I'm BACK!

I really need comments in this chapter because it's where a lot of things are going to start changing. And I mean, comments about the writing style/character in itself, because I feel like this is a bit OOC, but it might be because I'm unmedicated again.

TW: LUNA'S EATING HABITS

(again, like, please, go to a therapist, babes)

Luna never hated Christmas so much.

There was an awkward air between all the people in the big house in a tiny town in Wales. Though Nain was doing her very best to make things more bearable, using Leticia's and Sophia's presence as a peace treaty. The stiff conversation was mostly about caring for children and the feeling of motherhood, with Sirius cutting in whenever possible to make some comment or add something that Euphemia had said to him – a conversation that Luna could not participate in at all, but that she clung on regardless, in the hopes of the feeling of rising dread would somehow go back to its original place (far away from her mind). To make matters worse, not only Remus was there, but so was Sirius.

While the conversation was more animated with Leticia and Sirius trying to keep it going, Luna's silence was very noticeable regardless. She knew that she was making people uncomfortably by that point, but she had nothing to say, and she had learnt that her silence was a lot safer than her bitter and poisonous words.

"Won't you eat, darling?" Hope asked, raising her fork to point at the full plate of food in front of her daughter. "You barely touched your food."

"I'm not hungry," Luna dismissed.

She noticed that the conversation's volume had almost completely disappeared, continuing just for politeness' sake. Luna was aware that everybody on the table was overhearing their conversation with a lot of attention.

"Luna, you haven't eaten almost anything today. You need to eat something," Hope insisted, putting her fork down in obvious irritation. "I accepted you skipping lunch since you ate breakfast, but you need to eat something at dinner."

"I'm nauseated."

Remus, sitting beside Luna, was tired of pretending not to pay attention, so he turned to look at the women at the table, putting an elbow on the table to rest his head on the hand. He looked exhausted.

"Because you haven't eaten anything for hours," Remus answered with a sighed.

Luna turned to glare at her brother. "Shut the fuck up," she grumbled.

"Language!" Hope scolded automatically.

Lyall looked at the ceiling for a second, wondering for a second if he was in his place to say anything for his children yet.

"I can find you some crackers if you don't want to eat such heavy food," Lyall tried as gently as possible. "It helps me when I'm nauseated as well. And there's ginger tea as well, I know that you like it."

"I don't like ginger tea, I just drink it because it helps me with nausea, and I'm always nauseated," she answered bitterly.

"Bloody hell, you're in a mood tonight. Merlin's sake, Luna, it's Christmas. Can't you try to be a little bit happy?" Remus grumbled.

Sirius, sitting across from Remus, seemed to understand Luna to some extent, because his face was somber. She didn't need to say it and explain about the obvious situation that Regulus was in and the stress that he was putting all the people that cared about him through. As a member of the Order – much like Remus – he was aware of the reason Luna wasn't invited to the Christmas Ball when she usually would've been; the Black Family would most likely be connected to Voldemort and his men during that night, and Regulus was aware that Luna wouldn't be safe there.

"I know you want to be with your boyfriend, but sometimes you need to spend time with your own family," Hope said, trying to be kind.

"This isn't about being with my boyfriend, this is about this being uncomfortable and me not wanting to be here at all," Luna spat.

"You're being rude," Hope warned.

Nain sighed, looking down at the table for a second.

"Do you want to go for a walk for a little bit, Luna, my dear?" Nain Catrin asked, trying to smile at her, but her lips twitched uncomfortably. She couldn't even be real in her smile through her annoyance.

Luna sighed and got up from her seat at once.

She was making people in the table uncomfortable, so she might as well give them some reprieve and walk away from them for a while, at least until she could either throw up the ball forming on her throat or cry her dread away. Besides, it wasn't snowing. It was cold and it made her bones hurt with the humidity, but at least it wasn't snowing, which made it easier to walk around.

"She's underage, she cannot even take her wand with her," Lyall said, frowning.

"It's Cawfwar," Catrin said, rolling her eyes.

Sirius glanced at Remus before clearing his throat and rising from his chair as well.

"I'll walk with her," he announced.

Remus turned to Sirius sharply. "You will what?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll walk with Luna, then we'll come back," Sirius said.

"I don't need a chaperone," Luna said, crossing her arms as she stood still near the table. "Just eat your food."

"I already ate well enough, luv. A little walk does wonders for digestion," Sirius said with a shrug, walking towards Luna.

"Then invite my brother for a walk and snog at the alleyway nearby or something. Why do you want to come with me?" Luna said, turning on her heels and moving towards the front door.

Lyall did his best not to flinch at the thought of his son snogging his boyfriend at an alleyway, like some common teenager, but kept his composure. Hope, however, seemed to understand to some extent the underlying tension between Remus and Sirius given Sirius' decision to follow Luna outside for a walk after dinner.

Remus took a deep breath before nodding and looking down at his plate.

"Take care of her," Remus said.

"I can take care of myself," Luna said, shrugging her coat on.

People ignored her.

Quickly, Sirius followed her to the mudroom, putting on his heavy muggle coat and walked out the door before her, holding it open for her. Looking at her shoes, Luna passed by him, walking out the house.

Together, they walked for a minute or so in complete silence, both of their hands shoved into their coat's pockets, not meeting each other's eyes as they moved through the empty, narrow streets. Sirius was the first to get tired of the silence, glancing to the side to catch a glimpse of Luna.

"Do you think he's alright?" Sirius asked suddenly.

Luna's facial expression was blank, just like Regulus had taught her, but it wasn't enough for Sirius.

"I don't think they can do anything too bad with him. He's too important," Luna said. "I'm worried about the others, too."

"Others?"

Luna went quiet again. It was pretty much common knowledge the Black Family was connected to Voldemort's ideals and the cause he represented, much like the Lestrange and Malfoy families. However, it was possible that the lack of laws passed by the Rosier Family representative made their alliance ambiguous, and Barty Crouch Jr.'s autonomy in his decisions made no weight in his father's decisions to fight against the cause so very obviously without officially joining the Order of the Phoenix.

"There are others, as you know," was all Luna said.

Sirius sighed, eyebrows furrowing.

"So he is part of them now. Before, you said he wasn't," Sirius said.

"He did what he needed to do."

"He's a terrorist!" Sirius said, stopping dead on his tracks.

Luna took a few more steps forward before also stopping and turning to look at him, hands still in her pockets.

"He's trying to survive," she said.

"He's protecting his power. He's selfish," he spat. "He thinks that his power is more important than his morals," he gave a little bitter laugh that sounded more like a scoff. "Though, at this point, I wonder if he has any morals at all."

"Morals won't keep people safe, Sirius. Be logical about this," she said, covering her face with her hands in annoyance. "And Regulus is the Heir now, he'll be the Head of the House sooner or later. A House like that, without power, will be nothing. You should know this, you were training at the very same thing he's being trained for right now, and even the Potters struggle with the lack of actual power to pass laws – Lord Potter himself complained about it at the dinner table."

"And they're still against mass destruction," Sirius said.

"Yes, the whole family is against it, and they already have alliances that were formed several years ago with other families that are against that sort of cause, and they are still struggling with being heard. What will Regulus do on his own?" Luna asked, shoving her heads into her pockets again. "Regulus said that his parents aren't fans of the whole thing either and –"

"Aren't fans?" Sirius repeated in amusement. "Oh, please, spare me of the speech, Lun –"

"Why did you even come out for a walk with me if you'll just keep on pushing and annoying me?!" she said sharply and taking a step towards him. "Didn't you say you wanted to be friends with me? And now that I'm trying to allow it, you decided that an argument was better than comfort? He's not just the love of my life, but he's also your brother, and you don't seem to care for his safety, only for how much he's actually fighting for the other side. Even if I knew something, I wouldn't tell you, because if there's one thing that I learnt about you is that you can't keep a secret, even if you really try."

"Our relationship –"

"There was no relationship. I'm not talking about us. I'm talking about my brother!" she exclaimed, putting hands on his chest and pushing.

Surprised, Sirius stumbled back. Luna wasn't very physically strong, but he had never expected her to push him.

"I –"

"You talked enough. Go back inside," she spat towards him. "I want you here anymore."

Unsure of what should be his next step, Sirius didn't move. He stood there and watched her as she shoved her hands into her pockets again before walking away from him, face pinched in anger that he had never seen her wear before.

She was metres away when he stepped forward again.

"I care about him, Luna, I do. I just don't want him to be a horrible person," Sirius explained. "I don't want the little boy that liked to play piano duets with me to kill somebody I care for because of politics." Luna stopped walking but did not turn to him. "And if he keeps going the way he is going, he will. He will kill somebody I love... somebody you may love yourself. Are you prepared to forgive him for that? Because I'm not. I cannot. I shall not – I won't bear it."

Slowly, Luna turned to him, keeping the long distance between them. For a moment, she had no answer, searching for something to say in Sirius' face as she watched his vulnerable expression. He looked so genuine.

"Even if it's his life for somebody else's?" she asked.

"He is the one that chose to join," Sirius said.

He had not chosen. He had no other option. But she wasn't about to tell him that.

"You chose to join the other side," she said.

"I'm prepared to die," he said, rising his chin.

Sirius looked like a child for a moment, putting on a brave face so he wouldn't cry after a scrapped knee. Luna knew that he believed it to be true, even if it wasn't.

"Are you prepared to watch others die as well? Because they joined as well, therefore they must be prepared as well," she said.

"They won't have to. I'd rather die in their place. I'd rather die than put others in harm's way," he said.

"And are you prepared to kill?"

That made him hesitate.

The closest thing to a killing he had gotten was Severus Snape in that tiny, dark tunnel to the Screaming Shack. He had almost lost everybody that night because of a foolish decision, taken rashly out of fear and spite. He felt like he was the one that almost died that day out of guilt and shame.

"Yes," Sirius lied.

"He is not," Luna answered. "But he will, if he must. A martyrdom won't protect people, destroying your own life to protect somebody else's isn't a noble sacrifice, Sirius, it's just stupidity. You must be alive to be useful and he knows it. He's making sure to keep himself alive to protect the ones that matter to him, in the same way that you are willing to die to give the ones you love a fighting chance."

But being prepared meant nothing at all during a war.

Luna stepped backwards, still looking at Sirius, but making it obvious that she intended to follow her way on her own from then forward.

"You know, people call me naïve quite a bit, and treat me in a condescending manner, as if I'm a silly child, because I don't know war or battle, but I know him, Sirius," Luna continue. "And I know just how far he's willing to go for Pandora, for his mother and father... for far he's willing to go for me. He isn't perfect and, sometimes, he can be... 'not-good', but he isn't evil. He's not the Devil incarnate you make him to be when you talk about him to other people, he can be so good! He can be understanding and mature, he can listen and remember every single detail of a story that matter to you. He doesn't linger; he stays. He stays because he wants to, because wants me and he loves me."

It was the twist of a knife to Sirius. He, too, remembered the feeling of lingering at the corner the room when Luna was feeling unwell during sex, waiting and comforting her awkwardly. He remembered feeling forced to stay in bed after they were done to not hurt her feelings when all he wanted was to leave and find something else to do.

Luna's eyes teared up, and she was grateful for the distance between them, because Sirius couldn't see her crying.

"Loads of people love you, Luna," Sirius said with a step forward, obviously eager to make her listen. "Your brother is just as willing as him to kill and die for you as he is. I am willing to die for you."

"I never asked you to."

"Did you ask him?"

"Of course not! I want nothing more than to have him alive and well in my arms," she said, shaking her head. "But when you say that, that you're willing to fight for me – and I say fight because I don't want you to die either – it just means that I represent something to you, not because of who I am. I'm Remus' sister, I'm a half-blood. I represent those things to you. I'm Luna Lupin, I'm not just Luna, even if you say you're my 'friend' now."

Sirius shook his head. "That's not true! You're Luna – just Luna for me," he said.

She blinked. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to desperately believe him. She could not.

"Go back into the house, Sirius. It's cold," she said.

He watched her turn her back to him before walking away from him, leaving him planted in the middle of the empty road. For a moment, Sirius wondered if he should follow from far away, but he decided he would be hexed – let the law be damned – if he continued, so he turned on his heels to go back to the house without a glance back at Luna.

Catrin's late husband, Arianell Lupin, had been a beloved teacher in Hogwarts during the years he worked there. He had loved teaching children and working with them towards a better future; even after he had retired from teaching, working for the Ministry in the Magical Creatures' Department, several alumni would come to ask for advice in letters and face-to-face for future book ideas and Academy Course Conclusion. When Arianell passed away, so many people appeared in his final goodbye that it was what made Catrin remember how truly loved he was.

But there was one student that had made Arianell admit that, perhaps, teaching wasn't for him, that children weren't the good, genuine people that he thought they were. That one student terrified Arianell more than anything in the world because, in fifth year, he walked up to Arianell and asked in a hypothetical tone if an animal's soul was worth the same as a human life – the answer was that the animal's soul did not have the same weight, therefore a person that killed an animal did crack its soul, but that piece would not break as if one had killed another person. The student, other than satisfied with the answer, seemed disappointed for a second before he put its mask in place before nodding and walking away.

That night, it was the first of the many times that Arianell Lupin complained about Tom Riddle's odd questions.

Now, in the morning after Christmas, Catrin felt her stomach drop and her heart double its beating rhythm. Her hands shook as the newspaper in her hands turned heavier and heavier in her arms, because Regulus Black was standing beside the young man her own husband had complained, looking pale and blank.

Tom Riddle had grown up well when compared to the mental image Catrin had of the class year photograph. His hair seemed to still be all there with curls contained, even though he had aged many years. His nose continued being angled and tall, eyes big and dark. He continued to stand with his shoulders back, chin tall and lips tugged up in a perfectly discreet, but certainly there, smirk. Tom Riddle continued to be handsome, regal and powerful by his very existence, and he had a hand on Regulus Black's shoulder, as if he his favourite nephew.

"Mam?" Lyall asked, raising his eyebrows from where he sat, eating his breakfast. "What is it? Are you alright?"

Catrin wanted to open her mouth and say some half-baked lie, probably say that she had drank too much on the night before. But she couldn't, because she couldn't curl her tongue into words.

Hope, sitting near her ex-mother-in-law, was quick to move and look to her face, searching for any sort of signal of a health crisis, but there was only shock and concern on Catrin's face. So, she whipped her head to the side, looking at the newspapers in confusion at the photograph of Regulus Black.

"That's Regulus," Hope said. "Who's that beside him?"

Luna was he first to get up from her seat and move to stand behind her grandmother to look at the moving photograph as well.

"He looks uncomfortable," Luna mumbled. She knew who it was. "Merlin's tit," she grumbled, looking away.

Sirius, sitting on the other side of Catrin, looking on the photograph as Luna walked back to her own seat. He made no comment, but he exchanged a grave look with Remus, face somber and stiff.

"That's Tom Riddle," Catrin said, frowning. She turned to look at her son. "Your father stopped teaching because of him."

"What?" Lyall asked, confused.

"He terrified your father so much that he stopped teaching as soon as Tom Riddle got to the last year, said that his curiosity was beyond normal, beyond the expected of someone his age. It was uncomfortable," Catrin said. "I don't remember him from when I taught, but I remember him from the photographs your father kept. That boy was a constant dinner conversation topic here."

"Tom Riddle," Lyall said the name, frowning as he went deep into his memory.

Unfortunately for Lyall, the constant use of drugs had taken a toll on his memory and some of his other cognitive functions. The name, though familiar, was not connected to anything on top of his mind. Still, he was certain that he had heard the name before and the feeling of dread on his stomach was enough to remind him that – whatever it was – the name revealed something terrible.

"Riddle is not a pureblood surname," Sirius said, poking at his food with his fork.

Luna was starting to shake but was trying her very best to hide it from the people around her. There was a lump on her throat.

"His name was Tom Riddle at school, but here it seems to be 'Tom Gaunt'," Catrin read, looking at the small subtitle under the uncomfortable photograph. "I don't understand what's happening."

Remus pressed his lips together, looking down at his plate.

"That's the infamous Lord Voldemort we are all hearing so much about," Sirius said, sounding very calm. "And Little Reggie has a lot to answer for –"

"Shut the fuck up, Sirius," Luna grumbled.

Her voice was shaky and unstable. She was starting to sweat; she could feel it under her armpits and forehead.

"Language and manners, Luna!" Hope gasped, aghast at her daughter's words.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about! He keeps running his bloody mouth as he if has a right to say anything about it!" Luna said, pushing her chair away from the table. She did not get up. She didn't think she had the strength in her shaky legs to get up.

"Well, he was certainly not photographed with him by coincidence. That's not something that happens by accident," Remus said, putting his cup of juice down.

Leticia shook her head, elbows on the table and grateful that Sophia was still asleep.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Lord Voldemort? The Wizard Hitler dude?" Leticia asked.

The presence of the word 'dude' made Remus turn to his cousin in confusion, but he made no comment on the very American word since he knew that Leticia spent most of her time with Florian, the most Texan man he had ever met.

"The very same," Sirius said, turning to her and nodding.

"Why is Regulus with him?" Leticia asked.

The heavy silence that fell onto the table made Luna's stomach roll as she tried to keep her breakfast inside of herself. All that because Luna couldn't find a good way to answer it. And, as if he knew it, Sirius turned to her and raised his eyebrows, urging her to find the words that she seemed to eager to cut him with when they had been alone.

'Because he will die if he wasn't', Luna thought. 'Because he will die if he makes a mistake. Because I will die if he makes a mistake and doesn't correct it quickly. Because his family needs his protection if they will continue with the power they have – his grandsire is no longer the one in control, his father is trying and the women in his family are still dependent on them if something happens to their husbands. Because Regulus has never had anything other than power and duty on his shoulder. Because Regulus loves me'.

All those words were echoing in her mind, but nothing seemed to make sense enough to come out through her mouth.

"I'm no longer hungry," Luna said.

She got up from her seat, ignoring Remus calling her name in concern and her mother already starting to scold her.

Luna barely made it to the bathroom before vomiting everything she had eaten that day.

Because if they had seen Regulus with Voldemort, so had the whole wizarding United Kingdom, and not everybody knew for sure his loyalty. Any comfort and safety that Regulus had in the implication of his choice, but not explicit speech, had disappeared in the moment that photograph was taken.

She sat near the toilet, reaching over to flush everything down. Then, slowly, Luna lied down on the cold floor, hoping it would make the dizziness go away. She focused on breathing, because it felt like she had been punched in stomach. She wasn't sure when the tears came, but when she noticed them running down her face, towards her hair, she made no movement to clean them.

Regulus was in danger, and there was nothing that she could do to help.

It was only when the group came back to Wales for New Years' Eve, adding to the group a hesitant Patricia and an excited Florian, that Luna seemed to relax a bit more.

The awkwardness, but casual friendliness between Florian and Sirius was fun and entertaining enough to watch, so it distracted Luna. Besides, with the lingering feeling that something might happen between Florian and Leticia, people seemed to forget Luna's presence altogether, much to her happiness. The only person that seemed unwilling to look away from her for longer than absolutely necessary was Remus.

Remus watched his sister drink more water in the corner of the room, sitting with a book near the fireplace. She had eaten very little. She had not taken any of the hot chocolate Leticia had made. He also had noticed that she had not changed pages for at least half-an-hour, but her eyes still moved from side to side, reading attentively the words on the page – it was a book of poetry, something that he had never seen her reading before.

In the week between Christmas and New Year, Luna's weight had dropped dramatically, especially after she had refused the Black Ball's invitation that had arrived surprisingly – they had all thought that Luna wouldn't be invited that year. Hope had noticed the drastic change in her daughter's behaviour as well and was speaking of it with Patricia in whispers in the moments they thought Luna was too busy and distracted with something else to notice.

"Hey, I'm going to get myself some hot chocolate. Do you want some?" Remus asked his sister as he rose from the ground where he sat, watching his boyfriend playing chess with Florian.

For a moment, he felt good about himself for being so kind towards his sister, so ready to serve her.

Suspicious, Luna raised her eyes to Remus, narrowing them.

"You'll spit on it," she said, certain.

Surprised by her suspicion, Remus laughed a loud laugh that was ripped from her like by a slap to the face.

"I won't!" he said through laughter.

"You will. Or you'll put your dirty finger into it," she said, still hesitant.

"Why would my finger be dirty?"

"You're dirty," she said simply.

"And you're being ungrateful. I'm offering myself to get you something from the kitchen," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

Luna raised a single eyebrow before offering the mug she had been drinking her water in, still unsure of what he was attempting.

"More water, then, slave," she said.

"Now, I will spit on your cup," he warned.

Dissatisfied, Remus took the empty mug, knowing that there was no way to convince her to get something heavier to her stomach and all too aware that drinking water was better than nothing at all. He walked to the kitchen trying to think of options that would help Luna feed herself soon – perhaps some salad, perhaps some chicken (she really liked chicken), perhaps some fruits.

A muffled pop made him look around.

Through the corner of his eyes, he saw movement in the garden of his grandmother's house. Remus froze in place, trying not to make it too obvious that he had seen the obvious humanoid creature moving around the bushes and trees, stumbling towards the gazebo and holding onto the structure for a second before stumbling forward once more. It took him barely a second to understand that the person was going towards the front door.

Remus ran, dropping the mug to the ground and ignoring the loud shattering of porcelain.

"Rem?" Luna called out, concerned.

Hope was already standing and moving out of the sitting room towards the entrance of the house to cross into the kitchen, but Remus had his wand in hand and ignored his mother completely.

"Somebody's here," he said. "Go back to the sitting room."

Sirius stood where Hope had stood in a second, leading her back into safety as he took his own wand in hand.

Catrin, without hesitation, walked towards her grandchild.

"What is it?"

"Somebody's here. I saw them through the window," Remus answered. "Go back into –"

"I was a dueller, Remus, there's nothing you can say that will make me stay away from protecting my family," Catrin said, dismissing him completely as she walked towards the front door. "Let's see who it is."

"Nain –"

"Quiet, Remus," Catrin said.

Sirius watched the scene in silence, before chuckling and mumbling something under his breath. He followed Catrin without looking back to know if Remus would follow them as well, already knowing that he wouldn't be three steps behind.

Remus looked over his shoulder, noticing his father standing at the sitting room's door, wand in hand. Inside, Hope was standing beside Florian and Luna near the fireplace in obvious fear and, beside them, Patricia stood without her wand, but with her son's wand. Feeling like his family was sufficiently protected, he walked to the front door as well.

Catrin peeked through the front window and frowned.

"It's Regulus," she said, confused.

Sirius gently moved her out of the way even though he wanted to shove her away to get to the window quicker. He peeked out as well.

"Seems to be him. He's alone," Sirius said, pulling away from the window with a nod. "He's as pale as a ghost."

Remus cleared his throat. "Wands at ready. I'll open the door," he said.

Nain Catrin stood by his right, Sirius to his left. Remus reached for the doorknob before there was a single knock and pulled it open at once.

Regulus Black was leaning heavily on the doorway, trying to recover his breath through obvious pants that fogged the air around his nose and mouth. He gritted his teeth to gulp something down his throat forcefully, an action that made his squeeze his eyes tight. Though his usual state of paleness was already a common joke amongst people that weren't fans of his, he seemed – indeed – like a ghost, as Sirius had said; from where he stood, Remus could see the blue of his veins under the skin of his eyelids, though he was gaining a greenish colour by the second.

"Regulus?" Sirius asked.

The boy opened his eyes, barely seeing in front of him.

"Luna," was all he managed to say.

Catrin was the first to lower her wand, face softening quickly.

"She's inside. She's safe," Catrin said. "Did you Apparate here? Do you even have a license for that?"

Regulus looked at Catrin for a few seconds as if trying to decode the words she had said.

"Uncle Alphard helped," he said.

"Oh, yes, he did," Catrin said, offering a hand to him. "Come inside, dearie. You'll catch your death."

Regulus didn't take her hand, he didn't even move from the leaning he had on the doorway.

There was a commotion happening behind Remus, which made him turn around in concern, only to see Lyall trying to hold onto Luna's waist as she slipped away from him, running towards the door.

"Reggie?" she called out.

Regulus looked up, eyes growing wider as he searched for her in the spaces between the people in front of him. He saw her over Remus' shoulder in between him and Sirius, and immediately stumbled forward without any balance, just sheer force of will.

Remus threw himself to the side, giving him space between himself and Sirius. Regulus still wavered, feet planting on the ground firmly as he tried to keep himself standing. Sirius tried to reach for his brother to steady him, but Regulus was already on the move again, hand outstretched to reach for the girl that had called his name.

Luna threw herself forward, almost as if she knew what was coming.

When Regulus' knees buckled, she was already on her knees on the ground, ready to receive him into her arms, pulling him closer to herself as his feet tried to keep moving, trying to drag his body closer to hers.

"What happened?! What happened to you?" Luna asked, horrified.

"You're alright," was all he managed to say. "They said your name, I don't know why, but they did. I thought –" he stopped himself.

Confused, Luna blinked a few times as she helped him lie flat on the ground on his back.

Hope and Patricia approached together, leaning over the boy that was struggling to keep awake. Hope's hands found their way to Regulus' limbs, touching and squeezing – Regulus jumped at the touch, feet moving before he recognised who it was.

"Madame Jensen," he said, slurring her words.

"Nothing seems to be broken," Hope said to Patricia. She did acknowledge Regulus' words by reaching for his face and letting her knuckles gently brush his cheek. "What happened to you? Can you tell us?"

"Nothing happened. I'm fine," he said.

The fact that he was lying on the floor of the Lupin's dining room seemed to say otherwise.

"He's shivering," Luna said, frowning in concern. "He doesn't have a fever."

"He was outside. It's freezing out," Remus said, walking closer to watch the scene.

Patricia's pale face, however, seemed to say that the shivering Regulus was doing had nothing to do with the snow. And Sirius' shaky presence behind Remus seemed to know what she was trying not to say.

"It's an Aftermath, right?" Sirius asked, voice wavering.

Catrin made a little squeaky noise, hand going to her mouth.

Regulus' eyes closed for a few seconds, either from the shame of it being so obvious or the fact that he was so weak.

"Aftermath of what?" Remus asked.

"Of the Cruciatus Curse," Patricia said. She looked at Regulus' face. "Am I correct, Mister Black?"

One slow blink.

Luna's eyes filled with tears, lips pressed together to keep the sobs climbing up her throat inside.

Sirius moved quickly from behind his boyfriend, making his way through the people in the room to kneel beside Luna, closer to Regulus than he's been in a long time.

"What are they doing to you? I told you that –" Sirius started.

"It wasn't Mother. She stopped it," Regulus said, avoiding everybody's eyes. He took a deep breath, eyes threatening to go unfocused again. "The good thing about being a woman is that hysterics are ignored, not punished."

Luna wanted to say: 'at least not when you have money', but she didn't think the moment was appropriate to say something like that, so all she did was lean down and kiss Regulus' cold lips gently.

Regulus' eyes closed again, just for a second more than necessary before opening again. He seemed devastated with the fact that Lyall and Hope had just watched Luna kiss him, but he was smart enough to make no comment on it.

"I have nothing to give him," Patricia said.

Sirius hesitated, but spoke.

"I know how to deal with it. I'll give him a good, not too hot shower and then he'll feel better in a few hours. There's little you can do for him, Doc," he said, trying to sound casual. "All you can do it wait it out, unless you have sedatives."

The Lupins didn't keep medicine in the house, not with Lyall there.

"Familiar with the feeling?" Patricia asked, stiffly.

"Been there once, don't want to be there again," was all Sirius answered. He looked over his shoulder. "Rem, help me out? I need to get him to the bathroom, if your grandmother doesn't mind."

Catrin made a dismissing noise, urging Remus to move already.

Remus and – surprisingly – Florian moved to get Regulus standing before dragging him towards the stairs. Luna started moving to follow, but Lyall put a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait," he said.

"Oh, please, modesty is the last thing on my mind, Dad. Don't be –" she started.

Lyall scoffed.

"This isn't about modesty or me being overprotective, Luna. If I were him, I wouldn't want the girl I love to see me so vulnerable unless it was my choice. Let his brother wash him. He did not ask for your help; he came to protect you. I respect him for that," Lyall said.

Hope watched father and daughter interact with some carefulness before clearing her throat, getting all the remaining eyes.

"What is the Cruciatas Curse?" Hope asked.

"Cruciatus," Lyall corrected.

"Whatever it's called, what is it?" Hope asked.

Luna gulped.

Patricia put her son's wand on her waistband, putting her hands behind her back as she watched Lyall look down and Catrin focusing on locking the front door and looking around, making sure there was no one else outside.

"It's a torture curse, it's outlawed," Patricia answered. "It makes its victim feel the worst pain imaginable. People have gone mad under its potency or lost the use of members due to the nerve damage. It's cruel, unfounded and completely disgusting. To use it in a young boy, whatever the reason –" she couldn't keep herself going.

Both Sirius and Regulus had gone under it.

They were both younger than Florian.

Luna's little sob made all eyes turn to her. Quickly, she recognised that the sound came from her and covered her mouth with her hands, trying to muffle the pathetic noise that followed, but instead of the expected uncomfortable silence that followed when she cried near Pandora, she felt strong arms enveloping her.

Her father held her tight.

"He came for you after torture because he overheard someone say your name. Anything I had against him disappeared," Lyall whispered to her. "I know that I can trust him with your life, which is so much more valuable than mine."

And his first attempt to prove so was allow Regulus to spend the night in Luna's room with her.

So, late at night, ignoring when the clock stroke twelve and the old year went away, leaving a whole new page in their life blank for them to write their destiny as they wished (or could), Luna and Regulus lied side by side in the small twin sized bed.

Luna, quietly, whispered:

"What did they punish you for?"

Regulus did not look away from the ceiling, refusing to meet her eyes.

"He found my memories. He broke my shields," Regulus explained. "I warned Dumbledore weeks before his attack. He knew it was coming. I managed to change it last minute to Dumbledore implying that he overheard me talking to Barty, I thought it was safer to have not warned them that the plan was naught other than let them find out that I had given the plan away. Barty wasn't punished."

"Just for that?" Luna asked.

"I was the first to be punished like this. He lost control," Regulus said, frowning at the memory of Tom Riddle's eyes glistening dangerously. "But I won't be the last, that's certain."

Luna turned her head to look at his profile.

"Is he very violent?" she asked.

"He's... controlled, until he's not. He's kind, until it's dangerous. He's the extremes, Luna. And then I overheard someone say your name while my father took me away from the parlour before the guests noticed what had happened. I couldn't think of anything else," Regulus said. He sucked his lips in, trying to control his tears. "I thought they were coming after you to punish me even more, and I was completely helpless. When Uncle Alphard came to check on me, I begged him to help me out and cover for me."

Luna closed her eyes, attempting to hold back the shiver that went up her spine.

Regulus waited for a few seconds before turning his head to the side as well, looking at her eye-to-eye.

"The photograph, the one in the newspaper. Did you see it?" he asked, hesitant.

"I did. Everybody did," she said.

Regulus sighed in what seemed to be disappointment. "I didn't want it. Nobody in my family asked or paid for media in the Ball, but I believe that he did. They were everywhere, asking nonsensical questions and pestering every Heir and Heiress for photographs with the new 'Gaunt'. What a ridiculous notion! And they all felt themselves forced to oblige for politeness' sake."

"You think Voldemort paid the media?" she asked.

"With Malfoy money. They are starting to dip into my cousin's vault as well. They are burning through their own to finance this sham," Regulus said. "Soon enough Voldemort will start asking for money from others."

"You included," she concluded.

"Oh, I'll be the first one in line, I'd hazard," he said, frowning. "Or perhaps the Burkes, they are loyal as dogs to him." He slowly rolled onto his side, groaning loudly with the effort, but wanting to face her directly. "Stay as far away from Dorian Burke and his stupider older brother as you can, love. They will hurt you if they can."

"To hurt you?"

Regulus almost seemed sad.

"If it were to only hurt me, pushing you away might work to keep you safe, even if just for some time. But no, Luna, they want to hurt you because they just like to hurt people. They are simple minded, but their wand-work is complex enough to be dangerous," he explained.

"I promise I will try," Luna said.

Regulus gave her a half-smile. That was as good as he was going to get without a Seer promising Luna's safety. Luna's attempt to keep herself safe was already enough for now.

He leaned forward and stole a quick, chaste kiss; a lot more comfortable that there was nobody watching this time around.

One more kiss.

Two more.

Three more.

Luna pulled away.

"It's alright," she mumbled.

"You're alright," Regulus said, as if he was agreeing.

What did you all think?

BTW, going back to the Greek Myths thing real soon, my loves.