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Christmas day.

I've never been a big fan of the holiday. Or any holiday, to be more particular.

They were never fun at the Dursley's, and so far I haven't experienced many holidays away from them. At least none that were special enough to make me think differently about them.

But this one seemed like it might be the one that will. Laughs and cheery conversations were heard all around the Headquarter, and the Weasley's made Harry, Sirius and me feel right at home. Like we were part of the family.

Even Ron and I have been getting along during this time.

I was sprawled across one of the old couches, my hands wrapped around my own torso, hugging my own body in an attempt to warm myself up.

"You can't seriously be freezing with mum's jumper on," Fred noticed amused, an eyebrow quirked as he tugged on the black Christmas sweater.

My eyes fell down to admire it again, smiling slightly when I traced the initial of my name on the fabric. "Well, it is bloody cold in here, isn't it?" I asked rhetorically, rolling my eyes at his comment with a sigh.

"You might regret saying that once you turn the fire on," Sirius said with an amused smile on his face just as he walked through the door. His eyes were on me before falling onto the fireplace on the other side of the room.

I let out a small laugh, nodding. "You know what, that's not such a bad idea."

He smiled with a nod before taking a deep breath, his lips suddenly forming a straight line instead.

He had walked into the room with his hands behind his back, but by now they were loosely hanging on either side of his body, his hand clutching a matte black envelope.

I furrowed my brows as I noticed it, wondering what it was and who it was for.

He slowly walked towards the Couch Fred and I were sitting on, ultimately letting himself fall in between the two of us with a sigh.

"I know that crest," Sirius said, holding the sealed letter in his hand and eyeing it suspiciously. "It's my cousin's now."

I looked up from his hands, only to realise he was already looking at me.

Before I could say anything, Fred cleared his throat, getting up and beginning to walk towards the doorway at the same time. "That's my cue," He grinned, realising this would probably turn into a conversation not meant for his ears.

Sirius gave him a faint smile, appreciating his gesture before looking back at me.

I quickly looked at the envelope again in fear of catching his eyes with mine, and seeing something in them I didn't want to. He handed it to me cautiously, probably watching my every move.

The material was soft, almost silky; though its appearance was matte. I admired the envelope a little longer, making out my initials on the back of it, written in silver ink, while the front was sealed with a dark green wax stamp that showed the crest Sirius was talking about.

A big M was placed in the centre of it, surrounded by spears and several serpentine creatures. It was only a stamp, so I couldn't read the words pictured below, though I was fairly certain it was Latin.

"Your cousin?" I asked quietly, not taking my eyes off of the envelope in my hand.

I could feel his hand on my shoulder and saw him nodding in the corner of my eye. "Narcissa Black," He said. "Well- Malfoy, now," He corrected himself, a hint of amusement in his voice before he turned serious again.

When I connected the dots, I gulped. "Yeah, I've heard of her. Kind of, anyway. My friend from Durmstrang mentioned her once," I explained, finally looking at him.

To my surprise he wasn't frowning, neither was there a scowl on his face. Instead, a faint smile was placed on his lips, and he looked at me with nothing but kindness in his eyes.

"Though I doubt this letter is from her?" He chuckled lowly, raising his eyebrows with a knowing look on his face.

"You never know," I huffed, grasping it a little tighter with a half-hearted smile.

"You know, uh-" He paused for a second, scratching the back of his neck while shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Harry told me about you and Draco," He said slowly, an apologetic smile on his lips.

I groaned, rolling my eyes and falling back into the couch. "Of course he would. I forgot you two talk about everything, don't you?" I huffed annoyed, remembering the time he went to talk to Harry but not me.

It seemed petty to hang onto that one time, but I just didn't like people playing favourites between my twin and me.

He tilted his head slightly, eyebrows furrowed, but that kind smile still on his lips. "Do you know why you weren't with your brother when your parents were killed, Y/n?" He asked suddenly, making my eyebrows furrow immediately.

I was taken aback by the question, expecting literally anything but that to come out of his mouth. I shook my head.

"You see, Halloween was always one of my favourite holidays," He began, a smile growing on his lips at the memory. "I was dying to spend it with my adorable godchildren, give James and Lily some time off. Heavens, they deserved it."

He was no longer looking at me. Instead, his eyes were pointed straight ahead, completely lost in the memories of old days. "But you two were really a handful, and I didn't think I'd be able to handle it. And you always took a particular liking in spending some time with good old me," He laughed lowly. "So, your parents and I just agreed that you would spend the night at my place, while Harry stayed at home. And I was so excited; you have no idea."

I listened carefully, kind of guessing where this was going now. My breath grew heavier while I continued to listen to him talk about that night. It still was far from being one of my favourite topics of conversation.

"And you cried all night. I remember thinking 'Wow, I really did James and Lily a favour tonight' enduring your crying and hoping that they were getting a good night's rest, instead. Little did I know," He huffed, his head was lowered, shaking it slightly while he was talking.

"It was only when I heard about what happened the next morning that I understood why you were crying. I felt so guilty. Always thinking 'If only I would've taken both of you that night', you know? God knows what would've been different now."

I swallowed thickly, trying to think of something I could say. Though, I ended up just pulling him into a long hug. "I had no idea," I whispered, my voice apologetic; even if I had no reason to be. "But none of this is your fault. Not at all."

A deep sigh escaped his lips, one that felt like it echoed through the whole room. "I don't want you to think I'm favouring Harry, you know. But sometimes I do hold myself accountable for what happened. And I can't help but feel like I owe it to him," He shook his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought. "I know that's wrong, I'm sorry. I shouldn't burden you with this, anyway. I just wanted you to know."

He cleared his throat, looking around the empty room once before getting up. My eyes followed him towards the door, where he stopped in the doorframe and turned around one last time.

"Maybe you and I can talk about that letter some other time, hm? Just don't make me have that talk about the birds and the b-" He began with a grin, and I quickly waved my hands in front of my face, begging him to stop right then and there.

"Don't worry, that won't be necessary!" I laughed quickly, and he huffed with the smile still on his lips.

"I'll leave you to it then. Merry Christmas," He said with a wink before closing the door behind him gently.

A/N: I'm nervous about this chapter!! lol thoughts pls :)

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