V —— death & the empress

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          FIANNA'S REIGN OVER HOGWARTS was going swimmingly the second day back at school, if she says so herself. She woke up extra-early, her fringe sat perfectly after the first attempt at styling (when it normally took a teary-eyed three), and her skin had no new breakouts. Just a little concealer to hide scarring and dark circles, her usual smattering of pink blush and black mascara, and she was on her way. She had even managed to put on her tights without ripping a hole with her thumb, which to her felt like a good omen.

Which is something she was desperately searching for, as she arrived early to breakfast, a petition attached to the inside of her school folder. Her plan was to hand it out to as many students as possible before school started, then pass on the breaktime duties to Prewett. Fianna would take lunch, and since she has Quidditch practice after lessons, Prewett was going to go from common room to common room, library to after-school club, secret makeout hideaway to secret makeout hideaway, all to achieve their number one target: securing themselves a Yule Ball.

Fianna felt positive about the whole thing, quite truthfully; she knew the younger years would be pissed off that it would be fourth years and up, but she and Prewett agreed that they were basing their Yule Ball off of tradition, and that's what all of the Yule Balls before had done. She would be happy to speak to Dumbledore about something else for the younger years — they could always have a Christmas dinner, or something, somewhere else in the school, something that would require less supervision than the Ball.

(She says this, because one of the many reasons the Triwizard Tournaments were cancelled happened to be the many, many dual-nationality babies popping up — or should Fee say, out — after a night of hidden Firewhiskey flasks and pretty dresses.)

Fianna inhales a bowl of cinnamon porridge and raspberries before attending to the students wandering into the Great Hall, her peppiness a strong match for their second-day-back grumpiness, something that quickly dissolved after she explained her hopes for a Yule Ball. "We're going to go all-out for it — chocolate fountain, photo booth, hiring a band, the lot," she told everyone, reminding them of all of the memories that they could experience on the special night. She told people about the possibility of a theme, about being able to dance with their best friends or their significant others... By eight o'clock, Fianna had run through every advantage she could think of to secure another signature on their parchment.

At half-eight, Prewett appeared, relinquishing Fianna's duties until lunchtime. The muscles in her face felt sore from smiling so much — so when Regulus walks up to them, she almost glares, before remembering they're supposed to be in love. Her face hurts as she smiles again.

"Hey," she says, and he kisses the top of her head. She tries her best not to stiffen, uncomfortable; as someone who's first kiss was a fake one two days prior, she feels like they need to implement a no kissing rule, stat. This affection is making her sad.

"What's this?" says Regulus, snatching the petition from Prewett's hands. Prewett, who was talking to a girl the year below them, pauses, and gives Regulus a dirty look.

"Uh, the petition for the Yule Ball your girlfriend wants?"

Clearly, Prewett is not a morning person. Or a Slytherin fan... or maybe even a Death Eater fan, something that embarrasses Fianna. Her fake boyfriend, a Death Eater. Her brother's going to kill her...

"It could be for something else," says Fianna, deciding to stand up. She barely knows Regulus, and yet, she can feel how uncomfortable he is, hovering next to the Gryffindor table. She doubts he'll sit down — he's looking at the bench as if he'll combust into flames, like an old witch at the stake. Although, she wouldn't dare step foot near the Slytherin table, in case she has to speak to those evil boys Regulus is unfortunately friends with.

Even more unfortunately...

Fianna's gaze lands on the entrance into the Great Hall — and in particular, the great big black dog, sat in the middle of the threshold. Students are walking past it, frowning at it. A couple said they thought it was the pet of a student that left a couple of years ago; she overhears someone sitting down near her, telling their friend they thought dogs weren't allowed. And yet, Fianna knows it isn't a dog — just like how the swan frequenting the Great Lake isn't actually a swan.

"Uh, Reg... I left something in the library, can you come with...?"

Regulus frowns. But, he seems to remember that they're supposed to be madly in love, so he nods. "Yeah, sure," he says with a shrug.

Prewett winks at Fianna. "See you at lunch."

Internally, she thinks, Gross.

Externally, she goes, "See you later."

Fianna takes hold of Regulus' hand, dragging him away from Prewett. They pass Georgia, having just arrived at breakfast; she must've spotted the black dog too, because she smirks at Fianna, and sings, "Good luck!" when they pass.

"What does she mean...?"

It suddenly dawns on Fianna that if Regulus learns about the Marauders being Animagi, he might figure out what Remus is. Her heart stops, and she pulls him to the side of the hall, looking up at him.

"Right, when you find this out — you can't tell a soul," says Fianna. Regulus gives her a funny look. "I'm serious. I don't care how much you hate your brother — I will kill you if you tell anyone."

Regulus raises an eyebrow, and looks down at the four-foot-eleven girl threatening him. "You're going to have to reach me first," he says.

Fianna glares. "I'm the top of our Defence class, I don't need to worry about height."

The smirk is wiped off of his face, as if he's finally realised how serious she is. "OK, but what are you on about?" he says.

"You'll find out!" she says, pulling him towards the black dog.

Students pass them, the scent of breakfast drawing them to the tables like swans to water. She's normally quite good at weaving through crowds — after a childhood of ballet lessons, she gained a level of swift gracefulness in her movement — but when everyone pauses to gawk at her and her new boyfriend, the moving quickly is a little less efficient. Finally, they reach the black dog, who upon their arrival starts to walk away.

They're led up the stairs, and up, and up. They go past the corridor leading to the Gryffindor common room, which confuses Fianna, thinking that's where the dog would go. Instead, they're led through the seventh floor corridor, the shortcut from her common room to the prefect's bathroom. She's about to open her mouth to question the dog, but then, he sits down. In the middle of the corridor, a great wooden door appears in the wall. The dog pushes the door open, revealing a hidden room.

Fianna looks at Regulus, confused. He looks as if he's about to say something, but she sees the door start to close behind the dog, so she rushes to keep it open, worrying the door will disappear again.

Her and Regulus step inside. The door opens to a massive room — one she thinks is bigger than the Great Hall, with rows and rows of shelves, every surface covered with a random object. She sees a gramophone, a stack of books, the head from a suit of armour. In the distance, she sees the glint of a mountain of silver. Her brows furrow as the door closes.

"What is this place...?"

"The Room of Hidden Things," says Regulus.

Fianna looks back at him. "How do you—?"

"I have a better question!" says Sirius, jumping out from one of the shelves. Regulus flinches, and his eyes widen at his older brother. But before he can demand anything, Sirius storms up to Regulus. "What the fuck is going on here?"

"I'm sorry." Remus' voice appears, too, as he wanders out from the shelf the other side of them. He stands behind Regulus, towering over him. Fianna wonders if he's trying to be intimidating. "I didn't think Padfoot would be this dramatic."

Fianna wishes she could disappear. She's just grateful that James and Peter aren't here, too. Although... She looks around, trying to spot any eyes in the gaps of the shelves. They seem to be safe.

"I think this is a perfectly reasonable level of drama!" says Sirius, throwing his hands up.

Regulus glares at Sirius. "Hello, brother."

Fianna sighs, crossing her arms. "So, who told you?"

"Molly Weasley — after her brother told her that you two were found snogging in the train toilets!" says Sirius, his voice getting louder with each word.

Regulus shrugs, clearly trying to piss his brother off. "What can I say, I'm a romantic—"

"Well you shouldn't be with her!" says Sirius, pointing wildly at Fianna.

Fianna glances at her actual brother. He looks at her, and shrugs. "I mean, I'm a little concerned considering what... he is..." Remus pauses, and Regulus fidgets uncomfortably. "But I don't really care about the rest of it. I made worse decisions, Padfoot did, too—"

"But she is better than us!" says Sirius. "She's the golden child, and for her to be with my awful younger brother—"

"You know, if we got married, she could actually be your favourite sibling — it's how you treat her anyway—"

Sirius groans. "Do not put the thought of marriage in my head!"

Remus covers his face with his hand. "Yeah, I think I'm going to vomit."

Fianna doesn't know what to do. She can tell this is quickly becoming an argument between Sirius and Regulus — it's dawning on that they haven't spoken since Sirius was kicked out, so this encounter is years of pent-up aggression. But how does she calm down the situation? She looks across at her big brother, desperately wishing he'll do something to calm his best friend down. She barely knows Regulus, she doesn't know how to soothe him!

"How did this even happen?" says Sirius, close to wailing.

Fianna opens her mouth to say a lie, but Regulus beats her to it.

"I'm sure you and your Order friends knew I went to Patronum a lot over the summer," says Regulus, nonchalantly. He looks across at Fianna, who feels embarrassed. She's dreading Sirius bringing up how she talked about seeing Regulus, just before school started. "It just... happened, I suppose."

Fianna sighs. "Look, this has nothing to do with either of you," she says, moving closer to the door. In doing so, she stands next to Regulus, which she supposes adds to their lie. "We need to go, anyway. Do you realise what people are going to think, if we're late to class together?"

Sirius looks horrified. "Merlin, stop it!"

This seems to be her brother's tipping point, because Remus' eyes widen, and he looks close to retching. "Oh my God, have you done it at home? In our home?"

Fianna, a virgin, doesn't say anything. Regulus stays quiet, too — something that incriminates them both. Remus turns away, groaning.

"... I'm going to be sick," he says.

Sirius turns to his brother. "Regulus, you are going to hell—"

But Regulus cuts him off. "Fianna's almost eighteen, she's old enough to have sex anyway. Why are you both infantilising her like that? What, because she's a girl?"

Sirius is stunned, as is Fianna. "I—No..."

"You're actually being quite misogynistic, brother," says Regulus. He turns to his fake girlfriend, who hasn't said a word, the worst person she knows making an excellent point. "And anyway — how did you even get in here? You can't Apparate in Hogwarts."

"Uh, but you can in the tunnels," says Sirius, giving his brother a nasty look. "Don't change the subject — I know what you're like, Regulus, and I don't want Fee anywhere near your kind—"

"What are you going to do, rat me out to Mother and Father? Oh wait, you can't, because they don't even speak to you—"

"OK, OK, OK." Fianna puts her hands up, standing in-between the two warring brothers. She looks across at her own brother, grateful this isn't their relationship. "What was the point in you both coming here? To have a go at us?"

"Well, I just wanted to speak to you about this," says Remus.

Fianna's eyes are locked with her brother's; she hates lying, and she can't lie to her loved one's faces. She has to break her gaze, looking to the side instead as she shrugs. "Well... I'm fine. I'm not being forced against my will to do anything, alright? You don't need to worry."

"But you know what he is," says Sirius, in a tone far kinder than before.

Regulus steps forwards, though, ready to argue again. Fianna puts her hand up; it awkwardly rests against his chest, which somehow stops him from doing anything silly. Her fingers feel fuzzy, like static is dancing all over them, as she feels the wool of his jumper.

"I... know," she says, and she doesn't know what else to say. What can she say? She knows he's a Death Eater, and she doesn't care? That they're only in this mess because she saw Aurors on the train, looking to arrest Death Eaters? She doesn't get it herself — why is she bending over backwards to protect someone who would kill her, kill her brother, if they knew what they were?

Part of her wishes she could come clean and tell her brother what's actually going on. But then she'd have to admit that she warned Regulus in the first place about the Aurors. At least this way, they can blame her stupid decisions on being lovesick. The actual reason she did them? Well, she doesn't even know.

"But, you know," Fianna pauses for a minute, feeling awkward. "Imagine who your parents would've thought he was similar to, if he didn't become one."

Sirius doesn't say anything after that. Neither does her brother, except for an awkward "goodbye" before her and Regulus leave the room. The door disappears behind them; with their brothers in another realm, or universe, or whatever dimension that room existed in, Regulus turns to Fianna.

"What was that?" he says, quietly.

Fianna doesn't know where it came from, either. Maybe the years of hearing about his awful parents. Maybe when she heard Sirius suspect his brother had become a Death Eater, scoffing miserably about how happy his mother must be. Maybe all of these days and months and years, being on the other side of the story — Sirius' side, the one loathing anything to do with his bloodline, and justifiably so — and yet, having that thought in the back of her head. How shitty must it be, to have lost your brother?

She imagines how she'd be, if she didn't have Remus anymore. In fact, she does — she used to have nightmares when she was little, about Greyback killing Remus, or Greyback coming back to kill her, and being able to because her brother wasn't there. She remembers how much she relied on her brother when she started at Hogwarts, or how she gained three extra brothers once the Marauders banded together. She became an Animagus for him. She thinks she'd die if he did.

And that's what happened to Regulus, surely? His brother isn't dead, sure, but he may as well be — Sirius Black is dead to his mother, his father, and in turn, his brother. And maybe that's why, for all of this time, Fianna couldn't help but feel sorry for Regulus. Would you not strive to be the golden boy, if your other sibling was cast out for not being that?

But she doesn't say any of this. Instead, she feels embarrassed that her brother thinks she's dating the sort of person that would want him dead.

She snatches her hand away from Regulus', and starts to walk away. "I'm just trying to sell this," she says, coldly.

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          THEY'RE BOTH LATE, OF COURSE, so they're forced to sit together in Divination. Professor Trelawney, the new Divination teacher, introduces herself to them, but wanting to establish herself as serious, gives them detentions for tardiness. Fianna gives Regulus a dirty look. This is all his fault. The head girl should not be getting detentions, especially during the first week back!

Trelawney uses her wand to tie her blonde curls into a bun, something she undoes with a flick of her wrist, her wand magicking up tea cups, tarot cards, and books about astrology. A tarot deck appears on Fianna and Regulus' table.

"As we ascend into our new relationships as prophetic partners, I must ensure you're all equipped in the basics. Partners will spend fifteen minutes on one branch of divination, and then we shall move onto the next," she says. "Begin!"

Before Fianna can get to them, Regulus has picked up the tarot cards, shuffling them. She watches his hands, and she recognises how big they are, how long his fingers are, all boney like a skeleton's. With his lankiness, and the dark circles under his eyes, she feels like he's one strong gust of wind away from blowing over.

He looks up at her. He must be annoyed at her, too, because he raises an eyebrow. Fianna frowns back.

"What?" she says.

"Well? What do you wanna know?" he says, and he lifts up the cards.

"No," says Fianna.

"No?" he echoes.

"I don't want your hands anywhere near my future," she says, but tries to sound like she's being annoying on purpose, in case anyone overhears. "You ask them something."

"OK — I'm not telling you what, though."

Fianna rolls her eyes. "OK. I don't care."

The Death card falls out, a gangly Grim Reaper that looks remarkably like Regulus. Fianna snorts.

Regulus gives her a dirty look. "Right, it doesn't always mean—"

The Tower falls out of the deck, and on top of Death. A card often symbolising unexpected personal change, twinned with Death — a card with an almost-identical meaning — Fianna starts to smirk.

"Well. Go on," says Fianna, enjoying this. "What's the next one? Why's this change happening to you?"

The Empress flutters out of the deck. It means a lot of things — it's Fianna's favourite card — but amongst nature, femininity, and compassion, it can symbolise abundance, especially of those nurturing traits. Ruled by Venus, it can mean love, too... Something that horrifies Fianna to see, when she gets a better look at the deck. The Empress' crown sits on top of her long, blonde hair. To her side, a white swan sits.

"Jesus fuck," says Fianna.

"You and swans," Regulus mutters. He must've noticed it, too, the Empress' resemblance to her, but he swipes the three cards off the table, shuffles them back into the deck, and hands them to her. "Your turn."

Fianna looks down at the cards, but before she shuffles, she frowns. "What do you mean, me and swans?" she says.

"You like swans...?" says Regulus, confused.

"Yeah, but what does that even mean? How do you know—?"

"What are you doing?" he says.

Fianna stops shuffling. "What?"

"Can you not... shuffle cards?" says Regulus. He rolls his eyes, exasperated, and extends his hand out. "Merlin, give them back to me."

"No!"

"OK, look like a fool then."

"That's not going to work."

Regulus crosses his arms, watching her shittily shuffle the cards. Eventually, he reaches across the table, taking them out of her hands. Before Fianna can snatch them back, a card falls out of the deck, onto the table.

The Empress, again.

"This is rigged," Fianna declares.

"No, it's not—"

The Tower falls out, again.

Fianna raises an eyebrow. "See?"

"You shuffled them badly, that's the only reason why—"

Death falls on top — the mirrored reading to Regulus'. The Fianna-looking Empress, The Tower, then the gaunt Regulus-resembling Death. Her eyes finally spot the black swan in the background of Death's card, and she grimaces. This isn't happening.

"How are the tarot cards tumbling?"

Trelawney appears next to them, with such quiet swiftness that it makes Fianna jump. She peers through her thick circle-shaped glasses at the cards on the table, and then looks up at the two.

"Uh, yeah, it's fine," says Fianna, hoping she'll go away.

"All Major Arcana," Trelawney observes, her fingers stroking the cards. Fianna exchanges a look with Regulus, both unsure of what to say. "Who does this belong to?"

Both of us, sadly, Fianna thinks, but instead she says, "Me."

"I see," says Trelawney, who picks up The Empress for a moment, before setting it back down on the table. She then looks across at Regulus, and smiles softly. "Don't wade into the water, dear boy."

With that, Trelawney glides away, talking to the next table.

Fianna looks across at Regulus. She opens her mouth, about to make a quip about Trelawney's eccentricism, but instead, she's met with a grave look on his face. Her brows furrow.

"Are you... OK...?"

"I'm fine," he says.

"'Wade into water' seems oddly specific," says Fianna, uncomfortably trying to joke, to make the air a little lighter.

And although he shrugs it off, he can't hide the look on his face — one of deep thought, as if whatever message Trelawney said had some meaning to it. Fianna keeps on looking across at him, as their cards are swapped for tea leaves, then tea leaves for birth charts, and she can't shake the thought. Something is wrong with Regulus Black... More than usual, she means. And, unfortunately, Fianna seems to be the only one that's noticed.

the dynamic between sirius and reg is SO interesting i love

hope u enjoyed!! lmk what you thought<333