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SEVENTEEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN
♡
THE LETTER FROM HER UNCLE struggles to leave Briar's mind, as Boxing Day rolls into the strange gap at the end of December, between Christmas and the new year. The full moon falls on the twenty-eighth, which Briar deals with fine — she leaves dinner early, her friends give her a hug, Fred kisses her, and she spends the night in the Shrieking Shack, where the floors are icy in parts, from the way the windows have shattered and the elements have started to take back the building. But Briar doesn't mind. It's not an issue once she's turned, and it's not like she's going to hang out there any longer. For the first time she's grateful for the full moon, because at least it means she won't be worrying about her uncle's letter for that night.
Things start to get easier... Or, at least, Briar finds it easier to forget about the letter. She has it hidden under her mattress, so there's no way anyone can stumble across it, and because of it's hiding spot, it's too difficult for her to fish out when Fleur's in the shower, so she hasn't seen it since Boxing Day. But she still remembers it. Every word haunts her in her sleep. It could be your friends that pay the price. She doesn't know how he knows her friends, maybe he overheard when he was in that room at her grandparents' house, but it scares her. She knows she doesn't need to protect him, but it worries her that her named Fred. She doesn't want Fred to get hurt because of her...
On the day after the full moon, there's a special Hogsmeade trip. Not so much because it's a Saturday, but rather because everyone's been cooped up the castle for so long, the teachers think it'll do the students some good. Briar spends the day with Livvy and their dad, making up for not spending Christmas with him. And it's nice. They spend most of it in The Three Broomsticks, of course, and when Briar arrives with the twins and Lee, they all thought her dad hadn't arrived yet, so George and Lee walked off to get themselves a table. Fred stayed with Briar, and he kissed her, asking if they could meet up later on — and then, Briar realised her dad was not only in the pub, but he watched someone snog his daughter. Which was fun, to say the least, when Briar sat down, her cheeks red, and Remus goes, "So Fred...?"
