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 22nd, 1976
Avery preferred studying at night.
The castle was quieter after curfew. The common room emptied, the corridors fell silent, and nobody interrupted her concentration with questions, gossip, or requests for help.
It also happened to be the perfect time to break the rules. Which was how she found herself standing in the Restricted Section with a wand in one hand and a list of Defence Against the Dark Arts references in the other. The book she needed was supposed to be somewhere on the third shelf. Or perhaps the fourth. Whoever had organized the Restricted Section had clearly possessed a cruel sense of humour.
A sudden beam of light swept across the shelves, and footsteps echoed from somewhere beyond the stacks. Avery froze. Then a familiar voice called out quietly.
"Avery?"
Avery startled slightly and turned toward the sound of her name, only to find Regulus Black stood at the end of the aisle, wandlight casting soft shadows across his face. Relief settled over her almost immediately.
"Oh," she breathed. "It's you."
One dark eyebrow arched as he lowered his wand, sparing her eyes from the glare. "What are you doing here?"
"Just looking for a book," she muttered. She avoided his gaze, turning back toward the shelves instead. The book had to be here somewhere.
Regulus followed the direction of her attention, his expression turning skeptical. "At this time of the night? You couldn't wait until morning?"
"No, not really." Avery reached for a nearby spine. "I needed it now, and I knew the library would be empty."
The moment she stepped toward the shelves, Regulus moved as well. Avery barely had time to react before he stepped directly into her path, forcing her to stop short. The aisle between the towering bookshelves was narrow enough already; with him standing there, it felt even smaller.
The glow from his wand illuminated the sharp planes of his face, throwing the rest of the library into shadow. From this distance, she could make out every detail—the slight furrow between his brows, the way his dark hair had fallen messily over his forehead, and the faint trace of amusement he was trying to hide.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
"Avery, you know you're not supposed to be in the restricted section after curfew," he said.
"Well, it's not like you haven't ever broken the rules before, Regulus," she retorted, irritated by his intervention.
Avery attempted to sidestep him, only for him to shift sideways and block her again. The gesture wasn't particularly intimidating; if anything, it was irritatingly effortless.
"That's different. What's the name of the book you're looking for?"
Avery hesitated for a moment, torn between her insistence on finding the book and the realization that she wasn't going to win this argument with him. With a frustrated sigh, she relented. "Advanced Dark Arts: A Comprehensive Guide."
