Cigarette Daydreams - Regulus Black X Reader

Chapter 26 - Christmas Day 1976.

"Y/n wake up its Christmas!" James and Remus ran and jumped onto my bed. I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

"Morning." I mumbled sleepily and sat up, James waved his wand and my curtains opened letting the low winter sunlight stream through and blind me.

"Shut those curtains!" I groaned.

"Oh lighten up its Christmas." Remus smirked imitating James's (albeit posh) accent.

"Okay okay give me a minute to actually wake up I'll be downstairs in a second." I chuckled, the boys respectfully left my room so I could get dressed.

The Potters usually had a rather big Christmas, we invited a lot of extended family and family friends. I got dressed into a red t shirt as it was Christmas and some dark blue denim flared jeans. Recently presentable, but comfy. My ring from Reg's ring hadn't left it's place on my finger since I put it on last night. Writing more letters was too risky, I would thank him in person.

I brushed my hair and just left it as it was before walking down stairs. James, Remus and my parents were already sat by the big Christmas tree. Remus smiled bashfully as he unwrapped a book he had been wanting "Thank you." He wasn't used to getting gifts at all, my mother could see that as she told him it was no hastle and gave him a kiss on the head. Remus turned 17 this year but my Mum would always see him as the scrawny little first year she had met all those years ago.

"Oh Merry Christmas dear!" My mum smiled as I went and sat on the carpet in between Remus and James.

"Happy Christmas." I smiled at everyone, opening my presents was always funny because my dad was just as surprised to what was in them as I was, my mum did all the hard work.

James gasped as he eagerly tore the wrapping paper off a big box with his name on, a shiny new broom was revealed as he opened the cardboard box. "No way! Thankyou so much!" He grinned happily and admired the shiny wood in his hand.

He insisted on going and trying it out, even though he was in his pyjamas and it snowed last night. "James darling you'll freeze-" my mum insisted.

"You can't stop me!" He laughed as he ran out of the room into the garden. We could see out the window as he zipped around and soon he came in, his socks wet from running in the snow, his cheeks red from the cold. "That was brilliant!" He said breathlessly, eyes alive with excitement.

"You're an idiot," I laughed and unwrapped the new ABBA album Arrival "wow thanks." I smiled at my parents.

We unwrapped the rest of our presents, I got a lot of sweets, a new quaffle, a fancy leather jacket, some high heeled boots, the sort you see rock stars wear, and a couple things for school. Everyone else came over around lunch time, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc and a couple of my parents friends from school. James let me have a go on his new broom on the condition that I absolutely didn't damage it and we threw around my new quaffle.

I gave Lily a call, we chattered for ages. When you share a dorm with someone, not seeing them for a week is a long time. James eventually took the phone off me to flirt with her but I let him because of the bet I had with Remus. 5 galleons that he would end up with Lily by the end of year 7, Remus said it wouldn't work.

That night, we went to bed late after a long day of being all social and eating far far too much but that's what Christmas was for surely, stuffing your face. I can't say the next day was as cheerful.

.・✫・゜・。..・✫・゜・。.

I walked in to the kitchen to make a sandwich out of some left over Turkey from yesterday and my dad came up to me. "Y/n, have you checked on your muggleborn friends. Mary and Lily is it?"

"I wrote to Mary not long ago, I called Lily yesterday. Oh god has something happened?" I frowned suddenly starting to think of every possibility.

"Listen I don't want you to worry." He used the same tone he used when I got scared of thunderstorms when I was little. "But there was an attack on a family last night. Two muggleborn parents and their baby, the house was burned to the ground." He said quietly.

Well we all knew who was behind that. "Are they alright?" The news was shocking, I felt sick. How could someone do that to a family? A baby.

"I'm sorry they all died, we think it was you know who and his death eaters. And that this is the beginning of it. I'm only telling you this because you deserve to know what's going on in the world, and you're mature enough now-"

"And because I'm going to fight when I leave Hogwarts." I added.

My dad sighed, I doubt he liked the idea of me joining a war but we all had to. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and I all agreed last year. Mary, Lily and Marlene probably would too. "I hope you won't need to by the time you leave. But just keep your friends close okay? Check up on Lily and Mary."

I realized I was about to cry so I just hugged him, I wanted all this to go away. Keep your friends close. Well that was working. Not. I loved a boy from a family on the opposite side, one of my closest friends wanted nothing to do with me because of it and I was going to fight an evil wizard and I only had the chance of a future if I won. If we all won.

He hugged me back like I was his little girl again "Don't let it get you down too much, there's lots of hope."

"It's all so wrong." I let the tears fall, my voice a little wobbly with emotion.

"I know I know." He said softly and stroked my hair. "The good will always win eventually. You have to have faith in these things."

"But how many people will have to die for that to happen? What if my friends are next? What if I can't stop everyone I love getting hurt?" I was sobbing now into his shoulder. I wasn't ashamed to cry in front of my dad, he had always been there to comfort me without making me feel guilty or judged.

"You're like your mum you are. You can't always look after everyone but sometimes people don't need looking after. My hope is, by the time you've left school this will all be over. You'll be alright I promise." He smiled softly. "I'll always protect you and your brother."

That was an awfully bold promise to make.