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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April 8th, 1979
The room was warm but unusually quiet, filled with the soft clink of teacups, the occasional turn of a page, and the distinct sound of Sirius Black humming something vaguely off-key. Dumbledore was late — again — which meant the Order was left to entertain itself around the long table at Grimmauld Place, half-waiting, half-wasting time.
James Potter stood, cleared his throat with exaggerated importance, and loudly tapped his wand on the edge of his glass.
"Alright, since our fearless leader is otherwise occupied doing Merlin-knows-what, I officially declare this meeting of the Not-Very-Organized Phoenix Society in session."
"No one agreed to that name," Lily says, sipping her tea.
"I second it," Sirius says, raising his hand and looking far too pleased. "Rolls off the tongue."
"I third it," says Alice from the far end, who'd just emerged from a failed attempt to coax the house elf into providing snacks. "We're out of biscuits, by the way."
James clapped his hands once. "Settled. Now, first item of business: who replaced all my underwear with enchanted pairs that shout inspirational quotes when worn?"
Avery choked on her tea.
Sirius beamed proudly. "You're welcome."
"Was it really necessary for my pants to scream 'SEIZE THE DAY, CHAMPION' every morning at six a.m.?"
"Motivation's important."
"It's emotional terrorism, Sirius."
"Well," Dorcas says from her seat beside Marlene, "that depends on how emotionally stable you were to begin with."
James muttered something unprintable and sat back down, dragging his tea toward him like it might restore his dignity.
Avery's gaze flicked quietly to the couch opposite hers.
Marlene had pulled Dorcas's hand onto her lap and was now idly tracing soft, lazy circles across the back of it as they're solving a crossword together. Her attention was elsewhere — eyes half-lidded as though listening to nothing and everything at once — but her fingers never stilled. Dorcas didn't look over, didn't pull away. She just let it happen. Her thumb moved once, a quiet brush back.
Avery watched them in silence. Not long — a few moments, maybe — but long enough for something subtle and undeniable to settle into her chest. Her brow lifted just slightly.
She leans toward Lily and whispers, "Do you see what I'm seeing?"
Lily didn't look. She just sipped her tea like a queen who knew everything before anyone told her. "Marlene's been using Dorcas's shampoo," she murmurs. "And Dorcas lets her. Case closed."
Avery raised an eyebrow. "That's... suspiciously observant of you."
Lily just smiled.
On the couch, Dorcas finally glanced at Marlene — just a flash of eye contact, gone in a blink but it made Avery's grin curl before she could stop it. Well. It's not like she didn't already know Dorcas was into girls — she had eyes, and common sense. But this? This was new and subtle.
