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THE CHRISTMAS CHEER WAS SURE TO ENSURE THAT CASSIA'S MOOD wasn't spoilt, that's for sure. Even if the fact remained that Harry Potter and the Weasley family were forced to leave Hogwarts for some reason. Nobody really knew why, but, that didn't stop them from conspiring, either. Hogwarts were full of gossips. With that being said, the rumours revolving around Hogwarts as to why Harry and the Weasley's had to go so abruptly, ceased to exist the moment the Christmas holidays had started and everyone was either due to return to their respective homes, or stay within the castle. Cassia, Daphne and Astoria returned home to the Greengrass Manor to be reunited with their parents, as well as Marlowe's parents travelling over from Bulgaria.

The Greengrass Manor was, first and foremost, remarkable. It was safe to say that anything with this family was. In the breezy plains of Hertfordshire, surrounded by back-lane paths that made way for the blurred outline of the blinding sun amidst a plethora of trees in the morning light, canals gliding softly along the parkland streams in the evening half-light. It was a beautiful place, really. Built on a foundation of flower gardens and ornate water fountains, the gargantuan white country house had a cleared gravelly path leading down the middle of carved hedges and flower beds, a back garden with room for a tonne of inhabitants, and garden gnomes that have learnt to behave themselves. The Greengrass Manor had an abundance of rooms not only for sleeping in, but there were multiple catering rooms, dressing rooms for when the tailor decides to pay a visit, ballrooms for when Marlowe hosts the finest of Ball's, bathrooms for days with the nicest smelling soap in each soapdish, and not to mention a pool. The Greengrasses had a friggin' swimming pool.

(Which, given it was nothing but snow outside, had obviously frozen over.)

     Cassia's bedroom was on the second floor. Directly above the dining room, and in between both of her sister's, the view of scenic England was, quite literally, at the outset of her bedroom, with a balcony door behind the see-through curtain and a window seat padded with floral cushions. There was a dressing table, and a desk, and Cassia likes to alternate between violet and pale pink bedsheets, but there's always the smiley face cushion on top and the bunny teddy bear (which she's had nearly all her life, considering it's the first of presents ever gifted to her and Daphne by Phoenix when they were only days old). Her bed is pretty big and cushioned, and she can sometime feel herself sink into the mattress. On the windowsill, there are multiple potted plants or trinkets and her curtains were a pale pink ombré colour, with little cherry blossoms scattered all over. It was quaint, it was whimsical, and Cassia likes that.

Her grandparents from Bulgaria had set foot in Greengrass Manor a few days before Cassia, Daphne and Astoria had returned home. But it was a sweet little surprise, since they thought their Bulgarian relatives wouldn't be arriving until after the three sisters got back. It made for a lovely Christmas Eve Eve, and a lovely Christmas Eve, and everything in between. Christmas Morning had been a spectacle too, with the company not even being able to outdo the Christmas tree-shaped pancakes made by the house elves.

     And now Cassia was sat at her dressing table, clipping a pair of hoops onto her ears. She was wearing a cream white jumper with a lined texture on it and a tartan pencil skirt, stopping short below her thighs. Her hair was wavy like normal, and she clipped a couple of strands upwards on her head, away from her face. She had a couple of bracelets on her wrists and a necklace with a round, bejewelled pendant attached to the chain. And her new gift — on behalf of Phoenix — was a ring. It was a pretty big ring, with an emerald stone that had the Greengrass emblem etched into it. Astoria and Daphne also received the same gifts from their parents.

     They're due for some guests for Christmas Lunch today. Well, not exactly guests. It was Theo and his parents. Cassia was excited to see Theo and she was excited to see his mother but most definitely not his father. Nott Senior always managed to make things so... hostile. And after everything he's done to Theo and his mother and still comes out on top, it's safe to say that Cassia dislikes the man massively.

     "Hey," says Daphne as she stands in the doorway of Cassia's room. Astoria was behind her. Daphne was wearing a deep carmine red off-the-shoulder jumpsuit which had a stripe of fabric tied in a bow around the waist. She was wearing her hair in a bundle of waves and had a pearly bracelet around her wrist. Astoria wore a black turtleneck and a plaid skirt, similar to the design of Cassia's. Her hair was straight and glossy.

     "Hey," replies Cassia. "Everything okay?"

     Astoria nods. "Apart from you taking an age to get ready."

     A scoff escapes Cassia, and she turns away from her dressing table to see Astoria smirking. She sometimes forgot how mischievous her younger sister could be, regardless of how amicable she was. She shakes her head at Astoria, but smiles.

     "Don't mind me, then," Cassia remarks.

     Daphne laughs. "Theodore and his family are on their way. Mind you, I'd rather it were just him and his mother. His father makes it horrible. It irks me how he always calls us "Children". Like, we're fifth years now? Idiot." She sighs, before saying, "Oh, and we have to get down quickly. Gran and grandad are wanting to give us our presents now, before Lunch."

Cassia nods, and puts her shoes on, a pair of flats with a bow at the top. So far, she's received a good haul of Christmas presents. There were the rings from Phoenix to each of them, alongside an ornamental, customised Christmas bauble gifted to her from Marlowe, which had her name on it (there were also two others for Daphne and Astoria, with their names on it too), alongside many other subordinate ones as an excuse for the parents to spoil their children. A leatherback diary from Maryam, more French brand makeup from Eva — she was spending her holidays in Bordeaux, and was absolutely delighted about it — a postcard from Italy from Blaise, various knick-knacks from Phoenix's sister's family, and a whole load of Christmassy baking from Phoenix's parents, too. Theo said he'd bring her gift when he came round, so that was that.

(Let's put aside the fact she hadn't gotten any sort of owl from Harry or that she had no idea where he even was at this moment in time.)

"There they are," the hearty voice of Aleksandr Starkov calls out. The father of Marlowe Greengrass, formerly Marlowe Starkov, didn't think twice when enrolling his daughter in Hogwarts and away from the dark corridors of Durmstrang. He'd heard things about how it was a good school, how it was much safer and lighter, and how Albus Dumbledore was a hundred percent a better man than Igor Karkaroff. And as it stood, it was where she met Phoenix, and it was where she began her new life and brought him and his wife Gergana the grandchildren they had always wanted. Aleksandr was a well-mannered, righteous man with greying brown hair and brooding eyes, who, even as he grew older by the second, always strives to have his lineage be fulfilled with the best morals. It was because of this that Marlowe marrying Phoenix wasn't a terrible thing, because as it stood, the Greengrass dynasty was branched with good people. Marlowe was in good hands, Aleksandr knew, when he allowed for his daughter to migrate permanently to England.

     As for Gergana Starkov, she did initially rival her husband's view of sending Marlowe elsewhere for school. With her dirty blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes, she was very inclined to her only child and only daughter, and didn't want her to move abroad for school. But she remembered her own years at Durmstrang and thought, yeah, Marlowe may have been strong-willed, but she had too much light to shine than for it to be cooped up in the dark. And she also sent Marlowe to Hogwarts, because it was the best choice available. If there were one thing that the Greengrasses and Starkovs had in common, which connected their morals, was that they would do absolutely anything for their family.

They were in the Parlour, and Cassia hugs both of her grandparents before seating herself on a big cushion on the floor next to her mother, leaning her head against Marlowe's legs. Her parents are on the sofa adjacent, and Daphne sits on the armrest beside her grandmother while Astoria sits on the armrest next to Phoenix, leaning an elbow upon his shoulders.

     "Are you all ready?" Gergana asks the three girls, smiling. They all nod eagerly, and the old woman takes out a flimsy bag with three velvet boxes inside, about the same size as a small mug.

     "We wanted it to be something special," says Aleksandr. "It was our first time coming to you for Christmas, and we had to do something we hadn't done before. Here you go."

     While their grandmother takes opens each velvet box, peeking inside, her husband is the one who hands them to their rightful owners. Cassia accepts hers with a grateful "thank you" and is positively breathless as she manages to pry open the edges of the box. Sitting there, on a bed of fine velvet, was a bejewelled hairclip. It was a stalk of yellow flowers, bloomed into fruitful shrubs, with jewels in the centre of each flower where a protruding stalk would've been in real life. And the flower is, by any means, not unfamiliar to Cassia. It was the flower upon which she was named for. The Cassia flower. When she looks across, she can see her sisters holding up similar, bejewelled clips, with toothy smiles. And it complimented them, too. Orange Astorias and purple Daphnes.

"It's beautiful," says Cassia, absolutely enraptured.

"I'm glad you like it," says her grandmother. "Put it on!"

It was Marlowe who'd put the clip in Cassia's hair, as Phoenix made a good attempt at doing Astoria's and Gergana did Daphne. Perfect. Two florists. Three flowers, three girls, one family.

"Who is it that's coming over for lunch, then?" asks Aleksandr.

     "Theodore Nott Senior," Marlowe answers, "his wife Luciana and their son Theodore Junior."

     "Humble guy," remarks Gergana, "naming their son after themself."

     "It's not Luciana you have to worry about. Her husband is the bad egg. He was a Death Eater."

     There's a sceptical look in Marlowe's eyes. No one ever just stops being a Death Eater. Phoenix scratches the skin at his left forearm, guarded by the fabric of his maroon dress robes.

     "Death Eater?" says Aleksandr. "Was that not what led Durmstrang's headmaster to flee? Because he was a Death Eater?"

     "It appears so," says Marlowe. "He's not a very likeable man, Theodore Senior..."

     Gergana frowns. "Then why embrace them with your hospitality?"

     "It's like I said. Luciana is not the bad one out of all of this. And their son Theodore is friends with the girls."

     "You mean, like a boyfriend?"

     Cassia is the one to visibly shudder, while Astoria and Daphne snort with amusement. "God, no. Never."

     "Believe me, gran," says Daphne, "We went through this whole thing last year with me trying to get Cass and Theodore together. But it's not what destiny had in mind. In fact, Cass actually fancies—"

     "What's this about a new dog, mum says?" Cassia asks her grandparents, divertingly clearing her throat. Daphne smirks to her from across the room.

     "Ooh, yes!" Aleksandr happily exclaims, and launches into a whole explanation about how he and Gergana had adopted a Golden Retriever named Hermes, after the Greek god of merchants and travelling. A mere quarter hour later, and a few last minute rushed kitchen preparations, clothing adjustments and reapplications of makeup, the doorbell rung, and the members of the Greengrass-Starkov clan were lined up and ready to greet their guests for Christmas Lunch.

     "Merry Christmas, all!"

     Luciana Nott was the first to enter the majestic doorway with a smile that could only bring a vicarious joy in the lives of others. It was difficult to fathom that mere months ago, Theo had been saying she was so ill when she managed to make herself look radiant beyond means today, her tan skin, her copper ringlets flourishing, the bright eyes twinkling, her rosy lips stretching the dimples at her cheeks. She may have been edging her late thirties, but she looked as young as ever.

"How are you girls doing?" asks Luciana, smiling, looking at the three girls aligned in front of her. "Been a good Christmas so far?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," says Astoria for the three of them. Luciana takes a notice of the ornamental clips in their hair, and gasps.

"How gorgeous!" She says, examining the yellow flower in Cassia's hair with tentative, delicate fingers. "Where on earth have you managed to acquire such a beautiful hairpiece?"

Cassia smiles, nodding her head in her grandparents' direction. "Our Christmas gift from our grandparents."

And so, like that, Luciana went on to meet Cassia's Bulgarian grandparents. Cassia was so engrossed in watching the woman get along with her grandparents so easily, she'd hardly been able to register a poking finger prodding the dimple in her cheek. She turns, and sees Theo, in incomparable black dress robes, without a single crease, looking handsome indeed. He grins.

"At last, I'm not invisible," says Theo.

"How could you ever be invisible," says Cassia, and she wraps her arms around him for a big, engulfing hug. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," replies he. Theo goes on to embrace Daphne and Astoria too, and he has a gift bag in his hands, which he passes onto Cassia. "Everyone's presents."

"Yours is upstairs," says Cassia, accepting the bag. She grins, "We can open them later."

While Theo happily chats to Cassia and her sisters for a few minutes and Luciana is still having a blether with their grandparents, a throat is heard clearing quite forcefully. And everyone's heads turn towards the door, and it's not unusual that there was already a sort of disapproval in the air. Theodore Nott Senior lingered in the arching doorway for a few moments, before taking some almost robotic steps forward, had it not been for him rounding his fingers into a sentient fist by his side. There was no denying the attractive appearance of this man. Cruel, and blunt, and cynical, yes. But very handsome. Elegantly combed hair, pristine, straight dress robes, cleanly shaven face, flawless posture. But he was horrid, and the ostentatious, entitled, subtle scowl on his face said it all.

     "Fucking dramatic," mutters Daphne under her breath. Cassia elbows her, and Theo and Astoria snigger, but there's no doubt a trace of a smile exists on Cassia's lips too, as they watch Nott Senior shake hands with Phoenix, whose posture was rigid and his expression strained. Phoenix never got nervous in front of Nott, Cassia thinks curiously to herself.

"Hello, children." says Nott, to Cassia, Daphne and Astoria. His face was straight and imposing, and Cassia was able to understand what made Theo afraid to confront his father all those years ago. His poker face was scary.

"Merry Christmas," replies Cassia, her eyes unable to break the contact despite the threatening glaze of his eyes overcoming hers.

It became silent again. Theo had his eyes averted to the ground. Marlowe has an eyebrow raised. Cassia and her sisters are all in this intense staring contest with this man. Phoenix looks... tense, while Luciana is glaring at her husband. And Cassia's grandparents have their eyes squinted at this man clearly thinking, who the hell does he think he is?

Marlowe clears her throat. "Let's proceed, then," she says. "The house elves will have completed their preparations."

And with that, the silent contact broke, thankfully. They all took their places at the table, Phoenix at the head of the long table, while Aleksandr took his place at the opposite end. On the one side there sat Nott, Luciana, Theo and then Gergana, while the other side seated Marlowe, Cassia, Daphne and Astoria. The house elves had brought out some butternut squash soup as a starter and then for the main courses, the food consisted of the finest turkey, gravy, cauliflower cheese and much more. It was delicious, to say the least, and they were glad that they could endure a second round for their dinner — if their augmenting stomachs even allowed it. It was all smooth sailing as some Christmas pudding, mince pies and eggnog were distributed along the prolonged, ancient wood table, and the chatter was light-hearted and pleasant. For the most part, Nott has hardly spoken and it had mainly been Theo and Luciana in that revenue, aside from when Aleksandr or Gergana asked him unimportant, meaningless questions, just because they were sceptical and disapproving of this man. No one blamed them.

"So," says Aleksandr, looking to the spot beside his wife where Theo sat. "Theodore, is it?"

(They all just knew it wasn't the other Theodore in the room, as if it would be.)

Theo nods. "Call me Theo, please."

"Right," says Aleksandr. "I find it so difficult to believe that a handsome young lad like you hadn't managed to charm one of my beloved granddaughters — and vice versa."

Theo smiles, looking down. "By all means, Sir, your granddaughters are some of the best people I know. But ask Daphne — even her attempts at matchmaking Cassia and I last year failed resolutely. Astoria is in a relationship with my good friend Blaise, Daphne has just gotten out of a relationship, and as it stands, the reason me and Cassia could never happen is because we have a long lasting friendship. And because her type goes by the name of Harry Potter—"

Cassia's jaw drops open. "Theo—!"

"Harry Potter?" questions Gergana. "The boy whose parents died? And who supposedly saw the return of Lord Voldemort?"

"Do not say his name." says Nott dangerously. Gergana glares in his direction. Nott merely presses his lips into a thin line. "What I mean to say is, people all around will get the wrong impression if you take great ease with saying that name."

Cassia frowns. Who is he to talk? "And what impression would that be?"

Nott looks surprised at Cassia's question. "Excuse me, child?"

It's Cassia who smiles this time. "You said that if people going around saying that name, they will receive the wrong impression. And what impression exactly is that?"

Though his expression remains stoic and hardened, there's no doubt he's scowling. "Why, child. If someone is to go around saying that name, then one should gain the perception that they believe The Dark Lord has returned."

"And you don't?"

     Nott glares at Cassia. He knows she's trying to provoke him. He was a Death Eater, of course he would believe that Voldemort's back. He just didn't want to expose his... status. Not that everyone else didn't already know.

     "Uh—Cass, help us take the dishes to the kitchen," says Astoria. She attempts to smile, though it's as obvious forced as it is that it's an aversion. "Can't leave all the work for the house elves, can we?"

     "Of course not," Cassia replies, her eyes not wavering once off of Nott.

     Cassia takes the dishes to the kitchen with Daphne and Astoria, and Theo ends up tagging along anyways. It's bustling with petite house elves, all wearing tea towels embedded with the Greengrass coat of arms, attempting to work even with the fury of the Greengrass girl catching them out at first. When she is sure none of the adults in the other room are within earshot, she lets out a furious breath.

     "Can you believe the audacity of that man!"

     Cassia was clearly appalled.

     "First of all he walks in here — our house — acting like he bloody owns the place, then gives my own grandmother the evils and questions her as if he is oblivious to the cause when the bloody man is a hell bent death eater! I just —"

     "Cass," says Theo, and he fronts Cassia and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Don't let the father get you down. Calm down. You might blow up the kitchen with this rage."

     "It bloody well may happen," she huffs under her breath. She sighs, and looks at Theo. "How on earth can you even live with him? He's one of the most insufferable and pompous idiots there is!"

     Theo shrugs, leaning against the kitchen sink of which Astoria was loading dishes into. "You get used to it. Mostly I just stay in my room or go for walks with Mum."

     Cassia releases a deep exhale, and leans her elbow on Daphne's shoulder beside her, her other hand rubbing her forehead. "I will never be able to fathom why your mother ever married that man."

     "Wish I knew myself," Theo tells her.

     "Surely she was never, like, in love, with him or something?" says Daphne. "I doubt he has any likeable qualities. What if she was being forced to marry him and had a wand pointed to her head!"

     "Logical enough," says Theo, and he laughs.

"Daphne, come here," says Astoria, a dripping wet plate hanging from her hand, the sleeves of her black turtleneck rolled up, for she had begun to spontaneously wash the dishes. "And bring a tea towel while you're at it."

Daphne goes towards her sister by the sink, a tea towel swirling absently in her hands, and she was so engrossed in the swirling, flimsy flailing of the fabric, she'd completely disregarded her surroundings and trampled firsthand on a small figure wearing a tea towel. House elf. She regains her balance and her hands cup her mouth in shock.

"I'm so sorry!" Daphne apologises to the house elf, helping it get to its feet. Their hand sizes had a considerable comparison.

"Not a problem, Young Mistress!" The elf croaks in return.

The house elf gives no extra adherence to the situation, and begins scampering away. But something striked Cassia as familiar about this elf. She was sure that she'd heard its voice before, and that perhaps last time they met she wasn't exactly the most composed or calm... and the pink bow around its ear, too...

"Cami?"

The elf turns around, and it was Cami the house elf indeed. Last time Cassia had seen her, it was in the Hogwarts kitchens under drastic circumstances. The house elf had been absolutely beside herself and was not able to stop weeping and reluctantly and accidentally claimed that Greengrass Manor wasn't safe. But, it seemed perfectly safe as of now, right...

"Yes?" says Cami, her hands curled at her chest.

"It's me, Cassia?" says Cassia. "From the kitchens at Hogwarts, remember?"

"You know her?" asks Astoria, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah... I saw her in the kitchens..."

Cassia looks back to the elf and sees her face scrunched up in thought. But then something strikes her, and she seems to remember.

"Oh! Young Mistress Cassia! Cami does remember!" Cami exclaims. Cassia felt slightly better that she wasn't just imagining she'd had an encounter with a crying house elf. That would be pretty embarrassing. But Cami seems to have gotten embarrassed, as her cheeks began to redden. "I apologise that Young Mistress had to see Cami in such a state! It was not Cami's best moment..."

Cassia smiles assuringly, and brushes it off. "It's okay. You're better now, yes?"

(She decides to leave the talk about her predicament with "Master Phoenix"... she didn't want to embarrass the house elf further.)

The house elf nods sheepishly, before bidding goodbye to Cassia, scurrying away. Daphne, Astoria and Theo are frowning at Cassia.

"What just happened?" asks Theo.

"I met Cami a couple of months ago in the Hogwarts kitchens," explains Cassia. "She was a bit upset... something about the Manor not being safe for her? And that father had forbade her from saying why? It was confusing..." She thinks to herself for a second before shrugging. "Oh well. I don't know what was wrong with her, but the Manor seems fine anyways... and I'm glad she's fine."

Cassia is about to move back into the main area when she can faintly hear her mother's berating voice, but she stops at the sight of Theo, looking... shellshocked. Or confused. Or worried. Either would work. His eyes were wide, he was holding his hands up to his chest and he was biting down on his lip. It's as if he... knew something. He looks like he knows something she didn't. But, what? What could Theo know that Cassia didn't?

     With that being said, she was about to reach a hand out to him, before the voice of Marlowe came loud clear this time, yelling, "IT'S PICTURE TIME!"

     Astoria and Daphne left straight away, while Cassia was left with Theo for a few seconds, and he still looks quite nervous. But his head snaps up, and he attempts to smile. "We should go."

     "Yeah..." Cassia trails off, watching as Theo leads the way into the Parlour, his robes fanning at his arms. The thought of Theo and his reaction to the kitchen situation was buried in her mind when there, in the Parlour, stood Cassia's parents, grandparents, Theo's parents alongside a photographer carrying a large camera, tripod and metallic shutter in his other hand. Immediately he begins to usher the group in together, and before long, the pictures have been taken and everyone's eyes are blinking from the blinding flash. The usual.

     As soon as the photographer had done his job and fashioned various positions for each photograph, he shuffled his equipment into the other room. And as everyone begins to consume one another in idle chatter, a throat is heard being cleared. Bewildered, everyone turns their heads towards Theodore Nott Senior.

     "Yes?" Marlowe asks expectantly. Cassia didn't blame her mother for being absolutely done with this man's nonsense. He was a melodramatic idiot, that's what.

     "Phoenix, may we go up to your study?" Nott proposes. Well, rather insinuates. Almost everything was questionable with this man, yet you would be damned to see someone question his authority. "I have some business I would like to discuss with you."

     Phoenix was glued to the spot. His handsome face, having previously adorned the most vicarious of smiles, had now dissipated completely and his expression has blanched. What was up with her dad? Cassia thinks.

     But Phoenix gulps, and nods. "Of course."

     They watch as the two men leave the Parlour. Weird...

"Okay, open mine first!"

     It wasn't long after they'd left the "photoshoot" that Cassia and Theo had gone up to their room in a bid to leave the adults, or rather, Theo's dad, and to open each other's Christmas presents. She was sat on the chair by her desk, while he went to perch himself on the edge of her bed. Cassia was the more enthusiastic one when it came to giving Theo his gift, though, as she'd thrusted the neatly wrapped package in his hands.

     Theo narrows his eyes at her, but she continues to smile widely. He takes a couple of unconvincing glances between the patterned wrapping and Cassia's excited face, and eventually saw her beginning to grow more and more impatient. He chuckles, and rips the paper packaging apart. A hardback, spotless, smoothed front book was uncovered, called Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. He smiles musingly to himself as he turns it over in his hands, reading the blurb and examining various pages within.

     "So?" says Cassia.

     Theo pauses before saying, "I like it."

     "You do?" A relieved smile spreads across her face. "That's good. I'm struggling with finding the right books now. I have to buy you Muggle books instead since most of our books are pretty shit. But, this one seemed good. And it may teach a lesson or two."

     (Cassia and Theo have this tradition where their Christmas gifts — and sometimes birthday gifts too — would be books. Unless they find something less subordinate, they will nearly always have a growing collection between each other and it fits. They both love to read, and it makes present picking slightly easier.)

     "Oh, yeah? About what?"

     Cassia says, "Tolerance towards Muggles."

     Theo rolls his eyes. "Come on."

     "You literally read Muggle books," Cassia launches for debate, "Your mother doesn't hate Muggles while your father does — not to mention you hate things your father does — yet you still don't accept them?"

     "It's not that easy," says Theo quietly. "When you've grown up all your life listening to the stuff my father says, you don't know any better. I might hate him but being intolerant towards Muggles was one thing that was clearly instated in my household. But truth be told... I don't know what I think anymore."

     Cassia frowns. Theo sees this, and claps his hands together definitively. "Anyways," he says, "You open yours."

     She takes no spare second when Theo hands her his own cleanly-wrapped package to shake it around in her hand. "I wonder what this is..." Cassia remarks sardonically, a grin playing at her lips.

     Theo laughs, shaking his head. "Just open it."

     Cassia grins, and rips apart the paper in a similar fashion to Theo. This time, the smooth hardback copy was that of a book called Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. She turns it over, reading the blurb as Theo looks at her hesitantly.

     "I wasn't sure if it was something you would like," he says. "It involves Russian culture and I remember you saying how your mother would read you Russian fairytales, so I thought it would be okay... what do you think?"

     Cassia looks up and smiles. She pulls Theo in for a hug. "I love it. Thank you."

     "Anytime," says Theo, smiling.

     A silence envelops them as Cassia's attention averts to the window and everything outside. A blank landscape, with snow coveting each single turret, crevice and patch of earth... the misty air, the greying sky. In the lake a short stretch away from the Manor, the water was frozen over and instead had been carved and engraved with blade marks from ice skates,  from afternoons well spent skating. It was a great place in the winter, the woods where Greengrass Manor was. Sometimes there even were wild deer too...

     And Cassia couldn't not think about the fact that communication with Harry over the Christmas break had been next to nonexistent. She didn't know where he was, or how he was... She felt like of bad, to be honest. It was Christmas! She wanted to greet him in some sort of way.

"No news about Potter yet?" asks Theo.

(Of course Theo could tell.)

Her head snaps rapidly towards Theo. She thinks about lying, but figures there's no point. He knows.

Cassia sighs. "None."

"Maybe he died," says Theo.

"And you'd love that, wouldn't you?" Cassia says with a roll of the eyes.

"Perhaps Death would be going a bit far," Theo excuses himself. "Maybe if he lost a finger or two. Perhaps an ear."

"Theo!"

He lets out a loud laugh, falling backwards onto her bed with his hands clutching at his sides, while Cassia can't help but grin herself.

"You're terrible," she says.

He gets up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I know." His expression halts at the exact time a harsh rapping noise is heard coming from the window, and both Cassia and Theo's head whip rapidly to see what caused the obstruction.

They were surprised to see a beautiful, snowy white owl, with her normally smooth feathers disheveled from the wind and snow of the outdoors. Cassia's mouth drops open, but there did also happen to be a hopeful sense of excitement there too.

"Hedwig?"

"Potter's owl?" says Theo. Cassia narrows her eyes at him. He shrugs. "What? I pay attention."

She shakes her head, and sees that Hedwig is still outside and is likely shivering. Hastily stepping towards the window seat, she pushes the window open and allows for the pretty owl to flutter in heavily, landing on the carpet with a patch of snow shaking off her back, wetting the carpet with every flying second.

"Hi, Hedwig." says Cassia. (She knew Hedwig couldn't reply, seeing as she couldn't speak, but saying hi is the nice thing to do.) There was an envelope in her beak. Cassia picks it out. She can recognise the messi writing on the front saying, Cassia. There was also a package tied at her ankle. Theo tentatively unties it himself.

"Hey, look at this!" Theo excitedly laughs, and passes the note attached to the parcel to Cassia.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FAVOURITE GREENGRASS!!

As usual we wanted to wish our Favourite Greengrass a great Christmas. Not that we like you, or anything, but you're pretty cool. Same goes for your sisters.

(P.S. since it's 100% guaranteed that Nott will be with you, give him our regards too. And 25% of the joke supplies in the box.)

Gred and Forge, the best twins out there (you and Daphne come a close second)

Cassia releases a laugh as she unwraps the package, labelled WWW. There was indeed a plentiful cache of exciting and possibly reputation-deteriorating joke supplies, and each had their own label. There was one for Theo, one for Cassia, one for Daphne and one for Astoria, too. Cassia figures Astoria had probably been more than accommodating to them in the library on one of their excursions.

"Those twins are—"

"Something else," Cassia finishes.

"I was gonna say brilliant, but, sure," says Theo.

Cassia didn't care. Hedwig being there, and the package being from the Weasley twins, meant that the letter in her hands was definitely from Harry. And she couldn't be more ecstatic. So, with a lingering, flourishing excitement and a stretching beam, she picks apart the envelope, and begins to read the letter.

Merry Christmas, Cassia!

I swear to you I didn't mean to leave Hogwarts without saying anything. Something big came up, and Mr Weasley got hurt, and we had to leave quickly. I'll explain it all to you when we get back. Promise. But I'm staying with the Weasley's and Sirius and taking a bit of a risk with sending Hedwig. But she wanted to stretch her wings anyways. And the twins also asked me to send their message, and said that the items were experimental still, and in the words of George "not to sue us if they end up frozen rigid in place". So, yeah. Good luck. They figured Nott would be with you too. Tell him I said Happy Christmas.

I hope you've had a good Christmas.

Harry

ps. Sirius says Merry Christmas.

     "Harry says Merry Christmas," says Cassia. She smiles to herself as she folds the letter back into the envelope.

     "The fuck he didn't?" Theo utters in disbelief, his eyes popping wide open. They narrow back into his head when Cassia nods. "He's so weird."

     "It's nice, Theo," she laughs. "Put aside your aim to hate this guy your entire life for once and realise that he doesn't hate you."

Theo averts his gaze. "I'll go get the Mini Greengrass and Daphne."

"Why?" asks Cassia, frowning.

"Well, Mini Greengrass because it's Hedwig and Daph because it's you and Dearest Harry."

Cassia scoffs, but Theo is gone before she can do anything else. Instead, she sees that Hedwig still remains in her room. She smiles.

"Waiting for a reply, eh?"

———

location: 12 grimmauld place

SIRIUS BLACK'S CHRISTMAS CHEER WAS UNDOUBTEDLY the prime source of excitement within Grimmauld Place. Not only was this grown man acting like he'd won the lottery (whatever a lottery's like in the Wizarding World) and decorated his dreary family home from head to toe in tinsel, streamers and fake magic snow and pure festivity, but Mr. Weasley's nursing back to health seemed to be going well, too. At least, after the whole scenario with Augustus Pye and giving him stitches had been sorted, all seemed to be going good. And they seemed to be going even better for a certain Harry Potter with the return of Hedwig to Grimmauld Place, bearing a snow-dampened envelope. For a boy feeling highly uncomfortable with having practically witnessed and mentally inflicted the pain that led Arthur Weasley to remain in St. Mungo's, the arrival of this letter sure did come as a mood-lightener. Harry pats Hedwig's feathers as he unravels the envelope and reads the neat scripture that is Cassia Greengrass's handwriting.

Merry Christmas, Harry!

You don't have to worry about leaving without an explanation. Being "the boy who lived" is difficult, I get it. I hope you're keeping well, though. We've had a great Christmas so far. Theo's dad is a dickhead, but what's new. And we got the stuff from the twins too! I didn't look forward to it as much as Theo did. Tell the twins I said thanks! Astoria was really excited to see Hedwig again, too.

I'm really glad everything's okay. And I'm gonna hold you to that promise!

Can't wait to see you when we get back!

Cass

ps. Merry Christmas Sirius!

There's a smile on Harry's face as he finished reading the letter. Even more so when he found another slip of paper within the envelope, and brought it out to see it was a photograph. It was separated into three units — three families. Right away he could see Cassia. Her family was in the centre, with Phoenix and Marlowe in the background and Cassia, Daphne and Astoria in front. They all looked really happy and were smiling wide. He even noticed a pretty flowery clip in Cassia's hair. To the right, there were two people. Old aged, the male had greying brown hair and set eyes, and the woman beside him had ashen blonde hair with a kind smile. Harry thinks these are Cassia's grandparents — the ones from Bulgaria.

And to the left were three people. The most distinct was his classmate, Theodore Nott, with his lips pressed into a thin line towards the camera. Behind him stood a pretty lady with full lips and copper ringlets for hair. His mother — presumably — with her hand on Theo's shoulder as she stood straight. And next to them, with his hands set astutely by his side, was none other than Theodore Nott Senior. There was no doubt it was him. The resemblances between Theo and his father were plentiful... yet Harry knew Theo wasn't the man his father was. The man that Harry saw in the graveyard that night. And he felt pitiful.

Cassia looks really pretty, that's what Harry's initial thoughts were. So did her sisters — there were no hint of uncertainty that good looks ran within the genes of the Greengrass family, when both Marlowe and Phoenix were both beguiling and attractive in their own ways. But all Harry could think about... all he could see... was Cassia. Just Cassia.

Ever since she left him at the end of their date, cheeks flushed from the cold, her hair damp with thawed snow, all he could think about was her. How beautiful she was, the way her smile had more incandescence than Icarus would have seen flying into the sun. How she was so tolerant, and how she had more compassion than any other Slytherin she had seen. How she managed to change his views on Slytherins, when she was out here, a literal, but metaphorical, angel.

There was only one explanation for it. And it was the explanation Harry had avoided accepting for a long while.

That Harry Potter had, ultimately, fallen for Cassia Greengrass, in all of her beautiful, enrapturing glory.

And he couldn't blame himself, when she was just there. He knows how fanciable she is. He knows others think so too. Harry is pretty certain Zacharias Smith, an absolute dickhead, called her "pretty hot" when Harry passed him in a D.A meeting when mentioning Harry's "friendship" with her. Many guys know of the remarkable entity that is Cassia Greengrass, that is for sure. And so did Harry.

"Hedwig got back, then?"

Harry looks up and sees his godfather Sirius Black entering the kitchen where he was sat, amidst the remnants of Christmas Dinner and plates waiting to be washed. Sirius already looks excited if not for the fact it was Christmas and a chance to revive his miserable-looking house, but the fact that Hedwig returned from her excursion to Hertfordshire meant that an even wider smile was growing along his face, and he looks with anticipation at Harry.

"Yeah," says Harry. He smiles. "She got back."

Sirius takes a note of the photo lying on the kitchen table. "Is that her?" Harry nods. "Can I take a look?" Harry nods again.

As Harry is fiddling with the letter in his hands, Sirius hardly looks at the photo, and the doorbell is soon heard, followed by a series of voices and trampling footsteps down the stairs that could only belong to Fred and George Weasley. The door is heard clicking open and shut, and before them is soon the very person Harry met first time in the same place mere months ago. Charlie Weasley's girlfriend, the Magizoologist. Avery Hearst.

Now, don't get Harry wrong, Avery is a really pretty girl. But she looks very different to the last time Harry had seen her, in the exact same place. Where her khaki field outfit was ripped heavily, she now wore a fitted red velvet dress hugging her petite figure, with a leather jacket on top and some black tights with studded boots too. Her sunkissed hair was still in a bun, albeit not as messy as before, and she wore a striking red lipstick coalescing with her dress. There was a black purse slung in a strap over her shoulder.

"Merry Christmas!" says Avery happily. The twins have followed her into the kitchen looking ecstatic, along with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Bill appears and hugs the girl, before she begins to move across.

     "Nice jacket!" says Sirius, coming out of a hug with the girl of strawberry blonde hair and cheery smiles.

"Thanks, Sirius!" says Avery.

"I used to wear one just like it to school! It made me look so cool..."

"But it wouldn't have been part of the dress code!" says Hermione, frowning.

Ron snorts. "You'd think that would stop Sirius Black." Hermione scowls at him.

"Hi, Harry!" Avery goes to give Harry a hug, which turned out a bit awkward as Harry was still half in his chair.

     "Er—hi, Avery," replies Harry.

     "Good Christmas?" She asks him, smiling brightly.

     "Yeah," he says. "You?"

     "Not bad," Avery shrugs. "Spent the day with my parents, checked in with everyone in Norway, then came here."

     "No Charlie?"

     Avery shakes her head. "Too busy in Romania. He sent me an owl, but. He's doing good."

     It's silent for a few moments. And then Sirius goes, "You know, Harry has a love letter."

     Avery's eyebrows raise. "Is that so?"

     "It's not a love letter," says Harry.

     "But it's from Favourite Greengrass, yeah?" says Fred, to which Harry nods. Fred shares a grin with his twin.

     "Is — uh — is that her?" Avery asks Harry, motioning to the photo lying a small stretch away from Sirius.

     "Um, yeah," says Harry. He picks up the picture, pointing to Cassia. "That's Cassia. That's her twin Daphne and their younger sister Astoria, and those are their parents."

     "She seems nice," says Avery with a hum, "Who are the others?"

     "Those are her grandparents from Bulgaria. That's Theodore Nott," says Harry, looking at the younger Theodore. "Her best friend. He's in the same year as us."

     "Prick," mutters Ron.

     "He's not too bad," says George. "Decent humour."

     "And a not-so-decent father," remarks Fred.

     "Meaning?" asks Sirius.

     "His father was a Death Eater," explains Harry. "Still is. I saw him that night. Don't you recognise him?"

     "I highly doubt the face of some random Death Eater would strike me as familiar," says Sirius, rolling his eyes. He takes a look at the picture again, and this time, his eyes squint over the shifting frames of the page. "Who's that woman?"

     It takes Harry a few minutes to realise that Sirius was talking about the woman with his hand on Theo's shoulder. His mother. She most certainly was beautiful, with her high cheekbones, full lips and kind eyes. Her brunette curls sat nicely upon her shoulders, and she seemed much more happier than her husband to be standing there, in the Greengrass Manor, with their son.

     "That's Nott's mother, that is." says Fred from over Harry's shoulder, and Harry flinches. When did Fred get there? The twins and their Apparition...

     Sirius's eyebrows furrow further as he looks towards Avery and Fred, both looking at the picture. He seems to be in deep though. "Does she have a brother?"

     Avery shrugs her shoulders, indifferent. "How am I supposed to know?"

Instead, Sirius hums absently to himself, eyebrows still furrowed...

"Is your sister still dating Oliver Wood?" George asks Avery, breaking the inadvertent silence.

(Harry's eyes widen. Avery has a sister? That's dating Oliver Wood? Where on earth have the Hearst family been in Harry's life, and why had he no single clue about them?)

"Yeah, she is!" Avery answers. "Oliver was at our house just before I left, actually."

"You have a sister?" asks Harry.

Avery smiles. "Yeah. My older brother is Jeremiah, he's an Alchemist, and my younger sister is a biomedical wizarding engineer, and her name is Liv—"

"Olive," coughs Fred.

Avery grins at him. "You watch your mouth, mister. Wouldn't want Liv to catch you calling her by that name?"

"But it's her real name!"

"But she hates it! Goodness knew what my father thought when he decided to name her after a salad item."

     "What was he thinking?" says Sirius.

     Avery takes a deep breath. "Basically, my father's name is Oliver, and so, when naming Liv, he thought it would be cool to give her his name, but shorter. Not Olivia, not Viola, but Olive. Dad definitely lost some brownie points for that one."

     "So," says Sirius. "Your sister is Liv — Olive — your dad is Oliver and so is her boyfriend?"

     Avery nods. "But, as you can tell, she hates the name, so she goes by Liv. Sometimes she gets away with Olivia on official documents."

     "That's confusing," says Sirius. "Olive, Oliver and Oliver." He iterates multiple times to himself. "Why didn't she come over if you did?"

     "Because of Mum," Ron cuts in.

     Harry frowns. "What about Mrs. Weasley? Does she not like Liv?"

     "The opposite, really," says Avery, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Mrs. Weasley loves Liv. But it's because she's actually Percy's best friend. And, well, Percy's kind of been—"

     "A prat?" says Fred.

     "A moron?" says George.

     "Yes," says Avery with a begrudging grin, "that. So, Liv knew of how... sensitive Mrs. Weasley could get, and didn't want to remind her of Percy. But Liv hasn't spoken properly to him in months, either."

     "Hmm..." Sirius trails off, "Do you have a picture of her? I want to see if you look alike."

     "Yeah, I do!" says Avery, and she pulls out a discordant stack of photographs out of her shoulder bag. "She looks more like my Mum, she and Jem have the same eyes though..."

     "You carry a load of photographs in your bag?" says Bill, arching an eyebrow. "Just like that?"

     "What, and you don't?"

     Bill laughs as Avery rifles through the photographs, and ends up dropping them all on the table clumsily, a sigh escaping her mouth as she stands straight defeatedly.

     "I'm so clumsy," she mutters, "you can really tell me and Tonks went to school together." She rifles through the photographs, and Harry can vaguely pick out a number of people from the pictures — in one, there's Avery with a redhead, undoubtedly Charlie, someone he recognises as a younger Nymphadora Tonks with bright pink hair, there was another pretty redhead too and a tall boy with tan skin and wispy dark hair. There's quite a few others — many with Charlie, some that were clearly within the Norwegian landscape, he's seen a boy with mousy brown hair pop up quote a few times as well as a woman with long red hair. Finally, Avery finds a suitable picture and places it onto the hard wood table.

     "There," she says, her hand pressing the picture flat against the table. There were six people in the photograph. Avery, clearly, a man with short brown hair, a coarse stubble and charming beam, the same woman from before with red hair, the handsome boy with mousy brown hair and a girl with silky red hair too. There was also a girl with smooth tan skin standing next to the boy with mousy hair. "That's my Mum, Valerie Carmichael," Avery points to the woman with long red hair and a genial smile on her face. "That's my Dad, Oliver," she points to the man with the stubble and handsome grin. "My brother, Jeremiah and his wife, Alice," the good-looking young man with mousy brown hair and the girl beside him with the nice tan skin. "And this is Liv."

     Liv was the one with pure red hair, long and silky, cascading down her back and beyond her shoulders. She has bright eyes and full lips, and a pretty smile too. The Carmichael-Hearst family was very good looking, indeed. Liv happened to be the only Hearst that had adopted the vibrant hair of Valerie Carmichael's, for Avery had a mix of both her parents — pale strawberry blonde — while Jeremiah's was a pale brown shade, coming directly from Oliver.

     Now, Harry thinks he can recognise the girl that is Olive Hearst. She would have been in fifth year when he first came to Hogwarts, and she'd probably have been accompanying Percy Weasley in doing so, so there was a chance that he had seen her around. Only thing is, Harry hardly paid attention to anyone else's friend group while at Hogwarts — clearly. But he was astounded that he knew absolutely nothing about Liv literally dating his ex-Quidditch team captain?

     Avery was showing them all another photograph, and Harry can vaguely hear the names "Uncle Douglas", "Laurel" and "Young Abigail", but that was in the back of his mind. All he could seem to think that from becoming cognisant of his feelings for Cassia Greengrass to learning about the Carmichael-Hearst family, that veritably, it had been a very revelatory Christmas.

———

location: nott manor

AT FIRST, THEO HAD FELT RELUCTANT ABOUT LEAVING THE somewhat sanctuary that was Greengrass Manor. It reminds him of when he was younger and had play dates at Draco's, or Blaise's or also Cassia's house, and anytime his Mother would arrive to pick him up he would hide to ensure he wouldn't have to leave — which was easy considering they were all filthy rich and had massive homes. (He'd always end up being found, though, and it was the biggest mood-dampener when he did.) Even now, at a more grown age, Theo can still feel reluctant in leaving his friends' homes — but he's a big boy. He'll leave anyways.

     But part of Theo was glad when they left. It was getting more and more difficult to pretend. That he was okay, that he wasn't having these weird visions, that he hadn't physically seen Phoenix Greengrass become a Death Eater. He found it hard to pretend. Especially when it was in front of his best friend. She should know... but she couldn't. Theo knew Cassia was strong, but a news like this would break her.

And it was Draco's words that couldn't escape his mind. The Greengrass's are at more risk than you'd think. It was true. Phoenix Greengrass has stepped into uncharted territory, he'd gone too deep. And now... he was terrified. Theo could see that much with the way his face blanked when his father wished to talk to him. And Theo had an idea that if his family knew, they'd be terrified too. Phoenix was in too deep, but that didn't mean his family had to be too.

"Theodore? Can I come in?"

A knock on the wood-carved door broke Theo from his thoughts, as he recognised the soft, angelic voice that was his mother's. Of course it would be his mother's. His father never had any decent reason to come into his room.

"Come in, Mother," says Theo, and he smiles when the door opens to reveal Luciana and her ravished self. She was carrying a leatherback box in her hand, cradled around the hip. Theo was always astounded by the fact that even after all these years of being married to the terrible man that was Theo's father, she never once faltered. She got angry, yes — but her spirit never diminished. Luciana always said it was for Theo, that she wanted to give it all for him, but Theo thought it was something else, too. She had more than just a son to live for. Theo just didn't know what.

Luciana takes a seat on Theo's bed beside him, and takes a look at all of the gifts around him. There were an abundance of those from his mother, as well as those from his friends scattered around his room, including the book from Cassia. Which he was kind of nervous to read.

"How are you?" She asks him, brushing away the hair at his forehead with her gentle touch.

"Okay, I guess." replies Theo, with a shrug of the shoulders.

Luciana sighs and chuckles, stroking her son's back. "Cassia's gotten quite bold, hasn't she?" She asks, thinking back to the Christmas Lunch hours earlier.

Theo releases a disdained laugh. "No doubt because of Potter."

His mother smiles. "It's true they're dating?"

"Not yet," says Theo. "But just wait a month when we get back. They'll be a thing soon. Anyone with decent eyesight can see it."

"It can be a good thing, you know," says Luciana. "Cassia and Harry Potter."

Theo frowns. "I wouldn't think so. He's insufferable. I can't understand what she sees in him."

Luciana raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

"What?"

She takes a deep breath. "I find it difficult, unlike you, to hate a boy like Harry who has had everything taken away from him from the start, and continues to endure the worst of fates for a boy his age."

Luciana sighs, before saying, "Perhaps a bit of affection won't be so horrible for him."

Theo was caught off guard by the expression on his mother's face. The way she was talking, it was as if she was talking from experience. About having lost everything. And Theo didn't understand the look she had, either. Her eyes went glossy, as if remembering something from the past. Her lips folded in on each other and were growing whiter and whiter. But then she snaps out of it, and smiles.

"It can be good for Cassia, too." Luciana adds.

"What do you mean?"

Luciana shrugs. "Who knows, perhaps her family aren't as—" She halts, and her eyes widen. "Never mind. Um—what I mean is, a new relationship can be a good thing."

Theo narrows his eyes slightly. His mother shares a look with him, as if trying to hide that she knows something. His mother never falters... For a minute, Theo thought that... she might have known about Phoenix Greengrass too. That he wasn't alone in this secret.

But even if it was with his mother, Theo had never gotten that lucky.

He didn't know if she was right, however. About Harry Potter, and hating him. That he shouldn't hate someone so easily when they've already lost so much. But Theo does not like him, and he isn't sure if it's still the right thing to do. It was different. Theo was just bitter. Because people usually see "hero" when they see Harry, but they see "descendant of Death Eaters" when they see Theo. It's how it would always be, and maybe that's why Theo couldn't bring himself to show empathy towards Harry.

"What about you?" Luciana asks her son. "Is there anyone for you?"

Theo's eyes widen. "What, you mean, like, dating?"

Luciana nods. "Why not?"

"Because O.W.L's are mere months away! Dating shouldn't be a priority."

Luciana throws her head back, laughing harmoniously. She smiles at her son. "Your hard work ethic never fails to amaze me, Theodore. But you should put yourself out there more!" She grins craftily, and says, "I remember when you fancied Daphne back in third year."

Theo groans, resulting in more laughter from his mother. "Mother! We promised never to speak about that!"

(It was true. There had been a point in third year where Theo just looked at Daphne Greengrass and thought, wow. Cassia was pretty "wow" herself, but she was his best friend. It's as they said so many times, nothing could happen between them. Daphne, on the other hand... When Theo had been dating Pansy Parkinson at the time, and Pansy had hardly paid attention to Theo, Daphne was the one to sit with him most of the time. She was just there. It was hard not to fall for her. It hasn't lasted more than a year, though. Daphne was the girl admired by many, Theo included. He thought it was the wise thing to do — to let go of the crush. He could tell something was happening between Daphne and Pansy, anyways. With time, Theo realised that Daphne could be nothing more than a sister to him. The sister he always wanted. Cassia, Daphne and Astoria.)

"I'm just saying!" says Luciana with a grin, holding her hands in a surrender. "You should set your sights on someone. If it's what you want."

"Maybe," says Theo. Perhaps Theo was always scared for relationships. He knew that Pansy had grown a bit as a person, by now... but in that relationship, he felt used. Like a pawn. And that reminded him of his father. And that reminded him of the fact that his mother was here, imprisoned in a Manor with her only son, who would soon have to return to boarding school. Theo didn't want a relationship where he felt trapped. He was scared of being trapped. His mother is in an unloved relationship. His mother is trapped. And Theo didn't know how she got there in the first place.

"Why did you marry father?" Theo asks Luciana. It was spontaneous, and Luciana stares at her son for an extra moment, but she understands why he asked it.

Luciana pauses for a minute, and sighs. "Because sometimes, life isn't fair. And we do things for the ones we love."

Theo frowns. He didn't know what she meant. Ones we love... her family, maybe? But then, Theo knew nothing about his mother's side of the family...

"I may not have gotten my happy ending, being stuck with that man." says Luciana. "But I have you. And that's not to say you shouldn't try and get yours."

"And what exactly would your happy ending have been?"

Luciana's mouth parts open for a minute, and then closes again. She presses her lips into a haste smile. "You, my son. Your happiness is my happy ending."

Theo was sure Luciana was going to say something else other than that. He was about to open his mouth, but then, with haste and tentative fingers, Luciana unravels the box he'd seen her enter with and places it on her lap.

"I have something else for you," says Luciana. "One more Christmas gift."

Theo frowns. "Really?"

Luciana smiles, nodding. She lifts the lid of the box, and inside there are various items. Picture frames, a watch, a mirror, an old, folded piece of parchment, a pretty necklace. But she takes the book at the top out, and closes the lid back over again just as Theo is able to pick out two men in the picture at either sides of Luciana — one who bears a strange resemblance to his mother with a boyish grin and near-maroon hair while the other, a handsome boy, had tufty, curly hair and an infatuated gloss within his dusky eyes...

"This is for you," says Luciana, handing Theo the book. It was big and leatherbound, and was as old as it was dusty, tattered and heavy.

(Another book? Theo was beginning to think he was quite predictable.)

Theo takes it, and opens the front cover. There was flourishing, cursive writing on the top-middle of the inner page.

This book is property of Luciana D.

     Luciana D... her maiden name, perhaps? But what was that... Luciana's pre-marital life was a bit of a mystery for Theo.

"What is it?" asks Theo.

"I heard about the new Defence teacher, that old Ministry hag. And your O.W.L exams are this year, and I didn't want your education to be something the Ministry refused to give you because they were scared. So, I'm giving you this. It has a load of Defence spells and lessons I learnt when I was in school, a long while ago. I was quite the Defence prodigy back then. And you're very clever yourself. It's only fair I pass this onto you."

A wide smile spreads along Theo's face. He loves his mother so, so much. They may have been stuck in an unfortunate life, but having each other was anything but.

"Thank you, Mother." says Theo.

"Of course, my son." Luciana presses a hand around the side of Theo's head, and presses her lips to his forehead. "Merry Christmas, Theodore."

     "Merry Christmas, Mother."

     Later that day, after Theo went to the kitchens and the house elves made him a fresh batch of cookies with milk, and he devoured the lot. (Because it was Christmas, eating more than necessary was a given.) He went for a walk with his mother in the snowy grounds surrounding his Manor, and read a bit of his mother's journal. But when he returned to his bedroom after spending the evening in the extensive library, he was surprised to see a brown package lying with stillness on his bed, with a note placed upon it.

     Completely unaware of what to expect or who to expect this from (he thought his mother was fine with giving him gifts) he strolls to his bed and picks up the package. It had the rectangular base and structure of a book. Another book. He lifts the folded note, and unfolds it.

     Go to the bookmarked page, and read it.

     Merry Christmas, Theodore.

     Theo has an idea what this means. He has an idea who it is from. It's not his mother — her handwriting is definitely unlike this one. Not either of his friends', either. There was only one other person that would call him Theodore that this handwriting could belong to. And Theo's heart was pounding inside his chest.

     What would ever push Theodore Nott Senior to send his son a Christmas gift?

     He rips the packaging off of the book. Fuck.

     The Biography of Cantankerous Nott, by Cantankerous Nott.

     Of course it would be this fucking book that Nott Senior would gift to Theo. Of course it would be the word of the bigoted, horrid man named Cantankerous Nott. The only question is, why? Theo has never once read this biography, he hates the man who wrote it. But his curiosity was tempting him as much as his fear was. So he turns to the bookmarked page.

NOTT DYNASTY:
THE PARALLEL TETHER

          FOR MANY YEARS, there has been a connection linking each generation of the Nott lineage to their predecessors. A Legilimency connection, from a coven of Legilimens originating from the Sandberg clan, which was cast upon Vormir Nott in the era of Merlin himself. The connection meant that any one Nott wizard, be it grandfather to father, father to son, would allow for one to see through the eyes and hear through the ears, feel their thoughts, of the other. The connection is specific between any one family member and whoever precedes or succeeds them.

     It is considered an honour to every presiding member of the prestigious Nott lineage. It is the reason why centuries of unswerving alliance exists within each household. The Legilimency connection means that one Nott would be able to feel and see what the other would.

     In terms of marital status, the mind tether is attached onto any woman being married into the family, yet it ceases to exist as soon as a Nott woman marries into a different family and upholds a differing surname. With the Nott surname, comes an even bigger factor. Being born into the Nott family means that centuries of fraternities shall be upheld by birth.

     The presiding fact is that the Legilimency should only become triggered at the outset of a  resolution, i.e. the original cause of the tether was for Vormir Nott to carry his sons into battle against King Arthur and Merlin. In other words, the connection is fuelled by Dark Magic and should only activate when there is a Dark proposition to be fulfilled.

     Theo feels as if someone has clasped their hand around his throat.

     This article... He understands... But he wishes he didn't. Suddenly, everything became all the clearer.

     Theo is sharing a mind with his father. He is tethered to his father's mind.

No. He couldn't be.

But he was. It's the only thing that made sense. It's the only logical explanation. The only logical explanation for the fact that this entire time, he had been seeing through his father's eyes. In his office, in the Manor, in Greengrass Manor — it had been him. The uneasy feeling the day of the Third Task — it was him. His fucking father.

Theo wanted to throw up.

No. Not him.

A knock sounded at the door. Harsh, but composed. A man appeared at the door. Harsh, but composed. Idyllic posture. Immaculate suit, combed, perfect hair, and a chiselled, handsome, unnerving face.

Not him.

Theo's breath halts. His father is looking at him, with the eyes that once shook the resonance from Theo. The face that would once scare him so much.

Theo thinks he's scared again. But he knows the truth. And that's what he's scared of. That the odds were, once again, against him. That he shared a mind with his father. That he would be fated to turn out like his father.

He can feel his heartbeat thumping in his chest, he can almost feel the pulse points in his glands drumming against his throat. The silence between them is scratching at his ears. He cannot stop himself from breathing unevenly, harshly, yet so scarcely, his mouth is hardly parted open.

"Have you read it?" asks Nott.

Theo turns his head away. He has never been able to meet his fathers eyes properly, and this surely wouldn't be any different. He's sure his father knows the answer, anyways. Instead, Nott continues to stand straight at the door, his finger tracing the wall for any nonexistent speckles.

"I didn't think it was true," says Nott. "I thought you had perhaps been the exception to the cause. Once in a while, if a son is far too incompetent then the tether would not pass onto them. But perhaps you do have what it takes."

Theo grits his teeth from within a closed mouth.

"The first time I suspected anything was the day you left the Manor." continues Nott. "I recognised the feeling... I had experienced it with my father. But I was absolutely sure your first day of school this year. I had almost forgotten what the corridors of Hogwarts looked like."

Theo wishes he could be anywhere else but here right now.

"You do know what this means, right?"

Theo looks up.

"Phoenix Greengrass is a Death Eater," says Theo.

Nott nods.

"And one day, it shall be you."

Worst Christmas ever.

Theo meets his father's eyes at last. But the older man's stare outweighs his own by galleons. And Theo is caught off guard when he sees something in his eyes. Something he's never seen before. It's a look he has seen in parents' eyes when their child achieves something great. It's the look he has only ever seen for himself in his mother's eyes. A look Theo has always strived to achieve from this man. The way he always wanted his father to look at him. With pride.

Right before he leaves, for the first time in his nearly sixteen years of living, Theo sees his father smile. Genuinely.

"Perhaps you and I are more alike than I originally thought."

***

merry christmas theo 😐

the way i do him so dirty i— theo i love you bby pls 🥺🥺

yeah so that's basically what's going on with theo!!! he's tethered to his father's mind ew imagine 😳😳😳

AND I wanna make a wee note about Liv Hearst. basically, those that have read distant game will know that "olive hearst" doesn't exist. avery's parents separated a few years after avery was born, so it was only avery and jeremiah in distant game. IN THIS FIC avery's parents never split up!!! it's why she's avery hearst instead of avery carmichael and you bet they'd have another kid if they stayed together, and you'd bet oliver named her olive and that she becomes percy weasley's best friend and that she eventually goes on to date oliver wood—

(speaking of, an oliver wood fic is a possibility, showcasing how he and liv came to be together... because i love liv and felt bad that i couldn't write about her in distant game because she never even existed 💔💔 so MAYBE i'll make a liv x oliver fic😎😎)

anyways i hate theo's dad but stan luciana and stan marlowe's parents too xxxxxx

i hope you guys liked this!!! idk when the next chapter will come out LMFAO

also after the next couple of chapters things will be moving PRETTY fast 😎

stay safe all!!! time to go do advanced maths homework and study for business🤢🤢🤢