As they had agreed, Severus and Emily started having dinner together once a week. Occasionally they went to restaurants in Diagon Alley, although Severus, as a known friend of Death Eaters, often received dirty looks. After a while, Emily had her own flat near the hospital and they simply had their dinners there. Sometimes it was the best time in the week for either of them. Severus usually wore a demeanor that was scornful or angry at the world around him, but he could speak and behave with Emily like a normal person. Emily enjoyed a night that didn't have the pressures of Sirius's constant playfulness or desires.

Sirius could not understand why Emily continued her friendship with Severus, and complained loudly whenever it interfered with some plan or other he had made. “He's a Death Eater, Emily! How can you even be in the same room with him! You're ruining your reputation!”

Emily was very clear with her response. “First of all, I know for a fact that he is not a Death Eater.”

“How do you know that?”

“Never you mind. He and I made an agreement and neither of us has breached it. Meanwhile, the problem with the Death Eaters is that they think some people are better than others. If I want to be above that, I have to be friends with whoever my friends may be.”

“Of course we're better than Death Eaters!” Sirius got a wild look in his face.

Emily would shake her head. “If you are going to have that opinion, you will fall into the same error that they have, eventually.”

Sirius tried to get Emily to join an organization that he had joined with James and Lily. It sounded like a great group of people, but she preferred to stay out of politics if possible. As a healer, she hoped that her patients would never have to worry about the sort of care she might give them based upon her loyalties. Besides that, the group seemed inclined to recklessness. She found that she had to provide emergency treatment to many people who were Sirius's friends these days.

In her efforts to heal people who had been cursed or hexed by the Death Eaters, Severus was turning out to be her best help. On their dinner evenings, they usually cleaned up and then spread their books out on the table as they worked on their advanced studies. Emily could tell Severus about the curses she had seen that week for which the experienced healers did not have effective treatments. Sometimes he could help her with counter charms or recommend potions to cure the victims.

---

The pattern was set for the next year. Occasionally Emily had to work a series of evening or night shifts at the hospital and she and Severus had to find a different way to manage their weekly get together. Still, there were few weeks that they did not share a meal and the day to day events of their lives.

One springtime night Severus came on a different night than usual. Sirius was visiting her at the time and showed his annoyance. “Snape! You need to wait your turn. I get to have Emily tonight.”

Severus raised his eyebrows at how this was said. “Actually, I came with news.”

“You might have interrupted something,” Sirius wanted to press his point.

Severus glanced inquisitively at Emily. She shook her head

“You in particular might find it to be of interest, Black.” Severus's face gave nothing away, but there was a chill to his voice.

“What is it, Severus?” asked Emily.

Severus looked at Emily, calm but concerned, and Sirius, wild and angry. Both were standing.

“It's about your brother, Black. The Death Eaters are all discussing the fact that he is dead.”

Sirius sat down. “Not Regulus? Regulus is dead? What happened?”

Severus shook his head. “I could not find out. Some have mentioned that the house elf, Kreacher, was with him when he died.” He looked at the other two in the room and turned to Emily. “I should go.”

Emily walked him to the door. He said, “I thought he would want to know and that this would be the best place to meet him without raising questions.”

“I think you are right. Thank you Severus. I am sure he appreciates it.”

As always, Severus rearranged his face to an impassive, slightly hostile stare, and went out her door. As Emily watched, Severus faded into the shadows and then she heard the pop that indicated he had Disapparated.

Back in her sitting room, Sirius was not doing well.

“He was my baby brother. How could he be dead?” He had found some wine Emily had in her kitchen and was drinking it from the bottle.

Emily sat near him and spoke gently. “Do you think it was an altercation with your group?”

“They would have told me, I'm sure. He must have done something that displeased the Death Eaters and they killed him for it.”

“Is there any way you know to get more information?”

“There's that miserable Kreacher. I'm still part of the family by blood. He would have to tell me the truth.” Sirius stood. I'll see if I can find him and get it from him. Can I come back tomorrow night?”

“I will be here, Sirius.”

---

When Sirius returned the next night, his hair was wild and his eyes were red ringed. He was holding an open bottle of firewhiskey by the neck. Emily brought him in and sat him at her table with a plate of dinner. She then found a glass and proceeded to pour his whiskey into it. Finally, she put some coffee on to perk.

“He had changed his mind,” Sirius began. “Kreacher told me that he couldn't tell me what happened. He promised Reg that he wouldn't, the little--”

“Sirius, please.” Emily wanted to re-direct him.

“He had changed his mind and lost his life because of it. He-who-must-not-be-named killed him.”

“I'm so sorry, Sirius.”

He sighed. “At least he was on the right side when he died, right? He was fighting against the evil at the very end.”

“You can take comfort in that.”

“Yes.” He finished his dinner and started sipping the coffee Emily put in front of him. “Oh, and the best part of the drama, Kreacher tells me, is that Walburga Black forgives her older son and is willing to take him back into the family home. Although he is a blood traitor, he is likely to marry a pureblood witch of perfect connections and provide the Black family with true heirs.”

Emily smiled. “That's a lot to assume, I suppose.”

“That's right.” He put his coffee cup down and poured himself some more firewhiskey. “There is no way I will ever give heirs to that woman. I told that to the elf in no uncertain terms and sent him back to the old hag.” He went and sat down on the sitting room couch. “Em, my baby brother is dead.”

Sirius then proceeded to drink as much of the bottle as he could before falling asleep. Emily covered him and prepared him a restorative for the morning. She then sat down on a chair to keep an eye on him.