DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. The franchise belongs to J.K. Rowling.

CHAPTER I, PROLOGUE

It began with me crying. Crying because I had just been plucked from (what I thought was) purgatory, with my friends and family and lover, and crying because distantly, I realized; this is it. I'll never see them again. And my first coherent thought after the initial realization was oh shit, I've been reincarnated.

To this day, I will never forget the embarrassment and horror of being manhandled by strangers after being reincarnated as a flipping-...

Actually, it made sense to be reincarnated as an infant. What, was I supposed to be delivered as a thirty-seven-year-old woman? Yeah, sure, I hated the whole situation, but I wouldn't wish that on my mother (I will eventually). So, yes. I was reincarnated as an infant, thankfully still female, and born on the same day I died (over half a century in the past) according to the time a nurse had just read aloud.

"What's the problem? Give it to me," a tired, worn voice snapped, jolting me out of my thoughts.

Rather hastily, I was handed over to The Voice, who I assumed was my mother. "A girl," she muttered, although only slightly distastefully.

"She'll be married off. I've heard the Blacks have a son the same age, and another only a year older. The Rosiers are also hoping for a son, but with their history..." Another voice, this time distinctly male.

Wait- what!? Marriage? Blacks? Rosiers!?

What. The hell. I was barely fifteen minutes old and they were talking about marriage! Who even were my parents?

"Better than another miscarriage. It will strengthen our relationship with the Blacks if we do come to an agreement."

Just name me already!

"Yes, that's the idea." There was a pause as my new mother seemed to contemplate something before she spoke once more.

"Regine, after my mother, and Eglantine after your esteemed father's, cousin, a respectable pure-blooded witch. Regine Eglantine Lestrange, daughter of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Lestrange."

And so it was then that I, Regine Eglantine Lestrange, was born, on August twenty-third, in the year of 1961, as the only daughter and youngest child of Edmond Lestrange and Renee Lestrange nee Petit. Hurray.

CHAPTER I, SCENE I

My new family dynamic went something like this: my father was the authority, strict and ambitious. He wasn't the head of the family since his father had yet to die and pass on the title, but he was something of a co-head. His word was the law to us. 'Us' being my mother and my two brothers.

On the other hand, my mother held little to no authority over the family and was in charge of nothing. She was the pretty, perfect little pureblood housewife from a distinctly French pureblood family (although she had no accent since she grew up in Britain- magical Britain, of course). That was all.

Then there was Rodolphus, the heir. He had private lessons on his duties as the next head after our father. He was prideful, confident, and a bit of a gossip. He was also an incorrigible flirt and a romantic, but that was part of his charm. There was a lot of pressure on him, but he was quick-witted and skilled in most subjects, especially the dark arts. Rodolphus didn't like quidditch very much, which was a bit of a let-down for me.

Rabastan was the spare. (The heir and the spare- a common occurrence in the Lestrange and Black families.) He was my least favorite brother- arrogant, condescending, and rude. He wasn't all that smart, either, although that might be more because of the inbreeding than anything else. If anything, he was a good duelist.

Neither of my brothers were like me, though. They whole-heartedly believed in the pureblood bigotry and blatant racism and supported it unashamedly. Mother and father did, as well.

I was the only one who thought the blood supremacists were wrong in my family. However, if I voiced those thoughts, I would definitely be disowned. Left with no money, no influence, and no power, I wouldn't be able to turn the tide of the oncoming war.

As the only daughter, I was rather neglected. The Lestrange family didn't care for women beyond marriage and reproduction. Sometimes for physical pleasures as well.

I was expected to be quiet, obedient, elegant, and proper. I met those requirements in front of my family and the rest of pureblood society (which was, technically, family, with all the inbreeding), but tossed most of them out the window when I was alone with a half-blood, muggleborn, or 'blood traitor.'

I had little to no formal education- I had to teach myself most things.

My mother hated me but loved my brothers. She was a complicated woman.

My father hated us all.

CHAPTER I, SCENE II

"So," Lily began, "what house do you want to be in, Regine?"

"Ravenclaw would be perfectly acceptable, although my family prefers Slytherin by far," I replied evenly.

The second years I was sitting with on the train were not purebloods, but my family didn't have to know that, did they? Lily Evans and Severus Snape were practically inseparable, despite being in different houses, the two that were notorious for their rivalry.

"Really? So your parents are wizards? Would they be mad if you got into another house?" Evans pressed, looking rather concerned.

She was a nice girl. If only I could be so kind to strangers. Sadly, my heart only bled for my sweet, sweet Morgana, who was purring as she sat in my lap, and maybe, possibly my brothers.

"Yes, both my parents are wizards, and their parents before them, and so on. For houses… Gryffindor? Immediately disowned. Hufflepuff? Re-sorting and a howler or something of the like. Ravenclaw? Perhaps a bit peeved."

"That's messed up. It shouldn't matter what house you get, or what grades you have," Evans huffed, "but I remember Black- Sirius Black, you probably know him, right? Right. Anyways, he got a howler from his mum on the first day, after he got sorted into Gryffindor. Is that what usually happens?"

"Most pureblooded families require their children to be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw," Snape- he wasn't too keen on me using his first name- cut in.

"Yes, Ravenclaw exhibits a craving for knowledge and an eagerness for learning, which most purebloods can respect. Slytherin is mostly for future politicians and people with high hopes for their futures, typically those from well-respected families,"

"Well, you seem like the 'craving for knowledge' type. I bet you'll get Ravenclaw. I was considered for Ravenclaw, but I ended up in Gryffindor," the redhead explained, grinning.

I hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I wouldn't mind any of the houses, actually."

"Even Gryffindor?" Snape drawled, looking for all the world like he wanted to sneer but not willing to insult his best friend by proxy.

"Even Gryffindor. There's nothing wrong about being brave. Hufflepuff values hard work and loyalty, which I personally think are must-have traits in a person, so-"

Before I could finish, the door slid open quite violently, and two curious faces peeked in, both grinning widely. Two more boys were waiting behind them, shifting nervously.

"Hullo, Lily! Lily-pad, my Lily-flower!" James Potter exclaimed, shoving his way into the compartment.

"Potter! Black! What're you doing here?" Lily scowled, unintentionally mimicking Snape's bitter expression.

"What, do I need an excuse to see your pretty face?" The boy plopped down next to me, although he seemed to be ignoring me for the moment.

Good.

"Remus! Peter! C'mon!" Sirius Black, looking nothing like he would in twenty years' time (happy, confident, alive-), exclaimed, beckoning for the rest of their rag-tag group.

"Sorry, Lily," Remus Lupin murmured, sitting down next to her while giving her as much space as possible.

Peter Pettigrew followed his example and sat next to Sirius.

It was beginning to get crowded.

"You can't just barge in here like this! Look, you're making Regine uncomfortable! And I don't want you insulting Severus!" The redhead reprimanded (although not too loudly- she knew Remus had sensitive hearing).

"Regine?" Potter and Black chorused, turning to look at me.

Immediately, both their grins morphed into scowls. "You," they spat, simultaneously.

It was really quite unnerving how they did that. Was it practiced, or a coincidence?

"Me," I hummed.

"What're you doing here?" The Black heir practically hissed, eyes burning with… hate, or possibly embarrassment, because it could've been either; we had a long history of tormenting one another.

"Sitting," was my reply.

I adjusted Morgana in my lap casually, running my fingers through her fur. She was so cute. So cute. The best kneazle in the world, the kindest, most beautiful being to ever grace this plane of existence.

"Oi, Evans, Lily, my Lily-flower, you've gotta stop hanging around with slimy snakes. They're not good people," Potter explained patiently, turning away to face his crush.

His very obvious crush.

"Says you! You're both arrogant toe-rags! And Regine isn't even sorted yet; how do you know if she's going to be in Slytherin or not?" Lily snapped.

"She's a Lestrange, Evans. That's all there is to it!" Black turned away as well, likely content with the thought of never having to see my face or hear my voice again.

Lily didn't even bat an eyelash at my last name- good for her. Her acquaintance points have now doubled. However, before she could earn herself the ire of my long-time enemy- because it wasn't worth it in the end, even if it was amusing at first- I cut in. "If that was true, then wouldn't you be in Slytherin, Heir Black?"

Sirius' mouth shut with an audible click, and his scowl deepened, but he merely huffed and looked away. Potter's reaction was similar, although Lupin and Pettigrew looked rather uncomfortable. Snape was ignoring everyone but Lily, and she was grinning at me.

It felt good to have a friend.

CHAPTER I, SCENE III

"RAVENCLAW!" The sorting hat bellowed from atop my head.

Polite applause from the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables (Rodolphus smiled at me, and Rabastan stared), cheering from some Hufflepuff and some Gryffindors, and refined smiles from the professors. Slughorn looked rather put-out, but Flitwick was beaming.

As I glided towards the Ravenclaw table and the next student was called forth, I risked a glance towards the Gryffindor table.

Lily Evans grinned back at me.

(It felt good to have a friend.)

CHAPTER I, END

Hello. Uhm. I shouldn't be doing this. I should be writing for my other fics. But. I'm really in to the Harry Potter fandom right now and I love the Marauders [era]? And Regulus Black deserves a life. So. Here I am.

I should stop doing SI's because they make people cringe. Idk if I should continue this but I just wanted this posted.

This fic will likely be rather fast-paced, like in this first chapter. It's more about friendships than romance, but there is a pairing.

Most importantly: PLEASE EXCUSE MY LACK OF UNDERSTANDING FOR BRITISH CULTURE. PLEASE. PLEASEPLEASE.

-I'm trying to learn but I'll probably end up Americanizing this, which I know most people hate.

-I'll try my hardest to use British terms for things (bloke instead of dude, that sort of thing).

Reviews?

should I continue this or not? Idk

Also: Regine means 'queen' in French. It's actually Régine but I'm lazy AF.

Also also: Renee means 'rebirth' in French. Ha. Haha…

Also also also: There's no set name for Rodolphus' and Rabastan's father, so his name is Edmond now. Deal with it.

Also also also also: Rodolphus and Rabastan may or may not be twins in canon, but they are here. Their ages also aren't given so they're like 2 years younger than Bellatrix, who's in her seventh year here. So they're in their fifth year. Yep.

Okay, bye, have a nice day (or night).