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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December 25th, 1976
Avery opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the pale winter sunlight filtering through the dormitory curtains. For a few moments, she remained curled beneath the blankets, suspended somewhere between sleep and wakefulness as she listened to the quiet stillness of the room around her. Then the date registered.
Christmas.
Any lingering drowsiness vanished instantly. Sitting up, she pushed a strand of hair from her face and immediately spotted the small pile of presents waiting at the foot of her bed. A smile tugged at her lips as she climbed out from beneath the covers and settled cross-legged on the floor beside them.
The first package she picked up was wrapped in blue paper and finished with a carefully tied bow. Avery peeled away the wrapping and lifted the lid, revealing a beautifully hand-knitted scarf folded neatly inside. The wool was impossibly soft beneath her fingertips, the stitches so neat and uniform that she could practically guess the sender before spotting the small card tucked beneath it. Sure enough, the familiar handwriting belonged to Pandora.
Happy Christmas, Ave! I hope you like the scarf-it took me ages to knit, so you better wear it or I'll be cross with you.
- Panda
A laugh escaped her as she draped the scarf around her shoulders. The next gift was a medium-sized box that turned out to contain a baking kit. Nestled inside were measuring spoons, cookie cutters in various shapes, and a recipe book whose pages were already packed with colorful illustrations and handwritten notes in the margins. Avery found Lily's card resting on top.
Dear Avery, Merry Christmas! I saw this baking kit at a Muggle shop and immediately thought of you. Hope you enjoy it and can create some delicious treats with it.
Love, Lily.
Despite the fact that she had never successfully baked anything in her life, Avery couldn't help smiling. She had been meaning to learn eventually, and it was exactly the sort of gift Lily would give. The third package revealed a small leather-bound journal. It was simple but elegant, the sort of thing Avery could actually see herself using. Opening the cover, she was greeted by Evan's handwriting sprawled across the first page alongside a truly horrific smiley face.
Merry Christmas, Avery. Ü
As the morning wore on, the pile of gifts gradually shrank. Dorcas had gifted her an assortment of scented soaps and bath bombs that immediately filled the dormitory with the smell of pomegranate and vanilla. Barty's contribution consisted of several packs of enchanted buttons sporting ridiculous slogans and moving illustrations that she suspected would get confiscated by at least one professor before the school year ended. Then there was Regulus's gift. It was a book, which wasn't particularly surprising. The title, however, was. The tome covered advanced magical theory well beyond what most Hogwarts students would ever need, and from the condition of the binding alone, Avery could tell it wasn't something he had simply picked up on a whim.
