Being a Greengrass after all should sound pretty serene.
But being a part of "the Emeralds" should not, especially when hearts become entangled with the infamous Regulus Black.
Goodness, lawfulness, or evilness. Which path will they tread in the ti...
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October 6th, 1976
"Pair up!"
Slughorn's booming voice cut through the chatter of the classroom as he waved a hand for the students to find partners one final time. Aside from the smaller elective subjects, where multiple houses were combined out of necessity, Potions and Astronomy remained among the few core classes shared by Ravenclaws and Slytherins.
Avery found herself paired with Teresa Oracle, a Ravenclaw girl she knew reasonably well. As she crossed the room, she glanced around at the other pairings. Regulus had ended up with Henry. Barty and Dorcas were each working with Slytherins. And, most notably, Pandora had been matched with Evan.
Suppressing a smile, Avery set her books and ingredients neatly onto the desk beside Teresa. "Ready to get started?" she asked. "Or should we spend the lesson pretending we know what we're doing?"
Teresa looked up from her notes and laughed softly. "I think pretending is usually the first step."
She shifted a few supplies aside, making room for them both. Her dark hair was pinned into a tidy bun, though several loose strands had escaped and curled around her face. "Do you want to handle the ingredients or the brewing?"
Avery considered it for a moment. Brewing required patience, but ingredients required precision.
"The ingredients," she decided. "I'd rather measure than stir."
"Perfect," Teresa said.
She lit the burner beneath the cauldron while Avery turned her attention to the ingredient list. She immediately began organizing everything into neat rows, measuring each item carefully before placing it in order of use.
After a moment, Teresa glanced over. "How are you so organized?"
Avery looked up briefly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean this." Teresa gestured vaguely at the workstation. "You've arranged everything like it's a military operation. Meanwhile, I spend half of every lesson searching for things I've misplaced."
As Teresa leaned across the table, one of the loose strands escaped her bun completely and fell across her cheek. Avery noticed it instinctively. She returned her attention to the ingredients quickly before she could act on anything stupid.
"It bothers me when things aren't where they're supposed to be."
"You'd never survive a day in my dormitory, then."
"Is it that bad?"
"You'd walk in, take one look around, and immediately collapse from shock."
Avery allowed herself a small smile. "What a terrifying image."
"I'm serious."
"Then perhaps one day I'll have to see it for myself."
