I held the box in my hands.
It was a Christmas present.
I had learned that Christmas wasn’t special.
It’s probably just a dress you’ll be forced to wear. That little voice in my head told me.
Christmas is just an excuse for Mother and Father to smother you in everything feminine they can find. It told me as I held the box.
It was a flat cardboard box—one of the ones that usually holds clothes.
It’s a dre- The little voice in my head was cut off by Mrs. Potter’s sweet voice.
“You’re holding it upside down, sweetheart,” She always called me a combination of pet names.
She called all of us pet names.
Me, Siri, Remus, Peter, James… Hell, even Barty and Evan.
At first, it made me uncomfortable but now I feel this warmth bubble in my chest when she says them.
I looked at her confused as I flipped the box over… then gasped.
“Regulus” was written across the box in Mrs. Potter’s fancy script.
Regulus.
Regulus was written across the box.
Regulus.
Not Revati.
Regulus.
Myname was written across the box in Mrs. Potter’s fancy script.
The little voice disappeared as I carefully cut the tape with my nail and pulled open the box.
I pulled away the tissue paper and was met with… a… sports bra?
Wait-
That’s not-
Is it-
I must have looked shocked because James moved from the floor to sit on the couch beside me and rubbed my back.
“Is it…” I let my voice trail off as I looked from James to Siri and finally to Mrs. Potter.
“It’s a binder, love,” Mrs. Potter says as I carefully pick up the fabric as if it would disappear.
“Go try it on!” Siri said, excitement lacing his tone.
I stood up and walked upstairs with the fabric in hand.
After I put it on I looked at myself in the mirror.
I picked up the shirt that I had been wearing before setting it back down.
I picked up the sweater that Mrs. Potter had made me.
It was green with a silver “R” across the front.
It was slightly tighter than I usually wore but I found that it wasn’t uncomfortable like I thought it would be.
I turned to the side and ran my hands over my now flat chest.
It was incredible.
Tears filled my eyes as James, Evan, and Barty entered the room.
I opened my mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words.
“I know, darling,” James said as he walked over to me.
He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. Barty and Evan joined and I was then surrounded by the warmth and love of my boyfriends.
This.
This is what home feels like.