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Chapter Text

There have always been theories about the cyclical nature of life and Magic. As a blood witch, I assure you there is truth to these theories. Birthdays are an example of that: each rotation of the planet strengthens our Magic, amplifies it, and settles it deeper into our blood.

However, I have also felt there is something special about the eve of a new year. I believe our blood can perceive the anticipation in our mind, as I have always suspected the two to be connected, linked by our Magic. Regardless of how it happens, there is a certain calmness that comes over me every year, right as the clock strikes twelve. 

Further research will need to be done when future Evans witches are born, but I truly believe our blood recognises New Year’s Eve as the end of a cycle. Or perhaps it senses the beginning of a new one. 

It is a simple theory to prove. Simply close your eyes at midnight and tell me: do you feel the stillness?

~ ToB ~

Hani woke to the sound of muffled voices. She rubbed blearily at her eyes and reached for her wand to cast a quick Tempus, relaxing a little at the early hour that appeared in front of her.

Most of the Sisters – including herself – would be going home in a few hours, and the others would murder her if she didn’t say goodbye. They’d all be heading off on the Hogwarts Express, but Sirius had vetoed the idea as soon as Hani had floated it with him. Apparently, he and Severus had decided it would be safer for her to Floo directly from her dad’s quarters.

She didn’t mind the privileges of having a professor for a father, but it did make her long a little for the neverending train ride back to London and the excited chatter that always filled their compartment.

She took her time getting out of bed, her mind hazy and her Occlumency shields in full force. She didn’t have to dig to know what was hiding behind there; she was well aware her subconscious would have already shoved memories of the previous night behind the wall, hoping to dull the ache she still felt every time she remembered how callously the Death Eaters had discussed her life – or lack thereof.

What did it say about her that there was an entire group of adults out there wishing for her demise? She wasn’t even sixteen yet, and somehow they’d decided she was the biggest threat to their organisation.

All because of a damned prophecy they didn’t even fully know. A prophecy she’d been trying to get her hands on for months, only to find out it was just as bad as her worst-case scenario.

The only morsel of hope she could hold onto was the mention of her power. Tracey had cut herself off before she could reveal anything to the others, but Hani knew they’d both been thinking the same thing when she’d brought it up.

It was a good thing she’d started working on her Blood Magic despite Sirius and Severus’ protests because, if death was what was coming for her anyway, she refused to stare at it without at least fighting to the best of her ability. She’d duel and train and cut the palm of her hand until even Sui Sana couldn’t fully heal it if that was what it took to survive.

Because she had to survive.

Didn’t she?

She cursed her wandering brain as she stubbed her toe against the foot of her bed, but the pain at least had the advantage of dragging her out of her maudlin mind.

She set to getting ready for the rest of the day instead. She slipped into a comfortable pair of faded jeans, tugged a green jumper on top of the long-sleeved embroidered shirt she’d made just a few weeks earlier, and finished the outfit with her favourite winter robes, black with silver embroidery to represent Sirius’ side of the family.

After that, she had to spend half an hour in the bathroom untangling the hair she’d carelessly left up the night before. Ribbons and pins tumbled from her curls as she raked her fingers through the mess she’d made. By the time she was done, she only had the energy for a single, long dutch braid that she tied off with a green ribbon to match her jumper.

When she looked into the mirror, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

This wasn’t like Samhain. Her eyes were still bright, her hair still vibrant, and there were no shadows hiding behind her gaze. Tracey and Daphne and Lisa knew what had happened, and they wouldn’t let her fade away.

She’d invite them over. They would talk. She would meditate religiously until the divinatory link was nothing more than a nightmare she had to live through whenever those words popped into her head.

With a confident nod to her reflection, she walked out of the bathroom and made her way to the living room. Sirius and Severus were on the same sofa, sitting closer than Hani had thought they would ever be capable of. Their voices were low, but Hani was near enough now that the topic was impossible to escape.

The Hall of Prophecies.

“What’re you talking about?” She asked anyway, flopping into her armchair with a careless grin and mentally patting herself on the back for a brilliant performance.

Her father and godfather looked over at her with matching looks of hesitation, and she rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her exasperation. They both knew how she felt about their secrecy, so she didn’t see any reason to act as though it didn’t get on her nerves. They could reprimand her if they wanted to, but she knew they wouldn’t dare. It would mean bringing up the sensitive topic they’d been so careful to avoid on Yule.

“There was an incident at the Ministry last night,” Severus finally replied, his lips pursed. “A worker was injured in the process, but it seems the event was mostly self-contained, and we’re confident the Dark Lord didn’t obtain what he was seeking.”

Hani hummed. Of course he hadn’t; they’d seen this coming from a mile away. They’d probably been congratulating themselves for a job well done before Hani had come in. They’d achieved what they’d wanted to all along: Voldemort didn’t know the prophecy, and neither did Hani.

How convenient for them. And how utterly frustrating for the two people the prophecy actually concerned.

Not that she was complaining about Voldemort’s ignorance. It was just… ironic.

“Is it going to cause a problem for our plans?” She asked, shrugging when both of her guardians looked at her suspiciously. “Why would I ask? If you wanted to tell me, you would. You clearly don’t, so there’s no point in me pushing for it. This may sound surprising, but I don’t actually want to ruin my holidays by fighting with you.”

“Right,” Sirius said sheepishly. Severus kept his narrowed eyes on her while her godfather spoke, and Hani forced herself not to fidget under his scrutiny. “We’ll still be heading out as soon as your friends have left, but I’ll have to leave Grimmauld at some point this afternoon. Remus will be coming over to keep you company.”

“And to babysit me,” Hani huffed.

“Yes, Harini,” Severus drawled, finally dropping his intense stare. He exchanged an amused look with Sirius instead, and Hani prickled more at that than she had at their decision not to keep her in the loop.

Since when did Sirius and Severus glance at each other like that? Since when did they conspire and theorise about how she would act?

“Aren’t you pleased the two of us are getting along?” Her father asked innocently – or as innocently as Severus could manage, at least. “I know you were worried about our co-parenting skills, but it seems we’re getting the hang of it. And yes, Remus will be there to supervise you, which we knew would irk you. But Harini, you are still a child under our responsibility.”

“Besides, Grimmauld may be better now than it used to be, but it’s hardly the safest place for a teenager,” Sirius added with a chuckle. “And are you really going to complain about getting time with Remus? The man is the easiest company you’ll ever get.”

“Sure,” Hani grumbled.

“I’m sorry, Hani,” Sirius said, sobering up when she didn’t join in. “I know this wasn’t the plan. I’ll make it up to you when we start planning the party, I promise. You can pick whichever Black estate you want, and we can decorate however you wish. Though, you’ll have to send out your invitations soon if you want everyone to make it.”

“I will,” Hani said, smiling tightly up at him before turning back to her lap. She dimly noticed Severus getting up and moving over to the kitchen, leaving her alone with her godfather. “And it’s fine, really. You have to go deal with all the political nonsense, I get that. I mean, I’ll have to do it someday as well, right? So it’d be silly of me to hold it against you.”

“I’m still… It’s still my responsibility to take care of you,” Sirius said softly, sounding genuinely sorry. It did a good enough job at soothing Hani’s raised hackles. “Remus was the best I could do on short notice.”

“It’s not the worst you could have come up with,” Hani conceded with a slightly brighter smile. Sirius returned it with one of his own, and Hani had to resist the urge to go over to him and embrace him.

After all, he wasn’t entirely forgiven yet.

“You’re really not curious about last night’s incident?” Sirius asked into the ensuing silence. “The Hani I remember from this summer would have jumped on the opportunity to dig into the Order’s plans. Hell, even the Hani from Samhain was more inquisitive than you are now.”

“What’s there to be curious about?” Hani asked, hoping she was doing a decent enough job of covering her anxiety with feigned nonchalance. “I’m guessing Voldemort tried to get the prophecy, but Severus made it clear he didn’t find it. Which makes sense, since I took it out this summer. Not exactly a mystery, is it?”

What was a mystery was what Voldemort would do now, but she knew better than to ask Sirius about his thoughts on the matter. He would brush off the question and assure her the Order would be ready to face him when he inevitably blew up. Hani was tired of pretending like she believed him and her dad when they said things like that.

It was clear to her that while Voldemort wasn’t exactly winning this battle they were waging, he also wasn’t losing.

The adults were nowhere near as knowledgeable as they wanted her to believe. And she was nowhere near as clueless as they wanted her to be.

Distantly, she wondered when the Order was planning on bringing her into the fold and letting her unleash whatever power they believed she had. How many casualties would they suffer through before Severus and Sirius couldn’t shield her from the pressures of a war?

“Drink.”

Heat curled around her fingers. She blinked up at Severus before looking down at the cup he’d unceremoniously shoved into her hands. Her lips twitched at the sight and smell of her favourite hot chocolate, and she shot her father a mock-glare.

“You’re buttering me up,” she accused, though she gladly took a sip of her drink. “How devious.”

“You’ll have pancakes before you leave,” Severus added with a small smirk. He didn’t deny her statement, nor did he react to Hani’s annoyed huff.

“I’ll get sick if I eat anything before we travel,” she pointed out. “You wouldn’t want to waste your pancakes on someone who’s only going to expel them within the hour. Sirius can have them.”

“Actually,” Sirius said, sounding awfully pleased with himself. “We’ll be Flooing such a short distance, we doubt it’ll be a problem. The pancakes should be safe.”

“We’ll be– Wait a second, are we taking your motorcycle back to London?” Hani asked, her entire body perking up at the thought. She’d been dreaming of Sirius’ bike ever since she’d ridden on it that summer, something which she was sure both of her guardians were well aware of.

This was a true, unequivocal buttering up, and Hani would gladly enjoy every second of it.

“It’s got those modifications on it to increase speed without impacting safety, and Severus recently checked the invisibility sequence Remus created when we were younger. It’s in top shape,” Sirius grinned.

“It’s in top shape now,” Severus corrected, shooting Sirius a look Hani couldn’t quite decipher. It certainly wasn’t the hatred they’d once shared. “Harini, you’ll be in charge of checking those sequences every time you get to a destination. With any luck, it will also help you with your Ancient Runes project. Analysing the sequence should be easy enough for someone as capable as you.”

“What are you implying about m–”

“That sounds great, dad,” Hani grinned. Her brain was already bouncing with ideas about what the runic sequence could look like. If Remus had been the one to come up with it, it was bound to include a variety of different languages – her pseudo-godfather was obsessed with etymology. She wondered if it was anything like the early stages of her own sequence, or if the motorcycle’s composition made it an entirely different challenge. “I should go and get my things.”

“Ah,” her father stopped her before she could so much as finish standing. “You sit right here while I fetch our pancakes. Your things are packed and your room is immaculate. There is no reason for you to rush out of here without eating first.”

“Whatever,” Hani pouted. Though, if she was perfectly honest with herself, she could feel her stomach grumbling at the enticing smell wafting from the kitchen. Mixed with the sweet scent of her hot chocolate, it was a deadly combination.

“He’s pushy, isn’t he?” Sirius whispered. But where his tone would have once been acidic and full of barbs, now he only shook his head and chuckled, clearly amused in the face of Hani’s frustration. “You need to get way ahead of him, prongslet. You should have summoned your bags before he could even blink.”

“Yes, well, then he would have grabbed my trunk out of the air and tossed it aside,” Hani sighed. “It’s a lose-lose with him.”

“I don’t know about that,” Sirius laughed, and Hani shot him the most betrayed look she could manage while actively fighting off her amusement – and perhaps pride – at seeing her guardians getting along.

“So…” She said, stretching the last sound out. “Were you serious about me being allowed to invite as many people as I wanted?”

“I’m always Sirius,” her godfather snickered. “But yes, I was. If they can fit in our biggest property, then they can come.”

“I doubt that’ll be a problem,” Hani snorted, her previous list extending as she considered how many more people she could realistically invite to her New Year’s Eve bash. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me throw it without supervision?”

“Not even in your wildest dreams,” came her father’s answer. He walked in with raised eyebrows and three plates of pancakes floating in front of him. He delicately levitated the buttered ones over to her and plopped the syrupy ones down for himself and Sirius. “Sirius and I will both be there. That’s a non-negotiable.”

“Since when are you involved?” Sirius asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “This was supposed to be a godfather-goddaughter bonding moment.”

“If you are planning on inviting dozens of teenagers into your home while my daughter is there, you’ll have to live with the fact that I’ll be there as well,” Severus answered dryly. Hani half-expected Sirius to protest, but her godfather only shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips. “Now, enough chatting about your plans. Eat your pancakes and get out of my quarters.”

“Please,” Hani scoffed. “You love me, and you love having me here.”

Severus hummed. “Perhaps. I’m simply not so sure about that dogfather of yours.”

“Fair,” she answered immediately, laughing when Sirius let out an indignant huff.

She dug into her pancakes before her godfather could think to reprimand and watched, pleased, as Sirius did the same, glaring at her and Severus as he did so.

It wasn’t a perfect start to her week at Grimmauld Place, and she was sure the nightmares and anxieties wouldn’t disappear thanks to a stack of fluffy pancakes, but it wasn’t bad either. She could work with that.

“So.”

Remus raised an eyebrow at Hani, his face implacable.

“So?” He repeated when she didn’t expand.

She sighed and rolled her eyes at him, tapping her wand impatiently against the arm of the lumpy couch she’d decided to settle on. She missed her armchair already. And she envied Remus, who seemed entirely at ease in the environment that didn’t feel quite like home to Hani.

“I’m not going to bring it up first,” Hani said stubbornly when Remus continued staring at her. “There’s no way I’m risking it getting back to Sirius and Severus.”

“Where’s that Gryffindor bravery of yours, Harini?” Remus laughed, his mask cracking to reveal the amusement lying beneath. “Though, I can’t say I blame you. But truly, the matter is as simple as I’m sure you’ve surmised by now. You-Know-Who sent four of his men to retrieve the prophecy from the Hall of Prophecies, not knowing it was a futile task from the get-go. They had a brief interaction with the Order member we posted there to keep up illusions, and then a longer encounter with a Ministry worker who got injured on their way out.”

“But they’re fine now,” Hani concluded, not waiting for confirmation before speaking again. “And who were the Death Eaters?”

“Frustratingly, we’re not sure,” Remus frowned. Hani didn’t think he’d lie to her, not when he’d been so clearly annoyed to find out Sirius and Severus had given her the most watered down version of the events possible. “We suspect Amycus Carrow was involved. The curse that was placed on the Ministry worker is a family trade secret, and our witnesses don’t believe any women were involved, which eliminates his sister.”

“It would have to be people who come in and out of the Ministry regularly, right?” Hani asked, eager to hear about Remus’ theories.

Eager to see if they matched up with the truth. To see if she could figure out who the fourth Death Eater had been and why they hadn’t been invited to the meeting she’d witnessed.

It was, in the grand scheme of things, a harmless mystery for her to solve, and it would distract her from the slightly more ‘doom and gloom’ portions of the previous night.

“That’s the most plausible explanation, yes,” Remus replied. “No Death Eaters were spotted coming in or out of the Ministry, which means the men were wearing their day clothes outside of the Hall of Prophecies. To be frank, I’m most curious about where they managed to get changed. If there’s a blind spot in the Ministry…”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good,” Hani grimaced. “Do you think Malfoy was there?”

Remus exhaled loudly. “It’s hard to say. Malfoy is far more complicated than most Death Eaters. From what our allies have gathered, his tendencies are rather neutral, but he refuses to step away from You-Know-Who’s supposed protection. I’m unsure if that means he would have been perfect for this job or if he would have turned it down by claiming it could potentially compromise his political status.”

“Right,” Hani nodded. “But what do you think?”

“I think Malfoy has other plans,” Remus said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose for a moment before opening his eyes again and pinning Hani down with his serious gaze. “I think there’s more going on than we could possibly know. Albus is convinced that we have everything under control, that we can stop this war from ever happening by winning these small battles in the Muggle world, but he’s always been ridiculously optimistic in the face of pure evil.”

“I mean, what could Voldemort even do?” Hani asked, her brows furrowed. “I thought he was starting these battles because that was the only thing he could really manage at this point.”

“Yeah,” Remus breathed out, his lips tilted up in a humourless smile. “That’s what everyone thinks. I mean, it’s what I thought too. But it doesn’t… I know you won’t understand this, Harini, but it doesn’t make sense for the person he is. The monster he is.”

“So you think he’s hiding something?”

“In war, I always assume everyone’s hiding something,” Remus snorted dryly. “I don’t even think your father and godfather are telling me everything. It’s just how it is. But yes, I think You-Know-Who is concealing some other plan that none of us are privy to, not even Severus. And it’s entirely possible Malfoy is helping him develop this plan.”

Or Nott, Hani thought, who had been the obvious leader amongst the three men she’d seen in her vision – her connection. He didn’t have quite as much political gravitas as Malfoy, but his name and family were influential enough to have an impact in the magical world.

If things were simpler, she could have simply sent Theodore a letter to ask him his thoughts on the matter.

Instead, she bit back the wave of guilt and revulsion that shuddered through her at the thought of Theodore in his Yule Ball outfit, staring at her with the same eyes that had told her she was nothing.

“Okay, well,” Hani said, clapping her hands together hard enough to make them sting. The pain was a welcome distraction. “Thank you for telling me. And for not telling Severus and Sirius about this.”

“Who says I won’t?”

“Right,” Hani laughed, “you’re going to tell my dad and Sirius that you willingly broke their silent rule not to tell me about anything to do with the war?”

“Point,” Remus chuckled. “Though I’m not sure what they expected when they asked me to keep an eye on you today. They know I don’t fully approve of the way they’ve handled things this year.”

“That’s a very nice way to say you think they’ve been–”

“Careful with your words there, Harini.”

“– slightly twattish on occasion,” she completed with an impish grin. “Honestly, I kind of thought they’d ask Séraphine to come here. Not to babysit me, obviously, though that would have been a nice bonus. But they both seemed to get along very well with her this summer, especially Severus, and it would have made sense for them to want to see her again for the holidays.”

“Ah, yes,” Remus winced. “You’re aware that Severus and Séraphine had a–”

He cut himself off there, gesturing uselessly in what Hani assumed was an attempt to communicate their romantic connection.

“They went on dates,” Hani shrugged. “It’s whatever.”

“How eloquently put,” Remus huffed out a laugh. “They were involved for a while, yes. I don’t believe it went any further than that, however.”

“Really? Why?” Hani frowned. She’d thought they looked good together; close friends who’d finally realised they felt more for each other than pure friendship. They’d been proof that even though things hadn’t worked with Lavender, it didn’t mean a good relationship couldn’t be built off a strong friendship first.

“Severus didn’t share the details,” Remus said wryly, his lips quirking up. “But from what Séraphine implied, they simply weren’t suited for each other in that way. It happens. I believe you and Miss Brown had a similar experience, didn’t you?”

“Well… yes,” Hani pouted. “But surely, some platonic relationships can evolve into something more in a way that makes sense, right?”

“Merlin, you’re young,” Remus chuckled. “Of course they can, Harini. However, you have to understand that in order to find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with – if that’s something you desire – you often have to go through a great deal of trial and error. You could date five of your friends before finding the one that suits you.”

“Did you?” Hani asked, suddenly aware that she’d never heard Remus discuss any of his past relationships.

“Ah,” her pseudo-godfather blushed. “That’s– I dated friends, yes. But in my case, the person I found a genuine connection with was never truly my friend to begin with. We were always… something more.”

“Wait a second,” Hani gaped. “You’re seeing someone?!”

Remus’ blush turned deep crimson as he smiled sheepishly at her, and Hani couldn’t help but grin at his timid demeanour.

“I meant to bring it up when I saw you for Yule, but time got away from us,” he explained. “And Harini, I hope you understand that I am only telling you about this because I want you to feel safe with me. This isn’t something for you to flaunt and share, especially not with your father and godfather.”

“You’re telling me before Severus and Sirius?” Hani asked, befuddled. “Why?”

“Because you are, in most ways, my goddaughter, and I don’t wish to keep things from you,” Remus answered with a fond smile. Warmth flooded Hani’s body at the thought of him opening up to her just to make sure she didn’t feel as though he was lying to her.

Not that his relationship was any of her business, but it felt… nice to be considered like this. As though she was his priority.

“And also because I didn’t want you to find out from someone else,” Remus continued. “Though we’ve been very discreet, Hogwarts students aren’t known for their subtlety, and I’m aware you are best friends with the girl who essentially conducts the school’s gossip train. If Archie and Lavinia weren’t able to keep it hidden for long, then I doubt I’ll be able to either.”

“It’s another professor?” Hani tried not to sound too excited, but her mind was swimming with possibilities. “Do I know them? Did they ever teach me?”

“Thankfully not,” Remus snorted, and Hani let out a disappointed huff. “It would have been far stranger if that had been the case, Harini. He doesn’t know you well, which has made our relationship a lot less awkward when it comes to discussions about my amazing, talented goddaughter whom I love more than anyone else. He knows you’re a student at Hogwarts, of course, but he doesn’t personally know you. It’s easier this way.”

“Okay, you’re killing me with the suspense,” Hani whined. “Just spit it out! I promise I won’t judge you. Except if it’s Slughorn. I’d definitely judge you if it was Slughorn.”

“A revolting idea,” Remus shuddered, physically shaking the thought off. “No. No, it’s… Argo. Pyrites. Close your mouth, Harini, it’s not that surprising. I know he’s well out of my league, but I’d like to think it’s not entirely inconceivable.”

“No, that’s not it,” Hani waved his concerns away. “It’s just not who I was expecting. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of you even talk to each other.”

“That is quite the point,” Remus smirked. “Though it has probably helped our case that I’ve been off in France and Norway for a majority of this year. We only started seeing each other over the summer, so it’s been easy enough for us to keep things hidden from the general Hogwarts populace.”

“And from Severus and Sirius,” Hani added. “They’re going to murder you when they find out and realise you kept it from them for so long.”

“Perhaps,” Remus shrugged. “But I hardly think the two of them can comment on my decision to keep secrets.” 

Hani’s eyes widened comically as she stared at Remus. Her godfather smiled at her, tugging fondly at one of her braids.

“They’re fools for keeping you in the dark,” Remus murmured. “And if I hadn’t been sworn to secrecy, I would have told you everything already. You’re going to be dragged into this someday whether they like it or not, and I would much rather you didn’t go into things blind.”

“I’m not…” Hani hesitated, gazing up at Remus’ soft smile again to gather her courage. “I’m not quite as blind as they think I am.”

Remus blinked, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he nodded.

“Good.”

“Good,” Hani agreed. “I still can’t believe you’re dating Professor Pyrites!”

“I’ll introduce you to him,” Remus chuckled. “He’s been wanting to properly meet you anyway, and it would be nice for the two of you to get to know each other. I do plan on having him around for a long time, but I don’t want to get in too deep until I know you enjoy his company.”

“Ugh, you’re so sappy,” Hani said, scrunching her nose up. Though really, she was endlessly pleased. It felt good to feel important.

“Because you aren’t?” Remus asked, raising his eyebrows. “From what I’ve heard, your current relationship is so nauseatingly sweet, even the professors have caught onto it.”

“Oh my god, I’m not in a relationship!” Hani exclaimed, her face heating up. “Why is everyone so interested in my romantic life anyway? I mean, shouldn’t you be bothering Severus and Sirius instead? I’m sure they’ve got far more going on with their love lives than I– Okay, no, stop laughing, I heard how that sounded, and I take it back. There’s no way dad and Sirius are ever going to manage healthy relationships. Too many secrets.”

But that only made Remus laugh harder, so Hani poked her tongue out at him, pouted – very maturely – and grabbed the stack of invitations she’d been working on with Sirius before he’d had to leave for his Order mission.

“I’m ignoring you,” she told Remus. “You’re being weird.”

It took four invitations for Remus to finally calm down, at which point he refused to tell her what he’d found so funny.

Hani stuck him on invitation duty for the rest of the afternoon and spent her free time penning a letter to Hannah instead.

She needed to know everything there was to know about Professor Pyrites.

Sirius came back late on what had been meant to be their first day together, and he spent the next two days desperately trying to make up for it.

On Christmas Day, they put up the smallest Christmas tree Hani had ever seen in the first floor’s sitting room and decorated it with the strangest Black heirlooms they could find. Sirius insisted it would drive his ancestors crazy, and Hani was just happy to do something with her godfather that wouldn’t lead to a fight. Instead, they bickered about the best decorations until they agreed on the magical holly garland they’d found in the attic.

After that, Sirius took her to the non-magical world and dragged them to the movies, where they both tried very hard to pretend as though they were familiar with current cinema etiquette. They half-payed attention to the movie, too busy smothering their laughter to fully immerse themselves in the experience. Hani was sure Leo would eventually add it to their collection at school anyway; he loved Christmas the most of any of them.

When Hani told Sirius about her friends and the stash of movies they were trying to build, her godfather insisted on taking her to buy a few new tapes for their collection. They ended up in a run-down shop full of fathers looking for last minute presents and teenagers skulking in corners, pointedly avoiding the adults among them. The salesman tried to convince them to invest in DVDs, which were apparently the new biggest thing in the movie world, at which point both Hani and Sirius’ eyes glazed over, most of the conversation flying right over their heads.

They left with three tapes and more information for Hani to pass onto Theodore as he continued on his journey to master Muggle Studies.

It was a good day. Even when Sirius had to excuse himself that evening after receiving a panicked patronus, Hani couldn’t shake the warmth that had burrowed itself within her as soon she’d seen the ugly tree her godfather had picked for them.

So, when Sirius came back looking worse for wear, his clothes ripped and his arms covered in scratches – as well as a particularly nasty cut – she didn’t push him.

She sifted through his potions stores, which were surprisingly well stocked, and discreetly cast Sana Amicum on his cut while he dealt with his scratches. She made him tea, grabbed his favourite biscuits, and didn’t comment when he poured a little extra something into his drink. And when he sighed loudly, the exhaustion clear in every line of his body, she told him about the politics book she’d read that day and all the ridiculous traditions she’d learned about while he was gone.

“They’ll never make sense,” he chuckled when she groaned about the nonsensical nature of pureblood rules. “You just have to smile, nod, and put on the pureblood mask they all love.”

Hani laughed then, pointing out that Sirius was a pureblood heir too, and watched as some of his tension disappeared, leaving room for mock offence.

He went to bed looking lighter than he had when he’d come home, and Hani only had a few nightmares that night.

On Boxing Day, they stayed in. Sirius pulled books out of the Black library and took great pleasure in showing Hani all the worst tomes his family had put there through the years. When she suggested they get rid of some of them, he scoffed and told her he would never dare. They were ‘heritage’, he claimed.

Hani rather thought he wanted to keep them so he could scare any future guests, but she didn’t call him out on his pompous answer.

When Sirius got tired of the books, she let him disappear into his room for a few hours while she baked and worked on the last few invitations she needed to send out for the New Year’s Eve party – all for the Sisters, who had already told her they would be there.

She was adding a few doodles to the cards when Sirius stepped into the kitchen, a smile on his face.

“Smells good in here,” he told her, briefly opening the oven to check on the second batch of cookies Hani had put in there a few minutes earlier. “I don’t suppose you’d let me have one before the rest are done?”

“Not a chance in hell,” Hani said sternly. “I want to compare the different flavours so we can pick a few for the party. There’s also muffin batter in the fridge so we can try those afterwards. And I was thinking we could make pizzas as the main dish.”

“We could also order pizza,” Sirius drawled, taking a seat across from Hani and flicking through the Sisters’ invitations with approving nods. “We’ve already received forty positive responses, and I know you’re expecting more in the next two days. Do you really want to spend the entire day before the party making food?”

“Yes, actually,” Hani huffed. “I’ve already finished embroidering my dress, you have a handle on the decorations, Black Castle looks stunning as it is, and there’s nothing for me to do here other than homework. Cooking and baking sounds like a lot more fun than going over my Arithmancy essay for the fourth time.”

“If you’d just let me have a lo–”

“Daphne already told me she’d check it,” Hani reminded him with a wave of her hand. “Besides, if I let you do it, then Severus will want to be given the same honour, and there’s no way I’m allowing him to take a peek at my Potions essays. I think he’s worried I won’t get an Outstanding on my OWLs.”

“As though you’d get anything else,” Sirius scoffed. “Your father worries too much.”

“Because you don’t?” Hani retorted.

“I worry about reasonable things,” Sirius replied with a pointed look. “I’d say wanting to keep my goddaughter safe from the horrors of the world is a little more rational than thinking she won’t ace her exams. You’ve done nothing but show us how clever you are these past few years, and I know you’ll do even better on your OWLs.”

“You sound sure of yourself,” Hani grumbled. Truth be told, her professors’ warnings about the exams had finally gotten to her.

As she’d completed her winter essays, she’d found herself wondering if her standards were high enough or if she needed to push herself further. She’d even sent a letter to Hermione to ask her about her own work and which subjects she thought they would have to pay particular attention to.

When the answer had come in the form of a simple ‘all of them’, Hani had groaned and thrown away her latest attempt at her Herbology essay.

“Prongslet,” Sirius said, his voice amused. Hani glared at him. “Hani, your professors are purposefully making your essays and tests harder this year so you’ll be ready for the real thing. If you’re getting Outstandings now, there’s no reason for you not to get one in June.”

“Okay, you say ‘professors’ like they’re all in agreement, but do you remember Slughorn?” Hani asked with a quirked brow. “Because whatever everyone else is doing, I’m pretty sure he’s doing the opposite.”

“That–” Sirius started, pausing briefly before beginning again. “That’s entirely possible. But you’ve gotten brilliant at Potions, haven’t you? I hardly think that’s the subject you have to worry about. If anything, you should be working your ass off to make sure you honour the Black family and–”

“Aaah, I’m not listening to you anymore,” Hani said, covering her ears with her hands and standing to check on her cookies. “I get plenty of disappointed looks from Andromeda. I don’t need a lecture from you as well. Stars should be looked at, you know? We’re not meant to be studying them.”

“I think the Ancient World would disagree with you there,” Sirius chuckled. “You know, if we look all the way back to the beginnings of science and art, we find deep roots and connections to the celestial world. In fact…”

This time, Hani really did tune him out. She’d heard it a hundred times already from Andromeda – and even Severus, when she dared to imply Astronomy was a useless subject – and she didn’t need to hear it from her godfather as well. Instead, she focused on her cookies and considered the toppings she wanted to try for the pizzas.

Sirius was still talking when she put another batch into the oven, and when she walked over to the kettle to make them tea, and when she asked him if he thought they needed vegetarian options, and even when she offered him a mug along with a ‘please shut the hell up’ cookie.

It wasn’t until he took a bite of the chocolate-orange combination that he finally stopped, letting out a pleased hum.

“Oh, that’s good,” he said through a mouthful of food, rolling his eyes when Hani scrunched her nose up at him in disgust. Still, he finished chewing before speaking again. “You know, you could always become a baker, if that’s something you wanted.”

“I don’t know,” Hani shrugged. “I think that’s more Hannah’s thing. She’s the one who gave me all these recipes, you know? She’s been working on them her whole life, basically. Though I suppose it helps that she has very eager taste-testers at– home.”

“I’ll have to thank her personally, then,” Sirius sighed happily. “You don’t suppose we could get her to come here early and help us with the preparations, do you?”

“She’d probably be happy to help, though I’d have to check if early dismissal is covered by the PPP.”

“By the what?” Sirius let out a loud cackle of laughter.

Hani smirked. “Parent-professor privilege. You know, how Hannah should technically be staying at Hogwarts for the full break but gets to stay here for New Year’s and the few days after that because Severus worked his magic? That’s pure PPP. Lavender came up with the name, of course.”

“Of course,” Sirius snickered. “Does your father know you’ve come up with an acronym to discuss all the rules he breaks for you and your friends?”

“He’d probably kill me if he found out,” Hani responded. “Or he’d stop using the privilege altogether. Maybe both. But it’s an easy way for us Sisters to talk about it without actually implicating him. Anything more than that makes the vow kick in, and Lavender was sick of having to tiptoe around the subject. So, when I was allowed to skip school for a day after Samhain? PPP. When Tracey and Daphne got caught out after curfew but didn’t get reprimanded? PPP. When I get to spend a week of my holidays in his quarters instead of in our dormitory?”

“PPP,” Sirius completed for her, still laughing softly. “Not the worst acronym you could have come up with. I don’t suppose you’ve got one for me?”

“Oh, no, my friends are very happy to discuss you openly,” Hani chuckled. “In fact, I think they thrive off it. It makes them feel powerful, you know? They can just drop your name in the middle of a conversation and watch as everyone around them goes quiet.”

“I suppose I can take that,” Sirius grinned. “We’ll have to make sure those Sisters of you are treated as guests of honour at Black Castle. They should get their own rooms for the night.”

“They’ll want to share,” Hani said, smirking when Sirius’ smile turned to a pout. “But I’m sure we can come up with something else to make them feel special. I mean, you could always get them gifts, if that would make you feel better.”

“It would,” Sirius sniffed. “But I think I can do better than that. You don’t have any ideas, do you?”

“Oh, don’t look at me,” Hani said wryly. “I’ve got plenty of ideas for the rest of the party, for the decorations and the organisation and the set-up once we’re at the castle, but you’re on your own for my friends. I got them presents a few days ago; the only ones I need to be thinking about are those who have birthdays coming up. And that’s already more than enough, trust me.”

“How utterly unhelpful,” Sirius said sulkily. “Say… Do you think those cookies of yours are ready? That first one was lovely, but I think I’d like those raspberry ones even more, and if I could just have a nib–”

Hani slapped his wandering fingers away from the plate of cookies cooling on the table in front of him.

“Patience, Siri,” she said, shaking her head exasperatedly. “It’ll be worth the wait to make sure we have the perfect combination of cookies for the party.”

“Doesn’t feel worth it right now,” her godfather grumbled, though he at least had the decency to look away from the tempting baked goods. “Well, if you’re not going to help me with gifts and you aren’t going to let me try your cookies, how about you sell me on your playlist for the night? Do we need to find some last minute musicians to entertain for the night?”

“Actually, I think I have a better idea…”

Sirius leaned in closer when she lowered her voice, and Hani smiled at the eager expression plastered on his face.

He wasn’t forgiven, but perhaps a temporary truce would do them both some good.

Blood dripped from Hani’s palm to the half-full vial on her desk, and she resisted the urge to check her wards for the third time that night.

Every time she heard a creak of wood or a breeze of wind, her back straightened and the fingers of her right hand tightened around the book she was holding. She knew that, theoretically, Sirius was fast asleep, but her godfather had always had a tendency of wandering around the house long after dark.

So even though she didn’t think he would get up and walk into her bedroom without knocking first, she’d set her blood wards up anyway.

Now, she sat at her desk with a book on the intricacies of the different political alliances she would have to form once she turned sixteen and pretended she wasn’t dying to delve back into the Evans Grimoire.

Part of her cursed Tracey for making her promise to stick solely to the spells she already knew while they were apart, but a bigger part of her understood her friend’s concerns. The further she got into the Grimoire, the riskier the spells became. She was itching to get back to her training, but she wasn’t going to push her luck.

Instead, she focused on the parts of her studies she’d been ignoring in the past month. While she let blood flow from her hand, she flicked through thick tomes about politics and traditions in the Wizarding World. She was slowly beginning to understand what the Wizengamot represented, and she was almost certain she would be able to make it through a formal dinner without making any major faux-pas.

Red and gold sparks danced over the paragraph on marriage alliances, and Hani waved them away with an amused huff. 

She had too much on her mind to even consider marriage, but she still skimmed over the section, knowing she wasn’t the only one who’d have to think about the complexities of politics.

How many of the girls – or boys – in her year would have to give up on a chance at love because of their parents’ desire to secure a strong alliance? And if it came down to it, would Hani be able to make that choice?

She shivered in revulsion at the mere thought, shutting the book hastily. In the back of her mind, an image of Dean flickered to life, and she felt her face heat up as she tried to push it behind her Occlumency shields.

“Ridiculous,” she muttered to herself, placing a stopper on the vial of her blood before casting a wandless, wordless Sui Sana on the palm of her hand. “Get it together, Harini.”

Dean was nice. He was funny. He was lovely and handsome and – if Hani was being honest with herself – obviously interested in her.

If he tried to kiss her, Hani thought, she would let him.

But marriage? Alliances? Love?

There was Blood Magic humming beneath her skin and Thread Magic weaved into every aspect of her life. There was a divinatory connection rooted in her brain, linking her to Britain’s most monstrous wizard. There was an entire world out there, relying on a miracle to save them from whatever war He had planned for them.

If she had to choose between kissing a boy and being that miracle, Hani wouldn’t hesitate.

Maybe this was what Severus and Sirius had been trying to shield her from. This awful sense of responsibility tugging at her stomach, thoughts of war clouding all of her decisions.

They’d want her to make the easy choice.

Throw the party, kiss the boy, leave the Evans Grimoire on a shelf somewhere to collect dust until she turned seventeen.

And Hani would throw the party. She’d kiss Dean if he leaned in.

But she would carry the Grimoire with her everywhere, and she would bleed into clear vials so she could brew potions and imbue blood into her embroidery, and she would duel with Daphne and Hermione and Theodore until she could beat them all with her eyes closed.

She carefully placed her latest vial of blood into the hidden compartment of her trunk and sighed as she lay down on her bed.

Above her, floorboards creaked.

She ignored them, closed her eyes, and hoped dreams of Dean would be enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

(They never were.)

Hani didn’t practise her Blood Magic again the next day. She didn’t like how unsettled it had left her, how muddled her thoughts had gotten, or how bad the nightmares had been when she’d gone to bed that night.

Her mind, she realised, didn’t trust Grimmauld Place the same way it did Hogwarts. Her Blood Magic didn’t truly believe they were safe, and why would it? As far as Hani knew, Sirius would burn the Grimoire if he found out she’d been using it without his and Severus’ permission.

So, she went back to her politics books and tried not to act too restless around Sirius, who popped in and out of the house in between errands. She asked questions about the Black Grimoire and their family and the specific traditions she could look forward to in her future, and she pushed her mother’s spells out of her mind.

And on the 28th, she woke up with a smile on her face. 

She’d dreamed of Voldemort and the awful Death Eaters who scraped at his feet and kissed his robes, but not even that could dampen her excitement.

The sun was out, the frosty air fogging up her windows, and in two hours, her babysitter for the day – Nymphadora – would arrive with Tracey, Lisa and Lovegood in tow.

She grinned as she got ready, putting more effort into her braids than she had since she’d gotten to Grimmauld Place. She twisted green ribbons into her red curls and donned a green jumper, brown skirt, and a thick pair of embroidered tights to keep her warm. She even applied the thinnest layer of makeup from the set Parvati had gifted her for Yule.

She practically skipped into the kitchen, eagerly busying herself with breakfast. She wasn’t sure if the girls would have had the time to eat before their scheduled Portkey, so she prepared more than she and Sirius could ever get through alone. Pancakes were baked, sausages grilled, and a wide variety of fruit cut up into neat pieces for her friends to choose from. She found some yoghurt for Tracey, peppermint tea for Lisa, and an assortment of juices for Lovegood since she wasn’t sure what the younger girl liked.

“It’s a little much for the two of us, don’t you think?” Sirius asked teasingly as he walked into the room, pressing a kiss to the crown of Hani’s head as he passed her to grab a cup of coffee. Hani wrinkled her nose at the smell and stepped closer to her breakfast spread. “You realise your friends may have already had food at home, don’t you?”

“Well, then this will be brunch,” Hani huffed. “Or a very hearty breakfast for me. I’m hungry.”

“Mmm,” Sirius hummed. “Have you been sleeping well?”

“Yes,” Hani answered quickly – too quickly.

“Really?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow at her. It was an expression she’d seen so many times on Severus’ face, it felt strange to spot it on Sirius’. “Severus tells me you didn’t get much rest after the Yule Ball, and I’ve noticed you’ve been looking tired in the mornings.”

“I’m just not a–” Hani cut herself off before the lie could fully slip past her lips. Sirius regarded her calmly, arms crossed and an unimpressed look on his face. “I guess the news of the Hall of Prophecies got to me a little bit.”

She is nothing, her mind whispered. Red and gold sparks danced around her cloudy Occlumency barriers, reacting to the words when Hani’s heart clenched.

“And on the night of the Yule Ball?”

“Oh, come on,” she scoffed, hiding her discomfort behind a layer of laughter. “It was the Yule Ball! There was alcohol and dancing and flirting and far too many politicians for my taste. Even when I don’t have to talk to them, they still have this aura about them that puts me on edge. It was an exhausting night for everyone. I don’t think Lavender’s fully recovered yet. She sent me a letter yesterday saying her mother had finally forced her to leave her bedroom and complete her schoolwork. Apparently, she’d been living in practical darkness since the Ball.”

“I suppose you at least had the decency to leave your room the next day,” Sirius said, chuckling lightly. “And Hani, if you ever want to talk about whatever is bothering you, you know you can always come to us. We may not be able to share everything about You-Know-Who’s actions, but we don’t want you to feel as though you can’t even bring it up. It’s okay to be worried.”

“It’s fine,” Hani smiled thinly. “I’ll talk to Healer Branstone about it when the holidays are over. I’m sure she’ll have some tips to give me about nightmares and unnecessary anxieties.”

“They’re not unnec–”

“You should really have something to eat before you go to work,” Hani cut him off, pointing to Sirius’ chair before turning around and fixing herself a mug of hot chocolate. “And don’t forget the packed lunch I made you. Remus tells me you haven’t been feeding yourself when you’re out on assignments.”

“For Merlin’s sake, Hani,” Sirius sighed. “You don’t have to worry about me. That’s my job.”

“You won’t be able to do that job if you pass out in the middle of the day,” Hani rolled her eyes. “Besides, it’s not like I made you a four-course meal. It’s a couple of sandwiches and a bag of crisps from the shop.”

“It’s still more than you needed to do,” her godfather said, exasperated. “But thank you. I appreciate it. And I promise I’ll savour your sandwiches in between deliveries.”

“Good,” Hani nodded. “Will you be back for tea?”

“Ah, don’t count on that,” Sirius winced. “Deliveries are crazy at this time of year. Lots of shops reduce their stock in the new year to leave space for new items, which means there are plenty of eclectic magical objects being purchased at the moment. Feel free to invite your friends to stay for tea if they want.”

“We’ll see what their parents said,” Hani replied, perking up at the sound of the Floo. “Hey, doesn’t that mean you’re running late? You told me you’d need to be out of the door before Tonks got here.”

“Shi– Fu– Damn it,” Sirius cursed, sticking a pancake between his teeth as he hurried out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall. “‘ello Do’a, gi’ls!”

Tonks snickered as Sirius shoved his feet into his boots, wrapped his scarf around his neck and rushed to grab his things. He was halfway out of the door already when he remembered to turn around, wave his goodbyes, and give Hani a reminder to behave.

“He’s very peculiar,” Lovegood said airily once the door slammed behind him. “How wonderful. So purple.”

“Hi guys,” Hani smiled, coming forward to embrace Tracey and Lisa before giving both Tonks and Lovegood polite nods of greeting. “Welcome to Grimmauld Place! The Black Family is delighted to have you here.”

“Not quite the right introduction,” Tracey laughed. “But I suppose it’s better than nothing. You’ve been reading your new politics books, then?”

“To my great chagrin,” Hani pouted. “It’s either that or my schoolbooks, and I’ve read those enough already. I might go insane if I have to go through the chapter on Switching Spells one more time. That essay was almost the end of me.”

Tracey nodded minutely, having obviously caught onto what Hani wasn’t saying.

“I think Professor McGonagall is trying to bore us into bad grades,” Lisa agreed with a groan. “I mean, I love Transfiguration, but even I thought it was one of the dullest assignments she’s ever asked us to complete. There’s only so much to say about Switching Spells. I ended up going on a tangent about the uses it could have in a practical work setting.”

“Smart,” Tracey said. “I just talked about the spells you could use instead of a Switching Spell and why they’re obviously better alternatives.”

“Oh, Professor McGonagall is going to hate that,” Hani cackled. “And she won’t even be able to give you a bad grade if you’ve actually argued it correctly.”

“I don’t think Professor McGonagall minds too much,” Lovegood said with a small smile. “She’s a very wise woman, isn’t she?”

“Alright, well, as much as I would love to stay here and reminisce about the good old days, I do have work to do,” Tonks said with a wince. “If you don’t mind, Harini, I think I’ll use the office on the second floor to go through my paperwork. If you girls need anything, don’t hesitate to knock. And if it’s an emergency, I was made to believe you can cast a Patronus?”

“Yeah,” Hani nodded, blushing a little when Tonks beamed at her proudly. “But we’ll be fine. We’re 90% sure Sirius and Remus got rid of everything dangerous that still lingered around here.”

“Perfect!” Tonks laughed. “Have fun! Don’t burn the house down!”

“We’ll try!” Tracey called after her, laughing brightly at the scandalised look on Lisa’s face. “Oh, come on. As if I would ever even touch fire in Lord Black’s house. You know me better than that, Lis.”

“Do I?” Lisa asked dryly, following Hani into the kitchen when she gestured for them to relocate. “Because as far I’ve heard from Hannah and Leo, you’re the type to walk into an ancestral home, spot the three most dangerous items in your vicinity, and conduct an experiment on them as soon as everyone else has their back turned.”

“That’s– Well, just because I did it once at the Patils’ house doesn’t mean I’d do it again anywhere else,” Tracey grinned unrepentantly. She paused when she spotted the spread Hani had prepared for them, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, that’s what I’m talking about! Fuck, Hani, did you make all this yourself?”

“I thought you might be hungry,” she shrugged, trying her best to hide how pleased she was by her friend’s reaction. “I wasn’t sure if you’d eaten already, so…”

“Nah, I hate eating before magical travel,” Tracey said, flopping down onto Sirius’ chair and immediately diving for the yoghurt and honey Hani had picked out for her. “Sarah can scarf down an entire Christmas feast and be fine, but I get queasy if I’ve had more than a piece of toast and a cup of tea.”

“Oh, is that cranberry juice?” Lovegood asked, smiling when Hani nodded. “My favourite. I find it makes everyone the most delightful shade of orange. Thank you, Harini.”

“You’re very welcome,” Hani beamed, waiting for Lisa to sit down before picking a chair next to her. “Feel free to have as much as you want. And Sirius said you were welcome to stay for tea, though I know that wasn’t part of the plan. If you wanted to, I’m sure Tonks could send a message to your parents.”

“Daddy will be waiting for me to eat,” Lovegood answered. “But I’m sure the three of you will be happy to have some time alone.”

“That’s– Very nice of you, Luna,” Lisa smiled gently at her housemate. “And if my mum agrees, I’d be happy to stay over for a while longer.”

“Same here,” Tracey said happily. “Hell, I could probably even convince my parents to let me sleep over. Christopher is back home for a while, and I think having an extra person around is draining them. They’ve never actually had five kids, you know?”

“Five is a lot,” Lovegood blinked. “I think I’m already too much for daddy, and I’m just one of me.”

“Oh, believe me, my guardians wouldn’t survive with more than me either,” Hani laughed, earning herself a shy smile from Lovegood. “I think some parents are better suited to bigger families than others.”

“Yeah,” Tracey frowned, and Hani didn’t have to ask to know what she was thinking about. “At least mum and dad have always done their best with us. And it was nice, having siblings, even if Sarah’s the only one who really feels like my sister.”

“I personally think families are far too complicated for our own goods,” Lisa huffed. “Which is why I suggest we move onto an easier topic and the reason we are gathered here today.”

“Easier?” Tracey snorted. “Okay, sure.”

“Lisa isn’t totally wrong,” Lovegood argued softly. “Families are often tricky and full of emotions and too human to understand. Prophecies aren’t really simple, but they’re still just a thing for us to talk about.”

“Just a thing,” Tracey muttered. “Right. As though it’s not been driving Hani and I crazy for the past few months.”

“To be fair, it would have been driving you a lot less crazy if you’d told someone about it,” Lisa said with a pointed glance at the both of them.

“In our defence, Parvati and Lavender didn’t exactly inspire us with confidence,” Hani shrugged. “The second I bring up the prophecy, they remind me that S– Sirius and my father know what’s best. This matters to me, and I didn’t want to have to stop working on it because we talked about it to the wrong person.”

“Still,” Lisa said with a small pout. “You should have known I would never betray your confidence. We’re Programme partners.”

“You were busy,” Hani replied, daring Lisa to counter that point. Lisa briefly opened her mouth before closing it with a tilt of her head. “But we’re here now. If anyone wants to take notes, I’m sure Daphne would love to get a recap of our conversation when we see her over New Year’s.”

“Of course she would,” Tracey rolled her eyes. “She’ll probably spend half of her night with Granger and the other half reading through everything we come up with today. Mad girl, she is.”

“Mad, clever girl,” Hani corrected before turning to Lovegood. “I don’t think I ever thanked you for agreeing to come. Not properly, at least. I’m sure you understand how much this means to me, and I’m glad to have an expert here to guide us through the more technical parts of prophecies. Your aunt has been a great help, but there’s only so much I can ask her without raising warning bells.”

“Auntie Dot would never betray your secrets,” Lovegood murmured. “And you don’t have to thank me for anything. I’m always happy to help Ginny’s friends. Besides, I never get to practise my Divination properly. I only wish I was a Seer. I could help you more if I could see the future.”

“Being a Seer sounds like torture,” Tracey said, wrinkling her nose. “You’re an Empath, right? Much nicer to live with. No doomsaying prophecies to give, no horrific futures to witness; if you ask me, you got the best of the three.”

“That’s what daddy says,” Lovegood smiled widely. “Mummy used to think the same thing. She was a Seer like Aunt Dorothea, and I don’t think she liked it very much. She would have preferred prophecies. I brought some of her books with me. I thought they could help.”

“They definitely will,” Hani said as the younger girl drew a bundle of books out of her satchel and placed them between the platters of bacon and apples. “Though, since we don’t actually know what the prophecy says, I’m not sure how much the usual decoding tactics will help.”

“We know enough,” Lisa said, her face set with grim determination. Before Hani could ask her what she meant, she pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and ironed it out in front of her. “First: the Dark Lord truly believes you must die. Second: there is a power he believes the Order will use to their advantage. Third: he thinks there may be a weakness to uncover through this prophecy. Fourth: he’s convinced you will fight. Fifth: your parents believed in this prophecy too.”

“It must have been rather specific,” Lovegood hummed. “Most prophecies cannot be pinned to a single person until much later in their lives. Though, it hardly matters now. You are clearly the subject of the prophecy.”

“No more doubt?”

“If your parents believed it, and the Dark Lord believes it, and your guardians believe it, and even Dumbledore’s great Order believes it… I’m sure you’ve heard of self-fulfilment, yes?” Lovegood asked, her voice almost sad.

“Yeah,” Hani sighed. “So, that’s it? I have to die?”

“Well, of course not,” Lovegood giggled. “That would be a very silly prophecy. They’re not like Seer visions, you know, they can’t determine the exact future. They just… point in a direction.”

“That’s good,” Lisa said, jotting something down. “I mean, it’s not great, but it’s slightly more reassuring than what you were convinced was going to happen. And it covers the first point I brought up. If the Dark Lord thinks you have to die, then he must believe you also have the power to defeat him.”

“It would explain his obsession with a baby,” Tracey nodded in agreement. “If the prophecy implies that you have a power that could kill him, it would certainly urge him to make a move before you were old enough to protect yourself.”

“Okay,” Hani said slowly. “So the prophecy probably doesn’t say ‘The Dark Lord will kill Harini Potter and win the war.’?”

“Oh no,” Lovegood laughed again. It was a nice sound, chiming like quiet bells. “Prophecies are a lot more poetic than that. It’s probably more like… ‘And she who carves the earth will have power even the Dark Lord cannot vanquish.’ Very flowery, very uselessly vague. And no names.”

“So, it’s unlikely that my death is prophesied,” Hani recapped. “And Tracey and I have an idea of the power it may be speaking of. It would… make sense, especially considering what I think might have saved me that night. It would also explain why he thinks I’ll fight.”

“It would also explain why your guardians have been keeping things close to their chests,” Tracey frowned. “Not that I’m justifying their decisions or the way they’ve handled everything, but if this prophecy declares you’re the only one who can defeat him… That’s not a light burden to carry.”

“Yeah,” Hani whispered. “Although, I don’t think the Order will let me stay out of it forever, no matter what my guardians think is best. The second I turn 17, there’ll be a knock on my door asking me to join the battle.”

“Most likely,” Lisa agreed. “Though, the question remains: do they know what this mysterious power is? The Dark Lord seems to believe they do, but if even I’m not aware of it… It’s not your Thread Magic, is it?”

“No,” Hani shook her head. “And no, the Order doesn’t know. Only Tracey, Sirius, my dad, Remus, Lavender and Parvati know about it. Since only four of those people also know about the details of the prophecy, that leaves us with a very small pool of people who could connect the dots.”

“Okay,” Lisa breathed out. “So I guess the next question is pretty obvious.”

“Do we think this power is actually enough to defeat a dark lord?” Tracey completed for her, her voice sounding strangely strangled. When she met Hani’s eyes, there was genuine concern swimming in her gaze.

Hani couldn’t blame her.

Blood Magic had been one thing to consider when she’d thought all she would have to do was protect herself. But if she had to vanquish Voldemort? That would require an entirely different skill set, a new compendium of spells that even her mother hadn’t come up with before her death.

It would mean that her Duelling couldn’t just be good, or great, or the best in their year. It had to be good enough to withstand a direct – and willing – encounter with the most powerful dark wizard of their age.

“Well, of course it is.” Lovegood was the one to speak up, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Prophecies aren’t a sure thing, but this one wouldn’t exist if your power wasn’t enough. It’s just a matter of using it right.”

In front of Hani’s eyes, red and gold sparks fluttered and danced, glittering between her fingers as though begging her to see them, to use them, to realise they could give her the victory she was looking for.

“Lovegood is right.”

“You can call me Luna, you know,” Lovegood – Luna – interjected with an amused smile. “It feels wrong to have someone use my last name when I’ve been this close to their aura. Especially since yours is so pretty. I like your purple, too. You’re a very complicated person, Harini.”

“You’re not the first to say that,” Hani snorted, deciding she’d be better off not asking about the purple comment. “But regardless, you’re right. No one would be this afraid if my power didn’t present a real threat. Which means Tracey and I have been doing the right thing all along.”

“Ugh,” Lisa groaned. “I hate this. There has to be a way for us to interpret this damned prophecy that doesn’t involve you joining in active combat.”

“Maybe there is,” Hani shrugged. “But there’s no way for us to come up with all the possibilities when we don’t have the full picture. Which means right now, my best shot at ensuring the ‘he must kill her before she kills him’ part of the prophecy doesn’t come true is by doing what the Dark Lord assumes I’ve been doing all along.”

“It’s a good thing the training is fun,” Tracey grinned. “Especially if we add Duelling to the rotation of skills you need to perfect.”

“We should make a schedule,” Lisa said, snapping her fingers. Tracey nodded enthusiastically at that, moving so she was sitting next to their Ravenclaw friend. “Although it would be easier if you told me what this secret power training was.”

“Not yet,” Hani said with an apologetic smile. “Someday, when I’m confident I can properly perform a secrecy vow. But for now, you’ll have to trust that Trace knows how much time we need to put into it.”

“Oh yeah, just a fuck ton,” Tracey said crudely, earning herself an elbow jab from Lisa.

Hani left them to it, standing to refill their drinks and put away their dirty dishes.

To her surprise, Luna joined her by the sink, drying the plates that Hani put down in front of her.

“You have to believe in yourself,” the younger girl said out of nowhere. Hani looked at her with a small frown. “Your aura is too confused right now. Whatever this power you have is, you have to really believe it’ll work. That’s what my mum always said: ‘Magic can only take you as far as your belief goes.’ If I didn’t believe that your aura was real, it would reveal nothing to me.”

“I believe in my Magic,” Hani retorted, sighing when Luna only stared at her with a dreamy smile. “To a certain extent. But that’s normal. It’s not like I’m planning on confronting the Dark Lord tomorrow. I’ve got years, I hope, to be the person everyone needs me to be. To perform a literal miracle.”

“It’s funny, you know,” Luna said softly. She wasn’t looking at Hani anymore, but rather at the space around her. “You sound as though the idea of defeating him terrifies you, and yet… You would have fought anyway.”

“What?”

“Even if you didn’t have this power, even if the prophecy didn’t exist, you would have fought,” Luna repeated. “It’s written all over you. Tracey, too. You’re braver than I am.”

“I–”

She couldn’t deny it.

“I don’t know if it makes us braver,” she said instead. “It’s just the way we were raised. It’s selfish, really; I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if the people I love died and I hadn’t done anything to try and stop it from happening.”

“Hmm,” Luna hummed. “Courage is still courage. You’re allowed to be a little selfish with it.”

“You know, you’re a lot wiser than Ginny is,” Hani said, grinning when Luna burst into delighted giggles. “You’ll be coming to the New Year’s party with her, right? It would be lovely to see you there.”

“Of course,” Luna nodded. “She’s brave, too. It’s good to know she’ll be fighting with you when the time comes.”

Hani’s grin turned sad.

Perhaps she was brave, but there was a courage about Luna that she didn’t think she would ever be able to match. Because she knew for a fact that, if she’d been faced with her friends’ deepest feelings day in and day out, she wouldn’t have made it through a single week.

Yet here was Luna, chatting about her outfit ideas for New Year’s and laughing about Ginny’s alcohol mishaps as though she hadn’t just told Hani that she knew her best friend would someday volunteer to fight in a war against darkness itself.

No wonder Lisa liked her so much.

It was dark outside, but Hani breathed in the cold evening air with a smile on her face. Golden lights twinkled around the doorway of Black Castle, spreading across the facade as far as Sirius, Hani, and a handful of house elves had been able to reach. Hani’s red and gold sparks mingled with the fairy lights now, and she let them spread even further, cutting through the castle’s imposing walls.

Beyond the door, she could hear the faint hum of music and the laughs of her closest friends, somehow turning the castle into something almost familiar.

“You joining us?” Hannah asked, poking her head out of the door and sighing when she spotted the fond look on Hani’s face. “Seriously, you’ve got to stop admiring the lights. You’re going to catch a cold, staying out here all night. Besides, the rest of your guests will be here soon.” 

“It’s just a nice view,” Hani said softly. “And if you don’t think this dress is imbued with warming charms, you’re a fool. I don’t plan on staying inside all night, unlike some of my cowardly friends.” 

“It’s as nice in there as it is out here,” Hannah huffed. “If not more. Now, seriously, Lavender is already tipsy from the punch and we promised your dad we wouldn’t let her get drunk before everyone else arrived.”

“As if we have any control over Lavender’s actions,” Hani snorted. Nevertheless, she urged her sparks to gather around her again and followed Hannah back into the castle.

The entrance they were using wasn’t the main one. They’d decided early on that they would only use a small part of the castle, and the grand entrance was a little too grand for Hani’s liking. Instead, they’d picked the portion of the castle that had once been exclusive to the Black family. Bedrooms had been set up for all of Hani’s friends upstairs, and the ground floor had been decorated according to Sirius’ high standards.

Sitting rooms and halls were brimming with light and food and music as Hani and Hannah passed by, ignoring them in favour of the night’s main attraction: the ‘training’ ballroom where a stage had been set up and banquet tables creaked under the weight of the pizzas Hani and Hannah had spent their morning cooking.

“There she is!” Lavender exclaimed as soon as she saw Hani.

Her best friend bounded over to her on unsteady feet, throwing herself into Hani’s arms so quickly, she almost didn’t catch her.

“We’ve missed you!”

“Clearly,” Hani laughed uneasily. Over Lavender’s shoulder, she exchanged a worried look with Parvati, whose eyes hadn’t left their best friend’s figure for a second. “Hey, why don’t you go and sit with Parvati? Everyone will be getting here soon, and you’ll want your feet to be well-rested for all the dancing that’s about to happen.”

“But I have a drink waiting for me!” Lavender whined when Hani steered her away from the drinks and towards the settees Sirius had organised in a perfect circle earlier that day. “You know, Seamus, Ron and Soph promised we’d play drinking games. You won’t be able to stop me then.”

“No, I won’t,” Hani said exasperatedly. “Though I do hope they have the sense not to get you so drunk you pass out. I’ll be busy with other things, and I don’t want to get pulled away from my night because you forgot about limits.”

“Like you’re not going to drink?” Lavender scoffed. “More alcohol! More music! Less doom and gloom!”

Hani plopped her best friend down on one of the settees and watched as she immediately folded herself into what had to be the world’s most uncomfortable position. Parvati joined her soon after, tilting her head curiously at the Lavender-pretzel before clearly deciding to go along with it.

“The punch is actually quite good,” Parvati told Hani, holding her own half-empty cup up for inspection. “I’m not sure how this one has managed to get herself so drunk already, because I swear there’s more juice than alcohol in this.”

“Well, actually, I have my own stash,” Lavender said with a proud grin. “Obviously.”

Hani was saved from having to uphold the conversation when chiming bells echoed around the room, indicating that the first of her guests were finally arriving. 8pm on the dot; she did love punctuality.

She rushed to the sitting room connected to the Floo, grabbing a cup of punch on her way there and gesturing for her friends to stay in the ballroom. The room would be crowded enough without adding her nine lovely Sisters to the mix.

The fireplace flared green, and Hani beamed as Hermione stepped out, looking beautiful in a set of blue robes covering a bronze jumper. As soon as she saw Hani, she smiled and leaned in for a quick hug that Hani gladly accepted.

“This is amazing!” Hermione exclaimed, waving at the fairy lights and banners and paintings. “Lord Black outdid himself. I’ll have to–”

They were interrupted by the Floo, and Hani smiled apologetically as she returned to her hosting duties. Some of the older students arrived first – they would only be staying for an hour or so before leaving to go to their own, more mature parties – and Hani tried her best to act as though she knew what she was doing as she guided them towards the ballroom.

Hannah joined her after that, insisting that she was just as much of a hostess as Hani was, and the two of them greeted their yearmates with wide smiles and laughter and enough holiday cheer to light up the entirety of the castle.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Thomas himself.”

Hani spun around dangerously fast at Hannah’s words and pointedly ignored the way Lily snickered behind her.

“I’ll just find the ballroom myself, yeah?” Her fellow prefect said with a cackle, dodging the stinging hex Hani shot her way.

“Hi, Hani,” Dean smiled at her, and Hani couldn’t help the way her stomach fluttered. “You look beautiful.”

“Hi, Dean,” she said, hoping she sounded as pleased to see him as she felt on the inside. “You look amazing too. I’m glad you came.”

“Of course,” he said softly. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. And I know you’re probably busy with hostess things, and I wouldn’t want to bother you, and it’s totally okay if you don’t have time, but… I’d love to dance with you tonight, since I wasn’t there to enjoy your company during the Yule Ball.”

“Yeah,” Hani said. She could feel herself blushing, her cheeks and the tips of her ears tingling in tandem with her stomach. “I’ll find you, I promise.”

“Good,” he grinned, and then he was gone, disappearing down the hall on Justin’s heels and slapping him on the shoulders with a whoop.

Hani watched the two boys as they turned into the ballroom, her red and gold sparks twirling around her in such a fairytale-like way, she was almost tempted to follow after Dean and forget about the rest of her guests.

But then–

“Hani!”

Her sparks flared up. Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes filled with tears as she turned around, a smile on her face and a laugh on the tip of her tongue. Dark hair covered her eyes and made her splutter uselessly, and Hani melted into Freja’s arms as though she’d never left her side.

“Frej,” she whispered into her friend’s ears, tightening her hold when Freja made to leave their embrace. “Nope. I’m allowed at least ten more seconds. I haven’t seen you in far too long.”

“Oh, it’s only been a few months,” Freja chuckled as they finally pulled away, but Hani could see a matching sense of relief in her exchange partner’s eyes. “What? You couldn’t even last one summer and autumn without me? Do I need to plan regular visits to your dreary little country?”

“Yes, please,” Hani murmured. “That would be perfect.”

“You’re so soft,” Freja snorted, gently nudging Hani’s ribs. “But I’ve missed you too. Being back at school full time after a year on the Programme was a hard return to reality. I don’t understand how Antero slipped back into it so easily.”

“Ah, Lisa was the same,” Hani shrugged. “And speaking of Antero, I assumed you would all arrive together. Didn’t you have to come from the Ministry Floo?”

“Dad Portkeyed me closer,” Freja explained. “I took the Floo in a magical pub somewhere. I’m sure the others will be here soon, though. I think Antero was planning on travelling with Henrik. And wow, if that isn’t like… what’s the expression?”

“History repeating itself?” Hani suggested with a small wince. “Yeah. We just have to hope Henrik and Sue have it more under control than Lisa and Antero did.”

“You mean, that they’re less in love with each other?”

Hani laughed a little sadly at that, unable to deny the truth behind Freja’s words. A knowing look passed between them then, and Hani knew she wouldn’t be the only one trying to keep their friends away from each other.

As much as she knew Lisa missed Antero, she didn’t know what good could come out of the two of them reminiscing about the good old times.

“Well, well, who said you could start the party without me?”

And perhaps Hani had underestimated how much she’d missed these people. Perhaps she’d overestimated how well she’d been doing without them. Perhaps she’d been lying to herself, just a little bit, when she’d told herself being around the Sisters was the same as being around her Exchange friends.

Because Basile’s voice was like sunshine incarnate, and running into his arms was second nature.

Freja was right behind her, crushing both of them as she squeezed them tightly. 

“The trio’s back!” She exclaimed, and it was… fine. There was no awkward pause, no hesitation, no acknowledgement of the person they’d lost somewhere along the way. “And Basile, you asshole! You told me you’d send the book back to me before Yule, and look where we are now!”

“Does it help if I tell you I have it now?” Basile asked sweetly, taking a book out of the bag he’d slung over his shoulder. “And I’ve annotated it so beautifully, you won’t even be able to complain about the specifics of what I’ve written.”

“Oh, I’ll complain plenty,” Freja huffed. “You’re lucky this is Hani’s big night, or I’d be having words with you right now.”

“I’m sure you would,” Basile smirked, bending down to kiss Freja’s cheek lightly.

He’d grown again, both in height and in confidence. His hair was lighter than it had been at the end of their year together, and there was a bounce in his step that he hadn’t had since the beginning of their time in Beauxbatons.

He looked good.

Hani had missed him so damn much.

“I don’t mean to break up this lovely reunion, but we have guests waiting in line on the other end of the Floo,” Hannah said, waving at Basile and Freja as they greeted her. “You’ll have all night to catch up, Hani. Now, come and greet the rest of our foreign friends, because I don’t actually remember all of their names.”

Hani pouted a little, but Basile and Freja pushed her towards her latest guests and excused themselves to find the ballroom, so she complied and reminded Hannah of names underneath her breath.

It took a good half hour but, eventually, the Floo was closed and Hani made her way to the ballroom with Hannah in tow, giggling as her friend told her about an interaction she’d caught between Clément and Basile on one of her trips to accompany their guests down the hallway. It was good to know that even after months apart, some of her friends hadn’t changed one bit.

“Ready?” Hannah asked her as they stopped behind the ballroom’s imposing door. Beyond it were all of Hani’s favourite people – minus her guardians, who were holed up upstairs – and the promise of a night even better than both her Yule Balls combined.

“You don’t even have to ask,” she grinned, and swung the door open with a nudge from her red and gold sparks – who had finally started making themselves useful as more than pretty decorations.

Immediately, cheers went up, covering the live music Hani had managed to organise for the day. Severus and Sirius must have let the Weird Sisters in through the side entrance while she’d handled the Floo, and she beamed at her greatest accomplishment of the night.

As it turned out, being famous did have a few perks.

Not many, but just enough to make her reconsider her plans to hide out for the rest of her life after Hogwarts.

“Hani, this place is amazing!” Someone yelled into her ear.

“Morgana, Hani, how on earth did you get the Weird Sisters here?” Someone else added – Ginny, maybe. “This is the best party I’ve ever seen!”

“In a fucking castle!”

Hani laughed at the younger girls, staying to listen to their exclamations for a couple of minutes before excusing herself.

As it turned out, hosting a party was exhausting.

Every time she stopped to dance or talk to someone, she was pulled aside by someone else who had a question about the castle or where they could find the bathroom or ‘have you seen where my friend went?’. It was chaotic and nothing like what she’d expected, and she loved every single second of it.

Especially since she got to exchange exasperated glances with Dean every time they were separated and engaged in plenty of gossip with Freja and Basile as they followed her around the room like lost ducklings.

“So, Daphne and Granger are dating now?” Basile asked, gesturing towards the pair dancing as close to the stage as they could get without physically tripping over the lead singer. “I know you said Granger got better, but I didn’t think Daphne could ever date someone so… Pure.”

“Hermione isn’t pure,” Hani snorted.

“You get what he means,” Freja rolled her eyes. “Daphne is wasted out of her mind right now, but Granger isn’t even tipsy.”

“I’m not tipsy either,” Hani pointed out.

“Lies!” Basile cackled. He was far from sober himself. “You’ve had three cups of punch, Hani, and you giggle to yourself every time we pass by your wonderful Mr. Thomas. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he had you under a love spell with the way your eyes have been trailing him all night.”

“He’s pretty,” Hani huffed. “I’m allowed to look.”

“Oh, you can look as much as you want,” Freja smirked. “In fact, I hope you do more than look once you’ve had enough of everyone else.”

“Disgusting,” Hani said, shoving her friend to the side and laughing when Freja swayed dangerously. “I’ll leave that to Blaise and Parvati.”

The two of them had disappeared an hour into the party, and Hani hadn’t had the courage to go looking for them. She loved Parvati, but there were some things she didn’t want to see, and Blaise’s tongue down her throat was one of them.

She’d left Lavender with some of the other Sisters instead.

Last she’d checked, their best friend had been slow-dancing with Leo, who had forcibly pulled her away from Marie. Lavender had been flirting with her so outrageously, Alexandre had bent over with silent laughter at the agonised look on Marie’s face.

“All your romantic drama is so much more interesting than what we get at Beauxbatons,” Basile sighed as they neared the corner of settees that Hani had been aiming for. “It’s no fun when the drama involves people you don’t even know.”

“Hogwarts drama is the best drama,” Lily piped up from where she was lounging on one of the couches. She raised her cup to greet Basile and Freja, who tipped their cups back in her direction. “Not that I have anything to compare it to, but it’s pretty unbeatable. So many secrets, so many break-ups, so many love stories. I heard from one of the Weasley boys that people think our Prefect pairings are going to cause even more romances.”

“Well–”

“Isn’t that what you and Dean are?” Basile asked loudly.

Hani stepped on his toes as hard as she could and glared at Lily when she burst into snickers.

“You know, it’s weird, but I always thought…”

“Thought what?” Hani asked, frowning.

Freja shook her head and, in true drunk fashion, promptly turned around and walked towards the dance floor, yelling something about needing a proper Slytherin reintroduction.

“She’s crazy,” Lily cackled. “I love her. She was always a good fit for Slytherin. Not that I saw much of her in the common room, but she’s a funny one. Put Malfoy in his place more than a few times.”

“That’s our Freja,” Basile said proudly, his words only slightly slurred – or maybe Hani was just tipsy enough that they sounded fine to her. “I gotta find Lucie and Adèle. I love you, Hani. Go and find your boy. I need to dance! Gotta move!”

He scrambled away from her, and Hani didn’t hide her grimace when he immediately bumped into some of the boys in their year. Justin and Michael caught him laughing, their laughter fading when Basile proceeded to start blabbing in French to the two of them.

“Better them than us,” Lily chuckled. “You look happy with them.”

“Yeah,” Hani smiled, feeling fuzzy and warm and so grateful for the people around her. “It’s good to see them again. Hey, shouldn’t Emma be here?”

“She had to cancel at the last minute,” Lily sighed. “Abandoned me to the wolves. By which I mean Morag, who’s only gone because she needed the toilet. And Isobel’s been hanging out with us as well. She’s not the superior twin, but she’s not bad.”

“You can’t say that!” Hani gasped. “It would be like saying there was a better twin between Padma and Parvati.”

“I mean, you don’t want to hear this, but–”

“No, no, no!” Hani shrieked, covering her ears. “I don’t want to hear it!”

“Alright, drama queen,” Lily laughed, taking Hani’s hands down. “Merlin, you’re drunk. You know, it’s getting close to midnight. You should find your boy and get out of here. I promise you’ll still hear the countdown if you’re outside.”

“Really?” Hani scrunched her face up.

“The Weird Sisters won’t let anyone in this castle miss it,” Lily said with a cheeky grin. “Now, go. Take Dean outside. Put an end to everyone else’s misery and kiss him.”

And when she put it like that…

Hani was drunk, but she wasn’t a fool.

“It’s nice out here.”

Hani hummed.

“It’s quiet,” she agreed, smiling up at Dean and stepping closer to him when a sudden burst of wind chilled her hands and face. “I wouldn’t want to live here all the time, but it’s good. Still. Like time was suspended here for a while.”

“You’re a pretty thoughtful drunk, huh?”

“I’m not drunk,” Hani huffed, pouting when Dean chuckled lowly. “I’m not! The fresh air has sobered me right up.”

“Sure it has,” Dean laughed, and Hani couldn’t think anymore, because had his laugh always been so perfectly entrancing? “You know, I feel like I hardly got to see you tonight. Not that I didn’t expect it, but I barely had time to catch sight of you before you were moving onto something else.”

“Why Dean, were you looking for me?” Hani said teasingly, swallowing thickly when Dean levelled her with a deadpan stare.

“Of course I was looking for you,” he said quietly, shaking his head at her. “I like Ron and Seamus and the other boys, don’t get me wrong, but they weren’t the ones who invited me to this party. They’re not the ones I came to see tonight.”

“So many people here to see me,” Hani giggled. “I guess I really am quite famous.”

“I don’t know if it has anything to do with fame,” Dean said, brushing his arm against hers. Hani startled, almost bumping into a bench on the side of the path they were walking on. Instantly, Dean’s hand curled around hers, tugging her until she was back on track. “I don’t know if you realise this, Hani, but you’re very likeable. You have a way of talking to people that makes them feel… seen.”

“Do I make you feel seen?” She asked, furrowing her brows.

Sometimes, she felt like she didn’t see anything at all past the colours of her Magic and the clouds of her Occlumency barriers.

“You do,” Dean said, his voice so genuine, Hani had no choice but to believe him. “And you do it for everyone else in that ballroom. Even the little ones and the new exchange students you hardly know. It’s just something about you, Hani.”

“How special of me,” Hani snickered lightly.

Dean didn’t laugh along.

“You are special,” he said instead, and Hani’s heart swooped.

She didn’t say anything as they continued down the path. The air truly was clearing her mind, and she could feel some of the alcoholic haze lift off her mind as they reached a small enclosed space she hadn’t spotted during her few walks around the castle. Flowers surrounded them, filling the air with a sweet scent and reflecting moonlight in fragments of pastel colours.

It was perfectly still.

In the distance, cheers sounded, somehow seeping past the castle’s thick walls. Somewhere in a village nearby, fireworks were already going off.

The noise felt so far away here, and Hani breathed the quiet in with a smile, closing her eyes. She could almost sense it, that calmness her mother had spoken of so fondly. An Evans tradition in its unique way. Her red and gold sparks settled on her hands in a thin layer, silent and unmoving, and it felt like a sign as well.

A countdown started. She realised, dimly, that there was still a hand in hers. It squeezed her fingers shortly and suddenly, there was someone right in front of her, inches away from her face.

Her breath hitched.

The countdown came to an end in an excited celebration. Screams of ‘Happy New Year!’ echoed in the castle. Dean leaned in. His lips pressed against hers, and she let out a small sound of surprise.

Fireworks exploded above them. He held her closer. Her mind whirled with a million thoughts at once. Red and gold sparked to life around her, tiny explosions that popped in her ears and made her blink dazedly when she finally moved away from Dean.

He smiled at her, and her heart pounded in her chest.

“Happy new year,” he whispered, but it was the loudest thing she’d heard all night.

“Happy new year,” she whispered back.

Midnight had come and gone, the Magic of the moment leaving with it, and Dean had finally kissed her.

She smiled.

Lavender’s head was on her lap, her friend’s honey-coloured hair spread across her thighs.

Next to her, Freja dozed against Basile’s shoulder, her eyes blearily blinking open every few seconds. She would murmur a few fond, drunken words before falling back into that half-sleep that was so desperately trying to claim her.

Lisa sat cross-legged across from her, her back against the four-poster bed she’d chosen for the night. 

Everyone else had either left or gone to bed already. It was so late – so early –, Hani could almost imagine the morning birds twittering outside their window.

“So, he finally kissed you,” Lisa grinned.

Hani hummed softly. She’d spent the hours after midnight dancing with Dean, with her friends, talking to Freja about everything she loved and hated about Sirius, laughing at Basile as he told her about his latest Clément-related shenanigans. She’d dragged Lavender away from Khadija, unwilling to let her two very drunk friends do anything they would regret later.

She’d apologised to Khadija with a sweet smile and a kiss on the cheek, and she’d danced with her until she’d stopped pouting.

After that, she’d found Dean again. He’d twirled her around and stolen kisses when he thought no one was looking. They’d laughed and talked about everything – about nothing.

“Yeah,” she told Lisa now. “He did.”

“At midnight?” Basile asked eagerly.

Hani nodded.

“Was it bad?” Lisa frowned. “Oh, please tell me it wasn’t bad. I’ve been rooting for the two of you, and it would make things so awkward if you didn’t work out.”

“No, no, it was good,” Hani assured her. “It was good. But it was…”

She tried to find the right word, but it escaped her even now.

“It was loud,” she finished lamely.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Basile interjected. “I mean, isn’t that how it should feel? Fireworks and your heart beating quicker than ever, and a million butterflies inside your head and your stomach?”

Hani shrugged. When she looked up at Lisa, she saw her friend staring back evenly, her face a picture of understanding.

“You like the quiet,” Lisa murmured.

“I do,” Hani agreed. Paused. “I like Dean too.”

This time, Basile didn’t cut in with a witty remark. He just nodded slowly, squeezed Hani’s hand, and stood up to gently guide Freja towards her bed.

Lisa stayed behind, nudging Hani’s foot with one of her own.

“You can like both,” she told Hani with a small smile. “And if one day you decide you like one more than the other, it’s not like you made a promise to anyone. Just don’t worry about it too much, silly. You looked happy with him.”

“Yeah,” Hani said, her lips twitching up. “I am happy with him.”

There was silence, for a moment, but a question burned on Hani’s tongue, and she was still just tipsy enough to let it slip out. 

“You like the quiet too, don’t you?” She asked.

“I do,” Lisa hummed.

“Was it quiet with Antero?”

“It was,” Lisa answered. No hesitation. Not a second taken to think. “It was… perfectly still.”

She didn’t push any more than that. She stood, carefully manoeuvring a sleepy Lavender, ruffled Lisa’s short hair to make her laugh – or at least protest very loudly – and urged her friend to go to bed before the sun rose and her guardians checked on them.

Then, she found her own bed, tucked both Lavender and herself into it, and closed her eyes.

She dreamed of Dean, of fireworks, of butterflies, of excited shouts, and of the moment of peace she’d felt before it all.