The Tale of Azure - Book I: Shades of Green and Blue

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Different Christmas Eve

A/N: We are now back to Azure's POV. Lots of references for Micchi, because I know he loves them. This chapter includes the guest appearances of our lovable foursome from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". I wrote this chapter long before the second movie came out. I was utterly shocked when I watched Queenie join Grindelwald on her free will. But I am a sucker for happy endings, so Queenie and Jacob are a happy couple in my story, despite lots of things happened before they tied the knot...

Trigger warnings: Eris' evilness and Tom Riddle being a sadistic obsessive bastard who should be in an asylum. If you have read the Harry Potter (The Half-blood Prince) sixth book, you know who is "this girl". Hint: A.B.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter", "FBWTFT" and "Black Butler". Only my OCs: Azure, Aunt Gwen, etc.

No action came with no consequences and Olive Hornby's incident had serious repercussions; after being brought to the Headmaster's office, Azure had been suspended for three weeks, the first half beginning just a few days before the Christmas Holidays. She had returned to the Ashlane Manor earlier than the previous years, which gave her the chance to tell Tingly and the cooks about her time in school since her parents were too busy between chasing/killing Grindelwald's followers or finding a petty thief called Fletcher who had the penchant of stealing magical artefacts.

On 20th December, she was informed that the Christmas Party of this year would take place in the Manor, which did not surprise her much; although most of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families hated the Ashlanes for their "Blood-traitor ways", they felt some grudging respect – they would never admit it – for them because Ashlanes had a vast network of contacts in the Muggle world and the supernatural community.

The fact that there would be a Christmas Party at the Manor also meant that the Hufflepuff Cup could be displayed. Accordingly, in the morning of the 24th, their family heirloom was placed by her mother right above the fireplace's living room and under the Ashlane's family crest's portrait.

By seven in the afternoon, the drawing-room was already full of wizards and witches who were either conservative – Lord Black, Lord Malfoy, the current leader of the Dark Alliance, Lord Black-Monfay, Lord Rosier, Lord Avery – or mildly progressive like Lord Greengrass, Lord Potter, Lord Bones, Lord Longbottom and Madam Shacklebolt. In both cases, they were accompanied by their respective sons or daughters.

As such, she had to don her mask of perfect Pure-blood Heiress.

This night, she was not "Azure" but the future Lady Azurelia Hildagarde Ashlane, currently a very bored Heiress eating chocolate biscuits while her parents were greeting the guests. Until a plump figure approached her, simpering.

It was no one else than Hepzibah Smith, Lord Arthur Fawley's widowed maternal aunt and an avid collector of magical artefacts. Like always, her puffy cheeks were full of rouge and many golden rings adorned her fingers.

The old witch's hairdo for this occasion briefly reminded Azure of Marie Antoinette. Its garish red colour shocked with her fuchsia-coloured silk robes. She was also wearing a very exclusive pink pearl necklace and purple mascara, which only enhanced her squirrel-like brown eyes that shone with greed whenever the hag looked at the Hufflepuff Cup.

The Cup. The object that was Madam Smith's new obsession.

Some years ago, the hag had arrived by Floo Powder to "chat". The topic: selling some family items for her "collection"; every time, she had received a low "no" – Liam Ashlane's "nos" were usually enough to make the person give up but that hag did not accept a "no".

It took all her self-control to not cast an embarrassing spell on the witch when the other started pinching her cheeks and complimenting her clothing that was so "appropriate for a girl of her noble station".