thanatophobia CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE a sense of comfort
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
————✧⋆✧————
IT WAS THE last day at Hogwarts before Christmas break and the day consisted of students packing their bags and saying temporary farewells to their friends. Luckily for Nova, she, Regulus and Harry are staying with the Weasleys for Christmas this year. Nova used to enjoy Christmas with her father. She would wake up at the crack of dawn and jump into his bed, causing him to wake up grumpily yet could not stay that way once he saw the excitement on his only child's face.
BLACK'S COTTAGE, 1987
"Dad! Dad, wake up!" Six year old Nova Black leapt onto her father's bed, almost cracking his rib as he grumbled and turned over. "It's Christmas! Daddy, it's Christmas!"
"I know, baby, let me sleep a little longer." Regulus mumbles, rubbing his tired eyes as Nova curls up beside him.
"Please, Dad! We have to see if Father Christmas left us anything!"
Regulus sighs heavily, finally opening his eyes to look into his small daughter's identical ones. A small smile settles on his face, Nova leans down and hugs her father tight and Regulus rubs her back softly.
"Okay, come on then." Regulus gives in, standing up and shrugging on an old dark grey hoodie.
Outside, the fields are covered by a blanket of snow and there's a family of robins perched in one of the leafless trees. Nova is wearing a white nightdress with little reindeers all over it that Mary had gifted her a few days ago to wear on Christmas Eve and Nova's long hair is braided. Regulus had Mary teach him how to braid when Nova was five and begging him to braid her hair the way another little girl had it during one of their many visits to a local muggle playground.
"Come on!" Nova squeals, grabbing Regulus' hand and tugging him feebly down the spiral stairs into their cozy living room.
The fire is already burning and the warmth of the living room contrasts the cool upstairs. The tree is decorated and there are two stockings attached to the mantelpiece, one significantly fuller than the other.
"Dad! Look! Which reindeer do you think ate this?" Nova holds up the remnants of the carrot they'd left on the coffee table and Regulus hums.
"I think Prancer."
"Maybe." Nova frowns slightly. "Quickly Dad!" Nova whines impatiently and Regulus rolls his eyes and trudges into the kitchen, knowing that she meant for him to make himself some coffee, as he refused to do anything on Christmas morning without one in his hand.
After making his coffee, Regulus hurried into the living room and Nova is sat with her legs crossed in front of the tree looking mesmerised by the lights and variety of wrapping paper beneath.
