┍━━━━━━━★━━━━━━━┑
xx. CHAPTER TWENTY.

SUMMER HOLIDAYS.
┕━━━━━━━★━━━━━━━┙

         FOUR MONTH LATER ━━ SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Briar D'Alessio took a deep breath, as she set her owl, Amber, down on her desk. Her large, spacious room seemed like a luxury after spending so long sharing a dorm with four other girls. She smiled at the thought of her own bathroom, and being able to spread herself out on the feather-soft bed.

Dispy the house-elf entered the room a few moments later, carrying Briar's enormous school trunk. She set it down on the floor beside the bed, and looked up at her mistress, who was standing by the window. "Would miss like Dipsy to start unpacking her things?"

"Hm?" Briar turned around and looked at the house elf. "Oh, yes please. I'll come by and help you in a moment, I should greet my family first."

Dipsy nodded, and started to pull clothes and other belongings out of Briar's trunk. Briar let Dipsy continue, leaving her room and going downstairs. She'd missed the mansion; it was a beautiful place, calm and serene, just the way she liked it. After searching the sitting room and the parlor, she finally found her mother in the garden with an unfamiliar middle-aged woman.

"Mother!" Briar greeted, and Amelia D'Alessio turned to smile at her daughter. She was sitting gracefully in one of the deck chairs; it was difficult to imagine the woman doing anything clumsily at all. Amelia always maintained an air of regality about her.

           "Darling, there you are!" Briar replied with a warm smile, gesturing for Briar to take the seat beside her. "I was beginning to wonder if Dispy had forgotten to pick you up from the station. No trouble, I hope?"

           Briar shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips. "None at all."

            "Well, then. I'd like you to meet Mrs. Farrow, she's the one in charge of planning your brother's wedding. Mrs. Farrow, my daughter, Briar."

         Mrs. Farrow was a plump woman, with eyebrows so thin they were almost invisible and a very large smile that was all gums. "It's wonderful to meet you, dear. You have a beautiful daughter, Mrs. D'Alessio. She looks very much like you. I have no doubt that suitors will be lining up for her in a few years."

        Briar forced a smile back at the woman, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She and her mother looked nothing alike. Most of Briar's features; her full lips and facial features; had come from her father's side. The only thing she shared with her mother were the trademark platinum blonde Malfoy hair and blue eyes. However, it seemed that Amelia was very pleased with the compliment. "Thank you. If all goes well, you may be organizing her wedding very soon."

         Mrs. Farrow smiled again. "That would be an honor."

        Amelia turned and looked at Briar. "Mrs. Farrow and I were just discussing the dresses. There's to be a fitting tomorrow, at ten o'clock. Aimee and her sisters will be coming, and you'll try on the dresses together. They're quite lovely, I think you'll be pleased."

          Briar nodded. "I'm sure I will. Where are Father and Lorcan?"

         "Your father left for Greece this morning, but he should be back tonight. Your brother has gone to receive the Rosetti's. Aimee's mother is eager to participate in the preparations, so she and her daughters will be here tomorrow. I hope you'll make them feel welcome."

         "Of course. May I be excused? I'd like to help Dipsy unpack."

         Amelia nodded, smiling. "Of course, dear. Go upstairs and rest, dinner won't be until your father gets home."

         Briar quickly left the gardens and went back up to her room, sighing to herself. It was clear that she wasn't going to get much free time this summer. Aimee had three sisters, all of whom were around Briar's age and spoke very little English. She'd be expected to be a good hostess, make sure they were entertained and occupied. The idea didn't appeal to her much.

            "All right, there, Dipsy?" Briar asked, entering her own room. She noticed that the house elf had put away almost all her clothes and set her school books neatly on her desk. She sat down on the bed, and peeked into the almost empty trunk.

         "Yes, miss" Dipsy replied. She held up a small object and frowned at it. "Dipsy has never seen this before. Would miss like Dipsy to put it with the rest of her jewellery?"

        Briar looked up at the small, rectangular box that the house elf was holding, and her heart dropped into her stomach. A mix of emotions hit her, primarily guilt and regret. She didn't remember packing that with her things. She tore her gaze away from it. "No. Put it somewhere I won't see it."

          Dipsy looked confused, but nodded. "Yes, miss."

          Briar lay back on her bed, trying to suppress the emotions that the sight of the hairclip had stirred up. She hadn't spoken to Sirius Black in months, not alone. The night after he'd kissed her, she hadn't been able to sleep.

         She'd thought about it, for what felt like forever. At that moment, when he'd been leaning in, it had seemed like the right thing to do. She hadn't been able to resist his mysterious grey eyes or that mischievous grin. But the moment he'd pulled away, Briar felt a sudden rush of emptiness, of guilt, of shame.

       Did she have so little self-control? The creeping disgust she felt wasn't for Sirius Black, but rather for herself. How was it that one handsome boy and a few flirtatious words had made her do something so dangerous? She felt ashamed for betraying her family because she couldn't control herself around someone she barely knew. I am no weak little girl, she'd told herself, that night. I am a D'Alessio and a Malfoy, she told herself, I will not stoop down to any level for a boy's attention.

         Andromeda Black had approached Briar a few days later, asking her what had happened. Briar felt hesitant at first, unsure how to respond to the girl. But soon, she knew the reasons for her choice. Andromeda and Ted Tonks were in love. They had plans; to get married after Hogwarts, to have a family. Could she imagine that with Sirius Black? Could she imagine herself in love?

          No. the answer was clear, staring her in the face. Briar didn't love Sirius Black, nor did she have any idea how he felt about her. She barely knew him. He'd probably enjoyed the chase, the thrill of doing something that they both knew was forbidden. Briar had to admit that she'd felt the rush too, when they'd sat there that night, after school hours, all alone. But that was it. There was nothing there, nothing that could last. And that was why Briar made her decision.

        Briar pushed Sirius Black out of her mind.

        He hadn't made it very difficult. Their paths rarely crossed, except for during class. She managed to avoid him, went out of her way to ensure that Slughorn never partnered them up together again. Then exams had come, and life became unexpectedly busy. She travelled from class, to her dorm, to the library. There was little time for anything else.

           He hadn't seemed to be particularly bothered by her decision either, she'd heard he'd been dating different girls, and it was the confirmation Briar needed to know that this was nothing more than a game that would've destroyed her life.

       And yet here she was, four months later, lying on her bed at home and thinking about him.

         "Miss? Your father has arrived, he wishes to see you," Dipsy chirped, opening the door and peeking at Briar. The girl sat up quickly.

         "Of course, Dipsy. Please let him know I'm coming."

━━━━━━━━━━━━

heyy, so i know this is a super short chapter but that only bc the next one is really LONG, so i decided to publish this and then next chapter should be up in a couple of short days, ily
━━━ sel 💗💕💞💘💖