my notes for him, for the classes he missed today," Prince said. Sirius was almost suspicious of how… nonantagonistic he was being. It was weird. Sna- Prince had started half of the fights they had gotten into over the years.

"He's in there," Sirius said slowly.

"Now, was that so hard?" Prince said, his tone condescending. "A pleasure as always, Black." He swept past Sirius and entered the Hospital Wing.

"Self-important prick," Sirius muttered, settling back down on the floor. Lily and James were right, Prince was different. He was weirder. Less twitchy, but still, weirder. He wasn't necessarily as convinced as the other two that he was in cahoots with the Knights of Walpurgis, but then again, who knew what Sna- Prince was up to these days.

{Furius Draconis}

"You mean to tell me," Lord Orion Arcturus Black said, "Lord Prince, son of missing Eileen Prince, the Dragon of the Dark Lord, wishes to marry Narcissa?"

"My eldest seems to think so," Cygnus Black said, swirling his drink in his glass. "At least, that seems to be the outcome she's pushing for."

"Why not propose a betrothal between him and Bella? I doubt she would scare him off since he's the bloody Dragon. That way we keep ties to the Malfoy family, and he gets ties to the Black family."

Cygnus grimaced. "From what Bella has told me, keeping ties with the Malfoy family might not be in our best interests any longer. Heir Malfoy has seen fit to disgrace himself by attempting to topple the Dragon when he hasn't got a hope in hell of doing so."

"Was this before or after Yule?"

"I believe both before and after," Cygnus said.

Orion was silent for a moment. "I had higher hopes for him. Only an idiot would try to bring the Dragon down after witnessing that duel. Especially since he is obviously so favored by the Dark Lord, and for good reason."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Can we back out of the betrothal contract without losing face?" Orion asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Bella has been speaking with the Goblins, but if I know her, she'll have a different plan up her sleeve, just in case."

"Yes, she's crafty, that one."

"An asset to her Family," Cygnus said, a spark of pride in his voice.

"Yes," Orion said distractedly, rubbing his chin. "Who is he? This new Lord Prince. Why have we not heard of him before now? Where did he come from?"

Cygnus sighed. "I do not know, Bella did not profess to knowing either. She did, however, instruct me to pass along any letters I might write to him through her as he keeps himself behind impressive wards."

Orion hummed. "Someone has to know his identity - he cannot remain anonymous forever."

"I imagine we will learn of it in due time," Cygnus said. "Especially with my eldest meddling in this."

{Furius Draconis}

(Saturday, April 29th, waning moon)

Severus and Remus were back in the forest, supposedly hunting for potion ingredients. Their basket sat empty and their shoes were off, pants rolled up to their knees as they sloshed about in a stream that ran near their mossy clearing.

"I bet I can catch more frogs than you can, Prince Russ," Remus said, grinning madly like the little cretin he was. Since he learned of Severus's new title, he heckled him about it every chance he got. To help 'keep him humble, now that he was a high and mighty Lord'. His friend was an idiot.

"That is a bet you would lose, King Canine," Severus shot back, far more interested in looking at the glowing moss he had found growing in the stream. He didn't recognize it, which was rare. It might have interesting potion properties, but he was still trying to determine the best way to harvest it.

"And on what grounds do you claim that, o regal lord?" Remus asked, sloshing closer. "Catching frogs doesn't seem like a very princely pastime."

"On the grounds that I grew up near a river and had very little else to do other than catch frogs," Severus deadpanned, looking up at the Gryffindor.

He was still pale even a week after the full moon. Bright as his smile was, it couldn't erase the dark circles under his eyes, or the way his robes hung on his frame.

"What is it like?" Severus blurted out before Remus could continue his absurd campaign to hunt frogs. Before he even registered that he was thinking the question.

"What is what like?" Remus asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Your transformations," Severus said.

Remus looked like he'd been slapped by those words. His shoulders hunched, arms snaked around his own waist, his smile fell away. "I don't like to talk about it," he muttered.

"I imagine not," Severus said softly, an apology in his tone. "I just - it's clearly hard on you. And, well, I might be able to help with the side effects, if I knew more. Books on the topic seem a little far-fetched."

Remus stared at him, a little surprised. "You want to help?"

"Yes," Severus said easily. "You - I don't have many friends," he said, looking away. He picked up a stone and worried it in his hand. "But I cherish what friends I do have, so if I can help, I'd like to."

"Tell you what," Remus said, sloshing over to him so he could sling an arm around his shoulder. "I'll tell you about my transformations and all of the lovely side effects if you tell me what it was Narcissa Black said to you that's been messing with you since the train ride back - you're my friend too, Russ, and that's obviously been bothering you. You don't get to have a monopoly on wanting to help your friends."

"You drive a hard bargain," Severus grumped, but he let himself be led out of the stream and back into their clearing where their boots and basket had been discarded. He plopped down on the ground to pull his socks and boots back on after a quick drying charm.

"All's fair in love and war, Russ," Remus said with an outrageous wink. He sat next to him but opted to leave his boots off, preferring to burrow his toes in the moss.

"This is neither love nor war, Wolf," Severus snarked back.

"You know what I mean," Remus said, waving his hand. "What d'you say? One painful story swapped for another painful story?"

Severus glowered at him, but it lacked any real heat. "Very well. Would you like to go first, or shall I?"

Remus gave a dramatic sigh and flopped over. "I know Gryffindors are supposed to be brave, valiant, and chivalrous… but that's so exhausting all of the time. You go first."

Severus snorted. "Fine, you drama queen," he said. He took his time lacing up his boots when a spell could've had it done in an instant, to collect his thoughts. "She is betrothed to Lucius Malfoy. I learned he is abusive, I did not take that well."

Remus huffed a laugh at that. "No, I imagine not, and I'd be willing to bet that was an understatement." Everyone knew what he had done to that prick Jefferson back in Sixth Year, even though they couldn't prove it. Luana Smith had sung Severus's praises for weeks on end after Jefferson had been found in a broom cupboard with no memory of how he got there, looking like he had taken a fall down several flights of stairs. Repeatedly.

"Hush," Severus admonished, throwing a tuft of moss at the Gryffindor's head, making him squawk. "It's my painful story time. Through both Narcissa and Regulus, I am in contact with her elder sister, Bellatrix. She devised a plan to protect Narcissa from Malfoy. Narcissa did not agree with the plan."

When he didn't say anything more, Remus nudged him with a bare foot. "There's more to it than that - details, Russ. Saying the details will help."

He got a glare in return. "The plan," he said through clenched teeth, "was for me to petition Lord Black for her hand in marriage, and then to duel Malfoy for her. She does not want that."

"Do you?" Remus asked, surprising him. "Do you actually want to marry her, or do you just want to do what you can to help her? Magical marriage isn't something to enter lightly, you know, not like it is in the Muggle world. Soul magic is involved, making 'till death do us part' far more literal."

"I know," Severus said, flicking the bare foot that was still on his leg. Remus stuck his tongue out in retaliation but removed the offending appendage. "I would not be opposed to, to marrying Narcissa," he muttered, double knotting his laces with a little more force than necessary, blushing bright red. "But, it doesn't matter. She does not want it, I won't force her to do anything she does not want to do. And she was very clear that she would not want to marry me. Would rather stay with an abusive man."

"Ah," Remus said. "I'm sorry, Severus."

Severus stood and began pacing. "I mean, I knew she couldn't like me like that - why would she? But surely I'm a better option than bloody Malfoy. She spouted some rubbish about not wanting to take away my chance at happiness and love, but how could I be happy when my closest friend is being abused?"

"When you put it like that, she seems rather silly to have turned this down," Remus said. "And what's this nonsense about knowing she couldn't like you like that? You're a likable bloke, once you get past all of the sharp edges and caustic sarcasm."

"An outstanding review of my character, thank you," Severus snarked, dropping back down onto the moss covered ground. He ran a hand through his hair roughly. "I know very well what I look like - girls don't go for guys who look like me. And as you so astutely pointed out, I'm all sharp edges and caustic sarcasm. Not exactly great husband material."

"You missed the 'likable bloke' part," Remus protested. "Mate, looks don't matter all that much. Girls care more about actions than how handsome you are."

"And you would know this, how?" Severus asked, pinning him with a knowing stare. His sexuality was openly known at Hogwarts, Wiccan didn't care about it the way Muggles did.

"Because I've been dragged to just about every Lioness night that has occurred since we've been students here, and that's what the girls always say."

"Lioness nights?" Severus asked incredulously. "Let me guess, all the girls in Gryffindor get together, braid each others' hair, paint their nails, plot the downfall of their enemies, and gossip about love interests?"

"Got it in one," Remus said with a laugh. "But the point is, Narcissa seems downright dull to turn down something like that. You two are obviously close; I'd rather marry my best mate than an abusive tosser."

Severus gave a shrug. "That's what happened on the train."

"It certainly explains a lot," Remus said. "How have things been since then?"

"Strained," Severus said, playing with the stone from the stream again. "I, I care for her a great deal. It was difficult to come to terms with the nature of my feelings for her, and it is difficult to know that she does not regard me similarly when I thought she might. I flinch when she tries to touch me, and now she doesn't reach out at all anymore. I can't be around her without remembering how, viscerally, she rejected me. How disgusted she seemed. I can't reconcile that with how she's been with me these past few months, or the fact that she lectures me on my worth whenever she believes I'm selling myself short.

"I am trying to act as I used to with her, but… some things can't be undone… I will get over it. It wouldn't be the first time, after all."

Remus grimaced at the reminder of Lily and how their friendship fell apart. "I'm sorry, Russ."

He gave another shrug, still playing with the stone in his hand. "That's my painful story. Your turn."

Remus let out a groan that was only a little more dramatic than it needed to be. "Okay, fair enough. What do you want to know?"

"What bothers you the most? About the transformations. What about them is so hard on you that you look like death warmed over even a week past the full moon?"

"Mate, my entire skeleton changes, organs shift, hair grows, the nails and the teeth, the fucking tail. It's not like an animagus transformation, where it might be painful at first but the more you shift forms, the less it hurts. It's a curse, it's dark. It," he sighed, "it's horrible. Excruciating. And I'm aware of all of it, my mind is usually the last to shift, either to the wolf or back to me."

Severus looked horrified. "How have you not gone mad?"

"Because I have good friends," he said with a pained smile. "Don't get me wrong, I've come close to madness - it's always there, lurking just below the surface, waiting for a chance to break free, to take over. But I don't want to be defined by my 'furry little problem', so I don't let myself be."

"You are an exceptional person," Severus said.

"Thank you, o great and mighty Lord, your kind words are too much for this humble commoner - oi!" Remus laughed, under assault by more moss.

"Can't you take a fucking compliment without turning it into a joke?"

"Nope! It's one of my many faults."

"Unrepentant cretin," Severus said. "A curse can be broken, regardless of how dark it is, the right release just has to be found."

"I appreciate your optimism, but this curse has been around for centuries and no one has found a cure yet," Remus scoffed, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his chin on his knees.

"No one has been looking," Severus corrected him. "The stigma around werewolves makes it difficult for anyone to find a wolf to work with them - I told you what few books there are on the topic of transformations are outlandish and frankly stupid. Bad information won't lead to a cure."

Remus regarded him shrewdly. "You really think you can do this, don't you."

"I've been inventing potions since I was old enough to stand behind a cauldron without help," Severus said. "Why wouldn't I be able to do this?"

"Fair enough," Remus said weakly.

"So, what is it about your transformations that bothers you the most? I can probably develop a potion that will help with some of the symptoms in the meantime."

"I'm fairly certain you're the exceptional person here, Russ," Remus said, smiling at him. "Come on, I'll tell you about it on the way to the Kitchens. I'm famished and I'm going to need something to distract me from detailing the horrors of transforming - you probably need to eat too."

"Help me collect some wormwood and bubotuber pus on the way in so I don't have to come up with a clever cover story as to why we haven't collected a single ingredient this whole day. I'm running low on both."

"But you're so good at coming up with stories, Russ!" Remus said, pulling his boots. "You've got the majority of the professors wrapped around your finger, I'm sure they'd believe anything you told them. You could say we ran into a hoard of hinkypunks! They managed to ensnare me, but not you! You had to come to my rescue! That's why we didn't collect anything, you were too busy saving my arse."

"Hush, mongrel, and just help me collect the damned ingredients."

"At your service, o regal and resplendent Lord Prince, o glittering and grand Lord Prince, o majestic and magnanimous Lord Prince, o -"

"Shut up, wolf," Severus said with a laugh.

"Oh, he laughs!" Remus crowed. "I got you to laugh!"

Severus rolled his eyes at him. "It happens when you're being exceptionally stupid."

"I shall strive to be even more exceptionally stupid then, my liege," Remus said with a grin and a flourishing bow.

"Merlin, help us all," Severus said.

{Furius Draconis}

(Sunday, April 30th, waning moon)

"I've noticed Jugson and Avery spending more time around each other," Regulus said after the last Slytherin left the Hall.

Severus pinned him with a stare as he quirked an eyebrow. He had become practically nonverbal since the disaster on the train ride. Regulus was forced to become proficient in speaking Severus-ese, which wasn't easy. The man was practically constantly occluding so only the merest hints of what his thoughts might be were expressed. It was rather like speaking to a statue and expecting a response from it - one of the statues that didn't talk, that is.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Regulus promised. "I don't like the thought of those two forming an alliance."

"Nor do I," Severus said with a frown. His face twitched, before falling smooth once more. "Jugson has been too quiet lately."

"Would it be too much to hope that he's been busy studying for his NEWTs?" Regulus asked.

Severus scoffed. "He doesn't study."

"I thought as much," Regulus said with a grimace.

A silence fell between them, and Regulus shifted from one foot to the other. As far as he could tell, Severus and Narcissa had gone back to normal, but they still seemed off.

The casual affection between them was no longer there.

Narcissa no longer walked arm in arm with Severus, she no longer smiled brightly upon seeing him. There were no lingering touches, no lingering glances between them anymore. This absence of affection was almost jarring; it had developed between them so gradually, so naturally, that it felt… wrong to see them so estranged from one another.

Likely to everyone else, they appeared to be the same as always, but not to those who kept close eyes on the pair. He didn't know what anyone else would make of their new distance.

"Are you ready for your NEWTs?" Regulus asked him. This was the most he'd heard Severus talk in a while and he hoped to keep it going.

"Yes," Severus said without hesitation. "Are you ready for your OWLs?"

The other teen winced. "Perhaps."

He got pinned with an unimpressed stare. "You had better be." Severus shifted slightly, clenching and unclenching his hand. "Have you heard from Bellatrix yet?"

"No," Regulus said, feeling a pang of guilt seeing him deflate.

"I see."

"Narcissa cares for you-"

"Save your breath," Severus said, his voice sharp as a knife. "She has made her stance clear enough."

"But she hasn't!" Regulus cried. "Neither of you has! I swear, watching you two talk about this is like watching people trying to communicate without having a language in common!"

Severus glared at him, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Regulus was on the verge of tearing out his hair over the plan that backfired - neither of them was willing to see reason, not even when he laid their feelings bare for the other to see. Repeatedly. They refused to see it. He really could throttle Bella for dumping this in his lap and then not having the common decency to respond to any of his letters.

He'd be having words with her as soon as he could. Very strong words. Perhaps some spells as well. Because not only was she not responding after her plan blew up in his face, her plan blowing up also made him care about a half-blood. Blacks didn't care about anyone outside of the Family, never mind half-bloods.

He threw up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine - have you had a chance to read through that book I sent you?" Regulus asked, changing the topic.

"The one about the Sacred Twenty-Eight? Yes, I did."

"And?"

Severus gave him a look. "And it read like those twenty-eight families paid their way onto that list."

That surprised a laugh out of Regulus, albeit a strangled one. "Oh Merlin, Severus. That might be true, but you can't just go around saying things like that."

Severus scuffed the floor with the toe of his boot. "I know better than that."

"And yet you said it to me, knowing full well the Black Family is on that list."

"You don't care about that, you know being on that list has little to do with the power your family holds. And I know that there are Pureblood families of this isle that were not included on the list for political reasons. It was published around the same time as the war with Grindelwald after all."

Regulus smirked at him. "Congratulations, you're smarter than most Purebloods."

"Obviously," Severus deadpanned.

"Despite people paying their way onto that list, it's important to know who's on the list and why. It's just as important to know who isn't on the list and why. Knowledge of both can be a good indication of which way a family traditionally leans."

Severus's eyebrows furrowed. "What does this have to do with the Old Ways?"

"It has less to do with the Old Ways, and more to do with how to apply them best. So you know who you need to be more formal with, and those you would offend if you were even the slightest bit formal with them. Handy knowledge that, should you want to intentionally insult people."

"Indeed," he said. He checked his watch and sighed. "I need sleep - you do too. We can continue this tomorrow."

Looking at his own watch, Regulus felt his eyebrows rise. "Bloody hell, I wish we didn't have to meet in the middle of the night."

"At least it's only once a month," Severus said, leading the way out.

"Small blessings," Regulus agreed.

They climbed the stairs and exited the dark stairwell to find Bloody Cousin Bella sitting in the common room.

She looked over at them, and before she could get a word out, Regulus saw red. "You! Where the fuck have you been?" He demanded.

"Hello to you too, cousin," she said, nonplussed. "Severus - you look like shit."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh no," Regulus said, storming over to her. "You don't get to blow past the erumpent in the room - where the fuck have you been? Do you have any idea what I've been dealing with for the past month?!"

"Lower your voice," Severus reprimanded, walking over to them.

Regulus turned to him, incredulous. "She can't just drop a plan in our laps that then blows up in our faces worse than fucking gobstones only to fuck off and not answer a single fucking owl for a month!"

"I didn't say that, I said lower your voice unless you wish to wake the whole House. This isn't a conversation that should be overheard."

"Sensible as always, Severus," Bella said, eyeing her cousin.

"Merlin's balls," Regulus snarled. "To Severus's room then, he always has it warded to the teeth."

Bella looked at Severus, arching a brow. The look he gave her was inscrutable. "This way," the Seventh Year said, leading them down the corridor to his dorm.

"Should we wake Narcissa?" Severus asked, looking back at the two Blacks following him.

They shared a look. "I'll speak with her separately, I think," Bella said slowly.

Which was probably for the best, considering how well Severus and Cissa had been communicating lately.

"Where have you been, Bella?" Regulus asked the moment Severus finished raising his wards.

She sunk into the loveseat in his room with a groan. "Dealing with Father, Uncle, and Goblins when I haven't been busy on the Dark Lord's behalf."

"That doesn't explain why you couldn't put quill to parchment and send a fucking owl with some sort of acknowledgment."

"Reggie, if you can't handle this sort of situation for a month, how are you going to be Lord Black?"

"Do you have any idea how melodramatic Severus and Cissa can be?" He shot back. "Also, OWLs are just around the corner; my plate is rather full, you know."

She waved him off. "I'm here now," she said. "This plan is already in motion, we cannot abandon it now."

"I won't force Narcissa into a marriage she does not want," Severus spoke up.

Bellatrix looked at him as if he were dull. "We've been over this Severus," she said, exasperated. "Cissa would be delighted to marry you, over the moon even."

"I don't know what it is that you two think you see between Narcissa and I, but she has made herself quite clear on this - she does not wish to marry me. It sounds like it is the last thing she wishes to do and the very first thing she never wants to think on again."

"I'll talk to her," Bella said after a moment.

Severus shook his head. "I will not force her into anything she does not want."

"Do you want to protect her?" Bella asked bluntly.

"Yes, obviously."

"Then fucking belt up and marry her. On the very, very slim chance I have misread my sister's affection for you - and I sincerely doubt that I have - you should marry her anyways. Being attached to you makes her untouchable. Put your feelings aside and do whatever necessary to protect her, even if she ends up hating you for your methods. Is it not better for her to be safe and angry than dead?"

Severus opened and then closed his mouth. Regulus had never seen him rendered speechless. "She is vehemently against this plan," he said, his voice small. "I do not want to force her into anything."

"I will be the one forcing her," Bellatrix said. "Honestly. She has the opportunity to marry a powerful Wiccan who won't abuse her, I don't know what she's throwing a fit about. Most would kill for such an arrangement."

"She doesn't want to rob Severus of a chance at love," Regulus sneered, fed up with the entire situation.

Bella blinked at him, and then slowly moved her gaze back to Severus. "Have you told her how you feel, little Dragon?"

"Yes," Severus said at the same time that Regulus said "No."

"Well? Which is it? Have you told her or not?"

"I have," Severus said, glaring at Regulus. "She does not feel the same way."

"Severus, my friend. You are so, so stupid," Regulus moaned, face in his hands.

Before Severus could snap back at him, Bellatrix raised a hand, quieting both of them. "What were your exact words, little Dragon?"

"I - she protested that I was sacrificing too much of myself for her, I told her I was not, that this was not a sacrifice. She said she does not want to be an obstacle between myself and happiness, I told her that wouldn't be an issue."

Bellatrix blinked at him. "That's it? That's all you've said to her on the topic?"

"What more do I need to say?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

"I thought you were being dramatic, Reggie, but you weren't lying when you said Sevvie here was being stupid."

"Thank you!" Regulus crowed. "It's been like this every single day since we got back. Please, please tell them both how stupid, moronic, foolish they're both being."

"I can't, not tonight," Bellatrix sighed. "I only meant to stay long enough to give Severus a letter from Father. The Dark Lord has need of me and I've stayed too long as it is.

"Here, read over this with Reggie. I will try to find the time to speak with Cissa to spell some sense into her."

A knock came at his door, and all three of them froze. The person knocked again and Bellatrix hissed, "Do you often have late-night visitors?"

"No," Severus said with a frown, walking to the door. "Only one person would try to wake me."

Before either Bellatrix or Regulus could question him further or stop him, he opened the door just a crack. "Narcissa," he said.

"Severus," she said, her voice soft. "I can't sleep, might I come in? I have cocoa."

"I - yes," he said, stepping out of her way. "Your sister and cousin are here."

"Bella?" She asked incredulously, her brows furrowed. "Reggie?"

"Another family reunion," Bellatrix said dryly. Her gaze was sharp, darting back and forth between the two. Severus at least had the decency to look a little guilty, but her sister appeared to be unrepentant. "Is this a common occurrence?"

"You know I have insomnia," Narcissa defended, her back going ramrod straight, lifting her chin to stare at her sister down her nose. "Severus often keeps odd hours during the night. Why wouldn't I come to spend time with him if we're both awake?" She handed him a mug of cocoa imperiously, which he took gingerly.

Bellatrix and Regulus shared a disbelieving look. "I'm going to bed," Regulus said. "You deal with this. The quaffle is now in your more than capable hands, I'm fucking off after the snitch, goodnight."

He left the room, posthaste, leaving Bella with the two idiots in love. "I really don't have time for this," she muttered to herself before pinning them with a ferocious glare.

"I hear you two are being a pair of fuckwits - Narcissa, I know you care about Sevvie here. And Severus, I know you care about Cissa. What, exactly, is the issue with the plan to get you away from Malfoy?"

"I won't take advantage of Severus like that," Narcissa said, her voice icy.

"It is not taking advantage of him if he wants to marry you, you idiot," Bellatrix said sharply.

"But he doesn't," Narcissa said. "Not for any reason beyond protecting me, I won't take his one chance at bonding with someone away from him just so I-"

"I have told you, it would not be the hardship you're making it out to be to marry you," Severus interrupted.

"Severus," Narcissa said, exasperated. "I'm not going to take this from you, not when I would be the only one benefitting from it. I am not so selfish as that."

"You wouldn't be the only one benefitting from it," Severus said. "I would have a direct connection to the Black Family, which is no small thing."

"Severus," she said.

"Narcissa," he said back.

Bellatrix understood why Regulus was so irritated with her for not replying.

"Salazar's tongue, you two are ridiculous," she said, making her presence known to the bickering pair once more. "I cannot untangle this mess tonight, I really must go. Severus, read over that letter with Regulus, but get some sleep first man. You really do look like shit. Narcissa, I expect you to join me on your next Hogsmeade visit after seeing Severus off. We have much to discuss."

She paused in the doorway and looked back at them, pinning them both with a burning stare. The silence stretched long enough to make the pair fidget. "I will pretend I don't know that you two have been meeting in the dead of night sans chaperone when she is a betrothed woman simply because if all goes according to plan, you two will be betrothed. If this were not the case, I would have to challenge you to a duel to defend my sister's honor in accordance with the Old Ways - if the parents are unavailable, the eldest sibling is always responsible for the siblings that follow them, if any do.

"You are lucky I like you, little Dragon," Bellatrix said. "And you are lucky you've always been my favorite sister, Cissa."

She left the pair in a stunned silence.

"I should go," Narcissa said, her voice small.

"Probably," he agreed weakly.

"You need your sleep," she added. "Bella was right in that, you look like you haven't been sleeping much."

"I haven't," he admitted more to the mug of cocoa in his hands than to her.

"I don't want to keep you awake then," she said softly. "Good night, Severus."

"Good night, Narcissa."

The door shut behind her and Severus whirled around and threw his untouched mug of cocoa at the wall. It shattered with a barely satisfying crash.

"Utterly pathetic, Snivellus," he sneered. "Can't even look her in the eye, never mind ask her to stay."

He glowered at the chocolaty drink that was now dripping down the wall amidst the shards of the green mug as if it were the cause of all his problems. With a harsh swipe of his wand, the mess disappeared. He sank to the floor in a rigid heap, his back against the door.

He wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

{Furius Draconis}

(Monday, May 1st, waning moon)

"Ah, Mr. Prince, thank you for dropping by," Professor McGonagall said.

"Of course," he said. He sat in front of her desk at her gesture. "What did you wish to speak of?"

"The distinct lack of thunderstorms thus far," she said, getting right to the point. "And the possibility of not having one until after you have graduated."

He arched an eyebrow. "That is unfortunate."

"Quite," she said, her mouth twisting in distaste. "Should this be the case, I ask that you keep me informed of your progress."

"I shall."

Business out of the way, Minerva eyed him critically, taking note of the dark bags under his eyes, the way his stiff posture seemed more forced than normal, how his robes hung off his frame more than they usually did. "How are you fairing, Mr. Prince?"

He blinked at her placidly. "Well enough."

"Your course load is still manageable?" She pressed.

"Yes," he answered simply.

She held his gaze for a moment longer before relenting. "Very well," she said, leaning back in her chair. "Are things still going well with Mr. Lupin?"

"Yes," he said, before adding quietly. "He is a good friend."

"I am glad to hear that," she said, a small smile on her face. "I always thought the two of you would get along well, if given the opportunity."

He gave a slight nod. "He is an unrepentant cretin with an unhealthy penchant for mischief, but his continual good mood is infectious."

That startled a laugh out of her, which she smothered quickly with a hand over her mouth. "Quite so," she said, her voice strangled with laughter. "Have a biscuit, Prince."

He gave her a wry look, but took a biscuit as directed. She took not a small amount of pleasure in the fact that he did not hesitate to bite into the biscuit, nor in the way his eyes lit up as he chewed.

"May I ask you a potentially personal question, Mr. Prince?"

He blinked at her, wiping biscuit crumbs from his mouth. "You may, but I might not answer."

She gave a nod, that was fair enough. "Why are you attempting to become an animagus?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He countered, as if he himself hadn't even considered the question.

"You have the heaviest course load a student has been allowed in several years, you're a Prefect - which is no small time commitment - you're on your House Quidditch team, and you've an apprenticeship." She rattled off without hesitation. "Your schedule is bursting at the seams."

"It's manageable," he said with a shrug.

She shook her head. "You amaze me, Mr. Prince. I wish more students had half of your work ethic."

"You flatter me."

"Is it flattery if it's the truth?" She asked rhetorically, giving him a small smile. One corner of his lip quirked up in a brief response. "I won't keep you, I'm sure you have things to do. Thank you for dropping by, Mr. Prince."

He stood with a liquid grace she had watched develop over the last few years. "Of course, Professor, I'll see you next class. Thank you for the biscuit." He swept from her office and was gone with hardly a sound.

{Furius Draconis}

(Friday, May 5th, waning moon)

"Heir Black, might I borrow a moment of your time?" Avery asked.

Regulus looked up with a baleful glare. "Yes, Heir Avery?" he asked in a positively frigid tone. The tosser was interrupting his studying and the looming OWLs wore heavily on his mind. A pressure that had been building steadily over the year and now exponentially seeing as how they were just weeks away from the end of term.

Plus the mess that was his family and the danger that Narcissa was in, and how she was relying on Severus for protection. How he would do the same by helping him protect Narcissa, while also subjecting himself to a higher level of scrutiny due to his affiliation with Severus - causing even more pressure to rest on his shoulders. Not to mention just how utterly idiotic the two had been lately. Bella had helped some, but Merlin and Morgana, they were still bloody stupid. He really did not want to deal with Avery right now. He was far from being able to play the game well.

Avery stretched his lips in a facsimile of a smile as he took the seat next to Regulus. "I was wondering if I might pose a question about potions?"

"Ask Severus," Regulus dismissed. "He's the one with the apprenticeship at E.M.L Potions, not me."

"Ah, but I think my questions might pertain more to the famous Black Library than general potion knowledge," Avery said.

Regulus sighed and put his quill down. "Listen, Avery, I'm really not in the mood for this. What do you want?"

"Well, we reviewed dark creatures not too long ago in DADA, one of which was boggarts, and I've been wondering if it might be possible to recreate the effect of boggarts without having one of the blighters on hand. Is there such a potion or even a spell?"

Regulus looked at him as if he were stupid, because, really, he was. "Of course there are, how do you not know about them?"

Avery shrugged. "Never been an area of interest for me."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Go look in Moste Potente Potions and leave me alone." He picked up his quill and continued taking notes from the Transfigurations book he had opened in front of him.

"Thank you, Heir Black," Avery said as he left. Something in his tone made Regulus pause in his writing, but really, he had other things to worry about than Avery asking stupid questions.


I am like vibrating with excitement, the remaining chapters are gonna make y'all kill me and I'm not even sorry about it

Okay maybe a little sorry, but mostly not

Thanks again to BurngingRosesAmongstLilies for the help!