CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

                                    

                                          
I AM MURDERING YOU, YOU BLOODY GIT
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Regulus and Seraphina continued their walk through Hogsmeade when Seraphina asked, "So, what's your plans for the holidays?"
Had she been less observant, she might have missed the dark look that passed over his face. Not to mention that she could feel the slight change in his emotions. Usually Regulus was pretty good at hiding what he was feeling, mostly all he showed in any way was apathy, but now he almost appeared frightened. 
"Uh, I am staying at Hogwarts," he confessed, looking ahead instead of her. 
It was not uncommon for people to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays. Dedicated Fifth Years did it all the time to study over the Christmas holidays; some stayed simply because they wanted to spend Christmas with their friends. 
But to her knowledge, Regulus had never stayed. He always went home to Grimmauld Place. From what Sirius had told her, their parents all but demanded it. Last year, Sirius had claimed that he wanted to stay in school to study and Sera supposed his parents hadn't argued since they in reality didn't really want him to come home. But Regulus was their golden child. 
Regulus must have noticed her surprise because he added, "I want to study for my O.W.L:s."
"Mhm, you know that holidays are good for you, right?" Seraphina asked him. "It's almost half a year to your exams, your brain needs to rest and reset. I did not study much during the Christmas holidays, and I did pretty well."
"An Outstanding in every subject is 'pretty well' to you?" Regulus scoffed. "So what are the grades the rest of us mortals get?"
"That's not what I meant," Seraphina rolled her eyes. "I just don't want you to miss out on the Christmas holidays."
"Christmas comes every year. Not the O.W.Ls," Regulus deadpanned. "What are your plans?" he changed the subject.
Seraphina was about to answer, but before she even knew it herself, her subconscious had made the decision for her, "I am staying too," she announced, actually a bit surprised herself by the answer. In truth, her plans were to go home.
"I thought you were spending Christmas with your brother this year," Regulus told her.
"Then why did you ask?"
"Why did you change your mind?" Regulus retorted. 
"I didn't," Seraphina told him.
"Yes, you did," Regulus argued.
"No, they decided to spend Christmas with Molly's family again since - well, since our side of the family is me and Bilius and I honestly don't know what he is doing with his life," Seraphina lied. Well, she partially lied because in reality she was planning to go home. "We had pretty much the exact same conversation last year. "
"But spending Christmas with your sister-in-law's family must be better than being alone," Regulus reasoned. "Aren't those annoying red-haired twins her brothers?"
"Gideon and Fabian?" Sera asked. "Yes, they are. But I am kind of avoiding any contact with Gryffindors right now. I'd rather not spend my entire Christmas being interrogated and judged. And I won't be alone here, because you will be here."
"The joy," he said sarcastically, sending her a suspicious look.
"Right," she smiled brightly simply to annoy him. "We will have so much fun."
"Fun indeed," Regulus smirked, surprising her. This wasn't serious. Regulus didn't smirk for no reason. 
And that reason was made clear to her a second later when she felt cold snow pressed into her face while an arm wrapped around her waist to make sure she didn't run. Seraphina screamed in surprise and because the freezing snow was rubbed all over her face, getting into her eyes.
Regulus tried to hide his chuckles while Seraphina struggled to get free. She elbowed the person behind her and stumbled out of his hold. Turning around, she came face to face with a laughing, and slightly frightened, Avery.
"I am murdering you, you bloody git!" Seraphina threatened and before Avery could react, she had tackled him to the ground, into a snowdrift. Avery tried to seize her arms but she managed to get ahold of some snow that she then pressed into his face. 
"Don't start wars you can't win, Avery," Seraphina told him before getting to her feet.
Avery spluttered to get the snow out of his mouth and now they both had snow in their hair, "I just wanted to check your reactions, Captain. They are outstanding, much like everything else you do."
"Well, yours is lacking," Seraphina told him, sending him a glare. Then she turned around and her glare only grew more vicious, "And you, traitor," she told Regulus. "You saw him coming."
"I am not involved in your childish games," Regulus told her, raising his hands as a sign of innocence. 
"Oh, but you are," Seraphina narrowed her eyes at him. "When you saw him come up behind me, you had a choice. And you chose Avery - which is unfortunate for you. Because now, I must make sure you understand what happens when you make an enemy of the wrong person."
In that moment, Regulus Black realised his mistake and used his Seeker reflexes to run away. Seraphina wasted no time running after him with the full attempt to make sure he knew to never betray her in a snowball fight again. 
The only problem was that Regulus was as cunning as one could expect from a Slytherin and used the advantage of the large crowds to shake her off. When she realised that she would not be catching up with him she decided to take a short cut. However, it seemed like luck had completely escaped her that day because she crashed into a hard chest, almost knocking her and the other person to the ground. 
Unlike her, the other person had a good footing and could keep them both upright. Strong arms wrapped around her waist before she could be knocked back and unintentionally her face was buried into the person's jacket as she tried to regain her footing.
"Sorry, I wasn't-" Seraphina started to say, then she looked up and realised who it was.