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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February 14th, 1979
Something thudded against Avery's forehead.
Not hard — not painful — just enough to yank her from sleep with a startled gasp and the sense that she'd just been head-butted by a small feathery comet.
"The fuck?" she mutters, swatting aimlessly at the air.
A low hoot answered her.
She blinked, groggy and confused, to find her owl perched delicately on the edge of her pillow, eyes large and entirely unbothered, a small envelope dangling from his beak. He tilted his head and gave her another firm, opinionated bump with it.
"Oh, I'm up! I'm up!" Avery grumbles, reaching for the envelope as her vision adjusted to the early morning light pouring through the tower windows.
The second her fingers touched it, her owl gave a satisfied rustle, fluffed his wings, and launched off the bed like a smug postman with a tight schedule. The envelope was tied with a red string and smelled faintly of mint. Avery hadn't even sat up yet when the curtains around her four-poster were pulled open with dramatic flair.
"Happy morning!" chirps a familiar voice.
Pandora Lestrange stood beside her bed, wearing bright mismatched socks, a sky-blue cardigan, and a lopsided daisy crown in her golden hair. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and her hands were full of something Avery couldn't quite make out.
"You were snoring," Pandora adds helpfully.
"I wasn't—!" Avery sat up straighter, running a hand through her tangled hair.
"You were. A little." Pandora plopped down beside her, then held out her hands. "Anyway, these are for you."
Nestled in her palms was a small bouquet of hand-made paper flowers — all slightly uneven, clearly enchanted to shimmer and sway like real petals. Each one was charmed in a different color, none quite natural: lavender tulips, mint green roses, and one heart-shaped sunflower glowing faintly at the center.
"I charmed them last night," Pandora says proudly. "They won't wilt until summer. And the sunflower glows whenever you're feeling loved."
Avery stared at her. "You made me... glowing friendship flowers?"
Pandora gives a solemn nod. "Exactly. Because even on days when you feel like a ghoul in a rainstorm, you should still know you matter."
Avery blinks a few times, the edges of her mouth twitching upward. "You're so weird."
"I prefer 'delightfully peculiar,'" Pandora says, wiggling her fingers as if casting glitter into the air. "Besides, normal is boring. Do you want a boring friend, Ave?"
"Absolutely not," Avery says, carefully lifting the bouquet from Pandora's hands as if it were made of spun sugar and secret spells. "This might be the best gift I've ever gotten."
