𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨-𝙧.𝙖.𝙗

𝟭𝟰-𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆

JO LEANS AGAINST THE WALL OF THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM ON HER SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY, with the third glass of Firewhiskey in her hand, and she is bored. There is loud music and dancing and laughter and fighting but Jo is seeing too clearly for it to be any fun. She takes another sip.

It is a Friday night; the stress of the past week being released through drunken foolishness. Jo watches a seventh-year girl sit in the corner by the stairs, curled up and sobbing with tears ruining her makeup and wonders if she's ever looked that ridiculous in public. She thinks, with a bit of a wince, of her very public and very loud drunken fight with her brother. The memory makes her put her drink down. She feels a bit buzzed, and figures that's enough.

And despite the fact that it is her birthday party, and the banner hanging above the fireplace reads, "Happy Birthday, Little Potter," (a nickname that she fiercely protested), no one has spoken to her in an hour. Dorcas littered her cheeks with kisses and about a thousand I love you Jo!'s before she disappeared back upstairs with Marlene. She has flitted through the crowds and popped in and out of groups, but she is far too sober to tolerate the way Peter's shoving his tongue down Helen Birdwhistle's throat or, even worse, the way James keeps making lewd comments about the way Lily's dress is doing wonders for her rear. She finds it all sort of asinine.

So no one notices when Jo decides that she's actually had enough for her birthday party, and slips out the common room door, destination in mind.

The frigid air sends goosebumps down her arms, her crochet top, an enthusiastic gift from Alice, doing very little to protect her from the cold. She takes quick, sure steps down the stairs, racing them before they can begin to move on her. And she doesn't know why, but even the idea of getting to see Regulus is already lifting her mood. Her time with him is always enjoyable. She likes talking to him. She likes how he matches her wit. She likes how he indulges her. She likes how he's well mannered, how he's gentle, and easy to talk to. She likes how he's kind and how he's smart. She likes that he didn't get pissed at her birthday party and disappeared to be with some girl.

Jo wasn't sure when it happened, but her late-night acquaintanceship with Regulus has become her favorite part of her week. They leave her feeling better than she felt before. And there are heavy emotions and tenseness and conflict between her friends, not one of which follows Jo down to her visits with Regulus. It's just easy with him; everything comes naturally.

He is exactly where he always is, lingering near the Greenhouse, in his dark robes, hands deep in his pockets, smirk growing on his face at the sight of her, like he was expecting her to come, just as much as she was expecting him to be there. "Don't you have a party to be attending?" he asks as she approaches him, landing by his side.

Jo gives him a shrug. "Once you've been to one Gryffindor party, you've been to them all," she says as they fall into step together. "Right now, two people are snogging who shouldn't be snogging, there's at least three fights breaking out, and someone's crying in the corner because they just got dumped," Jo looks up at him as they walk side by side. "It's boring, at this point."

He looks back down at her. "And walking around the castle at night isn't?"

"Not when you're around," Jo answers swiftly.

Jo watches as he turns away again, head tilted away from her, but she can still see the red flush in his cheeks, burning up in the corner of his cheeks. She looks down at her feet, feeling a bit of a blush of her own. "Happy birthday, Josephine," he says after a moment.

She smiles. "Thanks."

They round a corner together, strides matching as they head towards the courtyards. Jo looks towards the window, watching as bright, white snowflakes float in the deep, inky night sky. "How are you feeling now that you're seventeen?" Regulus asks her.