"When you can't
look on the bright side,
I will sit with you
in the dark."

As the days got colder, Kira and Ava limited the time they spent outside, rather choosing to spend their days in front of the warm fireplace in the Ravenclaw common room.

They spent their time reading or studying. Other times they would spend it messing about.

"Kira." Ava called for the fifth time.

Kira ignored her and continued writing her essay.

"Kira."

Kira huffed and turned to face her friend who was about to poke her in the shoulder.

Ava retracted her hand at the glare she received.

"What do you want Ava?" Kira sighed, placing down her quill.

"We've been doing homework all day. Let's go do something. Even if it's just walking around." Ava begged. Sure she loved learning but working was a whole different story.

Kira rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine, Ava, let's go."

The two left the common room and began wandering around the halls, not really caring where they were going.

"You know Ava, you'd do a lot better at school if you actually put effort into the homework." Kira remarked.

"Well, I do well enough on the tests and exams to pass." Ava said.

Kira chuckled, "Maybe, but you could be getting O's instead of E's and A's."

"Well I happen to like E's and A's." She huffed.

They both laughed and continued their walk.

Soon enough Dinner started and they made their way to the Great Hall. The entered through the large oak doors and sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

They began filling up their plates when Ava broke the silence.

"What are you doing for Christmas break?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." That was a lie. Kira always knew exactly what she wanted, and she didn't want to go back home.

Usually her mother would force her to come home, but now she wasn't here to do that, so she was free to spend Christmas here at Hogwarts.

"Don't you want to go home? I'm sure your sister has missed you."

"I think I'm going to stay here, Irene can manage on her own."

Kira just needed time away from her family. She loved them, she really did, but sometimes family could be too overwhelming and she was still trying to accept that Charles had been taken by her cruel father. Seeing the rest of her family minus her mother and Charles would be too much for her.

It was all her father's fault.

She wanted nothing more than to kill him.

She wouldn't though. She knew she couldn't, one reason was that it was illegal.

The second reason, she would rather have him suffer in Azkaban.

"What are you planning on doing?" Kira asked, effectively changing the subject from herself to Ava.

Ava's eyes lit up as she went into a detailed description of her plans.

Kira smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded to everything she said.

She couldn't stop her mind from wandering to Regulus.

She had not stopped thinking about how Sirius had said he was most likely already a Death Eater. Surely he didn't mean it. He's probably just hurt by what happened.

He could very well be a Death Eater though. She was certain nearly all of his friends were already Death Eaters. So why would he be any different?

He was different though. He was kind, and funny. He cared about her.

He didn't seem like a Death Eater.

Maybe he was lying? No, his actions seemed genuine.

But people could be deceiving, she knew that.

"Kira?" Ava said, effectively drawing her from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"The Feast is over, we should head to bed." Ava spoke gently. She could tell something was bothering her friend. She had been zoning out more than usual and she was a bit concerned.

The two got back to their dorm and immediately went to their respective beds where they each picked up a book to read.

Before Kira could start reading though, Ava spoke, "Kira, I can tell something's bothering you. Are you okay?"

Kira sighed, "Truthfully, no, but I will be." She smiled at Ava.

"You can talk to me Kira. It helps."

Kira thought about it for a second, maybe she could speak about a few things.

"Do you think my father will force Charles to become a Death Eater?"

The question had been going through her head nonstop since he took her brother.

Ava sighed, she really didn't know how to answer that. After a few minutes she spoke, "I think he will." She hesitated, biting her lip before she continued, "Your mother isn't there to stop him. So yes I think he will." Kira needed the truth right now, not false hope.

Kira could feel the tears forming behind her eyelids. All the tears she had kept in, all the times she has wanted to cry since her mother's death were threatening to come out.

"But why Charlie?" Her voice broke as the sentence came out. A single tear falling.

Ava got up and moved to sit next to Kira on her bed. She pulled Kira to her chest and held her while she cried.

Kira had an idea why her father chose Charles to force him to become a Death Eater.

He was the youngest, therefore the easiest to manipulate. Irene could no longer be influenced by their father, she was already married and out of Hogwarts.

Herself and Thomas were already old enough to make their own decisions.

And without their mother, Charles would have no choice but to follow his father.

The two best friends sat there until both of them had fallen asleep. They held each other while they slept.

Kira was grateful she had such a caring friend. She wouldn't trade her for the world.

Ava wanted to help her as much as she could even if she didn't know all of it. She knew enough to know Kira was struggling and that it was hard to talk about. But she would be there until the very end, always willing to help her friend as much as she could.

_________________________________________

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– walkingmasterpiece xx