I'm back and I'm struggling with work and school, so I'm sorry about that. But here's Regulus realising a few things about his new life:

Luna couldn't understand why she was so nervous. She had talked to Evan and Barty before, and yet her hands trembled a bit as they sat beside her and Pandora near the Black Lake during that empty period between classes.

"Now that it's official and signed, allow us to present ourselves. I'm Evan Rosier, your best friend's brother and the best friend to your boy," Evan said with a rare smile as he threw himself on the grass. "And this is Bartho –"

"Barty. I'm Barty," the boy said, cutting his friend off before his full name could be said. "Just Barty."

Luna smiled at tat.

"Alright, just 'Barty'. Don't worry about it," she said, dismissing his nervousness.

Regulus, who had been walking further away from his friends, finally caught up to them. He smiled at the girls, but didn't greet anyone out loud, merely sitting beside Evan and smiling again at Luna.

"Already annoying your sister, Evan?" Regulus mocked.

"More like annoying your partner, Reggie," Evan teased back.

The boy's eyes narrowed as he turned to his friend.

"Don't," he warned.

"What?" Evan pretended not to understand.

Barty winced a bit, never liking to annoy Regulus more the completely necessary or when he was in a good mood. Even while joking, Regulus could easily change moods and become extremely problematic.

"Don't call me that," Regulus said.

"It's just a nickname, Regulus. Evan has one, too," Pandora said, intervening.

Evan's eyes widened, turning to his sister with considering paler skin.

"Panda, don't –" he started.

"Do tell!" Regulus said over Evan, pushing him before he could get any closer to his own sister.

"My cousins would call him 'Evvy' wen he was younger, but he would cry every time," Pandora admitted. "Everybody still called me Panda, so there's nothing surprising there."

"EVVY!" Regulus almost screamed, celebrating.

Luna ended up laughing at his excitement. It was rare to see Regulus so youthful and genuine in his happiness, uncontrolled in his joy. He looked his age, carefree – he looked almost entirely haunting in his beauty, almost entirely too much like Sirius. In a hurry, she looked away, all happiness in her chest disappearing; it was an odd sense of shame that took over, one that she didn't want to express.

Regulus was his own person, and it was criminal to compare him to a brother that he didn't even like. It felt simply sacrilegious; like comparing a cat to a dog, or a lamb to a wolf. Luna had force herself to stop her thoughts.

"Alright, alright!" Evan was saying, pushing Regulus off him forcefully. "Listen, Barty and I came here to introduce ourselves to Miss Luna Lupin here."

"I know you two already, though," Luna answered, shaking her head.

Regulus smirked.

"Not officially, you do not," Evan said, pushing himself by his elbows to sit up again. "You're not just my sister's friend, you are Regulus' courtship partner. It's our duty to present ourselves to you as potential helpers throughout the relationship; ruse or not."

Regulus pushed him lightly.

"We don't speak of it out loud so openly," he warned his friend.

"Alright," Barty said, ignoring his two friends and taking over the conversation. "It's proper protocol to offer our services as helpers through the courtship. If Regulus can't help you throughout the day, it's our duty to help you since we're his friends; we shall accompany you in parties, tag along when chaperones are not able to..." he leaned forward, "spread rumours when the ruse's falling apart."

"Oh, how... wonderful," she said.

The word 'wonderful' wasn't the best adjective for the sense she had that everything they had just told her made her little more than cattle. To the wizarding pureblood world, she was nothing more than a toy that Regulus owed, even if just temporarily. Luna hated feeling like she belonged to someone, but belonging to someone that wanted her felt somewhat better than belonging no one at all.

"They're trying to say that they'll protect you and that they'll be your friends as well," Regulus explained.

Evan nodded, as if Regulus had just translated something.

"So, technically, we're friends now," Barty said.

That got a small laugh out of Luna, as she shrugged.

"Alright," she said. "If I'm to be your friends, tell me about you."

That made Barty hesitate a bit, exchanging looks with Evan and Regulus. While Evan looked taken aback as much as Evan looked insecure, it was the fact that Regulus seemed genuine curious.

Pandora sighed.

"She does that," she said.

"What?" Luna asked, confused.

"You don't ask the question, you just tell people to speak," Pandora said. "But I found out what it means. She's telling you to say what you like."

Barty turned to Luna. "I like reading," he announced.

"Oh, yeah, that he does," Evan said, nodding. "Sent me, like, three romance novels for me to read during the summer, and I – as a good friend – read all of them, of course. And I can tell you, some are very good and so well written."

Barty blushed, as if he had not been wishing to specify what type of book he liked to read. Luna was comprehensive about it, however; to someone that looked so very rough and walked with Regulus Black and Evan Rosier, to have a softer side would be surprising if not disapproved of. He was known for his scaringly accurate memory and his impressive repertoire of rumours that he would collect, not romance books.

"I like romance novels as well," Luna said. "What sort do you read?"

"Have you read 'The Men in Tudor'?" he asked, eyes widening.

Luna's smile widened as she leaned forward.

"You read historical fiction? Oh, I never met anyone that did. I so want to start! Might you make me a list of titles?" she asked. "I was reading 'Therebefore' not three weeks ago, it was the first historical fiction I tried and I was in love!"

"Oh, 'Therebefore' is just amazing!" Barty agreed, nodding in understanding for her excitement. "I can do you one better. I can let you borrow some of my copies if you promise to take good care of them."

Evan groaned loudly.

"Oh, no, not another one!" he complained dramatically.

Pandora smiled at Barty.

"All her books are in perfect condition even though she's messy. I wouldn't befriend someone that doesn't take good care of her books," Pandora said.

Regulus ended up laughing a bit at that.

"Are you messy, Luna?" he asked.

"Not that much," she tried to defend herself quickly. "Sure, I sometimes get too tired to put things away or I'm too busy to tidy everything up, but I'm not that messy. I always find what I want. In general, I have some... pattern in my chaos."

"There is no pattern at all," Pandora insisted, lip curling in distaste.

It was a conversation that they had before.

Luna knew that Pandora was right. She wasn't organised at all in their dormitory, the only thing that she had any sort of pattern or organisation was in her schoolwork; she knew that her mess was something that annoyed Pandora a lot, and she had tried to organise things for Luna, but Luna had gotten annoyed with that, because after Pandora's organisation, Luna couldn't find anything. There was a small argument that ended up with both of them apologising to the other.

"You seemed organised in Potions, though," Evan said, turning to Luna.

"I'm organised in the library, too. I'm just not too organised with my clothes," she admitted, knowing that there was no way to escape from the truth. "My schoolwork is exemplary; I can assure you."

Regulus, who had been completely reliable on her schoolwork in Transfiguration, nodded.

"I'd hope you start becoming more organised then, because if you truly go down the Alchemy path, you'll need to," Evan said, frowning a bit. "Some people will fire you if they think your lab is disorganised; I've seen it happen before. And I mean this because most people's labs are in their own home, which is why you don't see many women in it... with the children and whatnot."

Luna looked away. Again, there was the conversation that –

"I think that Luna knows if she'll want children or not, Evan," Pandora said, cutting Luna's thoughts off.

Luna turned to Pandora, surprised that she had almost heard Luna's thoughts. She smiled at her friend, who offered her hand for her to hold for a few seconds before pulling it back away from her again.

"I believe Luna will be just fine with Potions and Alchemy. Organised or not, her workstation is hardly the problem when her schoolwork is so well-liked by professors," Regulus said, dismissing Evan's concerns. He looked at his pocket watch quickly. "It's almost time for your choir practice, Evan."

Evan took the pocket watch from his hand and looked at it.

"I'll leave in ten," he said.

Luna raised her eyebrows.

"You're in the frog choir?" she asked, surprised.

Evan shook his head.

"No, the classical one," he corrected. "The frog choir is decaying, socially speaking, of course. The professor teaching is the same, but the people in the choirs are quite different – I think Amos Diggory is the only person in both of them."

Pandora giggled.

"Amos Diggory is handsome!" she said.

Evan looked at his sister, looking somewhat affronted by her declaration.

"I refuse to believe you are becoming boy-crazy, Pandora. What happened to you?" Evan asked, eyes narrowing, but he had a grin in his lips.

He could pretend as much as he wanted, but he had seen the kiss Pandora and Xenophilius had shared that summer. He knew it had been Pandora's first kiss and had expected her to come to him to talk about it, but she never did. Evan assumed that, therefore, she had shared that tiny piece of her with Luna, whom she would be more comfortable talking about boys, and she didn't blame her for it.

"She's not boy crazy. Amos Diggory is a prat, but he is handsome," Luna defended Pandora right away, even though she knew that Evan was just teasing.

Regulus made a little noise before clearing his throat and loudly scoffing.

"He's as hard in the head as a rock against it," he said. Confused by the wording, Luna turned to him. He lost most of his confidence speaking, hesitating and looking around for support before continuing. "I mean, if you throw a rock on someone's head, it might crack it... you know, because it's –"

"Hard, yes, we got it, Reggie," Barty said, hoping Regulus would stop talking.

Evan chuckled, but his face relaxed again soon after.

"In summary, I'm in the cool choir and Amos Diggory is a bitch," Evan said.

"I said 'prat'," Luna corrected.

"He's a prat and a bitch... there, both of us are happy," he teased.

Luna was surprised how easily she was getting along with Evan Rosier, the one that glared at everything that seemed to move. Though he had always been polite in the very rare cases that they had interacted at all, she had never expected him to smile or even laugh at anything that she said.

However, her mind was somewhat stopping at Barty. She knew that he was quieter than his friends, usually taking his space by watching and listening to everything, always the diplomat between the two troublemakers that he walked around it, but seeing him teasing and carefree was more surprising than she cared to admit.

She smiled to herself, glad that she was doing a good job in not making them hate her already.

"Well," Evan said, getting up. "I'm going to practice. Panda, won't you walk me? Papa wrote me a letter and I'd like to talk to you." Pandora nodded, innocently taking her bag. "Come on, Barty, we'll get you to the library before going the other way." Evan took his own bag and looked at Regulus seriously. "I'll see you later. Enjoy some time off."

Regulus, confused, watched all his friends leave him and his courting partner alone in near the Black Lake as if everything had been planned. Once he realised that Evan had, indeed, planned everything, he ended up laughing a bit, not looking at the girl sitting across from him, accompanying his friends with his eyes.

"Isn't he discreet?" he said.

"As discreet as an elephant in a glass shop," Luna agreed.

Amused by her wording, he laughed and turned to look at her.

"Evan has been getting on my case, telling me to get to know you better for a while now," he admitted.

"A while?" she asked.

"Since I told them about your proposal," he said.

Luna smiled.

"It is a good while," she said. "And why didn't you?"

He shrugged.

"It's not like you're doing this because you're interested in knowing me, you're doing this as a revenge," he said, looking around and not meeting her eyes. His eyes were stuck on James Potter and Peter Pettigrew talking and laughing as they walked towards the Quidditch pitch, James carrying his broom and Peter his books. "I suppose I can understand wanting revenge, and I wouldn't want to get to know my tool."

"You're not my tool, Regulus," she said, frowning at him. "You do understand that I went to you because I thought that revenge would help you, too, right?"

"Yes, because of the rumours," he said.

"And because you're angry at Sirius, too," she said.

Regulus turned to her, eyes burning.

"I'm not angry at him. I feel nothing for him, and after a while, you'll learn to do the same," he said, firmly.

Intimidated, Luna hesitated before continuing to speak.

"So you don't want to make him hurt?" she asked, confused. "You don't want him to somehow come to you and apologise after he understand how much wrong he has done?"

Regulus crossed his arms.

"I don't ever want to speak to him again," he said. "If after he finishes school and I never see him again, it'll be too early."

Luna felt a bit of shame blossoming in her chest, upset that Regulus seemed to be so much better in dealing with his anger and embarrassment than she was. If she had been mature enough to put all her feeling aside... – Actually, she was rather glad that she didn't. If she had put all her feelings aside and never felt them, she wouldn't be able to process. Sure, the way that she was processing everything wasn't healthy, but it was healthy enough for her to recognise and understand that it was petty, immature, and unhealthy; she just wasn't mature enough to do anything about it.

She leaned forward.

"Go on, then, Regulus. Let me get to know you," she said. "This way you won't be a tool, you'll be a friend. May I be your friend?"

Regulus still seemed defensive and uncomfortable, but turned to look at her again, some embarrassment peeking through his eyes.

"I'd like to be your friend, Luna," he said.

She wasn't sure why her smile grew or if it looked creepy at all, but it was completely genuine.

"Let's start with..." she mumbled to herself. "Tell me, what your favourite colour? Wait, no. I want to try to guess it!" Regulus raised his eyebrows, waiting for her first guess and allowing a little smile, attention completely on her. "Black."

"No," he answered.

"Grey?"

"No. That'd be horribly boring," he said, rolling his eyes.

She narrowed her eyes.

"My favourite colour is grey," she said.

The widening of his eyes was comical.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I was trying to make a joke and –"

"I'm joking. It is not, don't worry," she said, laughing at him. "We'll get to my favourite colour later. Because yours, of course, is green."

He smiled at that.

"Yes. Green," he admitted.

With a celebrating noise, Luna leaned away, punching the air and biting her lip to hold back a whoop. Regulus laughed as he watched her, amused by her excitement over something so small as guessing his favourite colour (in her third try).

"Is it because of Slytherin?" she asked.

Regulus was hardly aware of why he liked green. He just really liked it. Perhaps because he lived in London and green became meaning of Hogwarts, of Scotland – of being away from all the mess his family had become.

"I suppose," he said, shrugging. "Is it my turn now? Am I to guess your favourite colour?"

"Go on," she said, nodding.

"Blue?" he guessed. "Because of Ravenclaw."

She smiled.

"Perhaps it was one day, but not anymore," she said, shaking her head slightly. "Nowadays, I've been thinking of other colours whenever I'm happier."

"Is it a happy colour, then?" he said.

"Somewhat," she said, shrugging.

"Yellow, then," he guessed. She shook her head. "If not blue, nor yellow... Pink?"

"Not since I was five," she said. "It's a naturally warm colour, not necessarily bright. An optimistic colour."

Regulus chuckled.

"How can a colour be optimistic, Luna?" he asked, completely amused by her comments.

She looked up.

"It's the colour of day. Of sun," she said.

"That would be yellow!" he said, insisting on his guess.

"When the day arrives, Regulus, what colour is the sky? What colour does the sun take when it climbs up," she said.

Regulus smiled.

"Orange. Your favourite colour is orange," he guessed.

Luna smiled back, excited that he had finally guessed correctly.

"It is!" she said. "The colour of dawn. It is nothing but the colour of hope, don't you agree?"

Regulus watched, unsure of what to say, silently agreeing that daylight was more often than he would admit a relief and what brought on hope to him. There was a moment in Grimmauld Place where everything was quiet, when the rest of the world was asleep and the night was at its darkest point – that was when Regulus would sometimes wake, rousing from bed due to a nightmare or giving up from a restless night; he would stand near the window in his bedroom, often watching the Muggles outside waking up to go to work as the sun peeked from behind the buildings and houses, bringing him hope that perhaps the day would be better and he would be... normal, unassuming of the dangers of the world just like the Muggles living their lives.

"Yes. Hope," he mumbled.

They learnt the smallest things about one another, but they both clung to the knowledges.

Regulus liked any sort of book, especially poetry. He hated math and did not know how to deal with dirt, and no matter how good his grades were, he still hated Herbology. He liked playing the piano and the violin, as his mother taught him. He liked dancing and it had been (surprisingly) his father that had taught him how. Luna also liked books, which they all had gathered already, but she giggled as she admitted that she did not like poetry, she also liked music (muggle music, much to Regulus' dismay), but did not play any instrument at all, and she could not fly at all; she spent a lot of her time sunbathing in the winter and autumn, and running away from the sun in the summer, but she loved the beach (winter or summer, she just liked the sea).

Small things, small facts.

They kept both in their hearts in silence.

Regulus drank his tea silently, watching Evan and Barty joking amongst themselves, feeling out of place for no reason at all.

"And there he goes, lost in his mind again, Evan," Barty grumbled, looking at Regulus and finally getting his attention back. "Isn't it absolutely tender? How wonderfully romantic."

Regulus glared at his friend.

"Aren't you too lost in your romance books to see my thinking as a romantic thing?" Regulus asked, raising his eyebrows. "For all you know, I could simply be thinking about my homework."

"Nobody thinks of homework with a smile, Reggie," Evan said, smirking at the sight. He leaned back, taking his goblet of juice and sipping it.

"Don't. Call. Me. Reggie," Regulus grumbled, suddenly in a bad mood.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Evan dismissed.

Barty was about to say something when he held back, eyes travelling to the open Great Hall doors. He made a choking noise, as if the sound had been caught stuck in the back of his throat. Surprised, Regulus and Evan turned to look at the doors as well, following their friend's eyes and understanding his sudden shock.

Severus Snape was being held in place by Lily Evans by his robes' sleeve, eyes widened by the shock that she had the audacity of holding onto him by his sleeve in front of everybody in the Great Hall. Clearly, the girl was angry, finger pointed at his face and scolding him in a low, controlled voice.

"How embarrassing," Evan said, looking away.

"Being scolded in front of everybody," Barty agreed.

"By a mudblood, no less," Regulus added, a smirk coming to his lips.

While the slur slipped by his tongue easily, it was rare for him to use it. His family was deep into their beliefs in the blood purity cause, of course, and that was common knowledge, however one would stop and ponder... and Regulus pondered a lot. He surely believed that being born who he was made him surely made his life easier than most and more deserving of his spot in Hogwarts, moreover he was quite sure that Lily Evans' magic was not as strong or as deep as his, like any muggleborn witch or wizard wouldn't have their magic as strong and rooted in them as him, who had several generations of magical blood running in his veins. That was the very reasons why it was almost acceptable for half-bloods to get involved with purebloods; they, too, had magical blood by at least one side of the family and were, by far, more educated than muggleborns.

Barty laughed as Severus reached for Lily's hand, but had his hand shoved away right away.

"Oh, he'll never be able to forget this," Evan said, glaring at Evans. "I doubt anyone will allow him to ever forget this."

"I wouldn't," Barty said.

Regulus turned to Barty.

"Perhaps if you weren't so terrified of him, you'd be able to mock him at least once in your life, Barty," Regulus teased. "I can assure you that teasing Severus Snape is a popular and acceptable past time for most Slytherin housemates. Besides, it's a good destressing exercise."

"You only say this because Severus Snape wouldn't dare cross you, Regulus," Barty said, rolling his eyes.

Regulus watched as Lily Evans huffed, pushing Severus away and turning away, walking to her table.

"After this... scene, I doubt he'll be brave enough to cross anyone at all," Regulus said, watching as Severus blushed deeply, catching the Slytherin table watching everything. "He barely had any position in here, and he just dropped further down. He's got no power, no education, no money and is a half-blood. Severus Snape is nothing."

Barty turned to Regulus.

"You know, neither is Luna," Barty said.

Regulus felt his stomach twist.

He had thought about it before. He knew that if she was not beside him, protected by his name and reputation (or Pandora's, had she not become her friend in first-year), she would be seen as terribly as Severus was. He had not made the connection between Luna and Severus, of course, and now seeing Severus sitting at the table, alone, he worried.

Luna had no education (dancing, singing, music), no power, no money and no blood. She was nothing but a poor half-blood, even if he felt like she was so much more.

Regulus bit his tongue and said nothing.

Severus Snape makes his first appearence, but I can assure you that it's not his last (unfortunately to some, fortunately to others). Well, what do you think about this chapter?