Valentina didn't have news from Regulus for a few days. He was probably busy which she was too so she was glad to have some alone time to go back on her working routine, she was so passionnate about her job. But sometimes she would get lost in her thoughts, and would often think about the night they shared. It brought her a tingly feeling in the stomach. The boy reappeared one night. She was at her desk studying, so focused she hadn't even heard him apparate in the apartment.

"Valentina," he said, as to catch her attention.

She jumped on her chair as she heard her name before spinning around to face him. Though surprised and even, confused, she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Hi Reg! How are you?"

He looked at her with worried eyes and her smile dropped. Gulping down difficultly he finally said, "I have a question to ask you."

"Okay, sure. Did something happen?"

"No, nothing, I just need to know something."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Did you and my brother have sex?"

"What? Me and who? Did what?" she asked right away, her eyes widening in surprise.

"You and my brother..." he repeated more slowly.

"Me and Sirius what? What the actual fuck, like where does this come from!"

"It's just that the other day, when I came to the headquarters, he asked about you and if we had done it and I was so confused because how does he know... and he just said he saw it by your face, like you had that 'after-sex' face so I thought maybe..." he finished, looking down in embarrassment.

"That's rubbish! Can't he be any more stupid? Ain't no way me and Sirius..." she just said, scrunching her nose in disgust.

"I thought so because he's charming and you like him..."

"He's what? Charming? And I like him? Well not anymore."

She couldn't calm down her anger, she almost didn't notice Regulus' actual distress.

"Are you okay, though?"

"Hm. Could be better. It made me so anxious you can't even imagine. I've always been compared to my brother so unconsciously I started doing it and in this situation I couldn't help doing it too and I thought that over the time I was gone, you may have been bored and wanting something that I couldn't give you..."

"You know what? I was too busy at that time, I had other things to think about. What we did came at the right time. And just so you know, I've been cheated on by my ex-boyfriend so there's no way I'd do the same. Or something equivalent. I just know how bad it hurts. You don't have to worry about this, okay?" as she finished speaking, she took a hold of his face in her gentle hands but he wouldn't look at her.

"Okay," he finally said.

"And don't go around thinking I'd replace you with Sirius, he's not you and he'll never be you. He doesn't even stand a chance next to you! If I want you, I want only you. If I think about you, I only think about you. And if I like you, I only like you. Not Sirius, not anyone else, just Regulus."

He nodded again, feeling a bit reassured now. She kissed him and it felt better suddenly.

Valentina decided to take part in the next meeting. She came earlier, she greeted everyone that was already there finishing by Sirius.

"Hi, do you mind if I have a chat with you? It won't take long."

Sirius glanced at James by his side and decided to follow her in an empty room.

"Why did you want to be alone with me?" he said in a flirty voice, a smirk on his face.

She knew he was just joking but it irritated her even more.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Uh, I don't know," he replied, not in the mood for joking anymore.

"Why did you go tell that to Regulus? Are you outta your mind?"

"I only made a little joke," answered Sirius casually.

The fact that he didn't seem to see the problem angered her more. "By pretending you had sex with me?"

"I didn't, it was only a misinterpretation-"

"But you did it on purpose! Don't you know your brother or what? Regulus is super sensitive and insecure in case you haven't noticed! I mean of course you haven't, for that you have to spend time with him and get to know the real him."

"Bold of you to say that when you literally monopolized him!"

"Excuse me? He was living under your roof, you had all the time to be with him yet there were times I'd come only to realize he was all alone, especially on Christmas day or on New Year's eve and on all the days you weren't there for him! It was me, I was there! Or at least tried because despite being busy I found time for him. You always always find time for the people you care about. But obviously if you don't even care the least about him, this will be difficult."

When Valentina stopped talking, he looked at her, he couldn't utter a single word strangely, him who always had so much to say, she managed to make him go mute. Sighing, she left him standing there like a fool.

"I'm sorry, I'm ready for the meeting," said Valentina as she reentered the kitchen where some more members were present, waiting in silence.

"Are you okay?" wondered Daisy as she came to her side.

"Yes, no worries," answered the girl.

She felt Lily take a hold of her trembling hand as they walked into the meeting room. She looked up and smiled at her.

Valentina and Regulus spent another night together. They had a meeting the next morning so she thought it would be nice to have him over the night before. She especially missed him a lot.

"What have you been doing actually?" wondered Valentina as she was cooking a simple meal for them.

"Nothing special. I spend a lot of time with my cousins and we have the meetings and sometimes the missions... I do the most basic and easy missions fortunately. Except for that day when we met on the battlefield," he answered, still not looking very much enthusiastic. He was by her side, leaning on the furniture.

"This reminds me, I've never thanked you for that. You literally saved my life that day," just as she said those words, she turned her head to glance at him.

The girl was surprised to be met with a pair of lips. He placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her slowly, softly and passionately. She dropped her wand that was used to cook and instead snaked her arms around his waist. It was clear the meal was already long forgotten as they were more interested by each other.

They arrived together the next morning, hand in hand, unable to hide their smiles.

"Wow, someone looks in great shape and it's not even 9 yet!" said Daisy as soon as they came in together.

"Shut up," mouthed the girl. "Regulus, coffee?"

"Hm, yes please," he answered as he came to stand in front of Daisy on the other side of the table. He thought it was weird finding himself there with her. He had always known her and he would have never imagined he would be finding himself in this situation just one year ago.

"I know what you're thinking," started Daisy. "Me neither, I would have never believed we'd be there together today."

"How are things for you?" he asked just as Valentina brought them three cups of coffee.

"Bad. You?" she responded as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Same," he simply told her, taking his cup as well.

The other girl listened but said nothing.

The meeting went well especially since Valentina didn't talk nor look at Sirius the whole time. Regulus shared a few words with his brother and that was it. Today's meeting was to discuss Regulus' future in the Order. Dumbledore wanted to make him a full-time spy in the Death Eaters. He said it was fine to him. Then the man recommended him to find a job at the ministry because they didn't have enough eyes there and someone on both sides would be very useful. He repeated it was fine. And finally it had been decided that Valentina would come to assist him in all those fancy parties. Once again, he said he was fine with that but for the girl he didn't look fine. He only agreed to everything he had been asked to do. It seemed obvious he would be more accepted in the Order if he could do all that dirty work, everything the others couldn't do, despite putting himself in more danger than anyone.

"Are you sure it's fine?" wondered Valentina once they were back at her apartment.

"This is fine! It's not like I haven't been a betrayer for almost a year, acting like nothing happened!" he exclaimed sounding angry though it was mostly nervousness speaking, even his voice was shaking.

"I'm here for you, okay?"

"No. You already have too much on your plate I don't want to bother you with something else."

"This will not bother me Regulus," she told him reassuringly, feeling touched he cared about her that way too.

"I'm sorry, but I'll deal with that myself."

Just as he said the words, he started gathering his belongings, getting ready to leave. She walked to him, made him face her and planted a kiss on his lips. "Come tomorrow, for dinner. And let's have lunch with my mother."

"Okay, I'll come."

It wasn't hard to notice Regulus kept a lot to himself. She didn't know much about his childhood but she could guess he had never been encouraged to express himself. He could be struggling and nobody would ever know because he wasn't ready to open up and probably didn't know how to. She already felt lucky for the few things he had told her about.

Regulus arrived the next day quite early. She was still in the shower and as always she heard nothing. She found him sitting on her bed and she got startled.

"You scared me! You could have said something!" she exclaimed while bringing a hand to her chest where she could feel her heart going crazy. He was always making her heart go crazy.

"What did you want me to say?" he wondered, trying not to laugh at her reaction.

"I don't know you could have just come in while I was in the shower to say you were there. Instead of me discovering you like that."

"I'll do it next time then," he only replied nonchalantly, not the slightest bit bothered by the fact that he scared her.

She approached him in the end, stood in between his legs and leaned her head forward to kiss him. Her hands took a hold of his face gently. As she did this, she could feel his hands above her knees, on her thighs, right under her towel, a light touch of his fingertips on her barely dried skin.

"What are you doing?" she whispered with a little chuckle.

"Nothing," he only said innocently, his smile way too wide.

"You better keep your hands off once at home because Hannah will be there," she chuckled.

"She can be a bit of a kill-joy sometimes," he muttered, laughing against her lips.

"She's just jealous," replied the girl, now just looking down at him, with her hands in his hair.

"She should find herself a boyfriend then," he suggested, half-serious half-joking.

"She's a lesbian, Regulus," chuckled Valentina as it seemed so obvious to her, she thought it would be to him as well.

"Oh. What? Well that makes so much sense. When she said she was going on a date with Venus Davies in Hogsmeade, I thought it was a way to say she was hanging out with her friend."

He was surprised at himself for not realizing earlier what she truly meant when it was very clear, she said it explicitly. Valentina couldn't stop her laughter now, it was so contagious he ended up laughing with her.

After dressing up between fits of laughter, the two arrived together at her mother's place. Despite it being a modest house in comparison to his house, the boy thought it had a really warm and welcoming atmosphere, much more different than the atmosphere at home. This felt more like home.

"Well, it's very simple and basic."

"It's adorable," he replied while looking around at the little decorations, on the wall or on the furniture, and all the photos from when the girls were younger.

"Mum's probably in the kitchen, come here," she told him, holding out her hand for him to take so she could lead him to the other room.

"We're here," she announced as she came into the kitchen.

"I thought I had heard you, see Hannah, I can recognize when she apparates," said their mother to Hannah who just focused on the meal preparation.

Valentina came close to her and kissed her cheek affectionately.

"Regulus, this is my mother, Teresa. Mum, this is Regulus..."

"Your boyfriend," she finished with a smile, her faded out blue, wrinkled eyes twinkling with joy.

Valentina couldn't help making eye contact with Regulus to see his reaction before making eye contact with Hannah who was also smiling.

"Her boyfriend," he confirmed as he held her hand.

"My boyfriend," murmured the girl with a little smile. "Dear boyfriend, could you get Jo please?"

"Which room?"

"First floor, first door on the right."

Regulus walked away and went up the stairs. He knocked on the door and waited until she said he could come in.

The child was playing on the floor, specifically making a puzzle. She had the same ginger hair as her mother and sisters, though much shorter, and she looked so much like them.

"Hello Josephina," said the boy as he entered the room.

Once she heard his words she looked up at him, looking a bit surprised.

"Why did you call me Josephina?" she wondered.

"Hm... isn't that your name?" he said, feeling a bit uncomfortable, thinking he had done a mistake.

"Only Mum calls me that name. Why did you call me that?"

"I don't call people by their nickname if I don't know them. And I don't feel close enough to you to be this familiar, you see?"

She nodded and went back to her puzzle. Regulus sat cross-legged in front of her and decided to ask, pushed by his curiosity. "Why don't you want people to call you Josephina? Wait, is that okay if I still call you Josephina?"

"Okay, I allow you to call me that name."

"You allow me..." he repeated, with a little smile. What a surprising child.

"I don't really like the name Josephina. Only Mum calls me that name because she loves it and chose it specifically for me. It must be special to her."

"That's the reason then? It's really nice."

"It's not the reason," she said right away. She looked up at him and regarded him with intensity and seriousness in her big brown eyes. He couldn't imagine what was going through her mind. "Promise me you won't say anything if I tell you."

"Okay, I promise..." he told her, though a bit confused as he didn't really understand what she meant.

"I don't like that name because it's a girl's name."

There was a moment of silence where neither of them spoke a word.

"I don't really understand. You don't want to have a girl's name?" She shook her head. "But aren't you a girl?" She shook her head again, with more force.

"I'm not a girl so I can't bear that name."

Regulus stayed quiet, his eyes boring into hers once again. It was silent for long seconds where they just looked into each other's eyes.

"You don't understand..." whispered the child, hiding her face in her hands.

"No, I do! You're a boy, right? It's okay, I'm a boy too! We're the same, it's fine," replied Regulus, afraid he would make her cry.

"We're the same?" murmured Jo, looking up again.

Regulus felt relieved when he noticed their eyes glowing with happiness and gratitude.

"Of course we are! You may have some differences but we're still the same. We all have some differences. I have an older brother and we have a lot of differences too but we're still two boys."

"Okay, I get it," answered Jo, with a little smile.

"So, you're a boy. Do you want me talk about you while using he?"

"I don't know," he said shrugging. "It doesn't matter to me, I think I don't know what it means really. Mum, Valentina, Hannah and Marina all say she because I don't really care."

"You're very right. It doesn't really matter but you should think about what makes you feel at ease."

"Okay, I will think about this!"

"So Josephina, you allowed me to use this name and I will use it until we get close and I can call you Jo. And I'll use he to talk about you. Is this fine with you?"

"It's fine!"

"Cool! Great! I just remembered I had to get you so we can eat. Valentina's here too!"

"Oh yes! It's been so long since I saw her! Wait, but who are you?"

"We've been chatting for 20 minutes and it's only now that you ask!" he exclaimed, making Jo laugh. "I'm Regulus, Valentina's boyfriend."

"Oh my god! You're my sister's lover!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes I am," chuckled Regulus. "Can I tell you a secret too?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"I think I'm in love with your sister."

"Wow! Wow! Wow! Tell me, how is it to be in love?"

As he said that, Jo started jumping up excitedly. It surprised Regulus as he thought he was a calm and shy child.

"Hmmm, it's a lot of fun," said Regulus with a smile.

"Are you happy?"

"I am."

"Is my sister happy?"

"I think so."

"So that's why she never comes anymore," he suddenly said, the drop of mood visible.

"No! Not all! Your sister is very busy! I wish I could see her more often too, and it makes me sad too. But if you want, you come to her apartment some time and we'll wait for her together. You don't go to school, right? So you'll have time."

"Okay, cool! I can't wait!"

"Let's talk about this to Valentina," said Regulus as he stood up. He hold out his hand to Jo, which he gladly took.

They walked down together and the women were still busy chatting in the kitchen.

"Josephina and I are here."

They all put their heads outside the door frame upon hearing this name.

"What did you call her?" wondered Valentina with wide eyes.

"That's him," stated Regulus to everyone's surprise.

"Do you want to use he now?" wondered Hannah as she walked up to her sibling.

"I don't know. But I allowed Regulus to say so," said Jo, shrugging.

"And you allowed him to call you Josephina too?" wondered Valentina as she approached her sibling. She knelt down to hug him.

"Yes, exactly, I allowed him."

"You want to be a little boy, officially then?" asked their mother as she too approached. Jo nodded his head.

"He too?"

Jo nodded again.

"I told you I had been switching between pronouns for a while. The decision is taken now," said Hannah.

"Do you want me to call you Jo now?"

"No, you're my mum. You can call me however you want."

"Remember, this is about what you want..." told him Regulus while squeezing his hand.

"I know, but I want still want my mum to call me Josephina."

Teresa approached and knelt where Valentina was some moments earlier. She placed a kiss on his forehead as she told him, "I love you my little boy."

Nobody missed the large smile that took place on his face.

"Can we eat now?" wondered Hannah. She had set the table in the meantime and everything was ready.

"I'm coming to your place for some holidays, Valentina," said Jo as he sat down.

"What?" said the girl, turning her confused eyes to look at her brother.

"Yes, so I can spend more time with you!"

"Okay, fine. I'll find time for you! And we'll go to Diagon Alley, it's been a long time since you went right?"

"We went last week," said Hannah. "But it's true it had been a long time."

"We'll go back then."

"We should go all together when Marina comes back," said their mother, excitedly.

"Excuse me, do you know Diagon Alley?" asked Regulus, feeling quite confused.

"Of course I do! I'm more familiarized with the wizarding world than you think. I always take the girls to platform 9 ¾ and always accompanied them to do their school shopping."

"I'm sorry, I don't know any other Muggle family."

"It's okay. I don't know many wizards myself."

The lunch ended quite late as it seemed like they had a lot of things to talk about. Valentina and Regulus later took a walk in the neighborhood. He expressed regret for not being able to meet Marina and she told him he would eventually meet her. They went home, ate dinner before going to bed.

"I think I fell in love with your family today," said Regulus, while looking at her. They were lying in bed, facing each other, her hand in his hair, his on her waist and it had been quiet for a while.

"You fell in love with my family today and not me?" she asked, faking offense.

"How was I supposed to fall in love with you today when I have been for quite a while already?" he simply murmured, a gentle smile on his lips and a fond look in his eyes.

Valentina said nothing, blinked once and twice and then took her pillow and buried her face in it before letting out a muffled scream.

"I'm sorry, I just need to calm myself," finally spoke the girl as Regulus only chuckled at her reaction.

"You don't have to calm yourself."

"I have to because you're so adorable I want to eat you, I'm gonna jump on you and hug you and never let you go."

"I don't mind," he simply told her while shrugging innocently.

"Don't say that. Don't even say anything, it makes me want to..." she didn't even finish her sentence as her lips were already on his.

"What do you want?" he murmured before going to kiss her again.

"You." She kissed him again as she straightened up to sit on him, straddling his hips, bringing his face up to hers. "I want you because I love you. I'm so in love with you, Regulus."

"I'm glad," he replied, showing her his most genuine smile, his grey eyes twinkling. He looked so happy in this moment, she wanted to be with him, make love with him, never let go of him, for as long as they could be together, she wanted to be in his arms.

author's note: all i need to say is protect trans kids<3333 i'm open to opinions on how i dealt with this trans character and how i made up his story, i hope y'all love jo and the representation he gives!