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 1st, 1978
Platform 9¾ was as crowded as ever. Steam poured from the scarlet engine, owls hooted from their cages, and students darted through the crowd in search of friends they hadn't seen all summer. Parents called out last-minute reminders while trunks rattled over the platform stones. Everything looked exactly the same, but Avery couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't.
She adjusted her grip on her suitcase and stepped onto the train. The newly polished Head Girl badge pinned to her robes caught the morning sunlight as she moved through the corridor, but the pride she had expected to feel never quite arrived. The summer had hollowed something out inside her.
Her compartment was empty as usual when she found it. She lifted her trunk onto the rack, settled into a window seat, and watched the platform outside. Her fingers traced patterns on the cool glass. For a second, she let herself imagine Regulus sliding the door open with a smirk and a drawl—"Saving me a seat, Avery?"—like nothing had changed.
But he didn't come. Fifteen minutes passed before Pandora and Dorcas appeared. When the girls finally joined her, it felt less heavier.
"No letter," Dorcas said angrily, collapsing onto the seat and throwing her legs over Pandora's lap. "Not from any of them."
Pandora gave a noncommittal hum, uncharacteristically quiet, as she adjusted her bracelets. "Maybe they've been busy. Or maybe they're just... not who we thought anymore."
Avery looked down at her hands. "I wrote twice every month."
Dorcas snorted. "So did I."
Pandora turned one of her bracelets around her wrist. "I stopped after the second week."
"Why?"
"Because if someone wants to talk to you, they generally talk to you."
The train whistle sounded outside. The compartment felt suddenly claustrophobic. Avery suddenly stood up. "I'm going to take a walk."
She slipped into the corridor before they could say anything, boots clicking against the floor, her fingers brushing along the cool glass as she moved. She passed compartment after compartment until she reached one of the quieter sections of the train. That was when she saw him.
Regulus was standing alone beside a window near the end of the carriage His hair had grown longer over the summer, dark curls brushing the collar of his robes. His face seemed sharper somehow, as though he had lost weight. There were faint shadows beneath his eyes that made him look older than seventeen.
Avery's chest twisted. She walked over slowly, unsure of what she was feeling. Hope? Dread? "Regulus."
He turned, his movements controlled. "Avery."
His voice was too neutral, and she waited. Waited for something more. A smile. A scoff. A flicker of something in his dark grey eyes. But there was nothing.
