Thicker than Water (Marauders Era)

23 December, 1977 - Day After

It was odd for Lavinia to wake up the morning after her visit to the astronomy tower and odder still that she found herself surrounded by so much normalcy. Alexandra and Eloise were packing, Emma was sitting on her bed, polishing her broom and no one seemed to have noticed a single thing. It made the night before feel like a dream, or a nightmare, she wasn't sure which.

It took finding her mother's letter, still tucked inside her book bag for Lavinia to be fully convinced that the previous night was real. And if it was real, then Sirius Black might well have saved her life. She couldn't decide whether or not she was grateful, a decision only made harder by the thought of a Christmas break with her grandmother looming like a dark cloud over her.

Not that she let it show. She packed her bag for the holiday break as usual, the small suitcase filled mostly with a few textbooks she would need for homework, some clothes and her various essentials. She buried her potions knife at the bottom. When she was done, she closed the case, zipped it shut and glanced around the room.

Alexandra was staring at a handful of dresses laid out on her bed, apparently trying to decide which to take and Eloise was chatting with Emma about holiday plans. Lavinia felt oddly detached from the whole thing, again struck by just how normal everything was. It made her wonder just how different this morning would have been if she'd jumped.

After a little while, Eloise glanced over her shoulder and saw Lavinia standing rather awkwardly next to her packed luggage. "Ready to go to breakfast?" she asked. "You can't possibly be going to the library this time."

Lavinia snorted and gave Eloise an indulgent smile. "Ready when you guys are," she replied as brightly as she could.

Eloise smiled, and stood up from where she'd been sitting on her bed. "Joining us, Emma?" she inquired of the other girl.

Emma glanced at her watch and shook her head. "I'm meeting the team in twenty," she explained, an apologetic tint to her voice.

Eloise shrugged. "Alex?" she asked, turning to the fourth girl.

Alexandra gave a frustrated sigh, her suitcase still open next to her. "Navy or red?" she asked, gesturing to the dresses laid on her bed.

"It's Christmas. Go red," Lavinia advised, somewhat surprised at her ability to sound and act so normal right now. She didn't feel normal, not at all. She felt like she was drifting, floating along and watching with detached awe as everyone's lives moved on while hers had almost stopped. Then again, she thought, she hadn't felt close to normal for more than a year now. And she'd always managed to act her way through it.

"Yes, but you wear red to the Christmas party," Alexandra mused, now fingering the hem of the red dress.. "And we know what your mother is like," she added, throwing Lavinia a rather sharp look.

"Mm," Lavinia hummed thoughtfully, ignoring the accusing stare of the other girl. "My grandmother will be there too." She sighed, hating the taste of the words coming out of her mouth. "And she's worse, if you'll believe it. Navy is safer. Maybe add a festive ribbon or something," she suggested, giving the brunette an apologetic grimace.

Alexandra pursed her lips, frowning slightly, then sighed, grabbing the navy dress. "It's a shame," she muttered, packing it away. "I look so good in red."

Lavinia gave a sympathetic smile. "You do," she assured her friend.

Alexandra shrugged, brushing it away, though Lavinia suspected there was more resentment there than she was letting on. It made her feel rather guilty, though she wasn't entirely sure what for. It wasn't like her mother's insistence that she stand out was her fault. Then again, it wasn't like she fought it either. Part of her wondered if she really was just as vain as everyone seemed to think.