"It's no wonder nobody can stand her. She's a nightmare." Selena looked up from where she'd been talking to Angelina, frowning at the red head as a bushy haired girl - Hermione Granger, if she remembered correctly, wasn't she the fussy one that followed them into the forbidden corridor? - bumped into Harry in her hurry to get past them.

Selena stalked towards them, slapping the upside of Ron's head.

"Ow! What was that for?" The boy whined.

"I think she heard you," Harry said, nodding towards Hermione's receding back.

"So?" Said Ron, but still looked a little uncomfortable and guilty. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

"You know, you're not exactly charming yourself, Ron," Selena snapped. "Just because she's cleverer than you doesn't mean you can act like an arse."

"But-"

"No buts! You're just being a prat because she's a muggle and she's better at magic than you are. I expect you to apologise to her the next time you see her." She glared at him, making him mutter out an agreement.

She did not expect to be regretting her decision twenty four hours later. She glared at the four children in front of her in the common room as she stood before them. Damien, curse him, had the gall to smile amusedly.

"When I said to make things up with her, I did not mean 'pick a fight with a mountain troll!'."

"To be fair, they have become friends so it seems to have worked," Damien said mildly.

"And nearly got killed in the process!"

"We had it under control!" Harry argued, before snapping his mouth shut under his sister's glare. Selena looked scarily like Emily when she was furious.

"They were only trying to find me and warn me. It's not their fault that the troll got into the girls bathroom." Hermione tried to placate the older girl.

"Then, the reasonable thing would've been to at least inform us! Or one of the professors or even Uncle Sev! You're lucky you didn't get splattered against the wall."

"Oh, come off it, Lena, you know we would've done the same." Fred grinned, plopping down on the couch behind her. "I didn't expect ickle Malfoy to be with them though."

"I tried to stop them," Draco protested. "But they wouldn't listen."

"Come on, Lena, there's no harm done. They're all fine, aren't they?" George placed a hand on her shoulder.

"They're fine, but I'm not going to be fine once mum finds out about this," she grumbled. "And stop your obnoxious snickering, Damien."

"I can't help it, you're being a hypocrite." Her twin shrugged. "You know damn well you would've done the same thing."

"And you would have behaved differently, I suppose?" Selena raised an eyebrow.

"That would have depended on who's in the bathroom." He grinned.

   "I'm sorry, Lena," Harry said in a small voice, knowing full well what effect it would have.

   As predicted, Lena sighed, anger cooling a little as she reprimanded him half-heartedly. "At least tell one of us before you rush headlong into danger. We've got more experience."

   "In our defence, it's not our fault that troll was there," Ron piped up. Harry and Draco immediately shushed him as Selena fixed him with her mother's glare.

   "Fine." She shook her head. "I hope you know that if any of you tell on us about our pranks to mum or Uncle Remus or Uncle Reggie or Uncle Severus or Mrs. Weasley... they'll be hearing about this little incident as well."

   "Oh, come off it, knowing Minnie, they already know. Well, maybe not Mrs. Weasley, but mum'll definitely know by now." Damien pointed out, still grinning. "Now, if you're quite done, Draco and I have some training to do. I had to go through a lot of trouble to convince your captain to let us have our training sessions instead of hogging the pitch all the time and even more trouble to convince mine to accept this compromise. I will not have it wasted. I bid thee, my fair sister, a pleasant adieu!" He gave her a mocking salute just to irritate her further before dragging Draco out of the common room.

   "I should've just strangled him in the womb," Selena mumbled, glaring at her twin's back.

   "Calm down, Lena, they're just eleven. Merlin knows what we've gotten to at their age." George laughed.

   "On a more important note, we need to restock on Zonko's on next week's Hogsmeade trip!" Fred reminded.

   "As much as I love Zonko's, you are not dragging me there without letting me get some goddamned sweets and some well deserved butter beer," she snarled.

   "Deal," Fred laughed, pulling her down to sit between him and George. "On a more important note, when did you get a haircut?"

   Indeed, her long wavy locks were gone, snipped to her shoulders in a wolf cut, just enough that she can pull it back in a ponytail or a small bun. She ran a hand through it with a grin, messing it up, "Angie cut it for me. You like it?"

   Fred grew a bit red. "It looks nice, suits you." He coughed, shooting a glare at George's smug grin. Selena remained oblivious to both.

   "You know, that Hufflepuff fellow everyone's on about, Cedric? He asked me out for date this Hogsmeade weekend," she said thoughtfully.

   Fred snapped up, staring at her. "And what did you say?"

   She looked at him like he was crazy. "Do I look like the sort of girl who'll date a hotshot?"

   "You have posters of that muggle actor, Brad something in your bedroom," George pointed out.

   "Hey, it's Brad Pitt, not on the same level as a hormonal teenager."

   "What about that Clooney fellow?"

   "Oh, come on, even you two went 'Oh damn' when you saw him."

   "True." George shrugged.

   "My point is, I'm not gonna go on a date with him just because he asked and he's good looking."

   "So you think he's good looking?" Fred raised an eyebrow.

   Selena raised an eyebrow right back. "Why are you so bothered by this? I'm not into pretty boys."

   The Weasley looked suspiciously pleased by that. "Good, I don't want you to be distracted by Mr. Sleek Hair and Vampire Sparkle and forget that George and I exist."

   "Vampire Sparkle?" Selena laughed, relaxing.

   "I dunno, seems like something that'd describe him." Fred shrugged with a grin.

   She wrinkled her nose. "Seriously? Diggory in sparkles? And he doesn't look undead at all."

   "I'll bet you ten galleons he's the sort of bloke who watches you while you sleep." George piped up.

   "Well, can you blame him if he does? I look gorgeous asleep or awake." She winked.

   "Sure, your drooling is very attractive and arousing." George earned a punch to the shoulder for that.

   "I don't drool!"

   "Tell that to the poor house elves that have to get the stains out of your pillows."

   "Frederick Gideon Weasley, I will hex you so hard your descendants will feel it," she growled playfully.

   "All right, all right." The red headed twins put their hands up in surrender with a short laugh.

   "Actually, you know what? Your new haircut makes you look a lot like your dad from that portrait your mum has over the fireplace. You know, the one with her, your dad, Remus, Harry's dad and Regulus trying to get Professor Snape to smile for his birthday but he actually looks like he wants to throw the cake at them instead."

   Selena looked surprised, but pleased. "Does it really?"

   "Oh yeah, you look like you belong in one of those muggle rock bands." Fred grinned.

   "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." She placed a hand to her chest with an exaggerated gasp.

   "Are you seriously going to pretend we're not here?" Harry asked, eyebrow raised.

   "Well, scram! No use scolding you anymore, is there? I've said my piece, now mum can't blame me for your shenanigans." Selena shrugged, shaking her head as the three first years scarpered off.

   "Well, that was quite the sight. Who knew there'd come a day when Selena Black is the one berating someone for getting in trouble," Regulus's amused voice sounded from the fireplace.

   "You're supposed to be helping mum discreetly, you know."

   "I am being discreet. Officially, I'm here to visit my good friend Severus." Regulus shrugged.

   "How's that going to excuse your presence for an entire year?" Fred asked, frowning.

   "But I won't be here for an entire year. At least, they won't know I'm here. Why don't you kids stop worrying about adults and go enjoy your life? You're starting to act a little too much like Em." Regulus waved them off, sauntering away, out of the common room.

   Meanwhile, Emily sat on the roof of the astronomy tower, staring up at the night sky, noting each star and constellation out of habit.

   "We used to come here often," she said to the empty space beside her. "We'd make fun of the constellations and fall asleep. Merlin, how mad McGonagall became every time she found us." She chuckled.

   "I miss you, Pads," she sighed, a tear falling down her cheek. Her chest felt achingly empty, heart in anguish at the feeling of loneliness that consumed her.

   "Miss Silveira, get off the roof this instant." Minerva's stern voice called from within the tower.

   She wiped her tears, chuckling as she jumped down into the tower.

   "As I keep reminding you, Minerva, it's Mrs. Black now."

   Minerva shook her head, a rare smile lifting her lips. "Old habits, Emily dear. It's almost curfew, you shouldn't be out here unless you want to catch a cold."

   She hesitated, not really feeling like going to the guest room they had allotted for her. It was dark and gloomy and nothing like home. It reminded her all too much of the first month without Sirius, James and Lily.

   Minerva's gaze softened. "Would you like to come to my room? It could be like old times," she quietly offered.

   Emily smiled, grateful as I shed tears shone in her eyes. "Thank you... mum."

   The transfiguration master patted her shoulder comfortingly. "That's better," she murmured. "I nearly wanted to strangle you when you kept calling me by name or 'professor'."

   "You're the one who started it, scolding me like I was a naughty school girl. And besides, I thought you'd prefer a more professional interaction in your workplace." Emily accused.

   "Well, you shut me out for the last ten years!" McGonagall said shrilly.

   Emily froze, not having expected such an outburst from a the usually calm and collected professor.

   "You shut me out," Minerva repeated. "You were hurting and you wouldn't let me help. You only ever visited or let me visit during holidays, you stopped writing as often, you pushed me out. Do you have any idea how I felt?"

   "I didn't mean to." She shook her head. "I didn't want you to worry, you'd done so much for me already-"

   "Emmeline, when are you going to realise that whether you are related to me by blood or not, you are my daughter? I did not fight tooth and nail to get you out of that hellhole just for you to jump into another one and leave me behind!"

   The tears fell then, streaming down Emily's face as she finally broke down in front of the woman she considered her mother.

   "I didn't want to, do you know how many times I wanted to just drop everything and run to you?"

   "Then you should have! I could have helped-"

   "It's not because I needed help, mum. Merlin knows I have enough people in the house to help- I meant I considered leaving the children behind," she admitted.

   "Because I was afraid that if I turned to you, I'd leave them behind, abandon them and hide behind you."

   And Minerva saw then, what Emily was desperately trying to hide from everyone else. How scared she was, how scared she has been all along. She didn't even give herself time to grieve because if she did, the others can't heal.

   In that moment, it felt like Emily was thirteen again, looking up at her with scared, desperate eyes, begging for her to take her away.

   "Oh, my sweet, brave Emily," Minerva breathed, pulling the younger woman into a hug