Sumner slanted her a glance, humoring her as he opened it carefully. For someone so book smart, he didn't catch on until he saw the blond haired boy staring back at him. His breath sucked painfully into his throat, pain exploded within his heart and his hands began to shake. Tears welled in his eyes and coursed down his cheeks, unchecked and unimpeded.
"Hi Sumner! Merry Christmas!" Avery waved at him from his end, beaming at the older boy who he hadn't seen in nearly a year. "Your girlfriend's so cool! She owled me this and said we could talk whenever we want to!" He talked a mile a minute, excitedly about his new life at Durmstrang and how it was so much cooler than anything he'd ever heard of Hogwarts. "Hey. Why are you crying?" His straight nose, Bertram's nose, wrinkled, his hazel eyes becoming confused. "When are you coming home? Mom's being all weird. I know not to say anything about this though!" He practically bounced on his bed in excitement at keeping such a huge secret. He liked breaking rules.
Taking a deep breath, using the hem of his shirt to wipe his face, he fought the tears back. His chin trembled and his voice was shaky and gruff. "Mer-Merry Christmas squirt." He tried to muster his best loving sneer for the boy but it came out a weak smile instead. "I'm just happy to see you is all. I've got uh," he grabbed the tissue Lily handed him and wiped his nose, beginning to laugh. "I'm meeting with scouts," he lied, "one of them said they represented the Falcons. How cool would that be for your big brother to bash some heads for them eh?"
They talked for nearly an hour before their mum's voice called for them. Sumner flinched and even though he knew she had hurt him, disowned him, he wanted to see her. He missed his mother, loved her and this separation hurt him more than anything in his life ever could. They said goodbye, Avery wishing Lily Merry Christmas too. Then the connection was severed, the mirror closed and Sumner buried his face in his hands and sobbed.