𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 114

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED
AND FOURTEEN
✧
-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH MORE PRESENTS 
ARE EXCHANGED

. . .

She had gotten him a moving camera. Aviana said, through Sirius's slightly bewildered commentary, that she had weaselled Mundungus out of a favour - citing something about him spying and later reporting, on not only Harry in the Hog's Head, but her too - and he had gotten one for her, and dropped it off hastily that morning before scurrying off to do what he did best; chugging down several pints of Goblin's ale in the Leaky Cauldron before passing out in one of their occupied rooms. 

And after they had all eaten a particularly light breakfast (not wanting to spoil their appetites for the main event later in the day), Sirius disappeared off to get changed into something more appropriate because, as always, Aviana looked exactly as though anyone would expect from a Pureblood girl who had been brought up as she was, and they hung around in the drawing room, waiting. 

Aviana had managed to convince Fred and George to move about some of the furniture for her - they were, of course, the only ones who could use magic legally - and eventually she settled on a display of a singular rather Victorian chair before the bookshelf, with the Christmas tree in the corner. 

And with Aviana dressed in a dark green velvet dress, with Sirius looking a little more tidy than normal in an old suit he had managed to find, they sat down to take family portraits. 

"Well, we've both been blasted off the family tree, haven't we?" She hummed, as Sirius re-entered the drawing room. "And, well, seeing as you got rid of the rest of them, I suppose you should replace them." 

Aviana had organised it all. She had spoken to Remus about it, in an apparently quick quick conversation as he told Harry when he appeared to take the actual pictures (it seemed as though he was the only she could trust to use it properly), and he was going to get the camera to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head of the group looking for Sirius, and he could get them developed and sent back to them in time. 

Getting frames was easy enough, and before they returned to Hogwarts at the end of the holidays - majority of their time off came after Christmas day, as they finished the term shockingly late that year - the emptiness of family left within the Headquarters would be remedied. 

Before they sat down for their late lunch, and after Sirius and Aviana had sat for their family portraits, Harry had led the way upstairs and found himself with her sat before him, legs crossed beneath, looking somehow even more put together and pretty than she usually did. 

"Sirius liked the present." He reassured her.

"I know." She replied, with something of a smile. "I noticed that, whilst he has no option but to be here, given the circumstances, no matter how hard he tried he would not be able to rid the idea of this being a Pureblood family's house...  and at some point, he would have to lean into it." Aviana watched as Harry retrieved the two presents saved from the earlier opening by being stashed in his bedside cabinet door. "You will have to show me how to use that thing again." 

"I know." He said, and he was more than willing to. Harry didn't want to make assumptions, but there was a sense of bitterness settled in his stomach because he knew, no matter the annoyance of Draco, no matter her heighted spirits, that when they returned to Hogwarts again that it would be similar to when they returned after the holidays. 

She might have spent the ends of the winter half term placating... or arguing with various members of the D.A about her utmost willingness to attend and partake in the meetings with the intention of fighting back against the Ministry, and she might have spent the entirety of the term fighting with Umbridge, attending and then not attending detentions with the woman and pissing Draco Malfoy off, but at Hogwarts there would have to be some level of difference.

Harry wasn't expecting a complete reversal in personalities, just that it would be a lot harder for to emulate the high spirits of the festive season and being away from the people who only expected the very worst from her. And perhaps that was what Aviana wanted; he had noticed just how pale she had gotten at the suggestion that Kreacher had managed to get out.

Because, although Harry may very well just be paranoid, and Sirius was most likely right in the idea that Kreacher would be sulking around upstairs, mumbling about the Great House of Black being entirely ruined by half-bloods and muggleborns and how the decorations were just all too bright, if Kreacher had gotten out, then it was most likely he would have gone somewhere with intent. And that would mean that - whilst there was a multitude of other reasons, this one simply prevailed for Aviana - that her entire reputation would fall down. Because then she wasn't just dating Harry to annoy several people, but she was actively spending time with a number people she shouldn't and... and that she wasn't actually a Pureblood. 

So Harry would take what he could get.

"Of course I'll help you." He reiterated with much more confidence in his words, as he placed the gifts down. "Where did you get the wrapping paper, by the way?" 

"I had Zolly fetch some from the manor." Aviana replied. "And then deliver it to Mundungus - she can't Apparate in here - and Mundungus dropped it off the other night. He seems to be quite afraid of me." 

"Considering how you managed to get other favours off of him, I reckon he might just be terrified." Harry said, and she looked positively overjoyed at the notion. "I just want to... I didn't know what to get you, didn't know what you'd really like-"

"I'm quite particular about things." Aviana said, and although her tone was even and pointed at the edges, it seemed to be some kind of reassurance that whatever he had gotten her didn't really matter. 

"So... given that, I talked to Sirius and came up with that." He nudged the present forward and she hesitated for a moment, and pulled the paper off, revealing a small box that she quickly got into, pulling out the small velvet bag.

She loosened the drawstrings that held it closed and her finger emerged, hooked around a ring. "It's not a lot ," Harry quickly began, "but it's from a shop on Diagon Alley, and it should transfigure." 

Aviana rose her eyebrows, sliding the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand, staring down at the snake shape before she brushed her thumb over it and all of a sudden the silver glowed and melded into a dragon. Pleased, she looked back up at him. "Thank you." She said, earnestly. "I like it." 

And Harry knew she was telling the truth, because she had the same look of revolt that she had when she thanked Sirius earlier. "Now mine." She said, glancing down at the ring before turning her attention to his box. 

Harry pulled the strings of silver ribbon that held the lid down on the dark emerald box, settling the ribbon aside before opening it. "It's a snitch." He said, surprised.

"Yes, well done, you have eyes." Aviana said, almost snappishly and Harry grinned.  "They have flesh memories, that's why you wear gloves when you're playing, and why the wear gloves when making them, and when you get it out-" she gestured at him to do and he did, pulling the smooth, engraved gold ball from it's velvet casing, "it'll only open for you." She shrugged. 

And then it did the small sphere rising up out of his palm as the silver wings emerged, fluttering merrily about as it hovered about a foot above him. 

Harry grinned. "Thank you, Aviana." He said.

Yeah, he would take what he could get.

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