(1) Lux Brumalis (R. Weasley)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Pixie yawns as she leaves her bedroom in the new Avengers Tower and heads towards the living room. Tony's surprise in New York turned out to be an apartment within the tower for them and one of her own for Tatiana for if she's ever in the States but wants her space. They are having their Christmas a little later than they were planning. Between Tony's surgery to get the shrapnel in his chest removed and his work on trying to get rid of Extremis in Pixie, plus Tony wanted to replace the gifts he bought that were lost in the house destruction, so it's not till New Year's Eve that they get to celebrate in their own way with the whole family. Pixie walks into the next room, shuffles mostly. Barely even registering that Happy is standing in the living room with Tatiana who is smiling, relieved that Happy is finally out of the hospital and here with them for their Christmas. Pepper sets a plate of Christmas tree cookies on the coffee table in front of Rhodey who rubs his hands together before taking one, going back to his conversation with Steve who sits at his side. It takes Pixie a moment to realise that Happy is there but it does eventually sink in.

"Happy!" Pixie shouts and hurries towards him, Happy turns a warm smile on her as he crouches to greet her. Letting her fall into him for a hug.

"Hey" He whispers, feeling her crying against him. "I'm fine" He assures her as he strokes her hair. "I'm fine" He repeats and she pulls back, nodding as she sniffles. She knows he is, she can see that he is fine. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little box wrapped in tartan Christmas paper. He holds it out to her and she smiles wider as she takes it from him. She unwraps it to find a black velvet jewellery box inside. "Your mother said they were the one you wanted" Happy offers, Pixie opens up the box and smiles.

"They are" She assures him as she touches the green stones earrings. She already has ones that look like Tony's mini-arc reactors but they don't really go with her Slytherin robes. So she dropped a few hints about getting some green ones. "They're perfect" She adds as she holds one of the earrings to her ear.

"Oh, are we doing gifts already?" Tony asks as he walks into the room, Santa hat on his head all lopsided and a glass of eggnog in hand. "I thought we were having breakfast first" He whispers to Tatiana. "And that's why I wasn't allowed to open the Iron Man gift wrapped one" She gives him a look. "What?" He defends. "It literally has my face on the paper..."

"I would think that the actual child goes first" She argues and pokes his nose. He snorts and nods. "Plus," Tatiana checks her watch. "Sev is supposed to be here"

"He will be" Tony argues. Severus has never let Tatiana down yet, and he really doesn't see him doing it ever.

......

Pixie knows that something happened to her with Extremis, more than just a traumatic experience. It started simple really, a flickering of a light. A little orb that quickly disappears as fast as it appears. She just assumed it was her magic lashing out. But given what she went through, it's not all surprising that her magic is reacting to the trauma. Though they could do without the midnight nightmares starting fires in her bedroom. But now it seems to be happening during the day now too. Random things. Like the moving of a stuffed Christmas bear that was sitting on the shelf and then is suddenly on the floor.

"Pixie" Tatiana scolds.

"I didn't do anything" Pixie argues. "I was just sitting here, thinking about how cool it would be if it moved, or danced, or something..." She looks at her mother standing there with Severus. "And then there was this sort of orb around it....and then it moved" Pixie motions with her hand. "Whoosh"

"You know you're not allowed to use magic outside of school" Tatiana scolds.

"But I didn't cast a spell" Pixie defends.