Finn blinks awake the next morning slowly and with great reluctance. She's so comfortable that it seems almost a shame to wake fully, but she soon finds herself too distracted to doze off again.

She's not sure which one of them had bridged the distance first during the night, but her back is pressed up against Regulus' front. There's barely a millimetre between them, his scorching skin laid against hers; his arm is hooked around her waist, limp with sleep where it's laying over her belly.

Finn freezes, her sleepy eyes growing wide as she begins to comprehend their position.

It feels like her brain is short-circuiting. She can feel his breath against the back of her neck, and she shivers lightly as the sensation makes her hair stand on end. In a movement that's mostly involuntary, she presses back against him. She closes her eyes, quietly enjoying the feeling of being held and trying to pretend as though she's not utterly pathetic. It's typical that the only time she gets to enjoy human touch like this is when the other party is unconscious.

Honestly, she would probably have been happy to stay like that forever. The comfort of simple human touch isn't something that she gets very often, and she doesn't think that she's ever just been held like this.

But that innocent sense of peace comes crashing down sharply when Regulus shifts in his sleep, and his hips roll against her backside.

Finn might be tragically unused to sharing a bed like this with another person, but she would have to be entirely stupid to miss the hardness that's now pressing into her ass.

All she can do is freeze. It's like her brain flatlines, because not a single thought crosses her mind. While her thoughts have gone blank, her heart goes into overdrive, beating so hard it feels as though it's about to leap into her mouth.

When Regulus moves again, Finn lets out a soft gasp. Drowsily, his arm tightens around her waist. His fingers stroke over her belly in a subconscious little gesture, and for the first time Finn realises that her nightdress has been rucked up around her waist in her sleep.

He makes a sleepy little noise in her ear, and Finn shuts her eyes tight. God, this is so unfair. He's not even aware of what he's doing.

She takes a breath, and then pulls at his arm. At first, he grasps at her mindlessly, making a low sound of discontent as she pulls away. But once she's gotten free of his arm, he presses his face back into the pillow and goes still one more.

Finn stands by the side of the bed and breathes heavily as she stares down at Regulus, eyes wide.

He's sleeping peacefully, looking like a little angel with his lips lightly parted, his eyelashes fanned out against his cheeks. Meanwhile, Finn feels as though she's run a bloody marathon. She's hot all over, and sweaty, and she feels as though her skin is too tight for her body.

In a bit of a daze, Finn blindly makes her way out of the room and towards the bathroom.

She goes through her morning routine in a haze, as though she's watching from the outside. She washes her face and brushes her teeth, and then pads her way to the kitchen. She can't return to her room to get dressed — she's not yet prepared to see Regulus again so soon. Instead, she decides that she'll just have to make breakfast in her nightie.

It's only when she's at the kitchen counter, a bag of porridge oats in hand, that she actually allows herself to think about what's just happened.

She had just woken up cuddling Regulus Black, who had then humped his morning wood into her arse in his sleep.

"Jesus Christ." She mutters to herself, still in disbelief. "Oh my god."

How the hell is she meant to go about her day as normal after that?

For several long minutes, she just stares at the porridge oats like an idiot. It takes an embarrassingly long time for her to pull herself together, but she manages to shake herself back into her own head before turning to dump some oats into a pot with some water.

It feels as though she's playing with fire here; it had been her to invite Regulus into her bed, after all. She hadn't expected that from him, but now it's all she can think about. She stares fixedly at the porridge as she stirs it on the stovetop, still feeling overheated and squirmy.

As the porridge begins to bubble away, footsteps sound out in the hallway. It's like Finn has a sixth sense for him, because she knows it's Regulus even before she turns around.

He's yawning as he steps into the kitchen, scratching behind his neck and making his sleep ruffled hair stick up even more ridiculously. He looks adorable, with his half-mast eyes and messy hair and drowsy pout, and Finn feels her heart clench just at the sight of him.

It's still early, so it's a bit of a surprise to see him up at this time. He's in his pyjamas, not having bothered to change either, and his pyjama top lifts up a little as he scratches his stomach, revealing a stretch of pale skin. It takes all of Finn's strength not to look down to see if he's still sporting his little problem from earlier — he's wearing the cheap bottoms Finn had bought him all those months ago, and she just knows that if she looks she'd be able to see everything.

"Morning." He says, his voice deliciously gravelly.

Finn takes a breath, and shifts her weight in an attempt to hide her reaction to him. Clearing her throat and looking back down at the porridge, she aims for a casual tone.

"Hey." She says. "Sleep well?"

Fuck, she thinks, gripped by panic. Why did I ask him that?

"Yes," She can hear him come closer, his bare feet quiet against the kitchen tiles. "Evan is still in bed."

For a moment, Finn can't figure out why he's telling her that. Then her brain catches up to her, and she turns to look at him with raised eyebrows.

"Oh?" She asks, amused. "You want a kiss before he gets up?"

He steps closer, his eyes dropping from her face down over her nightgown. The material is cheap and thin, and Finn feels very exposed indeed as his eyes linger over where it clings to her breasts.

"Mm." He says thoughtfully, reaching for her hips already. "It would be a start."

It's probably a bad idea, but Finn is still aching deep in her belly and between her legs from her wakeup call that morning, so she smiles softly at him and nods. She hopes she doesn't look too eager, but she can't bring herself to care too much.

It shouldn't be a surprise that Regulus' kiss is especially heated this morning; after all, she'd felt the evidence that he was a little frustrated herself barely fifteen minutes earlier, and he certainly hadn't had time to sort himself out. Instead, he had woken up and sought her out. It's a rather thrilling thought.

One of Regulus' hands comes up to cup the back of her neck, tangling in the hair at the base of her skull. There's no exploratory kisses this time — he goes straight to positively devouring her. All of their kisses have been heated, but this one feels all-consuming.

When Regulus' other hand grabs at her waist and pulls her closer, Finn is pulled tight against the length of his body. It's a bolder move than she had been expecting, because now she can feel every part of him pressing against her.

He tastes like spearmint, and Finn's head swims at the thought of him going to brush his teeth before coming to find her.

Without thinking, she tilts her own hips towards Regulus, rolling her body into the hardness between his legs. Their previous kisses, while intense, had never crossed this line before, but Finn's not thinking straight. Knowing he's hard while kissing her turns her knees weak, and she reaches up to grab his shoulders to keep herself steady and upright.

"Shit," Regulus hisses against her lips, stepping forward and crowding her against the kitchen counter.

It's like the act of rolling her hips into his has chipped away at his self-control, because he kisses her harder than ever. One hand keeps a steady pressure on her hip, keeping her pressed against the counter as he nips at her lips, the other hand tugging lightly at her hair.

Finn does her best to give as good as she gets, but she feels dazed and overwhelmed and her legs keep rubbing mindlessly together in a search for friction that she just can't find. She lets out a soft, wanting noise that's almost entirely unconscious, and tries to rub up against the front of his pyjama trousers.

Regulus lets out an answering sound, a little hoarser than hers, and then abandons his hold on her neck in favour of grabbing at her waist with both hands and lifting her. Finn gasps, startled, as he picks her up and sets her on the kitchen counter.

Like this, their waists are almost perfectly level, and Regulus steps forward to slot himself between her thighs without pulling away from her mouth even once. If she had a little more presence of mind, Finn might be embarrassed about the way her legs spread easily to let him in, or the way she wraps her thighs around his hips to pull him closer.

Regulus groans quietly as the cradle of her thighs squeeze tight around him, and she arches into him as he uses his grip on her waist to pull her to the very edge of the counter. Like this, he has enough space to grind into her for real, and Finn lets out a genuine moan into his mouth.

Maybe that brings him back to himself a little, because he pulls back just enough to murmur, "Alright?"

"The porridge." Finn says stupidly, dazed and burning up.

Regulus lets out a little grunt of acknowledgement, reaching out blindly to grab the handle of the pot. He sets it down clumsily on one of the cold burners, and then returns his hand to the back of her neck.

"Alright?" He asks again, though this time it's punctuated by another roll of his hips into her.

Finn gasps, her mouth falling open as she feels the hot, hard press of him against the inside of her thigh. Regulus pressing in between her thighs results in her nightdress being pushed up around her hips, her legs spread wide to accommodate him.

"Yes." She murmurs, reaching up to tangle her hands in his hair.

She's almost afraid to make a noise, because she doesn't want to interrupt the moment – it feels fragile, like a soap bubble – but then Regulus' hands are stroking over her hips and settling just over the curve of her backside, and then he pulls her so that she fits right up against him. This angle makes it even easier to feel him through the thin material of his pyjama bottoms. When he moves against her again, she can't stop the soft, quiet sigh that comes spilling out from between her lips.

Encouraged by her noises, one of Regulus' hands coasts up her back and around her ribs, his fingers questing just below the underside of her breast. Dizzy from the kiss and the heat of his body against her, Finn pushes into his hands.

"We should-" Regulus starts, his voice rough as his lips move against hers, "We should probably slow down."

Despite his words, he makes no move to pull away from her. If anything, she swears his hands tighten around her hips as though he's worried that she'll agree with him.

"Probably." Finn whispers absently, though she pushes herself closer as she says it. "Before... before Evan gets up."

She can't imagine ever wanting to pull away, and Regulus certainly doesn't show any sign of wanting to stop either judging by the hardness that presses insistently against her and the way his hands are stroking along her ribs. She thinks she'd go along with whatever he wanted, right there on the kitchen counter.

They're so absorbed in each other that they don't hear the footsteps in the hall, or the kitchen door opening. They don't even notice that they're not alone anymore until there's a very loud clearing of the throat.

Regulus lets out a quiet little groan of frustration, the sound vibrating against Finn's lips. He pulls back just slightly, enough that their mouths are only brushing against each other, so that he can speak without turning around.

"Evan, will you please fuck off?" He says, his voice hoarse with frustration.

There's a moment of thick, awkward silence.

"I have witnessed many truly horrifying and disturbing sights over the course of my career as an Auror." Her uncle says, his voice drawling slow. "But this. This might just be the worst thing I have ever seen."

Finn lets out a low, horrified sound, and Regulus immediately scrambles backwards from her. With one quick move he pulls her down from the counter and tugs her nightdress back down her thighs, so fast that her head spins.

They both turn, eyes wide, to find Finn's uncle standing in the doorway. His normal eye is scrunched tight in disgust, his magical one rolled up towards the ceiling. Thankful that he's not actually looking at them, Finn takes the opportunity to straighten herself out as much as possible.

"Oh my god." She whispers, mortified, before directing a sharp sideways scowl towards Regulus. "Didn't you feel him come through the wards?"

Regulus frowns at her, looking a little doleful as his eyes dart back to her mouth. "I was distracted."

If the floor opened up and swallowed her right now, she would consider it a mercy. Finn just cringes back against the counter, and tugs self-consciously at her nightgown.

"Are you decent?" Al asks, still staring fixedly at the ceiling.

"Yes." Finn snaps, humiliated. "Jesus. That... wasn't what it looked like."

Her uncle finally looks at them, though his face is still twisted up as though he had witnessed something truly heinous. It looks as though he's struggling with something (likely his homicidal urges), and his expression settles into a fierce glare as he looks towards Regulus.

"You are both adults, and I acknowledge that you can make your own choices," Al says. "But if I ever walk in on something like that again, I'll skip the hexing and just go straight to beating you into the ground, boy."

Beside her, Regulus grimaces. "It was just a kiss."

Was it? Finn wonders. Was that just a kiss?

Al still looks furious, but he takes a deep breath. His shoulders straighten, and his Auror persona settles over him.

"You wrote to me about your Dark Mark burning." Al says. His expression is tight and angry, though his voice comes out intimidatingly steady.

"That was a week ago." Regulus frowns.

"Yeah, well, I've been busy." Al narrows his eyes. His magical one spins in its socket, pointing towards the hallway before spinning forward again. "What night did this happen?"

"Sunday." Regulus says. "The night Evan arrived."

Impressively, Regulus has managed to compose himself in the short space of time that Al has been standing there — it's almost hard to believe just by looking at him that he had been dry-humping her against the kitchen counter only moments earlier, but there are still two pink spots burning in the highpoints of his cheeks.

Al sighs, and drags a hand through his grizzled hair. "You said in your letter that it hurt more than usual. That it felt like he was angry."

"Yes."

For a moment, Al is silent. He's clearly thinking hard, his face creased into deep wrinkles and his gaze distant. When he finally speaks again, his voice is slow and careful. He might have sounded casual, if it weren't for the sharpness of his gaze when he looks back to Regulus.

"Did You-Know-Who ever disclose any sort of interest in Divination?"

That makes Regulus pause, and his brow furrows in bewilderment. "Divination?"

"Yes." Al stumps his way over to the kitchen table and drops down into a chair, though his stare is still boring into Regulus. "Has he ever mentioned it before?"

It looks like Regulus is floundering, clearly confused, and Finn can't blame him. He had only just been bracing himself to get a punch to the face, and now he's being interrogated about something else entirely. Finn is a little lost herself.

"No. Not that I ever heard." Regulus finally says. "It's one of the least reliable branches of magic; I think most Death Eaters held a healthy sense of disdain for it."

Al stares him down for an agonisingly long moment. At Regulus' side, Finn shuffles uneasily on her feet. She's not sure what they're talking about, but it feels significant.

At last her uncle nods, though he looks unsatisfied. "Fine."

Regulus leans forward, his expression turning thoughtful. He's gotten over the initial caution that had crept into his demeanour upon Al's arrival, and now he appears speculative.

"He was calling us for a reason on Sunday night, wasn't he?" He asks. "What happened?"

It's almost impossible to guess from Al's face alone what he's thinking, but Finn can see the way the index finger of his left hand twitch; a sure sign that he's stressed. Whatever happened, it must be big.

"I'm not here to talk about that." Al grunts, scrubbing at his face with his hands. "I'm here to discuss the Horcruxes further."

Regulus' expression deadens a little, turning wary. "I've told you everything I know about them."

"Mm." Al leans his chin on his hand, his magical eye boring into Regulus. "Now see, I don't think that's altogether true. You've told me almost everything you know about them."

Finn shuffles on her feet, uncertain. She only has a faint idea what they're talking about, and she's not altogether sure if she should be here listening to this or not. Her movement seems to remind Regulus that she's still present, and he inclines his body towards her as though seeking a barrier between himself and her uncle.

"If you're asking for the locket," Regulus says coldly. "I've told you that I will give it to you when you have found a way to destroy it."

"I'm not asking for that." Al says. "You procured the locket. The information you managed to gather from being around You-Know-Who's inner circle has allowed the order to find the ring previously owned by Marvolo Gaunt, and a solid gold cup that is thought to be previously owned by Helga Hufflepuff. There's a diadem previously owned by Rowena Ravenclaw too, although that one seems to be in the wind. We've got Order members searching for it, but no luck yet."

"I know all this." Regulus says, perhaps a little rudely.

"There has to be another one." Al insists, frowning heavily. "From your own estimations, he likely created his first Horcrux when he was still at school. From the evidence that Dumbledore was able to gather, all these objects were procured after he left Hogwarts."

"I never claimed to be an expert in Horcruxes." Regulus says sharply. "And I resent that you are treating me like one."

"Yes, well, with all due respect," Al's tone suggests that he really doesn't intend all that much respect at all. "You're the closest we have. You've done more extensive research into that sort of Dark magic than most — the books you had access to in your ancestral home are darker and older than anything we have been able to access, and are doubtlessly more informative."

Finn fidgets, and begins to lean against the kitchen counter. She truly does feel rather out of place in this conversation, and she's beginning to get self-conscious. She's still in her nightdress, and it's all wrinkled from Regulus' pawing at her. Worse than that, she really needs to change her underwear; they're still uncomfortably sticky from their earlier kiss. She wonders if she might be able to slip out of the room unnoticed, but figures that the chances are relatively low.

"If there's a fifth, I do not know what or where it is."

Al stares at him for a very long moment. The tension is almost unbearable, until finally he heaves a defeated sort of sigh.

"Yeah," He grumbles. "I figured that was probably a bit of a long shot, but we're desperate for any information we can get."

"When is the next Order meeting?" Regulus demands, drawing himself up. "I want to attend it. Properly this time, with no middle men or mediators."

Al rubs at his face. All of a sudden, he looks absolutely exhausted. For the first time, Finn notices how his clothes are wrinkled and the dark circles under his eyes are far more pronounced than usual.

"There's no meeting this week." Al says, and though his voice is as gruff as ever there's an undercurrent of emotion there. "The McKinnon family was wiped out on Sunday. The whole lot of them, children too. The Order is still reeling from it."

Finn steals a quick look at Regulus, curious about his reaction. His eyes have flared minutely wide, before he stifles his emotions. Even when his face settles into neutrality, however, he seems paler than before.

"I... see."

"Never mind that." Al rubs at his brow, as though he's getting a headache. "Tell me more about this Dark Mark burning business."

Regulus nods slowly, but doesn't immediately recount the story. Instead, he turns to look at Finn for the first time since they had gotten interrupted.

"Did you want to go and get dressed?" He murmurs, his eyes darting over her thin nightie.

Ordinarily, Finn might be irritated by his transparent attempt to get her to leave, but she's willing to take just about any excuse to flee the room. The tension is stifling, and it's not as though she understands most of what they're talking about, anyway.

She's finding it difficult to look in Al's direction, never mind make eye contact, so she scurries across the room with her head down. Once she reaches the door, however, she hesitates. Bracing herself, she looks to Al and levels him with a stern look.

"Don't hurt him." She warns him.

The length of the pause in response to that is genuinely a little concerning, but finally Al says, "I won't."

It's not particularly convincing, but it had been on Regulus' prompting that she'd decided to leave, so she decides to leave it at that. She's only just stepped into the corridor when her uncle calls after her.

"Finn, this is only a flying visit." He says. "I'm leaving after I talk to the boy."

That's not altogether surprising, considering his visits have been terribly short ever since Regulus moved in, but Finn still feels a little disappointed. He hasn't had a proper visit in months, but this one might be the shortest one yet.

She just sighs, and calls back to him, "Yeah. Busy at the Ministry, huh?"

There's a pause, then an audible sigh. "Yeah. I'm sorry, love."

"Fine." Finn calls, hoping that she sounds perfectly unaffected. "I have to go to the shop anyway. I need to get a lightbulb."

The village shop sells a truly ridiculous variety of items, from everyday groceries to beauty products to agricultural supplies. It doesn't take Finn long to find a replacement lightbulb for the one that Regulus had accidentally shattered the night before, but she doesn't return home immediately.

Instead, she takes the opportunity to do a quick grocery shop as well. Evan keeps eating all the chocolate yogurts almost as fast as she can buy them and Regulus had been getting irritated at how quickly they had been running out of them, so Finn ends up loading up on extra yogurts as well as basic groceries.

It takes longer than she had initially intended, and by the time she gets back in the car and begins to drive home she knows even before she returns to the house that her uncle will be gone. She tries not to feel too disheartened at the thought of missing him yet again — it feels as though she hasn't had a chance to talk to Al properly in months, and she misses him.

By the time she gets home, the noon sun is beating down hard on the hills. It's the last of the intense summer heat, and the grass is curling and browning from the lack of rain. Finn enjoys the warmth, but as she lugs the shopping bags back up the hill a light sweat breaks out on her forehead.

It's a relief to get into the shade of the porch, where it's cooler, but as she enters the house she pauses. From the hallway, she can hear voices in the kitchen.

For a moment, she thinks that maybe her uncle is still here. Setting the bags down at her feet, Finn carefully steps over to the kitchen door and listens in.

It's not her uncle's gravelly baritone she hears, to her disappointment. Rather, it seems like Evan and Regulus are just having a conversation.

Finn is about to pull away, but then a snippet of their conversation reaches her ears.

"-he gave a diary to Lucius Malfoy, and told him to keep it safe. You can't possibly think it's that?" Evan is saying, his voice low and confused.

"A diary?" Regulus asks sharply. "Why would he give him a diary?"

"Dunno." Evan's voice says. "There wasn't even anything written in it. The Dark Lord said it was to reward him for his loyalty, but everyone thought it was a test. You know, give him something that's not really of high value and see how he treats it. It was just a ratty old book — Dolohov got a right laugh out of it, considering all the important dark artifacts he's been given to look after for the Dark Lord."

There's a beat of silence, and then Regulus' voice speaks, sounding more urgent. "They're under more pressure to destroy him now than ever."

"And you gave them a head start." Evan says. "They had no idea how to stop him before you showed them the way. You've already solved enough of this mess. You can't solve it all."

Silence again, and then Regulus lets out a low, frustrated groan. "If I was permitted to attend the Order meetings, I believe I might be able to figure at least part of this mess out. I feel like I'm missing information."

Evan hums, though he sounds as though he's beginning to lose interest. "I'm sure. Hey, are you going to open that or not?"

Regulus makes an assenting sound, and then Finn hears the faint sound of paper tearing. Curious, she creeps forward and peers through the crack where the kitchen door is ajar; Regulus and Evan are sitting around the kitchen table, and Finn recognises the paper packaging of Honeydukes sweets on the table between them. Regulus must have placed another order at some stage during the week.

Evan reaches eagerly for some sweets, his eyes darting around the package. "Oh, pass me the Fizzing Whizzbees."

Now that she knows that Regulus has ordered those lovely sweets again, a smile breaks out on her face and she grabs the shopping bags as she prepares to enter the kitchen. Before she pushes through the door, however, she hears her name. She pauses with her hand on the doorhandle, listening.

Evan has just reached for the package again, but Regulus pushes his hand aside.

"The Peppermint Toads are Finn's."

"What, all of them? But there's loads!"

Regulus shrugs. "She prefers to wait until the enchantment wears off. She doesn't like feeling them hopping in her stomach."

"But that's the best part!"

Regulus shrugs again, and then takes the little parcel of Peppermint Toads to set them to the side. From the hall, Finn feels warmth bloom in her chest; no one has ever known her or her preferences well enough to save food that she likes for her.

Evan is rooting around the colourful paper parcel again. This time, he pulls out another little package of sweets and squints at it curiously.

"I didn't know you liked chocolate wands this much. How many of the bloody things did you buy?"

"They're for Finn, too."

There's a moment of silence, and then Evan says, "Good lord, Reg."

"Shut up."

Finally, Finn pushes the kitchen door open. Both boys jolt a little at her appearance, started, but she just smiles at them and acts as though she'd only just gotten home.

"Hey." She says, lugging the shopping bags over to the counter.

"Hello-" Regulus starts to say, but then he turns his head to look at her and trails off.

Finn looks to him as he falls silent, confused. His eyes drop to her legs, and all of a sudden she realises what his problem is.

"Oh, don't start." She warns, reaching down to pull at the hem of her shorts. "It's hot out!"

"I... wasn't going to say anything." Regulus says, clearly lying.

Evan is also blinking at her, clearly bewildered. "What on earth happened to the rest of your trousers? Did you go out in public like that?"

Finn just sighs, and decides to ignore him. "Is Al gone?"

"Yes," Regulus straightens up in his chair, and clears his throat. "From the sounds of it, the Order is in utter disarray. There's a big meeting next week, apparently. I'm sure he'll visit again after things have settled a little."

Finn just hums as she begins putting her shopping away. At this rate, she's not sure that things will ever settle. Though the war seems like a very distant thing, it's managed to permeate into almost every aspect of her life. She's managed to settle into a rhythm now that she and Regulus are getting on better, but she still wishes that things were a bit more normal.

She must look a little upset, because Regulus hastily pulls out one of the delicately wrapped package of sweets. "The Honeydukes order has arrived. Chocolate wand?"

"Yeah." Finn puts the last of the groceries away, and turns back to them with a sigh. "I'll take a chocolate wand."

As she reaches for the chocolate, Evan turns to look at Regulus with a speculative sort of expression.

"Hey," He says, "You know what would go great with these?"

When Evan breaks out the Firewhisky that he had somehow managed to smuggle in his trunk, Finn should have said no, thank you.

As it is, she finds herself laying out on one of the garden chairs soaking up the evening sun, a glass of amber liquid in her hand. The first sip of it had her choking — the burning sensation that travels down her throat and up her nose made her cough and splutter, gasping for breath. The boys had laughed at her reaction, clearly delighted by her shock.

It tastes like spicy cinnamon and caramel mixed into whisky form — once she gets used to the intense burning, it's actually rather nice. The alcohol brings a looseness to her limbs, and she tilts her head back and stares up at the evening sky that's slowly turning a golden orange colour from the setting sun.

"You know what I don't get?" She asks, chewing thoughtfully on a chocolate wand. "If this You-Know-Who fella is causing so much trouble, and you lot are magic, why doesn't someone time travel and kill him as a baby?"

Evan snorts, but Regulus actually looks as though he's giving her question some thought. He's as relaxed as Finn has ever seen him, spread out in the garden chair and watching the sunset streak across the sky pensively.

"Time-related magic is unstable, and serious breaches in the laws of time can result in catastrophic events." Regulus says. "Time-turners are heavily regulated by the Ministry, and they can be very dangerous to use. The ones that the Ministry have created have an Hour-Reversal charm encased into them in order to stabilise them, but it still only allows you to remain in the past for five hours at a time. A single mistake made by a time traveller in the past could result in a future far worse than what we are presently dealing with."

Finn rarely knows what he's talking about when he discusses magic like this, but she listens attentively anyway. She appreciates that he answers her questions without treating her like she's stupid, even if she doesn't understand a word he's saying.

Regulus must notice her blinking, because he adds in an abashed sort of voice, "I have given this quite a bit of thought."

She hums as though it all makes perfect sense to her, and continues sipping on her drink.

"On a much more interesting note," Evan says, leaning forward with a cheeky grin all of a sudden. "Reg tells me that Moody walked in on the two of you snogging this morning."

Finn groans at the reminder, and buries her face in her hand. Honestly, she had been trying very, very hard not to think about what her uncle had seen them doing that morning, both because the thought sends a flash of mortification through her and another flash of heat that is decidedly not mortification.

Even the Firewhisky isn't enough to drown it all out though.

"Let's not talk about it." She says, her words muffled in her hands.

Regulus sips at his Firewhisky, then announces, "I actually feared for my life, for a moment."

Evan snickers, clearly delighted by this story. "Well, I can't say it's not deserved. If you didn't learn your lesson after I caught you twice-"

"Shut up, Evan." Regulus grumbles, though there's no heat to it.

"I can't." Evan says simply, shrugging unapologetically. "You got so caught up with kissing a bloody Muggle that Alastor fucking Moody caught you at it — and with his own niece, at that! I can't believe he didn't demolish you on the spot. It's hilarious. I actually think the thought alone could fuel a Patronus."

Regulus rolls his eyes, but there's two pink spots burning over his cheekbones. Similarly, Finn is sinking down in her seat in embarrassment.

"What's a Patronus?" Finn blurts, desperate to change the subject before Evan gets on a proper roll.

Once again, it's Regulus that answers her question. Apparently, she's not the only one eager to shift the direction of the conversation.

"It's complicated," He murmurs, reaching for one of those odd little chocolate frogs. "It's an immensely complex and difficult piece of magic that channels the caster's positive emotions into a powerful protection charm by conjuring a partially-tangible energy force."

"You forgot the best part." Evan tries to take a chocolate frog too, but it bounces away from his hands. "They're shaped like animals."

Judging by the way Regulus sighs at that, Evan's assessment of the charm must be very simplistic.

"The Patronus charm generally takes the shape of an animal that its caster has an affinity for." Regulus catches the escaping chocolate frog before it manages to take a dive off the garden table, and holds it back out to Evan. "But there's not too many witches or wizards that can cast a corporeal Patronus. Like I said, it's a very complex piece of magic. Non-corporeal Patronuses are more common — they have no particular shape, just like a glowing cloud."

"Oh." Finn sits up, blinking. "I saw one of those! Al sent me one — that's how I knew he was in the hospital. It spoke to me."

Regulus hums consideringly, nursing his glass close to his chest as he looks out over the hills. "Yes, I saw a few of those during my time in various Order safe houses. It's quite impressive, really. The Order of the Phoenix have managed to come up with a way to use Patronus charms to send messages; it's confidential and perfectly untraceable. It was probably Dumbledore's idea."

Finn sips again at her drink, and tilts her head curiously. "What animal is your Patronus?"

Regulus doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he watches her as she reaches out to pick up a little Peppermint Toad. The enchantment hasn't fully worn off yet though, and its little legs kick weakly in her hand. She simply refuses to eat it while it's still moving and her head is a little hazy from the alcohol, so she happily sets it down on her shoulder, where it wiggles a little before going still.

"I don't know." Regulus says at last, his eyes falling on the little candy frog on her shoulder. "I have never been able to cast one."

"Me neither." Evan says cheerfully, then shrugs. "I don't think very many people in our year managed it at all. Although, I remember there was a big deal when Evans in your brother's year managed to cast it, right? Her and Potter had matching Patronuses. It was all very sweet."

Finn has started petting the top of the Peppermint Toad's small head, feeling pleasantly fuzzy. She's still listening to the conversation, but only absent-mindedly. "Matching Patronuses?"

"Yeah," Evan says absently, picking through the Honeydukes packaging in search for the Pepper Imps he seems to like so much. "It caused quite a stir. Partially because it seemed like Evans disliked him, and partially because people were rather surprised that a Mudblood was able to perform such advanced magic. But she was always at the top of her class, so it wasn't that much of a shock-"

"What does that mean?" Finn asks, still stroking the Peppermint Toad's head with her pointer finger. The little sweet twitches into her touch, its little legs trembling.

"What?"

"Mudblood." The word sounds funny coming out of her mouth, clumsy on her tongue thanks to its unfamiliarity and the alcohol. "Is that a type of magic, too?"

Regulus sits up sharply, and shoots Evan a look that is abjectly furious. It's a little surprising — usually, Regulus gives thoughtful answers to all her questions. It's rare that he looks so angry at her for asking questions, and Finn wonders if she's done something wrong. If his livid expression were directed at her, she thinks she might have cried.

As it is, it's Evan that's on the receiving end of his fierce look, and he just winces . "Oh, shite. I didn't mean that. I mean, it just sort of slipped out."

Finn turns to look at Regulus, still a little apprehensive about his forbidding expression. "Is it a bad word?"

"Yes." Regulus says, his voice stiff. His eyes are still narrowed in Evan's direction, though gradually he begins to sit back and look at Finn. "He shouldn't have said it."

Evan is still wincing, although his tone is a little defensive when he says, "You used to say it too-"

"Before."

Evan shifts in his seat, looking like a chastened child. "Yes, alright, I get it. I won't say it again."

It really doesn't mean anything to Finn, so she just shrugs it off. Regulus seems more bothered by it than she is, which is a little amusing as she imagines it's probably something that's meant to be offensive to her, but he's beginning to relax again. It must be bad if Regulus won't explain it to her, and if Finn was a little more sober she might be more inclined to push him on it.

In an effort to dissipate some of the tension, Finn changes the subject.

"What would my Patronus be if I had one, d'you think?" She muses, chewing thoughtfully at the end of her chocolate wand. The richness of the chocolate and the spiciness of the Firewhisky creates a heady mixture, making her feel loose and light.

"Something like a honey badger." Regulus answers almost immediately, as though he simply had the answer at hand. "Tiny but vicious."

Finn snorts a laugh at that. "Shut up."

"They can kill lions, did you know that?"

"Fuck off!" Finn rolls her eyes, but she's still smiling. "You'd be something stupid. Like a... like a salmon."

"Wow." Regulus drawls, raising his glass to his lips and peering at her over the rim of it. "That's cutting, darling."

Blood rushes to Finn's cheeks so quickly that she feels a little light-headed. It's not the first time he's called her that ridiculous pet-name, but Finn just can't get used to the way it sounds. She doesn't know if it's the name itself or the way he says it in that slow, soft drawl of his, but either way it flusters her so badly that she can't make eye contact with him.

"I think mine would be something rather impressive." Evan says, finally recovering from his apparent slip-up. "Perhaps an Abraxan winged horse."

"Definitely not." Regulus says immediately. Finn punctuates this by nodding, but she has to stop as her vision goes blurry.

"Why not?" Evan asks, clearly a little offended.

"Much too dignified for you."

"Fine, what do you think I'd have?"

There's a brief moment of thoughtful silence, as all of them stare at each other assessingly.

Finn squints at Evan. "A seagull."

"A beaver." Regulus says at the same time.

Evan gapes at them, aghast. "You two are the worst. I'm not listening to either of you — you are clearly poor judges of character."

Finn starts to laugh — a real, genuine laugh. It feels as though her mind is full of bubbles, the gentle burn of the Firewhisky going straight to her head. For the first time, socialising like this feels easy. She's actually enjoying it, talking to people, and to her surprise she actually feels comfortable in their presence.

Regulus' lips quirk up a little, his brow soft. He looks relaxed, moreso than usual, leaning all the way back in his chair with his legs stretched out straight. He watches her laugh for a long moment, his eyes moving from her face to the Peppermint Toad still sitting on her shoulder.

Evan is still pouting, but he pulls himself together to lean across the garden table towards Finn as he points at her shoulder. "Oi, are you going to eat that or can I have it?"

"Fuck off," Finn says reflexively, reaching up to cup her hand around the little toad on her shoulder. "It's mine."

"You're not eating it!"

"I can't eat it! It's still bleedin' moving!"

"Feeling it hop in your stomach is the best part-!"

Finn just shakes her head, feeling herself get dizzy all over again. Honestly, no wonder he was able to become a Death Eater with that attitude.

"Just have a Chocolate Frog." Regulus grumbles, pushing a little cardboard carton towards his friend.

Though he's still pouting, Evan doesn't argue any further. Instead he reaches forward and begins tearing open the packaging.

Finn sips at her Firewhisky, cradling the glass in her lap as she tilts her head back towards the sky. She's quite fuzzy now, tipsy in a pleasant sort of way, and she closes her eyes as the setting sun warms her face.

The garden is beautiful; all lit up in warm shades of orange and gold, the frothy blooms of her flowers spill over from the flowerbeds and onto the grass. The scent of lavender and honeysuckle perfumes the air so thickly that every breath tastes sweet, and Finn finds herself relaxed and comfortable in the warmth of the evening.

"I'm having a nice time." She says quietly, face still tilted towards the sky.

The boys hadn't been talking, but they seem to go impossibly quieter at that little declaration. The rustling of the Chocolate Frog packaging stops quite abruptly — though her eyes are closed, Finn can imagine the two of them looking at each other, non-plussed and communicating in that strange silent way of theirs.

"Really?" Evan says lightly, clearly aiming for a joking tone. "And here I thought we were annoying you."

For Finn, it always seems like August evenings are always especially stricken with melancholy. It's like all the ghosts of her past summers are haunting her, and at times the loneliness can feel like a genuine physical ache. Recently though, she's had more physical contact than she's had in years, and she's had enough socialisation to keep her going for weeks. For the first time in a long while, she feels like a little hole in her chest has been filled.

She doesn't know if she's happy, but she's certainly content.

Perhaps that's why she says, "I've spent most of my life and most of my friendships holding my breath and hoping that when people get close to me they won't leave. It's been... nice having you here for company."

The ensuing silence settles for such a long time that Finn actually blinks her eyes back open and straightens her head to see if they're still there or not. They're both blinking at her, with very strange expressions on their faces. Finn doesn't quite know how to read what they're thinking, especially not when they share an indecipherable look between them.

"I think that's enough Firewhisky for tonight, love." Regulus murmurs at last, reaching out and pulling the glass from her hand. "Come on, you must be tired."

Admittedly, Finn is a little tired. That's not the reason that she allows him to take her glass and pull her chair out, however. Truthfully, she's hoping that maybe Regulus might give her another kiss when they're alone again.

"Goodnight." Finn says to Evan, as she steps around the table towards the porch.

Evan waves goodbye lazily, still working his way through his Firewhisky. Though Finn is on her way inside, she still catches the look that the two boys exchange.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Regulus says to Evan, before following Finn towards the door.

That's not what Finn is hoping to hear, and she pouts a little. Only a few minutes? Not ideal.

Regulus follows her to the bathroom, and waits outside as she brushes her teeth. She finishes up with washing her face in record time, and then takes a moment to breathe deep and collect herself. So far, all of their kisses have been initiated by Regulus. The thought of her making the first move is terrifying, but she's a little tipsy and feeling stupid, so there's probably no better time for it.

When she opens the door and steps back out into the hall, she finds Regulus leaning against the wall with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. The line of his pale throat stretches long and smooth, the strong line of his throat creating a sharp contrast to the rest of him. From beneath the gauzy collar of his shirt, a few of his silvery scars are visible.

He makes for such an arresting sight that Finn actually has to stop and just stare at him for a moment.

A moment passes, and he seems to become aware of her. He straightens up and opens his eyes, his dark hair falling back over his forehead. He's so pretty, and Finn can't stop staring at him like a total idiot.

"Come on," He murmurs when she doesn't move, and gestures towards her bedroom door with his head.

Finn follows his lead, walking behind him like a puppy. She would feel pathetic, if she weren't so eager to start kissing again. She's felt antsy since that morning, when he had unintentionally woken her up by poking her with his morning wood, and the subsequent heated kiss in the kitchen when he had hauled her up on the kitchen counter hadn't calmed her down any.

It's not clear why Regulus has taken the time to walk her to her room; he's not getting ready for bed, and it's clear that he intends on going back to Evan. It seems like a waste of his time, but still he's not rushing to get back outside just yet.

"Firewhisky is strong stuff." He says conversationally, digging his wand out of his pocket. He taps it against an empty glass on her dresser, and it fills with water. "How are you feeling?"

"Mhm. Fine."

"You had a nice evening?"

"Yes." She says quietly, scratching at the top of her thigh where her shorts cut off as she shuts the bedroom door behind her.

"That's good." He murmurs, finally turning to face her properly.

It's always intimidating, being under his scrutiny like this, but now all Finn can think about is how she's going to ask him to kiss her. She wants to be coy, and sexy, and maybe a little mysterious too. Maybe she'll say something really witty, something cool and impressive like-

"I want a kiss."

Oh. She's said that out loud. Fuck.

Regulus blinks, and then one side of his mouth quirks up. It seems like her boldness has taken him by surprise, but only for a moment.

"Oh yeah?" He asks, lips curling. "And how long have you been waiting to ask for that, hm?"

"Since you woke me up by dry-humping my bum."

Oh good lord, what is wrong with her?

Regulus lets out a sharp, surprised bark of laughter. It's low and hoarse and sounds so good, and Finn takes a breath as he steps towards her.

"Well, I can hardly be held accountable for my bodily functions while I'm asleep," He says, coming close enough that she has to tilt her head back to look at him. "But it's nice to know you enjoyed it."

Finn narrows her eyes at him.

"Well," She says slowly, "If you're going to be a dick about it, then I've changed my mind."

His smile is a tiny thing, but Finn's eyes stick on the way his cheeks dimple. He looks so lovely, and the Firewhisky has absolutely ruined her impulse control. She doesn't think that she could truly change her mind about wanting to kiss him in a million years, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Is that right?" He asks, raising his eyebrows. When his hands come to land on Finn's hips, she jolts a little. "Did you know that you have a Peppermint Toad stuck in your hair?"

"What?"

Right as Finn reaches up to check her hair, Regulus sweeps in and captures her mouth in a firm kiss. It's unexpected, but Finn can't complain when it's exactly what she had been hoping for. She responds eagerly, pressing close.

But disappointingly, the kiss doesn't last very long.

No sooner has Finn reached up to touch his soft, silky hair then Regulus pulls back. He doesn't go far, though; he pulls back just far enough that their lips are still brushing, but no longer properly pressed together.

It's probably for the best. The boundaries between them have already been blurred by the kissing, and then even further by their heated encounter in the kitchen that morning.

"I didn't realise you were so desperate for it." Regulus murmurs, pressing one more kiss to her lips. When she tries to follow after him as he pulls back, he chuckles softly. "Oh, you poor little thing. You want me so badly, hm?"

"Oh please." Finn breathes against his mouth. "I wouldn't ride you if you came with pedals."

Regulus actually laughs at that. It's a genuine laugh too, not just a snicker, or his usual quiet little huffs — it's husky and low and sounds so good.

"You'll eat those words, darling." He murmurs, his fingers stroking over the exposed strip of skin between her shorts and her top.

"No, I won't." Finn says, though she's still feeling a little dizzy from the pressure of his fingers against her bare skin. "It's just kissing, isn't it?"

There's a moment of silence, broken only by their breathing. Then, finally, Regulus pulls back. There's a strange sort of expression on his face, but Finn's head is still fuzzy from the Firewhisky and she can't interpret what he's thinking.

"Yes. It is." He murmurs, before reaching up to her hair. There's a light tugging sensation, and then he pulls his hand back — the little red and white Peppermint Toad is caught between his long, lithe fingers, and he holds it out for her to take. "I should go back outside. Evan must be wondering where I've gotten to."

Privately, Finn thinks that Evan probably has a very good idea of where he's gotten to, but she doesn't say anything. Instead she takes the Peppermint Toad and smiles a little as its legs kick limply in her hand. It really is an adorable little thing; she's still smiling fondly at it even as she places it gently on the bedside locker.

It's clear that their little kissing moment is over, so Finn clambers onto the bed and stretches herself out across her bedcovers. When she's settled comfortably on her back, she raises her head and peers in Regulus' direction only to find that he's still watching her.

He draws himself up to his full height and clears his throat when he sees that she's looking his way, before nodding at her denim shorts. "Take those ridiculous things off before you go to sleep."

Finn laughs a little at that, tugging at the hem of her shorts. She still doesn't understand why he hates them so much, but the way he gets so flustered by some exposed knees is endearing.

"There are nicer ways to get a girl's clothes off." She says, resting her head against the pillows.

"Finn!" He says her name like a curse, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. Even like this though, Finn can see the way his cheeks have flooded red. "I was not-"

Finn knows he wasn't, of course. The boundaries between them may be blurry, but they're still there. If just kissing a Muggle had sent him into such a tailspin, she can't imagine what doing anything further would do.

"Okay, okay, don't get your knickers into a twist." She says, rolling her eyes at him.

For a moment, Regulus just stands there, his brows twitching into a frown. When he doesn't make any move to leave, Finn tilts her head at him.

"I'm not going to take them off while you're watching." She points out.

"Merlin," Regulus mutters, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Alcohol makes you bloody bold, doesn't it?"

Finn doesn't think she's said anything exceptionally bold (she had only been joking, after all), but she doesn't argue with him. She just keeps watching him as he stands at the threshold of her bedroom, just beside the door. For some reason, he seems reluctant to leave. She's sure that she'll probably feel a little embarrassed about all this tomorrow, but for now her thoughts are cushioned by the hazy glow of Firewhisky-induced self-confidence.

Finally, Regulus opens the bedroom door.

"I'll, er," He says slowly, beginning to slowly back out into the hall. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah." Finn replies, watching him leave.

With one more polite nod, Regulus disappears from the room and shuts the door behind him.

Finally alone, Finn unbuttons her shorts and shoves them clumsily down her legs before dropping them on the floor to the side of the bed. She doesn't bother to change into her usual nightgown, however —she's fuzzy and sleepy from the alcohol, so sleeping in her clothes (minus the denim shorts) seems like the best scenario here.

As she lies back in her bed and settles herself comfortably into her pillows, her eyes fall again on the Peppermint Toad on her bedside locker. It blinks twice at her, and Finn smiles at it like a little kid.

"Night." She whispers to it, and scratches its sticky little head one last time before closing her eyes.