Apocalypse ⟢ Regulus Black

Prologue

Greengrass.

It was a surname synonymous with prestige, refinement, and unwavering pure-blood tradition. To the outside world, the Greengrasses embodied everything a respectable family ought to be.

But reputations were easiest to preserve from a distance.

Avery Greengrass had never known the version of her family that society admired. While there had been fleeting moments of peace, they were always swallowed by the same relentless cycle of shouting, slammed doors, and broken promises. Her father was an unemployed alcoholic whose anger seeped into every corner of the house. Her mother-intelligent, graceful, and far stronger than anyone gave her credit for-endured years of his cruelty, both physical and emotional.

And the worst of all, Avery would serve as the scapegoat of her sister, Violet Greengrass, when it came to these issues for unfair reasons she had long since stopped asking why.

Even though Avery was her in-house best friend, she could never quite bring herself to think of Violet as hers in return. It wasn't a lack of love between them. Violet was kind to her, and to everyone else, in ways that made it even more complicated to explain. Perhaps it was partly because Avery didn't confide in family. There were things she simply kept to herself and words that never made it past her throat. In the discomfort of being perceived, something essential had been lost early on: the feeling that their house was truly hers.

Home was her beloved Dorcas Meadowes, Barty Crouch Jr., Pandora Lestrange, Evan Rosier, and Regulus Black. If anything, she will always return to them: the Emeralds.

The name had been born during their third year, on a crisp autumn afternoon when they made their first Hogsmeade trip together. As always, it was Pandora who noticed the little things everyone else overlooked. Hidden between two bustling shopfronts was a tiny antique store, and in the back of a dusty glass cabinet rested a collection of polished emerald crystals, their deep green surfaces catching the afternoon sunlight.

Pandora had stood there for a long moment, smiling to herself before quietly announcing that emeralds suited them. The name stuck.

Although Dorcas was undoubtedly the person Avery felt closest to, she had always held a particular soft spot for Pandora and Barty. Perhaps it was because they shared Ravenclaw Tower, or perhaps it was simply the way the three of them understood one another without needing many words.

Barty, in particular, fascinated her. He carried himself like a menace-reckless, loud, and forever one terrible decision away from detention-but Avery knew there was far more beneath his outer image. There was a reason he'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, even if he seemed to spend every waking moment convincing the rest of Hogwarts that the Hat had made a mistake. Evan and Regulus, on the other hand, were practically inseparable; where one went, the other followed.

It had all started aboard the Hogwarts Express in their first year. Avery had been sitting alone in an otherwise empty compartment, as she usually was. She had always arrived far too early for everything, and the train was no exception. With her forehead resting lightly against the cool glass, she watched the platform bustle outside until the compartment door suddenly burst open with a heavy bang.

She looked up.

Standing in the doorway was a girl wrestling with the stubborn handle, her expression pinched with irritation at the ancient compartment door. The annoyance vanished the instant she noticed Avery watching. A warm, almost effortless smile spread across her face, framed by a halo of dark curls.

"Oh-hi," the girl said brightly. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Avery returned the smile with one of her own and gave a small nod. "Of course."

The girl slipped into the compartment and settled into the seat opposite her.

"I'm Dorcas Meadowes," she said with effortless confidence, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Avery hesitated only a fraction of a second before taking it. "Avery Greengrass," she replied.

There was something immediately captivating about Dorcas's confident aura. Whatever it was, it made it very easygoing and natural for Avery to spend time talking to her for as far as she could tell, before a blonde boy peeked through the compartment door.

"Hi... are these seats taken?" he asked sheepishly.

"No," Dorcas answered at the same time Avery said, "They're free."

Relief washed over his features. "Thanks."

Instead of stepping in immediately, he glanced back into the corridor and gestured for someone to follow. A second boy entered behind him.

Unlike the first, he seemed entirely unbothered by the unfamiliar company. Dark curls fell neatly across his forehead beneath strong brows, and his expression was composed-a kind of quiet significance lingered about him.

Avery found herself looking at him a moment longer than necessary.

The blonde boy spoke first. "I'm Evan. Evan Rosier."

He nudged the boy beside him with an amused glance. The dark-haired boy looked up, meeting Avery's eyes for the briefest second. "Regulus Black."

"Avery Greengrass. Nice to meet you," Avery replied.

He returned the nod. "You too."

After that, conversation fractured into smaller currents. Dorcas and Evan fell into an easy back-and-forth almost immediately, as if they were already mid-story and simply continuing it. On the other hand, Avery, meanwhile, found herself sitting across from Regulus in comfortable silence. Neither seemed particularly bothered by it.

The compartment's dynamic shifted again when another boy barged in, dropping into the seat beside Evan without a word of introduction.

Avery later learned that his name was Barty Crouch Jr., named after his father, which was rather unfortunate and lacked originality in her opinion. Just as she thought the compartment had already reached its full capacity, a blonde girl came knocking on the door, causing Barty to open the door without much ceremony, as he was the closest to it.

"Hello everyone... is it okay if I sit here? All the other compartments are full," she asked quietly, offering a hopeful smile. Her voice was extremely gentle to the point that it instantly turned everyone's full attention to her.

"Of course," Avery and Evan responded in unison.

The coincidence caused the girl's expression to brighten. "Thank you," she said, stepping inside with relief. She chose the seat beside Avery, settling in carefully as the door clicked shut behind her.

This time, Avery spoke first, because the girl's presence made her believe she wouldn't demand anything Avery wasn't ready to give.

"I'm Avery Greengrass. Nice to meet you."

The blonde smiled warmly. "I'm Pandora Lestrange."

Little did they know that day that they would become each other's refuge throughout their years at Hogwarts.

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*edited