Regulus did hesitate to take Lily's hand. Years of prejudice and purist propaganda drilled into his very being couldn't be eradicated in just a few weeks of expanding his mental horizons.

So he paused.

But it was just a pause.

Because he needed this. And some part of him could think beyond himself, and maybe Lily needed this too if she was willing to take him up on his idea of a truce. A new world, a new way of thinking. He had to adapt. They both did. And that was easier to do if you knew the person next to you. His pride was slowly turning to dust.

He looked her in the eye as he grabbed her hand to shake it.

"And we help each other, too."