BOUQUET OF TRAGEDIES. ❜⠀⠀❪ regulus black. ❫ -DISCONT.

THIRTY; ❝ ANOTHER YEAR GONE ❞

CHAPTER THIRTY;
❝ ANOTHER YEAR GONE ! ❞
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⠀⠀⠀June rolled around sometime soon after the students of Hogwarts were finished with their respective exams. The seventh years had made a huge show of throwing all their books into the Black Lake, cheering and hollering. This movement was primarily lead by James Potter and Sirius Black. The act was too foul for any Ravenclaw to even stand around and watch, let alone participate. Remus Lupin and Lily Evans were exceptions they all took under their wing as nearly the entire house submitted their own books to the school library, giving Madam Pince the choice to keep them or give them away.

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⠀⠀⠀The weather was starting to get even warmer, heading towards summer and just perfect to bask in the sun or doze off under a shady tree. The students enjoyed it all to the max, as it was the last day they would get to, safely cocooned in a secure bubble. Even after removing seventh years from the equation, it was quite clear it was also the last day for a lot of the rest of them too, regardless of their grade. Parents were even more adamant to keep their children to themselves after the Halloween they'd all suffered through this year, when eleven children were snuffed out from existence like shooting stars.

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⠀⠀⠀William Cloverfield, Slytherin, 1st year.
⠀⠀⠀Muhammad Ismael, Gryffindor, 1st year.
⠀⠀⠀Grace Kim, Hufflepuff, 1st year.
⠀⠀⠀Sophia Kim, Hufflepuff, 2nd year.
⠀⠀⠀Florence Hepkins, Hufflepuff, 3rd year.
⠀⠀⠀Beckett Presley, Ravenclaw, 5th year.
⠀⠀⠀Benjamin Covey, Slytherin, 6th year.
⠀⠀⠀Violet Simmons, Ravenclaw, 6th year.
⠀⠀⠀Aisha Choi, Slytherin, 7th year.
⠀⠀⠀Timothy Lee, Gryffindor, 7th year.
⠀⠀⠀Juliana Romano, Slytherin, 7th year.

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⠀⠀⠀That's what was embroidered onto the huge, black banner that hung behind the staff table, in beautiful, gold thread, when they entered the Great Hall for the End of the Year feast.

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⠀⠀⠀"It's beautiful," Charlotte whispered with watered eyes after they'd sat down.

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⠀⠀⠀"Phenomenal," Jeremy agreed, a small, sad smile ghosting over his features. Manon looked straight up at Dumbledore. The spectacled man let his piercing eyes make contact with Manon's. She mouthed a thank you, to which he only smiled and blinked once, firmly, to acknowledge her thanks.

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⠀⠀⠀"I still question why they targeted the Slytherins too."

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⠀⠀⠀"Charlotte, all four of those Slytherins were muggle-borns. And unfortunately, the Death Eaters aren't just Slytherins. Renee Simone was a Hufflepuff."

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⠀⠀⠀The stars were the brightest and the constellations were the clearest they'd ever been as Manon and James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Jeremy Terrence, Charlotte Damiens, Kate Milevska, and Lucas Laurent lounged around the Astronomy tower that night, drinking butterbeers and firewhiskey they'd stolen from the kitchens and munching on pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs and all the sweets they'd all pitched in and shared.

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⠀⠀⠀"I want to sell the manor," James blurted out after a lull in conversation. "After this summer, I mean."

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⠀⠀⠀"That's nice to know," Manon said, throwing back the last of her firewhiskey. "I was going to bring up the same thing later."

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⠀⠀⠀"What about you Sirius?"

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⠀⠀⠀"Mate, it's your house. It's your choice. Why are you asking me?"

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⠀⠀⠀"Father and mother considered you a son, just as much as me."

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⠀⠀⠀Sirius smiled, leaning back against the wall. "I know they did." The pair left it at that.

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⠀⠀⠀"I love you all, you know that right?"

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⠀⠀⠀"We know."

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⠀⠀⠀A heavy curtain of unspoken words and goodbyes and 'be safe's hung over them like an invisible blanket, as Charlotte pulled her closer to herself, enveloping her body with her left arm, and Manon in turn, leaned into her, resting her head on her shoulder. Charlotte's smooth, bronze hand caressed a small jagged scar from childhood on Manon's forearm.

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⠀⠀⠀"And we love you just as much."

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