They could tell that the train was close to the King's Cross station, for they had long left the green countryside and it was already night. Everyone had started to take off their Wizarding robes to wear their jackets and coats so they could blend in with the Muggles. But not Diana and Regulus.

While he changed into his more formal Wizarding clothes, Diana had to change into a plain gown that her mother would approve of.

"I hate this shitty dress! I look bloody hideous!" Diana whined, looking down at herself mournfully.

"Woah! What's with that language?" Layla said jokingly.

"I can't curse for two weeks while I'm at home. So right now I'm trying to curse as much as I can while I'm free."

"I don't see what you're complaining about. That dress looks pretty normal to me," said Regulus, glancing over at her. "Besides, it's way better than wearing Muggle clothes just to blend in. I never understood why we had to hide from them."

"It's not a matter wearing Wizarding or Muggle clothes! It's that I can't stand being in this stupid dress!" Diana said ungraciously, groaning in misery. "Why can't women be allowed to wear trousers in my family?"

"Well, you just have to suck it up for two weeks, and then you'll be back at Hogwarts," Layla tried to say comfortingly, but that didn't help Diana's mood at all.

Once the Hogwarts Express came to a stop in platform nine and three-quarters, the students grabbed their trunks and were quick to make their way out of the train to meet up with their families.

The platform was as crowded as ever. An old Wizarding guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in small groups so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and catching the Muggles' attention.

Although before passing through the barrier, Diana caught sight of Remus in platform nine and three-quarters, saying goodbye to his friends in the distance. She then saw Regulus throw a dark glance at where his brother stood before shaking his head and running through the barrier with his trolley.

Just as Diana had her gaze fixed on Remus without realizing it, he turned his head toward her and their eyes met. She saw the look of guilt wash over his face as he frowned sorrowfully, but Diana briskly looked away from him after sending a glare at his direction.

Despite his cold apology the previous week in that empty corridor right before their class, Diana still couldn't find it in herself to forgive him.

First he had almost kissed her in the library, but the next thing she knew, he had completed their assignment on his own without even asking her, trying to get rid of her. He hadn't even denied it when Diana had tried to confront him. He had proved that he was no different than his friends.

Diana and Layla followed right after Regulus, appearing in the Muggle side of King's Cross station moments later. Layla was first to see her parents, and so she bade the other two goodbye before leaving the station along with her family.

"There's my mother," said Regulus, who had been searching the crowd for her. "But I guess we still have to wait for my brother. He's always last to arrive."

Diana looked over and followed Regulus's gaze, seeing a tall and slim woman with black hair walking toward them, her Wizarding gown wore on proudly. Walburga Black strangely reminded Diana of her own mother, with the way she looked at the passing Muggles with disgust.

"Hello, Regulus," said Mrs. Black, embracing her son for a quick moment before turning her glance on Diana curiously, one brow arched upward. "And who is this?"

"I'm Diana Greengrass," she said, giving the woman a polite bow of her head, just like how her mother had taught her. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Black."

Not, Diana thought to herself grimly.

The faintest hint of a smile appeared at the edge of the woman's lips. "Well, at least one of my sons knows how to make friends with a proper family. Unfortunately I can't say the same for my other son."

There was a bitterness to her voice that Diana would never even use on her worst enemy. She was suddenly grateful that even though her mother was rather strict, she never talked this way about her own daughter in front of others.

Diana had a sudden feeling that the woman despised her own son, but she shook her head off the thought. What kind of a mother would be that heartless?

Before Diana could answer Mrs. Black, she saw her own mother approaching them with a smile through the crowd, apparently satisfied with the dress Diana had chosen to wear.

"Hi, Mum," said Diana as she walked forward to meet her mother.

     "Hello, Diana." Mrs. Greengrass then placed a kissed on her daughter's cheek and hugged her. "I missed you."

"Mrs. Greengrass, I presume," came Walburga's cold voice. When they pulled away and looked back at her, they saw that she was looking at them with noticeable respect. "I'm Walburga Black."

"Oh, yes! Of course, of course!" Mrs. Greengrass smiled at her. She looked like an angel compared to Walburga. She then turned her head toward Regulus. "And is this your youngest?"

"Yes. This is Regulus," Walburga said with a proud smile, placing a hand on Regulus's shoulder, who greeted Diana's mother politely.

"I was glad to find that our children have already been acquainted," said Walburga. "I'm ashamed to say that the people they are accepting at Hogwarts nowadays are... concerning."

"I couldn't have put it any better," Mrs. Greengrass gave a small nod in agreement. "Perhaps our families could get to know each other better. In fact, my eldest, Darwin, has been recently engaged and is getting married over the summer. We would love to have your family as our guest."

Diana's eyes widened. She wanted to exclaim in surprise and ask why the hell was she only now learning about this news, but she held back her tongue.

"You are too kind, Mrs. Greengrass. It would be a great pleasure to us to be there," said Walburga, but there was nothing pleasant in her tone.

"Wonderful! We'll send you the invitation with owl in a few months." Mrs. Greengrass smiled brightly. "We should better get going now. We don't want to be late for dinner. My husband and son must be back from the Ministry momentarily."

"Well, unfortunately my older son, Sirius, has little respect for anybody else's time. We must wait for him a while more," said Walburga, the same bitterness being heard in her voice each time she spoke of him.

"It was a pleasure to know you, Mrs. Black. Goodbye for now." Mrs. Greengrass bowed her head lightly at Walburga and she repeated the action, and so Diana walked away alongside her mother after waving at Regulus as goodbye.

"They're a noble family, the Blacks," said Mrs. Greengrass as they walked through the crowded station. "One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, even, just like our family."

"Mhm," Diana mumbled distractedly. "When on earth did Darwin get engaged, Mum? And when!? To who!?"

"It's whom," Mrs. Greengrass corrected her. "Her name is Jade Bulstrode. She's Pureblood, of course —"

"But when? How?" Diana was bursting with questions, almost mad that she wasn't told earlier. "Why didn't you send me a letter?"

"Hold your sharp tongue, please." Mrs. Greengrass sighed. "It happened only last week, so we didn't see the need to send an owl when you were coming back home in a few days."

"How did Darwin even meet this girl?" Diana asked curiously, pushing her trolley forward.

"He didn't. Your father knew her father at the Ministry, so they arranged the marriage. It is important to keep the bloodline pure."

Diana didn't respond to that. She pitied her brother, even though she knew he had no problem with this marriage whatsoever. He never believed that love was necessary in order to marry someone. Diana didn't believe in true love either, but she still felt like it was a horrifying idea to be set up with someone forcefully by the choice of your parents.

"Why would you invite the Blacks to Darwin's wedding, anyway?" Diana asked after a long pause. She was glad to have Regulus there at the ceremony, but she wasn't sure if she could stand Sirius being there as well. "You barely know them!"

"You know, once a witch or wizard turns seventeen, they should consider marriage. It's tradition, after all," said Mrs. Greengrass. "Specially a young woman."

Diana couldn't see what was the point of her mother's words. "What does this have to do with inviting the Blacks?"

"Because, Diana, ever since your brother got engaged, your father and I have been talking about finding you a perfect suitor; one from a respectable and Pureblood family."

Diana froze on the spot with wide eyes, staring up at her mother in horror as the realization hit her.

"Now tell me, Diana," said Mrs. Greengrass, turning to look over at her daughter, "what are your thoughts about Sirius Black?"

"WHAT!?"