FEBRUARY 27, 1976

IT WAS OVER A WEEK SINCE HER AND BLACK'S AGREEMENT CAME TO LIFE. She wasn't great at being discreet, and oftentimes it was him that remembered to lock the classroom or snatch them into a broom closet.

Black had a fake wand. McGonagall had been pleased when she came into the classroom and found all four hundred erasers clean and sharp, and let them go with a smile. Kathleen panicked when the hour grew late and they were still lying half-naked on the chalkboards, but Black appeased her, faking their job to completion with only a few spells. 

Her and Black weren't awkward any longer. There were looks, yes, above the pages of books, between the shelves in the library, and across the room in the Great Hall. But they were bold smirks, fond eyes and the occaisonal wink. Kathleen would always return his glances challengingly, but when he pulled away she retreated into a soft smile. 

Kathleen's reputation had also changed. It had changed since she was seen at Nott's party, and now everyone assumed she was over the death of the Muggleborn, and back to being the spirited Gryffindor girl she was before. And before, Kathleen would come and watch the Gryffindor Quidditch practices every Friday.

"Prewett," James Potter called, swooping down on his Comet and giving her a high wave. "Nice having you back!"

Kathleen cupped her hands around her mouth to call a thank you in return. Despite not being as exciting as games, Quidditch practices still drew a few spectators. Kathleen had her Astronomy textbook open on her lap, and her essays about Neptune's moons laid on her side. The wind kept rustling the parchment, so she'd found an empty cherry sherry can and a few pebbles to weigh the corners down.

Being the youngest of four was a blessing, Kathleen thought. Marguerite (or Molly, as she forced everyone to say) had been a prefect, well-loved and a much better student than her siblings. Fabian and Gideon were quite the storm with all their pranks, but they were Quidditch stars and even more popular than their older sister. Thus, when Kathleen stepped on the train to Hogwarts, she never worried about being liked, since people knew she was related to her predecessors. It also helped that the Prewetts were known to be friendly whenever they weren't fighting wars. 

The Quidditch players darted across the field, sticking to the side Kathleen was sitting within. But she couldn't help her eyes drifting to the other half, where several green-clad players swooped around their hoops, accompanied by a much less enthusiastic audience. It was always easier to spot Seekers; they didn't drill with the rest of the team. Black was closer to the ground, weaving through grass in elaborate turns with a red-colored slow Snitch. 

Kathleen looked away, a hidden smile on her face.

"Supper, boys?" Lucinda Talkalot, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, hung up her broom on their shelves, letting her blonde hair fall down from a ponytail.

"Dinner's closed, Talkalot," Carlton Rowle grunted as he hoistered his Beater's Bat into its chest. Reg undid the ties to his Quidditch cloak, soaked in dirt and grass stains. A series of groans chorused through the team as they realized there was no more food. Most of them had eaten before practice, but a few unlucky ones forgot.

"I've got a couple pies in my room. Any takers?" Rabastan Lestrange asked with his baby-like face. A few players nodded, but Reg shook his head. He had plans for dinner already, as he thumbed the corner of the note in his pocket. Meet at Pitch after your practice, Prewett had written in her scrawl.

Sure enough, as Reg strolled behind the rest of his team, a pair of freckled hands yanked him behind the walls of their changing rooms, pulling him into a kiss. 

"Hm. I'll catch you off guard one day," Kathleen murmured as they pulled apart. Black's face was blurred in shadows, but she could see his slight grin. "Come, let's go."

"If the Great Hall is closed, where are we eating?" Black asked as he trailed behind her. Kathleen grinned, not responding. Her brothers taught her this trick.

The walk back to the castle was joyful, as Kathleen put all of her research into the Averys' family magic behind her mind. They skirted around the grey pebbles of the Black Loch's shore, skipping a few over the glossy waters. They passed the edge of the Forbidden Forest, skirting behind Hagrid's hut to share a few more moments together. The sun wasn't out that day, and thankfully, barely anyone saw them as they snuck around the first floor of the castle.

The pear let out a small squeal, twitching furiously, as the portrait of the bowl of fruit unhinged. Kathleen turned, expecting to see Black watch the entrance to the kitchens snootily, but his blue eyes were wide and curious, and as he stepped through he held the portrait door gingerly, as if admiring the mechanism. 

"Miss Prewett! Miss Prewett, you is back!" three of the house elves converged onto Kathleen's legs, as she squatted to give short handshakes to all of them. "And Miss's friend?"

"Regulus Black," Black said officially, also kneeling so he could shake all of their tiny hands at once. Kathleen's eyes lingered on him as he did so.

"Can we get some of the chicken pies from lunch, please?" she asked.

"Of course! And to drink?" asked Scully.

"I'll have a Gillywater," Kathleen responded.

"Butterbeer, if you have any," Black said softly.

When they sat down on an empty corner table, and the food started appearing, Kathleen's stomach rumbled. She'd already thought about how weird it looked, to have dinner with a boy as if they were on a date. It's not a date, she thought repeatedly. After all, they'd already agreed to take a quick stop for food, and that going up to her room in Gryffindor Tower was what the real plan was for the night.

Kathleen finished her Gillywater in minutes, and Black wasn't even three-quarters of the way through his glass of Butterbeer before she asked for a second drink. When they were halfway through their pies, and Kathleen asked for a third, Black chuckled.

"Gillywater?" he asked teasingly, as Kathleen blushed.

"Shut up, it's my favorite."

He did shut up, and after they finished, they thanked the elves before resuming their journey up to Gryffindor Tower. A few crowds passed them as they walked, and multiple times Black had to yank her behind a pillar or a suit of armor so they wouldn't be seen. 

When they reached the Fat Lady, she peered down at them, before softening like Jell-O when she saw Black. 

"Ooh, Mister Black! Back here again?" she preened, twirling a strawberry-blonde curl around her index finger. Kathleen turned to him, disgusted, and only vaguely remembering how last time when they were drunk, he'd somehow charmed his way into the Common Room.

"Indeed, madam," Black smiled charmingly. "I'm here to drop off Miss Prewett; would it be possible for me to take her up to her room? I'm afraid she's feeling a bit lightheaded and I'd like to see her safely back with her roommates."

So that was how he didn't get shot down from the stairs; he asked the Fat Lady! Kathleen blinked, she never thought it was that simple. 

"...Thank you, madam," Black finished, as Kathleen saw the portrait door swing open. She shoved him back so she could peer around the corner and make sure no one was there. Luckily there were only a group of quiet first-years sitting by the fire, none that would dare tell on her. 

Black's fingers ghosted over her own as they walked casually to the staircases, as Kathleen felt a sizzle inside her chest grow in anticipation as she twisted the door open. Flora and Miksa were away, thank goodness.

"Hm," Black said as he turned around, observing their dorm room at night as if he'd never been in there before. To be fair, he hadn't really gotten a chance to take a good look, since he was pretty much in her bed the whole time. 

His eyes lingered on Posey's empty bed, and when Kathleen noticed, she turned away, walking to her closet to take off her robes and coat. She placed her gloves into a spare drawer, filled with cards collected over the years, scraps of parchment, broken quills, and sweets. 

"What do you think of the room?" Kathleen joked, looking around her space as well.

Black shrugged. "I don't particularly care, as long as it has a bed."

Kathleen laughed as he unclasped his own robes. She reached for both his hands, taking a step backwards to guide him to her bed, before a blizzard-colored creature shot out from the corners of her space, pouncing on Black.

"What the-" he shouted, struggling to push the thing off. But the furry animal clung to his remaining clothes, hissing and spitting furiously.

"I- Thumper!" Kathleen said angrily, attempting to snatch the rabbit off of Black, but when she did so, its sharp little claws ripped chunks of Black's cotton undershirt clean off. 

"Get off, you animal-" Black yelled, before finally throwing it off and into Kathleen's arms. Thumper yowled, a sound Kathleen had never heard from the gentle creature, writhing in Kathleen's arms like an alien trying to break free. 

"My- Merlin, what are you doing?!" Kathleen shouted, hurriedly running to her door, flinging it open, and throwing the rabbit onto the stairs outside. Its red eyes spat anger back in her direction, as she stared in shock and embarrassment before shutting the door with a bang. 

As Prewett ripped the creature away from his chest, Reg thumbed over the scratch marks it left, as his heart pounded. It was right there, it was right there, it was right there. Kill it, his father's words echoed. Reg had spent weeks plotting, and now, as his stomach lurched in realization, he was almost done. 

Kathleen turned back to Black, who was holding up the frayed strands of his dress shirt with a surprised expression. "I'm so sorry- that was Thumper, he's Posey's- I mean our pet. He's never like this, I promise, he's always so gentle."

She continued as she walked back to him, cheeks flaming. "I just don't know what happened, boys come in here all the time-"

"-It's nothing," Black interrupted sharply, before he cleared his throat apologetically for cutting her off. "Just- forget it happened."

Kathleen breathed a sigh or two, as she looked at the faint red scratch marks that Thumper left on Black's chest. Why was he being so aggressive? Then a faint memory came to light.

About two months ago, when they were leaving for Yule Break, Kathleen had just finished saying goodbye to Posey on the platform at King's Cross, before Thumper had broken out of his cage, hurtling and spitting in the direction of a family. He'd pounced on a man with a cane, who, after a brief moment of chaos and shouting, promptly stunned the rabbit. Posey had collected him, deeply apologetic, and Orion Black turned his nose up at the Muggleborn before Disapparating with the rest of his kin.

"Wait- is it because of your father?" Kathleen asked, placing a hand on Black's chest. "Was Thumper angry because-"

"-Just forget anything happened," Black let out a frustrated breath.

Kathleen hesitated, but let go of her thoughts, and soon she forgot all about Thumper and the biting, tangled in Black's throes as the moon climbed higher into the night sky.