CHAOTIC . . . sirius black

sounds like a girl thing

( 4 )  ⌇  CHAPTER FOUR   ——    ❛ ♜ ❜  CHAOTIC

#  ꒷.    let's not make this a normal thing    %    ❜

CHRISTMAS BREAK arrived quickly. Soon enough, Ember and her friends were boarding the Hogwarts Express with their carry-ons and trunks. Ember found it easiest, as did many other students, to leave her trunk at Hogwarts and just bring a book bag full of clothes and necessary items home with her.

She sat in a compartment with Claire and Regulus, as Kaz and Nessa had both opted to stay at school for the holidays. Kaz's family was in Spain visiting his grandparents and Nessa's parents were always busy, so they stayed at Hogwarts together.

Ember had offered Kaz a place at her house for the holidays many times, but he refused each time. Sirius was no longer staying with the Potters, either. His parents had requested he stay home instead, along with Regulus. While Walburga and Orion Black were accepting towards Ember — a pureblooded Slytherin witch who was close with their son — they were nowhere near kind towards their children, and Ember knew well enough to keep her distance.

They were much harsher on Sirius than they were on Regulus. Sirius was the classic disappointment — different beliefs, different Hogwarts house, blood traitor — and Regulus tried to please his parents.

The Potter parents, however, were a completely different story. Towards James, they were both kind and got along well. Their mother, Euphemia, always favored James a bit, possibly because they were of different genders and James didn't have to grow up to be a respectable wife. Towards Ember, her mother tried to make her into a good girl, taught her how to do her makeup, how to dress properly, how to cook — although James and Fleamont both knew how to as well — and how to be a wife.

Even with the barely noticeable favoritism, the parents always made sure the twins got equal things. Equal amounts of gifts on their birthdays, equal amounts of presents on Christmas and items in their stockings, and equal amounts of quality time, as their father liked to say.

Ember's father, Fleamont, was very different from his wife. He let his children be free and learn for themselves, while Euphemia tried to cram Ember into a box three sizes too small and every nook and cranny was filled full with expectations. Fleamont got along well with both his children because he let them live their lives.

Their compartment was silent the whole train ride, as they all dreaded the same thing: going home. When they arrived on the platform, they quickly said their goodbyes.

"Bye, Reggie," Ember said, giving him a quick hug. "I'll see you soon. We can hang out over break if you'd like, make sure to owl me," she reminded him, then turned to Claire. "Bye, Claire, be safe, letter me, alright?" she said, giving her best friends another hug, then getting off the train with her book bag over her shoulders.

"Ember!" her father called, waving her over. Ember caught sight of her brother and nodded him over, and the pair walked to their parents.

"Hi, love," her father said, smiling and hugging her. He hugged James next, ignoring his protests.