"I'm not a muggleborn." Brena spoke up after her skin was healed back up. Regulus looked back at her, confused at her words. "I- Dumbledore did some digging around.. Found my family tree..-" She paused as she let out an exasperated laugh. "My whole life has been nothing but a lie- a confusing mess of a lie." 
"What do you- What did he tell you?" He asked carefully. He could see she was upset. That she didn't understand it herself. 
"My mom is- was a Lupin." Regulus reared his head back a bit in surprise.
"Your related to Remus?" He couldn't hide the fact that he was relieved a bit. Remus and Brena were extremely close. So close that it caused him some jealousy. He already had to worry about sharing her with James Potter and Sirius Black. 
"You didn't think I was with him too, did you?" Brena laughed harshly. "He's always had a bit of a brotherly love. It was odd- I just thought we were soulmates in a sibling way." 
"I didn't think that-" Brena laughed some more as Regulus glared at her playfully. "You're so mean." He muttered before smiling at her and shoving her gently. 
"I'm just telling you how it is." Brena leaned towards him with a suggestive gleam in her eye. "You're so jealous." Brena teased. Regulus stared at her as she leaned towards him. A bit shocked how confident and playful she was being. She'd been like this before, so it wasn't too unusual. Regulus leaned forward, meeting her lips. Brena smiled, moving her lips with his slowly. His hand lifting to rest on her cheek before she pulled back slightly. "Distracting me from the situation at hand?" 
"Is it working?" He smirked playfully. Brena shook her head at the Slytherin with a short laugh. "So you're related to Remus- what does that make you?" 
"I haven't a clue. My father and mother were both Squibs- I know the Lupins are PureBloods.. But my father- I don't really know what his side was." Brena explained before pulling a scroll of paper from the drawer of her nightstand. "Dumbledore gave me this- it's my family tree...or at least the famous bits of it." She handed it over to Regulus, which he accepted before looking at it. His dark eyes widening just slightly.
"Ravenclaw? Your father was a decedent of Rowena Ravenclaw?" Brena nodded before pulling out a book and handing it over to him. It was the history of the Ancient Greek Seer Mopsus and his victory over Calchas. "Who is Mopsus- wait. He was the Seer who saw the first Great War...His portrait is in the Dungeon, I pass him every night on my way back to the common room."
"He's the reason I've got the... sight as Remus put it." Brena rolled her eyes at the idea of the wolf boy mentioning her secret in front of the Headmaster. 
"You really are a Seer-" Brena nodded, looking at the boy. "I thought those Gryffindors were just being idiots." 
"They still are. I think it comes naturally." Regulus snorted at the girl and shook his head. 
"I'm related to one of those idiots-"
"So am I." Brena huffed. They both looked at each other before laughing. Regulus leaned back on his hands on her bed. His laughter dying out as he thought about what he was told. 
"So what does it make you if both of your parents are Squibs? If they are both PureBloods... would you be one too? Or half-blood, which ever." He questioned, looking curious at the answer.

"Does it really matter? I think once Talvi is removed from me- I'll go back to being a Squib myself. I think.." Regulus looked at her, confused.
"Remove Talvi? Then what? You quit going here, right? Where- what would that mean?" Brena met his gaze, noticing the look in his eyes. He was afraid of what that would mean for them.
"Reggie.. I told you this is not us being together. We are basically a fling- friends with benefits." Brena told him, before cringing slightly. "That's- that came out a bit harsher-"
"It's fine. You're right." Regulus nodded, his eyes looking down at his hands. "You did tell me that we weren't together. Hell, I'm still learning new things about you- and you... you don't even know me." He stood up, placing the small paper on her nightstand. "You don't know a thing about me other than my last name and that I'm half decent at potions." Brena sat up in her spot, watching the Slytherin run through his thoughts as he paced a bit.
"I- You're right. I don't know you. I know the outer part of you. Which hand you use to perform magic. What class you excel at. The people you associate yourself with-" Her eyes staring at his left arm before he covered it with his right hand. As if he was blocking the knowledge from site. "I also know you don't want to do what you are forced into."
"You don't know that." He muttered, shaking his head. Brena stood up, shaking her head in response to him.
"Did you ask to get marked?" She questioned, grabbing Regulus' left hand. He stiffened as she looked at his arm, moving to roll his sleeve up only for his right hand to grab her hand, stopping her. "It's okay.." She whispered to him. Her brown eyes looking at him. 
Regulus stared at her. Noticing the slight honey hue to her eye color. Sweet and beautiful. Why hadn't he noticed her before? Before he was forced into being marked as a loyal follower? It would have been so much more simpler... But they were young. They were still young. But that hadn't made a difference with the Dark Lord. Regulus was sixteen. A fifth year, nearly a sixth year in only two weeks. 
His hand left hers. Allowing Brena to roll his sleeve up slowly and gently. Like she was afraid he would shatter or cower away from her. His sleeve stopped at his elbow as her honey gaze scanned over the pale skin that was tainted with a dark colored mark. Her hand holding onto his hand carefully before moving her other hand to hover over the mark. Tracing it without touching it. Brena could feel the coldness from it without even actually touching it. 
"Does it hurt?" She questioned. Regulus was still watching as she was staring at the one thing that made him the bad guy. She wasn't pulling away though like he had thought she would.
"It's like having frostbite." He informed her slowly, dreading talking about it. "It was like being branded like live stock- burned into me for eternity. But it numbed since then into an icy reminder that I'm not in control of my own choices any longer." His explanation caused a drag in Brena's heart. She felt for the boy. She understood to an extent where he was coming from. She had lost her choice when she had turned thirteen. She was in the process of gaining it back.
"It won't always be like this." Brena tried. But Regulus shook his head at her. 
"No. It's too late for me." He decided. "All that's able to help me now is if the war ends in the Lights favor." Brena raised her gaze to him, staring up into his stormy eyes. 
"Well then...maybe I can at least make it a bit easier for you.." She whispered as she leaned up, pressing their lips together.

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
A/N: Finally updated!!
Got to see a bit of the brotherly love between the Marauders :) I love them.
Reggie finally showed his mark. I don't know how the mark would actually feel, but I tried to compare it to the feeling of death and dread. Fire when first entering death, like a hot trail of dread before settling into an icy tundra of lifelessness. Idk, seemed about right.
So!! Thoughts??