Hi everyone!

Since I'm a huge fan of HP and OUaT, I thought I could maybe do something about that! This is a 7 chapter story. Each chapter is equivalent to one year of study in Hogwarts. This is the story of HP's parents when they were students, and how they became what we all know – I took some liberties from the original story (such as Bellatrix being the same age as Severus) but besides that, my story is quite faithful to the book: HP fans should be okay with it. And it's also a SQ story.

My story is entirely written and complete, and I'll post every other day, I think. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it. If you don't want to, it's fine too. Just hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

S.

Chapter 1. The beginning of the end. First Year.

Regina Snape had never had an easy life. Her mother, Cora Snape, had always been very demanding with her. And her father, Tobias Snape, was a cruel Muggle who had no consideration whatsoever for his children. The only light in her life was her twin brother, Severus. She was born just before him, and as the big sister, she had always wanted to protect him, and to make him smile.

Even though their mother was not either tender or loving, she had never harmed Regina. And Tobias was a cruel man, but he had never beaten her: she was a girl. Severus had not that chance. The first time Tobias had got really angry with him – for no apparent reason – he had broken up his leg. These "accidents", Regina could not remotely remember them all. There were far too many of them. In an attempt to protect her brother, she had discovered her powers at six years old. She had knocked out her father, simply by screaming at him to stop. And Severus had found his powers right after her, healing himself for the first time.

Regina was a skinny little girl, without the fair beauty so many young girls have. She was not loved, not desired, and not taken care of. She never smiled, and never laughed. But when she was alone with Severus, escaping their parents, and pretending to be important persons with incredible powers, she was not the same anymore. In those moments, one could see this spark in her eyes, and this mesmerizing smile. They were not much, but for a trained eye, they were everything: the promise of a true beauty resting, waiting to be unleashed. Her little brother was quite the same as his sister. Although he was not as graceful and his face traits were rougher, his smile and his love for his sister were transfiguring him most of the time.

They grew up in their own bubble. Waiting for nothing from their parents, but living for each other. Their mere presence could ease their aches and brighten their days. They didn't even need to speak. They just needed each other, as a house needs a pillar, or a person needs air to breathe.

They were eight when they saw her for the first time. They were not far away from home, just playing in the nearest clearing.

"Sev, I think I heard someone over there" little Regina had said.

"Must be some Mudblood, Gin" he had casually answered her.

"I know, silly. I was thinking maybe we could scare them?" she had mischievously grinned.

They were not mean, and didn't enjoy cruelty. But the little education they had received was a bad one. They had been taught to despise those who didn't have magic, and how could a child distinguish between these two difficult notions of good and evil? How could they understand that there is a fine line between the two? They were just children, happy to be together, and trying to prove themselves that they were worth the respect they had never been showed.

And so they had observed from the distance, and hidden by the bushes, the two little girls who were playing. Although one of them was clearly a Muggle, the other one seemed to be a witch without realising it. As the first one was rather insignificant, the other one was radiant. Her red hair was shiny, her smile was ravishing, and her green eyes were sparkling, even from a distance. When Regina had turned to Severus to ask him what he thought about her, she had not been able to capture his attention. He was completely and utterly focused on the red-head girl, and seemed to have forgot her presence. She could remember the moment perfectly: the first time her brother had not paid attention to her, and behaved with the same indifference as her parents. Hurt, the little girl had left her brother, tears in her eyes, and had waited for his return. Days after days, Severus had then insisted for them to go back to the girls. And they had. One thing leading to another, they had eventually talked to the red-head Severus seemed to like so much, and she had become their only friend.

Her name was Lily Evans. Although she didn't seem to share Severus' obvious obsession, she was quite fascinated by him, and always looked at him with a sort of veneration. But she looked at Regina the same way, which clearly annoyed Severus. Regina had forgot about her brother's indifference that first time they had met Lily and had forgiven him. But she had never talked about it with him, and had never mentioned what she thought she had understood about Severus' feelings.

And here they were, in the train leading them to Hogwarts, with Lily. They were having a discussion about the four houses, when two boys and a girl interrupted them. While Regina and Severus were, according to their education, attracted to the Slytherin House, the three others obviously despised it.

"Charming future little Gryffindors here, are we not?" Regina sarcastically asked.

"Absolutely, got a problem with that?" the blonde girl responded in the same manner.

"Well, no. If you'd rather be brawny instead of brainy…" Severus said.

The twins shared a smirk. One of the two other boys – who, truth be told, was quite handsome, even for an eleven-year-old boy -, added:

"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?"

The three of them started to laugh, while Regina and Severus gritted their teeth. The latter was about to say something when Lily stepped in, and said:

"Don't mind them, Severus. They're not worth it. Let's go."

Lily, Severus and Regina stood up and left, while the other boy – the one with an uncertain hairstyle – said:

"See you, Servilus".

Regina turned around so fast with her wand handed high, the boys didn't even see her. But the blonde girl did, and her wand was ready in her hand, too. They confronted, measuring each other and trying to intimidate one another. But none of them lowered their wand.

"Tell your "friends" to think twice before nicknaming my brother. I will not hesitate to hurt you." Regina menacingly said. At first, the two boys were tempted to laugh at Severus for letting a girl defend him, but Regina's aura was so impressive and dissuasive in that moment that they shut their mouths. The blonde girl also seemed impressed, but not enough as to remain silent.

"And what's your name, Slytherin girl?" she smirked.

"My name is none of your concern, but will soon be your worst nightmare…" Regina answered. She looked the girl from head to toe, before adding: "Miss Swan".

The girl's mouth fell open at that, and Regina left the compartment with a victorious smile. While they were looking for other places, Lily asked:

"How did you know her name?"

"It was written on her suitcase", Severus said before she could answer Lily.

The twins appreciatively smiled at each other.

When they arrived at Hogwarts, they were told to wait in front of a hat, named the Sorting Hat, which would determine to which of the four houses the new students would be assigned. They were called by their surnames, in an alphabetic order. The first one to be called who was not unknown to the three friends was the handsome boy they had seen in the train.

"Black Sirius… Gryffindor".

That Sirius seems to be relieved, Regina thought. Foolish little boy, she whispered. Severus sniggered. Funny fact, a dark-haired handsome girl whose name was Black as well had been sent to Slytherin just before him. Bella-something, Regina couldn't remember exactly. The sorting hat kept on up until:

"Evans Lily"

Severus and Regina looked at each other expectantly and worriedly.

"Gryffindor"

They couldn't help the disappointment they both felt. When Black tried to make room next to his own place, while smirking at the twins, Lily haughtily looked at him, and chose the opposite sit, which made them widely smile.

"Potter James"

And here comes idiot number 2, Regina thought.

"Gryffindor"

Soon, it was Regina's turn to be called.

"Snape Regina"

Regina suddenly felt very self-conscious and scared. Severus reassuring look calmed her enough to walk without hesitation. When she sat on the chair, she noticed the Swan girl mouthing "Regina" and winking at her. She winked at me, she thought disbelievingly. The simple fact distracted her enough not to pay attention to the Hat's hesitations. He finally made its choice:

"Slytherin"

She broadly smiled at her brother, and raised her eyebrows at the blonde girl, as if to challenge her.

"Snape Severus… Slytherin"

Severus joined her, and sat between the Prefect and her. They tenderly smiled at each other, and regretfully looked at Lily, from across the room, who seemed fairly displeased with her location, so far away from her friends. Their respective thoughts were interrupted by:

"Swan Emma"

The blonde girl wasn't scared when she moved to the hat and sat. In fact, she was even smiling, and Regina couldn't help but feel impressed… nor could she avoid noticing that she had shining green eyes, a little like Lily's… if not brighter.

"Gryffindor"

The blonde girl didn't stop smiling, and went to sit next to Potter and Black. Regina didn't understand the dash of disappointment that filled her, but didn't think twice about it. Instead, she decided to focus on her neighbour, who was named Black.

"Any filiation with the Gryffindor boy?"

"Actually, he's my cousin… or should I say was. Our entire family has been in Slytherin, I'm pretty sure my aunt is about to disinherit him…" she laughed.

"Well, well, well. Isn't it deserved indeed?" she ironically answered.

The girl's name was Bellatrix, and Regina immediately clicked with her. She was very smart, beautiful and funny. She was a lot like her cousin, if only physically – they both shared this remarkable and unmistakable beauty – even if she had a darker side to her that was clear to Regina, and which she found rather endearing. Her brother met her as well, but seemed a little more reserved, as if he was waiting to make his opinion about her.

The dinner ran smoothly. The professor Dumbledore, the fortyish Headmaster, made a speech, after which all the students were led to their respective dormitories. Lily smiled at the twins from the distance, and waved at them. They enthusiastically answered her in the same manner. This didn't go unnoticed by Bellatrix.

"Be careful, Regina. She's a Gryffindor."

"Don't fret, Bellatrix. She was our friend before Hogwarts".

"Well, my point exactly!" Bella answered "She was your friend. Past tense"

Severus tensed. She felt his unease – mostly because she was feeling it as well – so she smiled politely, and took her brother's hand, squeezing it lightly. He looked at her, and they shared in their look all the reassurances they couldn't voice in that moment. When they arrived, they noticed that the boys and the girls were not sleeping in the same bedrooms. They again shared a look, but this time it was a worried one, and their kiss goodbye didn't ease their worries.

Regina didn't sleep well that night. First, for the first time in her life, she was separated from her twin brother. They had always been used to sleeping in the same room before. Second, she couldn't help but being worried about Severus and Lily. Could the three of them stay friends despite the separated houses? Would they have to be enemies? And her biggest worry of all: would Severus be in a lot of pain because of his feelings for Lily, with the time passing by?

When she woke up, she hurried to wash and dress, and walked to the common-room, waiting for her brother. He arrived only seconds later, and they went to the Great Hall to have their breakfast. They were about to sit at the Slytherin table when they saw Lily, waving them to come sit with her. Their hesitation didn't last, and they happily went to her, sitting on each of her sides.

"Hey guys! So how was that first night?" Lily enthusiastically asked.

"Weird" Regina grumbled.

"You really can't get enough of me, sis'" smiled Severus.

She was about to protest when she noticed his pride and the love that had infiltrated his irises. So she fondly smiled back, and opted to tell the truth.

"You know I can't"

"Ok, well tell me! Who is sleeping in your dormitory?" Lily urged them.

"Hum… Bella, Perkins, two other girls I haven't talked to yet." Regina shrugged.

"Evan, Avery, Mulciber and Wilkes". Severus enumerated.

"Wow, you already have so many friends, Sev?" Regina exclaimed surprised.

"Can't really call them friends. They just speak a lot… and…" he watched Lily from the corner of his eyes, and seemed to change the sentence he was about to say "and they were quite proud to give me their surnames. Avery, Wilkes and Mulciber wouldn't even give their names, they were far too eager to let me know about their Pure-Blood lineage…"

"Pure-Blood? You told me that it didn't make any difference!"

Lily looked at her friends, panic shining inside her eyes.

"And we didn't lie, Lil. But it makes a difference for some people" Regina explained.

"Nobody asked me about my parents yesterday…"

"To be honest…. The purity of lineage is more important in Slytherin than in any other houses…" Severus slowly said.

"And…did you know that?" Lily asked, already a little accusing.

The twins winced.

"Well… yeah, sorta" reluctantly affirmed Regina.

"But we promise it doesn't change anything for us, even if we're Slytherins and you're a Gryffindor, now!" Severus added very fast. Regina smiled her agreement. This calmed down Lily who gladly smiled back even if the ghosts of her worries were still lingering in her eyes.

"So, you didn't tell us! Who are your roommates?" Severus subtly changed the subject.

"Amy, Alice, Bertha, and… Emma" Regina noticed the contempt Lily had used to pronounce the last name.

"I'm sorry for you, Lil" sincerely said Regina.

"She's so full of herself, you seriously have no idea, Gina!" angrily added the young girl.

"Not everyone has the chance to have your kindness and your heart, Lily" Severus muttered.

"Thank you Sev", murmured in the same kind Lily, and while she did, her eyes were sparkling with adoration.

Regina couldn't help smiling at this. Maybe the fears she had experienced the night before were irrational and she had no reason to fret about it. Everything would be figured out, and they would still be friends, and Sev's heart wouldn't be shattered into pieces because Lily didn't love him back. Her thoughts were stopped by Lily who exclaimed pretty loudly.

"God, I so hope we'll have all the same classes!"

"Really? I would be sorry to puke on you if we did have all our classes with those Slytherins" a boy sarcastically said.

The three of them turned around in the same motion and saw the three Gryffindors they had met on the train. The boy who had spoken was Potter. And Black was silently laughing next to him. Swan's face was on the contrary impassive. While Black and Potter sat next to Severus, Swan sat next to Regina.

"Hello, Regina" she said sufficiently.

Regina could already hear the boys annoying her brother, but she couldn't help answering the girl.

"Miss Swan" she coldly replied.

"Miss Swan? Seriously? You don't know my name?" she asked surprised.

"Of course I do. I am well aware of your name, but I only tell my friends' names. I have no interest in speaking with an insignificant Gryffindor stranger." She told her, staring directly in her eyes. They're blue today, Regina thought.

"That much is clear. No need for the drama though. I was not going to bother you, you know. I just wanted to talk with you." Emma soothingly said.

"I hope there is no misunderstanding here, Miss Swan. For the past eleven years you've been doing… God knows what you've been doing… I lived with my brother, having just him and loving only him. He's everything I have, and I have no intention to be friends or even talk with persons like yourself."

"Like myself? What is that supposed to mean?" the blonde angrily asked.

"You are full of yourself, smug, unpleasant, disdainful, sno…"

"Yeah, ok I think I get the picture, here." Swan interrupted her. "But just so you know, I am not the one acting disdainfully right now, Your Majesty. I really thought you were different, you know."

Regina could think of no reply, and just stared blankly at the girl. She wondered what the girl meant by her last statement but she suddenly heard the insults her brother was being subjected to. Though before she could do anything about it, Lily screamed:

"You spoiled little rats! You don't get to speak to him like this. You're not worth the shit of his dog."

Regina had never heard Lily sworn before.

"Come on, guys. Let's go!"

She was outside the Great Hall before they could have closed their mouths, still hanging open in shock. They looked at each other, the shock still present in both their features, and widely smiled. They were both impressed with their friend. They quickly left the room and joined Lily outside.

"I can't believe the Sorting Hat sent me in this House! I am nothing like them! They aren't brave, they're just trying to take advantage of persons weaker than them!"

"Hey! I'm not weaker!" Severus said, offended.

"Of course not… this was not what I meant… they were outnumbering you…" Lily tried to backpedal.

"Well actually, we were six, three each" clarified Regina.

"But you were busy with Emma, and I didn't want to get angry at those jerks on the first day!" Lily explained.

"Guess it's too late for that" teased Severus.

"Shut up, Sev" Lily said, but her voice was filled with love. "At least, now, I know what to expect from them. What did Emma want, Gina?"

Severus also turned to her, waiting for her answer.

"Swan – she emphasized the name – wanted us to be friends…"

Her brother's eyes were wide open.

"Really?" disbelievingly asked Lily.

"And what did you say?" expectantly asked Severus.

"I… told her, with all the courtesy and politeness you know I use with people like her, to take a hike". She smirked.

Severus and Lily laughed out loud.

"Ok, guess she didn't see that one coming" said Lily, still laughing.

"Probably not" conceded Regina.

"But why did she ask you that, Gin?" Severus eagerly asked.

"No idea… maybe she was trying to make fun of me" Regina shrugged.

They didn't talk about the incident anymore, and went to the headmaster of their respective Houses to get their timetables.

"Meet us in ten minutes in the Great Hall, Lil" Severus told her.

"No problem, Sev!" answered their friend.

Ten minutes later, they were comparing their schedules, glad to notice that they indeed shared many lessons.

"Perfect, we have Transfiguration together and then Potions and also Defence against the Dark Arts this afternoon!" widely smiled Lily.

"Great" affirmed Severus.

"We should go in Transfiguration now though, if we don't want to be late" Regina said.

They walked to the classroom together, exchanging their first impressions, their fears and hopes. Lily clearly was afraid of what they would do, and feared not to be on the same level as the others. The twins immediately reassured her, saying that she had many powers, and that she already could perform most of the spells they had taught her. And this truly amazed Regina. After all, most of the kids couldn't willingly perform magic, while Lily had always been able to. Plus, once they had had their wands, and performed magic (even though they weren't allowed to) nearby the twins' house, Lily had succeeded almost everything. She had mastered Reparo and Lumos right away, just like Regina and Severus. Regina was fond of these memories. She remembered the moment perfectly. They were just back from Diagon Alley, with their new wands and books, and they had wanted to train right away. They had opened the Standard Book of Spells of Severus, and had tried Lumos. The three wands had automatically lit up, which had made them drop the wands. They had laughed at their foolishness hysterically for ten minutes. This had brought the old Tobias out of the house, screaming at his kids to come home this instant. But this happy memory was stuck inside Regina's brains, and she smiled fondly remembering it.

The Transfiguration class was taught by the same woman who had led them to the Sorting Hat. She seemed very severe, but Regina decided right away that she liked her. Bellatrix was already sat, and smiled at her when she saw the girl, but quickly noticed Lily and turned around. Regina frowned.

They sat at the middle of the class, the two girls on each sides of Severus, and patiently waited for the class to begin. Regina noticed that Gryffindor and Slytherin students were careful not to be mixed up. Except for the three of them.

Swan was the last to enter the class, and sat next to Potter and Black, two rows in front of them. She also noticed a short and fat boy who was looking at the three Gryffindor expectantly. She rolled her eyes, and focused on the Professor.

"Welcome everyone in Transfiguration. You will call me Professor McGonagall. As you already know I am Gryffindor's Headmaster. I expect a lot of work in my class. If you work hard and have decent aptitudes, you will never have any problems with me. Be careful if you do not. Do not take Transfiguration lightly. It is one of the most complex and dangerous discipline. Anyone who disrupts my class will have a detention."

She had then transformed the table into a pig, and back in a table. They were all impressed, and the three friends shared excited looks. But they quickly realised they were very far from doing the same, when McGonagall asked them to transform a match into a needle. The exercise was very difficult. They were all focusing so hard on the match that Regina could see veins popping on some heads. The twins and Lily shared a disappointed look when they couldn't have any result after trying for 45 minutes.

"Maybe we don't focus enough" Severus desperately whispered.

"Or maybe it is because my parents are Muggles, and I will never be able to do it" said Lily, defeated.

"Hey beautiful, don't say that! It has nothing to do with it! I think we just don't trust ourselves hard enough, and we don't know what to expect. But I believe in the two of you, and I know you can do it. Maybe we could hold our hands and try again, focusing on each other? I'm pretty sure we could not fail if we tried this like that!" Regina encouraged.

Lily and Severus happily agreed, confident in their friendship and their unified powers. Under the table, Severus opened his left hand, waiting for his sister and Lily's hands. They took it, and they all squeezed forcefully, trying to focus once again on the match. At first, nothing happened. But after five minutes, they tightened their hands, and their matches got thinner and stickier. They were not completely needles, but they were at least closer to it, and they had had a result. They proudly smiled at each other but didn't let go of their hands. McGonagall approached them, and appreciatively looked at their almost-needles.

"Five points for Gryffindor and ten points for Slytherin" she almost affectionately said.

The three of them beamed. Regina noticed the look their Professor gave to their linked hands, without making any comment. She was obviously surprised. Regina smirked. Of course a Gryffindor couldn't understand that someone like Lily could be friends with Slytherins. She was proud of Lily in that moment. Potter and Black obviously had obtained the same results, since they were given ten points as well. This made the three friends darkened.

"I must say, I am rather surprised that five students succeeded in having results in their first class. Even though I didn't see any proper needle, the results are very satisfying."

But this clearly did not prevent her from giving them a huge amount of work for the following day. At the end of the hour, they had Herbology while Lily had Charms, and they had to part ways. This class was quite boring and the twins immediately hated it. Bellatrix, Mulciber and Avery joined them to make fun of the Professor, a little plump woman.

Still laughing, they went to the Great Hall to have lunch, and realised they wouldn't be able to eat with Lily. However, the girl was not alone and seemed to enjoy the company of a dark-haired girl, with big brown eyes, and a beautiful smile.

Regina noticed that Potter, Black and Swan had new friends, too. The little fat boy she had seen earlier, and a very thin boy who looked sick but kindly. Ridiculous, she thought. After the lunch they joined Lily and went to the Potion class together.

The Professor Slughorn was nothing like his colleagues. He was enormously fat with a gingery blond moustache and straw coloured hair. He was very jovial and seemed to be a good-natured man. Finally, he was the Head of the Slytherin House. As soon as the lesson began, Regina had a feeling about it, that the lesson would be full of surprises… and damn was she right!

Slughorn told them to make a potion which was supposed to cure the furuncles. They all opened their books, and proceeded. Regina noted that her brother was very meticulous and reflexive about the ingredients. Twice he didn't follow the exact instructions of the book, but had the expected effect. She was impressed with his obvious talent in potions. Lily was a lot like him in her way of doing things, but never did she departed from the book's instructions. At the end of the class, Severus' potion had the exact deep blue colour described in the book, Lily's potion was almost as Severus', and Regina's was the same deep blue as her brother's but some plumes of pink smoke were escaping from the fluid. Slughorn passed in front of several potion, his head nodding at some. He appreciatively smiled at Regina's, vigorously nodded at Lily's and completely stopped at Severus', a delighted smile painted on his face.

"This potion is absolutely perfect! Congratulations, my boy. I can see you added some ginger"

Severus nodded, obviously pleased.

"Not very orthodox, but utterly impressive! 20 points to Slytherin!" he enthusiastically added.

Severus beamed.

"Perfect, wash your tools and come back tomorrow, my dears" Slughorn concluded.

They were doing just what the teacher had instructed when Potter passed by next to Severus and whispered:

"Proud of your moment of glory? Enjoy it while it lasts, I'm pretty sure it won't often happen, Servilus."

This time, Regina didn't think twice about it, and Lily was not fast enough to step in. No one would mess with her little brother. She handed her wand up high, and without saying anything, not even planning on doing anything (she just wanted to frighten the insufferable boy), furuncles started to erupt all across his face and arms. The room fell silent, and Regina threateningly and clearly said:

"Don't ever call my brother that again"

Lily gently grabbed her arm and pulled it down, broadly smiling and added:

"We wouldn't want that horrible furuncles to cover your body for ever, though. Here, let me help you with Severus' perfect potion"

And with that, she took the little cauldron and emptied its contents on Potter's head. The class burst out laughing. Potter's furuncles disappeared, but he was still shocked with what had just happened. He was about to finally say something when Slughorn interrupted them all. Regina, horrified, realised that they were still in class and wondered how many points she had just lost with the all ordeal, or even worse, if she was about to have a detention on her first day. Lily was having the same thoughts, if her looks were anything to go by…

"What's your name, girl?" Slughorn asked Regina once the silence was back in the class.

"Regina Snape, Professor" she humbly answered.

"Did you intend to make a nonverbal spell?" eagerly asked the enormous professor.

"Absolutely not, Professor. I didn't mean to hurt him." She honestly answered.

"What did you mean to do?"

"I wanted to frighten him, Professor."

"And why's that, Regina?"

"Because he insulted Severus, and I wanted to dissuade him from doing it again, Professor" Regina was beginning to lose her temper. Slughorn didn't seem shocked by the change in her voice, and turned to Lily.

"And I suppose you wanted to help this boy?"

"Not really, Professor. I didn't want Regina to be punished for it." Lily clearly and remorselessly stated, even if it was clear to Regina that she hated herself for the first impression she had given to Slughorn.

"What is your name?"

"Lily Evans, Professor."

Slughorn finally turned to Severus:

"Well, I guess this is the living proof that your potion was indeed perfect, boy. What's your name?"

"Severus Snape, Professor"

Slughorn looked at Regina and then back at Severus, his eyes lit up, and he chuckled. The three friends were far too stunned to react, or even exchange glances.

"The class is dismissed, you can go now. The three of you stay with me, will you?"

The students went away, Potter and Black giving them murderous looks on their way out, to which they all answered in the same kind, and they were finally alone with their teacher. The latter once again chuckled while looking at them.

"Stop being so fearful, my dears. You are not going to be punished." he fondly smiled.

He was looking at them as if he had suddenly found a rare treasure.

"So you are brother and sister, correct?" Slughorn asked.

"Yes. She's my twin sister, Professor." Severus answered.

"I thought you were a Gryffindor, Lily" he added.

"I am, Professor." She said.

"And still you defend Slytherins" his eyes were openly curious, as if he was trying to understand a very difficult problem.

"They are my friends more than they are Slytherins to me, Professor." She said matter-of-factly "And it may be because of my Muggles lineage, but I really don't understand why Slytherins and Gryffindors should be dissociated and couldn't be friends!" she vehemently added.

"Your two parents are Muggles?" he avidly asked.

"Yes, they are, Professor" For the first time, her voice was uncertain and shy. Regina took her hand to try and reassure her. She knew the subject to be sensitive for her. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Slughorn.

"I see. Would you be interested in joining my club, dears?" he joyfully asked.

The children looked at each other, completely startled, before uncertainly answering their approbation.

"Perfect. We'll meet here on Friday night, then. Have a good afternoon."

With that, he turned around and left the room. The trio didn't linger in the classroom, and hurriedly went to the Defence against the Dark Arts class, without daring to speak about what had just happened. However, they got lost, and arrived 5 minutes late.

The professor was a rather short but thin man, with mid-long dirty-blond hair who had a kind of creepy smile. He laughed when the trio entered his class, which sent chills to all the students. Even his laugh was disturbing.

"Late for the very first lesson of the year, are we?"

"Sorry we're late, Professor. We got lost." Sheepishly said Regina.

"Take a seat" offered the man. And his politeness sounded more like a threat.

They silently sat, and the professor resumed speaking.

"As I said, I am the Professor Gold, and I'll be teaching you how to defend yourselves against the dark forces which surround you. This is a highly difficult subject, and only the bravest and inherently talented students will be able to master it."

Black turned around to look at Severus, with a smirk. Regina's features darkened. She would have to teach good manners to all of them… But Swan lightly hit him in the ribs and he turned around. Interesting, Regina thought.

By the end of the class, they had learnt how to use a protective shield with the spell Protego, and to disarm their adversaries with Expelliarmus. The least one could say was that Gold didn't bother to wait for the students to succeed a spell before trying another one. He pushed his students, and those who couldn't follow were simply left behind. The twins had succeeded both the spells right from the first time, and Lily had got it quite quickly as well. Like the Gryffindor trio, much to their regret.

The rest of the week passed by quickly. They would eat their breakfast with Lily and then have their classes, often all together. When she could not be with them, Lily would hang out with Ruby and Alice, two of her roommates. Alice was a kind-hearted girl, with a round face and short hair. Ruby was already a beautiful eleven-year-old. The twins would stay with Bellatrix, Mulciber, Avery, Wilkes, and Evan Rosier every time they wouldn't get the chance to be with Lily. But being with them was less funny, and more hateful. They were obsessed with Pure-Bloods and would bully the Muggle-borns. However, they never said anything about Lily. Either they didn't know about her lineage, or they chose to ignore it out of respect for the twins. Lily never had been subjected to insults. At first, the twins had found the whole bullying funny. But soon Regina tried to talk to her brother about it, more and more ill-at-ease to behave like this.

"What do you mean "I'm not sure if that's nice"? Of course it's not. But it's funny."

"Well, I'm not sure I find it very funny, then" answered Regina.

"Come on, Gina. You were the first to laugh about it." Urged Severus.

"I know Sev, but… it just doesn't feel right. I don't think it is well-founded. Look at Lily!"

"What is it to look about her?"

"Her parents are Muggles, and she's brilliant! Her blood doesn't change anything about her powers!" exclaimed Regina.

"Lily is… she's nothing like anyone else." Muttered Severus.

"And out of respect for her, we shouldn't behave like this with Muggle-borns." Insisted Regina.

"She perfectly understands what she means to us and what… they mean to us" explained her brother.

The dispute had kept on, and had finally settled, none of the twins wanting to argue with one another. They decided not to talk about it anymore, and Severus promised not to bully Muggle-borns himself. Regina was glad. She didn't want to be hateful and despising. She just wanted her bother, Lily and herself to be happy. To be free from all their problems, and live a peaceful and joyful life.

"We should go, we are going to be late to the Slug Club" said Severus.

They waited for Lily at the entrance of the Great Hall and went to the dungeons. When they entered, they saw many older students (most of them Slytherins). They seemed very at ease, laughing, talking and joking. They were all sitting around Slughorn, as if he was King Arthur with his Round Table. As soon as the professor saw them, a huge smile appeared on his face, and he encouraged them to sit in front of him. They did, Severus in the middle of the two girls, and Regina noticed that the chair next to hers was the only one unoccupied.

"We are waiting for a last guest, dear" Slughorn explained, following her train of thoughts.

As if on cue, the door opened, and Emma Swan stepped in. Regina growled. She sat next to her, flashing her a bright smile, while Regina rolled her eyes at her.

Slughorn was a charming host, complimenting his students, asking them lots and lots of questions. The four first years were perfectly happy listening, and Slughorn probably guessed it and didn't urge them to speak. Regina recognised Lucius Malefoy, their Prefect, and Rodolphus Lestrange, two Fifth Years. While the latter was joking with his friends and the teacher, Emma turned slightly to her and asked:

"Did he invite you the day you attacked James?"

Regina tried not to react to her question. She didn't like this girl anyway. And she probably was a cherished little rich girl who knew nothing about suffering, and who enjoyed being with important people. Here is something else I hate about Pure-Bloods, she thought. Wait WHAT? Regina felt mortified about her thought. If Severus knew about that, he would be so very disappointed with her…

"Ok, maybe you could be at least a little civilised and answer the question, Your Majesty"

Swan tore her apart from her guilt. This is worth a response, I guess, Regina decided.

"Yes" she coldly said, wanting to discourage the girl to have a proper discussion.

"Yes you can be civilised and answer my question or yes he invited you the day you attacked James?"

So much for discouragement, deplored Regina. At the same time, she couldn't help feeling angry when Emma said James to name Potter. Of course, they were friends and it was only logical but she couldn't help the feeling anyway.

"Yes, Slughorn invited us the day we attacked your precious Jamie" Regina said, filling her voice with all the venom she could muster.

"Well technically, it was you who attacked him, not your friends" answered Emma, matter-of-factly.

"So? Are you going to avenge him?" Regina mocked her, her eyebrows raised in a challenging way.

"Absolutely not. He was being a total jerk to your brother."

Regina had to divert her attention to Slughorn not to show Emma her reaction. She was baffled. She thought Emma was everything like Potter and Black, but she had clearly been misjudging the girl. Maybe she should try to really talk to her and listen to what the girl had to say.

"Although you two are kinda used to behaving like jerks, too." Added Emma.

Or maybe not.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, this is not my excuse you should seek, but rather the one of Muggle-borns you bully in a daily basis" Emma coldly answered.

Her eyes were utterly judging. And Regina hated it. She didn't need anyone to tell her what was right and what wasn't, or what she should or shouldn't do. She decided to remain silent, and ignore the girl. Emma dropped the subject, and behaved the same way. If Regina truly was honest with herself, she would admit that she was hurt to disappoint Emma Swan. But Regina was not ready to be rational. And she decided that it would be easier for her (and Severus) to simply hate the girl. It was nearly 9 p.m. when the enormous man told them to go back to their dormitories. Lucius approached the two little Slytherins to accompany them back. They said goodbye to Lily reluctantly and left.

The next morning they ate with Lily, as per usual.

"You know, we don't have much homework to do, and I was thinking… maybe we could explore the castle?" said enthusiastically Regina.

Severus winced. He had never been a huge adventurer.

"I'm not sure, Gin."

"Or maybe we could train with our magic?" said Lily.

The three of them agreed joyfully. And trained they did. They were obsessed with magic, each of them having something to prove to themselves. They quickly became the best of their classes in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defence against the Dark Arts (even if Gold was creepier than ever). They would not train in Potions, but Severus didn't need to, for he was the very best in this class. He had a sort of intuition about it that filled Regina with pride. And Lily was a very close second, although she would scrupulously follow her book's instructions. Their most hated subject was Flying. The Professor Hooch was very severe, and Severus and Lily were absolutely lame at flying. Regina was actually pretty good, but seeing her brother struggle so much with it, upset her to no end. Luckily, they shared this lesson with Hufflepuffs, and they were harmless enough not to make fun of her brother. Lily had told them how good Potter was on a broomstick, and how smug he would act about it, and Regina was glad they weren't with them for this class.

"What about Swan?" she asked as casually as possible.

Lily looked surprised, but didn't comment her question.

"She's very good too, actually."

Severus groaned and the discussion had turned to something lighter.

Two months later, the Quidditch Cup had begun and the three friends enjoyed the games very much. They would cheer for their team, and tease each other when Gryffindor or Slytherin would win – they were never happier than while teasing. Moreover, they had mastered every spells from their books, and were now borrowing from the library second-years ones to keep on training. They had never been happier nor prouder of themselves. They finally felt like they fitted somewhere – especially the twins who had always felt insecure with their parents.

Regina and Severus had no friends besides Lily. Even though they talked with some of the first years, they realised that they were avoiding them. Maybe they found out about Lily's lineage, Regina guessed. And she also realised she didn't care. Severus had been faithful to his word, and had stopped bullying Muggle-borns. They were living peacefully and happily, just like Regina had always dreamed of.

Potter, Black and Swan had integrated to their little group two new members: a certain Lupin, and Pettigrew. They were the skinny and fat boys Regina had already seen before. As the months passed, they grew more and more attached to one another. Also, they had stopped bothering Severus and had left him alone. Regina didn't know if she had succeeded in scaring them, or if she should thank Swan for it. Either way, she pretended they didn't exist, and they were acting the same way.

This was a little awkward at first, when she would sit next to Swan during the Slug Club and say nothing to her. But they quickly grew used to it. She never knew why Slughorn had invited her. And she never asked, for it would have made her acknowledge her existence. Slughorn had asked many questions to their four favourite first years. Lily had answered all his questions patiently and honestly. They had created a special bond, the three others had never had. Regina and Severus tried their best to dodge the questions about their family, even though Slughorn had seemed to understand the non-verbal answers nonetheless. But Swan… she had never answered any personal questions. Sure, she would laugh when a student would joke, and she would speak about magic when someone asked her questions, but she never revealed anything about her. When Slughorn had asked her where she came from, she simply shrugged smiling and answered:

"There is nothing to say, Professor"

He had tried to dig up, but she had refused to answer any questions. Therefore, Regina knew nothing about the Gryffindor girl, but that she was friends with insufferable boys. And as much as she tried to deny it, she was utterly curious about the blonde girl. Every time she wondered where she was from, who her parents were, and why she wouldn't say. Maybe her parents were famous… no that's impossible we would know their names, she objected to herself. Maybe she's ashamed… because her friends are Pure-Bloods and she's not? But that would also seem ridiculous… Regina was not a Pure-Blood, and she wasn't ashamed of it! Plus, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was also a Half-Blood, and there was no shame in it. The Swan's mystery was bothering her to no end, but she refused to speak to her, and remained faithful to her vow of ignorance. And Emma Swan never tried to speak to her again. She kept reminding herself that it was a very good thing, but she couldn't help feeling offended. And maybe a little disappointed. No, not disappointed she thought. Just offended. She should be lucky to speak to me.

In April, a couple months before the end of the year, Regina stormed in Severus' bedroom.

"Hey sis'. What's wrong?" he immediately asked her.

"I lost the Standard Book of Spells vol. 3! Have you seen it?"

They had also finished the Second-Year Programme and had begun the third one. She had to hand it back the same day to the library. And she felt sick to have lost such an important book. Charms was one of her favourite class.

"Yes, relax Gin. I took it the other day, and I think I threw it on the top of my closet" he nonchalantly answered.

"You did what?"

He voice was so threatening that her brother swallowed.

"I'm sorry Gina, I am going to take it back"

"And how, pray tell, will you do that? Have you seen the height of your closet? Why would you throw it there, Severus?"

Her brother reddened instantly and looked down at his shoes.

"Sev?"

He seemed to hesitate to say something.

"I… I had a sort of a fight with Mulciber and… he's the one who threw it?"

"A fight? Why? What happened, Sev?"

"Just drop it, ok? I don't want to talk about that!" he angrily answered her.

She looked at him, but decided not to force him to anything. Instead she just said:

"Well? How do we do it?"

"I dunno… maybe we could try to fly?"

"We have no broomsticks…" Regina sounded exasperated with his suggestion. Severus immediately felt self-conscious and answered:

"Well, we have wands, haven't we?"

"And you know a spell to fly?" she doubtfully asked.

"No, but we can maybe come up with something… how do you say up in Latin?"

"Seriously?! I have no idea, Severus!"

"Maybe try something with levitate? Levitare?" he tried, with his wand fixed on Regina.

"Fascinating…" she sarcastically laughed.

"Well help me!" he angrily said back.

She raised her wand at him:

"Levite" she tried.

"Leviteo" he replied.

"Levi"

"Leviup"

"Leviup? Seriously Sev?"

"Well, maybe if we combine two words it could work!" he innocently answered.

"Well, try something with the levitation of the body then, silly! Not Leviup…"

Their eyes flashed, thinking about the same thing, and screamed at the same time:

"Levicorpus"

Instantly, their bodies were thrown up in the air, as if held by the ankle, and the tipping over made their heads collide.

"OUCH!" they both screamed, holding their heads with both their hands.

"We succeeded" proudly and disbelievingly laughed Severus.

"We did!" joyfully answered Regina.

They laughed and hugged in the air, still hanging upside down.

"We are so good at magic" bragged Regina.

"I know!" happily said Severus.

They looked at each other fondly, and both their smiles slowly vanished.

"Ok… what now?" asked Regina.

"Shit…" answered Severus.

"So let me recap this real quickly. We are geniuses who found a spell without knowing the counter-spell, and without even being able to catch the book we wanted to catch in the first place, correct?"

"Oh shit!" repeated Severus, completely panicked.

They called for help, and Mulciber and Malefoy entered the room.

"What the hell…" Lucius muttered. Then the two guys burst out laughing.

"What is that spell?" hysterically laughed Mulciber.

"We don't know, we just tried it, to take back our book on the top of the closet" explained, with all the dignity he could muster, Severus.

"And what is the spell?" urged Malefoy.

"Levicorpus…"

Regina was losing her patience.

"Ok, can we focus here? We obviously need the counter-spell!"

But the two guys were laughing so hard they didn't even seem to hear her.

"FINE! LEVICORPUS" she screamed, furious.

They were now hanging in the air just like them, and finally stopped laughing.

"What the hell? Snape why did you do that?"

"Well, now maybe you will help us, instead of making fun of us." She coldly replied.

"What do you want us to do, Snape?" angrily added Mulciber. "We didn't even know the spell!"

"He's right, Regina. It is up to us to find the counter-spell. Come on, we have to think. Levi was to levitate. And corpus is for the body" calmly exposed Severus.

"So, we keep corpus and we find something else than levi to free ourselves?"

"Right. How do you say to free in Latin?"

"Libere" automatically answered his sister.

"Oh yes, right. Well then, Liberecorpus!" he tried on her.

"Liberacorpus" tried Regina.

Suddenly, Severus' ankle was free, and he loudly crashed on the floor.

"Oh my God, are you okay, Sev?"

"Yes, I'm fine" he grumbled.

He freed the three others, who crashed the same way.

"This was SO cool" said enthusiastically Mulciber. "I so need to show it to the others!"

With that, he quickly went out.

"You wanted to take back your book, right?"

The twins nodded, and Lucius said:

"Accio book"

The Standard Book of Spells immediately landed on his hand. Regina and Severus stared at each other with delight. We definitely have to learn that, they both thought.

"You know, you're quite talented" said Lucius while giving them back the book. "It's really impressive to discover a spell at eleven years old!"

The twins beamed but had no idea what to answer to that, so they just remained silent. Lucius fondly smiled at them and left.

Up until the end of the year, Levicorpus was in all the mouths, and people often got suspended in the air. Nobody knew who had created the curse, though. Nobody but the Slug Club, and some Slytherins. Lily had been very impressed when they had told her the story, and seemed to worship them even more. Slughorn had also been delighted to know about it.

"Well, well, well! Haven't we little geniuses, here? You will go very far, my dears, I am absolutely sure of it" he had proudly said.

But Emma's reaction had been the most important to Regina, even though she couldn't understand why. She hadn't said a thing, but she had stared at Regina during the whole story who had been explained by Lucius and Severus. And after Slughorn's comment, Regina had finally turned her head towards Emma, breaking her only rule "pretend she doesn't exist", and had stared back. They hadn't said anything. Emma had not smiled at her. She hadn't even looked at her like she was impressed. She had looked at her like she was seeing her, or trying to at least. She had seemed eager to understand what she was looking at. And Regina had been overwhelmed by it, but was determined not to break the eye-contact first. The silent exchange had lasted several minutes. Several minutes of total chaos in Regina's head. What is her eyes' colour? She couldn't quite comprehend why she even wondered this, but couldn't help wondering it anyways. Finally she had been unable to maintain it any longer, and obviously neither could Emma, because they had diverted their eyes at the exact same moment. Regina had reddened without knowing why, and had been unfocused for the rest of the evening.

At the end of the year, Regina was the best student in the Transfiguration class and Defence against the Dark Arts, although she shared the first place with her brother for the latter. Severus was also the best student in Potions. And Lily had distinguished herself in Charms and Herbology. If they were not the best, they were close seconds… except for Flying. Flying was James' special field, and he was also close second in every other subjects, much like Black, to the twins' dismay. But the Gryffindor boys were turbulent and while some teachers such as Hooch or Slughorn seemed to be quite fond of them, some others were not. Gold had made it pretty much obvious.

Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup and Hufflepuff won the House Cup that year. The trio was disappointed, but also a little relieved… this way no one would be teased on their defeat, and they found themselves rather happy with that.

When they came back to their houses for the summer, they promised each other to spend all their days together, not to be separated for more than a few hours to sleep. Their friendship was the most important thing in their lives, and Regina surprised herself to see Lily as her sister. And she was absolutely sure that Lily returned the feeling to both of them. This filled her with happiness… and fear. She was absolutely sure her brother didn't think about Lily as a sister. But eventually he'll have brotherly feelings, or Lily will have love feelings maybe, she reassured herself. Anyway, I cannot do anything about it, and only time will tell… we love each other too much to ever hurt ourselves anyway… and this kind of friendship does mean a huge thing to us. Nothing will break us.

TBC.