Antlia was, of course, right about her father's letter being pleasant. She opened it in the Slytherin common room, surrounded by her dorm mates.

I've spent six years actively detesting these people and faking friendships when I could have been making these girls my real friends. I've missed out on so much that I could have experienced. And for what? So my father could push me around?

Antlia shook her head as she cracked the Avery wax seal holding the envelope closed after worrying at it with her fingers for the past few minutes. The paper crinkled when she pulled out the letter. I can't bring myself to open it. What if it isn't a positive letter? Then I'll be surrounded by all my friends when tears begin to flow.

Navya, one of her dorm mates, a fellow Slytherin, and an aspiring actress gave a sigh of exasperation and fell back against the plush cushion of her seat. "Just open it already! Nothing happened this week to make him dissatisfied with you. If anything, that letter should be proud." Navya was one of the people who understood Antlia's struggle with her father the most, as her own parents were not very supportive of her chosen career path.

Antlia made a frustrated noise with her own sigh and fiddled with the bracelet that she wore around her wrist. It had been a gift from Sirius in Third Year, and Antlia almost never took it off. The action pulled a memory to the surface that made her smile, despite the anxiety that Antlia was feeling about her father's letter and her fight with Sirius.

"Lia!" Lia turned around to see a boy with messy black hair and a goofy grin on his face calling out to her. Sirius Black was running towards her with gloved hands clutched into fists to hide what they held. His breath was coming out in little puffs that formed clouds and his cheeks were ruddy from the cold air in Hogsmeade.

"Siri!" Antlia shouted back to him as he ran up the road. He had managed to catch her at the rare time where she wasn't surrounded by her "friends" that she was normally with at all times. Antlia had managed to convince her father to let her attend the Hogsmeade trips, citing the fact that it would be "a red-flag if I wasn't able to go. The Ministry would be here in an instant once they found out."

"I have something for you!" Sirius' grin stretched out his face, revealing pearly white teeth. He had reached Lia by now, and the frost in the air from his breath was mixing with hers.

Lia smiled up at him softly. At 14 years old, Sirius already towered over her. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise, so I can't tell you!" Sirius' grin impossibly grew even larger as he looked at Lia with adoring eyes. "You have to guess!"

"Hmm, what could it be?" Antlia tucked her hand under her chin in an exaggerated thinking expression. "Is it... jewelry?" When Sirius nodded excitedly, she continued teasingly. "A necklace?" The shake of Sirius' head from side to side moved his black hair around into a messy style, mimicking James Potter's. "Earrings?" Another shake. "A bracelet?" Sirius nodded and started to reveal what he had been holding.

He held out a gloved hand and opened it to reveal a golden bracelet. Sparkling fake diamonds were set every so often into the metal, which glimmered in the dim winter light. "Do you like it?"

"Siri, I love it." Tears began to come to Lia's eyes as she let Sirius fasten the clasp of the bracelet around her wrist.

The last time she had received a gift had been since before her mother died. Arcturus Avery was not one who believed in giving. He took and he took and he took until the person that he was draining was just that. Drained. Cassiopeia Avery had a personality in a very sharp contrast to her husband's. She gave and she gave until she had nothing left to give. It made Antlia wonder how the two had even fallen in love if they ever had. Or had their marriage been a loveless one, like the many that populated the pureblood society of the Wizarding World? She would never know.

"I bought it at one of the little shops down the way." Sirius was beaming at Lia, his smile lighting up his face like the light caused by the Lumos spell.

"It's beautiful, really." Lia held her wrist up to her eyes so she could get a closer look at it. "It is already my favorite piece of jewelry that I own."

"And you own so much jewelry," Sirius said. Lia could tell that he was struggling to keep a straight face, the corners of his mouth continuously twitching up and being pulled back down.

"Oh, shut up." Lia laughed, the sound dampened by the snow that had begun to fall. The small white flakes coated everything, sticking to Sirius' dark eyelashes.

Sirius stuck his tongue out into the cold air to catch a snowflake, causing Lia to giggle. Sirius was one of the only people that could make a real smile come to the girl's face. The list included 3 people, Sirius, Lyra, and Teely. Lyra was her best friend and Teely was the Avery family house-elf. Lia's smile was rare, and Sirius loved the days when he could coax it out.

"Antlia!" Someone called from the top of the hill. Antlia turned around to see Navya waving to her and calling her name. When Antlia turned around to say goodbye to Sirius, he had ducked out of sight and was gone. He had left before Navya could see him, sparing Antlia from the incessant questioning that would no doubt come from her dorm mates if she was found with Sirius. It was for the best that they weren't seen together. Appearances were important to the Avery family, most of all to Antlia's father.

"Open it!" Pandora echoed Navya's feelings about opening the letter and took it one step further. "Is it alright if I open it?" The girl gently eased the letter from Antlia's hands. At Antlia's silent nod, Pandora unfolded the paper to see the words on the inside. The beautiful script was for once telling beautiful words. "He's happy with you." Pandora flashed a grin at Antlia and handed the letter back to her.

Antlia's eyes scanned her father's handwriting, taking in everything that he had to say. "It's positive!" Antlia beamed at her cluster of friends.

"It's positive, it's positive, it's positive!" Antlia's friends chanted as they sat in a semi-circle around her, bewildering those who weren't in on the conversation.

The letter contained phrases like "I am pleased that you have finally given up your foolish dependence on the boy." and "Don't yell again this year, my dear. It won't be good for our reputation." Antlia was too caught up in the fact that her father wasn't berating her to ponder these sentences further. She was caught up in happiness for once and not anger or fear. She wasn't caught up in being left behind.

—
Antlia went to her Transfiguration class the next morning in a good mood. She had woken up with a smile on her face, and hadn't felt bogged down by what her father called "unnecessary feelings." Her breakfast had been delicious and she hadn't had to deal with Sirius. The two still hadn't spoken, as Antlia was still mad at him for making Lyra upset. Lyra was feeling better now, however. I still don't understand what she saw that night. Her mumblings were nonsense. But at least she just seems spooked now.

Antlia nodded in greeting to Professor McGonagall when she entered the room, taking out her quill and notebook once she was seated at her desk. Antlia was one of the first students in the classroom, taking in the quiet rustling of papers and the scratching of quills on parchment before the horde of noisy boys that would inevitably come came rushing in.

And four noisy Gryffindor boys did come rushing in, with Sirius Black and James Potter making most of the sound. Remus Lupin looked pale, and Peter Pettigrew simply looked meek. Sirius sat directly behind Antlia, reluctantly taking out his quill.

When McGonagall began her lecture, Antlia tried her best to pay attention to the professors I can feel his eyes on me. They are boring into my head. Salazar, Siri, if you look at my head any harder your eyes are going to pop out.

"Mr. Black!" The sharp voice of Professor McGonagall rang out in the small classroom, startling Antlia out of her thoughts. "I'm sure that you have better things to do than to stare at Ms. Avery's head. You are supposed to be taking notes, however lovely the back of your head is Ms. Avery." Both Antlia and Sirius colored, blood rushing to their faces.

"Sorry Professor! Antlia really does have a nice head." Sirius laughed, winking at Antlia when she turned around to glare at him. And glare she did. Antlia had mastered the art of glaring at someone and still paying attention to the lesson. It's a very useful skill to have, especially when I have to glare at a certain beautiful boy.

"Black, please refrain from staring at me. Some girls may be flattered, but I detest you." Antlia turned back to the front of the classroom, resolving to ignore Sirius for the rest of the lesson, and ignoring the pang in her heart that her harsh words caused. I wish that I could tell him how I really feel in public. That would be a glorious day. It will never happen. Our friendship will continue to be hidden in shadows and dark corners. "Professor, please continue the lesson. I was finding it very enjoyable before someone decided to interrupt." Antlia spat out the word "someone" before smiling a sugary sweet smile at Professor McGonagall.

The sugar smile was a common one to see on Antlia's face. It rotted her insides, candying the outside. A pretty outside, a dead inside. That fact would never change.

Author's Note:

I hope that you liked this chapter! If you have any constructive criticism or comments, please let me know! I would love it! Also, if you want to see more about Lyra, please check out Monsters on my profile! Thank you for reading!

- Nicole