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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September 12th, 1977
The Ravenclaw table was unusually quiet. Tension hung thick in the air as Barty and Evan stubbornly avoided looking at each other. The rest of the Emeralds exchanged wary glances, fumbling through bits of conversation that sounded lighter than usual, almost forced. Every topic felt like a clumsy attempt to smooth over whatever argument had erupted between the two boys.
About what, Avery had absolutely no idea. Nor did she particularly care. She was there to eat her waffles and mind her coffee. If Hogwarts had one undeniable advantage, it was the food, and she wasn't about to let anyone's sulking ruin breakfast, especially not on her birthday.
So far, the day had been decent. Pandora had given her a ridiculously creative charm book filled with little enchantments and handwritten notes scribbled in the margins. Dorcas had somehow found an old cassette tape despite the fact that half the castle still acted like modern technology was some kind of dark magic. Evan had given her a soft white sweater that was already becoming one of her favourites.
"Avery, do you want to deliver the letters now?"
She glanced up. Regulus was looking at her with a pleading expression that suggested he'd rather be literally anywhere else.
The Slug Club invitations. Right. They were still sitting untouched at the bottom of her bag. A responsibility they'd been meant to deal with over a week ago, but somehow every attempt had been postponed. There was always homework. Or Quidditch. Or Barty causing some kind of disaster that required immediate attention.
"Um, sure," Avery said, pushing her plate aside and sipping the last of her coffee. She didn't ask why he suddenly seemed so eager to focus on the letters — maybe it was the awkward tension still crackling between Barty and Evan, or maybe he just hated mornings. Either way, delivering letters sounded better than playing breakfast referee.
They slipped out of the Great Hall together, the chatter and clinking silverware fading behind them as the doors closed. The cool stone corridors were quieter this early in the morning, sunlight barely filtering through the high windows.
"Let me run down to the common room real quick," Regulus said as they reached the hallway that split toward the dungeons. "I forgot something."
Avery raised an eyebrow. "You're bringing Slughorn's letters a handwritten apology for the delay?"
"Something like that," he replied vaguely, already turning. "Wait here. I'll be quick."
She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, letting her eyes drift lazily along the flickering torchlight. Her fingers idly traced the edge of her sleeve. A few second-year students passed by, casting curious glances at her as she offered them a disarming half-smile and looked away, pretending to study the cracks in the flagstone floor.
The sound of the door creaking open broke her focus, and Regulus stepped out. His usual impassive expression seemed a little more deliberate today. He brought his hand forward, revealing a small, intricately wrapped box, tied with a deep green ribbon. The paper was a rich, earthy brown, decorated with faint silver leaves.
